#finally a good k-pop song in like a month

[stay-dazed]

a simple stray kids guide (for baby stays) ✨

overview: stray kids, or skz for short, is an 8-member korean boy band that debuted on march 25th, 2018 under jype ent. they were formed through a survival show in 2017 with originally 9 members, but one member left the group a year after debut for unknown reasons. there are three subunits to the group: 3racha the rap/producer unit, danceracha the dance unit, and vocalracha the vocal unit. of course, though, all of them do a bit of everything.

stray kids were considered an “experimental group” since the leader of the group was tasked with choosing all the members himself, and coming up with the name, logo, and fandom name of the group. as a group, they produced all their own music as well. they were relatively small for a while but by the time they released their song god’s menu, they were growing in popularity.

now stray kids have had many accomplishments, including: performing at lollapalooza, being the first k-pop group invited to the met gala, becoming ambassadors for brands like versace and gucci, winning around 82 awards, and producing an ost for the deadpool movie. they've also recently set a guinness world record for the first ever group to have #1 albums 5 times in a row over the course of only 8 months!

while they are incredibly talented and successful celebrities, they’re also very down to earth, and very connected with their fanbase. they’ve shown openness and vulnerability with their fans by releasing songs with serious topic matters, crying on stage, and talking about their emotions/experiences. personally, they’re the only band i’ve ever seen who feel genuine love for their fanbase.

name: chan bahng

english name: christopher

stage name: bangchan, cb97 in 3racha

age: 27 (october 3rd, 1997)

nationality: australian-korean

languages: english, korean

positions: leader, producer in 3racha, dancer, rapper, vocalist

skzoo: wolfchan

instagram: gnabnahc

basics: chan was born in korea, but moved to australia when he was about 3 or 4 years old. he remained there with his two younger siblings, hannah and lucas, and their cavalier king charles named berry, until he was 13 when he went back to korea to become a k-pop trainee. he trained for about 7 years until he was finally able to debut as stray kids’ leader. chan is very reliable as the leader and dad of the group, but he’s also australian, so he adds to the chaos very well.

fun facts: chan has hypermobile arms and legs, and can turn his hand 360°. he sometimes wears wrist and knee braces due to overextension. chan won many medals in swimming growing up and could’ve gone into that career. along with that, he’s also good in many other sports like soccer and track. chan's hair is naturally curly!

name: minho lee

english name: rhino (yes i’m serious)

stage name: leeknow

age: 26 (october 25th, 1998)

nationality: korean

languages: korean and basic english

positions: lead dancer in danceracha, vocalist, rapper

skzoo: leebit

instagram: t.leeknowsaurus

basics: minho was born and raised in korea as an only child, aside from his cat siblings soonie, doongie, and dori. he moved out of his parents’ home at a fairly young age in order to be closer to his university, where he was said to have studied dance and comp-sci, as well as worked as a waiter for some time. he was called in to train under jype in 2017 and he ended up passing the dance test in only 2 weeks, the shortest period among jype trainees. minho is considered to be a “tsundere” since he’s very blunt, loud, and a bit rough generally, but is very kind and caring inside.

fun facts: minho toured in japan with bts as a backup dancer when he was in highschool. minho has acrophobia, the severe fear of heights, and he cannot swim. minho is well-trained in taekwondo, boxing, and bodyguard martial arts. minho said that the reason he isn’t comfortable showing his abs like some other members do is because he has a scar on his stomach from a surgery he had as a child.

name: changbin seo

english name: lewis

stage name: spearB in 3racha

age: 24 (august 11th, 1999)

nationality: korean

languages: korean and intermediate english

positions: producer in 3racha, main rapper, vocalist, dancer

skzoo: dwaekki

instagram: jutdwae

basics: changbin was born and raised in korea, along with his older sister, in a fairly wealthy family. he originally joined jype as a trainee at age 17 to debut as a vocalist, but was convinced to debut as a rapper by a counselor. unfortunately i don’t know much about changbin’s trainee days, other than he trained for about 2 years, and he was part of 3racha who uploaded their first rap song on soundcloud in 2017. changbin is a pretty silly and loud person, but has been described by his members as someone they can approach and who will notice/remember the smallest things about them.

fun facts: changbin prefers plants as he’s allergic to both cats and dogs. changbin is a blackbelt in taekwondo, and he named his own pecs "jut" and "dwae". changbin has said he would like to own his own gym or be a tattoo artist. changbin is the shortest member at 5 '6. changbin was named the fastest male rapper in the k-pop industry with 11 korean syllables per second, i believe.

name: hyunjin hwang

english name: sam

age: 24 (march 20th, 2000)

nationality: korean

languages: korean and advanced english

positions: dancer in danceracha, vocalist, rapper

skzoo: jiniret

instagram: hynjinnnn

basics: hyunjin was born and raised in korea as an only child, along with his long-haired chihuahua, kkami. he was approached by two k-pop company scouts at a young age, one of which while he was out shopping with his mom. and, of course, he chose jype. he trained as a dancer, and admitted he had hated dancing at first due to the emotional toll it took on him, but now he says dance is like another language he can speak. unlike minho, he attended university online, all during his busy career as an idol. hyunjin is introverted, but very silly and dramatic at the same time.

fun facts: hyunjin has a fear of sudden loud noises, like balloons popping. hyunjin is the tallest member at 5 '11. hyunjin was going to be an interior designer before he became an idol. hyunjin is an artist in multiple forms of media, but he’s most interested in sketching and painting. hyunjin had a live called “counseling center” where he would read his fans’ comments and give them advice/encouragement. hyunjin once broke his hand and now he can't really bend his right pinky finger.

name: jisung han

english name: peter

stage name: han, and j.one in 3racha

age: 24 (september 14th, 2000)

nationality: korean

languages: korean and advanced english

positions: producer in 3racha, rapper, dancer, vocalist

skzoo: han quokka

instagram: _doolsetnet

basics: jisung was born in korea like his older brother. his family moved to malaysia when he was about 8, where they stayed for a while before coming back to korea. his parents weren’t particularly supportive of his desire to become a trainee at first, but they made a deal with him that if he could be accepted into a company before a certain amount of time, they’d let him continue. if not, he’d have to go back to school to get another job. luckily he made it into jype, and became chan’s very first member of choice. like hyunjin, jisung is an introvert, but he’s very loud and energetic at the same time.

fun facts: jisung started learning english in malaysia, which may be why his accent when speaking english is faintly british. jisung has been open with his fans about his struggles with social anxiety and depression. he also supposedly has trypophobia, the fear of clusters of holes, but that isn’t proven. jisung has a bichon frise named bbama. jisung and hyunjin were the real enemies to besties.

name: yongbok lee

english name: felix

age: 24 (september 15th, 2000)

nationality: australian-korean

languages: korean, english, basic french

positions: dancer in danceracha, vocalist, rapper

skzoo: bokkari

instagram: yong.lixx

basics: felix was born and raised in sydney, australia, with his older sister raechel and his younger sister olivia. he was 17 when he moved to korea to become a trainee at jype, where he studied korean at the same time, as his parents didn’t raise him to speak the language very much. it’s been said by chan that he was particularly hard on felix during their time before debut because he saw potential in him, and he wanted him to do his best to succeed. felix is known as the sunshine of the group, for the fact that he’s incredibly sweet and happy.

fun facts: felix debuted his runway model career at a louis vuitton fashion show. felix is a 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo, which he won 63 medals in over the course of 12 years. felix has a very deep voice that doesn’t match his face, and he will occasionally make his own asmr content. felix has volunteered in laos with/become an ambassador for unicef. felix is so afraid of scary things, he’s admitted to reading his bible after watching a horror movie. felix cries easily.

name: seungmin kim

english name: sky

age: 24 (september 22nd, 2000)

nationality: korean

languages: korean and advanced english

positions: lead vocalist in vocalracha, dancer, rapper

skzoo: puppym

instagram: miniverse.___

basics: seungmin was born and raised in korea, along with his older sister. he moved to LA as a child for only about 3 months, but that’s where he started his study in english and where he got his english name from a teacher. he trained for one year after winning 2nd place in jype’s 13th open audition, before debuting with stray kids. seungmin is basically an ambivert (it’s not conclusive if he’s introverted or extroverted), and tends to playfully bully his members. he can be pretty random and silly.

fun facts: seungmin wanted to be a baseball player before becoming an idol, and he actually pitched a strike at a game for the second time recently (the first time he was about 9 years old). seungmin was into boxing, although i’m not sure if he is anymore. seungmin and felix have a live called “cat puppy school” where they just mess up recipes constantly. seungmin is the only idol i’ve seen that seems to have autistic traits, from my own autistic prospective. i’m not diagnosing him of course!

name: jeongin yang

english name: bobby (i refuse to call anyone under the age of 60 bob)

stage name: i.n

age: 23 (february 8th, 2001)

nationality: korean

languages: korean and intermediate english

positions: vocalist in vocalracha, dancer, rapper, maknae

skzoo: foxi.ny

instagram: i.2.n.8

basics: jeongin was born and raised in busan, korea, along with his older brother who’s in the military, and his little brother yoon. he was a trainee for about 2 years, and was only 17 when they officially debuted. he bonded especially with hyunjin, who basically took him under his wing at the time. jeongin is introverted, but follows his hyungs’ lead into chaos. he’s very clumsy, and he’s known as the spoiled maknae. the “baby bread” of the group.

fun facts: jeongin wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, social worker, or priest before becoming an idol. jeongin has a more nasally voice, so he’s particularly good at the trot singing style. jeongin has claimed he was a naughty child, running away from home and laying down in the middle of stores when he couldn’t get what he wanted. jeongin is incredibly good with fashion, so his members come to him for advice, and he often posts ootd’s on his instagram.

[fackeraccount]

The Way Of Love

♡2♡

After the soulmate situation, Y/N got busy preparing for the Milan Fashion Week in Italy as an ambassador for Dior. It took almost 3 months to prepare and she hadn't had the time to talk to Hyunjin about the soulmate mark.

On the flight to Italy, she texted the girls to see if they would show up.

After talking with the girls, they agreed to wait at the airport together. As soon as her flight landed, she went to one of the restaurants, deciding to grab her bags later and not drag it around.

She went to and Italian restaurant, obviously since she was in Italy. She order some fried mozzarella sticks while she waited for the girls. She ordered something for them but told the waiter to bring it in and an hour and a half before taking a picture of her food and posted it in her Instagram.

After posting the picture, she noticed Stray kids like her post.

Huh, weird, she thought to herself before she started eating.

The mozzarella sticks were actually pretty good for airport food and the spicy dip made it all the more better.

She continued munching on her food while aimlessly scrolling on TikTok, coming across the new Stray Kids comeback. Preparing for the MFW was so busy, she didn't have enough time to watch the MV but she heard clips of it on her fyp. The most popular songs were called Venom and Maniac though she was gonna listen to the full album later.

The dance seem quite challenging but she always found time to randomly learn them. Learning their dances were quite hard but she did them for fun, not to perform anywhere.

Filing that thought away, she looked at the dance to see how hard it actually was. The Venom dance was harder, but seeing her soulmate do it made her wanna try.

As soon as the girls landed, their food arrived at the table. She texted the girls which restaurant before snapping another picture of their food this time.

They left the airport after getting their bags and went to the cars waiting for then. Since the JYP staff knew she was friends with Itzy, she rode with them while talking about anything and everything with them.

"Unnie, are you gonna come to our concerts for our comeback?", Yuna asked Y/n.

"Of course I will," She replied before adding "Even if I'm busy, I'll erase my schedule for you girls,"

"Yah, unnie, you here that? Y/nnie is coming to the concert!!," Lia enthusiastically shouted.

Y/n chuckled before saying, "Okay okay, we get it. I'm coming don't worry,"

The rest of the ride towards the hotel was filled with loud chatter. Y/n was having so much fun that she didn't even notice the red string on her finger become shorter and shorter.

As soon as they reached the hotel, they were bombarded by reporters who knew that most people stay at this specific hotel since it's closer to the MLW.

Slowly waving, Y/n plastered a smile on her face for the pictures they were taking. She walked into the hotel with the girls, getting her keycard before heading up to her room with her baggage after saying goodbye to the girls.

The minute she stepped into her room, she dropped her suitcase on the ground, closed the door and headed straight into the bathroom to take a shower and remove her makeup.

As she wiped of her makeup, she finally got a good look at her hand and surely enough, the string was so short, it pointed upwards. She gasped before forcing herself to calm down. There was a high chance that her soulmate was coming to the MFW because the hotel was very high end, meaning it was so expensive and reservations were so tight that only the best could actually stay here.

She took a quick shower, patting herself down before she sat on the edge of the bed, drying her hair, and grabbed her phone. She saw the latest headlines about her and Itzy being together, chuckling at their assumptions of a collab with more idols.

'K-pop girl group Itzy, seen with the famous model Yuri also know as Y/n, entering a hotel together. Could this be the beginning of another collab with another JYP group just like the one with Stray kids Hyunjin?'

It was a interesting theory that she could do but she was too tired to think about it anymore. She tossed the towel into the laundry bin before plugging her phone in charger and cuddling under her blanket. Dreaming about someone she didn't think she'd ever meet.

As she looked around the room she was in, it looked exactly like her hotel room except it was definitely bigger and made for 2 people instead of 1.

She sat up on the bed she was on, looking around before seeing someone on the other bed next to her.

She knew what these dreams were. She's had these since she was a child but none looked as if they were in the exact same area as they did right now.

"So, Sky, how are you?" She greeted the boy in English. "And are you at xxx hotel right now?" She added.

"Hello Yuri, I'm fine, and yes I am, why?" He answered, adding his own question as well.

They had learned so much about each other since they've been talking for years.

"Well, I'm also here, just on the 4th floor. This looks like the 5th floor because of the double rooms though. Are you here with a friend?"

Sky's face has always been slightly blurry to you as you assumed it was the same to him, so you really didn't know how he looked like in order to look for him.

"Yea I am. I should've told you last week but I was too busy preparing. I'm here with the rest of my group for the fashion week." He replied.

She knew that Sky was part of a boy band, having started talking to him during his trainee days. He never told her the group's name and she understood why. For privacy reasons, and she respected his decision.

"Fashion week? Oh, I should've told you too!! I'm also here for the fashion week. I was too busy preparing to tell you either!" She exclaimed.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm before he answered, "Its fine. You were busy and so was I. I know you would've told me at some point."

"Yea, maybe we can meet though. I'll give you my real name so you don't have to give me your's. Is that okay?" She asked.

"Of course, I've been wanting to meet you for awhile now so I'll look for you. But my name will be a surprise," he winked at her "in case your a fan." He added.

She laughed before replying, "Well, I'm a model but you already knew that. Y/n, representing Dior,"

He smiled, "Dior, huh? A girl group that I'm friends with has a friend there. Maybe you know," he said.

"Maybe," She replied.

*If your name is in purple then I can't tag you*

Taglist:open! (2?)

@galaxy4489 @theydy-madamonsieur

[knightyoomyoui]

KNIGHT'S ALL-TIME FAVORITE TWICE FANFIC STORIES OF GREATNESS: PART 1

Heyo, Knight here! I mentioned from my previous post days ago that I decided to share some of my favorite TWICE fics that I finished reading since I reactivated my Wattpad account back in 2020. I just feel like my fellow TWICE AU authors who made these deserves much appreciation and recognition, so I made this. If you haven’t checked them out, oh you better do so. There will be more for me to share, so for now, take a look at these five stories that will be included here.

1.) "Adore You" | Mina x Nayeon by Nabongsbunny (Fluff, Smut, Angst) (2020)

I remember when this was my very first TWICE AU that I'd read after months of getting introduced to TWICE back in 2020. A friend of mine requested that I read this one after I asked her about fanfiction that features K-Pop idols, which I learned that other people were also doing it too. And my God, when I gave it a try... Although I was shocked at first at the unexpected lesbian smut that greeted me (and through the rest of the story, which my friend shyly apologizes to me for not making me aware of, lol, but I didn't mind it that much since I'm just in for the story), but all I can say is that the narration is so beautifully written, and all of the characters, especially Nayeon and Mina's, chemistry was carefully built through their backstories, moments, and decisions in life that actually can be put into real-life situations in which, despite being disappointing, you can't help but not blame them for it because... well, it's love. Also, this story was the reason that got me into listening and loving the song "Adore You" by Harry Styles. This one serves as like the official soundtrack if this would be an entire film, but you won't be surprised why the author perfectly chose this song to fit for Minayeon's story. A little glimpse to give about the story, if I remember correctly (it has been more than a year since I read it, but I'm planning to give it a reread because of how perfect it is), Nayeon is the bratty CEO of her company when she met Mina as the team leader who was appointed by her parents to take care of her as they send her to LA to enter a boarding school. There, she realized that this isn't actually their first time meeting each other when Nayeon finds Mina familiar, which brought her to recall where it all began, and the rest is one hell of a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Give it a read for yourself if you are fine with reading TWICE AU that features a ship or pair and doesn't mind a girl-to-girl relationship. I'm probably sure it would end up as one of the best TWICE AU stories you'll ever read. No wonder it became an iconic fanfic in the community. Try to ask a Minayeon fanfic to others; I bet this would be the first or one of them to be mentioned.

2.) "Move On" | Nayeon x Female Reader by @vorrentis (heavy Angst) (2018)

Is it a bit ironic that I'm not really into reading female reader x member if I'm a guy who's gonna read it yet I also read stories that features a ship in TWICE, which members are both female? Well that would be my case of not attempting to give this one a read from Vorrentis' goated TWICE one-shot book on Wattpad. Quick fun fact: Vorrentis is one of my favorite Twice AU authors and my inspiration for starting to write fanfics on my own. Okay, now back to what I was saying, thank goodness my curiosity finally had me check it out by myself a few weeks ago. The summary of this story would be Nayeon and YN, two ex-couples who broke up after Nayeon mysteriously disappeared, and YN didn't know where she went until she found out that she'd be marrying Jeongyeon, whom they both know as a friend of theirs. If you give it a read, you will see how YN would almost curse Nayeon's life to the depths of hell for breaking her heart after what she did. Beware, this story contains LOTS of strong languages because, like I said, it's heavy angst filled with confrontations and arguments. What I love about this is how the author did a great job on making the dialogues felt so real, as if when you were reading it, you can feel the intensity because it's like you're sharing the same room as them as a nosy spectator or let's say you are their child (lol). And oh, since I mentioned about how Nayeon's sinful act devastated YN's vulnerable heart brutally, here comes the mindblowing double twist that would be thrown to you as it reaches the climax. Had me gaping my mouth in shock at the back and forth of revelations.

3.) "Stuck In Fairytales" | TWICE x Male Reader by ZAKY14 (Fluff, Angst) (2020)

I found this one pretty interesting because it reminded me of "Knock Knock"'s storyline in the MV, minus the theorized creepy twist that ONCEs put in there, and when I read it, I was so entertained throughout the chapters. The author, Zaky, is known on Wattpad for writing a bunch of Twice fics, some of which feature other idols too. The story of this one is centered on "Lao Bang,"  the name of the reader here, who accidentally discovered an ancient storybook. He opened it and got sucked in there to be part of every story it contains inside, explaining why this book has arcs that feature some of the popular Disney fairytale characters that TWICE would be portraying as. This one has a sequel by the way, and it will continue to tell Lao Bang's story after he successfully escaped the book.

4.) "The Life I Never Had" | TWICE x Male Reader by Mashimuno (2020)

If you love superheroes and some action/comedy genres like me, this one is definitely for you. “The Life I Never Had” tells the story of YN, a guy who got teleported off Earth since he was 5 years old and grew up to be trained as a bounty hunter in the planet he got thrown at. One day, during a mission he got beaten up badly with his sidekick and forced to retreat onto a nearby habitable planet , and there he ends up at the Earth where he was born which is also where TWICE would be living also in this story (they're still portrayed here as idols, just like in real life, btw). It also has a multiverse concept that we usually see in Marvel and DC films. Read it if you want to see how YN would meet the girls and how his connection with them gets stronger, and it will teach him how to live an unparalleled life that he never experienced in the universe he used to live for his entire life as they get to know themselves more throughout the chapters while facing YN's adversaries from the other planet.

5.) "Sociopath" | Nayeon x Male Reader by @nichuuu (Fluff, Angst, Smut) (2023)

Back in February, I tried to search for some TWICE one-shots on Tumblr because not gonna lie I get tired of seeing bunches of smuts and nothing new in my feed. Then I found this one. Me loves tsundere because of how often I see them in animes, and the way the author made it possible by writing Nayeon's character like that in this story where she is the CEO of her company, famous for being a... well, let's say she is an evil boss who is a huge antisocial until she meets YN, who applied as her 25th secretary (insane, right?). The story is basically about how a devil meets an angel who will slowly change her perception of the reality of life, and through the people around her who will result in her change of heart. The more she also begins to fall in love with our male lead here, they also face some challenges that are related mainly to Nayeon's tragic past that brought her hostile side to emerge and live with it. The prologue was effectively hilarious when I first read it, and I knew right then that I would be reading such an awesome story. I even finished the whole chapter in just a day! It's truly one of the best rom-com TWICE fics I've read, and I highly recommend it.

[venusvity]

‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🍒 ⋅ ˚✮  WELCOME TO THE WORLD VENUS !

It's 2018. Angelico hasn't had an active girl group in four years. The boy group checks are getting smaller every month; their newest boy group just flopped. The bank is calling about overdue payments, and they're desperate for a hit. With what was left in their ever-shrinking business bank account, they debuted their saving grace: VENUS.

The five-member piece comprised popular trainees from their Angellies program and former I.O.I member Chloe Lee. Baebi, Bliss, and Jiah consistently ranked in the top four during the Angellies' weekly rankings alongside Chloe. The only outsider was Sena Kim, who ranked reasonably well but consistently ranked in the top ten instead of the top five like the other girls.

VENUS IN 2018 AT THEIR DEBUT SHOWCASE: Bliss (20), Baebi (19), Chloe (18), Sena (16), and Jiah (15).

SHE DEVIL, originally a digital single that later became a physical single, was a commercial success in South Korea. The song entered the Gaon Digital Chart at number five the week of its release. 

It was certified platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for 100 million streams just two months after its release. "She Devil" ranked 11th on the year-end Gaon Digital Chart, making it the best-performing girl group song and second-best-performing group song of 2018 in South Korea.

"She Devil" amassed the top spot on various music programs; it achieved 9 wins, including a "triple crown" (or three wins) on Inkigayo.

Next would come KISSENUS, the group's first mini-album, and come back, "Kisseus," pronounced "KISS-EE-US," which was a move to establish the Venus branding. There were so many "-eus" gimmicks during this time. Some landed, some didn't, but Kissenus landed!

Know what didn't land? Their outfits. Oh my god, it was clear Angelico was broke! Truly, one of the last groups to debut looking like losers, they had these girls looking a mess on music shows! Fans still bring up the wardrobe choices when discussing Kissenus.

Kissenus would receive 7 music show awards across various music programs, including another "triple crown" on Inkigayo.

Their final comeback of the year would be another mini album titled "Tasteus" and a title track of the same name. While the song was a banger and performed well on the charts and at music shows, securing 6 wins and retaining their "triple crowned" winner status at Inkigayo, fans began to worry if the girls were being overworked due to their constant promotion of a new release.

Their run at the 2018 MAMA Awards caused mass discourse amongst K-pop fans. The barely-year-old group won Best Female Group, Best New Artist—Female, and Best Dance Performance—Female Group for She-Devil.

Venus saw undeniable and unheard-of success for Angelico in 2018, skyrocketing their company's stocks, becoming the faces of "Monster Rookies," and being the blueprint for what a good debut year should look like.

[thewayitalknj]

The Song That Follows

Modern!Eddie Munson x Female Reader

Summary-A love song from one of your favorite movies seems to follow you wherever you go and starts to play into your real life ; Prom is just around the corner as well. Word Count-6.7k Warnings-Friends to lovers ; A mention of sleeping together but none is written ; Takes place in 2023.

Quick Notes-Well holy crap, here I am writing for the first time since 2011 probably? I'm a bit rusty, but I hope you enjoy! Just a funny side note, Mrs. K is based off of a real life teacher I had in high school. She did come to my prom drunk (LOL). She also did ask my friends and I to help for the extra credit for a school event but we kindly declined. :) (also I'm insanely obsessed with this song, I hope you love it as well!)

You - Hey! I’m in need of your assistance for the next Photoshop Challenge for Photography, can you meet me in the computer lab after school?

Jonathan - sure, no problem. I’ll see you then!

As the final bell of the day rang you made you way to the computer lab to meet Jonathan, grateful he was willing to help considering you hated asking your own teachers questions yourself. You knew senior year wasn’t going to be easy but as the end of the year started getting closer and closer you couldn’t believe that you and your friends were off to college. Soon there would be one more lunch together, one more after school meet up and one more meeting in the computer lab.

“Hey you finally beat me.” You say walking up to Jonathan who’s waiting for you outside the door.

“Last class was right around the corner, you ready to tackle this assignment?”

“Let’s do it.” 

Time passed as you and Jonathan worked on your homework together. Your objective was to take a photo but add in a random object, then having to take said random object out of the photo with editing. You both were concentrating so hard you didn’t even notice your Sociology teacher, Mrs. K, walking up between you two.

“Good afternoon!”

“Hey Mrs. K, how are you?” You ask smiling. Mrs. K was one of your favorite teachers. She was defiantly a little off but was still the life of the party during class.

“I’m doing well missy thank you for asking. I’m so glad I found you both together, I need to ask you a possible favor.”

“And what would that be?”

“I’m head of the prom committee this year and in need of more volunteers. Just a few students to help out with small things for the night.”

“Ah, and what’s in it for us?” Jonathan asks, smirking.

She laughs and shakes her head. “You know me too well Mr. Byers. Extra credit. I’ll let you know a few weeks before what your jobs will be and it will go towards your final grade of the year. I’ll even knock off some final questions.”

“That’s really nice of you to ask us for help Mrs. K but I already have plans on prom night.” You answer with a pretend sad look on your face. You knew you never wanted to go to prom. You hated getting dressed up, wearing makeup, hell doing your own routine in the morning was frustrating enough.

“Plans already? Prom is another month away how do you already have plans?”

“They just happened to fall on prom night. Look, can we talk it over and get back to you?”

“Sure, I’ll be at the front desk working. Thank you both for your consideration.” With a huge pat on the back to the both of you, she walks away.

“I’m just as confused, how do you have plans already set in stone?” Jonathan raises an eyebrow.

“Like I said, they just happen to fall on the same night as prom. I wasn’t planning on going anyway.”

“Well, let’s think this over real quick. Save your file.” You quickly save your edited work and turn to Jonathan. “This is easy extra credit. Who cares if we have to listen to terrible pop music and dress up for one night. We could even ask Nancy, Eddie and Robin to help too. We can all go as a group. It might be worth it.”

“Nancy and Robin would be on board, Eddie is another story.”

“Why?”

“I know him, okay? Prom is not his style or the place he wants to be.”

“But it’s extra credit. Like I said, easy extra credit. I’m in. How about you?” You thought about it for a moment. He was right, it IS super easy extra credit. Your grade could use a pick me up, and it would be a fun night with friends regardless.

“Okay, you convinced me. Let’s go tell Mrs. K when we’re done editing.” Once you heard the announcement of the computer lab closing you both approached Mrs. K and told her you were in. She was very delighted and thanked you a million times and gave lots of hugs. 

Now the difficult part is coming up, canceling your plans to volunteer on prom night. I’m sure the news will be taken lightly considering the situation, what could possibly go wrong? Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough, right?

Your locker slams shut. “YOU WHAT?”

“Don’t raise your voice on me Munson.” You turn around and begin to head down the hallway towards the lunchroom.

“Come on, we’ve had these plans for months. We made a vow-”

“Yes yes I know we did.”

��And you want to fall to the broken conformity that is…fucking prom?!” You stop and turn around again this time facing him yourself.

“Look Eddie I’m sorry but this is the easiest extra credit you can receive. You have Mrs. K too why don’t you sign up as well. I’m sure you of all people need the exert credit.”

“Wow, ouch.” This time he takes the lead in walking.

“Well it’s too late, I’ll be there. I still think you should go. Our whole group is going to be there so it won’t be like you're alone.”

“That’s not really the point-”

“Then can you please for one night not be the kid who thinks he’s too cool for school?”

“Still not the point but I’m ending this conversation now.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” You both enter the lunchroom and find Nancy, Robin and Jonathan at your usual table.

“Whoa, what’s got your panties in a bunch?” Robin asks Eddie.

“This one,” Eddie points to you, “has canceled plans with me.”

“Oh, whoa is me.” Robin has always been the one for dramatics and you softly laugh to yourself while getting your lunch out.

“Did these plans happen to fall on prom night?” Jonathan then asks.

Eddie rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed even at the word. “Yes they did. Why? Are you to blame for this?” 

“Blame for what? Is this about Mrs. K’s extra credit volunteering?” Nancy interjects.

“I am to blame for this then. Yes, Mrs. K asked us yesterday in the computer lab and we accepted.”

“She asked Robin and I in class today. We signed up too, figured it would be fun.”

“Nancy, you have an A already you don’t need the extra credit.” 

“Yes that’s true but after she told us you two were helping we thought we could go as a group to stick together.”

“My thoughts exactly. See?” Jonathan smiles at you and the girls. Eddie slumps in his chair and sighs.

“I’ll just be alone, in my room, with my guitar and uncle in the other room as he watches reruns of Wheel of Fortune all night.”

“Come on Eddie, can’t you suck it up for one night?” Robin shakes his arm and pouts as she speaks. “It will be a lot of fun. And we can all hang out afterword.”

“I don’t know guys I really don’t want to.”

“Just give it a thought okay? I bet you could use the extra credit as well.” Nancy says.

“Jesus Christ…”

Hey I still feel bad about changing our plans, can I please make it up to you?

1 New Notification 

Eddie - what do you have in mind??

Well I was going to ask if I can join in on Hellfire for the rest of the month but considering I almost killed our whole party in one of our last sessions I don’t think I’m ever welcomed back.

…yeah Dustin and Lucas are still mad about that…can we just have our movie night some other time?

Absolutely! What works for you?

Next Friday?

Perfect, see you then! :)

Movie night was an essential part of your friendship with Eddie. Every other Friday you would get together and watch one of your favorite films. This time it was Eddie’s trailer with you bringing the snacks and choosing the film. And after another long boring day of school you were exited about spending the night with your best friend.

After knocking three times Eddie rushed to the door to let you in. “About time, what was taking so long?”

“I over bought, get ready for your freezer to be full again.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining. Wayne will be happy about it too.” He steps aside to let you in, putting all your bags on the counter.

“Speaking of, where is my favorite long lost uncle?”

“Working per usual but he says hello.” You and Eddie spend the next few minutes getting everything set up. Snacks on the coffee table while the oven baked your favorite appetizers. “Alight so it’s your choice tonight. What streaming service are we using?”

“Amazon Prime.” You answer, grabbing the remote and loading up the app on his TV.

“Hm, different.”

“Eddie Munson, get ready to watch one of the best film of the 80’s. Personally, one of my favorite’s. Not only is it one of my favorite’s but the soundtrack is perfect is every single way.”

“Okay, so what’s it called?”

“Streets of Fire. A rock and roll fable.”

“If it’s one of the best movies of the 80’s why have I never heard of it?”

“Have I also mentioned it is very underrated?”

“Well now you have. Okay, press play.”

“With pleasure.” You press play and the movie begins.

An hour and half seem to pass like it’s nothing. You knew you were going to enjoy the movie but was curious to how Eddie would react. Every so often you would steal some glances at him, and his eyes never left the screen. Hell he never even got up to go to the bathroom or to get more food. “Well…what do you think?”

“That was…wow.”

“Wow good or wow bad? You’re killing me.”

“You weren’t kidding. I loved it. Why isn’t it more well known?”

“Beats me. My Dad showed it to me a few years ago.”

“Why didn’t you show me sooner?”

“Dunno, just came to mind one day and I figured it would be perfect for a movie night and well, here we are. Plus like I said the soundtrack is one of my favorites, I listen to is constantly.”

“Good choice, good choice.” He nods his head in approval and you smile. “Come on, let’s get this place cleaned up.” As you both continue to tidy up you can’t help but think of how Eddie won’t be joining you and your friends for prom.

“Hey.” He looks at you. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to prom with us? It really is going to be fun.” He just laughs and shakes his head. “Eddie…”

“I’m not going hun. I’m sorry, I just don’t want too. None of you can convince me otherwise.” You accept defeat. As much as you want him to join you you know it’s going to be difficult to talk him into going. It’ll take a miracle to get him there. So you figured from that point on you shouldn’t waste your time. 

The end of the night arrived and it was time for you to head back home. You give him a quick hug and he watches you walk back to your car. When you safely enter he closes the trailer door. As your phone connects to car, I Can Dream About You by Dan Hartman pops up as your first shuffled song. “Huh, that’s funny.” You sing along to your favorite song from Streets of Fire and drive on home.

2 New Notification 

Nancy - I’m sorry but Robin is about to text you about dress shopping, just wanted to warn you.

Robin-HEYYYY WE’RE GOING DRESS SHOPPING TODAY AND YOU CAN’T TELL US NO SEE YOU LATER OKAY BYEEEEEEEEE.

“I can’t believe you pulled me out on a Saturday to go dress shopping.” You, Robin and Nancy are standing outside your local mall.

“Ladies,” Robin turns to you both, “I’m what you would call a fashionista.”

“You most certainly are not-” “Far from it actually-” You and Nancy answer at the same time.

“Okay okay, I get it. But you will thank me later when I help pick out your dresses. Now, let’s go girls.” She struts herself into the mall. You and Nancy (again at the same time) roll your eyes and follow right behind her, passing all the local shops until you reach the dress shop.

“This is my own personal nightmare.” You whisper to yourself.

“Heard that, and trust me. Don’t you trust me?” Robin asks.

“NO.” Again, you and Nancy speak in unison.

“Please stop doing that, it’s freaking me out. Now, leave me to my duties. I shall be back in a jiffy.” Nancy takes a seat at the front of the store while you lean against the glass wall.

“Do you really trust her with this shit?” You look over at Nancy who’s scrolling through her phone.

“Honestly no, but we had no choice but to be here or we wouldn’t hear the end of it. So let her have her fun. Who knows, maybe she’ll find us some good choices.”

Turns out Robin was good with fashion if she put her mind to it. She picked out a few dresses for Nancy which she tried on, settling on the third choice. Once it was your turn, Robin led you to your dressing room, closing the curtain. “Um, Robin there’s only one dress in here.”

“I know, try it on. I have my reasons.” You look over the dress, touching it with ease. You admire how pretty it really is and thought you would pick it out yourself if you saw it on the rack. You quickly change out of your clothes into the dress, only to find your having trouble with the zipper. 

“Hey, need help with the zipper. Can’t seem to reach.” You open the curtain and Robin quickly helps, then taking a step back.

“Whoa.” This time, it’s her and Nancy speaking at the same time.

“Whoa good or whoa bad?”

“Whoa good. Look at yourself.” You turn around towards the mirror and step onto the pedestal. You were never for dressing up but this dress was just, perfect.

“Damn Robin, you out did yourself.” You complaint her work, turning around and admiring how the dress fits you perfectly.

“I told you, I have my reasons.”

“And those reasons were?” 

A familiar song starts playing in the store.

“Well for one, the dress is just you. And two-”

“Wait, wait sorry. Hold on.” You point your finger to the speaker and smile. “Sorry, I just love this song.”

“Okay, random.”

“What song is it?” Nancy seemed curious.

“It’s called I Can Dream About You. It’s from the 80’s, it’s actually from one of my favorite soundtracks.”

“What movie?”

“Streets of Fire? Why are you questioning me so much?”

“Because I knew this sounded familiar. Mike was listening to it in his room. When I asked him about the song he said Eddie told him to listen to it.”

“He, he did?”

“Yeah, he said they all started talking about movies and Eddie brought it up. He said he watched it with you-”

“WHICH leads me to reason number two,” Robin interrupts, “this dress will knock Eddie off his feet.” 

“Very funny Robin.” You step down and cross your arms.

“I mean Robin isn’t wrong, Eddie would love this on you.” Nancy agrees, looking you up and down.

“When did this fantasy about Eddie and I start?”

“Oh please, we’ve all known since we were like 15. You belong together, and we all think it.”

“And we all is…?”

“Everyone in our group, even Eddie. But of course he won’t admit it himself because he’s stubborn and men never admit their feelings.”

“Robin-”

“Hush,” she covers your mouth “it is my mission to get you both together by the end of senior year. Also,” she uncovers your mouth, “this song is clearly a sign.”

“Okay Robin you’re loosing it-”

“Oh come on! Don’t you think it’s coincidental that you hear this song while shopping and then learn how Mike was listening to it after you just happen to show Eddie this movie a few weeks ago?” She perks her head to the side, she once again, wasn’t wrong.

“Well-”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re not. And after Eddie and I watched it, it was the first song to pop up on my shuffle.” Robin raises her arms to the sky.

“See?! It’s fate. It’s going to happen I can guarantee it. I will work my magic. Now, let’s go pay for these beauties.” She once again struts her way this time to the cashier.

“And do you have a say in all of this?” You ask Nancy.

“Well, the dress is gorgeous. And I also think you and Eddie belong together. That’s all.” 

“Awesome, great thanks. Can you please unzip me?” Nancy helps as you make your way back in and get dressed back into your normal attire. 

Senior Week had finally arrived, which meant prom was on Friday. Today was a half day for the senior class. It was also the day you found out your special jobs. Thankfully being the wonderful teacher she is, Mrs. K kept you and your friends together and assigned you to help decorate apart of the gym the morning of. Your last event of the day was lunch. “So, what’s this big news you have to share Jonathan?”

“Wait until Eddie comes and I’ll let you all know.” After a few minutes, Eddie sits himself next to you taking out his headphones.

“Sorry, got held up in the library working on an assignment. What’s your big news?”

“I have a surprise for you guys.”

“And what would that be?” Nancy asks.

“Argyle is flying in from California to go to prom with us.”

“No way?!” “That’s awesome!” “Sweet!” Everyone seemed super excited about Argyle flying in, except for Eddie.

“Well, I’m sure you all will have fun together.”

“Come on Munson, you seriously don’t want to come?” Robin sticks out her lip.

“No no and fuck no. You can keep trying but nothing is going to convince me to go.”

“You suck, you know that?”

“Nothing new.” He states.

Jonathan jumps back into the conversation to change the subject. “Yeah, he’s really excited about coming. He can’t wait to see you all.”

“We’re excited to see him too, it’s been so long. FaceTime and Zoom can only do so much.” You say.

“True. So, how was shopping for your dresses?”

“It actually went pretty well. Turns out Robin has an eye for fashion when she puts her mind to it.” Nancy answers.

“What do the dresses look like?”

You begin to answer, “Well mine is-”

“NOPE. Keep your mouth shut!” Robin yells.

“The heck is up with you?” Eddie asks.

“It’s all a surprise. You’ll have to wait until Friday to see how we look.”

“But I’m not even going.”

“Then you’re missing out.” Robin says matter-of-faculty. You knew what she was doing and you hated it, but you also wanted to see what the outcome would be.

“Whatever, you guys have fun. I’ll be home if you change your mind.” He says to you, picking up his stuff and leaving. When he was getting up he unlocked his phone and pressed play on a song popping in his headphones, you caught a quick glimpse of it and your eyes went wide. After he took a few steps away, they all look at you confused.

“What?” You ask.

“Why did it look like your eyes were going to budge out of your sockets?” Jonathan asks, concerned if anything.

“Oh, nothing. I’m fine.”

“You look like you saw a ghost just now. What gives?”

“I said it’s nothing-”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, thank you though.”

Robin smirks. 

Prom Night approached a lot quicker then you expected. Senior Week flew by so quick you now found yourself at Nancy’s house with Robin getting ready. Peter Gabriel’s Your Eyes playing through the speakers in her room. You spent most of the morning at school getting your extra credit in with Mrs. K and other classmates. When 2pm hit the clock she dismissed and thanked you all for your hard work. Jonathan agreed to pick everyone up along with Argyle.

“I’m so tired from earlier I don’t think I’m going to make it through the night.” You say.

“Oh you’ll be fine. Once we all get there your energy will pick up.” Nancy says. You nod your head and continue working on your makeup.

“And that was Peter Gabriel’s Your Eyes on 102.7, hits from yesterday and today. I’m Michelle, your DJ for the next few hours. The all request zone is coming up, so call in or shoot us a text to get your fav songs on the air! I’ll be back after these messages.”

“Hm, that sounds fun. I’ll be right back.” Robin says as she exits the room.

“What does she mean?” Nancy asks.

“Beats me, maybe she’s going to the bathroom.” A few moments pass as Robin enters back into the room with a smile on her face, a few minutes pass until the DJ begins talking on the radio again.

“Alight everyone and we’re back. We had a few calls and texts coming in. I want to kick off our request zone with a message from a young lady named Robin! She called in for a message for a friend, quote ‘Please change your mind, you won’t regret it. She’s going to look stunning and gorgeous and you know you’re going to kick yourself for it.’ And with that, here’s her request ‘I Can Dream About You’ by Dan Hartman!” The song starts playing

“ROBIN WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?” You scream, dropping your eyeliner.

“Hey, you never know, Eddie could be listening. Plus, let’s flashback to yesterday shall we? You know damn well what you saw on his phone. He was listening to this song when he got up and you saw it on his lock screen, wasn’t he?” You stare at her. “Well?”

“Wait, is she for real?” Nanny questions putting down her hair supplies  down, now entertained.

“…Yes. He was listening to it.” You admit, looking down at the floor.

“SEE? I knew it. Fate, it’s going to happen. He’s showing up tonight.”

“No, he’s not. I know him better than you, he doesn’t listen to the radio that much. Mainly just his phone. There’s only one good rock station in this town and it’s rare he even listens to that.”

“Well I thought it was worth a shot. I guarantee he’ll come. I can feel it.” You just shake your head and continue with your makeup. “Anyhow, ladies. Let’s get glammed.”

After a few hours cooped up in Nancy’s bedroom, you all found yourselves taking photos in the Wheelers living room.

“You girls look so beautiful, so grown up!” Mrs. Wheeler wipes away a tear while clicking her photo button multiple times.

“Okay Mom, that’s enough.” Nancy states.

“Oh one more please?!” DING DONG.

Nancy whispers a small “thank god” as Mrs. Wheeler gets the door to greet Jonathan and Argyle.

“What up my Hawkins family?!” Argyle enters with arms wide open. You, Nancy and Robin all run to him and engulf him in the biggest hug.

“We’ve missed you! We’re so glad you came for this!” You say.

“I’m glad too! Jonathan gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“Yeah yeah, you all look great by the way.” Jonathan bows to you all as Argyle follows along. Mrs. Wheeler insists on taking more photos together and you all agree because you can see she’s still so emotional.

“Okay, I’ll let you all go. You have fun, stay safe and text me updates please!” You all then give her a hug when you hear honking coming from outside the house.

“What the hell is that?” Ronin questions looking out the window. “Oh, no way.”

“Yeah, I came barring gifts my friends.” Argyle leads to the front door.

“COME ON SENIORS, WE’RE GOING TO BE LATE.” And there you see Steve, leaning up against a car.

“Oh you can’t just stay away from Hawkins even after you graduated can you Harrington?” You yell to him, walking out and meeting him.

“And miss all my friends going to their senior prom? Never, come here.” You give him a hug and look at the car. 

“Whose car?” Robin points to the shiny black car.

“Argyle rented it for you guys for the night, and I will be your chauffeur.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Nancy says to Argyle.

“It’s no problemo, figured it can be my thank you to you all for the invite and for Jonathan letting me crash at his place so I didn’t have to stay at a hotel.”

“Look at the time, let’s get you guys to prom. I’m driving, so I’m playing DJ.” Steve opens the back door for everyone as you pile in and make your way towards Hawkins High.

Approaching the school was overwhelming. There were teachers, parents and cars everywhere. It took awhile for Steve to pull up to the entrance but you finally made it. After parking the car Steve turns around to face you all. “Okay kids, prom ends at midnight and I will be here on the dot to pick you up. No later than that okay?”

“Thanks Dad. See you then.” Robin says rolling her eyes, a specialty of her’s at this point. You all exit the car and make your way into the gymnasium. 

“Place looks great, our hard work paid off.” Jonathan states, looking around.

“You all did this?” Argyle asked in amazement.

“Well some of it yes.” You answer.

“Rad.” 

The night rolls on smoothly. You’re all horribly dancing to terrible TikTok hits and overplayed songs on the radio, but that’s not stopping you from having a good time. Although every time you would greet a fellow classmate, the majority asked where Eddie was. It hurt but you can’t say you didn’t try. You even tried to request a few songs to the DJ but he just looked at you like you had three heads. However when you requested Taylor Swift he was happy to oblige.

“I’m going to go get some water, anyone want any?” You yell over the music.

“No but we’ll meet you over by the tables, we need a break.” Robin says, pointing to where they’re going to be. You give her a thumbs up and head over to the water table, filling your cup and taking a huge gulp. Who knew dancing would take up this much energy.

“Hey there sonny!” Mrs. K comes on over standing next to you.

“Hi Mrs. K! You look beautiful.”

“As do you! How’s your night going?” Mrs. K seemed a little too upbeat and standing a bit too close. Smelling her breath you knew she definitely had a few to drink before arriving.

“It’s going great. We’re having a fun time.”

“Awesome! Hey, I meant to ask you all earlier. Where’s that Munson kid?” She looks around the dance-floor.

“He’s not coming. He had obligations set already.” 

“Ah, shame, I thought for sure he would be your date.” She playfully hit your arm raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah everyone seems to keep telling me that.” You take another sip of your water.

“Shame shame shame…” She begins to dance and sing, …”sHAME SHAME SHAAMEEE…”

“Here Mrs K,” you hand her a cup of water, “I’m going to go find my friends.” You quickly walk away and return to your group.

“What’s up with Mrs. K?” Jonathan asks.

“I think she may have had some drinks before coming in tonight.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Nancy laughs.

“Yeah I thought something was off about that lady. Is she always like that?” Argyle asks.

“YES.” You all answer in unison, laughing even harder. You all notice the DJ slowing the songs down, indicating it was time for some slow dancing to take place. You all look at eachother, shake your heads and sit on down. You start conversations about your senior year, how Argyle’s school year was back in California and small talk when you notice a familiar song starting to play.

 I Can Dream About You starts playing over large speakers.

“Oh my god, you have got to be kidding.” You say, shaking your head and placing it in your arms on the table.

“What?” Jonathan asks.

“Nothing, it’s this song playing.”

“What about the song?”

“Fate…” Robin says, looking behind you.

“What do you mean fate?” Jonathan was very confused.

“Fate for what?” Argyle was also very confused.

“Fate…” Nancy says.

“What is going on?! And how is the DJ playing this song right now?!” Nancy and Robin nod and point towards the opposite side of the room. You turn around to look and there standing across the way in a dark red button up, black pants and boots is Eddie.

“Holy shit…”

“FATE, I KNEW IT. GO GO GO.” Robin pushes you up. You straighten out your dress and begin to walk towards him. He begins to walk towards you and you meet in the middle of the dance-floor.

“Hey.” You speak first.

“Hey.” He answers.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, a little birdie told me you would look stunning and gorgeous and I just couldn’t pass up that opportunity now could I?” He takes your hand and spins you around to get a better look at you.

“Wait, you actually listened to the radio?”

“Glad I did this time.” Smiling he takes your hand, grabs your waist and you both begin swaying together to the music.

“I can assure you I didn’t put her up to it.”

“I believe you, Robin has balls.” You laugh and look back up at him.

“You look handsome by the way, I’m really glad you showed up.”

“Thanks, me too.” He says quietly. You both continue to dance together, soon enough leaning your head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat. You felt like you were on cloud nine, in a dream. Once the song faded out you separate but he pulls you into a hug, leaving a light kiss on the top of your head. You thought you were going to melt but kept it together.

“By the way, how did you get the DJ to play the song? I requested stuff earlier and he looked at me like I was crazy.”

“I may have slipped him a $20.”

“Eddie Munson you are something else.” You say. You grab his hand and lead him over to the table.

“You actually made it!” Robin gets up first pulling him into a hug followed by Nancy and then Jonathan and Argyle. 

“What made you change your mind?”

“Change of heart, that’s all. Plus it’s halfway over.” He shrugs. He wasn’t going to admit he heard the message on the radio, he didn’t want to give Robin the satisfaction.

“Are you surrrre that’s the only reason why? Huh Huh?!” Robin smirks. Now she’s having way too much fun.

“Hey, you guys did a great job by the way. Place looks awesome.” Eddie points around the room trying so hard to change the subject.

“Thanks, I think we did pretty good.” You say looking around as well.

“So, now what?”

“We dance some more. The night is young my friends!” Robin twirls and starts making her way back to the dance-floor.

“Actually it’s 11:15 so it’s almost time to go.” Argyle yells following her, as does Nancy and Jonathan.

“I was actually going to ask if I can steal you for the rest of the night after this is over.” You smile and look down at the floor. Again, cloud nine. Butterflies and all.

“Movie night?”

“Movie night.”

“COME ON LOVEBIRDS A FEW MORE SONGS PLEASE.” Robin yells, you shrug your shoulders grab his arm and pull him into the crowd against his will.

The stroke of midnight soon hit and everyone began to leave. You and your friends exit and find Steve leaning up against his car waiting just like earlier.

“Hey Munson, I didn’t know you were coming.” Steve says, shocked to see him.

“Yeah I didn’t think I was going to make it either but I did.” He says.

“Alright kids, where to? The diner, home, a party?”

“The diner please, I’m starving.” Argyle says.

“You’re always hungry Argyle.” Jonathan laughs getting in the car. Steve makes his way over to the drivers side.

“I’m going with Eddie, so I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” You tell them.

“Okay, drive safe!” Everyone says their final goodbyes as you and Eddie walk over to his van. Ronin leaves you with a wink and pointed finger guns, as you flip her off in the process. 

The ride back was calm, as music quietly played in the background. As you approach the trailer, you see Wayne exiting the front door.

“Hey Mr. Munson.” You say walking up to him.

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s Wayne?” He laughs pulling you into a hug.

“I can’t it’s too weird.”

“Well would you look at you. Absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Did y’all have a good time?”

“Yes, yes we did. Glad it’s over.” Eddie answers walking over to you both.

“I’m glad to hear that. Well I’m off too work. You both have a goodnight, don’t have too much fun now…”

“Wayne come on…” Eddie sighs walking over and unlocking the door.

“It was good to see you Mr. Munson. Have a safe night at work.”

“Thank you sweetheart.” He nods his head and leaves. You follow behind Eddie and enter.

“I’m going to get you a change of clothes.” 

“Great thanks.” You sit on the couch and take off your shoes, thankful you no longer have to wear them any longer. Eddie walks back out with some clothes in his hand.

“Here you go, the bathroom is all yours. I’m going to get changed in my bedroom.”

“Thanks.” You make your way into the bathroom, only to realize you need help with the zipper. “Shit. Hey Eddie?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah I just need help with my zipper.” You meet him outside the door, he comes out in pj pants and no shirt. You immediately turn around to so your eyes don’t wonder. “It’s uh-”

“I see it don’t worry.” You feel him slowly taking the zipper down your side, holding onto the dress so it doesn’t fall in the process. Your breath starts to pick up and you have to talk yourself into slowing down. You’ve seen him shirtless countless times but this feels different. “Okay, you’re good.”

“Thanks again-” You start to walk back into the bathroom when you feel his hand catch your arm.

“Wait.” You turn around looking up at him. And before you could ask what he wanted, your lips crash. You’re shocked, excited and turned on all at the same time. This is something you’ve wanted, craved for a few years now. Constantly suppressing your feelings because you thought you were crazy, but this, you couldn’t even believe it. Without thinking you wrap your arms around his neck and move in closer, you swore time stopped. As you both part slowly, your dress falls to the floor. “Oh shit!” Eddie covers his eyes and turns around. “I promise I didn’t see anything.” You laugh and bring the dress back up covering yourself again.

“It’s okay. Um, I’m going to get changed now.”

“Yeah you do that I’ll find a movie.” You head back into the bathroom, lock the door and take the deep breath you were holding in. Replaying the moment in your head and doing a tiny happy dance in the process. Eddie gave you pair of pj pants as well with an old Iron Maiden shirt. You lay your dress over the tub and find some makeup remover in the cabinet. You knew Eddie sometimes wore a bit of eyeliner when he played his shows with Corroded Coffin, sometimes you even helped him out with his own fear of poking his eye. After taking off your makeup and cleaning yourself up you headed back out to the living room to find Eddie on his couch scrolling through Netflix. 

You slowly approach him. “Eddie?” He looks up at you. “I really don’t want to watch a movie.”

“I was hoping you would say that.” He gets up and practically runs to you once again connecting his lips to yours, quickly picking you up as you wrap your legs around his waist. You part from his and lean your head against his. “What took us so long?”

“Stupid teenager hormones? Peer pressure? Finally realizing your true feelings?” You answer.

“Sounds about right.” He laughs, kissing you again and walking you both back to his bedroom without breaking the kiss.

The morning sun was peaking through the window. You squint your eyes and look over at the clock on the nightstand. 8:25am. You rub your eyes and start to get up when you feel some extra weight on you. Eddie’s arm was wrapped around your waist, not giving you enough movement. You smile to yourself and bring yourself closer to him, only to feel him wiggle.

“What time is it?” He asked in a sleepy voice.

“Almost 8:30.”

“Fuck, that’s so early.” He responds pulling you closer.

“It’s really not.” You reply laughing at how sleepy he is. You reach over to your phone on the nightstand and see some text messages.

Robin-Are you awake yet??

Please tell me you’re awake I know it’s 8am but plz.

HHHEEELLLOOOO?

PLZ ANSWER IM DYING TO HEAR WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m awake NOW. 

(unsent) Just please don’t call-

Too late, Robin started a FaceTime call.

“Buckley?” Eddie asks.

“Yup. Can I pick up?”

“Might as well. She should be the first to know.”

“Know what?”

“That we’re kinda official now?” You blush and pick up the phone trying to hide Eddie from sight.

“Hey Robin.”

“HOLY SHIT I’M DYING WHAT HAPPENED?”

“Robin calm down it’s still early and-”

“And we’re just waking up together in the same bed. Can we please call you back after we have some coffee?” Eddie comes into frame. Robin has the biggest grin and smile on her face.

“FINALLY! GUYS THEY DID IT. THEY’RE FINALLY-” Eddie reaches over and presses the hang up button.

“Hey-”

“Hey nothing. I want you to myself this morning.” He flips you so you’re facing him and brings you into a kiss. 

“Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?” 

“That we’re official.”

“Well I think the proper way would be to take you on a few dates, then ask you to be my girlfriend then sleep together but considering we went out of order I just kind of figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“No no, not at all.” You laugh bringing him back down for another kiss. “But I will take you up on that coffee.”

“Will do.” He gets up and starts to head out to the kitchen.

“WAIT.”

“What what?”

“Put some clothes on.” You say throwing him his pants from the night before.

“Yeah that would have been awkward when Wayne gets home.” He slips them on. “By the way, my alarm is going to go off at 8:45 so you can just hit the button.”

“Okay.” You get up yourself and find the clothes he gave you on the floor. As you’re getting dressed, Eddie’s alarm goes off with the radio going off. Right when the song begins to play, Eddie runs back into his bedroom and you just stare at the clock.

🎶 I don’t understand it, can’t keep my mind off loving you  🎶 

“You have got to be kidding.” You whisper.

“I uh, I think we have a song.” Eddie says, looking over at you.

“Yeah, yeah I think we do.” 

Thank You again for reading! Tumblr is still very new to me in regards to writing and posting stories so I tried my best to follow formats from my fav authors I've read over the last few months! Hopefully It wasn't too bad of a read! :) ❤️

[mikayortegaedits]

About my OC/MC!

Finally a more detailed profile about my OC instead of people asking. Fun fact! My OC is pretty much me irl but fictional and different dialogue :)

Full name: Mikaylyn Rose Ortega

Birthday: June 23rd (Cancer Zodiac sign)

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: Bi-sexual (Preferable Men)

Love Interest: Zig Ortega

Relationship Status: Married

Age: 20-25

Favorite Color: Pink (Light/Baby Pink)

Ethnicity: Vietnamese

Languages: English and a little Vietnamese

Eye Colors: Dark Brown

Hair Color/Style: Dark Brown Medium-Long Wavy Hair

Types of Music: K-pop, Slowed songs, Pop, Jazz and sometimes Rock

Type of Clothing style: Long-sleeves in pants, skirts and dresses in dark colors and light pink preppy.

Hobbies: Writing, Editing, Cooking, Reading, Playing Video Games, Sometimes Drawing

Type of Genres of interest: Rom-Com, Romance, Drama, Wholesome, and Comedy

Likes: Being around with Zig, their fur babies (Dog Tater Tot) (Cat Tofu), Interact with Friends and Family, Write on her laptop, Drink liquids, Trying new things, Going out, Relaxing by cuddles.

Dislikes: Drama, Being Talked behind Back, Waking up Early, Someone messing with their friends and family

Personality Traits: Kind, Intelligent, Supportive, Loving, Loyal, Protective, Sometimes Mischievous and Childish

OC's Background Story with love story: Mikaylyn was born with autism that she got from her father. She always had a great relationship with her parents. She considered her dad as her best friend since he was always supporting her. Due to her autism, she was learning school a bit differently and she couldn't keep friendships for too long. Mikaylyn was always picked on a lot for being different and too quiet. When she got into Hartfeld, she hoped to find people that like her for who she was. Her friends from Hartfeld accepted her almost instantly in their suite together. She even learned about how good friendships are. She met Zig in her freshman year in the coffee cafe. Zig instantly had eyes on Mikaylyn when seeing her in the cafe. Zig immediately accepted that Mikaylyn is autistic and different type of girl. Zig had no idea how quickly his feelings grew as getting to know Mikaylyn and Mikaylyn never felt loved by anyone before. They got together by the end of the quarter during the spring dance. Mikaylyn was always a problem solver and protective of her friends and lover. Zig became more opened to Mikaylyn completely about his feelings and personal life. Mikaylyn was instantly more opened with Zig than anyone else since their relationship. Though during her senior year at Hartfeld, her parents got divorced due to their many issues that Mikaylyn was not aware of. Which feared Mikaylyn about her relationship with Zig at the time. But they managed to keep their love together through the struggles. Mikaylyn and Zig had been together for 3 years when they got engaged. They got married a few months after their college graduation. Zig is completely more devoted to Mikaylyn and Mikaylyn is completly more devoted to Zig.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP the ONE OK ROCK crossover you wanted finally happened! Surprised it's with Jin though cos I didn't think he'll fit their style but Falling is a good song.

What do you think?

P.S. I hope you're okay. Your voice is badly missed these days it feels like years since I saw a post from you.

***

This isn't the crossover I wanted... to be clear.

No offense to Jin. He's carried some BTS songs over the years with his belting and 'silver vocals' but his voice has always sounded a bit too nasally for my tastes. He sounds better in ballads and lower pitched pop songs generally, in my opinion. And Taka didn't actually perform on the song, so that's another thing which left a lot to be desired on this supposed 'crossover'.

Also, can't say I agree with you about Falling being a good song. To me, Falling as a song felt like the sonic equivalent of a soggy sandwich. A soggy haggis sandwich. Fresh off the press it seems like it's going to be a savoury, spicy delicious treat, at least in theory. But after only a short time passes, the 'treat' begins to look and sound more like an abomination that should've never seen the light of day. The only silver lining here is the hope that Taka and OOK got paid handsomely by HYBE for what I can only assume is a reject from OOK's 2017 album.

It's been a while since I posted on here so rather than go on a rant about how this song is yet another depressing example of how Bang PD/BigHit has been phoning it in with their music output for the guys lately, and how I hope this isn't the start of a worrying trend for what to expect in 2025, I'll just leave my commentary on Jin's album here. Y'all can fill in the gaps.

--

Thanks for checking in by the way. 💜

I've been MIA and probably won't return to regular posting until 2025 for two reasons. (1) My career and life in general has become so insane most days I don't remember Tumblr or even BTS to be honest. Case in point, I only checked out Jin's album just now to reply to your ask and usually I never miss the music releases for the guys. I'm the youngest person and only woman in my cohort to crack the level I'm at in my industry so... right now, I have no time for y'all. At least I won't until I'm more comfortable in this new role and that's going to take a few more months. (2) The discourse in k-pop spaces is pretty repetitive and there's only so many ways I can repeat myself. Nothing new has happened or will happen until spring 2025, maybe.

Your ask is the latest in my inbox, (an inbox that is impossible to parse right now - it's become that chaotic), so I figured I'd use your ask to say hi to you and to everyone who's been checking up on me the last several weeks.

I hope you're all still having fun and that you're all still, you know, sane.

I'll be on Tumblr for the next few hours to respond to quick asks if y'all send them in.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

This is it, right? The album is finally out. I'm happy for Jimin. I've been listening to it since the morning and I think he did a great job for a first solo release. He showed he's capable of doing it on his own and make his mark. I hope good things come to him in the future.

I'm not going to analyze the album, or the music video for Like Crazy. This is the end of the road for me. It's time to move on. I know I said I will be here until he finishes the promotions, but life intervenes and sometimes in the best of ways. This is that situation.

First, some basic points. I won't delete the blog. I've worked too hard and a lot on it. Maybe other people will find it at some point and will see something interesting to read. I will not make any posts in the future or answer any private messages. I had some great conversations here for which I'm grateful.

I will not offer any other platform where I can be reached out. I'm getting out of the K-Pop world completely and I want to do this by leaving everything behind. From strictly a music perspective, I might follow Jimin's official schedule for the album if I'm in the mood for it, but nothing else apart from that, followed by the clean cut approach.

I made this blog during a period in which I was ignoring other writing responsibilities. It was escapism, just like getting into BTS at the beginning of the pandemic. I'm not regretting anything. I rediscovered the pleasure of writing and doing it on my own terms. I've wrote some of my favorite pieces here. They might not be the best ever, but I enjoyed every second of it and I'm proud of my writing.

I've said before that I will leave this blog when it's no longer enjoyable. I didn't keep my word and I just dragged it for months. I clearly wasn't having fun anymore, but I couldn't let go. It's familiar, part of my routine, what will I do next? But I realized that just because some aspects are positive, it doesn't mean I have to be stuck with something that doesn't represent me anymore.

I've also lost interest in BTS and K-Pop in general. I've spent three years being a fan, but also in a position of a sort of researcher. I feel like I've reached a point in which the knowledge I currently have is enough. My passion and curiosity is what drives me in everything that I do and get interested into. Now it's time to move on to other things.

I used this blog as an outlet for my rational side as well, writing publicly what I was trying to tell myself when I reacted emotionally to various aspects in this fandom. I was splitting myself because I couldn't deal or admit how some things affected me. But in the end, that's not entirely healthy. Balance is the key and I couldn't actually find it.

I want to borrow a quote from Miss Penny Lane, taken completely out of context, but this is something that I want to tell myself and to anyone who has been reading this blog. ''never take it seriously, if ya never take it seriously, ya never get hurt, ya never get hurt, ya always have fun''. 

Not everything has to be turned into a discourse, nothing is as important and as essential as one might think when we're deep into fandom spaces. Enjoy the song, the media content, the relationship, regardless of its nature, without letting it take over your life. It's not worth it.

Goodbye,

BMT

[fromtenthousandfeet]

i can get behind your backing of new jeans, but the way you defend min hee jin is funny because that woman is crazy. you hate hybe so much that you think she's absolved of any guilt.

Hi Anon. Thanks for your message. I usually delete these asks, but I decided to answer yours.

I have a few questions for you before I share my own opinions.

Why is she crazy? Can you be more specific? Please don't answer with "she's a pedo, witch, groomer." Do you have clear examples of her craziness? What is she guilty of?

Have you ever worked under or lived with a narcissist? Have you experienced narcissistic abuse? What do you know about the effects of narcissistic abuse?

Why is it important for me to view her as crazy?

Do my opinions about her, BSH, NewJeans, or any of the members of BTS matter? Why is it important for me to agree with ARMYs about her?

You think your assessment of MHJ is correct and I think my view of her is correct. Which one of us is right? What if we're both wrong?

Now for my response. I follow a bunch of blogger on this site who don't like MHJ and criticize her. When I read their comments, I make a choice to either shrug it off and accept that we don't all have to see eye to eye, or in some cases, I just stop following them. I have never sent an anonymous ask questioning their views of her. Like seriously, who cares? We are all entitled to our own opinions. Nothing I say on this platform has any importance or impact whatsoever.

Contrary to popular belief (apparently), I am not some MHJ super fan. I don't have an altar of her set up in my home. There are things I like about her, though.

I enjoy her taste in music. You can see her playlists on her IG account. I like that she sources songs from up and coming indie women songwriters like Erika de Casier and Benee. I like that her creative directors are a woman and an openly out gay man. That's basically unheard of in highly misogynistic and homophobic SK. I like that the members of NJ aren't emaciated. I like that they're dressed like teenagers/young adults instead of Lolitas meant to appeal to middle-aged men. I like that she wants to change the K-pop industry, because it desperately needs an overhaul.

As for Bang Si Hyuk. I don't hate him as much as he saddens me. It's hard to watch him piss away all the money BTS made over the years. And now he's pissing away their creative legacy with his weird obsession with Western validation. To be honest, watching BSH move is like watching a Greek tragedy. Maybe he started out as a hero (yeah, no), but along the way he became blinded by hubris, ego, and greed. Sadly, he has the potential to bring down many other with him if he falls and fails.

Finally, all I want is for the members of BTS to be free. I want them to make the music they want to make, together and/or solo. I want them to have the freedom to live normal lives, speak their minds, have relationships, and so on and so on. I REALLY want Jimin out of the company, because they have never treated him fairly or equally, and they never will as long as BSH is at the helm.

Keeping tabs on HYBE is a diversion for me and blogging about what's going on is a hobby. That's as far as I take it. For entertainment purposes, I'm really looking forward to season 2 of BSH vs. MHJ! Let the battle continue! The NJ girls are likely days away from terminating their contracts with HYBE. Now everyone - Tokkis and ARMYs alike - should be happy.

I shared this article about MHJ a few months ago. I'm not sure if anyone read it or not, but it's really good. The interview with her took place before all the drama began and it's so interesting to read her thoughts on the industry. For those of you who don't want to read it, here's what she said about BTS:

Some BTS fans want to compare how well one member’s album does over another member’s. BTS is a group that’s been around for 10 years now. They did their duty, basically. So I think it’s time to focus less on the stats and just enjoy their music—[let them] do what they want to do. 

What she said about working with Taehyung was really nice, too. Anyway, here's the article again. Basically, she and BSH are polar opposites when it comes to their approach to music and the industry. For the life of me, I can't get this article to embed. Sorry.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91113146/k-pops-leading-company-has-declared-war-on-itself-this-never-seen-interview-profiles-the-creative-legend-at-the-center-of-it

P.S. One last thing on this already too-long post. I believe the parallels between MHJ and Jimin are strong. They're both super creative and have high standards. They're also both at the center of BSH's ire for being successful without him. MHJ's so-called crazy outbursts and press conferences are in line with someone who is new to gaslighting and narcissistic abuse. She was also a full grown adult when it started. BTW, gaslighting DOES make you crazy. I know first hand. Jimin's response to the years of mistreatment - pulling away, keeping a low profile, operating in self-preservation mode - is also indicative of someone who has been on the receiving end for a long time and from an early age. That's my armchair psychiatrist's take on things.

[yourkimjaejin]

Golden Hour

From Coconut Noona Injunnie!!! Look Momo-ah didn’t come home last night. I know she passed out in the practice room. I was wondering if you could drop some clothes off for her to change into? I saw on the shared calendar that you we meeting with some producers for you cover. You’ll be at the company earlier than me. I’ll leave a bag in the kitchen for you to grab. Thanks!!!

These were the two messages Renjun woke up to. He kind of felt pathetic. All Hannah had to do was mention Migyeong’s name and he was making a detour to the AG dorm, picking up the aforementioned bag then heading down to his car.

The singers heart clenched when his fellow member said Moxy spent the night at the company. Probably passed out after too many run-throughs of tour choreo. All of the NCT members were worried about the rapper. Coming from one world tour and going straight into another was a lot for anyone. Just ask Haechan and Mark at the beginning of 2023.

But nobody could tell Moxy ‘no you can’t.’ or ‘maybe you should rest.’ By next year, any 127 promotions we’re gonna be on hold while most of their male members started military service. No way was Moxy not gonna give it her all.

Renjun sighed and shook his head as he pulled into one of the empty parking spaces. Sometimes he couldn’t help but admire people like Mark, Haechan, and the members of AG. Giving their 200% to two groups is a lot. But none of them would have it any other way.

The males mind shifted to his upcoming meeting. He’s been wracking his brain for days. Thinking of the perfect song for his next cover. Every song felt good but not good enough. Which lead to him changing his mind more times than he can count. The managers made the meeting today to finally nail down the song so they could get started rearranging and scheduling time to film the video.

In the middle of his overthinking, Renjun didn’t even register when he made it up the elevator to the door of 127’s practice room. I really need coffee is what he thought as he opened the door. He checked around the room for his g— the girls sleeping body.

The sight on front of him made all the thoughts moving around in his brain halt.

Sprawled across the leather couch was Moxy. Her prone body underneath the knitted blanket Jisung and Chenle bought for her birthday. One leg was dangling over the edge, a foot grazing the grey floor. Her left arm curled underneath her head, holding the pillow in place. The long curly hair spread out in a halo around her head. Waves of black and light brown cascading over the couch cushion.

Renjun remembered when she came back from the hair salon months ago. Moxy stood in the Dream dorm complaining about what the company decided to do with her hair for Fact Check. Black with light brown chunky highlights.

Honestly Renjun couldn’t help but laugh cause he, along with everyone in the K-pop industry, knew Moxy could pull off anything. It wasn’t any different with this look either. When 7dream watched the music video, Renjun choked on his drink when her face appeared first, curly hair and devastating eye makeup

The boys got a big kick out of that.

As quiet as he could, Renjun walked over to her side and set the bag down by her foot. His hand was inches away from her shoulder when the light of dawn filled the room. The orange and red sunrise illuminated every inch. Coating Moxy in a ethereal glow.

If Renjun could commit an image to memory, it would be Migyeong in the morning. The way the sun bounced off her caramel skin had him addicted. Any time she spent the night in his room, he’d wake up early just to get a glimpse of her in the morning.

And like lightbulb going off, Renjun knew the song he wanted to cover.

He watched Moxy's eyes flutter open, disoriented. Her mind registering who who was in front of her.

“Junnie-ah?” Her voice rough with sleep, “What are you doing here?” Moxy tried to sit up but her body wasn’t cooperating. So Renjun stepped in. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled Moxy upright. Her body curled into his side naturally, head nested in the crook of his neck. Somehow, even though she's taller, Moxy made herself smaller to fit in the male's arms.

Sometimes Renjun has a really hard time not squealing around her.

He felt more than he heard her mumble something, "What did you say?"

"I said....isn't your cover meeting today?" Moxy voice got clearer, stronger as she woke up fully.

Renjun moved the hand near her waist upward, taking a curl and tucking it behind the sleepy girl's ear, "Yeah. I've got ten minutes until it starts." With a groan Moxy sits up, stretching her torso out. A few bones cracking after her stay on the couch.

"Did you finally figure out the song you want to sing?" She asked, Moxy's eyes blinking slowly.

The sun finally showed its face, making the practice room ten times brighter. The light casting a white glow around Migyeong.

Beautiful he thought.

"Yeah. Yeah I did." He said was a smile.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I swear Renjun releases a cover and my MoxJun muse bangs on pots and pans until I wake up a write something for them.

I also wanna take the time to say sorry for the time between posts. Work really ramps up during this time of year but after a couple for weeks I'll be free to post and write as much as I want!! So just be patient with me. I'll post as I finish things but the bulk of the posts I plan to release during the December

Anyways, I hope you this MoxJun brain rot and see you later ~ Author Izzy

Also below is how I imagine Moxy hair looking but with her super curly hair.

Taglist: @alixnsuperstxr / @1-800-call-ria / @sophrodite / @sunflower-0180

[vinetae]

Baby, Baby

Genre: angst, Fluff, 16+

Warnings: Jimin begging for a baby. Mentions of rape stuff. Virgin!Reader. Reader is waiting until marriage. Jimin having baby fever. This doesn't go how you think it does, folks..

Summary: After returning from your mission trip, you and Jimin finally settle back down into his apartment. What you hadn't known, is that he was wanting to add a certain something to this relationship.

A/n: had this idea. Thought about it. Wanted to write it. Don't think about the logic of it, k? This is just fiction anyways.

..

Your butt sat on the edge of the couch, hand reaching atop Jimin's as you continue. "Jimin.. I just don't think our lives could handle a baby right now."

His head lowers, hand squeezing yours in return. "But- I'm really good with kids, Y/n! And we're not struggling financially and we just got back from the mission trip I think-"

You cut him off. "Jimin, I told you were going to wait until marriage to have sex." He shakes his head.

"Yes, you said sex. But this wouldn't be sex. It would be a baby." You chuckle,rolling your eyes back playfully.

"Where do you think babies come from!"

A smirk tugs his lips, teasing you. "By the stork, of course."

Your body falls back into the couch, snuggling up with it's comforting hug. Jimin joins you, pulling himself between your legs as he's faced down on his stomach. Chin resting on your belly for comfort. You'd been quite close for stuff like this, even I'd you hadn't had sex yet.

Youd decided a long time ago that abstinence had been the best birth control. The idea of having a baby the size of a grapefruit and bigger, pushed out and through your vagina had your legs clenching in fear. Not only that - you were terrified of throwing up. No, really. You hated it. Cried ever since you were little. You did everything you could to not have to throw up. So morning sickness? You don't take your chances.

You and jimin had been together for almost three years. You knew almost everything about one another, and then some. You'd grown so close, that you barely needed to speak sometimes. Just sharing an intense bond that no one else had. Like dancing gracefully to your favorite slow song, you and him were one.

Your hand comes down to tug gently at his recently dyed roots, a smile pressing your lips. His eyes drooped, pain fully expressed while his lips curled into a small pout.

"They have ways that you don't have to ever have sex, baby. Hell, i could just give you my sperm and- you know, there are lots of AMRYs that would gladly have my babies!"

That's it.

You stand up, arms flailing in the air. "Oh. They do?? Well why don't you just go and knock them up, huh! Fuck you and your baby fever, Jimin!"

His hand reaches out before you're able to walk away, pulling you back into his arms.

"No.. Y/n I'm so sorry I don't- I don't know what I was thinking.. please, sweetheart. I only want babies with you." His lips find the sweet spot along your neck, making you shudder. Pushing him away, you stand back up.

"Jimin, that's enough. No baby, and that's final."

..

ah, mother nature. A great sign that you had indeed escaped another month of a possible new family member. Well, not that it would've happened anyways. Jimin had backed off the subject over these few weeks. It made you feel a little bad for being so harsh with him. But he's not the one who'd be doing the birthing, the puking, the carrying, everything basically.

"Hey, Jimin could you bring me a tampon?" Hid body lightly stands, arms reaching up to pop his back before walking to the bathroom.

"Where are they?"

You shuffle around, pulling the soaked panties down your legs to kick them off. "I bought a new pack. They should be on the kitchen counter!"

He nods, walking into the kitchen for a few seconds. After some minutes pass by, he exclaims. "Found them!"

Shouldnt have taken him that lon-

"Ah, thank you-" he hands you one tampon.

Not just one tapon, no no.

One that was already opened.

Your eyebrow raises. "Jimin, did you open this?"

He nods, humming. "Mhm. I thought it'd be easier."

Something felt off about this.

Your hand slowly reaches out towards the little stick, taking it by the plastic peice. Then, you see it. A small drop of white substance blended with the tip. If you hadn't had your contacts in, you sure would've missed it. Your hand releases it quickly, as it drops to the floor.

"Jimin- did you CUM on my tampon!?"

..

How. How. The HELL.

You both sat on the beds edge. A silence prowling the room slowly, consuming every little sound until there had been nothing but an empty void of discussions you didn't want to have.

Tour bodies sat a foot apart from one another, both teetering on the edge. His knee bounces rapidly, as you try and contemplate what just happened.

He came on your tampon. He tried to get your pregnant, without your consent. HE CAME ON YOUR TAMPO-

"Y/n.." His voice had been just a bit higher in volume than a little door mouse. Shoulders slouched, as a frame of guilt trails his features. His hand reaches over to yours, but you pull away.

You couldn't think right now. You couldn't believe what he tried to do. What else had he done???

Your mind swarms with ever scenario he had been in with you. Handing you a pair of underwear after showering. Wearing HIS boxer briefs for comfort. Had he cum in those too?? What else had be been hiding from you?

"Y/n.. I'm sorry.."

Your head cranes, an ironic chuckle rolling past your lips. You didn't know how to feel. Angry? Scared? Horny?-

Wait.. where'd horny come from?

"W..Why would you do that, Jimin? When you know I told you specifically-"

"I know, I know.. it's just- maybe if you had no other choice-"

You stand abruptly. "No other choice?! Sounds awfully rape-y of you, Jimin." Your arms cross your chest, huffing in annoyance.

Jimin looks up, as you see stained tears fall down his cheeks. You immidiently bend at the knees, coming to cup both sides of his face. Voice a lot softer and nurturing. His hand tries to grab yours in comfort.

"I-I don't know why I did it, Y/n.. I just saw you with all those kids an-and.."

He couldn't even finish his sentence. His chest felt tight and sore, his throat dry, as he sniffs. Your arms come to wrap around his shoulders, sitting in his lap gently. Holding him as you sway the two of your side to side.

"Baby, it's okay.. I forgive you, Jimin. But please-"

His head looks up to meet your eyes. A somber twang pains your heart, as you say the words.

"Next time, repsect my decision. Please."

.

.

.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

Hurt me to write it too, I know.

[icecreamisbetterwithafork]

Happy September!

Things are certainly popping. The change of seasons is creeping in, and it is officially my favorite time to be home! End of summer, heading into fall, brings us San Diegans our true local summer. The crowds have gone home, the ocean is still warm, and the sunsets are fire.

The family and I have just returned from Yosemite, where we spent the last 3 weeks connecting with friends and family, soaking up nature, unplugging, slowing down, staring at the stars, swimming in the lake, fishing off the dock, wakeboarding, drinking the most amazing Mexican mochas from Mountain Sage Coffee Shop, making dinner together, gawking at El Capitan for the umpteenth time, swimming in the Merced, and paddleboarding on the lake—Jacko even got on the SUP! Though chaotic and full of ups and downs, it was just our souls needed before the new school year.

It took me almost 40 years to visit Yosemite, and it's become one of my favorite places to take Kylo. It also brought me much joy to witness my dad, in his mid-70s, take in the view of the valley for the first time. It truly is a magical place, and anyone who has ever visited can't deny it. While in Yosemite, my baby boy turned 9, and my new song, "Kylo's OP," was released into the world a few days later. As I was reflecting, I realized that some of the lyrics in that song came to me when I was driving back from Yosemite last year:

Everything that you believe, has already planted a seed, wow

Watching it all come to be, apples not far from the tree, now

A little full-circle moment for you! Now that we're home and the kiddos are back to school, I am looking forward to diving back into the garden—literally and figuratively—and working on finishing up a bunch of new songs that have been marinating. This process has been such an interesting one. Many of the songs were born in a day and are about 75% complete, but the final pieces have yet to reveal themselves. Patience is the name of the game in this case, and it has been a good lesson for me to practice once again letting go and trusting the process. I know the songs will "get done" when they get done. It's taken this long, so what's another little bit? I know I can never force it and have always felt that I would rather let the inspiration hit naturally than try to force it. Sometimes it seems like songs are just waiting for one more experience that leads to a thought or bridge that ties it all together. For instance, I saw Krishna Das this past year with my mom, which inspired the line in "Kylo's OP": “Everything that you believe has already planted a seed.” That took almost a year to come after the initial birth of the song. Either way, I can tell you this: I am sitting on a lot of new music and exciting projects that I can't wait to share with you over the next year.

So far the last couple of months have brought us:

A most beautiful song i had the pleasure of joining my friend Leonardo Prakash on, Bobby My Friend: listen here!

And my latest release, Kylo’s OP, out now: listen here!

So many of you have asked me what the "OP" stands for. Here you go: When I first met Trevor Hall in person, he was traveling with a mini synth from Teenage Engineering called the OP-1. He shared that many of the samples on his album IN AND THROUGH THE BODY and the intro song “blue sky mind” were created on the OP-1. Intrigued, I bought one and started trying to figure out how to use it—though I still haven’t completely figured it out! Fast forward a couple months later i went to Trevors studio in Colorado for the first time, I brought my OP-1 hoping to get some hot tips.

In the meantime, I always take little field recordings on my phone while hiking or out with Kylo, thinking they might be cool to use someday in a song. In this case, I had a recording of Kylo ringing his bike bell in a tunnel, and also a reel of him saying “hey mom” a bunch of times. Story of a mom’s life, right? #HEYMOM! MOMMMMM!

In the process of trying to show me how to use the OP-1, Kylo’s OP was born, using the samples I had taken and then importing and manipulating them with the OP-1. Trevor titled the song “Kylo’s OP” as a placeholder, but it just kind of stuck. I was curious about what the OP in OP-1 stands for, and when I Googled it, I found that OP is short for Opus.

In music, the opus number is the "work number" assigned to a musical composition, or a set of compositions, to indicate the chronological order of the composer's publication of that work. Opus numbers are used to distinguish between compositions with similar titles; the word is abbreviated as "Op." for a single work.

It seemed appropriate, and kind of random but cool, to leave it as Kylo’s OP, being that it’s the first song with his little voice going out into the world for the first time. <3

It also made sense to me to release this as the first song in a long while, because these last 9 years have been dominated by being fully immersed in motherhood while simultaneously being pulled to create. When I realized this song is literally me trying to be a musician and a mother wrapped up in a song, it made me laugh. Mothers know—the minute you try to do something for yourself, it's like your little one senses it and suddenly needs your attention! This song is the marriage of the two, also reminding us to stay curious, childlike, and remember to tap into that purity and time in your life when you were younger and didn’t have the weight of the world and all its responsibilities on your shoulders.

Before we grew up, and had places and people to be.

Of course, this is what it means to me, but I’m always curious how it lands and what it means to the listener—so if you have any insights to share, I always love hearing them. :)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the bounty of September, Virgo take-over, and the change of seasons in bloom.

Xo,

TP

[eponymous-rose]

Got tagged by both @jadesabre301 and @bettydice so the peer pressure is strong! I will be lazy and tag anyone who'd like to do it because I definitely treat this sort of thing as a list of recommendations and I would love to cast as wide a net as possible.

Last song: The Algorithm popped up with The Beths recently (never heard of them before) and they've really been hitting the spot for those catchy, cheerful indie summertime roadtrip vibes I was craving while doing allll the chores that come with moving. The most recent one I listened to is Head In The Clouds.

Currently watching: Catching up on Critical Role (perpetually 3-4 episodes behind but having a good time!), and now @loquaciousquark has me watching Queen and I and it's been a ton of fun and also reminds me there's a weather-themed K-drama I have to watch at some point.

Currently reading: I have been a very slow but very consistent reader the last couple months - working through the third Temeraire novel, dabbling in a little Cosmere, and deeply regretting packing all my books already because I had a bunch more I was partway through and was looking forward to continuing. I'm also reading the Master and Commander books on my dad's recommendation, and it's been really fun comparing notes with him! I'm also also back to writing a major review article at work, so I'm reading a bunch of severe weather reference books from the 50s through the 80s that I found in hardcopy at the library. There is some wild stuff in there.

Currently playing: I don't think there was a section for this but whatever. I'm playing God of War (the 2018 one) on stream and finally getting around to Breath of the Wild in my spare time.

Current obsession: Look, I'm not saying I fell face-first into nostalgia and fully got sucked back into collecting Pokemon cards a couple years ago, but I'm sure not not saying that. They got so pretty while I was away and now I can actually afford them... Plus they allow me to indulge my love for organizing things and making spreadsheets. Ahhh. So good.

[binchansbiceps]

I Have Been Playing With A Superstar Chapter 2

The months had seemed to fly by and drag on at the same time. A. didn’t play with you much anymore as he said he had to work on this project for the meetings he had to travel for. But at least he did message you when he could. Mini was now super excited cause Stray kids just announced that they would be going on tour. She was trying to convince you to save and go with her and you were trying to do your best but life was never easy for that. You had always made just enough to pay rent, buy groceries, and every once in a while get something for yourself. Paying for really expensive concert tickets was sadly not in the realm of possibility. Especially with the short time frame that's been given for when the concert is.

It’s not that you didn’t want to go, cause you really did. Stray Kids was the first group you really got into. Hell you had gotten two tattoos for Stray Kids one for the first album you had ever heard and the second for your favourite song. And you hadn’t been listening to them for very long. You had actually gotten them done only three to four months in. So it was safe to say that you were a Stay. 

Not overly crazy, you watched the lives and their posts on youtube, you thought about getting Bubble but the cost was a little too much. And anytime you heard about the fans stalking them and trying to get close to them by force just made you mad and disgusted. Though you do have to admit, to simping a bit yourself even reading some fanfics and maybe writing one or two as well.

 It’s kinda one thing you and A. bonded over, though not just Stray kids but Ateez, NCT, Twice, Black Pink and a few others he had actually gotten you into. You were a bit surprised he liked K-pop as most people you met didn’t seem to really understand the whole you can enjoy music in other languages that you don’t understand cause you don’t speak them… thing. 

So happy to say you had met someone who did, and all on your own made you very happy. Most of your K-pop friends came from Mini when she had dragged you into liking the music. For the second time as the first you had only listened to for a few weeks before losing interest and forgetting all about it.

Enjoying your day off laying in bed and listening to a random shuffle of all your music on your phone.  A. sent you a message.

Hey!! - A.

Hey hows the project going?? - Y/U/N

Its going pretty well! Super excited to present it - A.

Thats good - Y/U/N So what day are you getting here do you know yet?? - Y/U/N

Yeah we just got a confirmed date for arrival - A. It’s in 2 weeks on tuesday - A.

Ohh thats soo awesome i can’t wait!! - Y/U/N When is best for you to meet up i know this coffee shop nearby or we can find one in between if your a little further away - Y/U/N

We are staying in a hotel near the city but i will have a driver so i can disappear for a few and we should all be good so close by you works well and tuesday afternoon should work for me - A.

Sounds great ill send you the address and ill meet you there!! - Y/U/N

Ok im super excited!! - A. I need to go back to work now but ill see you in a few weeks!! - A.

Okay have fun! - Y/U/N

With the new knowledge you were even now more excited and hoping to be able to meet up more than once before he would have to go home. But since you didn’t know his full schedule and how long he was staying, the one time with him was good enough. 

Besides now that he was ready to meet up you could call and facetime now so that’s even more exciting. 

You immediately tell Mini you knew she would want to know when and where you were meeting him. You know it was to keep you safe. She wasn’t going to come with you but she wanted to know when and where you were at all times. And you couldn’t fault her for that, you would do the same for her if the roles were reversed, and it was she who’s meeting up with some ‘rando’ she had been talking to for just over a year and had never even seen a photo of. 

The day finally came, it was time to go and meet A. at the cafe. You picked a nice T-shirt and some leggings and some nice flats to go with. Adding some mascara, leaving the rest of your face blank as you never like the feel of wearing makeup, it’s too heavy and makes your face feel itchy. 

You grab the mini backpack you use as a purse and make your way out the door. Leaving a little too early, as always the fear of being late is what powers you into always being about an hour early to things.

Taking the short bus ride and getting off at your stop you head to the little cafe and find a place to sit for the two of you and set your things down. Pulling out your phone you let Mini know you are now at the cafe and wait for him to get there. She told you to keep her posted and to tell her if you go anywhere else and when you get home. Agreeing to her terms you let out a nervous yet excited breath and went up to the cash to grab something to nibble on while you waited.

 Playing cats&soup while nibbling every once in a while, you didn’t pay attention to the ring of the bell when the door opens or how the person who just walked in took a quick look around before walking in your direction. You didn’t see how they stopped beside the table and removed their face mask. What did catch your attention though was when they said in a very familiar voice “hello your Y/U/N right?” when you looked up you couldn’t believe who stood in front of you and all you could muster to say was “ALYFT?”

[randomvarious]

Today’s compilation:

Now That's What I Call Music 1998 Pop / Pop-Rock / Alternative Rock / Dance-Pop / R&B / Teen Pop / Bubblegum Pop / Post-Grunge

Alright, folks, here it is: the ultimate rush of late 90s nostalgia; the first installment in the most pervasive compilation series to ever grace US shores; and partially, my own personal guiding light that originally inspired me to start this whole dumb V/A comp-collecting hobby of mine and its corresponding blog in the first place; it's the Mount Olympus of repackaging contemporary pop hits; the one and only Now That's What I Call Music!

Now, maybe you don't know this about Now, but this *whole fucking enterprise* actually dates all the way back to 1983 in the UK. That's when and where the first Now compilation of any kind was ever conceived. And what made that such a monumentally important moment for the music industry, when there'd already been plenty of contemporary V/A successes before it from the likes of K-tel and Ronco, is that for the first time ever, eclectic powerhouse pop music labels were joining forces themselves to put out these hits albums by supplying songs from their very own respective catalogues. And, as you could guess, these efforts wound up selling like total hotcakes 🤑.

Following Now's immediate success in the UK and Ireland, other countries would soon decide to set up their own version of the series. South Africa, New Zealand, and The Netherlands would all begin in 1984, Australia would make a release in '87, and Canada and Japan would start in '88. But for some reason that escapes me, it took the US an *extremely* long time to follow suit. It wasn't until October of 1998, with Virgin, Polydor, Capitol/EMI and Universal reaching an agreement to collaborate, that the moment would finally come to pass, though: Now would have its historic US arrival.

This album, as you might expect, is really just like turning on a top-40 radio station sometime around 1998. It's largely an excellent mix of songs that got tons of airplay from that era, with different slices of all the pop and rock goodies you remember, and maybe one or two that you forgot, like "Never Ever" by All Saints, a UK girl group that had two top-40 hits in '97—that one included—and then completely disappeared from US airwaves, while continuing to string together seven more straight top-tenners back home through 2006.

And something that may surprise you, as it did me, is that despite the massive airplay that some of these songs received, they actually didn't make Billboard's coveted Hot 100 chart at all. The Backstreet Boys' "As Long as You Love Me," Fastball's "The Way," Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta," Tonic's "If You Could Only See," and Everclear's "I Will Buy You a New Life" all failed to make that chart. I mean, that Tonic track was probably the most played rock song on the radio in 1997! Why such a disconnect between airplay and Hot 100 placement? I genuinely don't get it.

This issue was somewhat remedied by Billboard a little after a month following this album's release, though. In December of 1998, Billboard ruled that there would no longer be a prerequisite that a song be released as a physical single in order for it to make the Hot 100. This former rule explains why a song like "As Long as You Love Me" never made the chart, because it was actually never released as a single in the US, but it still doesn't explain the lack of showing by all those other songs I listed above since they were all released as US singles. Did people really just not buy them despite our airwaves being saturated with them 🤔?

Anyway, it's always a good time with these trips down memory lane, and I'm glad that I finally got to tackle this opening shot from the most popular series of them all. Learned some intricacies along the way about the music industry I was never aware of too 👍.

Highlights:

Janet - "Together Again" Backstreet Boys - "As Long as You Love Me" Fastball - "The Way" Harvey Danger - "Flagpole Sitta" Spice Girls - "Say You'll Be There" K-Ci & JoJo - "All My Life" All Saints - "Never Ever (Single Edit)" Tonic - "If You Could Only See" Hanson - "Mmm Bop" Cherry Poppin' Daddies - "Zoot Suit Riot" Aqua - "Barbie Girl" Radiohead - "Karma Police" Everclear - "I Will Buy You a New Life" Lenny Kravitz - "Fly Away" Marcy Playground - "Sex & Candy"

[trinity-mia]

a story as endless as the ocean

the titan's curse

0.0 prologue

warnings : a lot of underage drinking, mentions of a club, mentions of a pretty toxic work environment, monster attack, allie kinda has a breakdown at the end

word count : 3.2k

early december, a club in new york city.

“Where are you?” Danny demanded over the phone the moment the call connected.

I looked around at the mass amount of people around me. “... Nowhere?” 

I could hear Danny scoff over the call, despite the blaring music from speakers around the club I was standing in. “Was that a question or an answer?” 

“... An answer?” 

Instead of a scoff, this time it was a sigh. “You’re out drinking again, aren’t you?” 

I paused. “I’m inclined to lie to you, just so you have plausible deniability if I ever get caught and kicked out and/or arrested for underage drinking.”

I wasn’t really sure when I’d decided going out drinking was the best course of action for the night. 

To be honest, I should’ve known better than to let my friends take me out. I should’ve known better than to let my guard down. I should’ve known better than to think everything would be okay.

I should’ve known better.

My night had been shitty well before the end of it. I had locked myself in my at-home studio about six days prior, refusing to be dragged out and only allowing Danny in to bring me water bottles and food. With album finalizations due by the end of the month and three songs still needing to be written and two needing to be produced, I’d decided the best way to finish things up as quickly as possible (mostly in order to have more time to fix any mistakes and make everything perfect) was to lock myself in my room and forbid myself from coming out until everything was finished.

To the surprise of many (read: Danny), it was actually working. The two songs that needed to be produced had been finished, and I was pretty satisfied with two of the songs I’d written, but things hit a bit of a roadblock whenever I’d gotten to the last song. Normally I was pretty good at being able to write lyrics to an already-produced song, but this one was… different.

No matter how much I ingrained each cord into my brain, no song lyrics could come to the forefront of my mind. There was no way only three albums into my music career I’d run out of things to say, right?

Well, that wasn’t exactly fair. I had a lot I felt like I needed to say, but most of it had to do with the Greek side of my life— the side I wasn’t really allowed to mention while out in public. Plus, how many times could I curse out the gods before they finally realized I wasn’t just singing in hypotheticals?

I wasn’t sure what exactly Danny had told my group of outside-world friends, but they’d managed to drag me from my self-imposed lockdown when they mentioned that our friend, Minnie, was in town. She was a K-Pop Idol and hardly had any time to be in the States with us, but she just so happened to be in between comebacks and had a little bit of time off to spend in her home state. Since I didn’t know when I’d get to see her next, I hadn’t put up much of a fight. Plus, I kinda needed the drink.

I had simply… forgotten to tell Danny where I was going. So when he arrived back at my at-home studio to check on me and bring me dinner, all he found was an empty desk chair and a pile of trashed pieces of paper containing failed lyrics. 

“Are you at least out with the girls?” Danny finally asked, in a small bit of silence between songs. 

I nodded, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “They’ll keep me safe. Plus, I know my limits.” 

His silence told me everything I knew he wouldn’t say aloud to me. “Just be safe. If you aren’t back here by three, I’m coming to get you and the girls. Take care of them, too.” 

Aside from the fact that Danny had my location tracked through Find My Friends and Life360, I knew he would be able to find me because I always went to the same club— it was the only one I knew I’d be able to drink at without being 21 and knew I wouldn’t get caught by paparazzi. 

“I will. Talk to you later.” 

Danny sighed one final time. “You better.” 

Without another thought, I ended the call, taking no note of the extra beep at the end of it, which would’ve alerted me that the monster protection on the phone needed to be strengthened. 

“That Danny?” 

I nodded at Tori, grabbing the shot of whatever that she offered me. “Of course. He’s always assuming I’m getting myself into trouble.” 

She snorted. “Well, you are in a club underage drinking. I think that maybe might constitute ‘getting yourself into trouble’.” 

I took the shot and gave her a raised eyebrow. “Technically speaking, you, Rena, and Minnie brought me out here, so I don’t think that should apply to getting myself into trouble.” I paused, taking a sip of a margarita that Minnie, who’d joined us at the bar, slid me. “Besides, I can drink circles around you guys.” 

“Oh, you wanna bet?!” 

***

I think it was by the time they played my song all-american bitch for the third time that I finally realized I was hitting my limit. Or. Well. Maybe I had hit my limit two shots ago, when I was still insisting I could keep going despite all of my friends tapping out. 

Should’ve known better. 

Tori had long since joined the dance floor with a random guy (she’d ignored my obnoxious call of “make sure he signs an NDA!”), Rena had left a few minutes prior, her girlfriend waiting to pick her up outside the club once she’d realized her social battery was quickly running out, and Minnie was still stuck beside me at the bar, her company-mandated dating ban keeping her from finding company other than me. 

I pouted, my arms crossed over my chest. “I don’ wanna go on a blind date.”

Minnie huffed into her cup of plain Coke. “But you don’t date anyone, Alls. Like, I don’t get how you can write all these songs about boys breaking your heart and love when you haven’t had a kiss outside of your acting roles.” 

“Hey,” I complained, sitting up a little to grab the cup of water I’d finally decided on getting instead of another Moonshine Mule. “I’ll have you know I’ve kissed plenty of boys without it having to do with work.”

“How many of those were while you’d been drinking?” 

I sputtered out a sound of objection. “You make me sound like an alcoholic!”

“Alls, come oooooon! Tae’s really sweet. You’d really get along with him, and he thinks you’re really pretty and your music is incredible. Which, he’s not wrong, but still.” 

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t shoot back a response immediately. Truthfully, it had been a while since I’d gotten myself involved with someone. Of course, I knew why. There was a very large elephant in the room in the form of Luke. We were friends. But we also both knew that what we had went a hell of a lot further than friends. I wasn’t taken, but I was also, like, pretty much a step away from married. 

But that also had its own problem: I couldn’t exactly tell my real-world friends about Luke. Because telling them about Luke meant telling them about how I’d met him, and where. It’s not like I couldn’t just tell them a lie, but they were close friends of mine. I didn’t want to lie straight to their faces. Lying by omission was much easier. Especially when I knew the truth would never get out unless I wanted it to. 

“If you think Tae is sooo sweet, you should just date him,” I finally replied. 

Minnie frowned. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. You know that.” 

I grimaced. I probably shouldn’t have said it— Minnie always got really touchy over the subject of her dating ban. I was lucky with my career in that, I was so well established that I could date whoever I wanted with little to no repercussions coming as a result. Maybe a couple of angry fans here or there, but nothing Earth-shattering. Minnie not only had the dating ban, but there was also the looming threat that coming across as taken in her industry could possibly mean the end of her career. When she was still a trainee, only dreaming of being able to debut, she’d had a boyfriend— her high school sweetheart. When that contract holding the dating ban had been slapped in front of her, she thought she’d be able to hide it. They would sneak around, but ended up getting caught by cameras one night. Her company had paid the news site off to keep it hidden, but she’d been forced to break up with her boyfriend. She hadn’t been able to talk to him since. 

I sighed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up. I know it makes you sad.” 

Minnie sniffled a little, but didn’t let any tears fall. Finally, she looked up and gave me a small smile. “It’s alright, Alls. You know I just want you to be happy, right?” 

“‘Course,” I replied. “I want the same for you, too.” 

We sat in silence for a few moments, letting the sounds of Usher’s Yeah! fill our ears. 

Finally, I chugged the rest of my water and sat up. “I think I need to head back to my studio.” 

Minnie’s face brightened. “Yeah? Are you ready to go? I think I’m gonna head out, too.” 

***

Minnie had wanted to wait for Danny to get there to pick me up, but I’d insisted she go ahead and get back to her hotel room. Her ride had gotten there much sooner than Danny due to how close her hotel was, but she told me she wasn’t above making him wait. I knew she wasn’t bluffing, but I also knew Minnie was getting to the end of her energy. We’d drank a lot, and I knew she’d be out like a light soon, in a bed or not. 

I made sure I was sharing my location with her and she’d begrudgingly crawled into the car, waving as the car started driving. 

When she was out of sight, I sighed and pulled my coat closer to myself. The December air was unforgiving and the wind caused by the tall New York skyscrapers didn’t help any. 

The drunken yelling of men from across the street set my fight or flight off. I wasn’t sure if they were directing their calls at me, or if they were just being loud in general, but I figured it would be best to not find out. I didn’t want to stray far, but finding a hiding spot nearby wouldn’t be too bad, right? 

My first step forward hit me like a truck. 

While talking to Minnie, I could push aside the feeling of the alcohol flowing through my system, but now that the only thing I could concentrate on was how cold it was, it seemed my competitive drinking from earlier was ready to hit me with a vengeance. 

I huffed out a breath, the air fogging as it left my lips. With a determined step forward, I stumbled over to the mouth of an alleyway, holding myself up against the wall as I willed away the feeling of sickness that was creeping up my throat. 

Just when I thought my stupidity had to have met its only consequences, the world decided it was going to show me real bad luck. 

A growl rumbled through the air. 

My head shot up, sending another wave of nausea through me. 

I was in no shape to fight. The world around me was spinning enough as it was. The cold was making my fingertips numb. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold a sword, much less swing it. 

I looked further down the alleyway. Two glimmering red eyes shone toward the back. A Hellhound. 

Even with the alcohol flowing through my veins, I knew I couldn’t let it leave the confines of the alley. I couldn’t let it get out in the open where the mortals could be put in danger. Of course, they wouldn’t see it for what it was, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be in harm’s way. 

I’d only come into contact with a Hellhound up close and personal once. When I was seventeen and still in my first few days at camp, one had been summoned into the borders of camp to attack me. I’d gotten my chest clawed open before I was carried into the water to be healed. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to meeting another. 

I took unsteady steps forward, bringing a trembling hand up to my neck where Riptide, my first sword, sat in necklace form. Pressing the diamond hanging from the chain would spring it into sword form, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that yet. Even though I’d taken a few steps forward, the Hellhound hadn’t moved an inch. Maybe it was hoping I wouldn’t do anything and would just walk toward my death with no fight. 

Finally, I stopped a few paces away from where it was still standing, not moving an inch. A low growl settled in its throat, making goosebumps rise on my arms for reasons other than the chill in the air. 

I should’ve known better. I shouldn’t have drank so much. Every limb on my body felt like it was treading water every time I needed to move them. How was I supposed to fight like this? 

My hand was still curled around the gem of Riptide. 

In an instant, the Hellhound settled back on its hind legs and jolted, as though it was going to jump at me. 

My shot nerves caused me to overreact and, with a stumble, I ended up on the ground. 

The pain didn’t hit me. My eyes couldn’t leave the beast in front of me, getting in position to lunge at me for real this time. Trying to scramble back in my drunkenness was difficult, and even though adrenaline was pulsing through my veins, it still felt like my reaction time was seconds behind. 

Finally, the Hellhound had enough of playing with its food and lunged. I rolled out of the way, summoning Riptide once I was on my knees. 

The Hellhound skidded on the ground, its claws making a grating noise against the asphalt as it did, and turned back toward me with a growl. It tensed at the sight of the celestial bronze of Riptide, but seemed to know that I was off my A-game and if it tried a little harder would get an easy snack. 

My chest heaved. For a moment, I actually doubted I’d be able to get myself out of this one. 

I finally got to my feet, trying not to fall back down when my knees shook with the exertion. 

The Hellhound swatted at me with one of its large paws, but I was able to keep it away from me with Riptide. 

It advanced toward me, slower this time. I backed up with it, until my back touched the wall. 

It was now or never. I was only going to be able to fight off the effects of the alcohol for so long and the longer I took to fight back, the more likely it was that I was going to lose this fight. 

When it got close enough, this time I braced myself against the wall. Steadying myself, all I could think about was making it through this fight. Once I won, I could break down. 

With a final growl, the Hellhound lunged. 

I used the wall to push off of as I went toward the ground once more, this time prepared to do so as I came face-to-face with the belly of the monster. Without another thought, and before it could come down on my legs and trap me, I thrust my sword up and into its stomach. 

It howled in pain, but wasn’t a strong enough monster to fight the deadly effects of celestial bronze. As the blood-curdling howl cut through the air, the Hellhound crumbled into golden dust. 

I panted as I sat there for a moment, the dust falling on my head like confetti. 

“Allie?” 

The sound of my name made my breath hitch. Because it wasn’t Danny’s voice I heard, it was—

“Luke?” I called back, my voice strained. 

He appeared at the mouth of the alleyway like a guardian angel brought to save me. My breath hitched. 

I struggled to my feet for what would hopefully be the last time that night. 

He walked toward me as I stumbled toward him. My heel caught on a rock and I almost tumbled back to the ground, but Luke caught me. Like always. 

His skin was warm despite him not wearing anything other than a hoodie I’d gotten him for his birthday and some jeans. He always ran warmer than I did. 

“Danny called me a few hours ago saying he was sending a car to come get me. Something about you being really stressed? Are you okay?” he said, bringing a hand up to shake the golden dust off of my hair.

I shook my head. “I drank too much,” I replied pitifully. “And the Hellhound— I didn’t think— it really scared me. And I can’t think of this stupid song. And I haven’t gotten any sleep for— for like a week. And— and I drank too much.” 

Once all of the dust was out of my hair, he kept his hand there, smoothing the loose strands as a way to soothe me. “Shh, hey, Angel, it’s alright. You’re okay. I’ve got you.” 

As he pulled me closer, letting me rest my head against his chest, I finally broke down, his words letting me know I was safe to do so. 

“It’s okay, baby. You’re alright,” he continued, slowly rocking me back and forth, still petting my head. 

“I wanna go home,” I whispered tearfully, clutching the material of his hoodie in my fists. 

He nodded, pressing a kiss on the top of my head and keeping his lips there as he said, “Okay, Angel. We can go home.”

*    *    *

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