#THIS IS THE BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST OF BEST GWEN AND BRIDGET

[prettytingzz]

Hello is your request are open? If so could you do Chris McLean x female reader headcanons, where the campers didn't know that Chris has a girlfriend. And they didn't believe him, why would anyone date a psycho like him. But how would react when chef told them that the reader knows and doesn't care, and actually enjoy it (because the reader is psycho too) . And also the reader helps with some of the challenges. When the reader finally comes to the camp. Chris excitedly hugs his girlfriend and being all lovey dovey towards the reader, and campers are more scared because his more psycho than he was before. Chef is use too it. Because he hears Chris calls his girlfriend every. Hour. When. They. Are. Apart. That's explains why he's on the phone, and always gets mad at them for "not being quite" Is Chris protective over the reader? But when the reader is not there, Chris is more aggressive than he was before how would the campers and the interns react, would they try to look for the reader? When the reader comes back what does he do? How would the campers react when Chris says he's going to be a dad, how does chef and Chris react, Everytime when there's food involved now he's always have the best and tastiest food for the reader and it's always in front of the campers too. How would the campers feel about that, and seeing Chris looking at them like, yeah look what MY pregnant girlfriend have! She's better than all of you! Chris would always wants cuddles even in front of the campers. How would Chris react if something happen and the reader ALMOST got hint, would he be more protective over the reader more because one: she almost got hint from one of the things that was post to be for the campers and two: she's pregnant, what would they do while there not doing challenges? Does Chris touches the reader more now that's she's pregnant? Does Chris makes two interns to watch over the reader till he comes back because she almost got hint?

LMAOOO YASSS ALL OF THIS. Sorry this took so long and I’m here to make it up to you babes.

Ok let’s start!

First all when Chris finally told the campers he had a girlfriend and he flew her out here, they thought he was lying obviously and thought it was another challenge. Lmao

“Wait…Chris actually has a girlfriend?” Bridget spoke to her group at the table. Gwen said “yeah apparently and I heard she’s on her way too.”

Chris barges into the eating area with someone. “EVERYONE QUIET AND LISTEN UP! My girlfriend Y/n is here.” You smiled a bit and waved. “Hey guys!”

And boy when I tell you they was shocked..they was shocked.

When they realized you are crazy just like Chris.

“I swear these challenges are getting crazier and crazier ever since y/n came to spend time with Chris.” Said Duncan. Cj started to speak, “Mann you’re not kidding.”

You rang the sound alarms around the camp. “Campers better move on because these savage bunnies are very close to getting you guys. And one more thing who’s ever group is left behind will be walking the dock of shame.”

The next thing you knew all you here was screaming and groans.

“Geez…Chris these bunnies gonna leave a scratch or two on them.”

Also I feel like Chris is more ya know a ass when y/n has to leave and the camper’s definitely noticed it. Chef does not care lmaoo. Literally it’s like hot and cold for the campers. One minute they’re begging Chris to have you come back and be here so he can calm down with the attitude and challenges and one minute they are forcing y/n to leave because they keep forgetting that hey she looks innocent but she’s as crazy as we bf😭

We definitely established this that Chris is one show off he’s going to take any and every moment to boost about you and the little bundle of joy which the campers collectively call the baby chucky😩

Chris does realizes that the camp is not safe and he does become more protective of you. He’s everywhere…I MEAN EVERYWHERE.

Would he actually have interns to watch you to make sure you’re safe? Actually I feel like that’s a no. Like I said HE’S EVERYWHERE WITH YOU. He’ll just have chef take over😈

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

So I picked up Gwen and Art are Not in Love on Friday and aaaaaaaaa I really, really enjoyed it. (I pre ordered it from my local shop and the guy was like. Oh yeah. Yeah this looks very you. I have a Type.)

It's funny, charming, very sweet and has a couple of moments of True Peril and I loved it a lot. The characters are marvellous (I love Arthur, because I always love a fuckboy with feelings, and Bridget is 😍😍😍). I did spend a fair amount of time in the first half mentally yelling at someone to get their act together, which paid off in the end.

The dialogue is the BEST, the banter is impeccable. The friendships are SO good and so believable. 10/10, I love Arthur and Sidney.

Definitely one to look out for if you (like me) are desperate for more queer medieval books. It's more alt history than history history, which is fine by me.

Summary stolen shamelessly from Waterstones:

Gwen, the quick-witted Princess of England, and Arthur, future duke and general gadabout, have been betrothed since birth. Unfortunately, the only thing they can agree on is that they hate each other.

When Gwen catches Art kissing a boy and Art discovers where Gwen hides her diary (complete with racy entries about Bridget Leclair, the kingdom's only female knight), they become reluctant allies.

By pretending to fall for each other, their mutual protection will be assured. But how long can they keep up the ruse? With Gwen growing closer to Bridget, and Art becoming unaccountably fond of Gabriel, Gwen's infuriatingly serious, bookish brother, the path to true love is looking far from straight...

[celinedioncardboardstandee]

Ramblings about my Sierra and just kinda world tour overall rewrite (but it's mostly Sierra). Buckle in, it's a long one.

So Sierra has always had a hard time connecting with people, she's never really knows why but it's been like this her entire life. Her mom always focused more on her Chris obsession than Sierra and her dad was never around so she grew self-sufficient early on. She also got into reality TV really early too (big brother. Survivor, project runway, ect.) I think her mom had her watch an old Chris show and it snowballed from there. She's been online for along as she could remember, bouncing around Fandoms until total drama. With total drama she became totally obsessed, doing what she already did in Canon (except the stalking). She managed to become friends with izzy early and she gave her content for her blog and she also managed to interview cody a couple times.

When she got on world tour she was so excited and she was even more excited when izzy switched her teams, Heather, Courtney, and Gwen were her favorite contestants and she already felt like she was friends with Cody. When it comes to the other contestants I think she got along with team victory, Owen, and Izzy for the most part (DJ, Bridget, and Leshawna were put off by her but friendly)<- same with Gwen and Cody till a certain point. She didn't really enteract with Tyler or Zeke, but Courtney, Noah (both like Cody, till a certain point) and Duncan where more hostile. Heather was complicated but I'll go into that in a different post, and she saw through Alejandro from moment one and was more proactive about it than she was in Canon but also they get to a point where they understand and empathize with eachother.

Going into some of them more, her and Harold had a short and sweet friendship (they play dnd together post-canon), she bonds with Lindsay through fashion (all those years of project runway came in handy) she takes Sierra shopping sometimes post-canon and wears anything Sierra makes her. She has what was mostly one-sided beef with Noah because of how elusive he was between seasons (he didn't tell izzy shit) but then Noah decided to be snarky asshole and crossed the line with her a good couple times while she doesn't fight back cuz she never fights back. When he comes back tho they and Heather form an anti-alejando alliance and their relationship gradually gets better. Courtney's Courtney but after paris she softens a little (instead of a breakdown surrounding Cody it's surrounding team amazon seeing her as a tool more than anything after pretending to be her friends) but they're not good until Greece, Sierra was there to listen to her more than anyone else and didn't put her game infront so by the final 4 court is rooting for her or alejandro. Finally Cody had major issues communicating boundaries and found Sierra as a nessecary annoyance until Paris where they (and heather) had an actual discussion about it, him and Sierra then got closer and closer each episode until London, when Noah crosses the line for a final time and Cody snaps at him, that's when him and Sierra become best friends. She managed to bargain with the crew to get her knitting stuff and made Cody a sweater for his birthday, he ends up getting eliminated in rapa nui so she gives it to him with the promise he won't open it till the next episode.

Everything else plays out like it does in cannon more-or-less, Noah instead of Cody, more humanizing alejandro stuff, heatherra, ect. (Also no more robot) her and alejandro are recovery buddies and also start a podcast after.

So yea this was long and mostly about dynamics more than anything but this has been rattleling around in my head for a while now

[spiralcass]

TOP 10 CANON QUEER CHARACTERS (2023)

1. Kate Pryde  (Bi) - My Queer, Jewish, brilliantly developed and morally complex queen.

2. Illyana Rasputin (Bi) - Cheers to Krakoa for letting Magik come out as bi and develop into one of Marvel's truest heroes.

3. Domina Tagge (Lesbian) - Her and Aphra are gonna be SO messy and I can't wait.

4. Gwen Poole (Bi) - Let her date a girl.

5. Cessily Kincaid (Bi) - Show me more of the polycule, PLZ.

6. Irene Adler (Lesbian) - Amazing what one year of true focus can do for a character.

7. Raven Darkholme (Bi) - She may want to kill most of humanity, but at least she's got a soft spot for trans people.

8. Dr. Chelli Lona Aphra (Lesbian) - Watching her backslide is gonna hurt.

9. Bridget (Trans Femme) - The best trans character of all time.

10. Kho Phon Farrus (Enby) - Let them kiss Detta!

[wondereads]

Review of Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Summary

Princess Gwen has been betrothed to Arthur, the son of a duke, since childhood. They hate each other, but their engagement is made only more complicated by Gwen's crush on lady knight Bridget Leclair and Arthur's penchant for kissing boys. In an attempt to cover up their respective romantic pursuits, they pretend to fall in love, but the ruse can only last for so long.

Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I really liked how this story took some fun, more contemporary romance tropes and put them into a historical setting. Historical romances can often be quite dramatic and perhaps not the best fit for the YA style, but Lex Croucher did a great job of creating a more lighthearted story that still didn't make me forget the setting. There was an unexpected bit of plot at the end; I certainly didn't anticipate it, and it felt a little out of left field, but I think it ultimately gave some good character development and provided a nice conclusion to the story.

There were some points where the actual situations the four main characters got into felt a little unrealistic. Like it was stretching my suspension of disbelief. However, that's pretty par for the course for romance. The worldbuilding was a lot more in-depth than I thought it would be. It was wildly historically inaccurate, but it brought a lot more diversity than is normally present in historical romances.

Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I really liked the characters of this book, especially Gwen. The romance was great too, and I'll talk about that, but I appreciate that they all had their own arcs to follow and develop through outside their romantic attachments. Gwen has issues with her confidence, Arthur is the king of all daddy issues, Bridget struggles with her place in society as a female knight, and Gabriel has to come to terms with his sexuality. Them all having their own arcs really helps establish them as characters.

The romance itself was very sweet. Even if some of the situations were a bit unrealistic, the characters dealt with them very naturally and the build of both relationships felt well-paced. There was good conflict in both of them as well, ones where neither side was wrong or right and they had to come together to understand each other. By around halfway through the book if not sooner, I was wholeheartedly rooting for both Gwen and Arthur's happy endings with their love interests.

Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Although this is a historical setting, the writing is quite modern (bonus points if you catch the Riverdale meme reference in the first few chapters). However, considering this is pitched as a romcom and makes no pretense of being historically accurate, I don't mind it. The tone and language is consistent throughout the book, and I really only think it's an issue if it changes between 'modern' and 'historical'. The writing itself isn't amazing, but it is still good and Croucher does a good job portraying emotion.

Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This was a great historical romance. It was super sweet with a lot of great representation, even if it wasn't what most would consider historically accurate. Both relationships developed naturally with some pretty realistic bumps along the way. Some scenes felt a little forced, but more in the uncanny probability of the world, not the characters. Gwen was my favorite character, and I loved her arc of self-improvement. There was an unexpected bit of plot at the end, but I think it worked well in the context of how the characters were developing and what needed to occur for a happy ending.

The Author

Lex Croucher: British, also wrote Reputation and Infamous, has a cat

The Reviewer

Hi, I'm Wonderose, and I write reviews! Check out my pinned post for more about me :)

[petcr3]

petcr3’s RomCom Party! { a Valentine’s Day event }

Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s with friends, a significant other, by yourself, or not at all, there’s one thing no one can resist… a good ol’ romantic comedy!

So to celebrate V-Day, I’m hosting a movie party! Send in the movie titles, guests, and snacks that correlate to your favorite tropes, characters, and extra flair! Feel free to be specific in what you’re looking for or let me take the reins! You can make a whole movie marathon or just come for the snacks, it’s up to you! While I can’t guarantee I’ll get to everything (and I’ll definitely be working on this stuff past February 14th) I’m really excited to be taking requests again!

Check out the options below!

The Guest List (aka who I’m accepting prompts for)

Top Gun: Maverick - Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Reuben “Payback” Fitch, Robert “Bob” Floyd, Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia, Javy “Coyote” Machado, Jake “Hangman” Seresin, and Natasha “Phoenix” Trace

Leverage - Tara Cole, Sophie Devereaux, Alec Hardison, Parker, Eliot Spencer

Stranger Things - Jonathon Byers, Robin Buckley, Chrissy Cunningham, Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Nancy Wheeler

The Amazing Spider-Man - Peter Parker (as played by Andrew Garfield), Gwen Stacy

Movies (aka tropes, scenarios, etc)

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - Dating based on a bet! Specify whether you’d prefer the reader or the love interest to be the one making the bet. Otherwise, dealer’s choice!

13 Going on 30 - Childhood friends/Friends to lovers, perhaps a la the girl/boy/person next door trope!

Say Anything - Grand romantic gestures! Can be for any reason; specify if you like! Maybe a character wants to apologize or someone needs cheering up. Maybe even a love confession!

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - This one’s all about exes. That could mean exes to lovers, a run in with an ex while out with a partner, or just a simple dating history conversation. If you feel called to, get creative!

Sleepless in Seattle - Anything long distance/related to being apart!

You’ve Got Mail - Enemies/rivals/frenemies to lovers!

Bridget Jones’s Diary - Love triangle or two (or more!) characters competing for someone’s heart!

My Best Friend’s Wedding - Love is in the air… somebody’s getting married! Who knows what could happen? Meet cutes, objections, love confessions, or whatever your heart desires!

No Strings Attached - When friends with benefits become something more!

The Proposal - All things fake dating! Green card marriages, making someone jealous, helping out a stranger at a bar, placating the family… it’s all on the table!

He’s Just Not That Into You - Not so unrequited love! Mutual pining, idiots to lovers, etc.

Never Been Kissed - This one’s for firsts! First kiss, first time, first date, first relationship! Can be a one-sided first (ie, character A’s first kiss ever) a mutual first (both characters have never had a serious relationship before) or a together first (first time the characters have been together).

It Happened One Night - Road trip! Is this a romantic getaway? Is someone running from a bad breakup? Is this just a fun drive between friends that blossoms into something more? You decide!

Snacks (aka extra plot elements/details)

Candy Hearts: a love confession occurs!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries: the story takes place on Valentine’s Day!

Popcorn: the characters sing karaoke (or sing along to any kind of accompaniment)

Pop Rocks: the characters fight! (And then make up because I said so)

Cotton Candy: any kind of hurt/comfort, whether it be emotional or of the whump variety

Bonus (aka flavor of fic)

Musical - Song Fic! Either choose a song or I’ll pick one that I think fits the vibe of your choices!

Rated R - Things get a little heated… (it’s smut)

Sequel - What it says on the tin! A sequel to a previous prompt reply!

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody! I can’t wait for you to join the party! 💘

[max-imumbooks]

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

This book is the literal definition of a fun romp. Not only that, it's a GAY fun romp! It takes place in a world where Camelot is already legend, and our title characters basically have "old fashioned" names. It's great. Gwen and Art have been betrothed since they were infants, but they very much do not like each other. Gwen is pining after the realm's only lady knight named Bridget, and Art slowly comes to have feelings for Gwen's brother and heir to the realm, Gabe.

The characters are all really fun and they get into the most ridiculous situations. And seeing Gwen and Art slowly become friends is just the best. There's plots and shenanigans, and they all kind of come together in a unit to face it all together. Definitely the "us against the world" mentality that I love. It does get a little gruesome at the end, with a big ultimate battle for good and justice, but still absolutely delightful.

I recommend this to young adult readers and full adults alike. It's cute and fun, with quirky characters and queer content. And the thing is, while the queer relationships are kind of kept under wraps for a long bit, there's no blatant homophobia, which is nice. Just really refreshing. And it's a standalone! Great for a low-bandwidth read.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

[totaldramaonline]

rating total drama island first episode entrances

Chris: 6/10 you really buried the psychological warfare lead but i guess that was the point

Beth: 9/10 get his 5′9 ass

DJ: 7/10 disappointment is the name of the game

Gwen: 8/10 my goth queen ripped an entire stack of paper in her bare hands but i know you can insult him better than that

Geoff: 10/10 performance he was doing gymnastics and everything and had 100% good vibes

Lindsay: also 10/10 for being pretty and knocking him down a peg

Heather: 8/10 shades on top of shade, THE mean girl of my childhood. lost points for literally saying nothing.

Duncan: 9/10 for being my childhood crush. still is tbh. -1 point for failing to impress heather

Tyler: 4/10. I'm sorry bro. i love you. but how did you do it that badly. points for being a good sport about it

Harold: 3/10 i just. i feel like if i knew him irl i would legally have to bully him.

Trent: 5/10 for doing his chris research you lost points for sucking up. also haha squeaky shoes

Bridget: 10/10. she is always so cool. absolutely gorgeous vibes all the time. extra points for hitting chris with the board.

Noah: 8/10 how are you that gay coded. how did i not see it as a child. lit rally flirting with duncan

Leshawna: 9/10 excellent vibes 100% of the time AND it took Bridget AND DJ to hold her off Harold's scrawny ass.

Sadie and Katie: 7/10 the matching fits were such a vibe but they annoy me

Zeke: 1/10 i cant do it. i cant. as a real homeschooled Canadian he is ruining my life. i literally know him.

Cody. The Codester. the Codemiester.: 7/10 why did Chris like him so much already and also why was he kinda smooth with it

Eva: 5/10 because listen. i didn't like her as a kid. but looking back? queen. 

Owen: 10/10 once again the best vibes. i love him. why are they yelling. he is so cute

Courtney: 5/10 for her FAKE ASS. i know you are not that nice stop pretending. im sorry guys i know yall are Courtney stans but i personally am not.

Justin: 6/10 for literally just being taylor lautner. Owen for sure had a crush

Izzie: 8/10 ive always been an Izzie stan, everyone forgets shes hot bc shes crazy but not my man Owen

[ashereadsstuff]

'Gwen & Art Are Not in Love' By: Lex Croucher

I received an ARC from Wednesday Books Through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating out of 5: 🌟🌟(2/5)

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Content Warnings: Violence, Death of parent, War, Homophobia, Blood, Alcoholism, Vomit, Child abuse

——————————————————————————

SYNOPSIS:

Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom-com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight, and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

——————————————————————————

MY REVIEW:

As soon as I started the book, I was surprised that there was no formatting whatsoever for the chapter starting pages. If you are giving an ARC for review, the book needs to have some form of formatting. Readers, no matter who they are and at what point they are reading the book, should judge the book as a whole. They judge the art, the formatting, and the many POVs that are not labeled—literally everything. So it's not been a great start so far.

I have been reading ARCs for a while now, and my main pet peeve is unlabeled multi-points of view. I don’t care if it's two POVs or seven. If there are multiple points of view, YOU MUST LABLE THEM.

As I was reading this book, it constantly felt like I was waiting for it to pick up in tension, conflict, or something, but it didn’t. I like how every character had some flaws and pluses, but Gwendoline didn’t have anything to her; she was a very flat character. For example, Arthur is snarky, has a troubled family home or life, was trained in certain aspects of being an heir, and is very gay. Sidney is a Casanova who would literally waste his time to pursue a girl but is a great friend and good at his job. Gabriel is the unfortunate heir to the king who loves reading and studying and wants to be the best king he could be, but in his own way with no violence. But for Gwen, she is just very complain-y and is in love with a woman knight (I don't know what the proper term is), and she does embroidery; she is so painfully bossy. I would recommend this book to people who like lots of monologue-forward stories.

I started getting into the book around chapter 15, but then at chapter 35 it fell through, and I had trouble finishing it. I just think it's because the book keeps going back and forth between POVs and it's hard to keep track. I do like the ending I think it was wrapped up nicely. I will reread this and update my review accordingly.

[lynmars79]

No Spoilers Review - The Olympian Affair

Just finished Book 2 of The Cinder Spires, The Olympian Affair. It picks up during/right after the recent novella Warriorborn, though that's not necessary to understand the novel's plot. Does show how and why Benedict gets a Cat name, though.

Picking up 2 years after The Aeronaut's Windlass, Spire Aurora seems to have come up with a terrifying new weapon as Spire Albion prepares for war. Spire Olympia hosts a diplomatic summit, also including some of the other Spires, such as Atlantea--which seems poised to ally with Aurora. Albion's representatives must navigate treacherous schemes politically, socially, martially, and magically in a race against time to secure the information and alliances needed to win the day, let alone the oncoming war.

More of Grimm's POV, more of Espira's, more of Bridget's. Duchess Abigail Hinton joins the POV cast; she's lover of Commodore Alex Bayard, Grimm's best friend since their Fleet Academy days--and one of the few people who was present and knows the truth about how and why Grimm was drummed out, which gets explained in this novel. Abigail and Alex are both duelists which forms a cornerstone of the plot and some of the stresses inherent between them and other characters.

Gwen is now XO of Predator, learning from Grimm. We learn how and why he initially received the ship from Bayard. Benedict and Bridget are courting, Ferus and Folly still aid Predator. Espira, his warriorborn sergeant Ciriaco, and (Grimm's estranged wife) Captain Calliope Ransom, find themselves wrestling with the dangers of Madame Cavendish and her warriorborn attendant Sark, versus their own consciences. I like Espira a lot; he's a man of loyalty, faith, honor, and principle, and it's all tested here. He was an antagonist in the first book, and while still part of the Auroran military, his role is different in this novel.

We don't get Gwen's POV (except for at the end), nor do we get into Folly's head this time. A number of new characters--many of them women--appear, including a much less treacherous love interest for Grimm (Piker Admiral and warriorborn Captain Ravenna), another dangerous etherialist who has rank in another Spire, the sister of Olympia's leader--and Abigail and her assistants. I liked Abigail right off; she's extremely socially and politically aware and rather badass in many ways. She makes difficult choices for the right reasons, even when it might cost her everything she cares about.

The Olympian captain from the first novel makes a cameo appearance to talk up Gwen in front of her father (one of the diplomats) but then vanishes again. You'd think we would see more of him given his home Spire is the central location of most of the action.

We also get a trip to the surface and some of the inherent dangers present in this mutated world. It's mostly follow up to the novella and tying up loose ends, creates some random complications for a character, and in the end...is really there to give certain characters something to do and an excuse to be at the climactic scenes while not actually contributing much narratively beyond a ground view of horror and a relationship shift that could have come in other ways.

And more hints that this is a far future alternate Earth, where some sort of disaster hit--and there may have been outside influence to that. Some story elements of Dresden bleeding through? We'll see I guess. There's a map of the various Spires and some colonies that looks awfully suspiciously North America-like, if heavily altered.

We're left on a cliffhanger and several other unresolved situations that make me think the next story is picking up right off the end of this story; characters in a precarious situation might get rescued in another novella, or at the start of the next full novel. And I really need to know what happens with one of the romantic pairings, as they're going through some roughness due to certain choices. Some characters are going to deal with some permanent physical changes, and one familiar character does die (can't say it was entirely unexpected, though I still cried).

But there's some happiness too, and bonds of friendship and various kinds of love. A lot of hope. Some wins, even amid losses and setbacks.

And the Cats, of course. Still infuriatingly delightful, as they should be.

EDIT: Oh, there's a bit more racial diversity at least mentioned as a thing in the novels; Atlanteans are also noted to be typically dark-skinned, and a few other characters in their descriptions. It's vague but there, or at least left to imagination. More than I can say for anyone who isn't straight, as the characters reactions and assumptions are all pretty stereotypically straight, as is usual for Butcher, I've so far found.

[crazycoke-addict]

Total Drama Action Eliminations (who voted whom)

Alien Resurr-eggtion- Bridgette and Geoff

Lindsay voted Bridgette and Geoff due to them constantly making out.

Duncan voted bridgette and geoff due to them constantly making out.

Leshawna voted bridgette and geoff due to them constantly making out.

Bridgette voted Leshawna and Heather. They were the only low on the list and bridgete wouldn't vote off herself and geoff.

Geoff voted Leshawna and Heather. They were low on the list and geoff wouldn't vote himself and geoff.

DJ voted Bridgette and Geoff due them constantly making out.

Heather voted Bridgette and Geoff due to them constantly making out.

Duncan voted bridgette and geoff due to them constantly making out.

Beth voted Bridgette and Geoff due to them constantly making out.

Owen voted bridgette and geoff due to them constantly voting out.

Justin voted Bridgette and Geoff due to them constantly making out.

Trent voted Bridgette and Geoff due to them constantly making out.

Gwen voted Bridgette and Geoff due to them constantly making out.

Riot on Set- Escope (Izzy)

Justin voted Izzy because of her craziness and her costing them to loose.

Izzy voted Justin. She sees something in Justin that none of the other contestants don't know.

Owen voted Justin. This could more influenced by Izzy.

Beth voted Izzy because of her costing them to loose.

Trent voted Lindsay. Him and Gwen reconcile and its possible that he choose to vote Lindsay since she might be an obstacle course between him and Gwen's relationship.

Lindsay voted Izzy because of her costing them to loose.

310 to crazytown- Trent

Justin voted Trent which was requested by Gwen to prove her innocence involving Trent throwing off games for her.

Lindsay voted Trent which was requested by Gwen to prove her innocence involving Trent throwing off games for her.

Owen voted Trent which was requested by Gwen to prove her innocence involving Trent throwing off games for her.

Justin voted Trent which was requested by Gwen to prove her innocence involving Trent throwing off games for her.

Beth voted Trent which was requested by Gwen to prove her innocence involving Trent throwing off games for her.

Trent voted Owen. Owen was on the chopping block with Trent.

The Chefshank Redemption- Gwen

Heather voted Gwen due to her sabotaging her own team to let Killer Grips win.

Leshawna voted Gwen due to her sabotaging her own team to let Killer Grips win.

Harold voted Gwen due to her sabotaging her own team to let Killer Grips win. Also his relationship with Leshawna and Heather may have influenced his choice.

Gwen voted herself in a way to give herself karma for sabatoging her own team and responsibilities of Trent's elimination.

Duncan voted Heather. She was on the chopping block with Gwen. Whether or not he believe Gwen sabotaging the game. Duncan is close with Gwen and he was going to sacrifice himself by being eliminated although he claim he was joking.

DJ voted Heather. Whether or not he believed that Gwen was sabotaging the game. I think he choose to vote Heather because of her being the meanest girl in the game.

Sand witch project- DJ quits

Lindsay and Justin were meant to go home but DJ quit.

Beth voted Lindsay despite being best friends. Beth's reasoning is because

Master of Drama- Izzy

Lindsay, Beth and Justin voted off Izzy

Owen and Izzy voted off Justin

Oceans eight- or nine- Owen

Courtney had more votes than owen but because of show can't afford another lawsuit. Owen ended up getting eliminated.

Courtney voted owen because of him costing them to loose the challenge and she probably saw him as a threat since he did manage to get to the final two in Island

Lindsay voted Courtney due to suing her way and that she shouldn't be in the competition.

Beth voted Courtney due to her suing her way and that she shouldn't be in the competition

Owen voted Courtney due to her suing her way and that she shouldn't be in the competition.

Justin voted Courtney due to her suing her way and she shouldn't be in the competition.

Million Dollar Babies- Heather

Duncan voted Heather since he was moved by Leshswna's cheer.

Harold voted Heather since he was moved by Leshawna's cheer.

Super Hero-ld- Leshawna

Leshawna voted Duncan, most likely because Duncan keeps bullying Harold but because it would hurt Courtney.

Harold voted Leshawna since Duncan and Courtney manipulate him into doing it.

Duncan voted Leshawna as in an alliance with Courtney.

Beth voted Duncan in order to hurt Courtney and he's a strong castmate.

Lindsay voted Duncan in order to hurt Courtney and he's a strong castmate.

Courtney voted Leshawna because she appeared to by annoyed by her.

Justin voted Leshawna due to his alliance with the boys.

The Princess Pride- Justin

Courtney, Duncan, Beth, Lindsay and Harold voted off Justin

Justin voted off Duncan

Rock n Rule- Lindsay

Courtney voted Lindsay. Courtney butted heads with Lindsay and Lindsay getting invicibility. She saw Lindsay as a threat to the game.

Duncan voted Lindsay. Courtney most likely told to do it.

Beth voted Duncan to make Courtney crazy.

Harold voted Duncan to make Courtney and payback of the weeks of bullying him.

Lindsay voted herself off by accidental since she was going to vote duncan off to make Courtney crazy.

2008 A space Owen- Harold

Duncan voted Harold for revenge when Harold accidentally squash his pet spider, Scruffy.

Harold voted Owen due to him realising why owen was bought back in the first place.

Owen voted Harold since Harold has figured out and will warn the others.

Beth voted Courtney due to her bossiness and that Courtney was using her.

Courtney likely voted Beth due to her fallout with her.

Top Dog- Courtney and Owen

Owen was fired

Duncan voted Courtney due to her giving him a 23 page that he had to read causing him to be sleep deprived.

Courtney voted Owen because she found out that he was brought back as a mole.

Owen voted Duncan because of Beth and Courtney not eating too much.

Beth voted Courtney due to the fallout.

[epitomeofreal81]

This TOOK me out!

Here’s a list of women who have been cheated on…

Beyoncé

Halle Berry

Your mother

Gwen Stefani

Behati Prinsloo

Your granny

Your cousin

Kim Kardashian

Eva Longoria

Gabrielle Union

Monique from down the way

YOU

Demi Moore

Khloe Kardashian

Your God Mother

All of my friends

My cousin’s best friends

Brittney Spears

Princess Dianna

Vanessa Bryant

Jhene Aiko

Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson’s mother

Tina Turner

Camille Cosby

Corretta Scott King

Your sister in law’s baby cousin Tracy

Brenda

LaTisha

Linda

Felicia

Dawn

LeShaun

Inez and Alicia

Theresa

Monica

Sharon

Nicki

Lisa

Veronica

Karen

Vicky

Cookie, oh he met her in a ice cream parlor

Tonya

Dianne

Lori

Carla

Marina

Selena

Katrina

Sabrina

About three Kim's

Latoya

Tina

Shelley

Bridget

Cathy

Rasheeda

Kelly

Nicole

Angel

Juanita

Stacy

Tracy

Rohna

Ronda

Donna

Yolanda

Tawana

and Wanda

[sinfaltaenigma]

Don’t let Nia Long being cheated on distract y’all from the fact that it’s the fall season and a good time to mind the business that pays you...

Here’s a list of women who have been cheated on…

YOU

Beyoncé

Beyoncé’s mother

Halle Berry

Your mother

Gwen Stefani

Your granny

Your cousin

Kim Kardashian

Eva Longoria

Gabrielle Union

Monique from down the way

Demi Moore

Khloe Kardashian

Your God Mother

All of my friends

My mother

My cousins

My cousin’s best friends

Brittney Spears

Princess Dianna

Hillary Clinton

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis

Jhene Aiko

Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson’s mother

Jennifer Lopez

Tina Turner

Cardi B

Camille Cosby

Corretta Scott King

Your sister in law’s baby cousin

Brenda

LaTisha

Linda

Felicia

Dawn

LeShaun

Inez and Alicia

Theresa

Monica

Sharon

Nicki

Lisa

Veronica

Karen

Vicky

Cookie, oh he met her in a ice cream parlor

Tonya

Dianne

Lori

Carla

Marina

Selena

Katrina

Sabrina

About three Kim's

Latoya

Tina

Shelley

Bridget

Cathy

Rasheeda

Kelly

Nicole

Angel

Juanita

Stacy

Tracy

Rohna

Ronda

Donna

Yolanda

Tawana

and Wanda

Nia Long being beautiful, rich, successful and your celebrity crush does not make her exempt…

Oh and

Shirley.

Sincerely,

Barbara

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! February 5 - February 11, 2024

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

Already Told You I'm Right Here - by SymphonicFantasia; Complete, 1/1, 4.0k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Hero of Leaf Valley, Sunshine Islands Relationship: Vaughn | Waltz/Gwen; Characters: Gwen, Vaughn | Waltz Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Kurt, Joe, Winter, Bokumono Winter Warm-Up Exchange 2024, Woody, Animals, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Snow, Kissing Summary: If he had been told a few years ago that he wouldn't care about losing a day or two worth of pay, Vaughn wouldn't believe it. He would believe it even less if told it would be spent with someone he cared about. There were only two people in his life that he "cared" about, and he only saw them twice a week—while being paid. That was then before he met Gwen. Now he didn't mind it as much.

Dark Princess - by ZatiLinn; Complete, 1/1, 4.2k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Friends of Mineral Town Characters: Princess, Dark Lord Summary: In Friends of Mineral Town there is a TV show called Dear Princess. This is the sequel to the TV show.

Tackling the Bear - by ZatiLinn; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen Fandom: Pioneers of Olive Town Characters: Bridget, Ralph, Bear Summary: Ralph took his job as a forest ranger very seriously, so when he told the Mayor he would take care of the bear lurking near Olive Town in his own time, he meant what he said. Could the decision to take a slow approach have put someone's life in danger?

Karena Kamu Tertidur - by revabhipraya; Complete, 1/1, 2.7k; Language: Bahasa Indonesia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Elli/Harris; Characters: Elli | Elly, Harris, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Doug | Dudley, Cliff, Gray, Doctor | Trent Additional Tags: Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Hope, Moving On Summary: Begitu Elli kembali dari ibukota, hidupnya berubah drastis. Selain kebiasaan yang telah ia putuskan untuk tidak lakukan, rupanya seseorang yang baru pun muncul?

Both You and I Know - by revabhipraya, rey (revabhipraya); Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Carter/Harvest Goddess Marina | Megami-sama; Characters: Carter the Pastor, Harvest Goddess Additional Tags: Angst, Sad, Internal Monologue, POV First Person, February Ficlet Challenge 2024 Summary: Both you and I know about yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Lady Of Grasstrail Farms - by FromADenOfBeasts; WIP, 46/?, 58k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Pioneers of Olive Town Relationship: Female Farmer/Lars; Characters: Original Female Character(s), Female Farmer, Lars, Laura, Angela, Clemens, Damon, Jack, Emilio, Reina, Victor, Gloria, Simon, Jesse Additional Tags: My First AO3 Post, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, Supportive Big Brother, honestly the best big brother ever, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Wish Fulfillment, Mysterious Origins, Childbirth Summary: A young woman named Vallon quits her job and follows her heart to Olive Town, where her family has roots deeper than she ever thought. Now she has to contend with new neighbors, ancient magic, and getting the hang of farming a wild land. Can she cope on her own, or can she at least find someone to share it with?

Winter's nights - by Daryls_Favourite; Complete, 3/3 , 3.3k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Reader x Daryl; Characters: Reader, Daryl Additional Tags: BokumonoWWW, NSFW, Sex, Light Bondage, Unprotected Sex, Pull Out

The Scientist and his Farmer - by Daryls_Favourite; WIP, 11/?, 15k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Daryl/reader; Characters: Daryl, Rock, Muffy | Molly, Marlin | Matthew, Forgotten valley villagers, Reader Additional Tags: BDSM, Bondage, Multiple Orgasms Summary: You have been living in forgotten valley for a little under a year. Winter is underway and you need to keep your farm afloat whilst also trying to court a suitable spouse.

Love Like You - by SymphonicFantasia; WIP, 6/29, 13k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandoms: Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Gwen/Alice; Characters: Gwen, Alice Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Slow Build, Femslash February, Femslash, Bisexuality, Bisexual Female Character, First Dates, Post-Canon, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Picnics, Dating, First Kiss, Girls Kissing, Kissing, Fireworks, beach date Summary: People say this love is wrong / But all I want is to belong / I can say without any doubt / People should learn how to love like you

[decaffeinatedfoxkitten]

Here’s a list of women who have been cheated on… Beyoncé Halle Berry Your mother Gwen Stefani Your granny Your cousin Kim Kardashian Eva Longoria Gabrielle Union Monique from down the way YOU Demi Moore Khloe Kardashian Your God Mother All of my friends My mother My cousins My cousin’s best friends Brittney Spears Princess Dianna Jhene Aiko Janet Jackson Janet Jackson’s mother Tina Turner Camille Cosby Corretta Scott King Your sister in law’s baby cousin Tracy Brenda LaTisha Linda Felicia Dawn LeShaun Inez and Alicia Theresa Monica Sharon Nicki Lisa Veronica Karen Vicky Cookie, oh he met her in a ice cream parlor Tonya Dianne Lori Carla Marina Selena Katrina Sabrina About three Kim's Latoya Tina Shelley Bridget Cathy Rasheeda Kelly Nicole Angel Juanita Stacy Tracy Rohna Ronda Donna Yolanda Tawana and Wanda Nia Long being beautiful, rich, successful and does not make her exempt… Oh and Shirley…this is Barbara! https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci6fZTqMw__xP2UVVVWLMHbZZnFL_mgiNja8jA0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wishesofeternity]

 rambling thoughts on the Aeronaut's Windlass (Cinder Spires 1) by Jim Butcher 

(what I know about this book so far: it’s set in spires in the sky, it has flying ships, it deals with warring high houses, it has cool cats and ancient awakening threats, and it’s STEAMPUNK)

(spoilers below)

... the protagonist’s name is Gwendolyn Margaret Elizabeth Lancaster

take them down, Gwen!

Gwen is high-spirited and bold and independent, and sheltered in a way which makes it clear that she was born and raised in nobility, but not really in a particularly annoying way?

Gwen and her mom have such a typical “we argue and fight but we mean well and love each other” dynamic. 

Lady Lancaster is so fucking badass 

IT’S AN ENERGY CRYSTAL POWERED AIRSHIP

“We are bold and daring, but not maniacs” 

Captain Grimm, I tentatively like you

oh my god, is this going to be a battle between two airships?

“I know we got tricked, attacked and almost destroyed, but the ship our enemy sent after us was the best one they had so ... it’s almost a complement???”

also, that was a cool air battle

This world has beasts that are large enough to swallow ships whole, and I am jealous

oh god, her name is Bridget. She seems cool, but I hate that name

Rowl is a clever talking ginger cat who calls his human “Littlemouse”. He and my dog should be friends.

“Being incompetent was surprisingly draining on one’s confidence” you don’t say

Gwen: damn, Bridget is Thicc

Rowl: all humans are dumb and incompetent except for my human

“Scandal, old friend, is ever so much more enjoyable than property.”

Folly is DIVINE

“We’re a civilized society, are we not?” / “Since when, miss? We’re a democracy” I’m dying

“Truth does not become untruth because its existence upsets the scion of a High House” you tell them, Bridget

This book is fun, but it can also get annoyingly light-hearted and bombastic at times, and I know that’s probably deliberate and well done, but it just doesn’t click for me, unfortunately.

IT’S FOLLY

“Don’t correct my grammar; it’s an aesthetic choice of word order” 

The Spirearch is a clever bastard

So ... Spire Albion is vaguely based on England and Spire Aurora seems to be vaguely based on Spain. With the culture of 18th century Europe, except they have the added benefit/replacement of energy crystals

The gang’s all together!

Gwen, don’t be mean

“Why must people always talk to me when I leave the house?” god, Folly is a Mood

“You have said nothing that is untrue. You have also said nothing that is complete. There is more to the world than what a review board publishes.”

Rowl’s chapters are my favourite

Gwen’s a tea person!

CAPTAIN RANSOM!

“mouthy, sucker-punching, welching and treacherous”. I love her

“To see her beauty, one had to see her in motion” I love her

“What did she lie about?” / “I’m not certain. All of it, likely.” LMAO

“That woman drives me quite insane.” / “Why’d you marry her then?” ICONIC

Captain Ransom swaggers in, steals the scene, and swaggers out. What a fucking bamf.

The villains are pretty much caricatures at this point, but they’re fun, so who cares?

silkweavers are meant to be giant spiders, right? we can’t have a steampunk fantasy without giant spiders!

oops

But on the plus side, Rowl finally gets to prove that humans are useless and that cats will save the day

RIP Brother Vincent 

I love how Bridget’s strategy for fighting is just “slam into them so hard you knock them out”

Captain Ransom is only is only in for villainy under mercenary purposes, and that’s very sexy of her 

“Polite is lovely for tea parties. It is of limited value when one is attempting to outrun the fastest and best-trained airship fleet the world has ever known.” Ransom is so damn cool

Grimm and Ransom are on opposite sides of a brewing conflict, mutually believe that the other is the biggest bastard in the skies, and take great pleasure in wrecking each other’s ships. Basically: they’re a very bitter divorced couple

THEY STILL CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER

I want Gwen and Ransom to interact more in the next book, because I think they’d really like each other

god, Ransom is so damn hot and is easily the best (after Rowl) and most complex character in this story

I’m going to stop talking about Calliope Ransom now

“Wars are not simply about objective measurements. They are about will, about belief.”

it’s kinda funny how an airship named Predator is constantly everyone else’s prey

I love how all the kids have been pretty much useless during this last fight

surprisingly, I actually don’t mind Bridget x Benedict as a ship, although I’d have definitely preferred Gwen x Bridget

ROWL IS GETTING A HUG

“I dreamed a Spire, surrounded in darkness, with Death pouring in through its walls. I dreamed of thousands of ships like crystal, rising from the earth—and wherever they went, people died“ oh damn, this is interesting, and a great setup for book two

Overall thoughts - I low-key skimmed through this book, so I might have missed on a lot of details, but it was a fun concept and a fun read, and I definitely want to see what happens in the second book, although fuck knows when it’s coming out

also - RANSOM IS THE COOLEST