#x drake already done fam

[doctorgerth]

Relationship headcanons to X Drake, Killer and Smoker?

yessssss I love this! X Drake has already been done here so I have Killer and Smoker for you today! I honestly had way too many ideas for the both of them but I limited them to 20 like I did with Drake bc I like making HCs even in number for everybody ok lol Hope you enjoy, anon

Relationship HCs: Killer, Smoker 

Killer

(i can’t wait for more Killer gifs, not the sad Wano ones tho rip)

- first thing’s first, getting along with Kid is a must for his partner; not only is that his captain, but he’s also Killer’s best friend and he’d much prefer it if his lover and his best friend could get along

- if they simply can’t get along, he’ll ask them to tolerate each other for his sake, and it usually works out ok; though honestly? i don’t think Killer would go for someone his captain hated, because despite Kid being a Grade A dick head sometimes, Killer trusts his captain’s instincts

- Kid also wouldn’t hate Killer’s s/o for no reason at all, though he definitely gets jealous that he doesn’t see Killer as much anymore…….

- in general, he needs a partner who can put up with his crew’s antics, they’re all a bit wild, but they’re family; Killer loves his captain and crew deeply, so he expects his partner to feel the same way

- Killer is very good at reading the room, therefore he can usually pick up on his partner’s emotions easily and he’ll subtly adjust to improve their mood if necessary, but he won’t be overt about it as he doesn’t like having unnecessary attention on them

- it can be as simple as a whispered “hey, i love you” or passing touches or a hand squeeze, anything to let his partner know that they are loved and that everything will be ok!; sometimes these little gestures help to improve his own mood

- he’s really great at talking through emotions with his partner, so they rarely have heated arguments; the only confrontation he enjoys is on the battlefield, so don’t expect him to tolerate yelling and/or throwing things during domestic arguments (he deals with that enough)

- he’s actually one of, if not the best on the ship to get advice from, he’s a bit of a realist, so he can be brutally honest sometimes, but if that’s what his partner needs to hear then he refuses to hold back; if he’s not completely honest with them he feels as if he’s doing them a disservice + breaking the trust they have formed

- a very loyal partner, once he forms a bond with you, he will do whatever it takes to maintain it and he would never ever dare break your trust for him; he takes bonds/relationships seriously, so he takes it a bit personal if you break his trust, as once he trusts you, you shouldn’t take that lightly

- Killer is a bit unfamiliar with romance, he’s had crushes and flings before sure, but love? it’s a strange concept for him; he loves Kid and his crew, but loving someone like that? he has no fucking clue how to go about it initially

- nevertheless, he actually adjusts pretty easily to a relationship as when he finds the right partner, he realizes he wants to do everything possible to keep them happy and safe, so the whole loving them unconditionally part now suddenly makes sense to him?

- he’s still a bit of an awkard turtle during the beginning of the relationship though; PDA? not a chance, that brings way too much teasing attention to him and he does not enjoy that, so if his partner is touchy, they need to be more subtle about it when in front of others

- he can tolerate a little hand hold holding or them sitting in his lap (his favorite) every now and then, but he doesn’t want them latched around his waist at all times

- regardless if his s/o can protect themselves or not, Killer is always always in protection mode, it’s just in his nature to protect his loved ones; it can be during battle or even from snide comments from Kid, there’s no way in hell anyone is going to harm his lover and get away with it

- he often scolds them for putting themselves in dangerous situations, much like a father really, but he always apologizes about it later, simply admitting that losing them is one of his biggest fears so he just wishes them to be more careful

- he won’t immediately inform his partner on the reason for his mask as that takes almost all of his trust to do that, so he doesn’t appreciate his partner constantly bugging him about it; I feel as if he would reveal his face after many months or possibly years into the relationship or his s/o would happen to see his face on accident

- he enjoys a lively partner, but they must understand that he doesn’t like to laugh himself, even if they don’t know the reason yet, he still expects them to understand and be patient with him; though, I can see him developing a low (probs a lil creepy) chuckle in response to things he can’t hold back from because he genuinely finds his partner silly and adorable

- kissing obviously doesn’t really happen for a long time, not until he takes off his mask, but he blushes every single time his partner plants a kiss on it; these are times when he is super grateful for the mask as no one can tease him for his reddened face, though the flush along his neck kinda gives it away at times

- though he finds it a bit embarrassing, he thoroughly enjoys it when his partner plays with his hair; the feeling of their fingers running through it really relaxes him, he’ll typically ask them to do this after a really stressful day

- he’s actually really sweet with compliments! whether his s/o looks nice or they performed a task well, he’s gonna let them know how beautiful/amazing he thinks they are! it’s easy for him to admit these feelings because, again, he can hide his cheesy grin and flustered face behind that mask of his 

Smoker

- another stoic man, Smoker doesn’t do silly, so a partner who has a goofier personality doesn’t flow very well with his own; he needs someone serious and driven, like him

- Smoker’s career is a bit stressful, so having a peaceful lover to come home to is all he could ever ask for; simple small talk like “how was work?” or back rubs or dinner waiting for him on the table may seem mundane to others, but it’s simply the life for him

- on the flip side, I think he also enjoys a more sarcastic/teasing partner, someone to rile him up a bit day to day to keep things interesting; he doesn’t want boring, just someone mature with a hint of a playful side

- I can see him as the marriage type when the time is right; he definitely wants to settle down and have a family of his own one day

- falling for someone takes a lot out of Smoker, lots of sacrificing and willingness to commit, one needs to break down his walls in order for him to trust them and that is no easy feat

- so of course when Smoker trusts them, he really trusts them and he would do anything for them; this goes for any partner willing to be patient enough to earn his trust, once earned, he will never make them regret it

- has no fucking clue how to go about romance; he’ll try to get advice from Tashigi or Hina, but he never follows through as their advice is always “too embarrassing”  

- though he always tries to deny it, Smoker really loves a touchy partner; their soft hands on his own, their fingers tracing his skin, their arms wrapped around him, their lips on his body, it’s all just so comforting, helping to relax his entire being every time to the point he practically craves it

- he usually gets touch-starved during the day as he can’t accept affection while at work of course; so he comes home and practically demands his partner love every inch of his body to make up for it

- it really frustrates him, because there’s days (mostly paperwork days) when all he wants is to wrap them up in his arms, but he just can’t do that, so he’s ultimately distracted from work; he’ll take this opportunity to page them into his office for a quick cuddle session to put him back in the right mindset

- however, if his s/o ever tried to bother him during work without permission he would get a little frustrated; not that he’s upset to see them but god, do they not realize how much of a distraction their cute little face is? so he’ll usually ask them not to bother him during work, maybe sounding a bit harsh about it, but it’s really because he can’t focus when they’re around as when they are around, he can only focus on them!

- with affection in public, he makes do with sneaky gestures like passing touches, bumping shoulders, or even lil booty taps; other than that, he asks his partner to respect his wishes on no PDA as that could severely ruin his reputation (mostly it makes him all flustered)

- treats his s/o like a teammate rather than a best friend or strictly a lover; he sees relationships as very team-oriented as you are on the same side and you always have each other’s backs, tackling day-to-day tasks and conquering whatever you need to together

- now, he can be a bit obstinate, so annoying arguments can ensue every now and then as he just doesn’t budge on his opinions sometimes, but he’s also obstinate in his love for his partner so…it’s not all bad?

- he cares a lot about his partner’s health so I can see him having a bit of a coach-like personality around them sometimes, but he only means well; if his partner doesn’t like this, he’s willing to adjust

- Smoker can be very uplifting as he gets proud of his partner a lot; these are the times when he tells them with words how incredible he thinks they are; sometimes he gets so overwhelmed by how proud he is that he finds himself bragging to others about them

- other than that, Smoker is a bit awkward with loving words; he wants to tell them he thinks they’re beautiful/handsome or that they mean the world to him, but he doesn’t like the way it makes his stomach twist and turn or the way his body rises to dangerous temperatures every time he tries to utter these endearments, so he settles with private physical affection to express his adoration for his s/o

- he gets real blushy with an s/o who praises or dotes on him; he appreciates the love and awkwardly accepts it, but it just feels wrong, he’s the one who is supposed to spoil them!

- though he’s a burly man, he’s surprisingly a very gentle lover, expressing his love through soft kisses and gentle caresses; he doesn’t realize how romantic he can be when expressing physical affection

- very protective with a bit of a jealous side that he doesn’t really try to hide!

[anemoniii]

heads up. d.w.

I am back from the dead, my dudes! Hopefully for good this time. I’ll try my best to keep you guys up to date with stories and such, I hope you enjoy this one, lovelies; it’s my first time writing for Damion so. Requests are still open, by the way. I’m also going to start keeping these as non-binary as possible.

request: hi can u do a damian x vigilante reader and they all meet her for the first time and he kinda just falls for her and his fam just teasing him about his crush endlessly?? im glad u decided to come back btw : )

word count: around 2600

“Tt, you see, Batman, this is why Red Hood should never join us. He’s far too reckless,” Damian states trough his com.

Through a series of unfortunate events, Robin, Red Hood, and Nightwing had failed a mission. All they needed to do was get in, avoid too much violence, download a file filled with a minor drug dealers buyers onto a hard drive, and get out.

“First of all, don’t blame me for your problems. It’s not like I was the one to disobey Bats, that was all you, man. We had a clear goal, don’t cause chaos,” Jason’s voice echoed through the empty factory. Much like the rest, he was currently tied up and hung over a pool of hydrofluoric acid.

“Oh, so going into a building with AK-47’s blaring is the right way to go? My bad, I didn’t realize.”

I which was followed by a mutter however, due to the empty factory, came as a loud echo, “Imbecile.”

“Robin, control yourself,” Bruce stated through the com, “Tim and I will be there shortly.”

While Jason ignored Bruce, he attempted to swing over and bump into Damian. Unfortunately for him, Jason, not Damian; Damian was quite thankful, he was in no mood to be burned by acid, a loud explosion interrupted his actions.

“Well, I guess they’re finally gonna kill us,” Dick sighed, “It was nice being part of this family while it lasted.”

“I promise you will feel every last bit of the explosion, just a little heads up from one dead man to the next,” Jason added.

“Heads up, indeed.”

Over the heads of all 3 vigilantes, you glided past them, cladded in an outfit as if steampunk and a ninja collided together and became one, from pillar to pillar. (a/n: or you know, whatever you want. I’m low key digging the steampunk ninja vibe though, haha.)

When you found a pillar that was in a good enough distance to save the heroes in distress, you started jumping to each chain that held them above the acid and with perfect precision, you brought them to safety with a swift cut, catch, and release.

“Why are you all so bloody heavy?” You grunted out after you brought down Robin from the chains.

Breathlessly, you stood up from your crouching position with a smile. You clapped your hands together and rolled back onto your heels, “As much fun as this was, I truly must be going,” you turned to the man with a red helmet, “I presume you’re Red Hood, correct? I agree with this twat,” you made awkward hand gestures to Damian and continued, “Please, no more reckless behaviour; I don’t want to nearly break my back again.”

“Tt, I don't need your approval, nor should you ever call me a twat. Who are you even? Were you sent by my mother? Who do you work with? Why did you-.”

You cut him off, “Easy, tiger. No need for all these questions, all you need to know is that your in safe hands. Besides, I don’t even know who you are, but I’m definitely not against learning,” you ended your statement with a wink.

Damian’s face turned a deep crimson colour as his brothers laughed.

“Robin,” he responded.

“Excuse me?”

“I am Robin,” he clarified his response.

You laughed and gave him bow to mock him, “In that case, I’m Hawk. Pleased to you.”

“Tt, I am serious, you poor excuse of a hero.”

You put a hand to your chest and replied with, “Oh, goodness me. Why, I don’t recall ever saying I was a hero, my love. But in all seriousness, my name is Onmitsu (a/n: or whatever you want). I like to consider myself a… an antihero.”

Damian blushed, yet again. To save him from further embarrassment, Dick came forward, with arms crossed, “In order for this meeting to go on any longer, we will need a clarification of what your purpose is for being here.”

“Batman should be arriving with replacement soon,” Jason added.

“Tt, we are well past that.”

Ignoring the two who were arguing, you answered the other man, “As you know, my name’s Onmitsu and I consider myself an antihero-.”

“Why do you consider yourself that?” Dick added with squinted eyes.

Sighing, you continued, “If you would let me finish my sentence, you would have known by now. My name is Onmitsu, I see myself as an antihero because I prefer to be paid for my work, and the only reason I’m saving you idiots is because this happens to be my safe haven. There’s a nice view when there isn’t acid, chains, and random people. All you need to to is look up, the stars are quite beautiful from here, no?”

Damian looked up, “Tt, you make it seem like I would be looking at-.”

“Oh, how could I forget about you!”

Damian looked back down and to you, you were playing with the tiniest kitten he has ever seen, “It looks malnourished.”

You sighed and pat the cat behind its ear, “Her name is Manara. She is the light of my life. I found her a little over a month ago, she refuses to eat anything I give her. I don’t know what to do anymore. Do you like animals? I adore them. I prefer them over humans, humans are so unpredictable.”

Damian gave a faint smile, it wasn’t noticeable, but it didn’t slide past Jason and Dick. Or even Tim and Bruce who seemed to finally arrive.

“I couldn’t agree less, you seem to be tolerable. Perhaps you would like to meet my animals sometime. I have many, I simply adore them. I have a cat as well, his name is Alfred.”

Tim and Jason couldn’t help but snicker at Damian.

Batman clasped his hands together, “Well, we truly must be going. Onmitsu, it would be lovely to work with you in the near future,” he turned to the three who faced a near death experience, “You three were in good hands it seems. No scratches, cuts, bullet wounds. Anything?”

They all shook their heads.

“Very well. It was a pleasure meeting you, I’m quite excited for you and Robin to be dating, from the profile check I did on you, you seem quite suitable, y/n.”

“Why, thank you, Mr. Wayne. I can assure you, I mean no harm. Unless I’m provoked, that is,” you smiled.

With a sigh and a hand to his temple, “First Red Robin, now you?”

Your smile grew to a smirk, “I believe you mean, Tim Drake, sir?” You turned and nodded off the rest of the people, “Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and last but certainly not least, Damian Wayne. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Dick looked at you with confusion, “I thought you said you didn’t know Damian?”

You fiddled with your katanas and put them back in their scabbards on your back before answering, “Come on, who in their right mind would have came in saying how you already know someone’s alter ego? You gotta build up to that, my friend. Wait for the right moment, ya know?”

Your smile grew at their looks of discontent, “Please don’t worry, I have nothing against you. There’s not a dime for any of you to be dead. Surprising, I know.”

Tim yawned and added, “How reassuring.”

“Tt, calm down, Drake. Anyway, since you have the approval of my father and a reliable research, I deem you worthy to be invited to Wayne Manor.”

Jason came behind Damian and but his hands on his shoulders, “What demon is trying to say is he wants to date you. Possibly marry you, I wouldn’t be surprised if I were you; he doesn’t usually smile at people. That alone makes me hear wedding bells,” he finished by moving his index finders side to side in the air to symbolize the chiming of bells.

“Jason!” Damian hissed.

No one backed Damian up, they knew it was all too true. Never once did he show the same interest in anyone like he showed you. Inviting you over? Deeming you worthy? You were beyond confused with this seemingly dysfunctional family, but they seemed nice enough. You did your research, there was nothing to be too frightened of. What could go wrong?

“Well, it would be my honour.”

And if Damion wasn’t blushing, he sure was now, “Very well, I am free tomorrow at noon. Where shall I pick you up?”

“What about at Gotham Park? I’m already going there tomorrow, I’m down for you to come. Is that okay?” You hit his shoulder with yours.

“Okay.”

“Great, demon spawn has a date, I believe we’re done here. I really don’t want to be standing near this acid anymore. But I’m a nice guy, I’ll try to get this all cleared up for you before we leave,” Jason interjected.

“It’s fine; I’m a responsible adult, I’m sure I’ll find a way to get bloody hydrofluoric acid out of here. How the hell did it even get here?”

“You know drug dealers,” Tim cut in.

“Damn, why must this dealer just have to ruin the purest thing, I love this place” you added. “Especially you, Manara. No drug lord will ever hurt you.”

As the heroes and anti heroes walked out of the factory, Manara closely following behind, all that could be heard was the words of departure and traffic. For once, there was no raindrops to fill the erie city that is Gotham.

[lizzybeth1986]

Quick Thoughts on TRR Book 3, Chapter 1

• IT’S TIME FAM.

• This write up is going to be really, really long, fam. Tried to split it up after I posted (I know...bad idea)...but then I realised it would be repetitive for people who had read this thing in its entirety already. Sorry! I definitely will think of splitting it next time it goes this long.

• Now as far as I remember this shizz going in Book 1, we import, check out faces, hair, which prince, etc etc and then a flashback that tells us in short what happened last book.

• PB you import my choices and THEN ask me what my duchy is? The fuck bruh???

• …FINE. I’ll write it again 😒

ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY FORGET DANIEL HENNEY.

•

You forgot my dude as well 😐 (See what I did there @callmetippytumbles ) How DARE you make me choose between these hot men? Sacrilege! Blasphemy! Dishonour! Dishonour on you and dishonour on your cow!!

• Choose…the…one…closest…in… looks… to…Daniel…Henney…aaaaaand DONE! 😁

• @ladynevrakis tells me if you don’t import your choices, these are the descriptions they give for the LIs when they ask you to choose your primary LI:

“the dashing and honourable Liam”

“the steadfast and sarcastic Drake”

“the talented and beautiful Hana”

“the humorous and loyal Maxwell”

Oi. Why do Hana’s descriptors have more to do with her talent and beauty and less to do with how loyal she is? Homegirl came back and dealt with having to court two utterly boring men so she could have your back. She fought her dad and left her home - whether or not you’re interested in her. She was part of the entourage that helped you confront Tariq. Half of the alliances you snagged, were made easier if she was helping you. So why is it that Liam is “honourable”, Drake is “steadfast”, Maxwell is “loyal”, and Hana just…“talented”? Eh? Not fair.

• Stray thought while doing the flashback: why is my MC wearing the pepto bismol dress. I’ve never touched that item of clothing in my life.

• Okay looks like the shot hit Drake’s shoulder. Phew. Salvageable.

• Given the massive strain on the Bastien-Drake relationship in Book 2, I’m happy that they show both of them still care so deeply about each other.

• So now we see the title page…which shows us a crown and a ring. Wedding alert?

• Did you notice there is now a “soft” version of the theme/title track? I think it’s mostly guitar? Soft cymbals? Synth piano? IDK what it is but it’s very beautiful. Please tell me I’ll hear more of it in the book proper.

• Chapter Title: Twilight Hour. Interesting that it should be called that. I mean literally a fair portion of the chapter takes place during twilight and before dawn breaks. But also on a symbolic level, the darkest hour of the night is before dawn breaks, and things look pretty damn dark for Cordonia rn.

• They’re now in a safe house with a generator that doesn’t work. Gah.

• Eh? Is that wound going to be okay with just some alcohol and bandages? How did she remove the bullet? Did she elevate his arm? What was Bastien thinking not having him taken to the hospital instead?

• Drake: “I can’t sit here doing nothing”. Dude. You just saved the future Queen/a new duchess, and suffered a gunshot wound. I think you have pretty much earned the right to “do nothing” for at least a while. Chill. Relax and unwind you’re not Superman and you did a good job.

• CONGRATULATIONS DRAKE STANS ON GETTING ENGAGED.

• MY KING IS HERE!!!

• AND SO ARE MAXWELL AND HANA! I’ve never been this happy to be proven wrong in my life I’m just glad they’re safe x

• “Doctors usually prescribe rest and peace and quiet to shooting victims. Hard to rest with this kind of racket.” Oh shush Drake, we know you love racket when it comes bearing the names “Liam”, “Maxwell”, “Hana” and [insert MC’s name here] 😂

• I like that Bertrand tried to get other people out as well. Small but very significant character detail IMO.

• Okay so Constantine and Regina are okay, but pretty shaken. Olivia “isn’t mentioned” among the injured but last chapter made it look like she was going home before the Ball got over. I don’t know about Savannah and Bartie but since the other two options’ responses sound similar they must be doing okay.

• OMG KIARA! OMG JUSTIN!!!

• I hope we get to visit these two soon. I think I can rest easy re: Justin being someone working for the other side now phew. I can, right? I really want this dude to be on our side.

• So known casualties so far:

- Drake: Gunshot wound, shoulder

- Bastien: Gunshot wound, leg

- Justin: Gunshot wound, unspecified

- Kiara: Knife wound, unspecified.

•

Liam. My dude. My fellow defiler of public places. WHAT HAVE I BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU FOR THE LAST TWO DIAMOND ESSAYS.

• I know he means that *for tonight* let’s not think about Cordonia’s enemies and just focus on everyone being safe. But the “let’s move forward and not explore the past” is a recurring theme with the royal family, and it’s a problem.

• Drake: [The people] should have faith in Liam. You know I do.

Liam: No, Bertrand is right. I need to earn their trust.

I feel like in some ways Liam is on the right path. Over here he’s already speaking the language of the fortune itself, telling Drake that it isn’t enough to just assume the public will love and trust him. Cordonians look up to their monarchs, and if there is instability and lack of safety shown on that score, then it’s but natural that they will feel unsafe as well. He’s thinking damage control. But I’m worried that damage control won’t be enough this time.

• So Hana gets us a change of clothes, with no adjoining scene, and Maxwell and the MC get a scene while fixing the generator.

• You get an opportunity to tell Maxwell that Liam needs strong allies, and therefore House Beaumont needs to buckle up. Great point, and I like how they’re pushing for making a point about strengthening allies this early in the book.

• CONGRATS MAXWELL STANS!! The twig ring was adorable.

• Line of the day:

MC: We’re as talented as Hana!

Maxwell: Woah, don’t let a couple of successes get to your head!

And dont you forget it! Hana is legit goddess.

• Can we also talk about how you now get “Soulmates” points on romantic options xD

• Liam had sex…with the MC…in a bedroom.

A BEDROOM. ON A BED. INDOORS.

• I’m not going to talk about any of the stuff Liam says in the bedroom. That’s for my essay this week. I’m also taking help from @kennaxval to figure out what Hana’s scene is like.

• I like that the diamond option is a 12 diamond scene with whoever your LI is, so you can reassure and comfort them. Plus, sexytimes for 12 diamonds is quite the steal 😍😍😍😍

• If you’re shipping someone else, and announce that you are marrying them, Liam appears shocked, dons his brave-face, and congratulates the couple. It’s obvious he still hasn’t gotten over her. Well, I hope all the people complaining about how “too nice” his reaction was, are satisfied now.

• I don’t get what the problem with his initial reaction was, really. He is shocked, then hurt, then quickly distances himself from you and masks his feelings while still being honest with you. The reaction fit his characterization perfectly and it followed the pattern for how Liam reacted to distressing events. Had Liam reacted the way half the fandom claimed they wanted him to react, I can just imagine the amount of backlash and name-calling that would go on in this site. Let’s not pretend like people would have given him the pass for being angry, when even his smallest actions are held under a magnifying glass and scrutinized.

• I’m not sure why a new Duchess’ wedding would garner as much publicity as a would-be Queen’s…unless there is more to her duchy Valtoria than we’ve been told so far. Liam did tell us during their lunch with the King and Queen that it’s one of the oldest duchies, and it probably has a rich history behind it. I hope we learn more about this duchy as we go along. (Edit: I just checked out one of the other LI's routes again, and it's dubbed a celebrity wedding that can give Cordonia new hope. I'm not very sure about this, but okay...I'd like to see how this plays out in the story)

• I’m not very sure about the “wedding-as-a-unifying-event” thing. The country is hardly safe. Assassins managed to gatecrash on an important ball, you think they’d hesitate doing the same at a wedding? Wouldn’t it be a better idea to take these unscrupulous elements out first and then unify the country with a grand event like this one?

• I’m also not very sold on how they sped up Drake and Maxwell’s relationship storylines to accommodate the wedding plot. It’s essential for the story, sure, and a lot of people do take the initiative to propose after a near-death situation…but Drake and Maxwell’s approaches to relationships are bound to be different from Liam and Hana’s.

• Allow me to elaborate. Liam and Hana, owing to their circumstances and upbringing, would find it easier to plunge into marriage. Liam’s whole social season revolved around getting him a bride. Hana’s grooming, upbringing and education were all focused towards finding a spouse. Proposing this early would fit into their stories pretty well. Drake and Maxwell on the other hand, haven’t been this focused on marriage in the story. A large chunk of Drake’s relationship with the MC involved his guilt regarding Liam’s feelings for her, and his doubts whether it was truly him she wanted. Drake’s spent his life feeling (justifiably) that people considered him second-best, and a lot of his concerns re: his relationship with the MC emerge from this. Those issues won’t suddenly disappear the moment she says yes - at least not to the extent that he’d want to marry that quickly.

And Maxwell? Their confession happened only on the last leg of the engagement tour! He tells her just the day before that he wants to take things slow! Even if there was an attack on the palace that made these two men fear for the life of their beloved, I really think that pushing their stories to fit the mould of a wedding plot - when Drake and Maxwell should have the freedom to properly date the MC first - feels a little rushed.

• You know how this could have been fixed, PB? By having the MC tell Liam earlier. This would have given the MC and LIs time and opportunities to cement their relationship and strengthen it without the doubts and the pressure, so that by the time of the Homecoming Ball Drake and Maxwell would feel sure enough and safe enough in their relationships to actually contemplate marriage when their lover is targetted.

• But end of the day, it’s not in my place to have problems with this. If Drake and Maxwell stans are happy with this, the scenes have clearly done their job. I just needed to put my observations on how thing could have worked better out there.

• Tbh I’m not entirely happy this wedding is being pushed at all, whoever the LI is. My problem isn’t that they’re using the wedding as rallying message for their people. It’s a smart choice - you’ve gotta admit that royal weddings tend to cheer up the common populace and it tends to garner a lot of excitement and anticipation (esp if it’s the King the MC is marrying). My problem is that at least in this chapter, they make the wedding sound like the solution to all their problems. The wedding provides an appropriate front for the monarchy to convince the public that everything will be fine. But a good front like that also needs a behind-the-scenes exploration into the roots of the problem, and I wish they had addressed that in this chapter too.

• While I have HUGE problems with this “wedding-for-Cordonia” storyline, I can’t deny that plotwise it works. They’re following the same pattern as Book 2 here. Think of it as a finished - and framed - painting. You have a frame story, the one that gives you all the events and activities and beautiful clothes…and then you have the heart of the tale, that deals with all the problems lurking behind the glitz and the glitter.

Book 1:

Frame Story: The social season and the competition for Liam’s hand.

Heart: The background stories of all the LIs, hints of instability and trouble in the monarchy. Since the narrative demanded that this be viewed as a largely fairytale, fluffy story for a large chunk of the book, the dark aspects remain largely hidden.

Book 2:

Frame Story: The engagement tour.

Heart: The investigation, the conclusion of which leads us to revelations about deeper issues within Cordonian politics.

Book 3 (possibly):

Frame Story: The wedding.

Heart: Finding out who Cordonia’s real enemies are, which will lead us to issues of Cordonia’s past, what has happened to the royal family before, and what Liam and his team are really up against.

Each of these stories start out which the MC assuming that the problems they’re facing are micro, immediate. The further she goes, the more complicated and insidious the issues become. Start micro, end up macro.

The importance of the frame tale also lies in the fact that, even though the story is rooted in dark, murky court politics, we still get to take our minds off of it once in a while and enjoy what Cordonia has to offer. Remember, our main character is still trying to understand this country and it’s people, so the frame story allows her to explore this place without it completely overwhelming her. Last book, it was the tour. In this book, it’s clearly the wedding prep.

• Overall I really liked the structure of this chapter: it lays out the groundwork for the rest of the story, gives us private time with all the LIs, whether or not you’re dating them. Drake on the couch, Maxwell at the generator, Hana while giving you fresh clothes. (Liam doesn’t get an extra scene if you’re friends, but that’s okay because he leads the discussion on what happened at the ball).

You’re given a diamond scene option for your primary LI, and friendly, safe dialogue with the ones you’re not dating. It’s comfortable and cool and not awkward. There will be plenty of time for those who want to date multiple people later, but right now, the primary LI is the focus of the MC’s attention.

• My one issue, however, is that Hana has hardly two or three lines if she’s not engaged to the MC, compared to the others. The others get plenty of time, as friends, to express how much the MC means to them. Hana on the other hand is relegated to giving the MC clothes and a “you look lovely”, if you’re not dating her.

Seriously?? She’s supposed to be close to you, lover or not. She’s been with you and worried about you as much as the rest. She’s gone above and beyond to help you. She’s going to be living with you. And all she gets is two lines of dialogue with the MC??? How long do people have to keep pointing this out before they address this issue and do better?

• I also need to address Liam’s current and past reluctance to address issues that have been plaguing his family. The royal family seems to focus more on damage control than actually getting to the root of the problem. Constantine seems to exhibit this attitude a couple times in the books, and so does Regina. Liam’s going to have to learn that this method of doing things won’t work, and he’ll need to learn it fast.

•

ZOMG. I love this.

• This is what I’d like to see:

- Liberal hints of what happened post the finale of TCaTF 3, and how the Five Kingdoms became the Kingdom of Cordonia.

- Literal and symbolic parallels between then and now.

- Traditions and cultural mores that have passed on over the ages.

- What is Valtoria?

- If any of the characters have ties to characters in TCaTF, now would be a good time to address that.

- Amazing diamond scenes that explore the LIs’ takes on the history of the nation and what’s happening politically now, alongside some romance. Something similar to the ruins scene, but richer, more detailed, and preferably individual scenes with each of them. I know it’s too much to ask for, but imagine if we got a diamond option like this one!!