#one of whom made a dress up game starring the other to play in his spare time

[pa-pa-plasma]

how is this not gay

[pens-in-a-jam-jar]

Castlevania Nocturne's Colors Aren't Just More Colorful

I watched Castlevania Nocturne and y'all are gonna hear my Specific Ass Takes. [full video transcript under cut]

[ The whole video plays over a background of a multicolor evening sky with a shooting star, and starts with a light blue silhouette of bunnies and a lantern. When the speaker begins reading, a cartoon bunny head appears ]

I'm working on a bigger video that I thought I'd have out, like, Last Week. Unfortunately, the scriptwriting stage is giving me disproportionate difficulty. So this week, to get something out, I'm gonna be making a small dissertation on the color work in Castlevania Nocturne to all y'all 'cause I watched it on Friday the 13th this fine spooky month.

Spoilers. Obviously. But like specifically I am Not arranging my thoughts linearly, you will get no incremental building to the bigger late game spoilers, they can come at any moment.

[ The video transitions to a speedpaint of a coloring page ]

Colors are by far some of my favorite things to see being used well and played around with, and even if the colors weren't expertly planned and were used for nothing except as a way to differentiate the characters, I'd still love just how much More Colorful Nocturne is compared to Castlevania The First. Something that especially made my brain go absolutely brrRR is the weird interesting thing they did with the color pink. How Anette says Eduoard called her soul pink but her favorite color was always green (the opposite) and it zooms in on him in his fancy green opera coat, which you cannot help but relate back to the tiny jewels Olrox's earrings have in them, and how they alternate between pink and green.

All three of them have the new world in common. All three of them come from horribly damaged communities, and while the girl who refuses to submit and discovers her command over magic as a result carries the color pink in her soul, the boy who uses smooth deception and a calm demeanor as his main tool in the liberation of his community is commonly wreathed in greens, but the creature older and more weathered than them both with no soul and no mission and no community left enshrines both colors in gold jewelry and dresses in deep saturated purples. As if he understands both those things to be important, so important, but he only has his pride and his history left of all that he used to have and hold dear.

But the pink doesn’t stop here because Drolta's primary color is this neon hot pink that only poisonous things are while Maria's primary color is a light soft pastel pink; Drolta willingly gave herself over to Erzsebet centuries ago while Maria was unknowingly primed as an ideal sacrifice for her, and is only saved by her mother, who wears black from the first moment of the series because she was always marked for death. And the Abbot, too, is defined by black because faith without works is dead! This is also why even though Mizrak wears the same black uniform as the other soldiers, the symbol of his faith emblazoned across his chest is white, for it is alive! And then still so many of his shots focus on the rich maroon of his absolutely gorgeous eyes. You are regularly drawn away from the black he chooses to put on by the harmonious colors his true body is made of, and hammered home by the fact he is one of the only characters we ever see in a state of undress! And who- who could it be who we see with him in that scene, where he's covering up all his pretty colors, and what- what could they be wearing still? What could they have chosen not to take off? What jewelry might they be wearing? Hm! Hm. Curious. You don't say!

It's almost like without his faith and his mission and his devotion to a living god through a dead man, Mizrak is alone, but without his ostentatious persona and vampiric menace and regality, Olrox still has the vestiges of that which he has lost forever. Interesting!!

Drolta and Maria aren’t the only ones for whom saturation matters. Not only can Edouard no longer be green after he is transformed because he can never be of that same service to his old community; as if to add insult to injury, his previously pastel sky blue eyes are now this unnatural electric blue. Which lines up really well with how the neon saturation that defines the pinks on Drolta's color palette also defines the greens on Olrox's color palate!! Unnatural creatures do not get to have natural colors. Yes, even if you really like them. Yes, even Alucard!

Alucard is a balance of stark white and colorless black with two amber eyes to anchor him to the world around him. This same golden-ness is present in the magic Maria and Anette use and the markings on Edouard. His two small graces in his new existence are to take the form of an angel and to be marked with the same colors that mark the magic and the faith which stands opposed to all that binds him. Maria sees nothing of value in the church, because her faith lies in herself and her cause and those who support her, and the church as an institution upholds oppression. Anette adorns herself in gold, and glows amber as she calls on her canonically divine magic. A magic of her ancestors and her community's religious practices, which go against the white man's God. Edouard even in the form of a hell beast touches other people's souls with his voice, which is why the vampires (soulless evil creatures) all hate to hear it so.

Then Alucard appears as a deus ex machina in the final moments of the season framed by an eclipse halo and devoid of color but for his piercing golden eyes. He is such a different Thing than anything else we have seen in this season that the established color language *must* bend to him. God only needed to say 'I AM', and Alucard only needed to appear. He himself is all white, he has been alive for so long that the living on in the face of this relentless world defines him; the sword he uses to kill Drolta, save the main characters' lives, and repel the vampire cronies is white and silver. He is life and he protects others’ lives. Yet his coat is black and he promises immediate death to his foes. Where has he been this entire plot: we don’t know When all this dying was happening: where was he? Where was this power beneath the black? Then finally, he says with his soft voice, “I hope I’m not too late.” And he turns to properly face us and we see for certain that his eyes are the color of devotion and magic and sunlight. Sunlight!!!

Speaking of sunlight, if I might detour from colors, when Erzsebeth has transformed into a thundercat, she says she despises the sunlight because it is worshiped and beloved by these inferior humans, and restricts the power of vampires, the superior beings. Now. We know that vampires are only stunned by crosses because the geometry messes with their eyes and befuddles their predator brains, so you would think The Christian God has almost nothing to do with the repelling of vampires. However, if something is properly holy and consecrated, neither demons nor vampires can touch it without consequence. The Belmont Whip is consecrated, and has been for hundreds of years. That holy water Sypha freezes does uniquely damage the night creatures. However, vampires can enter the church in Nocturne, and hell beasts could enter the church in that town that killed Dracula’s wife that I don’t care to remember the name of. The hell beast says it can do this because that church is not a house of God, and the things the priest does makes God puke. The Abbot welcomes Erzsebeth and her ilk in as messiahs and desecrates his own church with a machine from hell. These are sacreligious places run by people who do not truly follow the faith either willfully or in blind cognitive dissonance.

Now, it is shown in Nocturne that Vaublanc is very anti-spells on the plantation despite these protective spells and spiritual songs having nothing to do with The Christian God which he so fears. He cannot escape the cage of crosses that Anette makes for him, but Anette definitively does not follow The Christian God. Yet he is burned by these crosses when he tries to touch them. Because Anette is descended from a god, and this is that god’s material. Because this is a divine act. Because Anette and her magic through devotion to her religion are holy and consecrated.

Therefore: Is sunlight only corrosive to vampires because the very concept of sunlight and the sun is sacred to all humans to some degree??? Did humanity’s collective unconscious consecrate sunlight thousands of years ago and continues to this day to do that, and that is why vampires cannot walk in it??? ‘Cause I think that makes The Most Sense Actually.

And lastly for colors, we have my boy, my beloved, my darling, my second favorite, Richter Belmont in his most distinctive deep blues like the ocean we start the show beneath, like the water he stares into and walks through. Like the tears he cries. The way once his magic returns to him, his fire and his ice match his eyes and the colors he wears because of course they match: This blue *is* Richter Belmont. His magic is a direct extension of his self. It is his soul and he dons that pure white headband he previously tucked away and didn’t wish to look at when he makes the decision to go on living and to choose love and choose these people and make them his mission. He chooses to fight against evil instead of hiding from it, he chooses to extend his love and his soul out to these people and whatever cause they support, and because he chooses that, He Is More. The screen and the vampires are consumed by blue because He Has Become More Than He Was with this choice. His soul burns blue, the second hottest color for fire to burn after white.

Of course his is the only color palette that comes close to being as restrained as Alucard's, because Alucard holds magic and devotion and sunlight in his soul (because as we all know the eyes are the windows to the soul) and simply lives and lives and lives on and on to carry those things forward to the people with whom he wishes to share magic and devotion and life and death, and he makes this choice again and again and again every new day, every new year, every new century he lives. He has lived too long to be anything else but this being of magic and devotion and sunlight and life.

So too Richter Belmont carries his love and the love others give to him forward and forward and forward wherever it will take him, because yes water travels the path of least resistance, and yes it takes the shape of its container, but that is why his choice of who he aligns himself with is so important! He finds people he believes in and he allows them to shape him, to direct him, to have his whole soul. Other characters in Castlevania Nocturne believe in messiahs and gods and power structures and ideologies, but Richter Belmont believes in the people he loves and in the love in his soul. Blue is the color of love! Richter Belmont is made from love and not fear, and he must dispossess his fear of its power if he is ever to truly live!

That scene was by far my favorite scene in the entire show. Just unequivocally. I think in part because that was the part where I expected Alucard to show up, ‘cause when looking up the voice actors I accidentally saw ‘James Callis as Alucard’ and I went ‘Oh my gosh! He really does show up! I was hoping he would show up but he really does show up! He’s obviously gonna make a big entrance!’ and so my anticipation of dear beloved Alucard meant I was very pleasantly surprised by Richter pulling a real Magical Girl Protagonist move and unlocking his magic through the power of love and overcoming your trauma.

[ The coloring page pans across the screen and the video transitions into the end screen ]

But did you know that I make these videos through the power of positive reinforcement and fits of passion? Did you also know I have a Ko-Fi page for those of you who wish not only to give me compliments in comment sections about my pretty voice and how my analysis has contributed positively to your experience on this mortal coil, but who wish to be like Raptorous77 and Random NPC Tartaglia Simp Extraordinaire who hath contributed moneys to me and my continued financial stability? I also have little incentives over there like the Kill Your Darlings Graveyard for scripts where I have waaaayyy too much to say and I have to cut stuff from for flow. I also am prepping a thing where you can chuck money at me to make screenshot edits of things like this Rolling With Difficulty/Paranatural thing I did for fun or the cover art I make for the Broadway Nepeta blog because I run that. If you wanna catch me announcing when my image edit endeavour goes up you can subscriiibe~ If I make it to a thousand subscribers by my birthday (I will give you one hint, I am a Scorpio) then I’ll, like… uhh… Make a community post where I will take requests because I don’t do requests otherwise. It’ll be fun, it’ll be a celebration~

Okay, that’s all from me, also I am definitely gonna be making a Castlevania Nocturne AMV to one of the Pretty Cure openings, mark my words. Take care~

[ There is a stretch of silence and the end screen faces out before a blooper snippet plays ]

Not only can Edouard no longer be green after he is transitioned-- … pff, after he has transitioned… He’s trans everybody! [laughs] Trans Rights!!

[thetylcr]

𝙇𝘼 𝘛𝘈𝘚𝘒 𝘖𝘕𝘌: 𝙋1

𝙋1 : 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘽𝘼𝙎𝙄𝘾𝙎

What is your full name?

tyler monae morales.

Where and when were you born?

tyler was born in brooklyn new york on june 12th 1999.

Who are/were your parents? (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)

serena morales, her mother, is a retired nurse with a spicy mouth to balance her nurturing ways. known in her neighborhood for feeding any and everybody. tyler morales, her father, is a football coach for north crowley, one of the highest ranked highschool teams in the country. his attitude on the field was similar to his attitude at home, militant and aggressive.

Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like?

she has no siblings.

Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place and the person/people.

tyler lives in a condo, 2 bedroom and 1 bath. sleek furniture with a hint of futuristic elements. a boatload of hello kitty decor. color pallet of black, white, grey and pink. she has recently rescued and became the owner of a wild but friendly cane corso. which she has named smokey, with the help of a close friend.

What is your occupation?

tyler is a full time fashion designer, owner of 𝙁𝙐𝙏𝙐𝙍𝘼; a clothing line that is sleek, futuristic and urban, and an occasional stylist for hire.

Write a full physical description of yourself. You might want to consider factors such as: height, weight, race, hair and eye color, style of dress, and any tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks.

tyler stands at 5’6, weighing 115 lbs. brazilian, puerto rican, african american. black hair, dark brown eyes with naturally long eyelashes. style would be described as tom-boy aesthetic, nyc vibe with a sprinkle of femininity. tattoos all over, most prominent being the butter fly on her stomach and behind her ear, spider and ‘made in heaven’ on her neck, star around her right nipple, spider on her hand, the branch like symbols covering her back and lastly the spider web above her right eyebrow.

To which social class do you belong?

tyler is apart of the upper working class.

Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?

tyler is allergic to pollen and penicillin.

Are you right- or left-handed?

right handed.

What does your voice sound like?

soft yet raspy. new york accent.

What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?

deadass, honestly, fo’real, pretty girl, sh*t

What do you have in your pockets?

a lighter, iphone 15 and spearmint gum.

Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?

tyler is constantly smirking or grinning. being very expressional she uses her hands and face to speak, fitting the new yorker checklist. no matter where she is going, tyler has to put on a well styled outfit, often pushing others around her to do the same.

𝙋2 : 𝙂𝙍𝙊𝙒𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙐𝙋

“honestly, i grew up real sheltered. my parents had me in the crib, so i used to draw, sew and play alot of video games. i will say i always got what i wanted, so i was a spoiled ass kid. like i remember i was so mad i couldn’t go outside with the kids, but instead my pops bought me a laptop and a lil’ sewing kit like a hour later, i ain’t even care no more about going out.”

tyler couldn’t help but smile at the memories of her childhood, having nothing but fond memories despite it being a very isolated one. “i ain’t even really grow up around too much family, like i ain’t have no cousins, no siblings, no friends. no nothing. but i will say my parents played a big part in shaping me. i looked, well look, up to them to this day. i aspire to have the work ethic my pops had and just be half the woman my mom is fo’real. i never met anyone more caring, giving. i could honestly go on and on.”

tyler listened to the interviewers questions, feeling antsy with the anticipation of the inquiries being too far gone. she smiled once she realized they were simply just wanting to know more about her, as a designer, an artist. “well i have a bachelor’s degree in business management. i do plan on furthering my schooling, i just need another degree. but i gotta’ do it online. i hated the classroom aspect, i hated having to be in a seat for too long. i was real quiet and timid so i hated being around that many people. but i loved art class. shout to to miss.wolmack, she honestly taught me so much, shit that i still use today. had me wanting to be a model and allat.”

“damn, my mom bring this up atleast once every year. i was in kindergarten, i had kissed this boy named franklin, just like the turtle. just so i could use his box of 64 crayons. damn y’all trynna get all the tea. nah, i’m not a virgin at all. i feel like i lowkey lost it twice, i had sex with a female for the first time at 14, just doing shit. but i really lost my virginity at 21.”

𝙋3 : 𝙋𝘼𝙎𝙏 𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙇𝙐𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙀𝙎

What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?

“hmm..i would have to say it was a photo shoot that i did for my friend. it went viral and it really allowed me to stop working a 9 to 5, had more people looking at my clothes and designs. it really just opened mad doors for me.”

Who has had the most influence on you?

“depends on what we’re talking about. if it’s just who i am, that would be my moms. she really is just an amazing woman all around and i try to live my life in a way that honors her, if that makes sense. but clothing wise, it would have to be alot of anime and tv. i have a few pieced influenced by the flintstones, wilma to be specific. not gon’ lie, it just depends.”

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

“definitely the launch of my line in 2024. my baby.”

What is your greatest regret?

“ion have none. everything happens for a reason and since i can’t go back and fix nothing, why would i sulk over shit?”

What is the most evil thing you have ever done?

“damn, when i was a kid i mixed onion powder in my dad coffee creamer, the one that’s powder. that was the most spiteful thing ever. now i done did some foul shit in other aspects, but best believe it was warranted.”

Do you have a criminal record of any kind?

“i’ve never been convicted for nothin’ and imma keep it like that.”

When was the time you were the most frightened?

“shit every sunday growing up in my house. was walking on eggshells, my moms was on 10 about cleaning and my dad was crazy about planning everything to a t.”

What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you?

“i will never forget it, sadly. but when i went on a roller skating date, thought i was eating and bust my ass right infront of some fine shit. i was like 17, damn near my whole senior class was there. i was livid.”

If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why?

“hmm…. i would skip my first relationship, i feel like it molded the way i treat my partners, like the way i flip so easily no matter what im feeling and it’s like no matter how hard i try, shit ends up the same.”

What is your best memory?

“my 21st birthday, it was my first real party with more than just my family. i felt so loved, i literally have a photo album just from the party, was definitely one for the books.”

What is your worst memory?

“damn, ending it off with a bang huh? i would have to say watching my grandpa get sick and slowly change into someone totally different who didn’t even recognize me. i like to think im blessed to have even had him in my life, so i don’t like to think on that time period too much.”

“i appreciate y’all for allowing me to give a little more of myself and who i am to the public, can’t really support someone if you don’t know them. if y’all haven’t, make sure y’all preorder the newest items from futura! due to the increasing number of orders, the first 1,000 orders will actually be received on or before the 11th, as well as all other orders being shipped on the 11th. keep your eyes open for me, you’ll never know where you might see me.”

[bitterfates]

FFXIV WRITE 2023; PROMPT 23 // 24: SUIT

The corset, while flattering to her figure, was laced so tightly that it made it more difficult to breathe than she was used to. The bonnet sat on her head in a way that rubbed against her feline ears uncomfortably, lace chafing the tips. The various bits of silver jewelry and other accessories that had been heaped on her were more ostentatious than what she’d pick out herself, but at least weren’t as heavy as the fabric of the dress. 

Speaking of the dress: it was stunning, and perfectly on-theme for the ball she had been coerced into attending. Like all the rest of the main pieces of this outfit, it was dyed the deepest black possible, with hints of white shown through as accents, like in the lace of her stockings and armlets. Even far away, it was the type of attire that one could tell was expensive by eyeing the texture alone.

Zizi felt…certainly beautiful, yes, but like one of the costly dolls that lined premier toy shops’ shelves; fragile and delicate and enchanting. It was a look so unlike her normal wear that when she viewed herself in the dressing room’s floor-length mirror, she hardly recognized herself, especially with her professionally-applied makeup and the way her hair had been styled and primped.

She took a moment to observe her whole appearance, slowly turning both left and right to see more details. She wondered if she should be grateful to receive a gift like this from her high-grade benefactor; if this was just him spoiling her, or if this was meant to be some sort of message for other purposes. 

As soon as that thought passed over her, she abruptly turned to face him, expression deliberately bland. Zizi knew this particular man’s personality well enough to know she must choose her next words precisely. “Your tastes are exquisite as ever, Ajin, but I fear I do not do justice to the image in your mind you must have. Are these clothes really suitable for me?”

He had been waiting for her to say something; she could tell by the way the corners of his mouth curled upward, dark-furred ears lazily flicking the same way. She hadn’t taken a good look at what he had chosen to wear until then, just now noticing that he had on a matching waistcoat and pants in exact fabrics and dye choice as her dress. Ah, she had realized far too late. This is another one of his power plays.

“Do you doubt me, pet? Or do you just have so little pride in yourself as to not believe you deserve nice things?” The Viera’s voice was a suave drawl as he stood up from the chair he’d been reclining in and began languidly approaching her, eyes sparkling with dark promises while he eyed her up and down. “I want both of my radiant gems to shine brighter than any star in the heavens, so I spared no expense. Everyone will know to whom you belong.” 

When he was within an arm’s reach of her, Ajin encircled his arms around her waist in an embrace, compelling her to rest her body back against his own. With a huff of irritation at the possessive words, she crossed her arms and gently turned her head to the side to not mess up her hair. He responded with a breathy laugh and squeezed her tighter, against which she put up no struggle to be released. 

(It was always a dangerous game to play with him; whether he would allow this little bit of defiance or anything but positive emotions and affirmations from her depended on his mood, and it seemed he was in an accommodating one tonight. While he had never been physically violent with her, she had learned well the lesson of how there were actions that could be taken against her that wouldn’t leave a tangible mark behind.)

He spoke again in a low, ominous whisper that had her ears tingling from the closeness and the tone. “Are you not pleased? You will be one of the most desired people in the room, coveted for your elegance alone. Many will attempt to garner a crumb of attention from you, but you will not so much as glance at any I do not approve of. You are mine, and you will not be tarnished by the likes of these beasts.”

A small motion indicating she wished to turn around was all it took for him to loosen his hold on her, allowing her to face him properly and lean up to chastely press a kiss on his cheek. Zizi could never be likened to his so-called soulmate, but she could be the other gentling influence he needed at his most domineering times too. She was strong enough for that much, at least.

“We are both yours,” Zizi responded calmly, sage green eyes locking with silver-blue. “No one will come between us. Haven’t we already promised our loyalty?”

Indeed, she continued privately to herself. Haven’t I thrown away all common sense and dignity for you? You have fashioned us into figures so wicked our own families would swear us strangers now. Are there any others better suited for you than me and him?

[biscuits-of-bagend]

DnDoc, The Mushroom Planet #1 - Mario LARP

Between writing this story and this one, I finished the 'Rogue' novelisation. Sometimes in this story I'll be mentioning the name of Rogue's person, whom we meet very early in the novel so I wouldn't consider that a spoiler. I'm going to proofread each chapter carefully so I can provide appropriate spoiler warnings. This chapter just mentions his name.

Previous stories: DnDoc, Coming Home DnDoc, Space Band DnDoc,A Man's a Man DnDoc, The God of Rock 'n' Roll DnDoc, The Loch o' the Lowes

---

"Ah, been a while since we checked out another planet," said the Doctor, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as he stepped out of the TARDIS.

   Ruby grinned at him. "Feel good, Doctor?"

   The Doctor opened one eye and smiled at her. "I tell you, Ruby, I love Earth. You know I love Earth. But I was starting to feel travel-sick."

   "Travel-sick?" said Rogue, stepping up alongside them. "You mean like getting dizzy on a boat?"

   "It's his equivalent of being home-sick," Ruby explained as the Doctor continued to bask in the balmy air of the new planet. "It's when he misses the road, or the vortex as the case may be."

   "Ah." Rogue nodded. "I get you, Doctor." He patted him on the butt. "Come on then, let's get moving."

   The three of them started to walk away from the TARDIS. The ground was soft and grassy, though covered in criss-crossing colourful walkways for ease of travel. A little ways off in the distance, there was a skyline of bright multi-coloured blinking lights - Mushroom City. It was the biggest Super Mario recreation in the universe, and it was here that the gang were going to test their karting skills once and for all. They were each wearing slick tracksuits with the badges of their favourite drivers on the breast, and matching designs down the racing stripes. The Doctor's had Rosalina, Rogue’s  had Drybones and Ruby’s had Daisy.

   Ruby was so excited she felt like sprinting forward and running all the way to the city. Above her, little smiling stars like the ones from Super Mario Galaxy twirled in constantly shifting constellations, and much higher up the winding ribbon of rainbow road twisted and turned. Around them on the grass, children were chasing animatronic goombas and adults were playing Mario Golf. Anyone who needed a snack just reached up and punched a box, then grabbed the mushroom that came out of it. The whole place was buzzing.

   Ever since the walk up to Loch Skeen back in the Scottish Borders, the Doctor and Rogue had been swept up in a second wave of romance, a whole new honeymoon period. Ruby wasn't sure if they realised how constantly they were flirting. It could have been annoying, but they somehow did so well at making her feel included that it wasn’t, it was just sweet. Right now they were leaning against each other as they walked and it was impossible to tell who was holding who up.

🍄🍄🍄

   When they reached the entrance to the city, they were greeted by a short man in a giant mushroom-cap hat, whose nametag declared him "Aquamarine Toad.” The hat was covered in a wavy seafoam green pattern, so this name made sense. Most Mario games had the character Toad, a little mushroom man, but some had more than one instance of him and in such cases they were differentiated by colour of mushroom-cap and robes.

   "Hel-lo!" screeched Aquamarine Toad. "Welcome to Mushroom City! How may I help you today?"

   "Hiya," said the Doctor. "We've a Mario Kart rivalry to settle."

   "Ah, yes, and wonderfully dressed for it you are! Well, this way.” Aquamarine Toad nodded.

   Beyond where they stood, about ten metres away, there  was a wall of pixellated fuzziness which arced away both to the left and right, suggesting that it probably formed a ring around the city. There wasn't any clear entrance that Ruby could see. But floating in the air, just over Aquamarine Toad's shoulder, there was a giant painting, about twelve feet by six feet. The painting showed Mario in a kart with a giant 'M' on the front, concentration etched deeply into his face as he dodged shells and bananas on either side of him.

   "We just step through?" said Ruby.

   Aquamarine Toad puffed out his chest. "Just like Mario 64!"

   Ruby grinned. She'd only ever played the DS port of Mario 64, but it was true, to get into any level you had Mario jump through a painting into the world beyond.

   "Wahoo!" Ruby shouted as she jumped through the painting. She heard the others, including Aquamarine Toad, follow behind.

   They now found themselves in the grounds of an enormous stadium. Ruby had been expecting to see all the different courses jammed up against each other, but it seemed the makers of the city had come up with a different solution. The vines and trees of Yoshi's Island were poking out the top of the stadium and Ruby could see them from where she stood, but as she watched and heard the cheers of a race coming to a close, the vines and trees became the bright lights and fireballs of Wario's Stadium, and the next race began immediately.

   "Alrighty, you got your GPs, your battle mode, including balloon and shiney competitions," Aquamarine Toad explained, walking them towards the main stadium but showing them other smaller - but still quite large - stadiums to their left and right.

   "What's that one?" said Rogue, pointing to a tent with a long line of cars leading out of it.

   "Ah, that's the Dealership," said Aquamarine Toad. "They mostly set riders up with their karts for the day but they also buy and sell old cars, buses, boats, spaceships, aeroplanes. And they can do some limited non-lethal upgrades based on the regular course power-ups. But where you are all going to want to go is registration. If you would…"

   Aquamarine Toad stopped in front of a floating holographic blue screen, with many, many lines of initials and scores. He handed Ruby a Wii controller and a keyboard appeared on the screen. Ruby pointed the Wii controller at the screen and clicked her initials 'RS' on the keyboard. The Doctor and Rogue went for TD and RA respectively.

   "RA?" the Doctor said quietly as Aquamarine Toad clicked through to the kart collection screen.

   "I used to use ‘A’ for Art when I needed something for the new boss's forms," Rogue explained.

   They then selected their karts, wheels and parachutes, then followed Aquamarine Toad to the Dealership. It was time to ride.

---

Part 2

@off-traveling-in-the-stars @casavanse @monster-donut @randomwholocker (let me know at any point if you no longer wish to be tagged in each post)

[theanonymousbooks]

STORY TIME

My highschool did something similar to this but much more... theatrical.

Trigger warning for drunk driving, car crashes, teen and child death, alcoholic parents, negelct and abuse, funerals, and incarceration.

My highschool never showed us gory pictures (they left that for driver's ed.) Instead, I remember my entire grade being called out of class to go to the auditorium with no warning from anyone that our second period class was going to be interrupted. Besides just one or two grades being called, this wasn't too odd because while rally's were rare, staff nor teacher ever warned us of them. Just rounded us up and took us to the auditorium.

But instead of a beat boxing/hip hop dance group (a previous rally of ours) today they had a projector, playing a homemade movie starring our fellow students, one of whom I had literally just been in class with and was now mysteriously missing.

Said movie starred four students in two different perpectives. One perspective followed two male students having a grand ol' time at a party, getting drunk over a game of beer pong and then leaving. The other followed two female students, spending their day hanging out at the house beofre going to see a movie at the local-ish theater.

Once our homemade movie was done we were then taken from the auditorium and out to the street, which had sports benches on the sidewalk for us to sit in and a big ol' cloth covering something in the street. (They could get away with this because the other side of the street was school district buldings and the road ended at the high school.) Once we were all settled and paying attention they pulled back the cloth to reveal, TA-DA! A full head-on collision of two cars. And yup, you guessed it, the four students who had just made thier flim debut were now also making their stage debut!! Now I don't remember there being any blood, but the scene was pretty graphic without it. The cars were ruined, glass was shattered everywhere, the students were wearing makeup that made them look pretty banged up, and one student had been placed to look like she had gone through the front window.

The male students got out, called 911, and circled the scene of the crash in disbelief of what they had done and occisionally begging the female students to please wake up and be okay. We waited for a literal cop car and ambulance to show up and assess the scene. Watched as the cop arrested the drunk driver, the EMT's take one of the female students away, and waited again for the coroner to show up and take away the girl through the windsheild.

Once this little play was over we were all escorted back to the auditorium. The projector was still there so we could all watch the drunk diver being booked and berated by the cop for killing the girl, but this time the projector was accompanied by a closed casket, rows of empty chairs, and a podium. That's right, we are having a funeral.

They had a procession come through the aduitorium doors, all dressed in black, and fill the empty chairs. This of course included the drunk driver, cuffed hands and feet, wearing a prison jumpsuit, and accompanied by a cop. They then had these people get up and deliever speeches mourning the lose of their friend and daughter. This included the female friend who had also been in the car crash, now all bandaged up, and the drunk driver.

I don't remember any of their speeches, but what I do remember was during the fake, made up ones, they inserted ones from other students that talked about actual fucking real life events. One was from a student who had lost her kid brother is a crash by a drunk driver and included pictures of his funeral. Another student recited a letter drafted to her abusive alcoholic parent, including details of specific events of neglect from her childhood. The school literally had these teenagers (children themselves!) dig up their trauma to room full of strangers.

So yeah very cool and normal school I went to. Best way to teach teenagers not to drink is to have them watch their fellow students get killed and imprisoned and then invade the private trauma of other students for everyone to listen to.

I still live down the street from that school and every once in a while I see them doing that shit again.

please i'm trying to figure out if my high school's administration was insane or something.

[nataliesnews]

A visit to the Tamimi family whose two year old was shot to death by an Israeli soldier  17.6.2023

A visit to the Tamimi family whose two year old was shot to death by an Israeli soldier

Inbox

Natalie Ginsburg <natanyag@gmail.com>

11:50 AM (6 minutes ago)

to Regina, carmel, Ellie, Karen, me, nancy, Emma, Monica, Irving, Ruth, Stephanie, Phylly, Nadav, Ronnie, Eve, Jan

Tag Maier this week visited the Tamimi family whose two year old was shot by an Israeli sniper. After visiting the family and seeing the area, knowing how accurately soldiers can target their prey with the most modern weapons, one would have to stretch the imagination to believe that the soldier did not know that he was firing at a standing weapon and that a man was putting his son in the car. Even with binoculars one could see clearly the army post.

The first claim made by the army was that the two were hit by Palestinian gunfire aimed at the nearby army post. It would be hard to see how that could be.. The house is the last house before the open area leading to the army post so even if Palestinians had been shooting they would not have been shooting in the direction of the house. . The mother said that then the army came and took the child to a nearby settlement (from where they evidenly evacuated him to an Israeli hospital where he died). She wanted to get to her son but a soldier threatened her  and she only managed to get to the hospital in the evening. Another example of Israeli humanity. Could they not have taken her with her child? And in taking the child to an Israeli hospital the army admitted that he had been killed by an Israel and not by Palestinian fire.  

 According to the parents, the child had three bullets in him. This is where the army post is. While we were standing and looking, we saw the soldiers coming closer and closer to us, wth rifles pointed up at us,  evidently thinking that they would intimidate us. One of the Palestinians said that had we not been standing there with them,  they would have shot at us.

I spoke to a young man who is studying in Birmingham and speaks an excellent English. He said that before the child was killed in the night,  the soldiers entered the village and went up to the roof of the family from where they shot into the village.  He told me that also one of the women was hit by a rifle butt and her nose broken and another man was shot in the stomach so that part of his intestines had to be removed. At least five more were wounded.. He also said that gas was thrown into the actual houses.I myself have seen this being done with no other reason than the army knows  they can do it.

My friend, Dafna, who had been sitting part of the time with the women who were inside told me that she saw two of the children playing. One slightly bigger boy had a star on his shirt which was supposed to be part of an army uniform and had the little girl whom you can see in the party dress in front of him. He handcuffed her and thrust his toy rifle into her back and forced her bent over, into the house. It seems this is one of the children's games....like when we played cowboys and crooks.

The family asked Gadi if he could get them permission to build a wall of a metre and a half of blocks to keep them safe from the constant firing of the soldiers but there is  no chance of  that.

No words!

A visit to the Tamimi family whose two year old was shot to death by an Israeli soldier  17.6.2023  allForward

[celebdeathnews]

Actor Deaths 2023: Celebrating the Lives and Legacies of Famous Actors Who Have Passed Away- A Tribute to Hollywood’s Greatest Stars!

Few industries have captured the world’s imagination quite like Hollywood, and few professions have left as lasting an impact on popular culture as acting.

Over the years, countless talented performers have graced the silver screen, bringing to life some of the most iconic characters and stories ever told.

However, as much as we may celebrate their achievements, it’s important to remember that actors are only human, and that, like all of us, they eventually leave this world behind.

In this tribute, we’ll take a moment to honor some of the most famous actors who have passed away, exploring their lives, legacies, and enduring contributions to the art of acting. From classic Hollywood legends to modern-day icons, these stars may be gone, but they’ll never be forgotten.

Below is the list of actors who have died recently:

Tim McCarver

Raquel Welch

Conrad Dobler

1. Tim McCarver

Tim McCarver, a Hall of Fame broadcaster and All-Star catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, died Thursday. 81.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame says McCarver died Thursday morning in Memphis, Tennessee, with his family.

McCarver, a two-time All-Star, worked closely with two future Hall of Fame pitchers: the volatile Bob Gibson, whom he caught for St. Louis in the 1960s, and the introverted Steve Carlton, his fellow Cardinal in the 1960s and a Philadelphia Phillies teammate in the 1970s.

After retiring in 1980, he called 24 World Series for ABC, CBS, and Fox. His 18-year Fox relationship with Joe Buck made him famous nationwide.

Buck said Thursday that if you were in his inner circle, he would fiercely defend you. He taught me how to handle criticism because he was criticized his whole broadcast career. Sometimes because he taught the game. He told a national audience if a player or manager didn’t play or manage his way. He arrived first in the clubhouse each day. If that individual responded, he engaged and stood his ground, but it was fair.

“He taught me a lot about the game, but he taught me more about national broadcasting.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred called McCarver “a respected teammate and one of the most impactful voices our game has known.” On Thursday, Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark lauded McCarver’s “lead role” in the union’s establishment.

McCarver, a Memphis police officer’s son, played baseball, and football, and imitated Harry Caray. He was 17 when he debuted for the Cardinals in 1959, and he was in his early 20s when he became their starting catcher.

As a newbie to St. Louis, McCarver spoke about his Memphis segregated schooling. Gibson and Flood, Black players, teased McCarver. Gibson remembered “getting right up in McCarver’s face” when McCarver used racist comments towards a Black child jumping a fence during spring training.

McCarver always recounted Gibson asking him for an orange Coke on a hot spring training day and giggling when he flinched.

“Gibby more than any other Black man helped me to transcend whatever hidden prejudices I may have had,” McCarver said in his 1987 memoir “Oh, Baby, I Love It!”

2. Raquel Welch

On Wednesday, February 15, 82-year-old Raquel Welch died. Her manager stated she died peacefully after a brief illness.

In 1966, Welch wore a deerskin bikini for One Million Years B.C., making her an international sex symbol.

The movie’s modest but charming clothing made Raquel Welch’s few lines memorable.

Her dress and performance in One Million Years B.C. made her the sex icon of her time.

Wonderful Voyage made her famous. She then signed with 20th Century Fox, which helped her land a Hammer Film Productions deal for One Million Years B.C.

Her deer-skin bikini poster made her an international sex symbol. After this, she played powerful female characters that broke her usual sex symbol and formed a unique film persona that made her an icon of the 1960s and 1970s. Hollywood stopped promoting the blonde bombshell due of her stardom.

3. Conrad Dobler

On Wednesday, February 15, 82-year-old Raquel Welch died. Her manager stated she died peacefully after a brief illness.

In 1966, Welch wore a deerskin bikini for One Million Years B.C., making her an international sex symbol.

The movie’s modest but charming clothing made Raquel Welch’s few lines memorable.

Her dress and performance in One Million Years B.C. made her the sex icon of her time.

Wonderful Voyage made her famous. She then signed with 20th Century Fox, which helped her land a Hammer Film Productions deal for One Million Years B.C.

Her deer-skin bikini poster made her an international sex symbol. After this, she played powerful female characters that broke her usual sex symbol and formed a unique film persona that made her an icon of the 1960s and 1970s. Hollywood stopped promoting the blonde bombshell due of her stardom.

Check the related posts below:

2023: Remembering the Actors We Lost This Week – A Tribute to Their Legacy

Actors Who Died This Week: Sylvia Syms, Annie Wersching, Lisa Loring | All Shocking Deaths

Actors Who Died This Week: David Crosby , Arthur Duncan , Jonathan Raban, Mary Kaye Richter, Yukihiro Takahashi

[missyflufffics]

Harry Potter Universe Recommendation List

Last Updated: 12/21/2020

Marauders Era

James Potter

One Shots:

The best prankster by @deathlyhogwarts Summary: When a lowkey Gryffindor who values her education is disrupted during class by a roudy group of boys she decides to retilate, and she is determined to win.

Falling For You by @theweasleysredhair Summary: Soulmate AU. After suffering thorugh the pain of your soulmate, whom was not particulary careful about injuries, their identity is revealed during a Quidditch game.

What’s Happening To Me by @harrytpotter Summary: James Potter was starting to feel more and more overprotective towards his friend Y/N and considerably annoyed at the blatant flirting she and one of his best friends were displaying publicly and at the thought she might be falling for Sirius. What was happening to him?

Sirius Black

One Shots:

Drooling like a dog by @deathlyhogwarts Summary: Dogs are great pets, and it´s annoying how all kind of pets are allowed at school but dogs. So when you realize a group of friends frequents one you can´t help but shower it with affection. 

Cardigan by @gcdric Summary: You love everything Sirius’s family hates about him.

Remus Lupin

One Shots:

Scared by @thoseofgreatambition Summary: y/n’s mother has left their family, and because of this the reader is quite scared to form romantic relationships. Remus does his best to build her strength and trust up. in doing so they fall in love.

Peter Pettigrew

Lily Evans

Regulous Black

One Shots:

Mon Soleil by @poppin-potter Summary: Lupin!reader; no-Voldemort AU. Regulus Black helps you with your lycanthropy symptoms

Narcissa Black

Golden Trio Era

Harry Potter

One Shots: 

One step from happiness by @weasleydream Summary: After the war is over, there is one person he needs to see, a muggle that made Privet Drive seem less gloomy.

Dumbledore’s army by @poppin-potter Summary: Lupin!reader. When you help your boyfriend, Harry Potter, you start to notice a few things in his teaching style.

The Girl I Once Knew by @lunalovegxxd Summary: Malfoy!reader. When you receive the Dark Mark the best you can do to keep those you love safe is to play perfect pureblood daughter, sadly, that includes making Harry hate you so he’ll stay away.

Hermione Granger

Ron Weasley

One Shots:

Coffee Shop by @lunalovegxxd Summary: Coffee shop AU; Soulmates AU. In which you meet your soulmate in a coffee shop.

Only For You by @iliveiloveiwrite Summary: Ron Weasley is a family guy and a sap.

Draco Malfoy

One Shots:

Sneaking out and Shooting Stars by @stupxfy Summary: Draco wakes you up in the middle of the night to go watch the meteor shower

two sworn enemies Part 2 by @wondernimbus Summary: there is only one thing worse than being hated by draco malfoy; it’s being fancied by him.

A Beautiful Dream by @angelinathebook Summary: You meet up with Draco during the night and discover the boy buried underneath the pain.

Play Dumb by @willowbleedsonpaper Summary: Ravenclaw!reader. One day visiting your friend Myrtle, you found that she already had company. Learning some things you shouldn’t about Draco Malfoy you become really nervous around him and see yourself in the need to face him.

Carrot Cake by @willowbleedsonpaper Summary: Soulmate AU. You decide to put your own café after the war and you find yourself with some unexpected clients.

Seamus Finnigan

Dean Thomas

Fred Weasley

One Shots:

The Smell Of Love by @leahstypewriter Summary: You remain unranked by the Weasley twins catching one of the readhead’s attention.

Act Like a Gryffindor by @hp-imagines-07 Summary: Gryffindor!reader. The 4 times that Fred Weasley made you blush and the one time that it was the other way around…

Nervous by @hufflepuffgirly Summary: Fred’s nervous about meeting your family, but he really has nothing to worry about.

Blue by @hufflepuffgirly Prompts: “You’re so agitated, what’s wrong?” “You know exactly what’s wrong.”; “Come here.”; “Your hair smells nice.”

Surprises by @acciotwinz Summary: All the times Fred never manages to catch Y/N off guard and the one time he does.

George Weasley

One Shots:

Lifelines by @diary-of-an-onliner Summary: Gryffindor!reader. Your happy line responds to George as you flirt incessantly.

Gryffindor bravery by @heloisedaphnebrightmore Summary: Your shy and quite personality never matched the infamous bravery of Gryffindor. However the little bet George initiates might just help you find your inner Gryffindor, the bravery you have been looking for.

5th December by @george-fabian-weasley Summary: You read him a poem as he laid on your chest, loving the sound of your voice.

Ginny Weasley

Neville Longbottom

One Shots:

Childhood crush by @angelinathebook Summary: professor!Neville x professor!reader. You lost contact with your best friend after the war but neither is planning on passing up your chance when you find yourselves back in the castle you grew up in.

Oliver Wood

One Shots: 

Little brother by @poppin-potter Summary: Hufflepuff!reader. Your boyfriend comes to meet your family and everything seems to be going swell, except for the fact that your little brother doesn’t seems to like him much.

Charlie Weasley

Bill Weasley

Theodore Nott

One Shots: 

Terrible Tuesdays by @gcdric Summary: You get paired up with Theo in potions who defies all your preconceived notions on what a Slytherin is. Needless to say, Theodore Nott was not at all what you were expecting.

Lonely Heart by @willowbleedsonpaper Summary: After years of frienship you realize that although you might not be alone you’re lonely. You’re not part of the Golden Trio and they don’t seem to care when you drift away from them. You learn to be by yourself when certain Slytherin enters your life and change it for the better.

They don’t know about us by @willowbleedsonpaper Summary: Hufflepuff!reader. You are open and unapologetic about your relationship, even with its particular critics.

Blaise Zabini

One Shots:

Chess is for chumps by @peeves-a-legend Summary: Chess is all about sophistication and strategy; everything that Blaise prides himself on. Monopoly is about frugality and… also strategy?

Cedric Diggory

One Shots:

Ceasseless Interruptions by @imaginexmeintheuniverse Summary: Five times you almost kissed + when you finally did

4 AM by @random-imagines-blog Summary: You’re a transfer student at Hogwarts, and all of these changes are feeling restless. You develop a late-night hobby, but a handsome Hufflepuff catches on.

Yule Ball from the Sidelines by @imaginexmeintheuniverse Summary: In your attempt to avoid the elephant in the room you tell your best friend to go with someone else to the ball, and he does. Don’t worry, he has saved a dance just for you.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Newt Scamander

One Shots: 

The Dress by @poppin-potter Summary: platonic!reader. You and your best friend, Newt Scamander, try to find the perfect dress for your wedding.

Theseus Scamander

One Shots:

Care For a Treat? by @poppin-potter Summary: Theseus never cared for sweets until his little brother’s best friend walked into his life.

Tina Goldenstein

Jacob Kowalski

Queenie Goldenstein

[mrs-march-ahs]

how the evans would act when they have a crush on u ^^

How The Evans Act When They Have A Crush On You & How They React When You Tell Them You Like Them Too

Award for the longest title goes tooooo... me!

JAMES SUCKS BUT I MAKE UP FOR IT BY DOING BOTH KYLE’S AND A DETAILED KIT

Two other requests-

Could I please request how the Evans would react to their best friend (reader) admitting they're in love with them? 

Heyo! I’m not sure how this would go but how would the Evan’s react to a nervous/insecure reader confessing to them?

-I hope this is satisfactory, even though I don’t think it’s what you two wanted<3

Enjoy! :)

--

Tate

-Would always just be interested in you

-Wanting to help you, watch you, talk to you, just constantly be around you

-But he’d also be insecure whether he was annoying you, so occasionally he would make himself invisible and just watch you

-Whatever hobbies you had, he’d love to watch you do them, paint, draw, write, play games

-If you played any instrument he would love to lay on your bed and listen to you, no matter how good or bad you were

-He would leave little sweet messages on the chalkboard and leave little post-it notes for you to find

-They would have fun little facts about birds or other trivial stuff but you would find them cute

-The occasional fact about something romantic, like ‘Every time you kiss somebody, your heart beat increases by 10-15 beats per minute’

-He might go a little far and leave a message like ‘Your dress looked pretty’, which you would find creepy since you didn’t know Tate was a ghost

Kit

-He thought of ways to tell you how he felt but because it seemed like your family was gonna live in the murder house for a while, cause you were all settling in well, he didn’t want to risk losing his friendship with you, since you were the only ghost with whom he really got along

-You walked down to the basement and said his name in a sing song voice, “Tateeeee”, “Come out come out wherever you are!”

-He showed up and you asked him if he wanted to go out on a real date

-He was obviously nervous, because you didn’t know yet that he was a ghost, but when he hesitated and you looked upset, he said yes right away

-You ran up and hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush and laugh, and whilst you were at school, he got some things ready and got candles and a table cover so make your kitchen look like a restaurant

-He ordered McDonalds delivery and got your chicken nuggets under a serving platter for effect

- “We are dining on, nuggets of the chicken”

-Although you were a little disappointed and wanted to go out on a real date with him, you found his effort cute

-He definitely played footsie with you under the table the whole date

-Definitely walked you to your room

- “Well… this is me…”

- “Just wanted to make sure you got home safe”

-Kissed you

oh my god I got so carried away

-You would first meet Kit when you first come and move to Massachusetts

-One day you want to venture out and get an taxi to go to town, only a few minutes later to realise you don’t have your wallet

-You awkwardly tell the driver that if takes you back home quickly, you can get money and you will pay him right away

-But since Boston men aren’t usually so sweet, he just kicks you out, leaving you to wander the motorway alone late at night, far away from your home and hoping to quickly find somewhere to go

-Eventually you stumble upon a gas station, and as you walk up, a hand appearing on your shoulder makes you automatically turn around and push whoever touched you to the ground

-The man in blue uniform gets up slowly with his hands up defensively, “Hey hey, didn’t mean to startle ya, miss”

-You apologise, feeling stupid for this kind of encounter, but he doesn’t seem to mind as much as you’d think

- “It’s always nice to see a woman able to protect herself”, he smiles

-He offers to drive you home, and you thank him dearly, explaining to him that you don’t have a car yet, having only just moved here

-He offers to take you to buy one, knowing an awful lot about cars, and to convince you further, tells you that any man working in a car salon will try to sell a single lady a piece of junk for a high price

-You agree, thinking that the offer is sweet, and he takes you to buy yourself a car, to make the date even more fun, Kit tells you to pretend you’re an old married couple

- “Miss Walka over here needs a car, good Sir”

-At some point while looking at cars, Kit holds your hand and you don’t even notice

-He negotiates a good deal with the salesman, and you get a car together

- “Your husband just got you an awfully good deal, Madam, he’s a man who deserves a good meal and a cold beer if I’ve ever seen one”, the salesman laughs, signing the last of the papers before handing Kit the keys to your car. “Oh, he’ll get more than that”, you say to tease Kit, before smiling at him sweetly. Kit blinks at you, before turning back to the salesman and shaking his hand. As the two of you walk away, Kit looks at you in disbelief, the thought of your dirty words clearly plastered in his mind. “Did ya mean what you said back there?”. He says, as he opens the car door for you. “Whatever do you mean?”, you act stupid. “I was just pretending to be your wife, Mr Walka”

-When he has a crush on you, he gives you sooo many compliments

-Little dirty innuendos

-Would definitely call you and talk to you late night on the phone until one of you fell asleep (house phone if they had them)

-He’s the kind of person to tell you that he got a visit from a cute dog earlier at the gas station and it made him think of you

 Kyle

-Every time you go to get gas from Kit, he gives you only a little amount, so you have a reason to keep coming back

-One time when you go get gas from him, you forget your wallet again, and he teases you about it

-He lets you off and pays for your gas

- “I owe you, Mr Walka”

- “How about a date?”

-You smile at how confident he is, and nod excitedly, having been waiting for him to ask you for a while now

-Kit winks at you and waves as you drive off, completely melted inside about finally getting his girl

-Even though he’s always confident, he’s still a little shy and awkward around you when he sees you in class

-If all of his friends are in a class messing around, throwing stuff, being loud, and you walk it, he tells everybody to shut up because there’s a lady present

- “Hey careful, make sure you don’t throw it at her”

-It’s not until he sees you at a huge party, that he’s confident enough to go up to you

-Even though he’s more than happy to flirt, he’s just not confident enough to do that last step and ask you out somewhere

-He’ll bring you a drink and  talk and flirt with you, and you’ll definitely get the hint

-He slowly lifts his arm up and stretches it over you, trying to do the classic yawn move, hoping you won’t notice or mind. You look over at him and narrow your eyes in fake suspicion.

- “Didn’t you come here with a movie star? Surely you get handsome men bringing you drinks all the time?”, he says, motioning to the drink in your hand.

“You calling yourself handsome?”, you tease him. Kyle laughs a breathy awkward laugh and nods. “Well yeah”

-When you do ask him for a date, he insists that he take the initiative to plan what you two do

-Clearly wanting to make a good first impression, he’d take you somewhere interesting

-Aquarium, in which he’ll make up clearly fake facts about the fish just to make you laugh

-Bowling, just so he can tease you about how much you suck

-Mini golf, so, even though you know how to play, he can wrap his arms around you and help you put

-And if he does take you to the movies, you aren’t spending a dime

-He’ll also wrap his arm around you not-so subtly

Franken Kyle

“Whatcha doin there, hm?”. Kyle leans into your ear and whispers.

“Just in case you get scared, you can cuddle up to me”

“Kyle we’re watching the Lego movie”

Jimmy

-You’re a witch at the academy, and with Kyle’s very slow progress to getting better, both Zoe and Madison are getting slightly tired of having to constantly take care of him

-But you don’t mind, finding his Frankenstein state cute

-Whenever he stumbles into the kitchen by himself you always help him make food

-If he’s ever struggling with anything, he usually comes to you, knowing you’re the most patient out of them all

-Then, one night, all the teens in the academy go to a party, while you lay in bed

-But when the rain starts to get really heavy and the first thunder growls, Kyle rushes into your room, before slowly knowing and peaking his head out, clearly scared

-You let him come and lay with you, rubbing his back to calm him down

-Although no real words are spoken, it’s from that moment that you decide to take on all responsibilities relating to Kyle, the good and the bad

-He’s admired you from afar for a very long time, ever since the first time you joined the circus

-You were incredibly flexible, and always showing off to everyone and practicing on stage

-He would always come and watch you practice, cheering you on more than anybody else

-You called Jimmy ‘my cheerleader’

-It made him blush every time

-Amazon Eve always told him to just ask you for dinner, but the only thing that stopped him was the thought that you wouldn’t want to go out and be seen with a freak like him, especially since your body looked so normal that you didn’t have to hide anything

-Eve and Paul reminded Jimmy that it’s him who’s always the most confident in going out into the real world, and he mustn’t be scared

-When they all plan to go to a diner together, as a protest to being shunned from society, you find his leadership charming and happily go with them

-Even though you all get kicked out, you calm Jimmy down and take care of him when his dad beats him up

James

-You wipe the scars on his face and tell him how brave you think he is

- Trying to gain confidence, you take a deep breath before making the move. “Maybe the two of us should go to that diner”. Jimmy looks up at you, as if he expects you to keep talking. When the nerves hit you all at once, you begin rambling. “You know cause if the two of us go and they’re okay with that then maybe we can start going with the others one by one, and then you know we’ll ease our way back into society and stuff”. You laugh a breathy laugh, but Jimmy says nothing. With every silent second passing, your heart begins to break. But luckily for you, Jimmy speaks up. “Wait, are you asking me out? Like… on a date? To the diner?”. “What if I were?”, you quietly reply. He smiles wide and pulls you closer to him, “I’d love that”.

-James is definitely the least subtle

-Constantly giving you compliments, kisses and gifts

-Opening every door for you and listening very carefully to everything you say

-He doesn’t want you to even think about another man, so he overwhelms you with every way he can show you he likes you

-I can imagine him organising a big ball or event at the hotel just so the two of you can dress up and go together

-He is also the most confident out of them all, although he is a softie around you, he has no trouble asking you anything he wants to you

-He’ll kiss your hand a lot and you’ll eventually get the hint

Kai

- “I would be most delighted if we were to make our relationship more official, and vow fully loyalty to one another”

-You agree and he is over the moon

-Once the two of you are in a relationship, the compliments, kisses and gifts don’t stop

-He will give you your space without him, but when the two of you are in the same room together, he treats your precious time together as if it’s sacred

-He will approximately 43 seconds into your relationship begin planning how he’s gonna kill you

-You can tell Kai likes you when he’s harsher on you than he is on other members of the cult

-He’ll be pissed at you for being a distraction for him

-He’ll definitely tell you when he’s impressed with you, when you murdered somebody or helped him plan something

-Even though he definitely would not want it

-If you proved to be smarter than him in any aspect, he’d be furious

-You’d be sat on his sofa while he’s talking to you about having to kill Sally because she’s getting in the way of him winning city council

- “Samuels looked at where she lives, and it has no back doors, no nothing, it’ll be impossible to get in her house without smashing windows and causing attention”

“Why don’t you get Ally to go to her first? If Meadow convinces her to go to Sally to talk about the cult, then the front door will be open”. Kai looks at you with angry eyebrows. “We’ll sit in the car and wait for a few seconds, she’ll let Ally in, won’t lock the door straight after her, and then let them talk for a minute before we just walk right in”

-His ego won’t let him take suggestions from somebody below him, so even though he wants to be proud of you for being smart, he’s mad

-He’ll sit for hooours trying to think of any other solution he physically can think of, to not go with what you suggested

-Around the cult, he’d treat you like everybody else though

- “Y/N’s idea was brilliant, Ally just walked in and they walked straight to sit down, she didn’t lock the door”

-He’d praise you to encourage you to think of ideas, which he would later be mad that you have

━━━━━━♡♤♡━━━━━━

-You’d find out how he felt about you during pinky power

-After being suspicious that he may have feelings for you for a while, you realised this is the only way to truly find out how he feels without him trying to manipulate you

-He’d ask you about something deep, and you’d latch on after he finishes a sentence to ask him your question

- “I have a question for you”

“Go ahead”

“How do you feel about me?”

Kai stays silent and continues to look you in the eye, taken aback by the question but not wanting to show it.

“When you’re with me, how do you feel?”

“I think you have real potential, you’re strong-”

“I’m not asking the Divine Ruler, I’m asking Kai, Kai Anderson”

He takes a deep breath before unintentionally breaking eye contact for a few seconds to think. You wait anxiously for the answer, and with every second passing you know what it will be.

“You’re special”, he starts, looking you in the eye again. “You’re valuable to the group, and to me. And I think you’d be a great… mother”. The last catches you off guard, not expecting Kai to be a family man or to think about this with you.

“You… you want me to… have your children?”

“I think our children would be indestructible, strong, powerful, decisive. They would be the seed of the better future”. Although it was a little forward for somebody you’ve never even kissed, you were beyond flattered, knowing how specific Kai is with traits in people.

“Let’s make a baby”, Kai says.

“Whoa whoa”, you laugh and unlink your pinky with his. “We’re not even dating, Kai”

“Why date if children is the ultimate purpose?”

“Then don’t look at is as dating… look at it… as getting to know the mother of your future children”

-Kai would love this and you’d soon end up dating

-And have like 6 kids

@milly-louise  @amourtentiaa  @kitwalker02  @tatestripedsweater  @therenlover  @maria-akira         @tatesimper  @thxc0untessesgl0ve  @mossybank  @ahsxual  @mxlti-fand0m-imaginess  @mrs-march-ahs-biggest-fan  @kitwalkerangel  @kitisagoldenretrieverboy @darlingkitt  @blackbat2020@elaineygrace @kaiandersonskoolaid  @undeadcortez @whiiiiplaaaaash

As usual, if you wanted to be added or taken away, dm me or comment!! I won’t mind! <3

[lewisdiary]

Amber Lounge

Lewis Hamilton x Reader

WARNING: 18+, NSFW, explicit, alcohol, drugs, unprotected sex.

Word count: 3,600+

What's a beautiful girl like you doing in a club all by herself?

Another party, this time in Monaco. Your glass, filled with what seemed like a very expensive gin, vibrated to the the loud music playing in the club.

Let loose. You thought to yourself slightly lowering your body-con black dress and searching for familiar faces.

You looked around the VIP party you had been invited to. Ever since your dad's business put him on the "Forbes Richest" list your reputation had skyrocketed along with it. You were an A-lister yourself at this point, everyone longed for your appearance at their events, and as if your life depended on it, you attended. Your social media and events presence had helped you befriend the hottest models and richest rappers in the game and you quite enjoyed the lavish lifestyle.

You and your dad had flown down for the Monaco GP weekend, courtesy of the team principal of the most popular F1 team, Toto Wolff. Surprisingly, it was your first Grand Prix, and probably your last. The hospitality was, as usual, amazing but you found watching cars go around in circles slightly boring.

You took a rather large sip of your gin and started to tune into the beat, your body processing the large quantities of alcohol you had decided to ingest.

Because you hadn't been invited to the Grand Prix by a driver in particular and had failed to engage with any during the "boring" weekend, you found yourself attending the party and having to fit in all by yourself. Making your way through the club you encountered a few drivers, whom you recognised and recognised you, and their respective guests. You knew you weren't an easy face to forget, so it didn't take long before a few people started commenting about your presence.

Making yourself comfortable around the younger squad of drivers, your body swayed to the loud music that hit your ears. Your eyes shut as you engaged with the environment, allowing the melodies and strong base to sway you in.

"You're a Mercedes guest, aren't you?" A familiar voice rang through. Russell. Your eyes opened to look at the briton who stood very close to your ear, making sure his words were getting to you just fine. You nodded quickly, downing your drink before replying to him "Well, my dad is. I just tagged along"

His lips turned into a small smile as he took a good glance at you, leaning closer again he chatted a bit more; "and what did you think of it?"

"Not my vibe" You shrugged jokingly. "This though, is!" You put your empty glass down in a nearby table and pulled George into what seemed like a circle of people dancing, as In Da Club by 50 Cent started playing.

You both started dancing to the song, George's friends joined, and in no time you set yourself in the party ambient, drenching yourself in alcohol as more bottles were brought in at the request of Russell, Latifi, and a few other younger drivers you hadn't gotten your way around.

0 To 100 / The Catch up - by Drake came through the speaker.

This DJ knew his set you thought, before excusing yourself from the crowd that had embraced you. Feeling the need for a switch of environment you made your way to the bar. On your way, you drunkly greeted a few familiar faces, Bella Hadid and what looked like some actors who had come down for the Grand Prix.

Sitting on an empty stool at one of the bars in the Amber Lounge you asked the bartender for a glass of your favourite, gin. Your head nodded to the beat, it pounded hard. You knew you were more than tipsy at that point, but there was no sign of slowing down.

"Ayo! Bring us a bottle of your most expensive Prosecco!" You heard a voice yell through a line of people standing at the bar. A familiar voice.

His voice sang along to the lyrics, you were tempted to turn around to check who was yelling right behind your ear but your motion to turn was interrupted by the glass of gin you had requested being brought to you.

As you fiddled with the purse that hung around your shoulder, looking for your card, the familiar voice spoke again: "I've got that for you. On my tab, Mikey!" This time much closer to you.

You turned to your left, wanting to finally put a face to the voice your alcohol-filled brain didn't seem to recognise. Looking at the 5'9 figure standing next to you, it hit you that: you had failed to engage with any driver during the Grand Prix except for one.

It was more than obvious that you weren't going to be at the Mercedes garage and not meet their prominent stars. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. It was Qualifying day and after an amazing performance from both drivers, Toto, at the request of your dad had introduced you to his prodigies. You had gotten the chance to meet the drivers and congratulate them both for their front-row quali positions.

Bottas was the quiet one, after meeting you and your dad he excused himself to his driver room. Lewis was more of a personality, he knew your dad from reading about him and their conversation seemed to flow from F1 to business to possible future lunch meetings. He glanced at you from time to time, the conversation didn't interest you but he somewhat did.

You knew Lewis was quite the party boy and a ladies man, it suited his champion attitude, so seeing him at the club did not surprise you at all. He had won the Grand Prix you remembered, your mind doing a little backflip to being at the back of the garage and giving him a quick hug after your dad had burst into "here's the man of the evening" compliments.

Your altered system forced you to bite your lip at the thought of Lewis Hamilton standing in front of you.

"Hey, it's you!" His eyes widened at the realisation, his breath smelled like nothing but expensive alcohol. He was drunk as a skunk, and to your liking, he looked extremely hot.

You widened your eyes jokingly, following his cue. "It is I!" you laughed slightly, trying to mock his accent.

"I met you on Saturday, no? Your dad is Toto's friend. What's your name again?" He grabbed the Prosecco bottle that had been handed to him and moved an inch closer to you.

"Yep, that's my dad! Y/N!" you yelled through the gap left between the two of you.

"And what's a beautiful girl like you doing in the club all by herself?" He asked before singing to a few lyrics of the song that currently burst through the speakers that were placed at the bar.

"Enjoying herself." You grabbed your glass and, nodding at him as a thank you for the drink, you stepped down the stool and made your way to the dance-floor. Nervously nibbling on your bottom lip at your choice of words you wondered if a little mystery was enough to keep Lewis interested.

Your hips moved at the sound of Ginza by J Balvin and almost immediately, you felt a body swaying along with yours. Him.

Lewis took a sip of the Prosecco bottle he was meant to take back to his group of friends as his own hips fell in somewhat of a sync with yours, his free hand grabbing your left thigh pulling you closer to his body. His motion felt like a cue for you to bend slightly and begin to grind on the "man of the evening", he deserved a little fun after the hard-work he put out on the track.

Eyes started turning to you two, as your bodies got carried away by the effects of the alcohol you had been consuming. You shrugged out the thought of being watched. If Lewis was comfortable, you were too.

"Y yo hoy estoy aquí imaginando. Sexy baila y me deja con las ganas" Lewis sang along to J Balvin but he sang it so close to your ear, he knew it was meant just for you to listen. His raspy voice sent chills down your spine, you didn't know what the words meant but he made them sound sexy and it empowered you. You chewed on your bottom lip as the DJ switched songs and moving away from him you sipped on your gin, cheering at the former drivers that had put you in the mood to party, who shot you back just as happy glances.

"Come to my table! Let's have some fun!" Lewis' drunk voice echoed through the pounds of your head. He was quick to grab your arm and pull you through the crowd to a more secluded area.

"Y/N everyone!!" He yelled once you approached a group of what looked like more mature and older people. Everyone turned their heads at the two of you and cheered loudly at Lewis' introduction of you, almost as if they were celebrating you tonight.

Daniel Ricciardo. Winnie Harlow. Neymar Jr were some of the faces you were able to recognise at first glance, everyone seemed as slapped as you, some of the girls were high as kites twerking on anything they could put their asses to. Now this was more your vibe.

As the night went on; more drinks came, you danced and enjoyed yourself. Sexual tension between you and Lewis had become hard to ignore and the amount of alcohol in your body had you craving him... all over you.

It's now or never you thought to yourself.

Downing your, God knows what number, cup you looked at Lewis who found himself having fun with his mates, his smile widely spread across is face, revealing his perfectly sharpened canine teeth.

If anything, we blame it on the alcohol.

You mentally thanked the Dj as Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled started playing. Lewis' eyes darkened as he noticed you approaching him. Your dress hugged your body perfectly, making your figure hard to look away from. In a blink of an eye you had found your groins against one another's grinding on each other to the beat.

As the song went on, Lewis spun you around, having you against him drove him crazy. His hips thrusted your back, his fingers digging the skin on your thigh. He licked his lips at the thought of you, and almost as if he had been waiting for this moment the whole night, his lips met your bare shoulder.

Without ungluing his figure to yours, his tongue slowly traced your neck, sending chills down your spine. "Have I told you how beautiful you look?" He mumbled in between kisses on your bare skin. He didn't have to win you over with compliments, he already had you.

You could feel death glares from Lewis' female guests because of the moment you and the world champion were sharing. You used the uncomfortable stares as your cue to leave, turning to Lewis for the first time in what seemed like a long night, you stared into his - slightly droopy from the alcohol - brown eyes. Your arms automatically swung to his neck, he had yet another bottle in his hand but did not hesitate to wrap his arms around your waist.

"I don't think your friends are enjoying this little show we're putting on" You mumbled, signalling to the ladies who stood in the corner. Your eyes went from staring into his to looking at his lips, your breathing had become intense as you felt Lewis's body awfully close to yours, his member slowly caressing your upper thigh. He licked his lips, noticing how badly you stared. At that point of the night neither of you could contain how much you craved one another.

"They don't have to watch" Lewis whispered, shooting a quick glance at the models who seemed rather upset with his lack of attention on them; back to you, before grabbing your arm and pulling you through a back door that was close to the VIP area you were in, he mumbled: "I know a place".

You found yourself stumbling through the front entrance of a rather fancy building. Lewis lived conveniently close to the Amber Lounge, and in no time, his body guards had escorted the two of you to the penthouse.

Thanking his driver, you made your way into the elevator, and as soon as the doors shut close, Lewis had you pinned against the back wall. His eyes darkened again, his breathing hard over your lips.

Even drunk as a skunk, he looked and smelled amazing.

You watched him bite his lip as he leaned closer, making you crave his lips on yours even more.

It felt like heaven. When Lewis finally crashed his lips on to yours, his body weight causing you to lean further against the wall... it felt like heaven.

You groaned as the kiss didn't last as much as you wished to, the ding from the elevator interrupting it.

You were given no time to take in the surroundings of Lewis' perky home. He placed his arms on your hips and you automatically straddled him, the heat was back like it had never left, your lips were on his yet again. He kissed you so passionately you thought he was compensating from not doing it earlier. He knew his way through his home, and as your tongues met, he quickly found his way through his living room to his astounding suite.

Lewis dropped you on his bed, his eyes filled with lust and hunger. Behind him, the view of Monaco’s nightlife and beach shone through his large windows, the moonlight setting the perfect ambiance for what seemed like an exciting night for the both of you.

Your thoughts were distracted by Lewis’s touch. He had quickly removed his shirt and tossed it aside, his fingers now rested on top of your wet panties, his thumb caressing your clit. His body hoovered over yours, you closed your eyes and tilted your head back, allowing your body to feel Lewis’ movements on your area.

“Look at me” He demanded, his voice as deep as you’d ever hear it. “You’re so wet” He mumbled once your eyes obediently met his. Starving for him inside of you, you pulled your dress up your waist not once breaking eye contact, which caused Lewis to smirk. He attacked your neck, sucking and nibbling on your bare skin, his fingers slid your panties to the side, and with a small bite to your neck he inserted two fingers into you. You gasped at his sudden movement and your walls clenched in pleasure.

“Fuck!” Lewis muttered as he felt your juices coating his fingers. As instinct your knees bent, allowing Lewis to get a better grip of your inside walls. He picked up the pace, thrusting his fingers in and out of you. As your moans started getting louder, you feared Lewis had neighbours so you instantly bit your lip trying to contain your pleasure-filled screams.

“L-Lewis” you stumbled on your words, he knew just how deep to thrust and how much to curl his fingers. You longed for him inside you, your fingernails digging his tattooed back and your head titled back.

“Yes, baby?” He was enjoying watching you squirm in pleasure, his member hardening at the sound of your voice in his room.

"Don't make me wait" you pleaded, not being able to contain your hormones any longer. You wanted him inside you: “I want you. I want you to cum with me”

As if your wish was his command, Lewis’ drunk figure moved his hand away, he stood in front of the bed, and you took the moment to remove your dress, revealing your perfectly shaped and tanned body. Lewis, on his turn dropped his jeans. Both of you stood in awe of one another for awhile, hunger rising. He observed your breasts, and you engulfed the length of his now erect shaft.

You slowly removed your panties and dangled it in front of him, teasing the man that was going to eat you alive, the room smelled like expensive cologne and Prosecco. Lewis jaw hardened, his tattoos made his muscles more prominent... You just wanted to dig your fingernails on his biceps at that stance. He grabbed the panties off your hand and threw them to the side along with your dress and swiftly made his way on top of you. Cupping your breast with one hand, his thumb played with your nipple whilst the other filled his mouth. You lowered your hand and began to stroke Lewis’ cock; as soft and deep moans leaving his throat, your spine shivered.

“I want you so bad” You whispered, placing Lewis right at your entrance, the tip of him rubbing against your wet and now throbbing clit.

“How bad, baby?” He asked, pecking your lips. With his voice in a demanding whisper, you were quick to realise how much of a tease Lewis was, he enjoyed making his victims beg for him. He knew how good he was.

“So… so bad” You moaned into his lips. Just as much as Lewis, you knew what you wanted and you too knew how good you were. Not wanting to waste another second you took charge, placing his shaft at your entrance you helped him penetrate you. Lewis broke the kiss he had engaged in with you, a loud moan leaving his mouth once he felt how tight you were.

It took you a second to adjust to Lewis’ length as he made his way in and out of you, although intoxicated, he noticed your slight discomfort: “Are you alright?” he questioned, his furry brows tightening.

“Shh… don’t stop” You reassured him. With your hand around his neck you brought his head down to yours, you had grown to love his soft lips around the flesh of your neck. At your call, Lewis lowered his weight on to you and steadily picked up the pace. Every thrust brought you closer to an orgasm, his cock rubbing on your perfect spot.

You clenched your walls, digging your nails through his tattooed back. “Fuuuck!” You heard Lewis scream in absolute pleasure at the tightness around him. Lewis’ thrusts became deeper and faster, his forehead had grown sweaty, the room steamy. As he picked up his pace, all you could hear was small grunts from his perfectly sound voice and the clapping of his thighs against yours.

“I’m gonna cum” He moaned through shortened breaths. His warning brought you to your dominance senses. The thought of having Sir Lewis Hamilton begging you to cum extolled your ego. Without thinking twice you shifted your weight to the side, motioning what was well understood by Lewis. It was your turn to be on top.

Lewis, at the realisation that he was sleeping with a woman who knew what she wanted, eagerly obeyed and placed himself closer to the headboard of his king sized bed, not minding that you had interrupted his almost-orgasm.

Feeling good about impressing the seven-time world champion you slowly crawled up to the man that looked at you so hungrily, lust in his eyes only becoming more and more visible. His jaw clenched again as you straddled his waist, his now, thanks to you, cream-full cock entering your threshold again. Another loud moan, this time from the both of you. You bent over slightly, placing your hands on Lewis’ shoulders for support as you started bouncing on him.

“Just like that baby” He sang to you, one hand was tightly wrapped around your neck, and the other slapped your ass as hard as he could bring himself to. It drove you crazy, it made you want more of him in you.

Your breathing had gotten harder and your forehead had met his. “I want you to cum for me” You demanded. Lewis knew he was close to his finish line, but wanted you to finish with him. As you seemed to enjoy, he kept his veiny and robust hand around your neck, giving it light squeezes every time he felt you really deep.

His free hand moved to your clit and you shot your head back in utter pleasure.

“Right there… Keep it right there” You begged, knowing exactly what was going to happen in the next thirty seconds. Lewis, in satisfaction, rubbed on your throbbing bud whilst his own hardened at every movement of yours. His teeth met his bottom lip and his eyes fell shut. You knew he was ready to release, but you weren’t going to let him off easy.

“Look at me” You called. Your ego growing with every sign of obedience from Lewis. His eyes watered a little, you knew you had him, and every thrust brought you both closer to your orgasm.

“Baby…” he whispered, his hand still in circular motions around your clit, his grip becoming weaker “Please” he begged, at no point breaking the eye contact you called for. Pleased with his submission, you mumbled: "Don't stop", and he understood the assignment. You both picked up the pace, his finger on your wet clit in circular motions and you on top of his cock, bouncing up and down.

Before you could say knife you felt your legs shaking, your whole body trembled as you released all your juices on Lewis' hand and cock, a loud moan leaving your throat, your voice echoing in the penthouse.

Sorry neighbours.

And with no time to digest the wonders that Lewis had done to your body, he quickly pushed you off him and you obeyed, his pulsating cock releasing right then and there, on his six-pack filled torso.

You were both breathing heavily, laying on your backs. The comfort of Lewis' bed took you in, your head pounding again from the intoxication, the large amount of alcohol still in your system. He chuckled slightly at the turn of events of that Monaco GP Sunday, his gaze never leaving his ceiling.

Eager and starving for more of you, Lewis found in his deep breaths strength to ask: "When do you leave?"

[lilac-5ky]

Chilumi x Squid Game AU

Author's note: I've seen many posts about Childe being part of the soldiers/announcers of Squid Game but what if he was also a contestant alongside Lumine?

Disclaimer: It's late, I'm rusty, hope it turned out well!

Warnings: Angst, Death, Violence ( it is squid game AU after all)

Childe joined Squid Game for a reason: To support his family financially. Being one of six siblings, especially one of the older ones, he had to do whatever he could in order to make sure no one would go hungry.

And this is why he took on job after job, running errand after errand in an attempt to earn cash. His life was the opposite of dreamy and he had no real aspirations or dreams other than to make sure his younger siblings wouldn't suffer the same fate he did.

When he got offered a spot in the Game, he was reluctant; it looked too good to be true. But it was Christmas, and something about the way Teucer looked at his friends' toys with envy or the way Tonya would hastily look at pretty dresses while no one else was looking, only made his resolve stronger. He needed the money and he needed them fast.

It was no surprise that the Game wasn't what most of the other contestants had made it out to be. Besides, the prize money was over 40 millions, assuming that it wouldn't involve risking one's life was foolish in the first place.

What did surprise him was her. With eyes brighter than the sun and beautiful golden locks that fell onto her shoulders like stars in the night sky, she was the one thing that made him gasp in awe. Number 016. Or else, Lumine, from what he'd heard.

The first thought that ran into his mind was how. How did someone as pretty as her end up there, amongst the bottom of society, amongst human trash, amongst people like, well, him. Looking at her only filled him with more questions but also an urge he'd never felt for anyone other than his family; the urge to protect her.

He didn't know how many of them would survive and how the prize money would be distributed but he knew that he was getting out of this place with her, even if that meant doing unspeakable things.

At first, it was small insignificant things that he'd do. Convincing nearby contestants to make wrong moves, reassuring them that they were doing just fine when in fact, they weren't, aiding them towards certain death while pretending to be the most helpful in the lot. The way he spoke, the way he looked, no one suspected someone like him would have ulterior motives and everyone trusted in him. Besides, all the games were games he had played countless times with his siblings, he knew the rules by heart.

After he made sure that the numbers of players around them lessened, it was time for his next move; winning her over.

It all started with an extra piece of bread he'd snatched. He claimed that he was full and didn't need his bread and then he oh-so-kindly handed it over to her. She smiled and the world around him was set alight. His heart was captured; there was no doubt. Childe had to constantly remind himself that the reason for his being there was not her, but his siblings. Tonya, and Teucer, and Anthon, and Lumine and--what?

In no time, she warmed up to him nearly as much as he had. With the games moving forward and the players becoming fewer and fewer with each day, less than half of the contestants remained, the two of them included. Childe convinced her to form a team with him and they even made their own pact; it was them against everyone else.

After the girl with whom Lumine shared her bunk with died, he moved to the bed underneath hers, a wise choice considering what was coming. One of the gang members from their batch of players initiated what seemed to be a witch hunt; kill as many as possible in order to reduce the numbers rapidly.

During the night, Childe ordered Lumine to stay hidden under the covers as he grasped his fingers tight around his daggers. He wouldn't let anyone touch her, not even a single strand of hair.

Yet Lumine, much to his disdain but also admiration, wasn't too much unlike him. The second he let his guard down during the fight, cold steel grazed his neck. Just when he thought it was game over for him, he heard a muffled sound and the grip on his shoulder was released. Turning around he saw her, arms covered in blood, small blotches of blood decorating her face and neck like freckles. She saved him. She did this for him and he couldn't help but be hopeful for a second that maybe she felt the same way about him. That maybe he had a chance.

The rest of the night went by in a flash before the guards came in through the doors, aiming guns at the players as they started to clean up the mess. They were both surrounded by havoc and calamity, frantic cries and angry scoffs all over the place yet Childe could not be bothered to hear a thing. Not when he had brought Lumine to his side, not when they had laid down together next to each other, and certainly not when he kept her tight to him while whispering to her sweet nothings, reassuring her that they'd both make it out and he'd protect her.

It wasn't until the semi finals that Childe would do something regrettable, something that neither a hug nor a sweet smile could erase. The glass bridge.

In his defense, 149 was taking his sweet ass time with choosing the next tile and he couldn't take the chance. Not when they had less than 20 seconds remaining or when Lumine had followed his example at choosing a later number--the number after his.

It wasn't because he enjoyed killing innocents. It was to ensure their survival, that's what he told himself. However, something about the way 149's cry echoed in the room as he fell into the unknown, only to be crashed into a pulp upon landing onto the floor, woke something in him. A very dark desire that surpassed any survival instinct or wish of getting rich. Up until that point he'd only assisted in the indirect killing of the players but this was it, the first time he'd covered his hands in blood for good and honestly, it didn't feel so bad. Hell, it even felt kind of good actually.

With a final jump, he watched Lumine from the other side of the bridge as she joined him, only to be met with the one thing he dreaded the most; an expression of obvious disgust. Her eyes were darkened and the way she looked at him wasn't warm anymore. She looked at him with eyes full of dread, hatred even, and there was nothing that could hurt him more than this.

"Lumine--" He tried to speak her name many times but she wouldn't answer to him. She did her best to ignore him, pretending to not notice the tears in the corners of his eyes. Who could kill a man so easily, if not a monster?

And thus Childe spent the rest of the days in wonder; is being a monster that bad? Whenever he inquired that, her eyes would answer him. Monster. Murderer. Freak. Psycho. Each word more painful than the other, words that weren't voiced but her voice haunted his mind.

If she thought of him as a monster then fine, but still, the game went on and his goal has clearer than ever; to survive, to protect her. If not a monster like him, then who else could?

After their reward dinner they were all given a knife. Him, Lumine and... 378, a guy not too old but certainly not very young either. A man in his 40s who was caught embezzling money from his company. Shameful act, really. A sinner like him could and would not stand in the way of Childe's ambition. And so the next morning, after the two of them woke up, soldiers entered the room in a hurry, the announcer speaking in a clear voice "378 eliminated".

He expected her to yell at him. He expected her to kick him, punch him or even stab him with that knife. He really did. Instead Lumine stayed quiet, choosing to not say a word to him until they were led to the playground for the final game.

"Death is far too kind for monsters like you."

Giving her a sad smile, he followed her into the sandy area, his steps long and drawn out when the realization kicked in. Everything he had done, everyone he had stepped on or killed, every lie, every scheme had been for nothing. Because the game would have one sole winner only, and for all he knew he had lost ever since he met her.

Squid game; Lumine was the one to pick first and she had gone with offense, leaving him to defend. Glaring at her as she hopped around him, he was unable to understand what went on in her head. Her amber eyes were clouded and her expression was that of sheer determination, not even a hint of despair or sorrow.

When she jumped at him, his instinct was to catch her as he spread his arms open, only to be stabbed on his calf. Losing his balance, he collapsed onto the floor with her on top of him as he did his best not to shout.

The end was near and he could see images flashing into his brain already. His siblings, his parents, even her. His mind was in a disarray, filled with beautiful memories of the past but also with possible futures with her, were they given the chance. Long walks through the beach, fancy candlelit dinners, nights under the stars, her looking beautiful as ever in a creamy white gown during their wedding, their kids that would have his eyes and her hair, all those spiraled through his brain, vividly as if he could see them right before him, and that was when he smiled. A genuine smile that was meant for her and her only.

Lumine who had removed the knife from his calf, hovered it above his chest as her hands gripped onto it tightly. For a second, she hesitated and looked at him, the first time she had dared to truly look at him ever since the semi finals. He couldn't read her mind before but now he could see that something lingered in that brain of hers too, perhaps the same thing that lingered in his.

"Let's get married after this."

Childe spoke in a teasing manner, lips shaped into a soft grin. She was about to kill him and all he thought was how much he wanted to kiss her. Lumine wavered for a little, releasing her grip on the knife ever sightly and that was exactly the opening he needed. With a swift, decisive move, he tackled her to the sandy floor underneath them, towering over her with his weight as he pinned her hands above her head with one hand.

"You really thought I'd let you win this easily, girlie?"

He inquired as he took the knife into his free hand. Tracing the curves of her face with it, he rested the tip of it against her lips, forcing her basically to open her mouth. Every last piece of regret had left her face, features shaped back into utter disgust and disdain.

"You are sick." This was the first time he'd heard her voice in the past couple of days.

"What did you just say?"

"I said that you are a sick psycho who finds entertainment in manipulating and killing others." She paused briefly to spit some of the blood that had gathered in her mouth. " Was it fun? Playing with me like that? Pretending we are a team only for you to, what, murder everyone? I bet you must have enjoyed it a lot. Hell, I even bet you left me for last on purpose, to kill me with your own two hands. And all that to save your family. Tell me, Childe, was this a lie too? You don't have anyone waiting for you back home, now do you? Come on, don't lie anymore. You are just a monster who takes pleasure in this. Most likely you are just a coward who can't kill anyone out there and so you thought this was the perfect opportunity."

"No, I-" He tried to explain, his voice softer than usual as her words cut through him like knives.

"Tell me, Childe. Was it fun? Was playing with my feelings that fun that you had to bring me to this point? Was making me fall for you all that entertaining to you?"

His mind had gone blank. The hurt he felt from her words alongside the fluttering he felt in his heart upon hearing her final sentence, left him in a state of utter confusion, nearly forgetting about the game. He stayed there frozen, unable to talk or move.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lumine managed to kick him in the groin as he lost control, falling next to her as she reached for the dagger. Childe was struggling not only to fight her off but also to grasp the situation. What had he done? The only reason he joined the game was to help his family, to see his siblings smiling again, it was something as noble as that, yet what had he become? Lumine was right, he was manipulative, he was petty and worse of all ,he was a murderer.

Accepting his fate he closed his eyes, doing his best to keep those previous images he had seen carved into his brain. He waited for the knife to strike him down, he waited, and waited but nothing happened. Not until he heard Lumine yell from the top of her lungs, lunging forward to him with the knife in her hands. This was it.

But it really wasn't. Cause after an entire minute had passed, he was still there and he was still able to feel her weight on him. Opening his eyes he saw the knife stuck into the ground next to his head, as she made her way back to her feet.

"I want out. Game is over, let me out." She declared to the announcer and the soldiers that oversaw them.

"Are you willingly giving up the prize, 406?" The announcer asked her, his arms fold in front of his chest.

"I am not like him. I can't do this anymore, let me out." Lumine exclaimed again, this time her voice cold as ice.

"Very well." The announcer spoke one last time, as he made his way towards the door, Lumine following on his stead without even giving Childe a look.

This couldn't end like this, he thought. Not for her, not for him, not for them. Going back into that shithole only meant seeing his siblings' disappointed faces once again after they'd realize that his new high paying job- aka the reason for his absence- had been nothing but lies. He'd be forced to see them starve, to see his parents wither away due to all the debts and worst of all, he knew that he'd never see her again. Her, who like shining star filled his dark and empty life with beautiful light. He had to live knowing that everyone he loved and cared about would resent him, now and forever and so the choice he had to make became clear.

His fingers reached for the knife that was next to him and quickly drove it into his neck. With the corner of his eyes, he saw his own blood this time spilling all over his clothes, his hands and the area around him, warm to the touch as his eyelids started drooping.

The last thing he saw was a flurry of golden hair rushing to him in a spiral of loud noise. Lumine fell onto her knees, cupping his face with her fingers as he gave her another sad smile.

" I promised I'd protect you." He spoke, his voice as weak as it could get.

Hot tears fell onto his cheeks, not from him but from the girl above him. He felt tired, struggling to keep his eyes open enough to take in her form. She was so beautiful, a literal angel there to take him. Seeing her tears, her anguished expression, he felt truly sorry that it had to end like this.

Childe was able to see her opening her mouth again and again and he could tell she was speaking, but he could not hear her words, not when the light was so warm and inviting, promising him to take him away from this dark and cruel world. And so he surrendered himself to it, the front man's words the last thing he'd hear:

"Player 011 eliminated."

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Light Novel Review — I'm in Love with the Villainess

A stunningly profound, entertaining, and queer title that eclipses other isekai and Yuri series

There are few titles the general public seems to be as excited about as Inori and Hanagata's I'm in Love with the Villainess, as it has been sitting at or near the top of Amazon's LGBT Manga list for months and Twitter is consistently abuzz with the latest news on this isekai Yuri series. I was somewhat more skeptical, as I have had relatively poor experiences with isekai and fantasy Yuri. Still, my excitement went through the room, and I eagerly boarded the "hype train" upon the cover reveal for the third volume. Yuri families, where two women raise children together, are one of my greatest desires and something I rarely see portrayed in the genre. However, I still had mostly low expectations for the series going into the first volume. I looked forward to some light meandering comedy and typical boring trope-filled isekai shenanigans. However, I'm in Love with the Villainess more than exceeded my expectations. No, even this statement is far too moderate to describe how utterly stunned and blown away I was by Inori's creation. I'm in Love with the Villainess is completely shattering and easily one of the greatest light novels I have ever read. Thus, I have no choice to award a perfect 10/10 score, my first ever for a light novel.

After waking up in the world of her favorite otome game, Revolution, protagonist Rae is ecstatic to be faced to face with Claire Francois, the game's villainous rival. However, Rae never played Revolution for the thrill of romancing any of the three attractive young princes. She was always in love with Claire. She attends the academy and studies magic in the fantasy world alongside Claire, the princes, and various other supporting characters. Using her skills from the modern world and her encyclopedic knowledge of Revolution, Rae manipulates the situation to be close to Claire, becoming her maid, and garnering status and money along the way. As an inevitable conflict looms closer, Rea begins to enact plans to protect herself and Claire, many of which are not fully understood or explained until the finale fantastically reveals the reasons for her actions. There is a natural and steady pace to the narrative that awards readers’  predictions and attention to detail.

I'm in Love with the Villainess has some excellent supporting characters, all of whom have unique personalities, histories, and abilities, some of which are revealed by Rae's exposition and others naturally throughout the novel. However, the stars of the show are the central couple, Rae and Claire. Claire is an elite aristocrat and extremely bratty. She often sneers at commoners and makes her disdain of Rae very clear from early on. On paper, she sounds like the perfect villain and someone all readers would despise. However, Rae's utter devotion and infatuation with Claire is so sincere that we cannot help but be pulled in and adore Claire and all her tantrums. Rae is a delight herself, continually flirting and poking fun at Claire, which gets her verbally berated, much to her masochistic pleasure. However, she is also exceptionally cunning and intelligent, and some of the light novel's greatest joys are listening to her analyze a situation or watching one of her plans fall into place.

“Ah, I’m… Well, it doesn’t matter. I mean, it’s irrelevant to cuteness—because, Miss Claire, you are cute.” “Huh?!” She pulled away. It was perfect—such a pure reaction. “Miss Claire, you hate me, right?” “Of course!” “That’s fine. Please keep teasing me. I love it.”

The beginning of the book does not immediately clue one into its brilliance. Sure, Claire and Rea get some great one-liners as they bully each other, and the scenarios are authentic and fun, but it is nothing shattering. I was feeling pretty relaxed and having a lot of fun with the characters, their relationship, and the various slice-of-life style scenarios they encountered until one section, I remember the exact page, 81, as it stopped me dead in my tracks. I was flabbergasted and briefly frozen before shooting up out of bed, shouting expletives as I ran to my office to immediately record what I had just experienced. It all begins with the line, "Hey, Rae. Are you what they call gay?" What followed was one of the most thoughtful, condensed, informative, and nuanced discussions of gay and queer identity (both terms used in this scene) I have ever seen in Yuri. Everything from representation in media, the perceptions of and prejudices against gay people, and the role gender plays in romance for bisexual and gay people are analyzed. Its commentary is succinct yet so respectful and forthright that it could have only come from genuine experience, thus selling the book and its characters so much more.

"Queer people were still overwhelmingly closeted in this world, which was rife with prejudice and nurtured little understanding. As I noted, the queer people depicted in the story were either the sex fiends Claire imagined or the free-loving sort Lene had in mind. Diversity and acceptance were a long way off.”

Thus, Inori's writing's beauty exposed itself, and the book opened itself up to a delightful cycle. The narrative masterfully integrates isekai slice-of-life hijinks, like running a cross-dressing café or battling a giant slime with nuanced and challenging moments that dissect complicated topics. The latter mainly consists of a growing rift between the aristocracy and common people, mirroring real-world wealth gap issues, but the novel also touch on matters such as unequal prison sentencing and segregation. Every scene helped further the complexity of the characters and their relationships or else built onto the world of Revolution. Speaking of which, I'm in Love with the Villainess has some of the best worldbuilding ever seen in a light novel.

Initially, brief exposition establishes much of the world, which is adequate if not exciting. I will mark up to a casualty of the light novel's serialized nature, as it must present readers its setting immediately. However, Inori does not stop here. Through the narrative, new elements are established, such as a magic system and the kingdom's politics. Rea notes and describes how the world, while clearly based on medieval Europe, has many modern Japanese attributes, as Japanese game developers created it. Her pointing out the intersection of the two is fascinating. Furthermore, A great deal of time is spent establishing characters and organizations all have their own wants, agendas, and methods, many of which are not even directly involved with the story. Instead, they act as a background and help further contextualize others. For example, the Church publicly appears to lean towards supporting the commoners in their efforts for equality but has its own agenda of superseding the nobility. While they play little role in Rea and Claire’s adventure, they are one of numerous factors contributing to the unrest of the lower class. All these additions are interesting, and it never feels like the story or characters suffer for their inclusion, quite the opposite.

“The Bauer Kingdom had started a step behind other countries when it came to magical research. They dominated the surrounding countries in military strength, and this had made them complacent, leading them to underestimate the value of new magic technology until the best researchers had all been enticed to other countries. Even after the king came up with his magic-focused meritocratic policy, Bauer lagged behind.”

I can only make complaints by scraping the very bottom of the barrel. Hanagata's beautiful art is too infrequent to add much to the light novel, and many scenes crying for illustrations are left to the readers' imagination. However, Inori so wonderful writes the story that one hardly cares and can easily picture every moment with delight. Besides, the manga adaption will nullify this issue. Where I cannot complain at all is the spectacular translation by Jenn Yamazaki and Nibedita Sen, one of Seven Seas best (which is high praise considering the competition). Sure, I was slightly disappointed at first to see the adaptation left off honorifics, but the more I thought about the setting, the more sense it made. I am sure people much smarter than I gave the issue much more consideration, and I am happy with their decisions.

I'm in Love with the Villainess left me reeling with how pleasurable and powerful it was. The story and characters are such a joy, and I cannot wait to see Rea and Claire bully each other again in the next volume. Astounding worldbuilding and powerful, thought-provoking politics surround their antics and the high stakes plot. Every moment of their journey will enthrall readers as they squeal with glee at its hilarious set pieces or are shocked by its commentary of society's most significant challenges. Inori has created one of the most delightful, heartfelt, complex, profound, and genuinely queer light novel series ever. If you only read one thing I recommend this year, let it be I'm in Love with the Villainess.

Ratings: Story — 9 Characters — 10 Art — 5 LGBTQ — 10 Sexual Content — 2 Final — 10

Review copy provided by Seven Seas Entertainment

Purchase I’m in Love with the Villainess in digitally (9/23) and in print (11/10) today: https://amzn.to/32NEyG1

Supports creators by purchasing official releases.

[tricksters-captain]

Benny Watts/The Queens Gambit imagines - From Pawn to Pen Part 1

AN: So I watched the Queens Gambit in one day and I am officially obsessed with it. And how dare it bring back my crush on Thomas Brodie Sangster... Due to this... Have a fanfic...

Overall Summary: You’re a young journalist for Chess Review, with a love for chess and a desire for knowledge. One day at a tournament, you come across the famous Benny Watts...

Pairing(s): Benny Watts x reader

Word Count: 2,504

Warnings: (I know nothing about chess except what the show taught me so bare that in mind), none really

Another state, another tournament. 

Your work had you travel round to even the smallest of Chess Tournaments to try and get the dirt on up and coming chess players or already existing champions. 

You inhaled the familiar smell of a hotel lobby, taking in your surroundings as people bustled about the place. 

It was one of the bigger tournaments fortunately and so you were hoping to run into some champions which tend to give you better pages which equals better pay. 

You walked up to the front desk, your eyes scanning the small tables as far as the eye could see where chess boards were being studied in case you recognised any chess players. 

You did but they were all the standard normies that showed their faces at these events. No one noteworthy yet.��

“Can I help you?” The slim man behind the desk with slicked back red hair flashed you a toothy smile as he greeted you. 

“(Y/n)(Y/l/n).” You introduced yourself and the man soon flicked through his booking sheets to find your reservation. 

“Room 209. If you just head down this hall to the elevators, it’s on the second floor.” The man pointed towards the elevators where you managed to spot the flash of bright auburn hair entering one of them. 

Beth Harmon. 

You smiled with relief as you started to sew the piece in your head already. 

“Thank you.” You took the key and made your way down to elevators. 

As the elevator door dinged open, some commotion by the entrance of the lobby caught your attention. 

The peak of leather through the crowd told you who it was. 

Benny Watts. 

Even better. You now had two top chess players you could focus on. 

You decided to let the celebrity champion settle into his hotel before you mobbed him as a journalist and you also needed to freshen up after travelling. 

You travelled so much that you barely bothered with your apartment. It was mostly rented out to other people besides holidays like Christmas where you actually could return home. 

Everything you had was basically in two large suitcases which you dragged across the United States and Europe following chess players around. 

You mainly liked travelling around Europe. You previously worked for a Parisian chess magazine but this year you took an offer to work for Chess Review which brought you back to the states. 

You had mostly done smaller tournaments all year round so hadn’t had the pleasure in meeting Benny Watts or Beth Harmon yet. 

Benny Watts had been one of the biggest names in chess for years now and Beth Harmon was a rapid rising star. 

You knew this would be your big break in Chess Review to stop being handed the small tournaments and to document the important ones like the US Open. 

You opened the door to your hotel room and smiled when you saw how nice it actually was. 

You had stayed in some crap holes recently. 

You dumped your suitcases to one side and immediately turned on the shower so you could relax your cramped muscles and feel a bit cleaner.

You undressed and let the hot water cascade down your back, covering your hair and face as you tipped your head backwards. 

You took your time in there before getting out and blow drying your hair. 

By the time you had washed, done your hair and make up again; it was time to pick a dress for the evening so you could go get something to eat. 

You went for your favourite navy blue skirt and cream sweater, both hugged you nicely but were still modest, before slipping on some shoes. 

You took a small purse to put your room key in and then left for the restaurant/bar that was in the hotel.

The restaurant was filled with chess players and spectators all buzzing with excitement about this weekend. 

You managed to find a small table away from the majority of the hustle and tucked yourself away with your notepad. 

You liked being a fly on the wall most of the time. You enjoyed observing, studying and learning about people. ‘People watching’ as some would call it. 

The waiter brought over the cocktail you had ordered along with some grapes, cheese and crackers to munch on. 

After writing some of the thoughts down that came to you in the shower, you looked up to see who was around you. 

There was no sign of Beth Harmon which wasn’t unusual as she was known for practising in her room before tournaments. 

You scanned the groups before your eyes stopped on him. Benny Watts. 

His slick blonde hair fell slightly by his eye, his hat on his lap as he talked to the surrounding fans and admirers. 

The man loved talking about himself and loved talking about Chess even more. 

You watched him for a moment, the way his eyes were alight as he laughed amongst his peers. 

Benny must've felt someone was watching him because a second later, his eyes met yours for a brief moment. 

You looked down and pretended to write something down as Benny turned his chin this time to look at you again. 

You were used to being invisible and in that moment you felt extremely seen. 

However, the man didn’t move from his chair or even look another time after that. 

You popped a grape in your mouth before taking a large sip of your drink. You’d have to talk to him tomorrow and you knew that but for the first time, you actually felt the bubbles of nerves rise in stomach.

“May I buy you a drink?” A voice brought you from your thoughts and you looked up to see Henry Cavilla, one of the regular American chess players whom you believed you’d seen only two months before in Denver. 

“I’m fine, thank you.” You declined politely but the man sat down anyway, joining you at your table. 

“I insist.” Henry’s smile spread widely on his lips as he waved a waiter over. “I saw you in Denver. You’re a journalist, am I right?” 

“Yes. For Chess Review.” You had to hide your irritation at his boldness.

“How long you been doing that?” The man asked, 

“Well I’ve been a journalist for three years, but I’ve only been at Chess Review for 6 months.” You admitted honestly as the man ordered two drinks for the table. 

“What’s a beautiful girl like you doing reporting on chess? Thought you’d be more into what Beth Harmon was wearing than her Sicilian defence.” 

“I could ask you a similar thing? What’s a mediocre, chino wearing, middle aged   misogynist doing at a chess tournament where Beth Harmon and Benny Watts are playing?” You couldn’t help but let the words slip out of your mouth, slapping the man right round the face. 

You watched the man’s smile drop following a small burst of laughter echoing through the restaurant. 

Your head snapped round to see it was Benny Watts laughing, staring directly at your table. He must’ve heard what you said despite the rest of the restaurant noise. 

“Listen here, sweetheart, you’re just a skirt hired to keep your boss man happy and to fuck the chess players into a one page interview so you can get your paycheck to fund your morning after pill from planned parenthood and buy yourself some clean panties you’d sooner have off anyways.” You hit a nerve with what you said and he seemed to hit one right back.   

You threw the two new drinks in the mans face, causing most of the restaurant to stop and stare at the commotion as he jumped to his feet to retaliate. 

You snatched your notebook and fled the scene before anything worse could happen or you get thrown out of the tournament all together. 

You fell back onto your bed, kicking your shoes off as you did. 

It wasn’t unusual for men to be putting you down, especially in the chess world and the journalist world but tonight you just weren't having any of it. 

You groaned as you pushed your hair out of your face, replaying the event in your head. The way everyone stared after you threw the drinks in his face. 

You did not need to be the centre of attention this weekend. 

You put yourself to bed with the television playing so you could stop scolding yourself in your head and distract yourself to finally get some sleep. 

The next morning you woke up early, getting ready quickly and making sure you had everything you needed for a full day of reporting. 

You skipped breakfast, only taking a black coffee before you entered the battle field.

The chess boards were still being set up and from across the room you spotted the familiar hair colour that belonged to Beth Harmon. 

“Beth? Beth Harmon?” You crossed the room to greet her. “I’m (Y/n)(Y/l/n) from Chess Review. I was wondering if I could get an opening statement before the tournament goes ahead this weekend?” You asked politely, trying your best not to attack her verbally this early in the morning, 

“Uh, of course. I’m feeling very confident this weekend that I’ll quickly rise to the top, concluding the tournament opposite Benny Watts.” Beth admitted, 

“Are you scared of Benny Watts?” You asked, 

“Scared? No. I am merely curious to see how our game goes.” Beth admits. 

“Well, good luck, Beth. I hope to catch up with you sometime this weekend for a brief interview of how you play your games if you don’t mind?” You asked politely, silently begging she’d say yes. 

“I’ll speak with you tomorrow night. It’ll be the middle of the tournament so there’ll be plenty to talk about.” Beth was extremely nice in offering her time and you took it gratefully. 

You left the girl to her own company and returned to the lobby where you could see a crowd already gathering. 

“Mr Watts.” You spotted the leather jacket and hat as the man entered the breakfast room. 

The man turned when he heard his name being called across the lobby and you quickly jogged to catch up to him. 

“You’re the girl from last night who put Henry Cavilla in his place?” Benny Watts smirked at you as he recalled the previous nights events. 

“Um.” You felt your cheeks flush in embarrassment. “I was just wondering if I could get a statement before the tournament began?” 

“You’re a reporter?” Benny cocked his eyebrow at you, his eyes scanning you up and down shamelessly. 

“Yes. For Chess Review.” You informed him. 

“Follow me.” Benny nodded his head sideways towards the table he was heading to and you did as you were told. 

“I was wondering how you were feeling about this weekend and possibly going up against Beth Harmon?” You asked as you sat yourself down opposite the man. 

“I won’t be possibly going up against Beth Harmon. I fully expect to be going up against her. Out of everyone here, she is the only person I see as potential competition.” Benny admitted, picking up his knife and fork as his breakfast was set down on the table. 

“Are you sure there’s no one else? Harry Beltik went into his tournament in Kentucky assuming no one but Cullen was any competition to him and yet Beth Harmon came along.” You stated, jotting down some notes to avoid watching the man eat. 

“Well then, they’ll just have to surprise me.” His eyes locked onto yours when he spoke. His lip just edging into a smirk. 

“Thank you for your statement.” You felt your stomach flip and you jumped to your feet, gathering your things. 

“Would you not like a full interview or was the three sentence statement enough?” Benny cocked his head round as you began to leave. 

“It was four, actually.” You corrected him, tapping your notepad with your pen. 

The man huffed out a short chuckle. 

“I’d be grateful for an interview later on this weekend, Mr Watts, if you don’t mind?” 

“I’ll find you when I’m ready.” Benny told you and from the look in his eyes, that’s what he really meant. 

The day went by quicker than expected, it was impossible to watch every game of the day so you watched Beth’s and Benny’s and you filled yourself in with the plays of any others that would make good press. 

You loved watching the game being played, you always tried to predict the outcome and 9 times out of 10 you got it correct except with Beth Harmon and Benny Watts.

They surprised you and it was thrilling to watch. You admired Harmon’s intuition and her attacks. Watts had always been an interesting watch all through his career but you’d only seen him play a handful of times in person before today.

In the evening, you received a call from the big bosses asking how everything was going. 

“I have an interview set up with Beth Harmon and Benny Watts.” You told them with confidence. 

“Good girl. Now get those interviews done quickly and send me a draft as soon as you can.” Your boss ordered before ending the call. 

You sighed, running a hand over your tired face. 

You picked up the bottle of wine you had in a metal cooler to see it was empty. Room service had taken so long to bring it up previously, you decided to just slip your slippers on and head down to the bar to get one final glass of wine before bed. 

You were wearing a nightie so you pulled a coat on over the top in case you bumped into anyone.

As you walked down the hall, you could hear the familiar voice of Benny Watts behind you. 

He was spewing some chess facts to whoever he was with as he walked. 

You peaked behind your shoulder to see he was heading to his room which was three doors up from yours. 

He spotted you too. 

You went into the elevator to head down to the bar. 

The bar was still busy despite the time and you had to wait for your wine. 

You took the glass and returned to your room. 

Your eyes couldn’t help but linger on the hotel room of Mr Benny Watts as you thought of tomorrows games. 

“You’re not stalking me, are you?” Benny startled you as he came up from behind. 

“Jesus...” You gasped, spinning round to face him. 

“Trying to get the dirt on who I’m sleeping with?” The man cocked his eyebrow, his hands tucked in his tight jeans. 

“Seems like the other way round since you keep appearing behind me.” You referred to earlier. 

“Maybe you just like being in my way?” You couldn’t deny that Benny Watts, the Benny Watts, was flirting with you right now. 

“Goodnight Mr Watts. Good luck tomorrow.” You gripped your door handle tightly. 

“Please, call me Benny.” 

(NEXT PART HERE)

[amuelia]

How do you think Roose will meet his demise? Or will he survive? What's your best Roose end game predictions?

Thank you for the question! This will be a long post under the readmore, going into my thoughts on the show ending and exploring what the books may have set up in regards to themes and characterization, as well as a bit of general analysis of Roose' story arc in a Dance with Dragons (and some speculation about Ramsay as well).

If you click on the readmore i will have divided the post into sections with bolded Headers, if you want to only read my specific endgame ideas you can skip ahead to the "His Endgame?" section.

In The Show

The show had him get killed by Ramsay in s6, which informs a lot of the fandom speculation about this storyline.

I am not a fan of the show's scenario as it was both similar to tywin and tyrion as well as a mirror of robb's death; it would also be offscreen in the books since neither of the characters are PoVs and Ramsay would need to do the act in secret. This would ultimately undercut Roose' role and impact, being a death scene that is not very unique and also isn't shown to the reader directly. Since no PoV is even in Winterfell currently, we would just hear of it from afar and not witness the consequences.

The show also has a different dynamic in the Bolton storyline, emphasizing Ramsay as the "main character" of this arc, and elevating him to the main villain for s5-6 to fill Joffrey's shoes as an evil character played by a very charismatic actor. Ramsay's show writing is informed by the needs of a TV setting that wants shocking moments and capitalizes on "fan favourite" actors; his rising importance in the show thus is not necessarily an indicator of his book importance. The show was also missing many central characters like the northern lords and the Frey men in Winterfell.

The show had a tendency to kill off characters early when they wanted to cull storylines or had no plans to adapt more of the character's story (like Stannis, Barristan, possibly the Tyrells...); In Mance Rayder we have the most obvious example, where they killed him off for real in a scene that in the book was a misdirection. We also have characters like Jorah where it appears the showrunners had their own choice of how they want his storyline to end, even if Grrm has his own ending in mind.

"For a long time we wanted Ser Jorah to be there at The Wall in the end," writer Dave Hill says. "The three coming out of the tunnel would be Jon and Jorah and Tormund. But [...] Jorah should have the noble death he craves defending the woman he loves." - Dave Hill for Entertainment Weekly

So a death in the show does not need to be an indicator that the books will feature an equivalent scene, even if it gives a hint as to what may happen. By s5 the show has become its own beast, and the butterfly effects from radical changes they made as well as the different characterizations results in the show having to cater to its own needs in many cases when it gets to resolving a plotline.

"We reconceived the role to make it worthy of the actor's talents." - Benioff and Weiss for the s5 DVD commentary, on Indira Varma's casting as Ellaria

In The Books

(Since this post was getting out of hand in length a lot of these arguments are a little shortened/not as in-depth as i'd like! Feel free to inquire more via ask if something is unclear or you disagree)

In the books i find it hard to make a concrete guess as to how it will end. Occam's razor would be to assume the show sort of got it right and that it will vaguely end the same, which could very well happen and i will not discount the possibility; Ramsay is cruel, desires the Dreadfort rule, and is a suspected kinslayer and has no qualms to commit immoral violence.

"Ramsay killed [his brother]. A sickness of the bowels, Maester Uthor says, but I say poison." - Reek III, aDwD

Reek saw the way Ramsay's mouth twisted, the spittle glistening between his lips. He feared he might leap the table with his dagger in his hand [to attack his father]. - Reek III, aDwD

Arguments against this or for a different endgame come down to interpretations of the themes in the story arc and opinions on dramatic structure/grrm's writing, and are thus very subjective.

The way the story currently is going, Ramsay killing Roose treats Roose almost as a plot device; his death brings no change or development to Ramsay's character as we already know his motivations and cruelty align with such an act, and we can assume that he would feel no remorse about it either. The results of such a scene would be firmly on a story level, as it brings political changes and moves the plot along into a specific direction. Roose himself cannot have any relevant character development about it as he does not have a PoV and we would not be able to witness his reaction from the outside.

“The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.” - William Faulkner, often quoted by Grrm

Further, killing his father is very difficult to pull off in secret (Roose is frequently described as very cautious, and employs many guardsmen). And even if Ramsay pulls it off (people often interpret Ramsay as Roose' blind spot, assuming he might be caught by surprise, not expecting Ramsay would bite the hand that feeds him), Roose is the one that holds his entire alliance together; The Freys would be alienated by Ramsay who would antagonize Walda and her son as his rivals, The Ryswell bloc appears to dislike Ramsay (especially Barbrey), and the other northmen are implied to not even like Roose himself. Killing Roose would quickly combust the entire northern faction, and hinder Ramsay's further plans (another reason why I am not convinced of a book version of the "Battle of Bastards"). Though this might of course, if we look at it from the other side, be grrm's plan to quickly dissolve this plot and move the northern story forwards.

"Ramsay will kill [Walda's children], of course. [...] [She] will grieve to see them die, though." - Reek III, aDwD

"How many of our grudging friends do you imagine we'd retain if the truth were known? Only Lady Barbrey, whom you would turn into a pair of boots … inferior boots." - Reek III, aDwD

"Fear is what keeps a man alive in this world of treachery and deceit. Even here in Barrowton the crows are circling, waiting to feast upon our flesh. The Cerwyns and the Tallharts are not to be relied on, my fat friend Lord Wyman plots betrayal, and Whoresbane … the Umbers may seem simple, but they are not without a certain low cunning. Ramsay should fear them all, as I do." - Reek III, aDwD

Roose' death at Ramsay's hand also removes him thematically from the Red Wedding, as we can assume such a death might have happened regardless of his participation in the event (seeing as Ramsay is getting provoked by Roose constantly in normal dialogue, and has a general violent disposition). Roose already took Ramsay in before aGoT started, and married Walda very early in the war, which is already most of the buildup that the show's scenario had. It also has little to do with the The North Remembers plot except set dressing, since the northmen are presumably neither collaborating with/egging on Ramsay nor would they appreciate the development.

Themes: Ned Stark and the rule over the North

Roose is treated as a foil to Eddard; They are often contrasted in morals and ruling styles, while also having many superficial similarities that further connect them (they are seen as cold by people, grey eyed, patriarchs of rivalling northern houses, etc...).

Pale as morning mist, his eyes concealed more than they told. Jaime misliked those eyes. They reminded him of the day at King's Landing when Ned Stark had found him seated on the Iron Throne. - Jaime IV, aSoS

They both have a "bastard son" that they handle very differently; Roose treating Ramsay in the way that is seen as common in their society. Ramsay and Jon as a comparison are meant to show that Catelyn had a reason to see a bastard as a threat (since Domeric was antagonized by his bastard brother), but also shows that her suggested plan for Jon would not have stopped any danger either (as Ramsay being raised away from the castle didn't help).

And if his seed quickened, she expected he would see to the child's needs. He did more than that. The Starks were not like other men. Ned brought his bastard home with him, and called him "son" for all the north to see. - Catelyn II, aGoT

"Each year I sent the woman some piglets and chickens and a bag of stars, on the understanding that she was never to tell the boy who had fathered him. A peaceful land, a quiet people, that has always been my rule." - Reek III, aDwD

It appears to me that Roose' story functions in some ways as an inversion to Ned. He makes an attempt to grab a power he was not destined to (becoming warden of the north), where Ned did not want the responsiblity thrust upon him ("It was all meant for Brandon. [...] I never asked for this cup to pass to me." - Cat II, aGoT). Where Ned rules successfully and his northmen honor his legacy ("What do you think passes through their heads when they hear the new bride weeping? Valiant Ned's precious little girl." - The Turncloak, aDwD), the Boltons are largely hated and there are several plots conspiring against them ("Let me bathe in Bolton blood before I die." - The King's Prize, aDwD).

It seems possible to me that in terms of their family and legacy, Roose might also live through an inverted version of Ned's story; where Ned died first, leaving his family behind, Roose already lived to see the death of his wives and trueborn heir, and might thus also live to see Ramsay's death. Ned leaves behind well raised children and a North who still respects his name, and even though he dies it will presumably all be "in good hands" in the end (in broad strokes, obviously this is all much more morally complex). Roose however built up a bad and toxic legacy, and also built his way of life around evading consequences; it makes sense to me that he would be forced by the story to finally endure all the consequences of his actions and witness the fall of his house firsthand. After all we already have Tywin who fulfils the purpose of dying before his children while his legacy falls to ruins, and a Feast for Crows explores this aspect thoroughly.

Roose' arc in A Dance With Dragons

The story repeatedly builds up the situation unravelling around Roose, and him slowly losing a grip on it and becoming more stressed and anxious.

Reek wondered if Roose Bolton ever cried. If so, do the tears feel cold upon his cheeks? - Reek II, aDwD

Roose Bolton said nothing at all. But Theon Greyjoy saw a look in his pale eyes that he had never seen before—an uneasiness, even a hint of fear. [...] That night the new stable collapsed beneath the weight of the snow that had buried it. - a Ghost in Winterfell, aDwD

Lady Walda gave a shriek and clutched at her lord husband's arm. "Stop," Roose Bolton shouted. "Stop this madness." His own men rushed forward as the Manderlys vaulted over the benches to get at the Freys. - Theon I, aDwD

It also directly presents him as a parallel to Theon's rule in aCoK, who similarly experienced a very unpopular rule and his subjects slowly turning against him. Presumably, the point of this comparison will not just be "Ramsay comes in at the end and unexpectedly whacks them on the head". Both Theon and Roose invited Ramsay into their lives, giving him more power than he deserves, and causing Ramsay to make choices that increasingly alienate others from them (the death of the miller's boys for example has repercussions for both Theon and Roose). Grrm is likely steering this towards a difference in how they will deal with this situation.

It all seemed so familiar, like a mummer show that he had seen before. Only the mummers had changed. Roose Bolton was playing the part that Theon had played the last time round, and the dead men were playing the parts of Aggar, Gynir Rednose, and Gelmarr the Grim. Reek was there too, he remembered, but he was a different Reek, a Reek with bloody hands and lies dripping from his lips, sweet as honey. - a Ghost in Winterfell, aDwD

"Stark's little wolflings are dead," said Ramsay, sloshing some more ale into his cup, "and they'll stay dead. Let them show their ugly faces, and my girls will rip those wolves of theirs to pieces. The sooner they turn up, the sooner I kill them again." - The elder Bolton sighed. "Again? Surely you misspeak. You never slew Lord Eddard's sons, those two sweet boys we loved so well. That was Theon Turncloak's work, remember? How many of our grudging friends do you imagine we'd retain if the truth were known?" - Reek III, aDwD

Roose' arc is deeply connected to the relations he shares to the other northern lords, which has been heavily impacted by the Red Wedding. It stands to reason that they are going to be an important part of his downfall, and we see many hints of them plotting to betray him.

The north remembers, Lord Davos. The north remembers, and the mummer's farce is almost done. My son is home." - Davos IV, aDwD

Themes: Stannis and kinslaying

The books set up Roose and Stannis as foils as well; Both lack charisma and have trouble winnning the people's support, Stannis and Roose both parallel and contrast Ned, Stannis appears as a "lesser Robert" where Roose is a "lesser Ned", Stannis represents the fire where Roose represents the ice, both struggle over dominion in a land that doesnt particularly want either of them, etc... What i find interesting is how they are contrasted over kinslaying:

"Only Renly could vex me so with a piece of fruit. He brought his doom on himself with his treason, but I did love him, Davos. I know that now. I swear, I will go to my grave thinking of my brother's peach." - Davos II, aCoK

"I should've had the mother whipped and thrown her child down a well … but the babe did have my eyes." [...] "Now [Domeric's] bones lie beneath the Dreadfort with the bones of his brothers, who died still in the cradle, and I am left with Ramsay. Tell me, my lord … if the kinslayer is accursed, what is a father to do when one son slays another?" - Reek III, aCoK

Stannis is set up as someone who is very thorough and strict in following his own code and his "duty", even if he does not like what it forces him to do.

Stannis ground his teeth again. "I never asked for this crown. Gold is cold and heavy on the head, but so long as I am the king, I have a duty . . . If I must sacrifice one child to the flames to save a million from the dark . . . Sacrifice . . . is never easy, Davos. Or it is no true sacrifice. Tell him, my lady." - Davos IV, aSoS

The armorer considered that a moment. "Robert was the true steel. Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends." - Jon I, aCoK

Roose however is frequently characterized as someone who tries to get as much as he can while avoiding negative consequences, and who does not have a consistent moral code and instead bends rules to his benefit to be the most comfortable to him.

It is often theorized that Stannis will end up burning his daughter Shireen; the Ramsay issue might then serve to contrast the two men. If Grrm intends it to be compared by the reader, I can see it going two ways: Either Roose will be forced to finally act in a drastic way after avoiding his responsibility in regards to Ramsay and he will be forced to get rid of his son, making him break the only moral hurdle he has presented adhering to during the story (though analyzing his character, the kinslaying taboo is probably less a sign of moral fortitude and more him using the guise of morals to explain a selfish motivation). Or he might not act against Ramsay and suffer the consequences, presenting an interesting moral situation where some readers might consider his action "better" or more relatable than Stannis', breaking up the otherwise very black and white moral comparison between the two men. It serves as an interesting conflict of the morality of kinslaying compared to what readers might see as a moral obligation of getting rid of a monster such as Ramsay; contrasting Shireen whose death would not be seen as worth it by most. Ramsay as a bastard (who was almost killed at birth if he hadnt been able to prove his paternity) also makes for an interesting verbal parallel with the bastard Edric Storm, and might be used for a look at the utilitarian principle of killing a child (baby ramsay/edric) to save countless people from suffering that underpinned Edric's story.

"As Faulkner says, all of us have the capacity in us for great good and for great evil, for love but also for hate. I wanted to write those kinds of complex character in a fantasy, and not just have all the good people get together to fight the bad guy." - Grrm

"Robert, I ask you, what did we rise against Aerys Targaryen for, if not to put an end to the murder of children?" - Eddard VIII, aGoT

"If Joffrey should die . . . what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?" - "Everything," said Davos, softly. - Davos V, aSoS

However Grrm decides to present these conflicts or which actions the characters will take in the end, it will result in interesting discussion and analysis for the readers.

His Endgame?

Looking at the trends of the past books, it is probably going to be hard to predict any specific outcome; every book introduces new characters and plot elements that were impossible to predict from the last book even if their thematic importance or setup was aptly foreshadowed.

Roose has a lot of plot importance and characterization that has, in my opinion, not yet been properly resolved in a way that would be unique and poignant to the specific purpose his character appears to fulfil. However I also have a bias in that i did not like the show's writing of that scene which makes me averse to see a version of it in the books, and i really like Roose as a character and want to see him have more scenes in the next book(s). This leads me to discount plot speculation that cuts his character arc short offscreen early. Roose is only a side character; however, i have trust in grrm's writing abilities and that he would give him a proper sendoff that feels satisfying to a fan of the character.

"…even the [characters] who are complete bastards, nasty, twisted, deeply flawed human beings with serious psychological problems… When I get inside their skin and look out through their eyes, I have to feel a certain — if not sympathy, certainly empathy for them. I have to try to perceive the world as they do, and that creates a certain amount of affection." — George Martin

Considering my earlier analyis, there is a case to be made for Roose killing Ramsay; however it appears grrm might have a different endgame in mind for Ramsay, foreshadowed in Chett's prologue:

There'd be no lord's life for the leechman's son, no keep to call his own, no wives nor crowns. Only a wildling's sword in his belly, and then an unmarked grave. The snow's taken it all from me . . . the bloody snow . . . - Chett, aSoS

I tend to think something might happen to Roose/the Bolton bloc later in the book that would cause Ramsay to attempt to flee the scene again like he did back in aCoK fleeing Rodrik's justice; perhaps Ramsay is sent out to battle but then flees it like a coward, or he sees his cause as lost. This time, the fleeing and potentially disguised Ramsay would not make it out to safety though, and get killed without being recognized as Ramsay, dying forgotten. This would serve as dramatic irony since Ramsay so strongly desired to be recognized and respected as a Lord of Bolton, without being too on the nose.

As for Roose, i could see him getting captured and somehow brought to justice (either when someone takes Winterfell or in some sort of battle). I see it unlikely that he will be backstabbed like Robb was, because it seems very "eye for an eye" and ultimately doesn't teach much of a lesson except "he had it coming"; But the various people conspiring against him could lead to his capture by betraying him (giving a payoff to the northern conspiracies and the red wedding). I would find a scene of him standing trial interesting since i believe we didn't have one of these for a true non-pov villain yet, and it would be an interesting confrontation that he cannot escape from (he also loves to talk so it would be a good read to see him make a case for himself).

I assume Roose will be out of the picture when the Other plot finally properly kicks into gear (whether dead or "in prison"). With Stannis as a false Azor Ahai and Roose as a false Other (with his pale, cold features), their struggle in the north seems to be a representation of the false "Game of Thrones" that distracts people from the "real threat" of the Others.

As always this is just my opinion, and it could all go very differently in the books! There could always be something that completely uproots my analysis and goes into a direction i did not expect from the material we had; But i have fate that Grrm as a writer will deliver and give me something i can be satisfied with.

[la-fille-en-aiguilles]

Señorita

Billy Russo x Female Reader

Warnings: S.M.U.T., language.

Synopsis: You finally get out of the city to spend a week in a beachside paradise - you’re entitled to a little getaway, you think, with your birthday coming up. When a handsome stranger hits on you at the bar, along with your birthday, some other things might come as well.   A/N: This was random? Came out of nowhere. Enjoy & let me know what you think x

Gif not mine

Timid waves crushed softly against the shoreline, white sand turning concrete gray at their touch. The warm breeze carried around a song you thought you recognised, but couldn’t remember from where. The beach-side bar basked in a gentle blush glow, so typical for the evenings here at Mallorca… You’d only arrived a couple of days ago, but already you couldn’t picture yourself anywhere else - just sitting here, at the bar by the turquoise sea, sipping on your Pina Colada in the shadow of the palm-branched roof. The wind brushed through your salt-stained hair from the entire day spent rolling around on the beach; mindful sun caressing your thighs, peaking from behind the slit in your deep emerald dress.

Tonight was relatively calm, you thought, twirling the straw in your cocktail absentmindedly. Ever since the English rugby team packed up their balls and other attributes and set out to sea, the place became peaceful.

You were glad. The entire point of this trip was to get out of the busy city for a while, enjoy the calm. If you wanted a testosterone-filled party for your birthday, you would have stayed in New York - Karen would throw a rave that would make Coachella look like a kindergarten gathering.

But that is exactly what drove you out of America and into this seaside paradise. If there was one thing you had trouble doing, it was working a crowd of people you barely saw in your everyday life, who only came for booze and dancing. Karen said she understood, and that the party would have been a small yet tasteful affair… you still fled.

Here’s to hoping that Karen wasn’t pissed at you for bailing, you silently prayed, throwing the straw on the bar and taking a gulp directly from the glass. Judging from the text Karen sent you earlier today, saying something about getting together for a celebratory meal when you got back to the city, you figured she wasn’t mad. She did say something about introducing her to a friend of Frank’s again, and having thrown the Karen plan for the party out of the window, you had to budge.

It’d been so long it had become a running joke between you two - Karen wanting to introduce you to that “handsome hunk”, with whom Frank had served. She was especially lyrical about his manners, his big heart and his beautiful smile.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think Karen was head over heels for the guy.

Every time Karen made plans for a Sunday brunch or Saturday night drinks at Castle’s place with the sole purpose of introducing you to the Hunk, you always found an excuse to ditch. Sometimes it was an urgency at work, sometimes it was about something funny you ate the night before… You must have been dodging these “introductory date” attempts for at least five months now - and it all looked like after this get-away vacation, you’d have to face the music.

Well, it was worth it. A week of doing nothing, reading sappy novels and drinking high-end cocktails, that was what you craved for, and if you had to pretend to be interested in some nonsense a guy was trying to charm you with for a couple of hours, it was a small price to pay. With that thought, you finished off your Pina Colada and motioned for the sunburnt brown bartender to get you another one.

“Hola señorita.”

The voice was unexpected. Low, with an agreeable trace of huskiness and with a hint of power.

“Disculpe, ¿este asiento está ocupado?”

Slightly frowning, you turned your head to the right.  

Ever since the English rugby team settled in one of the villas, the women in the hotel found themselves outnumbered. It just so happened - what a coincidence - that you turned out to be their neighbour, your villa closest to theirs. Everytime you’d walk out of your temporary home to hit the bar or the beach, you’d spot at least three young men hanging outside of their quarters, their faces illuminating the minute they saw you. You’d give them a cursory smile back - you weren’t that cruel - but everytime one of them tried to approach you, you shot him down - often with a look, rarely with a verbal warning. Ever since they left, you was relishing the feeling of tranquillity - until he decided to burst your happy little bubble.

The first thing you noticed about him is that he wasn’t Spanish, despite the lack of accent. He had beautiful dark, almost black eyes, the colour of a freshly brewed espresso, that myriad of black and chocolate tones swirling in a whirlpool of tender curiosity. They held your depreciating stare well. The sun obviously loved him - those razor-sharp cheekbones glowed bronze as he tilted his head to the side a little bit. The wind caressed his dark hair, playing with the longer strands at the top.

Something about him was so familiar. Maybe you’d seen him on the beach before? You did stay at the same hotel after all…

Not in a slightest bit confused at your lack of answer, the man smiled.

His smile held a sort of a gentle surprise in it, like a summer day in a middle of October.

It was absolutely breathtaking.

“Je suis désolée,” you finally uttered, forcing your eyes to focus on his eyes again instead of his lips. “Je ne parle pas espagnol”.

His smile grew wider, much to your surprise. Instead of getting red in the face, stammering out some random apology as you expected him to, he nodded and motioned to the chair next to you with one hand, sliding the other one across the surface of the bar.

Despite your better judgement and against your utter dislike of aimless flirting, you found herself shrugging as you accepted her second drink from the bartender.

“A whiskey on the rocks, please.”

Ah-ha. He’s from New York.

You sipped on your cocktail directly from the glass, ignoring the brand-new straw the bartender supplied you with in order to hide your smirk. As the man held two aristocratic, impossibly long fingers in the air, making his order, you took the time to study him.

He was tall, much taller than you. The plain white t-shirt that he wore betrayed the solid stomach muscles hidden under the cotton - the short sleeves strained as he gripped the back of the chair and slowly lowered himself onto it.

“Thank you,” he finally said to the bartender with a nod, gripping his glass with those downright pornographic fingers. Slightly pursuing his lips, the man turned his full attention back to you. When you arched an eyebrow at his antics, he flashed you a mischievous yet understanding look. “Ça tombe bien. Je me sens plus à l’aise en parlant français”.

That cheeky bastard.

Your first reaction was that of a sincere surprise. You were pretty sure that for a second there, your eyebrows almost reached your hairline. Upon catching the satisfied glint in these already all too familiar eyes, you wanted to feel irritated at the nerve of him, at the fact that he just happened to beat you at your own game. But you didn’t.

Biting hard on your bottom lip in order not to laugh, you took your glass and sipped, hard.

“While I’d love to know how many more languages the lady speaks, I would much rather learn her name”, he dropped nonchalantly, whirling his whiskey gently, the ice cubes cluttering against the glass.

The first comeback that crossed your mind was so filthy you couldn’t possibly go with it. The second one, however, was efficient and succinct.

“Diana, here’s a lady’s name.”

With a low chuckle, he let his head drop down for a moment. When he raised his eyes to face you again, your chest felt a little too tight and a little too fragile under his poignant stare - that of amusement, want and a clean cut awe.

His eyes had told you that this was more than a drifting attraction, that he was interested in so much more than your name…

You saw it, and for some nonsensical reason, chose to believe it.

“I don’t care about names,” there was such a determination to your voice that it surprised you. It didn’t startle him, though - he caught your every word as his eyes travelled from your fluttering eyelashes to the soft curve of your lips. “When there are so many more interesting things to talk about. Don’t you agree?”

As you turned away from him and took another sip of your drink, you heard him chuckle yet again, and saw him press a hesitant finger against his lips.

This was obviously new to him. This small treacherous gesture led you to believe that maybe he wasn’t one to pick women at bars, that, just like you, he felt that thrill of surrendering to the strange sort of attraction encircling you both.

“In fact, enough talking. Let’s focus on doing.”

What was it so special about him that made you decide? It’s not like there’s been no men before him, very much willing to break through your iron-clad facade, wanting you to take a leap of faith. Some of them had the potential to make you feel good, you were aware of that. Still, you didn’t want them.

What made him so different? A certain familiarity of his voice, his features, maybe? Or maybe you should just slow down, cut down on the alcohol, drink a glass of water and go back to your villa, alone.

The way his eyes skimmed your naked shoulders, a barely there sigh leaving his half-open lips sealed the deal.

You didn’t want to slow down.

Not with him.

“Here’s to doing then”, his Adam apple bobbed as he gulped down, his eyes darkening. He raised his glass towards you - a figurative shake of hands on the deal they just made.

“Here’s to doing”, you agreed, clinking your glass to his.

His villa was located at the outskirts of the hotel beach, backed by the rocks. It was a ten-minute walk from the bar, feet in the warm sand, the star-sprangled night sky over your heads.

Despite the silence surrounding you, save for the occasional gust of breeze carrying on the sound of music from the bar you just left, you didn’t feel awkward. A soft smile ghosted over your lips as you felt his careful touch at the small of your back - those fingers sliding down to the base of your spine, feather-like. He strode forward, adapting his pace so you could keep up - you weren’t even sure he was aware of that, the change in him so spontaneous, as if it were a force of habit. Like this wasn’t the first time you walked side by side.

You would blame it on the booze, but you drank a total of two cocktails.

He only had one whiskey before they took off.

The villa he chose to stay in was slightly more spacious than yours, and provided a lot more privacy - this told you a lot about the man you were about to sleep with. He was most certainly well off, for starters. He also came here to get his share of peace and quiet, much like yourself.

Guiding you through the doors, he turned the lights on behind you, his other hand never leaving your back.

The best way to describe the interior would be neat or crisp, with a large, perfectly made bed in the center of the space, surrounded by a bar, a hanging chair, a shuttered armoire, and a desk, that could be used both as a kitchen table and a bureau. It smelled faintly of vanilla and musk, with a sea-salt aftertaste.

“Make yourself at home”, he murmured into your ear, still standing behind you, his hand gripping your hip hard for a fleeting second. When the realization of his touch had settled in, and you were finally able to react, he was already at the bar, serving himself a whiskey.

“Would you like something to drink?”

He busied himself with the bottle for a moment; then he produced another glass from behind the bar, waiting on your answer. When you didn’t speak, he turned to face you again.

You did as you were told - kicking off your shoes, you stepped onto the soft wool rug. With your back to him, you slowly made your way to his bed. One you reached it, you couldn’t resist trailing your fingertips along its surface - the sheets were creamy and silk, smooth to the touch.

You stopped short of the head of the bed, throwing a look over your shoulder. He caught your gaze, frozen in place, wetting his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue.  

“Why don’t you choose for me?” you offered, slowly lowering yourself on the bed, crossing your legs. “What do you usually serve them?”

The way his eyes narrowed at you ever so slightly almost made you smile. It looked like you’d struck a nerve.

Good.

“I wouldn’t know how to answer that question”, he said, his voice levelled, his stare unblinking. “I’ve never had an urge like that before”.

Well, fuck.

How many more times this man was going to run counter to your expectations?

And on top of everything, damn, he was good. A quick-thinker or a natural good-talker? Would you remain clear-headed for long enough to find out?

“What else would you like to know?” his voice grew huskier as he pushed the glass away from himself. He left it at the bar as he started your way, his pupils blown to hell.

“That all I’ve been thinking about ever since I saw you at the bar is how soft your breasts would feel pressed against my chest? That I’ve been hard ever since you opened that sassy mouth of yours? Or that I would have jerked off to the memory of you for weeks if you hadn’t come here with me?”

God.

The tightness that had long since made home in your chest moved lower, lower, lower, until it sank into the pit of your stomach. At his words, involuntary, your thighs clenched together, restless energy buzzing in between your legs, your toes curling.

“Stand up”.

When your eyes focused back on your surroundings, you saw him standing a couple of steps away, his strong jaw clenching as he gazed at you, his arms folded on his chest. Breath catching in your throat, you pushed off the bed. Feeling dizzy all of the sudden, you squeezed your eyes shut.

“Don’t close your eyes. Look at me, beautiful.”

Again, you did as you were told - you met his gaze head-on, and almost instantly regretted it. He was staring down at you with those black bottomless eyes, raw emotion flowing through him, filling the air around them, charging it to the brim. His hands fell down his sides now - so tense, the veins budged on his forearms.

It’s like he was pacing himself, keeping himself from touching you.

“Take off your dress,” he requested after a moment, watching you like a hawk.

Slowly, squeezing your thighs harder, harder still, you brought your hands to the spaghetti straps on your shoulders, before pushing them off completely.

The dress landed in a heap on the floor, leaving you in nothing but lacy panties - almost utterly naked under his stare.

You heard the softest groan escape his mouth as his hand snaked across his thighs and up to that bulge in his pants. When he squeezed his hand around it, his abdominal muscles flexing as he exhaled, you felt the moisture spread down your inner thighs.

With your heart pounding in your throat, you made a step towards him with your hand stretched out. Almost immediately you heard a low strangled noise, and saw the nah shining bright in his dark eyes.

“Not yet, beautiful,” he growled, taking his t-shirt off in one elegant motion. He then undid the belt on his pants, his eyes savouring every inch of your naked skin. “Play with your tits for me. With both hands.”

Your own touch burned as you carefully squeezed your nipples with your fingers. Throwing your head back, you moaned loud, unwillingly pushing your hips forward.

“That’s it, beautiful, just like that.”

His words seemed to lift some sort of barrier, as you started to tug and pull harder at the nipples, alternating the movements with firm grasps around the swell of your breasts.

You were going to come.

You were going to come and he hadn’t even touched you yet.

“Now slide one of those hands down those panties. Rub that pretty pussy. Tell me how wet you are”.

You made peace with the fact that he was a talker - but now he had surely sat out to break her. His voice washed all over your body, sending goosebumps down your spine as you slid one of your hands under the underwear.

“I’m so fucking wet”, you gasped, staring at him. “Fucking dripping”.

His moan made your thighs tremble, your fingers slowly circling around your clit. Before you let your eyes roll to the back of your head, you saw him with one of his hands hidden in his pants, slowly jerking himself off, with slow, aborted motions.

“That’s it, caress that pussy for me. But go slow - tease it”.

You nearly growled at that. You knew you were close - there was a bundle of sensation, like a ball of electricity, building inside of you - two quick flicks of your index finger, and you’d be done for.  

“Jesus, please”, you stuttered out before you could realize you were actually begging. “I’m so fucking close, please…”

You rubbed slowly over the nerves, your fingers wet and slippery. Panting, you realized his name would have come in handy just now - if he had some sort of a praise kink, you could maybe easily get the release you yearned for.

“You are so beautiful, fucking yourself like that. Wish those were my hands. Or my mouth”.

Something flared at the very end of your clit, softly spreading all over her pussy. You moaned loud and unapologetic, your fingers moving faster as you tried to chase that sensation. You needed to grasp it, to ride it out, you fucking needed it!…

“Put a finger inside, beautiful”.

You didn’t need to be told twice. Pumping fast and hard, you could feel your knees bending, your flesh begging for release.

“Come for me. Now.”

As if by command, the orgasm finally hit you - everywhere at once. It made your entire body shake as you screamed out, pussy clenching around your fingers. You barely registered you were falling down on your knees, when strong hands caught you at your hipbones, pushing you upright.

He was on you before you could come down from your high. His mouth hot and bruising against yours, you moaned, instinctively jumping onto him and wrapping your legs around his feverish body.

His scent assaulted you - a clean, musky scent made your inside muscles clench, so you wiggled against him, wanting more.

He was so painfully hard against your core, you whimpered, pushing your hips against his, needing more friction, like an addict craving for a dose.

Sensing your need, feeling you, he grabbed your ass with his large hands and stepped onto the bed, setting you down on that same wooden headboard of the bed you’d almost stroke with your fingers.

Pushing your legs apart, he settled in between them. Before you knew it, his tongue lapped at your wetness, sliding up the length of your slit. Whimpering and moaning, you arched your back, burying your fingers in his hair, tugging hard. That made him growl, adding a slight vibration as he sucked on the bundle of nerves. He slammed his fingers - those fucking fingers - into you, and it took exactly two pumps for your second orgasm to roll over you. With your eyes squeezed shut, you moaned into the ceiling with everything you had.

Helping you slide down onto the bed with his hands guiding your hips, he gave you a piercing stare. The one that made you whimper, even though your eye-side was still fuzzy at the edges.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, before he distanced himself from you - to take off his pants.

“I’m going to fuck you now - I’ll be gentle next time, right now… Right now I just need to bury myself in that pretty pussy of yours”.

“Fuck”, you moaned, propping yourself on the elbows, closing your eyes as you threw your head back. You didn’t know if you could handle more, but Jesus, did you want it. His cock stretching you wide.

You would not have been able to tell where he took a condom from - you didn’t even have time to contemplate on it. All you registered was a slight discomfort in between your legs before his huge cock pushed inside of you, inch by glorious inch. The stretch was almost too much, and you coughed out half a breath, half a moan as you tried to adjust to his size. Whatever sound you were about to let out next, as he slid out of you and pushed back in, to the hilt this time, it got lost in between your lips, as he captured your mouth in a bruising kiss.

Your nails scratched on his ripped back as he fucked into you shallowly, your teeth biting into the skin on his neck. As if not getting enough of you, he grabbed one of your thighs, flexing it, so he could thrust deeper.

The change of the angle had you swearing under your breath, and his mouth was there to silence you again, his teeth biting down on your bottom lip.

The third orgasm snuck up on you out of nowhere - there was no gradual built, no buzzing feeling in your lower stomach - it crashed on you like a bucket full of ice, having you arching your back, clenching around his cock so fiercely, it snatched an orgasm out of him, as well.

“Fuuuuuck”, he breathed out, his hips slamming sloppily into yours. “So fucking good, fucking…”

Before he could continue, you rolled forward and put your mouth on him, swallowing his words. With his palm cupping your cheek, he deepened the kiss as his cock drained itself into the latex.

The kiss grew soft, your noses touching ever so slightly as you both slowed down, a mess of tangled limbs. Smearing his wet mouth against your nipples, he pushed up from you, sliding his cock out.

“I’d take that drink now if you don’t mind”, you told him, a lazy smile illuminating your features.

A low chuckle he let out echoed in your lower stomach.

“Sure, beautiful. How does a whiskey sound?” he offered, standing up in all his naked glory.

You hummed in approval as you leaned higher against the headboard. Biting your lip, you checked out his ass unashamedly, as he made his way to the bar, throwing the used condom into the garbage bin.

“I know there are some things that we’ve agreed on, but I’d much appreciate calling you by your name instead of beautiful when going down on you next time. What do you say?”

You heard whiskey splash against the walls of your soon-to-be glass. Your inner muscles clenched at the sight of him, naked, serving you a drink.

“It’s Y/N”, you said with a small smile.

“Billy”, he responded, making his way to you. As you reached out to take your glass of whiskey from him, he pulled his hands backwards, using your position to land his lips on yours in a stinging kiss instead. You responded hungrily, grabbing his head with both of your hands.

The night was still young, after all.

“Okay, so would you rather spent your life partying with rich assholes you barely know, still seeing your family and friends, or get stuck on a desert island with no opportunity to see anyone at all?”

You turned your head ever so slightly, feeling his muscles clench as Billy huffed out a breath.

You both laid naked on his bed, him propped against the headboard, you - with your head settled comfortably on his stomach. A half empty bottle of whiskey was getting warm against your bare thigh, both of your glasses laying empty next to it.

You had lost count of the times you came with his name a word of ecstasy on your lips. You were surely going to sport some hickeys on your neck tomorrow, but you didn’t care.

You had never felt so at ease with a man before. Granted, no man had ever managed to make you come three times in a row, but that wasn’t the point. Billy made you question your “no dating” rule, and not just because he fucked like his life depended on it. He just got you - whether it was your discomfort in big crowds, fear of subway, weird addiction to macarons or love-hate relationship with Paris. You just clicked - it was hard to believe you met mere hours ago.

Or maybe the fact that you only just met was the reason why you clicked. It certainly wouldn’t be the same in the long run. The rose-goggles period only lasted so long. When routine kicked in, it tended to crash everything in its wake.

“That’s a tough one”, he said, biting on the inside of his cheeks. “If I could invite people on my desert island, I’d definitely go with the second option.”

“Well, you can’t”, you smirked at him, and then stared back into the ceiling. “It’s either being constantly surrounded, or seeing no one at all”.

He hummed, considering the options.

“I can’t imagine being alone 24/7, even though you might have guessed already, I love being alone sometimes”, his fingers slowly caressed the soft skin under your breasts, as he voiced his thoughts out loud. “It’s funny how your mind works though”, you could hear a smile in his tone now. “With you, it’s either all or nothing.”

You thought for a moment, interlacing your fingers with his. Then you shrugged:

“Sometimes, I just want to get away, you know? See no one, speak to no one… I sometimes push people away, thinking it would do me good. But it doesn’t always have that desirable effect.”

When you stole a glance at Billy again, you saw him nod.

“I know what you mean”, he spoke quietly. “And I’m glad you didn’t push me away tonight”.

“Oh, I tried,” you assured him with a smirk. “You’re hard to shake off”, you let go of his fingers and pushed yourself up on your hands, so that your eyes were on the same level.

Billy chuckled, his lips stretching in that warm and wonderful smile.

“Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll be hard. Again. Point blank.”

You laughed quietly, dropping your gaze, your eyes traveling down his stomach and to that massive cock between his legs.

He was getting hard again alright.  

“What time is it?” you suddenly remembered, snapping your gaze around, searching for a clock.

“Quarter to four, why would you ask?” he told you, after checking his wristwatch.

You closed her eyes.

“It’s my birthday”, you said before you blinked at him in surprise.

In between all that dirty sex and orgasms, you lost track of time and completely forgot. Were you coming when the clock struck midnight? The thought made you giggle.

“Really?” Billy stared at you in disbelief before his dark cocoa eyes softened, and his voice dropped an octave. “Come here”.

Warmth spread all over your body at his words, your core the center of the growing tingling sensation. Billy used his hot hands to pull you closer, help you settle in his lap, your legs on each side of his hips. With his left hand he reached for the bedside table, pulling out yet another condom out.

“Would you like to put it on?” He whispered against the skin behind your ear, making your pussy tense. Not trusting your voice, you nodded, taking the foil packet from his hand. Tearing it up with your teeth, you slid the latex onto his throbbing cock, pumping him a couple of times for a good mesure. The noises Billy made were downright pornographic. You licked your lips.

With both of your hands on his naked shoulders, you slowly lowered yourself all the way down onto him, the sensation making you both moan this time.

“Just like that, beautiful”, he whispered softly in your ear, thrusting up into you.

You rode him slowly, arching your back, leveraging yourself on his shoulders. The position was so damn intense, and not only because that way Billy could thrust deeper, up to his balls. There was a strange sort of intimacy as he gripped your hips, helping you bounce slowly on his rock-hard cock - his cocoa eyes held a sort of intensity as he fucked into you. It made your heart ache.

“I fucking can’t get enough of you”, he confessed hoarsely. “Of that tight, wet, perfect pussy. Of your beautiful, smart mouth. All of you. Every fucking inch of you.”

His revelation combined with his soft, yet methodic thrusts was what toppled you over the edge. You came hard, your body protesting against all those orgasms Billy’s cock had already wrestled out of it. Speaking of him, he wasn’t too far behind either, gripping your hips and holding you down as he came.

His lips seemed to hold some kind of a promise as he kissed you gently.

“Happy Birthday, beautiful”, he whispered against your lips, his hot and ragged breath fanning over your skin.

You managed a tired smile, surging up to kiss him again, relishing the feeling of him inside of you still….

Surprisingly, New York welcomed you back with cloudless sky. It was still as busy as you remembered it, but something had changed. People seemed friendlier, streets - sunnier, summer - hotter. You caught yourself enjoying the city again now that you had come back well-rested from your week-long vacation.

Well-rested might have been a wrong word for it. More like satisfied. And taken care of.

After that night, you spent the two remaining days of her getaway at Billy’s villa - no strings attached. You two barely left the place. Never had you enjoyed a man’s company this much. You cooked together, swam together, made love together… Until it was over and done, and you had to go back to the real life again, tiptoeing on your way out so he wouldn’t wake up.

You stopped cold for a moment, a plat of appetisers freezing in your hands.

Did you just think made love? Well that was a slip of epic proportions…

“Daydreaming about your boy-toy again?” Karen teased her with a smirk, walking into the kitchen. “He must have been quite something”.

Oh that, he was. You couldn’t help but sigh as you put the plate on the table.

How many people Karen was expecting for the dinner exactly? It looked like Frank and her had cooked enough for the entire goddamn naval infantry.

“It’s been a week,” you said, shaking your head as if trying to make the thoughts about him fall out. “I guess I need some time to turn that page”.

“Who said that page needs turning?” Karen reasoned, putting two bottles of champagne on the table. “Didn’t you say he was from New York? You could keep on seeing each other?”

You didn’t even take a moment to think it over.

“Nah,” you shook your head, tugging at your silk top. “We didn’t talk much about our respective jobs, but he made it obvious he travels a lot, so…”

Catching Karen’s sceptic stare, you threw both of your hands into the air, waving them.

“I’ll see him when I’ll see him, and if I don’t…” you shrugged. “Guess it wasn’t meant to be then”.

You turned to face Karen again only to find out that her expression hadn’t changed.

“Uh huh,” the noise she made was her other way of saying bullshit. “Well, you do what you gotta do, but please play nice with Russo. I swear he is a perfect guy for you”.

You let out a chuckle.

“You know, I heard it so many times I’m actually starting to believe it”, you said.

As if on cue, you heard men’s voices in the corridor.

“So how was your getaway, then?” Frank asked casually, stepping first into the kitchen. “Wow, that looks amazing, ladies,” he commented on the table, winking at Karen.

Page blushed in response, making you roll your eyes.

You was about to make a side comment to your best friend, when your mind suddenly went blank upon hearing the stranger’s voice.

“It was great, perfect actually…”

A designer-shoes-clad foot appeared in the room.

“I just feel like I left a part of me there, I’m going to need some time to rea…”

…djust, your mind supplied as you stared at Billy, her Billy, standing across the room from you - fully dressed this time.

“Oh my God,” you barely whispered, your eyes big in your face, your chest feeling like it was going to collapse on itself.

Billy’s lips slowly parted in the widest smile you’d ever seen - he just stood there, like a man on whom the greatest happiness had been bestowed, and it rendered him speechless.

Karen looked at them both in confusion, until…

Until realisation dawned on her, and she chortled, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her mouth.

“What’s… What’s going on?” Frank frowned, looking back and forth between Billy and you. “You guys know each other?”

“Hell yeah,” Billy finally spoke, his eyes never quitting yours as he closed the distance between you in four decisive strides.

Before you could even speak, he gripped your cheeks and dropped his lips on yours, as hot and burning as the sun back in Mallorca.

You moaned like you didn’t have a care in the world, pushing onto your toes, throwing your arms around his shoulders.

“I missed you, beautiful”, Billy uttered between the kisses, his forehead pressed to yours. “You ain’t getting away so easily this time”.

You let out a soft laugh, inhaling his scent, and moved to kiss his lips again.