#that is a horrible take. the ULTIMATE enemies to lovers

[wlwdarlingcharming]

are there real ppl out there who don’t like faybriar… i didn’t think it was possible…

[prompt-heaven]

the ultimate list of AUs, kinks and tropes to inspire you for kinktober 

some of these are darker in nature since that is fitting for the spooky season. 

AUs

academic / teacher / professor / tutor 

addams family

babysitter / nanny

bartender

biker

bodyguard

bonnie and clyde

bounty hunter

boxer 

camp counselor

circus / carnival

cult 

demon / angel

fairytale retelling

fantasy 

farmer

firefighter

guardian angel 

historical 

hybrid

mafia / mob 

magic 

maid / butler 

mechanic 

modern 

monster / mythology / supernatural

paranormal investigator 

pirate / mermaid

post-apocalyptic

priest

prison

rockstar 

royalty

serial killer

sex worker / porn / camgirl/boy / stripper 

slasher

soulmate

spy / secret agent

steampunk / cyber punk

sugar daddy

tattoo artist 

time travel

treasure hunter 

vampire

werewolf 

wild west

TROPES

a/b/o

against a wall 

age gap

amnesia / memory loss

anonymous sex

balcony sex

boss x employee 

brothers best friend / dad’s best friend (dbf)

car sex

cheating

clothed sex

comforting sex

coworkers to lovers

cursed / fuck or die / sex pollen

dark / soft!dark

enemies to lovers

exes to lovers

fake relationship

forbidden romance

friends to lovers

friends with benefits

game gone wrong

hate sex / make-up sex

huddle for warmth

just the tip

library sex

loss of virginity

mirror sex

neighbours to lovers 

only one bed

opposites attract

period sex

pool / hot tub sex

predator / prey

professor x student

public / semi-public sex

revenge sex

reverse harem

romantic sex

roommates to lovers

rough sex

seduction

sex in an alley

sex in exchange for a favour

sex while camping

shower / bath sex

stalker

stepcest

table sex

unrequited love

yandere

KINKS

aftercare

anal 

begging

being recorded / taking pictures

body worship

dom / sub / bondage / bdsm / shibari

breath play / choking

cheating

cockwarming

corruption kink 

costumes / uniforms

creampie / breeding / forced breeding

cuckolding

cum in panties

cumplay

cunnilingus / face sitting / rimming / blowjob / deep throating / gagging

dacryphillia

dirty talk / voice kink

double penetration / double penetration in one hole 

dry humping / thigh riding 

dubcon / noncon / cnc / drugging

dumbification

exhibitionism / voyeurism

fingering

fisting

flashing 

food play 

footjob 

forced orgasm

formal wear 

free use

glory hole

glove kink 

hand kink

handjob 

hole inspection

humiliation / degradation

hunter / prey

impact play / spanking / whipping / hair pulling / pain kink

jealousy / sharing / possessive

knife kink / gun kink

lingerie / stockings / socks

massage

masturbation / caught masturbating / mutual masturbation

medical kink

monsterfucking / tentacles

multiple orgasms

orgasm denial / overstimulation / edging

threesome / orgy / gangbang

partner swap 

pegging

piercings

pillow humping

praise kink 

premature ejaculation / cuming untouched

pussyjob

roleplay

role reversal

ruined orgasm / cuming without permission

sensory deprivation 

sexting / phone sex 

facial / swallowing / bukakke

size kink / size difference / belly bulge

skirt stays on

somnophilia / getting fucked to sleep

spit kink

squirting

stripping / lap dance

teasing 

temperature play

thigh fucking

throat training

titty fucking

toys / object insertion 

OTHER PROMPTS

a ritual gone wrong 

a string of unexplained deaths

a summer fling gone horrible wrong, or right

alian abduction 

art come to life

basement wife 

being paralysed 

blackmail 

caught trespassing on private property

college party gone wrong

crazy ex

curiosity killed the cat

fate worse than death

final girl

getting stranded in a little town that’s not as wholesome as it seems

ghostface

halloween party

haunted house / abandoned house 

haunted object 

hitch-hiking gone wrong

hot neighbour that has an obsession with you

i was sent here to assassinate you but now i think i might be in love with you

Items moving and/or going missing

i’ll find you in every universe / century

kidnapping

lost in a maze

mad scientist 

magical healing 

marriage / wedding / arranged marriage/ forced marriage 

mind control / telepathy

mirrors playing tricks on the mind

oh, you had a long day? use me as your personal sex toy in order to unwind

oops, i summoned a demon 

oops, i’m dating a serial killer

playing games (like seven minutes in heaven, spin the bottle, hide and seek, etc.) but they have a slutty/dark twist to them

possession (ghost or demon)

power outage

ritual / sacrifice / blood magic

road trip

secret room

serial killers fucking in front of hostages

stalker landlord

stalker wearing the same costume as your partner 

stockholm syndrome

the return of a villain thought dead

torture

toxic frat boy

waking up from strange dreams and seeing bruises and marks on your skin that correspond exactly with the dream you just woke from

we’re the last people on the planet and you will be mine

you wake up strapped to a table just as a fuck machine is turned on

[kissesbyliz]

simon having beef with your dog.

the thing hates him, he's sure. he's been aware of the fact ever since the first time it jumped up at him, indulging itself with a nice helping of his brand new jeans.

"oh my god!" you gaped at his jeans with horror, immediately scooping the offending animal into your arms. even within its confines, the creature still manages a growl that simon swears is nothing less than evil.

between the sweet apologizes falling from your lips and the way your eyes widened in embarrassment, simon unsurprisingly found it difficult to stay mad. after fixing him a change of clothes and apologizing profusely for your pet's behavior, you urged your pet into its play pen to prevent her from ruining the rest of the night. she stared up at you with wide eyes, letting out a pitiful whine as she was obviously not used to being locked up.

though the inner dog-lover in him should be feeling a twinge of guilt at the sight, simon couldn't deny a sense of victory.

at least now, they were even.

they used to be even. used to. his score was ultimately decimated after countless incidents of your dog peeing all over his boots, stealing his food, and gnawing it's way through the souvenirs he brought for you from missions.

why the thing hates him so much is beyond him. ever since the first incident, he's tried every bribery method under the sun. from endless treats to long walks in her favorite park, all his attempts ended the same way: with his hand being damn near ripped off his arm.

after weeks of no progress, you had brought up the idea of meeting at his place instead. simon refused. he couldn't handle the thought of you traveling the hour it takes to get to his apartment, just to see him. after all, if he could handle countless hordes of enemies and disarm bombs, he sure as hell could handle some dog.

which of course, brings him to his current predicament.

after a particularly long deployment, you've taken the liberty of planning a special welcome home dinner for him and his task force. nothing big, just a small gathering to celebrate a reunion between friends as well as a job well done.

you insisted on doing all the work of preparing the food and letting him relax on the couch. it was a dinner in celebration of him as well, after all. the very last thing simon wanted was to leave you to do all the work, but if he was going to do anything about your dog, he had to do it now.

because even though he'd call his task force some of the closest friends he has, he pales at the idea of them finding out that a dog has him beat. he can already imagine how they'll react: a (horribly) stifled laugh from price, a smart jab from gaz, and an unashamed guffaw from johnny. and of course, the endless amounts of taunting that'll be flowing throughout the base. yeah, that's not going to happen. least of all, in front of his girl.

he approaches the play pen which houses your dog slowly, attempting to seem as unintimidating as he can for someone of his stature. your pet immediately takes notice--has had an eye laser pointed on him since the moment he arrived--and starts up a low growl.

"hey..girl..." he greets awkwardly, crouching down in a manner that allows his every action to be observed. it's evident that your dog couldn't be less happy with his presence, with the way she moves to the opposite end of the enclosure. he sighs, dropping onto the floor next to the pen and wincing at the slight pain shooting up his tailbone.

"why d'ya hate me so much, huh?" your dog huffed, closing her eyes and assuming a sleeping position. simon didn't even know dogs were capable of the silent treatment. unfazed, he pushes on, speaking to the dog as if it miraculously developed the ability to understand him.

"all i wanna do is spend time with my girl, and all you do is try to make me look like the bad guy." he shoots her an unimpressed look. "it's not like i'm gonna take her away, y'know."

to simon's surprise, the dog rises and begins to slowly approach him and for once, without utter disdain in her eyes. simon really didn't expect that to work, but he supposes he doesn't have any room to complain. he gulps -- he's never made it this far before. carefully, he raises a big hand up to stroke over the dog's soft fur.

in a flash, the canine snaps her teeth onto the surface of his skin. hard.

"fuck--!" he snarls, snatching his hand away. at that moment, the doorbell rings and he cradles his aching hand to his chest. he stands up, glaring hard at the animal as he goes to answer the door.

"hey, there's my favorite girl!" johnny pushes past him and beelines for the play pen, where your dog is excitedly standing on its hind legs to greet him. simon's never seen her tail wag so fast. she eagerly yips for him to come closer, bowing to allow him to scratch behind her ears.

"oh, and hey to you too, i guess." johnny briefly nods in acknowledgement in your direction. you playfully roll your eyes, giggling at his display.

"simon. 's good to see you." price offers a brief nod, and kyle pats him on the shoulder before they both walk around him to join johnny at the play pen. the dog takes to the rest of his team just as easily, greeting them all with tail wags and licks to the hand.

simon riley is at a loss.

[felassanis]

I'm a bit of a trollop for angst BUT....I want our romance with Solas to bite us in the ass in Dreadwolf.

I want companions like Dorian to ultimately come to the conclusion Solas cannot be redeemed and he is unable to trust his best friend to make rational decisions regarding Solas when the whole world hangs in the balance. Their friendship begins to crack beneath the weight of her stubborn love.

I want the Inquisition, or whatever is left of it, to try and hush rising rumours that the Dreadwolf and the Inquisitior were intimate. Because the public are turning on the Inquisitior FAST. Finding out she was bedding the one who wants to destroy Thedas? The racism and sexism are more prevalent than ever. Public officials speak out that Lavellan can't be trusted. Graffiti on the buildings depicting "dreadwolf's whore" in crude writing and just HORRIBLE things that Lavellan can't stomach seeing. Their enemies taking full advantage of these rumours and destroying the reputation the Inquisitior had built in her fight for Corypheus.

I want Mythal or one of the Evanuris to also find out. The Dreadwolf had a lover? A mere mortal elf? The Evanuris FINALLY have something to use against Fen'harel. They target her, trying to kidnapp or downright murder her. Mythal managing to keep Solas on a tight leash reminding him she knows about Lavellan and she did drink from the Well of Sorrows.

I want to see how Lavellan cannot sleep because Solas might be tracking their movements or learning information when he follows her through dreams. Or how she's obsessively sleeping just to try and see him, talk to him, beg him to change his mind.

Yeah I want - no I NEED IT to have repercussions

[akronus-writes]

the fates of the primordials

despite what they would tell you, there are only 5 "primordials" and they existed in a universe much different to the stories they tell.

in truth, the primordials lived in a universe not unlike your own, apart from their development of "super powers" of course. and while I would tell you of their exploits with those powers, I think you'll find their ultimate fates too be much more interesting.

during an event known as the oblivion eclipse (which I will add a book on to my library in due tome) the primordials would fight against a near endless enemy, with 5 of them having to sacrifice themselves to succeed. below I have detailed their fates.

Signis and Brennis

the masters of fire and stability, Signis and Brennis would sacrifice themselves fighting the oblivion lord, literally punching him back to hell, and allowing themselves to die in the process. may these two heroes memories be ever commemorated in my library.

Daemos

fighting alongside crow against one of the oblivion lords eclipse towers, which would create an infinite army unless destroyed, Daemos willingly sacrificed themself, actively using their powers too pull themselves, the oblivion monsters and the tower, in to the shadow realm, where they would all die.

Aquis

Fighting alongside Aldira against another eclipse tower, Aquis would make the ultimate sacrifice, feeding herself to her pet sea beast Jormungandr so it may, for a few seconds. reach its strongest form, consuming the eclipse tower and oblivion beasts, before sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

Deltan

fighting alongside their boyfriend Hallowed, deltan would realise the eclipse towers vulnerability to electricity, and therefore channel nearly all of their energy, including their life force. into a powerful blast that didn't just take out the eclipse tower, but disintegrate it.

in a rare subversion of their fate though, Deltan would live on in the bio-electricity of their lover Hallowed.

Hallowed

in their fight against the oblivion beasts, hallowed would lose their right arm to one of these beasts, and would continue fighting on with only their left, slaughtering scores of beasts until the battle was over.

in the ensuing time after these battles, Hallowed would gain both a cybernetic replacement arm, and a hefty fortune, worth millions of dollars.

Antros

While fighting oblivion beasts, Antros would be torn apart by one beast, only to find that they lived on. fighting through the army, Antros would eventually realise his true nature. the living embodiment of fear, Antros can take on any form they wish, and summon scores of nightmare beasts to help them.

in the time after the oblivion eclipse, Antros would go on to brutaly punish numerous evildoers as a brutal vigilante with control over fear itself.

Aldira

the bloody queen, Aldira would be there to witness Aquis' sacrifice, and would in that fight, finally realise her purpose, too end the lives of those that would threaten the innocent. at this revelation, the armour that had tormented her fell off, and her bloody rage was re-ignited.

in the time after this, Aldira would channel this blood rage into an art, perfectly manipulating her and others blood with an impossible level of finesse and skill.

Crow

Crow would sadly witness her friend Daemos' sacrifice and from that would be changed.

after the battle they would sob for hours on a cliff side, inconsolable over losing his friend. but eventually, something happened. touched by some unknown force, Crow would go on to become a protector of nature, gaining a complete control of both plants and animals.

Akronus

Akronus would be there to witness Signis and Brennis' sacrifice, and would suffer horrible mental break. before in a turn of events, they found god. well eldritch gods, but still. acting as the conduit for the magic power of four eldritch gods, Akronus would continue their work. just with a much finer control of their powers.

Closing notes

the entrepid of you will realise the problems with my writings, if AKronus is a master of magic, why do they only use sword, and If both crow and hallowed gained morals, how come they commit crimes now?

I can easily explain that. all 5 of them where heavily scarred by these events, and combining that with the death of their home reality, have blocked out a majority of these memories, which is why, like always. I bestow my readers with a request. to help these 5 heroes regain the memory of their fallen comrades and original power, if not for the greater good, but to respect the sacrifices their friends once made.

(@monsterfucker-research-wizard @good-wizard @f4y3w00d5 @drewp1 @gobodegoblin)

[moistvonlipwig]

BtVS for the favorite things ask game?

ok!!!

my favorite female character: Cordelia of course.....though if we're counting her more as an AtS character then it'd be poor beleaguered Anya, who has too much sense by far for the rest of the Scoobies to handle.

my favorite male character: Spoike my horrible little man who is faking his accent and cheats at kitten poker <3 he sucks sooo bad (affectionate) (also objectively true since he is a vampire)

my favorite book/season/etc: This one's tricky -- I think S5 probably takes it in the end, although I think the overall arc of S2 is very impressive and the highs are higher. But I prefer big sister Buffy to only child Buffy and the later seasons cast line-up to the early seasons cast line-up, and S2 has a lot of bad episodes, whereas S5's worst episodes are just kind of whatever. S3 is also very strong overall, but it doesn't emotionally grab me the way S2 and S5 do.

my favorite episode (if its a tv show): This one's even trickier! I think "Becoming" (especially its second part) is definitely in the running for its amazing character work for Buffy and the whole cast. "Lovers Walk" gets points for the sheer amount of fun it packs into its runtime. "Who Are You?" is another contender, largely due to SMG's absolute tour-de-force performance as Faith. "Restless" would be a contender if it weren't for the horrifically racist treatment of the First Slayer that infects the entire episode, which knocks it soundly off its otherwise well-earned pedestal. "The Gift" is very, very good as well. (I'm not as big on "The Body" as everyone else -- it's good, I just don't think it's one of the show's top episodes.) And I think "Dead Things" is probably the most challenging episode the show ever put forth, which I appreciate deeply. (I enjoy the songs in OMWF a lot, but as an episode I don't think it's super cohesive, so while it's up there for me, I don't think I can say it's the show's best.)

my favorite cast member: I honestly don't really tend to get super invested in actors, so, idk? I guess I'd say that, while she's nowhere near the show's strongest actor -- in fact I would argue she's one of those actors who is extremely good at playing one specific part and basically can't play anything else -- I nonetheless have a lot of respect for Eliza Dushku as a person, what with how she's spoken up about the sexual abuse, harassment, and mistreatment she's faced within the industry, and how she threw her full support behind the people speaking up about Joss Whedon despite having a positive experience with him herself.

my favorite ship: Most of my favorite Buffyverse ships are AtS ships, but my favorite BtVS ship is ultimately probably Buffy/Spike, despite, um, everything -- I think they have a lot of really fun interactions and I buy their friendship in early S6 and S7, and I appreciate that the show made some attempt (YMMV how successful it was) to deconstruct and problematize the enemies-to-lovers trope. That said, my ideal endgame for them is that they end up as friends, not lovers. And the way some people talk about that ship on here is......well. It's something innit. In terms of other ships I like: despite what I'm about to say about Giles below, I do like his interactions with Anya a lot and I feel like there were some romantic implications in "Grave" that weirdly never got picked up again in S7. I think a Giles/Anya romance would be a lot better than S7 trying to resurrect the shuffling corpse of Xander/Anya. ...Although, I'm also a "Willow should've killed Giles in Grave" truther, so, I'll also propose a Willow/Anya romance, because they had good chemistry in "Selfless" and it'd be funny.

a character I’d die defending: It used to be Dawn and Cordelia, but honestly the fandom has cooled off a lot when it comes to hating those characters, so, uh, I definitely still defend them ardently when needed, but they don't need it as much these days as they used to. Buffy still gets some very weird things said about her which I think she should be defended from, although I also think there's pockets of fandom that act like she has never done a single thing wrong in her life ever, which is a point of view I also don't subscribe to. Faith I think is in a weird position where she has done some legitimately awful things, which some of her more hardcore fans gloss over, but some people are strangely hellbent on making up things she didn't do to get mad at her for, which I can't abide. People are also deeply weird about Joyce, as you know, but, like, I'm not a Joyce Fan or anything, I don't even think she's a particularly amazing mother, I just think people seem entirely incapable of seeing things from her point of view and weirdly insistent that her relationship with Buffy was worse than it was. So, IDK. Most of the women, I guess. Except Willow. Sorry Willow, I'm sure some people are weird about you too, but the narrative is too nicies to you already.

a character I just can’t sympathize with: Yeah, it's Giles. He's the character who has gone down the most in my estimation over time, particularly as I've gotten older. S1 Giles is arguably sympathetic, with his fate somewhat paralleled to Buffy's, but as the show goes on, the character and worldbuilding develop to a point where it becomes pretty irrefutable that this is a guy who profits off of Buffy's suffering and could stop doing that at any time, who abandons her when she needs him most, and who then has the gall to act like he should have any say in the decisions she makes about her life afterwards. Additionally, the way he seems totally indifferent to Xander's home life and clear desire for a non-abusive father figure/masculine role model, and even more egregiously (given that it is literally his job to 'watch' her) the way he seems totally indifferent to Faith's lack of a home or family or any kind of support, is profoundly foul to me, and yet another thing that's made worse by the retcon that Giles is well-off and gets paid to do this. (The Faith stuff is even worse when you remember that Giles, too, has accidentally killed people, yet he makes no effort to try to reach out to her. Angel's attempt to reach out may have been bad, but at least it was an attempt.) I've read a lot of meta on here about how Giles was deeply affected by Jenny's death and how that made him feel like he had somehow doomed her by loving her, or even when Jenny isn't brought into it a lot of people will say that Giles thinks he is an awful person who makes people's lives worse and that's why he holds himself at such a distance, and like, that's a fine interpretation, but I don't actually see any evidence that that's true? To me that's in the realm of "Xander hates vampires because of Jesse" -- it's something that could psychologically make sense for a real person, and you could write about in a fanfic and have it be quite interesting, but I struggle to see any real basis for that idea in canon. And of course I should add that I think Giles should probably suck, for the show to work; if he's a good father figure the story doesn't really happen. But he sucks in such deeply baffling and unsympathetic ways to me that I just really don't like him anymore at this point, aside from the occasional Buffy-Giles emotional beat or snarky one-liner that makes me smile.

a character I grew to love: This one definitely goes to Buffy -- I think pre-Dawn Buffy is a well-done but ultimately fairly typical Campbell-style comic hero, whose character is largely elevated by SMG's iconic performance and by BtVS's strategy of using monster-of-the-week episodes to mirror Buffy's internal journey. I like her fine in the early seasons, but it's only really in S5 that she starts to grab my emotional attention, and it's in S6 that I truly love her -- S6 is a mess, but I think Buffy's arc in that season is utterly compelling and beautiful, and it gives me so much more affection and appreciation for her character. As for S7...well, let's just not speak of that, shall we.

my anti otp: With apologies as always to my Bangel followers & mutuals, I find Buffy/Angel to be not entirely uninteresting to think about (especially in S2, which is when I think the writers had the strongest sense of what they wanted to say with that relationship), but they are profoundly tedious to watch. Melodrama that is played straight is rarely appealing to me, and I can't for the life of me imagine them in an actual adult relationship -- what would they talk about? As Buffy herself admits, they were never actually friends, and so many of their conversations on the show just revolve around how they shouldn't and/or can't be together but they want to anyway. I also think, as the shows go on, they develop different values and their lives go in such different directions that I don't think they would work as a couple in the future, either. Both of them are better off, IMO, moving on and living separate lives.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: Twisted Knight by K. Bromberg

4.5/5. Releases 9/24/24 (in audio).

The Vibes: Succession but make it romance, highKEY revenge, legit enemies to lovers in contemporary, match my freak etc etc

Heat Index: 7.5/5

The Basics:

Raised in a privileged but misogynistic community, Rowan Rothschild is determined to pick up the pieces after her grandmother's death and take her spot in the family business... whether or not her family actually supports that. Just as she's about to do so, her brother, Rhett, stabs her in the back with a plan to sell the majority of the company to the mysterious Holden Knight, a man who came out of nowhere to make his money in tech. So what does he want with the Rothschilds' spirits company? Rowan hates him off the bat, and he delights in it—while seeing something in her that the other men in the company don't. As the two enter into an untrusting—and very physical—alliance, both Rowan and Holden hurtle towards a clash with a price neither one is ready to pay.

The Review:

Well. That was a surprise.

I've never read K. Bromberg before, and in truth I kind of just went off the "enemies to lovers with angst" vibe. This was at the time (and maybe still is) categorized as fantasy romance on Goodreads, and the title and cover made me feel like it was? But it's very much not—this is a contemporary, Rich People Problems book. And I am... good with that. Because I gotta say, this kind of knocked it out of the park.

The problem with a lot of billionaire~ romances (and I'm not sure anyone is here—the Rothschilds definitely have a LOT of money, but not that money, and Holden is mentioned to be a multimillionaire but later appears to have more cash than Rowan expected) is that there's a lot of 'em.... and they have become very tropey, I've found. An enemies to lovers book theoretically set around the corporate world would often end up feeling like the heroine is just stomping her foot and saying HMPH, never actually opposing the hero on a serious level. The business is barely noted.

And billionaire alphas? So hard to write well these days. They don't talk like... people. They say the types of things I expect real life men who consider themselves "alphas" to say. But I don't want a real life "alpha male", I want a good one! (A fake one. From books.)

Twisted Knight seems to completely understand these issues and sail over them with ease. Rowan is a FABULOUS heroine. In a way, she gave Shiv Roy, but way more competent and way less of a horrible person (I say as someone who does love Shiv Roy, for the record). She's defiant of her family, but not unrealistically so. She's aware of her privilege... most of the time. But that doesn't mean she wasn't raised in it and doesn't unconsciously (or consciously) indulge in it. She has heart, but she also has her own goals, her self-centered aims, a willingness to, ultimately, be ruthless to get what she wants. And she's QUITE bratty.

Holden, on the other hand, has a more tragic backstory than Rowan... But he's also lost the plot, and the book paints him in a way that's hot and impressive but also HUMAN. Bromberg doesn't write him as if she's fawning over him, as if we should all just be sooooo impressed with this dude. He's a smug bastard. But the book is not smug ABOUT HIM. It's something that's kind of difficult to explain, but you can feel it in the writing. The writing is just... better.

Also, I felt like this guy was one step ahead of everyone for most of the book. But I never felt like he was INFALLIBLE. He could be aggressive with Rowan, but I never felt like she couldn't throw it right back at him (and she usually did). It felt to me like both of them were weakening in the face of love, not just her. Additionally, while they definitely have a caustic dynamic for the first half of the book or so... It's never over the top. Never did I feel like he was BULLYING her. Fucking with her head, yeah. However, these were evenly matched adults going to bat, and that, along with the higher stakes, put this in the category of enemies to lovers versus the softer rivals to lovers or the (in my opinion) dumber bully romance.

(All this being said, he does have a very classic but good revenge motivation, and you know. I supported those wrongs. Mostly.)

The thing is that I actually felt like I could see the progression of Holden and Rowan falling in love. The physical attraction is there off the bat... But even once they start hooking up? It's not love just yet. It's one of my favorite things, when done right: a physical fast burn and an emotional slow burn. And yes, this does it perfectly. These are sharky people, and they don't STOP being sharky people because they're falling in love. They're BOTH deeply uncomfortable with their feelings, not just him (how refreshing!). Rowan being like "oh no ew" to this man being SOFT and HUMAN in the afterglow? Amazing. Holden internally screaming while sitting in his car and watching her turn her lights off after she kicks him out for the night? Fabulous. GIVE ME IDIOTS WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO EMOTION.

At the same time, you have an interesting set of dynamics informing their relationship. There's the pressure from Rowan's family, who want her to settle down, marry the very stable and very boring CHAD WILLIAMS (that name...), there's here delightfully complex relationship with her douchey brother Rhet... I really appreciated that just because Rowan knows her brother is the worst, doesn't mean she doesn't love him. Because what else are you gonna do?

In a way, Holden's frustration with Rowan's loyalty to her family only made me feel like he truly LIKED her more. He respected her enough to know that she could do better.

I will say—while this book isn't a dark romance by any means, it IS angsty in the best possible way. And you do end on a cliffhanger. And as I realized this wasn't going to wrap up in one book, I was so hoping she wouldn't pull the punch, as I'd seen other authors do in the past.

Dude. She did not pull the punch. AT ALL. I was grinning as this ended.

READY. FOR. THE NEXT. NOOOOOW.

(On an audio note: very well done, both actually performed it, and if you like a male narrator who... gets into it.... Patrick Zeller does the work.)

The Sex:

Oh, also, this was stellar. Numerically there are 4 full scenes and one that comes... very close... but stopped short. And not because it was fade to black. Because someone Deserved It. Rowan runs Holden RAGGED, and he's fully aware.

There's a great variety here, not so much in terms of what is done, but in terms of the emotionality. You have the "get it out of our systems (but not really)" vibe, the fun vibe (uhhhh this book has sexy hide and seek, and it was the hottest thing I've read in a contemporary in a while), the "fraught intensity where we can't own our feelings" vibe, the "oh nooooooo we've gotten twisted up in the game" vibe.

Holden is very "I'M IN CHARGE" in the beginning, and as delightful as that was, I did kind of go "maybe this is where the book starts to slip and Rowan just becomes his willing little doll". NAH. She owns him. If you enjoy a scene where the hero gets so worked up that he basically embarrasses himself... YEAH.

I loved all of it.

Look man, I am STRAPPED. IN. Delighted to have found a new author, and excited to gobble up what else she has to offer (her backlist is expansive). Absolutely recommend this, especially if you're trying to find a billionaire romance that WORKS.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[zekeyboy]

hi i am here to inquire about your jontim au??

HI. i am SO glad you asked anon thank you youve made my day.

in short? the au is pretty simple. jontim replaces jmart in s4&5. tim survives the unknowing, and we get the ultimate friends to enemies to lovers arc that the world has ever seen and that jonny sims and mr newall were too pussy to give us.

maybe some desolation tim? it’s not entirely fleshed out. but im a sucker for the idea of tim, after getting his revenge, and the world continuing to spin - which was not what he expected it to do, he wanted to feel more fulfilled. more impactful. it happened, and he nearly died, and now it’s over, and he’s.. aimless, almost - he’s more or less defeated. still angry, still hostile, but he’s run out of a lot of the fight he used to have.

i think he and jon wouldn’t find solace in each other immediately in s4. he would still not trust jon (he finds it hard, even after some reconciliation- been burned too many times.) but after awhile, tim would really just end up taking pity on jon. he can’t fight him off forever. he loved jon, in research, and back when they first moved to the archives, and that kind of love never goes away, not really. you can’t hate a man that much if you don’t still love them. and it comes to a point where tim becomes more willing to try and understand. try and be there, even if he doesn’t forgive jon.

don’t ask me about what happens with the end of s4. that’s still in progress. this au was made hastily.

safehouse with jontim. falling back into the motions, growing more comfortable. less horrified of the chance of things going wrong, and then things go wrong!

eyepocalypse would be different. tim would definitely keep jon in check with the weird archivist stuff he tends to say. he wouldn’t really tolerate it - he loves jon, and can accept that he didn’t choose it, and this is who he is now, but he isn’t the happiest. he’d keep jon more grounded.

i also think that 200 wouldve gone a lot more differently. if jon went behind tim’s back like that, if he betrayed tim AGAIN, made tim drive the knife into his heart? that’s awful. fucking horrible. tim would never talk to him ever again in somewhere else.

in short? it’s very undeveloped. im open to suggestions and opinions. i love jontim and you should too. there’s so many plotholes but i dont care because this is real to me

[varantthedruid]

So,

Yesterday evening I went back to my very first Tav. A high elf Paladin of Vengeance Oathbreaker. And I gave Shadowheart to Viconia (on accident). Anyway, my thoughts on why someone would choose that and a headcanon I made up in bed afterwards under the cut.

We were at the House of Grief and she romanced a Selunite!Shadowheart (I kind of hate that we always talk about Selunite Shadowheart because she states at several points in the game that she isn't ready to just jump on the new goddess bandwagon and she is understandably vary of it but I get where it's coming from and in a kill parents playthrough she does try to figure out her roots and all that anyways).

I accidentally gave her to Viconia. And it fucking broke my heart but I wanted to see how it plays out and when I came back and she stood there and couldn't remember me or anything about the journey she just had, it was horrible. I F8 so hard.

And then some of the companion (or lack thereof) reactions.

I truly think this is one of the most evil endings you can choose for Shadowheart besides maybe freeing the parents and then killing them in front of her.

My imagination went kinda wild here and just...imagine you take your lover, with whom you shared so much of the little you know and have of yourself, with you to finally resolve years of trauma and face the cult that lied to you, wiped your memory and hurt you in many many ways only for them to decide: You can have her. It's the ultimate betrayal.

And Shadowheart gets dragged away, towards the Mirror, PASSING her parents knowing they are her parents and are getting tortured in some capacity and then gets forced to give up her memories and then potentially (I mean I am pretty sure Viconia is not just wiping her memory, I do think she gets severely punished for everything) being abused for something she doesn't remember.

I can't for the life of me figure out why ANYONE would do that since you'd probably lose your healer for just a call upon some Sharrans in the fight against the Elder brain. BUT:

I just had to headcanon that Shadowheart was part of a Sharran raid on my Paladins monastery and my Paladin broke her oath freeing SH from the pod and she basically took some time to remember what SH did. SH of course does not remember but we all know SH was never fully into Shar and had to be disciplined a lot for not being obedient so she probably did not enjoy what she did.

But the Paladin lost family there. And when she realised this was a moment of vengeance for her she swore to restore her oath. And while she did fall in love with SH and understood the immense abuse that happened, she lost everything herself. But she is also pragmatic and needs every help she can get in the fight against the Elder Brain. So she took her vengeance in the worst way possible.

But when she saw SH after in the cloister, she fully realized what she did and decided to live with that pain.

My HC went so far that later on Lae'Zel would start seeking out SH (who is basically nothing more than an errant girl for the cloister at this point) when she comes to visit from the Astral Plane. Because at that start they had a little enemies with benefits going on and Bae'Zel hated that they gave SH away and she never got over that guilt for not stopping what was happening.

Anyway, I have no idea about D'n'D or how Paladins and their Oaths work but yeah....

I would love to put this into an elaborate fan fic but I suck at this.

[heartofstanding]

I have a theory about Isabella of France's reputation/representation" 👀👀?

I love Isabella theories!

OK, so.

Isabella is an incredibly transgressive figure in terms of gender roles and expectations. Women were (and largely still are) expected to be good wives and good mothers. Isabella... isn't. She betrays her husband multiple times in multiple ways: she leaves him, she has an affair with his enemy, she conspires against him to the point of his deposition and murder. She isn't a good mother: her rule during Edward III's minority is disastrous, she's corrupt and greedy, filling her own coffers while bankrupting the kingdom her son will inherit, and she forces her daughter into a loveless marriage in an alliance with Scotland that drives her son to tears.

(n.b. I am aware about the debates around whether Isabella and Roger Mortimer had n affair and the debates around Edward II's death and Isabella's role in it. I'm not concerned with what was "historically likely" or the real, historical Isabella here but in how she's been represented.)

I think Isabella's transgressiveness is confronting. She isn't a good wife, she isn't a good mother, she isn't a good queen. The fall back or ultimate "good woman" - the virgin/nun, dedicated to God, isn't an option given the adultery and violence in her story. I think that, basically, in efforts to confront and contain Isabella's transgressiveness, historians, historical fiction novelists, commentators et al have basically either presented her as monstrous or as a romantic heroine.

The revisionist, pro-Isabella narrative is that she was an incredibly capable, intelligent and very, very, very beautiful queen who was left neglected and unfulfilled by her horrible gay husband who treated her as a broodmare and allowed his boyfriend to abuse her (that's... a lot of homophobia), who also tears her children from her adoring arms. Isabella eventually escapes to find freedom and lover in the arms of a "real" man, Roger Mortimer. Isabella's discovery of love at long last means she simply cannot be held responsible for the disasters of her son's minority, if they're even discussed. In short, these revisionist, redemptive narratives soften Isabella by depicting her as a romantic heroine in search of love and further present her as a victim of life and unscrupulous men. The story usually drops off before her rule and behaviour towards her children can be seriously questioned. Her transgressiveness is thus the result of her womanly needs being unfulfilled.

In contrast, the "standard", anti-Isabella narrative is that she was Bad. Faithless, unnatural, evil, perverse, vain, selfish, treacherous, manipulative, cruel, sexually aggressive or sexually unfulfilled, femme fatale, monstrous... the list goes on, Isabella is really That Bitch (or That She-Wolf). Edward and Despenser are her hapless victims and Mortimer is her villainous partner-in-crime. Her children are collateral damage. Here, her transgressiveness comes from her monstrosity.* But a lot of the time, her villainy is linked to the domestic or private sphere: she's not a political figure but a woman ruled by her passions and excess who intrudes by accident.

Basically, what I'm saying is this: Isabella doesn't easily fit into the roles of good wife or good mother or virgin/nun. She is a transgressive figure that must be suppressed. The redemptive takes de-emphasise her transgressive nature by focusing on her as a romantic heroine in search of true love while the standard narrative emphasise her monstrosity or villainy, making her an aberration in nature, a one-off. Both takes attempt to keep her within the private sphere: she intrudes into politics out of necessity and love or out of frustrated searches for fulfilment.

* I could not resist a swift turn into monster theory. Isabella's infamous and much-debated sobriquet, "she-wolf" links her to the monstrous and inhuman, implying she is a wolf-woman hybrid (a werewolf, if you will - I think this description of a female werewolf is very interesting, touching it does on some of the themes in Isabella's representation I've talked about here, though almost all depictions - positive and negative, depict her as sensuous and conventionally beautiful). But I'm also interested in the way Maurice Druon describes Isabella's teeth as "sharp, carnivorous", even writing that "her little carnivore's teeth opened to bite". I haven't read Druon's work though I suspect the intention was to link Isabella with the "she-wolf" label. However, to invoke Barbara Creed's The Monstrous Feminine, it also links her with the vampire and the vagina dentata (especially since it is Mortimer she is "biting" in this line). The villainous/monstrous Isabella, of course, can be said to represent a form of the femme castractice - her enemy, Hugh Despenser, was castrated during his execution but Isabella's rebellion against Edward unmans and unkings him.

[silverandbluephoenix]

"It always leads you to me hometown"

Hhhhh so I. Have a Thing. About themes of "finding home" or "returning home"-- so I'm salivating. What's this one about?

hiiiii it's the one about Tom and Harry growing up in the orphanage together and being super close but then they go to hogwarts and as the years go by they drift and ultimately become enemies as Tom becomes bb dark lord. THEN because of the war they have to go back to the orphanage together after 6th year. Conflict and perhaps making out ensues. Lots of angst etc bc I love a good childhood friends to enemies to lovers.

(I have the idea for a sequel where Harry fucks off to the continent after graduation for 5-10 years while Tom is becoming minister and shit and then harry comes back hotter than ever and ready to take his own power)

(Sorry I know I'm horrible at explaining my ideas)

[memoriavivens]

Moon-keeper Myths part 1: Major Figures

Hi! Ever since I began playing FFXIV, I’ve been rather dissatisfied with how little lore exists for the Keepers of the Moon. (Like many of you, I’m sure.) Because of this, I decided a while back to try writing some myself! Focusing for now on the mythological side of things, I have a few major myths mostly solidified in my mind and a few others still taking shape, but I’m new to writing and it’s harder than I had thought. So, for now, I’m going to post a list of major figures in these myths along with a brief description of the significance of each. Here we go!

Ancient Beings

. The First Promises: Not actually beings, these are concepts so fundamentally true that they exist without anything to establish them. The most relevant of them is the one which establishes that all things will inevitably end, which has uniquely been given a name: Rhalgr.

. Nymeia: Known as Great-grandmother, Nymeia is the original being as well as the great expanse of space itself. She grew lonely of being the only thing in existence and so created countless divine children.

. Althyk: The firstborn child of Nymeia, blessed with a knowledge of all that is, was, and will be, yet unwilling to share this information.

. Azeyma: The “Sky Tyrant”, formerly the star itself. Azeyma, joined by her sister Menphina and daughters Nophica and Byregot (As well as Oschon, unbeknownst to them) created a paradise meant to last for eternity. However, said paradise ultimately succumbed to the inevitable end, and Azeyma died alongside it. The sun is her soul, expelled from her body upon her death, and the stone from which all mortal souls are carved.

The Six Gods

. Menphina: The moon, sister of Azeyma, and guardian of all life on the star. Possessed of a boundless compassion, she gives the people the strength to endure in a world defined by mortality.

. Nald’thal: Azeyma’s corpse miraculously possessed of new life, they are the star itself. Created the Nalm, defined as all creatures that must consume other life to sustain themselves, in imitation of the previous inhabitant of their body. Crafted the souls of mortal beings from the light of the sun, and oversees the cycle through which the souls of the dead are recycled.

. Nophica: The younger daughter of Azeyma and another star in the solar system. Gifted the Nalm knowledge of how to harvest food to sustain themselves. Patron of cooks and hunters.

. Byregot: The elder daughter of Azeyma and another star in the solar system. Gifted the Nalm knowledge of how to reshape the world for their safety. Patron of craftsmen and all others who devote themselves to construction.

. Dalamud: The loving hound and the lesser moon, created by Menphina to quell a raging shadow. Holds boundless love for even the most vile of beings, and is said to always shine light on the path to redemption.

. Oschon: The unseen god, said to be an invisible star within the solar system. He is the lover of Menphina, yet she must make herself invisible for the two of them to be together.

The Two Great Shadows

. Halone: The grasping shadow, an all-consuming monster and the oldest enemy of the world. Brought into being when Azeyma attempted to fight the Promise of mortality, Halone told Azeyma that with her help she could preserve her paradise through violence. Azeyma was deceived by this, and events were set in motion that culminated in Halone betraying her and slaughtering half of her people before injecting her with a fell venom that would in time turn her into the most horrible of fiends, forcing Menphina to divest her of her light and end her. Menphina then confronted Halone and imprisoned her. However, even from her prison on the moon Halone sometimes reaches out and stirs the creatures of the world into a gluttony for war.

. Vegnagun: The engine of perdition, created by the ancient Meracydians to punish the Allagans for their invasion. Made with the directive to punish sin, it was possessed of the ability to absorb the souls of the dead into itself, where it would eternally keep them and subject them to all forms of suffering imaginable. Such an evil weapon would not long remain under control, however, and its idea of who was sinful gradually broadened until it sought to work damnation upon all in existence. Ultimately, Menphina intervened and trapped it within a sphere of rock, which she imbued with divine light to create Dalamud to counteract it. Even still, Vegnagun is said to occasionally grasp a soul from the livestream and bring it into its hell.

Other Beings

. Llymlaen: A spirit of unknown origin, initially a carefree wanderer tasked by Nald’thal with stealing light from the sun. In modern times she is said to carry the souls of the dead to Nald’thal’s realm, where the selves they carry are expunged and they are returned to the lifestream.

. Thaliak: A minor god taking the form of a comet, Thaliak has the ability to perceive the memories of those he encounters. He sometimes visits Althyk, perceives his visions of the future, and grants them to mortals for amusement.

. Lahbirot: Said to be the firstborn of the Zeym, Azeyma’s immortal creations. Lahbirot desires the return of his people to prominence, and occasionally meddles in the affairs of the Nalm that he might eventually erase them.

. The Allagans: A great empire that was once stirred by Halone to invade Meracydia the homeland, taking many with them to their continent as slaves. Ultimately collapsed when Menphina shook the earth to imprison Vegnagun.

. The Nunh: Following the collapse of the Allagans, the Nunh emerged as leaders among the taken slaves. They set about organizing a new society and seeing to the protection of their people, but in time grew power-hungry and declared that all the people must be completely subservient to their might.

. Lady Romaa: Prophet and founder of the Keepers of the Moon. In the time after the fall of Allag, she opposed the Nunh on many matters both worldly and spiritual. Eventually she led her followers in exodus to escape the tyranny of the Nunh, settling in a great forest in South-central Ilsabard and becoming the first Keepers of the Moon.

[kiwibirdlafayette]

hello my sillies!! since there was a bit of interest in more ab the nonsense that is my take on godswap mianite AU i went and dug up some of the brainrot I wrote last year but never shared outside of a private discord server + new stuff that I've recently came up with :D Enjoy! ❤️

- Jordan was born to parents who are priests of Mianite and raised in the temple- and ultimately was meant to be Mia's champion, and was trained as such for the majority of his life. However, being around mianite for most of his life made him cynical of the god and his principles, and went he got older, he left to seek out the god's brother, pledging himself to Dianite and wanting to bring about chaos. Amused and flattered by the man's near blind loyalty, Dia makes Jordan his champion

- His primary weapon is a firework crossbow gifted to him by Dianite himself (has piercing 8, mending, quick charge and unbreaking V (and flame on it, for use with arrows)) Plays off the sparkly and the fact that this man is a goddamn amazing sharpshooter no matter what universe he's in

- Mianite instead finds his champion in Tom Syndicate, the formerly deceased son of lighthouse keepers in the realm- and is brought back to life by the god (Mia never explains why specifically Tom was chosen, is described to people as just a "godly omnipotence" kinda thing)

- Shortly after Jordan, Tom, and the priests (aka FyreUK, with Wag and Matt under Dia, K.Tom under Mia) arrive and start making a mess of the realm with their shenanigans, a pirate ship captained by a 4th priest named BruteAlmighty "Phil" and two people- a parrot shapeshifter by the name of Sonja OmgitsVoidparrot and Tucker Jeriicho (normal human... allegedly)

- Sonja and Tucker both grew up in Ianarea, and with Phil's arrival from the End, have been searching across the realm for their missing goddess, and their messages led them to the Spawn Island (which I wish was canonically named istg) where supposedly a ruins containing information is hiding (Jordan and Tom both claim they know where this is. they dont)

- When Sonja was younger she was named Ianite's champion at a ceremony in Ianarea and was gifted her shapeshifting abilities as a way to hide from forces of evil and get into places more secretly

- Idk how canonically Nadeshot/The Modesteps enter the realm in character but basically at some point a flying ship appears and from it drops Captain Engine Failure and Skipper Coppereyes, more Dianitees (probably there to mess with Jordan) because Dianite having the most members is hilarious to me

(I got an ask about EF so I'll elaborate on her dynamic with everyone in a separate post >:] But bottom line put two chaos makers and an explosives enthusiast (Copper) in the same room it never ends well xD)

- I'm still thinking on this but with FyreUK, their priestlyness was given to them as a group due to the presence of the shadows from the get-go. When the Darkness began encroaching, the gods all sought out their respective priests and gifted them with powers to protect their respective domains (Dianite took in two- one to look over his temple in the nether, one to keep in the overworld because. chaos agenda- that one's Wag) and guide their champions when they found them

- Wag takes Dec's place by this logic i guess, he lives by the nether portal and will be anyone's personal tour guide because he likes doin it. and yes he absolutely uses any excuse to mess with people to mess with people he can be a menace a lot if he wants to

- Also Dec is a Wizard, I haven't developed him yet (he also has no design dont worry about it) but yes. Mans took on Athar himself he's just built different

- Syndisparklez and Foxxsize agenda always love me a good enemies to friends to lovers kinda shit. most of it is Capsize/EF flirting horribly with Sonja (and her not sure how to reciprocate but wants to) and Tom and Jordan with their usual "i fucking hate you i wish you were dead (read: i want to kiss you so bad)"

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

Black Out Days (Fairground Nights)

by Oonionchiver

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler Character: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler Additional Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Steve Harrington's Major Tendency To Self Destruct, Eddie Munson Is a Bit Fucky But He's Got a Heart of Gold, Bratty Power Bottom Steve Harrington, Daddy Dom Service Top Eddie Munson, Eddie and Nancy are the Ultimate Mean Losers Duo, BDSM Freestyle, Face Slapping, Rough Sex, Blood Kink, Praise Kink, Eddie Being Horribly Turned On By How Much of a Bitch Steve Can Be, Choking, Daddy Kink, Now A Warning, "NOW a warning?!", Past Suicide Attempt, Suicidal Thoughts, Past Sexual Coercion, Past Sexual Abuse, These Boys Have Suffered Greatly But They're SNARKY as Hell, Drugs, Alcohol, Angst with a Happy Ending, I PROMISE IT'LL BE HAPPY AND LOVELY YOU CAN TRUST ME COME ON, Full CW List Inside, Break Up, Complicated Relationships, This Goes Very Hard and We Don't Shy From Drama Here, Obsession, Tattooing Each Other, The Sweet Spot Between Unhealthily And Toxic, I've Been Reliably Informed This Will Fuck You Up Words: 139,157 Chapters: 4/4

Summary

‘I think,’ Steve says slowly, reaches for Eddie’s abandoned, untouched beers. ‘You don’t know me very well.’ ‘I don’t know you at all, man. I don’t really want to.’ Steve’s throat works. It’s subtle, but Eddie sees it. He hides it with a swig of beer, but when he sets it down, his smile isn’t quite so bright. Twice as sharp, though. ‘The self-centred asshole who can only be decent to a single human being, I get it. It works for you.’ Then he takes a thick, heavy breath. The alcohol is hitting him, Eddie can tell. ‘And I am being civil. I’m here, aren’t I? You have any idea how hard it is for me to be here?’ ‘In a bar?’ Steve doesn’t answer.

[yanlei-a]

Would Zed blush if someone called him their heartlight? After the incident with shen, does he have the ability to romance/fall in love again?

— anon

answering the second question first: could he fall in love again?

i think so, i just don't think it'd ever be easy. even before he left the kinkou, i don't think romance would have been necessarily easy if only because he had so many issues related to his self-worth resulting from literally everything he lived before. in my long ass post about yevnai, i mentioned i don't think he was in love with her, but rather infatuated with the idea someone was interested in him like that — with shen it's different, because there's so much genuine affection and gratitude and devotion involved, and even then i do think he'd have hesitated to see himself as worthy of having his affections retributed, at least for a considerable amount of the time they had together.

at some point he did manage to overcome those feelings, and that's definitely not the case anymore, he doesn't see himself as lesser, but there are so many other complications. from the moment he decided not only to leave the kinkou, but really when he decides to go back for the tears of shadows, zed knows he's damning himself to a path of no return he can't really expect anyone to be willing to walk with him — and to which he doesn't want the person he has the most love for to share (which is why he goes to such lengths to ensure shen won't follow him to the darkness).

the constant about him from that point on is that he is willing to do increasingly terrible things for his ideals and to protect ionia. he embraced his villain role, believing it is ultimately necessary. that, however, also means keeping most people at arm's length. there are too many who'd reject him for what he is, and even among those who wouldn't, zed is definitely not trusting or easily approachable. the man chose to close himself off, and i think it'd be a very slow and difficult process to get him to open up to anyone. even among his own order, i don't see him being generally open or in any way very affectionate, even with platonic relationships (and i do think his pupils are the exception, there, because of the role he has in their lives and the fact he's trying to be better to them than his own master was to him but anyway that's beside the point). the point is anyone interested would have to deal with the fact he's not changing his ways, he is going to continue doing horrible things and playing his role as the villain, he will actively try to keep them at a safe distance before they have his affection. he won't even believe there's someone who genuinely cares about him like that and there's nothing more involved in that, that it isn't an attempt at manipulation or to exploit vulnerability.

and, well, when it comes to shen, he really doesn't expect shen to be a part of his life like that (or in any positive way, really), after the comic events. that was his last, desperate attempt at getting shen to realize the truth without breaking his word, and even before that they've been apart (and enemies) for many years. he clearly holds shen in high regard and always will. shen will never not be important to him. but that doesn't necessarily implicate romantic feelings always.

so is it impossible? not really. but it'd take patience and time and dedication, and even in a scenario where there are feelings from both sides, zed might still be unwilling to act on them if he thinks the association with him would make the other person suffer in any way. it'd still take patience because he cares so much and he's capable of so much love but receiving it is something else entirely. he doesn't really know how to deal with that. there are so many old wounds left by the people he was close to before. and it'd have to be someone he trusts entirely and that is, before being a lover, a friend.

anyway if anyone is willing to go through all the obstacles and love him flawed and broken as he is, then, sure, romance is still possible. the pros are you'll have the most devoted partner. will kill for you. also die, possibly. but also be mindful of his single dad status and that his kids apparently aren't fond of the idea of their dad dating lmao

as to how he'd react to being called heartlight... i assume that'd demand a committed relationship, considering how the word is used in canon, so it'd have to be used by someone who he loves and who loves him after they're already together. regardless, it'd make him so very soft?? genuinely don't think he ever expected to be with someone like that. if he's not expecting it the first time, then maybe he'd be a little flustered, but for the most part i think he wouldn't be as much embarrassed as it'd make him melt completely. it's a very meaningful and loving word, and one he would consider himself the antithesis of (to be the light in someone's heart? ironic, when he made shadow his business). but whoever got to the point would have shown they see something good in him already, and he wouldn't be as unwilling to acknowledge that with them, so. but yeah it's not a word he would use lightly, so it'd be very meaningful to him. it'd make him a little emotional.

[moohnshinescorner]

FLIRT ALERT BLOG TOUR

Book details:

The Flirt Alert by Kaylene Winter Publication date: November 17th 2023 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

When a man who has everything will do anything to ease the pain of the incredible woman who’s living with a timebomb.

My best friend’s twin, Shay Stojanović, is my ultimate gamer dream girl come to life.

Gorgeous, flirtatious and popular, she didn’t know I existed.

Until one fateful night, she made this nerd’s every fantasy come true.

The next day she blew me up like a frag grenade.

Years later, Shay’s brother and I have built a billion dollar gaming company.

He had the nerve to give his shady sister a coveted executive role.

Oh, I’m not going to make it easy on her—she’ll quit. You’ll see.

Everything’s going exactly to plan…

Until we get stranded at the top of a mountain.

And I learn the truth.

Now I can’t—and won’t—resist her.

She has a lot to overcome.

And I’m just the man to soothe her hurt.

It’s Shay’s turn for a flirt alert.

The Flirt Alert is a scorching, standalone, billionaire, enemies to lovers, best friend’s brother, forced proximity, STEM workplace, HEA romance.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179489701-the-flirt-alert

Purchase:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ugj1WQ

MY REVIEW

Shay and Austin's story is one of many challenges. The author did a great job creating complicated and troubled characters. Shay deals with many secrets that come to life in this story. Some are a bit scary and are all due to an even deeper secret. Austin deals with abandonment issues throughout. He has not had an easy life and he has been in love with Shay since high school.

Upon Shay's arrival at Austin and Miles' company, Austin is horrible to her and completely mad at Miles for hiring her without discussing it with him. But fate has a plan for him. One he may take a while to see.

Warning this book is full of sexual scenes. I love a good smut book, but this one seemed a bit overdone in this department. The story was a wonderful story full of self discovery and health challenges. These things brought a sense of reality to the story. A subject you don't read in books too often.

Overall this was a great read. It had a wonderful line up of characters and a challenging backstory. I would read more by this author.

AUTHOR BIO:

When she was only 15, Kaylene Winter wrote her first rocker romance novel starring a fictionalized version of herself, her friends and their gorgeous rocker boyfriends. After living her own rockstar life as a band manager, music promoter and mover and shaker in Seattle during the early 1990’s, Kaylene became a digital media legal strategist helping bring movies, television and music online. Throughout her busy career, Kaylene lost herself in romance novels across all genres inspiring her to realize her life-long dream to be a published author. She lives in Seattle with her amazing husband and dog. She loves to travel, throw lavish dinner parties and support charitable causes supporting arts and animals.

Author links: http://rockerromance.com/ https://www.instagram.com/kaylenewinterauthor https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20367389.Kaylene_Winter https://www.facebook.com/kaylene.winter.5 https://twitter.com/kayleneromance