#ESPECIALLY THE NEW CHAPTER WHOOOOO

[sophieswundergarten]

@nobodysdaydreams Here you go

Chapter 28

BODS THE TITLE IS SCARING ME

This part really feels like TPD, with all the planning and secrecy

Ajdsdjfk Constance just staring at him really intently to freak him out

Poor Nathaniel

“It was rather unsettling, though being physically assaulted by one of the children was a much less frightening concept to Nathaniel than the possibility of having his mind read.”

Yeah, unfortunately that tracks

Reynie being all polite is very cute, though. And then there’s Kate, who is on the defensive every time

“Like he’s just some guy named Nathaniel now?”

Kate and the importance of names again! I need to write another analysis about that

And of course her lovely nickname suggestion

Yeah, Reynie!! The “L” stands for “Le”! It’s weird, right?

I’m very pleased that Constance is the one to reveal Curtain’s full name

Sticky’s aunt!! I love her so much, you don’t even understand. I was so hugely upset by how the Show changed things, but you’ve turned that all around and now she’s one of my favourite background characters in your story.

“He sleeps, he eats, he takes up space,” said Constance. “And he cleans. A lot. Obsessively. It’s concerning and confirms what we already knew. The man has serious mental problems.”

I don’t know how you positively nail each character voice every time!! It’s so impressive, and I love when certain lines stick out in my head because I feel I can hear them being said <3

Kate’s house!! Such a good plot point, so full of memories and emotion

Marcus! Marcus is so sweet. I’m really glad that you talked more about him, Sticky deserves to have good friends

Miss Perumal and Rhonda! A very good team. (And possibly the most forgiving out of the grownups, besides Mr. Benedict of course)

Ooohhhhhh. SQ photo album…

I AM NEVER GOING TO STOP BEING UPSET THAT HE WON’T TALK ABOUT HOW CLOSE HE WAS WITH THE WETHERALLS

BODS YOUR FLOORBOARDS ARE MINE

NATHANIEL. I get that you two are different in some ways, but. YOU’RE IDENTICAL TWINS??? SAYING SQ LOOKS MORE LIKE NICHOLAS ISN’T THAT BIG OF A DIFFERENCE??

Of course, it’s not his exact physical appearance that Nathaniel’s talking about, it’s more the fact that he feels too guilty and undeserving to be associated with his son. Because nothing is ever simple with this man

I love when Miss Perumal gets to talk about parenting with Nathaniel, it’s so interesting. I don’t know, because I don’t have kids, but to me it seems like you’re doing a really good job writing about it, Bods

Poor Number Two. She’s right, even though no one knows it yet. There is something suspicious going on :( 

Garrison mention!! Garrison would probably like to stay as far away from this mess as possible, but of course they aren’t going to let her do that

And naturally the thing that Nicholas fixes on is correcting his brother that Constance is his “roommate”. Not the ridiculousness of anything else in the statement

I like how you use the verb “comforted” often, it gives a really good note on the tone of the situation and how the dialogue is being said

Oh no. I’ve read the sad, sad tale of Puddles the duckling, like, three times now. We’re skipping it

Kate! Kate popping out of vents is the best thing, and I love how you set it up here. I can just see it in my brain

Nooooooooo

Bods I am gnawing on all of your pens until they are beyond repair. This part guts me every time

I love when we get a giant brick of Nathaniel dialogue because he’s explaining something. It’s very good

AND THIS IS THE PART WHERE IT ALL GOES SOUTH

I genuinely gasped and put a hand over my mouth when I first read this

I’ve been thinking about Nerissa and her outbursts a lot, and I have so many questions about how her powers work…

I think SQ’s mind would be a forest

I know Nerissa has not the best of intentions, but ever since she got introduced all I want is to give her a hug. I think she needs it

Now we get to see Nerissa’s plans from her point of view! I always love how you explain stuff via multiple different characters, it makes it really interesting and it somehow doesn’t ever come across as boring or talked about too much

Although it makes me wonder how many fake identities she has…

“The boy is eighteen Natty, I’m sure he doesn’t need or want you constantly helicopter parenting him like this”

As if she is not also doing the exact same (And arguably worse)

“his whole…team of genius minds and trained fighters”

Ah, yes. Nicholas, his adopted family and friends, and some children. Obviously an impossible number of enemies /s

Erika! She is somehow STILL not getting paid enough for this. Let her go do something else, like be a National Park ranger. I’m sure she’d love it

And the slip back into having the narrative refer to him as Curtain!! I get all excited every time you do that, no matter how many times it’s been now

“He had expected to see anger in his SQ’s eyes at having secrets kept from him”

I’m burning your house down

Curtain’s just running on frantic autopilot and it’s only making things worse. I know this is, like, the third POV for this scene and maybe the fifth time I’ve read it, but still. I am taking some scissors to your window drapes

“And to think, when I was a kid, I looked at you like you were my hero, I thought you were brilliant, I used to dream about being like you! And now, I’ve been putting up with everything you do, all the times you ignored me, filled your schedule with work, got stressed over some mundane detail, and acted like a complete control freak, all because I thought you were doing it because you actually cared about someone other than yourself.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Bods. Bods you need to chill on occasion. Seriously, I don’t know how much more of this my heart can take, and I already know what’s going to happen!! 

I Am Foaming At The Mouth

AND ONCE AGAIN CURTAIN’S SELF-DEPRECATING, GUILTY, OVERLY RIDICULOUS MENTALITY GETS IN THE WAY. AGAIN.

If he could take a step back and, I don’t know, go to therapy????? Then maybe he’d be able to have this conversation with his son. BUT NOOOOOOOOOO. IT’S EVIL PLANS THIS AND MIND ERASURE THAT. SO HEALTHY THERE, LEDROPTHA. NICE JOB /s

“You’d think that after all those losses he’d be used it to by now”

I Am Screeching At A Tone To Shatter All Your Glass

AND GARRISON. GARRISON DOESN’T KNOW. HOW COULD SHE? BUT SHE STILL UNDERSTANDS THE ENORMITY OF SWEEPING SQ. AND SHE’S STILL HORRIFIED.

“Please Dad. Don’t do this. I love you. I’ll do whatever you ask, and I’ll…I’ll stay. I won’t leave. I’ll stay here with you, forever. I’ll be good. I promise.”

This is always one of the worst parts for me…

“She supposed death wouldn’t be so bad. Garrison knew she deserved it, and she wasn’t entirely sure how she would even be able to keep living with herself after all she’d done. / But she still feared the pain.”

Someone PLEASE help this woman

Curtain hugging her… But it doesn’t do either of them any good…

AND CURTAIN CAN’T BRAINSWEEP HIMSELF BECAUSE HE FEELS LIKE HE HAS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE THINGS HE’S DONE. HE HAS BLOCKED OFF EVERY OPTION FOR HIMSELF

Oh dear, I just keep rereading the last bits instead of commenting. Please know they are just as amazing as everything else, but I don’t have any words for any of it…

Poor Nathaniel has been locked into a truly impossible task, and Nerissa certainly isn’t helping. Although, I must say that her dialogue can be pretty funny

“I really think you’re making this into a bigger deal than it needs to be. Nicky has never struck me as a particularly difficult person to kidnap. One bad pun is enough to knock him out. Just tell a clever joke, wait for him to pass out, and shove him into a sack.”

“Nathaniel had tried to think of other solutions. Really, he did. But although he knew that Nicholas would willingly give himself up at the word that his nephew, or that anyone really, was in danger”

Man, you really are so good at balancing humour with drama

[thepalerimitation]

The Bite: The Alternate Season 3

I first wrote the Bite in early August of 2023, a series of short stories, usually monologues from a certain character’s perspective. In late January, I started putting together a plot.

It would be about the journey for a Michelin star, told from Carmy’s point of view. As I mapped it out, it took themes from the earlier seasons. His ideas for new dishes. His relationship with authority. His anxiety and his rage.

But the more I wrote about him, the more I wanted to write about Syd. About her past, her fears. Her ambition, her frustration, her attraction to someone who’s the embodiment of chaos.

A dual POV evolved, fresh tension over new hires, over their pasts, and their dysfunctional kitchen. And with reviews, menu changes, the Michelin star sucked them into a spiral of mutually assured destruction.

There’s definitely some overlap with S3 (on accident, I wrote this before the trailers came out), especially with the themes around the French Laundry Chef, the mounting tension in the restaurant, and how Sydney wants to bash Carmy’s head into the wall.

Propaganda:

1. I quote Frankenstein about line cooks

2. The food is great, the restaurant is in tatters, and the word count is 29,000 words.

3. People are slapped, stabbed, and beaten to a pulp. *cough cough* (whooooo could it beeeee????)

[slowdripsunrise]

MORE READING UPDATES OMLLLLLLL i forgor about this blog again. it will happen again tbh but i still have to go through all of the books i finished in late 2023 up to now... i'm gonna try and get as many as i can done but probably wont get all of them lol. probably very long post/rant + spoilers for various books under the cut

keep in mind i have shit memory and all of these books were finished a while ago so be warned for bad analysis and summaries

-How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu: this book was a collection of short stories that are interconnected through characters and a central storyline - a plague. i thought the concept was super interesting and i had heard really good things about it from people i share a reading taste with so i went into this expecting to be blown away and i just. wasnt. i LOVED some of the short stories and there were a few that made me cry, mainly snortorious and the robot dog story where the mom died, but other than that it was kinda a let down. the ending fucking sucked ngl. like i thought we were leading up to some profound moment, especially calling back to the chapter where people are relieving their memories in the dark, because i thought that was really compelling and interesting, but it was just fucking aliens. like it reallly feels like a cop out to me. like a whole "and it was all just a dream" type ending. im not gonna rate it actually yes i am i'd give it like 2.5-3 stars. only because some of the chapters were super hard hitting but other than that. meh.

-The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater: WHOOOOO BOY. i ate this shit up. god if i had read this in middle school or high school i am 100% certain it would have become my entire personality. like i fucking get it. i totally fucking get it. i'm treating the whole series as one book rn bc they all kinda blend together in my mind and its been a while but just. the fucking vibes. good lord the vibes were so good. can't pick out any 100% certain things i particularly noticed but i will reblog every webweave about this series there is trust. rating the entire series as 5 stars mostly because i listened to the audiobook and they did SUCH A GOOD JOB ON TH E AUDIOBOOK OML like. at first i was kinda thrown off bc i wasn't expecting it to be so. southern? but once i finished the first one i knew there was no way i could just go back to reading it with a physical book like audiobook all the way the narrator was so awesome and i love the southernness of it.

-What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher: my first t. kingfisher book! i loved the vibes, the world, the whole new set of pronouns, that shit was so fun, overall a nice short and sweet creepy ass fucking book. like im a huge wimp so i was deffo nervous and freaked out at some points, especially with the rabbits lol idk why but those were unnerving. the author did a really good job of conveying the mc's anxiety and fear while also adding in some humor and soldier rationality and stoicism. lol. cute i liked it 3.5/4 stars.

-Fault Lines by Emily Itami: tbh mostly picked this one up for the cover and it was really just a standard cheating story where the mc gets back together with her original husband because of their kids. nothing i remember to be groundbreaking at all really. 2.5 stars

-Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez: I really wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did. the pov changes i think were very well done and intentional and weren't confusing at all! the narrators for the audiobook were wonderful and really brought life to the story, a lovely book.

-She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan: honestly, looking back on it, i was never really captivated by this story. it took me a long time to get into it, and i really never connected with any of the characters. a lot of it was more confusing than not, and i'm honestly not sure if i feel the need to continue the series. may be a case of me not being in the right mood for it, but i don't see myself trying it again. kinda sad cuz i was excited to love this but oh well. win some lose some.

-Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr: hands down my fav book of 2023 and one of my fav books of all time. like i have a feeling this review is going to be either very long or very short because there is no way i will be able to write out all the ways i love this book. the owl motif. the environmental extremism from seymore that i can 100% relate to. the way that he fell down that path in a way that felt realistic to me, based on his circumstances, and it isn't implied in my opinion, that all autistic people are like this, that all autistic people can take things to the extreme like seymore did. the audiobook was wonderful. the interconnected stories over time i think is one of my new favorite tropes/plots/metas. if done well (cough how high we go in the dark) it gets me every single time. XENO and everything about him. i was listening to the audiobook at work and during his death i had to fight back tears lol. god. and the kids in the play and how they wanted to end the story.... fuck my life. and konstance and her curiosity and oh my god everything about this book messed me up. 5/5 i think thats all i'll be able to say before i combust.

-Chlorine by Jade Song: what a weird little book. really liked it. audiobook slayed. not much else to say. recommend for weird lesbians. 3.5/4 stars.

-A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson: THE AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR IS SO FUCKING GOOD AT HER JOB I COULD LISTEN TO HER TALK ALL DAY I THINK IM IN LOVE WITH HER. the story was really good love a good vampire story love a good creepy story. fun time. listened to the audiobook in like an hour hour and a half car ride it was a good time. 3.5 stars.

and that ends off all of the books i read in 2023 !!!!!!! YIPPEEE!!!!! i'll stop here and make a separate post for the books i've read so far in 2024 just for organizational purposes and also because i am hungry and need to stop lol. if you made it this far through the post i love you and also sorry for the long rant but also too bad because this is my blog and you clicked on it. happy reading :)

[atths--twice]

So... as today it was decided, I had to add a little happy something to close out the Election Deflection series.

It’s short and sweet, but I felt it was needed. Especially as we are getting our FIRST female Vice President. ❤️🙌🏼

Chapter Six

273

“I can’t handle this anymore, Mulder. I have to go for a run.”

“Honey, I’m sure they’ll call it soon. They’re waiting on the results.”

“They’ve been waiting on them for days, Mulder. I… I need to get out of here, clear my head.”

“Okay...”

She ran until her chest burned and her eyes watered, imagining their daughter growing up in the current world they were living in. She stopped, bending and trying to catch her breath as she sniffed back tears and shook her head. Turning up the music, unable to listen to any news, she began to run again.

Once more around the path she normally took, she turned up the driveway, her legs aching, but the endorphins kicking in and making her feel better than she had in days. She opened the gate and shut it behind her, closing her eyes as she paced, cooling down as her breath slowed to normal.

Bang bang bang

Startled, she turned around and saw Mulder on the porch, banging a pot. Faith stood beside him, shaking her little tambourine, grinning happily.

Pulling her headphones from her ears, she walked closer to them, shaking her head, not daring to believe it.

“Whooooo!” Mulder yelled, a huge smile on his face as he hit the pot.

“What? Mulder… please. What?”

“They called Pennsylvania. 273.”

“Oh, God,” she cried, a hand on her chest as tears filled her eyes.

“They did it. She’s the next VP.” He grinned and she laughed through her tears.

She stepped close enough to scoop Faith up and spun her around in the grass as they both laughed, the tambourine shaking melodically.

“VP, VP, VP!” Scully shouted and Faith mimicked her, both of them shouting it as Mulder beat out the rhythm on the pot with a wooden spoon.

Raising her head, she pulled Faith’s head to her chest, tears streaming down her face, hope and happiness filling her heart in a way she had not felt in four years. She smiled at Mulder as he put his arms around them and he grinned.

“It’s going to be better now,” he said quietly and she nodded, as he kissed her forehead.

“VP, VP, VP!” Faith shouted, lifting her head and looking at them. Mulder laughed and began to jump, holding them close.

“VP, VP, VP!” They all shouted, jumping in their little huddle, the tambourine shaking out a happy tune, as a new future shined as brightly as the sun.

[theoriginalladya]

WIP Folder meme! Michael, 25 or 6 to 4 :D

Whooooo!  Okay, so I mentioned on a previous post for Michael, each section of the country they go to is named for a particular song from which the chapter titles take their names from lyrics.  25 or 6 to 4 is the song for the Chicago section of their journey (yes, I am THAT big of a geek to do subtle (or not) easter eggs).  Where they meet up with some of Kaidan’s biotic students, and Michael has to face a part of his past.  Unfortunately, doing so also puts Kaidan at risk.

“You remember that guy outside Chora’s Den a few years back?  Finch?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s a reason I killed him.”

Kaidan sighs.  “I assume it was more than simply trying to impress that turian guard you were talking to.”

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Shepard nods. “By the time I joined, the Reds were a big organization.  They’ve grown since, but back then they were big enough, stretching from New York to here.”  He turns his head, meets Kaidan’s gaze when he lowers his head so their foreheads touch.  “Ever since running into Finch, I’ve kept tabs on them.  K … the shit they’re into now …”  His eyes close and he shudders again.  When they open again, he runs a hand through Kaidan’s hair.  “I can’t lose you – not to the reapers, but especially not to them, to Anton.”

Kaidan ghosts a quick kiss across Shepard’s lips. “Who is Anton?”

“Sadistic son of a bitch who took over control of the Chicago branch right before I left.”  A tightness builds in Shepard’s chest; the flash of a blade, the blur of movement, memory of pain and the sight of blood …  His hand rises to his left cheek, tracing the scar no longer there. “Mercy isn’t in his vocabulary.”

Kaidan takes his hand, holds it tight and uses his thumb to stroke the back of it.  “I gathered as much.”

With his free hand, Shepard reaches over to gently trace the small lines at the corner of Kaidan’s eye before tracing down over his cheekbones to his jaw.  “If anything happens to you …”  He swallows. Kaidan is the only person in his life he’s ever felt free to share his emotions with, but now it feels more like a shackle.  He needs to hide them, keep them tucked away, because if they go through with this plan and Anton sees …  “He isn’t above using torture to get what he wants.”

“I can deal with that.”

“But, how, Kaidan?” Shepard asks.  “You have no idea what he’s like!”

Kaidan responds with a relaxed smile, a thumb tracing Shepard’s lips.  “There is no other way around this, and you know it.  Besides, I have training he doesn’t, plus, there’s the biotics.”

Jerking his head away, Shepard stares back down at his hands again.  “Kaidan …”

Kaidan’s voice is soft, gentle, and just loud enough for him to hear.  “Michael, you know it’s all we've got.”

When Shepard looks back this time, his vision is blurred by tears.  Reaching out a hand, he cradles Kaidan’s face, watches as he leans into the touch. “I know …”

[talkfantasytome]

I'm baaaaack. And I finished the series. 👀 There was no time to keep updating this, clearly, I had important work to do in devouring the books. But, I did provide some thoughts to my friends as I went (though fewer with each book, I think, cause I got a bit wrapped up), please enjoy if you'd like:

p.s. I apologize for all the emojis...the more shocked and shook and squealing I get, the more they come out. And a lot of this stuff is about those feelings. lol

The Cruel Prince

ew, gross....the idea Balekin would try to marry his sister 🤮

and he's using the geas on her *siiiiigh *...like, I get it, it's smart, and that's not a horrific command (yet), but like...sucks for Jude. it's the one thing she wants

okay, I think I like Roach lol. I'm really hoping for a big brother type character in him, maybe 👀

also, her reflection on Madoc was so sweet 💕 or, as sweet as it can be for "I mean, he was riding us to a new land right after murdering our parents"

but, like, it's in these reflections we see more of Madoc...it's kinda a tell vs. a show, but I think it's necessary to help us see the way he raised them, so that when we deal with him being stubborn (for example) we can come to our own conclusions about him vs. just "he's stubborn" and now knowing any background

oh gosh, so much to unpack in chapter 14!

I change my mind - I like Ghost the most, I want him to be big brother

Locke...oh my gosh Locke...I'm so skeptical of him, it just seems too easy, too quick and everything. but, at the same time, *swoooooon *

but, whooooo is Taryn's guy???? omg...no way it's Cardan, not after she kept being like "not Cardan not Cardan"...it's never who the main person expects...usually 👀 plus, how could Taryn say "I think you'll like him", and why would Cardan say he wouldn't be the first to green her dresses...like...that's not something you say about someone you're entangled with, and fairies can't lie....but still, it has to be someone fairly high up if they're going to declare at the coronation

I'm terrified it might be Dain 👀 OH, BUT WHAT IF IT'S THE GHOST?! (later thought: wow, just look at me semi-casually predicting something that will get hinted at during the latter part of the last book and not even realizing it 'til I go back over these 😂) That would be so cute, but no way, cause none of the other shadows have any place in Court....so, yeah, scared it's Dain. But, that seems almost too high up...but idkkkkkk

it could be Cardan, I guess Ms. shifty eyes 👀 but, like...I saw the page FILLED with Jude's name...poor boy's got it bad! (to explain, my friend reacted to the bullet about Carden with a 👀)

you don't write someone's name over and over if they're an enemy....you might a couple times, or one really annoyed scribble, but just that name over and over, shoved in a mortal book....oh Cardan

is he gonna be the definition of a boy who can't express his feelings to he bullies the girl instead? 👀

friend: "it's a complicated dynamic"

me again: I mean, I can tell 😂 but it will get more complicated if he is the guy...I hope that's not the case, I don't wanna deal with that, that's too much 😩 it also, like, would add sooooo much needing to be unpacked in a romance way vs. plot way, and since I'm not supposed to be approaching this as a romance (again, heavily skeptical on this advice at the moment 😂), idkkkkk...it feels wrong...also, why would she marry someone who's bullied her so much? like, they pick on Taryn, too

especially considering how much she seemed to distrust Locke....

"If that's what he did to the paper, I shudder to think what he wants to do to me."

^^ *evil laugh*

look, every time I write something like that, it definitely ends up coming back to bite the character in the ass....literally 😏

interesting, no more instances after the fruit

Cardan telling Jude he thinks she and Locke are perfect for each other 👀

ngl, this has me more curious about Locke...cause I think Cardan sees more of Jude than she realizes...so I'm like 👀

OMG OMG OMG

"I like for things to happen, for stories to unfold. And if I can't find a good enough story, I make one."

GURL RUN!

this explains so much

Locke sees how Jude gets under Cardan skin and he's like "oh, I could have some fun here"...I could be wrong, obviously, but I do not trust this information

this is why he's got fox features 👀

well, that's one way to end a chapter..."Because of me, she killed herself" 😭

I do not like Dain. And I'm starting to think it's only one letter off from Cain for a reason

Ohhhhh shit. She killed him! 😱 I mean, it was self-defense, but ohhhhh shit

I did love her deciding she'd become worse than the faeries though 😈

Also, Locke being very weird...I did wonder early on if he was Taryn's guy...but I couldn't imagine that being possible with him and Jude being so public. I still don't think it is, but I am SUS

Oh YESSSSS! Cardan cutting in...why am I happy about this?! 😂😂 stupid authors

Ugh, so short, wtf...I just need some answers!!!!

😱😱😱

I need to stop not trusting my gut, it would seem 👀👀

HE JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE PROPOSAL MORE DRAMATIC! I'm guessing, as I've only read that taryn tucked some hair behind his ear. But wtf Taryn?!?!

Oh, but, now I want this, cause Jude is sooooo close to just going batshit, and I love that for her 😈

Hmmm...Cardan missing from the dais 👀

Lol, Cardan getting drunk after Jude confirms she hates him...probs nothing, but imma read more into it cause I need that for my girl

I'm now remembering Taryn's promise about how good in stories is followed by bad 👀

Oh no oh no oh noooo

friend: Cue hello darkness my old friend song?

me: No...definitely something more rock

Balekin just stabbed his sister!

friend: Highway to Hell? 👀

me: Def better 😂

😱 Madoc!!! I mean, obvs with everything happening it was clear he was working with Balekin, but 😱😱

I want to believe he has a good reason for this

Welp

Martin gave us the red wedding, Holly has now given us the red coronation...or red almost-coronation since Balekin can't wear the crown 😂

friend: *rains of castamere playing in the background* (I gave her a 💯 for that)

I just, like....😐

I mean, at least with a book, you see more, feel more, but still

Seeing Madoc have the family be pulled away...he probably wanted Jude to be, too

so, this will be ... interesting

oh no! it ruined Jude's dress! 😭 (I am now more upset about this knowing Cardan gave it to her 😭)

also, like, if Cardan and Jude don't get out of the palace together...well...then that's stupid

oh, baby boy growing speechless when she puts her hair down and wild!

I am all for that

"As for what he wants to keep from the revel, it could be anything."

IT'S YOU

omg, that was the most honest thing he said, ya silly!

🤦‍♀️

and now she's threatening him *sighhhhh

"...the irrational panic when I touch his skin."

so blind

Taryn 😒

OMG...wait...Oak...Oriana has an acorn...the message talked about getting "him" out...it wouldn't have been Locke...omg...

I was right...I feel so smart...took Jude a whole page longer 👀

oh dear, did Cardan speak to them of Jude as if they're friends? oldest faux pas in the book! 😂

so, like, she's gonna have Oak crown Cardan, right?

omg, she kissed him! but, like, ahhhhhhh! he is jealous, though not that she's human, but hates her most cause he likes her (of course), and apparently that's gross (guess she has cooties)

I feel like she's half kissing him just to annoy him and I love that 😂

I was right about oak crowning Cardan...but I don't feel good about it 👀

And that's it for The Cruel Prince...I forgot how much of a play-by-play I gave them on that. 😂

The Wicked King

Ughhh, I just need them to, like, kiss and...I guess kiss more? They don't seem like the type to make up 😂 He asked her to, she didnt, cause Jude is dumb.

Me constantly with Jude and Cardan:

Welp, I got my wish and now I may be a bit flushed 👀

I wanna say that's going to change the relationship a lot, but with them you never know...Cardan got turned on by her saying she hates him...he lost it when she said she hates him so much it's sometimes all she can think about 😂

She heated when he said he wanted to tell her so many lies 👀

Though, I am curious about what lies he wanted to say, cause I wanna know the truth

Like...he wants her to tell him she hates him...maybe he wants to say the same but can't 👀

I'm freaking out, okay! They just had sex, and Jude, it seems, lost her virginity with it. And it was hot but also, like, true enemies-to-lovers in that they were enemies and then they had sex... (Based on a scene in the third book, I may have been slightly wrong about this, pending your definition of sex...)

talk about a slowwww burn...like, they kiss...still burning, though

had sex...still feels like its the burn phase 😂

Omg Ghost...NOOOOOO! 😭😭😭

If Cardan doesn't get all lose-his-shit-crazy about Jude being taken...

Oh my gosh

Cardan. NO.

Wtf is this shit (and that's where I left my friends before going to sleep, I wake up to:)

friend 1: What's happening? Are you okay? :O

friend 2: Kasey, did you survive the night reading? 👀

me: No 👀

I finished the wicked king

I'm not okay

The Queen of Nothing

And now there's some prophecy that Cardan's blood has to be spilt, and I'm pissed at him but i dun want him to die and I really hope blood spilt doesn't mean dying

But like...why?!?! 😩

Ugh, they just need to admit they're in love, however weird that love is. 😒

Okay, so a) duh Jude, of course Cardan knew it was you. we all knew he would.

B) letters?!?!?! Djidjsydka omg what letters?! (don't worry, I have found the letters)

C) Cardan fighting hard to keep Madoc from "saving Taryn", aka taking Jude 🥺

But fuck you Madoc, you and your crap timing. You couldn't have waited?!

Also, that Jude didn't realize he knew when he was like "I'll just examine her privately *wags eyebrows*

Like, I knew he'd know or figure it out, but that was just such a clear sign

Woooo! Finally Jude is recognized [as queen] - after he comes to get her 🥺

How is it that they're married, have declared it to the world, and it STILL feels like I'm in the slow burn? 😒

I'm confused...did they not have sex in the second book? Did he just...use his hands? the scene wasn't explicit, but the way it was written...

friend 1: They def did as far as I know

friend 2: and I interpreted it as they had sexy times yes 👀 lol

me: Yeah, but I just got to that in book 3, and she's all, like, "sex big deal"

So...now I'm thinking they just had some fun with fingers 👀 it did say something about his hand going between her thighs

[my conclusion is yes, just fingers in second book, but I feel justified that everyone thought as I did 😂]

Also, though, I just love that she's a top 😂

welp...Cardan is a snake

literally

Jude just heard the prophecy (I stopped in the middle of the chapter), and I have a theory:

the prophecy says that through the spilling of Cardan's blood, a great ruler will rise. Grimsen said only death can stop the snake

I thinkkkk, that in killing the snake, Cardan will rise again from the spilling of his own blood.

That's my theory...seems crazy, but, I mean...since the ruination of the throne and destruction of the crown were literal...maybe the "rising" is too

another theory/possibility: Jude somehow dies, but that brings Cardan back and through him spilling his blood in some way he saves her, but she is also "reborn" as a faerie

idk...not that there's much hinting to that, but that could be her rising, or them rising together...idk how I feel about her not remaining mortal, but it seems plausible she'd want that to happen some way (the author)...if there's an HEA, that is

I was right

once again, I am a genius

I'm so glad it was the first one

I also enjoyed Jude's thought about wanting to make out with Cardan's face 😂

And, that how I ended my live updates. It's so long, I was very active during book one. 😂

Finally Reading 'The Cruel Prince'!

Yes, you heard that right! 😄 I'm about 12-13 chapters in and I'm invested!

Now, I present to you my real-time thoughts/commentary, as sent to some friends in slack as my form of "live-tweeting". I am tagging with "the cruel prince spoilers", for those that don't want to see these.

I will also note that I am reading this with the knowledge that Jurdan is a thing on some level...whether I just follow people that like that ship and it's not canon, or it is canon, I have yet to find out and have now appropriately blocked those tags (and some other books, but I need to work on that cause I keep getting these types of spoilers 😫).

On chapter 4. I like Locke.

Tournament happened, loved her little speech, I hope Cardan understands the irony. But, considering they're, like, allergic to iron or whatever, I'm guessing not. (Sorry, not sorry, I think I'm hilarious.)

Locke is a secret sweetie, and it's so cute! But I can't figure him out. He's reading Cardan well, and still giving Jude smiles that thrill her...I really don't want some weird love triangle. But I'm hopeful cause I was told to not approach this book as a romance.

Also, mortal land chapter...dayum gurl. I can't remember if this is the one that has a sort of corruption arc, but it feels plausible and I'm here for it.

And Cardan sucks, but their conversations keep just sounding like heavy dom talk and I blame my friend on tumblr and her stupid, glorious toxic Nessian AU (we all know who, but I won't tag her cause she hasn't read this yet)

Omg, the prince wanting her to lie. Do it again! 😂😂

Also, PHEW! I honestly thought Dain or whatever was about to ask Jude to be his wife...but just his spy!

I hope she accepts

Yesssss!

Oh fuck

He can control her

I'm happy and worried...like, madoc's not there, there's a reason, and idk that it's good

WAIT! Is HE gonna turn out to be the cruel prince??? 👀

Awww...Locke wants to see her again. 🥰 But Cardan was furious and then stabbed her finger to help her become disenchanted or whatever...👀

Clearly Jude doesn't understand she's in a book when she enters Cardan's room. From the moment she mentioned annotated papers and piles of books I was like "I betttt"

Then Alice in Wonderland - so obvious, but she had to see the clothes 👀

Struggling a bit with the way some things are written. Like, it's right, but certain things given early on imply something other than the way the world is actually built and, like, it just seems like it could've been an easy thing to avoid. But it's pretty minor.

Response to a friend who said Cardan has mostly been "kind of being a dick" up to this point: Always being a dick 😂

They're all scheming! What's up with Balekin?? I thought he was also a drunk?? But instead he is trying to teach Cardan by abusing him? And why must these dark characters always have some deep horrors. Is it too much to ask for a dick to just be a dick and have her fall for him anyway?

I'm sure I'll update more later when I have time to read again.