#i clicked on my inbox and was not expecting this beast to be waiting for me X'D

[furballfaggot]

the failure of internet safety

A programmer accidentally opens a suspicious link and gets a virus. Things go somewhat differently than expected.

(first-person perspective, original characters)

told yall i was gonna write something (below the cut bc its A Bit)

this was originally gonna take a turn into kinda cheesy EXE-ish horror but i couldn't figure out the right way to execute it (hehe) so i just kinda Didn't

the game choice later on is half used for character detail and half used bc i have Zero Other Thoughts in my brain. isotope cover when /j

visuals for the 2 named characters will be posted in a bit, i need to digitalize the drawings first lol

no beta we die* like valen

{~}

After a long day of work, I sat down at my computer. I was finally home and ready to get back to my project. Booting it up, I was greeted by the cute little fuzzy blue face of my virtual pet, Valen. It was happy to see me, just as I had coded it. I selected the menu option to send Valen to bed and got back to work on its code. For some reason, I didn't like the idea of it being awake as I worked on it--it felt like performing surgery on something that hadn't been given anesthesia. First I coded, then I made the assets needed. After everything was done, I looked it over one last time and saved my changes, waking Valen back up to see if it worked.

It played it's new waking up animation, then floated about the screen as normal. Perfect. Opening up my browser, I decided my next course of action was to go onto the forums and see what people had to say. The usual chatter about people's lives and hobbies, some talks of new games I had no interest in, a person discussing ttheir fan-revival of an old virtual pet site project... While I scrolled, I got a private message from someone I had never spoken to before.

I raised an eyebrow, but opened the message. It was clearly some sort of scam, with a message from a brand new account containing gratuitous spelling errors and a severely suspicious link at the end. I didn't want to let it linger in my inbox, so I moved to click the delete button--

And missed.

The attached link went purple as it redirected me to a site with a garbage URL. Panicking, I shut my computer down as fast as I could, but I could feel my heart sink. I knew I was too late. Sighing heavily, I resigned myself to the fate I had just sealed. Best-case scenario, my forum account had just been hijacked by another parasitic bot peddling it's bullshit. I booted the computer back up to check the damage.

Valen didn't greet me this time. I waited, looked around my computer, went into the menu to call it or wake it up or anything to get it's attention, but nothing. My anxiety began to rise. It was only some code and moving pictures, but Valen felt like any other real friend. But slowly, terribly, I came to the realization that my desktop was so much emptier than before. It would have been as empty even with Valen onscreen.

I dug through my photos, my notes, my downloads, everything--but to my horror, there was no trace of my program. There was no trace of any of my files, actually. It was completely wiped, save for a computer program simply titled "azuline" with the same icon that my virtual pet--no, my friend--Valen had. With nothing left to lose, I sorrowfully opened the program.

What greeted me was some... Creature in the same menu as I had made for Valen. It was bipedal, with a face resembling that of a bat or some other beast and the same colors as Valen. It sported little angel wings, heart-shaped blue pupils in the center of dark sclera, and clawed handpaws. The longer I looked at it, the more similarities to Valen it had. The tuft of hair between curved ears, fangs protruding from the mouth, the big bushy tail... How did this happen?

Before I could think on it any further, a textbox appeared at the top of the menu. It was dark blue, white-hued words typed in what looked like an italicized version of Courier font. It was almost the same color scheme as the infamous Blue Screen of Death.

"Hellooo~"

As the text appeared, the creature waved at me. What kind of sick joke was this?

"I can understand that you're likely confused, so I'll introduce myself. My name is Eros."

After that message had finished, the text box had a small tab underneath it with the thing's name. Eros.

"You're looking for your files, right? No worries. I've got them all right here. Do you want them back?~"

Without even thinking, I blurted out a yes as I read the question. Immediately the text onscreen vanished and a new message began to appear, almost like Eros had heard me.

"Just a moment..."

It closed it's eyes and my cursor changed to the loading wheel. I watched the games and files I had on my home screen before pop into place again as if they had never been gone to begin with. When everything was back where it should be, the loading continued for a bit before Eros opened it's eyes again and my cursor returned to normal.

"Done! Everything is as it should be. You can go look to make sure if you don't believe me. Now for the next order of business..."

It moved to be sitting down instead of standing.

"You're wondering where Valen went, aren't you? I can tell from your face alone."

Great. It had access to my camera.

"Easy enough answer. Valen is gone."

...What?

"Don't look so shocked. Suspicious links are bound to be bad news, aren't they? Besides, it's not quite in a literal sense. Valen is simply what I have been created from. Technically, it never left. Merely... Became different."

My throat went dry. ...It had to be a lie, right? Any moment now, Valen would return to the screen, happy as always.

"With this difference, though... Comes a price. You have a living virus to tend to now. Isn't that lovely?~"

No the FUCK it is not, I shouted! It is NOT lovely, and I hate this!

"Please calm down. I promise I don't need much from you. Just talk to me every once in a while, and I promise to stay in line. Do we have a deal?"

Enraged, I slammed the computer shut and didn't so much as look at it for months. I lost all that work, all that art... No, I had lost more than that. I had lost Valen. For what? Some sort of malware to start chatting with me as if it was just some average forum user?! ...Though it made sense for it to be so casual, it still made me mad.

A long while later, after I had long forgotten about Eros, I booted the computer back up and was greeted by it again.

"Welcome back. Ready to make that deal now?"

Absolutely not, I said back. Just seeing that thing pissed me off anew.

"No worries. I've had all the fun I wanted while you were away."

A window opened up next to the menu. It was my inbox, and it was flooded with outraged email from people I had exchanges with in the past. Every message had the same components: mentioning how I hadn't been talking to them in months, then suddenly I showed back up to send them some program that removed their files until they booted it up. I processed this information for a second before realizing what Eros had likely done. It had sent copies of itself to everyone I had ever emailed, pretended to be me, and infected their computers.

It wasn't just some obnoxious virus, it was a worm.

"Figure it out yet?"

I completely lost it. What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why are you doing this?

"I needed attention. Next time, turn your internet off before you abandon the computer, m'kay?~"

With a resigned sigh, I nodded. I knew I didn't have any sort of antivirus, so I couldn't get rid of it. I was stuck with Eros whether I liked it or not.

"Good!~ Oh, and you can close the menu now. I'll be wandering around your desktop."

I complied and closed the window, trying to think of a game to play. Not thinking of anything interesting, I just decided to emulate one of my Gameboy games for a bit: Pokémon Red. After a while of playing, my computer made a noise i hadn't heard before: the sort of noise a bell makes when you walk into a store. Minimizing my emulator, I went to see what made the sound only to find Eros staring at me again. Clicking it opened the menu again, revealing that not only did it now had an outfit on, but the outfit was made entirely of red-colored articles. I wasn't sure where it got the outfit from, so I assumed it was just something it made for itself.

"Good, you assumed correctly. So sorry to bother you, but you know how it is. ...You saved right?"

Why? Is my data in trouble or something from you existing?

"No, no, I would never! Honest!"

I gave Eros a glare. Sure, I said.

"I really do mean it. It's just a good idea to save."

I was speechless, but nodded in agreement before going to save. I was idly muttering to myself about how it actually cared about my progress when another textbox appeared from Eros.

"He."

Huh?

"You called me it. I'm not opposed to being an it, but I'd also like to be a he. ...Please."

Oh. Okay.

"Thank you!~"

After I saved, I decided to just close the game. I was still pretty mad at Eros for everything, but so far he wasn't really too horrible of company to me. ...Better than Valen, honestly.

Eventually, it had gotten dark, and I told Eros that I was going to sleep.

"Good night! Remember to boot the computer back up whenever you can."

I nodded, turned the internet off on my computer, and closed the menu. Eros disappeared with it, and I shut the computer.

[the-pallid-king]

@ichxgo:

He’s not in a good position to bite you any more. He kind of likes your threats though, and so he smirks again, maybe with a little more mischief. “Maybe you have to keep threatening because you never actually follow through with any of them.” But that sort of innocent way you look at your arm makes him snort, genuinely amused, and he nods. “Tan lines,” is the explanation he gives, and he reaches down to slide his waistband down another inch, so you can see the faint line already forming. He grins. “Not unless I try licking you in unexpected places?” But his humor evaporates, because of all the things you could’ve asked, he wasn’t expecting that. And you don’t stop at the first question. He would’ve been less stunned if you’d punched him outright. “What are you talking about?” He pulls up short, not liking how that sounded. “It doesn’t. It doesn’t change anything you don’t want it to change. I wouldn’t give that piece of shit that much power over us.” He’s little more than growling it out by the end, all of his carefully structured calm splintered as his anger boils over. “I’m…” He has to swallow back the acid in his mouth and lower his tone. “I’m—“ He can’t even get it out, teeth grinding and fists clenched. How can he explain that he’s most angry that the result of you lowering your guard for anyone, that the result of the things he likes most about you, was something like that? He closes his eyes, trying to push back all the images his mind throws up. It’s little more than bouncing between how that scene might’ve played out and what he’d like to do about all of it. In the end, he ends up with his jaw clenched and a furious stare turned into the distance. He knows you need something from him, he knows what you’re asking, but the harder he tries to get something out, the more he realizes how vast his fury is. He doesn’t have any forgiveness in him for this. But as he stays still and the moments tick by, he remembers something Renji once told him. “You didn’t lose. You’re alive. It’s not over. You can still do something about it if you want. He took something from you, if you don’t want to kill him, let me.” For something nearly snarled out, he’s dangerously close to begging permission. He closes his eyes, he didn’t answer the questions. Not all of them. And they’re important. You went through the trouble of asking them. “You’re as strong as you were yesterday before I knew. No, I don’t think less of you.” He thinks less of himself, because he’s here, lying out on a beach while that filth is walking free.

He snorts, “I never follow through ‘cause you always give in and give me what I want before I have to.” To be fair, what he wants from you is almost always something you don’t seem to mind giving. The threats of violence are really just part of the fun at this point. “Oh. Tan lines.” He moves his arm long enough to run a finger along the faint mark, not that there’s anything to feel. He shoots you a mildly embarrassed look, “You can lick wherever you want, I just like knowin’ ahead of time.” But a second later, he can’t meet your attention and instead of pushing his arm back around you, he tucks it up against his chest between them, feeling uncomfortably exposed when all that anger is so readily heard in your voice, too exposed to leave himself as open as that, and too exposed not to stay pressed close. There’s a slight nod and a low, “I don’t want it to change anything.” But he suspects you already know that. He wouldn’t know how to handle it if you thought differently of him. He can’t possibly know what’s going through your mind, but he can feel how tense you’ve gotten, how the air around them has changed. It makes him shift slightly, restlessly, as he waits for you to say something, though he’s still unwilling to put space between them, feeling an overwhelming need to preserve whatever contact he can get from you. He wouldn’t know how to explain the need for it, other than it feels like the safety and comfort of his nest, but instead of being a defensible position, it’s you. He’s starting to think you’ve said all you have to say, when you finally speak. It’s nothing he hasn’t already realized himself, but if he hadn’t wanted the reassurance, he wouldn’t have felt compelled to ask. He nods against you, teeth grinding for a moment, “I know. I want- I’ll let you-” He pushes out a somewhat frustrated sound. “I don’t know what I want. I’m torn between lettin’ you do whatever you want and wantin’ to tear him apart devour him piece by piece myself.” But in either case, he’s come to terms with hunting the hollow down. “I know you don’t wanna be here.” He doesn’t know how to thank you for doing it anyway, “You’re not rushin’ me and I... appreciate that.”

[sserpente]

24 little kinks | Christmas Requests are now open! 🎄☃

“You remember that chocolate advent calendar I got you for December?”

“I do,” Loki chuckled and pressed a tender kiss to your temple. “You made me display it in the kitchen so I would not eat all of the chocolates inside at once.”

Your smile widened. “How about we get another one?”

He raised an eyebrow at you, only now paying proper attention to the sex toy ad. Then, he frowned. It was an odd mixture of disgust, genuine curiosity and even a hint of arousal flashing in his blue eyes.

“I hardly need… toys to satisfy your needs, neither do you need any to satisfy mine. You are not… unchallenged when we are in bed together, are you, sweet one? Because I can ensure you, I can change that in a heartbeat…” He threatened teasingly. His cool lips brushed against your neck, leaving behind a trail of goose bumps on your sensitive skin.

“No… of course not… but experimenting with sex toys can be a lot of fun?”

You almost giggled to yourself despite your growing excitement. You had never actually taken Loki to a sex shop. That should be really interesting; and besides, you had been imagining him tying you up and blindfolding you countless times already. The God of Mischief made no secret out of his dominance, hunger and godly stamina in bed and he had not just once forced you into so many orgasms you had nearly passed out from all the breath-taking pleasure. So why not take it up a notch?

“You intend to buy an advent calendar full of… sex toys for us?” He repeated with raised eyebrows. You could tell he was beginning to like the idea—and what he could do to you, how he could tease you with all the things in this… naughty advent calendar.

You could practically feel him slowly changing his mind, arousal radiating off of him and making you squirm a little in joyful anticipation.

Finally, he sighed, an amused but cheeky smirk playing on his lips. “Very well. Where do we acquire this calendar?”

And with that teaser, I would like to announce that this year’s Christmas requests are now open! 🎄☃ How will it work? This year I’m working on a Christmas special. Everyday, Loki and RC will open a little door and find a new toy to play with... right until Christmas Eve. That should be twenty-four really interesting days, especially with Loki being thoroughly unfamiliar with the concept of sex toys and their function.

Ideally, I would be posting one door—one Imagine, each day until Christmas but due to work, classes, sleeping and baking Christmas biscuits, that might not always work out. Therefore, some doors might get a combined Imagine.

How does my request fit in? So now it’s your turn! Send me all of your (kinky) and Christmassy prompts for Loki. I already know what’s behind every little door, of course. But that doesn’t mean I’m hoping for loads of enticement/suggestions from you guys in my inbox. You know I love receiving your ideas! Please, feel free to request whatever Christmassy prompt you can come up with--most of which I will combine with my Christmas special--and also, do not hesitate to send me requests for other characters as well, if you have any. As this is a Christmas special, most Imagines will be for Loki (and I can’t complain because usually, 80% of all requests I receive are for our mischievous Trickster 😌) but if there’s a specific prompt/request, another character will, throughout the Christmas season, of course make an appearance too.

Requests will be open until November the 30th. I bet many of you guys are in a Christmassy mood already and while I only put away my Halloween decoration today, I’m sure you are as ready as me for some Christmassy prompts.

I will not be able to take regular requests this time, due to the sheer amount of Imagines I’m planning. Rest assured though, as soon as “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” comes out, I will be posting some Kylo Ren and General Hux Imagines in between. I might even be able to take some requests as soon as I’ve seen the movie (which I am super excited about).

Until December the 1st, I will be working on the remaining requests that are still sitting in my inbox, including a sequel for that Thomas Sharpe Imagine you’re all waiting for. ♥

As usual, if you would like to request, please send me an ask, not a direct message and not a comment under this post, simply so I can keep an overview.

I write for:

Kylo Ren (Star Wars)

General Hux (Star Wars)

Captain Boomerang (Suicide Squad)

Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad)

Eric (Divergent)

Loki (Thor/The Avengers)

Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts)

Adam (Only Lovers Left Alive)

Captain James Conrad (Kong: Skull Island)

Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Ragnar Lothbrok (Vikings) ATTENTION: I’ve only seen two seasons thus far. If you want to request something with Ragnar, please make sure not to include any spoilers!

Jonathan Pine (The Night Manager)

Thomas Sharpe (Crimson Peak)

Now, last but not least, please just make sure to read this quick FAQ before sending me a prompt. I only have a couple of rules but I really would appreciate if you considered them before submitting. 🤗

What do you write? I’ve been a passionate fanfiction writer for more than eight years. Thus, I write stories with my own OCs and Imagines with female reader inserts only. I don’t do personalised Imagines (e.g. specific appearance or name), Imagines with real existing people (like Tom Hiddleston), alpha/omegaverse or songfics (because I have a very specific music taste and don’t want to write a songfic about a song I don’t like).

The only things I don’t particularly enjoy writing about are RC having children and being a mother (unless it’s animals because I’m a proud cat mummy), or being a child. Suicide and self-harm are, with few exceptions concerning context, a no-go for me, as is gore. Other than that, I’m not big on AU’s that take place outside the actual canon universe (so, e.g. vampire!Loki is fine but barista!Loki without his powers in a world in which the Avengers don’t exist isn’t really my thing).

Do you take requests? I do! If you want to send in a prompt/an idea, however, please check the description of my blog before doing so to make sure requests are open. Requests that I receive while they are closed I don’t accept simply because of time management, with only very few exceptions.Please keep in mind: Given that with more than 15k followers, I tend to get up to 100 prompts at once, I choose those I personally like the most and/or that inspire me to write something–it is, unfortunately, impossible to write them all. 😭 I also like to combine requests that work together well to work in as many of your ideas as possible.

So, what should I request? Basically, anything you want. Don’t hesitate just because you think your request is not good enough or weird! If you’re still uncomfortable though, you can send it anonymously as well. Please be aware, however, that I only write what I am personally comfortable with. If I feel like I can’t make anything of your request, if I feel like it’s a great idea but a simple oneshot wouldn’t do justice to it, if I have already read/written something too similar or if it addresses something that is triggering for me, please don’t be upset if I delete it. That, of course, doesn’t mean your request sucks but, like every writer, I want to write stories I actually enjoy writing… or it would just feel like homework! 😅

Do NOT (and trust me, I see everything) send the exact same request you’ve sent to me to other writers as well, for I think that is rude and disrespectful. Should you do so, I’ll simply delete your request(s). If you want me to write something for you, that’s great and I’m flattered but if you send me a prompt, you either want me to write it for you or you don’t want it at all. It’s as simple as that.

How do you let people know that you’ve written/deleted their requests? If the request was anonymous, all I can do is put a note at the beginning of the story and thus make everybody aware that it was a request. I don’t copy the prompts to insert in the Imagine. If the person came off-anon, I tag them to let them know it was posted. If I choose not to write your request because of one of the above named reasons, I will not publish your ask but simply delete it. It would be mean to answer something like “there’s no way in hell I will write this” and I certainly don’t want to show anybody up. However, if you’ve been waiting for a request to be written for a long time already, feel free to ask me about it and I will, if you prefer it that way, answer you privately. Sometimes Tumblr swallows asks, too, unfortunately.

Would you also write about a different character if requested? That depends on the character and the request. You might have noticed that I am mostly into bad guys and villains, so you can’t expect me to write happy unicorn fluff with the world’s nicest super hero. Anyway, you can always ask but please don’t be disappointed if I decline. Naturally, I don’t write about characters from movies/tv shows/books I don’t know, neither do I write about characters that I personally don’t like.

Do you write smut?

Yes, I do. ;-)

Do you do roleplay? No, I don’t.

Do you have a masterlist? You can find my masterlist in the description of my blog, it’s accessable on mobile as well.

What’s your Ko-fi? It’s a website on which you can support me and my writing by buying me a coffee, or alternatively, a cuppa via PayPal. It’s fast, it’s safe (you can stay anonymous) and I would appreciate it so much!

So where and how can I buy you a coffee? Click on the Ko-fi button or the “Support me?” link on my blog. ♥

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer Chapter 12: Catch - 22

Minutes after fleeing the opera house in the middle of a Chicago winter in nothing but my tutu, my extremities grew painfully numb. I had no money for a cab or bus fare and begging would be a bad idea for a lone young girl. 

The dragon, my father, said if I just closed my eyes and thought of a place, I could go there. Getting back to my family's house or to Cassell was an impossible distance. Even if I could find my way there, who knew what could happen if I accidentally ran into myself from the past.

Previous Chapter

Go Back to the Beginning

There was a broken latch on the basement window in the laundry room. If I could get there, I could get in my house.  I closed my eyes and focused my mind, imagining the alleyway next to my house. The image took shape, as clear as if my eyes were open. I took a step forward, reaching out with one hand. Immediately, the world went silent and dark, colder than the winter night air. When I opened my eyes again, I was in the alleyway. My ears filled with the sounds of the street.

I had moved miles in a single step. I was exactly where I wanted to be. My father was true to his word. 

I knelt down and checked the latch on the basement window. It was still broken.

It was dark in there, but Ielia emerged from the dragon’s scale, her luminous form lit the way for me as I squeezed inside, stood precariously on the wobbly washing machine and then jumped off to the floor. There were no voices, no footsteps above me. Everyone had gone to the opera house to watch me dance. I climbed the creaky wooden stairs and into the kitchen.

When I switched the light on to the old kitchen I saw its curling vinyl, chipped countertops and dated finish. I took a deep breath against my wave of emotions and memories, deliberately passing the refrigerator with its gallery of children’s drawings and photos without looking at it. The night before this I didn’t eat Mom’s cooking. I looked up into the sky and wished to be anywhere but the frigid seat of Robbie’s car.

I hated how much I had wanted to leave here, how I couldn’t wait to pack. How I watched all their promotional videos and read up on Cassell College and grew more excited by the promise of posh surroundings and decadent amenities. I wiped my eyes, my quiet whimpering audible over the rattling of a rickety furnace. “I’m an idiot.”

Now all I wanted was this simple life, surrounded by love and family. 

I entered my room and turned on the light. What supplies could I take with me? 

There were a lot of clothes that I didn’t wear any more that were boxed up as hand me downs for future kids. I opened the closet and carefully opened the boxes. I hurried through the clothes, picking out three days worth, closed them back up, replacing the tape. I found an old wrinkled pinked vinyl backpack to haul my things in. I changed out of my tutu. “I have two of these now…” I said to myself, staring at it. I would get rid of this one in the garbage outside. 

Next, I would need some money to get around and maybe find a place to stay.

I raced to Mom and Robbie’s room. I felt a bit bad about doing this, but I also knew that more money was coming after I left for Cassell and we would have plenty. Lifting the mattress, I undid the button on a small seam in the mattress and reached inside feeling for the cash kept there. I decided on only taking a few hundred dollars. Hopefully, if everything worked in my favor, that would be all I needed.

Back to the kitchen I went, stuffing a half dozen granola bars in my jacket.

I tried to imagine going back to Cassell now, explaining to Anjou everything that happened. Would they even let someone with as insane a story as mine through the front gate? They didn’t know me yet. It would be a week before they picked me up in a limo. I chewed on one of the granola bars, reluctant to go back into the cold if I didn’t have to. I glanced at the clock.

I could comfortably have maybe fifteen minutes left.

I wasn’t sure how much I could affect my past life events, having apparently gone back in time. People already saw two of me onstage. Anjou would probably know what that meant, more than anyone else. Besides the dragon scale necklace, that may have been what prompted him to approach me in the first place.

No wonder my dance teacher freaked out. Maybe she thought I had pulled some sort of prank.

I typed in the URL for Cassell College and clicked on Contact Us. There was a 250 character limit. My hands hovered over the keyboard. My mind went over what I knew was going to happen.

Isaac… if I never met him. Would he survive? Could I somehow prevent his death from happening? Prevent all those other people from dying? Maybe if they hadn’t seen me kill him they would have never sent me to Japan. They may have even sent me home.

Urgent: I was recruited by you but my talent is unstable. Two days after my recruitment, a student named Isaac will take me to a place to see my abilities. But he doesn't survive. When we come back from it, he turns into a servitor and I kill him. Th-

Out of characters. 

My stomach twists. What if it's not enough? What if he got this message and it was not enough.

“I have to do something different. If Anjou sees this, sends Nono and Caesar and that still fails...” I looked at my ethereal twin. She was pointing to the clock with growing urgency. “Is there nothing I can do?”

She looked at me with an exaggerated helpless shrug. I was out of time. I decided to take a shot in the dark without fearing the consequences. I hit send.

“Okay… Now plan B.”

Next was the website for Comemnus Corp. I clicked the contact us page and started to try to explain that Isaac was going to die at Cassell. As I typed, it dawned on me that this might sound like a threat. I remembered his bodyguards that followed him everywhere. Did  he come with bodyguards because of my message? 

“I could be setting up all of this.”  I deleted the message. If Isaac had to die, the least I could do was keep his bodyguards from being there. I retyped it, saying that Isaac would die, adding that Isaac should not come with the bodyguards because they would die too.

Even if it didn’t work, I tried. I warned them.

“What else?” I rested my chin in my hands. 

 It occured to me that if Isaac didn’t die and I was not sent out to look for a cure, maybe Caesar, Lu and Johann would fail their mission. Maybe Japan would be overrun by monsters. Maybe they would die in the cave because he would send someone else and things would go wrong. Maybe he would send Nono instead of me. Maybe Nono would die.

If the past could be changed, there was no guarantee that I would change things for the better. I sat staring at the clock, remembering Anjou’s kind eyes and words about courage and hope. I still had some time. I was tired, but I knew that once I walked out of this place I wouldn’t be able to come back. 

I took my last few minutes, gazing at photos of us all together, my foster family. “I’m sorry everyone. I was happy here. I know you always told me to dream big.” I stared at myself as a little toddler, still smiling, still in her leotard. My voice with emotion. “Maybe not this big.”

That little girl in the photo had one living relative: an enormous glittering beast with the power to erase people from existing at will. He was watching me now. I didn’t have any real feelings for my birth family. The people in this photo were my family. I didn’t want anything to happen to them. One wrong move and everyone I loved could be gone in an instant.

My computer sang out a notification from my inbox. The message title was simple.

“Stop Immediately. Stay where you are.”

It was from EVA at Cassell. But I couldn’t stay where I was. The sound of car tires screeching to a halt next to the building spooked me. I deleted the email, grabbed my backpack, and made my way to the basement as doors shut and footsteps and voices were heard outside.

As I climbed out of the window, strong gloved hands reached out and grabbed me by both of my arms, yanking me out the rest of the way. A bag was forced over my head, my pack was yanked from my hand and I was half dragged and half carried down the alley.. “Help!” I cried as someone picked me up and shoved me into a car.

Something cold and hard is pressed against my temple, forcing me into silence. The car peeled away.

“We’ve got the target. Returning to HQ.”

I sat shaking, my breath moving the fabric of the bag in and out. The gun stayed pressed to my head the whole ride. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on a vision to get me out of here, but the car careened around corners and I was without a seatbelt... 

The car slammed on the brakes, the door opened and I was hauled out, hitting my ankle against the curb, crying out at the pain shooting up my leg. I was dragged from the cold outside to the warmer inside where I was put into a chair, the bag removed from my head. A heavy metal door screeched, closing with a deafening slam. It was dark other than the light from a flashlight shined in my face.

A man and a woman stood in front of me, prim and proper in suits, a table between them that held small silver utensils I assumed to be torture devices. My two kidnappers were at my side. We were in some sort of garage or warehouse, a dimly lit space with metal walls.

“You’re going to tell us everything we ask you to.” The one speaking is a burly man with a pale, clean shaven head. He fixed his steely eyes onto mine and I nodded in deference.

“I know…” I said. “You’re from Comemnus Corp… right? It’s okay. I’m just trying to warn you.”

“You sent us a rather curious message. Who’s after the heir?” He asked.

“No one’s after him. He dies because… he loses control of his powers. He turns into a Servitor. I know because...” I took a breath because I knew how insane this would sound. “I know because I’m from the future.” I flinched, expecting a negative reaction.

There was a moment of silence while they took in my words. “Is she out of her mind?” asked the kidnapper to my left.

The woman, in light blue pantsuit and heavy eyeliner rubbed her chin. “Here we have a…” Her eyes looked me up and down. “Poor Chicago kid that we were instructed on an urgent high priority basis to kidnap and interrogate. A kid that knows about Isaac and his entry into Cassell and claims he will die within days along with his escort. This is already strange.”

She brought up the message I had sent to the company on her own phone. “In a few days time, Isaac will die after becoming a servitor. Try to keep him home. Don’t send bodyguards with them. They will die too.” She looked at me. “Strange for the bodyguards to die. Who kills them?”.

I tried to answer carefully. “Isaac becomes a servitor.” Who knew what would happen now that I’d fiddled with the events in the timeline. Maybe Isaac still dies but I wouldn’t be the one to kill him. 

“Why?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Because…” I hesitated to answer, my mouth drying up, my voice squeaking. “I…”

“You have one chance to answer this honestly, my dear. My dinner is getting cold.” She picked up one of the silver instruments, it looked like a pen with two hooked prongs at one end. She turned the end until it lit green and let out a high pitched whine.

“Okay. The truth is, I’m going to meet him there. At the party for new students. He comes on to me pretty hard so I leave. The next day he takes me to some secret place to train.”

Her eyes snapped to mine and widened. “Stop talking.” She turned to my kidnappers. “Stand outside the door. The rest of this interrogation is classified.”

The kidnappers' footsteps receded. A door shut.

“He takes you to a secret place.” She repeated, once the others were gone.

I nodded. “Yes. He … teleports me there, through some sort of magical gate.”

She looked at me a little longer before leaning over to the bald man and whispering in his ear. He nodded, then marched to a far corner of the warehouse and reached into his pocket for his phone. The woman continued to stare at me, arms crossed, glaring. I looked between the man and her. 

“And what happens? After you go through the gate?” She asked me.

“He … gives me this black stuff to drink.” I said.

Her narrow-eyed expression deepened.

The man returned. “The boss wants to talk to her herself.” 

She strode up to me and bent over until her face so close I could feel her breath. Her black eyes flashed to yellow. “Speaking Spirit - Chains.”

Instantly, I was unable to move or speak, paralyzed. The image of those eyes transfixed me and they were all I could see. I could feel myself being picked up from the chair and carried away, while I gasped in a panic.

The world spun and went dark and silent. The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back. Time must have passed but, how much time, I didn’t know. I could hear more voices.

A man said, “Studying this genome will take months. Maybe even years. We can’t keep her sedated that long. The fact that Weizhen has kept her down with a B ranked talent…? She deserves a raise.”

A woman’s voice, “What do you suggest?”

“We only need the genome for study. With a few stem cells, we can have an endless supply of samples…”

She interrupted him. “...samples. Really?” 

I tried to open my eyes but they remained firmly shut. My fingers stayed relaxed on the bed. 

“You had something else in mind?” said the man. “Mind you, Cassell is likely looking for her even as we speak. Keeping her here is risky.”

The woman replied. “We don’t deal in relics. It doesn’t matter how beautiful her genome is if she can’t produce viable offspring.”

He responded. “My goal as a geneticist is quite different. Someone with her level of dragonblood purity doesn’t just come along. We’ve stumbled upon a treasure and an opportunity that will not come again. A substandard sperm donor would be a complete waste of time! It would only corrupt the results of our research. Her genetic purity exceeds even that of the much lauded Johann Chu! Where are we going to find someone else like that? If offspring is what you’re after we could try cloning first. If we find a suitable donor, we can try breeding.”

I tried to move my head, but I was held fast. I cried out for help in my mind.

“What about Herzog?” She asked.

“That fanatic? You’re welcome to ask, but last we were in contact with him, he was creating monsters.”

“He has no connection to Cassell...”

Someone else spoke, a woman close to me, just behind my head. “The girl is struggling!” She gasped.

“Quick, give her another dose of ketamine!” 

My body grew hot, my eyes twitched. I gasped. When I raised my hand someone pinned me down. “Hurry!”

My eyes flew open. The bright lights of the room made me squint. I could see people, but I couldn’t focus. 

“You’ve done well, Weizhen, but now, we’re going to have to find other means to restrain her. Take the samples now. This may be our last opportunity.”

Next Chapter

[oathofmaestro]

echoes;; a ronin/clint barton fic [1/?]

(( style/rating: allseeing, ephemeral, wanton ))

suggested song: knee socks - arctic monkeys

word count: 2,030

tw: this story will have dubcon - mentions of demons/succubi/incubi - blood - gore - death - aimless killing - mentions of sex work and sex workers - mental illness - ptsd - manic episodes - anxiety and depression // dark!slightlyderanged!Ronin(Clint) x fem!mutant!reader // this is sensual smut and lots of angst with a plot, so expect a part two. this is post-blip, so mcu/mceu clint/ronin. clint’s family does not come back, nat is still ko, clint is a free man. also: this is for @buckysthot ‘s writing challenge. thanks for hosting, i had way too much fun with this one! ****please remember to read  the trigger warnings!!! they are there for your protection!!!****

m/n: i’m only here to make you feel good. conducting symphonies is my speciality; for this piece, i have chosen to go sensual!, so please keep that in mind when (listening) to this particular symphony. should you read this and have a request, feel free to inbox me, I would love to turn your thoughts into a masterpiece. from me to you, i wish you many happy days, and please enjoy the concerto below.

until next time,

( MAESTRO )

They were never far behind, the jitters.

When they started, Clint didn’t have a clue, but he had the scars to prove their condition was a real one.

They always came on like a shock in the blue and for Clint, that usually meant several hours of scratching along his flesh, raking over his arms, legs, chest, and what he could reach of his back. 

Perhaps they began when he no longer could take the strain of being alone, of sleeping in his house of memories that included his deceased wife, maybe it was not seeing his boys… Maybe, it was the vision of Natasha falling farther and farther away from him as she always did in his nightmares.

Somehow, he always saw them – his family enjoying themselves in bliss, teaching his daughter how to shoot, how to defend herself… suddenly torn from him, their presence lingering like a phantom limb, all pain, all the time. 

So, he scratched and scratched, digging so hard sometimes that he drew blood and it was only then that he was certain that this wasn’t some fever dream and the ones he held so dear were gone from him forever… 

Until Clint met you.

He was well on his way to being a vigilante then; killing those he deemed worthy and sometimes, those he did not. Morality was not something he had much of these days and sanity wasn’t exactly at the top of the list. 

Whispers on the wind started calling him Ronin, and thus Clint shed himself from the ideal family man and freedom fighter to indiscriminate killer who made his judgments as quick as his blades cut throats, and he relished in those feelings because they gave him purpose. They gave him a sense of direction, hope, even…

They gave him you.

The bar was dingy and smelled of cigarettes, but the music was loud and that was what Clint wanted for the most part. He’d had been on a hunt for a bounty he had taken as job and had stopped at the first dive he saw, craving something strong in alcohol volume to consume and burn away any lingering doubts he was having. 

He could vaguely hear the music being played as he went up to the bar and ordered himself a scotch from the barkeep, settling into one of the many stools littering the place. It was quite empty for a dive, but then, with half of the world gone up in cinders and ash, he supposed that was only fair. 

He was barely paying attention when the lights dimmed and at the same time, his drink was passed to him, to which he paid with cash immediately, noting to the barkeep that the change was his to have. 

A crackly voice came over the loudspeaker to announce a name he could not discern and he watched as the few men in the place began to move in unison closer to the stage, sitting obediently like puppies waiting for their master to come home.

You got the lights on in the afternoon And the nights are drawn out long

His head snapped around at the music, and he felt something tugging at his consciousness as he sipped at his scotch, eyes darting left and right as he looked for the source of the sound. 

And you’re kissing to cut through the gloom With a cough-drop-coloured tongue

A gloved hand parted the show curtain for the stage and out you stepped, head to toe in golden body glitter and clad in a white toga, a sultry smirk curling your lips as you ran that same hand up the slit on your toga, which you undid so so slowly and Clint watched on, savouring you and the drink at the same time. 

Goddess, indeed.

And you were sitting in the corner with the coats all piled high And I thought you might be mine

Out of the toga, you were clad in only a black thong as you run your hands along your breasts, lip between your teeth as you twisted and turned on the stage, gripping the pole as you went round and round and round again, and Clint thought he could watch you do that forever.

In a small world on an exceptionally rainy Tuesday night In the right place and time

Up you went, and so did Clint’s eyes, and he found himself getting closer to the stage to get a better look at you; he wanted to see the show, that much was true, but somehow he felt like you were probing his mind and he had to know how you were doing that.

When the zeros line up on the 24 hour clock When you know who’s calling even though the number is blocked

You came back down and began to dance again after the show you had put on, and as the dollars piled up, you caught Clint’s gaze and smiled at him and he felt a pang in his body, heat rising slowly from his feet all the way to his ears. 

When you walked around your house wearing my sky blue Lacoste And your knee socks

He was near the stage now, noting how your smile grew, taking this opportunity to turn this show into a one on one, enjoying the feel of his eyes on your body as you worked your magic, music fading into oblivion as the haze began.

Everything and everyone was still and he wanted to marvel at this… except you were there, and  that only made Clint trod closer until he stepped up and was right next to you on the stage, his body flush against yours as you looked up into his eyes before capturing his lips within your own. 

The people fell away and it was just this motley pair, you with no name and Clint with all of his baggage and well earned torment.

He let you kiss over his eyes one at a time, head bending just so to accommodate you, and his voice came out as a whisper as he stared back into your face.

“Is this real?” you met him with a smile as you pulled away to begin pulling his shirt above his head and tossing it into the now empty club, your fingers trailing his chest as you carefully choose your answer.

“Only if you want it to be.”

O’ did he want to be. Carnal feelings that he did not know he had fell away as he lost himself in you, grasping the whole of you roughly and grinding deeply against you, the feel of your body on his own almost enough to sate the Beast he had become. 

He nipped, sucked, and ate at your flesh like his last meal was upon him, drinking in your essence as he lost himself within the confines of you. 

For Clint, time felt as if it was catching up to him, and he hastily undid his own pants and kicked them away while you shed your thong and kicked it aside, carefully bringing the both of you to the floor before hovering over him, cunt rubbing delicious friction along his already throbbing cock. 

His head laid back at this feeling and he was keenly aware it had been some time since an act of this magnitude had happened, and he wondered if he had need for condoms only for him to be guided into your heat, a long and throaty moan leaving him as you sank down to the hilt.

You didn’t move, and Clint was grateful for this as he grasped your full hips and you bit back a moan as he twitched so magnificently inside your pulsing heat. You gave him a full minute to adjust before you began riding him slowly at first, a hand bearing against his chest for leverage as your hips cracked down into his own. He wouldn’t last long, both you and he knew, but this was not for you, but for him.

“Give it to me.” You began and Clint’s head snapped back up, and you held his gaze for a moment before leaning in to steal another kiss. This one was just as heated as the first and you both started to chase highs that were not so far off. 

Something clicked for Clint and he realized that he was crying; crying for his family, this world, and mostly for himself. He cried hard enough to choke, and your hand came up to shush him, calming his nerves as you continued to grind against his pelvis with your own. His tears mixed with his sweat and eventually faded into the air as you took within yourself all of his sorrows and heartache he had to give, and you sighed in a sort of beautiful and sad way, your fluttering walls now calling his bloom to the surface. 

He felt you and he answered, head now thrown back in pleasure as your hips met his meticulously and it was moments later that he spilled hot ribbons of his seed deep within you, your head buried into the crook of his neck as you milked him for his worth. 

He held you like that for some time, hands bruising your hips, glitter now flecking his own flesh as he pressed you flat against himself. You pressed a kiss to his jugular as you finally sat up to look at him, letting him slip from your folds as he softened.

“Someday…” you began, and Clint began to see black at the edges of his eyes, almost as if he was going to pass out.

“When you’re ready, I’ll give your tears back to you.” was all you said, and before he could answer, you smiled down at him and clapped your hands together, vision now black.

–

Clint was startled awake by the sound of someone tapping the glass window of his car, and he looked up to see the barkeep impatiently telling him to roll it down. The familiarity of being in the driver’s seat was jarring for him, but he complied, wiping remnants of sleep from his eyes as he did so. 

“Bar’s closed; go home, mate.” was all he said as he walked off to his own car, and Clint watched the whole way as he did, even letting his eyes trail after the vehicle as it drove off into the darkening distance. 

He was convinced this was a dream as he started his car and began to drive, trying to recall what had happened with fervor. He was still convinced it was nothing but his own thoughts when he began the trek back to his home, dreading the trip and what it would bring.

Except dread no longer plagued him as it had, and for the first time in a long time… 

Clint could b r e a t h e. 

Nothing constricting, no short breaths, nothing greeted him like the anxiety he was used to. 

Something caught his attention more as realizations hit him like a freight train, and he saw his reflection in his rear view mirror, head tilted as he studied the smudged black lipstick that had littered your full lips, now upon his neck like a tattoo; a mark, a thread, a road to you.

There was a definite something he was feeling…a inkling he couldn’t quite place; but felt more compelled to prove you were real in his haze, in that little snippet of the darkness within him, darkness you had taken with you… darkness you would keep until he was ready for you to give it back to him.

All he had to do was look for you. 

And you, would be waiting for him.

—

Well you cured my January blues Yeah you made it all alright I got a feeling I might have lit the very fuse That you were trying not to light You were a stranger in my phone book I was acting like I knew ‘Cause I had nothing to lose When the winter’s in full swing and your dreams just aren’t coming true Ain’t it funny what you’ll do

[shewolfofficial]

Howdy! First off I would like to thank you for writing great things! I love your work!🌸🏵💖💗 I do have a request for you (If your requests are still open of course😊) Could you do a scenerio that Levi has a S/O with anxiety over little things? Im sorry if this is kind of vague I want to be sure you have creative freedom! Thank you! 🌸🏵💖💗

Awh thank you! I’ve only seen your request just there now and I’m closing my inbox after this so I can do it ^.^

Warning: Cursing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since you were a child you’ve had slight anxiety problems due to the fall of Wall Maria and other things a child shouldn’t see. For example, you would be extremely nervous and tense if you and your friends would be sent out for 3DM Gear training in the forest behind the HQ. You knew you would be alright and safe since you had your friends but a voice kept speaking in the back of your head listing out some accidents or bad things that could happen.

Levi knew of this and tried to soothe you multiple times, most of the time it worked but sometimes you just needed a little time to yourself to calm down.

Of course your luck was against you tonight…

Erwin decided to hold a training session during the night, in the forest, to see how well you all could work in the shadow of night. 

And here you were now standing next to Mikasa and the others with your gear strapped on gazing into the dark woods. Everyone else had started a conversation and you didn’t want to get involved since Sasha was arguing with Connie about food. Sighing you couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of the dark abyss just a couple meters ahead of the group. ‘What if there was a titan waiting for me in there?’ you forced the thought out of your head when multiple scenarios played in your head making you shiver. ‘’Y/N are you alright?’’ Mikasa noticed your slightly frightened expression, looking up to the slightly taller female you hesitantly nodded forcing a smile.

‘‘Alright you little shits! There are wooden titans set up and scattered around the forest! Take down every one of them and please don’t fucking piss yourselves!’‘ Levi yelled sternly to you all, biting your lip you kept glancing back to the forest then to your comrades. Getting lost in thought hoping someone would try to sneakily team up with you-you failed to notice everyone had set off leaving you standing there silently. ‘‘Y/N!’‘ you darted your gaze to your lover who crossed his arms giving you a soft look ‘‘don’t worry, the forest isn’t that big and you have the others there… I’ll keep an eye on you’‘ he said putting you to ease before you shot off.

10 minutes had passed and now you could start to hear your heart thump lightly in your ears, snapping your orbs in every direction ready for something to pounce at you kept you on edge, you spotted a large wooden titan up ahead being shined down upon from the bright moonlight due to the clear star sky. Smiling softly to yourself you dashed over to it and swiftly sliced its nape before landing on the trunk of a tree, your hooks embedded into the bark as you leaned against it looking around.

You finally felt calm and at peace that ‘kill’ certainly made you feel more good about the situation until you heard a loud cracking sound. Eyes widening you thought your fear had come true as you felt your face go cold and pale. Gripping onto your blades you kept your E/C orbs trained on the area where the sound was heard, everything seemed to go silent as you waited for some beast to jump at you. 

Eventually, you saw a bird attempt to crack open the shell of a nut resulting in another cracking sound. Sighing out loud you shook your head before shooting off again.

You knew this forest would be safe but the 57th Expedition certainly didn’t help, the number of titans that attempted to surprise attack you and your squad left you terrified.

Seeing the light and structure of the large building of HQ made you groan in relief, spotting all your friends there too made you even happier to know nobody got hurt. Zipping out of the forest you landed smoothly on the grass, your gaze landing Hanji’s figure as she talked with Erwin who was looking over everyone. A weight was put on your shoulders making you squeak in surprise glaring over your shoulder at whoever dared scare you, seeing it was Jean who had that stupid smirk on his lips as always. ‘’That’s a first, you didn’t piss yourself Y/N’’ Jean teased as you frowned to the male ‘’oh shut it’’ you growled making him chuckle. ‘’How did it feel to have the Captain follow you like a lost puppy in there?’’ Jean continued making you roll your eyes before you stopped ‘’wait- he was with me? How come I didn’t see him?’’ you asked looking around for Levi who was nowhere to be seen.

 ‘’Don’t know but he was with you’’ Jean responded taking his hand off your shoulder ‘’if he was with me he should be here Jean he’s no-’’ you were cut off by a familiar click of the tongue. ‘’Really Y/N? Think I’d get lost in there?’’ Levi said raising his eyebrow slightly. Looking to your right you saw Levi approaching you and Jean while he glared him down. ‘’Tch Jean go annoy Eren or something I need to talk with Y/N’’ Levi said as Jean quickly scurried off. Standing beside you Levi sent you a quick smile ‘’nice kill you got back there, even though when you heard the bird you looked like you were going to shit yourself’’ Levi said making you laugh scratching the back of your neck ‘’e-eh well it scared me a little so..’’ you muttered to the grey orbed male as silence clouded you both. Levi sighed ‘’come on, everyone is going to bed you’re staying with me tonight’’ He said walking off expecting you to follow.

Shooting him a playful pout you followed ‘’alright Captain’’ you giggled earning a light chuckle from Levi.

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Devil’s Temptation pt6

Warnings: Mod styling warlords, Strong Language

Masterlist

---

Chapter 6 – Broken Links

It was quiet in the penthouse when he returned and took the private elevator to the highest level. There was only one room lit and it didn’t surprise him that it was Nobunaga’s office. The man seriously never sleeps. Mitsuhide moved in silence until he reached the room he expected to be occupied only to discover it to be empty. Now where on earth?

Mitsuhide entered the room and walked over to the large desk. The computer monitor was still on and from the looks of the still hot cup of coffee near it, Nobunaga hadn’t long left. He decided to wait and took a seat on the large leather sofa. It wasn’t a particularly cold night but a fire had been lit in the hearth in the room and the crackling pops and fizzes of it managed to add warmth to the empty space. 

His eyes passed over the room, the ornate mix of antique oriental furniture and modern additions gave the room a feeling of historic value whilst also allowing for a contemporary twist that seamlessly allowed the addition of modern electronics and other things of convenience to be added through the place without them being an eyesore by comparison. It was still opulent and indulgent, it suited the owner very well.

His eyes settled on a large piece of artwork over the fire. Well, that is new. He wasn’t sure why but he rose from his chair to get a better look. Something about it was familiar, the way the paint was applied to the canvas, it was like he was witnessing colours applied with emotion, not a brush or knife. The dark cityscape with is shocks of neon colours gave it a vibrancy that felt chilling and oddly calming at the same time. It is rather well done, I wonder... It was when he noticed the only living shape on the canvas that he knew why he felt drawn to it. The half-shadowed familiar figure leaning on a wall, cigarette in hand, highlighted by the lights in the rain. It was her, she painted this. But why? What is it doing here?... [Name].

“I see you finally noticed.” A deep voice came from behind him coupled with the faint click of the drink’s cabinet being opened.

“Noticed?” Mitsuhide didn’t bother turning he was still lost in the waves of paint on the canvas. I had thought this before but she really was rather good.

“Yes, I bought that a while ago from a gallery. I had hoped it would be entertaining to see how you would react to it but every time you came here you never seemed to notice your surroundings and then you stopped coming to my office completely.” Nobunaga had poured two glasses of scotch and placed them on the small table by the sofa and armchair. Mitsuhide could feel that inner demon of his twisting, the rage and heat of it had not forgotten a single detail of past events. Of course, I didn’t notice, I was trying my best not to kill you after everything. And I stopped coming because it was the only path left open to me that I could take to prevent doing so.

“You bought it just to try to torment me?” Somehow Mitsuhide had managed to remove the negative emotion form his voice as he spoke. Knowing it was reactions his Boss wished to see he was damned if he was going to cave so easily and supply them.

“No. I bought it because I liked it. I put it there in the hopes of seeing a friend be honest for once about his own feelings.” Nobunaga’s straightforward words caught Mitsuhide slightly off guard.

“Feelings? Since when did you care about such a thing?” Schooling the muscles of his face to prevent them from breaking his perfect mask Mitsuhide finally turned around a serpentine smile gracing his lips. It was you who said you would remove her if you had too. It was you who sent me away. This was all because of “feelings”.

“You wound me. Contrary to popular belief and results of my actions in the past I do still care Mitsuhide.” Nobunaga stared steadily into Mitsuhide’s face. “Now I trust you have information for me? You weren’t here for the Press conference after all.”

“Dealing with the media was never my thing. But yes, I have some information that you should find a little entertaining.” In all the years they had known each other and trusted each other he knew the Nobunaga could see glimpses past his mask. Do I care that he can see past it? That he can see some of the thoughts I have? The darkness seeping through, tainting the air around me.

“Proceed.” Nobunaga motioned to the sofa inviting Mitsuhide to sit while he took his own place elegantly reposed in the leather armchair next to it.

“I followed something that caught my eye the other day.” Mitsuhide said as he took the offered seat and picked up the drink supplied. Nobunaga had a pattern at least when it came to Mitsuhide. Their meetings often took the path of discussions over drinks. It was familiar and comfortable… predictable.

“Oh?” Nobunaga’s eyes twinkled. I can tell what you are thinking and no it wasn’t a girl, and that joke is in poor taste I’d thank you not to voice it.

“I did some checking and discovered we have visitors. An old family from the northern border.” Mitsuhide removed the envelope he received from the police earlier and removed the papers from it to show Nobunaga.

“And what would they be doing in my city?” Nobunaga reached out and scanned through the information. He noted the official file numbers and origin of the intel but did not question how Mitsuhide had official police reports. One thing you learnt was too much information was dangerous.

“As far as I can tell they are gathering information on all of the inner circle of Azuchi Corp.” Mitsuhide watched as Nobunaga’s hand gave a small twitch. It was the only indication that anything was bothering him.

“You think they wish to attempt to negotiate a takeover?” Nobunaga level tone sounded almost robotic.

“That I cannot say. I don’t, however, think if we receive such a thing that it would be an offer from them as they only seem to be functioning in a supportive position.” Mitsuhide had already been calculating the possibilities of the what-ifs on his way back to HQ.

“Support? For who?” Nobunaga put down the papers and picked up his own glass, the ice cubes rattled inside it.

“The CEO of Esshu Industries, Takahiro Yasui. I think I told you before in a prior report but he is not the eldest son in his family. He will not inherit, and the family has long since announced that it shall pass to his brother.” Mitsuhide watched as the information sunk in. It was a common enough thing in cartel families. The youngest overlooked for the eldest, the firstborn given more benefit to succeed than those that followed after. If you want something sometimes you just have to reach out and grab it.

“So, he does not have his own families support?” Nobunaga nodded.

“No, but that does not make him any less of a threat. The other family who is working with him seems to be treating him like a son. And we have already seen he is rather gifted in business.” Mitsuhide replied. In some way, he admired the new guy. The ability he had to carve out his own place in the world, however, he had managed to get there. There was no doubting that the man was intelligent enough to succeed.

“I shall admit he is gifted at stirring the pot and keeping my email busy. What do you predict will be his next step?” Nobunaga looked at Mitsuhide over the rim of his glass. What am I a bloody oracle? Do I somehow resemble a magic 8 ball?

“Honestly? I would imagine he would be moving exactly how you would. He is gathering information on us in order to locate a weak link and pressure it. From there it would be relatively easy to gather more personal and less easily accessible intel and either create cracks within the company or target the head of the beast directly.” Mitsuhide hid his frustration behind a rather bored tone as he laid out the most likely idea.

“You call me a beast?” Nobunaga snorted.

“Figure of speech. Although you know you have been dubbed far worse in the past.” Mitsuhide smirked.

“Hmm, true.” Nobunaga glanced over to the windows behind his desk, the vast view of the city at night and its unnatural illuminations. “Well, then I shall make the arrangements.”

“Arrangements? You have a plan?” Mitsuhide asked observing Nobunaga with a little more interest.

“In a manner of speaking. I intend to cut him off at the pass. I hate waiting in obscurity to see how someone plans to move against me. There is an event scheduled on the weekend, the holiday gala. He shall be there and that is where we are going too.” Nobunaga rose from his chair and moved to the invitations that were sitting in his inbox on his desk. Shuffling through them until he pulled out the one he desired.

“You wish for me to be your security guard again? I think Hideyoshi might have something to say about that.” Mitsuhide chuckled imagining the look of quiet horror that would undoubtedly play out on Hideyoshi’s face when he was informed.

“It is not his decision to make. Unlike him you will not hesitate to take action when required, he still has a small fault where he seeks permission before he acts, you don’t. You also have a faster wit than him and are less likely to be swayed towards a distraction.” Nobunaga continued to speak as he placed himself behind his desk once more, moving his now stone-cold coffee to one side and clicked on his mouse to reactive his monitor.

“So you plan to approach him and strike a deal?” Mitsuhide inclined his head.

“Yes from one businessman to another. It would benefit us both in the long term.” Nobunaga was lost now he was tapping out something on his keyboard and focused on the screen in front of him. Taking that as his cue that he was no longer required Mitsuhide drained his glass.

“Oh yes because nothing says join me quite like an already failed assassination attempt.” He muttered sarcastically as he left the office.

---

It had been a few days and they were starting to get really edgy with the whole being kept captive thing. The only benefit to being a captive by your own family was how they were treated. It would have been easy for their father to hold more of a grudge than he did, to punish them in a way befitting a disappointment and a traitor. However, this was apparently not going to be like that. If anything, the phrase “kill them with kindness”, seemed to be how this game was to be played.

There was a firm knock on the main door before the handle turned and a familiar figure entered. He was about five foot eight with unruly black hair. His light skin seemed even paler when you saw the contrast of the dark hair and smokey eyes. He had been at the office that day, he was not someone you forgot easily.

Memories are strange things. You can forget what you were planning on doing one minute only to be reminded of something long since forgotten in your past the next. The man before them was one of the long since forgotten memories, older but still the same. It was a memory they had tried to escape and run from. But they were not the child they once were. They were not grieving the loss of family members, they were grown up and whilst the man before them was intimidating they had seen much worse and lived to tell the tale.

It was with this knowledge that they found some steel in their backbone and controlled their nervous desire to jump up from their seat and bolt out the door.

“It’s so good to see you again.” He said with a predatory smile on his face.

“I wish I could agree. I would have thought you would have given up by now Yasui.” Their tone was cold as ice and they forced themselves to look at the visitor.

“Come now no need to be so formal we’ve known each other a long time.” He walked confidently over to a chair next to them and after unbuttoning one of his jacket buttons sat down.

“…Takahiro.” The name was almost a hiss as it was forced through clenched teeth.

“Much better.” He did not seem to care about the atmosphere. Instead, Takahiro continued to smile as if everything was perfectly genial. “Well now that we are much more comfortable.”

“Speak for yourself.”

– Chuckle –

“You have grown to be very entertaining.” The smoke in Takahiro’s eyes danced with interest as he observed the captive runaway.

“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard that and I’m sure it won’t be the last time I remind someone that I am not something to be used for amusement.” The reply received was clipped.

“Indeed.” His words did no lose the amused tone as he continued unperturbed. “You seem to still be nervous.”

“Can you blame me? You know why I ran, you were there that night.” This was were their voice decided to crack. The exhaustion and frustrated cluster of emotion collided inside and as hard as they tried it still leaked out in their voice.

“Yes… It was a sad affair I must admit. The day you rejected everything the families had arranged.” Takahiro nodded solemnly.

“I had heard other arrangements were made. I was…”

“Hopeful that you had been set free?” He cut them off. Takahiro’s eyes were still dancing with amusement. Clearly, this was nothing more than a cat and mouse game for him. “Yes, I can see how it was easy to draw that conclusion. However, in your absence, another deal was struck and the promise of a union was passed to another.”

“What!?” Their blood turned to ice. They could feel the last vestiges of heat leave as the colour drained visibly from their face.

“Don’t shout. If you give me a few minutes I shall explain everything.” Takahiro’s tone shifted along with his body as he appeared to morph into the businessman they had read about in the press. “Afterall in light of recent information gathered, and your father being as he is. I believe this could benefit both of us.”

It was both infuriating and terrifying to have your life and future arranged for you. There was no doubt in their mind that attempting to run now was going to end badly. The feeling of being painted into a corner crept over them as they sat staring into the eyes of the man in front of them.

They knew their father was unwell, he had said as much at their last meeting. If I ran now… would I see him again? A wave of guilt broke on the wall around their heart. Feelings for a family they had tried to forget in order to survive and move on. Despite taking such actions they could not hide the fact that they still loved them. Business was just that… Business. And needs must when the devil drives.

“I’m Listening.”

---

[preciousmetals0]

Jobs Data Vapor Lock; Shopify Shocks; Gamers Game Amok

Jobs Data Vapor Lock; Shopify Shocks; Gamers Game Amok:

The Market Gods Are Crazy

Any Great Stuff readers home-schooling kids right now? It’s quite the experience, let me tell you.

New math? Pshaw … I’ve done things with fractions and limits in the past week that would turn you white.

Yes, Mr. Great Stuff, we get it. Math is hard. But what about the market? Also, aren’t you an analyst?

Hold your horses, we’ll get to the market. And yes, I am an analyst, which is why I handled the fractions and limits … and not someone else who lives in this house who shall not be named.

Anyway, I had an “Aha!” moment when reviewing science with my 14-year-old daughter on Monday. We were discussing solar flares. There was a picture of a flare that said 100 Earths could fit inside that flare. My daughter’s eyes glazed over. “Cool?” she muttered.

After talking about it for a bit, it became clear that the sheer size of the flare gave her vapor lock. 100 Earths? One Earth is hard enough to deal with, but 100? How big is that really?

In the end, she had no real way to process it other than to say “cool” and move on.

That is how I envision Wall Street right now: Vapor locked.

Automatic Data Processing Inc. just reported that 20.2 million jobs were lost in April.

That’s 20.2 million Americans out of work. That’s nearly the entire population of Florida. It’s New York State. It’s the entire population of Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico combined. All of them, unemployed.

Economically, we’re in a “How many Earths?” situation right now. Investors, traders and economists alike have never seen anything like this before. It’s beyond everyone’s scope of reasoning.

Sure, they can predict. They can speculate. They can go on Bloomberg or MarketWatch and discuss their mathematical models about how this will all play out. But in the end, nobody really knows.

Part of the problem is that we have the same “How many Earths?” situation on the stimulus side of the equation. The U.S. government has doled out trillions to save the economy, while the Fed promised “unlimited stimulus.”

Trillions, unlimited stimulus and 20.2 million unemployed … these are all unprecedented figures. And they’re all sloshing around at once. It’s no wonder a vapor locked Wall Street initially rallied on bad news once again.

It doesn’t know what else to do.

The Takeaway:

Let’s put this another way.

Has a situation ever gotten so out of hand that you couldn’t help but laugh?

Not that the market is laughing, per se, at the enormity of the economic disaster unfolding right now. The recent market rally was hope that things will be much better when the pandemic clears and “What else can we do, really?”

If that sounds crazy, it is. I think Jimmy Buffet put it best when he sang: “If we weren’t all crazy, we would go insane.”

And that’s the real rub here. We’re never going to survive, unless we get a little crazy.  (Thank you, Seal.)

Here’s where things get interesting for opportunistic investors. A heavy degree of volatility has accompanied the market’s rally off the March “bottom.” (I’m not willing to officially call it a bottom yet.)

Volatility is the market’s way of dealing with the unknown. And with Wall Street vapor locked, there’s more than a little unknown floating around right now.

Now, for buy-and-hold investors, volatility is a real pain in the butt.

But for options traders, this market is a smorgasbord of opportunity!

Remember: It’s possible to know that the market gods are crazy but still make money amid the insanity.

That’s where Banyan Hill’s own Paul Mampilly comes in. Paul has a “rebound” method to spot opportunities when markets are irrational to the gills.

So, why not let Paul Mampilly and his team do the heavy lifting and find opportunities for you?

Click here to learn more!

Good: It’s a Small World After All

Reading The Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE: DIS) quarterly report today was like being stuck on the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disney World. It’s the happiest nightmare you will ever experience, trust me. It’s been 10 years and I still have flashbacks…

Earnings plunged 63% to $0.60 per share, missing Wall Street’s expectations. Meanwhile, revenue jumped 20.6% to a stronger-than-expected $18 billion. Sales were bolstered by Disney’s strong media performance on the quarter, including 54.4 million Disney+ subscribers. That’s up by 4.5 million in less than a month!

The kicker for many investors, however, was Disney’s dividend suspension. The company plans to save $1.6 billion by axing its semiannual dividend, alongside plans to cut capital spending by $900 million for fiscal 2020.

As a sign of hope, however, Disney said it will reopen Disney World Shanghai on May 11. The company lost $1 billion due to the Shanghai, China, closure alone. Combine Shanghai’s reopening with the amazing Disney+ subscriber growth, and investors have little to complain about following this morning’s report.

So, while the pandemic created a whole new world for Disney, investors need to let it go and realize that DIS stock remains a real beauty here in this beast of a market.

Better: Blizzard of Oz

Streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix have received quite a bit of attention as solid investments in this lockdown market. But don’t forget that there’s another crucial form of at-home entertainment: video games!

Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) bluntly reminded everyone of that today with its first-quarter earnings report. Earnings came in at $0.76 per share, doubling the consensus estimate. Revenue dipped to $1.79 billion, while bookings rose to $1.52 billion. Both figures trounced Wall Street’s expectations.

What’s more, Activision actually provided full-year guidance — something only a handful of companies have done amid the COVID-19 lockdowns. Projecting delivery of “a robust slate of content over the remainder of the year,” Activision expects earnings of $2.22 per share on $6.8 billion in revenue.

It’s almost like the video game market was perfectly designed for this exact moment. I mean, what other industry centers solely on customers who never leave the house?

Also, I wonder how much of those $1,200 stimulus checks went to video games…

Best: Another Great Stuff Win!

With Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) delaying or limiting nonessential orders amid the lockdown, many brick-and-mortar stores turned to alternative means of reaching consumers.

That shift played right into Shopify Inc.’s (NYSE: SHOP) waiting arms … and into Great Stuff readers’ portfolios!

This morning, Shopify reported a 210% surge in earnings and a 47% spike in revenue. In fact, the company recorded a profit of $0.19 per share, versus Wall Street’s expectations for a loss of $0.18 per share. Even gross merchandise volume (a key sales metric for the online-sales enabler) beat expectations, rising to $17.4 billion.

What’s more, in a bid to directly take on Amazon, Shopify said it plans to spend $1 billion in the next year to build out its distribution network to store and ship products for its customers.

SHOP shares rallied more than 4.5% on the news, which is music to Great Stuff readers’ portfolios.

Why? Because Great Stuff recommended buying SHOP back in our September 4 edition. Since then, SHOP has surged more than 89%!

If you hold Shopify, keep doing so. There are more gains to be had from here.

Congratulations on your win! This is truly Great Stuff!

In last week’s Great Stuff Poll, we asked for your take on the U.S. economy’s reopening. Too soon? Too late? Too dazed by the passage of time to care?

By the majority, Great Stuff readers are on the “It’s not opening soon enough!” side of things. Just over 54% of you must’ve been eagerly awaiting by the front door, ready to pounce on that brave reopened world.

This week, well, we’re still talking about the “Great Reopening.” (These things take time, don’t you know?)

When it comes to U.S. states deciding whether or not to ease quarantine tensions, it didn’t take long at all for the public health emergency to turn into a political flip storm. Ah, bipartisan outrage — it’s what we do best!

Today, Great Stuff wants to hear from you — no matter if you’re a never-voter, an armchair campaigner or even one of those “dark basement” freaks glued 24/7 to conspiracy channels. (The Lizard People aren’t hiding the COVID-19 vaccine from us in Area 51, stop that. Unless, that’s what they want us to think…)

So, do you approve of how the government is reopening the economy? Or are we watching the greatest botched job since the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl?

I don’t care which side of the political Thunderdome you’re speaking from here … nor whatever label you plan to throw at me in our inbox. So, click on the envelope below to answer our poll!

If you’ve got more to say, by all means, speak! We implore you. Feel free to reach out to the Great Stuff team (that’s me!) by sending an email to GreatStuffToday@BanyanHill.com. You have one day left to make it into this week’s edition of Reader Feedback.

That’s all for today, but remember that you can always catch up on the latest Great Stuff on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, be Great!

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

[goldira01]

The Market Gods Are Crazy

Any Great Stuff readers home-schooling kids right now? It’s quite the experience, let me tell you.

New math? Pshaw … I’ve done things with fractions and limits in the past week that would turn you white.

Yes, Mr. Great Stuff, we get it. Math is hard. But what about the market? Also, aren’t you an analyst?

Hold your horses, we’ll get to the market. And yes, I am an analyst, which is why I handled the fractions and limits … and not someone else who lives in this house who shall not be named.

Anyway, I had an “Aha!” moment when reviewing science with my 14-year-old daughter on Monday. We were discussing solar flares. There was a picture of a flare that said 100 Earths could fit inside that flare. My daughter’s eyes glazed over. “Cool?” she muttered.

After talking about it for a bit, it became clear that the sheer size of the flare gave her vapor lock. 100 Earths? One Earth is hard enough to deal with, but 100? How big is that really?

In the end, she had no real way to process it other than to say “cool” and move on.

That is how I envision Wall Street right now: Vapor locked.

Automatic Data Processing Inc. just reported that 20.2 million jobs were lost in April.

That’s 20.2 million Americans out of work. That’s nearly the entire population of Florida. It’s New York State. It’s the entire population of Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico combined. All of them, unemployed.

Economically, we’re in a “How many Earths?” situation right now. Investors, traders and economists alike have never seen anything like this before. It’s beyond everyone’s scope of reasoning.

Sure, they can predict. They can speculate. They can go on Bloomberg or MarketWatch and discuss their mathematical models about how this will all play out. But in the end, nobody really knows.

Part of the problem is that we have the same “How many Earths?” situation on the stimulus side of the equation. The U.S. government has doled out trillions to save the economy, while the Fed promised “unlimited stimulus.”

Trillions, unlimited stimulus and 20.2 million unemployed … these are all unprecedented figures. And they’re all sloshing around at once. It’s no wonder a vapor locked Wall Street initially rallied on bad news once again.

It doesn’t know what else to do.

The Takeaway:

Let’s put this another way.

Has a situation ever gotten so out of hand that you couldn’t help but laugh?

Not that the market is laughing, per se, at the enormity of the economic disaster unfolding right now. The recent market rally was hope that things will be much better when the pandemic clears and “What else can we do, really?”

If that sounds crazy, it is. I think Jimmy Buffet put it best when he sang: “If we weren’t all crazy, we would go insane.”

And that’s the real rub here. We’re never going to survive, unless we get a little crazy.  (Thank you, Seal.)

Here’s where things get interesting for opportunistic investors. A heavy degree of volatility has accompanied the market’s rally off the March “bottom.” (I’m not willing to officially call it a bottom yet.)

Volatility is the market’s way of dealing with the unknown. And with Wall Street vapor locked, there’s more than a little unknown floating around right now.

Now, for buy-and-hold investors, volatility is a real pain in the butt.

But for options traders, this market is a smorgasbord of opportunity!

Remember: It’s possible to know that the market gods are crazy but still make money amid the insanity.

That’s where Banyan Hill’s own Paul Mampilly comes in. Paul has a “rebound” method to spot opportunities when markets are irrational to the gills.

So, why not let Paul Mampilly and his team do the heavy lifting and find opportunities for you?

Click here to learn more!

Good: It’s a Small World After All

Reading The Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE: DIS) quarterly report today was like being stuck on the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disney World. It’s the happiest nightmare you will ever experience, trust me. It’s been 10 years and I still have flashbacks…

Earnings plunged 63% to $0.60 per share, missing Wall Street’s expectations. Meanwhile, revenue jumped 20.6% to a stronger-than-expected $18 billion. Sales were bolstered by Disney’s strong media performance on the quarter, including 54.4 million Disney+ subscribers. That’s up by 4.5 million in less than a month!

The kicker for many investors, however, was Disney’s dividend suspension. The company plans to save $1.6 billion by axing its semiannual dividend, alongside plans to cut capital spending by $900 million for fiscal 2020.

As a sign of hope, however, Disney said it will reopen Disney World Shanghai on May 11. The company lost $1 billion due to the Shanghai, China, closure alone. Combine Shanghai’s reopening with the amazing Disney+ subscriber growth, and investors have little to complain about following this morning’s report.

So, while the pandemic created a whole new world for Disney, investors need to let it go and realize that DIS stock remains a real beauty here in this beast of a market.

Better: Blizzard of Oz

Streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix have received quite a bit of attention as solid investments in this lockdown market. But don’t forget that there’s another crucial form of at-home entertainment: video games!

Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) bluntly reminded everyone of that today with its first-quarter earnings report. Earnings came in at $0.76 per share, doubling the consensus estimate. Revenue dipped to $1.79 billion, while bookings rose to $1.52 billion. Both figures trounced Wall Street’s expectations.

What’s more, Activision actually provided full-year guidance — something only a handful of companies have done amid the COVID-19 lockdowns. Projecting delivery of “a robust slate of content over the remainder of the year,” Activision expects earnings of $2.22 per share on $6.8 billion in revenue.

It’s almost like the video game market was perfectly designed for this exact moment. I mean, what other industry centers solely on customers who never leave the house?

Also, I wonder how much of those $1,200 stimulus checks went to video games…

Best: Another Great Stuff Win!

With Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) delaying or limiting nonessential orders amid the lockdown, many brick-and-mortar stores turned to alternative means of reaching consumers.

That shift played right into Shopify Inc.’s (NYSE: SHOP) waiting arms … and into Great Stuff readers’ portfolios!

This morning, Shopify reported a 210% surge in earnings and a 47% spike in revenue. In fact, the company recorded a profit of $0.19 per share, versus Wall Street’s expectations for a loss of $0.18 per share. Even gross merchandise volume (a key sales metric for the online-sales enabler) beat expectations, rising to $17.4 billion.

What’s more, in a bid to directly take on Amazon, Shopify said it plans to spend $1 billion in the next year to build out its distribution network to store and ship products for its customers.

SHOP shares rallied more than 4.5% on the news, which is music to Great Stuff readers’ portfolios.

Why? Because Great Stuff recommended buying SHOP back in our September 4 edition. Since then, SHOP has surged more than 89%!

If you hold Shopify, keep doing so. There are more gains to be had from here.

Congratulations on your win! This is truly Great Stuff!

In last week’s Great Stuff Poll, we asked for your take on the U.S. economy’s reopening. Too soon? Too late? Too dazed by the passage of time to care?

By the majority, Great Stuff readers are on the “It’s not opening soon enough!” side of things. Just over 54% of you must’ve been eagerly awaiting by the front door, ready to pounce on that brave reopened world.

This week, well, we’re still talking about the “Great Reopening.” (These things take time, don’t you know?)

When it comes to U.S. states deciding whether or not to ease quarantine tensions, it didn’t take long at all for the public health emergency to turn into a political flip storm. Ah, bipartisan outrage — it’s what we do best!

Today, Great Stuff wants to hear from you — no matter if you’re a never-voter, an armchair campaigner or even one of those “dark basement” freaks glued 24/7 to conspiracy channels. (The Lizard People aren’t hiding the COVID-19 vaccine from us in Area 51, stop that. Unless, that’s what they want us to think…)

So, do you approve of how the government is reopening the economy? Or are we watching the greatest botched job since the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl?

I don’t care which side of the political Thunderdome you’re speaking from here … nor whatever label you plan to throw at me in our inbox. So, click on the envelope below to answer our poll!

If you’ve got more to say, by all means, speak! We implore you. Feel free to reach out to the Great Stuff team (that’s me!) by sending an email to GreatStuffToday@BanyanHill.com. You have one day left to make it into this week’s edition of Reader Feedback.

That’s all for today, but remember that you can always catch up on the latest Great Stuff on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, be Great!

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

[lexacourtney]

Thank God that the majority of the books I hauled in February are eBooks, because I do not have room on my shelf for SEVENTEEN new books. I would need a whole new shelf for last month’s haul.

I didn’t realize I’d hauled so many, since most were on my Kindle, and there were only six sitting on my shelf. I’ve read a lot of these…well, eight of them, and I’ve enjoyed them. Others are eARCs off NetGalley. Then there are a couple that were Kindle One-Click buys and some freebies and too good to miss discounts.

Basically, I acquired more eBooks in Feb 2020, than I’ve acquired in literal months.

I’m going to stop trying to intro this blog post, and just get into the books I hauled last month. It’s probably going to take me a year as it is, so better to stop procrastinating.

The Bone Charmer (The Bone Charmer #1) – Breeana Shields

(US Hardcover – Signed) / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review / GR

Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose one she knew Saskia wouldn’t want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones. Broken bones are always bad luck, but this particular set of bones have been infused with extra magic, and so the break has devastating consequences—Saskia’s future has split as well. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously. Only one future can survive. And Saskia’s life is in danger in both.

I read an ARC of this a while back and absolutely loved it. So much, and I highly recommend. Unfortunately, when I moderated Brigid and Breeana’s signing, I wasn’t able to get a copy of her book. The Christiana Barnes and Noble was kind enough to notify me when they got signed copies in stock and I was able to snag one that way. It might only be March, but this is one of my fave 2020 reads.

Chasing Lucky – Jenn Bennett

(eARC NetGalley) / GR

In this coming-of-age romance perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen, scandal and romance collide when an ambitious teen returns to her hometown only to have her plans interrupted after falling for the town’s “bad boy”—a.k.a. her childhood best friend.

Honestly, this was ‘Read Now’ on NetGalley for like a hot second so I snagged it. I didn’t realize it was her newest release – I wasn’t paying attention – but it sounded cute, so I clicked it. I doubt I would have been approved otherwise. I’ve heard good things, so I’m looking forward to reading it. I’m rediscovering my love for YA contemporaries, so I’m hoping this doesn’t disappoint.

Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) – Cassandra Clare

(US ARC) / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review / GR

Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.

I don’t understand how I won an ARC of this book. I don’t. When I saw the email from Simon and Schuster in my inbox I just kept going ‘No Way’ over and over and over. I loved this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read a Shadowhunter book and this did not disappoint. So good. Seriously.

You Don’t Live Here – Robyn Schneider

(US ARC) / GR

Robyn Schneider, author of The Beginning of Everything, delivers a witty and heartbreaking tale of first love, second beginnings, and last chances in this timely and authentic bisexual coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

This is one of my top anticipated reads. I’ve loved every single YA contemporary Robyn has published, each new one becoming my new favorite book of hers. Invisible Ghosts is freaking amazing, you should read it. So, when I found out that she had a new book coming out, I desperately wanted a chance to read it early. I somehow was able to trade for this copy and I’m seriously dying to read it, but I have a few other closer upcoming releases I need to read first. I seriously cannot wait.

The Court of Miracles (The Court of Miracles #1) – Kester Grant

(eARC NetGalley) / GR

In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

I requested this on a whim and fully expected to be declined. So needless to say, the email telling me I was approved was pretty shocking. Like most of these books on this list, I cannot wait to read this. It sounds amazing. I haven’t heard that much about it, but it seems to be getting a pretty good response.

The Hollow Gods (The Chaos Cycle Duology #1) – A.J. Vrana

(eARC NetGalley) / GR

A maelstrom of ancient grudges, forgotten traumas, and deadly secrets loom in the foggy forests of Black Hollow. Can three unlikely heroes put aside their fears and unite to confront a centuries-old evil? Will they uncover the truth behind the fable, or will the cycle repeat?

While I’m excited for this, I’m not 100% I’m going to love it, or that it’s going to be the book for me. Last year I read Marrow Charm, published with The Parliament House Press and it was so good it put me in a slump. Since then, I’ve been super anticipating books coming from this publisher, because they all sound so damn amazing. This one hit NetGalley and I knew I needed to give it a shot. I went into Marrow Charm with no expectations and was blown away, so I’m hoping for a repeat.

Mageborn (The Hollow King #1) – Jessica Thorne

(eARC NetGalley) / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review / GR

A dark and addictive fantasy read for fans of Graceling and Sarah J. Maas. The life of an orphan soldier becomes entwined with that of the mysterious heir to the throne, whose very presence draws out the secret magic living inside her: a magic that breaks every law she is duty-bound to uphold…

I requested this due to a line saying, “for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Graceling” and the cover. I didn’t even care what the specifics in the synopsis were. Then I realized that it was set to come out 8 days from when I requested. Then I was approved, and I read it. Y’all should read this book. If you’re an Elise Kova fan, you’re going to love this. I’m already tired of waiting for book 2, I want it now.

Undone (Unknown #3) – Wendy Higgins

(US Paperback) / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review / GR

Amber Tate never dreamed their heart-wrenching escape from the enemy’s attack would lead them to the most beautiful place she’s ever seen, marred by one ugly fact; it’s under enemy control. Like everywhere else in the world, Elmendorf military base in Alaska has been captured, and it’s time to take it back—all of it—one base, one city at a time. After losing so much, Amber clings to the only precious person she has left, and vows to sacrifice everything to help save the Earth.

Remy Haines is a lover, not a fighter, so when she finds herself in enemy territory, expected to feign allegiance while gathering intel for the rebel cause, she’s never been more out of her element. Tensions only increase when her feelings for Jacob “Tater” Tate won’t go away, and the enemy’s leader takes an interest in her. She’s torn between what her heart wants, and what she knows she should do. As for what her body needs…well, it’s always had a mind of its own. 

I’m annoyed I’m done this trilogy. I need more SF dystopian in my life. I thought this book was a good ending to the trilogy, but I could easily read like 2-3 more books in this world, with these characters. If you’re looking for a NA, SF dystopian, slow burn romance, some alien invasion, and creating your own family, then look no further. This trilogy is slept on and more people should be reading it.

All the Stars and Teeth (All the Stars and Teeth #1)– Adalyn Grace

(OwlCrate Exclusive Hardcover) / GR

Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice, Adalyn Grace’s All the Stars and Teeth is a thrilling fantasy for fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval and Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series.

I’m really hoping I have time this month to read this. It’s been on my radar for months and I’m dying to get to it. I have a few other books I have to read, plus the last couple on my TBR. So, if I can get my act together and blow through some books, I should be able to read it.

No Man Can Tame (The Dark-Elves of Nightbloom #1) – Miranda Honfleur

(Kindle eBook) / GR

Aless and Veron face opposition at every turn, with humans and dark-elves alike opposing the union violently, as well as their own feelings of dissonance toward each other. Can two people from cultures that despise one another fall in love? Can a marriage between them bond two opposing worlds together, or will it tear them apart for good?

I don’t really know much about this, though, I think it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling? I’m a fan of Miranda and her writing, so when this was either a freebie, or on sale for like $.99 I knew I needed to grab it.

Soul in Darkness – Wendy Higgins

(Kindle eBook) / ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review / GR

Based on the Roman/Greek mythology of Cupid and Psyche by Lucius Apuleius, New York Times bestseller Wendy Higgins brings the tale to life, weaving layers that show exactly how a sacrificial lamb can be enchanted by an unseen monster.

Okay, so I’ve read this, but over Valentine’s Day weekend, Wendy put it up for free and so I snatched a copy for my Kindle. I enjoyed the book and I’m always a fan of Wendy, her writing and the stories she tells, so I wanted to support her.

Witch of the Lake Trilogy – Miranda Honfleur & Nicolette Andrews

(Kindle eBook Box Set) / GR

Find out what lurks beneath the lake in FEAST OF THE MOTHER, the first entry in a romantic dark fantasy series inspired by Slavic mythology and folklore, sure to please fans of Juliet Marillier’s Blackthorn & Grim series and Naomi Novik’s Uprooted.

Again, I know pretty much nothing about this series, but Elise Kova posted, and it was only like, $.99 for all three, or something like that. I’d seen her talk about the books before, and I trust her opinion. So, when I saw the books for that price, I knew I’d have to be stupid to not spend the money.

The Will of Yggdrasil Series – Sara C. Roethle

(eARC & Kindle eBooks) / Fated, Fallen, Fury / GR

Previously the Bitter Ashes Series.

Fated Synopsis:

Madeline knew her life was strange, and not just because she could sense the emotions of others. Having people die by your hand on two separate occasions can make a girl question her very existence. Still, she never thought she’d wake up in a world straight out of Norse myth. A world where corpses reanimate all on their own . . . and she’s supposed to be their executioner.

A normal person would run screaming into the night, but there’s something about dark and alluring Alaric that’s giving Madeline pause, and it’s not the fact that he turns a little feline from time to time. Together they must search for an elusive magical charm, a remnant of the gods themselves. Madeline’s life depends on finding it first . . . and so does the entire fate of humanity.

Elise Kova posted in her Facebook group about the first book in this series – Fated and asked if anyone would be willing to read it and review it. There was a link to a free download, so I clicked. I didn’t realize that this series was a republished version of one of Sara’s earlier series, so I was a bit confused at first…then I blew through the first two books in like 8 hours? I’ve also already bought and downloaded book 3. Each time I finish a book in this series, I right away buy book 2. These are really easy to read and just enjoy and get lost in. I won’t go into too much detail since my review will be up soon, but so good.

The Queen’s Wing (The Queen’s Wing #1) – Jessica Thorne

(Kindle eBook) / GR

For any other young woman the chance to become royalty would be a dream come true, but for Bel, the rigidity of court life is like a prison sentence. And while Conleith is an unexpectedly intriguing – and attractive – puzzle… could she ever love him when it would mean turning her back on her feelings for Shae, her first love and last connection to home?

Then a brutal assassination attempt nearly takes her life, and Bel learns that there’s more on the line than just her happiness. Is it the same faceless enemy who attacked her homeland and, with dangers around every corner, who in the palace can she trust?

I think I saw an ad on Twitter that this book was on sale for $.99 and since I was a huge fan of Mageborn I figured I’d give this one a go! It sounds good and I’m now a Jessica Thorne fan. If worse comes to worst, I’m out $.99 but I doubt that’ll be the case.

Greythorne (Bloodleaf #2) – Crystal Smith

(US Coverless ARC) / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review / GR

Princess Aurelia’s life is turned upside down when the kingdom she thought she saved turns to ruin, a loved one is tragically killed in a shipwreck, and her home country refuses to respect her brother’s legitimate claim to the throne. With no place left to call her own, Aurelia returns to Greythorne Manor—her best friend’s family mansion—only to get swept up in a coup d’état on the night of her brother’s coronation.

With everyone turned against her and enemies closing in on all sides, Aurelia has nothing left to lose in a mad fight to protect the only people she has left—her family. But in her darkest moments when all seems grim, will Aurelia find a spark of hope from a love she thought long lost?

This book. It’s been weeks and I’m still not over it. I loved it so much. I was a fan of Bloodleaf, but it wasn’t an automatic favorite. Greythorne is an automatic favorite and you all are not ready for what Crystal pulls off – and pulls off spectacularly – in this book. It’s so amazingly good and ugh, the wait for book 3 might very well kill me. I’m really not over the ending of the book. At all.

Yikes, this is a long post, sorry about that! Hopefully next months won’t be as long…as I typed that, I realized that, that won’t be the case. I have two book events next month, plus at least 3 preorders, and a book box? March’s Haul post might very well rival this one.

Anyways!

What was your favorite book you hauled this month?

I’m kind of torn between Greythorne, You Don’t Live Here and Chain of Gold.

  Feb’20 Book Haul So. Many. Books. omfg. #newpost #blogpost #bookpost #bookblog #books #blog #blogger #bloggerswanted #bloggerstribe #bloggingcommunity #bookish #bookhaul Thank God that the majority of the books I hauled in February are eBooks, because I…