#viii. ⧼ pov. ⧽

[kretina]

holy water cannot help you now ; seven devils all around you , seven devils in your house. see , i was dead when i woke up this morning

trigger warning: a leitura abaixo contém menção a morte.

disclaimer: além do que se sabe, basicamente katrina reencontrou um inimigo no submundo, o qual foi mencionado nesse e nesse desenvolvimento. a partir de agora, ela terá um fantasma a acompanhando, mas nada camarada.

menções a: muito honrosa a @sinestbrook te amamos! @luisdeaguilar & @melisezgin

capítulo i : a queda em desgraça.

o corpo estava preparado para lutar, mas no mais profundo do âmago de katrina, havia um alerta; um que há muito percorria sua extensão: algo estava errado, alguma coisa aconteceria. contudo, quando colocou-se a frente do seu grupo de patrulha, armada e vibrante para um pouco de adrenalina, não deixou de sentir aquela sensação, os olhos procurando por quem estava ao seu lado, buscando algum tipo de apoio mas também o deixando disponível. lutaria ao lado de luis, lutaria por quem estava atrás dela, só não esperava que o mundo fosse desfazer-se embaixo dos seus pés. não houve tempo de reação, não havia no quê se agarrar enquanto o corpo desprendia-se. deu tempo apenas de observar a fenda fechando-se acima de sua cabeça, como tudo tornava-se escuridão; internamente, a queda durou uma eternidade. toda a sua vida em desgraça passando por seus olhos, tudo o que não viveria...até que o corpo parou de girar, os joelhos estavam sob algo sólido, havia dor espalhando-se pela coluna, pelos braços, mas havia ar. estava viva.

capítulo ii : a perda.

o submundo estava longe de ser o que esperava, por��m, não havia tempo para que prestasse atenção. os ouvidos atentos a um chamado, os olhos indecisos se checava como aurora se encontrava ou atendia a quem havia proferido seu nome. preferia está morta. as pernas moviam-se em direção a brook, as mãos trêmulas enquanto tocava o corpo frio. estava frio demais para o submundo. a mente raciocinava, ou tentava formular um pensamento decente, que pudesse ser descrito como concreto. nada, não havia nada além do que parecia ser o luto, um que apenas a alcançou quando os olhos, os mesmos que estavam abertos e lúcidos, encontraram com brook em pé diante de si, ordenando que corressem.

demorou a compreender a necessidade, demorou porque parecia impossível que haviam perdido um deles, que estavam definitivamente no inferno. katrina, permitiu-se ser a última a perceber que o perigo estava aproximando-se, permitiu-se hesitar em deixá-lo, o que lhe era incomum mas extremamente necessário. ، não podemos deixá-lo! a voz era rouca, o choro acumulado na garganta. era terrível que não tivesse tempo para o luto. com um pouco do que ainda a sustentava, katrina o ergueu nos braços, o colocando por cima dos ombros; tudo era tão rápido, mas tentou correr com brook, com o corpo dele para que pudessem cuidar dele, talvez dar a ele um pouco de sossego dos monstros, uma paz que eles não teriam dali em diante. mas não deu, parecia ficar para trás do grupo, as pernas atrapalhando-se conforme os olhos enchiam-se de lágrimas, conforme perdia as forças, uma que deveria ter fonte infinita, principalmente quando encontrou melis, que parecia mais ainda atordoada. ela estava viva, melis estava viva. ، me perdoa, brook. prometo que volto. o deixou no chão, as mãos apressando-se em envolver a filha de hermes pela cintura, a puxando consigo, porque ela sim precisava de ajuda.

nada disse, não conseguia. era difícil demais, até mesmo para alguém como ela: coração gelado.

capítulo iii : um inimigo retorna.

o coração batia acelerado, o tempo parecia arrastar-se, envolvê-la em uma bolha a qual não conseguia sair. ainda que agora distantes do que parecia eminente, desejoso em devorá-los, não havia sensação de paz. não estavam em casa. katrina permanecia de costas para o grupo, o rosto molhado de lágrimas enquanto retirava a parte superior da sua armadura, avaliava-se: estava inteira, fisicamente ao menos. havia tanto o que pensar, em como sairiam dali com vida, como sobreviveriam nas próximas horas. ou dias.

não tinham suplemento de comida, não tinham fonte de água; definhariam até que o submundo os devorassem? katrina. o nome soou, a deixando em alerta. katrina, repetiu-se enquanto olhava para frente, para longe da caverna que estavam abrigados. ela sabia tudo ali era uma armadilha, mas não hesitou em levantar-se, em arrastar-se para fora do abrigo. aqui katrina, estou aqui. a voz de scorpion continuava a chamando. não queria acreditar que ele havia ido para o submundo, que havia encontrado aquele fim trágico após a morte. havia uma neblina a cobrindo a visão, uma das mãos era usada para abrir caminho, mas não conseguia enxergar. katrina, meu amor... a voz soou mais próxima, a envolvendo em uma mentira. estava distraída, todos os sentidos atordoados para que percebesse a verdade.

o corpo foi atingido na lateral, o impacto a fez rolar no chão; a dor em nada era comparada ao susto quando encontrou com o gatuno dourado, o homem que havia morrido por suas mãos, que havia vingado-se. diante dos seus olhos, ele sorria; o aspecto era de um morto, olhos cinzas assim como a pele, roupas rasgadas mas havia muito mais vida nele do que queria imaginar. ، imagine minha surpesa quando a vi cair. ele disse, estava ali para chutá-la, para terminar de enterrar o que já estava sem vida. ، não pense que a esqueci nesses anos todos, katrina. ah, mas eu vou fazer de sua vida, o meu inferno particular. e vou garantir...sim, eu vou garantir que não saía daqui. ela tremia, parecia o mesmo frio que sentiu no corpo de brook. queria falar, queria prometê-lo que o mataria novamente, mas não conseguiu. desmaiou antes que pudesse abrir a boca. que hades a levasse.

[air-mechanical]

He's too stupid to be killed.

Then learn to be stupid too!

Cromwell reeling from this precision attack not because Henry's yelled at him and blamed him for something that isn't his fault, he's familiar with that and has armour against it, but because it's now a lose-lose situation for him.

Cromwell can learn to be stupid as successfully as he can bring the dead the life. It's not in his nature. It's personally insulting. And scary. He's above everyone when it comes to intelligence and scheming and planning and networking. To degrade himself internally like this is impossible and unsavory. But he has to try. He can't argue with the king about this.

Maybe he knows the king is setting him up to fail. If Cromwell doesn't get Pole, he's obviously not clever and competent. If he can't even manage being stupid - a level that beggers and criminals and fools are on - then he's really not worth having around. And if he succeeds in getting Pole, the king will say that only happened because my advice was taken and you became stupid. And I don't want stupid people around me.

Cromwell's taken heavy blows against his sense of loyalty and honour from Wolsey's daughter, and now his intelligence - one of his other core pillars - is being hammered away at. Cromwell's slow motion fall continues.

[demaparbat-hp]

For the Spirits—

Chapter VIII: Make You Stay

And I'd do anything to make you stay

No light, no light

Tell me what you want me to say

—No Light, No Light by Florence + The Machine

.

Ming had experienced so many different, wonderful things. She had lived, truly lived, and allowed herself to dream of things that had been impossible back in the Academy. Endless possibilities now seemed to lay gently in the palm of her hand. But she would give it all away to vanish the shiver that tore its way down her spine at Yoi’s words. The Prince has genuinely gone mad. He—didn't you hear?—he insists on going on this mysterious quest on his own.

[angelosearch]

Happy b-day to my girl Rinoa. I wish I had fic or art ready to post today but I don't :(

All I will say is that writing in her perspective for an extended period of time, and therefore looking at her lines and behaviors over and over again, has just really made me appreciate Rinoa as a character.

A few things I love about her:

As the daughter of what we are led to believe are Galbadia's highest ranking general and one of the world's biggest celebrities, Rinoa is privileged. She comes from a position of power and wealth. She could have just lived a comfortable life but she chooses to use her knowledge and skills to help free a country from violent occupation. Doing so puts her at great personal risk, and although she may not fully understand how risky it is, it is extremely brave and righteous for her to do this. This is why I believe Rinoa is not Ultimecia - because at her core, she is someone who places her values over personal gain when she has power and influence. She can be possessed but I don't believe she corruptible (into Ultimecia, anyway).

On her bravery, we all know that Rinoa fears doing things alone. But many times in the game, she does things alone anyway. Bravery is not the absence of fear but the willingness to challenge it, and our girl challenges it all the time!

Further, she makes the active decision to rejoin the SeeDs after Irvine escorts her out of D-District prison. What I realized in writing my fic, which is an alternate timeline, is that Rinoa actually has no established reason to go to the missile base. But you can assign her to that party. And she will do it without complaint. She is risking her life, not to earn money, or to move her mission in Timber forward, or even to spend more time with Squall. She will go because she thinks it's the right thing to do, and because she wants to help Selphie, someone she has just met.

She gives people the benefit of the doubt. There is no denying that Squall is a huge jerk to her at times early game, but she is emotionally intelligent enough to realize that whatever he is projecting is not about her. And then she tries, over and over, to reach out to him. She is so patient. But also, she gives Deling the benefit of the doubt - they were trying to reason with him on the train, not even blackmail him or threaten him, but just have a conversation. She tries to not kill Edea TWICE. She tries to use the bangle to circumvent assassination and then tries to get the SeeDs to find another way to face her. She even returns to Esthar after they were hostile toward her. She believes in the good of people. Maybe that's being naive but if we were all as cynical as some other characters in this game, the world would completely fall apart.

Rinoa is always thinking. She is crafty, she comes up with interesting plans, and she can even be a bit of a schmoozer. Rinoa is only 17, and so some of this is not always executed in the best way; but I think she is extremely intelligent and creative. And, I mean, you GOTTA BE if you can teach your dog all those amazing tricks.

Don't you DARE call her a damsel in distress. She is just as much the hero of FFVIII as Squall is and YES I will die on this hill. Does she get into some pretty nasty situations? Yes. Are some of these situations caused by mistakes on her part? Absolutely. But this girl is far from helpless and goes all out to save Squall, her friends, and ALL OF TIME AND SPACE. She was willing to go to Edea by herself with a bangle that she had idea if it worked to help her friends. She was at peace with being locked away for probably the rest of her life if that meant keeping the world safe. She was willingly possessed by an evil sorceress for a second time after having a traumatic more-than-near-death experience the first time (she hadn't even experienced an Ellone dream before so imagine how scary this entire prospect was??? Like yes you need to lose your conciousness to some future bitch again and then you have to go into this other bitch's head in the past in this dreamscape you've never even been in and then yeah all of time is gonna collapse if/when you come to, you cool with that, Rinoa?). At the end of the game, she physically travels between dimensions/time/space/realities to find Squall and revive him, and then transport them back to their own reality which is obvious savior stuff. But she also saves Squall throughout the game by staying by his side, asking the right questions, listening to him, and giving him validation that, while he doesn't accept, he needs to hear. And oh yeah she fucks up Irvine to go get Squall out of prison. There's a reason they only call her "princess" once in the game - because she's NOT just a princess.

She cute as fuck js not just physically but also the things she says and her mannerisms. She's just so charming! No wonder Squall fell toss-myself-into-space in love with her! Me too tf

Tbh there are more reasons but this post is already longer than I thought it was going to be. Apparently I just have a lot of Rinoa feelings okay?! Okay.

Love you, happy birthday you absolute angel you ❤️

[randomkposts]

So I read something on LiveJournal about flirting and sex in japan from a forginers POV for fanfic reasons, and found something that made me think about Hinata Hyuga.

So first I should post something for context

"and mostly, if you are Japanese and you like someone, you embark on a series of subtle, indirect stealth manoeuvres, because liking prohibits action, especially for women, but also for men. 

Why is this the case? Japanese social interaction is all about intuiting the other person’s wishes without discussing them openly, at the same time that they are intuiting your wishes without discussing them openly, so that although nothing is ever verbalised, the two of you will always exist in a compromise position of equilibrium. If you like someone, that intuitive part goes into overdrive, because you should be able to understand everything about that person without them ever telling you, and you should be able to please them without ever asking how, even more than you would with a normal person. So it’s more important than ever to be indirect."

Negotiating through a third party, is more relevent to final fantasy 8 and Squall and Riona's romance, which I might table and come back to sometime in the future. Hinatas too introverted to use that method effectively anyways.

So to get to the point.

"Subtle signals

- Shyness. Pronounced shyness is form of flirting, since it’s a sign of liking, especially from girls, but also from guys. She interacts with everyone else more than him, she doesn��t sit next to him, she doesn’t talk much to him, she doesn’t initiate anything with him. - Attentiveness. You make life easier for the other person without being asked to. For example, when you got to a restaurant in Japan it’s normal to share food, so flirting means not ordering what you like, but ordering what s/he likes, which you already know without asking, because you’re observant. Stuff like that.- Eye contact. It’s the opposite to the west, where you gaze deeply into someone’s eyes if you like them. Direct eye contact is a bit rude in Japan at the best of times. If you’re flirting you look down and away a lot.- Indirect compliments. I can’t think of a good example. It’s pretty rare to give direct compliments and even more rare to compliment someone’s looks. (It’s especially rare for guys to compliment girls directly.)"

So by that standard Hinata might be trying hard to flirt with Naruto, but their love languages are different cultures. And by that I mean Naruto is a social outcast and orphan who starts the series pranking people to get attention in his life that he otherwise lacks, would not pick up on Hinata's crush this way, and in contrast Hinata was raised to be the future leader of a nobel clan- regardless of her temperment- and so is taught these rules of indirect flirting.

Sex surprised me even more, more about that under the gif

"The biggest difference is that sex in Japan is not a mutual sharing experience with both partners spontaneously doing whatever they feel like or enjoy whenever they feel like doing it. Sex has rules and sex has roles just as every social interaction in Japan has rules and roles. There is an active partner and a passive partner. Active means moving; passive means unmoving. In heterosexual sex, the active partner is always male, and the passive partner is always female. In gay sex you work out your roles beforehand: the seme is active, the uke is passive (for gay guys); the tachi is active, the neko is passive (for gay women). If you are familiar with seme/uke conventions from yaoi manga, you can use them as a way of relating to what I’m talking about, because those conventions are not a fictional construct, randomly decided upon by a group of yaoi mangaka. Straight people have sex like that too, in reality. 

So there is an active partner and a passive partner, which causes various flow on effects. You can’t have “Whoo-hoo! Go for it!” sex because both partners are constrained by their roles. The passive partner (obviously) because she can’t move, and the active partner because he has to take care of the passive partner, instructing her on what to do and exerting himself so that she has a good time. 

I also can’t emphasise enough just how passive the passive partner is. The way a woman kisses is by submissively opening her mouth, not moving her tongue unless she is cued to do so; if she’s really feminine she won’t open her mouth at all, until she’s told to. Sometimes women will move around a (very) little during sex, but mostly not at all. "

And I'm thinking ' I thought the Seme/Uke thing was some kind of story narrative trend, like ABO is today. I had no idea that was a real way people had sex. '

That sure was a culture shock. Am glad someone talked about it on the internet as thats one of those unspoken culture things people get unconfortable talking about, and would probably be hard to find out even if I knew how to read or speak Japanese.

Finding it really hard to picture some of the ships I ship with one of the parties being unresponsive durring sex, particularly ships involving Rivals like Sasuke and Naruto, or Joker and Akechi (it is hard to be in the P5 fandom without finding at least one Akeshu fic you like).

Also important in Japan, is showers. That is the signal for someone asking you if you want to have sex with them.

"Shower is important. You should shower directly before and after you have sex. Before is more important than after. This makes me sound like I only ever dated people with OCD, but it’s the norm"

Which shows up in scenes like below

Not having a shower before is considered gross (even if you had one before you came to visit)

To end it off on a paraphrased quote from one of the writers boyfriends

"Seiji told me much later that dating me made him feel like he was gay, because I was active in bed, and he couldn’t connect that with anything except masculinity."

And now the link to the article in question so you can read it in full for your fanfic or travel reasearch

Last thing to keep in mind, this thing was posted years ago, I do not know what modern Japanese dating culture is up to, but it does shead some light on Japanese media I grew up around such as Naruto, and offer new insight to parts of it I didn't pick up on the significance of.

Such as for instance, final fantasy VIII features (among other things) a Japanese romance, and this offers insight into cultural differences of romance that I had no idea about.

[randomfoggytiger]

React: "Return to Me" (from the POV of Someone Averse to RomComs, Part VIII): The Perfect 3/4 and Ending

This is it: the finale. HERE WE GO, everyone-- buckle in.

**Note**: I'll edit later~.

Grace apologizes for not telling Bob sooner; and Bob’s just happy that the crisis is averted. 

…But he starts to relax his hold when Grace hands over the letter. 

“I found this in your house. That’s me.” 

Bob blanks. 

“I’m going away tonight so… you won’t be reminded.” 

Bob’s leaning away. 

“I didn’t-- I didn’t know--” followed by profuse apologies. 

Bob starts shutting down. “I gotta go.”

“Okay.”

“I gotta-- I’m sorry, I gotta go.” 

Biggest of oofs, my guy. Understandable completely. But oof. 

“I gotta…” and I can’t understand that part-- “wow” or “walk”? 

There he goessssssss (clutching the letter)… well, compared to a lot of other 3/4 acts, this was pretty nice. I’d even say reasonable, and still sweet. 

Grace takes the bike with her to Rome. Great choice. I’ll bet there’ll be some scenic, heartfelt shots with it. 

Marty won’t get Angelo’s “you gotta run to see if they follow” hint; but he reluctantly lets his granddaughter go, alone, as planned. 

Hugs and kisses. Love this little unit. 

Grandpa doesn’t look up after hugging her-- he’s teary. Aw, man. 

“Yeah,” says Grace to her friend. And that is all. 

Megan-Bonnie understands: there’s still some anger at following her advice, but there’s more love; and, overall, a lot of processing she needs to do. And Minnie/Grace’s ready to go and for Bonnie to take her. 

“Okay.” 

Back to Bob, he's sittin’ and thinkin’ and doing some processin’ of his own. And apparently talking to his late wife, since he keeps looking up and mumbling quietly (which we, the audience can’t hear.)  

His sittin’ and thinkin’ is around his work and the city; Grace’s sittin’ and thinkin’ is surrounded by cheery voices while cornering herself off near flowers. 

He’s running with the dog (Mel) now… she’s painting somewhere now… the music is soft and contemplative and touching. 

I think this was good for both in a way that usual 3/4 marks aren’t or don’t utilize fully: it’s not the “come win me back because of a misunderstanding” chase, it’s the “life’s tough and the rules have shifted; and we both need to figure out if we can handle them before getting back in the game” mature space and deliberation. 

Ahhhhh, the canvas is blank because her dreams are empty and sad so she can’t paint them. Nice pay off, Bonnie Hunt. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.  

CHARLIE’S BACK. Bob is torn up and calls his pal, needing to talk to someone. Little voice crack, little sandpaper mouth, uh huh, uh huh. 

At the same time, gossipy but well-meaning waiter sniffs blood in the water and swoops in to listen and give Minnie/Grace someone to vent to.

Lots of “yes”s from Bob and “si”s from Grace ensue.  

Charlie’s face and the old men’s faces:  

That is all. 

Sophie being miffed that Wally didn’t even think to open the door for her-- “What a guy”-- and then INSTANTLY calling him back and running inside because Bob pulled up and shoving Wally aside to get back in was exquisite. 

Bonnie Hunt has such a talent; and I love, love, love her details; with the above, but also Bob’s walk of shame (or trepidation… or both) contrasted to the first two times he dropped in. Hats off to you, Bonnie. 

And I love that all the older folks are so nice, helping lower that last guard of Bob’s to reveal how worn and weary he is. Especially weary that, on top of it all, Grace/Minnie did leave (in part because the dedication to Elizabeth was next week.)  

“Well, I’ve been thinkin’--”

An OUTBURST of support-- if a little TOO much-- from the table. 

They’re the best. 

The group nod along, knowing that the dedication’s next week and of course he has conflicted emotions. 

“I miss Elizabeth,” Bob emphasizes. “I’ll always miss her. But I, uh…” 

Great acting and directing choice, just letting the statement hang there. 

…It’s still hanging there. Still a great choice. 

…Yup, still hangin’. Still a great choice. 

“--I ache for Grace,” Bob concludes, a yawning chasm opening up in the crack of his voice. (Kudos to you, Mr. Duchovny-- clap, clap!) 

Also, “I ache for Grace”: the person, the concept, the metaphor, the etc.s of this situation. Masterful, understated line whoever wrote it. 

The old people let that sit, knowing how loaded and powerful (in the fullest sense) that confession was. 

“And I don’t know if I can… if she can--”

“She CAN!” butts in Sophie, who gets hushed by Grandpa Marty. I love these old fogies so much. (And Angelo’s face saying “every time” about Sophie in the third pic, I’m dying.)  

Bob’s heartened and touched by both gestures. 

Ooh, Marty’s got some words of wisdom. Let’s follow after and hear what he’s got to say. 

Hope it’s not too cheesy because I might just like it too much. 

ANGELO’S PEEPING; and Sophie’s rebuke gives way to her dying curiosity.  

I CACKLED WHEN ANGELO YELLED “HE’S GOT HIM IN A CHOKEHOLD.” He doubled down until even the other two men had their doubts of their doubts and joined him in his transgression. A legend. 

Can I become Angelo when I get to be his age? …Can I be Angelo now???? 

Grandpa Marty giving room for Bob to sort and refigure; but also trusts that his prayers led their two lives together because Grace needed a very special heart. THAT needs to be said with all sincerity and simplicity or it comes across as morbid and reductive. Marty does just that: he’s a simple man who loves his granddaughter, wants her happy; and prizes Bob, doesn’t discount the others' sorrows, and gives loving tribute to the memory of a woman he never met. 

“When she met you, her heart beat truly for the first time. Perhaps it was meant to be with you always.” 

His speech could teeter on cheesy; but he means every word, and Bob believes him. And to quote the movie Bolt: “If he believes it, the audience believes it.” 

There’s that supernatural breeze again. 

Speaking of supernatural, here’s the nuns I’ve heard about only briefly. They ride motorcycles, right? 

Oh, they love her bike. 

“Oh, no. Oh, no,” protests the nun while getting on the bike. Amazing. 

Bob the Bike Boy is here-- ahhhhh, this is how he finds Minnie/Grace, got it. Mhm. 

I was right. Cha ching (or in this case: *ching ching*.) Perfect. 

There he goes! 

I endorse this “escorting a nun” business. I like it, I like it A LOT. 

Also: Bob tucks his head back as he approaches to better surprise Grace: 

“Tu amor?” the nun guesses. 

More like “Tu… *insert the Italian word for shocked*.” 

“Si.” (Bringing back that exchange with the Italian waiter from earlier, nice touch for the 1000th time.) 

Bob’s bashfully grinning. The nun’s full-on grinning. Grace’s grinning; and, overwhelmed, she starts tearing up. 

“You came all the way to Italy?” 

A little tilt then head nod: “I did.” (Look at that nun in the corner. Look at BOTH of them.) “I came all the way to Italy.” 

A nice reunion hug. 

…I know where this is leading and I don’t know if I’m ready but HERE WE GO, FOLKS. 

‘Kay, cradling the face-- a signature DD move. ‘Kay, staring into the eyes with a wistful, soulful smile, mhm-- classic Duchovny move, classic. And--

Oh! We get an “I love you, Grace.” Nice little bonus.  

Aaaaaaaaaaaand there it is: we get a heartbeat check. But it’s done so tenderly without fuss or drama that it stands for itself. 

(The nuns are STILL there. You go, girls.) 

Dedication time! 

FENNINGTON IS THE MONKEY HOUSE PORTRAIT GUY. I kneeeeew it (though I had my doubts. But let it never be said I don’t know somethings.) We’re also not here to talk about his sizeable donations through the years, no no of course not. 

Bob has a speech? Okay, Bob has a speech! (I’ve never been someone who likes movie speeches, I’m dying.) 

BONNIE/MEGAN AND JOE AND THE KIDS BLESS YOU FOR BEING HERE YOU SAVED ME. 

And Charlie got a whoop from the audience members we care about, whoo!

Also: the golf claps are killing me... It’s so awkward, and it always takes away from the authenticity of the speaker’s words. BUT it’s true to life; and we-- meaning I-- persevere. 

THERE’S A WEDDING?? I like weddings, let’s go. 

Wait. 

Bonnie. 

You got me. I love the fake out even more. 

The last we see of Bob and Grace are them boppin’ to tunes in the Irish-Italian restaurant (and Bonnie/Megan checking in briefly before Joe sweeps her up as well) with his signature swing-out-then-in move. 

(CHARLIE HAS A KID NOW?????)

And a happy little fade-to-black. 

Well done, 90s romcom! You did good.

Thank you for taking this winding, rambly journey with me-- it was a ton of fun, and I hope you had fun, too~.

Enjoy!

[a-commas-a-pause]

Sorry OP for coming on your post to talk about a slightly different dynamic, but consider also: MORAL (or at least... has some principles) manipulative spymaster who has to finagle a much less ethically-minded king into doing both the right thing and the prudent one.

there's something about amoral manipulative little masterminds who are constrained only by their intense fealty to a person of high(er) morals that's just. chef's kiss. so good

[guess-my-next-obsession]

the alchemy | masterlist

pairing: no outbreak!dbf!joel miller x fem!reader

rating: Explicit [18+ only, minors dni, dbf/secret relationship, age gap (joel is 34, reader is 24), explicit smut, reader is described as curvy & only has one parent--all else is open to interpretation (we are POC friendly over here okay!!), sarah exists but isn't a main part of the story, all other warnings and tags will be listed per chapter]

summary: now that you've moved on from college, you're ready to start the newest chapter of your life--adulthood. but when you move back home with your father and are swept back into the magnetic pull of your neighbor, Joel, you find that maybe moving on has nothing to do with leaving the past behind and everything to do with embracing it.

i. the return | i. joel’s pov

ii. the moment

iii. the conversation

iiii. the first time*

iv. the real thing*

v. the confession*

vi. the aftermath*

vii. the confrontation* [Coming Soon]

viii. [Coming Soon]

viiii. [Coming Soon]

x. [Coming Soon]

[adragonprinceswhore]

Rumours l Masterlist

Aemond Targaryen x (Ex)wife

"You’d like to pretend that the performances got easier as time went on, but that would be a lie. Each night, you're forced to sing Aemond’s self-pitying words; ‘if I could, I’d give you my world’. You had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes each time. What made him incapable of ‘giving you his world’ when you were together? He made it sound like he had no part in your divorce, like all he did was try and love you while you broke his heart. Fuck that. He broke your heart. And he kept breaking it. Every fucking night he made you sing his martyr complex bullshit."

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, mature themes, angst, smut, individual tags for each chapter

Chapter I: The Chain

Chapter II: Go Your Own Way

Chapter III: Dreams

Chapter IV: Never Going Back Again

Chapter V: Silver Springs

Aemond's POV: Storms

Chapter VII: Landslide

Chapter VIII: Rumours

A/N: A fic inspired by Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours.

Hope you enjoy 💚🩵

[pearlessance]

Idle Threats MASTERLIST

Joel has watch duty with Jackson’s twenty-year old, smart-mouthed brat and gets more than he bargained for.

Warnings: Explicit sexual content MDNI, brat taming, religious imagery and symbolism, catholic guilt, dom/sub undertones, canon typical violence, age gap (32years), mean!Joel, jealousy, reader is given a backstory to progress the plot, size difference, mention of sexual assault, mention of loss and death, mention of sexual assault of a minor, (no explicit details), renouncing of god, desecration of a church, JOEL POV

i: Watch Duty

ii: Locked Doors

iii: The Hand that Feeds

iv: Feelin' Empty?

v: Faith in Me

vi: Her Love Endures

vii: Dig Two Graves

viii: Forgive Me, Father

ix: Judge, Jury, Executioner

x: 32:1

[completed on AO3!]

divider by @tsunami-of-tears <3

bottom graphic by @saradika-graphics <3

[turtle-paced]

Have you ever felt like Martin doesn't like Cersei? The way he writes about her made me question? I mean she is both evil and stupid and it seems like we are supposed to laugh at her.

Cersei is pretty evil, and while I don't believe she's stupid, it's hard not to laugh (incredulously or otherwise) at her many, many bad ideas over the course of the series. Especially in AFFC.

But it's also clear to me that GRRM has compassion for this villain he's created - and that he has right from the start.

Let's put this under a cut for domestic violence and sheer length.

Ned touched her cheek gently. "Has he done this before?" "Once or twice." She shied away from his hand. "Never on the face before. Jaime would have killed him, even if it meant his own life." Cersei looked at him defiantly. "My brother is worth a hundred of your friend." Eddard XII, AGoT

GRRM chooses to frame the pivotal confrontation between Ned and Cersei with the reality of the domestic violence Cersei has experienced. Whatever else happens in that scene, whatever else she's done that might or might not be justified, the author makes sure the reader knows, Ned knows, that Cersei has good reason to hate Robert.

When she hesitated, then sat, Tyrion knew she was lost, despite her loud declaration of, "I will not marry again!" "You will marry and you will breed. Every child you birth makes Stannis more a liar." Their father's eyes seemed to pin her to her chair. Tyrion III, ASoS

This is re-emphasised as Tyrion witnesses Tywin's abuse of Cersei. Even Tyrion, who also has good reason to hate Cersei, cannot help but see how their father completely ignores Cersei's desires, reduces her autonomy to rubble, and above all makes her feel small. This is quite deliberately in Tyrion's PoV to make that dissonance stronger. Cersei is awful, but Tyrion can take no satisfaction in Tywin mistreating her.

Similarly,

His sister sat in a puddle of wine, cradling her son's body. Her gown was torn and stained, her face white as chalk. A thin black dog crept up beside her, sniffing at Joffrey's corpse. "The boy is gone, Cersei," Lord Tywin said. He put his gloved hand on his daughter's shoulder as one of his guardsmen shooed away the dog. "Unhand him now. Let him go." She did not hear. It took two Kingsguard to pry loose her fingers, so the body of King Joffrey Baratheon could slide limp and lifeless to the floor. Tyrion VIII, ASoS

Cersei's grief over watching her son murdered in front of her is a key character moment for her. Is Joffrey a good person? No. Is Cersei's immediate response of demanding Tyrion's arrest a good and just idea? No. Is that grief still real? Absolutely.

It was more than Cersei could stand. I cannot let them see me cry, she thought, when she felt the tears welling in her eyes. She walked past Ser Meryn Trant and out into the back passage. Alone beneath a tallow candle, she allowed herself a shuddering sob, then another. A woman may weep, but not a queen. Cersei III, AFFC

That lasts. It's not healthy but it is genuine. The author isn't putting this in here so we laugh at her. The author is putting this here to help us remember throughout the parade of evil and stupid crap Cersei's about to do that Cersei is a human with human emotions.

And when all that crap has backfired on Cersei, the author makes sure we know that the punishment inflicted on her is not for her sins but instead for her biological sex. He shows her break from that treatment.

Words are wind, she thought, words cannot hurt me. I am beautiful, the most beautiful woman in all Westeros, Jaime says so, Jaime would never lie to me. Even Robert, Robert never loved me, but he saw that I was beautiful, he wanted me. She did not feel beautiful, though. She felt old, used, filthy, ugly. Cersei II, ADWD

The walk of shame is just misogyny, pure and simple, nothing to do with what Cersei's actually done wrong. It is deliberately not karma out to get Cersei. It is deliberately not comeuppance. It is a reminder that Cersei has a point all those times when she points out she's been treated differently because of her sex - even if it's not the whole of the reason people don't respect her.

Even if a reader doesn't think Cersei deserves mercy, even if a reader finds her political bumbling funny, there's a lot around her that shows us that the author wants us to think carefully about what made Cersei both a horrible person and a horrible politician. She is most definitely not there just to be the butt of the author's joke. That's Victarion.

[cherienymphe]

Basic Training Masterlist (Peter Parker x Reader)

summary: A pit stop during a road trip ends tragically when a small town cop sets his sights on you. You’re the newest addition in a long standing fucked up family tradition.

➥ Warnings: NON-CON, DUB-CON, violence, kidnapping, public sex, degradation, forced pregnancy, forced marriage, stockholm syndrome, housewife kink, cop!Peter

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VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

XXIII

XXIV

XV

➯ dividers by @straywords​​

 ➥ Peter’s POV (after Ch. 11)

[quin-ns]

The blue (JJ Maybank x Reader) Series Masterlist

Series summary: JJ has a secret, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can hold onto it. He discovers his breaking point when his best friend starts to show interest in you, his step sister, who he’s already fallen hard for

Series tags: step brother!jj, dual pov, jealousy, one sided john b x reader, drinking, inappropriate relationship, public sex, oral sex (f receiving)

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II

III

IV

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VII

VIII

complete <3

<< back to outer banks masterlist

[essiemclaren]

mixed-up order

part vii

pairing: lando norris x reader

In which two neighbors, Lando and Y/N, find their lives entwined by a DoorDash mix-up.

tweets from their pov

your texts with bff

your tweets

part viii

--

a/n: got one last exam on monday yayyy!!! HERE'S THE NEXT PART 😁 hope you guys like it as much as i do <33 had so much fun making these!! sending everyone a hug! thank you 🫶

want to know what will happen next? dont you worry, you dont have to wait this time!! if you want to be tagged in this series, let me know!!

kisses,

es

tags: @ririyulife @evesfile @xlinxdax0704 @lilyevanswhore @entr4p3 @insanedeathwish @xjval @a-beaverhausen @doofenshmirtzevil-inc @harrysdimple05 @yllomhej @cherry-piee @minkyungseokie @annie115 @jamieeboulos @urfavsgf @a-disturbing-self-reflection @writingworlds @ems-alexandra @chezmardybum @stinkyjax @barcelonaloverf1life @littlexscarletxwitch @goldenharrysworld @lexiecamposv @faeriepigeons @dessxoxsworld @sp1rl @telengraph @colmathgames2 @honethatty12 @snapeeballsack @lichterfee @lightdragonrayne @sinfully-yoursss @i2innie @mattymybeloved @purplephantomwolf @val-writes @namgification

[kquil]

DIVORCING ORION BLACK

SERIES SUM. : This is what happens when you, an avid Harry Potter fan, replace Walburga and have the chance to change the future, starting with improving Sirius and Regulus' childhood. You'll be getting a divorce! And you'll be the one taking the kids!

LAST UPDATED : 07/02/2025 (dd/mm/yyyy)

NEXT UPDATE DUE : 01/03/2025 (dd/mm/yyyy)

CHAPTERS :

I. ARRIVAL (special thanks to @thebestofoneshots for beta reading this chapter!) II. SHOPPING (1/2) III. SHOPPING (2/2) IV. BEGINNINGS V. SIRIUS : FIRST DAY VI. POTIONEER VII. INVESTIGATIONS VIII. PASTRIES IX. REPUTATION ⌈new⌋ X. HOLIDAY

EXTRA :

ANON ASK : HOW THE SERIES CAME TO BE

DISCLAIMER : please read | TAGLIST DISCONTINUED...

TAGS : son sirius black/mother reader ; son regulus black/mother reader ; isekai au/transfering worlds au ; walburga black is evil ; not reader though hehe~ ; hurt/comfort ; fluff ; platonic fluff ; second chances ; reader basically adopts remus, barty crouch jr and peter pettigrew ; peter pettigrew redemption arc? ; but he never betrays the marauders in the first place so... ; remus gets a better life ; reader becomes a semi-political figure to help werewolves + house elves ; reader assumes a male alias ; alternating chapters from different povs directly effected by reader's actions ; reader is a powerful independent business woman and single mother ; reader is a milf ; reader secretly hates dumbledore ; reader hates orion black ; reader hates JKR (we all do) ; divorce ; mentions of child abuse (physical and mental and emotional) ; mentions of neglect ; angry reader ; canon jily ; mentions of wolfstar ; regulus being a precious baby ; sirius has his moments too ; reader being a powerful trio with minerva and pomfrey ; reader potentially adopting the black sisters (bellatrix, andromeda and narcissa) ; reader adopts everyone! ; there'll be ocs ; reader leaves to live her dream cottagecore life ; happy ending! ; i'll add more tags in the future

[reidsbabyhoney]

roommates masterlist

a collection of stories following reader & andrew on their journey through their third year of uni and inevitably their feelings

or

the one where reader gets assigned a roommate named Andy and they’re not who she’s expecting

-⊹₊⟡-

hozier x fem!reader

you fell first, he fell harder.

friends to lovers.

college au.

dual pov.

i. the move in

ii. getting comfortable

iii. study dates

iv. what's mine is yours

v. accidents happen

vi. questions

vii. sick day

viii. picture you

more chapters to be announced.

chapter names may change once published.

series taglist.