#why olivia consistently hate this man but also listen to him

[dreamofmetoday]

QUICK READING RECAP

12th to 18th of july 2023

masterlist • tip jar

🍌🍒🍑how does choi yena feel about the ‘hate rodrigo’ backlash?

↳ KnoS, wheat rx

she sees her and her company as being in the wrong. she knew from the beginning that this was risky and it was crossing a line, but also had the mindset of knowing that if big risks work then the reward is also big (regardless of if the idea wasn’t hers). she became more nervous after actually receiving the backlash and feared it really would end things for her career. right now she is back and forth on whether the move was too damaging to her career or if it’ll be something she can move on from effectively. basically, it’s made her really nervous but at her core, she is more positive and has hope so these feelings are basically playing tug-of-war in her brain.

🥘🥟🍘how does kiss of life natty feel about having to redebut in a group?

↳ the star, 10oS

not her ideal scenario but she is mostly positive about it and happy, knows that it was logically and practically the best option for her so she looks toward the future with confidence.

🍪🍯🍨does le sserafim eunchae wish she debuted in newjeans?

↳ KoW, KnoW

she’s definitely thought about it before but she’s overall happy with her group (and the company she debuted under in general), so it’s not something she is upset about and thinks she may have even been more hidden in newjeans (so that makes her feel happier about le sserafim too).

🥯🥞🥓how does russell wilson feel about future’s “fuck russell” line in “turn your clic up”?

↳ 8oS, the hanged man, the world rx

he’s doesn’t want to think about it but it’s genuinely pissed him off. he doesn’t want to give future the satisfaction of knowing it bothers him but future seems to just assume it has anyway. russell is sort of even more annoyed at the fact that it even annoyed him than the lyric itself, he wishes he was more unbothered (wishes he could be more chill).

🕯️🧸🧺will olivia rodrigo ever write a song about taylor swift?

↳ 6oC, hawk, justice

yes

🍔🥪🥙how did the other everglow members (not mia) feel about debuting as mia and friends?

↳ chamomile rx, bee rx

not happy about it all but they pretty much all believed if they worked hard and proved themselves then they would get their chance to shine, they all took working hard pretty seriously. didn’t let this “concept” affect their teamwork, to put it more simply.

⌚️📠📼how did everlgow mia feel about debuting as mia and friends?

↳ ram, KnoS

she was happy, she felt really well-prepared for it (thought she was talented enough to handle it), and wanted to show how consistent should could be and that she would always be a hard worker.

🍪🥮🍰what is the ideal (first) date for twice jihyo?

↳ nettle, 3oW, KoC

she wants to get serious pretty quickly so her ideal date would be both parties discussing their expectations for the potential relationship, and talking about what their long term goals would ideally be. she uses the first date to assess someone as much as possible so she can decide as quickly as possible if she even wants the dating to continue, so she wants as much as possible discussed and not feel as if her time has been wasted. however, that doesn’t mean she wants her dates to be boring, she enjoys drinking and eating with someone and talking comfortably.

🍥🛍️🍧will sm favour their new gg over aespa?

↳ 8oC, AoS

yes. at least initially but the answer is yes.

🚕🚗🚙why did pristin really disband?

↳ hanged man, play, 8oP

the girls were too rowdy, broke the rules too regularly. the company basically thought it wasn’t worth the effort trying to manage so many young girls who weren’t listening to their management.

🍄🌼🍁what does weki meki doyeon think of ex-april lee naeun’s bullying scandal?

↳ 8oP, the lovers, 9oC

she knows there’s truth to it and likely knew even before it came out (naeun told her stories and doyeon knew how she felt about the other member). she is on naeun’s side and doesn’t think naeun is in the wrong at all, she thinks if naeun even did anything it would have only been in reaction to the other member being annoying first.

🏮🧸🪭what is the ideal (first) date for nct johnny?

↳ 5oP, KoP, primrose rx

something very low-key and casual, if the other person is comfortable, he would even enjoy being in the comfort of his own home, ordering in and just hanging out. when it comes to first dates he wants to learn a lot about the other person but will do his best to make the conversation naturally lean towards getting the information he wants to find out (the most important thing is trying to work out how unrealistic someone is). he doesn’t want dates to be interviews or interrogations and is put off if the other person makes the date go in this direction. he also doesn’t appreciate trauma dumping but he could be understanding of it too (just ideally he would want the mood to be lighter).

🍘🍚🥟what does itzy yeji want in a partner?

↳ fox rx, 2oC, AoP

someone that wants simple romance, wants someone to do classic things (e.g buy her flowers and send her loving messages to wake up to). someone who appreciates keeping things low-key (she can even enjoy being a bit sneaky). compliments and verbal expressions of love are important to her. lastly, someone who has money and shows they’re willing to spend it on her (while still being smart with money) is something she loves.

🫧🫑🏐how did itzy feel about the protest trucks being sent to jyp?

↳ bee rx, 7oW rx

they were embarrassed about it, they thought all it did was highlight their failures as a group and fans didn’t understand the behind the scenes properly (though they appreciated the thought).

🍒🍉🍇are newjeans danielle and hanni (the australian members) closer with each other than they are with the other members?

↳ AoC, KoP

overall yes, seems to mostly just be an easier communication thing. however, all the members still seem a little awkward with each other regardless and they’re not really close yet. they’re all still learning about each other (and getting used to each other).

🍫🍰🧁how did ive wonyoung feel about the protest truck being sent to starship?

↳ 6oC, 5oC

she was happy about it and appreciated it, more so in the sense that she was reminded of how much people care and she also agreed with the messages overall. however, she didn’t really think the protest trucks would actually make any changes.

#future #russell wilson #nct #kpop #kpop tarot #nct johnny #johnny #twice #twice jihyo #jihyo #choi yena #hate rodrigo #olivia rodrigo #taylor swift #pristin #sm #aespa #kiss of life #natty #kiss of life natty #everglow #newjeans #le sserafim #jyp #itzy #yeji #ryujin #itzy yeji #itzy ryujin #le sserafim eunchae

[idontblushsrry]

Got the Aux hcs||Jujutsu Kaisen

A/N:  These hcs are prolly gonna vary from general artists/genres to general chaos towards the end :D also gonna do some for the kyoto school...eventually. Didn’t incl. Yuuta because he’s not here yet but tbh he prolly listens to MCR or smthng let’s be real. I apologize for Maki’s being so short, I know her fanbase is starving for content and I’m sorry I was unable to provide it this time.

Word Count: 1123

Plot Synopsis: Some dumb music taste headcanons for the tokyo school. ((I only included characters that have appeared in the anime like fully, onscreen w lines not just mentioned, and I also only did the main ppl from the Tokyo school so that’s why there’s no Yuta or Nanami.))

Itadori

First and foremost

The man is a barb (Nicki Minaj fans) and a hottie (Megan thee stallion fans)

No I don’t take criticism

Aside from that, Yuji listens to pop and some rap (mostly megan thee stallion)

His pop taste is also not limited by generation, he definitely listens to artists like Anri and Miki Matsubara

Other artists he listens to are probably; Rihanna, Post Malone(he just does, idk why), Doja Cat, Brittany Spears, Shakira, Kesha, Lizzo, Ariana Grande

Fushiguro

Fushiguro unironically listened to wake me up inside in middle school, again, I do not take criticism

He also listens to artists like Mother Mother

Fushiguro is kinda embarrassed of his music tastes though so he’ll lie about what he’s listening to

“Fushiguro what are you listening to?”

*cue panicked Fushiguro struggling to put his phone away* “N-Nothing why”

Also this man listens to Lady Gaga and probably some Panic at the Disco

But for sure panic at the disco

Also he makes playlist named after his friends and what not

Now one might say aww, how sweet

Which, yes it is, but also, Fushiguro refuses to let anyone know his true music tastes so adaptation is necessary for survival

If Fushiguro has the aux, it’s a good day, he knows everyone’s music tastes and probably already has a playlist tailored specifically to everyone’s taste, there’s never a single song that everyone hates

Kugisaki

She listens to Avril Lavigne and Kesha

Her and Yuuji have pretty similar music tastes (himbo/lesbian solidarity)

She also listens to songs like Jenny(by the studio killers) and Youth(Troye Sivan) and just stares at the ceiling pining

Her playlist reflects this

From pop to pining and then back again

Also she hasn’t stopped streaming Driver’s License(Olivia Rodrigo), her and Yuuji listen to it and every time she just falls out (when it first came out, she got so invested in the drama of it all)

Genres she listens to are rock ballads, pop, and any playlist with words including but not limited to ‘wlw’, ‘girls are pretty’, ‘how to not have a crush on Maki-senpai’

Artists she listens to incl. Kali Uchis (stumbled upon Dead To Me and hasn’t ben the same since), Queen, pop girlies like Brittany Spears, and Troye Sivan

Maki

Maki mainly listens to workout music or indie/chill beats

 Like her playlists are lowkey dry

And she refuses to use spotify premium, even though Gojo’s paying fo it

I can also see her listening to an occasional orchestral/instrumental piece like Ushiwakamaru

Inumaki also kind of put her onto listening to video game soundtracks, she probably listens to the soundtracks of games like Persona tbh

She does allow herself the small pleasure of listening to Hozier from time to time

Inumaki

Inumaki is a menace

His music taste, while there are bangers, mainly consists of music found in memes/tiktoks/etc.

((He also listens to video game music, but more of the Mario Kart sort))

I’m thinking like Vengaboys, Aqua, etc.

He does listen to other artists like Junko Ohashi and Rina Sawayama on occasion, the majority of his music taste exists to make him laugh as he thinks of all the random jokes made to the songs

Whenever, Inumaki has the aux cord, everyone in the car just mentally prepares themselves

With Inumaki, they feel bad telling him to stop because he’s really sweet and nice, and, maybe he just doesn’t know 

But he does know, he just doesn’t care

Panda

Panda listens to 80/90s rap

Tbh he’s got the best music taste out of everyone sorry not sorry

He mainly listened to whatever Yaga put on growing up so that’s why his taste is older than he is

Artists for Panda include Biggie, Pac, Outkast, etc.

Principal Yaga is black I just know Panda grew up listening to Ice Cube and the like while he was training I just knowwww

Panda’s playlist choices though usually aren’t too egregious

While Panda’s no Fushiguro in terms of adaptability, who’s really gonna be opposed to listening to bangers from the 90′s

Gojo

Gojo’s taste in music exists solely to torture Fushiguro

Now does he necessarily like any of these songs he plays? No

But does his desire to antagonize out rule his dislike? Yesyesyesyesyes

Gojo, unlike Inumaki, does not get the same sympathy

When Gojo syncs up his Bluetooth (bcus let’s be real that man does not have a car with a physical aux cord) everyone in the car just lets out the loudest groan

Just for that he’s gonna make 3 extra unnecessary turns

In actuality though, when he’s not bothering his students or Nanami, I imagine Gojo is a fan of 90′s rap as well as classical music

I think he also likes rock too, he discovered it back in his student days and it never really went away

He also definitely has a playlist called something like ‘my main character music’

General car shenanigans(imagine this as a class trip to some place that’s about 2 hours away)

Gojo and Inumaki team up to antagonize everyone

Like they will play 10 hour loops of caramelldansen with absolutely ZERO remorse

Fushiguro and Kugisaki slowly just go insane during the course of this

Although, Kugisaki will be a lot more vocal about it, cussing up a storm by the 4th loop.

This will then lead to Gojo and Inumaki being overthrown; Gojo being replaced with Ichiji at the wheel and Inumaki on thin fuckin ice

When the inevitable silence becomes too much to handle, Yuuji will tentatively offer to play his music

It’s all good, California Girls and Toxic instant hits

Yujji’s reign will end in one of two ways; 1) eventually, a Megan Thee Stallion song comes on a Gojo’s like “whoa kid, that’s not very family friendly” or 2)The sound of Kugisaki, Gojo, and Itadori singing poorly on purpose pushes Maki to take over out of frustration

Either way Maki takes over and they all kinda doze off because of how chill and soothing Maki’s music is

This ends when Ichiji gets a little too relaxed by the music and almost swerves, causing them to abruptly cut the music off

Panda just puts his paws up non-defensively like, “Don’t ask me, my music isn’t family-friendly either

At which point they all look to Fushiguro to save the day

And he does... until his phone battery dies

(Bonus) Sukuna

Sukuna probably tunes out all the miscellaneous stuff that Yuuji listens to

But one day he was minding his business till he heard Yuuji playing a Nicki Minaj song

Now, whenever Yuuji falls asleep, Sukuna will pop out every once in a while just to turn on Nicki.

#no i do not take criticism #i will also not be arguing this lmaoo #feel free to add on if u want just tag me so I can see it #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutsu kaisen headcanons #itadori yuji headcanons #itadori yuuji headcanons #itadori headcanons #fushiguro headcanons #fushiguro megumi headcanons #kugisaki headcanons #maki headcanons #maki zenin headcanons #inumaki haedcanons #gojo satoru headcanons #gojo headcanons #idontblushsrry

[berlinini]

Excuse me but I've just found that Larries are going to the Tokyo Olympics to get their gold medal in mental gymnastics I read this Larry post yesterday and need to gauge my eyes out vent a little.

Can we talk about this for a second:

So according to this, OP (and I assume larries at large) hates Harry's behavior (being in a seemingly loving relationship with his movie director aka the "stunt"), doesn't understand why Harry behaves this way ("stunting"), but isn't willing to question Harry's behavior ("who he is") and that takes some ~faith~ but it's not ~blind faith~ because "Harry is still Harry".

So... "Harry is still Harry"... which Harry is that? The one whose behavior you hate? The one whose behavior you don't understand? The one whose behavior you do not wish to question??? Is it so hard to admit that Harry's behavior in 2021 is...because...Harry changed and became who is projecting to be (a mega star sleeping with a beautiful Hollywood girlboss) or at least he became someone who is comfortable with projecting that image and has traded any trace of self-respect for über fame? (Side note: Do you find it normal to never question the people you look up to? To excuse their behavior even when it doesn't sit right with you? To hold on to an outdated version of this person?)

Also:

So... we agree...??? Harry is incredibly self-aware that's he's "someone [he] [doesn't] want around?" and he's "just an arrogant son of a bitch"? I know you don't want to question who Harry is but he literally just told you...in his songs...??? Maybe listen to him???

Honestly I would've let it slide because I'm well aware that Larries have no grasp of 2021 Harry Styles™️ and are still attached to cupcake fanfic Harry and there's not much to be done about that.

But then this came....and I just -

Harry is the biggest Louie there is?

Harry "somebody's mom" Styles? Harry "my assistant makes fun of Louis" Styles? Harry "hanging out with the writers of Euphoria" Styles? Harry "Louis the Fish" Styles? Harry Styles is a Louie????????

Louis is the biggest Harrie there is???

Are we talking about the Louis who said of Walls that he was "reflecting on a breakup (...) (trying) to be as honest as possible"??? The Louis who wrote "The day you walked away and took the higher ground/ Was the day that I became the man that I am now"? Or the one who wrote "So this one is a thank you for what you did to me"? Or perhaps the Louis that wrote "Now I'm not saying that you could've done better / Just remember that I, I've seen that fire alight" and "the life you design (...) it's all lies"???

Louis is a Harrie?????????????

Apart from wearing a cap with the Italian flag, what has Louis recently done or said that would suggest he's in a relationship with H? That he's "proud" and "supports" Harry? That he's patiently waiting at home for "his husband" to come back from frolicking in a yacht with Olivia? It's a genuine question.

Bestie, get out of your fetus Larry and 2015 Larry head canon and instead of hyperfixating on blue clothes, maybe start questioning who Harry is, who Louis is, start looking at their actions, at the people surrounding them, at the music they make, the way they treat their fans...

And if you find that the only way you're "having faith" in Harry is because you believe that him and Louis are "fighting TPTB" and "waiting to be free" and Harry is "secretly" working behind the scene for Louis...then you are 1) making up excuses for Harry's behavior and 2) you're using Louis as a palate cleanser for the bitter taste that the real Harry leaves you.

And if you still excuse Harry's actions and decide to believe that Larry is real, please know that it's incredibly insulting for Louis - for the character and values he has consistently shown - to believe that he would be with present-day Harry - someone who definitely got lost on the way up. Also you need to listen to Walls again.

In any case it would probably be best for everyone involved if you could leave Louis alone. Thanks!!! 😘

#there's this tweet that says something like 'i wish i lacked critical thinking y'all seem so happy' and honestly #it's the larries culture summarized #i could have linked OP's post and this tweet but decided to go full on #sorry for all the negativity but I CAN'T ANYMORE #LOUIS IS A HARRIE I'M SCREAMING #leave louis alone #ffs!!! #there were other problematic things in that post but i had to let it go because... #harry styles #larries

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1985

Under the cut.

Foreigner -- "I Want To Know What Love Is" -- February 2, 1985

One of the quintessential 80s power ballads. It's actually kind of interesting if you think about it enough. He's not in love yet, but he's gotten sick of not being in love, so he's asking someone he's in the pre-love stage with to show him. Though he's had "heartache and pain" before, and doesn't know if he can face it again. It's not consistent. I feel like it's a missed opportunity, but oh well. It's good enough for what it is.

Wham! -- "Careless Whisper" -- February 16, 1985

Oh my god I love the saxophone in this. The music throughout the song is so incredibly sexy. And this is the kind of song George Michael's voice was made for. He's totally capable of sounding both hot and in agony at the same time. I actually adore a whole lot of cheating songs -- mostly, though not exclusively, the tormented kind. Drama! Love! Sex! Angst! Gorgeous.

REO Speedwagon -- "Can't Fight This Feeling" -- March 9, 1985

<3. He keeps singing "r"s like a pirate, but he doesn't go as hard on the other consonants, so I'm good with it. Lyrically, this song sounds like it might be two songs mashed together. "What started out as friendship has grown stronger" or "my life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you." Well which is it? Except I've had that happen. I love this song.

Phil Collins -- "One More Night" -- March 30, 1985

This is a depressing heartbreak song without the saving grace of any of Phil Collins' neat drum stuff. Blah.

We Are the World -- April 13, 1985

Whoo boy. I was 8 when this came out. Obviously I loved it. All the kids loved it. Now, though... I'm sorry, but it's bad. Really bad. Many others have gone deeply into why it's bad. I feel acutely embarrassed listening to it, so I'm just running away from it as fast as possible. (Remember all those celebrities singing "Imagine" in their mansions in 2020? I blame this song for that.)

Madonna -- "Crazy For You" -- May 11, 1985

This is one of Madonna's most straightforward love songs. Maybe the most, period. This or "Cherish," and this is a better song. It's lovely. Like Olivia Newton-John, Madonna can act a song. (Unlike in most movies she's been in.) But what I'm thinking about now is learning in this article that her label wouldn't let Madonna release "Into the Groove" as a single. That song was huge. It was played on the radio all the time. If it had been released as a single, or maybe if Billboard had tracked songs then like it does today, it would have been a massive smash, definitely #1. "Into the Groove" is also the best song of her very early career. "Crazy for You" is good, but not nearly as special.

Simple Minds -- "Don't You Forget About Me" -- May 18, 1985

As I am "Gen X", I am supposed to deeply connect with The Breakfast Club. I was 8 years old when it came out. My life as a teenager was nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, like that movie. I didn't recognize any of the "types." I liked the movie when I saw it in college, mostly, but the whole sexual harassment turns into a relationship deal was not seen as cool any longer. The "jocks vs. nerds" thing also felt very dated. The school in the movie was bigger and richer than mine, but it's a fantasy.

Anyway, though I don't feel much about the movie, its breakout song was really good. It does speak to a real fear both in graduating high school and during young adult relationships. I haven't forgotten the people I knew in high school, as far as I know, but obviously they don't have the same importance to me any longer. I'm Facebook friends with a lot of them. And very much not with a couple who were the most important then, because we grew apart -- or blasted apart. One of the nicest girls I knew in high school thinks there's a war on Christmas. Another keeps trying to get me to join her MLM. One of my best friends became my first boyfriend, and I don't regret that, but it was also a semi-disaster. And others... we just have nothing to say to each other any longer.

So, Breakfast Club: I don't connect with at all. "Don't You Forget About Me": Speaks to something very real and timeless.

Wham! -- "Everything She Wants" -- May 25, 1985

What a dick. Songs in which the narrator is a colossal jerk are perfectly fine, of course, but this one gets under my skin. He's whining about his wife getting pregnant when she's dissatisfied with their life and that they're broke. As if it's something she chose to do to him. She's stuck creating a whole other person with her blood and flesh, and he thinks it's all and entirely about him. I really hate it.

Tears for Fears -- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" -- June 8, 1985

I can't hear this song without thinking of this Baldur's Gate fan trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdd06d2nids. Speaking of which, I am incredibly excited for Baldur's Gate 3. I've been reading the early access reviews on Steam, and anything anyone is saying that's negative is stuff I don't gaf about (except bugs), whereas the positive stuff, I care about deeply. I hope it's got some of the feeling of that trailer. Um, right, Tears for Fears.

Honestly, though, it works best as a Baldur's Gate theme song. I don't think everybody actually wants to rule the world. It sounds good though. And pretty different from other stuff around it. But I like Lorde's cover better, and not just because it fits so wonderfully with all sorts of fantasy stories.

I usually play a paladin or paladin-type the first time in fantasy RPGs, but I'm thinking bard this time.

Bryan Adams -- "Heaven" -- June 22, 1985

He's been with this woman since they were young, and while they've broken up and gone through rough patches, now they're together forever and they're "in heaven." Bryan Adams knew exactly how to write a song that would become a hit. I used to not mind it at all, but it also means nothing to me. The chorus is catchy as hell though. So catchy that I ended up waking up with it in my head and it would not leave for hours and hours, so now I resent this song.

Phil Collins -- "Sussudio" -- July 6, 1985

I refuse to believe anyone ever told Phil Collins he was too young. He was born middle-aged. Anyway, the narrator isn't supposed to be him, so it's fine, but it's still kinda funny. He's got a crush on someone who doesn't even know his name, but "she's all I need all of my life." Um. The music is repetitive, the drums aren't as interesting as Phil Collins at his best, and I don't like the lyrics. I don't hate it, but I don't like it either.

Duran Duran -- "View to a Kill" -- July 13, 1985

I'm not sure I've ever heard this song before. It's about as good a song as the Bond movie they wrote it for was as a movie. In other words, it's bad. I'm not even sure there's a melody. Just a mess. "Ordinary World" would have made a far better Bond theme, but of course that was the 90s, when Duran Duran decided to try to make sense both lyrically and musically.

Paul Young -- "Every Time You Go Away" -- July 27, 1985

I like the high keyboard notes in this. They're sort of haunting. The rest of the song is musically pretty good, too. Lyrically though, it's only passable. This woman keeps leaving him every time "the leading man" shows up, so I guess he's the backup. Why does he keep waiting for her anyway? There's no hint in the song. I'm kind of embarrassed for him.

Tears for Fears -- "Shout" -- August 3, 1985

I think "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a better song than this one when done by Lorde. But I think "Shout" is a better song than Tears for Fears' original iteration of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." The chorus seems clear enough. But the verses are not. "They gave you life/ And in return you gave them hell" makes sense in isolation, but then there's a bunch of stuff that doesn't go with it. Like "I'd really love to break your heart" -- wtf? But the music is really good. 

Huey Lewis and the News -- "The Power of Love" -- August 24, 1985

This was the big song for Back to the Future, and it meshed beautifully with the movie, but it doesn't need that association to be a great song. "Don't need money, don't take fame/ Don't need no credit card to ride this train/ It's strong and it's sudden, it can be cruel sometimes/ But it might just save your life." Yep. It's sort of Motown, sort of rock, and I love it. (Also: "Stronger and harder than a bad girl's dream." Heh.)

John Parr -- "St. Elmo's Fire" -- August 24, 1985

Of all the John Hughes movies I have not seen and do not plan to see, St. Elmo's Fire sure is one of them. The song is about a disabled man who inspired people by rolling himself cross-country in his wheelchair for charity, which has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. I'm disabled, and I just... okay look, what he did was admirable. But we shouldn't have to be inspirations to be counted as worthwhile, and I've been told I should die because I can't produce for capitalism, so you know. I've got some personal issues with this and I'm gonna move along.

Dire Straits -- "Money for Nothing" -- September 21, 1985

This is not Dire Straits' best song, but it's an awfully fun one. I watched the video tons when I was a kid. (That sound is Tipper Gore falling to the floor in a dead faint.) The music is great rock. And the lyrics are very true-to-life. You can either sanitize people or present them as they are honestly, and I know which I prefer.

Ready for the World -- "Oh Sheila" -- October 12, 1985

The band's from Michigan. The English accent at the beginning of the song is fake. That's a good preview for the song, which sounds like a 3rd-rate Prince knockoff at best. Blech.

a-ha -- "Take On Me" -- October 19, 1985

The video totally ripped off one of my aunts. Somehow or other, they saw into the little comic she drew for me about someone going into a land of drawings to rescue someone else in a romantic adventure, years before 1985. Anyway, this song is great musically, massively synthesizer heavy without sounding artificial. Though I can only understand maybe a third of the lyrics as he sings them. I've always understood "It's no better to be safe than sorry" though. Yep, at least when it comes to romance, which is what they're singing about here.

Whitney Houston -- "Saving All My Love for You" -- October 26, 1985

It's not better to be safe than sorry, but that doesn't mean it's good to be an absolute idiot in matters of romance either. Nor is it good to be a colossal jerk. That's what the narrator is here -- the "you" she's singing to is married. And he won't leave his wife and children, though he used to say he would. The lyrics seem to say that's she's accepted the situation, but the way Houston sings it, I think the narrator's trying to get him to leave his wife -- and children -- for her still. This makes sense, as it puts some kind of passion and sense of story into the song, which without Houston's singing would not be there. The narrator certainly never acknowledges that what she's doing is wrong in the slightest iota. This song could be done in a way that works. But it's a completely sincere ballad. So, no. I despise the narrator, I despise the man she's singing to more, and the whole thing leaves me feeling gross.

Stevie Wonder -- "Part Time Lover" -- November 2, 1985

No one's thinking anyone's gonna leave anyone in this one. It's about cheating, and the thrill of it, but then at the end, he's found out his wife's cheating on him too. "I guess that two can play the game/ Of part-time lovers." This kind of funk groove is one way you make a song like this. It makes the whole thing sexy and fun, and the lyrics also work even beyond that ending, because they acknowledge it's wrong.

Jon Hammer -- "Miami Vice Theme" -- November 9, 1985

My parents didn't watch Miami Vice. And then I never felt like watching it in re-runs when I got older. I don't recognize this song. It's an energetic instrumental, but there's so much going on, I keep trying to figure out if there's a main musical idea anywhere. Nope. Just lots and lots of synth. Headache-inducing.

Starship -- "We Built This City" -- November 16, 1985

Blech. This song sounds both unfinished and overproduced somehow. The chorus seems designed to be catchy with absolute ruthlessness by people who didn't really care, and no one involved even seems to want to bother to fake it.

Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin -- "Separate Lives" -- November 30, 1985

This is supposed to be heart-wrenchingly sad. Well, it does tank my dopamine, but that's not what a good sad song does. A good sad song makes you feel better. This one makes me need to turn on something high-energy after about 30 seconds, before I sink into bleakness. It's aggressively boring.

Mr. Mister -- "Broken Wings" -- December 7, 1985

This was one of the first songs I recorded from the radio. On my pink tape deck/radio that was a sort of a mini boom box. I've always had my own tape player since I can remember, but that was a definite upgrade from the Sesame Street one. I was 9 then, so getting more seriously into music and developing my own taste intentionally, rather than simply absorbing what was happening around me.

Anyway, the song. It's about a relationship in trouble, and he wants to stay with her. To me it sounds like she has been so seriously hurt (and not by him), that she can't trust anyone, and he's laying himself on the line for her. That has spoken to me deeply ever since I first heard the song as a child. Moving on to the music: While the lyrics are repetitive, the music is not, which is what makes the song so good. It's a beautiful song.

Lionel Richie -- "Say You, Say Me" -- December 21, 1985

I look forward to Lionel Richie no longer being on the charts. This song was on the soundtrack of some movie I've never heard of. I wish I'd never heard of the song. Totally artificial glop.

BEST OF 1985: "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds  WORST OF 1985: "We Built This City" by Starship

#billboard number ones

[catsandstrawberries]

Real Family: Part 9

Pairings: BTS x teen female reader, platonic love

Warnings: Language, neglect, a major panic attack involving past child abuse 

A/N: Heavy panic attack at the end, Yoongis a douche 

Summary: It’s not blood that makes a family. It’s love.

Masterlist 

“Are you sure none of you cant come with me?” I asked wiping my sweaty palms on my black stockings, harshly gripping the sleeves of my black Gucci backpack that Taehyung had bought for me. The night before I had felt so prepared, but as soon as I woke up everything felt like it was going downhill.

~

The consistent beeping of the smoke detector immediately caused me to jolt up and rush out of my room and down the stairs as fast as possible. The oaky smell of burnt food lingers in the kitchen and I quickly catch on as I see streams of smoke escaping from a pan that was currently placed in the sink. Jungkook stands anxiously in the kitchen, standing on a chair and trying to deactivate the smoke alarm with a broom. I try to call out his name but instead, I'm met with a coughing fit from the puff of smoke wafting towards me. Yoongi is the first to run into the room, “what the fuck Jungkook!” At his exclamation, Jungkook jumps down from the chair successfully turning off the alarm.

“I was just trying to make (Y/N) breakfast since it was her first day of school,” Jungkook mutters while I stare wide-eyed at the fact Jungkook wanted to do something so nice for me. And the fact that there seemed to be more steam coming out of Yoongi's ears than from the burnt pan.

“Are you fucking kidding me? I've barely gotten two hours of sleep and I still need to finish recording my song and learning the dance moves that you,” he glared at Jungkook, poking him in the chest, “can't teach me because you're so busy trying to help her.” I wanted to defend Jungkook, even myself and stand up to Yoongi, ask why he hated me so much. But a third, annoyed voice appeared growling at Yoongi.

“Go back to bed Min.” Yoongi turned around as if he was ready to argue but once he saw the annoyed look on Namjoon’s face he stormed out of the room. Bumping shoulders with the man as he did so. All I could do was watch, and awkwardly shift towards the glass panes.

“Ill open some windows.”

After getting out most of the smoke and listening to Jin complain about his precious kitchen and how Jungkook shouldn't even step foot near a metal pan for the next week I decided to get changed. Namjoon had given me a box the other day filled with school uniforms for Lee’s Science and Performing Arts Academy. Interesting combination. The main colors of the school were black and green so all of the outfits corresponded to the colors. One outfit was a black and green skirt, black tights, black sweater, the second outfit was exactly the same but instead of a black sweater, it was dark green and came with knee-high black socks. The last one was black jeans with a white button up and a dark green vest and suit jacket. I choose the first option, and it wasn't until after I was dressed when I realized how time-consuming it was to properly put black tights on. Checking myself over in the mirror I went back and forth from deciding if I should tuck my sweater into my skirt or leave it untucked. Eventually deciding to tuck the front half. As soon as I had grabbed my bag Namjoon was yelling from the bottom of the stairs about how they needed to leave and then we were all rushing out the door. Squeezing into the SUV wasn't that hard when Namjoon was driving, yet the earlier events in the kitchen made the ride tense.

“Do I really have to go in by myself, don't I need an adult to talk to the principal or something?” I asked once again, spotting the huge school with the green and white sign that stated in bold letters, ‘School of Lee's Science and Performing Arts.’ Namjoon glanced at Jin who was sitting in the passenger seat,

“I'm actually not needed until 10 since there recording rap line and doing a practice for only dance line.” I straightened in my seat, a relieved smile gracing my features. “Really?” Jin answered my question by hopping out of the car and I quickly followed in his footsteps, a strange feeling washing over me when I heard Jimin mumble,

“they're both growing up so fast, feels like we just met her a few weeks ago.”

The closer I got to the school the more I noticed how fancy it was. The front of the building was covered by a huge courtyard, currently covered with a thin sheet of snow. The sides seemed to have tennis, basketball courts and larger fields in the back. I looked back up at Jin and suddenly felt horrible for begging him to walk into the school with me. Jin opened the door for me, “thanks Jin, not just for the door though. I'm sorry if you didn't want to come with, it was stupid, I'm just being such a chi-” Jin placed a hand on my shoulder giving me a reassuring smile,

“hey it's fine. I'm actually glad I came with you, also I may have killed Jungkook or Yoongi if I had to spend another moment with them, my poor kitchen.” I laughed at his joke and watched as he started to lead me through the maze of the school, following the signs that led to the principal's office. I looked around at the empty halls, assuming that most kids were in class since the hallways were dead silent and school had started about an hour ago.

Before I knew it we were standing in front of the principal's office, Jin giving a few light taps to the door followed by a faint “come in.”

The office was clean, green walls and white trimmings giving the room a strange glow. In the center of the room was a wooden desk, a plaque stating, ‘principal Lee.’ The man sitting behind the desk in the wheeling chair gave us each a friendly smile, he looked to be in his fifties, black hair greying at the ends, wrinkles forming around his eyes and mouth. He stood up from his chair offering both of us a handshake, “you must be (Y/N), and you're..”  

“Kim Seokjin.” He sat back down and motioned for us to sit in the two unoccupied chairs. He took out a vanilla folder, opening it and flipping through the files before taking out a single piece of paper.

“It says here, Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin are your primary care members.” He looked back up to Jin, “Everything seems to be in order.” He grabbed another paper from the folder and reached out to hand it to me,

“Here's your schedule, let's take you to your first class.”

The hallways seemed busier than my last school, the students seemed less friendly (maybe that was just the uniforms) and everyone seemed to be staring at me wherever I went. After Mr. Lee had dropped me off at my third-period history class I quickly noticed the girls staring me down from the other side of the room. Rather than listening about Lincoln's inauguration all I could focus on was the whispers behind my back.

Lunch came sooner than expected and I was happily shocked to find that instead of gross mystery meat and yellow gush that most schools served, there was an array of foods that actually looked good. Also what school served lobster? Apparently rich private schools did. But the worst part of it all was finding a place to sit. The lunchroom was littered with numerous green tables. Some fitting groups of kids throwing footballs, doing homework, and fooling around on electronics. A tap on my shoulder caused me to turn around, a girl my age stood behind me, curly blond hair and dark green eyes adjoined her oval face. Her tan skin seemed to glow in the lights and the intense coats of mascara on her eyes looked painful.

“Hi, my names Amber, would you like to sit with us?” She pointed towards the table behind her, filled with girls and boys all fooling around with one another. I hesitated, looking at the girls pointed smile,

“um sure.” She grabbed my wrist, rather roughly if I might add, dragging me to the table of teens. She pushed over a girl, mumbling a ‘move over’ under her breath as she squeezed me in. “I never got your name?” The girl who had been texting on her phone looked up from the bright screen to stare at me wonder in her eyes.

“My names (Y/N).” Amber’s eyes darkened for a moment as she spoke,

“That's a cool name. These are my friends, Olivia and Rachel.” She pointed to the girl who looked up at me wide-eyed and the other girl sitting next to Amber. Both seemed equally interested in me and before I could ask Olivia quickly spoke up.

“So is it true that you live with BTS?” She laid her cheek on the table, starry-eyed looking into the distance. Before I could answer Rachel started practically screeching.

“Is Suga Hyung that attractive in person?” The way she said his name left a bitter taste in my mouth and I almost wanted to tell her not to call him that. “Oh, he must be so nice! Do you call him dad? You're so lucky to live with seven attractive boys.” Sure, Lucky. Lucky to be adopted by seven strangers, lucky to have Yoongi hate me, and apparently lucky enough that most people in this school only want to talk to me because of my new “family.”

“Actually-”

“Look guys its the school pig!” Rachel and Olivia started to laugh at Ambers joke, faces turned towards a girl sitting by herself at a lunch table. She clearly had heard the joke because she immediately put her food down, eyes glazing over.

“How many donuts do you think she can fit in her mouth? 10, 20?” I glared at Rachel. “Ok, you have no right to say anything negative about someone's body type.” I turned to Amber then locked eyes with the girl, standing up and leaving the lunch room.  

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. The day consisting of me being awed by the entails of fancy school and shocked by how boring classes were. I had also realized that the school was filled with rich kids whose parents were either a co-leader for Pepsi or distantly related to Gordon Ramsey. By the time the bell had rung I had practically run out of the building searching for the familiar SUV. When I had finally found it, I expected to be met with one of the boys but instead opened the door to meet a complete stranger.

“Oh, sorry wrong car.” Just before I could shut the door the driver pulled down his black face mask.

“Actually I'm your new chauffeur.”

This ‘new chauffeur’ drove me straight home. The car ride awkwardly quiet as I stared out the window, around the car, and basically everywhere except for him.

“Thank you,” as soon as he pulled into the driveway I was jumping out of the car, itching to get out of the tight school uniform. Entering the large house it was eerily quiet,

“Hello?” When no one answered I realized what Namjoon had said the other day about their long week of practice due to there comeback. Taking off my shoes, I brought my bag to the living room plopping down on the couch and starting on my homework.

~

A gentle shove on my shoulder causes me to groan, rolling onto my side, facing away from my perpetrator. Whoever it is, tells me something along the baseline of ‘get up.' But my foggy brain doesn't register anything but the nice warm blanket I'm wrapped in. The person continues there an assault, flipping my body back, so I'm facing their direction. I groan in annoyance, pulling the blanket up and over my face,

“Kayleigh you really need to wake up.” The blankets pulled off my body, and I immediately shrivel into a ball trying to contain as much heat as possible. “I have to get going, Kayleigh. Your driver will be here soon so get ready.” At his words, I'm sitting up from the bed,

“wait, so you aren't driving me to school anymore?” I rub at my blurry eyes, blinking rapidly to try and gain back my vision.  Once I can suitably see, I find an anxious Hoseok who looks back and forth from me and the door. He opens and closes his mouth, debating what to say until a loud honk interrupts the silence.

“I should go.”

Fourth-period precalculus was a disaster. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and every time I tried to raise my hand and ask a question the teacher would skip over me, and move on. What made it even worse, was how easy the class was. I was placed in precalc to catch up with my peers. If anything, I felt like I was falling back, in comparison to the rest of the class. Not to mention that most of the other kids in my grade were in calculus, so if anything I was already behind.

So you can imagine how happy I was when the shrill ring of the fire alarm interrupted my pre-calc class. Grabbing my coat, I raced after the students, slightly giddy until I stepped outside and felt the cold chill of the January air.

“Why do we have fire drills in January?” I muttered, rubbing my arms through the sleeves of the jacket, not expecting an answer.

   “The school board keeps getting complaints about safety and how the school doesn't prepare their students for harmful situations.” I shifted my head towards a girl, the same girl who was sitting in the cafeteria and being made fun of. “My mom works with the school board.” She added, shivering slightly. I then took notice of her appearance. She had short chocolate brown hair that fell straight in a bob, piercing blue eyes and darker washed skin. She filled out her uniform, slightly curvy but perfect proportionate for her height around 5’6. I didn't understand why Amber was making fun of her, I thought she was beautiful. What I noticed the most was her shirt-sleeved white button up that tagged along with her uniform. She must be freezing. As if she could read my thoughts, her body started to shake, fingers clenching to get blood flow back into them.

“Here, you must be freezing.” I took off my coat, holding it out to the girl who rapidly shook her head.

“Oh no, it's ok. I mean it looks like a nice jacket, and I probably won't fit I'm a little, bigger-.” I interrupted her before she could say more,

   “Please, just take it.” I smiled at the girl who gave me an unsure look. With some more convincing she finally took the material. “I'm (Y/N) by the way.” She smiled,

   “I know. We have almost all of our classes together.”

Oh Shit

   She immediately started laughing at my reaction while I looked appalled, great first impression.

“I'm Zara. Thanks for standing up for me by the way.” The students started making their way back into the building, and the two of us followed the crowd but made sure to stick close together.

   “If it's any consolation, I think you're beautiful.”

After talking to Zara, we both had realized that we had every class together except for math. She, of course, was in honors abstract algebra, instead of asking her what that meant I just smiled and nodded. Talking to Zara was like breathing fresh air, her personality was so calming and youth filled, it reminded me that it was ok to be a kid. That I didn't always have to be the girl who thought she was alone.

She was also hilariously funny,

“I have a BTS water noodle.” I stumbled in my jog, almost tripping over my own two feet. The gymnasium walls smelt of sweat and privilege, and usually, I'd be annoyed because it's gym class. But since I started running with Zara, I hadn't stopped smiling. “My younger sister loves BTS. So for my birthday, she got me a BTS water noodle. I never use it, but my younger sister takes it with her whenever the word water is mentioned.” The whistle sharply blew, cutting through the air and stopping all of the teens from running and talking. Turning our head toward the gym teacher, he motioned towards a bag of soccer balls.

“Get in groups of two and work on passing.” Mr. Ping was young, yet still looked older than Jin. He was tall, lean and muscular. He seemed to be in his early thirties, a silver band wrapped around his ring finger that he unashamedly flashed at some girls (and boys) when they would look at him for too long. When I first met him, he had immediately shown me a portrait in his office of a baby boy in a sports onesie. Definitely a family man.

   After Zara grabbed a ball, we headed towards one corner of the room, kicking the ball back and forth to one another.

   “Do you think our gym teachers hot?” I choked on my own salvia, the ball racing past me, as I had no intention to stop it. For a moment I thought she was joking. Until I saw the serious look on her face.

“Isn't he in his thirties?” My voice of reason did nothing to stop her train of thought.

“So? That's only a thirteen-year difference.”

“He's engaged-”

       “But not married, something could change.”

“Zara he has a kid.” The girl paled then nodded in my direction as if she was praising me for winning the silly query.

“Touché”

Unlike any other school day I had ever experienced, authentic happiness was coursing through my veins, and not just because it was a Friday. After school had ended I quickly got Zara's number in my phone and the thought of having this year be different; new home, friends, school, maybe things would be different.

Opening the door to the mansion, I found Yoongi and Jimin death glaring at one another, seething words at each other that I couldn't hear. Namjoon was in the background, frantically cleaning while Jin was yelling words I couldn't understand at the two.

“Is everything ok?” I asked while slipping my shoes off. The boys didn't seem to notice me until now, all four sets of eyes turning to me.

“Everything's fine.”

“Everything's fucking horrible.”

   Jimin and Yoongi both spoke up at the same time while Jin harshly glared between the two before softening his gaze on me.

   “Kayleigh why don't you go find the rest of the boys.” I nodded but before I could move Taehyung and Jungkook were peaking there heads out from upstairs.

“The upstairs is all clean.” Hoseok then appeared from the living room area, “the rooms are good.”

“(Y/N), why don't you go get changed for the social worker.” Oh, that's why everyone seemed so nervous. I passed Yoongi, heading to the stairs but his quiet whispers became exceptionally clear all of a sudden.

“Huh, you must love this. This attention from seven world-famous guys. Why do you think people want to be your friend at school? Its because they want to meet us.” I knew Yoongi didn't like me, that was obvious. But I wouldn't let him imply that Zara was only my friend because of them. Clenching my fist, I turned a full 180, coming face to face with Yoongi. I tried not to overthink how I basically had to look up at him or the fact that his death glare made me want to crawl into a hole and bury myself alive.

“What the fuck is your problem?” My voice was calm and steady, but the anger in me was on the edge of boiling over. “You've hated me ever since you saw me at the orphanage,  I didn't ask for you to adopt me, I was perfectly fine where I was.”

The words coming out of my mouth were bitter. Lies that I spewed to get a reaction because I knew everything was so much better here than living in foster care.

"What have I ever done to you? Ever since I've gotten here, all you've done is act like I'm a leech on your shoulder. What, are you too intimidated by the fact you actually have to grow up?”

Fuck, my eyes widened immediately at his hardened gaze, I went too far. Before I could apologize or back down the venom in his voice pushed me further. “This,” he made eye contact with Namjoon, motioning his hands towards me, “is why I didn't want her.”

“Yoongi!” I couldn't tell who's voice was shouting because my head was spinning and my vision was blurring. This always happened, someone, deciding that I wasn't good enough, that I didn't fit the right standards. I couldn't handle it, not again.  

“You should have left me at the orphanage.” I seethed, his answer was automatic, I think that's what hurt the most.

“I wish I had.” A few shouts from the boys sounded through the room, but what made me turn my head was the feminine voice that cleared her throat. Katie stood in the doorway, clipboard in hand and a disappointed look on her face, this wasn't how I wanted to see her again. I suddenly felt the need to apologize for my actions, tell her that Yoongi and I were faking it and we secretly cared about each other. But the words that parted from her mouth in an exasperated sigh was what broke me.

“Not again (Y/N).”

I was rushing up the stairs as soon as the last syllable left her mouth, hand over my parted lips to stop the sob attempting to escape. I narrowly missed Jungkook's grabbing hands at the top of the stairs trying to stop me, but I snuck through and rushed into my room. Locking the door and falling to my knees, I finally let the tears fall, why did I have to screw it up again?

I angrily threw my belongings into my bag, teeth clenched both in anger and to stop the sobs tempting to reach the surface. After I had shut my door, muffled yelling had erupted from the downstairs, I hated how I was the reason for them fighting. The static in my head only grows once the fear of going back to my old life enters my mind, and once I significantly calm my breathing down a knock sounds from my door. I hold my breath, waiting for the voice to identify itself,

“(Y/N), can you let me in. It's just me, I promise.”

I tempted keeping the door shut, telling him that I couldn't do this. I walk up to the door, leaning my forehead up against the cool wood. Gently wiping the tears from my face, my hand hovers over the knob, in a split moment decision I decide to unlock it. I open the door, turning my back to him and sitting on the bed, I run my fingers on the blankets, wondering if I would spend another night in the building.

“Do you want to stay?” I look up a Jin, probably red-faced and teary-eyed from crying.

“Do you want me too?”

Instead of answering Jin gave me a gentle smile, sitting on the bed next to me, but sitting far enough away to keep his space.

“Did you know,” he started cracking a grin, “that whenever I'm sad I read my blood donor ID?” I raised an eyebrow at the man,

“Why?” I sniffed,

“Because it always says, ‘B positive.’” Jins face morphed into a full out grin, and an obnoxious windshield wiper laugh filled my ears. The joke wasn't necessarily funny, but his genuine laugh is what made me smile.

“Ah, there's that smile.” He scooted closer on the bed as a silence developed between the two of us. “Yoongi's difficult, it took most of us half a year till we really connected. When Yoongi found out he had to live with you, it scared him. He can barely even take care of himself so how's he supposed to take care of a child? He doesn't want commitment.” I couldn't help but hear the hidden meaning in his words.

They don't want commitment.

“Why am I even here? There's a reason why you didn't answer the question, its because you don't want to lie to me.” I stood up from the bed, tears forming in my eyes. I couldn't do this, I couldn't handle it, why was everyone lying to me? I rushed out of the room just as Jin reached out to me.

The thoughts are accelerating inside my head. I want them to slow so I can breathe but they won't. My breaths come in gasps and I feel like I'll black out. My heart is hammering inside my chest like it belongs to a rabbit running for its skin. The room spins and I kneel on the floor, trying to make everything slow to something my brain and body can cope with. I feel so sick. I stand up, rushing towards the exit, feet traveling forward until one hits a side table, causing it to tilt and wiggle. A tall, glass candle sways side to side on the table, before falling to the floor, shattering into millions of tiny pieces.

It starts slowly, the feeling of dread crawling up in my chest, spreading like a drop of ink onto a wet piece of paper. Darkening my thoughts and making it harder for me to see, breath. It doesn't take long for my breath to quicken, eyes wide and chest rising in an uneven pattern as I try to suck in as much air as possible. As if the moment I stop trying there won't be any air left. The shattered glass on the floor causes me to wince, past memories of breaking things by accident and being beaten because of it entering my mind. Tears are flowing down my eyes like a dam had just broken, the drops dripping down my face and onto my hands. My sight becomes blurry and flashes of the belt, my father, shouting and my own screams are all I can remember.

“I'm so sorry.” I choke out, chest tight, and standing in front of me are three shocked boys. Namjoon takes a step forward, fist clenched and an unreadable expression on his face.

“Please don't hit me.”

The boy stops, and so do the others behind him, visibly tensing. “I'll clean it up, I'll pay for it.” I knew whatever I had knocked overlooked expensive, everything did in this house. I drop to my knees, scrambling to pick up the broken pieces of glass,       “(Y/N) stop you’ll cut yourself.” Just as Hoseok said, blood starts flowing from my palms, he drops to my level suddenly and i'm scrambling back. Holding my bloody hands out as if they could protect me, back hitting the wall, “please don't hurt me again, it was an accident, i'm so sorry.” My breathings ragged, uneven and I'm hyperventilating. I close my eyes as if they could block out the events unfolding in front of me. Hands gently cup my face and im eye to eye with Jin, “We won't hurt you here, ok? Just breath.” I take a big gasp in, but can't stop the broken, strangled release of air. Hoseok's kneeling beside me just in time as the world around me gets blurry, Jins two eyes soon becoming four as everything turns sideways, and I finally collapse.

#BTS Family #bts series #bts #btsgifs #bts ot7 #ot7 x reader #Poly BTS #bts x reader poly #bts poly au #panic attack #abuse #child abuse #kim seokjin #jungkook x reader #Platonic love #jin x reader #x reader #bts polyamory

[tidsoptlmist]

It’s a Boy-Girl Thing - E.D.

Authors Note: so i don’t want to make this too long but 1. im lowkey back 2. i’ll try to upload more consistently 3. im sorry if this is really bad 4. thank you for all the kind messages asking about this fic!! made my hear go 💙🌲🌞🌱💖🌟💫💜🌿💥✨🌙💚⚡️🧡🌸 

PART 10 一 REPEL

Summary: Ethan and Y/N are neighbors. And although Y/N is on good terms with Ethan’s twin brother Grayson, Y/N and Ethan loathe each other and are constantly in dispute. Ethan is a popular varsity football player, who likes to be in the spotlight. Y/N prefers to stay under the radar while reading books and poetry.

Although the constant bickering between the two drives everyone around them crazy - the two live their separate lives peacefully. At least that’s how it was until they wake up one morning and everything was changed…

PART 1 || PART 2 || PART 3 || PART 4 || PART 5 || PART 6 || PART 7 || PART 8 || PART 9 || PART 10

As soon as Grayson parked his car in front of Austin’s house you wanted to leave. There was loud music playing, and not even good music. It was only 10:20pm but the driveway to the house was already filled with trash. Empty red solo cups laid in the grass and you could see old cigarette butts still smoldering.

Grayson locked the car and walked towards the front door; which was open. You let Grayson enter first. This way you could copycat his way of behaving. Grayson greeted two boys who were standing in the hallway. He swung his arms around both their shoulders and pulled their heads to his chest.

‘Max! Ryan!’ Grayson smiled happily. Max and Ryan laughed and tried to escape from Grayson’s tight grip. They greeted Grayson with big smiles and turned to you, giving you a brotherly slap on your shoulders.

‘Ethan! Good to see you man!’ Max smiled at you. You grinned at the two boys.

‘Let’s go inside, get you guys a drink!’ Ryan said, walking towards the kitchen. ‘Austin said we could take whatever we want,’ he explained while opening the fridge. Your eyes widened at the sight of the beer bottles and the big bottle of Grey Goose vodka.

To your relief, Grayson declined the beer Max handed to him.

‘Still playing the saint?’ Max joked, but you couldn’t help but notice the hint of annoyance in his voice.

‘Gotta keep a clean record so I can get that scholarship, Max,’ Grayson explained calmly while grabbing a soda can from the fridge. ‘Not all of us have rich parents who’ll pay anything to get us in a good college.’

Your eyebrows rise in surprise. Grayson’s shady comment clearly doesn’t go unnoticed by Max either but before he could reply, Grayson grabs another soda can and your arm and pulls you towards the living room.

‘Asshole,’ Grayson mutters angerly as he sips from his soda. You make a vague gesture with your shoulders as a reaction. From your place in the living room you had a great view over the driveway. You hoped Ethan would arrive soon.

He texted you earlier this night how he would be bringing Olivia, as it would have been weird if ‘you’ showed up alone at Austin’s party. He had sent you screenshots of his conversation with Olivia when he told her they were going to the party. Taking in the account that he was coming with Olivia explained the fact that he was late. Olivia was horrible at making choices when it came to clothing. You had to bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing at the idea of Olivia grabbing, what she would think was your hand, pulling Ethan into her room, and showing Ethan all the outfits she picked out for tonight. You would have paid at least 20 bucks to see Ethan's reaction to Olivia walking around in her bra and underwear, talking like there was no tomorrow.

‘Your girlfriend is here.’

You broke your staring contest with the driveway and looked at Grayson. ‘Who is here?’

Grayson nodded towards the side, your eyes followed and landed on Sophia.

‘She’s not my girlfriend!’ You told Grayson angerly and he raised his hands in defense.

‘Okay, your fuckbuddy, or whatever you wanna call it,’ he grinned and rolled your eyes, clenching your jaw in annoyance.

‘She’s not my fu-‘

‘Ethan!’

Sophia’s arms wrapped themselves around your shoulders and pull you close to her.

‘Hi Sophia,’ you greet her awkwardly. She turned you around and smiled happily at you, her breath smelling like red wine. You can see Grayson walking away from the corner of your eyes. So much for brother-love, apparently.

‘Hi babe!’ Sophia started to lean in. Just in time, you realized how she’s about to kiss you. You quickly turn your head and her lips touch your cheek. You can feel your cheeks heating up, your face twisting in embarrassment.

‘Do you want a drink? I can get us something?’ You ask her before she can retry kissing you. She takes a second to think about it.

‘Actually yes. Could you get me a glass of red wine?’ She flickers her lashes at you - probably under the impression of it being ‘cute’ while it just makes her look like she has something in her eyes.

You unwrap yourself from her arms and walk toward the kitchen. You fill a glass with wine for Sophia and cruse when you spill some on the white countertop. You quickly wipe it away with a kleenex and get another soda from the fridge for yourself. It takes a second to convince yourself you really shouldn’t take a sib (or the whole bottle) of that Grey Goose vodka - just to make yourself a little more comfortable.

You walk towards the kitchen door, eyes focused on the glass on wine, trying not to spill more. Just when you want to take a look where you’re going, a body collides with yours.

A yelp leaves your mouth, scared you’ll spill wine on yourself. Luckily you only spill some wine over your hand and not on your own shirt or the person you bumped into.

‘Y/N? Why do you have wine?’

You look up and see your own face. ‘Ethan!’ You breathe, relieved seeing him.

‘The wine is for Sophia, she wanted some,’ you explained yourself, putting the glass down and washing your hands. Ethan nodded and refilled the glass while your dried your hands.

‘I’m glad you’re here. I’m already so ready to leave! Grayson snapped at Max and Sophia cornered me and tried to kiss me!’ You told Ethan.

‘I’m sorry I’m late but that’s completely Olivia’s fault! She made me choose an outfit! And she started changing in front of me! Is that normal for girls? Do you get naked in front of each other all the time?!’ Ethan's cheeks turn a light shade of pink. You chuckle at his discomfort.

‘C’mon, like you’ve never seen a girl in her bra before!’ You joke but Ethan ignores it. You two walk towards the living room to hand Sophia her drink.

‘You said Grayson scolded at Max, why was that?’ Ethan asked, his face close to your face so you could hear him over the loud music.

‘Don’t really know. Something about Gray and I not wanting a beer and Max mumbling something about Grayson playing for a saint.’ You explained to Ethan. He clenched his jaw in frustration.

‘Max is always trying to push us into drinking and doing drugs. I think we’re losers for trying to stay clean.’ Ethan said. ‘But, unlike Max, we really need a scholarship to pay for college.’ He huffed in annoyance. You notice his discomfort when mentioning the scholarships and stop walking and turn to Ethan.

‘That what Grayson said too!’ You smiled at him and you rest your hand on his. ‘And Gray also said that you shouldn’t worry too much about those scholarships because you both will be all right. He said multiple ivy leak schools already contacted the coach!’

Ethan sighs deep and you can see his shoulders relax. ‘Yea, you’re right. Thanks, wiseass.’

Before you can react to the nickname you hate a high pitch scream fills your ears.

‘Here you are!’ Sophia’s claw-like hands grab your arm and pull you away from Ethan. The wine in your hand almost spills for the third time that night. Sophia, however, grabs it from your hands: just in time. She downs the whole glass in a way she could do a fraternity proud and gives you a sly smile when she finishes.

‘Why were you talking to that girl E?’ She pouts as she wraps her arms around your shoulders and neck.

‘She’s such a nerd! And ugly too!’ Ouch, that hurts.

‘I mean have you seen what she’s wearing? Such a nun! I’d rather be a slut than such a prude!’ Sophia pushes you back towards where everyone is dancing. You quickly look at Ethan, who is talking to Olivia. He’s wearing a black turtleneck with a dark velvet green spaghetti strap top. He tucked both into high waisted jeans and combined them with boots. You know that Olivia helped him pick because you would never wear something like that yourself.

‘I think she looks nice,’ you say and Sophia gives you an annoyed look. Jealous?

‘She’s a bitch and a know-it-all! How do you even know her!?’

‘She’s my fr-’ you stop yourself before you could finish that word. Were you and Ethan friends?! You shake your head to clear your mind. You and Ethan could never be friends. You hate him!

‘She’s in my history class and my project partner.’ You correct yourself. But Sophia is too far gone to be really listening. She has her eyes closed and slowly dances to the music. She pushes herself close against you and again you are confronted by the fact how tall and broad Ethan was. You awkwardly hold her so she doesn’t fall. A smile formed around her red lips and she starts to grind against you, front to front.

‘So-Sophia what are you doing?’ You mumble, feeling the blood rush to your head, buzzing in your ears. Sophia, however, either does not hear you or does not care. She turns around and presses her ass firmly against your lower parts. You recoil your body as fast as you can, but Sophia is just as fast as she turns around again and grabs your firmer.

‘Hmm Ethan,’

You almost choke in your own saliva when you hear Sophia’s moans. This is not fucking happening. You can feel her hands and long acrylic nails run along your arms, along with the goose bumps, which are not caused by excitement but utter discomfort. Your eyes dart around the room, desperately looking for help.

‘Let’s go upstairs Eth, I’ll let you have your way with me,’ Sophia moans, slowly kissing your neck. Her hand travels lower and lower until it is at your belt. She lays her hand on Ethan’s junk and you jump away. That’s the last straw, you think. I’m not going to let myself and Ethan be sexually assaulted by a bitch like Sophia.

‘I’d rather not, actually. I’m gonna leave.’ You say and push her back on her own feet.

‘No you’re not!’ Sophia hisses and grabs your belt. ‘You can’t just deny me when I say I want to have sex with you! I’m the hottest girl in the school!’

‘Well Sophia, I know what you’re like in bed and I’m good for the night. If I wanted a groaning foaming animal I’d visit a zoo!’ You jank her hands off your arms and walk away.

‘I wouldn’t walk away if I were you Ethan Dolan. Or I’ll tell everyone you only last three seconds!’ You turn towards Sophia.

‘Everyone already knows that’s not true,’ you say calmly raising your eyebrow at the drunk girl. She looks like she’s about to cry but you don’t feel bad for her. ‘Just like how everyone already knows that you used your sister’s ID to get a boob-job.’ You thank Olivia for her love for gossip once again. You turn around and walk away to find Grayson.

‘Ethan! Ethan!’ Sophia follows you around the house, screaming for your attention. You walk outside when you can’t find Grayson and suddenly hear Sophia stumble. You turn around, just in time to see her vomit over the front lawn. Your faces twist in disgust.

‘That’s vile.’ You hear a familiar voice. You turn and see yourself.

‘Ethan!’ Your voice dripping with relief. ‘I’ve been looking for you and Grayson, I want to go home.’ Ethan nodded, still looking at Sophia, who is leaning on the side of the house while still spitting out some of her dinner.

‘Let’s get her inside and we’ll look for Grayson.’ Ethan says and the two of you bring Sophia inside. You put her on the couch while Ethan gets a cup of water. The two of you wait with her when she drinks the cub, her eyes still being vague from all the alcohol.

‘I cannot believe that you used to fuck her,’ you say when Sophia closes her eyes as she lays down flat on the couch. Ethan stays quiet and looks at Sophia with a weird expression on his face.

‘You know she tried to grab your dick when we were alone? That's sexual assault!’ You look at Ethan but he only raises his shoulders.

‘You sure you didn’t get a hard-on?’ He smirks after two seconds and you push his shoulder.

‘I could never! Not from Sophia!’

#ethan dolan #ethan dolan imagine #ethan dolan imagines #ethan dolan one shot #ethan dolan x reader #grayson dolan #grayson dolan imagine #grayson dolan imagines #dolan twins #It's A Boy-Girl Thing

[wronqness99]

I Hate You, I Love You

Genre: Angst

Word Count:  2146

A/N: Hi guys! How have you been? I wanted to tell you that uni has started again, so it’s gonna be harder for me to write and post consistently, I ask for your comprehension, patience and understanding.

Heres a new scenario for you guys, I got inspired by the songs below to write it, I hope you like it! xx

- Gnash - I Hate You, I Love You ft. Olivia O’Brien

- 2 PM - Again and Again

> About my writing

Characters: Kim Taehyung (BTS) X Reader (Gender Neutral)

*The image doesn’t belong to me, credits to the owner.*

"I love her, Y/N. We're getting married." Were the words left Taehyung's mouth right after they confessed to him, showing them the shiny ring adorning left ring finger.

Y/N was heartbroken. They didn't understand how their best friend could still be with that woman and love her so deeply, even after everything she had done to him. Y/N envied her. They wished Taehyung could love them half as much as he loved his fianceé. It wasn't fair that they'd spend their entire life loving someone who would ever only look at them as friends while he allowed himself to be mistreated over and over again by the person he fell head over heels for. It's true what they say, love is blind. It sees no imperfections, it sees no harm, no ill intention, even if it is right in front of their eyes.

It would have been so much easier if they had just acted like their feelings didn't matter while pretending to be happy instead of confessing. They never thought things would turn out this way. They were being destroyed for losing someone who had never actually been theirs. They wanted to regret confessing to Taehyung, they wanted to hate him with all their might for the state he'd left them in, but for some reason, they couldn't.

Taehyung had always been a foreign subject to their heart, always clouding their mind with confusion. He was both the reason for her brightest smiles and the reason for her saddest cries. He was the person that made their heart flutter, however, he was also the person that broke it into tiny little pieces. They loved Taehyung, but that love was toxic. It was ruining them. He'd left them to die that day like a murderer leaves his victim after shooting them right in the heart. Taehyung was the fire that set them ablaze and burned everything they'd fought so hard to fix since he'd last left them in ashes. He was the ghost that came to haunt them every time they closed their eyes at night or when they passed by some place that had once held meaning to them. They couldn't handle feeling the pain pulse and throb through their whole body anymore. It was slowly killing them.

Laying alone in their bed at night, Y/N couldn't help but wonder how their life would've been had they never met Kim Taehyung, the source of their heartbreak. Maybe they would've found someone who actually loved and cared about them, maybe they'd be living happily and pursuing their dreams instead of laying in bed and moping around, wasting their life away.

It had been two months since they had last seen him and the pain didn't seem to go away no matter what they did or how hard they tried. They laid in bed, eyes closed as they tried to get some rest after another crying session when their phone rung. It was him. Kim Taehyung. They sat up in a hurry, grabbing their phone and staring at the screen for a while. Y/N sighed before their shaky hands slid the green button to the side, picking up the call.

As soon as they put their phone to their ear, their heart skipped a beat. The man on the other end of the call sobbed violently as he tried to speak.

"Y/N, c-can you please come t-to my house?" Taehyung stuttered, trying to compose himself so they could understand him.

"Why would I?" They questioned anxiously, their voice shaking.

"Just... Please, Y/N... She did it again." He cried. Y/N hung up the call before he could utter another word.

As if set on automatic, Y/N ran to their best friend's house. Once again, his girlfriend had left him in pieces and as always, Y/N was the one by his side to glue those pieces back together. They hated to see him suffer, not only because he was their childhood friend, but also because they had fallen deeply in love with Taehyung through the years. Y/N wondered how someone could hurt their significant other like this. How that girl could manage to hurt someone as kind and sweet as Taehyung.

It all had begun when she got caught kissing another guy, then messages on her phone, holding hands with other guys in public, dancing at a bar and now he had caught her with another person in their bed. She didn't even worry about trying to hide it, it was almost as if she did it on purpose to hurt him. Love blinds people and Tae was too in love with her to realize that woman never truly cared about him.

When Y/N got to his place, they took the key he kept on a vase beside the door and opened it, rushing into the apartment.

"Tae?" Y/N called, walking through the house in search of the man. Their heart skipped a beat when there was no answer. They ran to the bathroom, only to find it empty. "Taehyung?" They then ran to his room, finding the young man curled up in a ball in a small space between his bed and the wall. Y/N approached him slowly, crouching down in front of his crying figure. He lifted his head, putting his swollen, tear-stained face on display as looked at them. It wasn't the first time they saw him in such a state, nevertheless, it made their heart ache every time. Taehyung was their weakness, their kryptonite.

Y/N sighed lifting their hand towards his face, caressing it. Taehyung leaned into their touch in search of comfort, letting the tears run freely down his face.

"What am I supposed to do now?" He questioned, letting his head down, his bangs hiding his eyes. Not uttering a single word, Y/N lifted themselves off the floor and sat on the edge of his bed. Looking at Taehyung, they didn't know what to do. How could they help him if they, themselves were still broken?

The whole situation was ironic, it almost made them laugh. Taehyung was suffering the same way Y/N did because, just like he'd done to them, someone else had broken his heart. Y/N couldn't help but think how karma acts like a mirror, how we always end up paying the price for the things we do. Sooner or later, it all comes back.

"Sh-She broke u-up with-th me..." Taehyung stuttered in between sobs. Y/N sighed, looking at the poor state the man was in. Even after he had caused them so much trouble, they still wished they were able to take all his pain away.

"Everything will be ok Taehyung. You'll be fine, eventually." They stated softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and giving it a little squeeze. Taehyung's head shot up towards them, disdain etched on his features.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You have never loved someone the way I loved her. You have no idea what love is. You could never understand how it feels." He spat thoughtlessly. Once again, his words struck them like a train at full speed. They felt dizzy for a moment, tears prickling in their eyes.

At that moment, everything became clear to them. Taehyung had never actually cared for them. Y/N got up the bed, dabbing at their damp cheeks, trying not to cry in front of him once again. He didn't deserve their tears. They started to walk towards the door when they felt a pull on their sleeve, pulling them back. Turning around so they could face him, they yanked their wrist from Taehyung's hold, a disappointed expression drawn all over their faces.

"What?! You can't be serious right now!" They scoffed, looking at the man incredulously. "Why did you even call me? What is it that you want now, Taehyung? Break me some more? 'Cause you've done enough of that already." They were desperate. There was nothing more they could do. They had finally accepted they had to give up on him and he had to let them go for them to be able to move on as well. "I'm done with this!"

"I-I... I'm Sorry, Y/N, I didn't mean for it to come out that way..."

"But it did Taehyung, and once again, you've hurt me." They stated, the water finally overflowing their eyes. "You've hurt me time and time again because of her. And I endured it because I love you, but it's killing me. It's like you've stabbed me and you keep turning the knife so the wound stays open and bleeds nonstop. I'm done, Tae, I can't do this anymore." They shook their head, letting it fall down as they fiddled with their fingers. "Why did you call me? Why after two months of not acknowledging my existence?" They questioned in almost inaudibly. He took a step towards them, trying to make eye contact. Y/N stepped back, hitting the surface of Taehyung's drawer.

"Plase, don't do this to me. I beg you, Y/N, please!" He pleaded, his voice getting hoarser by the second as dispair started taking over his being once again. Y/N looked at the man standing in front of them incredulously.

"Don't do this to you?" They laughed in disbelief. "Are you serious, Kim Taehyung?" Their tone started getting louder as they stepped closer to him, pointing their finger. "You did this! We told you so many times she wasn't good for you, you never listened. She broke your heart countless times and you still preferred to ignore what we told you. You knew how much it hurt to be heartbroken by the one you love, yet, you didn't hesitate to do the same to me. So don't tell me I don't know how it feels!" They screamed in rage as tears slipped down their face, the sobs almost making them choke. "I confessed to you, did you even take me seriously? I'm so very disappointed in you." They looked him in the eye, letting them know how disappointed and heartbroken they really felt. "You know what, scratch that, I'm the stupid one. It's all my fault that I keep falling for your stupid charms thinking that one day you'll be able to love me back." They cried. Taehyung moved closer to them, shaking his head while he held their hands in his.

"No, Y/N, don't say that, it's not true. I love you, too. You've always been my best friend, I care for you, you know that." The man staggered. Y/N looked out of the window for a second noticing how dark the skies had become, matching the way they felt. Regaining their courage, their eyes diverted back to Taehyung as a sad smile crept up to their face.

"No, Tae. You don't care for me, you were never my friend." They spoke as they felt their heart shatter once again. "Friends don't do what you did, if you cared about me you wouldn't have just stopped reaching out to me for two whole months until you needed me again. You don't just stop speaking to your friends because things don't go as you planned. That's not what being a friend is. Being a friend is being there no matter how hard things get. Friends listen to one another and find a way to solve their problems, they don't abandon each other. So I don't think you were my friend. To you, I'm just convenient." They muttered, looking down and moving away from him. "I was never important to you, Taehyung. You never loved me, you loved the fact that if I stayed, you wouldn't be alone." Taehyung blinked, their words echoing in his brain. His heart skipped a beat as they penetrated his ears, making him freeze in the middle of the room as he watched them leave.

Before walking out of the room, Y/N turned back, looking at the man who had broken them for the last time.

"Loving you was the most exquisite form of self-destruction." They muttered, pressing their lips into a thin line as a sense of freedom filled their being.

No matter how much we love a person, sometimes, we have to let them go. It won't be ok at first, it will hurt so badly that we feel like we're suffocating, it might make us second guess ourselves. However, we have to stay strong, for ourselves. Letting go of someone that's toxic for us is the right choice. It doesn't mean we don't love them, it just means that we have to love and respect ourselves first.

"Thank you for the good times, though, even if they didn't mean that much to you..." The man just stood there as they spoke, unsure of what to say or how to feel.

"Goodbye, Kim Taehyung." They whispered before walking out of his room, of his house, and of his life.

MASTERLIST

#BTS #bangtan #bts v #bts taehyung #bts kim taehyung #bts scenario #bts scenarios #bts imagine #bts imagines #bts v scenario #bts v scenarios #bts v imagine #bts kim taehyung imagine #bts kim taehyung scenario #bts kim taehyung scenarios #bts angst #bts kim taehyung angst #bts taehyung angst #bts v angst #bts taehyung scenario #bts taehyung scenarios #bts taehyung imagine #taehyung angst #kim taehyung angst #taehyung x reader #kim taehyung x reader #v x reader

[westywrites]

I’m Sorry

This is why I should never make promises... I know I said I would have the next part of Soulmates to go out yesterday, but obviously that didn’t happen. I was invited very last minute to be part of the ensemble for Mamma Mia in the theatre festival and between my play and hurriedly learning the blocking/choreo for that (as the festival opens tonight) I have been in theatre for more than three hours everyday since Monday. Not much time to write. 

As an apology I have decided to post the entire first chapter of my WIP, “Story with Gods”

Next

The floor was cold and hard against her back, made of metal that had been painted dark just like the walls. The room itself was bright, lit by rows of white fluorescents that stung her eyes. She laid still while making these assessments and tried to move only her eyes. There was another person on either side of her, to her left was a girl about her age but a fair bit taller, to her right was a large man who grunted slightly with each breath he took. Her mind had been spinning tirelessly for hours but she still couldn't think of where she could be or why she would be there. She had been on her way to work, a part-time job she hated, before she suddenly woke up in that small cold room full of people. She didn't dare move or speak, filled with fear and thoughts of the B-rated horror movies she loved so much. No one else seemed to be awake. Whenever the man beside her stirred she would pretend to sleep. To her it seemed like an eternity had passed before anything happened.

"It is currently 7 am. Those of you who are awake may come and retrieve your breakfast,” a man's voice said from the small speaker in the corner. "Please be sure to take only your portion and not to share with others." At this announcement a couple of others got up, a university-aged boy and a middle-aged woman in a beige blazer and pencil skirt. They moved quietly to one wall. The girl was hungry and surrendered to the smell of toast. She stood slowly and joined the woman and boy at a small counter with a row of containers on it. Without saying a word, each took a container and retreated to a corner to eat. The breakfast consisted solely of a soggy piece of toast and a small bottle of water. The girl sighed and ate slowly, as she ate she examined the room. With only bare metal walls, one large door, a bathroom and the food slot there wasn’t much to see. The people, however, were much more interesting. There were eight in total, all different in just about every way. However hard the girl searched she couldn't find anything they had in common. Slowly each person got up to eat and sat themselves around the walls of the room. They all moved in silent slow motion, their faces blank with shock or filled with confusion.

"Listen here," said a large black man in a tight shirt, "if we're going to be stuck here together we need to know a bit about each other." He waved his toast around as he spoke and the girl had a feeling that he was just talking to keep himself from having a breakdown. "I'm Isaiah, I'm a volunteer firefighter in Belleville and a father of three young girls." He turned to the lady beside him.

"I'm Jen, I work as an administrator for a company in Toronto." She looked like she was in her mid-twenties and wore very modest clothes. Her eyes were wide and her voice was barely a whisper.

"This is stupid." The university-aged boy complained, his foot tapped rapidly against the ground as his eyes darted around analyzing his surroundings. "I'm Quentin, I'm an engineering student at McMaster." From there each person introduced themselves in much the same fashion. The man who had been next to the girl was Phil, an electrician; the woman in the beige blazer was a paralegal named Karen, and the scrawny man who had sat down all too close to the girl would only say that his name was Anthony. The girl shifted slightly away from him and flashed what she hoped was a warm smile at the others.

"I'm Sophia," she said, "I'm 16 and I'll be a grade 12 student come fall." She winced at the waver in her voice and felt her smile grow awkward.

"Oh good, I thought I was way younger than everyone." The other girl sighed in relief. "I'm Olivia, just turned 17 and also going into grade 12." She pulled her dark hair away from her face and shot a sideways glance at Sophia. Her green eyes stood out against her brown skin and Sophia saw something deeper than just the pain of the current situation within them.  

"Well, that was very helpful." Quentin the engineering student rolled his eyes. "What now?"

"Now we find a way out." Isaiah the firefighter responded, cracking his knuckles and forcing a deep breath. Everyone, with the exception of Quentin, anxiously scoured every inch of the room and the small adjoining bathroom. The only openings were the long, thin slit where the food had come in, a tiny vent in the bathroom, and the large door with no handle. As the largest men, Isaiah and Phil the electrician took turns trying to ram it down. Seeing as the door was made of the same metal as the floor, no one was surprised when nothing came of this. Hours had passed before everyone gave up and began to sit in quiet conversation or pace around the room.

"So what courses are you taking next semester?" The girl, Sophia, asked needing to talk about something and not coming up with a better topic.

"Math, French, drama, and a spare." Olivia shrugged, her voice had a practiced lack of emotion. "I'm excited to have a spare last class though, hopefully I'll get to go home and work in my grandfather’s greenhouse."

"I don't have any spares." Sophia smirked, talking about school in that room just seemed absurd, but at least it was better than dwelling on the present. "I'm kind of an overachiever, but I mean all my courses are fun so it'll be great. I’ve got law and English and world cultures and classical civilizations. I've got all the boring stuff second semester." She could tell by the look on Olivia's face that those courses didn't seem fun to her. "Yea I know I'm a huge geek. I literally want to become a history and law teacher, though I'm also thinking about being a university professor."

"I have no idea what I'm gonna do with my life." Olivia sighed. "My parents want me to marry the rich and successful son of one of their friends back in India and honestly I may just go with it."

"C'mon there's gotta be something you're passionate about, you can make a career out of anything if you care enough. You said your granddad has a greenhouse?" Sophia then spent the rest of the morning trying to figure out Olivia's life for her.

Come lunchtime everyone was getting restless. Leaving eight strangers trapped in a small room isn't a very good idea, and there had already been a number of small arguments. That all was nothing compared to the fight that happened when lunch showed up. At 1:30, according to the announcement, a single plastic container slid through the slot. It had a small note attached saying it was meant for Quentin and only Quentin. He opened it slowly and as far away from himself as possible, fearing that it may be a trap of some kind. Inside was half of a sandwich and a water bottle. At that moment the announcement came on again and explained that since everyone else had tried to escape only Quentin got lunch. If he shared any of it with anyone, no one would get supper. This news, understandably, caused outrage.

"You vile little creature." Isaiah hissed at Quentin. "You knew this would happen."

"You better give us each some of that sandwich," Karen, the paralegal, demanded.

"No way. You heard the announcement." Quentin held the container tightly against his chest. "If I share we all won't get to eat, besides there's not enough for all eight of us."

"Then give some to the girls,” Phil suggested gesturing at Sophia and Olivia. "They're small and young, they need to eat." Both of the girls made a face to disagree with Phil.

"It's my sandwich I earned it." Quentin backed into the corner. Isaiah cursed at him and Phil took a menacing step forward. The three of them yelled back and forth for some time as everyone else watched in silence.

"Maybe if you can't share the sandwich you just shouldn't eat it," Jen, the administrator, interrupted in a small voice.

"That wouldn't make any sense. Then we'd all just be hungry." Quentin whined at her.

Suddenly Anthony swatted the container out of his hand and the sandwich fell out onto the floor. "Only fair," Anthony said as he squished the sandwich with his foot. That effectively ended the argument and everyone sat in agitated silence, except for a few hushed conversations, until the announcer spoke again.

"It is now 6:30, please retrieve the containers from the counter." The announcer held no emotion in his nasal voice. Eight containers slid out and Isaiah looked triumphantly at Quentin. The containers were handed around and opened in anticipation. Inside each container was a water bottle, only half full, and a note with one word on it. Once they figured out the order the words formed a simple sentence. "If you really want everyone not to eat..." The announcer read out the message as soon as they had put it together. "Then don't follow the rules. It's quite simple, listen and you eat but don't listen and you don't eat." Olivia and Sophia looked at each other, Olivia didn’t even try to hide the fear on her face this time.

Karen, Isaiah, and Phil all took their turns cursing out the announcer before everyone fell into a tense silence again. That night everyone slept in groups to try and stay warm against the cold metal floor. The next day was similar to the first but they received some food three times that day. The day after was the same, and the days after that. They all struggled to understand their situation, fighting often, and crying even more. They told stories and sung songs to pass the time. However, as time passed their fear only grew, each day the portions of food seemed smaller and they all were hungry all the time. This went on for nearly two weeks before Isaiah decided he couldn't take it anymore.

"You listen here!" He yelled at the announcer. "You're starving us, we need food and you aren't giving us enough. There are children in here. I have children at home." He gestured around the room. "I know you've got a camera somewhere to watch us and I beg you. There's better entertainment elsewhere, just let us go." Isaiah knew there wasn't really any point in his protests but he just couldn't sit back anymore.

"Hey, it's alright." Sophia placed a hand on his arm. "If he wanted to kill us he would've already. We can get out of here eventually." She led Isaiah to sit in the corner. Sophia had a natural ability to talk people down from high emotions and she had found herself using that a lot during those past two weeks. She wanted to help more but there wasn’t much she could do, or anyone could do. That night at supper a portion didn't show up for Isaiah and he sat trying to hide the tears in his eyes while the others ate.

"I can't stand this," Sophia whispered to Olivia. "Us all eating while he watches. I know it's against the rules but I just can't do this."

"Wait, what are you planning?" Olivia grabbed Sophia's arm, her nails digging in. "Don't you dare screw yourself over, you need the food more than he does." Sophia had already been incredibly thin when they got there and at this point she looked sickly. Sophia debated convincing Olivia to let her, she knew she could, but she knew she had a point and surrendered. She ate her supper in silence, all the while looking forlornly at Isaiah.

Another week passed in much the same fashion and they continued to get increasingly small portions of food. There were arguments regularly but everyone stayed far away from any territory that could get their food taken away. They were all exhausted, filthy, and miserable but Sophia was determined to maintain her optimism. She forcibly kept her hope that they would get out soon and she would try to get others to tell stories or sing songs with her like they had before. Outwardly the others were annoyed by this but Sophia knew they needed it. Her determination grew even stronger when Quentin got sick. It started one morning when he wouldn't wake up for breakfast. He was pale and running a fever. Sophia sat by him and took care of him, forcing him to eat what food he was given and drink water whenever they had it.

"How's he doing, Soph?" Olivia asked her at supper. As the weeks had passed Olivia had softened to her, at this point they had told each other everything. Some unspoken bond seemed to draw them together.

"No improvement, but he's not any worse so that's good." Sophia stroked his hair repetitively. She bit her lip as she looked at how dry his lips were.

"It's really kind of you to do that," Jen said, kneeling beside them. “Wish I could be like that.”

"I just wish I could do more." Sophia shrugged. She sat with Quentin throughout the night, gently singing and talking to him while everyone else slept. In the morning they found her asleep against the wall with his head in her lap. Everyone made sure not to wake her. When the announcement came on for breakfast she opened her eyes groggily and looked down at Quentin. His breaths were shallow but his fever was down from the night before. Olivia brought breakfast for the three of them. Each container had only a small piece of toast, less than a quarter of a slice, and a nearly empty water bottle. Sophia bit at her own lip again and ran a gentle finger along Quentin's bottom lip. His lips were so dry and cracked. She made a decision then and she was the kind of person who, once they made a decision, no one could stop.

#west's words #writers on tumblr #writeblr #spilled ink #am writing #original story #Story with Gods #Olivia Misra #Sophia Grader #godly excerpts #minor characters #I love all these minor characters #shame only the girls are relevant after two chapters

[justanotherdumpingground]

Chapter Reviews: June 11-15, 2019 + Thoughts on TRH and Sunkissed

Wishful Thinking Chapter 10:

Not a surprise Charlie is shady all along. I guess the rest of the story will revolve around digging up more dirt on him. My gut tells me that Ellen is cackling internally if she learns about this.

Me spending diamonds to help a character with a reused model? No thanks. Tony should get advice from other co-workers instead of the MC. I have more important matters to focus on, like who defamed the MC and what Charlie is up to.

Nightbound Chapter 9:

For the confessionals, the one that moved me the most is Vera's. I like that she acknowledges her mom's reappropriation of the Reimonenq Cruse for her benefit and the fear she commands while still disapproving of the abuse she inflicted on Vera. Whatever that is, I hope Vera well use her power for the greater good and step out of her mom's shadow.

I kinda like the Fate. She may seem like an ominous figure, but I like her concern for others while maintaining an aura of dignity. Her tear flashback was really emotional when telling the futures of her clients. For the young woman, I told her that her lover loves her back, even if this path leads to an untimely death. For the soldier, I chose to tell him that he'll die gloriously in battle. For the king, I told him he'll be kind, but his kingdom will be poor. Every time I picked my decision for the first two, I wanted to cry because of their untimely deaths. In the first's case, I was satisfied with telling the truth and having the knowledge that the woman will die surrounded by love.

Since one of the upcoming chapters involves meeting with the fae, I think Lord Elric's monster tear will be acquired soon. But first, let's see how the encounter with zombies go.

Passport to Romance Chapter 14:

Honestly, the MC of this story is so annoyingly ungrateful. Yvette has been covering their travel budget and ensuring their accountability in doing their job, and they paid back by quitting without acknowledging Yvette's hard work. And the premium option to get back on Carlisle isn't convincing. Sure I have no love for him and Bronwyn, but they're also underdeveloped and forgettable.

To aggravate matters, one of the bloggers ships the MC with Elliot. Ugh! I have made no secret of how much I dislike him for his immaturity and irreverent behavior. Let me be with Sumire in peace, you idiot! And I'd rather go to Ibiza alone than go to London with Elliot.

A Courtesan of Rome Chapter 21:

Wow! That was one way to end the story. The buildup to the MC and her family preparing for Caesar's assassination was fun to watch. Victus rallying gladiators to revolt, Delphinia gathering worshippers to give the MC strength and weaken Caesar, and the MC having premium options to hook up with the love interests. I didn't pick any of them, though. The real cake is watch the MC kill Caesar and getting to pick whether to side with Cassius or Antony. It was more or less a moot point because the Republic will soon be replaced with an empire, but because I'm pursuing neither, I might have dodged a bullet.

I'm glad this story gives me the option to stay single. Even though my MC's with Syphax and they chose to rebuild her tribe, I'm glad having a love interest isn't necessary to advance the plot. What's ultimately heartwarming is seeing the MC's family reunited properly once Caesar has been dealt with.

Overall, this story is pretty enjoyable. The middle chapters were a bit of a drag on the MC's story, but they pick up once again when Sabina gave Aquila a verbal smackdown. I also enjoy Delphinia's story and think it's the best of the three because of her charisma, care for others, and firmness. The story still has weak points, however, the most notable being Xanthe, who is undoubtedly an underused character who could've been an interesting character that provides commentary while still someone people could love to hate. Anyway, this story is one of several genderlocked stories I enjoy.

Platinum Chapter 4:

This story is starting to remind me of America's Most Eligible. The fake backstories and PR moves, the urge for competition and the need to reach the top. That looks like a recipe for fun, though.

I don't feel the urge to spend diamonds on instruments, songs, or moments with the LIs. To be honest, I'm generally uninterested in the romance aspect this time. Anyway, I would be excited if I get to customize the MC's stage name.

Red Carpet Diaries Chapter 2:

As expected, I got engaged to Victoria. Nice. And not to mention that I chose to be exclusive with her. Pity that buying an engagement ring with her costs diamonds, but no matter. This better mean that I won't spend too much time with Hunt, who doesn't deserve to be a love interest. Him becoming one involves disregarding the sexual harassment plot in Book 2, which is downright unacceptable.

On another bright note, the ocelot's back! Seriously, I'm annoyed that he can't go on vacation with me. What if he also stars in The Secret of Ninradell? He better do.

Ugh, seeing Markus von Groot today pisses me off. Why is this egotistical, entitled bully allowed to keep directing movies under different aliases? On the bright side, he didn't get to direct the movie of the book, but then again, he was never qualified to direct movies in the first place.

Another collection. Hooray. It looks like it functions more like the memory box in The Senior. Might as well avoid that.

Apparently, a summary for an upcoming chapter says that the MC will find a suitable director for the movie. Well, my money's on Thomas Hunt because he knows the content well.

The Elementalists Chapter 10:

Man, it feels like forever since I last played The Elementalists. Nevertheless, here it goes.

I like that the MC and Atlas chose to have each other's backs after the incident with Kane and Alma. Proof that siblings should stick together. I had to grab the gun because it might come in handy later on, though by that point I couldn't afford to listen to Raife's voice. *sigh*

Speaking of siblings, I seriously wonder what's with Beckett being emotionally needy that he has to have the MC accompany him. I have a love-hate relationship with him because of that and his intelligence. At least things went well with Katrina.

Free spell from Professor Englund? Yes, please! I need to arm myself with shurikens if the gun fails on me.

Finally Shreya has a good plan. Talking to Greygarden is definitely a good idea for more answers on Alma and Kane. And it better be good at the Gala.

Bloodbound Chapter 5:

What kind of scene was that with Lester? At first, I thought he was gonna kill the girl with Clarissa Waverly's model, but after it was revealed to be some sort of foreplay, I'm just horrified. Even if it was presented as consent, I'm still grossed out at the idea of an old creep like him feeding from a young girl. At least throwing a mannequin at him was satisfying.

Also, Jax in a disco outfit and hairstyle made me cringe. On a more important note, is anyone bothered by the lack of consistency with him? He mentioned that his parents met during a student protest during the 1960s, so shouldn't this vision be in the 1990s instead? Either way, I need to save diamonds for this fragment.

No way am I picking the premium option to hook up with Priya. It's just schmuk bait that leads to certain doom. Not to mention that she's never someone I have any respect for because of the way she treats her employees and muses. I seriously dodged a bullet.

I can't wait to see how the confrontation with Gaius goes. I think Lester has made a valid point that the Blood of the First should be destroyed because of the power it contains and that Adrian's feeling the effects through the serum he injected. After all, he mentioned that his serum contains some similarities with the blood.

Thoughts on The Royal Heir and Sunkissed:

It's no secret The Royal Romance has become a cash cow like The Freshman series, though I prefer TRR because of the politicking, Liam's subtle cunning, a cast of characters I enjoy (especially Maxwell, Olivia, and the corgi), and the opportunity to have my own piece of land. Anyway, one book of TRH should be enough.

I'm never excited for Sunkissed when it was first announced. The title and its first two ads on Instagram is enough for me to conclude that it's some forgettable summer romance, so I don't care that it's genderlocked. Even the recent trailer isn't too exciting for the most part. What captured my interest are the bottled message and the girl with long brown hair and creepy looking eyes. This book could be an intriguing mystery like Veil of Secrets or an utter failure for a light hearted story like Home for the Holidays. Either way, best keep a cautious eye on this story.

#choices stories you play #chapter reviews