#good lord i love delving in to characters like this

[avionvadion]

For someone who’s writing a fic centered around Sesshomaru x OC I sure do like to put Inuyasha under a microscope to prod at his brain to figure out what’s going on in there.

(Anyways, here’s my favorite paragraph from Inuyasha’s POV from the most recent chapter.)

"He knew what it was like to lose a loved one. He knew what it was like to lose someone he thought he could trust. He knew what it was like to love and not trust, and to have that love and distrust thrown back in his face. He knew what it was like to love and lose, because he had done it several times before, and each time was more painful than the last. His entire childhood was spent running and hiding in fear, trying desperately to stay alive, because all he had known had left him and the world was intent on getting rid of him too."

(Also an excerpt from Sango’s POV because I love her and there’s something very important near the end of it.)

Lifting her gaze, Sango turned to stare at Inuyasha again- the boy chancing a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, over his shoulders. To the demon slayer, who had been informed how badly Sesshōmaru had treated him in the past, and had seen them fight at least once, Inuyasha looked like a frightened dog.

He was afraid.

Not for Irene, who- deep down- he knew was alive, but of the idea that Sesshōmaru had somehow changed. The person he despised more than anything, perhaps even more than Naraku himself.

Sango remembered all too clearly the way Inuyasha had lashed out at Irene before when she said she didn’t hate Sesshōmaru. When she said she had actually felt safe with him. The idea that Sesshōmaru could have had a change of heart, and was no longer the ruthless demon Inuyasha grew up with- grew up avoiding, grew up trying to survive against- was… terrifying to him. It was like the world he thought he understood was coming crashing down around him.

Because if Sesshōmaru’s heart actually changed for the better, if he was actually going out of his way to save Irene- Inuyasha’s friend- then that meant Inuyasha would have to feel gratitude towards him. One of his best friends would be alive because of the half-brother that had so-often wanted him dead.

But… that doesn’t erase the past.

Sango wonders if Inuyasha realizes that. If he knows that, just because Sesshōmaru has the capacity to care now and even cares about one of their friends, it doesn’t mean the scars of the past will vanish. Inuyasha is still allowed to hate him. He’s allowed to hold a grudge.

Sesshōmaru had been awful to him.

Just because there will be gratitude to the demon lord for saving Irene, that doesn’t mean Inuyasha has to forgive him.

“Inuyasha…” The bloodied mask felt heavy in Sango’s hand, but she didn’t set it down. Her features shifted into something gentler, yet still so very sad. “It’s okay.”

The half-demon said nothing.

“It’s okay to hate Sesshōmaru.”

His feelings are completely valid on this matter. Forgiveness is a gift, not an obligation, and Inuyasha does not have to give it if he does not choose so.

#he’s such a complex character. like he doesn’t seem to at first glance but if you actually DELVE into it? #boy’s a tsundere but like onky because he’s been THROUGH some shit #he was bullied by humans and hunted down by demons. his mother and only supporter died when he was a child #his own brother spent most of Inuyasha’s life trying to kill him #when he finally learned to love again he couldn’t TRUST and then had that love and distrust thrown back at him in the worst way possible #and ended up bound to a tree for fifty years before a girl identical to the one who pinned him there woke him up #and then he learned to love AND trust. but then becomes so very afraid of losing everything all over again #so he tries to keep his new friends at a distance but fails because they’re stubborn and affectionate and LOVE him for who he is #and now the brother who hates him and tried several times to kill him is raising a HUMAN??? He ADOPTED a human???? #in this essay I will- #Inuyasha #Sesshomaru #kagome higurashi #his tsundere-ness is like a defense mechanism and it HURTS ME but like in a good way #sango #lord sesshoumaru #Sesshomaru x oc

[milswrites]

The Bat Boys X Bookworm!Reader

Summary: What the Bat Boys (and Eris & Lucien) are like with their bookworm partners

Warnings: Lil smutty and nsfw (not too much just want to cover myself) so 18+ MDNI

Notes: Just a bit of fun really, it's different to what I usually write but I hope you guys like it!

Rhysand

Rhysand loves you

And if loving you means that he has to feed your obsession with buying books?

Then he would happily clear out all the bookshops in Velaris if it meant getting to see you smile.

Rhysand is rich-rich.

Which means if there's something you want? He'll buy it for you without question.

You once mentioned about how much you'd love your own library one day.

So of course by the end of the week you had your own little haven inside Rhysand's house with more books than you could ever dream of reading and your own little ladder to reach them all.

But he didn't stop there.

For your mating gift he purchased you your very own library in Velaris

In which Rhys may or may not have enacted his fantasies of sleeping with a Librarian.

Whilst Rhysand does like to read, his taste in books is very different to your own.

But even though he doesn't read the books you do, he's more than happy to sit and listen to you talk about your favourite ones for hours if that meant being able to see your eyes light up as you talked about something you loved.

But no books nor libraries could top the best gift he had ever given you.

A hand-written book containing the story of your relationionship.

Complete with crude little comments and drawings the High Lord had scribbled down in the margins.

Rhysand loved history.

So what better way to preserve his undying love for you than in-between the pages of a book which would last forever.

Cassian

Cassian had never been very interested in books.

He'd much rather experience the thrill of real fighting and action in person than spend his time reading about it on some dusty old pages.

In fact the only time Cassian had been in a library he had the terrifying encounter with Bryaxis.

Safe to say that the trauma he experienced was the perfect excuse for never stepping in one again.

Until he met you.

Cassian has always been the type of guy who's all in or nothing.

He discovers the person he has a crush on likes reading?

You know he's going to be walking around with books he's never even opened pretending like he is a well-read Illyrian.

Citing quotes he doesn't even understand just to try and impress you.

And once you're together?

You show Cassian exactly what he's missed out on when it comes to reading.

Especially when it comes to getting tips for your bedroom activities.

For months after you revealed to him the wonders that are smut books, Cassian would spend his free time delving through the pages looking for new ideas on how to spice up your sex life.

Claiming his increased interest in reading was due to 'research purposes'

Cassian is 100% down to roleplay characters from your novels

He loves being the big strong hero to your damsel.

Whenever Cassian catches you reading, happily curled into the comfort of your sofa, he'll approach with a smirk on his lips

"Any new tricks you'd like to try out? I think page 69 is worth a shot."

Azriel

Azriel's a busy guy.

He's always away on missions for Rhysand or working in the dungeons of the Court of Nightmare's

So he can be forgiven if when he comes home, reading is the last thing on his mind.

But what he does enjoy though, is when you read to him.

He can lay with his head in your lap for hours.

Humming along to whatever tale you tell whether it's fantasy, romance or a good thriller

Sometimes he'll even offer his input. Laugh when something especially funny happens or shed a tear whenever a character he likes died.

Azriel loves the sound of your voice

Enjoying the way you put on voices whenever a character is speaking.

He's grown to like the sense of domesticity that he feels whenever you read to him. Allowing himself to imagine you doing this to two little Illyrian babies of your own.

Reading to your wide eyed children as they are gripped by the tales you're telling

Azriel is also a gentleman.

Need a hand with carrying the books you're choosing whilst you shop?

He's there

Hands willingly taking everything you stack on top of him, trailing after you with your selections like a lost puppy.

And when you get to the till?

Azriel had already spoken to the shopkeeper upon entry and added anything you chose to his account. Claiming the books were just as much his as they were yours if you were going to read them to him.

Azriel is definitely the type of male who likes you to read your smut to him as he pleasures you, acting out the words on the page until you're unable to speak anymore, leaving the rest of the chapter to your own imagination.

Eris

Eris is a reader.

He loves nothing more than to settle down after a long day with a good book in hand and a steaming tea.

You can't tell me he doesn't find it the hottest thing ever when he discovers you like to read too

The two of you have your own little book club

You'll each read the same book and then have a little meeting when it's over to discuss what you thought of it.

He can also get really emotional and intense about them.

God knows the amount of times you've had to calm him down when a character has made a choice he didn't like.

I think Eris definitely likes to write too

Not seriously, but it's a good way for him to get his thoughts out and to escape from the day to day of his reality.

And he loves to have you read his work

To see the way your face lights with joy as your eyes flick through his beautiful prose.

A small smile upon his lips at the knowledge that the muse for his writings was you.

Lucien

Lucien also likes to read.

But the way you read?

It terrifies him.

The way you obsess over the characters from your stories.

Your passionate opinions on their decisions and the plots.

God forbid Lucien says something about them that you don't agree with.

Lucien finds you positively feral when it comes to the stories you like.

But that doesn't stop him from wanting to show interest in them too.

Lucien likes to read all your favorite books and leave annotations of his thoughts in the margins.

This was exactly how the two of you had gotten together, the male having gifted you with a copy of a book he had noticed you reading.

The pages filled with scratchy comments and opinions on everything that happened.

Lucien pours his soul into his annotations and you love that.

Lucien is also a poetry man.

He loves to recite verses to you which stick out to him

Sometimes they were romantic, making your heart stop in your chest and breath catch in your throat.

But Lucien was also a fan of satirical poetry

The most ridiculous, corny things you have ever heard.

He'll come find you as you're going about your day and recite his latest read to you - your eyes rolling to the back as you did so, yet you fail to hide the smile which crosses your face every time he does so.

He has also tried to write you poetry before, express the depth of his feelings towards you. Safe to say his lame attempt of a limerick earnt him a scoff and had you hiding all his poetry books from him for the next month.

#acotar #fanfic #acotar imagine #sarah j maas #a court of thorns and roses #azriel x reader #azriel imagine #cassian x reader #eris vanserra x reader #cassian #eris vanserra #rhysand x reader #rhysand #lucien vanserra #lucien vanserra x reader

[dangermousie]

A danmei lover's biased and incomplete het web novel rec list

@mercipourleslivres thanks for inspiring me!

When it comes to Chinese web novels, I mainly read danmei. I tend not to care too much for OP heroine with a hero who dotes on her for no reason as she fights with 14 year olds narratives, nor inner courtyard fights. BUT!!! There are some het web novels I like and so here is my biased and incomplete rec list. Most of these don't have OP heroines, and very little to none courtyard fights.

Before I start, my favorite het web novel authors are: Gong Xinwen, Mo Shu Bai, Peng Lai Ke, and Jiu Lu Fei Xiang. I have yet to read anything bad by them.

Anyway, rec list:

1000 Miles of Bright Moonlight - one of my ultimate favorites, this would make such an epic drama! A smart as hell heroine, a hero who is a monk and a warrior (but also terminally?) ill and such a vivid world and amazing secondary characters (heroine’s brother is possibly my favorite supporting character of all time) and so much angst and happy ending. This has an amazing romance but it’s not romance-centric if it makes sense - ML doesn’t appear for a while. But once he does, it’s worth it!

Accompanying the Phoenix - the one that just got adapted into The Legend of Shen Li, this is high adventure and cottage core and funny and tragic and powerful ML being putty in the hands of capable FL and just EVERYTHING.

Apocalypse Arrival - Gong Xinwen’s novels are made just for me. Her heroines are always powerful as fuck and rescue abused MLs. In this novel, our heroine who lives in the post-apocalyptic world, wakes up right before that apocalypse happens. She forms a survival crew and also rescues ML who has miraculous blood and has been drained of it and is now hunted after the rescue for it. SO GOOD!!!

Black Moonlight Holds the BE Script - so fucked up, so good, with monster hero who learns to love and be human and heroine who learns to love and be human (but from the other side, her tower of perfection.) Much better than the drama which I did enjoy.

The Blue Whisper - the drama was so-so, but the novel is a bona fide angst masterpiece, which really delves into what it feels like to be imprisoned or to love.

Counterattack of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid - I remember starting this and loving the realistic feel and the heroine and wanting to stab the hero and @mercipourleslivres telling me to be patient. She was right, by the end I was on board with both the hero (who was abused and is rather autistic-coded) and the OTP. Anyway, heroine is a servant who was a concubine in the last life and got killed as part of a rich family’s harem intrigues. In this life, she just wants to keep her head down but her life gets derailed anyway. She gets sold away and eventually made a servant in the household of an exiled prince who takes a fancy to her and she endures it because what choice does she have? All she wanted was to serve out her term and become a small time merchant. This is quite realistic about lack of options for women, especially lower class women or upper class male attitudes (ML is never vicious or mean to FL but it does not initially occur to him to wonder if she fancies him or enjoys being his concubine or w/e.) It is a DELIGHTFUL slow burn tho as they grow to love each other and grow together and become one of the most wholesome cnovel couples out there.

Dandere General and His Lord - hi there, Gong Xinwen! God, I love this one. Heroine transmigrates from modern world into a brutal slave-holding world at war (think something like Warring States era.) Our heroine transmigrates into the body of a noblewoman who just hung herself. When she comes to, she discovers that woman’s twin brother was the ruler of a city poisoned by a rival claimant and the besieging army of said claimant is about to take the city and original occupant of the body and the rest of the family chose suicide as a way to avoid dishonor. Our heroine refuses, schemes with advisors to pass as the brother and rally the troops. Once the invaders are defeated, she keeps on the masquerade and rides off to one of the never-ending wars “she” is summoned to. Our hero couldn’t be farther from this. A slave and a son of a slave, he’s escaped a horrific, starving childhood during which he narrowly avoided being murdered or raped, and ended up in the army. When the story opens, he distinguished himself in battle and as a reward, he and a few of his fellow slave warriors are invited to a banquet, where they are given some alcohol and to be playthings of any nobles who want them. One of them does not survive this but ML is lucky - heroine feels terrible and so “claims” him for herself. Instead she just tends to his wounds and sends him back. She does not fancy him or anything, she is just a human being with a conscience. And the story goes from there.

Demon King's Repayment - another delicious Gong Xinwen tale with a powerful ML dedicated to capable FL. This one is a great fantasy plot (I keep imagining it as an animated series) and a sprawling cast of amazing secondaries (and secondary OTPs - there is, I swear, an OTP that is Dong Hua x Feng Jiu done thru GXW lens) to boot.

Doomed to Be Cannon Fodder - I hesitated to put this one on the list because by the end I was not keen on how misogynistic novel got to original female lead but it was one of my earliest novels and I loved it for 90% and it’s fucking hilarious at times. Heroine transmigrates as bit villainess into a novel, all she wants is not to die, but her new attitude of “pls stay away” catches the attention of her terrifying general husband. Honestly, imo still worth it.

Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir - my n1 novel on this list, smart and fierce and don’t really read this for romance because it does not start until really late, but ice cold heroine x ice cold hero both of equal brains and ruthlessness is everything. I went from loathing the ML to finding him fascinating to adoring him (and yet he softened around the edges only for FL, he never became “nice”) and loved FL throughout; secondaries are epic. If you read only one non-danmei web novel, make it this one.

The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl - my n2 novel on this list. Our heroine is the unlucky laundry maid A’Chou. She is a di daughter of an upperclass family but her family got destroyed in one of the political upheavals of the time and A’Chou, only a small child at the time, was the only survivor and was made an enslaved laundry maid. Due to various events, at the start of the novel she is a laundry maid in a minister’s household and the minister’s beloved daughter is having a fit because she’s supposed to marry the former Crown Prince which may have been great a few years back but Crown Prince had since been deposed, tortured, imprisoned and now is living in the middle of nowhere under conditions that are too meager to be called house arrest. And he’s seriously crippled too. Understandably, the young lady doesn’t want to marry him! She’d rather kill herself and so she does. And so, a desperate plan is hatched - why don’t we pretend the laundry maid is the di daughter of the minister’s household and send her off? And so A’Chu is sent as the bride. She arrives to discover a broke, seriously injured man on the verge of death…and we go from there. This is so gorgeous and tender and slow in just the right way and like AAAAAA! Secondary OTPs (one of which is MM) are also epic.

Futu Tower - the drama (Unchained Love) was a mess but the novel is such a lovely, dark exploration of coming back to life, for the ML from his dark revenge-strewn path and for heroine from not being allowed wishes of her own. She is a tribute bride, he’s a (fake) eunuch, they are both servants who use themselves to achieve goals and find peace and happiness together.

The Grand Princess - a tale where both members of the OTP reincarnate as their younger selves after killing each other in their 50s, and get a new start, this is smart and slow and so good in portraying old souls in young bodies. Their rediscovery of not just each other but themselves and their passion for living is just AAAAAA!

Heroine Saves Gentleman - Gong Xinwen novel so we have a tough martial artist lady saving a very upper class scholar and it goes from there. If elegant gorgeous ML being saved and protected (and lovingly dommed) by awesome FL is your bag, pls come right in.

Husband Be a Gentleman - schemer meet schemer. He’s an idle prince she’s perfect daughter, in reality both are wolves out for blood. Mmmm. Very OTP gets together early and is us against the world.

I’ll Be the Male Lead’s Sister in Law - one of my all time favorite novels. Heroine is made to marry a disabled nephew of the emperor. He used to be a victorious god of war but went mad and now is basically locked away and kept as a beast. GOD I LOVE THIS NOVEL SO MUCHHHHH! So much hurt/comfort and awesome OTP and after he eventually recovers, all he wants to do is to fight and murder things and dote on wifey. MMM. He’s honestly one of my fave MLs.

I Married a Disabled Tyrant After Transmigrating - if you have a Florence Nightingale complex, this is for you. Heroine wakes up as tribute bride to an almost dead dragon lord and slowly nurses him back to life as his rivals try to murder him. They are both utter adorable babies!

Let the Villain Go - another Gong Xinwen novel, this and Apocalypse Arrivals are AUs of each other. Heroine is surviving in the apocalypse, ML is the “bugbear” of the world but in reality just reacting to all abuse and torture and after she accidentally saves him, devotes himself. Fun fun fun!

Long Wind Crossing - Amazing ML and FL who grow together, clever plot, arranged marriage to love etc etc. Oh, and one point he feeds her his blood to keep her alive, what’s not to love? (Adapted into Chang Feng Du/Destined)

Lost You Forever - this is a short but delicately wistful tale of trauma and loss and love, wrapped in a high fantasy setting but so relatable despite it.

Love In Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant - so so fucked up in the best way! ML cannot live with OR without heroine. It opens on them banging in jail night before her execution (ordered by him) with corpses of men he killed for trying to defile her cooling nearby. If you want healthy relationships with respectful boundaries, gentle and considerate male leads who are modern men in period clothes, OP heroines who have everyone help them and are OP to the max, fluff and wholesomeness, that is about the worst book for you.If you want complexity, dysfunction, darkness, pain and an absolutely lyrical even if fucked up story, come right IN!!!!I am so fucking in love with the melancholy heroine, with ruthless psycho hero and the endless regret and devotion and paaaaain!

The Marquis Is Innocent - our heroine is a beautiful woman married to a warlord who hates her family. (Yes, this was gonna be The Prisoner of Beauty until SZE tax scandal.) Except she's a transmigrator from the future who knows how it ended last time around and has no interest to end up this tragically. This is in my top 5 - FL is smart but believably so (and doesn't have super battle powers) and ML is a believable period warlord. The way their relationship develops so gradually and the way his character changes so gradually as well (and the way they slowly fall in love, her slower than him) is just amazing. It is such a smart, nuanced, gorgeous slow burn. With some gonzo sex scenes :P

Mulberry Song - you like tragic endings? Come right IN! This is short and heartbreaking and wistful and very what-if.

Nightfall (Ever Night) - so long but also so smart and unusual and bloody and tho it’s not primarily a romance, you will never see another ML who loves his FL as much as Ning Que does his Sang Sang. 

Offering Salted Fish to Master - in some ways, this novel is a mess, but I am recommending it because this is a rare example of "nope he's 100% a villain and murderdude and odd, but he does love the heroine" that the author commits to.

Pihanjin - yet another awesome PLK novel, this is once again, like with Marquis, a ruthless man and a beautiful woman getting a second chance on a second go-around. FL is a lot more wounded this time around though. If you LOVE watching ML grovel and slowly, gradually win FL over, this one is for you.

Princess Agents - a dark tale with an incredibly competent and militarily powerful/ruthless heroine and two terrifying men who love her (but neither is as terrifying as she is.) There is an OTP switch halfway through that shockingly makes sense and it's just SO SO GOOOOOOOD

Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage - this is probably the one “typical” novel on this list, heroine is reborn as her youngest self and gets revenge on those who wronged her last time around. It is really really well-written and heroine is competent, hero is doting and powerful etc. It’s not a trope I tend to love but I do when it’s done THIS well.

Rebirth of the Tyrant’s Pet: Regent Prince is Too Fierce: Borgias cnovel style! Our heroine was empress in last life and put her husband on the throne tho he did not love her. However, he had her executed and had his half-brother carry out the orders and heroine died horrifically. She opens her eyes and she’s a little girl again. The OTP this time around is heroine and half-brother executioner. Why do I love it? Heroine is smart and tough but also this is a rare rebirth novel where heroine does NOT decide to seek revenge for past life wrongs because they haven’t happened yet! In fact, she sees ML abused and stands up for him because he’s a kid and no kid should be mistreated and this go around he hasn’t done anything wrong. She also gets and likes her former life husband. Anyway, this is fakecest galore because she’s supposed to be their half-sister and while she knows (from past life) she is not, they do not and fall for her anyway. ML is especially gonzo, at one point carving chunks of his flesh to save her. He’s feral and unhinged and she’s the one person he worships because she protected him and like - it’s all awesome. (I love secondary ML too.)

Reborn to Love Lord Qiansui - yes, this is a eunuch novel! If you like gender tropes reversals, this one is for you. Heroine is a tough martial artist, hero is a smart as hell and powerful eunuch. A real eunuch. Heroine finds out she owes him her life and decides to protect him. This is a total delight and an awesome love story between two really scarred people. And yes, there is sex - heroine literally reads manuals on pegging :P

Return of the Swallow - so freaking long! But really good. Heroine is neither transmigrator nor reincarnator, just a smart period woman. She is a lost family daughter taken back in. Her father is a minister in a dying empire (father-daughter relationship is one of the best things in this novel), her OTP is enemy general, and the smartness and the awesomeness of this all knows no bounds.

Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes - probably the wackiest JLFX novel I read, this is quite different from Love You Seven Times drama that was adapted from it. Our deity protagonists go through a bunch of lives figuring out they fancy each other. It's light like a souffle but just as delicious.

To Be a Virtuous Wife - some people prefer 8 treasures trousseau but I never warmed up to that one. This one is so good, with smart people (who actually enjoy sex, a ratity) and a perfect mix of plot and romance.

Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - my very first web novel. A lot lighter than a lot of the ones on this list but a total delight. Heroine transmigrates into a novel as the heroine; she has no interest in drama or chasing true love, she just wants to live a nice life with her nice husband. Too bad for her, her husband has reincarnated into his younger self and remembers how she betrayed him, so is not interested. This one is funny and light and romance doesn’t start till late on but a total delight!

Wishing You Eternal Happiness - this is tied with Dreamer as my favorite het web novel ever though it couldn’t be more different from Dreamer, with its hard-edged and hard-souled protagonists ruthlessly cleaving their way to the world and, eventually, each other, its smart cynical air. Except in one thing - the world of Wishing is just as bloody and dark. Its two protagonists are gentle, deeply wounded souls who may find salvation in each other but even something as basic as safety almost seems out of reach.

Jliafu, our heroine, is neither a modern-day transmigrator, nor some exotic princess or demoness. She is very much a period woman of her time, from a weathy merchant clan, whose beauty is her curse. You can tell the novel’s tone from that utterly bleak opening chapter where she, a favorite concubine of a capricious dying emperor, is ordered to be buried alive with him and is not even given the “grace” of white silk but slowly suffocates in the coffin, scrabbling at the lid. There is no grand threats of vengeance on her part, not dramatic opera events. Just despair and death. The whole introductory chapter is haunted by emotional ghosts - the empress’ unrequited love for the monster on the imperial bed (turning into desire for Jiafu’s suffering after he dies), the emperor slowly dying in his prime after waging too many wars, and his fear of being haunted by Pei Youan, a brilliant if sickly minister who died of illness long ago on one of imperial campaigns. There is no triumph for anyone, only loss.

When she wakes up as still a young woman, all she wants is to escape the same fate. There are no plans for power or revenge, only a desire for survival. And so she latches on asking for help from Pei Youan, the only man in her past go-around who showed any consideration and desire and ability to protect her, though he barely knew her. Pei Youan is probably my favorite het web novel ML. Despite his brains and ability, he drifts through life. In modern terms, he clearly has depression. One of the biggest, best joys of the novel is watching these two very good, very quiet, very wounded people discover happiness and love with each other. I sort of want to cry just thinking about it, tbh.

The Yandere Came During the Night - a bit of fluff that’s oddly delightful. Heroine is reborn as a (fake) sister of ML, she hurts her legs saving him and the “siblings” form a bond that ends up in fakecest delight. They are both smart and efficient and he becomes a sexy marquis etc.

#cnovel #rec list #the yandere came during the night #accompanying the phoenix #wishing you eternal happiness #to be a virtuous wife #transmigrator meets reincarnator #seven unfortunate lifetimes #i'll be the male lead's sister in law #return of the swallow #husband be a gentleman #apocalypse arrival #counterattack of the cannon fodder chambermaid #Reborn to Love Lord Qiansui #Rebirth of the Tyrant’s Pet: Regent Prince is Too Fierce #princess agents #rebirth of the malicious empress of military lineage #pihanjin #offering salted fish to master #the grand princess #mulberry song #nightfall #ever night #the marquis is innocent #long wind crossing #lost you forever #Love In Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant #let the villain go #I Married a Disabled Tyrant After Transmigrating #futu tower

[fiendishfables]

Can you make a top Lute x fem reader nsfw?

a/n: I most certainly can; love my girl Lute. Definitely going to try and write some more for her in the future. Enjoy!

warnings: nsfw, fingering, eating out, cursing, Adam being a funny lil' guy, mention(s) of killing

words: 1.5k+

characters: 8624

additional notes: thanks for 20+ followers, y'all! More fics are on the way; requests are always open!

format: Oneshot

"L-Lute!~"

"Tsk. Stay still, brat."

Your girlfriend had just come back from the usual annual extermination. Being an exorcist angel under Adams command was quite stressful, as she often took it upon herself to make known to you. Having her come back to you all irritable and angry was a normal occurrence on many days, but she did have her good days in between.

But, you'd have to admit that you liked getting to be subjected to Lute's bitter attitude sometimes.

Especially if those times happened to turn out like this one.

Lute currently had her hands purchased on the plush, supple flesh of your thighs, using her very evident strength to keep them apart from one another; keeping you exposed to her. Your legs would never be closed for as long as she had her head between them. Crush her skull all you like. She was determined to get what she deserved; claim what was rightfully hers.

Her tongue lapped at your sopping folds, nose just barley bumping your clit to provide that extra shock of pleasure. You had your fingers tangled in her short, silver hair, which she would normally scold you for, claiming it took her forever to get it to look so nice. This time though, she says nothing, as she knows you're only doing it due to the immense amounts of pleasure she is causing you to feel, the euphoria swirling throughout your body like a rapid whirlpool, ready to suck you into its deep, dark depths. Never to be seen again.

Your heavy breathing mixed with the sounds of her tongue in and around your pussy; the pace of her skillful tongue bringing you spiraling towards the edge. It was all so pleasurable, yet beautiful.

One of her hands moved upwards to your lower stomach, applying gentle force to keep your hips from bucking upward towards her mouth in an attempt to get more friction. Her tongue delved even deeper into you as she got a soft moan in response to her dominating action, exploring every spongey wall, every sensitive nerve.

Every damn place her tongue could reach in order to mark you as hers.

The shaking of your thighs, the heat of your breath, all must have been a sign for Lute to switch tactics. She never let you get off that easy. She wanted, needed, to have her fun with you; her little angel.

As she lifted her head from between your legs, your own slick covering her lips, you could've mewled. As the cold air now hit your pussy lips, it made you miss her skilled tongue almost immediately. It took most of your will power to refrain from pulling her back to you and pushing her head back down between your thighs where you both knew it rightfully belonged.

But that wasn't how things like this worked.

At least not with Lute.

She had taught you that patience was a very valuable virtue when it came to getting what you wanted. Especially if you wanted that specific something from her.

"Good girl. Seems like you can learn after all."

Lute spoke surprisingly soft, even with that smirk still playing on her face. The same smirk she always adorned whenever she knew she had denied you that sweet release; the one she had been helping to build for the past half-hour now.

At this point, you were surprised that Adam hadn't come busting into the room looking for his lieutenant. Lord, it was a miracle in itself that the two of you had managed to get this much time to yourself without the fucker interrupting you. The amount of times he had walked in on you, either with Lute's face between your thighs, or her fucking the living daylights out of you with a strap on.

Adam being Adam, he had tried multiple times to try and convince Lute to let him stay and watch, or even join in on the action.

Not surprisingly, he had failed each of those times and often left with a new bruise added to his face; the result of Lute blasting him with a beam of light and cursing at him, yelling at him to leave before she got up and made him leave.

The threat usually worked, because neither one of you wanted to know what that would look like.

You were instantly snapped out of your thoughts, feeling Lute's nimble fingers now rubbing heavily pressured circles onto your clit, sending rakes of pleasure running up your spine. A choked moan left your lips as she then proceeded to add a finger, then two, into your gaping hole, so eagerly sucking her digits in.

"Such a tight little pussy you got, babe." She cooed, fingers picking up their pace, movements becoming relentless in their pursuit of making you cum.

"Nice to know you haven't been touching yourself whenever I'm out for the evening. All because you know I'm the only one who can make you feel like this, huh?"

You only gave a weak nod in response, stars and spots beginning to fill your vision. It felt like the whole room was spinning around you.

"Y-yes, Lute. Fuck, yes. Only y-you."

Your voice sounded almost hoarse, as if you had been screaming to your hearts content only hours prior. But your mind was quickly put back on track as your girlfriends nimble fingers sped up their pace, both on your clitoris and inside, pumping those digits vigorously in and out of you in a steady pattern that had you on cloud nine.

Before you had time to fathom anything currently ongoing, you let loose a strangled cry of pure bliss from your throat, as Lute let her fingers continue to fuck you through your orgasm.

Your entire body seemed to go through a series of tremors, showing the real effect Lute's fingers had been having on you. Your thighs shook; your chest rapidly rose and fell.

It was like a whole new heaven.

Once you had calmed down a bit from the intense wave of pleasure that had just so recently washed over you, she removed her fingers from in between your wet folds. She seemed to carefully inspect them before bringing them up to her lips, which already happened to be glossy with your slick from earlier, and licked the juices right off of them, as if she were a starving woman and this would be her last time ever tasting you.

She licked her lips, looking quite satisfied as she smirked down at you. She then gave you a gentle, affectionate kiss on the lips, letting you taste your own produce on her mouth.

"Mm. Damn. Sweet as always, angel."

You were busy catching your breath as she said this, swallowing the spit that had collected in your mouth and around your lips, thanks to the disheveled state your girlfriend had reduced you into. Even your hair was in a fray and she hadn't even touched it.

"Lute, do you want me to...return the favor? I know you're bound to be stressed from extermination earlier-"

You were cut off by her scoff, almost as if she had been offended that you would even begin to offer such a thing.

"Heavens no. What do you take me for, some selfish bastard?" She asked, lips pulling down into that signature grumpy frown she normally wore.

"What- babe no. Lu, its not selfish for wanting your partner to return the favor for you, especially if you just gave them an orgasm as good as that."

She huffed, looking almost cute with her face scrunched up in a scowl. But it had wiped clean off her face, eyes softer now, as she looked back towards you.

"Whatever. But I'm fine, babe, really. Tonight was about you, and you did so good for me. Thank you for letting me get to taste you."

She seemed to think for a second before adding:

"It was even better than getting to slaughter those demon bitches down in hell today."

You offered Lute a tired smile and let out a soft laugh at her attempt to compare your pussy and killing demons in the same sentence. Eventually, she too ended up chuckling, though still holding the statement to be true, no matter how much you seemed to want to laugh or disprove it.

At the end of the day, you both loved one another more than either of you could ever bring out into words or actions.

So many emotions came to surface when loving the fierce-spirited, exorcist angel known as Lute.

It was rough.

It was different.

It was maybe even a bit playful.

But by all the angels and their beautiful wings, was it fun.

(Bonus + featuring the 'original dick')

…Though of course it could never last too long, as the sudden booming voice of Adam rang out throughout the room as he practically kicked down the door, no doubt looking for his favorite lieutenant and her girlfriend.

"Guess who's back , bitchesss! Ey, Lute, looks like your party here is missing some of the 'original dick'! All ya had to do was ask-"

He never did get to finish his sentence, for there was already an angelic spear being flung at his head, resulting in a high-pitched scream from Adam, which was enough for him to go silent in shame that his lieutenant could manage to evoke such a noise from him.

He never did seem to walk in on you two much after that.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel lute #hazbin lute #lute #adam hazbin hotel #hazbin adam #hazbin hotel adam #lute hazbin hotel #xreader #female #fem reader #oneshot #hazbin hotel oneshot #exorcist angel #exorcist angels #adam x reader #adam x lute

[pictureofdoriaaaaaangay]

chaotic book ramble so I can stop spiraling into the abyss: dark academia books you've heard of and probably already read edition

I need to talk about books I love to stay sane please stand by <3

Bunny by Mona Awad. I love this book SO MUCH. it's beautifully written, the characters are all unhinged women, there's murder, there's creation, there's a creative writing class. it drips with insanity and eroticism. reading it is like living a fever dream. you can picture the events of the book perfectly, but could never hope to explain it to anyone.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. this book is the entire world to me. I love the characters [they're all terrible and irredeemable people], I love the story [they kill a man then they kill their friend and also worship Dionysus], and I absolutely want a friend group just like the Greek class [to reiterate: they are all walking red flags]. it's a book you have to read once, then again, and again, just to notice more and more so you can analyze it and make deductions. at the end of the day, it goes beyond the age-old "moral implications of murder" and delves into "moral implications of love". don't ask me how many times I've read it. that's my red flag.

If We Were Villains by ML Rio. it was only recently that I read this over the course of twenty four hours, and I honesty have yet to recover. I'm not a Shakespeare girlie, but I still loved the way his work was so inherently and intricately woven into the story of the iwwv characters. it was transcendent. it was a tragedy, it was a love story, it was a comedy. it depends on your perception of it, I suppose. but I digress - it's a really good bloody book. expect the ending to make you cry.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, by our lord and savior Oscar Wilde. this, technically, can't really be classified under the textbook definition of "dark academia" since there's not exactly any academia (can Harry even read let's be honest here), but it goes in this list because VIBES. this is one of my favorite novels of all time, and another one I've read one too many times for it to not be a red flag. I mean, the name of my damn blog is my red flag. I love it so much. it's got everything, from art to obsession to murder to gay people to the most heartachingly profound lines you've ever read. I mean, why wouldn't you read it if you haven't already?

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever. this one snuck up on me. towards the beginning, I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but by the middle, I was hooked. by the ending, I was shooketh. reading the author note, I was sitting silently in abject horror. more gay people, more obsession, more murder - what else do I have to say?

this has been a chaotic book ramble. thank you for being here <3

#dark academia #dark academia aesthetic #dark academia books #dark academia book recs #book recs #books #chaotic #chaotic academia #bunny by mona awad #the secret history #tsh #if we were villains #iwwv #the picture of dorian gray #dorian gray #oscar wilde #these violent delights #anyways #love you all <3 #also no I didn't proofread this if there's typos that's a you problem my friend

[atopvisenyashill]

THE PACT OF ICE AND FIRE

so there's an aspect of this one i don't think has really been delved into that I think may be important when it comes to canon jonsa and I wanted to do my own lil analysis, along with maybe some tin hatting at the end here.

this is what the pact is (or what we know of it at any rate, Munkun is not exactly a good source of information):

Cregan Stark and Jacaerys Velaryon reached an accord, and signed and sealed the agreement that Grand Maester Munkun calls “the Pact of Ice and Fire” in his True Telling. Like many such pacts, it was to be sealed with a marriage. Lord Cregan’s son, Rickon, was a year old. Prince Jacaerys was as yet unmarried and childless, but it was assumed that he would sire children of his own once his mother sat the Iron Throne. Under the terms of the pact, the prince’s firstborn daughter would be sent north at the age of seven, to be fostered at Winterfell until such time as she was old enough to marry Lord Cregan’s heir.

There's two parts to this that I think are important here. Here is the first, which is the basics of the pact, and that most Jonsas are familiar with:

Jacaery's First Born Daughter Is Fostered At Winterfell -> She will marry Cregan's first born son and heir.

Obviously, this never happened for several reasons and the pact is forgotten but perhaps it will be fulfilled anyway by...

Jon, a secret Targaryen bastard, is "fostered" at Winterfell -> he will fulfill the pact by marrying a Stark Maiden aka Sansa.

Basically, it's a genderswapped version of what the pact entails. I think given George's fondness for how Tolkien was a hater of Macbeth because he thought the "no man of woman born" should have indicated a girl and not just a man born via c-section, I think the genderswap aspect fits George's style.

The second part however, has more to do with Jacaerys and Sara and I feel like it's glossed over a bit. See here:

They had spoken their vows in Winterfell’s own godswood before a heart tree, and only then had she given herself to him, wrapped in furs amidst the snows as the old gods looked on.

Jacaerys, a "secret" Targaryen bastard who gets his family name and allegiances through his mother, not his father -> Rumors of a secret marriage in front of a Weirwood with a Stark bastard, Sara

Listen. It doesn't matter whether Sara Snow is real, you believe whatever makes you happy! But what IS real and relevant is that this part was included in F&B for a reason, and is indicated to be the catalyst for the pact. Jace and Sara get secret married in front of a Weirwood, and this is what calms down Cregan so they can make their pact. And here is how (I believe) it applies to Jonsa:

Jon, a secret Targaryen bastard, but who gets his look and his allegiance not through his father but Lyanna's blood -> Jon, a Stark bastard, will marry an Heir in secret in front of a Weirwood tree.

THAT is, imo, the most important aspect of this scandalous story from Mushroom - that a secret bastard, a targaryen and a stark, secretly marry in front of a Weirwood tree just before a bloody war kicks off. People tend to make Sansa the Sara in this part, which is valid, but I think Sansa's role in this is not just to be the pretty Stark maiden, but to be the HEIR that is secretly marrying for love, like Jacaerys is, and that Jon's role will be about his status as a bastard, so that both parts kind of apply to both characters. And given that, if Jace and Sara had married, their daughter would have been a Starkgaryen with "secret" bastard heritage (from both her parents), marrying a Stark Heir, it does make sense (at least in my mind) that this may apply to Jon and Sansa's future plot. the That's something I touched on here in my "what will Jon's endgame" post.

Then there's the Vermax of it all...

Mushroom also claims that Vermax left a clutch of dragon’s eggs at Winterfell, which is equally absurd. Whilst it is true that determining the sex of a living dragon is a nigh on impossible task, no other source mentions Vermax producing so much as a single egg, so it must be assumed that he was male. Septon Barth’s speculation that the dragons change sex at need, being “as mutable as flame,” is too ludicrous to consider.)

This brought to mind the ole' Jonnel and Sansa (the first) thing - beyond the J&S similarities (Jacaerys & Sara, Jon & Sansa, Jonnel & Sansa), I think it's also important that Jonnel and Sansa never have any children, though they're married for several years. Jacaerys and Sara also never have children, yet there's the rumor Vermax laid eggs in the crypt, with some believing this may have meant Sara was pregnant (but perhaps miscarried) when Jacaerys left. I think however, the fact that both J&S couples kind of mysteriously do not have children of their own, and that their Houses descend from someone else to be important.

I've kind of briefly gone into the idea that Bran rules in a parliamentary style over (what's left of) Westeros, and while I'm not too committed one way or the other on whether he physically has children or whether they elect the ruler on the Iron Throne more often starting from Bran, the succession is significantly less of an issue because of the permanent Great Council/Parliament that will exist. Sansa (and Jon, for that matter), however, is the heiress to a long line of kings and lords and needs some sort of heir. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibililty that while in the Vale, she connects with some of Jocelyn Stark's descendants (the famous "Vale cousins" that Catelyn mentions as heirs for Robb) and makes one of them her heir, or even names the children of Arya her heir, and pulls a Queen Elizabeth, but then I thought of Vermax laying dragon eggs that are never found, and Jonnel and Sansa never having children, and George's love of threes and thought...perhaps Jon and Sansa will have an heir, but Sansa can't claim the child as hers.

In that same vein, it’s noteworthy to me as well that Serena and Edric (Sansa's younger sister and Jonnel's younger brother) have TWO sons but the line completely bypasses them. We have no idea how the Northerners felt about these marriages beyond the fact that they didn't like Lynara's sons because their rules were plagued by troubles. Is it possible that they chose to bypass Edric's sons because of the incest, and Sansa/Jon may be forced to reconcile with how the realm views him (as Ned's son) and what he actually is (Lyanna's son) when it comes to the line of succession? IE - Vermax is rumored to lay an egg in the crypts but no one ever finds out, Sansa is rumored to have have had a child with her “brother” but no one ever finds out the truth.

TO SUM UP: I think the Pact of Ice and Fire is a hint that Jon and Sansa will secretly marry in the godswood of Winterfell, and it's likely that when Sansa is named Queen in the North, her heir will be "fathered by a wolf" or a "wildling" and she and Jon won't be able to tell anyone that Jon is the father.

#i was going to end this with the 'much to think about' billy ray cyrus meme but i stopped myself #jonsa #jonsa meta #actually jonsa #jon snow #sansa stark #jacaerys velaryon #jacaerys targaryen #getting on my soap box #serena stark #jonnel stark #edric stark #sara snow #rani attempts meta #twow speculation #ados speculation #stone and snow remains #i think that's all my tags #i'm literally so nervous posting this bc i think the last part might be a stretch so if u think its dumb do Not tell me or i'll throw up lo #i also know a lot of non jonsas follow me and the opinion of most non jonsas tends to be 'those people are crazy' :'((((((( #it's not relevant to the meta but i have kinda theorized that sansa was going to say her kids were fathered by a wolf for a long time. #and then i read twoiaf and f&b and this all clicked into place for me. so i feel even if jonsa doesn't happen. we'll get something similar #where *we* the reader knows that sansa has a secret husband/lover and he's the father but the north doesn't know (and doesn't care tm)

[eriochromatic]

I am in love with the wha cross guild designs. Can you say something more about them? Like the thought process behind them and stuff.

sure! What I focused on first is how Mihawk, Buggy, and Crocodile's motives and personality would translate into the WHA world (I need a loose story first to be motivated before delving into the design!)

tbh I think with one piece's characters so focused on freedom and living without constraint, all pirate characters would technically be brimhats LOL (and Coco's arc of realizing the flaws of the current insitution is quite similar to Koby and the marines).

Devil fruit powers are easy to translate into seals tattooed on the skin (hence wha!Buggy's seal on his chest letting him split his body and wha!Crocodile's on his hand giving him sand manipulation). Mihawk is more interesting since he doesn't have a devil fruit, so naturally wha!Mihawk also doesn't have tattooed seals. Another way for a witch to become a brimhat is dabbling in forbidden seals, so wha!Mihawk has cursed seals on Yoru instead (which makes him a brimhat without modifying his body)

As for cornerstone character traits in the original: Mihawk is the greatest swordsman, Buggy is… just vibing LMFAO, and Crocodile is ambitous/power hungry/looking to rule his own kingdom. Obviously the greatest swordsman title means nothing in WHA, so wha!Mihawk instead is a great artificer, with Yoru being the strongest magic imbued weapon in existence. I'd like to think Yoru's seals were initially within guidelines, but Mihawk felt those rules were suffocating Yoru's potential, which is when he started using cursed and forbidden seals instead, all for the sake of Yoru becoming stronger.

Buggy I'd imagine is kind of like how Iguin is introduced in Coco's past- as a solo traveling witch mingling amongst common folk rather than being in a community of fellow witches. I think he'd be addicted to that feeling of superiority he'd get from being a revered witch in the eyes of the common people, so he's probably the head of a traveling circus troupe (where he's the only witch) touring the countryside (keeping a relatively low profile in the realm of witches, never staying in one place too long so the Knights Moralis don't go after him). Buggy's definitely not as altruistic or eager to help those in need as witches are supposed to be in WHA society, but of course he'd put on a good show to entertain the masses.

Eolio mentioned something interesting in chpt 53 ("We can be as in the tales of yore. King and witch, side by side"). There might've been more references to this concept of a monarch/person in power with a witch as their advisor (I just can't find it at the moment a;sldkfs) but I'd imagine that's what Crocodile would be doing. Like Buggy, I think he also gets a sense of superiority by being alongside commonfolk (vs Mihawk who's goal is to genuinely just make the strongest weapon possible and not interested in mingling with others). But instead of Buggy's route of mingling with commoners, Crocodile would definitely go the more sinister route- find some easily manipulated king or high lord and get into his good graces, eventually becoming the witch operating in the shadows and whispering machinations in his liege's ears. We don't know much about the pennisula yet and how far the witches' institution reaches so I don't know the exact position of power Crocodile feels safe aiming for without the Knights Moralis coming for his ass (a ruler might be too obvious lol but then again Crocodile tried to take over Alabasta right underneath the World Government's noses so who knows).

As for the designs themselves: Mihawk's fluffy plume being reminiscient of a brushbug is what started this entire idea for me, so I knew I had to add that in somehow. For each character I picked an overarching motif/theme I wanted in the character design, as well as adding in WHA design elements. WHA characters all tend to have large cloaks to cover their body while writing seals, and even though Cross Guild is all brimhats, nobody starts out as a brimhat so I'd imagine a large cloak or something top heavy would still be familiar to them even if they don't care about covering seals anymore.

For Mihawk I leaned a bit more into the vampire theme than his usual (cloak silhouette is bat like, plus the additional crosses everwhere. His sleeves aren't exactly attached to his jacket (like OPLA) and I also added that detail in the pants haha. I think Yoru is the real star here with all the seals on it, the two big ones are actually modified seals from the Ars Goetia (since they're supposed to be cursed after all); the top one is Glasya-Labolas (manslaughter and bloodshed) and the bottom one is Ronove (taker of old souls). The flower pattern on his sleeves is also not as paisley looking since it doesn't fit with the WHA artstyle, but there's so much hatching that at the end of the day I don't think it mattered lol. His cloak is the least cloak like since he needs to be able to swing that sword HAHA also he's not interacting with normal humans much anyways, usually he only interacts with witches that try to challenge him. Personally I think wha!Mihawk is quite bad at drawing seals on the fly- his specialty is being able to carve complex ones on metal perfectly so they'd be suitable in a fight later.

Buggy I went full medieval jester mode (I always tend to lean toward that aesthetic for Buggy rather than Joker Batman anyways haha). A couple of star motifs here and there, as well as slashed sleeves to reinforce the slicing and dicing of his body. Overall there's just a lot of vertical and horizontal lines on his body for that purpose. I really wanted to let Buggy's beautiful hair down since WHA's style is lovely with that kind of flowing hair. Oh all three of them are also wearing slyph shoes!

Crocodile's coat is directly inspired from Iguin's (esp for that scale motif); overall I wanted to incorporate flowy ornaments for him since I'd be drawing a lot of flowing sand; hence all the tassels on his cloak and sleeves. Cutouts are there for him to use sand manipulation more effectively. I know in canon both for him and Buggy the clothes also are affected by devil fruit powers but I don't think that would be the case here- Buggy's clothes also probably have seals in them and no one would be able to see if he's on stage but I think for Crocodile, since he'd be working with normal humans more he does have to be more cautious about things (hence why he also has a more traditional cloak compared to the others). Sand hat for coolness also for convenience bc he can just dissipate the sand if he's trying to disguise himself (like how Ininia's ribbons can appear normal instead of brim shaped). I also gave him a smoking pipe instead of a cigar because the pipe can be used as a red herring of sorts- to outsiders it might appear the pipe being the source of power (like for Mihawk's sword) but Crocodile's sand manipulation ability has the same scope as canon.

ANYWAYS that's probably a way more detailed response than you expected but hopefully that was interesting to read my thought process behind things! even though i captioned it Cross Guild I guess it ended up being more East Blue/Alabasta saga personalities than actual post Wano Cross Guild dynamics haha

#cross guild #one piece #witch hat atelier #erio stuff #for those confused go check my previous wha cross guild crossover art #I honestly did not expect that my thought process would be this lengthy #I guess this is what those 5 paragraph essays next to museum paintings are LMFAOOOO #maybe I should read them more closely next time I go to a museum

[marimayscarlett]

Hi hallo 👋

Please please please!!! Gush about Vampire!Richard!!! That new photo we got on Sunday was so incredibly sexy and I love hearing your thoughts about Richard!!

Thank yooouuuu ❤️❤️

Hi 👋🏼 (writing prompts incoming I'll never use since well. I'm not a writer yet I have too much imagination for my own good)

Thanks a lot for this ask! A while ago, I got a similar one which got lost on the way into my drafts, so I'm glad I get a second chance to delve into my made up lore for my beloved elderly vampire lord 🦇 So very subjective and personal imaginary facts about vampire!Richard incoming:

Vampire!Richard is an everlasting part of my obsession over him, and 'I'm still alive' really changed my brain chemistry further more in that regard - before it was mostly Völkerball!vampire!Richard, who ruled over my darkest fantasies, drawing me ever deeper into his spell:

In this version, he is in my mind a slightly arrogant but so charming, self-assured young vampire, recklessly spirited and hardly containable, propelled by success, hungry for more - and he fundamentally sees mostly the positive aspects in his immortal existence, which he savors to the fullest extent.

However, at times he falls into melancholic phases, reminiscing about his mortal life and pondering what might have become of him had he not fallen into the clutches of eternal existence.

And yet, I have to admit, with the release of “I'm still alive”, my attention was definitely turned to the senior vampire lord, who immediately captivated me.

Here, Richard strikes me as an educated and worldly gentleman who has a sense of restlessness about him. He appears to have a great demeanor, is confident in himself and knows how charmingly he has to approach people to get what he wants, and yet he carries a certain melancholy with him, some thoughts and memories never seem to quite leave him and which hint at a troubled past. Although he is no longer subconsciously searching for the ultimate sense of immortal life like the young vampire!Richard, he still doesn't seem to be entirely at peace with his past and himself.

Since my brain won't shut up and I had wonderful support by @dandysnob in the quest of working out some thoughts on a background story for elderly vampire lord!Richard a possible origin story for him - of course based entirely subjective on our fantasies around the topic of vampires in general and Richard in this role speficically:

He was born in the late Middle Ages/early Renaissance (around the late fifteenth century) into a fairly well-off, but not overly wealthy family in the northern region of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation - so he had a good start in life, but had to make something of himself to succeed in life.

His ambitious and inquisitive character enabled him to make a name for himself as an intelligent and knowledgable scholar, particularly in the field of art, rare artifacts and, to a certain extent, music research (music was part of the 'septen artes liberales', a canon of seven subjects of study which was very important during which were very important in antiquity and the Middle Ages).

On one of his travels, which led him to the region of Transylvania in Romania due to research on architecture and paintings, something happened that would change Richard's life forever - something he wouldn't have expected at the age of about 50. On the way back from a day trip to the Prejmer fortified church (Church Fortified by Tartlau), his carriage was ambushed on the road through the forest - Richard himself doesn't know exactly what happened, but he woke up after what seemed like a long period of unconsciousness and hasn't been the same since. The changes were gradual - daylight began to blind him unbearably, he became more irritable, had an unbearable hunger, suddenly much sharper senses, and an inexplicable desire to go for the jugular of his fellow human beings.

The following years and decades were difficult for Richard. He distanced himself more and more from his fellow beings and began, through research, to slowly but surely discover what had happened to him. Humanity had less and less space in his life; the vampiric nature gave him a feeling of omnipotence and a hunger that made him completely ruthless towards human life. He deliberately embarked on many journeys to conceal the fact that he no longer aged and to disguise his consumption of humans as a source of sustenance. Changing names became commonplace, and at every university where he began as a scholar, he provided a new name. Thus, he traveled extensively throughout the world, learning more and more about the dark hidden world. Despite the immortality and invulnerability he now enjoyed, Richard was internally torn - on one hand, he managed to keep his private escapades under covers and presented himself outwardly as a distinguished scholar; on the other hand, he missed human life with its true emotions and loved ones deeply.

In the 19th century, he arrived in Victorian London and found his way into high society, moving in similar circles to Lord Byron and his companions. He had always sworn two things to himself: firstly, never to let serious feelings for anyone else arise, as it simply did not fit his lifestyle, and secondly, never to seek victims whose deaths would arouse suspicion - so no woman from the nobility or a similar standing. Until one day, he fell in love with a young woman who was just as enamored with ancient objects, art, and music as he was. Even though he knew this could have no future, he could not resist and courted her, with great success - until one night (she knew of his dark secret and yet loved him deeply) he lost control and accidentally weakened his beloved so much with his thirst for blood that she died in his arms. In her final breaths, she appealed to his humanity, urging him to see that life offers so much if only he allows it.

This experience tore him apart internally, yet it also gave him back the willpower he had lacked for over 300 years. Once again, he swore to leave behind the matter of feelings and emotional relationships, and to exercise more caution, moderation, and compassion - as much as possible as a vampire. After the experience in London with his beloved, he naturally had to leave that place and became restless once again. After further travels, he eventually landed in 21st century New York, where the cultural sector thrived with museums, theaters, film, and music, alongside a flourishing supernatural underworld. Outwardly, he was a successful art dealer, a generous patron of musicians and opera houses, and an expert for museums; secretly, he quickly became known as the most influential and powerful vampire in the city, one best not crossed - a rise akin to Scarface, yet far more sophisticated.

Here we are now - an accomplished man with a successful career, centuries of experience behind him, yet he's filled with melancholy, partial bitterness, constantly struggling with his fate. Whether he will ever find complete fulfillment and happiness again...

a possible continuation can be found in the second part.

#rammstein #richard kruspe #emigrate #ask #vampire #vampire lore #went insane again. well what else is new

[scummynami]

Can you write some fem reader hc with Cale from trash of count’s family? He’s just so good 🫣

pairing: yan!cale henituse × fem!reader

tw: stalking and manipulation.

note: took me a while, BUT IT'S FINE. Thanks for this ask btw, tbh I didn't have a clue as to what "Trash of the Count's Family" was until this ask ヽ⁠(⁠(⁠◎⁠д⁠◎⁠)⁠)⁠ゝ I also have to give thanks to you cus you gave me a new genre to explore (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

!!READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!!

You were a side character who didn't even get to appear in the official comic. Well, Kim Rok Soo hadn't read the latest chapter, as he died the same day before he could even get a glimpse. So, basically you were a character that was unknown and very new to him.

You and Cale Henituse didn't cross paths at all in the original work. In fact, you were destined to meet Choi Han instead of the young master, in a secret garden at a "cold solstice gathering", and was written to fall in love with said man- starting the "Star-Crossed Lovers Arc".

But Cale... Cale wasn't aware of that, as he trekked down the woodsy path, not knowing that he was about to delve into a path that wasn't originally his, with consequences that are much terrible than death.

The stars were alight, twinkling joyously as it sets the mood. Cale was weirded out by the romantic aura surrounding the woodsy backyard of the palace. The annoying crown prince tried picking a fight with him in front of Choi Han, making him flee the scene before things escalate.

He has to admit, it was a wise decision to do so, as him slipping away from the scene resulted in him achieving the impossible- being alone.

Ever since the story started, things have been annoyingly chaotic, so it was a nice change of pace, to achieve silence, that is.

However, that does not mean his problems were over. A new entity is threatening the specific area he wants to settle in, if there was a new threat arising in manhwas, usually, this means there's another power that was left untouched still.

His pensive state didn't continue for much longer, as he senses another presence near him. And it wasn't familiar. Immediately, he tenses up and creeps around until he sees walls of grass- hedges — he assumes — hidden behind the thick trunks of the forest.

He peers through the unkept hedge and is surprised to see a lady sitting on the fountain, leaning closer and closer towards the water as if mesmerised by something. He took note of this as he walks towards her, not bothering to conceal his footsteps, confirming that she is indeed under a spell.

If it weren't for the imminent danger that was to happen, he would've stayed awestruck by her enchanting features.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he easily carried her away from the fountain, effectively breaking the enchantment.

"... Whu... what?" She mumbled as she stared ahead in a daze, before realising her situation.

"I apologise... for this. But this was the only thing I had in mind that would save the lady without hurting you," he said as calmly as he could, peering into her eyes that were as clear as the night sky above. He could feel the back of his neck getting warmer and warmer.

He sets her down, but couldn't find it in himself to fully let her go, as he keeps an arm around her waist.

"Yes... thank you, sir...?" She replies, still in a surprised state. She felt as if his face was familiar, but couldn't quite put a finger to it.

"Cale Henituse, my lady. The eldest son of Count Henituse," he said, parting with her for a bit to give her a curt bow.

"Ah," her eyes widened with familiarity as the surprise on her face remains. "I see.... you are that sir Henituse."

He was expecting judgement from the ethereal lady. But he only got a curtsy and an introduction.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Name Arlischen. The youngest of Marquis Arlischen," she says softly. "I would like to give my gratitude to you, my lord."

Oh, Arlischen. Now he knew he was definitely way past the chapter he last read. This was the arc titled "Star-Crossed Lovers" and was one of the recent chapters published on the day he died.

The first few days in the capital were spent.... wastefully. He tried to gather information about the Arlischen Marquisate but only got unconfirmed rumours back.

This was where the stalking began. Well, he didn't necessarily called it stalking, as he dubbed it "gathering research material" shamelessly.

This was also the time when he began "befriending" the young lady and his possessive behaviour towards her.

The people around him began to question his actions and deemed it as him falling in love with the Arlischen's pearl. These claims were of course, denied at first, but that was until he began to take note of his behaviour around her, and how she acts around him.

Well, that may be due to the fact that he manipulated her into thinking that she's in love with him, not the other way around.

However, he didn't really care, as he began to drink in her affections, and found himself intoxicated by her.

It was around this period that he began to unconsciously include her in all of his future plans.

It also around this time that he began to slowly isolate her until he was certain that he was the only person she needed.

Her family had long approved of their relationship, so these things weren't seen as a bad thing, especially in this society of which they belong to, where women were to become their husband's property.

Meaning, everything he had or was about to do, were seen as romantic instead of toxic.

The grass swayed left and right carelessly. Caressing the cheeks of his beloved lady.

"When we marry, you must stop these adventures of yours and stay next to me as much as you can..." she mumbles as she buries her face into his stomach, feeling shy of her words just as she spoke them.

He chuckled, finding her behaviour cute. He held onto her arms and guided her until they were both at eye level. His arms embracing her form cautiously and lovingly as if she were a piece of art, saying: "When we marry, I promise you you'll never breath a day without me by your side."

It would be joke to assume things end here.

The night he saved her from being swallowed by the magic fountain's water, Choi Han had been following her, and had unknowingly fallen in love with Cale Henituse's beloved.

Choi Han had never been selfish, nor was he the type to disobey his master. But it all changed once he saw her.

Memories that weren't created flooded into the man's mind, letting him know of his destiny. Of how everything was supposed to be his, including her.

----

tbh I wanna write about dark cale henituse. But didn't know how it should go, what direction it would take. Would rlly appreciate it if you guys write down recommendations in the comments below 🫶🏻

#yandere x reader #yandere cale henituse #yandere cale henituse x reader #dino works #yandere

[booktomoviebrawl]

We are not judging how bad the movie is, we are judging which adapted the book the worst. There are good movies that are bad adaptions.

Propaganda below the cut (spoilers may apply)

The Hobbit:

Ugh. Too long, added a bunch of unecessary stuff. Tried to make it be the same as lord of the rings instead of a bunch of weird little adventures

Stretched into three films, unbearable amounts of filler, yet important scenes are dropped or not given their due.

Stretched a book that could've easily been a single movie into three, added useless romance subplots, doesn't delve into any of the subplots that *might* have benefitted from more time, the dwarves are turned into caricatures, tried to unnecessarily connect it to the events of Lord of the Rings beyond the already present connections of the original story

Howl's Moving Castle:

LITERALLY half of the movie is just. A completely different story. The backstory of one of the main characters isn't even the same.

It retains many events from the book, but due to its wildly different characterizations (e.g. Howl is a little more polite and straightforward) the tone and themes diverge widely as well. The movie depicts the war more prominently (with a strong antiwar theme), while the book is far more mundane and in fact features Howl's hometown in Wales and his sister's family (who have no idea he's a wizard). The book also includes Sophie's sisters Martha and Lettie (more than in the film). The movie's Madame Suliman plays a very different role from the book's Wizard Suliman (Ben Sullivan). To be fair, the book is very, very English. I do love the movie, it's just not very much like the book.

Sophie in the book is fuelled by rage and spite and cleanliness. No hint of that in the movie. Also the moviemakers went and removed all the best lines, such as "No, just simple spiders" and "I assure you, I am cone sold stober" and "I think I shall die" "You have a cold you'll be fine" and also the weed killer scene and

#tournament poll #the hobbit #the hobbit trilogy #howls moving castle

[theforgottenmcrmy]

Strength ~ Part 2/2 (Ser Harwin Strong x Reader)

᯽ Please note that this is an overall part 11 of the series “Growing Strong”. The masterlist, and part 1, can be found HERE. ᯽

Pairing: Ser Harwin Strong x Tyrell! Female Reader

Warnings: Character death, fire, mentions of burns (descriptive), death of unnamed background characters, mentions of someone unaliving themselves, GOT typical sexism, canon divergence, references to past character death, very suggestive themes, and a back-stabbing brother... heck, let’s throw kinslaying on there too while we’re at it.

Summary: Was there strength in honor? … Or could honor come from strength?

A/N: this chapter starts with a bit of spicy🔥 (nothing too wild or anything, but still pretty obvious what’s going on), and then ends up with actual 🔥🔥🔥, so... reader beware.

i don’t think I want to say anything else right now except thank you guys for the all of the support. i’ll put more of a blurb at the end of this.🖤🖤🖤

Deft hands untied the laces of your dress later in the evening.

You sighed from the immediate relief and leaned backwards calmly. As your head came to rest on Harwin’s broad chest, you closed your eyes and smiled in contentment.

Harwin chuckled amusedly at your antics. “Perhaps we should have retired sooner, My Love.”

The merriment of the family dinner continued well into the night. After supper had concluded, Lord Lyonel called for some musicians, which resulted in several singers and lute players providing a few additional hours of entertainment. Only when Derrik and Selwin started to nod off at the table and your own eyes began to feel heavy did you dare to suggest that it was time to retreat to your respective chambers. The Lord Hand tipped the troubadours generously, and everyone retired. The high spirits and mirth elated by the wine shared over dinner was still fresh on everyone’s minds as they departed from the dining hall.

By now, your sons were most likely fast asleep in their own beds.

You had dismissed your handmaiden for the evening, opting for a quiet night alone with your husband instead. Like your sons, the clutches of sleep were calling to you, but now, as Harwin’s hands skimmed across your back in feather light touches, your mind kept drifting to that of another, more tempting, venture.

“That was quite an eventful dinner this evening,” Harwin commented nonchalantly, seemingly unaware of the effects he had upon you.

You opened your eyes and stood straight once more. The pair of you stood in front of a mirror in your shared chambers. You watched him dutifully as his eyes narrowed at your as he concentrated on his efforts.

“That was quite the toast you made as well, Dearest.”

The subject of Princess Rhaenyra, and the Princes, was one seldom addressed between you over the past month. It was almost as though you were mutually afraid of shattering the newfound reverie that life at Harrenhal had come to provide. But Harwin’s offhanded suggestion to the topic during the niceties of the evening meal left you wondering what his intent had been.

“My father was in a good mood this evening,” Harwin prefaced, his focus still on the work that his hands were carrying out. “But… He is still disappointed in me.”

As you watched your husband’s crestfallen look in the mirror, your heart ached on his behalf.

“I am not a fool. I did not think he would simply forget…” Harwin admitted defeatedly. “But I had hoped, if I worked hard enough, and if I proved how dedicated I am to learning about all of the responsibilities and duties of the family seat and title, I might have given my father something else to focus on instead.”

You felt sympathy for Harwin. How could you not? Just as you had carried shame that was not yours to bear, Harwin had been forced to shoulder disappointment from Lord Lyonel. Disappointment that Harwin had not, at least not truly, warranted.

But there was little that could be done about it, for reasons that both of you had delved deeply many, many times before.

You turned away from the mirror slowly. Abandoning his work, Harwin’s hands fell to his sides, and he watched you somewhat apprehensively, as though fearing he had done or said something to offend.

“You are correct,” you agreed, earning a somewhat surprised reaction from your husband. “Your father will not forget the ‘truth’ that he believes in. But he will return to King’s Landing soon, and we will remain here. He will take that shadow of disapproval with him, and you shall feel free of this burden soon, Dearest.”

A small kindness. But, given the circumstances, it was the only one that could be offered. Harwin nodded understandingly.

“Now… are we done speaking of your father?” you pivoted then, your tone light and teasing. You placed your hands on Harwin’s chest, and your fingers settled dangerously close to the buttons of his doublet. “I wish to speak of something else.”

“Ah,” Harwin mused complacently, his eyes lighting up with mischievousness at once. “And what might that be, My Love?”

You slowly undid one button at a time, your eyes never leaving Harwin’s as you did so. Once they were all unfastened, you took the lapels in your hands, and pushed them upwards. Harwin smirked as he assisted you by shrugging the garment up and off his shoulders. The fabric fell down the length of his arms and landed on the floor with a soft thud.

“You’ve caught me,” you whispered coquettishly. “... Perhaps I do not wish to speak much at all.”

Since leaving the Red Keep, all aspects of your relationship with Harwin had improved greatly. A bit of time and distance from the issues that had caused a strain on your marriage had given it a new life.

To put it bluntly- it’d been hard to keep your hands off one another.

“I hope you do not mean you intend to be quiet,” Harwin admitted, his hands reaching up to cradle your face. “For that would not be very enjoyable… and, to be honest, My Love, I do not think that is something you are capable of achieving.”

“Is that so?” you challenged flirtatiously, standing on your toes to put your face closer to his. He drew you nearer, and one of his hands fell to rest on your waist. “Would you care to make a bet then, Dearest?”

“A bet?” Harwin laughed. The sound sent pleasant shivers down your spine. “What do I earn if I win?”

In the blink of an eye, Harwin tucked his chin and leaned down to press a few open mouthed kisses at your neck. The hand on your waist pulled you closer, pressing you tightly against his chest.

You fought to keep your voice level as his ministrations made your legs feel unsteady. Despite the upperhand your husband had, you smirked. “Perhaps I shall only tell you if you are victorious.”

“Hm,” Harwin mumbled into your neck. He tore himself away, looking rather reluctant to do so. His eyes were dark with desire, but you knew you were in no safer hands than his. “I believe that leaves me but with one choice.”

“And what is that?” You kissed him chastly on the lips, relishing in teasing him.

“I must ensure that you are unable to keep quiet.”

You were swept away with pleasant dreams when something stirred you.

As you slowly came to consciousness, you looked around. You were still in the safety of your bed; you’d deduced that much upon your eyes meeting Harwin’s bare chest.

… Perhaps it was nothing.

You sighed tiredly, burrowed further into the sheets, and scooted closer to your husband.

But a moment later, you were roused again.

This time, you could tell it had been Harwin. His whole chest rumbled as he coughed lightly, making him a rather poor makeshift pillow. His eyes were still shut tight; he’d yet to awake from the fit. You decided to wait it out, not wishing to part yourself from him, nor the warmth that he provided.

Although, it was a bit warm in the room already…

However, Harwin’s occasional coughing did not cease. In fact, it yanked him from his own slumber a few moments later.

Your eyes widened, and you leaned back, attempting to give him some space. “Gods, are you alright?”

Harwin cleared his throat and shook his head; a wordless way of dismissing your concern. But when his coughing did not cease, you sat up.

“Let me get you some water-”

Your blood ran cold as your eyes were met with the eerie glow underneath the door across the room.

Flickering lights of reds, oranges, and yellows. Crackling noises too loud and a heat too warm have been caused by the flames in the hearth that would have long since simmered.

Fire.

“Harwin!” you exclaimed frightfully, pointing across the room.

At the sound of your alarm, Harwin shot up straight, and his head whipped over towards the direction you gestured to. You watched as his body tensed with stark realization.

The pair of you scrambled out of bed, finding your night attire with a haste in which neither of you knew you possessed. Harwin looked to make sure you were beside him before hurrying over to the door. Once there, his hand lingered over the handle for a moment, and he touched it lightly, cautiously. He drew his hand back and hissed.

You looked about the room, looking for something, anything. Your eyes landed on Harwin’s discarded doublet. You swept it up and tossed it to him.

Harwin caught it with ease, and placed it over top of the door handle. Now armored with additional fabric, he had a much better time of trying the handle.

The door took a solid few yanks, but eventually, it gave way. The pair of you squinted as the light emitting from the flames hit your eyes immediately. Once you recovered, Harwin stepped out into the hallway first, mindful of his step, and you were right behind him.

Fire lined the walls, and the decor that had adorned them was already reduced to ashes. Flames littered the ground, dancing about your bare feet. But none of that mattered when the pair of you were hit with a moment of dread at the same time.

Derrik. Selwin.

…

“What are children, but a weakness?”

 …

Harwin grabbed your hand at once and began to lead you through the fire-kissed corridors.

The chambers that your sons shared- fortunately, they had chosen to share the same rooms for now- were not but a few halls over. But the time it took to reach the door felt far too long.

With the doublet still in hand, Harwin attempted to turn the door handle.

It was to no avail.

Harwin tried again.

Unsuccessful.

…

 “A folly, a futility?”

…

Panic settled into your bones more harshly than it had already had. With the nearby flames, the gods only knew how easy it would have been for the metal fixture to start giving way under the sheer heat of the surroundings.

Harwin turned, pressed his shoulder against the wood, and began to throw his entire weight forcefully against the door.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The door would not budge.

Feeling desperate, you joined him in his efforts. Although, a cynical part of you knew that if a man nicknamed Breakbones was unable to force open a door, any additional help from your own strength was not likely to make much of a difference.

…

“Through them you imagine you cheat the Great Darkness of its victory.”

…

But you’d heard the musings of a parent’s strength when their children were in danger. You shouldn’t have doubted them.

After a few more tandem attempts, the door to your sons’ chambers flew open under yours and Harwin’s forces.

Derrick and Selwin were awake, but as their hair was disheveled, sleep lingered in their eyes, and their faces had yet to display anything but utter confusion, you realized they did not understand the extent of what was occurring just on the other side of the door.

“Mother, Father?” Derrik asked with a scrunched nose, wiping at his eyes absent-mindedly. You rushed over to him, throwing the covers off of him and helping him out of bed.

Meanwhile, Harwin dropped the doublet and plucked Selwin up and out of his bed with little effort at all, as if your youngest son was still a babe, and not a boy of almost eight years of age.

…

“You persist forever in some form or another, as if they would keep you from the dust.”

…

The four of you made your way through the brightly lit hallways as fast as you could. Heat weighed heavily down upon you, stray flames danced around your feet, and smoke stole the breath of your lungs. You and Harwin kept Derrik and Selwin between you in an attempt to keep them as secure as possible, and you refused to let either of the boys dawdle. Thankfully, your sons gave you little opposition to this.

When you reached the staircase that would lead you to the bottom of the tower, and more importantly, your subsequent freedom, you were relieved. You took a step towards the stairs, but Harwin halted beside you.

“Go on. Take the boys with you.”

You looked at Harwin like he was mad. Maybe he was. “What?”

“My father,” Harwin recalled gravely. “I have to go back for him.”

…

“But for them, you surrender what you should not.”

…

Perhaps the Lord Hand had already discovered the fire, and fled. Perhaps he was a lost cause already. Perhaps Harwin himself would meet a grim fate in his effort to save his father from the scorching flames.

All of these were extremely valid and persuasive arguments, and yet, none of them came to your tongue. As Derrik and Selwin looked frantically between the two of you with fear and confusion plain upon their face, and as Harwin gave you a look of firm resolve, you found yourself at a loss for words.

“Go, Y/N!” Harwin ordered in response to your inaction. His stern tone left no room for argument.

But still, you hesitated, and looked at him with complete dismay. You couldn’t leave him, not like this… And yet, your children could not remain here either.

The look on Harwin’s face was oddly mournful. …Did he know something you did not?

You searched his face despairingly, frantically trying to commit it to memory, despite the precious time ticking away with every passing second.

“Go, My Love,” Harwin commanded again, his voice softer, but no less commanding. “I shall be right behind you, I swear it.”

…

“You may know what is the right thing to be done, but love stays the hand.”

…

Your eyes filled with tears of unknown cause as you ushered Derrik and Selwin out of the castle and into the scene of utter chaos that was the courtyard.

The entire picture before you was grim and chaotic. People were running about- some carried buckets of water, others drew attention to their wounds to anyone who would listen. Some of the more seriously injured sat down wherever they could find, drawing in upon themselves.

A few of the less fortunate laid on the ground, stiff and unmoving.

The sounds of Derrik and Selwin coughing as fresh air finally blessed their lungs garnered your attention. You grabbed them by the hands and led them away, attempting to put as much distance between yourselves and the chaos behind you as was possible.

As you hurried across the courtyard, several of Lord Lyonel’s men rushed past you.

“The Lord Hand!” you plead to them desperately. “He is still inside, as is my husband!”

“We’ll find them, My Lady.”

You wanted to believe that was true, but the tone of the man who responded to you did not sound entirely reassuring. You trudged on.

On the periphery of the courtyard, Maester Briden was in the midst of attempting to triage. Once he saw the three of you approaching, the elderly man beckoned you over hurriedly. You released your sons’ hands, and let him look over Derrik and Selwin to swiftly assess for any significant injuries. As the Maester worked, you turned around, looking back at the tragedy that was unfolding before your very eyes.

Flame covering stone already blackened by previous damage. Dark smoke billowed upwards towards the sky, reaching higher than the towers themselves.

History had repeated itself; Harrenhal was aflame once again.

The gods had a cruel sense of humor.

“The smoke has gotten to them, but otherwise, they seem to be alright, My Lady,” Maester Briden decided thoughtfully. He turned, directing his next order to an assisting servant girl. “Let’s fetch them some water.”

Your eyes remained affixed to the flames as you offered a level reply. “Thank you, Maester.”

You swallowed thickly. The action caused you to flinch at the dryness of your throat. Every passing second that neither Harwin nor his father emerged from the castle wretched your heart tighter and tighter, until it felt almost impossible to breathe.

A loud rumbling echoed through the air as part of the Kingspyre Tower, where the Strong family’s chambers were located, and where all of you had just been a short while ago, collapsed upon itself. Shouts and screams echoed through the courtyard and as the ground trembled.

Now that they’d been given some water, Derrik and Selwin’s coughing had begun to lighten. You watched them keenly, desperately needing to focus on something else other than your breaking heart.

… 

“Love is a downfall.”

…

You sat on the ground beside Derrik and Selwin, feeling helpless and completely numb. You had tried to keep them distracted from the madness around you, even though it was futile.

Amidst the chaos, passerbys looked at the three of you curiously, pitfully even. You could practically read their thoughts as they eyed you before their gaze drifted over to Derrik.

Is this Lord of Harrenhal, now?

…

But then, a sudden struggle across the courtyard immediately roused your attention. Your head whipped over in that direction.

Three of Lord Lyonel’s were emerging from their castle. They wrestled a madly writhing figure in their arms.

“Let me go!” the thrashing man shouted at them viciously. “I have to go back!”

“We’re sorry, My Lord, but you know we cannot do that!”

You almost choked on your relief as the man the soldiers struggled to contain threw his upper body upwards in a vain attempt to break free of their hold. The man’s curls flared wildly outwards, revealing his soot covered face.

Harwin.

Harwin. Harwin. Harwin!

The three men marched across the courtyard, and your husband continued to fight them verbally and physically as they did so. When the men were satisfied with the distance they’d put between themselves and the castle, they deposited Harwin unceremoniously at the feet of Maester Briden.

“Stay here,” you instructed Derrik and Selwin hastily as you rose to your feet. The boys still looked ready to run over to their father at a moment’s notice, but thankfully, they heeded your order.

You scurried over to Harwin instead. When you reached him, you ignored his shouts, which continued to throw impassioned verbal insults at the men who had saved his life. You fell to your knees exhaustedly, so that you could be at his level. Then, you grabbed his face in your hands and forced him to look at you.

Upon your touch, Harwin’s shouting ceased immediately. His eyes shot up to meet yours, and your heart broke for the second time that evening when you saw the tears in his eyes. That’s when you knew.

Lord Lyonel of House Strong, Hand of King Viserys, First of His Name, was dead.

“Y/N,” Harwin breathed brokenly, still struggling for air. Despite being restrained in your hold, he shook his head as he tried to find the words.  “My father… I could not-”

You shushed him softly and pulled his head to your chest. Tears fell down your face as the front of your nightgown began to be littered with Harwin’s own. You ran a soothing hand through Harwin’s sweaty curls, knowing through personal experience that no words, no gesture, nothing at all would be able to compensate for the loss he was experiencing.

Come the dawn, the scene was just as grim.

Harwin had taken some time to compose himself, and he swallowed down his grief to be dealt with at a later time. Once he was refocused, the pair of you worked together. Water was directed to the strongest points of the fire. There was an accounting of everyone believed to have been in the fire-affected areas of the castle. Maester Briden was assisted with tending to the wounded. Comfort was given in the last few moments to those who were already lost. Those who were gone were moved, clearing additional room for the other wounded to be seen to.

Despite the brokenness you knew Harwin had to be feeling, he stepped up in the time of desperate need. The people of Harrenhal, who were now his people, looked to him for guidance, and he did not fail them. ‘Proud’ wasn’t a world you felt was apt to describe what you thought of him anymore. As you watched Harwin assist the people of his home, which, now, officially was his, with dried tears staining his otherwise smoky complexion, you recalled House Strong’s words.

Strength in Honor…

Was there strength in honor? … Or could honor come from strength?

Only when the final embers began to simmer did Harwin allow Maester Briden to tend to him.

Harwin had some nasty burns on his arms and legs, which were undoubtedly the result of exposure to flames that he’d endured in his attempt to save his father. As the Maester tended to the wounds, Derrik and Selwin sat closely nearby, not wishing to be parted from either of you.

You felt for them all. In the span of a few hours, Harwin had lost his father, and inherited the duties of the family lordship; your sons had lost their grandsire, and had lived through a terrifying ordeal at such a tender age. You grieved the loss of Lord Lyonel as well; your Good Father had come to be a secondary father figure for you. The painful loss of such a presence felt all too familiar.

“Lord Strong?”

The previous Lord of Harrenhal’s steward had approached them.

It took Harwin a moment to realize he’d been addressed, but when he did, he looked to his father’s steward expectantly. It felt like a punch to the gut when you realized it was likely to be a while for him to make that sort of adjustment.

The steward delivered his report solemnly. “After the fire started, a stable boy noticed someone suspicious lingering about. The man was cloaked, and when the cry for help rang out, he did not rise to the call, and instead, retreated to the shadows. When this matter was brought to me, I decided it was best to apprehend him, with the intention of questioning him once things had settled. I sent a few men to find him, and, as of a few hours ago, they were successful, but… I think it is best if you see him for yourself.”

Harwin moved to rise, but before he could get to his feet, he grimaced in pain.

Maester Briden tsked at him in protest and disapproval. However, the elder man was not affected in the slightest, and he continued tending to your husband’s burns dedicatedly.

“I will go,” you volunteered, looking at Lord Lyonel’s- well, now Harwin’s- steward. “Take me to him. My husb- Lord Strong- still needs to be tended to at this time.”

The steward nodded understandingly. “As you wish, My Lady.”

Harwin gave you a grateful look, but it was not needed. He’d always been a pillar of strength for you when you’d needed him to be. The least you could do was to be the same for him.

“Stay here with your father,” you instructed Derrik and Selwin. It was redundant; you knew it would be hard to tear either of them from you or Harwin’s side for quite some time.

“It appears as though his tongue has been cut out, My Lady.”

You scowled at the scene of the deceased man before you.

After the man had been apprehended, the steward had confined him in one of the cells beneath the castle, which had, fortunately, been spared from the fire. In the morning, the guards found the man dead. There were no physical wounds upon him, but an empty vial, which had held a liquid you could only guess the origin of, was resting in his limp hand.

Staring hard at the man’s face, you raked through the many faces you’d come across in your time at Harrenhal. But nothing, and no one, came to mind. You questioned, “And no one else recognizes him?”

“No, My Lady,” the steward confirmed. He nudged the leg of the body with his foot in disgust. “Whoever he was before, he was a coward when the Stranger took him.” He spat on the ground.

That was easy to agree to. Even though the questioning would have been difficult, given his incapability of speaking, the deceased man had robbed you of the opportunity altogether by quenching his thirst with poison.

“Bury him with the others,” you decided after a moment. “Whether he knew something about this travesty or not, I will not have the gods frown upon us even more for mistreating his body.”

“If that is your command, My Lady, then it shall be done.”

You turned to leave, but you stopped when the rising sun caught the glimmer of something on the man’s cloak.

The steward watched you curiously as turned back to face the deceased man. After crouching down, you leaned forward as closed as you dared, and attempted to get a proper look at what had caught your eye.

It was a pin, affixed to the front of the fabric of the cloak. But it wasn’t just any pin- a small jewel embedded in the metal was the culprit that had caught the sun’s rays. You squinted analytically.

The pin was a firefly. How odd, you thought queerly to yourself. You stared at the pin for a few long moments, before the realization struck you.

You had seen something very similar to the pin before. You were absolutely certain of it.

… But where?

“... Best to make your way through life unencumbered, if you ask me.”

Back in the Red Keep, Queen Alicent Hightower was still reeling from the atrocious suggestions that the now presumed Lord Larys Strong had just conveyed to her.

“They’re dead?”

“You’ve heard the stories of Harrenhal, Your Grace,” Larys danced around her question. “Built in hubris by Harren the Black as a monument to his own greatness. Blood, mixed into the mortar…”

Deeply troubled at the man’s apathy, Queen Alicent clawed at her own throat.

“It is said to be a cursed place, that it passes judgment beneath all who pass beneath its gates.”

“You,” Queen Alicent corrected, appalled. “You passed judgment.”

“The Queen makes a wish… what servant of the realm would not strive to fulfill it?” Larys posed flippantly, as if the answer was simple. “I assume you will write to your father now?”

“Larys,” she hissed despondently, not giving a damn at that moment about who was to fill the suddenly empty post of Hand of the King. “I did not wish for this!”

Her own opinion of Ser Harwin Strong, Princess Rhaenyra, and even Lady Y/N Tyrell aside, there had been the couple’s trueborn children to consider. The children!

“Gods, what of the boys? Your nephews? Your own blood?!” As if his father and brother had not been bad enough.

“Ah, yes, what a pity,” Larys feigned regret. “It is rather tragic when the gods decide to snuff out the light of young lives… But, unfortunately, it would not be the first time in history that children pay for the sins of their parents, would it?”

She was shocked speechless.

“I feel certain you will reward me,” Larys informed her as he plucked a flower he’d been toying with from the vase on the table beside him, “when the time is right.”

Queen Alicent clenched her eyes shut tightly in horror, until a rapt of knocks on her chamber doors forced her to open them once more. She was certain her voice was unsteady, but still, she called out, “Come in!”

Her handmaiden, Talia, entered her chambers. “It is a raven for the King, Your Grace. I would have brought it to him directly, but-”

Queen Alicent recomposed herself. “No, no. You were right to bring it to me. Thank you, Talia.”

The girl handed her the scroll of parchment, and then excused herself.

Larys watched with an amused twinkle in his eye as she read the contents of the correspondence. Redundantly, he inquired, “Has something happened, My Queen?”

“There was a fire at Harrenhal,” Queen Alicent relayed numbly, voice still rough with emotion. “... The Lord Hand is dead.”

Larys’ face was neutral. “Truly? That is most… unfortunate. My father was a good, honorable man… But alas, it would appear that the curse of Harrenhal has claimed yet another victim.”

Queen Alicent’s eyes never left the parchment in her trembling hands. Part of her wanted to desperately cling to every word before her eyes; the other part of her wanted to avoid acknowledging the monster across the room.

When she failed to say anything further, Larys decided she needed some encouragement. “And, what else does it say, My Queen?”

Suddenly, Queen Alicent exhaled a watery sigh of relief, and placed a hand on her chest. She read to him, “Your brother, Ser Harwin, his wife, Lady Y/N Tyrell, and their sons are said to have survived… and Harwin has been named as Lord of Harrenhal… Thank the gods!”

Queen Alicent finally lifted her eyes from the parchment.

The smile on Lord Larys’ face was an extremely unsettling one. His eyes were alive and present, but they contained not a single morsel of joy at the revelation.

“I see…” he commented plainly, clearly at a loss for other words.

Larys idly twirled the flower he’d plucked several times. One, two, three, four spins. Then he suddenly crushed the petals in a tightly-clenched fist. The skin on his fingers turned ghost white from the pressure.

“What splendid news, My Queen.”

A/N: I’m so sorry you guys😢🖤 like previous deaths in this fic, Lord Lyonel’s was a necessary evil. at least I spared Harwin and the boys?😰

Anyways, thank you guys for all the love🖤 I’m going to get working on the next part, which I’d like to have out sometime next week, but I may need some extra time to get it prepared. We’re going to do a time jump once again, to the time span of episode 8. Andddddd, since we lost a character this part, I think it’s time we introduce another on this next one...😉

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend🖤🖤🖤

#harwin strong #harwin strong x reader #house of the dragon #ser harwin strong #ser harwin strong x reader #ser harwin strong x y/n #ser harwin strong x you #harwin strong x y/n #harwin strong x you #hbo #ryan corr #hotd #got #house of the dragon fanfiction #house of the dragon fanfic #game of thrones fanfiction #game of thrones fanfic #harwin strong fanfic #harwin strong fanfiction #ser harwin strong fanfic #ser harwin strong fanfiction

[olderthannetfic]

Re: https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/738859016693874688/why-do-some-popular-things-have-such-small & the person who replied to it in Another ask about Slay The Princess --

This answer was a facinating read as someone currently in the James Cameron's Avatar fan space -- i was only 8/9 when the first movie came out, and wasnt very into fandom Yet, but around the early 2010's when i Did get into it and went looking, there was almost Nothing to be found (and the few that Did exist were either short character studies written by some of the smartest people on the planet or troll fics), less than a 1,000 Total in the media tag on ao3 iirc?? And i remember feeling Fine with that, for the exact readon you both mentioned -- the first Avatar is a very well rounded film, no matter what everyone cares to say about it. It was Written to be a stand alone film, and bc JC is good at what he does, that Worked, and there truly wasnt much to write fic about besides Extreme au shenanigans or a few theoretic between-scenes, you know the type.

Then the second movie came out Last year and then the Game came out THIS and the fandom has just. Exploded. It's almost funny because so many of the younger fans, who were in it for x readering with the Sully kids, keep complaining about how "the fandom is dying 😭😭" in the tags the past few months and i just have to stare at it like pal just because we're not still shooting metaphorical fireworks about how much we loved the sequel and game doesnt mean we've all Moved On 😩 Im still Diligently mpregging the resurrected villain in my new longform crack fic thats probably going to be finished around the time the 5th movie comes out. Wee child you must Power through with us. Increase Your Fandom Stamina 💪😎🏃‍♂️!!!

But yeah it's just been Extremely interesting seeing how drastically things have changed, going from that completed, hard-to-write Wholeness from how compact the first film was vs the Flood of worldbuilding and lore and new characters we've been given (and have yet to Get, there may be some evil f/f fics beyond the horizon...) and how much the Sequel has contributed in the process of making Avatar easier to enjoy Casually, rather than as a "stereotypical", "extreme" strawman'd Avatar fan of yor (our elders who i respect most vehemently, for their help in understanding and writing the Na'vi conlang in all our fics 💪❤).

Even though the canon movies have a lot of problems, ive been luckiy enough to see the Fandom do what its always done best -- ive met wonderful people and Incredible artists while the life experience + background knowledge who can flesh out the areas of the concept that JamCam has yet to delve into, for whatever reasons he claims to have, and ive And others have felt moved enough by it all to start writing our Own incredibly self indulgent and sincere stories, within the same framework! Bc good lord it really is a sandbox. The moment you start diving into all the Implications of Avatar's universe, how the RDA is run, how Eywa works, etc etc etc.... jesus. ive lost so many hours of sleep reading real academic papers on Actual xenobiology (yes its a real thing, it both is And isnt what you think it is) for these movies, its nuts.

So some days like Now i just have to sit here like. Wow. We built this house And made it a home. and its Awesome. these asks made me want to gush about it 🥰 thats all! tysm!! Love this blog SO much, keep up the great work n have an awesome day everyone!!!

--

[dangermousie]

My favorite non-danmei web novels

Since some of you were interested, I decided to make this list. It’s in an alphabetical order since to figure out which I like more than the other is too hard. I have either finished all of these or enough to have an opinion. 

1000 Miles of Bright Moonlight - one of my ultimate favorites, this would make such an epic drama! A smart as hell heroine, a hero who is a monk and a warrior (but also terminally?) ill and such a vivid world and amazing secondary characters (heroine’s brother is possibly my favorite supporting character of all time) and so much angst and happy ending. This has an amazing romance but it’s not romance-centric if it makes sense - ML doesn’t appear for a while. But once he does, it’s worth it!

Apocalypse Arrival - Gong Xinwen’s novels are made just for me. Her heroines are always powerful as fuck and rescue abused MLs. In this novel, our heroine who lives in the post-apocalyptic world, wakes up right before that apocalypse happens. She forms a survival crew and also rescues ML who has miraculous blood and has been drained of it and is now hunted after the rescue for it. SO GOOD!!!

The Blue Whisper - the drama was so-so, but the novel is a bona fide angst masterpiece, which really delves into what it feels like to be imprisoned or to love.

Black Moonlight Holds the BE Script - so fucked up, so good, with monster hero who learns to love and be human and heroine who learns to love and be human (but from the other side, her tower of perfection.) Much better than the drama.

Chang’an’s Greatest Beauty - a starkly realistic look at what happens to a beautiful period woman with no options. She becomes an outside mistress of a powerful aristocrat who she loathes. The delight is when ML, who barely thinks of others as human, falls in love with her and realizes she does not care about him and descends into regret and despair.

Chang Feng Du - reading it right now. Amazing ML and FL who grow together, clever plot, arranged marriage to love etc etc. Oh, and one point he feeds her his blood to keep her alive, what’s not to love?

Dandere General and His Lord - hi there, Gong Xinwen! God, I love this one. Heroine transmigrates from modern world into a brutal slaveholding world at war (think something like Warring States era.) Our heroine transmigrates into the body of a noblewoman who just hung herself. When she comes to, she discovers that woman’s twin brother was the ruler of a city poisoned by a rival claimant and the besieging army of said claimant is about to take the city and original occupant of the body and the rest of the family chose suicide as a way to avoid dishonor. Our heroine refuses, schemes with advisors to pass as the brother and rally the troops. Once the invaders are defeated, she keeps on the masquerade and rides off to one of the never-ending wars “she” is summoned to. Our hero couldn’t be farther from this. A slave and a son of a slave, he’s escaped a horrific, starving childhood during which he narrowly avoided being murdered or raped, and ended up in the army. When the story opens, he distinguished himself in battle and as a reward, he and a few of his fellow slave warriors are invited to a banquet, where they are given some alcohol and to be playthings of any nobles who want them. One of them does not survive this but ML is lucky - heroine feels terrible and so “claims” him for herself. Instead she just tends to his wounds and sends him back. She does not fancy him or anything, she is just a human being with a conscience. And the story goes from there.

Doomed to Be Cannon Fodder - I hesitated to put this one on the list because by the end I was not keen on how misogynistic novel got to original female lead but it was one of my earliest novels and I loved it for 90% and it’s fucking hilarious at times. Heroine transmigrates as bit villainess into a novel, all she wants is not to die, but her new attitude of “pls stay away” catches the attention of her terrifying general husband. Honestly, imo still worth it.

Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir - my n1 novel on this list, smart and fierce and don’t really read this for romance because it does not start until really late, but ice cold heroine x ice cold hero both of equal brains and ruthlessness is everything. I went from loathing the ML to finding him fascinating to adoring him (and yet he softened around the edges only for FL, he never became “nice”) and loved FL throughout; secondaries are epic. If you read only one non-danmei web novel, make it this one.

The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl - my n2 novel on this list. Our heroine is the unlucky laundry maid A’Chou. She is a di daughter of an upperclass family but her family got destroyed in one of the political upheavals of the time and A’Chou, only a small child at the time, was the only survivor and was made an enslaved laundry maid. Due to various events, at the start of the novel she is a laundry maid in a minister’s household and the minister’s beloved daughter is having a fit because she’s supposed to marry the former Crown Prince which may have been great a few years back but Crown Prince had since been deposed, tortured, imprisoned and now is living in the middle of nowhere under conditions that are too meager to be called house arrest. And he’s seriously crippled too. Understandably, the young lady doesn’t want to marry him! She’d rather kill herself and so she does. And so, a desperate plan is hatched - why don’t we pretend the laundry maid is the di daughter of the minister’s household and send her off? And so A’Chu is sent as the bride. She arrives to discover a broke, seriously injured man on the verge of death...and we go from there. This is so gorgeous and tender and slow in just the right way and like AAAAAA! Secondary OTPs (one of which is MM) are also epic.

Futu Tower - the drama was terrible but the novel is such a lovely, dark exploration of coming back to life, for the ML from his dark revenge-strewn path and for heroine from not being allowed wishes of her own. She is a tribute bride, he’s a (fake) eunuch, they are both servants who use themselves to achieve goals and find peace and happiness together.

Heroine Saves a Gentleman - Gong Xinwen novel so we have a tough martial artist lady saving a very upper class scholar and it goes from there.

Husband Be a Gentleman - schemer meet schemer. He’s an idle prince she’s perfect daughter, in reality both are wolves out for blood. Mmmm.

I’ll Be the Male Lead’s Sister in Law - one of my all time favorite novels. Heroine is made to marry a disabled nephew of the emperor. He used to be a victorious god of war but went mad and now is basically locked away and kept as a beast. GOD I LOVE THIS NOVEL SO MUCHHHHH! So much hurt/comfort and awesome OTP and after he eventually recovers, all he wants to do is to fight and murder things and dote on wifey. MMM. He’s honestly one of my fave MLs.

I Married a Disabled Tyrant After Transmigrating - if you have a Florence Nightingale complex, this is for you. Heroine wakes up as tribute bride to an almost dead dragon lord and slowly nurses him back to life as his rivals try to murder him. They are both utter adorable babies!

Joy of Life - there is NO romance in this one (ML is polygamous) but this is such a smart, snarky delight.

Let the Villain Go - another Gong Xinwen novel, this and Apocalypse Arrivals are AUs of each other. Heroine is surviving in the apocalypse, ML is the “bugbear” of the world but in reality just reacting to all abuse and torture and after she accidentally saves him, devotes himself. Fun fun fun!

Love In Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant - so so fucked up in the best way! ML cannot live with OR without heroine. It opens on them banging in jail night before her execution (ordered by him) with corpses of men he killed for trying to defile her cooling nearby. If you want healthy relationships with respectful boundaries, gentle and considerate male leads who are modern men in period clothes, OP heroines who have everyone help them and are OP to the max, fluff and wholesomeness, that is about the worst book for you.If you want complexity, dysfunction, darkness, pain and an absolutely lyrical even if fucked up story, come right IN!!!!I am so fucking in love with the melancholy heroine, with ruthless psycho hero and the endless regret and devotion and paaaaain!

Nightfall (Ever Night) - so long but also so smart and unusual and bloody and tho it’s not primarily a romance, you will never see another ML who loves his FL as much as Ning Que does his Sang Sang. 

Princess Agents - dark as fuck, with the best slow burn and heroine who kicks metric tons of ass.

The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage - this is probably the one “typical” novel on this list, heroine is reborn as her youngest self and gets revenge on those who wronged her last time around. It is really really well-written and heroine is competent, hero is doting and powerful etc. It’s not a trope I tend to love but I do when it’s done THIS well.

Rebirth of the Tyrant’s Pet: Regent Prince is Too Fierce: Borgias cnovel style! Our heroine was empress in last life and put her husband on the throne tho he did not love her. However, he had her executed and had his half-brother carry out the orders and heroine died horrifically. She opens her eyes and she’s a little girl again. The OTP this time around is heroine and half-brother executioner. Why do I love it? Heroine is smart and tough but also this is a rare rebirth novel where heroine does NOT decide to seek revenge for past life wrongs because they haven’t happened yet! In fact, she sees ML abused and stands up for him because he’s a kid and no kid should be mistreated and this go around he hasn’t done anything wrong. She also gets and likes her former life husband. Anyway, this is fakecest galore because she’s supposed to be their half-sister and while she knows (from past life) she is not, they do not and fall for her anyway. ML is especially gonzo, at one point carving chunks of his flesh to save her. He’s feral and unhinged and she’s the one person he worships because she protected him and like - it’s all awesome. (I love secondary ML too.)

Reborn to Love Lord Qiansui - yes, this is a eunuch novel! If you like gender tropes reversals, this one is for you. Heroine is a tough martial artist, hero is a smart as hell and powerful eunuch. A real eunuch. Heroine finds out she owes him her life and decides to protect him. This is a total delight and an awesome love story between two really scarred people. And yes, there is sex - heroine literally reads manuals on pegging :P

Return of the Swallow - so freaking long! But really good. Heroine is neither transmigrator nor reincarnator, just a smart period woman. She is a lost family daughter taken back in. Her father is a minister in a dying empire (father-daughter relationship is one of the best things in this novel), her OTP is enemy general, and the smartness and the awesomeness of this all knows no bounds.

Revenge of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid - I remember starting this and loving the realistic feel and the heroine and wanting to stab the hero and @mercipourleslivres telling me to be patient. She was right, by the end I was on board with both the hero (who was abused and is rather autistic-coded) and the OTP. Anyway, heroine is a servant who was a concubine in the last life and got killed as part of a rich family’s harem intrigues. In this life, she just wants to keep her head down but her life gets derailed anyway. She gets sold away and eventually made a servant in the household of an exiled prince who takes a fancy to her and she endures it because what choice does she have? All she wanted was to serve out her term and become a small time merchant. This is quite realistic about lack of options for women, especially lower class women or upper class male attitudes (ML is never vicious or mean to FL but it does not initially occur to him to wonder if she fancies him or enjoys being his concubine or w/e.) It is a DELIGHTFUL slow burn tho as they grow to love each other and grow together and become one of the most wholesome cnovel couples out there.

To Be a Virtuous Wife - some people prefer 8 treasures trousseau but I never warmed up to that one. This one is so good, with smart people (who actually enjoy sex, a ratity) and a perfect mix of plot and romance.

Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator - my very first web novel. A lot lighter than a lot of the ones on this list but a total delight. Heroine transmigrates into a novel as the heroine; she has no interest in drama or chasing true love, she just wants to live a nice life with her nice husband. Too bad for her, her husband has reincarnated into his younger self and remembers how she betrayed him, so is not interested. This one is funny and light and romance doesn’t start till late on but a total delight!

The Yandere Came During the Night - a bit of fluff that’s oddly delightful. Heroine is reborn as a (fake) sister of ML, she hurts her legs saving him and the “siblings” form a bond that ends up in fakecest delight. They are both smart and efficient and he becomes a sexy marquis etc.

#cnovel #the yandere came during the night #to be a virtuous wife #transmigrator meets reincarnator #so I married a disabled tyrant after transmigrating #chang feng du #the emperor's beloved ugly girl #ever night #nightfall #joy of life #Revenge of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid #Reborn to Love Lord Qiansui #return of the swallow #doomed to be cannon fodder #i'll be the male lead's sister in law #Rebirth of the Tyrant’s Pet: Regent Prince is Too Fierce #The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage #princess agents #Love In Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant #let the villain go #apocalypse arrival #husband be a gentleman #heroine saves a gentleman #futu tower #Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir #dangere general and his lord #Chang’an’s Greatest Beauty #black moonlight holds the be script #the blue whisper #1000 miles of bright moonlight

[thekingofwinterblog]

What do you think of the people you can romance in DAI? Who is the best in your opinion?

I honestly don't have a good answer. For all my time playing Dragon Age Inquisition, for good or bad, it's romances are something I've mostly left untouched simply because unlike Origins, and even DA2, Inquisition doesn't lend itself all that well to replaying the game with a different origins.

A Kossith Mage Herald is unfortunately not nearly as different compared to playing as anything else as it should be. The only exception is playing as an elf, and unlike Origins, that only opens up all the cracks and flaws to the Inquisitor as a character.

The end result is that i effectively only have two Inquisitors I use, and as a result, i have only two romances i've gone through.

With that in mind, i can only comment on those, and what i've seen in other's playthroughs.

Josephine

Josephine is a good character, and if you go her romance, it does feel like you forge a connection... But the game unfortunately does not let you delve into her deepest secrets on such a route the way it should.

One common thing I've seen is a big problem with all the romances is that because Bioware didn't want to touch any of the inquisitors pasts in any meaningful way, it's impossible to open up to anyone about one's past, and get their take on it all.

Josephine tells you of her past, her family, siblings, etc. But you cannot really do the same.

Do the inquisitor have siblings? How do they feel about their parents? Have you had previous relationships? I have no idea.

If the Inquisitor was written as an actual in game person, defined by their background like hawke and the Warden, then the game's way of handling romance would have hit way harder and better. Because there is good stuff here, as I know just going through two romances.

The best highlight of Josephine's romance of course is her personal romance quest where you decide to engage in a duel for her hand, a very, very antivan thing to do, and a display that goes more to flesh out the actual Antivan culture than almost anything else in the games.

This kind of open, grand, romantic displays is what actual antivan society is all about, far, far more than it ever is about the tiny minority of assassins that are their most famous part to the world ever was...

And subsequently, it's excellent to showcase how Josephine differs greatly from other Antivan noblewomen. Rather than be taken in by it all, or swept of the feet, she is angry, and terrified, a results of her own history as a failed bard in the monstrosity that is the great game.

But if the Inquisitor choses to just anounce their love then and there for all to hear(also a very antivan thing to do), she is ultimately swept off her feet, and the lord you're fighting also choses to back down as he realises it's an actual duel for love, while he merely wanted a challnge and the honor of having dueled the inquisitor.

Again, this is a very great way of showcasing actual Antivan culture.

Overall i would say that though there is nothing wrong with Josephine's romance, and i do like the way it's a departure from previous ones by being all about courtly love, it didn't exactly wow me by being outstanding the way Morrigan's and Alistair's did in Origins.

Cassandra

Cassandra's romance meanwhile is both better, and worse than Josephine's.

Better in that you have a much, much more defined and in many ways more nuanced relationship with her, which can actually have some real weight depending on your choices. Like if you decide to actually make her divine... And she no longer feels she can have a relationship with you, despite how much she wants to, because she feels it would not be proper.

I would also say i greatly do like how the game handles the fact that Cassandra's an older woman, who is also a romantic at heart, but not very experienced in such matters... Which leads to an intentionally corny, but very enjoyable wooing scene after setting up a romantic date.

Subsequently, if you are a woman, i do like how she actually does go through a moment where she intentionally turns you down due to incompatible orientations. It's a small moment that shows her awkwardly fumbling as she usually does, but showcases that she is a good girl at heart, as she tries to let you down gently.

Now to the bad stuff.

Namely if you woo her off her feet as an elf... Like I did.

Now there is the core of something good here... But it's not fleshed out at all.

As i've said before, cassandra's biggest issue as a character is that like most of the companions, there are aspects of her personality you are not even allowed to change, and in this case, it's her less than flattering opinions on Elven religion(which even if completely true in the end, it doesn't exactly paint her in the best light).

There is a moment where she questions a dalish inquistor about possible Synchronization between creator worship and Andrastian, but you are not allowed to go any deeper on the subject, either positively, or negatively.

Which sucks, because if it had been, this could have added some much needed peraonal growth for her on the subject, either if you affirm the idea that there is room for such(as we know from lore, you would not be the first dalish to think so) and through that maybe Cassandra might actually learn that Creator worship isn't quite as scary as she has been led to believe, or reject it, and she eventually grows to love you anyway.

Because that is one of the strengths of this romance playing as a dalish. For all the way she talks shit about the creator religion, she comes to both love the inquisitor, and respect them like absolutely no other, felling that they are force of nature, that can do anything. And she does that regardless of whether you convert, is an atheist, or remain steadfast creators worshipper, all the way to tresspasser.

Now, we could debate whether he actually does, but the important thing here is that she believes it.

There was room here to really make something really special by delving into this, as cassandra has a moment where she notes that in the future, she will either be recognized as the lover of a saint, or an elven madman.

It's a poignant moment, which is echoed by what happened with other historical elven related figures in the game, but unfortunately you aren't allowed to ask her the simple, yet extremely important question "Do you care what they think?", instead the closest being "I don't care what they think, what do you believe?" Which ultimately is there to affirm Cassandra's belief in the maker, and that she does fully believe you were chosen by god, rather than allow her to express that regardless of what other people might think, she does love you, and will stick by you to the very end.

That kind of thinking is obviously still there... But it's subtext, when it should have been the main thesis around which her character arc was built.

All in all, Cassandra's romance arc is good... But if you're playing as Dalish, there is a lot of jank that mirrors the way the game handles so much about a dalish inquisitor.

Sera

From here on I haven't actually played any of these, so this is more observation more than anything else.

Sera seems to be okay enough, if you like her brand of humor, and personality, but i've seen a lot of people who greatly dislike the fact that if youre dalish and you refuse to abandon the elvhen gods, she breaks up with you, and is another reason Sera is a terrible character.

I disagree heavily on that front. The fact that Sera refuses to compromise on her beliefs and accept a "pagan" partner is a character flaw... But it's a very human one, and unlike so much else, I would say it's a character aspect you should not be able to change.

Its something that makes her a fundamentally different person than Cassandra, and that is good... But if you hate her as a character already, this really doesn't help much with that.

Blackwall

From what I can tell, this romance doesn't really add much to his character... Though it does add much to the Inquisitor, by showing how badly she wants it, and is willing to play the part of the sub for some love.

Solas

Ah, the Solavellan Hell.

Cullen

I don't really have any bigger thoughts on this one, other than to note it seems to be a better told version of the blackwall romance. Also it tells us that Cullen is not into women who are either taller than him, or way shorter.

Dorian

The most interesting thing about this romance from a character perspective is how the romance quest brings out Dorian's Tsundere side, something not seen much elsewhere in the game.

You only briefly see it in his personal quest depending on your choice of words, and far more in his banter and relationship with The Iron Bull.

Other than that it seems a perfectly decent romance quest.

The Iron Bull

Now this one is interesting for a number of reasons... But by far the most facinating thing about it, is that while Bull is not being disgenious, tresspasser shows us two things.

1. That regardless of how he feels about you, you ARE second to the Qun in his eyes, and 2. The thing he truly, truly cares about more than both the Qun and You if you romance him, is his mercenary crew.

They are his true family, his home, his soul.

That adds a lot of interesting hidden subtext for his romance as far as I'm concerned.

Bull is facinating, because as Cole reveals if he betrays you, there is no malice, no hatred, nothing. This really was not anything personal. He really did like you... But you were essentially just a bond girl of the week to him, and him the great spy, the glamorous Bond, moving on from yet another conquest.

Of course bond doesn't tend to get brutually murdered by said Bond girl(or guy, Bull ain't picky) after the fling, so there is that.

That is a fascinating dynamic, and great and interesting way to handle a romance with a spy.

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #josephine #cassandra pentaghast #solas #sera #blackwall #cullen #dorian #the iron bull #romance #meta #shipping #the inquisitor #the herald of andraste

[raspberry-gloaming]

I'm currently at a point where because I've got into Gallifrey, I follow or have at least browsed people's blogs who love other dweu stuff. And I thought it might be fun to say what I currently think and know about eu characters/companions so when I have in the future delved deeper into the eu I can look back and compare and laugh and see how much is accurate! There's gonna be a "read more" here because this gonna get Long.

Also please let me know what I've got right and not and also tell me more about these characters if you are fans of them!

Benny: starting off strong i know some stuff about her! she's an archeologist from the future (wonder if she ever met River) and she travelled with... one of the doctor(s)? Possibly Seven? She is besties with Brax and sometimes works for him and his collection. Probably must be able to put up with bullshit because of those last two points. Has a husband called Jason and at least one kid, which, iconic, female adventure and action protagonists should get to be mums more often its always the childfree so big up Benny for that. made a cameo at the end of Gallifrey IV.

Evelyn: I have heard her. A little. I basically skipped through the apocalypse element because I wanted to understand some of the reasons that Romana is the way she is in Gallifrey, but didn't listen properly because I got bored. Is an old lady, which is great - its great to see ages mixing it up a bit, instead of the 19-25 year old girl primary companions we consistently get in nu-who. Travelled with Six and is/was a professor at a university. Not sure for which subject though.

Fitz: Canonically bisexual and wears a leather jacket. I've seen A Lot of shipping him and Eight, and these shippers seem to have a similar vibe to Two/Jamie shippers. I don't know much else, except that his time with the doctor is probably fucked up because from what I have gleaned, Eight's companions Go Through It like big time.

Compassion: Faction Paradox which I believe is in an alternate universe (also the faction paradox timelines seem to have have a different vibe of names to the main universe ones, every time I'm on the "Individual Time Lords" category on the wiki and see a name that seems out of place it turns out to be a character from Faction Paradox.) Is a person (human i think?) but is also a TARDIS? Like you can go into her and travel? Where tf is the door this is very cursed. Also used as a breeding machine to make more TARDISes as well? By Romana? Idk but this seems pretty fucked up in an icky way. And fucked up in a non-icky way too. I'm just confused tbh. Not sure which doctor is involved in this one.

C'rizz - Possibly people can't say his name right? Is that him? Alien boy, travelled with Eight and Charley. That's about all I know.

Chris Cwej: I know even less about him, hes the other possibility for people mixing up his name or something. Think he travelled with Seven. Idk why but he gives me dick vibes.

Hex Schofield: Travelled with Ace and Seven. Is from 2021 or something and says "sus." Which yh that was a thing but he was made before among us existed that's a cool coincidence that it turned out like that.

Liv and Helen: They exist. That's it I know nothing more.

Molly O'Sullivan: Also exists. Travelled with eight?

Charley Pollard: Has a Nazi for a sister - Blind Eye my beloved. Calls herself Edwardian even though she's from the 1930s, idk if its like a character point or an accidental fuck up by the writers. Has a romance with the doctor in some form. And also a pretty messed up relationship with him i think. Actually just a pretty messed up time. Especially because I think she was in Scherzo which I hear Wild Blue Yonder was inspired by. So good luck girl you're gonna need it.

#doctor who audios #big finish #dw #doctor who #dweu #charley pollard #liv chenka #Molly O'Sullivan #Hex Schofield #bernice summerfield #c'rizz #chris cwej #doctor who compassion #evelyn smythe #fitz kreiner

[sevlawless]

okay so the n route has been bothering me ever since i played it and i needed to air my frustrations out as a way to cope i suppose

for reference my main detective who i use for n is felicity, but sometimes i also use arabella to test out some options i wouldn't normally pick and just to see how the romance works with a detective that isn't exactly that compatible with n. so when i first played, i used felicity and then later on when i was doing a deep dive into the romance and the plot, i was using arabella just to see if certain things held up yk! and lord how i wish it did LMFAO

just a little disclaimer that this is all just my opinion and i'm willing to listen to other points of view about this! and i do not mean any of what i say as a dig or to be hateful toward n, they are my favorite li in twc and the fact that i love their romance and their character so much is probably most if not all of the reason why their route in book 3 was so weird to me, and why i make the critiques that i do.

under the cut because this is a doozy and also book 3 spoilers

first of all the main thing in the demo chapters is that n gets mad if you try and fight the trappers bc they are so scared of losing you and like i GUESS i get it but this is literally our life now you're just gonna have to get used to it. and this wouldn't have even been an big issue for me if it was properly addressed! when i played using arabella i tried being mad, i tried staying mad, and it kept getting swept under the rug by the plot. like are we seriously not going to talk about this??? at all?????? and it seems very ooc for n NOT to say anything about it when you get a moment alone because why would they not address it, ESPECIALLY if your mc was still upset over it. AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE IN A RELATIONSHIP LIKE- these things need to be discussed in order to grow as a couple and there needs to be healthy communication or else this is not going to work. like you're telling me we were living with unit bravo for WEEKS and this shit just never got brought up again?

this also ties into my next gripe- n's backstory. so, if you snooped in the demo they won't tell you anything, which okay. mc shouldn't have done that, sure, but n doesn't even give a reason as to why they're upset by that. obviously you can be like "well i think anyone would be upset if you delved into their past without their knowledge or permission" but YOU ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS PERSON WHY IS THERE NO COMMUNICATION OF FEELINGS. i would have appreciated that scene a hell of a lot more if n sat you down and was like "i'm upset that you did this, here's why," but all they do is get sad and then that's it. when i played as arabella i had her snoop AND get upset over the argument during the trapper fight, and n said something along the lines of "i know sometimes we regret doing things" as a reference to snooping AND the argument which??? just does NOT hold up at all and had me irritated as hell.

if you didn't snoop in the demo, n takes you to their room and shows you a picture of their family and talks about them and how his brother joined the navy and didn't come back (their brother was killed by vampires) and that's why they decided to join the navy, as a way to try and figure out what actually happened. this scene started off great, but it's cut short way too quickly because n drops the photo and the frame breaks. and then they basically just shoo you out. there's really not any option to comfort them, and the option that is there is not good enough. and it's not that n had to tell us EVERYTHING in that one scene, but it's more so the fact that it NEVER gets brought up again. your mc can't take a moment to bring it up and n sure as hell doesn't say anything else about it. which is so ?????? im sorry you supposedly love this person (im saying this for both mc and n) and yet neither of you address it again??? it makes no sense at all.

onto the research/combat scene… i've done the combat scene once so i can't really speak on that as much as the research one so. most of the research scene is fine aside from the fact if you're not in a relationship (which i did for one playthrough with felicity) n brings up bobby if you dated them which felt so bizarre but anyways. the option to realize you love n… i would love this IF the option where you tell n you love them actually mattered. LMFAO if you tell n you love them they literally just stare at you and then the sex scene pops up. like are you kidding me??? n would not just leave you hanging like that even if it was just to say that they don't feel that way yet. and the sex scene itself is… fine i suppose but it doesn't feel as intimate as it should be. there's little to no dialogue and it just feels so weird to read. like why would neither of you be saying anything?? not to mention the fact that you're literally OUTSIDE of the warehouse where any of ub could see you at any point it just feels wrong to have sex at that point at least in my opinion. and the talk after feels so short and weird i feel like both the detective and n would have more to say. and that moment is quickly brushed away by the plot.

i guess the next plot line is whether u told tina or verda or nobody about the supernatural. going into book 3 this was probably what i looked forward to the most and ofc it barely delivered. i liked seeing tina and n interact but that quickly turned sour for me, not because tina started rightfully bringing up how much mc has been through, but because n really does not do anything with that pov being voiced to them, which is so fucking ooc it pains me. when they go to talk to mc after their conversation there's no discussion just "i wanted to see you" okay but WHY did you? i would have taken a li pov of what tina relayed to them literally anything! and it's just another thing that gets swept under the rug because of the stupid ass plot.

another thing about the dinner that gets lost in the plot of book 3: tina/verda bringing up your li possibly drinking your blood and mc can react a number of different ways and i wish it had been talked about more than just in that moment 😭

the only scene that i genuinely enjoyed in all of n's route was after that building caves in on mc and you're back at the warehouse traumatized and bruised and defeated. n runs you a bath and if you pick that option helps you out of your clothes and then helps you settle into bed. i wish there had been more discussion of anything in that scene but mc was so out of it i was okay with no talking. and then redacted petname <3 the other thing i was most looking forward to! one thing i did dislike about this scene though was that we didn't really get a glimpse on how n was feeling yk usually mishka offers the li's pov on a scene and not having that made that moment not feel as rounded out.

the pool scene… first of all why did n get this one. like it would have made sense for m, hell even a! and again the scene felt so shallow and then the option to have sex. you're telling me your first time with n can be on a fucking pool table???? that is so not their vibe AT ALL and it feels so weird to even have that there. it was unnecessary as well as the other opportunity to have sex and i feel like mishka just put them in there as like fan service when who (in my opinion) genuinely wants this if they romance n and have them as their main route. i had hoped the first time n and mc have the opportunity to have sex it would be a more intimate setting because that's more fitting for them and my nate mc, felicity. but nope! and then the scene gets cut short because n has to go on patrol??? and again the sex scene itself … neither of them feel personable it's like a "one size fits all" type of approach and that just does not work if this is supposed to be interactive fiction where we create a personality for our mc's that cannot fit this specific mold mishka wants to put everyone in.

being invited to what might as well just be a fucking slave trade (i have many thoughts about this auction plotline as well but for now im discussing n's route) had me so confused because why would mishka even do that and then n's comment about the stationary? i need you to be fucking for real. the scene before you leave for the mission with n just felt so weird like we get it n is protective of mc but at this point it just felt like a hinderance which sucks because one of the things i love most about n is their deep care for mc and they just sounded like a broken record and it annoyed me so bad.

after all that, the scene when you come back and n is in tears confessing their love for mc i wanted to enjoy it i really did and i just could not upon replaying because it feels so unbelievably hollow. we have not discussed anything pertaining our relationship and when there are things that need to be discussed they are so underwhelming it's hard to even care. there are a handful of things n and mc both need to work on in order for this relationship to work and the fact that they're not being addressed makes it difficult for me to enjoy anything about this route. you can't even tell n you love them back for fuck's sake like hello.

a theme that i did not think was going to be as prominent as it was in this book but n contemplating mc turning into a vampire and AGAIN there wasn't ever really a discussion about this between mc and n and i feel like this will come to a head as the books progress but i don't think it fit into book 3 considering so many other things were being thrown at us.

all in all i truly desperately wanted to enjoy book 3 and enjoy being with n but i cannot when there are so many things ignored, sidelined, or just completely forgotten in order to push the plot forward.

#n sewell #twc book 3 #twc book 3 spoilers #again this is in no way an attack on n i love them sm it's embarrassing at times #i just wanted better for their route and for this book and it sucks bc these are such minor tweaks in the grand scheme of things - #but when they pile up like this it becomes hard to ignore and just feels like the amount of discrepancies is overwhelming #it has been a horrible couple of days being natesewell . LMFAO #anyway if u made it this far thanks for reading <3 #i seriously was debating even making this post as well but my brain needed to do SOMETHING like #ugh . #twc is such a comfort to me and so is n it's just hard to not take this so hard #and i know that probably sounds ridiculous to say since this is literally just fiction #but yea ! #feel free to send me asks/dms abt this i would love to discuss this more