#Marriage Hunting of Legendary Brave

[oratokyosaigunda]

Densetsu no Yuusha no Konkatsu series banner

[es46]

A coalition of reimaginations on major boss battles in Dark Cloud, based on ideal muses for a revamp.

DIVINE BEAST KING, DRAN Guardian of Norune Village and overseer of the Divine Beast Cave. Once revered as a god, Dran has stepped down from his heavenly pedestal to lead a more humble life as an advisor to promising warriors.

KILLER SNAKE An infamous monster lurking in the depths of the Wise Owl Forest, the Killer Snake was renowned both for its nigh impenetrable scales and its corrosive venom. They say a legendary blade may pierce its armour, but as of yet, no hunter has found it, and no hunter has returned when setting out to slay this serpent.

FOREST OVERSEER, MASTER UTAN Guardian of Matatiki Village, Master Utan is the chronicler of the Wise Owl Forest, seeing time's passage through the very plants themselves. He watches over brave hunters striving to overcome their trials and earn his blessing, communing with the tree spirit Treant to ensure the forest's prosperity.

QUEEN OF FRIGID SPIRITS, LA SAIA In life, La Saia was the beloved princess of Queens. Though her parents sought to cede the throne to her, La Saia had eyes on another destiny; marriage to a humble merchant. Though she knew Queens would never accept royalty accepting a peasant's hand, La Saia sought out the love of her life regardless. But one night, when they were be wed in secret, he never came. Drowning in despair, La Saia cast off into her parent's flagship vessel, soon lost to a cold fate below the waves...

RESTLESS WRAITH, KING'S CURSE In the innermost tomb of the Sun-and-Moon Temple, the spirit of the old king of Muska Lacka, Bamilumba Hamolumba, rests in peace. But should terrible magic befall his resting place, the King's spirit will rise again, greater and more terrible than ever, and enact the King's Curse upon the unwitting.

RAGING MOON WARRIOR, MINOTAUR JOE The most prestigous gladiator of the Colosseum in Yellow Drops, Minotaur Joe lives for the thrill of a good fight. Any challenger in welcome in the ring, any weapons and mechs they may have. All that matter is the glorious rush of combat, and Minotaur Joe will see his win streak go unbroken for years.

DEMONIACAL KNIGHT, PENDRAGON Little is known of this myserious warrior who acts in service to General Flagg and the Dark Genie. Atop a vicious felid steed, this black knight hunts down those who would dare resist the new regime.

DARK GENIE Embodiment of hatred. Incarnation of wrath. Architect of suffering. So long as cruelty dwells in the heart of mankind, then the Dark Genie is eternal.

[howlingday]

Drangon Yang huye de medio elfo Saphron por olvidar el aniversario de novios de Yang y jaune.

"Dragon Yang runs away from half-elf Saphron for forgetting Yang and Jaune's wedding anniversary."

Le Gasp! An AU from ages past?! LET IT BE SO!

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Yang relaxed in her nest. She had been sleeping for what felt like a week after gorging her appetite at a banquet with one of Arcadia's many allies. They truly did have enough to stuff a dragon.

One year has passed since her marriage to her human husband, the crown prince of Arcadia, heir to the throne. As of late, she has been much moodier with her husband. Was this what they meant by, 'the honeymoon phase was over'? Whatever the case may have been, she apologized after he had apologized before. She assumed things were well with them.

A crack in the distance answered.

???: YAAAAAAAANG!

Yang awoke to see lightning crackle in the distance. Before she could blink, a bolt grazed past her face, striking a tree and leaving a charred scar along the bark.

Ahead of her, closing in at terrifying speed, was her sister-in-law, Saphron, and in her hands was her legendary elven bow, blessed by the divines themselves with the power of nature's wrath. In simpler terms, Saphron was going to hunt Yang.

Saphron: YANG! I SHALL REND THE SCALES FROM YOUR LIZARD HIDE, YOU DISGUSTING REPTILE!

Saphron had a habit of saying things she didn't mean, but put meaning in the things she did. Case in point, Saphron intended to fight Yang.

Yang bellowed as she charged forward, stomping forward, hoping to either crush or scare away her sister in-law. Neither occured as Saphron lept away and fired another lightning bolt at Yang's flank. Yang swung her neck to snap, but was met with another strike on her nose.

Yang rolled over, catching Saphron with a swiping claw, knocking her to the ground. The bow had been tossed away, and Yang closed in on her attacker.

Yang: Why do you strike me, your own sister?!

Saphron: You are no sister of mine! You steal my brother's heart only to trample it underfoot!

Yang: Excuse me?

Saphron: You marry my brother, and one year hence, you abandon him! Why?!

Flames engulfed Yang as she became human once more, standing eye-to-eye with Saphron.

Yang: I would never abandon Jaune!

Saphron: Then why is he in the castle, sobbing, while you, his wife, are lazing about in the forest?!

Yang: Jaune is crying?! Why?! What happened?!

Saphron: You happened!

Saphron, using her incredible strength, grabbed Yang's horns, dragging the dragon closer to her half-elven face.

Saphron: YOU FORGOT YOUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

Yang: ...Wedding anniversary?

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Mama Arc: Shshshsh... There, there, my son. Your sister will bring her here. And she will answer for her crimes.

Jaune: Mother... I'm fine. Really.

Jaune Arc, the crown prince of Arcadia, heir to the throne, was trapped in his mother's elven grip, his face pressed against her elven bosom, granting him his pitiful half-elven lamentation. Decades since his birth as the least elven of his half-elven sibling, the most human looking of them, Jaune had been treated as though he were made of glass.

Jaune: (Groans, Pushes himself free) Mother, I am not a child. I am to assume the throne in due time, but you treat me as though I am a babe in need of consoling!

Mama Arc: You cannot hide your true lamentations, my son. Though you are human in appearance, your heart beats as elven mine.

Jaune: (Drags his hand over his face) I'm just a little sad, Mom! That's it! I know elves have lamentations that plague their minds, but this is just me being human! Being sad!

Mama Arc: Oh, my brave child! You who use your heritage as your shield against the darkness of your mind! You are truly of a brave strip!

Jaune: Mom, please... (Door opens) Dad, can you please help?

Mama Arc: Oh, husband! My darling, brave husband! Please speak some sense into our son!

Papa Arc: Full elven, eh? (Chuckles) My son, I have tried many a moon to console your mother of her burden, but when she speaks her old tongue, I cannot help but join her woe.

Jaune: (Groans)

A bellowing roar shakes the castle. The family runs to the throne room, where a familiar dragon is bellowing flames and stamping her talons across the stone floor. With saying a word, Jaune charged his beloved, climbing to her horns. There, he scraped the palm of his hand over her crown, recieving a groan in response. The castle floor grew closer as Yang lowered herself. Jaune lept off and kissed his beloved as the flames engulfed her. She purred into his collar.

Jaune: I missed you.

..................................................................................

Dinner was had by the entire family once more. Ren had prepared quite the feast to make up for the waste of the meal yesterday. Yang tore into a mutton, eating even the bones as the family laughed at the misunderstanding. Yang belched politely into her claw.

Yang: So, it's a human celebration?

Mama Arc: I would say more non-dragon than human. Elves, dwarves, and even Faunus have marriage. Though, their idea of marriage is more akin of "I choose you over others," than the decision made by our parents.

Yang: I like that a lot better. I should decide who I love, not someone else.

Papa Arc: Aye. Some days I envy the simpler politics of dragons and Faunus.

Yang: "Eye"?

Papa Arc: Oh, right, sorry. I am meeting with dwarven diplomats tomorrow, and I've been brushing up on my dwarven.

Jaune: I've heard the way they speak isn't much different from the Faunus.

Papa Arc: I've heard them called Sea Dwarves in my younger days. I was surprised to see the height of them when I first saw one!

The family laughed again, but none so more than Yang, whose pounding against the dinner table shook everything about. When she calmed down, they all stared at her. At this she became livid.

Yang: WHAT?! I CAN'T LAUGH AT THE TABLE?! AM I TOO LOW FOR A GOOD LAUGH?!

Flames licked the sides of her mouth until a hand touched hers. She turned to see the saddened eyes of her husband. Such blue beauties brought tears to her own, and she wailed into his shoulder.

Yang: I'm so sorry! I... I didn't mean to yell! I don't know what's gotten into me!

Mama Arc: Oh my... (Claps her hands) Velvet, bring me my crystal.

Velvet: Yes, ma'am!

Velvet rushed out, before returning minutes later with a gem on a string. Once in her hands, Jaune's mother made her way to Yang and held the string as the crystal danced in the air. It glowed with a beautiful blue shine, but grew brighter as it came closer to Yang. The gem became red as it touched Yang's head, then became purple as it was lowered closer to Yang's stomach.

Jaune: No way...

Papa Arc: It can't be...

Yang: What? What are you all gaping at?

Jaune's mother returned the crystal to her hand and placed her other hand on Yang's belly. She smiled as she looked her daughter-in-law in the eyes.

Mama Arc: Congratulations, Yang. You have been blessed with a new life.

Yang: Huh?

Jaune: Yang, you're pregnant!

Yang: HUH?!

[venusjeon]

from the depths

you've spent years sailing the Mediterranean hoping to come across the ethereal creature that saved you from a shipwreck as a child, but being forced to accept your suitor's marriage proposal makes you abandon all hope. it is when you're headed to your new home that you meet Jungkook again.

♔ PAIRING: siren!jungkook x human!reader

♔ GENRE: historical/fantasy au, angst, fluff

♔ WORD COUNT: 7k

♔ WARNINGS: minor character death, blood licking, reader and her mum kinda find the shipwreck triggering, period-typical sexism, YEARNING, koo is bioluminescent :o, talk of animal hunting, cliff jumping.

♔ AUTHOR'S NOTE: i never thought i'd write a siren au and much less be happy with the result but here we are!

1727, the Mediterranean

You stepped on a ship for the first time at the age of ten, the occasion being a visit to some distant relatives. It was to be a short trip, just a few days spent on open sea, but nevertheless you were thrilled.

To be drifted by the gentle waves and a nice breeze towards your destination instead of driven through the bumpiest roads while sat inside an uncomfortable carriage felt like a reward, even if you hadn’t done anything to earn it—you had subjected your parents to endless pleas about changing the travel route for months, but that likely didn’t have anything to do with it...

The point was that you got to keep yourself entertained during the trip, mainly by listening to the crew’s alleged feats.

They claimed they’d fought evil pirates, been to legendary islands, resisted the alluring songs of sirens, and even smuggled exiled kings and queens out of their kingdoms. Young and naïve as you were, you believed every single word that came out of their mouths, and as you witnessed the sun slowly disappear below the horizon and the stars map the dark sky, you dreamed of taking part in such adventures.

Years later, you would blame those thoughts for what happened; tell yourself that fate had taken the fantasies that sprouted in your mind as a prayer, and decided to teach you a lesson on what to wish for in the worst way possible.

Because on that tempestuous night, a pirate ship laid waste to yours.

The details of the episode were now as blurry in your memory as the pirates were merciless, but you heard it all happen from the wardrobe you and your mother were hiding in. How enemy swords had cut short the battle cries of the brave men who dared fight back, including that of your father’s, and how some had jumped out of the ship, preferring the winter waters to a violent death. Your mum covered your mouth to muffle your sobs as she held you close to her chest and this time, fate played in your favour, for you weren’t discovered.

After killing nearly everyone aboard, the pirates took every spoil they could find, and seeing as the rain had stopped by then, burned down the ship. It was once they were gone that you and your mum jumped away from the flames and into the blue, but the force of the waves soon managed to separate you.

For what felt like hours you struggled to stay on the surface, but when the sea calmed, things didn’t get any better, since you were all alone in the freezing water. Having lost all bearings, how were you supposed to get back?

If there was even anything to get back to...

In an impossible situation where you knew you were doomed, all you could do was cry uncontrollably and call for your mum like the scared child you were. The only sounds filling the air were the subtle winds, the movement of the waves, and your screams. It was terrifying.

Sucking in breaths between sobs, you wondered how long it would be until you either froze to death or inevitably tired of swimming and drowned.

Meanwhile, down in the depths of the sea, Jungkook heard something.

It wasn’t that loud, but enough to pique his interest, curious a creature as he was. There where he usually dwelled not even sunlight touched, but he could still see to a certain degree. He was... special.

So once he’d made his way to the source of the noise, he realised it was a sunk ship. He didn’t know what these giant wooden vessels were, who’d built them, or what they were for, but every once in a while he’d find them half buried in the seabed. This was the first time he’d witnessed the arrival of one to the bottom.

After some minutes of rumination, he decided to swim all the way to the top for the first time in his twelve years of life.

The journey to the surface would’ve taken much longer for any other fish, but for Jungkook it only took about an hour. Yet he halted the moment a striking amount of light he wasn’t sure what to make of hit him, hurting his eyes enough to have them close against his will. He almost took that as a sign that it was a mistake to leave his habitat, but then, he saw you through the lashes of his narrowed eyes.

You had two tails! Except, they weren’t exactly tails... at least not like any Jungkook had seen before. Not like his, doubtless. As his eyes adjusted to the moonlight, he crept closer to inspect them, but they were forgotten as soon as the distressing noises you were making reached his ears.

You sounded like you were in pain, but Jungkook didn’t understand. Surely, remaining at such a vulnerable place and being so loud would attract predators—or were there none up there? He himself should be wary in these uncharted waters, but something told him you were harmless.

Could the light be affecting him somehow? He had never worried for anyone other than himself before, but rather than eat you without a second thought like he would’ve done down in the deep, he wanted to help you.

It had been hours since you’d last seen your mum, and you weren’t sure you had much time left. Even if your legs weren’t so tired and the water so cold, or if any survivor found you, there was no chance you’d make it. Out there, you’d either starve or become the food of sharks. Perhaps both.

And if your mother had perished as well as your father... What was the point? What would you do in a world without your parents? You were only ten.

Whatever energy you had left, you were wasting crying at the prospect of giving up. But all of a sudden, a head emerged in front of you, causing you to shriek.

It was a boy, not much older than you. No... he wasn’t quite that.

He resembled a fish more than a human. Although, he was so beautiful... You would have noticed if he’d been a passenger on your ship. His clear blue irises moved as he studied your own features in wonder, but they were larger than they should be, and he also had fins of a darker shade for ears, hidden behind the long locks of silky hair which landed on his bare shoulders. Never mind his ethereal appearance, this boy wasn’t even using his arms to swim, he was simply... floating.

Jungkook had never seen a creature so similar to him, and he would’ve loved to observe you all night had you not gone back to crying. He flinched at how loud you were, and followed after you when you tried to swim away in panic.

What else could you do? What might as well be an alluring demon had presented himself to you in the middle of the sea. You were living the worst nightmare anyone could ever have. Thankfully, he was no longer there by the time you turned around, and you told yourself he’d been a figment of your imagination. A glimmer of hope then flickered inside your heart when it crossed your mind that there just might be some ship nearby who could rescue you. If only they heard you.

“Help! Please, help!” you shouted at the top of your lungs without pause, your breath visible like fog from how cold it was. But a while went by and your throat began to hurt. The flicker was extinguished as fast as it had been set alight at the realisation that you would soon lose your voice, along with any chance of surviving. You were done for.

Well, Jungkook didn’t think so.

He’d noticed you were desperate to stay up there, but that you were struggling with those two slim tails of yours, so he had left to go find something to help you with. Now, he was back carrying a ripped piece from the sunken ship, as he knew wood floated.

When you saw him, you shrieked again, tears leaking from your irritated eyes. Why was he back? To torment you in your last moments with a... door? A door!

He gestured to it with his head, and you nodded in understanding. Effortlessly, he helped you get on it, though the process would’ve been much easier were you not wearing that long white cloth, which Jungkook considered unnecessary. If you had any brains, you would take it off.

Aching body collapsing on your stomach, you cried out of both relief and exhaustion while the boy held the raft under you in place. How wrong you’d been about him... He was no demon, he was an angel sent from Heaven.

Now from up close, he continued to inspect you with those wide eyes of his. Afraid as you still seemed, perhaps you were of a different, inferior species who didn’t belong in the sea. A species that lived afloat on ships, breathed the air, and could hardly fend for itself.

That was it! Your ship had sunk, of course you were frightened.

Setting aside the question of your origins, Jungkook averted his gaze to a cut on your temple, from where blood slowly trailed down your cheek and dripped into the water. It made you an attractive target, and that was a problem—sharks might be close by. He leaned forward to lick your wound, but you whimpered in protest, and he realised you probably thought he meant to eat you when he saw how tight your hands were gripping the edge of the door. Carefully, he reached out to hold them.

His touch was as cold as the water, but what shocked you when you glanced down were his fingers. Not only were they webbed, but they ended in sharp stonelike claws. He could rip you apart with them if he wanted to, but instead he sought to comfort you. Relaxing, you let him finish licking the blood off your face, however strange you found it.

“What are you?” you uttered, but Jungkook didn’t answer. The fact that he could understand that—as well as breathe air—took him by surprise, but he still wasn’t sure of how to communicate with you. Face void of any emotion, he just continued to stare until, without warning, his hands let go of yours and started pushing the raft. You had no choice but to let it happen. “Where are we going?”

Again, no answer.

The boy seemed to know where he was headed, and your suspicions were confirmed when you heard the faintest noise from afar. Like a startled cat, you raised your head and looked around, but saw nothing. The boy kept driving you towards it, and the closer you got, the more convinced you were that it was men calling out your name.

“Survivors... You’re taking me to them.” The boy gradually slowed down his pace until stopping, and you frowned. “What is it?” He sank all the way to his nose the same way you would cover yourself with a blanket whenever your parents read you a scary bedtime story. “You don’t want them to see you.”

His reaction to your words was trying to push the raft away, towards the shouting men, but you were quick to place your hands over his. He froze.

“Thank you so much,” you cried. “What’s your name? W-What do they call you?”

A name? Jungkook didn’t know what that was. He opened his mouth to copy your speech, and you couldn’t miss his dagger-shaped teeth. Thank God he didn’t see you as food.

Copying your speech turned out to be harder than you made it seem, and so Jungkook was growing frustrated, even though you were wating patiently. What finally came out of his throat was more of a choking sound.

“Chsh... Gkhhh...”

Confusion shaped your expression. Well, if he didn’t have a name, you might as well give him one. “Chookhoo, Chogoo... Jungkook?” He didn’t know how to tell you that he was just trying to say anything you might understand, but the last word you had pronounced was to his liking. If you wanted to call him that, he wouldn’t oppose. “Jungkook... I’m Y/N.”

The smile of gratitude you gave him made his lips part in awe. If the name you’d given him was pleasing to his ears, your curved lips were even more so to his eyes.

“Y/N!” the voice of your mother called, and you turned your head around to see her standing on a boat in the distance, alongside a few members of your ship’s crew.

“Mum!” you yelled back, and turned back to face Jungkook again, or what little of him that wasn’t underwater.

You didn’t want to leave his side—he was your hero, after all—, but you didn’t know what to say either, so the two of you just contemplated each other in silence.

And when he felt your mum’s boat was too close, he reluctantly pushed your raft in that direction and dived under. You watched him go quickly so as not to be seen, a tail resurfacing for a second as he propelled himself down to the depths. Your jaw dropped.

He was a siren.

Ten years later, you stood on the deck of another ship reminiscing about that night. You’d been rescued by passing merchants within hours and had safely made berth a few days later, but your life would never be the same.

Your noble dad gone, your mum of humble origins had to remarry not to fall in station, and her new husband was all but kind to you. One might think it paradoxical that he would cover the expenses of your studies abroad, but doing so meant he’d get you out of his sight.

Taking advantage of the generous sum of money in your budget, then, you went sailing quite often. Your mum dreaded getting on ships, having experienced a shipwreck, but not you. You would consider yourself lucky if you went through another one. That way, you might meet Jungkook again.

A decade had not been enough to forget him... If anything, you’d grown obsessed with him.

He was a siren who couldn’t sing and that instead of luring you in, had saved your life. You needed him to still be out there and to come back to you... if he remembered you, that is. And if you ought to take every ship that travelled through the same route you engraved in your mind that night, so be it.

However, this was to be your last voyage.

“Y/N,” your mum called as she approached you, the seasickness obvious in her face despite her effort to overcome it. “Jungkook again?” She put an arm around your waist and gently said, “Lord Hoseok might not find too compelling the fact that his bride still believes in fairy tales.”

Your gaze fixed on the sun, which was beginning to brush the horizon. Love her as you did, you couldn’t help but hate it when she mentioned Jungkook’s name in one breath and your betrothed’s in the next.

“I believe in what I see,” you muttered, but she chuckled.

“What you see in dreams doesn’t count, my darling.” You took a deep breath to prevent yourself from starting an argument by gracing that with a response. But your mother would not let it go. “You must focus, Y/N. Marriage is not to be taken lightly, you can’t stare at the sea and live in your imagination any longer. You’re lucky enough to be loved by the man you’re engaged to, but if you neglect him in favour of a fantasy, you’ll miss out on a happy life. Your father would tell you the same thing.”

“There’s no sea where he lives,” you bitterly pointed out, ignoring the rest of her speech. “I couldn’t stare at it even if I wanted to.”

Courtship with Lord Hoseok had begun a few years ago, soon after you’d been introduced at a party. His family was friends with yours but the political aspect of your union they all sought to benefit from was irrelevant to him. He truly loved you, and was willing to give you anything you asked for.

You were fond of him as well, but finding Jungkook was all you cared about. If your stepfather wasn’t forcing you to marry to get rid of you completely and you had a say in things, you would’ve turned down Lord Hoseok’s offer.

“It’ll do you good,” your mum said, “leaving the shadows for others to chase, I mean.”

You nodded, a part of you admitting she was right. Jungkook was real, but you’d never find him, even if you spent every waking moment of the rest of your life sailing the Mediterranean. “At what time do we arrive tomorrow?”

“In time for lunch with Lord Hoseok and his parents,” she brought a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. “Now come downstairs with your mother, I feel sick out here…”

Later, when the moon was at its highest point, you couldn’t fall asleep.

Every person you’d told about your encounter with a siren had either called you mad or tried to convince you that you’d hallucinated it due to the traumatic situation you were in, but you always believed in yourself. It would just be nice if your mum, of all people, did too. She was going back home after the wedding—your stepfather hadn’t bothered to come—, so you didn’t know how long it would be until you saw her again, and you didn’t want your last memory of her to be thus.

Tired of tossing and turning, you decided to go get some fresh air. It wouldn’t be appropriate if anyone saw you in your nightgown and without your hair combed, but the whole ship was asleep; since you were anchored near an island for the night, there was no need for anyone to be up.

The deck was therefore deserted when you got there and walked to the gunwale to rest your elbows on it, head tilted down.

For ten years, you’d been asked time and time again by those who knew about Jungkook why you were so keen on finding him. Even if he were real, what would be the point, they argued, when he can’t even speak, or leave the water? You yourself didn’t know the answer until recently.

The closer the date of your wedding got, the more certain you were, and it made you feel beyond guilty. Lord Hoseok didn’t deserve a wife who was in love with a ghost of her past.

Once sleep finally began to put weight in your eyelids, you stood straight to head back to bed, but as you glanced one last time to the sea, your heart stopped.

It couldn’t be.

Jungkook.

Not that far from the ship, he was watching you, head barely out of the water. You blinked a few times and rubbed your eyes, but they were not deceiving you, he was really there.

Hastily, you lowered one of the stowed boats to the water. It proved to be a difficult task to do on one’s own, but you’d seen it be done a million times, so you managed. As you went down the rope ladder, you prayed you hadn’t been loud enough to wake anyone up, or you’d get in trouble.

The moonlit sea was calm tonight, so being drifted away by the waves once you stopped rowing wasn’t likely to happen. No, the problem was that Jungkook had vanished. You were at a fair enough distance from the ship, but no matter how many times you called his name in whispers as you leaned over the dark water, your reflection was the only thing you could discern. A reflection…

Could it have been that all along? A mirage of sorts with the likeness of Jungkook? Maybe you were indeed losing your mind. With a sigh, you turned your head to get back to the ship, but what you were met with made you gasp.

Jungkook was leaning on the edge of the boat.

Now a young man in front of you, time had treated him more than kindly, for he was even more handsome than the last time you’d seen him. Were he to be immortalised in a painting, he’d put to shame every model that ever lived—if, that is, the painter was able to reproduce his shining beauty.

“You’ve come back…” was all your shock would allow you to say, but it didn’t matter. Jungkook lived among fish, there was no reason why he’d understand your language.

“I never left,” he replied—ironically—after a moment with a subtle accent, and your eyes widened.

“Y-You can speak?”

“I’ve been watching humans. I learned so I could talk to you.” You had daydreamed conversations with him, sure, wondered whether his voice would sound as angelical as his appearance was, but it had never crossed your mind that it could actually be possible for him to learn to speak, much less on his own, so you were disappointingly unprepared. There were so many questions you wanted to ask, but your brain couldn’t decide on which one first. Jungkook must have luckily noticed your faltering, because he continued, “I used to be… somewhere dark and without much life, but after I met you, I stayed where there was light. I’ve been following your scent ever since. Every time you were on the sea, I knew. But when you weren’t, I followed other ships to learn from humans.”

You discreetly pinched your hand to confirm you were awake. Not one of your theories entailed him remembering or caring about you.

“Why didn’t you show yourself to me before? All this time, I’ve been looking for you. I sailed hoping I’d see you again.”

Jungkook looked down and the simple action brought pain to your heart, even without knowing what was wrong yet. Whatever it was that made him sad, you wanted off existence.

“The humans on ships– the sailors, told tales about creatures like me. They said sirens have seductive voices used to lure humans and drown them. It’s not true, but I don’t think they’d stop to listen to me. I’ve seen how they fight amongst each other with their weapons, how they let fear guide them… I feared too that you would fear me.”

“But you saved me, Jungkook,” you frowned, and he looked back at you. “How could I ever think ill of you? I don’t believe the legends.”

You were sick of them, in fact. Every goddamn trip, the crew would gather at night and tell stories to pass the time, and there’d always be murderous sirens in them. When you were younger, you’d chime in to correct them on their inaccurate portrayal of the mythical creatures, but the crew would laugh at you for taking it too seriously and insisting to have sighted one.

“You don’t want to run for help at all?” Jungkook needed reassurance. He turned his head to the ship. “The men there, they wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me, or capture me as a prize.”

Not that they ever could, but the point was that they would try.

The sound of you sitting on the floor of the boat to be closer to Jungkook made him turn back at once. He glanced down at your legs and even though they were bent under your long nightgown, knees close to your chest, he knew they’d grown longer because you’d got taller.

He had seen the whole of you grow up, going from a scared, crying child to a strong-willed young woman. However, despite being at the top of the marine food chain, Jungkook was the terrified one.

He wasn’t sure he could take it if you broke his heart. But having you so close… It calmed him.

“They’d have to go through me first,” you joked, and he found himself smiling. If only you knew how tiny and frail you looked next to the robust men on that ship… You’d never have a chance in a fight, but you knew that. And Jungkook knew you’d try to protect him anyway.

Slowly, his smile faded. “Earlier, you said there was no sea where you were going. That’s why I showed myself to you. I misheard, didn’t I?”

The way your eyes filled with sadness told him otherwise. “My husband-to-be lives far inland and as a married woman, my place will be at home. I’ll never be at sea again, tonight is the last time.”

Jungkook was in denial. He couldn’t go inland so, how was he supposed to see you again? No, this wasn’t happening. He’d unknowingly spent ten years watching you long for him only to lose you now that he’d found out? For the sake of his feelings, he was changing the subject. He’d deal with never seeing you again once he’d fully processed it.

“You dream about me?”

The question made you blush. “What?”

“Your mother said it,” he sank a little so he could rest his chin on the edge of the boat, and the way his big eyes looked at you melted your heart.

“I-I don’t! She thinks you’re part of my imagination, that you’re not real,” you explained. “No one believes that a siren saved me, they call me mad. I never doubted my memory, but I did end up agreeing when they said I was wasting my time trying to find you. This sea is vast… I still can’t believe you’re here with me.”

Jungkook had never lost track of you, but he could relate to your discouragement. On more than one occasion he’d tried to forsake you, but your scent always drew him back to you.

Still, he asked, “Why did you look for me?”

“Why did you follow my scent?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“We share a motive, then,” you smiled shyly and immediately, he did too.

It couldn’t be denied that he was an intelligent being, as he’d quickly learned the ways of humans, but did that make him one? He still had a tail, and lived underwater. Due to that, you’d been asking yourself for a while whether your feelings were wrong. He was more animal than human when you had met, after all. Perhaps still.

“It’s so different close to the surface,” Jungkook started, snapping you out of your thoughts. “There are so many colours, reefs, and animals. I like the small ones, like seahorses or turtles... I follow them around…” his voice sank into a whisper, as though he was embarrassed, but you found it adorable. The sea was a mystery to you, and therefore scary, but the way Jungkook painted it made you want to explore every corner with him. “Every time I see something beautiful, it reminds me of you, and I want to show you.”

Was he aware in the slightest of how his words were affecting you? Years of courtship with Lord Hoseok hadn’t made your heart race thus.

But that child-like enthusiasm for little things of his, and the desire to share them. That was human, for you had it too. You wondered if Jungkook would like the plot of your favourite book, if he’d feel the same when looking at a work of art, if he’d have a sweet tooth too… Maybe humanity was something you could learn and there was nothing wrong with what you felt for him.

“I’d like you to show me, everything,” you confessed. “And to teach me about the sea. What that green light that sometimes glows on the water at night is, or what whales say to each other, or if there are more sirens out there.”

Jungkook’s head cocked to a side, drops of water dripping from his still-wet hair. “If there are more sirens, I’ve never seen them. It’s always been just me... And I can’t understand whales, or fishes.” Thinking about it, it was a stupid question. He couldn’t understand sea animals the same way you couldn’t earthy ones. “But many of us can glow, maybe that’s what you see.”

You hummed a laugh, “You glow?”

“Yes, when it’s very dark,” Jungkook said as he rose to rest his elbows on the edge of the boat. Unconsciously, you glanced down at his chest. More often than not, the ship’s crew would work shirtless, but no matter how attractive they were, you felt nothing. Now, the air seemed to have run out. “We can lure prey in that way, or m-mates… Do you want to see it?”

Excitement sparked in your eyes, “You can show me? Now?”

Jungkook nodded, a smile playing on his lips. “Do you trust me?”

“I do.” You may know him of only a few hours in total, but he’d been in your heart for a decade. To you, that was enough of a reason to trust him.

He swam backwards, a bit away from the boat, “I can’t sing like in the tales, so I’ll just ask you to get into the water.”

You chuckled despite your surprise at his proposition, given that you’d thought you could see him glow from your seat.

“Are you sure about this? I’m a little scared, I haven’t swum since the shipwreck,” you admitted, hugging your knees closer.

“I wouldn’t let you sink, I’d catch you,” Jungkook assured you. “I’m really fast.”

After a second, you agreed, and the siren approached the boat to hold it in place, his toned arms quite distracting. You counted to three and holding your nightgown in place, jumped as carefully as you could so as to not make much noise. It being August, the water was pleasantly cold, but that made you get flashes of that horrible night and the feeling of being lost at sea. There were no waves, but you held onto the boat. Just in case.

Jungkook noticed the discomfort in your expression, so he hurried to your side and held your hands over the water. You felt better instantly, his touch bringing you a comfort you’d never had before.

“Are you ready?” his voice awoke you from your trance, busy as you were admiring his features.

“Oh– yes, sorry…”

Hands locked together, the two of you dived under.

A wall of bubbles blocked your way when you opened your eyes, but once they cleared, the moonlight showed you Jungkook in all his glory.

Your gaze travelled south to his naked torso. Most sources on sirens claimed they were one of the strongest creatures of the deep, but you never imagined Jungkook would be that muscular. The thought of tracing his abs with your fingertips crossed your mind, but it was higher where your attention soon shifted to. Along his ribs on each side were three gill slits, through which Jungkook was exhaling water.

His skin had been smooth like yours up there, but here, it seemed to sparkle as though thousands of tiny stars were bathing in it. Even so, it was no rival for the way some of the scales on his otherwise dark-coloured tail shone in a light shade of blue, forming a line that led to a somewhat translucent caudal fin. Awed, you looked back at Jungkook’s face to see him grinning, his pointy teeth contrasting with the innocence in his eyes. As his hair flowed around, you spotted his fin ears, which glowed as well.

The sight would certainly frighten anyone else, especially if the moon wasn’t as bright and the siren was lurking in the darkness, but you found it breathtaking.

Running out of air faster than you would’ve liked, you kicked your legs to get back to the surface.

Once you had caught your breath, you told him, “You’re beautiful, Jungkook,” and if your stinging eyes weren’t making you blink repeatedly, you’d say he was blushing. What you could confirm, though, was that he was holding your hands a tad tighter.

But without moving your arms, you struggled to stay afloat, so he pulled you closer and placed your arms around his neck. “Wrap your legs around me,” he asked, “I can hold you so you don’t have to swim.”

Cheeks ablaze, you nodded and obeyed, hoping Jungkook wouldn’t notice how much you were trembling—he did, as well as hear your heartbeat accelerate. Having you so very close, he was nervous too, so he couldn’t blame you.

He gently caressed your legs with the back of his hands so he wouldn’t cut you with the claws he had for fingers, and then gripped your waist. It wasn’t sexual, you knew, but the action still sent shivers down your spine. Lord Hoseok had barely brushed your skin in three years of courtship, so you’d never been anywhere close to such a position with a man.

When Jungkook looked up, it was your pendant that now attracted his attention. His curiosity endeared you.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, it’s shiny,” he said, “I find a lot of these on the seafloor.”

Another man would’ve found more interesting your body, given that your wet nightgown stuck to your shape and left little to the imagination, but Jungkook didn’t care about that. He just liked your shiny necklace.

Without hesitation, you took it off and put it on him, leaning forward a bit to clasp it properly. Jungkook was confused for a moment since he had no need for it, but when he saw your wistful smile, he realised you might be giving it to him so he would have something to remember you by.

“Pretty…” you murmured, and Jungkook suddenly buried his head in the crook of your neck. You hugged him back and even though the two of you were technically strangers, it felt right. Closing your eyes, you enjoyed the moment, wishing it’d never end.

After a while in a comfortable silence, he mumbled, “I wish I could walk onshore.”

“I wish I could swim with you.”

Jungkook pulled back with a laugh, “You are swimming with me!”

He smoothly moved around in the water, and it seemed like you were dancing. You held firmly onto him, giggling like a child, until he stopped.

“I mean down there,” you clarified. “It makes me sad to know you’re all alone, and that I’d never know if something happened to you.”

His smile only widened, “I eat sharks, you shouldn’t worry about me.”

That took you aback, for some reason. The fact that he was telling you the most charming things through the same mouth he used to rip sharks apart was a bit unsettling, even if you were sure he’d never hurt you.

He caught your reaction, “Are you afraid?”

“No, no,” you hoped he’d believe you, “I just can’t imagine you doing that…” You’d never hated yourself more than when his head lowered in shame. “But, uhm… you would be the one afraid if you saw me hunting.”

Jungkook looked up, and tilted his head, “Humans hunt? You hunt?”

Playfully, you slapped his shoulder, “What’s that tone supposed to mean? Yes, I hunt!”

He failed to suppress a chuckle, “You look more like prey, even next to other humans.”

With a scoff, you shook your head.

“Perhaps next to sailors because they are big men, but other people aren’t that different from me in size,” you explained. “We don’t hunt like you do, anyway, we use arrows or guns. I’m pretty good with them both, and mother says I look quite scary killing bunnies.”

“Bunnies?”

“Oh, right… They’re small, fluffy animals who hop, and have long ears and big teeth… like you.”

He smiled, “I’m sure they’re all terrified of you.”

You nodded, and began stroking Jungkook’s hair, which made his whole body relax at once. “Are you sure you’re not lonely out there?”

“I never was,” he said, gazing into your eyes, “but after meeting you, I wanted to be with you again, every day. I could’ve shown myself to the sailors of the ships I followed, but I didn’t care about them, it was you alone I wanted.”

Missed, was the right word.

The warmth of his words took your breath away, and to find out your feelings were reciprocated felt like having a weight lifted off you. Staring at his lips, you let yourself lean forward, eyelids shutting closed.

But before you could reach his mouth, Jungkook’s fin ears perked up, and he let go of you to dive underwater.

It was so sudden that you shrieked, and not much later, a male voice shouted from the ship, “Lady, what on earth are you doing?!”

You turned to face him, feeling a pair of arms embrace you round your hips. It was Jungkook, of course, letting you know he was still there, but he couldn’t be seen by the captain, who was standing far away on the deck.

“I…” you truly didn’t know what to say.

“Just, stay there, I’ll get you,” he shouted again before disappearing to lower another boat. Jungkook then resurfaced to see you pant anxiously.

“No, not yet…” you complained. “It’s too soon, we’ve only just found each other.”

Disappointed himself, the siren helped you get back on the boat the same way he’d helped you get on that raft when you were ten. Kneeling on its floor, you held hands with him.

“Promise me we’ll meet again,” he begged, dreading leaving you as he glanced to the ship to make sure the captain wasn’t looking.

Cupping his face, you kissed him desperately. Jungkook had seen humans join lips before, but he’d never understood the point of it until now. The way his heart accelerated as though he were running after a prey and yet he felt as vulnerable as one told him how serious this was, how meaningful.

Tears were streaming down your cheeks by the time you separated. “I promise.”

And after a nod, he left. The captain reached you in no time and stepped in your boat.

“What could you possibly be doing outside the ship at this hour, my lady?” he frowned as he tied the empty boat to yours with a rope.

“I don’t know, I must have been sleepwalking… I can’t remember.”

How you could have lowered a boat to the water while asleep was a mystery to the captain, but he wasn’t going to interrogate you. You were highborn and he wasn’t, who knew how you’d twist the story to his disadvantage if his questions angered you?

As he rowed towards the ship, you looked back in case Jungkook might still be there, but you were mistaken.

He’d gone back to the depths.

Four years later, you stood atop a cliff.

In other circumstances, you would’ve been thrilled to have the sea before you again, but today you were crying. The last few weeks had been so difficult…

After a deep breath, you took your black dress off and the spring breeze blew your chemise, the only garment you were left with. You thanked God for the agreeable weather, as it made what you were about to do easier.

Leaning forward on the edge of the cliff, you looked below. Even though the sea wasn't entirely calm, there weren’t high waves, so if you managed to survive the fall, you wouldn’t be dragged by the force of them and clash against the rocks. Now, there were less dangerous ways to dive in the sea, but you couldn’t wait any longer. You needed him.

So plucking up your courage, you closed your eyes, sprinted, and jumped.

It was four seconds before you hit the water, and the impact hurt as hell, but you were alive. And more importantly, you were being kissed by a certain siren, whom you had no doubt would catch you. Opening your eyes once he pulled back, you smiled at the fact that he was still wearing your necklace, but he didn’t seem all too happy.

Fortunately, the surrounding area was void of people, so there was no chance anyone would see him drag you up to the surface and then away from the cliff—without saying a word. When you were at a calmer place, near the beach, he turned to you. Angry as he was, you thought he looked dazzling under the sunlight.

“Why did you do that? You could’ve died!” Jungkook asked in a scolding manner, his tone softening when he saw you were crying. “What’s wrong?”

“My husband’s gone. He died of sickness,” you struggled to say between sobs. Just hours before, you’d been holding Hoseok’s hand as he breathed his last, so you were distraught. “He was a good man, and I loved him dearly... but my heart was always yours.”

Jungkook’s lips parted. Sinking a little, he wrapped his arms around you and stuck his cheek to your bosom, hugging you as tightly as possible without hurting you. He’d missed that feeling terribly.

Picking up your scent after so long had made him question his awakeness, but seeing you jump from such a high cliff had concern replace his confusion. And to be greeted with such news… It saddened him to see you like that, but he couldn’t deny that he was glad you weren’t another man’s anymore.

“What will you do now?” you heard him muffle under your chin.

“I don’t know,” you confessed, cupping his face so you could look into his eyes as you told him, “I just know my place is by your side.”

[paperanddice]

The wandering tower is a truly ancient mimic, one which has lasted for centuries or millennia. It has grown to incredible size, eventually so large its body is too clunky and awkward to move and has been adapted into a full building that the mimic can reshape over hours of time. Much more malevolent than lesser mimics, it hunts for humanoids specifically, using them as the basis for future mirror mimics. Once it lures in travellers it waits until they are vulnerable, at which point it attacks, unleashing everything onto its meal. Its central core moves in, covered in eyes, pseudopods and mouths, and the walls themselves start lashing out with grasping claws and acid dripping tendrils, while the doors slam shut.

Shelter from the Storm: According to legend, when the armies of evil encircled Gardmore Abbey, the abbey's paladins entrusted a messenger with a map indicating the locations of their greatest artifacts and begged him to deliver it to the emperor. The messenger broke through enemy lines and sped toward the heart of Nerath. But an evening thunderstorm flooded the King's Road, preventing the messenger from traveling farther.

In the midst of the storm, the messenger spied a thatched two-story inn with ravens nesting in the eaves. He had never noticed it before, though he had traveled the road many times.

"Here may you find all you desire," said the rotund proprietor, who greeted him at the door.

That night the messenger sank deep into the inn's soft bed, and he was never seen or heard from again. The map to the paladins' artifacts disappeared. Of the inn, no sign was ever found.

Holy Sanctuary: At the dawn of Nerath, noble knights of Pelor quested to find the Sunspire, a legendary amber tower where the sun's daughter dwelled. In those days, it was said that the true knight who found the Sunspire would earn the favor of Pelor and receive the bright lady's hand in marriage. But no one had ever seen the Sunspire, for it was said to fade away like day before the coming night.

One dark day when ravens filled the sky, a brave knight came upon a tall amber tower where a goldenhaired lady sang from a high window. She greeted the knight, pronouncing him the champion of the quest.

"Here may you find all you desire," she said, and she beckoned him inside.

The knight entered the tower and was never heard from again.

Originally from the 4e Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I'm working on, consider backing me there!

5th Edition

Core of the Tower Huge aberration, neutral evil Armor Class 18 (natural armor) Hit Points 216 (16d12 + 112) Speed 30 ft. Str 23 (+6) Dex 14 (+2) Con 24 (+7) Int 16 (+3) Wis 17 (+3) Cha 18 (+4) Skills Stealth +7 Damage Resistances acid Condition Immunities charmed, prone Senses darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 50 ft. passive Perception 13 Languages Common, Deep Speech Challenge 14 (11500 XP) Grappler. The core has advantage on attack rolls against any creature grappled by it. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the core fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. One With The Tower. The core cannot leave its lair, and is immune to any effect that would transport it outside its lair. The core can move through the walls of its lair as if they were difficult terrain, and can end its turn inside the walls. It can't attack through walls. Undaunted. If the core would be stunned, it instead halves its speed and has disadvantage on attack rolls and Strength and Dexterity saving throws for the duration it would be stunned. Actions Multiattack. The core makes two attacks, only one of which can be a Bite. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target the core is grappling. Hit: 39 (6d10+6) piercing damage plus 18 (4d8) acid damage. Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (3d10+6) bludgeoning damage and the target is grabbed (escape DC 15). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage. Shapechange. The core can polymorph into a Large or Huge object or back into its true, amorphous form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies. While the core is motionless in object form, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary object.

The Wandering Tower The wandering tower brings its lair with it, crafting it into a useful guise to lure in prey. Over the course of 6 hours, the tower can reshape its lair, transforming it into a building up to 1,000 feet long and wide, and a maximum of 3 stories tall. The building doesn’t have a basement. When the building is smaller than 30 feet long and wide and only one story tall, it is able to move at the core’s speed, crawling along to a new location. The lair must always be larger than the core. The walls of the lair are part of the core’s body; a 10 foot by 10 foot section has AC 16, 50 hp, resistance to acid damage, and immunity to psychic damage. Damage done to the walls does no damage to the core, and the walls can be repaired or replaced by the core as a lair action.

Lair Actions  On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the core takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the core can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row.

• The core can create, destroy, or restore to full health five 10 foot by 10 foot sections of wall anywhere within its lair. If newly created walls completely close in an area, it must also create a door leading into that new room. The door may be hidden (requiring a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check to find), locked (requiring a successful DC 20 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools to unlock), or jammed (requiring a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to force open) at the core’s choice. • The floor ripples in a 25 foot radius centered at a point within its lair. Each creature standing on the ground in that area must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. • The core turns one 10 foot by 10 foot section of wall within its lair into Living Wall. Living wall is distinguishable from regular wall. The core can’t create more than four sections of living wall at any time. If it creates an additional section when it already has 4 sections, one previously created section must be turned back into regular wall. On initiative count 20 each round, the core may make the following attack out of any section of living wall: Lashing Tendrils. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 feet, one target. Hit: 9 (1d10+4) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled and pulled until it is within 5 feet of the section of wall that attacked it. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and takes 5 (1d10) acid damage at the end of each of its turns. Each section of wall can only grapple one target at a time.

13th Age

Core of the Tower  Huge 8th level wrecker [aberration]  Initiative: +11 Slam +13 vs. AC (1d3 attacks; each against a different nearby enemy) - 50 damage Natural Even Hit: The target pops free from each enemy and moves next to the core, which engages and grabs it. The core can grab any number of enemies simultaneously. Natural Odd Hit: The target pops free from each enemy and loses its next move action. Maw of Doom +17 vs. AC (one enemy it’s grabbing; includes +4 grab bonus) - 50 acid damage. Quick Use: This ability only requires a quick action (once per round) to use. C: Rippling Architecture +13 vs. PD (1d4+2 nearby enemies) - 15 damage and the target loses its next move action Limited Use: 1/battle, as a quick action, but recharges when the core is staggered. One With The Tower: The core can’t leave the tower, and it is immune to any effect that would transport it outside the tower. No Exit: Once per round, as quick action, the core creates a jammed shut door blocking off a room and also locking any creatures in that room from reaching or attacking the core. A DC 25 skill check made as an action can force the door open. Shapeshift: The core can disguise itself as a regular object. Outside of combat, a character must make a successful DC 35 skill check to identify the core as a creature. At the start of combat when the characters aren’t aware of the core, they must succeed on a DC 25 skill check to avoid a surprise round. Undaunted: If the core is stunned, it is instead dazed for the same duration. It is immune to being confused. Resist Acid 14+. AC 23 PD 21 MD 20 HP 430

[katesbookcase]

Books I Purchased in 2020

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Red Queen Collector’s Edition by Victoria Aveyard

Blood&Honey by Shelby Mahurin

Master of One by Danielle Bennett and Jaida Jones

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Dirty by Belle Aurora

I Can be a Better You by Tarryn Fisher

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen

Brightside by Kim Holden

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (x3) by V.E. Schwab

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

Neverland by Anna Katmore

Caraval Collector’s Edition by Stephanie Garber

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan

Skyhunter by Marie Lu

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Raw by Belle Aurora

Marrow by Tarryn Fisher

Legend by Marie Lu

mini Legend book by Marie Lu

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Anna and the French Kiss Collector’s Edition by Stephanie Perkins

Night of Cake & Puppets by Laini Taylor

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

F*ck Love by Tarryn Fisher

F*ck Marriage by Tarryn Fisher

Atheists Who Kneel and Pray by Tarryn Fisher

The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian

The Kingless Crown by Sarah Cradit

Furyborn by Claire LeGrand

Legendborn (x2) by Tracy Deonn

Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Fable by Adrienne Young

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

When it Rains by Lisa DeJong

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Layla by Colleen Hoover

Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Too Late by Colleen Hoover

It Ends With Us (Mass Market Edition) by Colleen Hoover

Maybe Someday (UK Edition) by Colleen Hoover

Point of Retreat (UK Edition) by Colleen Hoover

Point of Retreat

Maybe Now by Colleen Hoover

Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover

Confess (Movie cover) by Colleen Hoover

Finding Perfect by Colleen Hoover

Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover

Never Never (trilogy & individual books) by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Heart Bones (Large Print Edition) by Colleen Hoover

Verity (Large Print Edition) by Colleen Hoover

One More Step Anthology

November 9 (Illustrated Edition) by Colleen Hoover

Losing Hope (Hardcover) by Colleen Hoover

Without Merit (Hardcover) by Colleen Hoover

All Your Perfects (Hardcover) by Colleen Hoover

Too Late (German Edition) by Colleen Hoover

Verity (German Edition) by Colleen Hoover

The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Breathe by Abbi Glines

Because of Low by Abbi Glines

White it Lasts by Abbi Glines

Just for Now by Abbi Glines

Sometime it Lasts by Abbi Glines

Misbehaving by Abbi Glines

Bad for You by Abbi Glines

Hold on Tight by Abbi Glines

Until the End by Abbi Glines

Because of Lila by Abbi Glines

Existence by Abbi Glines

Predestined by Abbi Gline

Ceaseless by Abbi Glines

The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Wicked King by Holly Black

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (x4) by Holly Black

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Captivating the Devil  by Kerri Maniscalco

Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Burn by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Sacrifice by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Funeral by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire

Something Beautiful by Jamie McGuire

Red Hill by Jamie McGuire

From Here to You by Jamie McGuire

The Edge of Us by Jamie McGuire

Shadows by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Onyx by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Opal by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Origin by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Opposition by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Obsession by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Onyx (original cover) by Jennifer l. Armentrout

The Burning Night (x3) by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Rage and Ruin by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Wicked by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Torn by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Brave by Jennifer l. Armentrout

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Every Last Breath by Jennifer l. Armentrout

The Return by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Sentinel by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Half-Blood by Jennifer l. Armentrout

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer l. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Scorched by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Frigid by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Till’ Death by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Tempting the Best Man by Jennifer l. Armentrout

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer l. Armentrout

If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Unchained by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Cursed by Jennifer l. Armentrout

1001 Dark Nights: The Summer King Bundle by Jennifer l. Armentrout

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas

**Not Featured in Video**

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

Raybearer (UK Edition) by Jordan Ifueko

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

[everlarkholidaystyle]

Thank you to @567inpanem​ for coming up with the prompts…so excited. 

The rules are simple chose a prompt write a story, draw a picture, make a meme, make a collage, or a music video, or even a soundtrack to the holidays. And submit it here starting on the Winter Solstice Saturday December 21, 2019 and extending to January 6, 2020 the End of the Holiday season…

Bake Off

*Peeta easily wins best baker title in his district with his special ginger bread recipe. But now he’s baking against the best of the districts! Will he be the Mellark that finally brings the grand title to 12? Intrigue! Deception! Sabotage! Bribery! It’s the grand quarter quell bake off has it all! Who will be crowned top baker and forever enjoy the special 25 yr title, fame glory and fortune! Your host Caesar Flickerman, with guest star taste testers including…Katniss desperate, agrees to work as secret agent, get close to Peeta, steal recipe and plans for a very special top secret gingerbread house, mess up his ingredients, make him oversleep after wild sex, anything necessary to keep him from beating the career district contestant! Will Peeta take home the big prize?

*Story of 1000 origami cranes in one year for luck or wish. Peeta makes 1000 (mockingjay) cookies?

D12 Fall Harvest

*Harvest Festival in D12 provides opportunity for all to not only celebrate bounty but also to give thanks, exchange gifts, participate in matching ceremony in anticipation of annual day of matrimony held on the winter solstice. Snapshot of Peeta and Katniss through the years? 

*Harvest Festival is competition like Olympics or Highland games? Winners awarded cornucopia of food for the coming winter?

D12 Parcel Day

*The way those Parcel Days could have gone to forge relationship between Peeta and Katniss if it was something more, if for example they had to work together on things like what goes in them (maybe start off cold, then argue over differences, then get to know each other, grow together).

Thanks Giving

First Feast in 1621 lasted 3 days, 90 native Americans Wampanoag and 53 Pilgrims, celebrated successful harvest - feast, games, military exercises, diplomacy. Only 4 of 20 Mayflower women survived to the feast! Men helped cook for the party. No oven. 1863 Lincoln declared holiday. Make Katniss either survivor of voyage or Native?

Christmas & Hanukkah

See Prompt Nine.

New Years

Old college friends dispersed after graduation, but the group meets up every New Years for a night of drinking and catching up on the year and reminiscing and resolutions. At least for a while. But then they drift apart, skip years… until one (ok, I just realized this is getting closer to the movie big chill with every tweak). Or st. Elmo’s fire. But I like the concept of Katniss and Peeta having something in college and kept it secret but something happens and there’s secret is exposed….

Peeta and Katniss have crushes on the other one, attend a masquerade and neither one tells the other what there dressed as and they meet at the party and they do not realize they are attracted to their friend; maybe this can be an arranged marriage effort to match people attracted to each other by personality, not appearance, and the positive match confuses them? Or attendance is a psychology course requirement? (My intro psych had 1,000 students.) 

Canon Based Non-Holiday Specific

something about coal…legend that La Befana witch flies down chimney, left gifts for good children, coal for naughty…Epiphany January 6 = end of Christmas season, day 3 wise men arrive manger BUT once Katniss is Victor, has $, sneaks buckets of coal for all the seam children to keep warm fire going, Peeta sneaks small raisin nut loaves? Or maybe this is parcel day beginning of legendary Mockingjay flies and delivers coal and sweet music. Maybe we can leave it like an open-ended thing parcel day in the and the districts how do you think each district celebrated partial day

 Prompt #1 A Dog’s New Year’s Eve Prompts -  

A dog living on a college campus in Columbia observed that paying cashier = get a cookie. So, for the last 5 years, dog picks up large leaf, carries to cashier, gets cookie, too. What if cashier is lonely baker Peeta? Stray dog actually belongs to Katniss. Because dog always snarls at Haymitch, he calls it “Katniss.” Peeta overhears, assumes the dog is “Katniss.” Haymitch doesn’t correct him.

Peeta reads horoscope for 2019 Year of the Dog: “For single people, they have a large possibility to meet some excellent friends of opposite sex and develop a romantic relationship with one of them.”  

Peeta needs to find a date for New Years Eve and is running out of time!  Hears Katniss over the radio reading the article he wrote “…Dog girls…need to pursue or express affection of boy dogs bravely. In addition, joining in more social activities on weekends is also an effective way to find true love…” Followed by a “BAHUMBUG Love is dead…dogs do not fall in love…hell like people dogs fall in lust’” Peeta wants to find this woman and set her straight…Love is not a Bahumbug. 

What if dog getting too heavy like Columbian dog, vet accuses Katniss feeding dog junk, Katniss follows dog, catches baker feeding her now overweight dog, confronts him. But, Year of the Dog! So, HEA magic.

Prompt Idea #2 (Cultural Holiday)

*Pliny the Elder, a Roman who was one of the world’s first known naturalists, thought the Druids’ beliefs about mistletoe (that “mistletoe, taken in drink, will impart fecundity to all animals that are barren.” and hung it over their doors for luck) were silly, but the reputation stuck thanks in part to a Norse myth: definitely something with mistletoe and drinking its properties to become fertile 

*Frigga, goddess of love and marriage, loved her son Baldur so much that she and Baldur’s wife teamed up to make all the world’s plants and animals to promise not to hurt him. Well, they got all the plants, except mistletoe. Loki, god of mischief, realized the mistake and made a spear out of mistletoe and killed Baldur. As Frigga cried over the loss of her son, her motherly tears turned into mistletoe berries. Those berries somehow brought Baldur back to life, so Frigga declared mistletoe to be a symbol of love. According to The Smithsonian magazine, “Mistletoe would come to hang over our doors as a reminder to never forget. We kiss beneath it to remember what Baldur’s wife and mother forgot.”

Prompt Idea #3 Candy Land Hunger Games edition

Weird holiday hunger games - Arena is a winter wonderland of marzipan mutts, “Snow” monster, Peeta and Katniss are gingerbread, she reattaches his leg with frosting, in crystal candy cave he can’t stop from taking a nibble she’s so delicious, it rains lemon drops, it snows powdered sugar, watch out for milk lake danger… 

Prompt Idea #4 Misfit Toys

*On the Island of Misfit Toys, one new toy (Katniss?) perfect but with broken or lost heart, damaged toy soldier Peeta? determined to help with other toys (victors or tributes?) 

Prompt Idea #5 Holiday Dueling Booth 

Katniss and Peeta’s relationship has gone sour. For extra cash, Katniss opens a seasonal booth at the farmer’s market selling simple homemade baked goods, like apple cake, acorn flour scones. Peeta tries to get her attention by pushing her buttons, opens an upscale baked goods booth next to hers. 

Prompt Idea #6 Tim Burton Holiday

Too much eggnog, Katniss nightmare: Mad Capital scientist builds a “Edward scissorhands” boy mutt but with kitchen gadget appendages. D12 turns on him. Katniss goes on daring journey to find only person who can help. Dr Wires lives underground with oompaloompa-like helpers (former victor mutts). 

Prompt Idea #7 - Story Book Hero

Katniss is a working mom who doesn’t have time for all the school volunteer opportunities, but finds herself signed up for weekly storytime for December - The Story Book hero comes to life

Prompt Idea #8 Holiday Shopper

Wealthy Peeta and Finnick like betting on the stupidest things, each hires a professional personal shopper, tries to come up with Christmas shopping list item that will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. But Katniss desperately needs the money, resolved not to quit. 

Prompt Idea #9 -  Open Ended Holiday Prompt -be creative any HG Parring any and all works

Looking for perfect gift Hanukah / Christmas

Eight Days of Hanukah 

Office parties

School art projects

Deadlines 

Should old acquaintance be forgot

Singer / Caroling / Rock Band / TV Show

Resolutions -  

Snowstorms - 

Holiday show

Gift of the Magi

Let’s find your smile (like a treasure hunt, by end found happiness)

Secret Santa party games

Gift Exchange

Twelve days of Christmas 

New Years masquerade ball

Oh and one more thing don’t forget to #Everlarkholidaystyle2019

[chinatea]

sg/di, personas au, abo au, royal au, arranged marriage. (feat. ian/bg).

>>> Diminie (Jisoo) and BG (Jiyeon) are omega princelings from the South Kingdom (I know, a very creative name, but it’s a short story, so why bother). BG got married to Ian, the crown alpha prince of the North Kingdom, a few years back, and Diminie has been just married to Ian’s younger brother, SG (Jungkook). They were married through proxies before meeting each other, which they’re going to do in the fic. Hope you enjoy. <3

His carriage comes to a halt with a low tremor.

The long journey is finally over and what a journey that was. Months of travel. Traversing places, sceneries, seasons. And Jisoo spent most of it inside his little carriage, staring out of the window, but mostly sleeping after taking sleep draughts provided in advance. The people of the North are known for their practicalities, they’d thought of everything - even Jisoo’s boredom throughout the travel.

Jisoo yawns so wide a tear springs at the corner of his eye. Last time he looked outside it was snowing - a mind bending sight for someone hailing from the lush evergreen meadows of the South. He’s so far from home, it’s almost a different world out here. And just like they say, the North is one harsh beauty. Makes him wonder if he’ll ever be able to call this place home and mean it from the bottom of his heart. He wonders if his brother does.

Peering once again through the screen of the door, he sees the hustle and bustle of people outside, some of them he recognizes as part of his procession. All of them are from the North. None of his close friends or attendants were allowed to accompany him, for the journey would be too severe for a southerner to withstand. For the same reason, no effort was spared to keep Jisoo as safe and comfortable as possible.

His carriage was fortified with magic. The northern kind of magic, the likes of which Jisoo has never witnessed before. And it's not that the Southerners are less proficient in magical arts, but they do rely on it less than in the North, where the magic is all about survival and harnessing power over the elements, not kitchen remedies and pretty lightworks.

His bespoke fur coat is also layered with a web of magic, enveloping his form like an armour. It looks heavy but in reality, it's almost weightless, swaddling him in comfort and tingling warmth. A wedding gift from his husband. He still remembers unwrapping the furs for the first time, the softness of it as he ran his palms over it, musing to himself - this is it, soon to be married to an alpha prince from a country on the other side of the world where days barely last and nights never really end.

And today, at last, he will meet his husband for the first time. Having spent months fretting over this very day, he feels resigned to his fate, tired of the tyranny of his nervous thoughts. With that, he burrows deeper into his furs and steps out of the carriage down the propped up ladder, his attendants supporting him under his elbows like he’s a fragile doll ready to keel over and shutter into tiny pieces. He thanks them nevertheless with a shy smile.

Outside, it’s so cold he feels pinned down to the spot. And from that spot, all he can see is the Snow Castle that presents like a vision. Otherworldly and breathtaking. A true child of the snowy mountain peaks surrounding it. Diminie has to uncomfortably crank his neck up to take it all in, to no great success, as the castle’s spires drown in the sea of thick clouds up above.

The Snow Castle has been the residence of the crown prince since days of old, as he learned from Jiyeon's letters. His older brother married the crown prince a few years ago, undertaking the same journey as Jisoo all on his own, with no familiar face to greet him on the other end. His brother is as brave as he's enchanting. And Jisoo has missed him dearly, having kept in touch only through letters.

Jisoo had worried about him, but luckily, his worries were in vain. Even if Jiyeon has never been the one to openly speak about his private feelings, whenever he talked about Ian in his letters, every word spoke of love and great admiration for his alpha. Jisoo only hopes he’d be as lucky.

What he knows about Jeon Jungkook could barely fill a thimble. And uncertainty often breeds fear. Even dread, in his case. Would he be gentle with him? Understanding? Even Jiyeon hadn’t been much help - apparently the second prince spent most of his time away, travelling and learning from the world.

That is another thing that has been troubling Jisoo something terrible. Clearly, his husband is a man of knowledge and intellectual pursuits. What if he finds Jisoo dull and ignorant? Being a prince, Jisoo, of course, received the best education their country had to offer, yet he wasn’t as diligent or naturally gifted as his brother, and would often be found playing truant in their labyrinthian gardens, with little remorse for his naughtiness.

And now, he wishes he had paid more attention. If only not to lose face in front of his husband.

“My darling,” a voice calls after him and Jisoo’s limbs grow weak as tears well in his eyes, a wave of emotions rising in his chest. He leaps into his brother’s embrace, taking in his peach golden scent - something that always whispers of summers and vibrant skies. In other words, home.

Jiyeon presses kisses all over his face, his chubby rosy cheeks and button nose - they must make quite a chaotic sight, but Jisoo can only giggle, giddy with happiness, clinging to his brother like lifeline.

A few moments pass like that, exchanging kisses, greetings and giggles, before both of them finally get a hold on their bearings. Besides, the cold starts really getting to him, which he voices to Jiyeon quietly, teeth chattering to add to his point.

The other omega grips Jisoo’s hands in his, warmth running through his fingers.

“I was like you, at first, little one,” he lilts. “The weather is beastly here, but with time, you’ll adapt. We’ll teach you everything you need to know, but meanwhile...”

Jiyeon smiles impishly.

“Ask your alpha to keep you warm,” he adds, unabashed, as Jisoo’s cheeks light up in chagrin. “That’s what I did.”

That's the Jiyeon he knows all right - always the little devil.

With that, he tugs Jisoo along as they traverse the inner yard, leaving his carriage and people behind, with only a couple of attendants following suit. What boggles Jisoo is how quiet castle is, like someone casted a muffling spell on everything. Perhaps, that was the design. From what he knows about the crown prince, the alpha enjoys quietude and privacy, spending most of the year here rather than at the capital.

Jisoo will only visit in a few months, officially presenting himself to the court and the Omega Monarch, his terrifying father-in-law. But first, he’ll have some time to settle into his new married life and get to know his husband better, away from the curious eyes of the public.

“We have some time before dinner,” Jiyeon says as they enter the maze of private quarters, full of long empty hallways and stone. “And as much as I’d love to show you around, I’m sure you’re starving, darling, so I had us a light meal prepared.”

Jisoo follows him dutifully into a room with a fireplace that gobbles most of the wall. It’s blasting hot and Jisoo sighs, happy, taking his coat off and folding it neatly over the back of a couch.

The help minces in and out of the room, going about their business, and every time someone new steps in, Jisoo’s heart flutters, expecting Jungkook to strut in any moment now, which would be disastrous as Jisoo is so strung up, so prickly with nerves, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to string together a simple sentence. Maybe Jiyeon picks up on that as he coos,

“Relax, love, he and Ian went hunting at dawn. Ian was adamant they hunt their own game for dinner because tradition and, oh, you know, typical alpha silliness,” the omega clucks his tongue, but his eyes brim with fondness. “Jungkook is lovely though, such a sweet awkward thing. As much as you must be fretting over meeting him, trust me, my darling, he’s thousand times more worried. Be gentle with him, will you?”

Jisoo nods, a shy smile flowering on his lips. He’s cradling a dainty teacup between his palms, mulling over Jiyeon’s words. They put him at ease, somewhat. All Jisoo had to go off all these months to decipher Jungkook’s personality was his portrait, a very fine and dashing one, but still hardly trustworthy since most portraits are notoriously deceiving. He barely recognized himself when he saw his own and immediately requested it be redone as he couldn’t have Jungkook expect some ethereal beauty that doesn’t exist.

Not that Jisoo isn’t confident. He knows he’s pretty - all omegas in his family are. Many alphas have expressed their admiration for him and his cuteness, which, in their kingdom at least, is legendary. Hence, he has no need for a lie, simple as that.

After the tea break, Jiyeon showed him around their private wing, their last stop being the nursery. Jisoo squealed at the sight of his brother’s pup, six months old now, all chubby cheeks and smart inquisitive eyes. He’s been dying to hold his tiny nephew ever since Jiyeon wrote about his pregnancy.

"Goodness, he’s so tiny," Jisoo coos, cradling the precious bundle to his chest. "A tiny omega pup."

"And a whiny one at that," Jiyeon remarks wryly. He boops his son’s nose and the pup babbles at them happily, tiny digits wrapping around Jiyeon’s thumb. "You just caught him on a good day."

Jisoo kisses the pup’s temple, nuzzling tufts of dark baby hair. Pups have the best scents about them, milky and soft and just new. Which makes him a touch wistful - he wants all the pups, as soon as possible, and hopefully his husband would be on-board with that.

"Do you think Jungkook would love to have many pups?"

"I think you should ask him yourself," Jiyeon says with an amused curve of his mouth. "Speak of the devil…"

The Devil, indeed, steps in and the whole room hushes. A tender smile blossoms on Jiyeon’s lips and in an instant, he is enveloped in his alpha’s arms, rising on his tiptoes for a kiss.

Ian might have an intimidating presence about him, but the way he is holding his brother is precious and sweet. It’s endearing and it makes Jisoo let out the quietest sigh. To be embraced and kissed and held by the person he loves is something he's wanted for himself for the longest time.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

Jiyeon gives him the briefest of glances while Ian is pressing a kiss to his hand, eyes only on him.

"It’s down the hallway and up the stairs. He has his little study up in the tower. We’ll see you both at dinner, now shoo."

And this is how Jisoo meets his husband for the first time - by tracking him down down the hallway and up the stairs. Two hundred steps up the spiral staircase. Not that he'd been counting, only he did, to keep his racing heart still. He’s out of breath and livid with nerves by the end of it.

Left with no other option, he braces for the worst and knocks on the door, delicate knuckles barely grazing the sturdy wood. No reply comes, but that's to be expected from how faint the sound was.

Jisoo pushes the door open and meekly peeks inside a modestly spaced study. A wild unkempt look to it, a bunch of empty flowerpots, surprisingly, cluttering up the place - the shelves and bookcases, the working desk, the floor. And in the center of this chaos, exists he, Jeon Jungkook, none the wiser about Jisoo's presence, examining some papers scattered all over the tabletop.

A fireplace is roaring in the corner.

Jisoo coughs politely to gain his attention and

Jungkook swooshes around, his papers flying into the air.

"Oh dear, I’m so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," Jisoo bubbles, stumbling forward to help subdue the mess he caused. Naturally Jungkook does the same. Their hands touch and Jungkook recoils, eyes wide and frightened. A sheet of paper clutched to his chest. It’s too quiet all of a sudden, and Jisoo feels like crawling out of his skin.

It’s so, so awkward.

"I’m sorry for intruding," Jisoo mutters, bottom lip trembling. "I should have waited for dinner, I’ll leave…"

"No," Jungkook says, even quieter. “Don’t go. Please?”

He’s nothing what Jisoo imagined him to be. Jiyeon was right on the nose with his description - a lovely awkward thing. Dark swept hair and big hands, pretty lips, eyes that are out of this world, imploring him to stay. His husband. And Jisoo stays.

Just nods and helps him pick up the scattered papers and as they do so, mindful of every movement and hyper aware of each other's presence, Jisoo finds his calm again, even allowing a tentative smile to slip through - Jungkook ducks his head down, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

“I was told that nothing really blooms in the North,” Jisoo speaks up then, his earlier observation coming to mind as he points at the flowerpots. While most of them are indeed empty, a rare few host sickly looking sprouts. A far cry from the verdancy he enjoyed in his private garden back home.   

“That’s, ah, correct,” Jungkook confirms with a sigh, reaching out to caress one of the sprouts despondently. “These ones won’t survive either.”

“Oh,” Jisoo hums, gaze drown to Jungkook's fingers, the well-moulded shape of them. “There was more?”

Jungkook cracks a smile, just the corners of his lips tipping up.

“More than I could count, probably,” he confesses. “These are the first batch that sprouted, well, some of them anyhow. I thought I'd be able to make something bloom by the time you...eh...arrive.”

Jisoo cocks his head in a curious tilt, pondering over Jungkook's words.

“Well, ah...”  Jungkook stutters, fingers locked in front of him. “You know...”

Suddenly, it dawns on him.

“You’re doing this for me,” Jisoo says, in quiet wonder.

“They said you love flowers, spending time in your garden, we...ah, don't have that here, still I thought...I should at least try...”

Jungkook rambles, eyes glued to some spot at the floor. He's blushing. And Jisoo's heart races, a hand flies to cover his mouth, bubbling excitement zipping through his body.

“You’re doing this for me,” he repeats, voice rising in pitch. He feels so elated he could just kiss him. Instead he settles for a smile and adored, “You’re too kind.”

“It’s...it’s nothing,” Jungkook mutters, but he glows under the praise, chest pushing forward. A shy he may be, but still an alpha. His handsome and kind alpha husband.

“It’s the thought that counts.” Jisoo steps forward, reaching out for Jungkook's hands. Their palms touch, fingers lancing together. A pleasant hum of their energies erupting upon the caress. “Before we even met, you've thought of me. That means a lot. Thank you.”

“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” Jungkook says, with quiet vigor and honesty that leaves Jisoo speechless. A touch breathless. A bit teary-eyed.

And maybe already in love.

---

AN: Yeah, it’s kinda short, but if you have any questions about this world, SG/Di or Ian/BG, etc., I might write some bonuses or extras later.

[ao3feed-klance]

Of Wolves and Wisps

read it on AO3 at http://bit.ly/2VVgTxP

by VulpesVulpes713

Lance knows not to seek with his mind in the woods. The fae have a habit of twisting the desires sought by those who chase after the wisps. But when given no other choice, Lance makes the decision to alter his path. To change his fate.

He should have known, really, how things would turn out.

Never call out to wolves. One may just answer.

Words: 8259, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Lance (Voltron), Lance's Family (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Krolia (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Adam (Voltron), Coran (Voltron), Allura (Voltron)

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron)

Additional Tags: klance, Pining Keith (Voltron), Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Minor Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Brave AU, Alternate Universe - Brave (2012) Fusion, Fae & Fairies, Magic, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, scottish themes, Wolves, Fate, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Marriage Contracts, Mentions of hunting, direwolves, POV Lance (Voltron)

read it on AO3 at http://bit.ly/2VVgTxP

[ao3feed-safeklance]

Of Wolves and Wisps

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2VVgTxP

by VulpesVulpes713

Lance knows not to seek with his mind in the woods. The fae have a habit of twisting the desires sought by those who chase after the wisps. But when given no other choice, Lance makes the decision to alter his path. To change his fate.

He should have known, really, how things would turn out.

Never call out to wolves. One may just answer.

Words: 8259, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Lance (Voltron), Lance's Family (Voltron), Keith (Voltron), Krolia (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Adam (Voltron), Coran (Voltron), Allura (Voltron)

Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron)

Additional Tags: klance, Pining Keith (Voltron), Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Minor Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Brave AU, Alternate Universe - Brave (2012) Fusion, Fae & Fairies, Magic, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, scottish themes, Wolves, Fate, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Marriage Contracts, Mentions of hunting, direwolves, POV Lance (Voltron)

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2VVgTxP

[ljones41]

"ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE" (1969) Review

"ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE" (1969) Review At least ten years or more must have passed since I last saw the 1969 Bond movie, “ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (OHMSS)”. EON Production’s sixth entry in the Bond franchise has the distinction of being the only movie that starred Australian male model-turned-actor, George Lazenby. It was the first EON movie that did not star Sean Connery – already fixed in the public’s mind as the only actor who can portray James Bond. And it was the only movie that was directed by former film editor, Peter Hunt.

I first became aware of “OHMSS” back in the mid-1980s. I had seen it on television once, when I was a child. But ABC Television’s botched editing had turned me off from the movie. I eventually became a fan during repeated viewings of the movie during the mid and late 1980s. By the beginning of the 1990s, “OHMSS” had been fixed as my favorite Bond movie. For years, it remained in this position, despite repeating viewings of other Bond movies, the release of the Brosnan films and my own mysterious reluctance to watch “OHMSS”. It seemed as if I was afraid to watch it again, fearful that my earlier adulation of the film might prove to be misguided. And then EON Productions released “CASINO ROYALE” in the theaters back in 2006. "CASINO ROYALE" had impressed me so much that my doubts about “OHMSS” increased even further. After seeing “CASINO ROYALE” for the third time and 2008's "QUANTUM OF SOLACE", I finally decided to watch “OHMSS” for the first time in years. In the end, my fears seemed groundless. My latest viewing of “OHMSS” proved that I had every right to view it as one of my all time favorite Bond movies. After 41 years, the movie still holds up as one of the finest Bond movies in the entire franchise, if not the finest. And it also one of the few Bond films to closely follow its source, namely the 1963 novel penned by Ian Fleming. What makes the latter remarkable is that the previous Bond entry, “YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE” barely resembled its literary source, aside from a few characters and the setting. “OHMSS” picks up with Bond searching for Blofeld, now wanted by various governments for his past forays into international terrorism and extortion. His search leads to meeting the most important woman in his life other than Vesper Lynd – Teresa (Tracy) Draco di Vicenzo. Not only will his meeting with Tracy lead to a serious change in his private life, it will also affect his professional life, thanks to Tracy’s father, Marc-Ange Draco when he provides Bond with information leading to Blofeld. Of course, Draco was only willing to provide this information, if Bond courts his daughter. In the end, Bond not only tracks down Blofeld, but destroy the latter’s latest attempt to extort the United Nations. But as many know, Bond’s latest professional conflict will result in tragedy for his private life. I only have a few problems with “OHMSS”. One of them was the director Peter Hunt’s decision to have actor George Baker (portraying the real Sir Hilary Bray), dub Lazenby’s voice, while Bond is impersonating Sir Hilary at Piz Gloria. Why they had decided to do this confounds me. It seemed very unnecessary, unless the director was aiming for Sir Hilary to sound like a cliché of a British scholar. Another problem I had were some of the jokes that came out of Bond’s mouth. I consider this problem minor, since “OHMSS” – like many other Bond movies had its share of good and bad jokes. One particularly good joke was the St. Bernard who came to Bond’s “rescue” after the latter had survived his bobsled fight against Blofeld. And last, but not least, there were a few moments when the editing seemed a bit . . . questionable. A good example would be the scene that featured Bond’s first meeting with Draco. There is a moment when it seemed that Bond had asked Draco for Blofeld’s whereabouts. It seemed as if Lazenby had spoken too soon, cutting off actor Gabriele Ferzetti’s lines too soon. Another viewing seemed to reveal that poor editing might have been at fault and not Lazenby’s acting. And another review seemed to agree with my findings. Aside from the previously mentioned quibbles, I had no problems with “OHMSS”. In fact there is so much to enjoy about this movie – including the main star, George Lazenby. Many critics and fans either tend to dismiss his performance as wooden or give him minor credit for his valiant attempt at a decent performance. Frankly, I think that he was a lot better than many give him credit for. I must admit that he has a rather odd voice (which I suspect has been influenced by his Australian accent), but so did most of the other Bonds – including Connery’s tendency to indulge in pre-adolescent diction, Moore’s drawl, Dalton’s Welsh accent and Brosnan’s . . . well, I cannot really describe Brosnan’s voice. I just find it odd. But despite Lazenby’s odd voice, his acting comes off very natural and he seems to project Bond’s emotions with an ease that should not have come easy to him. But he does. And instead of portraying Bond as some kind of action/sexual icon, he portrays the character as very human. This is very obvious in the following scenes: -Bond’s growing impatience with Tracy’s antics -Bond’s surprise that M had given him leave instead of accepting his resignation -Bond’s breakthrough with Tracy -the Piz Gloria dinner sequence -Bond’s fear of capture during his escape from Piz Gloria -Bond’s proposal of marriage to Tracy -Bond’s quarrel with M over Tracy and Blofeld -Tracy’s death

Personally, I thought that Lazenby really shined in the marriage proposal scene, those scenes that featured Bond’s quarrels with M and the Piz Gloria dinner sequence. Despite having his voice dubbed by George Baker in the latter, Lazenby managed to express Bond’s emotions during that scene effortlessly without having to say a word. The movie also benefited from the presence of Diana Rigg, who had recently left “THE AVENGERS” to begin a movie career. What can one say about the great Diana? Not only did she effortlessly combine all the complex personality traits of Tracy di Vicenzo – witty, emotional, sad, brave, determined, etc. Is it any wonder that Tracy is viewed by many actresses as the ultimate Bond woman? Even better, both Rigg and Lazenby managed to create great chemistry together as the romantically doomed pair. Not only did “OHMSS” benefited from both Lazenby and Rigg’s performances, the pair was ably supported by a fine cast that included the warm and charismatic Gabriele Ferzetti as Tracy’s father, the talented Ilse Steppat who portrayed the intimidating Irma Bunt shortly before her death (she never lived to experience the movie’s release), the always dependable Bernard Lee as M – giving one of his better performances, and the charming and fun Angela Scoular as Blofeld’s English patient, Ruby. Of course one cannot forget the legendary Telly Savalas, who became the second actor to portray Ernst Blofeld on-screen. And as far as I’m concerned, he was the best. He was not impeded by Donald Pleasance’s ridiculous scar and questionable accent or Charles Gray’s foppish portrayal. Instead, he radiated intelligence and menace, making him the only Blofeld (in my opinion) worthy of being Bond’s nemesis. I also have to commend Peter Hunt’s direction. “OHMSS” was his first time at bat as a director. Any other inexperienced director could have turned one of Ian Fleming’s best novels into a hash job. Fortunately, Hunt proved to be a talented director and did justice to the novel – although I did have a problem with the editing of a few of his scenes. Hunt was not only ably supported by a fine cast, but by screenwriter Richard Maibaum, editor and future director John Glen, and John Barry’s marvelous score and Hal David’s haunting lyrics to the song, “We Have All the Time In the World”. Cinematographer Michael Reed superbly recaptured the majesty of the Swiss Alps and the exotic elegance of Portugal with his photography. And one cannot forget skier Willy Bogner Jr. and Alex Barbey for creating the first and probably best ski chase in the Bond franchise. I could probably go on about how much I love “OHMSS”, but I do not want to sound repetitive. What can I say? After 39 years, I consider to still be one of the best Bond movies in the franchise . . . and definitely one of my favorites. And I am happy to see that “OHMSS” is finally being recognized by many as the fine film it is. If you have not seen this film, I suggest that you rent or buy it as soon as possible. Or else you might miss something special. 

[bah-ram-ewe]

Book Review: Escaping from Houdini

Escaping from Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3) By: Kerry Maniscalco 4/5 stars

It has taken me a few days to get this review organised, my feelings were all over the place when I finished the third installment in the wonderful Stalking Jack the Ripper series. But finally, here it goes.

Days after the events in Hunting Prince Dracula, Audrey Rose Wadsworth is whisked onto an elegant "cruise liner" bound for america to assist her uncle in a series of murders there. Thomas Cresswell, of course, right along side her. While enjoying the on-board carnival entertainment, however, it suddenly appears that this ship is anything by relaxing. As bodies begin to pile up, the time is running out for Audrey to find the killer before they arrive at their destination and the murderer walks free. But there's more at stake than even finding a killer. Swept up into the temptations of the carnival Audrey is forced to face her true feelings of love and marriage, all the while growing closer to the mysterious Mephistopheles--the carnival's ring leader, who might not be as innocent in the crimes aboard the ship as he says.

First I'd like to once again say how dear Audrey Rose and Thomas are to my heart. They are some of my favorite literary characters ever! I have loved watching their relationship grow and blossom into a beautiful thing built on trust and utter understanding of one another. Their banter, to me, is always the highlights of these books. I gave Stalking Jack the Ripper and Hunting Prince Dracula five stars, Escaping from Houdini I chose to give four. Here's why.

Kerri Maniscalaco has done such a good job at developing these characters, that I feel like I personally know them. So consider me a little irked that, in EFH, both Thomas and, mostly, Audrey behave out of character for most of the book. Thomas had very little page time compared to the other books, due to the ushering in of a new love interest, Mephistopheles. Yes. There is a love triangle that is so sudden, it can only be described as cringy. Maniscalco has destroyed YA cliches with this series, so I have no idea why she decided in her third book to make sure she had as many tropes as possible.

-Inst-romance (they only know each other for a day, maybe two, before their connection becomes really strong) -Love triangle -Pretending to be in a relationship with someone, but ending up developing feelings -Lying to protect those you love

The list goes on. My biggest problem with a love triangle is, eventually, the MC ends up either seeming stupid or just looks like a terrible person. And Audrey Rose is anything but stupid or a bad person. She does, however, make some very questionable decisions (outside of the ridiculously forced love triangle) regarding her safety and others. She was always brave, but never reckless. There were also several times where she asked questions that had the most obvious answers. More so, even the brilliant Thomas seemed to have his own skills and intelligence cut down, not being able to read the most simple clues and truths. Another irritating thing was how some of the adults, ship crew, and other passengers acted completely unrealistically. Oh, someone's murdering people and this guy won't answer the door when we knock on it? Eh, we'll check back later. (No! Absolutely not. You would be breaking that door down because that fool is probably dead.) Oh, another gruesome murder? That's cool, I'll just go about my business on the ship like nothing is wrong...so obnoxious. There are only a few times where the other passenger's reactions, to the things going on, are even discussed, and its so half-effort I wonder if it was an afterthought to even add in. Most of the fun forensics practices that we've all come to love and expect, are very seldom in this book as well. Instead Maniscalco decided to make the love triangle the forefront of the entire book. Which means, when the reveal at the end finally happens--I just didn't care or wasn't as excited to read who the murderer was (which by the way I guessed VERY EARLY ON, the answer is kind of handed to you and unlike in the other books Manicalco didn’t do a good job setting up the possibility of the killer being multiple people--it was all to obvious). Also, everything about the carnival in this book SCREAMED Caraval and Legendary by Stephanie Garber...like, tarot cards are even a huge part of the story and there’s a charismatic, dark ring master. Lastly, the fact that Thomas is literally Prince Dracula and his sister is a part of a secret order of spies and crusaders is never brought up...ummm okay, that was only a great few plot twists in the last book, but alright.

I know this sounds very negative and all, but I still want to press how great these characters are and how wonderful Maniscalco's writing is. Though the book had some major issues and lags, the book as a whole is still fun and entertaining. I may have hated the love triangle--but I still loved all three characters involved in it. I am sad that there will be only one more book in the series, but I look forward to it all the same. Escaping from Houdini didn't live up to my anticipation nor the hype around it, but offered a fun and enjoyable read nonetheless. Its abrupt ending sets all the cards back in order that had been shuffled during its lengthy work, so here's to the future and last installment in Audrey Rose's journey, hoping it si everything I could possibly wish for...

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[thebestbookrecommendations]

My Want to Read List

(Part One!)

A Spindle Splintered - Alix E. Harrow (Fractured Fables #1)

It's Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no one has lived past twenty-one. Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.

Main Genres: Fantasy, Fairy-tale Retelling, & Novella

Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant

Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

Main Genres: Horror, Fantasy, & Science Fiction

Legendary - Stephanie Garber (Caraval #2)

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name. The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Main Genres: Fantasy & Romance

The Maw - Taylor Zajonc

Milo Luttrell never expected to step inside the mouth of an ancient cave in rural Tanzania. After all, he's a historian--not an archaeologist. Summoned under the guise of a mysterious life-changing opportunity, Milo suddenly finds himself in the midst of an expedition into the largest underground system in Africa, helmed by a brash billionaire-turned-exploration guru and his elite team of cavers. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to finally solve a century-old disappearance of the famed explorer Lord Riley DeWar, an enigmatic figure who both made--and nearly ruined--Milo's fledgling career. Determined to make the most of his second chance, Milo joins the team and begins a harrowing descent into one of Earth's last secrets: a dangerous, pitch-black realm of twisting passages and ancient fossils nearly two thousand feet underground. But when a storm hits the surface base camp, stranding the cavers and washing away supplies, all communication to the outside world is lost. As the remaining resources dwindle and members of the team begin to exhibit strange and terrifying abilities, Milo must brave the encroaching darkness to unearth the truth behind DeWar's fascination with the deep--and why he never left.

Main Genres: Horror, Thriller, Adventure, Mystery, & Science Fiction

The Willows - Algernon Blackwood

Two friends are midway on a canoe trip down the Danube River. Throughout the story Blackwood personifies the surrounding environment—river, sun, wind—and imbues them with a powerful and ultimately threatening character. Most ominous are the masses of dense, desultory, menacing willows, which "moved of their own will as though alive, and they touched, by some incalculable method, my own keen sense of the horrible."

Main Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Gothic, & Novella

If you’ve read any of these books, let me know what you thought!

[rebelcourtesan]

Defiant Princesses

Below is a list of Princesses from across fandoms that defy the princess stereotype set by Disney.  They are more than love interests or rewards for the heroes or damsel in distresses.  These princess kick ass and take names later.  

Long post below

 Arete from Princess Arete

Princess Arete wasn’t born to fulfill the typical role of a princess.  She’s no beauty and has no interest in the long line of suitors who keep bringing her father, the King’s tributes in a bid to win her hand in marriage.  Arete is smart, wishing for more than the lonely isolation of the tower she’s kept in and pokes holes through the grandiose tales her suitors tell to impress her.  Until a sorcerer comes and casts a spell that turns Arete into a traditional princess and locks her away in a dungeon due a prophecy that she would steal away his power..      

What makes Arete kick ass is that she doesn’t wait for a hero to save her.  She breaks the enchantment on her own and brings down the sorcerer and saves the land with her guile and effort.  No knight in shining armor needed.

    Meredith from Brave

This is the only girl from Disney on this list, but boy does she kick ass.  She openly defies the traditional princess role by going against her mother’s wishes.  This girl would rather go horseback riding and training with the bow than wearing uncomfortable dresses and finding a husband.  She even goes to the point of turning her mother into a bear to escape this fate.  

Allura from Votron Legendary Defender

The reboot version of Allura is far more than being the token female character who was doted on by her Nanny and father figure adviser. (That spanking scene makes me cringe).  

This Allura is a leader, warrior, and altruistic.  She gives her all for the good of the Universe and is the driving force and backbone of the Voltron Team.  We see her fall in love twice and each time it broke our hearts.  

Bean from Disenchantment

Princess Bean is a hard drinking, fist fighting, and a mean cuss of a princess and I love her for it!  She’s the type you’d see running from the cops in the dead of night after starting a barroom brawl over a poker game.  

Her exasperated father tries everything to get her to behave as a traditional princess from having the guards lock her in her room to exorcism.  Yet, Bean makes it a hobby of pissing her father off and having hijinks with her friends.

Deokman from The Great Queen Seondeok

   A Korean historical fiction tv series.  Due to a prophecy about the king having twins, Deokman is sent away with a servant to live in ignorance of her birthright.  Due to circumstances she doesn’t understand, she returns to her kingdom to learn the identity of her father, pretending to be a boy for safety and ends up joining the army.  Eventually, she does learn about who she is and takes up the mantle of princess, destined to become the first queen of Shila, and brings down her father’s political enemies, including her arch nemesis, Mishil.

Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones (tv show) and A Song of Fire and Ice (books)

Another princess who lost her birthright and fights to take it back.  When she was a baby, Dany’s kingdom was overthrown by a usurper and she grew up across the sea with tales from her older brother about Westeros, a kingdom she never laid eyes on.  Initially, she was to be a payment for army for her brother to take back their kingdom, but destiny has other plans.

Dany grows from being an insecure girl to a woman at the head of the most powerful army in the world with her three dragon children.  Dany becomes a queen in her own right and destroys her enemies brutally with dragon fire.

Princess Sally Acorn from Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM

Princess Sally is another princess who lost her kingdom and is trying to save it from a usurper.  She easily could have fallen into the role of being the hero’s (Sonic) love interest, which is is, but she’s more than that.  She’s the leader of the Freedom Fighters and helps plan attacks and sabotaging Robotnik’s plans.  

Snow White from Fables

This is a little bit of a cheat.  She did marry into royalty, but I feel I got to put this one on my list.  

Snow was the de facto leader of Fabletown who ran things for centuries from the ground up.  Cold, calculating, and hard as cold stone, she not one to be trifled with as the Fables on the Farm quickly learned.  She does fall in love and marry Bigby and has his children, but she doesn’t retire into the role of homemaker and mother.  She continues to serve her community and even masterminded the war that ended the Adversary’s reign. 

Princess Leia from Star Wars     

Diplomat, Princess, freedom fighter, and politician, this princess is a catchall of skills.  From the beginning, she captured the hearts and imaginations of viewers and fans with her cinnamon bun hair and metal bikini slave outfit, every scene she’s in is strong and inspiring.  I heard a rumor there was going to be a tv series with a young Princess Leia as the leading character and I am so hopeful for that.  

Princess Fiona from the Shrek franchise

Princess Fiona tried to fulfill the traditional role by waiting in her tower for a hero to save her, but things don’t go as plan when its an ogre that rescues her.  However, Fiona has a secret of her own as she turns into an ogre at night and becomes a human against at day.  

She’s not your usual princess as she knows martial arts and loves to rough house with Shrek.  Thankfully, true loves first kiss lets her inner green beauty come out for all to see.

Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time

Bubblegum created her won kingdom and is a creator/mother figure for her candy subjects.  She’s often seen in her lab experimenting or inventing ways to ensure her subjects’ safety while dealing with the Ice King’s unwanted advances.  She holds no interest in love much to the disappoint of hero Finn, because her heart is already taken by Marceline the Vampire Queen.  

What makes Bubblegum really stand out is that her morals can shift into some really gray areas as she’ll do anything to defend her kingdom.

Princess Brea from The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance 

Clever, strong, and determine, Princess Brea was one of the first gelflings to see through the Skeksis ruse of being benevolent rulers.  Ever hungry for knowledge, she learns that all is not what seems in the land of Thra.  She goes against tradition and her family’s wishes to seek the truth for herself.  She overcomes age old racism towards other clans to stand against the Skeksis’s rule.    

Ciri from the Witcher series (books and games)

Born with a power that everyone wants to possess, Ciri lives a very chaotic life.  Her kingdom was destroyed, she’s raised by Witchers (men who hunt monsters), and is separated from her adopted family to be hunted by several factions who want her power.  Ciri is the focus of a powerful destiny and prophecy that gives little leeway for a peaceful life.  She joins a group of bandits, watches her friends die, is tortured and abused, but she rises up to defeats her enemies.  Ciri is easily one of the most powerful characters in the Witcher universe.     

[tb51ygf-blog]

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Free Talking Book

Get now >> American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Free Talking Book

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Free Talking Book

He is the deadliest American sniper ever, called 'the devil' by the enemies he hunted and 'the legend' by his Navy SEAL brothers . . . From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyles kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the astonishing total number for this book. Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan ('the devil') and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle's masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time. A native Texan who learned to shoot on childhood hunting trips with his father, Kyle was a champion saddle-bronc rider prior to joining the Navy. After 9/11, he was thrust onto the front lines of the War on Terror, and soon found his calling as a world-class sniper who performed best under fire. He recorded a personal-record 2,100-yard kill shot outside Baghdad; in Fallujah, Kyle braved heavy fire to rescue a group of Marines trapped on a street; in Ramadi, he stared down insurgents with his pistol in close combat. Kyle talks honestly about the pain of war'of twice being shot and experiencing the tragic deaths of two close friends. American Sniper also honors Kyles fellow warriors, who raised hell on and off the battlefield. And in moving first-person accounts throughout, Kyles wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their marriage and children, as well as on Chris. Adrenaline-charged and deeply personal, American Sniper is a thrilling eyewitness account of war that only one man could tell. American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Free Talking Book

[mangaredditdotcom]

Densetsu No Yuusha No Konkatsu.

Alternative: 伝説の勇者の婚活 (Japanese); Marriage Hunting of Legendary Brave (English)

Description : The story takes place in a world after the legendary warrior defeats the demon lord. After he brought the peace to the world, he decides to set another adventure to search for his wife. #MangaReddit.com, #ReadFreeMangaOnline Read Free Manga Online at MangaReddit.com: https://mangareddit.com/p/densetsu-no-yuusha-no-konkatsu_1584418724.html

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