#but he was always a social climber in the sense of trying to get security imo

[cowboysmp3]

succession s4 is actually very good and fun if u like every character OTHER than tom and greg,,, the shiv people are also not winning atm

[uncloseted]

Hi Christina, hope you're doing well and staying healthy! I've been seeing more stuff about the enneagram lately, and I saw you analyzed gen one a while back. I was curious if you could also do the main characters of gen 2 and 3-- thank you!!

I actually did this once before and then I lost  my entire file because my computer crashed.  I’m super interested to know what you all think!

Generation 2:

Freddie:  Freddie is a classic 9w1, “The Dreamer”.  He’s constantly trying to maintain peace and harmony in his life and avoid conflict, whether internal or interpersonal.  Some people accuse him of being boring, but it’s not true- he’s just willing to go along with other people to keep the peace.  He’s accepting, trusting, stable, and supportive, but he can also simplify problems and minimize upsetting things for his own peace of mind.  He has a lot of trouble with inertia (“to be or not to be?”) and caring enough about things to act on them.  At his best, he’s receptive, patient, accepting, and an emotional rock for the people around him.  But at his worst, he can be ineffectual and repressed and has a tendency towards tuning out reality for things that are more

pleasant.

Cook: 8w7, “The Maverick”.  Cook is self-confident, strong, and assertive.  He’s resourceful and decisive, but can also be egocentric and domineering over those around him.  Eights feel like they must control their environment and the people around them, which can lead to them being confrontational and intimidating.  Cook has a problem with his temper and allowing himself to be vulnerable.  He fears being harmed or controlled by others and seeks to be in control of his own life at all times and at all costs.  He wants to be self-reliant, to prove his strength, and to be important in his world.  At his worst, he’s destructive, ruthless, combative, hard-hearted, belligerent, and violent, engaging in criminal acts in an attempt to protect himself.  At his best, he’s a natural leader, authoritative and decisive, carrying others with his strength.

JJ: 6w5, “The Defender”.  6s are reliable, hard-working, and responsible. They’re loyal, committed, and security-oriented.  They fear being without support and guidance and they want security, to feel supported by others, to have certainty and reassurance, and to lessen their anxiety and insecurity. Like other 6s, JJ can be cautious and indecisive, but also defensive, evasive, and anxious.  At his worst, he becomes panicky, volatile, and self-disparaging, with feelings of inferiority.  He sees himself as defenseless and seeks out a stronger authority to resolve his problems (usually Cook, but sometimes Freddie). He can be reactive and defiant when pushed (when he goes to the brothel with Cook comes to mind).  He invests his time and energy into the things he believes will be safe and stable, and thrives on organization and structure. As he grows throughout the series, he becomes more self-affirming, trusting of himself at others, and “independent yet symbiotically interdependent and cooperative as an equal”.

Katie: Katie is a 3w2, “The Charmer”. She’s self-assured, attractive, charming, ambitious, competent, and energetic, but also status-conscious and driven for social achievement. She’s a social climber, interested in status and success. She can be overly concerned with h er image and what others think of her, and has problems with competitiveness, even when the people around her don’t realize they’re in a competition at all (her relationship with Effy is a good example of this).  As she grows in the series, we see her become self-accepting and authentic.  She becomes a role model who inspires others.  She’s driven by a desire to feel valuable and worthwhile, to be affirmed, to distinguish herself from others, to have attention, to be admired, and to impress others.  At her worst, she becomes vindictive, attempting to ruin other people’s happiness through devious and deceptive actions. She can be jealous of others and as a result of that insecurity, becomes a self-promoter with inflated notions about herself and her talents.  She can be highly concerned with how she’s perceived and morphs into what other people expect her to be, without thinking about what she wants.

Emily: Emily is a good example of a 2w1, “The Servant”.  She’s empathetic, sincere, friendly, and warm-hearted, but she can also be people-pleasing and does things for others in order to feel needed, even if they don’t want her help (Naomi’s political campaign).  She fears being unwanted and unloved by the people she cares most about (Naomi and Katie).  What she wants most is to be loved, to express her feelings for others, and to be needed and appreciated.  She’s at her best when she can help people achieve their goals.  At her worst, though, she believes that she must always put other people first if she wants to be loved herself (we see this particularly in her relationship with Katie), which makes her angry, bitter, and resentful towards others.  In this state, she can be manipulative and self-serving, taking the role of the victim and instilling guilt in others (we see this particularly after Sophia dies).

Naomi: Naomi is a 1w9, “The Idealist”.  Like Naomi, ones are conscientious, principled, and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a desire to improve the world.  However, she’s also afraid to make mistakes, and can slip into being critical and perfectionistic, even to the point of being hypocritical.  She has problems with resentment and impatience.  Naomi is driven by a fear that she’s defective and wrong (both in terms of her sexuality, but also in terms of her actions), and is motivated by being right, being consistent with her ideals, improving the world, to justify herself, and to be beyond criticism from others.

Effy: 4w5, “The Bohemian”.  I had a lot of trouble deciding between 4w5 or 2 for Effy.  It’s hard to tell what type she is because her mental illness impacts her personality in a very real way. Ultimately, I chose 4, even though I do think her core fear and desire line up more directly with 2- she’s afraid of being unwanted and unworthy of being loved, and her basic desire is to be loved for who she is.  Like 4s, Effy is self-aware, sensitive, and reserved.  She’s emotionally honest and personal, but can also be moody.  She withholds herself from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, and has problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity.  She wants to find herself for who she is outside of her mental illness, wants to withdraw to protect herself, wants to take care of her emotional needs before attending to anyone else’s (Pandora’s birthday party comes to mind), and to attract a rescuer (her relationship with Freddie is this in some ways). 4s often feel that they’re unlike other people, and because of that, nobody can understand them or love them adequately (“sometimes I think I was born backwards, come out me mum the wrong way”).  They see themselves as uniquely talented, possessing special gifts (Effy’s perceptiveness), and so they can be self-confident, but simultaneously they see themselves as uniquely disadvantaged and flawed.  While they feel different from other people and distance themselves, 4s don’t really want to be alone. They want to connect with someone who fully understands themselves and their feelings.  At her best, she can be sensitive and intuitive, gentle, tactful, emotionally honest, and compassionate towards others.  At her worst, she becomes hopeless and self-destructive, tormented by morbid thoughts.  She believes that other people are the problem, so she drives them away even when they’re trying to help her.

Pandora: This might be controversial to people who know the Enneagram, but I think that Pandora is a 5w4, “The Iconoclast”.  At first this seems unusual, since 5s are seen as intense and cerebral, words that we wouldn’t generally think of to describe Pandora. But 5s greatest fear is being useless, helpless, or incapable, sentiments that Pandora frequently echoes throughout the series.  Her basic desire is to possess knowledge, to understand the environment, and to have things figured out.  As we find out as the series progresses, she does have a curious, cerebral element to her, to the point where she goes to Harvard to study history.  Pandora is alert, insightful, and curious.  She’s inventive and innovative, but she can be eccentric.  At her worst, she disintegrates towards 7.  She becomes isolated from reality, eccentric and unstable,  and can be detached from the “real world”.  At her best, she’s open minded, perceptive, and excited by learning new things, particularly as she begins to build self-confidence.

Thomas: Thomas is a 1w2, “The Advocate”.  Like Naomi, he’s conscientious, principled, and ethical.  He strives to be honorable in everything he does. He feels a strong obligation to his family, even at his own expense, which is where the 2 wing comes in.  He’s well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, holds himself to high standards, and is always trying to improve his life and the lives of those around him.  He’s willing to sacrifice comfort and stability for the hope of a better life, both when he leaves the Congo and once he gets to Bristol.  At his worst, he preaches doing the right thing but does the opposite (sleeping with Andrea), and can be dogmatic and self-righteous.

Generation 3:

Mini: 3w4, “The Professional”.  Mini is afraid of failure, which she defines as being like her mother.  She throws herself into everything she does in order to succeed, regardless of what she has to do to get it.  Mini is attractive, charming, and ambitious, but she’s also overly concerned with her image and what other people think of her. Like Katie, she’s very competitive, even with people who don’t realize they’re in a competition (for Mini, this is Liv).  At her worst, she’s exploitative and opportunistic, willing to do “whatever it takes” to maintain her image of being superior to others.  She can be devious, deceptive, and untrustworthy, maliciously betraying and sabotaging people to get ahead of them.  She’s often jealous of others, even when she shouldn’t be, and can be vindictive in an attempt to ruin other people’s happiness.  At her best, though, she’s self-assured and competent.  She has a full heart, and she becomes gracious and motivated.

Liv: 6w7, “The Confidant”. Liv is committed and security oriented.  Given her tumultuous home situation, her family often relies on her to provide stability, and her friendships are similar.  She’s reliable, responsible, and trustworthy.  She’s an excellent “troubleshooter”, foreseeing problems and fostering cooperation between people.  However, she can also become defensive and anxious, running on stress while complaining about it. She can be both cautious and indecisive while also being reactive, defiant, and rebellious.  She fears that she’ll be without support and guidance and searches out the security and support that she doesn’t get from her family in others (particularly her friends). She’s loyal to others because she doesn’t want to be abandoned or without that support, and she seeks out people who are stronger than she is to provide a sense of stability (which is the foundation of her friendship with Mini).  To compensate for her insecurities, she can become sarcastic and belligerent, blaming other people for her problems.  At her best, she’s appealing, endearing, lovable, and affectionate, good at bonding with others and forming permanent relationships and alliances with others.

Franky: 4w5, “The Bohemian”.  Franky is self-aware, sensitive, and reserved.  She’s emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self conscious. She sees herself as being defective (“when I was six, the teacher asked me to think of something beautiful. I said 9/11, I saw it on the TV in this care home with the sound on mute. The teacher told me how many people had died and all the other kids in the class cried and I knew then that I was… wrong. I guess that’s why my parents gave me up. Because they knew too. Right from the beginning.”).  She wants to find herself and her personal significance, to create and surround herself with beauty, to express herself and her individuality, and to protect her self-image.  She can struggle with melancholy and self-pity. She feels that she’s missing something in herself, but she has difficulty identifying exactly what that thing is- in truth, the thing she’s missing harkens back to the question on the whiteboard in series 5- “does choice define identity?”  Franky is unsure about aspects of her self-image and feels that she lacks a clear and stable identity, particularly in interpersonal situations, so throughout her series 5 episode she tries on different identities to see if she might be able to choose one that fits.  She has negative self-image and low self-esteem, and she has trouble letting go of feelings from the past.  Sometimes, she has become so attached to longing and disappointment that she’s unable to recognize the good things in her life (particularly true when it comes to her parents).  At her best, she’s profoundly creative, inspired, self-renewing, self-aware, introspective, and individualistic.

Grace: 9w1, “The Dreamer”.  Grace is a chameleon, a classic trait of 9s.  She is who she needs to be for everyone she’s around, and that can be disconcerting for a lot of people because it seems like she doesn’t have a “true” identity.  But 9s are the crown of the Enneagram- they encompass elements of all the other types- so when she’s being a chameleon, Grace is being true to herself.  She’s accepting, trusting, and provides stability to her more chaotic friends.  She’s creative, optimistic, and supportive, but she’s often too willing to go along with others to keep the peace (like the time she agrees to do cocaine to get out of an uncomfortable discussion), and she avoids conflict and tension even when they need to be had.  She’s afraid to be separated from her family and her friends, and she seeks out inner stability and peace of mind.  She often acts as the peacemaker between her friends and between friend groups.  At her worst, she’s repressed and disengaged, and she disappears into the world of fairytales to avoid confronting reality.

Rich: 4w3, “The Enthusiast”.  Rich’s deepest fear is that he has no significance in the world.  4s desire uniqueness and personal identity, and long to be authentically different from others. He’s sensitive, reserved, emotionally honest, and creative, but tends to be very moody and self conscious.  He withdraws from others due to fears of being vulnerable and defective, and feels disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living.  He has problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity. Fours often feel that they’re missing something in themselves, but have difficulty figuring out what exactly that is.  To cope, Rich looks for himself through easily adoptable outward identities which he clings to (“being metal”).  He sees himself as fundamentally different from others and needs to express that in his physical presentation and interests as well as in his personality. He fears that no one can understand him or love him adequately, which is why his relationship with Grace really shakes up his life and his self-image.  Deep down, Rich is a romantic, looking for someone to come into his life and appreciate the secret self he’s hiding from the world.  4s typically have problems with negative self-image and low self esteem, which they compensate for by cultivating a fantasy self- an idealized image of themselves that’s built up in their imaginations (again, for Rich, that’s “metal Rich”).  However, they often fall short of becoming their idealized self (Rich doesn’t actually play metal music and he’s not actually part of that “scene”).  At his best, he’s self-aware, introspective, true to himself, and sensitive.  At his worst, he can be self-absorbed and introverted, moody and hypersensitive, shy and self-conscious.

Alo: 7w6, “The Entertainer”.  Alo’s a pretty classic Enneagram 7.  He’s extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous.  Playful, and high spirited, but also scattered and undisciplined.  He’s constantly seeking new and exciting experiences, even when the people around him aren’t interested, and often without doing his research first.  He struggles with impatience and impulsiveness.  He wants to maintain his freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on experiences, to keep himself occupied, and to avoid pain.  At his worst, he’s running from himself and from aging (we see this a lot in his storyline with Poppy), acting out impulses rather than dealing with his frustrations.  At his best, he’s excitable and enthusiastic about everything.  He becomes joyful and appreciative of what he has.

Nick: 8 with equal wings, both “The Maverick” and “The Bear”.   Nick is a born leader, as we see when he captains his rugby team.  He’s self-confident, strong, and assertive, but also protective, resourceful, and decisive. He can be somewhat domineering, particularly early on in his relationship with Mini, and can at times be confrontational and intimidating.  As we can see in his confrontations with his father, he has problems with his temper and dislikes being controlled by others.  As he grows, he becomes magnanimous and a protector of others.  He’s self-assertive, self-confident, and strong, having learned to stand up for what he needs and wants.  He has a resourceful, “can do” attitude and can “make things happen”.

Matty: 4w5, “The Bohemian”. Like our other 4s, Matty is sensitive, reserved, moody, and self-conscious. He’s disdainful towards others and feels exempt from ordinary ways of living.  He has problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity.  He feels like he is fundamentally defective when compared to his brother, and worries that he has no true purpose or significance.  He compensates for this by creating a fantasy self who is mysterious, brooding, and intellectual, but this image of himself falls apart somewhat when tested. While he feels different from others, he doesn’t really want to be alone, and we see him searching for his person who can connect with him and understand his feelings throughout generation 3.  At his best he’s individualistic and introspective, with a romantic, artistic approach to life, heightening reality through fantasy, passion, and imagination.   At his worst he’s self-inhibiting and angry with himself, depressed and alienated from others and ashamed.

[wishingforatypewriter]

Queenmaker: A Sumire Story (Portraits of 119)

If there was one thing Mimasaka Sumire had learned from her parents, it was that information was everything. 

Her mother was a top detective whose investigative prowess had broken up many a triad and cartel in her time on the police force. Her father was a chef who’d masterfully incorporated psychological warfare into his craft. 

And Sumire? She’d be among the academy’s elite one day—of that she was certain. But for now, in her first year at Totsuki’s middle school, she just had to keep ear to the ground. 

So far listening had been an easy job because all 800 students in her year—the academy’s 119th generation—were talking. Specifically, they were talking about an heiress in homeroom A who’d moved into the Nakiri Mansion. 

That proud estate on the edge of campus had been unoccupied since the legendary jewel generation matriculated. Almost every first seat—including its current occupant Mizuhara Himari—had tried to take it over, but the illustrious Nakiri family always refused. So everyone was speculating about how a mere middle school student had gotten the keys to the most prestigious residence within miles of the school. 

I heard her family bought the mansion from the Nakiris. Her papa is richer than god, you know. 

She only uses shampoo that’s specially made with crushed pearls and Bulgarian roses; that’s why her hair is always so shiny! 

My aunt is on the Totsuki Network’s board of directors, and she swears that girl is betrothed to the chairwoman’s son. 

Sumire absorbed the whispers, measured the stories against one another and compared their weight. Nothing she’d heard about this Hayama Akane seemed completely accurate, but she wasn’t willing to rule anything out just yet. 

In the classes she had with the mystery girl—and her self-appointed body guard from the Mito family—Sumire learned the most of all. 

Fact 1: She was extremely competent. 

Even though their Intro to French Classic professor was the toughest grader in the middle school division, Hayama-san had never received a grade lower than an A. And she never seemed to lose sleep over her cooking assignments the way the mortal honor students did. 

Fact 2: Contrary to popular belief, she probably came from old money.

Sumire could tell by how she answered the other girls’ intrusive questions with aristocratic patience and indifference. She never bragged or flaunted her background in any obvious way.

“Hayama-san, how much is your papa really worth?” One of the social climbers, Kawashima Utau asked her one day before class. “I heard he’s been on the Forbes list for the past ten years.” 

“My parents don’t discuss money with me,” she replied without looking at the girl. 

“Well, how do you know the chairwoman?” 

“She’s a family friend.” Hayama-san was gazing out the window again. Sumire had noticed that she did that a lot; it almost seemed like she was wishing she was elsewhere. Anywhere else, really. 

“Do you know what kinds of girls the chairwoman’s son likes?” Kawashima-san continued. “Can you introduce me someday, since we’ve become such good friends?” 

From her limited observations, Sumire knew that Hayama-san wouldn’t answer that question. She was always extremely tight-lipped when it came to the Nakiri heirs, and Sumire had no idea whether it was because of her upbringing or a personal sense of loyalty to them. 

“Kawashima-san, I think the professor is going to come in soon. You should probably return to your seat.” 

Fact 3: She had mastered the art of the tactful burn.

Sumire wondered where she had learned that trick of inflection that gave her the power to dismiss people out of hand—and before her thirteenth birthday, no less. 

In what type of life was that kind of thing necessary?

In the weeks to come, Sumire largely abandoned her quest to find out more about Hayama Akane. The girl was absurdly private, and Sumire swore to herself that she’d never resort to stalking. So she decided to focus her time on more important things—like finding the best cooking spaces on campus. 

While in a prime location—only fifteen minutes from campus on foot—Sumire’s little studio apartment was somewhat lacking in the kitchen department. After compiling an elaborate spreadsheet with all the public kitchens on campus—along with their locations, amenities, and regular visitors—she determined that the premier spot would be a cooking practicum classroom on west campus.  

Sumire made a habit of making lunch there during her free period before classes came in for afternoon sessions. It was spacious, well-stocked with top shelf ingredients, and always empty—or at least it always had been. 

Sumire stood in the doorway and blinked a few times to make sure her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her. But a few seconds later, Hayama-san was still sitting by one of the workstations, sobbing quietly. 

Although this may speak negatively to the kind of person she was, the first thing Sumire thought of was how bad it could be if someone loudmouth saw her like this and told the newspaper. 

She shut the door and tried to determine whether anyone would be able to see into the third floor window. Only when she felt completely certain that their location was secure did she approach the other girl. 

“Um, Hayama-san...”

The pink haired girl looked up slowly, wiping her eyes. She made an admirable attempt at righting her posture. “You’re the one who usually cooks here. Mimasaka-san, right? Sorry. I’ll get out of your way in a minute.” 

Sumire shook her head, slightly taken aback by how quickly she’d drawn upon her irreproachable manners. You’re not in my way,” she assured. “I was just wondering if you needed anything.”

“Thank you, but I’m really fine,” Akane said, tilting her head upward to stop more tears from falling. It only worked halfway, and they were kind of suspended between her eyelashes. Sumire reached into her backpack and handed the girl a small pack of tissues. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Sumire said before glancing furtively at the clock. It would be twenty minutes, a half hour tops before students in the first afternoon block started filtering in. “Listen, is there someone I can call for you? Mito-san, maybe?”   

“Bells is in an RS meeting. I don’t want to bother her,” Akane explained. “I’m really fine. It’s just someone tried to call me from overseas and the connection dropped. It sounds silly, now that I think about it, but—”

“Can you use WhatsApp?” 

“It’s fine,” she assured, blinking back more tears. “If I started crying like this over the phone, that person would do something unnecessary. And I don’t think I can fake it today.” 

Sumire nodded, although she was beginning to suspect that Hayama-san’s interpretation of “unnecessary” was a lot different from most people’s. “Is there anything I can do?” 

Akane shook her head. “I’m really okay. Being here is just...a lot sometimes. You know?” 

“In my experience, sometimes it helps to take a break when things get too stressful,” Sumire told her. “If you want, we can go back to my apartment. It’s kind of small, but I have ice cream and a bunch of K-Dramas on DVD.” 

Akane seemed to consider this for a minute. “But classes start up again in half an hour.” 

Sumire shrugged. “People skip all the time at this school,” she said. “But if you’re concerned about attendance, I think I’ve figured out how to get into the school’s databases from the admin side. I can erase all the absences tomorrow morning.” 

At this, Akane chuckled a little bit and Sumire’s face flushed. “I-I promise I’m not a delinquent or anything like that. It’s just that I happened to see the login credentials one day and—”

“I figured that,” Akane replied, a bittersweet smile on her lips. “It’s just...you sort of reminded me of someone just now.” 

Despite her burning desire to do so, Sumire did not let herself ask who. 

The next few weeks were characterized by Hayama-san trying to repay Sumire’s kindness in a variety of ways. 

After she had returned 70 inch television, the town car and driver, and the gift certificate to Shino’s Tokyo—because all those things were exponentially more valuable than the 500 yen she’d spent on a pint of strawberry ice cream—Sumire thought the pink haired girl had finally gotten the message. 

But all that changed after the incident with the Korean RS.

One day in October, Sumire applied for an executive board position at the Korean RS. Even though she was an underclassman, her prowess in her specialty was undeniable, so the club’s faculty mentor had encouraged her to try for a leadership position. 

However, the club’s current president—a high school first year who’d made it to the Autumn Election’s quarterfinals—was so insulted by her ambition that he kicked her out of the club entirely. Sumire was shocked by his pettiness, but felt generally nonchalant about her dismissal; now she had sooooo much more time to catch up on her soap operas. 

But then, as it always seemed to at Totsuki Academy, shit hit the fan. 

One day, as Sumire was walking home from afternoon classes, a black limo pulled up next to her. Isabella Mito-Aldini thrust the door open. “Get in. Ask questions later.” 

Sumire did as she asked, and after a U-turn that shouldn’t have been possible in such a cumbersome vehicle, they were speeding back towards campus. 

“Mito-san, what is this?” she asked once the car stopped in front of the Korean RS building. 

The blonde gave her a long look. “This is what happens when you don’t just take the TV,” she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Nothing is going to be the same after this.”  

When they entered the club’s main hall, Hayama Akane was engaged in a confrontation with the RS president. 

“Nobu Renji-kun, I hereby challenge you to a shokugeki for control of the Korean Cuisine Research Society.” 

What. The. Hell. 

Sumire couldn’t believe it. Since the start of the school year, Hayama-san had never been involved with any shokugekis. And now here she was picking a fight with an upperclassman. 

“Can I ask what I’ve done to offend you, ojou-san?” the dark haired youth asked with a mocking grin. 

Akane narrowed her green eyes, something dangerous flashing in them. “You have two options, Nobu-kun. Accept the challenge or admit to your cowardice.”

“I thought you society girls were supposed to have better manners than that,” he said. “But have it your way. Just know that if I beat you, I’ll have you hand over the keys to the Nakiri Mansion.” 

“Done,” she said. 

In two days’ time Sumire was pulled from her latest Netflix binge by a knock on her door. As soon as she opened it, Hayama Akane placed the keys to the Korean RS into her hand. 

“There’s no return label on this one,” she said. “And my specialty is French food, so I honestly won’t do anything with the club. You have to take it.”

Sumire could only blink a few times. She had watched the shokugeki, witnessed the 5-0 win, but the whole thing was still unreal. “W-where did you even learn to kick ass like that?” 

Akane smiled. “Mostly from my godmother.” 

Sumire knew better than to ask who. “So are we even now?”

“Not even close,” Akane told her. “I’m still in your debt, Sumire-san.” 

“In what way are you—”

“Since that shokugeki, people have stopped asking me all those annoying questions.” 

“It’s because they’re all a little afraid of you now,” Sumire said. It was an understandable reaction, really. 

“Does it make me an awful person if I kind of like it?”

Sumire shook her head. “I don’t think so. If they’re going to talk about you anyway, you might as well control the conversation.” 

Akane stared at her for a moment, and Sumire worried that she had said too much. “Sumire-san, what are you up to right now?”

She pointed back to the television. “Just watching true love unfold. Why?”

“My godmother is in town today. I was about to go to lunch with her. Do you want to come?” 

As she locked eyes with Hayama Akane, Sumire knew that this would be her initiation. From this point on she would be inner circle—a trusted partner, a confidant. It would be her responsibility to ensure the well-being of this inexplicably talented person. She hoped she’d be able to manage it. 

“Sounds like fun. Let’s go.” 

[fymeetrasurik]

Star Wars: Catalyst-A Rogue One Novel-Review

I actually read this like, a long time ago XD. Like in the lead up before Rogue one came out. So.... Very late.It did have many things I wanted to touch on though, and honestly it’s been one of my favorite books in the new canon so better late than never!

Plot: In the final years of the clone wars, it is decided that a weapon must be constructed to end the conflict. Krennic, and ambitious social climber has his eyes set on the head of the table, and lucky for him, he happens to know the perfect scientist who can launch him into relevance. So begins a game of careful placation as work on the greatest weapon the galaxy has ever known is underway.

So I just figured out how the bullet system works, and I think it’s the best way for me to get out my points XD here we go!

Galen Erso-The book does such an amazing job at flushing out his character. Really it made him one of my favs. He’s very akin to the scientists who worked on the atomic bomb in our own world. He’s a pacifistic who did his best to free himself from either the republic or the separatists, and so the entire book is a blend of making sure he doesn’t know what he’s working on, or finding a way to convince even him that this is for the best. It’s a fascinating game of mental maneuvers. Beyond that even, his mild mannered and thoughtful personality was really endearing as you can tell how much is going on in his head, but yet he still takes time to be a loving husband and father. His state of being is written so well.

Lyra Erso-Boy howdy, if you read this book for nothing else, read it for Lyra. We got to know so little of her from the movie, but reading the book you can so see where Jyn got a lot of her fire from. Lyra is intense, and passionate, which creates a great contrast to Galen. She’s the one who begins to suspect the empire is up to no good, and then the story becomes this almost tug of war between her and Krennic over Galen. She knows the dangerous water they’re working in and is doing her best to keep Galen tethered while also raising Jyn. The quickest way I can describe her is that she’s a space hippie and I mean that with love. She has an interest in Geology which plays a important role in the story, and she just has a no nonsense kind of attitude that’s really easy to fall in love with. In many ways it’s her story more than Galen’s as she must walk a fine line in a dangerous new world.

Orson Krennic- Loved him in the movie, and honestly the book makes him even better. In a world of Vader’s and sith, I think Krennic is a really interesting villain, because he didn’t have to be. He’s dangerously ambitious, but at the same time he’s in over his head. He’s created a weapon of mass destructive as a way to climb the ladder. Like he cares more about getting a high status and recognition than he does about the death star itself. He’s a sociopath in the truest sense as he’s very charming and manipulative. Throughout the story, he’s never antagonistic to Galen, handling him with kid gloves and giving the Erso’s everything (in his mind) that they could ever want. Again the conflict he has with Lyra as both fight for Galen is some of the best parts of the book. He’s just a fascinating villain to me, he comes across very blue collar, like he’s worked his whole life, going from nothing to something and still it’s not enough. He won’t be satisfied until he’s adviser to the emperor himself.

Tarkin-Speaking of villains, oh my word Tarkin is perfect in this. I never knew how much I needed him to have a catty drama and rivalry with someone else in the empire until I read this book. His relationship with Krennic is just the best as they both spend the last half of the book trying to screw each other over while playing polite in conversation. It’s awesome. It’s like every workplace beef you’ve ever seen, on a galactic scale, it’s so petty it’s wonderful.

Has Obbit- A smuggler who is just, a hundred percent done with all this. Early on he is roped into Krennic’s scheme to win over Galen and he spends the rest of the book just under his thumb and he’s just like why has this happened. He’s so easy to relate to of just getting screwed over by powers bigger than him, and honestly I’d like to see him in more stuff!

End of the Clone Wars- So spoiler, but about a third of the way into the book we see the end of the war on a street level. The Erso’s are literally running from battle droids and are seconds from being killed when the droids shut down. I adored this moment. Firstly its interesting because we know what happened more than the characters do, Anakin just murdered all the sep leaders. What I love about this the most, is fate. Star wars always does such a good job of, if this didn’t happen this way at this time it would all have gone to hell. So many things had to lead up to their defeat, a million chances the force took. In a way, Vader saved the Erso’s lives, and without them, the death star could never have been destroyed and by extension, neither would the empire have ever fallen. Little details like that I just love.

State of the Galaxy-My FAVORITE, world buildy thing of the book. I am a huge fan of how canon star wars has dealt with the rise of the empire and how it was viewed by the people, and little details are sprinkled in this book that are some of my fav in all of star wars. Even after the war is over, Krennic explains about sep hold outs and terrorist groups still causing havoc in the outer rim.Eventually it’s how he convinces Galen about the death star as a matter of security. Given how awful the clone wars were, you can hardly blame people for wanting security and being afraid of Seps’ who just couldn’t let it go. Politically, I think this is brilliant, because it basically justifies the empire on a average person level. Wars have a hard time at ending, and that’s especially true on a galactic scale. Spinning this vague threat of Seps who never gave up the fight is a perfect boogeyman. Suddenly, your fighting terrorists rather than freedom fighters and those who joined the empire in those 19 years after the war? They might have seen that as ending the conflict their parents died to stop. Like this twists it so the rebellion isn’t something new, but rather the ghost of something thought to have been put down decades ago. It wasn’t a galactic civil war, it was clone wars round 2. Some of the canon doesn’t get this across very well, but the clone wars was not just clones and droids. It was one of the worst wars in history, leaving trillions dead. The horror of that is hard to imagine, and so can you not see someone signing up to the imperial academy with pride, knowing that whatever they do, it’s in the name of stopping something like that from happening ever again. Palpatine moves, were utter brilliance. Scaring the galaxy from opposing him as no matter how bad things get, at least they aren’t as bad as they were. It’s one of my favorite lore bits in all of star wars and makes everything feel so much more real.

Aliens- I love how all of the books get to play more with Alien characters. Has is one and it’s fun. The opening of the book is the Erso’s imprisoned on an alien world but kinda being welcomed into the culture at the same time and it’s fascinating. Detail is given to their architecture, customs, celebrations and so on and I am just a sucker for all of that. Galen has an old University friend whose a Mirialan whom I love. She’s a professor and Idk why but I just really liked her. More of this in star wars please, like for the love of god, some of the canon stuff is making me wonder why we even have aliens in this universe if they’re just gonna be set dressing. 

Construction of a Battle Station- In a book about the death star you’d expect a lot to be told about how it was made and the book delivers. I for one loved the detail ha, as it’s gone into how it was built and by who. Design choices and setbacks which itself were my fav parts of this. The setbacks really humanize the story and play into the ruthlessness of the empire. Experimentation with a crystal destroys a city? Blame it on a reactor leak. A group of scientists have outlived their use? Use them as practice for the laser. In fact this becomes a detective part of the story. A brilliant detail to me was that there were several cells of scientists working on the death star, each with their own focus. Shielding, gravity, containment, the weapon itself. All were under different code names and all were working on the same thing and most didn’t know it. So as scientist friends of the Erso’s start disappearing and Lyra starts putting things together, it’s a really tense situation to follow.

Baby Jyn- Baby Jyn is super adorable. It’s weird because with this book and Jyn’s own Rebel Rising, we pretty much know her whole life from cradle to Scarif. Which is a little sad. Regardless, her addition helps to flesh her out and makes that ending gut punch hit harder.

Playground- There’s a star wars playground in this. Like with kids and everything. There’s something called a grav slide and they don’t explain it but I want it. 

Saw- Saw is in this and it’s interesting to see his journey from clone wars to what we see him become in Rogue one.

Geology- Alright I’m a super nerd but there’s a part where Lyra and Jyn go off to survey a planet looking for crystals and idk I just found that super interesting.

Geonosians- Are used for construction of the death star and it was interesting to see how they switched sides. We also get some insight into their culture and methods. Like apparently when working on a project it’s totally normal for them to just start killing each other sometimes which is rad ha.

Jedi- It’s an interesting perspective this book gives because the Jedi are lost pretty quickly and so the outlook on them is negative in universe with everyone all “those traitors rargh!” with Lyra as the voice of that can’t be true. She has a reverence for the force I find super interesting and it plays into her hippieish. She’s very spiritual and used to spend time in the Jedi gardens which I didn’t even know was a thing. I love seeing how normies interact with the force and how it can still play a role in their lives. 

That’s all I got at the moment! If it’s not clear, I really loved this book. It was written by James Luceno who wrote motherfucking Darth Plagueis from legends otherwise known as the best star wars book ever. He has such an amazing talent for linking the universe together in a way that makes it feel alive and there’s no better world builder in the game. I’m a sucker for that so I just had a wonderful time and read it pretty non stop. I’d place it fairly high in my list of canon books, so if all this sounds interesting, give it a read! It adds to Rogue One while also telling it’s own very compelling story with some amazing characters. That’s it from me ha! May the force of others be with you!

[cereusblue]

Second set of reference sheets!

As the first set refers to one of the characters here, I figured it best to post the two near one another. Again, information about them will be listed out below!

Nemo-Master Climber with the best sense of humor.

Nemo is by far one of my favorite characters I have made thus far. This character actually has nothing to do with Circus Town as they tour the world to see its sights. Nemo does not go by any gender pronoun and doesn’t see theirself as ever having a gender (not like they do anyway). When asked about their gender, they will drag you around in a drawn out joke till you finally give up.

Nemo is incredibly loud and high energy, always ready for a new adventure! Despite being created from the same parent cell as Omni, Nemo is their complete and utter opposite. Nemo feels no strong family connections, as a typical pluris wouldn’t either, but still enjoys being social. If there is a party, count them in. They have a type of personality that can either be incredibly amusing and fun or just straight up annoying-there really is no in between. However, on the plus side is that Nemo rarely if ever gets angry just as Omni. This is another typically pluris trait, but their laid back personality has also allowed them to preserve that trait.

Nemo will visit Circus Town from time to time due to the hiking and climbing attractions of the lovely mountainous area. Plus, there’s a circus in the center of it with lots of candy floss??? What’s not to like???

Leopold Merrit - friend to everyone.

Leopold, or Leo as he prefers to be called, runs the circus town. He’s a jolly guy, friendly to each passing person. Leo takes the cake as one of the most down to earth people in the world. I’ll try to run through his story in as few words as I can, but he is a fascinating person.

Leo came from a rich family and became fascinated with the circus when he was a young boy. He worked very hard to start off his traveling circus idea for years to come as a child. His parents admired his dedication and loved him deeply. They wanted to support anything he wanted to do. So they aided him. He created a traveling circus from a young age, his parents at his side step by step. He spent several years until his mid 20s doing only a traveling circus. But he wanted to do more. So he decided to take his savings and build the circus town in the most beautiful area he could find in between some major cities. He worked hard to secure everything and allow store owners to set up camp and join in the community he wished to build. Chuck was one of the first people, having lived nearby. Chuck was never married, as he was married to his work. He had been to several of Leo’s shows, so he admired him.

Omni was created about two years after the town had begun construction. The Circus Master now having been dating a lovely woman for a few years. His to-be wife oversaw much of the construction and helped with designing advertisements for his idea for the town. Chuck offered to build a mascot carving for the entrance from the parking lot. Which is still standing today. Chuck wanted to settle down and live in a much prettier place and decided that the town would both suit what he was looking for as well as contribute to this man's glorious dreams. So he set up shop. Construction went by quickly as many of the people who had loved the man's work began sending donations to build the town. His parents sent him weekly checks from their profits. (His mother is a master jewel craftier who gets commissioned almost constantly from wealthy people world wide as well as owning and managing her own jewelry store chain. Leo’s father is a world known mystery novelist.) They'd send him half their profits, still allowing money for themselves to maintain their nice living.

The next couple of years, Omni was still having trouble finding where to go and what to do. They often would get paid cash for doing house work for people, but the poor bean didn't have a place to live or a lot of nice clothes. Pluris don't need to eat too terribly often in a pinch, so they managed. The circus master still did tours now and again as it would be a waste to leave his nice traveling carts to rot. So Omni got the chance to actually see the performance by bumping into Chuck, who was on the ride with to assist with all the heavy lifting. Omni got into a conversation with him, and Chuck genuinely liked them. Omni was about 3-4 years old; they weren't dressed rather nicely. Upon finding Omni had no where to go, Chuck offered to pay their entry fee to the show since they typically wouldn't be able to view otherwise.

Since Omni had been fascinated with a recent colored skeleton that past by and it was a feminine day, this is where their Lavender Skeleton form became a bigger part of their life. Omni was amazed by the show, adored it. And Chuck asked the Circus Master if Omni could join the trip since they had no other place to go. The circus master then gave Omni a job for the trip. Omni hasn't left them since.

Both Chuck and the Circus Master did eventually find out what Omni was a couple years later, kind of by accident. Each acted a little amazed and a tad over curious, the circus master even more so (cuz it would be an interesting act to add to the show.) Omni did forgive them, as they were like family. Pluris are kind of a hush-hush species that don't really announce themselves to anyone, to which Omni explained. But the two were super cool about it since then. Omni's been with the circus town and has watched it grow over the next 14 years. But the circus master is such a loving guy and he takes care of his people. His parents died when Omni was about 12 years old, and out of all his years, that was the first time he has ever missed a show. He even scheduled a day for both mourning and appreciation for loved ones.

Leopold also had a daughter a few years ago with his wife. However, his wife did not survive long after the child’s birth. This was the second time the Leo ever missed a show. But he understands that there will be loss. He has done his best to support his daughter Lillian since then with the help of all of circus town.

*Lillian - Like mother, like daughter.

I would like to point out that Lillian is three years older than Monochrome. So in current RPs that are available between this blog and @the-printers-jammed Lillian is still a baby. This is simply what she looks like years in the future.

Lillian is Leo’s daughter, and oh my did she take drastically after her mother. Lillian is a headstrong child with no fear of failure. She is incredibly intelligent and will eventually apply her skills to managing circus town when she grows up. She’s got such a goofy sense of humor and loves picking on Monochrome in a  harmless way. Lillian is a very supportive person who wants everyone to achieve their best.

She loves the color blue, specifically baby blue. This may be in part to her favorite baby sitter from the town having worn the color often. Another fun fact is how little interest she has in any form of relationship other than family. To Lillian, everyone in Circus Town are family and that’s all she needs to be happy.

[msbigredmachine]

Gold Digger - A Roman Reigns One-Shot

Roman is having a hard time getting rid of his gold-digging ex-wife. What exactly does he have to do to get her out of his life permanently? Roman Reigns/OC. AU one-shot.

Yet another attempt at mass tagging:  @lavitabella87 | @cynda-wrasslin | @caramara3 | @alexahood21 | @nickysmum1909 | @iloveenzoamore | @fan-fiction-galore | @flawlessglamazon | @hardcorewwetrash | @helluvawriter | @emmarablack | @banrioncethlenn | @laigy2213 | @redalternativefirefly | @fmlallthewayup | @lilmisscrisis | @imagines–assemble | @knowdagirlm | @blondekel77 | @lclb12 | @shadow-of-wonder | @fandom-preferences-imagines | @reignsappreciationpagefics | @heilisk | @reigns420 | @withwordslikeweapons | @hiitsmecharlie @wwesmut​ @wwe-smutfics​ @romanreignsnet​ @romanreignsfanpage​ @roman-reigns-gifs​ @roman-reigns-empire​ @littlewrestlingnerd​ @smutwwe

-----------------------------

"Do you need anything else, Mr. Reigns?"

Tearing his eyes from the paperwork on his desk for the first time in hours, Roman Reigns looked up at his secretary. "No, that will be all. Thank you."

"Okay. Have a good night, Mr. Reigns."

"You too."

Once she shut the door behind her, Roman shook his head, chuckling quietly. He was well aware of the attention his secretary had been giving him these past few weeks. And not just her; there was a bunch of other women in the fray; fellow colleagues, clients, family friends; most of them far less subtle about their intentions than she was. When you were a very successful, newly single young man, such was to be expected. But as flattered as he was, he had no plans for another relationship, not so soon after his divorce.

He sighed heavily as she came to his mind. Sabrina. The redheaded goddess. The seductress. The Jezebel that nearly ruined his life.

No one had ever put him through as much emotional torture in the past few years as his ex-wife. Just a couple of years ago he was on top of the world. He steered his company through the tough global recession. He was due for a promotion and he had a beautiful, loving wife. Fast-forward to present day and his marriage had collapsed like the global economy. He didn't understand how she had turned from a loving, caring woman to this hellcat that only cared about herself. He'd given her everything she ever wanted. He hadn't cared that she spent his money faster than he earned it, or that there was always friction between her and his friends and family. He loved her, she loved him, and that was all that mattered. But as time passed the illusion waned, and he began to see her for what she really was; a cold, self-centered, manipulative witch.

For one, he had wanted to start a family of his own, but he discovered that she had no interest in having children at all. It turned out she was taking birth control pills regularly while they were trying for a baby. She succeeded in isolating him from his closest friends and family. There were whispers from all corners that she was cheating on him. It was drama after drama with her, and before Roman could recover, she abruptly filed for divorce, ending three-and-a-half tumultuous years of marriage.

In an effort to compromise, Roman offered Sabrina a considerable sum of money, two of his luxury cars and his old apartment, but she demanded more. More money, more houses, more of his material possessions. When he refused to budge, she began to humiliate him in every way possible, in front of his family, friends and potential business clients, selling story after story of him to the press. False stories. That he’d been abusive, physically and emotionally. That he’d cheated on her. Most of his social circles knew it was the other way around, but it didn’t matter. Luckily for him, his lawyers were made of much sterner stuff, and they ensured that she got nothing more than what was stated in the watertight pre-nuptial agreement. Maybe she had finally caved in to the offers, because he never heard from her again. That was over six months ago.

Sighing heavily, Roman shook his head, erasing the painful memories from his mind. He knew that deep down inside him, he would always love Sabrina. There was just a magnetism about her that grabbed his entire being and never let go. But the woman was a sociopath, plain and simple. He wanted nothing to do with her anymore, not after the way she treated him. He deserved better, and he was going to get better, but only when he was ready and could fully trust again. He'd made that mistake once before. He wasn't going to make it again.

Yawning tiredly, he made the decision to leave earlier than usual. Grabbing his jacket, he exited his office and headed home. It was late, and he was overdue a long, well-earned rest.

-----------------------------

Sitting alone in her apartment, Sabrina Reigns glared at her bank account statement, seeing it without seeing it. She'd been in this situation a few other times before, and it never got easier. It wasn't long ago that she was living the life as a housewife with money to burn. Now she was single and a few thousand dollars away from being broke, all thanks to her idiotic, selfish ex-husband. She really didn't feel like going man-hunting so soon. Not that she would have any problem getting any man she wanted.

Sabrina was a very beautiful woman. Everyone and their mother knew it. No one could ignore that glossy butterscotch skin, piercing green eyes and a figure to die for. Sabrina was also a notorious social climber, well-known for her unquenchable thirst for fame and money and her hit-and-run marriages with famous, wealthy men. She couldn't help that men were putty in her hands. Roman Reigns had been no different. Within months of meeting each other at a charity gala, they were married. The first year was blissful, but it wasn’t long before she grew restless again. She didn’t like that her husband was away at work so much, but she loved the lifestyle he provided for her. She hated his family and friends, who never hid the fact that they thought her to be a money-grubbing bitch, a gold digger. Idiots.

Of course she liked the finer things in life. Who didn't? She liked that Roman gave them to her in abundance; the beautiful mansions they lived in, the sports cars, the closets crammed with designer outfits and shoes and bags. All of that was great, but she got bored with married life. It just wasn't for her. Worst of all, he'd wanted kids. The thought of giving birth, having to look after those fat, stinky little shits, terrified her. So she adopted her usual exit strategy; stay a while, file for divorce, then take the money and run.

Roman wasn't the first man the former Mrs. Reigns had loved and left. The only difference between him and the others was that he was the only one she had feelings for, if only for a while. He was a good man. Sensitive. Optimistic. It also helped that he was a fucking god in bed. Oh yeah, the sex was great; she had to give him that for sure. Unfortunately, she cared more about his wealth, and a divorce would hand her a substantial portion of it thanks to the prenup they’d signed before they married. But Roman had proved very stubborn indeed during the proceedings. There were many things he and his frigid lawyers had denied her; many valuable possessions that he had snatched so cruelly away from her. Now, she needed them all, and judging from the red figures in her bank statement, she needed them ASAP.

The redhead hadn't laid eyes on her ex-husband since their divorce was finalized six months ago, but that was going to change tonight. He claimed he wanted nothing to do with her anymore – rightly so, she supposed – but he still loved her. She had seen the look in his eyes when she strolled out of his lawyer's office after the divorce came through. He still held a torch for her and she had plans to exploit that and convince him to give her what she wanted. Which by all standards, was peanuts compared with his net worth. It wouldn't be too hard; she always got what she wanted. But if all else failed…

She traced the nine millimeter Beretta with her slender fingers, feeling the coolness of the steel barrel under her fingertips, and a malicious smile formed on her face.

Well, Roman Reigns was going to rue the day he met Sabrina Reese Reigns.

-----------------------------

It was nine pm. Sabrina walked up to the massive door of the abode where she once lived. The Reigns mansion was a situated in a quiet part of the suburbs, surrounded by lush, well-kempt greenery and towering iron gates. The house was a masterpiece, a haven, and another luxury her pre-nuptial agreement denied her.

Roman's loyal security guards manned the front of the mansion, but the vixen had no problem convincing them to let her in. She always noticed the way they would look at her, back when she was still their boss’s wife. Her black zip-front mini-dress by Hervé Legér had a dangerously low neckline, clung to her curves and showed off all the necessary assets; the perfect distraction. As she sauntered away from the two guards, she could sense them undressing her with hungry eyes. Men were just too easy to play with.

Not much had changed inside the house. It looked the same, it smelled the same. The vast foyer was bright and spotless, leading to black marble staircase which split into two curves, one on the left, and one on the right. Making her way upstairs, she stole quick glances at the familiar surroundings. She had a few fond memories of the place, but she wasn't one for sentiments. It was very quiet; she was certain her ex wasn't home as he often worked late. She approached the master bedroom, her intended destination. Pushing the door open, she grinned when her eyes immediately fell upon the lone picture hanging on the wall in the vast room.

But Sabrina knew it wasn't just any picture, for safely ensconced inside the wall behind it was Roman's safe.

Cautiously she advanced. Gently lifting the portrait, she set it down on the ground, her eyes never leaving the small grey safe. Everything it usually contained could start her off again; wads of cash, credit cards he didn't use, and expensive jewelry, including Roman's deceased mother's ruby-encrusted necklace worth a whopping five million dollars. He'd promised her that necklace on one of their trips to Switzerland, but she never got it, and he refused to give it to her during the divorce proceedings. Now was her chance to finally take what was rightfully hers. Sabrina was almost salivating at the thought of getting her hands on it.

She had a feeling Roman hadn't changed the combination. He was very forgetful with these things sometimes. Her insides burned with anticipation as her fingertips brushed over the dial. Sabrina had put up with Roman's nonsense for too long. He was never going to win a fight with her. She always got what she wanted, and now, she was so close to–

"Sabrina."

At the sound of the very familiar voice, her heart nearly stopped. She whirled around and found herself staring into the dark eyes of her ex-husband. He stood at the door, his suit jacket slung casually over his shoulder, exuding that masculine sexiness he always pulled off so effortlessly…

She quickly kicked the erogenous thought out of her head. She had business to take care of. "Roman." She smiled awkwardly. “Hey.”

"What are you doing here?" he frowned, eyeing her suspiciously.

Sabrina had come prepared. She knew the strings she needed to pull in this kind of situation. "I know I shouldn’t be here,” she said timidly, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “But I wanted to see you," she went on, her voice quiet and hopeful, "I thought…I thought you and I could patch things up again." She lowered her head slightly, biting her lip. "I miss you, Ro."

Raising an eyebrow, he chuckled cynically as he dug one hand into his pocket. "Hmm. Do you miss me? Or do you miss my money?"

At his words, Sabrina feigned hurt. "Come on, don't be like that. I just want to talk to you."

"Now you want to talk, after everything you put me through? I know why you're here, Sabrina. You've blown your alimony, otherwise you wouldn't be in my house trying to crack open my safe."

Taking a deep breath, Sabrina began again. "Look, I know I've done some…questionable things in the past that I can never take back. But you know how I am, baby. I do things without thinking. Well, this time I sat down and thought about it, and I've realized I've made a mistake. I just wanna come home, babe."

It was quite obvious, however, that the Samoan held nothing but contempt for his ex-wife. "This isn’t your home anymore. I want you out of here."

Honestly, he was so sexy when he got mad. That was why she enjoyed fucking with him all those times in the past. "Aw," She cocked her head to the side, a small smile touching her lips. "You never did trust me, did you?"

Roman crossed his arms over his chest. "I did, once upon a time, before you broke my heart. And don't give me that 'trust' bullshit! You didn't trust me to be a good husband to you. You didn't trust me to start a family with you. You were only in our marriage for what I had, and what you could get from me."

Evidently he wasn't backing down. Well, neither would she. "Hear me out for five minutes, Ro. Five. If you don't change your mind afterwards, I'll leave you alone." She advanced towards him, and smiled as his eyes traveled down her body. Closing the distance between them, she glanced down at his broad chest and played with his tie.

Roman's dark eyes bored through her. "Why do you want me to care about you? How do you expect me to, after everything?"

"Simple. Because you still love me," she said, boldly running her hands up the hard planes of his chest. "And I know it's hard to believe, but I still love you too. We had something good, and I know we can rekindle it. Oh come on, don't look at me like that, baby-"

“Don’t call me that,” he spat.

She put her hands up in surrender. “Sorry.” She continued speaking, determined to win him over. "I know you miss me. I can tell. And I know you want me. I can see it in your eyes. But more importantly, I want you." She moved closer, pressing her ample cleavage against his hard body. Her lips touched his ear, and his sharp intake of breath made her smile. "So…since we're here together…alone," she whispered, her hand snaking down towards his crotch. "How about I prove it to you? It’ll be just like old times."

For an instant, something flashed across his handsome face – longing, desire – and Sabrina knew she had him. But in the next moment, his expression hardened again and he stepped away from her. "There you go again, trying to manipulate me," said Roman, shaking his head. "You know what? Forget this. Get out. I’m willing to forget this ever happened. If you don’t leave, I’m gonna call the cops."

As he turned his back on her, Sabrina's composure evaporated. That was it. No more Miss Nice Ex-Wife. She drew out the pistol from inside her purse and pointed it at him. Her eyes twinkled jubilantly when Roman looked over at her and froze. "Yeah, that's right, motherfucker, I got me a gun," she sneered. "You gonna listen to me now?"

Slowly, Roman held up his hands. "What are you doing?"

"You asshole!" she shouted, her green eyes blazing with anger. "Did you really think you could get away with short-changing me? You thought I wouldn't come back for what belongs to me? Well I am back, and you're gonna give me what's mine!"

"You had a hard time proving that to the Judge, remember?” Roman pointed out. “I bought you all that fancy stuff in my name. My name. Everything else was left for you in the pre-nup."

"Fuck the pre-nup!" she barked. “The necklace in that safe is mine! You promised me! And you gave me peanuts compared to what you’re really worth. You’re gonna give me what you owe me or it’ll end badly for you. Now open the safe!”

"That's not going to happen, baby girl. Now put the gun down."

"Not until I get what I want! Open the goddamn safe!" She shook the gun at him.

"You're not gonna shoot me," he said, flashing that smirk of his again. Sabrina laughed. "Are you kiddin’ me? Give me one reason I shouldn't blow your head off right now!"

"For one, I remembered to change the combination this time. If you shoot me, you're never going to get the safe open. Second…you care too much about me to do this."

Sabrina stared at him in surprise, then burst into derisive laughter. “What the hell are you talking about? I don’t care about your punk ass. I never did.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You never were a good liar, kitten. Just like you said about me, deep down inside that little black heart of yours, you do care for me. I can see it in your eyes. I've always been quite good at calling your bluff. As a matter of fact…"

His voice grew low and seductive, and alarm bells rang in Sabrina's head. "…I think I'll do it again. Right now."

He moved towards her, and Sabrina's eyes widened. "Hey. Hey! Stay back!" she warned, but he kept advancing, and her voice quivered with uncertainty and her stance began to falter. "I'll pull the trigger. I mean it."

Roman kept walking, not stopping until the barrel of the gun pressed his broad torso, right against his heart. He towered over her, and she would have been intimidated if she didn't find it so sexy.

Roman smirked at her stunned expression. "So…still wanna shoot me, Bree?"

She let out a surprised yelp when he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. The gun slipped from her hand, clattering to the ground, but she took no notice. His warmth enveloped her, trapping her body and her senses. Roman lifted a finger to caress her cheek, seeing desire battle apprehension in her green eyes. As his finger made its way over her lips, Sabrina raised her hands, burying her fingers into his hair and pulled him down, capturing his lips in a fierce kiss. Roman deepened the kiss right away, sliding his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, encouraging her to taste him. With a soft moan she sagged against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She didn't expect him to still have this kind of effect on her at all. Her need for him overwhelmed her, making her lightheaded.

His large hands snaked down her back and over the curve of her ass, cupping the supple flesh with his palms, eliciting another sigh from her. His hands roamed her butt for a little longer before he picked her off the ground with ease, carrying her towards the king-size bed they once shared and tossing her onto it. Still standing, he whipped off his tie, then his work shirt. Sabrina’s gaze flitted over his wide shoulders, down to his broad chest, the tattoos decorating his chest and arm, his perfectly ridged abs, and her mouth watered. His muscles were powerfully built, exquisitely chiseled by years of bodybuilding, and her fingers ached to touch them. Not taking her eyes off him, Sabrina cupped him through his boxer shorts, massaging the bulge that ached to be freed. Roman groaned, his body jerking slightly, but he caught her wrist before she could go any further. She raised an eyebrow, a seductive smile lighting up her face. There was no mistaking who was going to be in control tonight.

Roman pulled down the zipper in front of her dress, all the way down to the bottom He pulled the dress off her and then tossed it aside. Sabrina would always be the sexiest woman he had ever seen. She was perfection from head to toe, from her tiny waist to her full breasts, and the dark nipples that begged to be tasted. Climbing into the bed, he hovered over her, and the lust swimming in his eyes made Sabrina's breath quicken. Lowering his head, he kissed all the way down her neck to her naked breast, taking one nipple into his mouth. She gasped as the flick of his hot, wet tongue shot shivers up her spine. She buried her fingers in his dark hair, arching her back as he licked and sucked and nibbled. He squeezed her other breast, massaging the soft, plump skin. His touch heated up her skin instantly and left her panting for more.

Not done with torturing her, Roman slid his body up against hers, bringing them face to face again. He kissed her passionately, running a hand along her thigh until his fingers came in contact with the lace thong she wore. He spread her legs wider, granting himself access to the most intimate part of her. Shifting the panties aside roughly, he found the scorching wetness there and stroked, caressed, probed. Abruptly breaking their kiss, Sabrina cried out, her body writhing in his grip, her nails digging into his thick biceps. Tossing her head back, she squeezed her eyes shut, desperately fighting for control, but to no avail. Her hips bucked against his hand, bringing his fingers deeper inside her. She saw stars as Roman milked her, gathering her essence with the beautiful bluntness of his fingers.

"You like that, baby?" he asked, watching her reaction with a lopsided grin on his face.

"Damn it, Roman, fuck me," Sabrina whined.

Roman peered at her. "Is that what you want, Bree?"

She let out an irritated grunt and glared at him. "Yes, asshole, you know that's what I want."

"Tsk-tsk with the name-callin’, baby girl." His fingers curled inside her slowly, deliberately now, making her whimper. "Say it. Tell me exactly what you want," he goaded, his voice thick with need.

"I want you, Roman," Sabrina struggled for breath. "Fuck, I…I want your dick inside me!"

His smile was smug, infuriating her and turning her on at the same time. He peeled her panties off of her, caressing her butt and thighs as he did so. He shed his boxers, and Sabrina's mouth went dry at the sight of his impressive length. She'd almost forgotten how big he was. And he was rock-hard and ready for her.

Parting her legs with one muscled thigh, he positioned himself better on top of her. Breathing heavily, Sabrina leaned up and stole a hungry kiss, wrapping his lips determinedly with hers. Roman chuckled into her mouth, pressing her body into the mattress with his weight. She hooked a long leg around his waist and pulled him as close to her as she could. The heat of his erection against her core nearly sent both of them over the edge.

Poised above her, Roman met Sabrina's gaze. "You still on the pill?" he asked.

She eyed him, puzzled. He used to talk about those little tablets as if they were the Antichrist. "Yes."

He smiled. "Good." Then, pressing his face against her temple, he entered her.

Sabrina screamed as Roman filled her completely. He always did, and the sensation was no less pleasurable this time. Her body arched into his as he flexed his hips, thrusting into her, and she groaned in satisfaction. “Fuck!”

“You missed this dick, baby girl?” asked Roman, still moving inside her.

“Hell yeah. You feel so good, baby. Shit,” she rasped, gasping out as she felt him push deeper into her wetness with every press of his hips.

Roman let his hand travel up her side, wrapping it around her right breast. He dipped down to take her nipple between his lips, sucking and licking. He then kissed her mouth again, hard, and she threw her arms around him and wrapped her other leg around his waist, taking him deeper. “Fuck, Bree,” he whispered in her ear, making her shiver in his arms. He accelerated his pace, hitting every sensitive spot she owned, then slowed it down with an erotic rolling movement with his hips that drove Sabrina crazy. Goddamn, he felt so good. She dragged her hands along his sides and down to his butt, squeezing it. The feeling of her nails digging into his ass drew a curse out of his mouth, causing his thrusts to become more urgent and setting her insides on fire.

"Aw yeah, Ro! Give it to me, baby," she breathlessly urged him, looking him in the eye, as if challenging him to step up his already impressive game. Luckily for her, Roman liked a challenge. Flashing her that annoying little smirk of his, he pulled her hands off of him and pinned them to the bed above her head with his own. His other hand grabbed her ass cheek for leverage, and he gave a particularly hard thrust that made her squeal in surprise. He slammed his dick hard into her, over and over, and it was all Sabrina could do not to scream down the entire mansion. He went deep and hard and strong, just the way she liked it, giving her pleasure she hadn't felt since their split. The king-size bed bounced from the fervent movements of his large, sweat-slicked body, their moaning and heavy breathing echoed around the massive bedroom.

"Oh god, ohhh, baby I’m comin’…" Sabrina’s moans intensified as she approached her climax. Roman’s harsh grunts joined hers, his hand still pinning hers down, his body trapping hers against the mattress as he pumped away on top of her. The orgasm surged through her, making her cry out again and again, her arms jerking against his hand. Her walls clamped tightly around his throbbing shaft, and she heard Roman groan as the sensation rippled down his spine. Her eyes fluttered shut in rapture as the pleasure took her prisoner, pulsing through her. Some of the best sex she'd ever had was with Roman, and he was making a case for himself yet again. Finally, her body relaxed, going limp underneath her ex-husband.

"Oh, we ain’t done, sweetheart," Roman growled, letting go of her hands and flipping her onto her stomach. Getting on his knees, he smoothed his palms over her ass before pulling her back roughly against him. Before Sabrina could regain her bearings, he entered her from behind, chasing all the breath out of her lungs. The sudden change in position left her weak, and she grabbed the sheets for support. His fingers dug into her waist as he pounded into her, his hips slapping relentlessly against her ass, each smack of his body extracting hoarse whimpers from her. She arched her back, trying to take in as much of him as she could. She felt Roman’s hands move to her ass, and she moaned as he spread her ass cheeks apart and plunged even deeper into her. “Fuck, you’re so deep!” she gasped, “Oh my god, Daddy!”

“You damn right I’m your Daddy,” replied Roman, giving her ass a hard smack. Sabrina groaned shamelessly and rolled her hips against him, grinding her pussy on his erection. He grunted as her walls tightened around his dick. “Hmm, you like that, kitten? Like when I spank that ass?” Swatting at the soft flesh again, he then weaved his hand into her hair, roughly tugging it back, and Sabrina moaned her approval. She always liked rough sex and so did he. The hard, delicious thickness of him filled her up so tightly she was sure she was going to explode again.

“You close, baby girl?” Roman asked her. When she didn’t reply right away, he brought his hand down on her backside. “I asked you a question. Answer me!”

“Yes! Yes Daddy, I’m close,” she panted, “I’m about to come, baby.”

Roman leaned down and brought his lips to her ear. "Come on, kitten, come on this dick," he encouraged. His free hand weaved up her body to grip her breast, kneading and molding it in his palm. He pulled her hair harder, hearing her whimper as another wave of release built within her.

"Fuuuuck! Ro!" Sabrina screamed, unable to help herself. Her legs shook as she came even harder than the first time. Every part of her burned with the pleasure, her whole body shuddering as the orgasm washed over her. Roman was just as close. Pushing her head down into the mattress so her back was arched better for him, his movements became even faster, rougher as he pounded into her pussy, forcing her to endure the unbearable ecstasy. He let out a roar as he surrendered to his own, pulling his dick out of her just in time to spill his cum all over her ass. He groaned and swore repeatedly as he fisted his dick, stroking out every drop of his essence. Sabrina managed to turn her head to watch his quivering body, watch him give in to his euphoria. After he calmed, he collapsed beside her in a breathless, sweaty heap. They both lay there on the bed, breathing hard, and after what felt like an eternity, Roman spoke.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

“Yeah,” she drawled. She couldn't feel her legs, to be honest. A lazy, sated smile formed on her flushed face as she ran a finger along his tattooed arm. "Gotta hand it to you, handsome. You still got it."

"I never lost it, kitten." He rolled out of the bed and gestured with his hand. “Get to the headboard.”

Slowly, Sabrina crawled further into the bed, doing as he asked. "It's a pity things ended the way they did between us."

"Yeah. Pity."

She heard the sound of clinking metal and felt him take her hand. She glanced his way and saw him holding handcuffs. She smiled watching him cuff her right hand to the iron rungs of the bed frame above her. "Hmm, kinky. Come here, baby. Let’s go one more time, for the road."

But he made no move towards her. Instead, he backed away from the bed. Picking up his pants off the floor, he fished out his iPhone and began to dial a number. Sabrina stared curiously at him. “What are you doing?” she inquired.

Roman didn’t say a word. Not taking his eyes off her, he pressed his cell phone to his ear. "You can come up now, boys. Are the police here? Good. Bring them along."

Sabrina’s eyes widened. "Police? What the-" Her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked over at her ex-husband, who had this creepy triumphant look on his face, and realized that something was very wrong. She shook the handcuffs, suddenly realizing she was trapped. "What the hell is going on?" She leaned over the bed as far as the cuffs allowed her to, frantically searching the floor for her things, one of particular interest to her…

"Looking for this?"

Roman dangled her gun from his fingertips, which he covered with his work shirt to protect his fingerprints. The realization of everything that had just happened crashed over her like a bucket of ice-cold water. "You planned this whole thing out, didn't you?"

“My boys told me you were in here,” Roman informed her. “They called me the moment you arrived. I told them to wait a while, let some time pass before they get the Police. I needed to get you to be vulnerable first before I struck.” He grinned. “Looks like my plan worked out perfectly.”

He looked so fucking proud of himself. Sabrina’s face contorted in rage, the erotic bliss from just moments ago fading away completely. "You son of a bitch! You tricked me!"

"Well, I did learn from the best," he countered smoothly. "You must think I'm a damn fool. Did you honestly think I'd fall for all that bullshit you fed me? You don't care about me. You don't care about anybody but yourself. You showed me that a long time ago."

"So you decide to cuff me to the bed? Trap me here?" she sneered. "You know what? Let the cops come. I can tell them you raped me. You'll be finished, meathead!"

"Wrong, sweetheart. You broke into my house; my guards will testify to that. You tried to steal from me, and you pointed a gun at me, in full view of my surveillance cameras. You seduced me, and with your track record, there are very few people who will doubt me."

All the color drained from Sabrina's face. "When did you put surveillance cameras in the house?"

"Never mind that. What should concern you is that you've just lost everything you were ever entitled to in our settlement."

Fear coursed through her body. This whole thing had been a set-up right from the get-go. She had to do something. "Roman…Ro, baby, come on now.” Her voice was much sweeter now. More seductive. “What about what just happened between us? What about the love we just made, huh? It meant nothing to you? You're just gonna fuck me and dump me?"

Roman shook his head. She really was a sociopath. "Now you know how it feels to be used, just like you used me throughout our marriage."

This was not the plan at all. Roman had turned the tables on her in expert fashion. She would have been impressed if she wasn't knee-deep in shit. Tears filled her eyes. "Ro…baby, I'm sorry. Please just let me go. I'll do anything you want. Please." When he ignored her, she pounded her free fist on the bed in frustration. "Roman!"

Turning his back to her, he put his clothes back on. She suddenly remembered she was stark naked. Incredulous, she screeched, "You're not going to just leave me like this, are you? They'll come in here and see me!"

Roman responded with a nonchalant shrug, "You better cover up, then."

Shocked, Sabrina used her free hand to gather as much of the bed sheets as she could over her body. And she was just in time, because the door burst open and four men walked in, two of them police officers. "Is there a problem here, sir?" one asked Roman.

"Yes." He pointed at Sabrina. "I want that bitch out of my house. And take her belongings with you while you're at it." He handed the gun to one of the cops.

As the security guards took the handcuffs off her, Sabrina thrashed around on the bed. "No! Don’t touch me! You can't do this to me Roman! You can't do this to me!"

Roman ignored her angry screaming and swearing as she was bundled out of his room. He looked out through his window, sighing with relief as he watched his former wife get dragged off of his property and out of his life for good. It amazed him that he had played Sabrina Reigns at her very own game and won. He knew what he had done was borderline dastardly but he had to teach her a lesson. He did, and he couldn't help the warm satisfaction that flowed through him. When his gaze shifted to the object that had kicked off his rather interesting night, he laughed heartily.

What he wouldn’t give to see the look on his ex's face if she knew she went through all this…trouble…for an empty safe.

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