circuit

Official (18+) blog for the upcoming interactive fiction "Circuit" surrounding a racing championship and the fame that surrounds it. I'm Thea (she/her) by the way! #circuit-if

[circuit-if]

🔗 – DEMO // FAQ // ROMANCE ROUTES // PINTEREST // SPOTIFY

The start of a race. You’re sitting in the car, hand on the wheel, feet on the pedals, and everything is silent. The humming of the car, the crowd packed in the bleachers on either side of you, neither reach your ears. You don't dare move, don’t dare breathe, don’t dare blink. Your eyes are only trained on those lights.  The first row of fluorescent red lights blink on. Then the second. The third, the fourth. And... Go.

You’ve lived a lifetime of racing down the same few dusty, sunny tracks across California. You take home your first place ribbons and champion trophies after every race. No team, no coach. Just you, the track, and the starting lights. Until now.

You’ve finally found your team, and you’re preparing for the season of your life. Five circuits across the planet, through the United States to Australia, all for the grand prize at the finish line.

And yet, as you’re thrust into the position of one of the top drivers in the world, you’re faced with the new life that comes with it. Fame, luxury, rivalries between drivers, even love is always right behind your races, and though you know you can’t let yourself slip now, you know nothing will be as simple as those sunny California circuits ever again.

A customisable main character, with pronouns, physical appearance, personality, and public persona on and off the track all up to you and your choices throughout the story. You're surrounded by fame, fortune, love, and rivalry; how will you split that life from that of the racetrack? Oh, and make a custom car.

Play through lightning fast races across the world (along the track and otherwise), and make key choices that will impact your standings throughout the season.

Choose between 4 romance options - fall in and out of love with the other driver on your team, your rival on the track, your team's head engineer, or the sponsor heiress who's taken a liking to you.

Develop your reputation as a racer. Are you a daredevil on the track, or a patient prowler, waiting for a chance to strike where it hurts?

This story is rated 18+ for sexual themes, substance (drug and alcohol) use, explicit language, and violence.

Nicholas/Nadine Spade [RO, gender selectable] - The other driver on your new team, nicked "The Blade" and loved by many. N has been racing for nearly as long as you have, along the searing tracks of Miami with an effortless talent. Always finding a way to twist the situation into a witty joke and a laugh, they quickly establish themself as someone to trust among the chaos that is your new life as a top racer.

Roman Gray [RO, he/him] - Your rival on the track. Gray came from the same neighbourhood as you, and you've raced alongside him since your very first competition. But he's no longer that young boy, left grinning with adrenaline after every circuit. No, now he's hungry for that prize with a stern drive that wont let whatever friendship you had get in the way of, and faces you only with stone cold glares and ridiculously tough competition.

Sadie/Spencer Monroe [RO, gender selectable] - Your head engineer, a failed aspiring racer with a silent but deadly disposition. S designed your car from the wheels up, with one goal: to win. To win in a way they couldn't on the track themself, despite knowing everything there is to know about the sport. S has high expectations for you and N, and they're not one to disappoint.

Carmen Caddel [RO, she/her] - Heiress to one of your biggest sponsor companies. Carmen grew up in the lifestyle of fame and luxury, and handles it with such grace and poise that shows in every paparazzi photo and every interview. With her guiding you through the press conferences and afterparties, it should be easy to maintain the public image you're intended to keep. Right?

Meet other characters, including those on your team, fans, other drivers, and more!

[ziptopstop-deactivated20250611]

Commissions

Status: Open

Hi, I'm Rhea! I'm an experienced creative writer who's looking to bring your thoughts and ideas to life through commissions. If you've read any of my work on Tumblr or AO3 - ranging from extensive works of original narratives to quick drabbles of fanfiction - you know I've got you covered (and if you haven't, you're welcome to check out my stuff linked below). Below is a collection of all the information you'll need to commission me for a piece of your own.

Looking forward to working with you!

What I Offer

Mini (500-1000 words)

Drabble (1000-1500 words)

Quick Read (1500-2000 words)

Chapter (2000-2500 words)

Novella (2500-3000 words)

I offer fictional pieces of writing of the above lengths, and am willing to write about fictional characters and narratives in the fantasy, sci-fi, drama, comedy, horror, romance, and slice of life genres, among others. I'm also willing to write about your own original characters, if details are provided, as well as any fandoms you'd like!

If you'd like to take a look at some of my past work, you can check out my work on the interactive fiction "Circuit" at @circuit-if.

Pricing & Logistics

My works are priced depending on the offer taken (minis, drabbles, quick reads, chapters, or novellas). Payment is expected after the initial outlining stage, but before the work enters the drafting stage. This lets you have a chat with me about your ideas before I start writing, just to make sure we're both on the same page. If during the initial outlining phase you find you would rather not commission me, it's no problem at all. No payment should have been made at this point in the commissioning process.

All payments will be made through PayPal. An invoice for the commission will be sent after the initial outlining stage. Communications can be made on Tumblr through messages, or over email via [email protected].

Mini (500-1000 words): 15$

Drabble (1000-1500 words): 20$

Quick Read (1500-2000 words) 25$

Chapter (2000-2500 words) 35$

Novella (2500-3000 words) 45$

The initial draft of the work might not be perfect, and in that case I'm open to making a second draft free of charge with any changes you might want made assuming this does not include a total rewrite/reworking of the work. Past this point, it will not be rewritten or drafted further.

Conditions

I'm flexible with my work and open to a wide range of suggestions, but there are still some conditions that come with commissioning me that you can find here:

Copyright disclaimer: All commissions I write containing content from works outside of the public domain are considered transformative, and are not in any way intended to be copyright infringements. I do not have - or attempt to obtain - any claim to the rights of these works.

Content: I reserve the right to refuse a commission if I find myself unable to write for its content for any given reason.

Posting: You're free to post any work you commissioned from me on any platform as long as credit is given to myself and/or this website.

Sharing: I reserve the right to share - with credit to the commissioner - any works commissioned from me on any platform on which my work is shared.

Refunds: I will not be providing refunds under any circumstances.

Can't wait to work with you!

[circuit-if]

I'm back, and with (free for a limited time) commissions!

Hey everyone, it's Rhea, long time no see! First of all I want to just let you guys know that I'm completely fine and thanks to everyone who checked up on me or offered kind words about my work, you guys are amazing.

Just on the whole ordeal with Dashingdon shutting down, don't worry, I've still got everything for Circuit and am transferring all of it to twine. It's gonna take a second to get used to the heavy coding and CSS of twine so I'm gonna ask you guys to bear with me for now, we'll be back on track with development soon (pun intended haha). Thanks to the awesome people who took the time to let me know, I honestly wouldn't have had a clue if it weren't for you.

BUT I do happen to be branching out. I'm looking to start doing commissions, I think it's a great way to exercise my writing skills outside of what I usually write while I have the free time.

Free Commissions

Just to start building up a portfolio and seeing if I'm cut out for commissions, I'm going to be taking 3 commissions of 1000-2000 words completely free of charge. The commissions I work on will be taken on a first come, first serve basis. I'm also moving all of my work unrelated to @circuit-if over to @ziptopstop, so if you're interested in a commission please let me know over there! Here's a post with all of the details on the commissioning process, with some modifications since I'll be taking them free of charge at this time.

Anyways, thank you guys for bearing with me and hope to chat soon!

[circuit-if]

I just checked the demo out with nothing but the summary in knowledge—And I want to say you write worry and the feeling of disappointment really well. First with Roman; you really managed to capture that friendliness turned cold. And especially the elevator introduction with S, the branch with the flirt had me immediately go “Alright, yeah, this is the one.” And so that 180° turn from nice banter to just walking off had me genuinely needing a moment to sit with the feeling. Which is a compliment, I’m not someone who gets nervous, and yet I was sitting through the whole thing tense and worried with MC, which is brilliant writing.

I also went and checked the playlist and definitely going to have to do another playthrough for N because between “Please say amusement park” and Talk Too Much in their playlist, I already adore them. I am still smiling about it, truth be told, that’s my favourite love song and I never expected it to be on a character playlist much less an IF ROs playlist.

As a fellow writer I am a great admirer of your writing already, and as a reader I look forward to following you on this journey. Remember to stretch those wrists, and to take as much time and as many breaks as you need.

This really made me smile dude. This is why I like the medium so much. When readers come to me saying they felt some deep stuff just from my writing it's like... I can die happy now. I've served my purpose lmao

good to know everyone's enjoying the please say amusement park bit as much as I enjoyed writing it, and i really do feel like talk too much basically sums up a romance with N so thank you COIN for putting out that song 🙏🙏

[circuit-if]

putting hand on the others neck....with roman........🫡

ROMAN, putting their hand on the others neck -

Ten minutes.

You need to be in the car in ten minutes.

You tear your eyes away from the clock, fastening your gloves to your hands and lacing and re-lacing your boots. Nervous ticks, ones you've had since you were a teenager back in California. You've never quite been able to shake them.

Of course, no one knows about those little habits. No one knows of who you really were back home. No one but the man who walks into the garage, fastening his own black gloves to his hands, his red helmet under his arm.

Roman's eyes land on yours, and then your hands as they re-lace your boots once more. You try to ignore him, but he's making it difficult with the way he's staring at you, analysing you.

He sets his helmet down on a bench and strolls over to you until he's standing right in front of you where you sit on the bench.

Unable to ignore him any longer, you lean back against the wall behind you and look up at him, letting your head drop against the concrete.

In his gray eyes looking down at you is the same look he'd give you back home whenever you were being hard on yourself after an unsuccessful race. A look that told you you were being a child, being irrational, but also a look that allowed you to release whatever you were feeling and return to a place of calm, a place to rebound from the loss.

This time, it's a little different.

There's a little more care in his eyes. They're softer. More forgiving.

Roman sets his ungloved hand on your shoulder and it creeps up to your neck as his thumb traces your jawline. He takes in every inch of you, every detail in your expression.

You let your muscles loosen as you release a breath, easing into his touch.

Slowly, Roman kneels on one leg and lowers himself a little below your eye level.

"Just focus on the lights," he offers. His usual advice.

Though this time it's uttered a lot closer to your lips.

🔗 PROMPTS // ANSWERED PROMPTS

[circuit-if]

i spent ages trying to figure out who n reminded me of, and im just realizing that i was thinking of lightning mcqueen 😭😭

that’s so real

[circuit-if]

pressing their foreheads together for N pretty please! 🤲💕

NICHOLAS/NADINE, pressing their foreheads together -

You're racing down the highway on N's bike, clinging to their frame from behind as you lean into them. The wind rips through your clothes as you both fight against the forces pushing and pulling you this way and that as you make your turns, weaving around cars and in between lanes.

Sharp turns have you squeezing the frame in front of you tighter, mumbling fearful curses. N. only laughs in return.

"You okay back there?" N. asks over the howling of the wind.

You hum your yes, but you can tell you don't sound convincing.

Even though you race some of the fastest cars on the daily, it's nothing like having your shoes mere inches away from being burned off your feet as you lean from one awkward side to the next.

N. slows as they steer off the highway, stopping near a curb off of a quiet street. It's late at night, and the brightest lights at the moment are the stars above you both.

You throw your leg over the side of the bike, standing at its side. Your stance is weak, you're almost dizzy, and so you remain clinging to the seat until you can right yourself.

"Hey," N. says, hopping off the other side of the bike. "All good?"

You laugh, exasperated. "All good."

N. smiles, patting the seat of the bike in relief. They lean in, taking the back of your head beneath your helmet just under the hem of your collar in their hand and bringing you in. Your helmets meet with a tiny clink.

You can see N.'s shit eating grin through the visor, their hooded eyes bouncing between yours and your lips. You relax into the feeling, though the shyness, the surprise, is still there. It seems to amuse them, because their grin only grows when you swallow harshly.

N. releases your head, flicking your forehead back with their gloved hand.

"Lets get you home."

🔗 PROMPTS // ANSWERED PROMPTS

[circuit-if]

Hi! Glad to see you around here again :]]

How about "eyes meeting from across the room" for S? :>

SADIE/SPENCER, eyes meeting from across the room -

You could be behind the wheel right now.

You're seated at a long table in a briefing room with your team, all decked out in your team colours, as your captain goes over logistics for the coming couple of races at the TV set up at the head of the room. They throw out meaningless numbers and dates faster than you can feasibly keep up with.

N. is slumped in the chair on your right, fussing with a sticky note to shape it into a little airplane.

You sink further into your seat, swinging the chair from left to right as you pretend to comprehend what's being discussed. Your right leg is bouncing. You're itching to be back in the car, practicing.

Your eyes scan the room, and settle on S. near the head of the table. They're in your team colours, though their suit is unzipped to hang around their hips, revealing the white dress shirt they've got folded to their elbows underneath. Their hands are folded over the table in front of them, and their soft, intense gaze is trained on the TV. Unless they're actually paying attention, they're doing a damn good job of faking it.

Hazel eyes flick over to yours.

S. leans back into their seat, setting their arms on the armrests. Though its barely noticeable, they smile and offer you the innocent quirk of their brow. What?

You bite your lip, holding off a smile. Nothing.

It's hardly nothing. You're in love, and your enjoying the fact that it's so palpable but only to the two of you, even in a room of many. You love that you can feel it in the way they look at you, in the way their smile is just for you.

They offer you a last grin before turning back toward the TV, and you pull threads from your armrest as you watch them revert back to their full focus, furrowed brow and all.

🔗 PROMPTS // ANSWERED PROMPTS

[circuit-if]

hi *raspy voice* for roman 🥺🥺🥺

ROMAN, hi *raspy voice* -

Your nerves are on fire.

You hop out of your race car and shut the door behind you, leaning your shoulder against it as you unstrap your gloves hastily and toss them over the cars roof.

You'd just come out of a long practice session on the track, your coach timing you from the garage after every lap. At this point, you're coated in sweat, your eyes are tearing up, and your pulse is racing. You'd clamped your jaw shut so tight while racing down the track that its become sore once you've let it loose.

"That's three seconds longer than your last lap," your trainer reprimands through the radio. "We'll get at it again tomorrow, yeah?"

You mumble your approval and take your helmet off, tucking it underneath your arm. Your eyes close, and with them your muscles relax into the car door and your breath steadies. If you had the choice, you'd keep racing until you got a satisfying lap time. Of course, it's not how it was in California. Most things aren't, anyways.

"Hi."

A voice a couple meters away from you, raspy and tired though with traces of a familiar, soft smile. You open your eyes and turn.

It's Roman, hair drenched with sweat and his deep red and black race jacket still on. His helmet is tucked underneath his arm, and he looks at you with a dazed grin. You suppose they've got him at it too, then, practicing for hours at a time.

"Hi," you greet him back as he approaches you.

He sets his helmet down on the roof of the car and cages you between his arms and the door, fixing you with that same slight, smug smile that has you frozen in place, waiting for something. His face is barely an inch away, and his eyes are peering into yours curiously.

"Hi," he says again. His voice is barely above a whisper this time.

He speaks it like a taunt.

🔗 PROMPTS // ANSWERED PROMPTS

[circuit-if]

coming back for another kiss with carmen...?

CARMEN, coming back for another kiss -

You're supposed to be getting ready right now, getting your head in the game and all to prepare for the race, reviewing strategy with your team. Just on the other side of the wall you're pressed up against, your opponents are probably doing just that.

Maybe this is just a little bit better. A lot better.

Carmen is pulling you in by the collar of your race jacket, lips on yours. She tastes like her morning latte, and you can't get enough.

"Carmen," you mumble into her lips to get her attention. She hums against you in response.

"I gotta get ready," you slur. Even so, your hands are moving against her, in her jet black curls and down her neck, your fingers beneath the folds of her white collar. She smiles against your lips with the knowledge that you won't let her go, even as you say what you do.

Carmen pulls back, one hand between your jackets zipper at your stomach and the other on your neck. Her smile, her red lipstick, is messy and lovesick. You swipe at the corner of her mouth to clean your mess up a little, and your thumb trails to her chin. She chuckles.

"Then go, love."

You bite your lip and tilt your head back against the concrete wall. Shit, you think. Maybe you should have thought this through.

She's still barely an inch away, and your breaths are mingling between you. You chuckle, breath raspy from the kisses.

You clasp a hand at the base of her head and draw her in the remaining distance, her lips against yours once again. She bites down playfully and you push off the wall to close more distance, the tilt of your head deepening.

"One for the road?"

"Go win."

🔗 PROMPTS // ANSWERED PROMPTS

[creativepromptsforwriting]

make 'em swoon

eyes meeting from across the room

reaching out, grabbing their hand

a subtle wink

licking their lips

a hug that gets deeper

"hi" *raspy voice*

falling asleep on each other

coming back for another kiss

pressing their foreheads together

smile that makes their eyes soften

brushing away their hair

putting their hand on the other's neck

holding them close by their hips

pulling them on their lap

smirking in a way that suggests more

drawing with their fingertips on their skin

hugging them from behind

a kiss pressed to the neck

lips brushing against their ear

whispering to them like they're alone in the world

[evertidings]

everyone's a sinner and you're no exception.

continue the story in chapter ten of when twilight strikes, releasing at 10am EST on saturday, october 28th !! for those of you on patreon, you can access the chapter as early as tomorrow for the midnight tier and wednesday for the twilight tier.

in this chapter.

grow closer to an ro of your choosing

try not to let [redacted] get in your head

question everything you know

question everything that you don't know

i can’t promise i won’t give you whiplash.

see you then <3

[circuit-if]

How would you rank the ROs in terms of angst levels? 👀

Least to most:

Carmen - I give her a 3/10 for angst levels. She's amazing.

Nicholas/Nadine - 4/10 for angst, although most of the time it's like -1/10.

Sadie/Spencer - ranges from 5/10 to 7/10, depending on what you do. very sweet route, but yknow. forbidden love!

Roman - ranges from 7/10 to 9/10, again, depending on what you do. the angst starts wayy early into the story, before you even meet the others.

[circuit-if]

is cromwell the kind of guy to have suits of very similar yet slightly shifting hue and wear them in colour order. you think he just has the same colour suit but. like a month ago it was Not that shade, but he's barely in pictures and it's probably just the mandela effect. it loops around to the same colour after a certain point. pinnacle of comedy (to me)

you're 100% right.

charcoal black -> ebony -> black olive -> licorice -> midnight black -> repeat

[circuit-if]

ro's reaction to mc wearing their clothes?

N. - I imagine N wouldn't notice at first. They'd press a kiss to your cheek, then get back to whatever they're doing. A second later they'll look back up at you, do a double take, and then go red in the cheeks and shoot you a little starstruck smile (that dazed look of love) and a laugh.

Roman - I can imagine Roman walking into the room, leaning against the doorway, and then taking a second just to drink in the sight. He'll give you a smug smile, before letting you know that you can keep whatever you're wearing.

S. - I can imagine S on the couch, working on something on their laptop before looking up at you as you walk in, then asking if what you're wearing is theirs. When you tell them it is, they stand up and walk over, taking you by the hands to get a good look at you. They'll tell you you look nice. Really nice.

Carmen - I imagine Carmen immediately pressing a hand to her mouth, then staring up at you with wide, puppy dog eyes. She cracks a joke about whatever you're wearing looking better on you than on her, then pulls you into a kiss on the nose.

[circuit-if]

you guys are real ones. 95 ftw.

[circuit-if]

o hell

[circuit-if]

cmon now guys... cromwell facts??? uhh

he used to race

used to be #23

has like 20 sets of suits that really are just the same suit combo with slightly different hues