#otherwise I have to keep track of so many things and get distracted 😔

[obstinaterixatrix]

it’s not a romance so I wouldn’t necessarily call him a love interest and secondary lead doesn’t quite fit… I’m not sure I’d call him a secondary character because from what I hear I feel like that would be more the main character’s brother, but I wouldn’t call him part of the ensemble cast because he’s got a bigger role than that… he starts out somewhat antagonistic-ish but not really and not for that long so I can’t call him an antagonist… and that’s not even getting started with the kind of guy he is since him and the main character seem to pass the ball of being severely doted on back and forth like a high stakes squash game done at mach speeds

well first off i'd like to say thank you for the recs you've given me, i spent the past couple hours reading them they were pretty great. admittedly some of them werent for me (tha: the slavery aspect kinda icked me out, kjtpb: the boss was awful and he didn't even have the decency to be funny about it, sl ch 2: thought the dynamic between the leads wasn't super developed, qualia: just not what i was looking for). DoR and nge i liked but more because i wanted to see how everything played out than because i was invested in the romances or the dudes in them. b&w was super fun, really liked the one uppsmanship. the big winners for me were (1) "came here to die" cause it was funny and i thought the mc was silly, (2) villainess time death loop one cause i liked the ways their relationship was fleshed out/acted upon by both parties, (3) kobamanai otoko slappeddd. loved that one i thought the li's deal was really interesting esp since he didn't seem to understand all the dimensions of his feelings when he set out on the revenge quest until it was sorted out out loud with someone else like the mc with his hamster, i thought that was v v interesting. thank you once again for the good taste 👍

glad some of them landed! now that I know you liked villainess death loop and the humor of ‘just when I thought I came here to die’, I actually have one more rec—‘I love amy’ might be up your alley. one of the characters is really obsessive and and the writing leans into that kinda… black comedy? also I can’t believe I didn’t lead with ‘no home’ for dysfunctional characters in dysfunctional relationships in an interesting (and eventual, somehow functional…ish) way.

I wish I could give more series like kobamanai otoko but the ones that do go more that route also lean more into assault. actually, if you haven’t read it already ‘the end of the world with you’ isn’t really like it but I did remember it just now, it’s got rancid vibes from a terrible past breakup.

If you want to read something long forever you could go to the s-classes that I raised webnovel (not the webtoon). what I hear about the relationship between the main character and. well I don’t know how to describe him. also it’s actually a small part from a gen webnovel about a lot of other stuff.

[pettyprocrastination]

roller derby!abby seeing reader for the first time? ❤️‍🩹🫂😔❤️‍🩹

I can't decide if I want it to be a reader who is already doing derby or maybe a newbie reader so I'll do both lol

Newbie Skater

The first time Abby sees you is at a scrimmage. You aren't playing- your'e just a spectator. Another face in the crowd but one she hasn't seen before. You aren't wearing their team shirt or colors- but she sees the way your eyes light up as the bout begins and by half time your shouting encouragements in their favor. There's a moment of brevity, when the jam is over and she's leaving the track when she looks up and meets your eyes before you look away with a bashful smile in favor of whispering something in your friend's ear- she doesn't let herself get distracted but maybe she shows off a little bit. A show of strength and brutality for the pretty little thing in the stands watching her with bated breath- it may cost her a penalty or two but it's worth it when she sees you at concessions after the bout is over and you compliment her skill.

When she sees you at the first Incoming Skater Lesson run by the local league the week after her scrimmage, there's a pride thrumming in her chest because now she gets the one to comment on your form and teach you how to do crossovers, she just has to make sure not to say anything stupid when you reach out and grab her for stability each time you feel wobbly on your skates.

Veteran Skater

The first time she sees you is at a scrimmage your both competing in. There's always a kindness between the two teams, many are old friends who have played together years before or those who connect in mutual Facebook groups for their shared love of the same sport, something that overrides the aggressive thrumming in each player's veins they moment they step off the track and congratulate the same people that just minutes before they were trying to destroy.

When she first sees you on the track behind her, the opposing jammer eyeing the outside lane she simply sinks down into her heels and tells her team to hold you.

If only it was that easy.

You're fast. The type of fast that has her shouting to her teammates that you're going to take the inside but then you twist and dance along the out, taking long gazelle like steps on your toe-stops past her in a gust of wind that makes her blood boil each time you do. Abby hits you hard, sending your body crashing to the outside of the track before you pop back up and approach again with the same speed, the same intensity and the same passion that has her digging against the slick floors of the court they play on to keep you in place but you just keep fucking going. By the final whistle she's earned enough penalties trying to keep you from scoring points than her bench coach would like- but they win nontheless. There's that little part of her- the smug jackass that lives in her heart from years of not "being enough" that wants her to rub it in your face but before she gets the chance you take out your mouth-guard and offer her a dazzling smile with a breathless "good job" before you head to the locker room.

It's two hours later that she sees you again. After sharing sweaty but albiet love-filled hugs with friends who came to watch her play that somebody from your team taps her on the shoulder and tells her of an after party at a local bar. Part of her wants to decline. She drove by herself and is far too tired to endure any conversation deeper than "good job" and wants nothing more than to take a steaming hot shower and get some rest but finds herself going nonetheless- she tells herself it has nothing to do with their annoying little jammer who had the audacity to smile at her in the parking lot but Manny thought otherwise.

When Abby walks in she's greeted with the husky lure of Fleetwood Mac and the smell of greasy burgers. She barely gets to the bar before she sees you- now dressed tight top and a skirt that reaches down to your ankles, flaring out each time you turn like a character in a fairytale gesturing wildly while talking to your teammates. You look up, meeting her eyes and a wide grin grows over your face.

"You!"

Crossing the room in quick strides you raise your hand for a high-five, one she cautiously returns and tries not to think about just how tiny your hands are in comparison to hers.

"You hit like a motherfucker."

It's a compliment. Praise that makes her breath stutter and her voice shake when she says thank you. But then you make it worse because you're pretty. Even with your hair still a mess from wearing a helmet and your voice cracked from shouting all day you have the audacity to look cute when you should be frustrating her just as you did before. But you smile and talk about gameplay while praising her strength as a blocker on the track.

She knows she's in trouble because her heart is beating like she just ran a 4k and then you have the gall to lift up that skirt high on your thigh to show-off an already blackening bruise that you claim she gave to you and Abby realizes this Jammer isn't going to be leaving her mind anytime soon.