#yay queen of hearts and king of clubs!

[carewyncromwell]

“All I want is the wind in my hair -- To face the fear, but not feel scared...”

x~x~x~x

🌹 HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri​​ // learn more about Abraxan Derby here! 🌹

x~x~x~x

Abraxan Derby was a sport both native to and most popular in the Land of Clubs. This didn’t mean, however, that it didn’t have its fans elsewhere. Even in the Country of Spades, where street cars were pulled by mechanical creatures rather than flesh and blood ones, there were those who loved the freedom that the white winged horses represented. One of those such Spades was the young woman who would eventually become the Queen of Hearts -- Carewyn Cromwell.

From the time she was a little girl, Carewyn had always been enamored with the idea of flight. She found peace looking out from the highest height she could whenever she most wanted to be alone, and her older brother Jacob -- who worked for the Jack of Spades, Duncan Ashe -- used to love treating Carewyn to rides in the royal zeppelin whenever he could wrangle it. The young redhead’s love of flight also extended to winged horses. Although growing up in a rather poor home had made it so she couldn’t afford to travel and thus had only ever learned how to ride mechanical horses, Carewyn loved the thought of one day riding a real horse, especially an Abraxan. She got her chance, surprisingly enough, the day that the Country of Spades’ university hosted an Abraxan Derby competition.

The Land of Clubs and the Country of Spades shared a border, and it couldn’t have been more stark. As soon as one left the perimeter of the trees of the Clubs’ northernmost forest, they would be immediately greeted by a wide-open, industrial landscape decked with high-rise buildings made of iron and glass. It was only this forest and these buildings that separated the grounds of the Land and Country’s respective universities...and it was to hopefully foster good relations between these two schools that this competition was held.

Carewyn herself wasn’t attending university yet -- she was still only a lass of fifteen, though a very capable one. She’d more than made an impression at the court of Spades, after all the times she’d gone to visit Jacob and his “boss,” the Jack of Spades. Some even suspected that the hard-to-please Ace of Spades wished to enlist Carewyn to work for her in some not-too-distant future, though Carewyn didn’t show any particular enthusiasm for the idea. Instead Carewyn chose to work as a shopgirl part-time, so as to help financially support her family. As soon as she was done with her classes, she’d immediately dash out to catch the trolley, putting on her best shoes and her nicest pair of gloves while riding to the general store, and then she’d quickly fix her short ponytail and give herself a quick look-over in the shop windows she passed on her way over. Once she’d arrived, she’d immediately get to work behind the counter, bustling about to help the store owner with his customers and setting out on foot to deliver packages of goods across town.

This day in particular, at the end of her shift, the store owner sent Carewyn southward to deliver some packages to the university dean’s house. It was an address Carewyn was used to visiting -- the dean had a wife and several daughters, all of whom he loved to spoil with gifts, so him ordering stylish new dresses, jewelry, and shoes was a regular occurrence. Carewyn tried not to feel too jealous when she saw the pretty pearl drop earrings one of the dean’s daughters took out of the smallest of the boxes: the only earrings Carewyn had been able to afford were the rusted, clumsily-carved, flower-shaped studs she was wearing now.

Once Carewyn had finished her final delivery, she set off on foot back uptown so she could take the streetcar home. Her way was halted, though, by the commotion in the streets.

During the first round of the university’s Abraxan Derby, a particularly nasty foul had resulted in one of the Land of Clubs’ horses getting badly spooked by  some firecrackers in the Spades’ side of the stands and its rider getting thrown off his horse as it took off into the air. This very same Abraxan ended up just as spooked, however, when it flew right into the path of a zeppelin, weaved down right into the path of a very loud construction site, and then finally zipped right into the very loud incoming traffic of several dozen streetcars.

Alarmed by the sight of the poor, panicking creature, Carewyn pushed her way through the bewildered, wary bystanders, fearlessly rushing up toward the winged horse. Although truthfully she hadn’t known how to calm a real, living horse any better than anyone else around did, Carewyn tried her best, speaking to the white steed as calmly as she could.

“Easy now,” she whispered, taking off her black lace gloves as she approached, “easy...”

The horse flapped its wide wings as if to ward her and everyone else off, but Carewyn nonetheless stood her ground. Several law enforcement officers tried to intervene, whether by urging Carewyn “out of harm’s way” or to grab the horse’s reins, but their loud voices only served to make the Abraxan more nervous.

“Stay back!” Carewyn hissed at them under her breath.

She turned back to the Abraxan, keeping eye contact with him as she kept a respectful distance. The creature was not going to let any of them get any closer, even if they did want to help -- that much was obvious.

Carewyn racked her brain, trying to think of what to do. She had to calm the poor thing down...

The red-haired shopgirl took a very careful step forward. The Abraxan padded the ground anxiously, its eyes locked on her. Not entirely sure what made her do it, Carewyn offered the horse as brave of a smile as she could and started to sing to him.

“The pale moon was rising above the green mountain...

The sun was declining beneath the blue sea

When I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain

That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee...

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,

Yet ‘twas not her beauty alone that won me --

Oh no, ‘twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning

That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee...”

It was a modest, old-fashioned melody -- a folk song, full of admiration. And perhaps because of the sweetness of Carewyn’s voice and the smile that made her voice and eyes sparkle, it held the Abraxan’s attention, making it focus on her enough that it slowly settled down. Finally Carewyn was able to get close enough to touch it, but she moved slowly, holding her hand out in mid-air a foot or so away from its nose for the horse to smell. At last the Abraxan blustered softly through its teeth and bridged the gap between them, bringing its soft, velvety nose up to her hand. Carewyn’s eyes shone like stars as she brought both of her hands gently along its snout and stroked its neck.

“Oh, you are beautiful, aren’t you?” she whispered. Trailing a hand along its back and wing made her wistful in a way she could hardly explain. “You poor, sweet creature...it must be so much louder here than you’re used to. It’s no wonder you’re so frightened...”

“Indeed.”

Carewyn looked up.

The crowd parted for a young dark-haired man only about a year so older than Carewyn to pass through. He was dressed all in loose-fitting, breezy green, and something similarly bright white walked alongside him. The young man’s Abraxan’s wings were folded up at its side as he led it through the crowd toward Carewyn.

“I’m afraid the stables and woods back home are remarkably quiet, in comparison to your city,” he said calmly.

His black eyes ran over Carewyn’s hands up onto the horse’s face and then back onto her with interest.

“...I must thank you for restoring some peace to her spirit.”

Carewyn blinked at the young man in surprise.

“...She’s yours, then,” she surmised.

“My teammate’s, yes,” said the green-dressed man.

Before he could say anything else, however, the traffic in the street seemed to reawaken. It seemed that now that the Abraxan wasn’t flying around like crazy, all of those people who’d been on their commute home or to work had lost their patience.

“Oi, can you take it outta here?!”

“Get outta the way, will ya?!”

“Move it already!”

The Abraxan started to neigh restlessly at the blaring horns and clanging bells, and Carewyn hurriedly tried to calm it by stroking its mane.

“You horrid people!” she scolded them. “Don’t you see you’re making it worse?”

“Clearly they don’t,” the man said very coolly.

Bringing a tanned hand through his own horse’s mane, he quickly leapt up onto its back and took hold of the reins.

“Can you ride, miss?”

Carewyn was taken aback. “...I know how to ride a horse, yes.”

A mechanical one, at least.

“Well, then,” the man said, undaunted, “best be off.”

With this, he took off into the air.

Carewyn glanced at the white Abraxan at her side and then up at the green-dressed man flying just over her.

Well, it really was the best way to get this poor thing back where she belonged, Carewyn supposed.

Despite her slight misgivings, she climbed up onto the winged horse’s back. Taking hold of its reins, she then took a deep breath.

“Let’s go, girl,” she whispered in the Abraxan’s ear.

She flicked the reins. The Abraxan reared back, its wings fully extended, making Carewyn’s heart slam against her ribcage as she clutched its neck harness for support -- and then, just as abruptly, the horse had taken off, soaring up into the air.

It was stunning. Oh, Heavens above, was it a thrill! To be so weightless and so above it all -- it was like pure, exhilarating freedom was coursing through her veins with the heat of hot iron!

Carewyn felt her face flushing with joy -- she felt like a child, uncaring that her hair had come loose of its usual ribbon or that it was flapping loose in her face. She didn’t care how she looked in that moment, or what anyone might say. In this moment, here -- she’d never been happier, in her memory.

The green-dressed man flew up alongside her, his soft black eyes and large white smile rather bright as he considered her.

“Your course is worth several rubies,” he said.

Carewyn glanced up at him questioningly.

“You are a very skilled rider,” he clarified himself. “You’d be an admirable opponent, or ally, were you to fly in the derby.”

Carewyn shook her head modestly. “Thank you...but I’ve only ever ridden mechanical horses, prior to today. I’m hardly experienced enough.”

“But does your inexperience not make your talent all the more remarkable?” the young man challenged her. “You bonded with your steed with nothing but heart and instinct, rather than tried-and-true knowledge or experience.”

“Yes, but if people were relying on me to help them succeed, I wouldn’t want them to choose me just with their hearts,” Carewyn said very firmly. “I’d want them to know I was the best choice, that I’d be the best I could be -- be everything they need me to be, and then some -- and that I’d do the best I could for them, too.”

The green-dressed man cocked his eyebrows. “It seems your standards for yourself are even higher than your flight trajectory.”

He soared around her in several graceful loops, his hands not even touching the reins. Carewyn watched him with admiration despite herself -- he was a very, very talented rider.

“Urge her up with a light tug to the reins,” the green-dressed man encouraged her. “Then lean to one side, pressing your foot up against her flank.”

Carewyn did so, and soon she was soaring up and over him. Her face brightened with a smile, and the green-dressed man grinned at her as they weaved back and forth.

“What’s your name?” he asked her.

“Carewyn!” she cried over the wind. “Cromwell!”

He swept right up alongside her, their horses’ wings brushing up against each other’s.

“I am Orion!” he answered as he passed.

Orion came up and over Carewyn, completely upside down, before charging ahead.

“Are you a performer, Carewyn Cromwell?” he called back over his shoulder.

Carewyn flicked her reins, determined to catch up.

“No! I’m a shopgirl at Pique’s General Store. And a student -- though I hope to work in law someday -- ”

She came right up alongside him, so close that their shoulders touched.

“And what of you, Orion?” she asked him. “Are you a professional Abraxan Derby player? Or do you hope to be?”

Orion beamed. “I wish to fly free. That is all I dream and wish.”

Carewyn felt her smile widen, both empathetic and charmed despite herself.

“And to win your matches, I would think,” she said a bit more coolly.

“That wouldn’t hurt,” Orion said amusedly.

For the next half-hour, Carewyn rode alongside Orion, perfectly matching his speed even as he weaved up over and around her. At several points she even overtook him, dodging and soaring like a shooting star around him. Orion’s black eyes sparkled brightly as they flew together -- as brightly as Carewyn’s own blue eyes were, if any outside observer were to have taken notice.

At last, the two made it to the university, to where the rest of the Derby players were waiting. The next match was set to begin, and the Land of Clubs had been a little tense about how long their captain had been gone. Orion, however, soothed their concerns with relative ease, his smile and aura remarkably calm.

“A rider without his steed is akin to a shooting star pinned to the earth. Although yes, one could shine brightly while stationary, that star would lament being so locked in place, unable to fly across the sky.”

His eyes flitted over to Carewyn brushing her loose hair out of her face as she disembarked. As she did, she reacted with surprise as her hands ran over her ears and a flash of faint resignation rippled over her face.

Orion approached her, and Carewyn immediately put on a smile as she faced him.

“Well...” she said slowly, “I suppose I’d best be getting on. I hope your match goes well...with how good of a flier you are, I’m sure you’ll be brilliant...”

“You’re welcome to stay and watch,” Orion invited her.

Carewyn’s smile softened. “Thank you...but my brother will be getting off work soon -- he’ll be worried, if I’m not home when he gets there...”

She curled her loose hair behind her ears. Orion noted immediately that she was only wearing one flowery earring made out of crudely-shaped steel.

“Did you lose your earring?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Carewyn said offhandedly. “I suppose it must’ve come off, while I was riding. But it’s all right -- I’ll save up for a new pair.”

She extended a hand to Orion. He looked down at it, before gently taking and shaking it.

“My team and I owe you a debt, Carewyn Cromwell,” said Orion. “Thank you.”

“Nonsense!” huffed Carewyn. “Why, I only did what anyone would’ve done, in my place...”

She brought a gentle hand along the back of the Abraxan she’d ridden, and the winged mare brought her nose up to Carewyn’s cheek with an affectionate murr.

“Perhaps,” said Orion, “but you were ultimately the only one who did it.”

He inclined his head to her, his black eyes glinting with a touch of mischief as he smiled.

“I lament that we probably won’t meet again, unless by chance. But perhaps if you were to become a performer, as I supposed you might be, you might have more reason to travel to the Land of Clubs.”

Carewyn beamed. “Or maybe once I graduate university and have made my own way in the world, I’ll have more chance to go where I want. Then I can visit you, just as well as you can visit me.”

Orion’s eyes sparkled. “May we both chase that freedom.”

~*~

By the following night, Orion had already departed back to the Land of Clubs. That next week, though, Carewyn was startled to receive a tiny package in the mail, addressed from the Land of Clubs. Inside was a pair of sparkling emerald green earrings shaped like clubs and a very short note --

I hope these are a suitable replacement for the one you lost. As much as your talent in flying is worthy of rubies, I thought the stone of intuition better suited your aura. If nothing else, a green clover seems good company for the Rose of Tralee.

I sincerely hope our paths will cross again.

Fairfarren,

Orion Amari

Carewyn wore those earrings nearly every day from then on, taking exquisite care of them all the while. She even wore them after she moved to the Kingdom of Hearts and -- not long later -- became their Queen. By that point, Orion had likewise become King of Clubs: a role that Carewyn knew very well Orion would’ve likely never chosen for himself, however much he felt an obligation to his people, country, and allies to care and provide for them.

As much as the two royals had to perform on protocol, though, they still always enjoyed whenever they had the chance to collide again. At least then, for part of that time, they could chat, banter, and confide like ordinary people...as friends would...free of their duty and obligations, if only for just a little while.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #cardverse au #hphm cardverse #carewyn cromwell #orion amari #my writing #aesthetic #moodboard #yay queen of hearts and king of clubs! #yeah I kind of intend to leave their relationship vague in this universe #you can see it either romantically or not because really either way these two really respect and understand each other #I love giving these two a history with abraxans though because in my canon for them they both have abraxan patronuses!! ;~; #the rose of tralee is a traditional irish folk song that was popularized in the victorian era #so yeah -- its era fits the steampunk country of spades and its theme suits the woodsy land of clubs! #'pique' is what the french call the suit of spades :D

[a-d-nox]

I'm not familiarized with the tarot cards, do not know how many tarot cards types there are, how many they are... the hermit... i have heard about that card some times, so i want to learn about them!

aand i now want to ask for you to introduce us into your tarot card interpretations or what each of them mean (oh, and if you have observed some interpretations of each one that you haven't seen other mentions, if they aren't in a absolute definition), if they have a separated meaning from them interpretation into web wyrd

yhank u

👣

what is tarot? a crash course to the tarot deck.

hello, hello. i am gonna answer this one, manon, it will cover both questions.

it's all good that you don't know much about tarot. as i said in my about me post, i have been practicing tarot for nine years now! so it takes time to build up confidence and knowledge when it comes to reading! so a mini break down of tarot:

history: today's tarot appear most similarly to a 15th century italian game - it spread all over europe quite quickly. by the 18th century (shoutout to the enlightenment era for having nothing better to do than to make tools to help people better reflect on their life situation (yay printing press as well) AND boo to the puritans for demonizing the practice of any divination), french subcultures better developed meanings of the cards and began using it as a means of divination. this makes sense for european history because the great plague of 1738 occurred and people had already been turning to occultism for divination purposes (this is even remarked upon in journal of the plague year daniel defoe's book from 1722 regarding an outbreak in london 1665). while tarot is connected to / is credited to ancient egyptians, i ching, kabbalah, and many other older practices, the modern recognizable tarot deck originates in the 17th century.

so a tarot deck eventually came to contain 78 cards total. this deck can be split into the categories of major arcana (trionfi - triumphs or trump cards as they were known as in their early existence. arcanus - secret.) and the minor arcana.

major arcana (what is used in the matrix, or wyrd web as i have taken to calling it) are 22 cards. each card follows was was the typically hero's journey at the time (15th - 18th century hero's journey). the major arcana were meant to better form a storyline meaning to represent some higher power, a character, morals, and/or immoral feats. each card has a internal and external aspect as well as a individual and collective meaning.

while the minor arcana are a set of 56 cards that were originally your everyday pack of cards at the time. the minor arcana consisted then and now of four suits - fourteen cards each. four court cards per suit: king, queen (back then sometimes it was two kings as queens were often removed from "men's games"), knight, and page (at the time it was a jack). then cards ace to ten in each suit! like a modern deck of playing cards, the suits have four differing symbols - cups (hearts way back), wands (club or baton), pentacles (the diamond), and swords (the spade).

so now that that is cleared up - the rider waite smith version of the deck tends to be closest to original imagery, and is often a great starter deck as all the images, if looked at carefully, can provide insight to there meaning.

exhibit a.

the magician is the 1 (manon ;)) card of the major arcana. take a good look at this guy.

the magician stands before a table in which all four elemental suits (wand, cup, pentacle, and sword - likely the the objects from the fool's (22's) bundle) are present. flowers bloom abundantly before the table. an ouroboros (the snake that swallows it's tail) and a infinity floats over his head - he burns a candle at both ends towards the heavens and points to the earth showing his connection to both the physical (pointing down and ouroboros) and the spiritual (the candle towards the heavens and the infinity sign over his head). this symbolizes balance similar to how his outfit is both red (passion) and white (purity).

the magician essence of the card claims abundance and having everything one could possibly need. the magician can connect to both the spiritual and physical realm - this is a power card (all the elements are in front of him to do as he pleases in the image on the card). a magician can do what they want and create whatever they wish to. but the reverse of a magician shows the misuse of power (suddenly the magician is "unnatural"; he wills the objects to stay on the table). the reversed image of the magician is manipulating you into believing up is down and down is up. they also distractingly point to the bush of flowers and not the table. hence a reversed magician struggles to see their ability to create - they block themselves from identifying who they are and what they want.

most every tarot reader will agree to individual card meanings, but a spread is often up for debate as multiple cards often interact with each other differently (that's an opinion of mine). the question(s) asked to a deck often hold some sway to card meaning as well - they often carry a different message based on the question.

the magician when asking about romance can indicate rekindling or entering a relationship. it may ask that you mind your emotions (cup on table) and thoughts (sword) while being grounded (pointing to earth) and passionate (red cloak and candle in the sky). meanwhile in a career or money reading, the magician indicates new opportunities that will lead to abundance. it could mean starting your own business or negotiating a raise. meanwhile in a relationship spread when i see the 3 of cups and the magician reversed (i denote that as rx), i know that one person is up to no good and is likely gaslighting / using the other person.

i promise that all/every major arcana will eventually be discussed as we continue down the road to discovering more about the wyrd web! every minor arcana is definitely up for grabs though as they will not be touched upon when examining the web.

please use my "suggest a post topic" button if you want to see a specific pac/pile next! if you'd like my input on how i read a specific card or what i like to ask my deck feel free to use the ask button for that as well!

click here for the masterlist

click here for more tarot & intuition related posts

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© a-d-nox 2023 all rights reserved

#tarot cards #tarot #tarot witch #tarot reading #tarotblr #tarot deck #tarotcommunity #tarot art #intuition #intuitive #intuitive readings #martrix #matrix of destiny #matrix of fate #web of wyrd

[b1ueoff1ine]

Pomegranate Lips

more otto content from me yay

Otto Octavius FanFiction

Otto x Reader

Summary: Your boyfriend ditches you, so you go to the club to get away from him. But you dont know that the song you sing happens to be sung in the presence of his adoptive father.

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: Age Gap.

A/N: I love this song so much XD and decided to make it into a revenge fanfic. and yes, im bringing henry back for another otto fic.

__

Your heels clacked furiously along the sidewalk, rain dripping off your hair and down your dress.

Fucking asshole. You thought, heading to your nearest club.

Your boyfriend, Henry, had just ditched you to run to the aid of another woman. So you decided to go to the club to sing your heart out; to show your feelings to the world.

You banged the door open and advanced towards the stage.

You stopped to ask if you could perform, and the man you asked said you would have to sign up for it. So you did. You sat on one of the bar stools, watching the band play until it was your turn.

Once it was over, your name was called over the microphone.

"Next up we have Y/N L/N singing Pomegranate Lips by Derivakat."

The room was silent as you stepped on stage.

Multiple gasps were heard as people saw the condition you were in. Other than that, all that filled the air was the clacking of your heels.

You could tell the band knew the song, for they nodded and prepared to play the music.

You gave them a count down, and when you reached zero, the music started and you began to sing.

"You picked me like a flower, didn't expect the thorns. You say that I'm too frigid, didnt know what you were in for. The second that you leave, I'm tearing down your tapestries.

"Its funny that you think your still the king." Then the bass dropped and the whole club was cheering.

"Damn, I look good in these pomegranate lips, baby I don't owe you shit. Karma is a bitch. Bite the seed, lean in for a kiss of death from these pomegranate lips. Pomegranate lips." You were just vibing to the music now, dancing like no one could see.

"Pomegranate- Pome- Pomegranate lips. Karma is a- Karma- Karma- Its Persephone. Pomegranate- Pome- Pomegranate lips. Karma is a- Karma- Karma is a bitch.

"Been through nine circles of hell, even dragged some people down. I can cut right through a soul with a snap, don't need a spell. So what gave you the right? I'm the queen of death and life.

"Whether you like it or not." The bass dropped again and the club went wild.

"Damn, I look good in these pomegranate lips, baby I don't owe you shit. Karma is a bitch. Bite the seed, lean in for a kiss of death from these pomegranate lips. Pomegranate lips.

"Pomegranate- Pome- pomegranate lips. Karma is a- Karma- Karma- its Persephone. Pomegranate- Pome- Pome- Pomegranate lips. Karma is a- Karma- Karma- Karma is a bitch.

"You really dont know what you're doing with a god, a queen, divine, no myths. So bite your toungue and watch your back. Show some respect or you'll get a taste of these pomegranate lips- a taste of these pomegranate lips- just a taste of these- Damn, I look good with these pomegranate lips." The bass dropped once more.

"Damn, I look good with these pomegranate lips, baby I dont owe you shit. Karma is a bitch. Bite the seed, lean in for a kiss of death from these pomegranate lips. Pomegranate lips.

"Damn, I look good with these pomegranate lips, baby I dont owe you shit. Karma is a bitch. Bite the seed, lean in for a kiss of death from these pomegranate lips. Pomegranate lips."

Then the song was over, the stage going dark and you walking off to a booth.

You sunk into one of the booths, relieved to have gotten that anger off your chest but still dripping wet. Your thigh was showing, and your lipstick was smeared on your face.

Out of nowhere, your boyfriend's adoptive father appeared next to you.

"You have a beautiful voice." He complimented you. "No wonder Henry likes you so much."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. He decided to ditch me to run to the aid of Little Miss Popular." You rolled your eyes.

"That doesn't sound like Henry... Are you sure that's what happened?" He leaned over to clean the smeared lipstick from your face.

"Yup. Fairly certain the two of us are over now." You smiled darkly. "If not, the next time I see that loser I'm breaking his pathetic heart."

"Sounds fair." Otto commented.

"So your not going to object to me breaking his fucking weak pathetic-ass heart?"

"Nope."

You made a face of realization. "Would this perchance happen to do with that phone call I over heard you on? The one about liking someone way younger than you?"

Otto smiled. "Maybe."

You appeared to be giving it some thought, nodding. "Care to show me who you like then, if it's not me?"

Otto stood and beckoned you to follow him. You exited the building only to find Otto had turned to you. His eyes held a longing, a longing you had felt before you started dating Henry.

A longing for who you yearned for to yearn for you back.

You blinked your response to the longing in his eyes, and his lips crashed against yours.

You had to break the kiss to move somewhere more... private. Like his car, or his house.

More specifically, his bed.

__

#fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #dr otto octavius #otto x reader #otto octavius x reader #otto octavius #doctor otto octavius #doc ock x you #doc ock x reader #doc ock #doctor octavius #Spotify

[yui-kuromori]

Things I noticed in the new AiB trailer:

(Very mild manga spoilers ahead, really, almost none)

FIRST OF ALL! KING OF CLUBS IS HERE!! From what I can see, they are keeping the Manga's team, Arisu, Usagi, Kuina, a very burned Niragi and, our icon and legend:

TATTA! TATTA IS HERE! HI BABY, WE HAVEN'T SEEN YOU SINCE THE WITCH HUNT ENDED!

Also, I'm pretty sure this is the king of spades?? It’s kinda hard to tell if it really they are adapting the king of spades, but since Akane appears and Aguni comes back, I'm pretty sure they are, because that's literally their character arc.

Speaking of Akane, here she is! It looks like she and Aguni are gonna meet which YAY! Their manga relationship was really fun! But also WHERE THE FUCK IS DOUDOU????

Another game that they are adapting is one of my faves, the Jack of hearts. Like the 4 of clubs in season 1 they are adding a main cast member that did not play this game in the manga, Chishiya! Which is gonna be pretty interesting to watch. It does worry me that they are putting him here, because I think it means that they are not adapting the king of diamonds.

Also! This car game doesn't really exist in the manga! Either they made up a new game or they are all playing the king of spades together. Either way they are giving Ann more screen time which I'm elated abiut because she kinds fades away in the manga once the beach burns up! Also, yet another apparition of Tatta, which may be very interesting for fellow manga readers here.

ALSO HI QUEEN! I'M PRETTY SURE THIS MEANS WE'RE SEEING THE QUEEN OF HEARTS TO SEASON 2 IS PROBABLY THE FINAL SEASON!

ANYWAYS, I AM SO EXCITED Y'ALL!!!!

#alice in borderland #ima wa no kuni no alice #aib #arisu ryohei #usagi yuzuha #aguni morizono #chishiya shuntaro #niragi suguru #hikari kuina #ann rizuna #tatta kodai #akane heya #mira kano

[bibbykins]

Drown Me So I Can Breathe (M)

A/N: Tumblr rlly failed me when I was trying to post this three hours ago buuuuut whatever. I hope y’all enjoy just as much as I would/always enjoy hearing from you all! Hope you all are having a great day/night!

Pairing: (Soft) Yandere! Jungkook x reader

Word Count: 8.6k

Warnings: anxiety, anxiety attack, toxic relationship tendencies, unhealthy relationship, vaginal sex, non-penetrative sex

Summary: You stumble in crashing waves, but you don’t lift your arms for help. You gave that up long ago. There is no breath of fresh air that you can attain. But what if there were a savior with the prettiest lock and key you’ve seen? Would you even be able to see it among the murky waters that drown you?

Don’t worry, you don’t have to see it. You just have to take his hand. You’ll fall into his arms soon enough. Well, not literally fall, of course.

Right?

The crowd was loud in the amphitheater where drunk college festivities took place. You didn't even want to be here in the first place, but alas, you were the ball being shoved back and forth between crowds. It was all the joys of getting seasick without the aid of the actual sea, being too meek to stand your ground in the hustle and bustle, you were pushed, shoved, and it wasn't until you had been shoved roughly on the concrete floor, you made it your mission to get through the crowd alive. You felt the sting on your legs as you remained tossed around like a rag doll until a pair of strong hands set you on your own two feet, unmoving, unwobbling, and under his control.

Jungkook would be a liar if he said he hadn't been watching you the entire time. He didn’t mean to be so transfixed by you. He only went to these things to satisfy his sexual needs. Beyond an orgasm, he wasn't planning on feeling anything tonight.

Plans change.

Tonight was some college prom frat and sorority members who peaked in high school thought would be fun. It had drinks, pounding music, and sweaty people despite a cold environment. It was basically a club with a king and queen. Jungkook, despite his broody and less than forthcoming nature, was a shoo-in for the king. He was young, hot, and despite how selfish he was, still a good lay. He had everything he could want. He had a blossoming job as a sound engineer for the upperclassmen Min Yoongi’s company. Jungkook also gained popularity in his potential singing career with songs he randomly dropped here and there, his place in the seven campus princes furthering his fan count.

He was the youngest of the princes, but he was also the coldest. Jungkook was stone-faced around everyone but his fellow adonis friends. Some admirers chalked it up to him being cute and shy, others made him out to be a grungy broken broody man. You on the other hand, just figured he was a guy with a personality who happened to be cute.

You seldom paid him mind. Yes, he was cute, yes, you would say yes in a heartbeat, but you had a little too much pride to pine after him as many people did.

He was intrigued by you though. You always ended up in one of his classes somehow. At first, he figured you were some fan who somehow figured out his schedule, but this idea was quickly dampened.

You were a good student. A fashion major, he discovered. You had high attention to detail, sometimes to a damaging degree. You sat in the front or back row, sometimes too shy to face the front, but you always had your eyes glued to the professor or book. Even when you and Jungkook had been in a group together, you arranged everything through text message, never going off-topic.

You were a good student. How boring it was for you. You smiled, did work, avoided socializing, and went home. This was your routine. You didn't favor making genuine friendships, it was too complicated. You wanted to date, love, and finally fuck, but the odds of finding a mate who would tolerate being the only person in your life, was slim to none. Of course, you had guys you thought were cute, Jungkook caught your eye the most for obvious reasons, plus he was pretty much a loner already, but he didn't seem like the type to dish out the all-consuming love you craved.

You had been right, Jungkook wasn't until he met you. After the first encounter, to say he had become a tad obsessed would be no lie. At first, it had been his pride, wondering what person wouldn't try to fuck him, but then he realized you were no plain person. You were his ideal girl. You were sweet, and it was genuine, but he could tell you craved something more than smiles and pleasantries. You wanted something more, he just knew it, and he wanted to give it to you. He wanted to give you everything as the time of him keeping tabs on you went on.

With this want, also came the want to keep you all to himself. Once or twice, he's been forced to threaten a few guys dumb enough to say anything about you or asking you out. His friends poked fun as Jungkook once had to Taehyung when he was pining after his current girlfriend, and now he understood his feelings.

Taehyung had told Jungkook he would know when the time to make his feelings known was right to which Jimin confirmed while holding his girlfriend at his side. Jungkook recalled this as he watched you play the role of the ball in a game of crowd ping pong. You were trying to politely squeeze toward what looked like the bathroom as you had your arms close to your chest. Watching how helpless you were, he decided now was the time to begin the love story of his lifetime.

Jungkook rushed into the crowd, people being smart enough to step aside at the sight of his camouflage jacket, and he grabbed you from behind by your shoulders and set your teetering feet back on the ground. You jumped, still wobbly, but thankful to be still for once.

However thankful, you felt sick, super sick. The pressure being in the crowd as well as being shoved for almost 30 minutes straight was rushing back to you, and you stumbled forward, only to be pulled back by the strong set of hands. There was too much going on, too many people, and you felt sick. You were riddled with the feeling of instability and ridicule. You had no sense of ground until the man stabled your stance.

“Can you walk?” The mysterious savior whispered in your ear, and you shivered at the proximity.

You nodded, words getting lost in your choke for air, wondering why people were stealing glances in your direction. You began to walk towards the exit, until your legs gave in, causing you to nearly crumble to the ground, the mystery man being quick to catch you.

The voice scoffed, “Just say no.” He spoke when he went next to you to scoop you up in his arms like a princess.

You wanted to squirm and yelp, but something felt so right about being in his arms. You wanted to be the only one in his arms, staking your claim on this spot you craved to keep. It was this flurry of sensations that made you realize you hadn't looked up to see who this mystery man was, and when you got the courage to, someone bumped into your legs and you nearly fell out of his arms. Out of Jeon Jungkook’s arms.

“Watch it, dick!” He snapped at the culprit, but only gripped you closer, “Fuck, hold onto me, okay?” He whispered in your ear as you nodded, interlocking your hands behind his neck as the lingering stares of the crowd turned into blatant gaping. He walked you towards the exit as you tucked your head into his chest and closed your eyes, trying to be unseen.

Jungkook smiled at your movement. This is what he wanted. He wanted you, enveloped by him, safe, his. The crowning of king and queen had begun while he held you firmly in his arms.

“And the king is… Jeon Jungkook…” The preppy girl paused, “Uh… who is busy, so in the meantime, the queen is…”

You heard the crowd fade as Jungkook waltzed you away from the humid area to civilization and crisp fall air. Suddenly, you could breathe again, “Congratulations.” Your voice was muffled in Jungkook’s shirt.

He snorted, “Congratulations?”

“You're king, yay.” You weakly offered, still muffled as you heard doors open.

He chuckled and you felt his chest vibrate on your cheek, “Gee, thanks, princess.” It seemed he began climbing up steps.

Suddenly, the anxiety that had been bubbling in the pit of your stomach, poured out tears that threatened to spill. You felt like shit. You couldn't handle a crowd, so you ruined Jungkook’s night. He didn't even have a chance to get crowned all because he was being polite.

“Sorry.” You broke the silence that held in the air for a few minutes as he walked, your voice cracking from embarrassment.

Jungkook frowned, “No, no, sweetheart, none of that.” He damn near cooed.

You heard another door open, and when the door closed again, it was silent. It was silent until you began sobbing, “I'm so sorry.” You cried eyes screwed shut while Jungkook sat down, you still in his arms, his collar tight in your fists.

You were ashamed. You were overwhelmed. You had been so scared, so helpless, and despite being thankful, you felt like such a burden.

Jungkook’s heart shattered. He went into panic mode. The love of his life was sobbing in his arms, apologizing. Initially, he wanted to go back to the amphitheater and beat the shit out of every person who so much as bumped into you, but he'd be damned if he would ever leave your side. Now, he just wanted to see you smile. He just wanted to tell you it was okay, and he loves you, and at the moment he lacked the ability to deem such thoughts irrational.

He had taken you to his apartment near the amphitheater. You had been in and out of sleep for most of the walk, so when Jungkook reached his room above the lobby, taking the stairs to avoid the elevator startling you, he wanted nothing more than to do what he was at that moment. Hold you.

Jungkook rocked you back and forth as you cried it out, shushing you each time you apologized. In the medical record of yours he happened to come across, completely by chance, of course, he saw you had certain symptoms of social anxiety. He figured the crowd must have sent you into a mild anxiety attack, and he just wanted you safe. The safest place was in his arms.

“Don't worry, princess, you're okay.” He spoke lowly, soothing you as he sat down on his bed with you in his lap.

“W-Why are you doing this?” You cried. You could very well ask yourself the same question. It wasn't like you to break down like this, not in front of people, let alone the hottest and meanest guy on campus. Yet this hot, mean, guy was talking you down. You loved it. You craved this for so long, and you wanted to keep it like this. You wanted Jungkook. You realized at that moment, Jungkook must be the one for you. He had to be. Nobody had ever taken any effort to so much as check up on your well being. It was all small talk and half-empty compliments, but Jungkook was full of emotion.

“Oh, y/n, sweet, sweet princess,” He mused and to his delight, your muscles relaxed as he stroked your hair, “It should've have been like this since I first laid eyes on you.”

“Wha-”

“Shh, calm down fully first, questions later.” His soothing voice ordered and you nodded, submissive. You didn't want to think too hard about the logistics of this moment anyway, you would only confuse yourself, “Right now it’s just me and you, that’s all that matters.”

"Me and you…" You echoed.

You both stayed like this for a while until your breathing went even and you relaxed in his embrace and let your eyes drift closed.

The dreams you had were whispers from a lonely past that haunted more often than naught. They held you underwater and left you to face yourself with the nothing you had surrounded yourself with. The eerie symbolism your subconscious brought worried you as you spent your years in a mirroring emotional solitude.

But tonight was different.

Tonight you drifted above water, breathing in a much fuller atmosphere than you were accustomed to. Two muscular arms kept you afloat as puffs of air hit your neck ever so softly. Cologne held you in emotional comfort as you soaked up the air in a paradise you never properly acknowledged as yours to breathe in.

You felt a hand on your hip as you took it in your own, bringing it to your cheek. It was comfortable, a loving silence enveloped you in the wisps of consciousness. You wished to stay like this, not wanting to face the obligatory awkward morning full of confusion and hazy answers to rock-solid questions.

However, you still had some of your logic left as you turned your body to face Jungkook. He was sleeping still as you looked at him. It was funny how relaxed he looked yet how tightly he gripped you. Not that you minded, of course. He was a beautiful man, this much you knew to be true. He had the softest features when not so on guard.

You looked past him to see the time was half-past nine and you had a class in a half-hour, “Shit!” You cursed softly, causing Jungkook to wake up under the assumption you were hurt.

“You okay?” His voice was deeper and groggy and it made your entire body quake.

“I-no, I have a class soon, so I have to go.” You sighed forcing yourself up before pulling the covers off only to see your short dress, “Oh goodness, it's going to look like a walk of shame.” You huffed at your thigh highs that fell to under your knees.

“Not if you borrow something of mine.” Jungkook was stretching as he spoke and you could see the outline of his biceps. You gulped, nodding mindlessly, “I have some joggers and a shirt that-”

“I'm wearing thigh highs and black heels.” You whined, “I'll look insane.” Jungkook chuckled at this before thinking for a moment. Your outfits always had a very evident amount of effort in them, and it was endearing to see how much you cared.

“My shirts may be longer than your dress though.” He stood, going to his closet as you followed suit, “I have a flannel since it's cold.” He presented the black and red garment to you.

“Perfect!” You giggled as you pulled up your thigh highs, making the male in front of you gulp, “Oh...can you unzip me?” You felt your cheeks heat as you turned.

Jungkook gulped once again as he grabbed the delicate zipper and pulled it down. He wondered when he would be able to repeat this action with a more sultry mood. Your skin looked so soft. He wondered how it would feel on his lips.

Once you felt the dress slacken and Jungkook pull away you slipped the flannel over your arms, buttoning from top to bottom as you let the dress fall from under it. He almost wanted to scold you for being so blatant about showing your body, but he couldn't help but find your naivety endearing as well. You left the top two buttons apart as you slipped on the pumps you wore last night. He watched you maneuver the shirt to expose your collarbone that he wanted to run his lips across too,, “Okay, how do I look?” You turned to Jungkook and damn near took his breath away.

You were wearing his shirt like a beautiful dress and he fought the giddy smile from how proud you looked in doing so. The shirt had a very distinctive J.K. on the sleeve and he loved that you were branded by him, “Beautiful.”

You smiled softly, “Thanks,” You broke the trance once you saw the time creeping closer to your class, “Well I should go, I'll see you later!” You missed before grabbing your purse with the intent to buy a notebook and pen for the lecture and rushed out the door.

Jungkook smiled giddily as the door shut. Fuck, you were cute. Part of him was sad that you were in such a rush to leave, but so long as you wore his shirt, he found peace. He turned to gather his things for a shower. He first grabbed his phone to see that you were typing on the messenger. He texted Namjoon a bit for useless advice before his door opened. Before he could turn, two arms wrapped around his stomach.

Before he could instinctually think to pry the person off, he saw the familiar embroidered initials on your sleeve, “Thank you so much for last night.” You mumbled in the fabric of his shirt, “I could never repay you.”

Jungkook enclosed his arms around yours as he looked at the embroidered initials you held on the cuff of the flannel, and he smiled softly, “You doing this is repayment enough.”

“We have to meet up later, because I have a lot of questions, and I'm sure you do too." You nuzzled into his back before letting go, “I'll message you, okay?” You reached for the door.

“I'll look forward to it.” He called before you shut the door. He broke out into a goofy smile as soon as he heard your heels click on the carpeted halls of the apartment and to the front door before shutting it.

The cab you took back to campus cut the 15-minute walk to a 5-minute drive that gives your fast walk a chance to buy the notebook and pen you planned to get and get to class on time. You hated this class actually counted attendance towards a grade since it prevented you from a blissful morning with Jungkook.

Jungkook. You had to pause your thoughts for a moment to properly assess that the fact was Jungkook a factor in your mind that wasn't rooted in fantasy. He had talked you down and held you like it was his obligation, but the craziest part is that it was his choice. You hadn't spoken with him much beyond casual texts, so what inspired such compassion from him.

You propped your head on your palm as your anthropology professor’s words were put to your new notebook. It was the same formula in each class. He would lecture and then pose a question to discuss with someone for five to ten minutes and then lecture some more. Wash, rinse, repeat. The question was to discuss one's theory of evolution and you sighed before turning to your seat neighbor in the lecture hall.

“So, evolution happened, right?” Jisoo, a notably perky and preppy girl, looked at you as you nodded, “Cool, so we got the same theory right?” You shrugged, “Okay, anyway, why are you wearing Jungkook’s shirt?” She smirked at you.

You balked, “Wh-What?” Was all you could muster in the midst of the shock that clouded your brain.

“I know that signature monogram on the sleeve anywhere.” She pointed to your left sleeve and you gasped at the very blatant JK in white, “It cannot be replicated. Taehyung's girlfriend has a crazy precise hand and Jungkook’s family started buying from her.”

“What the hell?” You murmured as you studied the eloquent calligraphy that you somehow missed.

“No stress, I'm not some wannabe campus princess to the princes.” She went on, “But my annoying roommate is and I would just kill to tell her that another has been snatched up into monogamy.” She jeered lightly.

“Well, I-we-” You paused to try and find the words to explain the situation.

“Holy shit, you're the girl he was carrying last night, right?” Jisoo squealed among the hushed conversations of the students around you both, “You so are!” You felt your face heat, “The world is on my side today.” She beamed, “My roommate's sorrow fuels me.”

“Jungkook and I are not…” You didn't want to deny it because the possibility could be there if you played your cards right and prayed to each deity, so you settled with, “We aren't official or anything.” You said with a slight sorrow in your voice, “We didn't even… do anything last night.”

“He never gives his shirts to one night stands.” Jisoo stated matter-of-factly, “Plus he hasn't had anyone in like a month, it's only a matter of time before the other shoe drops.” She noticed your concerned look, “Yes, my roommate is this obsessed and never shuts the fuck up.”

“But we-” You were cut off by your professor bringing the lecture back into rhythm.

“Thank you, y/n, you've honestly made my day.” She held your hand briefly before returning to her notes.

As the day went on, you noticed something odd. You were being gawked at. If you were in a musical, all those whispers would be a very good intro into a song. However, you were not in a musical, because even this was just too outlandish. It was constant whispering and side-eyes. Maybe it would have been easier if you and Jungkook had a label so that you could say an answer to the occasional interrogation you faced instead of sputter a non-committal one.

Finally, you finished your classes for the day and confirmed with Jungkook you would meet at his place. The day was breezy, so you figured a walk wouldn't kill you. That is until you saw Jungkook in the courtyard walking away from the usual table he frequents with a smile plastered on his face.

Maybe it was the way the light hit him or the fact that he was so breathtaking you felt your throat dry. A wave of embarrassment that neglected to hit you this morning engulfed you. For goodness sake, you were parading around in his monogrammed shirt with nothing but your bra and underwear beneath it. Not to mention the fact you were stockings too. What the fuck was going on? You are not his girl, so why were you even entertaining the idea? The shame you felt for even feeling like you could be something was drowning your short-lived self-confidence quickly. You wanted to run back to your dorm and hide.

On second thought, that sounded like a great idea.

You opted to make a beeline for your dorm as inconspicuous as possible, seeing as it was in the direction Jungkook was heading in. You assumed he was going to his car in the student lot that was in front of your building. Go figure.

Your lack of knowledge when it came to Jungkook’s feelings for you did you in. He had tunnel vision. He swore it was some unspoken soulmate connection that always seemed to train his eyes right to your meek form not so subtly fast walking past him. A small smile formed on his face as he jogged up to you.

Your anxious tunnel vision prevented you from noticing the man walking next to you with a grin slapped onto his face, “Slow down, princess, I'm in some pretty heavy combat boots.” His deep voice made you jump and completely miss your footing, making your knee strive to make contact with the concrete. Strong hands held you up before that could happen, though. This lead you into a half-kneeling position before those hands pulled you upright.

“Sorry.” You huffed out, watching your breath dissipate in the air.

Jungkook looked down at your chest unsteadily rising and falling, “Hey, hey, it's okay.” He spoke softly into your ear as his hands reached for yours from behind and he pressed against you so you could feel his chest as he breathed deeply. He smiled at how you relaxed ever so slightly, “Good girl.” He mused as he watched your chest rise and fall a little more steadily.

“People are staring.” You mustered shyly, “They might think-”

“I want them to.” He stated firmly and it made you shiver, “Come on, let's go talk.” He stepped next to you, his left hand remaining intertwined with your right one as he pulled you lightly in his direction.

Your feet moved on their own accord as your mind tried to add up how the hell Jeon Jungkook knew how to: 1. Recognize when you were plagued by the bubbling of an anxiety attack and 2. Bring you back down from boiling over. There was too much going on and the shame that was squeezing at your throat began to loosen its grip as your tightened on Jungkook’s.

Jungkook smiled at you as you both walked through campus and to his evidently expensive car, “It's a bit much, but I bought it when I was 18, what do you expect?” He chuckled a bit as he opened the passenger door for you. You silently cursed to yourself at how weak in the knees he made you.

“My car predated me before it was totaled.” You chuckled a bit at the stark difference between every aspect of you and Jungkook.

Jungkook chose not to ask you what you meant by totaled. He didn't want to bring back harsh memories of what he could only assume was a death-defying car crash. All the signs were there from the way you tense when somebody yells or some idiot crushes a tin can obnoxiously. He's watched you long enough to know how to put two and two together. Almost everything you do has a reason.

The seats in his car were a deep black leather that reminded you of some cosmic wormhole you could get lost into. It was like a portal into another realm, but there was a slight sting in your nerves at the thought of how many women have sat in the same seat as you with a much heavier mood than this one.

Heavy.

It was now that the weight of your situation hit you harder than ever. Jungkook’s hand had made its way onto your own at some point. Odds are, the way his thumb was rubbing on your palm was the only thing keeping you from dry heaving the anxiety attack you've been swallowing down for the past 10 minutes. You wanted to hate yourself for being so susceptible to his touch. It felt so pathetic. Like you were some charity case or minor piece of some teen movie bet he made with his friends.

There was no way this shit could be real.

That's what you kept repeating to yourself the whole way to his apartment. Even when walking through the very nice building and waiting for the glass elevator. Up the 7 floors, you unintentionally counted and finally to the mahogany door that read 709 in gold numbers.

The living room was quite wonderful. A color palette of black and white reigned throughout. It was very indicative of the serious side of him. However, occasional knick-knacks and posters told you there was a side of him most people don't see, one that you have only seen a small semblance of.

All this, unfortunately, wasn't enough to quell the tightness in your chest as you tried not to obsess over how taboo this all feels.

“Jungkook.” Your mouth spoke before you could stop it. The man in question snapped his head up at the sound of his name, but more so the sound of your voice. Now with his undivided attention, you had no words.

This isn't right.

What is going on?

Is this some sort of sick joke?

Do you always do this?

Instead, all that came out was, “Wh-Where'd you get this candle?” You could beat the shit out of yourself and still not be satisfied as you pointed at the strawberry mint candle with the shakiest of hands. You made a complete 180 as you faced your back to Jungkook to admire the glass candle that obviously had a store name on the label.

Jungkook smiled knowingly. You were so cute. So nervous, scared, confused, and all you could ask was where he got a candle. You were on guard, and he was sane enough to understand why. It made sense. However, sanity only stretches so far between him and his group of friends.

There was an overwhelming presence in the air around you and you couldn't pinpoint why it was so apparent until you felt a rock hard torso press into you, “It was a gift.” Your breath hitched at the gruff voice behind you as you felt Jungkook's nose survey your neck, “But I don't think you care about it that much, hm?” You shuddered when you felt the vibration of his question against your neck.

“H-Hm…” Was all you could muster as your knees nearly locked.

“Fuck.” Jungkook growled as his hands locked in the front of your hips, pulling you flush against him, “I'm really trying to take it slow here, and you are making me so fucking hard.”

You gulped and only then did you realize you were salivating, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.” You said before immediately regretting it. Why couldn't you ever go with any flow?

The tension snapped with a hearty laugh and a kiss on the top of your head, “Son of a bitch, you are so cute.” He mused, spinning you to face him, “I'm sorry if I scared you, I just…” A hint of red dusted his cheeks as his brown eyes darted across the room, “Feel so much for you.”

While you could infer as much considering the past 24 hours, you could not deduce, “Why?” You blurted out, “Not to sound annoying, but I genuinely don't get it.”

“You are so genuine.” Jungkook looked in your eyes, more confident now, “Everything about you is so honest and yet there is so much more I could only see now that I am this close to you.” It was then you realized his nose had been touching yours and there was an almost magnetic pull that caused you to tilt your head up and flutter your eyes closed.

This was it. This was his chance to burst out laughing and talk about how dumb you look. It was now or never, really. He still had time to pull back and kick you out. It would be so much easier for both of you.

However, your thoughts were quickly shut down by plush lips meeting your own. Jungkook's hands gripped your hips as he brought you closer and deepened the kiss. This spurred you to travel on hand up to his chest and the other to the back of his neck and you brushed through his hair, making him groan into your mouth. Before you could even think, your tongues were intertwined, no fight for dominance needed. It was a dance and you happily gave Jungkook the lead.

After a millennia of exploring each other's mouths, you both pulled back ever so slightly to breathe, “I don't want anyone else to see this much of you.” Jungkook's breathed as his hand went to stroke your warm cheek, “Too precious, so beautiful.” He mused, “I want you for myself.”

“Me?”

“You.” Jungkook confirmed, “Be mine.”

“This doesn't make sense-” You shook your head, trying to break from the trance he had you in but his hands that cupped your face kept you trained on him.

“Do you want to be mine?” He asked firmly, “Because I know I want to be yours more than anything.” This made your breath hitch, “I want to be the only one who can touch you, kiss you, hold you, fuck if I had it my way I would be the only one able to even look at you.”

“Jungkook where is this coming from-”

“Do you want to be mine?” He asked sternly, “Answer me honestly, princess.” He spoke firmly as you were forced to look into his eyes.

“I do, but I-” You were cut off with a heart-melting kiss. The only thing you could think of was that you were his.

The kiss was Jungkook telling you everything you needed to hear. He was pacifying you and it was liberating to be cared for. It had been you looking after yourself for so long. His hands went under your thighs and you wrapped your legs around him. He held you so tightly, you felt safe. You felt safe as he kissed down your neck

You were lost in the feeling of his lips against your skin until you heard your shoe drop, "Kook." Was all you could muster but it was enough for him to pull away for a moment, breath heavy and pupils blown. The sight of him being so fucked out after just kissing shook you to your very core, "D-Don't trip on my shoe-" You sputtered as your other shoe fell too, "Shoes, I mean." You smiled sheepishly as you watched the corner of his lips twitch before a cheesy smile sprung into his face. The mood in the room shifted dramatically and cursed yourself, "Oh I didn't mean to fuck up the mood, I want to do...it...with you-" You paused and huffed in frustration, still avoiding eye contact, "I sound so dumb, can you just… shut me up?" You finally gained the courage to look at him, pupils still blown, mouth agape in a short smirk, and his tongue made an appearance to swipe across his bottom lip.

Jungkook simply shifted you to where you could feel his bulge against you clothed core and you gasped at the sensation, "Oops." He shrugged before diving back into your neck.

"Shit." You moaned out, pressing yourself harder against his erection. With this movement, you felt the vibration of a growl against your neck as your back pressed harder against the wall.

In this frenzy of sensations, your eyes only shot open when one of Jungkook's hands slipped past your underwear to rub your sex, fingers instantly coated in your juices. Both of you groaned in tandem at the sensation.

Jungkook could barely work through his thoughts. Everything he had been doing was purely primal. The innate ecstasy of having your lips on his clouding his mind and when he felt how wet you were, he could no longer hold himself back. His filthy thoughts were coming to a head as one of his fingers slipped into you with such tantalizing ease. He leaned his head up to lick the shell of your ear and you let out another delicious gasp at your own sensitivity, "Fuck, you're so wet." He growled into your ear, finger pushing in and out, "I slipped in so easily, and yet, your pretty little pussy keeps sucking my finger back in." He pushed another finger in, "What a greedy little thing you are, hm?:

Your mouth popped open, tongue sticking out ever so slightly as Jungkook fucked your pussy with only two fingers. Your face was red from his explicit words in your ear, but you by no means wanted him to stop, "Please, Kook, I want you inside me."

At your pleading, he curled his fingers up, "What?" He mused tauntingly, "This isn't enough?"

You shook your head, "I want you so bad." You moaned out as he slipped a third finger in.

"How bad?" His voice was husky in your ear before turning to look at your face. His resolve to tease you was shaken drastically at your lewd expression.

"I need it!" You cried out, feeling your high creeping closer, but not wanting to achieve it before you became one with him, "I want your cock inside me so bad!" You moaned out and in an instant, Jungkook freed his hardened erection out only to rip your panties to rub around your exposed opening.

"Ask nicely." He teased, despite his voice very evidently being strained.

"Please fuck me, Jungkook!" Your eyes rolled back as you felt him push inside you with a satisfied grunt when you were filled to the hilt.

The feeling of being so full was intoxicating and when he began thrusting something awoke within you as your arms locked around your neck to allow you the leverage to bounce up and down as he held you up in the air, "Fuck, baby." He moaned out as your hips worked wildly on his dick, "So fucking good to me." He managed before moaning out again as your nails dug into his shoulder.

He felt the need to put you in your place as he turned to lay you both on the sofa, him above you, pounding mercilessly hands ripping the flannel on your body open, the clatter of the buttons falling on deaf ears as he pulled your bra down to suck on your nipple while he fucked you into oblivion, "I've waited so long to feel you around me, fuck." He was in bliss as his hips snapped against you.

His hand went to pinch your other nipple as you began to tighten around him. His hips were beginning to stutter as you both approached your orgasms.

"You gonna cum around me, princess?" He began to thrust harder as you could only let out a choked moan, trying to nod in response, "Do it, baby, cum for me." You didn't need to be told twice as the swirling in your stomach snapped and your well-deserved release came as your vision went white, a scream ripping from your throat.

Feeling you around him was intoxicating. He could hardly control his hips as he ground against you, needier than he had ever been in his life. He was chasing his release, but he also wanted to be inside you like this forever. You were panting as his mouth wrapped around your nipple and you clenched around him. This spurred Jungkook to reach his peak that much quicker with his hips barreling into you until he came with a low moan, hips thrusting spastically as you and he rode out the sensation together.

Your chest heaved as you tried to regain your senses. Jungkook pulled out slowly as you grimaced at the sensation.

He let out a breathy chuckle against your ear at this, "Trust me, baby, I'd kill to stay inside…" He trailed off jokingly as you scrunched your nose with a laugh.

He smiled at you before he made quick work of the condom you hadn't even known was there before redressing himself. You fell asleep, memories of him dressing you in a large T-shirt and slipping a pair of boxers up your legs hazy at best.

Finally, for the second time in 24 hours, you were carried to his bed.

Jungkook slept like a rock with you in his arms, knowing that you were safe and finally his. He wouldn't be surprised if a pleased smile was brushed across his mouth the entire night. The post-sex glow only adding to the grandiose pleasure of carrying you into his bed again. He had been so close to losing you so many times, but in the end, it only proves you both were meant to be. He loved you. He knew that much, and confidently. However, that confession would have to wait. He didn't want to even think of overwhelming you or scaring you away.

You woke up much more naturally than you were used to. You flicked your eyes upward only to see the sun void in the sky. You looked at Jungkook's clock to see it was 4:00AM. You sighed dreamily as you looked at Jungkook. He looked more boyish when he was asleep, his domineering aura not present at the moment. You propped yourself up on your elbow as you studied his face at the moment. You lightly poked his cheek with an amused glance.

Not wanting to seem creepy, you opted to get water and then go back to bed. You softly tossed the covers off your body, and all was well until you stood up. Your standing time clocked in at 5 seconds and your walking time at 2 as you crumbled to the hardwood, thighs slapping against it, "Shit!" You blurted, forgetting how long it's been since you had sex.

Jungkook woke up immediately. He sprang into a sitting position as he looked around the darkroom for your form once he realized you weren't next to him, "Baby?" His voice was so much deeper, sleep still present and you would've been a lot more turned on if you weren't on the floor, "Y/n?!" He was growing more panicked until he heard you.

"Here." You raised your hand and his eyes darted to the direction if your meek voice.

"Princess?" He was more confused this time as his legs swung over the bed to reach your crumbled form, "What are you doing here, huh?" He looked down as you, legs splayed on either side, "Not trying to run from me, are you?" He laughed nervously.

You didn't catch his tone and shook your head, "Can we just say I like the floor and not that I can't walk straight?" You lifted your hand, asking for help. You could see his smug smirk as he leaned down to pull your arms so he was holding you much like he was not long ago, "I just wanted water." You mumbled through pouting lips.

"We can go get some." He held the smirk on his face as you clung to him. He walked with you to the kitchen like that, setting you on the counter before handing you a glass. He stroked your thighs as you tipped the glass between your lips.

You gave him a smile, wet lips glistening as you offered him the glass, "Want some?" He shook his head with a blissful smile as he gave you a slow kiss.

You pulled apart, sipping on the water while Jungkook watched the skin of your thighs in his hands. He squeezed them, enjoying how you looked under his touch, how liberating it felt to touch you all he wanted, "You're so fucking beautiful." He breathed, leaning down to place a kiss on top of your right thigh, before moving to the other. It was softer than he envisioned.

"Kook?" You questioned as you set the glass down on the granite. He placed his hands on your knees, spreading them slowly, placing kisses up your knees. You breathed hitched as he reached your inner thigh, only to deflate when he moved to the other knee.

"Your skin is so soft." He nearly moaned against your thigh, and it wasn't until he was just a couple kisses from your core that he let out a hearty moan, "You smell so fucking good." He growled out as you felt his nose press against your clothed pussy. He stretched the material of the briefs and you felt the pressure of the taut fabric against you. You bit your lips at this, "Can I eat you out, baby?" His nose stayed at your center and you wondered how you weren't grossed out as his strongest hands spread you further, "I am a little… parched now that I think about it." He pulled away to give you a devilish smile as he put your legs over his shoulders.

"Can we at least go to the bedroom?" You whined, "This countertop looks really nice."  Jungkook breathed a small chuckle.

"I guess I can wait just a little bit." His eyes flicked back up to you from the definite wet spot on the white boxers he gave you, "Hold on tight."

Your eyebrows scrunched, "What do you- OH MY GOD!" Faster than you could blink, Jungkook grabbed you by the thighs and held your pussy against his face, legs locking behind his neck, and hands frantically going into his hair as you became much taller than you could ever imagine.

He groaned as you writhed against him, his mouth catching kisses upon your lips through the increasingly annoying item of clothing. You squeaked each time as he skillfully maneuvered his way back to the bedroom. His arms had locked against your thighs, keeping you on his shoulders as he shamelessly pressed you up against the wall to lick you through the fabric. The soreness was easier to ignore as you let bliss and pleasure overtake your senses.

"Not enough." You whined and felt Jungkook chuckle against you.

He laid you on the bed, "You're such a brat when you're horny." He teased before moving the boxers so quickly off of you he tore them.

"Rich coming from the Hulk here-FUCK!" You threw your head back when Jungkook licked a thick stripe on your clit.

"What was that, baby?" He placed a hand flat on your sex as you writhed against him.

"Please, Kook." You let out a strangled moan when the nickname sent him into a lovesick frenzy on your pussy. His mouth found home on your clit, and he groaned at the squeal that left your beautiful lips.

Jungkook could do this all day, all night. You were so undeniably gorgeous, and you tasted like heaven. You were his awakening. You were his savior. But most importantly, you were his. His main goal seemed to be memorizing the feel of you under his tongue. This was the most selfish head he has given to someone who was enjoying it so much. His dick was absolutely twitching at each time you squirmed, he tried to pull himself through his boxers and give himself relief, but he could only moan when his hands left his own appendage to hold your hips still. He almost lost it when you let out the cutest whine as he left your clit to kiss up your body.

"I was so close." You murmured, hands on your eyes. He wondered how you were still so shy despite screaming his name only moments ago.

He pushed the shirt up as his mouth set its course to your own, stopping to grab your breasts, tongue going to each nipple as you let out a soft gasp each time the muscle twirled around the sensitive buds. His mouth reached your neck as he sucked with a ferocity that would surely leave a mark. He licked the area of busted capillaries with a satisfied smile you could feel against your neck. Your arms lay on his shoulders, hands in his hair as his mouth lay on yours. You almost stopped him, not wanting to taste yourself, but you relented. His lips looked so kissable, and he actually wanted to kiss you.  You pulled him closer to you, feeling his bare dick on your equally bare core.

You gasped at the sensation. You both knew there was no way you could handle being penetrated again, but when his hips instinctively bucked, grinding his length along you, an alternative arrived. You nodded lightly, nibbling on his bottom lip. He grunted as his hips moved hesitantly again. He took your moan into his mouth and as a sign to keep going. He ground down hard and you almost threw your head back.

"Fuck." He growled as pressed himself against you, "You got me so fucking hard for you, princess." His lips moved against yours, "Can you feel how much I want you, baby?"

"Yes, yes!" You were being fucked into the bed and you loved the sensation of your body bouncing against him, his shaft against your clit making a delicious sensation for you, "I want you too, I-I-" You cut yourself off with a gasp of pleasure as your eyes rolled back. The very act of getting off by just grinding was so erotic, you could barely keep your tongue in your mouth, the heavy atmosphere too much for you not to taste.

"Oh, shit," He grunts as he rutted against you, "You what, baby, hm?" His hips moved expertly as you could feel yourself getting closer. You were losing your mind as he went to capture your lips again.

"I-fuck!" You moaned out as his thrusts became more desperate, "I love you so much, Kookie, fuck!" You lost your mind. You hadn't even thought of the words before they left your mouth with a moan.

Jungkook nearly saw white when he heard you say those words. Those wonderful little words. You were just like him, weren't you? So lonely, yet so sure of what you felt. You had to be, right? You were his, after all. You would continue to be.

He sped his movements up in the chase for his high and excitement at your confession, "Yeah? You love me?" You nodded weakly as the bed shook, "I love you so fucking much, baby." His lips moved against yours as he spoke, "Fuck, fuck-AH!" He cursed as he came, ropes of cum decorating your pelvis as you came, legs enclosing around his muscular body to keep him pressed against you. His hips moved ever so slightly as you both rode out your highs, chests heaving against one another.

When the morning came, Jungkook found empty sheets next to him, inciting another wave of panic as he sat up, checking the floor frantically. When you weren't there, he sprang up, ripping his bedroom door open, causing your form on the couch to jump, "Oh my!" You gasped, halting movements, needle and thread in hand along with a familiar flannel in your lap, "Never startle a seamstress." You placed your hand over your chest.

Jungkook was relieved, walking over to you wordlessly to plant a kiss on your lips and you smiled into it, "Never scare me into thinking you left." He mumbled against your mouth, stealing another kiss.

You nodded as he pulled away, "I'd never leave you, Kook." You smiled blissfully, "I may be a little crazy, but I'm not stupid."

Jungkook plopped on the sofa cushion next to you, "I know, baby." He was all too satisfied with your answer, "So what was so important I woke up alone?" He was still a bit pouty and you rolled your eyes.

"Well somebody, not gonna name any names," You glared at him, "Likes to rips things, such as buttons, off of a very lovely shirt." You gestured to the flannel in hand, "Ironically enough, you're a clothes ripper with a clothes fixer as a girlfriend who loves you enough to use said skills." You teased as he watched your hands expertly attach the buttons to the shirt.

"Well, I love you too, angel." He planted a kiss on your cheek as you reddened, "You don't have to fix the clothes, though." He pointed out and you shrugged, "Whatever I rip, I'll buy you an even better version of it." He breathed against your ear and you giggled. You almost forgot how unbelievably wealthy he was.

"Well, I like this shirt." You admired your work of the buttons, "It has sentimental value." You mused as you placed it and the sewing materials on the table.

Jungkook to the chance to pull you into his lap as you let out a squeak. He brushed his nose along your neck, admiring his markings before you laid your head against his chest, "You're so fucking cute." He sighed as you buried your head in his chest, "I hope you know I mean it." He breathed, "I love you."

You sighed dreamily, "I love you, Kook." You mused, "I never knew I did, but it feels like I always have."

He squeezed you a little tighter, "And always will." You nodded with a smile and your eyes closed, missing his serious expression.

Jungkook was not messing around anymore. You were his now. He had everything he needed, and he would go to the ends of the Earth to keep it that way. You would hardly leave his sight, and he would give you the world. All you had to do was love him, be with him, stay near him, and he could ensure your wildest dreams would come true. You were his wildest dream, after all, it's the least he could do to pay you back for spending the rest of your life with him, right?

#yandere bts #yandere jungkook #jungkook smut #jeon jungkook #yandere smut #bts fanfic

[hedgefairy]

Okay, I know, I know, it's already old news, everybody and their uncle in the costuming community has already talked it over, but anyhoo, I made notes when I crawled my way through effing Bridgerton and I will be damned if I don't vomit them onto this site. I have 32 pages of this shit, I'm not gonna throw that away.

I'm also typing this on my phone because I'm stuck on a trainride that's just doubled in length because this is the 2021 Northern German snow storm. What, there's snowflakes on the rails? We cannot possibly keep up our schedule, say goodbye to 90% of the connections.

Okay, on to Bridgerton, Episode 1

We're in Britain (oh, London, okay), allegedly 1813. I see people who are clearly meant to be asympatico, but is this size incusivity I spot there? Daring! Gasp! Me li...

Oh wait, no. The character is promptly shamed for her figure (which is mostly caused by the horrible cut of her dress. Every size can look great in Regency garb, but never mind, we need to make the "fat one" look bad!).

Also, no shifts under the stays. Why. There was obviously enough budget, don't tell me you couldn't afford a few strappy tops - it's not like the rest is historically accurate, so it would have sufficed to send some poor underpaid intern to H&M and get some. Nvm, that wouldn't be sexay.

Wait, is the garishly dressed (always a sign of a character of bad character in a costume drama) woman Delphine from Selfridge? Does she always have to play bitches? That's not nice, and just because she has a recognisable face, which by modern (read: americanised) standards is not favourable enough. Ugh. But I like the actress, so I'll let it slide (for now).

Lol, buttocks.

Not sure about the girls' dresses. Also, the Queen is a WOC, cool!

Oh no, one of the Featherington sisters faints! But that's okay because the Featheringtons are just comic relief and foil anyway.

I get weird incest vibes from the Bridgertons.

So the court is clearly 18th century and the show is set in the 1810s. I've by now seen several explanations for this decision, I still think it robs the Queen of reproductions of her actual historical gowns which were heavily inspired by the 18th century but so. Magnificently. Weird. It would have been so neat, and more of a "hey, I'm kinda out of touch with things" vibe, but hey, I'm not the one getting paid for making those taffeta gowns here (her hair is glorious, tho).

I'm very into the intro.

That Regency gossip girl is a real b, not unlike the Dowager Countess of Downton (unpopular opinion, I think she's pretty overrated, yes, I like Maggie Smith).

Again, no shifts.

Where do I know the "pragmatic" Bridgerton sister from? Ah, it's The Paradise. And Jonathan Strange. (Wait, she's my age. And she's supposed to be a teenager. Man, do I love a good Dawson casting. I like the actress, though, she has a face ™!).

Aaaah. We get it. She's the spirited one. She also doesn't care about dresses because she's not like other girls™. I really like her voice (but she still doesn't sound like a teenager).

The heck is up with Lady F's dress and that of her friend? Oh, yeah. Antagonist fashion.

Of course the Featheringtons are Horrid Hags™ aside from Penny who's nice, but the pudgy one (at least we don't get a case of "she's not conventionally attractive so she's bad").

Oooh, the cousin! Supposed to suck, but ofc she's a stunner, and only Penny (who's the nice one, remember!) is delighted to have her around. She's also a POC, which is nice but apparently that means she does not follow fashion, hair-wise. I would have loved to see some Regency hair on her, it would have been so pretty *cries in Greek updo*

Ugh, we're still in Ep. 1, typing this on my phone was a bad idea.

Lady Danbury and the Duke guy are delightful with each other (more POC! So neat!).

The girl the oldest Bridgerbro screws is apparently a singer, which isn't up to status for his doucheship, and she doesn't wear a shift.

The music at the ball sounds like something from the Top 40s, but I'm woefully ignorant of contemporary music charts so I can't tell what it is. I like it when they do that in historical-ish works, making well-known pop or rock stuff work for the ambience (ugh, that dance scene to Golden Years in Knight's Tale. My heart. In a good way.)

I dig the Ducktail hair of Penny's crush. Oh, wait, that's a Bridgerbro. I don't quite get why the hair trends of the time don't apply to the POC characters or extras, but seeing how most white characters also show a shameful disregard for the weirdnes and gloriosity (that's not a word) that is early 1800s hair (the 1830s take the cake, tho) despite those hairdos being basically designed for white people hair, I don't think I care much (well, I do, but about all of them). Overall the hair is horrid and not very 1810s. Let's just leave it at that.

Like a good old romance novel (I've since been told that Bridgerton is supposed to be a pastiche of such novels, but I really couldn't tell from the series, not at all, and I'm not inclined to read the books) we have

a pretty, kind, superpure daughter of the main family

the mean matriarch (could have been an aunt, too, but here she's the mum) of the rivalling or antagonist family

a spirited daughter of the main family (in most romance novels this would be our heroine but so far she refreshingly lacks a love interest and pretty daughter seems to get the most screen time)

a Horrid Suitor™

a Hot Suitor™ who doesn't want attention

a really good and doting good parent

Lol, misheard Greece for Grease with Ducktail Bridgerbro, whose name is Colin, apparently. This is funny because of his Danny Zuko memorial hair.

Overall a bit too much bling for my taste, and too few pearls. It looks like an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen with a Regency theme.

Of course the romance is going to be the Pretty One aka. Daphne and the Duke and he's even bros with her eldest bro. Wait, are they exes? I can haz bi? No? Aww, shucks. Maybe in another episode (spoiler: no).

Okay, WHAT is it with Lady F's dresses and hair. Like, she reminds me of Mars Attacks. Which, as you might remember, was not set in the Regency period.

Lord B (Bridgerbro the Eldest) sucks, he's screwing Opera Girl without any intention of marrying her but he's bitchy about his sister being ogled by his Eton (or wherever) bestie?

Oh, I'm in Hamburg now. And my train back home got canceled, so back to Berlin it is because there's not a single option to get to Hanover tonight, at least that's what the lady from the train station is saying, "oh well, you'll have to go back and try again tomorrow", so that's awesome...

Honestly, if it weren't so late and I didn't have things to do at home I'd find this terribly exciting.

Back to Bridgerton!

Where were we? Ah.

I can't even read my own annotation. Something about George III. I think I was upset about how they totally ignored that it's called Regency because George IV acted as the regent king, and he doesn't even feature in the series, I guess because they wanted to play up the Queen? Not a fan, because thanks to Horrible Histories I'm quite fond of that guy.

Again, no shifts.

Oh, look, it's Horrid Suitor™, destined for leftovers.

The Featherington cousin gets all the attention but no fleshed-out character.

Penny Featherington's dog is named Lord Byron, which ❤️

I like the Duke! He's there, drinking in his club (even though they're a patriarchal remnant of the past I have a weird appreciation for stuffy Gentlemen's Clubs, I blame Bertie Wooster and the Drones), calling Lord B out for his general fuckery.

Oh no, Ducktail Colin is more into the Cousin than Penny, who obviously pines for him!

Thank you, Lord B, for enabling Horrid Suitor™. Nobody asked you to be such a fucktwit.

The Queen is, of course, a bit of a bitch, but patronage from cool Lady *scrolls up for name* Danbury ensues for Protagonist Girl™ Daphne.

"I wish they had found a better trend language", what the heck did I even mean by that? That's what you get for just scribbling down notes while watching and simultaneously sewing. 18th century pants, in case you wanted to know.

Cousin is angry, probably because Lady F behaves like Cinderella's evil stepmother, because Cousin is prettier than her daughters and gets, like, all the suitors because Lord B bitched away everyone who wanted to get into Daphne's dowry ifyouknowwhatImeanwinkwinknudgenudge, right across the street into Cousins parlour.

The Bridgertons are annoyingly perfect. Ugh.

Oh look, it's "banter" between Daphne and Dukey! It's so Pride & Prejudice! It's almost a tiny bit Shakespeare! I put banter in parentheses because wow, nope, I'm not getting any chemistry here.

Uh, Lady B calls out Lord B (aka. her son aka. Bridgerbro the Eldest) for his screwery with Opera Girl and his outpimpery of his sister to Horrid Suitor™, buuuurrrrrnnn. He promptly calls of his affair with Opera Girl.

No shifts!

Penny gets to dance with Ducktail Colin at the thing! Good for her, but it's a country dance with jumping and fun, because she's a) the pudgy character and b) a Featherington, so it can't be something romantic and pretty (I personally like country dances, but they aren't protagonist dances).

Oooh, Cousin had her period, oh no, oh snap, oh she didn't, because she's PREGNANT! Shit, that's problematic, and not because she's an unmarried woman in the 1810s, but because she gets close to no lines at all so far, and suddenly she's pregnant and telling Lady F that she sucks for being privileged, violence ensues, this is ugly. Man, I get what some critics mean by "the POC actors*actresses get all the problems" and that not exactly being great.

Horrid Suitor™ makes property claims about Daphne, eeewwwww, thanks to Lord B's general suckiness, ewww, r@pe attempt ensues, was that really necessary? It doesn't really fit in with the rest of the series and generally nope, yay, broken nose! (which was indeed totally necessary). Nice one, and probably the only scene so far (spoiler: overall) in which I actually like Daphne. Dukey thinks a mean left hook is attractive, and, generally speaking, he's not wrong.

Daphne and Dukey come up with a pseudo-shakespearean plot to pretend to be totally into each other so she can attract suitors by being not available and he gets not to have fangirls by being not available, and as someone who has read a few too many historical-ish bodice rippers I know exactly where this is going. I mean, come on.

I can't see enough of the following choreography to complain about it. Man, I miss historical dance classes.

And that concludes Ep. 1! Finally! Thank you for getting this far, sorry for all of it (especially typos, it's the bane of unwanted autocorrect), I guess?

Update on the train situation: I've been told by the ticket control person that I shouldn't get my hopes up until noon tomorrow.

To be continued,

because I didn't take these 32 pages of notes for nothing.

#Bridgerton #Hedgewatch #historical costuming #Well not really because wow these costumes #Thank you for travelling with Deutsche Bahn #2021 norther Germany snow storm #Trainwriting #Snarky commentary #I wish I was better at captions but it's late and I've been wearing a mask for four hours straight now and I'm hungry #Bridgerbore

[rosethreeart]

Yay I’ve been waiting for your ask box to open up, but I didn’t want to ask if it was on purpose. Anywho card verse? Do tell more

Yeah real sorry about the that honestly no clue how I even did that 😅

Putting this under the cut because I decided to infodump apparently fjdndndn

I’ve done a few drawings and designs for it and like for most canon I chose to ignore the actual placements of characters lol

How characters are placed: based on how they would fit symbolically as well as which roles they would fit best.

King: external politics

Queen: international affairs and whatnot

Jack:military

Ace: royal advisors as well as ambassadors

Jockers: agents of chaos lol

They do not indicate any sort of relationship between the Queen and king and it is I face seen as taboo for a king and Queen to be romantic together.

As if the moment there are two alliances

The red alliance (contains diamonds and hearts)

And the black alliance (spades and clubs)

Spades and hearts have a very tense relationship (few things holding it together are the fact that Amelia (King of Hearts)’s father Arthur (Queen of Spades) is part of the court.)

Spades and diamonds are pretty much on neutral territory

Clubs slightly at odds with diamonds as they are indebted to them which sours clubs relation with hearts

Joker Veneziano was born into the court of diamonds as was raised by the former Ace Romulus. And typically tips scales towards diamonds favor in recent years. Whether or not he’s been successful is yet to be discovered ;). He prefers manipulating through the emotions and thoughts of the various courts and setting things into place until he’s able to knock over all the dominos when he sees fit.

Joker Gilbert was born to the Spades, and much like his home country he tends to focus on the military aspects of things. Chaos and fighting are sure to be caused by his presence.

You should never take advice from a joker but everyone seems to forget this when it comes to want information on another kingdom or in ways in which they can gain an upper hand; doesn’t always work out for them.

Diamonds are costal empire they have a farm and fishing based economic system, you can find plenty of artists and other creative based worked there.

Hearts have a focus on skilled labor, anything from expert weaponry to the best of shoes to expertly built houses.

Spades are typically a military based kingdom protected by snow and mountain ranges tho lately they’ve been having a focus on things like oil, lumber, and mass production.

Clubs is the economy based kingdom; most of the four kingdoms money is created and stored here as well with most business practices. If you want a good attorney or accountant best to find them here.

Numbers work based on how “important” your job is viewed as. Natalya is a personal guard for her brother the king, and is there for extremely important so she would rank as an 11. Their sister Katya (Ukraine idk if that’s her human name lmao) is a crop farmer and is seen as less important so she’s around a 3; though if she lived in diamonds she would most likely be ranked as a 5.

#cardverse #hetalia ensemble

[tommysparker]

Congrats on 800! You deserve each and every follower because you’re amazing. Also yay for graduation!

I love the comfort character letter idea. A lot.

You don’t write for any of my comfort characters (I have very specific tastes in characters and like no one writes for them because the fandoms are dead), or else I’d ask for a letter. And that’s totally fine. Honestly not trying to guilt you. I promise. I ramble a lot. Partly because adhd and partly because I feel like I have to explain myself to the point of sometimes over explaining in order to be completely clear because I don’t wanna hurt anyone’s feelings.

I think this is a really cool idea. And you’re amazing for putting this whole thing together.

🎶 and idk how to describe myself. If you’re familiar with the show station 19 and also grey’s anatomy, I’m most like Travis Montgomery but I’m a bi woman of color instead of a gay man of color. We’re both part Asian and both from the Seattle area. I also love Meredith and Amelia the most. I’m also dark and twisty. But I also love April Kepner. I mostly listen to pop punk, metalcore, alt rock, some classic rock, indie, and selective mainstream pop. I went to warped tour during 4 different runs (2014, 2016-18). I’m a software engineer who is also a photographer, bullet journalist, artist, and writer. My favorite tv show is archer but grey’s anatomy is slowly taking over. I absolutely love Disney. I’m basically Rapunzel. My other two fave Disney movies are Hercules, emperors new groove, Aladdin, and Lilo and Stitch. Also an extremely goofy movie. Sky high is my fave superhero movie and that soundtrack is life. It’s all 80s song covers by late 90s and early 2000s bands. I love the 80s so much. Wasn’t around then and wasn’t even an idea then. But I still love them. I’m an only child and music and tumblr and tv shows are my escape.

Happy follower celebration and happy graduation!

first of all, thank you so much honestly i loved waking up to seeing this. second, i feel the “dead fandom thing” so hard lol and don’t worry about the rambling i do it all the time.

i haven’t seen greys anatomy or station 19 but i hope i did okay 😅

okay i kind of got carried away with tryna fit all your tastes cuz you’re exactly like me lmao but yeah enjoy it!!

:readmore:

🎶 a personal playlist:

Dear Maria, Count Me In by All Time Low

I’m Just A Kid by Simple Plan

parents by YUNGBLUD

Can You Feel My Heart by Bring Me The Horizon

Blood // Water by grandson

Hail to the King by Avenged Sevenfold

Shepherd of Fire by Avenged Sevenfold

Rock N Roll Never Dies by The Sener

Your English Is Good by Tokyo Police Club

Black Sheep by Terrorsits of Romance

All The Small Things by blink-182

Breathing by Yellowcard

One Day by Lovejoy

Running All Night by The Score

Girls by 1975

Taunt by Lovejoy

I Hear a Symphony by Cody Fry

Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths

Prom Queen by Beach Bunny

Welcome To The Jungle by Guns N’ Roses

Girls, Girls, Girls by Mötley Crüe

Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses

You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive

I’ve Got a Dream from Tangled Soundtrack

Zero To Hero from Hercules Soundtrack

Friend In Me from Aladdin Soundtrack

It’s Tough to Be a God by Annapantsu & Elsie Lovelock

Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley

Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears for Fears

Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley

Raindrops by Eurielle

I’m Still Standing by Elton John

Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC

Another One Bites The Dust by Queen

#song recs #i really love music so this was so much fun for me #i went through like six of my playlists putting this together sksnskdndmdkck #thank you again so much!!! <333 #all the songs are avaible on spotify #graduation sleepover

[recentanimenews]

Manga the Week of 3/31/21

SEAN: March ain’t going out like a lamb when it comes to manga.

ASH: True, that!

SEAN: Airship has two print books; Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 14.5 and Mushoku Tensei 9.

Denpa’s website lists femme fatale: The Art of Shuzo Oshimi for next week. An artbook dedicated to the creator of Flowers of Evil, Blood on the Tracks and more.

They’ve also got The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes 2 listed.

Ghost Ship has Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 13.

No debuts from J-Novel Club, but we do get the 10th and final volume of The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress. We also see Demon Lord, Retry! 6, The Epic Tale of Reincarnated Prince Herscherik 4, Holmes of Kyoto 4, My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 4, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 4. Desu.

Kaiten Books has a 2nd volume of My Dad’s the Queen of All VTubers?!.

Debuting in print for Kodansha is Chasing After Aoi Koshiba (Kyou, Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara), a yuri manga from Ichijinsha’s Comic REX. It’s got the writer of Masamune-kun’s Revenge (ehh…) and the artist of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (yay!). A girl hopes to meet up with her first love at a reunion.

ASH: Seems like it has potential.

MELINDA: Agreed.

Also in print: Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro 6, Heaven’s Design Team 4, The Quintessential Quintuplets 13, and Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 3.

Digitally we get two debuts. The first is She’s My Knight (Ikemen Kanojo to Heroine na Ore!?), which runs in Kodansha’s Palcy, and features a popular young man having to deal with falling in love with a girl more popular AND more manly than he is!

ANNA: This sounds amusing.

SEAN: We also get Those Snow-White Notes (Mashiro no Oto). This is a biggie, as it’s already 27 volumes in Japan. It’s multi-award winning, runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine, is by the author of Baby & Me and A Vampire and His Pleasant Companions, and is for the Shamisen what Chihayafuru is for Hyakunin Isshu. It also has an anime this spring!

MICHELLE: I’m super excited about this one!

ASH: I love shamisen so much.

MELINDA: Okay, I’m ready!

SEAN: And we get A Condition Called Love 7, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 21, How Do You Do, Koharu? 2, I Want To Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die 7, My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1 3, and Saint Young Men 11.

MICHELLE: I need to get caught up on several of these.

MELINDA: Same here.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts two manga based on light novels they also have. Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist (Cheat Kusushi no Slow Life: Isekai ni Tsukurou Drugstore) runs in Takeshobo’s Web Comic Gamma Plus, and is about… well, the title.

ASH: So many titles these days are helpful like that, perhaps overly so.

SEAN: And there is also ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! (“Omae Gotoki ga Maou ni Kateru to Omou na” to Yuusha Party o Tsuihou Sareta node, Outo de Kimama ni Kurashitai), which runs in Micro Magazine’s Comic Ride, and combines yuri and gore-filled grimdark quite nicely.

Seven Seas also has the digital debut of four more Alice books, which focus on Elliot March and Tweedle Dee/Dum. If I recall correctly, the Twins books were the smuttiest in the series.

ANNA: No thank you!

SEAN: They’ve also got BL Metamorphosis 4, the third and final volume of Ghostly Things, High-Rise Invasion 17-18, Himouto! Umaru-chan Vol. G1 (also a final volume, sort of – it’s a one-shot continuation), the fifth and final volume of How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Made in Abyss 9, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 10, and Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General 6.

MICHELLE: Someday I really will read BL Metamorphosis.

ASH: You really should! It is wonderful.

MELINDA: I also need to read it!

SEAN: Two debuts for Yen On. The first is a spinoff. I Was a Bottom-Tier Bureaucrat for 1,500 Years, and the Demon King Made Me a Minister (Hira Yakunin Yatte 1500-nen, Maou no Chikara de Daijin ni Sare Chaimashita) features Beelzebub and her demonic crew from I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years having adventures of their own.

The other is Yokohama Station SF, the story of a boy who is allowed to search the giant subway terminal that the world of Japan has become. This looks pretty cool, actually.

MICHELLE: It looks super cool! I always love stories about exploring sprawling structures (like BLAME, for example).

ASH: I’m definitely picking this one up! It looks like it should help fill the SF hole left by Viz’s Haikasoru imprint being on hiatus.

MELINDA: This one sounds so interesting!

Also out next week: 86 ~Eighty-Six~ 7, new reprints of the 5th and 6th Haruhi Suzumiya novels, The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious 6, and Rascal Does Not Dream of Siscon Idol (the 4th in the series).

Yen Press has many manga debuts next week. We start with Can’t Stop Cursing You (Dareka o Norawazu ni Irarenai Kono Sekai de), a dark little horror title from Gangan Online. A curse detective uses their powers to track down killers.

ASH: I’m curious about this one.

MELINDA: This actually does sound like my kind of thing.

Goblin Slayer Side Story II: Dai Katana gets a manga version of its light novel. It runs in Square Enix’s Manga Up!.

Love and Heart (Koi to Shinzou) is a shoujo horror title from Hakusensha’s Manga Park. A college woman recovering from a breakup now finds she has a new roommate, who says he’s her old childhood friend. But… is he?

ANNA: I’m intrigued by the idea of shoujo horror.

MICHELLE: Yeah, this could be interesting.

ASH: Shoujo horror is one of my faves.

MELINDA: Ooooooooo.

SEAN: Love of Kill (Koroshi Ai) runs in Media Factory’s Comic Gene, and is about a pair of assassins engaging in… sigh… a deadly game of cat and mouse. (No, they’re not cats and mice, I just sighed at the cliche.) I’ve actually heard this is pretty cool.

ANNA: Sometimes I enjoy assassins!

ASH: Likewise!

MELINDA: Me too!

SEAN: Lastly, we see When a Magician’s Pupil Smiles (Mahou Tsukai no Deshi ga Warau Toki), a 3-in-1 omnibus collecting the entire manga. It ran in Shonen Gangan, and also seems to fall into the horror suspense theme Yen’s March debuts are falling into.

ASH: I tend to enjoy a fair amount of the subgenre, so I’m okay with the trend.

SEAN: In non-debuts, we get 86 ~Eighty-Six~’s second manga volume, Bungo Stray Dogs 18, Carole & Tuesday 2, Do You Love Your Mom? 4 (manga version), Fiancee of the Wizard 3, Im – Great Priest Imhotep 8, Kaiju Girl Caramelize 4, Karneval 11, Last Round Arthurs 2 (manga version), Lust Geass 3, Reborn As a Polar Bear 5, Strawberry Fields Once Again 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Ways of the Monster Nation 4, and The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions 2.

ASH: I am so far behind on my Yen reading!

SEAN: Oof. There is a lot there. Do you see favorites?

By: Sean Gaffney

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

[marvel-redemption-omega]

Of Outlaws and Family

Chapter Six: Off to Saint Denis

A/N: This’ll be the last one for the night! I’m already up past when I should be... Oops. Yay body and mind not bein able to shut down! Anyway...Things get a lil saucy with Scarlet and Arthur. All the jokes, comments, innuendos, etc are wearing down on them. Plus our dear Arthur boah has opened up to our dear Scarlet! More teasing and sweet moments between the dummy duo, everyone sees they’re sweet on the other but them (they refuse to accept the truth). Scarlet drops some insight to James’ father, clearin some stuff up for Arthur. Also features one anxious Momma (Scarlet) who has to deal with her son gone for like three weeks visiting his father. She doesn’t fare too well, someone might die if she doesn’t get him back. Also featuring the aftermath of drunk!Arthur and drunk!Lenny! Some angst? Fluff? Yessir. Next chapter gets real good!

Warnings: Cursing, typical gang violence, drinking, sexual references/innuendos, emotional drunk (Scarlet), violence (Scarlet), threats, character slander

Start here: https://marvel-redemption-omega.tumblr.com/post/620167374619951104/of-outlaws-and-family-chapter-one-new-beginnings

Last Chapter: https://marvel-redemption-omega.tumblr.com/post/620344446321672192/of-outlaws-and-family

Please enjoy! Hearts and repubs are appreciated!

My work is not to be posted elsewhere; I will post it to my AO3 and dA if I so choose.

Word Count: 9,500

Scarlet is in the middle of unsaddling Fancy when James appears beside her. She glances at him and waits for his question; she knows all his antics and she knows he’s waiting to ask her something.

“What? What happened?”

“Nothing happened! I was just- are you going somewhere, Momma?” He asks, shyly looking up at her. She shakes her head and puts the saddle on the hitching post.

“No, I didn’t plan on it. Why? What do you want?” She raises a brow, leaning back on the post, arms crossed over her chest. James smiles and ducks his head, staring at Fancy as he moves from her neck to her side.

“Mister Arthur asked if I wanna go fishin with him. I asked if you could come too an he said to ask if you wanna go,” he sheepishly replies, moving to the other side of Fancy to finish brushing her out.

“He did, did he? Well, you finish up with Fancy here an I’ll go talk to Mr. Morgan,” she says, pushing off the post and heading towards Arthur’s wagon to look for the man in question.

He’s sitting at the table by the food wagon, playing poker with Pearson, Lenny, and Bill. Scarlet scoffs and walks up behind him, leaning over him, her arms on either side of him as she leans down by his ear. The other three stare at her, wondering just what she’s about to do. “What’s this bout you promisin my boy to fish an askin me to tag along?” He shivers subtly as her breath rolls down the side of his neck, her eyes mischievously watching his reaction. He gulps and flashes her his cards. She smirks and tucks her chin in a little so her lips are closer to his neck, still whispering. “When ya plan on takin us?”

“Ahh hell, I’ll go all in,” Arthur pushes his chips to the middle, cards in his left hand. Pearson and Bill go all in too, Lenny opting to fold. The cards on the table are: King of Hearts, Queen of Clubs, and Ten of Diamonds.

“Go ahead and show ‘em,” Pearson says as he lays down his two cards; the ace of spades and Jack of Spades. Bill curses as he shows his hand; the King of Spades and King of Clubs. Arthur laughs as he lays his cards down face-up; the Queen of Hearts and the Ten of Spades. Scarlet snorts a laugh as she leans close to him again.

“Did you really just lose that hand?” She whispers and watches as Pearson takes the pot. Bill grumbles but buys back in, Lenny joining the new game.

“Maybe I’s tryna lose so I can leave with you; the best way to do that by goin all in an losin it all,” he replies, leaning back to mumble into her neck as she’s been doing to him. She startles back, a squeak leaving her lips as his stubble tickles her neck,

“Jaysus! Will you two get tagether or knock it off a’ready?” Sean calls to the duo. Arthur and Scarlet look at each other before looking over to Sean, both grinning.

“Why, whatever do you mean, Sean? I’m just bein myself with him, like I am witchu an the rest of this fine gang,” she feigns innocence as she pushes back from Arthur, nodding to the horses as she waves bye to the group of men.

Scarlet helps James onto Shamrock’s saddle, untying him from the hitching post. Kieran and Sadie are both brushing the horses, they’re currently working on Branwen and the blood bay. Scarlet lets James holds the reins as she glances at them, chewing the inside of her cheek a moment as she and James wait for Arthur. She steps over to them, knowing Shamrock wouldn’t go anywhere with only James on his back.

“Hey, Sadie. How bout you look after that one for me? I’ve got three already an you ain’t got one. Give him a good name; I know you’ll take good care of ‘im,” she offers, smiling at her friend. Sadie’s hand freezes, her eyes quickly darting to meet Scarlet’s gaze.

“You sure? I know you broke him an all. He’s a good horse, rides well an likes to run. He’s got a good spirit,” Sadie comments as the stallion nickers at her praise. She pets his neck, then his side.

“Yeah. We can go get you a saddle when I come back. I guess Arthur promised this one a fishin trip when we were in Rhodes once we got back. An since we’re back, I reckon Arthur is makin good on his promise,” she explains, gesturing to her son. Sadie blinks at her, a smirk slowly spreading on her face. “I know that look, Sadie Adler. Nothing’s goin on.”

“Why do you two keep dancin round one another? It’s not like James scares him off, that much is obvious. He wouldn’t’ve agreed to go with you to the rodeo if that were the case. Or stay in your room as I’ve heard?” Kieran pipes up, not bothering to look up from his horse. Scarlet’s cheeks tinge pink at his words, shaking her head.

“Nothin happened. We talked’s’all. Then he went back to his tent,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest as she feels the heat of embarrassment creep up her neck and down to her chest.

“I’m sure that’s all that happened, only cause James was there,” Sadie sasses and scratches the blood bay’s neck. “I think I’m gonna name him Buckeye.”

“Buckeye?” Scarlet reaches out to the stallion as he tosses his head. “You like that boy? You look like a Buckeye,” she coos. He paws the ground and stretches his neck to nuzzle each female, earning laughs from them. “Good boy.”

“Thank you, Scarlet. I’ll take good care of him,” Sadie promises as she puts the brush down. Scarlet nods and heads back to Shamrock, pulling herself up behind James.

“I know you will. He’s a good horse for you,” she waves as Arthur rides Smoke over to them. They start to walk out of camp, both stallions nickering to each other.

“Ma?”

“Yes, James?”

“Can I ride with Arthur? Please?”

Both adults look at each other and Scarlet shrugs at Arthur, tilting her head in question for an answer. He nods and holds an arm out to them. Shamrock and Smoke move a little closer, Scarlet having Shamrock speed up just a hair to make it easier for Arthur to grab James and pull him over to Smoke. James pushes to a half crouched position on the saddle and half jumps and is half pulled by Arthur over to Smoke’s saddle where he gets situated with Arthur.

“Better?”

“Yes. Thank you!” The boy cheers, leaning up to pet Smoke. “Good boy, Smoke.”

Arthur smiles down at the boy, memories of taking Isaac fishing flashing threw his mind. He swallows back the lump in his throat and clears it, coughing into his elbow.

“You good, Arthur?” Scarlet asks, brushing her boot against his, her feet out of the stirrups. He smiles small at her and nods.

“Yeah. Yeah, uhh, just rememb’rin…” he trails off, casting his glance to the path. Scarlet immediately nods in understanding, reaching over and gently grabbing his leg, squeezing.

“It’s alright. I understand. Let’s just go fish?” She suggests and let’s go of him. He swears there’s fire in her touch, missing the warmth her hand brought, even through his jeans. He knocks his knee into hers, grinning at her. She raises a brow.

“Hey, James, wanna race your Ma?”

“Yeah!”

“Hey! Wait! No-” Scarlet yells as Arthur kicks Smoke and the blue-ish gray thoroughbred takes off down the dirt path. “Fuck me. Shamrock, hyah!” She kicks the golden chestnut stallion and he whinnies, running after Smoke.

Shamrock rounds the bend and sees Smoke; he neighs and picks up his pace as Scarlet shifts her feet and gives him the reins to move. They catch up quick and Shamrock matches Smoke’s pace, ears flicking about.

“That was a cheap shot,” she yells to Arthur. Both he and James are laughing, James holding tight to the horn with one hand, the other in Smoke’s mane as he posts.

“You’re just mad we won, Ma!” James laughs, Smoke tosses his head and nickers as well.

“Great, even the horse is mocking me,” she sourly pouts, rubbing down Shamrock’s neck. “You’d never laugh at me, woulda ya boy?” Shamrock shakes his head no and nickers at her as he slows to a trot, Smoke following his lead.

“Aww come now, we’re laughin with ya, not at ya,” Arthur soothes. They slow to a walk when Arthur points out the fishing spot in the river. Scarlet slides from the saddle and walks over to the river. She hums and walks the bank, Shamrock following behind her before venturing out a little to wade in the water. She hears Smoke’s shoes on the gravel and watches as his shadow casts over her. “Aww come now, Darlin’, you ain’t mad is you?”

She ignores his call, seeing James drop from Smoke and Arthur follows soon after, letting his horse roam like Shamrock. She feels him before she sees him, his arms are around her torso and he pulls her back to him, breath on her neck.

“I don’t much like bein ignored, Little Lady,” he mumbles against her neck, gently dragging his fine scruff on his chin down her neck. She giggles and squirms in his grasp, her boots kicking up gravel.

“An I don’t listen to you...Mister Morgan.” She gasps as she turns in his arms, staring into his blue-green eyes. She’s left speechless for a moment, mouth slightly agape, lost in his eyes. He smiles and holds her close, tilting his head as they slowly lean into each other.

“Ma!” James calls, startling the two from their trance. They clear their throats and step away from one another, Scarlet meeting James farther inland of the river.

“What is it, Baby?”

“I forgot my pole,” he whines. Scarlet smiles and whistles for Shamrock. She pulls her pole from the saddlebag and hands it to him with some bait.

“Here. Use mine but be careful when baiting it, alright?”

“Thanks, Momma!” He smiles giddily as he takes the pole and bait over to the water, setting it up.

“He’s sure somethin, ain’t he?”

“Yeah...he’s not much like his father. Sometimes in personality, but mainly it’s just his charm that James inherited. Thankfully,” she admits and turns to Arthur, arms crossed like she’s uncomfortable with the subject. He steps closer, his hands rubbing from her elbows up to her shoulders.

“Wanna talk bout it?” He asks, voice quiet as he watches her facial expression. She glances at James then back to Arthur, nodding slightly.

“James… like I said before when I first got here…I still talk to his Pa, but we ain’t together. It won’t ever work out. He lets his family sway his actions an decisions; make him believe that they’re always right,” Scarlet sighs, turning to face her son. “He couldn’t even tell’em he was havin a son, or wouldn’t. Probably both. He always makes somethin up. We fought once, a couple years back. Real nasty. James was six or seven. He said he wanted James to live with him. I asked if his parents finally knew bout us an he said no; he planned to get a place an have James livin with him, leavin me to my own devices.

“I told him if he wanted James round more, he could live with us, not worry bout buyin a place cause I already had a small homestead. He told me he wouldn’t live with me even if it meant James was round all the time. Said he wanted James to live with him an him alone, he could visit me. I told him that would never happen; he could live with me an our son or he could stay livin with his family an see his son on occasion or not at all.

“He chose his family over his own son. So I allow him to spend time with James but when James wants to come home, he sends me a letter if I’m not there with him. Jessie still hasn’t told his family bout James. It’s been that way for years now; nine years actually. We can get along just fine when James is with us, but if it’s just me an him? We start arguin. There’s...we used to be real sweet on one another…but that just didn’t work out. He got over us, honestly round bout the time I found I’s pregnant,” she sighs, turning back to Arthur. Her nose burns as tears prick at the corner of her eyes. She covers her mouth as a small whine of frustration leaves her, her hands shaking slightly.

“Hey hey! Easy, whoa, Scarlet,” Arthur hushes her, pulling her to his chest. She clutches his shirt tight, burying her face in his chest, sobs wracking her body. Arthur holds her as she cries, rubbing up and down her back, occasionally rubbing circles on her shoulders. She eventually pulls back, thanking him as they sit on some big rocks on the bank, watching James catch Bluegill and small Rock Bass.

The next few days are a whirlwind for Scarlet; everything settling when she takes a trip to town with James, finding she has a letter from Jessie, asking to see James. She heads back to camp to pack a bag for him and heads off to Valentine’s train station on Shasta, waving goodbye to camp as they ride out.

She drops James off once she’s sure his father has him, she rides the train back to Valentine. Scarlet doesn’t remember falling asleep, but she wakes up lying on the train bench seat. It’s cold, so she pulls her jacket around her as she gets up and moves towards the exit. The conductor tips his hat to her as she steps onto the platform and makes her way into the small town, intent on getting a beer or something to help warm her up. 

It’s early morning from what she can tell, probably too early to be drinking for most but she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. She needs it after the confrontation with Jessie, asking if James could come live with him for awhile. Luckily James had told him he didn’t want to leave Scarlet and be away from his friend Jack. Thankfully Jessie just thought they were new neighbors and didn’t ask too much about it, instead trying to tell James how many more friends he could have in Saint Denis. James wanted nothing to do with it, much to Scarlet’s delighted amusement.

She glances at the saloon then to the hotel, biting her lip. She opts for the hotel at least for a bath and change of clothes from her bag even if they don’t have a room available. She’s in luck as the man tells her there is one room left. He lets her know he’ll have someone start a bath for her if she wishes to put her things in the room; she accepts and heads upstairs to check out the room. She tosses the bag in the chest at the foot of the bed after searching for her night gown and outfit for later. Once she’s settled, she heads back downstairs to the bath room.

“Did you hear about the two boys the Sheriff picked up?”

“I heard bout two drunken idiots, why?”

“I hear they’re both in jail right now.”

“Wait, you talkin bout that little black boy that was with that gruff lookin buffoon?”

Scarlet is just heading out of the hotel when she overhears a few townsfolk gossiping. She heads towards them with interest. She approaches the four men who are leaning on the general store railing.

“What was that yous fellers heard bout some big, dumb cowboy and his friend?”

“Why? You shouldn’t associate yourself with the likes of them...derelicts, Ma’am,” one of them suggests, all standing a little straighter.

“Well, unfortunately, I believe those two idiots belong to me,” she sighs heavily and nods to them. “You said they were in the cells down at the Sheriff’s?”

“Uhh, yes that’s right. They got picked up earlier this morning for disturbing the peace,” another replies and gestures to the sheriff’s office just down the road.

“Thank ya kindly, gentlemen,” she smiles and stalks down across the wooden walkway from the store to the sheriff’s office, recognizing Maggie and Smoke grazing by the gun store. She knocks gently before pushing the door open and shaking her head at the sight of Lenny and Arthur in the cells. They don’t notice her.

“Yeah, well….I don’t remember,” Arthur grumbles the last half under his breath, walking away from the bars.

“Sir? How much for idiot one and two in those cells there?” Scarlet asks, startling the three men. Lenny calls her name, smiling bright as he recognizes her. Arthur also says her name, though it’s a lot quieter.

“Oh, uh, well, ten dollars to get them released into your custody,” the sheriff offers, giving a final glare to the two men and tipping his hat to Scarlet. She nods and thanks him, handing over the money. The sheriff gestures to the cell doors and hands her the keys.

“You know, I should let the two of you rot in here for awhile. Ya wanna tell me exactly what happened while I was gone? I can’t believe it, I leave for two days and y’all go an get yourselves so drunk you don’t remember nothin,” she rambles as she stands in front of Arthur, the bars separating them. She sighs and goes to unlock both of their cells, letting them out. “Thank you, Sheriff. I’ll get these two boys home. I’m sorry for any trouble they mighta caused last night an this mornin,” she apologizes and shoves them both towards the door when they try to stop and turn to her.

Scarlet whistles and Smoke lifts his head, neighing happily when he sees her, nudging Maggie as he passes her to meet them. He nuzzles Scarlet’s chest, snorting and pawing the ground excitedly as he puts his head over her shoulder and tucks his chin to her back in a hug. She laughs and pats his neck, cooing to him. Maggie joins in, nuzzling Scarlet and nickering thankfully to her.

“Oh, so you listen to her,” Arthur scoffs playfully at his horse. Smoke flattens his ears for a moment before tossing his head in a yes answer. Maggie joins him, pawing the ground.

“Well, come on. I told him I’d get y’all home, so best to do it. Let’s get goin,” she grabs Maggie’s reins and ties them to Smoke’s saddle horn, gesturing for Lenny to climb on. He does so without protest. She waits for Arthur to climb up before she pulls herself into the saddle in front of him, taking the reins from Arthur.

“Hey, I can steer,” he argues.

“Yeah? And you can go enjoy that cell too if you’d like,” she snips at him, turning to look over her shoulder at him. He shuts his mouth and wraps his arms about her waist, opting to keep quiet for now and keep from angering her further. She smirks in victory, shaking her head at him.

She unties Maggie and lets Lenny take her over to the other horses to hitch her, turning Smoke so he’s closer to The Count and Silver Dollar. She goes to climb off but Arthur tightens his grip on her, leaning into her as he holds her hips in place.

“Thank you,” he whispers against her neck.

“For what?” Her breath hitches at the thoughts running through her mind.

“For savin our sorry asses,” he chuckles and presses a kiss to her shoulder, releasing his hold on her. She remains in his lap on the saddle for a moment before silently slipping from Smoke, glancing at him over her shoulder.

“Anytime. I kinda enjoyed saving your sorry ass,” she winks and heads to her wagon.

Arthur watches her around camp. She helps with the chores, even trying her hand at chopping wood, which Charles steps in and shows her how to properly swing the axe so it’ll cut straight through, for the most part. When they’re done, she goes and speaks with Kieran, who’s brushing Old Boy. They talk for a moment before Dutch approaches Arthur.

“You going to go get Micah?” Dutch asks, leaning on Scarlet’s wagon, following Arthur’s line of sight. He’s got his journal out and is either writing or sketching, Dutch isn’t sure which. “Why don’t you just talk to her already? It ain’t like it’s a secret you’re both sweet on one another. Hell, you just had your arms wrapped around her when you walked up this morning.”

“Is not that easy, Dutch. I don’t even think she knows who we really are. I can’t get her involved with us,” Arthur sighs and closes his journal.

“Far as I’m concerned, she’s already involved. Whether you like it or not, I think she’s starting to put down roots with us. And I’m pretty sure she’s got a well enough idea of who we are. Don’t forget, she hates the O’Driscolls too. I’m sure she’s heard about us from any of them she’s had run-ins with,” the man states, clapping Arthur on the shoulder. “Don’t forget to go get Micah.”

“Yeah yeah. I’ll get to it,” Arthur grumbles, getting up from his cot and stashing his journal in his side bag. “Damn Micah, why’s Dutch so worried bout you. I should just let you rot.”

“Hey, Arthur!” Scarlet smiles as he greets her and Kieran, grabbing Smoke’s reins. “Arthur? Somethin wrong? You look upset?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just gotta go get Micah’s dumbass out of jail in Strawberry,” he grouches, sighing when she rests her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. Want me to come with ya?”

“Nah, s’alright. I will take you back into Valentine if you wanna grab one of your horses from the stables. I know you said you were having the stable hand meet you at the station so you could have Shasta stabled when you left the other day.”

“Sure. Yeah, I’ll ride with you into town,” she agrees, gruntled with his suggestion. He steps into the stirrup and slings his leg over the saddle, holding his hand down to her. “Such a gentleman,” she coos.

“Hm, only for you, just don’t tell nobody. Don’t wanna ruin my reputation as an outlaw,” he jests, pulling her into his lap again.

“Right, cause anyone’s gon’ believe I ‘tamed’ the wild Dutch’s Boy, Arthur,” she scoffs and leans back into him, relaxing as he turns Smoke and gently kicks him.

“Huh, so you know about our past then?”

“Don’t believe everythin you read, Morgan. It’s a bad thing if you do. Papers lie, people do too but not as often as I’ve read,” she explains; he nods behind her. “Besides, you think I wouldn’t have heard of the infamous gang that’s been in a royal blood feud with the O’Driscolls for years? Colm’s dumbass men get caught all the time and loiter around Valentine, drunkenly spewing hate about someone named Dutch and how “Dutch’s Boys” always ruin their fun and such,” she shrugs and tips her head back to look up at him, her hat left with Shasta in the saddle bag.

“Is that so? Well, now that makes me wonder just why you agreed to join us,” he chuckles as she sits up. His laughter dies down quickly at her silence. When she turns in the saddle, straddling him, he startles and stares down at her, blinking. “What are you doing? Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“I agreed because Dutch gave me a chance to live with my son without havin to keep runnin every few weeks; tryna find work, burnin down another home, an a whole buncha other reasons I shouldn’t have to list. I’m here by choice an if I didn’t trust any of y’all, I wouldn’t hesitate to leave here,” she says with conviction, her green eyes meeting Arthur’s blue ringed ones. “And whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me, Cowboy.”

Scarlet heads back to the camp, a bit disheartened about riding alone. James was with Jessie, his father, out in Saint Denis, and now Arthur was off running errands for Dutch. She lets Shasta turn their slow walk into a gallop as she gets lost in her thoughts on the ride back.

Dutch greets her as she’s tying Shasta’s reins to the hitching post. She tilts her head up at him in silent question as he rests his arm across her shoulders, leading her into the camp. She purses her lips in thought before he stops by the campfire where everyone else is gathering.

“Where’s James? Is he a’right? You’re not plannin on leavin us, are ya’s?” Sean speaks up from the group, eyes sad as he tries to plead with her. Scarlet lets out a laugh and shakes her head, realizing why everybody was now staring at her. Dutch squeezes her shoulders and gently pushes her onto one of the seats.

“Heavens, no! I just took him to go see his Pa who lives way out east in Saint Denis. I took the train instead of ridin, faster with James and his bag. He’ll be back in a few weeks. My Loves, surely you didn’t think you were gettin rid of me that easy?” She turns to Dutch, feigning hurt they actually thought she was running.

“We wasn’t sure. Arthur doesn’t usually leave without you so when we saw you ride back in alone, well we thought maybe y’all had a fight and you came back,” Karen says, tossing a stick into the fire.

“What? No. He was headed to get Micah out of Strawberry’s Jail. Didn’t want me ridin with, but that’s alright. I don’t care too much for Micah anyway,” she explains, watching as nearly everyone visibly relaxes. Jack runs up to her and jumps into her lap; she lets out a surprised grunt, arms wrapping around his back and cradling his legs as he sits on her lap sideways.

“Does that mean you’re stayin with us? With Uncle Arthur? He smiles more when you’re around!” The boy giggles as she tickles him for a moment, squirming in her hold. She nods and rocks the boy, humming for a few minutes, drinking in the relief and love she’s feeling from everyone.

“Yeah, Jack, I’m stayin. You think I’d leave you?” She gasps and lets him crawl from her lap, walking back to Abigail. The mothers share a look and each nod to one another, small smiles exchanged.

Arthur returns the next morning, Micah nowhere to be seen. When Dutch asks, Arthur tells him that he said something about not coming back without a peace offering. He finds Scarlet and Sadie saddling up, the latter finally getting her own saddle and bridle. Buckeye and Shasta playfully nip at each other, Shasta snorting when the thoroughbred nips his mane.

“Look at y’all, gettin along so well!” Sadie praises the duo. The two females were worried that they might fight since neither are gelded, but they quickly bonded and are always seen around the other in camp.

“An we thought they’d kill each other,” Scarlet laughs as she pulls herself into the saddle. “Ready to go hunting?”

“Sure. Can’t say I ain’t done it before, I’m just not that great.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help ya get to be one of the best,” Scarlet promises as they turn from the hitching posts towards the trees.

“You ladies have room for one more?” Arthur calls after them, walking over from Dutch’s tent. Scarlet looks to Sadie, having said she would spend the day with her.

“Your call, Sade,” she nods and shifts in her saddle. Sadie shakes her head but smiles.

“Not right now, Arthur. This is my time with Scarlet. You’ll have to get in line,” she sasses and kicks Buckeye, galloping into the trees out of camp. Shasta whinnies and prances as Scarlet holds him back.

“Sorry, I promised. You weren’t here. We’ll just be down the way….if we’re not back before sundown,” she reassures the cowboy, waving as she kicks Shasta. The standardbred snorts and follows Buckeye’s path.

The sun’s just starting to set, Scarlet and Sadie aren’t back yet and it has Arthur pacing, all the worst case scenarios running through his mind. Branches crunching under hooves catches his attention. He stops his manic pacing and heads towards the horses, breathing a sigh of relief when he sees Sadie on Buckeye, a buck on the back of her horse. She’s also got two turkeys too. Shasta follows her at a slow walk, a buck on his back too and four rabbits attached to his saddle. He scans the woods for signs of Scarlet, wondering why she wasn’t in the saddle.

“Don’t worry, she’s comin. She dropped another one just before we came back. She was pickin it up, but told me to come on back with what we had,” Sadie startles him as she dismounts, hitching Buckeye to get the animals off him. Shasta snorts and stands beside Buckeye, waiting for the extra weight to be offloaded of him too. Arthur moves to the Buckskin and pulls the buck off him, taking it over to Pearson.

“Scarlet and Sadie brought a good bit of food back,” he states as he drops the golden buck on the table. Pearson gapes at the antlers and nods, getting to work on skinning and cleaning it. Sadie passes him the rabbits from Shasta when he gets back over to her while she grabs the turkeys. They drop them off and head back to Buckeye to get the other buck.

“Hey! Can I get some help? This one’s huge!” Scarlet hollers, heaving a breath as she drags the buck by its back legs. Charles heads over to her as Sadie helps Arthur get her buck.

“Jesus, where did you find this?” Charles asks, helping her pick the large animal up, both of them struggling to carry it even between them. She just laughs.

“Out in the fields! He was with the other two. Told Sadie to use a bow and go for the neck or head since it’s the cleanest and easiest kill. Silent too. Plus now the pelts will be worth even more. Especially if we get the antlers off these three. They’re nice,” she grunts as she drops her end when it slips from her hands. “Fuck, sorry, Charles.”

They manage to get the buck over to Pearson’s wagon; Scarlet lets Arthur and Charles lift the deer onto the table though. Sadie smacks Scarlet on the back, hugging her.

“Thanks for taking me huntin, and teachin me to use the bow,” she thanks and lets the red head go, eyes bright and happy.

“Anytime. You’re a natural. Now there’s no excuse why you can’t leave the camp on your own. You got a horse an can hunt,” Scarlet teases, jumping back when Sadie throws a fake punch.

The three weeks seem to drag on for Scarlet without James. She’s restless and everyone seems to feel it. She’s snapped on almost everyone, threatening Micah and Bill with gelding them with Kieran and Sean’s help. Arthur is Dutch’s last hope to settle her down.

“Abigail, where’s Arthur?” Dutch asks, stopping by her tent. She looks up from the book she’s helping Jack read and tells her son to hold on a minute.

“Susan told him that Mary girl was sniffing for him in Valentine, last I heard. I guess she sent him a letter. I reckon he went to see what she wanted,” she replies, petting Jack’s hair. “Why?”

“Scarlet,” it’s the only thing Dutch has to say. Abigail laughs and shakes her head, waving him off.

“That’s a mother without her child, Dutch. You think she was just gon’ sit and do chores all day everyday? That woman’s more of an outlaw than most men we run across. She’s restless,” she smiles at him.

“I know. That’s the problem! I need Arthur to help calm her. I have a feeling the threat to geld Micah and Bill were serious. She’s been on edge the last week,” he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He points at her, “You see him before I do, you tell him to go take her out to drink or something.”

“Sure,” she easily agrees, though she’s found Scarlet’s new temperament to be a riot.

Scarlet continues with the chores, even going so far as to grab anything of James’ she thinks might need washing. She’s sitting with Tilly, washing the clothes when Mary-Beth and Karen come over and join them. Scarlet glances up, nods and smiles small at them, before going back to scrubbing the shirt in hand.

“Have either of y’all seen Arthur?” Mary-Beth asks, looking up from her notebook. Scarlet pauses and shakes her head. Tilly nods and sets the shirt in her hand off to the side to dry.

“He said he was goin into town. Grimshaw an I heard Mary was sniffin bout for him after hearin someone like him was seen in town. Reckon he went to see her,” Tilly replies and reaches for another shirt.

“He was readin a letter earlier. Maybe it was from her? Who is she anyway?” Scarlet asks, interest piqued at this Mary person. Just who was she, and why was she writing Arthur?

“Oh, just some prominent, rich hussy that Arthur was engaged to awhile back. He wasn’t good enough for her family, or at least not her father. So they split. Why she’s askin for him now is beyond me,” Karen sneers at the thought of her. She makes a face that makes Scarlet chuckle, the first she’s given in the last couple of weeks since James has been gone.

“She kept trying to get Arthur to leave Dutch and the rest of us, saying it was what she deserved if I remember right,” Mary-Beth adds, setting her book aside.

“So what? She’s finally realized that it don’t matter what he does or has done an wants him to come runnin back ta her like some trained puppy?” Scarlet spits, not even trying to mask the jealousy in her tone. The three females look at each other before turning back to her and shrugging.

“Honestly, we don’t like her. She left; broke Arthur’s heart, claimin it was all his fault an sayin he’d never change an she couldn’t deal with that, with this life of his,” Tilly states with a sigh.

“So she left cause she couldn’t or wouldn’t accept him for who an what he was? Sounds like horse shit to me. If you really love someone you don’t try to change them, you build and grow with them. You don’t just drop everythin an run back to someone you left stranded, not unless you want somethin,” Scarlet furrows her brow, curiosity about this mysterious Mary nearly overwhelming her. She sets James’ shirt on the wagon wheel to dry. “Thank you, Ladies. I think I’m gonna go get a bowl of Pearson’s stew,” she excuses herself.

She grabs a bowl and sits at the poker table, propping her feet up, the bowl on her chest. Susan comes over and smacks her boot gently, gesturing for her to sit up as well as asking for her to talk. Scarlet complies and puts her feet down, setting her bowl on the table.

“I heard you know about Mary Gillis,” Susan starts, setting her own bowl on the table, taking the seat to Scarlet’s left. The red head nods.

“Somethin like that.”

“Well, if you wanna know anythin ‘bout her, let me know.”

“Sure. All the others said was that she was engaged to Arthur at one point, but then realized she didn’t want nothin to do with him,” Scarlet offered what little information she had. Sean joins them, sitting to her right, and offers her a bottle of whisky, which she accepts.

“That’s about right. There’s a bit more to it though. Mary Gillis let her little brother, Jaime I think, help pull Arthur in, you know how it goes. Get the kid invested an then usually they’re done for. 

“Anyway, she up an left him without so much as a warnin, sayin she didn’t want to be with him anymore, couldn’t deal with him bein an outlaw. Least that was her excuse. If you ask me, she just wanted a good ride an when she grew bored she ditched him for the next popular breed. Instead of outlaws it was doctors, bankers, the like,” Susan curls her lip at the memory. Scarlet nods along, slipping some oregano into her bowl, offering some to Susan and Sean, who happily take it.

“Honestly sounds like someone I’d fight or shoot. I can’t stand people like that. Especially not after goin through somethin vaguely similar with James’ father, Jessie.

“He was just a ‘drunken mistake’ as Jessie’s referred to him several times when he was younger. A lot younger. We’re not together cause he knows his family don’t like me, cause I’m not an islander who moved to the mainland, like them,” she grounds out, chugging the whisky in anger. Sean gets up and passes her another one, bringing a box to the table.

“I’ll never forget his words to me bout three years ago, he said he’d get James from me, no matter how long it takes. Said he’d make sure that I have little contact with him if I continue to keep the boy from ‘im. I ain’t never kept James from his father. I only take him when one of them asks. Sometimes James doesn’t want to go. Says he hears stories about his grandparents on his Pa’s side but he can’t meet them or his cousins, aunts, uncles….all cause Jessie don’t want them to know bout our child.” Scarlet bites out, popping the top off another bottle of whisky. She downs that one too. Sean is impressed, Susan a little worried.

“He’s a right bastard, ‘e is. Don’t wanna claim his own son cause his family’d be ashamed of ‘im fer havin a kid wit’ the likes-a me! The fockin bastard. I wish I had the heart to tell him he won’t be seein James anymore, but I can’t. I don’t have anythin right now since I burned my last house an joined you lot.

“The funny thing is? Y’all’re more family than Jessie ever was. He likes to sweet talk ya then strike, he knows how to play me an I just fockin let him...every god damned time,” she’s starting to slur, being four bottles of whisky in, and her Irish accent is starting to reveal itself. Susan makes sure she doesn’t drink anything else unless it’s water or coffee.

“Here, c’mon lets get you to bed,” Susan suggests, giving Sean a glare when he goes to offer another bottle of whisky to her. He grins sheepishly and nods, putting the bottles away. It’s only midday but Susan knows Scarlet needs to sober up before Arthur gets back, whenever he plans on it.

Scarlet nods and follows Miss Grimshaw to her wagon. She stops by Arthur’s, hand tracing over his cot. Without a thought, she swipes his pillow and tosses it into the back of her wagon where she climbs in, burrowing under her and James’ blankets. Susan makes sure she’s good before headed back to her stew.

Arthur’s gone for the rest of that day and until noon the following. Scarlet’s taken up holing herself up in the back of her wagon, cloth top up as shelter since her talk with Susan and Sean. She still has Arthur’s pillow hostage, sleeping curled up with it for comfort.

When Arthur steps back into camp, he doesn’t expect the looks a couple of people give him. He raises a brow but makes his way to his wagon, pausing when he sees the missing pillow. Soft humming catches his ear and he follows it to Scarlet’s wagon. She’s humming to herself as she stares at the canvas, lying on her the bedrolls, blankets tucked under her for additional comfort, cuddling Arthur’s pillow. He knocks on the side of the wagon and she flinches slightly at the noise.

“Knock knock,” he says, grabbing hold of the side, pulling himself up. Scarlet shifts over, rolling so her back is to him, pulling his pillow over her head as she lets out a groan. She curls her knees to her chest as she feels him sit behind her, his hand gentle on her elbow. He turns her and raises a brow, searching her green eyes, concern reflecting in his green-flecked blue ones. She blinks up at him, squinting as the afternoon sun filters in. She stretches back out and rubs her eyes, yawning.

“Hmm?” She manages to mumble out as a rough acknowledgment and question to him. He chuckles and shakes his head, leaning back against the side, stretching his legs across the wagon beside her.

“What are you doin in here? I thought you’d be out huntin or fishin or even harassin Bill, somethin. What’s got you mopin ‘bout in here?” He ask quietly.

“Why didn’t you ask me to go with you?” Her voice is soft, cracked, and sounds slightly strained to him. He hovers over her, searching her for any physical bruising and injury until she pushes him back by his chest.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Why didn’t you marry Mary?” She changes her question, avoiding his eyes as she closes hers, inhaling deeply. Several moments of silence pass between them, Arthur not really sure how to respond.

“You weren’t here. I think you an Kieran went fishin. So I headed to Valentine. It’s been years since we were together, Scarlet. Her letter was askin if I could help her, her brother really. The poor idiot ran off to join those turtle crazed lunatics, the Chelonians. She just wanted my help in bringin him back to her s’all. I had to go find him up in the Cumberland Forest an then chase his dumbass half way back to Valentine. Poor boy was so fed up of his father’s shitty attitude that he wanted to kill himself,” he explains, cupping her cheek and brushing away the stray tear that falls from Scarlet’s eye. “Darlin’,” he sighs, pulling her onto his chest, earning a grunt from her.

“Why didn’t ya marry her, Arthur? she was yer way out. You wouldn’t be here with me if you’da left...You could have had a good life...Why didn’t you leave then?” Her voice is barely a whisper.

“How she holdin up, Arthur?” Sean peeks into the back of the wagon, hands up when she glares at him. He chuckles as Arthur looks between them.

“She’s fine...I think? Am I missing’ somethin here? Did you do somethin to her while I’s gone?” Arthur accuses, starting to get up. He stops when a black boot with silver spurs passes in front of his face and hits Sean in the chest. He hadn’t even felt Scarlet move.

“Oi! Bloody woman! I’s just tryna see if you’s a’right after drinkin damn near five bottles a Whisky. Jaysus,” Sean curses under his breath as he walks away after putting the boot on the back of the wagon. She curls back up against Arthur, head on his chest with her eyes closed as he strokes her back.

“You’re hungover,” it’s not a question, but a statement. It’s making a bit more sense to Arthur now. He shakes his head and presses a kiss to her hair. “Is this why you don’t drink with us? I know you had a beer at the rodeo, but that’s all you had. I remember you distinctly turning down more, from Sean specifically.”

He’s not expecting an answer, not really. He’s just rambling to himself, hoping his voice is soothing and not adding to her probable headache. She shifts and he glances down, meeting her green eyes as she looks up at him, her eyes glassy and slightly glazed over, confirming his suspicions of her being hungover.

“Want me to get you some coffee? Water?”

She shakes her head and lays it on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat. She feels it slowly come down, matching her own, even one as she drifts off to sleep, cuddled warm into his side, half on his chest. He sighs and strokes her hair, letting his hand continue down her lower back before starting back at the top of her head.

“Didn’t take you for the jealous drunk,” he murmurs when he’s sure she’s asleep. He adjusts their position so he’s lying down more and Scarlet immediately cuddles back up to him in her sleep, sighing contentedly when his arm wraps around her waist. He drops his hat on his face and tries to nap with her, his body and mind finally relaxing now that he’s back with her.

Scarlet wakes to cheering from the campfire. She rubs her eyes and groans, cursing herself for drinking and also Sean for giving her the whisky. She sees Arthur’s hat hung up next to hers on the back of the wagon, taking note of his absent pillow. She smirks and pushes herself to crawl out of the back, despite the dull ache in the back of her head from the evening light.

“What’s with the cheering?” She asks as she joins the gang, covering her mouth as she yawns. Dutch claps his hands, smiling bright at her.

“Scarlet, my dear girl, John might have a lead for some money. Not only that, things are lookin up for us. There’s also talk of a few other leads,” Van der Linde answers, walking with her until she’s joined the group at the campfire.

“Oh good! You’re awake! We were worried that you’d overdone it with the Whisky!” Susan gets up from the log and ushers Scarlet to sit down, not taking no for an answer. Once seated, she is handed a cup of water. “Drink,” Susan orders. The red head replies and nods, holding one hand up in surrender as she does as told.

Arthur sits by her with two bowls, passing her one. She thanks him and they move to the poker table, listening to Pearson and Bill talk of their time in the Navy and Army respectively. She tilts her head, nodding along to their crazy stories.

“I didn’t know you two were in the military,” she speaks up, setting her bowl and cup to the side and pulls out a deck of cards.

“Oh yeah, I used to be a cook in the navy, it’s why I’m such a great one now!” Pearson proclaims as he motions for her to pass the cards. She shuffles them twice then hands them across the table.

“Army was okay, I like this life better though,” Bill comments, nodding to Pearson. Scarlet gets up and clears all their dishes, taking them behind Pearson’s wagon. Lenny’s occupying her seat when she walks back over. Arthur notices and goes to get up, but she shakes her head, sliding into his lap sideways.

Bill goes to say something until Scarlet draws her hunting knife, running her thumb gently along the blade to test its sharpness; he closes his mouth. Lenny and Arthur chuckle, the latter wrapping his left arm around her waist, securing her against him.

She knocks once on the table to signal she wants to be dealt into the hand. Pearson obliges and sets up chips for everyone before shuffling the deck and dealing. Arthur holds the cards as Scarlet looks at them, biting her bottom lip.

They play several rounds, Scarlet and Arthur working as a pair against the others. After the fifth round, Lenny folds and takes what’s left of what he got back. Bill does the same after the seventh. Pearson offers the other seats to Scarlet but both she and Arthur decline.

His left hand is gently stroking her thigh as he looks at their hand, squeezing her leg for her opinion. She leans down as he pulls them up a little to show her. She nods and looks at the cards on the table, glancing up to Pearson who is smiling at her.  She shrugs and wraps her right arm around his neck.

“Your call,” she whispers in his ear, right hand tangling in his hair at the nape of his neck, nails scratching his scalp nicely. He smacks her thigh before rubbing the slight sting away. He lets his hand wander her leg; rolling over her hip, down the side of her thigh, over the top of her thigh, and finally down to her ass where he squeezes. She gasps, jumping slightly at the feel.

“You good there, Scarlet?” Pearson asks, quirking a brow at them. She nods and smiles, readjusting herself in Arthur’s lap to sit with her back to his chest.

“We’ll go all in,” Arthur pushes his chips into the middle; Pearson laughs, doing the same. Scarlet smiles as she uses her left hand to pick up the cards and nods at them. She gestures for Pearson to show his hand. He’s got a three of a kind; a Queen and five in hand, two queens on the table with a King.

“Shite,” Scarlet swears, flipping their cards to reveal two kings in hand. “Full. House. That’s three Kings and double queens.” Pearson gapes at them, throwing his cards and pushing up from the table in frustration. Arthur and Scarlet laugh in amusement as they take the pot.

“I guess we do make a good team, you an me, Miss O’Hara,” Arthur puts his hands on her hips, pulling her back flush against him. “What say you?”

“I say you’re tryna sweet talk me after our conversation earlier; hungover as I was, I do remember it,” she sets the chips aside and gathers the money before turning in his hold so she can straddle him. “Here, you’ve earned this.” She tucks the money into the front of his jeans, patting it for good measure.

“Yeah? What do you remember bout it, Darlin’?”

“I remember askin why you never got out; why you left me here when you went to see her,” there’s the hint of jealousy from earlier dripping from the word as she shifts somewhat restlessly on his lap. He groans and holds her hips so she stills.

“Quit that, chrissakes woman!” He huffs as he moves one hand to grip her chin, turning her face to meet his gaze. “You’re headed down a dangerous road if you continue, you sure you’re okay with that?”

“I haven’t been this sure bout anythin since becomin a mother, Arthur. I know what’s at stake, an I know that the road will sometimes be rough an long, but that’s all part of the journey. The experience is precious,” she rests her forehead on his, her hands laced on the back of his neck. “Just havin you back makes me calmer. I’ve been riled up for the last few weeks, thankfully I go get James in a day or two,” she smiles, getting up from his lap reluctantly, making her way over to her wagon. “The wagon has plenty of space, you’re welcome to join me if you want,” she throws over her shoulder with a wink before disappearing around Dutch’s tent towards their wagons.

Arhurt sighs and goes to his bed to change into something more comfortable after putting the poker winnings away. He finds Scarlet in the back of her wagon. He knocks once and she looks up at him, smiling that he’s shown up. She pats the bedrolls and tosses the blankets back. He tosses his pillow at her and climbs up into the back. They talk about the passed few days and how everything seems to be working itself out slowly, Arthur’s voice combined with the way he’s rubbing her back has Scarlet fighting to stay awake. She mumbles against his chest and he chuckles, kissing her head.

“Get some rest. We have more errands to do tomorrow. Me an you, Cowgirl,” he chuckles into her hair. She nods and tightens her arm over his chest, gripping his shirt at the shoulder.

“You ain’t plannin on leavin me again, are ya?” Scarlet states, startling Arthur. Smoke nickers and paws the ground, swishing his tail at her. She laughs and pats his rear. “Good boy.”

“Now why would I go an do a thing like that?”

“Cause I’m leavin you to go pick up James today. Got a letter last night askin if I would come get him. Not sure if he had his dad write it or if he did, but figured I’d go get him regardless who wrote it. Jessie woulda had to have gone with him to post it anyway. Wanna ride?”

“Can’t. John thinks he’s got a good lead for money,” Arthur sighs. Scarlet nods and grabs the horn and back of her saddle, pulling herself onto Shasta’s back.

“Well, if you do change your mind, head East. Go as far as you can, you won’t be able to miss it. Gotta go through Lagras from here,” she gestures to the East, shaking her head. “Gotta take Fancy and Shamrock cause Shasta spooks at the Gators.”

“Gators?”

“Yeah. Yanno, alligators? Mean son’s-a bitches. Good eatin though,” she shrugs. “Ride with me to the stables at least?” She pouts and puts her hat on, tipped back so he can see the playful gleam in her eyes.

“How bout I ride with you to the stables and see you out to Emerald Ranch?” He offers, climbing onto Smoke, and swatting her hat down. She yells at him, being temporarily blinded by her hat until she adjusts it.

“Alright. I can deal with that,” she agrees and kicks Shasta to get him trotting. “C’mon then.”

“How long will this take by horse?”

“To Saint Denis and back again?” Scarlet glances from Shamrock to Arthur, biting her cheek. “Bout a day and a half? If I don’t stop to sleep tonight, probably a day? Depends on if Jessie’s gon throw a fit that I’m lettin James ride a horse by himself or not. I’m hoping we can catch a train back if I get there early enough, send these two back by whistle. Fancy already knows where the command ‘go home’ means, and Shamrock will follow his momma anywhere cause he’s a big mama’s boy,” she admits and pats the golden chestnut’s neck as he nickers and tosses his head.

“Just be careful, okay? I don’t wanna have to shoot someone full of holes cause they picked the wrong family to mess with,” Arthur replies, promising the threat if anything were to happen to her. She smiles and leans over Shamrock to kiss his cheek, hand on his thigh.

“Careful? Me? Always, Cowboy. You forget who you’re talkin to? I just don’t always stay out of trouble,” she jokes and leans back in her saddle. Smoke, Shamrock, and Fancy all come to a stop at Emerald Ranch’s train station. Scarlet frowns and lets out a dejected sigh. “Alright. I’ll see you as soon as I can, Cowboy. You best behave while I’m gone,” she warns.

“Or what?” He challenges.

“I’ll just have to teach you how to,” she taunts, giving him a once over. He barks out a laugh and points at her, shaking his head.

“Chrissakes, Scarlet, you can’t just be sayin things like that out in the open,” he chuckles, feelin his face heat up slightly. Her cheeks are rosy, almost matching her hair as she giggles behind her hand, pulling her foot from the stirrup to nudge his own.

“I only dish what I know you can handle, Cowboy,” she winks and puts her foot back in the stirrup. “Promise I’ll be as safe as I can when travelin. I’ll hopefully be back with James tomorrow,” she bids her final farewells to him and turns her stallion to the right. “Bye, Arthur. I’ll be expectin you to greet me proper when we get back,” she calls as she kicks Shamrock’s sides.

Arthur shakes his head and rolls his eyes at her, but he can’t help but feel a tug in his chest as she rides away from him. A feeling of butterflies fluttering in his stomach, something he hasn’t felt since Mary and Eliza. He sighs, knowing he’s probably in over his head. He turns Smoke back the way they came and kicks him. “Hyah!”

#red dead redemption 2 #van der linde gang #dutch's boys #dutch van der linde #hosea matthews #arthur morgan #john marston #jack marston #abigail roberts #leopold strauss #lenny summers #tilly jackson #charles smith #javier escuella #bill williamson #josiah trelawny #karen jones #sean macguire #mary beth gaskill #susan grimshaw #simon pearson #kieran duffy #micah bell #molly o'shea #reverand swanson #scarlet o'hara #james o'hara #arthur morgan x ofc #arthur morgan x scarlet o'hara

[tokumusume]

tokumusume’s list of best and worst movies and dramas watched in 2019:

There’s a new category this year. Inspired by kpopalypse, welcome the Honorable Mentions! Movies that weren’t exactly bad but also weren’t good. Movies and dramas are qualified to enter if I watched them for the first time this year, not that they were released this year. Click on ‘keep reading’~~

Best Movies:

1.      Parasite

Another masterpiece from the director of Snowpiercer (let’s pretend Okja never existed). A poor family con their way to a rich household. Choi Woo-Shik from The Witch (see below) is the eldest son and mastermind, fabulous as always. Definitely the best movie of this year. For me, movie of the decade.

2.      The Witch Part 1 The Subversion

This movie is amazing, hard to describe without spoilers. A perfect mix of Stranger Things and Hanna. Choi Woo-Shik can come to my house and kick my ass anytime. I can’t wait for part two.

3.      Death Trance

Visually stunning, kinda like Amemiya Keita’s style in early Garo or Mad Max. I wish the movie was longer and the characters were better fleshed out, Ryuen the monk and the little girl had so much potential... The most interesting thing about this movie is how sexualized the main male character is compared to the female ones, and apparently, the swords were designed to look like veiny penises (can’t find a source for this info), and yes, they do look like veiny penises. The final showdown is heavy with sexual energy. Have I already said that Ryuen deserved better? #RyuenRights

4.      Gintama 2: Rules are made to be broken

The barber shop scene is a fucking cinematic masterpiece. I never laughed so much like I did with this movie. The way it doesn’t take itself seriously, the meta jokes, everything is perfect. Even better than the first one.

5.      Kingdom

While I think that some fight scenes were way too long (like the bamboo forest one), the dynamics between Shin and Hyou/Eisei were highly entertaining, at least in my shipper eyes. I like that (SPOILER) the King of the Mountain People is a woman and not once they try to call her Queen. She is a King. Hashimoto Kanna is adorable as a Ten, Kanata Hongo does a great job as Eisei’s psycho brother, Sakaguchi Tak waves his sword around, the usual stuff but with added layers of dirt and sweat.

6.      Bravestorm

A movie I lovingly call “Japanese Pacific Rim”. Full of Kamen Rider stars (Hino Eiji! Misuzawa Haruka! That girl from Heisei Generations, the one with a sword! She has a sword in this as well!) and giant robots (god, I love giant robots!), I waited so much for this movie and it exceeded my expectations. I just wish I could’ve watched in theaters, it had a limited showing in my country.

7.      Twelve Suicidal Children

What begins as a murder mystery ends with a twist you won’t see coming. All of the actors are amazing, but special mention to Sugisaki Hana and that guy from that one boy group I forgot the name but can’t be bothered to Google.

8.      Gakkou Gurashi

Four girls and their teacher try to survive the zombie apocalypse trapped inside the school. This one destroyed me for days.

9.      Forest of Love

I’ve watched some Sono Sion movies but nothing prepared me for this. Be aware of extremely gory sequences and sensitive topics. Hinami Kyoko is so amazing as blue-haired, punk girl crush Taeko that I totally didn’t notice she was AkibaBlue in Akibaranger.

10.  The Host

After watching Parasite I decided to go on a Bong Joon Ho binge and watched this horror movie. Not as good as Snowpiercer and Parasite in my opinion but heart-wrenching nevertheless. The little girl is the star of the movie.

11.  The Hungry Lion

A story about the dangers of social media and slut-shaming. I want to punch Mizuishi Atom in the face.

12.  Cromartie High

A little absurd comedy about yakuza-style high school boys (played by middle-aged men lol) forming a club to battle aliens summoned by themselves just because. It made me laugh like a child. A hidden gem.

Honorable Mentions:

1.      River’s Edge

Depressing as fuck. Warning: the cats die. It’s not graphic but it’s traumatizing. Yoshizawa Ryo is a gay boy who sleeps with old men for money. There’s a graphic sex scene (not Yoshizawa, sadly) where my only thought was “That thing is gonna get stuck in there! Use a condom!” Can’t remember much from it except for these three scenes.

2.      The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Yamazaki Kento has the acting chops of a dead fish but it comes handy for playing a teen with psychic abilities and zero social skills. Hashimoto Kanna is one of the prettiest girls in Japan. Yoshizawa Ryo with white and blueish hair looks more like Sakata Gintoki than Oguri Shun in the Gintama live action. The end is a huge let down but the fun ride is worth it.

3.      Ano ko no, Toriko

Congratulations to Yoshizawa Ryo, he has FIVE movies in my list of favorite movies this year! This is to make up for crowning GIVER as the biggest waste of time of 2018, this list is totally not biased, lol. “Ano ko” could be just another romance movie but the (very) little insight into how the entertainment industry works and not focusing on school life made me love it. Poor Sugino Yosuke being left behind again, when will this boy get the main girl?

4.      Monstrum

It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it’s pleasant enough to fill a rainy afternoon with a lot of blood and spilled guts. Hyeri of Girl’s Day is the heroine and Choi Woo Shik is the commander she falls in love with.

5.      Weirdo Go

I confess I watched this one just to see Ji Li (aka my snake son Nie Huaisang) dressed as a woman but it was enjoyable and not that problematic.

6.      Real - Kanzen Naru Kubinagaryu no Hi

Directed by the same guy that did “Creepy” and “Before we vanish”, there are lots of twists you won’t see coming. And a dinosaur. A fucking dinosaur.

7.      Tomodachi Game: The Final

The movie loses its focus halfway through then picks up again minutes before ending. Yoshizawa Ryo delivers again as the sadistic Yuuichi, much like his role in Gintama. The plot twists are the star of the movie.

8.     The Living Dead

Sorry Wen Ning. I saw the plot twist coming in the first 30 minutes of the movie, not very smart of the writer. His personality did a 180° turn for worse and I’ll demote the movie to an honorable mention for it. Gao Han is cute though, I would like to see him as a better character.

9.      Backstreet Girls

Some recycled scenes from the drama to situate the viewers, a completely new story for the movie, it is certainly funny and enjoyable, if you can get past the forced gender reassignment surgery background and transphobic jokes (you shouldn’t get past it btw). I like the soundtrack.

Best Dramas:

1.      The Untamed

Do I need to say more?

2.      The Tale of Nokdu

This Korean romance had everything to be a mess but it wasn’t!!! *claps* I don’t hate the main female character and the whole palace politics actually kept me interested until the end. The complete shift of atmosphere mid-season was strange at first but ultimately very welcomed.

3.      The Naked Director

Netflix original Japanese content is amazing. This one is a look at the life of a legendary porn director in the late 80s, I learned a lot about the history of Japanese porn and censorship (yay pixels!) and went looking for his, erm, works. Very graphic, 69/10 don’t recommend watching with people in the house.

4.      Channel wa Sonomama!

I don’t remember it well but it’s about a news station and what is like to be a journalist and it was very interesting and funny.

5.      SCAMS

Forgettable. Sugino Yosuke with black hair cons old people via phone calls.

Worst Movies and Dramas:

1.      The cat in their arms

The cats spend 90% of the movie in human forms, and halfway through it they simply abandon the cats’ plot to show a fucking long montage of a weird guy painting a picture of a nude girl. It’s also super creepy to see a grown-up man acting like a cat, getting belly rubs and eating cat food from a bowl. Yoshizawa needs to choose his roles more wisely.

2.      Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

A waste of Suda Masaki’s talent. Can Japan stop casting Tsuchiya Tao already?

3.      Samurai Marathon

Almost two hours of dirty men running through a forest. Maybe Japanese History experts will enjoy it, because I certainly didn’t.

4.      Lady Vengeance

While there are legit great moments, I didn’t find this “classic” to be anything special. The animal cruelty was too much for me.

5.      Hot Gimmick

This movie makes Bohemian Rhapsody’s editing look like a work of art. There are more flashing cuts than a T-ARA music video. I have no idea who likes who, who’s banging who, what even are they saying. Too much poetic shit for my like. I wanted to see Shimizu Hiroya naked. I was bamboozled.

6.      The Divine Fury

While some parts were interesting, at the end I still don’t know if the protagonist is possessed by a demon (if yes, then why would he help a priest destroy his friends?) or if he was blessed by God when his father died and talked to him (the glowing hand thing, why and how??). The exorcism parts are really, really scary, or maybe I’m just a chicken, but I had to avert my eyes. The best (only) part is that the protagonists are hot. Hello Woo Do-Hwan, you can sacrifice me to Satan any time…

#tokumusume awards #2019 #Parasite #Gintama #The Untamed #The Tale of Nokdu #Yoshizawa Ryo #long post #jdrama #kdrama #jmovie #kmovie #cdrama #cmovie

[kyufiber-moved]

hey hi helloo~ so,,,you kinda seem like you know lots of kdramas,,,,and i wanted to ask you,,,if you could recommend me some of your favorites? tbh anything would be fine kdjs it can be something where i can cry my heart and soul out or something really cute! that's totally up to you (but something where i can absolutely get emotionally invested in that it shatters my heart is what i probs need rn tbh 😩✊🏻)

this is my time to shine 🤓🤓🤓 i DEFINITELY CAN !!! esp for my favorite follower 😔💕 also this is gonna be pretty long bc i gave a lot of info for each drama so i’ll put a read more~!

_ MY PERSONAL FAVS _

go ho’s starry night- a chinese-korean collaboration drama starring snsd's yuri, kim youngkwang (the secret life of my secretary), and lee jihoon (legend of the blue sea) - go ho (yuri) is a dedicated worker who deals with her grumpy boss and quirky coworkers. she requests to be transferred to a different team, where she discovers her new boss is her ex-boyfriend, and then basically there forms a harem of 5 of her coworkers who all like her- super fluffy!! episodes are only about 15 minutes long each, and although there is angst, there's a lot more comedy and fluff. the relationship between the two main leads is adorable and had me squealing way more than once

put your head on my shoulder- a chinese drama starring fair xing (master devil do not kiss me) and lin yi- si tu mo is a bubbly girl who moves into a house only to find out that the owner's nephew (?), gu wei yi,  is already living there, and the two end up living together. si tu mo is sweet and outgoing, while gu wei yi is quiet and intellectual- SO cute. although the plot seems cliche, the focus is not really on them living together, that's just what brings them together originally, and the main lead isn't the stereotypical "cold and super smart asshole" type, he's actually very sweet. there are a lot of episodes but i would definitely recommend watching this!

like- a korean webdrama that you can find on youtube starring kim yu an, kim kangmin (maybe, maybe not), yoo jungwoo (love after school), and seo ji hye- about a group of students who create a film club to make youtube videos and the dumb shit they get into, plus there's some romance, betrayal, and fuckboys. - so so so so cute honestly. the dynamic between the characters of the club is so cute and funny, plus the love triangle has me wheezing. also the asshole fuckboy gets what he deserves which is super satisfying. it hasn't finished airing yet, but so far it's really cute

failing in love- korean webdrama  you can find on youtube starring son sang yeon (triple fling), yang hye ji, and shin yoon seop- about a group of high schoolers who deal with falling in love, crushes, rejection, etc.- ok so the summary i gave was pretty vague but that's because any more and i'd be exposing the whole plot. there is humor and fluff but also teenage angst, and the characters are all more complex than they first appear. i would highly recommend this show !!!

i have 3 boyfriends- short webdrama you can find on youtube starring kim ji eun, park sungwoo (produce 101 season 2 [that 30 year old dude who danced to rain's song OMG], moon jihoo, and lee jungsik - when la hi gets in a car accident and wakes up with amnesia she finds that she has 3 men all claiming to be her boyfriend.- OK LISTEN . this show is so funny and cute. let me just say: you MUST watch to the end. that's all i'll say. pLS WATCH

last minute romance- two episode drama special starring han seung yeon (age of youth) and lee seo won (the liar and his lover)- when baek se finds out she has terminal cancer and only has a short time to live, she desperately wants to complete her one bucket list item: date her favorite actor. it's then that she meets an aspiring actor who looks exactly like her favorite actor- so cute and very short, so you won't spend ages trying to finish. it is very fluffy, cute, and funny, but has an underlying tone of sadness because the main female lead has cancer and will eventually die. also her best friend is a monk??? the ending is bittersweet but very fitting

want more 19- a short webdrama you can find on youtube starring jung ha joon, sin gi hwan,  jeon yoo rim, nam yoon soo, and lee jungha- a story of 5 friends in high school. A mutual crush, a one-sided love, and a rough patch for sweethearts, all taking place right around the end their senior year- OH GOD i can't breathe this drama is so cute. it had me squealing every single episode, and it's very lighthearted with hardly any angst 

splash splash love- a two episode drama starring kim seulgi (queen of the ring) and highlight's doojoon (radio romance)- right before her ksat, danbi is transported to the past during a freak rain shower and is mistaken for a eunich (which, in korean, is the same word for high school senior) . due to her knowledge of future math, the king enlists her to teach him mathematics and they fall in love- a lowkey parody/remake of the kdrama love in the moonlight but if you added time travel into the mix and took out nearly all the angst. SO cute and funny, and has a happy but open type ending

something about 1 percent (2016)- korean drama starring jeon so min and ha seokjin (drinking solo)- lee jae in is an arrogant company heir, whose wealthy grandfather who decides to grant all his wealth to a kindly elementary school teacher. to only way for anyone else to get the money is for someone to marry her, but they devise a contract that changes it to date for 10 months. although they hate each other at first, they eventually fall in love- this drama is super cute and the kisses are AMAZING. there are crazy exes and all that but the couple's dynamic is super cute and they quickly warm up to each other

triple fling (s1)- a short choose-your-own-ending  korean webdrama on youtube starring jung bomin, son sangyeon (failing in love), themanblk's jeongyou, and themanblk's eom sewoong- lee sehee accidentally becomes friends with the three most popular boys in school and ends up in a love square with them- alright im whipped for stuff like this so naturally i loved it. i also really liked how viewers could choose their own ending as for which boy she chose. there is a second season that i haven't seen yet that focuses on another girl in ANOTHER love square (containing one of the guys from sehee's love square) in which it shows which boy she actually did choose (and it was my favorite so . yay!)

weightlifting fairy kim bok joo- a korean drama starring lee sungkyung (cheese in the trap) and nam joohyuk (who are you: school 2015)- a drama about a female weightlifter who falls in love. persuing the relationship would jeopardize her weightlifting, and focusing on weightlifting would jeopardize her relationship with her crush.  she and her group of friends deal with one-sided crushes, athletic pressure, and self-love.- i watched this drama in full in only two days, and loved it. seriously, it's funny, cute, sad, and just a generally AWESOME drama. plus it takes a lot of cliches and makes fun of them or turns them on their head

when you love yourself (s1)- a short webdrama you can find on youtube starring jung mingyu (sweet revenge 2) and saet byeol . - about a girl who is heavier than her classmates who struggles with self-love and self-acceptance, and along the way finds love- god. i can't even explain how much i loved this drama. the message is wonderful and there's no moment where she glows up and loses weight and then gets the guy's attention or anything: he simply loves her as who she is, no matter what weight she is, and is supportive. there's also an episode that focuses on the queen bee girl who also struggles with weight and self-love and it's just beautiful 

after school: lucky or not (s1)- short drama starring 5urprise: kang tae oh (my first first love), seo kang joon (are you human too), gong myung (drinking solo), lee taehwan (w: two worlds), and yoo il, as well as kim so eun (our gab soon)- when so eun gets an invite to the choose-your-mission club, she meets 5 chaotic guys that she becomes friends with, but there's something they aren't telling her.- yes, there is a lil romance and a love triangle HOHO. ok but seriously this drama is the most crackheadery i've ever seen like. genuinely i was just wheezing so hard every episode because of the dumb sh*t the guys were doing and so eun's reaction. this drama seems dumb and funny at first, but there are emotional moments as well as some angst relating to the love triangle and the origin of the club. please do watch this show !!! (don't recommend season 2, though)

accidentally in love - a chinese drama starring amy sun (the eternal love), fiction guo, and ma li- chen qingqing, who is raised by her grandfather) is arranged to be married, but wants to find love on her own terms. on the day of the wedding, she runs away to the university her parents attended to find out more about their death. to hide from her grandfather, she changes her appearance drastically and enters university. her new deskmate turns out to be singer si tu feng, whom she has already run into and has gotten off on the wrong foot with- so this drama was longer than the ones i usually watch but it was worth it. it was cute and they didn't drag out the couple not getting together for ages like some dramas tend to do. the romance was super cute and the female lead's undeterred determination to march to her own drummer was amusing. the only thing i didn't like is that they didnt give the side couple enough screentime bc they were super cute too

my woofy poofy love / my dog-like dating- a short korean webdrama you can find on youtube starring chae ji an and kim do hoon (your imagination becomes reality)- a girl who has recently been cruelly dumped by her boyfriend brings a stray dog back to her home and wakes up to find that instead of a dog, there is a man! she happens to be looking for a roommate, and so this man (who can turn into a dog) becomes her new housemate- literally adorable. female lead is stunning and the relationship is so cute and fluffy and innocent, but the kiss is steamy as hell. 

unrequited love (2019)- a chinese drama starring zhu yan man zi and zhao shun ran- a story of a girl who has secretly loved the same boy for 10 years, but he doesn't know she exists, until one day when they meet in college. so begins their love story, but things become more complicated because of other people- ok so like . damn i love this couple. this drama is really cute but has its fair share of angst, so don't expect an easy ride the whole way through. very cute though !!_ MORE DRAMA RECS _

a love so beautiful- a chinese drama starring shen yue (meteor garden) and hu yi tuan- chen xiaoxi has liked her neighbor jiangchen onesidedly for years, and continues to like him despite his seeming disinterest. but her determination and bubbly personality, as well as a romantic threat starts to cause him to fall for her- aight so . i feel like this drama was dragged out a little bit longer than necessary and then the ending was slightly rushed but!! it WAS a great and super cute drama

ok to be sensitive (s1)- a webdrama you can find on youtube starring kim da ye and kim youngdae (extraordinary you) and others im too lazy to put- focuses on feminist issues like sexism and sexual harassment in a college setting, which each episode focusing on one particular incident and the characters dealing with it- listen so like . this show had me emotional at some points bc of how amazing the message was. it dealt with sexual harassment, sexism, how females are expected to act, stalking, pressure to have sex... etc and basically every episode was like . you can stand up for yourself. you don’t have to “take it” just bc you’re a female, etc. also there was really cute romance uwu

ok to be sensitive (s2)- season 2 of otbs, also can be found on youtube, starring yoo hye in and lee shin young, as well as others but again im too lazy to list them all- same thing as season 1, but a different cast of main characters, and set in an office workplace. (original cast makes a cameo at the end)- the issues in season 2 were definitely a bit darker because it was set in a work place, where the main characters were worried about getting fired if they stood up for themselves, but the way things were handled was really admirable imo. also the male lead in this one is ABSOLUTELY adorable

go back diary- a 4 episode webdrama you can find on youtube starring kim ye ji and lee jong won (jaemin’s webdrama how to hate you)- about a boy who sees a girl at a karaoke bar (?) and instantly develops a crush on her. she then transfers to his school, and it tells the story of their love story after 10 years.- i’ll just say it right now. the whole drama was adorable except for the ending, which fucking sucked. literally was horrible. boycott episode 4 pls i was SO UPSET. otherwise, great webdrama

before we get married- taiwanese drama starring puff guo (just you; we got married w/ suju’s heechul) and jasper liu- tells the story of two people who already have partners and are planning to marry them, only to meet each other and fall in love- bro this show had so much angst i couldn’t even breathe lmfao. but the romantic scenes between the two leads were S T E A M Y let me TELL you. 

love after school (s1)- korean webdrama that can be found on youtube starring park so eun and yoo jungwoo (like)- about a couple who fell in love in high school and their story, told from 5 years later when they meet again- i love love love this bitch. LOVE. season 2 ... we won’t speak of her lol. but season 1 is super cute and the ???? kiss at the end(ish)??? DEAD. literally anything with yoo jungwoo will destroy me but omg. it was fantastic

lucky romance- a korean drama starring hwang jung eum (she was pretty) and ryu joon yeol (reply 1988) - about a woman who believes wholeheartedly in superstitions meeting a man who believes only in science and mathematics, and their very chaotic love story- this show was so funny tbh. the main couple’s dynamic was HILARIOUS and even though they were literally complete opposites they worked so well together. warning: towards the end there’s that whole ‘i have to be noble and let you go bc its for the best’ bullshit but!!! there is a happy ending 

maybe, maybe not- a webdrama starring kim kangmin (like) and gong yoorim- a girl who can read minds and is an outside bc she knows what everyone is really thinking meets a guy that she can’t read the mind of- so fluffy. so cute. oh god. pls watch it’s so soft and cute 

my first first love- a korean drama starring jisoo (strong woman dbs), dia’s chaeyeon (drinking solo), and b1a4′s jinyoung (love in the moonlight)- about a group of friends who all, due to various circumstances, move into their friend tae oh’s house, and find love along the way.- idk why netflix did that dumbass thing where they did mffl 1 and mffl 2 but they’re the same show, just eps 1-8 then 8-16. anyways !! very cute show!! jisoo is fine as hell. taeoh and the rich girl are cute together. i found the ending abrupt and unsatisfying, but overall a good show

thumping spike (s1)- a korean drama starring hwang seung eon (part-time idol) and song jae rim (our gab soon) - about a volleyball team and their coach who are aiming for success, and a female professional volleyball player who becomes their athletic mentor- i know it doesnt sound super romantic but trust me. there is lots of romance, and even a love triangle hehe

u-prince: the single lawyer- a thai drama apart of the u-prince series starring august vachiravit paisarnkulwong and apple lapisara intarasu- firstclass is a straight a student who is strict about punctuality and properness, while minute is a spoiled rich girl who loses all her luxuries when her family files for bankruptcy. she begins “going out” with her gay best friend, aka firstclass’ brother, for money and ends up living in their house, but she and firstclass hate each other- listen all the u prince dramas are cringy and low quality but does it look like a give a shit . NO BC I KEEP WATCHING THEM . they’re cute ok . anyways this was my favorite one so this is the one im recommending yeehaw

unexpected heroes- a short korean drama sponsored by the CDC organ transplant management center, starring btob’s minhyuk, ioi’s sohye, and choi jonghoon- about three high school students who discover that, after their respective organ transplants, they have supernatural powers- though there’s not much focus on romance in this drama, it’s still funny and cute. plus minhyuk is in it and what more can you ask for ?? lol. anyways the trio uses their powers to help solve crimes n stuff it’s gr8 and ive been waiting for a season 2 for 98429834 years

what to do with you- a korean webdrama - that is actually literally an ad for a facemask - starring lee hayoung and kim youngdae (extraordinary you)- saerom and geun are friends, but it feels like they’re something more. will they ever take the next step?- yeah this webdrama is super cute and that’s really all lol. also the bitchy girl in love after school is the best friend in this one oho

your imagination becomes reality- a webdrama that can be found on youtube starring oh se young, kim dohoon (my woofy poofy love), and jin ho eun- soram has a crush on a mysterious upperclassman, and wishes to see him again: she does, soon after. each time she makes a wish, it seems to magically come true. - yeah so like . it’s not a supernatural thing or anything, it’s just a cute college romance that’s basically every girl with a crush’s dream lol~! 

#asks #bossgyu #drama recs #kdrama recs #recs #sorry i took so long to reply!!!!

[artificialqueens]

How Far I'll Go - Part 2 (Nina West/Monet X Change) - Meggie, Mia Ugly

A/N: We have reworked Chapter One to reflect the events of the S11 reunion, so you may want to give it a reread. Can we FIX IT? Yes we can. 

(TW: REUNION SPOILERS)

Nina is in Columbus on the day he gets the call.

It’s his last show before Drag Con. He’s already going through dog-withdrawal. His boys will be fine of course but he fucking hates leaving them; as soon as he starts packing a suitcase they know something’s up and it breaks his heart.

Anyway. He’s glad to spend his last night at home in one of his favourite places in the world, surrounded by the people he loves. It’s only been a few days since the finale and reunion, and Nina’s feeling a bit raw about everything. He’d be lying if he said he hasn’t looked at Monet’s number in his phone several dozen times, contemplated what he could say to make his behaviour the morning after acceptable. The only things that come to his mind are lies (family emergency! food poisoning! traumatic brain injury after falling in the shower!) and Nina doesn’t do that. Much.

So.

It’s either own up and confess how he was feeling, or - pretend that number in his phone doesn’t exist. Maybe stare at it from time to time, sighing (before reminding himself that it was just one night and didn’t mean anything anyway). And then sigh some more and distract himself with peanut butter straight from the jar. You know - whatever results in the least amount of dignity possible.

Anyway.

The reunion is going to air tomorrow night, but Nina’s going to be on a plane as it happens. That’s fine, he knows how it all went down, and he doesn’t really need to see Brooke and Vanjie’s shy little love story unfold (and ultimately self-destruct) once again. He saw it all already, and firsthand. Picked up the pieces of Brooke’s shattered heart and whip-stitched them back together as best he could while the other chain-smoked and wallowed in denial and blame.

Nina’s sitting in the dressing room, paint mostly on but not in his dress (he’s doing “Let It Go” from Frozen with a full-on ice queen reveal because it’s been that kind of a month. Maybe he’s coming for Brooke’s gig, but maybe not.), and scrolling through Instagram when an unfamiliar number flashes white on the screen.

He’s used to this. The charity work means somehow a lot of people get his number - it’s not ideal, but it makes the work he’s doing worth it so he deals.  He’ll deal.

He slides his thumb across the screen, plasters on his best smile (it’s easier to be nice to people when you’re smiling), greets them with a cheery, “Hello!”

“Nina, this is Maya with World of Wonder. How are you this evening?”

His heart leaps to his throat. What could they want with him now? There are still two episodes of the show left to air, but publicity is almost all died down. And calling him instead of his manager?

“Good. Great!” he chokes out. “I’m… How are you?”

“Fine, thank you. I’m calling because I’d like to formally invite you to participate in season five of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.”

The world? Stops. His heart? Pounds. His brain? Freezes.

All Stars . Another chance. Redemption.

“Yes!” he says immediately, too quickly, too enthusiastically, as soon as he can make his mouth work again. “Yes! When?”

On the other end of the line, Maya laughs, high and clear.

“Yay, that was an easy sell. We’re excited to have you back! We’ll be filming in late July, and you’ll receive further instructions by email. But please do remember that the terms of your verbal contract start now, so no one other than your emergency contact will be allowed to know you are participating. Reach out if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you!”

“Looking forward to seeing you again, Nina. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

And with a click, she’s gone. But Nina’s entire world has shifted on its axis. He just stands there in front of the mirror, unable to move, unable to think.

All Stars.

When they’d first asked him about it, way back in January when the Season 11 girls had first started doing promos, he’d given them a tentative yes.  He knew how big the platform was and wanted to make the most of it. But he���d also… not wanted to count his chickens, or something. You never know how America (or the world) will react to you (just ask Silky).  Maybe it’s vain, but Nina had wanted to see if they liked him, really liked him - like he’d hoped they would.

He couldn’t have imagined AOC going live to protest his elimination. Or Leslie Jones being so angry (he really does hope someone sent her a box of cookies) or Rihanna (Rihanna!) coming to his defense after that controversial lip-sync. Then his Miss Congeniality win. It was almost too much all at once.

He’d also figured they meant an All Stars far, far away. Like. Season eight. Or nine. Maybe even ten (if he’s still able to stomp around in heels without a walker at that point). Right after his own season? A pipe dream.

But it’s here, and it’s happening, and he’d be foolish not to take the opportunity that was presented to him. It’s the ultimate redemption story, and look at how beloved the All Stars winners are.

He ticks through them in his head: Chad, Alaska, Trixie, Trinity, Monet…

There, he falters. He usually just tries not to think about Monet, glowing golden and dripping in sequins and body silky smooth against his own. Best not to dwell when there isn’t any peanut butter in sight.

But who needs peanut butter when you’re an All Star?

He giggles, straight up lets a gleeful laugh reverberate through his chest and up through his nose and spread like honey, coating every surface in the small dressing room. Just once though, before he falls silent again. Studies his reflection in the mirror.

He might be in shock.

“Nina, you okay?” The evening’s MC (Luz, lovely person, really involved in the trans youth movement) is looking at him curiously from the doorway of the dressing room.

Nina blinks.  The phone is still in his hand. He knew this was a possibility, of course.  Just - you don’t know until you know - you know? Part of the reason he’s gotten this far (he always tells himself) is that he never assumes anything is a certainty.  He always counts on having to fight his way those last few feet to the finish line.

“Nina?”

“I’m in All Stars,” Nina says.

“What?” Luz squeaks, and Nina stumbles forward, grabbing her arm.

“I’m in All Stars.”

The other queens in the greenroom turn their heads in unison at the statement.

“I’m in All Stars,” Nina says again.

The queens stalk over to him with their hands on their hips, heels clicking in synchronized stomps on the linoleum floor.

And then Nina can hear music. (When did he put on his gown?) A brass band, a string section.  And the queens start singing:

“Nina West you’re going places

Always knew you’d make it far

Nina West you got that phone call

You are our All Star!”

“I am!” Nina gasps as he’s lifted up by the queens and carried out into the middle of the club. The dance floor is crowded but somehow the patrons are making a circle around him, moving in perfect rhythm.

“Nina West, sent home too early

Still e-lev-en-gendary.

Time to show the world you’re more than

Miss Congeniality!”

A group of drag kings by the pool table start spinning their cues over their heads like batons (so much talent in this community!)

“Brought camp to the masses, ” they sing in baritone.

Brought pride to our town,

We can’t wait to see you

Wearing that All Stars crown!”

“Thank you!” Nina is set down on the stage. Glitter starts falling from the ceiling, catching in his wig and eyelashes.

“Love you all,” he sings alone to the enraptured crowd, “you are my family,

I’ll make you proud and do my best.

We can change the world together

Go big, be kind, go West!”

“Go West!” the crowd sings back.

“Go Wessssssst!” Nina hits a perfect falsetto high note, throwing his arms open -

“Nina.”

Nina waves at the cheering crowd -

“Nina!”

Glitter keeps falling like snowflakes, ice cold and shimmering -

“Nina.  You okay?” Luz, the evening’s MC, is staring at him in the doorway of the greenroom.

Nina looks at her. There is no glitter in his eyelashes. There is no music playing in the background. Over his shoulder, a couple of bored local queens are penciling on their eyebrows. He’s wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts and not the shimmering blue Elsa gown.

He’s still holding his cellphone in his hand.

“Um,” Nina says. “Yep.”

*****

Nina talks to Brooke a lot.

It makes sense; they’ve been friends for a long time, they really bonded during their season, Nina helped Brooke through his breakup with Vanjie (although Brooke insisted at the time he was fine. Still does, actually. Nina has his own theories about that, but he isn’t pushing).

So yeah. They chat. A lot.

And all Nina wants to do is tell Brooke about his All Stars call, but he can’t because of the damn NDA.

It’s frustrating.

They meet for breakfast early on the first day of Drag Con, Brooke in his customary black and white, Nina in a navy blue button up spotted with pink flamingos (it felt right).

They’ve no sooner settled into the booth and given their orders than Nina’s knee starts bouncing. Nerves. Anxiety. (Yes - both.)

“What’s with you?” Brooke asks while he sips his coffee. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worked up.”

Nina shrugs. “Nervous about the Con, I guess.”

“And?” Brooke’s eyes narrow.

“ And?”

“And what else?” He stirs another packet of sugar into the cup. “I know you. It’s not like you to be nervous about a networking opportunity.”

Nina scoffs. “Drag Con is way more than just a networking opportunity and I -”

“You’re a bad fucking liar. Takes one to know one.” Brooke leans his elbows on the table, cool as a Canadian autumn, presses his fingertips together, stares Nina down. “What’s going on?”

Nina sighs. “I wish I could tell you, trust me, it’s not that I don’t want to; it’s that I literally can’t.” He widens his eyes, hoping maybe Brooke will get the point.

Apparently it works, because after a few moments, recognition blooms across Brooke’s face and he laughs. “Really? Like. Officially really?”

Nina nods. This is okay, right? He’s not technically breaking the contract. It’s not like he told Brooke anything verbally.

“Nina! That’s - oh my god!” Then Brooke is busily tapping away at his phone and a sense of dread overcomes Nina.

“You can’t tell anybody - “

Brooke waves him off. “I’m just telling Vanjie.”

Okay, that’s - something to come back to certainly, but - more pressing matters first. “Brooke, seriously. You can’t tell anybody. I’m not supposed to tell anybody.”

“You didn’t.” Brooke shrugs. Good to know at least they share the same sentiment about verbal contracts. That might come in handy during litigation. “I figure the House of West has a lot of prove, and you’ve never backed down from a challenge. So I know you’ll bring it and… I just kind of wanted to give the competition a heads up.” He bites his lip and waits for Nina to process.

And - look, it takes him a minute. Because it’s really a lot of information at one time.

Item 1: Brooke and Vanjie are still close. He knew that. Everybody with Twitter and Instagram knew. (Hell, for a little while, even Nina wasn’t 100% sure they weren’t still together.) Close enough for Vanessa to tell Brooke about an All Stars call when legally sworn to utmost secrecy?

Yeah, actually, that tracks. Vanjie’s shit at keeping secrets, and he’s still indescribably in love with Brooke, only an idiot (like Brooke) wouldn’t see that. So. Do the math.

Item 2: Vanjie is back back back on Drag Race. For the third season in a row. And the bitch can turn it. Nina doubts very much there will be 47 swimsuits, pasties, panties, and bras this time around. He’s a little intimidated, if he’s being quite honest.

Okay, so it’s really only two points of information, but it’s two very large points that have a big, pointy impact on his life. Which leads to:

Item 1: Nina had been relieved and happy when Brooke and Vanessa were able to start talking again after the breakup. They’d been using him as a middle man - a mediator, he preferred (far less tacky) - and although he loved them both, it was exhausting. And he could only say, “I think you should just talk to him and not me,” so many times before he got frustrated. But he had persevered and eventually, Brooke had texted Vanjie and they’d started to repair their friendship.

Go figure that. Nina’s inner saboteur is back, has been back since the night of the finale taping, the night he spent with Monet. He hates it. Wishes he could cut into himself and carve it out like a cancer. Adults talking through their issues and handling shit. Who knew it was possible?

So he should have texted Monet. Fine - it’s fine. Water under the… thing.

Item 2: Who else is on All Stars? If Nina’s being really honest, he’s been on cloud nine about the whole thing, and hasn’t given much thought to who else could be competing. He has his dream cast, of course, and a long list of Ru girls he’d love to work with. But the thought of competing against the Very Best of the Very Best is… Well, he’s shook. To say the least.

His face must convey it because Brooke reaches across the table and takes his hand. “Hey. You deserve this, Nina.”

He nods, tears hot in his eyes, and wills himself not to cry. “I bet you told Vanjie the same thing,” he says, voice catching a bit in his throat.

“I did.” Brooke laughs, unashamed of his affection, even when it’s blinding. “I also told him he was crazy for doing three seasons in a row but…” He holds out his hands, shrugs, as if to say it isn’t his responsibility anymore. Nina knows he’s probably right, but deep down he suspects that Brooke and Vanjie are far more entangled than they like to think, and Brooke’s opinion means more to Vanessa than either one of them will care to admit.

Relationships are messy.

Anyway.

“Do you think I should have said no?” Nina asks,  afraid for the answer. “Taken a break? Focused on the charity? Ridden the first-year wave a little longer?”

“Hell no!” Brooke responds immediately. “Take the opportunity. People fucking adore you, Nina. Plus, look at Monet! She won right after her season so. It can be done.”

Nina considers, briefly, telling Brooke about the whole tangled Monet thing. Decides, instead, to deflect. “So, um. That guy you took back to your room after the finale… the beardo… character.  How is… that going?”

Brooke raises an eyebrow at him. “This is really what you want to talk about right now?”

“It’s just good to see you moving on.” (Is it though? Is it really?)

Brooke rolls his eyes and smiles into his coffee. “What about you? Any romance on the horizon for Nina West?”

“No.” Nina snorts. “It’s been…” Three days, eight hours, and - he glances at his watch - one minute. Approximately. Not that he’s counting. “A while. Let’s just say a while.”

Brooke’s mouth quirks to the side and his left eye twitches the tiniest bit. “Well.” He places his mug on the table and smiles at Nina. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities on tour. We’ll get you on Tinder and Grindr! Trade in every city, Nina.”

Actually, Nina usually prefers to go back to his room and shower for about 45 minutes before collapsing into bed and sleeping until his alarm goes off the next morning. Finding someone to sleep with and then actually fucking them? That seems exhausting. Better to let Brooke take that one on himself (seems like that’s his preferred coping strategy).

And Nina is in no place to judge coping strategies, so despite any - concerns he might feel (the lines beneath Brooke’s eyes, the nicotine stains on his hands, that thing he does with his face that makes Nina want to hug him) he keeps his mouth shut.

He’s getting awfully good at the whole not-speaking-up thing. It’s not his best look. Not at all.

*****

On the air-conditioned floors of Drag Con, Nina gets to shake hands and hug people from all across the country, children to teenagers to tiny old grannies with walkers. It’s a completely surreal and humbling experience; he can’t get over the way it feels to have people know his name, people thank him for doing something that he loves.

And he gets to meet up again with so many of the queens he’s crazy about, queens he never thought would give a shit about him. It’s so nice seeing Adore again, she’s exactly the kind of person he wishes he had the guts to be when he was her age. And Peppermint is everything and Miss Fame is like an actual goddess in person as well as on television and then there’s James St. James -  it’s a lot.

It almost feels like a trip to Disneyland but gayer (a bit) and with more neuroses.

There’s a weird moment with Miz Cracker, which is unexpected –Nina’s been a stan since Season 10, watches her recaps religiously.  He didn’t think they were going to be best friends or anything (all right, maybe he thought they’d get there eventually) but when he introduces himself she basically stares right through him, says nothing, and starts to walk away. Luckily Vanjie is with her, so Nina embraces him to dissipate the awkward tension. He and Vanjie have a mini-meltdown over how in love they are with each other, and after Cracker is well out of earshot, Vanjie gives Nina a look.

“She feeling some type of way about you, hey? You steal her man or something?”

“Absolutely not.” Nina’s a bit hurt – he was legitimately excited about meeting Cracker – but she’s entitled to an off day. Or to just plain not like him (though who doesn’t like him? He’s bloody endearing, like a Labrador puppy).

Anyway, not to overdo the animal comparisons, but water off a duck’s back.

He doesn’t see Monet at the Con. Which is - probably for the best. Nina doesn’t avoid him but - he doesn’t go looking for him either. And really, he barely gets a moment to sneak away from his booth, so it isn’t like he’s a total garbage person. He doesn’t throw himself to the ground or anything at the sight of Monet coming toward him, his life hasn’t yet reached the level of pure farce.

It’s barely been a week anyway; Nina’s still figuring out how to appropriately apologize (appropriately apologize without coming across like a pathetic sad-sack who has maybe thought about that night a bit more than could be considered ‘casual’).

So. Space. Time. Possibly a time machine. All or any of them will work.

The Con ends on a high note and Nina basically goes on tour immediately after, doing a lot of PR for the season and his albums. In New York he finally meets Leslie Jones and loses his mind. He kind of floats through the next two months, lets himself be buoyed up by the love and support of his community, lets it erase the insecurities that wound like thorns around his heart after Season 11.

He travels, he makes people laugh. It’s what he’s good at. It’s how he’s survived.

When he’s not working, he’s practicing his sewing and designing and bribing his witchy seamstress friends into helping him put some new looks together. Somehow the days tick by too quickly. Spring ends, and summer breaks scalding over Ohio. Nina’s packing up his bags and hugging people goodbye and crying ( not really, but just don’t look at him for a minute) over his dogs.

And getting on a plane to L.A.

Being on set is familiar but also kind of panic inducing. Nina didn’t realize how differently he carried himself when he was getting ready to be filmed until his spine straightened helplessly and he suddenly realized he had arms. His body remembers how intense this experience was (is) even if his brain doesn’t.

He’s dressed in a (non-copyright infringing) version of Woody from Toy Story, sequined and cinched and proportionized, just like Michelle would want. Maya the P.A. hugs him, introduces him to the sound guy who hooks up his microphone, taping it just under Nina’s neckline (“At least buy me dinner first!” Nina says with a shrill, nervous laugh, and the sound guy doesn’t even flinch, clearly having heard it before. Nina may actually have said the same thing last season. It - might also have been the same sound guy).

“You ready?”

Nina is ready. He adjusts her cowboy hat, shifts her fringed leather belt and the sequined holsters for her bubble guns.

Then the lights are on him, and the cameras are rolling, and Nina pulls down the shutters on his insecurity (make ‘em laugh, it’s what he does).

“Hey y’all. I’m here to show you how the West was Won.”

Nina West struts into the werkroom, bubble guns at the ready, and the rest is herstory.

#rpdr fanfiction #nina west #monet x change #ninex #eventual branjie #eventual trixya #smut #angst #fix-it #canon compliant #musical #how far ill go #hfig #mia ugly #on set fic #concrit welcome #submission #meggie

[dont-play-with-me-choices]

So I Played The Royal Finale Chapter 4...

First of all.....

This title killed me. Why did they use both phrases. Pick one!!!!!!

So the game plan is: we're going to double agent the Via Imperii and then get the membership list to Amalas, and therefore INTERPOL. So, we gotta go to a party. It's not original by any stretch of the imagination, but it's solid enough, and adding the spy queen to the group for this is, at the very least, some spice.

... Wait, no. We worked with Amalas to stop the bastard king and queen that wanted to steal our daughter. Nevermind on that, then.

So we roll up to the party and there's some more fucking anti-semitism. Gross. More under the cut.

I've been thinking, but it's definitely not okay that we brought Liam with us, right? right?????? He's the King. I get that other kings and queens are here, and if he's your LI then he has to be there... i guess. tbh it would've been more interesting if certain LIs weren't able to come for the sake of blending in. Like, Drake and Hana could come no problem, but Liam and Maxwell had to stay as Cordonian nobles. But, whatever.

We rub elbows with a few old faces, like Emmeline (blissfully uninteresting, as always). And...

Wah! Too old!

You also see Tonya Reimonenq, err... Dame de Fume, which was actually a cool callback. At least she makes sense to be a part of this nonsense. Wait, are all of the vip casino members in Via Imperii? Yeesh.

But now, we've got the meat of the chapter: the Facade Choice (I guess that's what I'll call it now).

Personally, I think this component of the book is... not gonna be terrible, but these two options are crazy boring. The only two facades we can pull off are "for the good of the people" and "girlboss"- er, "duchessboss"? Have we not done these a million times by now in the app overall? I mean, off the top of my head, more unique choices:

- Forced (you fear the might of the Via Imperii, and joined to protect yourselves)

- Oblivious (you put on a clueless air and pretend to ignore the weight of the organization, and act as if enamored by the shiny polish and wealth of the VI)

- Secretive (with a cold demeanor, you play things close to your chest. Without properly earning the trust of the other members, but intriguing them all the same, this façade is high risk, high reward)

Any combo of these two would've at least forced us to do something new! And I think that's the problem: I chose benevolent, but it really didn't matter- I've fully explored the depth of this two point character range throughout The Royal Romance series. DO. SOMETHING. NEW.

Now we're back with the gang. Hey, didn't Hana's mom join this club? What have you learned from her, Hana?

Oh, we're just gonna make her a noncombative coward, undermining her previous arcs with her parents, for the sake of not having to give us an answer immediately? Fine. I can hear the Hana stans weeping from here (my heart goes out to you, ladies).

I did the diamond scene with the animals. It was fun in an unbelievably hollow way. This is the only screenshot I'm sharing.

Ah, Lena's here. I had to pay diamonds to talk to her. I didn't.

Andd that about sums it up. God, we got enough of it last chapter, but if I have to slog through a whole book of Liam being an utter moron for this sister he never knew I'm gonna throw my phone. If I missed anything interesting in the diamond scene, feel free to enlighten me.

And now we meet the circle!!! I don't think it's high praise, but I am interested to find the identities of the four members. They have a lot of character for faceless entities. The reveal of Eirik being the fifth was kinda funny, but also doesn't make much sense. That goober is one of the most powerful people in the world? Whatever you say...

So, chapter over. We're in the order, we've got a "mission", and Lena's coming along. Yay. When is book gonna get interesting, again?

Bonus thoughts (no memes this time):

I'm sorry, who picked out the dresses??? The baby????? snjvlafvbwi

This was a solid fit, tho. Good job, princess!

In my previous chapter review, I think I misremembered the name of the Via Imperii for the entire post. Yikes.

I thought it was funny that the gang tried to pretend that they keep the princess from overhearing their planning in front of Amalas. Throughout the book so far, the princess makes comments in conversation that proves she's listening the whole time (when you arrive at the party, MC mentions letting the Via Imperii wine and dine her with fancy food, and the princess interjects "like chicky nuggies?". Also, this part.

It's a cute line, but we really are throwing caution to the wind with Cordonia's security around here, huh

... are you fucking kidding me.

Okay, this isn't funny, and I'm going to make a separate post about it, but this fucking line. The term "cabal" in recent history has been used near exclusively in anti-semitic conspiracy theories. This is the second fucking anti-semitic term to pop up in The Royal Finale in four fucking chapters. And considering the entire theme of this book seems to be about an evil, rich, super secret society that's running the world.... this is a bad look. Like, a really bad look.

After this book, I need to see some serious character model retirement, do you hear me Pixelberry! Draw new bitches! For the love of fucking god!

#I moved a picture in my drafts and it deleted a paragraph #tumblr owes me 20 bucks #this chapter was uhhhhhh. it was. #i'm really trying to give this bitch a fair shake! i am! #but most of this is textbook stalling #even the diamond choice with the gang is just an extra sentence abt shit we already talked about! #anyway. take this. #sho plays her choices #playchoices trf #the royal finale

[kabargames]

First Warrior Championship 2020, Turnamen Berhadiah 100 Juta

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Fabulousness Tits And Bits Girl Gang Girls Of Glory Modern Females Desert Roses Heartbreakers Cuddling Cougars We Match AAAAAAA Hardcore Feminists Thelma And Louise Amazonians Would-be Supermodels Three Of A Kind Mile High Heels Love, Laugh and Enjoy Fly Girls The Runaways Dangerous Dames Dangerous Divas Milkmaids Vipers Pin Up Girls Black Roses The Posse Only Singles Women Not To Be Underestimated The Crystal Angels Four Queens Babe Bunch Tension Free Group We Wear Pink But We Don’t Stink Deadly Viper Assassination Squad We Are Unique The Iron Maidens Hummingbirds Sister Tribe Drama Club Friends For Life Sand Snakes Awakened Women Sister Act Violet Offenders Laughter Therapy Ponytail Express Fireflies Women Of The Night The Tulips Wenches In Trenches The Sisters All Us Single Ladies Hustlin’ Honeys Ovaries In Overtime Man Beaters Jalapeño Hotties Hermanas Tig Bitties Emeralds OMG Friendship With No Boundaries Alley Cats Synergy Only Complete When Together Steam Girls Trendsetters Missconducts Black Widows The Suffragettes Bring It On You May Not Speak To Us HERstory Makers sURVIVE gIRLS Alfabet A – E Nama NickName Aback Minks Abaft Ravens Aberrant Cockroaches Aberrant Louses Abnormal Guineapigs Aboard Camels Aboard Dogfishes Abortive Hyenas Abrupt Weasels Absent Sheep Absorbing Donkies Absorbing Hamsters Absurd Wolves Acid Sheep Acid Squids Adhesive Cows Adjoining Falcons Adjoining Finches Afraid Ants Afraid Chimpanzees Afraid Jackals Ajar Herons Alleged Humans Alleged Stinkbugs Alluring Walruses Amazing Lobsters Amazing Raccoons Amuck Cranes Amuck Lyrebirds Amuck Raccoons Annoyed Seals Apatic Spiders Apatic Stinkbugs Aromatic Lemurs Aromatic Penguins Aspiring Apes Aspiring Ferrets Astonishing Lobsters Auspicious Pigs Average Leopards Awake Humans Awake Pandas Awake Squids Awaku kaku Barbarous Cobras Barbarous Louses Beautiful Moles Beautiful Squids Beneficial Aardvarks Beneficial Mooses Beneficial Peafowls Best Coyotes Billowy Barracudas Bite-sized Crabs Bite-sized Oysters Black Dogs Blue-eyed Foxes Blushing Flys Boiling Finches Boorish Cockroaches Bouncy Jackals Brash Apes Breakable Tigers Brief Hawks Bright Minks Bright Sheep Broad Cougars Burly Buffalos Bustling Gorillas Bungker tit Cagey Horses Cagey Larks Calm Zebras Capable Lobsters Capricious Seahorses Careful Shrews Certain Monkeys Certain Seastars Chivalrous Ducks Chubby Minks Clear Cougars Cloistered Deers Cloistered Pelicans Cloudy Squirrels Cluttered Rabbits Cold Meerkats Colorful Dragonflys Combative Cheetahs Complete Horses Complex Hippopotamuss Concerned Dragonflys Concerned Snakes Condemned Anteaters Condemned Jackals Confused Lemurs Courageous Butterflys Crabby Raccoons Crazy Pigs Crooked Falcons Cuddly Ponies Cultured Finches Cut Cockroaches Cut Dolphins Cute Cobras Cute Lions Cute Seastars Cynical Jellyfishes Damaged Butterflys Damaged Dragons Damaged Pelicans Dark Crocodiles Dead Giraffes Debonair Lyrebirds Debonair Penguins Deeply Partridges Defiant Pigs Demonic Worms Difficult Dugongs Disgusting Cheetahs Disgusting Sharks Disillusioned Oysters Disillusioned Turkeys Distinct Beavers Distinct Lemurs Distinct Snakes Disturbed Flys Disturbed Lyrebirds Drab Foxes Drunk Eels Drunk Monkeys Earsplitting Dragons Earsplitting Jaguars Easy Pelicans Eatable Ponies Efficacious Snakes Efficient Baboons Eight Hares Elastic Deers Elated Ducks Elderly Ostriches Embarrassed Deers Embarrassed Eagles Embarrassed Llamas Enchanted Owls Encouraging Yaks Enthusiastic Jackals Enthusiastic Mules Envious Giraffes Envious Swans Equal Snails Evanescent Meerkats Even Dragonflys Excellent Donkies Excellent Turtles Excited Finches Extra-large Oysters Exuberant Gooses EXuce right Alfabeth F – J Nama NickName Faded Skunks Fanatical Hedgehogs Fancy Ostriches Fantastic Ducks Far-flung Dogfishes Far-flung Hares Faulty Porcupines Fearful Pigs Festive Cobras Feeble Foxes First Gorillas First Lions First Snakes Flagrant Ponies Flashy Falcons Flashy Louses Flashy Squids Flawless Cheetahs Fluffy Snails Free Ravens Free Turtles Frequent Cats Frequent Spiders Frequent Stinkbugs Fresh Whales Fumbling Reindeers Functional Donkies Functional Hamsters Functional Toads Furtive Kangaroos Furtive Meerkats Fuzzy Humans Garrulous Chickens Gentle Cheetahs Gentle Monkeys Giant Wasps Giddy Armadillos Giddy Cows Giddy Mallards Gleaming Crocodiles Glistening Buffalos Goofy Ferrets Grandiose Barracudas Grandiose Cranes Grandiose Pelicans Grateful Swans Great Gulls Great Pandas Great Peafowls Green Pigeons Grieving Elks Grotesque Antelopes Grubby Frogs Grubby Baboons Guarded Cats Guiltless Gooses Gullible Baboons Gusty Alligators Habitual Baboons Handsome Ponies Handsome Stinkbugs Hanging Mice Happy Tigers Hard Rhinoceroses Heavy Ducks Heavy Hamsters Hellish Chimpanzees Hellish Oysters Hissing Gulls Hollow Badgers Homely Frogs Huge Cockroaches Humorous Hornets Humorous Ponies Hungry Elephants Hurried Ants Hurried Worms Hysterical Ferrets Icky Donkies Icky Hedgehogs Ignorant Cobras Ignorant Echidnas Ignorant Mosquitos Ill Cockroaches Illustrious Camels Imaginary Hares Imaginary Wolves Immense Donkies Imperfect Pigeons Imperfect Rams Important Boars Incandescent Cougars Incandescent Cougars Incompetent Squids Inconclusive Foxes Inconclusive Pandas Incredible Otters Incredible Seahorses Incredible Swans Infamous Elephants Innate Ferrets Innocent Chickens Innocent Guineapigs Inquisitive Beavers Inquisitive Rats Inquisitive Weasels Intelligent Dogfishes Intelligent Hares Intelligent Lemurs Interesting Dugongs Interesting Seals Irate Salamanders Irate Seastars Irritating Horses Jazzy Antelopes Jealous Llamas Jealous Magpies Jittery Dugongs Jobless Crocodiles Joyous Crocodiles (function(d,a,b,l,e,_) if(d[b]&&d[b].q)return;d[b]=function();e=a.createElement(l); e.async=1;e.charset='utf-8';e.src='//static.dable.io/dist/plugin.min.js'; _=a.getElementsByTagName(l)[0];_.parentNode.insertBefore(e,_); )(window,document,'dable','script'); dable('setService', 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#BattleRoyale, #MOBA #News

#Battle Royale #MOBA #News

[libraryleopard]

2017 reading wrap-up

I don’t normally do this, but I figured that since this year was the first year I kept track of the books I read and also set a specific goal (1/3 books by authors of color), I thought it could be interesting to see what I read in 2017. And yeah, this is a little late but I didn’t have laptop over Christmas break so *shrug*.

I read 186 books total, with 73 being by authors of color. (That’s actually 11 more books than I needed to read, so yay for being an overachiever.) I think having a specific number to aim for helped me to diversify my reading and push me to read things I wouldn’t normally have read and I want to continue doing that. Of those 186 books, 108 had a person of color as a pov character and 61 had a LGBTQIAP+ main character. I think I’ll try to focus on reading more books with good disability representation next year because I only read 23 books with a disabled main character (not counting thrillers that used mental health as an an unreliable narrator plot twist because ugh). 

I read mostly the same number of books (between 9-20) each month during school or summer, which surprised me since I normally think of myself as reading more during vacations. Also, I read 9 books when I should have been doing NaNoWriMo, which might explain why I didn’t finish..

Anyway, here’s the whole list below the cut if anyone wants to see!

*=reread

January

1/ Vicarious by Paula Stokes

2/ Run by Kody Keplinger

3/ Pantomime by Laura Lam

4/ Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard

5/ Don’t Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche

6/ The Force Awakens novelization by Alan Dean Foster

7/ The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury*

8/ Timekeeper by Tara Sim

9/ Tattoo Atlas by Tim Floreen

10/ Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova*

11/ Life in Motion by Misty Copeland

12/ Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak

13/ Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis

14/ This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston

15/ The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine*

16/ The Cursed Queen by Sarah Fine

February

17/ See No Color by Shannon Gibney

18/ This Side of Home by Renée Watson

19/ I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil

20/ Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

21/ Rogue One novelization by Alexander Freed

22/ Railhead by Philip Reeve

23/ When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore*

24/ Truthwitch by Susan Dennard*

25/ Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

26/ The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig*

27/ Here We Are: Feminism For the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen

28/ We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

29/ City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

30/ Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

31/ A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab*

32/ The Young Elites by Marie Lu*

March

33/ A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab*

34/ A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

35/ History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

36/ The Rose Society by Marie Lu*

37/ The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

38/ Windwitch by Susan Dennard

39/ American Street by Ibi Zoboi

40/ The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

41/ The Midnight star by Marie Lu

42/ Heist Society by Ally Carter

43/ Pasadena by Sherri L. Smith

44/ A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho

45/ Camp So-and-So by Mary McCoy

46/ Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

47/ Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

48/ Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz*

49/ The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

50/ Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

51/  The Last of August Brittany Cavallaro

April

52/ Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

53/ Every Breath by Ellie Marney*

54/ Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

55/ Dramarama by E. Lockhart

56/ Every Word by Ellie Marney*

57/ The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee

58/ Lucky Few by Kathryn Ormsbee

59/ The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

60/ Caraval by Stephanie Garber

61/ Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

62/ Yaqui Delgado Wants To Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

63/ Every Move by Ellie Marney

64/ Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

65/ These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas*

66/ A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

67/ Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh

68/ The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

69/ 37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon

70/ The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

71/ The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig

72/ Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

73/ Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue

74/ Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

May

75/ The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud

76/ Hunted by Meagan Spooner

77/ The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos*

78/ A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

79/ Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman

80/ How To Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

81/ To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

82/ P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

83/ P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

84/ Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

85/ You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner

86/ The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

87/ The Weight of Stars by Tessa Gratton*

June

88/ Does My Head Look Big In This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah

89/ Diverse Energies edited by Tobias S. Buckell and Joe Monti

90/ The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie*

91/ The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah

92/ The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie

93/ Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

94/ Cat Girl’s Day Off by Kimberly Pauley

95/ Rook by Sharon Cameron*

96/ York by Laura Ruby

97/ Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

98/ Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

99/ False Hearts by Laura Lam*

100/ Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

101/ The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

102/ Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

103 That Thing We Call A Heart by Sheba Karim

104/ In A Perfect World by Trish Doller

July

105/ Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

106/ Want by Cindy Pon

107/ Behold the Bones by Natalie C. Parker

108/ The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

109/ When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

110/ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

111/ This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab*

112/ Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older*

113/ Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

114/ If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

115/ Because You Love To Hate Me edited by Ameriie

116/ Wildlife by Fiona Wood

117/ Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson*

118/ The Diviners by Libba Bray*

119/ Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

120/ Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim

121/ The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine

122/ Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray*

123/ Flying Lessons and Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh

124/ Amberlough by Lara Elena Donelly

August

125/ The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Gray*

126/ The Next Together by Lauren James

127/ Past Perfect by Leila Sales

128/ The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana

129/ Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

130/ Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

131/ Burn For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

132/ Radio Silence by Alice Oseman*

133/ The Great American Whatever by Time Federle

134/ Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds

135/ Heartstone by Elle Katharine White

136/ Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

137/ Solo by Kwame Alexander

September

138/ The Savage Dawn by Melissa Gray

139/ Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez

140/ Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff

141/ Dove Arising by Karen Bao

142/ Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

143/ Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

144/ Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert

145/ Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

146/ Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

147/ Warcross by Marie Lu

148/ Spinning by Tillie Walden

149/ Release by Patrick Ness

150/ Here Lies Daniel Tate by Cristin Terrill

October

151/ Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

152/ Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

153/ Dress Codes For Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

154/ Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel José Older

155/ Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

156/ Venturess by Betsy Cornwell

157/ Night of Cakes and Puppets by Laini Taylor

158/ An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

159/ When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn

160/ Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

161/ Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon

November

162/ Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

163/ The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

164/ You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

165/ Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

166/ In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

167/ A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo

168/ Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

169/ Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta

170/ Geekerella by Ashley Poston

December

171/ You Don’t Know Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow

172/ Like Water by Rebecca Podos

173/ Last Leaves Falling by Fox Benwell

174/ Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker

175/ Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

176/ They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

177/ The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

178/ If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

179/ Empress of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

180/ King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Anne Berthelot

181/ Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

182/ Life On Mars by Tracy K. Smith

183/ Grendel’s Guide to Love and War by A.E. Kaplan

184/ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

185/ The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

186/ You Don’t Know Me But I Know You by Lilly Anderson

#lulu speaks #lulu reads