purpleocity

[purpleocity]

Hello yes I’m very glad I got to see ROS for free because what the hell did I just spend 2 hours and 22 minutes of my life watching

[purpleocity]

going back to 2012 when the avengers had sleepovers in stark tower and thor was obsessed with pop tarts and everyone was alive ya’ll want anything? 

[purpleocity]

abolish the idea that you gotta hate pop music to be punk rock. kill the myth that you can’t enjoy dancing all night at a club and listen to rock music. fuckni g destroy anything that tells you what you can and can’t do or enjoy because of the music you listen to.

[purpleocity]

Guide To Writing Found Family

This is also available on wordsnstuffblog.com!

– Found family is a very popular trope that I don’t often see explored in technical writing resources, and as a person who is currently in the middle of developing one for my own series, I decided to make a resource for those who were also confused when approaching this character dynamic. If you have anything to add to the topic, feel free to comment down below for the other writers out there. Hopefully this is helpful to those who need a place to start. Happy writing!

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Avoiding Romantic Subtext

This is one of the hardest obstacles to sidestep when writing an unusual dynamic, and for certain genres it can be ten times worse. For example, in fiction written specifically for young adults, there’s a baseline expectation for a hefty amount of romantic tension, and readers will often insert it no matter what the text and subtext suggests. In order to prevent this automatic insertion of romance in the reader’s interpretation, it’s wise to establish a clear and reasonable explanation for why the relationships are platonic and will never develop into something more. 

It’s not a good idea to go for the “person a nor person b has ever considered this relationship blossoming romantically” because that’s often the basis for romantic stories, and will leave that wiggle room for the reader to run with. Show in the way they interact and perhaps in the narration/first person that each party has thought of that scenario and ultimately come to the conclusion that there’s just no romantic potential.

Showing Familial Relationships

Families rely on each other and in diverse ways. The way these individuals interact and build a familial bond is determined (often) by the way in which they form a dependence on the other, and this is more often than not in found family stories, a healthy dependence. It shows the other person’s reliability, care, and compassion, and the way this develops is different for family than it is for friends. 

Certain family members also have specific types of humor when it comes to each other. A father and a daughter will have a different sense of humor or understanding with each other than maybe the daughter and her brother do, and this all adds to form a vivid dynamic in your reader’s head that will alter the way they perceive relationships. Found family will be exactly the same, but they’ll have different backstories and different reasons why that sense of humor or understanding has developed that way.

Friendship vs. Family

Found family is unique in the way that readers can very easily perceive a relationship as close friendship rather than a familial one. However, friendship lacks a certain vulnerability and dependence that found family can use to its advantage, because family sees each other at their highs and lows and conflict usually carries different implications. 

Family also implies a different attitude and motivation behind the relationship. Conflicts between family members are less severe in the long-run because there’s a ground-level understanding that no matter what happens, arguments will end in forgiveness and closure, whereas that is not necessarily guaranteed with friendships or romances. The motivation, also, is different in the sense that found family is more often meant to last a lifetime, and therefore is less fragile and opens the door for more open communication and vulnerability.

Converting Tension to Intimacy

When you’re tasked with turning a tense, unfriendly relationship into a close and familial one, it’s daunting to even begin thinking about how to go about it.  First, it’s important to understand the function of this stage of their relationship as a starting point for growth in both of the characters rather than merely a device to create drama for the reader to munch on. Intimacy of any kind develops out of mutual growth, vulnerability, and understanding, and in order to convey these things to the reader, you need to take your time letting this stage simmer. If you extinguish the tension too fast, it will read as shallow and futile, and it will throw a wrench in the natural pacing.

Now, the transition from tension to intimacy is a several step process and does not happen in one chapter. Mindsets, perceptions, and attitudes change over time as both the reader and the characters learn more information and experience more genuine interaction. The relationship, as I mentioned earlier, will change as the characters see each other in increasingly vulnerable situations and in periods of growth, and as they witness this their understanding of the other and ultimate acceptance will change the way they treat each other and their mutual perceptions of one another’s place in their lives. This usually happens in the subtextual area of the story, excluding events that are formulated specifically to depict this evolution.

Different Sizes of Families

The size of the invented family very much impacts the way that the group relationship develops. For example, two or three people who develop a family-like connection will be much more intimate and dependent than a created family that includes ten. Larger groups imply more diverse, but also more shallow representations of what relationships between family members can be, but they often leave more room for relatability and comedy. Smaller families work well for more serious struggles, and make more sense with characters that deal with serious issues that a real person wouldn’t be comfortable giving all the details about to ten other people. 

There’s definitely a spectrum and it fluctuates wildly for different types of stories, genres, character archetypes, and themes. Deciding how large to make this found family really depends on the fine details and requires some time and thought.

Common Struggles

~ Bringing people together when there’s an age gap… Age gaps can serve really well in the area of establishing a familial relationship without suggesting romance because most readers will assume that a close relationship between a younger woman and an older (say, 65 year old) man is more of a father-daughter relationship than a romantic one. The way you an bring together two people with an age gap and establishing a familial relationship is by playing on the aspect of guidance and support that a parent or typically older figure would provide to a younger, more naive person. This can come off trope-y but, like any other aspect of a story, putting an original twist on it can make it more original and interesting to the reader. 

~ Starting with tension… This is very common in the case of a sibling-type relationship or a guardianship situation. Usually, there’s some resistance from the party that does not hold the upper hand, and this can create tension in both of them. I suggest that if you’re going to develop a tense relationship into a close one that resembles family, then avoid tropes. There are so many ways that you can twist these ideas and situations based on your world and characters’ traits, so don’t go straight for the “I hate you because you’re trying to control me even though you’re not my real dad” thing.

Other Resources

Useful Writing Resources

Useful Writing Resources II

Resources For Describing Characters

Resources For Describing Emotions

Resources For Creating Characters

Resources For World Building

Resources For Plot Development

Resources For Writing Science Fiction

Resources For Writing Dystopian/Apocalypse

Resources For Fantasy & Mythology Writers

Giving Characters Bad Traits

Writing Children

Having Trouble Connecting To Your Characters?

On Making Scenes/Characters Unpredictable

Keeping Characters From Sounding Identical

Writing About Uncomfortable Topics

How To Foreshadow

Commentary On Social Issues In Writing

Tackling Subplots

How To Make A Scene More Heartfelt

How To Develop A Distinct Voice In Your Writing

How To Perfect The Tone In A Piece Of Writing

A Guide To Tension & Suspense In Your Writing

Writing Arguments Between Characters

Ways To Fit Character Development Into your Story

Tips On Writing Intense Scenes

Showing vs. Telling

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[purpleocity]

Imagine a monster that brings death wherever it goes.

It walks slowly, sometimes remaining eerily still for weeks on end before resuming its dragging pace. Its grey face is expressionless, eyes black and wide and empty. Flowers die beneath its feet, and even the ground itself becomes withered and rotten where it has trodden.

It is a walking plague, and for centuries people have held fast to the rituals that keep them safe; to salt and bless the earth, to keep their talismans close, and above all, stay as far from the monster as they can.

You are the first person to try and talk to it.

Villiagers normally evacuate when the monster is seen approaching, but you stubbornly remain. You go unnoticed in the panic as people take whatever possessions they can carry, and flee. Soon the streets are eerily quiet, and you walk past the deserted houses, bemused.

The first thing you hear are the rustling, slow footsteps. The monster is approaching the town through a nearby field. You find yourself edging closer, watching the grass beneath it turn grey.

When you get near enough, you can hear it whispering. Its dead lips only move slightly, making a thin, papery sound as it continues. It doesn’t seem to notice you’re there, so you follow it, trying to keep at a safe distance.

The thing seems sad. On your journey through town you find yourself speaking to it, trying to keep it company. You don’t talk about anything in particular - you just fill the air with mindless chatter, telling it about the town and the shops that you pass.

By the time you reach the square, you’ve gained the confidence to cover the monster’s bare shoulders with a blanket. It just looks so skeletal and frail, you can’t help but duck into your own house and return with something to keep it warm.

By the time you get back, the monster has stopped. It stands there, swaying only slightly, staring blankly ahead. Stepping onto the dead grass that surrounds it makes your heart pound with fear for a moment, but all you feel as you wrap the blanket around it is a deep, penetrating sadness.

*

The monster is still there the next day. Almost as if it’s waited for you, it sets off as soon as you rejoin it, whispering incomprehensibly.

You note that it still has the blanket draped around it. One of its spidery hands has even fisted into the material, holding it tightly against its chest.

It’s only after a few hours of moving at a snails pace that you realise that something has changed - where before the town was unnaturally silent, now there is the faint sound of bird song.

You comment to the monster, spotting a bird fly overhead as you walk. There are daisies on the hillside, so you run and pick one, showing it to the monster.

The monster stops again, and its head turns towards you. Gingerly, you approach and pop the daisy stem through one of the holes in the blanket.

It withers immediately, and the monster seems sad.

“It’s okay, we’ll try again.”

It becomes a sort of game, picking the daisies and encouraging the monster to try and keep them alive. The creature isn’t even whispering any more, just staring down at its own chest as daisy after daisy is put through the blanket loops.

You let out a cheer when the first daisy stays green.

*

The next day, you bring along a backpack and a watering-can as you both reach the edge of town, where the woodside begins. Granite turns into a small, dirt track that winds through the trees, and you gently water any of the flowers that happen to droop as the monster walks by.

In the middle of telling the monster about the wildflowers that grow here, you hear a shout. A sentry, sent to watch for the monster, has spotted it. You hear their footsteps as they run back towards their own villiage, and you know it will be empty by the time you arrive.

*

You rest that night, huddled up in the monster’s blanket, and by the morning, a fairy ring of toadstools has grown all around you.

The monster is still there too, staring off to the side, where two squirrels chase eachother around a tree.

*

It doesn’t take long before the flowers begin to spring up behind you. The watering can is forgotten, empty and tied to your backpack, as bluebells and crocuses start to litter your path, like footprints.

The forest smells of rain and moss, and you look behind to see buttercups emerging from the dirt.

The monster is still whispering, but it isn’t the melonholy muttering it was before. Though you can’t understand the words, it’s now full of excitement. Like something new is about to happen, but neither of you know what.

*

When you reach the next town, it is predictably empty. The people are gone, but the wildlife remains. A cat trots up to greet you and rubs itself against the monster’s legs. The grass is green and vibrant beneath your feet, and a daisy lazily worms its way up from the soil.

*

Deep down, you know that change won’t happen overnight. A lifetime of fear of the monster can’t be erased by words alone, even after what you’ve seen. When the townsfolk return, first will come disbelief. Then will come suspicion, anger, fear. You can tell them the monster was never evil, never malevolent, but they won’t listen. Not at first, anyway.

Then it might begin to make sense. The way the animals are behaving; the disappearance of that tell-tale trail of death.

You’ll tell everyone that the monster only ever emanated what was directed at it, and the result was the scarring of the land. Life has a way of shielding itself from such cold hatred, just as it welcomes the warmth.

You smile to yourself as you walk beside the monster, as you have done ever since that day. In the end, all it took was for you to try and understand, to reach out and walk beside the monster instead of cursing it and running. Eventually, the rest of the world would catch up - how could they not, when the flowers that line your path bloom so beautifully.

[purpleocity]

Who wants to be mutuals/writer buddies and talk/fangirl about our OCs together??!?!

Hit me up

[purpleocity]

like this a lot

[purpleocity]

Here’s the Situation

The last few months have brought a lot of change to my life; some good, some bad, and some ways I never imagined possible. But in these changes I’ve found I’m growing out of fandoms, and it will never be like it once was for me. I’m not the fourteen year old fangirl who could devote her life to these things anymore. I’m taking school more seriously, and I’m approaching my last stretch of time here, setting my sights to the future. I’ve taken on a job that’s opening a lot of doors for me and bringing about opportunities I never thought I’d have, and I’m in a wonderful relationship with a really great guy, which is something else I thought I’d never have.

With all these changes I’m prioritizing what’s really important: my passions (music, original writing, etc), my mental health, my job, my family, and my future. The list goes on, but fandoms don’t fit in there.

There are other reasons I left fandoms like the unreasonable expectations of the people in them, or the drama and toxicity just being too much, but I don’t need to delve into that.

-

TL;DR - I’m growing up and need to focus on what’s really important to me.

-

Again, I will be moving all of my fan fiction to a separate blog which I will link here once I have that set up.

Thank you all for your continued support! It has meant the world to me.

[purpleocity]

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

I am revamping this blog entirely today and it will no longer be a fandom blog. I’ll move my fics to a separate side blog so they will still be available to read, but as of today this will be a personal/random blog.

Thanks guys!

[purpleocity]

GUYS GUYS

IM SOMEBODYS BEST FRIEND

I AM SO HAPPY

[purpleocity]

WAIT THIS IS A LEGENDARY POST IVE ONLY SEEN SCREENSHOTS

oH YM GOD CONNOR MADE ME A GIF OF THAT GUY I WAS TALKING ABOUT

LOOK AT HIM

HE KNOWS SOMETHINGS UP MAN

THIS BROTHER AIN’T HERE FOR ALEXANDER PIERCE’S BULLSHIT

[purpleocity]

Hi! I’m plotting a story where the main cast consists of five characters. What’s the best way to go about this? I know head hopping can be disorienting in a novel, but there are points in the story where everyone gets separated and I really want to get inside their heads when this happens. Any advice is super appreciated!

The reason that “head hopping” can be disorienting is that it isn’t clear whose POV I’m reading. This comes down to two mains things: jumping around too often and not having a clear voice. You can’t switch POV every paragraph, it gives the reader whiplash and it’s not enough time to actually understand their position in the story, where their head is, and what they are doing in the scene. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to at least get through a scene with one character before moving to the next, though I think most books I’ve read that switch POVs take it chapter by chapter. 

Having a clear voice for the characters also makes it much easier to identify which character we’re dealing with. Within the first couple of sentences I need to know whose perspective I’m seeing. This can come across from the way the character speaks or thinks as well as what topics they are concerned with. Even though all the characters might be working against the same conflict they should different ways of approaching it, different concerns and also some side concerns that might be specific to them. if I know what it is special about each character, as in the reason that you thought it was important to give them their own POV in the story, than it is a lot easier to distinguish the characters and clue in immediately with the narration.

[purpleocity]

this is literally yall on this damn site

[purpleocity]

Useful Writing Resources

This is an extensive list of resources for every problem you could come across while writing/planning/editing your novel. Use it well;)

{ *** } Indicate a Highly Reccommended Resource

Planning/outlining Your Work

How To Outline ***

Zigzag Method : Creating Plots

How to Plot a Romance Novel 

Seven Great Sources of Conflict for Romances 

Let’s talk about brainstorming

Writing Something With Meaning ***

Past Or Present Tense? : How To Decide

Writing Your Work

How To Write A Fabulous Chapter #1 ***

How to Build a Romance Thread in Your Story 

The Big Book Of Writing Sex ***

6 Ways to Get Your Readers Shipping Like Crazy 

Romance Writing Tips ***

20 Tips for Writing Lovable Romance Novel Heroes

7 Ways To Speed Up Your Writing *** 

80+ Barriers to Love: A List of Ideas to Keep Romantic Tension High 

9 Romance Writing Mistakes to Avoid 

Removing the Creeps From Romance

19 Ways to Write Better Dialogue ***

50 Things Your Characters Can Do WHILE They Talk ***

How To Write Action And Fight Scenes

10 Steps To Write Arguments

9 Ways To Write Body Language

Writing Good Kissing Scenes

Writing Murders

Create And Control Tone ***

Tips for Writing Ghost Stories

Incorporating Flashbacks

12 Tips To Avoid Overwriting ***

Characters

Behind the Name

Top Baby Names

Looking for a name that means a certain thing? ***

7 Rules of Picking Names

Most Common Surnames ***

Minor Character Development

Writing Antagonists, Antiheroes and Villains

Characters With Enhanced Senses

5 Tips to Help You Introduce Characters

How Do You Describe a Character?

How To Write Child Characters

36 Core Values For Building Character

Questions To Answer When Creating Characters ***

4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions

5 Ways to Keep Characters Consistent

Character Archetypes

25 Ways To Fuck With Your Characters

Building Platonic Relationships Between Female Characters

9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language 

33 Ways To Write Stronger Characters

Conveying Character Emotion 

How to Make Readers Love an Unlikable Character…  

How to Create Powerful Character Combos

How To Describe A Character’s Voice ***

Describing Clothing And Appearance ***

Career Masterpost ***

Creating Your Character’s Personality ***

Character Flaws ***

Editing

DON’T EDIT>>> REWRITE THE WHOLE THING FIRST

Ultimate Guide To Editing Each Aspect Of Your Work ***

Why You Would Read Your Novel Out Loud ***

Grammar and Punctuation ***

How To Write A Captivating First Sentence

10 Things Your Opening Chapter Should Do: A Check-List for Self-Editing ***

Saving Your Story: Finding Where It Went Wrong

How To Condense Without Losing Anything

The Stages Of Editing

Dialogue/Description Balance

3 Proofreading Tips

The Short Story Form

Chapter & Novel Lengths

Anatomy Of A Novel : Chapters and Parts ***

How To Write Chapter After Chapter Until You Have A Book ***

Where Chapter #2 Should Start

Step By Step Guide To Editing Your Draft

Writing Tool: CTRL-F (How And Why You Should Use It) ***

How To Kill A Character

25 Steps To Edit The Unmerciful Suck Out Of Your Story

5 Ways To Make Your Novel Helplessly Addictive ***

Setting

{Setting} How To Describe Setting In Your Stories ***

20 Questions To Enhance Setting

How To Bring Your Setting To Life

Miscellaneous Resources You Can Use In Between

How to Write from a Guy’s POV 

The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus

Text To Speech Reader

Compare Character Heights 

A Visual Dictionary of Tops

Writers Helping Writers

7 Tricks To Imrove Your Writing Overnight

Work Out/ Word Count : Exercise Between Writing ***

Most Important Writing Tips ***

Let’s talk about diversity in novels

Letting Go Of Your Story

Keeping A Healthy Writing Schedule And Avoiding Procrastination ***

How To Create A Good Book Cover

Write or Die

Tip of my Tongue

Character Traits Form

Online Thesaurus

Writing Sketchy/Medical/Law

Coma: Types, Causes, etc

Tips for writing blood loss

Gunshot Wound Care

Examples of Hospital Forms

Common Legal Questions

The Writer’s Forensics Blog

Brain Injury Legal Guide

Types of Surgical Operations

Types of Mental Health Problems

A Day in the Life of a Mental Hospital Patient

Global Black Market Information ***

Crime Scene Science

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Writers’ Block Help/ Productivity

Story Plot Generator

@aveeragemusings ‘ Cure To Writers’ Block ***

50 Romance Plot Ideas

Reading Like A Writer ***

Defeat Writers’ Block

Writing In A Bad Mood ***

Writers Block

When You’ve Lost Motivation To Write A Novel ***

What To Do When The Words Won’t Flow ***

9 Ways To Be A More Productive Writer

“I Cannot Write A Good Sentence Today” (How To Get Over It) ***

Real Writing Advice ***

Info You Need To Know & Words You Didn’t Think Of

A Writer’s Thesaurus ***

Words To Describe… ***

Words & Phrases To Use In Your Sex Scenes ***

Colors (An Extensive List Of Colors)

List Of Kinks & Fetishes ***

List Of Elemental Abilities

inkarnate.com : World Creator And Map Maker For Your Imaginary Setting

Body Language Phrases

List Of Legendary Creatures

How To Write Magic

Hairstyle References

Hemingway : Writing Checker

Body Types: Words To Describe Bodies and How They Move Around

Poisonous Herbs and Plants ***

The Psychology of Color

The Meaning behind Rose color

Types of Swords

Color Symbolism

How a handgun works

How to Write a Eulogy

Types of Crying

Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes ***

Superstitions and More

The 12 Common Archetypes

Language of Flowers

12 Realistic Woman Body Shapes

Using Feedback And Reviews

Turning Negative Reviews Into Positive Ones ***

Proofreading Marks : Easy Symbols To Make Reviewing/Feedback Easier ***

Authonomy Teen Ink Figment Fiction Press ReviewFuse

These Are Trusted Critique Sites ;)

[purpleocity]

I’m v offended I haven’t seen some of those in the rip vine videos so I made my own

[purpleocity]

Fake Boyfriend

Pairing: Jesse Katsopolis x Reader

Word count: 2,400

Summary: Your sister comes to town, and you are in need of a fake boyfriend. Your friend Jesse takes up the position, but things get messy when your ex shows up.

A/N: (L/n = Last name. You’re smart) So ya girl’s been watching wayyy too much Full House. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I tried to include some classic sitcom moments in which a laugh track might occur, so I was aiming for cheesy with this one. Also, it breaks my heart not to have Jesse and Rebecca together but also like I needed a Jesse x Reader in my life. I’m a total trash can. Enjoy. :)

The phone rang. Again, and again, and again...

“Hello?” A deep voice answered.

Relief rushed through you, but you were still tense. It wasn’t the relief you’d hoped to feel. You shifted a little, realizing your hesitation was lasting a little too long to be comfortable. “Hey, Chris, how are you?”

“Fine, I guess,” he replied. He cleared his throat. “Are you okay? You’ve got that tone.”

“Tone? What tone? This is just my voice.”

You heard him shift a little on the other line. “Y/n, what’s going on?”

You sighed, sitting back on the couch. “I’m just gonna be straightforward.” You passed a hand over your eyes. “I’m in a bit of a situation.”

Chris took a breath in, awaiting your answer. A long, heavy silence hung between you two. “You’re stalling.”

You groaned. “I know. Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but you were the last person I wanted to call.”

“Wow, thanks.”

That wasn’t entirely true. He wasn’t the last person you wanted to call, but he was certainly a close second.

“I told my sister I had a boyfriend so she’d stop setting me up with random guys off the streets.” You sighed and remembered how she insisted you just try going out with every man she found and insisted would be perfect for you. “And now she’s coming out to visit so she can meet him. I, uh, need you to—”

“Are you asking me on a date, Miss L/n?” he cut in.

“Fake date,” you corrected quickly, remembering why he was so low on the list of potential fake boyfriends. “Nothing special. Just you, me, and my sister at the Smash Club. I’ll buy you a drink and everything.”

Silence. He must have been contemplating the offer.

“Please, Chris, I’m desperate.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “Yeah, I noticed.” His tone shifted. “But, I can’t turn down a free drink with the most beautiful woman in the world.”

You swallowed, sighing. You couldn’t believe you’d just asked your ex on a date, albeit a fake one. You really hoped you wouldn’t regret this. “Thanks, Chris. I’ll see you tomorrow at eight.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

You grit your teeth and hung up the phone before he could continue flirting. “I am a complete and total idiot,” you reminded yourself.

***

Looking down at your watch, you frowned. Both your sister and Chris were late. You actually hoped he wouldn’t show up. You didn’t want to see him again. But, if he was conveniently missing tonight, you would be subject to more uncomfortable dates with more randos. Of course, if neither he or your sister were to show up, that would make your night even better. Or at least as good as it could be sitting alone in a crowded club.

Chris was one of the guys she’d picked for you. She was certain he was the one, and was heartbroken when it didn’t work out. “Didn’t work out” was putting it lightly. Chris may have put on a friendly face at first, but he was an angry person, and it came out at its worst when he drank. Another reason you hoped he might not show.

Before you could worry yourself any further, your heart jumped into your throat when you felt a hand on your arm and heard a familiar voice.

“Y/n, hey! What are you doing here?”

You looked up to meet the dark eyes of the one and only Jesse Katsopolis. You felt your stomach do a somersault.

“O-oh, Jesse, what are you doing here?” you stuttered, smoothing your hair.

He laughed a little. “I own the place.”

“Oh, yeah.” You laughed nervously and chewed your lip a little. You mentally kicked yourself for asking such a stupid question.

“So,” he slid into the booth across from you, “what brings you to the ol’ Smash Club?”

You laughed again, this time at the irony of your situation. “Just...” You sighed and looked down at your watch again. Then you looked up to see your sister, Tabitha, wandering into the club. “Damn.”

“What?” A hint of concern made itself evident with a little crease between his eyebrows.

You rubbed your eyes. “I’ve got myself into a stupid situation. My sister wants to meet me and my boyfriend here, but I don’t have a boyfriend, and now I’m totally screwed.”

“Wait, why’d you tell her she could meet him if he’s not real?” His concern had now dissolved into confusion.

You groaned at your own stupidity. “I asked my ex to be my fake boyfriend.”

“Wait, your ex? It wasn’t Chris, was it?” There was that concern again. When you didn’t answer, he sighed. “Dang, girl, you really have gotten yourself into a stupid situation.”

“Don’t worry, he stood me up.” You ran your fingers through your hair, leaning on your hand and deflating. “Looks like I’m back to dates with scum off the streets, courtesy of Tabitha.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Jesse spoke up, “I’m not gonna let that happen. Y/n, you’re one of my closest friends. You have been for years. You’ve been there for me time and time again, so it’s my turn to be the good friend now.” He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “If you need a fake boyfriend, you’ve got one right here.” He gestured to himself.

No, no, no, you thought. You felt your face heat up a little, but you really didn’t have any other options. “Perfect. Thank you so much, Jesse. You’re a life saver.” Hey, it was a fake boyfriend, and that’s just what you needed right then.

“I’ve got you, girl.” He winked, making butterflies flutter in your stomach.

“Y/n!” Tabitha squealed, leaning over and giving you a tight hug. You stood to give your sister a proper hug. Despite everything, you were happy to see her. “How are you?”

Jesse stood too, coming to your side.

“I’m good,” you replied, sucking in a quiet, surprised breath as he took your hand.

Tabitha got quiet for a moment, then a great big smile lit up her features. “Y/n, is this your boyfriend?” She didn’t give you time to respond. “I’m so happy for you guys!” she exclaimed, hugging the both of you. “I can’t believe this! I know how much you liked him for so long!”

Yep. You were ready to curl up and die right then. Having Chris here might have actually been better. There was a reason Jesse was the last person you wanted to call.

Regardless, you tried to roll with it. You gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah...I was pretty crazy about him.”

Jesse looked a little dumbfounded, but it quickly dissolved into a smirk as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. He flashed a smile at Tabitha “Still are, aren’t you, babe?” He kissed the top of your head. “Funny how it worked out. I liked her a lot for a really long time too.” He looked at you again as you felt your face flush. Of course he was just playing along, and any further discussion of the situation would make your heart sink even lower.

The three of you made small talk for a while, each sipping on your respective drinks. You could’ve sworn Jesse was intentionally flirting with you now just to mess with you. Wasn’t he still with Rebecca? You didn’t realize he was such a jerk. You decided to blacklist him next time you needed a fake boyfriend. He was being pretty convincing right now, though.

He said something to make you laugh, and you did, though it wasn’t genuine. Your sister added onto it; again you pulled a fake giggle.

“Y/n?”

When you realized who the voice belonged to, your heart jumped into your throat. 

“Y/n, what are you doing?” Chris slurred and he stumbled over to your table, alcohol heavy on his breath.

You hoped to salvage any chance you had keeping up the act. “I’m with my boyfriend,” you nodded to Jesse, a pleading look in your eye, “and my sister. She wanted to meet him.”

His hand closed around your arm and he yanked you to your feet.You tried to hold back a yelp.

Jesse stood as if on instinct.

“I thought I was your boyfriend tonight. Where have you been?” Chris barked. “I’ve been waiting for you all freakin’ evening! Do you know how embarrassing it is to be stood up?”

You cast a quick look at Tabitha, who looked confused. You looked away the second she glanced back at you. You wrung your hands and looked again to Chris.

“I can’t believe I wasted my time on you. You’re just as worthless as the day I left you!” Chris loomed over you, making you take a step back. He grabbed your arm and clenched his jaw, his eyes glassy despite the anger behind them. “You little—“

“Okay, that’s enough.” Jesse stepped forward, putting an arm out in front of you as to put himself between you and Chris. “I think you should head on home, pal.” He poked Chris’s chest.

Your ex crossed his arms, stumbling a little and turning to Jesse, looking down his nose at the latter and taking advantage of the two or three inch height difference. “Who’re you?” Chris asked with a snarl. Then it donned on him that this wasn’t their first confrontation. “Oh, yeah, I remember you, Hairboy.”

“That’s right, and I’m proud of it. I suggest you get outta here, Beefcake.” Jesse mirrored Chris’s snarl.

“Who’re you calling Beefcake?”

At this point, you all had caused a big scene and people started staring. Someone called security before the guys could go at it, and just in time too. Chris had Jesse by the collar and was swinging his hand back to hit him. The two security guards escorted Chris outside with a little effort, leaving you with Tabitha, Jesse, and a lot of explaining to do.

“Y/n, what’s going on? What was he talking about? Why was Chris even here?” Tabitha asked. She crossed her arms and awaited your answer.

You looked to Jesse, a little guilt settling in on your shoulders. “Tabitha...” Your gaze fell to your feet. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m sorry, I lied to you.”

“Then why did you say you did?”

You leaned against the booth, avoiding her eyes before going on, “I just wanted you to stop setting me up with a bunch of random creeps. The last one you set me up with collected teeth. Human teeth.” You sighed, running your fingers through your hair. “My point is,” you stepped forward and rested your hand on your sister’s shoulder, “I’m capable of finding somebody for myself.”

Tabitha appeared to have a moment of realization before frowning. “Oh, Y/n, I’m so sorry. I was just so excited to see you find someone you loved, yknow? I just wanted to help.”

“Well, I appreciate the effort,” you replied.

She shrugged. “Just doing what I think is best for my baby sister.”

“Aww,” Jesse smiled, “this is cute. C’mon, now hug it out.”

You hugged your sister tightly, a little smile forming on your lips. It dropped when you remembered what a jerk Jesse had been all night despite standing up for you. Pulling away from your sister, you turned to Jesse. “You’re off the hook, Jess. Thank you for doing this,” you said a little flatly.

“Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you for a minute alone.”

You looked to Tabitha, who smiled and shrugged. “Go on. I’ll order a coffee or something.”

You followed Jesse to the empty dressing room that the band playing that night wasn’t using.

“So, about what Tabitha said—“ Jesse turned to you from the door.

“I know, I know. I didn’t think she would bring that up,” you explained, “and I know it’s stupid and you’re still with Rebecca. That’s why I didn’t want to call you in the first place and I—“

“Hey, take a breath.” He stepped toward you, putting his hands on your shoulders. “First of all, things didn’t work out between me and Becky.” He pursed his lips, allowing the statement to sink in, “Second, when Tabitha said you liked me so much for so long, I wanted to know, how much is ‘so much’ and ‘so long’?”

“Jesse, I—“

“I’m only asking because,” he looked at the floor for a second, then turned his eyes to you, “well, because I meant it when I said I liked you a lot.”

Your eyes widened. “Really?”

“Really.” Oh god, he started using that gentle tone you always loved so much. “I always wanted to ask you out, but I couldn’t ever get the guts to do it.”

Your smiled brightly at this.

He laced his fingers with yours, albeit a little hesitant.

“To answer your question,” you spoke softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, “‘so long’ would have to be from the moment I met you, to now. And ‘so much’ would be far, far more than I could ever put into words.”

Jesse considered that. “Well, that’s a lot.”

“Yeah.” You laughed softly.

There was only a brief moment of hesitation before you were suddenly kissing Jesse, arms linked around his neck with his hands on your waist. You were somewhat in disbelief of this moment. The idea had crossed your mind once or twice, but you never thought it would ever happen.

Before you knew it, Jesse was pulling away from you, a hand going to your cheek and a smile curling one corner of his mouth. He stole another brief kiss. When he broke away from you again, you pursed your lips and tried to hold back an elated grin, though you failed miserably.

“You got the guts yet?” you asked, tracing circles on his chest.

“Sure.” He laughed softly. “What do you say you and I go on a real date tomorrow? No sister Cupid, no drunk ex boyfriends, just you and me.”

You nodded. “I’d like that.”

“I’ll pick you up at 6. We can go to dinner and a movie or something.”

“Perfect.”

***

You closed the front door of your apartment after watching Jesse ride off on his motorcycle, a bright smile plastered on your face. After the sound of the bike had faded into the distance, you leaned against the door, savoring the warm fuzzies in your chest and stomach and the faint memory of his lips on yours. You ran your fingers through your hair, a little messy from the bike ride home. You sat on the couch with your legs tucked under yourself. Draping your jacket over the arm of the chair, you turned on the TV, but hardly paid attention. Your mind was still running back through the evening, and you couldn’t help but smile when you realized you just went on a date with the man of your dreams.

Dang, you had it good.

[purpleocity]

‘During the long afternoon Laing slept in his office, waiting until he could leave the medical school and return home.’ ~ J.G. Ballard, High-Rise