#mostly because i can't remember

[broomsticks]

fic rec list: 15 het Remus rare ships

aka not remadora, not gay remus, but a secret third (fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh) option

okay so i totally played myself here: this started out as a cracky spite reclist, but i should have known better… i may now have fifteen new ships.

seriously, they’re legitimately good. SO many good reads.

the list: remus/hermione, remus/lily, remus/minerva, remus/trelawney, remus/poppy, remus/petunia, remus/narcissa, remus/bellatrix, remus/fleur, remus/pansy, remus/cho, remus/luna, remus/ginny, remus/lavender, remus/andromeda.

bonus: several remus HP poly ships, and several excellent buffy the vampire slayer crossovers: remus/jenny calendar and remus/faith lehane.

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1. remus/hermione

look. i don’t just have a fic rec for this. i have a rec for a ship manifesto (original link | wayback machine) and rec list (LJ comm het-reccers | wayback machine)

Because of the slim canon interaction and the many obstacles to writing the pairing, it’s often done badly. But I think when it’s done well, it’s done very well; a writer who can keep the two characters true to the Remus and Hermione that we know and still write a convincing relationship between them tends to be a good writer. Consequently, there are some real gems among the fandom. In conclusion, yes, this is difficult to write and indeed to get your head around. But done well, it can be challenging, thought-provoking, fluffy, angsty, dark and hot. Often all at the same time. And in a fandom that ships cephalopods, this can only be a good thing.

first entry on that reclist is a ~10k E-rated fic titled after a shakespeare sonnet, and the rec begins:

This is by far my favorite fic in any fandom or ship. It's a beautiful story that depicts how these two characters slowly weave into each other.

the second entry has implied past wolfstar, and there’s fic by both setissma and musesfool on the list.

2. remus/lily

holy fuck this ship blindsided me with the angst and tragedy!! mwpp era writers, why are you Like This.

The Day After by violet_quill (1k, E). canon compliant, november the first, 1981, adultery. the repeating motif of street trash hurts me.

He doesn't think about how he doesn't like coffins anymore than he likes bars; he doesn't wonder who has the worse fate. He tries not to remember that he will be the only one left to put flowers on the graves. He doesn't think about James either.

bonus shoutouts to:

No Harm, But No Certain Good by victoria_p (musesfool) (1k, M), hogwarts era secret relationship, uhea as fuck

The Bowl Of Lilacs by copperbadge (12k, M), first war to eventual remus raises harry au, more plotty/remus-centric than shippy, but the remus/lily is both on page and significant

3. remus/minerva mcgonagall

two excellent poa fics:

The Ten Month Career of Professor R. J. Lupin by pauraque (3k, T):

He raised his hand to knock, but stopped halfway, caught in the shadow of decision. All during the long, hazy summer he'd thought of this, of what he should say, of how he should act.

god, i love this remus. the reminerva and sevinerva (yes, i did just invent these) love triangle is so beautifully woven!

A Year In The Life by copperbadge (41k, T): what a love affair! loved exploring a faculty romance through the eyes of these two, and the ending was so painfully drawn out! the Rent lyrics!!!

4. remus/sybil trelawney

two more POA with perfectly characterized dramatic trelawney, who Sees and is completely, hilariously wrong with her interpretation -- i adore this trope sm.

The Baby in the Pumpkin Patch & Other Stories by @evesaintyves: Chapter 3: The Seer, the Bell Jar, and the Packet of Crisps (~2k, G)

Black With a Tail by @paulamcg (500, G)

5. remus/poppy pomfrey

Take Care of Yourself by @patriceavril (8k, M), a lost years/pre-POA remus/poppy. so soft and tender, the little peter HC and the briefcase HC :') never gets old!

6. remus/petunia

A Different Fate by lordhellebore (6.5k, T): remus and petunia raise dudley and a disabled harry au, in 65 x 100-word drabbles. fluffy, angsty, a surprisingly wholesome take on this pairing!

7. remus/narcissa

Disparities by @puuvillaa (2.5k, M). first war fic, yummy hatesex, who is using who?

Fallen Stars by @siriusly-sapphic (4k, T): hogwarts-era alternative sorting slytherin remus au is such a good setup for this pairing!

8. remus/bellatrix

lots of intriguing takes on this pairing!

Bellatricked by Ellen Smithee (ellensmithee) (800, E): dark remus lupin, er, snuff.

What the Moon Revealed by Maria_de_Salinas (2k, E): can’t go wrong with a good first war hatesex!

Before the Veil by Donna_Immaculata (4k, E): more snuff fic hahaha. implied wolfstar, established snupin

worth mentioning that this pairing is not ALL snuff fic -- there’s a surprising amount of soft!bellatrix -- but tbh i liked these better.

9. remus/fleur

before marrying bill, fleur wants to make sure she is… Riding The Real Thing by snapealina (2k, E).

there’s also an interesting muggle art camp counselor/camper au (5k, M)!

10. remus/pansy

Pruddy's Inn by littlealex (2k, E): post-canon au, ahhh gorgeous '00s era fic.

Pansy's legs disentangle themselves from around Remus' shoulder and arm, and Remus collapses on top of her, unable to support his own weight. She sighs contentedly and threads her fingers through his hair, her eyes still shut firmly against reality. What good is reality, she muses, if I can just pretend to get what I want?

11. remus/cho

The Heart by bloodsugarlove (7k, T). teacher/student told from teacher pov is always fascinating and the prose in this one is unique and lovely! note: doesn’t warrant the underage warning, no whiff of underage sex anywhere.

It's something of a scandal that Cho is seeker for Ravenclaw; many girls appear threatened by this, though they can't deny that is is rather decent at the position. Boys think it is fascinating, and Chang herself is arrogant in the most charming way. Not that Mr. Lupin really thinks so, mind you; it's a collective opinion, and anyway he has had quite his fill of arrogance. He has had quite his fill of a lot of things. He would really rather think of something else.

12. remus/luna

Stubby Boardman and the Cacao Bean by kestrelsan (2k, G), a remix fic!!! loved the original drabble and it was so cool to see it expanded into this oneshot.

honestly this is a real quality ship! in addition to all the delicious smutty kink fic that’s all over the ship tag, there’s also:

this postwar perfection -- he was learning what was real: like Heliopaths and Snorcacks and love! -- Bearing Fruit by @paulamcg (2k, M),

this creaturehunting mission fic, with multiple pieces of fanart, created for @hpdrizzle fest 2017: The Naturists by hikorichan (9k, T)

and this lovely post-canon get-together -- Anytime by @nanneramma (1k, T) -- the seasonal pacing works so well for this nature-connected pairing!

13. remus/ginny

The Meaning of Restraint by Darsynia (4k, M): caught in a club and i’m not even underage! stellar vibes and dynamic here.

open my heart (let it bleed onto yours) by @lunapwrites (~20k (wip), E) -- a fascinatingly, wonderfully explored postwar marriage law au!

14. remus/lavender

Big Teeth/Little Red by PacificRimbaud (5k, M): oh my god this was utterly delightful. it’s a library meet-cute and a halloween party and the age differences, hahaha. a ton of age gap pairings here -- harry/pansy is the only one that is not, iirc.

While he tugs at the cap, he wonders at the audacity of living one’s life as Sirius Black. What must it be like: to understand the line between being a man who has bad ideas, and being a bad man? To gleefully ride along the edge of it, to toss away all but your own discernment, to simply do what you would like to do so long as no one’s being harmed, to not worry about what your desires say about you, to call your godson’s half-dressed former girlfriend a bad idea to her waggishly smiling face at your kitchen table and to let yourself bask in the fallout, sated like a wolf that's helped itself to a lamb. A— …big bad wolf…

15. remus/andromeda

Shelter at Your Door by starfishstar (13k, T): an andromeda doesn’t elope, marries and later leaves lucius au. the r/a relationship in this au is so well-written, their compatibility is so lovely, and although tonks is never born in this au, the r/t echoes are deliciously haunting!

"So," she said softly, pressing down against him, and Remus, following instinct at last, arched to meet her. "Are we doing this?" "Yes," Remus agreed, a whisper in her ear. "We're doing this." Careful not to sound judgemental about it, Andromeda asked, "Have you done this before?" With Remus and his insistence that everything about himself was dangerous and not to be allowed, it was difficult to know. He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Yeah. Couple of times." "Oh?" she teased, still gentle. "What happened to being too dangerous for anything beyond friendship?" Remus' mouth made a wry twist. "It found itself on a collision course with being nineteen years old and horny, that's what happened to it."

---

a bonus: if anyone's taking notes, i couldn’t find fic for:

remus/olympe maxime,

remus/myrtle warren,

remus/the grey lady

remus/parvati or remus/padma patil,

remus/rita skeeter in english,

remus/angelina aside from the remus x gryffindor chaser sandwich,

remus/millicent bulstrode that was not a crossover,

remus/rose weasley or remus/victoire (there's a bunch of remus/lily luna all written by one author)

not to mention literally any creaturefic at all -- remus/basilisk? remus/nagini? remus/mrs norris? remus/hedwig? y’all, i’m disappointed. there was one remus/crookshanks [chapter 21].

---

bonus recs:

remus/hermione/ginny/luna, a nice lovely fluffy fun (E-rated) romp

remus/pomona/hagrid: "You see, I was thinking if you fucked this plant in werewolf form, we could get a beautiful crossbreed for dear Ru's birthday next month."

bonus bonus recs:

+1. remus/jenny calendar from buffy the vampire slayer

Weighed Down With Good Intentions by Thistlerose (8k, M):

"And your friends? Come on, Remus. You had to have had some. Outgoing, personable guy like you." Her tone was light, the kiss she pressed against the corner of his mouth playful. "They're dead too," he said, his smile fading. "All of them. There were never many," he added when she looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Three. Four. One turned out not to be a friend after all." "And he – or she – " "He." "Is he dead too?" "Prison," Remus said. He closed his eyes and saw Sirius's face instead of Jenny's. Rough black hair, storm-colored eyes, lightning smile. Grease under fingernails. How many different kinds of lightning had he discovered that summer?

jfc this is GENIUS. the references to both BTVS and HP, the intertwining of both stories — it’s canon compliant to both, afaik, except for the bit where remus survives the second war to have that very last conversation — and holy shit that very last cameo!!!

+2. remus/faith lehane from btvs/ats

The Intent To Be Lost by voleuse (1.5k, T), post-Chosen, an encounter with a stranger.

"You could meet me again." She raises her eyebrows, leers a little. He rises from the floor, his body casting a lean shadow on the carpet. "Perhaps," he murmurs, idly running his fingers around his wrist. Faith shrugs again, but pauses before she exits. "You should," she hesitates. "You should be careful out there. At night." He's strong, but she's not sure if he's that strong, and he's starting to look a little pale. "It can get rough after dark." "Indeed," Remus says, but he smiles almost politely. "See you," Faith replies, and she tries to shut the door quietly behind her.

impeccable characterization sells a good crossover every damn time.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Normal Friend Behaviour.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[maulfucker]

The two of us so close to our own hearts, I silenced and wrote this in awe Of the coincidence....

[theriu]

Interpreting Bilbo’s Speech

As an editor whose job requires the ability to untangle confusing sentences, I maintain that Bilbo’s speech at his 111th birthday party was actually genuine and complimentary. Let’s break this down.

“Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." 

“I don’t know half of you as well as I should like” can be translated as “Half of you are people I don’t know as well as I wish I did. I wish I knew you at least half again as much as I do.” Literally, “I wish I’d gotten to know you better.”

“I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” He may not have a deep affection for this less-than-50% of the party-goers, but he acknowledges that they deserve twice as much respect and appreciation as what he gave them during their acquaintance. Literally, “I know there’s more to be appreciated about you than I knew of or that I am capable of appreciating.”

Note: Since he clearly knows THIS half well enough to know they deserve more of his respect and affection than what he gave them, we are probably safe to presume that they are the opposite half from the first group, who he wishes he had gotten to know better. (Although there is probably some crossover). (This part gets into Math a little bit, which is NOT my specialty as an editor.)

So, if we take his first sentence literally—“Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits”—then the whole statement is actually quite genuine. For all his grumbling and muttering about his various neighbors’ and relations’ failings or annoyances, Bilbo really does respect and admire many of them, and he is wise enough to know that there’s more to appreciate in the people he doesn’t care for or didn’t know well than he has managed to discover in his short lifetime with them.

But of course this is Bilbo, so he wrapped it up in a mind-bending riddle and left everyone wondering if they’d been insulted before he abruptly vanished, leaving the party in chaos.

In conclusion: Bilbo’s way of handling the awkwardness of being sincere to a large group of people involves tying his compliments into a knot and then running away forever while they’re distracted untangling it.

I’m not saying this is the healthiest way of dealing with the mortifying ordeal of being known, but it does feel very Bilbo.

[keinkaku]

no idea if this will reach the target... people... but does anyone have that one bagginshield (bagginsshield??) fic where they carve their kid out of stone...???? or well. not really? but the kid was (incompletely) made by thrain (it was stone) and bilbo completed it with wood i think... what i remember most about it was that kili was born through like a misshapen stone cause dis lost him and fili has a scar on his hand because of it.... NO IDEA IF PEOPLE STILL GO THERE IT'S 2024 AND THE LAST HOBBIT MOVIE WAS IN 2014 IF I REMEMBER RIGHT (late to the party on account of being 9 at the time) so like. yeah. if anyone over there sees this and knows the fic. please. i'm begging. i've been looking the past few days and i cannot find it for some reason i'm losing sleep over this please help

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Ralph Caspers = Germany's Hank Green. In this essay i will

WELL NOW WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS REALISATION

[erabu-san]

HI ERABUU HRUU?? :D

so, have you seen those Sethos and Wanderer lines? and the dynamic them both have at all?? its like Sethos wanted to know more of Wanderer and possibly befriend him y'know 😭😭

YES I READ IT AND i am really invested in it.

They are both interesting, I enjoy their dynamic 😭 bahahaa plz ! Also when wanderer told "huh he keeps following me and ask abt my hat ☝️ 😐" and sethos and in backstory 1 of Sethos, when Sethos was too busy, Wanderer is the one starting the conversation 😭 oh he doesn't mind Sethos at all !! Anyway, looking how Sethos is smart but also open-minded, I am sure Wanderer would find it interesting to talk with him too !

And the fact they also both pretty similar, but contrary too !! Anyway, I'm happy abt a possible Sethos Scara friendship 😊

[devondespresso]

i was reading a scoops era steddie au where eddie visits scoops often and one thing i noticed i alway want but have yet to see (bear in mind my fic pallette is basically just shit i see on Tumblr and occasionally reading every fic a certain author has written) is a specific scene of eddie noticing stobins missing when he goes to visit them at scoops the day theyre stuck in the bunker. cause they entered the bunker after a shift one night and didn't get out until at the soonest the next afternoon right before the mall closes so if either or both of them were scheduled to work then they'd be just... gone.

and how characters around them handle that depends on how soon (if at all) they're declared missing. did robin think they'd be in-and-out in their snooping and tell her parents shes be back a little late or did she think they'd be out kinda late fucking around and just lied to her parents telling them shes sleeping over at a friend's like how we know tina was going to cover for erica? did mrs Henderson freak out when Dustin didn't bike back home (knowing what happened with will) or did she know he was with steve and trusted that they were goofing off or something?

and usually i see Steve's parents not being home but what if they were?? they could panic because steve always has some sort of excuse for why hes gone or maybe just his mom starts worrying because while his dad never really asks about him she does and she knows hes probably not at some girls house right now because he at least would have told her. or maybe mrs harrington doesn't know her son as well as she thinks she does and assumes he is out at some girls house and is relieved hes finally getting to be more like himself.

maybe just one or two people in scoops troop are reported missing that night and maybe the search started for them is enough for the other's parents or friends to realize they're all missing. maybe none of them are because they each already had a coverup with the people who'd notice. maybe they spent a good few hours in that elevator regretting lying about where they'd be because now no one knows they're in danger and by the time they start looking it could be too late (obviously erica didn't seem to grasp this yet but shes literally 10 and it's definitely her fist severely traumatic life or death experience. for the others tho it could definitely be on their minds and i have seen a few fics where robin wonders about how steve and Dustin are reacting like they've done scary shit like this before together)

then morning comes and id give it until lunch with no calls or anything before parents who believed their kids were sleeping over to start worrying seriously. maybe they call the friend their child's supposedly with and get a confused parent saying they haven't seen them or maybe they get the friend picking up and confirming they're fine (like tina). but if Mrs Henderson gets worried and calls steve she'll either get the harringtons saying he isn't home right now or she won't be able to reach him. and knowing steves like a big brother and a best friend to dustin knows that if steve missing too he's probably at least missing with him and goes to the station worried about them both

and then theres the fact that scoops has to open in the morning, probably sometime around 10am. maybe steve and robin were scheduled to both work again and as 10am comes and passes scoops ahoy hasn't been touched. maybe some mall manager calls the scoops manager (forgive me ive never worked in a mall but i do work in a store-within-a-store and we have our own manager plus the big store manager) and asks where their employees are. if missing persons reports were filed that last night then the manager would be really worried while frantically trying to find someone to cover for them. but maybe no one knows they're missing yet and their manager is grumbling about their no-shows, maybe considering firing them for both disappearing without even calling out. depending on how much they know and if the reports were filed, whoever has to cover their shifts is either worried about their coworkers (probably moreso robin than steve because of his reputation) or utterly pissed that they both didn't show and they have to open scoops ahoy with a few hours delay and probably a good few karens bitching about being closed. or maybe one or the other was scheduled and while their no-show is really inconvenient at least someone's there to open and ask for backup

and then theres steves car still parked in the back where it was the day before. a bike left behind at the mall is less eyebrow-raising but a fancy car? Steve Harrington's car? Steve Harrington who was scheduled to work today but somehow isn't in scoops right now? is he skipping work while simultaneously wandering around his workplace? and whats worse is despite evidence being there *no one can find him*. maybe thats what it takes for people to realize hes like actually missing. maybe they think he was kidnapped, hopefully he just went home with some girl and lost track of time.

and then theres eddie. eddie whos been stopping by scoops for a while now. maybe he still doesn't really like Harrington but likes teasing him with Buckley or maybe they've gotten pretty close. maybe they're already dating. maybe eddie walks up to scoops one morning to find it closed or to find that one or the other didn't show up for work this morning. maybe he hears from the worker that ones missing or maybe they get a rant about how pissed the worker is to be opening alone. maybe he's the one to go to a mall manager or security officer worried about scoops being closed because he *knows* the people that are supposed to be there right now and they don't just abandon work at the same time with no explanations.

or maybe eddie visits in the afternoons and learns they're missing from their coworkers or maybe hes there because he saw it on the news and went on his our hunt. either way it'd probably end with Eddie looking around the mall for them because he knows steve isn't going to just abandon his beemer in a busy public parking lot. maybe he finds them high out of their minds while checking the movie theatre (this one i do see a lot and am obsessed with its so good) or maybe he doesn't find them at all (its a big mall and they are actively hiding from Russians who know they escaped. sure stobin are not being very secretive while high but dustin and erica are at least keeping them in less-discoverable locations). maybe he goes home knowing hes looked everywhere in that damn mall and assumes they're probably kidnapped and taken somewhere else (if he did find them tho that opens a whole can of worms for if, how, and how much eddie gets involved and while my brains gone down sone of those rabbit holes i don't think i will today)

and then they see the news about the mall fire. and eddie knows damn well that he looked everywhere in that mall but didn't see a trace of his friends but there they are on the news and apparently in the fire. maybe eddie assumes he didn't look hard enough. but maybe he sees how steves the only one with more than a few bruises on his legs, how despite them claiming he was trapped in rumble that also allegedly killed billy hargrove he looks like hes carrying himself on adrenaline alone and hovering around robin and the kids like something more than falling support beams could get to them. maybe its the fact that he look as shit as he did but wasn't laying down on a hospital stretcher like he would be if he just got those wounds.

_._._._

hi if you saw any typos no you didn't UNLESS theyre funny or actually concerning then you should tell me and i can react appropriately

also i swear i feel like doctor strange looking through every possible reality when i go on tangents like this. idk whenever i come up with little fics in my head or come up with different ways my favorite unfinished fics could end im always exploring as many different versions of the same scenario as i can and coming up with as many what-ifs as i can.

also i pressed the poll button by accident while making this and idk how to make it go away to we're trying just ignoring it and not writing anything in it to see if it goes away

actually fuck that it probably wont work so im adding a poll question as a treat for the people who read this far

[stardestroyer81]

Can you guess who my favorite Pizza Tower character is? 💙✨

[userlaylivia]

so this past year and a couple months have been so hard ever since my dad died and I wanted to give a few special people a shout out for being there for me and making me smile or just helped make me feel better ily so much!!

@miriammaisel, @madscline, @candicepatton, @fayesdiana, @irisimpkins, @userguts, @moltobeneallonsy, @useragarfieldgarfield, @tudorgirl, @forbescaroline, @laylakeating, @yenvengerberg, @saw-x, @barchiefangirl, @gretaonieogou, @timlucys, @americorys, @crowley-anthony, @fiitzsiimmons, @crushcrushcrushs, @bakerolivia, @kitsebastianconnor, @naomismcpherson, @heroeddiemunson, @nessa007, @bellamysgriffin, @salvatoreselena, @annacoleman, @hydesjackiespuddinpop, @maya-matlin, @smudgedbypen, @pleasantfanartist, @simon-eriksson, @landonmikaelson, @hopekirby, @auroraphillip, @handonsdream, @terrilynn88, @emmanelson, @maliagf

[alfhildr-the-word-weaver]

I was thinking about how a lot of people who are into the Vampire Diaries are also into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and how there are some obvious parallels between the shows and between the relationships of Angel & Buffy and Stefan & Elena and then Spike & Buffy and Damon & Elena, but obviously they aren't exactly the same ships or characters, and it's made me curious. Fans of both, is there a correlation in what you ship?

[hajihiko]

I'm watching the Terror rn, and I forgot one of my other fave horror things; arctic horror. There is seriously a Different feeling to perpetual dark and cold

[thosehallowedhalls]

All the Immortal Desires talk on my dash is making me want to resurrect that future MC/Lewyn fic idea I had buried.

Somebody stop me

[nataliescatorccio]

i just want people to know that just because your content doesn’t get many notes, doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile. there is someone out there, a living breathing human being, who appreciates it, whose day it made that little bit brighter, and who admires what you do. nothing is a ‘flop’ if it made one person happy.

[grapejuicegay]

sometimes I think back to jan/feb of this year and as great as all the shows were it makes me a little sad because every single one of them deserved more time and with the ridiculously packed schedule it was impossible to give any of them the time they deserved and just yeah. kind of wanna relive all of those shows for the first time but with more time for all of them

[randomnameless]

Hello! I hope that you are doing well!

I just wanted to send you a question regarding the amount of power Rhea has in Fódlan since something came to my mind. You know how during Edelgard's coronation, she said to her father that, "The Archbishop of the Church of Seiros would normally act as witness, but my professor will fill that role instead"?

Unless I missed something [or am overthinking], do you believe that Rhea was even there to witness Ionius' coronation?

We were told in the game that it had been ages since a member of House Hresvelg enrolled into the Officers Academy as well as that there had recently been a rift between the Adrestian Empire and the Church of Seiros.

Therefore, to me at least, that implied that said rift had been going on for a while. And I do not see why they would allow her there if such a thing was going on. Yet, Rhea does not retaliate against this as far as I know. Then there is the fact that Edelgard is allowed to be coronated without Byleth's presence. The Southern Church was dismantled, too, so…I think it is safe to say that there was not an official to witness her from there as well. lol

To put it simply, it feels very contradictory to me and adds a crack into the "Rhea controls Fódlan" perspective.

Hi!

I agree, that NPC going all "the empire and hthe church cut ties eons agao that's why supreme leader is the first imperial heir to attend since ages" suggests Rhea wasn't very welcomed in Enbarr.

FWIW the Nopes book about the Southern Church incident reveals the Emperor of that time already wanted to cut ties with the Central Church - and used this rebellion (which was more or less a Varley daughter wanting to have a role instead of letting her bother inherit everything?) as an excuse to finally give them the boot.

In a nutshell, I heavily doubt Rhea was around when Ionius was coronated, if her Church was already "not welcomed" by the time the Southern Church was disbanded.

The Archbishop acting as witness might be just some sort of old ceremonial thing, just like the "covenant of the red blood and the white sword", maybe all coronations try to renact the "oath" Wilhelm took/swore to Seiros when she presumably made him Emperor of Adrestia? And the Archbishop acts as a stand in for Seiros (even if we know better!) when the oath is sworn again by Willy's descendants?

As you pointed out, the Archbishop being present or not is merely decorum, since nowhere the game suggests that in the non-CF routes, Supreme Leader's coup coronation isn't regular or anything.

Rhea controlling Fodlan isn't backed up by canon, Adrestia has been doing its own thing for several centuries, the CoS only provides help (the game doesn't tell us what it is!) to Faerghus : Dimitri becomes King not because Rhea crowns or splashes oil on him, but because he is the Crown Prince and the last heir of the previous King. As for the Alliance, it does its own thing without her input!