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kmze · 7 months

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Thoughts on 1x12-1x22! Tbh I'm happy to be done with S1 while I liked the nostalgia, I have some gripes with this season and IMO it's really not one my favorites in the overall series (I know that's controversial). The mythology was great and I loved the magical macguffins but it's just so dramatic all the time I felt. My memory of this season is terrible and I had forgotten a lot of movement in the plot so sometimes I felt like I was watching something new. S2 will probably be easier for me to get through. More under the cut and remember these are all my opinion and I am not here to argue about them :)

Yeah I completely forgot it was Anna who turned Logan and her dumb henchmen. Will miss her, she knew how to use minions to not get her hands dirty.

I really felt bad for Jeremy. His relationship with Anna was cute but tragic and then he has to deal with his sister lying to him all the time. Then giving him sad eyes to please forgive her she was just protecting him *rolls eyes* he should have gotten the chance to kill Damon at least once.

I love how uneasy Uncle John makes Damon. He's the only one who is unmoved by his attempts at charm and you can see how much it annoys Damon that he knows EVERYTHING. I also appreciate that John doesn't care that everyone hates him. Just a man on a mission.

It was jarring how long Bonnie was gone but could not help but clap at how she was like 'fuck y'all' when she returned after what happened to Grams. I did not remember this and was very pleased with the development! I also forgot the awful wig they gave her when she returned (thankfully it looked much better in the finale) Kat should have sued.

I swear there was a founding-family-mystic-falls-event every single episode in the second half of the season and that plot device has really started to run it's course for me. Unfortunately I've got at least two more seasons of it I think *deep sigh*

My god do I hate Matt and Caroline, I hate the way they frame EVERYTHING with Caroline having to be ‘notElena’ with him. I especially got annoyed in 1x14 when she had to keep giving him “speeches” to apologize for BEING HERSELF. Especially apologizing for the hand holding like Matt doesn’t constantly make her feel inadequate next to Elena. Matt telling Caroline he just needed to be alone after they found Vicki's body and then when he sees Elena he hugs her is just cruel.

The overall treatment of Caroline this season was honestly the worst part for me. The fact that they have her say "I'm a terrible awful person but I'm working on it" ?? In what context is Caroline an awful person especially on a show where characters are literal serial killers. This is exactly where the "Caroline was annoying in S1 but got better" nonsense comes from. When really she was just a 17 year old girl with a type A personality. This is probably the biggest reason I struggled watching this season. It just all felt very deliberate in the way it was written, to make the viewer think Caroline is annoying.

Stefan was better in the second half of the season but it was so LOL that the moment he started being a little fun Elena was like "what's wrong with you" HA! Of course something was wrong and kudos to Paul because the Stefan-blood-addiction storyline was really well done . I always liked how it was played as an addiction (and even better in S6 when they confirm it was a genetic thing with Lily as addiction is usually genetic). I have seen most of those scenes tons of times but watching them in succession again made me appreciate it again.

I truly don't like Damon :-/ his only purpose for me currently is he makes me laugh. I can't stand how he acts like he knows everything and is orchestrating everything when really he's kind of a moron and extremely impulsive. Genuinely what was his plan killing John and throwing him off the roof at the 8th straight founding family function? I wish Bonnie had kept her energy from 1x22 and killed him.

This is probably just bias and age but I don't care about the triangle at all. It's just kinda there doesn't move me. Stefan and Elena are very serious all the time (there is so much hugging). Then there's Damon and Elena who just eye-thing each other in every scene they share. Though I will say her wishy-washiness made it easier to believe she actually kissed Damon.

Katherine's reveal is still one of the best moments of the series (best part of season by far!) It was so funny watching the scene too knowing it's Katherine and how she just looked all moody as Damon gives her all the details she needs with zero strain on her part. Then when she says to Aunt Jenna "I don't want to talk about it" like a moody teenager LMFAO. I love her.

Lines that made me laugh:

Damon: Let's not kill anyone tonight. Your words. Just pointing that out. (ah the good ol' days when I enjoyed the Damon/Alaric friendship)

Stefan: You mean we did all that dancing for nothing (I know I keep saying he’s too serious but he is funny in a self-deprecating way)

#tvd rewatch #tvd spoilers #S1 rewatch #1x12 - 1x22 #I honestly blame kw the most for the treatment of caroline this season #or really every female character but elena #and ultimately that's probably why he pushed what he did in the finale #but I need to do a full rewatch to really dissect and see if what I'm feeling is correct #especially need to watch caroline's journey #to really understand how much kw and jp were at odds #k rewatches tvd

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theyhavetakenovermylife · 6 months

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“1000 Gange” (Fluff)

MM!Michelangelo x reader

A/N: I’ve been feeling for a songfic for some time, and I finally got the inspiration I needed to do it.

Song: “1000 Gange” by Caroline Henderson.

It is a Danish song from a Danish Christmas calendar, but I’ve always loved the song, and it gives me more lovey vibes instead of Christmas, lol. English translations are provided🧡

Warnings: Nothing, just cuteness and a pretty adorable song. Absolute teenage fluff stuff🧡

1000 gange har vi stået, op og ned ad gader gået, kysset på hinanden i vinden / Før du skulle hjem / Mmmh / Før du skulle hjem.

(1000 times have we stood, up and down streets walked, kissed each other in the wind / Before you had to go home / Mmmh / Before you had to go home).

There was almost something magical about having a boyfriend like Michelangelo. Well, other than the fact that he was a mutant turtle, but his personality. He was always so happy, always finding something exciting to do. Rarely you and him had any plans on date nights. You would just meet each other, either outside of your apartment building, or by the man cover closest to his sewer home. And from there the plans and ideas for the evening would be flowing, often leading to you and him running up and down the streets of New York City, before finding a secret place where you would be alone.

In the cold night air you would hold each other close, either somewhere in the park, at the top of some random building or down by the water, and talk about whatever was on your mind, with small kisses peppered in between every single topic. You would stay with each other for as long as possible, before the two would have to make the journey home. Though Mikey’s father had become more accepting of humans, he still didn’t like his sons to stay out for too long, which meant that Mikey did have a pretty strict curfew to follow. And though the two of you dreaded whenever you would have to call the end of the date, it did not stop from talking about the next.

1000 gange har du lagt din hånd ind på mit maveskind og varmet dine hænder i mørket / Når du var kold / Ahh / Når du var kold.

(1000 times have you put your hand in on my stomach skin and warmed your hands in the dark / When you’ve been cold / Ahh / When you’ve been cold).

The last few moments of your date would often consist of you and Mikey sitting or laying close, enjoying the warmth of each other’s company, mumbling sweet nothings as you watched the few stars that was visible in the sky above. During especially cold months, Mikey did like to put a cold hand under your shirt, feeling the warm skin of your stomach. This would make you yelp and pull away with a smile, your laughter loud, sounding beautiful in Mikey’s ears. But every time you would wrap your arms around him, pulling him closer so that you could keep each other warm for the night.

1000 gange har du sagt, du elsker mig, men ikke nu i nat / 1000 gange har du sagt, du elsker mig, men ikke nu i nat / For du skal hjem / Mmmh, du skal hjem.

(1000 times have you said, you love me, but not tonight / 1000 times have you said, you love me, but not tonight / Because you have to go home / Mmmh, you have to go home).

There was one evening where you and Mikey had been too caught up in each other’s company to notice the time. It was during December, where the snow was covering Central Park, and the two of you had decided on a last minute snow fight. In your thick jackets and beanies covering your heads, the two of you had been running around, threatening the loser with kisses and banter.

In the middle of your loud laughter, Mikey felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his orange winter jacket. After throwing his snowball he pulled his phone out, just to make sure it wasn’t anything important. But when he saw the name of his father at the top of the message, along with the time of night, he was horrified.

“Dad’s freaking out!”, Mikey told you, looking at his phone. “I was supposed to be home half an hour ago!”

“Oh no!”, you exclaimed, knowing very well how Splinter could get when he was worried. “You better hurry home!”

“But I usually walk you home-”, Mikey was about to protest, but you cut him off.

“Not tonight. You have to get home”.

Mikey knew that you were right, and that it was not worth starting up a discussion about it. Instead he put his phone back into his pocket and pulled you in for a quick kiss.

“Text me when you get home”, he said, still not walking away.

“I will”, you smiled. “Now, go! Before your dad sends the whole sewer out after you”.

And with a quick second kiss, your boyfriend was running, his feet quickly carrying him to the nearest manhole.

1000 gange har vi siddet i de bløde sæder, i det bagefterste af biografen / Og holdt i hånden / Hmm / Og holdt i hånden.

(1000 times have we been sitting in soft seats, in the back of the cinema / And held hands / Hmm / And held hands).

Not all of you and Mikey’s dates have been outdoors. As time processed, you and Mikey started to expand your dates from sudden ideas on strolls, to actually make plans. One of those plans being going to the cinema together. That had been a great experience for the both of you, so you had decided to do it more and more often. Watching anything from comedy, action to horror. Anything that gave you and Mikey the excuse to hold hands while taking in your favorite form of entertainment.

1000 gange har vi drukket te, og stenet fjernsyn, i den sofa, som du har derhjemme / Og det var dejligt / Mmmh, det var rart.

(1000 times have we been drinking tea and stoned television, on the couch you have at home / And it was lovely / Mmmh, it was nice).

But constant cinema going can become expensive, which led you to the next best thing - watching movies at home. Normally you would do that at Mikey’s place, where the two of you would take up the whole couch in the middle of the lair, and watch movies from him and his brothers’ large collection.

You would usually do it so late that Mikey’s mutant family would have gotten to bed, leaving you and your boyfriend with the living area to yourselves. However, before going to bed, Splinter would usually take the time to make both of you tea, before leaving the two of you alone for the night. So with your legs tangled together, and two cups of hot tea, you and Mikey would have all the whole night to yourselves.

1000 gange har du sagt, du elsker mig, men ikke nu i nat / 1000 gange har du sagt, du elsker mig, men ikke nu i nat / For du skal hjem.

(1000 times have you said, you love me, but not tonight / 1000 times have you said, you love me, but not tonight / Because you have to go home).

But there had been times where you would have to watch movies at your place. Either because one of Mikey’s brothers or extended family members had to use the television that night, or because the two of you just needed a small break from them. Your parents had nothing against it, letting Mikey into either home with open arms. Though they did not make you tea, it wasn’t uncommon for them to leave you some sort of snacks for the movie.

First time you had Mikey over for movies, neither you nor him had thought about asking your parents for permission to let him spend the night. Not that your parents would have anything against it, but Splinter did not like sudden last minute changes like that, fearing the worst. Still a bad habit from the days he and the turtles used to hide away from the surface.

So when it began getting late, and you fell asleep against Mikey with the movie still running, he didn’t have it in him to wake you up before he left. He waited until the last minute, not wanting to leave you, before finally getting up. He turned off the television and made sure you were tugged in, before sending you a message you could read when you finally woke up. He then pressed a kiss to your forehead, before making his way home.

When you then woke up many hours later, you were confused until you found Mikey text, reading it with a bright smile;

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!💕🌹 Sorry I just left without saying anything. I just couldn’t bring myself to wake you up. Anyway, I love you, and I hope you’ve been sleeping well😍💕 Call me when you’re up😘”

And with a smile still plastered across your face, you called him while getting up from the couch.

Vi kunne få det så fedt, men det bliver til for lidt / Det er ikke særlig smart, du skal altid hjem, når vi har det rart / Når vi har det rart / Der er meget mere vi kunne dele, vi kunne dele det hele / Har du forstået, så snart du er gået, så mangler jeg noget? / Jeg savner dig.

(We could have it so cool, but it becomes too little / It’s not very smart, that you always have to go home, when we feel good / When we feel good / There’s so much we could share, we could share it all / Have you understood, as soon as you’re gone, I’m missing something? / I miss you).

To say that you and Mikey wished that you could have more time together, was an understatement. When you for some reason couldn’t spend time together, you would text each other all the time with sweet words and hearts. Even during school, you would do whatever you could to eat lunch together, spend time alone during breaks, or send each other sweet glances in the library, even texting each other in class when you hoped that the teacher wasn’t looking.

Though you and Mikey may be young, you couldn’t help but dream of the future together. A future where you could spend all your time together, without worrying about curfew or annoying things alike. A time where you could hold each other close the whole night, without having to miss each other at all.

1000 gange har du sagt, du elsker mig, men ikke nu i nat / 1000 gange har du sagt, du elsker mig, men ikke nu i nat / 1000 gange har du sagt, du elsker mig, men ikke nu i nat / 1000 gange har du sagt, du elsker mig, men ikke nu i nat / For du skal hjem.

(1000 times have you said, you love me, but not tonight / 1000 times have you said, you love me, but not tonight / 1000 times have you said, you love me, but not tonight / 1000 times have you said, you love me, but not tonight / Because you have to go home).

But after a year, your luck would finally turn. Splinter, seeming to understand how you and Mikey wished to spend more time together, finally relented. His sons were teenagers, teenagers accepted by the human world above. And as teenagers they wanted to be with their friends or other loved ones, for longer than a clock would allow them to. And so Splinter finally decided to get rid of the curfew during weekends, letting his sons stay out for pretty much as long as they wanted to, on the condition that they texted him, letting him know wherever they went. Unless it was a school night! Then they had to be home at the set time!

Even this was seen as an absolute win for the boys, and each of them decided to celebrate it in their own ways, going out with their own friends that evening. Mikey decided to celebrate it with you, finally spending a full night at your place. From Friday to Saturday he spends the night, with the two of you sleeping soundly in each other’s arms. And never would there come another night, where you couldn’t tell that you loved each other.

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noys-boise · 9 months

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favourite book

book i most recently read

favourite song/album

song/album im listening to rn

favourite tv show/movie

tv show/movie i most recently watched

favourite video game

video game i most recently played

video game i wish i could experience for the first time again

tv show/movie i wish i could experience for the first time again

song/album i wish i could experience for the first time again

book i wish i could experience for the first time again

musical artist i wish had more of a fandom

game i wish had more of a fandom

tv show/movie i wish had more of a fandom

book i wish had more of a fandom

go-to comfort album

go-to comfort book

go-to comfort tv show/movie

go-to chill game

tell me literally everything actually

bro that's literally everything

1. favorite book: ngl I've only really read fanfiction lately and i doubt that counts so I might just skip some of these questions sorry

2. book you most recently read: Uncle of the year by Andrew Rannells but I keep procrastinating on finishing it even though it's really good

3. favorite song/album: for song Our time from Merrily we roll along for album The journey home by Malcolm Gets

4. song/album im listening to rn: well right now I'm not listening to music but generally I listen to literally any merrily we roll along from 1994 and 2023 cast recordings all the time

5. favorite tv show/movie: for tv show without a doubt Caroline in the city and for movie it's a tie between Tick tick boom and Howard the duck which is a sentence no one other than me would say

6. tv show/movie you most recently watched: well technically if you count a merrily we roll along bootleg it's that but if you don't count it for tv show last i watched was Community and for movie i think last one I actively watched was West side story

7. favorite video game: I'm not much of a gamer but uhh i guess The sims 4? that's a game I actually have on my laptop that i haven't touched in months

8. video game most recently played: idk if mobile games count, if they do then. brick shooter game i have on my phone. if not then yeah ts4 several months ago i really don't touch my laptop too often lately

9. video game i wish i could experience for the first time again: Monkey island 🥺 it was such a big part of my childhood I miss it so much

10. tv show/movie i wish i could experience for the first time again: for tv show Caroline in the city but specifically I want to experience it watching it one episode at a time instead of getting addicted to it, and in movie uhh literally any musical pro shot/bootleg i literally need to experience musicals for the first time again. especially Falsettos and Into the woods

11. song/album i wish i could experience for the first time again: Unlikely lovers from Falsettos and Our time from Merrily. Songs that changed my life honestly

12. book i wish i could experience for the first time again: Felix does not read much, shocking information. i have no memory of any book i ever read and it's a problem

13. musical artist i wish had more of a fandom: does Malcolm Gets count? yes he does

14. game i wish had more of a fandom: once again, monkey island, my beloved

15. tv show/movie i wish had more of a fandom: CAROLINE IN THE CITY. PLEASE.

17. go-to comfort album: merrily we roll along cast recordings, what does this say about my mental health that i consider that comfort

19. go-to comfort tv show/movie: Caroline in the city and Howard the duck still. though with Caroline in the city I have to choose my episodes wisely because some of them do the opposite of comfort for me

20. go-to chill game: still not much of a gamer, still gonna say ts4 for the third time, it's all i have

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tallmantall · 2 years

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#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth - A Day To Heal For Those Touched By #Suicide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qvUAXSNGAM&ab_channel=KRDONewsChannel13 BY CENTRAL OREGON DAILY NEWS SOURCES On a cold Saturday morning folks gathered in Heritage Hall at First Presbyterian Church in Bend to mark a solemn day. They’re part of a group that no one wants to be a member of, brought together by the loss of someone they know who died by #suicide. “It’s a very difficult grief to get through,” said Leanna Leyes. Leyes and the others were marking the International Survivors of #Suicide Loss Day. “I lost my son in 2014 to #suicide, and I’ve done a lot of community events and teaching and that sort of thing. I want people to know that they’re not alone, that you can get through this,” said Leyes who was volunteering at the event. The Central Oregon #SuicidePrevention Alliance along with Deschutes County Health Services sponsored the event, which included a screening of a documentary produced by the #AmericanFoundationforSuicidePrevention and discussion groups for those dealing with loss. “It helps me to be able to help others. I found that the more that I connect with others, the better that I do,” said Leyes. “It’s just it’s a very moving day, but it’s also a very healing day,” said Caroline Suiter who coordinates #suicideprevention programs with Deschutes County Public Health. #James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleOrder your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com In 1999 Congress designated the Saturday before Thanksgiving as a day for those affected by #suicide to gather together for healing and support, it’s sometime referred to as Survivor Day. “It’s a journey. And it has its ups and downs. It can it can look different year to year. So kind of keeping in mind your own personal signs when you may need more supports and going to events like this or connecting with any of the resources we list off is always good, even if the loss was ten or twenty years ago,” said Suiter. “Being able to connect with someone who’s actually been through it is so incredibly helpful,” added Leyes. If you, or someone you know, is in crisis or struggling with thoughts of #suicide you can dial 988 to reach the #NationalSuicidePreventionLifeline. Help is also available by calling the Deschutes Country Crisis Line at 541–322-7500 Ext 9. Both are free and confidential. You can also find more information on #suicideprevention and #mentalhealthresources here. Read the full article

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stella-welly · 3 years

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Karaoke night at Star-drop saloon anyone?

Some of the residents that frequent the saloon(Minus Haley; she got a call from her sister and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to shine) decided to do an impromptu karaoke night! Here are their song choices!

(I just went based off popular karaoke hits. Hope you like!)

________________________________________

Abigail, Leah, Emily, Haley start the night off with Wannabe by the Spice Girls. It’s fun and flirty and surprisingly good for agreeing on it 2 seconds before picking up the mics. They have so much fun and definitely start the night off strong!

This encourages Robin and Demetrius to get up and sing Summer Nights from the Soundtrack of Grease. It’s a duet and Robin and Demetrius have a flirty look in their eyes. The crowd singings the part “ tell me more tell me more!”. Maru thinks it’s adorable and Sebastian is gaging in the back.

Pierre goes up after and picks to sing Sweet Caroline by Neil diamond and surprise surprise, dedicates it to his wife, Caroline, who is sitting close by. It’s cute and sweet (not as cute as Robin and d but whatever.) They share a small kiss at the end.

Harvey chooses to go next and picks Don’t stop believin by JOURNEY. He is nervous. Realllllly nervous. He starts to second guess himself as soon as all eyes are on him. Just as he’s about to back out, when Maru runs up to grab a mic and starts singing. She encourages him to keep going, moving the mic away to say “ it’s all for fun!” It works and he gets the courage to finish the song with her. Everyone cheers; their favorite doctor and nurse singing a classic. The two walk off at the end with smiles on their faces.

And you know who decides to go next? Mischievous grins on their faces? Sam and Sebastian. Song choice? I will survive by Gloria Gaynor. It’s silly and fun as the two turn it into a duet somehow. Theatrics are turned all the way up. Once they finish and receive their applause, Robin runs up and hugs Sebastian and sam like the proud mom (as sam calls her “second mom”) she is.

Shane surprises everyone by going up after and his song choice is Tiny Dancer by Elton John. But! He dedicates the song to “ The tiny dancer behind the bar” Looking over at Emily, who goes beet red. Everyone whistles and whoops but Shane calms them down, “Relax, relax everyone, it’s not like that.” He sings and it adorably playful (he sings blue haired baby instead blue Jean baby). When he finishes Emily goes out to give him a hug. They embrace and everyone claps for them! (I think the two are really good friends! I can elaborate if need be lol)

Now this…this is where it starts to go south. Clint decides to go up and sings Mr.Brightside by The Killers. He keeps glancing at Emily and Shane who are sitting at the bar watching in confusion. It’s dramatic and Safe to say…Clint made things a little awkward by the end.

But not as awkward as Marnie was about to make it for someone else! She storms up after Clint, practically shooing him off and immediately picks Irreplaceable by Beyoncé. She clearly thought this through. The song starts and Her eyes are locked eyes with Lewis the entire time. Singing from the GUT. There is small whispers amongst the uninformed and nothing but “ You tell him Marnie !” & “YEAH THAT’S RIGHT!” By those who know ( especially the farmer). Lewis couldn’t be more embarrassed.

Gus then decides it might be time to end the night while it’s still somewhat tame.

The end!

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usergreenpixel · 3 years

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MALMAISON MEDIA SALON SOIRÉE 3: NAPOLEON (2002)

1. The Introduction

Hello, Neighbors. Welcome back to our little salon. Unfortunately, this time the soirée will have to be organized without my personal presence since I have Covid and need to do the responsible thing. That said, I promised to make this review so here you go.

This series came up on my radar thanks to @tairin but I also saw @joachimnapoleon talk about it so this review will be dedicated to both of them, as promised. I love both of you, my friends!

(That said, I remember catching snippets of the episodes on TV back in Russia, but I didn’t watch the entire thing back then.)

I watched all 4 episodes in Russian so I don’t know where it can be obtained in other languages. If you have ways to watch it in English, dear Neighbors, please let me know.

Oh, and also please keep in mind that since I’m from the Frev community and the First Empire isn’t my area of interest, I won’t tackle any potential inaccuracies because I don’t feel like stepping on minefields.

Alright, with that out of the way, let’s begin our soirée before I run out of whatever energy I have. I hope you enjoy yourselves though.

Feel free to take a seat and grab some food. :)

2. The Summary

I think the title pretty much speaks for itself. The miniseries is about, well, Napoleon. Or rather, about his journey from a republican general to emperor. It also tackles his downfall so there’s a lot of stuff to work with.

Let’s take a look at how this series handles the topic.

3. The Story

Oh dear god, the pacing! I don’t think I’ll be considered a revolutionary for saying that cramming the entire fucking Napoleonic era into 4 episodes in hard as shit! And I don’t think this series does a really good job, to be very honest.

A lot of parts are skipped (like the Russian campaign) which makes things really confusing, especially because there is no narration nor clues to provide the unfamiliar spectators with the context they need to understand what the fuck is happening. The only thing we have are maps of campaign locations, but that’s just not enough for people like me,

There are just too many time skips and it makes me wish the creators either made a longer series or focused their miniseries on something in particular, like a particular campaign for example. But alas, that’s not what we see in the series.

Another issue I have is the fact that (partially due to the pacing), unfortunately, the narrative kind of idolizes Napoleon too much for my liking. My personal bias aside, a lot of his abusive actions are glossed over. But, since the framing device is that of Napoleon himself telling the story, I guess it makes sense.

Speaking of which, I actually like the framing device that the creators chose. It has Napoleon tell his story to Betsy Balcombe and I find the scenes of these two together extremely heartwarming. A genuine friendship, which is portrayed quite well. Props for that.

Other moments that I find pretty adorable are Napoleon’s interactions with Josephine in the first episode, but there’s just not enough of such moments to redeem the clunky and confusing story.

4. The Characters

Like I said in the previous section, Napoleon is idolized a bit too much for my liking. Look, I understand his contributions and whatnot but I couldn’t bring myself to like the guy even in the series. Why, you may ask?

Well, if I see the narrative idolize a character all the time, I actually end up having the exact opposite feelings I’m supposed to have and really dislike that character instead. I don’t know how to explain it, maybe I just got fed up with the characterization of Napoleon and couldn’t bring myself to care about him.

Josephine is portrayed in a pretty sympathetic way at first, but becomes more bitchy later, which is apparently a common trope in Napoleonic media,

Caroline and Murat are once again ungrateful ambitious traitors, but their portrayals lack nuance. As in, they’re portrayed as traitors simply due to ambitions and very little attention is given to other motives they may have had or their inner conflicts. That’s wasted potential right there.

Hortense is, as usual, innocent and sweet, which is apparently far from accurate. Thanks to @josefavomjaaga for posting evidence of her bitchiness.

Unfortunately, most characters here lack the complexity that real people have, at least in my opinion. Which is sad, but maybe the condensed narrative played into this. That and propaganda of course.

I love Betsy as a character here though. She is genuinely sweet and kind, but also confident. I like that and her heartwarming friendship with Napoleon.

5. The Acting

Most of the actors are pretty good at portrayed what they were told to but, again, there’s not much nuance and complexity here so the entire potential ends up being completely wasted.

The casting choices (save Josephine and maybe F**ché), however, are questionable at best. The actors look too old for the characters they’re portraying and most people don’t look like themselves at all. But that’s the fault of the casting director, not the actors.

6. The Setting

The decorations and the costumes are pretty good, but I have an issue with the camera pulling a dramatic slow motion a bit too much.

Oh, and also the series doesn’t shy away from showing blood so, if you’re squeamish, be careful.

7. The Music

I think the soundtrack is pretty good. Nothing to complain about.

8. The Conclusion

All in all, the style of the series is pretty, but the substance... The substance is turned into condensed, clunky, confusing mess with characters who are either too good or too bad to feel like real humans, heaps of propaganda that ends up becoming annoying and really questionable casting choices.

I personally wouldn’t really recommend this miniseries but I won’t stop you from watching it if you’re curious. The choice is up to you.

Anyway, with that, let’s finish our little soirée. I’m still weak but I already know what I’m going to review next so stay tuned for updates!

And also stay safe. Please. I mean it.

Love,

- Citizen Green Pixel

#malmaison media salon #napoleonic media #napoleonic television #napoleon bonaparte #josephine de beauharnais #hortense de beauharnais #joachim murat #caroline murat #betsy balcombe #napoleon 2002 #frevandrest still refuses to make a fouché tag and i applaud that #i still refuse to make a fouche tag #fouché tw #fouché cw

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perriewinklenerdie · 4 years

Text

Touch me (Ethan x f!MC)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x Claire Herondale

Word count: 2,3 k

Summary: Chapter 19 rewrite. Ethan and Claire actively reach out to feel each other’s touch after what happened to Leland and Caroline.

Warnings: none

A/N: Because you can’t tell me that E and C didn’t so much as look at each other while talking to Baz about not touching. Ft. how the two of them leaving the hospital actually went down.

Baz’s vision blurred as he watched Leland and Caroline leave, the weight of their situation too heavy for him to move on from. In his lack of focus, he completely failed to notice the change in the atmosphere that was pushed even further with his next words.

“Can you even imagine? Never being able to touch the person you care about most in the world?” he wiped his cheeks, his voice a bit shaky when he talked. “Could there be anything worse?”

Ethan’s eyes shifted to Claire without him even thinking about doing it. The whole ordeal brought back the memories of the night he spent by her side while she was fighting to stay alive. He’s experienced not being able to touch the person he cared about. The time they both spent in the isolation room, a thick layer of plastic between them with every touch they shared. Touching, yes, but not feeling anything; not the softness of her skin, not the warmth of her body.

It seemed as though Claire was thinking of the exact same night in their lives. Her gaze found his almost instantly, prompted by Baz’s words. Having experienced it, at least to some extent, she found herself feeling even worse for the married couple.

“It’s horrible. I don’t even want to think about it.” a shiver ran through her, making her whole body shake at an unpleasant feeling. Ethan followed his first instinct, reaching for her hand with his, letting their fingers brush against each other. She reciprocated the gesture, hooking her ring finger with his and giving it a firm squeeze. With a heavy sigh, she continued. “Every time I imagine it, it feels like my heart is breaking again.”

Ethan blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his head. His old self would have said something about how the couple would get through this. People went through worse things, after all. But this new version of Ethan Ramsey, the one that fell for the woman standing next to him, the one that almost lost the said woman before he could even let her know that he cared about her, couldn’t bring himself to say that. Because yes, people did get through situations like these or worse. But they shouldn’t have to.

“It’s a terrible thing.” He started, looking at Claire as he said it. “Touch is such a vital part of creating emotional connections between people. To live with someone for years and then suddenly not be able to even touch their hand…”

“No one should have to adapt to that. I...” Baz nodded his head in agreement, his face falling even more. “I think I need to find Zaid and give him a big hug. I’ll see you both later.”

As Baz disappeared behind the corner, the shy touch of their fingers turned into the bolder, proper hand hold. Ethan couldn’t pinpoint what was it exactly that he was feeling, but there was a sense of a certain urgency in the way his thumb grazed hers. The warmth of her skin passed onto him, making him feel feverish.

Claire turned towards him, taking his other hand into hers delicately. The world as they knew it was about to fall down in a few hours, with the hospital closing and neither of them having any plans clarified. And yet, standing in the middle of the hall, holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes, there was nothing else for them to care about.

A quiet sound of her phone burst the bubble they were in, reminding them that there was still a thing or two to be done before they left the hospital for the last time. She smiled at him, blinking slowly, then rose onto the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek tenderly.

He missed her touch the moment they let go of each other’s hands.

Thirty minutes later, Ethan walked into the diagnostic team’s office for the second to last time. Caroline’s patient file had to get sorted and put away, and after that, there were a few patients he had to discharge.

The office, as it turned out, wasn’t empty. Leaning over the desk and scribbling something in the file was Claire, her hair out of her ponytail, creating a curtain around her face. She greeted him with a hum, not looking up from her work just yet.

Since he last saw her, he tried and succeeded at diagnosing his own condition. Come to think of it, he’s been battling it ever since the night of the attack. This need to hold onto her in any way the situation allowed. This urge to feel her skin against his. This starvation for any form of contact with her.

He hasn’t felt the need for anything or anyone quite like this before. All his life, he saw himself as an independent man that didn’t require anyone to succeed. He still didn’t, but he didn’t want to be alone anymore. He felt a strong pull towards her, like they were two magnets with opposite charges, and they couldn’t help but be drawn together. Like there was no way he could stay away from her now, even if he tried.

Ethan took a few quiet steps, cautious to not make too much noise. He looked at what she was doing, resting his chin against her shoulder, his arms wrapping around her middle and pulling her flush against his body. Claire hummed again, turning her head to nuzzle her nose against his.

“I see you already took care of the paperwork.” He muttered, breathing in the scent of her perfume. She placed her signature at the bottom of the page, then clicked her pen and tossed it onto the desk.

“I know you hate doing it, so I did it for you.”

“That’s the most attractive thing you’ve ever said to me.” he growled playfully, biting her shoulder. She giggled, leaning back into his embrace.

“If I knew that’s all it took, I would have been doing your paperwork a long time ago.”

They remained that way for a long moment, giddy and light despite the circumstances. They were always heavy on witty banter, but since their relationship became more serious, this bright tone bled into their conversations more and more often, especially when they were alone.

Eventually, she twisted out of his hold with a squeeze of his hands, grinning as she walked backwards. “Discharge the last patients and meet you here in a few?”

Ethan nodded his head in answer to her question, watching her go and immediately feeling like he wanted to follow her.

Having discharged his last patient, he walked to the elevator, heading to his office. He pressed the button and took a step towards the wall as he entered, waiting for the doors to close. A distant shout attracted his attention, causing him to stall the elevator just enough to allow Claire to catch up and join him in the confined space.

“Thanks.” She panted, trying to catch her breath after running a marathon down the hall. He fought the smirk, pressing his hand to his face briefly. Claire fell against the wall, her shoulders moving slower and slower as her lungs returned to their normal pace of work. “It’s a miracle I didn’t trip.” Her words triggered a fit of laughter from him, unable to resist it anymore. “Don’t laugh at me, Ramsey, we both know how much of a possibility that was.”

She swatted his arm with her palm cheekily but failed to retreat it fast enough. Ethan’s hand wrapped around her and held her in place. His gaze fell onto their joined hands, then slowly trailed to meet her eyes. The air around them cracked with electricity, atmosphere getting thicker with each passing second.

His hand reached forward, blindly searching for the control pad. Looking away from her for just a second, he found the emergency stop button and pressed it, both of them feeling the elevator halt almost immediately.

The papers he was holding got thrown onto the floor in a flash. His now unoccupied hands were free to grab her by any place he could reach. With a low growl, he pressed his lips to hers, keeping her as close to him as humanly possible with his fingers curling into her hair.

A surprised gasp slipped from her in between the kisses, the intensity of the entirety of Ethan’s being pushing the air out of her lungs. Without any precision at all, she grazed the fabric of his shirt with her hands on their journey up his body, only to finally grip the collars and pull him down to allow herself more comfort than her current position provided.

Ethan’s hands left her hair, traveling everywhere and being nowhere at the same time. He took handfuls of her white coat, creasing the fabric as he pushed it aside. With wild abandonment, he traced the lines of her body, squeezing her bottom teasingly and grinning when her lips left his for a stunned moment.

Going further, he raised the material of her sweater upwards, exposing the skin of her back to the cool air of the elevator. His hands felt like red hot metal in contrast, sending feverish shivers through her body with each brush, squeeze and pull of his fingers.

He whispered her name, sounding like the highest praise in the utterly silent confinement of the elevator. He touched her like a starved man, unable to press her hard enough to him, pull her close enough. All the small gestures of affection he gave her that day cumulated into an enormous expression of longing and want that they were experiencing right now.

Claire’s fingers slowly let go of the fabric she was gripping tightly, blindly reaching for the buttons of his shirt. Undoing the first one, then the second one, she exposed the patch of his skin around that area, pushing the material to the side.

Reaching for one of his hands, both of which were still pressing against the skin of her back under her sweater, she brought it to her front and upwards. Brushing over the lace of her bra, she pushed their joined hands even further up, until she reached the location she had in mind. Breaking the kiss, she leaned back to look into his eyes when she pressed his hand to her chest, right where her racing heart was, mirroring the gesture with her other hand on his torso.

Time stopped. The intensity dropped to a tiny simmer of lust, accompanied by a roar of affection and desire to feel each other’s touch. Their eyes met, green on blue, grounding themselves in the only thing that they could consider being stable in their lives: each other.

As their breaths evened and their hearts slowed down, Ethan cupped the side of her face delicately, smiling down at her pensively, memories of the horrid night at the hospital tormenting his mind.

“I can’t imagine never touching you again.” he muttered, his eyes shining with vulnerability. He traced the line of her spine, then pressed his palm between her shoulder blades, bringing her into a warm embrace. Her lips pressed against his neck, muffling her words.

“Let’s hope neither of us has to experience it. Ever again.” a shiver wrecked through her body at the mere thought of the trauma that followed her around to this day. It slowly became easier to cope with what she’s been through, but it would be a long time until she would be able to say that it’s behind her.

Ethan noticed the change in her posture, searching for her eyes urgently. They would tell him without a shadow of a doubt just how she was feeling. The nightmares she still had were clearly in the back of her mind, but the light was beginning to overwhelm the darkness.

“Are you okay?” he asked, returning his hand to her face and running his thumb over her cheekbone softly. Concern colored his voice, caring about her always being on the forefront of his mind and intentions. Claire stood on her tiptoes, brushing their lips together sweetly.

“I am now.”

Pressing the button again, they let the elevator carry them to the seventh floor. They gathered their things and stopped in the threshold of the office, looking over it for the last time before turning the lights off. Smiling somberly, they made their way towards the entrance.

Standing together in the middle of the atrium, they watched as the last patient left the hospital. It felt like an era was coming to an end, something monumental and groundbreaking. Ethan reached for her hand, tangling their fingers.

“I’m not ready to go yet.” Claire muttered, looking around the grand room they were in. As the last light died, the shadows became more pronounced, the space feeling bigger and scarier. Ethan hummed, sighing heavily.

“I’m not ready to go either. It’s eleven years of my life, ending like someone cut it off with a knife.” Looking away from the windows, he focused his eyes on her again. “What are you going to miss the most?”

“You.” she responded without a moment of hesitation, both of them giggling like a pair of fools a second later.

“Likewise, Claire.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his arms for a tight hug. Pressing his lips to her forehead, he let his mind wander towards the future. The only thing he could see clearly was her. Smiling at him from her place on his couch. Smirking over her shoulder under the hot spray of water in his shower. Sighing his name as she straddled him in his bed. Their bed.

“We’re going to be okay.” Ethan reassured them both, and then they left the hospital for the last time. Together.

Notes

In my mind, it’s how it went down, and no amount of canon from PB can change that. My idiots, my headcanon.

#ethan ramsey #open heart #ethan x mc #playchoices

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mimssides · 3 years

Text

Never Met You

Chapter 6: Nostalgia

Memories can heal and hurt. They fill their lives and form their opinions and growth. They shall give themselves time to remember.

After the ambush, the castle had been under high alert. The king’s meetings had been reduced to a minimum and he was to stay in his own now heavily guarded wing. It had been a relief to hear Logan simply agree with Janus’s proposal. Unlike Roman, who was anything but happy with the measurements Janus, Green and Virgil himself had come up with, Logan had seen the reason behind it and was following their instructions as well as he could.

Now Virgil had time to rummage through the castle and check it from bottom to top. While Janus was coordinating the court, he had begun to search for possible breaches, questioning his way through the servants, guards and the workers in the courtyard. Janus had sent Green to go with him. Despite the short time Green had spent here he had made a few connections already and Virgil could use all the help he could get when he was talking to people.

Socializing was just not his thing. He was a guardian first and everything else second.

Right now, they were training though. Virgil had wanted to see how fit Green was and got pleasantly surprised by his ability to keep up with him. Not many could do so and it made it easier for Virgil to let him be close to Roman. It was hard for him to let anyone close to Roman these days. Especially, after the whole assassination attempt.

“Not, hah, as good, hah, as yours,” Green panted and leaned forward to catch his breath.

Virgil smirked and shoved him just when he straightened up. He stumbled, caught himself and giggled like a child before he shoved Virgil back. They continued nudging and shoving each other as they walked to the edge of the racetrack and sat down. Virgil had two water bottles taken with him, one for Green and one with a straw for himself. With no comment he shoved the straw under his shawl and drank as Green did the same.

“Is it very hot?” Green asked looking over the training grounds.

Virgil fiddled with the hem of his shawl and stared just in front of himself. He knew what Green was talking about.

“I’m used to it. I know how I have to breath that it doesn’t bother me. Also, the snake has made them give me one which is lighter and easier to breathe through. So, it’s fine.”

In the corner of his eye, he saw Green nod. He shifted and spawled his legs in front of him and leaned back. Something told Virgil that he had dropped the topic and he felt himself ease up a little. He never liked to talk about his face. It was just a sore topic.

To get himself into a better mind space, Virgil decided to focus on something else. Quietly he went through the last few days, over what he had seen and learnt. Frustratingly, not much had come to light about the intruders and all possible points of entry had been guarded thrice as much as before. There had been no new breaches but in the light of King George announcing he would hold a meeting with Logan in two weeks' time, it might only mean that they are waiting for the outcome of said meeting. Logan had invited him for the meeting and offered to meet him at the boarder but the King had insisted of coming to Theana and meeting Logan there in person. While that meant a lot of preparations and much more nightshifts for Janus, it lightened Virgil’s worries immensely. Like this he knew that there was top security with no intention of harming their king or prince.

Green shifted next to him, pusing one leg under his butt and leaning forwards as he looked down to the green grass. He let his hands run through the single blades and smiled.

Two days prior Virgil had seen him for the first time together with Patton. The boy had excitedly run up to him when they were questioning a farrier. The second when he had spotted Virgil, he had stopped and almost toppled over because of his sudden halt.

Virgil was used to the reaction; many people were scared of his appearance and he did not expect this little child to be any different. And yet, when Green called for him, the boy had come closer and had watched Virgil carefully. Shyly, he hid behind Green’s leg and gave him a curt wave.

“He’s not dangerous, kid. You can say hi,” Green said to him in a voice so warm it could have melted butter.

And to Virgil’s surprise the boy came out of hiding and actually said hi to him. And after he had said hi awkwardly back and almost died of pureness this kid radiated when he smiled at him, Green had praised Patton fondly for being so nice and brave with a stranger.

Virgil wasn’t quite sure if encouraging this kid to talk to strangers was a great idea, but at the same time he could see how much Green cared and how close this boy was to him. He talked and acted like a father around him and in Virgil’s mind that rised a few questions.

Green did look quite unassuming in his white tunic and the brown trousers but he had an air of strength and might around him, which was hardly deniable. And yet he gave himself as a simple man who just liked feeling the grass on his skin.

“You like to get dirty,” Virgil stated.

Green looked up and with no hesitation responded: “Oh honey, you haven’t seen anything dirty of me until you have seen me in bed.”

Immediately, Virgil swatted him in the arm and Green cackled loudly at the way the tips of Virgil’s ears flushed. He was close to simply get up and walk away but did not do so as the curiosity was too big. He really wanted to know what Green’s secrets might be.

“No, seriously now!” Virgil insisted and punched him again for good measure. “Why do you enjoy the ground work so much? Most soldiers don’t mind getting a bit dirty and all, but you seem to thrive in it.”

Green chuckled and scratched his chin. It was stubbly and the moustache didn’t look nearly as well kept and pristine anymore as it had when Virgil had met Green for the first time. And yet somehow Virgil found that the work seemed to make him look happier and more alive than before.

“It’s gonna sound strange to you,” Green admitted after a few moments while looking over the training court, “but I didn’t get to get messy all that often as a kid. I couldn’t go outside and sit in the grass or role around in the fields. I was – preoccupied with other things. So, this is like a second chance for me and I’m having the time of my life doing this, quite frankly.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, I know it’s weird, you don’t have to rub it in, Brooding Beauty-”

“I didn’t- Brooding Beauty? I – What?” Virgil stammered at the nick name.

Again, Green chuckled and Virgil was considering to just walk away again. Yet he decided against it and took a deep breath before he looked down to his knees. It was always on his mind. Always something that kept his thoughts moving and one of the few things he could not talk about with Janus.

“You need to swear that this is going to stay between us, man.”

The rustling of the grass next to him told Virgil that Green had straightened his back and was now watching him closely. Somehow it felt familiar.

“Prince Roman said something along those lines when we first met.”

The wind was blowing his hair away from his eyes. Not far away from them he could hear the carriages being pulled around, people walking and talking. And yet there was no sound that could have given away Green’s presence next to him.

“I – I thought. I mean it’s said that he met you when you interrupted his carriage on his way to Sictes because you were chasing away some sheep thieves? When would the prince have had the time to say something like I just said?”

Virgil smiled. He looked up to the sky. The sky was a steely blue, no clouds but no clear sunlight either. It was like had been on that day.

He had run after the thieves because they had taken a lamb and he wanted to bring it back to its mother. On his chase he had crossed the road and apparently startled the horses on the prince’s carriage. He hadn’t even noticed as he ran through the underbrush. His focus was solely on the two men in front of him and as suddenly arrow after arrow was raining down on them. He barely caught himself from being hit as well. On was pinned against a tree as the other got hit in side and stumbled, dropping the poor lamb. Quickly, Virgil had shot forward and caught it barely before it could run away and possibly get lost mercilessly in the thick forest.

“And who might you be? Another thief? What are you doing chasing those buffoons?”

Virgil shivered. The voice was unmistakable and the tone harsh and cutting. He lifted his gaze, cradling the little animal closer to his chest and watched of all the people who he could have come across in the forest no other than Caroline Leto. A woman, no taller than 5 feet 2, black hair pulled back in a ponytail, greenish tunic and pants blending in perfectly in the background, a short bow in her hands which was pointed directly at Virgil’s forehead.

Even if Virgil had wanted, he could not utter a single word in that very moment, as someone crashed against his back from behind.

“Prince Roman had gotten out of the carriage the second it had halted completely,” Virgil continued to tell and finally looked up from his knees to meet Green’s gaze full of wonder. “He had spent more than a decade in the castle and it had been all too much. Too much of his parents, his responsibilities and his fate. He needed to get out, which was why he had agreed to the journey in the first place. So, when something happened that felt new and like an adventure to him, he didn’t hesitate for a single second. He got out to chase us, and out ran his guards with ease. I almost fell over when he crashed into me but caught myself and then helped steady him. I remember how he looked up at me, I think my – uh my scarf had moved down a bit and it caught his eyes. He didn’t look at me like other people did, with fear and disgust and all that. But with awe. And then he looked to the queen. And you know what he did then?”

Breathlessly Green said: “Did he smile at her?”

“That bloody bastard smiled at the so called ice queen and told her that her aim was amazing. She just raised an eyebrow and was about to threaten the both of us and he just kept being charming and friendly towards her. He stood in front of me to shield me from her arrow. And that had her finally convinced to lower her weapon and look at him more closely. I think she at first hadn’t recognized him, and only now realized who he might be. Since, you know, the Thea family hadn’t attended any public event in over a decade, so most people didn’t actually know how Prince Roman looked like as a grownup.”

Virgil paused for a moment, the flash of clarity in Queen Caroline’s eyes rushing through his mind. It was an image for the ages.

“She was surprised and said to him that she hadn’t imagined their first meeting to take place in a forest like this. And Prince Roman laughed and said he didn’t think so either but that he enjoyed it far more than a stiff and cold thrown room. And then they just chatted for a bit. As if no one hadn’t threatened the other with a short bow a mere moment ago. I was dumbstruck and couldn’t say anything, when Prince Roman asked me if I could help them getting the two thieves to his carriage so they could be dealt with in the next town. I just grabbed one and the prince took the other as Queen Caroline followed us and reminded the two thieves that they couldn’t flee anywhere with her weapon. They were then put in the carriage and Roman took one of the horses of his men as the Queen took another. They escorted me with the lamb back to its herd and asked me to come with them to the next village. On the way to there, I was walking next to Prince Roman and quietly listened to him and the queen talk. She was rather cordially and smiled quite a bit when she heard him speak. She praised his astute eye for her aiming skill and asked him if he didn’t mind that his clothing had gotten all dirty and ripped. And there it was when I heard the prince say that he didn’t mind his clothes getting soiled.”

“Muddy and ripped clothes are proof that one has walked the world, are proof that one lives and experiences things. They are testament to our lives and I until now I have been kept in a pristine little cage behind glass panes which kept all weather and wear away from me.”

Minutes of silence followed. Virgil didn’t mind. He could think that Green was letting that information slowly settle in his mind.

“You care for him.”

Green looked over to Virgil with wide eyes. Virgil stared back and continued: “J said that at first he thought you didn’t like Prince Roman, as you tried everything to avoid meeting him. But seeing how you act around him, after Prince Roman telling me himself that you were nothing but kind to him, I now see that J miscalculated. You care about him far more than you would like to admit. And I don’t know why but I am grateful for it.”

Green swallowed.

“You are?”

“I am, yes. He can need all the help and protection he can get. He’s can have a terrifyingly low sense of self preservation. J always says it runs in the family,” Virgil said and pulled his eyebrows up.

Green cleared his throat and laughed half-heartedly. With a grunt he stood up and Virgil did the same. It was time for them to continue with their day and get around to check the guard stations for unusual sightings.

***

I can go.

█████ was pacing around in his room. He knew it was the smart thing to do. He knew Roman was a better diplomat than him and he had a better way with words than him. It made sense to send him on this mission and not go himself or send Logan or Janus.

But Roman was his only ███████. He was the only one left in his family and letting him go for the very first time ever was not as easy as Janus and Logan made it out to be. Especially, not now. Not when he wanted to ask Logan-

“You wanted to see me?”

Roman had entered █████’s chamber. He was already wearing his outfit for the journey to Sictes and █████’s heart ached. Slowly, he turned around and closely looked him over. He looked cleaner and more put together than █████ himself did. He reminded him more and more of their Roman’s mother.

“Aww, look at fancy you!” █████ said teasingly but the wetness sparkling in his eyes betrayed him.

Roman sighed and walked up to him. They looked at each other for a moment and eventually █████ lifted his arms a little while shooting Roman a pleading look. Roman easily complied and pulled him into a hug.

The whole situation was hard on Roman as well. In all those years they never had left their homeland nor left each other's side for a whole month. This was new and scary for both of them but it had to be done. Roman had promised to help █████ as well as he could in his times of needs.

“I have to go, ███. You know I need this,” Roman mumbled into █████’s neck and he felt him pressing him even harder against his chest.

“I know,” █████ mumbled back before he finally let them part from the hug. “I know you have to. This place always haunted you more than me. And I’m glad I don’t have to deal with Caroline.”

Roman could not help himself but snickered at the comment and shoved █████ in the shoulder. They laughed for a moment before █████ guided them towards the sitting area and sat down with him on the divan. They remained quiet for a short while, just relenting their own thoughts and enjoying the other’s presence.

“You are sure you can do this, right?” █████ said in a small voice.

Roman bit his lips and took █████’s hand. He squeezed it, let go and signed: “I’ll be fine.”

Around █████ he dared to not talk and sign as much as he pleased and █████ was glad that Roman still felt comfortable enough around him to do that.

A tap on █████’s shoulder. He looked over. Roman signed concerned: “Will you be fine?”

He took a deep breath and folded his hands in his lap. Would he be fine? There was Janus. He was like a brother to █████ at this point. He knew so well what was going on in his head, could predict so easily what others deemed to be unpredictable about █████. He would take care of Roman. He had promised so and █████ knew he would do anything to keep that promise.

And then there was of course Logan. Logan, who had accepted the position as his Military Advisor at first, later also the title of his International Relationships Advisor and even as his Council for the Education System. Logan, who was loyal, smart and lovely. Logan, who had begun to flirt back three years ago. Logan, who had finally kissed him the first time two years ago. Logan, who had told him that he loved him right after that first kiss.

“I think, I will be fine...” █████ said with a smile on his lips and he took something out of his pocket.

Roman watched as █████ fiddled with a box and suddenly realized what it was. He inhaled sharply and █████ looked up to him, his hands tightening their grip around the box.

“You’ll ask him?” Roman said breathlessly and stared at the little box.

█████ simply nodded and exchanged a look with Roman. They hadn’t been together for a long time. The burden Logan would have to carry as part of the royal family was huge and no one knew that better than them. They had lost their Roman’s parents because of that burden.

And yet Logan made █████ happy. Roman could see it every time they spoke together and, in every moment, when they managed to catch a glimpse of the other during meetings. They gave each other a safe place to retreat and a strong shoulder to lean on on bad days.

Roman began to grin and put his hand over █████’s to stop him from clenching his fist anymore.

“It’s about time. He’s certainly eager to finally spend every night with you!” Roman joked.

█████ simply grinned at the comment and fiddled a little more with the box. On other days he would have complimented Roman’s slightly suggestive jab but right now he was simply too nervous to do so.

“We both know that he will say yes. There’s no need for you to be nervous,” Roman reassured him as █████ didn’t say anything else.

█████ huffed and shook his head still staring at the box in his hands.

“I know,” █████ said bitterly, “he will. But – This is going to be so much on him and I – I’m thinking of making it even harder for him, Ro.”

Roman blinked and █████ looked at him seriously. They had the same thought.

“In case of your death you want him to become king in my stead, don’t you?”

█████’s lips were pressed together in a thin line and Roman let out a long breath. Then he let out a laugh and leaned his shoulder against █████’s side.

“He makes a better king than both of us combined me, ███. I’m not going to fight you on this. If anything, I’ll encourage it even,” Roman told him softly before he fixed █████’s unruly bangs.

█████ let Roman fuss over his hair some more. He truly had inherited their Roman’s mother’s elegance and warmth and █████ tried to indulge in it as long as he could until Roman would undoubtfully have to leave. And he knew that Roman indulged in it as well.

***

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Nothing new had been seen and they had to head back as empty handed as in the last few days. Green was quieter during all of it and Virgil was questioning himself if it had been something that he had said this day when Green suddenly started to talk on their way towards his quarters.

“What gave you the idea that I care about the prince? What of my behaviour gave it away?” he asked rather quietly.

For a moment Virgil mused and then replied: “I think it’s a bit the same behaviour you show around the boy; you soften your tone and have the patience of a saint. Frankly, I think it’s your fatherly side that is coming through.”

The steps next to Virgil stopped abruptly. He stopped immediately as well and turned to see Green’s mortified face. His breath hitched, sweat started to build up on his brows. Virgil did not hesitate and after a short “Can I touch you?” which was answered with a nod, he pulled Green away from the street into the little room he called his. Slowly, so very slowly Virgil managed to get Green grounded again as he told him how to breath and had him drink two glasses of water. The first one he almost completely spilled due to his shaking hands but the contents of the second glass made it almost completely into his mouth.

Several minutes later, after the panting and shivering from Green had subdued Virgil sat down next to him on the bed. Green let himself fall backwards on the bed and Virgil watched him closely. To his surprise Green’s eyes met his and were clearer than he had expected them to be after such an intense stress reaction.

“What on earth gave you the idea that I could be a father?”

Virgil furrowed his brows.

“I told Janus that I didn’t have anything to do with kids-” Green spoke further but Virgil cut him off.

“J asked you if you worked with kids. At least that’s what he told us and that’s not the same thing as being a dad and the way you treat Patton reminds me of how J’s father treats kids. He is like the only good reference I have for a father figure and you check all the boxes. Sorry, I assumed wrong. Didn’t think you’d freak out that much but, uh, sorry, it’s – it’s fine! You don’t have to tell me anything about this. I was out of line.”

Green had closed his eyes. He threw his arm over his face and only his mouth was visible now. He began to grin bitterly.

“We were trying.”

It had been so quiet that Virgil had almost missed it. Almost. But he heard and his mind was racing.

These three words told him so much more about the mystery man than he had ever expected to find out. There was a we, a partner of sorts who was close enough to start a family with Green. But this partner was no longer in the picture. But why? How had Green, who fought quicker and harder than most people he had ever met, lost this partner?

And more importantly, how did Green cope with such a loss on his own? Looking at his still body, at the tenseness in his arms and the forced smile on his lips he wasn’t dealing well.

With a broken voice Virgil mumbled: “I’m so sorry, dude…”

A snort.

“Whatever for, Gloom and Doom? You’re not the one who took him from me. Took my life… It’s fine. Don’t tell Janus, the prince and especially not the king. They’ve got better things to worry about. They shouldn’t waste their time on some stupid no one, who is dealing with things that can no longer be changed. It’s fine.”

He lifted his arm and sat up.

His eyes darted down to his feet.

He lifted his gaze and met eyes with Virgil again. A little smile, sincere yet small.

“But for what it’s worth,” Green said and put his hand on Virgil’s shoulder, “thanks for thinking I’d be a good dad. Didn’t think I’d ever turn out to be good enough for that.”

___

Link for AO3, Taglist, Masterlist, and next Chapters are in my first reblog!

#intrulogical #remus sanders #virgil sanders #background romantic anaroceit #janus sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #fantasy au #Never Met You #theft #suggestive language #nothing too harsh but there's remus I guess?#eir writes #please reblog

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kmze · 4 months

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Be it Klefanoline or Sterowood, either or both would have been much better than that triangle of doom but for some reason that I can never comprehend, julie wouldn't let any other character or their dynamics shine over Damon,Elena and their "vomit-inducing love story".I don't know if it was her obsession with Damon or it was the network or Nian factor or 15 year old twitter warriors or what it was but this show had the potential to be different instead ended up delivering chin-kiss.

Word Anon, I don't even know what the reason was I think it was a combination of a few things, I think the Network didn't want them to let it completely go because that was the premise of the show. I think JP and KW didn't want to let it go (moreso KW though) and I think that's why there was just bait for SE in S6-8 to keep those shippers delusions. JP pretty much took over in S4 completely and that's when SC started getting foreshadowed and Stefan was removed from the triangle more. The scene in 4x15 stood out to me with the trio where Elena and Damon keep walking together and he stands back and ends up separated from them. I also think JP was way more susceptible to online feedback and especially the obsession fans had with Damon/Ian whereas she needed to ignore it.

Honestly JP should have listened to Nina more about why she wanted to end Elena's story after S6 because I think Nina was more clear-sighted about Elena's journey. Nina wanted Elena's story to end and it probably should have, not saying she should have died but she should have been freed from the supernatural world once she took the cure again. I think JP and KW were actually on point with their original premise of the Salvatores dying and watching over Elena from the other side because they both were bad for her! They should have compelled her and had her transfer to a different school on the other other side of the country so she could actually live her life in peace. Then S7&8 could have focused more on Defan outside of Elena (and if were being honest how much Katherine fucked them both up) and having Lily would have helped do that.

The thing I felt with Elena is unlike Caroline and Bonnie who both embraced their supernatural powers Elena faltered badly. Mostly because Caroline embraced the strength and confidence that came with her vampirism whereas Elena couldn't. Bonnie as well when they actually let her keep her powers loved being a witch and as she became less self sacrifice-y she became more open to bending her morality to survive in this world. It's also frustrating that in S6 the writers gave Caroline and Bonnie big character arcs and each one of them had a Salvatore following their lead so it's like they knew it could work and then just refused to do that again in S7. I mean I know some of that is because Candice was pregnant and she couldn't do stunts but what about Kat? They could have re-negotiated her contract and gave her more episodes and they could have not had Damon basically handcuffed to a coffin all season.

Feels like we'll never know the real answer, I also think in general they didn't realize that a love triangle can only be a premise for so long because how many times are you going to brother swap before it's just laughable.

#anon for ts #anti triangle of doom

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richincolor · 4 years

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January's New Releases

2021 told 2020 to hold it's beer and what a month January has been! Publishing YA also came out swinging with a slew of new books (many already bestsellers) in what we hope will be another banner year for BIPOC stories. Click below to find books for your TBR list.

Week of January 5th

The Life I’m In by Sharon G. Flake Scholastic Inc

My feet are heavy as stones when I walk up the block wondering why I can’t find my old self.

In The Skin I’m In, readers saw into the life of Maleeka Madison, a teen who suffered from the ridicule she received because of her dark skin color. For decades fans have wanted to know the fate of the bully who made Maleeka’s life miserable, Char.

Now in Sharon Flake’s latest and unflinching novel, The Life I’m In, we follow Charlese Jones, who, with her raw, blistering voice speaks the truths many girls face, offering insight to some of the causes and conditions that make a bully. Turned out of the only home she has known, Char boards a bus to nowhere where she is lured into the dangerous web of human trafficking. Much is revealed behind the complex system of men who take advantage of vulnerable teens in the underbelly of society. While Char might be frightened, she remains strong and determined to bring herself and her fellow victims out of the dark and back into the light, reminding us why compassion is a powerful cure to the ills of the world.

Sharon Flake’s bestselling, Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel The Skin I’m In was a game changer when it was first published more than twenty years ago. It redefined young adult literature by presenting characters, voices, and real-world experiences that had not been fully seen. Now Flake offers readers another timely and radical story of a girl on the brink and how her choices will lead her to either fall, or fly. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant Balzer + Bray

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.

When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just…gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.

But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?

One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite Inkyard Press

ISN’T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH? When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.

One of the good ones.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind–why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?–Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected–one that will change everything all over again.

Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis Inkyard Press

If Romeo and Juliet got the Hamilton treatment…who would play the leads? This vividly funny, honest, and charming romantic novel by Dana L. Davis is the story of a girl who thinks she has what it takes…and the world thinks so, too.

Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway’s hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead…and Jerzie is her understudy.

Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea–especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.

The Awakening of Malcom X by Ilyasah Shabazz & Tiffany D. Jackson Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)

In Charlestown Prison, Malcolm Little struggles with the weight of his past. Plagued by nightmares, Malcolm drifts through days unsure of his future. Slowly, he befriends other prisoners and writes to his family. He reads all the books in the prison library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm grapples with race, politics, religion, and justice in the 1940s. And as his time in jail comes to an end, he begins to awaken — emerging from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X.

Here is an intimate look at Malcolm X’s young adult years. While this book chronologically follows X: A Novel, it can be read as a stand-alone historical novel that invites larger discussions on black power, prison reform, and civil rights.

When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris HarperCollins

When you look like us—brown skin, brown eyes, black braids or fades—people think you’re trouble. No one looks twice at a missing black girl from the projects because she must’ve brought whatever happened to her upon herself. I, Jay Murphy, can admit that, for a minute, I thought my sister, Nicole, got too caught up with her boyfriend—a drug dealer—and his friends.

But she’s been gone too long now.

If I hadn’t hung up on her that night, she’d be spending time with our grandma. If I was a better brother, she’d be finishing senior year instead of being another name on a missing persons list. It’s time to step up and do what the Newport News police department won’t.

Week of January 12th

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne Crown Books for Young Readers

She looks me hard in my eyes & my knees lock into tree trunks My eyes don’t dance like my heartbeat racing They stare straight back hot daggers. I remember things will never be the same. I remember things.

With gritty and heartbreaking honesty, Mahogany L. Browne delivers a novel-in-verse about broken promises, fast rumors, and when growing up means growing apart from your best friend.

The Meet-Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson Simon & Schuster

Mia’s friends love rom-coms. Mia hates them. They’re silly, contrived, and not at all realistic. Besides, there are more important things to worry about—like how to handle living with her bridezilla sister, Sam, who’s never appreciated Mia, and surviving junior year juggling every school club offered and acing all of her classes.

So when Mia is tasked with finding a date to her sister’s wedding, her options are practically nonexistent.

Mia’s friends, however, have an idea. It’s a little crazy, a little out there, and a lot inspired by the movies they love that Mia begrudgingly watches too.

Mia just needs a meet-cute.

Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0) by Angie Thomas Balzer + Bray

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can’t just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink Feiwel and Friends

Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Wilson is, on the surface, a town troublemaker, but is hiding that he is an avid reader and secret poet, never leaving home without his journal. A passionate follower of WEB. Du Bois, he believes that black people should rise up to claim their place as equals.

Sixteen-year-old Angel Hill is a loner, mostly disregarded by her peers as a goody-goody. Her father is dying, and her family’s financial situation is in turmoil. Also, as a loyal follower of Booker T. Washington, she believes, through education and tolerance, that black people should rise slowly and without forced conflict.

Though they’ve attended the same schools, Isaiah never noticed Angel as anything but a dorky, Bible toting church girl. Then their English teacher offers them a job on her mobile library, a three-wheel, two-seater bike. Angel can’t turn down the money and Isaiah is soon eager to be in such close quarters with Angel every afternoon.

But life changes on May 31, 1921 when a vicious white mob storms the community of Greenwood, leaving the town destroyed and thousands of residents displaced. Only then, Isaiah, Angel, and their peers realize who their real enemies are.

Week of January 19th

Thirty Talks Weird Love by Alessandra Narváez Varela Cinco Puntos Press

Out of nowhere, a lady comes up to Anamaría and says she’s her, from the future. But Anamaría’s thirteen, she knows better than to talk to some weirdo stranger. Girls need to be careful, especially in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico—it’s the 90’s and fear is overtaking her beloved city as cases of kidnapped girls and women become alarmingly common. This thirty-year-old “future” lady doesn’t seem to be dangerous but she won’t stop bothering her, switching between cheesy Hallmark advice about being kind to yourself, and some mysterious talk about saving a girl.

Anamaría definitely doesn’t need any saving, she’s doing just fine. She works hard at her strict, grade-obsessed middle school—so hard that she hardly gets any sleep; so hard that the stress makes her snap not just at mean girls but even her own (few) friends; so hard that when she does sleep she dreams about dying—but she just wants to do the best she can so she can grow up to be successful. Maybe Thirty’s right, maybe she’s not supposed to be so exhausted with her life, but how can she ask for help when her city is mourning the much bigger tragedy of its stolen girls?

This thought-provoking, moving verse novel will lead adult and young adult readers alike to vital discussions on important topics—like dealing with depression and how to recognize this in yourself and others—through the accessible voice of a thirteen-year-old girl.

Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall Atheneum/Dlouhy

Things can change in a second:

The second Frankie Green gets that scholarship letter, he has his ticket out of Jamaica.

The second his longtime crush, Leah, asks him on a date, he’s in trouble.

The second his father gets shot, suddenly nothing else matters.

And the second Frankie joins his uncle’s gang in exchange for paying for his father’s medical bills, there’s no going back…or is there?

As Frankie does things he never thought he’d be capable of, he’s forced to confront the truth of the family and future he was born into—and the ones he wants to build for himself.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo Dutton Books for Young Readers

“That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other.” And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.

America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur HarperCollins

Told in prose, poetry, and illustration, this heartrending story weaves Kiran’s and Sahaara’s timelines together, showing a teenage Kiran and, later, her high school–aged daughter, Sahaara.

Kiran is a young Punjabi Sikh woman who becomes pregnant after being sexually assaulted by her fiancé’s brother. When her fiancé and family don’t believe her, she flees her home in India to Canada, where she plans to raise the child as a single mother. For Kiran, living undocumented means constant anxiety over finances, work, safety, and whether she’ll be deported back to the dangers that await her in Punjab.

Eighteen years later, Kiran’s daughter, Sahaara, is desperate to help her mother, who has been arrested and is facing deportation. In the aftermath, Kiran reveals the truth about Sahaara’s conception. Horrified, Sahaara encourages Kiran to speak out against the man who raped her—who’s now a popular political figure in Punjab. Sahaara must find the best way to support her mother while also dealing with the revelation about her parents.

We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya #2) by Hafsah Faizal Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.

As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

Week of January 26th

Written in Starlight (Woven in Moonlight #2) by Isabel Ibañez Page Street Kids

If the jungle wants you, it will have you…

Catalina Quiroga is a Condesa without a country. She’s lost the Inkasisa throne, the loyalty of her people, and her best friend. Banished to the perilous Yanu Jungle, Catalina knows her chances of survival are slim, but that won’t stop her from trying to escape. It’s her duty to reclaim the throne.

When Manuel, the son of her former general, rescues Catalina from a jaguar, a plan forms. Deep in the jungle, the city of gold is hidden, home to the fierce Illari people, who she could strike an alliance with.

But the elusive Illari are fighting a battle of their own—a mysterious blight is corrupting the jungle, laying waste to everything they hold dear. As a seer, Catalina should be able to help, but her ability to read the future in the stars is as feeble as her survival instincts. While searching for the Illari, Catalina must reckon with her duty and her heart to find her true calling, which could be the key to stopping the corruption before it destroys the jungle completely.

The Knockout by Sajni Patel Flux

If seventeen-year-old Kareena Thakkar is going to alienate herself from the entire Indian community, she might as well do it gloriously. She’s landed the chance of a lifetime, an invitation to the US Muay Thai Open, which could lead to a spot on the first-ever Olympic team. If only her sport wasn’t seen as something too rough for girls, something she’s afraid to share with anyone outside of her family. Despite pleasing her parents, exceling at school, and making plans to get her family out of debt, Kareena’s never felt quite Indian enough, and her training is only making it worse.

Which is inconvenient, since she’s starting to fall for Amit Patel, who just might be the world’s most perfect Indian. Admitting her feelings for Amit will cost Kareena more than just her pride–she’ll have to face his parents’ disapproval, battle her own insecurities, and remain focused for the big fight. Kareena’s bid for the Olympics could very well make history–if she has the courage to go for it.

Wings of Ebony (Wings of Ebony #1) by J. Elle Denene Millner Books/Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

“Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue’s taken from her neighborhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon—a hidden island of magic wielders.

Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.

Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon—an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighborhood before the gods burn it to the ground.

#new releases #weneeddiversebooks #ownvoices

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queencarolinemikaelson · 4 years

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The Blood Bag

Klaroline Bingo as hosted by @klaroline-events Prompt // Blood Bag

This is chapter 3 in my fic The Other Side of Sacrifice, and fits nicely into one of my Klaroline bingo prompts! Hope you enjoy it! You can read the rest here!

Caroline passed out almost immediately after she stopped speaking. Klaus was pleased she wasn’t crying tonight, as she had been last night, but it pained him somewhat to see her so battered. For better or for worse, she was all he had for now. Maybe forever.

As she slept, Klaus decided he would explore the boundaries of the magic keeping him… wherever he was.

He’d never had to consider his own death before, or dying. He was arrogant enough to believe that was one night that would never come for him. But that didn’t mean his curiosity wasn’t piqued by the topic occasionally. Although, obviously the theories Klaus had collected over the years, were just that, theories.

He had always been an obscenely strong being, and as he said to Caroline, he knew a lot more about magic than he would ever be given credit for. He knew if he embraced the magic some more, pushed a little harder, concentrated deeply, he would likely be able to do something. Especially since he seemed to have regained control of his body.

He’d only had this form for the passed three days, as far as he could tell. Before that, he had his body, per se, but no control over it.

Klaus decided it was time to discover what would happen should he try and interact with the world around him.

He pushed himself up from where he was sitting on the table and tried to walk through the door of the cell. But he was stopped by the wall in the physical world.

Seemed he was not the walk-through-walls kind of ghost.

Next he moved on to messing with the lock on the cell door. If he couldn’t walk through walls, maybe he could snap the lock off?

That was also no use, because even though he could grasp the lock, feel it in his hand, he was unable to physically interact with it. Apparently, while he had corporeal form on his side of the veil, he was merely an imprint on the physical world; bound to be constrained by the cause and effect rules of Caroline’s side, with an inability to interact with it.

Yet.

He would not be discouraged, because before a couple of days ago, Klaus would have sworn he would be stuck calling to Caroline in her dreams for eternity, until he wasn’t. So he would take all ‘rules’ he gleaned as about his situation as a dead man to be temporary.

That got him to thinking, why had he gone from her dreams to her waking hours?

And, hadn’t she outlined a similar progression of things to him?

She said she felt his presence, then his energy – though he was fuzzy on the difference just yet – then the dreams. Then on the day he had become a permanent fixture in her realm, she had seemingly heard some of his interactions with her, but not all. He had been talking to her for days without her being any the wiser. Why the sudden change?

But he benched those questions for the moment – Caroline would likely be able to shed some light on all that when she woke.

Klaus decided he would make it his mission to get the blood bag to Caroline. Bill had left the bag in the cell that night, to tease and tempt his daughter while he wasn’t there. And Klaus was determined, if there was a way for someone on the other side to interact with the physical world, he would find it. And help Caroline feed.

He walked up to it, and placed his hand on it. Much like the lock a few minutes earlier, he could feel the cool plastic beneath his hand, but was unable to squeeze it, move it, pierce it or do anything else with it for that matter.

Klaus caught himself wondering whether the bag could feel him, the way he could feel it, but quickly rolled his eyes at himself. It was a bag.

But this notion inspired him. When he’d touched Caroline the night before, she had recoiled from him. But not just him, from his touch specifically. She felt something but Klaus had been in too much of a rage at the time to discover what that something was.

But maybe the rage was part of the equation?

Testing a theory, Klaus placed his hand back on the blood bag, and began to feel.

He let every moment of displaced hatred toward Bill Forbes that had built in him over the past two days flow through his body. He channelled the wild anger felt watching the man continually torture his only daughter. Klaus imagined the hellfire he would rain upon the Bill for laying a hand on his daughter. He let the fury flow through his veins, tickle his skin.

And right as Klaus was quivering with unsatisfied ire, picturing his fist plunging into Bill’s chest for even considering injuring his daughter out of a skewed sense of loyalty, his fingers contracted around the blood bag, and the blood bag squashed inward.

With great effort, using the momentum built from his fury, and the sudden rush of delight about unravelling one secret of this realm, Klaus seized the bag and flung it toward Caroline. Lucky for the young woman, Klaus had particularly good aim, and even with the extra force for his throw, the blood bag landed square in her lap.

Caroline woke with a squeal and a start, nearly dislodging the bag in her lap.

“Careful,” he hissed, much more aggressively than he intended on being, still boiling with anger after all.

“What the hell, Klaus!” Caroline cried, indignantly. “I was trying to sleep!”

“Lap,” Klaus barked, as he took deep breaths, attempting to calm himself.

Caroline looked down, her eyes bugged out, then she looked back at him, then back at the blood bag.

“How did you…” she asked, disbelievingly.

Caroline had enough give in her restraints that she could grasp the bag in her hand, and bend her torso forward to take a drink. Luckily her father had already popped the top, so she wouldn’t have to.

Klaus watched as Caroline desperately began to drink from the bag, and was pleased with his efforts. She would be healed and back to full strength in no time.

So imagine his surprise when after only three sips, Caroline fought off her urge to down the whole bag, and stopped drinking.

“Caroline, you have to drink,” he said, incredulously. “You need your strength.”

“I know, I know,” she said, heavily, her eyes still black, fighting her ravenous urge to finish her meal. “But we have to be smart about this, what’s dad going to do if he comes back in here in a few hours and this bag is empty? I’ve had enough to heal from the past couple of days, and shake Carol’s vervain. I will be stronger tomorrow. We have to take it day by day at the moment.”

All traces of his pent up anger evaporated as Klaus watched her, stunned.

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen,” she said, grateful for anything to distract her. “Nearly eighteen.”

“How long have you been a vampire?”

“A few months, I guess,” she said, shrugging. “What’s it to you?”

Klaus shook his head and walked over to her, shaking his head, deeply impressed by her ability to control.

He placed his hand on the blood bag again, and using the sudden rush of emotion for Caroline, managed to pick up the bag, and place it back on the table.

“There,” he said, proudly. “Bill will be none the wiser.”

It required a lot less energy to move than the first time, and Klaus wondered whether it was an object-by-object thing? Maybe once you moved something once, had that physical connection with it, then it’s easier to get to? Like flattening a path through thick brush in a wood – it’s always easier to follow a path already made.

“Now, that’s exciting,” Caroline said, visibly intrigued by his work. “Two days ago you could barely whisper, now you’re moving things and influencing people.”

Caroline giggled at her own joke, feeling exceptionally grateful for the blood. She knew she wasn’t at full strength, but she felt well enough to regain her good humour, and no longer felt and pain or exhaustion from the days of torture.

“What’s impressive, love, is that you did not rip through that bag like an animal,” Klaus said, sitting down on the table again. “I don’t know if I’ve ever encountered control like that from one so young. It’s remarkable.”

Caroline felt quite chuffed with herself. Sure, getting praise from the devil was still getting praise from the devil – but it was still getting praise all the same. She knew she had good control, but never even considered maybe she was remarkable.

“Thank you,” she said, a pleased smile on her lips. “Wait, how did you do it?”

Klaus explained the thought journey he embarked on once she fell asleep, about things he supposed and thought could be possible.

“I also have some questions for you, if you’re up to it,” he said.

“Shoot.”

“You talked yesterday about how you had a similar progressive of symptoms – for want of a better term – as I did. Presence, energy, dreams, whispers, then I was here, is this correct?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Caroline replied, trying to sit as gracefully as she could while her arms were tied to a chair.

“Do you have any theories as to why the progression?” he asked. “Because I had been talking to your during daylight hours for a lot longer than the first time you noticed me at the poky tavern with that wolf-boy.”

Caroline frowned, trying to think. Klaus couldn’t help but be a little charmed by the expression on her face, she was so focussed, it was adorable.

“I don’t know, I guess I was more worried about it,” she said, as though questioning herself. “That morning, when I woke with the creepy stalker in my dreams, thank you for that, by the way.”

“Not a problem, love,” he interjected.

“I resolved that I’d keep a firmer eye out for strange happenings, and then I would tell Bonnie if it got too much worse.”

Klaus nodded, mulling over her words in his head.

“And I was considering sharing what was happening with Tyler, because then at least I could talk about it with someone.”

“Yes, you and the wolf were getting quiet close,” Klaus said, disapprovingly. “Such a lap-dog, that one, always running around like you’d just stood on his tail.”

“Hey!” Caroline exclaimed. “He’s my friend.

“He’s more than your friend, love,” Klaus said, pompously. “I saw his attempts at ravishing you, don’t forget, disappointment to the wolf kind.”

Caroline balked.

“Oh my gosh, Klaus!” she shrieked, going bright red. “You watched us? Having… you know! How could you! Did you watch me in the shower!?”

Klaus couldn’t help but laugh at her indignation. It was rather amusing to him how much she’d taken all the supernatural happenings in her sleepy home town in her stride, but was still scandalised by the implication of immodesty.

“Calm down, love,” he chuckled. “I will have you know, I may be a murderous hybrid, but I was still raised a gentleman. I did not peak on you and the wolf, nor you in the shower, nor when your urges became too much and you needed to help yourself out. And I only peaked a little when you went swimming, and slept in those tiny pyjama shorts of yours.”

“Some gentleman!” Caroline blushed.

“Gentleman, yes, love, but still a man.”

“I can’t believe this,” she muttered. “What do you mean you didn’t ‘peak’?”

“I mean if you were in the shower, I faced the wall. When you were with the wolf, I was rolling my eyes too hard at his attempts to woo you, I couldn’t see anything anyway.”

Caroline rolled her own eyes at this, but couldn’t help but smile at his joke. Though she would never ever admit it to him, or anyone else for that matter, she felt a little bit sexy at the thought of him ogling her… even if it was creepy on so many levels.

“Let’s get back to the brainstorm,” Caroline said, still a twinge of pink in her cheeks. “The only the I can think is that the whole thing was on my mind more the last few days.”

“So the more you thought about it, the stronger the connection became,” Klaus mused.

“But why me?” Caroline said, a little distressed.

“I believe that will be the million-dollar question,” Klaus said.

“I guess also, at the party, when I saw you in the crowd, I was really wasted as well,” Caroline said. “Inebriation makes a girl an easy target.”

“Right you are, love,” Klaus said, thinking his way to the next logical conclusion. “So, when you were hit with that vervain dart, it seems reasonable to assume you were weak enough for me to come to this side through your weak grip on your consciousness.”

“Wow, that’s a lot,” Caroline said. “Adds up though, I was fighting you before then.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I was actively pushing you and the dreams from my mind whenever I could,” Caroline pondered. “I would think about it at night before bed, but didn’t let myself dwell too much, or else I scared myself.”

“Well a theory it may be, but it’s a solid one,” Klaus said, resolutely.

Caroline nodded, and the two of them fell into silence, though it wasn’t one of the tense silences they’d been tangled in before.

“Are you a hybrid over there?” Caroline asked, suddenly.

“What?” Klaus asked, sharply. It wasn’t something he had considered before that moment.

“Well you died after completing all the steps of the sacrifice,” Caroline said, a little wary of how aggressively he responded. “But you died during your first wolf transformation. I don’t know if that first transformation is essential to the sacrifice.”

“What has this got to do with anything?” Klaus said.

“I guess not much,” Caroline replied. “I was just interested. We’re stuck with each other for a while now, I think, I think that rates some interest in what’s going on with you. Plus, I think we need to be as honest as possible with each other, or it’s going to make existing real awkward.”

“I suppose,” he said. “But in answer to your question, I don’t know if I’m a hybrid. I can’t transform, but I also don’t need to feed, nor can I harm myself. I’m not hungry, or thirsty. I just exist.”

Caroline hummed in interest, filing the information away for contemplation at another time.

“Can you exist beyond me?” Caroline asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, obviously dad can’t see you, and you still exist on this side while I’m asleep, but,” Caroline paused, trying to find what she wanted to say. “I guess I want to know how much your connection to this side is connected to me. If you weren’t hanging around here just because you can interact with me, could you, I don’t know, hang out in Italy, even if it is just to see the sights.”

Klaus was, once again, a bit impressed with Caroline. It was the second times in as many minutes that she had posited an idea he was yet to consider. Klaus had been so focussed on making his connection with Caroline for the past few months, he never tried exploring elsewhere on his side.

“I’m not sure,” Klaus said. “Maybe I should give it a go today? When your father arrives I slip beyond this cell and see if I can traipse the outside world of Mystic Falls.”

“Oh, sure…”

Caroline looked nervously away from him, her fingers beginning to tap a soft, unsteady rhythm on the chair’s arm.

“What’s the matter?” Klaus asked.

“I don’t know, nothing,” Caroline said. “It’s nothing.”

“Caroline, it was you who implored some shared honesty.”

Caroline thought for a moment, searching for how to articulate best what she felt.

“I would feel more comfortable if you were here,” she said, tentatively, still not looking at him.

“What?” Klaus said.

“When my dad is… doing his thing…” she said, awkwardly. “I know you can’t do anything, and I know it’s so stupid, but having you there in the corner of my eye or whatever, makes me feel a bit more comfortable.”

Klaus gaped blankly at her for a good long while. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this.

“I know, stupid. You’re like a million years old, and Elena’s murderer. And just a murderer. And my murderer, in fact. But I don’t know, you being here right now, makes me feel like someone is in my corner.”

Klaus still had not said a word, stunned by her admission.

“And obviously it wasn’t misplaced,” she said softly, smiling wanly at him. “You could have done anything with your experiments today. You could have used what you learned about the emotion channelling to hurt me, or get the door open and leave. But you used it to help me. I know I’m supposed to hate you, because of the murder, and the terrorising my town, and because you were a total jerk last night and the one before. But it’s not like any of your murders stuck, and like for real now there are other people doing just as much terrorising, and I was kind of a jerk too. So… Anyway, you helping me, I think that kind of makes us buddies now.”

Caroline knew she was rambling to fill to the silence, but she couldn’t help herself, it was such an old habit.

“I’m not a million,” Klaus said. “I’m just over a thousand.”

“Right,” Caroline drawled. “After everything I said, your takeaway was I exaggerated your age.”

But Caroline smiled as she finished her sentence, and she was pleased to find he smiled back.

“I think we can be buddies,” Klaus murmured, feeling possibly more vulnerable than he ever felt in his entire life.

“Buddies, or maybe I just have transferred my Stockholm syndrome from my dad to you,” she teased him, with a wink.

But before Klaus could answer, there was a squealing of an unoiled hinge opening, signalling the beginning of another agonising day for Caroline.

“Good morning, Caroline,” Bill said, as he unlocked the cell door. “Have you used your reprieve to think about what you can do better today?”

“Daddy, please,” Caroline said, immediately forgetting entirely about Klaus and their conversation. “You don’t have to do this, I don’t kill, I don’t even –”

But she was cut of by her instincts kicking in, as Bill opened the blood bag. Caroline’s fangs dropped, and eyes changed. She knew what that particular bag tasted like, and it was oh so sweet.

“Oh, Caroline,” Bill said, the picture of a father disappointed by a nothing more than a test score.

Without another word, Bill pulled the fateful chains, sunlight and his daughter’s screaming filling the room once more.

#klaroline #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline fanfic #kcbingo2020

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tallmantall · 2 years

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#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth - A Day To Heal For Those Touched By #Suicide

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the-roanoke-society · 4 years

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now i have a story that i’d like to tell...

about this guy you all know him, he had me scared as hell! / he comes to me at night after i crawl into bed / he's burnt up like a weenie and his name is fred!

horror aus part trois. part one can be found here, and two, here. all warnings and disclaimers still apply--as does the love.

do you dare dare journey below the cut...?

it’s a long way down, a long way down - a holy hell au inspired by the creep series

there are stories are stories on stories on stories about matches made in heaven. about two pure souls destined for the other, finally reaching a ‘happily ever after’ after going through trials and tribulations that, honestly, are played out and boring.

that’s exactly what fergus macleod would tell you, anway.

he’s been inhabiting his mortal coil for a few decades now, engaging in his favorite activity--serial murder.

but lately, something has--gone out.

he’s lost his light. his passion for killing.

so he gets an idea, and puts out an ad for a videographer.

he’ll make a documentary, he decides. a magnum opus to relight the blood and the violence that had brought him so much joy over the years.

what he didn’t expect was andi.

not her beauty. not her courage. not her wit, sharp enough to make a god bleed.

and not her fangs, and a thirst to rival his--even if her moral compass was a bit more lawful.

enough of stories about matches made in heaven.

talk to me about a match made in hell.

(these--particular films are not easy watches, though i personally enjoy them. the sequel is my favorite, but remember when i said ‘explicit sexuality’ in the first warning post? the especially applies to creep 2. when i imagined this au it was less in-line with the main narrative of the movies and more, say, a meet-cute story you’d overhear at an addams’ family function.)

mini soundtrack sampler includes: lovelytheband, ‘buzz cut’ + catfish & the bottlemen, ‘longshot’ + albert natural, ‘sara loves her juicy fruit’

red sun rises like an early warning - an ancient cares au inspired by sleepy hollow

sleepy hollow was often called a “sleepy” village, in the way that meant that nothing ever happened there. marie van tassel, daughter of the richest man in town--and immediately intrigued by the arrival of one police constable walter vaughn, sent all the way from new york city--would disagree. especially in recent years.

the headless horseman had returned.

and marie, for all the occult studying she’d done far from the gaze of her father’s watchful eyes, still so haunted after her mother’s brutal and untimely passing--couldn’t figure out why.

she knew exactly who he was. what he was. but why had he returned? what had woken him?

and could see really be that mournful, when it had sprung start the machinations of fate that brought walter right to her doorstep?

“i have shed my tears for boom... and yet my heart is not broken. do you think me wicked?”

“no... but perhaps there is a little bit of witch in you, marie.”

“walter, why do you say that?”

“because you have bewitched me.”

mini soundtrack sampler includes: frank sinatra, ‘witchcraft’ + creedence clearwater revival, ‘i put a spell on you’ + the rolling stones, ‘sympathy for the devil’

drunk and driven by a devil’s hunger - a safety nets au inspired by apostle, co-starring @agent-thorn

it was only five years into the birth of an entirely new century, and her twin brother had been taken; her father, lost in his grief, was utterly useless.

it was all up to parker jensen.

she found a fake pass easy enough, slyly dancing her way through conversations with began with “you know, i don’t remember seeing you at any of the prayer meetings...” until finally, finally, they reached that accursed island.

she’d never been to wales before.

she had no idea what to expect.

what are you supposed to expect, when you’re all alone on a solo rescue mission going toe-to-toe with what can only be described as a cult?

but ivar--son of the enigmatic priest of the island, malcolm--was a nice surprise.

the only nice surprise that she’d find.

it wasn’t until she caught jeremy, sneaking home after what she could only guess had something to do with ffion, that she got her first flash of what would be a more and more grisly truth.

this island had its own god.

and something much more sinister than genesis had happened on this soil.

mini soundtrack sampler includes: bakar, ‘hell n back’ + mumford & sons, ‘little lion man’ + neil reid, ‘mother of mine’

let that fever make the water rise - a grace & choice au inspired by the ritual

it was supposed to be like a vacation. diana hadn’t had one in at least fifteen years. vida, even longer.

so why not hiking? why not the kungsleden--the king’s trail--in northern sweden?

the first two days were bliss. nothing but rolling hills, clear skies. up until:

“ah fuck!”

“vida--shit, vida, are you okay?”

“yeah, i’m--urk!”

“all right, that was not a reassuring noise, let’s have a look at that--”

vida’s left knee went from pink to a swollen blue to an agonized, deep purple tinged with green over the course of next day. diana couldn’t bear to watch her struggle to keep up, especially when this was supposed to be a romantic break, nothing as taxing as the fieldwork happening back home.

by the light of a campfire, diana studied their map, humming. “what if we just cut through the forest?” she asked. “if we just went as the crow flies... it cuts the time in half. and you need medical attention, vida, we can’t keep going on like this.”

“has the battalion cleared this area?” vida returned her question with one of her own, eyes shining. the reflection of the fire made them look like stones polished by a river. “we wouldn’t run into anything, would we?”

diana smiled. “nothing we couldn’t handle, love, i’m sure.”

and diana didn’t change her mind when they set off the next morning... up until they found the disembowled carcass of an elk, placed up high in a tree like a religious icon.

she thought of morgan.

“diana, what--what put that up there? something had to have put that up there!”

mini soundtrack sampler includes: billie eilish, ‘bury a friend’ + two feet, ‘i feel like i’m drowning’ + coldplay, ‘paradise’

you can hear the river from my burial bed - a secret gardens au inspired by the legends of slenderman & mercy black, co-starring @agent-hood

she wouldn’t say she wouldn’t remember. she did.

it was just that caroline janson had been in therapy for so long... she was no longer sure what of shards of her memories were real, and what would be, as dr. ward would say, hallucinations.

but she knew one thing: she was glad to be coming home.

“i hope chicken’s okay for your first night back,” parker began gently. “i’m just now realizing i forgot to ask--”

caroline smiled at her, “chicken would be great.”

she watched parker’s profile, as she opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. finally, she inhaled, then began, “you know... carter’s missed you since you’ve been gone...”

caroline rolled her eyes. “parker. it’s been a decade and a half. i seriously doubt it.”

“hey, who knows my brother better right now, me or you?”

that earned a huff... and a grin. subdued, but still there. “... okay. fine. but... maybe not tonight.” parker glanced at her once, and nodded.

“i understand. besides, maybe i want you all to myself for the first few days, anybody think about that?”

and caroline laughed.

and she wished that it felt like she wasn’t still being haunted.

mini soundtrack sampler includes: oingo boingo, ‘dead man’s party’ + shaed, ‘trampoline’ + corrina repp, ‘only a beat’

don’t let it shake your steady thread-cutting hand - a royals & robots au inspired by kristy

it was hardly tilde’s idea to spend thanksgiving alone harvard. but between the pandemic, the weather, and her own growing agitation at her father’s behavior...

it just seemed easier.

and it wasn’t all bad. she still had prudence, who opted to stay with her out of love (and perhaps a lack of family--but she didn’t ask). and they had run of essentially the entire campus--there were several buildings that stayed opened, even over the holiday. the library being one.

but it wasn’t until one night, when they made a late night trip to a convenience store not far from tilde’s housing that things became... strange.

“pru. ... pru!” she whispered, snacks in one hand, the other on pru’s elbow. “... i think she’s following us.”

“she?” pru asked, lowly, careful to keep her eyes down, as if they were just having a very, very difficult time decided on what kind of poptarts they wanted.

tilde, face oddly blanched, couldn’t find her voice, so she just nodded.

at the end of the aisle, a figure in dark hoodie and skinny jeans passed out of view.

one of pru’s arms went around tilde’s waist. “don’t worry. i’m sure she’s just here at the same time as us. it’s a small store.”

tilde would remember that when she got home in time to find a snuff film loaded onto her laptop.

“oh shit--oh shit, oh god--!”

this is why she preferred halloween.

mini soundtrack sampler includes: yeah yeah yeahs, ‘heads will roll’ + rihanna, ‘disturbia’ + nonono, ‘pumpin’ blood’

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crazygirlsworldofbooks · 4 years

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Review: You (You #1)

“Work in a bookstore and learn that most people in this world feel guilty about being who they are.”

Book: You (You #1)

Author: Caroline Kepnes

My Rating: ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ (5 Stars)

Read: October 1, 2020

Synopsis: When a beautiful aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card. There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting. As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder. A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age.

My Review:

So, when I saw that this book was available on Scribd, I jumped at the chance to read it, mostly because I loved the TV show so much and binged it in a matter of days. I was certain that I wouldn’t like the book nearly as much as I love the show but I was wrong (as is very often the case) and ended up loving the book as much as I love the show. I do wish I would have read the book first, before watching the show, but either way I love both for their own unique aspects and traits.

To begin with, the characterization of this book was probably not like anything I have ever encountered in a book before. The main character, Joe, he just takes you on a rollercoaster ride inside his psyche and it’s fascinating and absolutely dreadful at the same time. I found myself trying to understand him throughout the whole book but then I realized that he’s definitely a different breed of psychopath and we’re probably not meant to understand him completely. That didn’t make the journey any less exhilarating though and I inhaled this book! First person point-of-view is definitely my favorite thing and boy does this book deliver that!

The plot itself was not what I would call the typical stalker tale and there were twists and turns at every corner. Even though I watched the show before, I found myself taken aback by things that happened as if I was only reading it for the first time and didn’t have any kind of idea what it was even about. The story just had so much juiciness to it, so much good stuff that it was beyond masterful in that aspect, no wonder they went ahead and made a show about it. In the show they did take out and add some stuff that was or wasn’t in the book but that works well for the screen adaptation in my opinion.

The writing style was also very direct, and didn’t beat around the bush. Since we were in Joe’s head the whole time, this type of writing style would be the only one that would have made sense. And man, was it done beautifully! I gasped so many times all throughout the novel and couldn’t put the book down because even though I was a bit nervous as to what would happen next, I also HAD to find out what that exactly was.

All in all, this book is going down as one of my favorite books of all time and I’m not saying that lightly. I would recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thrillers or even any reader who likes books that keep them on the edge of their seats. Especially in our modern age, this novel is in one word-invaluable.

#favorite #book review #kepnes #you

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histoireettralala · 4 years

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Here is my try on Napoleon’s POV for the “Caroline Courtship AU” with @joachimnapoleon. He hasn’t been the most cooperative fellow, and seems determined to rant about a lot of people. I’m afraid his mood will rather worsen with the news he’s about to receive. Oops ?

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Napoleon Bonaparte was a successful man.

When he'd come back from Egypt, after his previous successes in Italy, he knew the Company had followed his journey and noticed his accomplishments. In a handful of years, he had become a household name, a far cry from the penniless, scrawny youth he was when he'd first been recruited.

The Company itself had been in much turmoil those last few years, going from what had been familial holdings from time immemorial to a brutally disputed public enterprise in a series of unexpected, violent events. Everything had changed, leaders, titles, prospects, intents, goals, and administration; members had come and gone at a terrifying rate. A few had held on though, and Napoleon, his eyes on the prize, felt it in his guts: he had his cards to play, and he was going to do whatever it would take to get where he wanted to go.

He wasn't alone on this path to the top. Of course not. The most difficult part was maybe, to sort the wheat from the chaff, separate friend from foe. Napoleon knew how ambitious he was, and how ambitious many others were. The times were just ripe for ambitious, energetic, ruthless men and women.

Napoleon knew he had talents. He also knew how to spot talents in others, and use them accordingly. Sometimes it took him a little while to make out somebody's true potential. First impressions were important, but they had to be proven correct.

There had been this young man he'd met in Egypt, through his partner Desaix. This Davout. His first impression hadn't left him glowing with praise, to say the least, and he still maintained that the boy could do with some polishing. But the raw talent, the brilliant mind, the sense of duty, had made their marks on Napoleon. This young man was someone he had to keep an eye on.

Lannes, he couldn't help himself but like, in spite of the terrible bluntness. The man was good and generous with his efforts. And he was always willing to learn.

And Murat!

To be honest, he wasn't sure he actually liked the man. He was so... so showy. Like a brightly colored peacock, always parading, and seemingly at his best when acting on sheer instinct. Napoleon, who was of the sort that meticulously, almost obsessively studied his files, thinking it over before deciding to act, was both horrified and reluctantly impressed by Joachim Murat's tendancy to rush into danger without any kind of preparation, counting on pure charm and relentlessness. To Murat's credit, it did work, a lot of the time, and it had brought him some of his best concluded negotiations; Napoleon couldn't discern whether that was talent or luck.... but he had a soft spot for lucky people. And this tall, curly haired southerner had luck.

Lucky Murat, Napoleon snorted. He also had another sort of luck, of the kind that often eluded Napoleon.

This was frankly annoying.

But thank God, he didn't have to care about that because, as long as it didn't impact the Company and their careers, it didn't concern Napoleon.

It was not like Murat was family.

Ugh. His family.

Now those people were going to bring him to an early grave. Joseph and Lucien were solid allies, although he had his doubts about Lucien- he'd always been so independant minded. And Joseph brought his own share of problems, what with his in-laws. Julie was great, no problem. Désirée, well- Désirée had married a real snake.

Napoleon sighed and settled at his desk, opening his laptop to work a little before eventually going to sleep for a couple of hours.

He did not like that Bernadotte.

Louis and Jérôme were, thankfully, too young to have lost their hearts to women who would only steer them wrong. Napoleon would have to get to them before they'd inevitably make the wrong choice. Find them good women, from good families. Preferably snakeless families.

Women like his own stepdaughter Hortense.

Now, she was a well bred, well mannered young lady.

Everything Pauline and Caroline- Caroline especially- were not. Napoleon, impressed by Hortense's education, had abundantly consulted Joséphine. His sisters couldn't live like uneducated little savages.

Madame Campan's institute it was, and Caroline had been sent off with his fervent hope that there would at least one poised, elegant, smart lady of good society in this family.

Elisa was smart, but opinionated and set on her Baciocchi.

Pauline, beautiful as she was, seemed determined to make the sorriest choices. The Fréron affair ? Napoleon shuddered. Thank God he'd practically thrown her to Leclerc. He was clearly a preferable match. Pauline would be grateful later.

Caroline was his only hope.

But she was ambitious and greedy, and bloody minded, his little sister. (Not too unlike himself). Left to herself, she'd probably set for the worst just like the others.

No, Napoleon had to stop the disaster in the making.

Madame Campan would shape her up. Caroline would be as gracious and graceful, poised, calm, and quiet, as Hortense. Caroline would be a good ally for him- yeah so sue him, he was ambitious.Caroline would have to make the right choices. Napoleon was just nudging her into the right direction.

And he was right! She'd made progress, his Caroline, after a rough start. He just knew that showing her a good role model in Hortense and putting her under Madame Campan's watchful eye would be just what she needed.

She now posted about her studies, dances she'd learned, connections she'd made. A real young lady in the making. Ah, it soothed Napoleon's anxious heart to see her so dutifully good.

He needed that.

Thus he clicked on his FaceBook app.

Not even one minute later, a noise of despair split the night.

#Caroline's Courtship AU #@joachimnapoleon

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