#I added specific genres/ tropes too as well

[staytinyville]

Who's Your Daddy?

Part of the Give Some Sugar Event brought to you by @wonderlandnet ! Check out the other amazing stories!

↣ Summary: You had been giving Yunho a hard time just to rile him up. While on Idol Radio to promote your group’s new album, fans began to see just the kind of relationship you had with ATEEZ's own golden retriever. Spoiler Alert! He doesn't act like one in bed. 

↣ Characters/Pairing: Yunho x afab!reader

↣ Genre: Mature (MDNI)

↣ AU/Trope info: idol!au, idol!reader, 

↣ Warnings: mean dom!Yunho, bratty!reader, degradation, 

↣ Word Count: 2.3k

↣ A/N: I imagine this whole thing to be part of my made up universe with a girl group that is part of KQ. Honestly if you guys love them and all I am more than happy to create their own masterlist with imagines that cater to them. I also have so much lore for them too! I would love to answer questions if you guys have any!

Staytinyville’s Permanent Taglist

↣ Affiliates: @wonderlandnet , @cultofdionysusnet , @pirateeznet , @cromernet

↣ Special Thanks: Thank you @saradika-graphics for the amazing banners! Please go check her out if you have specific banners in mind. She is great!

The large smile on your face hadn’t left since the moment you had stepped into the studio with your bandmates and the hosts. Idol Radio was something you had always enjoyed being on because you got the chance of speaking a bit more freely with a fellow idol while also talking about things you enjoyed. 

This season called for labelmates Yunho and Hongjoong to be the hosts–which you were so excited to be part of. You always loved doing things with any of the ATEEZ boys along with your other members. 

You had been a trainee alongside them, having joined before Yunho and starting the girl group, Luuz, within KQ Entertainment. While your group had debuted a year after them, you had still grown very close for being in such a small company. You all worked well together and it was something the fans were quick to catch on. 

Hongjoong and Yunho were talking about certain topics that the fans would bring up on Idol Radio social media, which led to the one you were currently having. 

“Something that you guys do is express your love languages a lot throughout your little shows and all those.” Hongjoong spoke up, looking over at Yunho who nodded his head. “It's something that you do with everyone including us.” He explained looking back over at you and your two other members. 

You sat closest to Hongjoong, swinging back and forth on the swivel chair. The oldest member followed you, seated in the middle. And your youngest member was stationed at the end. 

“We appreciate that a lot.” Hongjoong added, making you smile wider. 

“Oh yeah.” The oldest member spoke up first. “We each have different kinds for both giving and receiving.” She explained. “I really like when people give me their time but I really love giving words of affirmation.” She told the boys wanting to clear out what kind of person she was. 

“I am a huge person when it comes to gift receiving.” The youngest laughed. “It sounds so bad but I swear it can be anything. A little girl once gave me a painted rock and to this day it’s in my room.” She continued her story. “For giving, I am the kind of person who tends to do acts of service.”

“With us, I feel how close we are and how well we get along those are just the kinds of things we do.” You turned to Hongjoong. “Just like how you guys all are so close, that is how we are. It’s common for us to do those kinds of things.”

“With how you are, how can we not?” Your oldest member laughed. 

You were the only extrovert in the group. While the others were quiet and a bit more reserved, you were the one who brought them out of the shells. A lot of fans tended to compare you to Wooyoung or Yunho, but you were just the kind of person who took charge of a lot of things. That was why you were the leader. If you hadn’t demanded things, you weren’t sure if your group would even be a group. 

You giggled hiding your face from the red blush blooming hearing the coos from the fans outside. “Personally, my love language is words of affirmation.” You added into the conversation. “And I enjoy gift giving.” You finished. 

“With how you are I would assume it was physical touch.” Hongjoong snorted, causing Yunho to laugh in agreement. 

“Are you kidding me?” The youngest butted in. “(Y/N), loves getting attention of any kind. She is almost always asking for physical touch.” She expressed. 

“She does!” The oldest cackled. “She is always asking someone for a hug or to hold hands. She's so cute about it!”

Your face began to grow even more red, causing you to finally cover it with both hands. You began to laugh out in embarrassment which only made everyone else awed at how cute you were being. Your older member poked at your cheek as she awed and Hongjoong laughed loudly. 

“We pass by in the hallways of KQ and she has to stop us with a handshake or high five or a full on hug.” Hongjoong expressed. “Like we have places to be!” He giggled, poking fun at you. 

“Ya!” Your youngest shouted pointing at Hongjoong. “She does do that!”

“I saw her for the first time just not ask for that with Yunho the other day.” The oldest member confessed. “All she gave him was a hi.”

You sucked in a breath as a smile quickly overtook your lips. You kept your head down, pressing your lips together to keep from saying anything as you looked over at the tall man. He raised his eyebrow at you, tilting his head to the side in challenge. 

“She did do that.” Yunho licked his lips, giving you a pointed look. “Very sad to not get a hug.”

“It was a cheery hello.” You spoke up, hands in your lap as you straighten your back. 

“Sure.” Yunho tongued at his cheek, looking away from you. 

You watched how his hands tapped at the table, veins popping out. Your shoulders dropped as you kept your eyes on them, zoning out for just a moment. You smacked your lips looking back up when Hongjoong switched the topic of conversation. 

The rest of the radio show went easy and quickly. The group got to do a little dance for the title track on your latest album which meant getting Yunho and Hongjoong to join. Everytime Yunho would step closer to you, you would move to the other side, giggling when you would skip over. 

You kept your hands behind your back the whole time when you weren’t doing anything, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet. Each time you would catch Yunho’s gaze you would see him poke at his cheek with his tongue and his eyes give you warning looks. It made shivers go down your spine when you took in the kind of energy he was giving you. 

“You guys are going back on tour this coming fall, right?” Yunho asked, looking at your other members. 

You glared for a split second, pouting just a bit before turning to your members. 

“Yes, we had a bit of a break before going to America to continue our Kings and Queens tour. From there we will be traveling to Europe, which should be fun.” The oldest shared. 

You guys talked a little bit about what touring was like for each of you and how different it was to ATEEZ schedule and tour. 

When the break came up, you and the girls would wave at the fans for a moment, reading over their signs and giving them kisses and hearts. Hongjoong and Yunho separated from the three of you, going over to the snack table where they had requested specific ones just for your groups. They knew what kind of things you liked so they decided to ask for those kinds of snacks. 

You moved along the window, standing next to Yunho as you tried to look around him for what they had. 

“Here.” Yunho said, handing you a bag of grapes.

Your eyes went wide and a large grin spread across your face as you took in the fruit. Just as you were about to reach out for them, Yunho was quick to swipe them out of your reach, causing you to pout. 

“Yunho.” You whined, trying to reach out again. But he was quicker, taking a step back as he laughed to keep the facade that you were just messing around. He hid the grapes behind his back, looking at you expectantly. 

“What do you say?” He asked, raising his brow as he looked at you with a demanding expression. 

You rolled your eyes playfully, sticking your bottom lip out as you frowned. Yunho gave you the bag of grapes when the staff began to go back to their seats and were about to ask you all to return back to the radio. Your smile returned to your face as you ripped the plastic open and popped a grape into your mouth. 

“You want words of affirmation?” Yunho whispered in your ear as he passed you. “Then earn them.”

*****

You laid on your back as quick pants were flowing out of your mouth. You were mewling, arching your body off the bed as Yunho laid kisses against your neck to rile you up. Your hands were tied to the bedpost with some tie he had laying around the room. Your hands were clenched in fists as the need to reach out for Yunho became too much. 

But you knew why you were in the position you were in. You had warranted it. 

“Want to be praised?” Yunho scoffed against your skin, hands trailing ticklishly along the length of your raised arms. “Not when you act like that.” He leaned up off of you, hands roughly following down your body as they applied harsh pressure which made you moan out and try to follow after them. 

“What did you think you were going to get?” He asked, sitting on his knees as his chest was on display for you to see. 

He mockingly pouted, eyes looking down at your legs that were clenched together as you wiggled around to get friction on your wet core. He almost laughed at how you wiggled about, knowing you weren’t going to get anything out of your restlessness. He splayed his fingers on your thigh, holding it down in place. 

“Or is it that you want to be degraded?” He taunted, finger digging into the flesh of your thigh. “That’s what the brat wants?” He suddenly leaned forward, getting a gasp from you as you tried to move your head back from him. 

“She likes when I call her a slut.” He mocked. 

“No, I don’t.” You panted, moving your legs so that you could feel Yunho’s skin on your thighs at least. “Only good girl.” You whined, closing your eyes as Yunho’s large hand found purchase on your neck. 

His fingers were long enough to not only cover the entirety of your throat, but to also reach up into your chin and cheeks. He dug the pads on his fingers into the flesh, shaking your head back and forth lightly.

“Not mine, that's for sure.” He scoffed, lightly shoving your head to the side as his fingers dug into your chubby cheeks. 

“No!” You cried out when he moved away again. “Only Yunho’s good girl.” You babbled, trying to push him back into your hips to get some stimulation. 

“No, no.” He got off the bed, moving to your side. “I haven’t seen her. Only a brat who likes to rile me up.” He tsked, shrugging to himself as he began to move about the room, leaving you to wither alone. 

“Please.” You whined, pulling at the tie. 

Your feet planted themselves onto the bed, hips thrusting forward as you clenched your legs together to ease the ache between them. 

“Please what?” Yunho asked from the end of the bed. “You can use your words now.” He leaned over, grabbing your ankles before quickly shoving them back down the bed, stretching you out. He opened them further, keeping you from finding relief. 

“Do it.” He demanded. 

“Please, fuck me.” You pathetically whimpered, knees knocking together. 

“Think I will?” He climbed back up the bed, getting between your legs. “With how you’ve been acting?” He scoffed. 

“You got a lot of learning to do.” He shook his head, brushing hair away from your face as he kissed your cheek in a way that left you crying for more. 

“Pretty baby doesn’t know how to act to get my attention.” He kept up his act. “Hm? Act like a brat and think things will go the way you want?” He rhetorically asked you. “You know I like things to go my way.” 

He finally moved to be situated between your legs, his cock settled between your lips and head nudging at your clit. He grabbed your cheeks in one hand, making you face him as tears began to pool at your lashlines. 

He smiled cruelly at the look on your face. Your eyes were completely unfocused, mouth dry from how you were breathing through it with your whines and pants. With his fingers along your cheeks, he squished them together getting your mouth to form an o shape. 

You cried out when he roughly spit into it, jaw closing on instinct to swallow what he had given you. Yunho’s eyes almost rolled to the back of his head when he saw your tongue roll out for more. But he only groaned to himself, shutting his eyes for a moment to get back to his plan ahead. 

“Want to be a good girl?” He told you. “Then let's see how many times you can cum until I'm satisfied.”

*****

You played with the mic for a moment, watching as your members waved at the fans who attended soundcheck. You smiled at the ones on your side, swinging your mic around as you hummed songs. A large and colorful sign caught your attention, making you squint to read it. You crouched for a moment, making a face as you read it. 

The fans started to scream louder, swinging their signs around to see which one you were reading. You began to laugh as the question registered in your head, coming to a stand. You licked your lips reading it over again.  

(Y/N), Who's your daddy?

A large grin spread across your face, teeth shining as you thought about how to answer. With a mischievous look you raised one arm and placed the other across your belt. Knowing the dance by heart you moved your hips from side to side, singing along to Illusion as you danced the way Yunho did. 

You laughed wildly when the fans screamed and began to sing Illusion. But you gave the fan with the sign a wink, making them gasp and scream even louder as they jumped up and down. You just knew you were going to see it on social media later. 

Permanent Taglist: @hecateslittlewitchling , @ldysmfrst , @rln-byg , @vampcharxter , @angieskzzzz , @puppyminnnie , @smilingtokki , @emtrades22 , @tinyelfperson

[absolutebl]

Do you have any recent recommendations for JBL TaiwanBL and KBL? Been rewatching only bls from 2021 2022 and I feel like I'm out of the loop for the more recent ones.

Maybe something from this year or late last year?

Great JBL, TaBL, and KBL from 2023 & first half 2024

asker added:

Genre = mostly anything. But pls avoid homophobic trauma (like Jazz for Two).

Fair. Okay here we go!

2023 Recs!

I picked mostly 9s and 10s for you with a few 8s I felt specifically might suit your taste.

I Cannot Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai

Japan Netflix

This classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way. This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt almost honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen.

Our Dating Sim

Korea Viki

This is a perfect short form KBL, an office set reunion romance featuring geeks that really suits 8 eps with no fluff and no chaff. Just comforting and yummy. I adored every aspect from the casting to the pristinely simple premise to the quietly smooth execution. Sure it’s low stakes, but that makes it high domesticity and extremely warm and gentle. This is a fuzzy blanket of a story - a cozy BL. It lives in my rewatch pile and you know what’s best about it? Every single episode is in that pile. There’s no skipping with this one, it might be good natured and calmly sweet but it’s tight and the pacing is excellent.

I don't hand out 10/10 often (over 700 BLs watched, stil don't hvae 10 10/10s yet), these both got that from me in 2023. I consider both of them perfect BLs.

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho

Japan Gaga

This style of live action yaoi really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. It's higher heat than we usually get from Japan's HEA stuff, and that part is also very well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" trope which is only exacerbated into undiluted frustration by the fact that they're already fucking. It's great, but watching requires more patience than usual, even for Japan.

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku

Japan Gaga

A lonely salaryman (+ talented cook) gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. I was always gonna love this show if they stuck to the original yaoi (which is very dear to my heart). And they did! Paralleling it almost exactly. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me as the best of what Japan can do with softness (like Restart After Come Back Home). It’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, but that's OK with me. This is a very safe show for anyone to watch.

Jun and Jun

Korea Viki

A delightful office romance about an ex-idol who joins cubical life only to find his new boss is his first love. Others boys are sniffing around too. Operative word being "sniffing" as much of this romance involves smell. With a snappy (sometimes even raunchy) script, enjoyable sides, a pretty as peaches cast, and descent chemistry this show made up for in style what it lacked in substance. I like fluff. I loved this. I smiled every moment I was watching. With tons of rewatch potential (especially the last few eps), my only caution is this is for fans of the BL genre only, I don’t think it’ll work for anyone else.

Love Tractor

Korea iQIYI

Most of this country-set BL had me feral for the beautiful broken city boy and his hot young farmer. Hyung romance, puppy/cat pairing, open frankness meets jaded reserve, language play, water hose frolicking, only one bed, just all my favorite tropes. This show was basically a light-weight Restart After Come Back Home and I’m not even slightly mad about that. But (and you knew there was a “but” comg) something about the cringe of the final 2 eps and the impermanence of the ending (both of which highlight the fact that ultimately these 2 are I’ll-suited: too different and too far apart) left me with the feeling that they probably won’t last as a couple. However, in this case, rare for me, I forgive it this finale for my love of the rest.

The New Employee

Korea Viki

So good, SO QUEER, so soft, a near pitch perfect office BL with conflict derived from that setting. Also found family and a lesbian bestie. Sweet & innocent (and out) Seung Hyun scores the office internship of his dreams. On his first day at work he gets into it with his cool reserved (and also v gay) boss. As you do. Frankly? This is what I wanted from this new crop of office set KBLs ALL ALONG. Rainbow rice cakes forever! Directed by queer activist Kim Jho Gwang Soo (Just Friends?) partly set in the same neighbourhood as the To My Star house. Gotta love WATCHA (Semantic Error, Light on Me).

Unintentional Love Story

Korea iQIYI

OMG the plot, forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the eyes EMOTING at us in PAIN A boy who just lost his job due to faked corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol element). He was lumous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya). I’m not sure on rewatchability, and it didn’t whip me into a verbal frenzy the way some KBLs do, but it still gets a solid 9/10 for those damn eyes alone.

A Breeze of Love

Korea iQIYI

Tsundere insomniac grump reunited with his sunshine jock ex (human sleeping pill) who now hates him. Basketball is also involved. While the simplicity of a reunion plot makes this more cohesive than most KBLs, it is a tad stiff and slow, never managing to lift itself out of "pretty and pretty enjoyable" - I liked it but I don’t think I’m going to remember much about it. 

Bon Appetit

Korea iQIYI

Romance between an office worker the man from his past next door who cooks well. It was very sweet and cute tale of food as love in the All the Liquors family of KBL. I’m not wild about it, I did enjoy it, I was happy to have it show up on my dash, but ultimately it will simply become one of the KBL crowd.

Why R U?

(Korean adaptation of Thai original) iQIYI

Korea decided to remake, of all possible Thai BLs, Why RU? And that is exactly what we got: a short form, clean & pretty, slightly confusing, uneven chemistry, all the same tropes KBL that kind of cliff-noted the original but with none of the heat or complex relationship dynamics. I just … what world is this? Because it is BOTH bizarro land, and EXACTLY what I expected. How do I rate it? In the end I have to go back to simple questions: did I like it, would I rewatch it, and would I recommend it? Yes. Probably. And probably not. What the actual hell?

It did, however win my best kiss of 2023 which is why it's on this list.

Stay By My Side

Taiwan Viki

I wanted to pick SOMETHING from Taiwan but my other two options both had lots of trauma in them. So I'm going with this one.

This show was an interesting take on the "ghost boyfriend" trope. About a boy who is tormented by hearing the dead, except when he is around one other boy - desperation+proximity = love. Unfortunately, the story was erratic and waffled about. While the leads turned in solid performances and the sappy domesticity was off the charts, it never really had the strength of the narrative convictions such a strong concept should have supplied. Highly rewatchable and enjoyable for that sappy domesticity but not a whole lot more. Still I always give extra credit for the diabetes-inducing sugar content and rewatch capacity.

And some suggestions from 2024

I'm only suggesting stuff that has finished it's run and isn't currently airing.

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka

Japan Gaga

The promise of this show, younger cook courts older divorced office worker, should have been my catnip. I mean if someone pitched this to me in an elevator I would have downloaded it by the second storey. Unfortunately, it did not exactly fulfill that promise, not in the way I'd hoped. Did I still enjoy the ride, yes, but I feel just a little let down.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu

Japan Gaga

Kindly Ryota goes to uni and ends up rooming with his former childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend for, as it turns out, cute roommate reasons. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake, the framing is gorgeous and it is a stylish piece. As a friends to lovers cohabitation narrative this was a classic 2000s sweet yaoi. I enjoy that kind of tradition out of Japan even if it (and the characters) come off as a little slow as a result. Still, it's nice to get a traditional BL out of Japan that is satisfying, not slapstick, AND did not hurt us.

[unhappy-last-resort]

PGR Writing Game!

Pick a prompt and character of your choice and write it! There's no competing or any requirements to join, just write something!

Tag me, or use the #PGR writing game to participate! Time period is Aug 5th - November 1st

Further details and prompts (if you need them) below...

Info:

There is no specific trope or genre that you need to follow.

You can write whatever you want! Fluff, smut, action, horror, romance, whatever inspires you to write!

You can either post your work yourself, or submit a post!

Just make sure you give a pen name of some sort so I can credit you, otherwise I won't post it

Time frame is Aug 5th - November 1st

There is no word limit or requirement.

It can be 100 words, or 100,000. It's whatever you wanna write

You can post your work even if you're late

Struggling to write, or nervous about participating?

It can be hard to post your own work in fandom, maybe you don't feel like your work is "good enough" (there is no such thing, fandoms are community spaces, not corporate ones), or maybe you don't think anyone will like it.

Well, I've been there too! In fact, I think that all the time. Some things that have helped me keep posting my work despite that are...

Writing what you want to read

If you ever thought "I wish there was more X type fanfic", this is your sign! Writing what you want to read means you're passionate about it, and if you're passionate about what you're working on, it shows in your writing and other people will notice it too!

If you don't like what you've written, change it up!

Re-read what you've written and ask yourself "Would I read this?", "Would I enjoy it?", "Why, or why not?"

Identifying what's missing in your story will help you write with better direction. It could be as simple as adding more interesting and unique vocabulary, taking more time to describe scenarios or places to capture whatever vibes or feelings you want, or maybe adding something to the plot point.

Of course, these can be difficult to identify so you could try asking for help through the event tag, asking a friend, or asking me for help

What if people don't like it?

They can suck a dick. Okay, seriously though, most people won't do or say anything and if they do, I will eat them. You go post that lovely piece of art

My work isn't getting as much attention as X persons/Why aren't I getting a lot of notes?

Well, there can be a lot of reasons behind that. First and foremost, tags. Are you using all the tags that you could be? The PGR fandom is pretty niche in and of itself, so chances are that there a lot of people who would love to read some PGR fanfic, but they think the scene is dead and aren't looking for it, or they're only looking in the #pgr, #punishing gray raven, or #punishing: gray raven tags

Secondly, your font. Other fonts like

This

Or this

can be busy on the eyes which can make it both difficult to read and unappealing to look at it. Using the default font at a normal, or smaller size is generally your best bet.

Lastly, why is X person's work getting more attention than mine?

Like how writing is a hobby, so is reading. Some people may not have been interested at the time, or you just have to wait. Writing has the benefit of being pretty timeless, so that means people will come to read your work months or years after it's been posted.

It's also important to remember that PGR isn't a large fandom, so unlike other fan works on Tumblr, notes won't accumulate as quickly

Focus on your enjoyment of what you're making

Remember, fandom is a community space and this is a community event. You should be having fun, first and foremost

Everyone is scared

Everyone from a random blog who just posted their first writing ever, to your favorite author of several years with hundreds of works is scared of posting sometimes. It can be easy to fall into the pitfalls of thinking you're somehow annoying everyone in the fandom by posting a bunch of words, or being scared that a post won't do well. You're not alone in your paranoia, so try to be nice and encourage both yourself and others you see who might be struggling. You've got this!

Prompts:

You can write with any perspective or character(s) you want, I only have the "you" here to help you get immersed in the prompt. You may change the prompts as you like to fit your story telling.

The artificial sun of Babylonia's sky warms your skin. It's lively today, with children playing, couples shopping, and individuals heading for their morning coffee. You were no different, briskly walking towards a cafe you had agreed to meet someone.

You push the cafe door open and a bell chimes above you as you walk into the establishment. The golden rays of sunlight stream through the large, glass windows, cascading down on the patrons inside and giving the cafe a new sense of warmth. The aroma of freshly made coffee fills the air, pastries sit tantalizingly in the display cabinets, and a barista is busy making a drink behind the counter.

Just as you're about to step forward to the counter, the bell chimes behind you and you turn to see a familiar figure.

The Science Council is busy today, well- they're busy everyday, but today feels especially important. Scientists frantically type on their terminals, constructs and officers going in and out. Even Celica stopped by for a moment, hurriedly exchanging words and documents with Asimov before leaving just as fast. You tried asking what was going on, but everyone seemed too busy to talk to you. At that moment, Asimov walks up to you.

The scent of salt and water fills your lungs, sand shifting beneath your feet. You wander along the shoreline, various hopes and worries aimlessly run through your mind, coming and going as quickly as they came to you. You're so lost in thought that you didn't hear the soft crunches of sand coming up behind you.

The stars twinkled above you, cold wind rustling the trees and biting at your skin. You did your best to ignore the cold, after all, it was part of why you could travel without running into too many enemies on the way. Even still, the air held a strange tension, as if even the trees were holding their breaths, waiting for something, or someone.

The lounge felt uniquely quiet. That shouldn't be surprising, it was just you here right now, the other members of your squad were busy with their own duties at the moment. Even so, you couldn't help but feel a tinge of loneliness. Sighing, you stood up and wondered what you should do to occupy yourself. Should you clean and organize equipment? Maybe clean the lounge? Or...do something less productive? Look at old photos and logs, indulge in a private hobby? It has been a while since you found yourself with so much free time.

"Ah, there you are." Vonnegut's voice reverberates throughout the room, he speaks evenly, calmly, but you still feel the tension rise in your shoulders. A heavy gaze of displeasure and expectation weighing down your soul and keeping you from moving an inch.

Vonnegut sits on his throne, hands folded, legs crossed, golden mask and eyes glinting in the limited light.

"You've kept me waiting for quite a while."

You exhaled shakily, nervously readjusting your formal wear for the upteenth time. You could hear the cacophony of chattering voices, and clinking silver wear, occasionally cut through with the chime of a glass knocking against a plate through the other side of the door. You knew the moment you opened it, the sounds would become overwhelming, drowning out all personal thoughts and suffocating you.

Nevertheless, you couldn't linger in this dark, isolated hallway any longer than you already have.

The library was quiet as always, but it was even quieter now that the nighttime hours on Babylonia had begun. It was a perfect place to hide in solitude and wander in your thoughts, or even go through old memories of your life.

It felt eerie. The stained wallpaper, scattered furniture, broken windows with beams of moonlight streaming through. You had received a comms signal in this abandoned mansion, but now that you had stepped foot inside, it was gone. You walked quietly, keeping an eye out for any potential traps as you stepped through the halls. A creak of floorboards sounds above you, a door opens, footsteps...and silence. You froze, should you retreat? Call out? Try sending out a comms signal? Investigate? You chewed your bottom lip and as you're still deciding what to do, you hear another creak.

Right down the hallway.

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

Aren't you tired of forced romances with no chemistry that only take away from the actually interesting plot? Don't you just want media where romance isn't portrayed as being superior and more important than (queer)platonic relationships?

Well, my exhausted aro ass is too, so here are a few tricks and wisdoms I've gathered over my years of being a-spec (which is all of them) on how to avoid romance (in media) in a very allonormative society 💚🤍🩶🖤

(this is a rec list btw. no I am not shitting on the shows that I tagged, quite the opposite)

1. Middle Grade

I get if you aren't really into that, because it is kind of annoying to be pointed to literal children's literature when all you want is a story that isn't constantly being interrupted by describing the main guy's heated eyes for the twentieth time.

However.

It is true that in middle grade, friendship is always more important than romance. Because, let's face it. Making two eleven year old characters kiss is kinda weird. So even if there is a romance, it isn't very prominent and treated more like friendship and/or a puppy crush. Plus some stories get surprisingly dark?!?!

Examples

- Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones), technically a romance in the end, but mostly focused on found family, shenanigans, and finding your own value

- House of Many Ways (DWJ). Yes, again. I really like her books okay? They always have something so fantastical and whimsical about them. This is my other favorite book by her and it has literally no romance at all. Plus a hmc cameo that is so fun !!

- Coraline (Neil Gaiman). Maybe this is cheating because I never actually read it. However. a) the movie traumatized me. b) Wybie was added to the movie, he doesn't exist in the book, so if "power of friendship" isn't your thing this will be great. Probably vibes over plot.

Flyte (Angie Sage). Technically this is the second book, but I never read the first one and still understood everything. Once again, no romance at all. A fun read, which can get surprisingly dark at times.

2. Short Story Collections

Once again, I get it if it isn't your thing. Short stories are - as the name reveals - short. Which means: no worldbuilding, very limited narrator, open ending, no time to really get attached to characters, etc.

But.

The cool thing about collections, is that they always have a certain theme. And as long as the theme is not romance, romance will not be the focus. Even if there is a romantic relationship, it will be used to explore this theme since there simply isn't time for anything else.

Examples:

Life Ceremony (Sayaka Murata) This is the book that actually made me figure out: hey! I do actually like short stories !! The main theme is basically about being different and it plays a lot with body horror and the perception of your own body in contrast with how society sees it. There is even a story about two women who platonically live together and raised multiple children!

Canterbury Classics: Classic Tales of Horror (introduction by Ernest Hilbert). As the name suggests, this is a collection of horror short stories, featuring well-known authors such as Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe or Charlotte Perkins Gilman. As these are classic old tales, the language is a bit complicated at times and you can read them for free on Gutenberg. However, the book is very very pretty and the introduction is very interesting (Origins of the genre, specific tropes and monsters, etc.)

3. Podcasts

PODCASTS!!! If you follow me, you are probably already aware of those. However, in case you don't, let me introduce you to the wonderful world of Audiodramas.

The cool thing about Podcasts is that pretty much anyone can do it. All you need is an idea, a mic, a lot of motivation, and you're pretty much set to go. No producers or publishers you need to get approval from. So it is only natural that this medium is filled to the brim with queer creators. Basically every character is somewhat queer. It's awesome.

Examples:

- The Silt Verses. I adore TSV. I listened to the first season like, four times. (the second one is good too but OH MY GOD THE FIRST ONE). And one of the main characters is canonically and explicitly aro!! Sister Carpenter, I love you with my whole being. And the great thing is, it is very clear that the writers love her, too!! There is a lot (like a LOT) of body horror so it isn't for everybody. But if you think you can handle it I really recommend it. (Plus, not any romance plotlines at all !!)

- Wolf 359. This is one of the older ones and it is really good. It's a bunch of restless and very unwell people stuck in a spaceship under the unforgiving rule of capitalism. However bad you imagine it, I can assure you it is worse. But the really cool thing is that there literally isn't any romance at all. Like, there are great m/f friendships but they never even hint towards a romance. Some people are so unused to that that they literally ship the main dude with the fucking robot AI. (don't worry, not an actual romance plot).

- Girl in space. I am sure you will be absolutely shook to know that this one also takes place in space. It is about a girl. In space. Shocking, I know. Except that she has been on her own for well over a year when suddenly a fleet of strange ships arrive and kidnap her. There is also a very asshole-y robot. And questions about what makes us human. And found family!! And a goat. And cheese. Just go listen to it okay. This is also one of the shortest ones of the list, so maybe a good start.

- Malevolent. I have to confess that I personally am not a huge fan of this one? Like the premise is really cool - a detective who wakes up blind and with a demon in his head who can see through the detectives eyes. What the fuck?, you may ask yourself. So does Arthur Lester. Mysteries and other dimensions and a whole lot of pain ensues. Harlan is undeniably an awesome VA and a great writer, but his stories just seem a bit too repetitive to me? Nonetheless I know of lots of people who enjoy it a lot. Trying to define the relationship between Arthur and John (his demon) is perhaps the biggest mystery of them all. (Jk. there are multiple murders and stuff. they've really got other priorities)

- Middle:Below. This is another short one and probably the least famous of this list? It's about this funky lil dude with a ghost roommate and a cat who can talk (.....or can it?). There is a m/f friendship but it never turns into a romance (wow it is possible!!). They all go on adventures on the dimension between life and death. Despite the description, this is literally just a comedy. A bit spooky at best. Reminds me a bit of scarier kids cartoons like gravity falls.

4. "Gay" movies/series in countries with homophobic censorship

Now you may think, "hey that seems like a bit of an asshole move!". And you would be 100% correct in thinking that.

However.

It does also mean that the main relationship of the story can never be explicitly romantic. They can allude to it, they can try to show it. But they can never confirm. So it is very easy to interpret them as having a QPR. (because tbh I don't think I've ever seen one on television.)

Examples:

The Untamed. Look. I am aware that the first episode is so fucking atrocious, all right? And no, the CGI does in fact never get better. And sometimes the translated subtitles are a bit awkward. But I swear that it is so good. Trust me on this one, okay? Just make it through the first ep. It's a wild ride. Lan Zhan I love you. (However the book it is based on (written by a woman) depicts them being in an explicitly romantic relationship, with lots of very inaccurate and badly researched smut, so the fandom pretty much sees them as exclusively romantic.)

- Word of Honor. Very much in the same vein as The Untamed. Except that the first episode is less horrible. And the one dude has a very fruity fan. And they also raise a kid together. And the costumes of the villains are really fun!! I actually never finished this one tbh. I know that the book it is based on has one very extremely terrible ableist plot point, but I don't know if that made it into the show since I never got that far

The Devil Judge. The last two were fantasy, this one is a dystopia. Very tense and interesting. There is a romantic subplot (typical childhood friend vs bad boy love triangle), but he rejects the childhood friend and they can't exactly show him and the "bad boy" (who is actually a judge. and also kinda his sugar daddy) as explicitly romantic for the reason above. They also live in the same house and cook together and take care of a child together. Can totally recommend.

Assassination Classroom. A bunch of students have to kill their teacher who is an alien. that's literally the plot. I cried so hard at the finale. Nagisa and Karma have MASSIVE vibes and you can't convince me otherwise. (There is a romantic subplot that does end in a kiss, but they agree to continue as friends since those were..... extenuating circumstances. The dude very clearly is not into her). Nagisa also very aro-spec coded imo.

5. "Straightbaiting" Anime

Sometimes Anime does this thing (which I personally find very hilarious) where a boy and a girl will have no other romantic involvements or love interests while growing closer and closer, but never get together. A bit like reverse queerbaiting.

Examples:

- Fairy Tail. The ultimate power is friendship anime. That is all you need to know. (I should also perhaps warn you that the end of the last arc (and the sequel series, but we don't talk about that) are huge letdowns. Like the buildup? So good. But....welp. If that doesn't bother you too much and the idea to have a group of people be the main character instead of one person only, this may be the series for you. Just do yourself a favor and skip all the filler arcs

Soul Eater. I really love the vibes of this one. Once again, most of the fandom likes depicting them as explicitly romantic, but they never canonically are. It also reminds me a bit of creepy children cartoons. It is also where the superior fictional school exists, Devon. Frankenstein teaches there (the dude, not the monster). People transform into badass weapons. Nobody can convince me that Make Albarn is not a trans woman. However the ending deviates a bit from the manga, and I personally think the anime one is a bit worse

Noragami. This one will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first anime I really watched. This one also has people who transform into weapons, but the vibes are very different. It goes a bit more into Japanese folklore in case that interests you.

Bonus: Canonically Aro/Heavily Aro-Coded Characters

They were not anywhere above because the stories they are in didn't really fit any of the categories. But they exist!

Wolf (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts). I adore Wolf. There is also barely any romance. Like, it will seem like it at first, but don't worry, it's only straightbaiting. There is a romance subplot but it's very brief and very much in the background. Overall very good aro show 👍

Isaac (Heartstopper) Very queer show, very high likelihood that you already know of it. The series per se is very romance focused, but as far as I've heard the a-spec rep in S2 is really good

Georgia (Loveless). Actually never read it. But, well. Title pretty self-explanatory dare I say. By the same author as Heartstopper (Alice Oseman)

Chance/Chris and Shadow/Ryan (woe.begone) Are explicitly in a QPR together !! they are also probably the healthiest couple in the podcast lol

Henry Clerval (Frankenstein). Henry is the "a couple of besties!!" to Victor's "we look like a couple <3"

Barbie (Barbie 2023) If you've seen it you know what I mean.

Jo Marsh (Little Women). I never read the book, but Jo in the 2019 movie??? very sus.

I would also recommend checking out Japanese books! I personally think they are much better at writing romance than the western people lol. It's more about knowing each other and sharing your views of the world, thus changing each other and leaving a mark forever, even if the relationship ends. (studio ghibli romance vibes). My favorite Japanese book doesn't have an English translation :(

aber an alle Deutsch-Sprecher*innen: Die Katzen von Shinjuku (Durian Sukegawa) -> og title: Shinjuku no Neko

Can't think of anything else right now, but please leave some of your own recommendations! Hope this helps ^^

[andkisses]

♡ new clarity | heeseung ♡

you thought you’d made peace with your past–but here, at this pre-finals christmas party, it seems like there’s much, much more than you bargained for

♡ heeseung x gn!reader | wc. 2.8k ♡ genres/tropes: college!au, party atmosphere, high school sweethearts to strangers to 👀 ♡ mentions of/warnings: party atmosphere lol, drinking/drinking games, kissing, pet name usage, reader is implied to be shorter ♡ a/n: an old writing from my old blog that i accidentally deleted :”) inspired by pool by paramore but specifically this version lol i've added and revised it a bit as well

♡ masterlist ♡

Whatever this is, it had been building and bubbling and rising since eleventh grade. That’s when you set down on this path. When your friend introduced you to her friend, who in turn introduced you to all of his friends. He had seemed kind enough, with sparkly doe eyes that caught the sunlight in enchanting ways. The way his eyes seemed to light up, too, when he met you for the first time. He had some sort of magic to him, you figured—an air that made people want to get to know him better. It had been a simple meeting in the cafeteria during lunch period.

It had been simple, once.

Now, it’s anything but.

Navigating senior year had been stressful enough, but Heeseung’s laugh made it easier. Heeseung had been the kind of person who could cheer you up with a terribly bad pun—puns he never seemed to run out, a seemingly endless supply of groan-inducing monstrosities. His firm shoulder and tender touch and listening ear made hardships bearable.

The way he would look at you, with all the love he could muster in his eyes, small smile on his lips, made it bearable. His kisses, loving and gentle and playful and passionate. The way he would come over to help you with your essay but end up chatting with your mom while cutting fruit. His whispered nothings when he said goodbye, fingers slipping from yours, with a promise to see you in the morning and a smile that would leave your cheeks flushed and your heart full.

You balanced each other in this way–you did the same for him. Cheering him on at his softball games with cheesy homemade signs that were completely embarrassing but made his heart ache in a unique way nonetheless. Helping him study for AP exams that would boost his college applications. Holding him while he cried into your arms after not getting accepted to his dream college, muttering confusion after confusion that you had no answers to. No solution or fix. You couldn’t fathom why, either; he had the grades and the extracurriculars. He was a model student. He was everything. You told him to try again. He told you it didn’t really matter anymore.

Heeseung was different after that night, in subtle ways that close friends picked up on but teachers and passerby people missed entirely. You saw him changing right in front of your eyes as he grappled with the consequences of his future. His laugh wasn’t as loud anymore. His jokes became less frequent. He got quiet.

His touch felt more distant.

You broke up the week before graduation, a shared agreement where you were both okay with the fallout. Your mutual friends were shocked, especially the ones who introduced you all the way back in eleventh grade. It felt like so long ago. Yes, you would miss his touch. Crave his kisses. Long for being held when all you two would do is watch the stars on a gingham blanket and talk about the future, any future. As long as this imagined future involved you two together, it was okay.

As you sat in a crowd of your graduating peers, it felt like you didn’t know which way was up or down.

College came, and freshman year blew by, as did sophomore year. Memorable only the way you would recount a movie that was neither bad nor good. You tried a bunch of things: club activities that failed because the ones you wanted to join occurred at conflicting times–class had to come first. Jobs that turned to dust because they were only temporary for various holidays or tourist influx. Dates with no one ever worth mentioning.

The first half junior year melted away with major-related courses and more papers than you could believe. You tried not to think about the times Heeseung would come over to be your editor, scribbling nonsense in the margins of your rough drafts. Just like you tried again at the dating scene. There had been others, but none like Heeseung. None with a smile like his, that lit up a room it shined so brightly. None with eyes that sparkled and softened whenever they saw you. Or with a voice like his when you were sad, and he would sing to you.

Some of them wouldn’t even try to sing to you.

And now, here you are: at a Christmas party you said you wouldn’t attend because you had to study for finals–class had to come first. But your friend dragged you along, saying you would enjoy it and have fun. “I guarantee it,” she’d promised, chucking cute, Christmas-y clothes in your direction. You normally wouldn’t have been persuaded, but the incessant asking began to overpower any odds of studying. You’d settled on your favorite jeans and a loose red sweater with sequins interweaved before you had even decided on actually attending.

Your friend was giddy on the way over, in a way you’d never seen her before. As she shifted the car into park, practically jumping out of her seat, you’d put it down to her succeeding in dragging you out to some random party. She was gone the moment you two stepped inside, telling you to “have a great night!” with a wink as she vanished into the crowd.

Which brought you to this.

“What are you doing here?” you ask as Heeseung begins to kiss your cheek down towards your jaw. The bathroom lights were off, but the owner of the house had strung up oversized Christmas tree bulbs to illuminate the space and bring festivity or what have you to the small room. At least, that’s what you assume as your mind tries to process everything all at once.  Red, green, and blue tones dance across his dark hair that curled up at the edges, a tousled look. You notice he still smells like orange and cinnamon, even after all this time.

It has a particular effect on you.

He hums against your skin, and you can feel his smirk. “Kissing you,” he says simply, as if it were the most obvious thing. Maybe it is.

“Be serious!” You playfully bat against his shoulder, and even with the solid hit, warmth against your palm, he doesn’t feel real. This couldn’t be real. You hadn’t seen each other since that summer after freshman year.  You texted and talked but it regarded boring mundane things, nothing ever too personal or revealing. You’d become strangers. You hadn’t even told him about your boyfriend, or the break up following, or the other boyfriend, or the other break up, or the third boyfriend and the third break up...

But they never sang to you, so they weren’t worth mentioning.

A quick peck on the tender flesh of your neck, warmth spreading from each spot Heeseung kisses. “I am.”

“Seung…” you warned, resolve waning.

He laughed against your neck, pulling you closer in the dark. “I missed that,” he murmured.

“What? Me scolding you?”

“No, you saying my name,” he replied, slowly rocking you back and forth. “Actually, no. That was a lie. Just you. I miss you.”

Even though you’re sure it only happened less than half an hour ago, it feels like a million years since you caught Heeseung’s eyes in the living room. It was filled with people, milling around each other and shouting over the obnoxiously loud music in order to hear better, which in turn only made everything else louder. The din was slowly and surely becoming unbearable, and you turned to leave when you felt a stare.

You searched the crowd, standing on the hearth to see above the drunk people and the sorta-sober friends crying about how finals were next week and here they were, playing beer pong with ginger ale because someone forgot to bring more beer to play said beer pong. He looked as shocked as you felt, eyes wide and sparkly and lips slightly agape. Your heart jumped as he began to part through the pained students attempting to forget their GPAs and make his way to you, and you were moving towards him before you even realized it.

Somehow, that led to kissing in the bathroom down the hall, where both of you had raced to lock the door, with no real lights and stupid dollar store Christmas bulbs strung about.

Somehow, you’re okay with it.

“Sing me a song,” you request. You can still hear the party outside, tinny-sounding songs bleeding through the walls and party noise. It sounded like someone just scored big in ginger ale pong or failed miserably. But Heeseung, your Heeseung, is here and in front of you and in your arms. You wrapped your arms around him, arms tight against his back, your head tucked into his chest. This was probably what your friend meant, why she was so adamant about your attendance, though you don’t know how she could have known about Heeseung. Maybe it was his magic again.

You suppose it doesn’t matter. She’d probably tell you all about her evil plan to get you and your ex back together—

You flinched in Heeseung’s arms, eyes shut. Calling him an ex didn’t seem right, though that’s certainly what he was. You’d dated, then you'd broken up. You both agreed to do so, regardless of the begging of mutual friends. Regardless of all those different futures you’d envisioned together. Yet, here at this party, in a place you didn’t expect to see him, a place that didn’t make you even think of him, in his arms, ex seems too harsh.

“Please?” you ask quietly, finding yourself nuzzling into the softness of his flannel.

Heeseung laughs, bright and so much like him, and the rumble through his chest makes you smile. “Needy, are we?” he teases, voice soft. You can imagine him biting his lip like he would when he teased you and his own cheeks flushed. You lean more of your weight against him as he quietly sings to you. “I’m underwater, no air in my lungs... My eyes are open, and I’m giving up... You are the wave I could never tame... If I survive, I’ll dive back in…”

You turned up to him, chin resting on his chest, confused pout on your lips. “Are you asking me on a date?” you question. “I don't even know why you’re here. You don’t go to school here. Or anywhere near here.”

“One,” he begins, bringing up a finger and lightly booping your nose, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re the one who asked me to sing, so I sang. How dare you label me with ulterior motives.” He smiles, nose scrunched against yours, and you can’t help but giggle at his affections. “Secondly, my school had finals last week. I’m finished, and I thought I’d come over and watch all the other people suffer and drown their sorrows in cheap liquor and apple juice.”

“It wasn’t ginger ale?” you ask, frowning.

“They’re too broke for ginger ale, my delight,” he says, the pet name rolling off his tongue like he never stopped calling you that. Like there wasn’t almost three years separating you two like this. “They’re college students.”

“Did you come here to see me?” you ask, the idea popping into your mind. Part of you is screeching because oh my god did you seriously just say that? To him? To his face? But another part, the one closer to your heart, needs to know. The part that’s been daydreaming about something similar to this, though none of them ever occurred in a bathroom at a Christmas party with cheap lights. A part that longs for the simple time, of falling asleep after sweet kisses and talking about the future, any future.

A future with you two together.

“If I survive, I’ll dive back in... I’ll dive back in, I’ll dive back…”

“Hee-seeeeung—” you drawl, sounding like a petulant child. You don’t care, you’re too hopeful. “Answer meeeee.”

He mimics your tone. “Fiiiiiiiine.” He stood you up, pushing you off him with his hands on your shoulders as he levels a stare. His eyes sparkle, even in the low light“Go out to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

You raise an eyebrow.

He smiles awkwardly. “Please?”

“Heeseung, I’m one of those sad college students waiting to suffer for finals. I need to study.”

He groans playfully, like you’d told him he had to win a golf tournament for a chance at dinner. He drops his arms and rolls his head back before looking back up. “Let me try again,” he says, hands clasped behind his back and smirk barely contained on his lips. “Can I purchase your favorite takeout and bring it to your dorm and help you study?”

“Depends.” You pinch your chin between your thumb and forefinger in a mock thinking position with pursed lips. You’ve gotta tease back somehow, right? “Study like real study–you know, the boring way–or study like you kiss me after I get a review question correct?”

“Hey, studies show that rewards help you learn and retain more information.” Heeseung shrugs before his faux seriousness fades into a myriad of giggles as he quietly repeats himself, “Studies... study... haha.”

“Oh my god.” You lightly shove his shoulders back, causing him to break out into more laughter. And there it is, that bright smile that made the sun ashamed. That warmed your cheeks and kept your heart beating on the bad days. The one you’ve longed to see so dearly.

“I miss us,” you say. Or breathed. You didn’t really put effort into saying it, but it came out nonetheless. You lean back against the counter, and Heeseung mirrors your stance against the opposing wall. “Why did we break up?”

“We were different,” Heeseung replies, as if it’s the easiest answer. Maybe it is. “We needed space.”

You bite your lip thinking, eyes everywhere but Heeseung. Is this really a good idea? Had breaking up even been a good idea? College had been lonely without him. He was there but he wasn’t. Baseline text messages were different from face-to-face heartfelt conversations. He’d become a stranger, an idea you kept in your memories. But now, he’s within reach of your fingertips, and something deep inside tells you that if you catch hold, you’ll fight to keep him close this time.

“About tomorrow night…”

Heeseung’s head shot up, eyes anxious. “Yeah?” he exhales, as if he’d been waiting for you to say something, anything.

“If you promise to bring my favorite takeout and a decent supply of kisses,” you say, stepping forward with your hands behind your back just like he had been, “because I do have a lot to study for, I guess you can come over.”

“Really?” Heeseung steps close, and he seems timid. Like you might yell and tell him to go away. Like this whole moment isn’t actually happening. His eyes hold hope and joy and happiness. And you want to keep them that way. “You’re willing to give us another try?”

You nod, biting down a shy smile. Heeseung moves to hug you, swoop you up in his arms and you know he’s going to try and spin you around like a Disney movie. A thought comes to mind quickly, new options forming now that there’s more possibility. You hold up a hand, and his chest runs straight into your palm. “What?” he asks, fearful and worried.

“You still haven’t actually kissed me tonight, Seung,” you remind, tilting your head up towards him. You point all around your face and neck before tapping on your lips. “I don’t think I could wait until tomorrow night after all this time.”

Heeseung pouts, pulling at your hands. “I’d get red lipstick on me, though.”

You smile slyly this time, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling close. Heeseung’s smile grows wide, making your heart pound with the puppy love you’d felt before, but this time, it feels like it could grow into something more. You two were older now, maybe wiser if the school system had done its job. Or maybe you were still fools.

At least, you can be fools together.

You bump into his nose with your own, something that makes you feel little and young and powerful again. You smile up at him and, even in the darkness and the stupid Christmas lights, you can see how his eyes glitter and shine with a particularly new clarity. “Something tells me you wouldn’t mind,” you whisper.

Heeseung bumped his nose back. A quick peck, and you smile that he still tasted like hot cinnamon candies. “Something tells me you’re right.”

[worflesbian]

RIGHT i've watched the first six episodes of enterprise (five if the two-part pilot only counts as one) and i have things to say. take all of them with a pinch of salt bc ive only just started it but i have a sneaking sense that it will continue in much the same fashion.

first of all the backswing from ds9 + voyager's first black captain and first female captain is TANGIBLE. to quote eleanour "girlboss" guthrie-blacksails so many goddamn (white) men here!!! too many goddamn (white) men here!!! not only are they white men, archer and trip specifically are Cowboys in the most "we clearly want to write a classic western" sense. if i closed my eyes and listened to a scene with just the two of them i wouldn't be able to distinguish it from firefly, a show where they purposefully put on cowboy voices because apparently space westerns were all the rage in 2001-2002.

t'pol is really the only woman i would call a main rather than supporting character and her role thus far seems to be emulating the nagging sitcom wife, in that she naysays everything, gets utterly disregarded, is proven right by the end of the episode, and then is immediately disregarded again next episode. i find the idea of vulcans intentionally curtailing human progress into space and humans rebelling against that really interesting, but i hate the way the casting and direction turns space travel into this gung-ho boys will be boys situation because even though t'pol is right, she's being Framed as a killjoy in such a gendered way.

back to the western thing - i watched a Lot of 50s' and 60s' westerns as a child and out of the five episodes of enterprise i've seen so far, three have used tropes or stock situations directly from westerns with the worst offender being s1e6 terra nova. i was fucking gobsmacked by that episode like it was BLATANT. the fact that most of their outdoor scenes are probably filmed in california which is where a lot of westerns are filmed by pure hollywood convenience probably doesn't help, but it's really evident in the writing as well. i remember reading that the original series wanted to take the western frontier into space and make a "wagon train to the stars" and it feels like enterprise decided to go all the way back to that concept and do it far, far less subtly.

of course the problem with this is that rather than engage with the politics of that genre and how they've influenced the formation of star trek (is the federation an imperialist entity? is starfleet a colonialist military? etc) it feels so far that enterprise is just having a great time playing uncritical cowboys and aliens, completely erasing indigenous people from the narrative of westward expansion or replacing them with the non-human which. fucking sucks!!

the fact that t'pol is constantly getting racially harassed and abused as the only vulcan aboard, the fact that hoshi is inexperienced with combat and space travel so its always the men doing the action scenes, the fact that travis is the youngest and least ranking officer on the bridge and the fact that enterprise was "rick berman's baby" are all adding up to a conscious agenda of putting white men at the forefront of trek again.

if i'm wrong about any of this i would love to hear from people who've watched further than me! i dont mind about spoilers i've already had loads

[wonryllis]

please give writing tips too

sure love! everyone’s different so in no way would the same things work for all but these are some tips that have helped me improve and just you know expand my horizons.

feel free to add your own points to this to help people more!!

001. READ READ AND READ (I CAN’T STRESS ENOUGH ON THIS BUT THIS IS THE MAIN KEY). be it fics, or novels or normal story books even non-fiction. reading will help in expanding your vocabulary and grammar, and give you an idea on how to build words in different kinds of scenarios. how to set the mood and what kind of details will have the most impact.

002. for expanding your vocabulary i would suggest searching up words you come across and don’t know the meaning of. don’t skip them, search them up and try understanding what they mean and look through what other words have similar meanings(synonyms)

003. CONSTANTLY PRACTICE WRITING. even if you’re not going to post it anywhere, just try writing a little bit on different themes. in that way you will be able to find out more about your writing style and flair as well as what points you need to work on.

004. STOP HESITATING TO REWRITE. there’s hardly anything one gets right at the first shot. and the same goes for writing. rewriting pieces will help you figure out what you should’ve added that you didn’t the first time and how changing the order of words or adding new literary devices(metaphors, similes, anecdotes etc) can make more of an impact.

005. DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT GENRES. just 100 words can also help with experience. search up different genres that interest you and try coming up with a short scenario if you can.

13 points more under the cut!

006. TRIAL AND ERROR. don’t be let down if you fail to write a specific type of au, theme or trope. it takes certain amount of time and experience to be able to write different genres or anything as such. you need to have exposure to that topic to be able to create imagination on it.

007. with that being said, when you pick up a certain trope, au, theme or any topic you want/plan to write on: DO PROPER AND A LOT OF RESEARCH. trust me, it helps a lot.

008. as well in relation to the point above when writing a story, make sure to plan a rough outline. what kind of characters you’re going for, what events are going to define your story, how do you want the ending and the beginning to be. what your protagonist(s) is going for, what all they would be facing throughout and such.

009. SET A MORAL/POINT OF VIEW YOU WANT TO CONVEY through your writing. it helps you have a basis, a particular aim and drive behind what you wish to leave an impression through. it could be anything complex like dark themes of toxicity or even anything as simple as comfort. you just need to know what you’re writing for.

010. for inspiration i would suggest, LISTENING TO SONGS. any song you’re listening to, try thinking of a story behind it. for example let’s take taylor swift’s “no body no crime” go through the lyrics, the vibe and think what type of story could have this as background music. or what kind of a story could have that type of no body no crime summary?

011. KNOW WHEN TO SHOW THINGS RATHER THAT TELLING THEM. too much of anything is never good. when writing, it’s important to keep the balance between descriptions, narratives and dialogues. try thinking what are the things that would be better when described, for example the relationship between your characters: it’s something which is better shown than told. like how they treat each other, how they see each other, their dynamics in general is not something that can be told through a big lengthy dialogue or JUST one paragraph(short drabbles being an exception)

012. an additional point to the one above would be, try keeping yourself in the reader’s position and see what pulls you in more. what makes you feel the emotions better.

013. PICTURE THE SETTING YOU WANT TO WRITE ON. close your eyes and think of any type of place that you would like to write the story in. a suburb? or an abandoned city for an apocalypse? this will help in brainstorming for ideas.

014. INTO THE CHARACTER’S MIND. this is a very important point. explore the world within the mind of the character, something that defines them. THIS IS ANOTHER BIG KEY TO IMPROVE, pull your readers into the character(s)’ mind, show them the fears, the memories, the feelings, the thoughts, the hopes and dreams. it helps them understand the character and get into the story.

015. when using dialogues keep in mind that the DIALOGUES SHOULD ALWAYS BE MEANINGFUL AND REALISTIC. unnecessary talks aren’t often attractive so write what is necessary, needed. even with humor, excessive fun is not always impressive. and short but impactful dialogues always literally always leave the best impression.

016. CHALLENGE YOURSELF. try starting off strong since the very beginning. strong meaning starting off with words that leave a lasting impression. or words that pull you in with intrigue.

017. LEARN TO PACE YOURSELF. first of all it’s okay to take a break. actually its very important. pushing yourself beyond limits would never give positive results. know when you need to stop, cause being tired is not going to give better ideas or better word building. let yourself go into writer’s block, don’t fight it. you’ll come back better than when you’re forcing yourself to stay put and continue.

018. and last but not least. KNOW THAT IMPROVEMENT TAKES TIME. don’t be disappointed or discouraged if you are not good today. not being good today doesn’t mean you won’t ever be good. keep trying and with little to little progress over time, you will see yourself getting there. don’t lose hope🤗! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

[scnders]

edit: closed for now so i don't get overwhelmed! hi everyone! i'm pretty new to posting ads for 1x1 rp-ing but i have a lot of muse for writing a variety of plots! a little bit of info about me is that i'm 25+, s/her pronouns, open to m/m, f/f and m/f. as for timezone and activity, i'm in the gmt + 8 timezone and i would say i'm pretty active unless i'm working (i have a corporate job) or hanging out with friends during weekends. there are also some days when my writing muse is low of course so please do understand. (when you have those days i'll definitely be understanding as well!) i'm looking to find 1x1 partners who are at least 23+ on discord. i'm an oc type of girl who plays both male and female ocs. definitely more experienced writing male ocs, but i like having a good mix. i would hope the same for my rp partners as well! i definitely can do semi-lit to novella depending on muse or brain juice. also! i would like to practice writing nsfw since i haven't done so in a while. below the cut you'll find more information about tropes, fcs i like to use and etc. like this post if you want me to approach you for your discord! or you can message me with yours!

just some general info:

be clear when communicating especially if you have no muse for a certain plot/thread! i would appreciate it rather than being ghosted.

please put in the same or enough effort when it comes to plotting/headcannons and etc. i promise to do the same or inform you if i don't have enough brain power to come up with things.

i love angst and fluff is definitely fine too as a bit of a palate cleanser.

my only trigger is descriptive self-harm but there are some taboo topics i am really not comfortable writing despite not being triggered.

some fcs i rp/would like to: song kang, park solomon, ateez san, txt's yeonjun, the boyz younghoon and hyunjae, svt's jeonghan and jun, bright vachirawit, bibi, youha, fromis_9 jiwon, noze, twice's sana, kiss of life's julie han, billie's haram, kitty chicha, kwon nara and honestly many more. also open to suggestions!

some tropes/genres/what have you ideas:

grumpy x sunshine, best friends to lovers (pining premium, both are idiots, drops the 'bro' and 'no homo'), fake dating (for dumb reasons like i need to make myself look desirable because people think i've been bitchless for years which yes i have been But), meet ugly, enemies to lovers, exes to friends to lovers, rivals (especially for like royalty aus), high fantasy, supernatural, revenge, royalty, reincarnation, 25 lives (the poem by tongari), blind date gone wrong, based on anime/movies/series, storybook characters with a twist and a plot like hotel del luna where they're wandering souls staying at a super fancy hotel, vampires, merfolk and etc... that's a lot i realized.

specific plot ideas:

business partners who are also fwbs. two people who match in every aspect from financial status, looks, in the bedroom etc.. have tried to make it work in the romance department but it just left them frustrated but they try again

final girl who's trying to recover from the horrors of what happened (we can base it off of a movie) who accidentally falls for a serial killer

i have more i Swear this post is just getting too long fr pls don't cancel me

[cy-cyborg]

Any predictions about what they're going to do with Toph in the live action Avatar? I actually kind of like the changes they made like making Sokka no longer sexist. The story feels more real, honestly, I think Toph is a bit of an overdone character. Like she's super strong because she's blind, that's not good writing. I hope they make her better.

Ironically, I got the notification about this ask while I was talking about this very subject with my partner lol.

I'm only a few episodes into the live action Avatar so far, so take what I say with a grain of salt i guess, but I'm honestly a bit concerned. While I'm glad you enjoyed it (and legitimatly no hate on anyone who does), I'm finding so far that the creators of this version have attempted to "fix" a lot of things that either didnt need fixing, or they didn't really understand why they were issues, so they have ended up "fixing" the wrong things in a lot of cases. I worry this will be the case with toph eventually, too.

I'm planning to talk more about og toph soon (I'm working on the draft for the post atm) but basically, I agree, I absolutely love og toph, but she does have issues that its important to acknowledge. Its worth keeping in mind though the context of when the og show aired. the fact that she's a good bender specifically because she's blind/a bit over the top is, in my opinion, an overcorrection from the kinds of disability rep common in fantasy (and other genres but especially fantasy) at the time: chatacters that were mostly just sad or helpless who were left out of the action and/or used to show how sad a world is.

If they were to make changes to toph, it's important to recognise that this isn't really the case anymore, and what made toph work back then might not work as well now. Now characters like toph are so common it has become a trope in and of itself (the supercrip trope, to be specific, something ive already talked about before). to move away from that, they need to do a better job of recognising her blindness as a disability outside of her bending and maybe not necessarily toning her down, but adding layers to how her blindness effects her daily life and lean into the idea of her earthbending being used as a kind of disability aid rather than a cure for it.

The problem is, I don't think they will. I think they'll either add some (unnecessary) sad undertones to her character and backstory to match the "darker tone" they seem to be going for, or they'll lean into the supercrip aspects of her character even more that the og did and kind of forget she's blind at all.

It's a pessimistic take, and like I said, I haven't finished the series yet, so my thoughts might change, but from what I've seen so far, my hopes aren't super high.

[sneverussape]

For the fanfic writer questions (tho feel free to sub art if you prefer): ❤️🏷💕🥳🦈📗💭😎💘🚦🤩🤖🎨

God, that's like ⅓ of them... feel free to skip any you don't like, otherwise I'm all ears!! :) <3

omg this is a lot and idk if i'll be able to answer them properly so it's all going under the cut :))) (if read thru mobile some of the answers get cut off. idk why this is but it works fine on desktop lol. 🙃)

❤️ - what is your favorite line that you've written in a fic? it's definitely one of the evans!severus ones. this au is quite personal for me so everything i write or draw for it has a basis on something that i've experienced irl. it's a coping mechanism of sorts, and a way for me to understand certain things that happened in the past. my favorite lines are from the ficlet i did titled Hello World [ad infinitum] and it's:

You are ready to crawl out of your skin, jump out of your bones, and enter your child’s bloodstream. Hold him nerve for nerve. Calm the exploding suns in his mind. He births universes at least once a week. You all are surrounded by the ghosts of galaxies.

This was a fic that forced me to get into the headspace of parents forced into a near-impossible situation, but one which they powered through if only via sheer will and determination. i think the lines captured not only how the condition [epilepsy] itself manifests in the physical sense, but also the ephemerality and intangibility of it all. i was pretty chuffed too that i didn't have to think too hard about these lines; they just came to me! 🏷 - is there a tag you like to search for when looking for fanfics to read? this applies more to a03. i don't really search tags unless i'm in a specific mood for something, like specific characters, certain pairings, or "______'s A+ parenting". :)) i grew up reading untagged fics on forums and later on livejournal, so tend to ignore tags when searching a lot of the time. i mostly depend on summaries. when on ff dot net (which is actually my preferred platform over a03 because of the amount of old fics on there), i filter by genre, usually sticking to drama, angst, hurt/comfort, adventure.

💕 - what is your favorite fic that you've written? ohhh, for hp definitely the first one i ever wrote for this fandom, which is with friends like these. i love how lucius is characterized here, and how he's just a step from the edge. the desperation and the intense level of his grief interspersed with guilt was so satisfying to write and to read over and over. i also like how i had written other people's treatment of him, as though he's a bomb set to explode. he's in disgrace, but he's still managed to keep the last shreds of his dignity intact, and is still capable of doing harm when pushed.

🥳 - why did you start writing fanfic? purely for my own indulgence, like most people! :)) i like imagining what-if scenarios but also still sticking to canon for a lot of other things. i also use it for catharsis.

🦈 - which character is the toughest to write? ooooooh i'd have to say eileen prince, mostly because i cannot for the life of me decide how i want her to be. i hate the idea of her being submissive. it doesn't sit well for me at all and not something i particularly want to read and write about. i want her to have a stronger personality but can't figure out what her exact story is, apart from having had an ambiguous past with abraxas malfoy (vague hints of a previous relationship which was cut short) and tom riddle (were they friends? rivals? both?). i'm not keen on the abused wife trope mostly because it's so overused and not something i like. i'd rather have her be apathetic and neglectful than be abused (because why? why would a witch allow for it? i can't find a reason for i, especially if you have another world you can escape into), but really haven't figured out the nuts and bolts of it.

📗 - do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? if so, what about? i used to want to, when i was younger. i used to want to be a writer! for the time being, i don't want to write any original fiction. i work in a very rigorous and mentally- and emotionally-draining industry which involves a lot of strategizing and diplomatic hoo-hah. life is far stranger than fiction, and anything i can write will pale in comparison, i think. :)) i'll let life unravel first and see where i end up.

💭 - what inspires you and your writing? my basis for writing is a lot of complex emotions - mostly grief and loss - that i want to sort through, and this shows up a lot in my work. some people have said that i create too many angsty pieces but hey, i create for me. :)) i find the act of creation very satisfying and is something that helps me figure out how to deal with things. alas, my blorbos suffer for it (and i'm not sorry). it also helps that i have plenty of enabler friends! >:)

😎 - what fics do you prefer on a scale of canon compliant to wildly original? oooooh, i like both! it depends on the plot tbh. i've read so many fics that were so au the entire world was practically rebuilt, and other worlds were created for the characters to traverse through. i love those! especially if the lore was thought through really well. some fic writers could honestly give tolkien a run for his money.

on the other hand, i also love canon-compliant fics because those present its own set of challenges. imagine creating your own world within a world that's already created? fanfic-writing is so great because it stretches the limits of creation and co-creation. i love how creative people can get while working with canon and never breaking its rules. i'm always in awe of what comes out of it.

one thing i love is when people incorporate something that they know about really, really well and make that the center of the fic. it can be a hobby, a culture, a language, a sport, etc. you can always tell when an author is knowledgeable or passionate about the topic because it shines through and i love that! if i like the writing style, these types of works can make me read about anything, even about things that i normally wouldn't be interested in in real life.

💘 - is it easier to write angst or fluff? definitely angst. these are emotions that are readily accessible for me because i internalize a lot and like to figure out why i felt x when y happened. usually that involves a lot of angst. not to say that i never experience any happiness irl but happiness/fluff is also not something i think too deeply about, and therefore not something i find satisfaction writing about. it's an itch that already gets scratched enough, but soothing angst irl is not something that happens, so i do it via fic.

🚦 - what sort of endings do you prefer to write: ambiguous, bad, happily ever after, etc..? ambiguous! i like it when readers figure out for themselves what happens. i like the act of co-creation that happens in writing, specifically when the reader will have different interpretations of endings or events, and it's usually a reflection of their own experiences and thoughts. given the choice though between doing a good and bad ending, it really depends on the characters and what takes place in the plot. i normally don't have an ending figured out when i start writing. i'm more interested in the journey of growth that happens in between. my normal route is i plot that (the journey/change), then let the characters make their own way. i decide what type of ending they should have once we get there.

🤩 - what led to your interest in the fandom? i've been an hp fan for a long, long time but did not get involved in the fandoms outside of forums and various lj communities. even then i kept my distance, because i was still in school and didn't want it taking over my life lol. i couldn't afford to be on the family computer every day after school; i had to study and stuff, y'know? i was in varsity teams, orchestra, student council, etc on top of everything else so getting completely immersed in the fandom was not an option. the last few books were released while i was in university and the only fandom i could really get involved in then was the one among rl friends where we knew who was fans of which characters and we'd discuss the plot over lunch and thingss. apart from that, we were too busy to get involved in the internet wars that happened then ahahaha.

i only got really involved in fandom during COVID. i needed a space to just forget about the real world for a while and being in the snapedom worked. i got to writing again and started drawing digitally. i don't regret it at all!

🤖 - are non-fandom friends aware that you write fanfic? hahahahaha NO. i think one or two suspect it but they've never asked. these are friends i've had since childhood and who know i read fanfic (they do too), but we've never revealed whether or not we create fanworks ourselves. they know what fandoms i'm in however, and we share some of them, so i guess not knowing is the best arrangement. we like that we're able to keep our fan lives private, and are able to vent anonymously.

🎨 - if someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see? idk to be honest! it would be interesting to see a DTIYS (draw this in your style) based on my snape. or even the hcs i have of them, a fave being catholic!snape. i have many imagined works based on catholic!snape but i'm not brave enough to attempt them, mostly because it would involve a lot of rigorous and detailed work :))) i want to draw him in a huge empty cathedral sitting on one of the last pews, while looking up at the altar in front. the idea of the altar alone is enough to put me off the entire thing. my wrist already hurts just thinking about it. :))

[buzzdixonwriter]

On Genres, Truths, and Tropes (part two)

One reason I enjoy writing fictoids (typically under 500 words) is that it enables me to try new things without committing to them in a lengthy project.

But while side gigs don’t diminish a novelist’s reputation, writing too many novels too fast can.

At best it undermines readers’ appreciation of your seriousness to the task.

At worst it burns you out too quickly and / or traps you in a self-repeating cycle of mediocrity.

It’s been said Philip K. Dick was the best novelist in the science fiction and that three of his books are among the very best the genre has to offer -- the only problem is nobody can agree on which three they are.

PKDick published 35 novels in his lifetime, plus 8 more posthumously.  All of them are filled with the same off kilter imagination, the problem being they don’t all gel equally.  Several are near misses, several are borderline, but as it’s hard to tell sometimes when PKDick is writing from the heart or when he’s just throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks, picking a consensus masterwork from that is impossible.

What PKDick’s work possesses is something lacking in most of works in the sci-fi genre:  Timelessness.

Now in fairness, some timeliness / timelessness is less problematic among some genres than others.

Readers seem far more willing to pick up a 1920s detective novel than a 1920s romance, a 1930s horror story than a 1930s space opera.

Detective and horror novels -- even when set in a specific era -- present themes that transcend the particularly literary style and tropes the writer may employ.

We accept them as taking place not in the present day but in the historical past, and as such we accept the manners and mores as being different from the current era’s.

Detective and horror fiction also enjoy the advantage about dealing with deeper meanings and themes even if they need to be hidden between the lines.

Romance (and full disclosure, I’m not a reader of the genre, merely an outside spectator) also deals with deeper meanings and themes, but in a more direct manner.  With rare exceptions (i.e., Jane Austin and the Bronte sisters), romances set in the era they were written tend to age badly as cultural standards re courtship /marriage / sex and how interest in same is expressed changes over time. 

Which is not to say modern writers can’t write romances set in an earlier era (Regency novels are still immensely popular) but that they’re written for modern sensibilities filtered through the lens of the past.

And, yeah, I’m well aware the romance genre can run all the way from G to NC17 rated with side excursions into such things as Amish or Native American romances, but a G rated Regency romance written today reflects today’s attitudes even if it doesn’t necessarily endorse them.

It’s the contrast between the present and the past that makes that sub-genre appealing to many.

There are far too many genres and sub-genres to overview adequately here.  Suffice it to say some genres -- in particular westerns and sci-fi (but not fantasy) -- tend to age more acutely than other genres.

Westerns obviously because older works in the genre were written reflecting attitudes of their era, and we’re rapidly learning how inaccurate-to-downright-bigoted those attitudes were.  Even when we read a work understanding it as an artifact of an earlier time, it’s hard not to respond negatively to the basic cultural assumptions of the era (this is a problem facing even legitimate classic literature, as Mark Twain and Huck Finn can attest).

Sci-fi often faces similar problems re cultural attitudes with the added complication of scientific knowledge ever expanding, rendering earlier speculation null and void.

Indeed, for many works, such as Star Wars or Frank Herbert’s Dune, it’s easier to think of them as fairy tales in space rather than genuine science fiction.

Fantasy, of course, sidesteps that issue by typically casting stories in far away places in far away times with imaginary cultures that substitute magic for science and technology.  Lack of cultural or more touchstones with contemporary society can be overlooked by the relative exoticness of the tale (exotic here not in its common contemporary usage as high adventure in desolate foreign lands and jungles but rather its original meaning of something markedly different from expected norms).

 © Buzz Dixon

[nerdwhoauthorinserts]

Selfship AU Idea 2/?

Title/Name: Romcom!AU? Genre: Romcom

Selfship(s):  -Blahms (Romantic) Trigger warnings?: -Uhhh, I don’t think so? Tropes?: -Enemies to Lovers -Love triangle -Unrequited love -Love at first sight (One-sided) Changes: -Brahms’ backstory has been changed, it’s now a tad more "normal". -The timing of events has been shifted slightly. -Genre shift: Thriller/horror --> Romcom

Basic plot:

   Brahms was never involved with Emily’s death, the house never caught fire, and Brahms was never forced into the walls. Though still singled out for being ‘odd’, he had a semi-typical upbringing. He’s not an active member of the community or anything, rather, he’s a ‘reclusive artist’ archetype. (He makes dolls, small statuettes, rat traps, stuff like that.) Brahms goes into town mainly to get supplies for these hobbies.

   Meanwhile, Blake is arriving in town after escaping his ‘intense’ family, moving to England from America. The moment he leaves the airport, he has a cliched meet-cute with Greta, who also just arrived. (Specifically, Greta and him mix up their luggage and end up realizing the mistake right as they’re leaving, leading to the two having to swap back.) 

   Greta came because the Heelshire family was hiring for someone to do chores around the house. (A housemaid, basically.) There was a party being thrown at the time to celebrate Mr and Ms Heelshire’s anniversary as well.

   Blake realizes too late that the motel he meant to stay at was... not nearly as welcoming as the ads he saw when travelling made it seem. Thus, having no home, his attention is brought to the Heelshire celebration, and he decides to go (Mainly for the free food.). He sneaks inside and meets Greta again, and they get to chatting. 

   Brahms is dragged away from his work room (Still in the walls.) and forced to join the celebration, where he finally meets Greta. He falls in love with her at first sight, but can't seem to get the nerve to talk to her. Brahms notices Blake and Greta interacting a lot during the party.

   Brahms finds out Blake has snuck in when he’s confronted about it by Brahms’ father and Malcolm. However, Brahms steps in unexpectedly and makes up an excuse that he invited Blake personally. They step away and Brahms talks with him, realizes Blake’s predicament, and makes him an offer. Help him woo the lovely Greta and in return, Brahms will let Blake stay at the manor in Brahms’ work room. Blake is suspicious, but eventually agrees.

   Blake isn’t interested in Greta at all, but Greta, over time, develops feelings for him. Brahms only gets more infatuated with Greta the more he learns about her, while Greta is not interested. Brahms and Blake end up not getting along at first, (Blake is a punk rock dude and Brahms is a posh rich guy, of course they don’t get along at first.) but slowly end up going from begrudgingly working together, to enjoying their time spent together, to actually developing feelings for each other as Blake tries to coach Brahms on how to woo Greta.

   All the while, Brahms’ parents try to kick Blake out of their house somehow. From tricking him, to tricking Brahms, to fabricating ‘accidents’ as an excuse to kick him out, etc.

Random extra content:

   Blake is entirely oblivious to Greta’s feelings toward him. There are multiple jokes about this.

---    Blake, angrily clutching a pool cue: “She asks you ‘is beauty all that matters?’ and you respond with ‘What else is there’?!”    Brahms: “It was dumb, I know. I didn’t know what to say!”    Blake, rolling his eyes: “You should write a book: ‘How to offend women in five syllables or less'.” ---

   Near the beginning of things, Blake and Brahms argue and have spats almost constantly, but as they get to know one another, those moments get fewer and further between.

   Disapproving parents are disapproving, Brahms’ parents are painfully aware of the bond Blake and Brahms are forging and are dead-set on Brahms having a heterosexual relationship. (Maybe not entirely because of homophobia, but certainly because they want the family line to keep rolling/’I want grandkids’, lol.)

[shdwtouch]

🔥 give us another one? :D

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion. || accepting !

edit: I'm actually adding this before I post but I kinda just ended up ranting and the point / unpopular opinion shifts, or I guess becomes more specific and less reactionary. I just wanted to add that preface in case someone reads the first paragraph and is like wtf ?? I'm also just. paranoid about how I sound so. just read the whole thing before you get angry at me or judge too harshly orz

okay this is a petty thing but. if I write you an unplotted starter... like, you like my starter call, I go through the effort of coming up with something without requiring we discuss, and then you tell me you don't like the starter but then write a thread using THE SAME premise with someone else. I am. no. just no. fuck you, fuck off.

things that ARE okay tho: saying you like the premise but you don't think it works / you aren't comfortable writing it for our characters. or, idk, literally any other kinda communication. but I GET IT. I can't copyright ideas. tropes, themes, and scenarios are always at risk of repeat within genres and dynamics. I have no claim to a plot, and no one needs my permission to use it. it just. infuriates me ! so much.

I struggle with writing unplotted things, but I do my best, ya know ? I don't halfass what I put out, I do think about things and consider before I write for folks. I put a lot of effort into my interactions. and it just. grinds my gears, putting all that effort into something, liking the content... and being told by my partner they don't like it but see them use the same plot or what have you with someone else !

like, I promise if you tell me you don't like something I write for you I will not be offended. however, if I see you engaging with something similar to what I wrote ? like. did I do something wrong ? is it my writing ? is it the plot ? this opens up a shit ton of anxiety-inducing questions that I, frankly, do not need to deal with. just. please communicate with me. be honest. tell me what you don't like, even if it is just. yeah I don't think this works between our characters. that is a-okay !

also, this goes into a whole other thing of. don't just tell me you don't like it. tell me what we can do different, how I can improve. roleplay is a collaborative hobby and I, unfortunately, can't read your mind. if I put all the effort in just to be told nah, I don't like that... fuck you ? seriously ?

AND AGAIN. communication is so important ! I have AuDHD and RSD my guys, and let me tell you "no, I don't like that" and "no, I don't like that, but my brain is mush rn, let me think about it and get back to you to discuss." hit so much differently. idc if you implied the second in the first, cuz I didn't see it so I'm not gonna assume it. deadass, my brain reaction to the first is "oh... well okay then :c" while my reaction to the second is "oh ! okay ! owo" like. idk how else to explain this.

so I guess the tl;dr is just fucking communicate / work with me ? don't just tell me you don't like it. because if I see you with a similar / same thing later I will, rightfully, be like but I thought you said you didn't like it, wtf ????? >:c

[coolbeansbuddyofmine]

ro I know we rarely interact but curious about ✨ and adding the 🌈 for funsies <3

HI SEL!! i've been so ia for the longest time and im still in the middle of a lot of work but i have the time to take a breath it feels like

also yay thank u for ur ask!!

✨What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

so, as per usual, i'm not a concise person so i'll give two varieties of answers for this between my finished fics and my to-be-completed ones (bc i will finish all my fics one day---they're incomplete not abandoned)

so finished fics:

so my contenders are between both of these because they were really specific ideas that either i had (in the case of the lawschool fic) or that were sent to me (the f4 fic) and i had a lot of fun writing it. the general speed of the actual writing was very very fast because i was so invested and i knew what i would write too.

of course, my popular fics like the famous aus in vincenzo fandom and the countless f4 fics were very very fun too, but they get their due credit. i think these are some of my (if i can say this even) more "underrated" fics so to speak. people do like them and all, but i think i like it much more than people do, if that makes sense.

i want to have the same energy as a writer bc i find myself lacking it that i had when i was writing this approximately a year before, and the same strength of my brainrot ideas that motivate me to write.

for my unfinished fics:

so the fiery priest fic was the product of a fever dream at night that i spent furiously writing down in a notebook as soon as i woke up, and i think it's one of my best works personally. if you've watched the show, i highly encourage you to read this fic of mine. i think it deals with the emotional genres of second chance romance, enemies to lovers, angst that i think are my strengths. so yes, if the fandom were more popular, i think (hope) it'd get the due credit it deserves.

the vincenzo fic is really a labour of love (as are all my fics, but this one a bit more so). i love intolerable cruelty the movie, and i think men who think of themselves as tough pining for the strong as needles unbreakable woman is beautiful trope and i believed it'd translate well to the show. i just enjoyed writing it so much, and i'm so cognizant of all my unfinished fics that i know exactly what i need to finish, my ideas that i had because my entire ao3 page is a labour of love for me in between a hectic college and work live juggling school and 5 jobs and extracurriculars. so, yeah, i hope my vincenzo mutuals show this fic the love i have for it.

🌈is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

i think the easy answer to this one is:

so, this ended my two-ish month hiatus and i've not published anything since though i've written a lot of fanfic and other creative works as well. long story short, this was a very difficult and heartfelt piece for me that was less a fanfic and more a personal, third-person essay towards my mental state at the time after a very painful breakup with my longterm partner and then a subsequent short-lived fling/situationship that went from 5 to 90 in very little time and also ended badly. i've since been just healing from that sort of, and this particular piece was the rawest i'd felt right after both instances and i was very emotionally spent and used and unstable.

(i'm much better now! if any of y'all were wondering <3)

the better, proper answer(s) as a writer would be:

so, the nevertheless fic, as a character study was honestly an ugly exploration into myself because i relate to bitna as a person painfully so. i've been her (pretty recently too) and while our situations are/were different, i think the emotional resonance within us is strong and so while it started off as something fun, it became a challenging exploration of the self disguised as a character study. (i realize this is a similar answer to the previous fic but idc)

for the lawschool fic, i love hanahaki and i love angst. like i'll read and angst and i'll cry and i'll enjoy that sweet sweet pain and emotional catharsis and there's an alternate ending version to this in my drafts somewhere that made me ugly-cry claire danes circa romeo and juliet style and i think grief and unrequited love is so deeply personal to me as a theme i fucking love it.

thanks sel for your ask!! as per usual, i wasnt concise at all but i did say i wouldnt be in the beginning.

love,

coolbeans (ro)

link to the original post if anyone else wants to ask me more! i'm finally back (proper) for the better i think <3 ask me more things im currently accepting prompts <3 !!!

[flwoie]

sending again cuz it didn’t go through~

ooh well if u need help with ateez, or the ateez research lmk cuz they’re my ult lol

and oml i know what u mean!!! i love daydreaming stories up and watching the movies roll in my head! and i also feel ya, i had a series in another fandom but i lost motivation so it now resides in the trenches of my drive lol

aww and friends are the best 💗 hmm as for me i love writing poems to ease my thoughts, listening to my comfort songs like “light” by ateez or energy-boosting songs like paradoxxx invasion + happy fools, and i also like watching YouTube vids of my faves (and soon-to-be faves too lol!)

qotd: what are some of ur favourite things to read? for me, i really like fantasy and protective main leads 😊

oh and one more question~ is this time good to send asks? or is my usual time better? i did it roughly 12 hours apart (e.g if i usually send my ask at 1pm, i’m sending this one at 1am in my timezone)

have the best day/night!

-3

thanks for offering help 🫶🫶 i’d love to learn more about ateez :)

daydreaming about stories is the best, it’s like watching a free movie even tho sometimes my attention span is low so i do get ads (if u get my joke LMAOOO) there’s this one story i wrote and it’s almost been a year since i wrote it and i only have less than 200 words written down 😭😭

u write poems?? i’d love to read them if u don’t mind and yess music and watching is so comforting, i haven’t heard of light so i’ll go listen to that rn !!

my answer to ur question: tbh i don’t read any genre outside of romance & fantasy, it’s an obsession atp 🤒 whenever i go to the library, i always try to find the really good romance books but sometimes i’m always left with the horrible ones 💔💔 i tried reading horror and sci-fi cause i heard my crush likes writing them (ahah my crush is also a writer 🤧🤧) and i could not even finish the first chapter 😭😭 anyways moving onto characters, i’m kinda picky about the trope between the main character and their love interest. i HATE HATE bully x victim and that does not equal to e2ls bc the bully x victim trope is so shitty, like there’s only one sided abuse 😭. i like any kind of trope that isn’t toxic and weird.. anyways, there’s a lot of details i love to find in books. for example, whenever im reading a book with one of the main character’s having a cast, there’s a part where the love interest would draw the two of them on the cast and there would be a little heart between them, it warms my heart sm 😭 oh and when it comes to exes to lovers (and this is specifically the kind where they had to break up for a sad reason so there’s still some mutual pining), they reunite in the most weirdest way and afterwards one of them is like “oh how are you” when they totally mean ‘how are you since our break up’ (yes i took this from a fic i read) I STARTED BURSTING INTO TEARS 😭😭😭

okay my turn to ask u a question !! what kind of tropes do u like and hate?

and i don’t mind what time u send ur asks, i’ll answer to them anyways :>

have a wonderful day/night as well my three <33

[eyrieofsynapses]

Aggregating some of the tips in the notes, plus adding a few.

Anyone telling you that you have to read X book to be a "true reader" is a snobbish lying asshole. Don't get caught in their superiority complex.

Audiobooks! If you just can't stay focused on a text, you can listen while you do chores or drive or whatever you want. (As someone with ADHD, I adore audiobooks, because they make boring tasks tolerable and even fun sometimes.)

Find the format that works for you! Don't like physical books? Use e-books. Don't like reading text? Listen to audiobooks/audio dramas. Don't like texts or audio? Try graphic novels/mangas/webcomics/comic collections/etc. Don't like long stories? Check out some literary magazines or poetry. Hell, you can go read online blogs, news articles, whatever. None of these are more or less valid than the other.

Read it out loud to yourself! Try silly voices! Or, even better, find a reading buddy to read out loud to.

You don't need to challenge yourself; you're more than welcome to stay in your comfort zone. If that zone is one specific genre or plot, go for it! (there's a reason why fanfic tropes exist, you're hardly alone)

On the flip side, sometimes challenging yourself to try something new is the spice that you need to stay focused or interested. Of course, you don't have to stick to the challenge if you don't want to--like everything else, you can drop it at any time.

You can come back to things! Think you'll enjoy a book, but you just can't quite get through it right now? Pick it up again in a couple years and see what's different.

There is no superior genre or form of literature. Kid's books, ancient Greek epics, young adult, poetry, nonfiction essays, educational books, purely for-fun sci-fi and/or fantasy, philosophy, classics, short stories, Wild West, mechas, mystery novels, erotica, horror, high fantasy, it literally does not matter. If you like it, it has just as much value as anything else.

Don't know what to read or what you'd like? Ask around! A librarian can chat with you and match you to a book; a friend can point you to what they know you might like; ask around on social media, whether that be a Discord server, Tumblr, whatever. Be as specific or as general as you please.

Chances are good that the thing you want is out there somewhere. It might take some digging to find, but it'll be there.

Don't just pick up whatever you find at the front of the library or bookstore. Go wander around the shelves, pull things off at random, read the first paragraph or two, and put them back on if you want. (This is sadly harder with e-book apps, but not impossible; usually there are collections you can skim through. They do provide samples.) Librarians won't be mad if you pull ten books and return nine (or all!) of them unread; you're just figuring out what you like.

Fond of a TV show or movie series or games or something similar? Ask readers in those communities what they like to read. If you've got similar taste in shows/games/etc., you'll likely have similar tastes in reading.

Check out some open mic nights! Yeah, it's not reading a text or anything, but you're enjoying stories. That's what it's all about, at the end of the day.

From personal experience: if you enjoy writing, it's absolutely worth joining a writing community and reading other people's WIPs and drafts. I have absolutely loved my writing workshops, because I get to read some fantastic work from my classmates. Too many times have I read a manuscript and gone "...well fuck, I want this as a book." Plus, writers often have good taste, so they can point you to good stuff.

Two things I've learned about through writing classes that I didn't know otherwise:

Take a look at nonfiction essay collections. (Essays in the sense of short stories, mostly.) One of my best friends writes the most delightful short stories based on his experiences, varying from eye-opening reflections to laugh-out-loud fun. Plus, nonfiction essays can be pretty dang short--sometimes nonfiction essays only run a page long, occasionally even shorter.

POETRY IS NOT JUST RHYMES AND MIND PUZZLES (for fuck's sake, education systems). There's free verse! There's modern poetry that is gorgeous and also hilarious! There's poetry to raise awareness, to educate, to rage at oppressors! There's poetry that's just there to make you laugh! Poetry is not a genre, it is a form. Here's two opening stanzas from Tim Seibles's "Ambition II: Mosquito in the Mist" (I could only find it online in that article, so just scroll down a little):

You human-types, you two-legged sapien-sapiens, you guys are walking smoothies ta me, milkshakes wearin’ trousers, a cup’a coffee mowing a lawn. I gotta hand it to you though— all the colors, the smells, tall, petite, skinny-minnies or whoppin’ whale-sized motha’ humphries—you got variety: I’m zippin’ around some summa’ nights and it’s like an all-you-can-eat situation.

And that's just the first two stanzas! I promise you, if they taught this type of poetry in high school people would fucking love it.

And finally: if you don't want to read, don't. There's only so much time to be enjoyed in life.

Don't make yourself do something you don't like just because everyone tells you to. "Be yourself" applies to reading just as much as it does to everything else.

people will read books they Do Not Like™ and then wonder why they hate reading