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freshlyrage · 7 months

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Ummm I made a mistake...

Okay yall I completely forgot to add an entire part of chpater 18 to my upload last night. It's now added but if you'd like to just read it alone it takes place just after Gina knocks on the door to Javi and Andrea's hotel room. Here is the full chapter

Sorry omg:

Javier briefly looks over his shoulder, realizing its a lost cause he couldn't see you this way. Gina stands in front of him, a hand running through her long black hair. She was beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the office. Javier felt a sense of pride for his goofy coworker who managed to pull someone like Gina. Javier had drunkenly asked her out on a date during a break with Lorraine and she had called him a baby, letting him down easy. He was burned at the moment but he appreciates it now because he wouldn't be here with you. Instead he'd drag another woman along his pathetic loop of secretly pining for you. She flashes her ring to him, its a shiny thing. Felipe, that bastard, made a significantly larger amount than Javier yearly.

“Honestly amazing, I heard that Felipe told you. ” She beams, retreating her hand to her side. Her eyes peering behind you.

Javier smiles, “Yes, congrats. He's a lucky man.” Feeling watched and uncomfortable with talking to any other woman other than you. What's gotten into him? Cant even have a friendly conversation with a woman. It's silent for a moment, she gives him an awkwards thin lipped smile before her lips cracking into a bashful smile. His brows furrow, “What?”

“Okay I hate to be nosy–but Felipe told me you came here with someone and I just wanted to… I don't know… extend out an invitation?” She exhales and crosses her arms. Javi’s brow arches.

“Invitation?” He knows he should tone it down, if you were next to him right now he is sure you would have pinched and murmured something about being nice. You don't know that everyone is used to his stern ways, viejo, they called him in the office. Next to his list of other names.

“Yes um,” She chuckles nervously, Javier is shocked you haven't walked over and slapped him for making the poor woman nervous. “The wives are getting drinks at the patio bar while you all have your meeting, so–well unless you wouldn't want her–” Javier quirks a brow again, “Sorry– I’m just inviting the girl for some drinks.”

“I'd love to.” You call, Javier turns watching you adjust your dress strap as you stalk towards them from the corner of the room. He couldn't help but smile at you padding over with a sweet smile, nothing short of innocence. As expected you pinch his bicep while you smile at Gina. “What time are you heading down?”

Gina’s smile widens at the sight of you too, “Oh wow, you're so beautiful. In an hour.”

Javier Looks between the two of you, watching your face light up at the complement. He should tell you that more, you absolutely shine at the gesture. Your cheeks are pink and shiny, “Oh gosh–thank you, I mean so are you. We should shower.” You look at Javi. His dick twitches at the suggestion.

His voice died with his croak of, “Of course.”

Gina giggled, “Yeah… I'll leave you to it.” She waves goodbye and exits.

Javier looks down at you with absolute adoration while you keep a pondering grin on your face. You keep an indolent smile while you walk back towards the bed. Javi follows, peeling off his shirt while you take off your dress again leaving nude. Your breasts littered with tiny red bruises, nipples still swollen and peaked. Padding over to luggage placed on the dresser by the porters, you bend over to unzip the thing. Giving him a full view of your puffy lips, glistening still from his own seed. If he didn't have places to be he’d bend you over full and eat you out like this until you collapsed. “She seems really sweet.” You let out a pleased murmur once you find your towel. Your smile deepening once you turn to catch Javier staring at you, on an ego trip of him enjoying the view, you brush your hair behind your shoulders to give him a better view of your chest.

He was absolutely obsessed with you.

“She is, you showering with me?” He unbuckles his pants again, matching your bare body. You blush at the sight of him naked, he’s half hard again at the concept of you still being shy around his naked body when you had him slapping his cock onto your tongue just an hour ago.

Your eyes are steady on his length but you resist, “Yes, no funny business. I'd like to be able to walk downstairs later.” You leave a small pat on his back as you make your way to the bathroom.

He follows like a lost puppy, he was hard but every thing you did turned him on so he couldnt be upset with you not wanting to fuck just yet. “Yes ma'am.”

You step up into the shower, leaving the glass door open for him. The bathroom was oddly pretty, tan mosaic tile lining up the floor, lights dim. The sound of pattering water fogging the room as he sets down his towel next to yours. You let out a moan once the water hits you, “I'll give you a hand job if you give me a neck rub. Fuck that car ride did a number on me, so did you fucking me doggy!” You shout over the water. Javi shakes his head and steps in.

The sight of you with your head back, dripping in water is better than any other thing his sinful eyes have ever laid eyes on.

“Deal.”

#fic!rlw #javier peña #javier peña x ofc #javier pena fanfiction #javier pena x you #javier peña smut #ao3 #fanfic #javier peña narcos #javier pena x reader

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jiminrings · 3 years

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OKAY LISTEN idk if someone or you already planned sth like this but how about y/n finally decides to confess/tell jk but someone else claims to be her before she could do it so * cue to the angst bc y/n sees the whole thing/she hears from her friends * and ofc koo eventually finds out bc that b*tch doesn't even have the fucking lunchboxes 😑

cold senior!y/n x stem major!koo masterlist :D

stem koo's the three-peat king for having the best research papers, but he's the worst when it comes to believing the right person

"i think i'm gonna tell him."

you say it to no one in particular, really, but you hear yoongi rISING from his nap on the couch

it wasn't meant to wake him at all

it was just an epiphany of sorts that popped into your head

physically felt as if your head would just bursT if you didn't say it out loud to affirm your own thoughts lmao

"for real???" he's rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, very evident that he wouldn't wake up to finish his thirteen pending assignments but he 10/10 would wake up to hear your epiphany

yoongi is awake for the action!!!! lmao does professor roux from calculus think that he wakes up at the morning and doing shapes (or whatever they teach at calc) is the fIRST thing in his mind????

"interesting," he nods solemnly when you nod your head, reaching out for a fist bump before he plops to your shoulder, "i suggest dressing like a virgin wearing H&M when you confess. it would hit close to home."

yoongi's the touchy affectionate one between the two of you but you'll forgive him bc he's still sleepy

NOOOOOOO

jungkook doesn't look like a virgin wearing H&M :((((

his clothes aren't from there lol

"pass."

"say that you're a top verified contributor both in quora and brainly."

PLEAAAAAASE SJWHSHWHHWV

"nice idea," you snort as yoongs genuinely thinks that it'd get jungkook to propose on the spot, "but no cigar."

"pretend to love big bang theory."

"you're getting onto something here."

"your hobby is fact-checking rick and morty."

"yoongi wow you are on fIRE today-"

"your guilty pleasure is not wearing protective gear during experiments."

"where is this coming from??"

"OH!!!! i'll pretend to mug him or something and you can attack me!!!"

....

??????

yeah yoongi's train of thought just crashed

you were pretty sure he was going on a science theme there wHY DID IT DERAIL

yoongi looks confused because you look confused, as if he didn't just give you the mindblowing idea,, free of charge

lol but no he really didn't

"i'm not doing any of that shit, yoongs."

"oh yeah???" he squints at you and hollows his cheeks, taunting you entertainingly while he worms his way to your lap to nap again

"what are you planning to do?"

holy sHIT this is nerve-wracking

she feels like she's gonna pass out the whole time that she's been rehearsing this in her head

she's been waiting outside the classroom for twenty minutes now and the bell finally rang and she can't believe it!!!! omg is it game-time now

everyone's filing out of the room and she could just feel that jungkook would come out of the room last-

ALRIGHT FUCK THE BELL RANG

you could do this!!!!

everyone's filing out of the room and you know in your heart that jungkook would stay behind, his routine being to politely chat with the professor before he leaves

you're a lil nervous alright

you're scanning the room and there's only a few people left and your eyes instinctively go to the mini desk next to the door and-

FUCK

DID YOU FORGET TO BRING IT HOME YESTERDAY??????

goddamn it

yesterday was when coach jeong was mad because someone from your team just hAD to bring beer!!! and not even have the common sense to put it on a discreet thermos or sth and you know!!!! to not drink it in public or in front of the coach!!!!

doing laps on the oval field will now make you hurl on command just by thinking about it

you physically did not have the cognizance to go and fetch the lunchbox to wash it,,,, or like even move at all

FUCK IT

how are you gonna swipe the lunchbox now? now when the professor's packing up, jungkook's loitering around the classroom, and there's this girl who's-

wait

who's this girl??

who is she and wHY IS SHE EYEING THE LUNCHBOX

fuck it!!! here goes nothing

she's stepping completely into the room and making sure her block heels generate enough clacking,, hands already moving in practiced moments as she attempts in making it seem like she's rushedly putting the lunchbox bag into her tote — as if it's from there, and she's always done this

jungkook hears noises coming from the back of the room, eyes widening before he comes up the stairs in record time

"no. get your own."

he grips the girl's wrist, about to pry off her hands from his lunchbox

he hears her giggle sweetly, the melody being something he's heard before

"i did. after all, i did get you these."

"hyeji?"

hyeji's a pretty girl!!! a nice girl in jungkook's year that wears fit dresses and cartier bangles :D

she stands out really, sometimes literally because she appears in the school's flyers and advertisements

"hyeji," jungkook breathlessly connects the dots including the fact that she looks caught in the act; holding his lunchbox, her tote bag open, and a peek of another completely different lunchbox in her other hand, "i-it's been you this whole time?"

hyeji blushes, sheepishly tucking her perfectly shiny and neat hair behind her ears, "you caught me then."

kook laughs both in nervousness and giddiness, pushing his glasses up and suddenly conscious that he should've worn contacts, "b-but how? we don't share this class."

hyeji bursts into a giggle, blushed cheeks staining further than the five minutes she tried getting the perfect amount

"r-right! kinda amazing what depths you'd go for a person you like, hm?"

jungkook is about to pass out

HE'S PUT IN A SITUATION

a situation that he likes and is too giddy to find a reply for

he apparently doesn't need a reply, because a chair scrapes harshly against the floor and it brings him down to reality immediately

you cannot fucking believe what you just witnessed

you stand abruptly from the seat you've been frozen in with a great deal of urgency because you cAN'T stand to be in this room any longer

they actually forgot that the two of them aren't alone

that you're still here

little miss hyeji's just as shocked

you feel stupid and even more stupid that you're still holding a stupid notebook you even decorated

it has a doodle in the front and all the remaining pages are of the copies you've replicated on jungkook's sticky notes — the same ones you've been trying to make perfect just for him

"y/n!" he sputters when your backpack accidentally leans too much to your side and hits him on the way out

"move."

you’re feeling everything but fine and god you just hated that you always willed yourself to move oN

you’re beyond mad when you put on your jersey!!!

you’re irrevocably dejected when you put on your cleats!!!!

you feel cheated on when you zip up your duffel and walk all the way to the field!!!

it’s a combination of the type of frustration that makes you want to move plus the type that paralyzes you, the whole thing unlike anything you’ve ever felt before

you’re clearly in your head and frankly, you’re just too good

too good that there's no game at all because the only thing happening is you scoring

there's no passing going on or the sort

everyone is just :O looking at their captain to be in the most furiously determined state that they’ve ever seen you in

you don’t even realize that you’re the oNLY one moving in the whole field

“alright, alright — jesus christ! go to the bench and sort your head out, captain,” coach jeong literally has to JOG over to your spot to jolt you

oh there he is again

jaehyun just had to bench you didn’t he

sometimes it’s lost on you that jaehyun, just like seokjin, used to be your senior

he hated juniors with a burning passion and you’re the ONLY one he’s taken a tolerance for

((you lent him your umbrella and it coincidentially had to be a bad day for him tHEN that made him like you))

you’re having none of it though because this time, you’re the one who has the bad day and the captain title does nothing to appease you

“sure, coach.”

you mumble just as lively and walk to completely the fURTHEST side of the bleachers, being so far out that you could barely see your team

what are you supposed to do? simmer in the thoughts you so badly didn’t want to have in silence??????

"y/n?"

the voice you least expected to hear perks up right next to you

what the hell is jungkook doing here now??

he looks lost, two hands clinging onto his backpack straps before tentatively looking at you again

“did i do anything to upset you?”

so he wants to ask that?

you snort automatically, suddenly wishing that you didn’t walk this far because you can’t make an excuse that jaehyun’s calling for you

"because my bag accidentally hit you on the way out? no, jungkook."

jungkook knits his brows in question, seemingly take offense to what you’ve just said to hom

"we're not exactly associated for me to be mad at you, are we?" you emphasize even further, not caring the least bit that your words have an edge to them

he deadpans, pursing his lips before sarcastically smiling at you

".... so you're upset at me?"

://

jungkook takes your silence for him to delve further, not paying attention to how your eye is begging to twitch at him

"i asked if i did anything to upset you, and you said no. but that doesn't necessarily mean you aren't. you could be upset at me even if i didn't do anything to you."

wow

you sound like a real fucking nerd jungkook

"do you have any idea how condescending you sound right now?"

kook barely has a solid inch on you yet the nagging feeling that he’s belittling you makes you grip your fists tight, posture wavering

"so you do admit that you're upset at me?"

he’s not the most patient person either but something about you and the situation right now just makes him tick a little faster

your eyes narrow at what he’s aiming to get at, your hand on your hip feeling heavy at this point

"what does it matter to you if i'm upset or not? we are not-"

"i am associated to you!!! even to a degree!!! you walked me home!"

jungkook is the one who breaks first and he doesn’t look fazed to have opposed you so loudly, still standing by himself

"i would walk anyone home."

"no you wouldn't-"

"i would walk anyone who was as vulnerable and as anxious as you were, jungkook!!"

it is true

you’d walk anyone home within reason regardless if they were jungkook or not!!!

the guy in question only looks at you straightly, brows not stubborn but still just as unrelaxed

:((

"good to know. then you're not upset at me, and i didn't do anything to upset you."

"sure."

you only say just to spite him, about to turn your back and leave him completely to go back to your practice game

jungkook surprises you again and flips a switch just as quick as your mini argument of sorts escalated

"anyways!! i'm sorry for being a little off when i interviewed you that day. i got a 100 on that assignment, by the way :))"

what?

what’s he still doing here?

he’s talking about his grades and whatnot to you as if literally twenty seconds ago did nOT happen!!

"why are you still-"

"and the one who's been giving me my lunchboxes confessed to me today!! for hyeji to be the girl giving me them, it makes perfect sense."

you shrug away the weirdness that jungkook’s moved on from the argument as fast as this, trying a take two for a peaceful conversation

this time, you’re the one who unknowingly flips a switch at her name — something so foreign and sudden yet something you quickly grew to hate

"i wouldn't be so trusting if i were you."

that seems to hit a nerve on him again, making him scoff in reply

"good thing you aren't me then."

what is ON with him????

"watch it. i'm your senior, kid."

you’re more irritated than the first and second time around that you’ve been agitated this day

"why? are you normally this self-absorbed that you wouldn't trust a girl who's confessed??"

self-absorbed?

you aren’t the most selfless person ever but god do you know for a fact that you’re not vain as jungkook’s insisting you to be

you hate him.

you hate this version of him that isn’t the same jungkook you’ve known to like ever since the start of the semester

"same thing as polygraphs not being a hundred percent reliable. anyone could tell the truth as long as you ask the wrong questions," you detail on further because jungkook loves details, right? might as well give him several

"or did you even ask?"

jungkook scowls as if you’ve insulted his mother and his entire lineage, face contorting into everything but warm

"what does it matter to you? didn't you just tell me that we aren't associated? why are you projecting all your moaning on hyeji?"

WHAT

WHAT????

"you know what? maybe i am associated to you. i think i'd also tell this to everyone i'd walk home — maybe you shouldn't be too trusting, huh? maybe you shouldn't just let anyone walk you home."

the tears this time are more insistent to come out this time but you’d rather dIE than for jungkook to stain your pride like this

"no one should walk me home, besides you? is that what you're trying to say?"

no!!

for fuck's sake you aren't even finished with your point!!

before you could continue, jungkook shakes his head at you — the most disappointing shake of his head that it curses you soft

"what am i even doing? you wouldn't understand."

he closes the distance that’s been alarmingly shorter throughout the whole time, jungkook being the one to break it

"because no one gives you lunchboxes. no one exerts effort in making you cheerful — no one wants to go the extra mile for you, and no one wants to walk you home."

he's insulting you right to your face and that’s when your dam breaks, lips quivering impossibly as you stare him down with a genuinely pained gaze you didn’t know you carried

"you wouldn't know what i feel, because no one likes you."

jungkook gets the last word in.

he leaves you in the same field he's first approached you in nervousness.

today, he leaves it differently.

sweat isn't the only thing on your face but instead it’s the frustrating hot tears you haven’t had in awhile

your fists are balled but there's no power to the anger behind it

you’re almost always alone outside the company of the closest friends you’ve ever had — but this is the only time that you truly felt that you are alone.

today's a good day to give up on jungkook.

#WHAT DO WE THINK BESTIES!!!!!! alr this was the confrontation piece with all that build-up :D the pain #stem koo #jungkook imagine #jungkook imagines #jungkook oneshot #jungkook oneshots #jungkook drabble #jungkook drabbles #jungkook au #jungkook x reader #jungkook angst #jungkook angst imagine

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artificialqueens · 6 years

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Pick Up Pick Up (Courtney x Valentina) - Stephanie/Veronica

A/N: Hi all! This is another entry for the fic challenge, taken from Chapters 3 and 4 of Undone (and some sneak peaks from Chapter 5), with some “bonus content” from Valentina’s POV.

Summary: When Courtney picked up Valentina at the club, she was not prepared for Valentina’s Feelings.

From Steph: Can we all just take a second and realize how crazy this bitch Valentina is. I hope you love this as much as I love it.

From V: As always, undying gratitude to our beta readers, @theofficialcunt , @willamdelrio , @artificial-jazz , @collidinggalaxiesofstars

VALENTINA: Hola! It’s me, Valentina. I had fun this weekend. This may sound crazy but I think I left a hair clip at your place. I know it’s dumb but I’m kind of attached to it. It has red roses on it. 🌹🌹🌹I’m sorry to be a pain. Lol

COURTNEY: It’s no problem, I’ll look when I get home.

VALENTINA: OMG thank you so much.

COURTNEY: NP. I hope I find it. It’ll give me an excuse to see you again.

VALENTINA: Well, if you happen to be free, my friend Enrique is having a party on Friday. You wanna be my date? 🌹

COURTNEY: Can I get back to you later in the week? We usually do night shoots on Fridays.

VALENTINA: I’m sorry, lol, I didn’t mean to be so pushy

COURTNEY: You’re not! I just don’t know what time we’re gonna wrap. I might have to roll in late looking a bit rough…

VALENTINA: Lol you’ll look gorgeous. I can’t wait. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

***

“Girl, can you please calm down? You’re doing that manic thing and it’s just a lot, this early in the morning,” Aja complains, slipping on her headset.

“I know, I’m sorry, I just…I can’t help it.” Valentina tries to hide her radiant smile, but it’s useless. She’s glowing with light and love, bursting with happiness, and she wants to tell everyone.

“I know, but for some of us, it’s Monday, and that’s like, shitty, so…please. Take a Xanax or smoke a bowl or like…I dunno, read something about homeless puppies.” Aja turns to her computer, pretending not to notice Valentina still peering over the top of her cubicle. She takes a long sip of her coffee, answering an email from her boss, and then slowly turns back around, sighing. “Fine. Tell me about this girl.”

Valentina squeals happily, prancing over to her cubicle and sitting down on the rolling file cabinet, beaming.

“Okay, so, her name is Courtney and she’s beautiful and caring and perfect and I think I’m in love.”

Aja bursts out laughing.

“I’m serious! You weren’t there. When she kissed me, it was like time stopped,” Valentina says, eyes shimmering. “I can still feel her skin against mine when I close my eyes.”

“Do you want some privacy?” Aja asks, one eyebrow raised.

“Don’t be jealous,” Valentina smirks.

“Ha! Unlikely.”

After a pause, Valentina adds, “I’ve seen her around. I know she’s a little bit of a player. But…this was different. The way she held me, you don’t understand. Nobody has ever made me feel that way. It was like…she really saw me, and…and besides, she already said that she wants to see me again. So, that’s not some casual thing, right?”

“No,” Aja says, sorting through a pile of receipts. “It sounds like she’s totally on the same page. I mean from what I know about lesbians, ‘I want to see you again’ pretty much means ‘bring a UHaul with your stuff and let’s get a cat,’ right?”

“Is it weird that I started a wedding board on pinterest?”

“For you? No, that’s not weird at all.” Aja rolls her eyes again, going back to her computer.

Valentina lets out a giddy laugh as James pops his head over the cubicle.

“You know what you should do?”

“Jesus!” Aja jumps, startled.

“Sorry girl. But, you know what you should do?” James asks earnestly.

“What?” Valentina asks, happy for someone else to be invested in her budding romance.

“Change your relationship status on Facebook,” he says, clapping his hands.

“Really?”

“Yes! It’ll be so funny, she’ll think it’s adorable.”

“So funny,” Aja echoes sarcastically, snickering.

A slow smile spreads across Valentina’s face at the thought of everyone knowing about Courtney. It would be pretty adorable. And what’s the harm? They’re well on their way to a relationship anyway, what’s the problem with announcing it a little early? Worst case scenario, if Courtney thought it was too soon, she’d take it down, but it would give her the opportunity to confess that she could really see a future together. And someday, it would be a cute story they’d tell. She giggles, excitement bubbling up inside as she walks back to her desk.

***

“Courtney!” Adore bursts into the wardrobe trailer. “Holy shit, girl, tell me you did not sleep with that crazy bitch Valentina this weekend!”

Courtney and Bianca both turn to Adore slowly.

“Uhhh…I could tell you that, but it would be a lie.”

“Dude, what the fuck? Why would you do that?”

“Um, because she was beautiful, and…willing. And, I’m single. I dunno. It’s not like I’m marrying her, calm down.”

“Have you not heard Shea’s stories about that girl?” Adore sighs.

“…No?” Courtney ventures.

“She’s fucking nuts, bro. She used to text her 50 times a day and like, even called her office and once she-”

“Adore, you know how dramatic Shea is. She seemed like a very nice girl. We had a good time. She even made me breakfast.”

“At your house or her house?” Adore asks, crossing her arms.

“My house, why?”

“Lock your doors at night, is all I have to say.”

“Thanks for your concern,” Courtney laughs.

Adore shakes her head, exiting the trailer.

“So apparently you got laid this weekend?” Bianca says lightly. She zips up her dress, trying not to stare at the deep scratch marks covering her back and shoulders.

“Yeah,” Courtney answers casually, looking at Bianca’s face in the mirror. For some reason, she’s not sure how much she wants to elaborate about her rendezvous with the beautiful Latina girl who’d caught her eye at Roosterfish. Her glittering eyes, ruby lips and deep curves. The way, in a certain light, her lovely face looked a little familiar, the way holding her close satisfied a particular ache. So she flips it around with a coy, “You?”

“No comment.” Bianca smirks at her.

“That good, huh?” Courtney chuckles.

“Shut the fuck up,” Bianca laughs, shaking her head. “You rude bitch.”

Courtney giggles while Bianca pins the straps of her dress. “Well, mine was delightful. Don’t believe Adore’s hysterics. She was…something else. Body to die for. Gorgeous smile. I spotted her across the dance floor and just…” Courtney tongue pops.

“That easy, huh?”

“Like candy from a baby,” Courtney smirks, winking at Bianca in the mirror.

Bianca clears her throat, shaking her head slightly. A notification goes off on Courtney’s phone and she looks down, frowning slightly.

“Huh.”

“What?”

“Um, it’s just…I got a Facebook notification. It’s kind of…strange.”

“Be a little more cryptic, it’s not like I’m working,” Bianca says, rolling her eyes.

“Sorry.” Courtney holds up her phone to show Bianca the screen.

Valentina Leyva tagged you in her life event: In a Relationship with Courtney Hamilton.

Bianca raises her eyebrows. “Uhhh. When did you meet her?”

Courtney puts down the phone. “Saturday.”

Bianca whistles. “You forgot to give the baby her candy back.”

“…fuck.”

“And…it sounds like you owe Adore an apology.”

Courtney groans.

COURTNEY: Um. I’m not sure exactly how to say this sensitively…

VALENTINA: Ok i’m a little scared lol

COURTNEY: Yeah, uh…what’s with the Facebook thing?

VALENTINA: OHHHH! Hahaha omg sorry, that’s just me and my friends messing around. We thought it was funny. 🌹

COURTNEY: I’m probably just missing the joke

VALENTINA: Like, he said it would be cute lol

COURTNEY: It’s not

VALENTINA: Ok i said sorry, you don’t have to get weird about it, wtf

COURTNEY: I’m going to respectfully disengage from this conversation. Have a nice day!

VALENTINA: YOU are gonna “disengage”

VALENTINA: What does that even mean?

***

“James!” Valentina cries, as Courtney’s phone clicks over to voicemail for the second time. She drops it onto her desk, shaking slightly.

“What’s wrong, muffin?”

“I…I…I think I fucked up.”

“What do you mean?”

“She didn’t think that Facebook thing was funny-”

“There’s a shock,” Aja mutters.

“And then I kind of freaked out and I think I pissed her off and now she’s not answering my calls and what if she doesn’t give me another chance, James, what am I gonna do?!” Valentina’s voice breaks into a sob, as James runs around the bullpen to awkwardly hug her around the waist.

“Val, honey, this is why you shouldn’t get so invested after one damn night with someone!” Aja lectures, throwing her hands up in the air.

Valentina turns to her, tears streaking down her face. “You’re the one who said she was on the same page! And the thing about the UHaul!”

“That was a joke,” Aja laughs.

“Way to pick your moments, Aja,” James says.

“And you! This is your fault!” Valentina exclaims, shoving James away.

“I’m sorry, I really thought it was-”

“Shut up!” Valentina cries, covering her face and collapsing into her chair.

James looks over at Aja with a worried look. Aja shakes her head, mouthing “DRAMA” back at him.

***

VALENTINA: Why aren’t you answering my calls???

VALENTINA: Oh I see how it is

VALENTINA: CUNT 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

VALENTINA: Courtney, you’re being stupid, I just want to talk.

VALENTINA: I still want you to come Friday.

VALENTINA: We can work this out, okay? I don’t understand why you are being so mean. You said you wanted to see me again…

VALENTINA: PICK UP PICK UP PICK UP PICK UP

COURTNEY: Please stop calling.

VALENTINA: UR A BITCH

VALENTINA: PLEASE PICK UP

VALENTINA: Please Courtney

***

Looking back, there were red flags. First of all, there was the whole doe-eyed innocent act. “This is my first time here,” Valentina had said, when Courtney knew for a fact that she’d been coming to that club for over a year. Shea knew her somehow - through work or something. Shea also didn’t like her for some reason. But then again, Shea didn’t like a lot of people, so Courtney wasn’t about to hold that against her.

But in retrospect…it may have been a good idea to ask Shea what her deal was. Just like, a refresher on why she hated the kid. Because maybe then Courtney would have been able to avoid the whole drama.

Of course, she didn’t do that. Because it was late and Courtney was bored and there was something about her eyes, and her smile, the curve of her cheek, that captivated Courtney. In a certain light, she almost looked like…well, of course, Courtney knew who she looked like; there was no use dwelling in it.

There was no denying how beautiful she was. How her bright smile practically glowed. On the dance floor, she melted into Courtney’s arms, gazing at her with those big amber eyes, lapping up the attention like a greedy little baby. And when Adore waltzed over to slur goodnight, kissing Courtney full on the mouth and squeezing her ass, Courtney felt nails digging into her waist, eyes flashing with a jealous rage. Another red flag that Courtney ignored. Some girls didn’t like it when the women they were with kissed their friends on the lips. That was fair, right?

When Courtney suggested heading to her place, she’d practically swooned right there on the dance floor. They’d walked the three minutes to Courtney’s house, Valentina’s soft hand tucked in hers, Courtney’s arm around her waist, making sure she didn’t trip in her staggering heels - impractical for this neighborhood, but Courtney couldn’t deny how sexy her legs looked.

Once inside, Courtney realized that she had a real live pillow princess on her hands. But, one thing that Courtney never lacked in bed was generosity. So she worked slow and gentle…stripping off her dress, her bra…worshipping every inch of her smooth, golden brown skin, until she was writhing and begging. And then she peeled off her soaking wet panties and began to lick her softly, hands holding her trembling thighs, tongue swirling and stroking and dancing over her, sucking on her clit. Valentina’s breathing grew ragged and she began to whimper, and Courtney increased the pressure, stroking her thighs.

Her first orgasm was breathy, airy, almost restrained. Courtney pressed a soft tongue against her core, patient. Knowing that soon enough, she’d be doing much better. When her panting began to slow down, Courtney swirled her tongue faster, sliding a finger inside her easily, curling it forward, eliciting a low moan.

Courtney stroked her from the inside, bringing her to the brink, then withdrawing her hand. Valentina whined, clawing at the covers as Courtney licked up her torso, sucking on her nipples, biting gently at her collarbone, kissing her neck up to her pulse point. She threaded her hands into her dark hair and kissed her deeply, grinding her down into the mattress, nuzzling against her face, feeling her flushed cheeks, lifting her head to look into her dazed, hooded eyes, dilated pupils dark with lust.

From the way she squeezed her eyes shut, arching up, muscles tense, Courtney could tell she was on the brink again. This time she sounded slightly more desperate, nails digging into Courtney’s waist. Courtney reached down to help her along, toying with her clit, then pressing the heel of her hand against her while one finger worked inside. Valentina cried out, gasping, her grip on Courtney’s waist like a vice.

Courtney held her, kissing her sweaty temples while she caught her breath.

Valentina’s eyes fluttered, gazing up at Courtney lovingly, and Courtney grinned. “Got anymore in you, baby?”

“I…oh god…”

Courtney laughed, stroking her thigh. “Your decision. I can call it a night if you want. But if you’re up for more…”

“Don’t stop,” she whispered hoarsely.

Smirking, Courtney tilted her chin up to look into her hooded eyes. “How adventurous are you feeling?” She reached behind her, pulling open a drawer of the nightstand, and took out the strap-on, letting it dangle from her fingers by the harness.

Valentina’s chest heaved. She reached a hand up to touch Courtney’s cheek, nodding.

“I’m afraid I need some actual verbal consent here, love.”

Valentina flashed her Miss America smile. “Yes. Yes please.”

Courtney smiled back, turning to slip into the harness, adjusting the straps, covering the whole thing with lube. When she turned back, Valentina was sprawled out on the bed, legs spread, giving her best Playboy pose.

“Okay,” she said in a sultry voice, lashes fluttering. “I’m ready.”

A laugh escaped Courtney’s lips. “Baby…” she kissed Valentina gently on the mouth, hands sliding around her waist. “I’m not just gonna jam it inside you straight off…”

Valentina giggled nervously. “Right.”

“Just relax…” Courtney continued to kiss her until she was breathless, working her way down her body until she was quivering, begging for it. Courtney blew softly on her as she writhed and arched, clawing at Courtney’s hair.

“Please, please, please…” she whined.

Courtney held down her hips, hovering over her, pressing the tip of the dildo against her, teasing, tits brushing against her lightly as she rolled her body forward.

A pitiful moan escaped from Valentina’s lips as she tried in vain to tangle her legs around Courtney’s.

“Are you ready, baby?”

“Yes!”

Courtney pushed slowly inside her, sliding her hands around to her ass, holding her close as she sucked gentle kisses into her neck. She rocked her hips, slowly at first, and then speeding up gradually, tongue gently massaging hers, kisses wet and deep.

Valentina began to whimper, nails raking Courtney’s back, digging into her shoulders. Her legs were wrapped tightly around Courtney’s narrow hips, arching up to meet every thrust, clit grinding against Courtney’s, skin burning hot.

Courtney moved a hand to her breast, pinching a nipple between her fingers. A moan escaped her lips as she clawed deeper into Courtney’s skin.

And then she came, moaning until her throat was hoarse and raw, until her body was limp as a rag doll.

Courtney gathered her into her arms, kissing her over and over.

“Was that good, my love?” she murmured, stroking her sticky thighs.

Valentina had snuggled blissfully against her, nodding, drifting off into a contented sleep.

In the morning, Valentina ran her fingers lazily through Courtney’s hair and told her in a breathy whisper that she wanted to cook her breakfast. Courtney kissed her eyelids, told her that wasn’t necessary, but she insisted.

So, dressed in an oversized shirt that was a wrap gift on one of Courtney’s old shows, she bustled around the kitchen trying to make sense of the vegan ingredients on hand while Courtney boiled water for tea and explained what tempeh was.

Afterwards, before she called an uber to head back to her place in Mar Vista, Courtney pushed her onto the sofa and gave her one more orgasm for the road. She was just trying to be a good host. The last red flag was the look of pure, head over heels puppy love that she gave her before shutting the car door, like Courtney was the center of the fucking universe.

#oops

***

VALENTINA: I’M CALLING YOU AGAIN, PICK UP!!!

VALENTINA: Courtneyyyy!! Picckkkk uppp!!!!

***

Valentina sits in front of her mirror, eyes dull with tears. Her phone screen has a crack across the front from when she’d thrown it against the wall yesterday. She closes her eyes, wishing the same things that she had since that awful Monday when her world had come crashing down.

I wish that she would talk to me

I wish that she would love me.

If she can’t love me, then I wish I could forget all of it…the way she looks, the way she smiles, the way she touched me, the way I felt in her arms…every second I spent with her. Please make me forget.

She covers her face, tears leaking through her hands, sobbing quietly until she’s gasping for breath. When she opens her eyes, she hates the reflection that looks back at her in the mirror. She glances down at her phone, fingers itching. She knows she shouldn’t, but she can’t stop herself.

***

VALENTINA: Why are you ignoring me???

VALENTINA: Who the fuck do you think you are?

VALENTINA: Some washed up nobody, working as a fucking extra

VALENTINA: YOU WISH YOU COULD GET SOMEONE LIKE ME

VALENTINA: Please, please answer! 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

VALENTINA: You rude bitch

VALENTINA: You’re all I think about. I don’t understand why you’re ignoring me. I’ve never felt this way before, about anyone. I know you felt the same way - why won’t you just talk to me? 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

COURTNEY: Please listen to me. I am not interested. I’m not going to respond again. You need to stop.

***

Courtney sighs, drumming her fork nervously on the table. Valentina has been calling all week with increasing frequency. She flips her phone over so that she doesn’t have to see it lighting up with her name anymore.

“I’m telling you, block her number,” Adore says, turning her hat around. Today it says “FUCK OFF.”

“That’s really extreme. I told her to stop. Now I’m just gonna ignore her; she’ll get bored.”

Bianca shakes her head.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Joan Jett over here. Block her crazy ass before she boils a rabbit.” She takes a bite of lasagna.

“That’s funny,” Adore laughs, mouth full. “She’s funny.”

“I told you,” Courtney says.

“I guess you do have more to offer than your tits,” Adore says. “Cheers.” She holds up her plastic cup.

“Forget it, I don’t agree with anything she says, ever,” Bianca says, rolling her eyes. “Go with your instincts.”

Courtney laughs.

“Thanks, you’re both very helpful.”

***

VALENTINA: I don’t understand why you’re doing this 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

VALENTINA: I thought you liked me

VALENTINA: This isn’t fair!!! 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

VALENTINA: Tell me what you want from me

VALENTINA: How can you be so heartless???

VALENTINA: 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

***

Wondering how it ends with Valentina? Chapter 5 of “Undone” will be posted in full soon! XOXO

#veronica #stephanie #courtney x valentina #fic challenge #lesbian au #Smut #fluff #angst #courtney act #valentina #adore delano #bianca del rio #Aja #rpdr fanfiction #rare pair

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badcharacterization · 7 years

Text

A Court of Mist and Fury

This book has appeared on so many “Best of 2016″ lists, and after reading it I wonder how many 2016 releases these people actually read... Strap yourselves in, kiddos, this is like 8 pages of rage in the original Word document. Unpopular opinions under the cut.

Note: I originally took these down as notes on my phone, I’ve edited for clarity and punctuation and stuff, but not everything is properly capitalized because this book has taken enough of my precious time already. I did something similar with ACOTAR, and will probably post that one later (it is on goodreads though). I should have cited page numbers but that would have taken forever so you’re just going to have to guess from context clues.

-time skip time skip

-the mating bond sounds super yucky

-is this foreshadowing, is Ianthe going to steal Feyre’s shitty man?

-look at them sweet gender roles

-“inherent female magic.” no thank you bro

-Feyre is straight up depressed…and it’s actually depicted well…whoa

-I’m already tired of male this and female that though. We gotta make sure that everyone knows that the Fae are “primal” and “animalistic”

-and everyone is super duper straight apparently?

-so basically Amarantha was faerie Hitler? Just in case you didn’t already think she was super evil. There’s still no explanation of why she was so twisted, and I don’t expect the author will ever give one.

-I smell some vaguely Middle Eastern cultural appropriation

-also Feyre hasn’t learned to read after months in the spring court?

-Amarantha banned holidays, like the White Witch. How original.

-Rhysand suddenly has Feyre’s best interests at heart. He must have an identical, nicer twin.

-I’m still not over him drugging her and forcing her into skimpy outfits. That will never be okay to me, no matter how nice to her he is

-let’s have some more foreshadowing about Ianthe. It’s a little not subtle and barely qualifies as foreshadowing

-I know Feyre is depressed but she is passive in an out-of-character way. She used to disobey Tamlin pretty much reflexively.

-what did Feyre think Tamlin did for income? Of course it’s egregious taxes on all his subjects

-it’s almost like the author realized that ACOTAR had problems at some point and is trying to correct them all. She apparently doesn’t really plan or outline any of her books

-it feels like Tamlin has even less self control in this book than the last one, though it was always pretty bad. The author/narrator acts like this is a significant change and a sign of how what happened has traumatized him but it…isn’t? He was always physically intimidating her and manipulating her.

-I appreciate the author acknowledging that Tamlin is an abusive overprotective jerk, but Rhysand has issues too and he hasn’t really apologized or made amends at this point

-I didn’t expect Tamlin to want a domestic wifey but I guess this is a fae thing or an “omg look how evil he is now” thing

-have some awkward writing

-it is kind of a relief when she leaves the Spring Court, mostly because nothing interesting seems to happen there and it’s all a lot of foreshadowing about Ianthe, and Feyre being surrounded by courtiers with no bearing on what happens

-the introduction of Azriel, Cassian, and Amren is kind of…fanfiction-y. There’s something about the dialogue and how you can tell them all apart in an instant that feels like it was once part of a fanfiction.

-if Velaris is so famous for art and has so many artists and its location is supposedly secret…then who’s buying the shit?

-also where are the farms

-if a girl notices a guy’s scent, it’s done.

-have some more pretty fae dudes, as if there weren’t enough already

-I don’t think the Illyrians were supposed to be POC but their portrayal as warlike, women-abusing brutes is still kinda not nuanced. The name also refers to a historical region and people in the real world so…that’s not great

-Also the mating bond seems to be purely sexual, judging by the case of Rhysand’s parents. It’s actually kind of horrifying, the idea of becoming magically bound to someone you’ve just met and may come to hate in time. Why is it so desirable? Does it usually work out fine? What happens when one partner is already married or spoken for?

-Also it’s creepy as per the usual

-Also obvious foreshadowing lol

-Also a great excuse not to properly develop a relationship

-Time to bash Feyre’s disabled father again

-Ellipses everywhere

-“You needed not to be alone.” How about you quit telling her what she needs mmmkay?

-This sentence made me gag a bit, so I’m sharing it: “the voice was at once the night and the dawn and the stars and the earth, and every inch of my body calmed at the primal dominance in it.”

-And she’s using her pet word, primal, again

-There are flushing toilets in what seemed to be a medieval shit-land…okay

-At least this relationship is being built up better, but I still can’t get over the forced drugged striptease shit

-Amren’s back story is cool

-“Deadly bit of flirtation” Feyre needs to stop being so melodramatic, he was just flirting

-The Weaver is exactly the kind of weird, creepy faerie I’ve wanted to see in this series.

-Barbecue is an odd choice of words

-Rhysand feels more like her tough life coach than a potential love interest right now.

-Why is Feyre acting like Ianthe approaching Rhysand for sex was some unforgivable assault, when he had the power to make it stop immediately? It’s not even comparable to Amarantha.

-And how could Ianthe theoretically force herself on Lucien when males seem to hold more power than females in the Spring Court? Are priestesses an exception? Are there rules about turning them down? Does she enjoy some kind of special status?

-Foreshadowing about Ianthe and Tamlin again

-It’s almost like…Ianthe was behaving like literally every male character in this goddamn series. “The ownership and arrogance in that gesture” hmmmmmm…that sounds familiar

-Double standard time: Sexually aggressive men are just alpha males, sexually aggressive women are eeeeeevil

-Feyre complains that being rich and a woman in the human world is restricting but it seemed like she had a lot of freedoms when she went back and her father had his fortune back. Also, when she was poor. Someone had to know she was sleeping with that Isaac guy. Nesta certainly did.

-Almost forgot about the female mercenary, too

-Also apparently there are queens who are in charge in the human lands, though it was only mentioned in this book?

-The whole humans not having holidays thing is still dumb. They would have created new ones after disavowing fae ones. Whenever people abandon an ideology en masse, something usually crops up to fill the psychological void.

-time to reminisce about how shitty Feyre’s human life was

-It’s not like Feyre’s sisters were also kids when they lost their mother and their fortunes fell or anything

-Cassian and Nesta’s hate thing is a little exaggerated; the ship is almost too obvious. “Look, they’re acting like they hate each other” is a sloppy shortcut to “they have sexual tension and they’re going to end up in a relationship.” Because the author doesn’t want to spend too much time fleshing out any of the other relationships in this damn book

-If Amren ends up being a villain, too, I’m gonna lose my shit.

-Feyre’s human life sucked guys, remember? REMEMBER??? ISN’T SHE SO MUCH BETTER OFF IN DOUCHEY MISOGYNIST FAERIELAND???

-There’s an unnamed brown faerie…such diversity. Much wow

-The food is so good and spicy and shit it’s somehow curing her depression a bit…okay

-Feyre pays a lot of attention to Azriel. Begins to feel weird after the first couple of times

-“Yeah, Rhys, thanks for making me dance like a stripper, but the magical disembodied music was great”

-I almost like Cassian now. Almost

-Unless Ianthe is secretly super powerful I think Lucien doesn’t have to worry about her “preying” on him. Chill.

-So Rhysand and Feyre are basically texting…okay

-Rhysand is petty as shit about Tarquin: “I know we’re not in an actual relationship or anything…but I’m mad because you smiled at him.” All the men in this series need to chill

-Varian and Amren makes no sense. It just crops up out of the blue…and is…a thing

-The language around attraction is interesting and gendered. Men are “predatory” when they’re interested in a woman. He gets “lethal focus” on her. Which leaves me wondering…does he want to fuck her or eat her? I honestly can’t tell.

-What does “tattooed panes of his chest” even mean? His chest is a window?

-Have a very vague description of Rhysand’s room

-SJM always writes romances where the characters instantly click or feel attraction, and the only thing keeping them apart is stubbornness

-This part feels like a draft, it’s a summary of Feyre’s training and interactions with Mor, and I actually want to see what that’s like. Mor was supposed to be a less manipulative replacement for Ianthe, but we hardly get to see her interactions with Feyre

-The way Feyre is dressed, she’s basically being presented as Rhys’s partner and she doesn’t seem to mind? Unless Mor gets a crown, too, and the author just neglected to mention it

-So two of the queens are married to each other? Yay! Background token LGBT characters

-How do the mortal lands even work, politically? Two of the queens can be married to one another and not have to worry about producing heirs? Why so many queens? Do they rule together or each govern different kingdoms?

-Most of the queens get a sentence or two of description, but then SJM goes on and on about the beautiful one and treats her as the most important woman in the group

-Also all beautiful women hate each other at first sight y’all

-I thought she only picked Mor’s name because she thought it sounded cool but she’s actually (clumsily) referencing Irish mythology

-So humans and fae can interbreed, like in the Throne of Glass series

-“The Black Land” seems like the author gave up on names. It also resembles the name for Ancient Egypt, and the description of its history confirms that

-Also what is with all the evil faerie queens running around? How can someone be much worse than Ms. Tortures-Everyone, Amarantha?

-If the queens know of the Veritas but have never actually laid eyes on it, how would they know it shows the truth?

-Okay, let’s have entire pages all about the sex lives of Illyrians. Thanks, Sarah, I really needed to know that

-Of course sex stuff is more thought out than anything with the politics, magic system…or like anything else

-Okay, obviously Rhysand is someone she likes now, why is flirting with him still “lethal” and “dangerous”? Is she afraid of Tamlin’s reaction?

-…how would wings make for interesting sex positions? Maybe my imagination is just lacking but…why

-the description of the court of nightmares is super vague

-It feels like YA female protagonists always have to have a female friend or servant who’s more into clothes and makeup to dress them. It’s almost like a main character can’t actually be invested in girly things

-I think this scene is meant to show how much things have changed since Rhysand forced Feyre to dance like a stripper and drink drugged wine Under the Mountain, because now he asked her permission before including her in his schemes…but it rings hollow for me. This romance doesn’t work unless you ignore everything from book 1

-“That primal, male rage” you just gotta gender everything

-also really convenient that the author gets to attribute everything awful Rhysand has ever done to his “mask” or persona as a high lord

-Yeah let’s keep woobifying him and brining up how awful Amarantha was. It makes him look better…if you don’t think about it too hard

-The Starfall scene is kinda vague and doesn’t do much narratively, just like the solstice scene in book 1.

-LOOK LADIES RHYSAD IS A FEMINIST!!! DOESN’T THAT CANCEL OUT EVERYTHING BAD HE’S EVER DONE?!??!?!?

-So the Illyrian blood rite is basically faerie Hunger Games.

-So Rhysand is not only the most powerful high lord alive, but he’s also the most powerful of all time?

-Feyre’s description of him fingering her is ridiculous. “Every point in my body, my mind, my soul, narrowed to the feeling of his fingers…”

-Why does it seem like SJM has a thing for whipping? Also why are they whipping him? Torture for information? Just to show that they’re a bunch of irredeemably evil dicks?

-This isn’t a YA novel. It just isn’t.

-I sense some drama over the whole “you knew we were mates all along” thing

-Yep

-How is this the most important thing in a fae’s life though?

-Feyre has every right to be mad at him, and confused and shit. Jeesh.

-So the mating bond involves the female offering food to the male…gender roles galore

-If he felt the mating bond when she was human, does that mean that high fae can bond with humans, or that she was meant to change?

-So the faeries who tried to assault Feyre on Calanmai are called “Picts”…that’s an actual historical people, just like Illyrians. Kinda icky, even if no one really identifies with those names anymore

-Her descriptions of orgasms are always ridiculous

-“A slow, satisfied male smile” WE GET IT SARAH HE’S MALE JESUS CHRIST

-They sexed so hard they caused an avalanche? The fuck?

-What’s with all the roaring

-Another “male” smile. This is my least favorite phrase

-Post mating bond behavior is not cute. He wants to fight any “male” who looks at or comments on Feyre, including Cassian, who’s just a little shit

-“Feral” returns

-The mating bond makes them act like animals in heat and FEYRE CAN’T SO MUCH AS GLANCE AT ANOTHER MALE WITHOUT RHYS REACTING? HOW IS THIS DESIRABLE?

-And, sure, he’s fighting it, but this is still being presented as a model relationship?

-“Purr” has returned

-oh no the human queens are such awful bitches for not trusting the people who historically screwed humans over a bunch.

-The description of what happens and what Mor looks like when she holds the Veritas is kind of vague

-It’s understandable and logical for the queens to suspect manipulation, the only really bad thing about them is that they’re willing to abandon the humans on Prythian

-Lemme guess, Nesta and Cassian are mates, too? Isn’t it supposed to be super rare?

-So the beautiful young queen is nice after all. Beauty=goodness, kiddos

-How does Feyre know that the other queens betrayed them? The info could have been tortured out of them and they could be dumping the other bodies all over the city for all she knows? It seems like she’s leaping to conclusions [note: she ends up being right, of course]

-How can Feyre see Amren? Are they that close to each other? Cassian and Azriel are airborne but it sounds like city streets are between Feyre and Amren and buildings should be obstructing the view

-Sometimes SJM tries too hard to be a serious writer

-The fight is pretty cool, it just feels a little too effortless and efficient. It’s also frustrating that Feyre has had this vast power and hasn’t really used it much in combat until now

-her skill is made a little more believable by the fact that she doesn’t have a lot of precision, just raw power.

-Rhys is respecting her autonomy! Let’s just forget about book 1 completely

-So…the ring retrieval was a test to determine if she was strong enough to be his mate, too…not a douche move at all

-So convenient that all of the Hybern soldiers/underlings are sadistic creeps, it means the mains don’t have to regret killing them

-Jurian is described as tan, like many of the other characters in the book. But it just makes me think they’re meant to be white people with tans.

-The King of Hybern has no name and is also described as “blandly handsome” like a man in his 40s…wait I thought all fae are super beautiful and look young?

-So…literally all the faeries in Hybern’s court are dead-eyed and evil and there’s no art or furniture. That sounds fake…but okay.

-Just in case you didn’t understand that Tamlin isn’t just a bad person, now he’s super evil and possessive…oh wait he always was

-He actually has a point about Rhysand, how can you ever fully trust someone who could possibly mess with your mind?

-Also kind of messed up how two of the evil humans queens are like the only queer characters in the goddamn books so far

-why would the queens buy the idea that the king of Hybern is on their side? He wants to bring down the wall, unless he somehow hid that part from them

-it’s baaaaad for women to want power and eternal life. They can only have it if men give it to them

-Speaking of which, IANTHE IS EVIL GUYS! WHO SAW THIS COMING???

-So Hybern and Ianthe’s plan is to overthrow the high lords and let the priestesses rule. I know they’re supposed to be corrupt or whatever, even though there’s not any concrete evidence of this, but how is overthrowing the high lords a bad thing?

-While the twist with Nesta and Elain has interesting potential, Nesta and Cassian being mates is boring

-And super obvious

-Weird that Feyre suddenly thinks of her father, out of the blue, after weeks of not giving a fuck about him, when Elain is changed. Also prioritizing men’s feelings…again

-King of Hybern made a creepy comment about Mor and then forgot her, very cartoonish

-THIS SCENE IS DRAMATIC ENOUGH!!! Why add the Elain/Lucien mates reveal? Jeesh

-Gotta demonize that young ambitious queen for looking at fae men

-Sudden convenient powers

-And now a sudden chapter from Rhysand’s POV

-So Amren says mating bonds can’t be broken, but I’d be more interested in the story if it was in fact breakable and if Feyre and Rhysand would have to decide to live and love without it. This book treats it like the end-all-be-all though

-Awww Amren cares about Feyre after all

-Rhysand’s narrative voice sounds like Feyre’s, where I would expect him to sound very different

-GUYS RHYSAND MADE FEYRE HIS HIGH LADY DOESN’T THAT MAKE HIM THE BEST FEMSINIST EVER?!?!? WOMEN CAN STILL ONLY DERIVE POWER FROM MEN IN THIS UNIVERSE…BUT RHYSAND IS A SEXY FEMININST

-this is treated like a plot twist and I wish the scene had actually been shown…although that would only make this godforsaken book even longer.

-Aaaaand it’s totally confirmed after like two pages that the mating bond isn’t broken…just kill the drama and tension…just murder it

-Lucien is obviously suspicious of Feyre

Final thoughts

-Tamlin allying with Hybern comes off as stupid, not evil. Granted, he did not seem all that intelligent in ACOTAR, but you would expect someone who’s lived for centuries to be a bit savvier. He had to have heard of what Hybern was all about

-Women are constantly defined by their relationships with men. Like apparently the mating bond existed when Feyre was still human and Rhysand sent her visions of the night sky to comfort her and she painted it on her dresser drawer. It’s a minor thing but it just keeps coming up

-Feyre just kinda lacks agency in general. It’s supposed to be this cool, “she’s learning how to fight and defend herself” plot in the middle of the book, but Rhysand determines her goals, and his wants and needs drive the plot more than hers. It gets worse after the mating bond sets in.

-Also Ianthe is the only female character who does not have a devoted relationship with one man and she is demonized for keeping herself independent and sleeping around. Mor also isn’t in an established relationship, but it’s obvious that the author is hinting at her and Azriel being a potential couple.

-I would like to see Cassian cope with a disability, one that makes him worthless in the eyes of his culture…but I know that shit is getting cured ASAP, of course after milking it for a bit of melodrama and man feels. Like, there is no way he’ll actually have to go without his wings

-Ianthe’s betrayal of Feyre’s sisters lacks a real punch. Even when Feyre implicitly trusted her, she obviously didn’t like Ianthe much and her sinister intentions were heavily foreshadowed. If that relationship had actually been established as a strong friendship, the betrayal would seem like much more of a betrayal. Instead, it’s kind of like “Oh no, I knew there was a reason I didn’t like her all along.”

-This book seems to call into question the idea that the high fae are superior to and different from lesser faeries, especially if Illyrians can interbreed with high fae. This still doesn’t indicate where things like the Suriel and the Weaver fit in the hierarchy. It’s implied that both are more powerful than individual high fae, though it seems that the Suriel is pretty easily deceived and captured. The world building doesn’t make any sense if you question it too much

-The whole “lesser faeries deserve better” message that crops up once or twice, in between all the feels and sex, also rings hollow because pretty much all lesser fae so far have been demonized or portrayed in a negative light. The Picts, the Naga, the Attor and his dudes, etc.

-If Rhys is so awesome, why let the Court of Nightmares keep existing in its current state? Especially if he supposedly cares about Mor so much?

-In that scene where Feyre is watching her sisters get dunked into the cauldron, it all feels very detached. She’s watching Cassian and Lucien’s reactions, when I feel like she should be very narrowly focused on her sisters and what’s happening to them. The author doesn’t fully commit to the first person POV, because she wants to make it very, very super obvious to the audience that Cassian is Nesta’s mate and Lucien is Elain’s, but it makes the scene lack something emotionally. First person gives you the ability to make the narration emotional and immediate, but that comes at certain costs. One character can’t see or notice everything you want them to.

-Also she’s just always got to prioritize male feels over female suffering. OH LOOK SOMETHING HORRIBLE IS HAPPENING TO A WOMAN AND OH NO A MAN IS REALLY REALLY SAD AND ANGSTY ABOUT IT LET’S FOCUS ON HIM INSTEAD

-The author just seems to care more about men than women, in all honesty, and this is part of the reason I can’t just escape into this world or consider this book even a guilty pleasure. The Throne of Glass books were starting to get this way, too, especially because she keeps killing off the girls of color in that series.

-And basically any woman who’s greedy or doesn’t derive her power from a man is demonized. Especially if they’re sexually active or aggressive in their pursuit of the men they want. Rhysand’s behavior in ACOTAR was even worse than Ianthe’s, it’s such a double standard and it’s laughable that anyone would call these books feminist. There is nothing in Ianthe’s actions to imply that she is violating any of the men she’s pursued. She’s pushy, shady, and needs to learn when to back off, sure, but it’s not like she’s assaulting anyone. Especially when the men she’s gone after are obviously way more powerful than her (Lucien, too, is obviously the heir of the Autumn Court, even if he enjoys lower status in the Spring Court).

-I’m still not over the idea that getting rid of the High Lords would not be bad. Like, Rhysand and Feyre both agreed that the current social system is stultified and deeply unfair to “females” and “lesser faeries”? How is the idea itself so bad and repulsive to them? They react with disgust and shock when Hybern brings it up

-I feel like pretty much every character is more interesting than Rhysand, with the possible exception of Tamlin. This may be mostly because I feel that they have potential and that the author hasn’t written enough about any of them and hasn’t had the chance to ruin them or waste their potential (like Manon in Throne of Glass). She just tries way too hard to make Rhysand seem sympathetic and loveable after all of the questionable things he did in book 1. And it shows.

-Come to think of it, it’s super strange that the Night Court lands are so neatly divided into “sadistic shitty assholes” in the Court of Nightmares and “peaceful artsy people” in Velaris. Like, what nation has ever been like that? People aren’t either irredeemable dicks or good people, every place has a mix of people.

-Amren feels like the kind of character I would love with a different author, but is barely developed. Same with the rest of the inner circle: Azriel is too much of a cipher to really make me care, Cassian is kinda all over the place, and Mor is built up as this amazing female role model who’s been through so much and has great inner strength…but then the author barely pays attention to her. Basically, the author cares about her self insert and her perfect love interest, and everyone else is just set dressing.

-The King of Hybern is so boring, and is just like the King of Adarlan in Throne of Glass. The comparison is even more obvious because neither of them ever receives an actual name.

-There were some moments where ACOTAR was well written/compelling, however fleeting. There were also spots that showed some potential. There are more of those in this book, but as more of the world is revealed, it becomes clear that it’s all built on heteronormativity and a rigid view of gender and gender roles. The magic system is poorly developed, the politics and geography is poorly established, and the plot limps. Instead of tightening these things up, the author chooses to focus on romance and sex, pausing frequently to allow the main characters to have sexual tension, going on for pages about the sex lives of her winged fetish-boys, and demonizing anyone who stands in the protagonists’ way. This story isn’t really about the looming war, it’s about two people falling in love and having a bunch of sex. All of the other stuff is just stuff she needs to put down on the page so she can get back to describing male abs and sex scenes. That’s not to say that this is a bad thing, but I expect more plot, world building, and character development out of something that’s labeled as “fantasy” and about 600 pages long. And the romance just doesn’t work for me. Too much brooding and woobifying, the bond is just boring and too convenient.

-There were a few times I almost quit this book, but about midway through I started hearing about what a shitfest ACOWAR is and that motivated me to finish, because I love a good shitfest, if I’m in the right mood.

#Books #YA #Fantasy

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