#I want a man like casteel

[pxnsneverland]

Don’t Be Cruel | austin!elvis x oc (part 5)

plot summary: Angel Casteel is a small town girl who lucked into working as a makeup artist at a film studio. Unfortunately, her confidence in herself wavers as she is assigned to work with Elvis on his latest motion picture. Overcome by his star power at first, she slowly starts to realize there is a man behind the fame, a man she understands. But as they grow closer, the world grows more turbulent, especially Elvis's world. Will this Angel be able to save Elvis from himself and the people around him? Or will getting mixed up in his word prove to be her downfall as well?

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

pairings: austin!elvis x oc

word count: 1407

warnings/notes: N/A

Chapter 5

The following day, I was getting ready for work, with barely enough time to go to the bus stop before it left. I was delighted to see Elvis again, even though I was certain that the prior day had been a dream. But that wasn't the case. I adored Elvis Presley, and he loved me back. It was enough to make my stomach flutter once again. There came a loud knock on my front door. Who would be knocking at such an early hour? It couldn't possibly have been the landlord. I wasn't late on any rent, and I hadn't even informed him that I was leaving. I approached the door and carefully opened it, peering through the little opening I had created. A tall, slender man dressed completely in black with a collared shirt and a jacket stood in front of me.

“Hello?” I was a bit perplexed as to why this guy was knocking on my door. 

“Ms. Casteel?” His face was lit up with a welcoming grin. “My name is James. I was sent by Mr. Presley to come pick you up and take you to the studio today.”

“What?” I had to close my mouth since it was hanging open.

James made a gesture behind him. I pushed open the door a little farther and saw a vehicle parked in the short driveway. It was the most expensive-looking automobile I'd ever seen. “I was hired by Mr. Presley to be your driver, ma’am. I was told to be here to get you around this time. Mr. Presley is expecting you.”

My mouth felt like it was full of cotton. I couldn't say anything. I was at a loss for words. I'd never been escorted anyplace before. I'd been forced to rely on public transit or drive myself. It was a little overwhelming, but the fear of being late for the set jolted me out of my stupor. I grabbed my pocketbook, jacket, and home keys as soon as I could. I dashed out the front door and shut it behind me. James had already opened the rear door for me. I slipped inside the vehicle, and he closed the door as he approached the driver's seat. The car's interior was all crimson, with leather seats. James began driving towards the studio, sometimes checking his rearview mirror for me.

It didn't take long to get to the studio. We arrived just outside Elvis' trailer. He had been seated and chatting to Colonel Parker, but as the car arrived, I observed him shift his focus. Elvis' hand came out to assist me up as James opened the vehicle door. He had a faint, tentative grin on his face. I grabbed his hand in mine and got out of the vehicle, right in front of Elvis. I had to angle my head slightly to peek into his eyes. He still held my hand in his.

“Hey, baby,”  he said, his voice as smooth as honey.

“Don’t you think the car was a bit much?” I cocked my brow.

Looking down at our joined hands, he laughed gently. “No. You’re my girl now. I want you safe, especially from those buzzard reporters that are going to start coming after you.”

I hadn't even considered it. People would ultimately find out about our relationship, and it and I would be the hottest gossip to some and public enemy number one to many others. My pulse rate increased when I realized this, but I tried not to show it to Elvis. “Oh, I guess I hadn’t thought about that.”

“After everything that’s been happenin’ out there…I just want to protect what’s close to me.” 

I nodded, thoroughly understanding him. “I understand.”

“Now, enough talk. I’ve been thinkin’ about kissin’ you again all night.” Elvis encircled my waist and pulled me into a kiss. I grinned against his lips.

***

The last day of shooting was here and gone. I had packed my belongings and was getting ready to get into the vehicle where James was waiting to take me back home. He'd already opened the door for me, but I came to a stop when I saw the light from Elvis's trailer flickering. I assumed he'd be sleeping. He had looked so worn out.

“Ms. Casteel…?” James seemed worried that I had frozen in place.

I motioned him away. “You can go, James. I think I’m gonna stay here tonight.”

“Are you sure, ma’am?”

I nodded to him as I glanced over my shoulder. “I’m sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He seemed nervous, but he gave me a small bow and shut the rear seat door. I put my arms about myself to keep myself warm as I headed to Elvis' trailer. I carefully opened the door and allowed myself in. Except for the little TV, everything was pitch black. Elvis was stretched down on the sofa, still clothed in the clothing he was wearing when I left. A tape recorder stood next to him, playing his rendition of "Here Comes Santa Claus." The tune had been released to the public the day prior and was already generating a lot of attention. It didn't matter, however. I could tell Elvis despised it, despised having to do it in the first place.

I approached him gently. It took him a while to realize he wasn't alone. He looked at me, his steely gaze softening and becoming kind and welcoming. I put my back against the wall. “Satnin…” He had informed me early on that only his mother had called him that, but I had adopted the moniker since hearing me say it made him happy. “Are you alright?”

“Hi, darlin’.” He glanced down, as if he was trying to think of anything to say but couldn't. He seemed deflated, fatigued by more than just filming. He reached behind him to switch off the recording, clearly sick of hearing himself sing.

I turned to face the television. It was the midst of Dr. Martin Luther King's Memorial broadcast. As usual, Mahalia Jackson was singing in a manner that made the whole globe want to stop and listen. I moved my hand up my forearm. “Can I watch the memorial with you?” 

Elvis cracked the tiniest grin at that. “Yeah, baby. C’mere.” He shifted his weight on the sofa.

I approached him, sat down, and curled my body against his side. He placed his arm around my waist, drawing me closer and kissing my brow. As he continued to stare at the television, he let his lips linger in my hair.

There was silence for a bit until he let out a long sigh. “I’m so tired of playin’ Elvis Presley. Too many people rely on me.”

I knew there was nothing I could do to lighten his load, no matter how much I wished I could. But it wasn't right that he had to suffer in order to care for everyone else. He didn't deserve it. I put my hand on his neck and began tracing the creases with my fingertips. “You know…I fell in love with your smile? Now, I don’t care about the money or the fame or anythin’ else. I just want you to be happy. And I’d do anything to see that smile on your face again.” 

Elvis shut his eyes. He put his hand in my hair and started rubbing my head. “Just stay with me, darlin’, and I’ll smile all you want.”

“I’m right here.” I raised my head just enough to kiss him. “But Elvis…you’re only truly happy when you sing the music you love. I saw it even before I knew you.”

He didn't say anything, but his grasp on me tightened. He cracked open his eyes and returned his gaze to the television. I leaned against him once again. Mahalia Jackson was still singing, her voice carrying everyone's agony and sadness.

“Mahalia Jackson,” Elvis said quietly, “I used to hear her sing at East Street Church.” He pointed at the television. “That’s the music that makes me happy. Music that comes from nowhere else but the soul.” He turned up the volume on the TV so that the woman's voice filled the whole trailer.

“Then sing that music, baby. And don’t let anybody tell you you can’t.” 

Elvis fixed his gaze on the screen. His free hand reached out and interlaced our fingers. “I think it’s time to make some changes.”

Stay tuned for part 6!! Click HERE to view!

#fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #fan fic #austin butler #austin!elvis fluff #elvis 2022 #elvis presley #elvis presley fic #austin!elvis #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler fic #austin butler fluff #austin butler fandom #austin butler imagine #austin!elvis fanfiction #austin!elvis fic #austin!elvis imagine #elvis presley fanfiction #elvis presley fandom #elvis presley fluff #elvis presley imagine #elvis fandom #elvisaaronpresley #elvis movie #elvis #elvis the king #elvis the pelvis #elvis fans

[hawkefaery]

The Da'neers; a fucked up but not-that-much-fucked-up family

(Found this half written on my drafts and decided to finish it lmao so this is an old teaser. not from 1h ago like the pic shows)

I read this teaser from A soul of ash and blood and a random thought occurred to me. The Da'neer family might be all fucked in the head, like Malik, Casteel, Eloana, and Valyn are at the very least murderers-manipulators-liars-kidnappers (again, at the very least). Nevertheless, Casteel and Makik have the best upbringing among the main characters/the characters that are part of the prophecy and that is just so funny to me.

On the one hand, there is Poppy who grew up under that veil and never actually got to experience life. She didn't have friends or an actual childhood/teenagehood until Casteel (literally) kidnapped her from there. Then there is Millie who is Poppy's sister. It is true that we do not much about her but we do know that first, she was also a maiden so she probably didn't grow up much differently from poppy. Second, the girl is literally dead, she was literally murdered, Millicent is literally a walking corpse moved by either, she can't even die now and that does not happen in a healthy household. Next, there is Sera, whom I personally think had the worse of all upbringings. Sera was groomed and basically handed like a sacrificial lamb by her own family, her own mother could not even look at her in her eyes, her stepbrother was an abusive disgusting pervert, and her stepfather was too passive when he needed to do something about his own son, etc. Her life before leaving Lasania was a nightmare basically and it all started as a young girl in her own home, with her own family. Following, there is Nyktos. He does not apply much to this list because his younghood was hard but it was not directly and fully his parents' fault. They seem like great people and that they would have been lovely parents. Yet, Nyktos' life/younghood was, in fact, traumatizing so I am going to mention him anyways. He literally had his parents killed by his own uncle, who is also a constant threat in his life. He grew up without his mother and she was murdered while still pregnant, horrible.

On the other hand, you have Casteel and Malik whose childhoods couldn't have been happier compared to the others. These brothers were born to parents that actually wanted them and truly loved them in the healthiest way they could. Plus, Valyn and Eloana didn't even know that their sons were part of an ancient prophecy about how they are basically key parts to save the realms (lmao). Malik and Casteel grew up like normal children or at least normal princes. Examples of this are:

the fact that they were free to explore the caves, or casteel mentions in one book an adventure to the sea the fact that different from the rest they had toys such as Casteel's wooden horse, etc. they were allowed to have friends and interact with people, to leave their home, to show their faces, to have partners, and basically to have a common healthy life/social life.

It is not only the fact that they were treated like normal children but also the fact that they were actually shown love, support, and kindness. Casteel never shows to have a bad relationship with his parents. In TCOGB that man turned into a little kid while embracing his mother and letting her ask him if he had gotten taller despite the fact that he is 200+ years old, or when he literally shook while hugging his father in TWOTQ and described that he felt like a kid back to the time where his father would be the strongest and bravest to his eyes. Also when Casteel recalls his childhood in AKOFAF he does it so fondly and 99% of types Poppy describes that she smiles while remembering.

And it is not even only that, Valyn and Eloana continue to support and respect their boys, for example (AN: this will always be so funny to me, I just love it) Eloana and Valyn were genuinely worried and care for Casteelʼs happiness when he brought Poppy to Atlantia and married her and not the fact that she just has kidnapped her like lmao their youngest boy was like "yeah this the maiden, the one a kidnapped, also the one whom we believe to be malec's child, just murdered a bunch of atlantians, is literally the blood queen's favorite etc and oh I married her" and they were like "okey! we are so happy you are home baby, let;s crown you and your wiffy king and queen" *nodding heads*, then there is the fact that they respect and support his claim as king, Valyn respected Malik's boundaries to not want to be hugged in twotq which I think that is very important considering how none of the other characters' boundaries get respected, another example is when Valyn helped cas to find poppy and even went to fight for her by his side, etc etc. Basically, Cas and Malik had basically the healthiest childhood in blood and ash, yeah their parents are not perfect but they really try their best so yeah I adore this family and I will defend them no matter what.

(AN: If this does not make sense I apologize, is one in the morning but I can't sleep)

#I love this little family of psychos #my opinion #casteel da'neer #malik da'neer #eloana da'neer #valyn da'neer #da'neer family #poppy balfour #poppy da'neer #millicent #sera mierel #nyktos #isbeth #asite #fbaa #akofaf #tcogb #twotq #ires mierel #family trope #jennifer l armentrout #fbaa series #jennifer armentrout

[rosalynbair]

AO3 | Masterlist | Buy me a coffee

Pairing: Poppy Balfour x Casteel Da’Neer

Words: 5800

Summary: this is pure smut between Poppy and Cas

Warnings: smut, swearing, multiple positions, this is not edited

A/N: this is just some writing from my AO3 for the twitter pals, it’s the first time I’m posting my book writings onto tumblr so I hope yall enjoy

Insufferable.

Casteel Da’Neer was the most insufferable non-human that she had ever met in her life. She didn’t even ask to know him, to meet him, to marry him, to love him. But here he was, sliding his hands up her waist and ribs, squeezing gently to encourage warmth to seep into her clothes.

The horse beneath them was warm, but by the time it registered to her, the biting wind took all semblance of heat away from her, leaving her once more to suffer and shiver. Her body trembling against the man behind her.

“You’re shaking.” Casteel mummers against her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

“No shit.” Poppy snaps, turning her head to glare at him.

Insufferable. She thinks again, looking at the face that was concerned, but oh so beautiful.

A smile flashes across his mouth but fades back into concern as a harsh tremble wrack through her entire body. She was sore. Not only from the four days that she had been on the horse, trapped between Casteel’s thighs, but from the lack of warmth that she was unable to get no matter how many cloaks and layers she bundled herself into.

Stiff. Her muscles were stiff, making her shaking even more painful. Unused muscles clenching around the saddle, tremors vibrating her and Casteel.

“Poppy.” Cas mumbles, his arm tightening around her. “Why didn’t you say you were this cold.”

“It’s not like we have any more cloaks.” She responds quietly, teeth chattering against her words. A whimper rips from her throat as the wind surrounds them with its cold snap.

Casteel curses, pulling on the reins as he wraps his other arm around her torso. The horse falls back, and they land between the small group.

“We’ll stop in the next town for the night.” He announces, voice rumbling through her. “Get rooms at the inn and hot baths.”

A mummer of appreciation ran through them, a new pace set to reach the inn faster than reaching another clearing to sleep on the ground once more. A sigh went through her again, another tremble shaking her.

“We’re almost there Princess.” Cas mutters, kissing the tip of her ear as the hood fell back.

Almost there was another two hours.

She wanted to kill him, kill him for the fact that she was so cold, kill him for being sore, kill him for even making her go on this trip. A trip to another city that she wasn’t even required to go on, a trip that only actually needed Casteel and an entourage for the escort and for the looks. She had hated all three days that they were there, stuck to talk about politics and the ever growing land crisis in Atlantia.

She hated him for making her go with them, hated him when he said that it would make a better impression if he came with his wife. Because what was a Prince without his Princess.

Useless Kieran had added with a chuckle as he watched his friend try to convince her to come.

I don’t see how I really have a choice here. She had said, glaring up from the chaise that she had lounged on with her book.

Good to see you’ve finally caught on. Cas had grinned.

She wanted to cry as Cas swung himself off the horse, handing the reins to a stable hand that had rushed out the moment they pulled up to the inn. He turned to her, holding his hands up to grab her hips to help her off.

As her stiff joints bent to pull her legs off, she let out a small cry of pain. She noticed Cas’ wince without even looking up at him. When her feet were on the ground, she was unsteady, her husband’s body holding her up as she took a step to the front door.

“Oh dear.” A female voice said softly, revealing a small, overtly pregnant woman holding the door open. “Come in, come in please.”

They’re ushered in, and the heat from the fireplace on the back wall hits her like a brick. Poppy closes her eyes, cheeks heating almost immediately. She breaks away from her entourage, trailing closer to the fire and lifting her hands, not bothering to take off the gloves that Kieran had gifted to her.

She can hear Cas speaking to the innkeeper, booking multiple rooms, and asking for dinner to be brought up to all of them when it was ready. The footsteps of the men dispersed up the stairs, the sound of doors opening and then closing once more.

Arms wrapped around her, and her eyes open. Casteel nudging her hood down with his nose before resting his head on her shoulder.

“Go away.” She mumbles, looking at him through damp lashes.

“No.” he responds, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Poppy pulls away from him, sidestepping as he moves to grab her again. “I’m warm enough without you.”

“You’re warm because of me.” He responds, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leading her to the stairs.

“I was cold because of you.” She snaps back, pulling once again out of his arm and taking the steps up on her own.

“First door.” Cas says as she almost steps past it. His hand grabs the handle, pushing the door open to the toasty room. A fire roared between the two windows that overlooked the street, a kettle hanging in the fireplace.

One large bed pressed against the right side of the room, piles of heavy quilted blankets adorning it. To the left was a dresser with teacups stacked on the top of it, beside it, the door to the bathing room.

Her fingers fumble quickly with the clasp of the cloak that rested on her shoulders. When it was undone, she let it fall to the floor before unhooking the second one and letting it fall onto the other.

“I’ll let you bathe first.” Cas says, taking off his own cloak and hanging it onto a hook beside the door. She turns to glance at him, watching him unbuckle all the leather straps that held his weapons.

“I was planning on it anyways.” She retorts, raising her eyebrow as he undoes the laces holding the top of his shirt together, revealing the tan base of his neck.

His gaze catches hers, a smirk tilting the corners of his mouth. “I can think of a few things that can really warm you up princess.”

She holds his gaze, watching him strip her with his eyes. Her cheeks becoming rosy from the thought of his hands on her, under her clothes. But her gaze darkens and she lifts her lip off of her teeth, baring them slightly.

“I can manage on my own.” She tells him, taking the two steps to the bathing room, her brain playing over and over the argument of not wanting to go on the trip with him. She spins quickly to shut the door, Casteel already striding towards her.

She hears his boot make impact with the door the moment she closed it. The lock quickly falling in place as she hears him curse.

“Poppy.” He warns from the other side of the door.

“Casteel.” She mocks, turning around and pulling her shirt out of her breeches. She tugs it over her head and drops it to the bin beside the door for the laundress to pick up later.

“I’m not playing princess.” He calls to her, and she knows from the influx of his voice that he had been thinking of a long night to warm up before the bath, had probably been thinking of it the moment he said they were coming to the inn.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She coos, nudging her boots off and letting her pants fall atop them. When her undergarments followed, she leans over to turn on the tap, the water running immediately hot into the bath. “I’ll consider playing after I bathe.”

His groan is loud, but she hears him pushing away from the door, followed by a creak of the bed as he sits down on it. She smiles, raising her arms up and letting a tight stretch flow through her still stiff muscles.

As the bath fills up, she holds the side, stepping in and letting the water flow around her ankles. It was scorching against her skin, and she turns on the cold tap just to even out the temperature.

She lowers her body down, skin screaming at the heat of the water against it. Her skin still red with the cold. As her ass hits the bottom, she leans back against the wall of the tub, hair falling over it and hanging from it on the outside.

Poppy closes her eyes once more, letting the water rise around her.

As it reached to her shoulders, she turned off the taps. The silence filling the room around her. Her breath mingling with the steam that swirled around her.

As the hot water seeped into her bones, her muscles relaxing finally from the ache that had taken over them, she sinks deeper, water hitting her lips.

Her thoughts wander, finally not focused on how cold she was. But rather instead, on how truly aching she was. No longer all over, but between her thighs.

As she adjusts her body, the water laps against her, causing her to have a rapid intake of breath as it hits at her again and again like a tongue begging for her pleasure. A soft sigh echoes through her as she leans back down deeper into the water, hands coming off the edges and splaying over her breasts.

Her nipples were peaked, aching from the hours and hours spent in the cold, rubbing against the rough fabric of her shirt. Now, the feel of her soft fingers trailing over them caused them to harden more.

She pinches them between her fingers, gasping slightly at the contact as she pressed harder on them. The pleasure-pain that radiated through her went right between her legs, and she couldn’t help but roll her hips against the feeling, water lapping at her once more.

“Oh.” She whispers, one hand leaving her nipple to trail down against her stomach, scars rough against her fingertips. She let her fingers dance across her skin, running over her thighs and hips, between her legs and then through her folds, never once letting herself touch her clit. But she could feel the heat, a different heat than the water, surrounding her fingers as she pushed them over her opening.

Her hips rock, and her fingers clamp tighter around her one nipple, the pain easing the need that radiated from her core.

The hand holding her breast raises, releasing her nipple and grabbing a hold of her throat, easing some pressure against the sides. Her eyes fluttering closed as the blood rushes.

She was rocking against her hand, her fingers parted so she didn’t touch her clit. But the pressure against her lips, tips of her fingers running roughly across her opening. Her mouth opens slightly, breath hot as her eyes roll.

“Poppy.” Casteel says from the bedroom, the distance in his voice letting her know that he was still on the bed. “What, in the gods names, are you doing.”

“Nothing.” She says softly, fingers easing off of her throat as she closes the fingers between her legs, pinching her clit between them. She stifles her moan, squeezing her lips shut as she pulls her hand up, fingers sliding over her clit once more.

Casteel doesn’t respond, she wasn’t hiding what she was doing, but she loved the idea of him thinking about what she was doing, guessing where her hands were.

Poppy drags her fingers over her clit again, letting out a breath as she begins to speed up her pace. Water hits her body like waves, her fingers pressing hard as they trace her clit and keep her edging towards a release.

“Penellaphe.” Casteel growls. She could hear the frustration leaking through his words. “I can smell you. I can smell what you’re doing. Get here and let me do it for you.”

With a satisfied grin, she pulls her leg up, foot pressed against the lip of the tub. It opens herself up further, and she lets out another moan.

“No.” she says simply, leaning her head back and letting the pleasure ripple through her as she speeds her hand up over her clit, pressing harder against it as her other hand grabs at her breast.

“Penellaphe.” He groans, his head dropping against the door frame as he listens to her breaths, her moans, the water hitting her skin.

Her hips rise, another moan escaping her as she works her clit, the coil beginning to tighten in her abdomen.

“Oh.” She whispers, arching further up. “Oh. Oh.”

“Poppy.” Cas says, a whine lacing his words.

She lets out a gasping scream, the coil cutting loose and pleasure ripping through her body.

“Fuck.” Cas says, listening to her pleasure herself through the orgasm, moans and whimpers falling from her lips as she keeps running her fingers over, over, over her clit.

Finally, when the pressure was too much to handle, she pulls her hand away, gasping as the pleasure eases itself from her body.

Her eyes close again, and she lets her body calm from the climax.

“Poppy.” Casteel demands, heat filling his words. “Get out here. Now.”

She looks over her shoulder to the locked door, knowing that her husband was wound up, most likely aching for her as he did when he wasn’t inside her for more than a handful of days.

A smile tugs at her lips. “I don’t think I’m quite done yet.”

A snarl tears through the door, causing her to let out a laugh and place her hand back down between the lips, tugging a finger between them, back bowing at the sensitivity.

She pulls her hand away again, placing her hands on the sides of the tub and pulling herself up. Once standing, she bends to pull the drain plug, letting the cooling water rush away. Her feet land on a towel when she steps out. Her body turns, ass pressing against the tub as she leans back, foot up on the lip again as she holds herself open.

Her fingers find her clit again, dancing across it and grabbing the slickness from her opening. She dips her fingers in, moaning at the pressure.

There’s tension as her fingers slide in, pressing in all the places she wanted it most.

She pulls them out, pushing them back in, the heel of her hand pressing roughly against her clit. She works herself easily, having figured her own body out on the days that Cas was away on out-of-city excursions. She knew how to make herself feel good, how to make herself feel almost as god as her husband made her feel.

She was pulling herself closer again, closer and closer. Her hips arching off the tub, foot holding her up as she works herself harder.

But the door hits the wall, splinters hitting the floor as they fall from the broken door.

Her head swivels to the door, eyes half lidded as she stares at her flustered husband. His breaths coming fast and heavy as he stares at her, at how she was fucking herself like he often did.

“Poppy.” He whispers, gaze dark as she plunges her fingers back into herself. A wicked moan leaves her, and whatever spell that was cast upon Cas, breaks.

He strides towards her, knees roughly hitting the floor before her. She stares at him, watching him as he places his hands on her knees, trailing them up her thighs as he watches her hand move within her.

He’d never seen her fuck herself, never watched her cum from her own doings. He knew she did on occasion, when he was gone for too long. But he never could quite picture it in his mind, how beautiful and enticing it was to watch her make herself come undone.

“Let me.” He mutters, grabbing her wrist right as she was about to push back in. She whines as the emptiness hits her, but any thought she has racing through her brain leaves her as he takes her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips.

His mouth was hot around her fingers, tongue dancing over them as he cleaned them for her. His eyes never leaving hers as he slowly pulled her hand away, fingers retracting from his throat.

She was hot, her body on fire as she watched him. There was a smirk on his lips, fangs poking out against his bottom lip. He set her hand down, letting it rest on his shoulder while he leaned in closer, his nose skimming her thigh.

Her breath catches as he moves closer, lips pressing small, wet kisses over little bites he was placing up her thighs.

His nose brushes her clit, and she arches against him. There’s a chuckle that comes from him, basking in her need. Closer, and closer. Until his teeth skim over her clit.

She bows, arching against the sensation.

“Cas.” She snaps, staring down at him and pushing her hand into his hair. She tugs him closer to her, pushing his lips against her clit.

He takes the hint easily and quickly, darting his tongue out to push open her lips and drag it up over her opening and her clit.

He relished in her moan, the tightening of her fingers in his hair, forcing him closer against her. She needed him, whether or not she would admit it. She needed this.

Her head falls back, mouth open as he flattens his tongue against her, moving his head with his motions so he could make her feel as good as fucking possible. He was buried between her thighs, letting them tense around him as he worked his tongue on her.

Her moans were loud, music to his ears. His hand trails up her thigh, squeezing along the way. His fingers were rough as they came between her legs, dragging her open below his tongue.

As her thighs began to quake, he pushes three of his fingers in.

Her screaming moan echoed in his ears, his grin unable to be forced away as he ate her, licking her like it was the last time it would ever happen.

“Cas-.” She gasps, fingers tugging at his hair. “Cas, please.”

“I’m going to cum.” She sobs, grinding herself against his face as his fingers ram into her fast and hard. A quick turn of his wrist and his middle finger was pressing tightly against a spot that had her seeing stars. “Cas, please I’m gonna – please. I’m gonna-.”

A scream falls from her lips, legs wrapping around his shoulders in a tight embrace. She’s arched, back aching as the pleasure strings her up like a bow ready to break.

His tongue and fingers don’t stop, they keep up the brutal pace. Sending her into the realm of overstimulation and pleasured pain. Her screams turn into jagged whimpers, sobs wracking her body as she finally curls around him.

As her body trembles, he slows his pace, letting it drag on before coming to a stop.

It takes her a few minutes of shaky deep breaths before she unfurls herself from around him, placing her legs down and setting her toes on the floor.

Casteel is staring at her, eyes dark and his features tight. He moves faster than she can process what he’s doing, and suddenly, she’s in his arms. Her legs wound tightly around his hips and her arms around his shoulders.

His lips are on hers in seconds, the sweet taste of honeydew coating her tongue as he shoves his own in her mouth.

They’re moving, his hands firmly cupping her ass as he takes her to the bedroom. His movements are bumpy, and she can feel him pressed up against the back of her thigh.

Her lips are still against his, moving and sucking on his bottom lip, holding it between her teeth and biting down lightly. His groan vibrates through her, almost as much as the fall onto the bed.

It creaks beneath their weight, mattress hard against her back. She grunts slightly, feeling him adjust above her, his hand fumbling with the ties of his breeches. She can feel him push them down, unleashing what she wanted most.

The pants were around his thighs as he tries to line up with her entrance, his breaths rasping against her cheek.

There’s a moment, and she wraps her legs around him, using any momentum and surprise against him to turn him onto his back.

His head hits the pillow with a slight bounce, her folds perfectly holding his burning cock between them. His cheeks are rosy, red seeping over his chest from the heat of his desire. His moan is intoxicating. “Poppy.”

She smiles down as him, sliding herself over him, not letting him in despite how badly he wanted it. “Yes, your highness.”

“Now is not the time to play games.” He tells her, she could almost feel him trying to compel her. But the magic of his words wrapped around her like a hug.

“Oh but I think it is.” She coos, leaning down to take his earlobe between her teeth. “Don’t you want to have fun?”

“I want to be inside you.” He grumbles, his hands sliding up her thighs and landing on her ass again. With a quick snap, his hand stung against her ass.

She arches from the pain, but there’s a grin on her face with a look in her eyes that told him he would not be getting what he wanted as quickly as he thought.

Her hips rock, dragging her cunt against him, coating him in her previous climax. His eyes roll back in his head, the feeling almost euphoric. She sits up, bracing her hands on his chest. Her hips rock again, rolling against him. She lets the tip of his cock brush with her entrance, teasing what he wanted.

He grunts beneath her, looking down to watch her tease him. He was going to die this way, he knew he was going to die this way. There was no way he could survive the pleasure rippling through his body, couldn’t survive this almost pleasure that she was giving him.

He was going to cum. He mumbles it to her, watching her move faster and harder along him. “I’m going to cum princess.”

“No you’re not.” She replies, going up on her knees and pulling herself away from him completely.

He curses, hands gripping her hips tightly, fingers digging into her as his orgasm fades from him. “Penellaphe.” He warns, watching her eyes light with mischief.

But she’s already moving. Her skin dragging against his as she moves down his body, looking up at him only when his cock was resting between her breasts.

He was flushed, watching his once pure, innocent wife looking at him like a predator chasing her prey. Her hand reaches his cock, wrapping around it gently, giving it a slight squeeze.

“You’ll cum when I tell you to.” She all but purrs, leaning down to press a kiss to a scar on his hip.

His mind went blank, watching her move a little bit further down.  Her mouth was so close to his tip, lips so close to his possibly spontaneous combustion.

His cock was purple, aching and dark against her pink lips. Her eyes never leaving his as she lowers her mouth onto him.

He was wrong. This was how he was going to die. Right here, in his wife’s beautiful mouth.

Her tongue was pressed right under the head, sending shocks up and down his body as she swirled her tongue around him, lowering her head further down and taking more than half of him into her mouth, his tip brushing against the top of her mouth and the back of her throat.

The vein that threaded the underside of him pulsed against her swirling tongue, and she paused on it, putting slight pressure against it as she dragged her mouth off.

Her hand found his sac, massaging it gently with a wicked gleam to her eyes while her mouth returned to its ministrations on his length.

His hips were bucking, pushing himself further into her mouth. His mouth open in silent moans as she wraps her other hand around his base, moving along with her mouth.

His sac tightened, abdomen trembling under the pressure of his once more building orgasm.

“Poppy.” He warns, moving up onto his elbows to watch her.

But she didn’t stop, not until he had fallen back, tangling his hand into her hair and trying to guide her further down on him.

The muscles in his legs tense, breath held in his throat as he let out a brutal moan, his climax right there.

But then she was gone, kneeling between his legs, wiping her mouth of his precum and saliva, the other hand trailing her nails against his locked muscles. He wanted to curse, to bring her onto him and make her ride him.

But instead, as the orgasm faded away, he stood on shaky legs, kicking off his pants. His hands shook as they held onto the pitcher of water beside the bed. He poured two cups, handing her one with a look that promised her that he would ruin her.

Innocence glazed over her features, taking the water with a soft smile, a smile that almost covered her knowing what she was doing to him.

She sips her water watching him.

He dumps his on his head, the droplets clinging to his hair and trailing down his face. “You are a menace.” He tells her, sitting beside her.

She’s hiding her chuckles, a gasp replacing it as he wraps his hand into her hair and pulling her closer to him.

“I will give you what you deserve.” He promises into her hair, kissing the top of her head before pulling his hand from her hair.

His hands reach into her hair, sectioning it quickly. She’s confused for the slightest of moments before he starts to plait her hair, twisting the strands together into a messy braid, as clean as it can be without being brushed.

There’s a tie on his wrist, and he wraps it around the bottom of her plait.

“Ride me.” He commands, fingers trailing and grabbing her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“So demanding.” She says, setting the cup down on the table.

“Please, Poppy.” He corrects himself, the whine showing through the command.

She purrs, her chest warm. She brings her knees up, crawling onto her hands and knees, following the lines of his body as he leans back.

She’s seated above him, her hand gripping his member, angling it to slide into her. “Is this what you want?”

She lowers herself, sliding just his tip into her.

“yes.” He hisses, clawing at her hips, pushing her down.

She holds herself still, despite his urging. “Are you sure?”

“Poppy, please.” Cas curses, pushing her down.

She releases herself, and with his push, she’s fully seated on him.

His cock is hitting her cervix immediately, the curve of it exactly where she needed it. His eyes close, relief flooding his face.

She lifts herself, rolling her hips as she goes back down. So much different than the first time she had done this to him on the forest floor. So much time had passed between then and now, but his reactions to her hadn’t changed.

His one hand stays on her hip, the other trailing down and brushing her clit as she moved against him.

Her eyes roll, the bud still sensitive from her two previous orgasms. But she was determined to have another. She rocks her hips, clenching around him as she moves.

“fuck.” He curses, snapping his hips up to meet hers. There’s a rough skin on skin slapping that fills the room, orchestrated with her soft moans and his frantic gasps. “Poppy.”

She stills again, and he’s ready to lose it. She sits on him, fully seated as his orgasm once again fades from him.

“Poppy, I can’t do this.” He says, body shaking beneath her. “Poppy, fuck princess, please.”

“Not yet.” She whispers, leaning down to him and giving him a kiss full of promise. Her hips begin to move again, her pussy tightening around him almost unbearably. His finger is dancing over her clit, feeling her coil and uncoil as he urges her closer towards her orgasm.

She’s beautiful, a beautiful, murderous, torturous little creature.

She’s bouncing on him, breasts grazing over his chest with every pump. He was thrusting into her, sac slapping against her ass as he pounded into her. His fingers still grazing her clit, her slick coating his upper thighs and hand.

“Oh.” She whispers, squeezing her eyes shut. “Oh, again again again. Cas please again.”

He pulls his hand away, grabbing her hips with both hands tightly. He took over, she was a statue above him, mouth open in a silent scream, her hands holding her breasts as she sat up and leaned back, arching painfully.

She was a vice around him, so tight he couldn’t breathe as she came. She tossed her head back, legs tensed into stones on either side of his waist.

As the breath tore from her, she let out a primal scream, a sob following it as he continued to pound into her, harder and harder. Faster, until she sobbed again. He paused, breath heavy as she collapsed onto him, body shaking dangerously.

She was whimpering into his ear, his hands running up and down her sides gently, down to her thighs to massage the tenseness out of her.

As she loosened around him, he looks at her, pulling her off of him slowly.

He set her beside him, her body still shaking from her still wracking orgasm. He moved quickly, kneeling behind her as he brought her hips up to him, her ass pressing tightly against his upper thighs.

“Tapping out princess?” He teases, reaching around her to graze her clit.

She whimpers, but presses herself back tighter against him, and he knew she wanted more.

God did she want more, her orgasm still making her toes curl and her breath come in gasps. But fuck she wanted more, she wanted it again.

He was sheathed back into her within seconds, her raw pussy clenching around him. He held her hips, rocking her back onto him slowly, getting her used to this position and the ease of her fading orgasm.

But then his hand reached up, wrapping tightly into her braid, the thick strand coiled around his knuckles. He pulled on it, her back arching downwards and letting him hit that perfect spot in her, the spot he knew would have her screaming at least once more time.

He was ready to blow, holding himself back as he began to snap his hips, length pulling all the way out of her before snapping back into her repeatedly. Slow pull out, harsh push back in.

She was a moaning mess beneath him, her breath coming in jagged gasps as he tightens his hold on her braid, guiding her back against him, forcing her to meet his thrusts.

“One more time princess.” He tells her, and he’s sure she didn’t hear him, or couldn’t comprehend his words in her muddled mind.

“One more time.” Cas repeats, getting slightly harder with his thrusts. He angles himself differently, and she lets out a strangled screech.

There it is, there’s a smirk on his lips, sweat gleaming over his skin like a film. He could feel himself beginning to lose control, frowning, he reaches around her again, tugging her up by her hair, bringing her closer to him.

His fingers were on her clit once more, brutal in their pace against it. She was sobbing against him, cursing and blubbering, begging for him to give it to her again, begging him to cum in her. She was a mess, words almost incoherent.

He was hard against her, skin slapping as he sped himself up, pushing himself further into her as his abdomen began to tighten.

Casteel was becoming sloppy, his fingers moving harder and faster against her.

He felt her still, arching away from him as she screams again, her hands reaching to grab onto the headboard with both hands.

But he wasn’t done yet, she could feel that he wasn’t. He was still hard in her, his pace unforgiving as he slammed harder and harder into her, his fingers relentless against her clit.

She was tight around him, making it hard to move within her.

He let go of her plait, gripping her hip again, the other hand still working her, elongating her orgasm in an almost painful way.

She was still holding the headboard, slamming her ass back against him as she screams again, eyes squeezed shut, knuckles white.

It tore through her again, before the last one was completed, she was going through another one. It was brutal, how the pleasure flashed white against her eyelids. He was going harder, hips stuttering every other thrust.

She was still on the peak of her orgasm as his ripped through him.

His grunting moans were loud, fading into yells as he pumped himself dry in her.

“Princess.” He chokes, hands tight on her hip, the other still torturing her clit.

He doesn’t stop, letting himself work her through her high as he softens. She’s still screaming softly, mouth buried against her arm, trying to keep herself quiet.

But finally, she whimpers, shaking against him, pulling herself away from his cock.

“Please.” She sobs, her body wracking with the tremors. She was shaking the bed, her skin coated in sweat and flushed from the orgasm that was still there, still fading away.

He pulls his hand away, leaning forward to kiss her shoulder blade.

She leans back, collapsing against him with gasping breaths, her head tilting so she could kiss his skin, salty against her tongue. He holds her, holding her chin and capturing her lips, letting her sit against his thighs while she finally relaxed.

“Good girl.” He praises, kissing her again. “Don’t play again unless you know you can take it.”

She glares, eyes darkening. “Insufferable.”

“So insufferable when you’re begging for me.” He teases, kissing her one more time before adjusting her so he could lay her down, wrapping her into his arms. He’d clean them up later, when they got their strength back.

#from blood and ash #kingdom of flesh and fire #the crown of gilded bones #the war of two queens #poppy balfour #casteel daneer #poppycas #casteel da'neer #poppy x cas #poppy x casteel #penellaphe balfour

[darkcrowprincess]

Fuck Tom, fuck Logan, and FUCK YOU LUKE CASTEEL! Fuck every other man in this book except Troy cause they all horrible and Troy was the only person good to Heaven. Fuck all men in this book and their hypocritical bullshit. Poor Heaven. At least she has Troy, even if it's for a little while. Oh fuck her sister Franny too. Almost all the people in this book are horrible to poor Heaven. Like I seriously want to go inside this book and kick tons of people's asses for Heaven. She deserves so much better. She and Troy deserve to be happy and married! This quote is relatable, especially with how the majority of men see women. God this book is so good and angsty, but I want to go back to Troy and Heaven and their fluffy cuteness in the cottage. Just be away from everybody and everything that could hurt them.

#my thoughts #books #quotes #v.c. andrews #v.c andrews #vc andrews #heaven casteel #troy tatterton #heaven x troy #dark angel #the casteel family series

[djouzaherondale]

Alert spoiler crown of gilded bones

Spoiler can't be the only one who is pissed by the fact that we were rubbed from Poppy and Ian's relationship.

Like in the two frist books she spoke of him so fondly, she seems like a sister who admires and loves her big brother at all costs and is ready to do anything ro save him.

And then, we don't get to know him at all since he dies in the third book.

And then he is barely mentioned in the fourth book. There was no mournings. Seeing her brother being beheaded must've been the most traumatic event to Poppy, unfertunatly we get close to nothing on how she feels after they killed him.

Like that man was her brother, her only friend for a long time, the only one who tried to make her laugh and smile and forget their tragic past . She was devastated, not only jer brother was killed in the worst way possible, but also her husband and heartmate gets kidnapped by her evil mother.

I want to read a fanfic where he still lives and is in constant banter with Casteel. Like please , i am ready to pay someone to write this 😭😭

#poppy balfour #casteel da'neer #twotq #poppy x casteel #jennifer l armentrout #kieran contou #booktok #asite #a shadow in the ember #tcogb

[cassianandfenrysaremyboyos]

OMG

Let me tell you lmfao. His name is Astarion he's from a video game (it's only available on pc atm. Will be out on ps5 soon) called Baldur's Gate 3. He's an elf turned vampire that joins your party and you can romance him and yes fuck him in the game. Honestly maaaajor Casteel vibes. Unfortunately I cant play it cause I don't have a ps5 and my laptop can't handle the game. I live vicariously through others. But damn do I want him.

Becs bless you for this absolutely vital information. And bless the game for making him fuckable lmao! They know what the people want. He is a capital H Hottie! And yes, the Casteel vibes! No wonder I was instantly like WHO IS THAT??! 👀🔥😍 God I'm so predictable, I see a pretty man with great hair and fae/vampiric vibes and I go nuts! Unfortunately I'm not a gamer so will also have to live vicariously 😭 But luckily there is a lot of him on my dash right now! So I'm so thankful for that lol

#the audacity of this man to not stop at being just one type of hot being #he said elves are hot vampires are hot so why don't I be both and be the hottest ever #asks

[anderson-residence]

Dates of Note

18th - Chocolate Cupcake Day

26th - Howl at the Moon Day

30th - Candy Corn Day

31st - Halloween

Important Dates

11th - Cole's Angelversary, the date Cole died in his death/ghost verse

15th - Mayson's Birthday

Dash Icon

Lana Vampire, my current icon.

And Lana Candy

Anticipated Theme

Halloween time! Time for all the spooky and fall related threads and things! Casteel makes his grand return as well!

Drafts and Threads

4 drafts. 3 written. 1 Partially written. All need to be queued. Accepting random tags/starters/plotting/ect.

Inbox and Memes

My inbox is currently empty so feel free to come poke the muses. Send me random prompts for headcanons or drabbles or send meme/prompts for drabbles or starters. Memes can always be sent in no matter how long ago I reblogged them! Here are my meme tags for you to look through: meme, memes, sumo stop barking at the mail man: memes

Here is also links to some memes I'm currently really feeling/wanting for quick reference:

Fall activities prompts

Your muse finds out mine is a vampire

Your muse finds out mine is a werewolf

One of our muses guards the other

Make my muse smile

Childish activities

Who are you? My muse meets yours in the past

My muse sends yours a farewell letter

Rainy day prompts

My muse is dead

Feel free to send these or any other meme I have reblogged or anything else!

Tracking

See my new thread tracking post for thread tracking info.

This is a monthly updated post of general thread details to keep track of which threads we have going. Check it out here.

Muse Levels

How active each muse is expected to be. Even if I’m really feeling  one muse over others all muses are open for interactions. The level  just means how likely I am to be the first to start things with that  muse. (random  asks, memes, starters, randoms starters, drabbles,  plotting, etc) but I’ll be more than happy to answer asks or plot things  for all my muses. I just tend to forget which muses I have sometimes  and need a reminder from those interested.

Mayson - High  Lana - Very High Cole - Medium Sarah - Medium  Ava - High Niles - Low  Neilos - Low  Carter - Low to Medium Connor - Low Hank - Medium to High

Verses

How active ideas for each of my verses is expected to be. All verses are always open to plotting and new verse ideas are welcome. This is just how likely I'll be to start something on my own.

Vampire - Very High Werewolf - High Royal - High Alien - Medium Merperson- Low Ghost - Low to Medium Black Eyed Children - Medium Lab Born - Medium Android - Medium Demon - Medium to High

#ooc: alley talks #mobile post #alley and queue: queued post #blog things #blog updates #blog stuff #monthly blog calendar

[hoejosatoru]

Reading the blood and ash series and I’m on book two and (spoilers I guess?) when Casteel rips the heart out of a man for insulting Poppy😮‍💨… like why was that sooo sexy to me (and why do I want to write a fic based on this)

#probably because I am insane #but like come on that is hot #need a man that will kill for me fr #and like that? yeah that’s hot #this has like Geto vibes

[witchybooks]

From Blood and Ash & Kingdom of Flesh and Fire Review

From Blood and Ash:

“A Maiden… Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers. A Duty… The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden. A Kingdom… Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.”

So this first book i really enjoyed. It was a bit slow but very interesting. I liked poppy in this first book. She was feisty and tough. My heart hurt for her and all she went through. Not to mention Hawke was very hot. I liked his character very much as well. Then what we had of learned of the world was interesting, i definitely wanted to learn more. Overall i really enjoyed it and got through it quickly.

Stars: ★★★★ 

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (spoilers):

A Betrayal… Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her. A Choice... Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation. A Secret… But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late. 

Okay unfortunately i liked this book a lot less. It was very frustrating. I had hoped we would be getting more world building and well we did but not enough to really expanded the world. Instead we got 637 pages of a slow plot, annoying character inner monologue. I started struggling almost half way through the book with poppy's thoughts. I get why they were like that. People have only lied to her throughout her whole life but enough with the flip flopping. not to mention a majority of the book was in one place, with characters talking and talking, then a little bit of action. I was so bored. I finished this book and was so dispointed after i enjoyed the first book. I have decided to dnf this series.

Side note: I did love casteel and kieren. They were great.

Stars: ★★

#Frombloodandash #bookreview #kingdomoffleshandfire #books

[pxnsneverland]

Don’t Be Cruel | austin!elvis x oc (part 4)

plot summary: Angel Casteel is a small town girl who lucked into working as a makeup artist at a film studio. Unfortunately, her confidence in herself wavers as she is assigned to work with Elvis on his latest motion picture. Overcome by his star power at first, she slowly starts to realize there is a man behind the fame, a man she understands. But as they grow closer, the world grows more turbulent, especially Elvis's world. Will this Angel be able to save Elvis from himself and the people around him? Or will getting mixed up in his word prove to be her downfall as well?

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

pairings: austin!elvis x oc

word count: 1890

warnings/notes: N/A

Chapter 4

Even after a few days, Martin Luther King's death weighed heavily on Elvis' mind. I could see him straining to keep his cool. Even completing the film seemed less important to him. I did my best to console him and distract him from his inner turmoil, but I didn't feel like I was doing enough. The Colonel also attempted to deflect Elvis' attention, despite the fact that his plan contained a whole new musical extravaganza for Elvis. Christmas Elvis.

“Jingles, Jingles,” Colonel Parker sang, “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane,” as he steered a reindeer-drawn sleigh engraved into a 3D copy of the stage Elvis was to play on.

We sat outside around Elvis' trailer, trying to stay cool in the scorching heat of Los Angeles. Elvis shifted his gaze between the Colonel and the diorama. I could see the quiver in his eye as he tried to conceal his disgust at the prospect of a Christmas special. I couldn't disguise my annoyance either. A Christmas special? It was so unlike Elvis, so unlike anything he had ever done. It was out of character, and I was certain his fans would agree.

“Elvis Presley’s Wonderful World of Christmas,” Colonel said, straightening up, “Brought to you by the Singer Sewing Machine Company, to every television set in America.”

“Elvis and Christmas?” I questioned, “It just doesn’t seem right.”

“Why not? My boy is a good Christian son of God. The fans will love it. It only takes three days to tape and there’s no audience.”

“I’m not questioning that Elvis is a Christian. I’m sure his mama taught him well. I’m just sayin’...nothing about Elvis up until now would lead anyone to believe he would sit in front of a fake set and sing Christmas songs.”

“With all due respect, Ms. Casteel, I don’t know why you’re questioning anything that has nothing to do with you.”

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Elvis said, folding his arms, “Angel’s right. Now I ain’t sang and performed live in years, Colonel. I don’t know if a Christmas special is the best way to start that up again.”

Colonel Parker wrinkled his brow. He gave me a disgusted glance before returning his gaze to Elvis. I didn't hate anybody, but Colonel Parker was on his way to being the first. I didn't appreciate how he handled Elvis or how he purposefully sheltered him from anybody else's perspective that contradicted what he wanted Elvis to accomplish. He was attempting to transform Elvis into a puppet, removing the rebel I had grown to know.

“Why not?” Colonel asked Elvis. “A Christmas sweater. Made on the new Singer home knitting apparatus.” 

When I looked over at Elvis, he was no longer paying attention to anything Colonel said. On the little TV Jerry had dragged out, he was watching Robert F. Kennedy. I focused my attention on it. He was delivering a speech in protest of Dr. King's assassination. I rose up and approached Elvis, laying a hand on his back. He naturally placed his arm over my shoulder. For days, the TV had been tuned into the riots and carnage in Elvis' birthplace of Memphis. That, more than anything else, had broken him.

“Memphis is burning,” I said quietly, my gaze fixed on the screen.

“You’re right, darlin’. And a damn Christmas special ain’t gonna help.” Elvis strode back over to the Colonel with me in tow. “Is this the best we can do, Admiral?”

“Well, we took the Hollywood phonies for every nickel they had and, after filming ends next week, it is time for us to pack up our tents and move onto greener pastures.” He drew in closer. “We’ve seen Elvis the Rebel. We’ve seen Elvis the Movie Star. Now, we will see Elvis the Family Entertainer.”

“And appliance salesman?” Jerry said from behind us.

Elvis tensed beneath my fingertips. “What did you say?” 

I attempted to retain hold of him. “Elvis, don’t…” My grip wasn't strong enough, and he slid out easily, slowly heading towards Jerry. “Jerry was just jokin’.”

“I don’t give a damn if he was jokin’ or not.” Elvis jabbed a finger at Jerry's face. I could see the dark-haired vocalist shaking, but I couldn't tell whether it was from rage or from Colonel's prior statements. “Listen, Jerry, I don’t need you to question me about how I support my family and every goddamn person here! You understand me?! If you don’t like it, you can pack your shit and go back to Memphis.”

Jerry hadn't moved an inch since Elvis approached him. I could feel the intensity in his gaze even though I couldn't see his eyes behind his sunglasses. Jerry stood behind Elvis through it all, no matter what. For him to question Elvis was an indication that he didn't agree with the path Elvis was headed. They locked gazes for a moment, and I was afraid one of them would swing on the other. Instead, Elvis broke the look and went inside his trailer, slamming the door shut behind him.

“You shouldn’t have said that, Jerry,” I admonished, my gaze fixed on the door through which Elvis had vanished.

“Even you think this whole Christmas special thing is stupid.” He pointed at the television. “Look at what’s going on. Look at the world. And we’re going to answer with silly songs about Santa Claus and reindeer.”

“Elvis is tryin’, Jerry! You just don’t understand.” I dashed to the trailer, opening and locking the door behind me.

Elvis sat on the couch, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand, lingering. He was looking out into space, conducting an internal conversation with himself. He just glanced up for a split second to see who had broken his silence. When he realized it was me, his face softened. He placed the whiskey glass on the table next to him and indicated for me to approach him. “C’mere, darlin’.”

My body felt like it was becoming hotter and hotter as I came closer to him. I'd become accustomed to his flirtation and playful pining. But the expression on his face was everything but lighthearted or taunting. Despite his kind manner towards me, I had never seen him seem so serious. I took a seat on the sofa next to him. He took my hand quickly and brought it to his lips to kiss my fingers. I let out a low gasp.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured as he looked up at me through his thick lashes, “I shouldn’a went off on Jerry like that. I know he means well.”

“He just doesn’t understand. You’re tryin’ to do everything for everybody. You’re tryin’ not to disappoint anyone, especially the Colonel. But it does go against everything you’ve ever told me you believed about yourself.”

Elvis toyed with my fingers almost hypnotically. He decided to look at this rather than at me. He drew designs on my palm. “You always know how to put what I’m feelin’ into words. You always understand.”

I gave a little grin. “Isn’t that why we became friends that first day? Because we understand each other?”

He put down his preoccupation with my fingers. “Are we really only friends?”

My breath became stuck in my throat. We were, of course. Friends only. It would be absurd to believe there was anything more to it, no matter how much I wanted there to be. I wanted his flirtation to be genuine. I wanted him to feel the same way I did. I wanted to be the one person who had his heart. But a small-town girl like myself, who was nothing unique in any way, had no such prerogative. He could have chosen more worthy people. After next week, after the Christmas special, he'd return to Memphis, and I'd have to accept that I'd never see him again. Tears welled up behind my eyelids, but I would not let them fall. “Elvis…”

Suddenly, Elvis drew me into his arms, squeezing my body against his such that I couldn't move away. Still, he held me as if I were made of glass. I breathed the fragrance that had become his distinctive aroma. He felt so powerful and solid against my body. I imagined he could hold me like this forever. He placed his ear to my lips. “Don’t cha know how I feel about you? The first time I looked into your eyes, dark and blue like a lake in the moonlight. And then we talked and talked and I didn’t feel so alone, so unseen.” He drew back far enough to look me in the eyes. The genuineness I witnessed in him almost broke my heart. “God, I think I fell in love with you right then.”

What I was hearing was unbelievable. I wanted to pinch myself because I thought I was in a dream. I'd fallen in love with him the first time he smiled at me, the sunshine glinting off his black locks. He couldn't possibly love me. Such things do not simply happen. “But…I’m not…I’m not pretty. I’m not famous. I'm nobody. Your fans, your career…what will everyone think seein’ you with me?”

Elvis shook his head, reaching out to cup my face. “Screw all of that. All I know is I don’t want our story to end when this movie is done filmin’. I know how much you risked comin’ out to Hollywood tryin’ to make it alone. But, darlin’, we ain’t got to be alone anymore.” He pulled a stray strand of black hair out of my face. “I’ll protect you. I’ll be with you and as long as I live, you’ll never want for nothin’. Just say you feel the same way.”

I couldn't keep my tears from falling. My heart was swollen to the point that I thought it may explode out of my chest. All I ever wanted to show was that I was more than a small-town girl, that I was more than what my parents thought of me. I simply needed to know that I wasn't bound to suffer and travel around the world alone. It was what drew me to Hollywood. But I had no idea it would lead me to Elvis. “Goddammit, Elvis Presley, of course I feel the same way.”

Elvis' lips were on mine before I could even breathe. We melded together like perfectly fitting puzzle pieces. His lips moved in unison with mine, his tongue stroking mine in a passionate embrace. I couldn't think of anything since my head was so light. My whole existence was overwhelmed by Elvis, by the sentiments I had suppressed for weeks, months. He positioned me so that my back was flat on the sofa, and he hovered over me, the majority of his weight resting on his forearms, which lay on each side of my head. We didn't let go of one other's lips until we both needed to come up for air. Even so, he bowed his head and began kissing my neck lightly.

“Angel…my angel…” he said between touches on my flesh. “Promise you’ll never leave me.”

The idea that I would ever consider it made me want to laugh. When his lips reached a sweet spot, it came out as a moan. "I promise."

Stay tuned for part 5!! Click HERE to view!

#fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #fan fic #austin butler #austin!elvis fluff #elvis 2022 #elvis presley #elvis presley fic #austin!elvis #austin!elvis fanfiction #austin!elvis imagine #austin!elvis fic #elvis presley fanfiction #elvis presley fandom #elvis presley fluff #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler fic #austin butler fluff #austin butler fandom #baz luhrmann elvis

[hawkefaery]

I love Valyn so lets talk about him !

I get why Nyktos and Cas get all the attention, I DO, I mean they are the male protagonists of the stories and they are fine af. I like Nyktos a lot and I absolutely love Cas, then there is Malik who is also a 10/10 he is so fine, and there are other men such as Kieran who is also great BUT hear me out: Valyn Daʼneer. That man???? THAT MAN??? the 10/10 dilf everyone slept on?? yes that one. Everyone slept on him while I want to sleep with him.

First, he is not only described as an incredibly attractive man and shares features with his very beautiful, handsome sons but his personality is also a 10/10

Second, Every time he talks he sounds so eloquent, I can't explain it but it is like that and is hot.

Third, he also is a warrior and wears a MALE-BUN how could anyone forget about the bun in the crow of gilded bones? Plus of this part is that he is fighting (incredible hot) to free Poppy <3 <3

Now that I mentioned Poppy lets aleo mention that Valyn adores Poppy. He is so happy that she is part of his family. Literally a second after meeting her he was calling her his family, one of his own and he was ready to fight for her because to him she is family

In addition to him being incredibly fine, He is such a lovely father to Cas (the hug in TWOTQ had me sobbing) and he loves both of his boys so much, he was in a lot of pain without them.

Another thing that I like about him is that he respects Cas’ position as his king even when he is his youngest son, I mean he could not respects Casteel's position of authority because he is his father. Yet, he bows at his boy and addresses him as a king should be addressed.

Also lets not forget the dagger kink !! according to Casteel in AKOFAF, when his mother stabs his father, he claims that he deserves it each time. What a man, he gets horny when Eloana stabs him. “They be holed up in their private chambers for days”

One of my personal favorite about Valyn is how in love he is with Eloana. IT IS SO CUTE. That man is so obsessed and devoted to his wife I love him. He is just like Cas and Malik, And of course, Casteelʼs and Malikʼs main male figure through their lives worships his wife as if she was a goddess.

First, he understands and respects Eloana’s feelings towards Malec and he is not even jealous about it. The fact that he respect those feelings and Eloana’s need to grieve but also remember her past marriage and is so unbothered by it that he doesn't mind having his first son named Malik in some kind of honor to what the could have been (according to Casteel). That is massive dick energy, that man doesn't even flick. He is so sure of himself that he literally knows his wife still holds some feelings for her ex but he gives a fuck.

Second, then when in the crown of gilded bones he refuses to discuss important issues without Eloana present. He respects her and won’t have an important conversation if she is not there to discuss too <3 plus when she is not there he tells her every detail, like for example when he was back from helping save Poppy he told everything to his wife <3

Another last thing I love about Valyn is how respectful of his family’s boundaries he is. If Eloana doesn’t want to talk about her past he doesn’t pressure her, If Malik, who was lost to him for decades, does not feel like hugging him Valyn doesn’t pressure him, if Casteel is mad at him, he understands and doesn’t pressure, he gives Cas time and space. I love him.

Here are some of my favorite Valyn moments that make me almost cry:

He is genuinely a really nice person and I absolutely adore him. He was a good ruler to Atlantia, a good father to his son and a good husband. He made mistakes but he is agood man your honor, I rest my case.

to sum up, me to Valyn every times he appears:

#valyn da'neer #fbaa #jennifer l armentrout #twotq #tcogb #akofaf #casteel da'neer #fbaa series #jennifer armentrout #malik da’neer #poppy balfour #eloana da'neer #my opinion

[jcsummerschat]

How I became a writer, part 1

When I was growing up in the 80s our TVs had a limited amount of channels. I can honestly say I witnessed the growth of television to what we have now. When you had the same basic channels, CBS, NBC, Fox … basically 2, 4, sometimes 5, 7 maybe 9, 11, and sometimes 13. 13 was that elusive one, the channel Highlander The Series went and was sometimes on at a prime time slot and sometimes at 3 am, it is where Buffy was sent too after her ratings dropped. This was before Netflix kids. PBS jumped in there somewhere. Cartoons were only on for a few hours on certain days. Most of us didn't care as much cause we were outside playing, running around, and riding bikes. You know, being kids. Those with an expensive cable box could get higher channels, like HBO and Cinemax. I remember my folks having the box in their room but being allowed to watch Fraggle Rock once in a while. This was before we learned that we could use the VCR to access higher channels, not the HBO ones but a bunch of fuzzy stuff that eventually turned into Nickelodeon, MTV, and VH1. 

As a kid, I loved The Dukes of Hazard, Hunter (with Fred Dryer and Stephanie Kramer, it was a police drama), He-man, and She-Ra (don't get me started on the abomination they have turned into, but if you want to see how they go together, look up The Secret of the Sword). At grandma's house, we also watched game shows (Jeopardy, Wheel of fortune… my science teacher was on that one), Unsolved Mysteries, and the tv movie of the week. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of The TV movie of the week, it eventually became Lifetime TV, need I say more. I watched these shows as a kid, all my life. Oh, sure there were sitcoms too, the Cosby show, 7th heaven, perfect strangers, full house, You can't do that on television… yeah the first two kinda, well, could become a tv movie of the week, all on their own. However, these are the ingredients that went into forming the way my imagination worked. Toss in Dirty Dancing, Grease, and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. I have some learning difficulties, dyslexia, and my reading and comprehension were not great. Then a friend introduced me to V. C. Andrews, The Casteel series, and I was hooked. Yes, they became lifetime movies too, I have not seen them yet and want to so bad. When Grandma saw me, at thirteen reading them, she did not say, no that is too old a book for you. She was like, you like that, I have three shelves full of her books if you want more. The first thing I ever learned in writing was from this series. See all throughout the books Tony Tatterton is a brunet, Heaven gets her hair coloring from him vs Leah and her silvery blonde. Then the last book, Leah’s book, Web of Lies, Tony is described as being blonde. I started noticing in books I read if a character is described with blue eyes then suddenly they are green and then blue again. These details became a thing and I hope beyond hope I have not made this mistake, I really tried hard to be consistent. I Keep a separate doc open that has character information, age, hair, eyes, and birthdate if it comes up. The doc is basically the cheat sheet for each book and it comes in handy when it's a series of books too and I’m like, wait what was the butler's name again, what spelling of it did I use. If I have inconsistencies it's in age or grade of school others are in. When I started writing I never intended to be a writer. I was a twenty-two-year-old with a 3rd-grade reading level. I was never told growing up I was smart. Smart would have been in my grades and they sucked. It was not until I went back to college in 2019 I got an A on any paper, assignment, or class. I think the USA school system needs a complete overhaul and that we need to stop putting so much emphasis on the grade you get determining one's intellect and thus self-worth. Collage taught me that we all learn differently. I am somewhere between a visual and audio learner. This taught me that if I have the computer read the textbook to me while I play solitaire I actually remembered it a lot better than if I read it myself two or even three times. In class, I need to see how it is done as well as do it for it to sink in. How many of us would have done 100% better in elementary school if we had the ability to put on headphones and let the book read to us, or even to go out and walk the track while listening to the book? Why is it we wait until college to realize we have suffered and struggled with something that could have been easy for us?

#writers #series books #J.C.Summers #writing problems

[novelbeetle]

From Blood and Ash: Spoilers ahead

- Poppy is such a badass. I love her very much and I will protect her with everything I got. Her inner dialogue and her anxieties about her being The Maiden, The Chosen i really enjoyed it. I really loved how her character developed during the story. She started to make her own choices and demanded things for herself. That was so amazing to see. Her chemistry with Hawke was absolutely fantastic. Her friendship with Tawny was wholesome.

- I had my suspisions about Hawke. Something was up with him from the start. He hinted so much at who he actually is and in the end it made so much sense. Still the revelation that he was Casteel the whole time shocked me. I‘m just so confused. She stabbed him and run away. The next thing is they are fucking in a forest. How did that happen? What a turn of events.

- Vikter‘s death did hit me hard. He was a good man even though he did behave like an asshole after he found Hawke/Casteel and Poppy in the garden. Still he didn‘t deserve to die like that.

- The Duke and Lord Mazeen were horrible. I was soo happy when the Duke was murdered and when Poppy slaughtered the Lord. Come on her brutally slaughterin him was fucking amazing!!

- I kind of did see it coming that Poppy was brainwashed. When Casteel told her the actual history it just confirmed what i already suspected. I‘m a 100% sure the King and Queen wanted Poppy because she is part Atlantian and they wanted to use her for the Ascension.

- I‘m confused by Casteel‘s claim that they go home to get married. WHY ARE THEY GETTING MARRIED? I‘m not against it. I‘m all for it because they are amazing together. Come on the are so violent and passionate. They are the perfect combination. But why do they need to get married?

- Also Kieran is a great character. He does remind me a lot of Cassian. He was snarky but also caring. I know there hasn‘t been much of him in this book but i‘m soooo excited to get to know him more.

- So i was a bit skeptical in the beginning of the boon but i really really enjoyed it. Gotta go and buy the rest of the books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

#from blood and ash #jennifer l armentrout #poppy balfour #poppy x casteel #prince casteel da‘neer #penellaphe balfour #kieran #hawke flynn #tawny #vikter #lord mazeen

[ivanaandherbooks]

Casteel really said “I could spend an eternity on my knees before you” ugh this man is going to kill me

#hawke flynn #poppy balfour #poppy x casteel #fbaa #from blood and ash #a kingdom of flesh and fire #akofaf #the crown of gilded bones #tcogb #tcogb spoilers #jennifer l armentrout #casteel da'neer #prince casteel #penellephe balfour #I want a man like casteel

[sad-endings-suck]

The Archetypes of the Heroine and the Hero: Fantasy Romance

I don’t really know why I’m typing this, but hear me out. Have you ever read a straight fantasy romance novel and just gotten the impression like the man of couple is just… ahead? Like he never messes up the way the heroine does, he is always calm where she’s angry, he’s the one to rescue her, he never has a meltdown, he exists as a pillar of conventional masculinity and the heroine can never catch up and be as collected and mature as he is. And no matter how powerful the heroine is, she’s never as powerful as the hero.

I feel like Hawke and Poppy (From Blood and Ash) are an example of this, because they embody all the tropes and archetypes of the genre with not a single unique trait to counteract it. Poppy gets flustered all the time when Hawke never does, she’s clumsy when he’s graceful, she’s stupid when he’s smart, she’s needy when he’s independent and she almost always comes across as childish compared to his “so perfect he’s boring” maturity. But the story tries to convince you that they are on equal footing because Poppy stabs people every once in awhile and thus that makes her a certified badass with the same level of maturity or something?? Which is supposed to counteract the fact that Hawke/Casteel holds an impossible amount wealth, resources, and social currency, but its okay!! Because he loves her and it theoretically belongs to “both” of them, even though he could technically take it all away whenever he wanted and leave her on her own.

The author (JLA) tries to dissuade you from seeing them this way by repeatedly stating the heroine is “badass, beautiful, intelligent, etc” but never actually shows the heroine acting that way. The reader has to constantly be told she’s a mature woman in order to believe it, instead of judging her based on her actions. On the opposite end, you have a hero that the author is continually attempting to convince you is “morally-grey” when in reality he never does anything morally questionable, but the author tells you he is repeatedly, in an attempt to make him seem more complex. Because he was written to be the perfect fantasy of what a love interest should be in a white cishet woman’s eyes, but in the process became an incredibly dull character. The author becomes too concerned with depicting him as the perfect embodiment of masculinity through the lense of fiction, that giving him any traits that could even be interpreted as feminine in anyway would be character sabotage. You end up with a woman who always feels like she’s trying to catch up to the man’s maturity level, and a man who has attained an impossible level of maturity and therefore masculinity by virtue of being too perfect to be real. In essence, the woman needs only be a capable fighter who is young and beautiful, and the man needs to be everything she is, but with all the childish traits associated with “femininity” removed, and all the “masculine” traits of a mature man (provider and protector), added.

I feel like unfortunately Feyre and Rhysand from ACOTAR have fallen into this trap as well. In book #1.0 and #2.0 they were fully fleshed out complex individuals, but as the story progressed they got less and less compelling. Feyre was an interesting character that possessed autonomy despite being put in situations in which she shouldn’t have any. It made her feel strong in a fresh way, because her strength and maturity came from within instead of existing solely because she was a good fighter. In the first ACOTAR book, Under the Mountain Rhys actually possessed far less power and autonomy than he otherwise would have. Even afterwards, in ACOMAF he was off-kilter and not as controlled as he would have been. Rhys was legitimately a morally grey character when he was first introduced. I was on tumblr after the first ACOTAR book came out back in 2015. There were so many people debating whether or not he was a good person and people like me trying to argue that Tamlin was even worse. Back then there weren’t debates about Feyre being a flat character, because she’s wasn’t one. Not yet anyway. All this made Feysand seem like such a compelling ship. However, since ACOTAR book #3.0 Feysand have become ironic imitations of the archetypes they created instead of nuanced individuals with a complicated relationship, and have strayed further and further from complexity ever since. I just find it interesting that since Feysand began to shape the genre of fantasy romance in a certain way, they’ve fallen prey to the very cliches and stereotypes they created (or rather, that SJM created).

And thus we have, the clumsy ditz with no wealth or resources besides her husband’s, that is no more compelling than the “I’m not like other girls” heroines of the early 2010’s, but pretends to be because she stabs people and she’s pretty. And the “he’s too perfect to be real” love interest that fakes moral ambiguity and an impossible level of wealth, maturity and masculinity in place of developing actual characterization. Thus, approximately 80% of fantasy romance books to come out in the last five years unfortunately feature these exact archetypes. And even more unfortunately, that means only a small amount of books feature M/F ships that are legitimately unique and nuanced, and even less actually depict the man and woman of being on equal footing power and maturity wise. Instead of just trying to convince you they are equal, with no real proof. This isn’t to say ACOTAR and FBAA are bad or anything of the sort, it’s just an observation I had and I decided to write it down and share it. They are very entertaining series, and sometimes that’s all I want, and I just need to shut my brain off. Other times, it just highlights how dull the adult fantasy romance genre can be.

#no hosab spoilers please!!! #sjmaas #hoeab #bryce quinlan #hunt athalar #ACOTAR #fbaa #fantasy romance #spicy fantasy romance #spicy romance #smutty romance #romance writer #romance archetypes #character archetypes #fantasy writing #acomaf #ACOWAR #acofas #acosf #akofaf #tcogb #twotq #jennifer l armentrout #sarah j maas #adult romance #kresley cole #grace draven #romance genre #rambles #sad endings suck: my analysis

[highqueenofelfhame]

I have to admit, before I started reading TWOTQ I was a bit wary based on what I was seeing on tumblr/around the internet. But once I was able to actually read and finish the book it just confirmed what I already knew: people are morons. Nothing between Poppy and Kieran was sexual or amounted to cheating. I didn’t necessarily love the book, I thought the first half dragged quite a bit and it was obviously a filler to lead into the next books (including ALITF). That being said, just because it had a lot of exposition and filled in some gaps in information didn’t make it a bad book. I enjoyed quite a bit of it, I just wish more had happened besides the ending and it was paced a bit better. The fact that people are flipping out over it without even reading it and others are threatening JLA is just ridiculous. In sum - people are the worst.

nothing was sexual between them until the joining. like, point blank period. did their emotional bond grow? it absolutely did. kieran isn't only casteel's best friend. he is also poppy's. he is so fond of her and she of him, and their relationship just continued to grow and flourish and progress as it would.

they both lost their person. it is not a crime that they bonded and leaned on each other through that loss. there was no emotional cheating. there was no physical cheating. he slept with her mostly out of protection and to try to make sure the girl was okay because she so obviously wasn't.

a lot of people are hung up on him sleeping next to her naked, but it has been said and reinforced so many times that the wolven are just like that. they're comfortable with nudity and their bodies and poppy has seen him naked several times after shifting. if he shifted and laid down next to her to sleep, that is just a natural thing for him. and poppy knows this.

as someone that didn't want the joining to turn sexual, because at the time for me personally, i felt like people were just pushing it to be a sexual thing because they were horny and wanted a threesome (and i get annoyed when i feel like people are pushing an author in one direction and backing her into a corner), i only wanted it to be sexual if it was going to make sense. and guess what: it did.

i'm going to link a goodreads review that brings out a whole bunch of receipts in why it makes sense and why their relationship grew to the point of that being okay, but i also want to point out two more things.

nothing about their interactions afterward was even remotely sexual. he kisses her shoulder after they wake up, sure. but that isn't necessarily a romantic thing. they even had a whole conversation about what the love they felt for one another is. it's beyond familial, but it isn't what poppy feels for casteel, and i don't think it's what kieran has felt for past lovers either. i don't think this makes them lovers. if it ends up going that way, more power to them, but right now where we're at, they're not. like they even talked about extending the joining to kieran's future partner if he found someone he wants to spend his life with. that doesn't sound like they're jumping into a relationship to me. people are jumping the gun so hard.

i also want to point out that CAS WAS ALL ABOUT THIS. we had chapters in his point of view where i'm pretty sure i recall him thinking about how glad he was that they had each other. we already know that he only trusts poppy with kieran. and if casteel had felt hurt or threatened by their behavior, we damn well would have heard about it. the man doesn't even like emil getting too close to her for fucks sake! i don't think he would have compromised his feelings just because kieran is his best friend. like point blank. he's a territorial fuck and he would have ripped kieran to pieces if he didn't like what he saw or came back to. he wouldn't have let the joining go that way.

i said two more things, but i have more so i'll keep going.

the joining turning that sexual was all about consent. it was all about poppy. neither of them pushed it on her, neither of them would have gone that route if she didn't want to. all three of them entered that situation knowing how intense it could become. we have heard about how intense it can become for several books now. and even when they started, casteel told her if it was too much they could stop at any time. we know that poppy is sexually curious. we know this about her. they have been in sexual situations with each other before. she watched him on the beach with at the wolven ceremony (was it a wedding? i haven't read it since like fall of last year lol oops) and he was watching them. and again, i will point out: casteel was okay with that.

nothing about this hurt poppy and casteel's relationship. when poppy woke up the next morning she didn't have regrets, she wasn't feeling weird about it, i think she said it felt normal? she was cozy and sated and our queen deserves that. but none of it negatively impacted their relationship. it positively reinforced everything that they are. that poppy also loves kieran enough to bond his life to hers means so much to casteel. poppy doing this for him means so fucking much to him, are you kidding? the man is so in love with her and it only grew after that. they shared something so insanely emotional and intense.

on that note: it wasn't smut written for smut. it had a purpose. some people are complaining that it wasn't graphic enough, but as i've talked about with @punkassbookjockey26, it's oddly perfect. i think it getting anymore explicit than it did would have felt out of place and made me dislike it to be honest. but it felt emotional and intense and beautiful and it didn't matter who was touching who where. it was about the feelings and their essence's bonding together. it was the perfect blend of spice and emotion in my opinion.

i could keep ranting but i feel like this has been long enough. and i want to work on some fics before i go to my boyfriend's house later so i will stop it here.

but i agree. people are fucking morons.

goodreads review i mentioned

#twotq spoilers #the war of two queens #fbaa #from blood and ash #the joining #ot3 #rants #em rants about books #em jumping in on fandom discourse??? who is she #i never used to do this lolol #xoxo gossip girl