#So Many Romance Novels

[jomiddlemarch]

The shapes a bright container can contain!

VII. It was a balancing act, looking after Hermione. On the one hand, he was well-aware she was an intelligent and competent adult witch, capable of making her own decisions, entitled to plenty of time and space to herself.

On the other hand, she rarely made decisions with her own best interest as the chief concern, she had never learned how to use leisure time for actual leisure or leisurely activities that weren’t productive and/or virtuous, and she had an isolative streak that made her choice of familiar understandable. There was only so much one could do for her and it was especially challenging for Draco to be the one doing.

However, he’d told her he’d look after her and no matter what anyone thought, he did not break promises or fail to fulfil the terms of an agreement.

Which meant that on a chilly Sunday morning, when he found her at the kitchen table with a towering stack of essays in front of her and another at her feet instead of tucked up in bed or lolling on the sofa with tea, pastries, and a chunky Muggle paperback, he didn’t hesitate.

“Accio Professor Granger’s essays,” he said, pitching his voice loud enough to call the parchment to him without startling her unduly.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she said. She was seated, so she could put her hands on her hips but the gesture was quite present in her tone. It was impressive. She was undoubtedly not startled in the slightest.

“Grading your fifth and, unless I’m mistaken, seventh year Arithmancy class mid-term exams. I don’t even know why you have a fifth year class, you were only supposed to be teaching that tutorial but I imagine Minerva did her version of begging with all the shortbread and her plaid robe,” he said. Hermione nodded. “You must have a rubric—”

“I must?”

“You’re Hermione Granger, you wouldn’t grade without a rubric,” he said.

“Did Neville tell you that?” she asked.

“Give me some credit. I didn’t need him to tell me,” Draco said. 

“So he did,” Hermione replied.

“Scorpius too. The students appreciate it, although the Slytherins and Gryffindors both feel the rubrics are overly detailed,” he said.

“I was frustrated by how arbitrary our educational experience was,” she said.

“It didn’t help how they all played favorites,” Draco said. “McGonagall obviously, but Snape was a terror.”

“He’d had a lot to answer for, if he hadn’t also been a double-agent Dumbledore was willing to manipulate within an inch of his life after failing him abysmally when he was a student himself,” Hermione said. “It doesn’t bear thinking about, how he treated Neville.”

“Agreed. Though you seem to be following in his footsteps when it comes to the length of your assignments. Merlin’s manky knickers, these essays are long,” Draco said.

“Manky knickers?” 

“Scorpius told me that was au courant, so to speak, but I admit, it may sound more appropriate from a fourteen year old,” Draco smiled.

“I don’t tell them they’ve got to give me twelve feet. I just say that they may,” Hermione said.

“They have done, most of them it would seem,” he said. “You’ll run yourself into the ground grading these—”

“I’m fine,” she said.

“You’re not and you won’t. I’ll see to them,” he said. He was hoping his expression and tone would convey a respectful but conclusive end-of-discussion, but Hermione was used to being the one ending discussions and looked at him skeptically. Her color was better though—it seemed she found arguing with him invigorating.

“How will you get through them? You don’t even know what they’re about,” she said.

“I’ll run a few charms, apply the rubric, leave a few pithy Professor Granger-esque comments,” he said. “I’m thinking along the lines of Extremely detailed, good use of references, tickety-boo.”

“I have never and would never write Tickety-boo on a student’s essay,” she said. “In a fit of whimsy, I might say it was Excalibur, a little pun on excellence and caliber—”

“I got it,” he said. “It’s painful. A Weasley wouldn’t even make a pun that gruesome. Maybe you should start writing tickety-boo.”

“It seems I’m not writing anything at the moment,” she said. “I’m not sure what to do with myself in the meantime.”

“I am,” Draco said, fishing a small bundle from his vest pocket, setting it an arm’s length from Hermione on the table, and flicking his wand in its direction. “Engorgio liborum.”

“Cleopatra’s alembic,” Hermione breathed. Draco grinned. He’d been hoping for awed surprise as her response. “What did you do?”

“Rather, the salient question is what have I procured for you?” he said. “Books. An excessive number, none of them relevant to your work. Leisure reading, it’s called.”

“There’s so many,” she said softly.

“Yes. I started with classics, the entire collection of Austen’s works, Gaskill’s Wives and Daughters, and then I added some modern choices—you needn’t feel any excessive guilt, all of those,” he said, pointing to one stack of paperbacks, “are written by an English professor at a university in New York and those over there are by a former clerk to a US Supreme Court judge. You can Transfigure the covers if you prefer, it’s entirely your business what you read.”

“They’re all romances,” she said. 

“You indicated they’re a guilty pleasure, though I don’t think you ought to feel guilty about them or any other pleasure. I paid attention,” he said. Before she could start in on him for his advocacy of hedonism, especially as it pertained to her and him, he spoke again. “I did add in Sayers’ Gaudy Night, because if you haven’t read it, you must, it was written for you, and I can’t take the credit for knowing that. Pansy recommended it—”

“Pansy Parkinson?”

“Pansy Parkinson Finch-Fletchley,” Draco said. “She spends more of her time passing as an aristo Muggle than being a proper witch, but her family didn’t come out well on the other side of things. She’s an antiques dealer, they have a son who bears an unfortunate resemblance to a red-billed stork they’ve saddled with the name Peregrine and he’s been sent to some place called Harriot or Herring instead of Wizarding school. Wouldn’t even consider Beauxbatons.”

“Harrow. They sent him to Harrow. You may have broken me with this,” Hermione said, laughing helplessly. “The books and Pansy and Peregrine-the-stork—”

“Crane might be more apt, come to think of it,” Draco said.

“Broken, I said,” she gasped.

“Hardly,” he said. “Not how you’re made.”

“You’re overestimating me,” she said, speaking in her normal tone again.

“No,” he said. “I know you better than you think. There’s a difference. Now you ought to let me get to work grading these essays. The sofa and your novels await.”

Two hours later, she set a steaming mug of tea beside his left hand and briefly squeezed his hunched shoulder. If he hadn’t been half-dazed from reading the essays, he would have had a more pronounced response to her touch, the first time he could recall her initiating physical contact between them. However, the rambling lengths of parchment had nearly done him in.

“You do this every week? These are excruciating,” he said. 

“Yes, but they’re learning. We were excruciating back then too. It wasn’t just being a double-agent under a crushing load of guilt and stocking the infirmary’s potions for Dumbledore to use that budget for the Order of the Phoenix that made Snape so exhausted,” she said. 

“I would have said snarky,” Draco replied. “Biting. Derisive. And he was my Head of House and obviously favored us.”

“He did have a mouth on him, didn’t he?” she said nostalgically. “And when he was really put out, you could hear the Manchester in him. Drink the tea. I added a lot of honey.”

“For strength?” Draco asked. “Once more unto the breach and all that?”

“Because you like it sweet,” she said. “You can tell Pansy she was right. I’m loving Gaudy Night.”

“I thought you’d start with Austen,” he said.

“Those are old friends. I thought I’d try something new,” she said.

#dramione #draco x hermione #hogwarts professors #hurt/comfort #mostly just comfort #grading someone else's papers as a love language #tea and sympathy #romance #slow burn #references to Pansy Parkinson #discussion of Snape #So Many Romance Novels #widower!draco #posted on AO3

[rauzagel]

It occurs to me that maybe one of the reasons I didn't necessarily percieve Raphael as my enemy was because I unlocked that one scene where he saves you when the Goblin priestess imprisons you in selunes temple in act 1 right on my first playthrough. It made a pretty big impression on me and made him seem less hostile. I think it was this scene that really made me look forward to our next meeting.

Being rescued from the clutches of the enemy is a popular romance fiction trope for a reason, and it probably activated something in my brain.

It's too bad he doesn't bring it up later to tease Tav because that seems like something he would do.

#and Korilla's like “He's terribly excited about you ;)))" #okAY? #Raphael checks so many romance novel trope boxes tbh #raphael bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #raphael #bg3 #I'll always let them capture me now just for this scene

[kitnita]

bryce harper reading hockey romance novels is so out of left field that it feels like it should be an april fools day thing, however,

#baseball #phillies #bryce harper #ELLE KENNEDY BRYCE?? #HELLO???? #i have SO many questions. #does he know they make baseball romance novels too

[glorious-spoon]

a lot of my issue with romance novels is that they tend to rely heavily on internal relationship conflict for drama, and i feel like a lot of people who write that sort of thing are much better at writing conflict than they are at writing resolutions, so i very often get to the end of the book going, 'yeah, no, you've totally sold me on the argument that these two should not be together because they clearly can't have a five minute conversation with their pants on that doesn't end in a fight or a misunderstanding, why is this supposed to be a happy ending, they're obviously going to murder each other inside a year'

#obligatory disclaimer that people can read what they like etc #i kind of WANT to like romance novels but so many of them just fall flat for me #there are a handful of exceptions that i've enjoyed but they also tend to have other sources of conflict #why i tend to turn to fic to scratch the romance itch

[arainmorn-art]

Deciphering, page 80 [Previous page]  [Masterpost]  [Next page] Just repressed feelings bursting out in form of flowers. Just imagination going wild~ Just UWU Insta - https://www.instagram.com/arainmorn/

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#so many ipomeas #ace attorney #deciphering ace attorney #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #narumitsu #wrightworth #my art #ace attorney comic #ace attorney miles edgeworth #ace attorney trilogy #ace attorney phoenix wright #gyakuten saiban #comics #comic #webcomic #graphic novel #bande dessinée #romance #gay romance #gay couple #gay #arainmorn's art

[thecryptkeeper]

im drunk sorry for upcoming rant but i really cannot stand the booktok ppl acting stuck in this idea that reading is this thing thatll be seen as weird like no you’re not like your y/n protagonist bc you only want to consume stuff that reminds you of your wattpad days but this time its printed out i had a friend who acted like she was soooo niche for the way she was interested in reading shes sooo different from her other friends who read bc she was reading the fucking printed reylo fanfic shut upppp ill crack all the spines in your books and highlight and make notes in the margins!!!

#been getting too many booktok type videos recommended to me bc ive been looking at ppl who give actual suggestions to literature #if I see one more video of a girl promoting her shitty romance novel thats so not like any other thing published rn but is categorized by #internet tropes im throwing up blood. dramatic and drunk rn

[annieqattheperipheral]

siri play my heart will go on

I WANT TO WATCH THIS MOVIE I WANT TO READ THIS BOOK THE CORE 4 STILL MAKE MY HEART POUND

"Sliding Into You, Bud" coming to netflix based off of the best-selling romance novel

#i don't even care that this has been posted a billion times by so many ppl probably i just need to live here #add the 2nd pic to the collection of irl hockey romance novel covers #romance at its finest #core 4 #mo daddy watching fondly #core 4+1 #toronto maple leafs #mitch marner #william nylander #auston matthews #john tavares #annieQ hockey thoughts

[shiftythrifting]

A bizarre number of amish-related romance novels

#thrifting #shiftythrifting #submission #amish romance novels #books #there's so fuckin many man

[syrena-del-mar]

La Pluie meets Nora Roberts

This week we open up with a shot of Saengtai (who is slowly learning to believe that maybe having a "soulmate" isn't all that bad) reading Nora Roberts.

Now as a former teen Nora Roberts aficionado, I immediately clocked that Tai was reading the first two books of her MacKade Brother quadrology. For those that are unfamiliar with Nora Roberts and this series, it revolves around four brothers, with each brother having their own, separate novel. So it's a little on the nose that Saengtai would be reading this series out of the numerous ones that Nora Roberts has published, especially the books that are based on the oldest and second oldest of the four brothers.

All four novels of the MacKade brothers takes place in Antietam, which if you have any knowledge on the American Civil War, you will likely recognize for being home one of the bloodiest battles of the war. While each brother and their lovers attempt to forge a connection, there is a supernatural element with the restless souls that still haunt Antietam.

The one that Tai was reading was one Robert's bundles, which included only the first two novels, centering around the first two brothers, Rafe and Jared.

I'm going to give a brief synopsis of both books below, before doing a bare minimum dive of the significance I think La Pluie was attempting to draw.

The Return of Rafe MacKade

Here, the main protagonist is Rafe MacKade, who had left his hometown years prior after making a name for himself as the handsome, hot-headed, rebellious, good-for-nothing second-oldest MacKade brother. He's the black-sheep out of the four brothers, yet the incident which drove him away from Antietam, 10 years prior to his return, was one where he was attempting to protect a woman from her abusive boyfriend so he turned to punching the crap out of the man; but y'know how rumors develop in small towns. He returns to his hometown after 10 years as a successful businessman, something that townsfolk couldn't believe which shut them up about all the gossip they used to spread about him. He buys the local haunted house to turn it into a B&B, which in doing so leads him to meet his heroine, Regan, an antique dealer that is helping him decorate the B&B.

At first glance, Rafe and Regan seem to be complete opposites, with Rafe being a 'rough-around-the edges' type of guy and Regan, an elegant and classy dame. Rafe, while being the typical loud-mouth 'alpha-male' guy that is stereotypical in 20th century novellas, you come to find out is just a guy that is unable to fully articulate his own emotions and understand his developing feelings for Regan. Regan, on the other hand, for all her elegance, is a bit arrogant and unapologetically opinionated and definitely not looking to get into a steady relationship, much less with Rafe. They're both two incredibly stubborn individuals that are always butting heads, which leads to both miscommunication and a lack of communication, but they slowly start to learn that they actually need each other, even if they try to deny it.

The Pride of Jared MacKade

The second book revolves around Jared MacKade, who currently works as an attorney who, unlike his hot-headed brother Rafe, is much more level-headed and collected, yet just as prone to being purposefully ignorant to his romantic emotions. Jared is the oldest of the four brothers and had previously been married but ended up divorced, which lead to his distaste and shrewdness when it came to love. His story with his lead, Savannah, first starts when he meets her to let her know that her father had left her some inheritance. Savannah, having been disowned by her father as a teen and kicked to the curb due to her pregnancy, understandably pissed and initially wants nothing to with Jared.

Both Jared and Savannah are stubborn as mules, but their instant connection was undeniable. Jared was a traditionalist in love, which created some conflict due to Savannah's past and what she had to do as a teen mom to survive. The connection between them was palpable, within their second meeting they were already all over each other, making out. Yet, for all their connection, they're both initially a bit skeptical of doing more than toying around. Both Jared and Savannah had to overcome their own obstacles, Jared and his prejudice and Savannah and her hidden insecurities (that arose when she started to work alongside Regan), but despite their rocky road with love, they find a way to make it work.

La Pluie in connection to Rafe and Jared

There are some very obvious parallels that I believe La Pluie is attempting to draw with having Saengtai reading the MacKade tetralogy, but I also think there are some running themes that may be hinting at the future development for our Saeng brothers and their love interests, Phat and Lomfon.

First, the obvious parallel of the four MacKade brothers with the four Saeng brothers.

Second, the first novel, I'd like to argue, seems to hint at the future for Lomfon and Saengtien. From what we've seen so far, much like Rafe MacKade, Saengtien is perceived by almost everyone in his life to be brash, hot-headed, and rather incompetent. We've seen this from how Tien's own mother treats him and even from how Lomfon treated him in the first couple of episodes. Similar to Rafe's brashness, Tien's own brashness tends to spill out either in protection of his family, particularly Tai, or in the midst of his own confusion regarding what he wants. And just like Rafe, Tien is only starting to learn to comprehend the feelings that he's developing when he's with Lomfon. Tien has taken it upon himself to be the backbone for Tai and his family, that in turn he has sacrificed a part of himself. Instead he turns to his brashness as a mechanism to appease everyone, a shield and a distraction of the pain that he is also incurring while caring for everyone.

Lomfon on the other hand, while he seems to have a good grasp of his own self, seeing how he works independently but never seems to be ostracized, rather (seemingly) he chooses who he surrounds himself with, he also hides himself. Lomfon, similar to Regan is opinionated, especially when it comes to the idea that the one you hear during the rain is your soulmate. I'm sure in a society that has attempted to find reasoning to the deafness, that sentiment is likely taboo to express, yet he's willing to against the norm to create his own happiness, much like Regan did in opening her antique shop.

If Rafe's story is anything to go by, I wouldn't be surprised to see Lomfon strongly denying his developing feelings regarding Tien, as he's still primarily focused on Tai. Lomfon's seems to be developing some kind of feelings towards Tien, if the small head caresses and playing with Tien's hair is anything to go by. His feelings towards Tien seem to be slowly developing, even if he doesn't fully realize it. Meanwhile, I think it'll take Tien something big or in the heat of passion to get him to confess to Lomfon his growing feelings, especially once he realizes that Lomfon wants to get in between Tai and Phat. Tien, the ever-sacrificial loving brother that he is, will always put Tai and his happiness over his own, even if that means that he has to argue and destroy his budding friendship with Lomfon.

Tien let's himself be still, let's go of his prickly exterior, only when he's around Lomfon. He needs Lomfon, to provide the quiet energy that allows Tien to just exist for himself and nobody else. Now it's time for Lomfon to figure out how and why he needs Tien as well.

Frenemies-to-lovers is sometimes an even longer slow-burn than enemies-to-lovers, but it's okay, we can play the long game. I have hope that they'll get there.

Thirdly, the parallel of Jared and Saengtai, really comes to their demeanors and their anxiety that develops from impressions of failed love, yet they are still classic romantics at heart. Saengtai, similar to Jared in the beginning of his book, has been burned by the illusions of love. Yet, both, once they meet their soulmates, instantly feel some level of attraction to them. Their attraction is palpable to both of them, but attempting to overcome their own fears and prejudices, even when everything seems to be outwardly alright, can rock the boat.

It's going to be interesting here to see if Phat has some hidden insecurities that arise when he realizes that he has some potential competition. That just maybe Saengtai could be swayed by the man who shares the same interests and that solely being his soulmate may not be enough, even if, for all intents and purposes, he may be the right person for Tai.

Phat and Saengtai obviously feel a spark and found an immediate connection, but it'll be interesting to see if their relationship will end up in shambles, like Tai's parents, or will their bond only serve to be strengthened beyond the idea of just being soulmates.

#la pluie the series #phat x saengtai #phat x tai #la pluie #title tanatorn #thai bl drama #saengtien #lomfon #lomfon x tien #tien x lomfon #lomfontien #thai bl #i really don’t know where I was going with this in analysis my head was just screaming parallels #also I read all these books like a decade ago so apologies if I misremembered some parts of the MacKade books lmfaooo #also i like to add this series was one of the trashier series of nora roberts where there's like suggested r*pe and abuse so like.... #don't go into those books expecting to come out happy because i remember being infuriated at many parts #i may not know color theories but I know my trashy romance novels #la pluie meta #nora roberts

[sapphosclown]

looking for book recommendations!!

would love it if there are sapphics, there doesn’t have to be but it makes me happy

shows i like for taste reference: rise of the pink ladies, stranger things, community, i am not okay with this, heartstopper, school spirits, wednesday, umbrella academy

books i’ve liked in the past: one last stop (casey mcquinston), will grayson will grayson (john green), solitaire (alice oseman), radio silence (alice oseman)

#please help #i’m not really a romance novel girlie i think… i like romance but they all feel so cringey if it’s the main plot and im not totally into it #i’m not anti sci-fi and fiction and fantasy #honestly have not read very many books in recent years so idrk what i like anymore #but i like when there’s gay people ! #book recommendations #sapphic books #queer books

[flameshadowwolf]

None of you guys told me about this???? I was just supposed to find out that Ifan got new art AND a mini figure on my own???

#divinity original sin 2 #dos2 #ifan ben mezd #also now that I’ve completed the game… #there’s so many romance novel leads that could only dream of having Ifan’s rizz #like yes please boop my nose after letting me witness you threatening someone

[cottagecore-raccoon]

It says a lot about the current feeling of uncertainty and lack of safety for queer people at the moment (at least in the states) that so many queer stories hinge of the protagonists feeling the need to flee their familiar world to be together. And their partner having to choose between their home and an uncertain future Elsewhere with their beloved

#specifically thinking about how this applies to trans and gender noncomforming people living in unsafe states #and having to choose whether to move somewhere safer #i fully realize this isn't a novel idea #but I think at this point the trend shows that this is the very real fear for many queer people #like how horror movies reflect society's current anxieties #so too do the conflicts that keep a romance apart #ofmd #our flag means death #good omens #good omens season 2 #what we do in the shadows #cottagecore-raccoon #queer #lgbtq

[pochapal]

i am going so very extremely insane over here

#umineko liveblog #kyrie's infodumps are responsible for 99 percent of my Umineko understanding #remember how my entire basis for the detective/romantic dichotomy came from her romance novel discussion #kyrie i owe you so many thing but also Why do you exist as a near-perfect umineko decoder #i'm not so caught up in the derangement that i don't see how Weird this is #if kyrie had survived what the hell would have happened............

[daddy-issuess]

It's time for the universe to give me money. How else am I supposed to buy all these books?

#booktok #books #novels #fiction #romance #fantasy #enemies to lovers 😩 #i want to buy so many books

[ahollowgrave]

-- morning break.

(With the always darling @yellowrose-ffxiv)

#Rose #Odette #did u know rose is one of odette's favorite people #you know now #today is when i post odette being in love with all her friends #wistful #also i just #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #Have so many feelings about Rose as a character #this is the wide shot of the next romance novel cover #or at least a rough draft of the next one #wistful wistful wistful #I LIKE THEM A LOT OK

[hualianisms]

hualian invented the entire concept of romance

#AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAAAAAAA #THE WAY I FELT WHEN I READ TGCF FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME........... #like i swear ive read so many romance novels in my life but they are unparalleled