#all presidents do it. he’s just more vocal.

[astarless-fights]

Don’t let President Trump turn the propaganda blade into your side.

[madamepestilence]

Just as a reminder as I've just noticed myself - arab.org has more pages to support on

In case you're unfamiliar with how this site works, it confirms ad revenue via your clicks, which allows them to donate money to various funds

These go to:

Children -> UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund)

Fight Poverty -> UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)

Environment -> Greenpeace MENA (Middle East and North Africa)

Palestine -> UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency [for Palestine Refugees in the Near East])

Refugees -> UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)

Women -> UN Women

Do more with your daily clicks! You can help each one once per individual (perhaps per IP address?) per day, letting you help out with six things at once?

US-specific advice for helping Palestine below cut.

Side note I'm keeping beneath the cut since it's relevant to US folks only: if you're really determined to help Palestine, vote for Dr. Cornel West, Ph.D. for President of the United States.

He's the most openly vocal about a free Palestine and is the only candidate who has demonstrably shown he is the most committed and prepared to immediately cease US support to Israel.

Joe Biden isn't going to cave if he gets re-elected. We all know that. Voting third party is a lot less risky than you've been taught - the two party system can replace one or both parties with new parties if they lose public favour.

We have both the people and the ability to unseat the Democratic party and install Socialism, and between Socialism and Republicans, Socialism is going to lock in place immediately and become the dominant political force in America.

Cornel West's Platform

Cornel West's Volunteer Events

Cornel West's Ballot Access Tracker and Ballot Access Plans

Tumblr thread I have of Primary/Caucus polling dates in the US (includes US territories)

Not on your Primary/Caucus ballot? Write-in, "Cornel West," on your ballot, or urge your Caucus representatives to do the same.

In a state where it's difficult for Independent candidates to get ballot access? Dr. Cornel West, Ph.D. thought ahead and has created a new party for those states called the Justice for All Party.

(Addendum: Claudia de la Cruz is not a viable alternative. The Party for Socialism and Liberation has a Conservative 5th Column and has frequent issues with discrimination.)

Free Palestine. Vote for Cornel West.

[nyancrimew]

okay i love your posts and work and understand why you hate the US and both parties (reasonably) but can we please stop with like. just the biden slander. like haha biden old and dumb bothers me because it equates 81 year old continuing like 80 years of US foreign policy and 78 year old who openly paraphrases NAZI rhetoric in one of the worlds superpowers. like i fucking hate biden and am vocal about this but equating status quo old guy and fascist old guy is such a false comparison

you (plural, i have multiple of these asks rn) gotta reflect a bit on what you're using your political campaigning energy on if your biggest issue of the day is me making a shitpost. my post i made last night literally just comments directly on the two biden press conferences that day where he first referred to ukrainian president zelensky as "president putin" and then later referred to his vice president kamala harris as "vice president trump".

i am making fun of the CURRENTLY SITTING president of """""the free world""""" who's very clearly not in any position anymore to be doing this job. none of what i said in any way even pits him against trump, but im not making fun of trump because right now he's fucking irrelevant as he's not currently in control of the most powerful country in the world. i sure hope he still won't be after november, but you're not going to win this election by getting mad at some european tumblr user who made an observational joke.

there is so much more i could say about this and especially how meaningless this election really is when it's suddenly taboo to at all criticize the lesser of the two evil, who as a reminder, has been actively aiding the genocide in gaza and has now thrown trans kids under the bus for some minor campaign points. i somehow remember there being this thing about how biden was the compromise candidate but surely we could push him to the left, but hey, what do i know about politics.

[dreorig]

Oh wow, you just happen to be taller and broader than your mercenary boyfriend!

[ deadpool x dom male reader | nsfw under the cut | had this sitting in my drafts for a while now so uhhh forgive any mistakes :P ]

First things first. He thinks that's so hot of you.

He brags about you to everyone. Everyone. Random people, someone's he's fighting with, a friend; they all will hear about how handsome and tall Wade's boyfriend is.

Wade gets heart eyes when you both are in public and you hold his waist or hug him from behind. A subtle possessive squeeze on him will also do the job.

Wade will steal your clothes. He is 6'2, do you seriously think he'd ever have another chance to feel smaller in someone else's clothes anytime soon? Yeah, he's not losing this chance.

How many times can he ask to arm wrestle with you until you threaten to cut his vocal chords?

"So we can't get to decide what we're getting for dinner and we both want different things..." "Wade—" "There's only one way to solve this situation..." "Wade. No." "ARM WRESTLING!" "NO."

You will give him piggy backs and carry him around in bridal style either you like it or not. It's a demand.

He jumps at you randomly. First time he did that he jumped from behind, but you didn't know that was him, so your instincts made you grab that apparently stranger and throw him across the room, making him hit a wall. Wade fell even more for you right then and there.

Wade was mesmerised. You desperate; so you ran towards him, already chanting an infinite amount of sorry's. "Shit. Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to—" your apology was interrupted by the sound of Wade's laugh, which took you aback a little. Wade jumped to his feet and into your arms, this time you caught him properly. He wrapped his legs around your waist and arms around your neck, his chest still trembling with laughter. "Do you know how unbelievably hot that was? Never stop manhandling me."

Wade can reach the top shelves just fine but will ask you to grab the things instead. He just wants to enjoy his tall dog privilege.

He will always go to the gym with you if he's not busy re-killing former US presidents, slaughtering some asshole or pestering Logan. Hell, Wade loves to see your muscles flexing and your sweaty self after a good workout.

Asking you to pick him up (like this) became a part of your workout routine. He giggles and melts in your hold because he loves the fact that you pick him off the ground so effortlessly, like he's a piece of paper.

Fuck him doggy style and slap his ass with your big hands and you'll hear the loudest moan ever.

So loud you'll probably need to slip a few fingers inside his mouth to keep him shut. You don't need any neighbours hearing what's yours only.

You know what they say about big hands, eh? Wade knows it better than anyone and God, he loves the way you stretch him. Naturally he's got a high pain tolerance, so you being big and making him see things without having to use a toy is just perfect.

Doesn't mean you never use toys, tho. Fuck Wade's face and make him gag on your big cock while he has a dildo deep inside him, he'll give you the biggest puppy eyes ever as he humps on your leg.

You reminding him of your size difference never fails to make him wet. Never fucking fails. Tell him he should stand in front of you to get a better view since you're taller and he won't hide the fact that his underwear is already stained with pre-cum.

No marks such as love bites will stay on Wade's body due to his healing factor, much to his and your dislike, but eventually you found a way to claim him as yours — he's got to wear one of your shirts while you so relentlessly fuck him and even after you're done. Your scent and sweat that lingers on the fabric make Wade's head spin, often leading him to beg for you to fuck him once again.

Plus wearing your clothes just feels right. The way they're always oversized on him serves to remind him of how much bigger you are. He's got a size kink, he can't help it.

"Aren't you my little bitch?" you increased your pace. "Fuck, yes, yes," he pushed his hips down, meeting your thrusts. "Did I fuck you dumb? Use your damn words," you growled in his ear. Wade's cock throbbed at that. He was indeed beginning to think you fucked him dumb, yet he replied, "Arghh— yes, shit, yes, I'm your little bitch~" "Yeah, that's right. Let me show you how a real man treats a little bitch like you," you slapped his ass so hard even your own hand burned a little. Wade came right away without even having to touch his cock this time. How many times was it now? Not that he cared, he just wanted more, more, more. You chuckled, pleased with your own work. "Look at what a slap can do to a little bitch in heat." Wade wasn't sure of what you really said, but his ears caught "little bitch in heat" and he smiled dumb, more than happy to know he was your little bitch in heat.

[mikedfaist]

thinking about mike and reader doing a q&a after a screening of a film they did together (maybe it’s in columbus, the theater I go to is in columbus and always has special screenings and q&a’s) and them not only being so articulate and passionate about their film but also silly and very in love even though they’re trying to be subtle (they’re not)

Put the two of them in a room together, let alone sitting side by side, and you are in for a treat.

The film is a love story about two strangers who cross paths for only a brief moment. The director talks about working with the two of them – and years after the fact once the relationship has come out – that she was merely a spectator for their own love story. She got to watch the two of them fall in love in front of the camera, and that’s what makes the film so special. They aren’t just playing their characters; they are the characters.

Most, if not all, of the dialogue in the film is adlibbed, and so the scene where Mike’s character tells her, “Whatever you want from me—I don’t care what it is, I just want to be yours,” that was coming from him. The two of them met on the first day of set, having it been kept a secret she was even a part of the film as to not instigate rumors. He recalls spotting her standing outside of her trailer, adorned in oversized sweatpants and stained UGG boots, smoking a cigarette over a cup of coffee.

“I’m quitting,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I must’ve slept through those D.A.R.E. lectures in school.”

One of the big talking points of the film – primarily with the fans – are the sex scenes. There is one scene in particular that depicts him spitting in her mouth, and then a panned out shot of him going down on her. It’s a little graphic, but the girlies love it.

She does most of the talking, describing mornings on set where Mike would bring her coffee, and the little games they would make up to pass the time. She recounts a day where Mike tackled her on the beach while playing Get Down Mr. President, and he had to cover his smile with his microphone. She also relates back to filming the intimate scenes with Mike.

“I remember when we were preparing for those scenes, he was very vocal about what I was and wasn’t comfortable with, because it’s very unscripted what we do, so communication is like massive. We also had a very lovely Intimacy Coordinator, Lynn, on set who was incredible in what she did. We’d go into these scenes and whatever happened, happened. The spitting scene—” This is where the crowd got a little noisy. “Yeah, I know…” She laughs awkwardly. “The spitting scene was something we discussed beforehand. It was like…okay, what can we do to make this a little more…” She showcases her exuberance with jazz hands. “And it worked, right?”

“I think what was so special about making this film was having such an incredible partner by my side.” She turns to look at Mike, who, again, covers his smile with his microphone. “I already got him blushing.” She gently knocks her foot into his. “I really don’t think I could have given the performance I did if it wasn’t for him. He really is just so amazing, and lovely, and just an overall remarkable person. He makes it hard not to fall in love with him.”

“One thing for me,” Mike begins. “I remember the first morning on set, and we were in hair and makeup, and she looks over at me from her chair and she’s got her hair all done back, and those undereye masks on, and she turns to me and says, ‘It’s such an honor to love you, even if it’s for a short time’, so I don’t know what she means by it’s not hard to fall in love with me, when she’s spitting out actual poetry at 6 in the morning.”

She covers her face with her hand, shaking it slightly. “I must’ve watched The Notebook the night before or something.”

One of the questions they are asked was individually, what were their favorite things to film.

Her: The bar scene where I sing karaoke… I loved that. I think we did like five different takes with five different songs. Also, the pier scene where we share a funnel cake, that was a good day. It’s always a good day when there’s a funnel cake.

Him: I was going to say the funnel cake… Uh, probably the beach scene when we are playing in the water. It was fucking cold though.

Question: What made you decide to take on this project?

Her: I loved the authenticity of it. You have these two lost people who find this safe haven in each other. It’s a love story but without that happy ending. There is no closure, but such is life. I loved how there wasn’t a dialogue script, because we really got to make our characters our own. We put a lot of ourselves in these characters, and it felt very genuine. They really do love each other, even in that short time.

Every time she speaks, Mike is sitting there with heart eyes. He absorbs everything she says. Fans in the audience mentioned that he was engulfed in her stories, and how when he would chime in with comments, she’d engage and beam right back at him. There wasn’t a moment where they weren’t smiling at each other. She at one point reaches over to squeeze his hand, and if you count, she stayed there for just a second too long.

Afterwards, some lucky fans said they saw them backstage share a long, drawn-out hug, where she rested her head in the crevice of his shoulder and neck, and he was rubbing her back. When they parted, he rubbed her shoulders and you can see her nod at something he says, before he kisses her forehead, and then part.

Some say, at first, they were bummed by what felt like an unfinished ending to the film but were quick to change their mind seeing her and Mike very much in love on stage. They are the happy ending.

[y3ager]

STORYTIME I (26 F) FUCKED MY SUPERSTAR CLIENT (24 M) AFTER MONTHS OF SEXUAL TENSION!

— ‘i’m a manager for a pretty big music label and my client is the biggest dickhead in the world but i fear i fucked him after one of our usual arguments.. 😵‍💫’

eren y. x black!fem!reader

tags: modern au, smut, porn not much plot, hate(?)sex, cunnilingus, cowgirl, reader gets called ‘mama’ and ‘boss’, unprotected sex, mild choking, musician!eren, manager!reader. minors do not interact.

my first collab entry MAKE SOME NOISE YALL WTF!!! but no seriously thanks so much to @k9nto for letting me join your event i had a blast writing this! hope you all enjoy! 🤭

YOU’VE ENCOUNTERED SOME annoying people in your life. in kindergarten, a boy taunted you by picking up one your fallen hot pink knocker-balls and refusing to give it back to you. in high school, some chick named tiffany ripped down all of your junior class president posters that you spent weeks designing and printing out on the highest quality paper. your college advisor had been completely useless, you’d still be dragging yourself through your bachelor’s degree if you didn’t stay on your toes and realize the classes you were dropped in were a waste of time. but all of these people, and many more that have slipped your mind, shaped and molded you into the woman you were today. strong, tenacious, independent, a go-getter who never gave up and thus was able to reap her hard work, in the form of three nice crisp degrees and a never pitiful bank account.

but eren yeager, grammy award winning singer, songwriter and musician, with multiple weeks spent at the top of the billboard hot 100 and 200 charts, millions of units sold worldwide, and stadiums packed to the brim, took the fucking cake.

you were warned he’d be difficult. every manager he’s assigned quits before one of them ends up in a body bag. none of them have a single nice thing to say about him, and he finds that hilarious.

for better or for worse, you took the challenge because you’re a sucker for them. nothing in life comes easy, and you figured that the managers before just didn’t come hard enough. maybe eren’s fame and status made them falter, but such a fate wouldn’t befall you.

you dragged him to his magazine shoots, you kept his mouth in line during interviews, you kept his socials clean. he was never a second late to rehearsals and recordings. he was a reflection of you, and if you were perfect goddammit he was going to be too.

until today.

“i’m not putting in another extension, eren. the label is starting to get really irritable. we need to go to the studio now.” you furiously swiping along your ipad, pacing around the singer’s deluxe hotel room. while you’re dressed for the day in clean crisp clothes, sharp stilettos, and jet black lace front expertly melted and laid, eren’s still in the bed. the covers are everywhere, his shirt is next to a couple pillows on the floor, and he’s laying on his back eating a croissant from room service, paying you absolutely no mind. it takes everything in you to not chuck your device at his big head. “i’m serious. get. up.”

“and i said i’m not,” he mocks your assertive tone, voice oozing in sarcasm. “going.” he coughs, obviously faking. “my voice hurts. can’t make those greedy bastards money if my vocal chords ache. they’ll live.”

“you are on a strict deadline this era. if you want to catch award season, this album needs to be finished and dropped in the next month. amidst the press tour, your window of recording time is dwindling fast.” dates in your digital calendar glare at you, red and angry. every time you check something off your to do, ten new things pop up. you feel your jaw clenching, teeth gritting together uncomfortably.

“i’ve won enough awards. i don’t care. i’m not getting up.” eren finally raises up from the bed, narrowed green eyes meeting yours. it’s fire against fire, an unstoppable force that is a manager determined to do her job versus an immovable object, a musician who’s not budging from his spot. “it’s my album. it’s my music. i finish it when the fuck i get ready. that label will burn before they drop me.”

“if you don’t follow contract, they will drop you. they put a lot of money into you-”

“money i made back for those dumbasses-!”

“they are your bosses, without them-”

“they need me way more than i need them-!”

“get,” you toss your ipad over to a small couch, storming over to the bed. you snatch the edge of the covers and yank hard. enough is enough. if he won’t get up, you’ll make him get up. “the fuck out of this bed, eren, now!”

“you need,” the cover is yanked back, tugging you forward along with it. you lurch momentarily before righting yourself upwards, leaning back to give yourself more leverage in this childish tug of war you find yourself in. “to calm the fuck down, ___. i’m not going and that’s fucking it.” eren may be lean, but he’s toned like a MMA fighter, muscles rippling under tan skin when he calls upon them. another tug and you topple onto the california king bed, one expensive heel sliding off your foot and falling across the room.

your heads snaps up from the covers, brow furrowed deep in anger. “stop being so fucking difficult, you moron!” emotions welling, you grab one of his arms, preparing to drag him out of this bed. your to do list is a nagging itch on your brain that by the grace of god you are going to scratch. you’re not about to let this bad-with-authority dickhead best you when all he has to do is record a fucking vocal.

“oh, we’re doing this?” easily, too easily, so easily that you register your back hitting the soft bed before you realized he even grabbed you back. he pins you down easily, slightly calloused hands grip your upper arms firmly, pushing them down. he places his legs other either side of your hips so yours are forced in between them, but doesn’t keep you from writhing to free yourself. “whatever fucking—stop doing that—chip you have on your shoulder, you need to fucking solve it because shit’s not going your way today. i’m not going and that is final.”

the tussle leaves you two of you panting, eyes boring into each other’s. eren’s long chocolate brown hair is disheveled not only from a night’s sleep but from this impromptu wrestle. small beads up sweat trickle down his naked chest. your writhe again, and he presses down against you, a synonymous hiss sliding through both of your mouths.

“i hate you, eren.”

“whatever helps you sleep at night, ___. looks like you wanted an excuse to feel up on me.”

“oh, like you wanted an excuse to hump me like a mutt?”

there’s another beat of silence as you two watch each other. eren’s hands tighten their hold just a tad before he presses his hardening length hard against your clothed cunt. against your better judgement, your head tilts back and a small moan fights against your bitten bottom lip.

eren hums lowly, his dick bulging against the constraint of his boxers. “hate me too much to actually fuck me, huh? i’m only worth a dry hump.”

oh how eren frustrates you. how he makes even the simplest things in life painstakingly difficult. how he makes you want to smoke ten packs of cigarettes after a day of dealing with him. but oh, how handsome he looks under the lights at photo shoots. how his deep, smooth voice reverbs in your ears. how his fingers move so deftly on his guitar, as if it’s merely an extension of his body. who wouldn’t fantasize about that late at night, him bending you over and snatching down your pants to fuck the stress out of you, or yourself knocking him down a peg and making him beg to let you cum inside.

“shut-” another roll of his hips makes you gasp. “up..”

“i want you, ___,” eren confesses. his hips don’t falter, his cock becoming hungry for release. “i want that pussy. i wanna fuck that little attitude out of you, can i? i see how you look at me and i stare right back.”

you shiver, hand rushing to undo your dress pants and feel more of eren’s dick against your dampening cunt. his hands work with your perfectly, yanking your pants down. it’s a whirlwind of clothes, your sweater, bra, your other shoe.

eren reaches up to grab your breasts, rolling them in his palms, squeezing the supple flesh, pushing them together. “oh, pretty girl. pretty fuckin’ tits.” leaning down, he kisses down your sternum, stomach, inching closer and closer to your center. he wastes no time grabbing your thighs and licking a nice, long stripe against your drooling cunt and sucking on your clit.

your back immediately arches up and your hands fly to grip eren’s hair, tugging at the locks and pulling him in closer so you can feel everything. “oh my god, eren.” the singer’s not shy at all, audibly sucking at you and reaching up to twist and pinch your pebbled nipples.

with another languid lick eren pulls himself away. he pulls his boxers down on and off, freeing his dick from the constraint. he rubs the thick, weeping tip up and down your slit, staring hungrily at the juices leaking out. the feeling of it makes you shiver in anticipation.

“mmm, mm-mm.” you push yourself up. “let me get ‘n top..” there’s a greedy look in your low eyes as you place your hand on eren’s solid chest and lay him down on the bed.

“take charge here too, huh?” your forwardness makes him chuckle as he watches you straddle his waist. “okay then. ride me.”

you brace yourself on your toes as his hand and yours grasp his shaft, directing it to your pulsing hole. you slide down gingerly onto him, his size quickly stretching you out. “ahh, fuck, eren. fuck…”

“you got it,” he assures you, one hand on your thigh as you sink lower and lower, taking him in inch by inch. he bites his lip at the wet tightness of your walls, squeezing and sucking him in. it makes him throw his head back, a couple of small pants escaping his mouth. “mmhm, fuck that pussy feels so good. take that dick, boss.” his hand raises only to land on your ass check with a sharp slap.

you start out slow at first, letting yourself adjust to the wideness of his dick but that quickly gets old. you’re soon addicted to the feeling of him fitting inside so perfectly. gripping his free hand in yours, you swivel and raise your hips faster and faster, effortlessly, desperate for that feeling of him pounding that oh so sweet spot. your juices slide down his length, the slap slap slap of your ass against his muscled thighs filling the room. “‘s so big, feels so good,” your voice slurs.

eren hisses from his spot under you, eyes trained on where you two connect. mouth slightly agape, he watches your cunt swallow him up and the fluid that leaks out. “yes, mama. keep fucking me just like that. feels.. f-fuckin’ amazin’…” his hands grab your plump ass cheeks, fingers digging in hard as he thrusts his hips up, driving the tip of his cock even deeper inside you and pulling a loud moan from you. “keep goin, mama, ‘m almost there, don’t stop, please..”

his pleading make you clench even tighter around him, and that feeling deep inside your tummy aches for release. you place a hand around his throat to better balance yourself, relishing in his low groan. your thighs quake and tremble, your hips meeting his eager thrust perfectly. “oh, my god; oh my god. i’m— shit!” you throw your head back in ecstasy, cumming hard enough on your client’s dick to leave you numb.

“aw, fuck, boss.” eren thrusts up to push his cum deep inside, holding you against himself to ensure a single drop doesn’t leak. “take it, take it..”

the two of you are left panting hard, bodies sweaty and gleaming with the afterglow of sex. you gingerly pull away, cunt left sore and spent from a round of sex months in the making. eren reaches over to caress your ebon lips, admiring the smooth, wet feeling once you roll onto your back. “no more attitude from you, yeah?”

“no more attitude from the man reduced to calling me ‘mama’ and begging to cum either, i’d assume.” your teasing laughter is cut off by him purposefully sinking three fingers deep inside you. “mmh…”

“mhm, sure.” roles reversed, eren climbs on top of you and stares down with green eyes aflame with lust through his tousled brown hair. “now i want to see what i can make you call me.”

[i-am-baechu]

𝜗𝜚 Title: APT 

𝜗𝜚 Paring: Student Council President! Namjoon x Singer! Reader 

𝜗𝜚 Rating: PG - 16

𝜗𝜚 Summary: “Don’t you want me like I want you, baby?” 

Straight A’s and student council president, what else can a girl want? Y/N can list why she didn’t want that in her life and why it’s more of a headache to have Kim Namjoon as a boyfriend. Poor Namjoon...

𝜗𝜚 Genre: Fluff, romance, comedy, angst, enemies to lovers (misunderstandings, not full blown enemies to lovers but it's there ish), opposite attracts, and some steamy scenes but not too crazy 

𝜗𝜚 Playlist: APT - Rose and Bruno Mars

𝜗𝜚 Author’s Note: I restarted the story and I really like this version better. I uploaded this late because I was re-doing it. This is different from the preview but it still has the same vibe. This is my New Year’s gift to you all for sticking around! I can’t wait for the New Years and what I release! 

College was the time to feel alive and get your life together or that’s how people see it. Sometimes it takes time to get your life together and the advice from others becomes deaf, you’re standing alone with your back straight. This is how L/N Y/N saw it. No matter how put together you are, you're never truly put together. There’s always something out of place and that’s okay. It’s how you fix it that matters. College was a time where she could express her feelings through her words but for others it was different. 

Y/N grabbed her guitar and walked out on the stage to see a full house. She smiled to herself and looked at her friend, Lee Ji-Hoon or Woozi, and nodded her head, “Welcome to the After Hour, I hope you're ready!”  She ran her pick through her strings and the crowd let out a loud cheer, “I can’t hear you! Are you ready!” She ran her pick through her strings again and the crowd screamed louder. She looked at Woozi who gave her a smile, “Let’s go!” College was really the time to feel alive and be comfortable in your skin. Under the lights with her guitar and her best friend, Y/N felt just that. Seen and heard. 

Kim Namjoon stood in the back with his hood up. He watched Y/N jump on the stage with a wide smile and he couldn’t stop his smile from forming. This was the only time he could hear her and see her because all the other times she ignored him. Rightfully so but he couldn’t stop himself from coming every night. To him, he had an image to hold up. The perfect student council president with straight A’s with nothing wrong. College was the time to put on a mask to get further in life and he knew this, especially with his father’s business he was going to inherit. Some saw college as a way to be vocal, to be different or just being colorful but he didn’t get the memo. Maybe that’s why he liked watching Y/N. It was everything he wasn’t...it was everything he wished he had the guts to be.

Y/N rubbed her eyes and took a deep sigh, “Fucking hell.” She stretched her arms and cracked her neck. It was another successful night but it hurt her back from dancing around the stage. She glanced at her clock and her eyes widen, “Fuck.” She quickly tossed her blanket to the side and went to her closest. Her art class started in thirty minutes and it took her twenty minutes to get to the class. She was cutting this close, nothing new. She put her hair in a messy ponytail and ran out of her dorm. She hated running but there were times she could make an exception and this is one of those times. She ran through the crowds as gracefully as she could get and ignored the glares. 

Namjoon sat with his friends in the lunch court and he looked outside. It was the perfect timing. He watched Y/N running and his eyes never left her figure, even with her messy hair she still looked perfect. He smiled to himself and looked back at Min Yoongi who was raising his eyebrow at him. Namjoon took a sip of his water, “What?” 

“You need to stop staring at her.” 

Namjoon rolled his eyes, “I have no idea what you're talking about.” 

Jung Hoseok let out a laugh, “You really suck at lying.”

“Who said I was lying.”

Yoongi shrugged his shoulders, “The fact I can see you on her Instagram right now.” 

Namjoon glanced down at his phone and shut it off, “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Simp.” 

Y/N made it to class with four minutes to spare, who would’ve thought she could run that fast? She bowed her head at the professor and made her way to the seats. She headed towards the back and placed her bag in the chair next to her, “You're Y/N, right?” 

Y/N jumped and looked to her side to see Kim Taehyung giving her a small smile, Oh gosh it’s one of them. She nodded her head, “That’s me. You're Taehyung, right?” 

“Yeah, I didn’t know you were in this class.” 

Y/N had to stop herself from glaring at him. She has been in the same art classes with him since freshman year. He always sat in the front with his new girlfriend of the week so of course he didn’t see her. She would always come early and sit in the back so no one would talk to her. It also helped that she had her headphones on. 

She nodded her head, “Surprise.” She turned towards her bag and took out her sketchbook alongside her supplies. She felt eyes on her still and she looked to see Taehyung watching her. She raised her eyebrow at this, “Do you need something?” 

“Oh no...I was just seeing something. Sorry.”

Y/N nodded her head and looked towards the front to pay attention to the lesson, He’s so weird. Taehyung let out a small cough and she slowly turned towards him, “Yes?”

“I was going to ask, could you perform at my party?”

“Party? I don’t really do parties.”

“I’ll pay you.”

Y/N wanted to roll her eyes but she stopped herself, “I don’t really like parties-”

“I’ll pay for your student parking for the rest of the year.” 

Y/N raised her eyebrow, “I-”

“I’ll pay for your lunch for the next month too.”

“I’ll do it.” 

After the lesson, Y/N ran out of the classroom before Taehyung could talk to her more. Throughout the lesson, he would try to make small talk but she felt so awkward. She put her headphones on and headed to the library to write down some lyrics. Her music was playing and she couldn’t hear anything, peaceful. She walked up the stairs to the library and went to the sixth floor. Her safe haven. No one comes to the sixth floor unless they actually need work to get done. It was the last floor and most of the time people forgot it existed. 

She walked in and was shocked when she saw the group of girls talking to Kim Namjoon, why is it so loud? She sighed and shook her head. She turned around and walked away but didn’t notice the brown eyes on her back. She took her hair out of her ponytail and put it in a bun as she walked down the stairs. She was annoyed now because why is he having his fan meet up on the sixth floor? Have it on the second floor where there’s an exit to the main campus at least. Now she had to go down all these stairs without getting her song done. Annoying. 

She walked towards the garden and felt an arm around her shoulders. She took off her headphones and smiled, “Yo, Woozi.”

“I thought I was meeting you at the library.”

She scoffed at this, “That was the plan but Namjoon had his fan meet up.”

Woozi let out a laugh and shook his head, “They can be…a lot to handle. Sorry about that.”

Y/N shrugged her shoulders, “I’m sure we can figure it out. We always do.”

“Always?”

“Shut up, oh by the way. Taehyung invited us to play at his party next week.”

Woozi let her go and raised his eyebrow, “We don’t do parties.”

“I know but he’s going to pay for my parking for the rest of the year and my lunch.”

“I really don’t want to see the student council members.”

Y/N nodded her head and leaned against the picnic table, “I know but think of it as exposure.”

“Exposure to what? Horny drunks?”

“Horny drunks that like music.”

Namjoon stared outside and frowned. After getting all the girls to leave, he was finally able to finish his discussion post. He actually made a plan to speak to Y/N. He knew she came to the sixth floor and thought it was the perfect opportunity to talk. Of course, his fan club followed him and of course, he watched her walk away. Nothing ever works out for him and now he has to watch her get close to Lee Ji-Hoon.

“I thought you were going to talk to her.” 

Namjoon rolled his eyes and turned to see Kim Seokjin giving him a teasing smile, “I was...why are you guys so invested in my dating life?” 

“Because you never like anyone.” 

“That’s not true.”

Seokjin raised his eyebrow and let out a chuckle, “Dude, are you being serious?” 

“You guys need to stop harassing me.” 

“Where’s the fun in that?” 

Later that night, Y/N went back to the library and went to the sixth floor. Her eyes landed on Namjoon who was writing away. She let out a deep sigh when she saw him. She didn’t hate him, she hated the constant commotion he brings everywhere he goes. That goes to all the student council members, sure they were loud but she didn’t care about that. It was the commotion that followed them that annoyed her. She just wanted to focus on her work but it was impossible with them there. There was also the added layer of him being perfect, it annoyed her how in every speech he had he would emphasize this. “Be careful with your mistakes, it can destroy your future.” Very encouraging words.  

She started walking towards the back when she heard her name softly. She turned to see Namjoon with his glasses off and gave her a look that she couldn’t decipher. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrow while taking a headphone out, “Yes?”   

Namjoon felt his hands getting sweaty and gave her a small smile, “I was just going to say you have a stain on your shirt.” 

She glared at him and looked down at her shirt, this was the first time he was truly talking to her and that’s what he said. Y/N nodded her head and put her headphones back in, “Noted.” 

Namjoon smacked his forehead and he wanted to stab himself, “Why did I say that?” Namjoon got up and followed her. He tapped her shoulder and she turned around. She took off her headphones and gave him a deadpan look, “Yeah?”

“I-I didn’t mean to say that. It just slipped out, I was going to ask...are you really performing at Taehyung’s party next week?”

She slowly nodded her head, “Yeah, I am. Are you giving me your requests now?” 

Namjoon quickly shook his head and looked down at his shoes with a red face, “I was just excited to hear you play.” 

Y/N was surprised to hear this from him. Namjoon the golden boy was excited to hear her music, “Well...thanks I can’t wait to see you at the party.” 

She gave him a smile and walked away. As she walked away, she brought her hand up and did a backward wave. Namjoon felt an arrow shoot through his heart when she did this. Maybe he was a simp, “Y-Y/N, wait.”

She turned around and raised her eyebrow, “Very talkative president.” 

“So-Sorry, I just wanted to know...would it be weird if I followed you on Instagram?” 

She let out a small laugh and shook her head, “You can follow me, that’s not weird at all.” She had to stop herself from laughing more, he was so awkward that it shocked her. The golden boy had a flaw and it was kind of cute. “Don’t tell Taehyung to follow me. I can’t handle him.” 

Namjoon let out a laugh and nodded his head, “He can be a lot but he’s sweet.” 

“He talks more than you.”

Namjoon felt his face get hot and she let out a laugh when she saw his flustered face, “See you later?”

“Yea-Yeah, I’ll see you later...Y/N.”

Namjoon watched her walk away and he quickly took his phone out. He shook his head, “I’ll do it tonight...it’s too early. She might think I’m creepy.” 

Y/N sat at the table and took out her laptop. She bit her lip and looked up Namjoon’s instagram page. Interesting... 

The whole school sat in the auditorium early this morning. It was another speech and Y/N wasn’t looking forward to it. These speeches made her shiver with uncomfortableness as she looked around to see if anyone felt the same. The emphasis of being perfect and looking forward to your future was too much pressure. She already had enough pressure at just trying to be alive, why put more on her shoulders? Y/N sat next to Woozi and sighed, “I can’t keep doing these speeches.” 

Woozi nodded his head and took a sip of his water, “I know...it’s like we're talking to our parents.”

“Maybe that’s why I hate it.”

Namjoon walked to the microphone with a proud smile, “Good morning, I am the student council president and I’m glad to have this speech. I just want to say...”

Y/N looked away from Namjoon as the speech continued, it was the same thing. She brought her headphones to her ears and listened to her music. She went through her phone as she ignored the cheers for the speech that didn’t make her feel. Woozi hit her arm with his elbow, she took off her headphone and smiled, “Is it time to leave?”

“Yeah, let’s go get breakfast before there’s no more.” 

They started to walk out but stopped when she heard her name. She turned around and saw Namjoon who was breathing hard, “Hey.”

She looked him up and down, “Did you just run off the stage to say hey to me?”

“I wouldn’t say run-”

“It wasn’t walking.”

Namjoon stood straighter and smiled at her, “Are you going to breakfast?”   

She glanced at Woozi and then back at Namjoon, “Yeah, we want the bagels before it’s gone.” 

Namjoon nodded his head, “I’ll see you later.”

She waved at him and walked away with Woozi. He looked over his shoulders and then back at Y/N, “He’s weird.” 

“I think it's...it’s cute. Like a puppy.” 

“You think he’s cute?”

“Like a puppy that needs a home.” 

Namjoon watched her leave and Seokjin wrapped his arm around his shoulders, “I can see the red hearts around your head.”

“Shut up, leave me alone.” 

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Tonight was the party. Y/N wasn’t looking forward to it but she was going to get free parking and lunch...what more could she want? She was dressed in a simple leather dress with a matching jacket. Woozi came in and handed her a soda, “You ready?”

“Do you think this is the right move for us? I mean-”

Woozi sat down on her bed and shook his head, “It’s different but I think it's a good different.” 

“I mean like you said, horny drunks.”

Woozi let out a laugh, “You said it's good exposure. What’s wrong?”

Y/N sighed and sat next to him with a frown, “We have never performed for the popular kids you know...the ones-”

“The ones that control the school. Why does that matter?” 

“If they don’t like it then they could make sure that we never perform again.” 

Woozi shook his head and took Y/N’s hands and made her face him, “Y/N, our music is what brings people together. It tells your story, don’t let others make you feel silent.” 

Y/N smiled at him, “You remember what I said.”

“Never be silent again because of someone else...”

Y/N sighed and stood up, “You’re right. This is us telling a story.” 

Woozi nodded his head, “I mean it’s mostly you talking shit about your ex.”

“I am a storyteller. Shut up.” 

“Let’s get some food before we go there.”

“Subway?”

Namjoon was getting ready for the party and he was trying his best to look relaxed. He felt so tense and it was because he was going to see Y/N without hiding. He was excited but nervous. He barely started talking to her and he hated how awkward he was with her. He didn’t mean it but it was so hard when she looked at him with that natural mischievous eyes. He flattened his pants and took a deep breath. He walked out and stood in front of Yoongi, “How does it look?” 

Yoongi put his phone down and looked at Namjoon, “Dude you look like you're going to a golf championship.” 

Namjoon glanced down and let out a groan, “This is my nicest shirt.” 

“You need to dress like you're going to a party. You're not impressing your dad, you're impressing Y/N.” 

Namjoon nodded his head, “I know...I just want her to like me.”

“Don’t try too hard.” 

Y/N walked into the frat building and she was looking around. There were groups of people dancing and drinking. The air smelled like strawberries and cigarettes, it wasn’t pleasant at all. She looked at Woozi, who was giving her the same look, “You think they have blow here?”

“Y/N, what the fuck?”

“What...it’s a good question.” 

“Y/N, you actually came.”

She saw Taehyung coming towards her and she noticed the red lipstick on his neck. She raised her eyebrow and then looked at him, “Yeah, where do you want us?” 

“Follow me.” She watched start walking away and she glanced at Woozi, “Are we going to die?” 

Woozi rolled his eyes and pushed Y/N gently, “If we die then I’m going to kill you.” 

She looked around and saw that they were walking into the backyard. She looked around and saw the fairy lights scattered along the fences and trees. The stage was small but it was workable. Taehyung turned around and gave her a smile, “I hope this is okay...I tried my best.”

Woozi gave him a smile, “It looks nice. Thank you for putting this together for us.”

“Yeah, I had so many requests to have you guys play.”

Y/N’s eyes widened at this, “Really?”

“Don’t be shocked, everyone loves your music.” 

She watched Taehyung walk away and she turned to Woozi, “Well...that was shocking.” 

Namjoon entered and he immediately made his way to the backyard. He helped set up the stage for Y/N and wanted to see her face when she saw the stage. He stopped by the door and saw her setting up. The fairy lights gave her a soft glow on her skin and it made her look so soft. He took a deep breath and walked towards her, “Hey Y/N.” 

She looked up from her guitar and smiled at Namjoon, “Hey, I like your jacket. It matches mine.”

He glanced down at his jacket and then back at her, thanks Yoongi, “Yeah, I like your outfit. I mean it’s short...the dress.”

Y/N raised her eyebrow, “Are you telling me how to dress?”

He swallowed his spit and shook his head, “No, I was just stating a fact. I mean it’s a party and girls tend to wear short dresses to catch attention.” 

She glared at him, “You think I'm doing this to catch a guy's attention.” 

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I was just saying in general...”

She nodded her head and turned towards Woozi. She looked back at Namjoon and gave him a tight smile, “I gotta finish getting ready. See you later.” 

“Ye-Yeah. I’ll see you later. I can’t wait to hear you perform.” 

“Mmmm.” 

Y/N watched him walk away and she scoffed at him, “Woozi, did you hear him?”

“I did. He’s...He’s doing something.”

“Golden boy just loves pointing out things.” 

She strung her guitar a couple of times but she never noticed the brown eyes on her. Namjoon looked through the window and ran his fingers through his hair, “I’m so stupid.” 

Hoseok patted his back, “Yeah...you don’t have to prove you're smart to her. Just talk to her normally.”

“I want to prove to her that I’m worth something. Not just some guy that has a crush on her.”

“Then stop trying to put on a show for her. Just be you.” 

A small crowd started to form in front of  Y/N as she continued to tune her guitar. A girl came up to her with a solo cup and smiled at her, “What song are you going to play?”

Y/N shrugged her shoulders, “I was going to do some covers-”

“What!? No! You have to do that song you played at After Dark.”

Y/N tilted her head at this, “You liked that?”

“Yes, I have never heard of it before.”

“It's an original song.”

The girl looked at her and smiled, “If you don’t play it then I’m going to protest.”

Her friends dragged her away and she let out a small laugh. She looked at Woozi and gave him a nervous look, “Should we play...”

“I mean it was requested. Might as well.” 

She glanced down at her shoes and then back at him, “Is it good enough?”

“Y/N, listen to your heart.” 

She smiled at this and nodded her head, “Okay.” 

Woozi gave her a thumbs up and she nodded her head. She looked into the big crowd and wiped her hands against her skirt. She heard the first beat and smiled to herself, “Call us what we are

Toxic from the start...”

Namjoon stood in the back with his drink and he watched Y/N sing her heart. He felt his heart beat faster when he saw the pure passion coming through. He carefully went through the crowd because he wanted to get closer to her. Her voice felt like it was pulling him and he couldn’t stop himself. He stood in front of her and he swayed his body to the beat. She was singing her heart and she was smiling when she saw everyone jumping to her music. Namjoon was so into the music that he didn’t notice the girl next to her was dancing too crazy. He moved his arm away from the girl but it was no use. 

Y/N stopped playing her guitar and looked down at her legs. She saw the alcohol or whatever it was in the cup all over her legs. She slowly looked up and glared at Namjoon. She let out an angry puff of air and closed her eyes, “Namjoon…what the hell is your problem!?”

“I-I don’t have one.”

“Really cause it seems like you have one with me. First you insult me and now you throw alcohol at me.”

Namjoon glanced beside him and pointed at the girl, “She accidentally knocked it out of my hand. Y/N, I-I would never.”

Y/N glanced at the girl and then at Namjoon, “Just stand back. I really don’t want to get angry with you.” 

Namjoon sighed to himself and nodded his head. He walked towards the back and he looked back to see Y/N already looking at him. He shook his head (mainly to himself) and went back inside the house. He went towards the guest bedroom and was shocked it was empty. He locked the door and slid down the door until he was on the floor. He took his phone out and clicked on Y/N’s instagram profile. He clicked the DM and sighed to himself, I’m really sorry. I know someone who can fix the leather if I ruined them. 

You better keep your promise golden boy 😘

Namjoon dropped his phone and he didn’t even care about the cracked screen. He got a kissy face from Y/N. Nothing in this world mattered. 

The next day, Namjoon found himself standing outside the mall. He was dressed in Yoongi’s clothing again because he really wanted to impress Y/N. He rubbed his hands against his jeans and took a deep breath, “Are you good?”

Namjoon's eyes snapped open and he saw Y/N giving him a raised eyebrow, “I-I’m fine.” 

She glanced at the jacket and then back at him, “Isn’t that Yoongi’s jacket?” 

“No, why would you ask that?”

She leaned towards the right and glanced at the patch that clearly said Yoongi’s name, “No reason.” She let out a small laugh and started walking towards the entrance. Namjoon glanced at the patch and ripped it off with annoyance. He ran to catch up with Y/N, “I can show you the-”

“Namjoon, have you ever been in this store?”

Namjoon glanced at the comic store and shook his head, “No...my dad thinks comics are stupid.” 

“Well thank god your dad isn’t here. Come on.” She grabbed his wrist and walked into the store. She started showing off random figures to him and even though he didn’t understand them, he was having fun. Y/N glanced at him and smiled to herself when she saw him smiling. 

They walked outside and walked towards the lunch court to get ice cream. Y/N glanced at Namjoon as they stood in line, “Why are you so tense?” 

Namjoon glanced at her and then back at his shoes, “You want the truth?”

“The truth would be cool, I suppose.”

Namjoon let out a small laugh and looked at Y/N, “I want to...I want to impress you.”

She raised her eyebrow at this, “Me? Namjoon, you do realize it’s just me, right?” 

Namjoon looked her in her eyes and held his tongue (That's why it’s so hard), “I know that...”

She let out a small chuckle and looked forward, “You know it's ironic.” 

“What is?”

“That you say be careful with your mistakes but here you are messing up. It’s cute.”

Namjoon frowned at this but then it clicked, “Cu-Cute?” 

Y/N smirked to herself and looked at the cashier, “May I have the sweet corn ice cream, please.” She glanced at Namjoon who was still looking at her with a shocked face. She rolled her eyes and tapped the tip of his nose, “You want ice cream or what?” 

Namjoon shook his head and swallowed his spit, “I’ll get pear...”

She smiled at him and then back at the cashier, “Pear ice cream too, please.” 

Once they got the ice cream in hand, they walked towards the table and Y/N tilted her head at him, “You’re so...interesting.”

Namjoon stopped eating his ice cream and looked at her, “Is that good?”

“It depends on how you see it.” 

“What does that even mean!?” 

Y/N let out a small laugh, “You need to relax.” She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and took it out. Her eyes widened and she stood up with an excited expression, “We have to go.”

“Go where? What about your shoes?” 

“The shoes can wait, Woozi got tickets to this mini concert. Asshole kept a secret until now, let’s go.” 

“Isn’t it kind of late for that?” 

Y/N rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist to pull him up, “Sleep tomorrow but tonight go crazy. Let’s go.” 

She finished her ice cream and tossed the wrapper. She smirked at him and grabbed his wrist again and ran through the mall while Namjoon tried his best not to spill his pear ice cream. Namjoon stared at her back with shocked eyes, he would have never guessed that he would be here with her. She unlocked her car and looked at Namjoon, “You ready?”

“Umm...I finished my ice cream.”

She glanced at the empty stick and smiled at him, “Now you don’t have an excuse. Get in~.” Namjoon tossed the stick in the trash and sat in her car. He tensed up, not knowing what to do. Y/N glanced at him and let out a small laugh, “You can move. It’s fine.”

“I don’t want to ruin it.”

 “I spilled sauce on my chair yesterday. Nothing you do can ruin it the way I have.”

Namjoon slowly untensed his shoulders and nodded his head, “Okay.” 

“The mini concert is with one singer. Nothing big, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Namjoon nodded his head and watched her turn her wheel. Why was he feeling hot watching her turn the wheel? He let out a small cough and rolled down the window, “I’m sure it will be fun. Who is it?”

“Her name is Jo Yuri. I’ve been waiting for this since last spring but it got canceled because of the rain.” 

“Oh, I know who she is.” 

Y/N raised her eyebrow and looked at him, “You know her?”

“Yeah, my sister listens to her.”

“Then we have to get something for your sister.” She parked the car and glanced at Namjoon. She put her hand on top of Namjoon’s, “It’ll be fun, don’t be so tense.”

“I’m not tense.”

She shook her head and pushed some hair off of his forehead, “You don’t have to be perfect with me.” 

He turned his head and their eyes met. Under the street lights, he saw every little detail that he never noticed before. He leaned forward and gently caressed her cheek as she glanced down at his lips. Her phone buzzed and they both jumped away as she took out her phone, “Woozi is waiting.”

“Wait, how am I going to get in?”

“Sneaking you in. That’s the benefit of having a small venue.”

“Wait what?”

Y/N let out a small laugh and tapped his nose, “Trust me.” 

That night Namjoon did just that, he trusted her and the night was the greatest night he had ever had (minus the fact that the guard was staring at him).

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Y/N sat in the car and glanced at the tall building. The building was so nice and it couldn’t compare to her dorm on campus. Namjoon invited her over to celebrate something with him, he never told her what it was for but there was something in his eyes that made her say yes. It felt like he needed someone to be there. She couldn’t explain it to Woozi but somehow he understood what she was saying. She took a deep breath and for the first time she was nervous to see Namjoon. She walked through the hallway and her footsteps echoed through the emptiness. 

She knocked on the door and she saw Namjoon in a nice black suit. She glanced up and down at him with a raised eyebrow, “Suit?” 

He let out a small cough, “It's proper for this event. Is that what you're going to wear?” 

She glanced down at her simple white top and jeans. She looked up and nodded her head with a confused look, “Yeah? Why?”

“I think it can work, come in.” 

She had to stop herself from scoffing and she walked in. Everyone in his apartment was dressed in suits and nice dresses. It was uncomfortable. She let out a nervous laugh and she turned around to look at Namjoon, “What kind of celebration is this?” 

“It’s for my father.” 

She slowly nodded and looked around, “Well...I need a drink.”

She walked towards the kitchen leaving Namjoon in the living room talking to someone important. She picked up the fancy glass and sighed to herself. This was going to be a long night. She went back outside and looked at Namjoon with a nervous look, “Why am I here?”

“I wanted good company.”

She frowned at this and looked around before she whispered, “Why are you talking like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you're a person in a suit.”

He glanced down at his outfit and then at her, “I am in a suit.”

“You know what I mean...” She looked around the room and then at him, “Your acting...different.” 

“I’m acting the way a future CEO should act.”

She shook her head at this, “But Namjoon, this isn’t you.” 

Namjoon sighed at this and took a sip of his whiskey, “Listen, this party is for my father. I have to act accordingly and it would be nice if you do the same.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t want to fight.”

She glared at him and scoffed, “I’m not fighting. I want to know what you mean. Tell me.”

“You don’t act right. You change the order just to fit yourself, you can’t change order.”

“I don’t change anything, I make mistakes. Mistakes are okay to make, why are you looking at me like I killed someone?” 

“You can’t make a mistake especially here.”

She nodded her head and took a sip of her champion, “Well then...thank you for inviting me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She handed him the empty glass and slowly walked away. She heard him following him and she was at the door. She turned towards him and frowned, “If I leave, don’t bother talking to me.” 

“Y/N, don’t do this.”

“You just told me I don’t act right...like I'm a dog. The whole time you have talked to me, you’ve made mistakes. You're human, not a machine that is perfect.”

“Just stay with me for the night.”

She shook her head and slowly turned the knob, “No, you can’t even accept yourself but you want to change me. Goodnight President.” 

“Y/N-”

She opened the door and closed it quietly as he stood in the hallway with an emotionless face. He closed his eyes, “Fuck.” 

She sat in her car and ran her fingers through her hair, “Namjoon, why are you an idiot?” She started her car and drove away with brown eyes looking out the window. The empty glass in his hand felt so heavy like his heart. 

Y/N sat in the auditorium next to Woozi with a blank expression. Woozi glanced at her with a worried look, “We can leave if you want.”

Y/N shook her head, “No...I kind of want to see him.” 

“You sure. I could always hit him with my keyboard.” 

Y/N let out a small laugh and shook her head, “No, don’t hurt him. He’s just lost right now.” 

She looked up and saw Namjoon making his way to center stage. He was wearing glasses and his hair was all messy. She tilted her head at this because he never does that. Namjoon let out a small cough and ran his fingers through his hair, “Today is going to be different. I made a mistake...”

Y/N stared at him with a small smile coming up, “Namjoon...”

“You shouldn’t leave your life to be perfect. It’s a waste of time honestly. School is important and doing your regular responsibilities is important but don’t forget to live. If you just focus on school and all the other stuff, then you're not living. You're living in black and white when you should be living in color. Don’t be like me and be perfect when in reality you're not. You shouldn’t survive, you should live.” 

Y/N smiled at him and when he walked off the stage, she quickly made her way backstage. She ignored the stare from Woozi and she knew where she needed to be. She saw him and he turned to make eye contact. They both stood there and she gave him a small wave. He swallowed his spit and made his way towards her, “Y/N...” 

She jumped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck, “I’m so proud of you.” 

He blinked his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist, “I’m sorry...I’m sorry for saying that to you. You act perfect. You're everything I want to be, I want to be like you. I’m sorry I took everything out on you when you deserve to be-”

“Namjoon, it’s okay. I forgive you.” 

She let go and she took his wrist walking out of the auditorium, where no one noticed them leaving. She went towards the library and he knew where they were going. They entered the sixth floor and she brought him to the table where she always goes. She pushed him against the table and she leaned against him, “How about you kiss me, golden boy.”

“I-If you want me to kiss you-”

She let out a laugh and grabbed the collar of his shirt. She brought him into a kiss as his eyes widened. He slowly closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist as he returned the kiss. She gently pushed him on the table and she straddled his waist, “Golden boy, don’t think you're off the hook just yet.” 

He swallowed his spit and nodded his head, “What-”

She took off his glasses and tapped his nose, “I need some fun too. Are you going to let me have that fun?”

“Ye-Yeah.”

“Good answer.” 

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Y/N stood on the stage with Woozi and she glanced at Namjoon who was sitting front row with a wide grin. She gave him a small wave and he returned it, “I wrote this song for a special someone...” She glanced down at Namjoon and gave him a wink, “Let’s go!” 

“아파트, 아파트, 아파트, 아파트

아파트, 아파트, uh, uh-huh, uh-huh

아파트, 아파트, 아파트, 아파트

아파트, 아파트, uh, uh-huh, uh-huh” 

Namjoon looked at her and shook his head. He felt an arm around his shoulder and looked at Yoongi, “I think she’s talking about you.” 

“Shut up.” 

“Kissy face, kissy face sent to your phone, but

I'm trying to kiss your lips for real (uh-huh, uh-huh)

Red hearts, red hearts, that's what I'm on, yeah

Come give me somethin' I can feel, oh-oh-oh” 

She sat in the dressing room and brushed her hair. The door opened and she smiled through the mirror, “You like the song?”

Namjoon's face turned red and nodded his head, “I-I love the song actually.” 

She stood up and leaned against her small table. She sent him a small smirk and started unbuttoning her shirt, “You want to show me how much you love it.” 

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

“Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. Individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want and then offer themselves without being asked.” Those words written by Yale Professor Timothy Snyder in his book, “On Tyranny” came to mind twice recently. The first was last week when MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski headed to Mar-a-Lago to capitulate to Donald Trump. And then again on Monday, when we learned that Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice was surrendering to Trump by voluntarily dismissing criminal charges against Trump in both the attempted coup and Espionage cases. These two incidents actually share a great deal in common. Both involve visible people with power who are fully aware of the danger Trump poses to our Republic and who Trump has vowed retribution against. And both surrendered soon after Trump won, thus, emboldening the aspiring autocrat. In defense of Jack Smith, he did move swiftly after being appointed Special Counsel in November 2022. The failure has always been and continues to be Merrick Garland, a person I have been vocally criticizing since late 2021 for his failure to timely prosecute Trump--even causing Democratic legal pundits to attack me in 2022 for not understanding how the DOJ works.

True, while I am a lawyer, I never worked in DOJ. But I’m a student of history and understood where this could go if Garland did not move swiftly. That is why in Jan 2022--on the first anniversary of Jan. 6--I wrote an op-ed for MSNBC pressing Garland to charge Trump that concluded with the line that if Garland didn’t move swiftly to hold Trump accountable: “I believe historians will count it among the key mistakes that ultimately led to the end of the United States as a democratic republic.” To be clear, Special Counsel Smith’s dismissal was demanded by Garland’s DOJ as he noted in his six-page filing on Monday.  Smith wrote that, “It has long been the position of the Department of Justice that the United States Constitution forbids the federal indictment and subsequent criminal prosecution of a sitting President.” The basis for that DOJ view is NOT a specific line in the US Constitution nor a US Supreme Court decision. Rather it was two memos drafted by the DOJ’s Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)—one in 1973 when there were questions about charging then President Richard Nixon in connection with Watergate and the second in 2000 when President Bill Clinton was embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

But as Smith notes in his filing, neither addressed the facts before us of: 1. A former president charged as a private citizen for committing crimes--as in Trump’s Espionage and obstruction case; and, 2. A former President charged after leaving office for crimes committed in office--as we have with Trump’s Jan. 6 attempted coup case. Smith—who has independence as a Special Counsel—is still required by way of DOJ regulations to “comply with the rules, regulations, procedures, practices and policies of the Department of Justice.” Thus, Smith ask Garland’s DOJ for guidance. And as you would imagine, Garland’s DOJ-- that has failed to charge even one GOP official for their role in helping Trump overturn the 2020 election--told Smith to stand down.   Smith wrote that Garland’s OLC “concluded that its 2000 Opinion’s ‘categorical’ prohibition on the federal indictment of a sitting President—even if the case were held in abeyance—applies to this situation, where a federal indictment was returned before the defendant takes office.”  In sum, as Smith noted, “Accordingly, the Department’s position is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated.”

Smith has done all he can to warn us of the threat Trump poses. When the Jan. 6 indictment versus Trump was first unsealed in Aug. 2023, Smith publicly declared, “The attack on our nation’s capital on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies.”  The Special Counsel then took direct aim at Trump, “Lies by the defendant [Trump] targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government, the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election.” And earlier this year in connection with the U.S. Supreme Court case where Trump argued he should be immune from prosecution for any crimes he committed in office, Smith again rang alarm bells about what Trump was seeking. The Special Counsel wrote in a passage prescient for where we are today: “The defendant’s claim that he cannot be held to answer for the charges that he engaged in an unprecedented effort to retain power through criminal means…threatens the democratic and constitutional foundation of our Republic.”

[...] Again, Garland and Scarborough have chosen to surrender to Trump—just as we can expect others will going forward. We must not. As Prof. Snyder tells us: “Do not obey in advance.”  Instead, we must take the fight to Trump. That is the way we protect our freedoms, our self-determination and our Republic.

Picking Merrick Garland to lead the DOJ was the biggest mistake President Biden ever made, and he helped Donald Trump escape his legal issues.

[darlingmaakun]

you should talk abt your nsfw thoughts on mao 😏 would love to see what others think about this guy when it comes to sexy times

mao nsfw headcannons

pairing — mao isara x gn ! reader

authors note — I LOVE MAO SOO MUCH I VERBALLY SCREAMED WHEN I GOT THIS ASK!! i have so much stuff to say about him so lemme know if anyones interested in a part two! (send me mao reqs to be my favorite)

word count — 408

i think it would take a good 5 or so months for you guys to do it for the first time

hes a pretty romantic guy, so he kisses you a lot during it and goes veeerrryyy slow

every little thrust is partnered with an “i love you” or any other sort of praise

speaking of, he’s very vocal

definitely whimpers oh my god i love this man so much

he loves to use his mouth on you !

he could eat you out / suck you off for hours on end

one of those people that puts your pleasure above his

thigh guy!!!! loves the thighs

with all that being said though, once you guys get used to it and are comfortable, he can get rough

nothing too too much, but he ends up going a lot faster and harder than he intends to

his hands always have to be touching you in some way, whether that be your face, your legs, you waist, whatever

he has a praise kink so use that to your advantage

i love the idea of pinning him down and riding him crazy

i know that boy is so overwhelmed between being the student council president, idol work, & taking care of ritsu, he needs to be sucked off once in a while

he has on multiple occasions sent you a text asking you to come over to the student council office, only to bend you over his desk so that he can relieve some stress.

or he might have you suck him off under his desk while he does paper work, might wanna be quiet though because he’s expecting yuzuru to come back any minute now

his favorite position is missionary, he loves to kiss you and whisper praises in your ear.

aftercare with him includes many cuddles, many kisses, many warm blankets, and one long nap. he also tries to nonchalantly give you his shirt to wear after (he’s a blushing mess, so say yes to make him feel better) 

overall, mao is an amazing boyfriend. and even though i just went on a whole rant about how he would be during sex, he cares more about the romantic and fluffy part of the relationship. he loves you so much he’s happy he gets to be with you in bed or out on a date !! 

[moralesmilesanhour]

mad props! 03

summary: you're now officially part of the theater club's latest production! just one small problem... wc: 1282 a/n: Can't believe I was able to type this out within the same week. But I diiiid! The songs being performed are: 'Popular' - Wicked 'Ohmigod You guys' - Legally Blonde: The Musical (Original Cast Recording) | Have fun reading ! Feel free to tell me what you thought in the comments <3 (only warning is that the process of putting a theatre production together is probably not super realistic here lmao) 02 03 04

“One five, four five, three five, two five, one five, four five, three-two-one,”

You clutched the white binder containing your sheet music to your chest as you went through every vocal exercise from middle school that you could remember.

From the diaphragm, you reminded yourself, taking another deep breath.

“One five,

Four five,

Three five,

Two five,

One five,

Four five,

Three-two-one–”

“Y/N L/N?” the casting director’s voice called out to you.

Your stomach lurched as you rose from your seat and approached the stage. You handed the sheet music over to the pianist. The blinding stage lights made you sweat beneath your uniform, but part of you was grateful that it hid the faces of your four-person audience. 

The first chord was your cue.

“Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I…”

You sang the lines through your nose, making your delivery as cartoonish as possible. It even earned a few laughs from the dark void in front of you that bolstered your confidence. 

Now, when playing a character such as Galinda, one may be tempted to keep the squeaky ‘princess voice’ the whole way through. But you knew better. 

You added depth to your voice for some lines, maybe a growl here, a cry there; your performance needed to show that you could do more than just play the pretty soprano lead.

You belted the final note, arms spread wide as if you weren’t just about to vomit from nerves, and curtsied.

There was disembodied applause, and then: “Thank you, we’ll be sure to send out an email on Friday to let you know if you got the part.”

“Thanks,” you exhaled as you stepped down from the stage. 

All that there was left to do was wait.

You were jumpy all Friday afternoon. Even Miles noticed your knee making your desks tremble with the way it bounced up and down in the middle of English class.

“Yo, you good?” he whispered.

You shot him a glare while tapping your pencil frantically. “None of your business.”

“It actually is my business,” he shot back, teeth clenched, “ ‘cuz you’re shaking the damn desk.”

“Is there a problem back there?” the English professor peered over his glasses at the two of you.

“Nope,” Miles sighed. “Not at all.”

Your leg stopped bouncing, and you rested your chin on top of folded hands.

“If you must know,” you muttered, “I had an audition the other day, and callbacks are supposed to be this evening.”

He furrowed his brows. “Oh…kay…?”

“What do you mean ‘okay’? I’m super nervous about it–”

“I mean, why are you telling me this?”

Your eyes widened. Why were you telling him this?

“I…well, you’re sitting next to me, and you asked–” 

“I didn’t ask for allat.”

You kissed your teeth, and went back to taking notes in silence.

-

“Oh, the principal’s gonna love that.”

Joshua Baptiste–current president of Visions’ art club–grinned as he watched Miles add his signature to the wide sheet of paper.

Miles replaced the cap on one of his paint markers with a click, assessing his work.

It was a poster for an upcoming pep rally, advertised in bold, sleek letters that curled in and around each other and ended in sharp arrows. Satisfied, he rose to his feet.

“You think?”

“Hell yeah. Better than anything I could’ve put together,” Joshua ran a hand through loose, sandy curls. “I’m more of a portraits kinda guy.”

The boy’s smile was contagious, showing off two rows of light blue braces. Miles remembered how he used to circle back around to his lunch table just to see them when he laughed with his friends, silver earrings tinkling as he threw his head back. 

He’d done crazier things just to see a crush.

Miles returned the compliment, “Your paintings go crazy, though. You could get into art school if you put a portfolio together.”

Joshua shrugged. “Doubt my parents would ever let me go.”

The other hummed in agreement.

“Anywho, I came over here to ask you a favor. Theater club needs an extra pair of hands working on the set, and I already said one of our guys would help out. You in?”

Miles raised an eyebrow at the sudden new project being dumped on him, but he relented. Not like he had anything better to do today.

“Sure. Where to?”

Joshua’s face lit up, and he gestured for Miles to follow him.

“They’re down in the auditorium. You’re a life-saver, man.”

The auditorium was already bustling with students when the two boys entered. There was one group on the far right busy customizing piles of hot-pink costumes with bows and sequins. On the left side, a bunch of kids clutched wrinkled scripts in their hands, practicing until it was time to run through the first few songs. Miles looked up, and taking center stage was a group of no more than ten girls practicing what looked like stage choreography. 

Regardless of what each group was working on, there was an urgency bordering on panic to their movements and voices. Miles thanked his past self for not signing up to be a part of it.

“Oh, thank god!”

A tall, stocky-looking girl wearing pink glasses scurried up to them, carrying a clipboard.

Joshua gestured towards Miles. “Here’s your guy! He’s got an eye for color, you’re in good hands.”

He gave a quick salute before turning to exit through the double doors.

The girl stuck out her hand. “I’m Sarah Park, junior, and student production manager for, uh, all of this!”

Miles accepted the handshake and nodded. “Cool. What’s your vision for the set?”

“Well, it’s…”

Before Sarah could finish, the lights dimmed, and a voice announced: “We’re gonna rehearse the opening, everyone in ‘Ohmigod You Guys’, please take your places!”

She grabbed Miles’ wrist and led him to a seat in the front row and whispered, “You should probably just see it.”

Suddenly, music boomed from the speakers as the stage lights illuminated the same girls from before, now all standing in a straight line across the stage with wide smiles.

They sang a number he didn’t recognize, but there was plenty of squealing as they passed down a blank sheet of paper as a prop. He deduced from the few lyrics he caught that they were playing sorority girls, but that was about it.

As the “Ohmigods” crescendoed, Miles noticed that there was someone entering from backstage that then stood behind the girls. He wondered what for, until the group parted and stepped to the side.

Nothing could’ve prepared him for who stood in the middle of the stage. In a blonde wig.

“It’s almost there, but…”

Miles’ jaw dropped as you recited your lines fully in-character. 

It hadn’t occurred to him that you could smile without malice, but people were full of surprises: Here was the girl who rarely spoke more than a sentence in class until last week, belting her heart out while twirling across the stage. He would have pinned you as more of the debater type.

The song ended on one final “Oh my god!” in unison before the lights were turned back up.

“Great job, everyone, especially for a first run-through. Everybody take five!”

You sighed in relief, wiping away the sweat collecting around your hairline from being beneath a hot wig and an even hotter spotlight. Wig in hand, you carefully descended down the steps with the rest of the cast and made your way back to your seats.

Sarah brushed past you in between aisles, along with a familiar red hoodie.

You paused and spun around on your heel, confirming your fears. 

You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.

[crsssie]

for all time/lovebrush chronicles boys as cliché tropes

word count: 645

summary: lovebrush boys as cliche tropes !

Ai Yin / Ayn - Competitors - Whaaat? Why not Clarence ?? HEAR ME OUT.

You're a musician. You're like the musician ever— probably a pianist just to piss him off. The two of you always tie first for piano competitions. There's no argument. If he's there, you're there. If he's first, you're first. The two of you are both prodigy pianists and there's no room for argument. Thus arises the issue. Your name is always followed by his— or his name is always followed by yours. You guys hate it. Or so you say. Because when you're missing from a competition for the first time in years, he's very much confused as to where you are, and it almost feels empty without you. Wha— what did he just say? That was definitely not him.

Lu Chen / Alkaid - Deskmates - oh that's so cliché (I know)

The two of you are paired up as deskmates for the year. It's a little awkward at first until you get used to him, and then it just breaks into everyone else eating dog food (third-wheeling). He brings you breakfast because you skip eating it, and you fix his tie when it's crooked... he always picks calls for you when he needs an extra hand, you always drop everything you have to help him... you two are practically dating. Which raises the question. are you dating? Or is Alkaid just taking care of you because he thinks you're forgetful and clumsy? The love letter slipped into your desk seems to say otherwise, though.

Luo Xia / Lars - Arranged Marriage - I didn't think this could get more cliché

You get arranged into a marriage with him for one reason— your family's going bankrupt, so they have to sell their only child to the Luos because like. Idk that's a cliché, it's a trope, IT'S HAPPENING TO YOU. PERIOD. At first you're like terrified and he's super scary and cold and lowkey kind of rude, but he still kind of cares since when you first move in, he has the servants move all of your stuff, and yu almost feel like you're home. He's just not very vocal about liking you though; so when your family's business breaks out of bankruptcy and you're told you can divorce him if you want, and then he's like "no please don't take my spouse from me ☹️" and then next thing you know you're being pampered to the moon and back. (You end up staying with him.)

Si Lan / Clarence - Love at First Sight - HEAR ME OUT ON THIS.

You're an unassuming new student at school, completely unbothered. You do not know he's the student council president. You're just at the nurse's office because your mom's the nurse or smth. Then, he's admitted into the office because he overworked himself on accident, and you're like "errrr I'll help. sure" And what does he see upon first waking up? You. The sun behind your head gives you a halo, and you look angelic. He thinks he's hallucinating. "God, did I die?" "Erm... not quite!" Then you nurse him back to health, and he's having a moment (he can't forget you) but dw you eventually end up together 👍

Ye Xuan / Cael - Brother's Best Friend - you did not (oh yes I did)

Cael, your brother's calm best friend who seems to have no interest in dating anyone at all. Cael, your brother's best friend who's been there for you as long as you can remember. Cael, your brother's best friend who helps you through college hell, voice calm and soothing as you cry about the homework. Cael, your brother's best friend who never lets himself slip when you're around (regardless of how bad he actually likes you) Cael, your brother's best friend who tries his best to resist you when you're on top of him, breath heavy with alcohol and almost drunk. Cael, your brother's best friend who doesn't fight it when you pull him in for a kiss at the door when he comes to check up on you the next day. and Cael, who can't say no to you when you spill out your feelings for him on paper, spilling out his own when you meet up with him.

[heliads]

IMAGINE

mordern au!newt whos readers classmate and hes like a nerd etc and reader just fell for him because of how cute he is and like they sit next to eachother in some class and reader keeps catching newt whos staring at them and its because he wants to ask them out ? HEBFISNIDNFI i hope this makes sense and i hope you have an amazing day🥰

happy birthday anon!!!!!

masterlist

There is a boy in the corner of this room, and he is– he is looking at you. Yes, you’re sure of it now, even though he glanced away as soon as your eyes met. He wasn’t expecting you to notice, which is silly, because you’ve noticed almost everything about Newt since the moment he first showed up in one of your classes. 

The only thing you haven’t noticed about him is all the times you haven’t caught him staring, and how he smiles when he knows you won’t be able to question him for it. Similarly, when Newt hastily turns his head and pretends that he’s been studying the board at the front of the classroom this whole time, he misses how long your eyes linger on him instead. Almost as long as his, maybe. Shame that neither of you will do a thing about it.

You don’t think you’re staring for the same reasons, though. You only look at Newt because he’s already looking at you. Newt must have a different motive for getting distracted by you so often, but he’s not likely to breathe a word of it to you. Until that impossible day, though, when Newt finally manages to get over himself and finally confesses something, you’ll keep looking back at him, wondering what all of this is about, and never, ever knowing.

You can’t hold too much of a grudge against him for looking away, nor for rushing out of the classroom without a word more than hello or goodbye or the occasional sorry when he brushes against you in the hallway. That’s not personal, that’s just how Newt is with everybody.

Newt’s quiet, you know. Doesn’t talk to a whole lot of people if he can help it. Most of the time, he’s perfectly content to sit by himself or walk alone to class, not needing anyone around him. He brushes off eye contact like dust from a faded photograph, not straying to orbit around the popular circles like everyone else in this school. The only exceptions are the small and select group of friends he likes to keep around, and then– well, then there’s you, but that feels different, somehow.

You know of Newt’s friends, they’re all good people. The kind of good people that you’d expect someone like Newt to hang out with. There’s Alby, tall and strong and ever-present in student leadership organizations. He keeps trying to get Newt to run with him in various elections. Usually Newt’s too good of a sport to say no, but the blond boy would much rather fade into the background under more secretarial roles as opposed to vocal vice presidencies. You’d know, you’ve seen him.

Minho’s a ton of fun, too. No one can crush the student athlete grind like him. He’s captain of the varsity cross country team, and will happily swear to anyone around that he’s the fastest one by far. Newt used to run with him, but there was an injury and a lot of crushed dreams and no one likes to talk about it much. It’s surprising how quickly people can move on.

Thomas is new, just switched over to your school a few weeks ago. He’s got this freaky sort of determination that makes you want to stand and watch while he tears up everything you’ve ever known. You’re all sort of fascinated by him, and you have no doubt that if there’s anyone capable of acing the SAT and making it far enough out of here to see the walls of an Ivy League, it would be him.

The others are just as fun. Teresa’s new too, although she usually keeps to herself. Thomas knows her the best. Frypan, president of the school cooking club, can usually be seen proffering boxes of freshly baked delicacies to his friends. They’re all good kids, the lot of them. Even Chuck, who might have been someone’s younger brother or babysitting victim or just some kid they picked up. He’s years younger than any of them and goes to the local elementary school, but he’s still there half the time you see them hanging out together.

Of all of the friends, though, Newt is the enigma you’d most like to decipher. He’s quiet, for one thing, even despite the fact that he’s in such a joyful friend group. He’s smarter than anyone gives him credit for, maybe because he’s too modest to brag as much as anyone else.

And, for another thing, he’s cute. Terribly charming. Utterly impossible to ignore. He’s been in a handful of your classes for years now, and you’ve never been able to muster up the courage to have a conversation about more than classwork. Usually, he’s just on the other side of the room, working on the work from your very same lecture, and yet you can’t seem to say what you really want to him.

That might change this year, though. He’s in your history class, and the teacher has given you the best blessing any educational faculty member can provide and seated you right next to him. The desks in that room are arranged in pairs, separate from everyone else save one person, and you are with Newt. It’s absolutely lovely.

So, yes, you can stare at him in math, as you’re doing right now, but the second that bell rings, you can take your time getting to history next period, because he will be there waiting for you, and he will smile up at you, and everything, everything, will be alright.

Only– when you get to class, there’s someone in your seat. It’s not a case of someone who forgot where their assigned seat was halfway through the year. In fact, this misplaced student isn’t even in your class. This is Thomas, who should be across the hall, but isn’t.

Apparently he’s run in to urge Newt to do something. You try to hear more as you drift closer, but just when you’re within hearing range, Newt’s eyes flicker up to you and his entire body seems seized by some sort of terrible panic. He frantically cuts Thomas off, saying something about how he’ll totally do whatever they were talking about.

Thomas looks confused by the sudden change in mood, and glances over his shoulder to see you standing there, waiting for him. He stands up quickly, jokes about stealing your seat, and leaves in a rush. You let your backpack drop to the ground, and look back at the hurriedly departing Thomas. The brown-haired boy flashes Newt an eager thumbs up before leaving, which makes absolutely no sense.

You take your seat at last, peering over at Newt for some kind of explanation. The blond boy just stares intently at his homework, mumbling something about how he doesn’t know what that was about. It’s obvious that you’re not going to get any answers from him now, so you sigh and grab your books from your bag.

The second you look away, though, you can see Newt cautiously looking back at you out of the corner of your eye, a soft smile slipping over his face when he thinks you won’t notice. You trust Newt that he won’t do anything to embarrass you, so that business with Thomas truly must have been nothing at all.

Still, you’re curious, but Newt behaves pretty much the same throughout the class. You watch him out of the corner of your eye the whole time, waiting for him to slip up and say something, but no dice. He looks a little uneasy, but it doesn’t seem like anything major. 

When the teacher dismisses the class to work on a packet with your assigned seating partner, you expect Newt to do something, but no. He keeps clearing his throat like he’s going to say a few words, but he seems to lose his nerve every time and fades back into silence or, worse, a discussion of 17th century trading practices as you’re meant to be doing.

You almost think that you’re going to go the whole class without a single thing coming of Thomas’ intrusion when the bell rings, dismissing everyone to their next period. You stand up, starting to shove your books and folders into your backpack once more. Newt stands too, looking gripped by panic.

“Y/N,” he begins, then cuts himself off just as quickly.

“Yeah?” You ask, distracted by the zipper on your backpack, which has chosen this very moment to get stuck.

“Would you– would you like to see a movie with me sometime? There are a few good ones at the theater nearby, if you’d want to do something like that. If you don’t want to, that’s cool, obviously, but I was kind of hoping that–”

Newt’s tripping over himself by now, but you clear his nerves with a single smile. “Newt,” you say, “I would love to go out with you.”

“Really?” He asks, a little ahead of himself. “I mean, yeah, that sounds great. Does Friday work?”

“Friday’s perfect,” you tell him.

“Cool,” he says, “Cool, yeah. I’ll see you then.”

“Can’t wait,” you grin.

You don’t think you’d mind standing there a while longer, with Newt looking at you with that radiant smile, but unfortunately you are still in school, and you still have classes to get to. One of your friends calls your name from across the room, irritably wondering why you’re still lingering there. 

You allow yourself a beat longer, then leave at last. Newt is looking at you when you vanish from view, you think, but for once you understand what he’s not saying, what he means the most, and that– well, that is absolutely everything.

maze runner tag list: @rogueanschel, @ellobruv, @retvenkos, @neewtmas, @mayfieldss, @hiya-itsamber, @gods-fools-heroes, @hope92100, @23victoria, @w1shes43, @ilovexavierthrope, @fadedver

[a-very-tired-jew]

Not voting is an issue

For those of us old enough to remember the 2016 presidential election and the race leading up to it, you will remember the very vocal and prevalent rhetoric of "Bernie or Bust". While I myself was a Bernie supporter, I was in the minority of people who did not hold this position of "or Bust" it seems. I'm from Philly, I knew who Trump was and what he represented. We then got the Trump administration through various shenanigans and the not so inconsequential impact of the "or Bust" crowd. This resulted in a lot of damage to the USA that we are still recovering from, have not addressed, and the very real possibility of even more irreparable damage in the future if he is elected again. What myself and others have seen from young Western Activists is similar rhetoric to the "or Bust" crowd regarding the Israel/Hamas War and Joe Biden. Saying they won't vote for "Genocide Joe" if he is the candidate harkens back to the "not voting for Clinton" statements that resulted in disaster. They want to abstain from participating in a system they view as corrupt, the problem is that you can't abstain from a system that you are inherently part of. By abstaining you have actually participated and likely helped harken in a worse outcome. The trolley moves regardless of you pulling the lever because the lever is on a timer that you do not control.

The absolutist rhetoric of having a perfect ideal candidate is fantasy. Even if we had gotten Bernie back in 2016 there sure as shit would have been people among his most extreme supporters who would have been complaining. Because a candidate/president/politician/etc... cannot fit the fantasy ideal. It won't happen nor can it happen. To err is human as they say, and no one is perfect. Especially politicians. But to throw a tantrum and say you're going to take your ball home and not play? That's not an option. To hold childlike absolutist ideals of a fantasy that won't occur, and then get mad when it doesn't? Well, you can act that way all you want. Just remember that people will judge you for your actions, and getting upset when you're judged the way you don't want is the find out portion.

[reveluving]

Simu!Ken thought— he beaches off for you after one of the Kens or Barbies makes a mean comment about you. And ofc he wins

a/n: HAHAAAAA anon, your mind!! 😭🤌🏻 I decided to make this with both (mean) Ken and Barbie, and did my own lil 'thing' here ;))) thanks, sweetie!! (open to be read as Ryan!Ken, as usual!)

warnings: fluff! (+ teaching meanies a lesson & strong language!)

» fancy reading something new? check out my full m.list!

It's one thing to genuinely get on Ken's bad side, but it's another if the rest of the Barbieland follow suit. 

Mean Barbie and Ken simultaneously arrived months after your Ken’s departure to find you, becoming the talk of the town in an instant. Though, 90% of the time, it was all for the wrong reasons. 

Mean Barbie was demeaning, having a keen interest in insulting others for their interests and even their appearances. Mean Ken was no better, laughing in the Kens' face and Alan for liking anything that was, in his words, 'too girlish'. 

Basically, they weren’t the best people to vibe with. 

While both Weird Barbie and President Barbie tried their best to be civil with the two, the former was more vocal about her distaste, always giving them the stink eye as though she knew their words only went in one ear and out the other. President Barbie was more subtle, though she made sure to drop reminders about their actions here and there.

So when the mean match overheard the cheers and excitement over the infamous Ken coming back for a visit with his sweetheart, oh, they were not having it. 

But soon, they were going to learn that their actions would, in fact, have consequences.

'Cause as the human saying goes; the more you fuck around, the more you find out.

President Barbie was there to greet you and Ken at the entrance, giving you a motherly hug before giving you a heads up and whispering in your ear about the notorious duo.

Though their behaviour wasn't nearly as bad as what you're used to in the real world, it didn't make them any less unpleasant to be around. Kudos to the Barbies and Kens (+ Midge & Allan!) for trying their best not to leave you alone with the two of them, though!

And it only took your Ken two days to do everyone a favour. 

"Hoo, boy, here we go." Mean Ken scoffed at the sight of your Ken excitedly telling you about the surfboard he oftentimes used back when his whole purpose was to be Ken, "That was the cool guy around here?" 

"Right? And I just don't see what's so special about her." His girl sneered.

"Tell me about it. Should've stayed where she came from like she was supposed to." 

The rest of the Barbies and Kens froze up. They gave Pompadour Ken a quick glance, who was now uncharacteristically quiet.

Oh no. 

Who were they to insult you for being you?  

You've also noticed the two literally talking crap about you, though you were more concerned about Ken.

"Ken," You gently stroked his face, hoping it'll ease the sudden tension in his jaw, "Hey, don't listen to them." 

"Hey, pal!" Mean Ken called out to him, "Wanna show us your lil' beach moves? Maybe tell us what's so special about your girl?" 

Ken didn't speak up. He has millions of reasons why you were extremely special to him, but he learnt from you that losing his cool would be a total win for his opposition. 

But the mean twins didn't take being ignored too kindly.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" He barked, pushing your Ken. He nearly lost his balance, almost hitting you with the surfboard he was holding. 

It wasn't long before Ken finally lost his cool, swinging the surfboard square in Mean Ken's face. He flew away at an immense height and questionable physics, falling on his back just by the sea. 

Some laughed, others cheered. By now, everyone was watching, even Mermaid Barbie and Ken showed up after hearing about a possible showdown on the Malibu Beach. They shook their heads the way disapproving parents would before waving at you, happy to see a nicer face in town.

"Oh my gosh, Ken!" Mean Barbie squawked, running to her man and shaking his unconscious body a little too aggressively, "What did you do?!" 

"I just gave him what he deserved." Your Ken shrugged, running his fingers through his hair that had messed up when he lost his cool.

"You didn't have to like, punch him!" 

"It was gonna happen eventually," Alan murmured to himself, only to earn sounds and nods of approval from the rest of the Kens and Barbies. Even if Pompadour Ken wasn't the one putting them in their place, someone would've. 

Sure, maybe a dance-off would've been sufficient.

Buuut, then again, it was probably the real-world air that he's been breathing in for so long, so it was only a matter of time before his patience snapped, and it did when they started running their mouths about you.

After all, Mean Ken preferred 'manlier' efforts.

"You're in huge trouble, weirdo!" She hissed, believing your Ken's (necessary) violence could easily banish you two from Barbieland. 

"And what're you gonna do about it?" It was your turn to challenge her, standing closer to her with your arms crossed. You weren't just going to stand there and let her spit venom at your boyfriend, much less at your new friends. 

Just a reminder that your hands were rated E for everyone.

"I'll… I'll…! I'll tell Psycho Barbie!" 

"That won't be necessary." Everyone's heads turned to the side to see Weird Barbie approaching, boots off as she walked on the sandy floor with a delighted smirk on her face, "And that's Weird Barbie to you, missy."

She turned to Pompadour Ken, patting him on the shoulder with a grin, "Good job, kid. Didn't think you had it in you but it's probably that wild human air," She then turned to you with a wink, "You got quite the keeper." 

Ken mirrored her proud smile.

"A little help, doc?" She nodded at Doctor Barbie, who immediately rushed to her side. Weird Barbie pointed behind her with her thumb, "Give that guy a quick scan before the President gets here, will ya?" 

Weird Barbie was no doubt beyond excited to report the two, and with tons of eyes as witnesses. 

"Hey," Your Ken placed his hand on the small of your back, "I'm sorry about that. You wanna head home or…?" 

Ken was less than pleased by the thought of the day being ruined but he'd understand if it had because of the mere presence of the two. Some may call him dramatic, but to you, he was just making sure of your comfort. 

"No, no," You shook your head, resting your head on his chest, "I'm okay." 

The groans and whines of Mean Ken and Barbie respectively as President Barbie berated their actions were just bonuses to the feeling of you against him. Softening him up from what had happened prior like kneading dough ever so gently.

"I recall a certain someone promising to play his guitar around a campfire for me?" You teased him, hoping to lift his spirits.

"I did, didn't I?" He hummed, grabbing his guitar bag that lay on the beach chair before wrapping his other arm around you, "C'mon, I know the perfect place."

He brought you to the spot furthest from the 'busy zone', though that didn't stop his friends from dropping stuff like a blanket, sausages and marshmallows to roast as a thank you for his service. 

All in all, the night ended on a much higher note, with your boyfriend serenading you with romantic and cheesy songs he learnt back in the real world and stuffing yourselves with some good campfire food.

» a/n: not me imagining the punch scene from the Friday movie for this piece 😭

» more simu!ken content here: 1 – 2

» gorgeous rose divider by @firefly-graphics ♡

[the-scarlet-witch-22]

I've thought about posting this more publicly, but I'm hesitant to do that because this isn't a topic I discuss very often. My blog has always been kind of a public diary in a way, so I'm going to leave this up for now.

I am terrified of another Trump presidency for so many reasons. I'm a gay woman who is in a relationship and would like to be able to not only get married, but have my marriage be recognized in every state in this country. I'm the older sister and future sole guardian of a sibling who has developmental disabilities. It pains me more than I can express how awful it is living in a country that does the bare minimum to support its citizens, especially its disabled ones.

I've been very vocal on my disdain and disgust for how the Biden administration and our government as a whole is handling the Palestinian genocide. Anyone who knows me knows this. I've gotten involved and plan on continuing to protest and do what I'm able to.

With that being said I did vote for Kamala Harris, and I've gotten into debates with people I considered to be friends over my decision to vote. The number one argument that being highlighted was "it doesn't matter who wins because both Harris and Trump are Zionists who don't care about Palestine."

I agree that our government is deeply rooted in Zionism, and it genuinely pains me to know that human rights of people who are not white do not matter to our government.

However, as someone who has been a very vocal advocate for human rights the majority of my life, saying "it doesn't matter who wins because the outcome will be the same" is not only incredibly ignorant, it's just plain stupid.

Donald Trump has made a name for himself as a racist. Someone who has been blatantly and openly homophobic. He has made disgustingly ableist comments on disabled Americans time and time again. He's a rapist, he has sexually assaulted multiple women. He started an insurrection that resulted in violence I have never seen taking place on the Capitol.

And now he's going to be sworn back in this January.

I'm angry, and I'm sad. Not only as a member of the LGBTQ community and a supporter of our disabled community, but also as someone who was sexually assaulted. This isn't something that I talk about very often, publicly or privately, but it is so fucking painful knowing that our country does not view SA survivors as real people who deserve to live knowing their abusers will be held accountable for their actions.

Because why the fuck would anyone want to come forward, knowing their abuser can become President not once, but twice and win the popular vote the second time.

I hate this country, and I mean this when I say if you voted for Trump or voted third party, or didn't vote at all, you are part of the problem and the next four years are going to undo the most basic of human rights this country has barely started to grant its citizens.

Fuck each and every one of you.

[eclectiaa]

Note: Another piece that was posted on my old account. I've made a mid-year resolution to be more active and try to write one post a week. Wish me luck~!

OTOME HOLLYWOOD — Fem!Reader x Venti, Xiao, Childe, Zhongli, Kaeya, Diluc, Kazuha, Scaramouche, and Ayato

You’re a new manager at a talent agency. Inspired down this path after your next-door neighbor became a famous actor. You haven’t been able to interact with this big brother figure much due to his company’s restrictions. That’s partly why you’re motivated to help as many actors stay true to themselves as you can.

Who are the talents?

Venti is a haraguro actor and one of the firm’s top talents. He seems happy-go-lucky and universally liked. In reality, he’s got a ton of emotional issues that he pushes down through alcohol. You see this state early on when tasked with delivering something to his apartment that he left behind at work.

He totally drops the facade in front of you after that. In fact, he treats you pretty harshly.

His character arc involves a scandal about his alcoholism. He fights the rumors at first but eventually hits rock bottom. It’s only with your support that he has the courage to come clean at a press conference. He even gives rehab a shot. Essentially, you’re his rock.

In the epilogue, he becomes more honest with people. Thankfully, most of his fans rally behind him. He seems more relaxed. His attitude towards you even ends up becoming more tongue-in-cheek, though he’ll deny to the end that he’s totally head over heels for you. He’ll scare off anyone else that gets close though, so you’re stuck with him.

Xiao is a rising star who was scouted at an indie music festival. He’d just been helping out a friend by singing backup vocals in an alternative band. His true passion is music and he performs as an anonymous—always masked—underground rapper. Unfortunately, his manager thinks it’s “bad for his image” so he really keeps it on the down-low.

You see a lot of your childhood friend in him and try to help his musical talent be recognized.

His character arc involves him joining the music scene in earnest. His shitty manager eventually gets fired and the company decides to expand its specialties from acting to acting and music. It turns out his fans really love his ‘cool’ side too.

In the epilogue, he ‘slips up’ and mentions that he has someone he “really cares about” during a live interview. He doesn’t say it in so many words, but everyone can tell from his expression and tone that he means a significant other. Of course, he’s too oblivious to his own feelings. You realize that he means you because he mentions an activity that only you two do together. Of course, you think he means it platonically.

Until Kaeya mentions that “it must be love”. You and Xiao promptly stop functioning.

Childe is an actor with a playboy image. In a sense, this makes him Kazuha’s rival, so you’re quite weary with him from the beginning. He isn’t much of a playboy at all, but a misunderstanding—catching him in a compromising position with an actress—has you believing the rumors are true. In reality, the shitty manager currently assigned to him pushes this persona because he believes it makes Childe more marketable.

His character arc follows his frustration at people not taking him seriously as an actor. They only see him as a pretty face and he’s regularly assigned those roles. While it keeps him quite popular, he doesn’t feel fulfilled. You help him stand up to his manager. Rather, you stand up for him—giving him the warm fuzzies—and when his manager begins deriding you, Childe savagely tells them off.

This leads to a face-off between him and the company president, veteran actor Zhongli. They wager that Childe will audition for a role of his choosing. If he gets selected and does well, then he can rewrite his image. If he fails then he’ll stop complaining and let management have their way. He takes on a grittier role with some fight scenes. He started boxing in his youth and keeps up with it regularly. The new gig allows him to showcase his natural abilities.

Of course, he knocks it out of the park, even securing a best actor nomination. Though he doesn’t win this time, he’s more than honored his side of the bargain and is allowed more autonomy in choosing his roles. You’re assigned his new manager after his previous one is fired for trying to sabotage Childe’s efforts. In the epilogue, he realizes the need for a nuclear approach in confessing to you. You brush off his flirtations, still believing he’s like this with everyone. Naturally, in Childe fashion, it's either go big or go home. He delivers a sincere and up-front confession on live television. Zhongli and Kaeya are left with no small share of headaches, but of course, they approve. You’re a good match.

Who is in management?

Zhongli is the director of the company you work at. He started the company to help young actors in this harsh industry and, because he has a lot of clout, his business took off quite quickly. He never intended to stop acting, but work just kept piling up and it’s been quite a while since his last job. Leaving everything in the hands of the next generation worries him, as he fears they might not be ready and feels that it’s his responsibility. But he’s gotten so used to it that he thinks things are fine the way they are.

You meet him on your first day at the office when you go to the kitchen and find him at the table, sipping tea. You hum in appreciation at the rich aroma before you realise who exactly is sitting there and, when he lifts his head and your eyes lock, you freeze. 

Of course you know who he is. You’ve watched every single one of his movies, and he’s the main reason you chose this company to work at. He’s very stoic and elegant, and his penetrating stare makes you quite nervous. He just seems so hard to approach, as though he’s worlds away from you. So you just mumble a polite greeting and scurry away to the cupboards.

You fumble around the kitchen while you prepare your coffee, feeling his strong presence behind you, and you’re so distracted that you burn your hand. Hissing quietly, you go to the freezer to get an ice pack but, before you get there, someone grabs your hand gently. Zhongli looks straight into your eyes and tells you “Don’t” before dragging you to the sink to run water over your wound. He explains all the reasons why it’s better to simply apply cool water, but you can’t focus on his words because you’re too busy looking at him. He’s more beautiful in person than you ever thought possible and he’s just so close, and gentle, and he doesn’t seem to care that the cuffs of his suit are getting wet too.

After that, he starts waiting for you in the kitchen with a pot of tea for both of you and, before you realize it, that morning routine becomes the highlight of your day.

His character arc involves you helping him re-realize his passion for acting. You push him to do something for himself for a change and step back from his role at the company to reignite his career. His route unlocks after you play through all the other company members (and Kazuha’s) routes. On the replay, you have the option of being chosen as his manager and start going on movie sets and events with him. That’s when you see him interacting with Ningguang, a gorgeous actress with whom he co-stars in a movie. Intimidated by Ningguang, who you think is a much better fit for him, you start feeling inadequate by his side. Of course, there’s nothing actually between them, but you don’t realize this until the very end.

In the epilogue, Zhongli wins an award for best actor and, during his speech, he thanks you especially, looking at you softly while you melt at the table. When everyone is leaving, the paparazzi swarm both of you, asking questions as to what your relationship is. Zhongli ignores all of them and leads you to his limo, taking your hand and locking eyes with you—just like that first day—as he opens the door and inclines his head, saying “After you, my lady.”

You flush and climb in quickly with Zhongli close behind, the paparazzi going crazy with their camera flashes as you both leave.

Kaeya used to be Zhongli’s manager but is now the lead manager for the company and your direct boss. He’s an extrovert, and easy to get along with, but he also doesn’t seem to show his true self to many people, which gives him a mysterious air. Diluc is his stepbrother; they have a love-hate relationship where both of them care deeply for the other but would never admit it out loud. Kaeya loves to get on Diluc’s nerves and tease him, trying to make him break out of character. He does the same thing to you, flirting and teasing you all the time, but you don’t take him seriously because he’s that way to everyone. 

He’s the first one to welcome you to the company on your first day, showing you around to help you get acquainted. As you walk, you can’t help but notice how most of the female staff looks at him. But honestly, who can blame them? Kaeya is charming and, though he’s a bit of a joker, he’s quite considerate. He goes out of his way to check on you in your first weeks, giving you advice and even helping you deal with a nasty paparazzi that wouldn’t leave you alone. The way his arm wraps around your shoulders as he steers you away gives you a sense of comfort and safety, and you find yourself wondering what it would be like to be held in his arms. You dismiss the idea as quickly as it comes though, how could he ever be interested in you? Besides, he’s your boss; falling for him would be the perfect recipe for disaster. 

His arc involves him having to improve in order to become the new de-facto director when Zhongli goes back into acting, as well as helping him mend his relationship with Diluc. Kaeya picks up the slack left in Zhongli’s absence, but this increases his workload and you become his second in command, which comes as a huge surprise. You question his decision, but he says he trusts you, making your heart flutter. 

Working side by side, you start noticing how sometimes he looks at you when he thinks you’re not watching, and his casual touches become more frequent: brushing your hair out of your face when you come running after being late, sitting close to you as you both inspect a new contract, staying long hours in the office with you. You don’t get your hopes up though, he’s probably just joking, but you fear that he might discover how fast your heart beats whenever he comes close.

Kaeya, for his part, thinks that you have feelings for Kazuha—because he sees the way your face lights up whenever you talk about him—and doesn’t act on his feelings.

During all this time, you also get the chance to see Kaeya and Diluc together, and you find it hard to believe that two brothers can get along so badly. You see how much it affects Kaeya—though he tries to hide it—and from then on, you try to help by leaving them alone whenever you can and pushing Kaeya to be true to himself.

In the epilogue, Diluc gets tired of you two being so dumb and calls Kaeya self-sacrificing to a fault “when it really matters”. When Kaeya eventually finds out that you don’t have romantic feelings for Kazuha, he laughs and calls himself an idiot before confessing on the spot, catching you completely off-guard.

Diluc is a board member as well as the owner of a renowned winery. He starts working at the company after Kaeya calls him saying that he needs his help—a lie that Kaeya says in hopes to recover their relationship—and convinces him that it will be great publicity for his brand.

He looks like he’s always in a bad mood but, in reality, he just has a hard time dealing with his feelings. He used to be a bright boy, something that changed drastically with his father’s untimely death and being left as the sole heir of the Ragnvindr family. Because of this, the press is obsessed with publishing stories about him, and they are very disappointed every time he manages to successfully evade them. They don’t give up though and, because of the latest merger he has going on, he’s having a hard time with the way he’s being hounded. 

You meet him by accident one day when you’re going to work and bump into him a few blocks from there. He steadies you with firm hands on your arms, and you’re taken aback because you recall seeing him at the company—and also by how pretty he is. That’s when you hear a commotion behind you and see a few paparazzi’s approaching you quickly. Thinking he’s a new talent, and seeing his distressed face, you take his hand without thinking and rush towards the building.

“Are you ok?” is the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you’re both safe inside. You’re panting because of the effort, but he doesn’t have a single hair out of place. He asks why you did that and you just shrug, saying that it looked like he needed help. This takes him by surprise, he’s not used to people doing things without expecting something out of him, but your concern seems sincere. Realising that the press will probably camp outside the company from now on, waiting for him, he comes up with a plan and asks if you would become his liaison with the company while he lays low. When you tell him he should talk about that with his manager, he frowns and tells you who he really is, prompting your face to turn beet red.

His character arc involves helping him open up and reconnect with his emotions. After accepting his offer to work for him, you start meeting at various establishments that he owns and, between papers and coffee and yummy food, you get to know him and figure out the tiny changes in his moods. One of these establishments is a beautiful cafe at an estate, with tables set in a beautiful garden. He knows you like it, and you find it funny that you start meeting there more and more often. You just hope he didn’t realize how much you like to look at his hair when the sun shines from behind him.

You can tell he feels more comfortable around you. The constant frown on his face eases up whenever he sees you and you can’t help but wonder why it is that a small smile always grazes his lips whenever you smile. He even goes so far as to tell you a bit about his past, albeit in a way that tried to show he was over it. You can tell that he isn’t, though. 

Later on, he finds out that Kaeya lied to him about needing his help and they have a falling out. You know why Kaeya did that, and you try to explain it to Diluc. Unfortunately, that only makes everything worse, since Diluc thinks you’re taking Kaeya’s side, and therefore like him. It brings back memories from girls that dated him but ended up falling for his stepbrother because he acts nicer and seems easier to approach. Though Kaeya never dated girls that did Diluc dirty like that, and Diluc himself doesn’t care much for those types of people, he just doesn’t want that to be true for you. It hurts far more.

So he starts to avoid you.

Eventually, he and Kaeya make up and he finds out that there’s nothing between you two, but now he has no idea how to face you after treating you so coldly.

In the epilogue, Kaeya tricks Diluc into meeting at that special coffee shop. That’s when he bumps into you as you were delivering some papers at the estate. You’re both very awkward about it, and you curse Kaeya for telling you he would not be there. Not wanting to see Diluc being upset at you again, you nod in acknowledgement, push the folders into his hands, and dash out of the establishment.

Following after you, Diluc catches up in the garden and grabs you by the wrist to stop you. He has no idea what he wants to say, he just knows he doesn't want you to leave. So he starts by apologizing and telling you everything he values about you. Mostly professional things at first, but then he mentions how much he likes it when your twirl your hair between your fingers, or when you bite your lip when you’re focusing hard on something. He didn’t plan to say any of this, but he can’t stop himself and ends up accidentally confessing.

Who are the rivals?

Kazuha is your childhood friend—and a big brother figure, though only you think that way—who has a pristine image as an actor and works with a rival company. He was scouted at a shopping mall because of his good looks and mysterious presence, and he decided to give it a try so as to impress you. He’s very calm and nice on the outside but can be very harsh if something bad happens around you. He’s also a really good dancer—a skill that helped him land some big roles—, something that you know very well because he used to dance with you all the time when you were younger. That was a while ago, though. 

His arc follows his journey as he decides to finally act on his feelings for you, and he realizes how much he actually enjoys acting. During your years of friendship, he never said anything since you kept insisting on calling him big brother; though he held on to the hope that you would realize how good you could be for each other. You used to do everything together, after all.

Since he started working with this company though, the amount of time you spend together has reduced to practically zero. Even though he lives next door, you barely ever see his face anymore. He explained that his company’s restrictions are very strict, and they want to avoid any type of scandal that could ruin his image. Though he doesn’t say it, he’s also trying to protect you from the possible backlash from angry fans. And, just maybe, he thought you would finally realize your feelings for him if he put some distance between you two. Or, if everything else failed, he could find the time to forget about his own feelings.

But, after seeing you surrounded by other guys and interacting with other actors, he gets incredibly jealous. He especially dislikes Childe and the way he looks at you. He decides that maybe it’s time to push you a bit, since he’s not ready to let go yet, and starts getting bolder.

He starts meeting with you in secret, hiding from his pestering manager. You’re really happy about this at first, you got your friend back! And as you start to reconnect, you feel whole again. But, after a while, it starts to hurt how much he needs to hide you, or his cold demeanor whenever you’re in public. You have a huge fight when you confront him about this, claiming that you miss the old times with your big brother. Kazuha snaps at your words and, when you’re about to leave the room, he hugs you from behind. He can’t take it anymore; as he leans his head on your shoulder, he confesses that you were never a little sister to him.

In the epilogue, Kazuha takes you to the office and confronts his management about the rules, saying that he’ll be dating you from now on, no matter what they say.

Scaramouche is another actor from the rival company. He’s very competitive and has a mean guy image (not completely faked), but he’s still super popular since fans see him as the cool bad boy. Grumpy, and a bit prone to violence, he has no problem flipping the paparazzi off, which has resulted in more than a few front-page issues. Though, to no one’s surprise, this only helped increase his popularity. 

You meet him on set when you accompany Xiao on a movie they are both acting in. He thinks you’re there to serve him and asks you to get him drinks and food, no matter how many times you tell him you’re not his manager. He doesn’t care because “you’re getting stuff for that guy anyway—nods at Xiao who glares at him—, so you might as well get it for me”. You end up getting him a hot chocolate but, before giving it to him, you hold it at a distance and tell him that, next time he wants something, he can either ask his own manager or have the decency to at least ask nicely.

He just blinks, taking the drink in his hands with a dumbfounded expression, before watching you go. You’re the first one to stand up to him like that. People are usually too scared of him or falling over their own feet to please him. He got so used to it that he’s a bit spoiled now, and he’s impressed that you don’t take any of his shit.

His arc follows his journey to overcome his bad temper and anger issues. Working so closely with you, you help him realize his bad ways and, after a while, he starts trying because he wants you to see his good side as well. You think he only wants to be friends since he doesn’t seem to have many. On his part, he will never outright admit he wants to be close to you, since he’s mad at himself for enjoying this friendship with someone from a rival company. Even worse, his grumpy mood relaxes when he’s around you, something he tries to hide at all costs. But you can see through his aggressive front after you get to know him a bit more, and you start finding his attempts to hide this quite endearing.

He starts bringing you glasses of water when he notices you’re tired—pretending someone gave it to him and he doesn’t want it—or makes sure no one disturbs you when you’re nodding off while sitting on a chair. Usually by threatening every person that comes even a smidge close to you. He even defends you when you make a silly mistake and someone calls you incompetent, which has you melting inside. 

In the epilogue, on the last day of the shooting, he realizes he might not see you again, and he never even gave you his number. Scared of that possibility, he finds you in an empty corridor, grabs your hand and drags you into his trailer. Mostly because he prefers to have some privacy, but also he doesn’t want that emo looking guy to interrupt. He confesses his feelings for you there and, of course, you say yes.

Ayato is the new director of the rival company. He’s the type that always has a calm, warm smile on his face, and is renowned for his elegance and good manners. Surprisingly, he also has a silly side to him, and he loves playing pranks on his actors and friends. He can be very aggressive if his loved ones are treated poorly, and is the kind to deliver threats with a smile and win arguments using his smart brain rather than violence.

You meet him by accident one day when you are returning home and see Kazuha at his front door with a tall man, an expensive car parked next to them. You rush over to talk with your childhood friend who you haven’t seen in a while, but you’re surprised when this man gets in the way and asks you to please keep your distance. You tell him that’s your friend and you just want to talk to him, asking who does he think he is. Kazuha then clears his throat and introduces him as Kamisato Ayato, director of the company he works at. He explains that Ayato played a prank on him that didn’t end well and, though he wasn’t badly hurt or anything, Ayato offered to take him home personally.

When you find out he’s the director, you scold him for being so hard on Kazuha and setting all these ridiculous restrictions. Ayato tells you with a smile that if you’re Kazuha’s friend, then you should know how important his reputation is, and do what’s best for him. That’s a very thinly veiled warning if you ever heard one. Before you can stop yourself, you ignore Kazuha’s silent plea to stop and plow on, “So the best for your actors is to cut off all their ties?”

Ayato is taken aback by your way of seeing things, but you don’t give him a chance to say anything else as you glare both at him and Kazuha and storm inside your house.

His character arc involves helping him change the way his company works, allowing his actors to remain true to themselves. After that first meeting, he’s intrigued by you and your words and, a few days later, sends you a bouquet of flowers to the office with a note that says “I’m sorry I upset you the other day. I promise I want nothing but the best for the people under my care.”

You don’t believe him at first, but he keeps sending you flowers almost every day, with a different note each time, until he finally asks you out.

You refuse of course, but decide to pay him a visit at the office to ask him to stop sending you these ridiculous bouquets at your workplace. In there, you happen to see him with his little sister, overhearing her complaining about Ayato being such an overprotective brother. You decide to give him a chance to explain himself and that’s when you realise that he really is just trying to protect his company and loved ones from bad press, he’s just too overbearing to realise his methods are too much.

In the epilogue, Ayato goes to find you at your office, making a big show of bowing in reverence to you and kissing your knuckles. In front of all your co-workers. He vows then and there that he will not stop until he’s successfully stolen you to his side, seeing how much he needs your help. Kaeya, leaning on the door to his office, says that there’s no way anyone will allow that. Ayato just smiles, making your heart race at the promise hidden there.