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choices-binglebonkus · 1 year

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Every 2022 Choices Release – Rated on a scale of 1-10

Several people have said that 2022 has been the best year for Choices since 2018. And…as sad as that is, it’s pretty true. Like 2020, 2022’s releases had high highs and low lows. As I’ve said once before, the good books were awesome and the bad ones were really, really, REALLY bad. This post is going to be covering every 2022 book release and rating them on a scale of 1-10 because I haven’t done that on this blog and felt like spicing things up. It’s the new year, bitches!

Quick disclaimer: to qualify for this list, a book must have been initially released to wide audiences (non-VIPs) in 2022, because we don’t do that VIP shit here. So, for example, Wake the Dead was released on December 29, 2021, so it doesn’t qualify for this list even though it ended in 2022. With that out of the way, let’s dive right in.

Ms. Match: January 28, 2022 – April 29, 2022

Ms. Match’s story itself was not terrible, but the general skeleton of the plot is super overdone. I am sick to death of the plots centered around rising to the top of the competition and blowing everyone else away, and that’s pretty much exactly what Ms. Match does. The idea behind it is cute, though: we join a matchmaking company and compete in matchmaking contests and challenges to determine who the next CEO will be. My biggest complaint is that the love interest is…not great. The Rival Matchmaker is far from the worst love interest, but my god, they’re so cocky, full of themselves, and overall annoying as hell, not to mention totally uninteresting. Quite frankly? The cutest couple in the book, as unexpected as it was for me, was Veronica and our character’s dad. 4/10, not a terrible book, but it was a chore to play through at times.

Surrender book 1: February 11, 2022 – June 10, 2022

There are a lot of bad books in Choices, but Surrender is definitely one of the worst. We play as a vulnerable divorce-seeking woman whose spouse has cheated on her, which got her into BDSM. As soon as I saw that that was going to be the plot, it was all over. It was not a great look for the BDSM community, which is already stigmatized enough as is. But it gets worse. Our love interest is Reagan Thorne, our billionaire lawyer who’s also into BDSM and agrees to dom for the MC and teach her about BDSM even though she’s a client, which already introduces an imbalance of power. Barring the shitty plot, terrible love interest, and horrible misrepresentations of BDSM, the dialogue is all sorts of fucked in the book. Reagan utters some of the cringiest lines in the entire app and calls us such embarrassingly bad nicknames like…ugh, little lamb. 1/10, horrible book, horrible story, horrible love interest, horrible everything. Some of the outfits were cute. That’s it.

Crimes of Passion book 1: April 6, 2022 – July 20, 2022

Crimes of Passion is one of the best books we’ve seen in a while. Sort of like Most Wanted, it has us teaming up with a love interest (in this case, Trystan Thorne) to investigate and stop a string of murders tied to a serial killer. Unlike Most Wanted, however, the murders in this book are much, MUCH grislier and more visceral, and are tied to a cult as we come to find out. The plot was very gripping and every clue we uncovered was exhilarating. I cared about pretty much all of our friends/coworkers: Mafalda, Ruby, Luke, and Trystan. I wasn’t totally sold on Trystan as a love interest, though, and I’m still not. 9/10, really good story, crazy fucking shit, love it. One point off for Trystan because I’m not really into the whole cocky/flirty and stubborn partner pairing, and I think we should’ve been able to romance Ruby and Luke.

Untameable book 1: April 15, 2022 – August 5, 2022

We return from college to help out on the family ranch which has been barely kept afloat by our controlling misogynist of a brother. We spend the whole book sneaking around with Kit Jackson, our bland-ass cowboy/cowgirl love interest because we don’t want to upset our brother. The ranch is on the brink of failure and we also have to deal with that too, but we’ve already had this same plot a whole bunch in other books, so it’s not super noteworthy. That’s it, that’s the book. 1.5/10, no interesting characters, plot is uninspired, dialogue is SUPER cringey, and goddamn it, stop reusing cowboy shit, PB! You’re never going to make it happen!

The Princess Swap: May 13, 2022 - September 2, 2022

The premise of this story is that our character studies abroad for a semester in the kingdom of Monterre, where she accidentally stumbles upon another girl, the princess, who looks just like her. Spoiler alert: they’re twin sisters and don’t know it until much later in the book. The two switch places The Prince and the Pauper style: the princess takes on the role of college student and sorority girl while our character takes on the role of princess. Both grapple with challenges unique to each other’s lives and navigate them as best they can. Yes, the story was cheesy as hell, but you know what? It was a really pleasant read. I liked Devin all right, but only as a friend for the princess, and I didn’t care for Clarke at all. Otherwise, The Princess Swap was a lighthearted, feel-good book. 6.5/10, by no means is this book amazing, but I’m a sucker for princess stories, and like I said, the book was pretty light and enjoyable.

The Cursed Heart book 1: June 8, 2022 – September 14, 2022

Let me preface this by saying that I did not like Kieran at all. They were ugly, creepy, and possessive, and yes, I’m aware they eventually change for the better, but they really left a bad taste in my mouth. The plot was centered around us being claimed by Kieran and eventually trying to find their missing heart pieces to cure them of their beastly form and general hollowness. That being said, I love the rest of the book. The outfits, backgrounds, character designs, and music are all gorgeous. No joke, The Cursed Heart, in my opinion, is the most aesthetically beautiful book in the app. Not to mention, we meet Leaf, who is absolutely precious. 5.5/10, the rating would be MUCH higher, but Kieran really takes away from the book since the plot is centered entirely around them.

The Nanny Affair book 3: June 24, 2022 – November 4, 2022

The only good things about this book were Carter, the twins, and the fact that this was the last book in this wretched series. We deal with Sam’s former wife coming back from the dead and contend with forced, trashy interpersonal conflict with her while we plan our wedding. Sam and the MC’s relationship continues to be toxic as hell, unpleasant to watch, and impossible to root for. Even worse, Jenny and Aditya start their own affair because Sam and the MC have enabled them, and unsurprisingly, we’re forced to continue enabling them. I can’t even do the horrid quality of this book justice so I’m not even going to try. 0/10, yes I know it’s a 1-10 rating list but fuck it, this book is just that bad. As I said, the only redeeming qualities of the book are Carter and the twins, but not even they can get this book any points. Speaking from experience, falling into a hole is more fulfilling than engaging with this content. This book and series as a whole are so transcendently bad that if they were an actual real-life book, it would be a Worstseller, and I’m so happy this two-year-long nightmare is finally over.

Immortal Desires book 1: July 6, 2022 – October 12, 2022

Immortal Desires is kind of a weird one for me. On one hand, the beginning to early middle is so slow and such a huge chore to play through, but on the other hand, the rest of the book plus Gabe and Cas are so awesome. The premise of a vampire serial killer and cult is honestly kinda metal as fuck, but Gabe and Cas are where the book REALLY shines. They’re each other’s perfect foils and I love interacting with them and seeing them interact with each other. Plus, my parrot loves M!Gabe. And, full disclosure, Gabe and Cas were the only love interests I actively wanted to pursue since Tom Sato from It Lives Beneath. 8.5/10, the story’s pacing was kind of fucked but Gabe and Cas are priceless.

Slow Burn: August 19, 2022 – November 25, 2022

Not much to say about this one. Generic and repetitive contest/competition plot, bland MC, uncompelling Big Bad. I didn’t care about Julian/Julia, and Everett/Yvette had absolutely ZERO chill and always got on my nerves. 3/10, super boring and uninspired, Chef Flynt Stop Losing Your Fucking Temper Challenge 2022.

Murder at Homecoming: September 14, 2022 – December 21, 2022

This one really got my attention when it was announced: our character investigates a murder at homecoming, but I bet you couldn’t guess that from the title. Our character is sort of a busybody and they’re absolutely not perfect in any way, but I truly do think they’re the best MC we’ve gotten in a very, very, VERY long time. Also, they’re named after Valentine from The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and I am a shameless sucker for Shakespeare. I also like all the love interests, and I love the non-binary rep we got. The love story between Gabbie Navarro and Joanna Morgan was incredibly tragic and really made me stop and think for a while. But unfortunately, as is the case with most modern Choices books, the ending was very…lackluster, to say the least. 8/10, I love a good murder mystery and the high school setting actually made it considerably more interesting. The ending was a letdown, though.

Laws of Attraction book 2: September 30, 2022 – present

I was originally very worried about this book, because the cliffhanger at the end of book one made it seem like it was going to be an us vs. Martin book. In a way, it is, but Pixelberry really threw us a curveball when we, Aislinn, and Gabe left McGraw-Byrne and formed our own firm. We spend the book uncovering a conservatorship conspiracy which runs all the way up to the mayoral candidate of New York City. I’ve always loved the MC, and they only get better in this book. My only complaint is Joaquin. As someone who has repeatedly hooked up with him in diamond scenes, he is creepy as hell to people who aren’t interested in him. Otherwise, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the book so far, and though it still has one chapter to go, my rating isn’t going to change unless they REALLY fuck it up somehow. 9/10, likable cast of characters, interesting plot and mystery, badass MC, Sorcha fucking Flannery.

The Phantom Agent: October 19, 2022 – present

Not much to say about this one either. The Phantom Agent is basically an amalgamation of Most Wanted and Crimes of Passion. Agent Gray is an incredibly dull love interest and I can’t stand their dynamic with the MC because it’s that super boring cocky/flirty and stubborn partner pairing again. I also can’t stand the MC either because they’re so goddamn annoying. I find myself very bored and unimpressed as I progress through the book and at this point, nothing can save it for me. 3/10, everything is boring. That is all.

Surrender book 2: December 28, 2022 – present

I hate that we have to have TWO Surrender books on this list, but this one unfortunately barely meets the date cutoff. Solely based on the two chapters I’ve read so far, this book is shaping up to be just as awful as the first. 1.5/10, all the same reasons as the first book, but that extra half a point is because I think this book has the potential to improve on the original material. Because let’s be honest here, I don’t really think they could make the book worse.

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itadori-yujiii · 6 months

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the inheritance games (a short essay by mini)

I SEE SO MANY SIMILARITIES, LIKE HOW EVERY HAWTHORNE BROTHER HAS A ASPECT OF PERCY'S PERSONALITY.

NASH HAS A SAVIOR COMPLEX

GRAYSON IS CALM AND CALCULATING.

JAMESON IS FLIRTY, A HUGE DUMBASS

XANDER IS THE MOST LEO WITH A HEAVY PERCY INFLUENCE IMO. HE'S A SMART DUMBASS, WITH A WEIRD SENSE OF HUMOUR

PERCY HAS ALL THOSE TRAITS. (i don't think you'll be able to understand, as english is not my first language and i don't know many words)

AND IM ALSO GLAD THAT JAMIE AND AVERY WERE ENDGAME, 'CAUSE THAT MEANS I HAVE GRAYSON TO MYSELF.

ALSO NASH X LIBBY AND REBECCA X THEA IS SLEPT ON

I AM A HUGE REBECCA X THEA SHIPPER (suggest a ship name please)

THEY SO CUTE BROSKI

ALSO THEIR GRANDPA IS TOXIC AF I HATE THAT OLD MAN

AND MY DARLING GRAYSON DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER IN THE FINAL GAMBIT. I SWEAR IF THEY DON'T GIVE MY DARLING SOME HAPPINESS I'LL CHUCK EVERYONE OFF A HILL

JAMIE AND AVERY ARE SO PERFECT. THE WAY JAMIE WAS SHIRTLESS HALF THE TIME IN THE BOOKS IS SO SKSJDKDK. ALSO THAT SCENE WHERE JAMIE KISSES AVERY'S NECK TO GET ELI OUTTA THE ROOM IS SO SKSSJDKDLDJ

AND MY BESTIE XANDER IS SO ......BEST FRIEND MATERIAL. HE'S EVERYTHING. TOTALLY LOVE HIM

NASH MY SWEETIE, I LOVE WHEN HE HUGS AVERY AND CALLS HER KID. I WOULD SELL MY KIDNEYS TO BE CALLED KID/DARLING BY A BILLIONAIRE COWBOY WITH A SAVIOUR COMPLEX IN A THICK TEXAN ACCENT.

that's (not) all, have a good day <3

oh i was going to start that book but quite a few friends said it was bad.

i feel like james or xander are going to be my favorites. im assuming grayson is yours?

you seem like you have a lot to say about grayson. feel free to rant

"I WOULD SELL MY KIDNEYS TO BE CALLED KID/DARLING BY A BILLIONAIRE COWBOY WITH A SAVIOUR COMPLEX IN A THICK TEXAN ACCENT." i was thinking of that country boy from bsd--

tyyy <3

#leta answers #ily moots #ty for the ask

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friesian · 1 year

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Marwyd, Tirynan and Wakeland fooooor 💌🧠🥵💦

OH LORDY. OKAY. GOD SPEED EVERYONE. MARWYD:

💌 : How would they plan a romantic evening for a significant other? HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT ROMANTIC IS. I'M SORRY. HE'S TOO AUTISTIC FOR THIS. i think he'd be like. do you want to firebomb some billionaire's manor? yes? no? that's romantic to him. thank you for your time. we bond over the downfall of the rich or not at all. 🧠 : What is your OC’s most mentally attractive attribute? will not stop at ANYTHING for you. NOTHING. if you want something he will find a way to get it. if you need something he will make it for you. if you are in trouble he WILL save you. if you died i think he'd go to hell to get you back. this guy is a rampaging bull and he'll stop at nothing to make sure that you're happy if he wants it. [COPY PASTING THIS ONE] 🥵 : Is your OC perceived as physically attractive to others? Is it at first glance or is it something that takes more time to reach fruition? HONESTLY no. he's not. i think he looks unkempt scruffy and doesn't have good posture. he's loud and doesn't give a shit about anyone except his sister and closest friends. i think he's a very specific flavor. not for everyone. 💦 : Is your OC’s attractiveness based on looks or a more intangible aura? aura i think. some stupid idiot motherfucking cowboy with a bad attitude, bullheaded, but literally saved the world without a question. whatever. love that guy. TIYRNAN: 💌 : How would they plan a romantic evening for a significant other?

i think this speaks for itself. 🧠 : What is your OC’s most mentally attractive attribute? knows everything. literally everything. especially relating to sickness. if you're sick this guy would know how to fix you in less than a day probably. dude just makes you a whole new medication and then does nothing else with it except for going back to work. however! getting him to care is the hard part. 🥵 : Is your OC perceived as physically attractive to others? Is it at first glance or is it something that takes more time to reach fruition? ABSOLUTELY NOT. tiyrnan under the mask is FUCKED (no one knows what he looks like under there except marwyd, and marwyd doesn't give two shits). and i think you'd only find him attractive if you like Cool Dark Mysterious Types only to get disappointed by some stick-like fucked up thing. Sorry. 💦 : Is your OC’s attractiveness based on looks or a more intangible aura? i think this goes with the above that if you like the Cool Dark Mysterious Type thing then you will probably find him attractive. or someone who is just completely batshit insane. i don't know. i wouldn't trust him. i'm telling you this as his creator. if you trust him or want to kiss that man i'm telling you to please DO NOT DO THAT. WAKELAND: 💌 : How would they plan a romantic evening for a significant other? oh she's very classic about it. very cooks you something in his own home and just makes it nice. wakeland despite being a minister is NOT well off so the food would probably be lack luster-- and i don't think they're a good cook. mid tier at best. poor thing was never taught really how to do basic things like that for herself so it's ???? to him. but he still would try. she's got a good heart. 🧠 : What is your OC’s most mentally attractive attribute? INCREDIBLY COMPASSIONATE. i think he cares about the smallest bug sometimes. she's been on record for giving spare rooms to in her big ass manor for people to stay in if they need it. he's currently housing some people who are trying to get away from a cult in our group RP. that guy would drop everything if he saw someone in need. he's got a heart of pure gold i think. 🥵 : Is your OC perceived as physically attractive to others? Is it at first glance or is it something that takes more time to reach fruition? NOW THIS ONE? ABSOLUTELY YES. i INTENTIONALLY made wakeland to be a generic pretty boy. she's INCREDIBLY attractive i think. i think he has a lot of people who have wanted to marry him and he's very scared and reluctant. well. he did really like gyael but. WHOOPSIE DAISY ON THAT ONE!!! anyways, no she's literally the most gorgeous girl on earth. he was blessed by lyssa Very Much. 💦 : Is your OC’s attractiveness based on looks or a more intangible aura? looks, but i think the aura is also an addition. he's still really mysterious, and especially being a Secret Vampire who's also a tired noble who has a heart of gold it's just. there's a lot going on there. either way i think she's literally The Best Looking Person Of All Time (LIE)

#marwyd #wakeland #tiyrnan #THE TIYRNAN ONES WERE FUNNY THANK YOU

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deadqcaxds · 2 years

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Friends

Friends to lovers || Best friend’s sibling || Best friend’s lover || Best friend’s ex || Fake relationship || Marriage pact || Innocent cohabitation || Pen pals || Matchmaker/ matchmaker gone wrong

Enemies

Enemies to lovers || Old enemies – from school/work/anything || Love/hate || Nobody thinks it will work || Rivals || Bully turned nice guy || Revenge || Not good enough for him/her (pov of anyone) || Pen pals || Sworn off a relationship

Family

Parent with new love – kids want them to get together or don’t want them to || Step siblings || Orphan || Guardian || Parent and child’s carer/teacher/nanny || Sibling’s ex || Widow/widower || Love interest reminds of estranged family member || Sudden/unexpected baby (can be coupled with fling/one night stand) || Forbidden love/star-crossed lovers

Blind to love

Everyone can see it (fits well with friends to lovers) || Oblivious to love || Last to know || Fall in love with the wrong person || Pen pals || Sworn off a relationship || Amnesia || Changing sexual preferences.

Secrets, disguises, surprises

Secret baby || Sudden/unexpected baby || Secret admirer || Disguise || Secret royal/billionaire/boss || Mistaken identity || Two person love triangle (mistaken identity) || Is it all as it seems? || Undercover love || Secret/lost heir || Unrequited love || Mistaken declaration of love leads to love/can be coupled with marriage of honour || Virgin/unexpected virgin || Rags to riches || Reality TV show || Fling/one night stand (can lead to unexpected baby) || Amnesia

Marriage

Arranged marriage || Altar diplomacy (arranged for political reasons) || Honorable marriage (typical of historical novels) || Marriage before romance || Vegas/drunk marriage || Jilted bride || Runaway bride || In love with best man/chief bridesmaid/groom/ etc || Double-in-law marriage || Marriage pact || Mistaken declaration of love leads to love

Forced Proximity

Trapped in an elevator (works well with enemies to lovers or the marriage tropes) || Stranded || Innocent cohabitation

Three’s a crowd

Love triangle/imaginary love triangle || Two person love triangle (mistaken identity) || If I can’t have you, nobody will || Unrequited love || Matchmaker gone wrong

One true love/Here we go again

Destined to be together/one true love/soulmate/fate || Love at first sight/‘insta love’ || Love potion || Magic || Star-crossed lovers || Age gap (‘May to December’) || Good people have good sex – anything prior to this relationship is not good for some reason || Long distance relationship || Second chance romance/first love || You’ve changed/on the rocks – couple then have to find their way back to each other || Belated love epiphany || Return to hometown/reunion romance || The one that got away || All grown up || Sworn off a relationship || Working with the ex || Amnesia

Beauty and the Beast

Playboy/rake in love || Sleeps with everyone but you || Loveable rogue || Fall in love with the wrong person || Beauty and the Beast || Ugly duckling – beautiful all along (please don't wear glasses people) || Wallflower || Blackmail || Antihero /All girls want bad boys/ Alpha hero || Bully turned nice guy || Not good enough for him/her (pov of anyone)

Open your eyes!

Sorry, I’m taken (fuck you!) || Unattainable love interest/one -sided || Dating the wrong person/fall in love with the wrong person || Unrequited love || Sworn off a relationship || Fling/one night stand (can lead to unexpected baby)

Grow a pair

Afraid to commit || Can’t spit it out/Say I love you or how they feel || Lovers in denial || All grown up

Job

Men in uniform || Billionaire/rock star/actor/performer/celebrity/cowboy/military/law enforcement/athlete/etc || Politician || Priest || Bodyguard || Royal/Sheikh || Office romance/work colleagues/boss/employee || Working with the ex

Dark past (trauma trauma yeahh~ *imitates jungkook*)

Dark secret || Emotional scars || Broken in some way || Rejected as unworthy by parents, friends or former lovers || Redemption || Break up to save him/her

Peril

Damsel/dude in distress || Kidnapped || Protector || Too dumb to live (protagonist – usually female – makes stupid decisions designed to land her in trouble so the hero can save her *please die already*) || Injury || Road trip

Opposites

Opposites attract || Sunny vs grumpy/ spontaneous vs serious/messy vs neat etc || Rich vs poor || Physically very different – huge guy/tiny girl and the opposite || Love interest has profession protagonist hates || Want different things – eg one wants true love, the other a fling/one wants city life, the other country || Age gap (‘May to December’) || Social inferior/different social class/different worlds

Bonus extras (can go anywhere)

Amnesia || Bet || Blind date || Fairytale retelling || Fish out of water || Road trip || Time travel

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rosesloveletters · 2 years

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Hi dear! 💛 It's been ages since I've been in your askbox. I've been meaning to ask you this for ages: is your s/i the same with each f/o or are there certain things that differ i.e. a certain set of skills that's different with each f/o?

Hope this week's started well for you and that the rest of it will be kind on your soul <333 🤍☀️

All the boys are sending their kind regards to you <3 Jack's off to sea again, we had a great time together when he was here 🥺 Things with Cas and Cowboy are good, I've been busy with schoolwork so they've been taking the horses out for rides together, I love seeing them together and I'm so glad they have someting they can bond over like that <3 Things with B are still fresh but we've gotten a lot closer from when we first met <3

All my love, Mags 💌

Hi Magda! 💛

It has been ages since I last received an ask from you, hasn't it? I hope that life has been treating you well & that things are a bit brighter for you lately.

Ooh, this is a phenomenal question! I rarely get asked about my s/i & i would love to talk about her some more:

so, if you don't know, my s/i is named Audrey Benedict & she is essentially me, i.e. there are not really any differences personality-wise or anything like that (as a self-shipper, I want my s/i to resemble myself as closely as possible.) I use her across the board; whenever I write personal fics, if I don't want to use the first tense or 'I, me, my', I will use Audrey & write in third person, even though she is me.

That being said, she is different in each f/os canon because Audrey is essentially a manifestation of each vivid aspect of my personality.

I'll discuss in detail the three most developed f/o canon I've created for Audrey:

The Brothers Grimm: in the brothers grimm canon, she's the strictly creative side of my personality: a writer, poet, gardener, story-teller, adventurer, etc. she has a deep appreciation for music, she's introverted & shy (perhaps more than I am in my real life) and she is the sweeter, more pure & naive/innocent part of my personality who is all good things, sunshine & happiness. the brothers grimm takes place in the late 1700s to early 1800s, therefore Audrey is much different than she would be in canon that takes place in modern times. to fit the times, she wears dresses (think Belle's blue dress in the live action beauty and the beast.) overall, brothers grimm!Audrey represents the part of me that longs for a quiet place of isolation where I can focus solely on creating & living with my loves & all my emotions, where sadness melts away...

Ocean's Eleven: in the ocean's eleven canon, Audrey is the only daughter of billionaire Las Vegas hotel resort owner Terry Benedict, so her overall presence is much different: she wears expensive, glittery dresses, works alongside Terry and helps manage the resorts, curates the museum at the Bellagio & Terry's personal art collection that the two of them share. Her circle of trust is quite small, mainly Terry & a friend of his & her boyfriend Linus Caldwell, whom has begun to grow on Terry now that he's dating his daughter. In spite of growing up in the lap of luxury, Audrey is a very good person & has learned the value of hard work because she has never seen her father not working & handling things himself to the best of his abilities. He's a single father & that has never been an issue for him; that has only made their connection even stronger. Ocean's eleven!Audrey has two homes: The Las Vegas Strip (more often than not it's the Bellagio where she spends the majority of her time) & a villa on Lake Como, Italy (villa erba if you want to search for it), where Terry takes her quite often to visit his friend François Toulour (another f/o from the ocean's trilogy I don't talk about much.)

Scarface: (This one I'm still working on because Tony is still so new to me) Scarface!Audrey is tropical vibes, bright colors, spring/summer, beaches & sunshine. For these two, I love the trope of a morally grey/bad character who falls in love with a pure character who is too good to corrupt. I don't really want to discuss their fanon simply because it takes place after events in the movie that would be spoilers to anyone who hasn't seen it. I will say that I am working on connecting Ocean's Eleven & Scarface, which has been really fun & exciting for me because those two are the most similar f/o films & make for an interesting story when put together.

So, Audrey is essentially the same in each of my f/o's canon, but different aspects of my personality are highlighted in each canon because each movie has a different vibe or aura than each other, which lends itself to this in a way. Thank you so much for asking about Audrey!!

Thank you, dear💛💛 this week has been crazy. I started a workout routine: 1 hour of exercise per day & at least 10,000 steps a day & lemme tell ya, IT IS NOT EASY WHEN YOU'RE FIRST STARTING OUT. And I learned another thing about myself along the way: I AM WILDLY OUT OF SHAPE. so this week's been kind of a struggle with that & juggling work, cleaning, errands, etc. I'm so glad it's the weekend! I hope this week was good to you & that you were able to find some peace in between this crazy schedule we all seem to find ourselves stuck in.

I'm so glad to hear about your f/os!! I hope Jack is staying safe out there; he gets himself into trouble sometimes, but he knows the sea better than anyone, so I'm sure he's right at home (except I bet he feels even more at home when he's with you!) I hope your schoolwork is going well!! It's great to hear that Cas and Cowboy are getting along and going horse riding together; it's such a relief whenever f/os get along like that; they're developing such a special & sweet bond🥺That's fantastic that you and B are growing even closer now that you've known each other for a bit! I'm certain the bond will strengthen & deepen much more with time!

Take care of you, dear, & be kind to yourself. Sending you well wishes, the warmest regards & all my love💛

#✨magical magda✨#💌#💌 mutuals

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the-book-queen · 2 months

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marjaystuff · 3 months

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A (SIGH) Serial Reader

I have finally begun to accept the truth about my reading habits. I am … a serial reader. Yup, I am. Maybe it is like Lays Chips where you can’t eat just one, I prefer a series of books with familiar characters. I am unsure if this should be something I admit or not… I am a (gulp) serial reader. In the past many books were written as serials, in pieces with each addition a part of the same book like Dickens. Today’s serial novels tend to be a series of stand alone novels with a common thread that ties them together. For me the best are the books do not end in cliff hangers but are each their own story.

Case in point. The last two new authors I started to read are ones that write series of novels centered around the same family. Lucy Score and Devney Perry. Not only did I read their newest series - yes all the books, I went back and read their prior series in order. The fact that I could get most of them on Kindle Unlimited is just lucky. Both authors work around mostly families and then one by one write a romance novel - sometimes with suspense about the next person with a connection and their forever person. Lucy Score’s newest series Knockemout highlighted three brothers. Devney Perry’s newest series The Edens highlighted 6 of the Eden family - siblings.

Before you jump to the conclusion that this is a new fascination. I feel I must remind you of some of my other favorite “serialist” writers.

Chris Keniston’s newest series about the Billionaire Barons of Texas about the grandchildren of the Governor or my favorite series Hart Land about nine granddaughters of the General.

Sabrina Jeffries and her newest series about the Designing Debutantes with three sisters having to make their way with designing grand parties for the Ton.

Eloise James and her series about the Wildes of Lindow Castle.

Alexa Aston and eight books in the series called Suddenly a Duke.

Katy Regnery and her newest series called The Stewarts of Skagway

Laura Griffin with the romantic thriller series Texas Murder Files and the Tracers

Maisey Yates and her series about the Four Corners Ranches - Cowboys - need I say more?

However, I can not fail to name the best of the best series writers of them all:

JD Robb and her In Death series would be an all time favorite. Eve Dallas, her husband Roark and their group of friends and fellow police officers in New York City in the future certainly has shown us the way to write a series and amass a global group of followers. Sixty-nine novels and going just as strong as when I started reading them eons ago.

The only problem with reading series is that you often have to wait a year between novels. SIGH. My solution is to read as many as you can - so there is always a new book to read.

Elise has sent in an interview with Terri Parlato and her series of books about Detective Rita Myers. The book has multiple suspects and lots of twists and turns according to Elise! Another great series to consider!

I wonder if the fascination grew from the Nancy Drew mysteries. hmmmm

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tilbageidanmark · 6 months

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Movies I watched this Week # 147 (Year 3/Week 43):

Loro ("Them"), my 7th decadent film by Paolo Sorrentino, the breakneck, modern-day Fellini. An epic, outrageous, over-the-top look into the outlandish life of charismatic billionaire king Silvio Berlusconi. MTV-style music video of power, sex, ultimate corruption and unlimited money. A sprawling saga of a modern day Citizen Kane, promiscuous, charming and greedy. As well as a young pimp who runs an escort service, and supplies him with a harem of girls.

I love noticing chronological symmetry in movies, for example, at the exact middle of the movie (starting at 1:11), there’s this central, electrifying scene of a telephone sales pitch, even better than DiCaprio selling 40,000 penny stock shares at 'The wolf of Wall Street'. Between serving as a prime minister and serving time, Tony Servillo's Berlusconi, the greatest salesman in Italy, is in a funk, and he needs to find his groove again. So late at night he opens a telephone book at random and calls some old lady from a listing, and in 6 minutes, he sells her an overpriced apartment that have not even been built yet. I wish I could find an isolated clip of that scene somewhere. Bellissimo!

And just today, I read about the real Berlusconi’s need to accumulate, his vast, 25,000 item art collection!

🍿

"Fugayzi, fugazi. It's a whazy. It's a woozie. It's fairy dust..."

So - because of the scene above - I had to stop everything I do, and indulge, one more time with Scorsese's The wolf of Wall Street. A similarly decadent, excessive, cocaine-fueled roller coaster ride of money and addiction. With judge Fran Lebowitz, Spike Jonze as Dwayne, the broker above, and of course Palm Spring's Cristin Milioti as the first wife.

So far I’ve seen only about half of Scorsese’s 42 full features, so after ‘Flower moon’ I’m going to deep dive, and watch all the ones I’ve missed.

🍿

Another film I’ve been re-watching over and over, Paweł Pawlikowski's heartbreaking romance Cold War. When I saw it the first time, I thought it was very complex (maybe I was stoned), but it's actually extremely simple, accessible and direct. Joanna Kulig's ethereal beauty and the powerful life force of her character 'Zula' are unforgettable. 10/10.

[Waiting for his next film, The island, with Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara.]

🍿

John le Carré X 3:

🍿 Errol Morris's most recent documentary, The Pigeon Tunnel, a lengthy conversation with the fascinating writer le Carré. Based on his auto-biography of the same name. It's mostly about deceit and betrayals, as well as his tortured relationship with his larger-than-life conman father, "Ronnie". Lots of elaborate re-enactments, staged and fanciful. My best friend Danny (RIP) used to be an avid le Carré reader and fan.

🍿 First watch: The masterful The spy who came in from the cold. The first classic film adaptation and based on his spectacularly successful debut novel. Double and triple crossing in the dark days of the cold War. It was supposed to be the Anti-James Bond, and established a prolific genre of 'Flawed Spies', "a bunch of seedy squalid bastards like me, little men, drunkards, queers, henpecked husbands, civil servants playing 'Cowboys and Indians' to brighten their rotten little lives." Magnificent Richard Burton play.

[I also have to dig in and do a Martin Ritt marathon one day!]

🍿 Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy (the 2011 film, not the Alec Guinness TV series): A slow, melancholic and perfectly atmospheric thriller, with an all-star cast (Including a cameo of le Carré himself! Photo Above). Gary Oldman's vacant gaze got me to want watching his complete filmography. Also, it's funny how many movies open or end with Charles Trenet's La Mer!

Superb! 9/10.

🍿

2 horror films from British director Steve McQueen:

🍿 While waiting for his latest ‘Occupied City’, I caught his horrifying directorial debut Hunger from 2008. A re-telling of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike, where 10 IRA volunteers starved themselves to death, as a protest against the British government. It is told from inside the prison cells. Very few films were able to transfer the horror and hopelessness of being abused by ruthless authorities like this one.

And in the middle of this gruesome narrative, there's an astounding scene, unbroken and shot with a static camera on Bobby Sands and a priest who came to see him, talking that lasts for 17 minutes. Simply amazing.

Best and most chilling film experience of the week.

Like Norm McDonald used to say (about Hitler): 'The more I learn about Margaret Thatcher, the more I don't care for her'.

🍿 Western Deep, a 2002 short, an near-abstract poem about the workers / slaves who work at the world's deepest gold mine in South Africa. Dark, jarring and claustrophobic. 1/10.

[Now that I've seen McQueen's 4 features, I have to move on to his 'Small Axe' television anthology.]

🍿

My first 2 films by Romanian Cristian Mungiu:

🍿 His latest contemplative drama R.M.N. is set in a backwater multi-ethnic village in Transylvania, where long-simmering tensions erupt over questions of national identity, globalization, prejudices and xenophobia. It opens with pig slaughtering, and ends with an old man who hangs himself in the forest. It's harsh, and coarse, and repressive. But it's told in a sublime style. And in the middle of all the ugliness and misogyny, a woman practices her cello by playing Yumeji's haunting theme from 'In the mood for love'. 9/10.

🍿 So I finally also saw his highly-acclaimed 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days from 2007, considered as 'one of the greatest films of the 21 century'. But the depressing story of a desperate young woman who's trying to obtain an illegal abortion in the last dark days of communist Romania, was as pleasant as a visit to Nicolae Ceaușescu's dungeon: Dingy, stressfully-ugly and miserable.

🍿

“…Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?…”

Airplane!, another re-watch of this classic evergreen - the No. 1 modern American comedy on most lists? With cameos by Ethel Merman, young Mike Ehrmantraut and James Howe, one of the most prolific character actors of all time, as a Japanese general committing Harakiri. Isn't it strange that the guy who played Ted Striker never had a career in Hollywood after that?

Maybe it's time for Edgar Wright to re-make 'Airplane 2024!'?

🍿

5 more by female directors:

🍿 Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky, a dark dialogue-rich, two-person crime drama about old friendship and betrayal over one long night in Philadelphia. John Cassavetes is a small-time hood with a contract out on his life. And Peter Falk is his lifelong friend who may or may not be trying to help him escape his fate. A nuanced portrayal of fragile masculinity.

🍿 The royal hotel, my second film by Australian Kitty Green, and also starring Julia Garner, playing another powerless young woman suffering male abuse and exploitation (after 'The Assistant'). Two young backpackers take a job at an outback bar, in "the middle of nowhere". A scary, ominous thriller with escalating threats and an uncomfortable sense of mortal danger. Too unpleasant for me - 4/10.

🍿 Bus Girl is the first film directed by Jessica Henwick, who plays the 2nd girl in 'The Royal Hotel'. A cute little culinary fantasy, shot entirely on a cell phone. 6/10.

🍿 Aurora’s Sunrise, my second Armenian film (after ‘The colour of pomegranates’). An adult animated feature about the Albanian genocide, through the eyes of a real life young woman, who survived the hellish years, and escaped to America, where she became celebrated Hollywood star in 1919, when she played herself in 'Carnival of souls'.

Ethnic cleansing, mass murder, exterminations, cruelty and hatred ... Armenians, Jews, Palestinians, Uygurs, American Indians, Tutsis... It's always the same fucking thing!

(Via).

🍿 Affairs of the Art, a British-Canadian craziness by Joanna Quinn, nominated in 2021 for best animated short. Spectacular and surrealistic visuals about a 59-year-old lady, a zany artist at heart, and her fully-eclectic family. Very Roald Dahl. 9/10.

🍿

On the fringe, a recent Spanish social drama with Penélope Cruz. Stressful and depressive story about folks that are being evicted from their homes. Focus on grey, marginalized and helpless people, ground up by bureaucracy, nickel and dimed by poverty, lack of time and resources is a tough watch. Especially when the story is not wrapped up with optimism or a happy end. 6/10.

🍿

“I’m glad we had this conversation…”

Viking, an alternative, "indie" science fiction allegory, scientifically naive, and featuring low-low tech and drama. An odd, simulated Canadian proximation. In spite of mirroring some scenes from '2001' and 'The Shining', it's not close to either one. Meh. 2/10.

🍿

"Kill the wabbit!"

Chuck Jones's What's Opera, Doc?, considered to be the greatest animated short film of all time. A 7 minutes riff on Wagner's Nibelung and Disney's Fantasia, and the first cartoon short to be selected for preservation for the National Film Registry. With Mel Blanc and Elmer Fudd.

🍿

... No fellow could ignore / The little girl next door / She sure looked sweet in her first evening gown / Now there's a charge for what she used to give for free ...

"Today, I learned" that satirist & mathematician Tom Lehrer is still alive, at ninety five! He was extremely popular in the 60's and basically retired in 1972. Also, that [like Jonas Salk] he transferred all the songs he ever recorded to the public domain - "For the greater good!"

In 1967, he recorded his excellent Copenhagen concert for posterity. Delightful!

2 extras: I got it from Agnes (which is about the spread of VD), and Bergman's actor Lars Ekborg’s singing I Tom Lehrers vackra värld in Swedish.

🍿

The Insurrectionist next door, my first documentary by Alexandra Pelosi, Nancy's daughter. She was trying to humanize about a dozen individuals who participate in the January 6 attack, by befriending them and their their families, and by allowing all of them to explain that they were "just at the wrong place at the wrong time". In the end, it was just sad to see the poor children who had to cry goodbye when their father went to jail.

🍿

(My complete movie list is here)

#movies

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allthingsdarkanddirty · 2 years

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★✩★ NEW RELEASE ★✩★

Enemy Boss

Denver Billionaires Book 1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62354350/

By Carolyn Delaney

Hosted by DS Book Promotions

AMAZON

US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCX7RKQ1/

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BCX7RKQ1/

CA https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0BCX7RKQ1/

AU https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0BCX7RKQ1/

Apple Nook Kobo GPlay

Blurb:

Sierra I don't care how much he wants my business, he can't have it. My dad left me this company, and Nathan Silverstone can have it when he pries it from my cold, dead hand. Never mind his flirtatious green eyes and the way his ridiculously expensive suits fit his hard body like a glove. I pay no attention to the way those eyes scrutinize my every curve and edge when he stares at me with that sexy, infuriating grin from across the table during our meetings. I don't care how charming he tries to be, I'm stubborn and he's going to find out the hard way that I'm neither passive nor submissive, but I most certainly can be aggressive. Nathan She was a one-time fling who occupied my evening and left me with amazing memories. Until she walks into my billion-dollar brewing company as one of our suppliers. Don’t mix business with pleasure my brother likes to remind me. Well, screw him. I’ll take all the pleasure Sierra Ford wants to give me. Opposites attract, they say. Wild red hair and cowboy boots must be my jam because it’s definitely working for me. Until my brother and cousin try to take Sierra’s company from her behind my back, and now I’m her enemy.

DENVER BILLIONAIRES SERIES Enemy Boss Rebel Boss: Coming soon Sinful Boss: Coming soon

About Carolyn Delaney

Carolyn lives in Colorado with her husband, who’s delivered on his promise of a happily ever after, and their daughters, who spend their parents’ money like broke little best friends instead of teenagers.

When not writing, she can be found buying too many shoes, traveling, or dreaming about traveling. You can contact her at [email protected] or at

Amazon

Facebook

Instagram

@CarolynDelaneyAuthor

Website

www.carolyndelaneyauthor.com

#newrelease #enemyboss #billionaireromance #denverbillionaires #availablenow #bookish #booklove #carolyndelaney #dsbookpromotions

@Carolyn Delaney @DS Book Promotions

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brucedinsman · 3 years

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Book Review: Her Billionaire Cowboy by Liz Isaacson

Christmas in Carol Canyon Book 1 Her Cowboy Billionaire Best Friend by Liz IsaacsonMy rating: 5 of 5 starsKindle UnlimitedSo that happenedI liked Laney best (and of course the focus was on her, not the billionaire). But I liked the underscored much quoted passage toward the end…”I deserve to be your first priority” and I imagined God saying that to both of them.View all my reviews #Outreach:…

View On WordPress

#Book 1 #Book Review #Christmas in Carol Canyon #Daily Service 3 #Her Cowboy Billionaire Best Friend #Liz Isaacson

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two-white-butterflies · 11 months

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social media universe masterlist

you're losing me pairing: jacaerys velaryon/popstar!reader/aemond targaryen description: after a gruesome breakup with jace - his billionaire uncle offers you a proposal that you can't resist. [fake dating trope]

illicit affairs pairing: aemond targaryen/kpop-idol!reader description: it was forbidden to date a man like him. but still, you choose to fall. [cheating trope]

cats and dogs pairing: aemond targaryen/model-influencer!reader description: you meet him in the animal shelter.

emma falls in love pairing: aemond targaryen/reader description: fake dating trope for taylor swift tickets.

i'm a m*therfucking starboy pairing: prince!daemon targaryen/model!reader description: you meet the infamous prince of dragonstone. [enemies to lovers trope]

fence pairing: daemon targaryen/reader description: he's your dad's best friend.

therese ➺ milk matches her underwear ➺ horses, cars and cowboys do pairing: millionaire!daemon targaryen/lowkey-actress!reader description: in where, your private life becomes public. [secret relationship trope]

two white butterflies ➺ how to disappear ➺ miss american pie pairing: accomplished!daemon targaryen/singer!reader description: daemon begins dating a singer who hates the spotlight.

i shouldn't cry pairing: prince!daemon targaryen/heiress!reader (south east asian reader) description: prince daemon in love with a rich girl.

false god pairing: prince!daemon targaryen/singer!reader description: you are forced to choose between family and ambition.

brooklyn baby pairing: cregan stark/ice-skater!reader description: he's on the hockey team, and you're a figure skater.

dorothea pairing: helaena targaryen/cam-girl!reader description: helaena visits your onlyfans.

taco truck x vb pairing: otto hightower/socialite-actress!reader description: you date ur dad's coo

riptide ➺ two pairing: college student!aegon targaryen/ceo!reader description: aegon's friends have been wondering how he gets to have the coolest things without having a job.

smooth operator pairing: driver!aegon targaryen/verstappen!reader description: he falls in love with his teammate's sister.

cinnamon pairing: aegon targaryen/reader description: aegon meets a girl in his coffee shop.

i know places pairing: streamer!aegon/non-showbiz!reader description: no one knows who his gf is.

i did one thing right description: a famous indie actress is married to a poet. but he refuses to write about her. pairing: jace velaryon/actress!reader

#daemon targaryen x reader #daemon targaryen #daemon x reader #daemon targaryen imagine #aemond x reader #aemond targaryen x you #aemond x you #daemon targaryen x oc #house of the dragon

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doubleddenden · 3 years

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After my last post from 2019 started blowing up again, I think it's time to reassess the timeline in 2021 so far as of late September to see wtf is going on

Ahem

Nintendo is teaming up with the guys behind Despicable Me to make a Mario movie, and not only are casting Charles Matinet as every other character than the ones he voices, but casted Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong, and Jack Black as Bowser, and everyone hated it (with exception to Jack)

Sonic has another movie on the way after a decent success on the first one, Idris Elba is Knuckles, and everyone loves it

In pokemon, we have not just one Sinnoh Remake, but a remake and a prequel in the works. Both do not look how fans intended

Digimon had a live script reading for Tamers wherein they had to fight political correctness and cancel culture. The director of this critically aclaimed series apparently fell very deep into conspiracy theories and you can read his descent via his blog

Tobyfox gave us another chapter of Deltarune and it's either a chucklefest of explosions, gay, gamer, and *big shots*, or deeply disturbing on a level only this maniac can provide

There is consideration to release a new cut of TLoTR that lasts a WEEK

Taco bell has a chicken sandwich now. A chicken sandwich taco that is neither sandwich nor taco (but decent)

People are injecting themselves with horse medicine for parasites, and this medicine makes you shit yourself and can leave you impotent. This instead of taking free FDA approved vaccines to help prevent and/or weaken a virus that can kill you and/or make you impotent.

Nikki Minaj refuses the vaccine because her cousin's friend allegedly took it and their balls swelled up, because that couldn't be anything else that's been reported, like an STD

We still have assholes advocating for body autonomy when it comes to vaccines but in the same breath scream demands to take away abortion rights and they see no irony

Why the resistance still? They are afraid of being tracked with microchips and 5g. Yet find no irony in driver's licenses, social security numbers, passports, medical files, dental files, and tax records being available for everyone, let alone Facebook and other social media sites collecting and selling their personal data. They think that each of them are that important that the government would invest millions into tracking them personally when its already incredibly easy to

Batman has a webcomic about all the bats and Robins and such, and it is wholesome as shit

One of the best writers Doctor Who has ever had is coming back to the helm after being replaced for years

There was a literal 3d virtual concert for Pokemon starring Post Malone, who sang about cowboys making him cry and how he was "only in it for the sex" as a majestic Lugia flew by

21 Pilots had a virtual concert of their own in god damn ROBLOX

Speaking of virtual, there was a virtual museum to the Civil Rights Movement added to... *checks notes*... Fortnite.

Kirby is actually going to have a 3d game. Not just 2.5D, like Mario Odyssey 3d.

The first billionaire went to space after underpaying his employees and leaving them with terrible work environments, and bragged about it on live TV in a cowboy hat, and not only did he not break the atmosphere, he unfortunately came back

There's apparently a 3d MLP movie that talks about xenophobia, propaganda, and historical revisionism. Idk I just found out too

Rugrats is back and Stu is a gamer

iCarly is back and Carly and Freddie were propositioned for a threesome

Drake Bell was convicted of child endangerment

Josh Peck is Turner in a Turner and Hooch reboot and is thriving

Flip phones are back in a weird way

We had attempts to violently overthrow our government this year and the organizers are just out playing golf and planning sedition like it's just another Monday

Ted Cruz liked porn on his Twitter account publicly. Again.

Grimes and Musk split up, still no word on his plans for real life cat girls

Star Wars. Is anime now. Which is awesome

Samsung almost had a waifu and the internet did its thing

Scooby Doo and Courage the Cowardly Dog have a crossover

New Avatar stuff in the works. Nickelodeon or Blue people, you ask? The answer is yes

Yeah this may as well be accurate at this point

And it's still September

#2021 #mario #sonic #pokemon #digimon #politics #avatar #mlp #icarly #deltarune #courage the cowardly dog #scooby doo #star wars #dr who #roblox #fortnite #idk im not adding more #the timeline

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fridayfirefly · 3 years

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Cowboy Like Me

Read Cowboy Like Me on AO3

Masterlist

Written for Maribat March Day 5 - Last Time

Now I know, I'm never gonna love again

Marinette was a terrible sentimentalist. After such a bad breakup it might have been cathartic to tear up the pictures of them, but Marinette just couldn't do it. No, she could bring herself to destroy the evidence of her six-year relationship. Marinette kept all the pictures, all the movie tickets, all the handwritten notes and put them in a shoebox at the top of her closet, somewhere that she couldn't reach without the help of a stepstool. Maybe the pads of her fingers could brush against the smooth cardboard if she stood on her tiptoes. But Marinette could never open it again. Inside that shoebox were the memories of being in love, kept safe, locked away, just out of reach.

As Marinette boarded the plane, she looked back on everything that had gone wrong. Though the cause of all the destruction in her life was uncertain, Marinette could pinpoint the effects exactly. There were a few things Marinette knew for certain: Marinette would never fall in love again, the city Marinette once loved now only held bad memories, and once the plane took off, Marinette would say goodbye to Paris for the last time.

Never wanted love, just a fancy car

The socialite scene of Gotham was dreadfully boring in the winter, Marinette learned. The weather was so brutal that anyone who could afford a second house in Key West or Malibu left as soon as the first snow-fall hit. Marinette stayed inside her penthouse apartment for weeks, designing her wardrobe for the next few months. It had been so long since she had been able to design for herself, without input from anyone else. It was freeing, to work with the colors, the patterns, the styles that she wanted. Marinette had forgotten what freedom felt like. For so long, she had worked for the whims of others, crafting to someone else's design.

Marinette made her first friend two weeks after the move. Silver St. Cloud was Marinette's neighbor in the apartment to the left. Silver was a model and influencer, and a self-proclaimed expert on all of the rich single men in Gotham. Upon their first meeting, Silver offered to show Marinette around Gotham and introduce her to the socialite scene. Marinette, hesitant but hopeful, accepted.

"Bruce Wayne is the best that Gotham has to offer," said Silver as they leave Starbucks, lattes in hand. "But there are plenty of men who are worth your attention - women too, if that's what you prefer."

"Bruce Wayne is the best?"

Silver nodded. "The Waynes have owned this city for as long as Gotham has been on a map. I wouldn't set your sights on him completely, though. Bruce Wayne doesn't date anyone, not even a former member of Kitty Section."

Kitty Section was known around the world, the biggest band to come out of France in the last decade. Their songs topped charts. Their albums won awards. Their well-crafted image of reclusive, mysterious artists led to a media sensation over the members of Kitty Section. Everyone wanted to know them - Luka Couffaine and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the lead vocalists whose relationship enchanted their fans. Rose Lavillant, the backing vocalist and keyboardist, and Juleka Couffaine, the bass guitarist, who were unashamed of their love for each other. Ivan Bruel, the mysterious drummer who had the name Mylène carved into his drumsticks. They were famous. They were at the top of their game. They were unstoppable.

Marinette ruined it all when she left the band. Her split had been big news, exposing a dark side of Kitty Section that their fans were never supposed to see. But after their breakup, Marinette quickly realized that she never loved music. She loved Luka, and once that love faded away, she loved nothing.

"I guess I'll find someone else," said Marinette, but it was a lie. There was Luka Couffaine, and after that, there was no one else. She might be able to love fancy dresses and expensive cars, but Marinette would never love a person again, not the way she loved Luka. When it came to love (deep, true love, not just the infatuations of childhood) Luka was her first time, Luka was her only time, and Luka would be her last time.

Perched in the dark, telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear

Marinette quickly learned the art of charming everyone she met, either through her impressive resume (founding member of Kitty Section) or through her newfound ability to flirt. It turns out, once you turn off your feelings it becomes very easy to pretend that you can still love.

Marinette and Silver became thick as thieves. The girls became a popular pair, charming every birthday brunch and charity dinner. For Silver, it was all about networking. As she explained to Marinette, "I'm trying to create a brand. I'm trying to turn my own name into something that can be sold, and for that, I need connections.

For Marinette, it was something to do. As long as she used her money wisely, Marinette had enough saved to comfortably live out the rest of her days. The real problem came in finding something to pass the time. Marinette rarely felt joy in living her life, the way she used to back when she was a child, the bright-eyed girl who aspired to be a designer. Now, everything from charming a billionaire to designing a new dress felt like a chore.

"Come meet Bruce Wayne," urged Silver as she grabbed Marinette's hand. "He just got back from Nepal. It's his first time in Gotham in six months. He skipped his own New Year's Gala to go soul-searching in the Himalayas. It's my job tonight to convince him to stay in town for longer than a week."

There was a determination to Silver's voice. From everything she had heard about Bruce Wayne, Marinette doubted that Silver could make him change his ways. However, that wouldn't stop Marinette from helping her new-found friend.

Silver's whole body-language changed, shifting from a determined march to a delicate float as she made her way over to a dark-haired man in a well-fitted tux. "Hello, Bruce. It's so nice to see you again."

"Silver." Bruce acknowledged her, sounding bored. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was the lead singer of Kitty Section before the band split up a few months ago."

"Kitty Section... I might have heard of them before. The band was... French?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes. All the members were born and raised in Paris. Have you heard of any of our music?

"I'm certain now that I have. It was very... commercial."

Marinette ought to have slapped him across the face right then and there. Not only was commercial not a compliment, but it also wasn't even true. It was the biggest criticism of Kitty Section, their reticence to work with popular music trends. Despite her overwhelming desire to assault the most wealthy and influential man in the ballroom, Marinette instead steeled her face and gave Bruce a pleasant smile. "Thank you. So what do you do for a living, Mister Wayne."

"I travel."

Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He spoke two words to her. The conversation was anything but interesting. "How interesting. Have you ever been to Paris?"

"I'm not a tourist, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I travel to much more interesting places."

Marinette officially gave up on the conversation. She would let Silver (who looked to be itching to have her turn to talk to Bruce) try and fix the train-wreck of a conversation that Bruce created. "You sound like a man with a lot of stories to tell. I hope you can tell me them over lunch someday."

"Perhaps."

Marinette gave Bruce her politest smile. "I have to excuse myself. Silver, why don't you tell Bruce about your new sponsorship from Lululemon."

Silver lit up. "Oh, you have to hear about this email I got last week. It was amazing, it's so good for my brand..."

Marinette walked away, letting her distaste towards Bruce leave her. Secretly, a little part of her hoped that Bruce would leave Gotham, as he was well-known for doing. Though Silver was her friend, Marinette didn't think she could pretend to like Bruce.

"He's intolerable, isn't he?" joked a voice from beside Marinette.

Marinette turned to face the stranger, a beautiful woman, taller than Marinette by quite a few inches, with dark hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin. She wore a dress of royal blue silk, so elegant it reminded Marinette of the sort of thing she always dreamed of making. "Who?"

"Bruce Wayne. Who else would it be?"

Marinette let out a quiet laugh. "He is quite unpleasant. I take it you know him."

"I accompanied him on some of his travels. Bruce is a good friend of mine, but these parties tend to bring out the worst in him. He hates this city and he especially hates the wealthy of this city." The woman grabbed a glass of wine off of a server's tray and handed it to Marinette, who gratefully took it.

"Then I doubt Silver will have any luck convincing him to stay." Marinette tried to keep the satisfaction out of her tone, but the woman laughed anyways, an indication that it didn't work.

"You're quite funny..." The woman paused for an introduction.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And you are?"

"Diana-"

The sound of shattering glass interrupted Diana's introduction. The crowd started to get frantic, and Marinette was pushed one way while Diana was pushed the other. The glass of wine was knocked out of Marinette's hand, staining the fabric of her dress. Marinette struggled to stay on her feet, desperate to not twist an ankle in her four-inch heels.

"Listen up!" shouted an oddly-dressed man. "You're all going to listen to me, and no one will get hurt."

Marinette had a very odd feeling that this would be a moment she remembered for the rest of her life.

Never thought I'd meet you here. It could be love

"They're calling him a supervillain. Apparently, his name is The Riddler," reported Marinette, looking up from her phone, where she was reading about the events of the night before.

Silver glanced up from her seat on the sofa across the room where she was painting her nails a delicate shade of pink. "It's about time Gotham got its own supervillain. Metropolis has had Superman and all the villains that follow him around for years."

Marinette snorted out a laugh. "You think that a supervillain is a good thing?"

"Sure. It means that Gotham will be getting a superhero of its own soon." Silver brightened up. "Plus, the hostage situation from last night meant that I got to spend a whole two hours with Bruce."

Marinette groaned. "I can't believe that you two are going on a date. Bruce Wayne is one of the most insufferable men I've ever met."

"It's not a date. Bruce specified it as just dinner between friends. You should come too, Marinette. I'm sure that once you spend some time with Bruce you'll warm up to him."

Marinette gave Silver a skeptical look. "You want me to come with you on your date with Bruce?"

"Again, it's not a date. Bruce said that he would be bringing one of his friends along as well."

Marinette finally understood Silver's intentions. "You want me to come with you so that I can partner up with Bruce's friend, and you can get some alone time with Bruce."

"Well it doesn't sound very nice when you put it that way," huffed Silver.

Marinette giggled. "I love devious plans. We'll just have to make it look natural."

It took a little time to get all the details, but Marinette and Silver got their plan in order. Silver would arrive first and meet Bruce and his friend. Marinette would arrive later, strike up a one-on-one conversation with Bruce's friend, and spend the night engaging Bruce's friend in conversation so that Silver could flirt with Bruce. Marinette's only concern about the evening was that Bruce's friend would be just as unbearable to talk to as Bruce himself.

The restaurant that Bruce picked out was very fancy, but Marinette didn't mind. It allowed her to wear her new dress, a pale blue and silver creation meant to mimic the shimmering quality of ice. Marinette thought it might be a little too experimental for the old-fashioned Gotham society, but Silver approved of it, and Marinette trusted her friend.

As soon as Marinette walked through the doors her eyes caught sight of Silver's white-blonde hair. Then she noticed Bruce sitting beside her friend, his eyes trained on Silver with an odd intensity. Finally, Marinette noticed Bruce's friend. She was shocked to see that it was Diana, the very woman that Marinette had met at yesterday's gala, the very woman whose introduction was interrupted by the untimely arrival of the Riddler. For a second, Marinette was shocked into stillness. The chaos of the night before had overshadowed her meeting with Diana to the extent that Marinette had forgotten how very charmed she had been by Diana. Now, it seemed Marinette had the perfect opportunity to get to know the charismatic woman from the night before.

"Marinette," the surprise in Diana's tone told Marinette that she was just as blind-sighted by their meeting.

"Hello, Diana. Fancy meeting you here," said Marinette with a smile.

Bruce raised one eyebrow. "I didn't know you two knew each other."

"We met last night," explained Diana. "I wanted to let her knew that you aren't usually so insufferable."

Bruce looked affronted. "I wasn't insufferable."

"You lied about having listened to Kitty Section," piped up Marinette. "There are a lot of valid criticisms of Kitty Section. However, our music being too commercial is not one of them."

Bruce had the decency to look guilty. "I apologize, then. I'll make sure to take the time to give your music a real listen."

For Silver's sake, Marinette was willing to forgive him. "Maybe next time you can give me some real criticism."

Bruce nodded graciously. "I'll do that."

Diana took that moment to bring back up their introduction the night before. "So Marinette, I don't believe we got the chance to finish our introductions last night. I'm Diana Prince, newly a curator at Gotham's Art and History Museum."

"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, former member of Kitty Section, currently taking a soul-searching sabbatical."

"Soul-searching for what?" asked Diana.

"I suppose I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. When I was younger I was so passionate about fashion. I made my own clothes, entered my creations into design contests, spent years creating a portfolio. I'm trying to rediscover that passion."

"Maybe you could show me your designs some time," offered Diana.

"I would like that," agreed Marinette.

"Actually," chimed in Silver, "Marinette made the dress she's wearing right now."

"Really? I would have assumed that it was professionally made. It's a gorgeous dress," praised Diana.

Marinette blushed, a warm fluttery feeling stirring deep within her. The rest of the night passed in a blur, with Marinette hanging on Diana's every word. It was easy to talk to Diana. She was so naturally charming that Marinette couldn't help but enjoy herself. As the evening winded down, Marinette felt only regret that they would have to part so soon.

As Marinette stood outside the restaurant, waiting for a taxi, she felt Diana's hand settle on her shoulder. It had been a while since Marinette had felt such an intimate touch. "I had a nice time talking to you tonight." The feel of Diana's fingers gently trailing down Marinette's arms was almost more than Marinette, touch-starved and hungry for more, could bear.

Marinette smiled. "I did too. I hope to see more of you."

"I'm sure you will." Marinette took comfort in the certainty in Diana's voice.

And in the back of her mind, Marinette began to rethink her policy of never falling in love again. Something about Diana made Marinette think that Luka wouldn't be her last time after all.

And the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up

Marinette could not believe he did this. After everything they had been through together, Marinette's one final request to Luka was that he not release a song about their breakup. But there it was, top of the charts, the lead single of Luka's new solo album, Different Cities. And if it wasn't bad enough that Luka broke the only promise she asked him to keep, included in the song was a snippet of the last voicemail she sent to him. She left it for him weeks after they broke up, as an explanation to him, to let him know she was leaving Gotham.

In the last few seconds of the song, Marinette's voice is hesitant as she speaks. "I know that you wanted me to stay so that we could work things out, but I don't think that our relationship is fixable. So I guess I'm calling to tell you that I give up. I'm leaving Paris next Friday. I've already bought the plane ticket. You can't change my mind. Goodbye, Luka."

It was the rawest emotion Marinette had shown since the breakup, and Luka exploited it for his own gain.

Marinette spent the day joylessly deleting emails from various news outlets begging her to tell her side of the story. As if she would give Luka the satisfaction of giving free publicity. Everyone loved drama, so Marinette was going to make her reaction - or lack of reaction, in this case - as boring as possible.

Every time her phone rang, Marinette ignored it. The voicemails started to stack up, and eventually, Marinette found herself going through them one-by-one. One from Alya, letting Marinette know that she was there for her when she wanted to talk. One from Adrien, more joking in tone, trying to cheer Marinette up. One from Ivan, directly threatening to punch Luka in the face if Marinette wanted it (and that was the only voicemail that actually brought her spirits up). One from Juleka, an apology.

In the voicemail, Juleka's voice was rough, like she had been crying. "I'm so sorry, Marinette. I begged Luka not to release it, but he wouldn't listen to me. He said- he- he said-" Juleka broke off into a sob, and Marinette couldn't help but sniffle along with her. "I can hardly recognize him anymore. Rose and I aren't on speaking terms with him now. He's no longer my brother."

Marinette wished that she could pick up the phone and tell Juleka that it was okay to forgive Luka, but Marinette couldn't. The wound was still fresh, still bleeding out.

One step forward, one steps back. Two days after Marinette considered the idea of loving again, and she was right back where she started - in too much pain to even consider friendship, let alone love.

Speak of the devil, Marinette's phone rang, Diana's name lighting up on the screen. Part of her wanted to throw her phone across the room and curl up under her blankets. The other parts of her answered the call. "Hello?" spoke Marinette, wiping away the moisture at the corner of her eyes.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Diana's voice was soft. It was the most comforting thing Marinette had ever heard.

"Not really. I can't decide if I want to punch Luka in the face or if it would hurt too much to ever see him again."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Marinette sighed. "I met Luka when I was fourteen. He was my classmate Juleka's older brother. Luka had his own band, so all the girls in our class thought that Luka was so cool, but he mostly ignored us. Then one day his backing vocalist got bronchitis and he needed someone to fill in. I was a soloist for the school chorus, so I volunteered. Luka was hesitant to let me join his band until he heard me sing. He told me I had the voice of an angel. Two days later he kissed me, and I fell in love with him so hard and so fast I didn't have a chance to consider if he was really the one."

Marinette took a deep breath, then continued, "It was a whirlwind after that. We started dating. We started a new band and named it Kitty Section. We started writing songs together. The weird part was, he never asked how I felt about any of it. He never asked me if I wanted to date him, he never asked if I wanted to join the band, he always assumed that I wanted what he wanted."

"And what did you want?" asked Diana.

"Back then, I thought I wanted a future with Luka. Now, I guess I just want to feel passion again. I've felt so empty since I left him."

"You might feel better with some company. Do you want me to come over to your place?"

Marinette looked around at her empty apartment, at the way the shadows filled the room, at the way seemed to lurk in every corner. "Sure."

"You could show me some of those designs you were telling me about the other day," suggested Diana.

Marinette glanced over at her sketchbook, which had laid empty for months. "That sounds good."

As she hung up the phone, Marinette realized that talking to Diana had made her feel a bit better. The knife wound that Luka had left in her heart had begun to close up at the edges. Marinette took a deep breath and picked up her sketchbook. If she wanted to rediscover her passion, she needed to work for it.

Now you hang from my lips, like the Gardens of Babylon

Marinette let out an appreciative noise as Diana re-entered the room, modeling one of Marinette's creations. "Give me a little spin."

Diana turned herself around, letting the red fabric swirl around her legs. Something about the way that the dress looked on Diana made it so much prettier in Marinette's eyes. Suddenly the fabric wasn't just red, it was carmine. The dress wasn't just being worn, it was being modeled. It didn't just move, it flowed. "It's a gorgeous dress," complimented Diana as she looked over her shoulder at the mirror behind her to admire it.

"It is nice, isn't it." Marinette had been so caught up in her head she had forgotten to truly admire her creation. Suddenly an idea occurred to her. "You should keep it. One of Bruce's charity galas is coming up in a few weeks. You could wear it there."

"I couldn't," protested Diana.

Marinette shook her head. "It looks best on you. I could never pull off such a vibrant shade of red." There was a second part to the sentence that was left unspoken. If Marinette made the dress knowing that it wouldn't look good on her, she must have made it for another reason. She must have made it with Diana in mind.

Diana smiled, seeming to have caught those unspoken words. "Well if I'm going to wear the dress, you'll have to put up with me gushing about how talented you are all night long."

Marinette flushed. "It's no big deal. It's just a dress."

"It's not just a dress. It's your passion." There was truth in Diana's words that Marinette couldn't deny. It was so much more than a dress. It was the passion for design that Diana had helped her rediscover. It was the newfound friendship with Diana that chased away the loneliness and despair that had taken over her life. It was the glimmer of hope for a future with Diana.

Takes one to know one, you're a cowboy like me

Diana looked beyond gorgeous in that carmine dress. Marinette could keep her eyes off of her as they mingled around the ballroom. Marinette's dress was nice, made with the same passion that Marinette had in her younger years, but it paled in comparison to Diana. However, Diana made up for this disparity by gleefully explaining that Marinette was the creator of the dress every time it was complimented. By the end of the night, Marinette had spent so much time blushing over compliments that she worried her face would become permanently flushed.

The gala was a complete success for everyone involved. The charity, which happened to benefit Gotham Child Protective Services, raised twice their goal amount. Marinette got to spend time with Diana. Even Silver had spent the night looking very pleased with herself, her hand resting on Bruce's forearm as they walked through the ballroom together.

As the night winded down, Marinette and Diana found themselves walking out of Wayne Manor towards Diana's car. Diana had offered to drive Marinette there and back, and Marinette had eagerly accepted. Marinette hated driving in Gotham, as Gotham was known for its aggressive drivers and high rates of automobile accidents.

Marinette sat down in the passenger seat with a sigh, kicking off her heels. "Tonight was nice."

"It was nice," Diana agreed. "We'll have to attend galas together more often."

"You just want an excuse to get your hands on another one of my dresses," teased Marinette.

Diana laughed. "I wouldn't say no to another dress. But really, Bruce's rich friends are much more bearable when I have someone to make fun of them afterward with."

Marinette shuddered. "And to think I thought that Bruce was bad. His friends are intolerable. I never want to talk about golf again in my life."

The two women chatted as they drove through the dark streets of Gotham, back to Marinette's apartment.

"Thanks for driving me home," said Marinette as the car pulled up in front of her apartment building.

"It was no problem." Diana hesitated, before continuing. "I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night."

"Dinner sounds good," Marinette replied, strapping her shoes back on.

"I'm asking for this to be a date." Diana finished.

Marinette looked up at her, surprised. Her friendship with Diana had been so easy that Marinette had forgotten that it could be anything else. She had half a mind to decline, to stay in the familiar, but that little bit of hope in her heart urged Marinette to take a leap of faith and accept. "I would like that. What time will you pick me up?"

Diana smiled, her whole face lighting up. "How does six sound?"

Marinette smiled back, her heart feeling lighter than it had in years. "Sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow."

And as Marinette got ready for bed, she realized that all of the sadness that lingered in her heart since the breakup had gone away. All that was left for her to feel was hope for the future.

@maribatmarch-2k21

#maribat #MaribatMarch2021 #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Diana Prince #wonderbug #dianette #my work

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postmodernmulticoloredcloak · 3 years

Text

So due to popular demand I watched episode 2 of Walker for you guys. Part 2 of 2

The pilot was more interesting and it wasn’t interesting. But let’s continue, maybe it’s gonna get better.

So my cookies are ready now! I ate the smallest one to check if they’re good. They are. At least I have my cookies.

Apparently now they have to take a horseriding test. Walker puts the saddle on a horse. But he gets emotional. The flashback music starts. If I see more of these I will develop rabies symptoms. I’m sorry this is what we’re talking about. This is Geneviève Padalecki’s role in this show.

Walker gets on the horse. He touches the bad and the flashback sound effect plays. Rabies. “Walker are you okay?” Ramirez asks. He nods. I’m Fine Lie #9000.

No, wait. He gets off the horse. Dude it’s called handling a loss badly and they have therapists for that. Please go to therapy. There are literal professionals trained to help you with that.

He takes off his hat, which lets you know this is serious.

He goes at the bar run by the lady who was with Emily when she died. He is no longer a ranger until he passes the test. We are happy about it because he is not in the psychological conditions to be a law enforcement officer. Oh, wait, we’re supposed not to be happy about it. Honestly, I’m not sure. Is he supposed to be relatable, or are we supposed to think that he’s screwed up and should not be a cop or a parent right now? Because he’s ostensibly the latter but maybe the intentions of the writers are the former.

He says that James thinks he’s “not quite right in the head”. Mmm… are we supposed to think James is being exaggerated? Because it’s true. He’s not in the conditions to do this job… he needs to get professional mental health support, period.

They reminisce about Emily and Walker repeats the same things that made him think there’s more to the case than it appears, like the way her eyes were closed. The bartender confesses she closed her eyes. Well. That was anticlimactic.

In the meanwhile, Liam the gay brother meets his partner for lunch. He’s attractive. Liam would also be if he weren’t dressed and hair-styled like that. I dunno. The partner wants them to move to New York. They joke about dying of queso.

Augustus goes to take pictures with his mother’s camera and has a glowy flashback of his own. “He’s sensitive. He keeps a lot inside, like his father” his grandma comments to her husband. They talk about Walker fixing the house. “He wants to pick up where he left off” she says. I am hurting inside. Did they write this with the Supernatural pilot script open on the desk!?

Ramirez keeps working the case. Turns out, the horse that died wasn’t the horse it was supposed to be (a famous racing horse). Someone swapped the horses? I don’t care, actually. I’m gonna skip the case details.

Walker eats tortilla chips with queso. And begs Ramirez to let him work on the case because that’s all he knows how to do. That’s stolen from a couple Supernatural episodes when they talk about hunting, but okay.

“You know how you can see a horse’s soul in its eyes?” …no, but okay.

They’ll need to find the mysteriously disappeared horse… which is loose! In the hospital! No, not in the hospital. Just on a road. Best shot in the show, big dark horse walking around Austin.

They need to go find the horse. Obviously Walker volunteers to get the horse. “Might not be a ranger, but I’m still a cowboy”. I’m crying this is so cliché.

You know Walker is cool because he gets out of the truck without using the little step.

It’s so deep.

Oh my god. He. He follows horse dung. It’s. It’s literally a plot point. He tracks the horse following horse poop.

He finds the horse, feeds him a lil sugar cube, puts the reins on him. It’s a beautiful horse. Can’t the show be about this horse?

Billionaire bad guy (owner of the horse, set the fire to pretend the horse was dead because lots of bets were placed on the horse, but the horse was lightly injured so couldn’t win) driving towards his plane to catch his plane to escape. James and Ramirez do a car chase.

Bad guy lackey shoots at their wheels so their car stops. But Walker arrives on the horse, gets Ramirez on the horse and they ride the horse to the bad guys’ car. Ramirez gets on the car and punches the bad guys unconscious.

For some reason (I mean, budget limitations) the fighting sequences are very quick. I would have watched more of Ramirez kicking billionaire bad guy’s ass on a moving car. But it’s fine, I mean, if this show had a bigger budget they’d spend it on more cowboy hats, so it’s fine.

Walker, James and Ramirez celebrate at the bar. Apparently the bad guy’s lackey that was supposed to get rid of the horse loved the horse too much and set him free in Austin. Mood.

There’s still a third of the episode still to go, though. Drama will ensue. Indeed Liam arrives and is super pissed off at Walker for missing lunch, which he forgot because he was busy with his lil tests.

Liam says Stella didn’t show up to the game. Walker says he know where she is and gets Ramirez to come with him.

Indeed she’s thrown a party at their house. Walker asks her what she’s doing. “Being a disappointment I guess” she answers. He asks her why she missed the game. She says that it shouldn’t be so easy to get a second chance after messing up - like him. He’s like, a second chance? It’s not like a stopped being your father. Except… you did? You disappeared from their lives entirely. He calls her out for damaging the house and she’s like, it’s not even our home anymore but I’m supposed to treat it like a museum? Honestly her scenes are the only interesting thing in this show. He says he’s back now, but she says that being back isn’t enough, what makes a parent is *doing parent things*, supporting the kids.

“I wish uncle Liam had gotten custody of us when he tried” she eventually drops the big bomb. Ouch.

He’s super pissed off, takes off the hat dramatically, and drives back to Liam. He gets off the drunk and immediately assaults Liam. “You tried to take my damn kids!”

I’m flabbergasted. They. They just wrote a plotline where a gay man tried to ~steal a straight man’s children~ like it was a good idea. I mean! Liam getting custody of the kids would have been a VERY GOOD IDEA but what, we’re supposed to think he was wrong? I am so confused because I can’t tell if we’re supposed to be on Walker’s side or not. He is NOT in the condition of being a parent. The kids SHOULD be under the custody of their grandparents and/or uncle. Not because he’s traumatized by loss, but because he’s not trying at all. He keeps saying he’s trying but he’s not. He gets aggressive too easily and it could be dangerous.

Anyway the brothers have this physical fight which isn’t by far the most embarrassing thing in this show so I’ll let it slide. “You had no right!” Walker says, to which Liam replies that he gets it was rough but “you went dark! That was negligence!” Which is absolutely right and he should have gotten the custody of the kids. Liam mentions that their parents also agreed on the thing, and Walker yells “these are MY kids!” which is appalling, because being the biological father of some kids doesn’t make it okay to disappear on them for months and being mad if someone else stepped up to be their parent in your absence. “I didn’t want them to be orphans, did you!?” Liam yells back.

“I would never _take_ them, I wanted to protect them,” Liam says, and says more very reasonable things. “Even now you’re not here.” Walker yells that he is here (again, being physically in Austin doesn’t make you a parent, like Stella said), Liam replies that he’s chasing ghosts.

He brings up the things that don’t add up again, like the poker chip. I’m afraid that the narrative will prove him right, that there WAS something there and he was right to follow through the case despite everyone else telling him he was being delusional and that he should let it go and focus on the family. It would be actually good if it turned out that there was nothing there, that it was all coincidence (like the friend closing her eyes) and that he just chased ghosts for real, but I’m afraid this isn’t that kind of show. I think they’re playing it straight, that they’ll make Walker be right, and it will suck.

A note: now that he’s fighting and yelling and being angry, Jared is actually acting properly, which I don’t know if it’s a good thing or creepy.

Actually Liam says something very reasonable now, that answers will not actually satisfy him, her being gone will never make sense emotionally. The poker chip isn’t going to bring her back. He will lose everything if he keeps searching for something that isn’t there.

Now that Walker has calmed down, Jared returns to doing Jared mouth things. Oh no! Augustus watched them fight.

Oooh. Augustus gives him the present Emily was going to give him for father’s day. Poker chips. “She kept a few of the chips so she could show people” (what? But okay). Another of the mysteries was actually not a weird conspiracy at all. I suspect the narrative will make us believe there was nothing there to just pull a twist afterwards. It would be interesting if Walker were indeed looking for nothing, but I doubt that’s what they’re doing. They’re playing the tropes too straight.

Meanwhile Ramirez comes home to her boyfriend preparing a homemade dinner. She says she’s happy he’s there, and that scares the crap out of her. She wants to get both the job and the relationship right. They’re really cute and I hope their relationship doesn’t get drama-fied for drama. A healthy relationship where two partners figure out how to navigate it together, with normal minor bumps along the way they face together, would really be a good thing for the show to portray.

The next morning, Walker is making breakfast when Stella enters the kitchen. She doesn’t speak to him but gets on her phone so he starts texting her. They have a moment. He was looking for him mug and she gets it out for him. She says it reminded her of him being gone so she’d put it away. They do a bonding activity (bringing a memento from their old house to their new one), she cries, he hugs her.

Back at the ranch, Walker’s father has made him a new saddle. Gramps Walker is rough around the edges but has a hidden wisdom.

The emotional moment is kinda broken for me by the big Texas flag they have inside the house. I suppose it’s just how Texas is but it’s still funny for that very reason.

Augustus for his school project has put together a video from old family footage. Lots of flashback, but this time with a regular song and not the rabies sound effect and with the soft lighting but not the most extreme glowy effect, so it’s kinda okay.

Jared makes emotional faces and the episode’s over.

Well, at least the dead guy having been to prison wasn’t really relevant and the bad guy was a billionaire. An improvement from the previous episode.

I’m not going to give views to the youtube trailers, but I’ve been told in the next episode a new character will be introduced that is a childhood friend that is ~the Han Solo to Walker’s Luke Skywalker. *single tear of sorrow* They’re trying SO HARD to be Supernatural and they’re managing to pick the least interesting concepts of Supernatural to do so. Can’t wait to see Fake Dean. Also we haven’t seen Walker lasso a person either. I suppose I’ll have to watch more of this.

Honestly, it’s mostly boring with Stella being the only interesting part and Ramirez and her boyfriend being cute to watch. Walker is so unlikeable. You want him to get his shit together for the sake of the people around him, but not really for his sake. He should go to therapy but he is a manly cowboy man so obviously he won’t go (but I will be impressed if they actually have him see a therapist. It would be interesting to have a manly cowboy man see a therapist. But will they do it?) The idyllic flashbacks of Emily are so overdone and it’s only the second episode! Everything is cheesy.

This traditional Texan ranch aesthetic meets Austin city would be interesting if played in a way that genuinely questions the values of old, but the show doesn’t really, it uses the gay brother and the immigrant friend and the Latina cop and the Black boyfriend as props but the narrative itself doesn’t really do anything with the traditional Texan family thing. Unless they really pull the rug from under the audience’s feet and make some big twists regarding the way the narrative is presenting itself, there’s nothing really interesting or useful in the show. I’m afraid they will solve their problems by Wanting To Do Better and Sticking Together As A Family, which is just a conservative fantasy of how to fix problems.

By the way, the cookies were really good and my family loved them too.

#marghe watches walker for some darned reason #cw's jared: legit texan

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