Shin's Belt

I really rather like that the symbol on Shin's belt is that of the alchemical symbol for chaos. Let me tell you why:

Chaos represents the concept of everything doing everything all at once; existing together, in tangent, or not at all. It represents all paths and what lies beyond what was made to believe is set in stone. The definition of chaos is not particularly the opposite of order in this circumstance, but it can be used that way.

More clearly, chaos provides an opening for new beginnings; to disrupt what is stagnant or what doesn't feel right to present alternative pathways. Chaos is needed to undo pressures, expectations, norms, etc. so that an individual can learn to be themselves; to grow and change as needed.

It's very much not the evil or negative symbol pop culture and Hollywood would have you believe. I've even seen it used to refer to Satanists, which is very much not true. Dark practitioners can and do use this symbol, but this symbol does not represent them. They don't own it nor can they control it/assume authority over it. It's not exclusive to one group either: anyone can utilize it however they see fit and like with most things, that could go in any direction. We will be focusing on the balance between the negative and positive aspects of chaos here in this write up.

That being said, on to why this symbol is important for Shin's character arc:

Firstly, Shin is devout and loyal to Baylan; her Master and depending on how you look at it, potential father figure. He's everything she's ever known and his own views, teachings, and opinions have been pressed on her since she was young. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, seeing as that's usually how parenting/teaching goes, but it isn't allowing her to see beyond that. The box is small and she finds herself unable to think outside of it due to her loyalty to him.

When Baylan begins to refuse to tell her crucial details about his plans and goals, she begins to question him and her idea of him. This is the beginning of chaos' disruption over her life and as the show progresses, this disruption continues to grow. It's a butterfly effect, if you will; the seeds of disarray have been planted and they have the potential to grow into something exponential.

She comes into contact with Sabine Wren, who has lived a very different form of life compared to her own and I believe the simple interactions between them helps to spur the questions she suddenly has about her life in general. There are things and people that can and do live outside of the box in her mind and while she's probably aware of this, she hadn't truly understood what that meant until this point. With her master's increased elusiveness and the lack of answers, plus the eye-opening revelations that witnessing bits and pieces of Sabine and Ahsoka's relationship (I.e Seatos), the seeds of distrust and further questions begin to take root and sprout. Her mind is opening to other things; the walls of the box are beginning to crumble.

By the time they're on Peridea, Baylan's motives are entirely unclear and somewhat unpredictable to her. She's confused by him and what he wants. Chaos is taking greater hold of her now; her life is changing so quickly and in directions she can't forsee like the arrows of the symbol that gesture to all directions simultaneously. The seeds begin to uncontrollably grow into trees regardless of her attempts to reconnect with him.

Then he abandons her.

Without a word on where he went, Shin's found herself alone. The walls of her box have been destroyed, the wound made worse by Ahsoka's offer to help. Chaos has upended her normalcy, her comforts, her mental and emotional stabilizers, her trust, her view of self; her life. What began as seeds have rapidly grown into a sprawling forest and now she has to deal with the wreckage.

The change is for good though. With Sabine and Ahsoka stranded with her, she has the opportunity to step into her own person. She now has the opportunity to find herself; to make her own decisions, to spend some time with other people like her. She has the ability to learn and grow free of her box and the restrictions that had been pressed on her since joining Baylan, however long ago that happened to be.

Shin gets to be her own person now, and she can do whatever she wants with that :)

Edit: I realized I forgot to mention the little dots within the wheel!

Symmetrical to the Norse story of Hati and Skoll [who were sons of Fenrir (and Fenrir is the son of trickster God Loki and Jötunn giantess Angrboða)], the wheel of chaos on Shin's belt sports two little dots which I believe represent the sun and moon [and thus the wolves that chase them; Skoll (the one who mocks) and Hati (the one who hates) respectively]. As it goes, the celestial bodies rise in the East (right quadrant on the belt) and set in the West (left quadrant on the belt). The little dots are doing just that. The dot on right I believe represents the moon, or Shin, and that the dot on the left represents Baylan. The moon is rising and the sun is setting, showing that Baylan's time in her life is ending and her own time is just beginning.

Either way, it's a very hopeful symbol in my opinion :)

✏️ ─ create their own christmas/holiday tradition (sophia)

🍎 ｡:*• ─ IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME !     ›    ( a symbol meme for muses who want to do something special and fun together this christmas / holiday season. ) send a symbol for our muses to: - @secondhandmckie

NO LONGER ACCEPTING!

✏️ ─ create their own christmas/holiday tradition

Sophia had insisted that Molly share the same house as Carol, Daryl, and herself. And that was something that she hadn't budged on. Carol hadn't fought her on it because the woman had returned her daughter to her and had kept her alive. She could never repay that debt to her and she knew it. So if Sophia wanted her to live with them, that's what was going to happen.

And that's why Sophia was waiting at the gate for Molly with a pack and a days rations for the pair of them. She had already cleared her plans with Carol, and the weather was unseasonably warm so there was no real fear of weather delaying their return home. They weren't going that far.

Molly cocked an eyebrow as she approached Sophia. "Okay, kid. Just what have you gotten your mind set on?" She took the car keys that the girl offered her. "Now I'm really intrigued..."  

Sophia bounced happily on the balls of her feet as she checked for the tenth time that her knife was secured to her belt and that her gun that was tucked into her waistband was easily accessible in case she needed it. "We're gonna start a Christmas tradition. Just you and me." She hooked her arm through the older woman's as the gate opened. She pulled her through. "And since I can't drive, you have to drive us."

- -

Twenty minutes later after they had parked the car just outside the city limits of the the little town to the west of Alexandria and had traveled on foot to a shopping mall. They were careful to avoid the walkers as they managed to get inside what used to be a department store.

Molly was really worried but on top of that she was confused. "Okay, Sophia. I've let you be cryptic this entire trip here, but I'm going to need more information..." She was nervous being that they were completely alone and anything could happen.

"We're gonna shop for Christmas presents for the kids of Alexandria, Hilltop, and Kingdom. Daryl helped me pick this place out. Said that it wasn't overrun and that it still had some good stuff." She waited for the woman to understand what she meant, but when she still looked confused, she added excitedly, "We're gonna be Santa, Molly!"

Molly's mouth fell open then closed as the look of confusion disappeared followed by a look of admiration and a little shock. Sophia was still just a child herself, but she was thinking of all the others instead of herself. There was a reason she loved this kid as much as she did, and this was just the icing on the cake. "You're crazy, kid. But that's really cool." She ruffled her hair and nudged her as she pulled a shopping cart free and pushed it toward her. "We better get to work."

Author Commentary

Ramblings from Yay Ninja Bob about her monstrous creation~

Besides working on my fic, I personally try to journal every day, and I realized that a lot of my journaling has become me pretty much rambling about the process of writing this damn fic lol.  So I thought I'd share some of that for those who may want to know more behind my chapters from my author's perspective. 

It's certainly not everything I can say, but it is a lot haha..

Chapter 1 - Thirteen

Behind the title:

    Well, when I first began writing VillainR, I hadn't planned on having chapter titles at all.  Mainly because coming up with chapter titles (or titles for stories in general) has always been something I struggle with personally.  Anywho after I decided I wanted to challenge myself with chapter titles, I went back and named chapter 1 "Thirteen."  Why?  Well, it is the PpG's thirteenth birthday, of course there is that.  VillainR as a whole is many things, but one major thing is it is a coming of age story for Buttercup/Joey/Jojo, as well as a story of self-discovery.   There's a few important ages I wanted to cover and 13 is around the age where many kids start to "develop" and being a super-powered kid,  Buttercup finally begins to develop her own "special power" at this age.  I wanted this "growing pain" to be the catalyst for the events of Part One.  So, I gave the chapter the title of "Thirteen" to try to highlight the significance of that age for Buttercup. The self-discovery made at this age is that special power (although they are unaware of it at this point).  It's considered an unlucky number, and as it turns out, it is an unlucky year for our main character.

During the writing process:

     First draft was written on Halloween night 2019 and pretty much all of it was completely scrapped haha. 

     I started writing it in first person, like the original Villain, in Buttercup's POV.   I kept the events but approached it again in third person and liked it so much better that way.  One major thing I wanted to improve on with the rewrite was character development which is pretty hard to achieve when writing in a limited POV of a character who eventually loses sight of much around them.  I debated briefly on maybe doing alternating POVs between Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, but then I felt like it would still exclude a lot for other major characters like Mojo and Princess.  I could add them too but I thought alternating too many POVs would be overwhelmingly difficult (for me as the author for sure but I imagine for the reader too)  Third person seemed to be the best way to handle everything and really my only challenge with that was tweaking the whole "unreliable narrator" trope which I will be honest is my favorite trope ever. It is a challenge to try to recreate the same effect in third person, but I decided that a close third person was the best way to 1) tell a broader story and 2) still set limits on the reader's perspective, and control when and how I drop information and attempt to recreate a similar experience in an entirely new way I've never tried before heh.  (I guess I will spend more time on this on my notes for Chapter 6)

     Second draft I scribbled out in another few days with this new approach.  It began at the start of the carnival and ended where it ends.   Simultaneously I was reworking my overall outline for the fic and began to narrow down all the characters I wanted to be my key players for this epic.  Once my outline was expanded to include everyone, I added the scene with Mojo and Him.  For me, that's when I was like "Ayyy it's all coming together 👍👍" haha.

     Another thing I wanted to improve on was setting and world-building.  So final draft I decided to include some "history" behind Townsville and that's when I worked out the final draft.

    This chapter definitely had the most trial and error during the writing process than any other chapter other than 5 so far.

Inspirations:

     Townsville world-building/history - much of it is inspired by the city I grew up in (for the most part) which is Los Angeles. I mean it has all the sort of settings we've seen in the show which are all pretty diverse right?  Townville had to have a diverse cityscape ranging from a busy downtown setting to quite suburbs to upperclass mansions, beaches, an island, forests, etc.  Well I knew LA had all that and so I tried to re-imagine Townsville as basically an alternate universe LA lol. Monster Isle, I based on research I did on Catalina Island.  I imagined the Utonium household was in a middle class neighborhood like Pasadena- close to the heart of LA but still a relatively "calmer" part of the city.  Morbucks Manor would be in the Hills like Beverly Hills.  Downtown was the heart of the city like Downtown LA.  I debated briefly whether or not to have the Gangreen Gang be from an area modeled after South Central or East LA, but eventually I went with East LA because TBH I am just more familiar with it since that's where my mom's side is from and where I grew up early on in life.  PLUS East LA actually has a pretty big punk scene so that fit the story too with Ace being in a punk band and all that. 

1998 PpG Show References:

     "Oh my gosh they have giant Bunny-Bunny's at the prize tent!"

    (Super Zeroes)

Pop Culture References:

   (OK most of my pop culture refs are just punk references lets be honest lol.  Why Punk?? - because it is rebellion and rebellion is the heart of this fic)

     The Clash - OK in original Villain I established that this was Buttercup's favorite band so I HAD to have that back for the redux. Here's all the refs I crammed into chapter 1 lol:

   "Oh, Man! It's so hard to choose, like, I love literally everything by them. But I gotta say it's a tie probably between their first album and London Calling."

"Hell yeah. Jimmy Jazz is my jam."

"You know, my band does a cover of White Riot," Ace continued to talk music with the teenager as he lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. He held the smoke in his lungs as he continued, "Only we call our version Green Riot."

Blondie:

     The one artist Buttercup had introduced Robin to that she instantly obsessed over was Blondie.

(Some) Symbolism:

     - Blossom is 5'9" and Buttercup is 5'8" - Buttercup is always falling one step behind Blossom.

     - Bumper Car scene - has some foreshadowing and well...

Blossom sat behind the wheel of a red bumper car at the opposite end of the metal floored rink. Buttercup crossed her arms in protest, "No way. I'm driving." she demanded.

Blossom also crossed her arms from where she sat behind the metal wheel. "So you can just rampage and crash into everybody here? No way." She fastened her seat belt with a quick snap and placed her hands firmly on the steering wheel again.

"Ugh. That's the whole point of bumper cars! It's to bump the other cars! You're supposed to try and bump everyone before the times up!"

"You always take it too far, Buttercup. I'm driving, so get in." The redhead grasped the steering wheel in her hands firmly, and refused to move.

And...

"You drive like an old lady," Buttercup shook her head in disbelief as her sister managed to avoid yet another collision.

"Well, that's your opinion," she shrugged off the insult, "Personally, I think it takes just as much skill to avoid every single car in here, as it does to hit every single car," she smiled at her sister.

And finally a brief allusion to the OG Villain lol...

"Blossom!" Buttercup shouted louder so she could get her sister's attention. She pointed at the fast approaching purple car that zoomed towards them from their right side. Behind the wheel of that car was Bubbles who wore a rather determined look on her face as Robin cheered for her.

Blossom saw, but by then it was too late. Bubbles and Robin's car slammed into Buttercup and Blossom's car at full force, spinning Buttercup and Blossom's car into the wall of the arena. The loud buzz which signified the end of the ride then sounded.

    - the roller coaster is Buttercup's ideal carnival attraction; it's got the thrills, twists, turns, ups and downs.  And makes Bubbles sick.

     - the Ferris Wheel is Blossom's ideal carnival attraction; it's a staple of any fair, grand and big, overlooks everything, and traditionally romantic

YNB's favorite scene:

     Personally, I loved writing the whole exchange between Buttercup and Blossom in the car.  Establishing their rivalry, Buttercup's jealousy over Blossom's special power and heroism, Blossom's projection of her own insecurities, their differences, and their commonality. 

Final thoughts on the chapter:

     I was pretty satisfied with how it turned out but I did wait to post it until I had a decent headstart on chapter 2.  I was pretty nervous about whether or not I could stay personally committed to writing this fic so I just wanted to make sure I was really feeling it first, lol.  It had been so long since I'd written fanfic so I just needed to be sure.

     When I outlined everything I estimated the chapter length to be around 6-7k words... And I was surprised that it was double that at about 12k.  Which was wild because on my outline each opening chapter for Part 1, 2 and 3 were supposed to be shorter and more like preludes to everything else.  Well, I guess they ARE shorter chapters but STILL definitely longer than any chapter I used to write for my multichaptered stories.   At the time I thought "Ok obviously my writing has changed but surely I wont go much longer than 12k for future chapters...."  Hurr hurr.

     Personally, I was pretty proud of myself for spending so much time on it and rewriting it over and over and all that.  In the past, TBH whatever was my first draft was pretty much also my last draft haha.  I cranked out a chapter in one sitting usually and edited it mayyyybeee lol.  I just wanted to get it posted so I could move on and get to that next point in the story.   But I suppose now that I'm older and a bit more self aware, I realize a lot of my own anxieties manifest a lot in my writing though and I can recognize it in my old works like the OG Villain where I JUST WANNA GET TO WHAT I WANT TO WRITE RIGHT NOW OK??  I forced myself to slow the hell down this time, take it one scene at a time, and when things felt off I took breaks, slept on it for a few days and came back with new approaches or ideas.   And so far that's how I continue to work on it.

   Also, CHVRCHES.  I listened to a ton of that band while working on this chapter especially.

The Lost Boys Series: Kim Namjoon

Driving down the dark road you waited for the box of lights that kept the station illuminated to appear. In the distance you could just make them out, they were like a homing beacon in the night, and like a moth you just couldn't stay away.  It had been a bad day and only Joon could fix it. Your tires slowed as you pulled in, the headlights shining into the window alerting him to your arrival. 

He walked out and crossed his arms on your open window, resting his head on top of them he gave you a dimpled smile, "Full Service tonight Y/N?" Turning the ignition off, you climbed out of your large black Range Rover and walked around the vehicle to stand next to him. "I don't know why such a tiny girl needs such a big car," he chuckled while wrapping his arms around you. "Only the best for my family Joon, if it's not a status symbol it's not for us," you'd repeated your father's motto so many times it rolled out of your mouth too easily. He dropped his arms and began to walk away from you taking up a defensive position by the pump. "So what happened today? What pissed you off so much that you came looking to slum it with me?" He was unusually mad at your words, his face turned into a frown and his eyes looked sad. "Hey, Joon… what's going on? I thought we were both cool with this?" you questioned him but you weren't sure you wanted an answer. "I'm just trying to correlate how my dick is good enough for you but I'm not," and there it was. For the past 8 months you'd been showing up here whenever you needed him.  What was he to you? A friend with benefits, an ego boost, an escape? "Joon please, you know my situation. I can't just leave my fiance and disappoint my family. I thought you were okay with helping me let off steam." You walked over to him and laid your hand on his shoulder, "You're the only real thing I have in my life." Sighing he looped his finger into the waist of your jeans and pulled you close to him, "It's starting to hurt Y/N." You leaned your head onto his chest and inhaled, the smell of gasoline hung onto his clothes creating a scent memory that made you crave him.

 "What should I do Joon? You know how I feel about you but my family would disown me, I'd lose everything." You looked up at him hoping he could just understand. He knew he had nothing to promise you other than his love and his poetry, so he offered the one tangible thing he could,  "I'd take care of you in all the ways he can't," You began to say his name when he cut your words off with his lips. Gripping your hips he pulled you closer. "I know he can't fuck you like I can, you wouldn't be here if he could" he gripped your hair and ran his tongue up your neck sending shivers down your spine. Grabbing his hand you pulled him into the building, the bell ringing above the door frantically as you made your way into the store. You pushed him back against the counter and fumbled with his belt desperately trying to get it undone. "Right here?" he asked "Aren't you afraid someone will see?" Rubbing his hardened cock you stopped to look him in the eye and teased, "You're not getting shy on me now are you Joon?" He stopped you and cupped your face, "Y/N, I'm not the one with something to lose. I'll take you right here in front of the window if it's what you want." You dropped to your knees and kissed his bulge through his jeans stopping to bite delicately at the tip. A soft "fuck" escaped his mouth, "please baby"

You loved when he begged, nothing got you wetter faster than knowing how much he wanted you. Lifting his shirt you moaned at the sight of his pubic trail, your nose against his abdomen licking your way down its path. Popping the button of his denims you looked up at him while slowly working the zipper down. His blue boxers sat low on his hips and you pushed them down just enough to expose his rock hard cock. Reaching in you cupped your hand around his balls and rubbed them while he twitched impatiently waiting for your mouth. He looked beautiful with his eyes closed, his smile upturned, and his muscular chest moving with his heavy deep breathes. His cock always smelled like soap, and it turned you on thinking about how he must give himself a few gratuitous pumps in the shower, maybe thinking about you. Your head was spinning, you needed him, wanted to give him something more,  wrapping your arms around him grabbing his ass you thrust him towards you. Circling his beautiful firm pink tip with your tongue you teased the bead of precum leaking from his slit. "God you taste good" you let out before plunging him deep into your throat. The animalistic grunt he let out encouraged you to continue. Wrapping your fingers tightly around his base you held him firm while you pushed and pulled your mouth over his length working him into a moaning mess. 

Suddenly he stopped you, pulling you up into him he swung you around to the back of the counter and pushed you down out of sight. "Shhh," he whispered, you could hear a series of voices approaching. The bell chimed, you were no longer alone,  "Hey Joon, what time are you off tonight? Should we wait around?" It was a male voice speaking but hearing others in the background you guessed it was his band of housemates. "No, it's okay, I think I might be late closing tonight," he answered, trying to get them to leave. You decided to keep going, see how he'd handle a little head under the counter. Your hand was still wet with saliva so you began pumping his now softening erection, giving his exposed balls little kitten licks while he tried to hold a conversation. The frustration on his face trying not to surrender to the pleasure you were giving him was humorous. A deep voice broke through the others, "Is that the famous Y/N's Range Rover out there?" you froze, had he told them about you? He stammered trying to come up with an answer, "Yeah, it needs some work so she left it here." There was laughter amongst the boys and too many things being said, you strained to hear while keeping pace. "You love her", "You are so whipped Namjoon", "Are we ever going to meet her, I for one don't believe she's real", "I told you guys he wasn't going to break up with her like he said", "Yeah, I thought you said you were calling it off." You halted your movements in reaction to this information knowing his dick needed to not be in your mouth anymore. He glanced down at you on your knees hiding behind a gas station counter, unflattering fluorescents highlighting the tears glazing over your eyes, you were still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He felt like an asshole, his head hurt at the thought that this may be the last time he'd see you.  He had to explain, "Listen guys, the boss has been reviewing our shift tapes and I don't want to get in trouble for having you hanging around, I'll just meet up with you later back home" you didn't see it, but his eyes looked down towards the counter hoping they'd get the hint. "Oh! Shit, sorry Joon, ahh.. yeah we'll get going." The bell chimed, you were alone again.  

He reached his hand out to help you up and pulled you into his arms. "I'm so fucking sorry Y/N." You couldn't be mad, how could you blame him? You had a fiance, you were using him for sex, you knew he deserved so much more than you. "I guess we had to end it eventually," you said as a tear fell down your cheek. "Is it because you don't love me?" He shook his head at you, "Without you, there’s no me, you’re the best of me." You threaded your fingers with his and grasped his hand tightly, "I love you Joon." Kissing you softly he whispered, "I love you too." 

In a desperate last attempt, you tangled your fingers into his hair and pulled him closer to you, your lips became one,  your tongues searching for their counterpart. Lifting you up he placed you down on the customer service counter and moved to stand in between your legs.  As close as he was, it wasn't enough, "Joon I need you inside me" it sounded desperate but you didn't care, the thought of never being with him again was devastating. He gently caressed your cheek and wiped away a tear that lingered there with his thumb. "It doesn't have to be over, but you have to choose, I can't share you anymore," his hand slid under your skirt and his fingers moved delicately over your panties. "Don't talk, just let me prove how much I love you." Shifting the fabric to the side he ran his fingers through your wetness until he was coated enough to slide one into you. With one finger inside and his thumb drawing circles on your clit he used his other hand to unbutton your blouse.  Pulling down the cup of your bra he exposed your erect nipple and leaned in to circle it with his tongue. He was well aware that combining the two moves affected you in the best way. He knew your body, your needs, he could make you cum in seconds if he wanted to, but he didn't want to, not tonight. He let you enjoy a few more minutes until he stopped, getting on his knees he grabbed your panties and pulled them down tossing them aside. Pushing your thighs apart you could feel his warm breath getting closer to where you wanted him the most. His tongue moved slowly over your clit, circling and sucking as he slid his fingers back in. Taking his time, he languidly enjoyed every drop of excitement he coaxed out of you.  Your legs started to shake, and he eased himself away, "I need you to slow down baby, I want you to cum with me, okay?" You could only nod in agreement, your head was floating in the clouds incapable of coherent thoughts or words. His mouth met yours softly, and you moaned into the kiss. He pulled away and smiled knowing that tasting yourself on his lips turned you on more than it should. His stiff cock was still out and he couldn't take waiting anymore. Moving in to meet your entrance, the counter height lined you up perfectly. He slowly pushed into you and simultaneous sighs escaped you both. This was right, he belonged here, how could this be the end? You became a tangle of arms, legs and mouths, not wanting to miss any part of each other. Reaching the end, climax imminent, he held onto you tightly while he gave his final thrusts and came inside you. Neither of you moved, afraid to break away the tears rolled down your cheeks. His hand was in your hair and he whispered "I want to be a part of your page,  I want to Interfere in your story, as your lover." He fell out of you, now limp and pulled away, turning his back on you. He was zipping himself up and the permanence of it all hit like a ton of bricks. "Joon, please…" you pleaded, "I just can't anymore," he choked out through his tears. "No, listen to me… please…Joon, take me home," you placed your hand on his shoulder and he turned back to look at you. His eyes were red and his lips were quivering, "My home?" you nodded. He was at a loss, "It's not what your used to Y/N, it's dirty and I live with 6 guys… "Joon, as long as I'm with you it doesn't matter. With you, anywhere will be my home."

Quick Thoughts on TRR Book 3, Epilogue.

• So. This is going to be our last TRR chapter...for a while, unless they decide to do a spin-off of sorts. All the issues have been (somewhat) resolved, the MC and her friends + LI are triumphant, we've broken our beds on our wedding night, now it's time to explore the aftermath. (So sorry it took me this long, guys, I've spent a full week struggling to save whole paragraphs).

• Many thanks to @kennaxval and @boneandfur for all the screenshots and help on the Hana x MC and Maxwell x MC scenes! I used my own screenshots for Liam's playthrough, the above two + the "All the Stories Girl" YouTube channel for Hana's and Maxwell's, and the HIMEME YouTube channel for Drake's.

• So we start with waking up in our LI's arms, and it's all sweet and adorable and we're all basking in the afterglow of our first wedding night. But the LI has a surprise.

• The beach!!

• Since we'll be going on our honeymoon sometime later, the LI basically wants us to have a little fun and alone time on a private beach.

• All the LIs give us three choices of drinks (mimosas, infused water, tropical drink), and three choices of food (fruit-and-cheese-platter, french pastry and bread rolls).

• FINAL CHANCE TO SHARE AN INTIMATE MOMENT WITH THE LI!! For 15 diamonds!! That's quite a steal.

• Now...who am I to say no to a Sparkly Liam?? 😀

• So the pre-fucking activities are obviously different for each LI. It's meant to suit each of their personalities and while I loved the sex part...I really enjoyed this.

Liam takes his wife swimming (you can either splash him or take him underwater for a kiss) and then proceeds to write a love note for her in the sand. When she points out that it might get washed away in the sand, he states that the message will live on in the waves that will carry it. Gaww.

Hana's activity is SO HANA istg. Both she and the MC build a sand castle and you get a rare glimpse of "Hana-getting-carried-away-talking-about-things-she-loves" if you choose the fairytale option xD They build a castle and a moat, and it's pretty obvious that Hana loves her fairytales ("there's no such thing as too many castles") and that the activity is so representative of her wildly romantic spirit.

Maxwell agrees to get buried in the sand, and the MC can choose what form it should take (Valtoria's sigil, a sea monster or a lot of muscles). @boneandfur tells that if you choose the sea monster option you get the first mention of "unleash the kraken" if you are married to him (the first one was in the fling scene, which you obviously won't get if he's your fiancé). It's all sorts of adorable 😂

Drake has a swimming race with you, in a rather nice callback to his first beach scene (diamond-option) in Book 1 Chapter 10. Back then the race was between Drake and the MC, Hana acting as referee and producing a shell for her and a sand dollar for him later on as prizes. Here, the MC has the option of gifting Drake a beautiful conch shell, and Drake is the one who gives the MC a sand dollar.

• Guh. That's all I'll say about what follows. Guuuuuuh.

• I made Esther wear her hugeass hat just to see if she'd keep it on during sex. She didn't and now I'm very sad 😟

• It's now a few weeks later, and we're being called for a special secret ceremony that Liam has gotten planned, and that apparently only Madeleine knows (very very few) details of. You get to tell your friends (in your fiancé/e's presence if you're not married to Liam) how married life is going for you, and there's either some good natured teasing or "ugh, spare me the details" from them. Madeleine then enters, having found the perfect excuse to wear the white dress I pettily didn't allow her to wear to my wedding.

I bet my note said "pay diamonds or it's the LBD for you, bitch".

• I also love how Madeleine knows that asking Olivia not to bring daggers is a lost cause, so she might as well put a limit of the number of weapons she brings instead 😂😂

• Out of the four, two already decide on their outfits (Drake on his grey suit and Olivia on her Costume Gala Nevrakis gown), and two ask you for your opinion.

• For Hana, you can choose between the handmade cheongsam that is so precious and personal to her, and the godess-of-spring gown she wore for the Costume Gala. If you were married to her, or chose another dress for Hana to wear, the cheongsam would be perfect!! Imagine, when she finally receives honours for her contributions to her country, she will be wearing this lovely dress that has so much personal history for it and possibly may also be representing her roots as well. But I chose the spring gown, because the cheongsam she'd worn for my wedding. If I ever wind up replaying maybe I'll switch it all around a little.

• For Maxwell, you either choose between his smart black suit, or the squid suit. OF FUCKING COURSE I'm going to choose the latter. When he goes up to get his honour as Guardian, I want everyone to know that this Beaumont Boy is the Pride of His Home and His Family 😍 Same with why I'm happy that Olivia is wearing her Nevrakis gown because this event is further proof that she is redefining what it means to be a Nevrakis. (also if you choose his squid suit, he exclaims in squiggly letters about how the "cephalopod rises again". 10/10).

• For Drake, I like the full-circle enforced by the fact that this suit was what he wore on the night of Liam's Coronation. That night was the first time Drake didn't try to reject his feelings for the MC, didn't allow his guilt re: Liam to come between them, instead accepted that he felt that way and approached her (in his diamond scene). Given that this epilogue features a throwback to the Coronation...I like this extra touch.

• My corgi Joy DuPont of Valtoria/Cordonia gets his own suit too.

• Aaaaand now it's time for the finale gown!

Pretty faithful rendition of the gown on the cover, and I think it has elements of both sigils just to keep us covered either way. The gown is a rich wine/burgundy colour, gold swirls at the skirt and jewelled gold belt (phoenix sigil) white/silver-ish coloured elements on the neckline and cuffs (dove sigil). Madeleine tells us that the gown was made keeping our house colours in mind. The LI - if they're in the boutique - gets to gush, and Olivia is the only friend who gets to comment by default - very possibly because she shares a common house colour with the MC, and either woman will get to be his Consort. Alongside the Coronation Ball parallels, you can see parallels to the Costume Ball as well!

• If you're married to Liam, and therefore Queen of Cordonia, you get an extra (and free!) selection to make: your tiara! The book gives us four options:

I honestly don't know what they're supposed to symbolize really, and I don't think they would actually symbolize anything. They're just pretty headpieces meant for the country's new queen. But Ima list down what these tiaras remind me of!

Royal Rose. The "Romantic Love" pink ballgown option for the Homecoming Ball, which was Hana's choice of outfit back then and comes in her favourite colour, pink. It also reminds me of Liam, because in the beginning especially he was often associated with roses.

Gilded Grace. A gold tiara with gems embedded. The design is exquisite and intricate. Kinda reminds me of that nice gold watch Drake gifted us, but also the top half of it reminds me of the flare of a peacock's tail, so I'm also reminded of Maxwell 😄

Petal Perfect. I think it's called so because of the flower motif in the centre, surrounded by serrated edges which seem to me like leaves. I would definitely be reminded of Hana, who is associated with flowers in general!

Pearlescent. There is only one person I can think of who this tiara would remind me of: Liam! The pearl plays such a poignant part in their story if you chose that scene, because Liam found it at the Blue Grotto before he had ever met the MC, and showed it to her when their relationship was going through rough times in Capri. Back then, there was the option of rejecting it, keeping it or asking him to keep it safe until they were free to pursue their relationship.

• I had a headcanon that Esther asked Liam to keep the pearl, and that he had it placed in a tiara of hers to show her how far they had come together, and how much hope she had instilled in him. So OF COURSE I would choose the pearl tiara xD The writers seem to have forgotten about that Blue Grotto pearl, but I haven't!

•

Liam's outfit at this ceremony mirrors the MC's: burgundy with gold designs and leaf motifs. I see this as parallel to two events: the Costume Gala, where his "King Fabian" outfit matches both Olivia's and the MC's (that one mirrors Olivia's better though, because it's a bright red and not saffron-with-red-notes like the MC's avian gown). I also see this as parallel to the Beaumont Bash: where you can persuade Liam to show his support for you by wearing the Ramsford Duchy house colours of blue and white. Here, the ceremony itself seems centered largely around the MC - what with her being given the country's highest honour - so it could either be a show of unity (as a couple) or solidarity (as Liam showing his support to the MC). I also wonder if this is why Olivia is automatically given the red gown to wear, since they seem to be at least close to dating now if you're not married to Liam.

•

Interestingly the group receives honours based on their defining characteristics, which seemed to have helped in various ways in the fight against Anton. It's also a nice way to finally wrap up all their individual arcs, and validate them in the face of all the doubts they'd had about themselves throughout the series. Maxwell needs to see himself as good for being who he is, not have to transform into someone else altogether, to be seen as a person with something valuable to contribute. Hana still needs to navigate who she would like to be, and how she would like to live her life, and this title is an incredible step forward. Drake has had the most to prove in this book, making it clear that as a commoner he is important and that the nobility need to change their outlook towards commoners in general. Olivia is still redefining what it means to be a Nevrakis and to prove that her family name can be one that stands for loyalty and honour, not treachery.

• The Champion of the Realm title is given to the MC regardless. Even in a fail playthrough she gets it, and I think that's mostly on the basis of the very last scene, since Anton is vanquished by default. Does it ring false? Hell yeah it does. On one level that's the way the story goes, on another - it makes everything EVERY member of our core group says about her sound absolutely weird.

• Why does she get a higher honour above the others? You actually get the chance to ask Liam that. And he does respond - both in his speech during the ceremony, and later on.

Speech: He mentions her position as an outsider in this country and how she has embraced Cordonia as her home, but also speaks of having fought for Cordonia and unified it as a country. The second definitely seems to be the overriding theme when it comes to her: the ability to unite people to a cause.

Do I Deserve This? This is a question the MC has the option of asking Liam after the ceremony, and he stresses again on her working as a unifier. Her quality is not as much intelligence, or bravery, or strength - it's the ability to inspire people to reach their highest potential. He speaks of it as "You don't just make Cordonia better, you inspire us to become better ourselves". Which, if your MC is just all-round horrible to everyone and doesn't even have people come for her wedding, is a load of horseshit. Stop being nice to her Liam.

• Ana de Luca referring to our social season moniker in Book 1 (Mystery Woman/The American) was a nice touch.

• Liam also (finally!) addresses in public the vast imbalance between the nobility and the common populace, and how he would like to change that. I've seen complaints that he has basically "placed his buddies" in the Council, so he is essentially making the same mistake - but I can only see that argument as valid if a. those "buddies" weren't involved in the eventual takedown of Anton, and b. you ignore what he says about getting a roster of candidates ready for the council itself. It's still an ongoing process, so us jumping to criticize something that's just been announced is a little premature.

• Ana says we haven't ever had a council...which makes me question how much of Book 1 the writers have forgotten, honestly. Because...like...

Both screenshots are from the initial chapters of Book 1, mind you. They're possibly not the same as the Council Liam is planning on, but they're definitely there - just that they're invisible! Like the Cordonian populace for most of this series.

• Time for a Ball!!

• Since this is the epilogue, the Honour Ball (which is what I choose to call it rn) harks back both to Liam's Coronation Ball, and to the Masquerade Ball that introduced the MC to the nobility in the first place. The first half is a conversation between the MC, Olivia and Hana (parallel to our very first scene in Book 1, which is Hana congratulating the MC and Olivia maintaining that no matter how attractive she may seem to the Prince, she doesn't have what it takes to be chosen). Hana was sad about the prospect then, but happier for their friendship now. Olivia jealously dismissed the MC as not worthy of Liam then, but accepts that she is worthy of the honours bestowed on her now. Even the MC's responses now parallel the Coronation Ball: a gracious response, a threatening response, and a response that implies closeness ("I would rather date you"/"Just shut up and give me a hug").

• The second half of the Honour Ball scene is the LI dancing with the MC. At the Coronation Ball, this moment was our introduction to Liam, but now our respective LIs come forward for our first dance. In those playthroughs, Liam immediately asks Olivia to his first dance instead. The conversation then turns to their first Ball (Masquerade) and explores the LIs' initial thoughts on the MC.

Liam speaks about how there was a mixture of concern and love in his feelings for the MC. Hana speaks of how the MC transformed the way she looked at herself. Maxwell speaks of wanting the MC from the very beginning but withdrawing because he believed she was meant for Liam, not him. Drake speaks of how wrong he was in believing the MC didn't have what it took to survive, and how proud he is that she doesn't need a protector. All in all, toothachingly sweet 😊

• "I'm ready to do a lot more than dance". Esther is thirsty, from her first scene to her last 😂

• Alright so we now go a whole bunch of extra scenes meant to wrap up everyone's story, and I'll begin with the animals and Olivia before moving forward to the LIs.

Pets: Joy (the corgi) is found raiding the kitchens and making a mess, and in a very fun scene, the MC gets to set a few (very funny) ground rules. The first set deal with house behaviour, the second deal with their interactions with the non-royal LIs, and the last deal with some funny rules about the dog in Cordonia, including not getting involved with cults or overthrowing Liam. It ends with the caption "12/10 The Goodest Boy" (I'm inclined to agree 😄). There's a tiny scene involving Celestia (the horse), Hansel and Gretel (the red pandas), where the MC steals a moment and makes them lovely promises of pampering. All of these scenes are included if you buy all these pets - a little bit like that bonus scene involving Bubbles and the Mechawolf in TCaTF.

What I Think: These are not meant to be very deep - they're just fun, playful little bonus scenes meant to bring a smile to your face, and these scenes definitely succeed in that.

Olivia: This scene involves Olivia regaling Kiara and Penelope's families with the tale of Anton's defeat, and I believe it's the first time we see both families together (they've shared the same spaces but not exactly been shown talking to each other). The futures of all the three ladies are outlined: with Zeke disinheriting himself to become a vet, Kiara now gets to be next in line for running Castelsarreillan after Hakim, as well as the diplomatic liaison on the Royal Council. Penelope will now be a dog fashion designer with plenty support from Joelle, and possibly marrying Ezekiel. Olivia will be meeting Liam to discuss the dissolution of her marriage to Anton, and if you married someone else she will be doing it over dinner, which suggests the beginnings of a romantic relationship. She also plans to tour Lythikos in the aftermath of what Anton and Lucretia have done, and make sure that there are no more rules and stipulations from Lythikos that will pose a problem for Cordonia itself.

What I Think: I like how this wraps up several things at once and brings back that initial conflict of what Zeke's decision to be a vet (even though, frankly speaking, I kinda wish he didn't exist). The highlight was the sincerity and passion with which Olivia plans her next steps for her duchy and country. This scene neatly ties up all the women's stories with satisfying resolutions: the most satisfying of all being that Kiara is justly rewarded for all her hard work. I do take issue, however, with how the writers use Kiara to sugarcoat how terrible the MC and her friends were to her, in front of her mother Joelle. Then again it's not like the MC was particularly honest about her motives for talking to Kiara in Lythikos but...the last thing I want to see is Kiara giving credit where it is not due.

Drake: You begin by talking to several people: Gladys if you took her diamond scene and set her free, Mara, and Drake. Bastien is present, but he speaks more to Drake than to you. Gladys gives you an update on her life and thanks you for giving her a second chance. You get to either thank Mara for "risking her life" or tell her she sucks at her job. Drake talks to a number of people: Bastien, Neville and Rashad. Bastien reveals to Drake that his father was also once Guardian of the Realm (why was his family almost cast out so cruelly then, if what Jackson did was so phenomenal that he got this honour for it?) and would have been proud of Drake today. Neville apologizes to both Drake and the MC, and depending on the MC's response either walks away on good terms or acts like the spoilt brat that he is. Drake then reveals to the MC that she was his inspiration for taking up the Council Seat and that he wants to do more for the common people of Cordonia. Just seconds later, he gets his chance to make a change when Rashad comes forward with a proposal to use unused lands in the duchies to make public spaces for the people, a proposal Drake is only too happy to be involved in.

If you are married to Drake, there is acknowledgement all round of his new position, one extra dialogue from Neville if you respond positively to him, and it changes his dialogue with the MC just a wee bit.

What I Think: What makes Drake's scene so special is the fact that it, by far, most effectively shows the change in nobles' attitudes towards commoners. It is also symbolically important that it happens at the place where the MC sees the palace for the first time with both Maxwell and Drake, AND where Neville and Drake once duelled (and Neville acknowledges this). This is where Gladys - the representative commoner - chooses to thank us and assure us of her support. This is also where we have the chance to take our security detail to task if we so choose (we all thought she was going to be proven as shady and as a traitor...turns out she was just inefficient). The cherry on top is Rashad - the rebel heir - approaching Drake with something that will benefit both nobles and commoners. It kind of shows us the true triumph lies here, in giving to the common populace before unscrupulous elements can sway them. Could this have been done earlier? Of course! But I feel like narratively this is more effective.

Maxwell: For one, thank God Maxwell isn't a surgeon!! This scene includes BertVannah, Bartie and Maxwell, and delves into the upcoming wedding, Bertrand recognizing that he doesn't need to be as hard on himself and his brother as he was in the past, and Maxwell revealing that he's going to write a book about the MC's rags-to-royalty tale. Bertrand is now happy to be honest about the state of his financial affairs and his determination to keep Savannah and Bartie happy. He also gives Maxwell the chance to handle his own finances independently.

If you're married to Maxwell, you get to refer to Savannah as your sister-in-law, Maxwell speaks about your love "changing along the way" if you married someone besides Liam. In his playthrough he speaks of the book as their love story.

What I Think: Overall the Beaumont Brothers storyline got some amount of buildup but very little resolution. We don't know what pushed the House into financial ruin, we don't know the history behind them as we should considering we're an honorary family member, we're never told the secret things that Maxwell hinted at in the Shanghai Night Market group scene in Book 2. The book and its proceeds is said to be the key to restoring their House to its former glory financially, but that's just a very odd way of ending that arc. On one hand I'm glad there is a resolution, on the other it seems a little weak to me.

Hana: Hana is seated at a piano in front of her parents, Madeleine, and Madeleine's parents. Lorelai repeats the mistakes she'd made in Hana's childhood, trying to push Hana into parading her skills in front of guests. Hana refuses without much success, but Lorelai doesn't seem to be really listening to her. At this point, the MC gets to intervene and Xinghai agrees, leading Hana to open up about wanting to share her skills by choice rather than being forced to do so, and Lorelai apologizes...yet again. There is some talk about parenting from Adeleide and Godfrey who are watching this exchange, and we find out that Madeleine is now Royal Communications Director. Once the parents have left, Madeleine stays behind to apologize to Hana for the bullying she meted out to the latter during the Engagement Tour, and Hana tells her that Madeleine will have to earn her forgiveness. Madeleine then promises to ensure that no one harms Hana in court (hah). Once she leaves, Hana joyfully plays piano for the MC herself.

If you're married to Hana, the end of the scene has a few changes. Instead of jokily throwing pillows at each other, they jokily argue over who the best wife is instead (for each, it's the other). The tune Hana plays for the MC as her wife is different from what she plays as her friend. The friend version has her play the upbeat TRR theme tune, and the LI version has Hana play what the narrative calls a "slow, sultry tune"...which turns out to be the mournful TRR theme tune. What, is being married to Hana supposed to be an occasion for sadness now?? Because you're definitely succeeding in making it look like that.

What I Think: I guess I should be happy that Madeleine's behaviour was addressed at all, though it was clearly a rushed, last-minute job that happened because of some amount of arm-twisting. It's also nice that they bring us full-cirlce by referencing Hana's piano scene in Book 1, and showing that rebuilding her relationship with her parents (she shouldn't have to, but this is clearly the way the writers WANT to go) is going to be an agonizing, painful process. They show the parallels between Hana's upbringing and Madeleine's upbringing as well - it's not a parallel I'm happy seeing, but I was aware they were going to take that route way back in Book 2.

That said, there are things that won't let me enjoy the scene. One is that at this point, I'm not seeing Lorelai learning or growing enough. I know this might be an attempt to show that these things take time, but the Lorelai scenes are honestly getting repetitive and exhausting. And as someone who has been where Hana has been? Right down to family members who accept they need to be better but don't actually? I can tell you it's fucking exhausting to have to deal with that again and again and again. For Hana's sake at least I wish I could actually see her LEARN from what she's done and ACTIVELY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Now we go to my biggest problem with this scene. Madeleine.

It's good that she confesses to her motives and accepts Hana's decision. It's good that Hana gets to be firm about not forgiving her until SHE is comfortable doing so. It's good that Hana sees her own forgiveness as something that should be earned - not by a paltry two-minute apology but through genuine effort. But the problem for me lies in two areas:

1. Madeleine's Excuses: That's exactly what they are - excuses. Madeleine claims that she wanted to "break" Hana in an effort to get her to shed her "nice act". Which is bullshit. Even if Hana's kindness was an act...was she hurting anyone? Was her "act" actually causing harm? Madeleine's actions exceeding even Hana's perceived crime. What business was it of Madeleine's to rip this woman apart based on her own assumptions? And if she recognized that Hana was genuinely good, why was she okay with minimizing what she did to her? We can bring a thousand excuses about her sexuality and her upbringing and how hard all of this was - it doesn't make the gravity of what was done to Hana and the ridiculousness of Madeleine's claims any less.

2. The MC's Fake Self-Righteousness: This bit was perhaps the most jarring part of the entire exchange. By default, when Madeleine speaks about wanting to break Hana, the MC seems furious. But it's more than that. The MC sounds like she's hearing these words for the first time.

The only good thing about it is that Madeleine calls her out on it. But besides that, it just...makes all the MC's claims about being there for Hana and having Hana's back ring so false. One of my biggest problems with this whole series of events was how much the MC herself minimized and diluted what Hana went through at Madeleine's hands. How little she seemed to care about arming her friend with the entire, unvarnished truth. To have her act all protective in front of Hana now, to pretend like she'd never heard those poisonous words...that's just a whole other level of shady. It reflects even worse on the MC if they're married, because dafaq kind of wife are you if you couldn't arm your wife emotionally against this snake of a human being? That would be a major disservice to Hana-romancers who hated the way Madeleine treated her, and Hana stans in general because they weren't given a fair chance to properly protect and support Hana. Instead for the most part they'd be forced to choose the least worst options, rather than ones they were truly happy with. It sucks.

Liam: A short but significant scene. You find Liam in conversation with his stepmother Regina, and greet them. She is happy and proud of Liam and the MC, and everything they have achieved. She thanks you, and you can choose to either respond positively or maintain that she should have trusted you in the first place. Either way, she responds with grace, and then leaves. You speak about not having seen the throne room much, and Liam opens up to you about not being able to come here without being haunted by his memories of his father. He confesses to struggling with moving on from Constantine's death, understandably, and for the first time, feels safe enough emotionally to cry in the MC's presence.

If you're married to Liam, Regina speaks about how you two as a couple remind her of herself and Constantine, and expresses happiness in the changes you have brought about in Liam. Furthermore, the conversation about Constantine is extended to involve Liam and the MC's own plans for a family, and how they will strive not to repeat Constantine's mistakes. This is a fitting throwback especially to the date scene with Liam, where he speaks about how he wants a family where everyone is open to each other.

What I Think: I'd been silent for a long time about things in Liam's storyline that have disappointed me, mostly because I felt that given my LI was the central LI I fared better than most (and it's true - I did). But it doesn't change the fact that I am disappointed they didn't explore his potential. Neither his fiancée nor his friends nor his family paid enough attention to his own emotional state, and where the narrative could have had us tackle his demons they failed in creating opportunities for us to do so. A single tear slipping down his cheek is something, but to me it presents similar issues to Hana's last scene - that it is a rushed job of a journey that could have been resolved step by step, that could have been given some attention. I'm happy we got to see the statesman behind the lover, but doesn't mean it should be one or the other. There was enough room to balance out both and actually address his trauma and his health, yet it was ignored for the most part.

That said, this scene was poignant on its own, and I always love it when there are little moments of bonding between Liam and Regina, because I think that relationship itself is quite underrated.

• Now that we have finished checking up on everyone, we take one last look at the ballroom that held so many memories - sweet and horrific - for us, before Mara tells us it's time to get into the carriage for our honeymoon.

• We say goodbye to all our allies first (and get to hug Olivia if we want), and then to our friends who are waiting at the carriage. There's a lovely little group hug, and if you bought the horse she will be the one drawing the carriage. If you've bought the corgi, he also gives you a fond goodbye before you leave. As do the Cordonian citizens by default.

• The carriage scene is a beautiful private moment, because each LI gets to explore the moment they first met the MC, and how incredibly fortunate they are to have been on this journey together. All of them speak of the incredible odds they faced together, and how they will be willing to face them all over again if it meant a lifetime with the MC. It's a touching emotional moment, and all the four scenes have been written lovingly. The final lines of this book are the kind that stay with you, long after the book is finished:

LI: Is this moment everything you wanted it to be? (or some such variation, depending on your LI)

MC: No...it's better.

General Thoughts:

• Even if you choose every single wrong option possible, the story ends well for you. You don't get people to support you and very few people besides the ladies of the court and your immediate friends and LI's family make it to the wedding, but somehow they magically appear at the reception. Regardless of how badly you performed, your final actions fighting Anton earn you the Champion of the Realm title anyway, and in this case it's an unfair advantage to give. But the thing is this: every single LI in this group showers praises over you no matter what you do. That's the way this particular story goes, and it's written such that it won't go any other way no matter how much you try. The MC in a lot of cases is a reflection of the player, and at the end of the day I think they want the player to leave this story happy with their journey, even if it's too ridiculous to be true.

• This is a fitting end to the series overall: it allows us to explore everyone else's endings, has great parallels with the past, and allows us enough wiggle room to imagine our MC's future with their spouse. With regards to QTs, I still have Book 1 to complete, but I'd like to get some distance from the series itself first before I tackle it again.

Final Thoughts:

When I started this book last year, I got in completely expecting to be bored. Bored and totally not invested. I gave my MC the name I felt the least connected to (Alice Bennet), and barely gave much thought to which LI I would pick. However, something always brought me back, something always got me looking forward to the next chapter. Thus began my love affair with this book.

There are a lot of reasons why this book grew on people. The intrigue hidden behind this fairytale-like frame story. The little connections between this series and TCaTF, one of their most popular flagship books. The camaraderie between the members of the core group themselves. The way even the not-so-nice characters grew on you. The way each LI had something unique to bring to the table. Somehow...even the people who couldn't be bothered about the series could find something they would have even a passing interest in.

Do I miss this book? A little. This book got me back into writing essays - something I always loved doing - and fanfic. I got to learn so much, explore so much, and contribute so much thanks to my fondness for it, and for the fandom that seemed to love it as much as I did.

Am I sad it's gone? Well, in some ways yes. But I'd rather it did when it had to instead of being dragged along, and I would rather not see the writers destroy the characters they had zero interest in, further (I love this book - but I also love it enough that I will never forget to point out where it fucked up). I think it had a good run, lasting more than a year, and it ended well.

For better or for worse, I'm glad I got to be a part of this journey.

Chapter 18:  DANY V - That Was Immensely Entertaining

@helloimnotawesome - Chapter 18 is up. It’s wedding time!!! Yay <3 

This is the longest chapter so far - longer than planned but it felt wrong to cut it and there were things that I really wanted included here, so....almost 3k for you :D Enjoy!

DANY V - That Was Immensely Entertaining:

'Lord Dayne in uniform' was that what the tv-reporter had said? No, that couldn't be. Jon doesn't have one. He lost it along with everything else that night. He was devastated when he had to tell Robb. She was there at Dragonstone that day. Holding him all through the night as he cried himself to sleep and occasionally woke up sobbing. For Jon his uniform represented something good he had done in his life, something he had chosen for himself and excelled at. The medals too. Not for what he'd done during battles and what he'd lost. For Jon it was evidence of what he'd saved, the lives rescued. The crowd's noisy I probably just misheard the reporter anyway. Marg was being a good sport as always. Playing her part effortlessly. Walking up the red carpet on the steps to the Great Sept she turned and waved at the crowd who responded with a deafening cheer. You'd think we were all still royalty. She laughed to herself at the thought as she too waved at the crowd. 

Inside the sept Loras was waiting for them with the bridesmaids and groomsmen. He'd arrived earlier along with their grandmother, President Olenna Tyrell. Loras was wearing his cavalry dress uniform - black jacket, black trousers with a double red stripe down the side of the legs and a white belt around the waist. Why do all men look so good in uniform? It's unfair. She again thought about the colours. Marg and Robb had wanted the colours of their houses to be combined to display a unification of their families, so all Starks and Tyrells would somehow incorporate the colours green, gold, grey or white into their outfits. Robb, Jon, Bran, Grey, Ned and Arya, and little Aegon would of course be wearing the traditional morning suit with black morning coat, waistcoat, formal trousers, white shirt, and a cravat. They'd decided that they'd all be wearing grey waistcoats and the cravat would be matched with the colour of roses embroidered on the bridesmaids dresses. So Grey's cravat was red, Bran's was green as he was meant to go alongside Sansa until he was given the honour of escorting the Queen of Thorns inside the Sept. 'The youngest Stark and I move at the same speed', as the President had said. Afterwards Arya was matched with Sansa, but refused to change her gold coloured cravat. Typical Arya! Everyone's little wild stubborn wolf. Jon and Aegon's were blue. He looks adorable in that little suit though - and so excited he has a matching outfit with Jon!

Margaery's dress was a white full-length gown with a chapel train. While the skirt was an opaque lace, the sleeveless top was a light layer of fabric that was completely see-through - with a nude layer below the lace to make it respectable for the occasion. Throughout the dress and top red, blue, green and gold roses were embroidered. The bridesmaids dresses were in similar style but in a very light grey and one colour roses per bridesmaid - Sansa had green, Missandei had red, and she had blue. When she'd originally questioned Margaery for suddenly adding blue and red she just received the reply that, 'blue is for the winter rose of the North, and everyone knows what red roses are the symbol of'. If it's true that the President herself is wearing a gold coloured jacket and blue dress I guess the colour checks out. Little Rhaenys' dress was a red skirt, black top and black band around her waist with a big red rose on it. So proud she gets to wear her own house colours. If only she knew it's because her mom tried to avoid her having to change outfit before the reception like Aegon needs to.

It was time. Aegon, carrying the cloak Robb would wrap Marg in, went first, then Rhaenys, Sansa & Arya, Missandei & Grey, then her and finally Margaery and Loras. Letting Aegon and Rhaenys enter first was a breach of tradition and protocol, but both Marg and Robb had been adamant that they wanted the little ones in the front. Wanted to give them their bit of the limelight. Wait! Is Robb wearing a green morning coat? Matching his bride beautifully, but another breach of protocol. Looking very aristocratic, Dr. Stark! She couldn't help laugh a bit to herself. Those two have apparently decided to make a tradition of breaking tradition! Aegon had made it all the way up the aisle and was handing the cloak over to—

—OOOH! GODS! Oh Gods! Oh Gods! Jon is wearing a uniform?! How is that even possible?! He lost it. Didn't he lose it? He did! Everything was lost in the fire as the car burned out. Then how? Her head was swimming with questions. She almost forgot to breathe. She felt her legs moving but wasn't sure how she was still walking - or even standing upright. Dressed like that he's the most sexy-looking man I've ever laid eyes on! Somehow she'd made it all the way up the aisle. Standing by Margaery's side she couldn't take her eyes of Jon. She'd never seen a Night's Watch officer's dress uniform before. Light blue trousers with a red stripe down the side of the legs. Deep blue, almost black, jacket and matching belt. Oh, my dress matches his trousers! Marg, you sneaky woman, you! Oh, is that a sword by his side? And his medals, oh gods! Some on his right chest and one particularly prestigious one, the Medal of Valour, was around his neck, meticulously placed so it sat just at the collar of the jacket. Oh Gods, that entire outfit is full-on panty-dropping material right there. Dany! Get a grip, woman! Remember where you are, for fuck's sake!

She hadn't noticed, but apparently the ceremony was over and Jon walked over to escort her down the aisle and out of the sept. Did I stand here and ogle him the whole time?!? In full view of EVERYONE?? Oh Gods!!

As they walked down the aisle right behind the newly-weds, Jon leaned in slightly and whispered, "you look absolutely stunning, Dany. You're the most beautiful woman in the world, and I can't seem to take my eyes of you. Beginning to think you must've cast a spell on me, Dr. Targaryen."

Gods, the way he looks at me! And that voice! So deep and husky and...ugh, I just want to peal that uniform off and climb him like a tree. Gods I can't take it. It's too much. He's too sweet, too gorgeous, too good, too much right now.

They were outside now where the crowd was cheering for the newly-weds. She turned to Jon and said, "thank you, Captain. You look very handsome yourself. Don't even know how I made it up there I couldn't stop looking at you, so maybe you're the one who cast a spell on me, Lord Dayne." She gave him a shy smile and looked to the ground quickly. She felt him give her hand a gentle squeeze before turning his face to the crowd, flashed them a big smile and waved. Wow, mom and Tyrion have taught him well...

Robb turned slightly and waved them down to join him and Marg on one of the lower steps. The crowd responded with more loud cheering. Apparently very big fans of both the eldest Stark sons. But this one's mine! She caught Marg's eye and they both leaned up and gave each their man a kiss on the cheek. And I just made my public announcement. She couldn't help grinning at the crowd's euphoric reaction to the two pairs. Jon placed a hand on her lower back, kissed her temple and waved at the crowd again. And I'm his!

——————————

Another way the newly-weds had decided to break tradition was by not having a big wedding feast. Instead they wanted to share the celebrations with the public so a few days up to the wedding there had been various events throughout Westeros. Concerts, funfairs, open-air theatre plays etc. all for free, and would continue for a few more days. On their wedding day itself there would be free, public feasts in as many cities, towns and villages as they'd been able to coordinate with the local Lords and Mayors. For their wedding gifts they'd requested donations to charities for the sick, old, poor, refugees, orphans, and animals. They didn't want anything for themselves. Already charity organisations were reporting a spike in donations. They couldn't quite avoid a reception though for the most important on the 'who's who'-list in Westeros. So a gathering of approx a hundred had been invited to a light meal at the hospital - the usual floor used for any kind of festivities.

At the reception the newly-weds, bridesmaids and groomsmen had all changed to different dresses and suits. She had chosen a knee-length, shoulder-less dress of purple lace matching the colour of her eyes. From the way the other girls had looked at her when they saw her she knew Jon would not be unaffected. Just as I planned. The problem was that when she saw him she was equally affected. He had changed to black dress trousers, white shirt, purple bowtie, purple velvet waistcoat and purple velvet jacket. What in the hells? Are we unconsciously colour coordinating? Look at him! So confident, so handsome in that casual laidback Jon-way!

As he was walking up to her, smiling that special smile she had learned was just for her, his eye caught something behind her and his steps halted for a second. He tensed up but tried to hide it. What do you see, my love? Everyone else had already been seated. Only ones missing were her and Jon, and Marg and Robb. She turned her head but didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary.

"What's she doing here?" He growled in her ear. Haven't heard that tone since the day Ned told him the truth.

"Who, my love?"

"The woman in red." Still growling. Wolf mode is in progress.

"That's Ambassador Melisandre."

He glared at the red woman. "Ambassador?"

"For the Free Cities."

He snorted. "Of course she is." He lowered his head, squeezed his eyes shut, jaws and fists clenched hard before he took a slow deep breath.

"..Jon...it's ok if you're not ready. I'll just tell them you're—"

"—no!" Another breathe to try to steel himself. "Let's just do this. I'll be ok." You hope!

"Jon, don't do this to yourself, please. It's alright. I promise." She held his face in her hands, gently, but forcing him to look at her.

He sighed. "I know, I just..," he sighed again. I can't bare to see all that pain back in our eyes. "I can't go through life doing only what feels easy, can I? I'm going to meet people from my past that...." He ran a hand down over his face. "I have to do this, Dany." No you don't but you're not willing to listen right now.

She nodded, gave him a slow deep kiss trying to convey her support and love for him.

They sat at a round table. She was sat between Loras and Jon who sat between her and her mom. Good strategic decision, Marg. Next to Loras, President Olenna was seated, then Robb, Marg, Ned, Cat, Tyrion, Ambassador Melisandre, DA Oberyn Martell, her mom, and then Jon. Dinner was going well despite Jon being tense and quiet, only giving short curt answers. She had noticed the worried looks from the Starks - and her mom. She'd done her best to downplay it all with a few looks of her own and a light shaking of her head. Difficult to point at someone without anyone noticing while sitting at a round table.

Everything was fine until President Olenna mentioned that the Gold Cloaks had found and brought in a Greyjoy to the hospital, currently still in the ICU.

"Theon?" Jon's head snapped up. Who's he to you, darling? You look hurt and yet there's a sliver of hope in your voice.

"We believe so but Commander Selmy's team haven't been able to reach any relatives yet."

"No don't! Please don't do that!"

"Would you not want him to be reunited with his family like you have been with yours, Lord Dayne? Thought you were raised a good God-fearing man like your father, Lord Stark over here?" Oh for fuck's sake woman why couldn't you keep devious mouth shut?!

Jon's head turned towards the Ambassador so fast she feared it might've snapped off his neck.

"Let's get one thing clear, Ambassador, I tolerate your presence and only sit at the same table as you out of courtesy. Maybe others here don't know or don't care, but I know what you really are. I remember what you did!" The last line was said with a growl. She couldn't see his entire face clearly but she was sure his wolf fangs were showing. Everyone at the table was silent. Luckily there was chatter in the background from the other tables. Thanks the Gods he's managing to control himself. Somewhat at least.

He took a deep breath before continuing through clenched teeth. "Secondly, God-fearing? God-FEARING? Hmm? Is that what they want? The Gods? For me, for us to fear them?" He snorted and shook his head in disbelief. "The Lord of Light wants his enemies burned, the Drowned God wants them drowned, the Black Goat requires a daily blood sacrifice and the Many-Faced God is basically Death himself. Tell me priestess, why are all Gods such vicious cunts?! Where's the God of Tits & Wine?"

"To the God of Tits & Wine!!!" Tyrion and Oberyn cheered in unison then shared a look of surprise? Gratitude? Those two are a perfect match for each other! Thank you for trying to break the tension gentlemen, but afraid you're much too late.

Ned sent her an anxious look. He knew how badly this could go if they didn't manage to stop Jon - or if he didn't manage to reign himself in. I know, Ned, I know! I'm worried too. She didn't know what to do though. Not here. Not in this setting.

"Thirdly," Jon continued, calmly but clearly restraining himself, and with a deep growl said, "don't you ever dare try to slander my father's good name again!" He glared at her. If eyes could kill she'd be dead a thousand times over by now.

He turned back around to face President Tyrell. After another deep breathe he managed a warm and calm tone of voice when he said, "it is no secret that there is no love lost between the Greyjoys and myself. However, no human deserves to be subjected to the kind of humiliation that Theon was - that too by his own family. So please, Madam President, I beg of you do not try to contact any relatives he may have until he's awake and able to tell you himself. He deserves at least that." You have such a big and kind heart, Jon. Every time I learn something new about you I love you more.

As always the Queen of Thorns was wearing her pokerface. She had not reacted to his outburst at Ambassador Melisandre, an official representative for a very important ally for Westeros -  and if offended could have severe political, economical and social consequences. Listening to Jon's plea on behalf of Theon Greyjoy the old woman simply nodded.

"Thank you." Jon turned his head slightly to look at his father. "When his doctor allows it, I'd like to come by and see him if that's ok with you, Lord Stark?" Furious, yet still remembering your manners. Well done, my love.

"Oh course, Lord Dayne. I'll let you know." Gods, I hate this formality!

Turning back to the President, Jon said, "with your leave Madam President I'd like to go catch some fresh air."

"Yes, I thought you might." Is that a smirk? She finds this amusing? "Granted, Lord Dayne."

He stood up and nodded around the table. "Madam President, Lords, Ladies, Ambassador," and then he left. Didn't dare to look at me before leaving....you promised you wouldn't hide from me, Jon...

Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Loras stood up. "I'll go check on him." He too nodded to everyone, and then just before leaving he leaned towards her and whispered, "if I'm not back in 5 mins come find us."

She just nodded. Jon where did you disappear to? Before she could think any further her thoughts were interrupted by President Olenna's loud laugh.

"Ha! Lord Stark you've neglected to tell me your eldest son has such a ferocious bite to him! I love the boy already! That was immensely entertaining!"

Weekend Fun

Clare: smiled at Dakota and then glanced at Stacy when she spoke. She nodded. "Okay. That makes sense, I just think I'm the one who is getting to better end of the bargain." She didn't elaborate because Dakota already knew how miserable things were at home right now and she was trying to keep Stacey out of it. "It will be. There's no point in rocking the boat until it becomes necessary." She didn't know when that was going to be. Once she turned 18, her parents wouldn't be able to use the whole Dakota having custody of a child thing to keep them apart because Dakota would no longer be a minor either and they'd no longer have a stay so in who she dated anyway. Clare knew she couldn't wait that long to tell them though. She would only be turning 16 this year. "Dad won't be home." She promised. If she had to she could tell her parents an abridged version of why Josephine couldn't come over when he was there but it probably wouldn't be necessary to complicate things further. Clare smiled at Stacy and Dakota, and nodded in agreement. Then she looked at Dakota's mom curiously when she said she was going to adopt Josephine. From what his mom was saying it might be what was best for Josephine but who knew how Josephine really felt. Family matters were complicated. If Dakota considered Josephine his sister and his mom agreed, it changed things in her mind though. Her parents couldn't dispute whatever 'story' Clare told them. Adoption was actually something her parents advocated for and respected so Clare didn't forsee them asking nosey questions about that if it were true. Not that she should be thinking about herself right now. Josephine needed out of a bad situation. Clare shrugged to say that was fine when Dakota said she'd be sleeping in his room whenever she slept over. She doubted Dakota was ready for a physical relationship after everything she'd learned about him today and he knew she wasn't. It might be uncomfortable sharing a bed but they'd get used to it. Plus she wouldn't be staying the night often. At first she was confused when they started talking about a grandmother. She didn't know their grandmother lived with them. She got why having her there full time might not be great, Clare couldn't handle more than a few weeks at a time with her grandma. Then Clare got it, their grandmother died and they thought the room was haunted. Clare couldn't help laughing. "No, I don't need to be brave and go in there. I've seen Poltergeist a dozen times so the TV cutting on by itself is kind of creepy..." She playfully poked Dakota's shoulder. "How am I supposed to impress your grandmother if I sleep in your room though, she might come in there and throw a shoe at me." Her eyes widened when Emi talked about the deceased old lady giving her candy. If she wasn't actually haunting her own room she'd obviously left a lasting impression since her family was taking good care of the room and everything in it. Clare smiled sheepishly. "Right of course not, I should've thought of that. How do tourists find their way around? We might have a really hard time even with Emi's help and a Japanese dictionary app. Of course we should be able to use our phones to get directions in English. Hopefully." She looked at the paper. Clare knew the Japanese used symbols instead of words in their language. But she certainly hadn't known what it was called or how the symbols looked. "This is really cool Emi. I've never seen anything like it." Clare told her. "How does learning sounds work? Still, it was very clever of you to figure out how many strokes you needed. You're good at drawing." Clare didn't think she would be able to learn much Kanji. French was hard enough to learn and they had the same alphabet. "I believe it, I knew the languages they use in places like Japan and China was more complex than ours and the hardest to learn but jeeze." She exclaimed to Dakota. "I don't know how I feel about octopus. Have you tried it Emi? I might like it better than I would Sushi. I hate fish so raw fish doesn't really sound appetizing to me." She admitted. "Besides if it's grilled I know they at least took the eyes out. I'm not sure about the tentacles though. Food aside, it sounds like so much fun!" She grinned. "Good idea, I bet there's a lot more to do and I wanna dance with you." Clare said shyly. If she was going to have on pretty robes they shouldn't go to waste. "I can't wait. I hope I don't embarrass you too much, Emi, because I'm going to be taking lots of photos." She chuckled. "Okay fair point. What was Time Square like, were they filming anything? But the toy stores always looked really cool on Home Alone 2, were they like that?" No wonder he got lost. "I don't need pom-poms just clapping. Aww a banner would be nice, no one's ever done that for me before." Clare beamed at him. She was lucky to have a thoughtful boyfriend. "Do you like robots?" She asked Emi hopefully. Clare returned the chaste kiss before raising an eyebrow at Dakota. "But we weren't even dating until today, someone must've been pretty confident I would say yes." She teased him. Clare kissed him again. She hadn't even known he liked her and would never have dreamed of going on a date with him. Clare followed Dakota when he carried Emi out to the car. "Of course." She said quietly. "I know where the kitchen is now so I'll put them in the icebox." Clare buckled her seat belt and reached for Dakota's hand.

Kota: nodded at Clare's words as she spoke about Jos and her parents. "She won't throw a shoe at you. She's only ever hit Bren alive and dead." Dom stated. "Let's not talk about Bren until he passes." his mom said and they nodded. "You don't really need to make an impression on her. She doesn't leave her room. Never has, so if you don't go in there, you're fine." Kota stated honestly. "I never met her and I don't plan to. I also stay in Dallas' room a lot." Stacy assured. "Plus part of Grandma's always with us." Dom said honestly. "Not really, that part of her is always in my closet. Like I want Grandma with me when I use the bathroom." Kota stated. "Part of her is in my purse." Kelly shrugged. "Am I the only one that keeps part of her with me?" Ash asked and Kota looked around. "Apparently." Dom answered. Kota listened as Clare asked Emi questions and wondered if she could answer them, though he knew if she couldn't he would. "Um..." Emi trailed off looking for words. "You know how you learn the ABC's then the sounds the letter's make?" Emi asked. "We do something like that. We learn our alphabet and the sounds they make. The symbols change when you form words just like the sounds of the letters in the ABC's change." she tried explaining and wrote " す し" on a paper and showed it to Clare. "That's the sound for Sushi. The first symbol makes the shu sound." she said and took the paper back only to write "寿司" on a paper, then showed Clare again. "And that's sushi when it's written out. I memorized the symbols off a restaurant that way I'd know momma was getting sushi for dinner." she explained. "The sounds are easier and we learn them first. We don't fully learn how to write until we finish middle school since there are over a thousand symbols that take so long to learn." she huffed the last part and thanked Clare about her drawing. Hearing her ask if she had octopus she nodded. "I only had it fried. I watched someone try to eat it still living and it looked dangerous, they couldn't get the octopus out of their mouth." she explained. "I won't eat it at restaurants because they serve them whole and they dance when you put soy sauce on it. Momma got mad because I liked to make them dance so much and wouldn't eat them." she shrugged. "As for sushi, you need to try a California roll, no fish." Kota said looking at Clare. "It's rice, seaweed, fake crab, and avocado." he added and looked at Emi. "Everyone already takes a lot of photos so it's not embarrassing." she smiled at Clare. "Yea, they were just like they were on Home Alone 2, they weren't filming when I was there though." he explained. "Everything is huge in Time Square including the pizza." he added. "I haven't seen a robot. They were only in Tokyo." She stated honestly as she ate her food. "I was hoping you'd say yes." Kota smiled into the kiss. Once Emi was buckled in, Kota held Clare's hand the entire ride home. As soon as they got home, Kota smiled and unbuckled Emi and watched everyone get out of the van. "Um, can I carry Emi?" Stacy asked catching Kota off guard and to look at her. "The light in the house is on. I really don't want to deal with Bren." Stacy whined a bit causing Kota to get out of the car and look at Dallas when he stepped by them. "Is Bren home?" he asked curiously. "No, mom's inside and there's no yelling." Dallas assured causing him to sigh in relief. "Thank goodness he's not coming home." he said honestly. "I agree." Stacy sighed in relief as well as Kota lead Clare inside. He could immediately hear his mom fiddling with stuff in the kitchen and walked there holding Emi and Clare's hand still. "Bren got expelled." his mom said honestly. "I'm putting him in public school with Ash." She added and Kota looked behind him to see Ash. "I want videos. Lots of videos." he stated. "Anyway they didn't say when they're sending Bren home. Clare, if you're here feel free to hit Bren as much as you want want." His mom stated as she started to bake. "He was switched at birth." Kota stated. "Sadly he wasn't, I did a DNA test the moment you boys came up with that theory. Mom and I started to believe he really was switched at birth." Kelly said and Kota shifted Emi a bit. "I'll take her, thinking about Bren coming home is blowing my mood. Cuddling with Emi tonight will take my mind off it, just get me her pajamas." Kelly said to Kota and he let go of Clare's hand to get Emi's pajamas for his sister. Once he got back he handed Kelly the pajamas and took Clare's hand. "I'm done with worrying about Bren coming home. We have one day of peace left and I plan on spending it with Clare and Emi. I'll worry about what to do with him after he comes home." Kota stated and started to walk to his room with Clare, picking up the bag for her as they walked. Once they got to his room, he shut the door behind them and took off his slippers, then his shirt. "The bathroom's right here." he said opening a door that has a sign that has Japanese writing on it. "The sign says bathroom since Emi mistook the closet next to it for the bathroom since the doors are the same." he said honestly as he stepped inside and took out a small box. "There are tooth brushes in here, take your pick, we don't have pink though." he said knowing there were all the other colors but pink and a lot of styles and brands. "I'll be out here when you're done." he said and shut the door behind him as he left. While he was waiting for Clare to finish, he changed into his pajama bottoms and got a blanket for Clare, then laid on his bed and covered up in his black blanket.