loki-tom-h

[don-dake]

馮曉文 飾演 「秦紅棉」

《天龍八部》 (1996)

[ellstersmash]

Not to Keep

Fandom: Mass Effect (Original Trilogy) Pairing: Kaidan x f!Shepard Rating: T for Teen (cw for alcohol use) Words: 2.7k [Read on Ao3]

shep and kaidan go undercover, set early in me1. this was originally a prompt for "fake relationship" from Leather & Lace Romance Week, but then I waited 3.5 years to finish it 🥀

-

It all seemed so simple. Infiltrate a wedding, extract intel on Benezia, use that to find Saren.

Easy-peasy.

Until Shepard shows up in the shuttle bay looking like that. They've only been working together for a couple of months, and Kaidan has seen her covered in blood spatter, dripping sweat post-PT—hell, even bare naked in a hotel room. But it’s safe to say he never thought he'd see her like this. Full makeup, soft curls, a long red dress that shouldn't fit anyone that perfectly, and, dangling from two fingers, a pair of classy black heels.

Kaidan swallows hard and gives her a curt nod. “Ma’am.”

“Alenko.” He shifts on his feet as her eyes travel the length of his body and back up, her cool stare giving nothing away. “You clean up nice.”

“Ah, thanks. And you look—”

“Oh, I'm dressed to kill.” Lips the same shade as her dress curve into a grin. “Figuratively, for once.”

Kaidan chokes and laughs, caught off guard in a mixture of nerves and surprise. “Was that a joke, Commander?”

Her expression narrows into a pinched, self-deprecating smirk. “If you have to ask, then no. And I definitely haven't been thinking about it since Williams zipped this damn thing up.”

The thought of his CO, this formidable woman, giggling to herself over a stupid joke for an hour is... well, it’s uncharacteristically cute. Kaidan rolls it around in his head for an indulgent minute, trying on the fit before letting the image go.

Just one more thing to jam into that Never Gonna Happen file.

“Right,” she says, back to business. “Let’s get this over with.”

They board the shuttle for the short trip to the venue, and go over the mission brief one final time: intel extraction remains their highest priority—one of their hosts, Polona T’Shan, was rumored to have a close business connection with the matriarch; protecting their cover is important, but heavy security is not expected; their false identity profiles should be enough to get them in the door, and from there the two of them will be responsible for avoiding unwanted attention by appearing as a couple.

Kaidan knows his own limits. He’s a soldier, not an actor. This pretending to be someone else, this lie, it isn't part of his training and it sure as hell isn't part of who he is. But if Shepard’s as nervous as he is, she isn't showing it.

She’s looking at him again, in that intense all-in way she sometimes does. Before her, he had never met someone who was aware of—and pursued—what they wanted with such confidence, such dogged determination, and to have that kind of focus set on him even for just a moment is… terrifying. In a good way, he thinks. It makes him feel warm and cold at the same time. It also makes him want to stare right back, but that way lies only trouble, and none of them need another helping. Not right now.

Kaidan leans back and rests his head on the cool, if slightly unsteady, inner shuttle wall as Shepard drums a rhythmless pattern into the space between their seats.

---

Kyra drains her glass.

As it turns out, Asari weddings aren't all that different from the few human ones she’s attended. Though this reception is a far more extravagant affair than she’s used to: four days of mingling and games and dancing and drinking and food. Really not her cup of tea.

And apparently not Alenko’s, either.

He’d made a beeline for the bar as soon as they’d entered, and returned with an easier stride and a glass full of some bubbling neon sugary shit for her. She’d have preferred something stronger, of course, but they do have a mission to complete. If they can manage to get Polona alone for a moment.

She slips her hand into the crook of his elbow and feels him stiffen, then relax. Quick and conscious. He’s nervous, out of place, on edge, and then completely calm and collected.

No doubt in her mind he was the right pick for this one.

The thought settles her stomach, and just in time. Two asari approach, their hands extended in enthusiastic welcome.

“Greetings!” one of them says, with a voice smooth and sweet as wildflower honey. “Oh, what a lovely pair you two make. Right out of the vids, could be. This one’s even better looking up close, don’t you think so, Liria?” The asari takes Alenko’s hand, sensual and deliberate, then turns her attention to Kyra. “And goddess, that dress is stunning; really, sweetie, it fits you like a glove. You”—she drags one finger down Alenko’s lapel—“are a lucky man, I hope you know.”

Eyes wide, he clears his throat and coughs, then regains his composure with a brief glance in Kyra’s direction.

The second asari offers an apologetic look to each of them in turn. “Rialla, darling, slow down or you’ll scare them off.”

“They certainly look sturdy enough.”

“I am so sorry. She’s had quite a bit to drink, I’m afraid. Never could pace herself at a wedding.” She laughs. “My name is Liria, and my companion’s name is Rialla, and ever since we saw you walk in, we have just been itching to get to know you.”

Kyra plasters what she hopes is a warm smile on her face, mentally pulling up her cover identity as reference. “Emily, and I’m delighted to meet you both. This is John, my um—”

“Her very lucky partner.”

The two matriarchs titter and tease him, both in turn, and once again he’s in control. Kyra can’t help but be impressed by how effortlessly he charms them. And she’s far from immune. It’s her mission, yet she is all too prepared to be led around the room by that firm hand at the small of her back.

Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko: respected Alliance Marine, powerful L2 biotic, all-around stand-up guy, and—apparently—a smooth son-of-a-bitch. It’s an unexpected feature for someone so soft-spoken and unpretentious. Like he has a hidden switch somewhere.

Or a button.

Press For Instant Charisma.

She briefly entertains the idea of hunting for it, then aborts the thought with a twist of her lips and tunes back in to the conversation.

---

The lie is getting easier. Shepard is tucked under Kaidan’s arm, and he’s almost comfortable.

Their new friends are exactly the right sort. Nosy, talkative, well into their cups, and connected. Old friends of their mark, both of them, and Liria has history with Benezia herself. Shepard spins her tale about a chance meeting with the missing matriarch at a charity benefit and their tapering correspondence, followed by a rumor igniting hope for reconnection. And they eat it right up.

All he has to do is act natural and help Shepard keep them talking.

“Well, you know Polona wasn’t only Benezia’s lawyer.” Liria leans in close, her voice not quite as hushed as she probably intended. “They were involved, some centuries back. Quite the scandal at the time, but then Benezia always had... selfish tendencies. Now, I’m not sure why they parted ways, or how serious it was, but—”

Not to be outdone, Rialla’s hands flutter for attention as she pipes in. “It must be more than a passing fling from two hundred years ago, though, because I heard that her Turian lover—or, well, husband now—almost called off this very wedding!”

“Really?” Shepard asks. What’s supposed to be idle curiosity is bordering on serious interest, her voice taking on a firm, interrogative quality to match her narrowed gaze, but a brush of his thumb on her shoulder and she reigns it in. Loosens up with a tilt of her head and a hand to his thigh that has him tensing up instead.

“Oh, yes,” Rialla says. “It was all very tenuous there for a while. And to think, then the four of us would never have met!”

Kaidan raises his glass with a smile as genuine as he can muster. “A tragic loss for us, to be sure.”

With a deep, warm smile, Rialla fans her face and leans in close to Shepard, but speaks for the whole table to hear. “Do let me know when you're finished with him, would you, dear? I think I may be quite in love.”

He's fine until Shepard smirks, then he's far too warm. Suffocating.

He tugs at his collar. “You think their, uh, conflict had something to do with Polona and Benezia’s involvement?”

“I seriously doubt it,” Liria says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “That was ages ago, not yesterday. Beni’s still pining after Aeth—”

Rialla laughs. “Oh, it’s Beni, now? I had no idea you were such intimate friends!”

“I’m 800 years old, my dear.” Liria scoffs. “I have quite a few friends you don’t know about.”

“Is that supposed to make me jealous?”

“Of course not, don’t be silly!”

“Silly? Goddess, must you always be so patronizing?”

“Must you always twist my words?”

“Oh, here we go!”

The situation spirals into chaos before either he or Shepard can recover it, and she stands up from the table, pulling at his elbow.

“I love this song,” she mutters pointedly, and leads him to the dance floor. It’s a slow number, thank god. He’s not nearly drunk enough to dance to something with a beat.

They sway slowly, and she presses close, his neck prickling underneath her palm. His own hands settle on her waist, then more naturally to her hips.

“Damn,” she whispers. “Damn.”

“I know. But hey, we’ve got the rest of the night. And tomorrow night. And the next night. And—”

“The next night, I know.” She groans and drops her head to his shoulder.

Kaidan smiles into her hair.

---

The night is officially over. The band is still playing, but most of the guests are gone, and despite making a number of connections, they’ve learned nothing more about Benezia's whereabouts.

They have, however, made decent use of the open bar.

Kyra downs the last of her champagne and orders a cocktail, dealer's choice. It arrives glowing and smoking and she takes the skyward trajectory of Alenko’s brows as a personal challenge not to hesitate.

A potent combination of peppermint and blueberries and battery acid hits the back of her throat and makes her head swim on contact.

Next to her, Alenko is nursing his third.

“How’s your drink?” he asks.

“Surprising.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”

“Um… Yes.” She clinks her fingernail against his glass. “How’s your whiskey?”

He frowns and takes a sip. “This is not whiskey.”

“Didn’t realize you were such a connoisseur.”

“No, I mean it is literally not whiskey. Didn’t have it, I guess.” He drinks again. “It’s weird, right? Walk into any bar on Earth and they’ll have a dozen to pick from, but soon as you take off…”

“Yeah.” She sighs. “No burgers. No guac. No ice cream.”

The low chuckle he gives is a sound she’d like to hear again. And again, and again, and—

“When you put it like that, this spacer life is a real sorry existence.”

Kyra nods and wonders what he misses most from home. Or who. But that is none of her business, so she empties her glass and tips the bartender in preparation to leave.

“Sorry tonight was a bust, Shepard.”

“It wasn’t a total loss. Decent food, free booze.” She rests her chin on one closed fist. “Good company.”

“By that, I assume you mean our new asari friends.”

“Sure.”

Holding his gaze is harder than it should be. He cradles his nearly-empty glass and taps his fingers in sequence. Up and down, like a zipper.

At last, he looks away. “I was going to say ‘beautiful,’ by the way.”

“Hmm?”

“Earlier, before we left. I was going to tell you how incredible you looked, but then you interrupted me, and I never really got the chance to say it so I figured I might as well say it now.”

Warmth rises in her belly and she rides it like a wave, unscathed and unchanged on the other side. She turns to face him, wriggling in the seat in preparation like he’s about to try and upend her. “All right, Alenko. Hit me. I’m ready.”

He gives a huff of nervous laughter, one hand going straight to the back of his neck. “Well, uh... that was pretty much it.”

“That’s it? You waited all night to tell me that you were going to tell me I looked beautiful, but didn’t?”

His lips roll together, and he cedes the point with a tilt of his head, then meets her eyes again before his take a slow, uncertain wander around the rest of her features.

“Shepard,” he says when he makes it back, and it’s a name so overused it may as well be a title—but not spoken like that. Low and drawn out and a little bit reverent, it becomes almost intimate for the first time in years and she can't help but wonder how her first might sound.

“You look really beautiful tonight.”

Oh. Oh no. Kyra knows she should say thank you, and tell him to finish his drink so they can get out of here, but this next wave won’t subside and the air won’t reach her lungs and all she can do is stare at him.

“I mean, not just tonight, but especially—” he continues, visibly flustered by her silence. “You know, the dress and the lips—ah, make-up! And, and the hair and everything, it’s just very, um, tasteful, and… Um.” He clears his throat and pushes his drink away by inches, folding his hands tight together. "Feel free to stop me anytime.”

Ah. There. That’s the Alenko she knows and can handle.

“Now why would I do a thing like that?” she says, sending a silent prayer of thanks to whichever god kept her voice from breaking.

The smile they exchange is soft and charged and it smooths him over. His eyes are brown. Kyra knew that already, but clinically. On paper. Hair: black. Eyes: brown. Year of birth: 2151.

She didn’t know it like this, tangibly, all wrapped up and swept away in a simple fact.

This time she’s the one to give in. “You know, you should really keep that button pressed, Alenko.”

“What?”

“The charisma button.” She jerks her head toward the door, grabs his hand for the sake of anyone who might still be awake and sober enough to notice, and leads him out. “Push it. More.”

“I— what?”

Kyra chuckles to herself and steps into the elevator. “Forget it.”

The doors close once she chooses a floor and she regrets taking his hand because now she has to let go.

Kiss me. Come on, Alenko. Quick, before we go back. She can’t think it any louder, can’t make it any clearer without crossing a line. Be better if he does it, but he won’t. She knows he wants to just like she knows he never will, because he’s a good soldier and a good soldier doesn’t fuck with the chain of command. Not without a compelling reason, at least, and she can’t give him one.

Their floor lights up and reality pours in. He follows her across the dock, at a distance now that no one who would care might be watching.

Kyra takes a sharp, deep breath. Three more nights of this—unless they can get their intel sooner. Three more nights of flirting and dancing and soft touches all for show and not to keep. Maybe she should have brought Williams after all. Or Garrus. Or anyone else.

Distracted, she nearly trips getting into the shuttle, and somehow he’s right there, a broad hand on her waist to steady her.

A nod and he detaches. Steps back. “Ma’am.”

Ma’am. But he is a terrible liar, and she’s never been good at a long con.

[what-the--curtains]

There are No Wolves in The Desert

(Oberyn Martell x f!reader)

Part 3 - An (in)Decent Proposal

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Summary: Oberyn makes you an offer you cant refuse.

Authors notes: Whoop here part 3 sorry this is taking SO long but I have no MOTIVATION (sang like jean ralphio)😭 Thank you for reading and sharing and commenting I love y all so much💕💕💕💕

TW: Mentions of incest (walder frey), mentions of alcohol, fighting

Word count: 4.9k

Tagged: @evyiione @xsadderdazeforeverx @agingerindenial @ayamenimthiriel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The large wooden doors of your room slowly creak open rousing you from your restful slumber. You open one eye allowing yourself to adjust to the sun's bright rays that were coating your room's walls, brightening their pastel hues. You cautiously shift up, gaze locked on the door fingers clutched around your knife. Your fist relaxes as two figures enter the room, the first belonging to Shana who you recognized from last night and the other, to a younger girl. Shana walks towards the long table placing down the assorted fruits, breads and wine while the younger girl sits on your bed, slowly unscrewing a teal coloured jar’s lid. Your eyes follow her as she leans forward.

“Are you a Targareyn?” she asks, hand slowly hovering towards your face, intent on applying a cream to the area that had been forcibly rammed into a wall last night.

“No,” you respond, shifting back and out of her reach.

“You look like one,” she offers scooting closer to you determined to sooth your wound.

“Is that a compliment?” you ask, causing her to duck her head down in embarrassment, noticing her reaction, and feeling somewhat guilty you continue “My father was though, so I suppose in a way you are correct. You have a sharp eye, what is your name?” you query hoping to relieve any embarrassment.

“Kaina” she responds, eyes still on the bed spread.

“How old are you, Kaina?” you question, watching as an easiness washes over her as you allow her to apply the salve to your broken skin.

“Six and ten” she says, meticulously dabbing the mixture onto your face.

“Has the prince..ever.. propositioned you, ” you ask cautiously, curious as to the character of the man whose home you had been invited into.

“No, he has no eyes for children,” she says, redonning the jars lid.

“Which is more than you can say for the men of Westeros,” Shana quips as she appears at your side offering you a bowl of fruit which you take with a thank you. You pluck a raspberry from the bowl and pop it into your mouth, the freshness and sweetness delighting your tastebuds.

“That is very true, I knew of one man who married his own daughters,” you say, causing the two women to look at you horrified.

“When you age are you allowed to stay in the palace?” you query, ignoring their disdain for the practices carried out by the Frey family.

“Yes, we are allowed to stay or leave in order to continue our training if we wish,” Shana states

“Training?” you press.

“We are allowed to study here, I took up healing. Others like Shana learn to cook, others care for animals, or they train to fight, whatever they choose and they are allowed to come and go as they please,” Kaina states.

“You’re treated well here then? ”

“Yes, very much so” they both respond almost in unison.

“And are you paid well?”

“Yes, the princes both believe any service provided demands a payment. May I ask why you ask so many questions my lady?” Kaina ponders, her good nature causing you to smile.

“I am no lady, but I do take great value in the way a man treats his staff, especially those who hold less power than he. If I am to make a deal I wish to know whom I am making it with. I have no need to help abusers, ” you state as she recaps the salve that was now absorbing into your skin.

“A wise woman,” Shana states. “The prince is a good man, as is our king.”

“Neither of them would marry their own children,” the younger girl says standing again, horrified.

“Well that is good to hear,” you say with a soft chuckle,

“Do you need us to dress you my lady?” Shana offers, despite already knowing the answer.

“No I am quite alright thank you,” they curtsey and leave you to dress for the day. You pull on the lightweight leather armour before redonning your cloak, opting to leave the hood down, no point in hiding who you were now, at least while you were within the palace walls.

You stroll leisurely down the palace steps, admiring the limestone architecture and the gold detailing glimmering under the mid-morning sun. You watch the heat ripple as it rises off the metallic features. The day's warmth bears down on your face, even in the winter the dornish heat was nearly unbearable and infinitely warmer than Winterfell. Your head turns towards the sound of children laughing and you watch as two small blurs disappear round a corner, in chase of the butterflies flying throughout the palace. You continue through the garden hand ghosting along the Ivy leaves that snaked through the metallic fencing containing the gardens perimeter. You could easily see yourself getting lost amongst the vines, the winding paths leading off in multiple directions towards unknown destinations. You would return here another time, to truly admire the flora created by the old gods and the new. You stay true to your path for the time being, hoping to locate Oberyn so he could make light of his supposed proposition. You follow the faint metallic clammer echoing in the distance, the sound growing louder as you approach a large wooden arena. The training grounds were large, offering a place to train and exhibit the ornate and hypnotic fighting.

Their style was known across the seven kingdoms for being elegant and deadly, a combination you found paired well with at least one dornish individual you knew.

The arena's overhang offers you some shade, a luxury not afforded to those in the arena, you come to rest your forearms down on the palisade allowing your wrists to drape over the bannister as your shoulders relax. Oberyn's armour glimmers in the sun illuminating the sweat beaded over his tanned skin, a few loose strands of hair plastered to his forehead. You watch as he skillfully knocks his opponent to the ground before turning to you. You watch his charismatic features light up as he strides towards you allowing his opponent to regain his footing.

“Your beauty is greater than the messengers lead me to believe,” he states loudly, causing you to look down and shake your head, unsure what he hoped to achieve by shamelessly flirting with you.

“So you were spying on me,” you respond, ignoring his charms, much to his dismay. Your constant dismissal of his advances leaving him wondering if he had finally found someone immune to his charisma.

“We spy on anyone we think will be an ally or enemy to us, “ he says glancing back, not dropping his guard despite his opponents retreat to the arena's far side.

“Must be a long list,” you offer as he places his spear against the panelling, splashing his face with water before bending down to take a drink from one of the taps found throughout the city.

“Prior to his death, we wanted Robb Stark on our side, and you, or Lady Stark wherever she may be, we were told she was a ferocious warrior, ” he states, raising his eyebrows mischievously.

“Don't believe everything you hear. Though I suppose she owes you her life, perhaps a lesson in calligraphy would suffice, your handwriting is quite distinctive,” you smirk watching his head turn in faux shock before returning to his opponent.

“My time was better spent elsewhere,” he shouts back, blocking yet another shot brought forward by the palace guard. Turning he gracefully sweeps the legs out from beneath the man the entire ordeal lasting no longer than a few minutes.

“Pleasures of the flesh have far greater value to me than a pretty note,” he states clearly, turning to gauge your reaction. Despite you declining his advances the subject of sex appeared to have little to no effect on you. There was no giggle or blush that often came in the women of westeros who are told sex is a sacred act for man and wife.

“Too much time doing as you please and not nearly enough time spent doing what you should,” you state, a line your mother had frequently said when you trapsed throughout the forest instead of doing your housework. He looks at you, confusion and glee dancing on his face at your manner, or lack thereof, around him. Being a prince he wasn't used to such a direct tone. Others typically behaved themselves around him, either out of fear or admiration. Though neither were nearly as tantalizing as those who readily disregarded his status with such cutting wit.

“On your left,” you remark, allowing him to catch the oncoming hit just in time. He nods for the man to leave the arena leaving you alone with Oberyn.

“Shall we?” he calls out, and you cock your head to the side.

“You said you wished to practice, you care to try your luck,” he asks, swinging around grinning as he gestures to the large space.

“Luck won't have anything to do with me beating you,” you quip hopping over the panelling and into the arena.

“You need four weapons to defeat me?” he taunts from afar. You shoot him a look as you stab your knife into the ground before removing the quiver and bow placing them against the wall. You turn on the tap and splash your face with the water, flicking the remainder off your hands as you turn and walk into the sun towards your opponent.

“Just two which by my count is one less than you,” you offer.

“I only have one,” he explains

“The spear is long, has two ends, two weapons. Besides you have a shield. Shield counts as a weapon,” you state.

“And you don’t choose to fight without one,” he says, dropping the shield so you have no excuses for his impending victory.

“Don’t need a shield if the enemy is dead before they can reach you,” you explain.

“Cocky”, he says twirling the spear hitting the blunt end into the ground before pointing it forward and bending at the knees in preparation.

“You say as if you are not yourself,” you retort, arms reaching back and removing the swords twirling them before entering your own stance. He’ll make the first move, of that you're sure. He does as you expect, allowing you to stop the hit with your swords crossing them into an ‘x’ and using their combined force to push his spear up and to the side as you uncross them. His underestimation of your strength leaves him off balance as you spin around aiming for his knees. He manages to regain his footing and jumps easily over your sword showing off the flashy fighting style you’d expected of a dornish prince.

“Perhaps not as poor a fighter as you thought,” you state, ducking as he swings his spear around to hit you. Without breaking motion he spins the weapon above his head bringin it down almost hitting you had you not dropped to the ground. Rolling behind him you twirl your swords around and jab the hilts into the back on his knee. He falls to his knees and before he can formulate his next move you stand and kick his weapon out from his hand. He teeters forward and you grab him by the hair tugging it back exposing his throat. You bring your blade to his neck watching his Adam's apple bod as he swallows, eyes looking up to you with what one could only describe as admiration.

“I believe that's a match,” you say, removing the blade and pushing his head forward. He remains kneeling, half in shock, half aroused.

“One and done?” You chide watching as he remains on his knees. It was a sight you could get used to.

“Now there's something I've never been called before,” he chuckles, composing himself and standing back up “You're better than I thought,” he remarks bending to retrieve his spear.

“Is that what the men and women of Dorne say to you?” you taunt, watching as his eyes light up, a smile etched on his face as he searches for a response. “ I was a soldier before I was an assassin,” you explain, closing the silence for him.

“Women are allowed to fight in the north? Perhaps you all are more evolved than I had thought,” he states.

“I never said I was allowed to be there,” you admit, causing him to chuckle. “A murderer, a mercenary, and a liar. What other charming traits do you possess,” he queries winking at you.

“And here I thought the Red Viper was said to have a way with words,” you quip back much to his delight.

“One to one, drop your other sword,” he says, turning back towards you.

“That’s hardly fair,” you retort, more petulant than you’d have liked.

“I thought you would know by now, life isn’t fair,” He remarks and you grit your teeth but do as he requests jabbing your other sword into the ground.

“I should ask you to chop your spear in half,”

“Stop putting it off” he says, shining the spear’s point on his sleeve. It's different now he seems to have sussed out your style and in mere seconds. He lunges forward and you mirror him but he pulls back quickly, dancing out of reach from your sword which swings aimlessly in the air, throwing you off balance. You find your footing just as he sweeps your feet from beneath you knocking you on your back. He swings down but you block it with your forearm, managing to use your free hand to swipe at his ankle. Noticing your movements he jumps back, releasing the pressure of his weight from your arm allowing you to get back up.

“You’re bleeding,” he states, weapon falling to his side, upset at having marked your skin with his blade when he’d much rather have done so with his mouth.

“Stop trying to distract me,” you hiss, upset at being bested so easily. Rushing forward your weapons meet in the air. Metal on wood sounding out as you hack into the spear hoping to break it. As you split the spear in half he allows your force to carry you forward and he maneuvers behind you. A harsh tap on your wrist causes your hand to retract dropping your sword which clammers unhappily to the ground. The spear's blunt end wraps around your waist pulling you into him, his strength more apparent than ever. He brings the bladed end up bracing his arm against your chest and pointing it towards your heart, your body now pressed tightly into his.

“Match,” he whispers softly into your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. He lets you go after a minute when he feels your body relax into his, letting you walk off in defeat. He turns back to pick up the broken end of his weapon, and as he does a dagger flies by his head sticking in the wall mere inches from him.

“Chest isn’t a definite kill. The throat is,” you say, your time spent healing leaving you attune to your enemies anatomy.

“I'll add cheating to your growing list of qualities, ” he tuts, throwing the dagger back sticking it in the wall near you. “I could have you hung for a stunt like that,” he states, sauntering over to you.

“Did you have a proposition for me? Or did you only wish for me to come back here so you could be smug?” you query and he laughs watching as you remove the wrist guard from your bloodied arm assessing the gash you’d procured during your fight. He comes over to you placing his hand under your upturned arm caressing it as he looks down at the cut with disdain.

“Come, you should go to the palace healers,” he says softly, offering you insight into why so many found themselves in his chambers.

“No need,” you say, removing the skin to skin contact you so desperately longed for. Grabbing a handful of leaves from a nearby bush you place them in your mouth, chewing them into a paste and rubbing it into the cut, “my mother was a healer. That tree, its leaves cauterize the wound, less pain than fire, less scarring as well,” you state upon seeing his confusion. “Your proposition, my prince?” you ask his eyes going from your arm to your eyes.

“More of a request I suppose. My niece Arianne has gone missing since our last meeting, she was running away somewhere, towards something but someone else got to her first. We have our suspicions as to who has stolen her, but we need evidence prior to the accusation. I had my birds fly around and ask whom to contact, it seemed that you were the one for the job,” he explains.

“Is that so. How do I know I can trust you?” you ask, he’d found you and he’d been good thus far, but anytime you were shown kindness you were hesitant. In your experience it nearly always came with a price.

“I'm sure you're aware, but they have murdered my sister, and my greatest love I will not allow them to take anyone else I care for,” he says, fire in his eyes. It was the most serious you’d seen him. His usual jovity lost in a stoic expression, reminding you of another man you once knew.

“I believe your intentions to be true, but that is not cause for trust,” you explain, watching as nods his head slowly in agreement.

“You cannot trust, because you are unable. I understand why, so I fear nothing I say will ease you, but I swear, no harm will come to you here.”

“Not until you have what you want, at least” you mumble.

“And after,” he reassures, his tone nearly leading you to believe him.

“And apart from payment what's in it for me? If I am to uncover a truth that could start a war. I've spent too long hiding away to risk being found,”

“You have no risk, they think you’re dead, proclaimed it themselves, even if you showed up, they'd never be able to say otherwise. Apart from that, a chance at family,”

“Family,” you scoff, the concept long forgotten. “My family is dead” you say, a lie you told yourself to keep you away from Winterfell, though it was a lie likely to be true, knowing the Lannisters obsession with tying up loose ends.

“The Starks are rising again, Sansa is back in Winterfell, Arya is assumed alive and Jon is leading at the wall,” Oberyn lists off the rumours that had passed by his ears, but they were only whispers, nothing solid enough for you to cling too.

“Even if what you say is true I am nothing to them,” you say, tone remaining level despite the knot forming in your stomach.

“You are there sister,”

“I am not, not anymore, not after I failed them,” you confess.

“How so?”

“You asked me why I was here, I was here to find and plead my case to Danearys Targaryn. At Robbs behest, to help destroy the Lannisters,” you finally admit, a heavy sigh exhaled as you do.

“And I take it you never did,” he watches as a sense of shame, or perhaps it was guilt, wash over you, a crack in your armour.

“You help me find Arianne, you help me bring her home and I will help you reach the mother of dragons,” he states earnestly.

“You know where she is?” you ask head quickly, turning to him.

“Not yet, but I found you, and you were dead, someone alive,” you watch as he pulls a face “should be no problem.”

“And why would you help me,” you query, still unsure of his true motivation for recruiting you.

“An eye for an eye, or perhaps it's purely selfish. An assassin can only go so far. A dragon, now that can take down a lineage,” he says looking down at you.

“I cannot promise her safety, I will not mince words, for all we know Arianne may be dead,” you explain.

“I understand this. Think it over, your welcome to stay here as long as you please, it has been a while since I have faced new opponents, and ones with different training, sloppy as it may be,” he quips, hoping to bring a smile to your face.

“I could say the same of you,” you retort quickly.

“I've never been described as sloppy,” Oberyn states, only partially offended at the insinuation.

“Perhaps you surround yourself with people aiming to please you for too long,” you say, accidentally bumping your shoulder into him, the sudden contact causing a heat to rise in your stomach.

‘Perhaps,” he laughs, noting your flustered reaction, when a man approaches handing him a note which he reads intently. You take the moment to admire his strong features as they concentrate on the note. His brow was furrowed, pouted lips mouthing along to the scripture of the letter before dropping it down to his sides. “As much as it devastated me to do so, I must take my leave from your company, my Lady,” he bows, excusing himself to consult his brother before you can correct him. You continue to stroll through the garden watching a mass of colours bloom around you. You sit on a stone bench wondering how you’d ended up here, wondering if your family was in fact dead, and if any of the Starks truly remained alive.

“You’re the white wolf aren’t you?” you hear a voice call out behind you causing you to laugh.

“What?” the voice demands

“It seems I have many as many names as there are kings these days,” you state.

“Any of them true?” the voice asks as you turn to see the eldest sand snake, Tyene. She was Oberyn and Ellaria's daughter, their first born. She reminded you of Arya, the hardness on her face caused by the brave facade forced onto her.

“I was sorry to hear of your mothers passing, ” you say, turning to face Tyene ignoring her previous question.

“Were you?” she states accusingly.

“I was, she produced and trained all of you after all. You were the only people in Dorne who actually scared me,” you admit.

“If it's any condolence the Shadow Tracker had reached our ears, and my mother was quite impressed with you as well,” she says, knife twirling between her fingers “How did you find him, my father?”

“Unfortunately your father found me. He needs my help, to find your cousin,” you explain hoping to ease her weariness about your place in the palace.

“Who better to take down a lion than someone who lost everything because of them,” she states, trying to see where your allegiances lie. Tyene was always wary when an unknown woman arrived. Concerned they are seeking to use her father to gain power. “Added bonus you look as you do I suppose,” she continues, knife dancing between her digits.

“I wonder why beauty is always what it comes back to? I would be here no matter my face,” you state.

“While I believe you would have been hired, my father has an eye for pretty things. You would have been paid but you wouldn't have been welcomed back to the palace,” she scoffs.

“Are you sure of that?” you question, unsure if she was being truthful or spiteful.

“Yes,” she replies matter of factly

“Well, I'll take that into consideration. Your cousin, Arianne, where was she going the day she disappeared?” you question.

“I don't know,” she mumbles, knife stalling for a moment.

“I don't believe that.”

“We searched her room, we found nothing, nothing but this,” she says, retrieving a small book and handing it to you.

“You give it to me freely?” she hesitates letting it go but her grip eases allowing you to take it.

“If what they say of you is true, perhaps you are the only one who can find her. She can't be left for long. She can't defend herself. All she knows is stitching and art and reading,” Tyene spits, eyes glistening slightly.

“All of which are valiant professions and skills, ones I wish I possessed. They foster patience, skill and planning. They forge a strategic mind, which comes in handy especially when taken by the enemy, ” you explain, your words easing Tyene, though the worry in her eyes remains.

“So she may still be alive,” she questions hesitantly.

“I do not think they killed her at least not yet,” you sigh, tapping the book against your hand “Thank you for trusting me with this,”

“Thank me by finding her,” Tyene says standing up and continuing on her way, leaving you to read Ariannes journal pages.

That night you can't sleep, you stroll through the garden admiring the flora, the colours are ones you'd never thought possible before.

“Running off,” a familiar voice asks and you turn to face the prince who was sitting on a stone bench a book placed precariously in his hands.

“Would you stop me if I was?” you query, returning on your path.

“No, though your dress indicates something else is the reason for your late night adventure,” he says standing up and walking slowly towards you.

“Insomnia, the plague of the guilty,” you state, taking a tiger lily in your hand admiring its markings “even in the summer the north fails to grow such things.”

“Even the plants know, the cold is no place to live,” Oberyn offers, book grasped tightly behind his back.

“Have you been?” you ask, removing your hand from the lily, eyes trailing up to the moon flowers that were glowing under the starlight.

“No,” he huffs, as if the question is preposterous.

“Then how would you know?” you respond smugly, eyes glancing up at him admiring his features as they relax into defeat before glancing down to you brow still furrowed, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “The trees are unlike anything you have ever seen, taller than buildings, older than the race of men. They’ll be here long after we crumble. Their red leaves against the white bark, the time of the old gods still etched into existence. Have you ever seen the snow my prince?” you query turning to face him.

“No, though i've heard the mountain peaks here can get it this time of year, but i've never been possessed to seek out the cold,” he admits, the colour of your eyes more prominent under the full moon, your poetic retelling almost enticing, or perhaps it was just the lips they fell from drawing him in.

“I miss it sometimes,” you confess, offering him a rare glimpse of softness he’d yet to see, “There's no feeling quite like that of being under furs with the one you love, the warmth of a fire as the cold breeze blows over you,” you continue, shaking your head at your ridiculous notions of tranquility.

“It is still warmth you crave then,” he says and you laugh.

“I suppose you're right,” you admit and he chuckles, enjoying your laugh, more melodic than he would have expected. Without your armour he could see the scars scattered across your body, not prominent but there. Evidence of a harder life than he’d expected from a person married to a would-be king.

“Are you not used to such ghastly sights my prince?” you query, his eyes widening at being caught admiring your form.

“I have seen scars before, and yours are hardly what one would qualify as ghastly ,especially considering the body they find themselves etched into existence on. I am merely curious as to their origin, each body tells a story after all,” he says following closely behind you.

“And what is my story” you ask, spinning around to face him.

“That your careless, ” he begins, watching as your eyes caution him “but only for those you are willing to risk your life for”

“Interesting,” you say, running your tongue along the cusps of your teeth, turning and walking on ahead, his eyes following you, feet doing the same.

“Am I right” he asked, more curious than ever. You shrug your shoulder annoying him slightly, not accustomed to your lack of openness.

“And your scars?” you question stopping to smell a lilac bush, he watches as the fabric dips low enough to reveal your chest.

“I have none, I am not careless,” he says, eyes on your newly exposed flesh, you snap your eyes to him “do not mistake my tone, you are a strong adversary, but you take unnecessary risks.” He states.

“Yet here I am,” you say standing up crossing your arms over your chest.

“Yet here you are,” he says, taking continuous steps to you until the space between you both is closed. He’s staring down at you, both hearts beating fast. You raise your gaze to meet his, momentarily lost in his eyes, forgetting your train of thought for a moment.

“I...I will help find your niece,” you sputter out, quickly turning your back to him.

“I am pleased to hear that,” he says letting out a quick sigh at having missed an opportunity to envelop you in his arms and bring you back to his chambers.

“Goodnight prince Oberyn,” you say, not looking back as you begin the path back to your room, your head filled with his image despite your persistent attempts to expel him from your mind.

“Goodnight Lady Stark, or whoever you wish me to believe you to be,” he calls back, watching as you disappear from view.

[ddarker-dreams]

🎀 scarlet ribbons.

ITS SELF INDULGENT FRIDAY BOIS !! time for scarlet ribbons headcanons that i’ve been working on in between commissions, this is essentially just a reverse harem ...  there’s no yandere here for once, just some vibes... click here for an explanation ! the reader described here is the same in all the scenarios. i’m using she/her pronouns for this reader.

Bruno Bucciarati;

He forms a special kind of attachment to you, seeing as you’ll be the second person to join his team. You won over his compassionate heart, preventing a much crueler fate. As a foreign exchange student, you had taken out a loan with Passione to complete your education. The problem is, the egregious amount of interest being too much for you to pay back on time. Bucciarati had been ordered to collect your debt. Instead of following through with his orders, he used his favor with Polpo to let you pay back your debt by working for Passione under his leadership.

Appreciates the dynamic and resolve you bring to the group. While he tries his best not to show favoritism to any members of his team, you’re someone he always looks out for extra much. Not because he thinks of you incapable, but because his care for you runs deep after knowing you for years. He’s definitely going to catch onto the others holding similar feelings for you though.

Acts a bit different towards you in one on one scenarios, versus when the others are around. He’s more relaxed when it’s only the two of you, speaking of matters not relating to work and checking up on your well being. Bruno realizes he could listen to you for hours, enjoying your unique perspective. He also finds your foreign accent endearing, and has mentioned it to see how you blush at the compliment.

Super sweet with you, always has looked out for your best interest. He’s your go to when you feel stressed about your situation, providing the support you need, since he’s the only person aware of your circumstances. Bruno is reassuring, helping you in the moments the debt to the organization feels impossible to overcome. He’s offered to help pay for part of it, but you always refuse, feeling grateful enough to him as is. It pains him to see you hurting, but he does anything he can to make you feel better. Always pays for your meals though, no matter how much you raise a fuss about it. 

Giorno Giovanna;

There’s a certain warmth in you that he wasn’t sure what to think of at first. Giorno is an astute individual, making observations from afar, watching you joking and smiling with the rest of the team. He eventually comes to the conclusion that your presence fills his stomach with butterflies, seeing your more lighthearted approach to life. There’s something intoxicating about it, and he’ll jump for any opportunity to spend time with you much to the annoyance of everyone else, they already had enough competition wtf.

He’s a coy little shit at times. Giorno sees how the others look at you, especially how obvious Narancia and Mista are. When they get defensive over how much Giorno is talking to you, he’ll just flash a faux innocent smile and ask what the problem with it is. It’s more effective on Narancia, who just ends up sputtering before slinking away in defeat. Mista can kinda deflect the accusation better, though there’s still a blush on his face. Giorno knows what he’s doing lmaoo

It infuriates Abbacchio how obvious he is with you, like, the audacity of this man. Just swinging into Bucciarati’s team, trying to woo you away. Giorno is always asking for your opinion on how to proceed with certain things, even if his mind has already been made up. Anything just to talk to you. Most likely going to receive Abbacchio’s scorn the most for this, especially since Giorno will lean closer to you when you’re answering his questions. Giorno is just going :) , meanwhile Narancia is furiously taking notes. (”Okay, so if I ask [First] about this, I have an excuse to get closer to her...!)

He did strongly in school, maybe not as well as Fugo but is definitely academically gifted. So that means when he enters the picture, Fugo has some Competition for the English speaking buddy role. Giorno can understand most simple phrases and is capable of following the conversation, occasionally interjecting when he feels confident enough. Fugo might try and make his conversations with you more complicated because of this, since he’s petty and wants all your attention. You’re meant to be his English speaking buddy >:( !!

To be honest, Giorno’s not really sure what he’s doing, despite the suave impression he gives. Giorno has charisma, sure, but this is all very new to him. He’s still learning as he goes, and pays very close attention to how everyone else interacts with you. Anything to see your preferences, so he can use it to his advantage later. Has a large mental file on you, that comes in handy. He isn’t so much flirty, but more seeking out your company and thoughts on things.

Guido Mista;

Poor Mista almost friendzones himself in a way... he doesn’t mean to, but he wants to warm up to you in his own way!! And that way is through joking around and a lot of “friendly” banter. The friendly banter is more like thinly veiled flirting. He tries so hard to act cool and mysterious around you, like a Clint Eastwood character. Ends up being super goofy, though it works in his favor since he gets to see your cute smile!!! Victory!! 

Mista has no shame. He’ll show up outside your apartment, food in hand, saying he wants to come over and hang. He even lets you pick the movie if that’s what you want to do!! A true honor, since Mista is willing to sit through stuff he wouldn’t normally be interested in all for the sake of winning you over. <33 

Probably tied with Narancia for the most Unfortunate Mishaps to occur when attempting to woo you. Some favorites include, but are not limited to: when he tried giving you flowers but they kept making him sneeze, that time he was leaning against your door frame and fell over, and basically anything that happens when the Pistols come out. They wanna be his lil wing men, but they keep screwing him over... :< 

“[First]!! [First]!! We’re bored, come hang out with us instead!!!!” You’ll end up with a flurry of Pistols swirling around you very often, putting Mista’s affection for you on full display. It irritates Fugo the most, he almost wants to smack them away like they’re flies lmao. They might start sweatin’ when they see Fugo’s eyebrow twitch, the Stand often interrupting your conversations with the blonde. Mista tests his patience for sure. 

Pannacotta Fugo;

A bit of a typical tsun towards you at first. He’s all acting high and mighty, huffing about the newest member of the team not being as bright as him. In reality he just thinks you’re vvv cute, and doesn’t know how to process it. You greet him and his brain just kinda short circuits, and he gives a standoffish insult before running off to hide his blush. Bruno would find it endearing if not for his feelings for you lmao.

How he gets over this initial stump at the start of your relationship is by acting like you need his help. Especially if you stumble over any Italian words, namely Naples lingo being more difficult to master. He takes it upon himself to help you out... in reality he just really wants to spend more time with you. Also, seeing you stumble over words is precious, he tries not to tease you about it though. Does occasionally...

You end up being roommate at the start!!! To save money, but it’s whatever, who cares about the practical reasoning behind it. What matters is that he gets to spend even more time with you than the others. The problem is that Narancia and Mista make a point to come by often, which he finds to be very irritating. They even crash at your shared apartment at times, but because of how messy they are, don’t get an invitation to live permanently. Fugo is smug about how you picked him due to his cleanliness >:)c

English speaking buddies !! He might not be fluent in it, but he’s better at it than everyone else. Also a lot more capable of learning it, just for the sake of impressing you. Gets this very pleased look on his face when you two speak in simple English, Narancia staring over, pouting for being left out. It’s like a special connection or something, not that Fugo would ever admit to saying that to you. He’s flexing his academic muscles. 

Narancia Ghirgha;

Anyone could look over at Narancia and see his huge heart eyes for you. You like the same foreign music as him!! You can speak another language!! He wants to learn English from you, and keeps asking. Sometimes butchers the pronunciation but god it’s so cute who cares. Teach Narancia one phrase and he’s gonna be saying it nonstop for the rest of the week. Fugo, the only other member to understand English on a decent level until GioGio, is gonna be miserable whenever this happens. That’s his thing with you! Why can’t Narancia get something else, smh ...

If you recommend him a song he will not stop listening to it. Also expect a lot of discussions about different artists, mostly hip hop ones when Narancia is leading the conversation. He thinks it’s so cool you understand what they’re saying!! Is gonna ask you to translate them a lot. He kinda just stares at you, mouth agape when you’re singing along, like woah!! His crush is so talented. 

His most treasured moments with you, is when you recommend one another music, and share headphones. Sometimes you just bob your head to the rhythm, or sing along. Whatever the case, he gets to be close to you, and his brain is practically turning to mush at the fact your thighs are touching. 

Fugo did him dirty once in the past. Before Narancia realized he had Competition for your affections, he went to Fugo, asking how to compliment you in English. He should’ve known by how Fugo was staring at him with the most malicious smirk that he made a mistake. The next day, when meeting up at Libeccio, he came up to you. Chest puffed out, proud after a night of practicing his phrase. Then proceeded to say to you in English, “I am a fucking idiot!!!!” looking all smiley and excited. Needless to say, you almost spit out your food and laughed about it for a long time. Narancia has been planning his revenge on Fugo ever since...

Narancia follows you around like a lost puppy at times, but he’s a lot of fun to hang out around!! He’ll buy you gelato, and even lets you have a bite of his food if you ask. No one else has this special privilege. There is a time you offered to let him try a sip of your drink, and he almost melted. All his brain could think of is, indirect kiss, indirect kiss!!!! One of the best moments of his life tbh. 

Leone Abbacchio;

Abbacchio put a lot of effort into distancing himself from you. Why do you smile so much?? It makes him uncomfortable being around you, someone who is basically sunshine stuffed into a human body. It reminds him of all his shortcomings, which he feels he has no shortage of. But when you make the initially irritating decision to keep speaking to him, only giving space when you felt he really needed it, it won over his little grinch heart. 

He’s been wrapped around your finger ever since. Unlike the other bumbling buffoons who are tripping over themselves to get an ounce of your attention, he plays it cool. More of a Bucciarati approach to things. Asking about your interests, letting you do most of the talking so he has no chance to embarrass himself (like *cough* Narancia *cough*).

Next to Fugo, is most likely to call other members out on their nonsense. He wouldn’t dare do so for Bruno, but everyone else is fair game. The main victim to this treatment is Giorno. Abbacchio might even offer some “advice” to him, giving false information all under the guise of assisting Giorno’s pursuit of you. He takes a more hands off approach on everyone else. 

He doesn’t want to invite you over to his place because of how dreary it is, so he has to find other ways to get one on one time with you. This mostly happens by talking about things no one else finds of interest to you, namely makeup or other fashion things. 

You are the only person who gets to call him any nicknames, the one you lean towards typically being Abba. Narancia once made a mistake of calling him this, only to earn a very threatening glare. When you do it though, he has to push down the urge to smile. How cute!! 

Trish Una;

Gay rights time . Trish looks at you and immediately thinks wow, perfect girlfriend material right there. Still acts a bit reserved at first, considering her complex situation and how she’s still piecing it all together in her heard. Since you’re the only other girl on the team, she gets the benefit of Bucciarati assigning you to be extra close to her. All according to plan heheh >:) 

When she flirts, she goes all in. Asking about what kind of perfume you wear, your favorite shade of lipstick, what kind of outfits you like the most. All of it is under the pretense of getting to know you better, and while she does enjoy that aspect of it, she might start adopting some of the things you find appealing. She is 100% gonna ask to borrow your shirts and makeup, and extends the same offer to you. 

Trish is far more playful with you than the others, who all just kinda stare at the interactions like ??? When you were her bodyguard, she always subconsciously went to sit down next to you. No one else on the team can say anything, since she’s the boss’ daughter after all !! She considered you more of a distraction from her anxiety inducing situation at first, seeing as you had shared interests to speak about. Over time, your doting nature over her won out. 

Would be pissed if you ever got hurt trying to defend her. You might joke around about how you’re her bodyguard, not the other way around. Trish just can’t bear the thought of losing someone important to her, after all she’s already lost. 

Her phone background is a selfie the two of you took, even after she eventually distances herself from Passione to advance her singing career. Expect lots of texts messages, checking up on how you’re doing!! Trish unfortunately has a busy schedule, that requires a lot of traveling for her concerts and other bookings. Though anytime she is near Naples, she’s messaging you and asking to meet up. <33 

[mae-gi-writes]

The King's Orders - Min Yoongi/Suga (BTS Imagine

Synopsis: in which Highess Min Yoongi suddenly confesses to his Second In Command, Kim Yuna.

Word count: 2K

Genre: Fluff, makeout sesh ooph

---------

I pull back just in time to avoid Min Yoongi's sword that slices through thin air. It's made out of carved wood and wouldn't have done any damage apart from causing a few bruises, but that doesn't mean it doesn't sting like a bitch.

He skids over to the other side and re-aligns himself in that perfect, combat stance he's so used to. I stand there leisurely on the opposite side, one hand resting at my hip and my own wooden sword cradled at my side.

"I don't understand," I murmur, the words carried over to him as the wind blows through my hair in a gentle caress.

His scowl, presently etched onto his face, deepens even more if that's possible, "there's nothing to understand," he spits back with such vigour that I would've flinched if I was anyone else, "I don't want her."

But I stand up straighter, "you need her to keep your peace," I hiss.

"Not like this," he charges at me again, swinging his sword over in a swift movement. But I block it in time and our weapons clatter against each other with such force that I feel its vibrations shoot up my arms. Yoongi's eyes are dark, narrowed with ferocity as he breathes out, "I swore to myself that I wouldn't marry out of honour, or pity, or convenience. I can sacrifice many things, Yuna. But not this, not my happiness."

"There's another word for that, back where I come from," I reply with sarcasm dripping from my tone as I narrowly avoid his kick, blocking it halfway to my abdomen. I grip his leg and swiftly throw him off, causing the said raven-haired man to tumble to the ground.

I stand over him, grinning, "it's called 'coward'."

Yoongi's scowl turn into a full out glare, and before I know it, he has jumped to his feet and is jabbing at me once more, his body as light as a feather as we dance around each other in a series of fists and flying limbs. He's faster than I am, with more power driven through his movements. But I know him, anticipate him and can read him like any other. So I dodge and duck and just make a fool out of him as he keeps trying to catch me off-guard.

"So what?" I ask, blocking his punch and swinging an uppercut to his stomach. He grunts in pain and I jump back when his other arm jabs at my face, "are you going to sacrifice your soldiers, go in a full-out war just because you don't want to marry her?"

"Last I heard, I don't think you had a say in what I can or can't do."

I punch, he jumps back and throws a roundhouse kick. I duck and scamper over the floor before jumping onto his back, causing him to yelp in surprise, "and last I heard, all these decisions weren't about you, but about what's best for your people—"

Yoongi throws us both to the ground and I roll, but not quickly enough, for he makes a grab for my arms and pin them above my head, legs straddling my thighs and leaning over to press his entire weight on my body so that there was no attempt of escape. Though I try to throw him off, his grip is tight and hard, unrelenting. My eyes wander up to catch the intense emotion swirling through his dark orbs and something inside me coils in a tight, anxious knot.

As Yoongi's first in command, I had always been by his side, good or bad, thick or thin, happy or sad. It didn't matter, I saw it all, I saw what he could do and how much he could take. My father, who had been a chief commander of the Royal Highness back before Yoongi's dad had retired, had been killed during the last war with the Kangs Dynasty and thus, his Royal Highness had placed Yoongi into my care, for while I was a girl, I had inherited my father's superb fighting skills, skills that couldn't go unnoticed.

Not that I was complaining. I'd rather beat a thousand thugs than sit around drinking tea and discussing the latest gossip happening around town.

So it's an understatement to say that I know exactly what Yoongi is feeling at this exact moment. I can feel his torment, the agitation boiling through his blood. He's restless, had been pacing around for the past few days. In order to end the feud between the Min and the Kang Dynasty, the only solution was a unison of power, and that meant a marriage contract between his Royal Highness Min and the Kang Heiress. It was a pact that Highness Kang had been more than happy to oblige to, but Yoongi's attitude towards the matter had been far from pleasant, albeit the fact that he knows a refusal will lead to a full-out war.

And while I consider myself a pretty decent fighter — one fo the best— I'd be lying to myself to say that the Kang's army are an easy defeat. They're not, and Yoongi knows it just as much.

"For once," Yoongi's breath is staggered, chest heaving as his eyes lock on my own, "for just once in my life, Yuna, I want to choose something because I can. Not because I have to."

"You know that's only going to bring misery," I snap back while trying to ignore the fury of butterflies that suddenly erupt through my chest when he leans in closer, breath washing over my face in a tantalizing manner that causes warmth to burst through my cheeks.

Min Yoongi has a charisma, a charm that's beyond any comprehension. He's a born leader, a true king bound by blood. But his heart, it's made of gold, and no one can deny that. Under all that snide, cold-hearted appearance lives a man who fears trusting people and who has spent his life figuring out if others like him because of his money, his heritage, or just because they like him.

And I guess that's why we're so close. Because I don't want anything from him.

"Yoongi, just think about it. If you marry her, you'd be saving millions of lives—"

"I don't love her," he snaps, "I want nothing to do with her. She's bland and boring and just too perfect."

"Give her a chance," I insist, searching for understanding on his face, "who knows, maybe she'll make you happy, maybe she'll turn out to be exactly like—"

"I don't want her."

"Yoongi—"

"Just—please," his head comes to a rest against my neck then, tired out by our incessant arguing. His breaths are warm, colliding with my skin in the most enticing way that I have to gulp at the closeness, "please don't say that."

"Say what?" I struggle to keep my thoughts coherent when the said man is so close and practically pressing his entire frame against mine.

It is no secret amongst the guards that I might harbour a few unrequited feelings with his highness himself but there had never been any good reason for me to act upon them. It just can't happen. I'm a guard and he's a king. It's never going to work. But with him practically invading my personal space and breathing the same air as I am, it's making my head spin with unnecessary thoughts that cause my blood to pump with sudden adrenaline.

"Say that she'll be good for me," Yoongi's lips are practically brushing against the crook of my neck at this point, and tingles shoot down my spine, "she's not what I want, I don't even know her—"

"Well," I try to croak out weakly, "maybe you two can get to know each other—"

"You're not even listening me."

"I am! But it's just—"

"I don't want her."

"You're so pessimistic—" the words die in my throat the moment I feel the softest flutter of lips over the skin at my neck. I swallow thickly, blinking up at the sky that is now blazing in a fiery orange degrading into soft midnight blues.

What in the world does he think he's doing?

"Y—Yoongi?" I breathe, unsure whether I should say more. Did he just—

I feel it again. Another softest pressure of lips against my neck, closer to my jaw this time. I tense up automatically, arms trying to entangle themselves from his grip, but he only tightens his hold.

"Yoongi—"

All attempts of escape seem futile when the man starts a slow path of warm pecks up the curve of my neck, ghosting over my jaw, each kiss leaving hot trails of warmth in their wake. Tingles shoot up and down my spine at the contact. Unconsciously, my back arches into him and as a response his body just slides in-between my legs, causing a soft gasp to fall from my lips.

His mouth then moves to my jaw, pressing kiss after kiss that causes my heart to stutter and pause as though it's a car that can't function properly, as though the rest of the world has fallen away with only Yoongi and I left. For a moment, if I close my eyes for long enough, I can imagine that he's mine and just mine.

When he finally pulls back far enough to look into my eyes, I'm surprised at the tenderness I find lingering in those inky pools of black, mixed in with a passion that causes another wave of butterflies to erupt through my chest.

"I don't want her," he murmurs for the third time, voice hoarse and so deep that it takes a moment for my brain to register what he's saying, "I want you." 

The next thing I know, his lips are crashing down onto mine.

He cuts off any responding words lingering on the edge of my tongue, cupping my mouth with his in such a passionate embrace that I almost forget how to breathe. I kiss back after a slight beat of hesitation and a purr resounds from his throat, before his mouth latches onto mine and practically sweeps me off my feet. His hands slowly slide down, one of them cupping my face to gain more access, slanting his lips more intimately against mine, while his other hand trails down to wrap around my waist in a way that would've made any decent lady blush. 

Nevermind that we're in the middle of the training grounds and visible to any outsider eye, nevermind that we're both sweaty and lying in dirt as we kiss and move against each other like fish gliding through water. Nothing matters in this moment, except for Yoongi's lips and the fire that's slowly building inside my stomach as my arms wrap around his neck to pull him even closer. 

His tongue flickers out then, the tiniest movement against my lips which I instantly part for him in a silent gasp,  his hand at my hip squeezing in anticipation while his wet muscle slowly induces mine in a soft, sensual massage that only causes me to moan softly without meaning to. My hands unconsciously tightening their hold, I allow my fingers to trail up, tugging at his locks. Yoongi grunts in response, shifting even closer so that we're separated by nothing but the lightest layer of clothes.

When we finally break apart, I take this chance to gasp for air and regain my breathing, mind still reeling from our earlier contact as I feel Yoongi's mouth travel over my jaw and pepper it with soft kisses that causes desire to curl through my chest.

"Yoongi," I manage to breathe out in-between his littering of kisses that find their way down my neck, "what are--what are we doing?"

He lets out a small grunt, before he lifts his head and gazes at me through heavy eyelids filled with desire, "what we should've done ages ago."

I stare at him. My mouth opens, then closes when I realize my brain is trying to piece together any form of coherence. Though that seems to be useless in duch a situation.

I'm so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I barely notice Yoongi's hand reaching out to trail his thumb over my cheekbone. My eyes lift to find his swirling with a tenderness, a fragile sort of affection, one that makes my heart squeeze in delight.

"I--We can't," I say weakly, though my heart is screaming at me in indignance.

"I know," he presses his lips together for a moment, pinning me down with those dark eyes, "but I'm done playing King. I'm telling you this, as Min Yoongi. I want you, no one else."

[shyeehaw]

Van der Linde Gang in College

Choice of degrees HCs

Dutch: Politics degree. He has the charisma and is well spoken. I would vote for Dutch! He’s dynamic and would succeed in the versatile politic setting, also many times he used his voice to motivate others. Although we don’t know if he would follow his Robin Hood days or will weight more to the outlaw side. Let’s just hope this time his plans actually work, for the greater good.

Hosea: he strikes me as a dedicated person to his studies. Calm and precise he would be a good architect. A visceral job like this would give Hosea a sense of fulfillment, his projects would actually impact in the life of many others.

Arthur: He would be one of those students that even when it’s midway through his course would doubt if that’s really what he wanted. I can see Arthur being torn between veterinary medicine or a design degree. At the same time he is excited to learn all about different species, he fears that his connection to animals might not be enough for him. Albert Mason would be his classmate in some classes, and so would Kieran. With a design degree he would feel more fulfilled as he would be able to create not only for him , but to the other’s benefits as well.

John: He lived a tough life and grew up on the streets, John knew exactly how the bad side was and he never wanted to get back at doing those things. When time came, he didn’t wanted to spend years of his life with his nose on a book, he found pointless to just memorize things that other people already knew. He wanted to actually do something meaningful. He got a spot at the police’s academy. Training for years in the hope of someday avoiding young kids fall in that kind of life he had before.

Abigail: She convinced John to live a decent life didn’t she? He woke up early every day to mend fences until his back was about to snap in two. Highly persuasive with her sweet words, she would do just fine with a marketing degree. Abigail has the right proactive attitude that this profession needs.

Bill: People never let him forget how bad he is with words. But he is actually pretty smart with numbers. What a waste would he be locked away in a room doing just that. Bill would prosper with a agriculture degree, with which he would be able both to work in the field using his strength, getting his hands dirty and using his natural aptitude for mathematics.

Javier: Fashion degree! Javier is very versatile and just like Arthur he second guessed his choice. He ended up picking a history degree in mexican culture, a way he founded to keep the love for his homeland always burning. He would be an active member of the political debates groups and be responsible for organizing collective acts to help improve life in Mexico countryside. He is a very engaged student. In his spare time, he will attend to music workshops.

Micah: In which field almost anything is valid? Where the competition is always ferocious? What’s the modern translation of a merciless lifestyle? Micah would have a degree in business and management. A title he got from his father, Micah was a prospect to inherit a big company built on blood and secrets. What could suit him better than being able to be rude to everyone “under” him without any consequences? He never cared for it before, and his not going to start now when his about to be CEO.

Lenny: This sweet boy wants a job that will allow him to help people but without having their lives at his hands. Lenny is hard-working and focused, so he would end up getting an English degree, in hopes to someday become a teacher. He is patient, kind and funny. The type of teacher he wish he had when going through college.

Charles: He is a deep and compassionate person, and I can see him choosing an physiotherapy degree. At first he thought about a psychology one, but being and introvert and sometimes finding being around new people too draining, he choose the next good thing to help others. He’s strength helps him lift his patients and aid them to do their exercises. It’s a long process that he finds so rewarding when it’s done. Being able to notice other’s improvement makes him genuinely happy.

Sean: All right, he will admit that he just needed to enter in a course, any course really. All his energy made a lot of degrees impossible, even game design, one of his options, required a level of attention he didn’t had. For some weeks, he even enrolled in a P.E course but the brodudes had their own little posse, and didn’t liked Sean, making fun of his jokes and skinny body. He found himself in the audiovisual communication course. Initially it was all a part of his plan to take over YouTube with his gaming videos, but slowly he started getting interested in experimental techniques, being able to go as crazy as he liked. People actually looked up to his carefree techniques.

Sadie: Sadie is not want to stay still and do boring stuff. With this in mind she kept seeking careers that would give her a sense of adventure and excitement. Archeology seemed good as any guess, she was lured by all the traveling she would get to do, but the job itself was too still. She then chose a crime scene investigation degree, solving those crimes and bringing closure to the victim’s family was something that kept Sadie going. Never a boring day at work, always something new to uncover.

Karen: A body positive queen, Karen pursued a esthetician’s degree. She is great at making people comfortable on their own skin, always looking forward to make young girls embrace their natural beauty. Her bubbly, talkative personality won over the hearts of celebrities even when she was still an intern in training. That brought her a status of beauty guru on Instagram.

Tilly: Ambitious and diligent with her studies, it was written in the stars that Tilly would have a bright future. Her dedication paid of by earning her a spot in a prestigious medical school. She has many traits suitable for this profession. Empathic and understanding, she is leaning towards the pediatric specialization, but not only that, Tilly is practical and good under pressure, which makes her stand out among her classmates.

Mary-Beth: A life among books was all that Mary-Beth could dream of. But she also knew how difficult the publishing industry is. So not only she now studies creative writing improving her already natural skills, and flirting with new genres, she decided to get a degree in library sciences. A way to secure her financial independence and be surrounded by the things she loves the most. The work as an intern at the library is lovely, she gets to meet new people who shares the same interest at her and contribute so everyone gets access to books.

Mrs. Grimshaw: Let’s go ahead and admit that Susan likes to be in charge. He was not born to hear others telling her what to do. When choosing a degree, she kept that in mind. The one that she showed more interest was in people’s management and Human Resources. Where she could delegate all she wanted. But not only that, Susan likes to analyze who is better suited for each task. Great at reading people, she will do great in her field.

Molly: Oh, elegant and classy, Molly! Her sense of aesthetic is on point and that lead her to a life of famous trendsetter on the internet. But she thinks that’s not a real job, so, looking to put her good taste in things at a use, she ends up getting a degree in Jewelry design. Uniting her passion of expensive, beautiful things with artistic talent. 

Kieran: All he ever wanted to do with his life is to be around horses. They brought such peace and joy to Kieran that he knew his life would have to follow this path. He started pursuing a Large-Animal vet, with a minor in equestrian studies. It was even better than he imagined, he was fascinated by every aspect from animal nutrition to the actual care of horses. Being a responsible, calm person made a lot of his teachers very pleased.

Trelawny: Captivating and a social butterfly, Josiah had no doubts about looking for a career in communication. His charming personality was very suitable for a journalism degree. He knows his way around words and the most terrible news don’t sound as awful coming from the charismatic (future) anchorman. I wouldn’t mind having his face on my TV every night.

Pearson: Truth is didn’t mattered if he loved cooking for people, as people didn’t loved his food. He didn’t knew if was the improvising or just the plain lack of formal knowledge, he was never taught, just jumped on it. Tired of people giving the food piece by piece for the dog, Pearson pursued a degree in Gastronomy. Finally being able to dive deep in the dishes he was trying to master for years. Pearson is a simple, rustic man and most of the students gave him a hard time for him not being sophisticated enough. He doesn’t mind, at least his foods fills more than the gap of teeth, like theirs.

Swanson: He was kicked out of his theology course, never showed up sober. That’s it. Currently studying philosophy instead and actually enjoying himself. Orville has many thoughts that can be deepened by getting this degree. He looks forward to a get a minor in counseling though, to help others there were in the same place he was a few years ago.

[bettsfic]

Whaaaa have u finished s5?????!!!! THOUGHTS???

i mean overall, critically speaking, it was probably one of the best single seasons of any teen tv show i’ve ever watched. like top 10, up there somewhere with buffy s2. the plot was tightly wrought, most things that happened made sense (which is something i’ve learned to let slide with this show), and every character had a reasonable motivation for doing what they were doing. granted, the bar was painfully low after s3 and 4, but i think if i picked up this show at s5 without seeing any of the prior seasons i still would have loved it.

THAT SAID, because i have seen the rest of the series, some of the OOC elements bothered me. i only saw a few glimpses of clarke’s history as the great wanheda (that quick knife to niylah’s throat? NICE). i didn’t like that all of her motivation had been reduced to motherhood when we’ve seen her in the past as a leader and lover and fighter and healer. BUT i also really loved the clexa moments, which didn’t feel cheap at all to me, and made clarke’s relationship with madi much more interesting after several cringey moments of “i’m willing to torture you to protect you.” similarly i didn’t like that abby’s character was reduced to her addiction and that guided everything she did. i like addiction narratives, but only when they’re not a plot device, which this very much was.

conversely, i think bellamy became more complex somehow, and his arc made sense -- he had six years in space to think on shit, and that changes a person. he continues to be probably the only truly trustworthy character on the show (i mean trustworthy to the audience) because his sense of loyalty is consistent and overrides all other traits, and his conflict (like captain america’s) always involves the compromise of his loyalty. in the case of this season, the people he’d spent six years with, or his sister, who is only a shadow of the person she once was. bellamy remains one of my favorite television characters of all time. (also note, i LOVED his fight scenes this season -- i can’t tell if it’s bob or the choreographers but all of them were really beautifully done, and it was a refreshing change of pace to not see him constantly beaten down every other minute. his face was only bloodied in one episode all season!!). 

BELLARKE?? the bellarke moments were so good and so infuriating. as much as i appreciated them, i just kept thinking about what the show would be like if they’d gone canon at different points earlier on, and how that would make their relationship so complex. if they’d been together during praimfaya and bellamy spent six years thinking she was dead. if they had the same ride-or-die loyalty of monty and harper or the passion of murphy and emori, and how much more interesting that would make the show and the characters and -- well, i also firmly believe that any romance arc shouldn’t stretch over 5 seasons, so at this point it’s looking more like a gimmick to keep people watching, and i think if it were really confident in its quality, it wouldn’t need to use slow burn romantic tension to engage its audience. too much build-up ruins the breaking point, ya feel? five seasons is enough.

anyway. raven, sadly, never gets a character arc in order to let her either grow or shrink because, being the engineer, she’s always forced into a function of plot. in every season, her job is to move a machine from point A to B, and her obstacle is always physical torture. it’s a shame because i think lindsay’s performance is so good. i dug zeke’s character and their romance, though, so i hope to see more of that in s6. 

and murphy. wow. for the first time we get an actual internal arc. even if it’s as blunt and heavy-handed as a brick, murphy had no clear-cut external goal, and everything about his growth this season was his internal acceptance of usefulness and heroism. as i type this i’m seeing a pattern, though, because emori, despite having a very interesting potential arc as grounder-turned-engineering-apprentice, was reduced to a function of murphy’s self-realization. i would have liked more development for both characters, because i think they were really close to something epiphanic that never got fully formed and had the potential to advance the moral cornerstones of the story.

ugh, echo. fuck echo. i think the only way she could be redeemed to me is if she showed bellamy the same loyalty she had once shown roan, and bellamy, rather than turning that loyalty romantic, would have dismissed it as being forced and toxic and destructive, so echo would be forced to actually consider herself as an individual rather than a member of a unit. but everything about their relationship was so sloppily done, and i found myself looking away whenever she was on screen. (which is not at all about the performance, which, again, was stellar.)

monty and harper provided a fraction of a wider perspective toward fixing what i think is the ultimate problem of the show, which is that the writing seems grossly unaware of its own moral assumptions. and maybe i’m projecting because i recently got that same feedback from an author i really admire (and he was right) but i may have internalized it so much i see it in other things now. monty and harper provided a much-needed “we don’t have to participate in this, and there are other solutions to be found” pacifist perspective which really helped round-out the season and provided a breath of fresh air to an otherwise exhaustingly dark plot. 

diyoza? stellar. perfect. wonderful. 10/10. a competent, lawful neutral to act as a foil to octavia’s chaotic neutral leadership. i liked that she was pregnant, but i disliked that her motivation and mcreary’s weakness was reduced to their feelings about that pregnancy, so it felt like just a gimmick to manipulate the plot and tip the scales against mcreary. 

kane is always fab, but i’m biased because i think henry ian cusick is the second best actor on the show. i wish he was more coherent as a character. as it stands he’s just kind of silly putty that gets formed into whatever he needs to be. i would be SO HERE for a kane/diyoza/abby triangle (which i would turn into an OT3 immediately). the daddy vibes this season were great. 

one of the most understated characters has always been indra, played by the best actress on the show, adina porter. this season i really adored her relationship with gaia. i don’t think i’ve ever seen a mother/daughter relationship as formal and loving as theirs, and how it seamlessly encompassed their respective love/worship of octavia. they’re a good example of characters how further the plot but also get to be actual characters. idk why it’s so hard for this show to figure out the difference between plot devices and characters but it’s really hit or miss.

aaaaand then there’s octavia. i was pissed earlier in the season that jaha was killed off just for the sake of landing some leadership advice, because i really liked jaha’s character and (like many of the more competent characters who are put into the hands of incompetent writers [see: lexa]) thought he’d been poorly utilized the past 3 seasons. i don’t get why octavia was the leader at all?? like, kane, indra, abby, and jaha were all more qualified, and they were all in the bunker together. i think there was supposed to be some commentary on charisma and loyalty or something but it got lost in the heavy-handed “we do what it takes to survive” and “we pursue violence for peace” rhetoric that oversaturates the entire show because jroth can’t think of anything deeper or more meaningful to say about the complexity of being (and it’s what will probably get the show canceled in the next year or so -- no growth in moral reasoning = no new drama to be found). the only part that really sold me was octavia’s decision to shoot the people who refused to eat, even though i thought it was a dumb premise to begin with, because the flashback was well-placed and the performance was great, and it showed a genuine breaking point between octavia and blodreina. 

if i had written the season, there were a lot of things i would have done differently (we get this ominous shot of the worms that doesn’t amount to anything, and a twist ending that felt cheap even if it was emotionally compelling), but in comparison to the prior seasons, i commended this season on not pulling its punches on the practical details like it’s always done (clarke eating windshield bugs to survive), threading in the consequences and details from all the prior seasons and the show’s own canon (abby using The Blight to motivate octavia into forcing everyone to eat), and overall slowing the fuck down (the entire season leads up to one [1] battle). 

i don’t think the show will ever fully recover from lexa’s death, which decimated its fanbase and lost trust in the writing, but s5 put up a decent mulligan of s4 to wrangle the juvenile moral quandaries the show attempts to assert. if s6 can advance the philosophical implications of its own world, lose the “our people” bullshit jargon, and focus on the fucking characters which is the only reason anyone watches the damn show, then i think it could really be up there with the other cult faves like buffy and star trek and supernatural. 

[mulansays]

Hello, my dear readers! 

So, I’ve been a little missing in action this week, haven’t I? Well, I can’t say much on the topic without losing my job... Let’s just say, there may or may not be a debut in the works for a few of the kids at the company I work for. This means I’m spread out fairly thin and working at weird hours of the night on minimal sleep, so please be patient with me as I try and balance my job and this blog!

Enough about me. It’s been almost a week since the MGA’s episode four, and boy do I have some things to say.

Let’s start with Team A as usual. I had mixed feelings about this team, mostly because I’ve never tried to hide my disliking of a certain member here. While he turned me off of the group, I still do especially enjoy the rest of the members! In the last episode, we really got to see Jinhee shine as a dancer and leader, but with this performance, I realized that her vocal ability is really average… I guess it’s okay because she’s such an extraordinary dancer. I was shocked with her wig though; was she trying to be Hannah Montana or something? It was kind of lame. If you’re going to go for pink hair, commit to it like Junmyeon and Jonghyun did instead of doing some odd wig show. I’ll be honest, a lot of this team didn’t leave an impression on me, which is sad because last week I mentioned how amazed I was by Jeno and Hyunjin’s dancing. There was nothing special about the choreography. I have to say though, Hyunjin articulates very maturely for such a young kid. His speech inspired me, and if he were to grow older and join an idol group, that’s some leader-worthy pep talks right there. He also pulled off a tough rap decently, so I think I like this kid. I was relieved when Jeno was eliminated rather than him (sorry, Lee Jeno!) I thought Jonghyun should have been the one to go home instead, but I’m not exactly going to she tears over the decision.

Team B was… such a mess. While Guanlin was cute with his heavy accent, he impressed me with how much his pronunciation while rapping had improved. It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly better than before (and maybe even better than my Korean had been within the first few months of moving here).  Kim Bora really deserved the leader title here, and I hate this whole “leaders can’t be repeated” because obviously, if you appoint someone who’s unfit to lead, your team is screwed. God, my blood has never boiled more than when I saw Junhoe’s attitude. Being a group leader is no joke, but he treated it as if it didn’t matter? I wanted to slap him and send him off the show. When you’re an idol, you can’t act like that, especially in the public eye. There’s a fine line between being mysterious and being a dick, and he crossed that by miles. I’m happy Bora whipped him into shape, but even then, to me it felt like he was trying to have all the spotlight. Besides that, I felt bad for Donghyun and I hope his foot is okay. He really can’t dance though, so thank God they did an easier choreography (yet he still managed to mess that up but whatever). Oh, I almost forgot to mention Wonwoo LOL! Seriously, he got no screen time and he has negative stage presence, so can you blame me? I was hoping for him to get eliminated this week, but then this team ranked 3rd… I was disappointed. I don’t think that weak performance deserved to rank that high. The song choice was fun though.

Team C… Okay, this is going to sound real bitchy, but like, has anyone else noticed how weirdly Yoongi talks? It stuns me every time, and I know it’s not his fault, but sometimes I just want to plug my ears when he opens his mouth. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to see him evolve from an awkward guy begging Hyuna for help, to a proper leader. Though, she carried him through it like a baby, but still, he was standing on his own two legs by the end. Speaking of Hyuna, can she just stick to rapping instead of mediocre singing? I know people were freaking out about it but she’s really just… LOL. I’m really glad Minhyung got eliminated this week. Compared to the rest of his team, he’s so lacking, and I hate using age as an excuse, but he was too young and immature to be in the competition. There are others around the same age, but they have mental maturity, whereas this kid runs out when he gets frustrated? He would never last long in the industry with that mindset. I hope he fixes that before trying again. Other than that, you know I just have to comment on Kim Doyeon. She looks like a natural on stage, and she really has it all: a pretty face, perfect proportions, charisma, vocal ability, and she’s a good dancer. Share that, please, Doyeon? As for Moon Bin, I think he deserved more screen time. Maybe he’s just boring, I don’t know, but I was sad. He has a lovely voice and stage presence. MNET, do the kid some justice!

You guys probably know that one of my least favourite contestants was in Team D. Yes, I’m talking about Minatozaki Sana, and this episode really didn’t give her a redemption arc in my heart. She still has an attitude about losing out to someone else on her team and doesn’t even try to hide it. It just makes the whole team atmosphere feel awkward when she sulks, and it made me uncomfortable to watch. Even when Haknyeon tried to cheer up (so sweet, by the way, and was he flirting a little or am I imagining things?) she was so… I don’t want to dislike her. Sana is a good dancer, but she just feels really fake and bratty. Pfft, and MNET tried to edit Yerim to have that personality but they edit Sana so you feel bad for her. I won’t be fooled though. This team also had another case of poor leadership. Jungkook had the title, but he treated it exactly like that—as if it was only a title and didn’t hold any responsibility. I’m pretty sure I said this last time, too, but he has no stage presence whatsoever! As a dancer, that’s so vital, and it’s probably the biggest flaw to have. I wasn’t surprised to see him eliminated. Oh, and Choi Youngjae… He’s such a good vocalist, but he can’t dance, so I wonder why the team chose such a dance-centered song. On a happier note, Longguo’s cat is so cute. Him and Haknyeon being cat ladies made me smile because it’s so relatable and their friendship is adorable. I really like Joo Haknyeon. He’s a flower, quite fitting with the concept. Not only was he a sweetheart to every contestant on the team, but he also gave his best. Even though his nose bled, he kept practicing by himself to make sure his performance was perfect. I’m amazed.

I don’t really have much to say about Team E. They barely had any screen time. There wasn’t anything memorable from these participants (whether scandalous or not), despite the fact that they chose such a powerful song. Maybe that’s where they went wrong. Choi Yoojung danced and rapped well, Kyungri held her own while dancing and singing. Lee Luda was really naive at the beginning, thinking the dance would be easy. At least she wasn’t the worst dancer in the group though—I think she’s rather average, enough to blend in. Plus, she doesn’t need to dance when she can sing like a goddess. Taehyung was really lacking. He was an okay leader, but all he can do is rap. His dancing was atrocious; why did he agree to such a hard choreography anyways? Personally, I think he should have been eliminated instead of Juyeon, because out of everyone, Juyeon was the most well balanced in every aspect. I’m sad to see him go, and I wish him the best of luck.

Can we just talk about Team F’s introduction? Ha Sungwoon called himself “bananappa” and that made me cringe so hard. Was he on crack? LOL kidding, but seriously. That’s so weird. His nickname aside, I think he made a really good leader. The thing with Sungwoon is that he really supplied a positive atmosphere with the group. Watching their interactions, you could see they were genuinely happy and friendly, whether they were practicing or not. It was quite refreshing, really, which I guess is why they gave themselves the name “Fresh and Fruity” or whatever it was. I’d like to see this group of people debut together, in all honesty. They have a good balance: Sungwoon as the main vocal and leader, Mingyu as the main rapper, Jinsoul and Yerim as lead vocals and dancers. It’s also a perfect ratio of females to males, so they could be kind of like the co-ed group KARD? Anyways, there’s not much to say about them because they were so good and I really enjoyed the performance (another story within a choreography, Sungwoon seems to be good at that). I definitely think they could have been third place; I don’t know what’s wrong with the CEO’s. The dance to Shine isn’t all that hard. Rather than being a good dancer, you just need charisma to pull off the trendy moves in the chorus, and everyone in this team (especially Jinsoul) have enough. Shout out to Yerim, though, who MNET decided not to evil edit this time, instead cutting her out completely. We see you and your hard work. All in all, I thought this team was doomed since Lee Minhyuk pulled out of the competition last minute (you’re really going to let your group members down? Okay), but they did well.

Buckle in for the wild ride that Team G will take you on. I really wasn’t ready. So, there’s an obvious elephant in the room: Lee Sungyeol. In my last post, I talked about how I thought he was too old to be an idol now, and I still stand by it. If anything, this episode only solidified my opinion. Really, what kind of an aspiring idol has a fucking kid? And he so shamelessly showed it off on television for the whole nation to see. Has anyone ever seen an idol that’s freshly debuted, have a toddler? It’s insane! If you have one, at least try to hide it. Already, his age sets him apart from everyone else, along with his lack of skill (Sungyeol is an average singer at best, he can’t dance, and he barely has stage presence). But like, dude, you really want to pursue a career as an idol when you have a kid to take care of? You’ll have no time for the kid, will barely see them, and idols don’t exactly make the most money unless you hit it big, which he definitely can’t do. You need a steady, reliable source of income or else your kid will suffer. Kick him out of the show already!

Now, we’ll tackle the next problem of this team: Kim Chungha. I was really rooting for her, but she’s not much different from Sungyeol. She so blatantly exposed her relationship with Koo Junhoe, as if she wanted to brag? I know she was crying and all, but at least call a female friend and vent! Or if it’s a male, let it be someone who’s not a contestant! Or vent away from the cameras—this is ridiculous. I’ve never been so speechless. And all this after seeing Junhoe’s slacking off makes me wonder, was he late because he was fucking Chungha in the bathroom or something? LOL! They both lost my support. Soojin was my favourite leader out of this episode; she showed dedication to helping Sicheng with his vocals, while still keeping it light and fun. She can dance and sing as well, which we all know I love a woman with many talents. Sicheng was a really good dancer as usual, and Somi too (both their vocals are still lacking though so I hope they work on that). The performance was good overall, so I’m okay with them ranking second. By them, I mean Sicheng, Somi, and Soojin: the three S’s. The other two are such a big NO from me.

I can’t dwell too much on Team H. Not only am I exhausted and sleep deprived, but my heart broke with this team (I think you guys know why). Yongsun seemed to be a really good leader. She’s very funny and likable, not afraid to make a joke out of her weakness in dancing. Plus, she’s one of the best female vocalists on this show. Her and Daniel dancing together was hilarious, I have to admit. They have good chemistry as, like, the Beagle Line of a group. I was also surprised that everyone on this team can play instruments? It’s a coincidence you don’t really expect, and the fact that they utilized this surprise is so surreal to me. I don’t know why. I think it’s because I have a thing for bassists and Kang Daniel plays the bass (what fate is this)? And the bass line for Deja Vu is so sensual—control yourself, Naomi! Can you imagine my reaction to Hyunjung and Daniel acting all cute and flustered together like some puppy love? I almost cried. Almost. Maybe if I learn to play an instrument he will love me too? No hard feelings though, Hyunjung. You’re too talented for me to hate, and you’re pretty. If you make Kang Daniel smile and I get to see that smile, that’s all that matters. Anyways lol that hug and his blush. Wow, the kids on the MGA’s are really acting wild, aren’t they? I hope they all clean up their acts, or at least make it less obvious, by the time they become idols. Overall, this team’s performance was good and faintly reminiscent of H.A.M, so I believe they deserve their title as first ranked for this week. It was something new, something unexpected, something covertly sexy that I really enjoyed (rest in peace to Minho, though, who got no screen time despite killing the rap, the dance, and being super attractive).

I guess that’s all for now, guys! I’ll try not to be as late with my next post, though I can’t make any promises with how hectic work is at the moment. This was also fairly rushed, but I hope it was worthwhile! If not… Well, then, feel free to exit my blog. To those that enjoyed my thoughts, feel free to follow me on twitter @naomiwj and send in your reactions, opinions, and/or fangirl with me !!!

Thanks for reading, fellow netizens! See you next week!

♕ Naomi Wang ♕

[buzzworddotie]

Shnap Out of It! RDPR S10E08

Do you believe in life after Drag Race?

Yay another episode of Asia O'Haras Drag Race! This week we kick things off with a slapping challenge, loved it! It is so much fun seeing Ru really enjoying his time with the Queens, he's more like Ru from AS2 with these girls.

The slap off was hilarious, but obviously Asia stole the show with her over acted response to actually getting slapped by RuPaul. It was so funny and reminded me once again why I absolutely love Asia. She's the O'Hara I'm here for Season 10.

I thought the weakest in this mini challenge was Eureka.... Can I just skip ahead because it happens, we all know it happens. Eureka and her singing melt down. Well not melt down but her emotions... I didn't believe her! I'm sorry, I know I'm not her biggest fan and it's probably seeming super bias but I didn't buy it. I'm also kind of certain she released a single or something before this and I'm pretty sure a couple of days after the season wraps she'll have something out on iTunes.

I get that the story she told was sad and Jesus knows it shouldn't happen to any kid but assuming it's a legit story it felt like she was reaching. And this will tie me back to chronological order (ISH) as we discuss the workroom.

Ru announced it's an all singing, all dancing Cher Rusical. I actually used to watch the repeats of Sonny and Cher when I was a kid and really liked her so I thought this was a fun challenge.

During the walk though I think we saw Ru chat to most girls. This includes a moment with Eureka where Eureka discusses The Vixen seemingly just not liking her.

Skip ahead and Ru chats to The Vixen and I don't know about the rest of you but it didn't feel like there was any warmth there. Don't get me wrong, I love Ru but this season feels too much like she is Team Eureka. And not for nothing but absolutely no one appears to find any issue with Eureka stirring shit with The Vixen back in that episode of Untucked.

My Problem With Eureka

Ok if you don't give a shit about my thoughts on Eureka you can skip past this piece to the heading "On with the show" but I just really wanted to pop in an aside here about Eureka. I think I figured out why she is bugging me this season, it's because she is absolutely not being held to the same standard as the other Queens. Nothing pisses me off more in life that seeing double standards or blatent favouritism. And that's what's happening this season.

More to the point I don't understand why. But is annoys the hell out of me. I have seen this is real life as well, maybe I just have a chip on my shoulder over it. But if I ask myself objectively has Eureka performed best on the runway this season? The answer is no. If I ask myself has she performed best in the challenges? The answer is she had a couple of moments but there were times I totally disagreed with the judges on her being in the top. And I get that's my opinion versus theirs, fair enough. Has Eureka been completely blameless, totally innocent in any drama arising this season? Hell fucking no.

I loved Trinity in S09 and I get her now. I totally get why she didn't adore Eureka. Also, the judges die for her point and walk off stage and the way she does it is a complete rip off of what Trinity did. OK maybe that's just how they do it in the pagents both of them enter but stop acting like its brand new!!!!

Even the way the guest judges swoon over her in deliberations, like Snatch Game or this episode, it doesn't feel genuine!! Maybe I'm missing something, but I'd like to reiterate that I was 100% here for her being back this season. I was looking forward to it so I didn't start this season off with a wall up against Eureka.

However the shenanigans are feeling just so evident this season, it's too forced. It's too as if she is walking on water, there is too much bias towards her. And I don't even think she has bombed so hard she should be gone home necessarily but come on judges it's too much, it's too forced.

Am I missing something?

If we break it down, we have C, Charisma, does she have it? Well on season 9 she seemed to but this season I'm not feeling it through the screen. But the judges do.

U, Uniqueness? No, she's not unique, her runway schtick is a la Trinity and then her act is loud so no. Her looks can be cute though but even the glittery lines on the face thing, when I saw her doing that mid season-ish I remember thinking, is she doing Monique Hearts make up effect?!

Again, am I too Nancy Drew here?!

N is for Nerve. Well it took a lot of nerve to stir the shit with The Vixen and then act like the innocent bystander but that's not the nerve we're after is it?

T, Talent. Is rolling around dressed as a baby talent? Ok, Ok, her Snatch Game was fine, not a winner for me but fine. She is obviously talented, creative etc. But I think that goes without saying for all the girls and well the majority of Drag Queens in general.

But I think the thing that annoys me the most about Eureka is probably not even her fault. It's the fact that it is clear the producers of the show are edging her for the win or at least top 2 and it's forced and I'm not buying it.

On with the Show...

The work room slowly dissembles into some kind of alternate reality Cher universe as they all attempt their best Cher noises.

Can't remember at what stage it happens but we do find out how broke Miz Cracker was growing up and that's pretty messed up. I mean I did not come from a wealthy home, far from it, but it sounds like Cracker really went through some hard times.

Todrick Hall was in charge of choreography for the challenge, I love him, he's so handsome and sweet and insanely talented. Yes he goes full bossy on the show but I kind of love his no bullshit attitude. I mean, it is not these performers' first time at the rodeo, he doesn't need to watch their feelings.

If you have Netflix it's worth checking out his documentary, the way he is able to turn around not just songs but entire productions so quickly is sheer insanity.

Some of his songs are bangers as well, I love the one he does with Bob, 'Wrong Bitch.'

It's Cher, Cher, Cher, Cher Stupid

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I thought the performances were decent. I agreed with the judges Kameron nailed Cher, she just did. She may not have had the most OTT performance in terms of dance but something so stripped back could have totally bombed and I thought she did a great job, her look, mannerisms and voice were on point.

Monet was really fun, I love her energy in general. You want to talk about Charisma, with that smile?! Monet puts the C in CUNT.

I thought Cracker was actually quite good, for some reason the judges came for her for the fact she had that voice changing mic?! Really?! It was the prop she had to use!!! It wasnt even her idea!!!

Yes, lovely Asia bombed it but I loved when she ad libbed that line about forgetting her lyrics, that is a pro entertainer move.

The Vixen's wasn't great just the voice was weird but I thought she performed well.

Zero apologies but Eureka was not good. Don't care, the fact that her big laugh came from A. Turning around and showing her ass which for some reason is hilarious because she's a bigger girl and B. A prop canon between her legs is horse shit. She performed half heartedly the majority of the performance while Aquaria gave it her all.

I did not agree that Aquaria was bottom 3, that should have been Eureka and it could have been a toss up between her and The Vixen to lip sync to be quite honest.

But again the judges and guest judges fawned over her.

Ugh.. anyway....

I loved this lip sync, I thought both girls did really well but that moment when the song stops and leads into the countdown was Asia's moment entirely! I loved it, I just want to see it again.

The Vixen goes home and OK fair enough it may have been her time. But I feel like The Vixen didn't get the empathy she maybe deserved entirely this season, I think she was pushed by Eureka and I can imagine there is footage on the cutting room floor to show that in more detail. Can't wait for them to reunite!

However, I did like The Vixen, I didn't always agree with her entirely but I have respect for the inner power she had during her run and I hope for great things for her particularly given the voice she projects and the way she uses her platform.

Should we Untuck?

Honestly, I don't remember much from Untucked. I know they were at Kameron for not being hyped enough for doing well.

Let the girl be, if she's not as wild as the others just let her be. Why does she need to be like anyone else?!

Cracker moved in on Aquaria calling out her confidence I think and probably making the point of how unappealing it is.

This is a bit of a Violet syndrome for Aquaria but I do think Aquaria comes across with more charm and goofyness than Violet did so I'm fine with her.

That about sums it up for this week. It's starting to get closer to the end and it's anyone's game. I'd love to see Asia win, or Monet. Cracker I do live for but she isn't winning it. And Eureka probably will anyway...

I have seen the next episode, I have many thoughts... But I need to digest it and get Untucked before I even go there.

Until next time.

[lets-break-free-from-our-chains]

Maybe This Wasn’t a Bad Match

Summary: I just found ur blog and was so fucking excited! (I’m so excited I just can’t hide it)…Anyway can I have a Roanxreader where she is from Skaikru and they form an alliance by marriage & it’s their wedding, he doesn’t force anything on her till she comfortable & a month or so she is ready and smut and fluff. Plz and thx - Hey, I’ve read all your Roan imagines! I love the “Hunting Skai-Renegades” imagine the most. I was hoping you could do an imagine where the reader is Kane’s Daughter and, to make an alliance with Ice Nation, the commander arranges for the reader and Roan to get married. Please!! Your writing is amazing!!!

(A/N): And I’m back, baby! I’m sorry it took so long for me to get back in the groove of things but, I’m starting up my writing, finally. Also there will be a part 2 to this imagine. It was just already so long and you guys know how I like to leave you on cliffhangers! Also the song of this one-shot is Gangsta(orchestra version)- by kehlani. I love you guys so much and part two will be up in two or three days, mark my words! (Word Count: 1853)

You couldn’t believe you were actually going through with this! It was one thing to agree to such a dangerous alliance but, it was an entirely different thing to go through it. You couldn’t back out now though. It would be too dangerous to make fools out of the ground clans and the Commander and, especially after hearing what the Ice Nation was cable of. Azgeda knows no mercy and, you weren’t about to test that theory by running away from this betrothal to the prince of Azgeda. Besides, he seemed decent enough considering how he and his people had been raised when it came to Azgeda standards of parenting. You had spoken to him on several different occasions that, of course, had be supervised by both Azgeda warriors and Skaikru soldiers.

You had always been a loveable person and, that had never been more in your favor when it can to the royal crown of Azgeda. Even the queen herself liked you. though that had more to do with your act of bravery in front of both your people and, the grounders when your father, Marcus Kane, stepped forward to object to the commander deeming you fit to marry the prince. The Ice Queen was skeptical at first, mistaking your sweet nature and diplomacy as weakness but the more she observed you she realized that even if you were sweet by nature it was your charisma and exceedingly pleasant manners that made people trust you more easily than they would most. Getting people to act against their nature was what you seemed to do best whether you were trying to or not. Even if your intentions were pure of heart she could see if she looked very, VERY hard that there was a deliberate and strong way of how you talked and acted when you were representing your people and, she liked that very much.

She could tell the more she watched you, the more she was certain that you were born to be a queen. You had the mindset and the personality to be a successful queen and you already had the hearts of each and every one of your people. You had easily managed working your way into the heart of the Trikru chief, Indra, and in doing so, won the favor of Trikru as a whole and, you had charmed the commander herself into letting Skaikru join the coalition. She could plainly see that you already had Roan’s heart. The Ice queen knew it was only a matter of time till you won over the hearts and minds of her people as well.

You couldn’t stop now. Not after how far you and your people had come since landing on the ground. Besides you would have quite a lot of Skaikru soldiers and Trikru warriors, as well, to protect you at all cost once you were settled into the Azgeda Royal Castle and home. You weren’t as surprised as your people when Indra offered warriors up, to protect and listen to me in Azgeda. Indra had always favored you. More so than even your best friend Octavia. Which said a lot.

You vividly remembered when the commander announced that it was you that she believed could make an arranged marriage between Skaikru and Azgeda work. You vividly remember your father and Abby’s horrified faces when those words came from Lexa’s mouth and your father’s furious and desperate attempt at getting Lexa to change her mind. Even Indra disagreed and she never questions her commander’s decisions.

*FLASHBACK*

All the clans Ambassadors of the coalition had been summoned to the Commander’s throne room to hear what the commander had to say about the alliance between Skaikru and Azgeda. She was sitting on her throne as everyone filed into the room. Both the ice Queen and the prince were there with their royal guard. You stood behind Marcus and Abby, beside Clarke and Bellamy as the commander finally spoke.

“I’ve called you here today to discuss the matter of creating an alliance between Skaikru and Azgeda.” Lexa began, “I have decided upon who I see fit to marry the prince of Azgeda. I think it was all rather obvious to everyone, who would be capable of making this arranged marriage work and, quite frankly, she is the only one I fully trust to see this through.” murmuring erupted among the small crowd for a minute until Lexa raised her hand to demand silence before her eyes landed on you. “(Y/N) Kane, I have chosen you.”

Many gasps were heard through the crowd as all eyes were on you, especially the ice queen and her son’s eyes. Luckily, your father trained you well in never giving away your thoughts and feeling through reactions to situations. For your father though, all that flew out the window as he jumped, viciously, to your defense. “ Commander! Please reconsider your decision on this. There are many young women in Skaikru to choose from. I could help-” he was cut off by the commander, who had stood up during your father’s rant.

“While that may be true, those young women don’t have the necessary skills to see this through like your daughter does and, as I said before, she is the only one I trust to handle this position properly and successfully.” The Commander spoken with finality in her voice. Your father went to argue more before you stopped him by placing a small gentle hand on his shoulder. He whipped around and looked at you desperately. You were shocked for a moment at the state that your father was in. He had never lost control of himself in a high-tension situation like this before.

“Father, it’s alright. I can do this. For Skaikru.” You said, gently and smiled at him. He stuttered for a moment until you spoke again. “A wise man once told me, We leaders bare the burdens of the decisions we make, so our people don’t have too. I didn’t truly understand the heavy weight and truth that those words meant before. but I do now.” Your father was at a loss of words as he shook his head. “Survival requires sacrifice. This is how our people will survive.” You say.

The grounders were staring at you in admiration as you finished speaking but, that didn’t matter to you at the moment. Your father stare at you in wonder and desperation before he finally let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped. He shook his head again and gave you a proud look. “I think I taught you a little too well on what it takes to be a great leader.” He chuckled, halfheartedly as you giggled.

“I have to do this, father.” You say, “and you have to let me. I can’t be your little girl forever.” He nods his head before he takes a deep breath and turns to face the commander. Bellamy and Clarke grip each of your hands as your father spoke to the commander.

“We accepted the terms of this alliance.”

*Present day*

You had nervous jitters and were pacing the room while Clarke, Octavia, Lincoln, Indra, dad, Abby and Bellamy were with you, trying to help soothe your nerves. Indra finally approached you and gently took you by the shoulders and looked you in the eyes.

“(Y/N), you don’t have to do this. We can find another way to make all this work out.” she said, softly, so only you could hear her. You shook your head, furiously and, spoke in a hushed and rushed voice.

“I have to do this, Indra. We both know there is no other option. This is it. This is the only way Skaikru will ever be truly accepted by all the clans. I can do this, I’m just having pre-wedding jitters.” You say, “Everyone has those, right?” she give a tiny smile and nods.

“Yes, people do. You, however, have more reason than most do, though.” she says, “But, I know you. You can do this. Your brave. Braver than all of clans combine.” she says, soothingly and with certainty, before she pulls you in a strong motherly hug. You were a little surprised. Indra wasn’t much of a hugger but, either way you needed the hug dearly.

You smiled as you returned the hug, before there’s a knock at the door. Bellamy gets up to answer the door before freezing. He steps aside to let the person in before looking at me with wide eyes. The Ice Queen herself was standing in my bedroom, courtesy of the commander. The Queen gives a tiny smile in your direction before she speaks to everyone in the room.

“I just came to see how my future daughter-in-law is fairing.” You give her a bright smile of your own, not missing a step to make her feel welcome.

“I’m doing wonderful, thank you for coming to see how I was.” You say, sweetly. “Just preparing and spending quality time with my family before the long day of festivities. I keep hearing that royal weddings are a very big deal and usually last all day and well into the night.”

“Yes, they do.” She agrees, “I was wondering if I might possibly have a word with you privately.”

You could tell your friends and dad were about to deny this request but, you beat them to it, “Absolutely. We can speak out on the balcony.” you say, before making your way to the giant arch way leading to the balcony.

I turn to her as she comes to stand beside me to look out of Polis and wait for her to speak. “You know, I was unsure of Lexa’s decision when it came to her deeming you fit to the task of marrying my son.” she began, “ but, the more I observed you the more I realized what Lexa saw in you. The commander and I hardly ever see eye to eye but, I can absolutely agree with her decision on this matter. Upon learning, more about you I have decided I couldn’t ask for a better woman for my son.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. “Queen Nia, I’m speechless. I assumed that because I was Skaikru you would never approve of me.” You confess.

She smiled and turned to you, “ Yes, it is true. I have my opinions about Skaikru, however, my opinions on you are entirely different. I’ve come to respect you. You think like a true leader of your people and your willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of your people. I saw that the day you accepted to the marriage with hesitation. All to protect your people.”

“Thank you, Queen Nia.” You smile, “You have no idea how much I’m want this marriage to work out. For both our people.”

“I understand completely and, please call me Nia.” She says, smiling. “You will be my daughter-in-law soon enough.”

Maybe this marriage won’t so bad. Though you still have to get to know roan more. Being in a supervised formal setting and being a full fledge married couple were to very different things. Though if you and the Ice Queen can get along then maybe you and Roan could get along.

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Kevin Wozniak on Kevflix: Review – Hustlers

      In the opening scene of Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers, we are introduced to Destiny (Constance Wu), a new stripper at a high-level strip club in New York City.  For being in a loud and colorful strip club with a lot of commotion going on, this is a relatively quiet scene, as we watch as Destiny’s conservative attitude and way of dancing doesn’t get her a lot of clients, therefore not getting her a lot of money.

Everything changes for Destiny, and Hustlers, when she witnesses Ramona (Jennifer Lopez) take the stage. Set to Fiona Apple’s “Criminal”, Ramona has the attention of everyone in the club.  Nobody can take their eyes off of her as she majestically spins down and around the center pole as dollar bills rain from the heavens with no end in sight.  It is this moment that hooks Destiny to Ramona and hooks the audience to Jennifer Lopez, who gives her best performance in over two decades and one that could garner her her first Oscar nomination.

Jennifer Lopez is a superstar.  Whether she’s signing, dancing, or acting in a great movie or a not-so-great movie, she is a presence that oozes charisma, swagger, and immense talent.  It is this presence that is key for her performance as Ramona, a performance that is a lot trickier than most people may think.

Lopez’s performance can be called a “movie-star performance”.  Other examples of performances like this are George Clooney in Ocean’s 11 and Brad Pitt in Moneyball.  These are performances that require someone with a commanding presence because it is necessary for their character.  In Ocean’s 11, Clooney must portray the confidence and poise to complete a robbery of three casinos, even when things go awry.  Brad Pitt had a similar situation in Moneyball, where he played a General Manager of a baseball team who’s way of assembling his roster changed the way people looked at the entire game of baseball.  These are performances that could not have been done by any actor.  They required an actor who can own a room, an actor that can present authority and that people would listen to and follow, especially when they have ideas that are against the norm.

This is Lopez.  Ramona is the queen of the club and nobody comes close to touching her or double-crossing her.  When she accepts Destiny in with open arms, or open fur coats I should say, and shows her the ropes of the club, there is a euphoric feeling that takes over Destiny and the audience.  Destiny was in and she was in with the best.  This feeling only grows, as Destiny and Ramona start killing it at the club.  The money never stops coming in and Destiny is able to help her grandma, as well as spoil herself.  Everything seems to be going perfectly.

That is until the financial crash of 2008, which changes everything.  The rich Wall Street brokers who flooded the club before have vanished and the money that was coming in is all but gone.  Destiny loses contact with the girls at the club, including Ramona, after she gets pregnant and stops working.  When she begins working at the club again, she finds out how bad it has gotten, as all the girls she knew before have left and the new strippers rely on performing sexual favors on the customers in order to make decent money.  Destiny runs into Ramona at the club one night and Ramona hooks her into her new venture: getting their clients drunk and high enough that they’ll financially take advantage of them and max out their credit cards.  Ethically wrong and definitely illegal, it is Ramona’s influence that makes Destiny join.  But even though what they are doing is illegal, Lopez delivers the plan with passion and directed anger, you don’t think they’re doing anything wrong and you end up rooting for them and their plan.

We watch the rise and fall of this new plan.  We see the good, as the women make more money than they’ve ever seen while also forming a sweet, loving bond of sisterhood and family.  But we see the bad as well, as greed, bad decisions, and messy practices lead to the downfall.  We see this all in a stylish, gritty way, as Scarfaria makes the ups look glamorous and bright and the downs look dirty and flat.  This strong filmmaking, coupled with the most perfect needle drops of 2019 make for a stylish good time.

The third act of the film gets a little muddled, but Hustlers is a great watch.  It’s stylish fun and never boring.  But this movie rides on the coat-tails of Jennifer Lopez and her performance as Ramona.  There aren’t many actors who can convey such gravitas, swagger, and confidence to make you like someone who conjures up a plan as ruthless as this one.  But Lopez crushes it and commands every ounce of the screen in one of the best performances of 2019.

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[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 10th March 2019

Top 10

We have the same #1 from last week, specifically “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, hanging onto the top this week for a second stint at the top.

“Giant” by Calvin Harris and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man is also not moving at number-two.

Mabel is up two spots to number-three with “Don’t Call Me Up”.

Ariana Grande’s “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” is currently at number-four, down one position from last week.

There’s another song from Ariana down only one space from last week at number-five, this one being “7 rings”. Both of these tracks aren’t falling fast enough, by the way.

The most interesting story of this week in pop music is the return of the Jonas Brothers and their impact on the charts. In the US, they debuted at #1, which kind of perplexes me to be completely honest, but they’re also at number-six here, so there must be some hole in the public’s consumption of music worldwide that the Jonas bros are filling I suppose. If you’re interested in stats, their last charting song in the top 40 here was in 2008, with “Burnin’ Up”, and this is actually their highest charting song ever in the UK, being their fourth top 40 but first ever top 10. Congratulations... I guess?

“Dancing with a Stranger” by Sam Smith and Normani is down a spot to number-seven.

Tom Walker’s “Just You and I” is up two spaces to number-eight.

P!nk’s “Walk Me Home” surprisingly doesn’t falter off the debut despite lack of a video, only dropping a single space to number-nine.

Oh, and NSG’s “Options” featuring Tion Wayne is down three spots to #10.

Climbers

We have exactly two, both in the top 20. “Please Me” by Cardi B and Bruno Mars moves up seven positions probably thanks to the video, to #13, whilst YNW Melly enjoys his first ever top 20 hit whilst incarcerated and on trial for double murder, as “Murder on My Mind” slips up 11 spaces to #20.

Fallers

We have a lot more of these, although it’s still relatively dry in this area too. “Wow.” by Post Malone continues its gradual fall, down five to #19, “Going Bad” by Meek Mill and Drake is down seven to #23, joining “Advice” by Cadet and Deno Driz down six to #24, “Kitchen Kings” by D-Block Europe is down seven to #26, “Shotgun” by George Ezra is down five to #31, “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande is down six to #36, and that’s it, it seems.

Dropouts

Thanks to streaming cuts, two long-running chart hits have dropped out as they always do because of these arbitrary UK chart rules: “Play” by Jax Jones featuring Years & Years is out from #22 and “Lost Without You” by Freya Ridings is out from #25. Otherwise, we just have a few natural dropouts, with “Promises” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith dropping out from the return last week at #37, “Undecided” by Chris Brown dropping out from #38 (Good riddance) and the sad loss of “Black” by Dave from #40, although there’s no questioning it’ll rebound at a much higher position once the album impacts – which, by the way, you should check out. It’s called PSYCHODRAMA and it’s fantastic.

Returning Entries

“Leave a Light On” by Tom Walker is back at #37. Please go away.

NEW ARRIVALS

#34 – “Don’t Feel Like Crying” – Sigrid

Produced by Oscar Holter – Currently charting at #15 in Scotland

So, I like Sigrid quite a bit, actually. I had a really negative reaction to “Strangers” more than a year ago when it first debuted on the charts but that opinion has waned with time, although it’s still probably one of the worst she’s released, especially on the album Sucker Punch, which I admit I haven’t finished but contains some pretty great UK synthpop, especially the title track, which is awesome and I’m quite sad that didn’t turn out to be the hit from the record, but instead we’ve got the second top 40 hit from young Norwegian singer and BBC’s “Sound of 2018”, which seems to be the token break-up hit on the record (Although there’s probably more songs on the topic throughout), and honestly, it’s pretty epic. I love the orchestral strings that start the track off, they step the fine line between classical-tinged and more electronic sounds by having that synth harmonising with it and the unnatural sound of the slick, polished pop song. The chorus, despite a somewhat concerning falsetto, is catchy and anthemic, and especially in the second verse, it’s such an effective kiss-off, despite being really clean and inoffensive. Similarly to “Sucker Punch”, it’s just Sigrid doing what she knows best: singing some cool synthpop songs (With a rock edge that I appreciate) that she only co-wrote, with enough indie cred in the interesting vocal mannerisms and 808s to seep through what I would usually see as manufactured and boring. Yeah, this is pretty good, even though I feel it could be improved by being less repetitive and more developed, since it’s two and a half minutes long and I feel it needs a proper bridge instead of an admittedly weak post-chorus. Next.

#32 – “Bally” – Swarmz featuring Tion Wayne

Produced by DABEATFREAKZ

Apparently this is a returning entry according to the BBC, and so is “Don’t Feel Like Crying”, but they also think Swae Lee isn’t on “Sunflower” with Post Malone so you know, it’s not exactly like they’re the most reliable in their top 40 countdowns they have available on their Radio One website. Anyway, this is Swarmz, a UK rapper from the same irk as all the faux-reggae-influenced British hip hop artists that break through nearly every week now, sometimes twice, with a slightly bigger name as a feature, in this case Tion Wayne, who also features on a top 10 hit right now by NSG (Making this his second top 40 hit and obviously Swarmz’s first). It sounds really similar to “Options” actually, with a blunt piano-lead beat, almost reggaeton or dancehall percussion as well as a deep 808 drowning out everything else, except, in this case, the piano is completely or at least partially off-beat for the intro and outro due to how washed out the percussion and claps are. The mix is okay, but Swarmz’s autotune especially is pretty muddy, with the multi-layering making the song especially cluttered but I do love his verse and chorus actually, since he has so much charisma and he’s pretty funny and exciting due to his happy delivery despite dark lyrics about shooting people. Maybe it’s because of the BlocBoy JB level of stuttering in the hook or his elongated syllables, but something about this dude is hilarious. Tion Wayne is okay here too (I especially like his pre-chorus), and the beat is decent enough for both of them once it really gets started, so to be honest, I can’t really complain about this one too much, it has a cool almost afrobeat swing to it and I quite like it. Maybe it’s just because I’ve heard so much of this trash that any slightly better forms of this style of British hip hop amazes me, but at least I’ve started to see the reason for this co-existing with people like Dave and people like Loyle Carner; there is some quality to be found in faux-dancehall-gangsta-rap, sometimes.

#18 – “How it Is” – Roddy Ricch, Yxng Bane and Chip featuring the Plug

Produced by SpeakerBangerz

Okay, let’s name off everyone here, starting with probably the most well-known. Yxng Bane is perhaps the most recognisable here as he’s a rapper from East London who is one of the few of the rappers in this style who know how to have a pop sensibility and still be decent, but honestly when he charts his songs are painfully and pathetically bad. His song “Vroom” is probably even worse than I dubbed it in retrospect. This is his fourth Top 40 hit and second top 20. Chip is definitely the artist with the biggest (And probably best) discography here, and can be seen as more of a legacy act in recent years, being one of the few UK rappers to have connections with the US hip-hop scene that aren’t forced, probably because he used to be on T.I.’s record label. He’s collaborated with people like Emeli Sandé, Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Keri Hilson, Stormzy, Elton John and even Big Shaq (No, the last two are not on the same track, although that would be interesting to say the least), and 16 UK Top 40s under his belt, including 10 Top 20s and a number-one hit, although this is his first hit since 2013. Roddy Ricch is an American rapper heavily affiliated with Meek Mill and somehow Marshmello, who seems to be gaining buzz for his trap-rap mixtapes recently. This is his first ever charting song in the UK. The Plug is seemingly a collective that pulls everything together, we’ve seen another collaboration between UK and US rappers initiated by the Plug end up on the chart before, making this their second hit. The song itself isn’t as interesting as any of these backstories if you’re wondering, its piano melody is nice and I like the ambience it builds until Roddy Ricch comes in with the beat and drowns out whatever was there, sounding like a slightly less watered-down version of Young Thug than, say, Lil Baby, but still a shameless rip-off with not near enough quirkiness to make it work. Chip’s verse is mixed awfully and he sounds pretty bad with that autotune anyway. I may as well add that every single verse goes on for a few too many bars to make this song in any way tolerable, and that it’s nearly five freaking minutes, with only three verses but an incessant repetition of the hook. Yxng Bane doesn’t add anything but for once he doesn’t really subtract anything. I actually kind of like the distorted vocals he pulls off. Otherwise, this is gutter trash. Let’s talk about the Jonas Brothers.

#6 – “Sucker” – Jonas Brothers

Produced by Frank Dukes and Louis Bell – Currently charting at #1 in the US and Canada

I’ve never heard a Jonas Brothers song before this, and I’m frankly not going to bother researching a Disney-grown boy band that probably didn’t even make interesting enough music to commentate on despite most probable lack of quality. I have heard some stuff they’ve done outside of this project, with Nick Jonas having two boring solo hits that aren’t much to speak of, Joe Jonas being the frontman of the band DNCE, who had two excellent hits over here, with “Cake by the Ocean” and the funky Nicki Minaj featuring “Kissing Strangers”, and not going to lie, has probably aged the best out of the brothers, musically and in appearance. Sorry, I’ll try to keep it professional – Kevin Jonas, well, I’m sure he existed too, but he didn’t really make music, he just went into either acting or off the face of the Earth until they made their return. Well, I can’t really discern their voices from each other, but I can tell that the shaky falsetto comes from Nick, and the bland, dime-a-dozen production comes from producers Frank Dukes and Louis Bell, both of which known for their aggressively pointless and emotionless, manufactured instrumentals, especially the guitars here, which are so watery and gross. I like the melodies here and I’d be lying to say it wasn’t catchy, especially the whistling in the post-chorus, but there’s nothing really of interest to speak of here, other than the striking similarity to “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man, and in response, I see it, but I don’t care.

Conclusion

Not much here was outright bad except the obvious stinker, so Worst of the Week goes to the Plug, Roddy Ricch, Yxng Bane and Chip for “How it Is”, while Best of the Week probably goes to Sigrid for “Don’t Feel Like Crying”, although I feel like I should mention that I do like “Bally”, so Honourable Mention goes to Swarmz and Tion Wayne for making British faux-dancehall hip hop interesting for a brief three minutes. See you next time!

e

[dartingdragons]

Ahh my favorite oc so far~ I just love her personality, the way she speaks and was my third oc that was first used in my transormers rp group on Quotev. Finally got around to finishing her ref~! If you want to roleplay with me using this character, click here for my information! Designation: (Formerly)Thunderstream, Doubleglitch Nicknames: Speed Queen, DG, Double-G Gender: Femme Faction: (Formerly) Decepticon, Autobot Species: Cybertronian Sparkmate/Conjunx Endura: N/A Amica Endura N/A Charge: N/A Personality: Confident- Doubleglitch is confident in herself and what she believes in, and often gets called the optimistic 'bot in the team. Self appreciative- What can she say besides the fact she looks good? Doubleglitch knows she looks good, but she isn't obsessed with it to the point where any dent in her frame makes her panic. She just appreciates herself all in all. Capable- Doubleglitch is capable of handling herself in a fight, and rarely calls for backup unless she's certain she can't do it alone. Independent- She doesn't like asking help from others, and often times she doesn't even need it. She can handle herself well enough. Impatient- Doubleglitch doesn't like waiting, and any klik spent waiting is another klik wasted in her view. Sassy- The femme is rather bold, doesn't back down from just any mech or femme and isn't against giving a couple people a hard time. Flirt- Any good looking mech she finds she'll try her luck on them. Of course, it's mainly for fun and she's not looking for a relationship. Encouraging- She doesn't like to see other 'bots and humans down in the dumps, and tries her best to lift their spirit. Bipedal mode: Medium-build. Alt-Mode: McLaren 650S MSO Spider Occupation: Scout Weaponry: Electric whip, blaster, standard close combat. Strengths: Weaknesses: Stats (1-10) Strength: 7 Defense: 6 Speed: 10 Intelligence: 6 Rank: 5 Charisma: 7 Biography: She was a Point One Percenter created on Delta, capital city of Velocitron. Raised by two famous racers that participated in Lacon 5000 and Spedia 500, they stressed the idea of their sparkling accomplishing their long-term goal of winning the Spedia 500. Originally, they named her Thunderstream. As a sparkling, her carrier and sire's parenting style(authoritarian parenting style) easily developed her once naïve and optimistic nature into a shy, low self-esteem personality with the perspective obedience meant affection. Thundersteam spent the majority of her life training with her carrier and sire the moment she could transform, often times driving until her energy could no longer sustain her- on one rare occasion she even went into stasis lock for the amount of energy depletion on her part (along with her parents deciding 'hey, I'm tired' isn't a good excuse to stop driving). Outside of training, Thunderstream began feeling the urge to have an actual relationship that wasn't based on the practice of speed, going into this 'rebelling stage'. She would hang around other Velocitronians, but due to her lack of experience in social interaction made it a challenge to make friends. Nevertheless, she managed to make one more-or-less friend, Sunstrider. He convinced her to leave the city and accompany him and his brother, who could provide her a place outside the city. She accepted, and the two left without her saying goodbye to her parents. They arrived to the ship Sunstrider owned and introduced her to Moonstalker, whom she quickly befriends. The group stay together for awhile, Sunstrider often initiating races between the two which quickly improved Thundersteam's competitive side. Moonstalker, meanwhile, provided strolls where the two could communicate with each other without worry of being seen differently. Sunstrider slowly begins convincing her to participate in activities she otherwise wouldn't do as they travel in the ship around Velocitron. Thundersteam is aware of this, however follows along because she considers him a friend. The group eventually decides to travel to Cybertron, using the ship to do so. While on this travel Sunstrider starts advancing on the femme, leading to a relationship much to Moonstalker's worries. The femme, however, claims there was nothing wrong in it.  The ship arrives to Cybertron, landing not too far from where Kaon is located. Time passes and they're regarded as talented racers from the many events held around the area, forming a rivalry between Sunstrider and Thunderstream to discover who's the fastest. The rivalry seeps into their relationship, and the relationship becomes on-and-off until Moonstalker finally convinces her it's toxic relationship. Despite her growing pride and confidence, she listens to her friends words and leaves the split-sparks to start new elsewhere. Successfully, she lives in a decepticon populated area with rumors of a decent racer around the area, though she wasn't ready to bring up her reputation here. Instead, she focused on befriending the locals- and found an unlikely friendship with a scientist named Aeroviper. With a friend and the urge to expel the ever growing energy in her frame, Thunderstream sets out to race once more. The scout grows a reputation around the area, the friend she made checking in on her between her job and the two become close. So much so, the seeker even takes time to watch a couple races Thunderstream participates in. As the war begins to brew and Aeroviper tries to convince her to join the autobots, Thunderstream isn't convinced until she sees the decepticons killing other 'bots. She joined the faction for their ideal world- where the caste was gone. Not a bloodbath towards a whole other goal. So, Thunderstream attempts to convince her old friend Moonstalker to join her as an autobot- who reluctantly agrees after commenting on how Sunstrider has changed during the war. The two then flee Kaon to join Aeroviper, who takes them to the autobots. Another attempt at a fresh life- the femme lives in Iacon as an autobot. Although the transition was difficult and many of the opposing faction viewing her as untrustworthy, the femme managed to find a home in the city. She changes her designation to Doubleglitch from then on. The past has a funny way of finding her, unfortunately, as Doubleglitch is met with Sunstrider after a mission she and a few others had- the femme having been caught by her old friend and taken away from the battlefield. The two exchanged words, Sunstrider taking notice of her lack of confidence and increase in flirtation and nature to keep talking as though afraid of slipping into the thoughts of her processor. Yet again she gets herself stuck in the toxic relationship- sneaking out whenever possible to visit the decepticon. During one time however, the mech convinced her to accompany him back to the ship they once traveled in. Once within the familiar area, the femme quickly notices the advances Sunstrider is doing but doesn't stop him. Thus, the decepticon manages to get her on his berth and, well, interface. The two continuously meet each other until Aeroviper discovers who Doubleglitch is sneaking to. Taking matters in her own hands, the seeker takes the scout off to other autobots in the attempt to get Doubleglitch help. Sure enough, the femme spent time in counseling and improved, and was taken out of missions once it was discovered she was carrying another spark, the offspring of her fling with Sunstrider. The spark turns out to be a split spark, the two new cybertronians in the world being fit within similar frames of one another. The crimson plated sparkling is named Joltraider while the black plated one is designated Phaseshift. Leaves the planet with a small group of other autobots once the war finished off Cybertron, arriving to earth and landed in France. She along with her sparklings took earthern vehicle modes, and eventually met with Aeroviper again after her seeming disappearance. They weren't the only ones to arrive to earth, however- for a group of decepticons landed elsewhere. Now the two factions compete in their own small war part of the bigger picture. When the femme isn't on duty, she enjoys her breaks by racing against humans , and through these races she was crowned the 'Speed queen', her alt-mode famous among racers. It had also led to a growth in fans, much to the Autobot groups dislike- as it could cause problems for her and them if they found out what she is. This leads to her growing tired of the constant limit, where she can't do what she wants because of these rules weighing her down. As a result, Doubleglitch primarily spends her time outside of the base unless needed, burning her thoughts out on the road with any human or 'bot that dares challenge her. Nicknames she gives others: Sugar spice- Someone who is a bit troublesome but she can handle. Doll- A good friend of hers. Sugar- General nickname to everyone Pal- Nickname given to those she does not particularly like/ getting on her nerves. Quotes: "I'm the fastest femme around. Think you can handle the challenge?" "Pal, you're getting on my nerves." "Don't worry about me sugar, I got this." "Hey sugar, wha'cha need?" "You are what people call, 'fauteur de troubles'." Extra: Holoform- Beauty Queen Jessica. Jessica appears a lot, often times riding herself (not in uh- that way.), just to see how it feels being human. She typically has a cigar or gum, an dis known for flirting with human males before speeding off. Although she's proud to be an Autobot, sometimes it weighs her down. She wants to be able to race against others without someone telling her 'no' if they found out. During Doubleglitch's time as a decepticon, she was incredibly competitive and acted akin to a human's 'highschool popular girl' type. As an autobot, her competitive style simmered and she became considerate towards others. Has a habit of speaking in French if she's nervous, angry, or genuinely in a good mood. Thunderstream took on the designation Doubleglitch once she joined the autobots. Doubleglitch meant to the femme her changes in life, from Decepticon to Autobot and a 'glitch' in the system. Using Doubleglitch's real designation at any point of time will stop her from doing anything, depending on when it's used. If it's used speaking to her on a serious topic you can bet she's going to take it seriously from that point on. If it's used during a fight it can make her hesitate, and some cases even cause her to panic. Using it in other times when you aren't considered a friend of hers can cause her to scoff and become nervous, and sometimes correct you to call her Doubleglitch. Close friends calling her this casually uplift her spirit. If you really want to get on her nerves, threatening her sparklings in any way, shape or form will definitely do the trick. Whenever there's a rumor of a car that could rival her, she heads straight away to the next race that person is in to prove everyone wrong about them. Not wanting to e a burden, Doubleglitch keeps her complaints and worries to herself which often has a negative effect on her. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jviZGERpqg (Voice is the main singer/girl with the red scrunchie also regarding the music video.) Doubleglitch and Aeroviper are close friends, and the only femme she feels more comfortable with sharing her feelings with. Transformers belongs to Hasbro. I merely own the character.