#I need that bisexual disaster romance

[hawkewild]

[ryn-city]

99% sure im romancing harding w my rook but let the record show that I am not immune to lucanis dellamorte in the slightest

[just0nemorepage]

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster || Andrea Mosqueda || 352 pages Top 3 Genres: LGBTQIA+ / Romance / Young Adult

Synopsis: Growing up in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, Maggie Gonzalez has always been a little messy, but she’s okay with that. After all, she has a great family, a goofy group of friends, a rocky romantic history, and dreams of being a music photographer. Tasked with picking an escort for her little sister’s quinceañera, Maggie has to face the truth: that her feelings about her friends—and her future—aren’t as simple as she’d once believed.

As Maggie’s search for the perfect escort continues, she’s forced to confront new (and old) feelings for three of her friends: Amanda, her best friend and first-ever crush; Matthew, her ex-boyfriend twice-over who refuses to stop flirting with her, and Dani, the new girl who has romantic baggage of her own. On top of this romantic disaster, she can’t stop thinking about the uncertainty of her own plans for the future and what that means for the people she loves.

As the weeks wind down and the boundaries between friendship and love become hazy, Maggie finds herself more and more confused with each photo. When her tried-and-true medium causes more chaos than calm, Maggie needs to figure out how to avoid certain disaster—or be brave enough to dive right into it.

Publication Date: May 2022. / Average Rating: 3.81. / Number of Ratings: ~620.

[thebibliosphere]

From what I've seen, I think the Batkids would like your book.

Hunger Pangs? You flatter me.

But also, yes thank you for this particular strain on self-indulgent brain rot. I am going to be absolutely abnormal about this.

I’d like to imagine Dick picks it up at an airport somewhere on his way back from a trip and becomes hooked on the “clever, pretty, jumps-from balconies-for-the-thrill-of-the-fall vampire and goes, “oh, same.”

The fact that it’s got a rugged, soldiery werewolf with a heart of gold who enforces self-care as a form of kink-play is also doing stuff to his brain. (That’s a thing? He can… he can ask someone for that? Who does he ask for that? It’s been weeks since he slept more than a few hours and ate more than cereal for dinner. Seriously, who does he ask? How much is it? He’s got money. He’ll pay.) The uh, the need for validation and the budding praise kink is also hitting a little too close to home.

As is “all powerful witch with the power to pick you up with her mind and throw you around like a rag doll.” (LiStEN, he spent a large chunk of his formative years surrounded by tight spandex suits, villains with sexy mind control pollen and getting kidnapped and tied up every other week. It’s not his fault he’s Like This.)

He’s not mad about it, though.

*

Babs catches him re-reading it during downtime. She’s not even that interested, more asking what it is to be polite, but the way Dick jumps and turns red, like he didn’t even realize she was in the room is… intriguing.

“I can see why you like it,” she says, several days later, casually drinking her coffee while Dick stares straight ahead, willing the floor to open up and swallow him whole. “Magic, politics. Saving the world from certain doom with the power of knowledge and ecological preservation.” She glances sideways at him. “Vlad’s got some interesting quirks.”

“Shut up.”

“Are we sure you’ve not been compromised?”

“Babs, I mean it.”

“Mean what?” Tim appears in the kitchen as though from nowhere, pouring a red bull into the coffee pot.

No one tries to stop him.

“Dick’s reading a new book,” Babs says, ignoring the murderous look Dick sends her way.

“Oh? What book? Is it any good?”

“Uh, yeah, uh.” Dick rubs at the back of his neck, glaring daggers at Babs as she rolls out of the room, cackling. “It’s uh, romance. Kind of silly actually…”

“Oh?”

Dick nods. “It’s got a vampire and a werewolf. Two guys. And a… well she’s just sort of magic. They break into a library to save the world from ecological disaster. They’re all bi. Together. Or they will be in the next book. This one’s more about the vampire and the werewolf getting together. Um...”

Tim’s gone very still in the way he does when his brain has caught hold of something and he’s absolutely about to let it consume him. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Dick shrugs. “It’s got some kink in it,” he warns, not wanting to expose his younger brother to something he’s not ready for. Which is ludicrous because he’s Robin. And from the way Tim’s not drinking his ‘coffee’ he can tell this is only going to go one way no matter what he says. He brightens, remembering something. “But there’s, like, a non smutty version too? Or a less smutty version, I guess? I don’t know, I haven’t read it yet. I could, we could go to the bookstore, maybe stop at the art store too…”

“I’ll meet you in the car.”

*

“So,” Jason says, and Dick can already tell where this is going by the shit-eating grin on his face. “Vampires, huh? Or is it more the werewolves you’re into?”

“Who told you?” Dick bemoans. “Was it Babs?” He bets it was Babs. Fucking Babs.

“Oh, no one told me anything Boy Wonder. Tim found out the author has a go-fund-me for some medical shit that exceeded his monthly allowance and he’s been harassing Bruce to “fix it” for several days now. He’s down in the cave making a nuisance of himself right now. Apparently he quote “needs more of the bisexual monster books Dick told him about” unquote, and the author can’t do shit if she up and fucking dies because this country’s a fucking for-profit shit hole.”

Dick places his head in his hands. “Oh, God. Is Bruce mad? He’s mad, isn’t he?”

Jason shrugs. “Couldn’t tell you. Last I heard, Tim was playing him the audiobook over the bat computer to make his case.”

Dick let’s his head thump against the table. This is it. This is his villain origin story. He’s going to run away and join the Rogues. Or maybe he’ll go back to the Circus. Either option is better than the idea of having to meet Bruce’s eye later over the dinner table.

“Personally, I thought the plot was a little weak but the characters are compelling,” Jason says, sipping his herbal tea. “I liked the chill necromancer doctor. I feel like he’d be able to fix me.”

[loulovingho]

I was planning to wait to see how this episode played out but the clip annoyed me so much I had to write to ABC.

I’ve waited a week to write in because I hoped to feel more settled with my emotions before I sent off a message to whomever is responsible for collecting and dispersing the responses received in the aftermath of 8x06. I feel more clear headed now that the initial rush of disappointment has passed but, unfortunately, that does mean that I’ve had the ability to look at both the handling of Buck and Tommy’s relationship from a bisexual perspective and the show in a larger context.

I had hope that 9-1-1 was improving when it joined ABC after the dull and inspired final seasons on Fox. The excitement of the opening disaster combined with the revelation of Buck’s bisexuality gave me hope that this show was turning a corner. Having read interviews after the fact from the show runner, Tim Minnear, who said that he intended to treat this storyline with care, I was optimistic. Sadly all of that optimism is gone. Season eight has been a rushed disaster. We’ve barely had any time to spend with the characters—Hen and Karen have, yet again, been stuck fighting for their child only to have it all resolved in the space of 42 minutes; Eddie is still in desperate need of therapy and yet has made no moves towards that aim; Bobby and Athena are still struggling with communication; and now Buck is single again after a beautiful episode that highlighted his relationship with Tommy that made me truly believe the show was going to honor its promise to the audience in how it handles Buck’s sexuality.

The disappointment I felt at not only the played-for-jokes reveal of Tommy’s engagment to Abby (that doesn’t even make sense in the context of the show’s history) but the fact that many characters seem to have forgotten that Buck is bisexual and not gay to the abrupt and deliberately painful ending of his relationship with Tommy is real and true. Although this is a silly firefighter show, it was set up to deliver a truly beautiful love story between two adult men learning how to love each other in this world with all their baggage and it was thrown away for what? It’s hard to tell.

I did think, perhaps, that maybe there was a larger plan at play but given the clip released from 911 today of Maddie and Chimney telling Buck to move on and the casual biphobia of “which pond?” (in case help is needed, it’s all the same pond) has filled me with the realisation that there’s nothing there. We were—and I don’t say this lightly—queer trapped by the show, the show runner, and the network into watching because of Buck and Tommy but now that you have your viewing numbers, it seems fair game to play fast and loose with the viewers.

I am so incredibly disappointed in the show and specifically disappointed in Tim Minnear. He knew exactly what he was doing when he crafted 8x05, manipulating us into investing in this relationship only to pull it away because he’s incapable of planning a story arc more than a day in advance of shooting.

Furthermore, the silence from everyone involved in this show on the death threats and harassment received by Lou Ferrigno Jr., for simply doing his job is unacceptable. The guest stars on this show have always been treated appallingly by a toxic subset of fans who believe that bullying and vitriol is what will reward them with their much-vaunted ship of Buddie (Buck and Eddie). It’s hard to ignore that the show runner is playing into this and perhaps he needs reminding that they are only a small minority and that the wider, quieter viewing audience have been much more captivated by the romance of Buck and Tommy.

I hope that this reaches someone’s ears and makes the smallest difference because you had gold in your hands and threw it away for absolutely nothing.

As a final note, please have someone from the LGBTQ+ community consult the scripts before they’re filmed because there is no excuse for the type of biphobia that keeps cropping up.

Yes!!! I am so proud of you for writing in!!

[healymatthews17]

Hello!

My 🖋 name is Healy Matthews. I'm an up-and-coming author who enjoys writing queer romance novels, usually of the historical and/or fantasy varieties.

I've decided to take the leap and dive into the early stages of self-publishing my debut novel WIELDER. I'm still deciding precisely what the next steps will be, but it's likely that I will be initially publishing through a Kickstarter campaign sometime this summer.

Meet Mona and Pippa, the main characters!

WIELDER is a sapphic fantasy novel that walks the line between young adult and new adult. The summary is as follows:

Time is fragile. It is cracking, breaking, and coming apart at the seams, and Pippa Pennippa has no idea. As an aspiring journalist from Chicago, Pippa sees the past as her muse. She draws inspiration from it, looking to its stories to forge her future. Little does Pippa know that nearly two hundred years earlier, another girl is looking to forge in her own future. Mona Spirea’s dream is to be a Forger- a blacksmith who creates weapons for supernatural cult of time-travelers that call themselves Wielders. It is her sacred duty, along with others of her race, to utilize their magic and the weapons at their disposal to prevent time from collapsing in on itself. Mona enjoys the rituals and regimen of the Wielders, and she believes in her mandate. She certainly does not expect Pippa, a girl from the future, to break into both her home and her heart. As Pippa discovers her identity as a Wielder, the Anarchists, a group of rogue time-travelers, begin to close in. Both Mona and Pippa must fight through betrayals brought by those they love. They will need to overcome oppression from those taking advantage of their own authority if they want to keep time itself from disintegrating… and save countless lives. But it seems that Pippa must face another obstacle as well: the fact that she is unwittingly in possession of one of the most powerful - and dangerous - magical talismans in existence.

If you're a fan of weapon-obsessed Vicrorian autistic lipstick lesbians, bisexual accidental-time-travelers who really just want a cup of coffee, pretty dresses from different time periods, disaster sunshine musicians from 1920s Harlem, stories that explore trauma, general timey-wimey weirdness, or gossamer-and-gothic vibes, this book is for you.

[thydungeongal]

Anyways, I gotta get back to work soon, but how about I offer a quick detox? If you don't mind, could you share a story of a time that you were playing a TTRPG and it just worked, exactly like it was designed to work, and everything was perfect - I'd prefer if it was a D&D 4e story, given the context, but I'd love any story.

Sadly, as much as I would love to share a 4e story, the truly sublime RPG experiences I have had have been in completely different systems, which I have mentioned in other posts of mine!

The first one was my run of running a one-shot of Best Friends set in a Finnish gymnasium (school equivalent to, uh, high school, upper-secondary school) with the main characters being second year students. The big crowning moment of second year of gymnasium for many is a tradition know as "Wanhojen tanssit" ("ye oldes' dance" for lack of a better translation) which is kind of like prom in its social significance but is more like putting on a nice show for the parents where the kids dance together in fancy outfits. Anyway, it was the PERFECT framing for a fun coming-of-age story which covered all of their second year, and it had everything! Drama, romance, petty arguments, two of the girls realizing they were gay for each other. It was so sweet. (Oh and of course two of the girls ended up dancing together with the other one putting on a suit and basically butching it up, which given that this was early two-thousand-and-tens would have actually been eyebrow-raising had it happened irl, it was incredibly cute.)

The second was a convention game of Monsterhearts and it was also an absolutely sublime experience. It was a very fun group, with everyone in the group being at least ostensibly cis guys (I wonder what happened to the rest of them? Anyway), but everyone like being immediately on board with the idea of playing out a story of summer camp with a bunch of teenage disaster bisexual monsters. The player who picked the Mortal playbook for his character had played Monsterhearts previously and knew exactly what he was doing: a Mortal in a Monsterhearts game is basically a ticking time bomb, and his character started immediately pulling on as many heartstrings as possible. The game ended with the summer camp center on fire and almost the entire cast of characters dead. My werewolf boy and the witch girl were the only survivors and they dramatically walked away in silence (with my character in wolf form).

During the denouement the MC commented "oh and I didn't even have to use the big monster in the lake." That immediately sold me on the system. Our characters had become the only antagonistic force the game needed, with no need for the MC to do anything besides watch the sparks fly.

[zenless-zideblog-zero]

ZZZ sexuality headcanons

Because everyone else seems to do it.

~Phaethon Sibs~

Wise: Biromantic (slight preference for women) Pansexual, but like Theater Kid Bi/Pan. He IS LGBT+, but he's so dramatic about it the only people he ends up falling in love with are those with big dramatic reveals and backstories (Lycaon, Caesar, ETC.)

Belle: Demi on both accounts. She finds herself falling for girls more often but to be fair, an inordinate amount of the people she's around are Girls.

She has some Trans Vibes™ to me, but also just as likely to be cis.

~The Cunning Hares~

Nicole: Likes Women, and Certain men. Aromantic, but willing to be in a romantic relationship.

Anby: Sex positive Asexual, Panromantic. She only recently figured this out since she escaped her mysterious past.

Billy: Okay, him being a Robot, even a sapient one, makes the whole Sexuality/Romanticism thing weird to consider, but given the fact he has some kind of attraction to Monica that seems to be deeper than an emotional infatuation, so like. Straight? But also I reserve the right to change this in the Future.

Nekomata: Okay, as a bisexual it's hard not to make everyone like both men and woman as a form of projection, but also. Shooting her with the Bisexual Beam™.

~Belobog Heavy industries~

Koleda: Pansexual Demiromantic.

Grace & Anton: I am putting these two together because I cannot begin to fathom what is going on inside these People's heads. Should either of them have a sexual and/or romantic partner, they won't care what their partner is, in a way that is impossible to distinguish between Bi/Pan/Omni/Etc and Asexuality.

Simultaneously, I can also see them both being DEEPLY Homosexual, OR in the vein of "HRT Hit me like Freight Train" trans, but not both gay and trans.

Ben: Either the straightest man ever or the least flamboyant gay man in history, because on one hand he's a Bear (Heavyset Hairy Man) and a Bear (Furry) but also he's the accountant, which means he likely was in Business classes in college. I have never met a gay person good at math.

~Victoria Housekeeping~

Lycaon: I think he is like, pan/Omni/etc, but he's so deeply uncomfortable with being open to those he doesn't know he seems like he's demi.

Rina: Again, as a bisexual it's hard not to make everyone like both men and woman as a form of projection. But also, *Bisexuality Beam*

Corin: She really hasn't put much thought into it, but to seem 'normal' her kneejerk reaction to such a question is to claim that she's straight, even though she's still very much figuring herself out.

Sapphic, with unclear feelings towards men.

Ellen: (BisexualProjection.TXT) Sapphic, but Demi with guys, sort of like how Nicole is described.

~Criminal Investigation Special Response Team~

Zhu-Yuan: Comfortably Pan, terribly single.

Qingyi: Same thing with Billy where it's different because she doesn't have "Organic" Impulses, but also she's lesbian.

Jane Doe: She's so deep into the "Flirty Femme Fatale" Persona that she's forgotten what her actual preferences are. When is the flirting real, and when is it a ploy? If it was real would it actually be for this Guy/Girl?

She lands somewhere between Lycaon and Corin's deals in this way. I don't Think it's that clear to her, let alone to anyone else. She just needs to be allowed to be honest with others to be true to herself, and figure it out again.

Seth: Sex-Neutral Ace, Panromantic. He WILL Cuddle you after and he WILL Make you breakfast in the morning.

~Sons of Calydon~

Caesar: Bi, heavily leaning towards men because that's mostly what she can find in her romance stories.

Lucy: (BisexualProjection.TXT) As a revolution against her dad, she went HARD into being a lesbian, but the freedom and kindness provided by the Sons have let her really consider her options. She does like women a LOT, but sometimes ... she wouldn't mind a guy treating her like the princess she wants to be.

BUT TO BE CLEAR. She is a Disaster Lesbian for Caesar specifically. Caesar is basically the pinnacle of Sexual Attraction to which she bases all other potential partners against. She does not realize this and it is part of the reason she fights Caesar so much because of the Weird Feelings™ She gets.

Burnice: Literal Flaming Homosexual. The MOST Lesbian. If the bad word for gay (F**) didn't already have the hitorical context for it's existence, Burnice would be the origin of it.

Piper: Also a lesbian. She had a wife ten years ago, but they've divorced. This cannot be surprising to anyone.

Lighter: GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY-

~Misc.~

Soukaku: A Child. Do not bother.

Soldier 11: A Good Soldier's only love is for their country, and their only marriage is to the code by which they live!

The amount of Psycho-sexual issues this Woman will have if she ever uncovers her own personhood will be Deep and Troubling. and HOT.

[adamsmasher]

Bioware really said "you need to choose between a) your hometown, home faction, fellow mage and friend, and b) a hot guy" and if you choose "hot guy" then your hometown and faction get completely decimated and your friend doesn't want to talk to you.

I completely get why Neve hates me right now, but what am I gonna do, *not* romance the sexy Italian bisexual disaster?

[amourcherie606]

class 1a girlies hcs!! ♥

yknow i had to lock in for hcs <3 im really happy with how these turned out!! anyway, my hcs for these girlies and pals is down below!!

Yaomomo!! Asexual Japanese Lesbian!! Shes deff a traditional girlie but she also isnt opposed to bending rules either. Potentially polyam? Eitherway she has a crush on Jirou. besties with shouto and setsuna from class 1b. She loves jewelry and even shares it with her classmates!

Jirou!! Punk all the way RAHH!! transmasc Japanese Lesbian cause fuck yeah + any pronouns. Shes in a band with Bakugou, Tokoyami, Denki, and Momo. Has a crush on Yaomomo! (and perhaps someone else..?) Also doesnt mind wearing pants or skirts. Lots of piercings. Has a playlist made for each of her classmates but is too shy to actually tell anyone, youd have to ask him for it!! besties with denki, shinsou, and bakugou!!

RAHHH Blasian-Latino Tsu coming thru!! Agender Lesbian too ♥ She typically loves wearing knitted clothing, honestly anything handmade. You can see her often wearing stuff her siblings made her too!! Has crush on the classes resident hot and ice prince... She has been dropping hints like crazy that she likes him but is willing to wait for him to pick it up. eventually. besties with ochako, bakugou, and tokoyami!!

ochako!! resident wasian bisexual disaster ™ really friendly overly passionate friend that WILL jump someone if need be!! A sucker for sweets, specifically dango. also mega empath, if something is wrong 10 times outta 10 she has a feeling abt it. has a crush on izuku and a certain blond thirsty blonde...besties with izuku, shouto, and iida!!

MINAAAA IS THAT BITCH!! cupioromantic pansexual blasian baddy all the WAY!! She styles her hair like a gazillion ways and yes bakugou knows how to do her hair. she pretty much knows about everyones crushes, is basically friends with everyone even outside of class 1-a. party girl all the wayyy responsible for half of the secret parties for the hero course. loves knowing tea and isnt afraid to stand up to a bitch. besties with toru, bakugou, kirishima, and sero!!

toruuuu!! shortie pansexual!! She lovesss cute things and typically has alot of jewelry and bows on to make sure you know shes there!! (ignore that i didnt include that in my edit lmao) is a little obsessed with other peoples thoughts on her and romance but will get it over it in due time. friend hang outs normally happen in her room!! honestly thinks her whole class is really cute and wouldnt mind dating anyone. besties with mina, oijro, and aoyama.

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Found an Self-Insert Cyberpunk fanfic.

Except it's not the usual type. It's the type where it's told entirely from the perspective of people other than the SI, which makes it more interesting.

Problem 1: Current events.

Almost all the references people make are ones you'd expect from someone today, like Batman or other pieces of pop culture.

Cyberpunk 2077 often references fictional in-universe media. Like the dead rock star stuck in V's head. In a world where everything and everyone is disposable and temporary, why would people usually reference 80 year old media?

At one point, a character explicitly compares another character's clothing to Danny DeVito in Matilda.

Okay, the CP timeline divergences mainly started in the 90s. So it's possible that the movie was still made, but it's still odd. Especially when the same characters don't recognize that the story's lead is heavily based on Walter White. Shaved head and everything.

Except he's using his chemistry potential for good, not evil.

And it's not just media. It's also Current Year memes, like V describing certain people as a "corpo bros who watched too much American Psycho", or himself as a "disaster bisexual".

Oh look, a segue.

Problem 2: Rainbow connection.

The story puts a lot of emphasis on LGBT characters.

There's Judy Alvarez, obviously. But also, V's in with Meredith Stout is Stout's explicitly non-binary ex who, you guessed it, is they/them.

Adds nothing to the story. The SI provides that info, and Meredith tries to trip V up, but he sees through it.

Since Meredith is a Militech Corpo, and V is an Arasaka ex-Corpo (who still isn't over it), why doesn't V…just use that connection, somehow? Militech and Arasaka are rivals. There could be some friction there. Or V could sympathize with how Stout would do anything to keep her job.

Why are non-binary characters always just they/them? Why not he/she/they? He/She? Xi/xir? or Lunagender? Or using regular He or She interchangably while IDing as enby? Why is it always the basic, simple, "normal" version? Got a Rochester's Wife situation going on?*

Also, in fanfics, things like this often suggest even more awkward left-wing political insertions, down the line.

Problem 3: even more awkward left-wing political insertions.

Well, just one.

Panam Palmer just didn't fit. This wasn't rare in Night City. Lots of people who didn't fit in, were awkward, had no social groups, didn't choose to be loners. She expected to be alone in the city and no one cared. But it was personal hate. Her skin color, nomad markings, speech, just being a woman. The list went on and every day there was some new jerk who needed to find out, because they messed around.

Panam is canonically native American, according to the devs, but she looks like a random white biker lady wth a tan. Wouldn't be the first white-passing Native woman I've seen.

Also, she lives and works around Night City. Which is extremely diverse.

Judy Alvarez and Jackie (both Hispanic) were both POV characters, and race wasn't really mentioned. You'd think ex-Arasaka V or someone would mention Arasaka's racism, but nope. River Ward was a viewpoint character, and he's much more visibly non-white, down to his necklace and dreamcatcher (if romanced).

He only brings it up in the fic when Misty asks him if he ever had his fortune told. Apparently his granny did a "spirit walk" when him and his sister were born.**

I've seen playthroughs of the game, and I don't remember sexism really being a thing. Why would skin color matter much when anyone can change that and other ethnic features at will?

Why did race only come up as a significant thing now?

I'd expect Panam to get the most stick for being a Nomad, not brown, or a woman. Especially in a city where any woman could sprout mantis blades and go Cyberpsycho at the drop of a hat.

This feels…reductive. Like the writer wanted to give Panam challeges to overcome so she could be a Tough Woman™, and just…piled too much on, like a Chicago hot dog.

I would've gone with something more subtle. "Her back itches without her Nomad tribe behind her, and she's uncomfortable in a city instead of a desert, or a road. Even the echoes sound wrong."

So, yeah, this was the last straw.

Also, I checked the writer's profile, and, very stereotypically, she's from Portland.

*Also, you might recall that there was a nontroversy over an soda ad in the game featuring a lady with, ahem, a rather substantial bulge. Based on an actual trans woman. Somehow, portraying a (possible) trans woman in the same sexually objectified way as ads featuring non-trans people is transphobic.

I never worked out that logic.

My best guess is that some people were uncomfy with it, and it's about a trans person, so it's must be *phobic somehow.

Wouldn't it be ironic if the ad was just Photoshop in universe? Or the in-universe model was a non-trans woman who strapped on the junk just for the ad?

(Though depending on who you ask, that still counts as being a trans woman, somehow.)

**Come to think, that kind of feels like it's stereotyping. I can't find evidence Pomo Native Americans do spirit walks, but maybe my Google-fu is just weak.

[emilyzipps]

how do you build up the tension between two characters without dragging it out or jumping the gun by rushing it?

This is a great question! I mostly write romance/romcoms so I'm going to answer this about building romantic tension, but I'm guessing it works for other kinds as well.

As always, please feel free to reblog or comment with your thoughts, suggestions, disagreements!

The first thing that comes to mind for me is to think about all of the ways they're going to show their progression into the romance--their relationship milestones--and make sure they're spread out in a way that feels balanced and good.

In a romance, the things you're aiming for as relationship milestones will vary depending on what type of book you're writing. If it's a steamy enemies to lovers story, the sex will start pretty early into the book, so the will-they-or-won't-they isn't about sex, it's about feelings. The big milestones in that case might be things like

admitting attraction

hooking up

sex

first feelings of romance (you shove them under a rug)

first feelings of romance (you admit to yourself you have them)

first time testing out if they like you as more than an sex partner

first time admitting you liiiiike them

first time them admitting they liiiiike you

love confession/happily ever after

On the flip side, a slow burn friends to lovers (no steam), it may be things like

noticing she's pretty

touching hands by accident on the bus

touching hands ON PURPOSE on the bus

lingering stares

staying up all night talking

picking her up from a date with someone else and being so sad

trying to date someone else

spending the night together AS FRIENDS

erotic hair braiding

happily ever after

Once you think through what some of those milestones will be for your story and your characters, then you can figure out how you want to spread those out throughout your story. Tension comes in the spaces between those milestones and in yearning for the next one, so you need to give space for each milestone to (a) be exciting! (b) be celebrated (or feared or repressed or whatever) and (c) get old enough that we're pining for the next one. That's why you go from touching hands by accident to being brave and terrified and anxious when you decide to do it on purpose.

With the right build up--the pining for the feel of her smooth skin against yours, the noticing how her hands look, day dreaming about her fingers, picturing yourself touching her hand a million times, barely breathing--finally touching her hand on the bus can be as emotionally resonant as sex or a love confession.

consider each milestone as a small emotional climax (sex jokes are welcome and frankly appropriate), and treat it in the way you'd treat the big story climax.

The other thing I'm thinking about is the disconnect between what they say/show and what they think. In my debut novel, the first time Alice sees Van, her inner monologue is immediately like OMG GIRL HOT!!!! THIS BUTCH IS STUNNING AND SMELLS SO GOOD I WANT HER TO TOUCH MEEEEEEEEE. What she actually says out loud is more along the lines of "hi, nice to meet you, i'm your brother's formerly secret girlfriend."

That creates tension because the reader then (hopefully!) thinks, oh wow, how long can Alice keep it together when she's such a bisexual disaster? How long can she go without revealing how badly she wants Van to jump her?

Here's a little map of our milestones and interior/exterior:

first meeting. Alice thinks: GIRL HOT. Alice says: hi i am dating your brother??

first flirt. Alice thinks: if she touches me i'm going to fucking lose it (complementary). Alice says: thanks for the ride home, your dog is cute.

first admit you like each other. Alice thinks: i want to never leave her house or her presence. Alice says: you should be really proud of the life you've built here.

first cuddle. Alice thinks: i'm going to die. i'm actually, physically going to die under this snuggie. this girl is so hot and kind and i'm obsessed with her oh my GOD. Alice says: your mom seems nice.

Those are kind of silly examples, but I hope it helps to be able to see that we're waiting for her inner monologue to match her actions, and the stakes for both get higher and higher as they move through the milestones until the moment when she (a) says what she's thinking, and (b) gets what she wants. Aka, HAPPILY EVER AFTER, BABY.

thoughts, feedback, other suggestions, questions? bring them!

[justonemorechapternicercy]

Being a bisexual was hard as fuck on a normal day, but it was especially hard to be when you had to face with two incredibly attractive people.

Who were partners. Queerplatonic life partners, but committed partners nonetheless.

Fuck his life.

“Percy! You made it!” Rachel grinned, waving from her seat in her usual exuberance. She looked so radiant, so full of life, especially next to her partner, the literal stormcloud. They were like the Sun and the Moon next to each other, and they were beautiful. One colorful and full of life, the other, full in black and looking like a vampire prince straight out of a dark romance story.

What's more, even though he looked like the devil, according to Rachel, he was actually a complete softie.

So, Percy Jackson was fucked. He couldn't even run away because how would that look now that they noticed him?

“Uh, yeah… Hi, Rachel! Hi, Nico!” He smiled a bit awkwardly, shaking hands with Nico, and being smothered by Rachel's warm hug. “Do you need anything?” He asked, nodding towards the counter.

“No, we are good, and I also got that blue hot chocolate you adore so much!”

Percy stopped. And stared.

There, next to Nico's dark coffee, and Rachel’s tea, was his blue hot chocolate. With marshmallows. And coconut flakes.

So fucking unfair that Rachel already knew the way straight into his heart. And was anybody wondering why he would fall for somebody he knew was in a committed relationship?! He couldn’t even say he didn’t know that! Rachel was very straightforward from the first time, mentioning her soulmate in basically every sentence.

“Oh… thank you,” he mumbled, sitting down in front of them. Rachel's answering smile was so radiant, that Percy had to wonder where his sunglasses were.

“Now, I know you heard a lot about each other, but this is Percy, the teacher I was talking about. I helped him with his car, and now he is helping me with the art project in the lodge. He is so creative and fun! And this is Nico, my soulmate in the whole world. We've known each other for basically forever, our parents are in the same circles, and we bonded through mischiefs and shared trauma.”

“That sounds… fun,” he deadpanned. He was quite happy that he didn’t stay with his father if this was what rich kids had to bond about.

“Right?” Nico snorted. “It is nice to meet you. Rach’s told me so much about you, it feels like I already know you.”

Percy blushed. The words seemed innocent enough, but the way Nico said them, and that look in his eyes…

Percy was a disaster of a bisexual.

“Hi, me too. I mean, you too. I mean, it is nice to meet you, and I know so much about you too!” Percy rambled. Taking a sip of his hot chocolate, he let out a satisfied sigh. Coconut and white chocolate was the best combination!

He opened his eyes he didn’t even realize he closed, and blushed again, being at the crossfire of two pairs of blazing eyes.

He must have been imagining things, mustn’t he? There was no way-

No. There was no way. Rachel and Nico were way too close to each other; it was obvious to see the easy connection between the two of them. They shared inside jokes and complained about people Percy didn’t know anything about and they made each other laugh. Rachel with her sunny disposition and Nico with his sarcastic remarks was a surprisingly perfect combination. They tried to involve Percy, but… he still felt like an outsider. 

“Oooh, Percy! Nico and I were talking about what we are doing on Christmas. We have this silly tradition of watching cheesy holiday movies together, while we complain about how much better it could be if we were the ones writing them. They would be a lot queerer, that’s for sure,” Rachel giggled. “Anyway, you’ll join us, right?”

“Uh… I’m not sure if I can do it,” he said. Rachel and even Nico looked disappointed, but they nodded.

Throughout the morning, Percy watched Nico and Rachel share mischievous smiles, finish each other’s sentences as if they were one mind in two bodies, and being completely in sync. It left Percy feeling a pang of jealousy. Trying to hide it, he forced a smile, but it was hard to see the girl he’d been crushing on, and the guy who left him breathless, be the perfect partners.

As they drank the last drops of their beverages, he just wanted to leave. They were nice, they were cute, and they were leaving him so overwhelmed.

“So, I will show Nico around before we go back to the lodge. Will you join us?”

The words tumble out of Percy’s mouth before he could stop himself. “Thanks, but I’ve got some stuff to do. I’ll meet you at the lodge later, okay?” He hesitated for a moment, then said, “It was nice to meet you! I’ll… uh… I’ll go now. To do… things. Important things.”

Rachel and Nico shared an unreadable look, but they nodded. He couldn’t stop the feeling that he must have missed something significant, something that he couldn’t understand because he wasn’t part of them. He was an outsider.

That hurt more than he had any right to feel.

As he stepped out of the coffee shop, he felt like he left something important behind. But he had to leave; he didn't want to see how the girl who he'd been crushing on since the moment she helped him with his car, be so lovey-dovey with her cute boyfriend.

He always had a tiny thing for curly hair. And they had curly hair squared.

–

“Wait! There’s an ice rink?” Nico exclaimed.

“Of course, we have,” Percy grinned. It was always the best time of the year when they opened the rink in the middle of the town square. He loved every type of water sport - and he considered most winter sports as water sports. Ice and snow were, after all, just cold water.

“Let’s go then! What are we waiting for?!”

Nico was so excited, Percy didn’t realize he could be so enthusiastic about something like ice skating. He looked like the devil himself in his black dresses and dark looks; it was absolutely adorable when he looked like a little kid in a candy store.

“You will come with us, right? Please, come with us!”

One touch of Nico, and Percy was too weak to say no. He sighed, but said, “Okay.”

The answering grin was more than enough to balance the heartache.

He led them to the town square, which was transformed into a winter wonderland, decorated with twinkling lights and festive ornaments. The sweet smell of mulled wine felt intoxicating, but not as intoxicating as the closeness of Rachel and Nico was.

Bundled up in scarves, hats, and mittens, they looked like two fallen angels.

The two men dragged Rachel behind them, gliding onto the ice, hand in hand. They laughed at Rachel’s fumblings, and the girl cheered for the two competing men who did more and more elaborate moves on the ice. 

It was a great time. 

As they skated, the initial awkwardness faded completely, and the joy of having two people he liked took over. Rachel and Nico included Percy effortlessly, sharing stories about each other - like the fact that Nico used to be a professional ice skater before he had to take over his father’s law firm -, and getting to know each other better.

Rachel was already fun to spend time with, but with Nico, they were an unstoppable force. Their banters were hilarious and sometimes Percy was afraid they would melt the ice with the way they roasted each other.

“Watch this,” Nico grinned, and spun and twirled on the ice, like the Ice Prince he was.

“He really is something, isn’t he?” Rachel smiled softly. Percy mirrored her.

“He really is.”

As Nico skated back to them, he winked at Percy, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Come, let’s leave the loser behind, and show me your moves.” He grabbed Percy’s hand, who joined the other man. They moved as if their movements were choreographed, their ice dance was a surprise show for the other skaters.

As they glided gracefully, Nico pulled Percy into a spin, their laughter echoing in the rink. Percy felt like he could fly; he was so gone on them. Their eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. The playful atmosphere shifted, and the connection Percy felt the moment their eyes met on that fateful day in the coffee shop, deepened. He was tempted, but…

He leaned away, breaking the moment.

It wasn’t fair to Rachel.

–

“Tonight has been amazing, hasn’t it?” Percy wondered. The first time he met with Nico, he’d been afraid, rejected, and feeling like an outsider. But after some days, getting to know Nico, and Rachel-and-Nico, spending time with them was as easy as breathing. Their time together was magical and fun, and everything he’d ever wished for. He wasn’t sure if it was only him who felt the connection, but even if the romantic tone was just in his head, their friendship meant so much to him.

Rachel, curled in his lap, nodded. “Yes.”

Nico, leaning against him on the other side, hummed affirmatively. Percy felt like he belonged between them, squished from both sides. The initial pain about Rachel’s and Nico’s relationship faded, replaced by the realization that they really wanted to spend time with them. They included him, they sought out him individually and together as well, and they constantly touched him.

Their bond was genuine.

“Thanks for convincing me to join you. The whole week was so much fun, I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much.” He took a sip of his eggnog and sighed contently.

“Thank you for indulging us. You made this Christmas into the best Christmas ever. Spending time here… I thought it was going to be a nightmare. I never wanted to be in a small town, especially not during the holiday, without Nico, trying to promote the lodge, but you made everything so much better. Thank you.” Rachel’s words made his insides melt. He was glad he wasn’t the only one who thought this holiday was magical.

Nico moved, and he partly laid on Percy. “Coming here was the best decision I’ve ever made. Thank you for being you.”

They chatted for a while, watching those cheesy Christmas movies they mentioned before. The movies were like copies of each other, even the actors were mostly the same - but commenting on them, wondering how they would change things, made the whole experience amazing.

As they watched one movie that was particularly similar to their own experiences, except for the partner who came wasn’t keen on getting to know the small-town guy, Nico grinned mischievously, making Percy’s inside quiver.

“Uh-huh. I don’t like that look,” he joked.

“What? I’m completely innocent,” Nico batted his eyelashes. “I was just thinking about how much better our story is.”

Rachel nudged Nico with a teasing smile. “I agree, it is so much better!”

Nico sat up, facing Percy with a more serious expression. “I wanted to tell you something.”

“Uh… What is it?” Percy asked uncertainly, unsure if it was going to go as he wished, or if he read the room wrong.

“I think you are the most captivating person I’ve ever met.” Percy blushed but didn’t break their eye contact.

“And I think you are the most confusing one,” he mumbled.

“In a good way, I hope,” Nico grinned.

“The best way,” Percy nodded.

Not letting to derail the conversation, Nico took a deep breath. His expression turned more sincere, eyes conveying nothing but the truth. “There’s something else I wanted to say. I’ve been trying to find the right moment, and… well. We work well together, aren’t we? We are having fun and it feels like we’ve known each other for years. I know we just met three weeks ago… But spending time with you, made me realize how much I like you. I like you, Percy. More than just a friend, differently than I like Rachel, my literal platonic life partner. I’ve been crushing on you, and I hope that it is not one-sided.”

The room fell silent for a moment as Percy processed what the hell had happened. He pinched himself, afraid that he was dreaming, but…

It was real.

“I… I hope I didn’t make things awkward,” Nico mumbled nervously. “I just wanted to be honest with you.”

“No, I… I feel the same. I like you too, Nico.” Percy hesitated, but in for a penny, in for a pound, he turned towards Rachel. “And I like you, too. You two are the best thing that ever happened to me. I had a crush on you ever since we met, and after meeting with Nico, I couldn’t help but fall for him too.”

Rachel beamed. “I like you too!”

They giggled, the relief in the room was almost palpable.

Percy turned to Nico, whose eyes were full of promises. Leaning in, with a gentle touch, Nico captured Percy’s lips in a tender kiss. The world faded around them, his whole universe was concentrated in the two people he was intertwined with. Breaking their kiss, they breathed in each other.

Before he could react, Rachel was already there, leaning in, kissing him sweetly, feather-softly. He never expected this to happen with him in real life, but… It was better than anything he’d ever imagined. The two of them… They were everything to him.

As they pulled away, Rachel looked into Percy’s eyes, her gaze filled with affection.

“Merry Christmas, guys,” Percy said.

“Merry Christmas, Percy,” they replied, smiling more brightly than any of the Christmas lights could ever measure up to.

“Well,” Rachel laughed, breaking the tension with her lighthearted tone. “This is quite the plot twist!”

“I told you our story was way better!” Nico huffed jokingly.

“That you did,” Percy grinned, pressing a quick kiss on Nico’s lips. Now that he could do it, he had the suspicion that he’d never wanted to stop kissing him, kissing them.

And, if they played their cards right, he’d never have to.

[fic-recommended]

Steddie Fics

more to be added, if I feel like adding

—————————————

Across, Diagonal and Upside Down – rajumat

(2,889 words, 1 chapter, Teen)

Tags: Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Bingo, no beta we die like men

After Billy beats the shit out of Steve, Dustin makes the entire party Upside Down Bingo Cards, because awful things suck less when you have something fun to think about. Or: Steve wins at bingo.

Cute intro to Steddie and just fun trauma bonding times.

Camp Folktale, Summer of ’86 – cairparaels

(113,859 words, 47 chapters, Not Rated)

Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Steve Harrington Is a Mess, Hurt Eddie Munson, Eddie is nice to everyone but Steve and no one knows why, Miscommunication, Swimming, Gay Eddie Munson, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington is Trying His Best, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Friendship, Campfires, Cryptids, Ghost Stories, Power Outages, Secret Admirer, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Found Family, Eddie and Steve are reluctant dads, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Humor, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down, Jealousy, eddie munson is a virgin, Flirting, Sexual Tension, Eddie Munson Gets Flustered Very Easily, So does Steve but he would never admit it, Not Beta Read, Tolkien References, Kissing, Making Out, Makeup, Flea Markets, Skinny Dipping, underwater kissing, Saving the camp, Eventual Smut, Smut, Overuse of italics

When Steve applies for a summer camp per Dustin's request, he doesn’t expect to have the most interesting summer of his life. Featuring a sulky metalhead who hates Steve for no reason, eight kids set on driving Steve to an early grave, Robin Buckley’s ability to charm any girl she wants, and Steve’s bisexual disaster/dream/nightmare. But hey, that’s what summer camp is all about. Right?

This fic made me obsess over making summer camps in the sims with queer romances. This fic is good. Simple word but an incredible feat.

The One in Which a Time Loop is Fucking Exhausting. – badpancake

(41,496 words, 12 chapters, Teen)

Tags: Time Loop, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, Steve Harrington-centric, Hurt Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, im so sorry, steve deserves a little sexuality crisis, as a treat, Eventual Happy Ending, steve is sick of this shit, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, it takes a time loop for these fuckers to get together, Steve Harrington Is a Mess, Suicide Attempt, Whump, Canon-Typical Violence, Alternate Universe - Groundhog Day (1993) Fusion, Dyslexic Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson Has ADHD, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Slow Burn, Kinda, BAMF Steve Harrington, Suicidal Thoughts, Steve Harrington Whump, can be read standalone!!, Touch-Starved Steve Harrington, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Protective Steve Harrington, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, in the end.... eventually, Families of Choice, Vecna Possessing Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington Has Powers, kinda??, i guess we can call it that

It’s the first time in a while that he doesn’t know what comes next. He’s dove into the water hundreds of times. Screamed as his flesh was torn apart, heard Master of Puppets in the distance and held back tears. Felt Max’s cold, small hand in his as she laid in the hospital bed. There are things that always happen, no matter how hard he tries: El doesn’t arrive in time. Eddie dies. Max is put in a coma. Steve fails. They lose. “Steve, how many loops have you been through?” His head is nodding, and his eyes are watery, and Eddie has approached him like a spooked animal. “I lost count.” AKA: The one where Steve Harrington is stuck in a time loop, and Eddie Munson is really fucking hard to save, or: fuck Volume 2, these bitches are in love.

I cried alot reading this fic. Yet it is the only Steddie fic I can really think of that gave me such a lasting impression that I find myself quoting it even to people who have no idea where it’s from. 

You’re Divine – Oonionchiver

(259,565 words, 8 chapters , Explicit)

Tags: Slow Burn, Falling In Love, Codependency, Human/Monster Romance, Steve Harrington's Medium Tendency to Self Destruct, Blood Kink, BDSM, Choking, Painplay, The Worst/Best Bath Ever, Blood Drinking, Eating Disorders, Suicidal Ideation, Rough Sex, Daddy Kink, this might fuck you up, Vampire Eddie Munson, Human/Vampire Relationship, Monsterfucking On Main Oh My, DO NOT ADD TO GOODREADS, Robin and Steve are Soul Mates, Affectionate Obsession, Subdrop, Sharing Blood Before They Ever Kiss, Dom/sub, Happy Ending Literally Always Guaranteed In This House, Fuck Me Up But Make It Devastatingly Disgustingly Romantic, Switching, But y'know we cant be normal about it, Size Kink, This Might Awaken Things In You, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Possession, now with art!, Suicide Attempt

‘Blood?’ Eddie says again. Eyes black but for the slice of iridescent white in the centre. His teeth are sharp, his hands are weapons and Steve thinks maybe he’s made a mistake doing this without telling Eddie first. Eddie’s focus lowers, it moves to his left hand which is… Oh fuck. It’s dripping blood onto the floor. ‘Shit,’ Steve says, takes a single step back, swallows. ‘Eddie, I’m so sorry, fuck.’ Eddie can’t seem to look away, can’t bring his ethereal gaze back up where it belongs. Steve thinks he should run, he should flee. A tiny part of him knows Eddie will chase him. Eddie will catch him, outrun him easily. It's more than a little fucked up how that thrills him.

I think where I went wrong is not seeing the teeny tiny pesky little tag that says this might awaken something in you I know if I were to have see it I wouldn’t be who I am today. Because holy fucking hell does this fic make something inside you hatch. Like what the fuck. Incredible writing I love a monster fucker.

Suspended Bridges - foresthearts

(243,553 words, 35 chapters, Mature)

Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Steve Harrington, Alpha Eddie Munson, Stancy is not endgame, Steve thinks he’s afraid of Eddie when he really just has a big fat crush, Oblivious Steve Harrington, mentions of Mpreg because omegaverse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Steve meets Eddie before s4, Slow Burn, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Period-Typical Homophobia, Steve is an omega pretending to be an alpha, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Unreliable Narrator, Tall Eddie, Dom/sub Undertones, Dom Eddie Munson, EMT Steve Harrington, Mileven will break up in this i am sorry, Mutual Pining, Family Dynamics, Redemption Arcs, Found Family, Misunderstandings, But hopefully not in an obnoxious way, Protective Eddie Munson

“Steve really needed to get his stupid thing he had with Munson under control. He struggled to find a word for it. It was like an anti-crush or something. The same awareness and panic that a crush brought, but not because he had feelings for the guy. Because of the opposite. Because any time he saw Munson, his heart kicked up in fear, his breathing got shallow, his whole body started to warm. Munson made him want to turn heel and run.” In which Steve has the opposite of the suspended bridge effect. (Featuring omega!Steve pretending to be an alpha and alpha!Eddie silently losing his mind.)

I think I can sum this fic up better in a scene. So you see me standing in the middle of my kitchen, hand over my mouth, eyes wide, as I read the big reveal and a certain metal heads reaction. My partner is astounded. I am shaking and blushing. Nothing is more magnificent or earth shatteringly embarrassing for all parties, real or otherwise, involved. Magnificent fic if I do say so myself.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Romances to Love All Year Round

🦇 Good morning, my beloved bookish bats. We're halfway through pride month, but there are still so many amazing queer books to read! To celebrate that love is love mentality, here are 78 queer romance novels you can add to your tbr! Don't forget to #readqueerallyear, and that none of us are free until all of us are free. 💜

❤️ Delilah Green Doesn’t Care - Ashley Herring Blake 🧡 Skye Falling - Mia McKenzie 💛 The Breakup Lists - Adib Khorram 💚 Prince of the Palisades - Julian Winters 💙 Solomon’s Crown - Natasha Siegel 💜 The Borrow a Boyfriend Club - Page Powars

❤️ Full Shift - Jennifer Dugan 🧡 A Shore Thing - Joanna Lowell 💛 Showmance - Chad Beguelin 💚 Exes & Foes - Amanda Woody 💙 Full Disclosure - Camryn Garrett 💜 When You Were Everything - Ashley Woodfolk

❤️ Playing the Palace - Paul Rudnick 🧡 I’m So (Not) Over You - Kosoko Jackson 💛 When Katie Met Cassidy - Camille Perri 💚 Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat 💙 The Lovers - Rebekah Faubion 💜 That Summer Feeling - Bridget Morrissey

❤️ Wild Things - Laura Kay 🧡 Experienced - Kate Young 💛 Lose You to Find Me - Erik J. Brown 💚 The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School - Sonora Reyes ��� Nate Plus One - Kevin van Whye 💜 Countries of Origin - Javier Fuentes

❤️ The Passing Playbook - Isaac Fitzsimons 🧡 But How Are You, Really - Ella Dawson 💛 Looking for a Sign - Susie Dumond 💚 The Prospects - KT Hoffman 💙 Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo 💜 Malice - Heather Walter

❤️ You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson 🧡 Let’s Talk about Love - Claire Kann 💛 Bonds of Brass - Emily Skrutskie 💚 Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places - Claire Kann 💙 The Stars and the Blackness Between Them - Junauda Petrus 💜 In Charm’s Way - Lana Harper

❤️ Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour 🧡 Marriage of a Thousand Lies - SJ Sindu 💛 I Think I Love You - Auriane Desombre 💚 Lavash at First Sight - Taleen Voskuni 💙 The Bump - Sidney Karger 💜 The Disenchantment - Celia Bell

❤️ The Dos and Donuts of Love - Adiba Jaigirdar 🧡 Riley Weaver Needs A Date To The Gaybutante Ball - Jason June 💛 Epically Earnest - Molly Horan 💚 Out of the Blue - Jason June 💙 Flip the Script - Lyla Lee 💜 Imogen, Obviously - Becky Albertalli

❤️ Café Con Lychee - Emery Lee 🧡 A Little Bit Country - Brian D. Kennedy 💛 Late to the Party - Kelly Quindlen 💚 The Key to You and Me - Jaye Robin Brown 💙 What If It’s Us - Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera 💜 The Falling in Love Montage - Ciara Smyth

❤️ The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre - Robin Talley 🧡 Meet Cute Diary - Emery Lee 💛 Love & Other Natural Disasters - Misa Sugiura 💚 Date Me, Bryson Keller - Kevin van Whye 💙 Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster - Andrea Mosqueda 💜 Pumpkin by Julie Murphy

❤️ She Gets the Girl by Rachel Lippincott - Alyson Derrick 🧡 Home Field Advantage - Dahlia Adler 💛 The (Un)Popular Vote - Jasper Sanchez 💚 Melt With You - Jennifer Dugan 💙 Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler 💜 Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating - Adiba Jaigirdar

❤️ I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuiston 🧡 Jay’s Gay Agenda - Jason June 💛 Triple Sec - TJ Alexander 💚 Finally Fitz - Marisa Kanter 💙 I’ll Be the One - Lyla Lee 💜 This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story - Kacen Callender

❤️ May the Best Man Win - ZR Ellor 🧡 One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston 💛 Late Bloomer - Mazey Eddings 💚 The Fiancee Farce - Alexandria Bellefleur 💙 Stars Collide - Rachel Lacey 💜 Truly, Madly, Deeply - Alexandria Bellefleur

[findafight]

I’m gonna admit, the whole “Robin and Steve share a girlfriend” thing kind of came to me when I was imagining how Steve and Vickie would get along.

As many people (I think including you?) have pointed out they have pretty much the same sense of humour, and seem to enjoy the same movies.

I see Steve being a “third wheel” on a lot of Robin and Vickie’s dates, in part because of rides and in part to make certain situations look less date-y. Or look more like one of the girls is third-wheeling by holding hands, doing the hand to the small of the back thing. Which sometimes leads to situations where Robin is kind of puppeteering Steve; “Steve, look at Vickie, she’s so cold! I can’t believe you’re not offering her your coat - what kind of boyfriend are you?”

(This comes back to bite her in the my ass a couple times when Steve will loudly announce “Robin, I cannot believe you’re just going to take the slice without offering it to Vickie, what kind of boyfriend are you?”, allowing Vickie to turn the puppy eyes on Robin.

He has done this a couple times in front of the kids, which they all find weird, but also assume it to be either one of Steve and Robin’s *deeply* unfunny inside jokes or part of an argument on the road to the realisation that they are in fact in deep denial about 1. Being in love and 2. That they have gone down a Super Mario pipe, skipped over all the interesting parts of romance and landed in their “old married couple” phase)

It’s all very confusing for Vickie. Like, she gets a kiss on the cheek from Steve so Robin can kiss her on the other cheek under the guise of making fun of the sappy couple - or else she gets a kiss from Robin and Steve gives her a kiss on the cheek to actually make fun of them. But she also gets forehead kisses from Steve to say hello and goodbye - which he doesn’t think is a big deal. He does that to Robin all the time - it would probably be rude to leave Vickie out, right? Or make her feel weird, left out. Things are not helped by the fact that Robin sometimes expresses her love via Steve. If Vickie’s upset, she’ll hug her, but she’ll also make Steve hug her, because he gives the *best* hugs!

Like, yeah, they’re a soul cut in half or whatever, but seriously - is this some kind of test? Does Steve think that she’s going to chest on Robin and is trying to prove it? Has Robin put him up to this because she thinks Vickie needs/wants wooing by *both* a girl and a boy? (She’s recently come out to her younger sister as “bisexual” and one of her questions was “so can you only have threesomes now?” Vickie is *going through it*, folks!)

Eventually she sits them down to try and talk it out, because this morning she woke up wearing a mix of both their clothes and she has some important assignments coming up at school, guys, SHE CANNOT KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS!

(There is a moment of silence as both Robin and Steve both fight to repress the urge to yell at each other that *this* is what that girl Janet that dumped Steve the other week was talking about!)

All hail Vickie, the bisexual who won *and* continued o be a disaster. no one is doing it like her!

omg sooooo good anon. I love this. VIckie is fighting for her life trying to decipher what is going on in her own relationship. is she dating Steve? is she not dating him? is she only dating robin? or both of them? Robin and Steve are weird she knew this going in but this is a bit much, right? and had to sit down for a minute because yes she woke up with Steve's shirt on and robins pants but the she saw Steve wearing her own sweater and robin wearing Steve's pants and so what does this mean? what are they doing? does she want anything to actually change?? (the answer to that she knows is no. She just wants clarity!and also is realizing that yes Steve does give the best hugs but part of that is that is Robin is there too. She's also realizing maybe kissing Steve and holding his hand is something she'd be down for more often!! help her!!)

and if she is also dating Steve she's going to have to live through the mortification of maybe telling her sister, and explaining that just because she's bisexual the throuple situation is NOT an essential part of that it just kinda happened by accident without any of the three of them noticing. and. who wants to admit that let alone to a little sister who Will Not Let It Go? poor vickie....

No one is doing it like Vickie and Stobin is not helping the situation At. All.