#Some the dialogue feels awkward. Also every time the MC makes a joke it’s like cringily anachronistically modern? idk

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

The Ruin of Kings

start of a complex high fantasy series

follows a boy who grew up in the slums, but is claimed as the missing son of a treacherous prince and is dragged into dangerous politics against his will

and simultaneously follows him older, having escaped and following his destiny, among gods & sea monsters & giant dragons

both stories being retold as he’s trapped in prison, by himself and his captor, with footnotes from a third party

shapeshifters & demons

[walkerismychoice]

All I Need to Know for Now (Raleigh X MC)

Book: Platinum

Pairing: Raleigh X MC (Aria Campbell, Minor Avery X MC)

Rating: NSFW/18+

Note: Given my previous fics and head canons about Raleigh and Aria’s relationship, I wasn’t quite satisfied with the MC’s happy-go-lucky reactions to Raleigh’s antics this last chapter and wanted to add in more about their love triangle. I re-wrote the relevant parts of chapter 13 from this perspective. Some of the dialogue is transcribed from the chapter, but much is new or changed. I also changed up the sex scene some for fun and omitted much of the chapter that didn’t need re-writing to fit my version of the story.

Word Count: 2932

Aria doesn't know what to do with herself. Yes, she'd had a moment and acted completely insane, butting into Jaylen's performance of her song, but it's not like it's out of the ordinary for celebrities to snap and get even more popular for it. Seems she's just famous enough for people to care, but not quite famous enough to be able to get away with it. Bad girl pop star apparently doesn't look good on her.

So now she's stuck at home with nothing to do. It would be the perfect opportunity to write new songs, or finish some old ones, but every time she tries, she's got nothing. The stress of wondering if her career is over as quickly as it began is taking a toll, and she's adrift in small town no-man's land with no purpose or direction. So when her doorbell rings unexpectedly, she's not sure if it will he more bad news or a welcome distraction.

"Alright, Aria, have you missed me?"

"Oh my god, Avery! I can't believe you're here!" Saying she's surprised would be an understatement. She feels the urge to pinch herself to make sure this isn't another dream that will venture into nightmare territory.

"Hope you don't mind that I stopped by, but I redirected my flight on the way to the Indio music festival. And I brought a few friends..."

“Hey, kid. Long time, no see.” Hank stands behind Avery, in his typical working stance, arms folded with his aviator sunglasses on. 

Next to him is Zadie, as stylish as ever and way overdressed for Aria’s neck of the woods. “You know, I thought you were exaggerating every time you said how boring your hometown was, but now I see the reports are accurate.”

Aria chuckles because Zadie isn’t wrong, but then she sees him step out from behind the group and her stomach flip flops with a feeling she can’t quite place.

“Hey, Aria. Are you gonna let us in or...” Raleigh asks coolly in his typical ‘I don’t give a fuck if you do or you don’t’ tone, but the smile on his face suggests he’s happy to see her.

“I’ve missed you all so much!” Aria exclaims, and she has, she really has. But she’s also overwhelmed by this impromptu visit, and her time away from Raleigh and Avery has done nothing to clear up her indecision about the two. They’d both sent her a couple of texts but they were fairly brief. Avery hand been supportive as expected, and Raleigh was... Raleigh. He’d worked out another PR relationship to take the media focus off of Aria, or so he said. There were plenty of other ways to do that, like, oh, for example, destroying millions of dollars worth of artwork which he also did do. She’s not sure which is worse or if she has the energy to put up with his antics, even if they are just for show. 

Aria glances between Avery and Raleigh. She’s drawn to Raleigh despite it all, for reasons beyond her comprehension, this physical compulsion begging her to jump into his arms. But then there’s Avery - sweet, dependable, supportive Avery -  looking at her with such adoration and longing it just feels right. She flings her arms around Avery’s shoulders, kissing him slow and deep. She can’t see Raleigh’s face but she can almost feel the heat of his glare, or at least that’s what she imagines the feeling to be. Avery’s hands find her waist, and he sighs into her mouth, Aria reflexively pressing closer to him. She feels him smile against her lips, and for a moment, she’s completely lost in him.

Aria pulls back, blushing fiercely. “Well come in!” She offers without making eye contact with anyone or waiting for a response. She needs to get a hold of herself before this gets even more awkward. 

But then it does get more awkward when Avery spots the poster of him on her wall, and Aria’s kicking herself for not taking it down in all this time she’s been home. Raleigh jokes about there being no poster of him, but if Aria’s not mistaken, there’s more than just a hint of jealousy there. As mortified as she is, she can’t help but find satisfaction in Raleigh’s reaction.

~~~ 

The gang has been in Avery’s limo traveling to some unknown destination for almost half an hour now, departing shortly after dropping off Aria’s fan mail and filling her in on Ellis buying Jaylen’s label. Apparently he’d felt so bad about selling the song, when he couldn’t buy it back he bought the whole damn thing.  It doesn’t change the fact that it’s still not Aria’s to sing, but maybe this will make things better in the long run. 

The limo pulls up outside a gorgeous lake home - an Airbnb rental Aria presumes - but Avery immediately informs her otherwise. “Ladies, gentlemen, friends, welcome to my humble summer home.”

“It has a state of the art security system too!” Hank assesses. “I’m going to enjoy it here.” Leave it to Hank to notice that first over all the breathtaking scenery.

“How long have you had this?” Aria questions, stunned that Avery would own property so close to her hometown. 

“Since this morning,” Avery answers with a sly grin. “I just bought it.”

Aria is speechless. Avery bought a lake house just to have a place to go to cheer her up. Compare that with Raleigh getting a fake girlfriend and creating property damage to smooth things over, and one of them is the clear winner as far as Aria is concerned. Not that this is a competition or anything.

“Alright, enough talking, more getting in the water,” Raleigh chimes in, not allowing Aria to dwell on it much longer.

Not having known where they were going, Aria hadn’t packed a bathing suit, but of course Zadie has her covered. The skimpy white suit isn’t the most practical for water sports, but at least judging from Avery and Raleigh’s reactions, she looks amazing in it.  

They race on the Jet Ski’s and hang around the dock for sometime before boarding a rented sailboat with drinks in hand. This day is shaping up to be just what she needed. As they approach the center of the lake, Avery proposes an underwater breath-holding competition, which ends up being between himself, Raleigh an Aria. Aria just hopes neither of them pass out trying to be the better man.

Aria’s uses her breath control techniques to oxygenate herself as much as possible before dipping below the surface. She’s not sure how much time has passed, but all three of them are starting to squirm. Avery’s the first to give up, heading to the surface for air. Raleigh floats closer, eyes locked on her as an intimidation tactic she presumes, until he suddenly closes the distance between them and firmly plants his lips on hers. As he grabs her hips and presses his body against hers, she can’t help but kiss him back - a kiss that literally takes her breath away to the extent she has to give up and emerges above the water line just before Raleigh does.

“You did that on purpose just to get me to lose!” Aria splashes Raleigh playfully.

Raleigh winks at her. “It didn’t seem like you minded."

Avery swims over, a look of questioning and concern on his face, like he suspects a hint of what went on but doesn’t want to know. He gives Aria’s hand a squeeze and then cradles her in his arms as they bob in the water. “At least you beat me,” he offers as consolation, bringing his lips to hers for a fervent kiss. It’s nice, but after just kissing Raleigh, it’s lacking. It feels strange having Avery’s lips where his just were, and she's thankful for the water washing any trace of him away. Avery helps Aria back onto the boat and hands her a towel to dry off. “I hope you got the release you wanted today.”

On the one hand, yes, she’s happier than she has been in quite a while. On the other, she’s more wound up than ever. “I did. Thanks so much for coming out all this way to visit me.”

Avery smiles softly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course, Cadence. We’ll always be there for you.”

“Alright, less conspiratorial whispering, more water sports!” Raleigh proclaims as he climbs back into the boat, his timing impeccable once again.

~~~

Everyone gathers around the fire after dinner and a long day in the sun. They talk, laugh, eat smores, and when Raleigh picks up the guitar and starts to play, it turns into an impromptu singalong, with Aria, Avery, and Raleigh harmonizing beautifully. With no expectations or weight on her shoulders, it feels good, really good, to be singing again. But when Raleigh hands her the guitar to play, the wounds are still too fresh. Fortunately her friends are understanding and they don’t push the issue, knowing she’ll get there when she’s ready. 

Before long, the others begin to head inside. “I suppose it’s time for me turn in as well.” Avery announces, nodding his head at Aria as he rises. You coming?”

She can’t tell if there’s any sort of expectation in the invitation, but whatever the case, she’s not going inside until she can have a proper discussion with Raleigh. "In a bit. I just need more time to...think.”

Avery’s face falls just a little, recovering with a weak smile. “Alright, Darling. Let me know if you need anything.” A silent moment passes as gentle waves lap against the shore, moonlight dancing off the rolling water.

As soon as Avery is out of earshot, Raleigh scoffs and shakes his head. “Darling? He never gives up the prince charming act does he?”

Aria shrugs. “Maybe you’d be wise to take a few lessons from his playbook.”

Raleigh’s eyes narrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well...I hear you’ve been getting into a lot of trouble in my absence.”

“What can I say? The town’s boring without you.”

“Ugh, is everything just a game to you? You may think it’s funny to destroy property and disrespect people as part of your bad boy image, but I don’t. It’s time you fucking grew up.” Aria pushes up from her Adirondack chair, already over this conversation.

“Wait!” Raleigh tugs on her hand. “Please sit back down, and I’ll explain.” Aria rolls her eyes but sits back in the chair. “I felt awful when you were sent home. If I’d have done what you did, I’d probably end up with a slap on the wrist and more fans and album sales than before. It wasn’t fair, and I hated the negative attention you were getting, so I thought, hey, I’m basically untouchable, why not create some headlines myself to take the focus off you?”

“And that’s the best idea you had? Why not make headlines for doing something positive instead of being destructive?” 

Raleigh scoots forward, placing his hand on her knee. “You know the good doesn’t get nearly as much press as the bad. Look, I’m not Avery. I’m not the type to ride into town in my white limousine and save the day by buying a beach palace to keep you in.

“I’m not asking you to be prince charming, or a knight in shining armor, or... whatever. I just...” Aria struggles to put it into words. She’s not asking for a savior or a lifelong commitment, she just needs to know that she means something to him before she falls too deep and ends up with a broken heart.

“Aria, No matter the means, what I did, I did for you, because I care about you...and it worked. Between the property damage and my new fake relationship, your incident with Jaylen is old news.”

“Well if that relationship is as fake as ours was, I’m still not feeling very reassured right now.”

Raleigh cocks his head to the side with a smirk. “Are you jealous, Campbell?” Aria doesn’t respond but serves him an icy glare. “Aww, babe, come here.” He pats his leg and holds his arms open wide.

She’s still mad and doesn’t want to give in, but him calling her babe again makes her weak. She sighs deeply before getting up and settling into his lap. “You’re still on thin ice, Carrera.”

“Aria, you have nothing to worry about. She doesn’t hold a candle to you. She’s just doing us a favor. I’ve missed you.” Raleigh traces tingly patterns up and down her thighs, goosebumps forming under his touch.

Aria peers into his eyes, biting her lower lip. “Okay, you can kiss me now.”

Raleigh chuckles. "You've gotten bossy in your time away, huh?"

"Maybe....But you like it."

Raleigh threads his fingers through her hair, pulling her mouth to his, kissing her seductively, tongue gliding over her lips. “I’ve been thinking about this all day, Aria. All the things I wanted to do when I got you alone...”

She feels him harden beneath her as she plants another kiss on his lips. Now with the air cleared between them, she won't deny she's been thinking the same. Aria sinks to her knees and looks up at him through her lashes as she unbuckles his pants. "Well, you know what I've been wanting to do to you?"

"What's that?" Raleigh asks with a knowing smile as he lifts his hips to help her undress his bottom half.

Aria wraps her hand around the base of his cock and swirls her tongue around the tip making him twitch. "I want to make you feel good," she purrs, Raleigh letting out a groan as she takes him in her mouth slow and deep. Maybe she hasn't been thinking about this all day. But ever since he kissed her and she caught a glimpse of the outline of his hard length through the swim trunks clinging to his legs as he emerged from the water, it's been difficult to think of anything else.

"Fuck, Aria. This is better than good. You are incredible," he breathes, hands fisting in her hair, guiding her up and down his shaft. She cups his balls, taking him in as deep as she can go until he pushes her away. "Come up here before I explode."

Aria wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and climbs into his lap, straddling his hips. "What now?"

"I want you so bad Aria. Now we both get to feel good." Raleigh lifts Aria's sundress over her head and his eyes go wide. "You aren't wearing anything underneath!"

"Oops! Did I forget to put on underwear?" Aria feigns innocence.

Raleigh shakes his head. "You're lucky I didn't know that earlier." Without further warning he thrusts up inside her, Aria gasping as he hits her sweet spot and then pauses for confirmation. "You, good?"

Aria grins. "I'm fucking fantastic." She sinks down deep and rolls her hips, grinding her clit on him as he fills her completely

They move together, their steady rhythm gradually picking up pace. Raleigh plays with her breasts - licking, sucking, rolling her nipples between his fingers and thumbs, sending sensations of pleasure straight to her core and fanning the flames of the fire inside her. She knows she's close so she moves faster, grinds down harder as her moans get louder. "Raleigh, I-"

"Whats that? You want me to stop?" He teases.

"Don't you fucking dare," she warns with a laugh.

"And deny the chance to make you come? Never. I want to hear you scream my name," Raleigh commands, grabbing her ass and pushing in deeper with each thrust.

She closes her eyes and throws her head back, seeing fireworks behind her eyes as her entire body ignites. "Oh my god, yes, Raleigh!" She cries out into the night as her walls tremble around him.

Aria buries her head in his neck, and Raleigh picks up her slack, bouncing her her up and down his hard length. And then he lets out a strangled moan, his whole body shuddering as he finds his release.

Raleigh pulls her against his chest as they both come down from their high. "You are full of surprises, Aria." 

“I gotta keep up with you somehow.” Aria kisses him sweetly one more time. She shivers and Raleigh grabs the beach blanket from the ground, shakes it off and throws it over both of them. She closes her eyes, not even realizing she’s drifted off until she opens her eyes again and sees how much the fire has died down.

Raleigh throws some kindling on the fire with his free hand and smiles down at her. “Hey, beautiful.”

She's feeling vulnerable yet open in his arms. No more fooling around, no more games. It's him she wants and he needs to know. "Raleigh, I'm glad you're here. I missed you so much these past few days. It's like I got jolted into an alternate reality you weren't in."

“I.. I missed you, too.” His expression grows somber, serious for once before his smile is back again. “But you don’t have to worry about that now. We’re here now, together.” He strokes her arm tenderly as he holds her close, pressing his soft, warm lips to her forehead.

It’s not a promise of any certain future, but Aria can’t say what tomorrow will bring. Knowing he’s all-in in this moment is good enough... for now.

[badchoicesposts]

Don’t Dream It’s Over Chapter 9

Series Summary: Liam and Ali thought that their relationship was perfect, but their whole world came crashing down when Constantine called him back to Cordonia. Four years later they meet again at Liam’s bachelor party, determined to make things between them work even if it isn’t always easy.

In this AU, Liam and MC (Ali Moonessar) dated for a year in New York while Leo was still crown prince. They broke up when Constantine asked Liam to come back to Cordonia, but they meet again at Liam’s bachelor party before the social season. The story will contain flashbacks, which will be italicized, of their relationship and follow them as they try to navigate the season with Ali as a suitor. I’ve messed around with the timeline a bit so that it fits the story better. I’ve also added in a few OCs of my own.

Pairing: Liam x MC (Ali Moonessar)

Word Count: 4,401

DISCLAIMER: I’ve changed up the timeline of the social season a bit to fit my story better. I’ve based it off of some research I did on the British Social Season. Some of the dialogue, especially Olivia’s, was taken directly from Book 1 Chapter 3 with a few changes made to fit my story. Olivia is one of my favorite characters, but for the sake of the story I’ve written her the way she was at the beginning of the game so that we can see her open up to MC later.

Taglist: @flowerpowell​, @kingliam2019, @ao719, @emceesynonymroll, @hopefulmoonobject, @dcbbw, @qammh-blog, @liamxs-world, @drakesensworld, @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @timmagickfrog-deactivated201908, @lauradowning29

A/N: This is my first time ever posting a fic. Please let me know if you enjoyed it and would like to read more. I thrive on validation, lol. Thanks for reading!

Catch Up: Masterlist

Ali could feel the eyes on her as she made her way down the large staircase. One of her hands held her mask over her face, and the other held the side of her dress up away from her feet. She was focusing on not tripping harder than she should have had to and tried her best to keep her breathing even as she met Maxwell at the bottom of the stairs. 

“That was great!” Maxwell said, holding his arm out to her.

He began to lead her around the room, stopping every few minutes to introduce her to some noble or another. Ali greeted everyone she met with polite smiles and tried her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She could tell that they all recognized her from the bachelor party photos, but they at least managed to hold back their questions, if not their judgmental stares. Maxwell disentangled their arms and pulled out his phone as they began to walk away from the countess of a place Ali couldn’t remember the name of.

“I have to go talk to Bertrand for a second, so just mingle,” he said, looking down at the text message he had just received from his brother.

“Mingle! I don’t know how to mingle!” she said back. 

“You’ll be fine. I know it, now go!” he said, pushing her forward. 

She scanned the room, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she tried to figure out what to do. There were a few people that Maxwell had already introduced her too, but she didn’t feel comfortable enough talking to any of them on her own. She spotted Hana across the room standing with a few other ladies and made her way over to them. 

“Hello again!” 

“Hey,” Ali said, mentally scolding herself for being so socially awkward. 

“So what do you think of the masquerade?” Hana asked.

“I’ve never been to an event like this so it’s a bit intimidating, but also wonderful at the same time,” she admitted.

“I’m glad you think so. I think you’ll fit in well here.”

“I’m sure galas like this are probably second nature to you at this point,” Ali said conversationally.

“When you’ve been to as many as I have they can lose their charm, unless you find the right companions!” she said, a kind smile on her face. 

Hana caught someone’s eye across the room and excused herself, once again leaving Ali alone. She had just spotted Drake and was about to walk over when a young woman in a black dress approached her. 

“Lady Alison?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s me,” Ali said, lowering her mask so that she could properly have a conversation with her. 

“It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Elizabeth but you can call me Lizzie.” 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Lizzie,” she said politely. 

“Oh, right, sorry. You’re probably wondering who I am,” she said with a laugh.

“I’m Ben’s twin sister. I’m one of Liam’s suitors, too. They’ve both told me all about you!” 

“Oh! I didn’t know he had a twin. But, I’ve also only met him once, so we haven’t had much time to talk.”

Elizabeth had a genuinely nice energy about her, and Ali found herself immediately comfortable around her. It was the same way she had felt with Maxwell. 

“Of course he wouldn’t mention his twin sister. It’s not like we shared a womb or anything,” she joked, causing the two of them to laugh, “So how are you feeling?”

“A little nervous. This is a lot to take in. But, I am excited,” Ali responded, feeling as if she could speak honestly.

“That’s good. I’m sure you’re excited to see Liam.”

“Oh-um. Yeah, I am,” Ali fumbled with her words awkwardly and fought back a smile. 

Even though Lizzie seemed nice, she wasn’t sure if it would be weird or not to talk about Liam to another one of the suitors. 

“Oh, don’t worry, Liam and I have an arrangement,” she said, when she noticed Ali’s discomfort.

“Arrangement?” 

“As you know, each of the noble houses are supposed to put forth a suitor, so being an unmarried woman in my twenties means that I’m expected to join the season,” she began with a roll of her eyes, “But, I have no interest in Liam. Growing up he was always like a brother to me, and even if I did see him romantically, I could never be with a man who was in love with someone else.”

A bush crept onto Ali’s face at the suggestive smirk the other woman gave her. 

“So, Liam and I spoke, and we agreed to show as little interest in each other as possible. Enough so that everyone will recognize that our house put forth a suitor, but too little for me to be anything remarkable or outstanding in the competition.”

“I know that it is a competition, but it still seems so strange to think of it that way,” Ali said. 

Lizzie furrowed her brows, and a sympathetic smile graced her elegant features. She had very expressive eyebrows.

“I know it must seem strange. Liam being a prince probably complicates things for you, but he seems to think that you’re indestructible and can handle anything, and I’ve learned the hard way that he’s almost always right,” she said. 

“I know! I hate that about him,” Ali said with a playful roll of her eyes. 

The two women laughed and continued speaking for a few minutes before being interrupted by Maxwell. 

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you,” he said, walking over to the two of them. 

He gave Lizzie a quick smile, and she shot him finger guns in return. Ali quickly realized that they would be extremely fun to hang out with at the same time. 

“The Prince is here. I hope you’re ready to greet him,” Maxwell said. 

He led the two of them over to the line of women waiting to see Liam, and Ali closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath in attempts to calm her nerves. As they waited in line, Ali was once again taken aback by the whole situation. There so many women here. She wasn’t sure how many of them were actually suitors, but that didn’t make the situation any less intimidating. They were all tall, slim, and beautiful. Ali definitely stuck out when she was grouped in with them. Liam could truly have anyone he wanted to be his wife, but for some reason he still wanted her here, and she couldn’t figure out why.

Liam’s thoughts, however, were the complete opposite to hers. He greeted the people who approached him with a smile, but he only had eyes for her. He had caught a glimpse of her from across the room, and that alone had been enough to get his pulse racing. His breath caught in his throat as she stepped toward him.

“Prince Liam,” she said with a playful smile. 

“Ali, you look…” he trailed off, trying to find the right words.

“Wow, that bad, huh?” she teased. 

Liam smiled and brought her hand up to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. He lowered their hands, but did not loosen his grip.

“You look beautiful. How are you?” 

Ali sighed. 

“I’m not going to lie to you. I’m kind of tired of people asking me that question. That’s the third time tonight,” she said. 

Although there was a playful edge to her voice, Liam could tell that a part of her was serious.  

“How are you? I know none of this is new to you, but it’s probably still a lot to take in. I mean, everyone is here for you tonight,” she asked, genuinely concerned. 

A soft smile grace Liam’s features, and he squeezed her hand tighter in his. Ali had been the only person tonight to ask him about his feelings. He probably would have been surprised by the question if he didn’t know her so well. Before he could answer, however, someone cleared their throat loudly behind him. Bastien, who had been standing a few feet behind Liam, subtly nodded at their connected hands and Liam was forced to let go. 

“We really aren’t in New York anymore,” Ali said sadly. 

“No, we’re not.”

“I hope you enjoy your night, Liam,” she said, bowing her head in respect and stepping back.

He gave her one last smile and turned to meet the next person in line. 

“He looked so happy,” Maxwell beamed when she had returned to his side. 

“Yeah, he did. So what now?” she asked. 

“I know you’ve already met Lizzie, and I saw you talking to Hana earlier, but what you really need to do is spend time with some of the other suitors. They’re your competition, but you may be able to make some of them your allies,” he said.

This was the second time tonight that she was reminded that this was actually a competition. Something about the fact that they were competing for Liam’s affections didn’t completely sit right with her. 

“Right, I guess I can do that. Wish me luck,” she said. 

She walked outside to where Hana and the other ladies were getting drinks from an ornate table display. She shot a quick smile at Charlie, who had been standing nearby with another member of the guard, and he winked as she walked by. 

“So, you’re the one that everyone’s talking about.” 

“Here we go,” Ali mumbled to herself, as she approached the red-haired woman who had just spoken. 

She faked a smile and tried to keep an even voice. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s me. I’m Ali,” she said, smiling at her and the other ladies.

She could feel everyone’s eyes on her, taking her in curiously and in disbelief.

“I’m Lady Olivia Vanderwall Nevrakis, Duchess of Lythikos,” she said, looking her up and down. 

“It’s nice to meet you Lady Olivia.”

Ali didn’t know very much about Olivia. The only thing she was sure about was that she and Liam were close childhood friends. 

“Yes, it’s very nice to meet you as well. You know, I remember the first time Liam left you in New York. He was so heartbroken when he returned home, but I made sure to keep him distracted,” she said with a smirk, “What I can’t figure out is why he didn’t leave you there this time.”

Ali was completely taken aback by how nasty her words were.

“Excuse me?” she said, still shocked. 

“I mean, you should know by now that regardless of what happened between you two in the past, you don’t really have a chance with him. You may have been able to keep his attention when it was just the two of you, but you can’t keep up with all of the ladies here,” Olivia said. 

“I’m sure that all of the ladies here are amazing and talented, but I’m also confident in my own abilities,” Ali said calmly and in what she hoped was a convincing voice. 

Her self-confidence had been diminishing all afternoon, and she may not have much at the moment, but she knew how to fake it. She had been able to do so believably as well because Olivia seemed to be further irritated by her words.

“We’re from the finest families in Europe, and we’ve been preparing our whole lives to marry a prince. You can’t just waltz in here at the last minute and steal him from us. Kiara here is the daughter of a diplomat and fluent in ten languages,” she said, gesturing to a woman with brown skin and shiny black hair.

“Penelope can track her lineage back through six hundred years of royalty,” she said, gesturing to another woman with dark hair in a navy blue dress.

“It’s an honor to represent my people here,” Penelope said. 

“Even Hana’s been training to learn the courtly graces of conversation and seduction,” Olivia finished.

A mixture of confusion and gratitude crossed Hana’s face as if she were surprised to hear Olivia’s praise and not sure if it was actually a compliment. 

“If anyone’s got the inside track with Prince Liam, it’s you, Olivia. You’ve known him his entire life,” Penelope spoke up. 

A satisfied smile crossed Olivia’s face as if she had been waiting for someone to mention this since the beginning of the conversation. 

“It’s true. We grew up together, and before his older brother abdicated, it was just assumed that Liam and I would be married one day. I have no intention of losing him to you,” she said, still smiling. 

Ali knew that Olivia was trying her best to get under her skin, and so far she was succeeding. But, there was no way in hell that she was about to show her that. She knew that Liam had never had romantic feelings for Olivia while they were growing up, so her comment about them getting married before Leo abdicated was completely false. Or at least that was what Liam had told her back then. After her earlier comment about keeping him distracted when he came home, Ali had been wondering if their relationship had changed. 

“Although, if we’re being honest, those pictures did make it seem that Ali and the prince are very close, Olivia. Maybe even closer than the two of you,” Kiara said.

Ali clenched her jaw at the mention of the pictures, and Olivia tensed at Kiara’s implication that her relationship with Liam wasn’t serious. 

“Liam and I have been close since we were children. I doubt the short-lived fling he had with some American commoner could ever compare to that,” she said, straightening her spine and holding her head high. 

Ali wanted to comment that a year long relationship and four years of pining after each other wasn’t considered a short-lived fling, but she didn’t think it was appropriate to reveal that much of their relationship. It was obvious that everyone here had some idea of their relationship, but they didn’t need any details.

“I don’t doubt the closeness of your relationship, Olivia. Liam always spoke so fondly of you,” she said. 

“He has?” Olivia seemed shocked for a second, but she quickly recovered and plastered a smirk on her face, “I mean- of course he has.”

“Oh, yeah! He always said you were like a sister to him,” Ali said, an exaggeratingly sweet smile on her face. 

Olivia sputtered for a second, her entire face going red. She took a deep breath and smiled once again. However, this time it was easy to see the malice behind it. 

“You may be confident now, but I’m sure you’ll learn your place here eventually,” she said.

“And where do you think my place here is exactly?” Ali asked, her left hand was clenched into a fist at her side, but she made sure not to raise her voice. 

“Oh, somewhere below Penelope and Kiara, but you know what? Probably above Hana. Though I’m surprised Hana’s here at all after what I heard about her last attempt at an engagement,” Olivia said, happily. 

Hana’s jaw dropped, and Ali felt terrible at the turn of events. She didn’t think that provoking Olivia would turn her against someone else.

“Olivia!” Hana exclaimed angrily.

“We all know that your family will throw you at any available bachelor if it means you can climb another rung on the social ladder. But, honestly, it’s a bit much to expect Prince Liam to accept ‘damaged goods’,” Olivia said vindictively. 

Ali watched as Hana’s face turned red and her eyes filled with tears. 

“Excuse me,” she said, turning her head and making to walk away. 

“Olivia, you’re acting like a child, not a queen. If that’s the way you carry yourself I wouldn’t trust you with child proof scissors, let alone a kingdom,” Ali said. 

Hana, who had stopped a few paces away when she began talking, shot her a grateful smile and continued on. Olivia’s face had dropped completely as she frantically searched for something to say. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m going after Hana.” 

Ali caught Charlie’s eye as she approached the door leading into the palace and stopped briefly as she walked by him. 

“How bad do you think I messed that up,” she mumbled under her breath so only he could hear.

“Messed it up? Babe, that was brilliant,” he whispered back, a large smile on his face as he nodded her along.

Ali smiled, glad that Liam’s friends were both kind and supportive of her. She quickly followed after Hana, knocking softly on the door she had disappeared behind. 

“Hey, I thought you could use a friend, and maybe a hug,” she said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Hana smiled sadly as a few tears fell down her cheeks. She leaned into Ali’s arms for a moment before pulling away and wiping at her eyes. The two took a seat next to each other on the bed, and Ali’s shoulders slumped as she hung her head. She was completely ashamed of her actions. 

“I also wanted to apologize,” she began, “I never thought that provoking Olivia would cause her to lash out at you. She just got under my skin, and I didn’t think before I spoke. You never should have gotten hurt because of that.” 

“I don’t blame you. Olivia has a way of doing that. She was probably going to bring it up eventually anyway. The problem is that she’s right,” Hana said, still sniffling slightly.

Hana proceeded to tell her about the groom pulling out of her previous engagement and her parents’ attempts to find her another husband.

“I thought I was far away enough that I could escape my past, but it looks like the rumors have followed me here. I guess you know a thing or two about rumors, too,” she said. 

“Yeah, and I was worried about that coming into this. I was worried about a lot of things coming into this, but earlier today I realized that I’m already here, you are too. So, we should just make the best of it,” Ali said.

“You’re right. I still just wish that Olivia hadn’t said that in front of everyone,” she replied. 

“I’m sorry that she did. But, I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to open up to me personally. Besides, Olivia saying something vindictive doesn’t take away from what a great person you are,” she said truthfully. 

“You haven’t known me for very long. What makes you think that I’m a good person,” Hana asked, wiping away a few more tears. 

“Let’s just call it a feeling. You saw me in the boutique and realized who I was, but you didn’t judge me or say anything impolite. You didn’t ask any inappropriate questions or make assumptions. You were nice and offered to help me. Then, earlier I told you I was nervous, and instead of tearing me down further, you encouraged me. You’re a good person, Hana, and no one can take that away from you.”

“Thank you for saying that and for listening,” Hana said, smiling genuinely for the first time since they separated from the other ladies. 

The two shared one last hug, and Hana retouched her makeup quickly before they returned back to the ballroom together. Maxwell greeted Hana with a polite smile before pulling Ali away.

“Liam’s been looking for you. He’s speaking to Lady Penelope right now, but you should try to get a dance in with him,” he said quietly. 

Ali walked over to where the two of them stood and caught the end of their conversation. 

“Excuse me, may I cut in?” she asked politely.

“If you must.”

“Did she say fifth golden poodle statue?” she whispered incredulously as the other woman walked away.

“Yes, she did,” he said, repressing a laugh as he led her to the middle of the dancefloor. “Penelope has a bit of an affinity for poodles.”

Ali decided against commenting, not wanting to judge the other woman without knowing her. She got into the waltzing position and smiled at him nervously.

“Liam, I’m not going to lie to you. I’m not the best at waltzing. I think I drove Bertrand crazy while he was trying to teach me. You’re also a lot taller than Maxwell,” she said as they got into position and she realized how high she had to lift her arm to rest her hand on his shoulder. 

“Just follow my lead,” he said, reassuringly. 

As the orchestra began to play she could feel eyes on her back and stiffened her body. 

“Just relax,” he said again.

Liam began to seamlessly guide her across the ballroom, and she matched all of his steps easily. 

“I guess I was just dancing with the wrong partner,” she said, surprised at how well everything was going.

“Yes. In my experience, the person you’re dancing with can make all the difference in the world.”

He continued to lead her across the room, and before she knew it, he was waltzing her out of a set of french doors that led to an unoccupied balcony. 

“Smooth moves, Your Highness,” she said with a laugh.

He pulled her into his arms, and she rested her head on his chest as they stared out at the palace grounds in front of them. 

“It’s so beautiful here,” she mumbled.

“Yes, it is. The gardens… they were my mother’s vision,” he trailed off, a melancholy smile gracing his features.. 

Ali squeezed him tighter and smiled up at him. 

“I never stopped to think about how I would feel being here today without her.” 

“And how do you feel?” she asked, moving away so that she could properly look at his face but still staying close enough for his arms to remain around her. 

“It makes me want this for us all that much more. My father has had three chances at love. Once with Leo’s mother, then with mine, and now with Regina. All I want is one,” he said looking down at her with love in his eyes. 

Liam leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. 

“These gardens do bring back good memories as well,” he said, now smiling cheerfully again. 

“Oh, yeah?”

“One summer when I was eight, my father decided to throw me into the rigors of governing. He made me sit through hours of meetings for three weeks straight until I finally couldn’t take another minute. So, I decided to liberate myself. Drake and I stole a monster supply of chocolate from the kitchens, and we hid out in the gardens. We spent the evening making up games in the garden. Our best one was maze-tag,” he said. 

“Let me guess. You played tag in the maze?” she laughed. 

“It wasn’t the most cleverly named, but it could be quite fun. You lost if you were ‘it’ by the time the other person got to the center of the maze. We played until we were exhausted and finally used the last of our energy to climb up a tree. A tree that we promptly fell asleep in.”

“Oh, no!” she said, already figuring out how this story would end. 

“I only woke up when I fell off of a branch and landed flat on my back, swearing up a storm,” he said, laughing. 

“I bet little Liam and little Drake were adorable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any pictures of you as a child.”

“I’m sure Leo would be thrilled to remedy that,” he groaned.

Ali looked up at him with a smile. It felt nice to be with him again, but she knew that they couldn’t stay away from the ball for too long.

“We should get back,” she said softly. 

“I wish I could stay with you longer.” 

A wicked smile crossed her features, and he furrowed his brows in response. 

“The ball’s almost over. Meet me at the entry to the maze in twenty minutes?” she asked. 

“Why do I feel like Bastien’s job is about to become much harder?” he said, smiling just as widely. 

He waltzed her back into the ballroom and curtsied to him as the music ended. He smiled at her mischievously as they parted, and Ali was going to walk off of the dancefloor when Constantine approached her. 

“Lady Alison, may I have this dance,” he asked, as the chords to the last song of the night began to play. 

“Of course, Your Majesty,” she said in shock, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her back onto the middle of the dancefloor. 

Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and she saw Liam shoot them a questioning look. People were muttering excitedly around them, but she tried to tune them out as she and Constantine fell into an easy waltz. 

Constantine had a relaxed smile on his face and did not speak for a few moments. He simply led her around the room, and she tried her best to match his movements without letting her nerves get the best of her. 

“You are a very good dancer,” he finally complimented. 

“Thank you, sir. I’m sure the Duke of Ramsford would be elated to hear you say that,” she said with a smile. 

Constantine laughed good-naturedly. 

“I am pleasantly surprised at how well you carried yourself tonight. Anyone would assume that you came from noble blood. I’m also impressed that you didn’t let Madeleine fluster you at dinner last night,” he continued conversationally. 

“Thank you, sir. Being a leader is about handling the unexpected without being thrown off balance. It shows weakness if you can’t do that, and I have no intention of doing so. Especially when that was what the both of you were expecting from me,” she said, with a smirk. 

She had only met Constantine once, but she already felt as if she could read him to some degree. He smiled at her genuinely this time.

“Am I that easy to figure out?” he asked, amused.

“I know a thing or two about intimidation tactics,” she responded. 

The music came to an end, and she curtsied to the king before straightening up again. 

“I look forward to seeing more of you,” he said, as they parted ways.

[bunnyandbirb]

Birb’s Summer 2017 Sports (Anime)

My first distinct memory of trying to play sports involves trying to win a game of soccer by ignoring the ball and repeatedly kicking the opposing players in the shins instead.

During four years at my basketball-crazed college, I never went to a single game (my priorities were with Overwatch and figuring out how to survive the rest of the month on two dollars.) I remember once going to watch the Denver Nuggets play, and then waking up when it was all over. So yeah. I might not be a “sports person.” That being said, I fucking love sports anime. They’re super straightforward, feel-good shows and I’m a sucker for underdog stories. I would call them a guilty pleasure, except I don’t feel guilty about watching them at all. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re all good.

I watched all of the sports anime that debuted this summer (in one night) and here are my sleep-deprived opinions:

Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun (Clean Freak! Aoyama-kun) Studio Hibari

Aoyama is a freshman in high school, a genius soccer player, and has a crippling obsession with cleanliness. I was very into the premise of this show when I first read the description, which is why I watched it first. I’m still glad that I did watch it first, so I could get my disappointment out of the way faster. Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun isn’t a true sports anime, more like a comedy anime with sports. The pacing in the first episode is pretty atrocious, barely introducing the main character before suddenly getting into a game with an enemy team (that I think I’m supposed to care about?) and then wrapping it all up in less than ten minutes. Basically the whole thing is a series of setups for jokes, and if they don’t make you laugh, it’s a little bit awkward.

The ‘clean freak’ joke started getting stale near the end (and it had only been one episode). There was even a moment where they actually tried to take it seriously (it’s so TRAGIC that he wants to play SOCCER when he’s a GERMAPHOBE), and that just made me confused. Aoyama also looks suspiciously similar to Haru from Free!, and it doesn’t help that they both have that quiet, unfazeable, non-personality.

I don’t even remember the names of the other characters, because they weren’t particularly interesting. There was an angry guy who was always angry that Aoyama didn’t want to be a dirtyboi, generic side characters, and then some girl who stalks the MC because he talked to her once. The best part of the show was the ending, which was an obvious nod back to old-school sports anime and was pretty entertaining.

The show’s art/animation isn’t that bad, which is a shame because I’m never going to be watching more of it. I’d say this is a mediocre show that I can see people liking if it matches their sense of humor. I’m not someone who finds gag comedy particularly funny, which doesn’t make me the right audience for this kind of thing.

Ballroom e Youkoso (Welcome to the Ballroom) Production I.G.

It’s an anime about ballroom dancing. The first time I heard of this, I immediately thought this was coming out to snatch up the audience of Yuri on Ice. I still don’t think I’m wrong, but Ballroom e Youkoso feels both similar and very different from both that show and Haikyuu!!, another product of this studio (and one of my favorite shows in this genre.)

Our main character is Tatara Fujita, a kid (supposedly in eighth grade, clearly doesn’t look it) with no hobbies and no idea what to do in life. He almost gets beaten up but is saved by Sengoku, a professional dancer and owner of a nearby dance studio. He eventually gets a lesson and then watches a video of Sengoku dance, which gets him hooked on dancin’ (at least it isn’t drugs.)

To understate it a bit, this show is VERY DRAMATIC. Maybe I should have expected an anime about dancing to ham it up a little, but this was a level of drama that I haven’t seen in a sports anime in a long while. They stretch limbs like nobody’s business to emphasize the ‘fluidity of dance’ or something (I don’t really know) and I laughed out loud at how silly some of it looked. Not to the say that the animation is bad. The whole CLAMP-esque rubber limbs syndrome is clearly a stylistic choice, and everything looks pretty good when they’re not dancing.

But it’s not just the animation. The plot is also VERY DRAMATIC. The entire show is a lot heavier than a lot of other sports anime, and all of the characters are way more passionate about dancing than I’ve ever been about anything. And honestly, I did get a little caught up in it. The music in this show is pretty good, and definitely contributed to how invested I got in the scenes. The characters are likeable so far. There is a bit of fanservice every now and then, which is annoying but I’ll deal with it. This is a true underdog story, and while I can predict how the rest of the show will go by watching these first five episodes, I’m sure I won’t be bored following through with it.

Dive!! (Not-Free!) Zero-G

Okay, so the alternate name isn’t really Not-Free!, but it should be. This show is mostly boring and a little hilarious (for unintentional reasons.) Dive!! is an anime about… diving, and is centered around a middle schooler named Tomoki Sakai. His combined middle/high school diving club will shut down unless one of its members can get into the Olympics within a year, which is totally reasonable.

Where to even start with this.

It’s almost impossible not to compare Dive!! to Free!, because it begs you to compare them. I can imagine they had a list of how to one-up Free! and, judging by the show, came up with this:

MORE ABS. Everyone gets a 10-pack.

Swim jammers? Pussy shit. Speedos only.

You like high schoolers who look like college students? We got some that look like they’re 12.

Add another exclamation mark in the title, that’ll really get ‘em going.

I’m not exactly sure what Tomoki’s character is supposed to be. In the first episode, he is walking to the diving club with his girlfriend. She starts talking to him, trying to engage him in a conversation… you know, the thing people in relationships have sometimes. He only gets like three sentences through before he starts zoning out completely and has an inner monologue about how much he loves diving. THEN when she confronts him, he looks past her, sees his beloved senpai and BLUSHES. IS THIS A BL SHOW??? IS THIS GIRL A BEARD?? But really, watching this pissboi interaction was probably the funniest thing in the entire show.

The animation is serviceable, but if they wanted to compete with KyoAni’s work on Free!, they might as well have not tried at all. All of the characters are forgettable as fuck except for one, who isn’t even a main character. Actually, I take that back. The main character’s emo twin brother is also pretty memorable, only because he spends every waking moment trying to steal MC’s girl. The majority of the show is straight-up boring; Unlike Ballroom e Youkoso, I didn’t feel any sense of tension or urgency no matter how much they tried to get me to care.

In conclusion, Dive!! sucks. Don’t watch it.

Nana maru san batsu (Fastest Finger First) TMS Entertainment

This might not be considered a “sports anime” in the traditional sense, but I would argue that’s exactly what it is. Koshiyama Shiki is a nerd enters high school and is drafted into the “Quiz Study Group”, where he learns the joys of competitive quiz bowl. So yeah, it’s basically a show about people answering trivia questions on a timer.

I’ll be honest; This show isn’t that special. It’s predictable, the characters are generic, the dialogue is pretty trash at times, and the art is decent. Pretty much everything aside from the actual tournaments crawls by at a snail’s pace, and by the third episode I was skipping past most of the scenes that didn’t have to do with quizzes. There also is some random fanservice (really? In a quiz bowl show?) and sometimes the character artist draws their heads too big for their bodies.

Despite all that, I will keep watching this show until the end. I’ve had a lot of fun learning about quiz bowl, mostly because I didn’t know anything about it before this. I’m a big fan of trivia, and I feel like I can just watch the show for that and still enjoy it without caring about whether the characters die in a fire or not. I’ll just ignore the repetitive conversations and weak romantic subplot in between tournaments.

Okay, so the two shows I said were my faves of the bunch are about ballroom dancing and quiz bowls. But my three all-time favorite sports anime are about tennis, volleyball, and football, so I’m just saying my preferences are based on the qualities of the show, not on the fact that I’m a loser.

Well, that’s it for now. Hopefully we’ll see some more quality sports anime in the future... or I’ll just wait for the next season of Haikyuu!!.

~Stay tuned for more nonsense~

- birb

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

i've been following your blog for a while now and i was just wondering what is your opinion on Atlus pushing the Makoto/Akira ship? Just like what they did with Minato/Yukari and Yu/Rise? (I think it can also be Yu/Yukiko but Yu/Rise is more hinted) I love Makoto and everything about her but it's kind of unfair she has more moments with Akira than the other girls (e.g. the futaba palace scene, the sakura house incident) i'm a big fan of the Akira/Anne ship so is it just because i'm biased? ahaha

Ahh first off thanks for following! :D

As for the question… Haha really? And here I am thinking they’re really heavily pushing Anne/Akira (so much so I’m actually starting to feel bad ;w;). O-o I thought Anne got a lot more scenes imo, and one specficly important scene (imo) that I didn’t think they’d give to her (I thought Futaba/Sojiro cause family dynamic or Ryuji cause first friend but nope! Anne gets it!…tho I did sneak a peak at the english part of that scene and I think it got played down….. damnit AtlusUSA that is not what she says in the japanese ver! >:/), on top of all the merch and promotion she’s getting….I think Atlus(JPN) has a little crush on Anne. o-o

(continue under the cut cause my reasoning/evidence/”evidence”/whatever you wanna call it, gets long 8U)

Like no really, the anthology manga (while made by fans was still published and advertised by Atlus) had 2 chapters where it was very Anne/Akira (one was more subtle but the other was SOOOOO in your face lsadknflan;fansf;da). And by merch, like from the line up I saw she has more figures coming out than Makoto, but I think also more than AKIRA! O_O And in promotions (like with crossover games like that dungeon game) Anne is not too far from Akira in EVERY SINGLE ONE THEY’VE ANNOUNCED! Like if it doesn’t matter if Akira has the whole team there or is with someone else, Anne is right freaking there too (be it as a group or just by themselves). Like I’m kinda feeling bad for non-Anne fans considering how much stuff she’s getting (but this might be Atlus making it up to me for not having a lotta Naoto stuff back in P4′s days ;w;)

As for “pushing,” I didn’t think Rise was AS pushed as Yukari (who was confusingly grouped with Mitsuru as a package at times in the beginning) and kinda sort of Aigis (I say kinda sorta because unlike Yukari, the game doesn’t have NPCs shoving it down your throat months into the game that you went to school together ONE TIME cause you live in the same dorm as the school idol and the school prez jesus christ game I’m dating Yuko leave me be *ahem* So yeah, Aigis is pushed as a main option along with Yukari but….it feels more subtle/natural but it can still feel like their pushing it to some). For P4….Rise was….they gave Rise an obvious crush on you, which is fine except when you’re dating someone and she still hits on you (if they gave you the option to say at least “I already have someone I like” if not just “I’m already dating someone” I think Rise would’ve backed off instead of constantly flirting with you….but I don’t think Atlus thought of that/had the budget back then so sigh….). But I wouldn’t say Yukiko is pushed (or pushed at all), it’s more Marie…..it really ticks me off that you still have a valentines day event with her even if you’re dating someone else AND didn’t do Marie’s romance…..like wth Atlus? THAT BEING SAID, the P4 spinoffs give us an insight on Yu’s mind and whatever they kinda sorta built up for Rise/Marie is kind of handwaved by a socially awkward Yu….so there’s that for people who didn’t like what Atlus did with Rise/Marie…..THAT BEING SAID again, it seems they shifted their focus more towards Naoto having (or should I say maintaining) her crush that was shown at the end of P4. Unlike Rise and Marie tho, she’s more subtle about it and isn’t just outright flirting (like with Rise) so the dialogue is more laid back/comfortable cause Yu doesn’t have to hand wave her emotions like (”oh Rise, always messing with me” jesus side note what’s with all the “Yu’s” being so unaware of romantic/sexual love? Yu and Yusuke should start a club XP) So side game wise, the keep Rise’s crush on the MC but she also has Naoto as a contender with her (with Marie every so often, but not too often, poking out). 

But forcing in P5? While they did show a lot of Anne/Akira, I don’t think they’re forcing us. I think it’s cause Anne is very versatile in being either your bro or wife (or both 8U), so you can interpret her moments as just a bro (unless of course you romance her, then OBVIOUSLY you can’t view it as a bro moment unless you’re making fun of the “I love you bro” culture…OH MY GOD PLEASE! LET THAT BE A MEME! LET ANNE BE THE ONE WHO DOES THE BRO JOKES! LSDFAKNF;A *ahem*). As well as having chemistry with the rest of the cast (dslfka; Ryu gotta love Ryu, actually I think Atlus just wants us to ship Anne with everyone, not the MC 8U XD), and giving the rest of the cast A LOT of moments with the MC themselves….So while she gets a lot, she doesn’t feel forced/pushed (I also don’t think Makoto or anyone else is pushed biasly, MC’s smile at Futaba on the beach could also be viewed as almost brotherly, and saving Makoto could…you know….be viewed as saving your teammate…..cause you don’t want them to die…. so like an alternate interpretation is there for everyone….I think P5 is very equal to all it’s girls imo). So yeah I do think Anne is suppose to be a main ship in the game, as for her rival/other main ship (like P3 had Yukari and Aigis, and P4 had Rise and Marie with Spinoffs being Rise and Naoto), I think Makoto is the other main girl….but some might view Futaba as one (you can have 3 tho doesn’t matter imo). 

But anyways anon, just ship what you wanna ship, don’t worry about the game feeling “push-y”