#I am trapped in hotel room with other people for the 10th day in a row my mind is fracturing at the seems

[sophoscorner]

Eat your heart out real housewives I can be meaner to me than your whispered words and I will believe your pretty face when you say you love me

[shuadotcom]

Convention Crush | KNJ

➛ Summary: You’re spending your first anime convention alone, in one half of a couple’s cosplay, until you meet a new group of friends and your other fictional half. ➛ Pairing: Namjoon x Gender Neutral!Reader ➛ Genre: Fluff, slice of life ➛ Rating: PG ➛ Warnings: Like two curse words but nothing else ➛ Word Count: 1.7k ➛ A/N: For BHQ’s Anime Club Event! Thank you @nightowls388​ for the prompts! 💚

nightowls388 said: Carese darling!! May I has Namjoon in spirited away with dialogue prompt 10 please :D

The hotel is loud and bustling with life as you walk through the doors. A group of teenagers dressed as various Naruto characters runs past you, arms back and backs bent in classic “Naruto run” stance. You weave through a group of My Hero Academia cosplayers to the registration table to get your convention pass.

Once the lanyard is around your neck, you beeline for the hotel’s attached Starbucks. You’ll need the caffeine if you want to survive your first anime convention alone. You’re supposed to be here with your best friend, but Jungkook decided to catch the flu two days ago. The four-day pass was non-refundable, and you weren’t about to lose out on $70 that you barely had to begin with. So, here you are, alone in a sea of over-excited cosplayers and exhausted parents, in one half of a couple’s costume, not even sure where to begin.

“Hi!” A group of teenagers dressed in various Studio Ghibli cosplays approaches you as you head to the escalator for the main convention floor. “You’re Chihiro, right?” A girl dressed as Princess Mononoke asks, gesturing to your pink bathhouse uniform.

“I am.” You offer a nervous smile, unsure where this is going.

“Can we take a picture with you?! We don’t have anyone from Spirited Away in our group!”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” They all crowd around you, squishing you between a Howl and a Kiki as they get a passerby to take a picture of you all. As soon as the camera shutter goes off a few times, they all thank you in a rush and are gone just as quickly, sprinting up the escalator and disappearing into the crowd.

Still reeling from how fast-paced the interaction was, you finally step onto the escalator and fish the convention schedule from your backpack to scan the upcoming events. An ask the cast panel for Demon Slayer could be interesting, not that you’re sure what that consists of, but that’s one of your favorite anime and you have to start somewhere.

Too absorbed in the schedule, you don’t notice the group of men crossing in front of you at the same time you step off the escalator until you bump into one of them, dropping the pamphlet.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” you reach down to grab the dropped paper, luckily still clutching your coffee safely to your chest.

“No problem, I got it,” One of the men bends at the same time as you and picks your pamphlet up. It’s not until you really look at him that you notice the black bob wig, blue pants, and white Haori.

“Oh! You’re Haku!”

He flashes you a dimpled smile as he takes in your outfit. “And you’re Chihiro. What are the odds.” You share a laugh, both of your hands grasping either side of the pamphlet longer than is probably necessary.

“Ahem.” A throat clear next to you has you both snapping out of the moment you share, remembering the other people he’s with. You make eye contact with a grey-haired man wearing the signature volleyball costume from Haikyuu. Checking the number on his jersey, you deduce he’s dressed as Sugawara. “This is a super cute moment and all, but the AMV contest starts in like fifteen minutes, and we need to get good seats. You can come with us if you want.” He proposes the last part to you.

“Ah, well I was going to go to an ask the cast panel.” Haku, Sugawara, and the other two men with them dressed as Ash Ketchum and Eren Yeager all give you the same pointed look.

“Is this your first anime convention?” Haku asks.

“Yes...how did you know?”

“No one who comes to these things often would ever put themselves through an ask the cast panel. It’s just a bunch of high schoolers being loud and obnoxious, pretending to be the characters. Total shit show.” Sugawara says matter of factly. “Were your friends really gonna have you suffer through that?”

“I’m actually here alone.” The four of them share a look before Haku turns back to you.

“That means you have to hang out with us. We can’t let you fall into any first-timer traps.” He shoots you another smile that’s all dimples, and you feel your pulse quicken. Even under the wig, he’s the most attractive man you’ve seen all day. Maybe even all your life.

“Okay.��� You may have just met these men, but you don’t have any internal alarm bells going off about spending time with them. Your possible blooming crush on Haku aside, you don’t feel any negative vibes.

“Now that that’s settled let’s go! I’m not sitting in the back of the room for the contest!” Sugawara takes the lead as you all fall in line and follow him to one of the main meeting rooms.

As the day wears on, you’re more than happy that you decided to spend your time with your new friends instead of wandering alone, letting the four of them take you to various panels that they deem worthy of your time. Haku, whom you now know as Namjoon, is nothing but sweet to you all day. He explains that he and his friends have been going to anime conventions since high school, and now that they’re all seasoned college students, they still make it a point to attend. He mentions that he’s dressed as Haku because Jin, his roommate who’s the most handsome Erin Yeager you’ve witnessed at the convention, was supposed to be Chihiro but backed out last minute for the “cooler” cosplay instead.

Sugawara, who you find out is named Yoongi, is roommates with the fourth member of the quartet, Hoseok, dressed as a very compelling Ash Ketchum. When you compliment him, he flashes you the biggest, sunniest smile you’ve ever laid eyes on. After the AMV contest, they take you to a History of Horror in Manga discussion, much to Hoseok’s constant complaints. Around lunchtime, the five of you leave the hotel and cross the street to look for food. After Jin and Hoseok argue over sushi versus burgers they ultimately have you choose. You opt for chicken, much to everyone’s delight.

Out of everyone, you find yourself talking more one on one to Namjoon, finding out you have quite a few things in common. You both share a love for music and nature and are plant parents, although you tend to kill more plants than keep them alive. Namjoon promises he’ll give you tips on keeping your plant babies alive and grins at you for what feels like the fiftieth time of the day. Each time, your stomach does somersaults, and you feel your skin heat up.

At the end of the night, as you’re all leaving the 18+ Bad Fanfiction Reading panel, you almost don’t want to part ways.

“We can’t let you leave without getting your number!” Jin shoves his phone into your hands, demanding you put your digits in. The other men do the same, with Namjoon being last, hand shaking as he presents his phone. A series of four beeps come through on your phone, signifying the text messages from the group.

All of you are staying upstairs in the hotel rooms, so together, you head for the guest-only elevators as Yoongi announces the panels and events he’s planning for you all to go to tomorrow. Hoseok makes it a point to say that you’re included and that you’re now friends, therefore you have no choice but to spend the rest of the convention with them. Of course, you don’t object and agree to meet them downstairs tomorrow morning.

Your room is on the 8th floor, while their rooms are on the 10th, so you reach your floor first. Preparing to say your goodbyes for the night, you step out of the elevator and send a wave, but before the doors close, Namjoon is shoved out beside you.

“Joon will walk you to your room!” Hoseok calls as the doors close.

“Yeah, we’ll see you in a few, Namjoon!” Yoongi adds, then the doors are shut, and the elevator keeps going up.

Namjoon scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. “Uh, please lead the way. I’ll make sure you get to your room, okay.”

Feeling nervous yourself, you simply nod as he follows you the short distance to your room.

“This is me,” you move to the door, and you both stop in front of it. Seconds tick by with the two of you staring at one another while you try and come up with something to say.

“Today was great,” Namjoon says at the same time you do, making both of you chuckle. “Sorry, go ahead first.”

“I just wanted to say thank you for inviting me along with you all today. I had a lot of fun and didn’t think I could’ve done so if I was by myself.”

“Really?” Namjoon says, looking surprised. “I thought we would’ve been a little too high energy for you. You really had a good time? Today made you happy?”

“Yes. I am happy. Because I was able to meet someone like you.” You blurt the latter part out and watch as his eyes widen and a dark shade of red blossoms over his cheeks.

“I, uh, I’m glad you feel that way. I’m really happy I was able to meet someone like you too.” Namjoon’s eyes dart down to your lips momentarily before he lets out a cough. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning. Make sure to meet us downstairs at ten on the dot. If you’re late, Jin will probably nag you for the rest of the convention.” He hesitates momentarily, then reaches out to pull you into a hug. You instantly melt in his hold, inhaling the warm cinnamon scent of whatever Namjoon’s got on.

Your grip on his waist tightens at the same time his arms around your shoulders do. You’re not sure who pulls away first, but reluctantly, you do release each other. Namjoon gives you another goodbye, and then he’s shuffling down the hallway and back towards the elevator.

Once he’s around the corner, you let yourself into your room, his scent still in your nose, and the feeling of his toned arms around you still lingering. How you managed to run into a great group of friends on the first day, you don’t know, but you’re not about to question it. The only thing you worry about is how you can make your cosplay planned for day two as cute as possible, now that you’ve got someone to impress.

[forgottenvoice]

I have finally finished finals this semester and will now try and do some more writing. To all of my new followers because of the HASO story, like I said before that was a one off story, however I think I am going to do a rewrite of it because I am not entirely satisfied with the state and flow of it at current.

Quick context for this one, I am/was an army brat and so this is half personal experience half an amalgamation of the experiences of all my friends. Dont necessarily take this as exactly what it's like for everyone as experiences may vary.

Also if any of you like a specific part of this story let me know. I can write at least this much on any subsection of this story alone. So if something catches your eye I am more than happy to write on it.

..........

I sit in a pool of memories slowly drifting from thought to thought. Moving time is upon us and in preperation it's time to purge all unnecessary items from the house. I flash back to when I was younger, my mom is holding up a cheap drive-thru toy. She looks at me expectantly waiting for a response to a silent question.

"Let go," I say as she drops the item in a box bound for good will only to hold up another object of mine.

In years past this process of sorting through all of my belongings was a team effort between my parents and I, but now since I am older and my younger brother needs the help, I am left to my own to sift through my possessions.

I tip over a box of assorted things and wonder through my past lives. Each object acts as a mile marker through my life and each move a save point. Any thing that I have kept until now, my 10th move in 16 years, has, if not clearly designed for enjoyment or play, held some significance to me. Almost nothing out of this box is discarded because as the years go on the importance of these objects only increases.

Not only is this process a reminder for me of all my past appearances, it serves a highly functional purpose. The first is that the government will only pay for so much to be moved and we typically own more than they are willing to pay for, so we cut back. The second reason is in acknowledgment of a harsher reality of the world, people don't care about kids stuff. Unless one takes great care to prepackaged or show that the objects in a child's room are fragile, everything from toys to trophies will all be haphazardly thrown into a random box.

I move on carefully looking over my display case looking for anything that could easily break if not properly stored. My eyes come to rest on a fake flower made out of fabric by my mom. The pain of high school love torn apart bites at my mind. This flower was the partner to the corsage that I gave to my date to prom. I remember being so excited to go with her because I am homeschooled and never thought I would get anything like a prom. But it doesn't matter now, her family moved in the opposite direction that we were going about 4 weeks ago. I almost leave the flower there, resolving to let fate decide if it is valuable, but as I am turning a away my hand reaches out on seemingly its own and drops the fake plant into an old cigar box for protection. I guess I will control fate this time

.......

The house is empty and clean. Everyone is doing one last walk through of this place to make sure nothing is left behind even though something always is. As I look for anything I also remember everything making sure to not leave a single memory trapped in the walls of this temporary home of mine. As I tramp down the stairs, in my head I am gliding gracefully on a piece of a box after moving in. Mom insisted on being safe and I can now almost see the pile of stuffed animals and pillows that my brothers and I had piled at the end of the make shift ramp to satisfy her worry. As I jump into the nonexistent pile, I drop into the living room, where, despite all the cleaning we did, I can still see the spots on the carpet from the feet of the sofa, a sofa my mom was confined to for the better part of our time here while she was busy kicking cancer's ass. A darkness sets at the edge of my vision slowly consuming all I can see as my head is bombarded by negative memories from those days. As I hit the door, the light from outside shatters the dark over my mind like a hammer through glass. As we pull away I want nothing to do with that house again, not even looking back one last time.

....

I lay piled under the stiff covers of the hotel. It is the night before we leave for the airport and I start to unpack the last few days. They have gone by like a blur but I know I will remember them for years to come. First there was my eagle scout ceremony where I reaped the reward of all my hard work over specifically the last few months but really the past 6 years. It was the last time I will see most of those people given that none of them were military and I plan on never ending up back here. Then there was chapel. The last service at this place where I tried to just act like everything was normal, just a regular Christmas sunday. I showed up 2 hours early just like every week, where I then took my place in the sound booth mixing the best sound that the chapel had in years or so I have been told. It all went wrong though when the preacher leaned his head into the booth telling me to turn on his mic for one quick last announcement, where I was called up on stage for a farewell. However, the one "last time" that I really will miss happened earlier in the day when I hung out with my friends for the last time. The group had shrunk considerably by that time due to a huge fallout between members and others were taken by the army but what remained was solid. As I left them I said seeya because you never know when the army will bring friends back together. Well for that reason and one other. In the days leading up to the move you see everyone at different random times and so you never really know when you will see them for the last time. It is always easier to say a casual goodbye everytime and never actually have a formal one than to treat every farewell like the last one and live the pain multiple times. However, less pain doesn't mean no pain. I blank my mind for the rest of the night gathering all emotions and putting them in a cardboard box to unpack later in more healthy time.

.....

On the plane something magical happens. You see noone but a select few get to rewrite their lives every few years. During transition, when the body and mind are free of the last place, a morph occurs. This change is unseen by all because your family already knows the real you. However you get to change yourself completely before landing at the new place. You get to change what information you share with everyone and by selecting how you act and what you reveal you can choose who you are to everyone. The best part is there is noone from your old life to mess it up and break the illusion and throw a wrench into the act. You can become whomever you want to be. It takes skill to execute properly, it requires that you craft a mask so intricate and durable that noone questions its authenticity and no shock can damage it, but I have had a life times worth of practice. Who will I become only I know and who I was is only stored in the memories of objects in boxes and the minds of people thousands of miles away.

....

It's been almost 4 years since that move yet it still sticks out in my head. I did not know it at the time but it was the last move I ever made with my family. My plans changed and I started my life before i had originally planned and now moves like that are a thing of the past, a memory held in objects. Unfortunately with growing up requires one last mask switch, this one more permanent. Hopefully my experience beyond my years set my up better than my peers at finding the correct one. Who knows what it will look like when it is finished. I have been working on this one for the longest time of any, nearly 2 years now, much longer than a single plane flight. It won't be done for at least another 2 but we will see. I can only hope I will be happy with this one because unlike the cyclic replacement of masks in my youth, when I decide to put this one on who knows when it will come off.

[dc-translator]

[ENG TL] 191031 Ray interview

[Dreamcatcher] members,active globally, spill the beans about fashion choice and cosmetics

2019/10/30 CULTURE

Original article:https://ray-web.jp/52989?page=1

Notice: This translation was completed without any form of endorsement from the copyright holder. It may be deleted later.

Dreamcatcher, the 7-member girl group who have been attracting a lot of attention with their Japanese album, 'The Beginning Of The End', as well as their new Korean track, 'Deja Vu'. Though they look cool performing on stage, we get up close and personal with the surprising private life of the girls.♥

What kind of group is Dreamcatcher? Check out the member profiles!

They debuted on January 2017, featuring the "Nightmare" concept. Their charm comes from the use of intense metal sounds, as well as their powerful performances, rare for a Korean girl group♥ They've drawn interest as they were active not only in Japan and Korea, but all over the world, visiting Europe and South America in their world tour!

JIU 'My own clothes are in simple styles♪'

Leader, lead vocal. Born on May 17th 1994. Blood type B. Assigned nightmare is "the dream where you are being chased by someone.''

"Hello! I'm Dreamcatcher's charismatic bunny, leader JIU♥"

Q. What is your unique charm?

That I look pure and sexy at the same time? (Laugh)

Q. What kind of fashion do you like?

I generally go with simple, comfortable styles, like a white T-shirt and denims.

Q. Is there something you focus on when doing makeup yourself?

I care about everything in makeup, but if I had to choose one... lips!

Q. What is your morning and evening skin care routine?

The day before important schedules, I make sure to put a pack on before I sleep.

Sua 'Energy level to Andromeda (Laugh)'

Main dancer, sub vocal. Born on August 10th 1994. Blood type O. Assigned nightmare is "the dream where you can't move your body"

"I'm the dancer and queen, Sua."

Q. What is your unique charm?

Beyond everything else, I'm very upbeat. Andromeda levels of energy! (Laugh) I also like fun things.

Q. What kind of fashion do you like?

I like clothes that feel comfortable when I'm wearing them!

Q. Is there something you focus on when doing makeup yourself?

I focus most on the base makeup! I enjoy matte textures, so I make sure to finish it off properly with powder.

Q. What is your morning and evening skin care routine?

My skin is really sensitive, so I make an effort to make sure that my skin care products are soft on my skin.

Siyeon "I like boyish style fashion!"

Main vocal. Born on October 1st 1995. Blood type A. Assigned nightmare is "the dream where you are trapped in a small place"

"Hello. I'm the wolf of Dreamcatcher! Siyeon."

Q. What is your unique charm?

My wolf-like facial expressions and eyes on stage!

Q. What kind of fashion do you like?

I often wear oversized clothes. I like Jerseys so I have a lot of them in multiple colors. I also like fancy floral patterns♥

Q. Is there something you focus on when doing makeup yourself?

It's my lips. I like the calmer colors, but in summer, I'll use brighter colors as well.

Q. What is your morning and evening skin care routine?

I use two types of toners, and I care a lot about them. One of them helps control the oils in my skin, and the other is for adding moisture!

Handong "I like making my eye bags look shiny ♥

Sub vocal. Born on March 26th 1996. Blood type O. Assigned nightmare is "the dream where you are watched by someone"

"Hello, I'm the kitty, Handong"

Q. What is your unique charm?

How elegant I am♥

Q. What kind of fashion do you like?

I wear a lot of different styles! I like cropped tops

Q. Is there something you focus on when doing makeup yourself?

I really like making my eye bags look shiny!

Q. What is your morning and evening skin care routine?

I make sure to apply essence.

Yoohyeon "I'm doing the '7 skin method' with my twist on it!'

Lead vocal. Born on January 7th 1997. Blood type O. Assigned nightmare is "the dream where you wander around an unfamiliar place"

"I'm the puppy of Dreamcatcher, Yoohyeon. I'm often told that my face and mannerisms resemble a puppy. (laugh)

Q. What is your unique charm?

The stupidly bright expression I make when I laugh!

Q. What kind of fashion do you like?

I like formal styles♥

Q. Is there something you focus on when doing makeup yourself?

My cheeks! My complexion looks better just by applying cheek makeup, so even when I go without makeup otherwise, I make sure to apply cheek makeup.

Q. What is your morning and evening skin care routine?

I apply toner multiple times. It's called the "7 skin method". Applying toner multiple times over is supposed to be good for your skin, and it's been popular among beauty Youtubers. But since I'm lazy, I only do it twice. (laugh)

Dami "I focus more on skin care than on makeup"

Main rapper. Born on March 7th 1997. Blood type A. Assigned Nightmare is "the dream where you get hurt"

"Hello! I'm the rapper, Dami."

Q. What is your unique charm?

That I have good judgement?

Q. What kind of fashion do you like?

I have a lot of tracksuits. Also, I don't deal with the cold very well, so I always try to dry warmly!

Q. Is there something you focus on when doing makeup yourself?

I don't put makeup on very often. Instead, I put a lot of attention in skincare.

Q. What is your morning and evening skin care routine?

At nights, I cleanse and wash my face like anyone else, but for mornings, I wash my face with water only!

Gahyeon "I don't really pay a lot of attention to either fashion or skincare! (laugh)"

Sub vocal. Born on February 3rd 1999. Blood type AB. Assigned nightmare is "the dream where you fall from high places".

"Hello. I'm the lovely maknae Gahyeon!"

Q. What is your unique charm?

Beyond anything else, I'm filled with aegyo♪

Q. What kind of fashion do you like?

I tend to put on whatever's there. (Laugh) I often wear miniskirts and denims.

Q. Is there something you focus on when doing makeup yourself?

Eyelashes! I finish them with about 3 types of mascara, so it takes a good deal of time.

Q. What is your morning and evening skin care routine?

I almost don't do anything...(Laugh) I do apply lotion, though.

Voice 01

What is Dreamcatcher's unique charm?

JIU: "Dreamcatcher" is a name that was chosen to give people listening to our songs the sense that they're "in a good dream". So members were each assigned different nightmare concepts since our debut. That concept is reflected in the story of our music videos and in our album jackets!

Voice 02

Is there a point that you'd like us to pay attention to in "Breaking Out, the lead track of your 1st album, released in September?

Siyeon: The lyrics towards the end of the track goes "Bye bye to the nightmare now". To us, this album is "the beginning of the end". We've promoted under the nightmare concept until now, and this promotion closes that out. So I feel like those lyrics are the focal point of the song.

Voice 03

Was there a story you wanted to share with us about filming the "Breaking Out" MV?

Yoohyeon: There was a scene where Handong and I had to act while gazing at each other. We really struggled to not laugh. (Laugh) Still, we managed to pull it off in the end, so that was a relief.

Sua: I had an individual shoot where I had to be on a flaming swing. I was really surprised when real sparks fell from above. I also had really high heeled shoes on, so I couldn't jump off if something happened. The staff kept saying "don't raise your face" as I filmed the scene.

JIU: A big fly kept bothering me while I was trying to act, which was bothersome... We were filming at a studio deep in the mountains, and there were a ton of bugs.(cry)

Voice 04

The showcase in September was also a big hit. You've already held multiple shows in Japan now. Compared to your first time in Japan, has something changed?

Siyeon: Every time we hold promotions for songs or concerts, the number of InSomnias who come to see us seem to increase. Whenever I notice that, I feel really happy, and feel like I'll be able to work even harder.

Dami: At first, I was really hung up on memorizing Japanese. Now, I'm able to focus more on presenting a perfect performance.

Voice 05

Europe, South America, you're holding shows all over the world. Is there something you found memorable about the cultural differences, or the fans' reactions?

Gahyeon: In Europe and South America, the passion is palpable even before the concert starts. Before concerts, our songs play within the venue. Our fans will sing along to that, or dance to it. Then, when the concert starts, they cheer for us even more energetically. I thought they were incredibly passionate.

Voice 06

Tell us something unexpected about the members, that the fans wouldn't know!

Handong: I shared a hotel room with Yoohyeon during our Japanese schedules once. I looked at her suitcase, and it was almost empty. It seemed like she mistook the length of our stay. She didn't have any clothes to wear, so during our stay in Japan, she was making do with our Live merch T-shirts and things like that. (Laugh)

A great gift from Dreamcatcher♥

Follow the Ray official twitter & Retweet our tweet of this article. From those who do, we’ll randomly choose 7 to receive signed polaroids of the members♥

[Application]

1. Follow the official Ray twitter account (@mag_ray) 2. Retweet the notice for the Dreamcatcher article, and tell us which member you want to receive.

The winners will be contacted by our editorial board via DMs.

Selecting the winners could take up to a week after applications are closed. After the winners are selected, we are going to contact them with TL, so please don’t unfollow us until then.

We’ll wait your applications♪

[Application deadline]

Until November 8th(Fri) 2019 23:59

[Information]

[DREAMCATCHER ‘NIGHTMARES BEFORE CHRISTMAS’2019]

Dec. 21st(Sat) Osaka Cool Japan Park Osaka SS Hall

Part 1 13:00 Open / 13:30 Start   Part 2 17:30 Open / 18:00 Start

Dec. 22nd(Sun) Tokyo Shibuya Hikarie Hikarie Hall B

Part 1 13:00 Open / 13:30 Start   Part 2 17:30 Open / 18:00 Start

[ohnmintyfresh]

“What started off as a romantic Labor Day weekend island-getaway has quickly turned into their worst nightmare!” would be an opening line if I were to write about our “adventure” in St Martin. We did our best to get out of there as soon as we found out it was heading towards us as a Category 6 (which doesn’t exist) monster hurricane but obviously all flights were booked. Matty did the best thing he could possibly do which eventually saved our lives - booking the Simpson Bay resort.

Sep 4th - 12:00 pm

We left our beautiful AirB&B beach house, got all the food and supplies, and headed to the resort. Our hosts treated us as their own family and drove us to the resort. He warned us, “You guys are in for a ride”. Boy, was he right. I later found out their home was destroyed. The tides were up to 32 feet and I knew that beautiful home wouldn’t survive. As soon as we got to our villa, which was on the ground floor of an inner building up on a higher ground, we built a fort with the couches in the kitchen and a little hide-out in the shower with beach chair cushions. We filled up all possible containers with water. Then we waited.

8:00 pm

The wind picked up and things started to get loud. We quickly moved to the bathroom and blocked the bathroom door with the big garbage-can full of water so it wouldn’t fly open. The next few hours were the worst time of my life. The first half of the hurricane was quite bad - the villa was shaking and everything in the living room was flying around. 

Sep 5th - 1:00 am

Then there was this eerie calm for about 45 mins where you could hear only the soft wind blowing. The eye was passing. 

2:00 am

Then it hit us - with the force that no one can possibly imagine. The force that ripped apart the island into pieces. I have never been that scared in my life. It felt like our door was going to get blown open. I thought the roof was going to get ripped off any moment and we were all going to die. The whole world was collapsing around us. Our tiny little bathroom was shaking and you could hear this roar - the kind of sound that can haunt you for the rest of your life. The constant banging outside of our bathroom door and the roaring of this monster hurricane lasted for HOURS. Try to picture that for a second. Imagine the worst turbulence you’ve ever had when you were on a plane and the feeling that you are all going to die. Imagine that feeling times 100 lasting for not just a few mins but for hours. 

6:00 am

I started crying uncontrollably and Matty, my then-boyfriend, tried to console me, although I could tell he was also terrified. When I was just about to pass out from fear, everything stopped. The shaking and the banging got less and less. The roar got further and further from our villa. Things got quieter until it became just the sound of rain and constant strong wind. 

8:00 am

The storm started way earlier than the predictions. It was over by Wed (Sep 6th) morning. We slowly opened the bathroom door to check out the outside world. To our surprise, our villa was actually intact except for minor flooding. Our main door was closed and windows weren’t broken either. But there was a giant piece of a metal roof right outside of the windows. It was a miracle that it didn’t pierce through our windows. Otherwise we would have been done for. 

9:00 am

Power was out and water was gone. That’s when that desperation kicked in. We did get A LOT of water and food “just in case” and we did finish the last water we have on the last day. As we walked around the resort, we realized how devastating it was. The only way for me to describe was that it looked like the island was hit by a nuclear bomb. Roofs were ripped off. Burned cars stacked on top of each other. Debris of everything and anything you can imagine everywhere to the point you couldn’t possibly walk through at all. We were trapped.

4:00 pm

Hotel called for an emergency meeting to inform us that we were indeed all trapped on the island with limited food and water supplies. The airport was completely destroyed. We could see it from our hotel lobby and there was actually a couple of boats in the middle of what’s left of the runway. There were about 200 guests plus hotel staff at the Simpson Bay. I want to take a moment and say THANK YOU to all the staff at the Simpson Bay Resort. They did an absolutely amazing job to get us all home safe. And that was the ONLY hotel on the island who stood by their guests and take care of our safety.

Sep 8th - 8:00 am

The aftermath. Thursday (first day after the hit) went by quickly as we were in pure shock. Friday day came and that dire and eerie feelings kicked in. Locals were forced out our resort as another hurricane Jose was approaching and the resort was no longer safe to shelter anyone at that point. The flying debris alone could kill us all. The tension between the locals and the tourists continued to rise. We spotted a HUGE fire at night and were told people were setting things on fire out of spite or jealousy. It quickly became a war zone.

8:00 pm 

Friday evening - things got worse. Hotel staff warned us of looting and robberies happening on the island. We met some women taking shelter at our hotel because a guy showed up at theirs with a machete. We were warned not to wander around alone. To make things worse, our door lock was broken and only one of us can leave the room to go attend the meetings with the hotel to know what is going on.

10:00 pm

As I was walking back from the lobby with the new friends I have made, we saw some locals looting the cars in our resort. They finally got in. There were no soldiers or law enforcement just yet. I ran back to my room and told Matty we needed to prepare to protect ourselves.

Sep 9th - 2:00 am

We were woken up by noises just outside of our room. People were walking around and checking the rooms. We stayed awake the whole night in a complete terror.

10:00 am

Fights start to break out in the hotel lobby as the food and water were running out. Everyone was on edge. No one knows when we were going to get rescued. Everyone knew someone but not a single person had any valuable information that could save us. All we could do at that point was wait. 

5:00 pm

We saw a few boats approached our hotel with some soldiers. Later we learned that they were the dutch soldiers who came here to clean the airport runway. We also saw a few military planes landing at the airport. Help is here. Finally. Our hotel finally got a hold of someone who would finally rescue us all. We were told to pack a small bag and be ready to evacuate. But only the elderlies and babies were going to evacuate first.

9:00 pm

Exhausted, we headed back to our room with the last string of hope. We are not going to be rescued today.

Sep 10th - 5:00 am

The phone rang. I even didn’t know it was working!! I picked up and they said, “You have 15 mins. We are evacuating. Come to the lobby NOW.” In pure panic, we grabbed our stuff and started running. It was still pretty dark and another hurricane Jose was on the way. As we ran in the rain, the wind picked up and all the debris started flying. It was about 10 mins walk to the lobby and before we knew it, this huge piece of metal roof flew right past our heads. We were about 2 inches from getting our heads chopped off.

7:00 am

Anxiously waiting for our turn to evacuate. As we drove through the island, I saw the devastation - St Martin as we knew was completely gone. It was a war zone. There were no more houses or streets. Every direction you looked it was devastation. 

10:00 am

The line at the airport was as long as the eyes could see. There were the Dutch soldiers, the US marines, the UK army, the St martin local police force - all working together. We were cold, hungry and just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, it started pouring. Jose was coming. It was predicted to hit around noon and there’s no way anyone could fly out once the second hurricane was here. It was predicted to be Category 3. We were surrounded by the damage left by Irma. Just a little bit of wind, and it was going to be a massacre. I looked around myself hopelessly and finally gave up. I sat down in a complete defeat and just started crying. That was it. We survived the first hurricane but we weren’t going to survive another one and there was no way we were going to get on those planes with hundreds of people ahead of us. We were done for. I called my family, my best friend to tell them we were coming home - thinking deep down that that was my goodbyes.

12:00 pm

A miracle happened. Jose hasn’t arrived just yet and we were going in the gates finally. The sweet U.S marine checked my passport and said “Smile. You are going to be okay now.” I couldn’t smile. It felt like my heart was about to pop out of my mouth. Or my ass. I was in shock. Boarding these huge U.S military aircrafts was one of the most magnificent moments of my life. There was no seat. Everyone was sitting on the floor hanging onto each other. We looked at each other and couldn’t believe we were finally rescued. I couldn’t stop crying but this time it was the happy tears. We were finally going home.

—-

6000 Americans were rescued from St Martin. We were one of the very first 200. My Dutch and UK friends were rescued a few days later. We were taken to PR which was also hit by Irma after us. We took the first possible flight out of PR the next day. After 4 more flights, I was home in New York.

If we left a day earlier than we planned, we could have avoided this all. Our flight was at 4 pm and the last flight out of St Martin that day was 8 am. When I looked back and thought about it all, the only thing that made me regret was putting my mom into such agony - not knowing if I was going to make it must have been quite excruciating for a mother. I wish I could have changed that. Other than that, everything happens for a reason and now I have tales to tell for many many years. Matty and I ended up breaking up after the trip. The little adventure we had was a bit too much for our brand-new relationship. But I still thank him to this day for booking a room at the hotel that saved our lives. I still keep in touch with friends I’ve made through this journey. It’s amazing how disasters bring out the best and the worst in people. And yes, it’s YOLO. I’ll continue traveling and exploring. May be not to an island during the hurricane season.. :) <3 

[raymogyuk]

THE HELL I HAVE BEEN LIVING THE PAST 17 YEARS.

This starts on the 3rd august 2003 in the USA , State of Georgia.

At 3am in the morning of the 3rd august I was awoken by very bad pain in my ado mum. My partner rushed me to the emergency room.

They asked what the problem was ? “ my reply severe pain.” They took bloods, and admitted straight to the hospital. Then the doctor came and saw me and said “amulays are 15000 “lyaids are 23000 You have chronic pancreatic. They then did a biopsy of the pancreas and found a 11/2 mass on the head of the pancreas. Then they ordered another biopsy where they found was pancreatic cancer. I did not believe it, They then took a sample of urine, which was pitch black. They then ordered a ercg where they put a camera down my throat and inserted a stint, to open u the common bile duct. To allow the bile to drain. I sent another two weeks in the hospital on a liquid diet only. They then found out I had no insurance so discharged me from the hospital.

On way out the hospital they presented me with a bill for $250000 USA. This never got paid. Do not know what happened to the bill. I then went home and we started looking all round for local medical treatment including free clinics. Was checking daily online for flights back to the UK, by this time I was trapped in the USA with no money to get back to the UK. On leaving the USA , I lost everything, my job, my home, my van, came back to England with just the cloths I was wearing, and I have been fighting to live ever since. I lost my mother in 2005, that’s another story, they goes under what happened while in British hospitals. Before I left USA my father wrote a letter to the local mp. Who brought my case up in the house of commons, he got a reply from the health minister at time. The rely went like this, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS RAYMOND DUGGAN TO RECEIVE NHS MEDICAL TREATMENT, AS HE HAS BEEN OUT THE COUNTRY MORE THEN TWO YEARS. Jump forward to the 5th November 2003, I found a flight cheap online, so then ran my father and asked if he would put on his credit card, it was something crazy like only 180 pounds British. While I was searching flights we sent a email to the Grimsby Evening Telegraph, where they visited my father and did a story asking for a flight company to give me a mercy flight back to the uk. I found out about this on the 6th November when I reached home from Heathrow airport. Now spring forward to today, 10th February, where I am now fighting for life again. 14 months ago I went self-employed after months and years of hospital treatment, and went on to universal credit as a new start up in January 2019, this would give me 12 months tax credits, however on the 2nd December they stopped the tax credits and I have had no money now since 2nd December. 90 days now with no money, my sponsors have failed to pay, so now I am left to beg online, and now under an eviction threat, unless I can find £400 a month to pay my rent.

Luckily the last time I got paid, I bought £50 worth of food. Which should keep me alive, as long as I can keep a roof over my head. People can help by donations to united kingdom paym banking app 07391116939, this is art of your UK registered banking App, you just sign on your bank, and send the money direct to my bank account , no need sort code or bank account number. International donations can send a donation to PayPal +44 7391116939. I will only accept donations until I find new work or sponsor. I still have chronic pancreatitis but I refuse to take medications, (can’t afford them £8.20 per med) . There is a lot more to this, and it is a continues battle and fight with medical treatment and government departments. I am not looking for sympathy, I want to show the world what people in the United Kingdom are being forced to go through. If you can find it in your heart to share this story would help other people, I have accepted the fact I will dead within the next 45 days. From starvation and cold. I am Ex British Army Apprentice Chef & Ex Royal Air Force Steward, plus Hotel & Restaurant management. NO ONE IN THE WORLD SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS. I AM NOW TOTALLY ALONE IN THE WORLD AND ABANDONED BY THE UNIVERSE. Thanks Raymond Duggan England United Kingdom 07391116939