#the idea of romancing nadia puts me off so much but her story is so good and honestly

[lorirwritesfanfic]

I posted 1,567 times in 2022

119 posts created (8%)

1,448 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lorirwritesfanfic

@choicesjanuarychallenge2022

@missameliep

@storyofmychoices

@fanficmemes

I tagged 1,555 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#a little self reblog 😉 - 152 posts

#fanfiction - 136 posts

#choicesjanuary2022 - 121 posts

#choicesmonthlychallenge - 99 posts

#comment reblog - 80 posts

#lorirwritesfanfic - 77 posts

#playchoices - 59 posts

#the royal romance - 55 posts

#choices fanart - 51 posts

#blog updates - 50 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#but i know that if i start playing it i'll get sucked into that fake perfect world and ignore that i have to eat/sleep/shower/pay bills 😅

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Because Of Him

Author's note: I wrote this in one sitting! Yes, that's all my notes are about. (sorry, it's been a few weeks since the last time I finished and posted a story.)

[Original characters are creations of this author. The others are owned by Pixelberry Studios]

Book: Perfect Match

Characters: Sloane Washington, Hayden Young, F!MC (Natasha Park)

Rating: G

Word count: 928

Reading time: 4 min

Summary: An incident reminds Sloane of how much Hayden (and Dipper) mean to her.

Based on the prompt: @sloanewashingtonappreciationweek​ day three: friendships

Sloane's left knee bounces up and down as she sits on the waiting room of the veterinary hospital they always take Dipper. She always told herself she's more of a cat person, but things slowly changed when she became Hayden's handler and she had to adopt a dog for him.

The idea of getting an animal so loud, clingy and with a potential to destroy her apartment was daunting, but sacrifices had to be made. Back then, she had no idea she would come to love Hayden as dearly as she would love a younger brother or how much Dipper would grow on her. But most of all, she didn't expect to feel so emotional when it comes to either of them.

She glanced around the room, then at her wristwatch, and chewed on a nail, knee bouncing frantically. Why is it taking so long?

Just then, Natasha's beaming face pops on the screen of her phone. Then she realizes it isn't her phone. But given how hectic the night was, it doesn't surprise her that she ended up switching phones with Hayden by accident.

"Hey, Natasha..."

"Sloane? Hey! Khaan dropped by to give back your phone. He said Hamza found it on the floor of his car."

"I didn't realize I didn't have it with me until now... but thanks... How's everything there?"

"Everyone left. I just finished cleaning everything with Nadia and she went home now. Where's Hayden?"

"He went out for coffee."

"Any news on Dipper?"

"She's on a surgery right now."

"Oh... I didn't know it was that bad..."

"It kinda is..."

A brief silence settles between them.

"I'm so sorry, Sloane..."

"It's not your fault, Natasha."

"But it happened because of me."

"It's nobody's fault. You couldn't have known Dipper was going to eat your slice of cake when you left and all of us got distracted."

"Yeah... I guess..."

"Everything is going to be fine. We just have to—" Sloane trails off when the veterinarian and Hayden walk into the waiting room.

"What is it?"

"Hayden and Dipper's vet are back."

"Oh! Is the surgery over?"

"Maybe? I don't know..."

"Go ask them! I'll wait here."

"Okay."

Sloane puts her phone in her jacket pocket as she stands up meet them. Much to her relief, Hayden smiles when the vet puts the fourteen carat diamond ring in his palm.

"Here you go, Mr. Young."

See the full post

26 notes - Posted February 13, 2022

#4

Kenna Rys moodboard for @choicesaprilchallenge day one: The Crown & The Flame

36 notes - Posted April 2, 2022

#3

Decisions

Author's note: Guess who’s finally posting a For The World To Know chapter? 😁 Took me three years to get this story unstuck, so please be kind to me if you decide to comment. [Original characters are creations of this author. The others are owned by Pixelberry Studios]

Book: The Royal Romance - Book Three

Characters: Liam Rys, MC (Jade), Madeleine Amaranth, Regina Rys

Pairing: Liam Rys x MC (Jade)

Rating: T

Word count: 4887

Reading time: ~20min

Summary: As the wedding approaches, Jade will struggle with the compromises she will have to make to become Liam’s wife.

Jade walked down the hallway leading to the main lounge of the palace, where she would decide the final details of her wedding. Though she wasn't looking forward to meeting Regina and Madeleine, any moment with her fiancé to talk about the future was still worth it. The thought of having cake and making the last adjustments about the ceremony and reception with her betrothed felt like paradise for her. Even if the other people there wouldn't allow them to enjoy this little piece of heaven for too long.

Her eyes sparkled with joy as she spotted Liam by the door talking on the phone. With a wide smile, the duchess approached her fiancé and encircled her arms around his strong frame, resting her head on his back.

"My apologies, sir, but I have a meeting to attend. Have a good day," Liam hung up, lifted Jade's hands to his lips, kissed her knuckles and turned around to gaze at her.

"You didn't have to hang up, Li. I could've waited until you finished the call."

"I could never leave my queen waiting," he said, kissing her forehead. "Are you ready for the last meeting?"

"No..." She made a face, making him chuckle. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not because it's a meeting with Madeleine and Regina. It's the last meeting."

Liam cupped her face, caressing her cheek gently. "Are you concerned about anything, my love? Are you having second thoughts?"

"No! I have no doubts about what I want. I was just thinking about our wedding. Time flew by us lately."

"Both of us are busier now, my love," Liam explained. "And I have a feeling our lives will get more hectic as the wedding approaches."

"I feel like we only see each other at courtly functions or formal meetings." Jade frowned. "We barely had any time alone this week."

"I did notice that. In that spirit, I'd like you to join me for lunch. We'll have plenty of time to talk in private. Maybe even kiss and do other things as well," he whispered as one hand rested on the small of her back.

"I'd like that. But we can start the kissing part now," the duchess suggested with a mischievous smile.

"You make a fair point as usual, my queen."

With that, Liam pulled her closer and leaned in, pressing his lips on hers. Jade tugged on his jacket and deepened the kiss. For a moment, time seemed to stand still for the two of them. But as heat began to spread within her, he pulled away.

"We should get in now," the monarch whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Five more minutes?" Jade looked at the King with her best smile and pleading eyes.

"We can't keep Madeleine and Regina waiting forever."

"Are you sure?"

He chuckled softly, but shook his head.

"Fine..."

She made a face that quickly dissolved by her fiancé as he kissed her cheek a few times before they walked into the private lounge.

As the guards opened the doors for the two of them, Queen Mother Regina gave the couple a subtle glare as she sipped her tea. Madeleine looked at her golden wrist watch then reached for her tablet.

"It took long enough for the two of you to arrive." Madeleine raised an eyebrow as the couple sat on the loveseat across from her.

"My apologies, Madeleine. Though our wedding ceremony is important to us, my role as the monarch of this country and Jade's new obligations as ruler of Valtoria also demand our attention," Liam explained.

"Of course, Your Majesty," the countess replied, looking down at her tablet.

Jade glanced at her fiancé with her eyes widened, who replied with a smile and a wink.

"We're eleven minutes late, so let's not waste another moment," Queen Mother said as she signaled for the maids to serve them tea. "Shall we take a look at the menu options once again?"

Liam and Jade nodded.

See the full post

42 notes - Posted September 16, 2022

#2

Heavy

Author's note: Late submission to day two of KLAW and day eight Royal n Noble April Tea Party. Sorry, I got a cruel disease that doesn't allow me to write much. [Original characters are creations of this author. The others are owned by Pixelberry Studios]

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam Rys x MC (Jade)

Rating: M

Word count: 434

Reading time: 2 min

Summary: "Uneasy is the head that wears the crown."¹

Based on the prompts: @kingliamappreciationweek​​ - day two: Liam the King / @choicesaprilchallenge​ - The Royal Romance/Masquerade/Heir: The Rys

Warning: This piece contains adult material (brief mention of sexual assault attempt) that may be disturbing/offensive for some people. Reader discretion is advised.

The crowd rose to their feet when Liam walked towards the middle of the ballroom, where a platform and the throne were placed for the coronation of the future king. Wearing the royal cape and the crown he used as a prince for the last time, the young prince carried the royal scepter in one hand and the orb in the other and took his place before King Constantine so the coronation could start.

To all onlookers, it was a mystery yet not a surprise that the crown prince remained calm and solemnly took his vows, pledging himself to the service of ruling Cornodia. After the scandal that exposed the suitor believed to be the prince's favorite, anyone else in shoes would've stuttered, tripped in the middle of the room or panicked. But not him. Prince Liam wasn't the firstborn, but more than anyone else in the royal family, he was the perfect image of poise, strength and stability, traits all citizens agreed the kingdom needed.

The audience, however, often failed to see the man behind the stoic mask. While he pretended to be unaffected by the previous events of the night, deep within himself, he was hurting. His heart ached. He knew it was all a ruse. He knew about the broken lock of Jade's door. He knew that a man he once saw as a friend forced himself upon the woman he'd choose as his queen. He knew she wasn't approved by royal advisors and many would benefit from her downfall.

What the people failed to see is that he also knew her. He knew her intentions, her dreams, what she wanted out of life, and what she wanted from him. And this is precisely why it was so hard for him to stand there, become king and choose someone else when every part of him ached for her.

All his life had been planned out by others. He had accepted his fate. But now that he knew what love felt like, he was no longer the same. He was so close to having so much more than he ever hoped for and it slipped through his fingers like water. How could he keep going?

As the monarch's crown was placed on his head, he recalled a moment he had with her. She mentioned how the crown looked heavy in pictures and he explained the meaning behind its heaviness. Wearing the crown came with big responsibilities and he understood that much from a very young age. What he didn't know was how uneasy he would feel when that moment came at last.

____

¹ Shakespeare, William. Henry IV, Part II. 1600

44 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I say ignorance is bliss, but when I see someone so ignorant to the point they don't know who to vote for today when the choices are a man that made Brazil the 6th most powerful economy in the 00's and a troglodyte that publicly mocked the people dying from COVID-19, I'm like

47 notes - Posted October 30, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #i'm glad there's only one shitpost between my top posts this year #specially because i'm still baffled by how real it still is #but yay! thank you for reading my stuff people! #happy holidays 💕

[maya-tl]

Without spoiling anything:

I'm currently playing Nadia's route, and I gotta say... I can see why everyone wants a Valerius route so badly.

#i say things #the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana nadia #the arcana valerius #I've learned things i didn't think I would be learning. new favourite route?? maybe so. #I have such different feelings about every route #asra's route feels the most natural #muriel's route is the most wholesome #portia's route is the most fun #julian's route feels the most right for me #lucio's route is the most satisfactory (it's the villain redemption) #and so far nadia's route has been the most fascinating. I'm constantly intrigued by what's going to happen next. #I love all these characters but irl I would only be open to romancing like two... maybe three. asra's on thin ice even though I love him. #the idea of romancing nadia puts me off so much but her story is so good and honestly?? #if you go through without spending any money there's barely any romance at all. I've spent coins on every single route except nadia's. #it's so weird. the romance feels so rushed and off. some dialogue is clearly a follow-up to something that happened in a paid scene that— #—I just never witnessed because I didn't pay for it. I can see why people despise the coin system so much. #when you're not willing to spend money on coins it's actually absurd #anyway I got off track. valerius you're my favourite courtier!!

[black-rose-writings]

I read Ruin and Rising because I’m bored

And I also hate myself

Like with the last book, I have a vague idea of the plot and stuff from tumblr and fanfics. I will also be refering to Darkling as Sasha for most of this.

I am still Darklina trash and don’t particularly like Mal.

On a different note, I’ve finally moved for college, but the internet here is trash, so I’ll probably have a lot more reading time now, since most games I play are online and will crash without internet.

Before

Cool story. Let’s hope Alina stays a badass.

Who am I joking, I know how this ends.

Chapter 1

So far so good. I hate the Apparat, per usual. Alina’s there basically dying and that bitch can’t wait to see her do so.

Cult leader to the core this one. He probably hates that his figurehead is alive and also not brainwashed.

Cult leader doesn’t like swearing. How surprising.

My boy David is completely right. What kind of irresponsible dingus keeps centuries old books in a fucking wet-ass cave? (Or a tree for that matter *cough cough* The Last Jedi *cough, cough*).

Genya is fun to be around.

Oh, shit, let’s go.

Chapter 2

Jesus Christ, Alina, Zoya isn’t that bad.

This is one hell of a shitshow.

I live for this version of Alina. Badass. Scary. I want more of this Alina.

Chapter 3

Out of all the random little details from crappy smut fics, I did not expect Oncat to be from the books, lol.

Mal actually has a supernatural tracking ability. Like, literally, they put a bug into the pouch with gunpowder so he could make the shot. I guess this was kinda said before, but never this directly, right?

Alina’s merzost-skyping Sasha now, yay.

Alina is horny for Sasha boy. Yay.

Alina canonically has a praise kink. Nice.

I hate LB with all of my heart at this very moment. How dare she bait us Darklina people like this? How DARE she? (Shipbaiting is the worst, seriously.)

Yes, yes, yes. These two lines. That’s what their relationship is all about. They’re each others foils, the yin to the other’s yang and... ugh. I am Darklina trash to the core and this hurts.

Darklina: You have a terrible taste in men.

Alina: I liked you once.

My boy Sasha walked into that one.

Chapter 4

Alina is a Queen. And we love her.

David, my beloved, my spirit animal.

It’s surprising they can read it at all, given it’s been centuries. Have you ever tried reading medieval manuscripts?

Honestly, with a father that crazy, it’s no wonder Baghra’s a bitch. And I’ve seen it said somewhere that the books imply Ilya’s experiments are what caused Baghra to be a shadow summoner and you know what? I can see how you’d make that connection.

Why is there so few Tidemakers in the books? Waterbenders are useful. I want more waterbenders.

Alina picking up some habits from Baghra I see.

Ah, yes, we love an educated giant.

I’m starting to think Harshaw is a bit nuts.

Shut up, Hershey. Or at least share the weed with the class. I’m not here for this “He’s mean to you because he likes you”. I might believe that in like, elementary school, but yall are (more or less) adults. Jesus.

Well, that was a bombshell of a twist.

Chapter 5

Oh boy, we’ve got some trauma bonding for out merry band of misfits. Yay.

Adrik has a crush on Zoya. And she hates it, lol. Cut the kid some slack, he’s like 15 or something.

That reminds me, I have a four-leaf clover pressed in books from close to year and a half ago. Time flies.

They’re really diving into the Mal has supernatural powers, huh?

Ghosts, let’s go.

Alina “I’m so happy to be outside I start to shine like a fucking fairy” Starkov and Mal is entranced. He’s definitelly nicer now. I’m not forgiving him for all the shit he’s pulled before and for using the silent treatment way too much, but hey, at least he’s improving.

I am not a Zoyalina person, but like... gay? Please? Rivals to grudging allies to friends to lovers, 300k slowburn? Sounds more fun than whatever Mala dn Alina have going on, lol.

(I’m starting to realize I’m not as much a Darklina person as I am anti-Malina person, lol. Like, literally everyone has a more interesting dynamic with Alina than tracker boy over there. Malina is at best boring AF and at worst toxic, codependent and emotionally abusive, while also being boring AF at the same time. It has literally nothing going for it except God herself liking it).

I can see why Nadia is gay in the show. The book version of her definitelly has a crush on Tamar. Homegirl likes a woman, who can murder her with the flick of her wrist and honestly? Same.

Alina has some big “coming out of lockdown after a year” energy atm.

The cat is one of the most realistic characters in this thing, lol.

And since Tamar is also heavily queercoded, our lovely ladies make off into the night, flirting. Or maybe not. Let me dream, though.

At least Blade Boy is aware that his tattoo is stupid. To quote someone ranting about him on tumblr: He’s embracing his identity as a tool.

Oh, boy, this will be fun.

Evil soldier is horny for Mal. Saints, is there a woman in this book who isn’t horny for Blade Boy?

And here comes Niki to save the day.

Chapter 6

Niki saved the day.

Fiberglass? And David being David. Genya being in love with her nerd of a boyfriend.

Jesus Christ, this one crazy kid has moved the technology in this universe a whole century on his own. So, when is David going to propose to him?

Baghra hasn’t changed much I see.

Baghra’s about to drop some truthbombs, but no, we have to be rudely interupted because Genya’s rapist is throwing a fit.

Chapter 7

How does Mal sound? Is she gonna say the Blade boy sounds like her dad? I mean, I know voices are partially genetic, but it has been tens of generations between them, probably.

So, we’re finally taking Genya’s trauma seriously after all this time? Good. Better late than never, I guess.

I wish that regicide was already finished and I’m pretty sure that Genya does, too. Stop defending the fucking king, narrative.

David’s a nerd in all things I see.

Someone please just kill the king already. And the queen, too, for good measure.

Now that’s a romance.

Infodumping and listening to said infodumps is a legitimate love language, Alina. Let them nerd out over poisons.

Wait, has Alina never directly killed anyone before? I thought she did... hmmm.

And just like that, it should have been over. Ugh.

Somehow, Baghra is a better teacher now than she was before. She half feels like a completely different character.

Nevermind, she’s back at it.

Chapter 8

Holy shit, Nadia and Tamar are canon. They have canon gays here.

So, which one of them is gonna die?

Chapter 9

We arrive at that scene. The one, where they should have fucked.

Jeez, girl, get a hold of yourself. Life is short, fuck a villain.

In other news, Genya and David definitelly fucked.

Chapter 10

Poor David. He just wanted to know.

Damn... I never realized just how young Baghra was, when she killed her sister.

I’ve already made a post about this, but it really does strike me like Baghra has already decided to end her life at this point in the book.

Why is that whole “but what if we’re related” thing even in there?

Chapter 11

We love a suprise attack.

When did Sasha boy learn that trick?

Baghra really just did that. Oh boy.

Chapter 12

No, don’t kill the kid... ugh.

Emotiona support cat. She should be friends with Milo.

Porrige for brains. Oof.

So Nadia was the one, who got bees set on her in the book. Cool.

That’s a good question. Why was it never brought up to Alina, that other Grisha get blocks, too?

David already thinking of steampunk prosthetic for Adrik is honestly kinda sweet.

Chapter 13

Back home... kinda.

Is that really... you really care about Mal bonking the Grisha school mean girl over a year ago? Okay.

Chapter 14

Angst! Yay!

And more angst.

Chapter 15

Sasha really went “My mom killed herself to save you? Well, I’ll kill the closest thing to parents you have.”

Chapter 16

Nikolai’s alive. Kinda.

And these two have such a sibling energy, I can’t.

And then they fuck. Ew.

Chapter 17

Wait, wait wait... so Alina isn’t even the one to destroy the Fold?

Okay. That’s... weird.

Holy shit. That was...

So, Aleksander is dead. Mal isn’t. Someone else destroyed the Fold for Alina and now she has no powers.

Okay.

That’s a weird-ass ending.

Chapter 18

The gays survived, so that’s nice.

Genya made good on her promise of making Alina a ginger, lol.

After

What emotion is this supposed to give me? Cause all I feel is kinda sad.

#shadow and bone #grishaverse #ruin and rising #book review #alina starkov #darkling #darklina

[killingeveperspectives]

Perspective: Killing Eve Season 3 Retcon – Can a show Retcon itself into a different genre?

Recently, I learned about the term ‘Retroactive Continuity’ and I am pretty proud of it because now it sounds like I know what I’m talking about. Retroactive Continuity, or retcon for the intimate like me, is the addition of new information that changes or reinterprets events/narratives previously established, therefore opening new possibilities for the future. It can correct inconsistencies, change world/character limitations, or allow for a dramatic plot twist. For example, a character previously established as an incurable psychopath goes on an emotional growth journey. Killing Eve got fundamentally retconned season 3 and it changes everything. And I need to talk about it. (Look, it’s been a while I wrote this and re-addressed some points here :) )

Villanelle is not a psychopath anymore, I guess

Villanelle was written explicitly as a primary psychopath meaning she was mainly born this way®. Which is different from a Secondary psychopath, whose emotional developmental arrest is caused by disturbingly severe neglect and abuse in early infancy. The impairments in their brains and psychological development prevents them from thinking and, most importantly, feeling like a regular person do. They have a different subjective experience. Psychopathy is incurable in adults, which sets limitations to character development.

Villanelle can’t empathize, perceives people as objects and is very utilitarian. She doesn’t know how to show people she likes them, and her idea of love is possession. Endearing as she is, this is the character the writers wrote. And this is the character portrayed to us in the show. Villanelle is unapologetically a psychopath. She is remorseless, amoral, derives pleasure from killing, all the better to get paid for it. She is basically a self-indulgent goddess. This is enunciated repeatedly in Season 1. Of course, we are not just told, we are shown. Her face glimmers in every kill with enjoyment and cruelty. She is able to conjure any emotion to manipulate – depicted more terrifyingly with Nadia. She emulates emotions from others to connect with people like depicted in the opening scene. My favorite chilling moment is when she gives the “what it is like to die” monologue to Frank, just to terrify him before killing him. Or this face:

Season 2 dives deeper into her psyche where she tells us how she feels, or better yet, doesn’t. We establish she feels this overbearing boredom and seeks to feel anything, so she collects things (or people, no difference) that make her feel something and these things she cherishes by possessing them. The poverty of emotion is reiterated. Again, we are shown, not only told, time and again. The writers are quite clearly asking us to just accept Villanelle for what she is: a psychopath. Like Jodie Comer said herself during that season: “I think some people are bad and that’s what they are, and I don’t think she should be redeemed.” It felt impossible to make it more established within the narrative and the world building. She is, like all adult psychopaths, incurable. These are the character’s limitations, in a purely storytelling sense.

Then, Season 3 happened. In season 3 Villanelle’s character’s development is irreconcilable with the previous seasons. Much of the character’s limitations were simply erased to give her room to “grow”, starting early with one of my favorite scenes of the entire season:

It was marvelously shot and so symbolic. This time around she is gifting Eve something intimate and safe: a teddy bear. Then we have Villanelle by herself and vulnerable, stripping the layers of her feelings towards Eve, the mask of anger cracking as she tries to convince herself she wanted Eve dead, to finally giving in to longing. Her own words are repeated back at her in a loop in a little booth. It was an admission. The booth, the privacy, the lighting, the acting: It was a confession. More than that: it was a love confession. As if falling in love was something she could now do? I don’t want to entertain the actual nature of her feeling, but this is a level of emotional complexity she is just prohibited of displaying by the character’s limitations. And yet, it happened. And I will argue, all the elements of this scene deliberately lead the audience to believe these were romantic feelings.

But this is foreshadowing, and the major shift in perspective happens in her bottle episode. In this episode we see Villanelle display genuine empathy and care for her brothers, not only by sparing them but by giving them more than enough money to go see Elton John. A bonna fide display of correctly conveyed affection and consideration. Which, again, is prohibited by the characters limitations. Then the episode builds the narrative that her “psychopathy” was the result of her abusive upbringing, especially in the confrontation with her mother, when we are clearly asked to side with Villanelle.

Here is where the show subtly retcons Villanelle’s character. It cleverly never denies she is a psychopath. It retcons her ability to emotionally grow, by shifting the emphasis to childhood trauma. Nevertheless, for Villanelle as a character, the emotional growth is still prohibited – despite of trauma. The sleight of hand is passable because audiences (actually, any empathic human being) find it incredibly hard to grasp that trauma cannot be overcome. That’s why it feels plausible she has a very complex, deeply transforming emotional response to killing her mother, despite still being a psychopath. Because that is a response that feels plausible to us, the audience, despite being inconsistent with what is plausible for the character’s the inner experience of reality.

This shift not only changes all the interpretation of her character that was previously established but also changes all future interactions. Here is where we see Villanelle getting conflicted about killing, not in a utilitarian sense of it being impractical or boring, but in an emotional struggle. She starts to worry about how others perceive her, and specially that she is perceived only as a “monster”, pointing to a development of a moral compass, deeper self-awareness, self-evaluation and ability to feel remorse. This is all not only incredibly far-fetched: it was prohibited. This is a clear break in continuity from the character of previous seasons. However, after S3E05 it feels plausible.

Villanelle is a carefully crafted monster

We are, then, asked to believe that Villanelle was made into a ruthless killer, which logically follow can be unmade. Hence, her past needs to be explored so it can also be somewhat resolved, symbolizing the undoing of her atrocious (but delightfull?) persona “Villanelle” (the distinction between Oksana and Villanelle was useless before and should still be. But now it feels like it makes sense). Initially, it was established that her mother died, and she had an abusive drunk father who abandoned her in an orphanage. While I believe there was potential in creating a convincing traumatic abusive background from the established narrative, it may have seemed too unsettling to have a man mistreat an infant, which might explain the writers choice for such through retcon. Transferring the source of the neglect to the mother, might heighten the stakes, since daughters are expected to develop a strong bond and mirror their mothers. Thus, adding depth to their face-off and making her murder more symbolic. Addicionally, a full house – with her mother, stepfather and brothers –would allow Villanelle to flesh out her relationship to family and explore the conflict more thoroughly before confrontation. Despite the symbolic tension, in the end we have no definitive answer to the nature x nurture question, nor to what happened in Villanelle’s infancy, except that the metaphorical darkness may have been passed on from her mother.

Villanelle’s joy in cruelty is the most alienating aspect of her character – also the most gripping – and thus, in order for her arc to be more digestible and relatable, it also needs explicit retconning, which is mostly explored through her relationship with killing. Therefore, her cruelty is also displaced to her abusive upbringing. Most specifically, displaced to another character: Dasha. She is the source of the cruelty transmitted into Villanelle through severe trauma during her teenagerhood, ingeniously avoiding the gravity of discussing infant abuse (Dasha brings a downpour of plot inconsistencies). This is unmistakably conveyed in this scene:

Villanelle was something soft and whole that got broken and reshaped into steel, into a stone cold killer, by external forces. Thus, Dasha is an estranged mother figure from the past who tortured Villanelle into a killer, mirroring the dynamic between Villanelle and her mother. Since there is no clear narrative surrounding her early infancy, and her mother needed to be killed to spark the transformation, Dasha becomes the surrogate through which the conflict of Villanelle’s transformation can be explored. The story doubles its efforts to get the audiences to not only believe Villanelle can change, but also that she deserves to change. And here is where we enter dangerous territory.

 Killing Eve is not a spy-drama anymore, it is a rescue romance

I stand with the writers, Killing Eve was not a romance. Not until Season 3. The topic of how audiences, especially queer fans, perceive the show as a romance is worth a whole essay on its own. However, in Season 3, audiences are treated with a romantic atmosphere (remember the teddy bear scene?). Everything is toned down; the pace is slower and the investigation is put to the side. The cat-and-cat game is replaced with this reinforced sense of destiny, of fate, where characters seamlessly come together, as if all their actions were just leading them up to that moment. Their approach carries no sense of danger, their obsession is replaced with anticipation. Characters stop thinking about each other neurotically, that scrumptious voyeurism is gone. Character’s don’t need to be reminded of each other. There is no need for it anymore, it has been written for them. They will meet each other, no need to pursue.

Gone is also Eve’s curiosity and intrigue about Villanelle, along most of her character’s motivations, with one simple retcon: Eve wants to rescue Villanelle.

To which Eve replies: I don’t think so. Meaning “I believe there is more to Villanelle than killing and I will cling to that” (Why, we don’t know. But that’s for another time)

Previously, despite the irresistible attraction Eve felt for Villanelle, the story never portrayed Eve as trying to redeem her. It was precisely the fact that they are polar opposites that brings them together, each trying to quench a deep hunger through the other, in all the wrong ways. Eve pursues in Villanelle much of her unfulfilled impulses and is challenged to embody them herself. Eve’s never been attracted to what Villanelle might have of redeemable, she was drawn to what Villanelle had of profanely feral. On the other hand, Villanelle longs for the safety and intimacy she sees in Eve but has no way of even comprehending what it means.

This honesty to the character’s true desires and realities is what has allowed the show to explore an enticingly destructive dynamic while avoiding romanticizing it, which would downgrade the show to a disservice. However, ultimately, there is a writer trying to sell a story. And in this case, they are setting up a redemption arc within a romance, despite character desires and realities not aligning with that. But in season 3, Villanelle’s psychopathy got retconned to make her crush on Eve without it being too problematic and Eve’s past season character development got simply blissfully ignored so her crush on Villanelle could flourish without it being too problematic, and in the end, their attraction got stripped away from all it’s complexity and danger so they could bring characters together without it being too problematic. These characters got rewritten to give us the tease of a romance we have seen iterated one million times elsewhere.

The premise of the show was to explore the dangerous temptation to bite the proverbial apple. Still, at some point the tension needs to be resolved, and the writers decided to shift it to a rescue romance. A very slippery slope. A slippery slope to romanticizing disturbingly destructive relationships, to perpetrating the cliché that “Love redeems all”, even psychopaths can change if they have someone who believes in them – not only dangerously dishonest but painfully dull.  As if somehow having your life and your sense of self ruined for a person is some sort of martyrdom to match the person’s redemption itself. What a beautiful pair they would make, cozy in heaven. But damned be the day Killing Eve becomes cozy. While writing the redemption of the serpent and the power of female love despite the obliteration of Eden; they forgot the most delicious part of the story was the apple.

#killing eve #killingeve #killingeveperspectives #killing eve season three #killing eve s3 #killing eve review #killingeve retcon #villanelle #villanelle retcon

[learned-foot]

(Belated) 2019 in (Fic Writing) Review

Okay, guys, forgive me getting a little belatedly self-indulgent. But as I start thinking about my fic writing projects for next year, I can’t help but look back on the past year. I wrote exactly 290k in 2019—the vast majority of which was Starker—and I’m pretty proud of what I wrote. So, some reflections on my own work, for posterity’s sake if nothing else:

Personal Favorite Fic

Never Fail to Be Ironically, my very favorite fic was not Peter/Tony at all, but this crossover about the Thirteenth Doctor meeting Kylo Ren. It is very rare for a fic to come to me fully formed, let alone a fic about two characters who I’ve never written before and who don’t even interact in canon. And yet, that is exactly how I feel about this one. It was so exactly everything I wanted it to be—and, frankly, I think it has one of the few truly great endings I’ve ever written. It just makes me really, really happy. Runner up: Still Right Here I had to pick a Starker fave, right? After a bit of reflection, this is the winner for me. IDK if it is my single best Peter/Tony fic—I have no idea how I would even define that, and it’s certainly not near my most popular—but it was the one that put the biggest smile on my face when I was thinking over my work. This one has one of my weirder concepts, and allowed me to play around with some of my favorite tropes: hurt/comfort in both directions; huddling for warmth; resurrected Tony not being sure how to handle being resurrected; an older, slightly jaded Peter; and even a tiny bit of suit kink. I remain super pleased with how it came out, on both a technical and emotional level. 

Favorite Drabbles

For the first time this year I tried my hand at writing drabbles/drabble series. Here are my three faves: All Day I wanted to see if I could write exactly 100 words of porn. I think it went pretty well. Only In Dreams Peter/Mysterio manipulation fun. The Same Nebula/Nebula. I think maybe my most effect use of the 100 word format to convey a lot in a little space. Honorable Mention: I really like the proposal I wrote as the final drabble in this series

Most Popular Fic

Still Use Work This wins by both hits and kudos. People like kinky for!science porn, and I’m not mad about it. This is also the fic where I learned to really, fully embrace my id in porn, and I am very pleased with that.

Longest Fic

Far From Okay [27.6k] Most ambitious in scope. I’m not sure I entirely stuck the landing in all ways I wanted to, but I still had a lot of fun translating Far From Home into a world where Tony is alive and Beck is a lot rapier.

Biggest Surprise to Myself

Breaking Point

Expiration Date

Under Someone Else

This set of three goes together. Did you guys know that when I started the year I thought of myself as a not particularly tropey writer? L.O.L. This is the year I learned to brace the tropey, romantic goodness, and these three fics are the most extreme example of this. Weird curses that force people together! Miscommunications! Romance and wooing and chasing your love interest to another country to stop them from hooking up with someone else! I really had so much fun, and the end results are fics that I love, and that other people seem to really enjoy, too.

Biggest Risks

Stumbling Towards Better This was my Yuletide assignment. It was for Russian Doll, and my recipient was really interested in seeing the show's Jewish themes explored further. My first response was no fucking way. Like any good culturally Jewish atheist, I feel too outside my own heritage and culture to feel entitled to write about it. But after reviewing the show, I realized that I could harness that exact feeling, since Nadia also has a complicated relationship to her Judaism. In the end, I am really happy with it, but as I was writing it I was so worried it would go horribly wrong, and it feels frighteningly personal in a way none of my other fics do. Obvious I was so nervous about this fic for a number of reasons. It’s time loops, which are hard to pace. I wanted to hint at the reason the loop was happening without it being too obvious, which was a hard line to walk. It gets dark af, to the point where I wondered, “is this too dark?” But it is also one of my favorites in the end, and I’m glad that I went for it and didn’t hold back anything. seen the hunger in my eyes from space Another personal favorite, I felt like this had the potential to fall completely flat. It’s a “married in a dreamworld they must realize/escape” type setup, and I knew that if the part in the dream was too boring, the whole thing would fall apart. So doing the balancing act of it being a perfect whirlwind romance with no conflict—since that was the fantasy of the world that was trying to trap them—while still making it compelling to read and hinting that there was actually something very wrong was a real challenge.

Hardest to Write

Your Face Becomes Her This is another Doctor Who crossover, with a focus on Amy and Nebula. It took me a really long time to figure out what I wanted this fic to BE, and I’m still not entirely sure about the pacing, but I think I eventually got a story out of it. But seriously, I spent a lot of time just kind of writing scenes to see how these characters would bounce off each other. Feels Like Something, Maybe It Fits I wrote the first scene of this fic in a flash, and then spent literal months finishing it. Like, I meant to gift it several exchanges before I did. It’s more lyrical than my usual style, and the emotional beats are a bit different, and for the longest time I just could not figure out what I wanted to do with it.

Easiest to Write

The Pieces

Further Assistance

Resilience

as long as it takes

Not so Bad

These were each written in one sitting (or two, for The Pieces, just because I got tired), and required very little editing. They were almost all written for flash exchanges, and I am very pleased with the results in all cases.

Fic Goals for Next Year

Write the several-years post-FFH Tony resurrection time loop Peter/Tony longfic that has been kicking around my head for a while. It is going to be so angsty and I can’t wait. Peter is not in a good place. Tony is not in a good place. They are forced together. I can’t wait

Do less exchanges, and write less for the exchanges I do take part in. I have so much fun with them, but I want to be able to focus on my own projects more, and I've been feeling burnt out.

More variety. Peter/Tony is my one true love and I don’t plan on stopping writing it anytime soon, but I want to stretch my writing muscles and spend a bit more time writing other combos and canons. I started by not even offering Peter/Tony for Chocolate Box. It’ll be fun to see what I match on instead!

#my writing #my fic #starker #doctor who #star wars #russian doll #yuletide

[arcadiaoaksusedbooks]

Jumbo Ship thing: Angor Rot and Nadia!

SEND ME A SHIP || JUMBO Post

Who wakes the other one up with kisses: Nadia, which does annoy Angor but he rarely stops her

Who is the morning person/night person: Nadia is much more the morning person, due to being mostly diurnal. And Angor the night person, who gets droopy eyed once the sun starts coming up. Both pester each other to go to sleep at normal times because both are stubborn about work or other things to go to bed.

Who is the romantic one: Nadia is best with romantic gestures, but is always touched whenever Angor tries. She still has that leather teddy bear and takes good care of it. And she leaves him little gifts in their usual spot whenever she thinks about him.

Who is the more cuddly one: Nadia LOVES to cuddle, but knows Angor doesn’t really like it, so she respects it. But she does rest her head on him when she’s tired and wants to be close. He lets her.

Who cooks: Nadia can make both human and troll dishes, and Angor does tell her they taste good, which makes her happy. 

Favorite nonsexual activity: Sparing. Nadia isn’t opposed to learning how to defend herself and fight without magic, but she’s fairly terrible and her reaction times are awful. Angor knows that relying solely on magic is a grave mistake and wants to be sure Nadia can protect herself and her household in the worst case scenarios.

Their favorite place to be together: There’s a grove of trees by the river that try to grow into each other and make something of a natural seat at the center. Nadia loves sitting there because it provides the perfect view of both the forest and the sky and Angor can feel the Heartstone energy from Trollmarket easily. It’s perfect for star/moon gazing and they can just be together comfortably.

Any traditions: Ring making. Humans do use rings to signify relationships, and some trolls wear them to help with fights if they aren’t strong enough punchers. They can also have small spells bound to them for easy casting. But Nadia likes using the forge to make rings that just look nice, and it’s the gift she makes Angor the most. He’ll give her rings in return, sometimes ones found that were lost by other humans, and once he forged some old rings into a new one with a strong protection spell for her. She wears this one with a chain around her neck happily.

Their “song”: “War” by Poets of the Fall. Okay, it’s not romantic, but it’s an odd song that puts Nadia at peace remembering how chaotic her past truly was. Both feel a bit at piece when they hear the lines: “I’ll let the memory heal. I’ll remember you with me on that field.”

What they do for each other on holidays: Angor knows of most human holidays and doesn’t really follow any troll holidays. Nadia, however, does. She’ll invite him over for something to eat, or go hunting together for a trollish holiday. She always leaves more elaborate gifts or ingredients or some new jewelry he can wear. He’ll give her any books he finds, materials or ingredients she doesn’t have, or veggies or red meat she hasn’t had in a while.

Where did they go for their honeymoon: Angor took Nadia to some underground pools he discovered previously. There were colored gems hanging from the ceiling and walls, all around the floor and at the bottom of the pool. He new Nadia would be enchanted by the sight. She was, gave him a huge kiss, and went in for a dip. They camped there for a few days, exploring and enjoying each others company.

Where did they first meet: Nadia had called on him for a favor, in exchange for some of her own magical energy. She did pity his past, knowing there was more to him than the stories told, and grew to love the troll he really was. Her kindness grew on him, and Angor couldn’t leave her be.

Any pets: Nadia has her familiar, a barn owl named Beatrice, and she disguises her staff as a large albino python named Fluffy, whom she takes care of like a normal snake. Angor will pick up most any injured animal he finds, so those tend to rotate out once they’re healed.

What do they fight over: Nadia loves Angor, but there’s a lot she’s not okay with. She’s directly opposed to his cannibalism. Not hunting, she’s fine with him hunting animals as long as he respects the ecosystem. But hunting and killing fellow trolls to eat just makes her head spin. She can’t understand or accept it. It’s the one thing she’d rather he change, but he’s a stubborn troll and sometimes, you crave troll flesh. All Nadia can do is tell him to not tell her when he does it, so she doesn’t have to think about it. There are also times Nadia is too soft on bad things, or she has a human habit that Angor doesn’t understand that causes spats too.

Do they go on vacations, if so where: Nadia likes traveling, so does Angor, but it’s hard to find places that both like. They typically settle for mountains surrounded by woods, with interesting cave systems. Nadia loves exploring with Angor, while Angor is usually looking for new things to eat and collect but watching Nadia enjoy herself or find something new is adorable.

Who kills the bugs; Bugs freak Nadia out, but unless they’re actively dangerous she doesn’t want to kill them. Angor won’t kill any curious bugs either, but it’s usually him who puts them outside. Or adopts them if they’re interesting.

Who hogs the sheets; Angor may be bigger, but Nadia absolutely steals all the sheets in her sleep! She has at least six blankets on her bed because she gets cold at night, and Angor can’t keep a handle on ANY of them! She has too many pillows too! He can’t stand it!

Who hates mornings; Angor, hands down. And when twilight comes and it’s time to get up, you can’t get him to rise for anything.

Who’s cranky before they had their coffee; Nadia is closest to that, but it’s rare for her to be cranky when she wakes up

Who’s doesn’t like their mother in law; Both of their mothers have long since passed, so neither have this problem

Who drives; Nadia, as she has the car and can fit in it. 

Who gets horny in awkward public places; Nadia may do the occasional “thing” without knowing that gets Angor in the mood in a store but he can control himself. Nadia hates heavy PDA in public. So he’ll often pull her close and whisper something naughty in her ear, which IMMEDIATELY gets the body into make babies mode. And she has to suffer with it until they get home.

Who had a scene phase; Neither, but I imagine Angor came close during his adolescence of being the typical rebellious grumpy teen

Who wore braces; Neither, they weren’t invented in their times

Who got bullied; Angor was picked on by bigger kids in his village because he was so small. He showed them up by being faster and smarter in fights, habits he kept his whole life.

Who is louder? Nadia is a natural screamer, and is super embarrassed by it. She’ll often cover her mouth once it feels too good.

Who is more experimental? Angor has centuries of experience over Nadia, so he has plenty of ideas to try on her. While Nadia loves the idea of experimenting, her prude mind tends to blank on what they should try.

Who takes more risks? Neither would run the risk of hurting the other, and the second one says no to something they stop. Angor doesn’t want to seriously hurt Nadia despite her immortality, and Nadia respects Angor too much to attempt something new without his go ahead. Typically Angor takes the lead with new ideas.

Do they fuck or make love? They make love, but sometimes it gets so rough it might as well be fucking. No one’s complaining though.

Lights on or off? Lights off. Both prefer it that way.

Who is more likely to be caught masturbating? Nadia, actually. Raunchy romance novels tend to leave her with a need she has to work off. Which is typically during a bath.

Who is more likely to suggest a threesome? Both want to try it with someone in mind, neither will bring it up out of fear of getting into an argument. It’s going to depend on the third person anyway.

Has either stolen the other’s underwear? Nope. Angor has no need for Nadia’s undergarments. And he doesn’t wear any.

Who comes first? Nadia. Multiple times.

Who is better at oral and who prefers it? Both think the other is a god/dess at oral and both want it. They tend to sixty-nine pretty frequently.

Who is more submissive? Nadia, absolutely, one hundred percent of the time. It’s a little frustrating to Angor, who wants Nadia to be more assertive in bed.

Who usually initiates things? Angor, again, because Nadia is too submissive. Though Nadia does ask if Angor wants to sometimes.

Who is more sensitive? Nadia’s human flesh is more sensitive everywhere than troll stone, but touching Angor in the right place immediately changes the pace of things.

Who has the most patience? Nadia is overall the more patient one, but I assume we’re still in bedroom habits? Angor is infinitely more patient in bed with Nadia’s lack of confidence.

Which kinks do they share? Nadia is still exploring so both don’t have a kink in common yet. But his voice and naughty talk do help push her over the edge. Angor’s into most anything.

#lemon #lime #that was fun but it took forever and it went THERE! #xdeusxmachinax

[coredrill]

alright, here are my thoughts on the unstoppable wasp novel! i’ve put the majority of my thoughts, and LOTS of spoilers, below the cut. short summary is that . . . i didn’t really like it at all :/

so, i’m gonna preface this by saying that i wanted to absolutely LOVE this book. it’s all about nadia and she is one of my all-time favorite characters and it’s so great that she got the spotlight in this way! i just really really wish i could, in good faith, say that the book was good, but i just can’t. and admittedly, i consider the unstoppable wasp comics to be nearly perfect, which is a high bar to hit, but there was just so much about this book that left a bad taste in my mouth.

first thing i want to mention is the role of the rest of the g.i.r.l.s. and when i say that, i mean that they had virtually no role. i genuinely wasn’t sure if i (the reader) was expected to have read the comics before the novel. on one hand, the first few chapters were spent pretty much summing up the comics, which is fine, especially because some readers may not have read the comics. on the other hand, if i hadn’t read the comics, there’s NO WAY i would’ve known anything about the other g.i.r.l.s!! they’re barely present in the plot of the book! they are present in one scene in the beginning, taina has a few lines throughout, and they’re more involved at the end, but a lot of the times they seemed more like wallpaper than actual characters. especially because of the frequency with which the author would throw in lines such as “that ethiopian place that shay likes” or “priya’s on-trend jeans” and just name-drop them without really giving them any substance. since i know the comics, i already know these characters--but if i was just reading the novel with no background? there’s no way i’d be able to keep them straight.

building off of what i said in that last point, i also wanted to mention that i listened to the women of marvel podcast interview with the author. something that i noticed is that she would always refer to the g.i.r.l.s as the “g.i.r.l. squad.” and that, i think, is the root of why i didn’t like how they were handled. it’s obviously pretty simple to explain their absence in the story by just noting that the whole point was that nadia was feeling alone and isolated from them. HOWEVER, in my opinion as a woman who has been in engineering . . . that doesn’t happen? nadia and the g.i.r.l.s are labmates--it’s right there in the title. they ARE the genius in action research labs. the “lab” isn’t just the location, it’s the people who make it up. by referring to them as “g.i.r.l. squad” instead of just “g.i.r.l.,” the author is changing the dynamics from “being a cohesive unit of girls who make up this incredible group and support each other in their science and goals” to “friend group who all happen to do science.” and as i mentioned, the random falling-out that happens in the book doesn’t happen to groups of the first type. being a girl in stem SUCKS. being in a stem class means that you’re automatically friends with the 1-2 other girls in there with you. and the people you work on projects with in a lab? the other girls who take the time to support you and have your back even though the odds are stacked against you? those are a whole different kind of friendships and i PROMISE they’re not wrecked by just forgetting to talk to each other. the girls that i worked with in college--the girls that i worked with now--it’s for survival. you don’t just fall apart like nadia apparently did from the g.i.r.l.s in this book.

okay. final bullet point on this topic. but in the women of marvel interview, the author said that she wanted to explore what could break apart the bonds that the g.i.r.l.s had formed. but on page 263, there’s the line “and if they had all just been a little better at communicating, maybe it wouldn’t have been so long before one of them realized that nadia was relying a little too closely on that little gold device.” so this deep dive into splitting the g.i.r.l.s apart, and barely giving shay, taina, ying, and priya a role in the story--was caused by MISCOMMUNICATION??? no freaking thanks LMAO. even without everything i’ve already mentioned, that trope is so lazy.

the writing style kinda bothered me at some points--i remember the discharge being described as “carbon dioxide” at one point, but like, just call it white foam. it’s so much easier and saying carbon dioxide pulled me out of what was happening. obviously this is a personal thing, not something objectively bad, but i still thought i’d mention it.

there seemed to be this point, around page 260, where it seems like the book flipped a switch. obviously, this is where the climax hit, but so many other things seemed to just randomly get pushed into place because the plot necessitated it? like, for example, nadia and the g.i.r.l.s are suddenly bffs again. even though, in nadia’s interior monologue, we’ve been hearing her resentment for them, it seemed like once the plot needed them to work together that they were able to do so without problem. and not only that, but it didn’t even feel earned? the book NEVER showed nadia and the g.i.r.l.s as actually like. being friends. (as i mentioned, not a choice i agree with, but still a fact.) so to have them all suddenly team up for the Big Boss Battle just felt weird and disengenuous to all of them. additionally, nadia went from defending margaret at all costs to suddenly thinking “oh yeah, she’s probably super evil. no big deal.” like WHAT??? the whole point of the first 250 pages was to show that nadia feels like margaret is the only person she can trust. all of a sudden she’s cool with her being evil??? make it make sense! you could see throughout the rest of the book that nadia was building up her Wrong Thoughts. sooooo much time was spent on it and we actually saw the development of how nadia felt. but to have her switch all that on a dime so that she can have her Right Thoughts now??? just in time for the Boss Battle? it just feels so unearned, since there’s nothing building to it. she just . . . changes her mind.

i also feel like writing a book where the protagonist, where the person whose perspective we’re following, is being MIND-CONTROLLED, but not revealing that mind control until the 11th hour (to validate the sudden switch from Wrong Thoughts to Right Thoughts) was just. a bit weird. i’m 22, but if i was reading this as a teenager, i’m not sure i would’ve quite gotten that the WHOLE BOOK was now being told by an unreliable narrator, with absolutely zero reliable information as a base (except the comics, of course).

ON PAGE 274. THERE IS ONE MENTION OF SHAY MAKING HER TELEPORTER PORTABLE. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE FEAT OF SCIENCE AND SO GREAT FOR SHAY WHY WAS THIS NOT EXPANDED ON IN THE SLIGHTEST????

alright, time to talk about the nadia-being-ace thing. so, ever since i started reading unstoppable wasp, i’ve interpreted nadia as aroace. her version of friendships, her attempts to change the topic when romance for herself is brought up--these are all very authentically ace experiences. and that was okay for me to just have her coded that way! the writer of the comics, jeremy whitley, has included TWO (2!!!) ace characters in his raven pirate princess series so i definitely allowed myself to entertain the idea that the ace aspects of nadia were intentional. i was also okay with it not being explicitly mentioned in the comics--sure it would’ve been cool, but i understand that there are 18 issues TOTAL and it would be hard to fit the entirety of nadia’s story in there. BUT, when the author of this book mentioned that nadia was ace, and jeremy whitley confirmed that he’d been writing her as ace, it was awesome and super validating!! first of all, nadia being the first canonically ace marvel character--even just by word of god--is so freaking incredible and just adds to my enjoyment of the story. i’m very glad that we got confirmation and that i can continue reading the comics knowing, at the very least, that my ace reading of them is backed up by the canon (!!!!!). however, the author of this novel 100% used it as a marketing tactic which is super shitty. i was obviously going to read it anyway, since it was about nadia, but i do know people who bought it specifically because the author mentioned nadia being ace. and there was maybe one throwaway line in the novel about how nadia was only interested in romance ~theoretically.~ that’s not rep. in fact, it’s even less rep than the comics, which represented nadia being ace (at least in my opinion) far more authentically than this novel did. i’d honestly even go so far as to say it was riiiight up against the line of queerbaiting--yes nadia is canonically queer, but only by word of mouth, and it’s not mentioned even once in the story. that’s bad. using ace people for marketing--baiting them into buying your book on the promise of rep which we already have so little of--is so so shitty. yes, i am glad that we got that confirmation from jeremy whitley who never used this to promote the comics and didn’t even mention it until now, but i genuinely cannot believe that this author (who is bi! i checked her twitter!) effectively used it to market her awful book. honestly if the book weren’t bad enough already, to add this on top of it is even WORSE.

in the same vein, the author mentioned ying and shay being in a wlw relationship in the same interview where she mentioned nadia being ace. ying and shay are barely in the novel and EVEN WORSE, their relationship is kind of treated as an “obstacle” that nadia and the other g.i.r.l.s have to overcome in order to start working as a unit again. also bad!!!!!

okay. i think i’ve got this and one more bullet point, so we’ll see how it goes. but the way that the science in this book was handled was atrocious. sure, we had the cute science facts, but there is one (1) paragraph on page 311 about the g.i.r.l.s doing science for the sake of doing science and helping their community. IN THE WHOLE BOOK. you know a great way to demonstrate to women that they shouldn’t go into stem fields? write a cautionary book about the ~dangers of ai and data collection~ AS IF ANYONE LIVING IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW DOESN’T KNOW THAT SHIT. jesus fucking christ. the comics showed all of this great science by the way of the g.i.r.l.s papers, shay making her teleporter at home, defusing the bomb in ying’s head, recreating the vision gloves, tai’s sports robots . . . this book had NONE of that. it literally just had the evils that we see in the news EVERY DAY. that’s not what you show people to get them excited, and i find it really fucking weird that ANYONE greenlit a book about characters who support and encourage women to go into stem fields with the overall message of “science bad!” like. how the fuck was this plot approved. in the women of marvel interview, the author claims that she’s written about women in science before--and i believe her. i just don’t think that she’s ever actually spoken to a woman in science.

and lastly, i have a huge issue with the role of hope in the book. by that, i mean that the novel is called “built on hope” but hope is literally never a theme throughout the book? so yet another instance of the book building off the comics without any form of payoff. the unstoppable wasp comics are kind, and loving, and hopeful. this book is callous and condescending and seems more concerned with its sassy one-liners about white dudes and ham-fisted pop culture references than LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE, including hope. nadia claims to love her friends but spends the majority of the book shitting on them. nadia lies to janet to “avoid hurting her” but the end of unstoppable wasp 10 showed the flip side of the situation where nadia and jan realize that although janet was hiding the truth about hank from nadia, nadia wanted to hear the information anyway!! and i just--WHY would you take a character who has been explicitly used in the past to introduce girls to women in stem (the interviews with real people in the back of the comics!) AND THEN WRITE HER INTO A FUCKING CAUTIONARY “TECHNOLOGY BAD” STORY??? it’s SO discordant with the comics and i genuinely hope that anyone reading this book goes and read the comics themselves, which are incredible and a bajillion times better than this book in all aspects. i’m finishing this “review” a lot more fired up then when i started typing it but i honestly can’t believe that marvel greenlit THIS and not like. 2 more comics.

so, yeah, those are my thoughts. kudos to anyone who actually made it through the whole thing (if anyone does), it’s egregiously long but i needed to put my thoughts somewhere! tldr: i will not be recommending this to my mom.

#ugh this took way longer to type than i expected LMAO #anyways #f: marvel #marvel: novels #n: built on hope #t.txt

[alj4890]

New Year's Eve

A Choices Fan Fiction of The Royal Romance, Red Carpet Diaries,and Perfect Match

Masterlist

@lxaah11​​​ @alleksa16​​​ @penguininapinktuxedo​​​ @blackcoffee85​​​ @stopforamoment​​​  @hopefulmoonobject​​​  @krsnlove​​​   @annekebbphotography​​​  @gibbles82​​​ @cora-nova​​​ @bella-ca​​​ @hopelessromantic1352​​​. @sunflowergirl05​​​ @desiree-0816​​​ @greywitchyshots​​​ @lilyofchoices​​ @moodyvalentinestories​​​ @emceesynonymroll​​ @dr-nancy-house​​ @aworldoffandoms​​ @ab1901​​ @pixieferry​​ @flyawayboo​​ @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​​.

A/N I am so, so sorry for this being so incredibly long. I tried. I really did. I will be posting an epilogue to this, just because I have no self-control with these characters, LOL. I hope you enjoyed your gift @krsnlove, I had so much fun writing it.

Song

Part 1 Part 2

Part 3 The Revelation

Dec. 31st, New Year's Eve

Early morning, Thomas Hunt's suite, The Four Seasons...

"What is so important that you can't discuss it over the phone?" Thomas asked, wiping the lingering spots of shaving cream off his face.

"I need your permission to invoke your name." Addison sat down and prepared herself for the battle ahead.

Thomas looked down at her in surprise. "I beg your pardon. Why are you wanting to use my name?"

Addison twisted her purse strap around her fingers nervously. "Let's just say it would be used in helping a lonely man win the heart of the lady he has fallen for."

Thomas took a step back. "What are you going to do to Amanda?"

Addison looked up in shock. "Amanda? Who's--" her eyes widened. "It's her isn't it? The one you were staring at the other night. Wait! Did you spend yesterday with her?" Her brow furrowed in thought. "That's why you both weren't at the tea."

He couldn't think of what to say to make her stop discovering all his secrets.

"Thomas! This is wonderful!" She stood and hugged him. "It is about time you found someone you like!"

He untangled himself from her. "Yes, well, I don't want any interference in this."

Addison waived that notion away. "My plan isn't for you. It's for helping Liam."

Thomas ran a hand down his face. How had he let slip what he wasn't quite ready to share with his friends? "Do whatever you want." He held his door open for her to leave. "And try and forget this conversation."

Addison checked the time. "Right, I'm off." She paused at the door. "Don't think though that I will forget any of this. I expect to hear the entire story when I have a free moment, and I mean everything."

Thomas shut the door and pressed his forehead against it. Perfect, he thought. Just perfect.

_________________

Across town in Nadia's apartment...

"We're here!" Kai yelled out as she and Damien walked in. "Nadia!"

"I'm coming!" She came out in her white silk ball gown and mask. She twirled around and waited. "What do you think?"

"You're beautiful!" Kai exclaimed. She slowly walked around her cousin and nodded. "It's perfect."

"Yeah?" Nadia lifted her mask off. “Really?”

"I already told you it was." Damien muttered on his way to the kitchen. "Why you Park women only believe it when the other says so is a mystery."

"Well, you’re the detective." Kai teased. "Maybe that’s what attracted you to us."

He rolled his eyes and started the coffee maker. "I don't know why I got stuck with you two."

Kai walked over and kissed him. "Perhaps that explains it."

His smirk appeared. "Perhaps I need more information to go on."

"I love the two of you together," Nadia interrupted, "but I have an emergency here! How should I style my hair?"

"I thought you invited us over for breakfast." Damien complained.

"I did! Breakfast and help before Kai leaves us for the night." Nadia explained.

"I can't believe you have to work." Damien pulled Kai close and kissed her again.

"Don't worry." She looped her arms around his neck. "I'll come by after to receive the kiss I would have gotten at midnight."

"Now that that's settled," Nadia said in a huff, "can we please focus on me trying to look my best to get Maxwell's attention?"

"You already have it. In fact, I don't have to go to this at all now that you've got him." Damien smiled at the thought.

"Wrong." Kai told him. "You have to go for moral support. Plus she doesn't have him completely, yet."

"Thank you!" Nadia gestured to her cousin. "Listen to her!"

"Why do I even bother disagreeing with you two?" He leaned against the counter and sighed. "What time are we to be there?"

"Seven." Nadia told him. During his grumbling, she ran back to her bedroom to change, promising to start breakfast.

_______________

A short time later, Hana's suite, The Four Seasons...

"I'm coming!" Hana tied her robe closed and checked the peep hole. 

She opened it and took the large bouquet of pink roses. "Um--"

"Special delivery." The porter told her with a smile.

"Thank you!" She called out as he left. She lowered her face into the perfect blooms and took a deep breath of their sweet smell before setting them on a table.

She plucked the card and opened it.

"Oh!" She softly squealed, reading Rashad's words.

Dearest Hana, I want to do this properly, so there is no mistaking my intentions. I am asking you if you would be my date for the masquerade ball tonight. There is no one else I would rather have in my arms when the clock strikes midnight.

-Rashad

She sat down as she reread his words a few more times.

When another knock occurred, she practically floated to answer it. "Yes?"

Rashad was leaning against the doorframe and smiled at her surprise. "I hope it isn't too soon for an answer."

"I would love to go with you." She told him. "This was such a--the flowers--and you--" she shook her head while pressing his card to her heart. "Thank you."

He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Then I will come by this evening to escort you."

_______________

Olivia's suite, The Four Seasons...

"Are you awake?" Olivia asked as she finished applying her lipstick.

"No!" Amanda said with a hint of irritation. "Why would I be? It's still dark outside."

"That's because it's cloudy." Olivia tried not to laugh at her friends hatred of being awakened so early.

"Why are all my friends morning people?" Amanda muttered while balancing the phone on her ear. "If you're calling about breakfast, please feel free to eat without me. Always feel free to if you decide to get up at this ungodly hour."

"Very well." Olivia turned to check her hair. "I was going to share some interesting news with you about who I am attending the ball with."

"It's Drake." Amanda said while yawning.

Olivia stilled. "What--how did you know?"

"We've all known for some time now." Olivia could hear Amanda rolling over in bed. "You two need to learn that you both can't disappear and reappear at the same time."

"We don't! We--"

"I'm very happy you two are finally making it official. I think I can speak for Maxwell and Liam and say, it's about time." Amanda yawned again. "May I go back to sleep or was there something else you wanted to tell me at this inhumane time of day?"

Olivia shook her head. "Go back to sleep. Next time I'll hide it better."

"I don't think there will be an opportunity for that." Amanda muttered, already closing her eyes. "According to Maxwell's prediction, we will all kiss the one tonight."

________________

In a tiny studio apartment in the East Village...

Riley stumbled out of bed and hurried to her door. "Who is it?" She asked, yawning.

"It's me!" Daniel answered.

She turned the bolt and opened her door. "What's wrong? Why are you up so early?"

"Remember the table of famous people you worked last night?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said, her tone a bit apprehensive.

"There was one there, a blonde, who does all the costumes and such."

Riley continued to look at him in confusion. "Daniel, why did you wake me up for this?"

"Hear me out." He pleaded. "Her boss is the director, Thomas Hunt. She forgot about needing a dress for the actress in his new movie and--"

"Who's the actress?" Riley asked.

"Oh, uh, I can't remember her name." Daniel stammered, realizing that Addison had not given him a name to use. "Anyway, that actress is out of the country visiting family and the blonde needs someone to use for measurements." He noticed she had not spoken and kept explaining. "She wanted to ask you last night since you're figure is similar to the movie star's."

"Yeah, sure." Riley shrugged. "I can help out, I suppose."

"Great! Get dressed." He ordered.

"What? Right now?!" She asked.

"Yes, she needs to show it to him today and she's afraid of losing her job if she doesn't have a dress ready. It's for some big romance scene or something." Daniel explained.

Riley flopped back on her futon. "Daniel!" She whined. "Do you have any idea how tired I am?"

"She's willing to pay you for your time." He told her. "Every little bit helps us get that place on the beach."

Riley sighed and sat up. "You're right. I should do this since I missed out on last night's tips." She asked him to start her coffee while she got ready.

Once he heard her shower start, he called Addison. "She's agreed. Make sure you have a name ready for who the dress is supposed to be for."

"We will." Addison promised. "Thanks so much for helping us put them together."

He grinned at her excitement. "My pleasure."

________________

An hour later, Liam's suite, The Four Season's...

Liam sat at a table loaded with different breakfast items. He half listened to his two friends as they talked plans for the new year.

"Tonight's the night." Maxwell reminded them. "I can literally feel the teetering point of our lives."

Drake rolled his eyes. "I doubt one night has the power to change what happens."

"You'd be surprised." Liam muttered behind his coffee cup.

"Why are you both so down? Is it because you don't have dates?" Maxwell asked. "None of us do, I think. Amanda might by now. The rest of after us though--"

"I have a date." Drake tried to keep the pride out of his tone.

Liam's eyes widened and he shared a loaded glance with Maxwell. "Do you want to tell us who it is, or would you rather we guess?"

Drake shook his head. "It's Olivia. We--"

"Have been spending secret time together." Maxwell finished. "We know."

"I glad you two decided to admit it to us and everyone else." Liam grinned at Drake's shock. "We wondered when you would finally trust us."

"How did you figure it out?" Drake demanded. “We were so careful!“

"It wasn't hard. There's five of us that are usually together." Maxwell reminded him.

"Hard not to notice a habitual disappearing of two of our members every other night." Liam remarked.

Drake frowned some. "Enough about that, are you two focused on someone or taking a chance?"

"A little bit of both." Maxwell thought about Nadia and smiled. "I expect big things tonight."

"You always do." Liam added. "I'm completely on my own and will not be taking anymore chances."

"Anymore? When did you take a chance?" Drake asked.

Liam lowered his eyes and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. The point is that I look forward to celebrating with my friends and to returning to Cordonia." He thought he needed a reminder of where he belonged. Alone.

His two friends exchanged a silent, worried look.

Maxwell raised his coffee cup. "Here's to another new year together."

Drake added his cup and cocked an eyebrow at Liam.

He forced a smile for their benefit and lifted his in salute. "To another new year together."

______________

Amanda's suite, a couple of hours after Olivia's call...

"I will kill him." Amanda muttered while hobbling to her door being knocked on. "I don't care if he is one of my best friends and has brought doughnuts this time. I am sick of being forced awake!"

She stepped wrong on her hurt ankle and gasped while a multitude of colorful phrases sat on the tip of her tongue, ready to be screamed out. She took a few painful breaths while blinking back tears, more determined than ever to physically harm Maxwell. Only he would dare to wake her in this manner. Again!

She jerked the door open without checking, ready to lay into him, and stared in surprise.

"Good morning." Thomas greeted. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, it's fine." She quickly closed her robe and tied it. "Won't you come in?"

He stepped inside and noticed her painful gait immediately. "You shouldn't be on that ankle."

"I wouldn't be if people would stop waking me up." She mumbled to herself as she sat down. “It really is not necessary to--"

Thomas knelt down, took her foot carefully in his hands, and studied her still swollen ankle. "I don't think you will be able to go to the ball tonight."

"I'll be fine." She argued. "I just won't dance. Or wear shoes." She bit her lip when his fingers slid gently against her bruising. "My gown is long enough, so no one will notice."

"I think you shouldn't force yourself to go." His dark eyes met hers. "Unless, it is because you have a date this evening."

"I don't." She quickly replied. "There isn't anyone who will be waiting for me."

Thomas seemed to relax once he heard that. He had hoped that was the case. "We could spend New Year's here." He offered.

"I suppose I should spend it in my room, though I--" Her eyes widened. "We? Thomas, I can't ask you to give up going to the ball tonight. Joelle will have a party worthy of all her guests combined. I believe with your artistic eye that you will enjoy it."

He studied her face, noticing the pink forming on her cheeks and how she was nervously biting her bottom lip. "I think I would enjoy being here more than the ball."

Her long eyelashes fell against her cheeks as she avoided his gaze. "As selfish as it sounds, I would prefer having you here with me. It isn't that I mind being alone, I--" she looked up at him. "I like being around you."

His lips curved in a soft smile. "Then I will go talk to the concierge about dinner and explain to Joelle about our absence this evening." He stood up and asked for her room key. "I don't want you getting up to let me back in."

"It isn't any trouble." She gingerly stood up and tried to hide her painful reaction. "I will have to anyway for room service." She looked down at her robe. "And of course to get dressed for the day and evening."

"You don't have to get dressed up." Thomas reached out and took her hand. "We can be--"

"It's New Year's Eve!" She exclaimed. "And if I am spending it with you then I am wearing my new gown." Her blush was nearly covering her face when she almost let it slip out that she wanted him to think she was pretty.

"Very well." He squeezed her hand. "I will still come up here once I'm done with my errands to help keep you off your feet."

She decided for once in her life to be bold and took a step forward, placing a kiss his cheek. "Thank you for trying to make this New Year's special."

He stared down at her face as he caressed her cheek. "I haven't done much except invite myself over."

She smiled at him. "I beg to differ." She stepped back and retrieved one of her key cards. "Here, once I am dressed for the day, I promise to stay for the most part on the couch."

He chuckled and walked towards her door. "Good." He turned to look at her. "I will see you soon."

_______________

A popular formal gown store along West 35th Street, in the heart of the Garment District , before opening...

"I can't believe that Thomas Hunt wanted to use my store for this, or that Jessica Clark would be browsing through my selection!" The middle aged manager explained.

Addison avoided looking directly at him. "Yes, Thomas is a stickler about clothing and wanted to make sure I had one purchased in New York."

"But to use me instead of going straight to the designer!" He said again. "This is such an honor."

Holly held up a dress to hide her muffled laughter.

Addison nodded again, at a loss for words.

Jessica walked over to try and help. "Hunt had heard that you had one of the largest selections and wanted to take advantage of that instead of being stuck with one single designer's creation."

"That's good." Addison mumbled, impressed with her quick thinking. "I mean it's good that Thomas sees that variety is the best way for me to find what he wants."

"Here they come!" Holly shouted.

Jessica handed her dress to the manager. "I will be buying this for myself once we take care of Hunt's mission."

"Really?!" He asked. "Ms. Clark, I--"

"Words fail you, blah blah blah, go set everything up!" Holly turned him around and gave a push. "Hurry!"

Addison watched him run off then went to greet Daniel and Riley.

"Riley, thank you so much for helping me with this." Addison lead her further into the store. "Thomas can be harsh when I don't have everything prepared."

Riley fought back her yawn. "No problem." She looked at the racks of beautiful dresses and posed a few questions. "So who is the actress that gets to wear one of these?"

"Taylor Carruthers." Addison promptly replied. “This will be her film debut.”

"Oh." Riley muttered. "Do I really look like her?”

"Positive!" Addison turned to her friends to back her up. "Doesn't Riley's figure look like Taylor's?"

"From the neck down she is a dead ringer." Holly replied.

"Definitely." Jessica chimed in.

 "Okay. So you just need my measurements?" Riley asked.

"Um, well." Addison stalled. "Would you mind trying on a few dresses?"

Riley tried to control her irritation. She was exhausted from the extra shifts at work and of course meeting a secret king. "I can try on a few, but then I have to get some sleep before I go to work tonight."

"Of course." Holly and Jessica rushed ahead toward the changing rooms. "We have all picked a few for you to try on. Feel free to add any suggestions of what you think looks best on you." Addison explained.

Riley cast a helpless glance back at Daniel before falling into their plan.

The next hour had her trying on a veritable rainbow of gowns. She had to walk around in them, sit, and at one point dance in one. "Is this really necessary?" She asked when they had Daniel dip her.

"I know it seems weird but it is a part of the process." Holly told her, shaking her head no when Addison asked what they thought.

"Definitely weird." Riley whispered to Daniel.

"I have one more dress." Addison held up a dress that made them all stop and stare. "If this one doesn't work then we are back to square one."

Riley stepped forward and touched the light blue gown. Silver sparkles throughout the silk shimmered in the light. She held it up against her. "It's beautiful."

"It reminds me of a modern version of Cinderella’s." Addison admitted. "I love fairy tales."

"Me too." Jessica said on a sigh.

"Try it on, Riley." Holly urged.

They watched her hurry into the room.

"That's the first time she has acted excited over trying on a dress." Daniel whispered.

"I think this might be the one!" Addison bounced with excitment. "If it is, I know just the mask and shoes to go with it."

Riley stepped out and twirled. "I love this one."

The four watching her plus the manager told her how beautiful she looked in it.

"That's the one!" Addison cheered. "Thank you for helping us with this. I will make certain you are generously compensated this evening for your time."

"Thanks." Riley reluctantly changed out of the dress and handed it over. She said her goodbyes and left with Daniel.

"Phase one of Fairy Godmother duty is complete." Jessica teased.

"I can't wait for phase two!" Addison squealed.

"I prefer phase three." Holly winked at them when they looked at her in puzzlement. "The midnight kiss."

________________

Late afternoon, Amanda's suite at The Four Seasons...

"Why didn't you have a doctor look at this?" Olivia angrily asked. "I believe you might have some torn ligaments and a possible break with that type of swelling."

Thomas stood quietly beside her, nodding in agreement.

"Damn." Drake muttered again, turning away from the nearly black bruise covering the top and side of her foot. "That has to hurt like hell."

"It's fine." Amanda stubbornly persisted. "And I'm so happy I had the idea to invite you all by to spend a bit of New Year's Eve with you."

"Did your eyesight get damaged in the fall?" Olivia snapped. "Your foot is practically mangled and you sit there persisting it is fine!"

"I talked to the manager. A doctor is on his way up with a portable x-ray machine." Liam shook his head in both pity and admonishment. "Why have you downplayed this?"

Amanda folded her arms and avoided their gazes. "Because I know it is sprained. The reason it looks worse is because I stepped wrong this morning and a few times during the night."

Maxwell leaned down closer and studied her ankle. "I can't even see the bone structure on this side."

She pulled her foot back and softly cried out from the pain. "Then stop looking at it."

Drake told Maxwell to leave her alone on his way to answer her door.

After a thorough examination, it was deemed a fracture.

"I know it is difficult, but I ask that you attempt to not say, I told you so." Amanda said to the entire group. She clutched her hands together and bowed her head, as the doctor wrapped a cast around her foot and ankle. "I know I have the moniker of The Clumsy Duchess, but I wanted one time to not be reminded of it."

Thomas walked over and sat on the arm of the sofa. He wrapped his arm around her while the others watched with great interest as she leaned closer to him through the painful process.

"So," Maxwell turned to the doctor, "can she go to the party this evening?"

"She can, though I think after the pain of last night and this morning she would do better to rest." He replied.

"I agree." Liam insisted. "We will miss you there, but you should take it easy."

"But..." Maxwell began. "It's New Year's Eve. She can't spend it alone."

"She's not." Thomas announced. "I will be spending it with her here. We already decided that this morning"

Amanda blushed at the knowing smiles forming on their faces.

"This morning? Then we will leave you to enjoy your evening." Olivia said. She hugged her friend and whispered that she expected details tomorrow.

The others kissed her cheek and wished both a happy New Year on their way out.

The doctor finished the cast and handed her a prescription as he stood to leave. "Happy New Year to you both."

Once Thomas shut the door, she stood up and tried out her crutches. "It isn't too bad." She said while going over to her bedroom then turning back. "I shouldn't have too much trouble getting ready."

"You don't have to dress up." Thomas insisted. "I will enjoy this evening with you regardless of what you wear."

She sat back down with a sigh and shook her head. "I want to dress up. I know it might sound silly but I should, as much as I can, look my best this evening."

"Why?" Thomas asked.

Amanda chewed on her bottom lip before speaking. "Because I will be spending New Year's Eve with you." She lowered her eyes. "That in itself is significant."

"Why?” He persisted. “Because of my being famous--"

"No. Not that." She interrupted. "It is because of all you did yesterday." She reached out and took his hand. "You decided to not only help me back here, but then proceeded to spend what I am certain was an incredibly boring day and evening for you tending to me. You didn't have to, yet your kindness..." She trailed off when he sat down beside her.

"I wanted to." He murmured, pulling her into his arms. "I still want to." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then her cheek. His lips touched the corner of hers.

She turned to brush her lips against his. His hand slid into her hair as he deepened the kiss.

________________

Early evening, Matt Rodriguez's suite, The Four Seasons...

"Addison!" Matt tried to grab his things he needed to get ready. "Would you give me a second. I need my shaving kit and--"

"I love your scruffy look." She pushed him toward the door. "I need you to hurry before Riley and Daniel get here."

"Why do I have to leave? Why can't one of the others--" he grunted when she shoved him toward the door. "Hey!"

Once she got him out in the hall, she pulled him close for a passionate kiss. "I love you." She whispered. "But I need all of our suite to do my work. You are too handsome to not be distracting." She shut the door after another kiss.

He dropped his head and walked over to Thomas's door.

Thomas opened his door while tying his bowtie. "What is it?"

"Can I use your room to get ready?" Matt asked. "Addison needs the suite for her love project or whatever she is calling it."

Thomas stepped back. "Come in. I'm nearly done and you can have it."

"Where are you going so early? We still have an hour or so before the ball." Matt dropped his things on a table.

"I'm not going to the ball." Thomas informed him, on the way back to his bedroom.

"You're not? Why? Where are you going dressed up?" Matt called out.

Thomas stepped back out, fully dressed in his tuxedo, and smoothed his hair back. "I have other plans."

Matt waited on him to further explain. Thomas slipped some key cards in his pocket and said goodnight on his way out.

Back in Matt's suite a flurry of three women rushed about to not only get themselves ready but to be prepared to give a waitress and king a night to remember.

When the knock was heard, they tried to calm their excitement.

After a clearing of her throat, Jessica opened the door. "Riley! Please come in."

Riley stepped in and smiled at them. "Hi. Daniel said you needed to see me before the party."

"Yes." Addison motioned for her to come in. "We have a confession of sorts."

"Oh?" Riley sat down when Holly asked her to.

"The dress we had you try on was not meant for Taylor." Addison admitted. “Actually, there is no Taylor at all.”

"We also aren't in the midst of beginning a new movie." Jessica added.

"And though Thomas is cantankerous, he is not unreasonable over a missing dress or two. He would not fire Addison for not having one ready." Holly added. "He can actually be quite understanding when we mess up."

Riley's brow furrowed with confusion. "Then why did you have me come this morning?"

"We want you to come to the ball tonight. The dress is yours along with the mask and all." Addison explained.

Riley stared in shock. “That’s sweet, but I have to work. I--”

“Daniel has that all taken care of. He has a friend that owes him a huge favor and he will take over the waiter duties.” Holly explained.

Riley shook her head again. “I don’t think I should go. Liam will be there and I already refused his invitation.”

“Why did you refuse?” Jessica asked.

Riley hesitated. “I fell for him pretty hard. Then finding out he was a king...I know nothing of his world. I don’t belong. That hurt enough to not spend what I know will be a magical night with him.” She lowered her head and picked at her skirt. “I was nothing but a distraction for him.”

Addison sat down beside her and wrapped her in a warm hug. “That’s not true. We saw him. He has fallen for you too. I don’t think he once thought of you as a distraction.”

Holly nodded. “I agree. He is not the type to do anything haphazard. He likes you. I think he planned on beginning a relationship with you.”

Riley looked up at their earnest faces. She took a deep breath and relented. “I might as well have a fun time at the party if you got me out of work.”

“That’s the spirit!” Addison gave her orders to the others and hugged Riley again. “Tonight is going to be life changing.

_______________

A little after nine  The Masquerade Ball, The Four Seasons Ballroom...

“Woo!” Maxwell exclaimed. “This is one more party Joelle has thrown.”

Liam nodded while sipping his drink. “Yes, it is.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or am I--” Maxwell stared at the woman in white that walked by. She turned back to look at him and smiled before continuing on her way.

“Go on.” Liam said good naturedly. “I promise I am enjoying this ball.”

Maxwell smiled and chased after the woman as she disappeared in the crowd.

“Good evening.” 

Liam softly groaned and turned toward the lady who spoke. His eyes swept down her light blue gown and he felt himself drawn to her. “Good evening, Ms.?”

“Riley.” She said with a smile at his surprise. “I was invited by a king, I think. Who knows with that guy.”

“Riley, you look beautiful.” He murmured. “I thought you didn’t want to come.”

“A part of me didn’t.” She admitted. “You should know that you have some guardian angels that think very highly of you.” She motioned toward the three couples that were watching them without shame.

Liam recognized them even with their masks on. He smiled and bowed to them. 

“He is so perfect.” Addison sighed.

Matt cleared his throat.

She hugged him. “I’m glad we were able to give him the one he wanted.” She pulled on Matt’s arm and led him to the dance floor.

“I guess we should stop spying on Liam and Riley.” Jessica whispered.

“For the moment.” Holly decided. “I’m still determined to see them kiss at midnight.”

________________

A little after ten, at the Masquerade Ball...

“...and now I have another floor of the gallery being offered to display my latest works.” Nadia finished with a shy shrug.

“Wow.” Maxwell smiled at her. “Cute, smart, and incredibly talented.” 

Damien rolled his eyes at their conversation and focused on his dessert.

“Would you like to dance?” Maxwell asked

“Yes!” She hopped up and took his hand.

Damien watched them move closer to one another when a slow song started. He pulled his phone out and snapped a picture of the pair. He sent it to Kai and added the text letting her know who it was.

“He’s cute.” she texted back. “How’s it going?”

“Great.” he responded. “They both think the other is perfect.”

______________

One hour until midnight, The Masquerade Ball...

“Do you want to dance again?” Drake asked, pulling Olivia close.

“I think I am danced out.” She replied. “Who’s that with Liam? He hasn’t left her side for hours now.”

“I don’t recognize her.” Drake looked over and noticed how Liam held her close during another waltz. His smile was one of genuine happiness. “Whoever she is, he likes her.”

Kiara interrupted their observation by asking Drake to dance.

Olivia narrowed her eyes and spoke before Drake could. “He’s with me.”

Kiara lifted an eyebrow. “Really? As in--”

“As in we are a couple now and have been for quite some time!” Olivia snapped. “If he wanted you he would have pursued you like he did me.” She motioned toward a group of men talking. “Go sniff around over there. I’m sure there is someone that will be willing to dance.”

Kiara’s face was flushed with embarrassment as she scurried away.

“Liv,” Drake choked on his laughter. “That was brutal.”

“No it wasn’t. I could have said a lot more but tempered it for the sake of being polite.” She huffed. “And you better start letting all these so called ladies know you are no longer available for slumming.”

“Being with me is slumming?” He asked, surprised she thought that way.

“Of course not!” She rolled her eyes. “You are slumming whenever you get with those women who only plan on using you.”

Drake pulled her into a passionate kiss. 

“A little early, isn’t it?” She teased.

“I don’t care.” He kissed her again.

_____________

On the other side of the ballroom...

Rashad twirled Hana, smiling at her laughter when he pulled her back into his arms. “Are you having a good time?”

“I’m having the best time.” She told him. “I’ve never enjoyed a party as much as I have this one.”

“Me too.” Rashad admitted. “I know it is because of you.” He led her off the dance floor and snagged two glasses of champagne from a nearby waiter. “Hana, would you...” He swallowed a gulp of his drink and tried again. “Would you like to start seeing each other on a regular basis?”

“Do you mean dating?” She asked with a shy smile.

“Yes.” He stammered.

“I would love to.” She kissed his cheek. 

____________

Fifteen minutes until midnight, Amanda’s suite...

“What did you do?” Amanda asked, tears of laughter building at his story.

“I walked out.” Thomas popped open a bottle of champagne. “I made certain to take two pillows to cover my,” he motioned down his waist, “and hailed a cab.”

He smiled at her burst of laughter. He then prepared two glasses and handed her one. 

“What should we drink to?” He asked, sitting down beside her.

“I suppose the old year ending in a few minutes.” She replied. “And to what comes next.”

“I am looking forward to that.” He tapped his glass against hers. 

“What plans do you have for the new year?” Amanda asked, setting her glass aside.

“I have a few.” Thomas set his arm along the back of the sofa, winding a lock of her hair around his finger. “One of which concerns you.”

“Oh?” She reached over and straightened his bowtie. “And what might that be?”

“Inviting you out to California.” He scooted closer to her. “Visiting Cordonia.”

“I would like that.” She said softly as his lips brushed hers. 

“Then it’s settled.” He kissed her once more.

_______________

One minute to midnight, The Masquerade Ball...

“They’re in position!” Addison squealed. 

"Why aren’t we this exciting anymore?” Ryan muttered as Holly and Jessica moved with Addison closer for a better view.

Matt shrugged while Seth folded his arms.

As the countdown began the three couples watched as Liam and Riley shared a long tender kiss. 

“That has to be the most romantic thing I have ever seen.” Jessica said, sighing at Liam gently caressing Riley’s cheek.

“I agr--” Holly squeaked when Ryan yanked her into his arms for a heated kiss. He smiled down at her surprised face. 

“Happy New Year.” He pressed another kiss to her lips.

Matt and Seth followed his example with their own dates.

Liam carefully removed Riley’s mask and then his own. “I know this might seem sudden, but I want you to know my intentions.”

Riley blinked. “Your intentions? What do you mean?”

“I want to court you.” He began. “With the intention of making you Cordonia’s queen.”

Riley shook her head. “Liam, you don’t know me! I have no clue where to even begin with how wrong I would be as queen. I was a fine arts major in college! I--”

“You would learn all the protocols.” He told her. “The most important role as queen would be as the beloved wife of Cordonia’s king.” He kissed her to stop her next argument. “If during our courtship you think it is too much, or I’m not what you want, then I won’t bother you again.” His blue eyes focused on her dark ones. “I can’t leave New York tomorrow evening without knowing I will have a chance to see you again.”

Riley looked around at this world he wanted her a part of. “I--” She looked back up into his handsome face and nodded. “Okay. I’ll try.”

He hugged her tight. “Thank you.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. 

_______________

On the other side of the ballroom...

Maxwell thought this might be a kiss he never wanted to end. Nadia fit perfectly in his arms. 

She stepped back when they paused for a breath. “Maxwell?”

“Yeah?” He tried to pull her back.

“How long are you going to be in New York?” She asked.

“As long as you want me to.” His lips crashed down on hers.

_____________

Afternoon, Liam’s suite...

“You’re staying?” Liam asked.

“Yeah, Nadia wants to show me around.” Maxwell grinned bashfully. “I might be gone a few more weeks.”

“What are your plans?” Liam asked Amanda.

“I’m going to spend another week here and then come home.” She blushed some as she continued. “Thomas plans on remaining here with me then coming to Cordonia for a visit in two weeks.”

Drake and Olivia narrowed their eyes at Liam. “Who was the lady in blue you were with last night?” Drake asked.

“Riley Brooks.” He smiled at his friends. “She has agreed to entering into a courtship with me.”

Maxwell and Amanda looked up at him in surprise. “You met someone?” he asked.

“I did.” Liam said proudly. “I think she might be the one.”

“You kissed her at midnight?” Maxwell asked. With Liam’s nod he turned to Amanda, “You kissed Thomas at midnight too, right?”

“Yes.” She said slowly “Why?”

“And I assume you two shared a tender moment.” Maxwell said to Drake and Olivia.

“I wouldn’t call it tender.” Olivia muttered. 

“We did it!” Maxwell exclaimed. “We all kissed the one!”

“Isn’t it a bit too soon for some of us to think of these people as the one?” Amanda asked.

“Just you wait. By next New Year’s, you will all appreciate my awesome soothsaying skills.” Maxwell gloated.

#choices the royal romance #choices red carpet diaries #choices perfect match #happynewyear #new year's eve prompt #super long post

[ladyherenya]

Books read in September

I fell down a couple of rabbit holes -- that’s my metaphor of choice for when I ignore my TBR list and get distracted reading other things, usually in a search for comfort reading.

Also, I clicked the wrong thing in the Kindle app at 1am and now I have a free trial of Kindle Unlimited so I decided I might as well make use of it.

Favourite cover: A Conspiracy in Belgravia.

Reread: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, Penric’s Mission and Mira’s Last Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold and Exit Strategy by Martha Wells.

Still reading: The Princess Who Flew with Dragons by Stephanie Burgis.

Next up: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks.

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also Dreamwidth.)

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang: Khai hasn’t found a girlfriend, so his mother arranges for a young woman from Vietnam to come to California for the summer, to see if she and Khai will suit each other. This is romance, a genre which doesn’t always share my narrative priorities -- some things are resolved too neatly, and I’d have liked more of Esme’s relationship with her daughter and of her adult education classes -- but I enjoyed reading this, so I’m not complaining. I liked how Hoang portrays Khai’s autism. He has a greater capacity for love than he realises, he just needs support to understand his feelings.

Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll (narrated by Victoria Fox): I read this because I love the narrator and really liked Carroll’s Letters From the Lighthouse. This book is set post-WWI, and involves friendship, family secrets and the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Lil’s grandfather is in hospital and she becomes convinced that his recovery depends upon her solving the mystery surrounding the package sent to him by a famous and now-deceased Egyptologist. I predicted the twists, but I can see how this would strongly appeal to children who want a blend of history, adventure and mystery with a hint of fantasy. (Where was this when I was twelve?)

The Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold: Fantasy set in Renaissance Italy. Fiametta, daughter of a master mage and goldsmith, witnesses a violent coup. She flees -- and meets Thur, a guardsmen’s younger brother coming to Montefolgia for an apprenticeship. This was published in 1992, after Bujold had published several Vorkosigan books and won a few Hugos, so I wasn’t expecting it to feel so, well, rough by comparison. That said, bits of it still shine! The plot makes every detail count, the final confrontation is memorable and I liked the characters. And it’s interesting to consider this as a precursor to Bujold’s World of the Five Gods.

A Royal Pain by Meg Mulry: This turned up when I was searching Overdrive for something else (Goodness knows why, none of my search words are its title or description). It sounded like it might be entertaining, maybe a bit like The Princess Diaries. It isn’t, at least not enough for me. Two-thirds through I decided to abandon it -- and then a bit later I decided I might as well skim read to the end and see how everything turned out. I don’t feel qualified to say anything insightful, I just wandered in here by mistake...

The Enchanted April (1922) by Elizabeth von Armin (narrated by Nadia May): Four women respond to a newspaper advertisement and rent a house in Italy for the month of April. This is delightfully funny and observant, with idyllic descriptions of spring in Italy. I liked the friendships which develop between four very different women, and the way they are challenged -- or inspired -- to reconsider their opinions about others. The ending is, unsurprisingly, very tidy and conventional. (Not many options for happy endings a 1920s novelist could easily give to unhappily married women.) Reading nothing but sunshine and fairytale endings would become unsatisfying, no matter how wonderful the prose, but sometimes it’s just want one wants.

The “Lady Sherlock” series by Sherry Thomas:

A Conspiracy in Belgravia: Disgraced Charlotte Holmes has found a home with the widowed Mrs Watson and an income under the persona of “Sherlock Holmes”. Her latest case sounds simple but is complicated by connections to the wife of Charlotte’s closest friend and Charlotte’s half-brother. Meanwhile, Charlotte has a marriage proposal to consider, ciphers to crack, and a murder victim to identify. I like the way certain qualities of Doyle’s characters are assigned to different characters -- so Charlotte’s sister Livia is writing stories about Sherlock, and Mrs Watson’s niece has medical training. I enjoyed reading this and immediately embarked on the next book.

The Hollow of Fear: I could not put this book down -- the stakes are so high and personal! But in the end I didn’t find this a wholly satisfying mystery because much of the tension is the result of Charlotte concealing a lot about her suspicions and plans. It’s fun watching Charlotte in disguise, and I don’t mind some misdirection, nor Charlotte keeping thoughts to herself. That fits with her character. But the extent of it felt contrived. Disappointment aside, I liked the journey, thought one of the twists was handled with particular deftness, and I am eager to read the sequel.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (narrated by Saskia Maarlveld): A long, complex, powerful three-stranded story about war and its aftermath. In Boston in 1946, Jordan, a teenager passionate about photography, is suspicious of her new stepmother. In Germany in 1950, war correspondent Ian now hunts war criminals. And in Siberia before the war, Nina becomes a pilot. From the beginning, this was interesting, with tense scenes. But I wasn’t strongly invested, and I was unsure of the narrative’s structure. As the story continued, I discovered that it is richer and more nuanced because of its structure --  and that I was becoming very attached to these characters. Surprisingly so.

The “Dear Professor” series by Penny Reid

Kissing Galileo: The description made me curious, so I looked at the sample chapters... and, unexpectedly, was convinced I should read this book. Because it’s smart and funny! And I liked how the characters deal with an awkward and potentially very problematic situation. (Emily works as a lingerie model, and when her professor visits the store, he doesn’t recognise her.) I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship -- how obviously they like each other’s company and care about each other, how they have an intellectual connection that goes hand-in-hand physical attraction, how they learn to understand each other better.

Kissing Tolstoy: The first book is about Emily’s friend Anna, who signs up for a Russian literature class, unaware that the professor is someone she accidentally had an almost-date with. This is a shorter than Kissing Galileo, nearly novella-length, and because I read them back-to-back, suffered somewhat in comparison -- it’s less complex, and features a professor who doesn’t deal quite so well with being attracted to one of his students. I wasn’t so convinced their relationship was a good idea. But there’s some entertaining awkwardness and people being opinionated about Russian literature. I liked Anna’s nerdy interests and her friendship with Emily.

Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid: I was curious what else Reid has written and sometimes I like fake relationships stories.  This book makes a convoluted set-up feel plausible. I liked how Kat and Dan’s relationship developed, I liked the ratio of romance to plot, and I liked how involved and supportive all their friends were. But my enjoyment ebbed as I read, which is probably a reflection on what I want from this sort of story rather than on this book’s merits. I don’t find the corporate city setting very interesting or appealing.

Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid: I enjoy stories where characters are passionate about their interests.  In this, one of the characters is a vet but his job had no real presence in the story. What a waste.

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley: Sara accepts a job decoding a ciphered diary from 1732. The diary is written by Mary, a half-Scottish woman raised in France, who agrees to disguise an Englishman by pretending to be his sister. I like how these two stories sit together. There’s a gentleness to Sara’s, as she discovers things she likes, including the sensory delights of winter in France and people who accept her. In contrast, Mary’s is full of danger, deception and the discomfort of travel. But there’s also subtle, common threads running throughout: life-changing choices and trusting people. I liked so many things in this book.

Echo in Onyx by Sharon Shinn: Brianna becomes the maid for the governor’s daughter, who has three “echoes”. When one of Marguerite's echoes is killed defending Marguerite, Brianna disguises herself as the echo so that they can conceal the incident. The concept of echoes is unusual and Shinn has clearly given careful thought to how they would affect society and daily life for those who have them, as well as reasons for their existence.  I wasn’t surprised by the final twists, because I know how Shinn usually deals with injustice, but parts were still quite tense. And I liked Brianna’s attitude -- so sunny and resourceful and loyal.

A House of Rage and Sorrow by Sangu Mandanna: I really liked A Spark of White Fire so I was surprised by my reaction to this sequel. Halfway through, I was pushing myself to stay focused and just wanted to cross it off the list. So I left it there. I don’t know if there was something in the pacing or the first book’s ending which stopped me from caring -- or if I just wasn’t in the mood to read about rage and sorrow and things going to hell in a handbasket. I might try again one day. I did like the first one.

#Herenya reviews books #Lois McMaster Bujold #Sherry Thomas #Sharon Shinn #Susanna Kearsley #Helen Hoang #Kate Quinn #Emma Carroll #Penny Reid #Sangu Mandanna #Elizabeth von Armin

[ladysophiebeckett]

umm? ur tags about maxwell/nadia confused me. i don’t dislike nadia as a character bc she has a big personality, it’s literally just that she bailed on mc a couple times and often didn’t contribute all that much in group settings. i’ve never heard of anyone complaining about her characterization so much as her actions? maybe i’m wrong and people do find her annoying but i’m in a pm groupchat and we’ve all mostly had problems with her and steve’s relationship/her kinda halfhearted commitment

she bailed on mc only in book 2. i dont remember nadia bailing more than once. and its not an action that i approved of. i didnt really understand nadia’s reason for leaving and i wasn’t a fan of it either. 

the thing is, is that ive come only ever across criticism of nadia when it comes to her characterization. that or ‘i like nadia’ vs. ‘i hate nadia’. there’s no grayscale when it comes to her. if the general criticism was about her actions--her leaving, her suggestion to go to winona for help (which was not helpful at all and story wise, raised suspicion in all of us about whether that was even the real nadia)--then yes, those things were fucked up. i did not care for that. it was selfish of her and steve to bail just bc eros wasn’t looking for steve anymore. (but apparently they were bc the left ny for ca bc her place was trashed? idr the specifics rn). 

as for contribution? no, nadia did not contribute to the group in terms of strategy. she’s a painter, not an ex cop or an interpol agent or a robot with super strength. but she did contribute money wise--she was the one buying the plane tickets, booking the hotels, even after she left the group for that short time she was still paying for everything. 

i dont understand what you mean by ‘half hearted commitment’. to steve or the group? bc i dont understand that either way. 

in terms of comparing her to maxwell--they’re both extroverted high energy ppl who strive to make others happy. if you want throw a good party, nadia and maxwell are the ppl you would go to. nadia refuses to feel sad and instead constantly looks for distractions and tries to force those distractions on the group. maxwell has a sad side but he refuses to show it (unless you are romancing him) and tries instead to look for ways, ideas to distract either himself and\or the ppl around him. they’re obviously not identical characters who’s actions are the same but they do share similar characteristics. and i feel like ppl find nadia annoying for exhibiting them.

nadia and steve as a pairing, i do find overwhelming. (i didn’t save him in book 1, so i didnt get the engagement scene). they’re really are That couple that exhibits too much pda. but they love each other, that’s just who they are. he really is her perfect match. 

its fine if one dislikes nadia (and steve). some of nadia’s actions are questionable but they show that nadia has flaws. she’s not perfect. i appreciate  book 2 for at least letting me blame nadia a little bit. it would have been better if they could have let some conflict rise between nadia and the mc when she was leaving but that’s more of personal criticism for how book 2 was handled than anything. 

look, if you already dont like nadia you’re probably never gonna like her. some characters are never gonna gel with you. that’s how it goes sometimes, but for others i do see slivers of sexism clouding their judgement. and that’s probably not you at all. but the slivers exist and it’s very off putting, to say the least.

#perfect match #nadia park #everyone on my dash just keep scrolling thanks! #Anonymous

[caustic-loser-blog]

Friends: Slytherin!Y/N x Hufflepuff!Luke

A/N: Lol if you’ve read this before it’s because I just moved shop, so I’m reposting it. Leave me an ask if you want another story in this same vein, or any other ideas you lie. Thanks!

Her back slammed into the wall, breath escaping Y/N in pants. Who knew that helping out others could have such interesting consequences.

As a Slytherin, Y/N had easily learned to keep her friends close and her enemies closer. This had, unfortunately, given other Snakes in her year the impression that she would much rather be a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. That wasn’t true. She had known from the moment she learned about the four houses which one Y/N would be in. Just like usual, she’d had her entire life mapped out. If it wasn’t Slytherin, it would’ve been Ravenclaw, but there was no chance of that. She was cunning, manipulative, and driven. But to her friends, she was incredibly loyal.

Which was how she had gotten into her current predicament.

There were some Slytherins in her class who had heard the rumors about her, that she didn’t want to be in their house, and had iced her out. Other Slytherins had seen her flashbang reaction to those rumors, which was to be as rude and smug to anyone else in a different house, and assumed her a giant bitch. It probably didn’t help that she was friends with some of the worse people in their year, but they shared Y/N’s dark sense of humor, and were all really quite harmless.

But the damage was done, and she quickly learned to be as cold and ruthless as possible. By fifth year she had become accustomed to cursing out Year Sixes, glaring at Year Threes, and fully accepting her role as school bitch. This, of course, had created a bit of a problem. No seats. Y/N glanced around the Ancient Runes class again, hoping a Slytherin that didn’t hate her would pop up from behind a book, but no such luck.

As Professor Babbling glided into the classroom, Y/N quickly sunk into the nearest seat. The Hufflepuff looked up at her in a mix of chagrin and timidness, but she just cracked her neck and removed a quill and some ink from her bookbag. At least he hadn’t started crying. Yet.

Throughout the first half of the year, Luke didn’t cry once. It took a few weeks for him to notice Y/N’s antics in class, adding a tasteful “That’s what she said,” under her breath during lecture, or doodling pictures of their classmates with bloated noses and ears, but he eventually starting noticing, and then started laughing, one time so hard that Y/N had to cast a silent Invisibility charm on her paper as Babbling stalked back to see what was wrong. She simply put on an aloof air, and Babbling said nothing to her as she scolded Luke.

The turning point in their relationship had been when Y/N glanced over at his paper to find an incredible sketch of her, each feature breathtakingly replicated, except for the ginormous chin, which easily took up half her face. Y/N had actually snorted, though she quickly turned it into a fake cough, and they had seen each other on a new level. She would often arrive five minutes before class, so that they could talk before class started.

Luke was a fifth year, like her, and had two older brothers, both who had graduated. One had been a Gryffindor and one a Hufflepuff, so he hadn’t been sure which house he’d be in. Now that he was a Hufflepuff, he tried to take the hardest and greatest amount of classes he could, an admirable trait, in order to ace his NEWTS and get a Ministry job. Just as she came to admire his sky blue eyes and breathtaking smile, she fell in love with his plan and his determination. In Y/N’s opinion, he should have been a Slytherin, or at least a Ravenclaw. At the same time, she could see his fierce loyalty and determination, traits she had begrudgingly come to recognize as Hufflepuff’s. He was shy, a bit awkward, and everything she previously had convinced base and uninteresting.

Yet, they became quick friends in the back of Ancient Runes, and if they were ever in the library or near the lake at the same time, they would stop and say hello. They had contests to see who could count down the representative numbers faster, flipped to random pages in Spellman’s Syllabary and guessed the meaning, and other nonsense that seemed pointless but kept inching Luke closer to her barriers. It didn’t hurt that his knee kept tracing against hers accidentally. When they accidentally brushed, there was a palpable shock, enough to make Y/N straighten in her seat and Luke blush. But the sudden skip in her heart, the desire to touch more than just accidentally, was hers alone. There was no way he felt the same about her, and that was clear,

The last Hogsmeade visit before the Christmas holiday, she strolled into Gladrag’s Wizardwear and picked him up a pair of screaming smelly socks, which shrieked whenever they were too dirty, and a couple of packets of Zonko’s sweets amongst her Christmas shopping for the rest of her friends. While her friend Nadia had gone to the restroom, Luke saw her in Three Broomsticks and had shared a butterbeer with her. He too had packages tucked into a little bag, though she thought he had come alone, and when their fingers brushed on the mug, he didn’t pull away, although his cheeks flushed. They stayed that way for a few minutes, knuckles kissing and knees brushing on the barstools, as her head found its way onto his shoulder, which only made Luke stiffen a little.

Y/N exhaled slightly, and Luke relaxed into the warmth of her breath. This was different. Though she kept her calm, internally Y/N’s mind began racing. This certainly didn’t feel like it was platonic. But before she could figure it out, Nadia returned. Y/N’s head flew up, and she let her hand drop back into her lap.

“Nadia, do you know Luke?” She stood up, trying to put more distance between herself and the situation. She wasn’t sure how Nadia would feel, much less how she felt, about her snuggling up to a Hufflepuff in public. Nadia just shook her head and extended a hand.

“You’re the Hufflepuff in Y/N’s Ancient Runes?” She vaguely remembered telling Nadia about him after one of the fifth years in their dormitory had snuck in some fire whiskey for a night in.

He looked shocked that Nadia knew who he was, and he blushed a little as he grabbed her hand and shook it, offering a “That’s me.” He hesitated for a moment longer before scooping up his discarded bags and slapping five sickles on the counter, enough to pay for all three of their drinks. He turned to go, but then dug in his bag and dredged something from the slew of presents and neatly wrapped parcels.

“In case I forget to give it to you in the last two classes before holiday,” he passed her the wrapped parcel, which made her cheeks flush for a change, and then headed off. She resigned not to open it until the last class of the semester, but perhaps-

“Would you like yours? It’s not wrapped, but if I forget…” He just grinned.

“Don’t forget then.” And Luke left Three Broomsticks, a bounce in his step. Y/N shot a nervous look at Nadia, but she just rolled her eyes.

“Of all the houses, you pick a bloody Hufflepuff? What happened to the cold-hearted girl I used to know?”

“I dunno. Maybe Luke will have some ideas on how you can impress Blaise though.” And with that they were back to normal, linking arms and strolling back to school, postulating about what the gift could be the whole way back.

It turned out to be a book on the qualifications and daily procedures of being an Auror, which Y/N thoroughly loved, as well as a gorgeous sketch of her, this time sans the overzealous chin. She brought both the package and her own, and they opened them together before Runes. And when the class ended, she stood and extended her arms. He wrapped his around her waist, and she took comfort in his smell. It felt strangely final, like when they came back everything would be different somehow.

“Have a great holiday Luke.”

“You too,” he said, and with one last smile she left the classroom.

When they returned, nothing changed like Y/N’s fears. At first. They sat together during class, and though they never saw each other outside of it, it was fine. Normal. Only, if there was one thing she had learned over the holidays, it was that she didn’t want everything to be normal between her and Luke. And now that Blaise had finally plucked up some courage, on the advice of Y/N, and asked out Nadia, she was faced with all the things she could have, if only Luke was a Slytherin or she was a little more daring. As Valentine’s Day came and went, she found herself withdrawing more and more, laughing a little less each day until they barely talked. Luke could sense it and had asked her more than once if something was wrong, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. If there was one area she lacked confidence in, it was romance.

And that had lead her to where she was today: spending the first day of Easter holiday locked in the library, studying. OWLs were rapidly approaching, and she was determined to succeed. According to Luke’s book, her heart skipped a beat when she thought about him still, she needed Exceeds Expectations on her Potions, Defense the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Charms OWLs, and two years down the road the NEWT scores to match. She wished she had kept up with Herbology, the book said it was highly recommended, but Y/N thought she could make up for it with Ancient Runes.

Just the thought of that class made her sick to her stomach. It was stupid and petty to draw away from Luke like this, and he was beginning to do the same right back to her. Though it was well-deserved, it still hurt. The other day she had asked him whether or not the socks were working out, and he had just offered her a shrug.

She put her head in her hands, knotting her fists into her hair. She had messed up. No longer able to concentrate, she swept the book into her bag, cast a small disillusionment charm on it, and stalked out of the library.

As she made her way back to the dungeon, she passed a little cluster of students. Then, with a double take, she realized they were clustered about Luke, who was on the floor.

“Speak of the devil herself!” Ernie MacMillan whispered, almost as though he didn’t want her to notice him. Too late. She strutted over, pushing her way through fourth years to face him..

“If you think I’m only as bad as the devil, you’re in for a nasty bit of a shock McMahon.” She tossed her head back, mask firmly secure and superiority complex fully in tact. His lip quivered a smidge, but he didn’t back down.

“If you weren’t all talk, maybe I’d believe you.” But he sounded unsure. She scoffed, and pretended to examine her nails.

“You don’t have something better to be doing? Some garbage to sort through determinedly; some tests to fail, even though you studied? Some drying paint to be loyal to?”

“You don’t have any babies to eat alive?”

“Nonsense, I’m looking at one right now.” The small crowd that had gathered whooped, and Ernie flushed.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but with a single flash of Y/N’s infamous eyes, it shut.

“Kindly get on with your life, then. This is interrupting my study time.” Y/N waved her hand dismissively, and after a minute of flapping his mouth like a fish, Ernie turned and left, along with the quickly dissolving crowd.

She turned to look at Luke, but saw that he had pulled himself off the ground and already run away. It only took a moment for her to sling her bookbag over her shoulder and follow him, heart thudding in time with her shoes on the pavement. She careened past a couple of first years, each of them stuck between looking horrified, as they usually did when she strutted past, or amused at the fact that she was racing down the corridor. Y/N paid it no mind. She continued running, desperately trying to figure out why Luke had run off like that.

Eventually she saw him peek out from behind a wall, and threw herself toward him, back slamming against the wall and panting. After a few moments of apprehensive silence, she spoke.

“A thanks would be nice. Why were you and MacMillan fighting in the first place?”

“You didn’t hear what he said?” Luke asked, still not meeting her eye.

“I know it was something about me, probably how much of a bitch I am. And you probably jumped to my defence, which is noble but pointless. Then he asked what you were going to do about it, shoved you to the floor, and that’s when I showed up?”

“Are you sure you’re not a Ravenclaw?”

“I’d rather float in a pool of money than a pool of books, but I did always say I could be one.” He chuckled, then sobered, turning to look down at her.

“Why have you been ignoring me? Did I do something wrong? And why help me now, when I clearly could have handled him?” She glanced away, hands knitting together.

“I knew you could handle him, but I was worried anyway.” She wants so badly to tell him why, to say “I was worried because I care,’ but she didn’t, just stared down at her intertwined hands.

“You haven’t answered my other two questions,” he said after a long pause, hand reaching out, almost as though to touch her, before it stilled and idly dropped back to his side. She chanced a glance upward. His eyes were rough-hewn tourmaline. They had once glinted, but now they looked dull and lifeless, like precious stones that had been sent through a wood chipper.

“And if I’m running away from the answers?” She wouldn’t meet his eyes, instead staring at the hand that had drifted away from her.

“Didn’t running away get us into this in the first place? Merlin’s beard, if you weren’t so concerned with your image we could be dating already-” Luke blushed furiously, but his eyes solidified, trademark determination shining through. Y/N waited for him to take it back but he didn’t just let it sit open in the air.

“Is that....? Do you actually like me?” He ran a hand through his hair, eyes now almost manic and aflame.

“Is that a real question? I thought you were supposed to be smart.” And he pulled her lips onto his, pushing her against the corridor wall for the world to see. But Y/N couldn’t give it a single thought.

#5 seconds of summer #five seconds of summer #5sos #luke 5sos #luke #luke hemmings #luke hemmings au #luke au #luke hummings imagine #imagine #imagines #luke hemmings imagines #luke hemmo #hogwarts #hogwarts au #5sos hogwarts au #luke hemmings hogwarts au #5sos hogwarts #5sos harry potter #5sos harry potter au #5sos hp #5sos hp au

[ablackbirdsinging]

Like Calls to Like: Chapter 2

Nina/Sturmhond, Grisha Trilogy/Six of Crows crossover! Nothing too scandalous here, but it will eventually get pretty mature/explicit.

Summary: The crew sets sail to take Matthias’ body back to Fjerda. Sexual tension ensues!  

@bharatanatyamandballet , @rowanismybae, @runesandfaes - I think you guys wanted to be tagged in the next installment, so here it is! Enjoy! 

Genya finished her work on Nikolai’s face in the early morning hours.

“I don't believe I need to tell you how important it is that you wear Sturmhond’s face when you dock in Fjerda.”

“I know, Genya.” He'd been over the plan with the Triumvirate again and again in the last few days.

“Tolya has a kit with everything he'll need to fix you up as you approach Fjerda. He should probably start a few days before you approach the shore. He doesn't have the stamina for Tailoring that I do.” Nikolai nodded and rubbed a gloved hand over his rough hewn features.

“Do you think she'll mind?”

“That the man she's roped into taking her on a dangerous journey across the sea is actually her King?”

“That I've been lying to her.” Genya bit her lip.

“Nina’s no stranger to wearing masks herself. And yet, you know why you're taking her, Nikolai. She's lost her closest friend, her lover. That's what this trip is about. It's not a pleasure cruise on the love boat.”

“You sound like Zoya right now.”

“Well, she occasionally knows what she's talking about.” Genya ran a hand across her scarred face. “I don't want you to get hurt, Nikolai. Neither does Zoya, for that matter. We know the last few years have been hard on you. I don't know what you want from Nina, but I hope you know that she may not be ready to give it yet.”

“I know that. I do. And I don't really know what I want either. I just feel drawn to her,” he shrugged, embarrassed. He'd never needed to seek help in the romance department before.

“Well, be careful, Nikolai. We expect you back in one piece as soon as you can manage it.”

He gave her a mock salute.

“Yes, ma’am.”

----

Oh Saints it was way too early in the morning. Nina slumped up the gangplank, shielding her face from the unrelentingly rising sun. Tamar and Tolya lugged her trunk up behind her. The coffin containing Matthias’ body had been stowed in the ship’s hold the night before.

Sturmhond stood at the ship railing as she came aboard, the breeze ruffling his coat and hair. She held up a hand before he could speak to her.

“No talking pirate boy. It's too early for everything. Just point me in the direction of the nearest pot of tea.”

“Ah, a morning person. Lovely.”

“Tea, Sturmhond!”

“Follow me, new girl. I'll take you down to the kitchen,” Nadia said as she swept by in her blue kefta.

“Hands off the Squaller, Zenik. She's spoken for,” Tamar shouted over her shoulder as she and her brother hefted the trunk up onto the deck. “What is in here, anyway? Chunks of granite?” She muttered to herself.

Nadia led Nina through a maze of hallways and ladders before finally depositing her in the ship’s kitchen. For being the smallest of Sturmhond’s fleet, the ship certainly had no lack of hidden nooks and crannies. And he certainly hadn't skimped when it came to the kitchen area.

Nina breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the tea service set up on the wide wooden table.

“Thank the Saints,” she muttered as she poured herself a cup of tea. The Squaller slipped onto the bench across the table from her and grabbed a tea cup as well.

“Don't worry. You'll figure out the layout of the ship quickly. It's pretty straightforward once you’ve had time to walk it all a couple times through.”

“Now that I’ve had some tea, I should be much more capable,” Nina laughed. She eyed the pretty Squaller sitting across her. “Why did you decide to come? I assume you received ample warning about the Fjerdan views on Grisha?”

Nadia sipped her own tea and blushed.

“Where my love goes, I go.” She said simply.

“Love? Who? Sturmhond?”

Nadia choked on a mouthful of tea.

“Sturmhond? Saints, no! Tamar!”

“Oh,” Nina said, feeling her face on fire. “I guess her warning up on the deck makes more sense now.” Nadia nodded.

“She gets a bit possessive when there are other pretty women around.” It took Nina a moment to realize Nadia was talking about her. “I’d best run up to the deck again and get into position for our move out of the harbor. Make sure to come watch as we set sail. Seeing the shore disappear as we take to open seas is my favorite part.”

Nina promised that she'd be up as soon as she'd drunk her fill of tea, as long as she could find the deck again.

Nadia laughed again.

“Just follow the scent of salty sea air until you make it to the top. Easy!” She chirped,and then she was scampering out of the kitchen.

----

Nikolai busied himself with the final preparations before they took off. This was one of his favorite parts of being a privateer. Reading the winds, adjusting the sails, watching each member of his crew work at his or her own tasks like cogs in a giant piece of well-oiled machinery.

“Captain,” Nadia nodded to him as she took up her spot beside the main mast. The Squaller was a staple aboard any ship he sailed these days. She was as natural a sailor as he was himself. Of course having only one Squaller aboard on the trip was risky, but Nikolai planned to conserve her energy for any spots of trouble or bad weather that might pop up. Other than helping them get out of the harbor, she'd be free to run around getting into trouble with Tamar for the rest of the journey, as long as things went to plan.

Tamar paused in her work checking the safety boats and ammunition supplies on one side of the deck, to look up at Nadia with a wide smile.

Genya’s words from that morning echoed around Nikolai’s head.

“Not a cruise on the love boat? Genya’s certainly underestimating my sailors, then.” He muttered to himself.

“I dropped your girl in the kitchens, Sir. She was guzzling tea when I left her,” Nadia told Nikolai as she stretched and flexed her shoulders and fingers.

“Thank you, Nadia.”

“Isn't this the part where you tell me she's not your girl?”

“Did Zoya and Genya put you up to this?” Nadia laughed, catching Tamar’s attention below again.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Nadia insisted.

Nikolai shook his head and stomped away, leaving the post to his first mate. He was starting to regret surrounding himself with so many female advisors. They were all starting to gang up on him.

He leaned forward over the deck, gloved hands gripping the metal rail tightly.

“It looks like a nice day to sail.” He hadn't even heard Nina come up behind him. He scooted over a bit in the international signal for “here come stand by me,” and she joined him at the rail.

“It's damn near perfect.”

“An auspicious start to the journey, then, although you don't strike me as a man who believes in luck.”

“I believe in maps and sextants and fine brandy and crew members that do their jobs very very well.”

“And that's what makes you the best pirate in the world?”

“It's privat -- you're doing that on purpose, aren't you?” Nina’s only answer was the sound of her laugh uncurling over the sound of the breeze and the waves lapping at the ship. He shook his head. These damned women.

He turned around and signaled to the men and women in his crew, then watched Nadia lift her arms.

“Hold on tight,” he warned Nina.

And then they began to move.

----

As she did on the sail from Ketterdam to Ravka weeks before, Nina fell easily into the routine of life on the ship. She spent many days practicing blade work with Tamar, or gossiping with Nadia about the the Grisha they both knew back at the Little Palace. She often missed Inej when she was with Tamar and Nadia, and wrote countless letters that she would probably never get the chance to mail. When the days grew long and Nina was bored, she'd climb into the crow’s nest to listen to Tolya’s stories. Inevitably she would grow bored of that, too, and then she'd work on convincing him to teach her the bawdiest drinking songs in his native language. His voice was slow and deep, which made everything, even the most inappropriate lyrics sound like a religious hymn, and Nina’s was shrill and perpetually out of tune, raining down over the ship with no skill and much enthusiasm.

Each night they gathered around the table in the kitchen like it was time for a family dinner. Sturmhond had said it would be a skeleton crew, but he didn't skimp when it came to the cook. Night after night the table was piled with savory dishes and sweet confections. And when the platters were picked clean and everyone was swaying from too much brandy and just enough laughter, they would take turns cleaning up and washing dishes.

Nina soon learned that in exchange for a couple hours chopping carrots or cleaning potatoes in the afternoon, the cook, whose name was Anton, would let her taste test his latest dessert experiments. She could often be found in the kitchen chopping away or nursing a cup of tea by the cookstove while Anton told her stories of his village.

In the first few days, she saw little of Sturmhond. If she was on the top deck with Nadia and Tamar, she could often look to the center mast and see him there, hands on the ship’s wheel, eyes focused on the sea. But they rarely exchanged words, or even smiles.

Until one night when dinner ended and she and Tolya started clearing away the dishes for cleanup duty. Sturmhond put his hand on the other man’s broad shoulder.

“I'll take care of it, Tolya. You go get some rest.”

Tolya dried his soapy hands on a rag and shrugged.

“If you insist, boss.” And Sturmhond took up his place beside Nina. They fell into a comfortable rhythm - Sturmhond scrubbing, Nina rinsing and drying. At one point, Nina looked down at Sturmhond’s hands, emerged in the soapy water and could have sworn. But she shook her head. No, surely not.

When the kitchen was back to sparkling clean, Sturmhond surreptitiously slipped his gloves back on and then turned to Nina who was wiping down the counters.

“Will you have a drink with me?”

“Sure,” she said, heading toward the table.

“Actually,” he mumbled, “I keep the good stuff in my own quarters.” Nina raised her eyebrows.

“You've been holding out on us?” He laughed and she followed him out of the kitchen, heading toward his rooms.

“There are very few things I'm snobbish about. Liquor just happens to be one of them.”

“Alright, and what are the others?”

“Well-made ships, of course. I like my clothes finely-tailored.” Nina let her eyes roam over his back as he led her down a narrow hallway. His shirt fit snugly over his broad shoulders, tapering to his narrow waist and trousers that pulled snug across his ass.

“I can see that.” He threw a roguish smile over his shoulder.

“I like nice leather gloves.” Nina sighed. What was up with the men in her life and gloves? She'd have to include this in her next letter to Inej. Of all people, she would understand. “What about you? Any particularly discerning tastes you’d like to disclose?”

“Chocolate.” The word was more like a breathy moan the way she said it. Sturmhond stopped walking and turned to watch her. “The darker the better. Bitter, almost like coffee. And just plain chocolate. No fruit. No nuts. None of those crunchy wafer bits. Just little squares of chocolate wrapped in gold foil. Small enough that you can put the whole thing on your tongue and just wait, savoring it as it melts and coats your whole mouth in rich, smooth,” her eyes slipped shut, “chocolate.”

When she opened her eyes again, he had stepped forward and was watching her with such intensity that she stumbled back and into the wall of the hallway.

“Sorry!”

“No, I'm sorry.”

Sturmhond stepped back awkwardly, looking everywhere but at Nina.  

“We’ve uh, arrived,” he said gesturing at the door just beyond where they stood, then he pushed it open with his gloved hands and stepped back so she could go in first.

“Saints, Sturmhond. No wonder the rest of us have to sleep in rooms the size of an orange crate. You took all the space for yourself.”

“The captain’s quarters were this way when I uh, inherited, the ship.”

“Is inherited special pirate code for stole?”

“Um, yes, although it's actually -”

“Privateer,” they said in unison, laughing. Whatever awkward tension remained from the hallway melted away.

Nina walked around Sturmhond’s antechamber running her hand over things while he poured two glasses of brandy. There was a small, private dining table, a giant hulking beast of a desk littered with maps and compasses, a worn leather couch, a porthole that she stood on tiptoes to look out even though it was too dark to see anything. There was a closed wooden door that presumably led to his bedroom, which Nina was pointedly trying not to look at.

He handed her a glass containing two fingers of a beautiful burnished gold brandy, and settled on the leather couch. She was dressed casually, as she had been since they set sail - an oversized shirt and leggings. As she sat at the other end of the couch, cupping her glass in her hands, she slipped her feet out of her flats and curled her legs up beside her on the couch.

“I think this is more comfortable than the bed in my room. I might have to start sleeping in here.” She watched Sturmhond’s reaction from beneath hooded lids, watched his gloved hands tense against his glass, the way his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. For whatever reason, she liked playing with the man. Watching the hyper-awareness he had of her, her words, her body. Remembering the way he had seemed so immune to her looks on the trip from Ketterdam to Ravka had her rolling her hips a bit as she settled into the dark worn leather, hefting her breasts a little to see if he'd notice.

His eyes skittered over her body, down to her toes tucked beside her on the couch, and drew a hand down his face.

“I could use a favor.”

“Well I owe you one. A few. For all of this.” She gestured at the ship around them. He exhaled loudly.

“When you were in Ketterdam, you worked at The House of the --”

Nina leapt to her feet, nearly splashing brandy down the front of her shirt.

“If you think for one second --”

“I don't! I don't. Sit and let me explain.” She raised her eyebrows at him. “Please.”

She crossed her arms and looked away.

“I am not trying to solicit sex from you Nina. I swear. Saints!” He shook his head. “ When you're ready, perhaps you could sit down and I could explain myself better than the first time I attempted it.”

Well, that's better, I suppose, Nina thought, and sat down heavily on the couch and took a large gulp of her drink.

“From what I understand, your specialty there was mood lightening? Relieving stress?”

Nina eyed him wearily.

“I guess you could say that.”

“Can you do that for me? Help me like that?”

“What kind of stress could you possibly have, Sturmhond?”

“Didn't I tell you to call me Niko?”

“Haven't you figured out that I don't like being told what to do? And besides, last I heard you wanted me to call you ‘scourge of the seas.’”

“So perhaps Niko could be a nice middle ground.”

“Alright, alright Niko, I can see now that you're under a lot of stress over this identity crisis. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can help you anymore.”

“How come?” He was eyeing her suspiciously. She took another sip of brandy, relishing the slow burn down her throat, and chewed on her thumbnail. She liked Sturmhond - Niko, whatever. She was starting to view him as a friend. But she wasn't sure how much she should divulge.

“Have you ever known a Grisha to lose his or her powers?” Niko hesitated.

“Yes.” That wasn't the answer she was expecting.

“Really, who?”

“That's...classified.” Nina rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, a few months ago in Ketterdam, I went through an...ordeal. And after that the abilities that I was used to, that I had studied and honed at the Little Palace and used as a Heartrender in the Second Army, were...changed.” <I>Gone,</I> Nina sighed. “I still have Grisha abilities, but they're different than they used to be, and I'm not even sure if I could do anything for you.”

“I see,” he looked down into his half-drank glass of brandy. “Could you try?”

“Yes, I can try.” She shifted closer to him on the couch. “Is it ok if I touch you?”

Niko gave a wide smile.

“I usually prefer that a lady buy me dinner first, maybe bring me flowers…”

“I need to concentrate. Don't make me laugh, Niko.” She was so close to him now. Close enough to smell the spearmint scent of his soap, the tang of alcohol on his breath as he exhaled slowly, almost painfully.

“I like it when you laugh,” he whispered. She pulled back enough to run her eyes over his face, studying the freckles, the scars, the dimple on one side of his mouth.

“I like when you make me laugh.” She felt his attention turn to her mouth, her full dark lips, and before he could cross that whisper of space between them, she placed her palm against his forehead.

A jolt shook her as her hand met his flesh and she jumped away. He had felt it too, drawing back against the couch with eyes wide.

“What was that?” She gasped, but already she was reaching to touch him again. She ran one finger down the side of his cheek, over the ridge of his jaw. It still made her shiver, but she was prepared this time. She felt his body react to her. Something dark and familiar ran under his skin, reaching out to her hungrily as she touched his skin, like drawing a magnet through a pile of metal shavings.

She looked Niko in the eyes and found the bright green clouded with shadow and shame and hunger and lust and exhaustion.

“What are you?” And under her hand, Niko shuddered.

#Like Calls to Like #grisha trilogy #six of crows #nina zenik #nikolai lantsov #sturmhond #things ashley writes

[justpreciousotomebabies]

So, in regards to my Arcana magicians, when I first created them I gave them signature colours. At the beginning, this was done purely for aesthetic purposes, as I developed their appearance they were designed with a primary colour for their outfit and it became part of them. Today, because the characters have all been through at least half a route or romance tale, I’m looking at the signature colours they have, the meanings of those colours and whether they match who those characters have become as I developed them over the course of the story.

Let’s start with Twila, since she was the first and is technically the main. Twila’s signature colour is purple. Purple is often associated with royalty, magic, luxury, nobility, power, ambition, creativity, dignity, devotion, peace, independence, mystery and pride. I’ll be honest, straight off I think her colour fits the least in terms of who she ended up being. If I look at each association I listed, I can say Twila is one of my characters who is made uncomfortable by the idea of living a life of luxury, the idea of Nadia spoiling her at the beginning of the story, that sort of thing. Dignity and ambition come in there, as does independence. She wants to earn things herself, make her own way through the world and create a life for herself. She dislikes having things handed to her or made overly easy. She develops after meeting Julian post-plague, in that she starts off far more shy and withdrawn, the type to run from danger every time. At the end, she is far more willing to fight for herself, to face danger. She knows what she wants and is more willing to reach out and take it. In a way, being with Julian helps her have more confidence in herself and in her own power, to carry herself with more dignity than she did before. Though she’s still as clumsy as ever, so that dignified look won’t last forever.

Baku’s signature colour is blue. Blue is associated with faith, trust, loyalty, intelligence, truth, confidence, calmness and tranquillity, First impression of Baku from how they look and how they carry themselves would definitely tell you they are a calm and confident person, and it wouldn’t be wrong. Baku has a bit of a ‘one with nature’ kind of feel to them. They strongly believe and trust in what cannot be seen, but what can be sensed, magic and fate and aura. They tend not to hesitate, but have been known to get flustered, especially when flirted with. Baku is probably the least likely of the lot to make impulsive decisions, and will often think things through carefully and consider all possibilities. Blue turned out to be a very good colour for them, and may well be a big contributing factor to why I made them so calm and serene.

Rama’s signature colour is red. Red is associated with passion, war, danger, strength, determination, desire and love. Being the smallest of my magicians, and clearly having social anxiety, most who look at him probably wouldn’t associate Rama with strength, but he also has the strongest magical ability of the lot, and though he seems nervous and anxious much of the time, his emotional strength is still one of his more prominent traits. New problems do not phase him - he knows his strength, he knows his ability, though he sometimes needs that reassurance, he knows he can do it. His defence of what he has, what he loves and the people around him is the clearest show of his passion as well. When he opens up to you, that passion is clear. In terms of platonic love, Rama has shown to be a very loving person. He may be hesitant to be physically affectionate with most people, but he shows his feelings in other ways.

Cerulean’s signature colour is grey. Grey is commonly associated with loneliness, loss, depression, poverty, sophistication, formality, dullness, balance, emotionlessness, and practicality. Cerulean was the first of my magicians to receive a full backstory, which helps me explain the association of grey with them. Their backstory is one that puts them as part of a persecuted culture, so they have been taught to fade into the background, to be uninteresting, hidden, a nothing. The things they have been taught, the way they have lived, they highly value things that are practical and useful. The ability to be dull and uninteresting, a person people won’t look twice at, is their most honed skill, moreso than their magic. The childhood memories Rue has lost would definitely be worthy of the depressing grey. As they develop during the story, their colour may change to a more lively silver.

Jivanta’s signature colour is white. White is associated with innocence, purity, virginity, goodness, light, safety and cleanliness. Innocence is there in one way, but not in another - from a virginity point of view, he’s a very innocent person. He has no memory of ever being flirted with or of anyone showing interest in him. It’s never been a priority for him either. On the other hand, Jivanta’s backstory details him as being homeless, and he’ll likely have seen things out there in the past three years since his resurrection that would help take down the walls of childlike innocence. Being the only one not apprenticed to anyone, Vanta doesn’t really have anyone to rely on or teach him about the world, so his view of things can be a bit naive or confused at times, which again gives the illusion of childlike innocence. He is definitely the most sensitive of the seven, if something is amiss he’ll be the one to notice first, one step into the palace and he’s like ‘yup, this place is haunted’. Cleanliness is quite funny to me, though, considering Vanta’s status as a homeless wandering magician who conducts business out of a handmade tent - sure, he has no intention of tricking you or pulling anything unsavoury, so in that sense he’s a clean person, but in the more physical and literal sense, he’s covered in more than a year of grime and sores. He doesn’t wear shoes, so the soles of his feet are the worst. He’s gotten sick frequently due to injuries on his feet becoming infected. (His new friends at the palace are most likely going to fix this)

Esmeralda’s signature colour is green, most likely because of the name association. The colour is associated with greed, jealousy, ambition, nature, life, renewal, energy, growth and harmony. Merry is one of the characters who enjoys being spoiled and spoiling others, but I wouldn’t call her greedy. I’d certainly describe her as someone who would love to live the high life, though. She comes from a farming family, and has an intense love of animals. Renewal and growth seem important due to the MC’s role in Lucio’s path, helping him return to physical form but also helping him grow to become a better person. I think she is the kind of person who wants to help others grow and develop as people, not just Lucio, but anyone looking to become a better person or learning to change themselves in some way.

Allianora’s signature colour is pink. It’s not shown on the avatar I made of her, though her skirt is pink. Pink is a colour of love, femininity, affection, friendship and approachability. Though Allianora isn’t as well developed as the others as a character, I feel like this is a good match. She is a feminine and sweet person, very friendly and easy to get on with, but no pushover, and not weak, as some may associate more girly and sweet types with. She’s intended to be someone bubbly and someone you can trust.

#I can imagine they get Julian to take a look at the mess that is Vanta's feet #and just a completely abused and probably dead bit of foot just breaks off while he's examining it #MC: Twila Mahalana #MC: Baku Kanegi #MC: Rama Ghosh #MC: Cerulean #MC: Jivanta Cinti #MC: Esmeralda Chevalari #MC: Allianora Rose #She has a surname now #Rue still doesn't #Well they do but they don't remember it #They forgot their legal surname before they even died #if they took their adoptive father's name it would be Cerulean Rose #Anyway giving Allianora a surname suddenly has also given her a sudden backstory

[readingontheedge]

Tavish

Dunskey Castle Book 1

by Jane Stain

Genre: Scottish Time Travel Romance

 Tavish was the best boyfriend Kelsey ever had, but seven years ago he disappeared from her life. She coped with her heartbreak by finishing her doctorate in Celtic Artifacts, and now her career is taking off. But Tavish is back, acting like a stranger who knows more about Celtic artifacts than she does. He's been on staff at every one of her job sites in Scotland, wearing that stupid sexy kilt.

 Goodreads * Amazon 

Video Trailer:

https://youtu.be/VKXfPM6rYWE 

“You know me,” she reminded him. “Which way would I find more interesting?”

He pointedly looked at her Celtic University ring.

“I’m not really sure I do know you well anymore, but the Kelsey I remember, the adventurous one, she would have insisted on checking out the passage down to the secret doors.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” she said to him.

Wow. He gave her a soft look that she never thought she’d see again. It made her want to hug him…

“I’m listening,” he said.

Right. They were just talking. What was she saying, again? Oh yeah. The deal.

“I’ll be the Kelsey you remember, if you’ll be the Tavish I remember.”

Oops. What had made her say that?

The soft look left his eyes, replaced by wariness.

“You know what—” he started.

But she cut him off.

“Not for always, Tavish, just for this tour of the passageways, okay?”

He sighed heavily, and sadness filled his face while his posture relaxed as if he’d been ready for a big something and then just given up.

“Okay, but Kelsey, when this tour is done, promise me you’ll go into Mr. Blair’s trailer and stay in there until the sun comes up. Please, promise me.”

Taken aback by just how desperately worried for her he seemed, she agreed to his terms without any negotiation.

“I promise.”

He visibly relaxed.

“Thanks, Kelsey.”

And then his eyes were looking far away, and he started to reach out to her, and then let his hands drop.

She stomped her foot to get his attention, to make him look her in the eye. Okay, and maybe she was trying to get him to laugh a little, too. She’d always found foot stomping ridiculous.

“What’s wrong, Tavish?”

But it didn’t work. He looked away.

“I can’t tell you.” 

Seumas

Dunskey Castle Book 2

 Sasha just got her dream job in the highlands of Scotland. Where her friends ply her with celebratory champagne, throw a plaid cloak over her business suit, and take her to the 14th century to do original research on the dig site. She meets gorgeous highlander Seumas ("Shaymus") there, and — wait, is this a good idea?

 Goodreads * Amazon 

Tomas

Dunskey Castle Book 3

 Tomas was on top of the world. He had a hot girlfriend. She knew about time travel, so he didn't have to keep secrets around her. So why did the sight of his old friends Amber and Kelsey make him uncomfortable? His girlfriend kept telling him to forget about them. But he couldn't. He wished he knew why.

 Goodreads * Amazon 

Time of the Celts

Dunskey Castle Book 4

 Jaelle dons a Roman helmet left among her ex's things and is transferred to the Pictish Celt side of Hadrian's wall -- flat on the ground and tripped over by Breth. The naked woad-painted warrior is being chased by Romans who caught him scouting their fort. She earns his trust by grabbing an injured Roman's sword, fighting beside Breth, and saving his life. He takes her to his clan, where she sees druids in their sacred grove imparting magical protection by painting the warriors' nudity with muscle-activated woad pictures.

 Goodreads * Amazon 

Emboldened by the fact that everyone else had stripped and she wouldn't be alone in it, she did so, even putting the leather sack with the Roman helmet down on top of her pile of clothes. With her eyes on it in a bit of worry, she walked over to where the line of druids was decorating the line of laymen with woad grease they had brought along with them in earthenware jars.

Jaelle fell into the line between Breth and his mother. The grease was cold. The experience was anything but.

“But I know the woad decorations are needed according to your traditions, and of course I will go along with that—”

She broke off what she was going to say, because Breth’s eyes were mocking her playfully. He spoke in a teasing way, not as if he meant it.

“You’ll go along with that? Look, if you don’t want to be part of our traditions, then why don’t you just go home, future woman?”

In fact his eyes were laughing so much that she forgot everyone else was there for a moment and just stared at Breth’s glimmering blue eyes.

Deoord cleared his throat.

“Look, if you have… unfinished business to attend to, then I can come back later…”

Breth squeezed her around the waist. But then he looked toward the noon sky and sighed, then gently nudged her waist toward the druid.

“Tempting, but no. We really do need to get started.”

Jaelle tried again.

“Why don’t we just do the woad decorations tomorrow? There must be other things we could do today.”

Breth and Deoord shared a look that said she really was a future woman and they had their hands full trying to make her understand their way of life. But the future druids demanded it of them.

Deoord decorated Breth’s naked body just as complexly as it had been when she met Breth, but with different animals and creatures this time who were just as animated and fascinating and artful. Jaelle particularly liked the owl montage that now covered Breth’s back. When he flexed, the owls took flight.

And as the druid made all these wonderful woad markings on that beautiful man’s bare skin, he patiently explained.

“These markings are protective, not really decorative — although they are that as well. The drawings are infused with my magic, and my magic is the most strong when enacted here by these waters which feed our sacred grove…” 

Time of the Picts

Dunskey Castle Book 5

 Ignoring phone calls from Kelsey, Jaelle thinks her first time travel adventure was a dream, but a new museum display shows a stick figure she remembers drawing with her fingernail file on the top stone of Hadrian's Wall. Whoa, that means her time travel and meeting of the dazzling warrior Breth and their fight with the barbarians at the Roman fort really took place! She needs to get back to Breth!

Goodreads * Amazon 

Time of the Druids

Dunskey Castle Book 6

  Deirdre's first time travel assignment was challenging. Sure, she had her magic dagger, but he wasn't cooperating.

Talorac felt anxious about this meeting. A summons to the sacred grove had always meant the druids would perform their woad magic to prepare him for battle. So he was in no way prepared to make the acquaintance of the woman he found there with them. Deirdre was beautiful, and a warrior, and from the way she was flitting around the grove, she was the most powerful druid he had ever heard of in his life. 

Goodreads * Amazon 

Leif

Dunskey Castle Book 7

 Jessica's friend tricks her into time traveling to 15th century Scotland. A gorgeous highlander Jessica is sure is out of her league invites them to stay at his manor house. Leif knows he should keep his mind on training the militia for the battle that is sure to come soon. And after all, Jessica is just passing through his town. But she is so compassionate he feels his heart melting. 

Goodreads * Amazon 

Taran

Dunskey Castle Book 8

 Lauren has a magic dagger that gives her orders and sometimes stifles her speech. It wants her to find some artifact here in 1400s Scotland and give it to some druid friends.  She wants to get to know Taran. But the dagger whispers that Taran is in the way. Taran's life in a small town in Scotland was disrupted six months ago with the arrival of Lauren and the other two lasses. Lauren knew the way mechanical things worked in a way most astonishing. He never tired of hearing her explain. But to find out she has a magick dagger that she is in danger of losing her self control to? That shocks him. 

Goodreads * Amazon  

Luag

Dunskey Castle Book 9

 Luag and Katherine are two bullheaded people trying to "out stubborn" each other. They've been verbally sparring in Medieval Scotland for the past year. He's never met a headstrong woman before, and he is such a stubborn male! When chance throws them forward to Katherine’s time, he is the fish out of water. Understanding blooms, as does love.

Goodreads * Amazon 

Meehall

Dunskey Castle Book 10

  Sarah’s boss at Celtic University plonks an iron bracer on her desk. It brings up one of Kelsey's magic druid dreams. In it, Sarah's ex, Michael (Meehall in Gaelic), used this bracer as a time travel object. And was a kilted highlander in 1700s Scotland. At lunch, Sarah's friends say they’re calling in sick tomorrow to attend a local fair. They want her to call in sick too. Sarah isn’t keen on giving the bracer back. She wants revenge on Meehall for breaking up with her and decides to use the bracer to have a bit of fun. She tells her friends they don’t have to call in sick. She’s taking them back in time. “Good one!” they tell her, laughing. 

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Ciaran

Dunskey Castle Book 11

 Ciaran arrives in the 21st Century with Eoin (John) in the darkness of the Celtic University night. Ciaran is delighted to run into Nadia and wants to stay and visit, but Eoin drags him away from her. Eoin is extra grumpy, saying the Murrays need an edge because the Cameron Clan is planning something big. Eoin sneaks the two of them into a storage basement and seems inordinately glad to find a particular halberd there. Nadia remembers the kilted warrior Ciaran from her experience in 1706 Scotland and secretly has a crush on him. Wherever he and Eoin are going, she bets it will inspire her story for Celtic University's historical society paper, especially if they are time traveling. She sneaks into the back of the cart Ciaran and Eoin are driving and hides under a blanket.

 Goodreads * Amazon 

Baltair

Dunskey Castle Book 12

 Ellie was captured during her last time travel adventure. But her friend's husband's life hangs in the balance. And this ring she found is giving her courage. Probably too much courage for a modern woman in 1706 to have.

Baltair is glad to see Ellie again. Her friend married his cousin and stayed, when Ellie went back to their time. But he keeps his distance. Many will die in the upcoming battle, maybe including him 

Goodreads * Amazon 

Time of the Fae

Dunskey Castle Book 13

Suellen and her friends ride a whirlwind onto a seacliff and panic. What happened?

The area is crawling with Highlanders who say they’re fighting the Romans. That guy. The one they met at the Renaissance faire. They need to find him.

Goodreads * Amazon 

Druids or Faeries

Dunskey Castle Book 14

 Marybeth frowned. "Dinna ye think it wrong, tae grab the faerie axe by force?” Ashley batted the air as if what Marybeth had said was dismissible. "The faeries gave it tae Ciaran, who gave it tae John. Kelsey stole it from John. 'Tis na wrong for John tae steal it back from her." Connell stuck his chest out and his chin up in a show of bravado. "Kelsey's gotten full o’ herself, syne she went off tae Celtic University. That, or she has been brainwashed by all those Druids. We used tae be friends, but now she's gone tae far. We wull be taking that axe back from her sae we can save Donnan. End o’ discussion."

Goodreads * Amazon 

Time for the Clan

Dunskey Castle Book 15

Ashley worries the faeries are about to kill her. She has to escape and warn Connell. His Highland clan could be separated by time forever. Can they make the druid curse help them?

Goodreads * Amazon  

Jane worked at the Renaissance Pleasure Faires at Paramount Ranch Agoura, Devore, and Black Point Forest from 1987 to 1993. She started as a peasant, then auditioned and made it into the Washerwomen, and then was a sea dog. She also hawked for Belle Star's perfume wagon and The Dye Spot clothing booth. Jane Stain is a pen name. She is in her fifties and has been influenced by the writing of Diana Gabaldon, Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Harry Harrison, Jane Auel, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K LeGuin, Robert Jordan, Stephenie Meyer, Terry Goodkind, and many more great authors. 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads 

Giveaway

5 of these Celtic Knot rings that look like Celtic University graduation rings https://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Silver-Celtic-Knot-Eternity/dp/B00GU81TLU

 Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway! 

https://www.silverdaggertours.com/sdsxx-tours/the-dunskey-castle-series-book-tour-and-giveaway

#romance #time travel #medieval #books #Amazon #KindleUnlimited

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Londerland Bloodlines -- Evolution

All right -- last week, I made a post to bring everyone back up to speed on the Londerland Bloodlines AU -- the one with Malkavian Vampire!Alice, Ghoul!Victor, and a surprise Vemilicia situation. Now, I figured it's time to discuss some of the changes I've made since I last seriously talked about this thing:

-->Obviously, the biggest one is putting Bonejangles, aka Sam Thatcher, into the AU after realizing there was basically no reason not to. He's part of the "Giovanni zombie" set with Emily and Lizzie, summoned and bound back to flesh by the clan's necromantic magic. He proved to be as uncooperative as the girls and was imprisoned in the room across the hall -- Emily was simultaneously glad and horrified to see him. He's busted out with the others, of course, and starts working to make a new life for himself in the modern age (with Lizzie, of course -- they form a connection while locked up, and it progresses to romance once they're free and can actually see each other).

-->Speaking of the Giovanni, the whole quest with them goes very differently than I originally planned. Rather than Alice and Victor sneaking into the family reunion as a "cousin" and her fiancee via stolen invitation (and getting some unwanted attention as the Giovanni are thrilled to have a Van Dort of Van Dort Fish potentially joining their ranks), I'm thinking instead Victoria wrangles an actual invitation of her own to the party. How? Well, in a past post, I had the elder Everglots obliviously introduce her to one of the clan (named Augustus Giovanni for now; last name subject to change as they're not all surnamed that) while they were looking for another "suitable" boyfriend for her. Victoria rejected him at the time (in fact, getting away from him and her parents was her reason for moving to L.A.), but when she hears that Alice has to sneak in into the family reunion to retrieve the Sarcophagus, she calls him up with the number he gave her, and suggests that she'd be willing to come as his date. Augustus is all for it, and she plays distraction while Alice breaks into the house via another route. I haven't decided yet whether Victor joins Victoria upstairs somehow (and runs into the same "Giovanni are all about a Van Dort" trouble) or sneaks into the crypt with Alice (and ends up helping her fight the Kue-jin brothers mini-boss). I'd still like to involve Nadia, the necromancer-in-training who will kindly sneak the PC downstairs if you treat her nicely while crashing the party, but I'm not sure how yet. Maybe's visiting Emily, Lizzie, and Sam, debating with herself about whether or not she wants to free them? (Because mindless undead monsters are one thing, but this group can clearly think and they're not having a good time. . .)

-->Gross side note: The Giovanni forced their three zombies to eat human flesh, claiming it was necessary to prevent them rotting away. Once the trio get their hands on the book that created them, they discover they only have to eat meat daily -- what kind isn't important. They're both disgusted and pissed.

-->Most of the vampires in Los Angeles end up ticking Alice off one way or another (she doesn't trust LaCroix, an ill-timed joke and a refusal to accept an apology spoils any relationship with Nines, Isaac demanding tribute REALLY rubs her the wrong way, she gets along with Strauss until the gargoyle incident and the reveal that he basically made himself a slave, etc), but she does end up on at least semi-good terms with a few:

A) Beckett -- I knew they'd get along from the start, as he reminds me a lot of the Cheshire Cat in Gangrel form. They form a great snarky friendship as the game goes on. Helps that Rosa confirms he’s basically one of two people you can fully trust.

B) Bertram Tung -- the Nosferatu whom you have to find at the beginning of the game. Even if he and Knox manipulate her into killing the Cathayan for them, Alice appreciates that he's a little more honest than most of the vampires she meets, and he gives her more information on the clans than she got from anyone else. She's likely to go to him if she needs information on something.

C) The Voerman Sisters -- Alice sympathizes strongly with their backstory, and manages to get them to join forces by reminding them they used to get along -- and telling them that there are plenty of people out there who call Therese a bitch and Jeannette a slut, getting them both riled up in a "how dare they, the only one allowed to insult my sister is me" fashion. She remains welcome at the Asylum afterward, and she and Victor keep it as a regular clubbing spot if they want to go out.

D) Ash Rivers -- Alice thinks he's a bit whiny when she first meets him, but emphasizes with his backstory of being turned without a choice and helps him escape the hunters. She's horrified when she finds him in the vampire hunters' lair later and helps free him without a second thought; he ends up repaying the favor by helping her and the professor she's there to rescue escape when main baddie Bach sets the place to explode (Ash is a Toreador, meaning he gets access to the "super speed" discipline). He disappears after that, but he and Alice at least part on good terms.

E) Velvet Velour -- Alice likes that she prefers all her quests be solved with as little bloodshed as possible, and in a weird way she kind of reminds her of Nanny (not that she knows a good way to tell her that). I have actually become surprisingly invested in Velvet and given her a rather interesting backstory -- Velvet's past self, Susan, had a boyfriend who turned out to be a Sabbat Toreador. He offered her immortality -- and then Embraced her and smashed her over the head with a shovel, as is typical for Sabbat. Velvet clawed her way out of her own grave and immediately ran for it -- she bumped into Isaac and begged for help. Isaac, realizing she had no intentions of attacking anyone, "adopted" her, and argued that she should be allowed as a regular member of good L.A. vampire society. The motion passed with Strauss of all people backing Isaac up (which makes sense with him letting a Tremere PC into the usually-heavily-guarded Tremere pyramid once they prove themselves via sidequests), explaining why Velvet sees Isaac as a father figure and playfully flirts with Strauss every chance she gets. She and Alice end up becoming quite good friends, and Emily gets along great with her too.

-->Alice also becomes pals with Mercurio (stand-up guy who buys her the good shit -- she gives him plenty of warning when she goes after LaCroix at the end so he can cover his ass and find a new source of blood); Knox (he helps her find Victor, which makes up for the Cathayan stuff); Venus Dare (she actually ends up completing BOTH sides of the sidequest where you either kill Boris for her (and become a silent partner in her club and get a steady stream of cash) or kill her for Boris (and get a one-time payment and the chance to feel evil) by taking Boris's offer, going back to Venus, conspiring with her to fake Venus's death, going back and getting the payment from Boris, and then killing him); and Yukie (she is totally on-board to help the girl get her revenge against the shark demon who killed her mentor, especially after learning Yukie's an orphan. She also learns that Yukie speaks English perfectly well and her broken phrasing and random sprinklings of Japanese phrases is an act for the tourists).

-->When it's time to storm the Sabbat (both on LaCroix's orders and because they've kidnapped Lizzie and Victoria before they could get out of town with Sam -- Victor and Emily managed to flee earlier), Alice begs a few different vampires to help her out, only to be rebuffed. She's basically at the end of her rope when, by chance, she happens to run into Bertram (who's recently visited the Hollywood Nosferatu warrens for a reason I haven't determined yet) and Velvet (taking a break from her club). She tells them about her predicament, and Betram figures he can help her. . .

And so does Velvet, who grabs the leather jacket her asshole ex buried her with and marches into the Hallowbrook Hotel with Alice, Bertram, and Sam. They help Alice get through the Sabbat vampires (Velvet even getting the chance to slay her ex -- with a shovel no less) and rescue Lizzie and Victoria. Alice ghouls Victoria to help save her from the wounds inflicted by the Sabbat, then tasks Sam, Velvet, and Bertram with getting them out safely while she goes after Andrei. They escape successfully while Alice plunges deeper, and Velvet and Bertram help Sam, Lizzie, and Victoria get to the city limits. Because sometimes vampires can be nice.

-->You know how, when you're going after LaCroix at the end of the game and you need to fight your way through the army of human and vampire guards standing between you and the asshole? I recently came up with a funny idea -- Alice using her beloved Obfuscate and a bit of pinched climbing gear to SCALE THE TOWER FROM THE OUTSIDE and scare the CRAP out of LaCroix by bursting through his window. Unfortunately, the Sheriff intervenes before she can get him, and she still has to go through that boss battle. But LaCroix is pretty damn rattled, as you might expect. (No wonder he flubs his Dominate attempt on her later!)

-->Okay, this one is an idea I’ve actually had in mind for a while, but I haven’t actually brought it up, I don’t think. Remember how I said earlier that pretty much every vampire ends up pissing Alice off for one reason or another during her time in L.A.? Well, that includes Smiling Jack. She’s actually on reasonably good terms with him for most of the story -- he helped her when she’d just been turned, and he’s easily the most “chill” of the Brujahs she knows -- and willing to drop some information when she needs it. And she appreciates that, even if he thinks of humans as “cattle,” he doesn’t go out of his way to kill them.

And then the sarcophagus explodes. And Alice manages to figure out who was behind the explosion. And while she doesn’t give a damn about LaCroix -- she knows there were innocent people inside his tower. And she remembers very well the horrors she saw on the Elizabeth Dane.

Which is why I have a very clear scene in my head of Alice STAKING Jack at the end of her time in L.A. and leaving him for the sunrise.

Granted, I know this is kind of implausible, given the badass Jack apparently is -- I imagine her pulling it off ONLY because she has top-level Obfuscate at this point, and manages to hit his heart on what she knows will be her only try. She also knows doing this will have consequences -- chiefly, she’d best never set foot in Los Angeles again. Because if anyone finds out it was her. . .fortunately, she’s happy enough to leave the city behind and head north to where her little family has settled down in Hill Valley. (Though she does miss the friends she made there -- I imagine Velvet at the very least stays in touch.)

#londerland bloodlines #tw: cannibalism #just for that one note on the Giovanni #they're horrible people/ghouls/vampires #Lizzie in particularly is disgusted #Emily and Bonejangles get over it a bit quicker because of Land of the Dead cuisine #it is AMAZING how much mental time I've put into giving Velvet Velour a tragic backstory #she's important for like two side quests and learning her name if you're a Malk #I dunno she just strikes me as interesting #especially since her comments about her old self Susan hint at tragedy #I like her okay #Beckett is forever best vampire though XD #I imagine he meets up with Alice when he's in the area to have snarky conversations :p #he's awesome I love him #I do like Smiling Jack too #just I'm not sure Alice would after some of the shit he did to put his plan in motion #I dunno if I'll ever write this thing out in full #would take AAAGES #but given all this planning I need to do a few more shorts for it #queued

[ladyherenya]

Books read in November

I like it when I read a bunch of books with similar-coloured covers in a row . I love it when those covers are all blue.

This was another successful month of reading, including three YA short story collections, two graphic novels and one audiobook (and all the rest).

I’ve asterisked my favourites.

(My longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also my Dreamwidth blog.)

Almost Midnight: two festive stories by Rainbow Rowell, illustrated by Simini Blocker: This is super cute. Delightful. “Midnights” is about Mags and Noel over several years of New Year’s Eve parties. I liked how Rowell-ish the story is, and loved the illustrations. They brought the characters to life and gave the story a really strong sense of place. “Kindred Spirits” is about being a Star Wars fan. Elena camps outside the cinema in the days before The Force Awakens’s release, and the experience is not what she expects. This story is geeky, delightful and surprising.. My only disappointment is that there’s no more about these characters.

My True Love Gave to Me: twelve winter romances edited by Stephanie Perkins: After I read “Midnights”, I borrowed the anthology in which first appeared. I’m not a fan of the whole cheesy, commercial idea of Christmas and winter - but I enjoyed these stories more than I expected. They present different experiences of, and attitudes towards, the holiday season. My favourites included Kelly Link’s “The Lady and the Fox”, Stephanie Perkins’ “It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown”, and Gayle Forman’s “What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?” I really liked Myra McEntire’s “Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus” and Ally Carter’s “Star of Bethlehem” and liked Lainie Taylor’s “The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer” for its prose.

Summer Days & Summer Nights: twelve summer romances edited by Stephanie Perkins: I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the winter anthology. But I liked that Perkins’ “In Ninety Minutes, Turn North” was a sequel to her story from the previous anthology. That was unexpected and delightful - and the story itself was one of my favourites. My other favourites were “Inertia” by Veronica Roth and “A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong” by Jennifer E. Smith. And I liked how “The End of Love” by Nina LaCour unfolded, and the way time repeated in “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” by Lev Grossman.

The Prisoner of Limnos: a novella in the World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold:  No way was I waiting for the audiobook! This is both a standalone adventure and the third installment of a larger story, following on from Penric’s Mission and Mira’s Last Dance. It’s an interesting case of themes and variations. Another member of Nikys’s family requires rescue, and although the circumstances are different, the politics behind it are not (Her brother has enemies in high places). Penric takes inspiration from Desdemona for another disguise. Nikys is given another example of people whose relationships are successful despite being unconventionally complicated. It’s a much better place to leave everyone than Mira’s Last Dance.

* Shattered Warrior by Sharon Shinn, illustrated by Molly Knox Ostertag (graphic novel):  I’m not really a graphic novel person so I wasn’t excited until I saw the artwork. Colleen’s planet has been invaded by aliens, society and infrastructure have crumbled and her family are dead or missing. I loved the worldbuilding, how expressive everyone’s faces are and how the pictures tell the story. I really liked the balance between action and emotion - this is as much about the choices and connections Colleen makes as it’s about how she rebels. I also appreciated that darker aspects are not ignored but neither are they allowed to dominate. This is a story about hope.

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag (graphic novel): In Aster's family, girls become witches and boys become shapeshifters. Everyone discourages Aster’s interest in witchery but he keeps learning in secret. A solid, diverse story about being different and finding acceptance. I'd have stronger feelings about it if the artwork’s aesthetic had appealed to me more. I didn’t dislike it - I loved Ostertag’s illustrations for Shattered Warrior and it’s only the colour palette (and worldbuilding) that’s different here - but I didn’t love it, either? Graphic novels are not my preferred mode of storytelling, so maybe I’m just not very interested if I don’t love the artwork...

A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer: I've wanted to read this ever since I read the companion novel/sequel years ago. In hindsight, taking so long to find this was actually a good thing, because I couldn’t remember anything remotely spoiler-ish. And I wasn’t disappointed by how much of it is about Faris after she leaves college. This is a mystery about magic and a coming-of-age story about responsibility. It is vivid and poignant and there’s something really lovely about it. I enjoyed the parts about college life, and Faris’ friend Jane is an utter delight. I’m so pleased I finally got to read this.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon: Two Indian-American teenagers meet at a summer app-development convention. Their meeting is arranged by their parents, but while Rishi believes Dimple has agreed to meet him, to see if they’d suit, Dimple is unaware of their parents’ plans. I enjoyed this, but not as much as I was expecting to. All the comments I’d seen suggested this was funny. And it wasn’t. It was still entertaining and likeable, I just didn’t find it humorous. Because humour is subjective, I guess. Also, I wished there was less focus on the romance - or rather, more focus on other parts of the story.

Provenance by Ann Leckie: Leckie’s new story is about family - the things people do for them and the things people do to get away from them. There were a lot of things I liked. Characters, scenes, ideas. There were moments that made me laugh or took me took me by surprise. I also like how Leckie presents elements of her worldbuilding and leaves the reader to put the pieces together. However I found I had to concentrate extra hard to follow what was going on, and, although I liked them, I didn't feel strongly about the characters. I was expecting that I'd care more...

* Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis (narrated by Nadia May): The Cupid and Psyche myth, from the perspective of Psyche’s older sister, surpassed my expectations. It is surprising, powerful and occasionally heartbreaking. Orual is fierce in love and anger and her relationships are complex, often more so than is first apparent. She’s not so much an unreliable narrator as a biased one, which I found really interesting. Also interesting is all the ways in which she does not conform to conventional ideas of womanhood - neither as a woman of Glome nor as the protagonist of a novel written in 1956.

The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier: A coming-of-age story written in a style that reminded me less of Rachel Neumeier’s others novels and much more of Patricia A. McKillip, and maybe Robin McKinley. An the City, the Prince disappears. Meanwhile, on the other side of the great forest, Timou’s father, the mage Kapoen, leaves for the City and does not return. This is lovely. There’s a dreamlike quality to parts of it, but at its heart, it is very real and emotionally relatable - this story is about losing (and finding) family members. 

In the Greenwood by Mari Ness (short story): Published on Tor.com. This Robin Hood retelling is sharp and unexpected and fraught, in a way that I appreciate in short fiction or poetry but tend to find unsatisfying in novels.

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills: Sloane, a high school senior, has recently moved to Florida. There’s a lot of different things going on here, from Sloane’s mission to find a painting by her new friends’ mother to her father’s adventures in fanfiction. At first, there didn’t seem to be quite enough space to explore everything properly - although I didn’t mind, because Sloane is witty and I was entertained. But as I read, I realised all of these are actually about love: family relationships, friendships, romantic relationships and the things people are passionate about. I really liked the way everything fitted together.

* Winter of Ice and Iron by Rachel Neumeier:  A tense, atmospheric and utterly gripping story of power and sacrifice. It is almost too dark for me to enjoy it - almost, because there’s thoughtful restraint to how the darkness is handled. The most unusual and complex aspect of the worldbuilding is the influence of Immanent Powers have on politics and those tied to them. But the characters were the reason I cared. By the time Kehera and Innisth’s paths cross, I was completely invested - and conflicted, because they each have the ability to help each other but their goals are different. Neumeier writes beautifully. This is amongst her strongest books. 

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crawley: Rachel and Henry were best friends until Rachel moved away and stopped replying to Henry’s letters. But after her brother drowns and she fails Year 12, she ends up working in Henry’s family’s secondhand bookshop. Meanwhile Henry has just been dumped and his parents are arguing about selling the shop. This alternates between Rachel and Henry’s POV, which means there’s a lot less suspense as the reader knows what both of them are thinking. On the other hand, knowing what they think of each other gives a sad story about endings - of life, of relationships, of dreams - a hopeful inevitability.

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty: When Bronte was a baby, her parents left her with an aunt before gallivanting off on adventures. Ten years later, she receives the news that her parents have been killed by pirates. Their will insists that she set out alone on a journey to deliver a gift to each of her aunts. This is quirky and entertaining, and what begins as a episodic adventure eventually twists together in Moriarty-fashion. I suspect I would have stronger feelings about it were I still Bronte’s age or if it hadn’t been so light-hearted. All the same, I’d happily read more.

#Herenya reviews books #Herenya recommends things #Rachel Neumeier #Rainbow Rowell #Stephanie Perkins #Lois McMaster Bujold #the World of the Five Gods #Sharon Shinn #Molly Ostertag #Caroline Stevermer #Ann Leckie #C.S. Lewis #Emma Mills #Cath Crawley #Jaclyn Moriarty