#there's not one mentally sane person left after they start a relationship with the MC

[whatlovelybones-if]

How prone are the ROs the jealousy, and if they are, what kind of jealousy (insecure, possessive, etc)? Also does it change between crushing vs relationship phase? (If you’re comfortable with the topic, of course)

j park: they would be surprisingly tame during the pre-relationship arc, since they still want to respect the your wishes before acting too extreme. they've had more than a decade and a half to practice their self-control. it doesn't mean they don't have a limit tho 👀 if the person is clearly pushing your boundaries or rubbing their close proximity in J's face, they will not hesitate to fight them. btw there's still the danger of you giving them mixed signals and flirting with someone else 💀 // lmfao, the person better prepare a casket when you are in a relationship with J and they still have the nerve to flirt with you ⚰️

their jealousy is of pure possessiveness and anger tho, they don't have much room to be insecure. believe it or not, they've convinced themself that they're the only one meant for you and once you're in a relationship, there's nothing you can do to change that 🤷🏻

t kaufmann: i wouldn't say that the detective is a particularly jealous person, they're way too overconfident in their charm to think that anyone would pose a threat to them in getting what they want. honestly, it's a well-earned confidence because they rarely don't get what they set their eyes on. in a pre-relationship they very much respect your decisions so they'd just shrug and support you with whoever you choose // you wouldn't know wtf possessed them suddenly because when you're in a relationship because T is now a lot more insulting and menacing towards people who show interest in you in any way that's not platonic 💀 honestly, your craziness might have started to affect them a little at that point.

their jealousy can be described as “this person has some fucking nerve, i need to prove a point”. they'd go out of their way to show that you're theirs and embarrass who is into you.

vivienne malhotra: she's not a jealous person either so in the pre-relationship arc, she'd probably be like that ‘just smile and nod, y'all’ meme. she'd mostly just want to make sure that the person isn't making you uncomfortable and that you're safe overall. i think she will be the most supportive out of all the cast if you pursue a romance aside from her route, even if it does break her heart a little, especially since she already has a crush on you even before you show an interest in her // in a relationship, she does a complete 180° from her previous passive self and gets more intent on proving that you belong with each other. she is kind of scary like that, if i'm being honest 💀 to better visualise the extent she's willing to go for you, think will graham with hannibal lecter

viv's the (surprisingly) possessive kind of jealous in a relationship and that has a lot more to do with your influence on her that brought out the worst aspects of her jealousy.

sebastián navarro: he'd be hurt and a little put off by how obvious people are about their attraction to you. sebas isn't an idiot, he kind of guessed you were a much-desired figure in the hospital (and the town, in general) with your looks, money and brains. but in a pre-relationship, he knows that he has no control over what you do and who you choose to be with so his crush will remain a secret the whole time. you can notice his feelings and proceed to toy with him tho. even if sebas's brain will scream at him to snap out of it, his heart will foolishly fall into your games if you're sneaky enough // as opposed to the other ROs, in a relationship, he gets more confident that you love him and there is not much room for his jealousy to take root. there are instances where he will show a rare display of maddening anger but it will probably scare him too 🤷🏻

his jealousy is rooted in insecurity but like i said earlier, it doesn't manifest too much once he's in a relationship with you.

[raleighcarrera]

saved by the bell

foreign affairs | m!blaine hayes x mc (kennedy monroe)

blaine springs kennedy from her date in chapter 10.

catch up: knockout (E) / on the ropes (T) / outpoint (T) / parry (E) / pulling punches (T) / ringside (T)

tagging: @pixeljazzy ; @zigtheeortega ; @pixelsandkink ; @writinghereandthere ; @choicesarehard ; @dakotawinchester ; @flyawayboo ; @withbeautyandrage ; @blainehellyes ; @levineseth ; @gryffindordaughterofathena ; @thefirstcourtesan ; @josieplayschoices 

~3.5k words | T

he’s not going to look.

no matter how much his phone lights up with incoming notification after incoming notification, he’s not going to look. blaine refuses to torture himself by checking for photos of kennedy’s date, though his curiosity is eating him alive.

it’s a nice reprieve from worrying about her, at any rate, even if it is maddening.

lately it feels like all he’s done is worry about her, though that’s mostly because kennedy looks to be about an inch away from tears every time she’s around -- not that it’s often, anymore. there’s absolutely nothing worse than seeing her suffer from the sidelines; he still feels just as helpless as he did when he watched her give that first disastrous press conference in his dorm, the day after the pictures hit voyeur. 

it’s unbelievably frustrating, being forced to sit on his hands and watch everyone else try to control her life. kennedy’s under a microscope like neither of them have ever been before, and for the first time in his life, he’s in the uncomfortable position of having to be careful -- not because he gives a shit about himself or his own reputation, but because of her, and what it might do to her if he was reckless.

he’s bitten his tongue more times in the last week than he has in his entire life. it’d taken every last ounce of his self control not to snap and defend kennedy at the pet store, not to panic when she’d clued him in on her mom’s newest pr strategy, not to keep her locked in the teacher’s lounge with him for the rest of the semester and refuse to let her go when she snuck out to meet him.

already he knows he’ll never forget the names and faces of the classmates of theirs that’d picked on her. if he ever really does wind up in charge in ardona, one day, he’ll come to power with a ready-made list of enemies, all because of the way they’d made her look when she sunk down low into her seat in class, her shoulders hunched in shame.

he’s laying in bed, moping miserably, thinking over it all when peter pokes his head in with a hesitant knock. “how’re you holding up?” he asks, tactfully, given that blaine’s pretty sure he looks utterly awful. “those daily post photos were... rough.”

blaine groans, burying his face in his hands. “i’m not looking at them. i don’t want to know.”

“that’s probably for the best,” peter says sympathetically, and that does it -- seals the deal completely. he reaches for his phone, snatching it off the nightstand.

dionne’s also texted him, which means the photos are as bad as he’s hoping they won’t be. his stomach twists into knots as he navigates to his favorite gossip site, certain the pictures he’s looking for will be plastered all over the homepage.

sure enough -- there they are: kennedy and alexei, huddled together outside of some swanky restaurant, hand-in-hand. she’s all dressed up for the occasion, because with alexei she’s allowed to be; she doesn’t have to sneak out to see him, hidden under a baseball hat in some far away place where no one will recognize either of them. the point of this date is to be seen, and judging by the crowd of flashing lights surrounding them, they’ve done a perfect job selling their relationship to the press.

so the second picture accompanying the story is an unnecessary twist of the knife -- complete overkill. they’re kissing, in this one, lips pressed together chastely just outside the limo. he feels nauseous.

“they’re probably having a terrible time,” peter says, though blaine’s still staring at his phone, eyes fixed on the photo in his hands. “i heard that restaurant is horrible.”

“it’s fine,” blaine says hollowly, tapping back to his texts to answer dionne. she wants to know how he is, too, and he gives her the same answer: fine. everything is fine.

“you’re so full of shit,” dionne says, when she shows up at his dorm twenty minutes later, her arms folded across her chest and her expression unimpressed.

yeah. he forgot she knows him so well. “well -- whatever,” blaine sighs, dragging a hand down his face. it doesn’t matter. it has to not matter, for kennedy’s sake. “it’s not like i can do anything about it. this is the way it has to be.”

the look in dionne’s eyes grows distant, and he sits up slowly as a smile starts to overtake her face, cautiously optimistic while what’s obviously an evil plan begins to unfurl. “no,” dionne says, “it’s not. i think i have an idea.”

so -- that’s how he finds himself sweating through his jacket, overthinking this whole stupid plan while he waits for kennedy to slip out the back of the stupid opera house and meet him and his stupid rental car in the alley. he thinks back over all the ways they’d had to cover his tracks to get him here: how peter’d had to call in the car, how dionne’d had to threaten and sweet talk alexei at the same time, how there isn’t a single hurdle he wouldn’t leap or hoop he wouldn’t jump through for even just half an evening alone with her.

this is probably a terrible idea. at the very least, it’s dangerous, and sure to get them fucking caught again, no matter how careful they all were in making it happen.

maybe he should call the whole thing off. call dionne and get her to tell kennedy to forget it -- to go back to her date and take the easy way out, because who is he kidding, anyway?

the sound of heels on the cobblestones takes the decision swiftly out of his hands. blaine looks up to see kennedy standing in front of him, admiring the rental with a gentle smirk on her beautiful face. she looks even more ridiculously gorgeous than she had in the daily post pictures, as annoying as that is. 

she’s alone.

“no limo? that’s not very romantic, mr. hayes,” she teases playfully, mouth stretched wide with a smile.

he leans over to pop the door open for her, grinning to cover up his nerves. just having kennedy around is going a long way towards keeping him calm -- he feels undeniably more sane out here with her than he had in his room, pouting with fruitless jealousy. “take it up with dionne,” he shrugs, eyes raking up and down her outfit. she really does look nice. “now hop in.”

“we have three hours and forty-five minutes,” kennedy says helpfully, as soon as they’ve slipped out of town unseen and headed to the highway, “i have to be back by curtain.”

“i know,” blaine hums, sighing with relief as soon as he glances in the rearview mirror and sees they aren’t being followed, “dionne briefed me. she figured out a whole plan.”

“oh,” kennedy says. she sounds... happy. “that was really nice of her.” there’s a pause, and he fidgets with the steering wheel for a moment before shifting his left hand up to the top to steer so his right arm is free to drape across the back of kennedy’s seat. she leans in closer to the center console and continues, “i really wish it was you in there with me.”

he exhales heavily. more relieving than not being followed, than being with her at all is hearing that -- that he’s not alone in his insanity. lately he feels like a completely different person, and he has no idea what’s come over him, so it’s comforting to know that it’s all for something, beyond just making kennedy smile. evidently, she wants to be his stupid girlfriend just as badly as he wants her to. “me, too. you have no idea. i’ve really missed you, these past few days.”

“i know. it’s weird,” kennedy agrees, “hardly seeing you. not being able to text you, and tell you about my day... i mean -- i barely even get to talk to you, outside of class.”

yeah. he knows. and when there’s other people around he has to watch what he fucking says, too. it’s far from ideal, and he knows he’s gotten sloppy, but...

part of him almost wants someone to catch them. blaine knows it’s selfish and stupid, but he wants it all the same. because if someone found out the truth and spilled the beans... they’d be free, and the impossible decision of what to do next would be out of their hands.

he could never ask kennedy to go public on her own. he would never ask her for that, no matter how badly he wants it. but a slip-up... that would be beyond their control.

blaine shakes his head. “it’s fine,” he says again, clearing his throat, “i’ll plan some secret meet up for us every night, if you want. even if it only buys us a few minutes.”

he glances to the side just in time to catch the look that crosses her face. kennedy’s quite obviously touched by his offer, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as she stares down at her hands. forcefully, he drags his eyes back to the road. “i’d really like that,” she murmurs, so quietly he almost misses it. when he only nods, she raises her voice and asks, “so, where are we going?”

“you’ll see,” he directs, taking the exit that’ll bring them to the drive-in, mentally cataloging the travel time it’d taken to get up here and making a note of the minutes he’ll need to account for to get kennedy back, especially if he has to circle the block until the street is empty before he drops her off. 

her eyes light up when he pulls into the parking lot. “a drive-in theater, seriously? i used to love going to the drive-in back home. i didn’t know they had them near vancross.” her nose is practically pressed against the window as she looks around excitedly while he idles.

“this is my first time,” blaine admits, though how eager kennedy is definitely bodes well for the experience. even if it completely sucked, he’d still bring her back every weekend, just to see her smile like that. “we don’t really have these in ardona, but dionne talked it up.”

kennedy finally peels her eyes away from the window to smile playfully at him again, her eyes sparkling. “so you’re a drive-in virgin? interesting.”

his face feels hot, suddenly. blaine rolls his eyes at her, gesturing at the map of the venue in front of them. they’re kind of holding up the line. “yeah, yeah. pick your movie, rutherland. it’s just background noise for the real show, anyway.”

if he’s being honest, he barely hears her make her choice, the instructions on where to go flying in one ear and out the other. all he cares about for where he parks the car is that it’s secluded, and dark, away from prying eyes and any other people in the lot.

fortunately, blaine finds them the perfect spot, and he doesn’t even waste a second pretending like he gives a single shit about the movie at all, his eyes on her just as soon as the gear shift’s out of his hand.

kennedy’s turned in her seat and already looking back at him. she smiles and says, “thanks for doing this. it’s nice to have a normal date. i never pegged you as the type of guy who was all about carnivals and drive-ins and making these fun experiences for us.”

he shrugs, more nonchalantly than he feels. “probably ‘cause i’m not,” blaine answers honestly, “but everything’s different, with you.”

kennedy makes a soft sound of disbelief, lifting her hands to cover her face. when she peeks out from between her fingers, he sees that she’s smiling widely again. “you keep saying stuff like that. it’s so charming.”

blaine laughs, reaching out to tug her hands off her face. “that’s kind of the point.” he clears his throat, then continues more seriously, “but... i want you to know how i feel, you know? you shouldn’t have to guess. the truth is... i’ve been all-in for awhile, now, and -- those pictures were just a shitty setback. they don’t change the way i feel about you at all.”

she reaches out for his hand, and he lets her lace their fingers together, squeezing affectionately. “you have no idea how nice it feels to hear that,” kennedy sighs. “honestly...” the hesitation in her voice makes it clear she’s unsure of whatever she’s about to say, but she continues, “it kind of just felt like i ruined everything. things were actually going pretty well, for once, but now it’s like there’s this... dark cloud hanging over everything i do. i can’t even hang out with you without worrying we’re going to get caught again.”

his expression softens. he’s not usually one for optimism, but for her, and in the interest of getting some of that thick sadness out of her voice, he’ll try. “well, we’ve done a pretty good job avoiding that so far.”

“that’s true.” kennedy’s head tips back agains the carseat, and she smiles at him again. “i guess we’re making it work, in our own way. i love that i can always count on you to be real with me. it’s so -- refreshing, after all the fake posturing we deal with.”

well -- that’s probably as good an opening as he’s ever going to get. he spares a moment to silently thank whatever god is listening for the chance to ask the question that’s been eating at him for hours, the one thing he’s most desperate to know, beyond even the other stuff that usually keeps him up at night, everything from the simple inner workings of kennedy’s mind to why he’s so tripped up over a girl he’s only spent a few short months with. “speaking of fake...” blaine pointedly looks somewhere beyond her, staring out at the parking lot, “how’d your date go?”

kennedy’s quiet for long enough that he has to look back at her. there’s a knowing little glint in her eyes that he decidedly does not like. “are you jealous?”

“what?” he scoffs, “of course not. you left alexei to go out with me.”

“right,” she laughs, one small word injected with endless disbelief. “well, we had a good time. alexei’s not so bad.”

he’s an egomaniac and a self-centered prick, actually, blaine thinks. out loud, he says, “oh. cool. glad it worked out. cool, cool, cool...”

he fidgets restlessly. kennedy’s visible amusement only grows. “you know it was still a fake date, right? neither of us have any interest in the other.”

“i know,” blaine insists defensively. kennedy only arches an eyebrow at him. with a groan, he slumps back in his seat, a hand rubbing at his jaw. “fine, maybe i am a little jealous. give me a break, okay? this is kind of a unique situation for me.”

“if it helps, i think you’re doing a pretty great job.” she’s still smiling at him, but less like she thinks he’s being funny and more like she thinks he’s being sweet. she leans in a little closer, and -- it actually does help. the knots in his stomach that’d been coiled there since she first said her mom’s team was planning a pr relationship for her are finally starting to unwind.

“yeah?” he asks, gratified by the immediate nod she gives. “that’s good. i don’t wanna half-ass this boyfriend stuff just because it’s new to me.”

there’s a long stretch of silence. he realizes what he’s said all at once and starts to feel nauseous all over again, staring silently back at kennedy while he waits for her to say something -- anything.

“boyfriend stuff?” 

“ah.” his hand slips around to rub at the back of his neck sheepishly. “sorry. slipped out.” he should probably just cut his losses now -- bring her back early to be on the safe side and go back to his dorm and drown himself in the shower, because he is an idiot and that’s what an idiot deserves. “i know you kind of already have a boyfriend.”

kennedy huffs out a quiet laugh. “i kind of do.” she tilts her head to meet his eyes, forcing him to look at her again. his heart stutters painfully in his chest, picking up into a pace that’s almost frantic. “but... that’s not a ‘no.’”

their hands are still linked together. he looks down at where their fingers are interlaced, hoping his palms aren’t as sweaty as they feel. blaine disentangles his hand to lift it instead to kennedy’s face, pushing a lock of hair out of her eyes with a hesitant smile she immediately returns tenfold. 

it’s also not a ‘yes,’ but he’ll take what he can get. 

as it turns out, three hours and forty-five minutes is kind of not actually a long time at all.

or maybe it would be, for some people, but with kennedy in his lap, squished between him and the steering wheel so she can kiss him senseless, the time flies by. they watch what’s probably ten minutes total of the movie, they’re so busy kissing and talking, his hands wandering along her new outfit to show his appreciation for it the only way he knows how.

for her part, kennedy gives as good as she gets, tugging his hair out of place and messing up his jacket and making him forget his own name, with the way her hips are pushing into his lap and all the sweet little sounds she makes when he whispers something dirty in her ear and presses her in closer against him.

no amount of agonizing over her fake dates and not being able to kiss her in public is ever going to drive the way she shivers with her whole body when he says something she likes from his mind.

still, the drive back is somber. it’s time to bring kennedy -- kiss-swollen lips and raised hemlines and all -- back to the opera house before he knows it, and he’s really not looking forward to everyone who sees her thinking she spent four hours fooling around in the private box with alexei, of all people. he’s looking forward to driving home alone and going to bed by himself even less.

tomorrow he’ll have to sit by her in class again and pretend like everything’s fine.

because they had tonight, and he knows he should be content with that. the problem is -- he’s not. 

“you okay?” kennedy asks, checking the time on the watch on his wrist with a frown. she’s holding his hand in both of hers. “and don’t say you’re ‘fine.’”

“i am fine,” blaine insists, running his thumb across her wrist. “this sucks, but it’s what we have to do. if you’re good, then i’m good.”

she studies his expression for a minute, then sighs. “i’m as good as i can be,” she murmurs, “but things will get better.”

he knows that, too. even if no one ever finds out it’s him in the photos, even if they have to spend the rest of their lives sneaking out and ditching their bodyguards so they can find a few hours alone together -- things are good. the alternative -- winning the fight with his parents to keep him away from vancross, never getting the chance to know kennedy as well as he does... that’s a future that seems bleak, now that he’s seen the alternative.

“it’s really alright,” blaine assures her. “i’ll miss you, but... do what you gotta do.”

something about the way he says the words seems to instill new confidence in kennedy. she straightens her shoulders and glances back at the opera house door with determination. “thanks,” kennedy sighs, squeezing his hand one last time before slowly pulling away. she probably has only seconds until the finale starts up, though he’s desperate for a way to make them stretch longer. an eternity would be a nice place to start.

“will you... text dionne goodnight before you go to bed?” she asks, looking so hopeful he finds it’s impossible to do anything other than nod.

he grins widely at kennedy, leaning in to steal one last kiss. “dream about me, will ya?”

“every night,” she promises, and blaine lowers the window to get a better view of her and the sway of her hips when she slips out of the car and back inside, sighing heavily once she’s gone and he’s alone again, whacking his head against the carseat.

this is some mess they’ve gotten themselves into.

but, he figures, as he pulls away from the curb and starts back towards campus, the image of kennedy walking away in the heels and skirt she’d been wearing playing over and over again in his mind like a highlight reel, it’s definitely not without its perks.

[utterlyinevitable]

ok woah woah woah hold on, ethan said that? what in the actual fuck? i can't see anyone still wanting to be someone like him irl (or even game) after everything he's said and done. no self respecting sane person would stay with someone like that. that's a big giant blood red flag. that's a toxic partner and relationship if i've ever seen one. i'm glad i stopped playing the book.

He says it based on a choice response before the trial starts.

Honestly, me either. I mentally dumped Ethan after his suspension ended and he was stupidly cocky about it. That’s some drama shit i/Mc do not need in our lives.

And there’s been absolutely NO ROMANCE in his (or any route, really) this book. PB just flushed all the logical story potential down the toilet and we’re left with this moldy container of a plot 😾

[thewritingace]

WIP Intro: The Rise

Genre: Superhero Fiction Subgenres: Mystery, Crime fiction Audience: New Adult

Summary:

When MC returns to his birthplace, Everdom, he realizes fast why his parents left the city to raise him in the countryside. His beloved home city is ridden with crime. It’s then that he makes the decision that this city needs a hero. He might not have superpowers, but he has years of martial arts training and a good sense of justice under his belt, would could go wrong?

Along the way he runs into three superpowered individuals, all of which refuse to help him in his quest initially. They all have their own problems to deal with. But as time goes on, it turns out that the existential threats our four heroes are facing might be more connected than they originally thought…

Will they be able to sort out their difference and come together to rise as the heroes that Everdom so desperately needs? This is a superhero story, so you know the answer, but it might not play out the way you expect. Because they won’t be the only ones rising...

Main Characters:

Michael, aka “MC” - our protagonist, everyone. A true paragon and shining beacon of positivity, who has no idea how to actually interact with people normally. Way too optimistic for his own good. Comes off as nice and maybe a little naive, which makes him seem harmless. He is, however, a total badass when it comes to combat, since he has been trained in the art of ass-kicking since childhood. An idealist who is committed to making his dream a reality, and way too stubborn to let anyone stop him.

But just how far is he willing to go to achieve his goals?

Phoebe - the female lead, if you will. A cool denim lover and kickboxer, who will always step up and defend those in trouble. In the city of Everdom, where she has lived since birth, crime is rampant and especially women often become targets of assault and robbery. But not if Phoebe is in the vicinity. She can be hotheaded and impulsive, but will always fight for what she believes in. In addition to her impressive fighting abilities, Phoebe’s superpower also packs a strong punch. Her using this ability in an emergency situation, despite the the use of superpowers being forbidden by law, is what initially draws MC’s attention to her.

But what will she do if her morals lead her to make the wrong decision?

Lukas - the sane man, or perhaps, the craziest one. A mercenary send to Everdom for a job by his guild, only to find himself and his team being overpowered and eliminated upon arrival. As the only survivor, he vows to find and bring down whoever is responsible for the demise of his comrades. However, being raised by an archaic military guild, completely isolated from society, he has trouble adjusting to his new life in the big city. He’s a surly and stern sniper, with superpowers that only enhance his shooting performance.

But what will he do if his revenge leads him to uncover a horrific truth?

Angela - the mediator, or the group glue, whatever you call it. A young medical professional who’s main motivation is to save people. She just really wants people to get along, which proves complicated with her friends’ clashing personalities. Always trying her hardest, even if it hurts her. Too nice for her own good.

But will she survive putting everyone else first?

Additional Features:

lots of LGBTQ+ rep!

also: poc, mentally ill and neurodivergence rep!

secret identity shenanigans

superpowers! cool fights!

crime-solving, mysteries and detective work!

found family

people developing like human beings and learning from their mistakes and changing for the better? what?

sympathetic villains that are just as much protagonists as the heroes (because I am sucker for morally grey characters)

Author’s Notes:

this story was originally conceptualized as a 10 season tv show. However, since that is obviously not going to happen, I’m aiming for making the story into a comic some day. Until then, I will be writing the story in prose (not as a script), but I will be structuring it kinda like a tv show, just as a heads up.

I do have the entire show already (roughly) outlined and planned, which of course begs the question: how much am I going to talk about on here? Because I don’t want to spoil the entire series for everyone. And there are characters and subplots that I really love that won’t show up until a few seasons in, so if I only talk about the first season I’ll have to hold those back and that makes me sad. But I also want to leave some mystery and room for speculation. So I decided that I am only going to talk about the first 5 seasons on here. I will basically treating those as if they had already “aired”, but anything after the end of season 5 is a spoiler and I will be avoiding those if I can. This way I can still include some of my favorite characters and relationships without spoiling the ending for everyone.

for those of you who love romance, I hate disappoint you, but there won’t be any romance between any of the four main characters. There are romantic subplots, but they span several seasons and don’t get started until we’re a few seasons in. (I’m aroace I need some proper set-up otherwise romance is way too jarring for me.)

this is my first WIP of this scale, but I’m determined to finish it, so wish me luck