#poc authors

[oklcmc]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀،̲،̲⠀𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐓 ❪chapter seis：fortune favors the bold❫⸝ pt. 𝟐╱𝟐 [𝟏𝟖+]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀I’m TRYNA be a LEADER⸝ but shit⸝ I’m FALLIN’ in⠀⠀⠀MY PAST⸝⠀〞 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✱ Tory Lanez — Adidas ❪2020❫

ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 WORD COUNT⠀⦂⠀5，057

ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 PAIRING⠀⦂⠀street fighter!black!male oc ❪keith powers❫ ✕ black!female oc ❪kelis rogers⸝ circa ‘99❫

ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 FOREWARNING⠀⦂⠀This chapter will contain use of strong language and gore ִ 𖤠 Read at your own discretion.

ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 AUTHOR’S NOTE⠀⦂⠀⠀⠀‘’⠀⠀⠀I’ve been working on this chapter progressively throughout these past few months of ‘22 and yet，I still don’t like the way it turned out. Given that it is just a filler chapter to give you guys hints on what everything’s leading up to in the next act，I still feel as though I could’ve put forth more effort with it to make it even more intriguing，but I’m not trippin’，’cause I really didn’t want to bring this chapter into ‘23 with me. Having this finally completed has been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders，you guys have no idea，so praise God for that! I can finally start the process of cracking down on my other hobbies besides writing this month，going into ‘23. As I would say back in my Wattpad days，show support by liking，reblogging or even commenting! I’m appreciative of every little interaction y’all give me，but more specifically with this piece of work here! Muah!⠀⠀⠀‘’

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀〝⠀MY THOUGHTS MUST BE RELAXED⸝ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀‘CAUSE TIMES IS CHANGED ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀AND LIFE IS STRANGE

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀THE GLORIOUS DAYS IS GONE ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀AND EVERYBODY’S DOIN’ BAD ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀YO⸝ MAD LIVES IS UP FOR GRABS!⠀〞

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀-ˋˏ⠀VINEGAR HILL⸝ BROOKLYN ⠀⠀⠀⠀SATURDAY⸝ OCTOBER 𝟖ᵀᴴ⸝ 𝟏：𝟏𝟕 AM ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀TYREE’S PAD⠀ˎˊ˗ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀🐉系🍱🥢🥡💮𓈒𓄹

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓

ㅤㅤㅤ“𝕺KAY⸝ SO I’M FULLY AWARE that I’m late arriving to our Kung Fu Watch-A-Thon, but the great news is that I’ve come bearing gifts to make up for the time lost!”

After a forty-minute commute to the Soldier crew’s habitual dining place of Louie & Ernie’s Pizza back in The Bronx and weaving traffic for nearly the same amount of time, Kei and Lamar had successfully made it through the door of Tyree’s Vinegar Hill pad where Isaiah had been patiently anticipating their arrival on an empty stomach.

He sat slouched within his favorite seat within the apartment, arms crossed with his traditional attire of wrinkled baseball Jerseys and white crew neck T-shirts while The 36th Chamber of Shaolin aired on the 55″ flat screen television. The camouflage A Bathing Ape brand bucket hat he was then sporting had been slightly tilted down over his mahogany eyes, making it damn near difficult to tell on whether or not he had actually been watching the film or whether it had been watching him the entire time, especially beneath the dim directional lights of the front room.

They both had received an answer to their question when Isaiah went to adjust himself in the recliner at Kei’s bribery.

“Ah, I knew you couldn’t resist a good bargain,” Kei conveyed rather vivaciously, swiftly slipping from out her Cinderellaesque PVC pumps and leaving Lamar to fetch them like the mutt he was. She went to safely place her glass bag aside on the entertainment stand before taking the pizza boxes from his possession and going to approach Isaiah, kneeling before him in her authentic Thierry Mugler frock. “So what will it be tonight, Zay, plain cheese or Margherita?”

Without so much as a single utter, Isaiah didn’t hesitate when hungrily outstretching his hands for the box with the all cheese pizza stored inside of it.

“Now how’d I know you’d choose that one? More Margherita for me then,” She shrugged, placing the box of Margherita pizza on the coffee table before going to stand on her own two, facing towards the hallway in which their bedrooms resided while finally getting the opportunity to take down the high ponytail in her head that seemingly gave her a make-shift face lift and migraine throughout the course of the night. “I’ma go wash this makeup off and slip into something a little more comfortable. Keep my se—”

“Thank you.” An indistinct baritone voice muttered, causing Kei, as well as Lamar to pause dead in their tracks.

“Lamar, y-you said somethin’?”

“Hell nah!” He exclaimed, putting up a minor fight with the can of Red Bull he had managed to snag from the tall freestanding larder fridge while attempting to get it open. “I think that little nigga just talked!”

“Oh my God, Zay! You can talk?!?! It’s a miracle!” Kei exclaimed in excitement, clasping her hands together and bringing them up towards her gloss coated lips before turning to face Isaiah who had a bashful grin ghosting his full lips.

“That nigga hasn’t spoken in like five years!” Lamar stated, gently going to grab Kei up by her upper arm before catapulting her towering stature towards his own by his free hand. “Ay, whatever voodoo you performed on him and T, you need to try on me.” He blew a kiss in her direction in which she rejected by kissing her teeth and rolling her eyes before snatching away from him.

“It’s called “Decorum,” weird ass. You oughta learn more of it. Now if you’d excuse me, I’d like to go change unlike some people ‘round here. I ain’t gon’ name no names, and keep your hands out my pizza!”

“I bought the shit.” Lamar retorted, falling back onto the leather sofa.

“Yeah, with my man’s money!” Kei shot back once in the safety of her and Tyree’s bedroom before going to slam and lock the door.

“You, as well as I know that that’s bullshit, aight, Kei?! My mans owes me for all the babysittin’ I’ve done with you and Zay these past six years and countin’, for you, a month and countin’! Fuck else you think I’m gettin’ paid for? To sit ‘round, lookin’ pretty? Oh, I must’ve forgot, that’s you and Bianca’s responsibility, right? ‘Cause I ain’t tryna step on anybody’s toes!” Lamar shouted sarcastically in response from the living room area, mouth then full of cheese pizza.

“Tuh! Won’t ‘fend me none!” Kei sibilated once her high quality jewelry was removed and stored safely inside it’s organizer.

She opted her vintage Thierry Mugler frock for casual attire that was far less overstimulating, that being a graphic camisole top and a pair of loose fit denim shorts in which she had to fold the band over in order to keep them up on her waistline for the time being. She slipped her pedicured feet inside her green Marni Sabot mules with a very high priority of showering straight after dinner before retreating to the bathroom to rid her face of any makeup.

She was in the midst of drying her face with a few disposable Bounty quilted napkins when an obnoxious crash could be heard coming from the living room area, causing for her to pause all action completely. She thought nothing of it in that spare moment of silence, resuming with her nightly regime, chalking it up to being nothing more than Lamar’s ass horseplaying around with Isaiah, per usual, until it came to her name being shouted by Lamar, despair lacing his tone. She was sure on disposing the used napkins before rushing to his aide with her heart in her throat.

Kei knew something was off that night. Her intuition led her to believe so, and the blood smearing on the open door, staining Tec’s hands and all tracing back to the once white T-shirt of Tyree that was then soiled in it further proved that she should’ve stuck with her first instinct instead of putting her faith in his. She couldn’t bare the thought of losing another.

“TYREE!” Kei shouted unto him, knees collapsing at his side by the leather sofa in which his tremoring body was then laid upon. “Tyree...” She whimpered, tucking her quivering bottom lip between her teeth only momentarily as a tear fell from the tip of her tinted nose. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands or attire dirty when carefully going to bring his body closer to hers. She assumed the only way they’d receive any explanation on this at all was if they’d remain calm while going about it. “Tyree, baby, tell me what happened. Who did this to you, hm? C’mon...” She sniffed, damp forehead falling against his as she caressed his face for comfort though it did anything but that. “Please talk to me, baby. Just... Please!” She wept, losing patience as he convulsed within her arms.

By this time within the night, Tyree’s 6′2″ frame had succumb to severe pain due to the gunshot wounds that penetrated his shoulder and side. The amount of blood he had lost from the train station to right there on the sofa had him feeble and delirious. He could barely distinguish illusion from reality. A desperate cry for help would only resort in more blood being spilled, so was there even a point in entertaining the thought of it? If this were his fate then he was damn sure accepting of it.

“Tec, what happened tonight?!” When Kei couldn’t pry the answers from her boyfriend, she instead found herself inquiring the next person in line for the job. Her glossy eyes fell on Tec who paced at the center of the living room, bewilderness set into his expression as the events that took place well over an hour ago still played out in his head on a constant loop.

His blood-stained hands trembling with panic as he skillfully attempted to ignite the backwood tucked between his lips even in the condition of an sprained wrist. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around how none of them seen it coming, and on the other hand, he couldn’t help but to place blame on himself with how Tyree and Soldier ended up. So many “If’s” and “Maybe’s.” If only he had took his own truck instead of pooling with Soldier that night, it would’ve bought them more time to escape the Jakes with him. He could’ve gotten Tyree home much more quicker than what the train had, not to mention them having to walk blocks from the crime scene in order to catch that.

“Shit, I don’t know, Kei!” Tec bellowed in agitation once pulling the blunt from his lips, halting his pace only momentarily in order to gather his thoughts. “We was only supposed to be hittin’ The Heights to celebrate T’s win tonight. Couple bottles, some sesh, a few bitches, y’know? The usual. Shit took a left turn in Soldier’s whip once we found out them opp niggas was following us from the venue. Ra had to have been wit’ them niggas—”

“Ra?! As in Raphael?!” Lamar interrogated, head jerking back and eyes narrowing in disbelief. “Nah, no way.”

“Nigga, I’m tryna tell your ass, Ra was wit’ them niggas! Who the fuck else you think was bustin’ shots in T’s direction first?! In the front seat of our whip, at that?!” Tec sniffed, swiping his thumb beneath his frigid and tinted nose in anger by use of his dominant hand. “I saw the shit myself! Next thing you know, an old school Cadillac Coupe DeVille that them niggas was rollin’ in pulls up next to us and starts firing more shots. We all ended up crashin’ somewhere on 125th and Lex, but it ain’t end there. Tyree called himself hopping out to go after them niggas... Alone. Meanwhile, I’m left to tend to Soldier even though I’m just as fucked up as he is at that point,” He took a swift pull from his blunt, his vacant eyes wide open and set on nothing in particular as he went to close out his story. “I’m still not even a hundred percent sure what went down in that station earlier, shit, I’m not even sure if I want to know. I’ll let T tell y’all that part. All I do know is that Ra’s on the run, Soldier’s in the slammer and we out here.”

“Soldier’s in holding?” Kei questioned empathetically as if that had been the only statement she excerpted from his vent.

“Ain’t no fuckin’ way half these niggas jumped ship, Soldier’s in the can and we out here outnumbered, crippled or damn near dead! Let’s get Tyree to the nearest hospital so that we can go get back at them niggas!”

“Nigga, are you dumb, stupid or slow?! Did you not hear what the fuck I just said?! The streets is mad hot right now for any of us, that including Kei! It was mad surveillance cameras in that one spot. The best we can do right now is lay low ‘til it all blows over.”

“What?! And let him bleed out?!” Lamar questioned, extending his arms out in the direction of Tyree.

“I feel like you got somethin’ you wanna say, Lamar...” Tec stated, walking up on Lamar.

“You guys, is now really the best time for all this?” Kei questioned softly.

“Fuck that. I’m makin’ a housecall to Dr. Moore. He’ll clear all this shit up. C’mon, Zay. You ‘on’t need to be seeing all this.” Lamar stated, grabbing the back of Isaiah’s neck in a brotherly manner once he was in close proximity of him before they would both make their way to the back of the apartment.

“Yeah, you call that strung out ass nigga. I’m headin’ to the rooftop. I need some fuckin’ air.” Tec announced, slamming the door on his way out and leaving Kei on her lonesome.

Flatbush，Brooklyn

A very eager and even more anxious Jasper Valentine sat positioned in genuflect as he laced his Adidas with unsteady hands before his own son who laid fast asleep and bundled within the comfort of his own car seat warmer, on the porch of none other than the Lewis’.

It was well past midnight and New York had hit it’s lows as far as the fall weather was concerned which would explain their hefty getups, but Jasper had deep meaning to go a lot further in his.

“Ay, little man, it’s daddy here,” Jasper glanced down at his five-month-old son’s full face for what could potentially be the last time, his NUK brand pacifier being latched on sporadically throughout the infant’s deep slumber. “I realize... I realize that you’re far too young to comprehend just what I’m about to tell you, but I feel as though I at least owe that to ya dukes since your grandparents couldn’t exactly do the same when it came to us. I’m going away for a minute. Going to find your Titi Kei along with your Tío Antonio. It’s uncertain to me on just how long we’ll actually be away or if we’ll even be returning at all with the way things are lookin’ right now, but the really dope part about all this, is that you’ve got angels in your corner, ready and willing to protect you at any given cost, that including your abuela, your madre and even ya Tía XiXi, so you be a good boy for them ‘til papi gets back, hm? And just remember, no matter what happens after tonight, I love you, Joie Valentine. Never will stop lovin’ you.” He kissed his teeth with a wink, giving his son a gentle chin check that caused the infant to slightly stir in his sleep before standing to his feet and going to adjust the strap of the brimming The North Face jester backpack on his right shoulder which so happened to be considered Joie’s makeshift diaper bag since birth as well.

His right hand latched onto the handle of Joie’s car seat before finally facing towards the front door of the Lewis’ Flatbush brownstone and proceeding to ring the doorbell with whatever pride he had left in him.

Mrs. Lewis’ dainty stature would soon appear at the interior craftsman doors of the vestibule of her brownstone in a satin bonnet while tying her terry cloth bath rope closed over her muumuu nightgown with her eyes halfway closed shut.

“Jasper,” The elder woman exhaled deeply in relief, bringing the young man into her tight embrace almost as if she hadn’t been expecting his company. He would’ve done the same if it weren’t for him clutching on the handle of Joie’s car seat as well as the strap of his diaper bag. “Thank God you made it here safely,” She pulled back, clasping her hands together before bringing them up towards her full lips as she batted her natural lashes in his direction. “How you been holding up?”

“I’ll be at ease once I know Kei’s back home safe,” Jasper stated, a little hostile than he probably initially intended. This all stemming from their very first encounter with the police. Seemed as if everyone had questions, but no one had answers, so he was setting out to find them on his own. “Look, Mrs. Lewis, I... I just wanted to personally thank you for doing me this solid again. I really don’t know how me and mines would’ve even made it this far without the support of you and yours. The Tsangs included.”

“Jasper Valentine, there’s no need to thank me,” She insisted, grabbing at both of his brawny upper arms. “You just thank the Lord above for binding us together in trying times such as this and for giving you the strength and protection to carry on day to day, you hear?” Her fingers slipping beneath his chin affectionately in order to lift his head up in confidence so that they were seeing eye to eye had him smiling through the pain. “The only thing you need to do for me is to be sure Kei gets home safely, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” He nodded his head in agreement. “And I know you didn’t ask for anything in return, but I still left $500 in cash, my EBT card and the keys to the apartment in Joie’s diaper bag just in case I don’t make it back in time and he ends up needing more clothes, diapers, formula or anything else for that matter. I know you’ll be checkin’ in on mi abuelo as well though he’s pretty self-sufficient, but just in case, his SSDI check comes in on the third of each month and that’s usually what we’ll use to pay the rent with after getting his necessities.”

“I know you’re good for it, baby,” Mrs. Lewis assured, taking Joie as well as his diaper bag from his possession around the same time Antonio made an appearance at the vestibule in his coordinating black assemble. Boy, was she a strong woman to be her early sixties. “Now you two go and find your sister. I’ll be praying!” She shooed the young adults away from her stoop.

They would get halfway down the street before they’d open their mouths to say anything.

“You never told me where we’re headin’ first.” Antonio stated, lacing his favorite range of metallic silver Nike Air Force Foamposite Pro sneakers.

“We’re going to see a man about a horse.” Jasper informed nonchalantly, not willing to make further conversation than that as he would yank the hood of his pullover over his freeform locs at the signal of the crosswalk light.

Bloomingdale，New Jersey 3：16 AM

Jasper and Antoino’s excursion from the gutters of Flatbush, Brooklyn to the suburbs of Bloomingdale, New Jersey by use of the Q train was a straight shot that only took a two-hour duration if you included the bus rides in between. Their destination of the night was on the porch of a three-bedroom townhome complex located in a predominantly residential area. To say that they both felt every bit of out of place, especially dressed in all black while being Black, at this time of night, was an understatement, but they both knew that they were there to serve a greater purpose, so there was really was no use in turning back at that point in time. Plus the Rap music pumping from the inside told them otherwise. This had to have been a safe space.

“Yo, bro, just a reminder that when we get inside, let me do most of the conversing. Remember I told you on the train ride here that I’ve known these cats since high school and how they ain’t too fond of new people comin’ ‘round.” Jasper forewarned, ringing the doorbell to the townhome as instructed before stepping back to where Antonio stood, carelessly rolling his preferred strain of sour diesel into a fronto leaf just to calm his nerves since he couldn’t find the time to do so earlier.

“I gotchu, bro.” Antonio reassured, not even bothering to glance in his direction as the panel door before them flew open without even so much as an interrogation on their identities while standing on the opposite side, a thick fog of marijuana smoke following shortly after. Their choice in the likes of Baby Keem’s discography weren’t as muddled then with the door being wide open. They could make out every word being shouted within the sidebar conversations of those who occupied the living room area inside. Though it seemed too late within the night to be making plans to go anywhere far.

They could only guess who actually answered the door for them as their eyes fell onto a kid, no older than eight years old and evidently of mixed race just by the loose curl pattern of his untamed natural, standing in the doorway in Marvel thermal long johns and crew socks while rubbing his puffy eyes in closed fists.

“Ay, little man, your parents—” Jasper began to interrogate the boy on his parents whereabouts when the answer came stumbling into view.

“Blaze,” Though clearly inebriated, the woman was courteous enough to hiccup into her fist before clutching onto the door for some stability. “What’ve I told you ‘bout opening my door without permission from me or your dad, huh?!”

“Sorry, mommy...” Blaze sulked with his head hung low.

“There won’t be a “Sorry” next time. I’ma just start putting a belt to your ass, how ‘bout that?! Huh?! Now go to bed like I asked! You know good and dang on well you not supposed to be up at this time of night!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Blaze remained courteous throughout his mother’s dispute, turning on his heels to retreat to his bedroom, her eyes following him every step of the way.

“I’m sorry ‘bout that. These ki— Jasper?!” The young mother would cock an eyebrow, an inviting smirk ghosting her full lips as her hands fell to her waist at the sight of an old friend.

“Shawnee, hey,” Jasper greeted once coming to realization of it being his former friend from high school as she reached out for a hug to which he happily accepted. “Long time, no speak. It’s good to finally see you again. That’s you?” He asked, referring to the kid who had seen himself up to his bedroom.

“Um, yeah,” She nodded once pulling away from him and going to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Me and Juul’s. I heard you had one too. Congratulations.”

“Why, thank you.”

“The fuck is Juul?” Antonio muttered, only expecting for Jasper’s ears to hear until the back of Jasper’s hand came flying into his solid chest, nearly knocking the wind from him and the blunt from out his hand.

“Um, this is my brother-in-law, Antonio, but we call him Juice. I bought him along fo’ the ride.You think Juul’ll mind?”

“Course not. He’s been expecting your company, actually,” She stated, stepping aside to give them access to the townhome. “Upstairs, first door on your left.”

“Thank you.”

The duo would enter the townhome with great precaution, moving with stealth as they passed the kitchen, dining and living room areas that housed two more beautiful women— One sporting a bleached pixie cut and the other sporting a side swoop— Who indulged in their choice of marijuana or liquor while sparking up a conversation on the company as they passed by in order to reach the staircase.

They were hardly able to make it past the threshold of their designated bedroom within the townhome without firearms being pointed in their direction, causing for them to throw their hands up in defense.

“Yo, Juul, Paris, Sol? Chill! It’s just me, Jasper, from prep school, remember?” Jasper sputtered with his chest heaving as the trio hesitated to lower their weapons. He pondered on if this paranoid behavior came routine for the three, especially with a child being involved. Surely, these weren’t the same people he once considered running with back in prep school.

“Shit, Jasper,” Juul exhaled, running a clammy hand down his speckled face before being the first of the three to lower his weapon, surprisingly. “You gotta speak up next time. We almost blew your damn lid off,” He drawled, his ocean blue eyes scanning the room to catch his two colleagues still in defense mode. “They good.”

“They ain’t good ‘til I say they are,” Paris stated, glancing back at Juul.

Sol was an exchange student deriving from Japan at their time of prep school. He verbally spoke a lick of English and was more on the mute side either way which lead other people to push their own narratives about who he was as a person. Except for Paris. Paris was patient, ready and willing to protect Sol at all costs, study his culture and vice versa, so Sol would always feel the need to coincide with him, good or bad. They were the true definition of yin and yang. Before The Notorious 3 were even established, there was Paris and Sol, bonding over their passions for hypebeast fashion and music.

“I know that’s Jasper, but who the fuck is this Mr. T lookin’ motherfucker to the left of him? Nobody sent for him.”

True, Jasper thought.

He should’ve asked before stringing him along. He knew that they kept a knit operation and an outsider could cost them everything, so he couldn’t really blame them for being cautious.

“This is my brother-in-law, Antonio. We call him Juice. He’s just here lookin’ for the same answers as me, man.” This statement evidently put everyone’s racing minds at ease, causing for Paris and Sol to finally lower their weapons before Jasper and Antonio did the same with their hands.

“You should ask next time.” Paris suggested.

“No doubt.” Jasper agreed, hesitantly going to take a seat in the loveseat alongside Antonio.

“Y’all mind if I light this joint?” Antonio asked, making himself comfortable by removing his Supreme brand backpack before holding his fronto up to their eye level to prevent further suspicion.

“Yeah, man, knock yourself out.” Juul approved, taking a rip from his own form of antidepressant which so happened to be a vape.

“Now that the dust has settled, can we get down to business on my sister’s whereabouts?” Jasper inquired, irritation evident within his tone as he clasped his hands together.

“Course, bro. That’s what we’re all here for, right?” Juul stated with no particular response. “You know I’ve never beat around the bush with any of y’all, so I’ma just come right out and say that the reason the cops couldn’t find Kei is because she’s now apart of an underground street fighting ring.”

“She’s what?!” Jasper exclaimed in disbelief, leaping up from his place on the loveseat as if it would somehow obliterate the anger he’d been carrying all this time. He promised himself that he wouldn’t get riled up, no matter the circumstances that she were in, but he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the fact that his baby sister had been engaging in an underground street fighting ring of some sort and how it only took Juul’s less than ten minutes to tell him so while it took the New York Police Department more than ten days to even identify XiXi’s lifeless body on a dead end street. They were useless! “Why y’all ain’t just tell me this shit on the phone earlier in the night, huh?! We could’ve been at these niggas’ spot!”

“Bro, don’t shoot the messenger, aight?! We just attended the spot earlier in the night after months of being absent from the scene. It would’ve been mad suspicious of us to go snatching Kei up without an actual plan in motion. Plus Kei didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger at that moment in time. What more do you want us to do?”

“To do your fuckin’ job, how ‘bout that?! Do exactly what I paid y’all to do! It’s not that fuckin’ hard!”

“And it ain’t that simple either, Jasper!” Juul’s reciprocated Jasper’s energy, pouncing up from his seat in the office chair before walking up on him. “And what you’re not about to do is come inside my crib and try to bitch me in front of our boys or my son while he’s lying in the next room! We beyond all this shit!” Being the bigger person out of the both of them, he gripped Jasper’s shoulder in order to compose him. “Look, I get your determination on getting your sister back home, Jasper, I truly do. I’d flip out if my sister was in a ring too, but you gotta keep in mind that these people we talkin’ ‘bout are just as lethal as us three, if not, more and on a much larger scale; therefore, we gotta be strategic on how we move.”

“Then what exactly is it that you suggest we do, Juul? ‘Cause I’m losing my patience. I’ll take them niggas on myself.” Jasper gritted, shooting daggers in his direction.

Truth be told, Juul hadn’t really had any particular plan in order. This was one of those plan-as-you-go situations, but he wasn’t about to let Jasper know that.

All previous tension within the room seemingly came to a standstill when all three of the women from earlier came bombarding the already crowded place with their inebriated spirits and the causes of them, sparing Juul some time to think this through.

Shawnee would stumble her way over to Juul before going to wrap her flimsy arms around his torso the best way that she could while her friend sporting the blonde pixie cut found a comfortable seat inside of Paris’ lap and the other replaced Jasper’s spot on the loveseat beside Antonio.

“Jasper, I’m sure you remember Shawnee,” Juul reintroduced his fiancée to his childhood friend as if they hadn’t already had the honor of doing so before he or Antonio had even stepped foot inside the townhome. “That’s Paris’ girlfriend, Phylum and their best friend, Angel, who’s pretty familiar with the underground scene, am I right, Angel?”

“Um, yeah,” Angel hesitated to answer, Seagram’s Escape Sangria wine cooler clenched within her hand. “Given I haven’t been in a few months.”

“That’s it!” Juul exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

“What’s it?” Jasper queried in irritation.

“Angel! We could use her as a decoy at the next street fight happenin’ at The Chop Shop in Queens! She can easily side with Kei, get the details on where they’re crashing at and from there, you and Juice’ll have y’all way on getting Kei out.”

Jasper didn’t know whether or not Juul’s plan was actually foolproof, but he didn’t think he had much of a choice at that point. He wasn’t familiar with that territory or it’s kindred, only Kei, so it was best to let him do his job, cause if the circumstances were up to him, he would’ve walked in, guns blazing over his sister.

“Aight, fuck it,” Jasper sighed out, giving in. “What’s the soonest you can get this all lined up?”

“Shit, tonight, but that doesn’t change the fact that the next street fight ain’t scheduled ‘til the end of the month.”

“Ain’t no sense in wasting time then. Let’s make it happen.”

“I’m on it, bro. You got my word.”

ׂ ̣ ○ . ° ♰ 𓈒 ॱ 𓂂 AUTHOR’S NOTE⠀⦂⠀⠀⠀‘’⠀⠀⠀Just to make one thing perfectly clear，I came up with Juul’s name way before this episode of Euphoria aired. I’m talkin’ year ‘20，so don’t even try me，ma’am. I’ll hopefully be seeing y’all the top of next year with a new chapter if my job and other hobbies don’t interfere with that，fingers crossed! Love y’all! Thank y’all for tuning in wit’ me. 'Til next time.⠀⠀⠀‘’

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ziggy baitinger as 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐄

⤷ occupation：juul and shawnee’s biological son

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀jasmine cephas jones as 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐄〝𝐍𝐄𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐄〞

⤷ occupation：juul’s fiancée and blaze’s biological mother

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀jada pinkett smith，circa ‘95 as 𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐋𝐔𝐌

⤷ occupation：paris’ long-term girlfriend

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀meagan good, circa ‘06 as 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋

⤷ occupation：shawnee and phylum’s girlfriend

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀angus cloud as 𝐉𝐔𝐔𝐋

⤷ occupation：1╱3 of the notorious 3

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀pharrell williams and tomoaki〝nigo〞nagao, circa ‘06 as 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 and 𝐒𝐎𝐋

⤷ occupation：2╱3 of the notorious 3

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀YOU’LL DISCOVER...

⁰⁰⁰.⠀⟆⠀ACT II：〝IMPERIAL OVERSTRETCH.〞 ⁰⁰⁷.⠀⟆⠀CHAPTER SIETE：〝THE MARATHON.〞❪COMING SOON❫! ⁰⁰⁰.⠀⟆⠀PINTEREST BOARD. ⁰⁰⁰.⠀⟆⠀MASTERLIST. ⁰⁰⁰.⠀⟆⠀TAGLIST.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀HERE!

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⨳𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐀 🐚⋆ Ꮺ ָ࣪ ۰ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀❪taglist❫

@neeville​ @dtedani ✯ @negative-azure @aubreysgraham ✯ @itzkee ✯ @prettienee

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ⓒ oklcmc⸝ 2022.

#poc authors #poc writers #black authors #black writers #kelis #keith powers #keith powers fanfic #keith powers fanfiction #urban #urban fanfic #urban fanfiction #urban ff #def jam fight for ny #def jam: fight for ny #dave east #joey bada$$ #joey badass #pharrell #angus cloud #fezco #jasmine cephas jones #blindspotting #euphoria #nigo

[astriddestelle]

Anyone else tired of all the popular books being the same five books that all feature the same basic ass white girl with blonde/brunette hair and blue/green eyes. Like where are the brown main character books at that also don’t deal with race

Why can’t it just be a black girl who discovers she’s a witch without and evil racist society, or a Latina girl who finds out she’s part goddess and doesn’t have to decide between her culture or her new powers. An south Asian who has three brothers fighting for her love while she tries to save the world, without racist trauma background.

We getting there but it’s taking forever. Like. If I see one more fucking booktok of the most basic mc and story in existence imma scream.

#booktok #books #mc #white mc #POC mc #black and brown readers deserve love to #Colleen Hoover sucks #acotar sucks #throne of glass #basic ass books #POC authors #fine i’ll do it myself

[edinapublishers]

#unite against book bans #american library association #ownvoices #book recs #diverse books #queer books #queer authors #poc authors #black authors #latine authors #trans authors #protect queer kids #protect trans kids

[mysteriesbooks]

so, in WW2, America actually had a U.S Council on Books in Wartime. And this organization sent books abroad to troops for entertainment and morale. They also, had this slogan: Books are weapons in the war of ideas.  And, you know what? They were absolutely right. It’s that same slogan that is the reason queer and POC stories are being banned across the country in unprecedented numbers. When reading other people’s stories gives you empathy and understanding for minority groups, you’re less likely to want to support people who seek to hurt them.  So, a reminder, that it’s patriotic to read banned books. Because, even over 80 years later, books are weapons in the war of ideas. 

(sticker and such)

#mine #banned books #read banned books #banned book #WWII history #WW2 history #queer books #queer authors #POC stories #POC authors

[ya-world-challenge]

New Releases in September 2022 for the YA World Challenge

Wow, it’s nearly September! Crazy. 

So this month I decided to dig deeper and get some indie and non-US published titles on the list. I also displayed all the covers (except a few late additions*). Too much information or is it good like that?

(*oops, the late additions became more than a few! I wonder if the post is too long.)

What’s your favorite cover? Personally, I can’t help loving Last of the Talons, plus The Sacrifice cover is kind of awesome, and Rust in the Root has a great kind of elegance to it.

[P.S. Links support Bookshop.org and independent bookshops!]

🇦🇶  Antarctica

It Looks Like Us - Alison Ames

🇦🇺  Australia

The Bookseller’s Apprentice - Amelia Mellor

Beyond all Boundaries book 3: Interdimensional Worlds - Lyn Willmott

🇨🇦  Canada

This House is not a Home - Katłıà

🇨🇳  China

Foul Lady Fortune - Chloe Gong

🇨🇴  Columbia

Meet Me Halfway - Anika Fajardo

🇨🇺 Cuba

The Bluest Sky - Christina Diaz Gonzalez

🇩🇪  Germany

The Gingerbread Witch - Alexandra Overy

🇬🇭 Ghana

Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting - Roseanne A. Brown

🇬🇷 Greece

Blood of Troy - Claire M. Andrews

God’s Grace by Katie Cherry

Ithaca by Claire North

🇮🇳 India

Starlet Rivals - Puneet Bhandal

🇮🇩  Indonesia

Well, That Was Unexpected - Jesse Q. Sutanto

🇮🇪  Ireland

The Lost Girl King - Catherine Doyle

🇮🇹  Italy

Kingdom of the Feared - Kerri Maniscalco

🇯🇵  Japan

Ichiro and the Great Mountain - W. Nikola-Lisa

🇯🇵 🇺🇸 Japanese-American

Sweet and Sour - Debbi Michiko Florence

🇰🇷  Korea

Last of the Talons - Sophie Kim

🇰🇷🇺🇸 Korean-American

Seoulmates - Susan Lee

🇲🇽  Mexico

The Sunbearer Trials - Aiden Thomas

🇵🇸 Palestine

They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom - Ahed Tamimi, Dena Takruri

🇵🇭  Philippines

The Sacrifice - Rin Chupeco

Adrift - Tanya Guerrero

🇷🇺  Russia

Bone Weaver - Aden Polydoros

Black Bird, Blue Road - Sofia Pasternack  (Kazakhstan?)

🇬🇧 Scotland

Dìlseachd - A Stolen Crown - Cheyenne can Langevelde

🌏  Southeast Asia

Monsters Born and Made - Tanvi Berwah

Fall of the Iron Gods - Olivia Chadha

🇸🇾  Syria

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow - Zoulfa Katouh

🇺🇦 Ukraine

Dogs of the Deadlands - Anthony McGowan

🇬🇧  United Kingdom

Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches - Harry Cook

The Secret in the Tower - Andrew Beattie

🇺🇸  United States

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix - Anna-Marie McLemore

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

Destination Unknown - Bill Konigsberg

🌍 West Africa

Soul of the Deep - Natasha Bowen

#book list #new releases #bookblr #booklr #reading #tbr #diversity in books #book recommendations #book rec list #diverse ya #poc authors #reading challenge #reading books #bookish #ya books #fantasy books #antarctica #australia #canada #china #columbia #cuba #germany #greece #india #indonesia #ireland #italy #japan #korea

[klutzymaiden123]

Something about writing or witnessing angry women characters is so satisfying

#and i dunno what it is #writing #female characters #female rage #authors #poc authors #black authors #black writers #poc writers #woc writers

[aroaceoutinspace]

Babel by RF Kuang

I finally finished Babel after a month! I finally think I'm shaking this reading slump though, and it was a brilliant book. I think it will take a while to fully process all the detail!

It was a truly amazing story and anybody who called it 'preachy' needs to take a look at their own values- it was a realistic portrayal of 1800s England and the racism imbued in it. She managed to invent a magical industry but also accurately predict the pitfalls it would have had.

Amazing work from RF Kuang as always, and I really enjoyed the linguistic focus, and how much she discusses meanings that get lost in translation, and how much viewpoints of nations can be seen through languages. It was intense and detailed, but that was honestly what made it as good as it was.

I also loved her clever technique of adding extra context at the bottom, even story relevant details that it would feel too clunky to add into dialogue. She managed to balance a complex historical and multicultural story while still enduring any reader could understand.

The characters were raw and real, and the effort she put into showing us the variety of viewpoints that still exist within the same side was so eye opening and honest. Her understanding of human motivation and psychology always blows me away.

4.5 stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️, the 0.5 simply because I would have liked more information on the aftermath, but also understand there wasn't many characters to give it through (this will make sense if you've read it).

To me it is less fantasy focused than the Poppy Wars, so if it was only the aspect of Rin and shamans that you enjoyed in that book, you may not love this as much. However if you enjoyed the historical and political elements pick this up quickly!!

Thanks for reading 🥰

#babel #rf kuang #books #booklr #bookworm life #book reccs #book reviews #fantasy booklr #fantasy book reviews #historical fantasy #books with messages #poc authors #amazing books #my reviews #my book reviews

[hinerdsitscat]

Since I just got a bunch of new followers thanks to a random Doctor Who shitpost, I figured I'd use the opportunity to plug a historical fantasy book my friend just published and put a few more dollars in her pocket, because it's pretty fantastic:

The Marlen of Prague: Christopher Marlowe and the City of Gold, in which Kit Marlowe, reluctant magician, even more reluctant spy, and Big Gay Disaster, has his death faked for him and is shuffled off to Prague to track down rogue English magician John Dee. He is extremely unhappy about the whole thing and more or less decides to make it Everyone Else's Problem Too. Featuring intrigue, angst, magic, and a slew of real life historical figures.

#shameless promotion #historical fiction #christopher marlowe #kit marlowe #book reccomendation #poc authors

[creepykuroneko]

Went to the San Antonio Book Festival this weekend!

I finally got to meet my two favorite authors in the world! 😸😭

Steven Graham Jones, Native American author, all of his protagonists are indigenous, he is a horror writer, his most famous works today are the Only Good Indians, My Heart is a Chainsaw, and his newest book Don't Fear The Reaper. I cried while reading the only good indians.

V. Castro, Tejana, unapologetically writes about Mexican folklore, horror, brown protagonist, Aztec goddesses, and the fact that white women are not the friends of brown women. The Queen of the Cicadas has been my absolute favorite book to date, her newest book that just came out this month is the Haunting of Alejandra and it taps into the urban legend of La Llorona.

Was able to get 2 of Jones books and 4 of Castro's books signed 😻 (I didn't want to post my name on the internet so I edited the photos)

Memorial Ride: Thanks for hanging with Coop!

The Only Good Indians: yes, you are a final girl! (we were talking about horror movie tropes and I told him I would be a final girl).

Goddess of Filth: keep shining!

Out of Aztlan: thank you! Appreciate all the support.

Queen of the Cicadas: Thank you & Best wishes!

Hairspray and Switchblades: Enjoy the Jaguars ! Thank you! ❤

So happy I got to meet these two amazing beautiful people. Was able to attend their panels and ask some questions. Had some laughs and delt was some heavy emotional topics. Still would love to have a afternoon to just hang out with each writer individually to really talk with them about their experiences and opinions on many issues. Honestly though I'm just happy I was able to see them in person.

#Stephen Graham Jones #v. castro #books #booklr #ndn #chicanx #poc authors #horror

[miss-chevious19]

Part 2: Science Fiction and Fantasy Books by Black Authors

Witches Steeped in Gold #1 Witches Steeped in Gold Ciannon Smart Divided by their order. United by their vengeance. Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom – and vengeance. Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power. Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a…

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#BIPOC authors #BIPOC books #BIPOC characters #Black authors #Black fantasy books #black history month #black science fiction books #fantasy genre #POC authors #POC books #YA fantasy

[oklcmc]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀،̲،̲⠀⠀⠀𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀゛⠀Feelin’ like Adam when he first found out this existed ゛⠀Ha⸝ wow...⠀〟me and my Eve trying out our⠀⠀⠀first positions ゛⠀Ha⸝ yeah...⠀〟

summary：⠀⠀⠀ ‘’ ⠀⠀⠀An imagine turned drabble⸝ dating back as early as June of 2018 about Erik taking his long-term girlfriend⸝ Nirvana down to her garden for a late night session subsequently after putting their child to bed.⠀⠀⠀‘’

word count：553

pairing：n’jadaka╱erik ゛⠀killmonger⠀〟stevens ❪michael b. jordan❫ ✕ black!female oc ❪chaka khan⸝ circa 1977❫

forewarning：none thus far.

fun-size playlist：i. frank ocean - nature feels

author’s note：⠀⠀⠀‘’⠀⠀⠀I wrote this piece when the Black Panther Tumblr fandom was still poppin’ off back in the day. I think I might’ve gotten discouraged about writing or even posting it when seeing the way other people’s pieces were gaining so much traction then and just quit writing it completely when I was halfway through with it because of my apprehension of not being able to upkeep with everyone else. I also wasn’t as heavy on writing then as I am now；I was working a dead-end job and had a ton of toxic situations going on in my life then as well⸝ so that could also be why I hadn’t finished it. Maybe one day God’ll give me the courage to finish it⸝ but it’ll more than likely be with a different love interest although this is definitely not my first time using Nirvana’s character. This could also be an ongoing series for me；posting content from the past that I’ll more than likely will never finish⸝ I don’t know for sure yet. Nevertheless⸝ happy readings!⠀⠀⠀‘’

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓

ㅤㅤㅤ𝕰RIK STEVENS WAS THE KIND of person that always made sure his presence was felt, whether it was with his obnoxious laughter, belligerent attitude or heavy walking, all mannerisms in which he had sadly picked up while serving in the Central Intelligence Agency. Somehow it seemed to always abruptly alter when being in the tranquil aura of her or her offspring, even when he fought against it.

His laughter came off as more infectious than anything now, his attitude compassionate and as far as footsteps went? He trod lightly through the narrow hallways of her single-family household in his Nike brand crew socks while chewing at the plastic aglets of his vintage Cross Colours pull-over; his shadow striking against the smooth apricot colored walls as a result of the sunset casting through the foyer window and out through the crystal chandelier.

He was trying his hardest to avoid waking the child he had put down for bed no less than five minutes ago all while trying to avoid interfering with the low, but captivating humming he had became accustomed to hearing during this time of day, over the past three years as well. It was either that or the pungent aroma of cigarette smoke luring him in closer to the panel door of the master bedroom which was ajar.

What he had thought to be easy accessibility to being inconspicuous had actually turned out to be a trap in the short-run once he went to push the door open and the drawn-out sound of the hinges squeaking caught her attention.

Her low humming had subsided. She went from gazing out the picture window of the window seat to glancing over her shoulder at her bedroom doorway; her frizzy tresses following her every movement. The violet purple, hot pink and orange hues of the sunset engulfed her small silhouette like no other while swirl patterns of the cigarette smoke continued to transcend into thin air.

“Are you gonna continue to stand there or are you gonna join me?” He nasal voice had finally filled the quiet bedroom.

Erik really couldn’t help but to chuckle internally at the sassy attitude she was handing him before deciding to answer her question by approaching the window seat in which she rested on. He overshadowed her, not brief enough for her to assume he was plotting to make a move on her and not long enough for her to register that he was admiring her ethereal beauty again.

From the speckles adorning the bridge of her nose that she was infamously known to cover-up when stepping outside the house to her high cheekbones, Erik loved every fiber of her being, even if he was too masculine to admit it at times.

He finally released the damp aglets of his pull-over that were wedged between his molars before giving his woman his idea of a formal greeting. He playfully slapped her on the thigh which was only being covered by the sheer fabric of her stockings before plopping down beside her on the window seat and kicking his feet up while doing so.

Whether it’d be invading her personal space or his heavy hands, Erik was looking for any reason for her to complain so that he could put her in her place, but she hadn’t. Not even once.

#┃⠀･ ｡ﾟ☆⠀〝i just want some dick.〞⠀⠀╱ ⠀⠀꒰⠀𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬╱𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬╱𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬╱𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬╱𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬. #erik killmonger #njadaka #n'jadaka #n’jadaka #black panther #tchalla #t'challa #t’challa #mcu #marvel #erik stevens #erik killmonger x reader #erik killmonger x oc #chaka khan #drabble #black author #black writers #poc authors #poc writers #black authors

[yaworldchallenge]

🇨🇩  Democratic Republic of the Congo

Region: Southern Africa

Everfair

Author: Nisi Shawl

381 pages, published 2016

Original language: English

Native author? Author is African-American

Age: Adult

Blurb:

What if the African natives developed steam power ahead of their colonial oppressors? What might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier? Fabian Socialists from Great Britain join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo's "owner," King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated. Shawl's speculative masterpiece manages to turn one of the worst human rights disasters on record into a marvelous and exciting exploration of the possibilities inherent in a turn of history. Everfair is told from a multiplicity of voices: Africans, Europeans, East Asians, and African Americans in complex relationships with one another, in a compelling range of voices that have historically been silenced. Everfair is not only a beautiful book but an educational and inspiring one that will give the reader new insight into an often ignored period of history.

Other reps:

Genres: #steampunk #alternate history #sci-fi #colonialism

My thoughts:

Another not-truly-YA book, but it’s a steampunk rewriting of the Congo’s history, how cool is that?

Or for a native Congo author’s voice, try Sandra Uwiringiyimana’s memoir How Dare the Sun Rise.

Review to come.

Link to buy

#congo #drc #democratic republic of the congo #ya world challenge #books #poc authors #steampunk #alternate history #sci-fi #colonialism #africa #everfair #nisi shawl

[meagankimberly]

The Athena Protocol Book Review

The Athena Protocol Book Review

A version of this book review for The Athena Protocol first appeared in The Lesbrary. Summary Jessie Archer is an agent of Athena, a secret women’s organization that does the government’s dirty work of bringing down bad guys without the red tape. But even Athena has its rules, and Jessie is a loose cannon. When the organization fires her, Jessie takes matters into her own hands. She goes on a…

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#action #adventure #Belgrade #book review #female friendships #London #main characters of color #poc authors #sci-fi #science fiction #sff #Shamim Sarif #spec fic #speculative fiction

[the-lady-writes-what]

The-Lady-Reads-What

I'm a very slow reader, so I started reading this massive book back in May and just finished it today. This not on account of it being boring, far from it, it's just that I'm a very slow reader, I'm easily distracted, and I'm not really in the habit any more to read a lot of fiction novels for recreation as much as I used to.

Tasha Suri's "The Jasmine Throne" takes place in a fantasy world heavily inspired by South Asia. Priya, the main character, is a servant in the regent's mahal (palace). Her past is a mystery. She encounters Malini, a princess held prisoner in the temple by Malini's despotic brother, Emperor Chandra. Both young women learn to take power back for themselves in the turbulent world on the brink of rebellion and uprisings.

If you won't read "The Jasmine Throne" for it's diversity, then read it because it's good. The characters are highly complex, and some not afraid to do even monstrous things for the greater good. It's filled with family and cultural tensions, uprisings, fighting for power, and a dash of enemies-to-lovers romance. The world is beautiful, fantastical, and even just a little bit scary (as in you will be in awe of its strength). Suri is not afraid to the ugly side of politics, war, and personal decisions. I highly recommend this book.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars

"The Jasmine Throne" sequel, "The Oleander Sword," has been out since August 16th and the finale to this series has not been released yet as far as I'm aware.

#the-lady-reads-what #new segment #The Jasmine Throne #tasha suri #book review #lgbtq+ #sapphic fiction #POC authors #South Asian authors #Indian authors #South Asian Women authors #Desi authors

[vivienrainn]

When you let a demon drink your tears, who’s to say he won’t hunger for more than just your suffering?

My characters Silas and Sadie from my debut novel Solita: a Gothic Romance, set in the Philippines. If you like demons, religious horror, gothic slowburn stories, medieval & colonial history, then you should check it out.

Is Filipino Gothic a thing? It damn should be.

#art #solita #gothic #artists on tumblr #gothicromance #romantasy #poc artist #poc authors #smutember #character art #gothic literature #gothic lit art #inspiration #gothicauthor #gothicwriting

[hrtiu]

Actually a lot of the hate comes from authors of color that are often over qualified in the writing department but companies refuse to publish their books. So yeah in a sense it is jealousy if you boil it down to it. Jealousy of White mediocrity. Even in fanfic communities, poc have difficulty promoting their works. All in all this isn't the first case of White authors boasting their medicore writing skills while the rest of us struggle. And it's sadly not going to be the last

Hmm, yeah I can see that. It's so tricky because publishing seems so fickle and random, and the odds are stacked against ALL aspiring authors, regardless of color. But I'm certain it's even more difficult for POC authors, and if a POC author doesn't get an agent or a book deal they'll never know if it's just bad luck or if it's because of their race.

It's also tricky to judge because one person's "mediocre writing" may be another person's favorite book. I guess what got under my skin about the Ali Hazelwood discourse was how personal it all seemed. Maybe we can criticize the publishing industry without going after her as an individual?

Thanks for giving me something to think about!

for reference, this ask is in response to this post.

#the love hypothesis #ali hazelwood #bookblr #book discourse #publishing discourse #POC authors #the stuff she said in her interview sounded more to me like modesty or imposter syndrome #rather than her boasting of her own mediocre writing skills