#his cunning determination and desire to find the truth at all costs

[bretwalda-lamnguin]

It's unfortunate that Oedipus is known mainly for killing his father and marrying his mother when 1. neither of those things were his fault and 2. he's so much more interesting than just that.

[rcksmith]

The Agreement part.2 — Kaz Brekker

Resume/Masterlist

Couple: Kaz Brekker/ Fem!Reader.

Warnings of series: Convenience/arranged marriage, swearing, mention of fight, mention of death, mention of desire, fluff, sensual, mention of post-traumatic stress.

Warnings of chapter: swearing.

Word count: 4k

A/N: I hope you guys like.💖

English is not my first language, so I so sorry if have a mistake.

Requests are closet. Love you ❤️

— — — —

“What?!” Your exclamation came out louder than intended, and perhaps sharper than expected.

The salty sea breeze came through the window once more. The smell of salt and ocean invaded the room and for a second it felt like being in a ship's cabin at sea.

Kaz looked at you as if you were some child. Or someone deaf. But if he was swimming in acidic thoughts, he didn't say them.

"Think carefully." His voice was firm and explicit, the ones men use to convince women of something. “You want freedom, don't you? Live your life without having to fulfill a man's whims or your father's expectations. You wants to be able to snow on a ship without having a date to go back and make your own destiny. You want just needing to care what new adventure knocks on your door and what promise of wonders life awaits. It is not?"

How did he figure it out so well in such a short time? Was he too shrewd or were you too transparent?

You nodded, unable to say anything. Perhaps out of perplexity at how Kaz read you so easily. Or maybe the way he looked like an overpoweringly beautiful fallen angel in the moonlight.

“And the only way to do that is to get married.”

You frowned. “As I recall, Brekker, I came here just so I wouldn't have to get married.”

“And it's a stupid plan.” God, you wanted to kill him. “You asked me to have the Dregs take you to the harbor without your father's spies noticing. But it turns out your father's spies already know you're here.”

Your breath was lost somewhere between lungs and nose.

“Since you arrived, the noise from the Crow Club downstairs has become less shrill. And this is not typical criminal behavior. Either they have adopted good manners or someone they know they should fear has joined the Club.” Kaz sat more relaxed in the armchair behind his desk, his dark blue eyes locked on you. “I would bet on the second option.”

“So I came here for nothing?” You were starting to get angry at his beating around the bush. Because you knew it was manipulation. Brekker was laying the groundwork and you understood that.

“I did not say that. Turns out you can never get rid of your father. Not when he's a man with the purchasing power able to buy an entire country. There will always be someone who will recognize you, someone who will find you. And for the right price, the whole world is capable of being bribed. You would run away only to be chased by other spies, other people wanting the reward your father will give to whoever brings you back home.”

Very early on, you realized that Kaz Brekker was capable of crushing dreams as easily as crushing an insect. His destructive power was colossal and you saw all of your desires floating under his palm. Waiting just for him to brutally clench his fist and crush them.

But that's not what he did.

“You'll only get what you want if you follow his orders.” The breeze came through the window once more, ruffling her charcoal hair. “But if you can't defeat your enemies, change the rules of the game.”

“And is that where marriage to you comes in?”

“See it.” His body leaned very gently across the table towards you, it was a millimeter and ridiculous gesture, but it felt like him standing a breath away from you. “What you need is to get married. But marrying someone who doesn't give a damn about what you're going to do, and don’t have expectations of you. Someone who is not interested in home life, family life or Any other things you can offer other than money.”

Any other things you can offer. The night breeze this time was accompanied by an impure, almost obscene scene of the fallen angel in front of you on a bed of black duvets and caustic weather. A moment when the ends of his black hair brushed your forehead and your nose, moving back and forth as followed the rhythm of his hips and…

The sea breeze was gone, taking the obscene image with it and bringing back your common sense. For a second you wondered where that came from! You hadn't been in his presence for more than two hours and the entire compilation of what it was like Kaz Brekker, so far, had frightened you and attracted you in an absurdly dangerous way.

"And are that you came, I suppose." You hoped your voice couldn't give away your impure thoughts from seconds ago. “Do you want us to form an alliance where you receive my dowry and in return I am free from my father's demands and can do as I please with my freedom?"

“Alliance is a very strong term for what we are doing here.” He was succinct, “I would tell you to look at this as a business transaction. A marriage document is still just a piece of paper. And nothing else. Don't get carried away by sentimentalism. Things only have feelings if you want them to.”

Kaz was right, you knew that. For all your belief in true love and the many books romance novels you devoured, you still understood that a marriage could very well be seen as a business translation. It are a sad, cold way to see something so beautiful, but it still true.

“I have no interest in anything other than your dowry and you have no interest other than freedom. So what I'm proposing is something very sensible and objective. When we get married, your father will set you free, and you won't have any husband to please or any other crap. I don't want and don't expect anything from you, I don't care if you're sailing to Ravka or venturing on The Fold.”

“Do you want the money out of greed or despair?”

Kaz took a second to get a better look at you after that sneaky question. You had asked the correct question amid so many banalities and he realized that you were more cunning than you looked.

If he wanted to know your secrets, you also wanted to know his.

“A bit of both.” He was sincere.

“And what do you intend to do with my father's industries? Because you would win them too. And any misdirection could end up reducing my father's empire to nothing, and I don't want him to see the thing he loves most in ruins.”

Brekker heard the feelings in your voice. There was a hidden pang of hurt, but a lot of determination and honesty. You loved your father and understood him, even if you didn't agree with his principles. You had a fair and upright nature and were able to move mountains to get things done the way you thought was right. That was a red flag for Kaz. You were a good person. And he not.

He could never promise you things that go back to a good guy. But he could promise you honesty and justice. Kaz Brekker would never take something from someone the way it was taken from him so many years ago. He was a monster. But never in the same category as Pekka.

“I have no interest in having an empire doomed to fail.” His eyes were serious. “My motivation has always been greed. Why would I sink the company that is capable of making me such a rich man?”

He would have to be an idiot to let such a lucrative business go. And Kaz Brekker was anything but an idiot.

“Would you let me do anything I want?”

“I have no interest in what you don't or do.”

You hesitated for a second, as if remembering another detail. “My father doesn't believe in divorce, and even if he did, I would be pressured to remarry. Do you understand that we couldn't divorce?”

“I have no desire to marry again. And you might as well get other men you want without making a fuss, without your father finding out.” Always rational and objective. Without any inclination to the heart's desires. “There is no room in this world for feelings. Much less in this agreement. If you fall in love with someone you will have to be content with just relating to them, not getting married. And it seems like a small price to pay for so many benefits.”

It was the perfect plan. Did you know that. It was rational, objective and cunning. Something advantageous for both without costing too much. But why did you feel that something could go very wrong? You were a romantic person and you knew you could see things where they didn't exist. The truth was, you would have to leave your heart completely out of the picture.

Just a business transaction.

Brekker seemed to see a hint of hesitation in your eyes.

“It's very simple, Ms. Y/L/N.” That voice that gave you goose bumps hovered in front of you. “You marry me and you still have your freedom, because I don't give a damn about what you do after.”

“20 million from Kruges. Rich.” his eyes gleamed with a deep glow.

“And how do I know this isn't a trick?”

“I don't promise lies.” His firm face was serious “I won't give you happiness, Y/n. Much less love. Love doesn't exist in Kerch. But I will give you freedom, independence, a comfortable life that you are accustomed. And it seems to be much more than you have now.”

You knew you could be making a deal with the devil. Selling your soul to that man with the face of a fallen angel and the aura of Lucifer. But what choice did you have?

You couldn't go back if you sealed that deal. That man would be bound whit you, even by a piece of paper, for a lifetime. Was it worth the price? You didn't care for your father's press to want to be in the management and you had a lot more money than twenty million Kruges. What would you be missing? Your chance to marry one day whit someone you came to love? But if you came home without someone one day from now your father would marry you to a gargoyle. And the way out to flee no longer seemed a viable option.

Yes, it was worth it.

Seeming to see from the glint in your eyes that you've made a decision, Kaz Brekker, Bastard of the Barrel, reached out a leather-gloved hand toward you. His eyes sparkled with a mysterious spark, the scent of male cologne with a hint of danger lurking around the room. And for a moment, you felt a shiver go up your spine and the feeling that your life had just begun.

“Agree to marry me?” He said.

The feeling was that you were about to embark on the greatest adventure of your life. You didn't know what that little stunt with Kaz Brekker awaited you. But you would find out.

“Yes.” You took his hand in a firm, intense handshake that held a million secrets.

A satisfied, victorious smile came to his lips. And whenever Kaz gave him that expression, it felt like seeing the fallen angel that was the reason so many humans sinned. The clouds in the sky shifted, moving out of the moon's path and making the distilled rays of light shimmer more brightly. His black hair and white skin were graced with those bundles, and for a second his beauty was overwhelming.

You held your breath.

Brekker continued to say something, but you couldn't pay attention. Your heart began to race, the moonlight following in his footsteps as Kaz got up from his chair and went to fetch some papers from across the room. You couldn't tear your eyes away from him. His body was taller and thinner than you deduced when he was sitting down. Kaz had long, slender legs beneath black straight-cut pants, his chest was broad and his waist was narrow. For a second, you felt like running your hand over the contours of his body.

You shifted your attention forward abruptly. Focusing eyes on something else.

That was the curse of handsome men. They fooled women and made them daydream. With his underworld god beauty and mysterious aura with a touch of danger, Kaz Brekker was overwhelmingly attractive. And your blood reacted to that. Any woman would have reacted the same way.

“And we'll have to leave tomorrow morning…” he sat opposite you again.

“Sorry, what?”

You turned your attention to his words, not remembering half of what he said seconds ago. Kaz looked at you intently this time, squinting his eyes millimetrically, as if he was trying to guess which paths your mind had wandered in for the past two minutes.

“Your deadline is the day after tomorrow, isn't it?”

"Yes." You got back to the core of the problem once more. “The trip to my house takes a few hours. Half a day if it's raining.”

Kaz had his eyes on the papers in his hands, maybe they were maps or documents, but you didn't feel like craning your neck to see what it was. Leaning over to view the papers meant getting closer to Brekker, and two hours in his presence was enough for you to understand that nothing good would happen if you got any closer. Or maybe you didn't trust your own feelings and emotions.

“This will have to be done very discreetly.” He didn't look up from his papers. “If any rumors about our deal reach the wrong people, your father will hear about our plan. And that meant you will being forced to marry someone else, and me without my money. Does anyone know you're here because you planned to run away?”

You shook your head. “No. I didn't get to tell my friends. But now that the plan is different, I intend to tell a friend that…”

“You can't tell anyone.” Kaz lifted ocean blue eyes to you in an electrifying look that made you shiver.

“And what is supposed to say to my friends?” You felt a pang of indignation.

“That we are in love.”

This time, your breath was gone. The phrase was like pouring gasoline on an old, flammable woodpile. And you were afraid of what might be the match that would set off a fire.

Kaz noticed your reaction and was amused by it. “Just say some nonsense about falling in love with a criminal. It wouldn't be the first time a rich little girl has fallen in love with the bad guy, and I guarantee it won't be the last.”

“And you won't tell anyone about the truth too?” You wanted to change the focus you.

“I don't have to answer to anyone.”

This time you gave a smug smile and crossed your arms in an insolent gesture. “So everyone will think the infamous Kaz Brekker, Dirty Handes and Ketterdam's most dangerous gangster is in love with a rich little girl?”

Kaz narrowed his eyes at your teasing.

“It won't be the first time that the man with a bad temper and dangerous soul falls in love with the little girl. And I'm sure it won't be the last.” You said.

You were provocative, witty and stubborn. You would always hit at the same height and loved to show people that could very well play their game. Brekker unraveled this perfectly. You weren't the kind of woman who would be peaceful, serene, and calm. You wouldn't be like Inej. You would not take his orders and his taunts in silent, contained rage. You were intense. And that was a danger.

Why did he get the feeling you were so much more than he imagined?

“Let's go to your house tomorrow morning. Nine in the morning.” He changed the subject. “I'll go with you and we'll get married.”

"My father must be preparing everything by now." You sighed. “He takes his promises very seriously and I have no doubt that, when I returns, the ceremony scene will be set in the party garden.”

Partly you were relieved about it now. Planning a ceremony are intense and personal. You never really thought about getting married, but you always imagined that if one day it happened it would be the man of your dreams. And you didn't know if you would want to organize a fake wedding. There were certain things that were inevitable to keep the heart from breaking.

“Better yet, the faster the better.”

The two of you discussed some more details of the plan in the next few hours. It was agreed that Kaz would pick you up at nine from your hotel tomorrow, in an elegant hired carriage (which you obviously would be paying for) and the two of you would go to your house in Kerch. For all intents and for all people, the truth would be that the two of you were in love. It was such a typical cliché that it wouldn't be the least bit hard to believe.

And after a while, you two could already show yourself to the world as a couple who barely saw each other. Rich society was full of them: marriage with coldness and distance, where the man has his bets and lovers and the woman her travels and her jewelry. Your father would surely understand and leave you alone. After all, he had gotten a son-in-law to inherit his empire. A young son-in-law with blood for business who would make your father extremely satisfied. However, now the two of you had to look like a couple in love. And the reality of the situation was a secret that only the two of you would take with you to the tomb.

But, that night it was difficult for you to sleep. Anxiety, restlessness and fear gnawed at you like cunning mice, rolling you from side to side in bed, whispering in your ears millions of futures where everything could go wrong. Where not even Kaz Brekker's plans could free you from the clutches of one of your father's suitors.

When the clock struck seven in the morning, you jumped out of bed with unsettling, restless energy. You didn't like feeling helpless and waiting for Brekker to show up was exactly the definition of a princess in trouble. You had to do something.

- -

“What do you mean to get married?!” Jesper choked on his breakfast, and Nina nearly spit out all her orange juice.

Kaz rolled his eyes and continued sorting through the documents on the large round table. He was going to be gone for a few days at most and needed the people he trusted most to take care of business while he was gone. There were a lot of robberies to do and Kaz spent the night crafting and modifying plans for options where he wasn't involved. He had made a list of what needed to be checked at ports and what needed to be resupplied at Crow clube.

The plan was to marry you when they arrived in Kerch and return to Crow Club the next day. Kaz knew he would have to bring you, the two of you would have to stay together until your dowry was delivered to him. After that you could go on any adventure you wanted.

But dealing with the Crows was being more exasperating than Kaz could have expected.

"I didn't even know you had a girlfriend!" Wylan was in shock.

"Nobody knew!" Nina and Inej had their chins on the floor. Matthias was the only one who didn't seem to care so much.

"I didn't know the affairs of my private life were your business." Kaz didn't look up from the papers he kept in folders for the stupid ones.

"But you never said anything." Inej said.

"It was the intention."

"It's with Y/n, isn't it?" Jesper had bright eyes and a gleeful gambling smile stretched across his lips.

Kaz looked up at the boy with chocolate creamy skin, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

“She spent hours in yours office last night.”

"Oh my Santis!" Inej, Nina and Wylan exclaimed at once, eyes wide.

"The daughter of the richest man in Kerch." Wylan said.

"YOUR DOG!" Jesper clapped Kaz on the shoulder with an open palm, a loud laugh echoing and joy filling his voice.

Kaz suppressed the urge to look at the spot where Jesper had touched him. It had been years since he'd gotten over the most brutal aversion to touch, when the mere thought of getting close to someone made him tingle and dizzy with imminent fainting. At 28 years old, Kaz Brekker had proven to be greater than the demons and weaknesses that haunted him, wanting to see his downfall. A man who wanted to defeat Pekka could have no weaknesses. And he prided himself on almost have none of them.

However, offhand gestures made him look at the spot where he had been touched. The sensation brought was not unbearable or nauseating, but strange. And when the situation was skin to skin in a touch that caught him off guard, the feeling was unpleasant. Like a splinter under the skin.

It was easier with people Kaz felt comfortable with, but it wasn't something he cared about. He forced himself to overcome the most brutal aversion just to be a man without weaknesses, no chance of being defeated in a torture, no chance of being defeated by a faint. No for to touch someon.

“I thought you didn't know her in person when I warned you yesterday.” Inej tried to contain her little smile.

“It was the intention. You guys forgot the definition of secret…”

"Boss." One of the employees had entered that exclusive room. "There's someone here wanting to talk to you, Sir." He looked apprehensive.

Kaz frowned. The crow club had no movement at eight in the morning.

"Who is?"

"I think…"

"Will you please let me through!" The female voice sounded outside the room.

Jesper and the rest of the gang were wide-eyed, mouths opening in amusement and bewilderment. Kaz was catatonic. What the fucking hell were you doing there?!

"What do you mean I can't talk to your boss?!" And you continued. “I spoke to him yesterday...Don't give me these arguments, my dad tells his employees to tell people exactly that...I swear if you touch out about me again I will...”

"Fucking hell!" Kaz came out from behind the counter, crossing the living room and opening the door.

He came face to with that scene. A short girl who argued with a bouncer who was triple her height and size. Kaz knew the man was arrogant and macho, and had probably nudged your temper. He would have been amused by the scene if he wasn't abgry that you didn't follow his explicit rules.

“Ray.” Kaz glanced at the bouncer, a steady gaze that made the brute immediately back away from you.

You even gave the man an angry look before heading towards Kaz.

"What are you doing here?!" He whispered angrily.

"I couldn't wait." You wiggled your fingers, a tic of anxiety. “I could barely sleep. It was lucky I didn't show up at six in the morning.”

“That's not excuses. We have a schedule!"

“But I couldn't wait!" You whispered too. “It's visseral. I can't just sit there and wait!”

What an insufferable creature!

"Well, you'll have to learn because…!"

"What are you two whispering back there? “ Jesper's voice interrupted the discussion in whispers.

The two of you turned to the troupe standing in the doorway of the Crow room. Playful, mischievous smiles were plastered across their faces, and you felt your cheeks blush. Kaz and you looked at each other, and in that second of silent complicity, the two of you finally stepped into the roles of partners in crime.

Tagged: @aleksanderwh0r3 @thedelusionreaderbitch @hi-there-x @mell-bell @glowingatdawn @subjecta13-thefangirl @itsnotquimey @thatchampagnebitch @lamoursansfin @lostysworld @s3xymoonman @is-it-really-a-secret

[jkbabiey]

{JJK} Say it ⤇ 2

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Pairing:  fuckboy!jungkook x student!reader

Word Count: ~2.1 K

Genre: we’ll keep up with the flirty tension and let’s add a bit of an awkward tension to the mix... just for fun ; college!AU

Warnings: Jungkook seems to be less of a dick and Y/N gets shy, she’s still a sweetheart. 

4th of March, 2023

Another typical saturday night. 

It was about midnight and you were, as usual, covered in anatomy books and human body scrawled papersheets. As much as you loved anatomy, you had to admit that along with interesting, it was a really exausting subject. You were incredibly sleepy from all the studying you’d been doing from at least 3 PM and all you wanted was to go to sleep, but you refused to give in to your desires, deciding to stay up at least for another hour. 

Yes, you were aware that probably - and most-certainly - you were sounding like a nerdy self-sabotaging bitch BUT you had a reason. You had an anatomy exam next week and you were determined to get the highest grade possible, even if it cost you some hours of sleep. And why was the reason behind that? Well... you had been holding a grudge... Yeah... In you previous anatomy exam - in wich you were close to getting the highest grade in class - your asshole professor had insinnuated that you had cheated just because he had seen you turn back to pick your fallen pen and though you were looking at your seatmate’s exam. You were -oh, so ready to get the highest grade of the class in this exam and freacking rub it in that dubass’ face.

You grabbed a handful of the crispy bacon chips you were using as a motivation to keep up the good work, furiously munching on them and preparing yourself to start reading another chapter of your favorite anatomy book, Gray’s Anatomy.

Before you got to read the first word something got your attention. You had never been so happy to receive a text from an unknown number in your life. This had to be a sign telling you to just go to sleep, for sure. You grabbed your phone instantly, dropping the heavy book on top of your sprailed thighs, finally finding an almost proper excuse to get away from your never-ending studies.

[Unknown number, 00:10 AM] - Hey princess

You didn’t take you long to remember the annoying man that approached you at the bar three weeks ago, probably because of the exact same choice of words he used the night he tried to seduce you.

[Unknown number, 0:10 AM] - Remember me?

You would be lying if you said you haven’t thought about him these days. His appearance was too good to just disappear from your mind in three mere weeks. Everything, from the way he looked to the cocky and snarky comebacks he spat after hearing you neglecting him multiple times that night was, unfortunately, attractive to you.

[You, 00:14 AM] - No.

You lied. 

It didn't take a lot of time for another message to pop up on your phone's screen.

[Unknown number, 00:15 AM] -  Come on, I know you've been thinking about me

Prick...

[You, 00:15 AM] - Tell me your name, and maybe I'll remember who you are.

Deep inside you knew that this wasn't the real reason why you were asking him his name. The truth was that you wanted to know a name, so you could associate his face – which you haven’t been able to stop thinking about for the last 21 days and it was honestly driving you insane – to a name.

[Unknow number, 00:15 AM] - I didn’t tell you my name, it wouldn't help baby

And, unhappily he was able to turn your little game against its own creator. 

That cunning little shit...

[Unknow number, 00:16 AM] - But we both know I haven’t left your mind these days

You were, once again, left bewildered staring at his text. He was a cocky, selfish, jackass that was completely full of himself.

You threw your phone on your sofa and tried to calm down. It was impressive how quickly he was able to get you all riled up. He literally just had to say something, anything, and you would already be thinking of ways to kill him. You wouldn’t say it out loud, but after that night you had been waiting for a call or a text. For his call or for his text, and that was the major factor that was holding you from telling him to fuck off right away. But you couldn’t blame yourself for thinking about him. He was annoying, yes he was. But he was also extremely hot, and if you’re being honest, you missed getting laid. You didn’t even remember the last time someone made you feel good in that way and you were definitely craving it. A woman has needs and, unfortunately, he filled all of your physical demands in a man even though you were selective, very selective.

And even after considering how physically needy you were at the moment, you decided to act against yourself once again that night and left him without any answer. The guy had already proven himself to be such a dick and as sexually needy as you coud be, you would never let someone like that get to touch one single inch of your body. 

You weren’t that needy, anyways...

7th of March, 2023

It was Tuesday today. You hated Tuesdays. Today you would have to endure two straight hours in the lab. Your microbiology professor wasn't the best, and his monotone way of talking just made it all worse. Usually you would have pretty much use this two hours to discretely close your eyes and try to sleep. 

That would have happened if your crush hadn't asked to sit next to you. Right now, sleep was the last thing on your mind. You were fixed on the way Jimin lurked into the microscope's ocular. The way he pursed his plump lips whenever he didn't get the outcome he wanted or the way he looked at you and smiled softly from time to time. 

When class ended, Jimin got up from his seat and turned to you.

"Hey, do you want to come get coffee with me?" 

Your eyes widened and your lips instantly parted, shocked by his invitation. How come the hottest and sweetest guy in your class was asking you on a date?

"Yes, of course!" 

You cringed internally hearing how desperate that answer had probably sounded to him, but the smile on your face never faded. You threw your books and all the other stuff you could recognize as yours into your black leather bag and quickly walked beside him.

You bit your red velvet muffin cautiously, sipping on your black coffee right away. You were trying to look pretty in front of Jimin. He had been your crush since you started med school. He had catched you eye immediately. He wasn’t the type of guy to try to get people’s attention, but he did, naturally. You two had been sitting in that coffee shop for about 15 minutes already and you were completely enchanted by his sweet and delicate ways. He was every girl's dream and you couldn't deny that you were a part of that crowd. He was absolutely dreamy and you were absolutely entranced in his whole appearance. 

"So... I noticed you haven't been dating anyone for a really long time now..." he smirked at you and waited patiently for your answer. 

The thing is, you couldn't really answer him. You had been caught off guard. You didn't know he would be this direct.

"Right," you murmured, completely flustered by his sudden approach to your love life.

"Don't be so shy, we're friends Y/N!"

Your expression fell immediately after hearing his words. And then came the sudden realization that this was not romantic. This wasn’t a freaking date.

"Maybe, I can introduce some of my friends to you! I'm pretty sure, anyone would love to date you, you’re absolutely gorgeous!"

His words pissed you off, but you didn't say a thing, displaying the smalles and most polite ever instead. How could he say you were gorgeous right after friendzoning you?

After that neither of you say a thing and just kept eating the food he insisted on buying until you noticed him squinting his eyes to see something behind you. 

"What are you looking at?" you asked, way more harshly than you had intended to sound, but he didn’t seem to notice, anyway.

"I think that's a friend of mine..." he hummed and squinted his eyes even harder. He had some vision problems, but he refused to wear his glasses - even though they looked great on him, what a surprise...

This was just what was missing  in tjis “date”, someone to take his attention from you. Definitely not a date.

"Really?" you asked sharply, looking at him in pure boredom. You knew you didn't have any right to be mad at him, but how are you supposed to react when your crush of 1 whole year says he could ask one of his friends to go on a date with you, just before saying your “absolutely gorgeous”?

"Yeah... I think it's Jungkook," he said, still waiting for his friend to finish paying his coffee and turn around, so he could see if he was or not the person he expected.

You rolled your eyes and looked over your shoulder, curious to see who Jimin was talking about, and just as you did it, your eyes locked with the familiar wide and shiny eyes from three weeks ago. You felt the exact same electricity you had felt that night in the bar and instantly turned your eyes back to Jimin, in hopes 'Jungkook' was someone else, anyone else. But when you turned back to Jimin, he was already standing up and opening his arms, ready to hug whoever his friend was. You still hoped and asked the Gods for his friend to be someone else, but not him.

"Jungkook!"

Jimin was so excited that you could see the glint in his eyes as he almost screamed his friend's name.

All your hopes died when you sensed his presence next to you, engulfing Jimin in a bear hug

"Hey man! Haven't seen you in a while!" he whispered into Jimin's hair loud enough for you to hear. His voice was very different from the one you remembered from the bar. It was much softer now.

"Yeah..." Jimin hummed softly into his friend's chest and when they parted from their tight and long hug, Jimin's eyes landed on you

"This is Y/N, she's a friend from uni. Y/N, this is Jungkook, he's my best friend, " Jimin stated and winked at you, remembering your dialogue from earlier. You could feel the heat in your cheeks and the color on them was probably pretty visible as well.

"Hey Y/N," he greeted as if he hadn’t ever seen you before in his life and trained his eyes on you to watch your reaction.

Well, your reaction was probably up to everything he was waiting. You coughed awkwardly and quickly sipped on your coffee so you could get rid of the annoying dryness that had settled on your throat. You looked over at Jimin, that wriggled his brows at you and winked discreetly. You decided to ignore him and in the meantime Jungkook’s smirk grew wider. You could physically see he was dying to make fun of you.

"Hey..." you answered quietly, after a long time. 

Jungkook chuckled and broke his stare from you, looking at Jimin

"I have to go but I'll call you later," he said while giving a large bite to his donut before sipping on his coffee.

"Stay a bit longer! You should meet Y/N, she's pretty cool," Jimin answered quickly, trying to hold his friend back, while your cheeks burdened even harder. Jungkook chuckled quietly again and answered his friend

"Can't, class starts in..." he looked at his clock to check the time he had left and his eyes widened "-fuck, I have 2 minutes" he looked between me and Jimin and muttered a little 'I’ll call you later', before running to get to his class quickly.

Jimin laughed a bit and ran his fingers through his blonde locks.

"I think there was some chemistry" he stated teasingly and you shot him a threatening look, trying to fight the smile that tried to creep up your face. 

“Shut up,” you muttered, suddenly feeling a lot more comfortable in Jimin’s presence. The awkwardness from before, now totally gone. 

"He's majoring in criminal justice, he’s actually a very smart guy..." he stated excitedly

"I don't care Jimin..." you said after chuckling lightly at his efforts

"Shut up, you liked him!" he screeched and hit you softly on the arm

"No, I didn't" you murmured and sipped on your black coffee.

Well, at least Jungkook had a good taste in coffee.

You weren’t shocked when, at 5 PM, while you were enjoying your ride home in the subway, you received another text from Jungkook. Being the little brat he already showed he was, there was no way he was going to let this opportunitie of making fun of you slide. You had that figured out as soon as he left the coffee shop earlier that day.

[Unknown number, 5:00 PM] - You didn’t seem very brave today.

You sighed, wondering what you were supposed to answer. Well, yeah... How the fuck were you supposed to act brave when, first of all, you were by nature too socially awkward, and second of all, you had been under his stare, which was too intimidating for you to say something longer than ‘hey’. 

[You, 5:01 PM] - You also weren’t as dickish as you seem to be.

[Jungkook, 5:01 PM] - I am not dickish!

[You, 5:04 PM] - Of course you’re not.

[Jungkook, 5:05 PM] - Give me one date.

Your eyes-widened and you choked in the chocolate milk you were drinking. The sixty-year-old man seated in front of you sending you a slightly disgusted look, to wich you answered with a nervous smile.

[You, 5:06 PM] - Do you think you can woo me in one date?

[Jungkook, 5:08 PM] - If you want me to take you on more than one date, that’s alright...

You couldn’t help but laugh at his response. How the hell did he find ways to turn every single thing in his favour?! That was seriously a gift from god, and you weren’t even religious.

[You, 5:09 PM] - Oh my god, pls shut up

[Jungkook, 5:11 PM] - One date and i won’t talk to you anymore today

[You, 5:12 PM] - One date and you won’t talk to me the whole week.

[Jungkook, 5:12 PM] - Deal.

[yuckitup-jwd]

Historical people answer the question - Why did the chicken cross the road?

Douglas Adams: Forty-Two

Earnest Angsley: To be HAYELED! in the name o'Jayeeezus!

Marcus Antonius: The evil that chickens do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.

Any Philosophy 101 Professor: Why not?

Any Calculus Professor: The road, if expressed in the form (y2-y1)/(x2-x1) is approximate for cases where lim(y2-y1)/(x2-x1) as (x2-x1) -> 0, is represented by the derivative, or rate of change, of the road with respect to the chicken, such that the value of the chicken may be assumed equal to the value of (y2-y1)/(x2-x1), for small values of roads.

Jane Austen: Because it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single chicken, being posessed of a good fortune and presented with a good road, must be desirous of crossing.

Aristotle: To actualize its potential.

Neil Armstrong: One small step for chickenkind, one giant leap for poultry.

Arthur, King of the Britons: What do you mean? African or European chickens?

Paul Atreidies: What name have you for the chicken shaped stain upon your road? That shall be the name that you shall call me!

Lord Baden-Powell: Because as a Chicken Scout, it needed the Road-Crossing Merit Badge.

Bilbo Baggins: Oh what I wouldn't give to back in my nice, warm Hobbit-hole! I hope I never have to lay eyes on such a thing as that chicken again!

Baldrick: It had a cunning plan.

The Band: To take a load off....

The Bandit, in The Treasure of The Sierra Madre: "Chickens? Chickens? We don't need no stinkin' chickens!"

Clive Barker: He was drawn to the road, and he didn't so much cross the road as the road crossed him. And once across, the chicken entered into a frightening void, filled only with the screams of a thousand agonized souls. The hands of doom reached out of the blackness, strangling the chicken, smothering him, suffocating him. He could not escape, as no one who crosses the road can escape. He was now a prisoner of the Cenobytes, doomed to an eternity of pain.

Roseanne Barr: Urrrrrp. What chicken?

The Beatles: To be free as a bird!

Lavrenti Beria (ex-head of the KGB): This is a State Secret -- we have informants everywhere.

Bill The Cat Ack. Thpppbt

Blackadder: Queenie: Because I told it to. Percy: To acquire a hunk of purest green Lord Flasheart: To DOOOOOOOOO IT!

Lucien Bouchard: So that it could be SEPARATE!

Ben Bova: To be reunited with beautiful grey-eyed Athena, the woman he has loved for all of time

Brisco (Law and Order): For A Bagel

Bruce, Bruce, Bruce, Bruce, Bruce and Bruce: To grab a Fosters and get away from the poofters!

Buddha: If you ask this question, you deny your own chicken-nature.

Archie Bunker: I don't care what them there chickens do, as long as they stay on THEIR side of the street!

Bugs Bunny: What's up, cluck?

Robert Burns: Fair Fa Your Honest Sonsie Face Great Chieftain O' The Chicken Race The blackened road 'ahind ye said Ye best run quick ere ye be deid!

George Bush: If it did it was out of the loop

George Bush: (again) It could see the thousand points of headlights....

Rhett Butler: Frankly my dear, it didn't give a damn!

C3PO (1): Sir, may I remind you that I am fluent in 6,000,000 forms of communication and this chicken has not... shutting up, sir.

C3PO (2): Sir, according to my calculations, the odds of a chicken successfully navigating a road are 3,750 to 1 against.

Caesar: It came, it saw, it crossed.

Joseph Campbell: In primitive cultures, we can find many such examples of the chicken motif that cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence. For instance, I am reminded of an old Navajo legend in which a buffalo crosses a stream to "come" to the other side -- an obvious negative language devised to prepare tribesmen for a transcendental experience. Similarly, the Hindus believe in savanaya, or a sacred cow that leaps over a chasm on Thursdays. Through metaphorical interpretation, we are led to realize that all examples suggest an attainable higher state of consciousness like that of Nietzsche's ubermench, or superman, as outlined in his novel "Thus Spoke Zarathustra."

Albert Camus: Seeing that an indifferent world lied on all sides of the road, the chicken knew it would be absurd not too cross, and for that moment, the chicken knew what it was to really be alive. It was if the bird had been asleep its entirely up until this choice was put before him. So, with a newfound determination and a smile, the chicken valiently crossed the road only to be put out of its mercy by an eighteen wheeler.

Candide: To cultivate its garden.

Johnny Carson: Let me tell you, it was so cold at that farm... Ed McMahon: How cold was it? Johnny Carson: It was so cold, that the chickens were mugging the sheep to get wool for sweaters!

Raymond Chandler: Across these mean streets a chicken must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete chicken and a common chicken and yet an unusual chicken. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a chicken of honor - by instinct, by inevitability, withough thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best chicken in his world and a good enough chicken for any world.

Charlie X: Because it didn't want to STAY....STAY....STAY....STAY....STAY...

Cheech (or Chong): Just to be there, man.

The Chicken: I am crossing the road to block traffic as a protest against ..." (thump).

Commander Chikotay: I'm not sure but I can find out. That chicken is my animal spirit guide.

Noam Chomsky: To manufacture consent

Tom Clancy: The Mark 84 gargleblaster that the chicken carried, at the heart of which was an inferior ex-Soviet excimer laser system, had insufficient range to allow the chicken to carry out its mission from this side of the road.

John Cleese From Fawlty Towers: Manuel from Barcelona: "Que?" Basil: "You know, a chicken crossing the road...." Manuel: "Que?" Basil: [looking it up in a dictionary], "Un Pollo..." Manuel: interrupting, "No, No we out of chicken.." * WHAP!!*

John Cleese: Because it was very silly.

John Cleese: (again) This isn't a chicken license, you know! It's a dog license with the word "Dog" crossed out and "Chicken" written in in crayon.

John Cleese: (#3) This Chicken is no more. It has ceased to function. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. It's a stiff. If it wasn't nailed to the road it'd be pushing up daisies. It's snuffed it. It's metabolic processes are now history. It's bleeding demised. It's rung down the curtain, shuffled off the mortal coil and joined the bleeding Choir Invisible. This is an Ex-Chicken.

Bill Clinton: What?

Bill Clinton (again): The chicken was persuaded to cross the road by the Democratic congress. It is now returning to the middle of the road

Joseph Conrad: Mistah Chicken, he dead.

John Constantine: Because it'd made a bollocks of things over on this side of the road and figured it'd better get out right quick.

Alastair Cooke: Good Evening, and welcome to Masterpiece Theatre. Tonight, we present the epic British drama "How The Chicken Went," based on the 1843 novel by Herbert T. Poultry, and adapted for the screen by Joanna Drumstick. Starring Susan Hampshire as the Chicken, and Anthony Hopkins as the evil and unrepentant diner, Borstrom, this elegant period piece explores the mores and morality of a society in which ordinary chickens had to face their destiny of crossing the road to meet their fate at the hands of the monied upper classes, regardless of their own ambitions or desires...

Shiela Copps (Deputy Prime Minister of Canada): BECAUSE I SCREAMED AT IT REAL LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sheila Copps: Okay, I know that the chicken promised it would cross the road if the Liberals failed to eliminate the GST, but it was a stupid promise to make and the chicken deeply regrets ever making it. However, the chicken will not be crossing the road because to do so would cost tax payers $500,000.

Sheila Copps (a few days later): Alright! Alright! The chicken will cross the road like it promised. But it'll be right back again. Now leave me alone.

Howard Cosell: It may very well have been one of the most astonishing events to grace the annals of history. An historic, unprecendented avian biped with the temerity to attempt such an herculean achievement formerly relegated to homo sapien pedestrians is truly a remarkable occurrence.

Jacques Ives Cousteau: Zee cheecken, unaware of zee dangare beehind heem, crosses zee street. Weezout warning, zee Porsche strikes, and zee balance of zee nature ees maintained.

Stephen R. Covey: When the chicken and the road can work together for the win-win, the result is synergy!

Jean Cretien, Prime Minister of Canada: "It wasn't a chicken, you know, it was an Inuit carving of a loon. But the RCMP should have been there anyway..."

Aleister Crowley: Because it was its True Will to do so.

Salvador Dali: The Fish.

Stephanie Daniels: It was the turtle's day off.

Darwin: It was the logical next step after coming down from the trees.

Commander Data: I do not know. Although I have compared all of my 437 billion data points relating to chickens and roads, there is no possitive correlation between the two.

W. Edwards Demming: But is one chicken crossing one road of statistical importance? Only once we have established an historical baseline of chickens with respect to roads, with calculated upper and lower control limits, can we make that determination.

Arthur Dent: Are you sure the chicken is from Beetelgeuse, and not from Gilford after all?

Jacques Derrida: Any number of contending discourses may be discovered within the act of the chicken crossing the road, and each interpretation is equally valid as the authorial intent can never be discerned, because structuralism is DEAD, DAMMIT, DEAD!

Rene Descartes: It had sufficient reason to believe it was dreaming anyway.

Descartes (again): The chicken was merely a machine and was crossing due to the deterministic nature of the universe.

Emily Dickinson: Because it could not stop for death.

Bob Dole: Do you know that before that chicken had gotten across the road, its cellular phone was ringing and there was a lawyer on the other end asking if it would like to sue the city for not putting up a traffic light.

Bob Dylan: How many roads must a chicken travel down, before they call him a man?

E.T.: Chicken, phone home

Ecclesiastes (1): For every fowl, there is a season. A time for garlic, a time for sage...

Ecclesiastes (2): This bird is meaningless.

Wyatt Earp: Well, chicken, are you gonna do something, or just stand there and bleed?

Eeyore: If it did. Which I doubt. Not that it matters.

Albert Einstein: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed the chicken depends on your frame of reference.

T.S. Eliot: It's not that they cross, but that they cross like chickens.

Harlan Ellison: Because he had no beak and must scream.

Emergency Medical Holographic Doctor on U.S.S. Voyager: Maybe it was trying to state the nature of a medical emergency.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: It didn't cross the road; it transcended it.

Epicurus: For fun.

Basil Fawlty: Oh, don't mind that chicken. It's from Barcelona.

Sybil Fawlty: BASIL! Why is there a CHICKEN in my hotel?

Dr. Johnny Fever: To escape from the Phone Cops!

Fiver (from Watership Down): Don't you see it? The sky has turned to blood, the field has turned to fire... THE CHICKENS! DON'T YOU SEE THE CHICKENS?

Gerald R. Ford: It probably fell from an airplane and couldn't stop its forward momentum.

Sigmund Freud: The chicken obviously was female and obviously interpreted the pole on which the crosswalk sign was mounted as a phallic symbol of which she was envious, selbstverstaendlich.

Robert Frost: To cross the road less traveled by.

Barney Fyfe: Now Andy, let me tell you a thing or two about chickens. Chickens cross roads in those other counties, but not here in Mayberry. No chicken crosses no roads in Mayberry without Deputy Fyfe knowing about it!

Gandalf: O chicken, do not meddle in the affairs of roads, for you are tasty and good with barbecue sauce.

Bill Gates: For the money

Frank Bunker Gilbereth: To minimize its therbligs

Jim Gillis: The chicken crossed the road to show the gophers it could be done.

Newt Gingrich: To get to the RIGHT side of the road.

Newt Gingrich (again): The chicken had to cross the road, because, bogged down by the incredible debt burden, it was no longer able to fly.

Newt Gingrich (III): It was safety pinned to one of those damn punk rockers!

Ira Glasser (ACLU): The chicken maintains an absolute privacy interest in information as to whether or why he or she may have perambulated the thoroughfare.

Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe: The eternal hen-principle made it do it.

Sir Charles Grandiose: As surely as the golden hairs turn to silver, as surely as the sands drift silently through the slender neck of the hourglass, the last sunny days of summer flee soundlessly under autumn's chilly embrace. And with those last days of that warmest and most joyful of seasons, left the road's edge the sprightliest young chicken ever a Baronet did see

Hercules Gryptyppe-Thynne, (All-around Public-School Cad): That's not a chicken! It's a clever disguise, inside of which is Count Jim "Thighs" Moriarity.....

Gary Gygax: Because I rolled a 64 on the "Chicken Random Behaviors" chart on page 497 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

Hamlet: Because 'tis better to suffer in the mind the slings and arrows of outrageous road maintenance than to take arms against a sea of oncoming vehicles.

Thomas Hardy: The road was black, the sky was white (and so were the feathers) as the bright red mark on the top of the chicken's head gleamed in the twilight. It was a pure chicken and it was doomed.

Mike Harris, (Premier of Ontario): Like evrything else in this province, it was facing the axe.

Paul Harvey: And now... page two... a chicken... attempts to cross... the street... yes... the street... and is... run down by a... Buick! The Buick Roadmaster with it's powerful perfomance and elegant style! Yes... that poor chicken... hit by the Buick... it's true... it's... true... and speaking of true... your local True Value Hardware Store...

Hegel: Only through the synthesis of the dialectical chicken and road could the spirit transcend the experience of crossing.

Robert Heinlein: Because with the freedom the chicken was given, it was the chicken's responsibility to do so.

Robert Heinlein (again): The more widely dispersed chickens are throughout the Universe, the better the long-term prospects for the survival of the chicken species.

Werner Heisenberg: We are not sure which side of the road the chicken was on, but it was moving very fast.

Ernest Hemingway: To die. In the rain.

Hippocrates: Because of an excess of light pink gooey stuff in its pancreas.

Doug Hofstadter: To seek explication of the correspondence between appearance and essence through the mapping of the external road-object onto the internal road-concept.

Sherlock Holmes: It crossed the road because it was going to catch a train at Victoria Station at 3:15, to Edinburgh. And how did I know that? Observe, Watson, the patina of dust on the chicken's feathers, which indicates that it had been spending time in a library, reading about Scotland. And observe also that it was humming "Bonnie Lassie" as it waited to cross. Finally, and most important, observe the train ticket marked Edinburgh, stuffed under one wing, and the fact that Victoria station was where the chicken crossed the street, and finally that the only train to Edinburgh this afternoon is the 3:15....

David Hume: Out of custom and habit.

Saddam Hussein: This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.

Lee Iacocca: It found a better car, which was on the other side of the road.

Dr. Jack Van Impe: Well you see, here's the really exciting part, if we were to look at Revelation 17:3 we will see that the Whore of Babylon rides on a scarlet beast. A scarlet beast! What this means is a Rhode Island Red. And the truly glorious thing is that this beast, this Rhode Island Red, this CHICKEN has crossed the road EXACTLY as was prophesized in the Bible and this is all a sign, Revelation 17:3, that we're living in the End Time. Hallelujah! And if you would like more information on the significance of this chicken crossing the road as all part of God's great plan then send me $50 and you will recieve this set of video tapes along with a copy of my recent book "Chickens: fowl beast, or foul beast?".

John Paul Jones: It has not yet begun to cross!

Carl Jung: The confluence of events in the cultural gesalt necessitated that individual chickens cross roads at this historical juncture, and therefore synchronicitously brought such occurrences into being.

Franz Kafka: Dieter, now in the form of a chicken, was running from the government's torture machine. The machine, an instrument of death, slowly obliterated the souls of its victims. Dieter was alone. He was running for his life, his insignificant life.

Immanuel Kant: The pure transcendental concept of the road, having been deduced a priori and without dependence on intuitions, is given in the mode of the chicken as an end in itself, while crossing the road as a hypothetical imperative, namely, as acting towards some end allowed by Reason.

Casey Kasem: And now here's a hot new number from a hot young band whose drummer was so tragically killed in a freeway accident, it's The Hen House Flock singing "When You Gonna Crow?" hitting the charts at number 23!

JFK: The chicken chose to cross the road in this decade not because it was easy, but because it was hard.

Obi Wan Kenobi: To follow old obi wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade.

Jack Kerouac: The chicken hipster, high on tea and the soul groves of Charlie (the bird) Parker, strolled aimlessly on the road looking for his dharma.

Soren Kierkegaard: The chicken is dead. The road is nothing.

Colonel Kilgore: "I love the smell of chickens in the morning"

Martin Luther King: It had a dream.

James Tiberius Kirk: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.

Ralph Klein: Because we gave it a one-way bus ticket to B.C.

Mark Knophler: How come Chickens got Industrial Disease?

Mark Lane: There is new, irrefutable evidence that the chicken did not act alone.

Gary Larson: Don't ask me. I am retired. Stan Laurel: I'm sorry, Ollie. It escaped when I opened the run.

Timothy Leary: Because that's the only kind of trip the Establishment would let it take.

John Le Carre: Because it knew, at the core of its being where none could ever reach, that its only course of action now that its cover was blown wide open was to try and slip away into the grey, foggy, bleak evening before Smiley came, accompanied by his silent shadow Peter Guillam, asking questions for which there could never be answers.

Dr. Hannibal Lector: So I could eat its liver, with some fava beans and a nice chianti .......thththththththth.

Leda: Are you sure it wasn't Zeus dressed up as a chicken? He's into that kind of thing, you know.

Foghorn Leghorn: To get to that damn Dawg, Boah!

Gottfried Von Leibniz: In this best possible world, the road was made for it to cross.

Vladimir Lenin: It is not the chicken's road. It is the PEOPLE'S road!

David Letterman: And the No. 1 reason - fricasee!

Rush Limbaugh: Beacuse of those damn bleeding heart liberals, trying to save one stupid bird while thousands of jobs are being lost. Dave Lister: Because of the smegging space corps directives.

Any Late Evening News Anchor: The chicken crosses the road. Film at 11:00.

Abraham Lincoln: Fourscore and seven eggs ago, our forefeathers...

Logan (Law and Order): To buy a plaid tie

Jack London: To answer the call of the wild.

H.P. Lovecraft: To futilely attempt escape from the dark powers which even then pursued it, hungering after the stuff of its soul!

George Lucas: Because the Force was with it.

Machiavelli: So that its subjects will view it with admiration, as a chicken which has the daring and courage to boldly cross the road, but also with fear, for whom among them has the strength to contend with such a paragon of avian virtue? In such a manner is the princely chicken's dominion maintained.

Marvin (the paranoid android): "Here I am, brain the size of a planet, and you ask me why the chicken crossed the road? I could tell you, but I really don't think it's worth while."

Marvin the Paranoid Android: Here I am, brain the size of a planet, and what do they ask me? Why did the chicken cross the road? As if their pathetic cerebelums could even comprehend my answer. Chickens, don't talk to me about chickens... they're SO depressing.

Karl Marx: It was a historical inevitability.

Karl Marx (again): To escape the bourgeois middle-class struggle.

Groucho Marx: Chicken? What's all this talk about chicken? Why, I had an uncle who thought he was a chicken. My aunt almost divorced him, but we needed the eggs.

Groucho Marx (again): This morning I shot a chicken in my pyjamas -- and lemme tell ya, that chicken ran out of my pyjamas in a second!

Jackie Mason: Whaddaya want, it should just stand there?

Perry Mason: Cross the road you say? But how can you be sure? No one else would have known the chicken crossed the road except for the real killer!

Dr. McCoy: How should I know? Damnit Jim, I'm a Doctor not an ornithologist!

Marshall McLuhan: The Road is the Medium. The chicken is the Message!

Gregor Mendel: To get various strains of roads.

A.A. Milne: I imagine that if I thought very hard I shouold come up with a reason. (also applicable to Winnie the Pooh)

John Milton: To justify the ways of God to men.

Indigo Montoya: It too pursues a man with six fingers on his left hand.

Michael Moriarity: To annoy Janet Reno.

Jim Morrison: To break on thruough to the other side, I am the chicken king

Ralph Nader: A chicken on a road is unsafe at any speed

Sir Isaac Newton: Chickens at rest tend to stay at rest. Chickens in motion tend to cross the road.

Jack Nicholson: 'Cause it (censored) wanted to. That's the (censored) reason.

Nietzsche: Because if you gaze too long across the Road, the Road gazes also across you.

Col. Oliver North: I do not recall any such events. I had no knowledge of these occurrences.

Peter Norton: It was a virus and it saw me coming...

Richard Nixon: That part of our conversation was accidentally erased.

George Orwell: Because Big Brother was watching to make sure that it did cross the road, although in its heart, the chicken never did.

Thomas Paine: Out of common sense.

Michael Palin: Nobody expects the banished inky chicken!

Emporer Palpatine: Foolish chicken! Only now, at the end, do you see the head-lights!

Dorothy Parker: Travel, trouble, music, art / A kiss, a frock, a rhyme / The chicken never said they fed its heart / But still they pass its time.

Patsy: Oh, F*&% the chicken. Run it over and lets have a drink.

Gen. George S. Patton: To get those yellow bellied chickens outta here.

General George S. Patton (again): The way to win a war is not to cross a road for you country. The way to win a war is to make some OTHER poor chicken cross a road for HIS COUNTRY!

Wolfgang Pauli: There already was a chicken on the other side of the road.

Frank Perdue: How the heck do I know? Do I look like a chicken to you -- don't answer that.

Marlin Perkins, on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom: Watch, as the chicken mauls Jim yet again...

H. Ross Perot: I'm crossing. I'm not crossing....

H. Ross Perot2: Crossing the road is that chickens primary concern! PRIMARY concern!

H. Ross Perot3: Chickens and roads, I'll tell ya what it means! It means 4 trillion dollars of dafficit, it means the end of our infrastructure, it means... look at this chart!

H. Ross Perot4: Let me tell ya, it's all about NAFTA. This chicken represents your job, and this road represents the Mexican border...

Jean-Luc Picard: To see what's out there.

Jean-Luc Picard (again): Because it's shields were down and it had no other options left...

Piglet: Because ch-ch-chickens are such very s-s-s-small animals.

Plato: For the greater good.

Edgar Allan Poe: Quoth the chicken,"Nevermore!"

Emily Post: When a chicken is confronted with a road, it is only proper for the chicken to stand erect, turn to face the road, look both ways and cross... remembering to send a sincere thank you letter within one month of the event.

Elvis Presley: You aint nothin' but a chicken, crossin' all the roads!

Psalms: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no road!

Pyrrho the Skeptic: What Road?

Monty Python: For Something Completely Different

Dan Quayle: "chicken" C-H-I-K-E-N "chicken"

The Red Queen: Who cares? Off with it's head!

R2D2: beep bleep be deep birp whirrrrrrrrr!

The White Rabbit: It was late!

Ayn Rand: The chicken crossed the road in order to get away from the flock that is stifling his creativity.

Ayn Rand (again): If not for the intransigently independent vision of that first chicken, none of the other chickens would have been able to cross the road. And they condemned him for his acheivement!

Ronald Reagan: I don't recall. What was the question?

Georg Friedrich Riemann: The answer appears in Dirichlet's lectures.

Pat Riley: The chicken crossed the lane in less than 3 seconds, so a "fowl" should not have been called.

Rimmer: Aliens!!!

General Jack D. Ripper: To maintain the purity of its precious bodily fluids.

Geraldo Rivera: Stay tuned as a panel of chickens reveals the shocking truth.

Tom Robbins: Well you see, that chicken was a special chicken who was a descendent of a parrot family that once built pyramids for tourist pharohs. This chicken liked the other side of the road whose shamanic whispers beckoned Anastasia, the parrot, like the popped cherry of a ritually consumated white wedding. That's the meaning of it all, baby!

Oral Roberts: He couldn't raise the $10,000,000.00 so God called him home.

Oral Roberts (again): And I said to the chicken: "Put your claw on the screen! Put your claw on the screen, upon the hand of Brother Oral, and you shall be healed. Make a love offering of $50 or more, and then touch the screen. And that chicken did put his claw on the screen. And the power of God, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, flowed through me and out through that television set, and that chicken was healed *PRAISE GOD!*. And then that chicken, stricken for so many months, rose up and walked across the road. But, since he had forgotten his love offering, God never warned him about the 30 ton semi barreling down on the crosswalk...."

Carl Sagan: To see the billions and billions of stars.

Col. Saunders: It Ran, Suh! I offered it a coating of 11 herbs and spices and it ran, Suh! So I shot it, Suh, shot it while it was trying to escape, suh!

Sappho: For the touch of your skin, the sweetness of your lips..

Jean-Paul Sartre: In order to act in good faith and be true to itself, the chicken found it necessary to cross the road.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: It was going back...

Mr. Scott: 'Cos ma wee transporter beam was na functioning properly. Ah canna work miracles, Captain, wi' no dilithium crystals left to speak of!

Agent Scully: There simply must be a rational, scientific explanation. Chickens don't just "cross roads"

Neddy Seagoon: WhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatWHAT?

William Shakespeare:

1: This is the road of chicken's discontent, Made ignoble abbatoir by this half-ton truck... (Richard II)

2: Bring me no more reports, let them fly all; 'Til a chicken remove to other side of road I cannot taint with fear. What is this chicken? Was he not born of hen? The spirits that know All fowl consequences have pronounced me thus: "Fear not, MacNugget; no chicken that's born of hen Shall e'er lay beak upon thee." (Macbeth)

3: If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly: if the crossing Could scoot across the dotted line, and catch, Beyond passing car, sidewalk; that but these feathers Might be the be-all and end-all here, But here, at this corner of street and avenue, We'd cross at the light to come. (Macbeth)

4: To cross, or not to cross? That is the question, Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The wheels and axles of the city's mass transit Or to take flight against a sea of motorists And by opposing, end me? To cross, to peep No more! And by that peep to say we end The chickhood and the thousand fender-shocks That chicken is heir to. 'Tis a perambulation Devoutly to be wish'd. (Hamlet)

Homer Simpson: ohhhhhhhh Chicken.....

Bart Simpson: It's outta here, man!

Mrs. Slocum: Now look what you've done, there's chicken all over my pussy!

Kenneth Starr: In view of President Clinton's dealings with the Tyson Poultry Company, the matter of the chicken crossing the road is under investigation for its possible connection with the Whitewater affair.

George Steinbrenner: Because I offered him a $4 million contract.

George Steinbrenner2: Because I fired him!

George Steinbrenner3: Because he's now my new manager.

George Steinbrenner4: Because I fired him again!

Dr. Suess: See the end of this document for the full Dr. Suess version.

Sisyphus: Was it pushing a rock, too?

B.F. Skinner: Because the external influences which had pervaded its sensorium from birth had caused it to develop in such a fashion that it would tend to cross roads, even while believing these actions to be of its own free will.

Mr. Spock: It was not logical for the chicken to do so, but I have frequently observed that the behaviour of chickens is not logical

E.E. (Doc) Smith: Your humble narrator can barely do justice to this climactic event that rent asunder the fundamental ether of space itself, as the chicken, embodying all that is good and hard and straight and keen in the Avain world, fearlessly approached, bridged, and conquered the road for Civilization.

Socrates: To pick up some hemlock at the corner druggist.

The Sphinx: You tell me.

Joseph Stalin: It was clearly a conspiracy. Take all the chickens out and shoot them. At Once!

John Steinbeck: The road baked in the relentless summer sun as the chicken, looking about, began to cross. It stopped occaisionally to peck at a grass seed that had become lodged in a crevice in the cracked macadam. The chicken reached the other side, then began making his way to the Salinas, which lay muddy and turgid in the July afternoon, all the while thinking of the cool shade by the river and how good the can of beans in his bedroll would taste tonight.

Ben Stone (Law and Order): Because the defendant made it, sir.

Oliver Stone: He went back, and to the left. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the..

Dr. Strangelove: Because it could not afford to be caught on the wrong side of the road-side gap.

John Sununu: The Air Force was only too happy to provide the transportation, so quite understandably the chicken availed himself of the opportunity.

Grand Moff Tarkin: Fear will keep the chickens in line, fear of this thoroughfare!

Tim "The Toolman" Taylor: This here bird'll cross that road in no time flat, now that I've made a few "special modifications! We've added the Binford 7100 Multi-Purpose power unit, which I've souped up by adding a United Aircraft PT-6 jet engine - Urrgh urrgh urrgh! Heidi, bring out the chicken, please....

Alfred, Lord Tennyson: So that it could sail beyond the sunset.

Old Testament: And rooster and hen were married. And rooster did begat chicken. And chicken did cross the road.

New Testament: He among you who has not crossed roads, let him cast the first egg!

Margaret Thatcher: There was simply no alternative!

Theodoric of York, the Medievil Barber: Because of an imbalance of bodily humors caused by an elf or small toad living in the chicken's stomach. What this fowl needs is a good bleeding. Dylan Thomas: To not go (sic) gentle into that good night.

Hunter S. Thompson: Why the &*%$#@ not?

Henry David Thoreau: To live deliberately ... and suck all the marrow out of life.

Tiggr: Because that's what chickens do best!

Tiggr: (again) That's the wonderful thing about Chickens, Chasing Chickens is FUN FUN FUN, And the Wonderful thing about Chickens Is that when crossing streets they RUN!

Tim, the Enchanter: It's got wings that... and a beak that... good god man, look at the bones!

Brian Tobin (new premier of Newfoundland): It followed the cod....

J.R.R. Tolkein: The chicken, sunlight coruscating off its radiant yellow- white coat of feathers, approached the dark, sullen asphalt road and scrutinized it intently with its obsidian-black eyes. Every detail of the thoroughfare leapt into blinding focus: the rough texture of the surface, over which count- less tires had worked their relentless tread through the ages; the innumerable fragments of stone embedded within the lugubrious mass, perhaps quarried from the great pits where the Sons of Man labored not far from here; the dull black asphalt itself, exuding those waves of heat which distort the sight and bring weakness to the body; the other attributes of the great highway too numerous to give name.

Thomas de Torquemada: Give me ten minutes with the chicken and I'll find out.

Anthony Trollope: Why, to avoid Mrs. Proudy and Mr. Slope, of course.

Mark Twain: The news of its crossing has been greatly exaggerated.

Darth Vader: Because it could not resist the power of the Dark Side.

George Washington: I cannot tell a lie. I was going to chop it with my little axe, so it crossed the road.

Mae West: 'Cause I invited it to come up and see me sometime.

Jerry White: Why does a chicken cross the road only half-way? So she can lay it on the line.

Walt Whitman: To cluck the song of itself.

Robert Anton Wilson: Because agents of the Ancient Illuminated Roosters of Cooperia were controlling it with their Orbital Mind-Control Lasers as part of their master plan to take over the world's egg production.

Major Charles Emerson Winchester, the Third: What do you two-bit quacks know about chickens? Did you learn about them in medical school, or did you just read the comic book?

Ludwig Wittgenstein: The possibility of "crossing" was encoded into the objects "chicken" and "road," and circumstances came into being which caused the actualization of this potential occurrence.

Wittgenstein #2: There are indeed things that cannot be put into words. They make themselves manifest. They are what is mystical.

Wittgenstein #3: What we cannot explain we must pass over in silence.

Tom Wolfe: Kesey, muscles rippling under his shirt, a mysterious smile on his face, surrounded by the Merry Pranksters, placed the chicken at the road's edge. The chicken paused at the edge of the road, looking this way and that, and then rending the air with a tremendous, "ba-BAAWWWWKKK!" bolted across the road, its disheveled wings flapping uselessly about, leaving a trail of feathers and dander that, whenever two-ton chromium steel, 300 horsepower tail-finned symbols of Detroit's and America's supremacy passed, would swirl in a miniature version of a cyclone like the ones Mr. and Mrs. America see on the TV news every evening when he's come home from work and she's setting the table for dinner, both only half paying attention to the cyclones that devastate midwestern cow towns on sweltering summer afternoons. And the heat, dander, tornados, asphalt, tail-fins and the sweat of Mr. and Mrs. America as they move mechanically in their daily routine like the figurines in one of those huge medieval clocks on some cathedral in some European town, moving in the same way, every hour on the hour, it was all summed up by the "ba-BAAWWWWKKK!" of a scampering chicken accompanied by the "skritch, skritch" of its feet.

William Wordsworth: To have something to recollect in tranquility.

Mr. Worf: I do not know, Klingon chickens do NOT cross the road.

Molly Yard: It was a hen!

Yoda: Crossing the road makes not a chicken great

Henny Youngman: Take this chicken ... please.

Zeno of Elea: To prove it could never reach the other side.

STAR TREK CHICKENS CROSS THE ROAD TOO

Chakotay: Whatever its reason, whatever its goals, we should respect its right to cross the road and seek its own spiritual awareness.

Neelix: Actually, Captain, I'm not really familiar with the chickens in this system. But--if you can catch it, I can cook it.

Riker: I don't know why, but I do know how: with pleasure, sir.

Garak: To get to the other side? Of course not! Do you realize how ridiculous that is? I'm sure it was a simple matter of its farmer expelling it from the coop for...embezzling eggs.

Odo: I don't have the slightest idea--and I don't particularly care...but then, I've never understood you ornithoids' need to engage in such pointless behavior.

Quark: Now really, why would I have bribed him to do it so I could make a tidy profit in the station pool? Besides, all I know is that chicken tastes just like tube grubs.

Q: Wouldn't you like to know? Too bad your puny human brain wouldn't be able to comprehend the answer.

O'Brien: Well, it's nothing a good pint or two won't fix.

Uhura: Shall I open hailing frequencies so you can ask it, sir?

V'Ger: To join with the Creator.

Sulu: To get back to San Franciso; it was born there.

Troi: It was running...running away from...no, escaping...oh, Captain, it was fleeing from such -pain-!

Kira: I bet those damn Cardassians were after it!

Picard: Dammit, that's not for us to answer! It's his fundamental right as a sentient being to determine the time and manner by which he travels towards his goals!

Dr. Bashir: I suppose it wanted to play some darts.

The Grand Nagus: Stupid chicken! You don't cross the road all at once! You sneak across it quietly, without anyone noticing! (Inconceivable!)

Sisko: I don't care -why- it was crossing the road! All I want to know is -why- it left the coop! So it wanted to "get to the other side"--there is only -so far- that my tolerance will go!

Barclay: Uh, chicken?!! Where?!!! C-c-c-ommander, did I ever mention my problem with small feathered things?

Gul Dukat: Well, that's a very interesting question...I'm sure we can work out some kind of arrangement to obtain that information that will be to everyone's satisfaction.

The Borg: Crossing the road is irrelevant. It will be assimilated.

Hugh the Borg: Maybe it wanted to be my friend.

Geordi: Well, wherever it's going, I'm sure it'll be there in an hour or two--but any later, and it'll be absolutely impossible for it to make it.

Jake: To check out the babe that just came off that transport!

Gene Roddenberry: To boldly go where no chicken had gone before.

Kes: It was remembering back to the times when its ancestors crossed roads all the time! They lost those abilities because they stopped using them!

Wesley: I'm not sure, but I can figure it out if I reroute these systems and reconfigure the warp field and run a complete internal whootchacallit on the computers and...

B'Elanna: I'm sure it felt suffocated by all the [BEEP] regulations of [BEEP] Starfleet and just couldn't stand it any longer!

Worf: I don't know. KLINGON chickens do NOT cross roads.

Spock: Fasincating, Captain, it seems driven by a beam of pure energy.

HoloDoc: How should I know? No one tells me anything around here! I didn't even know we added chickens to the crew! All I know is that it would have been nice, BEFORE the chicken went off to the cross the road, if it had remembered to turn me off!

Data: The chicken, in observing that it was on the opposite side of the 20th century Terran paved roadway, was aware that its immediate goal should have been to traverse the distance without interception by an kind of combustion-propelled personal transport vehicle, but I am unclear as to why any kind of domesticated fowl should desire to perambulate upon a conveyance normally reserved for the usage of...yes, sir.

Sarek: Sometimes my logic fails me where chickens are concerned.

Dax: To get to the other side. Kurzon might have disagreed with me, Tobin I'm sure wouldn't have had a clue,and then there's...

Tuvok: That's not a question we'd prefer to hear from a senior officer. It makes the junior officers nervous.

Dr. Crusher: Maybe since he couldn't make the other side to get to him, -he- had to get to the other side....

Dr. Soran: His heart just wasn't in it. (Scenes of chicken torture with nanoprobes have been edited out.)

Scotty: Because she couldna take much morrrrrre.

Charlie X: Because it didn't want to STAY...STAY...STAY...

Kirk: You chicken bastard, you killed my son...YOU chicken BASTARD, you killed...my SON...you CHICKEN bastard....youkilledmy...son!

Bones: Dammit, I'm a doctor, not an ornithologist!

Tasha: That depends...was it fully functional?

Chekov: It must have been on its way to assist in saving my life for the billionth time..did I scream this time?

Khan: With my last breath I spit at the chicken...

Harry: I don't know, it's my first mission.

Paris: Well, I think that...say, that's a lovely shirt you're wearing.

Harvey Mudd: Chicken? I don't remember any chicken. No no no, there's been a terrible misunderstanding.

Crewman in red suit: "Captain, this chicken seems to have crossed the AAARRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Nurse Chapel: Oh, Spock, I fixed you your favorite Vulcan plomeek and chicken soup!

Lwaxana: Oh, Jean-Luc!

Janeway: Its primary goal was no doubt to get back to the Alpha Quadrant...and it probably misses its dog.

Dr. Suess:

Would you, could you cross the street On your two small chicken feet?

I would not, could not cross the street On my two small chicken feet. Across the road I will not scram Even though a fowl I am.

Would you cross it in Japan To flee Godzilla and Rodan

Not in Japan Godzilla and Rodan I would not, could not cross the street On my two small chicken feet. Across the road I will not scram Even though a fowl I am.

Would you cross the road and cluck And jump to avoid the speeding truck?

Not with a cluck to avoid a truck Not in Japan Godzilla and Rodan I would not, could not cross the street On my two small chicken feet Across the road I will not scram Even though a fowl I am.

Would you hop across the road As though you were a garden toad?

Not across the road as though a toad Not with a cluck to avoid a truck Not in Japan Godzilla and Rodan I would not could not cross the street On my two small chicken feet. Across the road I will not scram Even though a fowl I am.

Would you cross it in the night Lit by passing car headlight?

Not in the night With car headlight Not across the road As though a toad Not with a cluck To avoid a truck Not in Japan Godzilla and Rodan I would not could not cross the street On my two small chicken feet. Across the road I will not scram Even though a fowl I am.

Please dear chicken give it a try For across the road you can not fly.

Alright! Alright! I'll give it a try For it is true, chickens can't fly. Hey! It's not bad, infact it's neat! I truly love to cross the street. Across the road I LOVE to scram. I cross the road, a fowl I am.

[ohmytheon]

Hello! I really adore your writing and your amazing fics make my day! And I just wanted to request you for a mashup fic for number 52 and 53! For Izuocha! Thank you so much!😄

I used this as an excuse to kinda write my Game of Thrones/BNHA AU. So like… Sorry. XD I hope you enjoy it. Lots of Ochako thought and exposition, but then it falls into the cute feelsy territory. I really enjoyed writing this. It was sweet and interesting. Just two dorks in love being married and not knowing they’re in love.

Truth be told, Ochako could not have hoped for a better match. Her family’s House had declined in the past few generations and she had known that it would not be long before they faded into lowborn status, reminiscing on the days when they had been something more. It had started before she was born, but she had promised herself upon coming of age that she would do right by them, no matter the cost.

As she grew older, she had paid attention in all her lessons so that by the time she was thirteen she could run her family’s castle on her own. She’d even managed to impress the ladies of higherborn Houses and had been invited to attend the court as one of the princess’ many attendants. It had been hard to leave her parents behind, but she knew that if she were to find a match that would improve her family’s status, this would be her only opportunity. Her parents had done their best to find her a decent match, but either their family’s offers had been turned down or they wouldn’t help their family rise.

After four years of splitting her life between the royal court and her childhood home, Ochako had finally managed to secure a betrothal that was not only the best for her family but also…more than tolerable. Izuku Midoriya had not originally come from a well-known highborn family, but the head of the Toshinori family had never produced an heir. For reasons known only to them, Izuku had been granted the title and raised as a Toshinori a year before Ochako had come to the royal court.

It had taken no shortage of hard work, especially when she hadn’t been the only one with eyes on him. After all, he was the sole heir to one of the most important Houses outside of the royal family themself, House Yaoyorozu, House Bakugou, and House Iida. She couldn’t say that her desire to wed him had been born out of love. It started out, of course, as a need. She had only been fourteen when she had become Princess Fuyumi’s attendant, the youngest one, and Izuku had already become a familiar face at the court as Toshinori brought him around the others. There were already other highborn girls, much richer and prettier than her, trailing after him in hopes that they could become his betrothed.

Ochako knew that she wasn’t the most cunning girl in a court filled with vipers, but she could be clever and, most importantly, she acted with her heart on her sleeve. Unlike many of the others, men and women alike, she did not try to cut others down in her attempts to get to the top. Even better, having come from a family not as well off as the others, she and Izuku had been able to bond in a way that the other girls could not conceive.

However, nothing beyond a deep friendship seemed to have blossomed between them. Ochako did not lie to herself. She was trying to find a match to better her family, not someone to love. There was no time for that. Izuku, on the other hand, had to fend off potential matches that would seek to supplant him or take over the Toshinori fortune. It was exhausting work. Being an only child, Ochako had no brothers that could use her ties to him to complicate matters.

It helped that they got on well. In the four years that Ochako had come to know him, Izuku had proven to be not only kind, but smart and warm. He had a determination to rise above his station that she could understand and he went out of his way to help others below him, even going so far as to consider himself not above them. He was good with a sword, ready to help at a moment’s notice, and observant in a way that was more than calculating.

Of course it wasn’t until after they wed that Ochako realized she might actually…care for Izuku in the most unexpected ways.

Instead of feeling giddy about this though, she found herself most nervous and uncomfortable. Out of all the things she’d planned for, falling in love had not been one of them. She knew that Izuku hadn’t chosen her out of all the other ladies at court because he loved her. They trusted one another. She could honestly say that she would trust Izuku with her life – and she had, having taken on his name and saying the vows. He still went by Midoriya these days, although it was known that he was officially a Toshinori in title.

For the first few months of their wedded life, they had stayed in the capitol, keeping their positions at the court. Toshinori still had his position there, but it would only be a few years before he passed it on to Izuku and would retire back to his estate. Now that he was wed though, he would return to his castle and run it in Toshinori’s stead and she would follow.

Ochako was nervous for a lot of reasons. One, she had only been there once before, during their brief betrothal. They had wed shortly after it was announced, seeing as how they had been betrothed late compared to others their age. Two, the court had served as a barrier between them, their duties keeping them apart much of the time, but once they were at Might’s End, it would be different. There would be nothing between them and certain duties on her end would be…required.

They hadn’t consummated their marriage fully.

A highborn’s wife first duty – every wife’s duty – was to produce an heir as quickly as possible. It had been determined that Ochako was good fit to bear children, one of the other upsides to marrying her. She wasn’t sure how she had managed to survive the embarrassment when Izuku had been told that she had “excellent child-bearing hips”. Neither of them had been able to look at each other for two days after that without blushing furiously.

However, she couldn’t do that if they didn’t spend actual time in bed together. Izuku mostly kept to his quarters in the castle while she stayed in either hers or the princess’ when her presence was required. Izuku spent most of his time either with Toshinori or the crowned prince, being one of his closest companions. She knew that Izuku had been disappointed to leave the royal castle, if only because of Prince Shouto, but it had to be done.

Now that they were at Might’s End, their duties were much different. At first, both of them could avoid it since taking over the castle’s daily activity from Torino, the steward, had been a lot of work. Instead of being worried, Ochako took on her duties with gusto, learning the inner workings of the castle far beyond the expectations of most highborn ladies. Izuku was already a familiar and welcomed face there, beloved by many, and she wanted to prove to them that she wasn’t just some upstart hopeful using Izuku for his inheritance.

Izuku worked late and still stayed in separate quarters across from the ones he’d given her. Most nights, she would lie awake until she heard his door open and close. Sometimes, she thought she heard him hesitate outside her bedroom door, as if to check that she was asleep, and then he would go to his room. A part of her always felt relieved when she heard his door shut; another part of her ached for him to open hers.

During the day, when they were together, everything seemed wonderful. They worked well as a team. He trusted her opinion, often asking her for it when discussing things with the other lords under them when most men would not. But at night, they went their separate ways, as if nothing of what happened between them mattered when the sun was up, leaving Ochako to feel like something was missing or she was lacking in some way.

Today, they had actually spent some time together outside of the castle. Izuku had taken her to one of his favorite spots, a small beach area with a nearby cave. The ocean was dark and warm there, inviting them inside. She’d walked in the water, her skirts hiked up, as he had talked about his first year living here. Before being raised to Toshinori’s heir, he had often spent time working for the Bakugou House until he and his mother had been able to afford to move to a better place. When Toshinori had first taken him under his wing, Izuku had often come here to relax and spend his free time alone.

Seeing this side of him, one that he had kept hidden from the court for good reason (it did not do well for him to talk about the fact that he came from a lowborn family, even if a few people at the court threw it in his face), had warmed Ochako’s heart incredibly. She had never met someone so sincere. He didn’t let his past hold him back, instead choosing to use it to propel himself forward. It was such an admirable trait.

No, she could not have hoped for a better match.

But it would have been easier had she not developed actual feelings that she could not hope to be returned in full. She knew that Izuku was fond of her, but beyond that, she wasn’t sure. They were close, but rarely affectionate in public. Even on their wedding night, when he should have bedded her, they had spent most of it talking, although he had held her hand and they had kissed. That had been her fault. She had been so nervous that she’d gotten worked up and teary-eyed and he had soothed and helped calm her down.

“You don’t need to force yourself to do anything with me,” Izuku had told her and he had stood by his word. He had seemed relieved as well and they had gone to fallen asleep next to one another after talking until the sun had risen.

Except now she was convinced that he did not want to do anything with her and it…stung more than she wanted to admit.

Tonight was another night alone in her quarters. She sighed as she changed into her night shift, rubbing tiredly at her face. She’d washed the sand off, but missed the smell of the ocean spray. It permeated the air of the entire castle, but had been strongest there. She wanted to go back to the beach, to that moment when Izuku had held her hand as she splashed in the ankle-deep water and laughed when the waves rushed over her calves and got her dress wet. He had smiled at her so fondly then and she had thought he might kiss her openly then…

She had known that a marriage of convenience would leave her wanting, but she had not expected to want something or someone so specific.

A hesitant knock on her door stirred her out of her thoughts. She furrowed her brow as she turned to the door. Who would it be at this hour? One of the servants? She did not think there was anything specific planned tomorrow that needed her attention so late. Tired and not thinking much of it, she stood up and opened the door, only to be surprised to see Izuku, who had not changed yet.

“Oh.” Ochako opened the door further. She didn’t know what to say. “Did you need something?”

“I…” Izuku blinked, looking distracted and disheveled, as if he’d not even bothered to straighten himself up after their horse ride back to the castle. “May I come in?”

A small smile quirked at Ochako’s lips. “It’s your castle.”

“And yours as well,” Izuku replied, stepping into the room. She shut the door behind him and turned around to face him. When he looked at her, his eyes flickered up and down her, as if seeing her for the first time, his cheeks reddening and his adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “Ah…”

A chill ran up her spine as she realized she was only wearing a thin shift and she moved to sweep her robe and pull it over her body, her face bright pink. “I was getting ready for bed,” she explained, although she didn’t know why she said anything. It was obvious. “I apologize.”

“An apology isn’t necessary,” Izuku told her, stepping closer. Her breath hitched in her chest. They stared at one another until he was right in front of her. He was so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. “You’re my wife.” He swallowed again as he reached out and untied the belt of her robe. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, but when she didn’t stop him and leaned forward to embolden him, he slid his hands onto her waist. “I’d rather you not hide from me.”

Ochako hesitated for only a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck and Izuku let out a shaky, relieved breath. Even as they leaned into each other’s space, they didn’t kiss immediately, their eyes closed, noses bumping into one another and their lips centimeters apart. She felt as if her entire world was shattering and piecing itself back together into something hopeful. How many nights had she dreamt that Izuku might knock on her door instead of turning to his room? How many days had she wondered what it would feel like to have him want her as much as she wanted him?

She had been certain that he had only married her because she fit the desired requirements, they worked well together, and she was of good humor.

Had there been more to it and he had simply been too afraid to say anything in case she did not feel the same way?

“I was afraid that…” Ochako bit her lip and it brushed against Izuku’s. “That I was only imagining things.”

“I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Izuku admitted, his thumbs rubbing circles against her hips, pulling at her shift. “Is this okay?”

“Yes,” Ochako breathed, perhaps too quickly. She felt Izuku’s lips tug into a smile and her heart skipped a beat when he pulled her closer against him. “I’m your wife, am I not?”

Izuku kissed her them, full of warmth and a passion that felt as if he’d been holding himself back for months. He was just as eager as she felt in her heart. It wasn’t a chaste kiss or one done out of duty. One hand moved from her hip to cup her face, his fingers digging in her hair, and he deepened the kiss. It was everything she had hoped for and more when she had still entertained dreams of falling in love when she was a little girl.

Only when she felt the back of her legs bump into her bed did they stop to breathe and Izuku pressed his forehead against hers. “Tell me if you need me to stop.”

“Please don’t,” Ochako told him and Izuku chuckled, clinging to her tightly.

She could not have hoped for a better match in a husband.

[diveronarpg]

Congratulations, JENN! You’ve been accepted for the role of CRESSIDA Admin Rosey:  I had never expected Cressida to give me a reckoning. I expected her to be soft, malleable, somewhat broken by what her father has done to her. But you have given me all of that, Jenn, but ten thousand times more. You’ve given me her brokenness and made it iron, her kindness and made it gold. This was not at all what I was expecting when I thought of Cressida, but it’s much, much better than that. I am on the edge of my seat when it comes to the wild card that is this Madam Duval. I know I won’t be disappointed. Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias | Jenn Age | 21+ Preferred Pronouns | She/her Activity Level | With work, I’ll probably get around to writing a couple replies at lunch and in the evenings when I’m home. So, that’s a few hours each day which is like a solid 6/10 for me :) Timezone | GMT+8 Current/Past RP Accounts | Both are inactive @lcarian & @littleflvme

In Character

Character | Cressida // Celeste Duval

You look in the mirror. Your bloodied mouth twists into a frown, and your eyes shine with disdain. What a damn waste of space. Yet again, you disappoint. “What wrong have I done? How much better would I be if I had been born a son?” It is unjust, unwarranted that your sex is deemed inferior all because you can make babies and not be the one who held a cock. “They are fucking wrong.”

You seethe at the sight of your name written in tasteless, serif font on the header of your journal. You strike it out, wanting to be rid of your family’s dictation and those dull letters, C. DUVAL. Instead, in the center of the page you put down these words in pink marker—permanence above all else. Your script is bold—vertical strokes, both straight and rounded, penned thickly in the cursive hand of not a child but a budding woman who, underneath it all, radiates conviction.

I AM CELESTE DUVAL AND I WILL RULE THE DAMN WORLD.

What drew you to this character? | We’d love to hear what about this character’s bio caught your attention! Make this as long or as short as you desire!

Celeste is a law unto herself. What she is made out of is nothing short of sheer will power—a storm with skin, a sun capable of razing whole kingdoms. She breathes the lethal combination of initiative and annihilation and perhaps that’s what her parents were too stupid to realise before branding her useless. She is, in fact, malleable and they lacked the faculty and interest in moulding her due to superficial beliefs. But blessed by the Fates, she had the propensity to be great and she knew that. She knew it in her very bones. I can’t help but find that she is an independent character with a complex engineering capable of masochistic deeds which she alone has accomplished. Because like Cressida, Celeste is painfully aware that in this very masculine world her sexuality is her advantage and power and acts on the fact.

But for all her cunning and edge, her fetters come in the form of family and a nauseating amount of obligation. In that sense, I feel that she’s very relatable—that gnawing feeling that compels you to make your parents proud. She doesn’t care for anyone’s feelings or reputation but her family’s, and even then it’s not out of love but necessity despite how contradicting it might come across. Take into account that she’s been born and bred in an environment that constantly exhorts her to seek the validation of her parents. Celeste is a commodity, a subject of the machinations of her father and she knows it well but she’ll be damned before she repeats the tragedies of Cressida (or her own father, for the matter). She won’t be dragged into the gutter the same way.

In short, I choose Celeste because she is a growing mastermind. I choose her because she is a woman capable of pushing past her boundaries, her liabilities—of brandishing her arsenal of wiles and manipulation at the most opportune moments,—of brilliant intellect and drive. I choose her because her family underestimates her, that she’s merely a chess piece to be moved then tossed aside, yet she protects them and I find that very admirable. I choose Celeste Duval because she bore the bitter cost of being sold into a loveless bargain—because she has long lost her rose-coloured glasses and has in its place adopted a more cynical view of the world, a world in which she is determined to be a wolf among dogs.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? | Where do you see this character developing, and what kind of actions would you have them take to get there? 3 future plot ideas would be preferable.

FAREWELL, BASTARD // The biggest thorn in her side now is a slippery one. Easton. Craven. Deplorable Capulet scum. It’s a dynamic I am much too excited to explore. The angst will be one to speak of for centuries. Celeste wants to make him eat his words. He never much concerned her before but he made things personal, so she’s out for blood. A Duval isn’t offended without meeting out consequences. While I am pretty much open to anything regarding this unfortunate duo, I would love to write about the challenges Celeste will face in overcoming this villian in her story. Whether she fails or succeeds…I imagine it’s just a matter of moving the right pieces at the right time. “My turn.”

FOR TO BE WISE AND LOVE EXCEEDS MAN’S MIGHT // “Do you take Tomas Sabello to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The gods must have spared Celeste no mercy shackling her to Tomas. She is nothing if not fiery but with Tomas she feels…well, that’s the problem. She doesn’t feel anything for him that she wouldn’t feel for a mosquito. “I do.” At this point, she isn’t sure if he’s in love with her (perhaps, more the idea of her) or in love with love itself. If Tomas is smart, he’ll figure out that Celeste won’t be falling for him anytime soon. But when life gives you lemons…you make the best out of Tomas Sabello. To me, this connection is rather intriguing because I can see Celeste exploiting Tomas the way she has been exploited, to steer him to gain whatever it is she wants given his connections to the mob and his industry. But I can also see him threatening her happiness more than he already does. He unknowingly wields a double-edged sword—destroy her happiness and save her reputation, or destroy her name and let her grapple at whatever contentment she can seize. Cressida’s only odds stacked in her favour is that Troilus is ill informed on the subtleties of war.

THOU LAY'ST EVERY GASH THAT LOVE HATH GIVEN ME // And take those gashes she will, willingly. I want to say their love is the type that moves mountains, that swallows whole oceans, that transcends all time and space. “Alas, I cannot. Not yet, mia bella.” Isabella Gagliano—she’s smart, she’s beautiful, resourceful and most importantly, she’s honest. She brings out the best in Celeste (when they’re alone). Being together in Verona is a challenge Celeste did not see coming. On one side, a Capulet maw is waiting to devour her. On the other, Cupid’s bow struck true. And around her, the world watches. To be in love with Isabella is to be caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s only a matter of time before Isabella becomes tired of hiding. The truth will out and when the time comes, then there lies their final test—will love triumph over all? Or will power and respectability?

DO TO THIS BODY WHAT EXTREMITY YOU CAN // Wolves are known to trick guard dogs by sending out a female wolf. In the same manner, Celeste’s sexuality can be put to good use when brokering deals or negotiating an accord. I can see this being more than the stereotypical plot where a woman uses her allure to get what she wants. This touches on sexual extortion/exploitation in a very real way. There is so much space for flexibility with this plot and subplots where I can see her forging alliances, making enemies, making more promises she doesn’t intend to keep, etc. But overall, I see this as a very developmental plot for her character in that she will have no choice but to finally see herself for who she is and decide if she likes what she sees.

ONE TOUCH OF NATURE MAKES THE WHOLE WORLD KIN // I’m pretty sure she isn’t the only one in the mob to have been coerced (or “gently pushed”) into the position she’s in right now. This plot is not just about making friends—it’s about making friends in the right places be it Montague or Capulet. Celeste is ironically very much like her father. She’s ambitious. “And ambition can take you to very dangerous places. Better you cease your nonsense than fail.” Thanks, dad. But obviously, it takes more than words to deter her. Celeste is set on climbing out of her father’s shadow and making a name for herself but she can’t do it alone. I’m talking bribes, underhand dealings, secret arrangements It’ll be a nice bonus if they take out a few people on their hit list on their way up. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

MEN PRIZE THE THING UNGAINED MORE THAN IT IS // Is the grass greener on the other side? Cressida’s whole story revolves around her being traded to the enemy. If shit does go down, this will be an extremely, 100% intense story driven plot device that can be used to spin a new tale for Celeste where she, like Cressida, is forced to or willingly betrays the Montagues to save herself. However, like all the plots I’ve listed so far, I’d love for this to be an organic progression for Celeste’s character especially in the choice she makes if she chooses to stay loyal to or double-cross the Montagues. Her sense of loyalty and obligation is an integral part of her identity and while I can see her evolving as a person, I wouldn’t want to force or distort it.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | I am, yes! Though Celeste promises she won’t go down alone, if at all.

In Depth

In-Character Interview: The following questions must be answered in-character, and in para form (quotations, actions written out if applicable, etc). There is no minimum or maximum limit for your response - simply answer as you would if you were playing the character.

(tw: death mention)

There are two ways to end this interview—one where she spares a man, and another where she damns him. Won’t you stay to find out which you want more?

***

What is your favorite place in Verona?

Anywhere but home, if that’s what you can even call it, Celeste wants to say. The words were already poised on the tip of her tongue but the hearsay that will plague her hence promises too much displeasure especially if word were to come back of her less than picture perfect life. Nevertheless, she lets her lips part as if secrets were to be spilled that instance but the words were different from her thoughts.

“Oh, you know what? I’m thrilled that you asked,” she says, an answer already taking form, waiting to be divulged. “My bath,” the tilting of her lips and closing of eyes as she inhales paint a picture of scented candles and a soaked body. “It’s very relaxing in the water. We’ve just had our house renovated. Tomas has such an excellent eye for design, you know. It’s never looked better.” The lies drip like sugar—sticky like a spider’s web and she at the center of it, a black widow waiting to strike. “You should come have a look one day.”

What does your typical day look like?

Now that was a question worthy of the likes of Lawrence Vernon—borderline prying, equal parts intrusive and dubious. But the limelight demands blood and that was the only currency that really matters. So, she bares her teeth with a grin, sweet as the devil and even slicker still. She, a darling of Verona, has more to say with a smile than with talking when she employs her perfect blend of truth and deception.

“Well, as you know I’m rarely on vacation here. Work takes up most of my time. Actually, we just did the photo shoot in the heart of the city—it’s for my next fall collection. So, it’s mostly just replying emails and finalizing edits with the photographer before the big showcase. A business cannot run itself, no?” she laughs, pausing to ascertain his satisfaction with her answer. He laughs with her. “But I find that taking a walk around the city after lunch helps with inspiration.” And allows time for a detour certainly. Emissary work always came first even in the middle of a work day. “We’re planning on launching in August. I can’t tell you much more than that I’m afraid. Or else my publicist will have my head!”

What has been your biggest mistake thus far?

Allowing mediocrity to run through my veins. The fear of failing is so ingrained in her that it only takes two seconds before she registers her heart beating harder ever so slightly. It was a disgusting flaw, one she finds nearly impossible from which to separate. But she does. She stops, her mouth pouts in ponderance as if she isn’t waiting to end the interview already. “I love my fashion line. I love it, I do. My only regret is that I hadn’t started it sooner.”

What has been the most difficult task asked of you?

Her whole life has been a task but one that takes the cake has to be pretending she wasn’t in love with Isabella, especially now when she was so close. The woman is life itself and without her, Celeste finds it hard to breathe. No, impossible. But pretences must be upheld lest the Fates be too tempted to lay waste to her even further. “Two things. One, building this business from scratch. Two, outgrowing my father’s shadow,” she laughs again though this time it doesn’t reach her eyes. As intended, the man fails to notice having been distracted by the way she folds her bare legs one over the other, the slit of her skirt riding up a small degree. “You know how it is. A woman with her own business is rather a challenge in itself, isn’t it? Thankfully, I’ve got all the support I need.”

The night went on as most interviews would go—a meeting at a nice restaurant, dinner, a drink, maybe two and that was it. But when they were the last two to leave, Celeste couldn’t help but feel something amiss. “What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?” she asks the man instead. Sharp eyes turned up at the question—a final question. It was what she had been waiting for. The perfect opportunity. “Ah,” she finally realises what was wrong, “We’ve run out of wine.”

She reaches up for the bottle and begins to pour. “Are we friends, Signor Henri? You know friends don’t lie. Let’s pretend we are. So, I’ll be honest for the first time tonight.” The glass is almost full by then and the bottle all but vertical like the hand of a clock at midnight—his time was nearly up. She answers her for him. “The Capulets are the dirt beneath the gold, a most unwelcome stain on this city. And you, dear friend, have been propagating their agenda despite our…propositions that you don’t.” The war will forever be a pissing contest, she cannot deny, but what does it matter if she plays for the winning side? “You should have done your work better. Damiano isn’t happy with what you’ve been publishing about us.” She says the words with pride. Us. The Montagues.

The glass brims with wine—scarlet overflows, crimson spreads and stains the white cloth beneath. His time was up and black clad men entered the room, the harbingers of his end drew near. All she had to do now is tell them whether to spare him or doom him. Celeste holds the bottle in her hand like the life she now holds between her fingers, tenderly, eagerly. Was this not what she wanted? Power. She sets the bottle down, signalling the men.

“Lucky for you, you won’t need to do any more damage control. We’ll say your last piece for you.”

The devil take thee, indeed.

Extras: If you have anything else you’d like to include (further headcanons, an inspo tag, a mock blog, etc), feel free to share it here! This is OPTIONAL.

PLAYLIST // a measure of ascendance

MOCKBLOG // ttitaness

[reverencerp-blog]

There is no sight more pleasant to a proper Kerrari courtier than a young man and his new wife, bound together by elbows, marriage, and awkward silence. Such a wholesome, unassuming couple would bring forth nothing but great consolation to the fragile ego and social status of a seasoned noble. Unfortunately, there are not many pairings, nor individuals like this at Corusa. The reality of court is quite the opposite, actually. 

CHILDHOOD, EDUCATION, AND SPRING COTILLION

Childhood at Corusa consists mostly of squabbling over whose miniature monkey or dog is the most impressive, avoiding the opposite sex at all costs, and insisting that the tutor choose another topic to bore everyone with. (Most children would much rather be causing trouble in one of the gardens, see?)

Education is the most important part of a child’s upbringing at the palace. It is not uncommon for children of the same age and noble class to take lessons in literature, calligraphy, mathematics, religion, and history together until they make their Spring Cotillion.

Preparations for a child’s Spring Cotillion—not to be confused with the Summer Cotillion—begin at age thirteen. Young Kerrari nobles are often forced to take lessons outside of their learning groups to further develop special interests in literature, musical and theatrical performance, combat, and weaponry. On the first day of each spring, Corusa hosts a showcase for all ladies and gentlemen who have or will turn fifteen that year. Spring Cotillion marks the end of childhood.

ADOLESCENCE AND SUMMER COTILLION

Most, if not all, of a young courtier’s adolescence is composed of preparations for their Summer Cotillion. Though they will not be eligible for marriage until age twenty-two, the teenagers of Corusa spend their time pursuing private lessons in their pre-developed special interests and taking courses in proper court etiquette to improve their chances of making a profitable marriage.

At this point in their lives, young men and women are kept almost entirely separate. Aside from short interactions in public settings, it is highly frowned upon for teenagers of the opposite sex to even speak to one another. Most young courtiers pass letters to the winner of their affections at public meals, though it is more common than not for these affairs to be short-lived and shamelessly dramatic.

The most powerful bonds created during adolescence are usually between members of the same sex and noble class. Some young Kerraris have an easier time getting away with romance if they’ve a preference for same-sex relationships, though they too must go to great lengths to maintain an innocent reputation. If there are any suspicions that a teenage courtier has participated in a consensual romantic relationship of any kind, it will likely be highlighted in their Cotillion play.

At twenty, young Kerraris begin the production process for their Summer Cotillion and its play. This play is one of the most important of their lifetimes, as it is performed in front of Corusa’s entire population and serves as a formal announcement of one’s marriageability. It must be an original script, drafted and composed by all who share the Cotillion. The more dramatic and flamboyantly performed the play is, the more likely young courtiers are to fall under the favor of the monarch that year.

The Summer Cotillion of one’s twenty-second year marks the end of adolescence, formal education, and obligation to refrain from interactions with the opposite sex. The king will often allow his favorite performers of that year’s Summer Cotillion to pass him his meals and shirts for a few days afterward, serving as a perfect opportunity to whisper the names of their preferred matches into his ear.

REPUTATION AND SOCIALIZING

Helping the corsair to dress, undress, eat, or defecate is one of the highest held honors at Corusa. Nobles who are lucky enough to receive his affections have a lot more power than their more unpopular counterparts, as they are more likely to become heirs to their houses or be wedded to a husband who will be an heir.

Men are the sole inheritors of titles and property within The Kerarres, so it is incredibly coveted among women to be matched with an heir-apparent. Unfortunately, Southern men are often tossed about by their fathers when it comes to inheritance, as they have the right to select an heir from all of their male relatives. This makes awaiting a betrothal almost painful for a lady—even moreso, as she has only three years after her Summer Cotillion to find a reputable, profitable match. If she goes any longer, her own reputation will be soiled beyond repair.

Your reputation at Corusa matters more than any social status ever could. Though those of lower social status are prohibited from speaking with those of a higher one without being spoken to first, more important nobles are likely to seek affiliation with well-loved members of a lower class. Men who display their wealth, sexuality, strength, and cunning are undoubtedly favored in the eyes of courtiers, as are women who are conservative, beautiful, and well-read. This is vital knowledge for forming valuable friendships and romances at court, and courtiers who choose not to conform to societal norms are often outcasted and made out to be of very little political importance.

It is not uncommon for courtiers to undermine the reputation of one another in order to make the self appear more likeable. Men and women alike partake in such behavior, and it is believed that rumors are but truth-revealing whispers from the eyes of Tir. If there is competition for betrothals, as there always is, an unsightly rumor is anything but improbable among eligible and married off courtiers alike. Some say a noble at Corusa without gossip attached to their name is more suspicious than a noble attached to the most beguiling of rumors.

Hearsay is considered a public matter at court. If there is a particularly juicy specimen of gossip making its way around Corusa, it should be expected to find itself included in that season’s Spectacle D’Corsair. At the end of each season, a great play is put on for the entertainment of the corsair. It is often written by his favorite playwright, composed by his favorite musician, and performed by the victims of timely gossip. While being cast in even just one of these plays is nothing short of a sharp pain in the ass, a wonderful show has the power to catapult a noble into court-wide popularity and desire.

MARRIAGE AND PARENTING

From the moment a child is born a courtier, his or her parents must begin planning for a decision that will determine the reputation of an individual and their house for centuries to come. A parent’s proudest day is the wedding of their child to a desirable match, regardless of how desirable that match might be to the person getting married.

Love marriages are rare at Corusa. More often than not, someone’s parents will try to orchestrate love between a young bride and groom, but courtiers nearly always complain of feeling dissatisfied with their matches. The sole purpose of a marriage in The Kerrares is to bring forth heirs from two houses who benefit one another, not to please a young, inexperienced couple. For this reason, marriage is always heterosexual in the South, though it is not particularly uncommon for one to take lovers of either sex outside of the marriage bed.

It is still highly frowned upon to share a bed with more than one person within a lifetime, so it’s rather important to keep quiet about such affairs. Unfortunately, what happens in the marriage bed is much like gossip at Corusa: public knowledge. A couple is closely watched until their marriage has been consummated, especially if they are of a high social class. Princes and princesses are even liable to lose their “virginities” in front of the corsair’s most valued advisors.

A couple is expected to announce their pregnancy after two missed menses. At this time, the husband will ask permission from the corsair to speak publicly at breakfast. Once this permission is granted and the announcement has been formally made, all courtiers who are present at breakfast must lay hands upon the mother’s growing stomach. There are sometimes so many pregnant women at breakfast that the entire ordeal takes nearly an hour, as this practice is required to take place each day until the mother is not capable of walking from her quarters to the corsair’s public breakfast. When this occurs, High Tiraic priests will turn up in her bedroom each morning to lay hands upon and pray over her until a healthy child is born.

Women of high social status usually do not choose to breastfeed. Parents at Corusa do not spend very much time with their infants at all, really. Much of parenthood is spent rehearsing for a Spectacle D’Corsair, gossiping, and strategically founding false friendships. Mothers are meant to bond with other women, as are fathers with other men. As it is uncommon for very highborn women to ever leave Corusa at all within their lives, most strong alliances between houses have their roots in the hearts of women. Men, unless they are princes, will often spend their springs and summers on hunting expeditions in the forests between Corusa and Selavaga. They do occasionally visit their seats during this time, but such dirty work is often reserved for lower nobility.

When a child is old enough to walk and talk without pissing itself, it is up to the parents to make sure their toddler is enrolled in lessons with the best tutors within their social class. Parents usually hire an additional tutor to aid in studies outside of lessons, for children who perform exceptionally well in academics are favored by the other parents. By this time, the nursemaid is usually out of the equation, and parents have a more interactive role in the lives of their children as they work to maintain young reputations and seek out potential options for friendly alliances.

DEATH

When someone dies at Corusa, the body is prayed over and touched by the hands of High Tiraic priests. A wax mold of the dead person’s face is taken to keep within the crypts of the palace and the body is stripped naked, bathed, and dressed for the funeral. If the person was a sinner who died with their eyes open, the eyes are removed so that the person will be blind in the afterlife, as Tir intended.

The spouse, parents, or eldest children of the dead will take a three day journey with the priests to the Southern coast, where the coffin will be laid upon a raft, set ablaze, and released into the sea.

Family members and close friends are given six months to mourn before returning to regular court life.

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Game of Thrones Finale Review

By MA Iliasu (Kano State, Nigeria)

  Season Finale; Game of Thrones. Episode Finale; The Iron Throne.

A wise man once said: “There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it. It unites people better than Armies, Gold and Flags ever can.” That wise man is no one but Tyrion of house Lannister, the imp, the daemon monkey, the pisser over the edge of the wall and the almighty hand of the king – the wise man with the sharpest tongue in Westeros. The perfect proof of Lord Tyrion’s submission is how George RR Martin, an American storywriter unites over one billion world population with the greatest story ever written, ever told and turned into motion picture in man’s living memory – the Game of Thrones.

White or Black, Asian, European, Caribbean or African, Arabic, English, Latino, French, Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa or Yoruba, underage, ageing or aged; one seventh of the world population, and everyone is a Game of Thrones fan. And by fan, I mean the kind of fanatic level of fanboyhood. What makes Lord Tyrion’s submission even more unbelievable is the fact that its author is authored by the man we’re just trying to prove writes the greatest story ever told – with the stuff someone said in his own stuff. Wow! This is levels ahead of human beings comprehensible ability.

David Benioff and D. B Weiss also mustn’t be left behind, their infamous application of logic has wrapped up the story which its fluidity has the potential to flow until the last day, at an intensive, competent and adventurous pace. The episode finale has rationalized and solved many of the puzzles that have been in place since the inception of the show, from episode one – “Winter is Coming”, to episode last – “The Iron Throne”, in the most efficient, rational, logical and idealistic way possible. Justice is served to all; the sword is swinged by him who serves the sentence, and to him whose sentence was served, the nothingness in the truth of him who said I’m the king has been proved, the slaps of honour have been worn in both silence and noise, the status quo is disrupted against all the odds, and the real power is proved just as the script is written; the greatest of all powers is knowledge just as bit much as the inevitability of change is the biggest truth.

The talking points:

1. Don’t bury your head under the sand of delusion, not everything comes through inheritance, the biggest determinant of materiality is fate, and one must accept what it throws at him, no matter why, when and how. It’s just up to one to be ready before or when it arrives. The rightful-ness of everything lies in its righteousness, and for things to function in desired way, that which is rightful must be that which is righteous.

After all the political brouhaha amongst the prominent houses, the determination and the claims of bloodline lineages, and all the explanations and predictions; the person that gets to rule is a crippled son of Ned Stark who couldn’t lift his arm right to fire an arrow. Who would’ve thought? The boy, who was named after his uncle Bran, who was also named after Bran the Builder travelled north of the wall to find the missing tape in the cassette of his fate. Robb Stark once said to Lord Manderly: “If Bran can’t be lord of Winterfell before me, Renly can’t be king before Stannis” and I wish he was alive to see Bran as the king of Andals right in the sight of rightful heirs, and there’s nothing anyone of them can do about it. Isn’t that a great lesson? Ladies and gentlemen, please to Brandon the Broken, the first of his name, the king of the Andals and the first men, the lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm. Long may he reign!

2. No one should eat his cake and still have it. No one should pass the sentence and refuse to swing the sword. No one should take a debt and refuse to pay. What all this is trying to prove is that people must take their words seriously if world is to be any liveable environment for the living.

Daenerys Targaryen made promise of mercy, but fulfilled it with a wrath. She’s taken a debt of betterment, but paid it with aggravation. No one should get away with that. Jon Snow on the other hand has been a consistent soldier of mercy, truth, honour and honesty. He’s the personification of that proverb: “Truth is worth more than a pound.” The two lovers are complete opposite of each other, but still have so much affection for each other in a “love is blind” kind of way. Their characters define the ideals of human coexistence; take your word serious and be remembered as the greatest, but take it as a joke and be remembered as the worst.

3. Jon Snow as bigger name than Aegon the Conqueror, and Brandon the Builder in history of Westeros would be a very fair argument. Within his short life he had been a bastard, a steward, Lord Commander, a prisoner, wildlings saviour, King in the North, rightful heir to the iron throne and saviour of the realm. In all of the mentioned, he has been the greatest that has ever bear the title. No man has served the realm closer to how much Jon did. He died and came back. He’s stupid, clueless and indecisive, but which honourable, honest and brave man is not? He has the blessings of prince Rhaegar, Ned Stark, Lord Commander Mormont, Aemon Targaryen, Mance Rayder, Stannis Baratheon and Cersei Lannister. And for everyone who is against him being sent back to the wall, remember, there has to be a Stark and a Targaryen every time in Black, and a man who is good at commanding, and very dear to the Wildlings, Jon meets that criteria, in fact, he’s the only one that meets that criteria. Jeor Mormont did give him the long claw for a reason. And Maester Aemon defined love to him for a reason. Ghost agreed to follow Tormund to the wall for a reason. Edd Tollett refused the Lord Commander post for a reason. It’s for Jon to guard the realm till eternity, and it’s fair to say the realm is safe till eternity. The greatest man that ever lived in Westeros. He indeed knows nothing, but who else knows something?

4. The new small council is just a testimony of the past great councilors. Lord Tywin’s blood must always be there to be hand of the king, because no one had ever been better at it. Tyrion was sent by his father to serve in his place for a reason. Bronn of Blackwater has the cunning of Petyr Baelish, and even bigger love for gold. He also knows what it takes to convert an empty bag into bag full of gold. Samwell Tarly has learnt a great deal from Maester Aemon, and from Maesters in the citadel. He’ll make a better Maester than Pycelle. Davos Seaworth is an experienced smuggler who survived every single battle without a shred of combat ability. No one is better at brokering a deal, he’ll be of great service as the master of the ships. Brienne of Tarth as Lord Commander of Kingsguard would allow Jaime to sleep peacefully in his grave. With the only vacant post remaining is Master of Whisperers. But who in this life or another do you think could resemble Varys, let alone replicate his job? RIP Lord Varys, may the soul of Dany rot in hell for taking you away from us.

5. Yuval Noah Harari is apt; “Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” When – Lord Commander Mormont forbade Samwell Tarly to die, Mance Rayder died while being burned alive for refusing to kneel, Craster marrying his daughters to himself, The hound threatening soldiers to rape their corpses if they run, Stannis Baratheon admitting to murder while being helpless, Robin Arryn sucking his mother’s breast while been at the age Brandon Stark was ruling Winterfell in place of Robb, and Edd Tollett saying his mother farted while dying that the whole bed shook, I thought I heard it all. I thought I’ve seen it all. Then boom!!! Lord Edmure Tully stood right there in front of lords with hope for them to endorse him as the king of six kingdoms. Wow! I think this is the greatest insult an entity has ever suffered, and I was there asking God to offer me a chance to give Edmure the greatest flogging he has ever received. What a dunce! And he truly meant it.

6. The north is finally a recognised independent dominion. North has always been an arena for extraordinary stubbornness. They worship old Gods in trees instead of fire and new, stay in snowflakes through the winter and bowed only to the dragons. The fury of northern lord matches the fire of a dragon. Greatjon Umber couldn’t agree for Lord Glover to lead northern banners until he got his fingers eaten by a dire wolf. Lord Karstark murdered two Lannister boys because Lady Catelyn set Jaime free, which costed him his head and he didn’t regret. Lyanna Mormont killed a giant in such a young age, and once wrote a reply to Ramsay saying her house recognises no king but the king in the north whose name is Stark, and we all know Ramsey. These people shall never bend before anyone who is not a northerner, and they got one in Queen Sansa, a brilliant lady with experience, with a fine lineage and beautiful face. I am that northern soldier who bends when she was done getting crowned. Our Queen! Arya Stark on the other hand refused to be the Lady of Storm’s End, instead wants to see the boundary of Storm’s End. Cold little bitch, as the hound puts it. That girl can’t live in a world where there’s no people like Ned Stark, Sandor Clegane, Blackfish and Jaqen H’ghar. The hero of the realm!

In the end, there are some missing stuff in the season finale that needs to be accounted for such as: 1. How did they rebuild King’s Landing within days? 2. How did they rebuild the wall in such little period? 3. Samwell Tarly still has the bows of Night’s Watch, how did he become a Grand Maester with bows, when did they pardon him? 4. It has been seen when the Unsullied sailed to Naath, but what happened to the Dothraki, who knows where they go? 5. What happened to or where is Ellaria Sand and her daughter? Are they still rotting in the dungeons of King’s Landing? Did the girl die from Cersei’s poison, did Ellaria watch her rot? Is she alive or dead?

Rating: 4/5

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JANUARY 2020 YA FANTASY + ROMANCE BOOK RELEASES

JANUARY 2020 YA FANTASY & ROMANCE BOOK RELEASES

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JANUARY 7TH RELEASES

Title: City of Stone and Silence (The Wells of Sorcery #2), Author: Django Wexler, Publisher: Tor Teen, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi Fantasy, YA Fantasy, YA Sci-Fi Fantasy, Science Fiction

Synopsis: Django Wexler's City of Stone and Silence is the second book in the cinematic fantasy Wells of Sorcery Trilogy featuring a fierce young woman skilled in the art of combat magic on an epic mission to steal a ghost ship...

Title: Come Tumbling Down (Wayward Children #5), Author: Seanan McGuire, Publisher: Tor Books, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, YA Fantasy

Synopsis: The fifth installment in Seanan McGuire's award-winning, bestselling Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down picks up the threads left dangling by Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister--whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice--back to their home on the Moors. But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome. Eleanor West's "No Quests" rule is about to be broken.

Title: A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2), Author: Brigid Kemmerer, Publisher: Bloomsbury YA, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Retellings, Romance, Beauty and the Beast, A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Synopsis: In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places. Find the heir, win the crown. The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.

Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall? The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

Title: Nameless Queen, Author: Rebecca McLaughlin, Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, High Fantasy

Synopsis: One girl must make a name for herself--or die trying --in this royal fantasy where an unknown peasant becomes the ultimate ruler. But how long can she keep the crown if everyone wants her dead? Perfect for fans of Furyborn, Red Queen, and Everless. Everyone expected the king's daughter would inherit the throne. No one expected me. It shouldn't even be possible. I'm Nameless, a class of citizens so disrespected, we don't even get names. Heck, dozens of us have been going missing for months and no one seems to care. But there's no denying the tattoo emblazoned on my arm. I am queen. In a palace where the corridors are more dangerous the streets, though, how could I possibly rule? And what will become of the Nameless if I don't?

Title: The Night Country (The Hazel Wood #2), Author: Melissa Albert, Publisher: Flatiron Books, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, YA Fantasy

Synopsis: The highly anticipated sequel to Melissa Albert’s beloved, New York Times bestselling debut The Hazel Wood! In The Night Country, Alice Proserpine dives back into a menacing, mesmerizing world of dark fairy tales and hidden doors. Follow her and Ellery Finch as they learn The Hazel Wood was just the beginning, and that worlds die not with a whimper, but a bang. With Finch’s help, Alice escaped the Hinterland and her reclusive grandmother’s dark legacy. Now she and the rest of the dregs of the fairy tale world have washed up in New York City, where Alice is trying to make a new, unmagical life. But something is stalking the Hinterland’s survivors―and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose. Meanwhile, in the winking out world of the Hinterland, Finch seeks his own adventure, and―if he can find it―a way back home...

Title: Scavenge the Stars (Scavenge the Stars #1), Author: Tara Sim, Publisher: Disney Hyperion, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Retellings, The Count of Monte Cristo', LGBT, Gender Swapped, Gender Bent, Duology

Synopsis: When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one… Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.

Title: Shadowshaper Legacy (Shadowshaper #3), Author: Daniel Jose Older, Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

Synopsis: The epic conclusion to the acclaimed Shadowshaper Cypher series! A house divided Sierra and the shadowshapers have been split apart. Juan, Anthony, and Izzy are in jail, anxiously waiting to find out what will become of them. Back in Brooklyn, the other shadowshapers have been getting threatening messages from whisper wraiths, catching strangely shaped figures stalking them, and fending off random spirits. A war is brewing among the houses, and the very magic of the shadowshapers is at stake. The fate of the worlds Sierra is determined to protect her own in the coming conflict, even if that means keeping secrets from them. But a deal with Death by one of Sierra's ancestors has far-reaching consequences in the battles of the present, and as old fates tangle with new powers, Sierra will have to harness the Deck of Worlds and confront her family's past if she has any hope of saving the future and everyone she loves. Only doing so will mean following the magic to places the shadowshapers have never gone before . . . and may never return from. New York Times bestselling author Daniel José Older spins a masterful conclusion to his evocative and captivating Shadowshaper Cypher series in a finale of searing rebellion, the power of fate, and a magic unlike anything you've ever imagined.

Title: The Storm of Life (The Brillian Death #2), Author: Amy Rose Capetta, Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, LGBT, Queer, Gender Fluid, YA Fantasy, Duology

Synopsis: The sumptuous and powerful conclusion to the gender-fluid duet begun by The Brilliant Death, hailed by Kirkus as "a delicious and magical intrigue too tempting not to devour" (starred review). Teodora diSangro and Cielo, the strega she loves, are on a mission to save their country of Vinalia from its manipulative leader, who wants to exploit streghe and use them as his weapons. But will marshaling a small but powerful band of streghe be enough to wrest power from a cunning dictator? And what if Teo's been setting her sights on the wrong enemy all along? This epic sequel to The Brilliant Death completes the Italian-inspired fantasy duology with shocking twists, steamy romance, and magic that will dazzle your imagination and make you wish Vinalia were a real place.

Title: When Stars Are Bright, Author: Amber R. Duell, Publisher: Crescent Sea Publishing, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Retellings, Historical Fiction, NY Vaudeville, Burlesque, Musical, Romance, Thumbelina

Synopsis: For Lina Holt, a Dutch seventeen-year-old with a flair for singing, 1930 is going to be her year. Her long-time boyfriend is about to propose and her mother will finally realize their relationship isn’t a passing phase. But when a stranger snatches her from her backyard, everything changes. Lina is thrust into the spotlight of a New York vaudeville show where she’s paired with Nik, a mysterious pianist. The two bond during rehearsals and it doesn’t take long before Nik puts himself at risk to confess a hidden truth. Without Lina, the show is in its last season and there’s no way she’ll be allowed to slip through the owner’s fingers. Not when she carries fairy magic in her blood—an gift that turns her song into a dangerously addictive drug. If Lina ever wants to return home, she must learn who to trust before she’s forced to remain a prisoner on stage forever. WHEN STARS ARE BRIGHT is a historical Thumbelina retelling with a touch of magic.

Title: Woven in Moonlight, Author: Isabel Ibanez, Publisher: Page Street Books, Publish Date: January 7, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Cultural Diversity, Bolivian inspired

Synopsis: A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history. Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight. When Atoc demands the real Condesa’s hand in marriage, it’s Ximena’s duty to go in her stead. She relishes the chance, as Illustrian spies have reported that Atoc’s no longer carrying his deadly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristócrata to their rightful place. She hunts for the relic, using her weaving ability to hide messages in tapestries for the resistance. But when a masked vigilante, a warm-hearted princess, and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, her mission becomes more complicated. There could be a way to overthrow the usurper without starting another war, but only if Ximena turns her back on revenge—and her Condesa.

JANUARY 14TH RELEASES

Title: The Conference of the Birds (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #5), Author: Ransom Riggs, Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers, Publish Date: January 14, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, YA Fantasy

Synopsis: “Do you trust me?” An instant bestseller, A Map of Days launched readers into the previously unexplored world of American peculiars, one bursting with new questions, new allies, and new adversaries. Now, with enemies behind him and the unknown ahead, Jacob Portman’s story continues as he takes a brave leap forward into The Conference of the Birds, the next installment of the beloved, bestselling Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.

Title: Dark and Deepest Red, Author: Anna-Marie McLemore, Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, Publish Date: January 14, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Retellings, Romance, LGBT

Synopsis: Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves. Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes. With McLemore's signature lush prose, Dark and Deepest Red pairs the forbidding magic of a fairy tale with a modern story of passion and betrayal.

Title: Infinity Son (Infinity Cycle #1), Author: Adam Silvera, Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK, Publish Date: January 14, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, LGBT, Siblings

Synopsis: Balancing epic and intensely personal stakes, bestselling author Adam Silvera’s Infinity Son is a gritty, fast-paced adventure about two brothers caught up in a magical war generations in the making. Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures. Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day. Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be. Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.

Title: The King's Questioner, Author: Nikki Katz, Publisher: Swoon Reads, Publish Date: January 14, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Synopsis: From the author of 'The Midnight Dance' comes an epic YA fantasy featuring royal drama, dark magic, and a secret that could topple a kingdom. Kalen has been cursed with a gift: he’s a mental picklock, able to access a person’s memories and secrets by touch. His skills make him the perfect questioner to the king, and he spends his days interrogating prisoners of the crown.

JANUARY 21ST RELEASES

Title: Ashlords (Untitled Duology #1), Author: Scott Reintgen, Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers, Publish Date: January 21, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, YA Fantasy, If you like The Scorpio Races

Synopsis: Red Rising meets The Scorpio Races in this epic fantasy following three phoenix horse riders--skilled at alchemy--who must compete at The Races--the modern spectacle that has replaced warfare within their empire. Every year since the Ashlords were gifted phoenix horses by their gods, they've raced them. First into battle, then on great hunts, and finally for the pure sport of seeing who rode the fastest. Centuries of blood and fire carved their competition into a more modern spectacle: The Races. Over the course of a multi-day event, elite riders from clashing cultures vie to be crowned champion. But the modern version of the sport requires more than good riding. Competitors must be skilled at creating and controlling phoenix horses made of ash and alchemy, which are summoned back to life each sunrise with uniquely crafted powers to cover impossible distances and challenges before bursting into flames at sunset. But good alchemy only matters if a rider knows how to defend their phoenix horse at night. Murder is outlawed, but breaking bones and poisoning ashes? That's all legal and encouraged. In this year's Races, eleven riders will compete, but three of them have more to lose than the rest--a champion's daughter, a scholarship entrant, and a revolutionary's son. Who will attain their own dream of glory? Or will they all flame out in defeat?

Title: The Circus Rose, Author: Betsy Cornwell, Publisher: Clarion Books, Publish Date: January 21, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Retellings, Romance, LGBT, Circus, Ringmaster

Synopsis: From a New York Times bestselling author, a queer retelling of “Snow White and Rose Red” in which teenage twins battle evil religious extremists to save their loves and their circus family. YA fantasy perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Mackenzi Lee, and Laini Taylor. Twins Rosie and Ivory have grown up at their ringmaster mother’s knee, and after years on the road, they’re returning to Port End, the closest place to home they know. Yet something has changed in the bustling city: fundamentalist flyers paper the walls and preachers fill the squares, warning of shadows falling over the land. The circus prepares a triumphant homecoming show, full of lights and spectacle that could chase away even the darkest shadow. But during Rosie’s tightrope act, disaster strikes. In this lush, sensuous novel interwoven with themes of social justice and found family, it’s up to Ivory and her magician love—with the help of a dancing bear—to track down an evil priest and save their circus family before it’s too late.

Title: Gone by Nightfall, Author: Dee Garretson, Publisher: Swoon Reads, Publish Date: January 21, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Historical Fiction, Romance, YA Historical Romance

Synopsis: A young woman is torn between her home and her dreams during the Russian Revolution. It’s 1917, and Charlotte Mason is determined to make a life for herself in czarist Russia. When her mother dies, Charlotte is forced to put her plans to go to medical school aside to care for her unruly siblings. Then a handsome new tutor arrives. Charlotte has high hopes that he’ll stay, freeing her up to follow her dreams of becoming a doctor. But there’s more to Dmitri that meets the eye. Just when she thinks she can get her life back, Russia descends into revolution and chaos. Now, not only does Charlotte need to leave Russia, she needs to get her siblings out too--and fast. Can Charlotte flee Russia, keep her siblings safe, and uncover Dmitri’s many secrets before she runs out of time?

Title: The Iron Will of Genie Lo (The Epic Crush of Genie Lo #2), Author: F.C. Yee, Publisher: Amulet Books, Publish Date: January 21, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Angels, Demons

Synopsis: The fate of the heavens is at stake in this hilarious and highly-anticipated sequel to the The Epic Crush of Genie Lo Genie Lo thought she was busy protecting the Bay Area from demons. But now, as a Heaven- appointed Guardian, even the well-being of demons is her responsibility—and their numbers are multiplying. Guanyin and Quentin are doing their best to help; but what they really need is for the Jade Emperor to get off his butt and deal with the crisis. While he’s AWOL, Genie nominates Guanyin to fill in his shoes, unaware that the role will go to the god who can defeat a mysterious threat to the supernatural order. Along with a few other contenders for the throne, including a former enemy, Genie and her friends embark on a Heavenly quest to an in-between world. But when faced with true danger, the group realizes that what will save the universe this time is sacrifice, not strength.

Title: Rogue Princess, Author: B.R. Myers, Publisher: Swoon Reads, Publish Date: January 21, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fairy Tale, Retellings, Romance, Cinderella, Gender Swapped, Gender Bent

Synopsis: A princess fleeing an arranged marriage teams up with a snarky commoner to foil a rebel plot in B. R. Myers' Rogue Princess, a gender-swapped sci-fi YA retelling of Cinderella. Princess Delia knows her duty: She must choose a prince to marry in order to secure an alliance and save her failing planet. Yet she secretly dreams of true love, and feels there must be a better way. Determined to chart her own course, she steals a spaceship to avoid the marriage, only to discover a handsome stowaway. All Aidan wanted was to “borrow” a few palace trinkets to help him get off the planet. Okay, so maybe escaping on a royal ship wasn’t the smartest plan, but he never expected to be kidnapped by a runaway princess! Sparks fly as this headstrong princess and clever thief battle wits, but everything changes when they inadvertently uncover a rebel conspiracy that could destroy their planet forever.

Title: Spellhacker, Author: M.K. England, Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books, Publish Date: January 21, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, LGBT, YA Fantasy, Magic, Heist

Synopsis: From the author of The Disasters, this genre-bending YA fantasy heist story is perfect for fans of Marie Lu and Amie Kaufman. In Kyrkarta, magic—known as maz—was once a freely available natural resource. Then an earthquake released a magical plague, killing thousands and opening the door for a greedy corporation to make maz a commodity that’s tightly controlled—and, of course, outrageously expensive. Which is why Diz and her three best friends run a highly lucrative, highly illegal maz siphoning gig on the side. Their next job is supposed to be their last heist ever. But when their plan turns up a powerful new strain of maz that (literally) blows up in their faces, they’re driven to unravel a conspiracy at the very center of the spellplague—and possibly save the world.

Title: Wardens of Eternity, Author: Courtney Allison Moulton, Publisher: Blink, Publish Date: January 21, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical Reimagining, Mythology, Egyptian, Germany, WWII, World War II, Nazis

Synopsis: Ziva Ellison has one memory of her parents, made the day they abandoned her on the streets of New York City when she was three years old. They left her with only a memory and a promise that she had a great and terrible destiny. Fifteen years later, Ziva discovers that destiny includes powers that she doesn’t understand and can barely control. Her magic attracts vicious, otherworldly monsters, and eventually compatriots to help her fight them. Sayer and Nasira know the secrets Ziva doesn’t; that Ziva is descended from Egyptian royalty and in possession of ancient magic passed down from the time of the gods. They promise to teach Ziva to control her magic and to give her the family she’s always yearned for. But trouble is brewing in the world around them; darkness is descending on Hitler’s Germany, threatening World War II. As the last heir of a revered Egyptian queen, Ziva is the only one with the power to prevent another costly global conflict. As Ziva navigates her newfound abilities and makes a connection with Anubis and other Egyptian gods, the Nazis are hunting for the ultimate weapon, and Ziva has caught their interest. From Courtney Allison Moulton, author of the acclaimed Angelfire series, comes Wardens of Eternity, an action-packed page-turner that blends history, mythology, and magic, perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Kiersten White.

JANUARY 28TH RELEASES

Title: Blood Countess (A Lady Slayers Novel), Author: Lana Popovic, Publisher: Amulet Books, Publish Date: January 28, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, YA Historical Horror

Synopsis: A historical YA horror novel based on the infamous real-life inspiration for Countess Dracula In 17th century Hungary, Anna Darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for the young and glamorous Countess Elizabeth Báthory. When Elizabeth takes a liking to Anna, she’s vaulted to the dream role of chambermaid, a far cry from the filthy servants’ quarters below. She receives wages generous enough to provide for her family, and the Countess begins to groom Anna as her friend and confidante. It’s not long before Anna falls completely under the Countess’s spell—and the Countess takes full advantage. Isolated from her former friends, family, and fiancé, Anna realizes she’s not a friend but a prisoner of the increasingly cruel Elizabeth. Then come the murders, and Anna knows it’s only a matter of time before the Blood Countess turns on her, too.

Title: Diamond City (Diamond City #1), Author: Francesca Flores, Publisher: Wednesday Books, Publish Date: January 28, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, YA Fantasy

Synopsis: Good things don't happen to girls who come from nothing...unless they risk everything. Fierce and ambitious, Aina Solis is as sharp as her blade and as mysterious as the blood magic she protects. After the murder of her parents, Aina takes a job as an assassin to survive and finds a new family in those like her: the unwanted and forgotten. Her boss is brutal and cold, with a questionable sense of morality, but he provides a place for people with nowhere else to go. And makes sure they stay there. DIAMOND CITY: built by magic, ruled by tyrants, and in desperate need of saving. It is a world full of dark forces and hidden agendas, old rivalries and lethal new enemies. To claim a future for herself in a world that doesn't want her to survive, Aina will have to win a game of murder and conspiracy—and risk losing everything.

Title: The Frost Eater, Author: Carol Beth Anderson, Publisher: Eliana Press, Publish Date: January 28, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Romance, YA Fantasy, YA Romance

Synopsis: A lonely princess. A flying teen. A kidnapped girl who only remembers what happens at night. Seventeen-year-old Princess Nora is a frost eater who creates magical ice. Her royal life is luxurious but stifling. Krey West has a rare magical talent: when he eats feathers, he can fly. His one goal is to find his missing girlfriend, Zeisha. He thinks someone in power abducted her. Krey’s daring feats of magic earn him an invitation to the palace. Craving adventure and friendship, Nora offers to help him find Zeisha. He’s desperate enough to accept—though he hates the monarchy. The truth is more terrible than they could imagine. Every night, Zeisha wakes in a dark room full of sleeping people, unable to remember what she did in the light. Her dreams provide violent glimpses into her forgotten days. If Krey and Nora can’t save her, Zeisha may lose herself forever. Readers describe this post-apocalyptic fantasy novel as “magic-packed” with “action, romance, and intrigue” that’ll “pull you right into the pages.” Sink your teeth into The Frost Eater today.

Title: Seven Deadly Shadows, Authors: Courtney Alameda & Valynne E. Maetani, Publisher: HarperCollins, Publish Date: January 28, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Horror, Urban Fantasy, Retellings, Seven Samurai, Paranormal, Mythology, Cultural Diversity, Asian, Demons, Kitsune

Synopsis: Kira Fujikawa has always been a girl on the fringe. Bullied by her peers and ignored by her parents, the only place Kira’s ever felt at home is at her grandfather’s Shinto shrine, where she trains to be a priestess. But Kira’s life is shattered on the night her family’s shrine is attacked by a vicious band of yokai demons. With the help of Shiro—the shrine’s gorgeous half-fox, half-boy kitsune—Kira discovers that her shrine harbors an ancient artifact of great power . . . one the yokai and their demon lord, Shuten-doji, will use to bring down an everlasting darkness upon the world. Unable to face the Shuten-doji and his minions on her own, Kira enlists the aid of seven ruthless shinigami—or death gods—to help stop the brutal destruction of humankind. But some of the death gods aren’t everything they initially seemed, nor as loyal to Kira’s cause as they first appeared. With war drawing nearer by the day, Kira realizes that if this unlikely band of heroes is going to survive, they’re going to have to learn to work together, confront their demons, and rise as one to face an army of unimaginable evil.

Title: Tragedy of Me (Legend of Me #2), Author: Rebekah L. Purdy, Publisher: Month9Books, Publish Date: January 28, 2020; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Retellings, Beauty and the Beast, Romance, Paranormal

Synopsis: With the Curse of the Beast broken, Brielle Healer thought she’d left her bloody, gruesome past behind her. She thought she’d finally be able to have her happy ending with Raul, the gypsy who saved her life and she’s betrothed to. But when a new batch of dead bodies are discovered on her property, she doubts whether the curse was truly broken. Not to mention, Lord Kenrick’s brother, Daedric has shown up in town seeking information about his missing brother, who was last seen with Bri. He and other Knights of the Crowhurst Order want answers, answers that could very well endanger Bri’s life once more. But an encounter with Daedric has her wondering if perhaps Kenrick isn’t truly dead after all. That there might be a way to bring him back from wherever it is his spirit slipped into. However, as they delve deeper into research they discover an attempt to get Kenrick back will likely mean a trip through a hellish realm more powerful and dangerous than either can handle. But when tragedy strikes, Brielle knows she has nothing left to lose. And this might be her one chance to redeem herself for past failures and crimes. Raul Tinker spent his whole life trying to outrun his past. But the darkness has finally caught up to him, in the form of his vengeful sister Yalena, who blames him for their family’s downfall amongst their gypsy clan. She wants to destroy everything he loves, starting with Brielle. Although trained in magic, he knows he’s no match for the evilness she’s dipped her fingers into. Yalena promises not to harm Brielle, if Raul agrees to do her bidding. Which means people will die and the world will be opened up to unimaginable horrors. Raul knows no matter what he chooses, he’ll lose a piece of himself. Because the only way to stop her would be to allow the same darkness that consumes Yalena to consume him as well… But he will do anything necessary to ensure Bri's safety. Anything.

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