#we’ve seen how hardworking he is in the flashbacks too

[starsstuck]

dabi is the most capricorn to ever capricorn

[ripplestitchskein]

Thinking about this anti idea that the show switched gears on them. I don’t understand it. I’ve never understood it. I’ve already talked about how it’s pretty clear from the writing and show setup in the first few episodes what the focus would be but what baffles me is that it’s also just not true that the character’s issues are purely centered on and only expressed via the romance aspect. They are pretty good at applying the character’s issues to all aspects of their lives and interactions. Especially with Blitz because he is the main character.

Blitz, to put it simply hates himself, plain and simple. We all know this. He creates scenarios to force others to see him as he sees himself. He is a textbook case of someone who self sabotages due to extreme self loathing. He’s not sabotaging his work or his life in general though. We can see Blitz is hardworking, he is ambitious, he has his life together from a material perspective. He had a roof over his head, clothes on his back and food in his fridge. He provides these material things for a whole other person as well.

Where Blitz self sabotages is his relationships. It’s made clear from early on in the show it’s NOT just romantic relationships, it’s ALL of them. Blitz targets what he thinks will drive people away the fastest. I need it to be super clear that he does this to everyone and its ongoing even if sometimes it’s less prevalent. The show is about Blitz and Stolas, whether you like it or not they were the two characters who were focused on in the first few episodes. And the plot is driven by their issues and always has been, what gets disregarded in these arguments that the show is only about Stolitz now is how we see these issues manifest outside of the romance aspect of the show consistently and regularly just maybe not in entire episode long plots, it’s a through line.

With Moxxie Blitz insults him, he makes comments to make him uncomfortable. He targets little insecurities he has with himself. As we’ve gone along and they’ve developed he does this less, he compliments him more, he gives him responsibility. I think we see a good subtle example of Blitz’s influence in Moxxie on Full Moon. The Welcome to Hell, Bitch line was pure Blitz. His comfort with saying “So fuck him good sir”. These are the kinds of little things that slowly and carefully drive the changes in their relationship.

For Moxxie and Millie as a couple he inserts themselves into their relationship. He makes sexual jokes about them both. He mentions having a threesome with them. He follows and stalks them. It’s an odd and imo off putting behavior, one I think we’ve theorized about a lot and that’s lead to some interesting takes on his character and his view of monogamy in general. I don’t agree or disagree on the reasonings, I don’t have any info to make an informed decision on it but after Apology Tour it was kind of cemented for me that this behavior was also a pretty effective way to test them and drive them away. They are a very loving and committed couple, if I were a serial self sabotager faced with pushing away a couple to prevent them from getting too close, what is the best way to drive them away for good? Obviously, be the toxic third, have them join the Blitz Exes. He’s not going to admit that’s what he’s doing of course, so he approaches it in earnest like he does most things he is deluding himself about. Go all in on denial.

Blitz only ever tests the fence about them though, he never makes any serious moves on it, and he has largely stopped doing it at all after Chaz and Ozzie’s. I think that episode, how he felt after sleeping with Chaz, was the turning point for him when it came to them. It remains to be seen though.

I think GhostFuckers will be the place to explore it if there is anything left to explore about that. We seem to be getting a Millie based flashback and that might shed some additional light.

What also saves Moxxie and Millie from the full force of his self sabotaging behavior is that there is a built in buffer by them being his employees. He always has a way to keep them at arm’s length if there is a power dynamic he can fall back on.

With Loona she is a very closed off, anti-affection person. With her, the tact Blitzø takes is give her too much attention and show too much love. Smother her in affection no matter how many boundaries she sets and how much she protests about it. In Queen Bee he’s too in his head over Stolas to bother with that, and it’s sadly probably the most in sync they’ve ever been until the end. I pointed it out before but in Full Moon Blitz treats Loona very differently. He imitates her and actually snaps back at her when she says Stolas is dropping him, it was a very different interaction than earlier episodes and I think another subtle sign that how he feels right now is changing him and he’s making efforts. He hasn’t simpered at her for awhile. And he obviously is giving her a more active role in the day to day.

These are ongoing threads and they are all part of of the larger picture of Blitz’s growth and change. Just because a romantic relationship is helping drive that change doesn’t meant other things aren’t, or that the only changes or growth we see are only about the romance.

The fact that that there are two episodes focused entirely on Fizz speaks for itself.

[nagirambles]

Rambling about Fairies - Manga Chapter 165

So it’s something that’s bothered me a bit-- Aries has a belt and pouch in the manga, and it makes her look a little more resourceful and workman-like than her anime counterpart. I like the contrast between it and her simple white fluffy dress, because it gives her a good design balance. 

(She has it in the Angel fight and in her Edolas appearance in the anime, but I don’t believe she has it anytime else including all future appearances and the Karen flashback. She always has it in the manga.) 

It makes her look a little younger and cuter, I think? 

As it is in the anime, her scenes are always more emphasized on her offshoulder top and curves which annoys me because, she’s so cute and sexy already, you don’t need to emphasize her boobs and hips, geez. It’s like “wooly cute wooly cute” was the only thing they wanted to tell the audience about her, not the literal work pouch she has to express her sincerely hardworking side. 

It’s a different appeal, you know? The cute thing about her is how meek and shy she acts, so she doesn’t need three times of badoonkazoonkas. Her first appearance in the anime looks kind of wonky because her boobs were bigger than her face, and she had a One Piece reminiscent pencil waist. That is not a good thing. 

Her later appearances are fine, they fixed the proportions to look more reasonable and petite, but first impressions matter, you know? 

Anyway, with the belt in the manga, it’s almost like she’s actually here to work, and I like that. She emphasizes firsthand, in both of her appearances thus far, that she takes her job seriously despite the odds (against Leo) and she is not here to do things outside her job description like service men (against Karen). 

I wish that this part of her personality, which shows she’s not just a damsel in distress but also a genuinely earnest worker, was developed further. But alas. 

Anyways, I went off topic. I wanted to talk about everyone. 

Can we talk about the fact that Scorpio’s tail is clearly a fucking machinegun???

I think he uses it to shoot sand, but, literal ability-type magic looks like that. He could have been shooting it out of his tail and we’d believe it because we’ve seen hands and vases shoot out similar vortexes of elements, so why does it look like a machinegun? Heck, Lucy can do all this with just her hands in her star dress, too! 

I want to see him prepping and charging up a energy laser blaster of sand, at least.

I understand now why the Scorpio-Aquarius dress went in the mecha direction, but in the exact same way, Like, you can make it look like a gun or a mech all you want, it doesn’t feel like it works like one, you know?? Scorpio has a gun that doesn’t need to be a gun. SxA has huge machine limbs, but Lucy can’t even heavylift or efficiently tread terrains in it, so what’s the point? A cool design is pointless if it's clearly just a whimsical decoration! 

I kinda want Lucy to have sci-fi laser guns in her star dress, if only just to shoot sand blasts with. Honestly that would have been better than the weird clunky metal parts. And it would feel like Rebecca, with twin guns, so it's in Mashima's nature to do as a reference for readers of both.  

[hellothere-generalangsty]

I just wanted to say my friend and I absolutely love and adore the tbb western au and we are soooooooo excited to read more about it.

In headcannon of the clothing, you mentioned how Tech received a monocole from his college friends. My friend was wondering who those friends were.

My curiosity is about the army and war that you mentioned with echo being a part of. I know domino squad is a part of the au, but were(?) Rex, Anakin, Ahsoka, and others a part of it? (I added that question mark after were cause I am unsure if the war is still going on).

Haaaaaa *cries in French*

Thank you, and shout out to you and your friend! Yee-haw! ���💙

So to answer your questions; it's going to be quite long (mostly the second part about the war and all) so you'll find more under the cut about that! 😊

So for Tech's friends:

At first I was like "hooo maybe I could say Kix and everything" but then I thought about the whole war thing and anyway-

I don't have a concrete idea about who they are, I don't think they are "clones" or people we've seen in the SW universe but I still have some ideas about what kind of people they are:

I think it was a group of 4-5 people (including Tech)

Tech is the funniest of the group. Like- Captain Holt okay. Same vibe.

Tech is also the youngest of the group

His friends are from the same city as him, and like him they left for smaller towns

All but one; the oldest stayed at the city because he planned on becoming a university professor later on and wanted to pursue his studies

Tech was the first one to leave the city

The monocle is a gift his friends paid for

They all wanted to participate because Tech was the only one who didn't had one and he always said that would be his "award" if he graduated

Yes, "if", Tech was hardworking yet a bit unsure about his skills

That's how he met his friends, by the way

He was alone in the university's library, and they just kinda saw him struggling with his class so they joined and offer help

They became a study group

Then they became friends

Now they don't really keep in touch that much because they all left; but that one friend from uni is the root of the group, they all get in touch with him and he keeps everyone updated about everyone!

I hope it kind of answer your friend's question 😂😂

Now, for your question about Rex, Anakin, Ahsoka and everyone else being in the AU:

Yes and no.

Yes, Rex and the clones are in this AU; but they are not omnipresent as this AU focuses mostly on the Bad Batch

Though I intend on maybeee extanding it a bit but we'll see

As for the "Jedis", I honestly don't know what I'll do about them. I don't want to completely erase them because their role is important and because the Kaminoans and [redacted] are here in the AU already but I also don't want them to be like... Too much. I want them more as background.

I really want this AU to focus on the Bad Batch, and on what I want it to focus on, aka [redacted stuff] 😂

So for now I can tell you for sure that Rex is in the AU, some of the 501st boys are here too; and there might or might not be a flashback involving them but I'm not going to say too much hehehe

Also yes the war is still going on; you'll learn more about that in due time 😊 it is a bit different from the SW universe - since there isn't magic (for now?) and space and super technology in this AU

But don't worry, I'll have it covered in future fics and hc posts! And if you have more questions please feel free to send them! I love getting asks about the Western AU 🥰

Taglist: @m-o-o-n-s-g-o-o-n-s @loth-wolffe @mintywriteswritings @for-the-love-of-clones @equalityforcats @maddieskywalker @m-e-w-117 @ladykatakuri @chaoticvampirejedi @andiebell2023

[auspicious-lilana]

Ultimate Spiderman (Peter Parker x Stark! OC x Sam alexander x Danny Rand)

Summary: When people hear 'Maya Stark' everyone would think about the perfect, smart. good looking, rich, student body president of Midtown High.Nobody but her childhood friend Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man and her new team of heroes. Ava, Sam, Danny, and Luke AKA  white tiger, Nova, Iron fist, and Power Man knows about her secret of being Queen's very own Mistress, soon to be ULTIMATE Mistress

Part 1 

“I know you're out there you wall-crawling menace! It is the duty of every New Yorker to report the actions of these masked miscreants. So listen up: As long as J. Jonah Jameson is CEO of Daily Bugle Communications, I won't rest until New York has seen the last of Spider-Man!”  I rolled my eyes as the mentioned spiderman webbed the screen Jonah’s face was just on. 

______________________________________________________________________________

 Other kids I know start their day with orange juice. Us? We- well not Mistress- get yelled at by a 100-foot tall cranky pants. Where’s a little love for the spider-guy? I'm down here with Mistress everyday trying the best we can at this hero routine. It's not easy to learn the ropes by yourself-expect Mistress who gets trained by Mr.Iron Man- Let's face it, introduction to super heroing isn't a high school elective. Speaking of school, I still have to pick a cake for Aunt May before first period. Then its hang time with our best pals MJ and Harry. And maybe a nap between classes.  But first we gotta save that cop from a skidding car.

______________________________________________________________________________

I was quick to act and quickly sent a force field to stop the car from crashing into the bakery. Oh, I knew fully well Pe- Spiderman had to pick up that cake for Aunt May. 

“I’m starting to think Jameson is wrong about you two, spider, Mistress!” 

“Spread the word Chief!” Spidey yelled back from the building he was gripping on to and I floated beside before we landed down a roof to see Trapster.

“Heya bug brain and the wicked witch of the west, I knew that had to draw you two out” 

“Nice to see you too Trapster” I replied sarcastically rolling my eyes. We’ve been heroes here in Queens for about a year and we fought this guy THREE times already, All being a complete fail. Let's skip forward all the gross stuff (yes I mean the slime thing, that is one thing I don’t ever want to mention AGAIN) 

“This is when I leave the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man note? Can I borrow a pen?” The Villain's eyes widen in terror but no spidey/magic sense? This is new. I said before the both of us paused the show.

______________________________________________________________________________

Let us explain the whole spidey sense or Magic sense for Mistress thing. 

It's like an early warning system that kicks in whenever there's a danger to happen.

And maybe it's on blink 

______________________________________________________________________________

Spiderman began knocking on his head. 

“Hello? This thing on?” I facepalmed at his ridiculous strategy. If there is no spidey/magic sense and the Villain is in terror it only means one thing...

“Spider-Man, Mistress” S.H.I.E.L.D. of course. We turned around to see Nick Fury stepping out of his helicarrier. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. That's the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Or as Spider-Man would put it, The super spies.

“You super spies make an appointment to sneak up on hardworking superheroes?” I mentally sighed as I didn’t want to seem unprofessional and ruin the whole great magic Sorceress image but really Spider-Man? Really? 

“Kid” Nick pointed at the mess Spiderman had done-yes spiderman cause I went off somewhere to do an errand while he took care of it- in the process of stopping Trapster. “We got to talk. No one's saying you stop the bad guy but look around you. Is this the way Captain America would've done it? Cap could have stopped Trapster within 5 seconds. You took 3 minutes. With lots of collateral damage.”  Yeah, Uncle Steve would’ve finished this job in 5 seconds, exactly why I was trained by him. It could’ve been faster if I had joined in but Spidey-boy here would’ve been regretting big time later. 

“We-”

“You mean you, I took no part in this” 

“Fine. I do a good job!” 

“For a clueless rookie” 

“Yeah- huh?” I shook my head at my partner. Don’t take this the wrong way! I knew Peter since I first started school and I love him and all- as a friend- but even I can be done with his idiotic ways. 

“Look, everyone starts out clueless. Even Iron Man back when he was a novice. But he learned. Eventually. What would you say if I can help turn eventually into right now for Spider-Man and Mistress?”  I’m not surprised Dad was a novice once since he cracks jokes in battles right now but he knows when to be serious, and when to be not...also cause I may or may not witnessed his first mess-up when he tried out his suit back when I was what? 6? 7?

“Heh. I knew it. You want me to buy a line of self-help books. Not interested. Besides, I'm tapped out till payday so if we're all done here I'm gonna…” 

“I’m serious, Peter Parker, Maya Stark”  you may not see but I raised my eyebrow under my mask before Spiderman or now Peter turned to him confused. 

“You know?”  If that isn’t the stupidest thing to ask a super spy then I might as well go shave my hair. 

“Everything. Super spy, remember?”   

______________________________________________________________________________

Don’t tell me another flashback

You know it, Maya. Anyways Growing up with Uncle Ben and Aunt May,and being friends with Maya was a pretty typical childhood. Until the radioactive spider bite and Maya getting kissed by some butterfly that had potion on it. After came the powers and that terrible night I-

We. Peter. We. 

Right WE lost Uncle Ben. That was when we made a promise to do something good with the hand of fate dealt us. Things  I wouldn't joke about even if I knew how.

Which brings us to what we are now

____________________________________________________________________________

“With great power comes great responsibility. Good words from a good man” I looked down. Even if Uncle Ben wasn’t really my Uncle, he still treated me like I was his niece whenever I came over to Peter’s. 

“Uncle Ben was the best,” I saw Spiderman look away glaring at the sidewalk. 

“It's been what? A year now?” 

 “It would’ve been his birthday today” I sadly mentioned as I looked down at my brown boots that seemed more interesting at the moment. 

“You two honored it doing what you do. Now I'm offering you the chance to do better. To really learn about responsibility.” 

“Translation?” Spidey asked growing curious I'm guessing since he’s now looking at Nick. 

“I want to S.H.I.E.L.D. train you to be a better Spider-Man and Mistress. The Ultimate Spider-Man and Mistress”

 “And how Ultimate is Ultimate?” I saw Trapster running away behind Nick but before I could do anything Nick had shot his gun high hitting a pole which knocks down on Trapster knocking him out.

 “That Ultimate”

“Sweet”

 “Cool,” Soon Peter’s phone rang and he checked to see it was MJ calling. 

“Seems I got to put my Ultimate phone into Ultimate vibrate, hehe” 

“Your tech needs to upgrade” Nick placed a new web shooter on Peter’s wrist. “S.H.I.E.L.D. tech guys developed this next-gen web shooter”

 “Too big, too clunky” Nick stuck his hand out. “I didn’t say no”  That obviously meant he liked it but had too much of an ego to admit it.

“With your talent and my training, you can learn to be a better heroes. The next Cap, the next Iron Man, one of the greats” I’m pretty used to people saying  I would be the next Iron Man or Tony Stark since I am his only daughter or family but I can tell by the way Peter’s eyes shined, he was more than honored to hear it but again hid it with a ‘cool’ act. 

“Thanks for the offer, but I'm not allowed to talk to strangers. Have a nice life okay. Cool?”  Peter swung away as Nick and I shook our heads.

“Teenagers” 

“Correction. Teenage boys” Nick nodded before turning to me.

“How about you kid?” 

“I’m in. I guess, seeing how dad would try to get me to agree with the offer either way so I can follow his footsteps to become an avenger of the next generation” 

“Good choice. Let's go” 

“Wait. now?” 

“Yes.” 

“But I need to get this cake to peter” I brought the cake out from a place I kept it in during the fight with Trapster. 

“I’ll get Coulson to pass it to him after his classes” 

“Wait a sec” I quickly did a summoning spell getting paper and pen and wrote a note for him. “Give him this too” 

“Okay. we must get going now” I nodded as I boarded the Helicarrier.

***

Peter unlocked his locker to see a note drop out. He looked at it confused before opening it. 

Hey, Peter! 

I won't be coming to school today as I decided I would say yes to Nick’s offer (Don't worry I’m only checking it out! I won't join till you want to as well!) make sure to pick up Uncle Ben’s cake from Principal Coulson! Your welcome!

-Maya S. 

Peter thought about the note a bit taken aback Maya would agree to do something without him, but then again she is Iron Man's daughter. It was in her blood to do this! 

“Peter. I've been calling you all morning. Where have you been? And where’s Maya?” MJ stood by his locker with a notebook in hand as Peter smiled at her. Peter thought about Nick’s offer before making up a lie.

“Uh, the bus broke down? And Maya’s home sick” 

______________________________________________________________________________

I hate to lie to MJ. ever since we were kids nobody’s been a better friend than MJ...well except Maya though. Like the time we were 5 the two of us ran away together and tried to get Maya to do it too but her dad had security on her, also, we weren't allowed to cross streets so we just walked up and down the driveway. When we were 12 we decided to finally get serious, Mistake! 

______________________________________________________________________________

“That sucks, anyways I wanted to show you this” MJ showed her a video of Jameson. 

“ It is the duty of every New Yorker to report the actions of these masked miscreants. Especially that ticking time-bomb called ``Spider-Man.”  

“Doesn’t that jerk ever shut up? And don't you find it weird he hates Spiderman but doesn’t complain about Mistress?” 

“This ‘jerk’ is going to someday give this journalism student her first job, and besides, I think it’s because Mistress is cleaner with her messes and less talkative too.” Is she saying I talk a lot?

“You want to work for Jameson? Total nightmare” 

“That's what it takes. Jameson's the biggest game in town. Kids have to be realistic Petey. We can't all be like Harry or Maya. “  As soon as Harry was mentioned Harry was seen coming towards them.

______________________________________________________________________________

Meet Harry Osborn.  I love Harry. Everyone loves harry, even Maya does. He’s rich(as well as Maya), He’s handsome (Maya also has equal good looks)  but most importantly he’s been a friend to me when I need it. 

Since that day we met, we’ve been best friends forever. Well that’s life here in Midtown. It’s okay

______________________________________________________________________________

I sensed my spidey sense before I heard the voice of the one person I never liked. 

“Hey Puny Parker!” let me rephrase myself. Life here in Midtown is okay, except for one drawback. “Its locker knocker time! This time there won’t be no Stark hottie to save you this time!”

______________________________________________________________________________

 If Tony Stark were ever to hear this I swear this guy would be swimming with killer sharks or even worse. And the guy’s name is Flash, Flash Thompson the Sasquatch sized football player. There's always this rigid consistency to our relationship.  

Just once I’d like to turn it around instead of always once again being locked in my own locker.

______________________________________________________________________________

I somehow stayed in my locker till the janitor opened it to see me again before he started rambling on how I should stand up for myself and how he in my age did this and that while I awkwardly walked away. 

Soon Harry and I were at lunch as the lunch lady winked at him before he uncomfortably dragged us away as he awkwardly smiled at the lunch lady.

��Dude, Locker knocker time again? Thompson is such a tool” 

“That's the worst thing that happens to me today. I'm coming out ahead.”  I was about to eat before my senses went off. Remember the spidey/magic sense me and Maya talked about? Well, this time it's kicking up a storm.  An explosion happened behind me as we all fell back and the frightful four-well three at the moment- came in while holding up the principal. 

“Attention students. Your principal has something to tell you.”  Wizard exclaimed as he levitated the principal in front of him.

“ Students. Your attention, please. Your school is now under the control of, of…” The principal trailed off not knowing who they were. 

“The Frightful four” Thundra finished off.

“Uh, there’s only three of you” MJ awkwardly pointed out. 

“Quiet!” Wizard yelled and threw the principal into the wall in frustration. 

______________________________________________________________________________

These guys are bad news. Wizard, master of high tech gadgets. Klaw, the villain made of living sound. Thundra, ruthless warrior women from an alternate future timeline...Don’t ask. And Trapster- oh wait Maya and I already captured him. 

______________________________________________________________________________

“Before the Trapster was captured, he learned Spider-Man and maybe Mistress as well attends this school.  And unless they give themselves up, we'll tear this place down brick by brick.” Wizard explained.

“Yeah!” A student yelled. 

“We’re serious” The kid quickly shut his mouth in fear. 

“Klaw. So who is our mysterious wall-crawler and cold witch? A teacher? A student? A cafeteria lady? They seem reluctant to talk. Klaw, make them listen to reason.”   

“STOP IT!” I yelled angry as everyone got it by a sound wave. 

“Peter no!” MJ pulled me back but I pulled away.

“Heh. Definitely not Spider-Man or Mistress” 

“I’ll crush the runt” Thundra volunteered. 

“ Don't crush him, make an example of him,”  Wizard said as Klaw sent the sound waves at him making Peter fall back yelling in pain as he gripped his ears tight. Harry held back MJ so she wouldn’t get hurt. 

“Shut it down! I’ll talk!” Peter yelled. Klaw stopped and Peter got up and saw his lunch. 

“Listen up. Everyone needs to hear this. Food Fight!” Peter quickly threw food at Wizard, soon everyone began throwing food at them as Peter took the opportunity to hide behind a pillar and took off his shirt to reveal his suit. “This is nuts. How do they know? How did they find me?” Peter saw the tracker on his arm and took it out and smashed it. “Fury was right, I have a lot to learn about responsibility,”  Peter said to himself before placing on his mask and coming out from hiding to see Klaw pointing his sound laser arm at a group of kids. “Dude! Don’t point that thing! It might go off!” Klaw looked at Spiderman as he shot a web onto his arm so it can hit Klaw making him dizzy from sound waves. “It really stinks to be you today. Actually, it probably stinks to be you every day. Then again it could be me. I haven't washed this suit in a week.”

*** 

Maya was walking around the Base with Nick Fury touring her around the helicarrier. She had already placed her cloak down since this whole base was filled with secret agents, who would spill her identity?  “Here’s where we keep weapons and gadgets inspired by you.” Nick Fury said as she looked at the different things that were being tested. Cloaks filled with weapons that can be used at anytime. masks with built in lasers. An invisibility cloak. All similar to hers but different sorts of upgrades and such. 

“Maya Stark, meet Dr.Curt Conner. Dr.Curt Conner, meet Maya Stark” I nodded at Dr. Curt Conner as I saw a missing arm? he soon pushed down his arm and stuck it out for me to shake with a grin as I shaked his hand.

“It’s nice to meet the daughter of a genius like Stark. Makes me wonder if you’ve inherited those genes” 

“She had. How do you think she’d be able to help build the Iron Man suit Mr.Stark is using now and have a much higher IQ then a lot of her scientists” 

“Would you ever be in interest of working with us?” Dr.Curt asked as I politely shook my head. 

“I’m made for the field. As much as I love too, I have a good reputation of Mistress to uphold.” 

“Yes, yes. I’ve seen you fight, your a good one.”

“She’s obviously the better Stark” Fury said, I’m guessing he’s not much of a fan of Dad. 

“Have she taken the entrance simulation yet?” 

“She’s just about to” 

***

Peter quickly changed back to normal and ran into the cafeteria from the lockers -one of them having Flash in them- to see MJ holding an unconscious Harry.

“Oh, this is all my fault.” Peter looked up from Harry to see Mr.Osborn. “Mr. Osborn. I'm sorry” Mr.Osborn picked up Harry, scowling. 

“Why apologize Peter? What could you have possibly done?”  Mr.Osborn left with Peter looking down guilty. ‘I wish Maya was here, maybe then She could’ve helped protect him and...clean up my mess once again…’

Soon Peter got home to aunt May cooking. “Peter!” 

“Hey Aunt May” 

“Are you okay? I heard there was trouble at your school” 

______________________________________________________________________________

I know what you're thinking: Spider-Man lives at home with his doting old aunt? Loser. Think again. My aunt is pretty cool. She works all day. Then Monday night she's at yoga. Tuesday, it's French cooking. Thursday it's bowling. Her full schedule lets me come and go as I please. Of course I have to keep the Spidey stuff on the down low. There's no way she'd approve of her little Petey mixing it up with super villains. At least it’s easier for Maya. Her dad already knows about her secret as well as mines so she doesn’t sneak around.

______________________________________________________________________________

“yes, Aunt May, Those psychos never touched me” I wish I could say the same for Harry.

“You know what. If we had Norman Osborn or Tony Stark's money, I would put you in private school immediately.”

“Yeah, that’d be sweet. Hey when’s dinner?” 

“It's almost ready, put the candles on the cake”

“Cake?” 

“Yeah, the one right there on the counter” Aunt May pointed to the boxed cake. I chuckled and smiled. Maya once again cleans up my mess. I went up to my room and sat down after a nice dinner and cake. It was weird not to eat with Maya since she comes EVERY night..she must be training hard to become what Fury promised huh? Ultimate Mistress... Nice ring to it. I looked back at at the picture of me and Maya from where we were in science camp when we were 11. You’re always there to clean up after me Maya. Not once have I ever returned the countless favors you had done for me… maybe it's time to change that. I nodded to myself and changed into Spider-Man and gone out to the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier that up in the air. Okay, let's do this. Put out the welcome mat S.H.I.E.L.D. Spidey's come a callin. Fury's right. With his help, I can do better. I'm done with this one-sided duo loser routine. It's time for me to step up and show the big boys and Maya what the Ultimate Spider-Man can do. I shot my web up high for it to backfire and not reach the Helicarrier...Great. I began falling as I brought out Fury’s web shooter he gave me. Fury's tech boys better be on their game or I'm street pizza. Whoa! Yeah! Okay, not too clunky. I thought to myself as I gripped onto the Helicarrier.  

“Intruder alert. Intruder Alert” Lasers came out from the Helicarrier and began blasting me as I dodged them while holding onto the steel wall of the Helicarrier.

“Whoa! What is this? Blast the Spider-Man and win a panda?” I started webbing all of them before I lost my footing and fell. I quickly shot another web and got myself up there again but on top of the Helicarrier instead. 

“Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert” Then out of nowhere, all the laser targeted me… I was cornered. Then out of nowhere, all the laser targeted me… I was cornered.  I turned to my side to see Nick Fury, who turned off the security system with a press of a button. I quickly took off my mask and saluted. “Your friendly neighborhood Ultimate Spider-Man reporting for duty sir!““ Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D. Spider-Man. Hope you survive the experience. “ Nick Fury said as he walked off leaving Peter there standing awkwardly. “Uhh, to be continued?” 

[ivory-in-rapture]

Shadow and Bone: season 1 review recap (8/10)

I did it! I watched it!

Okay, so unexpectedly this was a good adaptation. I'm gonna dive right into what I liked, and what I didn't!

spoilers ahead

So first of all, how true is it to the book?

It's pretty good. I think they stayed very true to the first shadow and bone book. There were changes and not all of them landed but for the most part, even what they changed to expand on the universe served the story well. I was worried that they would ruin the beats of the original and add tv show clichés but thankfully even what was changed eventually brought the plot back to where it was supposed to be.

They added extra Mal scenes and I think they tried very hard to build Malina up in a visual way in order to endear the fans to it. I was already endeared but I loved those scenes anyway and I just got most emotional during those parts.

Now, regarding the crows and the SOC plots: I didn't love what they did with them for the most part. I think it kind of might negatively affect whatever plot of the actual six of crows duology will be made later because the timeline is all wonky now and there's all this connection that wasn't there and it did feel a bit forced but overall, it all worked out so I'm not too upset.

I loved what they did with Nina and Matthias though. Like that entire plot was SO GOOD! I just loved their journey.

The Production:

The production was good. They did some interesting things with lighting that I really liked. The costumes, I wish were more innovative. Everything was too conventional and I wish they had taken more slavic inspiration. It was there, but I wanted more? The sets too. It could be a bit more but they stayed very safe with everything. The hairstyles, I hated. For the most part, the characters had their hair open and lose and it was so chaotic. It hurt my eyes.

Something I have beef with is the emotional deliverance of the most iconic moments of the book. What I mean is like: when Baghra tells Alina what was going on, or the "Fine, make me your villain" scene or when Alina finally unlocked her power for the first time outside Baghra's hovel(?), cave (?) or the childhood testing. Anyway, these were a bit underwhelming for me? Like I know these books are very close to my heart and I have Expectations but yeah, what I imagined in my mind was more epic, somehow. Oddly enough the emotional scenes that were added were better executed.

The actors and their acting

Jessie Mei Li was amazing as Alina. She was just great. She did an amazing job, she really embodied the character, really brought Alina to life for me. I have nothing to complain. I will punch anyone who complains about "oh why did she have this or that expression" or "why was Alina so naggy?!" She is PERFECT! Seriously, the way she cried on demand and she had that eye acting were you could see her sadness, her loneliness, her doubts... everything in her eyes and...I'm getting emotional just thinking about it. Archie Renaux also murdered it. IN THE HATERS' FACES! That boy had so much emotional groundedness in the story, like he took one shakey breath and I felt that! People better love and appreciate the hardwork these actors put in. Also these two's chemistry was great. They had less one on one time together than Darkling and Alina, I think but I think their chemistry was better than the other pairing. I'll explain more later...

Kaz was so on point. The actor just had Kaz all right. Inej was not how I imagined Inej but I think it was a good acting choice to visualize her like this because Inej was kind of stoic in the books and it wouldn't translate well on screen. Their chemistry was good too. Like every time Kaz looked at Inej, I felt it. So intense and full of yearning but also like angry silence. So good.

So I know the Jesper casting was a bit upsetting with all the "making him lighter skin" and I am upset about that too but the actor really did a great job. He was Jesper. He just embodied him so well.

Nina and Matthias were great too. They were the surprise stars for me because I had the least amount of faith in them and I stand corrected. Their chemistry (omg! there was only one bed!), their bickering, everything was great. They made Nina a bit more sexual and flirty which...I hope they'll focus more on her gremlin humor later because she was flirty,yes, but she also is a baby and I love her and I want all her aspects shown.

Choices were made for the background characters. David was hilarious, Baghra was ok, Apparat was not working for me, Zoya was good but I wish they had gone a bit sharper. she seemed a bit too serene for Zoya.

Genya. I did not like Genya. It was just all wrong for me. She was so off? Like Genya has that fake-nice-bubbly-happy-go-lucky-bimbo thing going on which is actually fascade for her traumatized and deeply hurt feelings beneath and...she was just snobby here? Idk, I just didn't feel her at all. Like her betrayal fell flat because she wasn't all that connected with Alina before anyway, so it didn't feel like she owed Alina any loyalty? It was off. I don't know whose choice it was to portray her like that but I did not like it. AT ALL.

Now...the Darkling....yeah...I um...didn't...like...it? Okay, see I know Ben Barnes is a fan favorite, like he's one of those actors who makes it in all fancast lists no matter what fandom but he was never my idea of the Darkling and it's not that he acted badly at all. He did a great job but it was just not my Darkling? Darkling is my favorite villain because he's so complex in his behavior and so ambigious and deliciously conflicting. The show didn't capture any of that for me. His charisma was all off. And like Ben Barnes can do charisma, we've seen it before but here he was just not...that. He wasn't imposing enough, or cold enough, or sublime enough. Because that's what the Darkling is. He's captivating and beautiful and grand but also scary and that mattered because his airs made the fact that he was nice to Alina, seem like it was a big deal. The show's version of The Darkling was not big enough for his attention to matter. I know part of my problem is the beard (why a beard? I hate beards!) but part of it must be the directing choices made. If they had demanded more, I bet Ben Barnes could bring more but they clearly didn't ask more. Also the chemistry between Alina and Darkling...was exactly how it should be which is not great, because:

power imbalance and also a weirdly huge age difference!

But if I was a shipper, I would be underwhelmed. Just sayin'. (Malina was SO GOOD THOUGH? Like the actors were so in sync. SO GOOD! asdfghjk)

Some random and general opinions:

The music was generic. I was hoping for something like the Winter song that Leigh Bardugo herself made for Ruin and Rising. This was not that good. It was just there in the background.

THEY SPOILED THE DARKLING'S NAME. LIKE WTF?!

There was this confused racial commentary in the show. Like everyone kept mentioning how she's part Shu and it was weird. It wasn't woke or groundbreaking. I don't even remember the book mentioning much about the Shu.

I think there were details that they got wrong. It didn't matter aesthetically but the implications...think about the implications.

I didn't like the Darkling flashback they made. I would have liked it more if they made it more ambigious. and darker.

There wasn't enough mention of the persecution of the Grisha. They tried to cheat that in the aforementioned flashback but like I said, it was a very tropey flashback so it didn't deliver emotionally.

I think they got the whole Sankta Alina stuff wrong. The book makes the religious zealot rabbit hole much more nuanced and wanky which is what it deserved. Everyone in the show just immediately went for Sankta Alina worship which felt unearned.

Having Alina and Inej meet so early on, is a crime I will never forgive. That was just so wrong. The whole point of her faith is that she never got to meet Alina.

Did I mention how well they captured Malina and how perfect they were together?

The childhood flashbacks were great. But I wanted them to separate Malina while they cried and screamed because the fact that she forced her powers to go silent just so she could stay with him, would have been that much more powerful.

I also wanted there to be specific mention of how Alina just cared for Mal so much that she repressed a part of her for years to be there but sadly it wasn't. Not that she injured herself. But that she also repressed it.

The Darkling could have been darker?

The integration of the dregs into the shadow and bone plot was as awkward as one could expect! Lol! Like the moment they met her, I figured out how that was going to go. It was okay but could be better.

But Kaz, Inej and Jesper's interactions were so cute that I forgive part of the sloppy plotting there.

I did not like where Zoya ended up at the end of the season. I think that and the fact that they scramled how Ravka realizes Darkling was evil all along, will add problems to the next season plotting.

Overall: 8/10

It was good. It could be better but it was already much better than I thought it would be and I am so grateful. Can't wait for season two.

[sweater-vest-reid]

All You Need is Love: Chapter Five “A Little Help From My Friends”

A Love Story Told by The Fab Four / Inspired by “Across the Universe”

Spencer Reid: a genius, hardworking, dedicated FBI profiler. Persephone “Percy” Jacobson: a passionate, brilliant, ambitious FBI specialist, and the newest member of the BAU. Spencer doesn’t believe in soulmates. Persephone doesn’t believe in happy endings. Told nonlinearly, watch as time, each other, and The Beatles, proves them wrong.

Chapter List

~~~~~

A/N: GUESS WHO’S BACK Y’ALL. It’s me, ya girl. BUT I need your help. While I have most of the story outlined, there are still little gaps here and there. SO, what moments do you want to see in this story? What parts of Spencer and Percy’s lives to do you want to read about? Send me some ideas! Cute, angst, fluff, ALL IDEAS ARE WELCOME. And I will credit you if I use your idea (unless I already had it in my story). Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

Listen Here

~~~~~

What would you do if I sang out of tune,

Would you stand up and walk out on me.

Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,

And I'll try not to sing out of key.

{2006}

“Hey Spence, are you on your way yet?” JJ asked over the phone.

Spencer was gathering the last few things he needed, “Almost. I’m about to head to my car.”

“Is there any way you can make a stop before coming to the office?” she asked.

“Yeah sure. What is it?” Spencer replied, locking his door behind him.

“Well, I’ve been able to reach every member of the team except Percy.” JJ explained, ”I tried calling a couple of times but she's not answering. Turns out she left her cell phone here over the weekend. She doesn’t have a landline either, so I’m out of ways to contact her. Is there any way you could pick her up on your way to the office?”

“Uhh sure.” He said, anxiety beginning to fill his mind, ”I can do that.”

“Great. I’ll text you her address. Thanks, Spence.” JJ said, hanging up the phone.

Spencer headed to his car, his brain moving in a million directions. Spencer had never seen Percy’s place before. He knew the purpose of his visit was work-related, but, secretly, he wished his visit was of a different nature.

Spencer parked in front of her building and walked into the lobby. He went up the stairs and found her door in the long hallway. Inside he could hear the muffled music and the sound of someone moving inside. Spencer took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Percy? It’s Spencer. We need you to come into work. We’ve got a case.”

Spencer waiting for her to open the door, but nothing happened. Spencer knocked again.

“Percy? Are you there? We need to go the jet's waiting. ”

Spencer waited again, yet his call was still unanswered. In a last-ditch attempt, Spencer tried the doorknob. To his surprise, it twisted, and the door swung open.

The sight on the other side of the door surprised Spencer, causing his mouth to form a sweet grin.

Percy stood before him, her back to the door, still wearing her pajamas. She danced to the joyful song that blared over the speakers. Percy sang along, her voice strong and passionate, as she reached each note with ease. Suddenly, Percy turned around, spotting Spencer at the door. She abruptly ended her performance, realizing she had an audience.

“Spencer? What are you doing here?” Percy asked, turning off the speaker.

“JJ called. We have a case.” Spencer replied, still in shock from the sight he just witnessed.

“Why didn’t she call me?” said Percy as she started gathering the contents of her go bag, “I haven’t heard anything about a case.”

“She did call you, but you left your cell phone at the office.” Said Spencer, “She asked me to pick you up on my way into work. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Seriously, you saved my ass.” She said, placing her bag by Spencer, “I gonna change clothes, and then we can leave.”

Percy disappeared into her bedroom, leaving Spencer alone in her home. He noticed the similarities to his. It's cluttered, every surface covered in different objects. But, the room was still clean, every object clearly had its own place. A desk sat in the corner, covered in papers and trinkets. Surrounding the desk was a collection of bookshelves. Some held books, some held DVDs and CDs, while others held pictures and candles. Naturally, Spencer was drawn to her collection of books. The books were various sizes and shapes, with many topics and languages represented. Spencer noticed a small notebook sat next to some of the larger books. Spencer went to reach for one of the notebooks when Percy emerged from her room.

“What are the notebooks for?” Spencer asked.

“Well, I used to take notes in the page margins, but I find that they’re too small to fit all my questions and thoughts. So, for almost every book I read, I take notes in a notebook.”

Spencer didn’t say anything, he just looked at her in amazement. No matter how long he knew Percy, no matter how much he learned about her, she still found new ways to amaze him.

“So, shall we go to work? I don’t think the serial killers took the day off.” She joked, grabbing her bag.

Spencer and Percy headed to the car and took off for what they knew would be a long day.

“So, what exactly were you doing when I arrived at your place?” Spencer asked, his curiosity eating him alive.

"If you must know. This morning I was looking around my place when I found a soundtrack from an old musical I did in high school.” Percy blushed, “I played it while getting ready this morning, and needless to say, I got a little carried away. I’m afraid you caught me in the middle of the act one finale.”

“You have a beautiful voice.” Spencer blurted.

“Thank you, Spencer,” Percy said, a look of surprise on her face.

Spencer noticed her expression, “What is it?”

“Usually when I tell people about my theater past, they give me shit. You’re the first person in a long time who hasn’t judged me.” She answered.

Spencer frowned, “Why would they judge you?”

“You must remember how theater kids were treated in high school? Bullied, laughed at. Turns out that aspect of life doesn’t get better when you grow up.” Percy stated.

“Actually, I don’t. I didn’t pay much attention to that part of high school. In fact, I’ve actually never seen a musical.” said Spencer.

Percy’s jaw dropped, “You’ve never seen a musical?”

“Never,” Spencer confirmed.

“Phantom of the Opera?” She asked.

“Nope,” Spencer replied.

“The Sound of Music.”

“No.”

“Les Mis?”

“I’ve read the book. Does that count?” asked Spencer.

Percy shook her head, “As soon as this case is over, we’re seeing a musical. Non-negotiable.”

“Sounds good,” Spencer said as he pulled into the parking spot.

“Oh and one more thing?” added Percy, “Don’t you dare tell Morgan about any of this. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Promise. My lips are sealed.”

What do I do when my love is away. (Does it worry you to be alone) How do I feel by the end of the day (Are you sad because you're on your own) No I get by with a little help from my friends,

{2013}

His mind played the events over and over, her battered face refusing to disappear. He could hear the sound of her screams, her cries for help as he frantically searched for her. He saw her, lying on the ground, the blood pooling from her injured leg. Even now he could still feel the weight of her barely conscious body and he carried her out of the house.

A hand on his shoulder broke Spencer from his trance.

“Hey, pretty boy, you still in there?” Morgan joked.

“Yeah, sorry.” Spencer said, “Where were we?”

“We were discussing the unsub’s next possible victims” replied JJ.

“And? Any leads?” Spencer asked, still waking up from his flashback.

“None. Nothing we’ve gathered so far has helped. I think we would benefit from revisiting the last crime scene. See if we missed anything” suggested Blake.

“Good thinking, Blake,” said Hotch, “Alright, Morgan and Reid. You two return to the crime scene. Make sure we didn’t miss anything. The rest of us will take another look at the surviving victim’s statement”

The team split up. Spencer grabbed his things, following Morgan out to the SUV. As they walked, Spencer took out his phone and began to dial his most frequent number. But before he could finish, Morgan snatched the phone from his hands.

“Hey!” yelled Spencer, “Give that back!”

Morgan shook his head, “Only when you promise to stop bothering the poor girl.”

“Come on Morgan, don’t be ridiculous. I’m just checking up on her.” Argued Spencer.

Morgan laughed, “Yeah? Well, that call would have been the sixth time you checked up on her today.”

“Not true,” said Spencer as they climbed into the vehicle.

“Oh really? You wanna bet?” Morgan asked, “Let’s see, the first one was at 9:47, the next at 10:30, one at 12:13, another at 1:45, and the last at 2:36. If you include the call you just tried to make, that’s a total of six.”

Spencer looked down at his lap, refusing to make eye contact with Morgan. Sure, he wasn’t proud of his frequent calls to Percy, but he had to do it. He needed to hear her voice, to confirm that she was okay, that she was safe. After all, it had only been two months since it happened, and Spencer was still trying to deal with the events.

Morgan glanced over, “Listen, kid, I know how much you love her. We all do. And we were there that day too. But you have to understand that she’s safe. I promise she’ll be there waiting for you when the case is done. Got it?”

Spencer nodded, a single tear started to fall down his face. He wiped it away, smiling at Morgan. He was so thankful for his friend’s kind words.

Morgan spent the rest of the drive distracting Spencer. Asking him questions that he knew would warrant at least ten minutes of ranting.

Once they arrived at the crime scene, Spencer dove into his work. And, for a least a bit, his mind was free from worry. It wasn’t until his phone rang during the drive home that Spencer remembered his past anxiety.

Spencer answered the phone, “Hey, is everything okay?”

“I was just about the ask you that” replied Percy on the other end of the phone, “You hadn’t checked in for a while. I was beginning to get worried.”

Spencer glanced at the car’s clock, “I’m so sorry, we got really busy with the case”

“It’s okay” Percy reassured. “It’s just good to hear your voice.”

“It’s good to hear yours too.”

Would you believe in a love at first sight, Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time.

{2004}

“I don’t know,” said Morgan, shaking his head, “Attraction at first sight? Sure. But love? No way.”

The team sat in the jet, deep into a heated debate. The case they had finished involved an unsub with a twisted definition of “love at first sight”. As the jet traveled back to Quantico, a debate ensued.

“Hey, pretty boy, back me up. What’s your scientific viewpoint on love at first sight?” Morgan asked, turning to face Spencer.

Spencer looked around nervously, “I’ll pass”

“Come on Reid,” groaned Morgan.

“Fine,” Spencer said, closing his book, “I guess love can be chemically explained. The feeling of love is caused by the production of serotonin and dopamine, along with many other chemicals. But, love at first sight has yet to be scientifically disproven. So, sorry Morgan, but I don’t think I can help you.”

Morgan was shocked, “What’s happened to you, Reid? A year ago that question would have caused a fifteen-minute rant about how nonsense the concept is. Now you’re saying it’s possible?”

“Why did you change your mind? Did you meet someone?” Asked Hotch.

“Yeah Spencer,” asked Percy, “Who’s the special girl?”

“There’s no girl.” Spencer said, lying through his teeth, “I'm choosing to look at it through a more scientific lens, that’s all.”

His answer satisfied the team, and they turned their attention back to Morgan. Spencer kept his eyes trained on Percy, watching her every move.

You. Spencer desperately wanted to say. You’re the special girl.

Morgan was right. He used to disregard love at first sight. That was until he experienced it for himself. The first time they met, the first time they talked, the first time they were alone together, Spencer felt it. Love.

“Come on. I find this hard to believe." Morgan said, shaking his head.

"What?" Gideon asked.

"That some of the smartest minds in the world believe in love at first sight, and soulmates, and happy endings!” Morgan exclaimed, fed up with the conversation.

“Ugh, don’t get me started on happy endings.” Groaned Percy as she slumped back into her chair.

“What’s wrong with happy endings?” asked Gideon.

“They piss me off. That people can be so naïve and think they’ll get their happy ending just by sitting around and waiting for it. That’s not how life works. Believe me. Happy endings require effort, and some people simply aren’t willing to put in that effort.”

“Looks like somebody had a bad breakup. Let me guess, college boyfriend gone wrong?” teased Hotch.

“Don’t you dare try to profile me Hotch” Percy said.

Spencer watched as Percy’s face dropped. He’d seen that face enough to know her mind was busy reliving memories. Memories that Spencer knew Percy would never share.

Percy slumped in her chair, her mind replaying the words she uttered. She hadn’t meant to be so harsh, but this conversation had made her angry. Angry at those who broke her heart in the past, and those who were breaking her heart in the present.

Maybe she was wrong about whatever was between her and Spencer. Maybe the feelings she had the first time they met were just first day of work jitters. The smiles they shared were merely friendly exchanges.

Percy looked up and Spencer, their eyes locking together. A blush rose to his cheeks, and a smile spread across his lips. Percy felt heat rush to her cheeks and a similar grin form on her face.

But then again, maybe she was right after all.

What do you see when you turn out the light? I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine.

{2015}

Percy snapped awake. It was still late at night, showed by the moonlight flowing into the room. Percy tried to look at the alarm clock on her bedside table, but she found that her head would not move. She then tried to move her arms but found that they too refused to move. Percy began to panic, a familiar sense of dread set in. A shadowy figure appeared in the corner of her bedroom. It glared at her, causing Percy's heat to pound. Suddenly, the figure starting to move. Tears slid down Percy’s cheeks as it inched closer and closer. The figure loomed over her, its presence cold and threatening.

But as quickly as the figure appeared, it vanished. Percy heard Spencer yelling her name, and she felt his hands on her shoulders, trying to shake her awake.

Percy jolted upright, a cold sweat covering her body.

“Percy are you okay?” Spencer asked, concern filling his voice.

Percy didn’t say anything. She leaned forward, her head resting in her hands, and cried. She fought to slow down her heartbeat, to ease her heavy breathing. The shadowy figure may be gone, but her panic refused to leave.

It had been happening more and more, the figure visiting her at night. She had been trying to hide it from Spencer, as she didn’t want him to worry. But now her secret was out.

Spencer stayed silent, rubbing her back as she wept. As her breathing slowed, she leaned back into him, cuddling into the crook of his arm.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

Percy stayed quiet, letting her ragged breathing answer the question for her.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened is it,” Spencer asked.

“No,” Percy said, wiping the last tears from her eyes “It’s been going on for about a month”

Spencer pulled her closer, “Next time, tell me. I don’t like that you’ve been dealing with this all by yourself.”

Percy nodded.

“What happened? You were….you were screaming in your sleep. It was terrifying.” Spencer asked. Percy could hear the fear in his voice.

“I couldn’t move” she whispered, “There was something here. It just... looked at me. Usually, it just stands there, but tonight it moved toward me. It came so close. I felt it.”

“You know, it sounds like sleep paralysis” commented Spencer.

Percy buried her head into him, “I know. That's what I think it is too. But that doesn’t make it seem less real.”

“I know it doesn’t. But you’re okay now. I promise. Just try to go back to sleep” he said, kissing her forehead.

They held each other, Spencer petting her hair with his hand. Soon he drifted off to sleep. Percy glanced down at his hand, noticing his ring as it shone in the moonlight. Percy placed her own hand next to his, staring down at both rings in amazement.

It had only been two months since they placed the rings on each other’s hands. She still couldn’t believe how lucky she was. She got to marry her best friend.

Percy was so glad they found each other. They fit together perfectly. She only wished it hadn’t taken five years for them to realize they both felt the same way.

It was five long years. Five years of missed moments, of secret glances. The longest five years of her life.

But now, laying there, next to him, she knew. All of it, the long nights at work, the many hospital visits, the near-death experiences, even the sleep paralysis, were worth it.   Yes I get by with a little help from my friends, With a little help from my friends.

TAGGED (Want to be tagged in any upcoming chapters? Message me and I’ll add you to the list!)

@beysenpai / @theofficeofsupremegenius / @everybodywantstobetouched / @keepcalmandlovetomhiddleston / @criminal-navy-writings / @whale-of-a-time

[afoolsingenuity]

Ruthless King // An Enjoyable Read Which Held a Nostalgic Vibe

Ruthless King (Kings of Rittenhouse #3) – Maya Hughes

Published: 10th January 2019 Source: Review Copy Author Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult My Rating:

My dick never got me in half as much trouble as my heart...

We were high school sweethearts. I was head over heels for her and no one could tell me we weren’t going to last forever. College? Going pro? My family’s money? None of it mattered. She was all I needed.

Then she ripped my heart out. But I’m not going to let that happen again.

She’s back. Invading my life and acting like she was the wronged one. The pain is still there, but I can’t keep my eyes off her. I can’t stop thinking about her and how much was left unsaid between us. Being this close is making me question everything I thought I knew about her.

This time everything will be on my terms. Everything…

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I received an email about this book and it is rather different to my romance reading of late, but as soon as I read the summary I was tempted. That alone has me thinking of books I’ve read in the past and I couldn’t help but accept and agree to review.  I haven’t read a new adult book like this one in a good long while. I started with new adult romance when I was making my entrance into the romance world because I was fed up of reading about YA characters who felt immature to me and could relate to NA characters far more. I still have such a soft spot for them because really you don’t forget your first romances, do you? Sure, I’d read the chick lit which used to be popular in the UK but I’d never classed myself as a romance reader until I began reading NA and sports romance a while back. The rest, they say, is history.

From the first page, this book had me feeling nostalgic. It opens with Emmett, our male lead, kicking someone out of his apartment showcasing all the signs of being a rich boy with no feelings. I mean, he should come across utterly unlikable because he obviously sounds like he gets through many women and he’s overly privileged but then he reveals his inner man pain and boy do I want to know how some girl broke his heart from there. (Also, as a side note I would like it known that in real life it is never acceptable to treat people badly because you had your heart broken, he would get a strong talking to and get told not to be a dickhead if this was reality.) Basically, Emmett acts like a massive dickhead through a lot of this book and I did question how he was even allowed and wanted to punch him several times… but I also wanted him to find out the truth and get back with Avery because in the flashbacks to the best he seemed pretty adorable. I did also want to take all of this money away because the dude seriously tried to control folks with money without even realising it. Not in a bad way… but he tried to pay for everything to kind of make his friends owe him… which also sounds bad when I put it like that. Honestly, the last part of the book (apart from a couple of times when I shouted use your words at him) he wasn’t all that bad and he became a total sweetheart again. He was going through a dickhead recovery period.

And then there is Avery who is obviously the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who dated the rich, popular guy in school before a thing happened which made him hate her for years. Seriously, this book is hella dramatic and I loved it! Anyway, I’m sure you can guess some of the things which occurred when I say the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, right? Obviously, family was involved on both sides to create added drama which was fun to read. Avery is your typical good, kind, hardworking woman who has spent her years since high school ended working all hours (which she also did whilst at school too, the girl had a work ethic we could all do with having). She has worked hard to make sure her sister is well fed and can have any opportunity she wished for so she didn’t have to struggle as Avery did and finally her sister has graduated and the book starts with Avery looking to her future… except she doesn’t know what she wants in life. She inevitably ends up going to the summer cottage Emmett and his friends have rented because Emmett was meant to have pulled out. All kinds of fun things happen with those two stuck in the same house together and seriously have to read for all the drama. Avery could be frustrating because none of this book would have happened if the girl hadn’t used her words from the very start, but I liked her all the same. She still hadn’t learnt the lesson in using her words, though. Why do folks in romance struggle with this?

This book was not original and the storyline has been seen before. I’m not going to lie to you on that. I mean the rich guy with a trust fund who used to be in love with the girl from the wrong side of the tracks? Yeah, we’ve all seen it before. And we all know the misunderstandings which will occur when they’re stuck together somewhere like a rented cottage at the beach with friends. It did have its moments of not necessarily surprising me, but it takes an unexpected turn. Maya Hughes took some well-known tropes and plot devices and made it so even when you can see the next turn in the story coming you don’t care because you’re having so much fun on the journey. Sure, I wanted to slap Avery upside the head for not being honest and Emmett was a massive dickhead at times using money to get his friends to do as he wanted them to and letting his parents act as they did, but I still liked both of them despite their flaws. They were flawed but I was fully invested in Emmett finally finding out the truth and realising that Avery’s only fault was she couldn’t be honest and trust him as much as she should and that he can be far too quick to jump to conclusions.

This was a book which shouldn’t have worked for me because I hate this level of drama and miscommunication but for some reason, I didn’t even care. I think half was the sense of nostalgia and the other half was that it was a well-written romance which I enjoyed reading. I do wish I’d read the other books in this series because the secondary characters were great and I feel like I would have appreciated their presence even more if I knew the backstory to the couples. The small glimpse you get into the next book in the series certainly has me excited to read that too. This was a lesson that sometimes reading a book in a genre you used to love can be the best thing because there is a reason you read so many of them.

Anyone else read this or any of the other book in the series? Have I missed out on a good story I need to go back and explore? And have you returned to a genre/category of book you used to love before?

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