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longtimenospooning-luci · 2 years

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Azalea's, Camelia's and Rhododendron's: Chapter one

Summary: Life always seemed to throw bullshit your way. A bullshit childhood, a bullshit family with the exception of your older brother, a bullshit bodyguard team because of aforementioned older brother... To say you were tired of it would be an understatement. You just wanted to bask in your self-made richness as a bestselling author, all by yourself being the key point, and pretend you're not doing it to avoid your trauma. But now you have to deal with seven incredibly hot, stubborn and frustrating men forcibly barging into your life against both of your wishes and ruining your peaceful silence. So, if they were going to be hardheads, you'll be one right back.

Pairing: Bts x reader, featuring older brother Bang Chan and a dickhead ex to be revealed later on.

Chapter Warnings: LOTS of cussing, Yoongi and JK are assholes, reader loses her shit a little bit.

Word Count: 2.6k

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Surprise! I finished the chapter earlier than anticipated and can't stand keeping it to myself any longer. Thank you to my beta reader @honeyblossom112-2 for dealing with my crazy ass sending multiple drafts this week.

For a second time during this contract, the boys are blindsided by you.

Two days after the meeting with your brother, they're pulling up to the long white river stone driveway to your mansion. An incomplete cobblestone privacy wall in construction around the property, with security guards working what will be the main gate once construction is done.

The front of the property is nothing but lush green grass, cherry blossom trees lining both sides of the drive. A black Tesla sits in front of one of the garage doors, and the boys are amazed a house like this exists just half an hour outside of Seoul.

When they make their way to the large mahogany front door, your brother answers their knocks with a smile, ushering them into the magnificent home.

The first thing that blindsides the boys about you is when Bang Chan divulges that this is not, in fact, the Bang family manor, but your personal home that you designed. They knew you were rich, that much was given in the little file of information they had. But with your career as an author they expected a lavish penthouse in Seoul's skyline, not a mini castle.

"Y/N is currently in a meeting with her editor, let me give you a tour of the property while we wait." Bang Chan says, immediately turning on his heels away from your foyer.

Immediately upon entrance there is a double grand staircase on either side of the room leading up to the second floor, the living room just past it set down a step into the foundation. There's a large sectional and a few plush recliners, a flat screen tv on the wall above the fireplace on the left. Floor to ceiling windows look out on the backyard, a glass door set into it for access to a firepit lounge. To the right is the kitchen, separated by a step back up from the living room pit. A large island with chairs in the center and state of the art appliances fit in the custom designed countertops and cabinets, a perfect clash of white marble and dark gray paint.

On either side of the open concept room behind the stairs are hallways leading to the east and west wings of the house. Bang Chan explains the west wing is just guest rooms and takes them down the east instead. He points out the first door on the right where the cylinder spire of the house is as your office and the manor library. A few more rooms down the hall are more guest rooms, a music room, and an exercise room. A spiral staircase at the end of the hall takes them to the second floor, consisting of a long straight hallway with multiple doors on the right side and one on the left at the end. A crescent landing on the left for the grand staircase. He shows them each of the guest rooms along the hall, the center door on the right being your bedroom that looks out on the backyard, and the last door on the left a large loft above the garage that serves as an art studio.

Making their way back downstairs from the grand staircase a woman emerges from your office, "I'm heading out Bang Chan I'll see you later." the woman calls out to him.

"Get home safe Hwasa, thanks for your hard work!" he calls back to her, then turning his attention to the boys. "You'll see her quite a bit, she has the door code and will have the gate code when it's completed so don't worry about having to let her in. They have to work at ungodly hours sometimes so she has free access to the house."

The boys nod in acknowledgement and follow him to the now open office door, and this is when you blindside them for the second time.

To say that they were expecting you to be the way you are would be a big fat lie.

You're beautiful, that much is clear, but not in the rich heiress way of perfect makeup and hair to go with designer outfits that they're used to. You're beautiful in an almost comforting way, gray sweatpants sit low at your hips with a long flowy pastel shirt tied in a knot at your waist. You're focused on some papers in your hand as you walk from your desk on the right side of the room to a section of the library shelves at the front.

"Y/NNNNNIIIIEEEEEEE, how was your meeting? The team from HYBE is here and I really think you'll get along great." Bang Chan starts, clearly trying to avoid your wrath on the matter.

You simply look over at your brother with a death glare, skimming your eyes quickly over the strangers in your office, and then returning your attention back to your book search with a noncommittal hum; "You know I don't do people, they're not my thing."

Chan deflates in defeat, throwing the façade away and going for the whiny brother approach instead. "Oh come on Y/N please don't be like this to me. You told me I could handle your security so why can't I do this."

"Yea, security meaning hiring the company for the privacy wall and the gate. Not a whole ass bodyguard team like I'm the goddamn First Lady!" You huff back in irritation, walking back to your desk and smacking the stack of papers down as you talk.

"You and I both know that wall won't do you any good when you're not here." he fires back.

"Well that's fine by me, you know I'm perfectly content with staying in my little safety bubble." putting your hands on your hips as you challenge him.

"Y/N you know I won't let you be a recluse and I certainly won't let you go without security here after what happened. I'm sorry but I will not negotiate on this, they're staying and that's final." Chan firmly ends your sibling spat with his words, and your anger radiates off you in waves over his stubbornness.

You grit out a "Fine" and plop down in your desk chair, flipping open the book you grabbed earlier. "You have work in an hour you should get going," you say without looking at him.

He knows you and your stubbornness much like his own, and so he heeds your indirect request for him to fuck off for now. He gives a smile and a nod to the boys and makes his way out of the house, leaving you with your very unwelcome guests.

When the click of the front door closing sounds, you sit back in your chair with a huff, looking up at the men before you. ''I'm Y/N but you obviously already know that, what are your names?" you speak up.

The boys once again fall into place in a line and formally introduce themselves to you. Nodding your head in acknowledgement as each one says their name.

"Well, despite the circumstances it's nice to meet you all. Your things arrived a little bit before you did and were taken to the rooms you'll be staying in by my housekeeper Mira. I'm sure you'll have the pleasure of meeting her at dinner, she's very motherly and usually won't take no for an answer when it comes to taking care of someone so it's best to just go with it. I'm sure you'd like to go unpack and familiarize yourself with the house so please don't mind me and go do what you need to."

This was certainly not what the boys were expecting you to say, and a part of them immediately found your behavior suspicious. Years of dealing with rich heiresses who didn't want bodyguards always ended with wild goose chases around packed clubs, trying to ditch them as soon as possible. And if that didn't work then it was working as their personal slaves, holding at least twenty shopping bags each from their splurges at designer stores. They'd rather be caught dead than be tied to you indefinitely, and they'll do anything to get out of this contract.

Mornings have always been the bane of your existence, you were not a morning person, but your career had made you into one by proxy.

If anyone asked what your favorite things were, you'd probably list coffee first, with comfy clothes and plants as a close second and third.

It's around 7am and the manor is quiet while you make your coffee in the kitchen, a silk robe over your pajamas to fend off the crisp morning air when you step outside. Making your way to the prized glass greenhouse in your large, perfectly landscaped backyard on the slate stone pathway; you take a second to breath in the fresh air and enjoy the early morning sunshine.

The box planters at the front of the structure hold your more hardy plants and small iron wrought tables house small outdoor bonsais. You notice a few have started to bloom with the early summer weather, and you look forward to the sweet smells the buds will exude when they open.

Heading inside you walk down the aisle like section to the back where it opens up into a high-ceilinged abortorium. Setting your coffee cup down on the Victorian table in the center you turn to get to work taking care of your babies. You'd never admit this to anyone, but each plant you have has a name, and you always talk to them as you work on them.

You worked happily for about an hour, taking breaks here and there to sip your coffee, and headed back inside the manor with your empty cup.

The smell of breakfast hit you as soon as you opened the door and you saw Mira in the kitchen to your left working at the stove. The large flat screen tv in the living room was turned on to the news and the banner flashing across it immediately soured your mood.

"Oh, good morning Y/N" Mira chirped when she noticed you.

"How long have they been in deliberation Mira?" You asked without turning your attention to her.

"... about 15 minutes now. I was hoping you wouldn't stress over it today." She replied softly, knowing well that watching the sentencing verdict would likely cause you pain.

Before you could reply to her; Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook walked into the living room from the west wing. Each giving a good morning greeting to you and Mira. Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs as Mira offered the boys coffee while they waited for breakfast, cautiously eying you engrossed on the tv.

Namjoon, Jin and Yoongi rounded the banister and entered the kitchen, taking the chairs at the island to chat with the woman while she cooked. All seven of them occupied in their own conversations to notice you standing in turmoil at the edge of the kitchen where it drops down into the living room.

Mira stops moving, cutting off the boys at the island when they notice her behavior. She turns off the burner and moves the pan away, calling out to you.

You don't hear her, you don't hear anything as you stare at the news banner that just changed from 'Judges in sentencing deliberation' to 'Judges have reached a verdict on sentencing.' It was so fast, it was too fast and it terrifies you.

By now your frozen state has caught the attention of everyone, and Mira pays no mind to the boys as she rounds the island to check on you. You've always been like a daughter to her, and she's been the only real mother figure in your life, she'll be damned if she's not holding your hand when the results come out.

She turns the tv up further, so it echoes in the room, and grips tightly onto your hand. The judges sit down and the court settles, and you think you might pass out.

"After careful deliberation and consideration of the final statements made on the defendants' behalf today, as well as the testimonies given during the trial, a verdict has been reached. In the case of Mr. Shin Do-Yun, sentencing will be declared as time served at the Seoul Detention Center, with a six-month probationary period and a fine of 1 billion Won to be given as reparations to the victim."

The room is so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat, and then a soft noise starts to sound. It's not the tv, Mira silenced it, so what is it? . . . It's getting louder now; it sounds like a laugh. Oh. That's your laugh, you're laughing but you don't know why, Mira is wiping your face but you don't know why. You want to tell her what a load of bullshit that is, you want to tell her you're okay, but you can't get the words out. They're stuck in your throat and you're choking on them, you want to scream, you want to breathe, why can't you?

The disbelief is fizzling, and the anger is bubbling up like a volcano, your laughter is dying into a chuckle, and you want to rip everything to pieces.

"THAT FUCKING BASTARD!" Ah, there's your voice. The empty mug that was in your hand is now shattered across the room, thrown at the fireplace.

"Can you believe this shit Mira? Time served? TIME SERVED!?" You're seething, gritting the words out. God, you need to throw something; you need to do something, anything to get this anger out.

You snatch the tv remote and throw it towards the fireplace to join the mug in shards on the floor. Someone comes into your vision, its Yoongi, and you want to scream at him to get out of your way.

"You need to calm down. Right now." he speaks to you in a low tone.

"Calm down?" you're laughing again "CALM DOWN? Who the fuck are you to tell me to calm down."

"Look, I don't understand why you're acting the way you are. But throwing a temper tantrum like a spoiled brat isn't going to fix anything. I'm not going to sit back and let you destroy shit just because you're not going to be the one to clean it up."

Ah, you want to punch him.

"That's enough." Mira speaks in her motherly tone, inserting herself between you and Yoongi so you can't throttle him.

"Y/N bug, why don't you go up to your room and I'll be there in a little bit with breakfast, we can eat together okay?"

God, you can't deny this woman anything no matter how mad you are.

"Okay..." taking a deep breath you begin to turn to make your way upstairs and a scoff stops you in your tracks.

Directing your attention to the source of the noise, your anger flares again as you look at Jungkook. "You got something to say asshole?"

"I just think it's funny that you're trying to act intimidating when you're running away, because you got called out for being a bitch and you can't even deny it." He's leaning with his back against the island, arms crossed as he says this, and the smug look on his face makes you want to slap it off.

"What did you just call me?" Your tone is low and even, you're ready to give him the fight he's asking for.

Mira breaks the tension, slamming her hand on the countertop. "I said that's enough!"

"Y/N, go on upstairs. And you!" she swivels her attention to Jungkook, "Keep your mouth shut, do you understand?"

He nods his head, looking a bit guilty to have angered the sweet woman, as you continue your trek upstairs. All you can think as you climb the stairs is that you can't wait to get rid of them.

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Taglist: @emu007 @childfmoonn @candied-lavender @silscintilla @sporadicfuryface @definetlythinkimanalien @btsizlyfe

#bts x you #bts x reader #bodyguard!bts #bodyguard!bts x reader #author!reader #bts angst #poly!bts #poly!bts x reader

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grey-eyed-menace · 4 years

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So!

I'm coming straight outta left field with this one, but hey, some of the best things in life come from spontaneity!

Er... Maybe.

Anyway, here's my Pokèmon AU!

Featuring the Female Protagonists I played as, their names, general differences from canon, and personal headcannons I came up with during my first playthrough of each game!

...and how they fit into the wider world! Maybe. Kinda.

I'm only doing the main series females in this post, with potential a potential sequal in the form of the side game females!

I do know that the main series male's will have their own post though! Mostly because I legitimately cannot control myself, and it's already halfway done!

So, without a further ado...

Arden Forrest!

Childhood friend of Red Audra, and the maternal cousin of the one and only Blue Oak.

Chose Charmander as her starter, named the little guy Flare, and is extremely defensive of the nickname. She is/was ten! Sorry if her creativity wasn't up to par!

Ended up having to travel with Red because her mother absolutely refused to let her leave Pallet otherwise.

Simply stick with him out of convenience after Viridian Forest, mostly because at that point there really wasn't anything to gain in separating from him.

In this continuity she's the older sister of the Sun and Moon protagonists. More on that in Jericho's section.

At the end of her journey, her team consisted of Flare the Charizard, Lenz the Jolteon, King the Slowking, Knott the Vileplume, Skye the Pidgeot, and Blue the Raichu.

Raichu is a stuck up little shit, and pampered, the nickname was obvious. To her at least. Oddly enough, Blue the Raichu hates Blue the human.

The only reason Giovanni remembers her is because she straight up decked him across the jaw when he threatened to kill one of her Pokèmon.

Somehow ended up acquiring Silver as a travel companion for three weeks, Red was bemused. He was also incredibly confused when that feral eight year old showed back up three years later in the news.

Ended up hanging up her battling career shortly after she lost the championship to Lance, and handed over Flare to Red to battle on a more permanent basis.

She still trained the rest of her team, and still does, she just realized that despite her talent in the profession it just... Wasn't her calling. She wasn't as quite as in love with it as she was at the start of her journey.

Bounces around the world for a bit during the three or so years between the Blue/Red and the HeartGold/SoulSilver storylines, and after Lance wins the championship back from her. Trying to find herself.

She participates in the Galar league around the same time as Leon, Raihan, Sonia, and Nessa, mostly as a curiosity, and maybe as a way to try and reconnect with her battling roots, but jumps ship after Opal because fucking hell is their League a killer for self-confidence.

Her jersey number, for the record, was 069. She deeply regrets keeping the uniform years later.

She also finishes the Unova circuit, but doesn't challenge the Elite Four or the Champion, and she tries to do something in the Ferrum Region for a bit before packing up and returning home.

Perpetually pissed off that no one can remember her fucking name.

And no, it isn't about the Championship thing, she was fine with that, really, it's just that the moment she introduces herself ahead of Blue or Red people tend to either treat her like a commodity, or like she doesn't exist.

Made it through the Elite Four and beat Blue before Red.

So yes, she is the official record holder for the shortest Championship. Which, if you're wondering, is exactly thirteen hours, seven minutes, and thirty-three seconds.

She and Blue played Go-Fish for two hours while Red finished up with Bruno.

The ensuing eleven hour battle with Red both traumatized and bored Blue in equal measures.

Blue had the title for a week. Red bolted to Unova shortly after winning and declined the position, turning it back over to her. She proceeded to hold it for another six months before a match with Lance turned it back over.

Actually ends up as one of Professor Oak's lab assistants once she ends back up in Pallet, and... Eventually finds her calling in research.

She throws herself into her education with everything she has. And... Never really loses that passion and drive.

Has to be physically dragged to Passio during the Master's tournament/festival. Dragged. And no, that's not an exaggeration, Blue physically throws her over his shoulder, books their shared flight, and well, he basically kidnaps her.

If it makes you feel any better, he pretty much did the same thing with Red, only it was a private flight that was prearranged.

It makes her feel better, anyway.

She spends the entire tournament/festival in borrowed clothes.

She takes solace in mock-poker matches with Red, Grimsely, Lina, and, oddly enough, Cynthia and Steven Stone.

She does eventually end up becoming a professor in her own right, with a focus on Abilities and how they affect a Pokèmon's mental and physical growth, and also ends up with an engineering degree as well.

In her late thirties I see her taking over Professor Hasting's job for the Ranger association. Mostly because, in my head-cannon at least, Regional Professor status isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and at that point in her life the only reason she would even take over for Oak in any capacity is out of sentimental value for the Pallet Labs.

That, and it's a cushy job, plus she gets to see small children scramble around for over jumped flying tops. So really, it's a win-win.

Teases Jericho relentlessly over her relationship with Gladion.

Not that her romantic life is much better. Someone idly points out that Red is romantically pursuing her when they're nineteen and she proceeds to have a minor breakdown.

Or, you know, she just remains forever oblivious, and Red remains extremely passive in his pining.

Completely blind-sided by Blue's wedding, and honestly doesn't know what to think of his wife, but plays the role of doting aunt pretty well once they have their first kid.

Shows up in the White 2 storyline in a rental tournament, wrecks Rei's shit, comes back a day later during a Team Switch Tournament, and proceeds to destroy the battlefield.

Then, once Rei is the Unovian Champion, she comes for an actual vacation, and actively, and willingly, participates in the Cross-Region Tournament, makes it to the finals, wrecks Rei's shit again, and then destroys the Stadium when she goes up against Red in the semi-finals... Yeah, I'm not sure what storyline to put to the whole rage vent thing, but it's there. It exists. And Red pays for it.

I'm thinking Blue just gets in over his head a week or so before the tournament, and she quietly simmers all the while.

I think if I were to make a fic about her journey/life, I'd call it 'The Trials And Tribulations Of A Run Of The Mill Pokèmon Trainer'. Because... Ya know, against Blue and Red, she's actually a pretty average trainer.

Compared to Red, who'll have participated in over thirty league circuits in his lifetime, (and plowed straight through the champion in a pretty good chunk of them), Arden has only actively participated in maybe five, mantled a single Championship, and completed two other circuits, with the last three or so having her jump ship due to pressure, having to put it aside for prior commitments, or a simple lack of interest, (the incredibly vague Greece based region I have an idea for is incredibly interesting history wise, in universe, it's Gym and tournament circuit on the other hand... Lacks pretty much anything to make it even remotely interesting).

Red will be a living legend once all is said and done at the end of his career. While Arden has a single legal achievement to her name, the famed recognition of being one of three people to take down the Pokèmon equivalent to the Mafia, and a pretty average badge count for a career trainer.

Also, Lina loses to Red on Mount Silver. She knows, she was drafted as the referee because when she came to drop of Red's food for the week. She's pretty much payed off to say otherwise though.

And she doesn't know why.

She's convinced it's a conspiracy.

Fades into relative obscurity around the time of the Sun & Moon storyline, but her damn if her tiny fan club isn't dedicated.

Doesn't show up in Alola for the battle tree because Blue couldn't find her for three solid months.

No one knows what the fuck she was doing.

...she may or may not have been the Gates To Infinity protagonist.

There's a tiny aside to a Snivy named Leaf in article concerning Overgrow and how it affects the Snivy population at large though.

And that's Arden Forrest, a bit clunky, but hey, they're randomly ordered facts, not a character sheet. Next up is the Crystal heroine!

Marie Smith!

Traveled through Johto about three or so years before Arden, Red, and Blue began running around Kanto.

Older than her sister, Lina, by seven years.

I actually don't have all that much on her because I got to the third Gym on Crystal before my brother destroyed the Device I was using to play the game on.

What I do know, from this information, though, is that she disappeared around said time.

No build up, no cries for help, nothing. Just up and gone. She just cut contact with her family, things happened, and she's absolutely infamous for nearly killing three thousand people. Somehow, she's officially recognized as someone who completed the Johto Circuit though.

She got recruited by Cypher.

Again. Shit happened.

Oak blames himself for an incident in the Kiro Region, (Egyptian Region), pertaining to her.

Lina's entire journey is an event and a half because of her.

If I were to make these little things into a fic series, she'd get... Like a seven chapter mini-fic told from seven different people's perspectives throughout her journey.

Those people, in order, would be... Her mother, Whitney, Naoko of the Kimono Girls, Giovanni, Clair, and Oak.

With an extra chapter detailing her death during the Kalos invasion.

She shows back up in the Kalos storyline in this and traumatizes the ever loving fuck out of Serafina.

She chose a Chikorita. Who she loves dearly, even when she's pretty much gone off the deep end, and then some.

Lina Smith, local trouble maker, owner of a perpetually terrified Feraligator, and the best friend of the very weird Ethan Aurum, and the only person who seems to be on Silver's good side. Vaguely.

Oh so vaguely.

Youngest out of three children, her older brother, Gregory, is an incredibly average guy who's extremely confused as to what the fuck happens on her journey, and never NOT worried about her.

Parents died in a car accident some two years before the start of the storyline, is cared for by Gregory at this point in time

Don't ask why Greg is a thing. He just is.

Like Arden before her, Lina takes a very proactive approach to dealing with Silver during the Radio Tower Incident. Which involves decking him in the jaw.

Surprisingly, this is the part where there relationship improves.

Chooses a Totodile and names him Reyne, and is fiercely protective of him. The little guy could put a Sobble to shame... This also means Silver ends up with the incredibly overly energetic and affectionate Chikorita, all for my personal amusement, (said Chikorita is named Lyra, and no, he does not spoil her, shut your mouth Aurum!).

Her entire story isn't so much focused on her gym challenge or the reappearance of Team Rocket, as it is finding out what the fuck happened to her sister.

Ethan starts tagging along after Goldenrod, and starts to reveal he knows a lot more than he's willing to admit about the situation.

Gets caught up in a lot of nasty things, and nearly ends up dismantling an operation to kill Red, Lance, and Cynthia.

(Where are our favorite colored duo, and supporting tree, during all this you may ask? Why, still recovering from trauma of course! Like reasonable, sane, run-of-the-mill people. More specifically, Blue's officially taking over Viridian gym before the start of the Kanto gym circuit season, Red's fucking around in Hoenn for a good bit before coming to Mt. Silver just two months before Lina gets there, and Arden's in that vague Greece based region getting therapy.)

Her journey is just a really long incident report, and Looker has half a mind to slap her at the end of it.

A good portion of it is Ethan's fault though. Ethan, by the way, nails the looking right through you stare.

And a girl named Sarah Morgendy comes up a lot, although it turns out she's just a kid trying to protect her adopted brother from the shit shoe she got them involved in illegally.

The only two problems with that is she's about eleven and emotionally compromised.

Gets recruited by Interpol after everything is said in done.

Gets the code name Agent Lenz.

Demands therapy for herself, Ethan, and Silver. She gets it.

While she's training as an agent, Ethan and his mother move to Unova so that he can attend an Academy meant 'rising stars', and Silver becomes Elm's apprentice.

...somehow ends up married to Blue years down the line. They have two kids between them. Maria and Reginald

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sulietsexual · 6 years

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Hey! I read that you find Friends relatable now that you're older. How is the show relatable to you? Is it specific to your generation or to people your age? Because I don't think any of the friends' lives are relatable. In particular, the fact that they're always in relationships, or hooking with random people they meet wherever, is extremely weird to me. And let's not speak of how most of them have great jobs and no college degree or higher schooling... Anyway, I'd love to read your thoughts!

Okay, so I just want address a couple of your points before I get into how/why I find the series relatable. So, first of all this part:

“In particular, the fact that they’re always in relationships, or hooking with random people they meet wherever, is extremely weird to me.”

First of all, I don’t think that the characters on Friends date or hook up or have relationships any more than characters on any other television series out there. So many shows have their characters dating lots, sustaining long-term relationship etc. Also, I think that while, yes, all the characters did have relationships and hook ups, it wasn’t as constant or as prevalent as your statement implies. Let’s look at the characters individually.

Joey - probably the most sexually active of the group but this is also a big part of his character (similarly to, say, Barney Stinson). Joey does frequently hook up with women because he’s not interested in a long-term relationship, he just enjoys the brief, no-strings-attached intimacy of one-night stands but I don’t find his promiscuity to be unbelievable, especially since it’s an organic part of his characterisation. I also don’t recall him ever hooking up with a random person?

Chandler - Chandler spends most of Seasons 1 and 2 either single or with Janice. If I recall correctly, he only briefly dates a couple of women other than Janice in those seasons. He spends half of Season 3 with Janice and the other half single. In Season 4 he briefly dates Kathy and then at the end of the season he hooks up with Monica and, as we know, the rest is history and he spends the rest of the series in a committed relationship. Again, I don’t really see this as unrealistic? Chandler has two serious relationships and a third which never really gets off the ground and he casually dates a few women, and this is within the time span of about four or five years. That seems pretty normal to me, especially within the landscape of 90s television, which often portrayed young adults dating around.

Ross - Ross actually dates quite a lot, we see him with many casual love interests, however, as with Joey, I feel like this suits his character. Ross is actually a serial monogamist, he’s hopelessly in love with love and so I find it really in-character that he would date lots in order to find his ideal partner. Again, this is very keeping with 90s culture of dating around. And, of course, Ross has three long-term/serious relationships (Carol, Rachel and Emily) and this is over a ten year time-span, which again, doesn’t seem like a huge amount of romantic developments.

Rachel - Rachel probably dates the least of the characters. She leaves Barry, who is implied to be her only long-term relationship, at the beginning of Season 1 and then has her “fling” with Paolo, which was more about her exploring an exciting and sexual relationship which she hadn’t experienced before. She then spends Seasons 2 and 3 pining after and then involved with Ross, only briefly dating Mark post-Ross. In Season 4 she has her crush on Joshua, which doesn’t go anywhere. Her only other “serious” relationship is with Tagg in Season 7 and other than that, she doesn’t really date that often.

Monica - single for most of Season 1 with only a couple of casual dating relationships, Monica spends most of Season 2 with Richard and then the majority of Season 3 single, until her short relationship with Pete. She’s single for all of Season 4 until she hooks up with Chandler, and then she’s in a committed relationship with him until the end of the series.

Phoebe - Phoebe dates a lot but again, I don’t necessarily find that unrealistic? Like Joey, she doesn’t seem to want or need a long-term partner (until she meets Mike) and she’s happy to just casually date around. At the risk of sounding repetitive, this once again (to me) ties in nicely with 90s dating culture and I think it suits her character. However, I do find her relationship with Mike rushed and it did very much feel like she was shoe-horned into the relationship by writers who seemed afraid of having a female character end the show single. That being said, I do find her and Mike sweet.

So yeah, I’m not sure if it’s a personal thing or a generational thing but I never felt that the romantic relationships and dating habits of the characters felt unrealistic. If anything, I think each of the character’s dating habits and relationship organically tie into their characterisation.

Now, the next part I want to address:

“And let’s not speak of how most of them have great jobs and no college degree or higher schooling…”

This isn’t completely accurate.

Ross and Chandler both attended college (this is how they met, they were college roommates) and Ross has a PhD, so he definitely completed higher education. While it’s not wholly realistic that Ross would have a PhD and a high-paying job at the Museum of Natural Science at the age of twenty-seven (his age in the first season) it not entirely inconceivable, especially in the early 90s when a college degree actually did guarantee one a job and the job market was much better than it is these days.

Chandler completes college and then works in the same job for several years before receiving a promotion, which does come with an adequate pay rise, but again, he had to slog it out in a cubicle for at least four or five years before receiving said promotion, which he did so at about age twenty-seven, which seems pretty realistic, especially for the 90s. He then works at this job for the next several years, making solid money, before quitting to pursue a job which he’s passionate about. He completes an internship at an ad company and is then offered a more senior position due to his age and experience. I think this is all pretty realistic.

Rachel at least started college (she mentions in a Thanksgiving flashback that she’s taking psychology because the parking’s closer to the building) and she ends up having to work as a waitress for several years because of her lack of job experience, not exactly a great or high-paying job. Her lucking into the job at Bloomingdale’s is a little unrealistic, but she does start at a lower-level position (an assistant) before being moved to personal shopping, which she mentions is a step down for her. She interviews for and obtains the Ralph Lauren position based off her previous experience at Bloomingdale’s and is promoted after being there for a couple of years, again, a fairly realistic trajectory for her. I think Rachel’s work situation is perhaps the least realistic, given that a lot of it rests on luck, but I don’t think it’s completely unbelievable.

We have to assume that Monica went to culinary school, given that she’s a professional chef. It’s not unrealistic or unbelievable that she would be working as a Sous Chef at the age of twenty-six, especially in the 90s. She then loses her job and is forced to work at the demeaning and low-paying diner for over a year, before finally being given the chance to run her own kitchen, where she stays for several years, before being head hunted into a better-paying job when she’s in her early 30s, a realistic move for her, given her experience.

Joey and Phoebe are the only two who are explicitly stated to not have completed college (and in Phoebe’s case high school) but neither initially have particularly demanding or high-paying jobs. Phoebe works as a masseuse, for which she would have needed to complete a certificate or diploma in massage therapy, which she easily could have done in her early twenties. She appears to make enough to live on and doesn’t seem to want a different or higher-paying job and it is mentioned that she doesn’t make as much money as some of the others. And Joey spends so much time on the show unemployed or working odd-jobs in-between auditions, only really starting to get good/steady work towards the end of the series, so I think his career is pretty realistic and an accurate portrayal of how sometimes breaking into an acting career is about right place, right time.

Wow, that got long. Let’s get back to your actual question, of how/why I find Friends relatable.

It’s more little things that I found relatable as I got older. Things such as wanting to work a job I was passionate about (Chandler’s dilemma in Season 1 and again in Season 9), not having a plan for my life (Rachel in Season 1), going against my parents wishes for my career (Joey), having overly-critical parents (Monica) etc. Even smaller things, such as using sarcasm to cover childhood trauma (Chandler) or Monica’s OCD or Rachel always crying. These things made the characters real and relatable to me, even if the world they live in isn’t always completely realistic (their apartments, for example. Even in the 90s Monica wouldn’t have been able to afford that apartment, even with rent control!)

#we pay for everything #answered #f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

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