#They’ll be in high school having their little high school romance

[schrodingers-monster]

Holy shit why are manga site comments so fucking rancid they’re so bad look at this shit

there were bunch of people in the comment section asking if the manga was gay and hoping it wasn’t

One dude was like yo why would it matter and these are the responses

[physalian]

Pacing your Story (Or, How to Avoid the "Suddenly...!")

Arguably *the* most important lesson all writers need to learn, even for those who don’t give a damn about themes and motifs and a moral soap box: How your story is paced, whether it’s a comic book, a children’s chapter book, a doorstopper, a mini series, a movie, or a full-length season of TV (old school style), pacing is everything.

Pacing determines how long the story *feels* regardless of how long it actually is. It can make a 2 hour movie feel like 90 mins or double the time you’re trapped in your seat.

There’s very little I can say about pacing that hasn’t been said before, but I’m here to condense all that’s out there into a less intimidating mouthful to chew.

So: What is pacing?

Pacing is how a story flows, how quickly or slowly the creator moves through and between scenes, how long they spend on setting, narration, conversation, arguments, internal monologues, fight scenes, journey scenes. It’s also how smoothly tone transitions throughout the story. A fantasy adventure jumping around sporadically between meandering boredom, high-octane combat, humor, grief, and romance is exhausting to read, no matter how much effort you put into your characters.

Anyone who says the following is wrong:

Good pacing is always fast/bad pacing is always slow

Pacing means you are 100% consistent throughout the entire story

It doesn’t matter as much so long as you have a compelling story/characters/lore/etc

Now let me explain why in conveniently numbered points:

1. Pacing is not about consistency, it’s about giving the right amount of time to the right pieces of your story

This is not intuitive and it takes a long time to learn. So let’s look at some examples:

Lord of the Rings: The movies trimmed a *lot* from the books that just weren’t adaptable to screen, namely all the tedious details and quite a bit of the worldbuilding that wasn’t critical to the journey of the Fellowship. That said, with some exceptions, the battles are as long as they need to be, along with every monologue, every battle speech. When Helm’s Deep is raging on, we cut away to Merry and Pippin with the Ents to let ourselves breathe, then dive right back in just before it gets boring.

The Hobbit Trilogy: The exact opposite from LotR, stretching one kids book into 3 massive films, stuffing it full of filler, meandering side quests, pointless exposition, drawing out battles and conflicts to silly extremes, then rushing through the actual desolation of Smaug for… some reason.

Die Hard (cause it’s the Holidays y’all!): The actiony-est of action movies with lots of fisticuffs and guns and explosions still leaves time for our hero to breathe, lick his wounds, and build a relationship with the cop on the ground. We constantly cut between the hero and the villains, all sharing the same radio frequency, constantly antsy about what they know and when they’ll find out the rest, and when they’ll discover the hero’s kryptonite.

2. Make every scene you write do at least two things at once

This is also tricky. Making every scene pull double duty should be left to after you’ve written the first draft, otherwise you’ll never write that first draft. Pulling double duty means that if you’re giving exposition, the scene should also reveal something about the character saying it. If you absolutely must write the boring trip from A to B, give some foreshadowing, some thoughtful insight from one of your characters, a little anecdote along the way.

Develop at least two of the following:

The plot

The backstory

The romance/friendships

The lore

The exposition

The setting

The goals of the cast

Doing this extremely well means your readers won’t have any idea you’re doing it until they go back and read it again. If you have two characters sitting and talking exposition at a table, and then those same two characters doing some important task with filler dialogue to break up the narrative… try combining those two scenes and see what happens.

**This is going to be incredibly difficult if you struggle with making your stories longer. I do not. I constantly need to compress my stories. **

3. Not every scene needs to be crucial to the plot, but every scene must say something

I distinguish plot from story like a square vs a rectangle. Plot is just a piece of the tale you want to tell, and some scenes exist just to be funny, or romantic, or mysterious, plot be damned.

What if you’re writing a character study with very little plot? How do you make sure your story isn’t too slow if 60% of the narrative is introspection?

Avoid repeating information the audience already has, unless a reminder is crucial to understanding the scene

This isn’t 1860 anymore. Every detail must serve a purpose. Keep character and setting descriptions down to absolute need-to-know and spread it out like icing on a cake – enough to coat, but not give you a mouthful of whipped sugar and zero cake.

Avoid describing generic daily routines, unless the existence of said routine is out of ordinary for the character, or will be rudely interrupted by chaos. No one cares about them brushing their teeth and doing their hair.

Make sure your characters move, but not too much. E.g. two characters sitting and talking – do humans just stare at each other with their arms lifeless and bodies utterly motionless during conversation? No? Then neither should your characters. Make them gesture, wave, frown, laugh, cross their legs, their arms, shift around to get comfortable, pound the table, roll their eyes, point, shrug, touch their face, their hair, wring their hands, pick at their nails, yawn, stretch, pout, sneer, smirk, click their tongue, clear their throat, sniff/sniffle, tap their fingers/drum, bounce their feet, doodle, fiddle with buttons or jewelry, scratch an itch, touch their weapons/gadgets/phones, check the time, get up and sit back down, move from chair to table top – the list goes on. Bonus points if these are tics that serve to develop your character, like a nervous fiddler, or if one moves a lot and the other doesn’t – what does that say about the both of them? This is where “show don’t tell” really comes into play.

4. Your entire work should not be paced exactly the same

Just like a paragraph should not be filled with sentences of all the same length and syntax. Some beats deserve more or less time than others. Unfortunately, this is unique to every single story and there is no one size fits all.

General guidelines are as follows:

Action scenes should have short paragraphs and lots of movement. Cut all setting details and descriptors, internal monologues, and the like, unless they service the scene.

Journey/travel scenes must pull double or even triple duty. There’s a reason very few movies are marketed as “single take” and those that are don’t waste time on stuff that doesn’t matter. See 1917.

Romantic scenes are entirely up to you. Make it a thousand words, make it ten thousand, but you must advance either the romantic tension, actual movement of the characters, conversation, or intimacy of the relationship.

Don’t let your conversations run wild. If they start to veer off course, stop, boil it down to its essentials, and cut the rest.

When transitioning between slow to faster pacing and back again, it’s also not one size fits all. Maybe it being jarring is the point – it’s as sudden for the characters as it is for the reader. With that said, try to keep the “suddenly”s to a minimum.

5. Pacing and tone go hand in hand

This means that, generally speaking, the tone of your scene changes with the speed of the narrative. As stated above, a jarring tonal shift usually brings with it a jarring pacing shift.

A character might get in a car crash while speeding away from an abusive relationship. A character who thinks they’re safe from a pursuer might be rudely and terrifyingly proven wrong. An exhausting chase might finally relent when sanctuary is found. A quiet dinner might quickly turn romantic with a look, or confession. Someone casually cleaning up might discover evidence of a lie, a theft, an intruder and begin to panic.

--

Whatever the case may be, a narrative that is all action all the time suffers from lack of meaningful character moments. A narrative that meanders through the character drama often forgets there is a plot they’re supposed to be following.

[kiwriteswords]

Rule Followers

Masterlist || Ao3

AN: A one-shot, that is technically a companion piece to Wicked Games, but can be read solo! I've also expanded this story so much that I no longer think I can keep the titles within the Wicked Game lyrics...

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Female Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Tags/Warnings: Suggestive Language, Implied Sexual Content, Potential Hint at Brat-Tamer!Hotch, Workplace Romance, Mild Workplace Tension, Humor. Part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

Sypnosis: After disclosing your relationship, you and Agent Hotchner are required to attend a mandatory workplace boundaries seminar, joined by Morgan and Garcia, who seem to be thoroughly entertained by the situation.

Companion piece to: Part V in the Wicked Game Universe (Can be read independently, though!)

The seminar room was filled with the monotony of beige walls and a lone projector humming softly at the front of the room. You and Hotch entered together, side by side, with Garcia and Morgan waiting in their seats, smirking like two kids ready for mischief.

“Oh, look,” Morgan murmured, nudging Garcia. “They finally arrived. I thought Strauss might’ve pulled you aside for a pre-seminar scolding.”

You scoffed and leaned over Hotch, who’d already put on his best stoic face, clearly prepping for the ordeal. “We’re here to learn, right, Aaron?”

He barely glanced at you, but you caught the corner of his mouth twitching before he composed himself. “Let’s just get through this without incident.”

Garcia, never one to let a good opportunity pass, leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. “Right, sure, because a seminar on professional boundaries was exactly what this team needed. Especially you two.”

Hotch cast a withering look her way, but before he could say anything, Morgan broke in, “You know, Hotch, I’ve never seen you get flustered—until now. Kind of refreshing, actually.”

You couldn’t resist nudging him with a playful grin. “Aw, he’s just mad because he knows they’ll call him out for all those little glances he sneaks when he thinks no one’s watching.”

Hotch’s jaw tightened, but he couldn’t hide the faint flush creeping up his neck. “I think we all know who’s responsible for this…meeting.”

Morgan laughed. “Oh, there’s no question about that! All those times you two have been ‘subtly’ flirting in the field? Strauss must’ve been waiting for an excuse to get you here.”

“Professional decorum is important,” Hotch said flatly, as though reciting a script.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Decorum? Man, I saw you let her push every button until you were ready to combust. Don’t think you can pretend you didn’t enjoy it.”

Garcia gasped in exaggerated delight. “Strauss isn’t the only one watching!”

Hotch sighed, clearly caught between exasperation and mild amusement. “I think it’s safe to say none of us will be contributing to the Q&A session.”

“Oh, come on, Hotch,” you teased, leaning in so only he could hear. “Aren’t you even a little bit curious what they’ll say about us?”

He looked at you, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “No, but I’m curious to see how long you can actually sit still.”

Morgan laughed, overhearing. “I give it five minutes.”

As the seminar dragged on, the team shared knowing looks and chuckled silently, each relishing the rare sight of Hotch out of his element. And though you tried to keep your composure, every time you exchanged a sly glance with Hotch or caught him subtly rolling his eyes, you could feel the playful energy between you two crackling, uncontainable even in the most "serious" of seminars.

The seminar was in full swing, and the instructor—a painfully earnest, silver-haired man with a penchant for over-explaining—was clicking through a presentation with slides so outdated they looked like they belonged in a high school health class.

You and Hotch sat side by side, each trying to focus on the presentation, but you couldn’t resist stealing glances at him. The serious set of his jaw and that faint crease between his brows said he was doing his best to keep this under control, though you could tell his patience was wearing thin.

As the instructor droned on, a new slide appeared with the title: "Avoiding Favoritism in the Workplace."

You leaned just slightly toward Hotch, voice barely above a whisper. “Well, that’s relevant.”

Without looking at you, Hotch replied quietly, “Don’t even start.”

But you couldn’t resist, nodding at the slide with mock seriousness. “You know, Aaron, maybe I should stop winning all those ‘favorite agent’ contests.”

He gave you a sidelong look, the barest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. “Last I checked, those weren’t real.”

You leaned in a little closer, murmuring, “Oh, right. All my campaigning for nothing.”

Hotch didn’t miss a beat, his voice low. “I don’t play favorites in the workplace.”

You stifled a grin, keeping your tone innocent. “Good to know. So, if it came down to it, you’d rather be sleeping next to me at night than…Reid?”

Hotch’s lips twitched with the faintest smile. “It’s a close call.”

You smirked. “Come on, admit it. I’m your favorite outside the office.”

He finally glanced your way, just the hint of warmth in his eyes. “Outside the office? That’s never been in question.”

Satisfied, you settled back with a smirk. "Glad we got that straight."

You settled back, but when the next slide appeared—Examples of Inappropriate Behavior—you couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. The slide showed two people standing far too close to each other, gazing with barely hidden longing, and you swore the actors looked vaguely like you and Hotch.

He let out a quiet, barely perceptible sigh as the instructor spoke. “It’s important to recognize when boundaries are becoming blurred. You may think a close colleague is just a friend, but others may perceive favoritism or unprofessional behavior.”

At that, you leaned closer to Hotch. “Think we should ask if our relationship is coming across that way?”

His gaze remained fixed on the slide. “I think the goal is to make it through without drawing attention.”

You held back a laugh, nodding seriously. “Right, right. We’re practically invisible.”

The instructor continued, oblivious, as the slides shifted to Physical Boundaries and Inappropriate Contact. You watched as a series of awkward stock photos appeared, showing coworkers sharing prolonged eye contact or lingering touches.

“This is absurd,” Hotch murmured under his breath, sounding almost resigned.

You raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying it doesn’t cover our unique situation?”

He gave you a sharp look, the faintest glint of warning, but there was something else too—almost a glimmer of amusement. 

“Not a word.” But his silence didn’t last long. When the instructor started explaining the potential “distractions” that could arise from workplace relationships, Hotch muttered so quietly you almost missed it, “As if I’d ever be distracted.”

“Oh, really?” you whispered back, daring him with a playful smirk. “Then why do I catch you staring at me constantly?”

He didn’t respond, keeping his eyes forward with military precision. But you could see the telltale clench in his jaw and that faint blush creeping up his neck. You couldn’t let him off that easily.

“Guess you must be the picture of focus,” you murmured with a grin.

“Unlike you,” he replied in a dry whisper, “I can keep my focus exactly where it needs to be.”

“Right, so no distractions at all,” you said, casting a quick glance his way. “That’s why we’re at this seminar, after all.”

Just then, the instructor called for attention, clicking to a slide that displayed a list of “Appropriate Boundaries” in the workplace. His voice carried through the room with a practiced authority. “Maintaining professional boundaries ensures that all team members are treated fairly and equitably. Distractions, romantic relationships, or favoritism can erode the integrity of your work.”

You leaned over to Hotch, keeping your voice low. “Integrity, huh? Think ours is intact?”

Hotch’s tone was barely more than a murmur. “Strauss seems to think we’re hanging by a thread.”

You feigned a sigh. “Guess it’s a good thing I enjoy walking that line.”

He shook his head, gaze fixed on the screen as he struggled to maintain his composure. “You’re impossible.”

The instructor’s voice droned on about “a professional atmosphere free of personal entanglements” as another slide appeared—Common Workplace Hazards. The image showed two colleagues leaning too close over a desk, an almost magnetic pull between them.

You bit back a grin and leaned toward Hotch, your voice a soft murmur. “That one looks familiar…maybe a certain night in your office?”

Hotch’s jaw tensed, and his hand brushed against yours, sending a thrill down your spine. Without missing a beat, he murmured, “We are not having this conversation here.”

But you couldn’t resist, letting your fingers brush his just enough to keep him on edge. “Come on, Aaron… Remember how you locked the door?”

He shot you a sharp look, his tone low and commanding. “Behave.” His hand settled firmly over yours, stilling your movements, and his voice softened. “Or I’ll have to remind you exactly who’s in charge, even here.”

You smirked, feeling a thrill of defiance. “Promise?”

Hotch’s gaze held yours, intense and unyielding. “Trust me, I do,” he whispered, a quiet edge in his voice that left no room for argument. The glint in his eyes, though, hinted at something deeper, a shared memory lingering between you both.

Silenced and properly reeled in, you gave him a slight nod, unable to resist a soft, satisfied smile.

The seminar dragged on, but now there was a new energy between you. Every time a stock photo showed another awkward interaction or the instructor stressed the dangers of “inappropriate workplace affection,” you and Hotch would exchange the faintest of glances, each one saying everything you couldn’t in the middle of the seminar.

By the time the last slide finally clicked by with a bland “Thank you for your attention,” you were practically buzzing with pent-up energy, and you could see Hotch was just as eager to be done with it. Maybe more.

As you both stood up, gathering your things, you couldn’t help but murmur, “Well, I hope you took notes. Wouldn’t want any slip-ups in front of Strauss.”

He gave you a wry smile, finally letting the humor slip through. “I think I have everything I need right here.”

You raised an eyebrow, catching his gaze. “Does that mean I’m off the hook?”

Hotch looked at you, his voice so low and sincere that it sent a thrill down your spine. “Let’s just say I have a pretty good handle on where we stand.”

And with that, he held the door open for you, his hand brushing your lower back as you exited the room. Maybe you were supposed to keep your distance, maybe the seminar didn’t exactly condone it—but you knew you’d both be just fine.

As you and Hotch stepped out of the seminar room, Morgan and Garcia followed close behind, each wearing matching grins that hinted they’d been waiting for a moment to pounce. Hotch let his hand on your lower back drop, straightening up as if trying to re-establish some level of professionalism.

Morgan shook his head with a smirk. “Well, I think we can all agree that’s two hours of our lives we’ll never get back. Honestly thought they’d use some real-life examples from our team for a minute there.”

Garcia grinned, nudging Morgan. “Hey, I was bracing for it! I thought for sure they’d pull out that slide on pet names you shouldn’t use for your coworkers.”

You let out a snort, looking at her with amusement. “Oh yeah, we were all waiting for ‘chocolate thunder’ or ‘baby girl’  to make its big comeback.”

Hotch, keeping a straight face, gave Morgan a sidelong glance. “I think we’re all grateful they kept things…general.”

Morgan chuckled, leaning back with a grin. “Oh, sure, Hotch. General works for most of us—but something tells me this seminar’s gonna stick with you two a bit longer.”

Hotch’s lips pressed into the faintest smirk, just for a second. “I think we’re clear on what’s expected.”

You shot Hotch a sidelong smile. “Yep. Message received, loud and clear.”

Garcia, ever the gleeful instigator, clasped her hands with a grin. “I, for one, am just thrilled to have witnessed the two of you sitting through all that…professional advice.”

Hotch’s gaze flickered between the three of you, and he let out a resigned sigh. “Let’s keep the commentary in check, shall we?”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell us twice,” Morgan replied, shaking his head with a laugh. “But you two might be in for a few more of these little ‘reminders’ from Strauss, just saying.”

Hotch straightened, his expression returning to its usual calm. “I’m fairly confident we can stay on the right side of things,” he replied, casting you a brief, meaningful look.

As you all walked toward the elevators, his hand brushed your back in the subtlest of gestures, enough to remind you that, whatever Strauss or the seminar said, both of you knew exactly where you stood.

Tag List:

@zaddyhotch

@estragos

@todorokishoe24

@looking1016

@khxna

@rousethemouse

@averyhotchner

@reidfile

@bernelflo

@lover-of-books-and-tea

@frickin-bats

[dearly-somber]

20/20 Vision | j.jk

-> pairing. wolf shifter!jungkook x human!reader (f)

-> genre. slow burn, fluff, f2l (friends-to-lovers), pining, mutual pining, unrequited love, drama, high school!au, university!au, eventual romance, eventual smut

-> rating. 13+

-> w/c. 897

-> warnings. Literally nothing this is pure fluff 🥹🤍

-> a/n. Glasses!Kook origin story!! Y/N lore drop!! (P.S. This takes place before Because It’s Soft!)

-> collection. mini-series

-> started. Dec. 9th, 2023 @ 10:03

-> fin. Sun., Jan. 28th, 2024 @ 12:31

-> edited. Thurs., Feb. 1st, 2024 @ 17:44

-> divider credit. @mmadeinheavenn

You knew something was up when Jungkook—a boy who’d once spotted a squirrel in the road while driving at nearly 100kph—started squinting at the projector not even five meters in front of him.

Even though the two of you sat around the middle of your class, you’d frequently turn to find him angrily squinting at the board, struggling to read your smaller than average handwriting even though he’d never found it difficult before.

Now, sitting in your living room with homework strewn all along the floors and Jungkook nose deep his English textbook, you finally come to the conclusion that his vision might not be so 20/20 anymore.

“Jungkook,” you say concerned as he lets out a frustrated sigh, sitting upright with a frown etched deeply into his face.

“I can’t see,” he complains, groaning and rubbing at his temples. “And my head feels like it’s about to explode.”

You reach out to run your hand through his hair, biting on your lip when he unhesitatingly leans into the touch. “You can’t see?”

“No,” he pouts. “Everything’s blurry.”

“Jungkook.” You rub at his earlobe once before pulling away, searching his face with a pitying smile. “The font isn’t that small—I can read it just fine from where I’m sitting.”

He manages to look offended. “Okay. And?”

You sigh, placing your hand over his, like you’re about to deliver some bad news. For someone so smart, he can be so dumb. “I think you should see an optometrist.”

His doe eyes widen. “No,” he whispers, genuinely afraid-sounding.

You smile apologetically and pat his hand.

He pulls away from you to press the palms of his hands into his eyes, fake-crying into them like the drama-queen he is. “Fuck,” he whines.

You push up from the kitchen table and walk around to massage his shoulders, as if he’s a football player getting hyped up before his next big game. “It’s okay,” you soothe.

“I need glasses?” He sounds so sad, you can’t help but laugh a little.

“It’s not the end of the world!” you laugh. “Besides, I think it’ll suit you.“

“But what about soccer? I can’t play with glasses, they’ll get broken, or, or—“

“Contacts are a thing, remember?”

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

Now, a couple of days later, you knock on the packhouse doors with an eager smile, greeting Jimin with a long hug. “Is Jungkook home yet?”

“Yeah, he’s upstairs.”

“Thanks!”

The way to Jungkook’s room is a familiar one. As soon as you enter the pack house you turn right and head a single flight of stairs to the second floor where all the rooms and main bathrooms are. What is new, is all the various pictures hanging on the wall.

You take a moment to admire the new frames you assume either Seokjin or Rosé hung up between today and the last time you were here (around three days ago, now), smiling fondly at the closeness and joy in each picture.

It’s a large 24x48 canvas framed in a beautiful burgundy wood with golden highlights (which seem to have been painted on by hand), and it makes your heart stop.

It’s of a photo you took with the pack a few days after your birthday.

Your heart aches sweetly at the sight of Yoongi with his arms wrapped brotherly around your shoulders, free arm hoisting his whiskey into the air, a large grin on his face. Next to him is Jungkook, both hands in the air, yelling at the top of his lungs with one of those bottled glasses of coke. And around you, the rest of the pack.

Rosé and Jennie crouched beneath you, forming hearts with their arms on either side of your legs; Jisoo, Hoseok, Jin and Taehyung laughing at their brothers off to the side; Lisa yelling at the top of her lungs while being carried bridal style by Namjoon; Jimin on the floor at Rosé and Jennie’s feet, slightly blurred around the edges from setting up the camera.

It was the best night of your life.

“Y/N?”

“Hm?” You look at Jungkook with a smile on your face, which quickly turns into an appreciative grin. “Why, look at you!”

Jungkook laughs shyly, reaching up to self-consciously push his glasses further up his nose. It’s a simple frame: black metal, kind of large but not overly so, a little boxy.

“It looks good!” you say as you finally make your way up the stairs, giving him a quick side hug before making your way to his room.

“You think so?” He holds the door open for you and then lets it slide halfway closed, joining you on the edge of his bed where you’ve already taken up one of his controllers.

“Definitely. Really frames your face.”

He groans. “Not you, too. Jin hyung’s been making glasses jokes all day.”

You laugh, nudging him in his side while starting up It Takes Two (a game you’d asked him to get so you could play together). “I would too, Four Eyes.”

He growls, not even giving you time to think before his hands are at your sides.

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

Downstairs, Jimin shakes his head at your loud pleas for mercy and defeating scream-laughter with a fond smile, handing Jin another plate to dry off. “I wish those two would get together already.”

“Patience,” Seokjin chides with an equally fond grin. “They’ll figure it out eventually.”

[eveletii]

Become the Bard!

Follow in the footsteps of the most prolific bard of all time in this mini version of the classic Legacy Challenge, that will stir up drama in your game! Give the classic Shakesperian tales your own spin and live out epic stories of love, comedy and tragedy in The Sims 4. It's going to be worthy of a standing ovation!

In total there are 5 Generations in this challenge, each representing a different Shakesperian play.

The official hashtag for the challenge is #ShakespeareLegacyTS4. Break a leg!

Overall Rules

Lifespan: Normal

Cheats: Allowed only when setting up scenarios

Recommended Mods: UI Cheats Extension e MC Command Center.

Necessary Packs

Lovestruck

Growing Together

Cottage Living

Horse Ranch

High School Years

StrangerVille

Get Famous

Recommended Packs*

Seasons

Nifty Knitting

My Wedding Stories

*These packs are not required to complete the challenge, but can add to the storylines.

❝You grew up wealthy, with a big happy family. There weren’t too many rules, except for one: the sims across the street are not to be befriended. But you were never one to follow rules anyway... Especially when one of the neighbors is so cute...❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Soulmate

Traits: Lovebug, Family-Oriented and Gloomy

Career: Romance Consultant

✧ Complete the Soulmate aspiration (or die trying!) ✧ After that dramatic beginning to your love story, you sure have a lot of advice to give. Monetize it by maxing the Romance Consultant career! ✧ Be the ultimate lover and max the Romance skill by interacting with your partner ✧ Create two households, with 5-8 Sims each. Pick a family to control ✧ Make sure there is at least 1 teenager in each household, they’ll be the main couple ✧ It is important that ALL adults from one household HATE the Sims from the other one, and vice versa! (Cheats may be used to achieve that) ✧ Elope with your partner as soon as you both become Young Adults and then move to a different Neighborhood or World ✧ Have only 2 children, twins or close in age ✧ Have a date night with your partner once a week. (You may do it on random days or create custom holidays using the Calendar)

❝You’re not easy. You know that. Your sibling knows that. Your parents know that. A smarty-pants with a temper, with too many ideas and too little patience. But does that mean you can’t find the one? If your parents did it, so can you, right? I mean, not that you’re looking for someone. Or... are you?❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Best-Selling Author

Traits: Hot-Headed, Bookworm and Romantically Reserved

Career: Politician

✧ Complete your aspiration and become the best-selling author on the San Myshuno Times! ✧ You have a lot to teach the world, but the world has one thing to teach YOU: kindness. Join the Politician career and max it, through the Charity Organizer branch ✧ Soften your edges by maxing the Charisma skill ✧ Develop a DIFFICULT dynamic with your family during your teenage years ✧ You can only date once you become a Young Adult ✧ Go on 3 failed dates before finding The One ✧ Have only 2 kids, both girls. (Cheats may be used to achieve that) ✧ You must get married when on Level 4 of your career, and then pick the Charity branch ✧ Work slowly on your charisma skill throughout your career.

❝A free-spirit with a heart of gold, you knew what you wanted from an early age, and left your home to run a wool farm, filled with sheep and llamas. You and your younger sister are two peas in a pod, even though you two are polar opposites. You, a tomboy, her, a princess. Once she graduates high school she comes to live with you at the farm. You thought it’d be just you two forever... That’s when a cute local comes along...❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Country Caretaker

Traits: Animal Enthusiast, Socially Awkward, Rancher

Career: None

✧ Be the pride of Finchwick Fair by completing the Country Caretaker aspiration ✧ You must NOT join any careers throughout your life, and all the money you make must come from the farm ✧ Get first place at a Finchwick Fair competition at least three times in your life ✧ Show off your country skills by maxing the Gardening and Cooking skills ✧ Get at least Level 5 on the Cross-Stitching or Knitting skills (if you have Nifty Knitting) ✧ Become BFFs with your little sister as children ✧ Move out of your parents’ home as a teenager, half-way through high school to start your farm in Henford-on-Bagley (Start small, taking little money from the original household with you. Dropping out of high school or not is up to you) ✧ Have only 2 kids, both girls. (Cheats may be used to achieve that) ✧ You must date and marry only Sims from the world you live in ✧ You must marry at the end of your late Young Adult days/early Adult days ✧ You can only have ONE child ✧ You must use the Simple Living lot challenge in your home lot

❝Marriage? Never! You’ve had a serious partner once, and let’s just say it didn’t go well, and it gets worse! After all, exes are forever. You two bump into each other all the time and the fighting is endless. Could all this hatred just unhealed wounds from your love story gone wrong, or could all this fighting hide something more?❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Chief of Mischief

Traits: Noncommittal, Self-Assured and Mean

Career: Military

✧ Be the bane of your ex’s existence by completing the Chief of Mischief aspiration ✧ Get to Level 5 in the Military career and then switch to a new one of your choice. Achieve Level 5 in the new career ✧ Max out the Mischief skill and get to at least Level 5 on the Logic skill ✧ Your traits must be acquired in the following order: 1- Self Assured, 2- Mean, 3- Noncommittal ✧ Date only ONE Sim as a Teenager. After much fighting, break up before turning Young Adult ✧ Rekindle the flame and marry your ex as an Adult. Have as many kids as you please ✧ Join the Military career and stay in it until you get married. After that, switch careers to a career of your choice ✧ Start developing your Mischief skill during your teenage years

❝A creature of romance and drama, you were born to love and to shine on and off stage. Your life is the most daunting story in your family to date. But that’s probably because this Challenge doesn’t include The Scottish Play.❞

❤✧✦✧❤

Aspiration: Serial Romantic

Traits: Romantic, Creative and Erratic

Career: Acting

✧ Master the Serial Romantic aspiration and win (and break!) a lot of hearts ✧ Reach the top of the Acting career ✧ Get to Level 10 on the Mischief, Romance and Acting and at least Level 5 in the Charisma skill ✧ Have a close relationship with your parent who was the past generation’s heir and develop a Jokester family dynamic with them ✧ Date A LOT and from and early age, but only get engaged once. During the wedding ceremony, leave your partner at the altar ✧ Children are allowed, but not mandatory ✧ Begin developing the Mischief skill with your parents

[thepunkranger]

Leon S. Kennedy NSFW Alphabet

(18+ only)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) Leon is super clingy after sex. He loves to cuddle and have his hair played with, and is very likely to be super mushy and shower his partner in praise

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) His: Leon’s favorite part of his body is his hair. He’s super attached to his floppy bangs and how they give him a “cute pop star look” (according to his high-school girlfriend)

His partner: He loves eyes - windows to the soul and all of that. He’ll spend hours just staring into his partner’s eyes, committing their exact colors and every tiny expression to memory

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) Leon loves cum marking. On the occasions he tops, he loves to cum on his partner wherever they’ll let him. He likes it as a sub too, letting his partner hold him down and mark him as their own

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) He’s stolen his partner’s dirty panties before to jerk off with, usually by wearing them and rubbing himself through the fabric

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) Despite how attractive those around him think he is, Leon actually isn’t very experienced. I’d even say he’s still a virgin in RE4. He needs an emotional connection to feel comfortable getting physical with someone, and with how hard the government works him and how seriously he took the police academy before that, his partners have been few and far between

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) Topping, he’s a softy who’ll take good ol’ missionary most days. He likes being able to see his partner’s face, and it makes him all mushy when they wrap their legs around his waist. Bottoming, he loves a mating press. He didn’t get that flexible just to not have his knees up around his ears

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) Usually he falls too deep into headspace in the moment to be too much of a smart ass, but this is Leon we’re talking about - he’s gonna be a little goofy. He’ll crack jokes as they come to him, or think of something silly and laugh so hard he needs to stop and regroup for a moment. It’s a good way to help him in the comedown as well - get him laughing and he’ll perk up quickly and generally avoid a drop, even after a rough scene

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) Leon naturally doesn’t grow a lot of body and facial hair, and what he does grow is blond and doesn’t show well unless it’s especially thick. He keeps things trimmed, or occasionally shaved, between his legs, but most everything else he won’t bother with

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) Leon is romantic as hell, and is definitely the type to do the whole candles and rose petals thing when he wants to make his partner feel special. Secretly though, the romance stuff works twice as well on him, and if he came home to a trail of flowers and a glass of red he might actually burst into tears from happiness

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) Leon didn’t “get” masturbation for a long time because he didn’t realize there were options other than just basic jerking off. The first time he tried “taking it slow” with himself - touching the rest of his body, rubbing his nipples, even fingering himself - he blew his own mind. He’s been a fan ever since

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) If you’ve read my kink headcanons post for Leon, you’ve already got a pretty good idea, but I’ll add: Leon has one hell of a Mommy kink. Poor boy just wants to be cared for, even though he often doesn’t believe he deserves it, so the idea of having someone take the decisions and power away from him specifically to force him to be cared for has a special place in his heart. Also shout-out to Leon being the puppiest pup. He’s a good boy and he knows it

L = Location (favorite places to do the do) Given the choice he’ll choose the bedroom, but he does have some especially salacious memories involving the back of his motorcycle

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) Being told what to do, or shown up. Leon is nothing if not a sub at heart, and anyone who can boss him around or take him down a peg has probably at least shown up in a fantasy or two

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) Edgeplay, specifically “violent” CNC or gunplay. Both are absolute triggers for him, and he knows himself well enough not to intentionally put himself in those situations

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) Leon loves oral, and he’s damn good at it too. If he could only ever engage in one sex act the rest of his life, he’d choose oral - specifically giving. He loves being praised for his skill and watching his partner fall apart in real time because of how good he’s making them feel

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) Leon is usually slow and sensual as a top, though if his partner asks he’ll go harder (he enjoys it, but he constantly worries if he’s going too rough or if he’ll hurt them and can’t fully let go in the moment). Bottoming, though? All bets are off. Being worshipped and taken slowly will turn him into putty instantly, but nothing quite silences the demons like getting his back blown out so hard he’s sore for the next three days

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) He isn’t much for quickies most days (he’d much rather set aside a few hours to really enjoy it), but being dragged into the nearest bathroom or dark corner so his partner can get off has made for some of his favorite sexual experiences

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) Leon, unfortunately, isn’t exactly known for thinking things through when it comes to sex. He’d be the type to want to try handcuffs but leave the key too far away to reach. However, he also probably wouldn’t take excessive risks like public play unless his partner convinced him to, and he’d most likely spend the whole time silently panicking over getting caught

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) I feel like Leon would be a mixed bag - he doesn’t last very long because he gets keyed up super easily, but he has a pretty short refractory period and can go multiple rounds. Plus, he’ll happily pleasure his partner in other ways if he cums first

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) Leon would need to be introduced to toys, but I think he’d love them. Bondage, vibes, gags, collars, plugs, and plenty of others wind up making up a very hefty toy chest in his apartment

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) Leon doesn’t tease much, and usually any “bratting” he does is accidental, however, he’s a great person to tease. He crumbles pretty quickly, and he’ll whine and beg at just about any physical teasing he gets, so edging sessions are especially fun

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) He’s so fucking loud. Leon’s entire body is pretty much wired to those Dead by Daylight sounds, and even just a neck nibble will set him off. He’s gotten teased for it in the past, so he’ll often try to hold back with a new partner, but if he finds out they don’t mind (or even like it) he’ll be unstoppable

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) It’s not unusual for Leon to stop talking when he’s deep in subspace. He’ll still moan and whimper for all he’s worth, but actual words tend to go out the window. This is especially true in his pupspace, where he’s pretty much all happy dog brain and will pretty much exclusively communicate in barks and whines

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) Depends somewhat on what phase of life we’re talking about. Early 20s/RE2 Leon is fairly muscular, but it doesn’t show unless he’s flexing, and he still has some softness around the edges. Late 20s (4 and ID) he’s all muscle and hard cut, with a growing collection of battle scars. By his late 30s he’s gained back a bit of the softness, but mostly from his battle with depression, and has significantly more scarring (and probably a couple of “bad” places that act up when the weather turns)

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) I’d say it’s moderate overall, but it spikes if he has a partner. He’ll go from hardly thinking about sex when single from being worked so hard to practically going into heat the second he has a stable partner. Coming home from missions is one day of complete rest and five straight days of losing his clothes and forgetting to check his phone

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) He takes a while to fall asleep, mostly because he wants to make sure his partner is satisfied and taken care of before he’ll let himself rest. He’s a sucker for being cuddled, though, and will knock out pretty quickly once he’s safely tucked in his partner’s arms

[torturedblue]

It’s the middle of the week, have some dancing turtles

Spoilers below as I gush about my Mutant Mayhem Monday experience 🤗 please feel free to gush with me I wanna hear other people’s thoughts too!

First off… When Seth wanted to put the teenager in TMNT he meant it. Like, all the versions act like teenagers, but like Nickelodeon PG stereotypical teens. MM turtles were the realest PG-13 outta pocket 21st century teenagers I’ve ever seen and I love that shit because it’s the first time I actually felt like I was around the kids in middle school and high school again with the way they talk. Kinda appreciate Superfly cussing too? Like idk it’s Ice Cube and this villain goes hard tryna kill some teenage turtles he formally saw as his lil cousins, let the grown mutant cuss

Also uh, was not expecting to be sad so early in the movie? Like I could tell from the trailers it was gon be an emotional rollercoaster but shit like ten minutes in and these turtles are fuckin depressed. And to see it really hit me because in every other version (except for Bayverse) the turtles literally never let not being part of the human world get to them. In the shows especially they’re so well adjusted and never bothered by sticking to the shadows. Then there’s Rise where they pretty much go out whenever they want and indulge in most of the human world stuff they want to. For these guys to be so stunted and desperate to have more freedom was so heart wrenching. Especially when Splinter grounds them for a whole month and the reality sinks in of how much they know the life they want isn’t an option for them

Wasn’t expecting any kind of ship or romance but that crush Leo has on April hit me like truck because…… holy crap the Leo-April pair has never been a thing? On top of that this is only the second on screen black April we’ve seen and I’ve been a Leo kinnie across the board since day one so to see this combo of my favorite character liking a black girl is making me lose my mind 🥲 and like it got me thinking of several of my favorite shows and the single characters I kin in those and if they’ve ever had black love interests and it’s just still not a common normalized thing honestly.

I’m sure a lot of people aren’t excited for the prospect of ships coming back (especially after 2012 scarred us) but as a Leo lover and black girl it got me so excited to see something like this. I’m just hopeful and optimistic they won’t mess it up like a lot of shows do. The “this is just as friends line” already makes me a little worried bc that trope never has a good history but I have faith they’ll handle things tastefully and not make it toxic or messy

MURDER THE SHREKS!

“I assume you’d wanna be on camera. ‘Cause you have, like a very camera ready look…” OKAY SMOOOOOTH LEONARDOOOOOO 👏🏽

Could not stop laughing while he was shooting his shot my face was literally donnie’s restraining myself from bursting out laughing

Just a couple of my favorite questions that April wrote down for them:

“Do you carry salmonella?” Look I still don’t know wtf salmonella is but it’s the second time a TMNT iteration has joked about it so I’m starting to think it has something specifically to do with turtles 👀

“Have you caught covid?” Oml covid exists in this world

“Are you the source of covid?” OUT OF LINE 💀

“How many people has the red bandana turtle stabbed? Does he need therapy?” Yes.

“Does sunlight cause you to burst into flames?” They’re- they’re not vampires? 😂

Leon Ardo deserves the world and whatever he wants in it give him everything 😭

I will never understand what made Donnie laugh so hard at the name Nardo other than it being because it’s his sibling and that it bothers Leo lmao

All imma say about the puke scene is that I’m glad I heard an “out of context” spoiler about it bc I knew exactly when to look away and I’m glad I did bc the scene lasted for so long??? 😀❓But hey at least I had Unwritten to listen too while I was sparing my eyes 😂

The sequence of them going around and shaking down those gangs and Superfly’s connections. BAD. ASS. And each of them got their own moments to shine? Loved it. Like they each even got to take point and have their moments where they got to kick in the door lol. And the fight scenes were just, muah. Chef’s kiss, they all looked amazing taking grown ass adults down together

Okay Splinter definitely gets the best dad award for putting together that little surprise party, with all the celebrity Chris’s and pretending to wait on them 🥺 so pure. It did make me sad the guys immediately left and you can just see such a sad dejected look on Splinter’s face, knowing he can’t provide what his kids really want or make them happy enough without it 🥲 At the very least they say thanks and that they appreciate but I would’ve at least stayed for a lil bit and gone along with it, Splinter just looked so excited about it and it was so sweet 😭

And he doesn’t even get upset though he knows they’re hiding something, he just says he’ll help them if they’ve gotten into trouble, which is something I’m sure almost every kid has wanted instead of having the kind of relationship where they’re more scared of telling their parents they messed up instead of handling it on their own

I love how musical Superfly’s family is 😂 Ray Filet just starts sing-introducing his name and Mondo and the other couple mutants when they drive with in the car trying to find music they could all sing to together 🥹 not to mention the musical references Superfly makes later that I’ll get to. “Kinda don’t wanna murder everyone on Earth, I just kinda wanna sing” Me too bruh.

Raph immediately going “goochi goochi goo” and playing peekaboo with Genghis frog is so underrated that boy has such a soft side he’s not even that afraid of showing at times, and maybe it’s continuing the trope of Raph having a soft spot for pets/animals? Who knows 😌

Yo I was kinda shook when that government guy knocked Leo out and he just fell unconscious on the ground 😶 Like we’re used to seeing the authorities be brutal especially in movies like this but that’s a whole teenager? You just assaulted a minor? 🙂 Crazy

Also I know it’s sad they got captured and drained painfully but Mikey in that scene was hilarious 😂 like even the way he was dramatically crying and Leo was just started to cry with him like “iM sO sOrRy mIkEeEeEy! 😭” gold. When one of his children is hurting Leo hurts too. One of my favorite moments 🤣

They literally started singing BTS while being tortured they’re so unserious but like in a serious way to them and I love it. Also the fact that they did it just to make Donnie feel better? So pure. Like Raph of all turtles offered to sing while being drained of blood (bc I refuse to use the m word 💀)

The way Splinter snuck in and soloed literal government soldiers single handedly? Badass. Never loved seeing a Splinter save his sons so much 🥹

“But it’s the only way we’ll be accepted.”

“No! We accept you!”

“You can come live with us! We accept you!”

“WE VIBE!”

Oml they’re so puuuuure 😭 I really thought this was gonna be a moment where the guys invite them all to come live with them and Splinter was gonna be like ‘aha 😬 whoa slow down there’ but damn nah he was just as enthusiastic as them inviting all those mutants to come live in their home forever “The more the merrier!” Like ugh he just loves finding family like Baxter Stockman and we see where the guys got their loving nature from 🥹

The amount of his soul Mikey put into that BROSEEEPH was so real like I’ve never heard the name broseph be said in any other way, I’m so glad they put that moment in there

“New York, New York!” “I’m the king of New York!”

Oml superfly’s a Broadway baby 🤗 he’s a big bad villain marching through time square and talking about King Kong but he’s fill gonna nerd out and make his musical theatre references 😂

“For once in your life you didn’t sound lame. You actually started to sound like a leader”

“That was really heartfelt Raph”

I love the Leo Raph dynamic in this movie. Like they don’t always agree or understand each other but they will show love towards one another and show mutual appreciation

Something about any of the turtles shells cracking always gets to me for some reason like those are some serious permanent injuries so I want to see if they do anything special with that in the sequel or show maybe 🤔 And I couldn’t tell if all of theirs cracked or just one, and if so which turtle it was. I think Leo or Raph. I feel like it was Leo but Raph’s are also starting to have a trend of getting cracks in their shells so 🤷🏽‍♀️

Also I do not want to judge what other people like to wear but why are Raph and Donnie the only normal dressed ones 😭 like Mikey looks like he’s going on vacation and Leo looks like he’s going to clock in at Best Buy 😂 tell me it’s because they have limited resources for clothes lmao. HE’S LITERALLY WEARING A LANYARD

Them taking off the masks was crazy honestly… like them deciding not to wear them made my brain pause until I realize they’re kids going to school now and not being ninjas all the time… they don’t need them anymore. I’m just so pleased with the fact that this movie was willing to do what all other iterations weren’t. I see why they’re getting a sequel and show already, these guys and the plot development deserve so much more exploration

Maybe I missed something in the beginning but I’m wondering where Stockman went. Like is he still in custody? Did he die? Because not seeing him again that’s what I assumed but we only saw him get arrested or whatever, so if anything I don’t get why Superfly and the others wouldn’t try to break him out 🤔 I was surprised they didn’t make him a villain though, but I’m pretty happy about him getting to be a more optimistic kind character tho

SHREDDER HAD ME SHOOK LIKE THE ARMOR ALREADY LOOKED SO COOL AND I WAS NOT EXPECTING THEM TO GET THE BIG BAD INVOLVED AHHHH I’M SO READY TO SEE THEM REACT TO THIS ANGRY GIANT TIN CAN

Although I do wonder if Shredder’s gonna have some personal gripe with them since they have a different backstory he doesn’t seem to be a part of. And shit now that they’re public and in school it’s gonna be so much easier for him to go after them 😅 pluses and minuses…

The soundtrack: golden. Cultured. Nothing but range. Goes from a 90’s rap song to Natasha Bedingfield’s soulful 2000’s song. Most movies only ever have all pop mainstream songs or only rap songs because they think they can’t mix but MM does it effortlessly. The turtles are so versatile not just with music genres but they make old and new references ‘cause they’re well rounded kings 💪🏽 Between rizz, Adele, broski, Hey Arnold, K-Pop, Ferris Bueller, etc… I mean Donnie’s literally doing the sprinkler and the funky chicken in that gif up top 😂 they’re born in 2008 I doubt any kids today know about those dances anymore

Clearly I have all the thoughts and feelings about these boys and the movie, but I think this is probably my favorite TMNT movie? I’ve loved all of them but I think this one definitely brings me the most comfort fr

[teruuu]

Yo, First Of all this is my first ask on tumblr so i'll try to not be too much! but i gotta say your art and writing is beautiful (and hot lmao). Second of all, i'm interested in the differences between the compulsion of flesh AU and The Highschool one. it's obvious the high school narilamb is 100x more healthy than the compulsion one. but truth is: are they actually completely healthy? i like to depict them as a polar oposite of your main narinder and lamb but i can't say if everything is going to be okay between these two high school students. thank you very much, have a nice day & sorry for anything (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄). (btw sorry for any wrong word english is not my first language.)

Oh my god you are SO cute and I mean this in the nicest way possible ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ gosh, I’m your first ask, what an honor! A little (gentle) side note though, N.E.V.E.R. Hold back on me when it comes to long asks! I love long asks the most. It makes me giggle like a little schoolgirl TEEHEE. I’ll try my best to not go full Shakespeare with my response so it’s easier to understand.

My High School AU is based off of a fanfic that I made in the past for a korean fandom (I already deleted it 😭). The Compulsion of Flesh AU’s genre is horror. Acting as a pretty huge contrast to it is the High School AU, which is Slice of Life. The High School AU’s plot is not (fully) a soft and gentle one, it’s meant to be angsty to reflect the teenage experience. Narinder and Lamb in this AU are not at all experienced in romance. This means that emotions, especially love, will be difficult for them to navigate. Unlike in Compulsion where the two view their obsessions/desires in the same light as love, it’s hard for the two in High School AU to understand whether or not what they truly feel for one another is romantic. After all, they’ve never truly experienced what it feels like to fall for someone. It’ll be a challenge for them especially when they’ve already established their relationship whether or not they still even like each other!

As is already obvious, Compulsion AU’s relationship is pretty dark and twisted. Instead of fixing the toxic flaws in their relationship, they instead support and encourage it. Unlike Compulsion AU however, High School AU Nari and Lamb will recognize each other’s flaws and have conflicts about it. They naturally will fight against one another’s beliefs and they’ll argue with each other like how normal, real-world couples do. They’ll work their way through those conflicts and find methods to fix their own flaws, even if it isn’t comfortable.

Also unlike Compulsion of Flesh, High School AU’s Nari and Lamb are completely different. Compulsion Nari and Lamb are parallels to one another, mirroring each other in many ways, but in High School AU they’re absolute opposites. Narinder is wealthy and has a good life, whereas the Lamb struggles to make a living—but that doesn’t mean Narinder doesn’t experience pain or the Lamb’s life is completely all about hardship. It’s in these differences that they find themselves clashing with one another, even before they become a couple. So, what do they do about it? They talk, of course. In all my more positive works I always make my couples communicate with one another, because that’s the key to a positive and long-lasting relationship.

So, to answer your question, ehh??? I mean think about it, they’re a normal couple. Do you think all normal couples are completely healthy? I don’t think so. But High School AU Nari and Lamb will certainly try to be a healthy couple to maintain what they have. Of course it’ll be a struggle—that’s what life’s all about, struggling—but at the end of the day, they’ll keep trying for one another because of the love they share.

So, TLDR …

Differences:

Compulsion AU — Toxic, doesn’t communicate properly, continually reinforces toxic qualities, mirror each other

High School AU — Normal couple, communicates, discourages unhealthy aspects of the relationship, opposites of one another

Are they (HS AU) healthy or not:

Healthy… or, they certainly try to be.

[oohnotvery]

Hand To Your Heart (Chapter 6)

Read on AO3

Precious readers,

Thank you so much for the encouragement and support. I have really leaned on it lately. This nausea is kicking my ass. Maybe that’s why this chapter is a veritable angst-fest. You’ve been warned. As always, I promise that things will get sweet and sappy and dopey and MSR-lovefest soon enough.

And just a reminder that things are not always as they seem. I had some readers feeling quite anxious that this was turning into a Fowley-Mulder romance, and it really, really isn’t. In fact, the idea makes me want to vomit (I mean, everything does these days, but still). None of my stories are Fowley-Mulder. They just seem like they are (to Scully).

tw/cw: pregnancy update below

Also, in personal news . . . I found out I'm having a BOY! As a girl mom, I am shocked to my core, even though there was a 50-50 chance of it being a boy. Boy mamas of the world, teach me your ways!!!!! (also, I fully believe gender is a construct and a spectrum and all that :) but right now, there is a tiny alien inside me with XY chromosomes, and it is wild)

tagging @today-in-fic

Breathless, Scully twists around, her eyes meeting Diana’s. She glances around the motel parking lot and sees no sign of Mulder’s car.

“He went to the police station,” Diana offers, a knowing smile rising to her perfectly-painted lips.

Scully nods indifferently, then moves to her car, unlocking the door and tossing her go-bag in the passenger seat. She’s about to slip into the driver’s seat when Diana catches her elbow. 

“Are you not checking into the motel?” Diana asks, her brow furrowing in mock confusion.

Scully considers it. There’s no way she’s sticking around today, not after all the damning evidence pointing to a dalliance between Mulder and Diana. Sure, Mulder might get a little pissy if she skips town, but he’s a big boy. Plus, by the looks of things, Diana will be there to comfort him.

“I have something urgent I have to return to tonight,” Scully replies primly.

Diana’s eyebrows tick up with faux interest. “Another case?”

Scully shrugs, hoping it’s enough to throw the woman off her scent.

Diana steps in closer, a girlish smile growing on her face. Her voice lowers conspiratorially. “Or do you have someone to get home to, Agent Scully? Someone I don’t know about?”

Scully blinks. Someone you don’t know about? You know nothing about me, you witch. This isn’t a high school sleepover where we gossip about boys we like.

She tries to settle her features, reminding herself that Diana is trying to bait her on purpose. “I have an engagement tomorrow that I can’t miss,” she deflects.

“So coy,” Diana replies, grinning. “Come on, Dana, you can tell me. Woman-to-woman. Who’s the lucky man?”

Scully glances at her car, wondering how rude it would be if she simply jumped in and drove away mid-conversation. Before she can formulate a response, however, Diana is already chiming in.

“Fox would be interested to know as well, I’m sure,” she continues. Scully’s head whips around at the mention of her partner’s name, and she knows her reaction is an error when Diana’s eyes gleam. “Last night, I convinced him to tell me more about your adventures together. A five-year partnership? That’s one for the books.” The woman steps closer, her perfume reeking of disdain and deception. “It has taken some special encouragement on my part for Fox to really start opening up to me, though. All men are the same in that way, you know. You give them what they desire, and they’ll give you just about anything in return.”

Before she can stop her body’s involuntary response, Scully’s lips part in surprise. Automatically, she clenches her hands behind her back, trying to prevent them from shaking.

“Something the matter?” Diana asks, smiling innocently.

Unable to trust her own voice, Scully shakes her head and slips down into the driver’s seat, something she’s realizing she should have done as soon as she spotted Diana. Before she can close the door, though, Diana slides into the empty space and holds it open, leaning down to meet Scully’s gaze. Scully keeps her eyes trained on the dashboard, certain that if she looks just slightly to her left, she’ll get a full-on view of that envious cleavage.

“I hope I didn’t say anything offensive, Dana. I suppose it’s a bit awkward to hear about your partner in that way. I know you two are practically siblings. Fox thinks of you as a little sister of sorts.” Diana’s hand slides casually onto her shoulder and Scully grits her teeth. “But surely you know that he and I—that we’ve been on the more intimate side as of late.”

I won’t react, I won’t react, she promises herself, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. But images assault her mind, dozens at a time. She thinks about the way Mulder looks when he’s coming, how his eyes seem to darken and his eyebrows pinch together, almost as if he’s in pain. And then there’s the release, and the joy and satisfaction rippling over his features so gloriously, it makes her feel like a queen. Traitorously, her mind flips the image on its head, inserting Diana where she herself normally is. Bile rises in her throat.

“He’s such a gentleman,” Diana continues with a squeeze to the shoulder. “We agreed to be friends with benefits, but I can see he wants more. You don’t take a woman out for dinner and drinks every time you sleep with her if you don’t want something more.” She clicks her tongue. “But that’s just Fox. He’ll always be ruled by those pesky emotions.”

She’s lying, the voice inside her head screams, but Diana’s words drown out all logic.

Tears start to build on her lower lashes and with trembling hands, Scully forces the key into the ignition, revving the car.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she mutters, and with a graceful smile, Diana slips out of the door.

“Thanks for the chat, Dana,” she says slyly. “It’s so good to talk woman-to-woman.”

Without even a sideways glance, Scully reaches forward and slams the door shut.

**

She drives to the office. It is only midday, and although her morning has been as horrible as they come, she can’t seem to shirk the sense of duty calling her back to work. At her desk, she tries to ignore the blinking red light on her answering machine, and when her desk phone rings, she is highly tempted to ignore the call. But she is a professional, and this is her work phone, and she cannot risk missing a call from A.D. Kersh. The moment she picks up the receiver, though, she knows she’s made a mistake.

“What the hell, Scully?” Mulder demands. “Did you really just up and leave me?”

She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, pausing to collect the storm of emotions brewing inside. “I had something to get back to here in town.”

Mulder pauses. “So that’s it? You’re done today?”

“I see no reason to expense the FBI for any more motel rooms,” she responds reasonably.

“Are you coming back tomorrow?”

She clacks her fingernails on the desktop. “I’m a bit preoccupied here,” she lies.

He scoffs. “No, you’re not. I know what you’re doing, Scully. I’ve been doing it for weeks. You’re sorting through bullshit requests from Kersh. None of that is as important as what we’re working on.”

“You have a partner, Mulder,” she reminds him curtly. “You have no need for me.”

“I need a pathologist, for Christ’s sake—”

“Get another one, then. I told you, I’m too busy.”  

“No, I need—I need—” He curses. “So you’re just refusing to help us out, is that right? You’re denying another agent’s request for help, Agent Scully?”  

“You’re no longer my department head, Agent Mulder,” she reminds him darkly. “You can’t make me.”

He barks an angry laugh. “No one could ever make you do anything. Much less me.”

“Are you finished, Mulder?” she grumbles irritably. “Because I told you I’m busy—”

The phone abruptly goes dead. She stares at the receiver in surprise, momentarily stunned. Swallowing past the hard knot of pain rising in her throat, she gently places the phone back in its cradle, and then as if on autopilot, turns to her computer and begins to work.

**

Scully stays at the office far longer than she intended, but it feels good to put her head down and concentrate on something other than her personal problems. By the time she looks up from her desk, most of the bull pen is empty, and since she worked through rush hour, traffic isn’t even half-bad.

She steps into her apartment with a sigh of relief, tossing her keys and weapon onto a side table and gingerly stepping out of her boots. She’s headed straight for the bathtub when a tall figure rises from the couch. With a yelp, she lunges for her weapon, finger tightening quickly around the trigger, only to loosen when she realizes it’s just Mulder.

Slamming her gun onto the table, she fixes him with a furious look. “What the living hell, Mulder?” she shouts.

He scrubs his hands over his bleary face and she realizes he’s been sleeping. “I tried to warn you,” he says with a shrug. “I called your work phone and left a message on your cell. Why are you getting home so late? I’ve been here for hours.”

Gritting her teeth, she shakes her head. “I stopped answering my work calls after a particularly onerous conversation left me with a bad taste in my mouth,” she gripes.

His lips twist into a half-smile. “Must’ve been a helluva chat.”

Ignoring his ill attempts at humor, she makes her way into the kitchen and pours herself a glass of water just to give her hands something to do.

“I intended to take a bath,” she tells him when she hears him enter the room behind her.

“Be my guest,” he says magnanimously, “I’ll even scrub your back.” She hears the grin on his face and it cracks something inside her.

“Do you ever stop to think about just how infuriating you are, Mulder?” she snaps, whipping around to face him. “I swear it’s like every interaction we’ve had lately has been one nightmare after the next!”

His face falls, so slightly she almost misses it. But she catches the pain and misunderstanding that flash across his face, and it makes her feel like an ass. Mulder doesn’t know what transpired after she left the graveyard. He doesn’t know she’s in love with him. He doesn’t know she snooped through Diana’s room and found damning evidence of their relationship. He doesn’t know about her conversation with Diana. He has no idea why she’s suddenly so agitated with him.

Shaking her head regretfully, she steps closer. “I’m sorry, Mulder, I didn’t mean that.”

He shrugs apathetically, but she knows she’s wounded him. “Yes, you did. But it’s alright. I’m well- aware of my defects. It’s incredible you’ve put up with me for this long.”

“Oh, stop—”

“No, you’re right, Scully. I’m a pain in the ass to be around. I’m irritating, unlovable—”  

She groans. “Mulder, please don’t turn this into a pity party—”

“Then what is it?” he asks earnestly, stepping closer. They are just inches apart now. “What’s going on? Why are you so angry at me right now?”  

When she hesitates, he grips her hands, squeezing tightly. “Scully, is this about how I hurt you? Will you please tell me what happened that night?” His eyebrows crease in consternation. “It’s practically all I can think about.”

Oh, God, is he still on about that? Her hands burn within his grip. He looks so beautifully, infuriatingly fuckable in his black t-shirt and jeans. End-of-day stubble lines his cheeks, and normally, she’d take that as a subtle cue that he wants to eat her out, because she once admitted to him how good his stubble felt against her thighs. It’s just not fair, she thinks petulantly. It’s not fair that he can play me like a violin.

She shakes her head, tugging her hands out of his and glancing meaningfully at the kitchen clock. “Don’t you have someone you need to get back to tonight?” she asks.

He tilts his head, studying her closely. “I have a case I need to get back to, but I came here to see if you’re alright.”

She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

“Diana seemed to think you were upset.”

Her eyes flash to his. “Diana isn’t a reliable source of information.”

That seems to get his attention. He slaps his palm against the countertop. “What is your issue with her? Why can’t you stop pitting yourself against her? It’s not a competition, Scully. She can be a good agent and so can you—”

“I don’t need a lesson in relationships,” she hisses angrily. “But it seems you do.”

He blinks. “Excuse me?”

“Ever since she walked back into your life, you’ve—you’ve chosen her.” She flushes red at her admission.

“I’ve chosen her?” he half-laughs, brow crinkling in confusion.

She swallows thickly, ignoring the humiliating sting of tears on her lashes.

“For the past five years,” she says, straightening her spine and lifting her chin, “I have worked tirelessly by your side to support you and bolster you. If I have ever questioned you, it is because I care. Because I want to validate your work and because I want others to see its value too.” She licks her lips nervously. “But for the past few weeks, ever since she arrived on scene, you seem hellbent on believing that I am your enemy!”

“I asked you to come out to the field with us today, didn’t I?”

“Excuse me if it didn’t feel like the kumbaya moment I’m sure you hoped it would be,” she snaps.

“You want to know what’s going on? Diana believes in me,” he says, his eyes clouded with anger. “But when I told the OPR panel about what happened to us in Antarctica, you left me hanging! You failed to corroborate my account.” He leans closer to her, his voice growing harsh. “You want me to think that you believe in me? Try having my back like Diana does—”

“That is not fair,” she hisses. “I have gone to great personal and professional lengths to protect you and defend you—”

“Out of obligation,” he snaps. “Not out of true belief. You don’t believe in my cause.”

“You can’t expect me to follow blindly, Mulder. I am a scientist.” She meets his gaze determinedly. “What the hell happened to what you said to me in the hallway, before I was stung by that bee? Or was that all just a bunch of blabber to keep me from leaving for Utah?”

He steps back, his eyes shuttering like curtains over a window. “I don’t remember what I said.”

Her cheeks flame, fire and blood rushing to her pale skin. But you saved me, he had said. Your goddamn strict rationalism and science have saved me.

She meets his gaze and there is an unasked and unanswered question between them. Do you remember that you tried to kiss me? That we were walking a very fine line between friends-with-benefits and actual lovers? Or are you pretending to have forgotten that as well?

He blinks, looking away. She dips her head, heart pounding, tears pooling, cheeks pinking. “I have been made a fool many times in the past few weeks,” she says quietly. “But I will not make a fool of myself today. If you refuse to acknowledge the value I have added to the X-Files and to your work, then that is your choice. But it makes a mockery of our time together.” She looks up and finds him staring at his shoes.

Slowly, she reaches out and brushes her hand with his. It is a last-ditch effort to remind him of the sacred thing between them, of their bond.

“What happened that’s made you feel this way about me? Is this all about Antarctica and—and that OPR panel? Is there something more?” She links her fingers around his palm.

He pushes her away abruptly, shaking his hand like she’s burned it. “Don’t try that,” he snaps.

Her eyes widen. “Try what?” 

He scowls disapprovingly. “Now isn’t the time for—you know.” He gestures between their two bodies and shock slices through her spine.

Affronted, she takes a step back. “Now isn’t the time for what?” she breathes darkly. “Do you really think I’m coming onto you right now?”

He fixes her with a knowing look and her lips part indignantly. How dare he. Sweat breaks out against her neck and she feels the words rushing to her lips, too fast to contain.

“You asked how you hurt me, Mulder,” she says ruthlessly, and when he blanches, she knows she’s hit the right nerve. She takes a step closer, feeling herself growing more and more powerful. “You fucked me after our office burned down, but you didn’t even try to make it good for me. You were so rough and so impatient with me that I bled that night and the next day.” He turns very, very still, and a sick, twisted joy rises up inside her. She lowers her voice. “All this time, I knew you were just using me for stress relief, but that night, it seemed strangely like a hate fuck. Is that what it was, Mulder? Do you hate me so much now that you couldn’t even look me in the eyes that night, but instead had to turn me around so you could useme as roughly as you wanted?”  

He has turned as pale as a ghost, all color drained from his face.

She knows that when she agreed to a relationship with him, she made a serious error in judgment. For her, their intimate moments have been separate and apart from their work. Having sex with Mulder happened outside of their roles as federal agents. Their lovemaking was a physical expression of a lust and affection that had been simmering and growing and building for years between a man and a woman. Or at least, that’s what she thought.

“I know why you did it,” she adds, her power building and cresting. In the back of her mind, she knows she should stop, but she can’t help herself. The words are flowing out of her like water rushing past a broken dam, and it feels too good. “You were never having sex with me, with Dana Scully. You were always just fucking around with Agent Scully, your coworker. And as soon as Agent Scully started to disagree with you, when Agent Scully began to stand in contrast to an old friend with a far more open mind, the jig was up. Agent Scully represented disbelief and skepticism. Diana Fowley was certainty and reassurance. I should have realized that the work and the sex would be inextricable for you. If Agent Scully isn’t fully on board with your beliefs, then you can’t bring yourself to intimacy with her.” She swallows hard, steadying herself for the final blow. “So, imagine my relief when I found out that you have Diana now to satisfy that particular need.”

He seems struck dumb, so she speaks for him. Pushing past him to her front door, she swings it open, ignoring the way her entire body trembles with rage.

“In case it wasn’t already clear, consider yourself released from any further arrangement with me, or whatever sense of obligation made you come here two nights ago. This thing between us is done.” When he doesn’t move, she points at the door. “Leave, Mulder.”

As if on autopilot, he steps forward, moving towards the doorway like a dead man walking. He pauses on the threshold and she refuses to meet his eyes. She hears him swallow and squeezes shut her eyes when his hand comes to rest against her bicep.

He stays there for a long moment, his breathing quiet but erratic, and after a time, she wonders if she’s going to need to physically remove him from her apartment. But then he squeezes her arm, so lightly that anyone else might have missed it, and bends his head until his hair brushes her own.

“I am . . . so sorry that I hurt you,” he whispers brokenly. His hand slides off her arm and she waits until he is completely out of her presence before letting the door fall shut.

And when she is finally alone, she crumples to the ground and cries.

[hellhoundmaggie]

The “Canon” Stardew pairings, ranked by how their relationship would go:

Haley and Alex: These two only date because they take the high school story trope about the jock getting with the popular girl as gospel. They have no chemistry and no shared interests, and they both need some character growth if they’re going to have any hope of a stable relationship. They’re going to go down in flames.

Abigail and Sebastian: They bond easily over alt culture and not being understood by their parents, but this is another case of no chemistry. The friendship will be ruined.

Emily and Shane: These two cling to one another despite serious relationship problems. Atheist Shane has little respect for Emily’s crystal woo, while health-conscious Emily’s patience is tried by Shane’s poor habits. But they won’t break up: Emily because she hates confrontation, Shane because he believes he’d die alone without her. No you won’t Shane I love you

Penny and Sam: These two are both very sweet individuals in their own ways, but they just do not make sense together. Other than a mutual interest in Vincent’s welfare, they have nothing in common, and Penny craves a stability that carefree Sam can’t provide. Their romance is brief, but they part amicably.

Maru and Harvey: Sorry age gap romance lovers! But their differences are too insurmountable. Harvey gets too anxious about Maru’s experiments, and Maru feels like she misses out on an important part of her youth by marrying an older man. At least she gets plenty of alimony in the divorce.

Leah and Elliott: These two go together like coffee and oat milk. They spend hours together encouraging each other in their respective art forms, and their chemistry is great. They’ll grow old together.

[runningfreetoday]

“When We Were Young Fest is a cash grab!” - If you think this, I can’t wait for you to find out about other festivals because that’s pretty much how they all work. They get your money, you get your money’s worth. Festival money (which is not an insignificant amount of money) helps bankroll bands so that they can live and keep making cool shit instead of having to do only “real” jobs forever (you would be surprised by how many musicians from major emo bands have had to get normal-people jobs when they’re not on tour. some even left bands because they can no longer afford to be in them). Sadly, a lot of people in this scene are covertly kinda broke. MCR doesn’t appear to be scrounging between couch cushions for loose change so I don’t think they need this gig to live but either way, doing this festival was their choice. I’m slightly surprised MCR agreed to the one album play-through concept because they’ve never been the type to do an anniversary tour for a specific era before (the original self-imposed cash grab) but I think it’s clear that no one’s forced them to be at WWWY (twice!). Fall Out Boy’s there and they’re not limiting themselves to one album. So again, MCR chose to do things this way. I’ll be honest, more of often than not, I think old album-centric performances and tours can cheapen a band’s image and stunt growth by not focusing on building interest for new material BUT My Chem fans are obsessive, hyped about new material, and many never got to see My Chemical Romance on The Black Parade tour. In this specific case, the actual artistic choice of doing one single album as a one-off thing at a festival is kind of a win for MCR fans rather than the actual band. Personally, I don’t totally hate the idea of being able to experience the vibe of that era in 2024 and, because it’s MCR, I’m sure they’ll do something a little different with it. Anyway, I might be in the minority but I wouldn’t even go so far as to call festivals a necessary evil. Festivals are fun! Your high horse will not save you from the inevitable heat death of the universe! Enjoy things before it’s all over!

“MCR made fun of WWWY Fest therefore they HATE WWWY Fest” - You can poke fun at something without actually hating said thing. I know that you all know this in your hearts because y’all make fun of your favorite bands all the time. Yes, When We Were Young Fest is a name that grounds these bands in “the past” which might feel a little silly when much of the community are new fans, when older fans are still actively listening to these bands, when these bands are still making new music, etc. Ultimately, the branding is about nostalgia. I hear the frustration with that but consider that the reason you keep consuming emo music, a genre that you more than likely began listening to in middle school or high school, is not totally detached from that sense of nostalgia either.

[stripedstarsblueflags]

i feel so high school (au) pt. 7.B: yukierre

that makes pierre laugh way harder than he means to and conversation gets easier from then, pierre gets used to yuki walking the track or chilling at the bleachers or finding somewhere nearby to do homework after school during practice and it becomes sort of a thing for pierre to seek him out when everybody else is gone. at first pierre’s telling himself that it’s just because he’s being nice, like helping out this poor kid who has no friends :((, if he ever looks forward to seeing yuki across the hall during school hours or the way his face lights up when he sees pierre or the sound of his laugh then that’s probably no big deal

one night they’re walking the track just talking and pierre is like you ever played any sports before? and yuki scoffs and tries to wave him off but pierre keeps pushing like, “i think you might like xxxx you’d be good at it no it’s fine you just gotta train” and yuki finally just snaps like “i can’t even run” and pierre just totally nonphased like “yeah so? you can get better. i can help you”

which is how yuki finds himself being convinced into going for runs in the fucking MORNING with pierre around like a park or a nice street just around town and every time yuki complains about it the whole time and pretends to give up but he keeps saying yes. because as miserable as the run itself is pierre always insists on walking a while after cause “that’s the proper way to cool down” and that’s when they can spend the most time together, no pressure of school or other students or schedules to get in the way

and there’s just cute little moments and signs that it might be more that neither of them really acknowledge but things keep happening… like if they ever go for a run at night pierre insists on walking yuki home every single time even though it’s out of his way or yuki making pierre playlists “you said you like music for when you run so” and goodnight/good morning texts

sometimes they’ll call at like 3 am because yuki can’t sleep (screen time addiction lasting/long term side effect obvi) and pierre stays on call until he falls back asleep

and pierre doesn’t talk about it but from observation yuki sees that pierre sometimes overthinks what he’s eating or like when and how much cause athlete but even when other people are like “get over yourself it’s just one ice cream” “this guy scared of taco bell now” yuki is the only one who notices it hurts pierre even if he tries to laugh it off so he starts inviting pierre over for dinner or just making food and bringing it after practices/games because “you saw me make it you know where everything is from”

and pierre feels so like cared for and seen and grateful he doesn’t even really know what to do about it but he gets so smiley and bashful every time that yuki starts spending more and more time making food and he finds that cooking finally helps distract him from wanting to keep gaming

only now he has all this excess food lol so he starts sharing it with the rest of the team cause y’know he’s there for practices anyway (not playing just hiding from the folks lol) and they’re high school boys they can be won over pretty fucking easily if food is involved. especially since they see how much pierre likes yuki even if they don’t really get it but they start being way nicer and more supportive

so now YAY yuki finally has friends and he’s like accepted in a way he never really was before and he doesn’t have to delve into the internet to do so and he’s like touching grass and reconnecting with nature and all that beautiful recovery shit

should i make a part c just for the last cutesy romance bit? for pacing purposes? i’m gonna do it

cont.

[kjmsupremacist]

maps and constellations (chan/felix)

After their senior year of high school, Chan and his closest friends decide to go on a road trip together to close out their time as children before they move on to college. Though Chan’s excited for the trip, he knows the pressure of the next stage of their lives looms bigger on the horizon every day, and he’s not sure how well they’re all going to handle the transition, especially because they’ll be scattered across the country in the fall. Even more pressing, however, are the feelings he’s developing for his best friend, Felix.

Chapter 6   |   prev   next   mlist

Characters: Felix, Chan, the rest of skz

Genre: romance, fluff, angst, friends to lovers, coming of age, growing pains, getting together

Pairing: Chan/Felix

Warnings: mild angst, swearing

Rating: Teen & Up

Length: 3.7k

listen to the official playlist here!

Another day passes, and another and another still until it’s been over a week and Chan still hasn’t said a word to Felix. It’s not on purpose, not completely, he just gets lost in packing and in the millions of emails he gets about move-in and freshman orientation. Every day there’s something new, and every day it gets a little harder to pick up the phone.

Despite his hopes, the time apart doesn’t do much to calm Chan’s feelings or help him make any more sense of it. He’s still scared, still ashamed, still directionless. He doesn’t know what he’ll say when he and Felix finally talk—if they ever do. He owes Felix the truth, doesn’t he? But once he says it, it’s all over. And isn’t it selfish to dump all of it into Felix’s lap, the mess of his emotions and all the changes it will bring? It’s Chan’s fault, so he doesn’t get to ask for help in carrying it. He has to do it alone.

And, god, Chan does deserve punishment, he thinks. Because even through all of this, he slips into fantasy, images of a life where this isn’t difficult, where he can have what he wants because Felix wants it too. He imagines a future full of them, together always and in every way, days full of laughter, nights full of desires Chan is too embarrassed to name. He watches these daydreams out of the corner of his mind’s eye only, trying to hold himself back from full immersion. Because he shouldn’t enjoy them, because they’ll never come true, because they’re wrong, self-indulgent and almost predatory in their greed.

To be fair, it’s not just Felix Chan hasn’t spoken to, it’s everyone. They’re all busy the way Chan is, scrambling to pull their lives together in the precious few weeks before they head off to school, so they don’t have time for each other. It’s half a miracle when Chan and Minho manage to schedule a coffee together one Wednesday afternoon in the middle of all the insanity.

It’s a relief, a break Chan didn’t realize he needed until he steps into the coffee shop and sees Minho waiting at a table by the window. Suddenly, he feels exhausted, and a little hopeless. Will this be how things are from now on? Always rushing and with no time for anything that actually matters?

Chan shakes himself from his brooding, orders his drink, and joins Minho at the table. Minho raises his coffee cup to clink against Chan’s with a sort of half-smile.

“How are you?” Chan asks before taking a sip of his drink.

“Good,” Minho replies somewhat wearily. “Fucking busy.”

“Yeah,” Chan says, nodding. “I don’t know if I’m gonna make it to orientation. My unread emails are going to bury me alive.”

“God, tell me about it,” Minho groans. “Is this adulthood? Every day I swear I get, like, fifty more. It’s unholy.”

Chan laughs, taking another drink of his coffee, then sets his mug down, crossing his arms and looking Minho over. “It’s good to see you,” he says. “Feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen anybody, really. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to be a person.”

“Really?” Minho doesn’t actually sound too surprised; something lurks behind his expression and makes Chan tense up. “Not even Felix?”

“Ah,” Chan says, “no, I think he’s been busy.”

“I saw him the other day.” Minho’s tone is mild, but Chan feels stung anyway. “He seemed… sad. He didn’t really say why. Do you… happen to know anything about that?”

Chan sighs. “It’s… complicated.”

Minho snorts. “Sure, and it’s going to stay that way until you do something about it.”

“I know.” Chan doesn’t mean to bite it out, but he sees Minho blink in surprise at the force in his tone. “Sorry,” Chan mutters. “It’s just… I don’t know how to explain.”

“I’m not blaming you, Chan, I’m trying to help you.” Minho sets his cup down and leans back in his chair. “What happened?”

Chan looks at Minho and thinks about everything that’s happened over the last few weeks. It’s so much, all of it, the weight nearly crushing him. But Minho’s right—he can help. And Chan would be stupid not to accept.

��I, um,” he says. “I realized partway through our trip that, uh, that I might be in love with Felix. I think. I don’t know. And I definitely made things weird between us, just, like, being awkward about it and stuff. And I think he knows. He sort of tried to bring it up on our last night, but I—I couldn’t, I just couldn’t, you know? Not when we’d have to sleep in the same bed, not when I’d have to drive him home. I said we’d talk more after we got back, only we haven’t, and now…”

“I see,” Minho says quietly. They’re silent for a moment. “And why don’t you want to tell him?”

“Because—” Chan shakes. “Because he’ll never feel the same way, and it’ll completely ruin our friendship, and he’ll hate me, and I’l lose him forever.”

“Chan, what the fuck are you talking about?” Minho asks flatly. “Felix would never hate you. You should know him well enough by now. He wouldn’t be angry with you for loving him. Do you know how crazy that sounds?”

Chan’s nails are digging painfully into the skin of his palms, but he doesn’t unclench his fists. “It’s not just that, Minho, I—” His breath is coming quick; he feels heat rising to his cheeks. “All the things I think about, some of them are so—so nasty, and I can’t believe I could ever think about Felix that way, but I do. And if I tell him, he’ll know, and he’ll be disgusted. Because isn’t that, like, gross and creepy of me? When I don’t—when I don’t deserve him?”

Minho stares at him for a second. “First of all, you need to toss the idea of not deserving him out the window. How do you know that?” Chan opens his mouth, then closes it again. “You’re not being fair to Felix, Chan. Shouldn’t he get to decide that for himself, instead of you making the decision for him?”

“Um,” Chan says slowly, feeling a bit sheepish.

“And second of all,” Minho barrels on, “you do know it’s normal, to be horny about someone you like, right?”

“Right,” Chan says, trying to muscle through his discomfort. How is Minho so casual with it? Chan doesn’t know if he’ll ever understand. “But it’s different. It feels invasive, I dunno,” he protests. He’s almost squirming in his seat, shame so full in his chest he doesn’t know how there’s still room for his lungs. “Since it’s me. Like I’m breaking his trust. I’m—I mean, I’ve always been like his big brother, you know?”

“I mean, have you ever acted on any of it?” Minho asks. “To him, on purpose? Has he ever told you to not do anything?”

Chan pauses, then shakes his head. He hasn’t even jerked off in the quiet privacy of his own room, too horrified and ashamed to even consider it.

“You don’t have to punish yourself for things you haven’t done,” Minho says gently. “You like him, Chan. You want him. So what, you know? It’s not a crime.”

Chan blows out a deep breath. “I guess so,” he mutters. He supposes Minho is right, though he still feels guilty.

“So?” Minho says. “You gonna talk to him before you leave?”

“I mean, I have to,” Chan replies. “But I just don’t know how. All I know is this is going to ruin how things have been our whole lives, and everything is broken and I don’t know how to fix it. Sometimes I wonder if I really am in love with him, or it’s some big confusion of everything else. But regardless, I’m sure he’ll never love me back. So it’s like—where do we go from here?”

Minho’s lips have twisted into a wry smile. He spreads his hands. “I can’t answer those questions for you, Chan. But you know who can?” He raises his eyebrows. “Felix. But only if you talk to him.”

“Shit,” Chan mumbles miserably, and Minho lets out a short laugh. “I mean, does he even want to talk about it at this point? Does he want to see me at all?”

“Well,” Minho says. “There’s only one way to find out that, too, right?” He runs a fingertip around the rim of his coffee cup. “But I’m sure he does. He won’t give up on you. So you don’t get to give up on him, either. Alright?”

Chan nods, though his chest feels heavy. “How come everything’s so difficult now?” he asks, half to himself.

Minho hums. “Well, if it feels difficult, then do it the way you know best.” Chan looks up and finds Minho gazing back at him, earnest and intent. “Don’t do it for yourself. Do it for someone else.” He leans in. His eyes are gentle. Minho’s rarely this gentle. “You’re always at your surest when you’re helping someone,” he says. “Do it for Felix. Do it for Felix, because you love him.”

* * *

Chan’s far too busy to do anything with it that afternoon, so he decides to let himself sleep on it with the promsie to himself to consider texting Felix in the morning. 

He does it basically as soon as he wakes up, before he can talk himself out of it. Hey, I said we were gonna talk when we got home. We only have a like a week until we leave. Do you have time soon?

He’s surprised when he receives a reply in just a few short minutes. Yeah, I’m home rn you can come over. Chan scrambles through the rest of his morning, downing some coffee and pulling some clothes on before grabbing his keys and heading across the street.

“Lix?” he calls when he finds the entryway empty, closing and locking the door behind him.

“Upstairs,” Felix calls back faintly.

Chan makes his way to his room, trying to steady his breath. Waves of anxiety wash over his body as he climbs the stairs, making his skin flash cold.

Felix’s door is open. Chan can see him as he heads down the hall, sitting up on his bed, leaning against the headboard, knees tucked close to his chest. He raises his head when Chan steps on the creaky floorboard a few feet from the threshold, and his gaze paralyzes Chan on the spot.

“Hey,” Chan tries. It comes out faint and weak.

“Hey.” Felix flicks his gaze back to his bed. “Um, come in.”

Chan forces himself to move, to step into Felix’s room. He closes the door. The room looks the same, but feels unfamiliar. When did Chan become a stranger here?

Chan sits gingerly on the edge of Felix’s bed, keeping himself as far away as possible, like if he gets too close, Felix’ll spook. 

Though Chan’s the one who invited himself here, he feels like he has to wait for Felix’s permission to speak. But Felix says nothing, and minutes pass in silence as Chan picks at a loose thread on his shorts. It’s tense and uncomfortable and most of Chan wants to say okay, never mind, I’m sorry, I can’t do this and run straight back out the door. But he knows if he does that, everything will be over. So he waits. And then—

“Chan,” Felix says. “I have something to tell you.”

Chan’s heartbeat quickens. “Y-you do?”

“Yeah, and I’m really scared to say it, so don’t interrupt me ‘til I’m done.” Felix is the most serious Chan has ever seen him. He has his arms wrapped around his shins almost defensively, and his eyes are piercing.

“Okay,” Chan agrees quietly. His confession can wait. It’s probably best if he goes second anyway, because once Felix hears what he has to say, he’ll probably tell him to leave.

“I’m sorry for being so weird lately,” Felix starts. Chan blinks at him in surprise. “I thought maybe I could ignore it, but I couldn’t. And then I—I tried to bring it up when we were at Long Beach, but you wouldn’t talk, and I didn’t know how to say it when you were being so—I mean, I don’t know. It felt like you knew, and you didn’t want me to say it, so I didn’t. But I think I need to tell you, even if you don’t want to hear it, because it changes everything, and I’m going to go crazy if I keep it inside.

He’s speaking very quickly, so Chan hardly has time to process any of this before Felix takes a breath and plows on. “And we’re going away soon, and I need to tell you in person, so anyway, it has to be now. And I’m sorry if that’s not okay, but I can’t anymore. And if you need to think about it, that’s fine, because we’re going to be in different states pretty soon anyway. Okay? So—here it is.” A deep breath. “I really like you, Chan, and I’ve tried dropping hints and I’ve tried leaving you alone and I’ve tried flirting, but nothing’s worked so I know it’s not the same for you. And that’s okay. I just need you to know, because when you say you love me, you mean it like you’re my brother. And when I say it, I mean something else.”

Chan sits in stunned silence for a second, unsure if he heard him correctly, if he understands. Felix—when he tried to talk about it a couple weeks ago, he had thought the exact same thing as Chan: that Chan was catching on, and that’s why he was being weird. But in reality…

“Well?” Felix demands. His voice is shaking, but he sticks his chin out and looks Chan in the eye. “Say something.”

“Lix,” Chan whispers. “How—how long? How long have you—known, I mean how long have you—?”

“For years, Chan.” He says it bitterly. “I’ve known for years. I—I’ve loved you for years.”

Chan can’t help it. The next breath comes out as laughter. “Well, you’re way ahead of me, then,” he says. He scoots a little closer, and finds that he’s trembling. Suddenly, everything is so easy. The relief leaves him a little limp, but it’s like Minho said. He’s not doing it for himself. He’s doing it for Felix, and that’s all the strength he needs. “Felix.” He holds out his hand. Felix just looks at him, hurt and confused. “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I just thought—I thought I wasn’t allowed, somehow. To love you. Because I’m supposed to be—well, not someone who’s in love with you, I guess. I thought you’d never feel the same way, and it’s been killing me these last few weeks, thinking I ruined everything. But I guess we’re a better pair than I thought.”

“You love me,” Felix whispers faintly, eyes wide. He takes Chan’s hand.

“Yeah,” Chan says softly. “Yeah, I think I do. I love you, Felix. I’ve loved you since we were children, I think. I loved you before I even knew how, before I knew what it meant, way before I realized it myself. Just—loved you. And I would’ve been happy to do it and not get anything back, except I thought maybe you’d hate me, that you’d be angry with me somehow, that you’d feel betrayed. So that’s why—that’s why I was being so weird these last few weeks.”

Felix frowns. “Why would I hate you?”

“Because you’re you,” Chan says helplessly. “And I’m me, and I could never… Felix,” he says. “You’re the best person I know. You—you light up every room, you’re gentle and soft and good. Of course I love you, and of course I could never deserve to. You’re bright and beautiful, and I’m… I’m just me. I’m just—your annoying childhood best friend. So I was worried I would be holding you back from finding real love, from finding someone like you who could match you. From finding someone who actually deserved to have you.”

Felix shakes his head. “You’re stupid, Chan,” he says, and Chan laughs weakly. “How could you think that? I loved you. I love you. If anyone doesn’t deserve it, it’s me. You’re the best person I’ve ever known.”

Chan stills. Suddenly, it’s almost painfully clear. He tried so hard not to let Felix’s friendship balloon his ego, tried to stop himself from getting too confident, from thinking he was far more important than he was, and somewhere along the way, he’d blinded himself to Felix’s admiration. But if the connection between them is that strong, then thinking Felix doesn’t look up to him is more insulting than thinking he does. Thinking that Chan doesn’t deserve him isn’t fair to Felix, just like Minho said. It forgets Felix’s very core: that he is humble, that he doesn’t act the way he does for acceptance or acclaim but simply because he is sweet and genuine to the end. Of course he doesn’t see himself as perfect. He’s just like Chan. Afraid, unsure, and hopeful, all at once. 

“C’mere, little one,” Chan says quietly, dropping Felix’s hand and holding out his arms.

Felix rolls forward onto his knees and crawls into Chan’s embrace, wrapping his arms around Chan’s shoulders and squeezing tight. Chan holds him, stretching his fingers as wide as they’ll go and pressing his hands into Felix’s back.

“I love you,” Felix whispers, and then giggles. “I was so nervous, oh my god. I was gonna throw up.”

“I’m sorry,” Chan says immediately. “I’m sorry I didn’t know earlier. I’m sorry I couldn’t talk about it before.”

“Not your fault,” Felix says. “And anyway, you can make up for it.”

“Yeah?” Chan asks. “How’s that?”

Felix pulls back gently, leaving his arms slung over Chan’s shoulders. “Kiss me,” he demands, almost petulant. “I’ve wanted you to kiss me for so long.”

Chan might’ve hesitated. But it’s Felix asking, and he could never say no, not when it’s something he wants, too. He brings both hands up to Felix’s jaw to hold him steady, and then leans in and kisses him, just as he asked.

And it’s like the whole world melts away. In the back of his mind, Chan kind of registers that he’s having some kind of rom-com moment. Everything is just Felix, Felix, Felix, his soft lips and sharp teeth and warm tongue, the skin of his cheeks under the pads of Chan’s fingers, the scent of his soap and deodorant, so familiar and so new all at once. 

They break apart, staring at each other, and then Felix starts laughing and Chan does too, and it’s uncontrollable, the stomach-hurting, fully-can’t-breathe, verge-of-death kind, so full of joy and relief. Felix rests his forehead on Chan’s shoulder and Chan wraps his arms around his waist and squeezes.

It takes them a while to calm down, but eventually the room is quiet again. This time the quiet is good, warm and comfortable and right. Chan brushes his fingers though Felix’s hair, breathing, watching Felix breathe. 

“What?” Felix asks softly.

Chan moves his fingers down to Felix’s cheeks, tracing invisible lines between a few of his freckles. “I’m making a new constellation,” he says. “It’s not in the sky, it’s just here.”

Felix stills, and then smiles. “You’re tracing a cartoon heart, aren’t you?”

Chan grins. “Maybe.”

“You’re so embarrassing,” Felix says, but he kisses Chan again. Chan can’t stop smiling.

He wants to do so many things with Felix, now that he can, now that he knows Felix loves him back, now that the guilt and shame has been peeled away by Felix’s gentle hands. But it can wait. They have so much time. If Chan has anything to say about it, they have the rest of their lives.

“Let’s go bake cookies,” he says. “We can bring some to the others, too. Boost morale.”

Felix laughs. “I love you,” he says. 

“I love you,” Chan repeats, and it’s dumb and sappy, but they’re both still smiling, so he doesn’t care.

They spend a couple more minutes kissing anyway, then finally head downstairs to find the baking supplies. Felix pulls out the measuring cups while Chan gathers their ingredients, digging the chocolate chips out from the back of the fridge. Their hands brush when they set things on the counter, and Chan doesn’t flinch. Their old familiarity and ease is back, just colored a little sweeter than before. They chat about packing for college as they mix the dough and throw the first batch in the oven.

“What the fuck are we gonna tell everyone?” Felix asks, looking up from scooping the second batch onto a fresh sheet.

Chan blows out a breath, straightening and pulling the first sheet out. They’re golden-brown, chocolate chips all gooey. Perfect. “Uh,” he says. “I hate to break it to you, but I think they might already know. Like, I think they figured it out way before we did, and have been just kind of waiting for us to get our shit together. So I don’t think it’s gonna be a problem. Well, no, they’re going to make fun of us for the rest of our lives. But,” he says, blowing out a laugh, “it’s gonna be fine.”

Felix laughs, too. “God, we’re really stupid, huh?”

Chan sets the sheet down and pulls him close by the waist. “Mostly me,” he says.

“Mostly you,” Felix agrees, a little smug. Chan rolls his eyes and kisses him.

“Ugh, finally.” They both whip their heads up to see Rachael, back from her internship, walking into the kitchen with a look of fond disgust on her face.

“R-Rachael, hey,” Chan says, releasing Felix and turning back to the cookies even though he can’t really do anything with them, just to put his hands somewhere that isn’t on her little brother. “When did you get back?”

She ignores him, reaching for a cookie with a paper towel. “When’s the wedding?”

“Oh my god, Rachael,” Felix groans. “You’re so embarrassing! Get out, take your cookie and get out!”

Rachael snickers, satisfied, stealing an extra cookie and blowing a kiss over her shoulder. “Mom ’n’ Dad are gonna be so relieved. I’m pretty sure they placed bets.”

“Shut up,” Felix complains. Chan can hardly hear him over the sound of his own laughter.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Again, loving up some underloved fandoms here on Ciaossu-Imagines, so throwing out some headcanons I have about The Mighty Ducks characters! I hope anyone familiar with these movies will enjoy them!

Starting with Averman, he’s definitely Jewish. I think he and Goldberg are really good friends because both of them are Jewish. They attended Hebrew school together, their parents are good friends, and honestly they really rely on each other around the holiday season. Neither boy is ashamed of being Jewish or anything, but especially around the time period those movies are set, Hannukah was not as popular or as talked about as Christmas was. And when all your friends are talking about Christmas and their plans and the gifts they’ll get and all the celebrations you hear about are Christianity based, it’s hard not to feel a little left out so both boys’ kind of really like having another friend they can talk to about their Hannukah plans who will get it. Bonus headcanon but I think Averman has a bigger love of hockey and was the one to get Goldberg into the sport.

Hot take on Adam – I don’t think he’s this abused kid trying desperately to please Daddy. I think that while his father might have high expectations for Adam, his father isn’t really abusive. I think a lot of the pressure that Adam feels – and boy, does he feel a lot – is pressure that Adam puts on himself. I do see Adam as having some issues with perfectionism, with being way too hard on himself, and he struggles with anxiety and a need to be perfect but it’s because Adam himself knows that he’s got a lot of talent and he doesn’t want to waste that talent.

Charlie’s actually got a few hidden skills but the one that ends up surprising most people is that, at one point in his life, Charlie got really into magic and he’s pretty good with a couple of tricks, mostly sleight of hand stuff.

Tammy did enjoy playing hockey, I won’t pretend that she didn’t. But I think when it came down to it, she enjoyed figure skating a lot more. There was more pageantry in that sport, more creativity and more glamour in her mind and I think she left the Ducks before the second movie because she really did want to focus on figure skating and competing in that area. She did win several medals, but I think she largely left the sport around the time she started college.

Julie reads…for fun. While she loves being active and has various hobbies and interests, she’s been a life-long bookworm. She learned to read early, and gobbles books up. She normally gets through at least a book a week and does read a wide variety of things, though she has guilty pleasure reading that she’d be embarrassed if anyone found out about, such as romance novels and the Hardy Boys books.

Guy hates carrying change around with him. There’s just something about the weight of it and the clinking sound it makes in his pocket as he walks that drives him insane. He prefers to carry bills for cash and usually lets the salespeople keep his change wherever he goes.

Surprising thing about Goldberg…the boy is not only gifted with a green thumb, but he genuinely likes taking care of his plants. He only got them because his parents wouldn’t let him get a pet…they didn’t think he was responsible enough for a pet so they bought him a rather high-maintenance houseplant to take care of first so that he could prove that he could be responsible for another living thing. Turns out that he enjoyed caring for the plant so much, even giving it a name, that he ended up wanting more plants instead of an actual pet.

Jesse has a tendency to argue just for the sake of arguing. He legitimately enjoys arguments and I have this headcanon that he found the debate club during high school and it’s the most at home he’s felt since playing with the Ducks. Like, those are his people, that’s where he belongs. He gets really involved with debate throughout his high school career and I think he wants to go to law school after graduating.

Terry Hall…still hasn’t gotten the grasp of gum honestly. Not saying the kid is stupid, because he certainly isn’t. It’s just that he cannot, for the life of him, remember that gum is for consistent chewing, not eating, especially if the gum in question is a really fruity, sweet flavour.

I really do think that Karp is someone who is really easy to take advantage of. He gets bullied a lot as a kid and he’s someone who just naturally is the kind of person who really wants to make others happy and to have others like him. He’s a very generous friend but the fact that he’s willing to do almost anything to have his ‘friends’ like him means that he gets put into some pretty brutal situations and gets used throughout his childhood and teen years.

I think Peter’s an army brat, or something along those lines. Something tells me that this kid is someone who moves around a lot throughout his life because of his parent’s careers. He’s used to never staying anywhere really long enough to form completely solid relationships. He’s used to always being the new kid and needing to impress and be tough enough to both make friends and avoid bullies. I also think that while he really would like to settle down in one spot long enough to make serious friendships, the idea of doing so kind of scares him.

Luis taught himself how to juggle when he was a kid. He’s also really skilled at hackeysack.

Connie has the habit of pacing around when she’s deep in thought. There’s just something about moving that helps her think better and if she really has something on her mind, she tends to go running or jogging. The tougher the problem is, the faster and further she tends to go as she loses track of where she is or how far she’s gone.

Dean can burp the alphabet. Forwards and backwards. He’s really quite proud of this.

Fulton’s worst habit? He’s really bad at sitting and staying still for long periods of time and he starts fidgeting when he has to do so. He’ll stretch, move around in his seat a bit, crack his knuckles, but the worst is his leg because he’s definitely one of those guys who bounces his leg when he’s bored or restless, almost aggressively so.

Dwayne really likes to sing. He’s not horrible at it by any means, though a little tone-deaf. He’s a huge fan, because of how he was raised, of any older country, with Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Conway Twitty being favourites of his.

Russ has the tendency to get cold really easily. It can come out of nowhere too, with no real reason for him to have a chill or to be cold. He just is. He tends to always carry an extra layer with him as a just in case.

Ken has weird eating habits. He has to eat all of one thing before he can allow himself to eat the next thing on his plate. For example, if he has fries and a burger, he’ll have to eat all the burger before he’ll start eating the fries. He can’t bring himself to mix and match his food and not even he knows why.

[reddford-writes]

↛ Rp Partners Wanted!↚

❏ Current Status: CLOSED ❏

↛ Introduction

Hey there, I’m Red! (He/Him) I’m 21 and have been Roleplaying for about 10 years. I whipped up this blog in the hopes that it’ll be where I keep all my writing stuff since my main blog turned into a bit of a fan-page. Anyway, It’s been a while, and I miss the joys of writing with a partner. Writing is a hobby of mine, and I enjoy creating intricate and detailed stories that are full of compelling dynamics. I’m interested in crafting new worlds, interesting characters, and stories that have meaning. If that sounds like a good time, please, read more below, then send me a DM and we’ll get started.

↛ ↚

↛Pre-Requisites

18+ ONLY - I am only interested in working with fellow adults. My preferred genres often get into themes not suitable for minors. For my own comfort I ask that you please be older than 18.

Semi-Literate - I enjoy telling stories! I’m not looking for novel length responses, but good grammar and smooth sentences make for a better experience.

Original Characters - I’m looking to craft an original story together, and this means I am looking for someone who is experienced with creating their own characters!

Discord Only Please - I’d prefer to use discord as our means of chatting! It’s easier to use than most DM’s and makes organization tons easier.

Schedule - I’m in the Mountain Standard time zone! (MDT) and I’m a pretty busy guy! My weekends are pretty much always booked! You can expect responses in the afternoons on weekdays most consistently! I’ll be sure to let you know when I’ll be offline!

↛Red’s Playin’ Menu

I’m always interested in trying something new, so if you’re looking to try something that isn’t on this list go ahead and let me know! However, here’s a list of what I’m good at;

MxM, FxM, FxF and Non-Binary characters/parings are welcome!

Romance - I love a good romance story, and it’s what I specialize in with writing!

Slice of Life - Nothings better than writing some dudes being people right? I love a good slice of life, however, I have little interest in doing any high-school centric plots.

Drama - Let’s be real, drama is what all of us are really after with these stories! I love all of the classic tropes!

Modern Fantasy - I love the idea of magic and world building that adds to our own! I enjoy regular fantasy as well, but if I had to chose I’d prefer the modern setting.

Sci-Fi - I love a good cyberpunk feel to any good story, I can’t say I have a lot of experience with the more in depth style of sci-fi, but I do love a gritty aesthetic.

↛Red’s Favorite Tropes

Post Apocalyptic/Zombies

Android/Human

Dystopian AU

Mafia/Crime AU

Vampires and Werewolves

Pirates/Regency/Historical Fiction

↛Writing Examples

If you’re on the fence about shooting me a DM, here’s a couple links to some of my quick little written works so you can get a sense of my writing style! More to be added!

[witch--btch]

New Romance Manga Recommendation!~

Megane Tokidoki Yankee-kun

- read first four chapters free -

My thoughts and extra manga caps under see more!!

Momose, a clumsy girl entering high school, has been targeted by bullies throughout middle school. Because of this, she’s developed a dislike for delinquents, and seeks to change herself.

Having joined the Helper’s Club at school, she meets Ichikura; a nerdy looking classmate who’s quite serious in everything he does, studies and sports alike.

Being in the same club, Ichikura feels comfortable confiding in Momose about his former status as a Delinquent. However, he too seeks to turn over a new leaf, and leave his old life behind.

Together they begin influencing each other for the better.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

First things first, EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ME FOR A BAJI KEISUKE SIMP!! And this SCREAMS Baji(Tokyo Revengers) !! Sucks he didn’t have the long hair too, or maybe he had it in middle school?

Anyway…

This manga is right up my alley! It has pretty much everything I love in a romance troupe and does it right! It’s cute, and I feel like characters’ growth will be really sweet!

Ichikura will teach Momose to stand up for herself and have a better sense of self worth, while Momose will teach Ichikura that not fighting people can sometimes be the coolest thing a a person can do in times of difficulty. They’ll both teach each other how to become more mature.

While I am a little peeved I can’t read the chapters 5-27 due to a pay wall, I understand the necessity for digital media these days.

I hope you enjoy this manga, and if you do, please let me know your thoughts !