#choices trr2

[prettyboisteveharrington]

Don’t take my heart don’t break my heart. Don’t… Don’t throw it away

Have a short Drabble based on book two’s love confession between Drake and Mc

Drake Walker x MC ( Rose Throne)

Word count: 856

Thorne… Meet me on the hotel balcony tonight. We need to talk ~ Drake.

As you made your Way up to the hotel balcony all you Can Think about is Drake and how much you love him. How much you need him.

Drake. Drake. Drake.

You stand and look out at New York. You are thinking about what you are going to say to him, you want him to know how special he is to you, how wonderful he makes you feel but you don’t want to mess it up.

You hear footsteps behind you and turn around and see him.

As you finally see him it feels like your heart is beating ten, twenty if not a hundred times faster than it normally does.

You drink in his presence, from the lights illuminating his face to his Golden eyes that remind you of a glass of whiskey near the fireplace.

‘Hi’ you say breathlessly

‘Hey, Thorne’ Drake says he would Seem very composed if you didn’t know him like you do. You see through the cracks. You can tell that he’s nervous just like you.

He takes a few tentative steps forward, his eyes locked on yours.

‘We need to talk… About Us’

‘Yeah, we do’ you agree and nod your head.

You take a step towards him as well. You take a deep breath. You can do this.

‘Drake… Liam proposed to me tonight’

‘Oh’

Drake face falls and you can see the hurt in his eyes for a brief second before he composes himself and his face turns stoic.

‘I’m very happ-‘ Drake starts to say even if his facial expression betrays him. He looks like you just ripped his heart out and shattered it into a million pieces.

It hurts to see him like that. So broken. You take a deep breath and you reach out and gently take his hand in yours

‘I turned him down Drake. I told him i’m in love with you’

‘….What?’ Drake says and he looks surprised

You give his hand a squeeze.

‘From the first moment i saw you I was drawn to you. Sure we didn’t get along at first but there was something about you that kept pulling me back to you’ you say and smile at him

‘Thorne do you really mean it? Liam could give you so much more than me. Hells he could give you anything you wanted. You could have Cordonia and be Queen. Do you really want to settle for less than you deserve… Settle for me?’ Drake searches your eyes for any hint of a lie

You step towards him again your eyes are glossy. It hurts to see Drake like this. It hurts to hear him speak so ill of himself.

‘I hate when you do this. It hurts Drake’

Drake looks at you concerned

‘Rose I-‘

‘I don’t want a kingdom or be Queen. What i want is You. It hurts me greatly that you can’t see how much you have to offer’

Drake seems lost for words as looks at you with a vulnerable expression on his face.

You stand on your toes and lean in to kiss Drake’s left cheek

‘You are Incredibly handsome’

You lean in and kiss his right cheek

‘ you would do anything for me’

You stand on your toes and kiss his forehead

‘You are the first person i think about when i wake up and the last person I think about before I fall asleep’

You lean in and kiss his nose

‘The only person i want to be with is you. I’m yours Drake. Completely. Do you want me too?’

‘I do. Thorne how can I not want you’ Drake says and caresses your cheek with his hand, his hand trembles and you lean into the touch. Your eyes trace his lips before you look into his eyes again

‘Then what are you waiting for?’ You say and lean into him, your lips are inches away from his

His lips meet yours in a searching kiss as he wraps his arms around your waist.

There’s a look of gentle, astonished joy on his face as he pulls away. You lean your head against his you are unable to stop smiling.

You look into his eyes

‘I love you Drake Walker. I have loved you for a long time. Always will. Nothing and no one could ever change that. You are it for me. My soulmate. My marshmallow’

Drake’s eyes are glossy and his smile is wide

‘I don’t know what I could have possibly done to deserve someone like you Rose Thorne. But I will never stop trying to be worthy of you. I love you with every fiber of my being and I will always give you my all’ Drake says earnestly unable to look anywhere but at you

Drake takes your hand and kisses it gently

The two of you sit down on the ground, your head rests on Drake’s shoulder as you both watch the sunset.

[findingdrake]

[choicesficwriterscreations]

November Creator of the Month: Lizzybeth1986

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @lizzybeth1986 We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr?

Lizzy, absolutely 😁

*Center art by @sazanes

More below...

When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?

I started playing mid 2017, I think. I played the flagship books (TF, TCaTF, MW), and def preferred TF at the time.

When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the Tumblr fandom in 2017, around the time of the TRR finale. Mostly because the Liam hate at the time was intense and I wanted to write metas about why Liam was, in fact, not “a dick who betrayed the MC” 😂

I did have a Tumblr account before that (made it in 2015 to follow Bollywood film posts), but never actually used it.

How did you pick your blog name?

I was lazy af so it was my middle name plus my birth year haha

Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it! 

I started out with a couple reblogs, but my first actual post was about the romance points mechanism in TRR1. There was a point in the middle of the book where one nice word to Drake would give you an automatic romance point, and I was like, “Huh??? Either treat him like shit or risk him catching feels for me? Is that how it is???”. Thankfully, that stopped after two chapters. After that, I did an essay series analyzing Liam’s actions in the finale called “The Crown, The King and The Flame.” Romance Points Post The Crown and the Flame

How long have you been writing fanfiction?

Almost 6 years now! I started doing Liam fics around the beginning of TRR2.

What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

I’m the most invested in TRR and PM, but between the two I’d probably say PM is my fave book overall. But yeah, my favourite book to write about would be TRR, because Liam, Hana and Kiara are such fantastic characters to write about! (Hayden and Sloane, too, but I’m still in the process of getting comfortable writing them).

Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

It was Keychains, my two part fic series featuring my MC and Liam. It was set around the time the MC was waiting in the airport in TRR2, just before Maxwell and Bertrand intervene. It had a follow up with Liam’s PoV too.

I really like it. It included some really good hc’s I made at the time, like Esther buying an apple keychain to represent Cordonia at the same time, and Liam calling her his wife in Greek and Esther not realizing what the phrase meant. I thought the pathos and slight humour was quite well-done. I can’t think of much I would want to change in the story.

Keychains 1 Keychains 2

What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

As a series – Eleanor’s Kitchen! It’s ongoing, and it’s a joy to write. I love exploring food from a cultural lens, and since Cordonia was a fictional country, I could explore a variety of ethnicities and food cultures. Liam had a literal diamond scene that explored gastrodiplomacy, and I wanted to explore his childhood and Eleanor’s friendships too.

Individually – I would say my Kiara fic “An Ear to the Ground”. Kiara is a delightful character and exploring the social season through her eyes was a real journey! I also love “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” which explores the early days of the Sloane & Hayden friendship. I used asterisms and constellations to symbolize moments in their friendship.

Eleanor's Kitchen An Ear to the Ground The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

Cordonian Waltz was definitely a surprise in terms of reception!! It was written in the style of headcanons I was seeing at the time, and I wrote it in second person. It became my most widely-read fanfic very fast, and every once in a while it would experience a major surge in readership. I enjoyed writing it and thought it was a lovely, romantic piece, but I really wasn’t expecting it to finally have 250+ reblogs out of it, and people coming and telling me this was the fic that got them into Liam x MC in the first place. I find that deeply gratifying 😍

There’s a lot of fics that I feel need more engagement and appreciation, but I can understand that those characters also don’t exactly get much of an audience. My entire PM set comes under this category; they typically get low readership. I think my Hana and Kiara fics too could do with more of an audience.

@twinkleallnight once told me that when she reads my stuff, she usually takes a long time just to ruminate on the story, and I like to believe that often, that’s why the engagement isn’t always immediate. Which I like too!! I like that some of my stuff can make people stop and think, and I like to believe that over time, the work will have its own impact.

Cordonian Waltz PM Set

If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Probably fluff but with a lot of observation and sometimes somber reflections. I’m not that great with angst…and I’ve never actually tried smut? But maybe one day 😄

Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Yes! Some of my MCs are v different from me but I always incorporate something from my life experiences in them. Like Esther taking photos of the sunset or Basil not being science oriented but still having an interest in space.

Character wise I find I put a lot of myself into a lot of the characters I write. Notably, Liam, Hana, Kiara, certain Haydens and Sloane. Liam’s love for learning, different aspects of Hana and Kiara’s experiences as queer women, Sloane’s experiences as a neurodivergent woman, and especially my Scholar!Hayden’s (Iris) observations. I tend to incorporate a lot of my feelings and experiences more into certain canonical characters than in MCs.

What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Dialogue, I think. Especially when it’s a character I don’t relate to that much. But also sometimes when it’s a character I love but am only starting to write because then I really overthink it!

Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

Hmm…probably neglected wouldn’t be the word I’d use…I just take a very long time to kickstart them 😂

But yeah, definitely my Petals and Thornes series? That’s the fic series I’m doing for Hana x Kiara, that is supposed to explore TRR2 and 3 from their PoV (with significant changes). So far I’ve only been able to do some one-shots and hcs in that universe, but I do want to start the actual series soon!

I have some essay series’ I’d love to work on too! My Hana essay series which has two essays left, The Hayden Young Project, and a possible series on the alternative Lis of TRR!

Petals and Thornes Hana Lee: A Study in Erasure

If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

Hmm. A few people have asked me, actually, and while I’m not fully opposed to showing them I’ll probably take some time before I do show my work. I’ll probably overthink how much will be understandable to a reader who doesn’t have the context of the source, and what they may not understand.

What to show them first? I’m not sure! Maybe the smaller ones first, like Cordonian Waltz. Or my RCD fic Snowstorms, because it doesn’t have more than 2-3 canon characters featuring and I do talk a little about being a closeted queer teen figuring out their sexuality through cinema, which is an overall relatable experience to some! Snowstorms

Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

In my early years I used to emulate Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s style. Much of her work that I read as a teen was pretty flowery, sometimes bordering on purple prose, and I really loved that style and tried to go that way. But now I think a variety of writers from different genres inform my writing. In terms of published authors, Jhumpa Lahiri, Helen Hoang, and non-fiction ones like Rukmini Pande, Ruby Hammad and Mikki Kendall.

In Choices fic, @callmetippytumbles for sure – a lot of the questions she was tackling with her MC in her Home series served as inspiration for some of the ideas I’ve been having in mind for Petals and Thornes. @thefirstcourtesan is a great writing buddy to have, too, and she has a knack for saying a lot in very few words! There’s also my amazing group of friends (shoutout to @cassiopeiacorvus, @thecapturedafrique, @mand-delemonde, and @beyonceswigs, as well as @twinkleallnight , @dcbbw @mariemarieohcontrary , @choicesfrog, @grapecaseschoices and @ohsnapitzlovehacker…the discussions are so good and leave some much to think about afterward 💖💖). All these discussions ALWAYS fuel my ideas and make me think out of the box.

I’ve also recently started writing polyamorous characters and relationships, and @angelasscribbles stories and resources have been such a great help in navigating that!

Home

@angelasscribbles Poly Resources

Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

Haha! I’ve not even started the proper series yet but I think Petals and Thornes? But besides that maybe Eleanor’s Kitchen may work as a series idk 😄

Do you write original fiction?

I do try! I’ve done a few short stories but before I started fanfic, I did a lot of spoken word poetry and that was fun.

What other hobbies do you have?

Reading, watching video essays, spending months on hyperfixations 😂 and a little cooking. My kid’s gotten into craft recently and has succeeded in taking me down that rabbit hole too haha.

I used to be into making fruit wines but have gotten inconsistent with that over the years.

What’s your favorite emoji?

Because I have a huuuge thing for nerds – this one: 🤓

BONUS – tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

A story my mum often tells about how I got into writing, began with some good old-fashioned sibling rivalry. Apparently as a child I was notorious for writing things on the walls of our house. One day my older brother got a hardbound royal-blue covered notebook to write in, with gold lettering on the cover…and I got instantly jealous that I didn’t get one (I was 6 or 7 and already fond of telling stories). When I complained my mum made me a deal – she would get me the same notebook…IF I stopped writing on the walls and began writing in that instead 😂 It worked. My mother is a smart woman.

I love spoilers!! I will read the end of a novel I’m reading and then go back and read the rest. Sometimes I even read books all the way backwards lol.

I love romance, and my favorite tropes include second-chance romance and mutual pining while believing the other person will never love you back! Because, at heart, I’m a dramatic bitch.

[lizzybeth1986]

How the Court is Allowed to View A Polyglot Kiara

More photodumping for the upcoming Drake and Kiara essay!

So this is a compilation of the times I remember Kiara's skill with languages being viewed with disbelief, disdain or disrespect. There may be others, but these are the earliest ones and often the people who say it get away with saying it:

TRR1 Ch 16 - If the MC chooses "dare" at the Truth or Dare game, and calls Madeleine acting as a member of the press:

(Screenshots from the HIMEME YouTube channel)

TRR1 Ch 18 - A dialogue option where the MC can "quiz" Kiara on which other languages she knows:

(Screenshots by the My Choices (Fabbylous) channel)

(Possibly Inaccurate Translation: Good day (German), my friend (Spanish). Are you happy (Italian, though I get the sense that she's saying it sarcastically like...when someone says "satisfied??" after they've answered a stupid question you asked).

TRR2 Ch 4 - At the garden party in Applewood, when Madeleine is sending veiled threats to Hana about getting a suitor:

(Screenshots from the Skylia YouTube channel)

Madeleine engages in a bizarre play of exoticization against Kiara in this scene, and her "advice" to her fails dramatically (but perhaps that was the intention?) when Rashad is unable to even understand either Kiara's French or German. As you can see from these screenshots, Kiara herself is not happy with this suggestion.

TRR2 Ch 14 - Gossiping with Adelaide

One of your gossiping options (the one that fails) is if you compliment Kiara ("Did you know that Kiara speaks more than just French?"), which gets a pretty negative response from Adelaide:

(Screenshots from @cassiopeiacorvus)

Ironic how this is one of the rare times the MC can truly compliment Kiara on her skills...and she's shot down for it!! Also it's funny how "nobody cares about Kiara's linguistic prowess" yet there are more than enough people out there just pouncing to discredit it and pretend she's lying!

TRR3 Ch 7 - Before meeting Kiara at her estate:

(Screenshots from the HIMEME YouTube channel)

There is plenty I hate about this scene (more on that in the essay) but I find it extremely sus that this shitty attitude towards Kiara's most prominent skill is allowed to go on without any pushback for three fucking books.

[thecapturedafrique]

TRR MC: Ally Romiere

Hello tri-state area Tumblr! In preparing to finally create a masterlist, I decide to first release the character page I made for my The Royal Romance character, Ally Romiere. A while back, I also did the Choices MC ask game for Ally and another MC which you can read here!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Full Name: Alejandra Carmen Romero de Torres

Legal Name: Ally Romiere

In Greek: Αλεξάνδρα Κάρμεν Ρωμαίος από Πύργους (Alexándra Kármen Romaíos apó Pýrgous)

Nicknames: Ale (María), Cinderella (Olivia), ma moitié (Maxwell)

Noble Title: HM The Queen Consort Ally of Houses Romiere and Beaumont, Duchess of Valtoria, Champion of the Realm and Saviour of Cordonia, DCOS, RC

Charge and Colors: phoenix; gules and or (w/ blue celeste)

Epithet: the Undefeated

Age: 25

Date of Birth: August 18th, 1993

Place of Birth: Queens, NYC

Zodiac: Leo ♌️

Gender: Cis woman

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Pronouns: She/her

Enneagram: 2.3 (w1; Companion)

Encouraging and appreciative, able to see the good in others. Service is important, but takes care of self too: they are nurturing, generous, and giving—a truly loving person.

Height: 5'8"

Race/Ethnicity: Latina (Nahua) and Afro-Caribbean

Nationality: American (renounced) and Cordonian

Face Claim: Lindsey Morgan

Education: GED

Languages: Spanish, English, Greek (novice)

Favorite Color: red

Piercings: single lobe; often wears ear cuff on upper right

Tattoos: five-point crown behind left ear; familia quote with dragonflies on left side of rib cage

Partner: Liam Reese (husband)

Best Friend(s): Hana Lee and Maxwell

Family: María del Pilar† (abuelita), Leo Reese (brother-in-law), Regina and Constantine Reese (in-laws), Bartie Beaumont and Luca Karvelas (nephews), Bertrand Beaumont and Maxwell Beaumont (House members)

Character Notes

There is a reason why Ally legally changed her name, which will hopefully one day be explained within Silver Spoons

Maxwell’s nickname for Ally is French for “my [better] half” and is used platonically in the same sense as the English phrase “my partner in crime.” He starts using this for Ally during the investigation in TRR2 and it sticks

As the Champion of the Realm, Ally is a member of the Order of the Seven, which confers upon her the title of Dame Commander (DCOS); the other post-nominal letters (RC) refer to her position on the Royal Council

Ally’s enneagram is type Two, also known as “The Helper”: the caring, interpersonal type described as demonstrative, generous, people-pleasing, and possessive. She is a One-wing, who are generally more ambitious and outspoken than other type Twos, and her level 3 is the level of social value

Her parents were both Mexican immigrants with primarily Native ancestry aside for her father, whose mother María was an Afro-Dominican who moved to Mexico following the civil war in 1965

As part of becoming queen of another country, Ally had to renounce her American citizenship

The dragonflies on her tattoo represent the three family members she’s lost (both her parents and her grandmother María), and the quote translates to, “Where life begins and love never ends.”

[karahalloway]

🖋️In Progress ✅Completed 📚 Multi-Book Series 📖 Standalone Series📄Mini-Series🥇One Shot ♾️Open-Ended

Book 1 - (Un)Common Attraction 📚✅

Harper Gale - a small-town girl from Montana - takes a leap of faith and jets off to Cordonia to join Prince Christian's social season. But does she actually want to become the queen of a small European country? Or will her heart have other ideas? An AU take of TRR1 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Book 2 - (Less Than) Noble Intentions 📚🖋️

The social season may be over, but Harper Gale's problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

These stories relate to, or otherwise spin off of (Un)Common Attraction and (Less Than) Noble Intentions, but can still be read independently as standalones.

Lone Star State 📖[Coming Soon!]

A prequel series to (Un)Common Attraction detailing Drake’s escapades at the Walker Ranch in Texas during his final year of university.

Polo! 🥇✅

Drake gets roped into playing a charity polo match when one of the other team members doesn’t show for the game… What can possibly go wrong? One-shot set before the start of (Un)Common Attraction.

Thanksgiving 📄🖋️

Harper and Drake fly to Bozeman, MT to spend their first Thanksgiving together with Harper’s family. Mini-series that takes place after the events of (Less Than) Noble Intentions.

Uncharted: Tales from the Gypsea 📄♾️

A collection of standalone one-shots chronicling Harper and Drake’s honeymoon adventures around the Mediterranean. Set after the events of (Less Than) Noble Intentions.

Sleepless in New York 📖✅

What if Drake met Harper on the first night of Prince Christian's New York bachelor party? A standalone AU written from Drake’s POV.

These standalone one-shots and mini-series are set in various AUs and can be read completely independently of my main series.

A Leviathan Surprise 🥇✅

Maxwell unveils a larger-than-life surprise for Bertrand’s 30th birthday. A Maxwell Beaumont Appreciation Week 2023 one-shot.

A (Slightly Awkward) Reunion 🥇✅

After Bertrand discovers that he has a son, he works up the courage to see Savannah. But an important conversation is very rudely interrupted… A Smut-Tember 2021 one-shot.

A Winged Wish 🥇✅

On a special December night in the lead-up to Christmas, Harper has a tough choice to make... One-shot written for 2021 Choices Twelve Days of Fictmas.

Camping Was Intense 📄✅

Harper organises (another) surprise birthday party for Drake that doesn’t end up going as planned… Two-parter written for Drake’s Birthday Bash 2021.

Morally Grey 📄🖋️

Harper's jewelry heist on the night of the Beaumont Bash goes wrong... TRR and Mission:Impossible II mash-up (that turned into a mini-series) written for @choicesprompts’ Rewrite Challenge.

The Highwayman 📄✅

On one dark, windswept night, a highwayman's luck runs out... My submission for @choicesprompts' Song Rewrite Challenge that turned into a mini-series.

Various collabs and round robins I have taken part in over the years. These are also independent of any of my main series, and do not feature my OTP.

Mardi Gras Madness 📖✅

The TRR lads celebrate Maxwell’s 21st birthday in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. What could possibly go wrong? Collaborative project written in tandem with three other writers.

One Step Ahead 📖✅

Nothing is as it seems in this fast-paced thriller. A really fun round robin collaboration I participated in with several other TRR fic writers here on Tumblr in 2022.

One Night In Cordonia 📖✅

It’s night of the Beaumont Bash, and there’s more than one surprise in store for the unsuspecting guests! Another fun round robin collaboration hosted by @choicesprompts in 2023.

Sex Bomb 🥇✅ It's the night of Leo's coronation, but the young prince has bigger worries. One-shot follow-up to my submission for One Night in Cordonia written for Smut-tember 2023.

Isle of Misfits 📖✅

Bertrand starts a PR firm… for celebrities. What can possibly go wrong? A cross-fandom round robin hosted by @choicesprompts in 2024.

Take a peek inside Harper & Drake’s Scrapbook for OTP Asks, Moodboards, Edits and other fun stuff!

[mvalentine]

so im just sitting in jfk thinking thoughts and ignoring cam and catching up on our trr2 replay and my mind is wandering to the land of wasted potential… like an Olivia spin off backstory whatever because the TENSION in bk2 where she’s like ‘Hes marrying her and in love with you etc etc’ and she runs off hurts my heart 💔 if we got to choose how the story played out in a true choose ur own adventure doo you think liam/adam x Olivia could be a thing? Do you think they ever were???

And in that camping scene pls give me ur hc on Audrey x Drake bc my girl Anya still hasn’t kissed the bloke by then and is she horny on main 🥲😅

LMAOO as you should good to know you have your priorities in check <333 but nah fr dom i hope you’re feeling alot better now!!

also omg YES both me & audrey in the camp of feel bad for her because you can tell that liam is the only person she’s ever loved & omg she’s loved him for AGES crown or no crown it’s always been liam for her. & im actually in the camp of people who believe that yeah, olivia x the prince could be a real thing!! i really like their fire & ice dynamic, & i would totally live for an au where olivia moves on post engagement fail but was liam’s biggest support system post his heartbreak but then liam starts seeing her in a different light & starts get jealous and shit & then is like wait why am i jealous oh no….. oh wait…… it can’t be…… i want HER to be pined after i want the one who’s pined their whole life to be the one who’s pined for (a la loml pen <333) but yk at the end of the day im maddie & olivia ride or die. but tell me your thoughts!!!! i need to know 💗💗💗

also AHHHHH the camping scene another one of my fav scenes honestly the writers were truly feeding us drake romancers in book2 <333 but also BESTIE anya has more self restraint than me or audrey because goddamn. no but like the way he takes it so seriously & is giving out orders is so adorable to her like is this man fr. and that scene where she goes in the tent she’s kinda like wtf am i doing the prince im supposed to marry is literally right next to us have i lost my mind?!? & then he’s all like wtf are you doing here & this bitch is just like i need body heat <333 and he’s just like shit oh yeah true (like WHAT. i can’t tell if the choices drake knows that the mc is being fr or nah. kinda like the vibe of drake taking camping & the mc’s well-being so seriously that he’s just like yup! okay valid!) —- but anyways the scene where the mc is like you take it so seriously you were barking out orders & then drake is like wait did i ruin it :( with his sad face AHHHH i swear audrey wanted to kiss that adorable little pout from his face she’s like nah it was cute & he’s like cute? and she’s like yeah 🥰 & then he’s all like what else can i do to make your experience more memorable miss huntzberger like shut UP they’re such dorks!! but also i SWEAR mr. walker was down to fornicate (the true meaning of dtf btw!!) in those woods like if fuckin maxwell ugh i really dislike him more & more each play hadn’t interrupted i swear they would have fucked like this man was really like yeah next time we’re coming to the woods alone im gonna go down on you all night you can be as loud as you want baby. but yeah the whole time anya was just thinking of how much she wants this simple life with him how easy & right it feels how right he feels ugh she’s so in love it’s actually sickening to witness.

[hayden-park]

I made this because I miss this gang

[choosingmylife]

How can someone be this cuuteee???

[stayfallentasticc]

Bertrand: Where’s MC??

Hana: I’ll only tell you if you promise not to get angry

Bertrand: I promise.

Hana: Maxwell lost her at the art museum.

Bertrand: HOW DO YOU LOSE A WOMAN???

Maxwell: You forget to cherish her [begins to cry]

[karahalloway]

Gah!! This is honestly one of the most frustrating scenes in TRR2 for me 😮‍💨😅

I want to browbeat Drake every time for being such an idiot and insisting that MC wait to make her 'choice' until after her name has been cleared. No! The choice has already been made, you duffus! 😤

Anyhoo... Glad you included the kiss! 🤗

Please tag me in future chapters!

Return To Sender

Previous Chapter

Chapter Two -Past, Present, Future

Drake Walker x Rose Thorne ( my MC)

Word count: 1.7k

Drake is standing across from you and you take him all in, he's in a denim jacket with a white henly shirt underneath, he looks tired, there are bags under his eyes. He's staring at you as if he can't believe you are finally back.

Your heart is beating so loudly in your chest that it is all you can hear. You feel so many things at once – disappointment that he hasn't reached out in almost two months, sadness because you fear he doesn't care for you like you do for him. Most of all you feel relieved because he's back in court. You rush over to him and pull him into a bone crushing hug that leaves him speechless. He hugs you back just as fiercely.

'I missed you' you say as you burry your head in his chest. He holds you a lot longer than you thought he would.

' I missed you too, Thorne. You're a sight for sore eyes' Drake says as he lets you go. His hand lingers on your shoulders and you can see his cheeks redden and your face lights up.

' It's good to see you smile again. After everything that happened.. I know things must have been hard for you and I want you to know that if there's anything I can do to help then I want to do it'

'What about us? I mean I'll appreciate the help but is that.. it?'

'Thorne you know how I feel about you'

Do I? You weren't sure you did. Hells you hadn't spoken with him in two months almost.

'Do I? Drake we haven't spoken in months. For all I know whatever we could have had is gone or maybe I was the only one who really felt something deeper than friendship. Maybe it was all in my head' you take a deep sigh and ignore his gaze.

' Thorne, please look at me'

You look up at him, he traces your cheek with his hand and you lean into it.

' It's not in your head, what you feel for me I feel for you too.. it's just c -'

'Complicated?' you finish

' Yeah. Look let's go somewhere more private to talk about this'

You nod and follow him to the fire pit outside the estate. You and Drake sit down near the fire and you look into the firepit.

Drake reaches out and takes your hand in yours and squeeze it.

'It’s not that I don't want you or that i don't care for you. I care for you deeply. But not like this. Not with a scandal hanging over your head'

'So once the scandal is gone does that mean that we could -'

'Once the scandal is gone there's a prince waiting for you, who can offer you everything you could ever dream of and more'

' I don't want the prince or the throne. I want you'

' I'm a nobody Thorne, i'm never going to be good enough for you. And if by some miracle you truly decide that you want me and not Liam... I don't want you to regret it'

You patiently wait for him to continue and squeeze his hand that is still holding on to yours. Drake looks at you with a pained expression.

' When the scandal is over and you still for some reason choose me then I need to know it's because you truly care for me and want me for me and not because the scandal is keeping you away from being with Liam.'

' So when the scandal is over you will hear me out? ' you ask hopefully

While you want to be with him you can understand his childhood trauma and his hesitance. You want him but he has to be on the same page as you and until that happens you will try your best to support him through it and hopefully he will see how much you truly care.

'Yes. After it's over we will talk it out. i'm sorry i'm such a disappointment all the time Thorne. All I want to do is to make you proud'

' You’re human, which means you're flawed. I can work with that. I need to ask... why haven't you messaged me once in the last six weeks' you ask because you need to know.

'Trust me I wanted to. I wanted to so many times'

'But?'

' Liam, Maxwell, Hana and I made a pact that we wouldn't reach out in order to keep you as safe as possible' Drake gently grabs your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours.

'I wish I could say that I couldn't understand why it was neccesary or say that I haven't been told the same thing. However it still hurts. I thought you had given up on me and that maybe I just didn't matter to you. Hell I wish everyone had asked me what i wanted.'

You were beyond hurt and frustrated. You had felt like you had gone crazy locked away at the Bearmonts estsate, going on runs with Maxwell, learning Etiquette with Bertrand, going over what outfits best betrayed an 'innocent and flawless' persona that was far beyond of who you actually were.

You could feel your heart beating too fast and your breathing becoming faster to the point were you couldn't breathe, your hands were trembling and your body was shaking.

'Rose.. Can I touch your face?'

You felt dizzy and disoriented but you managed nod before Drake gently let go of your hand and caressed your face with his hands, he turned your face towards his so that you were looking at each other.

' I need you to take a deep breath for me can you do that?'

You nodded again and took a deep breath in

'Breathe in and count to seven.. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7 and exhale and count to 3 ..1..2..3'

You did as Drake said and he told you to repeat the cycle and he did the breathing exercises with you until your breathing slowed down and became more normal again.

' I need you to know that I value your safety greatly. We all do. And if anything happens to you I would- wouldn't be able to forgive myself. That night when you left and I finally ecaped security you had already gone and I tried to run after the car but I wasn't fast enough so I returned to the estate and found Maxwell, Liam and Hana in your room. We all wanted to bring you back but we knew it wouldn't be safe'

Drake caresses your face gently and you wait for him to continue.

'The last six weeks have been torture, I can't begin to tell you how much i've missed. I hate to see you so upset, I have an idea – how about I make you the best s'mores you have ever had?'

'Are you a world renowned S'mores expert?' you asked jokingly and you smiled at Drake

' You bet. Would you have expected anything less from me?' Drake deadpanned

Drake kisses the top of your forehead before he gets up and goes to get the ingrediants for the s'mores, you lean close to the fire and sigh

It’s nice to know Drake feels the same for you as you do for him, it's at the very least reassuring. It doesn't change much at the moment sadly but once he scandal is cleared you intend to make Drake know that he's the only one you want. As long as nothing majorly happens between you you will hold off telling Liam the truth... for now at least.

Drake returns with a bag that holds sticks, graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate, while he is busy prepping the sticks

'When I was young my parents used to get into these explosive fights with lots of throwing things and yelling and it was all too much you know? So I used to hide in my room with my hands over my ears.. one day it became so bad that I felt like I couldn't breathe'

Drake stopped prepping for a moment and looked at you sadly and looked at you patiently as you continue

'Ever since then i've had anxiety and panic attacks. Every time I feel overwhelmed or too stressed i get really anxious. I also have a tendency to overthink things most people probably wouldn't, like I get so into my own head sometimes'

'Why haven't you ever told anyone here about it?'

' Because I was afraid that once you all knew the truth that you would see me differently. I was worried that if I let you in that it would be too much'

That I would be too much

The last part goes unsaid. Drake puts down the sticks and pulls you into a hug.

'You could never be too much Thorne, You are like the best person I know and nothing could ever change that'

'Promise?' you ask your voice is horse and you feel so small.

' Yeah I promise'.

Drake shows you how to make the perfect s'more and you have to admit that it's pretty good, you spend most of the evening just talking, Drake talks about how he used to go camping with his dad and how important it was to him, you feel honoured that he's sharing his memories with you. You want to be able to do the same but most of your upbringing was rough and the happy childhood memories were a rare thing.

' The blue hair really suits you by the way' Drake says and puts a strand of your hair behind your ear and you lean into the touch

'I really want to kiss you right now..'

'Thorne... that's a bad idea' Drake groans and looks away

You lean towards him and he momentarily gives in, swiftly and desperately kissing you, his arms go to your waist, pulling you closer.

'Dammit..' Drake mutters under his breath as you move apart. Drake looks around to make sure no one saw you, there is no one else around and he sighs in relief.

' I want you Thorne. More than anything. But I want this the right way, for everyone involved. You most of all.' Drake sighs

' Rose!'

Before you have a chance to responds Max waves at you from across the courtyard and Drake moves a step away from you.

'Thank you for tonight... For everything. It means a lot' you say to Drake before Maxwell reaches the two of you

Maxwell lets you know it's time to leave. Applewood Manor here we come...

[zeniamiii]

A NEW EDIT ❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗WITH MY TTR AND LH FACE❤❤❤ @batouldhwalkersoul @klaudiana-beaumontkk-deactivate @lodberg Please if you want to be tagged let me know😉 - - - -

[simplyaiden-blog]

Drake awkwardly coming into the ballroom for the coronation ball, finally wearing a suit to impress that certain someone

[lizzybeth1986]

Have you heard of PB’s vip special, Villainous Valentines or something? I don’t have vip but Olivia has a route and if the spoilers are true….her chapter opens with MC rejecting Liam’s proposal 😬😬

PB just cannot give that guy a break!

Sorry I got so late in responding to this, anon. The past few months have been packed IRL.

I'm kinda not surprised that the MC rejecting Liam's proposal was the opening they went for... though I'm very tickled by the prospect of TRR2 being a romantic starting point for Olivia x MC considering all Olivia did was mope about for Liam and disappear for 3/4ths of the tour 🤣🤣🤣

This isn't much compared to a lot of other shit they've already done to him tbh. I'd say PB did far far worse to Liam already - Kara and Jen just recently had written a "backstory" kinda TRR-story for the now-defunct Storyloom, claiming to explore "Liam's perspective" of the bachelor party in TRR1 Ch 1. In this they made several retcons, few of which I'm listing down:

1. Acc to this retcon, NY was a detour from a larger diplomatic tour, rather than something the group and Liam had actually planned to have his bachelor party at.

On the surface this seems like a good change, but it also excuses Liam's friends not arranging for things Liam actually liked for his own bachelor party (remember - he'd told the group about his love for the Statue of Liberty, and they never bothered to even see if something could be done about that. They took him to a dingy bar), leaving a complete stranger like the MC to make that effort instead.

2. Remember how Liam approached us to apologise for the way his friends behaved? According to this version of TRR, Drake persuaded him to do that. Apparently in the story, Liam wants to go up and talk to her and ppl like Tariq and Maxwell give some nonsense suggestions before Drake says this:

First of all, they make him sound like he was socially inept in the dialogue options before this. Secondly, I think Liam can make his own decisions without Drake making them for him, but the writers' boners for Drake wouldn't allow them to admit that.

He confirms that the apology was Drake's idea later in this story, saying this:

This change doesn't make much sense unless you realize that the writers had Drake claim Liam was leading the MC on back in TRR3. This is maybe the second time the TRR team tried to retcon the events of the book to make Drake's lies the truth (the first time, they tried to rewrite the first four chapters of the book so that Liam was way more flirty).

I'm sorry but when Liam approached the MC with respect and apologized for his friends' behaviour, that was his choice and those were his actions. No retcon from a set of biased and greedy writers is going to change that.

Compared to that this Olivia thing is...okay? Like, you really can't explore the possibility of romancing her without having the MC turn down Liam' proposal first. That's just the structure of the story. It's whatever.

[thecapturedafrique]

HLAW: Day 5—Hana(ra)’s Perfect Wedding!

Like several members of the fandom, I too ship Hana and Kiara together, and though I have yet to write the fic where they fall in love, I’ve long since come up list of head canons about their wedding. I originally meant to share this for Kiara’s first appreciation week, but I wasn’t able to finish on time. Fortunately, one of the benefits to being a Hanara shipper is that their romantic content can work for both characters’ weeks! 😆

Tagging @hanaleeappreciationweek and the stupendous hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes!

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This moodboard was designed to reflect the Pinboard that Hana would 100% make for her wedding to Kiara given the numerous ones she’s crafted in canon.

Bridal Ring Sets

The ring on the left is the one Hana chooses for Kiara; I initially searched for a ring similar to Hana's ring for MC in canon but didn't want a one-to-one match, and then I diverged further by selecting one with a vine design to reference Castelsareillan (aka Rowan’s tattoos which I head canon were tribal in nature and design). The side stones are diamonds since they’re both the ducal stone and Kiki’s birthstone, but Hana went with moissanite for the central stone since it's not as hard and refracts more multi-colored light, representing how there's more to Kiara than what the surface may show and that she is a lot more kind and sweet and thoughtful than her tough facade leads people to expect.

For the ring Kiara gives to Hana*, resetting a family heirloom is very popular in France, especially with traditional affluent families. The ruby was originally from her late maternal grandmother’s engagement ring, and Kiara had it reset in a rose gold band to match her own since Hana proposed first. Due to the canonical Cordonian tradition of lovers throwing a copper, a silver, and a gold coin into a well to guarantee that they stay together for eternity, I head canon that rose gold—which is made of those three metals—is a popular choice in Cordonia for engagement/anniversary jewelry. The wedding band is inlaid with opals since they're the ducal stone of Hana’s duchy, Chrysopolis.

*I was also partly inspired by @masked-alien-lesbian’s beautiful pick to find a more floral design than my original choice, and when I found one with embellishments that mirrored butterflies as well, I knew it was the one.

Bridal Party

In Chinese numerology, 8 is considered one of the most auspicious numbers, with 2, 3, and 6 also being lucky in general. As such, the bridal party is a total of 6 people (3 for each side) who combined with the 2 brides equal 8 in total.

Hana's Bridesmaids: Ally (MOH), Olivia, and Ganga

In my version of events, Olivia actually does offer a genuine apology to Hana in the beer garden scene at the end of TRR2, and so by the time Hana’s planning her wedding, the two have grown close enough for her to ask Liv to be her bridesmaid.

The name Ganga may be familiar to anyone who read Hana’s character page, as she’s one of Hana’s second cousins on her mother’s side. They meet and bond over the course of my reimagined TRH series Silver Spoons.

Kiara's Témoins: Penelope (MOH), Zeke, and Savannah

Instead of bridesmaids and groomsmen, French couples have témoins (witnesses) of any gender/age that stand next to them during the ceremonies. While Penelope is still courteously given the MOH title, Ally is the one who provides the most support in regard to the planning/corralling.

Wedding

Following Moroccan and Chinese traditions, the wedding celebration is several days long. I also head canon that many western regions of Cordonia outside of the five major duchies have three-day-length celebrations, including the regality from which Hana’s maternal family hails. The negafa (wedding planner) is Kiki’s paternal aunt Leïla, who is assisted by Hana’s own aunt Yawen.

Day 1: Castelsareillan

Hammam

In Morocco on the first day of a wedding celebration, the bride spends a day in the hammam (a type of steam bath or place of public bathing akin to a spa) with her companions, treating themselves with multiple body masks, scrubs, and massages as part of a bridal ritual of purification and beauty. Hanara chooses the baths and spa in Applewood visited in TRR2 and attend with their bridal party sans Zeke.

Bachelorette Party

Their joint party is thrown in Côte d'Or, the Cordonian gambling district visited in RoE which in my verse is located in one of Castelsareillan’s vassalages off the coast. Aside from the standard night on the town events, Ally also arranges a series of chuangmen (Chinese door games) for the couple to play: an alcoholic version of the Four Flavors of Life, Q&A Tests, and a Sweet Serenade karaoke session.

The theme is a rainbow, with everyone wearing a different colored dress: Ally in red, Ganga in orange, Kiara in yellow gold, Olivia in green, Penelope in blue, Savannah in purple, and Hana in pink. All of the bridesmaids wear the same cap-sleeved sequined style, while the brides’ outfits are pictured below:

Day 2: Samsara

Henna Party

Both Morocco and India have wedding traditions involving decorating the bride’s hands and feet with henna (mehndi being the South Asian term for the body art itself). Lorelai’s cousin Aparna offers her estate in Samsara (a western regality in Cordonia) as the venue, and the party is a long affair filled with food and music.

Hana wears a pink sari while Kiki dons a green kaftan. Since the brides plan to walk down the aisle the next day, they’re carried to their seats in the amaria (an elegant roofed platform) by four men: Zeke, Drake, Bertrand, and the male cousin Kiara mentions in TRR3 who I named Patrice and head canon is Joëlle’s nephew.

Having forgone a wedding shower, the brides open their gifts during the party, some of which revolve around the traditional “something old” rhyme (with the givers corresponding to whose side they walk on):

Something Old: received during the tea ceremony

Something New: white lotus hair stick (Ally), silver and onyx Berber necklace (Zeke)

Something Borrowed: Scarlet Handkerchief (Liv), Golden Tiara* (Penelope)

Something Blue: garter set (Savannah), nagapadam mala (Ganga)

*The Golden Tiara is the House treasure that was granted to the Amaranth’s when they were elevated in 1600 C.E. It was rumored that while donned, the makeup of any who wore it would remain flawless.

Rehearsal Dinner

The ribbons and bows from unwrapping the gifts are turned into two giant bouquets that the brides use for the following wedding rehearsal in place of the garlands they’ll be using for the real ceremony. They also incorporate some elements of the nischayam, an Indian Malayalee engagement ceremony generally held to formally announce the marriage, which includes exchanging horoscopes as well as the mothiram maattal (ring exchange). Since pigs are favored animals in Chinese culture, Kiara’s pet teacup pig Tambour acts as the ring bearer. At the end of the rehearsal dinner, the couple signs their marriage license following both French and Moroccan tradition (the latter of which call this ceremony Drib Sdak).

Day 3: Chrysopolis

Shutou & Jing Cha

The morning of the third and final wedding day begins in Hana’s manor in Chrysopolis with the Chinese shutou or hair combing ceremony performed by their mothers Lorelai and Joëlle. Immediately afterwards, the two change into their traditional formal wear (Hana in a qungua and Kiara in a takshita) before heading downstairs for the jing cha or tea ceremony, where their aunts have built an ancestral altar for the occasion.

The ceremony is done with both families at the same time, and in return for the tea that the couple offer, their families offer them golden jewelry and red envelopes filled with money called hongbao. They also receive from their fathers the “something old” gift that’s been passed down by their late grandmothers: a set of golden phoenix & dragon bangles for Hana and silver Berber bracelets for Kiara.

Vow Exchange

The exchanging of vows takes place outside in the sunflower garden. Kiki’s four-year-old cousin mentioned in TRH2 serves as the flower girl, and the bridal party are all dressed in a reddish mulberry and adorned with golden jewelry*. The brides change into their white outfits (Hana wearing the same dress as in canon and a veil, while Kiara dons a jumpsuit with a cape) and walk down the T-shaped aisle on the arms of their fathers to meet each other.

Hakim place Kiara’s hand in Hana’s and Xinghai hands them a pair of scissors before leaving the two to continue their march together. In a slightly altered French tradition, they must cut through the rows of white ribbons stretched across the aisle to reach the dais, where they exchange a set of garlands made from roses, fire lilies, jasmine, sunflowers, and Vescovi (magic) flowers in the Hindi jayamala ceremony, a pledge which substitutes their “I Do’s.”

Liam acts as the officiant and joins the couple’s hands together following the Agni Hito tradition of using a red string to represent their fates being bound. He hands them each a lambatha (Greek taper candle) to hold as the brides recite their individual customized vows to one another. They then use the lambathes to light a brazier filled with Heartoak wood which is placed before them.

This functions as the sacred fire for the saat phere, a Hindu wedding ritual continued by the Agni Hito where the couple walks around the fire seven times while reciting specific vows. Each circuit holds a certain meaning. Once the seventh one has been completed, Liam pronounces the two wives, and butterflies are released as they share their first kiss as a married couple.

*One of the bridal party’s statement pieces is a golden pin in the design of Hanara’s onnamon, pictured below. Mon are Japanese emblems that function similar to heraldic charges, and onnamon specifically are created by women after marriage through modifying her original family kamon. The Agni Hito, being of Japanese lineage, continued to use them within Cordonia. After becoming the Duchess of Chrysopolis, Hana adopted a new mon by turning her mother’s kamon/charge (the cherry blossom) into a butterfly-shape.

Reception

The rice toss is performed while the newlyweds exit down the aisle before everyone heads inside, where the vin d’honour (the French equivalent of a cocktail hour) is held. Kir Royale cocktails made with Cristal champagne and chocolate-coated almonds called les dragées are served, and both mahjong and mancala are played. Once all of the ~200 attendees have been greeted, they drive to the banquet hall with a liberal use of horns preceding the “just married” limo.

Each guest upon their arrival signs the livre des visiteurs (guestbook), delivers their hongbao, touches a set of oranges for good luck, and washes their hands in the orange blossom water. Ouzo and Moroccan mint tea are offered until everyone has been seated for the grand entrance, where under a shower of petals and sparklers, the newlyweds perform a TRR 2.0 Olivia-style change into their reception dresses pictured below (Hana on the left and Kiara on the right):

Thanks to @lizzybeth1986 for sharing the tumblr post with these lovely designs!

They step onto the floor with their fathers for the first dance, which they finish as a couple following French tradition. The song is one that Hana composed titled Le jardin de l'amour and performed by Kaitlyn Liao. The feast itself is a ten-course affair that contains a vast variety of cultural dishes, including drunken shrimp, butter chicken, Peking duck, pork jiaozi, tangine, bird’s nest soup, and seffa. Maxwell serves as the emcee, and toasts are given in between the various acts.

Friends provide most of the entertainment, including a ballad sung by the Cordonian Quartet, but there are also lion dancers and firecrackers following Chinese tradition. Halfway through, the couple changes into their final outfits for the night (a red qipao for Hana and a kaftan jumpsuit for Kiara). Once the last course has been served, the croquembouche (a French dessert that serves as the wedding cake) is wheeled out along with a Cordonian Ruby for the apple-cutting ceremony.

After feeding each other a slice of both, the dancing begins. The party lasts long into the night, but just before the newlyweds retire for the evening, they take part in another French tradition: eating a dish from a brand new pot de chambre (chamber pot). The bottom is lined by bananas and covered with melted chocolate before the leftover alcohol from the wedding is poured in. After the couple’s takes a drink and eats a spoonful of the gooey contents, the rest is left to be finished off by the bridal party.

Honeymoon

Lorelai’s wedding gift is the most expensive home in China, and it is here in Shanghai where Hana and Kiara spend the first week of their honeymoon, which ends with the Mid-Autumn Festival. The second week is spent in Tours, France where they go cycling and visit the famous châteaus before returning to Cordonia just in time for the Last Apple Ball.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sources

[karahalloway]

DWAW 2023 - Day 1: HCs

I would not be a proper Drake stan if I didn't make some time to wax lyrically about my fave LI (okay, maybe not lyrically - I suck at poetry, but you know what I mean!) as part of DWAW 2023!

Originally, I planned to do one post featuring both HCs and Appreciation, but both parts ran away with me, so I decided to split it up into two posts. This post will feature HCs, while this other post will feature Appreciation 😇

Headcanons

If you have read my stuff, you'll know that my Drake is not 100% canon, and that I've also filled in quite a lot of blanks left by TRR in his characterisation, so here is a (near) comprehensive list of everything that sits around in my head:

🥃 Whiskey 🥃

We all know that Drake's favourite drink is whiskey, but I HC that specifically it's bourbon. I made this choice quite consciously because (a) he is half-Texan, so the primary choice of whiskey would be bourbon on those parts (rather than scotch), and (b) I HC that this was also Jackson's drink of choice, so Drake took after his father in this regard (this is explored in a bit more detail in Chapter 3 - Hotel Room Service of (Less Than) Noble Intentions and the Burnt Bonus Chapter of (Un)Common Attraction).

Apart from whiskey, I HC that Drake is a coffee addict (and won't touch tea with a ten foot pole, unless - of course - if it's sweet iced tea, in which case he'll drink it by the bucketload like a true southerner🧋)

🇺🇸 Texas 🇺🇸

As far as I remember, the location of Walker Ranch is left ambigious in canon, but in my HC, it's located approx. 2.5 hours from Dallas (in Morris County, somewhere around the town of Lone Star - I know, I know... but when I saw this, I couldn't resist!) because I also HC Drake went to university in Dallas, specifically University of North Texas (see Chapter 20 - Party Yacht of (Un)Common Attraction). I chose Dallas because I liked the look and feel of the city, as well as the surrounding countryside.

Also, as readers will know, I have upped Drake's Texan-ness quite significantly in comparison to canon - he talks with a slight Texan accent, he can put on the southern drawl when he wants to, and his vernacular is a bit of a mixed bag (though he gravitates towards southerinism). I HC that this is because even though he spent most of his life in Cordonia, he (a) had a parent who spoke with a Texan accent at home, (b) he went to university in Texas, so he woud've picked up the accent/lingo while there (yes, accents can change later in life - I am a living testament to this, having lived all over the world), and (c) this was a concscious characterisation choice to differentiate his way of talking from the aristos (who - in my fics - talk more posh British).

💂‍♂️King's Guard 💂‍♂️

Similarly to @angelasscribbles I HC that Drake is a member of the King's Guard (in my stories, he operates covertly, but he does reveal his status to Harper is Chapter 34 - Secrets and Lies of (Un)Common Attraction. This was a very targeted HC in retaliation to the massive cop out in TRR2 where MC asks Drake what he actually does around court and he answers 'Erm... stuff?' 😖😡😒 Epic fail PB... Epic fail.

This is probably the biggest reason why my Drake started to deviate quite significantly from canon during the course of my rewrite - as a result of him being a Guard, he became a lot more focused, self-assured, tactical, pragmatic... basically all the things that readers seem to like about him. Because if he has a job, he has money, he has a purpose, and a position at court - he is no longer just a freeloading hanger-on. Plus this (for me) helps explain a lot of things in canon - like why Liam asked him to look out for MC, why he was helping Bastien with the NY bachelor party photo leak investigation, why he picks up on random things like the lock missing on MC's door at Applewood, etc.

🏋️ Extra-Curriculars 🏋️

Similarly to pretty much every other Drake stan, I HC that Drake is a military routine orientated mofo who always wakes at the crack of dawn to run five miles / go for a swim / hit the gym before eating a protein-filled breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice) and then roughing himself into shape (shaving is optional) and getting on with his day.

In addition to this, I HC that he is kind of an adrenaline junkie - in my fics he has a motorbike and a car (like @angelasscribbles' Drake), and he drives like every road is an F1 racetrack (that said, he is a very precise driver and has never had an accident - this is based on a few real-life guys that I know - go figure lol).

He also knows how to ride (I HC he rides Western and Lone Star is a Quarter Horse), snowboard*, shoot, enjoys swimming, sailing, fishing, martial arts, and has tried pretty much every sport (including polo) because he is one of those high-energy people who (a) enjoys physical activity, and (b) uses it to burn off steam. On top of this, he of course goes camping, and has a cabin in the woods that he likes to escape to when court and the nobles get too much for him.

All this kinda combines to make Drake super competitive - people who have read my fics know that he'll compete with Harper for pretty much everything (including who can get up the stairs the fastest), and this is the rationale behind the (in)famous karaoke scene in Sleepless in New York - even though he hates performing, or putting himself on show in any way, he can't allow himself to lose a bet (which is why the fact that he loses the pool game during his birthday party is that much more significant).

*I thought this was more of a Drake sport than skiing (and it was something that he and Harper could bond over), though I also HC that Drake learnt to skii first and the switched to snowboarding)

💓 Sex💓

If you've read my stuff, you know that sex with Drake is... intense. The reasoning behind this is multi-fold:

Underneath the closeted and slightly stone-faced exterior that he presents to the world, he is a raging inferno of emotions underneath (fear, doubt, uncertainty, inadequacy, guilt, etc.) So when he has sex, all the pent-up emotions that had built up inside of him get released and he actually seeks out sex (or equivalently hard-core physical activity) in order to achieve this kind of release because he does not always know how to 'deal' with his emotions in a rational/intellectual way - see the Burnt Bonus Chapter of (Un)Common Attraction and Chapter 5 - Sparks Fly of (Less Than) Noble Intentions.

Sex - especially with MC as I think this kind of applies to other Drake x MC pairings that I've read - is a way for him to express how he feels about MC, even (or especially if) he does not want to / feels he cannot express how he feels using words (so he lets his body do the talking) - see Chapter 2 - I've Been Waiting for You and Chapter 13 - Invidia of (Less Than) Noble Intentions.

He is just plain good at it 😆 I think several (if not most) Drake stans have the HC that before MC came along, Drake was a raging poonhound (either because he got burnt by a previous relationship, or he just feels like he does not have the time/energy/emotional capacity to invest in a serious relationship), so, he has many notches on his bedpost, and with those notches comes experience - see Crazy Bonus Chapter of (Un)Common Attraction and Chapter 3 - Hotel Room Service of (Less Than) Noble Intentions.

🍔 Food 🍔

As we all know, Drake enjoys the simple things in life, especially when it comes to food, and I kept this aspect of his characterisation in my rewrites. He loves a 99c burger, BBQ (especially ribs), basically anything you can eat with your hands, but also enjoys a good steak with fries and knows how to cook (see Chapter 2 - Sparks Fly of Sleepless in New York, Chapter 9 - Go Nuts for Cronuts of (Un)Common Attraction, Chapter 3 - Hotel Room Service and Chapter 7 - Independence Day of (Less Than) Noble Intentions).

However, I don't HC that he's a fussy eater - except when it comes to fancy hors d'oeurves at royal functions. Because let's face it - there's only so much cocktail shrimp you can eat before you start choking on it.

🕺Dancing 🕺

Anyone who's read by stuff knows that one of the biggest changes I made to canon is that Drake can dance (see Chapter 25 - When You Move and Chapter 38 - In the End of (Un)Common Attraction, as well as Chapter 4 - Showtime, Baby! and Chapter 6 - Let It Whip of Sleepless in New York).

The rationale for this is that (a) Drake grew up at court, so even if he never had dance lessons specifically, he'll have seen other people dancing, and also chances are high that Liam/Leo/Max would have roped him into dance practice, so he'd have at least a basic knowledge of the common ballroom dances (waltz, tango, foxtrot, etc.) but (b) him being Drake, he doesn't like dancing ballroom (too stuffy and formal), especially at royal events (aristos watching and judging), but he's got moves and knows how to use them 😏

This is also why I HC that Drake can speak more than just Americano - in my fics, he is fluent in French (because of his mom* and the fact that he went to school in Cordonia, which I situated between France and Italy) and Italian (because of Bastien, who I HC is from Corsica), and also understands / knows basic phrases in a variety of other European languages - if he grew up at court with the Liam, Leo, Max, etc. and travelled around all these countries, he would - at the very least! - be able to order food and drink at a restaurant in the local language (looking at you, TRR2 Italian restaurant scene 😒

*In my fics, I switched the nationalities of Drake's parents around, so Jackson is from Texas and Bianca is from Cordonia.

👖Threads 👖

Another (relatively) big change I made from canon is the way that Drake dresses. In my fics, while he 100% prefers comfortable and functional clothes (his go-to ensemble is cotton button down shirt with sleeves rolled up, distressed jeans and boots), he will dress up for formal events (even if he doesn't really go all out - he leaves his top button unbuttoned on his collar, he doesn't do ties or bowties (except very occaisonally), and he ditches his jacket the first chance he gets) - see Chapter 3 - Masquarade, Chapter 13 - Table of Exiles, Chapter 24 - When You Move, Chapter 36 - Down to the Wire and and Chapter 38 - In the End of (Un)Common Attraction.

The main rationale for this is that while he may hate court and the aristos, I cannot see him showing up to an even in jeans and a t-shirt because (a) he would not actually be allowed in, and (b) I think he has a lot more self-respect than that (also, it's physically impossible for someone to have that many jean shirts).

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