#love triangle as in they're fighting over you not poly

[7nuh]

Worst love triangles to be caught in, in my humble opinion (twst edition):

Leona and Malleus

Riddle and Floyd

ANYONE and Floyd, really

Azul and Jamil

Neige and Vil

Honorable mention: ANYONE and Sebek

[morallysuperiorlips]

4 (Oddly) Specific Types of Relationship Dynamics That Are GUARANTEED to Make Your Story More Interesting!

1.) Friends with Benefits to Enemies to Lovers: Let's be real. We ALL love a good enemies to lovers moment (it's easily one of my most loved tropes, hands down). But, a great way to really charge up that underlying hate that eventually flourishes into the perfect romance is by giving your characters a relationship before they became enemies...not just friends in this case, but friends with benefits. With that specificity, there's also a pre-existing sexual relationship that might really help in charging those negative feelings toward one another. Like, they were already intimate, and have seen those very private things about one another, but now they're fighting? Woof.

2.) Friends That Are Deeply in (Platonic) Love: No, I'm not talking friends to lovers. I'm talking friends that are just simply platonically in love. There's nothing sexual about their relationship, and there isn't really anything inherently romantic about it either, but they might show their love in ways that might traditionally be seen as "romantic." Intimate hugs, cuddling, saying "I love you so much," etc. I feel like I don't see this enough in written friendships and think it's wonderful for two characters to be so connected in a way that's not inherently sexual or traditionally romantic. GIVE US MORE PLATONIC ROMANCE!

3.) The Love Triangle...But They All Love Each Other: This is for my OT3/poly homies out there. This one made the list so I could scream it from the rooftops: IF YOU HAVE A LOVE TRIANGLE, MAKE THEM ALL BE IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER, COWARDS. OTHERWISE, IT'S JUST AN ANGLE, AND THAT'S NOT FUN FOR ANYONE. The concept of a love "triangle" is so overdone, and now we're in a new era--show me the throuple. Show me them trying to get over their feelings for one another and they just can't. Show me the complications of it all. Show me how they come to terms with loving two different people. Show me how they make it work. Show me how they show their love for one another in their non-traditional way. Nobody will see it coming and if your readers are anything like me, they'll appreciate you for it.

4.) Close-Knit Established Couples That Have Already Gone Through the Wringer: It's kind of crazy, but I haven't read a lot about established couples that already have a past of their relationship bonds being tested. It's always about the fresh new couples on the scene, and while I'm all for it, I love a couple that's already gone through some shit and are already fortified against whatever else is coming their way. Of course, that shouldn't stop you from throwing them back to the metaphorical sharks again, but I feel like it will be substantially more interesting to watch a couple who has already fought for one another (and won) do it all over again. How to they fare in comparison to a fresh couple? Are they annoyed about it? Or maybe they find it amusing because "been there, done that"?

As always, GO WRITE SOMETHING TODAY! <3

[randomthefox]

There's rumblings about a possible remaster or remake or SOMETHING involving a new Skies of Arcadia project because SEGA recently renewed the copyright for it. I dare not hope, but I can dream.

And it reminded me about how Vyse and Aika and Fina are 100% a fucking polycouple this isn't even up for debate.

they're even holding hands on the fucking boxart my dude

And it makes me really happy.

Legitimately I always find it so annoying when stories force a love triangle to end in monogamy. I think my first experience with realizing that monogamy was bullshit was when I played Mass Effect for the first time, romanced Liara and the human option, and the game straight up gives you the option to SUGGEST a poly relationship and if you choose that the human option says that's gross and dumps you and you're forced to continue with Liara. I resented it then, and I resent it in everything else ever since.

It is distressing how uncommon the "everybody fucks" outcome is despite how prevalent the "love triangle" is. Usually when the "everybody fucks" option is even brought up, it's only for the sake of calling it yucky and weird and bad (Bob's Burgers, Mass Effect).

I just hate dumping/rejecting people is what it is I think x3

it always makes me feel bad. Breaking hearts is sad. I don't want anyone's heart to be broken. I want everyone to be happy all the time forever. The entire conceit of a monogamy based love triangle is that at least one of the angles of the love triangle will have their heart broken. And it sucks because why can't they all just fuck?

Skies of Arcadia is, like, the only video game I can think of where there is IRREFUTABLE romantic overtones between the main trio and there is NO conflict or tension between them whatsoever (it should be noted that Aika DOES get jealous of Vyse oggling Belleza). Aika and Fina do not fight over who "gets" Vyse, and Vyse doesn't need to "choose" between them. Vyse has two hands. And Aika and Fina hold each others free hand. Canonically, not as some kind of fandom shipping scene thing, it's a completely valid interpretation of the text of the game itself.

WHY IS THIS SO UNCOMMON?

[shelbgrey]

HOLY SHIT YOU WRITE FOR OCEANS 11 AND THE OUTSIDERS?!? I MUST BE DREAMING 😭

Ok I have liiike 1 1/2 requests...

1: Could you write a Rusty and Lynus x fem reader (as in a love trying trope, not poly)? Its in oceans 11 and reader could either be like benedicts assistant OR you can write reader in oceans gang.

2: Do you have any oceans 11-13 x the outsiders hcs?

No pressure ofc pookalicious!! Have a good day/night 💖

I can Treat You Better (Rusty Ryan/Linus Caldwell)

Paring: Rusty Ryan x Ocean!Reader x Linus Caldwell(love triangle trope)

Summary: you and Rusty Ryan have always been an off and on again thing, when you two decide to have another go, Linus can't help notice the cracks and it makes him fall deeper in love with you and want to prove and treat you better. Prompt: 0.3) “Slow down, you’re doing fine”

A/n: I hope you don't mind I put a different little spin on this, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head.

MasterList ML2

You and Rusty have always been an off and on again situation, it was never anything toxic and no one ever cheated, but for some reason there were always ups and downs.

Your brother Danny has secretly been keeping tallies on how many times you've broken up. “your back together? What is this the 10th time or 11th?” he asked after rusty picked him up from prison. “Shut up, this is the last time we break up”

When Linus joined the crew there was an obvious connection. Everyone could see it, including Rusty. At the time you were clueless. You were with Rusty and you weren't a cheater.

Linus was head over heels the moment he met you, he was bright red in the face and could barely say his name without stuttering. You thought it was so cute, but didn't think much of it.

“she's the best part of my day” Linus smiled as he watched you cross the room. “sorry to rain on your paraid, but she's taken” Danny told him.

Just as he said that, Rusty had said somthing to you that made you scoff and walk away from him.

Linus missed what Rusty said to you, but he didn't miss the frustration and exhauston on your face.

He always had this gut feeling you weren't happy, but he also wasn't one to steal another man's woman. So at the time he was just fine becoming your best friend.

But a blind man could see the tension and desires building up between you as the months passed, Rusty didn't like it.

Anyway, Rusty would catch on quickly, he cares about Linus but he cares about you more. So challenge accepted. Then it became this childish drama within the group.

Get ready for every single thing to be a contest. they're both extremely stubborn and even the simplest of things will be turned into a competition of who can do it better.

Suprisenly Linus would become very charming and not so awkward. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He loves that he can easily express himself around you and just be himself without being judged.

I also think Linus is good at knowing when to pump the brakes if he over steps a line or goes too far. Rusty sometimes doesn't and sometimes he forgets that he doesn't need to use the same tactics he used to use bar girls.

What you hated most about this whole situation is that Linus and Rusty were turning on each other. You knew they were best friends and you couldn't help but think this, no girl is worth losing your best friend over.

They would often go to Danny for advice to. Usually if it's Rusty asking for advice Danny will tell him to leave him out of it, but if it's Linus he'll try to give genuine advice.

Danny is secretly team Linus even though he's best friends Rusty. I think Danny is just tired of the constant on and off shit Rusty and you have going on.

“Slow down, you’re doing fine” Danny sighs after hearing yet another rant of nervousness from Linus. “I think deep down she knows you're the one, she's just too clueless”

Linus just has this sweet, charming side you never knew you needed in a partner until you met him. When rusty and him are fighting each other, Linus' acts are often sweet and fluffy. Like bring you flowers or bring you food from your favorite restaurant.

Rusty is just a flirt and you're used to it. Sometimes you wonder how you dealt with it the first time.

As it went on you got more and more attention, you didn't want that. Then Danny and team started a bet and the secret poll only grew more bets as time went on.

Linus would often get embarrassed if something went wrong and one of the guys gave him shit. It especially pisses him off when they embarrass you or make fun of you.

Then you and Rusty broke up for good this time, the fighting between him and Linus was becoming too much.

That's when Linus had enough, he didn't care if Rusty was there or not he was gonna tell you. “I love you y/n... I love everything about you, even things I don't like... I still love”

He told you to think everything through. As much as he loved you, he didn't want you making any hasty decisions or let what he said cloud your mind.

“I love you too” you quickly said. You didn't need time to think. Linus had always been there for you. He was kind and generous, always putting your well being first. The love he had for you was unconditional.

He pulled you to his chest and immediately pressed his lips to yours, kissing you gently but passionately. Linus pulled away and rested his forehead on yours. “thank God... I love you too”

“Shit! I just lost $200, man” Turk grumbled, you gave the boys a questioning look.

“You put a bet on us?” Danny He shrugged. “hey, at least you got about a thousand for your honeymoon” Danny joked and Yen nodded happily. you took the notebook with all the bets written down and hit Danny in the head. “we rob casinos, I think we should get more than a thousand” you joked.

[bunji-enthusiast]

Weird request and understandable if you don't want, but x GN reader in either love triangle or poly relationship between Gerheade and Gloxinia. Specifically before the commandment change and they're like REALLY in love with yn

Operation; Twin-Love GO!

Sypnosis [as written in the request] Characters [Gerheade and Gloxinia] Note || I think I get what you mean! lemme know if I don't lol, this was a fun one. I kinda mixed up the events too so sorry about that, but I was in too deep to correct it ;/

The Fairy King's Forest was a place where the song of birds and rustle of leaves could almost lull one to sleep—but not today. In a small clearing, a bizarre trio found themselves in a situation none of them ever thought they’d be in. They weren’t fighting demons or even planning to protect the Fountain of Youth. No, today, they were simply navigating a rather... complicated relationship.

Gerheade, the younger sister of the once proud Fairy King Gloxinia, sat on a large rock, fidgeting with her fruit wand. She was dressed in her signature long yellow dress, the hem just reaching the ground, with a green hat perched precariously on her head. Her right eye was covered by the hat, and her wings, once grand and powerful, were now only stubs of what they used to be. Still, despite everything—her wounds, her past—she exuded an aura of regality.

And then there was you.

Your relationship with Gerheade and Gloxinia could be best described as unconventional, even by the standards of the Fairy King's Forest. It wasn’t a typical polyamorous bond, but it wasn’t your average fairy tale either. While Gerheade and Gloxinia held no romantic love for one another, both had come to share an intense, though slightly odd, love for you.

"Is it true?" Gerheade asked, her voice tinged with skepticism. Her purple eyes glinted in the sunlight as she leaned forward, as if she were going to discover the secret to life itself. "You’ve agreed to this... relationship? With both of us?"

Gloxinia, standing behind you, chuckled softly, though there was a touch of mischief in his amber eyes. "Oh, trust me. We didn't just agree to it. I had to put in my fair share of work," he teased, his grin wide enough to rival the moon.

Gerheade gave him a skeptical look. "What exactly do you mean by that?" Her voice was as calm as ever, but anyone who knew her well enough could tell she was curious, if not a bit nervous.

You scratched the back of your neck, feeling the familiar tension of their banter. "What he means is that he’s been trying to ‘win’ your heart through overly dramatic displays of affection... like bringing you a new flower every day for a month."

Gerheade’s expression didn’t change, but the slightest twitch of her lips suggested amusement. "I knew something was off about all those flowers," she muttered, narrowing her eyes at Gloxinia. "I thought you were simply trying to win me over with your ‘natural‘ charm.’"

Gloxinia, ever the comedian, bowed dramatically. "Guilty as charged! But surely, you must have appreciated the effort, Gerheade.”

Gerheade rolled her eyes, though there was a hint of warmth in her voice. "I didn’t ask for flowers, but thank you, I suppose."

You snickered at the exchange. "And here I thought I was the only one trying to win anyone over."

Gloxinia shot you a quick glance. "Well, someone had to be the voice of reason in this relationship." His voice was playful, but there was a tenderness underneath it. "I’ll admit, Gerheade’s... reluctance was understandable. I’m not an easy guy to live with."

Gerheade raised an eyebrow at this. "That’s an understatement."

"Indeed." Gloxinia gave an exaggerated sigh, then leaned casually against a tree. "But in the end, I knew we’d work things out. Eventually."

You couldn’t help but laugh at the way Gloxinia’s grin seemed to grow by the second. "Oh, trust me, I’m still trying to figure out how I got roped into all of this."

Gerheade’s lips curved into a sly smile, and she tapped the tip of her wand on the ground. "You do realize that we both love you for different reasons, yes?"

You blinked, slightly caught off guard. "Oh? Do tell, Gerheade."

Her tone was serious now, her voice almost like a whisper as she continued, "Gloxinia, for all his theatrics, loves you because you’re strong and, well, you remind him of the past. Of the simpler times before everything went wrong."

Gloxinia’s playful grin faded just for a moment, his eyes softening. He didn’t respond, but the look in his eyes said enough. Gerheade, on the other hand, was quick to add, "But for me... it’s about protection. You’re someone who has been through just as much pain as I have. I... I don’t want to lose anyone again."

There was an unspoken understanding between the three of you as Gerheade finished speaking, her expression earnest. The lighthearted tone was gone now, replaced by something deeper. Something more profound.

But just as the moment seemed to be turning more serious, Gloxinia broke the silence.

"Ah! There it is!" he exclaimed, pointing dramatically toward you. "The real reason you’re here, huh? You’ve got us both wrapped around your little finger."

You rolled your eyes but grinned nonetheless. "Don’t act like you didn’t want this, Gloxinia. You were the one who insisted on this weird... truce."

"Truce?" Gerheade asked, raising an eyebrow again. "I thought we were in an agreement."

Gloxinia waved his hand dismissively. "Details, details. The important part is that it’s working, right?" He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a playful whisper. "And let’s not forget who still has the power here, hm?" He shot you a wink before giving Gerheade a mock glare.

Gerheade blinked, suddenly realizing the meaning behind his words. "Oh, you’re so childish," she muttered, but the smile tugging at the corner of her lips betrayed her.

You chuckled, shaking your head. "You two are ridiculous."

Gloxinia leaned back on his heels, crossing his arms with a satisfied grin. "Perhaps. But at least we’re ridiculous together." He gave Gerheade an exaggerated bow. "Care to join us, Gerheade?"

Gerheade sighed, but it was a resigned sigh, one that spoke of acceptance rather than frustration. "Only because I have no choice," she replied, her voice soft and playful now. "But I swear, one more flower... and I might just turn you into a plant."

The trio fell into an easy, comfortable silence for a moment, the sounds of the forest surrounding them. It was a strange bond, but in its own way, it made sense.

"You know," you said after a beat, "this is the most normal day I’ve had in... well, ever."

Gloxinia and Gerheade exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.

"I doubt that," Gloxinia replied, the amusement in his voice obvious. "Normal is boring."

"Exactly," Gerheade agreed with a smile. "So, we’ll keep things... interesting.”

And for once, the three of you didn’t mind being a bit ridiculous. After all, sometimes, it was the ridiculousness that made life worth living.

[ll-but-its-random]

My propaganda for the first group of LL ship brackets:

@adamussutekh

Round 1:

Okay Jarah is actually kind of underrated these days.

Like, yes, it might've just started with 'ooh, she's pretty' and yes, Pittacus may have used Sarah as character development, BUT EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN???

Book 3-6 John and Sarah ACTUALLY had a good dynamic! Not always the best, but they were improving and learning together. Specially when John started to rely on her as someone more capable.

The talks on the phone where they're comforting each other are my favorite. (But really it was Sarah doing something crazy while John is crying in a tent, nice swap of places).

The whole thing is at least a 7/10.

Nix? Might just be me, but they feel like the gay/lesbian duo who have very similar personalities and fight like siblings. Wouldn't ship them, but they vibe.

----

Round 2:

I actually have nothing much to say here.

Jix have a very undefined relationship that I can't seem to label. Pals? Sibling-ish? Friends with occasional benefits? Sam? What are or can they be exactly?

Joveen maybe interacted 6 times (hehe) and most of these were passive conversations, but I'm a firm Eight-potential believer. I think they could've actually kicked off given that Pittacus didn't FUCKING KILL EIGHT.

They'd be like. "Yeah, I think I'm Pittacus Lore." "No way, I think I'm Pittacus Lore too!" yay!

I'm going john/eight (=1/2??)

----

Round 3:

Unlike the round two ships, these are ones I actually have so many interpretations for, I can't put all of them down.

Six/Sarah is hot.

Six/Marina is more cute.

I will argue though, that Marina is really sad rn and needs her bff/gf/emotional support lesbian. Sarah doesn't, she's dead.

But on any other occasion YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHOSE

SIX HAS TWO HANDS FOR A REASON

----

Round 4:

PO6 trio actually have a good dynamic if it wasn't for the 'love triangle' shit the authors shoved in there. Like, they made it more like a love angle centered around Six. But let's be real, she and John are arguing over having Sam.

John/Nine/Sam is just stupid/more stupid/less stupid and you know what? I like it. Don't try to put a label on them, give me some interactions and I will generate an entire world centered around these 3 dumbasses together.

----

Round 5:

These trios are just two different versions of each other.

quiet x flirty x smt else

However, i do like my polys a perfect triangle. And while I stand for Isabella/Duanphen and Isabella/Caleb separately, Caleb/Duanphen just doesn't go. The most I can see between them was Caleb acknowledging Duan is at least normal.

Also, they were roommates (Tay/Isabel/Ran).

Need I say more?

----

Round 6:

Hear me out, Kopano and Taylor are the kind of cute ship with so many sides and corners and sweetness that your teeth rot. I'm here for it. Love the babies.

They also happen to be alive and we all need a break from crying over the dead.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: The Frostbound Queen by Amy Pennza

3.75/5. 8/13/24.

Vibes: MMF, elves!!!, guardian/ward, enemies to lovers

Heat Index: 9/10

The Basics:

Elven princess Liria is meant to inherit her father's throne—but when he dies, she's confronted with the realities of her own power, leaving a vacuum open for his friend (and her guardina) Ronan to step in. Fleeing to the human lands, Liria meets the charismatic Prince Sigurn. Torn between her long-simmering feelings for Ronan—unsure of whether she should even trust him—and her new connection with Sigurn, Liria is even more thrown when it turns out the men know each other... and the threats to her throne may be more complex than she realized.

The Review:

It's always lovely to pick up a book thinking it's a love triangle, when in fact... It's MMF! Yes yes, Sigurn and Ronan know each other INDEED, and swords do cross (quite a bit) and everyone is in love with everyone at the end, so... have no fear triangle-haters. This is the whole thing.

I don't hate triangles, so while I was happy that this turned out to be a triad romance (which I love quite a bit) I was honestly more worried about the elf thing. Elves can be really hit or miss for me—but these were ROYAL elves, and therefore I was willing to play ball.

There was really no need to fear. The elf stuff was well done, and not overly... elven. You get some politicking, some fighting for the throne, and some cool ice powers. But it's not Lord of the Rings; I mean, it's VERY far from that, all things considered. So if you're a little worried about how elfy this is going to get, I'd say that you're going to be pleased here.

I'd never read Amy Pennza before, and she has a quick, snappy, engaging writing style that pulled me in from the beginning. Her writing flows, her dialogue is fun, and I'd say that this reads pretty smoothly overall. I can't say that this is a total "one-handed read", because honestly? You get a good chunk of plot here. Like, yeah, the plot ultimately kind of leads to us getting these three into bed together, but like... There's betrayal. There are blood vows. I actually really liked some of the worldbuilding aspects. Basically: if you want your triad books to have actual substance, you'll get that here (if not quite as much as you would with, say, a Sierra Simone book).

Where I do have my quibbles are really in the character dynamics. I love poly romances. I love MMF. It is very difficult to write it without the heat being prioritized over the relationship development, which leads to one or two dynamics being emphasized over the other.

Here's where I think we had some stumbling blocks, to be honest. I was immediately drawn to Liria and Ronan's bond—if you aren't into guardian/ward stuff, then look away, because he has known her since she was a kid, and he is her dad's best friend. The book is very upfront about all of that. The thing is that this gives us a lot of layers to work with. They're conflicted, they're drawn to each other. You can feel the years of tension. To top it off? Liria is now suspicious of Ronan attempting to dethrone her, and he had does have genuine internal conflict about it.

Like, I can't say that Liria has as much depth as Ronan—he's easily the most compelling character of the three. But there's more for her to bounce off of when she's with him. There's a real trajectory the two of them must reach, a dynamic that has to overcome hurdles surrounding trust, duty, and entitlement.

Sigurn... is hot. He's Big. He's a bit rakish, but in a jolly kind of way. He tops. And yes, he has his family drama, and we know that he and Ronan have battled wills in the past. But by the time we see them together, they do have... tension, but a kind of equilibrium and acceptance of an imperfect relationship. Yes, there are a couple more steps to go, and they take them. Their dynamic is intriguing—but you don't get as much emotionally between them as you do between Liria and Ronan, and Liria and Sigurn one-on-one are honestly basically instalove and kind of boring in comparison to the other two dynamics. Ronan and Liria? Lots of conflict. Sigurn and Ronan? Lots of tension. Sigurn and Liria? Kind of just... fine. The sex is hot. There you go.

And for me, this really becomes more apparent as the story goes on. Sirgun just isn't as interesting as Ronan, and his dynamic with Liria isn't as interesting as her dynamic with Ronan, and his dynamic with Ronan is interesting, but a lot of the source of conflict has already HAPPENED.

It's not BAD, but it did kind of stick with me towards the end of the book. I got why Liria and Ronan were tangled up with each other. I sort of got why Ronan and Sigurn were all twisted up, though to be real, I felt like Ronan seemed way more preoccupied with Liria. Sirgun was just... not as important. This being an MMF book, I did have to take issue with that.

However, the story remains really fun. I was always engaged, and I breezed through the audiobook (which has good narrators all around). For a lot of people all my critiques here are not going to matter, because if you want a good time, you'll get a good time. And to be clear: I absolutely plan on reading more Amy Pennza.

The Sex:

I mean. It's really good. Each pairing in the triad gets an individual scene (I gotta say, Liria took quite a... pummeling... for an inexperienced woman in that short amount of time, but I'll chalk it up to elf stuff) plus several trio scenes. I do feel that Sigurn's status as "least interesting person here" continues into the bedroom, as he's very typical "let me tell you what to do", but hey. I'll openly admit that Ronan is probably the worst person at that bar, and boy does that make me like him more.

Overall, this is a really fun, hot romance that's perfect for those who want something high heat, fantastical, and a bit on the lighter side without being too lightweight. Don't let the elves scare you off!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[genericpuff]

List of my dummy questions for you:

What's your fav color?

Fav songs?

Fav comics that you would reccomend?

Fav shipping tropes?

oooh fun, i never get asked these LOL

-red/black but also whites and pinks?? idk i let down my guard in adulthood and now the last couple years i'm like "man, pink's pretty cool ngl"

-i listen to a LOT of different genres of music and cycle through favorites, i guess some of my favorite tracks that have transcended a lot of those cycles would be stuff from Circa Survive and Sianvar but right NOW my specific favorite songs that i've been making up ADHD music videos in my head on repeat are The News by Paramore, Our Last Shot by Circa Survive, KICK BACK and HAWATARI NIOKU CENTI from Chainsaw Man, Yuugure no Tori and Shogeki from Attack on Titan (you can tell I just started S4) and My Time by bo en (yes, the OMORI version) :' )

-Alfie (18+ indie), A BETTER PLACE (Tapas), City of Blank (Webtoon Original), AwkwardZombie (Hiveworks), BONE (Scholastic-published graphic novel), Deadman Wonderland (manga) - lil' bit of everything from every flavor of comics :' )

-I might catch flak for these as ship preferences always do buuuut enemies to lovers, big and quiet one x small gremlin one, forced proximity/stuck together, childhood sweethearts, bonus points to any of these if they're queer but points SUBTRACTED if there's a love triangle, i fucking HATE LOVE TRIANGLES and 9 times out of 10 i'm either begging the rivals to just dump the person they're fighting over and date each other OR i'm begging the person who's being fought over to walk the fuck away from these chumps LOL like just make it poly PLEASE- 😭

and basically also all of these- (not my art, credit to Pioy on DA)

[mentallyinvernation]

Trope Game

Ahh, thank you to the lovely @bazzybelle for the tag!!!

I'm not picky when it comes to tropes tbh (at least I don't think so haha) I'll probably read anything if I'm in the right mood.

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 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: +4 I'm not usually drawn to fics with major age gaps, but y'know, if the plot speaks to me I'll give it a go lmao

Codependency: +5

Okay in angsty scenarios yes please. It's about the trust. the growth. the tendernessssss.

Or! It's about the dead!dove whump of it all, and yes.

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +10

I WILL EAT THIS SHIT UP IDC. Less so obsession, but the possessiveness and jealousy? GOD. Sign me the fuck up. You've instantly won me over - especially if there's some kind of marking kink going on.

Dreamling are such sluts for this trope lmao

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): +1000

ELITE. All of my favourite ships come back to this. You can't go wrong. Something something he was sunshine, I was midnight rain 

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +100

Look it's about the sexual tension. Are they flirting? Fighting? Nobody knows. Everyone is too afraid to ask. It's about both characters pretending they're not in love with each other. It's about the oh-no moment when said characters realise they're in love with each other. It's the star-crossed nonsense of it all.

I love it. God-tier trope.

Friends with benefits: +4

Not really my go-to but I have read some fics where this is done SO well.

Sex to feelings: +7

Yes.

Fake dating/relationship: +8

I'm such a sucker for these stories lmao. Especially if one character knows they're in love with the other before agreeing to fake date. The point where the lines start getting blurry between what's pretend and what's not is just *chefs kiss*.

Friends to lovers: +7

I mean, I like this trope, it's pretty much the baseline of most fics I read. But you need more tropes for flavour. Admittedly I'm more of an enemies-to-lovers person. Well, no, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. THAT'S where it's at.

However saying that, Dreamling does friends to lovers very, very, very fucking well.

Found Family: +9

GIB. I love all the found family tropes.

Hurt/Comfort: +10

Yesssss. Sucker punch me with angst. I'll thank you for it. Just burrito blanket me with comfort afterwards. I love this trope, especially if the character going Through It is a pathetic little meow meow anyway.

Love Triangle: nope.

Just not really my thing. I've tried a few fics that have done this, and every time it's ended with the author getting hate from readers who wanted a different ending with the other love interest, and the comment sections were just war zones. However that's my experience with the trope, so take it with a pinch of salt.

However, if it's a love triangle that turns poly, I fucking love that shit. Especially if they're all being idiots about it. Rating for that is: +50

Poly, open relationships: +10

The only issue I have with this trope is keeping track of everyone's arms and legs while writing smut lmao. Otherwise, an absolute god-tier trope.

Mistaken/hidden identity: +3

Uhhhhh, idk It really depends on the context for this one. I don't think I'd go searching for a fic like this, but if it's propped up by some other tropes I'd probably read it.

Monsterfucking: +50

No notes. Another god-tier trope.

Pregnancy: +6

This is a weird one for me. I like pregnancy fics if that's what I set out to read, but generally, if there's an unexpected pregnancy halfway through a story I lose a bit of interest. UNLESS we're working in omegaverse.

Accidental baby acquisition is always a fun trope as well.

Second Chance: +4

No strong feelings on this one tbh.

Slowburn: +100

YESSSSSSSSSSS. Make me stay up past 3am with my eyes burning, mumbling about how these two fuckers just need to get it together and kiss already so I can sleep.

Soulmates: +1000000

AND THEY WERE SOULMATES. *sobs*

There are so many creative ways to go about this trope, and I love all of them. And then there's the world-building that goes on in soulmate universes. Admittedly, I don't read these very often anymore, but when I do they always hit so good.

Tagging (but absolutely no pressure): @sleepsonfutons @spockandthings @mallory-x @meadowziplines @thranduilland @phinofthestorm @beauty-of-nyx @serenailith @janimoon

[icharchivist]

Personally, whenever people get really in my face about a love triangle, I choose to read it as a happy poly relationship instead and everyone else is being silly over fighting because joke's on you, they're all married

LMAO yeah that's the perfect alternative, honestly

i just really don't ship Cloud with either of the girls, sorry dLKFJDKLFJDKLJFD i find their set up as platonic relationships so much more interesting in general. And Cloud looks so disinterested about anything in the OG that it's hard to picture him as into it. But i do also come from the bias that i shipped Cloud and Zack very early on (since i started with Crisis Core </3).

but i also do ship Zack x Aerith in a very specific way, but therefore it's like, i can be flexible in some way!

But also i'm REALLY invested in Aerith x Tifa as a ship, i find their relationship really touching. And let's say that Cloud x Zack and Aerith x Tifa have a similar theme that drive me absolutely bonkers so i'm locked on it, pretty much.

and everytime i get to slightly consider either of Cloud's ships i'm reminded of their fans and i'm just like. actually Cloud is gay and traumatized leave him alone thank you. Putting him on a shelf until people know to behave x2.

Usually i'm all for a poly relationship in those situations, but i've been building an allergy to the two LTD's ships since i'm 12 or 13, at this point it's just too late for me to fix it with a poly, i just want people to shut up. And like, i'm fine with them shipping stuff i don't ship, i'm just so damn tired of them bashing the other girl everytime, especially since they somehow manage to be extremely misogynistic everytime.

so yeah... good solution, just one i can't apply to this fandom because i've been here for too long to even consider the ships that make this fandom so unbearable to be in every single time </3

[exilethegame]

Writing Update (08/01/22)

Hello everyone! Over the past two weeks I've written 15k words, meaning Chapter 5 is currently 200k words long. At this point, I imagine pt. 1 is going to be longer than the originally anticipated 211k, but we'll see.

Speaking of which, I've been entirely focused on finishing the first part of Chapter Five. It's mostly a mix of Sabir scenes I skipped (b/c there are so many options for your past + current relationship, there's a lot of variation for every scene he's in), lore scenes I didn't figure out quite yet, and fight scene variations. A single fight scene can end up being 40 - 50k words due to the amount of variation within it, so they're always a hassle to write.

Continuing, Chapter 5 is also the first chapter where the poly dynamic between Sabir + Vethna begins to be introduced, along with some new variables being added.

There's a new romance system I'm experimenting with. It's a love triangle vs. poly system-- so essentially, if you build up high affinity with two of the poly-available characters, you'll be forced to choose between having MC want to be with both characters or to have MC eventually make a choice between them.

As of now, if you choose the love triangle, it doesn't open up a new route or anything-- it just makes sure the game doesn't trigger the poly build-up. All characters at the moment have the ability get jealous of MC flirting with anyone else if it's not within the pre-determined closed-triad romances, so there's plenty of romantic angst to be found.

My goal for this week is to completely finish [REDACTED] scene, and to possibly finish, or at least chip away at, the armor scene. That would leave me with 5 more scenes to finish-- one of which should be so short that it's honestly more accurate to say 4 more scenes.

That's all for this week--hopefully I'll be able to provide more insight next week on when the release of Pt. 1 will be.

Until then, and thanks for reading! <3

[yanderenightmare]

What is your favorite trope out of curiosity?

I'm guessing you mean trope as in writing?

I've never really considered myself a big fan of the romance genre, but that's simply because most romance films are boring. I don't enjoy sappy shit, nor romcoms especially, but I do think movies/series and books without romance are really weird and unnatural.

I guess my favourite genre would be either a thriller/action/adventure/horror piece of media with a side-dish of romance.

ROMANCE PROMPTS / TROPES

UNREQUITED / TABOO LOVE

Kidnapping or Stalker or Obsession or Prisoner - Classic lovesickness/Yandere - Incel-rage, especially if it's internet-stalking - Prisoner of war or a war trophy taken by the winner - Slavery

Blackmail or Arranged/Forced Marriage Especially if it's set in old medieval times.

Fake/Convenient engagement - Uniting Kingdoms - Last of their kind - Quirk-marriages It's similar to the one above, but it's more disarming because they're in the same boat of unhappiness and they can find consolation in that, which leads to them falling for each other. Or, it's discovered that one of them orchestrated the entire thing from the start.

Soul Mates or Destiny/Fate/Prophecy Especially if it's like the one above, where they're simply told that they're meant to be together, but one of them doesn't really feel a connection, but has to be with the other person anyway because they're not really given a choice. - Alpha x Omega - Any soulmate au trope

Forced Proximity - Snowed in together - Huddling/cuddling for warmth - Apocalypse bunker or Codependence for survival - Shared classes/clubs/activities/assignments - Roommate/Neighbours - Newly turned step-siblings - Co-wokers

LOVE BETWEEN PARALLELS

Opposites attract - Rich x Poor - Hero x Villain or Angel x Demon - Playboy x Virgin - Bully x Victim - Popular x Dork

Power-dynamics - Boss x Secretary/Nanny/Maid - Wealthy High Society x Erotic Dancer/Model/Ballerina - Mafia x Someone who owes them - Villain x Victim - King x Slave - Wardon x Prisoner - Police/Hero x Criminal - Teacher x Student - God x Worshipper

Enemies to Lovers - Bully x Victim - Hero x Villain (either it be the charming guy-villain x girl-hero or extremely inappropriate flirty guy-hero x flustered girl-villain) - Competitors finally having extreme hate-sex

Frenemies or Friendly Competition - Workplace rivalry - Different teams in a sport/club (Gaming, Chess, Mathletes, Debate, Football and etc...)

Medical Romance - Doctor x Patient Either one nurses the other back to health and they fall for their care-taker. Or the one healing falls for their patient. - Psychiatrist x Client Either the psychiatrist is the sane one treating a client in an insane asylum, and the patient falls for them. Or the client is the normal one and the therapist treating them goes insane for them.

ANGSTY TEENAGE LOVE

Girl Next Door If they have windows that align and they can both see each other dressing and dancing to music and walking around naked. It could be mutual, or a stalker scenario.

Fish Out of Water or New Girl in Town A girl moves to the city or to a small suburb all alone and a guy takes interest. She's obviously vulnerable and happy to have a friend that knows his way around, and he enjoys that she's so dependent on him.

The Wallflower or Plain Jane Feminists should hate this trope, but I love it still, I'm sorry. Often portrayed as a shy quiet dorky bookworm nerd-girl getting wooed by this entitled smooth popular jock. But in reality it would be more like this: Independent woman getting unwanted attention from sex-predators.

The Dare or The Bet Usually a popular guy is dared to make the shy nerd fall in love with him only to break her heart, but obviously falls in love with her in return, only for her to find out about the bet and has her heart broken anyway, only for him to win it back again in the end.

Love Triangle or Male-Male-Female Just good poly drama. Especially if two guys fight over the girl until they realise they can all be together.

[x-childish-x]

Hi, I hope you're having an amazing day. Can I request a poly fic with Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr where the reader is a mutant (telepath with telekinesis powers so Charles cannot read her mind) and a professor at the school. It was initially a love triangle with both Charles and Erik being in love with the reader and always trying to one-up each other to win over the reader, but, along the way they fall in love with each other and it is just three dumbasses in love. Like, the reader has always been in love with both of them but she never told them because of fear of rejection and stuff and all three of them are in love with each other and way too oblivious for their own good but they finally get together at the end.

Sorry if it was too specific or long. You don't have to write it if you don't feel comfortable with it or you don't like it. Btw, I love your X-men fics, they're so unbelievably good, like WOW!

Three Dumbasses

Pairing: Charles Xavier x fem!reader x Erik Lehnsherr

Fandom: X-Men

Warnings: FLUFF, swearing, cuteness, three dumbasses being blind, competing, mutual pining

Word Count: 1083

A/N: Hello love! Thank you so so much for this request! Woo! Both the first fic for Charles and Erik! I really hope you enjoy this and that it's what you were wanting. I apologize for taking so long to get it out. Thank you for all the love and support. It truly means so much to me to know that you enjoy my stories. Feedback is always welcome and encouraged!

Summary: Charles and Erik have been fighting to win you over for quite some time now, and fell for one another in the process, and now the three of you are finally forced to address the situation you've put yourselves in.

(gif not mine!)

You waved at Hank as you passed him on your way to your classroom, bidding a soft 'good morning' as you went. You liked arriving at class early. It always gave you time to organize all your papers for the day, and it often gave you time to say hello to all the other professors. Upon entering the classroom, you couldn't help but smile at the sight of a dozen roses sitting on your desk.

Walking over, you picked up the bouquet, reading the note with a giddy smile, "Good morning, love. I hope your day is as full and sweet as these roses. --Charles"

Setting down your bag, you opened one of your cabinets and called a vase to you using your telekinesis. You smiled and poured some water into the vase and set the roses in it. A soft knock rang on your door, pulling your attention elsewhere as you called out for them to come in. You set down the vase on your window sill and turned to see Erik standing in your doorway.

"Good morning Erik," You smiled brightly at the older man.

"Good morning, Darling," Erik smiled, walking closer to you, "I brought you your favorite coffee. Thought you could use some company and a delicious drink before class."

Taking the drink from Erik's hand, you leaned in for a quick hug, "Thank you, Erik. I appreciate it."

He simply nodded, "So.. tell me about your day."

You smiled at the slightly older man and began to tell him about your lesson plans for the day. Yet, despite talking about your day, your mind was somewhere else entirely. The roses from Charles, the drink from Erik, things had been this way for as long as you remember. All three of you flirting, Charles and Erik constantly trying to one-up each other to try and win you over.

But.. they had long ago won you over, both of them. That was why you were so terrified to tell them. You'd never discussed the topic of a polyamorous relationship, and it would be impossible for you to choose one of them. But then on top of that, you were scared that maybe they didn't actually like you. Maybe, they were just flirting for fun, just trying to make a game out of it, and that terrified you.

So you refrained from telling them anything, from even just hinting that you wanted to do anything more than just flirt. You did your best to keep it professional when at school, but they have made it increasingly hard.

Erik didn't stay for much longer, seeing as you had class starting soon. The day went by incredibly fast, and you found yourself packing up before you even knew it. You found yourself walking the familiar path towards Charles' office, the place where you always met up together after all classes were over. Certain students waved at you, and you did your best to wave back to each one, but your mind was more focused on reaching out to Erik to let him know that you were on your way.

The moment you finally found Erik's mind, you panicked slightly at the anxiety and fear running through his mind. Immediately you backed out, not wanting to invade his privacy or overstep. You quickened your pace to Charles' office and quickly entered without announcing yourself as you normally would.

The sight of both men with tears in their eyes left you incredibly anxious.

"Is... is everything okay?" You asked softly, doing your best to ignore Erik's mind.

"Hopefully," Erik sighed, looking at you with a more longing look than normal.

"What's going on?" You asked gently, feeling yourself growing more and more nervous with each passing second.

"We need to talk," Charles spoke softly, doing his best to not freak you out, "About some things that need to be addressed."

"Okay," You spoke slowly, dragging out the words and moving to sit beside Erik on the couch in Charles' office.

"I'm sure this isn't a secret, and you're already aware, but we both love you, (y/n)," Erik spoke softly.

Your eyes widened as you looked back and forth between the two men, hoping that they weren't taking it where you thought they were taking it. You didn't want to have to choose. You loved them both so much that you felt it would be impossible for you to choose between them. You knew that if they asked you to choose between them, you wouldn't be able to choose.

"But," Charles cleared his throat, "Uhm, somewhere along the way. In between us fighting to win you over... we... well we sort of... fell for one another."

Tears swarmed your eyes at the mass amount of relief you felt flood your body. However, before you could speak up to express your relief, Erik spoke once more.

"We understand this is probably feeling like a rush, and we weren't planning to tell you," Erik sighed, "And we understand we've never spoken about the idea of a polyamorous relationship, let alone whether you like both of us. But... if you would want to... and if you are comfortable, we'd be more than willing to."

A soft cry escaped your lips as you smiled widely, "You mean to tell me... that we've just been three dumbasses in love with each other for who knows how long, and all of us have been too afraid to say anything?"

Both Charles and Erik let out sighs of relief, bright smiles taking over their faces as they spoke together, "You love us?"

"Yes!" You laughed, "God, I've been in love with both of you for song long, but I've been too afraid to say anything because I've been too afraid you'd make me choose."

"We've all been in love with one another, us fighting for your love when you already loved us both, and none of us noticed we all love each other," Erik chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at you, "I supposed we have been dumbasses."

"At least I've proven to you that good things can come out of me entering your mind," Charles smiled toward Erik, who simply rolled his eyes.

"Charles," You tsked, wiping your tears as you smiled.

"Tell me you are actually upset that I did," Charles smiled as he looked between you and Erik, "If it weren't for me, we'd still be oblivious to that fact that we're three dumbasses in love with one another."

General taglist: @nowthisisdark @techssexythighs X-Men taglist: @madison05x

[azems-familiar]

For the 3 things ask: 11. 3 books that you would recommend everyone to read

ooh yes books!! i'm going to cheat and do two trilogies and a book, but i doubt anyone will mind that much.

1) the Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin (fantasy)

these books are just- honestly incredible. the writing style is stunning and absolutely something i aspire to, and beyond just having a very very good plot that will keep you in suspense until the last page and characters you will fall in love with, it also has a shitton of super casual queer rep in it. one of the main characters is a trans woman - this is remarked upon very briefly, but not as something odd or out of place, and homophobia and transphobia don't seem to exist - and there's a poly triad at one point in the books, m/m/f where the relationships are m/m and m/f (a v shaped triad, not a triangle, between a gay man, a bi man, and a straight woman). the main character is a middle-aged woman who has had multiple children.

unfortunately, the books are very dark and come with a lot of trigger warnings. child abuse, of both the physical and emotional kind, child murder, some really not-fun dynamics at a societal level, forced sex/pregnancy for eugenics reasons (they both consent to it, but it's not enthusiastic, it's doing it because they have to. not rape because both partners are victims, idk how else to explain it). despite all that, they're worth the read!

2) the Red Rising trilogy, Pierce Brown (sci-fi)

now for the sci-fi rec. the red rising trilogy also comes with a fair number of trigger warnings including murder, abuse of a lot of different kinds, gore, cannibalism (only ever mentioned, not actually shown onscreen, but it happened), rape (also only mentioned), i'm pretty sure there's others but they're escaping me at the moment, partly because it's been a while since i read the latter two books. is torture a trigger warning? anyway. despite how dark it can get at times, these books are very well written with some fascinating worldbuilding and a really well done story about revolution and politics and human nature and what makes a society. seriously, there are so many politics. a lot of it is sort of "ancient rome but in space with very high end tech"; the ancient rome thing is an aesthetic cultivated on purpose by the Society, but that does give you a sort of ballpark. also to be noted is the science in it! this is a sci-fi series that actually talks about the different levels of gravity on different planets, the lengths of days and years, the mechanics of spaceflight and ship to ship fighting in a vacuum. it's fun and unique and more people should read these books.

3) Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay (fantasy)

Tigana is a single book, but clocking in at over 1k pages (from what i remember), it's long enough to be a series on its own. Tigana is a story about personal and cultural identity, the meaning of a name, magic and morality and religion and art and poetry, and it's absolutely beautifully written. i cannot recommend the author enough - he's one of my all time favorites - but of his novels, Tigana is my favorite. it's one of those stories that does a grey antagonist really damn well, exploring the trope about how sometimes the antagonist is just another person behind the one awful act he's done to set him apart. (sometimes the conquering king is a good king to everyone but the people who killed his son, and but for the atrocity committed in his grief, he becomes the villain and dies for it.) this is definitely an 18+ novel due to there being a few sex scenes in it, but they're plot and emotion relevant and i found them to actually be worth reading, and i tend to skip a lot of smut scenes in writing/fic.

anyway, those are my recs! thank you very much for the question and if any of my followers read these (or have read them) please send me your thoughts! especially Tigana, i never meet anyone who is familiar with Kay's work

[atinyidea]

Glitch | Ateez Gang!AU | ONE

⟶ gang!au, hacker!au, love triangle? poly? female!original character

How curious it is, the fact that the police just gave a media conference, confirming ATZ’s involvement in Kyungri’s families newly-appointed murder, just as she sat down for her best friend, Jaehyeon, to be tattooed by one of the gang members?

⟶ glitch ml! main ml!

⟶ prologue | next

⟶  note! if anyone wants to be on a tag list for this fic just let me know!

⟶ 4046 words!

⟶ edited 06.03.2020

ONE: Make Sure One Isn’t Stupid.

Thursday 23 October 2025, 21:39.

“I don't see the point of getting a tattoo to commemorate you breaking up with your girlfriend.” Pyo Kyungri grumbled into her scarf as she and her best friend, Lim Jaehyeon, walked down the street in the freezing, open air. She had been dragged out of her comfort zone – which was essentially just her memory foam bed and fluffy penguin onesie – to make sure Jaehyeon didn't do something one hundred per cent idiotic. She was there to keep his idiocy to a low minimum of 75 per cent.

“It’s not about that,” Jaehyeon replied, grinning across at her, “not really.” He took a pause as the crossed the road. “This is a new step in my life. I want this tattoo to commemorate the best decision I've ever made in my life.” This time his pause was because he was a dramatic idiot. “To get that woman out of my life.” He stressed. “To let go of five years of toxicity. To have my eyes finally re-opened from her cheaters blindfold.”

“Such a way with words for a cold-hearted evil bitch. You can call her that you know, it’s officially her title now.” Kyungri replied, looking at her best friend with a heavy heart.

For five years Jaehyeon had been strung along by his ex-girlfriend, Evil Bitch, and no-one was any the wiser. Kyungri carried around so much guilt for not catching on to it sooner, for not looking into her like she did with literally everyone else, for getting so caught up in a closed case of the crash that killed her parents and brother, that she forgot all about her best friend and what he was going through. Though to her credit, he thought he was in a loving relationship – for all relationships had arguments right, so where was his right to complain about the large small arguments they got into? Jaehyeon hadn’t really opened up about his relationship with Evil Bitch like he previously had with his other relationships. He would never blame Kyungri the way she was blaming herself.

Jaehyeon sighed with a chuckle, watching as his breath came out as mist in front of him in the cold air. At the sight of it, Kyungri seemed to shrink further into her scarf. “Just because she cheated on me – tore my heart out, stabbed through it with her devilish heels as she crushed it under her foot, spat on it before kicking it into the middle of a busy road just for multiple cars to drive over it forever – doesn't mean I'm going to start calling women derogatory names. I never have, and I never will.”

Kyungri’s eyebrows raised as she looked over at Jaehyeon with an amused expression yet, said nothing as they stopped in front of the shop.

Why Jaehyeon chose this particular parlour she wasn’t sure. The shopfront was indeed very appealing, with the purple neon lights casting pretty coloured shadows across the dark street as well as their faces. It was very pretty and Kyungri had to fight the urge to take several million pictures of the shopfront and look like a complete weirdo.

“C’mon, I’m a minute late already,” Jaehyeon mumbled as he pushed forwards through the glass door. He looked back at her as they walked towards the front desk – where a blonde-haired man sat silently tapping away at his laptop – “I won’t stop you though.” He grinned, continuing their conversation from outside. He took no note on how the receptionist had raised his head and now could hear them perfectly, but neither did Kyungri.

No one ever thinks about the receptionist.

“I will!” She exclaimed, grinning back at him. “I’ll call her an Evil Bitch all I like! I call upon the right to freedom of speech!” The young woman joked as they finally turned their attention to the receptionist.

The blonde man – whose hair was looking more sandy-brown than blonde – smiled up at them. As he and Jaehyeon began talking, Kyungri tuned them out taking more of an interest in the receptionist’s face rather than whatever Jaehyeon was saying. His face and features were small, cheekbones high with a clear complexion. His eyes were a gentle brown but Kyungri could see that he was trying hard to hide something behind those kind eyes. She decided not to think about it too much – everyone has their secrets and worries. He wore makeup, subtle oranges around the eyes and his lips were adorned with a light red tint. However, what caught her eye the most was the sheer amount of ear piercings the man had. That and the singular tattoo she could see peeking out from under his collar and around the back of his neck – where his hair was slightly longer and covering it.

Kyungri looked away from the receptionist, Hongjoo as he had introduced himself, not wanting to look a creep for staring exactly the right amount of too much. She glanced down, staring at the bag that hung on her shoulders that carried her laptop. If she was forced to say what her favourite possession – for one never willingly tells anyone their favourite thing in the world if they're not stupid. It would never be taken if no one knew it was important... or something – it would be her laptop. It may be a cliché for a hacker’s favourite possession to be a laptop but this one was quite special, this one she had built with her father. This one she completed her first hack with. While she never really went anywhere without it, all the files on the laptop were actually stored in an external hard drive that never left her person.

That hard drive was the real jewel.

It would be better to ask if she could use their Wi-Fi instead of hacking into it, right? That’s what polite people did.

When she looked up again, snapping out of her little daydream – the memory of switching out parts with her father by her side fading away from her mind – she noticed she stood in front of Hongjoo alone. The blonde man smiled at her, amusement written across his face and Kyungri had to make a conscious effort not to let a blush take form upon her cheeks. She cleared her throat, trying not to make it obvious that she was embarrassed and after a few seconds of silence she finally had the thought to break it.

“Do you have Wi-Fi?” She mumbled, not listening to her own words. She grimaced as soon as the words were out, immediately knowing how stupid she sounded. “That... I can also use?” She dragged out the sound of the words, trying (and failing) to make them sound planned. She looked anywhere but the man in front of her. If Kyungri ever disliked anything, she hated when she got tongue-tied in front of attractive people she had to be around more an extended period of time.

Hongjoo’s amusement never faltered, the smiled on his lips turning into a grin as he shook his head playfully, grabbing a pen and post-it note. He said nothing and if Kyungri was paying attention to anything other than the blue spot on the wall behind him she would’ve seen how his jacket had revealed a bandaged around his right wrist as he lazily reached for the post-it pack.

“He went through to San in the back.” She finally registered his voice, switching her gaze from the wall behind him to Hongjoo himself. His smile was now sweet, gaze playful, as he handed over the password, post-it note stuck to the fingertip he had extended out to her. He motioned with his other hand the way her best friend went. Kyungri gave him an appreciative, if not slightly embarrassed, look as she gingerly took the post-it note from his fingertip, mouthing the words ‘thank you’ as she stumbled her way through to the back. She hadn’t noticed that her attempts to smother her blush had also failed. She had never been good in front of people.

Once she was through to the back, the first thing she heard was Jaehyeon’s laugh. The second was the TV, hanging on the wall, it’s volume setting quite low like it was only on for background noise. She glanced over the room, gaze falling on a chair near the bed Jaehyeon was currently sat upon and she made a bee-line for it.

“What took you so long? Tired of daydreaming?” Jaehyeon teased her once he noticed she was with him once again. Not looking at him, the blush from her cheeks faded and her eyes rolled, Kyungri’s comfortable personality filtering through the small scowl on her lips. Jaehyeon had often told her she was like two sides of the same coin when it came to other people – she could be shy and uncomfortable with someone one second and the next she was rolling her eyes and slapping him on the back of the head for ‘saying something utterly fucking stupid.’ Jaehyeon grinned when he saw her small scowl, knowing that she was becoming comfortable once again before he moved on to introduce the other person in the room.

“Ri, this is the one and only Choi Yusan.” He began, slinging an arm around the other man’s shoulder. Kyungri made no move to answer him so Jaehyeon continued, “Best tattoo artist I know!” He boasted like a father would his only child.

“I’m the only tattoo artist you know.”

Yusan’s reply made Kyungri snort. The sound coming from her before she could tell herself not to. Making the decision that she had to now acknowledge the other man, she finally lifted her head to look in their direction. The man introduced as Yusan – or just San as she recalled the receptionist tell her – was grinning up at a flailing, and ever dramatic, Jaehyeon who looked simply appalled at his words.

“The only?!” Jaehyeon cried out, clutching at his chest like his heart had just been ripped out. Kyungri decided then that she wasn’t going to listen, again. Instead, she looked to Yusan. He was shorter than Jaehyeon. Not by much but she could tell from the way Jaehyeon’s elbow rested on his shoulders and how his head was slightly tilted to look up at the dramatic blonde-haired man. She only noticed this because it was how Jaehyeon himself looked like when he looked at her since she was slightly taller than him. The man beside her best friend was also quite attractive. He has a sculpted face with sharp cheekbones. When he smiled, Kyungri noted the deep dimples that made him both more attractive and way too cute. His hair was dark, a dark brown with dark red highlights, curled slightly at the top like he’d just run a hand through the locks. She decided she liked his hair. Yusan’s grin was cheeky as the two boys began to play around with each other and Kyungri noted that they must be friends. That or they were both overly dramatic and became best friends in the span of a minute – it wasn’t impossible when Jaehyeon was involved.

“I don’t really care how many tattooists you don't actually know, Jae. I’m here to make sure you don't get a penis on your forehead.”

Now it was San who snorted, clapping a hand on Jaehyeon’s back. “You would actually do it and you know it.” He said before Jaehyeon had time to disagree with Kyungri. The two watched as he nodded to himself, accepting that he would probably do that.

With a small smirk lifting to her lips, Kyungri raised a brow at their direction. “You know each other?” She asked, watching as the two of them sat back down next to each other, comfortable enough with one another to be leaning against the other. Jaehyeon nodded at you with a grin.

“I’ve told you about him before, haven't I? We went to the same high school. He was a junior when I became a freshman!” – Kyungri raised her eyebrows in amusement – “Met during my time on the swim team.” Jaehyeon said, sniffling slightly like the thought of no longer being on a high school swim team was so painful. “Been super best friends ever since!”

Now, she knew Jaehyeon was exaggerating but she found the whole thing rather amusing. She looked at the red-haired man with an entertained, questioning look. San chuckled, pushing Jaehyeon away by the face.

“You were on the swim team for three days before you got kicked off and we spoke four times.”

“That sounds more like Jae. He didn’t do very well?” She asked at the same time Jaehyeon exclaimed, “Exactly! Best friends!”

“Not if my memory serves,” San replied to the girl, who had now switched her laptop on and was sat with her legs curled into her body.

“Anyway, please call me San. It just... sounds better.” He grinned, the smile holding a secret that Kyungri didn’t know if she wanted to know.

“Sure. I’m Kyungri.” She smiled before turning her head down to her laptop. When Jaehyeon had shown up at her house earlier that night she was halfway through a job. It wasn’t a particularly hard job, which is why she was able to continue doing it on her laptop and hard drive. Kyungri didn’t like leaving a job unfinished, a pet peeve of sorts. Once she started a job she finished it, there was less chance of being traced the quicker the job was done. Close by, she could hear Jaehyeon’s voice, loud as he always was, talking with San about his tattoo. She felt the smile pull at the corner of her lips before she could do anything to stop it.

Soon after San had begun the tattoo Hongjoo entered the backroom with another man behind him. He wore a work uniform with the name badge ‘Yoosang’ pinned to the black material of his shirt. His expression was slightly downcast: eyebrows furrowed like he had just heard some bad news. However, his eyes sparkled as he shared a laugh with the blonde-haired receptionist as they walked into the room. Hongjoo held a tray with mugs on them, catching Jaehyeon’s attention.

“Oooh? What do you have there?” He asked, nothing but curiosity lacing his words.

“Hot chocolate,” Hongjoo grinned at him, “Want some?”

Jaehyeon was quick to nod, his whole body moving as he did so. Kyungri had to smother a small laugh with the sleeve of her hoodie, he really did look like a child. The small glare San sent him didn’t help the image either. Yoosang made his way to a chair, pulling up next to Kyungri while Hongjoo made himself comfortable on the other table bed on her other side, smiling down at her and offering her a cup.

“Thank you,” Kyungri smiled shyly, taking the medium-sized bright orange mug from the blonde man’s hands. He sent her a wink in response.

“Got kicked out of another job, Yeo?” San asked, not lifting his gaze from Jaehyeon’s calf but letting a smirk glide over his features. The man next to Kyungri just slouched in his chair. Kyungri could feel the way her head tilted slightly at the way San called him Yeo... Didn’t his name tag say Yoosang? Perhaps it was just a nickname, she had no place to judge what friends called each other.

“Yeah, man. That place was just rough.” Yoosang sighed, causing both San and Hongjoo to erupt in laughter. Kyungri didn’t make any move to let them acknowledge she was listening while she watched her program run.

“You’ll find one that’ll stick,” Hongjoo reassured him.

“You need a job?” Jaehyeon piped up as if he knew Yoosang and wasn’t a complete stranger. Yoosang simply nodded.

“Our friend, Chaeyoung, works at a cafe that just had an opening. She’s been bugging me about helping her find someone because her boss doesn’t promote on the internet and Chae has, like, no connections.” Jaehyeon grinned, flapping a finger between him and Kyungri as he explained. “You want it?”

“Dude! you might be a lifesaver, what cafe is it?”

“The Cafe.”

“Yeah, which one?”

“It’s called ‘The Cafe’. Jaehyeon’s a bit dumb to not explain properly.” Kyungri spoke up, not looking away from her laptop. She smiled as Jaehyeon let out a small ‘Hey!’ and San let out a small laugh. “It’s about two blocks away, maybe three I can't remember.”

“Even better, thank you.”

Kyungri glanced up to the man beside her, flashing him a smile. She didn't need to be thanked, Jaehyeon was the one who thought about it anyway. She had opened her mouth to retell her thoughts but was distracted by the sound of a news jingle coming. from the tv. She looked over at Hongjoo – “Can you turn that up for a second” – who just motioned to Yoosang, who lifted a remote in his hands and gently nodded at her.

It was the ten o'clock late-night news. It was usually uneventful but the big red lettering of ‘BREAKING NEWS’ put Kyungri on edge. She didn’t like the feeling that wracked through her.

“In the last hour ago a police report was leaked from Seoul’s Dongdaemun Police Station about an old case that was on the verge of being re-opened with new evidence. A few moments ago we received an official statement from the Cheif of Police of the station, Kwon Soonchul, who announced that the report was real and that the Pyo Family Car Crash of the twenty-fourth of November two-thousand-and-eighteen, a long seven years ago, because of new evidence brought up involving the well-known criminal gang known as ‘A. T. Z’.”

From beside her, she could see one of Yoosang’s arms raise, remote in hand to switch the channel. Without much thought, Kyungri reached out her own hands and stopped him, taking the remote from his fingers and turning the sound up. She hadn’t cared that it may have been rude, she could always apologise later but there was apparently something she hadn’t heard about her family going on and she wasn’t going to just not listen to it. She missed the way the three workers shared a glance only they would understand. Jaehyeon had fallen silent.

“Cheif Kwon also revealed that he would be taking point on the case and that it would have his full attention since the involvement of ‘A.T.Z’ especially since one of the victims, Pyo Mina, had been a quote ‘close partner.’”

Kyungri no longer listened, her eyes unfocused and her body still. Why was this happening now? How was ATZ involved? Why did Kwon Soonchul have to take point? Did the news reporter know they were saying the gang’s name wrong?

“Ri? You good?” Jaehyeon asked, more worried about the expressionless girl who wasn’t moving than the pain in his calf and San continued his tattoo. “What’re you gonna do now?” He continued when Kyungri remained silent, her eyes still stuck to the tv screen but Jaehyeon could tell they were unfocused. He kept talking at her, not wanting her to slip away and shut down in a room full of strangers, she would never forgive herself if she did that. He was about to motion for San to him to stop she Jaehyeon could physically move Kyungri, she moved.

She tore her eyes away from the TV and stumbled a little back into the chair she sat in. She pulled up her laptop from the floor, she had fallen from her lap as she stood up, and started tapping away at the keys. “You’re not thinking you’ll find ATZ are you?” Jaehyeon guessed, knowing his best friend. He was never one for subtlety, why he would talk about this is a room of strangers to Kyungri one would never know. Fortunately for those of KQ Ink, Kyungri was too focused on her laptop and Jaehyeon was as oblivious as always to how all three men seemed to freeze up slightly, falling into silence at his words. “Not doubting your skill or anything but they're not called the Ghost Gang for nothing.”

“No one calls them the Ghost Gang apart from you.”

“Yeah, well.” Jaehyeon grinned, happy with himself that he got her to reply. “People should, its a cracking name.”

“I’m finding out what the police know, please shut up.” It was like the two of them had forgotten they weren’t alone.

“Don’t be emotional about this. It’s just a news report.”

“I.. just need to know.”

“Kyungri! ATZ is an invisible force of immense power!” Jaehyeon emphasised loudly before continuing much softer, genuine concern lacing his words. “I don't want you to get hurt.”

“If they are,” Kyung swallowed, looking up at Jaehyeon, tears on the verge of clouding her vision. “If they are the reason my family is dead. Then I will find them.” Her words were cold, strong, final and Jaehyeon knew she had made up her mind about it. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to change it.

“Kyungri.” His voice was soft. “It’s been seven years.”

“I know.” Her words were fast, snapping back at him. She bit her lip before continuing a few seconds later, her tone much softer and her shoulders falling slightly. “I know how long it’s been. This whole thing doesn’t make any sense, that’s why I’m looking, okay?” She glanced back at Jaehyeon, her eyes flittering between him and San, who had his head down in what looked like concentration. She didn’t want to say anything else, realising just how much they had spoken about her family and her job to complete strangers.

It didn’t take her long to break the police force’s security system and firewall. She would have to notify Gongmyung about how the police may be coming to them with a job quite soon.

“Do you know a Jo Jowon? Or a Choi Jongho?” Kyungri asked, opening the files she had just hacked into. She had asked Jaehyeon but had spoken the words to the whole room. She figured it wouldn’t hurt, they had already heard more than enough. They didn’t seem to care anyway.

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Jaehyeon replied almost instantly. “I know a Chu Jongho though, Chaeyoung lives next door to 'im. Why?”

“They're the lead the police have. Chaeyoung’s father is the head officer on the case by the way. As if that makes me feel any better.” Kyungri spat. It wasn’t hard to tell she held contempt for Chaeyoung’s father. She blinked twice before lowering her tone, “I’ll ask Chae later.”

“And we’re done,” San spoke up for the first time since he started working, wiping Jaehyeon’s calf twice with a cloth before leaning back and grinning at him. “You’re done.”

Jaehyeon’s lips were turned to a grin in a split second. Like he felt no pain, he bounced up from the client bed and bounded over to Kyungri, pulling her up by the forearm and dragging her to the mirrors. Kyungri, extremely used to this from her best friend simply rolled her eyes and let him drag her.

“Is that my drawing?”

“Yup!”

“You got my drawing on your leg?”

“Yup!”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my best friend.” Jaehyeon smiled. “Plus you drew it for me.”

“Yeah, when we were fourteen!”

“Well, it’s still my favourite thing you’ve given me.”

“You’re an idiot.” Kyungri smiled, letting her head fall on his shoulder, her arms winding around his torso to squeeze him quickly. Jaehyeon just smiled.

The pair of best friends split off from one another, Kyungri went over to collect her things and pack away her laptop while Jaehyeon was led to the front of the shop by Hongjoo to pay for his tattoo. Her laptop was sat on the floor with the files of Jo Jowon and Choi Jongho up on the screen. Kyungri mentally cursed herself for being so careless and prayed that the other three people in the room hadn’t snooped. They had, but she didn’t need to know that.

As the left the tattoo parlour, exchanging small smiles and tired waves with the three men, in walked a fourth boy. They passed each other so quickly that Kyungri failed to realise that she had been staring at his face for the last twenty minutes.

[lightcomingthroughthedarkness]

I don't think they're going to do any love triangles. The 100 writers could be clueless sometimes but they always write against love triangle trope (Finn/Cl/arke/Raven made Raven and c/larke bond, for example). And in s3 they pretty much ignored Bell/amy/Clar/ke bond to build c.lexa, as if bell didn't exist at all.

I didn’t mean an actual love triangle. They have stayed away from that and they won’t start now. What I meant is that I don’t want Clarke to talk about her love for L with Abby and THEN have Bellamy get jealous of Cl.exa. Such a scene will only end in one way. Ship wars and hate. 

1) BC and CL fighting over which ship is more real.

2) Antis hating on Bellamy/Bob for making the scene “about him”. 

3) Antis screaming because the writers are using CL to “prop up Blarke”.

Actually, it will probably end in all of the above.

I would very much like it if Bellamy and Clarke got to keep their development outside of Cl.exa. I absolutely do NOT mean Clarke shouldn’t talk about L with Abby. Cl.exa was real and they loved each other. Clarke and Abby sharing a moment talking about that is absolutely not my issue. I had hoped Bellamy would have gotten a similar chance in regards to Gina but I’m not sure he will. Which you know, sucks. Bina was real. 

Bottom line, I would just really like to move on and maybe if they don’t go all Cl.exa vs Bellarke in the narrative, maybe we can actually get to move on next season. 

And about your last line, I don’t think it was about Bellamy not existing, which he very much did but more about his and Clarke’s individual journeys. Cl.exa/Polis was a part of Clarke’s. Arkadia(Pike)/Gina was Bellamy’s. Now, they come together again as co-leaders. We shall see where that takes us, nonny. Believe in Bellarke.