#I know this is a crazy wild absolutely batshit suggestion

[lesbiansanemi]

I hate working with men

[kaiijo]

BLUE LOCK PLAYERS AS DEMIGODS (i) — [BLUE LOCK]

characters: shidou ryusei, oliver aiku, itoshi sae content: gn! reader (reader is called “sunshine” once in shidou’s) slightly suggestive humor, set at camp half-blood (or some random camp for demigods lol) but you don’t need to have read percy jackson to read this notes: references this post

⋆｡° child of ares! shidou x child of apollo! you

it’s unsurprising to all of your siblings that shidou ryusei is in and out of the infirmary a lot because he gets into A LOT of fights (“typical ares kid” your siblings say while rolling their eyes)

the first time he came to the infirmary, you were the only one brave enough to patch him up given that, not only is shidou known for picking random fights but also for being kind of batshit crazy. after that, you were the only one he even let touch him without lowkey growling at them…

“shidou’s here again,” otoya, one of your half-brothers, informed you one day. you sighed heavily and found shidou in the waiting room, beckoning him back to an exam room

“take your shirt off,” you told him and he grinned some wild smile at you and said, “ooh, already trying to get me naked? at least take me to dinner, sunshine”

you snorted and when he did, your eyes widened at the giant, purpling bruise forming on his side. “what happened this time? “underlashes junior got really into sparring”

ah, that made sense - this wasn’t the first time shidou got into a physical altercation with itoshi rin 

“leave the kid alone,” you said as you grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and threw it at him

he caught it and asked, “not gonna hold it against me yourself?” “why would i do that” “well you were so eager to get my shirt off” “you’re insufferable”

shidou licked his teeth, still looking at you with that shit-eating grin. “yeah but you like that”

what was the most annoying this about that statement: you couldn’t exactly say it’s a total lie

⋆｡° child of poseidon! oliver aiku x child of athena! you

oliver aiku had a bit of a reputation as a womanizer and, to be fair, it’s not undeserved. he was charming and hot, it’s not like it’s just random, and he probably flirted with nearly every person within a ten mile radius of camp

he first noticed you at a game of capture the flag. not to brag or anything, but oliver was known as the best defender at camp but somehow, the opposing team managed to outmaneuver him and his team and steal the flag and carry it to their side

shocked and impressed, oliver inquired as to who was the mastermind behind this strategy and the answer was simple: you, a child of athena 

he found you in the armory, hanging your sword back up and, leaning against the doorway, he said, “hey”

you glanced over your shoulder. “hey?” 

“so you’re the master strategist?” “yeah” “i don’t think we’ve met, im oliver.” “yeah i know” and with that, you resumed taking off the rest of your armor

well, that was new

“you know,” oliver said, strolling over to stand beside you as he took off his own armor, “i’d love to get to know you better. not every day someone manages to pull one over on me. wanna grab some lunch”

you gave him a side eye and said, “sorry, i’ve got something else to do” and then you brushed past him and out of the armory

oliver watched your retreating form and it was from that day on that he decided his just had to make you his 

(spoiler: he eventually succeeds after many, many, many times asking you out (read: groveling, begging on his knees, etc.))

⋆｡° child of zeus! itoshi sae x child of hermes! you

you get sent on a quest with itoshi sae and you were forewarned by multiple different people that you should brace yourself for a quick but absolutely miserable experience

“sae’s super powerful but gods, his attitude is absolute shit”

honestly, all the things people told you should have worried you more but you ignored them. it wasn’t fair to listen to hearsay about someone in your opinion and besides, it just made you want to step up to the challenge and befriend him even more

as the two of you set off, you asked him a bajillion questions about him, his life outside of camp, his life at camp, his brother rin (which earned you the most acidic glare and the meanest answer ever), and whatever else you could think of

“do you ever stop talking?”

“not really” sae gave you another withering look

you ran into tons of monsters and it was honestly incredible to witness the full power of a child of a big three god - sae’s battle prowess coupled with his control over lightning had you feeling just a little unnecessary but you also assisted well (sae wouldn’t admit it but he was pretty surprised by your quick thinking and reflexes and your skill with your weapon)

finding that you weren’t completely useless was when sae began not being so short with you and actually made some effort at conversation and you two lowkey started bonding over the next few days

one might even say sae began to develop some semblance of fondness 

you had a major breakthrough with him when you essentially sacrificed yourself and threw yourself in front of whatever mythical beast you were sent to defeat

sae never disposed of an enemy quicker than he had in that moment and he got you two back to camp even faster

you’re passed out for three days in the infirmary and when you woke up, sae’s asleep in the chair besides your bed

“oh good, you’re awake!” one of the apollo kids who works at the infirmary entered the room. “how are you feeling?”

“a little sore” you glanced over at sae and the apollo kid said, “not sure how you managed it but sae’s refused to leave the infirmary since he brought you back. must make you pretty special.”

[spacerockfloater]

Sorry for misgendering you, random person on the internet who has no pronouns in their bio so I couldn’t possibly know your gender (which I’m still unaware of because you never told me what’s the correct way to address you, only that you’re not a “he”), but some words like “mister, dude, guys, girly” etc. are used in a generic sense, not exclusively towards their assigned gender. In any case, genuinely sorry, addressing you as mister was just a generic salutation.

Now, I’m a big GRRM hater and I have many bones to pick with him and his depiction of women, but I cannot go against the way he canonically presents certain female characters he created. If he says a woman is bad because she did this and this, I’ll have to elaborate on anything I comment about it based on the canon, you know? Like, it obviously disgusts me how he has 13yo Danny in AGOT fall in love with her rapist and carry his child because I see NO reason she couldn’t be older, but when Cersei demands that the leftovers of a feast be thrown away instead to the poor of the city (food that Marg’s family provided btw), then yeah, I’m kinda gonna call her a batshit crazy misanthropist, ok?

But in any case, this is a space dedicated to the discussion and analysis of his work, so if you don’t think this is serious/ interesting enough to talk about, then I suggest you leave? I just find it odd that you were perfectly comfortable sharing your opinion here but the moment I held you accountable for it you go “yooo, it’s not that serious, I’m not actually harming anyone”!

And it’s not as if GRRM has ever portrayed any ruler, man or woman, to be exemplary, you know? If anything, his work’s main point is that there is no perfect monarch. And for the record, he does present a bunch of women as successful rulers, like Nymeria, Meria, Margaery etc. I don’t understand why the moment a female character who belongs in the elite society starts intentionally harming other people I must suck her dick and forgive her? Why, because she is a woman like me and she’s traumatised? Of course I’ll hold her accountable for her canon actions when I’m having a discussion about her online. If you wanna say that she should have been worse, go off I guess, just don’t be surprised when people say that’s not very humanitarian.

Finally, while I absolutely do get that not everybody has the necessary experience to talk about anything (different genders, races, social statuses etc.) it’s kind of wild to not allow an author to include such subjects in his work because he doesn’t belong in said groups. So he can never talk about women harming other women because he is not a woman who was harmed by another woman? Why? What kind of diversity would we have in books then? I, for one, have been mistreated horribly by women who belong in upper class and I’m thrilled to see him touch this subject. Maybe it’s not that women are bad, maybe it’s the elite and rich and powerful in general that are bad, you know?

Cersei Lannister & Rhaenyra Targaryen:

Are forced to marry someone they don’t love, so they find solace in the arms of a family member and commit incest

Seduce members of the Royal Guard

Have three bastard kids

Commit atrocities to claim the Iron Throne

Betray their allies when they feel threatened

Rule with fire and blood

Live in constant paranoia so they murder innocent servants whom they believe will betray them, even if said betrayal would be a direct consequence of the way they treat their subjects

Are hated by the people

and lets us not forget the -

But no, please go ahead and tell me all about how Rhaenyra is this feminist icon who has the divine right to rule over hundreds of thousands of people because her daddy said so, therefore if I don’t support her I’m a misogynist.

[brightly-painted-canvas]

Band of Brothers & the Pacific Hogwarts AU

(I’m sure it’s already been done but my sister @gaiayukari85​ wanted to do it so we did it. Also I don’t care about the more appropriated Ilvermorny houses, I’m sorry)

Gryffindor

Richard Winters (vice principal) transfiguration professor Carwood Lipton care of magical creatures professor Andy “Ack-Ack” Haldane history of magic professor “Wild” Bill Guarnere quidditch player (beater) Floyd “Tab” Talbert quidditch player (chaser) George Luz quidditch commentator Edward “Babe” Heffron Burton “Pat” Christenson Eugene Sledge Sidney Phillips quidditch player (catcher) Mary Houston Romus Valton Burgin John Basilone

Ravenclaw

Lewis Nixon potions professor Herbert Sobel flying instructor Renée Lemaire school nurse

Johnny Martin Darrel “Shifty” Powers quidditch player (catcher) David Kenyon Webster Robert Leckie Vera Keller quidditch player (chaser)

Slytherin

Ronald “Sparky” Speirs defence against the dark arts professor Florence Risely librarian Lynn “Buck” Compton Joe Toye Joe Liebgott quidditch player (beater) Merriell “Snafu” Shelton quidditch player (beater) Bill Leyden Bud “Runner” Conley Bill “Hoosier” Smith

Hufflepuff

Eddie “Hillbilly” Jones herbology professor Norman Dike divination professor Eugene “Doc” Roe school nurse apprentice Denver “Bull” Randleman Chuck Grant quidditch player (chaser) Frank Perconte Donald Malarkey Warren “Skip” Muck Alex Penkala Lew “Chuckler” Juergens Lena Riggi quidditch player (keeper) Jay De L’Eau

Random HCs

- (I know some guys are missing, add whoever you like) - Sledge, Sid & Mary are the equivalent of Ron, Harry & Hermione you can fight me on this but I know I’ll win - Guarnere and Toye lost their legs in the Battle of Hogwarts (or something) and both have prosthetics. Sometimes you can see them fooling around and using their legs to fight each other since they both perfectly know good balance spells to keep themselves upright and walk around - you also can’t tell me Liebgott and Snafu aren’t the Weasley twins of the Slytherin quidditch team because C’MON - Luz is the guy to look for when you need infos about secret passages, weird gossips, smuggled Hogsmeade goods and general banters - Lena has been nominated Best Quidditch Player of the Cup for three years in a row and if you think John doesn’t fangirl her badly despite not even being in the same House then you’re so wrong - people don’t really know if Babe is always in the infirmary because he’s super clumsy and gets hurt often or just because he’s absolutely smitten with the nurse apprentice - the Slytherins organise secret wizard chess and darts game nights and Buck is the indisputable champion (mostly because he plays dirty) - I know there’s a lot going on in the Hufflepuff bunch but I really couldn’t split Don, Skip and Penko (I’m a Slytherin with a heart) - Speirs is the only DADA professor who didn’t quit after one year of teaching the subject. Some kids seem to admire his batshit crazy violent attitude, but mostly they’re all very scared of him - when something of value disappear, the students just go ‘professor Sparky Speirs has been here’ and don’t even question it anymore - Leckie, Webster and Vera are the most active reporters of Hogwarts’ school newspaper; Liebgott and Chuckler submit works for the comics section (under pen names); Luz and Leyden cover the sports section - sometimes Nixon gets drunk off his own potions (because he insists on trying them by drinking them *in Winters’ voice* Lew how many times do I have to tell you...) - when some kids are homesick or feel down because they got bad grades they go to professor Lipton for advices and encouragements. He doesn’t even get mad when he discovers some students call him ‘Mom’ or suggest to each other ‘if you’re not feeling good just take a break and go see mama Lip for a while’ - when Winters has to cover for Principal Sink and take care of the school’s business he sometimes find notes on his desk that say ‘Shelton = detention doesn’t even work, try something else’ and ‘stfu Sobel’ - Perconte, taking advantage of the Hufflepuff’s common room being close to the kitchens, teaches the house elves how to cook Italian. Guarnere weeps in front of his first spaghetti plate in months I’m probably going to update this every now and then with new ideas. I’ve had the draft open for more than a week...

[dangan-ronpa-imagines]

Could we have all the ways the DR3 kids act at parties?

I wish I can drink

Legally ~ Mod Eri

Kokichi Ouma: Y’all know damn well this man putting some laxative or alcohol in these fruit punch bowls y’know the one’s from the 90′s where you pour it in your cup with a fucking spoon and he will stay sober doing it. He laughs at everyone’s drunken stupor, will record anyone who is dumb enough to trust him in their presence. That one kid where you don’t know where his invite came from except now he’s suggesting trashing the principal’s office and you’re kinda like

A’ight

Shuichi Saihara: The type to desperately find his group of friends as soon as physically possible. Will have a shot here and there, but only because everyone around him seems to be doing it, so fuck it. Only at his worst of nights will he drink excessively, and someone has to put a stop to it right now immediately because he will drink himself to a coma. Does not condone any of Kokichi Ouma’s behavior and will certainly try to stop it. Good luck.

Kaede Akamatsu: Will not drink, and expects that everyone else will do the same… and when they don’t she begs them to drink less. Everyone will find some way to have a conversation with her because she is such a social butterfly, even if she doesn’t mean to be. Understands the fruit punch bowl is spiked, understands that everyone else knows, and then enjoys the rest of the night knowing she doesn’t have school tomorrow. Constantly walking around to find something to do.

Rantaro Amami: He’s like Ramona Flowers except when you do strike up a conversation with him, he accepts it and continues the discussion. Sits at some couch in the middle of the entertainment, popcorn in hand, watching Miu and Angie play beer pong in the name of Atua. Will partake in a shot or two, but other than that, he remains sober throughout the entire party. Will try, and fail, to stop Kokichi in the event that this party becomes too wild. Will invite girls upstairs to do their nails.

Miu Iruma: The LIFE of the party, and she damn well knows it. Miu can outdrink everyone in her class, and considers it her mission to become absolutely shitfaced drunk at the end of the night. If possible, she will find someone to sleep with if they’re so willing. Starts every single game of Truth or Dare, Never Have I Ever, Spin The Bottle, etc… she breaks hearts yet mends them at the same time. She isn’t innocent about any of those group activities either, and particularly singles out people like K1-BO or Gonta.

I dare ya’ to kiss him! Fuck him! I don’t care, just go in the closet!

Tsumugi Shirogane: Has to be the best dressed at this party or else it was a waste of her time. She is one to have no clue about the fruit punch bowl, the spoon brushing against the tip of her red solo cup without a clue in the world as to what its doing to her. Becomes hilariously touchy by the end of the night, and throws away all the shame or embarrassment she ever had. That being said, if she is lucky enough to be at a party where she’s comfortable and in her area, she finds a small group of people and tends to stick with them for the rest of the night. Perhaps they can go upstairs and study, without the music distracting them…

Korekiyo Shinguji: Literally no one invited him but he’s here anyway. Hi, nice to meet you I fucked my sister Remains oddly quiet throughout the ordeal, choosing to only witness the disaster that follows when Miu bares her chest for her classmates to see or when Tenko’s fist meets a guy’s face upon unwanted advances… forms of entertainment, he supposes. He brings up voodoo or some shit like that to some classmate that tagged along for the ride, and somehow only candles are lighting up the house and there’s a seance happening. Everyone’s already drunk, might as well

This is where people like Shuichi or Kaede promptly flee.

Maki Harukawa: No one talk to her or else they face the consequences. Doesn’t want to be here in the first place except Kaito promised it would be fun except… she’s not having fun. Her arms are crossed as she sits in the corner and eyes the punch bowl, and she makes up some stupid joke about what is it called when people wait to have a cup of juice? A punch line and it’s so dumb she wants to actually, physically punch someone for it. She does seem to be more at ease when someone she likes begins a conversation with her, but tries to find any possible way to leave or reach somewhere more quiet.

K1-BO: Would also rather be anywhere else but here, but appreciates the sentiment of having able to study the behavior of his classmates and friends in such a situation. Perhaps, he thinks, he will be able to understand the life of a teenager this way. Partakes in the occasional drink that he cannot understand a buzz to, and hops into an occasional game of Never Have I Ever where… he takes one sip from his beverage. Everyone around him is babbling and cursing and he has to attempt desperately to stay sane in a party where everyone lacks shame or understanding of their behavior in public. Spends the rest of it running away from Miu

Kaito Momota: A man who can outdrink Miu, although he only does it if he has to. He is also a social butterfly, but he will make sure people like Maki are comfortable if need be; he is also a prime player in all drinking games, and refuses to leave the party without having fun. If he decides that parties are not his thing, not a problem; the blur and muffle of different genres behind his ear allow such beautiful stargazing. Those are the days where he can’t help but remain absolutely, positively sober… just so he can enjoy a life dwindling before him.

Himiko Yumeno: QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT RIGHT HERE. People not used to her talent will go batshit crazy for her magic tricks; she would pull a bunny out of her hat in front of a group of people, and no one would notice that obvious trick she pulled because everyone present doesn’t even know how to walk in a straight line. Has her own table of Dungeons and Dragons that nerds and jocks alike flock to, simply because no one seems to want to do anything but drink and see what happens. Everyone wants to be her friend afterward, especially after she just PULLED OUT THEIR CARD WHAT THE FUCK HOW DID SHE KNOW

Angie Yonaga: Angie Yonaga drinks for fun. In the name of Atua, she relies on her entertainment through the strength and will of her God and… plays an insane game of beer pong. Her hands seem to be adept on something other than art, to their surprise, but people are shook when she downs the drink swishing around in her cup like its nothing. Secretly tries to lure people in the realm of Atua and his greatness, and has no problem luring anyone she likes to bed. If Atua allows it, then who is she to deny?

Gonta Gokuhara: This isn’t what he signed up for. Someone promised him bugs… yet, now he feels as if his feet don’t meet the ground. His vision is swaying as the people chatter around him, downing red solo cups and stuffing food in their mouths. Before that, he is a naive gentlemen who attempts to get to know everyone at this party. He actively chooses not to partake in such games; as much as he wants to understand them and play, Miu is clutching at her chest and Angie’s public display of affection is getting a bit too much… so no. When he is drunk, you best believe he’s crashing at this place because there is no way he can last long in the wild with his consciousness not fully there.

Tenko Chabashira: Will make a party 100% more interesting if she sees a guy and they decide to get too close to her. Not only is it entertaining to everyone around her to see someone get beat up, but to see some guy get got? That’s why you go to parties, kiddies. Other than that, she will follow Himiko around and assist her on her magical tricks, even resting her chin on her shoulder as her best friend succeeds in her position as Dungeon Master I watched Stranger Things I got this Doesn’t drink that often unless there is only girls around, as she doesn’t trust men enough to let herself go around.

Now whoever spiked that punch bowl…

Kirumi Tojo: Does not understand for the life of her why these kids partake in such acts. However, she swoops down and picks up a beer can, a bottle… throwing it into the garbage. Sighs as she snatches a shot glass from one of her classmates. Her palm meets her face as she watches yet another one of her friends embarrass themselves around a group of people, with not a single care in the world as to what’s going to happen to them. That being said, certain acts of violence are entertaining to her… that brings about a chuckle. If you’re lucky enough to have Kirumi at your party, don’t let her go,,, make her stay long after the party ends

So she can do what you can’t: clean and make sure the school doesn’t hear about this.

Ryoma Hoshi: You forget he’s even there but it’s cool because he killed people and that’s kind of rad. Is a silent drinker, meaning that he prefers not to show off his tendency to stay sober after a certain amount of drinks. Chills in some corner with people like Maki except refuses to make any eye contact or begin any conversation… so then why are you here? Anyway, he must have gotten an invite from a close friend because he watches what goes down and there’s a small grin on his face because his classmates are so damn interesting and pure in their own ways. He wishes that he could get used to something like this.

[trashandstimcaf]

1-31 for niccus and unaxa!

look here you absolute degenerate i’m not going to put 31 gd answers all on my dang blog. I’ll put the first 16 and send the rest to you later. (i love you thanks for asking abt my dumb children)

1. What drew your character to their LI and vice versa? Niccus being a shallow ass took one look at Theron and was like “Hot damn” and from then on worked to get him naked. Unaxa started talking with what she thought was cool space pirate, but Andronikos as we should all know is a BIG MUSHY NERD and that won her over rather quickly.

2. What was the first moment that they knew they were in love with their LI? Niccus didn’t know it was love until he stepped out of that carbonite and realized the first person on his mind was Theron. Unaxa knew it was love after her cousin Rava'kahn asked her to please stop gushing about the cool sword Andronikos gave her and how great he is. She figured if she talked about him so much that she wore out her cousin’s considerable patience it must be serious.

3. When they are having a fight, what is it about and how do they deal with it? Niccus and Theron will bicker about anything and everything but in a loving and teasing sort of way they rarely have serious fights its usually something dumb like how fast can a bantha actually run, but they do drive the rest of the alliance batshit because they never shut up. Unaxa and Andronikos argue about whether or not it’s a good idea for her to keep playing at being a sith lord when she has the natural ambition of a baked potato. She’s going to keep doing it and Andronikos will keep supporting her but he’d be just as happy to have her run off into wild space with him.

4. Their favorite physical feature on each other? Niccus likes just about everything about Theron and will loudly tell everyone such. Unaxa likes Andronikos’ butt.

5. How do they comfort each other when they are sad? Niccus tends to be a cuddly person so that’s his main way of cheering both himself and others up. If you are any sort of close associate to him I hope you don’t mind 245lbs of mirialan cuddled up on you. Unaxa tends to just rest her head on Andronikos’ shoulder while he pilots if she’s having a moment of self-doubt or all the various spirits/ghosts won’t shut up. If Andronikos is feeling down she usually lets him rest his head in her lap and they just enjoy each other’s presence and maybe hold hands.

6. Who is the big spoon? Niccus and Theron tend to switch depending on their mood. Unaxa likes to be the big spoon and I doubt Andronikos really minds

7. Favorite date activity? Niccus and Theron enjoy riding swoop bikes around recklessly fast racing each other and egging each other on. Unaxa and Andronikos like going to dive bars.

8. What are their most prominent memories of each other? Niccus vividly remembers Theron ditching him on Umbara. Theron remembers the first time Niccus swaggered into the meeting room on Carrick station big and loud and not a single care in the galaxy or so it seemed. Unaxa remembers Andronikos teaching her how to use a blaster without shooting off her own foot. Andronikos remembers nearly getting HIS foot shot off by Unaxa

9. How open are they with their feelings? Niccus is happy to talk about feelings but he’s a bit dim on falling in love he’s had plenty of casual relationships but nothing of real substance I don’t think he knows how to handle it. While Theron isn’t afraid of saying I love you I’m sure having a partner like Niccus tends to keep him on guard and while he knows Niccus cares for him I’m not sure he knows just how deep those feelings are. Unaxa will happily shout her love for Andronikos from any number of roof tops. Andronikos will be less loud about it but is all too happy to tell Unaxa that he loves her.

10. Do they have pet names for each other? Niccus tends to call everyone pet names such as doll face, sweet thing, beautiful etc. unless someone specifically asks him not to. Theron just uses Niccus’ name. Unaxa will occasionally call Andronikos “her pirate” and Andronikos tends to just leave it at “Crazy Sith” or “Sith”.

11. Do they have any inside jokes? Niccus and Theron have about a million and can become nigh incomprehensible to outsiders. Unaxa and Andronikos have one or two and they only reference them in more personal conversations.

12. Do they have similar goals? If they clash, how do they deal? Niccus and Theron definitely clash and Niccus is typically looking for the biggest payout while Theron is looking out for more noble goals. It’s usually fine so long as the republic/alliance are willing to pay out a tidy sum to Niccus otherwise it can get rather ugly. Unaxa is looking to reshape the empire and Andronikos has no love for the empire and is all too happy to let the empire finance his escapades while he harasses both sides so for the most part they are fine with each other.  

13. How do they react at being away from each other? Niccus tends to do poorly when separated from his people whether that’s his family, his crew (that is also basically his family), or Theron. Theron tends to be better at handling separation but does get more reckless. Unaxa and Andronikos can handle being apart they know they’ll eventually come back to each other.

14. Is there anything they associate with each other? Theron associates Niccus with lots of noise, booze, leather, and that really expensive pomade that he insisted Theron use too. Niccus can’t look at the color red without thinking of Theron tbh. Unaxa need only to look at the various trophies and treasures Andronikos has brought to her over the years. Andronikos listens for the particular hum from Unaxa’s lightsaber he can pick it out every time.

15. Does their view of themselves differ from their partner’s view? Niccus sees himself as a rather charming and lovable fellow with very rational business sense. Theron sees him as a brash and wild criminal that’s strangely attractive and can be prodded into doing the right thing. Unaxa sees herself as a scholar first and foremost and a dedicated galactic citizen second. Andronikos sees her as a radical idealist with the power to back up her high in the sky dreams.

16. Jealous at all? Nah Niccus is likely to just suggest a threesome/foursome/orgy and the same goes for Unaxa

[books-n-wine]

~**~ Too Hard To Forget (Romancing the Clarksons #3) by Tessa Bailey w/ Excerpt, Review & Giveaway ~**~

This time, she's calling the shots.

Peggy Clarkson is returning to her alma mater with one goal in mind: confront Elliott Brooks, the man who ruined her for all others, and remind him of what he's been missing. Even after three years, seeing him again is like a punch in the gut, but Peggy's determined to stick to her plan. Maybe then, once she has the upper hand, she'll finally be able to move on.

In the years since Peggy left Cincinnati, Elliott has kept his focus on football. No distractions and no complications. But when Peggy walks back onto his practice field and into his life, he knows she could unravel everything in his carefully controlled world. Because the girl who was hard to forget is now a woman impossible to resist.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Google Play | iBooks | Indiebound | Kobo

“I don’t know, Peggy.” He whirled on her, closing in until she was forced back onto the desk. “I had an All-American on my squad this morning and now I don’t. That’s all I know.” He pointed a finger toward the window. “I solve problems down on the field. Saving people isn’t my job.”

Saving people. God, there was such a wealth of regret and pain in those two words. But he couldn’t hear it and she couldn’t address it. Letting him know she saw right through his façade to the hurt beneath might force Elliott to close himself off. “You didn’t always limit yourself. Why are you doing it now?”

“Accepting things that can’t be changed isn’t a limitation. It’s realistic.”

“But how will you know if something can’t be changed unless you try?”

“When it comes to certain things, Peggy, trying leads to losing.” He was in her face now, the mint from his toothpaste familiar and inviting where it slid over her lips. “And I don’t lose.”

No one ever stood up this man but her, and she wouldn’t be cowed now. “No? You’re out a receiver.” She hitched herself up on his desk. “I’d call that a loss.”

The tips of his shoes met Peggy’s, his hands gripping the furniture on either side of her hips. “Who do you think you are, little girl? Coming into my office and telling me what I’ve done wrong?” His eyes were brilliant in their vexation, the attraction he was trying so hard to fight. “Where do you get the goddamn bravery?”

“The bravery is what you liked best about me,” she breathed, heat sizzling in a downward V toward her thighs. “Isn’t it?”

“No. That bravery is what almost led to my downfall.” His hands found her bottom, jerking her to the edge of the desk. “I resented it. Still do.”

“Liar,” Peggy whispered, easing her thighs wider. “You’re dying for an excuse to head for another downfall.” When her legs were as open as she could spread them, she leaned up to Elliott’s ear and let her breath shake loose. “One thrust.”

Elliott’s right hand came up out of nowhere, molding over Peggy’s mouth as his hips crowded into the notch of her legs. With a quick maneuver to recline her halfway back, Elliott’s erection found the apex of her thighs, delivering an aggressive pump against her underwear that sent a scream climbing up Peggy’s throat, only to be trapped by his hand. Knees jerking up out of reflex over the rush of sensation, an orgasm almost—almost— broke past the surface, sending her waters rippling out on all sides. Her legs wanted to hug Elliott’s waist, her voice wanted to beg for one more, one more, one more, but he shook his head, denying her, even though his gaze was hot, a low groan issuing from his harshly masculine mouth.

He leaned in and nipped the lobe of her ear. “Next time, ask for two.”

***4 ‘Your Inner Masochist’ Stars***

The dysfunctional functionality of the Clarkson family is what makes these books difficult to put down and boy do Peggy and Elliott (who thought a non family member could rival the Clarkson siblings?) put me through the ringer. Talk about bringing out all the FEELS, the good, the bad and the ugly in this emotional rollercoaster, but it was all worth it as things get heated, both in the heart, head and bed, only to end in the way it was always meant to.

Peggy and Elliott truly took me on a hell of a ride. Peggy is an enigma. She can be whomever someone needs her to be, as long as it isn’t herself because if she allowed that to happen all of her vulnerabilities would be exposed. But pieces of her trueself find their way out of the kevlar armour she’s constructed around herself and those pieces show a genuinely vibrant and compassionate soul. I had my ups and downs with Peggy. I loved her fearlessness, but the games she played had me wanting to Gibbs smack her even though I understood why she felt the need to play them.

Elliott has only ever had one love, football. He lives and breathes the game to the detriment of everything and everyone else around him and uses it as a way to keep people away so he can drown in his own guilt. I honestly did not like Elliott for much of the book. I understood why he believed what he did and in part empathized with him because of it, but it took a while for me to start to like the man. Thankfully he had a ‘come to Jesus’ moment that finally had him opening up and showing that while a part of him was broken, he was a strong man with a good heart.

As I’m sure you can probably guess, Peggy and Elliott’s second chance journey drove just a tinsy bit batshit crazy, okay...a lot. At one point I was so done with both of them and all the mind games and push/pull going on that I almost, almost, gave up on them, but at the same time I was fascinated by how their minds worked that I had to see it through and I’m very happy I did. They both got a handle on their issues, confronted them and found ways to show the other what they meant to each other and make it work because the chemistry and connection, both sexual, emotional and intellectual were all there, they just had to believe that it could be more.

It’s easy to get sucked into the crazy that is Clarkson family because despite the chaos that comes with them, there is something absolutely intriguing about them all as they sort through the muck that is their emotional baggage. While you can read this one as a standalone, to truly get a handle on the dysfunctionally functional Clarkson family I highly suggest you start at the beginning, especially because you’ll end up loving the little doses of Miriam that are sprinkled into the mix. Now to patiently (or not) wait for Belmont and Sage’s story!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley ~

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THE ROMANCING THE CLARKSONS SERIES

TOO HOT TO HANDLE, #1

TOO WILD TO TAME, #2

TOO HARD TO FORGET, #3

TOO BEAUTIFUL TO BREAK, #4

Series Page on Goodreads

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans, and laptop, and drove cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend, and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.  

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