#because trying to get jayden in front of a camera is like trying to give a bath to a cat

[br1ghtestlight]

stupid tiktok joke w/ object ocs that i spent waayy too much time on <3

[ghosttotheparty]

14 + VDS?

14- kissing each other breathless {cw: sensory overload/panic attack}

Lucas lowers his beer bottle, his eyes scanning the scene in front of him. 

Maybe he shouldn’t have come tonight. 

The pulsing music and flashing lights are too much, and his head hurts, and he feels tense, like a seam about to rip, and the beer doesn’t seem to be helping. (He wishes he’d smoked a blunt before leaving the house.) 

And, to top it all off, he’s barely said a word all night, and he doubts Kes and Jayden have even noticed. They’re both dancing. (Or rather, Jayden is dancing with some girl, while Kes makes out with another girl. Though Lucas supposes their swaying could count as dancing.) 

It’s been like this for weeks. Lucas can barely take part in their conversations (usually about girls or sex, neither of which are fields Lucas is experienced in), and he ends up here: sitting by himself. Watching. Listening. 

Waiting.

He takes another swig, making a face as swallows it. He doesn’t know why he ordered this one, he’s never really liked it. It’s Jayden’s favourite. Lucas looks over at Kes again, possibly an old habit from when his heart was set on him, but he just grimaces when he sees the flash of a tongue as Kes kisses the girl again. He looks away, passing the bottle to his other hands, setting his elbow on the table he’s sitting at and looking around the club.

His eyes hurt a bit, but he still looks and watches. People dancing, spinning around, jumping in time with the beats of the music that feel like needles in Lucas’s brain. 

His bottle stalls on its way to his mouth, his eyes suddenly locked on someone. 

He’s dancing with someone, a girl, but Lucas’s eyes skim right past her, to the tall boy with the pretty eyes. 

The Belgian kid.

His hair is flying around his head, his earring catching the lights, flashing like a camera. He’s smiling, but not in the ways he smiled when he and Lucas hung out. He looks… suave. Cool. Like he knows just how pretty he is, like he knows exactly what he’s doing as he sways in time with the music. Like he knows just how fast he makes Lucas’s heart beat. 

And Jens looks up, almost like he can feel Lucas’s eyes on him. 

And his smile grows, into a real smile. Like the one he gave Lucas as they played video games together, as he bumped his shoulder into Lucas’s, in a move that Lucas would have thought of as flirting if Jens hadn’t mentioned his ex-girlfriend, and if he wasn’t so… Jens. 

Lucas gives him a half-smile across the club and then looks away, feeling his face burn. He finally lifts the bottle to his mouth, awkwardly taking a sip, feeling Jens’s eyes on him. He takes a deep breath, his chest rising and falling, as he looks back at Kes, now cradling the girl’s head in a hand as the other slides across her waist, and then to Jayden, who has a girl dancing against his chest.

Lucas furrows his brow, wincing at the music again, trying not to think about Jens. Or his eyes. The music feels louder than before, but no one else seems to notice. Lucas sets the bottle on the table, straightening his back as his lungs fill up again, then empty, then fill. He taps his legs, gently hitting his thighs in time with the deafening music. 

His eyes shut when he realises how fast his breathing is becoming. 

His hands come down harder. 

Fuckfuckfuck, not now.

His leg shakes, bouncing up and down until his chair and the table rattle. 

Come on, I’m fine. I’m fine. It’s just loud.

Lucas gasps, his hands stopping on his legs to grip his knees hard, and he opens his eyes, trying to make himself breath, exhaling through pursed lips as his stomach tightens. It feels like the room is filled with smoke, too hot, too suffocating. 

The music isn’t even music anymore, just noise mixing with flashing lights and singing and laughter and dropped bottles and cups. Someone bumps into Lucas’s table and it shakes, hitting him in the side. 

“Fuck,” he gasps, wrapping his arms around himself and rocking back and forth until he pushes himself up, rushing, searching in the mayhem that everyone seems so accustomed to, to find the glowing green exit sign. 

When he spots it he makes way for it, pushing through a crowd of people dancing, his shoulders hunched to his ears, his hands balled up into fists, his eyes trained on the dark floor, littered with cups and random pieces of plastic, fallen sunglasses and bottles. 

Lucas stops short when he runs into someone, barely managing to stop himself from groaning loudly, and instead, jerking his head up to look, his chest rising and falling quickly with every rushed breath, his body tense.

“Lucas?” Jens asks, sounding strangely soft. 

No, no, no, no, no, no, not now.

“Are you okay?” Jens’s brows furrow and he lowers his head. He’s covered in blue and pink light, and Lucas thinks briefly that he’s beautiful. 

“I don’t--” Lucas chokes out, looking past him and then back. “I’m-- It’s--”

“What’s wrong?” Jens doesn’t touch him, and as much as Lucas would usually long for him to, he’s thankful. Jens just leans down slightly to look into Lucas’s eyes. 

Lucas doesn’t answer, stammering out some indecipherable noises, conscious that his breathing is getting louder, higher, and he’s turning around. 

He thinks the beat drops in the music or the chorus has started, or something, because it suddenly booms, and Lucas lets out a whine, covering his ears with his hands and squeezing his eyes shut, his shoulders hunching like he’s trying to hide. 

His breathing gets louder when the rest of the world is slightly drowned out, and when he finally opens his eyes, he’s looking right into Jens’s eyes, and Jens’s hands are on top of Lucas’s, muffling the music a little more. Jens’s eyes are wide, and his brows are furrowed, and Lucas squeezes his eyes shut again before opening them.

“Come on,” Jens says, but Lucas can’t hear it. His hands come off Lucas’s, slipping to the back of his head, and he gently pulls, guiding him until they’re walking side-by-side and Jens’s hand falls to Lucas’s back. Lucas shuts his eyes, hiding until Jens gets him outside, pushing people out of the way with his hand gentle on Lucas’s back. 

The air is cold when they get outside, rushing across Lucas’s face like a splash of water, and it pushes its way into his lungs as the music fades off to a pulsing bass beating through the walls of the building. Jens’s arm guides him away from the club, away from the line of people outside, away away away, and Lucas realises that Jens must have been there with people. He was dancing with that girl, that girl that Lucas didn’t even spare a second glance to. 

He whines again, pressing his hands over his ears harder, guilty and scared and in pain, and he’s vaguely aware of Jens’s low voice saying, “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” 

Jens’s arm comes away from Lucas’s back when they reach a little alleyway. It’s dark, but light enough from the city to see clearly, and it’s perfect. Lucas turns away from him, opening his eyes and looking around desperately, his fists hitting his legs and then rubbing against his chest. He shuts his eyes again, shifting back and forth on his feet as he shivers in the breeze. He’s moaning a flat, broken noise, his lip between his teeth, and he knows Jens is watching him. Watching this. 

“I’m s…” He pants out, tilting his head back as his knuckles drag over his sternum, just hard enough for it hurt enough for him to focus on it. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Jens says softly, and Lucas leans against the wall, letting his head fall back and letting himself slide down until he’s sitting. He runs his hands down his legs quickly, over his knees and shins, feeling the fabric of his jeans. “What do I do?” 

“I don’t know,” Lucas says, tears stinging his eyes. “I don’t--” He shivers again, wrapping his arms around his legs. 

“Okay, hold on, I’ll be right back.”

Lucas nods, lowering his head to rest on his knees as he rocks slightly. 

He lets himself cry when he knows for sure Jens isn’t there to hear him. 

---

Lucas is still rocking gently when Jens comes back, carrying a plastic water bottle and a jacket. He quickly wipes his face again, sniffing and hoping Jens can’t see how flushed he is in the dim light. 

“Here,” Jens says, handing the bottle to him. “I thought… maybe your throat might hurt or something.”

“Thank you,” Lucas says, reaching up to take it, and his voice is rough. As he cracks it open slowly, Jens leans down, carefully draping the jacket over his shoulders. Lucas looks up at him, watching as Jens steps back and smiles. 

“Do you want help getting up?” Jens asks after Lucas drinks some water. 

“I think if I get up right now I’ll get dizzy,” Lucas says quietly, looking at the ground in front of him. 

“Okay,” Jens says simply, and he sits next to Lucas, sliding down the wall. Lucas watches him. 

“Didn’t you come here with friends?” Lucas asks when Jens raises his eyebrows at him. 

“Uhm…” Jens sighs, looking at the sky before looking back at Lucas, rolling his head against the wall lazily. “I’d rather be out here knowing that you’re okay than in there with a bunch of drunk people I vaguely know.”

“...Oh.” Lucas looks away, up at the sky. He can’t see the stars. 

“Does that happen a lot?” Jens asks after a quiet minute, and Lucas draws his arms around himself, pulling Jens’s jacket tighter with one hand which the other clutches the water bottle.

“Not really. I don’t know.” He sighs, his lungs finally filling like normal. “I’m just kind of a mess lately.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

They’re almost whispering. The club music is quiet, beating like a heartbeat.

Lucas thinks about what he could tell him. 

That his mom is sick, but not the kind of sick that a dose of medicine will heal. That she’s not at home, and he isn’t at home either because he can’t stand being in the same house as his father. That he’s living with some friends, but even though they’re welcoming, and nice, and considerate, he still feels like a burden, like just one more mouth to feed. That he’s been ignoring a brewing sexuality crisis since he was twelve, and now it’s finally starting to boil and bubble over, and that might be at the fault of Jens. That he doesn’t even know who he is. That he feels like he doesn’t know his best friends anymore, like he can’t even talk to them without feeling like a stranger. 

“You don’t have to,” Jens whispers, moving closer slightly, and Lucas nods, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes as he tried to let his breathing slow down again. 

“Sorry,” he exhales. 

“Stop apologizing, Luc,” Jens reprimands gently. “I’m here for you.”

Lucas swallows, opening his eyes and willing the tears not to spill over. 

“Okay.”

So they sit. 

It’s quiet, and the air is cool in Lucas’s throat as he breathes. He could fall asleep here, even though the ground is hard and the wall is cold. Jens’s jacket smells like him, like his couch smelled the day they played video games and smoked together. And he can hear Jens breathing, slowly and steadily, like he knows how to exist. 

“Do you like Utrecht?” Lucas asks finally, tilting his head on the wall and looking at him. 

Jens does the same, his eyes shining in the lamplight. He looks directly into Lucas’s eyes, like he’s trying to read his mind, and Lucas’s cheeks heat up. Lucas hopes it’s dark enough that Jens can’t tell. 

“I like the people,” he says finally, his voice soft. 

Lucas stares back at him, hoping he’s reading all of this right. 

When he looks back at the sky, his mouth curves into a smile. (The first smile in over twenty-four hours.)

“I think I can get up now,” he says after a little while, even though he’s not entirely sure he’ll be able to without becoming slightly dizzy. He unwraps his arms from his legs and starts to push himself up, but Jens beats him, standing up in front of him and holding a hand out. Lucas looks at it for a second, just noticing the silver bands around his fingers, before taking it and pulling himself up. 

Jens steps back when Lucas is standing, still holding the empty bottle with Jens’s jacket draped around his shoulders, but he doesn’t let go of his hand.

Instead, he brushes his thumb over Lucas’s knuckles and lets their fingers lace together, smoothly, easily, like they’ve done it a million times. Lucas looks down at their hands dangling between them, feeling the cold press of Jens’s rings on his skin and the warm pressure of his thumb, skimming back and forth. 

Lucas closes his eyes, tightening his grip on Jens’s hand and stepping slightly closer before looking up, seeing Jens gazing at him, smiling ever-so-slightly. 

Usually, Lucas doesn’t like eye contact. He forces himself to go through it, to look into others’ eyes while they talk, and he’s uncomfortable and tense. But Jens’s eyes… They look familiar. Like Jens really knows Lucas. Like Lucas never has to tell Jens anything, because Jens already knows. Looking into his eyes feels like coming home. 

Jens’s brows furrow and he opens his mouth, looking like he’s working through a math equation in his head. 

“I, uhm…” He says after a few seconds, and then licks his lips, shifting on his feet. Lucas glances at his mouth. “I’m… gonna kiss you. If that’s okay.”

Lucas is nodding before the words are even out his mouth, his hand squeezing Jens’s. 

Jens smiles softly, pushing Lucas’s curls out of his face before brushing his fingertips over his cheek, his other hand tightening on Lucas’s. Lucas’s eyes drift shut as Jens leans in.

He’s so gentle. 

His lips press softly against Lucas’s, and Lucas wants to stand on his tiptoes and wrap his arm around Jens’s neck and run his fingers through his hair and push his tongue into his mouth and slip his hands under his shirt and and and and and…

But Jens pulls away, staying close enough that their foreheads press together before he pulls away further, looking at Lucas with wide, awestruck eyes. Lucas nods at the silent question, dropping the water bottle and vaguely hearing it hit the ground with a quiet, hollow sound. He squeezes Jens’s hand again and finally finally slides his hand across his waist, over the thick fabric of Jens’s red hoodie. 

Jens leans in again, sighing as their mouths crash together, catching Lucas’s lower lip between his, and Lucas almost shivers, untangling their fingers to slide his hand up to his shoulder, gripping him tightly as Jens’s teeth scrape lightly against his lip. Lucas hums, opening his mouth as Jens’s hands catch his jaw, sliding up to hold the back of his head. 

They pull away for a second, glancing into each other’s eyes before leaning in again. 

Jens’s rings are cold against his neck, and there’s a breeze that makes Lucas’s hair stand on end, but he doesn’t care. All he cares about is the fact that Jens Stoffels is kissing him, is tugging at his curls and swiping his tongue across his lips, and clawing his hands across his waist before sliding up his back, knocking his jacket off his shoulders and letting it fall. 

Lucas finally does wrap his arms around Jens’s neck, twisting his fingers in his hair as he desperately sucks on his lip, sighing as Jens’s hands press into him, pulling him closer by the small of his back. Jens steps forward and Lucas’s back hits the wall, knocking the air out of him as Jens’s hand cradles the back of Lucas’s head, protecting it from the hard brick.

Lucas pulls away with a gasp, tugging at Jens’s hair, and Jens looks at him, panting. Lucas feels a rush of pride, of satisfaction, shivering when he feels Jens’s breath on his face. He grins, unable to stop himself. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Jens breaths, brushing a thumb over Lucas’s bottom lip, touching their foreheads together. Lucas’s smile widens and he shakes his head, pressing his face in to kiss him.

He’s so warm, and Lucas knows his fingers are cold, but Jens doesn’t react, except to move his own hands to Lucas’s waist, holding him like a lifeline, his fingers digging into his side. Jens kisses him again, softly at first before carefully licking into his mouth, and Lucas whines, tightening his grip on him. 

It’s so good. 

Everything he does. 

It’s different from the girls Lucas has kissed, though he supposes the mechanics of it are more or less the same: lips, tongue, etc. What’s different is that it’s Jens. His tongue pushing into Lucas’s mouth doesn’t make him want to gag, it makes him pull Jens closer and open his mouth wider. (He tastes sweet, like artificial strawberries.) When his fingers run through his hair it doesn’t make him furrow his brow and want to cover himself with a heavy blanket, it makes him wish Jens would pull harder. When Jens’s fingertips slip under Lucas’s hoodie and shirt, brushing gently against his hip just above his waistband, he waits, somewhat impatiently, for him to slide his whole hand over his bare waist. 

But Jens pulls away before that can happen, and Lucas opens his eyes, leaning forward and dropping his gaze to Jens’s lips, bitten red. Jens is looking up and around, and he laughs lightly before looking back at Lucas, who furrows his brows in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” Lucas asks. 

“It’s raining,” Jens says, and his voice still sounds breathless, Lucas notices with a rush. 

Lucas looks up, holding a hand out, and it’s only then that he notices the tiny, cold splashes on his arms and face and neck. In the light shining from street lamps and windows towering over them, the raindrops flash like tiny crystals falling from the sky. 

Lucas scoffs, dropping his hand to Jens’s shoulder and lightly gripping his shirt. 

“That’s so cliche.” 

“It is,” Jens says, leaning in and kissing Lucas softly before pulling away, reaching down and grabbing his jacket from the ground. He pulls it over their heads, holding it up as he leans in again.

Lucas almost can’t kiss back because of his smile, but he manages, winding his fingers in Jens’s hair again. 

After a few seconds, Lucas hears the rain come down harder, feels it hitting his legs and tapping on Jens’s jacket like it’s asking to come in. Lucas pulls away with a huff.

“We should probably get out of here, right?” he says quietly, because Jens is still so close. It’s dark under the hoodie, but he still catches Jens’s grin. 

“Probably.”

Lucas brushes his thumbs over Jens’s cheeks and looks at his mouth. 

“Do you want to come to my place? I think my flatmates are all out tonight.”

Jens nods, still smiling at him. 

“I want to keep kissing you,” Lucas adds without meaning to.

Lucas grabs the water bottle from the ground as they head off down the sidewalk, tucking the cap into his pocket before tossing the bottle into a bin by the street.

[estellaelysian]

Let me be in your Life like that (Dakota x MC)

A/N: First of all, happy Valentine's Day to all of you guys.

I was feeling so bad and guilty that I had written a fic for Ethan and Alishka and not for Dakota and Amber, that I couldn't help myself, and hence, I had to write this. So yes, you guys are in for a ride, and there are going to be two Valentine’s Day fics.

Also, this is complete fluff, because we are saving the angst for the series.

(And please excuse my errors if any, I haven’t gone through them!)

**********

‘Hey Amber,’ Dakota said, sounding slightly raw and throaty. ‘I am running late, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. Go on and start the movie without me, I have already seen it anyway.’

Click.

Amber sighed.

No hey how are you? No hey, I am so sorry I can’t make it in time … just I am running late and go start the movie without me.

Classic Dakota.

‘What did he say?’ Mateo asked beside her. ‘Is he coming?’

‘No. He said he is running late. Oh, and that we should start without him.’

‘Oh,’ Mateo said, sounding just as dejected as she felt. ‘Well let’s start then.’

‘Yeah, let’s start.’

She balanced up the iPad she held, and at that very moment, she got a notification of a video message from Dakota.

Holding her breath, she opened the video, and there he stood, dressed in a hoodie, wearing a bright smile.

He grinned at the camera.

‘Hey Amber, I know it’s Valentine’s Day, and I know you are mad at me for not being there to watch the movie like we planned to do… Well, I am not at your house with you. I promise I am not standing you up, it’s the opposite of that. I love you, and I just want your Valentine’s Day to be perfect. I don’t know how to do this, umm … you know, I am just trying to do this perfectly, and my mind being the way it is, I can right now think of a million different ways this could go and I am freaking nervous, but all I know is I want this to be special and that you should always remember this. So, here goes…’

Amber pressed a hand to her mouth, keeping from saying anything as she watched Dakota step away and in the next moment, he was in the school, sitting in front of the green screen, talking to Jayden and Heather.

‘So, hello to both of you. I hope you are doing well on this bright day.’

‘Why yes we are,’ Jayden said, grinning widely. ‘And can I just say what a pleasure it is to have you here?’

‘Oh thank you. It is fun to be around you guys, but today I am actually here because I have something to tell my girlfriend.’

‘Oh yeah? Amber?’

‘Yeah, I think she is watching this right now.’

‘Uh, actually, there has been some technical problem,’ Heather said, looking at Dakota. ‘This is not broadcasting now.’

‘NO?’

‘No,’ she said apologetically.

‘But Dakota wait. I can arrange something,’ Jayden said, looking between Dakota and Heather. ‘Just gimme some minutes, I can–’

‘Nah, its fine actually, I can think of doing something else.’

‘No, no, just give me a few minutes…’

But Dakota was already leaving his seat in haste. ‘I am sorry, you guys, I’ll see you soon. For now, I’ve to go.’

And in the next step, he was at another setting, wearing a white sleeveless tee and blue jeans, smiling. She recognized almost all the classmates that entered the frame, all in same clothes.

Faint music started playing in the background, and Dakota made a goofy grin.

‘We could leave the Christmas lights up till January… this is our place, we make the rules. And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear. Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?’

Amber smiled at him singing, the best way he could, her hand still pressed to her mouth as he continued.

‘Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And ah, take me out, and take me home … you’re my, my, my, my lover.’

The music stopped, and his voice rang out, loud and clear. ‘This is too cheesy,’ he declared, watching as the classmates danced and danced, not bothering to stop. With a scoff, he left the screen…

… to emerge a moment later at another location, this time the dog park, again, a trail of classmates following him.

‘Wise men said, only fools rushed in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.’

She giggled as one of the girls moved around and stumbled into him.

‘Shall I stay? Would it be a sin, if I can’t help falling in love with you?’ he sang sweetly.

But their classmates were completely onto him now, flirting and seducing, pulling down his suspenders repeatedly, making Amber laugh. He tried dodging their attempts, but they continued, quite voluptuously, and he kept pulling his suspenders back on.

‘Cut, cut! CUT IT!’ he said, looking exasperated, and all the people stopped dancing or rather, seducing him. ‘Good god, this is a disaster.’

There was another change of frame, and now, he stood in front of Dairy Queen, amidst the people who barely paid attention to the camera that filmed him.

And then, all of a sudden, music came blaring through, and a man and woman who stood right in front of the camera started dancing, like professionals would.

She watched in awe as the woman was swept, quite effortlessly, off her feet and up into the air, as she spinned gracefully in the man’s arms.

And then another couple followed suit.

And then everyone was dancing to the music, and again, she saw Dakota singing as she smiled at the frame. But this time, it wasn’t right in front of the frame. He was barely visible as he sang and danced in the crowd.

‘I don’t wanna think too much, I just wanna feel. You know that it ain’t no rush. Let me keep it real. Just let me be in your life like that, in your life like that. I’ll bring the light right back, I’ll bring the life right back. I’m gonna make you want more, I’m gonna be your new favorite. Tell ‘em you’re closing the door, I’m the only for sure…’

He kneeled with a rose in his hand, smiling.

She giggled unknowingly, and again, the music stopped, this time, Lennox appearing out of nowhere.

‘Where is Amber? Is she here?’ Dakota asked, and she shook her head.

‘What? You didn’t bring her?

‘No, that wasn’t my job! Amy here was supposed to get her!’

‘Wha–’

‘I can fix it. Just wait a sec, I’ll call her.’

‘You’re gonna call her? he asked as she pulled out her phone.

‘Oh my God, you guys, I am so sorry,’ he said, turning to the crowd of dancers waiting expectantly. ‘I am so sorry.’

His mom appeared in the frame now, holding a fancy tux jacket. ‘Here, darling, put this on.’

‘Mom, what are you doing?’

‘Come on, put this on, you are gonna need it.’

He pulled on the jacket, and she handed him a small paper bag along with a laser tag.

‘Use this. Use it now!’

In a blind moment, he drew a circle down on the ground and jumped in, as a woman, who she did not recognize appeared in the video.

Soon, they were in a pursuit, running down the deserted and dark streets, but before long, the woman caught up with Dakota, snatching the bag right out of his hands.

‘Hey!’ he said, whirling around to face her.

‘She doesn’t need this. Did you ever think what might e in here? What is it that you are protecting with all your heart?’

She turned the bag upside down, and down fell bits of paper.

‘Nothing. She doesn’t need fancy gifts. She needs you, there, right now, and if you do want to give her something, it should be this,’ she said, handing him a basket.

And then she was gone.

By now, Amber was completely still, holding her breath. Dakota turned to look at the empty street in shock, but then, before long, started walking down, under the golden pool of light.

She recognized the neighborhood. He was getting close.

Oh God….

The doorbell startled her, and she looked at Mateo.

‘Go, open it,’ he urged, smiling at her. ‘He’d want to see you after so much of running around.’

A giggle escaped her lips as she stood and went to open the door, and there he stood, her Dakota, looking smart and handsome, and disheveled at the same moment, his hair tousled.

he looked absolutely perfect.

‘I love you, Amber,’ he whispered. ‘I love you so, so much. Here,’ he held out the straw basket to her, which seemed to be carrying gummy bears, roses and a few notes.

But she was way past caring about what was in the basket.

She threw her arms around him, and he held her as relieved laughter and tears left her body.

‘I love you too,’ she said, tightening the embrace.

**********

So yeah, that just happened. It is inspired from a video I watched, and ... yeah, sorry if things got too cheesy.

Thank you for reading.

Tagging: @tenaciouslandvoidgiant @choicesaddict5 @starrystarrytrouble @dakotasteach @kodysteach @vishhhi 

Let me know if  you want to be added or removed

[missmitchieg]

Hannah's Adventures in Vlogging (And Matchmaking) at Los Feliz High - Ch 1

Hannah yawned and stretched as she woke up to her alarm blaring from her phone, blindly reaching to turn it off. "I'm up. I'm up." She mumbled and grinned as she found the phone to switch the alarm off and get out of bed. She stretched her arms out and grabbed her vlogging camera, putting on her best smile. "Hello and good morning to the Honey bee hive on this lovely Monday!" She said happily, hearing a knock on her door. "Come in!"

"Good morning, Hannah Banana!" Her dad said cheerily, coffee mug in hand. "Time to get up and get ready for school!" He said in a sing song-y voice. Her dad was such a morning dove.

"Morning, dad!" Hannah smiled, leaning an arm on his shoulder. "Say hi to the honey bee hive!"

"Hi, hive! I'm gonna go make toast for you, baby." He said and took a sip of coffee, starting to walk away.

"Thank you!" She called and turned on her 'getting ready' playlist, walking toward the bathroom to brush her teeth. She gave a thubs up to the camera when she finished and walked toward her closet. "Hmm, what should I wear today, hive? Should I go for cute and sporty or flower child?" She wondered, rummaging through her closet. She settled on a white crop top with pale yellow shortalls and matching yellow Converse sneakers, changing quickly. She fixed her hair into two cute braids, putting two sunflower shaped clips into her hair. "So this is the outfit of the day, hive! What do you think?" She grinned, doing a few cute poses before grabbing her phone and her camera, walking out to go to the kitchen.

"You're dressing like a flower again?" Her little brother, Jayden, deadpanned.

"Morning, J!" Hannah patted the fourteen year olds shoulder, ignoring his comment. She loved her little brother, even as he was going through his 'my sister is the most annoying human on Earth' phase at the moment. She was just taking everything in stride and waiting for the day he decided she was cool again. "Hey again, dad. I'm more awake now." She sat in front of the buttered toast, crossing her ankles. "So, hive, on the agenda for today is, ace Mr. Collins' Math test, cram like crazy for the History test, hope a pretty girl notices how cute I look, fly through the rest of the school day, then Starbucks with my boy, Harry, then come home to finish homework." She listed off, biting into her toast and licking crumbs off of her lips in between points on her list.

"So, what you do every day." Her dad smiled, taking a bite of his waffle.

"Yep! And I'll never be bored of it!" She joked.

"Please at least try to be discreet about that camera in your classes today." He begged, tired of getting phone calls about it from Principal Lessa.

"I'll try, daddy." Hannah smiled.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"You know, no vlogging in a performing arts school is a kinda dumb rule." She pointed out. "I mean, vlogging is sort of an art."

"Debatable." Jayden shugged. "I mean, look at Jake and Lo-"

"Ah-ah! Do not finish that sentence, little brother. Those boys vlog garbage. I vlog fun."

"Sure." Jayden nodded, finishing his pancakes.

Hannah rolled her eyes fondly and took his plate to rinse off quickly and put away. She smiled as they walked out to the car, getting in the passenger seat next to her dad. She scream sang to the camera as he drove to school, blasting all of their favorite songs of the moment along the way. Her dad stopped the car and she and Jayden climbed out, walking to the double doors. "We have arrived at Los Feliz High, my little honey bees!" She grinned, a hand in the air as she gestured toward the lockers, a few acquaintances, and Mike the janitor who never ratted her out for vlogging at school. "Hey, there. Have a good weekend, big guy?"

Mike grunted and shrugged, pushing along his cart. "Can't complain much."

"Good! Hope you have a good day." Hannah smiled and scurried to catch up with her first period friends, wrapping an arm around one. "Hey, Haley. Hi, Susannah."

"Hi, Queen Bee! Vloggy mood today?" Susannah asked, using the fake fur on her Bobcat costume to scratch an itch on her nose.

"Week in the life, day one. Just felt like it."

"Can't wait to watch that." Haley smiled.

"Your vlogs are so much better than Carrie's." Susannah nodded.

"Ugh. Speak of the devil." Haley huffed, pointing toward the group of girls walking toward the three of them with a scowl.

Hannah sighed and looked up at the girls, giving a look to her camera. She held back a groan as she suddenly found herself in a stare off with Carrie Wilson, the leader of the group and rival youtuber. Carrie's hated her ever since she started getting more subscribers recently, getting closer and closer to kicking Queen Candy off of her throne. "Oh, great. The Sour Patch Kid of Los Feliz High."

"Hi, Hannah." Carrie said in her most polite voice, putting on a smile.

"What do you want, Carrie?" Hannah asked, refraining from rolling her eyes.

"Just to congratulate you on getting five hundred K on your latest youtube video!" Carrie told her. "That's really great for you!"

Hannah grimaced at her tone, tilting her head. "Thank you." She said flatly.

"If I were you, I would celebrate now, because..." Kayla, Carrie's favorite little minion, smirked. "It won't last long." She chuckled.

"There's only enough room for one queen at this school." Carrie warned, all fake kindness gone from her face.

"Oh, I know. And that queen," Hannah chuckled. "Is me." She said simply and shrugged.

Susannah snorted and a hand flew over her mouth, holding back a laugh.

Haley laughed outwardly, nodding her head. "That's right, Queen Bee!"

"Come on, girls. Let's get to History." Hannah smiled and waved at Carrie and the girls, who were standing in stunned silence, walking away from them as fast as possible. "Hi, Mr. Collins!"

[all-things-skam]

Jens’ Season: Chapter seven

Saturday, February 15th

Freshly woken up, Jens stared at his ceiling, deep in his thoughts. He had slept for over twelve hours, but somehow still felt exhausted.

Now that the Xanax had worn off, he was left to face his thoughts, the same ones he tried to escape last night - with the addition of guilt.

The bag of pills sat louder than usual in his drawer, a reminder of yesterday’s moment of weakness. Jens wasn’t proud of himself for having taken a Xanax. But, sometimes, when your brain gets too loud and all you want is for it to stop, you make impulsive choices, bad choices. The severity of your choice only hits you the following morning, when you come back to your senses.

It’s not like he could go back in time though. What was done was done. But, he still felt remorse.

Even though it felt good.

Jens closed his eyes, turning over, about to fall back asleep when he saw that Lucas was trying to FaceTime.

He smiled, seeing his boyfriend's pouty face on his phone screen and answered. ‘’Hey, beautiful.’’

Lucas reciprocated the smile, but not fully. ‘’Hey… You never returned my messages last night. Everything okay?’’ he asked, pushing his fringe away from his face, voice a little worried.

Shit.

‘’Erm, yeah...sorry. I fell asleep super early.’’

Although it wasn’t a lie, Jens felt bad for omitting the truth to Lucas about his evening. But he couldn’t tell him about the Xanax, not after he promised he wasn’t taking any, not over Facetime. If the cat were to be out of the bag, it would be in person. It’s too easy to hang up on someone instead of listening to them.

‘’Oh. It’s okay,’’ Lucas said. The screen joistled, becoming a little blurry from the movements as Lucas adjusted his position on the couch, the bright yellow wall of his living room peeking in the background. ‘’I spent all night binge watching your Broerrrs vlogs.’’

Jens raised an eyebrow. ‘’All of them?’’

He had never counted how many vlogs they’ve posted on YouTube, but there was at least a dozen - if not more. They weren’t very long vlogs, but it was a commitment to binge them all. Jens found it cute that Lucas had spent his evening watching the vlogs - regardless how cringe-y some were.

Lucas hummed proudly. ‘’I missed your pretty face. And, you weren’t responding to my messages.’’

Jens scoffed. ‘’My face, uh?’’

‘’Yeah…’’ A light blush spread on Lucas’ cheeks and ears, biting back a grin. ‘’I’ll admit, you looked mighty fine in that wetsuit. Zero points for the wakeboarding skills, though...but it's not really what I was interested in.'' The brunet smirked, holding the camera closer. ''I was in the mood for something else. Too bad you were sleeping, I had to take matters into my own hands - literally. Wasn’t as good as the real thing though.’’

‘’No?’’ Jens said, faking innocence. ‘’You like my hand better?’’

‘’Your mouth, actually,’’ Lucas corrected, blunt. ‘’Those full lips aren’t just good for talking,’’ he added, capturing his bottom lip between his teeth.

Heat rushed to Jens’ cheeks, but he wasn't embarrassed. He was pretty smug about it. Judging by the appreciative noises Lucas made whenever he went down on him, Jens had nothing to be embarrassed about.

Someone called Lucas’ name and he looked behind him, the screen going black as the phone fell on his chest. Jens could hear some voices, but it was hushed by Lucas’ hoodie material.

‘’Gotta go,’’ Lucas announced, returning to Jens.

‘’You’re kidding me?!’’

‘’My mom needs me to go grocery shopping. And then, I’m meeting up with Kes and Jayden.’’

The fucking tease.

Blood had started rushing down, feeling himself growing hard under his boxers. ‘’You can’t say shit like that and then...leave. Luc, come on! Don’t leave me hanging-’’

Lucas shrugged. ‘’Payback’s a bitch.’’ He blew a kiss and winked at the camera before ending the call.

The screen went black as Lucas hung up, disconnecting the call. Jens stared at his phone, mouth open slightly, having been cut off before he could protest any more. He felt his dick twitch and groaned in frustration, a reminder of his growing problem. What was he supposed to do now? Jerk off to the stains on his ceiling? He doubted it would work.

Lucas: Here’s something to help with your...problem. Took it last night with the thought of you 😏🍆✨

[Image attached]

Jens' mouth went dry as he stared at the photo.

Fuck.

A bare stomach, shirt bunched up near the lens and a hand sliding underneath sweatpants, mid-tone trail of hair vanishing into the darkness. The grey sweatpants had a significant tent and Jens knew it wasn't only Lucas' hand that was hidden under.

He clicked on the photo, making it fill his phone screen, gaze lingering on Lucas' smooth stomach, moles scattered here and there in various sizes. He recognized the fading hickey right on his hip bone, a memory from when Jens slept over at Lucas’. The bad lighting of what he assumed was Lucas' bedroom highlighted just enough to make Jens take a breath and reach into his boxers, mimicking Lucas' last night activities.

.

Monday, February 17th

Picking up his sister at school wasn’t Jens’ initial Monday plan. After spending a weekend apart, Lucas and him had planned to go to Lucas’ place after school to...hangout. While jerking off to Lucas’ explicit picture had done the job, it wasn’t as good as the real thing.

But their plan had been cut short when Jens’ mom couldn’t join their dad and his sister had no one to pick her up from school.

‘’Is this okay?’’ Lucas asked as they walked to Lotte’s school. He hadn't met any member of Jens’ family yet, he wanted to check with Jens first - even if Jens was the one who asked to come along.

Jens furrowed his eyebrows, confused. ‘’Why would it not be?’’

Lucas shrugged. ‘’I don’t know. She’s never met me. Won’t it be weird for her?’’

‘’No. She might pester you with tons of questions, but I don’t think she’ll catch on for us.’’

‘’Do you not want to tell her?’’

‘’It’s not that. I don’t even think she knows what bisexual means.’’

Even though Lotte was smart for her age, Jens doubted she had learned those big terms. The vastness of sexuality wasn't something they taught kids at school.

They stopped as they reached the school’ gate and Jens checked the time on his phone. Seven minutes left until class ends.

Jens leaned his back against the fence and listened as Lucas was telling him about his weekend. He told him about Isa getting drunk and singing karaoke, missing all the notes to this super cheesy love song. It was horrible - and hilarious. Lucas’ ears were still bleeding from the screeching and how off key she sounded. Jayden had made a video, but sadly Lucas didn’t have it.

As Jens was listening to Lucas’ other anecdotes from his weekend in Utrecht, both boys started getting dirty looks from other parents from simply holding hands. Lucas noticed first, his smile falling as he became very self-conscious of his surroundings, and let go of Jens’ hand. Jens didn’t comment on it, narrowing his eyes at the close minded, homophobic moms.

The final bell rang and kids poured out the front doors like a giant tidal wave. Lotte saw her brother and ran up to him giving him a hug from behind. “Where’s Mama? She was supposed to pick me up today.”

‘’Mom had to replace someone at work. She sent me instead,’’ he responded, reaching behind himself and putting a hand on her shoulder to hug her back.

‘’Where’s your jacket? Mama said to wear it this morning or you’re gonna get sick,’’ Lotte’ voice asked, standing behind her brother, noticing his absence of outwear.

‘’Someone stole it,’’ Jens defended, turning around to face her.

‘’Liar.’’ Jens made a face at her - very mature - and she glanced at Lucas, not recognizing him. ‘’Who are you?’’ she asked, giving him a look.

Her tone was a bit rude, but Lucas smiled at her. She’s a kid, he reminded himself. ‘’I’m Lucas. You must be Lotte? Jens told me about you.’’

She pulled her eyebrows together. ‘’He did?’’ Lucas hummed. ‘’Well, I never heard of you. How long have you and Jens been friends for? You’ve never come around before with Robbe or the other guys?”

Lucas laughed and gave Jens a look, not knowing what to say. Lucky for him, Jens came to his rescue.

‘’Lucas is coming home with us. We...we have a school project to work on,’’ he lied. ‘’And...he’s not just my friend, Lotte. Lucas is my boyfriend.’’

‘’Your boyfriend?’’ she repeated, a bit confused. ‘’Don’t you mean girlfriend? Where did Jana go?’’

The thing with children was that they have no filters - and always asked tons of questions. Lucky for him, Lotte loved Jana and liked to constantly ask about her absence.

‘’We are not together anymore.’’

‘’Why?’’

‘’Because we're just not.’’ Jens sighed, getting impatient and irritated by his sister’s questions. ‘’Now, let’s go.’’ He took her hand and they were on their way.

Lotte didn’t notice Jens irritation and proceeded to ramble on as they made their way home. Kids had a lot of things to say at this age.

Jens pulled out his keys to unlock the door when Lotte reminded him about her dance recital.

‘’I have a dance spectacle on Thursday, will you be there? Dad said he’ll be there,’’ she said, excitedly. ‘’He said he’ll bring me flowers.’’

‘’I’ll be in the front row.’’

‘’You’ll be coming too, right?’’ she asked Lucas, taking the brunet by surprise.

He hadn't expected Lotte to invite him, given how haughty she acted to him minutes ago, but kids can be surprising.

‘’If that’s alright with Jens,’’ Lucas responded, glancing at his boyfriend for approval.

Jens looked between his sister and his boyfriend. ‘’I should be asking you the same. My parents will be there. You ready to meet them?’’

.

Tuesday, February 18th

Taking a break from his homework, Jens decided to get something to eat. He had eaten dinner less than an hour ago, but was still hungry. This paper was due tomorrow and he wasn't half-way done. Maybe he was stress eating? Who knows.

Jens was almost at the end of the stairs, thinking whether he should take cookies or chips when he saw his father’s laptop and dress shoes in the entrance, next to his sister’s pink rain boots. He furrowed his eyebrows. It was possible that his dad didn’t need his laptop, that they had computers at his job, but why would he leave work without his shoes? And why was he not home yet? It was way past 5pm.

Should he call his mom? What was his dad’s work’s company name? Maybe he can make a call and ask if he’s at his desk or if someone named Mohamed Stoffels works for them? If he wasn’t at work, where was he? His car wasn’t in the driveway, he had to be somewhere.

.

Wednesday, February 19th

Aaron: Is tomorrow alright with everyone?

Robbe: Good for me!

Moyo: Me too!

Aaron: Jens?

Jens’ phone buzzed on his bed, lost under his textbooks. The History test that had been reported was happening tomorrow and Jens had completely forgotten until he heard some girl mention it in class. He and Lucas’ studying attempt hadn’t been a success in terms of real studying so Jens had to power through and learn everything in less than 24h.

Why is he so last minute?

Jens: Can’t

Jens: I’m going to my sister’s dance spectacle. Can’t miss it

Moyo: We need to film a Broerrrs vlog soon though. I know we posted on Valentine’s Day, but we filmed that almost a month ago. We need new content

Robbe: I’m going to lunch with Sander and his mom on Saturday and visiting my mom on Sunday

Jens: Why don’t we just plan something for next week? Like on Wednesday? We can do something at the skatepark?

Aaron: That sounds good to me. I’m free that day

Moyo: So, Amber finally let you off your leash 😂

Aaron: 🖕🏻

Robbe: That works for me as well

Jens: Cool. See everybody on Wednesday after school

.

Thursday, February 20th

Jens waited for Lucas outside the auditorium Lotte’s dance spectacle was held at. He checked his phone, waiting for an update from Lucas about his journey. He said he was close to the venue, but that was ten minutes ago. Where was he?

From here, he could hear the group of hostile parents ranting about their children' talent and how their child was better than everyone else and tearing others down. Jens hated this kind of parents. They were showing toxic behavior to their kids and teaching them the wrong way of being competitive.

A head of curls turned the corner and Jens smiled, seeing Lucas had dressed up a bit for the occasion, having switched his blue jeans for black ones and a less wrinkly tee shirt. It was cute that he put effort and wanted to look good, make a good impression when meeting his boyfriend's parents.

''Am I late?'' he asked, seeing a few parents getting inside and a lot of cars in the parking lot. ''I was on the phone with Kes and didn't see time pass.''

Jens put his phone in his pocket and shook his head. ''No. You're good.'' He stole a kiss from Lucas, lingering as if they hadn't seen each other at school two hours ago. Did he put cologne on? ''Ready to meet my mom?''

Lucas made a quiet noise but smiled, nodding. He hadn’t said anything, but his stomach was knotted with a small stress from meeting Jens’ parents. Jens said his parents would like him, but Lucas couldn’t help but think: ‘what if they don’t?’. After all, he was the first boy Jens would introduce to them.

''Mom.''

Fenna stopped her conversation with the woman next to her and glanced at her son. She smiled, seeing that he wasn't alone. ''You must be Lucas. My daughter told me about you. 'Jens' new ‘girlfriend'.''

Lucas chuckled at Lotte's word mixing and nodded. ''Yeah. That's me.''

“It’s very nice to meet you, Lucas. You must like Jens very much to come to an 8 years old’s dance recital.”

Jens face turned bright red as his mom teased him, fulfilling her motherly duty to embarrass her son.

Lucas grinned, leaning back against Jens. ‘’Actually, Lotte invited me. I hope I'm not intruding.’’

Fenna shook her head. ''Not at all. I’m glad she invited you. Otherwise, I don’t know when nor if Jens would’ve told me about you.’���

Jens rolled his eyes. ‘’Of course I would've. It’s just very recent, Mom.’’

‘’Don’t just stand there. Have a seat.'' She took her purse from the chair beside her and Jens sat down, Lucas doing the same next to him. ''Get ready to be amazed at the amount of glitter and squealing that is about to happen.”

.

‘’Where were you?’’ Jens asked the second his dad came home, turning on the small lamp.

He had been waiting for him in the living room, lights turned off, like parents do in movies when their kids miss curfew. Jens knew his mom wouldn’t confront him about missing Lotte’s dance spectacle, but seeing how upset his sister was, his dad needed to be questioned.

‘’You missed Lotte’s dance spectacle.’’

‘’It was tonight?’’ He removed his jacket, hanging it on the hooks in the entrance. ‘’I got held back at work. I’m sorry-’’

‘’I’m not the one you should apologize to. You promised her you’d be there. Do you know how heartbroken she was when she came on stage and didn’t see you in the front row?’’

‘’I’ll be there next time.’’

Bullshit. Jens scoffed. ‘’Don't make promises you know you can’t keep. Everyone might buy your lies, but I don’t.’’

Mohamed frowned, confused. ‘’What is this about?’’

‘’I’m the one who had to hold her while she cried after her dance performance because you weren’t there. I’m the one who picked her up on Monday because you weren’t answering your phone. I’m the one who took you to bed the night you got so drunk you couldn’t take off your shoes on your own. I’m the one who is helping mom around the house because you’re never there. We’re about to lose the house because of you. Because instead of picking yourself back up, you pile on the lies and assume we’re all blind enough to not notice.’’

‘’I’m tired of always having to cover for you every time you fuck up. You’re the father figure in this family, not me.’’

‘’I’m doing better now, I have a job and-’’

‘’Do you even have a job? Or is it another one of your lies? Because I saw your work shoes and laptop at the bottom of the stairs on Tuesday and I’m 99% certain you left the house with them in the morning.’’

Mohamed’s face tightened and Jens’ eyes grew wide, realizing that he had just confronted his father and was right about him lying.

“Go to your room. It’s late and you have school tomorrow.”

‘’Are you sending me to my room because I’m out of line or because I’m right?’’

Jens didn’t wait for his dad’s response, walking over to the stairs and going to his room, like he was ordered to.

He closed his bedroom door behind him and locked it. His heart was beating fast behind his chest, reeled up from the argument with his dad. He hadn’t meant to get this heated nor to confront him about everything, but once he started talking, he just word-vomited the rest.

Jens wished their conversation hadn’t gone like that, but he couldn’t keep everything in anymore. He had enough.

He wondered if his mom had heard them? They didn’t yell, but it was pretty intense. Jens didn't care though. If anything, it was a good thing that his mom heard. Now, she knew about her husband's lies.

He felt a tightening pain in his chest and his mind was racing. Running his hands over his face, Jens needed to calm down or else he wouldn't be able to sleep. He went to his dresser, pulled it open, and groaned, remembering that he was still out of weed. He needs to see Michiel and ask for more soon.

The bag of Xanax stared at him in the drawer, a couple white pills left in it, right next to his rolling paper. He had told himself he wouldn’t take Xanax again, but it was - again - his only option tonight.

Once the pill swallowed, Jens went to lay on his bed and curled up on himself, waiting for the medication to kick in.

.

Friday, February 21st

‘’Where are we meeting them?’’

‘’The bar in front of the café. You know, the one you met Sander and Robbe at?’’ Jens explained, pulling on his shoes and fishing his keys from his jacket to lock the door on his way out.

Lucas hummed.

The bar that they usually go to was having a half off drink special, so they decided that they should all go out and have a guys night. Robbe had invited Sander and suggested that Jens ask Lucas to come as well. Moyo and Aaron had already met Lucas so him tagging along wouldn’t cause too much suspicion. And, it’s not like they would all stay together inside the bar - at least, not all night.

‘’I was hoping it would be just the two of us tonight,’’ Lucas said with a pout, looking too cute for his own good.

Jens sighed, stepping forward where Lucas was standing. ‘’Me too, but I can’t always blow my friends off. We can always sneak into the bathroom or something? I’m sure we’ll find a place to make out.’’

Lucas smirked. ‘’I like this idea very very much.’’ He leaned his head against Jens’ and brought their lips together, winding his arms around Jens neck, and snaking a hand in his hair.

Their kiss was short as Jens pulled back, suddenly reminded of something.

‘’I forgot something upstairs. I’ll be quick.’’

Sighing, Lucas let go of him and Jens hurried upstairs, climbing the stairs two by two to save time.

He opened his top drawer and reached for the bag of pills, fully aware that Lucas was waiting downstairs and that he was doing this behind his back. Jens contemplated if he should take one, knowing Moyo would have weed on him and would share a blunt with them and he’d feel the same. But, he wanted the high now and knew the effects of Xanax were much faster and more efficient than weed.

Just as he was about to pop it into his mouth, Lucas opened his bedroom door and came up behind him.

‘’Jens, Robbe asked if we were on our way- What are you doing?!’’

Whirling around, Jens saw Lucas standing in his doorway, blue eyes wide and staring right at the Xanax he was about to take. Fuck.

‘’You said you weren’t taking any. You lied to me.’’ Lucas shook his head, stepping back.

Jens tried to reach out and explain what was happening, but Lucas was backing away from him, completely disconcerted. He didn’t know what hurt more; that his boyfriend had lied to him or that he had snuck upstairs to take this shit.

‘’Sorry, I..I have to go home,’’ Lucas said, voice shaky as he turned on his heels and raced down the stairs.

Cursing under his breath, Jens dropped the pill and went after him. ‘’Luc, wait!’’

[nancydrew65]

SKAM NL Season 2 Episode 1 Recap

Time for my favorite remake! I love Liv and the Dutch girl squad, so I am excited for this season!

Good Morning

Well, this has got to be the best season 2 opening sequence ever. It’s also a completely new scene, so yay! I love the comparisons between Liv and Noah’s morning routines.

Aaaah, the parallel shots of them painting their nails. Noah really is the epitome of an artsy fuckboy.

And then the music cuts out when Liv sees Noah. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Liv is already more aggressive than Noora, and not gonna lie, I am here for it.

Also, how does Noah know where Liv lives? Isn’t that slightly creepy?

The older lady, walking in between them just made my day.

Awww, they flipped each other off? Are they going to be like Mia and Alexander where using middle finger becomes their sweet romantic gesture? I hope so!

And damn, Noah had to really run down those stairs to catch Liv. He is out of breath. I wonder if the actor (is his name Monk?) actually ran down the stairs. If so, props to him.

Liv rides off into the distance on her bike, and so begins Season 2.

Too Late

Those opening shots were everything! And then it cuts back to the reality with the bell. 

Oh, Kes. I see you winking at Isa, I see you.

Again with the story about Imaan and her oma. Do we know what happened to the actress? Because that is a really obvious excuse, and I remember last season she wasn’t in as many of the scenes. Please let us not lose Imaan. Pleeeease!

Another ignorant remark on behalf of Engel. But I can kinda tolerate it with her. She was the Vilde who seemed more interested in connecting with Imaan, even if she went about it the wrong way.

Janna’s weird conversation about flashers made me smile so much.

Oh, Noah comments of Liv’s hair and she immediately takes her hairband out.

Engel thinks he’s looking at her. Oh, how I wish we wouldn’t go into this storyline. It’s awful for everyone, except maybe William/Noah.

Who is this Jayden guy? Was he the one who came to the cabin trip? Why does he need to move somewhere? I guess he ends up living with Liv. It still feels kind of weird. I wish Skam NL would have given us a little more information on that matter.

Skinny Bitch

Wow, that is one hopping house party! I’m with Liv, “on a Thursday?”

We see Dutch Eskild, his name is Ralph. 

Isa and Kes check out girls on a dating app. Oh, they are so drunk. So, I guess this is kind of like that scene from Season 2 in OG, but ..... not. 

Jayden trying to pick up a girl in his closet of a room is kinda funny.

Oh, dear. Skinny Bitch. In Season 1, Skam NL didn’t really go into Engel having an eating disorder, so I wondered if she would develop one this season. I guess, she will. 

Isa and Liv spy Lucas and a random girl making out. “I guess he was just curious?” I don’t think so, Liv, I don’t think so.

Liv takes out the garbage and promptly drops it right outside of her door. Is that a thing in the Netherlands. Like if you live in an apartment complex, is there someone who picks up the garbage from your front door? I hope so because she just left it there.

I do like that moment where she just gazes out at the city. I wonder where Noah and Liv will go for that whole “first date” because Liv already has a fantastic view from her apartment. Or maybe they won’t go with that storyline? Please, please.

Aww, Liv happily watching all the girl squad out on the floor like a proud mom. And then she goes to join them to dance. What a sweet clip.

Brakkiekakkie

I won’t even pretend to understand what the title of this clip means.

Janna spitting nuts into a planter box while all the other girls are just trying not to vomit.

The girls are waiting for Jayden. That’s sweet. He is a new addition to the story, so I wonder how he will fit into Season 2 madness.

We meet Esra! Look at SKAM NL, casually throwing in diversity. I’m proud of my little remake. I’m guessing Esra is the equivelant of Linn? She seems cool and way more helpful than Linn ever was. 

Was there a spark between Esra and Janna? Am I imagining things? That would be a really interesting storyline to pursue. A lesbian romance with a Muslim.

That far off shot of the girls at the balcony, the camera sliding across all the girls in the classroom. SKAM NL is experimenting with all these stylistic shots and I am loving it. They give the show a very distinctive feel, while still remaining very authentic. Just how SKAM should be.

So, the girls need to throw together a benefit to raise money for their city trip. Cool, gives the season a focus. Also, Isa correcting her pronunciation of Talinn was a cute callback to season 1 when Imaan schooled all the girls in how to pronounce it. But that just reminds me of how we are missing Imaan. Bring! Her! Back!

Oh, that text from Noah. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there this morning.” It is kind of stalkerish that he is showing up at her door every morning, but also kind of sweet? Like William only ever harassed Noora through texts. Showing up at someone’s house, day after day, seems more sincere. Or just more like a horror movie, IDK.

Lucas being smooth with the ladies. Although I’m not quite sure why Engel had that face when he walked over to the girls. Was it because they were talking about him?

“He’s a chick magnet” “I wouldn’t be so sure of that” Damn, that was savage Isa. 

It Will Be Alright

Isa, Kes, Lucas, and Jayden killed me with those whale sounds. They are so stoned; at least its a Saturday.

Also, Isa is actively participating. So, I guess she was only mad that Kes and Jayden dealed Ritalin last season. I mean that makes sense. Dealing prescription drugs is a lot more dangerous than smoking weed.

This is more of a relationship with her parents than we saw from Noora. Her dad seems more interested in the state of Liv’s music career than he does about how his daughter is doing. Maybe he’s a big shot in the music industry and that’s why he has no time for her?

Oh, clearly Liv’s dad thinks she has already submitted her music to the record company, but Liv is too afraid of rejection and has held off on it.

I think this is really interesting. We get to see more of Liv’s passion for music. I really hope they develop this storyline more, especially considering Zoe Love Smith, Liv’s actress is a singer in real life. 

Almost Finished

Aww, that quick glimpse of a photo of the girl squad. I can’t wait to have more scenes of the girl squad.

That shot of Liv fractured in the two mirrors while speaking along to the lyrics was so beautiful! The cinematography in this show is on point!

Is Ralph in a bunny one-suit? He doesn’t even close the door when he pees. But I agree with Liv; it’s worse that he doesn’t wash his hands afterwards.

Damn, Noah’s twirl! Those were some high-class moves.

Liv is so done with him.

The older lady makes another appearance. She is quickly becoming my favorite character. Theory: She represents the audience and how we should feel about Noah (aka sympathy). Nah, I’m just kidding.

General Thoughts

I really enjoyed this episode! I’m really glad they haven’t got into Noah manipulating Engel to get to Liv. I hope they won’t ever go into that storyline, but that might be too much to hope for. I will say, though, without that element of the story into play, the episode doesn’t have as much of a dramatic arc. Not that I wish they put it in; I much prefer this mellow episode to Noah acting shitty towards Engel. SKAM NL changed up a lot of things. I love that; I am all for remakes exploring new avenues and doing their own thing. I hope they keep changing things up; it makes the viewing experience more exciting. So far, I am not feeling like I want to throw a book at Noah, which is a plus. He seems better than some of the other Williams. I hope he keeps up his good behavior. So, as I was watching I was thinking, “Where’s Noah?” and I saw that a lot of people in the comments of the clips felt the same. And I was struck by a terrible epiphany. We, as a fandom, have come to associate Season 2 with Noorhelm, rather than Noora herself. And I think this is partly due to OG SKAM because they didn’t do a good job making a distinction between the two. Just comparing this episode to SKAM Austin (which I am also watching live), there is an appearance or reference to Daniel in every single clip of episode 1. In SKAM NL, there were two whole clips where Noah was not mentioned once, and one clip where the only reference to him was one text he sent Liv. I think this is great progress and hope that SKAM NL continues this trend and focuses more on Liv as a character rather than her as on half of Lioh (or Noliv. What is their ship name?). I think bringing in her music is a great start. I can’t wait to watch more of this season.

[imaginationbangtan]

Reaction #1 - BTS having a mother-in-law that’s an ARMY

Jin

“Are you nervous?” You asked him as he fixed his dress shirt in the rearview mirror.

“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t even know anymore.” You laughed a bit and pinched his cheeks.

“Don’t be. My mom’s going to love you.”

“Positive?”

“Positive. Now stop worrying and let’s go.” You both got out the car and made your way to the front door when you remembered a crucial detail.

“One more thing I forgot to mention. My mom’s a-“ You didn’t get to finish your sentence when the front door opened and out came your mother. Instantly her eyes widened and she covered her mouth as if to cover a scream.

“Y-You’re Kim Seokjin from BTS, right? No way. No way. No way.” You saw a few tears forming in your mother’s eyes and you put a hand on her shoulder.

“Mom.. chill.” Her eyes snapped in your direction.

“Do you know who’s standing in front of us??? How can I chill? Hold on a minute, I need to tell your father to bring me my camera.” She ran back inside you pinched the bridge of your nose.

“I was afraid this would happen.”

“Can I guess that crucial detail? Did you forget to mention she’s an ARMY?” Jin said, smiling a bit. You nodded and laughed a bit.

“This should be one interesting night.”

Yoongi

“Did the pasta finish cooking?” Yoongi asked as he walked into the kitchen, giving you a quick kiss on the forehead.

“Yep. Grab the pasta sauce out of the fridge and warm it up please?” He nodded and did exactly as you asked.

“What time are your parents getting here again?”

“In about ten minutes.” The doorbell rang about a couple seconds later and you both shared a look.

“Make that ten seconds.” He said sarcastically and you rolled your eyes.

“Can you open the door, please? He nodded and walked away. Soon enough, an important detail came to mind and you turned around quickly.

“Wait-“ It was too late. You heard a female scream and you stopped what you were doing and ran towards the front door. You saw your mom covering her face and shaking. Yoongi looked extremely worried and he looked at you for help.

I didn’t do anything. He mouthed to you and you nodded.

“Mom, please don’t do this.”

“Do you know who this is?! This is- I can’t right now.” She started to fan her eyes that were wet with tears.

“Yes, I know who this is. If you’re going to act like this everytime you see him then we won’t be seeing each other often.”

She wiped the tears away and smiled.

“I’m so sorry. I’m just a huge fan.”

(I like how Tony Montana started to play as I typed this)

Namjoon

“I’m telling you, Edgar Allen Poe beats Stephen King any day.” Namjoon looked up from his book and gave you a disgusted look.

You both sat in the library, you trying to finish and Namjoon accompanying you with a book.

“How could you say that? Stephen King would sweep the floor with Edgar Allen Poe.” He rolled his eye and put down the book

“All of what we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” You said the quote with ease.

“Fiction is the truth inside the lie,” Namjoon said, raising his eyebrow.

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes- Hey isn’t that your mom?”

“I don’t think that’s the quote.” You laughed a bit.

“No, seriously, isn’t that your mom?” He pointed behind you and you turned around to see your mother looking around the library aimlessly. She turned in your direction as if she’s heard us talking about her, and her eyes widened. Seconds later, she screamed in the library and I looked away out of embarrassment.

“Yep, that’s my mom. Great first impression?”

“Best I’ve seen so far. I never would’ve guessed your mother’s part of ARMY. I mean, she just pulled out a Bangtan Bomb.”

“Oh dear lord. Kill me now please.”

Hoseok

“Are we done yet?” You asked your fiancé tiredly. Hoseok only looked at you and smiled.

“One more time and then we’ll be finished.” You nodded and was about to restart the music when your phone vibrated on the floor. You picked it up and opened the new message you received from your mom.

“Shit.” You said under your breath and ran out of the dance room.

“Wait, Y/N!” Hoseok called after you but you didn’t listen.

Soon after, the scream of ten thousand hell cats filled the building as you turned the corner. You sighed heavily and walked towards where the noise came from, the living room.

You pushed the door open and found your mom taking a picture with, a confused but happy, Taehyung.

“Mom, please stop.” She pulled away from Taehyung immediately and walked over to me, the same time Hoseok burst into the room.

“Is everything alright?” He asked out of breath.

“Everything’s fine. Mom you didn’t need to scream.” You shook your head at her but she only smiled.

“You know how big of a fan I am, especially of J-Hope,” She turned to look at him and pinched his cheeks. “You’re more handsome in person.”

Jimin

“You have to go a bit higher on that note.” You nodded and tried to hit that note again but you started strained your voice, causing yourself to cough. Jimin pat your back and gave his bottle of water on the floor.

“Not everyone can be like me I guess.” He said with a smile and I playfully punched him the shoulder. Your phone started to vibrate in your back pocket and you picked it up, seeing a FaceTime call from your mother. You have Jimin a confused looked and answered it. There was a dark screen on the other side and some fumbling around.

“Mom?” You asked again, this time a little nervous.

“Y/N? Can you see me?” She removed her thumb from the camera and covered her mouth.

“Yes mom, Jimin and I can both see you.” Jimin waves in the background and smiled.

“You mean Jimin from BTS is there????

“Yes mom, Jimin is here.” I heard a small scream and the camera went out again. I heard small laugh behind me and I turned around to see Jimin, trying to conceal his laughter. You shot him a look and he looked away immediately, still smiling.

“How come I’ve never met him before?” You turned back to your mom raise her eyebrow at you.

“Because I knew this exact thing would happen.”

She gave you an innocent smile. “You know Jimin is my favorite member.”

Taehyung

“Jayden!” You called out to eight-year-old son. “Don’t walk too far!”

“Let him have fun,” Your husband, Taehyung, said next to you. “He’s only eight once.”

“I just don’t want him to walk far enough that I can’t see him.”

“He’ll be fine.” Taehyung wrapped his arms around you and kissed your forehead.

“My mom’s still waiting to meet you, you know.”

“And I’m waiting to meet her, but you know how touring is. I’m always gone for kind periods of time.” He hugged you tighter and you smiled a bit.

“Yeah, I-“

“Grandma!” You heard your son shout. You shared a look with Taehyung and started to jog to catch up with your son. Soon enough, you saw your mom, showering your son with kisses.

“Mommy look! It’s grandma.” Your son said when your mom put him down.

“Eomma.” You smiled and hugged your mother.

“My baby.” She hugged you back tightly and looked over your shoulder. “Is that-?”

“Ma. This is Taehyung. The one I’m always telling you about.”

“Why didn’t you tell me he’s from BTS?!” Your eyes widened and you looked between Taehyung and your mother.

“How did you…?”

“You’re not the only one who’s a fan, darling. Sing a song, would you?”

Jungkook

“This shirt or this one?” You asked your boyfriend, Jungkook, standing in the middle of the store.

“They both look nice.” He said, shrugging.

“Yeah, but, which one looks better?”

He stroked his chin. “The purple one.” You smiled and put down the red shirt, making your way to the cash register.

“Are we finally leaving now? We’ve been here for ten hours.” He whined and you punched him in the shoulder.

“Yes, now stop whining.” His face lit up and he kissed your cheek.

“Y/N?” The voice was oddly familiar and you turned around to see your mother making her way towards you. She started to slow down as she made eye contact with Jungkook and her eyes widened.

“Is that-“

“Mom, don’t scream. Please.” She nodded repeatedly and started to breathe in and out to calm herself down.

“Hi-“ Was all he got to say when your mother burst out screaming and hyperventilating.

“Mom, I gave you one job. One.” You said as Jungkook laughed a bit

(I’m sooo sorry if this terrible 😅) 

(Anyway) 

(Thanks for reading)

~

[ichigo777666]

Power Rangers Season 18

This is my critiques/review of Season 18 of Power Rangers, aka Power Rangers Samurai. Note that these will be my opinions. You might hate things I like or like things I hate - if you wanna comment in your opinions, or ask questions that’s fine with me.

All segments will have SPOILERS for that season so if you don’t want to know how something ends, don’t read. Find it below!

This is a bit of an odd season as  Samurai and the next series Super Samurai are direct continuations. For this part, I am ONLY considering what happens in Samurai (Season 18).

Basis of the Season: Ancient sealed evil demons wake up and try to free themselves from the netherworld and flood the world. To do this they have to rise the level of water in the river via human misery and sadness. A team of pre-detemined Samurai warriors from ancient bloodlines join to fight against them.

What I think of the 'heroes': When I think of the rangers, one thing comes to mind:  The voice acting….omg the voice acting. Everything is  spoken in this oh-so-serious monotone with emphasis  on every word...and no emotion. Emily talking about her sick sister and Jayden talking about his father’s last words are spoken the exact same way as any normal conversation. It honestly feels like no one had time to learn any lines & cue cards were being held up off camera for every scene of dialog. The only time there’s any emotion or inflection is when they’re transformed...aka when  they’re just dubbing.  This is true most obviously in the first few episodes. As the series progresses, some grow out of this habit. Emily and Mike (and Antonio later) all seem to gain actual personalities. Mia is stuck in this weird zone of half the time sounding flat and other times being emotional...but Jayden & Kevin remain stuck in this rut forever. That being said, I like Mike and Emily from the original 5. Antonio is also good. These are the only three that get actual real character development.

What I think of the 'villains': A group of mostly “ho-hum” characters. Xandred’s only quality in this season is that he’s got a headache and he’s angry. Octooru’s voice and sometimes rhyming got old in one episode. Dayu’s okay but she gets so little screen time apart from like 2 episodes that it’s hard to judge. The best villain character is definitely Deker.

My overall impression of this season:  If you’ve noticed, which I assume since you’re reading this my posting for season 17 was over two years ago...there’s no real reason other than I really  don’t like this season. I  must have started to watch these episodes and then quit a dozen times. I eventually only got through this series by finding the episodes online and watching them at 1.75x speed.... Why Well:

- The background music is obnoxiously loud in this season. 18 seasons and this is the first one where I struggled to hear dialog over some of the music, especially during fight scenes.

-The voice acting (see the Heros section above)

- Some of the special effects seem awful this season. In the first two episodes alone, there’s a scene where Red cuts a car in half which looks so fake it’s as if they weren’t even trying. An episode later, he swings his big smasher and some of the henchmen feet away from the blade that are not in range just go “flying” and the circle of goons that was there before the slice are all suddenly gone despite the fact that only two were seen being “hit”.

-The fact that during the second episode after being hit & unmorphed, the four just stare and watch Red fight while commenting on ‘how cool’ he basically is was just...no.  It felt like  a scene from  a bad fanfiction story. And they wait until he gets knocked down to remorph and help rather than doing that from the start...because they had to do that commentary on how Red is so cool. This “standing around watching/commenting” happens WAY too often.Throughout the whole season there are tons of occasions of one person (usually Jayden) going on to fight alone and the others just hanging back and doing nothing until Jayden gets into trouble and THEN they decide to go help.

-There are multiple things that make NO COMMON SENSE. Why is Pink’s zord a turtle when her element is sky/wind? Could they not think of a BIRD for her or something that, you know, FLIES? Explain to me how a turtle connects to wind?!  SECONDLY,  are  their identities supposed to be secret this season or not? Based on the first few episodes where they just blatantly walk around and then morph I was thinking no but apparently it’s yes? They’re not even trying to be subtle here… They’ve morphed with  people around multiple times and often with  people who know them around too...so how are  they being secretive? There’s multiple scenes where they walk into an area with Nightlok and people and then morph...how hard would it have been to  stop ten feet back & morph where no one is or around a corner? Nope, right in the middle! And they can do it...they just choose not to…. As the series progresses this happens less and less which leaves you wondering WHY they did this in the beginning?

-The plots are one liners that get resolved with no real character development. There’s some plot that are just NOT PLOTS. There’s so much filler that this becomes obvious. The amount of full separate morph sequences where they go one at a time and show them all is so high I stopped counting at 10; they obviously needed to waste time. They brought back comic relief Bulk +1...to waste time...

What I think the season needed more/less of: MORE PLOT, less of ALL the above.

My favorite character: It’s terrible hard to pick...because so many characters are just....meh. It’s going to be Deker for being the only consistent character with some motivation and a good character. Mike’s a good second

My least favorite character: Jayden. Jayden’s personality is so flat it’s painful to watch him.

The best episode: No. There IS NO BEST EPISODE. Instead, I’m going to talk about the worst episode...not  the worst made or the most boring but the one where the characters make such baffling decisions that the episode literally has you yelling at the screen at these idiots. And that is Episode 4 Deal With a Nighlok.  The plot is simple: a Nighlok decides to fill the river by ruining someone’s dream. The Nighlok chooses a child who plays baseball but misses his dad who’s in the army; the Nighlok convinces the kid to give up one baseball with the promise that if he does, he can see his dad. The Rangers show up; the kid won’t tell them anything; they follow the kid; the kid does what the Nightlok says and gets double-crossed; the Rangers defeat the Nighlok and the kid goes back to play baseball. Here are the highlights of the baffling decisions/weird occurrences that happen in just this one episode.

-The rangers find a Nighlok talking with a kid, tell the kid to run away while they fight the Nighlock, and then immediately go running around to find that same kid to ask the kid what the Nightlok wanted. Why didn’t they just have the child hide? Or have someone guard him when it was obvious it was talking to him?!

-Also the kid was wearing a very obvious baseball uniform...so why didn’t they immediately check there? Blue & Pink just randomly find him on a path. Mind you they have no idea where he was going or where he lives...and they just happen on him.

-They then approach the kid as their normal selves instead of as Rangers...whom the kid would obviously look up to, seeing as they literally saved him moments ago. Instead they’re counting on this child to talk to two total strangers...which obviously fails, so they stalk him...and then stakeout his house. 

-The kid also has the quickest change ever. The kid goes around a corner and the rangers follow shortly after. In like 3 seconds he’s gotten off his bike, unzipped his jacket, taken it off, and picked up his bat. The jacket is just gone and in none of the following shots.

-Oh did I mention they SUCK as stake-outs? Instead of having shifts the  same two  just  stay there...and do the inevitable which is fall asleep. 

-During the stakeout, the Blue ranger lies to Pink’s face and tells her her cooking is good...which leads to Pink attempting to cook (to the others’ horror) for the rest of the season. The “samurai code’ guy chooses to LIE....

-They also have the “perfect” timing as they wake up just as the kid is leaving his house. 

-They also somehow know the kid’s name….despite the kid not talking to him, the Nighlok not mentioning it, or anyone else talking to the child!

-The kid eventually throws some of his things away into a bin. The show shows the garbage truck throwing the bin away automatically (it’s one of those trucks with the automatic grabber) but later in a flashback there’s suddenly a garbage man doing the job...so continuity?

- Also said garbage man fished the stuff out of the bin and then went out of his way to find the team somewhere in the city to return it??? 

-The Nighlok turns big (as usual) and rampages but after it’s been defeated the kids just go on to have a baseball game...like it’s noting....

-Jayden then makes the decision to use his powers in public IN front of two teams and an audience to make a magical version of the kid’s dad appear??????  

-Also, predictably, the kid hits a homerun on his first try...the team celebrates like the kid has won the game when he’s literally the first hitter….

Overall Rating: 1/10. I would normally justify why but...just read all the above...