#hope none of them gets hurt in the upcoming angelic war

[araminakilla]

Scrambled eggs?

I'm sorry, I don't know that episode. I only know the "Protective & Caring parents" episode

May nothing bad happen to them and their precious children.

[mandoalorian]

hiii could you do a drabble with Din?? I was thinking he doesn’t know you have anxiety yet and you’re having a panic attack and he doesn’t rlly know how to handle them?? I thought #16 would be perfect bc protector Din is like “I will fuck up whatever is making you feel like this” (surprise bucket head, it’s their own brain)

Melting Dew [Din Djarin x GN!Reader]

Prompt no.16 “Who hurt you?” — thank you for the request!

Warnings: mentions of anxiety, panic attack, body dysmorphia, food mention, domestic!Din, Din and reader have pre-established relationship.

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 2000>

Masterlist

Din wasn't meant to be back for at least two more hours. The farmers market was about a three mile walk away from where he'd parked the Razor Crest, and he'd taken Grogu with him this time, who was sure to preoccupy Din whilst you were unable to accompany him. You'd spent the past week beaming at the thought of returning to Naboo, and craving the delicious, juicy taste of their native sourberries. Last night, before you fell asleep in Din's arms, you excitedly told him how you were going to purchase enough sourberries to last the entirety of the upcoming bounty hunting season. Din jokingly rolled his eyes at your comment and pressed a chaste kiss into your forehead, always finding your love for the simpler things in life extremely endearing.

Din Djarin spent the majority of his life a lone warrior. But upon meeting you and rescuing Grogu, it seemed like that all changed— and quickly, too. Now he was providing for the little green bean he called 'son', and you, the most beautiful, interesting and equally important person he'd ever laid his eyes on. Your appearance was soft, delicate, and your features were doe-like. In a galaxy filled with hatred and war, you were the epitome of hope and innocence. How could he not love you? He admired your attitude and excitement for life, and he adored the way you cared for Grogu unconditionally, like he was your own child. You were unlike any other person he'd ever met before. You were as pure as melting dew.

So of course he was protective over you. You, Din and Grogu had scowered the most dangerous depths of the galaxy and you all had your fair share of abuse from Imps, crime syndicates and immoral scoundrels. But there were people out there who tried to hurt you. However, they could never even get close to drawing a knife to your neck. Din was always one step ahead. Messing with you was no game. He hadn't let a single one of them live.

You'd awoken early this morning, quietly slipping out of bed and padding over to your closet in search for an appropriate outfit for the day ahead. You picked out a white tunic and embroided belt, along with some brown boots; but strangely enough, none of it seemed to fit. This was your favourite outfit and you wore it on practically all your days off. You loved the flow of it, and the way it hugged all the curves and accents of your body. But today... something wasn't right. The stitched tunic was tight around your arms and boxy on your shoulders, and as you looked in the full length mirror, your heart sank in your chest. The boots made everything worse. The belt didn't hang on your body correctly. And hell, it wasn't even just the clothes. There was something wrong with your hair today too— and your skin had broken out— and the dark circles that graced your under eyes had become significantly more prominent. You felt completely and utterly disgusting. There was no other word to describe it.

You heard Grogu stir from the quarters and you knew it wouldn't be long until he and Din woke up. You felt so embarrassed. So ashamed. The Mandalorian was an esteemed bounty hunter, best in the Guild, and also your husband— but Kriff, if he seen you like this... he'd shove you off his ship and make the jump to hyperspace within seconds! Panic filled you and the palms of your hands became clammy. He couldn't see you like this. He couldn't.

Just as you anticipated, you heard Grogu's garbles, signifying that the child was now awake and ready for breakfast. Din groaned something incoherent and you glanced over to him as he shuffled amongst the blankets. Your mind was still racing. If he saw you like this, he would for sure leave you. You had to hide. But where?

You bolted to the other side of Din's quarters and into the Refresher, turning on the shower and discarding the clothes that had made you feel so monstrous on the floor. Din heard the screeching noise of the Refresher and thought it was strange you were showering so early. The water was always particularly cold on a morning, and you knew this. Nevertheless, he shrugged it off and headed over to grab some pots and pans. He was preparing bone broth for breakfast.

When you didn't join the duo, Din left a bowl of broth for you in the cockpit of his ship. After he finished washing the dishes, he knocked on the Refresher door. "Cyare, are you alright?" he called, his voice rife with concern.

"Y-yes, I'm okay." you lied through gritted teeth. You were sat on the cold tiled floor, a towel hugging your body as you shivered uncontrollably.

"I was going to leave now... for the farmer's market. The walk is quite far so I wanted to set off early. Are you still coming?" Din asked curiously, his gloved hand nervously tracing the details of the steel door.

"I think I'll skip today, but have fun with Grogu, and stay safe." You tried to sound as optimistic and normal as usual, but behind the closed door, a silent tear slipped down your cheek. There was a brief silence and you had considered maybe Din had already left. But then you heard his modulated voice again.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" He knew how much you'd looked forward to going to the farmers market. It was all you had been talking about for the past week. Sourberries.

"I'm fine!" you forced a smile, even though he couldn't see.

Din wasn't convinced, but he knew better than to push you. If you said you were fine, so be it. He believed you. He had no reason not to trust you when you'd been nothing but honest to him since the very day you met him, all those moons ago.

Once you were sure he was gone, you pulled your pajamas back over your head, and climbed into bed. You felt safe, and free from any judgement. You were all alone. And that meant you could cry. So, you did. You sobbed for what felt like hours. You laid on your side and clutched the thin blanket tight to your chest, almost like you were hugging it for comfort. Your whimpers echoed against the interior of the Crest and this was the only time you had been thankful for Din and Grogu not being around.

Until you heard the entrance to the Crest shoot open, with that all too familiar whizzing noise. Dank Farrik— they were back early. They were back and you weren't even dressed. Your eyes were red and puffy, your hair was sticking up in places. You were, to put simply, a mess. But you felt like you were no less of a mess than what you were when you had worn the white tunic and embroided belt this morning whilst they were still asleep. You sunk under the covers of the bed and tried to hide from them. You prayed to the Maker that perhaps Grogu would help you out and use one of his magical force abilities to make you invisible. Then you'd never have to face the oncoming conversation with Din. The conversation that was inevitable.

"Cyar'ika?" Din asked, putting Grogu down on the floor and approaching you hesitantly. Thankfully, Grogu was more preoccupied with the little silver beskar ball he'd always play with. It came from one of the many levers on the Razor Crest. Din gently pulled away the blankets, revealing your tired glazed eyes and your tear stained cheeks. "Oh, my love. What... what happened?"

You didn't answer, feeling a swell of guilt erupt in your stomach. Din removed his helmet and placed it on the nightstand, and your heart jumped at the mere sight of your husband. His dark eyebrows were furrowed together in bewilderment and his honey colour eyes raked your body. "Who hurt you?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave. It was low and gravely; and you knew he was very serious. "Cyare... did something happen? Did someone-"

"No." you cut him off quickly.

No? Din's mind couldn't compute that answer. There was clearly something very wrong, and Din had to find out what exactly it was. Someone must've done something. You were fine yesterday. Had someone been on the ship while he and Grogu were out?

"Whoever or whatever it is— I can fix it. I will hunt them down cyare, you hear me? They won't know what hit them. I can-"

"Din stop," you pleaded with weak gasp, bringing your hands up to hide your face. You felt nothing but shame. "It's not... it's not like that. It's me."

Din's expression changed almost immediately. His face softened, his perfect plush lips parted slightly at your confession. He sat on the edge of the bed and took your hand. "What do you mean?" he quizzed quietly, although he had an inkling he already knew what you meant.

"I got up early this morning, excited to venture out to the farmers market with you and Grogu. Excited to go sourberry picking. But when I got dressed, it was like... something just hit me. I can't put it into words but I just felt so... so... ugly."

Once again, Din's brain simply could not compute your revelation. Ugly? You? How could you possibly feel that way. You shared the likeness of an angel. How could it be?

You swallowed and continued. "And then I got afraid. I got so scared that you'd see me the way I see me, and you wouldn't want to be with me anymore. That you'd run away from me and leave me behind." you shrugged helplessly. Now the tears were beginning to free fall.

"I could never, ever, think that of you, riduur. I love you so much. How could I possibly leave you? Without you, my life would end. It would be meaningless." Din revealed, his chocolate eyes glossy as he cupped your face with his large hand. His thumb traced the height of your cheekbone and you found yourself subconsciously leaning into his touch.

"Don't say things like that," you whispered, shaking your head. "You don't need me around... you already had everything under control before me."

"But nobody to make me smile. Nobody to make me laugh. Nobody to bring me joy... or show me the pleasure of how to love, and be loved in return." Din huffed, pressing his forehead against yours. "Next time you feel this way, please don't hide it from me. Whatever you're going through, we go through it together. Okay?"

You sniffed before finally nodding your head in affirmation. "Okay Din."

Din leaned in and pressed his lips against yours, the curve of his nose bumping into your cheek as he manouvered his body carefully over you. "So beautiful, and all mine." He purred lovingly before licking a stripe over your lower lip. You moaned wantonly and interwined your fingers in his curly brown locks of hair.

It was moments like this that you cherished forever. The sweet touches and soft murmers that made you void of all worry and insecurity; because in that moment, all that mattered was you and your riduur.

Permanent taglist: @paintballkid711 @supernaturalgirl @phoenixhalliwell @ah-callie @luvzoria @stardust-galaxies @wickedfrsgrl @goth-topic @nerdypinupcrystal @wonderfulfluffer @kiwi-the-first @pedroepascal @castiel-barnes @honeymandos @rocketqueen @ladycumberbatchofcamelot @dybalalover10 @girl-obsessed-with-things @elena-myth @moth-guillotine @pedro-pascal-love @hayley-the-comet @pinkninja190 @maxiarapamaya @autumnleaves1991-blog @artsymaddie @harrys-stan @kennedywxlsh @cripplingmoon @cheekygeek05 @mrschiltoncat @rye-flower @theamuz

[koo-zy]

hello! do you have any fantasy/historical jungkook x reader fic recs ?

hello lovely!! i’m so sorry i missed this yesterday :( i was actually planning on reorganizing my tumblr because i feel like no fics are ever going to be able to be found my blog LOL so hopefully that’ll be done soon!!

as for the fantasy/historical fics.. i’m honestly not too sure what “fantasy” (do demons count..? soulmates..? werewolves????) typically includes so i’m just going to include a bunch of fics that hopefully fit in :”) here are the first ones that i thought of + summaries included in their main posts!

also.. i’m sure i missed a lot of amazing fics (mainly because i’m dumb as hell and don’t really know what can be included in “fantasy”) and would like to apologize in advance!! 

@inktae ’s entire masterlist (they have a lot of fantasy fics!)

while this isn’t just jungkook recs, @ficswithluv had a fantasy category a few weeks ago!

@kpopfanfictrash ‘s jungkook masterlist

@fortunexkookie ‘s jungkook masterlist

one shots!

énouement - @littlemisskookie Mulan!AU

War is Hell, but it’s what you had to do to take your brother’s place. Of course, between the days of Hell are little slices of Heaven you’d call your Captain, Jeon Jungkook.

midas - @gukyi 

jeon jungkook was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and the power to turn whatever he wants into pure gold. you were born with healing and invisibility powers but without a cent to your name. so when you’re plucked off of the streets for pickpocketing and assigned to be his minder as punishment, you realize you’re going to have to overcome a lot more than class differences if either of you are going to get what you want.

i will not lose! - @jimlingss Magic!AU

A single bet - use every means to make Jeon Jungkook fall in love with you.

a piece of the moonlight - @/jimlingss Mulan!AU

For your loved ones, the people who are waiting at home, the people who have died - you will fight. And sometimes to fight means to sacrifice: who you really are and the person you really love.

dynasty - @/jimlingss Historical!AU

It’s no secret that the Emperor is infertile. But even so, a girl is selected every three months and brought to become his concubine in hopes of conceiving the next heir. This time, it’s you. And in order to prevent execution, Jeon Jungkook might just aid you in conception.

game of temptation ft. knj, myg, kth - @/jimlingss Succubus!AU 

As a succubus, your beauty is unrivaled and shaped to tempt mortals. But it’s still hard to resist Taehyung, and there’s little you can do once you’ve been coerced to do his bidding for him. This time, you find yourself entering the affluent Kim Household as a housemaid. And these poor humans don’t know your intentions are far from being angelic.

knot today - @kinktae

(IDK IF WEREWOLVES COUNT BUT JERHFBDSKNZX THIS IS REALLY GOOD!!)

When your first heat approaches and you are left partnerless, who better to turn to than your alpha roommate that you’ve spent the better half of your life hiding your feelings for?

ego - @luxekook Harry Potter!AU

(..i also don’t know if HP counts LOL)

in which jeongguk is a cocky lil shit and the reader has to take him down a few pegs

stumbling - @hayjeon Prince!AU

an ask in their inbox regarding the prompt: hii! so the royal wedding of prince harry and meghan is today, and since my bias is JK and since i’m such a sucker for royal stuff, can i reuest a fic of bts all being royal of 7 different kingdom, and all of them being invited to jin’s wedding and the girl (oc) is also invited and kookie met her there, and eventually took an interest at her? the girl is also royalty from other kingdom. thanks!

werewolf!jungkook - @/hayjeon

an ask in their inbox regarding the prompt: Werewolf!jk? (im sorry ik it’s overused and unoriginal) where he and his mate have pups to take care of and they’re quite a mischievous bunch!

there for you - @cupofteaguk Hogwarts!AU

Jungkook is always known for doing things unapologetically, and it makes sense given how almost nothing gets under his skin—almost nothing, but maybe there’s an exception that takes a form of a muggleborn with the shy smile and quirky spells.

say you won’t let go - @/cupofteaguk Soulmates!AU

You’ve been eighteen years old for ten years when Jungkook first moves in 

new romantics - @/cupofteaguk Hogwarts!AU

Jeon Jungkook will go down in history as one of the best Quidditch players that ever graced the Hogwarts scene. It seems like he always gets what he wants—his life is very predictable in that sense. What he cannot predict, however, is the newest weekend employee wiping down the tables at the Three Broomsticks.

a cinderella story - @suhdays Modern Cinderella!AU

you are forced to work multiple jobs as you live under your stepmothers roof. unable to move out and strive for complete independence, you do what you can in order save enough. turns out, as a college student that is harder than you thought. so, you distract yourself by joining online chat groups in which you meet a boy that goes to your school. that boy? none other than the rugby star himself, jeon jeongguk. it doesn’t prove to be an issue until he asks to meet you at an upcoming halloween party. he’s never noticed you before so why not hide yourself in order to live your dreams, if only for a moment?

explorer - @1kook Alien!AU

Jungkook does not want to impress the frankly tyrannical ways of his planet on you. He just wants to stay here and keep your couch warm for you, hold your hair back when you wash your face in the morning.

rottenfolk - @junqkook Faerie!AU

a look was as hazardous as chemicals, a kiss as perilous as poison; his eyes and lips felt akin to a cure, but he was purely venom.

the young wolf - @/junqkook Game of Thrones!AU

he was promised to another, meant for another to hold and to love and to kiss. but when his hand lingered on yours for a moment too long to be proper, and when his eyes held yours for a beat too long to be a passing glance, you allowed desire to creep into your veins, to take root inside your heart. perhaps before you might have been permitted to love him freely. perhaps he might have even been promised to you instead. but war was no place for the wants and desires of two people, no matter how much they yearned for it to be.

the lighthouse - @rubycoast S2L!AU

(im not too sure if this is considered fantasy but its one of my favs!)

you and jungkook had one thing in common: you were both lost souls stagnant in the search of some fulfillment. the one of many differences was that your story had been written on your sleeves, while jungkook’s was a story needed to be unriddled.

black magic - @hansolmates​ Magic Uni!AU

a witch with an ambition for learning, you stumble across a crushing spell in the middle of the forbidden section. of course you have to try it out! what happens when the crushing spell not only has jeon jungkook crushing on you, but you crushing on him?

the sea & the storm - @jamaisjoons Fantasy!AU

the sea is a powerful mistress. she is calm and beautiful. she is mysterious and alluring. she is a force to be reckoned with. above all, however, she is lonely. until she meets him. fantasy au.

the lionheart’s oath - @sugaxjpg Knight & Princess!AU

There was no happy ending, no dragon slayer to save the kingdom and get the princess — there was only him: Jungkook. A simple orphan that was lucky enough to be invited into the castle, a former homeless thief that had found shelter in the form of an elysian heir. Now, after twelve years by your side, he was about to lose you to the world you sought to explore.

ghosts just wanna have fun - @/sugaxjpg Psychic & MedSchool!AU

When Jungkook discovered that he could communicate with dead people, the last thing he expected was that they would be there to give him romantic advice.

wartime child - @ktheist Wizard!AU

raising a baby in wartime isn’t easy. but when your baby starts showing signs of magical abilities, you’re forced to ring up the only other person you know he takes after: jeon jungkook.

birth of an empress - @/ktheist Dragon Slayer!AU

partners for three years and friends for longer, jungkook thought you’d remain so until he saw you with the knight at the merchant’s trade.

alternatively, the friendly neighborhood wizard trying to propose to the infamous dragon slayer in the middle of slaying a dragon? now, that’s classic.

series/two shots!

fear in your eyes - @/gukyi Werewolf!AU

(again, idk if werewolves count but hifksdjcx !!!!)

there’s a werewolf in that forest behind your house, they told you, and he’ll eat you before you can even beg for mercy. 

the worshiper series - @/jimlingss 

Long ago, there were gods who resided in Heaven -- existing to watch over and protect the universe. Each of them had their own flaws, trials and tribulations; some which were more sparing than others, but these are their stories...

a promise of freedom - @/jimlingss Wartime!AU

War is cruel and its inhumanity has not spared you. Captured by the enemy, you were brought to the front lines to heal their wounded. But after one night of saving a particular man’s life, he swears to fulfill any wish of yours.

one year, my love - @/hayjeon Historical!AU

You forge a marriage contract with the strangely speaking man who suddenly stumbled into your town with memory loss, but little do you know that he’s actually the lost Crown Prince, and a lot can happen between a married man and woman in one year.

demigod!au drabbles - @/hayjeon

an ask in their inbox regarding the prompt: i have a supernatural au prompt! how bout daughter of hades/loner!reader and son of zeus/bully! jungkook?

into the woods - @/junqkook Goblin!AU

getting hurt and stumbling upon a goblin in the forest leaves you completely at his mercy, though you aren’t sure if that’s necessarily a bad thing.

lionheart - @/junqkook Magic!AU

as a sorcerer, it is of the utmost importance that you keep your magic a secret from everyone. when you become prince jungkook’s servant, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep your identity hidden; especially when you fall in love with him.

a royal exchange - @/hansolmates

she’s the man!au where the princess impersonates her brother yoongi in order to finish his degree on time while yoongi is thrusted into princely duties. jeongguk is in the mess purely through room arrangement

knight!jungkook x princess!reader - @/ktheist

a series with 27 parts!

that’s all i can think of off the top of my head right now :(( not gonna lie, half of these probably don’t even fit into either of those categories and i know there are so so so many amazing fantasy/historical fics out there!! i wish i knew them all but i hope this helped a little bit! if anyone has any fic they’d like to rec, feel free to send it to meee :)

and finallyyyyy i leave my following page open for viewing as well so you can check out all of the authors i follow!! please show all of these authors (and many more) some love! <3

[skampi835]

Peevish Herbs and Sassy Medicine (Ieyasu x OC)

This is a chapter from one of my bigger fanfictions, I’m writing. But I’m too shy to post the whole thing anywhere... (because I’m doubting myself and my english too much)

But I’m quite pleased with this oneshot (so I corrected and re-readed it multible times)! Have fun while reading! I hope you’ll enjoy.

The scene takes place one day after arriving in Azuchi so it’s not the first encounter with Ieyasu, but their first... well... kind of conversation?

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Language: english

Starring: Ieyasu x OC

Genre: Comedy

Warning: none

Word Count: 2.900

“Hey there, Ina! Masamune invited me to a stroll into town. I’m sure you’re not in the mood since your face is still puffy and all. So I understand when you don’t want to. I just leave you a note, so you know he’s looking out for me. cya!”

  Oh well... it’s all right... I guess. Have a nice time, Rei -- WithOUT me!

Exasperated Ina’s sitting by the table in their room. Narrowing her grey blue eyes, she’s analyzing over the letter again, and yes, she's actually analyzing every single word. The female also would have loved to go strolling into town. Because she felt asleep during the ride back to the castle, she hasn't yet seen anything from it. Adventuring with her dear friend - and crony from the future - Rei, would have been so much fun, besides the puffy face Ina had because of mister spooky guy!

Stealing my friend on the first day, huh? Sneaky Masamune...

Absently Ina’s reaching for the sweets Masamune had brought over before he'd so casually took up her friend. Munching over them the sweet taste of the incrediences spreads over her tounge and she couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty for her thoughts, while she's dreamily enjoying the treats. They are sooo delicious! Ina has never expected that! Didn't Masamune mentioned, he has made them himself? How amazing!

“I’m not in the mood anyway.” Ina says somewhat confident to herself, while eating the sweets happily. But what is she supposed to do after? Hideyoshi had sent her away before, to handle Ranmaru and like he said she wasn’t given free access to the castle or it’s staff. Heavily Ina sighs after finishing the last mochi.

Her vision’s crossing Rei’s letter again.

You know what? What Hideyoshi doesn’t know won’t hurt him!

  _____

Armed with a wipe and a bucket filled with water, Ina’s entering the archives. Her eyes are scanning her surroundings in which the massive shelves flank the room. Particles of dust are lightly dancing in the rays of shining sunlight from the small window above her, like illuminating sparks. Lanterns are shimmering luminously the walls, uncovering heavy, valuable looking tapestries. Great shelves are arching under the sheer weight of the books, scrolls and other stuff that they store. The smell of parchment and ink fills the the dusty air.

Ina’s truly impressed about the enourmus mass the archive is holding. She hasn’t expected seeing something like this in this time, when books and great knowledge should be merely rare.

“Hello?” Ina waits and listens after raising her voice. She wants to be sure, that there’s nobody else here, particulaly Hideyoshi, who would’ve bickered with her, why she’s even in there. The perfect silence remains at first, when she catches on a brief clink and a brushing tone.

Looking around, Ina quickly finds the source of the sound, when she’s seeing a little bird over the window. It disappears under the ceiling, before returning and it finally flies away.

Phew, just a birdnest in the ceiling, I guess.

Closing the door behind, Ina’s passing the shelves. Her eyes are flying over the spines of the books and scroll, astonished and visibly impressed. Originally planned she would have use the wipe to dust the inside, but Ina is way too stunned about the fullness of the archives. Though she has trouble in reading them, the female is concentrating on the written characters.

Honestly Ina curses herself, for not being more intent, when she learned kanji for her trip to Japan. And now she can’t barely read anything at all, because the letters are looking not just foreign, but alien.

The bookshelves are rowing the walls and even outlining in the middle, separating the room into three small sections. It’s not nearly enough to call it a library, like Ina’s uses to know from her own time, but it definitely amazes her.

She’s stopping at a table, which she brushes the dust off with the wipe. Placing the bucket at the corner, Ina turns to dust the nearest shelf as well, though the oddly sensation of the knowledge the archives are holding, is attracting her like magic and get the better of her.

Abandoning her good intentions of cleaning, Ina’s facing the nearest shelf. Some of the scrolls look pretty old, though most of the books don’t. Curiously Ina leans nearer so she could read the headlines on the spines, though she has huge problems deciphering them.

... You know what? When I’m about to spent my upcoming three months here, I could at least do something useful and learn something new. Didn’t Nobunaga say I could just spend my time in Azuchi, doing girly stuff??

Not sure if reading is that kind of girly stuff, Nobunaga was talking about, Ina's concentrating on reading the characters. She truly holds a big interest in the use of medicine in these time period. Even in her present day, the european medicine often implies alternative Chinese medicine as a support. What’s the difference between Japanese and Chinese medicine and their herbs, she wonders?

She just has to find the right section where she can find those books and then... well, maybe Rei will help her read them! So Ina hopes... Nonetheless Ina's determining sure in becoming better with reading, when she’ll try.

Looking over her shoulder to make sure she’s still alone, Ina’s taking a deep breath. With narrow eyes Ina reads slowly and aloud: “’Mental Honor’... ‘Fall of Hogan-Ji’,... ‘The Art of War’... - oh wait, I think I actually know this book!”

“Would you mind, being quiet?”

The sullen hiss that suddenly sounds from not that afar startles Ina nearly to death. An anxious meep slips through her lips while giving a jerk. Rapidly blinking Ina’s listening to the remaining silence bewildered. “Eh... Hello?” Unsure she asks. Ina was certain, that she had been alone! Yet someone noticed her poor reading!

Silence...

And a quiet grunt.

Slowly Ina reaches about two books before her and shoves them gently to the side. A peevish Ieyasu’s frowning annoyingly at her from the other side of the bookshelf.

Embarrassed, Ina is sheepishly gazing back at him. “What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like? Reading in silence.” was his curt answer.

“And why didn’t you just answer when I've entered? You have really startled me.” Shame’s  uncomfortably heating her head and Ina truly feels like an idiot. Though Ieyasu doesn’t seem to notice, while he's gazing tiredly back at her through the hole in the shelf. “I didn’t thought you’re actually going to stay.”

What kind of reason is that?

When Ina met Ieyasu the first time, she felt more like encountering a spikey raid boss with venom abilities:

Yesterday

Curiously Ina’s watching the other man, with bright, tousled hair. He’s smaller than Mitsunari and Mitsuhide. Though to be honest, being taller than Mitsuhide would be quite the challenge! Yet Ieyasu nearly seem to be petite, just looking at her with sharp green eyes.

Since Ina's the foreign here, she’s feeling the urge in doing the first step. It couldn’t hurt to be on good terms with the guys here, even if at least one of them is a shady tease. “Hello, my Name’s Ina. Nice to meet you.”

Ieyasu's inclining his head, slightly narrowing his eyes skeptically. “You don’t look as I imagined.” He says and leaves Ina quite puzzled. “Pardon, but what do you mean?”

“You look terribly pitiful.” Ieyasu bluntly retorts. Wow... that one quickly turns out to be a salty one... They've hardly talked, yet Ina got the feeling he doesn’t like her.

“How intent of you, Lord Ieyasu.” Mitsunari beams with a stunningly gentle smile and nods towards Ieyasu. “Lady Ina sure needs some rest after that long horse ride and the harsh night she’d just had. I guess a bath will also help her to ease.”

Ina always felt at calm, when she looks at Mitsunari’s calm and angelic smile since arriving in this era. Mitsunari’s by far the nicest person she’s ever met, even in her own time! But in this moment Mitsunari’s tender words and soft smile doesn’t seem to convince Ina. Glancing haltingly back at Ieyasu, as he grumpily rolls his eyes with a snort, confirms Ina in her assumption. Ieyasu wasn’t intent at all... He just was rude!

“Whatever.” Ieyasu says with an annoyingly heavy sigh and is glancing back at Ina. “You don’t need medical treatment, do you?” he asks.

After blinking confused about his sudden offer, Ina shakes her head. “No, thank you. I’m fine, just a little bit tired.”

“Good.” Ieyasu nods and is walking away without another word. Ina carefully follows his steps with her grey blue eyes.

“Lord Ieyasu is also a vessal of Lord Nobunaga. And I can quite tell that he likes you.” Mitsunari’s smiling warmly at Ina, while she peers at him doubtfully. “Uhm sure... If you say so.” Ina surely wasn’t sure though.

Still looking at Ieyasu, Ina’s wondering if he has another of his bad moods. By the looks of him, he’s not in a good mood by any means. “Will you stop staring at me?” Ieyasu brusque retorts and pulls Ina out of her thoughts. “It’s hard to concentrate.”

“Ahm I-... Sorry Ieyasu.” Ina quickly says and is bashfully tousling her hair. ��I... was looking for a book earlier to read.”

“That stammering didn’t sound like you could read at all.”

Ina’s opening her mouth in attempt to defend herself. But she couldn't tell him, that she’s used to read in another language with different alphabetic characters! Nonetheless she is able to read at all!

Okay Ina, be nice to him. Maybe he’ll understand.

“I-- err... am not used to it. Reading I mean. But I like to study.”

“Are you an idiot?” Ieyasu scoffs monotonously. “How can you study if you’re not able to read?”

Ina’s face darkens a tiny bit, gritting her teeth. Because of Sasuke she can’t tell him the truth and it might be better that way. So she’s avoiding strange questions or worse the dungeons, because when she's not declaired crazy she might would be claimed a spy. With a silent sigh Ina’s rounding the shelf to face Ieyasu. He’s sitting by an table with a pile of books. Next to him a brush, ink stone and blank papers. “Even if I’m not a good reader, I’m willing to lean it. I just like to learn.”

Not having the barrier of a shelf between them any longer, Ieyasu’s dropping his gaze to his books. “Then do it muted and elsewhere. You’re interrupting my studies.”

Puzzled Ina’s blinking a few times, while Ieyasu does his best to intent she’s not even here anymore. “Excuse me. I guess I’m confused. I thought you warlords don’t study anything else then strategy or warfare.”

Ieyasu’s peering coldly at her. The unspoken question ‘Are you an idiot?’ clear written in his annoyed face. A sudden rush of embarrassment is rushing Ina's face again, because of her own flawing logic. The sudden time travel thing might was really too much for her. Apologetically Ina raises her hands. “I am sorry. I spoke out of mind.”

“Stop chitchatting. It’s one-sided.” Ieyasu snarls, still piercing Ina with his sharp green eyes, and is sending an enormous wave of aversion towards her, before continuing writing with a brush.

... be nice to him, Ina. He doesn’t understand. But how could he possibly understand?

Ina can’t blame him. Her attitude must be awkward for him. She should be a normal girl from a village that’s not pointed on any map. Without Rei she feels so lonely and lost in this role though. For Rei it's easier pretending to be someone else. She's fitting for acting. Meanwhile Ina’s feeling like stumbling from one puddle to another.

With the attempt of apologizing, Ina’s bowing her head, when she caught sight of an open book on the table. She knows the drawing from her earlier times, when she was in nursing school. It was short theme back then. It shows with dots the spots of particular nerves which could be stimulate to relieve pain. “Oh, is this... about medical practices?”

Ieyasu almost leans back overly hurried, when Ina’s leaning eagerly forth to get a closer look of the page. Knitting his brows, he snorts “And if it is?”

“I--...” Ina’s quick thinking of a way to explain it to him that wouldn’t sound too awkward. For she can’t tell him, that she’s a nurse either. Propably he wouldn’t even know what a nurse is. Sheepishly she smiles: “Sometimes I helped the medics in my hometown.”

Pointing on the drawing with the nerve between thumb and index finger, Ina continues: “When you stimulate this nerve with pressure or a needle, you effectuate some linking to heal headache. But mostly headache comes off when you drink too less. Also you might try to bind fresh peppermint in a wet towel and place it your nape, because of the--”

Before Ina finishes her word, she’s stopping, facing the blankly looking Ieyasu. He even looks a little surprised in the flicker of the lanterns. “You know... western techniques?” He’s asking perplexing sincere.

Ina knows, that she’d spoken too much, that is why, she’s awkwardly tousling her hair again: “Ah I- no. Not really I just know a little about bit. You know my village lays really behind of the mountains.”

Ieyasu’s staring at Ina with puckered brows. Though after a while, he scoffs and draws his book from her. “I thought so.”

Slightly frustrated Ina’s clenching her hands under the table. Ieyasu had called her pitiful before. And a waif at the council. But it would be way too suspicious, if she would offer him to explain some medicine practices she knows from her time. Medicine no one in this time would ever believe will exist someday! For a short moment Ina has thought, that might be a thing they could share. That Ieyasu might be a little nicer to her, if she’ll show her interest. Still Ina’s determined to learn something about the traditional eastern medicine. “Hey? Maybe you could teach me a little, Ieyasu?” Ina’s asking with a consolidative smile.

Raising his head, Ieyasu’s staring at Ina intensly: “No.” and declines quickly.

Shot down in an instand. Encounter Boss is reaching the enrage timer!

“I understand.” Ina slowly nods. “You have important things to do and I’m robbing your spare time you have, huh?”

Ieyasu doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t even have to. According to Rei, he’s the one who will unify Japan. Technically speaking he’ll finish, where Nobunaga and Hideyoshi failed. But in this time as well? Even when Nobunaga's still alive? Again Ina fears for the trouble she and Rei have already caused in messing with the time. “I’m sorry for disturbing you. I’ll leave you to your studies then. Though do you mind helping me to find a book about local herbs? I guess that’ll be a good start for me.”

Ieyasu, understandable deeply annoyed in the meantime, is frowning at Ina. “No. Go find it on your own.”

Knitting her brows Ina’s looking questioning at Ieyasu. Peevishly he's mirroring her.

... You are just rude again! You know what? I don’t need to play nice, when you’re not even trying!

“Fine.” Ina’s saying provocatively loud, while standing up. “I shall go and find my them on my own then.” Sassily she’s emphasising every syllable and faces the books in the shelf next to her. With ostentation she’s pointing a finger on the spines of the books and reads loudly with her utterly bad reading skills: “‘Forged in Iron’..., ‘Forming Armor’,... ‘Art of Forging’... Huh, I might be in the wrong section here.”

“... Stop.”

Ieyasu jumps onto his heels, grumpily snorting as he passes Ina. He walkes determined right to a shelf on the wall and is directly dragging three books out of it. He spins around and is pressing them into Ina’s arms. Dumbfounded she’s catching them. “Thank-...”

“Sod off!”

With his hand on her back Ieyasu’s pushing Ina through the archives and shoves her out. Ina nearly stumbles over her feet into the hallways, the books bedded against her chest. She turns to face Ieyasu, but he has already closed the doors.

I got kicked out...! Well... I guess I deserve this. At least now Ieyasu has a reason for hating me.

Ina sighs in frustration, glancing down to the books she’s still holding in her arms.

‘Plants and Herbs’, ‘Medical Plants’, ‘Poisons and Antidotes’.

Ina’s nibbling her lip, when she silently reads the headlines of the books Ieyasu has shoved towards her. Well at least he did help her. After she has practically annoyed him into exhaustion, that is.

I’ve never felt so guilty in my life before...

A part of Ina thinks that it was okay, because Ieyasu owes her one for his utterly grumpy attitude towards her. An eye for an eye. But another part of her hopes that she could make it up to him soon. She doesn’t want to be on bad terms with anyone here.

Bedding the books against her chest again, Ina’s walking back the hallways to her room. From the open veranda she’s glancing over the gardens, whereas the sun sinks, immersing the sky brightly in orange and red colors.

[talesmaniac89]

Choices - You Chose Dean

New to Choices? Start Here

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Summary: Choices is an interactive Supernatural choose your own adventure story where your choices determine the outcome and whether it’s a Dean x Reader or Sam x Reader. Go to the intro to start your story now!

Triggers: None really, some mention of Dean putting himself in harm’s way.

Choice:  [You chose Dean Winchester]

Y/N = Your Name

—

“Right… So, to make sure we’re ready…” Dean said with a sigh, eyeing the signs as they passed by. The tense tone and hard voice of a soldier enough for you to tell you were quickly closing in on the farmhouse in question. 

“There’s supposed to be five demons in there. We’ll have to take ‘em all out fast. Try to catch them off guard,” Dean spoke over the music, echoing the earlier plan and case details. Though you didn’t mind. It was better to be prepared. Know the case inside out. Especially when you were dealing with those slimy black-eyed bastards. They tended to try and wiggle their way free if you left them even the slightest bit of breathing room.

According to the briefing, the five demons had made themselves a cosy little home in the middle of farm town USA. Happily living their best evil little lives and causing havoc wherever they went. But they weren’t big shots. So, the fight shouldn’t be too hard for three experienced hunters. In, out, find a motel for a snooze if necessary and home in time for lunch tomorrow.

“We’ll have to split up. (Y/N), I think…” Dean started, those infuriatingly striking green eyes glancing up at you through the rear-view mirror and nearly leaving you tongue-tied. Damn him and his… Gorgeous fucking bastard. You couldn’t even think straight. Dean Winchester did things to your mind; filthy, explicit, breathless things. Leaving you mentally winded and unable to string two words together with just a flash of green or a blinding smile.

Yet you somehow still managed to get the protest out before he finished his sentence. The stubbornness of a hunter tackling the wanton daydreamer in you to the floor and wrestling the not-so-innocent devil on your shoulder into submission for long enough to let you find your voice again.

“I’m not sitting this one out Winchester,” You snapped back. Allowing your annoyance to mask the way the hunter always left you winded as you shot down Dean’s attempt to keep you out of harm's way. Like he did every hunt. Disguised as you either taking on the research-, backup- or otherwise removed from action roles.

Though he always failed. You were just as unwilling to see him hurt as he was to see anyone hurt. There was no way in hell you’d be able to sit a fight out and risk the man you loved (oh so very secretly and silently mind you) get hurt because of it. 

“Alright… But you’re staying behind me,” Dean sighed after a moment. Clearly sensing the fight brewing as he backed off quite easily. Plus, even the infuriatingly protective hunter had to agree that 3 against 5 were still better odds than 2 against 5. No matter how much he wanted to go in, guns blazing, alone to keep his little brother and you out of harm’s way.

“Ok, so… We’ll head in the front, while Sammy goes around back?” You clarified; happy he’d dropped the fight for once. And doubly happy since you’d be right there by his side. Able to protect him and the heart you’d silently slipped him without him noticing. 

“Yeah, after, we paint some Devil’s Traps outside. Give ‘em nowhere to run,” Dean’s voice was all business again as he revved the engine, green eyes hard as you sped down the old country roads. Straightening in your own seat, you felt the adrenaline start coursing through you. It was show time, and you were planning on kicking some serious demon ass. 

--- 

“Nice place they’ve got here…” Raising an eyebrow, you kept your eyes on the dilapidated farmhouse through the trees as you stepped out of the car, hidden just out of view from the demon hideout. Unable to stop the disgusted shudder that crawled up your spine as snapshots from some of the goriest movies you knew flashed in front of your eyes.

It looked like something from a classic horror movie. You could nearly hear the Deliverance banjo music in the background as your eyes scanned the rickety porch and rotting wood. It was the kind of place you’d normally scream at the characters on the screen to run away from. Not in fear, but in pure exasperation. After all, nothing good was ever found in old abandoned farmhouses. The demons in the one in front of you just helped prove your point. 

Following Dean to the back of the car, you kept your angel blade by your side as you busied yourself stocking up on holy water and enough iron to make Tony Stark jealous. Taking extra care to ensure everything was safely strapped to your body, and that none of the ‘pointier’ weapons would end up turning on you if you took a tumble. Though you knew you’d most likely just end up sticking to good ol’ reliable and angelic in your hand. The silver white blade thumping against your thigh matched your heartbeat. Adrenaline already coursing pleasurably through your veins from the thought of the upcoming fight.

You needed action, and you needed it fast. The nearly uncomfortable buzz in your body seemed to be reacting violently to the evil in the air, culminating in an itch in your bones that nothing but gunpowder and steel could scratch. So, as you finished building your wearable arsenal of guns, knives and all things pain-inducing, you glanced over at Dean, lips parted to get the show on the road. However, Dean wasn’t moving next to you. 

The gun he’d picked up first still heavy in his palm as he stood frozen, watching you. Worry making the green summer days in his eyes cloud over like a sudden midday storm. The barely hidden pain in them squeezing at your heart as you readied yourself for words you knew would come. 

“You don’t have to…”

“Yes, I do Dean,” You sighed, unwilling to even let him finish his usual attempt at making you sit the hunt out. The same frustrating song and dance as always, yet you couldn’t help the way your heart followed the rhythm of it. The kind, protective streak that made the hunter ask you that same question every time you set out to fight another monster was, after all, part of why you loved him. 

Always so willing to carry every burden on his own shoulders, yet hiding that small, fragile part of himself that showed how everyone’s burdens were taking their toll. Keeping his own pain, his own burdens, hidden until he was alone in the bunker. Or at least, until he thought he was alone. You’d caught him more than once. Tired green eyes squeezed shut as he rested his head in his hands, gasping for breath through the onslaught of guilt and hurt. Strong shoulders shaking with unshed tears and the weight of the blame he placed on them. 

He wanted to keep you safe. Not just you, but the whole god damned world. Still, he was just one man. One soldier in a war that had been raging since the beginning of time itself and he never put down his weapon. Always ready to jump back into the fray. Even as his armour cracked, and his blade dulled. Even as he collapsed under the weight of it all.

The family business; his life since childhood had forced him to hide away his fears as weaknesses. Shaping himself into a shield instead, as he readily threw himself into harm’s way if he believed it could save someone else. Dean Winchester lived like he had a death wish, even though he feared the unknown darkness that was waiting on the other side. Always a little too ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good. 

Never seeing that he was greater than the sum of his sins. That he was good. 

Never willing to believe that the world was a better place with him in it. Though to you it was. Hell… Without him in it, the world would just be a black and white imitation of its formerly vibrant self.

Because you knew the truth that he spent every waking moment trying to hide from the greedy world that just kept demanding more of its one-man army. That behind the soldier, there was a man with a big heart and a need to be loved. A young boy who was denied a childhood. A broken big brother that always blamed himself for pulling Sammy back into the life. A friend willing to sacrifice anything just to see you smile. And, a beautiful soul, who hurt and mourned deeper than anyone else whenever you failed to save someone. 

Dean Winchester was a complex man.

He wasn’t just a hunter, brother, friend or secret keeper of your heart. Dean was a heartrendingly beautiful story with untold depths, a full unexplored universe. With all the nuances and colours that painted a picture of his painful history in scars, heartbreaks and timid smiles that he felt guilty for letting slip. 

A story made up of all the stifled emotions and locked in screams, that easily brought those who knew him to tears. Peppered with small verses of agonisingly fragile hope and the long forgotten innocence of a childhood he never got to have. Hidden and hard to decipher among the many self-deprecating jokes and harsh rejections, yet not lost to you as it was to many others who saw the man as unfeeling and cold. Dean just had to grow up a little faster than most, it didn’t make him a monster, it didn’t make him any less human.

And you didn’t want to add new bruised and battered sentences to that story. You never wanted to be the reason for him to ever get hurt. So, as always, you told him the same thing you’d repeated for an immeasurable number of former hunts. Speaking into the quiet air around you as you grabbed one of the spray cans from the trunk.

“We’re in this together Dean. I’ve got your back, you’ve got mine. Forever,” 

--- 

Straightening back up with a stifled groan you admired your work. 

If all else failed and hunting didn’t work out, maybe you could turn to street art. The Devil’s Trap was expertly painted, if you’d say so yourself. Which you did. Albeit silently and in your own head, as to not alert the demons in the farmhouse to the right of you. 

The trap you’d been assigned was the closest to the Impala, another attempt from Dean at keeping you safe. Yet, it was also the most likely escape route if the demons turned cowards and tried to run for the hills. 

The sliding door just a few steps away to your right was not a planned entry point. So, they’d be most likely to try and use it to scutter away like the scared little black-eyed rats they were if it came down to that. So, your work had to be perfect. Allowing yourself just one more careful look over the symbols, you stepped back. Turning on light feet to carefully, and silently, re-join Dean by the front door. 

The worry in green eyes had once more been replaced by steely determination once you made it back to the front of the farmhouse. Squaring his jaw, he watched you quietly jog up to him before just as soundlessly signalling for Sam to start moving towards the back door with a raised hand and to fingers pointed down the path around the house. His own eyes moving to lock onto the front door, weapon at the ready while he relayed the wordless orders. Missing the small nod from Sam as the younger hunter stayed crouched and quiet, moving before Dean’s hand even had time to straighten out and silently relay his next orders.

Lifting his hand to you, you frowned at the straight palm facing you. He was asking you to wait outside for his signal. To let him walk in through the front door first and act like your shield in case something went wrong. 

Looking at him you gritted your teeth to keep the angry whisper at bay. Gripping your angel blade a little harder, you chose to instead just silently shake your head at him in protest. Catching his eye as he glanced away from the door to make sure you caught the order you tried to silently plead with him. But this time he wasn’t backing down.

His own wordless reply was just a repeat of the single hand gesture that was supposed to be your command and role in the coming battle. Green eyes leaving yours to cut off every silent argument you had as he kept his shoulders tense and jaw squared. 

Your stubborn hunter wasn’t going to let you argue this time as he slowly but surely started moving forward, towards the door. Leaving you standing in the gravel, fuming silently.

—

Make your choice below to move the story along:

What do you do?

[Follow him in] or [Wait outside]

—

Confused or New to Choices? Start Here Choices is an interactive Supernatural choose your own adventure story where you pick your Winchester brother and go on a hunt for one of 8 different endings in total. Four for Sam and four for Dean (2 happy and 2 bad endings per brother). Go to the intro to start your story!

—

[thedistantstorm]

A Steelponcho Dawning - Part 8

A Dawning romance featuring the Commander and the Clan Steward, their feelings for each other coming to a head during the first Dawning celebration following the Red War, featuring Lord Saladin, city food, eventual smut, and a whole lot of pining. Continues from: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7.

It’s a rare day that sees Zavala visibly burdened by the other parties within the Consensus. He always, without a shadow of a doubt, remains stoic yet interested; Firm, yet fair. The Farm’s proposed budget revisions pass easily to Suraya’s delight, but that’s the only item that’s gone smoothly.

The factions are greedy - any advancement for their competitors creates a disadvantage for themselves - and want Zavala’s unanimous support for their efforts and thus the backing of the Vanguard. Ikora and Cayde are mostly disinterested and follow his lead unless something gives them a bad vibe - both have their own motives and initiatives that they pursue outside of this theatre. Their presence is more for the sake of solidarity.

Reconstruction is always a battle. Everyone wants their primary operating district rebuilt faster, and none of them want to rely on their own resources to do so. It becomes a pissing match, which turns into a bitch-fest about the faction rallies beginning next week and progresses into a free-for-all that even Zavala’s polite throat clearing and pointed redirection cannot abate.

Cayde finally whistles like it's some backwoods brawl he's breaking up - not a government meeting. Even knowing the Exo for as long as hse has, it's still a weird experience seeing a man with a metal mouth whistle. The puzzled looks around the room tells her that others think the same.

“You know,” Hawthorne says to the three faction leaders, “If you really need assistance, you could try recruiting some of the clans.”

When Hideo and Jalal start snipping at her instead of each other, she holds up a hand. Lakshimi looks bored, but Suraya thinks that just might be her baseline facial expression.

“You do realize that just because there are clans against the factions that it doesn't mean they're all against you, right? Most of the civilians are aligned by common goals. If those goals line up with your Tenants or what have you, they'll probably join up or at the least, consider some contract work. I mean, most of the Guardians are in a clan, but they're still talking about what faction they plan to support for the rally.” A quirk of her lips almost gives away her smile at their re-evaluating expressions.

When they start discussing(not yelling) amongst themselves, she leans back, satisfied. Ikora nods to her. Cayde is back to playing with his tablet. Zavala is listening in to the faction leaders’ discussion, but takes a second to give her a proud half-smile that's uncharacteristic of him in such a public venue.

It's not often she feels so confident in her decisions. She makes them in what she thinks is the public's best interest, but she's usually trying to read the faces of those in the room to see if she needs to change something on the fly. The fact that she didn't look to anyone for assistance, trusted her own instincts on this (albeit minor) political play makes her feel amazing.

Also, she stopped the faction leaders from fighting. Her. Their - okay, she's exaggerating here, with the exception of one jerkoff Executor - enemy, in a roundabout way. Still, she's proud of herself, and that's even without the little tug in her belly from the silent praise of the Commander in Chief of the meeting.

They get out late, and though she's had a small breakthrough and even promised to work with the faction leaders to put them in touch with clans she thinks will work with them, she can see the subtle dip of Zavala’s shoulders, heavy with unease. She knows the competition of the faction rally, now only a few days away, will put the slight productive discussion they had on the back burner.

He needs to do something to take his mind off of it. There's nothing he can do now. If they're going to behave like children, he cannot stop them. At least the Guardians will benefit with new gear and weapons, if nothing else.

Hideo, as always, stays behind to speak in his usual reverent whisper to Zavala. Once he leaves, the Titan goes about collecting his tablet and any hard copies of files he's brought along. She slips back into the room once he's alone.

“So, everybody's really in the Dawning spirit, huh,” She deadpans.

He looks up at her, clearly not as appreciative of her humor as she'd hoped. “Remind me not to have Iron Banner and the Faction Rally at the same time next year.”

Oh. He's getting it from all sides. It's not just the factions. It's Shaxx and Saladin, too, she realizes. He's always had the misfortune of being caught in the middle of most squabbles, from what she's heard of his time as Commander. Even before. He's big on avoiding conflict and settling things peacefully. Where possible, of course. Explains the subtle curl of his shoulder, the bogged down look she recognizes plainly after spending so much time with him. She wonders what his Fireteam thinks, if he brings it upon himself or what.

“Will do.” Armed with this realization she knows what she has to do. She pulls the tablet from his hands, gently enough that he could stop her without much effort. He doesn't.

“I know,” He intones bemusedly when she sets it aside, switching gears back to his usual doting persona, “You're hungry. Where are we going for lunch? I'm sure you have plenty of questions.”

She laughs. It actually wasn't her intention - she’s trying to take care of him here - but she could definitely eat. There's a shrug. “I’ll let you decide. By the way, what does your schedule look like for the rest of the day?”

He shakes his head, almost disbelievingly. “Believe it or not, we managed to finish early. I just have some paperwork to catch up on.”

“You mean, paperwork you're ahead on. Zavala, please. I know how you are.” Suraya rolls her eyes in mock exasperation. “Sounds like you're free for the rest of the day. Up for some decorating? They're hanging lanterns tonight down in one of the districts and I got roped into helping.” And, quieter, she says, when he's contemplating it, “No politics or armor allowed. Might be a nice little break.”

It'd be good for him. He doesn't exactly get out much, and almost all he talks about is work. Might be good to get out there and see what he's working for. A little community service never hurt anybody.

“Perhaps I'll go change.”

-/

It's weird making house calls with him. She's always done this, even when she was living outside the City. Certainly she didn't make it every year, but when she did, she'd always helped some of the more impoverished areas with decorating and supplies. This year, they weren't even stolen, either.

Zavala is strangely shy, even though his body language says he is calm and confident. His voice is low and smooth - he's never needed to speak loudly to be heard, and he's absurdly humble when the citizens praise him. Respectful, always, and dare she say it, charming. This may be her stage, her area of expertise, but people are positively drawn to him.

He takes her instructions well, which is a bit of a role reversal. She supposes it makes sense though, because he’s in her theatre instead of the usual opposite. They start at opposite ends of the streets, stringing lanterns with ease. It isn’t a difficult task once the correct number of lanterns has been allotted. As they work inward, a handful of people come out and speak to them both. Plenty of others come to help, and it becomes a large community effort.

Hawthorne is used to taking initiative in this way, starting a small movement and letting herself get caught up in the experience. While the adults decorate above, children bob and weave through the streets, all bundled up for the chilly weather as they engage in snowball fights and make snow angels in the couple inches of snow on untrafficed streets.

Inevitably, they get separated, each finding themselves the impromptu leader of a group of decorators. They divide and conquer, and the decorating goes smoothly, quickly tackled within the span of a few hours. By the time the sun sinks below the wall, the lanterns are lit in the fading light, casting a warm glow on the streets. It’s hard not to be a little giddy in light of the upcoming Dawning.

When he finds her again, she’s surrounded by a group of children. It’s a strange sight, though not an unpleasant one. She’s smiling, unguardedly so, and engaging in conversation with the littlest members of their society, all of whose screeching he can hear from far away. It floors him, sometimes, just how much of an impression she makes on seemingly everyone she comes in contact with.

When she sees him and waves, most of them scatter, hollering and playing on. The smallest among them stands beside her, looking up at Suraya, biting her tiny lip and looking nervous.

Suraya drops swiftly to a knee and holds out her arms. The girl all but tackles her in a bear hug and they rise together, as she situates the child on her left hip. She’s small for her age, common in these poorer areas, especially with the war just recently behind them. The girl pushes her head into the juncture of Suraya’s shoulder and neck, and Zavala furrows his brow as she totes the girl toward him, his eyes lit up in a silent question. The Clan Steward fixes him with a warm look and tilts her head to speak to the little girl before she picks her head up and looks to Suraya with a serious nod.

Zavala stops walking toward them a few steps away. Suraya nods at him, eyes communicating silently with him before she sets the little girl down beside her, in front of him.

“There’s someone I want you to meet,” She says, gently. The little girl beams up at him, all dark hair and bright eyes. “This is Adara.”

Suraya takes a step back as Zavala crouches and extends a very large hand to meet her small one in a delicate handshake.

“Nice to meet’cha, Commander,” Adara says quietly, wide eyes shyly meeting his. Her little body is practically vibrating with excitement or nerves, and he’s not sure which it is.

“The pleasure is mine,” He replies in the most soothing rumble he’s capable of. He’s always been good with children, soft spoken enough to coax the shyest into speech but stern enough to redirect the unruly. “Are you excited for the Dawning?”

She nods, short brown hair bobbing with her. “Yeah! I’m makin’ my mama a scarf!” She exclaims happily, before ducking her head as though she’s just revealed a great secret.

“I’m sure she’ll love it,” He says, and he knows it to be the truth.

At that, she shifts her weight back and forth anxiously. “My brothers said I’m stupid fer tryin’ to make her one.” The Commander frowns. “They made fun’a me and said crochet’s for babies,”She rambles. “S’rya tol’ me that’s not true, but that I shoul’ talk to you. She said you crochet,” The girl looks up at him for confirmation that he gives with a small dip of his chin, “An’ that you’re the toughest, smartest, most bravest person she knows.”

Over her shoulder, he looks up at Suraya, who shrugs as if she’s never heard anything like that before. The gentle pull of her lips into a smile she can't help and the softness of her eyes say something else, though. Something sincere. It’s an incredible warmth, something far different from the light that dwells inside him, that’s tethered to his soul and his Ghost in equal measure. Incomparable. Brighter.

He gazes back down to the little girl and smiles. “The art of Crochet is certainly not for everyone, Adara. It is complicated, requiring both attention and skill. Your siblings are likely unable to achieve the correct form.” He’s not sure of the child’s vocabulary - or age, they all look so young, and he is so very old by comparison - so he simply offers, “If you are able to retrieve your work, I would be happy to look it over.”

“Really?” She’s flabbergasted, little eyes even wider, if that’s possible.

“Really.” He nods resolutely. She hugs him so quick she’s practically a blur in his fine-tuned vision before she runs off in the direction of her home.

Adara comes back not two minutes later with three of her brothers in tow and what appears to be the beginnings of a dark maroon scarf. The three boys pale at the sight of the Vanguard Commander and his singular quirked eyebrow while their younger sister smiles victoriously, drawing attention to missing baby teeth. Suraya turns her head in the direction of the girl chattering animatedly to the Commander while he evaluates her fledgling work, any maternal instinct she has flaring at the sight. It’s rather adorable if she says so herself.

“Don’t interrupt,” She warns the boys behind her, when one of them takes a tentative step in the direction of the knitting duo. Her gaze back at them is stern when they giggle, as if she’s told a joke. “Be nicer to your sister.”

They slink away well before Zavala is finished with his littlest pupil and biggest fan.

-/

It’s late by the time they get back to the Tower. Much of their walk back is spent in companionable silence, admiring the lights and decorating that’s slowly overtaking the Last City. It’s beautiful and quiet, peaceful and serene for once. The Traveler casts its own ethereal glow like a full moon over cobblestone streets. The ambiance is romantic, not that either of them will admit it.

“I’m glad you came with,” Suraya murmurs, not looking at him as they approach her door.

He tilts his head to look at her. She doesn’t meet his gaze, dark eyes focusing straight ahead. He rumbles, “I am, as well. It was… refreshing.”

That makes her smile. “Glad to hear.” Her boots scuff against the road. “The citizens admire you. I know you absolutely made their day, just spending some time with them. They’ll be talking about it for weeks. And Adara was so thrilled she finally got to meet you.”

“Finally?” His eyes narrow, and she finally turns to face him.

“Her father is in one of my clans. The one I told you about, all the fathers protecting their families?” She stops to explain and he nods, remembering. “I had to drop off some bounty info for them a couple weeks ago, and that’s when I heard her brothers being little jerks.”

“So that’s when you-”

“ Yeah.”

He seems satisfied. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“What you told her.”

“I told her the truth.” Her smile is that same soft, unguarded one from earlier. The one that inspires such bittersweet hope inside his heart. “That’s nothing you need to thank me for.”

His chest aches. It physically aches. He closes his eyes and inhales once, attempting to get his emotions under control. Before he can open them again, she loops her arms around his neck and hugs him. He almost gasps at the contact, her lithe, lean body flush against him, head pressed against his collarbone.

“Goodnight, Zavala,” She tilts her head up to whisper directly in his ear. His arms wrap around her, his head bowing to her shoulder as he holds her tight. Just for a moment. Just one.

It’s over far too quickly, and she pulls away to let herself inside.

“Goodnight.” It’s barely a whisper, and yet it’s like a spark, filled with warm emotion.

When the door is closed and locked behind her, he looks up in the direction of his own flat, down at the other end of the corridor. But, more than that, he sees his mentor, Lord Saladin, standing about halfway between him and his door, still dressed in full armor. Zavala sighs. Of all the people to see this display of-

“I know that look,” Saladin says to his student, interrupting his thoughts.

“What look?”

This is not the discussion he wants to have with the Iron Lord, this man who - aside from Shaxx - has known him longest. Not right now, not when he’s feeling raw and open. He knows they can’t. He doesn’t want to hear it from someone else right now.

“That’s exactly how I looked at Jolder.” His normally serious face crinkles around the edges, the light in his eyes brighter for just a second. He puts an arm around Zavala’s shoulders and steers him away from the path leading to his flat and back toward the open air. It makes Zavala feel centuries younger, much greener and far less sure of himself. Especially considering Saladin’s openness on the subject. The whole of it really took Zavala back.

“We don’t get to pick.” They step out onto the empty Tower, the few patrolling officers making themselves scarce. “Love doesn’t care about Light or age, any of it.” He laughs, hearty and sad. “No. It’s not convenient, and it’s not easy. But it’s worth fighting for.”

“I shouldn’t.”

“On the contrary. The reasons you think you shouldn’t are precisely why you should.” There’s something knowing in the Iron Lord’s gaze. “Do you think it easy loving Jolder?” Zavala doesn’t miss Saladin’s tense. Loving. Not loved. "She was something else. Saw me as more than a Risen. More than an Iron Lord. Saw this.” He puts a fist over his heart. “Knew me better than I did, maybe better than I ever will. Knew if she hadn’t-” He closes his eyes, unable to carry on in that vein. “If you love that woman, do not waste the time you get. Tomorrow is never promised. Not even to us.”

Zavala looks up at the Traveler as Lord Saladin leaves him to think, not for the first time wishing he had the answers. He knows she’s worth it, knows his heart’s has made its choice. Could it truly be that simple?

[jamlessness]

first lady, six.

pairing: taehyung x reader. word count: 4.4k content: angst, inappropriate language, ice hockey!au a/n: first off, i’d like to dedicate this chapter to the amazing @jangjangboom7​ that has been dealing with my shitty self lately and still being so wonderful and i love her for that; also to the lovely @uberbabetae​ that’s my yelling partner at hockey matches and rival for the day, you’re the best and i love you; last but not least to the absolute angel that @seaseok​ is! i love you, beautiful being! i also wanna thank all of you for the love you’ve been given first lady, y’all have a special place in my heart!now prepare the tissues and enjoy.

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Voices surrounded you the whole time and now that your eyes began to feel lighter, the voices finally seemed to carry a clear message with them. You felt Yoongi’s angst when he asked how could it be possible - you had no idea of what it was but for your brother to react just like that, it had to be something hell serious for sure. You felt you father’s concern when he asked why did you pass out if the whole problem was your knee and it didn’t take much effort to catch up with the nurse when she said that it was just too much pain for your body to process.

But, more than anything, you felt your mother’s sorrow as she requested silence.

You also felt how incredibly warm your left hand was compared to the right one and that’s when you knew you should try to break through the darkness and fight to open your eyes.

A painful grunt came from the back of your throat as your irises welcomed back the artificial lightening of your room and it all fell silent for a moment.

Doe, teary eyes found yours almost immediately and, even though you were still confused, you knew it was the first time ever seeing your mother like this.

“Eomma… Don’t cry…” you mumbled weakly, making her sniff and shake her head fiercely as her hand came to caress your cheek. “I’m okay, I swear.”

“Yes, you are, honey bee.” you didn’t have the energy to be surprised by your childhood nickname reaching your ears out of nowhere and it was only less shocking than to hear your mom so apprehensive. What the hell have happened?

“We won the game, right?” with your eyebrows knitted together, you asked for the one thing that could have gone wrong as the nurse came to check your reflexes.

“Paboya!” Yoongi directed to you for the first time since you woke up. “You’ve got us dead worried and all you care about is the game?”

“I gotta know if it was worth the hit!” you replied, smiling as you had the opportunity to watch him chuckle nervously and curse under his breath.

“The boys nailed the overtime. Hong with the winning goal so no need to worry, babe.” as if your father’s voice wasn’t enough to make you dizzy, he head to call you by that name. The change in the atmosphere was clear and you didn’t dare to look his way, afraid that you couldn’t hold back from the urge to punch your own father.

You were ready to tell him to never call you that again when the mortifying sensation of someone stepping in different parts of your body at the same time hit you like a truck. Your hands instinctively flew to hold your forehead as a groan passed by your widely parted lips. Out of habit, you tried to curl yourself so you could manage to support the feeling but a sharper pain, initiated in your right knee, sent electrical waves to every nerve and muscle of your body, making it impossible not to scream.

Your family’s desperate attempts to make you calm down never worked out. The nursing team got to action not only in assisting you but also in expelling the Mins out of the room since it was stressing you out and making you no good.

“Did you really had to bring that up?” your mom shot the moment she realized they just wouldn’t let the three of them back in the room - at least not together. Both her son and husband looked at her as her eyes furiously lit up while referring to the eldest.

“What? Is it my fault now?” he scoffed in disbelief.

“How could you simply talk about the game after what happened?”

“She asked about it! We both know Y/N-ie would go crazy if she didn’t hear about it!”

Yoongi shut his eyes closed and took the deepest breath as the argument escalated right in front of him. He knew how dense his parents could be and honestly felt like an idiot for expecting that it’d be any different because you were involved - since they tended to save it for later when you were around.

They have been blaming each other for the littlest things since before he was born, why did he hope it to be otherwise now that something so serious happened? They couldn’t even consider how devastating news awaited for you, they had to keep playing that game were who screams louder, wins. No, your fragile state was not enough to keep a white flag held high while they worked on their shared concerns for awhile. It was just another excuse to being another war.

Yoongi knew he wouldn’t be able to hold it back for much longer, not when he knew what you’ve been through before the game and what expected you after that night. Even though he kept in mind that he should play it cool for you, he also knew that there was always the option of being done with your parents’ shit - one you’d easily forgive later and the most tempting one at the moment.

“Could the both of you stop bitching for a second and listen to me?” he asked before opening his eyes, only to find his parents blankly staring at him as he silently prayed for wisdom. “Y/N knows about the divorce and she knows about Bomi so it’d be really helpful if the two of you didn’t treat her like a baby and stopped blaming the one fucking thing that was keeping her sane.” his words and gaze found his mom and dad once he advised them directly.

He gave himself a mental pat once he realized he kept a constant tone while scolding his own parents. He never thought he’d ever do that but, for the sake of his sister, he’d do anything.

“Did you tell her?” Mr Min was ready to jump in his son with all the conclusions that clouded his head through that brief silence if it wasn’t for his wife’s smooth movement.

Soon enough, they were glaring at each and Yoongi knew another battle was about to happen.

“Excuse me.” the nurse called with a polite smile, making the trio snap their heads in her direction. “Y/N-ssi wants to see her oppa.”

There was no need to be told twice. As soon as Yoongi had the chance, he sneaked in your room just to find your form even more vulnerable than it was a few minutes ago. His heart shrunk and he had to fight back the tears as he approached you.

He knew he’d be one of the few people - if not the only one - to notice that you were putting so much effort to keep a decent conversation with the doctor. Your eyes gave away your brokenness and Yoongi desperately searched his mind for a remedy for your upcoming state given you still didn’t know about the whole situation just yet.

“So this is the beloved oppa!” the doctor joked as Yoongi got close enough, greeting her with a half bow.

“He wasn’t even supposed to be in town but since he is, might as well be live up for the title.” you stated with an uncontainable smile. Every single part of your body hurt by now but to have someone you trusted enough - and could keep himself together - by your side at that moment made it bearable. “If you’d like to proceed…” the suggestion came as your eyes met the doctor’s. It was a dirty hit and you knew it’d take long to recover but still you kept believing that you could be back on ice before the team’s summer camp, so you’d make it in full power for the playoffs.

As you daydreamed about a glorious return to the ice - and a well deserved revenge if your school had the chance to face that stupid captain again -, both your brother and the doctor shared a concerned glance. It was written all over your face that you couldn’t wait to go back and it only made it worse. None of them could predict how you’d take the news and for that, Yoongi judged wise to hold your hand, making you instantly frown at his action.

“Y/N-ssi.” the doctor called sweetly and you turned to face her. “I’m afraid I can’t fulfill your expectations.”

Those words were enough to make your heart race and everything to become a blur as the diagnostic met your senses even though you gave your best to believe otherwise.

Taehyung wasn’t sure where that sound came from - his stomping feet or his heartbeats - but it was getting louder than his thoughts and he was quite grateful for that. Mumbling the number of your room, the captain trained his eyes to every sign he saw, holding tight to the bouquet and the paper bag he had in hands.

He spent the whole sunday drowning in misery, worries and pessimistic thoughts as no one had a clue of your current state or how did your surgery go that it almost felt like a dream when, this morning, Yoongi texted him, asking him if he could come by to see you after class. Alone, he even remarked before explaining thatyou convinced him to travel back to his current home. So Taehyung didn’t even think twice before gathering his stuff and leaving a message for his parents and best mates that he was off to see you and would soon return with news - as if they didn’t knew he’d run to you the moment someone told him he could.

Once he found his destination, Taehyung sighed deeply, pulling off a mental note that making sure your humor was intact was his priority. He knew how you valued your mindset and, honestly, it was the main key for your recovery.

He noticed your knee held high when he opened the door and his concern only increased. Knee injuries were always his biggest fears just like to most of the other players he knew. It was never simple and the complications always came with a massive headache.

The fact that you were awake and turned from the phone to face him once he entered the room was something he took as a good sign but his heart sank the moment he noticed the usual sparkle you held in your stare was gone.

“Who are you?” Mrs Min’s solemn voice resonated until it found the both of you and forced you to break eye contact. Taehyung immediately stepped back, turning to the place your mom eyed him from before respectfully greeting her.

“I’m Kim Taehyung. Your daughter’s friend.” he added, giving her a polite smile even though the eyebrow she cocked never came down.

“I appreciate your intentions but Y/N requested no vis-”

“Could you leave us?” you interrupted, taking the two of them by surprise, four startled eyes darting in your direction right away. “Just for a few minutes.” the magical smile that could get you anything from your parents crossed your lips as you persisted. You mother examined your expression, unable to find a reason to deny you that. She quietly left but not less suspicious. You haven’t even accepted to see your best friend, how could you welcome that boy? “Did my main idiot send you?” you mused, catching his attention back to you. Taehyung shrugged, still a bit uncomfortable with how your mom glared at him but it didn’t stop him to approach you.

“Hyung thought it was a good idea.” he shrugged, making you nod.

“It was. Five more minutes with her and I’d go crazy, seriously!” even when he knew it was nothing but a simple joke, Taehyung couldn’t help but to glare at you just like he would do to any of the guys and you were glad he did. You liked that friend of yours far more than you could comprehend. “Is this for me?” with your chin, you pointed to the presents he brought.

“Yep.” he nodded. “Even though I’m not sure if they’ll allow you to have this.” the chuckle escaped when he was at your bedside before handing you the gifts, especifically referring to the paper bag.

As unwrapping the gift, you couldn’t fight the feeling that came along with his smile as he watched you: you missed your captain and the effects of his mere presence. Taehyung didn’t need to say or do anything for you to know he cared and it made you momentaneously forget about that thunderstorm you were facing.

You smiled widely once you held in your hands the very first jersey you wore as the newest addition to the team, at the wanted and hated center position. It was an easy one to identify since every single person related to the team then have signed it, congratulating you and wishing you a bright future. You could easily recall the comments you heard the moment you were announced as one of the best forwards of the team. She’s a Min, right? I bet they’re only doing this because of her brother. She’s is a girl, she can’t be that good. It only fueled the fire inside of you to prove them all wrong.

And you did.

Exceeding expectations and settling a whole new thought when it came to ice hockey in your town. The rightful, the one and only First Lady.

And now, in a blink of an eye, it was being taken away from you.

You instantly went back to who you were before Taehyung showed up and lit up the whole room: the girl watching the clip they put online of her getting wrecked, dying to each comment under it. The nicest you could find was a “she’s finally proving of her own medicine”; but none of them hurt as much as the first of them - that’s what happens to people who think they deserve the game but do nothing but to disrespect it.

So were you really unworthy of hockey? Was that really karma coming for you after all the trouble you brought to your team? Were you playing the game you so loved in such a wrong way?

Shutting your eyes closed, you clenched the jersey to your chest, fighting the lump that suddenly showed up in your throat and with that Taehyung was lost. Automatically, he came closer, his hands cupping your cheeks as his thumbs wiped your stubborn tears away. You couldn’t help but to melt under his touch.

“Y/N…” he called in a constant tone even though he was desperate for seeing you like this. “Where does it hurt? Just tell me.” it was a plea by the end of it as you shook your head in denial.

“Nowhere that can be fixed.” a bitter chuckle left your lips and Taehyung retreated with wide eyes and a deep frown. He knew that tone way too well.

“Y/N.” he voiced a sutil demand as you swallowed your cry.

“Answer me, Kim.” your eyes found his again, the last bit of confidence you had in yourself was the only thing that kept your head high. “Am I that much of a shame as a player?”

“What?” his immediate reaction was to make a face to the most absurd thing he heard. Taehyung allowed himself to have a second thought since it would be of no help to you. “Where did you get that from?” he asked in a much softer voice with attentive eyes to your every move even when it was as annoying as a roll of your eyes.

“Answer me first.”

“The fact that you’re one of the best players in the country should answer for itself.” his reply came full of calm and seriousness, making it clear that he had no doubt about that. “Now where the hell did you get that from?”

Sighing, you reached for your phone not taking long in showing him the answer. You followed as Taehyung’s face retorted and he replied to every single comment under his breath, not loud enough for you to distinguish his words. Not even an entire minute went by before he gave up reading, telling you that those things were nothing but nonsense coming from untalented people. You chuckled as he kept going with his speech, not holding back the thought that you’d miss listening to him in his captain mode and his pep talk before every game or practice.

Kim Taehyung was a precious leader and friend and you were lucky to have met both.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” you declared, not really ready for the pain those words would cause you - or him: “I’m never playing hockey again.”

“Yes, you are.” once again, he replied the first thing that crossed his mind, making you smile at his innocent honesty.

“No, I’m not.” once again you were fighting your body to contain your tears. You still had some pride left, you wouldn’t let yourself down like that. “That’s how bad this injury is, that’s how bad I busted my knee. That means no playoffs, no scholarship, no Olympics… There’s not one single percent of possibility of me playing professional hockey, Taehyung, I’m done.”

Taehyung blinked slowly as the meaning clouded his mind and gave him time to organize a coherent sequence of words at least. It was still too fresh but there was no way on earth he’d let you give up like this. That was not you. That was not his First Lady.

“Square up, Min.” he called. “You’ll be kicking some ass in that pond real soon and I’ll be just there to annoy the hell out of you.”

When Taehyung got home, later that night, he couldn’t help but to shed a few tears. It was just so unfair and it made no sense at all. How was that even allowed to happen? How could your dream be taken away from you that easily? He knew how much hockey meant to you, especially in that moment of your life when everything was so messed up.

“Oppa?” Eonjin called, knocking on his door after the dinner. “Are you awake?” she insisted when she didn’t get a reply.

“Come in.” he simply responded, fixing his posture as his sister walked in. “What is it?” Taehyung did his best to act like nothing troubled his mind. He only didn’t count on the fact that his sister could read him just as easily as his parents.

“How bad is unnie?” the girl asked gently before taking a seat by his side. He even thought about getting away of the subject but it was not a good option. He sighed instead, polishing his answer before saying anything.

“Worse than she thinks, I guess…” he was honest, getting an acknowledging nod in response.

“We can pray for her if you want to.” Eonjin suggested moving her hands to express her will of doing it and Taehyung effortlessly smiled at that. “And make her snacks for the next time you go visit her.”

“That’s a pretty good idea.” he rose his eyebrows. “I’d like that.”

“I knew you would. I mean, food is the way to a girl’s heart and I figured you’re pretty desperate…”

“You’re a genius, aren’t you?” Taehyung glared at her with small eyes and his sister shrugged.

“Someone had to get the brains.” with a movement mastered over the years, Eonjin avoided her brother’s elbow, smiling triumphantly. “You should ask for forgiveness while praying though.” she added while reaching for his hands.

“I’ll remember that.” Taehyung winked and allowed his sister to lead the brief prayer, not refraining his smile at her cuteness and how much of her heart she put in that prayer.

That was quite understandable. In that house, you were not just the girl he liked. You were also Eonjin’s hero since the little girl looked up to you when it came to her dreams even when she had a captain as her brother. Taehyung wondered if you had any idea of it - that you were a role model for other girls that would soon join the league, that your diagnostic would affect other people like Eonjin and himself.

Again, it was so unfair.

Taehyung then took an oath: he’d stay by your side, no matter what happened.

“Amen.” he repeated right after his sister by the end of the prayer, pulling her to a warm hug on the next second. “Thank you, princess.”

“Whenever you need, captain.” she answered in the same tone before standing on her feet, ready to leave the room. “And oppa?” she called out at the door, catching his stare locked on hers. “Show unnie the bright side. You’re the only one who can do that so don’t hold back, ok?” still processing her words, Taehyung gave her a hum of agreement. “Good night, oppa.”

“Good night, Jinie.” he whispered after she closed the door behind her.

Taehyung barely gave it a deeper thought as his phone caught his attention just by his side.

JIMIN [21:49] y/n just asked me to study with her tomorrow

He knew exactly what it meant. They had practice for the whole afternoon on the next day but Jimin wouldn’t think twice about skipping it to help her. Y/N was not only his team and classmate but also a good friend and if there was something he could do for her, he would and his captain - and best friend - couldn’t be more grateful.

TAEHYUNG [21:50] i can arrange that JIMIN [21:50] thanks JIMIN [21:50] but that’s not the only thing i’m asking tho

Taehyung frowned as soon as he read that. Certainly Jimin had already thought of something to cheer you up and he’d be a part of that.

JIMIN [21:51] have u ever wrote a poem? JIMIN [21:51] u better bc i saved u the first page

A simple, true laugh escaped and Jimin couldn’t help but to look in your direction just as giggly. It was nice seeing you smile for a change. You had been dead serious since he arrived and through the whole study session, as you catched up with the couple days of school you missed, you kept it that way.

When you found his eyes, you held back for a second just because you thought he needed an explanation.

“I thought your grades were good because of your looks.” you pointed to the notebooks opened in front of you. “But you’re actually pretty good in Literature, Park.” his cheeks warmed up in a new color as he kept a smug smile in his face and you couldn’t even blame him for trying to keep his head tall as you mocked him.

“Do I hear an apology?” his left eyebrow raised as he expected a firm denial and that’s how your nod caught him off guard.

“I’m sorry, Park Jimin.” you half bowed and there was no way he could feel more uncomfortable. You weren’t known for openly acknowledging your mistakes and there were just a few people that could say that have heard that from you. Now, Jimin was one of them.

“Malia has the highest grades.” he looked down immediately, gulping in the act and you sighed.

Somehow, you knew he’d bring that up. Malia was your best friend and your study buddy since you could remember. The natural choice was to ask her to help you until you could return. But you had no strength to face her. Knowing how emotive she was, you knew you’d see pity in her eyes and it was more than you could take.

“I’m not ready for her.” you confessed, shaking your head slightly as you mimicked his action to go back to the books. “Not yet.”

Jimin stole a glance from you but refrained himself to ask any further questions about it. You had the right to keep your feelings to yourself at least.

He barely interrupted as the afternoon passed by, saving a few jokes for the moments you got stressed out. By the end of it, your relief for being able to hold back your questions about the team reflected in your eyes. It bothered Jimin, of course, but he had been warned about that.

When it was finally time for him to leave, you settled for friday as a date for your next study session to which he agreed right away.

“I almost forgot.” he said in a high pitched voice, startling you while turning on his heels and walking back to you. He took out of his pocket a tiny sketchbook and delicately placed it in your bedside. “This is from your team, Min. You still got one.”

For the first time ever you have been affected by Park Jimin’s combo of sweet voice, lovely gaze and melting smile and he surely wasn’t trying to get anything from you. In fact, he was the giver right now. Jimin was giving you a glimpse of the personal amount of faith he had in you - the faith your team had in you.

Once Jimin was no longer in the room, you gathered courage to take the sketchbook and see the doodles on the cover, lines you knew too well. Gently passing your fingertips over it, you couldn’t help but smile as you imagined Jungkook putting together all the things he related to you - from food, to words and, of course, illustrations of you beating someone. His signature on the left corner had a heart below it with your initials inside and it made you laugh and take a mental note of hitting him when you had the chance.

You bit your lip once you turned the page and the simple sight of a familiar handwriting made your heart race.

Not a poem about Y/N: When I first saw her, she walked like she owned the world And boy, she did She didn’t know it just yet Still doesn’t And that’s why I promised To trust and to care To love and to dare Until she finds out who rules the world Then I’ll just keep on doing it To trust and to care To love and to dare Until she decides I’m no longer hers And even then I won’t take my heart back Because of this other promise I’ve made For this small First Lady of mine, of course

[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/04/28/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-42817/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 4/28/17

So the big media news this week was the announcement of the DC Comics streaming service, which will be the home of the long-delayed live action Titans series, as well as the third season of the Young Justice cartoon. Other than that, very little else is known about the service. Most fans suspect that it’ll have the entire DC library, including animated films, older cartoons like Justice League, and live action series not currently on The CW/Fox. That’s a bit ambitious, though.

I’m reminded of how the concept of UPN was introduced to the public, with ads that touted all of the classic television that Paramount had given us over the years: Family Ties, Cheers, Star Trek – did this mean that this new network would become the exclusive home for those shows? No, it instead meant we were to brace ourselves for Love Boat: The Next Wave and Shasta McNasty. I get that same feeling here. DC has a great slate of animated films, and some classic animated series, but I think this might end up the hub for newer, untested properties. Take the Titans show for instance. TNT passed on that thing. TNT! They know drama! Sure, it’s produced by Greg Berlanti, but I feel like if it had any real promise, it wouldn’t be relegated to a digital platform that’s not Hulu or Netflix. Same with Young Justice. Sure, it had a following, and the reasons for its cancellation vary depending on who you ask, but expecting the fans to shell out for yet another streaming service isn’t exactly a gesture of goodwill. I’m not paying CBS to watch Star Trek, and I ain’t paying DC for this until I get some more details. Right now, though, it’s a typical DC announcement, where they rushed to announce before a lot of key aspects were in place.

Speaking of DC, NBC basically cancelled Powerless this week by removing all upcoming episodes from their schedule. It’s not a big surprise, as the entire cast deserved better than that show had to offer. In all honesty, I feel like the ties to the DC Universe actually hurt it. If they wanted to do the whole Workplace Comedy Set In A Comic Universe thing, then it probably would’ve worked better with generic superheroes and villains created just for the show. Sure, they mentioned Batman, and the Wayne family plays a pivotal role (which I also had problems with), but they showed Crimson Fox TWICE. CRIMSON FOX! Just mentioning Superman or Wonder Woman isn’t enough. Hell, they can mention those characters on The Middle and it wouldn’t violate any rights or copyright laws. No, this was a big case of Show, Don’t Tell and the show never really had a strong hand when all the cards were on the table. At least this frees up Ron Funches and Danny Pudi for bigger and better things.

I loved Kingsman: The Secret Service, so I am ALL IN for Kingsman: The Golden Circle. To be honest, I’m probably looking more forward to this than Star Wars Episode 8. Apparently, Kingsman is forced to team up with their American counterpart, Statesman, so it should be interesting to see how the teams play off each other. And I’m really hoping for some extreme American stereotypes. Based on Channing Tatum’s cowboy agent, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed.

In other movie news, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner are rumored to be up for the roles of Pumbaa and Timon in Disney’s live action adaptation of The Lion King. I like both of these guys, but I really don’t even know why this movie is being made. I mean, sure, putting The Lion King on something is basically the same as printing money, but the recent debut of  the lackluster The Lion Guard showed that there’s a limit to how much you can mine from the property. I haven’t seen the live action adaptation of The Jungle Book, but I guess this will be like that? I mean, the whole thing is animals. How are they gonna do this? Maybe I’m overthinking it, but it just feels like Disney is out of ideas for the moment.

We got a trilogy, y’all! In a surprise move, M. Night Shyamalan tweeted that Glass would be released on January 18th, 2019, serving as the sequel to both Unbreakable and Split. I really enjoyed both of these movies, and it feels like M’s finally got his groove back, so this should be good.

In news that will only matter to you if you’re a Cornell alum, all-male a cappella group The Cayuga’s Waiters have been kicked off campus for hazing. And let me tell you, this couldn’t have happened to a shittier group of douchebags. When people think of a cappella, they always think of lame kids who probably did show choir in high school. And, in most cases, they’d be correct. The Waiters, however, were cut from different cloth. Originally a subset of the Cornell University Glee Club, they were basically a lewd fraternity that occasionally sang songs. Around 25 years ago, one of them wrote “We Didn’t Go To Harvard”, a parody of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, and they’ve pretty much been coasting on that ever since. Their offstage behavior rivaled that of actual rock stars. For example, they got kicked out of a charity concert when one of their members reportedly peed in the corner of the stage. And while there were a few good guys in that group, the core members were THE WORST. They were basically a singing Duke rape scandal waiting to happen. According to news reports, the hazing included making new members take naked ice baths and having them rub IcyHot on each others’ balls. Considering they got shut down, I’m thinking there was more serious stuff that the paper couldn’t print, like elephant walks or something. Anyway, good riddance to bad rubbish. Bet they wish they’d gone to Harvard now!

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston will direct The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair

Sony has given the Masters of the Universe film a December 18th, 2019 release date, but McG is no longer attached to direct. None of this matters, though, ‘cause this movie is never getting made.

Speaking of Sony, they’ve reportedly fired Dr Luke, and I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS! But there’s no way I’m putting them in a blog post, for them to be dissected and taken out of context.

One of the former Bachelors killed a dude. Nah, I don’t know his name or care enough to look it up. Bachelors are just as replaceable as Duggar kids. He will be forgotten again soon enough

Jeff Goldblum will reportedly return to the land of dinosaurs in the Jurassic World sequel.

Riverdale’s Reggie Mantle will be recast prior to season 2, as actor Ross Butler is committed to Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, which is close to being renewed for a second season

Star Wars Episode IX’s release date has been revealed as May 23rd, 2019, which shifts the franchise’s releases out of the month of December

Darius “Eddie Winslow” McCrary posted the above pic, asking folks if they’d want a Family Matters reunion. Considering they both look like shit here, I’m leaning towards “no”

Speaking of TGIF reunions, Perfect Strangers stars Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker reunited for Chiller Theatre Expo last weekend in New Jersey. Cousin Larry has aged appropriately, but Balki clearly discovered Crossfit/discount mail-order steroids.

Jeb Bush and Derek Jeter are in a group trying to buy the Miami Marlins. Hey, it’s better than ending up on Dancing with the Stars!

Next fall, Steve Harvey’s TV talk show, Steve Harvey, will move to Los Angeles, and will take on a new format as Steve.

With this week’s series finale of Bates Motel, A&E announced they’re abandoning scripted television and moving to a reality show model.

Maybe it’s just the mood I’m in this week, but nothing really had the West Week Ever. Try harder next week, America!

[reeltalker]

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and its spin-off television shows) grows, the number of actors being cast also increases exponentially. Not only do we start to see more cross-over between actors who’ve worked together before (Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, for example, have worked together almost a dozen times now), we’re starting to see a great deal of influence from other large bodies of work. Now, with Thor: Ragnarok right around the corner, we’re noticing a recurring trend – there are quite a few cast members from Peter Jackson’s imaginings of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies making an appearance in this world of superheroes! Some are fairly obvious, but digging through the two extended universes, it’s actually pretty interesting just how much crossover there is.

Richard Armitage

Thorin Oakenshield – The Hobbit Trilogy

Heinz Kruger – Captain America: The First Avenger

Armitage struck a reasonably recognizable figure as the Dwarf king Thorin in Jackson’s foray into the prequel series The Hobbit, as he should’ve. But when you strip away the medieval clothes and massive dwarf beard, you realize you’ve actually seen Armitage before – as a Nazi in the first appearance of Captain America. Heinz Kruger was the Nazi spy that used a bomb to blow up the super-soldier presentation, stole a vial of the serum (that was thankfully destroyed), and killed Dr. Erksine. Though his MCU appearance was a small one, it was pivotal in Captain America’s journey, and most of us didn’t even make the connection to the King Under the Mountain.

Sala Baker

Sauron / Orc / Uruk – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Extremis Soldier – Iron Man 3 / King – Iron Fist S1.E5

Now this was an appearance I can almost guarantee you didn’t recognize. Though the voice of the Ring throughout the series was played by different actors, Sauron’s flashback appearance in The Fellowship of the Ring was handled by Baker, who was then invited back as an orc for The Two Towers (the one who sniffed and said “Man-Flesh!”), and then as an Uruk in The Return of the King. Afterwards he played an adversary of Tony Stark as a soldier effected with Extremis, before getting a role with a name in the Netflix adaption of Iron Fist. So not only has he branched the two universes, he has played multiple roles within them.

Cate Blanchett

Galadriel – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy

Hela – Thor: Ragnarok

This Oscar winner has always brought a presence of strength and mystery to her roles, so it only makes sense that she makes a big impact on both universes. She was one of the few characters to perform in all six films in the Jackson franchises, which audiences loved because the elf queen Galadriel was both beautiful and a little terrifying. Now, in just a couple of weeks, Blanchett will step into the MCU as the first lead female villain, Hela, the goddess of death. She stands to be an adversary of Thor and Asgard, but who knows where that role will lead her as Infinity War looms ever closer?

Benedict Cumberbatch

Smaug / Necromancer – The Hobbit Trilogy

Dr. Stephen Strange / Dormammu – Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok

Though Cumberbatch first drew attention for his appearance of Sherlock Holmes (a role once played by Tony Stark actor Robert Downey Jr.), it didn’t take him long to set foot in Jackson’s take on The Hobbit. Though his pivotal role was as the dragon Smaug, the foe of the dwarves, he also performed a voiceover role in the first film of the trilogy as the Necromancer who summoned the Nazgül back to “life”. He even went so far as to perform motion-capture for Smaug, though it was eventually discarded from the final cut. Then in 2016, Cumberbatch took a step into the MCU as surgeon-turned-magician Dr. Strange, wielder of the Eye of Agamotto (a coveted Infinity Stone), as well as providing the voice of his great foe Dormammu (though this is uncredited on IMDB, trivia confirms that Cumberbatch provided the voice). It has also lead to many jokes and petitions that when Tony Stark and Stephen Strange finally appear in a scene together, a Sherlock Holmes joke should be made.

Brad Dourif

Grima Wormtongue –  The Two Towers, Return of the King (extended edition)

Thomas Nash – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., S1.E16

One of the favored performances of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was that of Grima Wormtongue, the twisted advisor to King Theodon that secretly worked for Saruman. He was slimy and everyone loved to hate him, especially when he got super creepy towards the king’s niece Eöwyn. That was not his only experience as a villain – he then went to ABC’s television show Agents of  S.H.I.E.L.D. to be hunted as the potential candidate for the Clairvoyant, a Hydra mole inside of S.H.I.E.L.D. Because Wormtongue was such an iconic look, it was hard to recognize him in regular clothes!

Martin Freeman

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War L to R: Agent 13/Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal © Marvel 2016

Bilbo Baggins – The Hobbit Trilogy

Everett K. Ross – Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther

Freeman has developed a bit of a reputation as being eternally paired with Benedict Cumberbatch for projects, as the Dr. Watson to his Sherlock Holmes on Sherlock, and appearing in these two extended universes alongside Cumberbatch doesn’t help dispute the theory (even though in the MCU, the two have shared no scenes yet)! Freeman was chosen to portray Bilbo Baggins in his youth (after Ian Holm’s performance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), on a journey with a group of dwarves as their burglar. Freeman stood out with his unique mannerisms and fun attitude, becoming a fan favorite even to those who were upset with the trilogy itself. In the MCU, Freeman cuts a different sort of figure – not only is he second character with the surname Ross (whether or not he’s related to Hulk opponent Thaddeus Ross has yet to be clarified in the films), but he seems to be an antagonist toward the Avengers. He appeared alongside Team Iron Man to promote the Sokovia Accords after Captain America’s group were captured with Bucky in Germany, and he seemed pretty happy to throw away the key on all of them. The magnitude of his role in Black Panther has yet to be determined.

Evangeline Lilly

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (2013) EVANGELINE LILLY

Tauriel – The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies

Hope van Dyne – Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp

As a rather athletic actress, Lilly has been taking extended universe roles as a rather badass fighter, so it makes sense that both her characters in these series’ can hold her own with warriors and superheroes. Lilly performed in one of the few female roles of the Hobbit trilogy as the female elf scout Tauriel. She eventually fell in love with one of the dwarves, but throughout the two films she appeared in, she spent a great deal of time fighting Orcs and giant spiders, proving her skills with a bow and knives. She then slipped into the role of a business woman who still knew how to throw a punch in Ant-Man as Hope van Dyne, the daughter of Hank Pym. She was a bit of an antagonist towards Scott Lang at the beginning, taking pleasure in showing him exactly how she punched, but by the end the two had gotten plenty close, and now she stands to be equal to him in a superhero suit of her own in the sequel film.

Lee Pace

Thranduil – The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies

Ronan the Accuser – Guardians of the Galaxy

Pace is one of the only actors to have appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy segment of the MCU as well as the Jackson-verse, going from something between an anti-hero and antagonist to a full-blown villain. His performance as Thranduil in the Hobbit films was an interesting one, as his elven king was both a hinderance to the dwarf quest and yet he was not necessarily out to murder them like the Orcs. He was also the father of Legolas, who played a pivotal role in the Lord of the Rings series. Pace’s appearance of Ronan was far darker, however, as an alien with a vendetta against an entire planet and an Infinity Stone in his grasp. He threatened to destroy entire planets in his rage, and was only stopped by a dance-off. Sort of.

Andy Serkis

Gollum / Smeagol – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Ulysses Klaue – Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther

Serkis is the king of motion-capture performance, though he surprisingly does none in the MCU (where you would expect they’d need a bunch). One of his best performances to date is as the deformed Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as both an antagonist and protagonist, helping and hurting Frodo and Sam on their journey to Mount Doom. His creepy snarls and creeping stance was left beyond as he traversed into the MCU as weapons dealer Klaue, a former associate of Stark Enterprises that was approached by Ultron for a deal on vibranium. It has also been established that he is the only dealer to get in and out of the mysterious Wakanda on a regular basis, perhaps hinting at more screen time in the upcoming Black Panther. 

Liv Tyler

Arwen – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Ross – The Incredible Hulk

Tyler’s angelic face and sweet voice provides her with a great aptitude for the love interest, and her two appearances in extended universes reflect that. In one, she is the daughter of the elf lord Elrond, linked to the future king of Gondor Aragorn. Her visions of the future help to lead him down the path to reclaiming his throne, and her elf magic also helped to save Frodo after his encounter with the Nazgül. Then she moved on to become a biologist and become romantically involved with the nuclear physicist Bruce Banner. Though The Incredible Hulk is one of the films that the MCU crowd tends to ignore (even if it’s not the worst Hulk film), Tyler’s performance was still an important one to the development of Banner and, consequently, the Hulk.

Karl Urban

Eömer – The Two Towers, The Return of the King

Skurge – Thor: Ragnarok

Karl Urban has actually branched into three extended universes (if you include the rebooted Star Trek films), but his newest “trek” is into the MCU as the Asgardian warrior Skurge. He is a character playing two sides, trying to keep Hela from destroying him alongside Asgard, but he still cuts a frightening figure, so who knows what he’s really after? This is coming after Urban’s experience as the horse lord Eömer, nephew to the king and leader of the army of Rohan. At the very least, Urban’s got experience with all of the medieval weapons that a warrior of Asgard would be working with.

Hugo Weaving

Lord Elrond – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Unexpected Journey, The Battle of the Five Armies

Johann Schmidt / The Red Skull – Captain America: The First Avenger

Weaving is only one movie short of appearing just as many Jackson films as his costar (and according to Lord of the Rings lore, mother-in-law) Cate Blanchett. The two have, however, starred in the same amount of MCU films, both as villains no less. Weaving took the role of the elf Lord Elrond, father of Liv Tyler’s character Arwen, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also appeared in two films of the prequel series, The Hobbit, to continue world-building Middle Earth. He was presented as a wise and fair character, though maybe a little disheartened by everything he’d seen in the world, and more than ready to head to the undying lands. In the Marvel Universe, on the other hand, Weaving played the man who would become Captain America’s greatest foe – The Red Skull, leader of Nazi offshoot Hydra, determined to wield the power of the Tesseract himself and become a perfect being. His character was greatly unstable, but there are speculations that, because of the Tesseract’s ability to open portals into space, we may not have seen the last of him.

David Wenham

Faramir – The Two Towers, The Return of the King

Harold Meachum – Iron Fist

Another character who made a wild transition from franchise to franchise is Wenham, whose character in the MCU is extremely different from his Middle Earth appearance. In Middle Earth, Wenham appears as Faramir, the second son of the steward of Gondor who has grown up in the shadow of his brother, as he is the more bookish of the two and less of a warrior. He does have a great strength of character, however, as he is able to push out the influence of The Ring. When he appears in the MCU, however, that strength of character didn’t come with him. The series Iron Fist brings out his inner demon as Harold Meachum, the ruthless business partner of Danny Rand’s father, brought back to life by The Hand, and willing to do anything to protect what he believes is his, no matter who gets in his way. It is actually very funny how much he acts like Denethor, as though the influence of his deranged father followed him across the universes.

  Mystical in Marvel: The Lord of the Rings Crossover As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and its spin-off television shows) grows, the number of actors being cast also increases exponentially.

[lovebooksgroup]

In the gloriously hot summer of 1936, a group of people meet at a country house party. Within three years, England will be at war, but for now, time stands still.

Dan Ranscombe is clever and good-looking, but he resents the wealth and easy savoir-faire of a fellow guest, Paul Latimer. Surely a shrewd girl like Meg Slater would see through that, wouldn’t she? And what about Diana, Paul’s beautiful sister, Charles Asher, the Jewish outsider, Madeleine, restless and dissatisfied with her role as children’s nanny? And artist Henry Haddon, their host, no longer young, but secure in his power as a practiced seducer.

As these guests gather, none has any inkling the choices they make will have fateful consequences, lasting through the war and beyond. Or that the first unforeseen event will be a shocking death.

My Q&A with Caro Fraser 

Please tell my readers a little bit about yourself and your publishing journey.

I’m 64-year-old retired lawyer, I live in South East London, and I’ve been an author for almost twenty-five years, although I’ve been writing all my life. My first novel, The Pupil, was published in 1993 and was the beginning of a very successful series of legal novels (the Caper Court series). There are seven books in the series, all featuring the brilliant, charming, but amoral barrister Leo Davies, and I’m hoping to start number eight next year. In between, I’ve published a number of stand-alone novels. My new book, The Summer House Party, opens in the summer of 1936, three years before the war, at the country home of Henry Haddon, a famous society painter, and his wife Sonia. A group of friends – some young, some old, some wealthy, some less so – have been brought together for a week to enjoy the country house pleasures of tennis parties, picnics, and tea on the lawn. As the warm, lazy days unfold, intrigues and rivalries develop among the younger guests, and then a sudden death, like a foretaste of the war to come, puts and end to the party. In the years that follow the events of that week continue to haunt their lives, and as the country heads into war they must try to reconcile the choices and mistakes they have made….

This latest novel is something of a departure for me, as all my other books are set in the present day. I hugely enjoyed doing the historical research and trying to catch the tone and feel of that pre-war world. I like to think this is the kind of big book you could take on holiday for a long, lazy read!

The Summer House Party is published by Head Of Zeus, and what is especially delightful for me is that reunites me with Rosie de Courcy, the wonderful editor who published my first novel when she was with Orion Publishing.

  Describe yourself using three words?

Mother, child, writer  

  What inspired you to write your first novel?

The Pupil was the first novel I wrote, and it became the first in the Caper Court series of legal novels. It was inspired by my experiences in pupillage (which is a sort of apprenticeship on the road to becoming a barrister), and its hero, Anthony Cross, is a brilliant but hard-up pupil barrister who has to struggle against heavy odds to gain a tenancy in a prestigious set of barristers’ chambers. Halfway through the novel I introduced a character called Leo Davies, who becomes a kind of mentor to Anthony, but is also bisexual and has ulterior motives for befriending him… He was such a successful character that he became very much the ‘star’ of the novels that followed.  

  What time of day do you like to write?

I have a pretty regular routine – start at 9, break for coffee at 11, lunch at 1, gym or swim around 3 – but oddly enough, I find the most productive time of day to write is early evening.  Things just flow then, for some reason.

  What is your favourite book and why?

That’s a difficult one. I suppose my favourite from childhood is The Rose And The Ring, by William Thackeray, because it’s the book that first opened my eyes to wonderful writing. But for a desert island I would take Martin Chuzzlewit, by Dickens. I never get tired of it.

  How did you pick the title of your book?

Actually, it was my agent who came up with the title for The Summer House Party. I suppose it’s quite an obvious one because the book opens with guests gathering for a week-long house party in the summer of 1936, and that house party is the catalyst for all the events that follow.   

  Are the characters in your book based on real people?

No. Real people are far too complex to put on a page. That said, I occasionally take aspects of someone I know – mannerisms, tricks of speech, and so on – and use them in creating a character. And because I think very visually when I write, and see events as though they’re unfolding on film, I might pick an actor who could portray the character I’m creating and use them as a physical template. I did that with Leo Davies in the Caper Court books – in my mind’s eye he was the young (and at that time very dishy) Anthony Hopkins.  

  What’s your favourite word?

Not sure I have one. But I quite like the word ‘ludicrous’.

  If you were a colour what would it be?  

If she wants to wind me up, my daughter will occasionally tell me I’m in danger of becoming ‘beige’. But I like to think I’m more a soft, yet vibrant shade of yellow!

  Do you plan your story beforehand or go with the flow?

I generally have a rough idea of the story, but I never plot too tightly. I like to be true to my characters and allow them to shape things. There will be times in a story when I’m about to have a character do or say something, and I’ll think – hold on, she wouldn’t do or say that, she’d do or say this instead. Characters really take a hold of you in that way.  They become like real people, and you can’t let them act in a way that’s literally out of character. So that can take the story in an unexpected direction. I suppose the answer is that I tend to go with the flow, though there is always a point in a book, about two-thirds of the way through, where you have to start weaving plotlines together to bring it all to a satisfactory conclusion.

  Who is your favourite Author?

Bit of a chestnut, but I suppose Charles Dickens. He never lets you down, he is a genius of a storyteller, he can command humour and pathos with equal brilliance, and has created some of the most memorable characters in fiction. Mind you, I could say much the same of Stephen King, who is a master of his craft.

  You are attending a dinner party with four fictitious book characters who would they be and why?

Top of the invitation list would be Flashman, the anti-hero of my father George MacDonald Fraser’s wonderful historical novels. He’s sexy, amusing, and would have some great stories to tell. I reckon he’d probably get on pretty well with Scarlett O’Hara – I love her independent spirit and her determination to look after number one – so I’d have her there, too. And as I’ve always had a huge weak spot for him, please could I sit next to Bertie Wooster?  Maybe to inject some elegance, mystery and the possibility of intrigue among the guests, I’d like to invite the Marquise de Merteuil from Les Liaisons Dangereuses. How she and Scarlett would get along is anyone’s guess, so maybe they should be seated at opposite ends of the table.

  What book are you reading at the moment?

At the moment I’m reading Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory, as it’s my book club’s choice. Apart from that, I’m reading Quentin Crisp’s The Naked Civil Servant. Most people have seen the film starring John Hurt, but the book itself is well worth a read – it’s a brilliantly witty, elegantly written gem, and an astonishing insight into what it was like to be gay in the unforgiving era when homosexuality was illegal. Also on my bedside table is London Fog, The Biography, by Christine L. Corton. It examines the history of air pollution in London and the depiction and influence of London fogs in English literature, and is ideal for dipping in and out of.

  Where in the world is your happy place?

We have a cottage in the Isle of Man, where my parents used to live and where I went to school for a couple of years. The cottage stands on a remote headland overlooking a bay with a little beach, and has a wildflower meadow. The views are stunning, the air is wonderful, and lying in the meadow on a summer’s day it’s so quiet you can hear the swish of a gull’s wing as it flies overhead, and the buzz of insects in the grass. That’s my happy place.

  If you had one superpower what would it be?

Invisibility. I suppose I should say something like superhuman strength so that I could go around doing heroic deeds and rescuing people, but I’d much rather be able to slip unseen in and out of places and find out what’s going on….

  If you could give any literary villain a happy ending who would you chose?

I think it would be rather nice if Satan from Paradise Lost (who is, after all, a fallen angel) could see the error of his ways and get back together with God and become a force for good, rather than evil. It would save the world a lot of grief! 

  Are you working on a new project?  

I’m happy to say I’m working on the sequel to The Summer House Party. Everyone knows that feeling of getting to the end of a book and wanting to know more. That’s the way I want my readers to feel, so that they need to find out what happens next with the characters. I’m often quite curious myself! I’m already halfway through it, and I’m even hoping it may lead to a third novel.  

  Do you have any upcoming events our members can attend?  

Yes, I’ll be at Romance In The Court, hosted by Goldsboro Books in the delightful Cecil Court just off Leicester Square on May 25th from 6 – 9pm. I would love to meet readers – yours and mine! – so I do hope people will come along. https://www.goldsborobooks.com/event/romance-court-2017/

  Thank you to Caro Fraser and Suzanne @HoZ_Books for this wonderful Q&A, come back soon.

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  The Summer House @carofraser @HoZ_Books #QA In the gloriously hot summer of 1936, a group of people meet at a country house party.