#like slow burn is my favorite trope so i would eat that UP

[dawntoducks]

I just saw an e/riel say that an elucien book wouldn't work because "they barely know each other and the entire book would have to be about them getting to know each other."

Is that not the best part of romance novels? Like, what am i missing here?

[urfavoritegirlkisser]

"Midnight Rain" II - Rockstar!Ellie Williams x Popstar!Reader

an - wow i did not expect you guys to like this idea so much, if you haven't read part one i would go ahead and read it first before reading this part!! Enjoy!

I don't consent to anyone sharing my work anywhere else, I only post my writing on this tumblr account, do not steal my work

Tags: Fem!popstar!reader, rockstar!Ellie, we're burning slow here my loves, fake dating trope, no outbreak au, angst, slight anxious!reader, Ellie is a little bit of a player and kind of an asshole sorry pookies, lightly proof read, listen to "lucky" by britney spears it literally inspired this entire idea

So apparently you lied to yourself and no one forgot it happened

Two months. It had been two months since you had seen that article and left Ellie’s hotel room, and people couldn’t seem to let it go.

Edits of the two of you filled your for you page, fans brought signs to your shows asking about you and Ellie, and honestly, you were sick of it.

It didn’t help that your management thought it was a great idea because it gained traction for both you and Ellie’s fan bases.

So now you sit in a meeting with Ellie and your managers as they discuss another appearance from the two of you together.

This was your least favorite part of being a pop star, the fame, and your fans were amazing, but most of your choices weren’t your own; they were for the “brand” your management wanted to maintain.

“Sounds good to me” Ellie speaks up, breaking you from your thoughts as you look at her like she has two heads and scoff

“I’m sorry but weren’t you the one telling me that you had your precious reputation to uphold and couldn’t be tied down with anyone?”, you could feel your anger at the situation growing but knew you should keep yourself from completely losing it

“We both benefit from the attention, that’s more important to me than some silly reputation sweetheart,” she says with that infuriating smirk that lets you think for a moment that her words are truthful

“Fine,” you say, “But this is only going to be a thing for a few months, after my tour is over we are over, got it?” 

Your managers go over the agreements and discuss appearances before the both of you sign, basically binding yourselves to each other for the next six months.

The first appearance was simply Ellie coming to one of your shows

She hangs out with her bandmates Dina and Jesse in the VIP box where they are visible to the fans attending but are secure enough so they don’t get mobbed and can enjoy the show comfortably.

You make sure to direct most lyrics in the more romantic songs on your set list toward Ellie and can tell that your fans are eating it up.

After the show, your manager escorts you backstage where Ellie is waiting, noticing that it’s visible by some fans lingering in the upper levels.

Your manager pushes you toward Ellie and you plaster on a fake smile, running up to her and hugging her tightly.

Ellie kisses your cheek lovingly and it sends a jolt of sadness through you as you look into her eyes, wishing the look of care on her face was real.

“Smile, people are watching” she whispers into your ear while letting her hand slip to your waist and letting the other cup your jaw to tilt your face to hers.

You shake off the creeping feeling of anxiety at so many cameras on the two of you and smile softly, letting Ellie lead you into a quick kiss before parting and being led back to your dressing room by your manager.

You get back to your hotel that night and scroll mindlessly through your feed of constant videos from tonight, some of you performing, some of Ellie in the VIP box, and plenty of when the two of you met after the show.

You scroll through the comments of fans raving about how happy the two of you look with tears in your eyes

If only they knew

an - I listened to my sad girl hours playlist for this, I hope you enjoyed it!! Now go drink water you girl kissers xoxo

[unforth]

i don't know if you are still into 2ha? but what would you say if someone asked you what makes 2ha stand out? It's full of tropes that have been done before and there is nothing new. it's full of cliches according to some people. So, what makes it stand out?

I am still into 2ha, I'd consider it one of my top fandoms right now.

I'll own I find this whole ask rather odd? It implies that novelty is a. possible and b. what I'm looking for in a book.

For a... Name me a book that isn't full or tropes, name me a book that isn't full of "nothing new," name me a book that isn't full of cliches. Enjoyable books aren't ~original~, and imo original is a myth. It's about how the ideas are strung together, not about them being fresh and different and new.

For b... look. I'm almost 42 years old. I've been reading a ton since I was 8. I've read a l.o.t. over the years. And I've come to learn the things I love in characters and books.

Give me a main character (or, in 2ha, BOTH main characters) who thinks they're worthless and will give everything they have to save an innocent stranger. Give me archetypes of self-sacrifice and martyrdom and low self-esteem and adoration and obsession cooked so deep into their bones that it extends over multiple life times. Give me that adoration reciprocated but the pining, oh, it is mutual for these idiots who should be and will be lovers. I'll eat that up every time. Give me someone who thinks they're unlovable but loves the world anyway, and give me someone who loves them so much they'll tolerate the claws.

Give me epic length I can sink my teeth into. Make the plot sprawling, the side characters lush, the world developed. It's okay if some parts drag a little, it's hard to keep momentum over an epic, and one person's "that dragged" is another's "that rocked." Anyway, the slow bits makes the more exciting parts that much more thrilling.

Give me whump, and hurt/comfort, and pain that burns the soul. Make the characters deep and compelling and then confront them with nothing but bad choices, force them to pick... and then see them pick each other, everytime, even in the midst of the darkest night imaginable. Give me unreliable narrators and angst and characters with nobility that shines like the sun even when they're covered in shit.

I adored this kind of story when I was 12 and I started the Wheel of Time and fell in love with Rand al'Thor, and I adore this kind of story now, in Tian Guan Ci Fu and The Husky and His White Cat Shizun and Modu. The patterns in the kinds of books I enjoy most, the ones that make me feral and obsessed, are very consistent, and being Old means I know what those patterns are and I can seek out books that have them, and recognize them when I find them again. It's happening with the book I'm reading now, in fact, and I can feel the feral obsession growling in delight in my brain, lmao.

Ya know how some people go into fanfiction because they love a character and want to see iterations of them over and over a little to the left? Well, that's why I started fanfic, and through fic I found a genre of original fiction that does that for me. I want similar character archetypes in endless iterations of stories, and danmei gives that to me, and that's why I'm up to my nose in danmei fandoms, and why the specific ones I like best are my favorites.

What stands out about 2ha, for me, is that it fits my taste in character archetypes and plot type. If someone out there shares that taste, they'll probably also love it. If they don't share that taste, they may not, but they may, because it's a complex enough book to cater to more than just one specific type of taste. Someone who likes OP control fantasies will also probably like it, for example. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, and that's not a bad thing. Stories that appeal to everyone tend to be shallow and not attract deep obsession, having sacrificed the depth to draw a wider audience.

Anyway, anon...you phrased this like an anti. 80% of your ask is trashing the book on false premises about tropes and cliches. I genuinely can't tell if this is meant as a troll or if it's sincere, but I've answered as if it's sincere. But regardless, you'll be a lot happier as a reader if you forget originality. Books aren't original. Find an author, genre, series, whatever, that fits your taste, and frolic there. That's the route to happy reading.

I've found mine. I hope you find yours.

[blondiedae]

dry house, wet clothes (seven)

𓍯𓂃𓂃𓂃 dry house, wet clothes, seven

pairing. johnny suh x afab!reader x jeong jaehyun

genre. angst, fluff, eventual smut, slow burn (for jaehyun), friends to lovers (for johnny)

warnings. swearing, kissing, still big miscommunication trope, but not so heavy here. mild angst but this time there’s a lot of fluff, reader celebrates Christmas (decorates for it)

word count. 9,410

plot. the four of you have spent years building the world around you, your friendship, your weekends together hidden in jaehyun's loft. you, mark, johnny and jaehyun. shaking the foundation of that by being in love with your best friend, jaehyun, is a risk you've never been confident enough to take. but, johnny suh is confident and johnny suh has been known to shake the world around you.

other's mentioned. lee haechan (donghyuck), best friend mark lee, ten lee, jung sungchan, zhong chenle, park jisung, wong hendery

author's note. i ended up cutting this down, but this takes us up to right before christmas. go ahead and ask me how i managed to drag october out for 40k words, but november and december get a shared like 25k. i don’t have the answers.

taglist (open). @xiaojunsdino @yoursyuno @girlisaloser

playlist. here!

The sun was indecisive. It played with the decision of setting so early, sank its beams into the skyline, the treetops, the buildings until they unraveled and disappeared. You watched from the floor, holding onto the remnants of light just as tightly. When the sun made its decision, your phone rang; buzzing against the floor, illuminated and scooting closer.

You answered with a breath, “Hello?”

“Did you see it?”

Standing, you stepped around your living room, turning on one lamp, then another until the room was washed in dim light, again, “See what?”

“The sky was your favorite color.” He shuffled on the other end of the line, let loose an even breath, “Still is, if you look quickly.”

You glanced back outside, taking it in like you hadn't watched the hues shift, melt into each other, just moments before. You looked at sky and smiled, “Yeah.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.” Your voice softened, “You called to tell me that?”

It was like you could hear him grinning, like you could feel the way Johnny brightened. The sun had set and found a resting place in Johnny Suh; it wrapped itself around his heart, his soul, let him carry that warmth and spread it how he saw fit. Tonight, it was fitting to remind you to look at the sky, so he said, “It seemed important.”

“Hm.” You settled onto your couch, sinking down into it and curling around a pillow, “How was your day?”

“Boring.” Johnny laughed, “Ask me something else.”

“Okay. What did you eat today?”

He hummed, “Breakfast and lunch.”

So you laughed, “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh, you want specifics?”

“Yeah. Paint me a picture, set the scene.”

His voice was thick with amusement, playful as he always was. Any other sound was muffled behind him, dull in comparison to the way he spoke. Even when he said something as simple as, “Ten brought me pho for lunch and for breakfast I had coffee.”

“Coffee and?” You rolled onto your back, “Tell me there’s more.”

“Unbridled ambition.”

Your chest rumbled with another laugh, “You need more than coffee for breakfast.”

“I know that.” He paused for a moment, clicking his tongue when he thought to speak again, “Come over.”

“Right now?”

“Yes.” Johnny told you, “I’m making dinner. And, if you come stay the night, you can make sure I eat breakfast in the morning.”

“That’s the only reason?”

“I miss my girlfriend.” It had been two weeks and the sound of it, the thought of it, the fact that you were Johnny’s girlfriend still hadn’t settled. It was so fresh, a similar feeling to diving into a pool before the sun had yet to warm the waters. It was refreshing, in that way, unknowable in others. You didn’t know if you would ever get used to it, “A lot.”

“You saw me-”

“Stop. Don’t do that. I know when I saw you.” His mock scolding covered your stifled laugh, “I still miss you.”

You wanted to ask him, “How are you feeling?” So, without hesitation, you did. Then, for clarification, you added, “About us.”

“I feel great.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I think I’m in shock.” Again, he paused. In the background you could hear something clang, something else sizzle, then Johnny laughed a bit and repeated, “Come over and we can talk about it more.”

Nodding, you agreed, “Okay. I’ll come over.”

November found you wrapped in layers, sweaters over shirts, scarves around your neck. The days passed by in a blink, if the sun lended out light at all. Time was moving in a way you’d never felt before, dragging and dragging, but sprinting away all the same. Savoring the sunsets was all you could do to try and make it stop; basking in the moments of light before night chilled everything again. Your scarf blew behind you when you stepped out onto the street, standing still in the light from the street lamp.

He was home. The end of the street was lit well enough by the three separate windows where light was shining for you to see his car in the driveway. It’d been two weeks since you’d spoken to Jaehyun. Two weeks of shortened days, of frozen mornings and of silence. Your feet almost moved towards him, almost carried you down a path that was so familiar to you. Johnny was waiting. Johnny would understand, but Johnny was waiting. He missed you and he was waiting and he’d never hesitate to tell you.

There was a time you’d say the same about Jaehyun. A time you’d know, you’d understand, you wouldn’t even think to ask because Jaehyun would tell you every thought in his head. It was simpler to blame the distance on the road, on the way time itself seemed to have shifted. It was simpler pushing blame on growth or a ruined dynamic than it was to address it.

Two weeks had passed with your thumb hovering over his name on your phone, typing out words you didn’t send, glancing over your shoulder any time you stepped out of your house. You hoped to see him there, thought maybe you’d turned too late or too early to see him.

The reality of it all hadn’t found its way to you, yet. Not in a way you were ready to acknowledge. So, you turned. You pulled your coat tighter around you and walked against the November breeze until the hesitation to look back was gone.

Johnny greeted you with warmth; from him, from his apartment, from the steam floating off pots of food in the kitchen. He kissed the top of your head, your nose, your lips and told you, “Happy you’re here.”

You nodded, “What are you making?”

“A mess mostly.” His fingers fiddle with the zipper of your coat, pulling it down and slipping it from your shoulders. Johnny tugged at your scarf and told you, “It’s ramen. I need to go grocery shopping.”

Your arms were secure around his waist, smiling up at him, “Ramen is good.”

“I really did miss you.”

“Me too.”

The way Johnny waddled the two of you into his kitchen, wrapped around each other and stepping carefully in sync, filled the space with your laughter. It echoed off of his walls, the wide windows that started at the floor and touched the ceiling, and came back to you.

Johnny never stopped smiling, never stopped looking at your lips. He thought too much about kissing you, thought too much about how your lips felt against his. His mind was often clouded with lingering thoughts of the feeling, the way you looked at him when he pulled back, how breathless he was, gasping for air. From the moment he leaned in, and every moment after, he knew it would take much more to pull back, “I feel lucky.”

“Huh?”

“You asked me how I feel. I feel lucky.” He held you against him with one hand, used the other to stir the pot, “I told Ten today that it still feels like a dream, in a way.”

“Not a dream.” You buried your face in his chest, “I’m right here.”

Johnny pinched your side, “I know. You always have been. I think that’s why. I feel like…I don’t know.”

“No, say it.”

“I’ve known you since I was seventeen.” His mouth twisted in thought, “That’s why I think I was giving it time. But, what if I gave it too much time?”

You leaned more into him, wrapped your arms tighter, “How do you mean?”

There was a hit of laughter in his words, like he was pushing nerves out and disguising them as humor, “What if I chased this for so long that I can’t sustain it?”

“Oh.” Johnny stilled in your hold, knowing he said how he was feeling and terrified it was misunderstood. He waited for you to speak again, “That doesn’t sound good.”

Two weeks, “It’s not bad.”

Two weeks, “You made me promise not to think of the end before it begins.”

“I know.”

“Then don’t do that.”

Johnny brought his hands to your face, then, holding you steady to look at him. He held you there for a moment, blinking only twice before he told you, “I’m not thinking of the end. I’m worried, truthfully. I want us to keep building and it’s like we have this great foundation to start with, but I want to make sure it’s sturdy. I want to make sure we’re standing on the same ground.”

You blinked, too, eyes dry and searching. Your heart was beating in your chest, so loudly you thought Johnny might be able to hear it. Johnny watched you, the way your mind turned, the way your face twitched. He studied every second of it before you said, “We are.”

You’d made that decision two weeks ago.

“We are, Johnny.”

When he held you in Taeyong’s studio, when one butterfly burst into two, into three, into an entire sanctuary in your stomach.

“I promise.”

Johnny kissed his belief into your skin, kissed trust onto your lips. He pressed his lips to yours and secured a promise there that he couldn’t articulate, gratitude he hoped you could feel, and something he wouldn’t - maybe couldn’t - name yet. Then, he rested his forehead on yours and said, “Let’s go eat.”

📻

Johnny’s apartment was bright, the late morning light filled the space in a way it never touched yours. Everything about it contrasted your house; Johnny’s clean white walls, hints of grey and black, beige and brown. Johnny’s books were neatly shelved, mixed among trinkets, trophies and his framed degree. His furniture and his floors were spotless, far from sterile but intentionally clean. Just like Johnny, everything was intentional, everything had its place.

You had a place.

Your place was in his living room with your head on his lap, watching his favorite movie, your favorite, something new. Your place was in his kitchen, laughing along with Johnny while he balanced cooking and entertaining flawlessly. Your place was covered by steam in the shower, lathering his hair in soap and watching the way his eyes rolled back at your touch.

You had a place, tucked in his bed, covered in his deep grey sheets and wrapped in his arms.

In the middle of November, when days ended before they began, it was the perfect place to be, the right place to be. It was a place to adjust, safely, to the way he looked at you, kissed you, the way girlfriend sounded coming from his lips. Johnny made a place for you, he shifted everything he could to allow you in and it made you melt; just like the frost melted from blades of grass, from windows, from the street. Johnny kissed chills down your spine only to warm you with words and watch you turn into a puddle, in front of him.

You woke up next to him when the sun came up, easily and slowly. Johnny was snoring lightly next to you, partially under you; you held your breath in an attempt not to wake him. His chest rose and fell, rose again and dropped when the breath rushed from his lungs. He looked so serene, one arm under your neck and holding you close, loosely but secure. The clock on his nightstand said 8:03am in bold, light blue letters - your body ached to stretch but begged you to stay in the blankets, all the same.

Slowly, you pulled yourself from Johnny, made your way to your place in the kitchen, delicately pulling ingredients from the cabinets. Anything you could find to make him breakfast.

The city was waking up, too, several stories underneath you. You could hear horns honking, the train rumbling on its track, faint voices if you listened hard enough. It was a distant chaos covered in the calm of Johnny’s apartment.

You settled on a box of pancake mix, spilling it into a bowl and mixing it into goop. Your mind wandered to the last time you’d made pancakes, the smell of burning flapjacks and Mark’s apology. The morning Johnny introduced you to his playlist, the morning before he danced with you at the festival. The week after you’d kissed Jaehyun at the corner of his lips and wished you knew what it was like to be bold, to kiss him fully and spill out all you wanted to tell him.

You were familiar with one of those feelings now and when the memory of it crept in, you blinked it away in a hurry. Yours eyes stung at the thought of him, your mind spun and your heart - your heart was in horrendous shape. The batter sizzled in the pan, another horn honked from the street, you found your place back in Johnny’s home and did your best to stay there.

“The bed was cold without you.” Johnny was behind you, arms slipping around your waist and with his face buried in your neck, “Pancakes, huh?”

“You wanna get the coffee started?”

He left you with a kiss under your ear, “Of course, babe.”

The stack was seven high, teetering when you put it on the counter. Johnny met you with coffee, coming up behind you to put a steaming mug next to each plate. He grinned at you, placed another kiss on your temple and pulled you along, “Eat, babe.”

Together in comfortable silence, you ate. For a while, the sound of silverware mixed in with those coming from outside and filled the closed off space; your space, the space Johnny made for you.

“When do you have to be at work?”

Johnny looked at the clock on the stove and grinned, “I’m already late.”

“What?”

He shrugged, directing his smile to you, “Wanted to spend the morning with you. Besides, I’m the boss. What are they going to do?”

“Unionize.”

He barked a laugh, swallowing it down with a sip of his coffee, “What about you?”

“Nothing today. Monday I have to go pick up Haechan’s second draft.”

“How’d that meeting go?”

You pushed at your food, “It went fine. He’s interesting, I guess. He speaks the exact way he writes, so that’s…it’s different.”

“Most authors don’t do that?”

Shaking your head, you smiled, “I think most authors use written language when spoken sort of fails, you know? Not all of them, but a lot I’ve worked with.”

“It’s good to have a curveball every now and then, though.” Johnny took his last bite, “Something different can be a good thing, right?”

Your head nodded, mixing your thoughts that swirled around each other; Johnny’s something different can be good and Haechan’s do you love him tied themselves in a knot, “Yeah, it can be.”

“Look at me.” Johnny pulled himself to the edge of his stool. Another space he made for you, guiding you by the knees to fit between his. He looked at you, eyes thoughtful and intense, “Yeah, still lucky.”

“Oh, you’re corny.”

“How is that tally coming?”

You could smell the syrup on his breath, thinking only about tasting it from his lips when you said, “Not great, for you.”

“Damn. That’s no good.” With every word, he leaned in closer. With every word, he worked overtime to not think of only your lips, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“If I feel lucky, how do you feel?” He added, “Any worries?”

One thousand. One for each of the butterflies that took flight when Johnny rested his hand on your knee. One for every mile between you and Jaehyun. One for every move you made that might, that could, that was ruining the dynamic. That was the truth.

Your fork slipped out of your hand, clanging against the ceramic plate. Johnny watched as you rested your hand on his, squeezed it and said, “A few. None of them are real.”

Another truth, a layer to it. He nodded, “Maybe. But, if you want to say them, you can.”

“I will.”

“Just don’t let one of them be talking to me. Is that fair?”

“It’s fair.”

“Good.” Johnny squeezed your knees, pulling at your hands when he stood up. He put them around his waist, leaned closer and asked, “Would any of them get better by taking a shower with me, before I go?”

“Probably.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Always.”

So, Johnny did just that. And the syrup tasted better, sweeter, richer from his lips.

📻

“You think he shouldn’t stop the wedding?”

You shook your head, fidgeting with the pen pinched between your fingers, “That’s not what I said.”

“It feels too predictable.” Haechan’s hand covered his eyes, he leaned back in his chair and huffed, “How far does the publish date get pushed back if I rewrite it?”

“You don’t need to rewrite it.”

“Indulge me, okay?”

“It depends on how long you take.”

“Will you look at the screen so you can see my face?” Disgruntled, annoyed, frustrated and maybe exhausted. Haechan was too close to begging, “What should I do?”

You sighed, unsure. You sighed, searching through pages of notes, combed through and considered. You sighed and Haechan did, too, spinning around in his chair miles away, “It’s a good ending. A really good ending. If you believe in it, keep it. I think rewriting it…it won’t feel authentic.”

“You said it felt like a cop out.”

“Would you rather it be a cop out or insincere?”

He fell silent, only for a moment, then answered with, “How’s your boyfriend?”

“Talking to you gives me whiplash.” It was funny enough for Haechan to laugh, “He’s good. I’m actually at his place, right now.”

He made a show of looking you up and down, eyes taking in you, your surroundings from Johnny’s couch, then humming. Haechan grinned as a preface, a warning, “That explains the outfit.”

“I’ll hang up.”

“Nice place.”

You nodded, “Yeah, it’s nice.”

“Is he there?”

“He’s at work.”

“What does he do?”

“He owns a café. I-” You took a moment, a breath from his rapid fire interrogation, to sip from another mug of coffee, “Why?”

His shoulders shrugged, “I’m nosy. What about the other guy? Jaehyun?”

“Don’t say it like that. The other guy. He’s my friend.” Two weeks. Two weeks. Your phone was next to your computer, face down but blank. Every word you wanted to say tingling on your tongue, on your finger tips. Haechan was patient, he sat back and watched you for as long as it took until you came to. Until you looked at him and said, “We haven’t talked in a while.”

“Ah.” He was curious, he said he was nosy, “Why is that?”

Because you can’t without fighting. Because every word you say to each other feels like another knife, another blow to the chest, another nail in the coffin. Because looking at him still feels like a dream that’s slowly shifting into a nightmare. Because you’re in love with him. Haechan had told you to think about it and, instead, you let that singular thought sink down. You buried it and piled on top of it, hoping it would settle in the dirt and sprout into something else.

You surrendered it to nature, gave it space to grow. Now, it was tangled vines that pushed at the dirt and pushed the two of you apart. You shook your head, “I think it’s just all…I think it’s weird for him. For us.”

“Why would it be weird?”

“Because we’re all friends. Johnny, my boyfriend, Jaehyun, another guy - Mark - and me. It’s just an adjustment, I think.”

Haechan’s fingers tapped along his desk, tapping out a curious rhythm, “How is Mark adjusting?”

Your coffee was running cold, “Just fine.”

Then, Haechan made a point to tilt his head and press, like he was putting a spotlight on you when he asked again, “Why would it be weird, then?”

He gave you time to answer, time he thought was suitable enough. When you were still silent, mouth gaping and searching and coming up short, Haechan intervened.

“My friends Sungchan and Chenle have dated the same girl twice.” He clarified, “Two different girls at different times.”

“Okay.”

“It wasn’t weird. Maybe a bit messy towards the end, but not weird. I can tell you the one time it was weird.” Haechan presented it like a secret, like sage advice, leaning closer to his screen, “Our other friend, Jisung, was crushing on this girl. He would talk about her nonstop, but he never gave any identifying details.”

Again, you sipped and you spoke, “Okay.”

“At the same time, Chenle started seeing this girl that he also wouldn’t shut up about. When Chenle finally brought her around, Jisung shut down.”

“It was the same girl.”

“It was the same girl.” His exaggerated nod almost made you smile, almost made you laugh, “But, Jisung didn’t say anything. He just shut us out until Chenle went and confronted him.”

You didn’t have a response, you knew what he was saying and a sip of coffee wasn’t going to wash the taste of it from your mouth. You blinked, you took a breath, you tried to change the subject, “How many lives have you lived, Lee Haechan?”

“Only one so far.” He wouldn’t let you off so easily, “Go talk to him.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“Okay. Go talk to him, anyway.” He added, “You’re too mopey when you’re alone like this. You don’t believe in love and it’s hurting my book.”

Your finger slid over the mousepad, “I’m hanging up, now.”

Haechan laughed, sighed, told you again, “Do what you want. Go talk to him.”

📻

Go talk to him followed you into the evening, when Johnny came back, when you crawled into bed with him. Go talk to him woke you up the next morning and packed itself away with your belongings. It weighed your bag down when you stood in Johnny’s doorway and kissed him goodbye. Go talk to him made itself at home in yours, sprawled out of the couch, helped itself to snacks in the form of any other thought you had. Go talk to him opened your door and pulled you outside, two days later, dropping you in the middle of the road until your legs moved.

Go talk to him raised your hand to knock, made you look up at him when he answered and say, “It’s been two weeks.”

“I know.”

You didn’t anticipate your voice cracking, “Are you going to talk to me again?”

Jaehyun was stoic for a moment, facade cracking when your voice did, when you did. His head shook, his hands shook, the only thing he could keep still was his feet. He told you, “I keep saying the wrong thing.”

“Yeah.” It was easy to agree, easy to remember every word either one of you had said, “Yeah.”

The middle of November found you speechless when you needed words most, standing in front of Jaehyun, cooled by a harsh breeze. He watched you shiver, stepping onto the porch, “Come on.”

Wordlessly, the only way you could, you followed.

When you were in the loft, when you could see the stars above you, your chest loosened around your heart long enough for you to say, “I don’t want to fight.”

“No.” Jaehyun was in the middle of the room, hoping you’d step away from the door but afraid you’d open it and run. Two weeks had gone by like nothing, two weeks had gone by at an agonizingly slow pace. Jaehyun hadn’t found a way to fix the way time was moving until you knocked on his door, until you stood in front of him, “I don’t either.”

“Can I sit?”

“Of course.” He watched you take your coat off, the way your fingers wrapped around the fabric to hang it on the hook, your hook - the hook mounted to the wall that has been empty for two weeks, “Do you need a drink?”

You shook your head, silent rejection, and found your way to the mattress, “Can we talk?”

Jaehyun said, “We can try.”

“I miss you.” It was the easiest way to start, the most truthful way, “Jae, I…I can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“I can’t lose you.”

He joined you on the mattress, kneeling beside it before settling on the edge, his knees pulled up and his elbows resting on top. Jaehyun’s back was to you, hesitant to look your way, “I can’t lose you either.”

“We keep coming back to that.” Go talk to him urged you to ask him, fingers picking at the blanket, “What do we do?”

He’d spent two weeks trying to think of a solution that wasn’t begging you to leave Johnny - Johnny who treated you so well, Johnny who cares for you. Two weeks begging Jungwoo for any update, for scraps of information as long as it was about you. Two weeks of Jaehyun telling Mark he was too busy or really swamped when he’d asked about coming over. Two unbearable weeks of silence from you and Jaehyun was still coming up short, “I don’t know.”

Silence again. Proximity didn’t make it feel better, didn’t make the air around you any lighter. Jaehyun was a foot away from you, still silent, still shut off. So, you scooted closer, until your leg pushed against his and you were breathing the same air. You watched the side of his face, the way his head dropped when you called his name, “Talk to me.”

It felt like the only thing you could do; go talk to him morphed easily into beg. You hesitated at the thought of touching him, lingering over his shoulder, “Please.”

“I’m trying.”

“I know.” You wanted to loop your arm with his, needed to put your head on his shoulder and remind him that you were there, “If I ask a questions, can you answer them? Honestly?”

Jaehyun hated how much weight he was making you carry, still unsure of his own tongue, his own tone. He couldn’t trust himself to speak unless guided, not right now, “Of course.”

“Do you hate me?”

“No. Never.”

“Do you hate Johnny?”

“No.” It was true. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t. Johnny was braver than Jaehyun and it was something he envied, but he’d never hate him, “I don’t hate him.”

“Just to check, do you hate Mark?”

Jaehyun laughed, Jaehyun tried to laugh, “I do not hate Mark. I don’t hate anyone.”

“Me and Johnny…” Your breathing was shaky, “Is that the problem?”

“It’s not a problem.”

You chided, focused on the ground, “You said you’d be honest.”

Jaehyun looked at you, knowing you were looking away. He took that moment to take you in, the highlighter staining your fingertips, your too-long sleeves rolled up to your wrists, the way you feet slowly tapped on the ground, “I think I have been. I don’t want…I keep saying everything that I don’t want to say and none of the things I actually do.”

“Well, what do you want to say?”

“That’s the problem, I don’t think I should say them.” The bitterness found its way in, again, coating his forced laugh. Jaehyun’s eyes focused on you, “I think it would make things worse.”

“You could try.”

“You don’t want that.”

“I do.”

He shook his head, “I’ve never felt like this. I’ve never even thought there would be a time I would feel so far away from you. You’re my best friend.”

It was the truth. He sectioned off the parts of the truth that he could stomach and offered them to you as carefully as he could. Jaehyun was on such shaky ground that he wondered if he should even move. But you were on the same ground, sitting with him and asking for honesty, begging for it. So, he’d give it to you, “I think I’m holding onto something that’s not there.”

“I’m right here.” You thought about screaming it, hoping he’d hear clearly if you did. You didn’t want to leave room for Jaehyun to doubt, “I’m here.”

He leaned back onto his palms, “We’re changing.”

“We are.”

Jaehyun looked at the stars, at the constellations he memorized for you, “I’m so used to how things are - how they were. But, they can’t stay like that.”

You told him, “Yes, they can.”

“No.” Just like he tried to laugh, Jaehyun tried to smile, “We can’t.”

We can’t. For a moment, it felt like another knife until the initial sting wore off. You looked to the stars then, the ones that peeked out from behind clouds long enough to shimmer, slipping away with them when they hid. Jaehyun’s hand was so close and yours itched to hold it, to hold him, to stay in the loft as you always did. If your heart didn’t pang at the thought, you might fight back.

It throbbed, it ached, it yearned for Jaehyun the same way it always had, only now every feeling was coupled with guilt. So, you hesitated, but agreed, “You’re right. We’ve been in a bubble.”

“Yeah.”

You had asked Jaehyun for honesty and you’d give it in return, voice softer when you admitted, “I don’t want to leave the bubble.”

“Me either.”

“Not all at once. I could do it gradually, but this…” You leaned all the way back, eyes focused on the sky, “This hurts.”

You knew if you blinked this moment would pass, another moment lost to the new current of time. You knew that if you blinked, you might miss the moments you longed for. You knew that if you blinked, the tears at the corners of your eyes would roll down your cheeks.

Jaehyun fell back with you, hands over his stomach, “It does hurt. I can’t make it stop.”

Your hands fell to your sides, “We can make a new bubble. We can start over. You said there would always be time for just you and I.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Can you try?” Your head turned to look at him, gravity pulled the tears you restrained with and let them fall. Jaehyun could feel another piece of his heart breaking away, “Can you please try, Jae, because I-”

“I can try.” His hands fell, too, close enough to yours that he could almost touch you. Jaehyun wanted to reach out, to remind himself how it felt to hold your hand, just like this; in the loft, the two of you and the stars, “I’ll try.”

“Thank you.”

He was still shaking when his hand lifted, shaking when he slowly touched your face and wiped at the tear drops drying on your cheeks. Jaehyun was shaking when he let his palm rest there, watching the way your eyes sparkled. He could pretend it was for him, he could stay in this moment and let another bubble form around the two of you.

“It’s snowing.”

Jaehyun looked over his shoulder, “It is.”

Winter froze the current, stopping time for the two of you, again. You watched the snowflakes flutter down, down, down until they met the Earth and piled together. Neither of you could stop it, winter was inevitable.

Jaehyun asked you, “Stay.”

His voice was heavy with things still left unsaid.

“Okay.” The mattress dipped beneath the two of you when you shifted. Jaehyun gathered a few more blankets, pillows that had been untouched for two weeks, and found his place next to you. You were both looking up again, hands still so close to touching, when you asked, “We’re going to be okay, right?”

The snow turned into sleet. A slippery mixture of rain and snow and, for a second, Jaehyun could pretend he’d gone back in time. For a second, seasons mixed and Jaehyun felt his heart settle into the mattress, safely next to you. So, Jaehyun linked your pinky with his and said, “We’re going to be okay.”

📻

“Don’t laugh.” Johnny sat across from Mark, finger tracing the pattern on the bistro table. He smelled of baked goods and coffee beans, having spent the whole day behind a pane of glass, in the kitchen, grinding and steaming and mixing lattes, “I want to do something big for Christmas.”

“Like what? Like a party?” Mark sipped at his drink, the one he swore tasted better because Johnny made it, after hours. Johnny gave him a look, begging him to think over his questions silently. Mark’s mouth formed an ‘O’ before he said your name. He grinned, maybe shimmied, when he clarified, “You want to do something for your girlfriend.”

Johnny leaned back in his chair, “That was worse than laughing.”

“I’m just excited for you, dude.” Mark leaned forward, filling the space, “What did you have in mind?”

The street outside the café was slowly shutting down; shops turning off their lights, the crowd thinning as the minutes passed by. Johnny had been brainstorming for the last few weeks and now November was almost over, almost a month had passed, “Nothing yet.”

Mark hummed, “What did you get her last year?”

“Mark, I’m not going to get her what I did last year.”

“Nah, nah, nah. But you could get something that like goes along with it? You know? Like if you got her slippers, you could get her a robe.” It seemed like a good enough idea to pitch, Mark at least knew it was an effective idea, “That’s what I do with my mom.”

“Is she your mom?” The look on Johnny’s face was signature, always playful and always bright. Mark still shied away, cheeks turning red, “Aw, Markie. That’s cute, man.”

“She’s not my mom.” He muttered, picking at his nails now, “It might work though.”

Johnny shook his head, “I don’t know. I had Taeyong make her that star vase. What goes with that?”

Mark thought for a moment, stirring the ice in his glass with his straw. He pulled his phone from his pocket, typing something and humming again, “You could buy her a star?”

“Buy her a star?” Leaning back over the table, the two shared Mark’s screen, “That’s actually not bad.”

“Look, you can name it after her.” Mark scrolled and tapped more, “You have to pick where it goes. Like which constellation.”

Johnny took out his own phone, then, slipping it out of his stained and dirtied apron. He typed a message to you, Babe what’s your favorite constellation before he deleted it.

Johnny swiped away, chose someone else’s name and typed a similar message - omitting babe, adding your name and asking the same question. Then, he looked back at Mark, “Okay, then what?”

“Oh. You want to do more?” Johnny nodded, Mark nodded back, “Okay. Okay, yeah.”

“I want something that’s just for the two of us. No offense.”

They sat in silence, if it weren’t for the music playing through the café, you’d hear the cogs in their brains turning. Johnny felt too idle, too stationary, like moving would help him think. So, he stood and started stacking chair, sweeping under the tables, turning down for the evening. Mark sat in thought, sometimes calling things out across the room; all fine ideas, all good ideas, none that felt perfect.

Johnny went to hang his apron, gathering his things from his office to join Mark, again. He stopped at his door, stopped at the picture pinned to it - Johnny, Jaehyun and you, dressed in shades of blue, surrounded by sparkling stars, the first night Johnny had ever thought to kiss you. He laughed, quiet and breathy, looking at a version of you that was so different, long gone. There were parts of her that lingered in you, now - fragments and pieces that Johnny adored. But, by far, his version of you - the one that woke up in his arms that very morning - was his favorite.

Still, something swelled in his chest, looking at the picture. Nostalgia or sentimentality. Either way, Johnny’s cogs stopped cranking, landing on an idea he could consider perfect. One that, like Mark suggested, complimented your star.

His phone buzzed in the pocket of his jeans, a message from Jaehyun.

9:32pm Cassiopeia.

📻

“Mark, please be careful.”

The lights wrapped around his arm dangled down between his feet. Mark was balanced on a stack of boxes and your kitchen stool. He created a makeshift ladder and scaled it, cautiously, teetering ever now and again while he draped the strand carefully across the tops of your cabinets. Johnny watched him from the floor, “Mom says be careful, son.”

“Oh, yuck.”

Johnny pulled you to him, “Don’t like it when I call you mom?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Is Mommy better?”

Mark cleared his throat, “Please don’t involve me in this.”

“I don’t want to be involved, either.” You grumbled. Johnny’s hands were resting on your shoulders, keeping you flush against his chest. You both kept your eyes on Mark, handing him clips and ties when he needed them, “What else is there?”

“Stockings and Santa’s, I think.” Johnny looked over his shoulder, at the explosion of Christmas decor around you; tinsel and garland, a few broken ornaments and a chipped ceramic bust of Santa. There was a clump of old window clings, ones you had since you were seven, that melted together over the summer. The last week of November and your house looked like a department store, a commercial Winter Wonderland, “Jaehyun is working on the tree.”

“It looks good, huh?” Mark leaned back as far as he could, another almost-slip, another teeter, “We can’t have lights in our dorm, anymore.”

“You specifically or the whole campus?”

Jaehyun stepped into the kitchen just as Mark climbed down to sit on his stool, “Whole campus. A dude named Hendery left them plugged in last Christmas and started a fire.”

“This was last year?” Johnny asked. Mark nodded, “What, did you just forget about it until now?”

“Nah, Jeno and Jaemin got written up last week because they bought a tree. It had lights in it.”

You blinked, you smiled, then you nodded, “Uh huh.”

Jaehyun turned to you, “Tree is up.” He looked at Johnny’s hands, where they rested on your shoulders and continued, “If you wanna get the decorations on.”

“Let’s go.”

Johnny was in charge of the garland, Mark had a box of ornaments, so did Jaehyun. You were sorting through old polaroids, sitting on the floor behind them. The three of them weaved through each other, around, over and under, putting each ornament on the tree carefully and stringing holiday-colored beads on the needles. The pictures in your hands were of moments exactly like this; some of you decorating trees, houses, cookies and some of them on Christmas day, surrounded by wrapping paper on your living room floor.

There was a polaroid of Johnny baking cookies; gingerbread, sugar, chocolate chip. He had a candy-striped apron tied around him, sleeves pushed up as he pinched at sprinkles. One of Mark in a Santa hat, holding out a neatly wrapped gift and grinning. One of Jaehyun wrapped in multi-colored lights the year your tree stand broke on Christmas Eve; Johnny was hiding behind him, holding a star over Jaehyun’s head.

There were several of the four of you, over time; a testament to how you’d grown. The year Johnny’s hair was blonde, when Mark had braces, the Christmas Jaehyun had pneumonia and you all wore Hazmat suits. In the older ones, one of you was always blurry - racing against the timer and just barely making it into frame.

When Johnny’s garland ran out and Jaehyun and Mark’s boxes were empty, you settled on a stack and stood.

Carefully, you hung them, securing them to a strand of red, green and white beaded garland. Johnny and Mark moved back to the kitchen, closing up boxes and stacking them by the back door. Jaehyun was stringing the last of the lights around the banister and you were basking in a sense of calm that only came at this time; after the first snow, before everyone was racing to the end of the year.

Jaehyun came from behind you, “It looks good.”

“Yeah.” You admired the tree for a second longer, then looked back at him, “It feels like Christmas, now.”

He grinned, leaning to nudge you, happy to be next to you, “You still have a month.”

“Should we get our matching pajamas?”

You watched him still, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the tree. Jaehyun sought out the polaroids in backwards order; last year in plaid, the year before in reindeer, three years ago in stripes, four years since sleighs, five years had gone by since you’d worn snowmen. He could see them, he knew there were at least ten more. Jaehyun looked down at his feet, “I won’t be here.”

“What?”

“For Christmas, I won’t be here.” All his strength was used to look up at you, to see the look in your eyes, to feel his chest grow tight, “My parents want me to go there.”

“Oh.” You nodded, slowly then too quickly, “Right. Sure.”

“My mom just called last night.”

You couldn’t remember a time you hadn’t spent Christmas with Jaehyun. There had been a few without Johnny, two without Mark. The tree reflected as much; a photograph of the four of you in assorted Canada gear from when Mark was gone, two of Johnny’s blurry picture via FaceTime when he was in Chicago and one of just Johnny and The Bean.

“You’ve never been gone.”

Jaehyun reminded, “We’re changing.”

And, because you believed it, you told him, “That’s not fair.”

“We’ll still celebrate.” He was trying, he was doing everything he could to try. He looked over his shoulder, listening as Johnny and Mark stacked the last of the boxes. Then, Jaehyun looked back to you and promised, “Just me and you. In our bubble.”

Johnny came into the room first; Johnny who only wanted something sturdy for both of you, who built a foundation and made sure you knew he’d keep building towards the sky. Jaehyun cleared his throat next to you; Jaehyun who was content to float in a bubble, in something so fragile, until it popped somewhere near the stars and you plummeted to the Earth, again.

Johnny put his arm around your shoulder and asked, “Who gets to do the star this year?”

You blinked, eyes reflecting the twinkling lights. I won’t be here. “Mark. Mark gets to put it on.”

Mark scaled the armchair to the left of the tree, bells jingling when he gripped the top, “Look good?”

“Looks perfect, Mark.” Johnny held you closer, chin resting on your head, “Come look.”

So, he did. The four of you stood in the soft light, admiring what you’d built together, basking in your quiet calm. Mark hummed along with the music playing, Johnny swayed the two of you slowly and Jaehyun let a small smile sink in his dimples. Then Mark smiled, making sure he looked at each of you before he, much too early, wished everyone, “Merry Christmas.”

📻

Two hours later, Mark was asleep on your floor; a halo of takeout containers around his head. The reflection of your Christmas tree was glaring on your television, the movie you’d put on too dark in color to combat it. Johnny made space for you, again, holding you to his chest as he had been; like he needed you close to his heart, needed you to feel the way it was beating. He’d spent the last two hours with his arms around you and whispering soft words in your ear.

Jaehyun could hear him, he tried not to. He did his best to tune into the movie, Mark’s quiet snores, his own thoughts. But he could hear every word. He could see how Johnny’s fingers played idly with yours, how they ran up and down your arms. Jaehyun could see how Johnny’s hands slipped under your sweater, needing to touch your skin, holding your waist. He felt crazed, disgusted with himself and the way he couldn’t help but notice.

It was too much. Being out of your bubble was only bearable if he could pull you back into it, if Jaehyun could pause the rest of the world. Right now, all night, he’d been thrown into it, into a new reality. Jungwoo had told him, “There’s not a lot you can do. You missed your chance.”

Jaehyun didn’t speak to him for days after it, he couldn’t.

He shifted in the chair now, at the sound of your hushed giggle, the sight of you shifting against Johnny. The movie had to be coming to an end, it had to be giving Jaehyun his out. His foot was tapping in anticipation for it until Johnny spoke loud enough, intentionally, for Jaehyun, “You okay, man?”

Jaehyun’s head turned too quickly, feeling like he had guilt written all over his face. He masked it with a breath, coughed up an excuse, “Trying to keep myself awake. I might head out, soon.”

You saw the way his hands gripped the arm rests, the way Jaehyun smiled; reading him easily, now, like turning the pages in a familiar book. You told him, “We can finish the movie some other time.”

Jaehyun stood, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you guys soon.”

Johnny waved, “For sure, man. Get home safe.”

You pulled yourself from Johnny’s hold, “I’ll walk you out.”

Jaehyun was quick to get his coat, his scarf, his suit jacket from work with his ID still tacked on. You followed behind him, slowly and tentative, until he opened your front door and stepped onto your porch. If Jaehyun hadn’t stopped, his heavy footsteps on the concrete would’ve overpowered your voice when you asked him, “You really won’t be here for Christmas?”

He shook his head, “No.”

“I’ll take your gift back, then.” Your attempt at a joke tore away at his heart. Jaehyun still laughed like he should, turning around to face you. Your arms were crossed, you cleared your throat, “Lee Haechan might change his ending.”

“Oh yeah?”

“He thinks stopping the wedding is too predictable.”

Your eyes were focused on his feet, Jaehyun just wanted you to look up. He wanted to take two steps up and be bold again, make a miscalculated but hopeful move again. Jungwoo said there was nothing he could do, but Jaehyun knew there were at least four things. Kiss you, hold you, beg you, fight for you. He could do all of them, even if he shouldn’t. He could, he could but Jaehyun’s feet were weighted in his shoes, keeping himself planted a safe enough distance away.

He was surrendering, he was supporting you. But, Jaehyun couldn’t stop himself from saying, before he left, “Tell him it’s the best part of the book.”

📻

Haechan was growing on you. He didn’t give you much choice.

“I have three artists for your cover.” You stepped in tandem, knitted layers keeping you warm, “We can give them a concept or they can just do their own thing.”

Haechan huffed, his breath a swirling cloud in front of him, “What’s my concept? Desperate man begs on his knees at his ex-girlfriend’s wedding?”

You eyed him, “You wrote the book.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He glanced at you, pushing forward through the crowd, “Is this typical? This weird pre-publish remorse?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never written a book.”

The two of you came to a stop, standing on the corner in a crowd and waiting for the light to change, “Would you ever?”

“Probably not.”

“You just like judging them.”

The crowd shifted and you scolded, “If I didn’t judge your book, you wouldn’t be getting published.”

“Then I wouldn’t feel like shit.”

Haechan was growing on you, you had to remind yourself. It was his passion, sometimes misdirected and unchecked. You’d been right, he did have an opinion on everything, “I’ll send you some of their work so you can get an idea.”

“Sounds good, Editor.” He stopped in his tracks, “Did you talk to Jaehyun?”

You matched his stance, “I did.”

“How’d that go?”

Bodies passed by the two of you, shuffling around the barrier you’d made in the middle of the sidewalk. Haechan didn’t seem phased, didn’t budge or cower away from the crowd. He just waited, hands shoved in his coat pocket, waited like he tended to do, “It went alright. We’re…we’re okay, now.”

“What’s the truth?”

“What are you, a spy?”

“I’m an uninvolved third party.” Haechan grimaced, nose scrunching at the bridge, “Mostly.”

“We really are okay.”

“Okay. Good.” He called all the shots, picking up pace again and expecting you to follow, “How’s Johnny?”

“He’s great. I’m seeing him tonight.”

“And how is Mark?”

Chuckling, beaming, you assured him, “He’s good, too. All of my friends are good.”

He stopped again, for emphasis, for the theatrics of it all, “You have more than the three?”

This time, you didn’t stop. Your feet persisted until you could hear him scoff, hear his footsteps catching up and falling back into pace with yours. Haechan tried not to make his amusement obvious, turning a broad smile into a smirk when he was next to you again.

“I do have good news for you, though.” His ears perked, noticeably, “Jaehyun said not to change your ending.”

“Is that right?”

“He said it was the best part.”

The face Haechan made was indescribable, though you doubt he’d struggle to put it into words. He didn’t stop again, but he faltered in his footing, glancing your way and sighing, “That’s loaded.”

“How?”

Then, he explained like it should’ve been clear, like he was bored but like he wanted you to solve a riddle, “Maybe you should meet Jisung.”

📻

The tenth day of December was blanketed in snow. You woke up to it, near three o’clock, tucked into your bed and half awake. You watched the flurries falling outside your window until counting them made you dazed, weighed your eyelids down and put you back to sleep.

The second time you woke, it was almost seven and the sun was on its way to rising, reflecting on the landed snowflakes; dazzling, sparkling. The world was almost too quiet, lending a moment of peace for your mind to come back, for your body to unravel out of heavy blankets. December was delicate in that way, romantic and kind. Icicles dangled from gutters and branches where the snow rested on rooftops, clung to the needles of pine trees.

Nothing moved, in the earliest hours of the morning. A welcome relief.

Your phone buzzed by your head.

6:58am Good morning babe!

6:59am I can’t wait to see you tonight.

6:59am There’s a package on your porch. You should get it before the snow covers it.

You quickly typed back, 7:00am What did you do?

And Johnny sent in reply, 7:01am See you babe

Johnny met you at his door, thirteen hours later; after the chaos of the afternoon, into the reprise of calm the evening brought. His hair was pushed back, slicked down neatly. The sun had already set and nestled itself in his eyes; the way they glistened, warmed you up and made up for the reality of winter. He leaned in to kiss you, “Hi.”

You kissed him back, “Hi.”

Then, he tugged at your hand, “Come in. Close your eyes.”

You listened, you didn’t hesitate to trust him. You let Johnny guide you inside, into the small space of the entryway, and kept your eyes closed tight. Johnny unbuttoned your coat, slipping it slowly off your shoulders and pressing his lips to the exposed skin. You could hear him take a step back and how his breath caught in his throat before he said, “You look gorgeous, babe. You’re…”

“I want to see you, Johnny.”

“Hold on.” Johnny tugged at your shoes, unclasping the straps - a reminder of Halloween, of your Romeo, of his Juliet- and instructed, “It’s a surprise. You have to keep your eyes closed until I say open.”

He led you inside, both hands holding onto you with just the tips of his fingers. You could hear music, smell his cologne, feel your heart thumping with anticipation, “Okay.” His lips were on your neck, “Open.”

Johnny’s living room had transformed; silver, blue and white decorations hung from the ceiling, balloons covered the floor. There was a tree in the center with presents wrapped in coordinated paper, bows knotted on top. Candles were lining the walls, secured with string and floating amongst the other decorations; stars and moons and streamers. It was familiar; the theme, the music. You looked down at your dress - a soft blue, a perfect match - and it clicked.

Your voice wavered when you whispered, “Johnny.”

He was still behind you, “I told you that the first time I ever wanted to kiss you was at the winter dance. It was the first time I tried. I think I was joking, then, but now…I think I’d go crazy if I went a day without it.”

“This is crazy.”

“I wanted that moment back, though.” He stepped closer to you, “I wanted to remind you that it’s not a joke, in case you’d forgotten over the last month.”

You shook your head, “I haven’t.”

“Also,” Johnny’s breath was warm on your skin, his lips pressed to your ear, “I really wanted that kiss under the mistletoe.”

His fingers held your jaw, slowly angling your head up. Amongst the stars he’d put above you, dangling over the two of you, there was mistletoe. You laughed, you giggled and grinned and nodded to Johnny, “I can do that.”

Then you kissed him, angling your head back and resting your hand on his neck. His lips moved with yours as his hands worked to spin you around. Johnny kept you close to him, kept your lips on his, kept you breathless. He kept the world spinning.

You were still spinning when he pulled away, “You’re incredible.”

“Not corny?”

“A little. But, it’s good.” You kissed him again, slowly, savoring the taste, “It’s so good.”

Johnny seemed pleased with himself, satisfied with a hint of mischief, “There’s more.”

You balked, “How is there more?”

He pulled you over to the tree, pinching an envelope from where it was balanced on a branch. Johnny passed it to you and waited. He held his breath and waited. Johnny looked at you in your blue dress that matched his tie, the balloons, the ornaments and waited for you. Beautiful you. His version of you. His Juliet.

When you’d unfolded the paper, your eyes went wide. It took you reading it three times before you even thought to speak, “Johnny.”

“You’re part of Cassiopeia, now.” His hands were behind his back, “You’re a star.”

“Johnny.”

“There’s a telescope under the tree. When there’s a clear night, I figured we could try and find you.”

Every word he said overwhelmed you. Your head was spinning, surrounded by your sanctuary of butterflies. The paper in your hands trembled, your vision blurred, “This is…” Your throat was dry, next, “Johnny, this is the nicest thing anyone has given me.”

“I’m glad you like it, babe.”

“No, I’m not - I’m not wording it right. I love it, Johnny. I love it so much.” The thread you were dangling from was too precarious for you to keep speaking. Another word and you thought you’d collapse and Johnny was so far away, he was too far away when all you wanted to do was kiss him, “Johnny, I-”

“Let me kiss you, baby.” He was inside your head. Johnny was reading your every thought, every move you made and working his way from your thoughts into your heart - he’d made space for himself there, you’d let him. He took a step towards you, “Please.”

You nodded.

He scooped you up into his arms, lifting you to wrap your legs around him. Your arms held onto his neck, wrapping around him until there wasn’t any space between the two of you, until it felt like you molded into one person. Johnny’s lips, Johnny’s lips. Two months of kissing his lips hadn’t taken away the rush. Two months of kissing Johnny, one month of kissing Johnny as your boyfriend.

One minute of kissing the man who secured you in the sky.

He was panting, lips still on yours, “Merry Christmas, my Juliet.”

“Merry Christmas, Johnny.”

previous. masterlist. next.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  steddieasitgoes! @steddieasitgoes has 27 works posted to AO3 in the Stranger Things fandom and 23 of them are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @steddieasitgoes:

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)

for a fortnight there, we were forever

honey i'm still free (take a chance on me)

You Were All Yellow

Eat Your Heart Out, Big Boy

"Her fics are SO FUN. I have enjoyed every single one that I've read IMMENSELY and am always talking about them to my friends after I've read them <3" -- anonymous

Below the cut, @steddieasitgoes answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Was I supposed to watch Eddie throw Steve his vest – the quintessential 80s romcom moment – and be totally normal about it? But in all honesty, there’s just something about them that compels me. When you dig deep into their personalities and arcs, they’re really two sides of the same coin and there’s so many ways for that to manifest in fic.hen

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I had to consult my ao3 bookmarks for this one and “getting together” tops my list, which really isn’t a traditional trope but I absolutely adore that mutual pining, idiots in love sort of thing that happens in those fics. Bonus points for slow burns!

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Idiots in love for sure. Again, not a typical trope but I’m pretty sure it’s tagged on just about every fic I’ve written. It’s just so easy to slot them into those roles and banter their way into a love confession. The show is so life and death all the time, that I like letting them be goofy boys.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

This is like asking me to choose if I’m more of a Steve girl or an Eddie girl – impossible! But if I had to narrow it down to a top few, I’d say: the most remarkable thing by greatunironic, rounding third, sliding home by througheden, better by you, better than me by palmviolet, and is your light on? By Adure

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Outside of fic I’m a huge fan of enemies/rivals to lovers so I think that would be fun to explore between Steddie. There’s a hint of it in Signed, Sealed, Delivered but I think their hatred fizzles out really quickly and I definitely want to play with something where that takes longer to happen.

What is your writing process like?

It sort of depends on the project, but typically I get a kernel of an idea. Somethings that’s a setting, sometime it’s a bit of dialogue, sometimes it’s just ✨ vibes ✨ Then I’ll add it to my jumbled mess of a notes app on my phone and keep adding to it as I get ideas. When I wrote my first fic (Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore) I had no outline whatsoever. I just knew I had this one scene in mind and kept writing and building the world until I felt the moment made sense to happen. Nowadays, I’m a bit more organized when it comes to longer fics. I’ll usually do a bare bones outline with the major beats I want to hit outlined. This gives me enough structure to not feel lost, but also lets the characters breath one the page and make their own choices. Every fic, but the one I’m working on now for the steddie big bang, I’ve written chronologically which helps me because I can see the progression of the relationship dynamics in real time.  For one shots, it’s somewhat similar. I start with a kernel of an idea and a general plot in my head and just write and hope for the best lol

Do you have any writing quirks?

I think I use the same sentence structure a lot which drives me nuts, but I can’t always help it. Motif-wise I don’t think I have a unifying theme amongst all my fics, but I can almost guarantee that there will be some kind of third act break up. Happily ever afters are always going to be in my fics, but I like to make them work for it. Also they do a lot of gazing at each other and things in my fics. So much gazing!

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Generally, I like posting when something is completely finished. But I get antsy and have been known to start posting when the fic is 85% done and then procrastinate on writing the end until my deadline is looming.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I’m proud of all of them for different reasons, but I was really blown away with Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore. I hadn’t written fic in years and had never written a third-person mlm story before. At the time it was also the longest thing I had ever written. It definitely made me fall back in love with fictional prose writing and the steddie community as a whole.

How did you get the idea for Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)?

It was actually inspired by a ficlet I had written earlier that year and decided to use as inspiration for the full length fic. I was driving around and I kept seeing mail trucks everywhere and I remember getting an image of Steve in those short khaki shorts, carrying a satchel full of mail. And then I remember thinking “I wonder what Eddie would think” and the worms took over. I will say, expanding it into a full fic did take some time though because the ficlet was just vibes

When writing Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours), what was something you didn’t expect?

How long it ended up being lol I think it came in double what I had predicted it to be. I also didn’t expect to write it in the way I did. All my other fics are very traditional in that each chapter is a day or a couple days and it follows a clear timeline. With Signed I really went for a vignette, slice of life sort of storytelling which was a bit difficult initially but I think it paid off in the end.

What inspired honey i'm still free (take a chance on me)?

That one was written for a valentine’s discord server so it was based on the prompt steddiealltheway on Tumblr had submitted. It took me a minute to work out the plot, but I liked the idea of Robin getting to be the wingwoman for Steve.

What was your favorite part to write from for a fortnight there, we were forever?

There was a metaness to that one that was so fun to write. You have Eddie falling in love with Supernatural, a show that was known for making questionable decisions in the end and talking about how fanfic saves the day and that’s exactly what I’ve spent the last two years doing for him lol I love the idea of Eddie being a fandom kid like all of us, and dragging and unknowing Steve into it with him.

How do/did you feel writing Eat Your Heart Out, Big Boy?

At the time I think I just wanted to write something fun and silly because I was deep into Signed, Sealed, Delivered at the time and was feeling bad about not sharing anything. It was like a palette cleanser.

What was the most difficult part of writing You Were All Yellow?

Definitely deciding which yellow objects I was going to use and figuring out how to string them together in a clear narrative arc. It was a puzzle of sorts that took a lot of patience to figure out. It was also a bit reverse-engineered where the objects dictated what the story would be. I think it would have been easier if I had the story first and then found things that fit that narrative.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I struggle with writing poetically, so I was really proud of this line from Duck, Dodge, Don’t Fall In Love: “He feels like an astronomer falling in love with stars for the first time in the untouchable night sky. Because that’s what Steve is, right? A dazzling force that Eddie can steal glances at but never touch, never reach.” But also any and all smut scenes I’ve written. That was an incredible challenge at first and I literally wrote the first make out scene ever under the covers of my bed lol

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I’m planning to participate in this year’s Steddie Week with some (hopefully) short one shots. And then I have my big bang fic When The Buzzer Sounds that will come out later this year. Other than that we’ll see. My notes are overflowing with ideas it’s all about finding the time and the right one.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

As I write this I’m not sure who nominated me, but I want to say thank you to them! It’s so wild to me that people resonate with the silly stories my brain comes up with and I’ll never take that for granted. There’s so many creative steddie fic writers out there and I’m so happy to be one of them. We really blew up overnight and it’s been so fun watching everyone grow together. And I want to thank all the mods behind this blog for helping share writers hardwork!

Thank you to our author, @steddieasitgoes, and our anonymous nominator! See more of steddieasitgoes's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[tarabyte3]

Top 5 favourite fanfic tropes?

For my follow up I will allow you a light cheat:

✨️ Top 5 fics (any fandom/pairing)

and (if you would like)

✨️ Top 5 Andy blorbo fics

You know, those ones that live rent free in your mind and you find yourself coming back to even years later (also your choices don't have to specifically follow your trope picks!).

😘

Before I start, I want you to know I only saw the first bit in the preview and was like, "Oh that's fun!" And then got sneak attacked by the rest when I opened it 😂😭 Anon, I respect tf out of you for this, but also I'm going to have an existential crisis lmaoooo

✨Top 5 fanfiction tropes

- Mutual pining/"un"requited love

Especially if it's paired with angst 🤌 want them longing. Yearning, even. Throw in something like forbidden love to kick it up a notch, and, baby, you've got yourself a stew.

- Sex pollen

Particularly if they aren't in a relationship yet to add extra pining and angst. This is a sacrifice (I shouldn't want this). I would do this for you (please let me). I can't stand to watch you suffer (this will break me, but for you it's worth it). That and the smut of it all 😌

- Hanahaki

Being so in love with someone it's literally killing you. It's love made manifest so violently you choke on it. The pain and suffering would end if only you could let the words out, but the thought of rejection—of having to live with that instead—is worse than death. Plus, there's something a little beautiful and poetic about combining pain and suffering with love and flowers. Doom and bloom. Life and death. The Japanese were so real for this.

- Fake dating

I love it when they're both fuckin dying the entire time because they've caught a glimpse of the thing they want more than anything and it isn't real. It's bliss. It's torture. They don't want it to end, but it will destroy them to keep having it just out of reach.

- Getting together

A simple classic, but there's just something about two people falling in love and coming together in spite of everything. And if it's a slow burn? With constant missed opportunities and misunderstandings?! Staple crop of tropes.

✨ Top 5 Fics

I'm going to go with Qui-Gon x Obi-Wan (shocking, I know) because that is the bulk of what I have been reading non-stop so it's at the forefront of my brain. It was difficult to narrow down my 100+ bookmarks because there are SO many incredible works and writers in that fandom that inspire me, and some of them make me want to eat dirt. (I mean that as an exceptional compliment.)

- Shorelines by outpastthemoat

This is what Qui-Gon has done each morning for the past three days, returning to Obi-Wan with handfuls of treasures he has found: Bits of broken glass, polished by the waves, or intricately spiraled shells, a broken piece of chain; perhaps a stone as wide and flat as his hand. But he always returns to the shoreline the following day, and begins his search anew.

This is one of my favorite QuiObi writers (I would highly recommend ANY of her other works at the drop of a hat as well), and I have reread this fic at least once a week for months. Like, I have it open in a tab and think about it constantly. It's an introspective piece—an exploration of a connection and the peeling back of layers to try to understand what waits underneath. There's a beautiful sort of simple yearning, melancholy, and poetry to her writing that makes my brain go brrrrrr. So much is said in all of the things left unsaid. It's two parts of a series and they're both incredible.

- Malalignment by Tohje

The first time is a pure coincidence, all parties could swear it on their deathbeds. The pelta frigate GRS-20 - informally Generosity - is a huge, maze-like, rusting piece of a stronghold with multiple medical wards and cantinas. It is a sheer stroke of luck that 212th and the River Company are accommodated in the adjacent, overstuffed compartments and share the same cantina for their short recuperation periods. There is no thing such as luck, or coincidence, only war (and the Force, according to the Jedi).

Another writer that I adore who has multiple bangers. This one is an AU where QuiGon lives and is part of the Clone War, but in the most Qui-Gon way possible. Combined with Obi-Wan's lingering hurt from the situation with Anakin, the war, and a several year estrangement and by god it's delicious angst. Plus, I love self-sacrificing depictions of General Kenobi. (The smut is also very good)

- That Cold Affliction by Orphan Account

Obi-Wan tries to surprise his Master on a mission with few comforts by making Qui-Gon's favorite tea. Or trying to, at least. As it turns out, tea is a . . . complicated affair. (A little bit like love.)

Short and bittersweet. Forbidden love. Beautiful angst. I'm so sad I don't know the original author because I've seen several of their works pop up that are also orphaned (they have a very specific summary style) and they're all so good and full of similar themes, but I have no way of seeing if I've missed one or not 😭

- Taking Root by sanerontheinside

Obi-Wan thought he was terribly obvious, really. Qui-Gon thought it was Obi-Wan’s secret to share or keep, as he wished.

*banging pots and pans together* QUIOBI HANAHAKI!! This author does a deep dive into the affliction and combines it beautifully with Star Wars world building, plot, and characterization. It's everything I could want from the trope AND the pairing. They're also another one of my favorite writers. And if you're looking for an abundance of excellent smut, you'll absolutely find it in their body of work.

- How to Grow Vegetables and Alienate People by Meggory

Why had Obi-Wan agreed to this? He had exactly no experience growing anything—hell, he'd killed a cactus once, and he'd heard someone say that was impossible—but now he was taking over Bant's community garden share so she didn't feel she had wasted $150 on the plot? He had $150. He should have just given it to her and told her to get blitzed on the plane.

Cute modern AU with a funny af meet cute, excellent characterization, humor, and a simple, lovely plot of two idiots falling in love. Oh, plus gardening. 😌 AND Qui-Gon has a dog. It's the soul comfort food of fics. This author does an incredible job with AUs (pssst you like time loops?) that are great stories so it was very difficult to pick just one!

✨I both adore and dislike this last part. Because on one hand, it gives me the chance to brag about and hype up my friends, who are not only kind, wonderful people, but also very talented writers that deserve it and more. So I truly appreciate you so much for that. On the other hand, there are more than 5 of them that have written Andy Blorbo fics, and some of them have multiple stories and blorbos. And we've all gushed over or discussed many of them at length with each other, so they hold a particular fondness in my heart. Choosing only 5 from that feels like an impossible task.

So I WON'T be narrowing down my top 5 (I'm so sorry, anon, I'm not god's strongest soldier), but I will be taking the opportunity to drop their Masterlists/AO3 accounts 💖😌😇

afogocado | Alfred Pennyworth

amywritesthings | Kino Loy

citrus-moonlight | Ulysses Klaue

eupheme | Alfred Pennyworth, Ulysses Klaue

squidlywiddly87 | Kino Loy, Ulysses Klaue, Liam Black

stargirlfics | Alfred Pennyworth (+ lots of Alfred and Klaue headcanons and blurbs!)

tarrenterror | Alfred Pennyworth, Ulysses Klaue (+ Alfred, David Robey, and Kino headcanons, blurbs, and edits)

viceofdionysus : Alfred Pennyworth, Ulysses Klaue

[shirajellyfish]

*ahem* Err, question for the director here. How could you manage to make Lune’s “redemption” arc so slowly evolving?? It was amazing the patience you had to not jump into the “friend-shaped” zone too fast, and yet still we wound up with hugs. It made it the most delightful portrayal I’ve seen of any Moon characterization, one weighty with true danger and hard-earned love.

Awww, that makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you! There were a few factors that contributed to the way it played out, I think. Once again I'm adding a read more because I am entirely sure this one will end up far too long as well haha

I wanted to write the journey, not the destination

I think the reason a lot of Moons go friend shaped quickly is because that's what the writer wants to write. They want a Moon who is dangerous to other people maybe, but who is friend to the main character. The common DCA trope of "Watch out, it's the dangerous man-eating tiger Moon!" Y/N: "Pet pat pat, this is my cat. He literally purrs for me." This trope is lovely and absolutely one of my favorite things. If that's what a writer wants to write, then it makes sense that they'd go there as quickly as possible. I would have done the same if what I wanted to write more than anything was friend Moon.

But I wanted to write dangerous feral Moon. I was so excited for every moment where he was threatening, chasing, out of his mind and on the hunt. I cherished writing every one of those scenes, because I knew I was only going to get to write a finite amount of them. I was SO EXCITED with each and every dangerous encounter, so I did everything I could to stretch that phase of the story out as much as I could. That's why it moved slow- I was purposely slowing it down as much as I could!

The thing about writing slowburn is that it shouldn't take patience. If you have to be patient to write a slow burn, then maybe you shouldn't be writing this particular thing as a slow burn. Think of it like going down a waterslide. No one is ever on the slide like "This is such a long slide, it's a real test of my patience to get to the end of it." No, they go "YIPPEE, WATER SLIDE! YAY! YAAAAY!" A slow burn should feel like a water slide. If it doesn't, then maybe the story would be more enjoyable if the characters were just at their destination already instead of spending so much time getting there.

2. A Moon can only be scary for so long.

You know how I said I tried to slow things down on purpose? It's because even the most dangerous and most feral of Moons can only be an exciting threat so many times. The more the story deals with a dangerous character, the more known they are. Like turning on the lights in a dark room, eventually the monster under the bed will cease to be scary. You only have so many of these really thrilling moments before either things will change, or the readers end up going "Oh, it's just another Moon encounter. He'll chase them around for a while before we can get back to the actual story, I guess."

With a fic as long as I See You Sundrop, ending at hugs with Lune was inevitable. I squeezed his character for every exciting scary moment I could, but eventually that relationship was going to have to develop beyond those moments one way or another.

It's not that I don't enjoy writing a softer friend Lune as well. I absolutely loved every moment of that as well- I wouldn't have written it if I didn't love writing it! But there was no possible universe where Lune, no matter how scary at the start, wouldn't develop eventually. Because of this, I was careful with the early Lune encounters and used him as sparingly as possible.

3. I didn't plan it whatsoever.

My secret to character development is that I just. Don't plan it. At all.

Somewhere near the start of the fic, I had an idea for a scene where Riley and Lune could share music with each other without it ending in violence. This general vague concept was reworked into the Closeted chapter and expanded there. This was also the only destination of any kind for them that I had planned.

I didn't write any of Lune's moments with the intention of reaching any kind of end-of-story relationship goal. I just wrote him. While Lune becoming friendly was inevitable, how friendly or what that friendship would look like was never something I was actively working towards. I just let it go and watched what happened, nothing was set in stone.

I put some beasts in a situation. I wonder, what would they do in said situation? I have them do it. Now I wonder, how does that change things between them? Now things have changed. Now the entire course of these characters, and their relationships, and the story itself has changed. This is why I can't write scenes out of order. Every single moment, every interaction, all of it causes everything to shift. I can think of certain plot ideas or big moments in advance, but I won't know how the characters will react to that until I get there- because I won't know who they will be at that point in the story until I get there.

This applies to every single character in my fic. Riley and Sundrop's friendship, Hunter, Natalie, the glamrocks... I knew what I wanted their role to be in certain scenes or the story overall, but I had no big plan for where their development would take them. None of their development was ever set in stone.

I've mentioned before that Take-you-apart was not a planned chapter, it was the result of asking Roxy what she'd do and realizing her answer was "attempted murder." A lot of story moments happened like that. Affection Values even happened that way. I'd never planned for the story to have a scene like that, but when I got there I went "Ohh. That makes sense, doesn't it."

Even Riley's big development moments were done this way. Play nice with your hands, be a good friend, the memory trick, even their relationship with their mom all developed in ways I hadn't planned. I actually wrote their mother as distant because originally, my plan was to give myself an excuse to never write about their family at all! You can see how fast that got thrown out the window.

Speaking of things I can't do- this is also why I write my entire fic before posting anything, and can't post chapter by chapter. Sometimes writing this way leaves glaring plot holes, big themes that aren't worked into the story early enough, and foreshadowing for events that never end up actually happening. I need to know the course of the story before I can refine it, and I won't know it until I get there.

Oops! That did indeed end up getting very long. I hope you were looking for a novel length ramble, because I guess I'm not capable of anything else haha.

[steddieas-shegoes]

the freak and the hair and lex

it's time for the weekly fic rec, where i give the top 3 (to me) fics by some of my favorite authors. please always check out their masterlists/works because these authors may have stuff you love even more than what i put here! as always, check tags before reading and leave kudos and comments and reblog whenever possible to support writers!

this week is @thefreakandthehair and let me tell ya, this was one of the hardest weeks to narrow it down to my top 3. i have gone back and forth on lex's works for three days trying to narrow it down (and also realized at some point i missed a few posts so i'm about to do a binge read oops). lex is so talented and does so many things for the fandom, so everyone go celebrate her gifts to us!

lex's tumblr | lex's ao3

rounding third, sliding home Rated E | wip/big bang fic The much anticipated big bang fic is in progress and it's SO GOOD. I don't even like baseball, but Lex is proof that I can and will like any situation these boys are in. Massage therapist Eddie!!! Hello!!! I don't have to go into detail to let you know how that's going. Favorite part: Honestly, since it's a wip, I don't wanna give one yet. But I will say that the overall premise of a massage therapist being able to do what trainers and doctors couldn't makes something really happy in my brain.

ice is made to melt (so is my heart) Rated M | 1,507 words It's hockey. I sniff out hockey fics like a hunting dog. I mean it's literally just hockey fan Eddie and I'm eating it up like I've been starving for years. Favorite part because these are possibly word for word things I have screamed at my television at the Bruins whomst I love with my entire heart but would beat with a hockey stick if given the chance: "Are your blades dipped in fucking butter?” “The puck goes in the net!” "You can't shoot for shit, just like you can't grow a decent mustache, huh?" “Your job is to use your big ass body to stop the teensy tiny puck from getting around you and that’s a Hell of a lot easier if you stay in the fucking crease!” 

Livin' On A Prayer  Rated E | 17,915 words It's the classic idiots in love but don't realize it even though they basically have been boyfriends the entire time trope and I cannot get enough. It's like a slow-fast burn in the sense that they're dumb, but this is still short enough to binge in one relatively quick go. Favorite part which is kinda a spoiler so: “And I know myself well enough to know that I would die before letting anything happen to you, especially after nearly losing you once already, so I felt like being here was safest. And I— I don’t mean the same way that I love the kids or Robin or really anyone else. I’d die for them too but that’s— that’s not my point. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I know this is one sided or whatever but I just, I’ve been wanting to tell you just to get it out of me because carrying this around alone for months and months has been wrecking me… I think I’m in love with you.”

[straycalamities]

What's ur favorite thing about the Swagtressss

i love probably the most the progression of their relationship. i’m always a slut for slow-burn and theirs is definitely that

i also love apocalypse relationships because of the threat and how much more significant all the little good things become

and just how their personalities mesh or repel depending and how they grow from that

like with The Way Swag Is it was really like a huge thrill, a rush, whenever he decided or entre managed to coax out a genuine response from him or something that gave insight to his real feelings

because even if i knew it all because i could just ASK it was still something else to see it and see stuff come out in real time

i’ve always been a huge sucker for swags archetype of big clown-show on the outside, sad insecure mess on the inside, yknow like someone who’s afraid to show how they really are or really feel for this reason or another

and so you have to like piece it together from the small cracks in the surface or the little almost like…tests or pleadings with a glimpse of the inside

UGH it’s so good and so fun

there’s a LOT of nuance and deeper reading you pretty much Have to do with swag and doing that myself and having entre also slowly pick up on the big idea was rly satisfying

and all of this together meant a lot of tumultuous beginnings that slowly eased towards cohesion and understanding, but entre definitely had the stubborn willpower and the want to do so even if it took him a while to warm up to the idea. that the reason swag would be hot n cold with him was because swag was afraid of being known and that entre wouldn’t accept what he really saw. but swag also rly likes entre so he’d pull him in, get scared of how close he got, and shove him away again

and i eat it up idk i love the push n pull especially when i know ultimately that it’s gonna end up with them being comfortable and understanding each other in a way no one else in their lives did or got to do

i also just really like how like? atypical their relationship is. i think all my ships end up atypical one way or another so they’re not the only one but i have to mention it bc it’s important to me

like enemies-to-lovers is nothing new in fic tropes but i feel like the way we pulled it off and approached it was still sorta special in its own way and i rly like that

signed someone who rolls his eyes at traditional romance plots and most romance tropes LMAO

[thenickgirl]

any specific tropes/genres/au settings/etc. you'd like to see in fic written for Nick? there's not enough content and i value ur opinion sm.

omg stop that’s so sweet 🥺 i love angst/comfort fics, they’ll always be my favorite. enemies to lovers trope is always a good one, and slow burns oof love them. best friend to lovers kinda gets over done in the nick world imo, probably cause it’s the easiest. honestly any au setting i would eat it up. whatever you think of will be amazing. he just deserves the same kind of fics that matt and chris have.

[mammameesh]

Trope Rating Game

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic? -10 -> very dissuaded 0 - don’t care either way +10 -> very enticed nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged. Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

Age gap: Depends? +3

Like are they vampires, and is brand new and one is like 402? Because I can do that.

Codependency: +1

I might give it a try for a little while, but stuff like this tends to turn me off.

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +2

Maybe Obsession more than Possessiveness, does that make sense? Possessiveness tends to also turn me off.

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): +10

I love this pairing, sorry, not sorry.

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +9

I really like Enemies to lovers. I'm doing my best to write one (also very stuck writing one). I probably could write enemies with benefits and would like to read more because it sounds hot!

Friends with benefits: +10

Some of my favorite ships fall into this category. It's like candy to me.

Sex to feelings: +15

These fics tend to be very smuty which I love and also very fluffy which I also love.

Fake dating/relationship: 9?

My neurodivergent mind needs more information. I've read some Tarlos where they were fake dating, and I loved that. I'm just not sure how it would work every time.

Friends to lovers: +10

I personally love friends to lovers. I think it does probably appeal to my demi side.

Found Family: +100

I love it so much.

Hurt/Comfort: +9

I have been on a hurt/comfort kick but I can't do all hurt/comfort because there is too much hurt.

Love Triangle: 1?

I generally don't like love triangles, but maybe somewhere out in all of fanfcition there will be one that I will like?

Poly, open relationships: +9

I personally love them when written well

Mistaken/hidden identity: 0

I probably need to read more in order to form a stronger opinion

Monsterfucking: +5

My friends, a year ago I would have said no. It depends on the writer, the ship and my bravery I think.

Pregnancy: 4

I'm a mom in real life so pregnancy doesn't phase me, again it would depend on the writer, the story, the fandom, a lot of different things.

Second Chance: +9

Idyllically I think everyone should be given a 2nd chance, but sometimes no?

Slowburn: +10

I have some beloved authors that love to write a good slow burn and I will eat that stuff up every bedtime.

Soulmates: +8 I've read some lovely soulmate AUs and would love to read more. (also I have an idea for one but like life you know?)

@a-noble-dragon; @carolrain; @demora00; @stargazer56; @ramonaflow; @jamilas-pen; @apothecarose; @ripkaz44; @flowertrigger no pressure tags. ALSO if you are reading this please do it! It is for future fanfiction!

[matan4il]

Speaking of slow burns and Buddie, the other classic component they have is you have to bring in other love interests to make it blaring why they are wrong. No slow burn stay single the whole time. I know we all point out how they made it obvious with Ann and Buck.

However one of my favorites is the "your making it about you" lines with Taylor and Eddie. Eddie said it in the kitchen with fond exasperation that quickly melted into almost tears when he realized it was really about Bucks feelings for Eddie. The I should have been shot scene, the guy that fixes things dialogoue. Eddie knows this is a personality trait, likely it will never be healed because it is what makes Buck, Buck. Heck Buck essentially said the same to Maddie. So you just know that forevermore this is what Eddie will nurture and ease in Bucks self doubt. It will never be a trait he finds a nuisance because it is what makes him the best partner, friend, father (hopefully husband).

Vs when Taylor said it in a depreciating way to Buck. As if his massive heart, self-sacrifice, and self-awareness were the worst things about him. She would have never been able to accept his softness, but it's worse because she never would have protected that trait either. She would have tried to stomp it out.

And in true romance fashion, this is the perfect trope. One is too soft for all the things and the other is just too soft for the partner who's too soft for all the things!!! Eddie will always protect and uplift that in Buck and I can't wait to see those protective instincts shine when they finally make them canon.

Hi Nonnie, absolutely this! You need the other Lover Interests not only in order to demonstrate that they're the wrong person for the protagonist, but sometimes you even have the "perfect person" on paper, and they turn out to be the wrong person as well. Why? Because they're not the person the protagonist is already, obliviously, in love with... Sound like someone that we've come across? *looks at Ms. 29348732498 muffins*

And yes, that's exactly it about Buck's self-worth issues! Some stuff never fully goes away, you just go from where it eats away at you at all times to where most of the time you're okay and it doesn't plague you, and then from time to time there's a crisis, it comes back up and that's when you need to manage it. A loving, caring partner who sees Buck's self-worth can give him that solid foundation not to feel like he has to be killing himself to be worth anything and to do so by simply being there, and then when Buck's issues do raise their ugly head prominently, a partner like that can help soothe them over by actively reminding him of how important he is. And isn't that exactly what Eddie has been doing for Buck?

Taylor TBH... ooof, she was never even close to being the right person for Buck, they weren't well matched on some of the most basic things that define us as humans, like kindness. It wasn't even a case of someone who looks right and turns out to be wrong, it was always clear that they shouldn't have gotten together.

This feels like the perfect ask as a continuation to this one. Like yes, let's talk about ALL THE TROPES. Let's talk about every aspect of why the other LI's we've seen so far have been the wrong person, why every future LI will be as well, and why Buddie are just made to complement each other and no other endgame makes sense other than them ending up together.

Thank you for this ask, hon! Hope you're having a great day. As always, here's my ask tag. xoxox

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

I love that everyone is coming to talk to you about fanfics, haha! Don't mind if I join in - tell us about your favourite style fanfic tropes. 😎

Fr lmaoooo idk where all this is coming from but I’m here for it!!!!

OH BOY DO I HAVE A LOT OF STYLE TROPES!!!

Okay so WEARING EACH OTHERS CLOTHES!!! God I eat that one up every time it’s so cute like I just KNOW growing up they had half their clothes at each other’s houses and constantly lost track of who owned what shirt and THEN!!! As they got older and weren’t the same size anymore (personally I’m a big boy Stan truther but it’s precious the other way too) and Kyle started absolutely SWIMMING in Stan’s baggy ass sweatshirts and Stan gets cuteness aggression lmao he’s just like awwww look how cute my super best boyfriend is in the peace love pine trees hoodie asjdjdkgfj

Calling each other “dude” romantically!!! Like other pet names come into play but dude stays bc it’s them

WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SECRET UNSPOKEN LANGUAGE like they’re always on the same wavelength totally in sync with each other!!! They understand each other like no one else, can read each other like a book, fully on the same side and will follow each other to the ends of the earth!!!

Okay okay we all know I STAY reading and writing style whump and PROTECTIVENESS!!! When they worry about each other constantly and get so freaked out when one of them isn’t okay I eat that shit UP every time I love them defending each other, physically or verbally, like no one fucks with Stan without experiencing Kyle Rage and vice versa!!! When Stan is the one to completely flip his lid and panic because Kyle’s hurt or in danger just AAAAA

On that note: TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER!!! There’s a reason most of my stories have a “yep I injured the boys again” tag because I LIVE for the sweet sweet tender moments after an Incident where they’re patching up each other’s wounds all worried and Soft, talking each other through the pain and telling them that it’s gonna be okay bonus points if we get a tearful “I could’ve lost you” “you didn’t, I’m right here” GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE!!!

On THAT note (sorry I’m just fucking insane) STAN CARRYING KYLE!!!!!!!!! Once again I’m a short angy Kyle/ big boy Stan truther and I looovvvvveeee a little bridal style carrying moment holy shit (I’m surprised I didn’t put any of that in my style week stuff lmao) like I am fully guilty of putting my favorite redhead in Situations JUST so I can have that, like I gave OrangeJuiceVerse Kyle chronic knee pain, diabetes, an ed, and Stan carries him so much lmfao someone put me in Making Kyle Suffer Jail

Ok another one I love is Kyle as the Voice of Reason! Like when he’s the go to guy, savior complex mom friend who just wants to take care of everyone! And boy howdy does Stan not make it easy lmao between him and Kenny (the disaster duo) that man is Exasperated

THEM BEING EACH OTHERS RIGHT HAND MAN!!!!! Fighting side by side, Stan and Kyle against the world! When they can depend on each other more than anyone else and trust each other with their lives. Stan would follow Kyle into a burning building and Kyle would pull him out! That trope is why I’m so feral about stick of truth like they gotta be on the same side or they feel like somethings missing (codependent bastards)

Stan playing guitar for Kyle/ Kyle reading to Stan!!! The domesticity ugh I love it

Casual cuddling oh my godddddd like even before they got together they’re always touching each other in some way and Cartman’s like it’s fuckin gay to cuddle at sleepovers you guys are 15 and they’re like fym it’s not gay to cuddle the homies? (It so is) best friends to lovers on TOP!!!

Them generally being huge simps like PLEASE why y’all staring longingly also in the same vein them thinking the other is the most beautiful thing in the world those two are DOWN HORRENDOUS

I also reeeaaaaly like when they’re kissin… and it starts off all slow and sweet… and then it gets more passionate… and suddenly Stan’s hands are tangled in Kyle’s hair and Kyle’s pushing him against the wall and they’re practically falling into each other desperate to be closer and whispering “I love you” into each others mouths and nothing in the world exists other than the two of them and

Lmao that’s some of my favorite style tropes I’m super normal about them obviously

[seoafin]

when did you start writing/how long have you been writing? any fav genres (and least fav) to read or write? and what usually inspires you to write/makes you want to write? :3

oh god it's been so long I was like....13??? Maybe even younger. I was writing NaLu ffs on ff.net goddddd I was so young I definitely had no idea what I was doing but at least I was having fun 😫 my ff.net/quotev/lunaescence era.....truly the dark ages

my fav ff genre is definitely romance with my favorite tropes to read and write about being mutual pining and friends to lovers. I also really really love childhood friends to lovers. I don't really like aus that take place in an entirely different setting. I'm fine if it's not canon compliant, but things like a university setting/CEO/etc I'm not personally a fan of! I also don't like enemies to lovers except for the very few stories that get it right. enemies to lovers is a very tricky trope and it takes something special to actually get me invested. i don't mind academic rivals to lovers though. I think that's fun. Or a friendly rivalry. Or one sided rivalries (love them). As for what I read I'll read pretty much everything both ff and literature! as long as it's written well im game! one thing about me is that I'm a SUCKER for all the typical romance/shoujo tropes = miscommunication love triangle mutual pining slow burn I LOVE IT. I'll eat that shit up every time LMAO you might call it contrived but I will be tirelessly reading it!!!!

this is going to sound so bad but writing has become somewhat of a time consuming stress reliever for me, or something I do when I'm heavy procrastinating 😭 for those of you that have been following this blog you know that I used to only reliably post fics during midterm or finals season bc I would be procrastinating on studying for tests/writing papers 😭😭😭 but i gotta say there's rlly nothing like a fic while you've got a 20 page paper due on incel culture tomorrow. exhilarating!!! i usually get inspired to write when I read a really good book or fic. nothing fires me up more than reading fantastic writing honestly!!!!

[mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea]

For the wips/upcoming projects ask! Sharing the whole lines bc I can't see the emojis (and feel free to answer as much as you want <3): 🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP.☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it? 🌪️Sum up a WIP with a few fic tropes/Ao3 tags.

🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.

From a Bucky Barnes/Scott Summers WIP for MRP/Scott Summers Bingo:

“We’re not shutting out the team, Tony.  Bucky and I just needed a private moment to so we could discuss how incredibly hot you are –“

“Scott, oh...don’t do that!  His ego is already taking up all the space in here today,” Natasha protested from where she sat, gathering what intel she could. 

“And we wanted to make sure we weren’t doubling up on what anniversary gifts we were getting you and Loki,” Bucky interjected, his grin widening when a myriad of expressions from surprise, fear, and perhaps a little curiosity and happiness made their play over Tony’s face in reaction. 

“Edible underwear is always a good option.  I’ll text you our sizes,” Tony provided.  “Strawberry’s probably the best compromise on flavor for the both of us.  I mean, if they made coffee, that would be awesome, but –“

Steve rolled his eyes and swatted Tony’s shoulder. 

“You do realize that Coulson’s team is in on this, too, right, Tony?”

Tony made a sound resembling a frustrated teenager and rolled his eyes. 

“You think that Coulson’s team doesn’t talk about edible underwear, Capsicle?  Huh?” he snarked. 

“I will have you know,” a voice broke into their conversation from another location that was tapped in aurally but not visually for now.  “We only talk about edible underwear on less serious missions, and we don’t bring it up when we know Director Fury’s involved.” 

For whatever reason, hearing Phil Coulson even say the words ‘edible underwear’ made Steve go a little pink-cheeked, but the shit-eating grin on Tony’s face doubled. 

“Well, alright, Phil,” he cheered on.  “I knew you were a wild man under all that Men in Black exterior.  Alright, people.  Do we have any information on where this Hydra scumbag’s gonna be tonight so we can get our newlyweds into position?  Not that they aren’t capable of getting into position all on their own,” Tony went on, surprising the others some that he was the one getting the mission back on track, despite the little innuendo there at the end. 

“Holy shit.  You two were really going at it, weren’t you?” Sam piped up suddenly as his face now flooded the webcam. 

Scott and Bucky looked at each other, confused. 

“Tony hacked into the security cameras in the hotel,” Steve provided as he nudged Sam out of the way to get a better look.  “You weren’t kidding.  You were very convincing.  Are we sure the desk guy’s not in on it with the Hydra guy?  Look at the faces he’s making.  You guys made him make some really ugly faces,” he mused and pointed at the screen, as if Bucky and Scott could even see what they were watching. 

The partners broke out in smiles at each other. 

“I mean, you guys started out just kind of subtle,” Natasha commented after she’d pushed her way closer to the screen they were huddled around in their temporary HQ.  “Typical married couple, holding hands, little kisses, and then WHAM.” 

“You guys would’ve fucked right there if he’d made one more ugly face,” Clint barked with amusement.  What a thing they could’ve put a bet on had they already had visual access to their teammates. 

“Clint, oh my God!” Steve exclaimed.  “You can’t just say stuff like that while we’re working.” 

🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP.

From Chapter 2, Part 3 Hemispheres, a Frostiron slow burn (sort of):

He stood up and tried to figure the best and easiest way to get Loki safely up without injuring him further.  Even Steve attempted to tuck his hands underneath Loki’s shoulders to ease him up, but every movement made the Trickster have to suck in a breath or bite back a whine. 

It was Hulk who leaned over and carefully tucked his giant green paws under Loki’s hips and shoulders, as if attempting to scoop a baby up from the floor.  Loki tensed, of course.  How could he not?  The last time those hands got a hold of him, they’d made a nasty hole in Tony’s floor with Loki’s body.  But Hulk assisted him up to his feet, slowly and with a tenderness that no one had seen him use before – except maybe around very small children who were fascinated by the big green superhero.  He held onto Loki until he felt secure, and then Hulk tugged Loki against his chest in what could only be called a hug. 

Through it all, Loki remained tense and terrified, but it was once he was upright that his one eye met Hulk’s and didn’t see rage there, didn’t see hatred of him, but concern and care.  He almost barked out a sob but kept the sound to himself, especially once he was pulled carefully into a hug against Hulk’s chest.  His hands lifted and rested there, feeling a steady heart instead of the racing beat he’d expected. 

To the sides, Tony and Steve both held their breath when Hulk stepped in to help Loki.  Neither knew what would happen and only remembered the floor of the penthouse’s lower level.  They inched closer in case they needed to step in on Loki’s behalf, but they didn’t need to.  Hulk held Loki protectively against him.  One hand lifted away from Loki’s shoulders, however, and reached out to Steve, poking a solid finger into his chest that actually succeeded in nearly knocking Steve backward. 

“Loki is Banner’s friend, so Loki is Hulk’s friend now, too.  Don’t be mean,” that thunderous voice managed to state almost eloquently.  Hulk watched Steve nod slowly before he turned his eyes to Tony.  “Hulk help Loki to the...thing.” 

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you’d like to just explain and share because you’re not sure you’ll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I have a lot of fic concepts (damn my brain). Went digging around in my Sticky Notes lists of possible fic ideas, and I saw this one. It's a very old one.

"Double date - Kurt suggests a double date: Him/Logan, Scott/Emma. Emma suggests somewhere posh, so they take the Blackbird. Dressed to the nines. Emma won't let Kurt wear the image inducer (and instead uses her telepathy to make other people see Kurt differently while he looks normal to them), and in the middle of dinner at say…the Rainbow Room, they get attacked by anti-mutant assholes."

🌪️Sum up a WIP with a few fic tropes/Ao3 tags.

Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Sex Workers, Alternate Universe - Phone Sex Workers, Phone Sex, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Skinny Steve Rogers, Justin Hammer is a Good Friend, Not Peggy Carter Friendly, Side Relationship James "Bucky" Barnes/Loki, Emma Frost is the Best Boss, Justin Hammer takes the weird calls, Justin Hammer Zoo Noises, Shower Sex, Public Sex, Steve gets hot and bothered, Justin Hammer is a good listener

WIP/Upcoming Project Asks.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week's writer spotlight feature is: @ciriceart! They have sixteen works under the Stranger Things tag and ten under the Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson tag over on Archive of our Own!!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following of their works by CultOfAdoration:

I get this feeling I'm in motion

Rule Me Captive, Drain Me Empty

a good age to meet the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with

to have everything you can see

They care alot about capturing the accurate voice of the characters they write about, and put lots of thought and care into character motivations and worldbuilding :} - anonymous

Below the cut, @ciriceart answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I just like the dynamic, and getting to write dialogue and think about conflicts that might naturally crop up between the two. I don’t think that there was a chance for them to get along well at all if not for the kids dragging them both into the end of the world, so it’s kind of fun to find different ways for them to get past it. Less of a “they would never get together” and more of a “under what circumstances would they get together” situation.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I think I just like anything that falls into character study or backstory development. I used to eat up anything under the hurt/comfort or angst tags as well, and those can all go pretty well together. Anything that even vaguely evokes Orpheus and Eurydice is also pretty much guaranteed to get my attention.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Slow burn. A lot of my writing never sees the light of day (or outside groupchats), but a majority of it is “will they, won’t they” slow burn with the two kind of dancing around the subject until it feels inevitable.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I’m not sure if I have a singular favorite fic. “New York Hardcore” by CaptainHoney is pretty high up there. It’s part of a larger series, but that first entry stuck with me. The tag “Steve deserves to be happy and go ham in the moshpit” is the truest statement I’ve ever read about that man.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve been working on a sort-of AU road trip fic about Steve, Jonathan, and later a hitchhiking Eddie, as they go cross-country. It’s very “right person, wrong place, wrong time”. Right now it’s just a big mess of notes and writing sprints, though.

What is your writing process like?

Almost everything starts off as scribbles in a notebook/Notes app, or taken down in notes app using speech-to-text on my phone. I always have to do the worst version first or it just doesn't feel right. Everything I want to be included gets thrown in there with very little regard for eloquence or order. From there, I break everything down into bullet points that I can expand on whenever I have time, and move things around into chronological order.

Do you have any writing quirks?

There are some words that I feel like I overuse. Things like “definitely”, “just”, and “very”, which reflects my real life speech habits.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I try holding off posting until I’m finished if only because it feels SO bad if I don’t manage to complete something. It doesn’t usually work. I get excited, so usually I end up starting to post when things are maybe 60% finished. Schedules remind me too much of school to be fun.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I don’t think I have one I’m most proud of, but I don’t have one that I’m not proud of either. “a good age to meet the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with” is one that I thought a lot about and still think about, even though it’s pretty short. I only posted it very recently, but I wrote it shortly after Vol. 2 when thinking too hard about Robin and what her personal life might be like after everything.

How did you get the idea for Rule Me Captive, Drain Me Empty?

I thought it would be interesting to explore the two of them fumbling through kink and figuring things out in a more organic way. It’s something I always find quite cute, and it feels more natural to me when they’re not exactly well versed in the ins and outs of “proper” kink etiquette and terminology. 

I’m also a Dom-leaning switch Steve truther and I’m out here in the trenches. 

When writing to have everything you can see, what was something you didn’t expect?

The response to it from readers, mostly. I had several people letting me know that the subject matter is more outside of their usual interests but that they ended up enjoying it and seeing the appeal regardless. That’s a pretty big compliment to me because I’m somewhat in the same boat.

What inspired to have everything you can see?

So, when I don’t share an interest with others, I get really heavily invested in why they like that thing, or how the interest came about. It could be about anything - books, music, shows, ships, spirituality, kinks. I just like to Know, I like “getting it”. 

I wrote that fic to understand “under what circumstances would this be A Thing for this character” in a somewhat judgment free zone. Just going right the hell into it like “alright, this is what these characters are into. Make it believable and make it fun”. It works!

What was your favorite part to write from I get this feeling I'm in motion?

I think it’s the implication of how routine hangouts like that are, with Steve and Robin. They go to her house, they get snacks and drinks, and they immediately make themselves comfortable in her room. There’s something really sweet about a best friend making themselves at home in your house, and just existing beside you.

How do/did you feel writing Rule Me Captive, Drain Me Empty?

Nervous! I get really in my head about how I go about things at first. Am I being too needlessly verbose? Too much exposition? Do people even care about all the pointless errands they’re going on, or should we just get right to the bedroom?

But then I calm down and figure, I’m having fun writing about Steve intentionally dragging Eddie around town, and everyone else is just going to have to make peace with that. 

What was the most difficult part of writing I get this feeling I'm in motion?

Does “not immediately oversharing all of my personal hang-ups in the author's notes” count?

Actually, it was probably making the “repercussions” of Steve’s actions still be scary enough for him to internalize as a kid, but not be too disastrous or dangerous for him. I’m still not sure how I feel about it. 

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

It’s very small. In “a good age (…)”, Robin thinks about what it might’ve been like if Steve were her brother and they (affectionately) come to the conclusion that they would have been little shitheads to each other as kids.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I have a handful of steddie illustrations based on fics that I’m waiting for the green light on to post, and quite a number of fics I’m chipping away at. Watch this space!

Thank you to our author, @ciriceart, and our nominator! See more of @ciriceart’s works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!