#but she believes in doomed love in like... the romance novel way | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

faintingheroine · 10 months

Note

Would you be willing to elaborate on your thoughts about the handling of the Madonna-Whore complex in Aşk-ı Memnu? How do you think Halit-Ziya's approach compares to others'? (I know we've mentioned it regards Rebecca, but I wonder about Anna Karenina, Jane Eyre, or perhaps other works I am not familiar with)

Thank you so much for asking this question. I have been dying to write new Aşk-ı Memnu meta and didn’t have any ideas.

I said before that Aşk-ı Memnu thoroughly subverts the Madonna-Whore dichotomy but to be fair that was an exaggeration. It doesn’t exactly subvert the dichotomy, otherwise many readers wouldn’t leave the book with the impression that Nihal was merely the morally righteous ingenue. But I would say that it complicates the dichotomy quite a bit.

On the first glance Nihal is the Madonna, the young, vulnerable, passive, virtuous girl. And Bihter is the adulterous Whore who cheats on her husband and is primarily motivated by her sexual appetite. Even their physical characteristics conform to their respective stereotypes, Nihal is a lean blonde, Bihter is a voluptuous brunette. Yet they are also quite a bit more complicated. Bihter is fairly nice and patient for most of the novel, she wants to be a maternal figure, she is vulnerable and emotional, she is assumed to be the Whore even before she truly becomes one and that’s what essentially dooms her. She also commits suicide ultimately because she doesn’t want to be seen as the Whore. Nihal is jealous, selfish, spiteful, possessive. Her maternal feeling is a girl play-acting with her dolls, not the self-sacrifice expected from the Madonna. She is both more and less sexual than she has to be: She doesn’t really want romance or marriage but she is sexual enough to have a dream where Behlül kisses her:

“As Mlle de Courton leaned over her for one last goodbye kiss, Nihal was showing the tip of her thin eyebrow to someone in her sleep.

‘Right here,’ she was saying.”

(Chapter 16)

She doesn’t want to become a real mother or an adult in general, she is content with being a child and that seems to be all she will be at the end.

Interestingly, to contrast our protagonists’ depth, the novel gives us more stereotypical Whore (Firdevs) and Madonna (Peyker and Mademoiselle) figures. Firdevs is interesting and iconic but she is the Whore thorough and thorough in her sexual desires, gold-digging, cunning and lack of maternal feeling. By having a super-Whore in Firdevs, Uşaklıgil managed to make Bihter less of a Whore. Peyker is a “family woman” who continually gives birth and is content with family life. She is arguably putting on a front to society to disassociate herself from Firdevs’s reputation, but ultimately she isn’t a very deep character. Mademoiselle is more of a quintessential Madonna. She lacks any sexual feeling and is eternally a virgin (she is a devout Catholic too, coming from a religion where chastity is valuable in itself in contrast to Islam where the highest position a woman can achieve is being a mother) yet with a desire to mother others’ children. Yet this claim on children who are alien to herself is a form of “forbidden love” in itself and the book occasionally has a sardonic look at Mademoiselle though she is mostly a positive figure.

What is interesting is that the narrative voice incorporates the perspectives of all these women. While talking about Firdevs the narrative voice tells us of a woman who doesn’t like being a mother, but then tells us that all women have an empty cradle in their hearts while talking about Mademoiselle. I think the authorial voice does believe that Firdevs is unnatural for not liking being a mother and Nihal is unnatural for being destined to be an eternal child:

“The preservation of this physicality had lent Nihal a perpetual childishness. Nihal, who now at fifteen remained a child to all around her, appeared to be destined to stay that way even tomorrow, when she was called a woman, a wife, or a mother.”

(Chapter 18)

But, these women are so well-written and complex that this authorial judgment about what is “natural” doesn’t effect the novel’s quality or timelessness.

We can also talk about Behlül’s Madonna-Whore complex, since this term is actually about men’s views on women rather than what women actually are. The novel shows us Behlül’s views on women extensively, and he views Firdevs with disgust as she is a sexual middle-aged woman (gasp!) and idealizes Nihal as an untouched lily, has quite a belittling view of Mademoiselle as an “old girl” etc. Yet I think the incorporation of Behlül’s perspective in the midst of all these complex female characters is ironic since the women in the novel defy his stereotypical views through their complexity.

I do fear talking about Anna Karenina since I read it a decade ago and it is often considered one of the greatest novels ever written. But I remember Kitty being a character with not much depth and being a more or less straightforward foil to Anna. But again, it has been a long time since I read the book.

I would say in Madame Bovary, Emma Bovary’s sexual desires are less emphasized than Bihter’s? Emma is a lustful woman for sure, but the main focus is on her boredom I feel. With Bihter there is a surprising amount of focus on her sexual frustration. It is the reason for her Fall. There isn’t a Madonna in Madame Bovary, or rather Emma incorporates Madonna within herself at various points of the novel, and I will leave it at that.

Rebecca is quite comparable to Aşk-ı Memnu in some ways. Rebecca with her elegance, charisma, beauty and sexual appetite is quite the Bihter figure to the narrator’s jealous Nihal. But then Bihter is also like the narrator in being out of her depth as the young wife of an older man in a grand mansion that used to have another mistress.

#aşk ı memnu #aşk-ı memnu #nihal #bihter #Madonna-Whore dichotomy #anna karenina #madame bovary #rebecca #aşk ı memnu asks #daphne du maurier #halit ziya uşaklıgil #asks #mademoiselle de courton #firdevs #peyker

19 notes · View notes

relaxxattack · 2 years

Note

hi! it's me :) fic rec anon. things have been hard lately so i have some more stuff to recommend bc it makes me feel better. uh, this one's mostly a like, grab bag of stuff? miscellany yknow. let's get into it (also if i have any repeats of stuff you've rec'd here before then Whoops)

pilot light, pale rapture is a post-game fic about jade and her Issues. jade/davepeta. has some excellent jane work in there and is meant to imply june pre-transition. i'd also like to recommend this author's other work, including the collected works of the originators, and the fanventure kittyquest which you can find on mspfa. both the collected works and kittyquest are about a richly detailed take on earth C, with accompanying myths; kitty quest is about jade and davepeta's daughter kitty harley-leider. very very good.

estrogamer girl is about trans girl roxy! very sweet. gen.

METHODOLOGY AND INTERPRETIVE "RECORD" OF SOULBOT WRECK AA109.23J2 – [DRAFT] is about a post-game grad student accessing the wreckage of one of aradia's soulbots postcanon, and experiencing the feelings of a doomed timeline's aradia. ararezi, outsider pov.

who could ask you to be unbroken or brave again is a fic about rose and vriska talking about trauma and child abuse post-canon. gen.

Metronome of a Night Queen's Heart and Other Unused Romance Novel Names is a fic in which kanaya asks dave to be her bloodbag after becoming a vampire, causing rosemary and davekat misunderstandings. rosemary and davekat.

Jade: Endure is about what it would have been like for jade to grow up with her corpse in her own house. short and very good. gen.

grant me wings that i might fly is about jade english raising jake english up to her eventual death. very good. gen.

DIRK TAKES A PISS is , okay listen i know from that title oyou might be like, fic rec anon, What are you recommending to me BUT LSITEN ITS ABOUT DIRK ACCIDENTALLY DROPPING HIS PACKER ON THE FLOOR OF A BATHROOM AND GETTING MEET CUTE'D. it's good. okay. dirkjake.

one more night (your ex-lover remains dead) is a junejasprose fic about trauma and what it means to be a rose left behind. if you're going to read ANY jasprose fic you have to read this one it's literally iconic to me and changed the way i see her forever. junejasprose.

Light Without Effulgence is a jake & rose friendship manifesto and it is HILARIOUS. "rose, you gather, is like dirk if he were a woman and capable of being happy" like that's hilarious to me. gen.

Bitter is a fancomic about jade and rose and i'm not going to spoil the surprise of what it's about but it's DELICIOUS. jaderose.

CHARGING THE VOID is a space opera roserezi au with hints of vrisrezi left behind and also both rose and terezi are trans and also it's DELICIOUS like i can't even say anything about it. if anyone has read baru cormorant and is familiar with it it's like that. roserezi, unlike pretty much anything else i've recced here it DOES have a sex scene so if you're uncomfortable with that it's not for you.

think about staying alive is a kidswap au! about rose strider my favorite kidswap <3 gen.

Postscript is about rosefef, rebellion au, being the last two left alive carrying out a rebellion against the condesce. rosefef.

Transperience is about calliope and the trans experience! fancomic, gen. very good.

goddess is about june egbert coming out! can you tell i'm a june egbert Believer gsdlkjfsakldj it's gotten to the point it's hard to read fic where she's called john lmao

I'm Hoping One Day Acting Cool Will Make Me Feel More Self Assured is about kanaya maryam and the burdens of being assigned mom friend. rosemary. also she and rose have a long furby.

we are the reckless is a space opera au in which vriska's a pirate captain and aradia's a helmsman. i love the blackrom in this. aravris.

i think this is enough for rn. have fun!

AND WHEN THE WORLD NEEDED THEM MOST…

THEY RETURNED!!!

thank you so much!!!!! these all look very fun and it’s definitely appreciated TwT and kind of you!!! 💞💞💞

#fic recs #fic rec

59 notes · View notes

pearblossommina · 1 year

Text

ToG Read-a-Long, Queen of Shadows, day 9

I’m so normal about this chapter set you guys

Ch 52

"Not yet," he said roughly, his own breathing uneven. "Not now.”

BOO

BOOOOOOO

Rowan you TEASE. How dare you.

Please, my crops, they’re so dry. Please. Chomp down on her neck. Mark her up, be a beast, I know you want to do it, SO DO IT! You think Aedion has never heard the sound of people having sex in the next room?!? It’s fine! He’s a big boy, he’ll get over it!

You can be as loud as the hell you want when you’re making love, don’t let the neighbors stop you from having fun; they’ll have peace and quiet when you’re good and done.

Ch 53

AGAIN?!?

(SJM: hey are you turned on? Excited to read a chapter about Rowan and Aelin dancing around the idea of maybe potentially consummating?)

(Me: yeah yeah gimme gimme!)

(SJM: *writes about Dorian filled with doom and gloom and sorrow instead*)

(Me: *sigh*)

Who edited this. Who let her get away with this. I need to know where to send the bill for my whiplash.

Ch 54

Heyyyy well this is a surprise

Kaltain beat back the demon

(With fire) (mmmm)(sounds good I’m pretty sure we can muster some fire)

Good job Kaltain, can you tell our baby boy Dorian!

Ch 55

Lysandra god damn it

How dare you get kidnapped, my crops are turning to dust in the field and I’m so thirsty, I can’t be concerned for you right now

You better not be about to be killed violently like Nehemia

(I can’t keep going through all this intensity) (I CAN’T)(my feelings are all over the place)(what is even going ON)

Ch 56

I feel like I am actually being pranked right now

There is no way

There is no way she can keep getting away with this

Is the next chapter going to be another sad Dorian chapter, SMH

how much longer can these two possibly hold out! Another temptation and another postponement… yeesh

Ch 57

I’m getting so sick of all the war and high stakes stuff happening in this book

I AM IN HELL

Like genuinely I can tell this is important and I should care about what’s going on right now and yet, HEAD EMPTY, DON’T CARE

I WISH I CARED

BUT I DON’T

Ch 58

Plot!

I care a little bit

It made me kinda excited when Dorian managed to talk in his own voice, Dorian, what the hell have you been waiting for? The right moment when Aelin happened to be watching?

Lol

Is grandmother Matron fucking the king?

Probably not, since he has a wife

I just want to see Manon eat everybody, actually

Ch 59

My how the turn tables, CHAOL WANTS TO KILL DORIAN NOW

Chaol, are you fucking kidding me? This whole time you have been the only one holding onto hope

How could you let your hopes die now? Don’t you believe in good triumphing over evil? Weren’t you fighting for a better world, for humanity or whatever? What happened, Chaol? I thought you were on my side.

I thought we were doofuses together

Don’t leave me here to be a doofus by myself

I find Manon so sexy especially how she just effortlessly holds Chaol captive. I still think Baba Yellowlegs is the silliest name for any villain, it just rolls off the tongue in such a funny way. Shouldn’t Manon be glad that Baba Yellowlegs died, though? I mean maybe it’s bad when a witch dies because they’re so strong, but the fact that she died is what caused her and the other clans to join together and rival for a new Wing Leader, sooooo actually, Aelin did you a service, baby. If you look at the bright side. If you are capable of looking at the bright side.

Lol

Yeah! fight each other

Hot!

Ch 60

“If he had been one inch farther behind, it would have hit his heart.”

Aw shit be careful Rowan! You can’t be out here getting mortally wounded! I am so sick of it! Get your act together, what do you think this is, an action novel? NO, dummy, it’s a steamy romance, I don’t have time for your bleeding heart heroics! Literally!

The Manon x Aelin fight is pretty hot actually

I am here for it

Guys this chapter set gave me hell

IT GAVE ME HELL

It wasn’t a very LONG set but boy was it hard for me to pay attention lmao, and I KNEW, I KNEW the stuff happening after the Rowaelin tease was important but I was like what the actual fuck is this! Get back in bed! No! I hate myself - I hate everything!

#it’s hard out here for a rowaelin shipper #it’s like the Great Depression era dust bowl now #my crops are dead and I’m begging for it #a small sprinkle of rain #ugh #tog read along 2023 #queen of shadows

14 notes · View notes

snarky-wallflower · 5 months

Text

20 Questions for Fic Writers

@amethystunarmed tagged me for this!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I've currently got 25 works on there.

2. What’s your total word count?

161, 391! which...wow, that number hits me every time I look at it. I can’t believe I’ve written a whole novel’s length of fanfic this year.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Hatchetfield and Deltarune, but especially Hatchetfield. The silly little horror-comedy musicals (especially the LiB and Paul) have grabbed me and won’t let go. To the detriment of my WIPs in other fandoms. Oh, and I’ve also written a decent amount of fic for Spiderverse and Dracula! (Our good friend Jonathan Harker, after all.)

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

pas de masque - a pre-canon Spiderverse fic focusing on Gwen's terrible experiences in the Spider-Society, and just what it's like to learn you're doomed in every other universe, and that no one will let you stop it.

The Show Must Go On - a fun little theatre AU for Deltarune, where Susie's been arrested, and the only way for her to not be arrested is to join a club. She chooses theatre, which Noelle is coincidentally the director of. Romance, friendship, and theatre chaos ensues. (also, I LOVE writing Kris in this fic.) It's the fic I've been working on the longest.

what is a god? - my exploration of the Lords in Black, and how they think and treat Hatchetfield and their puppets, written at 12 am after finishing Nerdy Prudes Must Die. Despite that, I’m still pretty proud of it!

used to think about you (everywhere i go) - a post-canon Nimona (movie-verse) fic, in which Nimona gets to work out her complex feelings about Gloreth by standing at her grave. Sometimes therapy is yelling at your ex-bestie's grave, more at 11.

one hell of a normal abnormality - a fic where I wrote Pete actually seeming to care that Ruth and Richie weren't there at Homecoming, with a decent exploration of grief and feeling guilty. Also, I think I was the first one to use the green-hair-after-being-touched-by-Wiggly headcanon.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, of course! I love comments - you read my whole chapter/fic, and you liked it enough to post your reaction! Amazing, I love you, I would literally die for some commentors.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh, this is hard. Most of the fic I write is angst, so tough to pick. I'd say the real competition is between life underground (it's over now) and always be my favourite ghost. But if I had to choose, it would be the first one, because that ends with Chara literally ripping up their adoption certificate, and thinking they’ll never be a part of the Dreemurr family. And we all know what happens next. :(

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, this one’s pretty easy. like real people do. It’s a short, canon divergent one shot I wrote for a podcast, Monstrous Agonies that I was super into - even submitted a couple of letters to the podcast I was pretty proud of. It ends with the characters sort-of rekindling their relationship, after accidentally broadcasting them kissing through the radio. It actually managed to predict a decent amount of the actual finale, too!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, I haven't gotten any yet. Hoping that that streak continues.

9. Do you write smut?

Ha! No. And it's probably not going to happen for a long time, if ever. I'm apparently a bit of a nerdy prude myself. I have written at least one fic that's only plot was two characters kissing, though.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I haven’t yet! Maybe someday.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Also, no. Benefits of being a smaller fic writer, I guess.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! But if that ever happens to me, I'm gonna scream

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet! I was thinking of co-writing a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes fic with a friend in real life, though. It was a really good movie, but I haven't made a lot of progress on it.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

You know, I'm really not sure? I mostly read gen fic, but for shipping? I'd have to say probably Noelle/Susie, or Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins? It really depends on the day - I'll read a lot of ships.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

None so far! My WIPs currently are probably going to take a long time, but I plan to finish all of them. Outlines may be bad, but I am determined!

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm really good at internal monologues. And along with that, characterization! I get a lot of really sweet comments about it, and I do like writing character-focused pieces! Which is kind of ironic, given that worrying about writing characters wrong was a pretty big reason I didn’t start writing again until this year.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. Oh my god, every time I try to write snappy dialogue, I have new appreciation for comedians and dialogue-heavy writers. Those people are so talented. Sometimes I act out dialogue I’ve written and I want to throw myself into the sun.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

Look. I took French for five years. But every time I try to speak French, one of my best friends looks like she wants to fight me. I am not great at languages other than English. I am positive that if I tried to write dialogue by myself, I would just resort to DeepL, or Google Translate, and nobody wants that. If I have to write in another language, I'm going to try and get a translator.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Are we counting works posted to ao3, or first fic ever? Because the first fic I ever posted to ao3 was for a podcast, Spirit Box Radio, that I should really relisten to at some point. But my first fandom I ever wrote for was Gravity Falls - the fic's still posted to Quotev, and I have reread it recently. It was a next-generation fic.

...At least younger me was having fun?

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

How dare you ask me to pick? But seriously, probably pas de masque. I know it's cliche to say my most kudos'd fic, but I am super proud of my characterization of Gwen there, and getting to play with pre-canon Spider-Society and what it's like for someone to know they're doomed by the narrative in every other universe.

Okay, who do I know? @acaciapines, @nonbinarycollector, @sherbetflowers, @littlesilentrebel, @am-i-lie, @lilacthebooklover, @noelle-holi-gay, @marvelmaniac715! Please don't feel pressured to respond if you don't want to!

#snarky speaks #writing #ao3 #fanfic #spiderverse #hatchetfield #deltarune

6 notes · View notes

magdasabs · 1 year

Note

Book recommendations. I tried to vary the topics so hopefully there's something that interests you. These are all among the best books I have ever read.

Moloka'i - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3273.Moloka_i - it's a novel about a girl (she becomes a woman over the course of the book) growing up in a Hawaiian leper colony in the early 20th century. It sounds depressing but it's one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.

Educated - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35133922-educated - a memoir written by a woman who grew up in a survivalist and fundamentalist Mormon family. I read it and basically only put it down to sleep during the time between starting it and finishing it.

The Great Believers - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45304101-the-great-believers - a novel split between Chicago in the 1980s and Paris in the 2010s. It's about the effects of the AIDS crisis on the gay community in the 1980s and their loved ones.

Tell it to the Bees - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6767519-tell-it-to-the-bees - enjoyable (non-smutty) lesbian romance novel.

In Other Lands - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31944679-in-other-lands - it's a young adult novel about a boy who crosses a barrier that others can't see and enters a magical land where he goes to a magical boarding school. But it's basically a literary deconstruction of the typical books like that you will read, tackling the tropes head on. Fun, funny, serious, and gripping. I can't recommend it enough.

The You I've Never Known - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30312837-the-you-i-ve-never-known - a young adult story, half of which is told in verse. It's about two girls growing up, dealing with difficult family situations and relationships, and discovering their sexualities. Don't read the summary please, as it contains a major spoiler.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12000020-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe - a young adult book about two boys in El Paso. It's a love story, it's a coming of age story, it's everything.

Annie on My Mind - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/595375.Annie_on_My_Mind - the ending feels a bit rushed, but I believe this was the first book to tell a lesbian love story with a happy ending.

The Dovekeepers - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10950924-the-dovekeepers - a novel about four women who find themselves in the doomed stronghold of Masada during a war fought in the first century CE. The women all meet over the course of the book, which is divided into four sections, one told from each of their perspectives.

Darling - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51199185-darling - a modern retelling of Peter Pan from Wendy's perspective. You'll never feel the same way about Peter Pan again.

Under the Lights and in the Dark - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33114524-under-the-lights-and-in-the-dark - this one was enjoyable but not as good as the others. I'm including it because it's about woso and I did enjoy reading it. It's non-fiction.

oh wow, thank you so much!!! I really appreciate the effort you put into this, I will absolutely check all of them out

11 notes · View notes

thoughtsbyharu · 2 years

Text

Webtoon Review: Who Made Me A Princess

Synopsis:

The beautiful Athanasia was killed at the hands of her own biological father, Claude de Alger Obelia, the cold-blooded emperor! It’s just a silly bedtime story… until one woman wakes up to suddenly find she’s become that unfortunate princess! She needs a plan to survive her doomed fate, and time is running out. Will she go with Plan A, live as quietly as possible without being noticed by the infamous emperor? Plan B, collect enough money to escape the palace? Or will she be stuck with Plan C, sweet-talking her way into her father’s good graces?!

Status: Completed

Genre: Isekai, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance

Author: Plutos

Artist: Spoon

REVIEW:

Re-read this again because it is finally completed and I can binge read it without cliffhangers!

This is my first isekai webtoon and also my favorite so it holds a very special place in my heart!

Reading this again is pretty nostalgic! I remember those times where I am so excited when a new chapter comes out every few to several months. The wait is sometimes long but it is very worth it although sometimes it leaves you hanging.

It is completed now so I am able to enjoy this manhwa in its full glory! I will be reviewing the story, art, and give some opinions about the characters~

A little bit of recap:

The story starts with our main character being self aware that she had been isekai'd/reincarnated to a novel she read back in her previous life.

baby Athy is so adorable

Her main dillema was that apparently, she has been reincarnated as the tragic Princess Athanasia in a novel called "Lovely Princess".

In the original novel, Athanasia or Athy is the daughter of an Emperor named Claude de Alger Obelia. Although she was his only child and daughter, he never acknowledged nor cared for her since her birth, making her seem like a forgotten princess.

At the age of 9, she met her father accidentally while wandering around the palace grounds. Being a neglected child who craved for love and affection from a parent, she decided to win her father's favor by doing her best to be a great princess. However, her efforts were always fruitless since she was shunned and ignored by her father everytime.

When she was 14 and attending her debutante ball, a girl named Jeanette, who also happens to be the main protagonist of the novel, was introduced to the emperor as his daughter. Jeanette was accepted as a princess and as the story progress, Jeanette slowly gained their father's affection and approval due to her bright, gentle, and cheerful personality. Athy on the other hand was still neglected (poor bby..)

Then Jeanette has this aunt who wanted her to be the next heir to the throne. Since Athy is Jeanette's competition, she devised a plan to get rid of her for good by poisoning Jeanette and framing Athy for it.

The plan of Jeanette's aunt was successful since Claude believed the accusations that Athy poisoned Jeanette. Despite being innocent, Athy was then sentenced to death and executed.

Now in order to avoid the same tragic fate as the original Athanasia, our main character made a plan to collect as much trinkets and jewelry as much as she can gather so that she can have money and run away from the palace when she comes of age. She also planned to avoid the emperor as much as possible for her survival since it seems like the emperor has some sort of Vendetta towards her.

she loves gold so she can take it with her when she runs a way lol

However! Her plans were utterly destroyed when she met the emperor 4 years earlier than the original Athy. This made her come up with a new plan to try and charm the emperor like Jeanette did by being cute and charming in order not to be killed.

------

Thoughts! (contains spoilers!)

This manhwa is my favorite for a reason! It is a complete package and something that I will recommend!

It is a cute and heart warming coming of age story with many twists and turns. The story telling is great and compelling. It keeps you interested and makes you want to read more because you just HAVE to know what will happen next.

The characters are also very well-written! I like mostly everyone in the story. I wish some characters have side stories or spin offs because they are so lovable and likeable. The chemistry between the characters are so great that I was kinda sad when I learned that the series already ended. I wanted more character interactions!

The relationship between Athy and her father is very cute and sweet. It's very amusing to see a very stoic Claude be full of emotions when it comes to his daughter. I wanted more stories or scenes about a doting Claude especially now that Athy has suitors!

Source: Pinterest

On the romance aspect, the love triangle between Athy, Ezekiel and Lucas makes my heart flutter so much. Ezekiel is nice and a textbook example of a prince/gentleman buuut I just ship Athy and Lucas so soooo much!

A little bit of spoiler but that scene where Athy kissed Lucas on the cheek will be forever etched in my memory!

Source: Pinterest

They are so cute and lovely together! I can't express how much I adore them so much. I like how Athy can be herself around Lucas and I love how chill and supportive Lucas is around Athy. Even though he is a very powerful magician and can take away Athy's problems in a snap, he still respects her decisions and trusts her judgement to solve the difficulties she face. He is also protective of Athy (in a healthy way) which is a major plus point!

I also love the scenes where the two male leads clash! The way they try win Athy's affection is amusing and funny cuz they are both competitive.

I just wished to have more side stories about Felix and Lily, Jeanette and Anastacius, and also Claude and Diana's past! Not sure if the actual novel has stories about them but if there are, I hope they get illustrated too because the art is excellent!

The artsyle is just chef's kiss! I really love how the characters are drawn cuz all of them are drop dead gorgeous! I think what stands out the most with the artsyle are the eyes, hair, and detailed clothing. As a shoujo fan, I am in love with the way the eyes and hair are drawn since it is sparkly and full of life and character.

The costume design is superb and can I just say the people behind the manhwa have great taste in fashion? All characters are stylish but I love Athy's dresses the most.

The Alice themed dress, confrontation dress, and debutante ball dress are very iconic to me.

Overall, you can tell I really love this manhwa! Maybe the things I kind of see as lacking is the way Aeternitas' story was told and also, major spoiler alert, neither Ezekiel nor Lucas ends up with Athy. I really wanted that Lucas end game!

The ending was ok and a great ending for an arc. I heard there are more post-Aeternitas events that happened on the novel so I guess it is up to the creators of the manhwa to decide if they'll illustrate that in the future or not.

I just have a lot to say about this manhwa but this post is getting long! Maybe I'll make a part 2 for my character opinions but lets see~

------

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 (minus 0.5 cuz no Lucas x Athy endgame lol)

Reading Status: Completed

#wmmap #who made me a princess #webtoon review #webtoon #manhwa #athanasia de alger obelia #my reviews #harureviews

7 notes · View notes

whilereadingandwalking · 2 years

Photo

I wanted to love Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire. Middlegame was one of my best reads of 2019, a masterwork of bendy sci fi. The core of Seasonal Fears was perfect. Harry and Melanie have been in love since they were small, fully committed to one another as Melanie struggles with a lifelong heart problem that dooms her to eventually die young. But the summer king and the winter queen are dead, meaning their crowns are up for grabs. Harry and Melanie are activated as candidates, and must enter a deadly competition. If they lose, Melanie is as good as dead. If they win, the two of them live, linked and loved, for as long as they'd like. I love McGuire's worlds. The core is always her characters. Melanie and Harry are believable and romantic, both realistic about their odds and hopelessly committed to each other. The supporting cast and the elemental world is interesting, and I always enjoy elemental magical systems. But it was just too long. McGuire has a tendency to digress, and add parentheticals. It's part of her style, and I often enjoy it—there's nothing wrong with it on its own. But this particular novel, which is 476 pages in total, could have and should have been closer to 300. The digressions were much too expository and often dug themselves in circles. It really comes down to this: at a certain point, you have to trust that the reader sees what you've already demonstrated, whether it be Harry's privilege, the two teens' love for each other, or the world-building. McGuire is usually good at trusting the reader to follow her, and then using the parentheticals as bonus material or foreshadowing only. In this novel, I think there needed to be a more demanding editorial eye to cut the text down, in order to let the romance and the sharp, dangerous action take center stage. The action is cut apart by long, lengthy descriptions and exposition. McGuire also uses digressions almost apologetically (or even pedantically) in unnecessary ways—for example, explaining why Harry as a young boy understands consent so implicitly, when honestly she could have just let it be with a sentence. I was fully invested in Harry and Melanie, but around 1/4 of the way through the novel, I stopped feeling like they were in any danger. The first fourth of the book was the best part, because it built so much around Harry and Melanie and the mystery of what was going to fall onto their shoulders, and Melanie's heart condition. But the further into the book I got, the harder it was to stay as invested. The stakes, the suspense, and the dark serrated edge of McGuire's Alchemical Journeys world were blunted by its extra length. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Seasonal Fears is out now. Content warnings for misogynstic violence, torture, ableism, domestic abuse, suicidal ideation.

#seasonal fears #middlegame #seanan mcguire #tordotcom #book review #my book reviews

14 notes · View notes

jayy-day-library · 9 months

Text

REVIEW: Neon Gods by Katee Robert

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Neon Gods is a modern rendition of the Greek Gods that follows Persephone as she flees from her engagement to Zeus in the upper city of Olympus. Persephone crosses the River Styx which prohibits Zeus from catching her without a war breaking out between the upper and lower cities. Persephone is left with no choice, but to make a bargain with the myth himself, Hades, whom she had never known existed.

Hades spent all his years in the darkness ruling the lower city. After meeting Persephone and hearing her pleas to escape Zeus, he agrees to help her while in turn getting his revenge on the god that had taken everything from him.

After countless hot and steamy nights entwined with Persephone, Hades finds himself going to great lengths to keep Persephone close.

I'm going to have you, little siren. In every position, in every way.

Review

I don't know what else I was expecting when I found this book off of "Book Tok." I definitely lives up to the hype of being incredibly spicy and "unspeakbly hot" as Entertainment Weekly put it. Half way through the book I would describe it almost as Fifty Shades meets the Greek Gods; yeah, it was THAT spicy. I had never read a book of the Greek Gods in a modern setting, and for my first book it happened to work incredibly well.

If you are not one to enjoy kinky smut, then this book is not for you as it does take up the majority of the story and doesn't exactly leave room for plot other than it being revenge against Zeus.

Let's talk about Hades and Persephone's characters. Hades is portrayed as dark, broody, gloomy - as he should being he is the God of the Dead. Under all of his doom and gloom he has a sense of care,. protection, and order not only for Persephone, but for his people and friends - as much as he wouldn't want to admit it. Persephone, on the other hand, is incredibly an incredibly spunky social butterfly that followed her mother's, Demeter, every demand, with an exception of course. Persephone's attitude remained consistent throughout the story as she brought out something new in Hades.

You've ruined me, Persephone. Forgive the f*ck out of me if I want to return the favor.

Like in many of Katee Robert's books, she includes queer representation including mentions of pan/bisexual characters and an asexual character.

This novel, in my opinion, was incredibly repetitive in back to back spicy chapters, with little room for an intriguing plot development; however, the end of the novel did had me in for a shock for the lengths Hades was willing to go to protect Persephone, and that is something you are just going to have to read to find out!

Conclusion

All in all, if you are all about total erotica and forbidden romance then this book may just be for you. I believe Robert could have added a little bit more to the plot and reeled in the erotica just a smidge. Rather than back to back spice, I would have loved to see a little more development in the story itself. Though, I will say this book is as sinful as it is sweet and with this in mind I look forward to seeing what the next books in her Dark Olympus series has to offer.

Only you could manage to run away and fall into bed with a sexy man determined to do anything to protect you. You're truly gods-blessed, Persephone.

#authors #reading #neongods #katee robert #booktok #bookish #book blog #book review #books #hades x persephone

1 note · View note

lasclcats · 2 years

Text

Iceman killer you made me mad

#Iceman killer you made me mad series#

Sunday went straight to the Regina Cross Hope/Nana Mama section and filled in the exact time the old woman had entered the house and from what direction. Then he took up a black binder stowed between the driver’s seat and the center console.įlipping it open, he noted the tabs on the first five section dividers, each marked with a name: Bree Stone, Ali Cross, Jannie Cross, Damon Cross, and Regina Cross Hope, otherwise known as Nana Mama. It read: THIERRY MULCH.Ī lithe, fit man in his late thirties with close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and slate-gray eyes, Sunday checked his watch as Cross’s grandmother disappeared inside the house. So had the phony badge on his left shirt pocket. The phony magnetic signs had been ordered online through FedEx Office. The used vacuums in the back of the van had been purchased at a secondhand store out in Potomac for sixty bucks apiece. And behind the tinted glass he was wearing the uniform of said company, a real find at the Salvation Army. Sunday had attached magnetic signs to the van that advertised over the moon vacuum cleaner company. She walked right by his van, barely gave it a glance. The old bird was tough and moving at a surprising clip despite the cane. Sunday had no sooner had that thought than Regina Cross Hope, Cross’s ninety-one-year-old grandmother, came up the sidewalk from the direction of St. Sitting in a parked work van on Fifth Street on a beautiful April morning, Marcus Sunday used high-definition Leica binoculars to monitor Alex Cross’s house and felt a genuine thrill, thinking that the great detective was sure to make an appearance sometime in the next half hour or so.Īfter all, it was a Thursday and seven thirty in the morning. There was nothing I wanted more than that. He’d gutted me and left a dead, soulless man doomed to endless, meaningless movement.Īs I walked, I kept hoping Mulch or some anonymous street predator would appear and blow my head off with a shotgun, or crush it with an axe. Thierry Mulch had destroyed everything I loved, everything I believed in. Is this what Thierry Mulch wanted? I kept asking myself. With every step the horror of what had happened to them ignited inside me all over again, and loneliness and grief and anger. With every step I kept seeing Ali, Bree, Damon, Jannie, and Nana Mama in my mind. Not even the pouring rain could slow me or soothe the agony that burned through every inch of my body because of what had been done to my family. When lightning bolts ripped the sky and thunder clapped right over my head, I barely flinched. I’d been walking like that for hours by then but didn’t feel hungry, or thirsty, or tired in any way. ’Twas the night before easter I trudged aimlessly through the dark, empty streets of Washington, haunted by the memory of my son Ali telling me that the only way to kill a zombie was to destroy its brain. In 2010, he was voted Author of the Year at the Children’s Choice Book Awards in New York. James is a founding partner of Booktrust’s Children’s Reading Fund in the UK. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books specifically for young readers. James is passionate about encouraging children to read. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.

#Iceman killer you made me mad series#

He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past decade - the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club and Detective Michael Bennett novels - and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time.

#Iceman killer you made me mad

0 notes

silviakundera · 2 years

Text

SPOILERY DRAMA REVIEW

Binge watching Immortal Samsara, with heavy misc scene skipping, because I truly am weak for xanxia romance. It's watchable if you really love the genre (though wow narrative cohesion took a big hit from how many episodes they edited out, you just have to go w it and accept all the holes).

Gotta say my perhaps controversial opinion is that the creators screwed up foundationally by changing the endgame couple from the novel - swapping from Yu Mo to the Sovereign Lord™. Wrong move that imo made the drama less compelling than it could have been. They really should have stuck with Yu Mo as her ultimate life partner and given him the larger narrative focus & screen time -- flipping the casting! They could still do their preferred reimagining of the novel, but have Cheng Yi play Yu Mo, who pines selflessly and also injures himself again & again to protect his beloved and found family. He has rivals and fight scenes! He has a secret identity! He suffers silently and pines from afar as the person he loves has an ill-fated romance with a guy who chose the heavenly rules and his leadership responsibilities over her & their love. He could have spit SO much blood and cried delicate, forlorn tears while being heroic and supportive. Longing for her, waiting for her, protecting her in the mortal world. I feel like the actor would have shined with this material and the audience would have completely bought-in to wanting her to move on from her first love.

They also should have doubled down in Part 1 on how Yan Dan truly joined the found family of Yelan mountain and created her happiest memories there. What could have been an emotionally rich arc was abandoned when the drama decided to to change the endgame OTP. Making Cheng Yi play Ying Yuan forced the drama to need to keep him on screen - they stretched out all the heavenly realm scenes to slow burn her relationship w Ying Yuan in place of stretching out her time settling into her mortal life as a flower spirit with the mountains yao. So much of Yan Dan's time in Part 1 was spent in other locations in the mortal world episodes, purely because Ying Yuan doesn't belong there. Then in Part 2 the drama remembers this is her new family, but it's too late because the viewer by now is laser-focused on her & Ying Yuan working things out.

IMO this was a mistake, because viewers love found family dynamics when there is real team building & investment. Drama tried to have it both ways but I wasn't feeling it - they didn't build up Yan Dan's connection with the location & people enough in Part 1 and so in Part 2 you never believe she will pick them over getting back together with the ML or that this new life is an opportunity for her to be happier than with him. So there is little emotional investment.

The writers could have developed a poignant, bittersweet storyline for Yan Dan with the heavenly lord as a love doomed to never be. While also letting the chemistry & agonizing (blood splattered!) Cheng Yi pining get the audience invested in Yan Dan's new love, a love and a new family that will last.

It's just such an odd choice to take the protagonist through an emotional arc where she moves on & puts Ying Yuan behind her, and then reverse course.

Another alternative is drama writers could have gone w the found-family & moving on themes BUT keep the casting the same and write in a vague loophole to have Tang Zhao reborn as a spirit and they live HEA with sworn brother Yu Mo in Yelan Mountains. Basically, either option I think works better narratively than Yan Dan/Ying Yuan endgame.

I'm not saying I'm not into the couple they went with. I'm almost finished watching it, so it's obviously working for me. I just can't help but want to pull out my red pen and do some edits, where I see the opportunity for it to be MORE.

I skimmed the last novel chapters, it's MTL but there were bits that yeah, I feel like the drama writers should have leaned on the sentiment of this ending:

But I don’t know…I really don’t know how to tell you…”

Yan Dan felt that her throat was dry, and it took a long time to continue: “Dan Shu said just now that he planted a peach tree and would like to eat the peaches he planted next year. Everyone likes it here. I watched lots of monsters live here, it’s so lively…This is also my home; even if it is destroyed, I can’t let it go.”

“I escaped heaven, because…a person, I dare not face him, only escape. At that time, I thought that to jump the Seventh Reincarnation Dao is so great, but it's actually weak.”

She promised Danshu to let him eat the peaches she grew next year. Watery, big and sweet peaches.

“It won’t be long, I will be back soon.” This is her home. Even if you travel far, you will definitely come back there.

[ ]

Looking back, I realized that the twenty years were actually terribly heavy. There are traces in every place, every day and every moment are still intact in my heart. These are more profound than the 800 years in Yewangchuan.

Ying Yuan is the first obsession in her heart, an extremely heavy stroke, but Yu Mo is different.

[ ]

“The flowers here have been planted for a long time. They have not bloomed before. I wonder if they will bloom this year?”

Yan Dan sighed, hesitated for a moment, or said: “I don’t think they will . Ying Yuan, let’s just talk about it, what can we do to pretend that nothing happened? Although it has been a long time, it's impossible to erase anything that happened before. It’s not a calligraphy, where if you don’t write well, just tear off the paper and rewrite it.”

She stretched out her hand to close the carved window to hide the view from the outside, walked to the side of the desk, and picked up the very delicately carved agarwood burner: “At that time, I really admired Ying Yuanjun. I still can’t forget the Yellow Springs of the Underworld. I originally thought that I would die in Yewangchuan, because I couldn't forget the past. Couldn't reincarnate, can only transform into the ghosts underneath. I’ve never forgotten those memories. I’m afraid I won’t forget them. But, what about it?”

Yan Dan lifted the lid of the agarwood burner and said softly: “Put the whole piece of agarwood in, as long as a little spark, it will burn, and will not stop until it burns into fine scraps, and then replace it with a new piece. The agarwood continues to burn. But when the agarwood is like crumbs, it won’t be burnt no matter how you use the fire to fold it. Just like this agarwood, I have burned into fine scraps, and I won’t even make light. At most it’s just the residual temperature after it burns out.”

The agarwood burner tilted down slightly, and the ashes of agarwood like shavings were scattered on the ground, turning into nothingness.

Yan Dan smiled and looked at him: “Even the last residual temperature will be cold one day, and nothing will be lost, just like when you and I haven’t met…”

Tang Zhou is gone.

Yan Dan slowly slid down and sat on the wall, feeling that she was exhausted. I finally said what I wanted to say. But in fact, it’s just nostalgia coming and going, it's already nostalgia. From now on, she was truly relieved.

#cdrama #i think i might know #what the drama team intended #eternal love of the dream was a huge hit #i can see how twisting the story #and themes of the novel #can make it similar to ELotD #maybe that was the play here #but if that is true #i think it was misguided #i think the themes originally #in the novel #make a good romance too #frankly a more mature one #its ok to let the FL have a 1st love #see: rebel princess #the ML doesnt need to be her first #just her last #immortal samsara

1 note · View note

euterpessi · 3 years

Text

Romance Manhwa/Manga Recommendations:

Historical Manhwa/Manga:

Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess

I’ve reincarnated as the reverse harem game’s villainess, the one and only adopted daughter of the ducal Eckart family.

But the difficulty just has to be the worst!

Everything I do will only lead me to death.

I must be paired with one of the main male characters from the heroine’s harem before the ‘real daughter’ of the duke family appears!

Two older brothers who always pick a fight with me on every little thing.

The insane crown prince whose route will always lead to my death.

‘I only see the heroine and no one else’s wizard, and also her loyal slave knight, too!

‘First, let’s take some of them which I see no hope in, out of the list!’

“I didn’t know my place up until now. From now on, I’ll live as quiet as a mouse so you wouldn’t care the slightest bit!

But why do their interests in me keep on rising every time I draw the line?!

The Villainess is a Marionette

Cayena, the Imperial Princess, was known as the most beautiful woman in the Empire. She was a woman who knew nothing but evil and luxury.

However, she was destined for ruin: she would be used as a chess piece by her younger brother to secure his throne and killed by her crazy husband.

“I’ll make you the Emperor.”

“… Sister, are you referring to me?”

“In exchange, give me freedom.”

She had to change things before she became that Cayena.

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’S Mansion

Poisoned to death by her own betrothed?! Eunha didn’t wake up in a novel’s story just to get killed off again as an unfortunate extra! To change her story she needs a cover… 6 months pretending to be the fake fiancée of the novel’s male protagonist, Duke Noah Wynknight. But will this cold-hearted, angel-faced demon of a man really help her avoid another ill-fated ending?!

Your Throne / I Want to Be You, Just For A Day

The story follows main characters Medea Solon and Psyche Callista, who become archenemies after competing for the position of crown princess of the Vasilios Empire. On the day of the Yearly Prayer, Medea and Psyche accidentally switch bodies.

The Remarried Empress

Navier was the perfect empress, however, the Emperor wanted a wife, not a colleague. And so, the Emperor abandoned Empress Navier and placed an enslaved girl beside him. That was fine until Navier heard the Emperor promise the slave the Empress’ position. After many ups and downs, Navier decided she would accept being the Queen of the neighbouring country and remarry.

Kill The Villainess

Eris Mizerian was the villainess of a novel. The only daughter of a marquis, she got executed after scheming against the pure and lovely protagonist, Helena. My only goal, after possessing her, is simply to leave this world and go home. I am prepared to face even death, but the laws of this world keep stopping me.

A changed Eris begins to draw the attention of three men who once loathed her; the Crown Prince, the High Priest, and the Knight.

"It doesn't matter. I will never be able to love this world."

Even if the only way out is death,

even if the only way out is make a deal with a witch...

I will absolutely leave this world!

This is the story of the villainess who defies fate, Eris, and her escape from this world!

The Way To Protect The Female Lead's Older Brother

I accidentally took possession of someone in a 19+ reverse harem novel.

The problem is that I became Roxana Agriche, the older sister of the sub-villain. My damn father kidnapped the heroine’s brother. Now, is the only thing left to meet a terrible end from the vengeance of the heroine?

But what if I can avoid that horrible development?

“I’m also interested in this toy.”

“I’ll protect you until you can get out of here safely.”

The heroine’s brother, Cassis Pedalian, will definitely be able to pay me back later.

Shadow Queen

“Can you be my daughter for me?”

By his offer, Elena became Duke of Franceschi’s fake daughter.

She became the queen and gave birth to Crown Prince’s son.

Then suddenly, Princess Veronica who was assumed dead came back.

She was only just a toy.

But eventually, Elena gets her son taken and is murdered.

However, she went back to the past.

“I’ll destroy all of you.”

I’ll never live as a toy again.

Elena decides to seeks revenge.

Under the Oak Tree

The daughter of a duke, the stuttering Maximilian, married a knight of lowly status at her father’s coercion.

After their first night, her husband departed for an expedition without another word.

He comes back three years later, this time as a famous knight in the whole continent.

How would Maximilian face him on his return?

"The more I think of you, the more lonely and lonely I become. I don't know why I can't quit even though it's so painful."

I'm Stanning The Prince

Angela’s fanfic became such a sensation that it even reached the Imperial Family, leading her to get arrested on charges of treason. Nevertheless, her fanfic improved the First Prince’s image, and his sister, the Princess, decides to take political advantage of this and keep Angela by their side.

The heroine who can now fangirl to her heart’s content, and the Prince who doesn’t know how to act around her. As they bicker back and forth, they start growing closer…

Miss Not-So Sidekick

Hyejung loved to read to escape her daily stress. But that’s before she woke up inside the bizarre world of her favorite novel! Instead of the main heroine who courts three eligible men, she is now Latte Ectrie – a minor villain that everyone hates?! One way or another, it’s a chance to live out her most beloved storyline, with popcorn in hand to watch all the drama! Taking charge of the narrative takes on a whole new meaning!

Even Though I’M The Villainess, I’ll Become The Heroine!

I wasn’t able to overcome the harassment and took my life, but I was reincarnated with the perpetrator? The perpetrator is the heroine, Florre, and I am the villainess, Dahlia, who’s going to die horribly.

“They said you are a villain with neither blood nor tears, but unlike the rumors, you often shed tears.”

“Your Highness must believe all the nonsense the idiots are talking about, huh?”

Grand Duke of Cervian, the half brother of the Male lead and who will be punished for treason afterwards. He approached me. I can’t lose the man who will be my greatest ally.

“Your Highness, would you marry me?”

“Now…… what did you say?”

“And take revenge together.”

A similar situation, a fixed ending. The heroine is not the only one who knows the ending of the novel. I took a long and arduous path of revenge.

Who Made Me A Princess

The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass

With the marriage of her prostitute mother to the Count, Aria’s status in society skyrocketed immediately. After leading a life of luxury, Aria unfairly meets death because of her sister Mielle’s schemes. And right before she dies, she sees an hourglass fall as if it were a fantasy. And just like that, she was miraculously brought back to the past.

“I want to become a very elegant person, just like my sister, Mielle.”

In order to face the villainess, she must become an even more wicked villainess. This was the new path Aria chose to take revenge on Mielle who murdered both her and her mother.

The Evil Lady's Hero

Junipe Magnolia, a villainess friend of the heroine in this novel called Rael Cania.

The Junipe inside the novel has always loved the male lead, Iseed. To the point where she harassed Rael out of jealousy because she's loved by Iseed.

And thus, Junipe is destinied to die in the hands of the male lead of this novel.

But one day.

"Why did I become Junipe?!"

But let's think about it, it's still one year away from the time Junipe is going to get killed by Iseed. So, I have to meet Iseed and Rael first, I'll be able to find a way out of my death if I do so.

Yeah, let's meet them first!

But, this man is just so tender-hearted and kind. Would Junipe be able to escape from this man?!

I Tamed a Tyrant and Ran Away

God gave me a chance to relive my life. Before the rebirth, I had been used for the past 400 years as the empire's sword. And so, I swore to destroy the empire. I found the young prince of the country and became his teacher. I taught him how to become a tyrant and asked for the country.

"I will do the lady's will."

He conquered the whole empire for me, and I ran away.

"I came to take you, Charlize Ronan." Dylan became a perfect tyrant and searched the entire empire for me.

"You tamed me, so why did you run away?"

Untouchable Lady

“Please, Hilise. Please die in place of Gabrielle.” My always dignified brother begged me for the first time. He wants me to die for our stepsister, whom we don't even share a drop of blood with. “For the first and last time, I ask you this.” I've always been miserable, and there is no exception this time. The seventh time that I was betrayed and killed, I was completely free of lingering feelings. “I'm glad that you're a scumbag until the end.” I won't be swayed by love anymore. It's my turn to abandon them first.

I’ll Live On As A Villainess

I reincarnated as the villainess in a book!

The one who dared to commit attempted murder on the heroine is the owner of this body?

Let's just live in a quiet place where we have fun and eat! That's what I thought for a while.

It was so, so, so cold here in the north, where I was kicked out as a punishment.

Before I froze to death, I called the Great Demon of Fire and set fire to the fireplace but...

Why isn't he going back? If you've done the job, shouldn't you go back?!

I was flustered to find out that I had signed a life contract with a demon just to start a fire but to think that I'd be responsible for relieving his desires!

The bickering romance between a big puppy demon and a small villainess lady!

It Looks Like I’Ve Fallen Into The World Of A Reverse Harem Game

When I opened my eyes, I was in a different world. I had become the game’s villainous princess who was feared by all. Not to mention… Completely naked men I didn’t even know were approaching me left and right! “Are you cold? Shall I warm you up with a hug?” “Oh? Have you not had enough yet?” Seriously, what’s up with this situation? And just how the hell am I going to get out of this freaking game?!

Father, I Don't Want to Get Married!

I’m Jubelian? The daughter of the duke and the villainess of this novel?

I managed to avoid my death with some previous knowledge about my life, as this was my second time at it. Now, I should be able to live a peaceful life!

“I’m not going to marry a man unless he has everything. I want the most wealthy, famous, and competent man there is.”

I dreamt of a glamorous life as the daughter of the duke, but my father tells me the Crown Prince who is known to be a lunatic is to be my husband! As an extraordinary measure, I couldn’t help but start a contract relationship. That is, with a handsome side character that looks better than the main one.

“Why are you trying to avoid being engaged to the prince?”

“He’s scary. I heard that he even kills his own entourage if he doesn’t like them.”

A few days later, the prince sent a terrible letter to me.

“I will not kill you.”

Oh no, did I set up another death trap for myself?

Like A Wind On A Dry Branch

"Hi, You."

Count Casarius fell victim to a plague and died suddenly, leaving behind a will stating that Rietta, his beautiful young widow of the manor, whom he tried to use as a concubine, be buried alive alongside him. Just before Rietta is buried, Archduke Axias, rumored to be a cruel tyrant, arrives at the funeral to collect the enormous debt Count Casarius still owes him.

“Everyone here seems to feel sorry for her, and I still have a debt to collect from Casarius… If I take her instead of debt, I think all of you here should be happy," he smiled.

"Hello, Temptress."

Everything was a Mistake

Roa Valrose reincarnated as villainess in the book. In order to avoid the fate of being burned at the stake, she approaches the hero, Nocton Edgar.

It hurts every time she gets closer to him. Nevertheless, for her survival, she does everything he wants her to do.

“Come again, Valrose.”

The mysterious Nocton unexpectedly sought her out every day.

Then one day, her friend for 10 years says something unknown to her.

“Actually, I have a dream. The Duke of Edgar is a terrible villain!”

He is not the hero, but the villain?

As soon as she realized that she had misinterpreted the role, she decided to get away from Nocton.

“Let’s not meet anymore.”

But the villain’s reaction was strange.

“Don’t go. You’ve always been special to me.”

She was suspicious of his sudden change of attitude.

Will she able to get rid of Nocton safely?

I Became the Tyrant's Secretary

I became the secretary of a tyrant in place of my clumsy brother to survive.

But I have so much potential for it. I’m so darn good at my job. Because I served the tyrant so well, ‘Everyone has a happy ending’.

Well then, shall I quit being a secretary and live a leisurely life now?

“Rosaline, tell me what you want.” He asked as he stepped down from his chair.

“I want to quit.”

His eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Do you want to die?”

Your highness, you never hold on to people who want to leave, so why’re you being like this to me?

Seduce the Villainess Father

After being in a bus crash, I woke up to the world of my favourite web novel.

Not only that, It was before the protagonists were born, to their parents’ world!

To stop the incoming multiple bad events.

I tried to prevent the kidnapping of the sister who is pregnant with the female lead!

But I got kidnapped instead?!

It's depressing to be kidnapped, but my body couldn't handle the mana and became a sunfish-like state

But... if I am next to the emperor who kidnapped me, my body becomes normal!

Right! The way to save that man from marrying a witch and getting killed by his son, and for someone who is vulnerable to mana such as myself to live, is for us to get married!

The Villains Savior

Set on a path to tragedy and misfortune from a young age, Aseph Randell is doomed to die a villain. That is, until the mysterious Elzay Tiathe appears in his life with a promise: "I can save you." After having vivid visions of him for so long, can Elzay untangle the twisted fate tied to Aseph... or will they both be dragged down together?

Contemporary Manhwa/Manga:

Night Crying Crow

This woman; who is she?

If something was action, it'd be action. If something was romance, it’d be romance. The A-list actor Cheon Woo Kang, who's great at every (genre), had his heart stolen away by an unknown woman who’d broken into his house!

“We'll meet again.~"

Woo Kang contracted an over imaginative illness as he drew the woman, whose name he didn't even know. In front of Woo Kang, she reappeared as the police officer Park Tae... Could the shadow of the crisis that appeared in front of them be a coincidence?

Raise wa Tanin ga Ii

Yoshino Somei would have been a normal high-schooler if not for the fact that she is the granddaughter of the leader of the Osaka-based Somei Group, the Kansai region's largest yakuza organization. One day, Yoshino hurries home after hearing of the news about the unification of Kansai and Kanto's biggest syndicates, the Somei and the Miyama groups. This, according to the article, will result in a marriage of the leaders' grandchildren—one of whom is Yoshino herself! Despite her best efforts to annul the arrangement, Yoshino has to go to Tokyo to visit her fiancé, Kirishima Miyama, who is unexpectedly nice and charming.

During their first meeting, Yoshino is swept up in various events and becomes unable to refuse moving to Tokyo, which is why, half a year later, she now lives with the Miyama group. At school, she soon realizes that Kirishima is very popular, so her relationship with him garners the hate of his fangirls and subsequently results in bullying. To make matters worse, Kirishima could not be further away from her prince charming since he, after all, was born to be a yakuza member.

Raise wa Tanin ga Ii follows Yoshino and her new life in Tokyo that is filled with nothing but troubles connected to the underworld. However, though she wishes to be as far from it as possible, this isn't Yoshino's first time dealing with the world of the Yakuza...

Positively Yours

To Hee-won’s dismay, the BFF she crushed on and her other BFF are now dating! Seriously bummed, Hee-won decides to go wild just one time, and find solace with a handsome stranger. A very satisfying one night affair has now turned into more — she’s pregnant! Fate brings them together again, and now the regimented Doo-joon is determined to do the right thing and marry her. But they’re basically strangers! Except... their bodies have been very intimately acquainted. What’s this mother-to-be to do?

True Beauty

After binge-watching beauty videos online, a shy comic book fan masters the art of makeup and sees her social standing skyrocket as she becomes her school’s prettiest pretty girl overnight. But will her elite status be short-lived? How long can she keep her real self a secret? And what about that cute boy who knows her secret?

Cheese In the Trap

Hong Sul is a ordinary college student. Yoo Jung is the school's most popular upperclass man. He's good looking, rich, smart, and even nice. However, Hong Sul thinks there's more to Yoo Jung than what meets the eye…

SPY x FAMILY

The master spy codenamed has spent his days on undercover missions, all for the dream of a better world. But one day, he receives a particularly difficult new order from command. For his mission, he must form a temporary family and start a new life?! A Spy/Action/Comedy about a one-of-a-kind family!

Doppio Senso (18+)

“What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about a guy.”

KyungHyun stopped in the middle of a deep kiss and sighed. His lips began to form a smile, but his fierce glare said otherwise. Possessiveness and jealousy spread across his sculpted face.

“Will you tell me his name?”

His easygoing and languid voice reached her ears.

“Why?”

“So that I can shoot him down.”

317 notes · View notes

bonbonbunny · 3 years

Note

Do u have any good lady's isekai falls-in-love-with-a-prince-from-a-novel type webcomic recommendation? I read 2 and now im hooked

Do I EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of these I find on Webtoon. If you join webtoon and read regularly, you'll see them suggesting more things you might like, and new stuff on the main page, and you'll discover more and more of them, too. 💖

Happily Ever Afterwards - The heroine is reborn AFTER the epilogue of her fave novel, after her favorite character has been exiled from the kingdom due to the story’s events (he’s a tragic, sympathetic character). She sets about traveling to the cold, difficult kingdom of his exile to try to convince him to marry her, so that she can give him the happiness he deserves to have after all of the sad events from the book! This comic is SOOOOO sweet, cute, and fluffy-fluff! ☁️

The First Night With the Duke - Starts out with a lot of comedy, but has gotten much more serious as the chapters have progressed, with some intense scenes that I haven’t been crazy about. The heroine completely derails the plot of the novel by being born as a random, unnamed side-character who accidentally seduces the male lead, and no romance between him and the actual female lead ever even has the chance to happen. 😅

The Matchmaking Baby Princess - The heroine is born as a tiny baby princess, who uses her super cute charm to influence the characters around her so that things turn out better for them than the way the novel goes. This one is still fairly new, so the episodes haven’t shown a whole lot about how she derails the story yet, but, it is REALLLY CUUUUUTE!! And has very beautiful scenes of palatial gardens and such. Also obviously the heroine herself is not the one that the romance happens to lol.

His Majesty's Proposal - This one is a bit similar to The First Night With the Duke, with a rando side character getting proposed to by the prince after spending a night with him. A fun twist with this one is that the heroine is reincarnated from a crotchety old woman in her previous life, so she uses all kinds of old person slang (like calling people “whippersnappers” and stuff like that lol) and is kind of rude and grumpy lol.

Every Rose Has a Death Flag - Pretty typical isekai where the heroine is reincarnated as the villainess and knows that all of her ends are bad ends, so she tries to remove herself from the attentions of the prince and the other main characters, but through the process ends up endearing herself to them instead. Good stuff without any weird quirks or gimmicks. 👌

Tricked into Becoming the Heroine's Stepmother - The protagonist is actually one of the AUTHORS of this novel, so she is familiar with exactly what will be happening to all of the characters! She is reincarnated as a rando townsperson though, and doesn’t have much influence, until she appeals to the prince and just spills the fact that she’s the author and knows everything that’s going to happen to the princess (his daughter) in the future lol?! And he believes her?? And employs her to his household in order to prevent any of the princess’ suffering??? Also did I mention that the princess is the most adorable little toddler ever, with fluffy hair like a chestnut? 😭😭

The Male Lead's Girl Friend - Again, the heroine is reborn as the villainess of the story, and attempts to distance herself from the male lead as much as she can (endearing herself to him in the process). Some of the interesting quirks here are that she ships the male and female lead SUPER HARD, and is trying everything she can to hook them up together, but they both only seem to fall for her harder with every attempt. 😄 There is also a cool school/academy setting to this one to set it apart from the others with similar plots, as well as BIG YURI VIBES between the protagonist and the female lead.

How to Survive a Romance Fantasy - This is the most comedy-intensive of everything on this list. In fact, it just kept getting sillier as its chapters went on, and I actually dropped it from my reading list because it wasn’t making me laugh as hard anymore as it was in the beginning.. 😅 In this one, three normal-world folks are reborn in the fantasy world, as the heroine, the prince, and the villainess, and ALL THREE of them hate it and want nothing to do with the plot, so they run away as far from the plot as they can, and are also keeping their identities as the main characters secret from one another. It is very, very silly.

Non-Webtoon Webcomics

These have not been officially picked up & translated. To read them in English, you will have to find them online where they are posted by fan translators.

The Villainess is a Marionette - This is for real probably my very favorite comic on this whole list, and can you believe how beautiful the art style is??? The tone of this one is totally different from any of the others here. The protagonist is reborn as a malicious villainess with particularly cruel endings in her future, and she sets about to avoid them by using her power, influence, and wiles to manipulate the royal intrigue happening around her. She’s... RELATIVELY kinder than the original villainess was in the story, and several characters that were her enemies in the original story are endeared to her now, but she’s still got her claws sunk into the royal family’s shady dealings. This is a “bad boss b*tch” kind of heroine lol, and it’s super satisfying to see her come out ahead of the other villains with her crazy 4D chess manipulations.

Sincerely: I Became a Duke's Maid - A super snuggly, sweet, and fluffy story where the protagonist is reborn as a maid during the tragic antihero’s childhood. He is afflicted with a painful curse, and the protagonist, knowing that only more pain is ahead for him, does her best to befriend him and make his youth a little bit lighter.

Who Made Me A Princess - Yet again, a tragic end awaits this princess that the protagonist is reborn as in her childhood, so she uses her cute charm to change the king’s attitude toward her (he was neglectful in the original story). Some interesting original-plot-derails happen in this one, where her innate magic power is much stronger than it’s supposed to be, and she needs the help of a magical pet creature and a very handsome wizard to sustain her life in this world.

Seduce the Villain's Father - This one wins the award for having the most hilarious title in this list. 😆 It’s much cuter and lighter than it sounds!! This protagonist derails the original plot by allowing herself to be kidnapped by the villain’s kingdom instead of the intended character (her sister). She is reborn among characters the generation before the events of the novel, so the villain himself isn’t here yet - but his handsome dad is! And if she can convince him not to marry the woman that would become the villain’s mother, then the storyline is saved! Probably!

Special mention:

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Roads Lead to Doom! - This anime is probably the main “reincarnated as the villainess” isekai that introduced most of us to this concept. 😅 I’ve linked to where you can watch the anime for free on Crunchyroll, but there is also a manga if you’d prefer to read it! While there are many, many comics that use this plot hook, this is the only one that made it to anime form, so it’s like, required watching!

To close this long list up, all of these recs are JUST ISEKAI!!!! If I were recommending my favorite webcomics in general, there could also be Cursed Princess Club, The Remarried Empress, The Princess’ Jewels, and Men of the Harem in this list...

There are so, so many comics with beautiful art styles featuring gorgeous princesses, it’s crazy!! 😭😭 I could for real spend my whole life reading them probably?? 👌👌 Those millions of women that read romance novels about dukes falling in love with noble women are suddenly extremely relatable.

#asks #isekai #webcomics #webcomic #long post

72 notes · View notes

ivyprism · 2 years

Text

Romance Anime (mostly reverse harem kind of) AU Plots

Based on my likes!

A typical college student is hard at work in the library studying for something for her midterms, but as she leaves her house, she is confronted with a near-death experience. She awakens in the hospital, seemingly unharmed, but suddenly, she has the ability to see and interact with spirits. She meets a strange man who is a supernatural investigator, and because he is intrigued by her abilities, he chooses her to join his investigation for a handsome sum of money. That's when she meets her fellow investigators and some fall for her.

A normal college student was walking home when she was attacked by a magical creature. Unable to fight back and about to meet her end, a childhood friend saves her as if fate intervened. She wakes up and dismisses it as a dream, but then she runs into the same person while being attacked by another magical creature. Many people are after her, so the person from her childhood takes her into the safety of his company, which protects people from magic. Slowly but steadily, she discovers her abilities.

A college student is stranded in another world and must survive and avoid her doom. She meets a person who resembles a character from a story she once wrote but is very different than she recalls. As well as other characters from her books and novels. She is taken in and learns to fight and defend herself while working her way into the hearts of her many characters, who eventually fall in love with her.

A college student with a magical gift is transported to a college where she meets and makes many friends, but imagine her surprise when she recognizes her childhood friend group. As an impending dark force threatens to turn her life completely upside down, she struggles to rekindle the friendship. She learns to defend herself and her loved ones as two people fall in love with her and vie for her affections.

As a small girl, our protagonist, a songwriter, and small-time singer found herself in a dangerous situation when someone saved her. She never learns the name of the person who saved her, but now as an adult, she searches for and wishes to thank the person who did. During her search, she meets her two love interests by chance, unaware that one of them had saved her as a child. As she pursues her dream of becoming a singer, secrets are revealed and her life is jeopardized.

Born into a wealthy family, our protagonist attends the best college for talented and gifted young people, as well as magic. Many people believe her power is all a ruse, but she intends to prove them and the rumors wrong. Unaware of the dangers, she associates with the most popular people there, and a few of them fall for her. As a result, her life is in jeopardy due to jealousy, anger, and bitterness, as well as a dark force beyond the scenes.

------

@kiokooo

#in the spirit of february #I DUNNO #I'm not entirely sure these aren't taken #BUT STILL #romance anime au #AHHHHHH

21 notes · View notes

the-insomniac-emporium · 3 years

Text

Serenade (Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader) Pt. 12 FINALE

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language Warnings: Nope! Notes: How lovely it has been, to go on this journey with you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to every person who has liked, reblogged, or left a kind comment on this story. Combined, you all have genuinely changed my life. I'm writing more than ever, more consistently, and I'm having a blast. So if you like this story, and wish it wasn't ending, well... maybe don't worry too much. There will be a sequel of sorts, same timeline but new reader, instead focusing on Cassandra. Also oops this is hella long. And mostly dialogue. Past Chapters: Pt. 1: Nocturne, Pt. 2: Overture, Pt. 3: Accelerando, Pt. 4: Toccata, Pt. 5: Poco a Poco, Pt. 6: Elegy, Pt. 7: Harmony, Pt. 8: Obbligato, Pt. 9: Berceuse, Pt. 10b: Hymn AMAB, Pt 11: Cadence

Chapter 12: Cadence (Reprise)

(Cadence: Two chords that mark the end of a song)

Truth be told, she had never expected much of anything to come from this. ‘Twas not that she thought her daughter to be talentless, or that she denied the capabilities of the servant-turned-teacher, rather that she knew just how difficult it was to keep Daniela’s attention for any measure of time. Even as the weeks went by with undeniable progress, there was a part of her awaiting the collapse of it all. How long would this instructor last? How long before they were drained of blood, either for some perceived insult, or merely out of boredom? Surely, in the end, Alcina would not need to lift a single finger.

And yet here she was, at the end of a concert, pride roaring within her chest. What had she missed? What clues had eluded her, what had changed within her child’s nature? She knew that there were hints of deeper affections, fragments of a would-be love, but she had thought them miniscule. Thought that those feelings were doomed to crash and burn, unable to live up to the expectations set by decades of romance novels. Well, maybe they had failed. Maybe, somehow, Alcina had missed something else entirely.

The thought might have sent a shiver down her spine, if she weren’t so readily distracted by praising her youngest child… or by the looming shadow of a life-changing revelation.

“Mother… we need to talk. I… I have a confession to make,” Daniela explains, hesitantly slow, but with a conviction she rarely ever showed. Taken aback by the unexpected announcement, Alcina pauses, silently awaiting some form of elaboration. Instead, Daniela takes her hand, pulling her towards a set of chairs. They sit gingerly, each feeling the weight of terrifying possibilities upon their shoulders. When she at last continues speaking, she does so without a trace of showmanship or false bravado, trading it in for heartfelt sincerity. “I love them. All of this- these lessons, this concert- has been for them. For my sweet, innocent little songbird.” So here it was, the birthplace of her fears, brought forth from her mind into reality.

“I was afraid you would say that,” Alcina muses, leaning back into the chair with a deep sigh. Something itches in the back of her throat, and she yearns for her pipe, or even just a normal cigarette to distract herself. Without one, she is left to metaphorically chew on her thoughts. Realistically, there has to be some way to deal with this, some way that she can convince her daughter of the sheer foolishness of this mess. “Daniela… how can I put this in a way you will understand, hmm?… The two of you have only known each other for three months. There is no chance that you truly love them, or them you. How close can you possibly have become?”

“When have I cared about anything for three whole months? I dedicated myself to-” Daniela is cut off by the sound of the door opening, revealing the rest of her little family. It was guaranteed that they would have heard the conversation from outside, seeing as they were all inhuman, though they perhaps intended to intervene. A single hard glance from both of the room’s occupants convinces them to change their minds. “Wait, Ava, can you get us some tea, please? Something tells me I’ll need a soothing drink soon.” Hesitating in the doorway, the butler in question eyes the both of them, naturally tempted to stay and fill the role of a therapist.

“I do believe my daughter gave you an order, Ava. Don’t tell me you have forgotten the stipulations of your agreement with Mother Miranda?” Alcina interjects. With that said, the butler finally moves, exiting with an apologetic bow. An awkward silence hangs in the air once xe closes the door behind xerself, as Daniela takes a moment to recall her place.

“Three months is a long time for me. I put all of my energy towards both them and what they taught me, almost every single day. Even when their work kept them busy for too long, I still practiced, because I wanted to make them proud! For all my flirting, I’ve never bonded with anyone this way before now,” she says, hating the way her voice gets a little shaky. No matter how much confidence she has in her own writing, it is another thing entirely to be convincing out loud, with a truth she had been hiding for so long. All of her practice had been with lies. Now she had to contest with the hope that the strength of her emotions would be enough. “That song we played together, at the end, they wrote that for me. Doesn’t that mean something?”

“Oh, my dear… I want you to be happy more than anything. But we both know that your ‘history’ is stained with a number of incidents. You have always been absorbed within those books you read, and the fantasies that they provide for you. It is one thing to enjoy these stories on the side, but another matter entirely to let them corrupt your relations with others. As your mother, it is my duty to keep you safe, first and foremost,” Alcina proclaims, sitting up straighter, trying not to let her frown evolve into a full out scowl. Beneath the table, her hands ball into fists, clutched tight to stop herself from breaking the table. In the back of her mind she could think of little other than dismembering that damned piano instructor. Focusing on the discussion at hand, she takes a deep breath before finalizing her point. “You don’t know what a healthy relationship looks like, nor what it feels like. Your books are not ideal models for reference. One- or both- of you are going to end up suffering, and that is something I cannot allow, regardless of how ‘happy’ they make you before then.”

“You’re right,” Daniela whispers in defeat… or a feigned version of it. A split second later she’s making eye contact with her mother again, lips curling up into a smile. “I didn’t want to admit it, especially not to someone as attractive, talented, and charming as my Songbird, but I didn’t have to. They understood from the very start. We talked about it, about my expectations and my shitty behavior, and we worked on it. We’re still working on it. Maybe there will be bumps along the way, just like in every relationship, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be worth it in the end. What we have is still real, and they make me want to be a better woman. I know they’ve already helped me make the change.”

Once more the door opens, making the conversation pause, as Ava near-silently brings in the requested tea. If a pin had dropped at that moment, it would have felt as ear-shattering loud as a gong. Every second that passed felt like it dragged on, stretched out by the tension in the room, as though xe was moving in slow motion. The ‘clink’ of ceramic against the table makes xer flinch, almost spilling the tea. Neither Alcina nor Daniela react, or even acknowledge xer presence with anything more than their eyes, instead remaining impassive until xe makes a hasty retreat.

“Use what you’ve learned on someone else, then. Perhaps another one of Miranda’s experiments will someday provide a suitable match. But this ‘songbird’ of yours? They’re nothing. A human, a servant, they are not worth your time, nor are they worth mine. No matter what words or songs they weave, or illusions of grandeur they show you, you will end up getting bored of them. I’m afraid it is inevitable, my dear,” Alcina says, as soon as the door is closed once more. Then she attends to her tea, with the composure of someone convinced that they had just won an argument. On the other hand, Daniela was not so quick to give in, some of her worry melting into anger.

“How can you say that? How can you be sure? We were all human, once! Even Mother Miranda was human. And my Songbird is no mere human- they are wondrous, with flowery prose and lovely melodies, with soft-lipped smiles and reassuring eyes, and don’t even get me started on how beautiful they are!” She rambles, voice getting louder with every word. All at once it is too much for Alcina, who sets down her glass a little too hard, nostrils flaring as she stares at her daughter. When Daniela speaks again, she does so with love coating her tone. “We have weathered each other’s anxieties with no signs of stopping. I promised that we would weather yours.”

“I only want you to be happy. I need you to understand where I am coming from. This may be your longest lasting infatuation so far, but you have yet to honestly convince me that this is any different from your past ‘distractions’. I’m sorry, Daniela, I simply cannot allow this to continue,” Alcina sighs, hating to break her youngest daughter’s heart like this. There was only one thing that Daniela had yet to try. Maybe two, if she was willing to resort to begging.

“Can’t you trust me enough to give us a chance? Cassandra of all people seems to understand. Bela went as far as to lie to you, for our sake! She never does anything she thinks will hurt me, or you, or any of us. Please, mother, please. How can you ever know if what I have will last, if you cut it down now? Are you going to wait forever for some ‘perfect candidate’ for me? And what if that person loves someone else? Or what if the ‘perfect’ person doesn’t exist! What if we’re stuck waiting for them like Mother Miranda waits for another child, hmm? Would you have me spend another century alone, my only memory of genuine romance being poisoned by the thought that you broke us apart?” Daniela’s words ring throughout the chamber, echoing a damning accusation, somehow more bitter than the taste they left in her mouth.

All at once, Alcina’s heart takes a hit like no other. Her hands damn-near tremble, her lungs ache, her lips purse, and her brow furrows. So be it, she thinks.

“Bring this ‘Songbird’ here. Let me talk to them.”

—————————

Goddess, you are practically vibrating at the speed of sound, palms sweaty, nervousness trashing your mind. What the hell had Daniela done? Last thing you knew, she was determined to keep your secret, even if meant being unable to celebrate with you. But now you were getting tugged along by her, while tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She had said something about “mother” and “important”. That was all the context that you had been given. When you round one last corner, pulling up in front of Lady Dimitrescu’s study, you are shown a sight that somehow makes you feel worse: Bela, Cassandra, and Ava are all resting outside of the room. They appear exhausted, and motion for you to be quiet as you approach.

“They’ve been listening in on our conversation,” Daniela admits with a whisper. Then she’s pulling you into the study, ensuring that the door doesn’t open wide enough for the eavesdroppers to get spotted. Something told you that Alcina was already well aware of their presence. “Alright, mother, here is my Songbird. What did you want to ask us?”

“Daniela… leave us. My questions are for ‘Songbird’ alone,” Alcina replies, seemingly confirming the absolute worst of your fears. This was where you would die. By her hand, without your lover by your side, after what could have been the happiest night of your life. Of course. But Daniela is not willing to go without a fight. As soon as the words leave her mother’s mouth, she is moving between the two of you, just as she had when she first called you her teacher. Before she can speak, her mother stands up and stares her down. “Don’t make me ask again- there will not be a third time.” When she still hesitates, it is your turn to be brave.

“Hey, it’s okay, we’ll be okay,” you promise her, reaching out to take her hand. Instantly she’s returning to your side, hand cupping your cheek, eyes filled to the brim with sadness. “Firefly… ‘Tell me love, we shall last until the end of days’. I love you. Nothing is going to change that, not now, not ever. We’ll be okay.” Maybe not now, you think, but you’ll be okay eventually. Cassandra and Bela, and Ava I suppose, will make sure of it.

“Okay. We’ll last until the end of days. I love you too,” Daniela says, swallowing the lump in her throat. With one last kiss she pulls away, wishing that her departure didn’t feel so much like a betrayal. She pauses in the doorway, meeting your gaze, unable to bring herself to move until you give her an accepting nod. The door swings into place with a click, sealing the room and your fate.

“So,” Alcina begins, returning to her seat as she does. For now you stay standing, unsure of just about every part of this situation, especially your upcoming role in it. “You have been deceiving me. That alone is a crime worthy of severe punishment, and yet you stooped so low as to do far, far more. I had hoped you had, somehow, managed to teach my daughter a real lesson, that you had inspired a love of music in her, that you had made an honest difference in the way she learns. But all this time… it has been nothing more than a ruse.” The last word comes out dipped in venom, acidic enough to make you flinch. Thankfully, your beloved was not the only person who had a gift with words. More than that, this was a topic that you had spent numerous nights thinking about, making you as prepared as you could ever hope to be.

“You know, as much as I desire to claim that I am that interesting, or that Daniela felt so strongly from the very start, I can do no such thing. The truth is this: Music is what brought us together in the first place. It was the catalyst for our first real interaction, the first time she ever looked at me as more than just another servant or bloodbag. We bonded because of it, and so when we went to play together, to learn, Daniela honestly did connect to it,” you explain, despite the fire in Alcina’s expression. To your surprise, she does not interrupt you, and you take it as permission to keep going. Which was very good, considering that being nervous only made you ramble more. “Music is something we’ve shared for the entirety of our relationship. Even if it’s not something she would do much of on her own, I know that she’s grown to care for it more than she might be willing to admit. And, well…

“Even if you decide that what I’ve done is unforgivable, even if I’m destined to die within the hour, I know in my heart that everything the two of us worked on still matters. Because, like it or not, she is capable of growth, of change, of progress. And even if I die, someone else will come afterwards. Daniela will get to use music as a way to forge connections for the rest of her life, now that she knows it works, now that she knows how it works. And every goddamn time that she plays, or Bela plays, or you play, she’s going to remember me. She’ll remember every moment we spent together, every piece we ever played. I’ll live on in the melodies we made. In the song that you can’t quite place, that gets stuck on loop in your head. In the song the maids sing to themselves between shifts. In the quiet evening when the rain against the window feels so much like a familiar rhythm that your daughters can’t help but start humming along, without even thinking, muscle memories in sync.”

“Are you trying to convince me that there’s no point in killing you? That, regardless, you will be in my life until the end of time?” Alcina’s eyes are narrowed, but there isn’t even a hint of anger in her tone. Just curiosity.

“No, not really. Guess I’m just making peace with my fate the best way I know how- by remembering the echoes I’ll leave behind,” you answer, pausing to wipe a few tears from your eyes. All you can think about is how much Daniela will miss you. How much pain you think she’ll go through. Because at this point, who are you trying to fool with your hope? Yourself, or the people listening?

“Hmm. I think I understand. Now, tell me… what was that you said to my daughter a minute ago, before she left the room? It sounded familiar, though I cannot place it,” Alcina questions, idly toying with her glass of tea. You’re not entirely sure why it matters to her, but you have no qualms delaying the inevitable by answering. Besides, it was a chance to talk about how much you loved Daniela (and you’d never skip such an opportunity).

“It’s a line from a poem she wrote for me. “Tell me love, we shall last until the end of days”. A promise. The song Daniela and I played together… I wrote it in response. My way of doing what she asked of me, I guess. Like I said, she’ll always have the music we shared,” you answer, unable to stop yourself from smiling.

“Damn this… I can hardly believe I am asking this, yet I feel I have no choice: Tell me, do you love my daughter? Do you honestly, with your entire being, desire a future with her? Or was this a game of survival you couldn’t afford to lose, that turned out to be more ‘fun’ than you had anticipated? Show me your heart, as it is, bare as it would be if I tore it from your chest, this very moment.” There’s no room for argument in her voice, using the very same tone she reserved for maidens who got a tad too close to refusing her.

“Alright. It was a game. At first. Daniela wanted a distraction, something to entertain her. I didn’t want to die, like I had heard so many of her ‘playmates’ did. I can’t tell you when things changed, at least not for her,” you confess, with a shaky breath. Did that make you a monster? One worthy of death? If so, you wondered if it actually made you more fit to date Daniela. “For me… I just remember her smiling wide at me, hand on my cheek, having just cracked some lame joke. Next thing I knew, well, I knew. We had a spark of something, and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to make her happy, you know? All the sudden there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I just wanted to see that smile again, everyday for the rest of my life.

“To answer your question: Yes. Goddess, yes. A thousand times yes. A ‘yes’ for every smile she’s ever shown me, for every butterfly in my stomach, for every time she’s held my hand, for every breath she’s stolen from my lungs, and for every single time my heart has skipped a beat in her name. I love her. I know we haven’t been together long, but the things I feel are undeniable. I will give her every part of myself, for as long as she wants me, for as long as I am blessed to live,” you pour your heart out, weaving your heartbeat into every turn of phrase, spilling your lifeblood onto the very conversation.

“And what will you do if she does change her mind? If she grows bored of you, as she has done with a dozen others?” Alcina counters without hesitation.

“I will weep. I will fall to my knees, and mourn this beautiful thing. But I will cherish every memory she leaves to me. Every moment where I am hers is a moment worth living, worth remembering. It will be better to have loved her with all my heart for a little slice of her immortality, than to love another, lesser so, for all of my life.” With that, Alcina sets her empty glass of tea onto the table, eying you with an unreadable expression. Something seems to stir in her chest, and at last the mask crumbles. She smiles.

“I see. Daniela, you may come back in now. Do not bother pretending that you have not been eavesdropping.” Not even a full second passes before the door opens, revealing a shaking Daniela, both of her sisters quite visible behind her (though they quickly move out of frame, leaving behind Ava, who gives a cheesy thumbs up as the door closes in xer face). She rushes to your side, taking your hand, looking stunned that you were still alive. But what shocks her more is what her mother says… “Of all the women I have ever known, family or otherwise, you are, perhaps, the most determined. Normally only in… ‘spurts’. Yet here you are, defying what I have come to expect of you. It almost feels as if I have been fooling myself this whole time, falsely believing that there is more than one possible outcome. So, ‘Songbird’, I say this: Three months ago, I agreed to give you a chance to prove yourself worthy of my daughter, for the sake of her happiness. Now, I suppose it is only fair that I do so once more.”

“Wait. Are you saying-” Daniela is once again cut off by her mother, who seems eager to avoid a trademark rant.

“Yes, yes I am. For the time being, the two of you have my blessing. I cannot say that I am entirely convinced of your chances at success, but, having seen the strength of your affections for one another, I sincerely hope that you will prove me wrong. Now come here, Daniela. I never got to finish telling you what I thought of your concert…”

—————————

In the glowing comfort of your girlfriend’s room, with the fireplace keeping things warm and cozy, you lay with your head against Daniela’s chest. One of her hands absentmindedly plays with your hair, and you release a sigh of bliss. Ava had assured you that xe would let Daphne know the good news, as xe thought that having one of the castle ladies visiting the servants’ quarters might cause a stir (and Daniela was far from willing to let go of you so soon). Now the two of you were just enjoying time holding each other close. Regardless of Alcina’s concerns, you knew that everything would be looking up from here. Assuming that Daniela didn’t have any more surprise confessions to involve you with.

“That was one hell of a surprise, Firefly. But I’m glad we don’t have to hide anymore. I love you, and I don’t know how long I could have survived without being open with it,” you say, a light teasing to your voice. Beneath you, Daniela chuckles, but holds you just a bit tighter. Then she places the softest of kisses to your forehead. “I’m always gonna love you, Firefly.”

“Until the end of days?” She asks, in a delighted whisper, grin practically audible.

“Until the end of days.”

—————————

Elsewhere in the castle, a caring mother takes another long, hungry drink from her glass of wine, staring intently into the fireplace. By her side is a silver-haired servant, who wordlessly watches her every move.

“There’s still a chance that this will all end horribly. Only time will tell, of course… but I can’t help worrying for her, she’s my daughter,” Alcina proclaims, gripping the glass hard enough for a web of cracks to form along its bell. But it does not fully shatter. No, it remains just steady enough to still be of use to her. For now. “Of course, you knew about this all along, didn’t you, Ava?... I know that you value how close you are with my children, and I know that they trust in you as much as I do… but if there are relationships or entanglements that I am unaware of, I expect you to tell me, or there will have to be consequences, regardless of your affiliation with Mother Miranda. Do you understand?”

Sighing, the mute servant pulls a notebook from xer pocket, opening it up to pen in a fresh script. There’s much tension in the air, and it only gets worse when Alcina catches a glimpse at what the note reads. As xe hands it to her, she scowls, and the wine glass fully breaks into countless shards. Immediately, Ava gets to work, picking up the largest of fragments with xer bare hands, refusing to complain about the resulting cuts. All the while Alcina stares into the fire, thoughts racing, wondering if maybe this time she could end her daughter’s problem before it was too late. Beginning to brainstorm ideas, she sets the notebook aside. Inside, in perfectly penned cursive, is a very, very dangerous piece of knowledge. The sort that could affect not only Castle Dimitrescu, but the entire village.

“In that case… there’s something you need to know about Cassandra- and Mother Miranda’s lovely little ‘pet’.”

#daniela dimitrescu x reader #daniela dimitrescu #resident evil: village #re8 village #it's really here lads #this is it #gonna go cry now #oh my god #i can hardly believe it

94 notes · View notes