#PLEASE LET THERE BE TELEPATHIC SPACE WHALES!

[simsaustories]

ALIENS

Aliens are a staple of the sims games - dating back to TS2. They were brought back in TS4 thanks to it’s first expansion pack: Get To Work. While I’m happy to see them back, I feel like they could use some extra love.

ASPIRATIONS Final Frontier: This Sim wants to travel to space and learn all there is to know about Aliens. From collecting strange rocks to learning a whole new language! Reward Trait: Honorary Alien Honorary Alien: This sim knows it all! They can easily see through Alien disguises and perform their secret greetings.

Hive Mind: This Alien wants to gain followers and master their powers, reaching the top of the ranks. Reward Trait: Colony Leader Colony Leader: This Alien has climbed the ranks and can now order other Aliens to perform basic tasks such as abducting sims. CAS

Skin Tones: I would love to see them split up into the Warm, Cold & Neutral Categories. I would also love a wider range of colors: Pinks, Reds, Oranges, Yellows, Greys and Blacks. We finally got some diversity with basic sims, I’d love to see our fantasy/sci-fi sims get some of that love now too Skin Details: I think adding some patterns for them would be nice, maybe even the option of colored freckles - because who says they can’t/don’t have freckles?  Eyebrows: Has anyone ever played World of Warcraft or watch Star Trek? The Draenei and Klingons have these like ridges that I think would be cool to add as an eyebrow detail. They did a similar thing for vampires making them pop out more - or at least appear to.

Eyes: More designs and colors would be much appreciated. Eye Detail: Adding an optional third eye would also be cool. Extra Add-Ons: Horns and antennas would be another awesome add, I loved getting the hats from Journey to Batuu, but the problem is that they are just hats... Make-Up: I think having more space inspired make up would be a great start Tattoos: Either of UFOs or Pink Whales - Something! Alternatively we could get more skin patterns for them in this category. Outfits: They legit have only 2 and kills me. Both are full body suits as well. I would love if they got a few more options in more than 2/3 colors. Even just adding underwear for them would be amazing. Hair: They can have hair like other sims, but I definitely would love to see some inspired by fantasy/sci-fi characters or that look like they are inspired by space. Having more colors is another want - but that also goes to my desires for the base game so I will leave it for now.

CAREERS

Pollination Technician: Please, let my Alien sims be part of the process lol I don’t need to go to work for this one, it can be a rabbit hole, but let them get the career title and maybe even a probe to use on other sims - not just prank them with.

Test Subject: Bringing back this little option as a part-time job again would be unique to them and could be interesting for story telling POWER TREE I like some of the abilities they already have, but giving them a power tree similar to that of Vampires/Werewolves could vastly improve them. Some abilities could make it harder for sims to see through their disguises. We could get abilities to communicate with other aliens telepathically. Telekinetic abilities. I haven’t thought this one out completely, but I still feel like they could benefit from a power tree and rankings. LOT TRAITS

UFO Sightings: Sims are more likely to be abducted on these lots Extraterrestrial Experiment: This lot has some strange spores. Pregnant sims should be careful on this lot, its unkown what effects it could have on their baby. (Chance of baby being born an Alien/Hybrid)

MISCELLANEOUS  I know I want more interactions between Aliens to maybe discuss things about Sixam or Joke About Human Sims. I would love if they added a special pet on Sixam for Aliens like the Dolphin for Mermaids. Alien Fish pets would also be great. Adding another world with Alien sims living on it would be awesome. It could add a lot more alien inspired build-buy items as well. It’s kind sad that Sixam only has one lot and you can’t live on it without using Paranormal Stuff to kind of cheat it. They could even add a human sim living their among them who wears a spacesuit 24/7 and who is in the Scientist/Astronaut Career.

FEED BACK

This section will mainly be to post credits to others along with their suggestions. So what would you like to see them add to Aliens? 

[tediousreviews]

Analog (July/August 1999)

Minus last week but one's novella, it's time for the Analog double issue.

We have one more novella, a trio of novelettes, and a trio of short stories. Plus, we have the conclusion to the Quantum Rose serial.

Please accept my thoroughly insincere apology for the delay in this review, and proceed beyond the cut.

Serial

The Quantum Rose, Catherine Asaro

Ok, so over the last two episodes our heroine avoided being forced into a marriage by being forced into another marriage, learned her new husband was a telepath with a drinking problem, and also learned that she was part of a genetically engineered slave-race. Fun stuff.

This time she gets kidnapped, forced back into the original marriage, raped repeatedly, and then stuck in the middle of a really obnoxious trial centered around coercing her into talking about who exactly is coercing her more.

Cheery.

Novella

Emperor Penguins, Joseph Manzione

As far as reasons for advanced cultures initiating first contact go, using us as an excuse to advance legislation allowing males to sue for custody of their children in a divorce is... well the particulars are a bit rare but the general tone is about average I'd say.

Novelettes

As Time Goes By, Amy Bechtel

More in the ongoing adventures of a vet, some sea monsters, and a few other people.

Eh, it was a nice little bit of weirdness.

Live Bait, Shane Tourtellotte

In the future, people will entertain themselves by passing through living not-whales the long way. Some other people with have problems with this. Also murder.

Because of course the environmentalists have to be murderers.

E-Mage, Rajnar Vajra

Ugh. Why do so many hacking stories inexplicably involve VR and bizarre metaphors?

Don't answer that.

Short Stories

Tempora Mutantur, H.G. Stratmann

Time travel, a stupid hoax that wouldn't work, and the world's worst brother.

You lost me at time travel.

Out of Warranty, Gordon Gross

Nanites and evil corporations.

I'm pretty sure I've reviewed an almost identical and clearly superior story, although whether it was in Analog or Asimov's I couldn't tell you and I'm not willing to go looking.

GCEA, Laurence M. Janifer

It's a carnival mystery story with like two throw away lines to make it SF. Also random ukelele references that I had to look up and be disappointed by.

The whole "I forgot this story was supposed to be SF, better make it IN SPACE." thing keeps almost getting me in trouble with my fake advice column. So I sympathize.

Final Thoughts

I mean, I guess I could with this one, but let's just let it slide.

[atamascolily]

Thoughts on re-reading Cloud’s Rider by C.J. Cherryh

As a follow-up to an earlier post, I was re-reading Cloud's Rider by C.J. Cherryh (the sequel to Rider at the Gate). Some observations:

-To be a rider is rather like being a Zen master - you have to be able to calm your mind and focus on the present moment (rather than getting caught up in your thoughts/fears/imagination) or else you'll risk spooking your horse and having said thoughts/fears/images running around in the ambient, amplifying outward and possibly coming back to kill for FOR REAL. It's such a great metaphor for real life, honestly.

-Danny grows up in the space of a two day climb through hell, and it's awesome. Of course, it helps he has good mentors in the form of Guil, Tara and later Ridley, rather than those jerks from Book One.

-So much of this book is a slow build. I'm really okay with this, because I am of the school where I would happily watch Interesting Characters wander around their worlds and explore FOREVER with little in the way of actual plot (exhibit A: my fanfiction), but it's interesting to go back and re-read this book and realize how little actually happens until the last quarter of the book - and then it's pretty much nonstop action thriller and lots of people die.

-Also, as was the case in the last book, what people THINK is going on for most of the book turns out to be TOTALLY INCORRECT AND FULL OF LIES. Which makes the book jacket summaries kinda wonky, too.

-Evergreen might be the first place we see in this Crapsack World that's actually kinda an okay place to live by my standards. I mean sure, it's on the edge of civilization with all the attendant problems, but the town actually has trees inside the wall (something that amazes our cityboy protagonist) and the politics and culture seem more liberal and chill than some of the other places we see in this series. Compare John Quarles vs. Reverend Wales from Tarmin, for instance, or Tara and Luisa's involvement in Carlo's trial in Tarmin vs. Ridley bringing Slip into Evergreen village to suss out Earnest Riggs' murderer.

-Which is not to say people in Evergreen aren't also human, and prone to varying levels of murder, scheming and treachery, but... I feel like we meet way more decent people in Cloud's Rider than we do for most of Rider at the Gate. Or maybe that's just because we spend so much time with Ridley, Callie and Jennie and their stable, loving family dynamics.

-Is the name "Finisterre" (to refer to the whole planet) ever used in the actual books, or does it just come from the supplementary material?

-What triggers Brionne to wake up and why? Does anybody actually tell any of the riders about it before Ridley sees her on the porch when she spokes Slip? I don't think so, because of the whole town vs. rider camp setup, and Ridley not realizing how dangerous she was until way too late, but still... awkward.

-Previously, I referred to Brionne as a sociopath. She may well be, but I think "narcissist" was actually the word I was looking for. Nothing matters except for what she wants. She gets away with it a lot on account of her age and gender, but compare her with her brother Randy, who also "wants" horses with a similar intensity. When Danny tells Randy to stop 'cause he's freaking Cloud out, Randy thinks about it for a while and makes a conscious decision to stop (even though he still REALLY wants a horse, he's willing to tone down his thoughts to keep from upsetting them because he cares about them as sentient beings, rather than just as objects). Brionne, on the other hand, never does this.

-When Brionne is ranting to Darcy about "her horse" from the previous books, she refers to said horse as "male".... which means that she MET MOON AND WAS RIDING AROUND WITH MOON ON MOON'S BACK AND NEVER EVEN BOTHERED TO NOTICE ANYTHING ABOUT MOON OR LISTEN TO HER AT ALL because it didn't fit in with her fantasy of finding the best stallion in the herd... !!!! And she doesn't mourn at all for the death of her horse; instead she's just pissed that they killed "her" horse and she's going to get another one because you just can’t keep Brionne down. (And she doesn't even know Moon's name!) !!! (Refer back to observation above).

-I really want an origin story/First contact tale for this planet, even though I know those are really hard to do well. Take Dragonsdawn by Ann McCaffrey, for example. Except the Finisterre first contact story would totally be the anti-Dragonsdawn because all the human colonists would die horribly and screaming until the nighthorses showed up. Then there would still be screaming, but less of it. (So, really, more like the Alien movies than the Pern books.)

-Wow, Finisterre is like the anti-Pern in almost every way and I love it.  

-Both books in this series are copyrighted in 1996, which is just... so fast. Wow. That's awesome.

-Also, because these books were written in 1996, there's no mention of any Internet or anything like it. I assume given Finisterre's frontier setting and infrastructure problems, Internet would be right out - I mean, the phones only work for half the year anyway - but it's jarring to me in light of 2017's tech. (Also, the Internet probably summons spook-bears just like the radio does. Because Finisterre just can't have nice things.)

-I also wouldn't mind a follow-up book detailing the Further Adventures of Danny, Carlo, Guil, Tara, Jennie (and possibly Brionne? although seriously, that's kinda terrifying to contemplate, given her dramatic exit at the end of the book. I'd say she couldn't survive, but it's impressive how often she's been able to defy the odds before and come back, possibly through sheer bloody-minded narcissism).

-What do the oceans of Finisterre look like? Please tell me there are telepathic space whales. Now I want a fic about riders and nighthorses guarding a shipping convoy to/from Anveney and encountering said telepathic space whales... who may actually be the only creature on the planet NOT out to kill humans, and kinda chill. (But we could also have some telepathic giant sharks, too, just because it's Finisterre.)

(Okay, I'll probably have to write this and the First Contact Finisterre things myself. Whatever. It’s awesome in my head.)

[disarmingly]

masterlist.

[ on ao3 ] ***i was asked by multiple people to compile a masterlist. i tried. i might be missing some things. likewise let me know if any links are wrong or do not work. i tried hard to be careful but OTL ;_; ahhh please note all relevant tags are through the ao3 links from angst to fluff to death warnings so please be sure to read those first. as always, thanks for stopping by. it means a lot! ;; <3

... .- ...- . -- .

( art 1, 2, 3 <3 ) ( art 1 <3 ) ( art 1 ) ( mood board <3 ) ( mood board  <3 ) ( etc )

lonely lonely lonely whale. or: all your stars are my stars too.  (the space au that came from three representations of rain and a longstanding obsession with the idea that the worth of your life can be found always, always in the love you give, the love you receive, and the love that’s there long after.)

][ yoonkook & namjoon, platonic namgi and namkook as well

always

once upon a time, there was a boy who lived at the end of the universe. (for @xiajin )

][ yoonkook 

and back again

slice of life story where the hardest part of growing up is sometimes not being grown up --- and all the yielding that goes along with it. luckily enough, friends will wait for you. this much, jungkook knows. ][ yoonkook

balancing act

that loveless au oneshot. telepathic. empathic. not all happy endings feel as good as we hope, but we take what we can get; don’t we? ][ yoonkook

begin

on hard times with good people. or: it’s okay to not be okay. here and there. now and then. ][ yoonkook

below zero

depression isn’t a call to arms. it’s a shadow in the heart, there all the time, even in the light; especially in the light. you don’t live around it. you live with it. ][ yoonkook

call and answer

( art  <3 ) yoongi the insomniac + jungkook the insomnia call-center rep. (the slowburn strangers to lifelines to friends au that came from the idea that help can be found in unlikely places and also the idea that resolution for the past is something that we long for even while our lives move forward.) ][ yoonkook

catch-all drabbles  ][ yoonkook thus far

dearly beloved some magic is real. (you, me, and the sea.) ][ minjoon

doggone

jungkook suggests a dog shelter. yoongi is confused until he’s not. ][ yoonkook

ellipse

yoongi study. analogies galore. no ship. in short: his mixtape destroyed me thank you good night.

eventually

by the sea by the beautiful sea (hyyh)

][ yoonkook

fall down lightly

half-vampire yoongi and human jungkook live together and it’s all alright until it’s not.  (the domestic vampire and human au whose back-story was never supposed to take over the actual plot but it did and i really need to update this one....fff) ][ yoonkook

fireside

inu/run insp thing. mostly a lot of waiting to arrive. ][ yoonkook

follow

you know how you feel about your idol? that’s how jeon jungkook feels about kim namjoon.  <3 ][ namkook

going somewhere

for a prompt received thru tumblr, jungkook and taehyung are somewhere between dreams and....everything else. so it seems. ][ taekook implied though what kind is up to interpretation 

homemade

yoongi builds a house.

][ yoonkook

in-betweens

WINGS inspired, cadence sensitive, dark and light. ][ yoonkook

kiss and cry

that au where jungkook is a figure skater, yoongi is a composer, and holly is along for the ride because of course he is. ][ yoonkook

most of all

all in white. (when the people who love you just want you to have what you deserve: anything you want.) ][ yoonkook, unrequited taekook (though tae loves him still, and it’s okay)

nightlight

goblin au with impending liberties taken. largely. ][ namkook

nowhere

small things are big. (inu, run, stigma.) ][ vmon

ocean deep

mermaid kook! but the gang is all here.  ][ implied yoonkook

one thing

what jungkook wants, jungkook thinks he cannot really have. and it hurts. meanwhile, yoongi just wants to see him happy. figures. ][ yoonkook

outro

define real. (a dream is real if you believe it’s so. isn’t it?) ][ yoonkook

reciprocal

there is one thing jungkook must never do. coincidentally, there is just one thing yoongi needs him to do. (hanahaki au + one other thing...)

][ yoonkook

RPOROPROSOAL

another space au with lounge singer jungkook, space salvager yoongi, and others. (written for my mom @xiajin. <3) ][ yoonkook

seagoing

they met jungkook the way most sailors or pirates or whomevers meet sirens. well, part-sirens. they met him through his song.

][ namkook, taekook, jinkook

shoreline

wherein seokjin was once the sea and taehyung was once the land.  (reincarnation in this economy? always.) ][ taejin

sidereal

that vmin PUMA ad + stigma and the subtlest take on LIE imaginable. a story about how growing up doesn’t mean losing everything you were; it means gaining back something you always have been: loved. ][ vmin

slow slong

don’t do over.

do better.   (hyyh, love yourself....etc)

][ yoonkook

so far away mushishi inspired somewhat but mostly inspired by real places and real experiences. where love comes in the form of two things: forgiveness, and time. ][ yoonkook implied but it’s not readily apparent for most of it

( etc )

stardrop

behind every great person is a star. and sometimes, a song. (the prequel to ... .- ...- . -- . ) ][ yoonkook, platonic namgi and namkook

this time around

do you believe in ghosts? (some of it is inspired by xxxholic, and most of it is a world built on reincarnation, sun, stars, moon, and a touch of fairytale. this is the primary one-shot, intended to be understood alongside the supplementary stories in time and again.) ][ yoonkook, namjin (unfulfilled), jihope (technically, though it’s clearer in the other part linked below)

time and again

in this life and the next. (read this time around first.) ][ yoonkook, namjin (unfulfilled), jihope

( etc )

today & tomorrow

extra snippets of the life in the 'kiss & cry' universe. alt: yoongi and jungkook in love. that's pretty much it. (for janicechan)

useful

for you? anything. well, everything. (sort of bnha inspired au)

][ yoonkook

[ on tumblr | drabbles, wips, writing exercises, etc ] 

demon jungkook stumbles into the particular corner of heaven where star gatherer namjoon and star wielder yoongi live (drabble + wip)

in this life and the others -- yoonkook (drabble)

yoongi visits jungkook the one day he can -- yoonkook (character already dead/ ghost, drabble)

blue waves blue roses blue -- yoonkook insp. by bst japan mv (drabble)

hp au verse (wip)

(1) drabble (yoonkook)

(2) drabble (yoonkook)

snowy day --- yoonkook (drabble)

young god namjoon falls in love (in a sense) with a human -- jungkook -- becomes deeply invested in his happiness and thus, meddles where he shouldn’t. involved too: jungkook’s soulmate, min yoongi. (drabble + wip)

starcrossed taejin (drabble + mood board)

runaway heir namjoon on his journey to reclaim his kingdom (wip)

(1) drabble

(2) drabble

(3) drabble

(4) this belongs here too.

beginnings and endings

knight shift -- that thing where i love bat! verse and want to write a good echo of it but the truth is it’s really hard but maybe someday i’ll finish it aha -- yoonkook (drabble + wip)

hands -- yoonkook (drabble)

cursed! verse 

(1) drabble

(2) drabble

married

(1) drabble

(2) drabble

clamp! multiverse! au (drabble + wip)

domestic yoonkook (drabble)

cat lady yoonkook (drabble 1, 2 )

namjoon, reflection insp. drabble -- was going to be a full-length namkook fantasy but as with many things, i am stuck atm ;;

any hurt matters, even small ones -- yoonkook (drabble)

jimin has a nightmare but kook is there for him. (drabble)

back to school fantasy au (drabble)

another space au (drabble)

game show au (drabble 1, 2, 3)

who says i don’t want it? -- yoonkook (drabble)

yoongi wants jungkook to see him how yoongi sees him (drabble)

sleeping beauty au excerpt/drabble ot7

love yourself  -- yoonkook

usakook / bunkook / jungkook has a slight...problem -- yoonkook

yoongi’s parents vetoed lamb skewers. jungkook is disappointed... -- yoonkook

q: who visits genius lab most? a: jungkook. -- yoonkook

radio dj ~suga~ and avid listener jungkook -- yoonkook

*

[believe-that-you-can-my-friend]

Summary: After Betty confronts her dad about Polly’s and Jason’s engagement as well as learning about the Coopers - Blossoms feud, there’s only one person that can take her mind off things. (Takes place after Betty’s and Hal’s fight and before Bughead’s scene at the Blue & Gold.)

(Taking a small break from your prompt requests to write something that stuck in my head and I had to get it out lol. I was listening to Let It All Go by Birdy feat. Rhodes and I had way too many feels so yeah... Hope you like it guys!!)

The Hitchcock blonde was once again locked in her floral pastel room that nowadays didn’t seem to match the air of depression that spread around the whole town and, most specifically, this very house. Soft music was playing in the background, the girl wanting to silence down the million thoughts that were running inside her head and suppress her still boiling anger and deep disappointment at both her parents. Usually, her mother would always win first place in the list of people Betty felt smothered by but after that evening, her dad was ranking a close second. She was at least thankful that he had the good sense to let her be, keeping himself busy in the house office downstairs for hours.

Dear Diary,

I don’t even know who my parents are anymore. How can the two people that are supposed to be everyone’s most valuable confidants in life, hide behind so many lies and weave webs of conspiracy and mystery around innocent teenage kids? How can I not know what is going on in my own house, with my own sister? They keep pushing me to drop the subject, stop snooping around and bury it all under the carpet like they did and for what? An idiotic vendetta that probably costed the life of two kids that did nothing wrong but fell in love. Why do we have to break so hard? Why does my life get to be filled with such uncertainty and fear of what the future will reveal next? I dread even to think about the obvious, I try so hard to hold my mind back, for it to not go there but it is already there and I feel scared. Sometimes I wish I was just another person, the identity of Elizabeth Cooper to not weight so much on my shoulders…”

The characteristic sound of pen against paper stopped and the red ink covered peak hovered over the rest of the empty line, Betty taking a moment to breath and slow down the gradually quicker raise and fall of her chest. One of her usual panic attacks was the last thing she needed right now, she thought and closed her eyes, dropping her head back against the wall, clutching the teal cover of her diary inside her icy cold fingers. She didn’t know how many hours had spent there, sitting on the wooden bench of her window and pouring into paper the anger and extreme sense of unfairness she felt after the fight she had hours ago with her father. But the worst of all, she felt hopeless, too small in a secret too big for her to handle, something that made her eyes whale up with tears again. She brought a palm to softly swipe the corner of her right eye in hopes of stopping the waterfalls but she failed, letting them finally be and watching as they soaked the paper in small shy droplets.

The chime of her phone had her eyes lazily turning to the side to face the machine, not in the mood of interacting with people right now. The message that brightened the screen surprised her though.

Don’t cry. Please.

Simple. Laconic. Subtle. Even without the caller ID at the top center, Betty would have known instantly that this was Jughead Jones.

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows frowned as she reread the two words, the girl not quite understanding the hidden message behind them. How could he possibly know that she was a mess of salty tears so for him to advise her to stop? Yes, they had grown impossibly close those last few weeks but, in case he hadn’t installed secret cameras to spy on her in her bedroom, Betty knew she and her nowadays favorite person hadn’t yet reached such telepathic level of connection. So she typed a very intellectual response back – a simple idiotic what? – and waited for his answer.

It came in barely a second. Look up. Betty read and did as she was instructed to, raising her eyes to Archie’s window, only for her to find a familiar face but not her redheaded friend, as always. There, on the same position as her only on reverse angle, was the raven haired boy she had bonded once again overnight, bony legs bended at the knees in order for him to fit in the small space of Archie’s window bench and laptop as usual on his lap. The blonde felt her chest a tad lighter at the sight of him and his lovely baby blues soft upon her.

He tapped the window lightly with the corner of his phone and then pointed at it, Betty snapping her head down to look at her own phone, realizing that she had another text.

I knew Thornhill was a bad idea; way too much of a morbid Goth scene for your taste. She read and shook her head lightly to rearrange her thoughts, before sending back the question of the hour.

How come you are writing at Archie’s? She was perplexed; anytime Jughead wanted to write he would either be somewhere alone or hidden at his usual booth at Pop’s. She was sitting face to face with the window now, cross-legged and focused on the boy across her.

Didn’t feel like going home so I dropped by. Archiekins isn’t here so I had to occupy myself with something. He pressed sent and felt immediately a pinch of guilt at lying to her. He didn’t have a home to go to and Pop’s was usually way too crowded at this hour. So instead of wandering around like a stray, although he very much was, Jughead had decided to stay in the shelter of the Andrews’ household, even without his friend and even if it was for only a couple of hours.

He had been minding his own business for half an hour or so, typing away every ounce of imagination that was lingering in his brilliant head of his, but once he had took a breath to think, his eyes caught a glimpse of his blonde muse writing in that diary of hers. She had discarded her black dress and was now in some grey and pink baseball tee along with some stripped shorts that gave him a nice view of her bare legs. Her hair was down and slightly damp after some shower, he had guessed, her whole look comfy and very much approved by Jughead, because even though he liked her in anything, he didn’t think black was her color; it shaded her beauty and such beauty wasn’t meant to be shaded by anything. Even more so, by the tears that had been running hot down her eyes. That’s what he had made him take action.

And now that he saw her not even flinching at the ridiculous nickname Veronica had established for the ginger amongst their small group, he knew things were bad. Betty always used to snort a laugh whenever someone called him that.

If you’re still freaked out by that crazy old grandma, I’m totally there with you. THE HORROR! He tried to lighten the mood but he saw her through the window shake her head no while typing.

Learnt some things from my dad… I wish I didn’t though… the blue bubble joined the rest on their otherwise carefree personal chat, consisting of questions about the Blue & Gold or simple plans to meet. It was her time to look at him through the glass and find him biting his lip, thumps hovering over the letters in hesitation.

About Polly and Jason? He wanted to make sure.

Yeah… And the Blossoms in general, my family, our mess of a life, the list goes on. Betty pressed the buttons furiously and Jughead could sense her sadness upon reading the words a second later.

Do you wanna talk about it? Came his immediate text that hit Betty with realization, like a gunshot in her heart. Her head shot up in despair, frizzy golden locks bouncing, and she caught him already looking at her, frown intact and sizing the situation. Heavy tears built again at the corner of her eyes and she let them fall with a heavy sigh and a deep, sad frown, nodding her head vigorously, because, yes, she was so desperate to talk to somebody, to let it all out of her chest, to find somebody that would listen and not judge or stop valuing her as a person and she knew that somebody was no one more perfect than the guy across her with the heart of gold.

Jughead’s said heart just broke at the sight of her, mesmerized by the fact that she had so much on her plate but still stubbornly continued to put on a brave face so not to flaw her seemingly perfect image. If it wasn’t for him invading her personal space with his curious eyes, this breakdown would have stayed behind closed doors, and this spread a veil of sadness over his heart for the blonde beauty that felt so alone. His bony fingers shot up to dance lightly over the cold glass of his window, like he was trying to reach out and touch her, console her and take away some of her pain and his frown deepened once she offered him a look under her wet eyelashes before returning to her phone with a pout.

I can’t talk through the phone. Can you be at the Blue & Gold tomorrow before school? The chime of his phone surprised him because when he was looking at Betty Cooper it seemed everything around him was put on mute and he scanned the text before typing back quickly.

I can come over now, if you want. Jughead offered, not wanting to intrude, but letting her know that he was there if she needed him to.

Betty swiped her cheeks with the back of her palm to shake away their wetness. Thank you Juggie, but I think I need to be alone for a while… she raised her eyes apologetically to him, once sending her answer. She saw him frown in what seemed like disappointment.

Okay… was all she got back and she feared that she had said something wrong before the phone vibrated again inside her hands.

I know I’m not really Archie or Trevor but, for you, I’m always a good listener… Jughead typed with a pinch of jealousy, still not over the fact that Betty had been on a date with some random guy some days ago. He knew he was the farthest thing of an option Betty would ever consider and he wouldn’t help but beat himself up for it.

Betty sighed, dropping her temple to rest on the cold glass, taking in his text. How could he not see how much of an amazing guy he was and that it was him that she was running to every time?

You know, you are my number one guy right now. She replied and bit her lip upon waiting for his reaction, Jughead letting a shy smile at the text before looking up at her, Betty giving him an equal shy look under her eyelashes that forced his heart to do a foreign flippy-over thing.

Then please can you stop the waterfalls for me? He was quick with his reply. He could stand anything; but the sight of her breathtaking eyes turning glassy was his personal Achilles’ heel.

Betty just nodded from across him, the scenery around them turning a tad darker as the day was coming to its dusk. They just stood there staring at each other for some minutes, Jughead’s blue eyes holding such intensity that Betty caught herself sighing at the tingling feeling inside her. She saw him letting a heavy sigh too at all the foreign feelings the blonde beauty was making him experience, and for some reason she dropped her eyes, their stare off turning too much for her to handle.

And if you want a good laugh, just picture me again with the hideous suit I was wearing earlier. Quality comedy material. Another text came and she snorted a small laugh at that, Jughead sporting a pleased grin upon seeing her reaction.

Well, honestly, you cleaned up pretty nicely. She complimented him and her blue-greenish eyes wandered over his slender figure across her, still clad in his black pants and white dress shirt but having the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the two buttons popped open, Betty’s cheeks suddenly heating up at the sight of his lean torso in that form fitting shirt and the veins of his forearms deliciously exposed. Right now he actually looked way more than nice, she thought naughtily.

Lies. Was his immediate response and she rolled her eyes. Are you absolutely sure you don’t want me to come over? He sent a second text, wanting to make sure that she was going to be ok.

I’m Elizabeth Cooper; I’ll be fine. Tomorrow. Jughead read and saw her nodding once with her head held high. He knew that she would be fine, she had so much fire inside of her, but still he didn’t want to feel that she was destined to always be on her own.

He gave her a wink in confirmation about their morning rendezvous and a nod himself before leaning more towards the glass, exhaling against it to create a foggy cloud before writing with his pointer, need a smile. Betty shook her head in disbelief at him and his amazing personality, cracking a small smile and fighting back the need to make it bigger because of how he was making her feel right now. Jughead shook his head unsatisfied and fogged the window again; that’s not a smile Bets, he wrote this time. And Betty gave him her wide dashing smile that never failed to put him in a good mood, because at this point she was just a sucker for him, just like he was for her.

Thank you, she mouthed and did the thing that would keep Jughead sleepless again at night; she pressed her face to the window and, puckering her always delicious lips, she left a lovely kiss against the cold glass for him and only him to deliver.

Jughead just stayed there awestruck, in a mess of unknown feels and needs, mouth hanging lightly open in wonder. Goodnight, he managed to stutter and she offered a goodnight back and a lopsided smirk before they both went back to their previous tasks, him typing away and her focusing back on her diary with a lighter heart.

Turning the page, she started on a new one, writing in hot red calligraphic letters.

Dear Diary,

There is not only chaos in my life. In the mist of it all, there is this lost boy with the baby blue eyes, my personal beacon of hope, Jughead Jones…