#scifi romcom

[blam-marie]

Four Liars (in space)

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Read all currently published chapters (38 of them so far!) here on tapas :)

If I go to sleep right now, I’ll have four hours of rest before I need to be up.

The ventilation was making that noise again. A sort of metallic VWOOMP VWOOMP VWOOMP reminiscent of one of these big helicopters that had ferried Chuck around in basic training. He remembered being sick in one of those helicopters. Good times.

Nearby, Johnson was snoring loudly. Chuck could hear him straight through his thirty-decibel noise reduction custom earplugs, as if the other man was laying right next to him and not two whole bunks away. But at least Johnson’s snoring was constant, and somewhat on a rhythm. On a good night, Chuck could almost manage to ignore it. He just had to pretend hard enough that it was just… the soothing sound of waves on the sea or something. If the sea sounded a little bit like a rusted lawnmower.

Which, you know, maybe it did! It wasn’t like Chuck had ever seen the sea in person. Any sea. Did different seas sound differently? He should ask Bee. She would probably know. Or he could even go and seek out the answer in person one day. Maybe. It was something to consider for the bucket list.

Anyway, Johnson’s snoring was fine. It was fine! A little annoying, maybe, but Chuck could handle it.

Bouchard, on the other hand, kept taking deep, irregular whistling breaths. He would stop breathing for a few seconds, then release all of his air with a short, disgusting, wet nose-cough sound that drove Chuck straight up the wall. Bouchard had the bunk right on top of his, and sometimes, he fantasized about climbing up there and smothering him with his own military-standard crappy pillow. With the noises he made at night, no one would suspect Chuck, right? They might think that Bouchard had just finally given up the ghost on his own. Well, one could hope.

Although a suspicious, night-time death in the dormitories would create a lot of paperwork and presumably Chuck would be the one who would have to deal with it, so that might not be such a good idea after all.

In the middle of the room, Evans tossed and turned, as usual. The three rows of bunk beds were barely an arm length apart, and the man was so tall that he’d once managed to actually spin 90 degrees and kick Chuck in his sleep. The only silver lining of that incident was that it had given Chuck a good reason to show up to work sleep deprived the following morning. Everyone figured that Evans’ baby skin was probably sensitive to something in the fabric of the sheets and that’s why he wiggled around so much, but command was yet to do anything about it. Past evidence suggested that they probably never would. It wasn’t like comfort was of any great importance here.

Chuck checked his watch then clenched his eyes shut in despair. The tiny glow in the dark screen indicated that it was some time past one AM, which meant that if he got to sleep right then he might still get four hours of sleep before the morning shift. Then the day crowd would rotate into the room and someone else would be using his assigned bunk for the next eight hours, followed by someone else until it was his turn again.

Maybe he should just stop thinking so hard about sleep — maybe if he thought about literally anything else, sleep would just magically come, like it seemed to do for other people. His best friend, Bee, kept telling him that she just laid down at night and closed her eyes and sleep came within five minutes for her. In his opinion, she was probably lying. There was no way that sleep just ‘came’ within five minutes. There must have been a trick. She said she just stopped thinking. Who just stops thinking? Thinking was a constant background process in the machine that he called his brain and sure, there were tricks to make that process take less energy or attention but there wasn’t a way to stop it. So either Bee was trying to describe something else (likely), or she really was programmed differently than he was (also likely). Or she just straight-up temporarily died every night (not very likely, although she would make one terrifying vampire).

 Chuck flipped his pillow to the cold side and started thinking about filling forms. That was a safe and boring topic, right? Boring was good, boring meant that his brain might slow down.

Forty excruciating minutes later, Chuck checked his watch again and almost screamed. He was still not sleeping, and now he’d reminded himself of how annoyed he was that the ventilation filters were listed on the equipment request form and not the maintenance order, even though changing them was part of the maintenance team’s duties. Which meant that every time they needed new filters they would have to ask him to edit the equipment forms for them, and then the equipment supervisor would be pissed that Chuck had messed with his files. Which Chuck wouldn’t have to do if that asshole just picked up his goddamn comm every once in a while and updated his files himself!

 Blasted ventilation. Blasted maintenance team. Blasted god damned bunker and blasted god damned cold war.

Chuck flipped his pillow again and turned to face the wall, pulling his scratchy woollen blanket up to his face. He very sternly told himself to not think about the war, because that was a sure way to stay awake for the rest of the night and he did not need that. Besides, he wasn’t worried about the war. He wasn’t!

Worrying about the war was a responsibility for other people. For all the good that did, since the cold war wasn’t even about Castula. Their neighbour, The Free Radiant Empire of Elunar (F.R.E.E.), had somehow managed to piss off New Vakalos, and now the two giant powers were threatening each other with world-destroying weapons. What did that have to do with Castula? Chuck didn’t know, but somehow by virtue of being allied with FREE, they were now also in danger of dying via rocket to the face. It was kind of unfair. Still, not exactly a problem that he, specifically, could do anything about. And he didn’t like worrying about stuff that he had no impact on.

His problems were more in the range of filling badly designed forms about ventilation filters. He had suggested a change to the forms, but everything took months to be processed around here, and also no one was very inclined to listen to a lone sergeant that looked like death warmed over. Chuck knew that it would considerably help his career if he was less sleep-deprived, but that wouldn’t happen as long as he had to sleep in a bunker dorm room with five other soldiers that snored, farted, and / or had undiagnosed sleep apnea.

Chuck glared at the bottom of Bouchard’s bunk as the seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly. The ventilation clanged again. That was new.

When he had first seen this bunk room, it had seemed to him like a silent tomb. Eighty feet underground, on the lowest floor of a state-of-the-art military facility, it was a room about the same size as his grandmother’s bathroom in which someone had shoved enough beds for six people. The walls felt heavy, the ceiling was low, and it was pretty much impossible to forget all of the tens of thousands of pounds of rock, steel and concrete sitting right on top of his head. Back then, the ventilation had run smoothly, and the corridors were still empty of the beehive of human activity that their sheer size promised. The bunk room was enclosed in a perfectly claustrophobic silence that promised an equal chance of the best sleep of his life or a panic attack.

But then Bouchard, his future personal nemesis, had poked his head into the room behind him. Upon seeing the poster on the wall warning them about “enemy agents subverting them via sexual promiscuity”, he’d let out a noise between a snort and a braying laugh. Chuck had not known peace since.

He’d tried everything. Meditation. Reiki. Over-the-counter sleeping aids. What had come the closer to working was Johnson’s grandmother’s “sleepytime tea”, but while it made Chuck’s body immensely tired and relaxed, his brain still felt like it was hooked up to a car battery. The contrast between a dead-tired body and an overly active mind made for a profoundly unpleasant experience. The obvious next step should have been professional sleeping aids, but the bunker’s heartless on-site doctor refused to prescribe them to him, on the pretext that Chuck might get addicted. Figured. You get one measly footnote on your medical file about a history of substance abuse — not even his own, mind you! A relative getting too enthusiastic about self-medicating their chronic pain, which as far as he was concerned seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do! — and suddenly nobody wanted to prescribe anyone anything for the next three to four generations.

It was all such bull. Getting a bit too reliant on sleeping aids still seemed like a much better solution than hitting his head with a baseball bat just so his brain would stop, which he was four seconds away from doing, but alas. As long as the insomnia didn’t impact his performance, the higher-ups didn’t see it as a problem. And Chuck was too much of a professional to let it impact his performance, so it seemed that he was trapped in a hell of his own making for at least the foreseeable future.

Nearby, one of the sleeping soldiers mumbled something and turned over. Chuck checked his watch. If he fell asleep now, he would get three hours of rest. He could function on three hours, right?

[katkenyon]

You wouldn't think a cat could get you into trouble, but mine did. He's how I ended up on an alien smuggling ship, and if I'm caught, I'm either dead, or worse. The crew is what you'd expect. A motley crew of ex-soldiers, freedom fighters, refugees, hotties-- scratch that. I did not say that. No one is sexy here. Captain Xanet Mor just smells really good. I'm not looking to get involved with the male that accidently kidnapped me. Right?

https://amzn.to/3B7R2Iq

[dredgesnails]

gem's ability to completely stop scar in his tracks when he's talking about star wars by just asking (seemingly) innocuous questions is incredible

[pineconelemonade]

After watching Dandadan's first 8 episodes, it has very quickly became my favorite fantasy/sci-fi/action/magical girl/romcom anime of all time

[technoizzy]

How I've been feeling all of 2024.

[lou-wilham]

Verona has 99 problems—including a time machine. . .

All Benvolio has ever desired is a peaceful life alongside his spirited—albeit quarrelsome—roommate, Mercutio. But as the story goes, the course of true love never did run smooth, and when tensions between the Montagues and the Capulets reach a boiling point, Benvolio and Mercutio are dragged into the mess Romeo makes of all their lives.

Then an older version of Benvolio crashes into their lives, offering the opportunity to change fate, Mercutio does as he always does—seizes the chance. There’s just one problem: no deal is without strings, and this one involves a deadly secret that Mercutio is determined to take to the grave.

What follows is a lively adventure through the ages, replete with love and heartache. Amidst the chaos, this inseparable duo will unravel the true depth of their friendship.

A riotous romp of a retelling of Romeo & Juliet. Side effects of reading may contain laughter, heartache, and a need for more. This light, sci-fi fantasy is the perfect shelf companion to The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian, Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall, and The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles.

Publication day: July 31, 2024

Genre: Adult Sci-fi Fantasy Romcom Tropes: Friends to Lovers, time travel, retelling, and they were roommates, deal with the devil

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/bmturnbacktime

Pre-order a Copy w/ a signed bookplate: https://forms.gle/qtTcP2Tgh6Vfbw3u8

Pre-order the special edition: Lou Wilham, Benny & Mercy Pre-order La Plata 2024 - Beventi

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/193907562-benvolio-and-mercutio-turn-back-time

Cover Artist Credit: @oblivionsdream

[mybiggaybooktour]

Join the team for @lou-wilham & @ellebeaumontbooks's July tour of Benvolio & Mercutio Turn Back Time before July 1st.

To sign up to be a host click HERE.

Verona has 99 problems—including a time machine.

All Benvolio has ever desired is a peaceful life alongside his spirited—albeit quarrelsome—roommate, Mercutio. But as the story goes, the course of true love never did run smooth, and when tensions between the Montagues and the Capulets reach a boiling point, Benvolio and Mercutio are dragged into the mess Romeo makes of all their lives.

Then an older version of Benvolio crashes into their lives, offering the opportunity to change fate, Mercutio does as he always does—seizes the chance. There's just one problem: no deal is without strings, and this one involves a deadly secret that Mercutio is determined to take to the grave.

What follows is a lively adventure through the ages, replete with love and heartache. Amidst the chaos, this inseparable duo will unravel the true depth of their friendship.

A riotous romp of a retelling of Romeo & Juliet. Side effects of reading may contain laughter, heartache, and a need for more. This light, sci-fi fantasy is the perfect shelf companion to The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian, Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall, and The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles.

Genre: Adult LGBTQ Scifi Fantasy Romance

Representation: Gay, and panexual main characters

TW: Character death, drug use, blood, gun violence

[brokenangelwings22]

Things that you can always expect in my fics

1. Found family

2. Touch-starved

3. Healthy main relationships

4. Accurate anatomical intercourse (hymens don’t break, my dudes)

5. Friends to lovers

6. Healthy friendships

7. Banter

8. Consensual relationships/lemon

9. It’ll make you laugh or cry (probably both if I do it right)

10. Plots with main characters in their 20s and up

11. Monogamy

That’s pretty much everything, but the genres are where I push myself out of my comfort zone!

[inakialistelizarralde]

Floorplan of the house from "THE LAKE HOUSE" (2006) by Alejandro Agresti with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

This is a hand drawn floorplan, made in scale, coloured with colour pencils and with full details of furniture, fabric, timbers and complements... . If you are interested in a handmade original or other prints visit my store on ETSY or iCanvas: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TVFLOORPLANSandMORE https://www.icanvas.com/canvas-art-prints/artist/tv-floorplans-more Or write me to ializar@hotmail.com

https://www.instagram.com/ializar/

[fyrewalks]

i am going to have a good day today. aggressive optimism. hell yeah!! also, taking book recs for the next fantasy series i should start!

[lovecanbesostrange]

So, my wife and I have made the joke a couple of times now "Do you think Dottie is afraid of Agatha's bunny rabbit" but we totally forgot the detail that Emma Caulfield also played the Hansel and Gretel witch on Once. Thank you for that reminder, I'm so amused.

The gift that keeps on giving! I'm all the way with you two. Dottie brought groceries for "Agnes" once and had an encounter with Mr Scratchy, for sure! There was an incident. We all know that bunny is secretly Mephisto... or at least a vengeance demon in disguise.

tbh I remember that witch more because she came back in the Underworld arc in S5. Certified children eater running the local diner - perfect, only on Once. If they find one more way to set a series in Westview, Dottie needs to reveal her own dark secret side.

[sssm68]

[jonmcbrine-author]

n easy, funny, interesting sci-fi short read to get you ready for the weekend

https://a.co/j2DHp2T

[twelvemartha]

what if ten had been a patient at royal hope for longer than we got in canon and martha had interacted with him over a few days instead. the jokes the banter the hijinks…. the tension….

[lou-wilham]

Let's play a game!

Guess who said these lines of dialogue in Mercutio and Benvolio Turn Back Time, and then check under the cut to see if you were right!

Verona has 99 problems—including a time machine. All Benvolio has ever desired is a peaceful life alongside his spirited—albeit quarrelsome—roommate, Mercutio. But as the story goes, the course of true love never did run smooth, and when tensions between the Montagues and the Capulets reach a boiling point, Benvolio and Mercutio are dragged into the mess Romeo makes of all their lives. Then an older version of Benvolio crashes into their lives, offering the opportunity to change fate, Mercutio does as he always does—seizes the chance. There's just one problem: no deal is without strings, and this one involves a deadly secret that Mercutio is determined to take to the grave. What follows is a lively adventure through the ages, replete with love and heartache. Amidst the chaos, this inseparable duo will unravel the true depth of their friendship. A riotous romp of a retelling of Romeo & Juliet. Side effects of reading may contain laughter, heartache, and a need for more. This light, sci-fi fantasy is the perfect shelf companion to The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian, Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall, and The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles.

GoodReads | Purchase

[blam-marie]

Hey all! Do you like reading stuff for free?? Do you like space queer rom-coms??? Do you like queer idiot-to-lovers romances and also fake weddings and the 70s aesthetic but in SPACE?

Boy, do I have good news for you!! Starting this week, Four Liars (in space) is going to get published FOR FREE on Tapas! One chapter coming out every friday until I run out of them and have to write more :)

If you like this, and think you would like to read the whole thing even FASTER, and not have to wait for the chapters to come out, you can also head to my Patreon! For just 1$ a month, you can get access to all 13 chapters immediately, as well as all of the other stuff that I have on there, including webcomic pages and exclusive short stories!

Book blurb under the cut! :)

The plan was simple.

1- Get (fake) married to his best friend, Bee.

2- Con the space military out of a sweet free house.

3- Enjoy the first restful sleep since he’d gotten assigned to the asteroid bunker.

Chuck didn’t care much for the space cold war. It seemed like a problem for other people to worry about. All he wanted was a free house and a good night’s sleep. But he hadn’t counted on falling in love with his new superior officer, the aristocratic and mysterious Archibald James Montgomery, a man who is badly hiding a big secret.

Meanwhile, Bee finds love with Iris, a local tailor who may or may not be the biggest con woman on their asteroid. Together, the four of them will soon have to uncover secrets, manage crushes, and pull the most dangerous bluff of all times.