#<-for backlist sorry

[lcs-library]

ello i see reqs are open 👀 may i have a banrisa with christmas theme 10 (the lights one) pretty please? 🙏🏻 if you'd like help narrowing down ideas, maybe they're in isa's apartment and one of them got tangled up in the lights or smth JSHDJD they were being silly goofy ;9 thanks friend!! 🙏🏻🫶🏼

SORRY THIS IS KINDA LATE…… Ofc bestie!!! It’s short but sweet, so I hope you like it<3

“You’re sure this ain’t too much?” Banri asked, hauling a large box across Isa’s apartment. “I mean, your tree’s kinda small, I don’t think this many ornaments will fit.”

“It’ll be fine, Banri-kun, I promise!” Isa replied, fanning out the branches of her, admittedly tiny, Christmas tree, only standing at about three-quarters of her height. She stood back, framing it with her hands, making sure it was at just the perfect angle.

It was no secret that Isa liked the holiday, despite all that had happened surrounding it. The fun decorations, the tasty food, and the time with loved ones was something she enjoyed greatly, and this year, there was another reason to love it. This was the second year in a row she’d be spending with Banri, and it was always a treat for her to have him all to herself after his troupe’s show had closed for the season, even if she knew it was a little selfish.

Once Isa was sure she was happy with the tree, she turned to Banri.

“What do you think? Should we move it any more?” She asked him eagerly.

“Looks good,” he replied, bringing her into a back hug. “Of course, anything you do ‘s good.”

“You’re sure?”

“Always,” he affirmed with a smirk, planting a quick kiss to her forehead. “Is there anything else I can help ya out with?”

“Yeah, actually! Do you mind helping with the lights on the tree? They should be in the box next to the couch.”

“Of course, I’m down.”

With ease, he quickly found the box she was talking about, opening it to be met with the second-worst thing for his Easy Mode buff. Tangled cords.

This is fine, Banri. You’ve done this with earbuds, remember? Just play it cool, I’m sure she won’t notice.

He took the crumpled mess out of its prison, setting it beside him as he sat on the floor. He’d be fine so long as Isa wasn’t watching, which, as of right now, didn’t seem to be the case, as she was busy sifting through the rest of the holiday decorations she had bought on their shopping trip last weekend. He was safe.

After managing to find the plug, he slowly attempted to release it from the one crossing over it. Then the next. This was shaping up to be easy.

Wait, why was it crossing over again? He just undid it! He groaned, tossing that piece of the wire behind him. He’d deal with it later. For now, he’d worry about the task in front of him.

Ah, screw it, this one was hard too. Behind him it goes.

Then the next. Why were they all such a struggle? This one’s getting tossed, too.

Before he realized, Banri was covered from head to toe in strings of lights, somehow more tangled than they were previously. God, he probably looked so stupid right now, but he would have to ask for at least a little help.

“Uh… Isa-chan?”

She turned to the sound of his voice, only to burst into a fit of giggles.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” he said with a sigh, “can you just help me out here?”

“Just one sec, okay?”

“What, why?”

In an instant, Isa’s phone was out as she circled him, taking way too many pictures for Banri’s taste. With every one of her coos at his “grumpy kitty energy,” she called it, he grumbled, complaining more and more each time. Isa patted his head, giving his hair a quick ruffle in a rare role reversal.

“Alright, I’m done. Let’s get you out of here, okay?” She said with a soft smile.

She poked and prodded at the lights, pulling strings here and setting some there, doing her best to untangle him. Unfortunately, she was met with a struggle of her own.

“Banri-kun?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m stuck.”

“You’re what.”

“I guess we’ll have to both be tangled now, huh?”

“ISA HOW THE HELL-“

The end<3

[khihi]

if you dislike rpf and think a normal response to someone just having fun with rpf is to steal their hard work and paste it on a more public platform where the real people in question are more likely to see it then i don't think there's much help for you, i think you're probably just addicted to performative morality and are more of an asshole than you realise

[mermaidsirennikita]

trying desperately to listen to a new author versus another S.M. LaViolette audiobook

especially since I am in fact putting off an ARC I need to read (and am very excited about!) in order to eyeball read His Valet, which is, uh, SCORCHING

[sevensoulmates]

he's not gonna fall for tommy, it's gonna be a casual fling where buck is exploring his sexuality. tim minear pretty much gave away today that tommy is not gonna be here longterm. he's gonna do his job like the plot device he is for buck and likely for buddie and then he's gonna leave.

Okay....I don't think your anon is being rude per se but I just got bombarded with a lot more anons than usual, and this plus three other anons I just got that were more rude made me want to address this in one response.

When I said "fall for" I did not mean "fall in love with". "Fall for" can mean a lot of different things. I don't think Buck's gonna fall IN LOVE with Tommy, no. But develop a crush? Develop a fling? Develop physical and sexual attraction? That could all reasonably happen.

Just like we got with Taylor Kelly and all of Buck's (and Eddie's) love interests, I firmly believe every last one of them are TEMPORARY.

Nowhere did I say Buck was gonna fall in love with this man. Please don't get it twisted.

But the way Tommy looked at Buck though??? 👀 IDK that man just might fall in love with Buck and get his heart broken.

Keep in mind all of this is still SPECULATION. FOR FUN. It's not that serious. (this is not directed at you in particular but this other anons I just got saying something similar about this "fall for" comment I made).

Also, this isn't jumping ship, for the other anon. I'm not going to answer your anons directly cuz you're being rude and that won't be tolerated here.

I am happy as hell to celebrate Tommy as a plot device for Bi buck. I am still firmly in the camp that Buck being with Tommy (TEMPORARILY) will lead to eventual canon buddie. Buck could have 80 more boyfriends (or girlfriends) right after Tommy and I would still firmly believe that he will eventually end up with Eddie. Bi Buck means that the show is acknowledging that Buck COULD end up with a man, and if Buck CAN end up with a man, then he WILL eventually end up with Eddie. Why? Because the show already made Eddie Buck's perfect partner. They're just now finally removing the last barrier of sexuality.

Also I'm seeing a lot of anons similar to the ones I'm getting in other people's inboxes for people who even *minutely* enjoyed the buck/tommy scene and to you guys, I implore that you simply stop raining on other people's parades, and utilize the block or blacklist features Tumblr has offered you for free.

Any other rude anons will be deleted without a response. If you'd like to genuinely discuss these topics, please make sure to approach me with kindness and not condescension. You will not be tolerated. Period.

As for the rest of the perfectly lovely anons I just received, I'm so excited to respond to you and will do so as soon as I am able (though it might be tomorrow because it's getting late in the Pacific Northwest and I'm getting tired.)

Have a good night!

[boneless-mika]

Might be the last person on earth making a Fourth Wing review 👀

[tobys-walrus-crew]

A guide through Toby Stephens’ filmography for Percy Jackson fans.

If you’ve only just discovered Toby as Poseidon and want more than 10 minutes of that face, here’s where to start!

If you’d be into Poseidon trying to make up for his absence and trying to win Sally and Percy back while fighting to survive in outer space, look no further! Watch Lost In Space on Netflix! It’s full of adventure, family, a but of angst and lots of DAD!

If you’d be more into Poseidon going full Odysseus on Zeus for taking everything from him and then calling him a monster while Medusa takes revenge, do yourself a favor and watch Black Sails! Peak TV. Queer af. Made by Jon Steinberg. [Trigger warnings]

If Sally and Poseidon pining is your thing and you love your Charlotte Brontë, watch the 2006 Jane Eyre with #RuthWilson and #TobyStephens! So much romance, angst and mutual eyefucking… warning: You WILL fall in love with a douchebag! Sorry for that!

Shakespeare Poseidon anyone? A very young and extremely pretty Toby Stephens as Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night. Lots of pining, genderfluidity, confusion and sparks. SPARKS! And a bathtub that will rewire your brain. Something something LGBT will definitely happen to you!

Finally if you love something face paced and modern with great teenage heroes, give Alex Rider on Prime a watch! Toby Stephens is a brilliant villain in S2 with loads of Elon Musk vibes. Poseidon the media mogul asshole? Maybe.

Other highly recommended things from Toby Stephens’ backlist: Cambridge Spies, Photographing Fairies, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Mangal Pandey and Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

[vinelark]

"Got That Ambition, Baby" by Diana_Raven is pretty cool timkon fic if you are ever at a loss of a pic to read. It's basically fake-dating where Tim hires Kon to be a gold-digger boyfriend.

There's also Ascension by Violet_Witch (supernatural au where Tim is a witch and Kon is a fallen angel who lost his wings and they go on a quest to get Kon's wings back)

Twilight by Jonaira and Kimi_f is another one! Twilight AU in a sense

sorry bout the unsolicited fic recs but I just really wanted to share them bc they make me happy and they deserve more love <3

(PS, I absolutely adore your fic and your writing is spectacular. please let me eat it. like its just so??? scratches my brain so well. I need it in my blood (I have an unhealthy obsession with your fic whoopsie). ) (PPS (hehe pp), I See your other fics and im so tempted to get into this brand new fandom so you're probably funding another obsession lmaoo) 💜💜💜

thank you so much for the recs!! i’ve read Ascension and absolutely love the worldbuilding in that, plus the misunderstanding that happens partway through is so 🙏🫡🤌 and i’m excited to check out the others!

i’m so glad you like bbts! ❤️ and hell yeah…if you do venture into my backlist i wish you a fun journey because there’s a lot of excellent content for those fandoms out there once you get started.

[honeyhotteoks]

into the aurora - chapter twenty-four (ot8)

chapter twenty-four: and to know you're safe

chapter summary: you finally come back home, but not everyone feels the same about the past few days and things need to be said

warnings: discussion of the incident with in su, light flashbacks but nothing new, relationship conflicts, possessive jongho, fingering, frantic make outs, possessive suggestive language, quickie (kind of?), general smutty goodness

pairings: ot8 x reader

genre: fluff, angst, romance, ateez ensemble x reader, polyamory, non-idol!reader, fem!reader, smut

word count: 7.3K

(previous chapter) (next chapter) | AO3 | masterlist

You can’t help but work late. After weeks of being distracted and stressed, you have a backlist to get through before you really feel comfortable leaving for the day. With Hongjoong out of the office for the day, focused entirely on choreography and at the other studio, you haven’t had a chance to see any of them. Since your messages yesterday, you haven’t heard from any of them either, and part of you wants to keep it that way for a little while longer. 

By the time you get up from your desk and start for the elevators, you’re feeling thoroughly exhausted, the past few days in particular taking it out of you. You organize a ride with one of their drivers and head back to the dorms, nearly falling asleep in the car on the way. 

The dorms are fairly quiet when you finally make it home. Leaving your shoes by the door, you move into the space and head to your room, dropping off your bag and coat. They’re home, you can hear some of them and you know their schedules, but so far no one has noticed you coming in. You push your hair up and out of your face and take a deep breath. 

The living room is empty, but you hear rustling in the kitchen and you head that way. Hongjoong is seated up at the island, headphones on and focused intensely on his laptop. San and Yeosang are in the kitchen fixing something to eat, but facing away from you. 

Your voice is a little quieter than you want when you finally speak, “Hey,” 

San jumps, dropping the little packet of spices he’s trying to open and he groans, “God, y/n, don’t do that,” 

You smile, and watch as he recovers and realizes that you’re here. Yeosang leans against the counter and watches San rush forwards, yanking you into his arms and putting you in a crushing hug. 

“Hi,” you murmur into his chest, wrapping your arms around him. 

“You’re back,” he says simply, sighing. 

“Mhm,” you nod, “I told you I would be,” 

“Please don’t ever do that again,” he says softly, pulling you away just enough to lock his lips on yours. 

When you break the kiss you shake your head, “It’s really okay,” you tell him, “but I’m sorry I scared you.” 

He holds your gaze for a moment, looking you up and down, before he cups your cheeks in his hands and kisses you again. The sound of a barstool scraping against the floor breaks you apart and Hongjoong doesn’t so much as glance at you before he walks away, laptop under his arm and heading towards his room. 

“He’s angry?” You surmise. 

“He’s fine,” San shakes his head, his hands sliding down your arms. 

A door slams sharply upstairs. 

“He doesn’t sound fine,” You murmur. 

“He was worried about you,” San explains, trying to pull your attention away from the upstairs landing, “but he’ll be fine, don’t be stressed about him, jagi,” 

You swallow tightly and pull your eyes away, “Alright,” 

Yeosang smooths a hand down your back as he approaches and he reaches for your arm, “How’s your wrist?” 

“Mostly fine,” You tell him, rolling it to show him that it’s not a significant injury, “a little sore.”

“And Ji-Ah’s?” He asks, trying to keep things normal and relaxed, skilled at concealing his emotions. 

“Good, it was just what I needed,” You lean into his arms, bringing them around your shoulders so he can hug you too. 

He’s stiff for a moment, but with your cheek on his chest he starts to relax, rubbing a hand up and down your spine, “And you’re home now?” 

“I’m home now,” You assure him. 

The sound of another door upstairs startles you, and you hear fast, heavy footfalls descending the steps. “Is she home?” Mingi’s voice cuts through. 

“Yeah,” San calls back, “in the kitchen,” 

Yeosang lets you go, giving you one more soft smile.

Mingi skids into the room, “Hey,” 

“Hey,” You smile, “You know I was always coming back, right? I just needed,” 

“Space,” Mingi nods, cutting you off and waving your concern away, “I know, I just… you’re okay?” 

“I’m okay, I promise,” 

“You left your meds here,” He says, “I was worried,” 

You launch yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his neck despite how much taller he is, and he yanks you up. You cuddle into his neck and sigh, “Thank you for worrying,” you murmur, “but I’m good, I didn’t need them last night,”

“Hey!” Wooyoung’s voice catches you off guard and Mingi gives your cheek a kiss before dropping you back to your feet. 

You turn, Wooyoung and Yunho both crowding the kitchen too. 

“You come back and you don’t even come say hi to me?” Wooyoung tackles you and you burst out laughing, caught in his arms as he presses kisses across the side of your face, “What is wrong with you?”

“Woo, ah!” You push him off, but he clings on, “Jung Wooyoung, will you please let me go,” 

“Not likely,” He wraps himself around your back instead, keeping you solid against him and kissing your temple just once more, softer and much more sweet this time. 

Yunho leans over the bar, his face more serious than you normally see, but he meets your eyes, “You haven’t seen him again, right?” 

“No,” You shake your head. 

“You’d tell us if you had?” He checks. 

“Of course I would,” Your brow furrows, and you watch as he nods and looks down at his hands. 

“Are you staying?” He asks simply. 

“Of course I’m staying,” Your mouth drops, “Yunho, what are you talking about?” 

Everyone’s suddenly still, the tension thick, and Yunho’s quiet and unreadable as he keeps his eyes downcast. Wooyoung drops his arms from around you, and when Seonghwa finally joins the room, you couldn’t be happier for someone to help adjust the tone. 

“Hwa,” You smile, “hi,” 

“Hi, jagi,” He cuts through the group easily, catching your cheek in his hand and dipping down to give you a warm kiss, “it’s good to have you home,” 

“Last night was weird,” San comments. 

“I know, it was for me too,” You pull back from Seonghwa just a bit so you can find San and lean against him, caught now between the two of them. 

“I’ve gotten used to you here,” San kisses your temple, “it didn’t feel right with you gone,” 

“I’m sorry,” You squeeze his hand. 

“Are you?” Your head snaps up at Hongjoong’s voice. He’s at the edge of the group, hands gripping the back of a barstool next to Yunho, his jaw set firmly. 

“Joong,” Your voice softens, trying to approach him softly since he’s clearly upset. 

Seonghwa cuts in softly, “Hongjoong, don’t,” 

“Don’t what?” He bites, “We’re allowed to be upset. She left.” 

Your jaw locks, and you step out of San’s arms. His hand lingers on your forearm, a silent squeeze begging you to stay calm, but anger bubbles up inside you, “What did you just say?” 

“Fuck,” Wooyoung sighs behind you, but you ignore him. 

“You left,” Hongjoong repeats, “what’s unclear?” 

“Needing space is not leaving you.” You try to keep your voice as even as you can, your nails digging into your palm, “This had nothing to do with you.” 

He huffs, pushing back from the chair, ready to dismiss your words. 

“Not everything has to do with you,” You press. 

“We know,” Seonghwa attempts to diffuse the tension, running a hand down the back of your arm, but you shake him off. 

“You do,” You nod towards him, “but Hongjoong, don’t talk to me like that.” 

He swallows tightly, his jaw tight as he looks at you. 

Anger curls tighter and you look to Yunho, “And of course I’m staying, what was that even about? I texted, I said I needed a night. If I can’t take a night of space for myself… I don’t know what to say.” 

“Jagi,” San steps close, “come on, that’s not what he meant, we were just worried. That’s all it is.”

“Worried,” You shake your head. 

“It’s not about you needing space,” Hongjoong finally says and you meet his eyes. 

“Then what is it about?” 

He sighs, “You put us at risk.” 

A deep, shameful knife pushes into you. After all they had done to help, all the whispered words of soothing comfort, all the ways they tried to make you believe it was the nine of you against the problem. The way they made you believe you weren’t alone. Until suddenly you are again. Until it’s just you against the eight. Your stomach churns. 

Wooyoung springs forwards immediately, and your thoughts snap out of their spiral, “Take that back.”

“Why?” Hongjoong doubles down, his face pink with frustration, “We were taking care of things, we were handling it, you were supposed to be with one of us or with a manager. You’re lucky no one saw Yeosang and Wooyoung, but if they had,” he shakes his head, “this all would have ended.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” 

“And then you just left,” He keeps going, “how are we supposed to take care of anything or to make sure you’re safe if you just leave?” 

“Is that what this is about?” Your eyes widen, “You needing to keep me safe? Hongjoong, I’m not a child,”

Yunho’s face softens and he shakes his head, “That’s not it at all,” 

“Then what?” You sigh, exasperated. 

San steps close behind you, sweeping his hands up and down your arms and Wooyoung draws closer on your other side. Yunho smiles, a little sadly, “This isn’t a normal relationship,” he explains, “we’re all very lucky no one saw, but that’s all it is, lucky. We’re not able to be with you in public, to be next to you like a normal partner would. We can’t cut in and help, we can’t tell some guy off, or even fucking walk you to work,” 

“Yunho,” You murmur. 

“We can’t come find you, or call hospitals looking for you when you don’t answer the phone,” He adds, “all we have is each other. I know you weren’t leaving like that, and I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it, and I shouldn’t have said it, it was wrong,” 

You stay silent, frozen while you let him finish. 

“But we were worried,” He says, glancing at Hongjoong, “and please don’t make light of that. Someone did hurt you, and if Wooyoung hadn’t been driving close to the office at that exact moment, there’s nothing we could have done.” 

“Baby,” Your voice is softer now, the anger dissipating, “it’s not your job to protect me,” 

“Yes,” Mingi interjects, “it is.” 

“That’s just not true,” You shake your head, “you can’t keep me safe from everything, that’s just not how the world works. Things happen, life happens, there’s nothing you can do.” 

“Don’t you feel the same way?” Seonghwa offers softly from your side, his voice still rational and even, “Don’t you want to make sure we’re all happy? Don’t you want to make sure we never get hurt at practice and are eating well? Is that any different?” 

“It’s...” you flounder. 

“It’s no different,” Yunho says. 

San squeezes your arms in his warm hands and finally says, “There’s eight of us, and we all want to keep you safe and happy. There’s eight of us,” he repeats, “so you should be the safest girl in the country, but Yunho’s right, we can’t be there.” 

The room is quiet, their words hanging in the air. There’s nothing to do now, but to be honest. You nod, and rest a hand over San’s before you address them all. “I understand,” You start and you watch Yunho’s shoulders relax, “and I’m so grateful to have you, all of you. When I say it’s not your job to protect me, I mean that. We protect each other, and we care for each other, but I’m so tired of feeling like I need that kind of protection.” 

Hongjoong’s fists relax, his eyes flicking down and away from yours. A warm hand rests on the base of your neck and Seonghwa steps a little closer. They keep listening when you continue, “Seeing In Su again brought up a lot of old memories, painful feelings I thought I had put behind me. I understand that you want to help, and that you were worried, but I got overwhelmed. I was embarrassed, and upset, and angry at myself for being afraid, and even more angry that I couldn’t handle it myself.” 

“y/n,” Yeosang’s voice is gentle. 

“I just need you to understand that I didn’t mean to scare you, but you were all trying to help so much that I started to feel like I was drowning. I just needed some time,” 

Yunho pushes up from the bar and crosses the short space to you, pulling you into his chest and exhaling heavily in your hair, “I didn’t know,” he murmurs, “I’m sorry,” 

“I’m alright,” You assure him, “it’s okay,” 

He holds you a little longer, before pulling back and taking a step back, a soft, sad smile on his lips. San slides close to you once again, and you know he wants to pull you into his arms, but instead he just offers you a hand and laces your fingers together. 

“I apologize,” Hongjoong quietly says, “I,” he shakes his head, closing his mouth tightly. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t message you back,” You offer, “I didn’t think about how it would feel for you, not knowing where I was after everything that happened.” 

He nods, and you take a step towards him, but he closes the distance. San lets your hand go, and you wrap your arms around Hongjoong and tuck your head into his chest. “I’m really sorry,” He murmurs, “I can’t apologize enough,” 

“Me too,” You assure him, “but it’s okay, we’re okay,” 

“Mhm,” He nods against you. 

You cling to each other for a moment, before someone quietly suggests you all sit down. You make your way into the living room as a group, and find yourself tugged back into San’s arms, settling onto his lap.

“I don’t mean to stress everyone out again,” Seonghwa finally sighs, “but are we concerned In Su will show up again?” 

“Yes,” You admit, “but I don’t know that he will,” 

San adjusts you on his lap and runs a warm hand over your thigh, “What should we do?” 

“Nothing,” You tell them, “I think we have enough work to focus on.” 

“I don’t mean to state the obvious,” Wooyoung says, “but he hurt you, and he would have hit you,” 

“I know,” 

“Sure, he would be stupid to come back,” he says, “but let’s say he is that stupid. What do you want to do?” 

“I actually thought a lot about this,” You cuddle back into San’s arms, “and I talked it over with Ji-Ah,” 

“And?” Seonghwa asks. 

“I’m going to be a little extra cautious the next few weeks,” You explain, “I’ll sit out for the next few team dinners, and Ji-Ah said she wanted to stick close while we’re going back and forth between the offices, so I won’t be by myself. Otherwise, I’ll be more careful to stay with your managers and if I’m coming home late, I’ll make sure it’s with one of you.” 

Hongjoong nods at each of your points, “That’s good, that’s really good.” 

“I’m also going to, uh,” You don’t know why you’re a little embarrassed about this, but the rest of the sentence rushes out of you, “take a self defense class with her,” 

San’s eyebrows raise high and he grins, “Jagi!”

“Don’t,” You shake your head, “I’m just taking one class and trying it out,” 

“That’s really cool,” Mingi nods, “what kind?” 

“I’m not sure, she just said boxing and self defense,” You offer. 

“This is really, really good,” San encourages. 

Yunho smiles from across the room, “It’s not just good, it’s smart,” 

“I’m not sure if I’ll like it,” You hedge, “but after everything it’s worth a try.” 

“I think it’s more than worth a try,” Seonghwa agrees. 

After a beat you nod, “Well, that’s the plan anyways. So, Hongjoong,” he looks back up to meet your eyes, “I won’t be able to stay after tomorrow, or make it to dance practice.” 

“That’s alright,” He smiles. 

You feel like everything is still a little tense between you, the atmosphere of your first fight with the boys ebbing and flowing around you. You scan their faces, and then suddenly you realize, “Wait,” your brow furrows, “where’s Jongho?” 

“Late schedule,” Seonghwa says. 

“When is he getting back?” 

“Ten or eleven, I think,” Hongjoong says, checking his watch, “but we can text him and let him know you’re home.” 

“Ah,” You sigh, “I wanted to see him too, but god, I’m so tired,” 

“Sleep early,” Seonghwa urges you, “he’ll be here tomorrow,” 

“Hmm,” You sigh, rubbing your eyes. You push yourself out of San’s embrace and slide to sit between him and Seonghwa so you can see everyone more easily, “Are we- I mean, we’re okay now?” 

“Are you?” Yunho asks. 

You nod, “With us? Yes,” 

“I think we’re just fine,” Seonghwa smooths his hand down your back and looks across everyone, “yeah?” 

Everyone nods, or offers their agreement, and Hongjoong clears his throat, “I am sorry,” 

“It’s okay,” You assure him. 

He smiles gently and nods. 

“You need some rest,” Yunho says, “I can tell,” 

“Mm,” You nod, “I just feel like I’ve been on edge for over a week,” 

Wooyoung scoots forward on his section of the couch, leaning his elbows on his knees and finding your eyes, “It’s alright now,” 

Until now, you haven’t had a second to process the past week and what happened outside the cafe. You’ve been running on autopilot, your body tense and standing on the razorwire of fight or flight. He watches the way you’re processing, and pushes himself between you and San, gesturing for him to budge over so he can get close. He pulls you in, tucking you into his chest and wrapping his arms around you. As Wooyoung kneads your shoulders, you feel your body start to relax in his arms, little pockets of tension releasing. You exhale a shaky breath, the week of adrenaline and anxiety starting to finally fade. 

“You have been stressed,” Wooyoung murmurs as he works his hands over you, “why didn’t you say anything?” 

“I think we were all stressed,” You murmur into his chest. 

He doesn’t respond, but he kisses your hair softly and sighs before keeping his hands kneading into your tense shoulders and back. 

When you open your eyes, you can see Yeosang hovering a few feet away, watching you carefully with his jaw set tightly. Images of them flash in your brain, Yeosang with his body pressed up against In Su, Wooyoung’s stern and eerily calm voice as he delivered his instructions. The sound of them running for you. 

“I don’t think I thanked you,” Your fingers grip Wooyoung’s shirt, “both of you.” 

“You did,” Wooyoung corrects you. 

“Not really,” You pull away from him so you can find his face, glancing between him and Yeosang, “you could have gotten in so much trouble. I can’t believe you did that for me,” 

“I’d do it again,” Wooyoung says with ease. He cups your cheek, “no one puts their hands on you,” 

“So would I,” Yeosang nods, “no question.” 

“You won’t have to,” You promise them, “I won’t let it,” 

“You won’t need us anyways,” Wooyoung smiles, bumping your chin with his thumb, “you’ll be able to kick anyone’s ass before we know it,” 

“Shut up,” You roll your eyes. 

“You can practice all your moves on me,” he grins, nudging your side. 

“There’s literal no chance I would risk accidentally injuring any of you,” You laugh, “we have comeback and tour next year,” 

“That’s the spirit,” San squeezes your knee and gives you a beaming smile.

“Boxer y/n,” Wooyoung gives you a cheeky look, “that’s going to be way hot,” 

“I’m never hearing the end of this,” You laugh. 

“Absolutely not,” Seonghwa agrees. 

Minute by minute things keep relaxing, the tension almost fully falling away by the time they push you into bed. It’s obvious you were trying to wait for Jongho, but after the third time you nearly nod off on San’s shoulder, they stop listening to your sleepy protests. 

 Wooyoung brings you tea, and Mingi stays a little longer to get you to relax and to tuck you in, but in no time you’re alone and fighting sleep by yourself. 

He doesn’t knock when he opens your door at eleven-thirty, he simply slides it open and steps inside quietly, closing it behind him. You’re drifting, phone falling out of your hands as you start to nod off, when the sound of your door shocks you awake. 

“Oh!” You breathe, “Jongho,” 

“Hey,” He sighs, “I didn’t mean to wake you,” 

“You didn’t,” 

He narrows his eyes, “Right,” 

It’s awkward for a moment. You’ve cleared the air with everyone else but there’s still him, and you don’t know which side of the spectrum he falls on. The other boys couldn’t tell you either, Jongho keeping his opinions close to the vest. 

“I’m glad you’re home,” You finally break the ice. 

“I think I should be saying that,” He smiles, and a little piece of tension melts inside you. 

You smile and nod, “Probably,” 

“Well,” He swallows and glances away, “we can talk in the morning, I didn’t mean to wake you,” 

“No, no, wait!” You push yourself fully up into a sitting position, one leg off the edge of the bed and reaching for him as you shake your head, “Don’t go, please,” 

“y/n,” He sighs. 

“Please,” You press him, “If you go now I won’t sleep anyways,” 

It takes him a second of consideration, but he nods, his hand falling away from the door. 

“Okay,” You breathe. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks, moving into the room and taking a seat at your desk chair. 

You realize immediately that no one’s asked you that yet. They’re obviously all concerned, checking on you and being attentive, but no one has really looked at you eye to eye and asked how you are. 

“Oh,” You shift in the bed and get more comfortable, “I’m… I don’t know, I’m okay, I guess?” 

His face softens and he clears his throat, standing back up and moving closer to the bed, “Can I sit?” 

You nod immediately, “Please,” 

He takes a spot on the edge of the bed, reaching out and resting a hand on top of your shin over the blankets. Giving you a gentle squeeze he says, “Are you?” 

“I’m,” The word ‘fine’ flickers through your brain. Followed by ‘okay’ and ‘good’, and you open your mouth to say one of them but nothing comes out. You’re too focused on his incredibly earnest brown eyes and the way he doesn’t seem angry in the slightest. 

He nods when you don’t come up with anything and smooths a hand up your leg, “It’s alright,” 

“Yeah,” 

“You’re home now,” He murmurs, his voice soothing and clear, “and after what happened yesterday, it’s okay if you’re not okay,” 

“I know,” Your voice comes out a whisper, tight with emotion. 

“When you left the studio,” He admits, “I almost followed you.” 

You blink hard and refocus on his words, “You did?”

“Mm,” He nods, “Seonghwa stopped me, he said it would be better to call you and give you a minute like you asked.” 

“Oh,” 

“I was really worried about you walking to the office alone,” He admits, “I’m still worried about it,” 

You drop your hand over his and give it a soft squeeze, “I told everyone else this earlier, but I’m going to be more cautious for a little while. Walking with you or your managers, or staying with Ji-Ah so I’m not alone,” 

He nods, “Good, that’s good,” 

“I’m sorry I scared you,” You murmur. 

He shakes his head and turns his hand over so that he can hold yours properly, “Don’t be sorry,” he says, “I understand why you needed time,” 

“You do?” 

“Mm,” He nods, and you watch emotions flicker across his face, “y/n, someone had just assaulted you, however you needed to process that isn’t for us to say.”

“Assaulted,” You exhale sharply and slide your hand out of his, shaking your head, “it was barely that, I appreciate everyone’s concern but I don’t want to be dramatic about a few bruises,” 

“Baby,” Jongho reaches for you slowly, his broad, warm hands coasting down your arms until he’s holding both of your hands again, “take a breath,” 

“I’m fine,” You assure him, even though suddenly all you can think about is the way you held onto the back of Wooyoung’s shirt, clinging onto him while your body pumped with panicked adrenaline. 

“Hey,” He smiles and dips his head to catch your eyes, “I’m not trying to upset you, that’s the last thing I want to do. I’m just saying I understand, and I know some of the guys were upset, but I’m not and I wanted you to know that,” 

“Jongho,” Your stomach tightens. 

“I won’t lie though,” He squeezes your hands, “I was worried about you, and the idea that someone would so much as breathe on you that you don’t want,” he shakes his head, eyes darting down to your hands. 

“I am okay,” You murmur, “and I’m pretty sure Yeosang and Woo scared him so good he won’t be coming back,” 

Jongho grins, “God, I wish I could have seen it,” 

With a small laugh you sigh, “I never thought I’d see Yeosang like that,” 

“Mm,” He smiles, “he protects his team, we all do,” 

The nervous knots inside you start to finally release now that you’ve talked to all eight of them, and you can see that Jongho has more to say, but he’s keeping it to himself. He’s quiet for a moment, and then he pushes back the sleeve of your sweatshirt. 

“Jongho,” You shake your head but he shushes you. 

His thumb softly rubs across your bruised wrist, and he turns your hand over in his palm so he can gently prod the other side of your injury. It’s not bad, it truly does look worse than it is, but you can still see the distinct finger marks where In Su held you. 

“And this?” He murmurs, “How is it feeling?” 

“Better,” You assure him, rolling your wrist to show him you’re not just trying to make him feel better. 

He hums a response and nods, “I know it’s not anyone’s fault, but I am sorry he even got the chance to touch you,” 

You surge forward before you even really think it through, locking your lips to his and catching yourself on his shoulder so you don’t fall further forward. He makes a little noise of surprise, his hands immediately sliding to your waist to hold you steady. It takes a second for him to catch up, but when he does you feel the tension shift. Jongho leans into you, kissing you hard and taking over, his hands sweeping up your back.

“Come here,” You tug him forward by the dress shirt and shuffle back on the bed. 

“Mm,” He shakes his head but follows your head anyway, “are you sure?” 

“Of course I am,” You brush off his attempt at being patient or chivalrous and keep trying to get him closer. 

He collapses down by your side, warm hands cupping your cheeks as he kisses you, and he chuckles as your hands start to work their way down his buttons. “What’s gotten into you?” He nips at your lip. 

“I don’t know,” You just need him, it’s as simple as that. 

“Okay,” He disconnects your bodies, sitting back up to shuck off his now open shirt, and he makes short work of tossing off his undershirt and kicking off his trousers, “now how about,” 

He starts to say but you pounce on him again, and this time he doesn’t wait or hold back at all. His kisses are hot and needy, shifting fully away from the carefully controlled man you’ve grown to know so well and instead letting himself relax with you the minute he realizes you need him too. 

“Take these off,” You tug at the edge of his boxers, rolling your hips into his to feel a little friction. 

“Baby,” Jongho shakes his head, “slow down,” 

His words pull you back and you slide back, “Sorry, I just,” 

He shakes his head again, “Relax, don’t apologize, I just don’t think there’s any rush” 

“Right,” 

“Plus,” he smirks, “you’re still wearing all your clothes,” 

“You should do something about that,” You smile, holding his gaze. 

“Yeah?” 

“Mhm,” 

You watch his eyes darken, and he clears his throat lightly while he looks you over. Your eyes flick down and you can see him already hard, the telltale tenting of his boxers. 

Jongho smiles, “Show me,” 

Nervous bubbles burst inside you and you bite your lip, reaching for your leggings so you can push them off. Jongho just watches, eyes appraising as you strip your legs bare. You’re waiting for him to say something before you take more off, but he moves on you before you can. 

He pushes your legs open wide, slotting himself above you and pressing a messy kiss to your lips, his hands suddenly everywhere. He drops a little lower and the hard line of his cock nestles against your core, just the thin fabric of your underwear and his boxers between you now. 

“Mm, fuck,” You groan, “kiss me again,” 

He tastes a little like mint, but it’s faint, like he chewed gum hours ago and he sighs against your lips when your hips jerk and you press your core closer to him. “This isn’t going slow,” He murmurs. 

“Who said we have to go slow?” You sigh, “It might be our first time together, but it won’t be our last,” 

“That’s a great point,” He grins, “a truly, fantastic point,” 

“So, touch me then,” You roll your hips again and watch his eyes flutter shut, “please,” 

“We’ll go slow later,” He says, still not moving the way you need him to. 

“Anything you want,” You promise him, “anything. I just need you to touch me right now,” 

“Alright, beautiful,” He smiles, “then I’ll take care of you,” 

Your hips jerk and he smiles at your reaction, before pushing your sweatshirt up over your breasts and finally revealing the rest of your body to his hungry eyes. He groans, softly palming one breast, then the other, before dipping down and taking your nipple in his mouth. 

“Oh,” You grip down on his shoulders, “yes, yes,” 

He hums against your skin, rolling your nipple with his tongue and then picking up his pace to deliver firm, steady flicks. He rocks your body against his, grinding his rock hard cock against your core with every shift of your hips. 

“Come here,” He murmurs, sliding off you slightly so that he can cup your heat with his hand, pushing the barrier of your panties to the side and dipping his fingers through your wet slit, finding your clit with relative ease and beginning to circle his fingers. 

You moan softly, nodding in his arms. 

“There?” He checks, dropping a kiss to your chest, “Is that right, baby?” 

You reach down, pulling your underwear further to the side to give him better access and then slightly adjust the placement of his fingers. He’s still, letting you guide his movement, until your hand lifts away and he kisses your chest again. When he starts to massage you again, he’s directly over your clit and sparking pleasure up your body in the way exact what you need. 

“Yes,” You nod, panting and encouraging, “just like that,” 

“Mm,” He sighs, “I can’t wait to be inside you,” 

“Jjong,” You gasp, returning your hands to his shoulders, “please,” 

“I know,” he murmurs, adding a little pressure to his ministrations. 

You moan, “I want you now,” 

“Come first,” He coaxes you. 

It’s been too long - days since you’ve had any genuine intimacy with any one of your partners and far, far too long of a wait to have Jongho on you, around you, or inside you. You shake your head against his lips, gripping his shoulders and clawing him up, “No, no, I want you,” 

“Baby,” He groans, but makes no move to change his plans. 

You moan as his finger dips inside you, and you tug at him again, “Jongho,” 

He moves quickly, sweeping his hands up your arms and lifting them away from him, pressing your wrists down to the mattress above you to keep your hands to yourself. At this press of his hand against your injured wrist you hiss and he feels you try to retract your hand. 

He releases you immediately, “Fuck,” his eyes snap to yours, “I’m so sorry,” 

“I’m good,” You shake your head, “seriously, don’t stop,” 

He hesitates for a moment, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. You are fine, just a twinge of pain against your bruises that fades quickly, and he nods when he sees you reaching for him again. 

“Alright,” He kisses you softly, reaching between your bodies to shuck off his boxers, “okay, come here,” 

You sigh against his mouth, wrapping your arms around him again, “Please,  yes,” 

With slow movements he maneuvers your legs back to open you up wider, slowly descending so he can brush over your slit with the head of his cock. He teases you for a moment, dipping the head inside your tight channel and then pulling back, letting his cock rock up the length of your core and pleasantly nudge your clit. 

You moan as he touches you, trying your best to let him do what he wants even though everything in your body is telling you to yank him down so you can feel every inch of him. 

“So pretty,” He smiles, and this time when he pushes in, he doesn’t pull back. 

You whine softly, canting your hips. 

“So good,” He murmurs, pushing in a little more. 

“Oh god,” You stammer, “more,” 

Every press forward sinks his cock further and further inside, stretching you open and filling you exactly. You didn’t do much prep, and it had been several days since anyone’s touched you, so it feels sudden and a little hurried, but the initial burn melts away as he softly grinds his hips into yours. Your body starts to respond immediately, growing wetter and wetter with each subtle move of his body on yours. 

“There we go,” He watches as your head falls back, letting yourself sink into the feeling. 

You moan as he starts to rock his hips, dragging his cock out just enough that when he thrusts forwards it stirs a line of pleasure up your spine. You drop a hand over your eyes and push your damp hair back, refocusing on his body above you. 

He stills inside you, collapsing down over your body and letting your legs fall open naturally to the sides. He brushes his fingers over your arm, down your wrist again, and studies your expression as you tremble under him, his hand cupping your jaw now. He swallows hard and strokes your cheek, “If someone ever touches you again,” he breathes, shaking his head, “I swear,” 

“Don’t,” You shake your head, “don’t think about it,” 

His hand drags down your neck, “Easier said than done,” he murmurs. 

“Jongho,” You reach for him, hand on his cheek and drawing his eyes back to yours, “I’m right here, okay? Just stay here with me, I need you,” 

He studies your face a little longer, and you feel the twitch of his cock inside you as his hips shift. He dips low, capturing your mouth again and taking his time, kissing you slowly like he might be inside you all night. You moan against his mouth, heat building back up inside you again as his tongue drags along yours, his fingers applying perfect pressure as they trace down your body once again. 

When he drags his hips back and pushes his cock inside you again, deep and firm, you fall away from his mouth with a stammered cry. 

He pulls your face back to his, leaning his forehead on yours as he starts to work his hips again. You can feel the needy desperation pouring off him, the way his breath catches as he feels your muscles fluttering around him. He kisses you again, “You’re ours,” he pants. 

Your back arches, your mind spinning with his words, the adjustment in position pressing your clit to his pubic bone with every thrust forwards and you nod, moaning and pressing your eyes shut tight. 

“Nobody touches you but us,” He groans, “nobody,” 

“J-Jongho,” You grip down on his shoulders, “please,” 

“Say it,” He begs suddenly, “tell me,” 

“Fuck,” You manage, pleasure blooming up your body. 

“You’re all ours,” He pants, fucking into you harder and harder with every thrust, “no matter what,” 

Your nails dig into his back, your body tight and aching with waves of pleasure. With your face in his shoulder you choke back a whine and nod against his slick skin, “I’m all yours,” 

“Fuck,” He groans, “say it again,” 

“Yours,” You kiss his skin, and his hands grip down just a little harder, “I’m only for you,” 

“God,” He gathers you close, kissing you again, “you feel so good,” 

You can hear him, but you’re starting to lose yourself in the steady beat of his cock inside you and the way your body reacts on its own, twisting and jerking beneath him. 

“Why the fuck did we wait so long,” His breath is hot on your cheek. 

“Idiots,” You drag his mouth back to yours. 

He groans, a little laugh on his lips as he kisses you back. 

The bubble building again inside you threatens to burst, and you plant your feet on the mattress to get the purchase you need to start meeting every downward jut of his hips with yours, rolling your body up, perfecting the position so that you can feel the head of his cock stroking against your g-spot with every connection of your hips.

You grip down on him harder, the words spilling out of you, “I’m gonna come,” 

“Fuck,” His hips stutter. 

“No, no,” You shake your head against him, “stay just like that, please, fuck, I’ll come if you just,”

“Shh,” He sighs, “I got you,” 

His hips resume the right pace, perfect and controlled, and you feel it gathering again inside you. You’re close, so incredibly close and all you need is just a little more, just a moment longer. 

“Ah,” You pant, “ah, fuck,” 

“Come,” He urges you, “come for me, baby,” 

Your head rocks back in the pillows, your body close to release but you can’t quite touch it. You can feel how close he is too, keeping himself controlled with his jaw locked tight so he gets you there first. With sudden clarity you beg, “Tell me again,” you find his eyes, “t-tell me I’m yours,” 

His eyes roll, mouth falling open at your words but he doesn’t stop, “You’re all ours, baby, just for us. You’re,” he groans and you feel him shudder, “you’re mine,” 

You break under him, and you hold him close, fingers tight in his hair and body shaking beneath him. The minute he feels you fall apart, his pace changes, no longer steady and paced for your pleasure but needy and frantic for him. He rocks forwards, working his hips fast, amplifying your orgasm and pushing him closer and closer to his release. 

He pulls out of you suddenly, and he holds himself up above you with one hand on the mattress by your head, his other hand leaving your hip so that he can finish himself off, pumping his slick cock into his fist. Your hand slips out of his hair, and you watch as he lets the head of his cock catch against your clit, holding steady here as he works himself. 

The bump of him against your swollen, sensitive bud has you moaning again and you nod frantically, “Please, please come,” 

“Ah, fuck,” He shudders, his hips shifting so that his cock drags over your clit and he releases hot across your belly. 

His head hangs, and he braces himself over you, his chest heaving as he catches his breath. He doesn’t look up yet, but you feel his hand find your hip and give you a squeeze. 

“Jjong,” You sigh, “baby,” 

“Hmm?” He finally looks up, his eyes dragging over your body. 

“Come down here,” You smile up at him. 

He nods, “Let me,” he sighs, “I’ll get a towel,” 

You nod against the pillows, and you watch him gather himself with a steadying exhale. He slides off you, finding his boxers on the floor and pulling them on, giving you a shy smile before quietly slipping out of your room. There’s nowhere to move, not with your body feeling boneless and sticky. You let your legs fall closed and you wait. 

It only takes him a few moments, and when he gets back he’s equipped with a warm washcloth and a pack of wipes. He’s recovered a little, and he grins at you, climbing back into bed without hesitation and dropping the warm cloth over your stomach. 

“That was,” You take the cloth from him, cleaning yourself up and blushing a little at the sudden familiarity between the two of you, “really, really good,” 

He squeezes your thigh and passes you the pack of wipes when you reach for them, before he fluffs up your comforter and locates your discarded panties. You slide them back on and then push your sweatshirt down before falling back into the bedding and running your hands through your hair. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Jongho smiles, easing down next to you and propping his head up on his hand, “I must be insane for not kissing you sooner,” 

“I kissed you though,” You tease him. 

“Mm,” He nods, “true,” 

You hold his gaze for a minute and then shake your head, “So, kiss me already,” 

He brushes your hair back, cupping your face softly in his hands, looking down at you with a smile, “You want to be kissed?” 

“Jongho,” You sigh. 

“Cute,” He comments, and then he drops towards you, kissing you with such tenderness you think you might melt right here in his hands. 

“We really should have done this sooner,” You murmur against his mouth. 

“I’m sorry we waited,” He kisses across your cheek, “and I’m sorry it took In Su for me to do something about it,” 

“Don’t be sorry,” You snuggle close to him, “you’re making me feel better,” 

“Good,” he kisses your lips again, flicking your tongue with his, “if you give me ten minutes I’ll make you feel better again,” 

Heat pools in your belly, and you don’t even remember being tired anymore. “Oh my god,” You murmur against him. 

“We can take our time,” He smiles down at you, “we have a lot of catching up to do,” 

“Mhm,” You drag him back down to your lips, “we really, really do,” 

next chapter will be posted on sunday, november 13th

[sharpegirl]

A QUEER GIRL’S PLAN TO CONVINCE MS. TESS SHARPE TO WRITE A SEQUEL TO “SIX TIMES WE ALMOST KISSED (AND ONE TIME WE DID)”:

Read the first book. (see what I did there?)

Fall in love with the characters (not you, Lottie).

Cry my eyes out.

Stare at the wall for a long period of time in order to process everything.

Beg Ms. Sharpe to write a sequel (or a fluffy one-shot, or anything, really).

Hope this cute plan will convince her.

She’s convinced by now, surely?

Hell yeah, we’re getting a sequel!

#1 - #4 is done, #5 is in progress, while #6 - #8 is up to you. What do you say? (btw, thank you so much for writing this book. I think it’s the sweetest, most tender book I’ve ever read.)

You are too funny! This made me smile, thank you.

6 TIMES is a standalone novel. I'm sorry! I am incredibly flattered by all of you who have written to me about wanting a sequel. It's very kind and I'm really touched that so many of you enjoy this book, which is definitely one of my "outlier" books in a sea of thrillers. I really thought it was just gonna come and go in terms of my backlist and I'm so happy I was wrong.

I have written a short story about Penny and Tate's first official date (entitled "THE TIME THEY GO TO ROSS DRESS FOR LESS") and it may end up in the paperback version of the book in the US (+ maybe the UK, depending on where we are in the current print run)

Me and my editor Lisa just have to see if the story fits in the spare pages because we basically only have 16 type-set pages to work with :D I'm actually working on it today to get it into publishable shape!

If it does not fit in the paperback, it'll be available to download through my newsletter to celebrate the US paperback release next year!

[homerjacksons]

Sorry I know this is gonna seem rude but how can you have so many books if you’re as broke as you say you are?

Lmao correct this is rather rude

BUT

I get you.

A few reasons.

One, I bought quite a lot of books back when I first joined bookstagram and there were SO MANY good recs and I was healthier then and able to work full time so I could afford the books I was buying. I was buying much quicker than I could read. 😅

Two, I buy second hand a lot now. I’ll rarely pay over $5 for a book these days aside from a select few highly anticipated reads that I’ll pay full price for if/when I can afford to.

Three, gifts. I have a lot of very generous friends in real life and in the bookish community. It still seems absurd to me that so many people are willing to fund my book addiction but I will always be stupidly grateful.

Four, I get publisher ARCs (advanced reader copies) both physical and digital, which I obviously prioritise, which means the older purchases have lasted much longer than they otherwise would have.

Five, I do also neglect my physical tbr in favour of library books a bit. Libraries are such a great resource!!! And a lot of libraries will let you join for their digital catalogue without getting a physical card/proving you live in the area.

If you’re interested in any way, over on my bookstagram with my monthly wrapups, I share stats on how many of my reads each months are publisher arcs, netgalleys, gifts, new purchases or backlist reads, and at the end of the year I share my overall acquired (in its many forms) vs read stats

[mermaidsirennikita]

What are your favorite Lisa Kleypas books? Besides Devil in Winter and Dreaming of you of curse haha

Oh, good question!

I read both Then Came You and Again the Magic this year, and I really loved both of them. AtM is a beloved dark horse in her backlist, from what I've seen (I feel like a lot of her newer, i.e. largely Ravenels readers don't pick it up, which is probably for the best as McKenna is kind of metal compared to her more recent heroes). It's so fucking good. I love high angst, and I also think she did a great job with the secondary romance. ALTHOUGH... I'd be lying if I said I didn't think the book might be a teeeeeny bit better if the secondary romance was a companion novella versus being folded into Aline and McKenna's story.

Then Came You seems controversial because the hero calls the heroine a bitch or a slut or both, and I'll be completely honest... If I'm IN IT with a book that shit does not super bother me. If you have not sold me to the point where I can see the hero or heroine or both cross a line and still love the book, I probably wasn't that into the book anyway. The party scene where she shows up in a faux transparent dress like Eve with the snake and he's like "FUCK. MY. LIFE." is one of my favorite things. The scene where he beats her at cards and then hauls her upstairs to fuck her while baby Derek Craven is all "SORRY LUV THEM'S THE BREAKS"? Derek Craven: The Early Years in general where he's trying so hard to work on his accent and also angstily standing behind curtains?

(Also: Kleypas at her best just fucks so hard. After I finished this book I read the first chapter of DoY to see how well they flow one after the other, and omg the consistency of Derek being older and actually having gotten his accent down pretty good, but not being able to carry it when Sara first meets him because he just got his face slashed and also just watched a tiny hot chick shoot a man dead in front of him??? After all that work trying to impress people when he finally meets the love of his life he's basically coming back from a near death experience so he can't maintain the facade??? MY. BABY. BOY. MY. PRECIOUS. INFANT. BABY. HOT MAN. HE WAS BORN IN A DRAINPIPE!!!!)

But also, with Then Came You... the bear scene. I find the bear scene to be the kind of thing I just love in romance... typified.

Seduce Me at Sunrise is a fucking banger and I love it so much. I will always have an issue with how Kleypas portrayed Cam and Kev's Roma heritage (though I will say, I think it's not quite as bothersome to me with Kev because Cam, much as I enjoy him, is very "that is my defining character trait" whereas Kev is like... a guy, and it feels more like he's a human and not a walking stereotype) but this book dude. It's Wuthering Heights if they were both fundamentally decent people with good families (I mean, she has a solid home life) and it's GREAT. I love the controversial thing Kev does that everyone hates so much lol. It's one of the most human things I've ever read a romance hero do and I was like "YES. LET HER DOWN BECAUSE YOU ARE A FLAWED SELF LOATHING PERSON AND THAT'S WHAT Y'ALL DO." It's great writing.

I also really loved Married by Morning. Definitely not as much as Seduce, but a lot. I personally feel incredibly strongly that Leo Hathaway is what all these West Ravenel stans THINK West is, except Leo actually fucks hard, tells her to tell him to touch her pussy (fundamental) and has a legit personality. West has plenty of personality as a shithead! Once he "reforms" which happens before his fucking book lmao (what is the point) he has the personality of a cabbage. Leo is introduced as a total wastrel who like. Legit tells Kev (I think it was Kev) don't be like me or you'll just wake up every morning covered by your own tears and cum. Which is. One of the most ludicrously pathetic things I've ever read. And also was when I went "I need him". But after he shapes up, he's still funny??? He's snarky? A rapscallion? A slut, perhaps? And Catherine just has zero time for it. No patience for shenanigans. As she should not. I love that she's basically his employee. I love that after they kiss he's like "huh" and then just decides to doggedly pursue her. It has serious shit going on, but it is more of a romcom than a lot of Kleypas books I read.

Oh, It Happened One Autumn, of course. Controversial but brave and also true: even if you think you love Devil in Winter, I promise you don't love DiW as much as you think you do if you haven't read Autumn. I think they are basically companion novels, lol. Do they work alone? Obviously. But DiW was a solid 4 outta 5 for me (not a 4.25, not a 4.5/, not a 4.75, a solid 4) and then I read Autumn and reread it and it became a 5. And I'm so glad I did, because Autumn is also so great. Autumn is hilarious, and it's one of my favorite book for Wallflower interactions, aside from Evie who I think is stuck in like a basement the entire time, only to pop up at the last minute to proposition St. Vincent. (Also: a little wild that the other girls would basically be like "Godspeed, hope that bitch is good" when she was gone for long stretches with like ominous letters.) But the perfume scene??? Annabelle being like "I shall test this aphrodisiac perfume" only to show up with like dark circles underneath her eyes from getting railed within an inch of her life by Simon the entire night all "it was a mistake"? One of the funniest things Kleypas has ever written. Westcliff's entire existence in this novel? One of the funniest things she's ever written. The scene where he fingerbangs Lillian in the butterfly garden and is all "well damn Lillian if I got that far with you imagine what would happen if a man like St. Vincent, who actually gets bitches, did it???" High comedy.

Of her new era, Marrying Winterborne is the only one I'd consider a favorite favorite. It's really simple, but super well-written. Like, I honestly don't think the PLOOOOT is the strongest thing (I found Helen's internal conflict to be something that should've been revealed earlier in the story, for sure) but the character beats and love story are really good. It has a lot of great small moments--Helen getting frisky because of headache powder, the general department store stuff (Rhys Winterborne: the most powerful owner of a Kohl's you've ever met, the man is swimming in Kohl's Cash, SWIMMING), obviously "five fucking minutes". It's super good.

[twopoppies]

Sorry, like I said, I'm kinda new here again and I'm lost about this thing. Is here the same issue about blouies and whatever the opposite are called? in Twitter is super awful and it made me so uncomfortable. Like why is that even a thing? I get you can prefer one of them bottoming in fics or whatever, but WHY are people so sure about that kind of stuff like they knew the boys personally???????? It's super intrusive and awkward... and then people fighting over it. I just can't stand it 😩😵‍💫

Blouies seem much more intrusive on Twitter, but imo everything there is that way. I’m pretty sure there are people like that here, too, but it’s easier to curate your dash and never see them. I’m not sure what the Harrie version of that is called, but I’d imagine they’re here, too. Like I said, just follow people you want to see, backlist/block what you don’t. Unfollow people who put shit on your dash that makes you uncomfortable.

[archliches]

sorry for who I'm about to come... backlist fob

[biographydivider]

Hi, what does the joke i can divide by biography mean? Sorry, i just didn’t get it

It's okay not to understand jokes - I don't curate my blog to be funny to anyone but myself, though! But I love the boy, so I'll explain :3

So in the Mystic Library Episode of Rise of the TMNT, this cutie pie is trying to persuade the librarian to let him into the main library.

"Would a child be an expert in Dewey-Decimal Mathmatics? I can divide by biography!!"

Dewey-Decimal is a system used to catagorise libraries. You can't use it for maths. But if anyone can, it's Genius Boy Donatello here.

It's just not a joke I've ever heard before when it comes to books - when you work with them, you hear the same ones over and over. I like fresh, imaginative writing, especially when characters just say Mad Shit like this.

On a personal note, too, I love how dorkily excited Donnie is here. He's just happy to be in a library! We rarely see him this excitable, and as an excitable person who is probably autistic too, I see a lot of myself in this line. I, too, get very loud around things that make me happy or excited - and that includes books.

("You're bringing 'Act Your Age, Eve Brown' to the till? OhmyGod it's incredible!!!!! Here is my opinion on Talia Hibbert's entire backlist.")

It helped me a lot to recognise autistic traits in myself to see them potrayed in such an endearing, funny way - because I'm very much not the emotionless, mathmatic stereotype you see a lot in media.

Like Donnie, I also divide by biography.

[literaticat]

This is along the lines of the question about having a book in one genre take off over a book in another genre, and if you should stick to the successful genre. If you’re a querying, pre-published author and about to start drafting a new book while you query the first book, is it smart to write a book in the same vein as book 1? Obviously you don’t know yet if book 1 will sell/sell well or not. Or is it better to diversify? Like, if you were to offer on a book, would you hope the author had another book in the works that was similar, or different? By different I don’t mean VASTLY different, but maybe same age category diff genre, etc.

SORRY THIS IS LONG.

First of all: I don't want to tell you what to write. Every writer is different, every situation is different, there's no "correct" or "wrong" here.

So I'd suggest you write the book you are most interested in writing, the BEST book -- we can figure out strategy when the time comes.

That being said. I guess in an ideal world, you'd be working on a book that could logically be a follow-up -- and at least get the outline, a good chunk polished. Mind you - this doesn't have to be A SEQUEL or anything. Just, something for the same general audience. That way you at least know you have that in your back pocket for when somebody asks. (And yes, if we sell the MG, somebody WILL ask.)

THEN, honestly, I'd also noodle around with some different things. (Yes, maybe VASTLY different!)

But that doesn't square with the "follow up with something for the same audience!" that I said a few days ago! (I KNEW posting that would be a whole cane of worms FML.)

The thing is -- that's advice for what your publisher will likely want to see next, ideally. Like, you write a MG, it's likely your publisher for that book would like something for the same kind of audience as a follow-up.

But let's say you write a MG. And I go out with the MG -- and the MG doesn't sell, or takes YEARS to sell or something.

I could wait until you had a new MG to go out with and try again. Or, in the meantime, I could try your nonfiction picture book, or hilarious chapter book series, or whatever. Because those would be going to different editors than the MG anyway.

I have told this story but if you are new: Kate Messner was one of my first clients. She queried me with a MG. I went out with the MG. I got a lot of nice passes (but all passes). She revised, and in the meantime, sent me a nonfiction picture book, OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW, which I sent out and sold immediately to Chronicle (where it continues to be a classic of their backlist and has spawned an entire ongoing series.)

I sent out the revision of the MG. It didn't sell. Kate revised, and in the meantime, sent me an adorable chapter book, MARTY McGUIRE, FROG PRINCESS with ideas for more, which I sent out and sold immediately to Scholastic, and it's so cute and ended up being its own series and then launching Kate into doing the Ranger in Time series for Scholastic.

In the meantime a new young fresh-faced editor arrived on the scene at Bloomsbury. My colleagues and I had a meeting with her and she said "I love heartfelt MG that has a classic feel and is super kid-friendly, (etc etc)" -- and I was like DING DING DING and sent her Kate's MG book . . . THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z, which went on to get many starred reviews, win awards, etc. This book couldn't have sold earlier than it did, because the right editor for it hadn't even started being an editor yet when we first started! The ms had to be just right, and the timing had to be just right. The stars did align -- but we weren't just twiddling our thumbs in the meantime, yanno? What's that saying? 'The harder I work the luckier I get'? Something like that.

(Fast forward 15 years. Kate now has like 50+ books published/forthcoming, and the fresh-faced editor is now in charge of the whole imprint. How about that!)

I'm not saying you have to be as prolific as Kate. That's quite a high bar to clear, and I honestly don't think most people SHOULD be aiming for it. I'm just saying, you don't HAVE to feel like you are "locked in" to anything. Truly.

Write what you are passionate about, write the best possible books you can -- strategizing about them and selling them is your AGENT'S job. If/when you get a publisher who you are working with, who really wants X-kind of book, a follow up to whatever, and they want to pay you for it, and you want to do it, GREAT!

But in the meantime, if you have no contracts or commitments that you HAVE to work on, why not just spread your wings and work on whatever you are passionate about next? It's likely to be the most fun, and who knows where that might lead!

[machine-saint]

(blatant propaganda) you should absolutely play dishonored its soooooo goooooodddd!!! like it has its flaws and idiosyncrasies, some quite considerable, like everything else but at least in my eyes those are Far outweighed by what it does intelligently and creatively. its the first game i ever fell in love with, and still my favorite! i really believe it's something special, and im far too jaded and cynical to say that lightly! its the spiritual successor to thief, if that means anything to you! there's dlc where you play as the leader of the little mask guys! it's set in the middle of an industrial revolution hinging on whale oil! if you care about stealth games and/or rats and dieease and the sea as motifs at all i can really recommend it! okay sorry im normal again now (lying)

oh I've heard it's very good and I believe you! but my backlist is a mile long already ahaha