#BEAUTIFUL CHICLET

[foxymoxyvintage]

[stormoflina]

just went and checked Domi's pics from today's training and those are definitely veneers omg

these guys have so much money and they still choose the ugliest veneers. there are veneers that look so good but they still choose the chiclets looking ones,, god...

just to be clear they can do whatever they want omg i just have a deep dislike for those type of veneers jajsjas

-long ass rant anon

Bestie, I totally get you, I strongly dislike the veneers epidemic and I'm mad as hell when I see someone like Domi, who had absolutely beautiful teeth gets those ugly chompers done. What was the reason!! Well, now ig him and Trent can be the ugly veneers duo they always wanted to be. 🙄

And btw, am I the only one who absolutely freaks out just by the thought of having my natural, perfectly working and healthy teeth getting SHARPENED DOWN?! Like that's irreversible, and to get something so drastic done at such a young age?! Just why.

[mknlm]

Frida Kahlo- La Casa Azúl

The first time I visited Frida Kahlo's house was in the early 1990's. I was probably 16. She wasn't known as just "Frida" yet. My family was going to Mexico City for the first time. We were tourists, taken under the wing of my father's Mexican uncle with whom he'd lost touch over the years. I had no idea what to expect. The only request I had was that we visit the home and studio of this artist I'd seen a feature on in Vogue magazine a few years before. She was beautiful. Colorful. Madonna liked her.

Mexico City was beyond my wildest imagination. It was gritty and over populated. The air was thick with smog. There were kids breathing fire on street corners and selling Chiclets everywhere. It smelled like tacos, disinfectant, guavas, and VW exhaust. It was vibrant, alive, and never ending. There was something to experience and explore at every turn, and I adored it.

La Casa Azul was perfect. It was a quiet respite in what was the largest city in the world. There was no need to buy tickets online; without the internet it would have been impossible anyway. There were a few visitors, you could buy a few snacks, and the gift shop (always my favorite part of a museum) was miniscule.

The home and studio were almost a painting in itself with vignettes everywhere. Frida's house decorated as she painted...with color, personality, love, and pain. The teensy clay mugs in the kitchen that spell out Friday y Diego. The small mirror she used to paint her reflection in the bedroom reminding us of her physical frailty. You felt like you were stepping into her life.

At a time when the world was moving forward and modernizing, Frida stepped back to find her inspiration. From her traditional dresses and jewelry, collection of and painted clay tiles in the kitchen Frida turned towards her country and her family's history to animate her. She collected retablos and pre-colonial art.

It is now 2023. Frida (last name no longer needed) has become a world wide phenomenon. Her image is everywhere from magnets to murals. Amateur artists put their own spin on her, selling their own wonky Frida portraits on Etsy.

This time I couldn't really find Frida. She was lost between crowds of people, a narrow gallery with poor lighting, and a serious of architectural modifications that closed the house off to the outside in order to control the flow of traffic. The house didn't feel so much like a house anymore. She was there, but she wasn't there.

Her art is still powerful, but it needs space to be able to breathe and be digested.

When we look at Frida's paintings, peruse her and delve into her story, pain taps into our pain...her wayward lover, her accident, her disfigured leg. She did what we are scared to do: she was vulnerable.

The piece that had the most impact on me was the watermelon still life that is inscribed "Vida la vida." Unbeknownst to me, Kahlo painted it days before her death in 1954. I would translate it as "Long live life". I think of watermelons as luscious and sweet, representing all that is good in life. The colors are vivid. The seeds could represent the most basic building block of life. As we saw throughout our many museum visits in Mexico City, watermelons (and fruits in general) are a prominent subject in Mexican art. They nourish us and give us pleasure. It fascinates me that Kahlo, someone who spent so much of her life in pain and was in pain up until the end, would choose to wrap up her life on such a colorful note. I recall reading that on some level she was aware her days were coming to an end. As someone whose life is particularly fragile, If I ever decided to get a tattoo, I think I have my inspiration.

[akshatsblogsworld]

My flowerhorn beast Rocky ♥️

[area-viiip]

[srry-itshockeyszn]

Was watching the Devils new 82 Game Odyssey episode this morning...

I know it’s not a clear pictured but DEAR GOD my baby without his teeth is such a tough thing to see!

Yes I know, he has a flipper that he takes out when he plays (like most of the guys in the league) but that perfect smile!

[sophsicle]

hello hello im about to read the new KYD chapter and can't wait!! thank you so much for getting it out today, it's absolutely making my day!

i was wondering if u might maybeee have any hot tips for me...i'm from somewhere where hockey (ice hockey at least) isn't a big thing at all but having read Sweater Weather and now KYD i'm kind of obsessed ahah and want to get into following it properly. any advice on how a complete newbie can learn about hockey?!?! (other than by reading ur fic ofc heheh)

would love any advice if anything comes to mind but ofc no worries if not, and thanks for your beautiful fics, i love them all so much <33 hope ur having a lovely day xx

Hello lovely! I feel like Hazel is better at this than me, but here's what I would say: A) Youtube is your friends so you have Highlight videos: you can type in pretty much anything in the search - best goals, best shootouts, best plays ect. and you'll get a highlight reel for it, I'll give you a link to an example here but these are kinda good when getting into the sport because they give you like the most exciting moments in a really consumable format

Documentaries: I don't know if other teams have this but I know the Penguins have a couple full documentaries up on Youtube about their cup runs, I'll give you the link to one here, but this is kinda a good way to get introduced to the world of hockey and how things work Hockey Channels: there are also some channels that make really interesting videos about hockey and hockey history and hockey news etc. My favourites are Rob Talks Hockey, Alyssa Hope, and idontgivetkachuk

B) Podcasts are also friends - my two favourite hockey podcasts are:

Mitts & Chicks it's a hockey podcast where the hosts are all women and they tackle a lot of topics that aren't always talked about by mainstream hockey outlets and Spittin Chiclets I think this is probably the most popular Hockey podcast out there, they are all dudes, and I have to skip forward every time they talk about politics but I do actually really like this podcast, their breakdowns of games are usually really good and they get really great interviews with players because two of the hosts used to play in the NHL, but it very much feels like hanging out with your cool Uncles for like three hours every week That's all I can think of right now, so I hope that helps! :)

[hockeyisit]

Auston and Amelia, maybe one where all the guys mock Auston because he is alway clingy to and talking of Amelia. Maybe different scenarios one where they are on the road, or in bars or in games, thanks!

A.N. HI!! SO this one was fun to write. I hope it was similar to what you wanted because I got a little carried away while writing this. I also drew a lot of inspiration from the podcast Spittin’ Chiclets Interview Auston Matthews. He talks about how he was annoyed that Morgan Rielly got a girlfriend and I find it really funny. Also sorry the ending was a bit rushed. 

Word Count: 1,914

Master List

“Hi, I’d like a tall bud light and a strawberry lemonade,” I grinned politely at the bartender. He grinned sweetly at me as he nodded his head. I was currently out at the bars with Auston, his teammates, and their wives and girlfriends.

“Sure thing that'll be $10.00,” he said, placing the beer in front of me. I handed him my credit card as I waited for my drink.

“Hey sweet thang,” Auston whispered into my ear as he wrapped one of his arms around me, blocking me into the corner. I grinned as he pressed a kiss to my cheek. He reached around me and grabbed the beer off the counter taking a sip. His face scrunched up for a moment.

“Beer?” he asked. He had originally been drinking vodka lemonades but I was planning to leave soon and he honestly didn't need any more vodka. He took another sip before setting it back down on the bar counter and leaning against me, his head tucked into my neck. He placed a light kiss on my neck before pulling back slightly.

“Are you waiting on a drink?” he asked, leaning his head against mine. I nodded my head and grinned as the bartender walked over with my card and drink. I picked up my strawberry lemonade and grinned at Auston as I took a drink. He reached out grabbing it from me when I was finished.

“No alcohol in this?” he questioned confused.

“Noo I wanted it. It’s so good,” I said, taking another blissful sip. He grinned fondly at me before picking his beer up.

“Your cute,” he said through a hidden grin behind his cup. My cheeks immediately flushed as my eyes darted out to the dance floor spotting Steph and Mitchy. I turned around holding my drink and put my empty hand on Auston's chest. He wrapped his arms around me pulling me in. As I went to respond I was cut off.

“Matts. Amelia!” Willy exclaimed, throwing his arms around the two of us. Auston and I laughed as we leaned into the touch.

“You guys are just so cute,” Willy grinned, swaying us. I laughed as I elbowed Willy away so that we could move farther from the bar. Auston immediately moved back to my side stepping behind me slightly and pulling me back against his chest.

“Auston is always getting his hands on Amelia,” Willy exclaimed, turning to Zach Hyman who had joined us. I laughed loudly as I leaned back into Auston.

“How could he resist this,” I said, moving my hands up and down my body in an exaggerated motion sending a wink WIlly’s way. He laughed loudly.

“Amelia is definitely out of Auston’s league,” Mitch said as he walked to us placing a hand on Auston's shoulder.

“Really Mitchy,” Auston quipped.

“So out of your league Auston,” Steph teased leaning off of MItch's shoulder. I shared a laugh with Auston as I pat his cheek.

“Your perfect babe,” I grinned. He smiled gratefully at me as he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. He pulled away and I blushed bright red as I saw all our friends staring at us.

“I’ve never seen Auston smile so much in my life,” Jack joked as he approached us.

“Amelia makes him smile,” Freddie said, turning to face him. I blushed leaning further into Auston. He tightened his arms that were wrapped around me and pressed his lips to the side of my face.

“They are just a bunch of bullies,” he teased. I tilted my head up with a laugh.

“Oh for sure,” I grinned.

----

“Look at how good this looks,” I said showing Auston my plate of food. He was away on a long road trip through the states and we had been facetiming for the last twenty minutes because he didn't have a game tonight.

“Oh yeah that looks good babe,” Auston said, taking a good look at the camera.

“Thanks, what are you up to tonight?” I questioned taking a seat on the couch and setting my phone on my leg.

“Some of the guys want to go out to the bars and then others want to play video games in the room,” he explained leaning back against his bed frame.

“Oh and what do you think you'll do?” I asked as I started to eat my food.

“Talk to you,” he grinned lazily at the camera. I grinned to myself as I took another bite.

“Oh yeah?” I quipped back.

“Yeah. What are you wearing?” he asked through a lazy grin. I laughed loudly as I held the camera up and showed my body that was in a Leaf's sweatshirt and my lacy blush pink underwear.

“Take a look for yourself,” I teased.

“God I wish I was home,” he groaned. I smiled pushing my plate away from me and stood up to walk to the bedroom.

“Me too,” I said as I crawled onto the bed and spread out.

“I miss you so much. I miss you putting your hands on me,” I moaned out lightly as I put my hands on myself.

“Oh babe I miss touching you,” he breathed out. As I went to respond we were cut off by the door opening and Mitchy walking in.

“Really,” Auston groaned to the ceiling.

“Oops did I interrupt something?” Mitch said smiling smugly at Auston. I laughed loudly as Auston threw his head back against the headboard with another groan.

“Mitch go away,” Auston whined, rolling his eyes. I gave Auston a look as I shook my head. I was not about to have facetime sex with him after being caught like that.

“The guys want to know if you're going out or going to Willys but considering you're talking to Amelia I’m going to guess you're doing neither,” Mitch teased Auston. We were suddenly interrupted by loud banging on the door.

“Auston get off the phone with Amelia and come out to the bars with us,” Willy called loudly through the door.

“You don’t know I’m on the phone with Amelia,” Auston said back offended.

“Dude you literally are on the phone with her,” Mitch exclaimed through a laugh. I grinned as I sat up in the bed.

“Let me guess Auston’s not coming out with us because he’s on the phone with Amelia,” I heard Mo say.

“Mo you can’t say shit remember when you blew me off to hang out with Tess,” Auston responded pettily.

“Whatever. You coming out or you going to stay here and be lame?” Mo responded.

“Stay here and be lame,” Auston responded moodily. I sent him a questioning look to which he sent me a raised eyebrow.

“Okay,” Mo said and then I heard the sound of a lot of shuffling and the door closing.

“They gone?” I asked, raising my eyebrow. He nodded before sitting up slightly in the bed.

“Yeah,” he lazily smiled.

“Is everything okay with you and Mo?” I asked lightly. I knew that the two had been getting into little arguments because Mo had been blowing Auston off lately for his girlfriend.

“Yeah, everything is fine. He and the guys have just been mocking me a lot lately about how much I talk about you,” he mumbled, rubbing his neck.

“Aw, you talk about me? I grinned back.

“Always, You're everything I ever wanted,” he grinned back seriously.

----

“Please come with,” Auston whined as he pulled me closer to him in bed. My name body pressed against his as I grunted.

“I’m not sure this sounds like fun. You said there won’t be any girls there Aus ” I managed to huff out.

“Willy will be there,” Auston tried to bribe. I gave him a serious look.

“Alright fine. I don’t want to leave you alone yet I’m not ready to.” My face softened as I took in Auston's suffering. I moved squeezed myself closer to him

“Babe, what’s wrong?” I asked softly. His body tensed slightly for a moment before he relaxed slowly.

“I just really missed you and being away while you're pregnant is just so hard,” he admitted gently. I rubbed my belly as he talked.

“Alright. I’ll DD,” I agreed as I pulled myself out of his arms.

“Really?” He asked with a grin hopping out of bed. I took in his beautiful naked body as I nodded my head with a smile on my face.

“Yeah,” I bit my lip. He grinned before leaning forward and pressing a big kiss to my lips. He then pulled away and made his way to the closet and quickly got changed. Once we were both ready we hopped in the car and I drove us down to the bar.

“I thought it was boy's night,” Zach teased when he saw the two of us walk in together. I held my hands up in defense as I looked between all of them.

“I’m DDing tonight,” I said innocently a few of the guys cheered and held up their glasses to that one. Mo gave Auston a look before returning his stare to his beer bottle. Auston rolled his eyes before looking back to me. I felt confusion start to brew as I took in the two friends arguing over what seemed like nothing.

“Good now I don't have to force Steph to come get me,” Mitch said, pulling me into a side hug. I giggled before turning back to Auston who was having what looked like an intense conversion with Mo.

“Auston do you ever not have Amelia at your side,” Spezza joked as he arrived at the table. A lot of the guys laughed as Auston looked away from Mo and made his way over to me.

“Don’t worry about it guys,” he responded, pulling me into his side. I grinned as I leaned into him.

-----

“Dude you're always simping over Amelia and canceling our plans,” Mo said leaning back against the couch. Auston paused the game as he turned to face Mo. I stood in the hall peeking around the corner as I took in the conversion before me.

“Mo you started it first when you got with Tess. You didn’t even tell me you were dating her at the beginning. At least I told you,” Auston said running his hand through his hair. Mo shook his head not liking that answer.

“You guys are always talking. It almost seems unhealthy. Like your way more into her than she is into you and I’m just trying to look out for you man,” Mo said leaning forward slightly.

“Listen man. Amelia is the love of my life. Our relationship is not unhealthy. We lost a baby and we wanted to have a family so bad. The fact that she is pregnant right now is a miracle. I worry when I leave her alone, I worry when I’m away. I can’t help her through half of this pregnancy because of my job so yeah I’m going to skip hanging out with the boys so I can watch my baby grow. Yeah, I’m going to skip out on hanging with the boys so I can spend time with my lovely sexy wife. Don’t ever talk disrespectfully about her. I would never do that to Tess man,” Auston said before leaning forward and pressing play on the game. Deciding I had heard enough I turned around and made my way back to the bedroom.

[puckingbunny]

You cannot tell me that the “blonde, white and skinny” thing is perpetuated by the media only and not because these men genuinely do have Eurocentric beauty standards. Sure, yes, media does emphasis the notion the white and blonde is the most beautiful and anything otherwise is not, but these guys uphold these stereotypes that the media builds. I have read so many stories about how some of the players make fun of their teammates who date non-blonde and white women. To them, this is the standard. Heck, even the douchebags from Spittin Chiclets boast about how blonde white women are the most beautiful woman.

These guys will never publicly date women of color. They will never dare women who look like they are straight out of a Scandinavian country. Because they don’t want to break traditions and be ostracized for their choices, hence why they choose the default always! I mean, sure they’re are a few players who did marry women of color, but majority beats out the minority. The photos of the WAGs in the Playoff Jackets scare me. All of them look so alike. Yes, they are beautiful, but they are clones.

Look at the NBA WAGs, look at the NFL WAGs, heck even MBL WAGs have uniqueness to them.

Long story short, media perpetuates Eurocentric beauty standards, but these men uphold the standards. It’s sad.

I recognize everything you said and agree with it all

[miracleonice87]

Full of Surprises

a Matthew Tkachuk one-shot

a/n: I rewatched the Tkachuk family Spittin Chiclets interview this morning from the All-Star game in St. Louis and it got me in my Matty feelings. Here’s a proposal story full of fun surprises. Enjoy!

warnings: just swearing — otherwise, total and complete fluff

_____

“Do they know?” I whispered, one arm entwined with one of Matthew’s as both of us stared at the glimmering ring on my left hand.

“Does who know?” Matthew asked in a matching whisper, ducking his head in front of my face. I knew just what he was after — I placed a kiss on the top part of his ear, his favorite, and allowed my tongue to dart out just slightly, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Does your family know?” I clarified as he sat up straight, smirking at me.

We were flying first class, headed to the Tkachuks’ summer home in Cape Cod. I knew that his parents and both of his siblings would be there, but had no concept of how many of them, if any, knew of the engagement that had begun only about eight hours beforehand, on the beach in Bimini.

What I had seen simply as a much-needed getaway from Matthew’s rigid summer workout schedule and from my own bustling days as a graphic designer had quickly turned into the official start of a lifetime together, complete with a Bahamian backdrop.

Matthew shook his head. “No, they have no idea,” he informed me as he pressed a kiss to my temple. I nuzzled my head against his bicep and let my eyes flutter closed, partially in bliss and partially because Matthew and I had gotten maybe two hours of sleep total since the moment he proposed, what with all the celebrating the two of us had done in our hotel room.

I was suddenly so anxious to share our news with our loved ones, starting with Matthew’s family. I smiled at the thought of rehashing the story for any and all who wanted to hear it.

_____

“Matty...” I whispered, tears swiftly filling my eyes and an enormous lump sneaking into my throat.

Matthew had suggested a walk on the beach following our final dinner at the Bimini resort, where we had we spent the evening holding hands over a candlelit table on a private balcony of one of the resort’s fabulous restaurants. After we finished our seafood dinner entrees, he had fed me my half of a delectable piece of chocolate cake as we laughed together behind glasses of red wine.

Little did I know that the sweetest treat was about to come.

Here he was, kneeling in the sand before me, holding a black velvet box, propped open to display the most gorgeous oval-cut diamond ring I’d ever laid eyes on.

“Matty,” I repeated, this time aloud, as I found my voice again. I took a cautious step toward him and wrapped my hands around his outstretched wrist.

“Taylor... baby?” Matthew prompted, his voice strained, shaky. I suddenly realized that the man in front of me had just poured out his soul to me — promising forever, promising a home together, promising a shared legacy of love, joy, and children. And I had yet to give him the answer he was seeking, or any answer at all. His question hung in the ocean air — time stood still.

“Yes! Oh, yes, Matty, yes! Of course!” I choked out, both of us suddenly overcome with nervous and relieved giggles. He sprung to his feet to kiss me, taking my face in his hands and giving me a firm, lingering kiss.

“Can I put the ring on you now?” Matthew asked when he finally pried his lips away from mine. It was then that reality hit and the tears started to flow.

“Yes! Yes, baby.” I held out a shaking left hand to him, which he stroked with his thumb and kissed sweetly before pulling the ring from the box and slipping it onto my finger.

“Oh, my god, it fits perfectly! It’s so beautiful, Matthew!” I exclaimed, gasping at how truly remarkable it looked on my hand. I had imagined what this moment would be like for so many years, ever since I was a young girl with blue glasses in Mrs. Kingsley’s first grade class at McKinley Elementary, watching Matthew play tag from across the playground. The gravity of this moment overwhelmed me and exceeded my every long-held expectation.

The tears continued as I held my hand up to Matthew, showing off my newest accessory. He grinned widely.

“Stay right there, baby,” he instructed, fumbling for his phone in his shorts pocket. “I wanna remember this.” He eventually retrieved the device from his pocket and snapped a quick photo of the momentous occasion before putting his phone away once more. He pulled me in close, our chests flush against each other, hearts racing, and we shared dozens more kisses and laughs there on the shore, both realizing that our forever started tonight.

_____

“Are you happy?” Matthew whispered. My eyes opened and I turned my face up toward his.

“Am I happy?” I asked with an incredulous scoff. “Baby, I’m the happiest,” I reassured. “You make me the happiest.” I sat up further in my plane seat and kissed his cheek, and he smiled down lazily at me. “Good. That’s all that matters to me,” he said.

“Are you happy?” I countered.

He waited a beat, looking deeply into my hazel eyes. “The happiest. The luckiest,” he whispered, stroking my chin with his thumb. I kissed the digit as we stared at each other in content, peaceful silence.

_____

An hour later, our flight landed at Boston Logan Airport. Matthew picked up our suitcases from baggage claim, and we were off to join the Tkachuks at the Cape.

I placed my aviators on my nose as I walked through the automatic doors at the airport’s exit, my newly dubbed fiancé just a step behind me.

“Where’s the car?” I asked over my shoulder, knowing that Matt had arranged for his usual car service to pick us up and haul us to the vacation home.

“Oh, uh... right there.” Matthew threw his head casually in the direction of a black stretch limousine further down the pickup lane. My jaw went slack.

“Matty...” I whispered, peering at him over my sunglasses. “You never get a limo!” He threw his head back in an easy laugh. “Well, I never get engaged, either! Until now,” he remarked. He kissed my cheek and patted my ass lightly with the closed hand that also held his duffle.

“Now, come on, my bride-to-be,” he encouraged. “We’ve got places to be.” I shook my head in disbelief as he sauntered toward the limousine.

_____

Just over an hour later, Matthew and I were pulling into the driveway of the beautiful summer home his family had owned for years. My heart flooded with anticipation. I could not wait for us both to go bounding into the house with our big announcement and be surrounded by loved ones.

“Should I wear my ring? Or should I try and hide it somehow?” I asked quickly, turning toward Matthew as I finished applying some lip gloss, the last step of freshening up my appearance after a long flight.

“You can do whatever you wanna do, babe,” he said, leaning forward and insisting on kissing my freshly-glossed pout. He licked his lips immediately and moaned. “Mmm, peppermint,” he said in a low voice. I chuckled and placed a hand against his cheek, knowing we were sure to celebrate the occasion alone many more times throughout tonight, hopefully after some rest.

“I’m just gonna wear it,” I told him. A grin spread wide across my face as I added, “I’m not gonna be able to keep the news in for long anyway.” Matthew smiled brightly. “Me either, T. Me either,” he told me, kissing my left hand as he had countless times already.

I drew a deep breath and smoothed my fingers over the fabric of my white sundress as the car pulled to a stop in the circular drive in front of the house. It was only when I looked out the window that I noticed all the cars parked alongside the perimeter that I had apparently been too busy to see while primping.

“Matty... what are all of these cars doing here? Who’s here?” I asked softly, frozen, eyes wide. Matthew’s smirk overtook one side of his face.

“Why don’t you go see, babe?” he prompted. I opened my mouth and closed it again, unsure of what to do, or say, or even think.

“Okay,” I finally whispered, taking the hand he had offered me as we moved out of our seats, leaving our belongings behind.

Hand in hand, we walked into the breezeway and through the side door of the house. It was... empty?

I looked up at Matthew, about to ask again why there were so many vehicles in the drive, when a familiar voice called out to us from the back porch.

“Out here!” Chantal...

Matthew was now openly beaming at me, ornery chuckles racking his chest as he gently guided my rigid form to the back sliding glass door. One glance outside stole my breath.

All of his family, all of my family, and dozens of our friends and his teammates stood together in the yard, crowded around tables decked in white, with bundles of silver and white balloons tied together with gold tulle scattered across the lawn. Among the balloon bunches were giant helium-filled diamond rings, and a banner reading “Congratulations, Matthew and Taylor!” was draped across the front of the cabana by the pool.

From where I stood just inside the door, I saw all four of the Tkachuks, my parents, my brother Sean, and my sister Erin huddled together on the deck, the other guests in the yard below starting to cheer as Matthew tenderly pulled me outside. “Come on, babe,” he coaxed with a smile. “There are some people here to see you.”

Tears stung my eyes as I finally stepped outside, clutching Matthew’s hand tightly, fully relying on him to support me and hold me up, both physically and emotionally, just as he always had.

My mom stepped forward from the group first, cupping my face in her hands, tears falling freely onto our cheeks.

“Mommy... you knew!” I said breathlessly. My dad came toward me next, eyes damp, kissing the top of my head. “You all knew!” I exclaimed, loudly enough that many of our other guests several yards away started laughing.

“We knew, sweetheart. Your wonderful fiancé has had all of this planned for quite some time!” my mother explained, pulling away from a tight hug.

“I can’t believe you came all the way from St. Louis!” I told my parents. With a squeeze of my hand, my dad said, “Of course we did. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I threw my arms around them once more, then turned to Keith and Chantal, the sight of them causing me to cry harder.

“Oh, honey! Don’t cry! We’re so happy for you guys,” Keith told me, pulling me close for a hug and kiss on the cheek, his chest vibrating with laughter, as Chantal put her arms around both of us. “So happy, Taylor,” she said, her voice tight as tears escaped her.

Matthew came toward us, having already been greeted warmly by his parents and siblings, and rubbed my back soothingly, his siblings in tow. “I would say welcome to the family, but you’ve already been part of the family for years now, so congratulations, T!” Brady mused, ducking past his brother to wrap me in a suffocating hug, lifting me slightly off the ground.

“Don’t break my sister!” Taryn warned, swiping under her damp eyes. The three of us laughed together, Brady slinging an arm around my shoulder while Taryn enveloped me warmly, sobs shuddering our shoulders. “You’re marrying my stupid brother! What the hell,” she laughed. I pulled back and looked at her with a giddy chuckle. “What the hell!” I echoed emphatically.

Matthew laughed along as he pulled away from hugging both my siblings, who then stepped forward to greet me, Erin squealing as the three of us jumped up and down a few times, arms circling one another. Matthew put his arms around my waist after Erin and Sean each hugged me and kissed my face, rushed words of congratulations and disbelief flying from their lips, as if they’d been holding them in for ages. I leaned back against Matthew’s chest for a moment before turning in his grasp.

“They all knew,” I said in awe. “Everybody knew!” Matthew nodded, carefully swiping his thumb under my eyes so as not to completely wreck my makeup. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to tell them yourself, but I just wanted everyone to be here with us to celebrate,” he said.

“Matty, don’t you dare apologize! The last twelve hours have made me so goddamn happy — I can’t even explain it,” I told him, gripping his white button-down at his waistline as I kissed him firmly, his insistence about the two of us wearing similar outfits for the flight home finally making sense.

“Me too, Taylor. Honestly. I just wanna spend the rest of my days making you as happy as I possibly can,” he told me, his blue eyes sparkling from a few happy tears.

I could not believe that my strong, stubborn, sassy fiancé was crying again for the second time in less than one full day. I kissed the tip of his nose and tucked some of his hair behind his ear.

“You are just full of surprises, Matthew Tkachuk,” I told him, slinging my arms around his neck.

He angled his face closer, stopping just short of pressing his lips on mine.

“You sure you’re ready for a lifetime of me, future Mrs. Tkachuk?” he asked. My heart soared. He guided my hips to sway back and forth gently, the sort of natural, comfortable, everyday dance I was fully prepared to enjoy for the rest of time.

“Hell yeah,” I mumbled against his lips, joyful tears springing to my eyes once more, as our mouths finally met.

[woah-were-halfway-there]

The Sweetest of Them All

A/N: just another little bonus part of the AFTR universe that I came up with out of nowhere. Also, I left this as third person instead of second. Enjoy!

Word Count: 3.2k

Y/N has never been a big fan of Valentine's Day.

To her, it was overrated and expensive. But, she'd be lying if she said she didn't love the fact that it gave an extra reason to love on Auston a ridiculous amount. Sure, she did that every day, but to be fair, she loved how the title of Valentine's Day added a bit more fun and excitement to something she'd normally do any other day. It felt different for some reason, so even though she didn't love the so-called holiday, she still tried to plan something special for it every year.

Admittedly, she and Auston almost got competitive about it with trying to one-up the other with affection. They didn't care about gifts. They cared about the time they spent together and the thoughtfulness behind it.

Usually, it was Y/N that came up with something ridiculously sweet for Valentine's Day to do for Auston. However, this year, he had her beat.

For some odd reason, Y/N woke up very early that day. Maybe it was the baby waking her, or perhaps it was her internal clock saying sleep was no longer necessary. But, regardless, she was awake much earlier than usual. She also knew Mia wasn't awake or else she would've heard her, so she took that time to lie back in bed and relax for a few minutes on her own.

The bed felt incredibly empty, given that Auston was with the Leafs in Washington and wasn't expected to be back in Toronto until late that night. Frank was a good cuddle buddy alternative, but sometimes the Goldendoodle just wasn't enough when Y/N was missing her man. Of course, this was one of the days when she missed him a lot, so she took that as an excuse to text Auston and at least get this so-called holiday kicked off.

Y/N Happy Valentine's Day, Aus 🥰 can't wait to see you tonight

She wasn't expecting him to message back right away, seeing as it was only 7:30 in the morning, but much to her surprise, he did.

Auston Happy Valentine's Day, babe 💕 Can't wait to see you either. Did the flowers for Mia get delivered?

Y/N Yes, they got here last night. They're beautiful. I set them on the kitchen counter, so once she's awake and we go downstairs, she'll see her little V-Day gift from you

Auston Perfect. I got part of your Valentine's thing with me right now too. Ready for it?

Y/N Is it going to make me cry?

Auston Probably

Y/N Great. Hit me with your best shot

She stared at her phone screen for a moment, expecting it to light up with the notification of an incoming FaceTime call from her husband or a picture, but instead, he sent her a link. But not just any link, it was the link to the video recording of a new Spittin' Chiclets podcast episode that was over an hour-long called 'Love Day: Part One.'

Confused, but also insanely curious, Y/N then leaned over to grab her laptop from the bedside table and got into the most comfortable position her growing baby bump would allow so she could watch the video like that. As soon as she was about to press play, her phone buzzed with another text.

Auston This was filmed a couple of weeks ago when the Chiclets guys were in Toronto. They interviewed at least 10 different guys in the league at different times, and they're kind of long, which is why there's more than one part. Just watch the intro, then I'm the first interview. Mitch is on part 2 if you want to watch that as well, but yeah... call me when you're done 💕

Still unsure of how to process what was going on, Y/N just shook her head and followed the link.

The video started with Biz, Whit and Rear sat all-around a table, each wearing a different red, white or pink shirt with heart-shaped balloons positioned behind them. Empty bottles of Pink Whitney sat on the table, acting as vases for bouquets of roses, making Y/N roll her eyes and chuckle at how far these guys would go for good product placement. But, she kept watching, and unsurprisingly, Biz was the first to speak.

Biz: "For Valentines Day this year, we wanted to do something different. Something more soft. So, we're going to tell, well, I guess, show some love stories."

Whit: "Bet you all didn't know that some of the greatest love stories to ever be told have happened to some of the guys that play in the NHL. Don't believe me? Guess you'll have to listen to find out what they are."

Rear: "We asked some players to come in and talk to us about their relationship stories and give as many details as they were willing to give. And let me tell you, they were great. To start us off, we have Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs telling us his fairytale romance."

The video then clipped to a shot of Biz sitting next to Auston in what Y/N assumed was the hotel downtown that the Chiclets guys were staying at. Auston wasn't dressed extravagantly or anything, just wore a grey hoodie, black pants, and his signature Raiders snapback.

Y/N immediately recognized his outfit. She remembered Auston coming home in those same clothes early one afternoon after he did some running around downtown with Mia, and started thinking of how not once did he mention doing anything for the podcast. He kept this very on the down low, and Y/N was excited to see how it would all play out.

Biz: "Alright, with us today, we have none other than the Leafs number 34, Auston Matthews. Welcome back to the show, Auston. How ya doin?"

Auston: "I'm great. Thanks for having me. How are you guys?"

Whit and Rear: "Good."

Biz: "Great, real good. Now, Auston, you know what you're here to talk about, right?"

Auston: (chuckling) "You're acting like you didn't spend the last week blowing up my phone until I agreed to do this."

Biz: "Amazing! You do know. So, here's how it's all going to go down. We've got a list of questions about your relationship with your significant other. Your obvious better half. And are going to take turns asking them so the people listening at home can get a bit of insight on your, and I quote, iconic love story. Why don't you give us a little summary of your relationship before we dive in?"

Auston: (hesitantly) "Sure, okay. So, my wife Y/N and I have been married for almost two years now. Our anniversary is at the end of July. She accidentally forgot it last year, which I haven't let her live down. Y/N, babe, this is your six month in advance warning that our anniversary is indeed coming up again this year… She's going to hate that I mentioned that. We, uh, we've been together since my first season in Toronto, so for a pretty long time now, and it's been amazing. We have a daughter, Amelia, but everyone just calls her Mia unless she's in trouble. She just turned two on January 25th, and we have our second baby on the way. They're due to be making their grand appearance in late June. We also have our firstborn, Frank, the Goldendoodle. Can't forget about him. But, yeah, that's my little family."

Whit: (nodding along with Biz and Rear) "Fair enough. Now, how and when did you and Y/N meet exactly?"

Auston: "We met on the night of my first NHL game back in 2016. She was at that game."

Biz: "Oh, yeah? Was she there for a reason?"

Auston gave him an unimpressed look.

Biz: "What?"

Auston: "You know why she was there!"

Biz: (shrugging) "Our listeners don't. C'mon, refresh my memory. Was she there to cheer someone else on?"

Auston: (shaking his head) "Yeah. She, uh, she's a cousin of one of my teammates, so she was there with their family to watch him during our first game."

Biz: (grinning widely) "What teammate?"

Auston: "The one out in the hallway keeping my daughter occupied while you keep being annoying and asking me questions you already know the answer to."

Everyone laughed at that, including Y/N, as she shifted onto her side, being mindful of her growing bump that seemingly became more noticeable each day, and got comfortable as she braced herself for what the rest of this interview would entail.

Biz: (still laughing): "Just to clarify for everyone who still doesn't know, he's talking about Mitch Marner."

Auston: "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

Rear: "I take it that Mitch and Mia get along really well? I haven't heard a peep from her since you came in here."

Auston: "Oh, she loves him. Yeah, that's her Mitchy, alright. Him and Steph, who you will hear all about once Mitch comes in here, are Mia's godparents and some of her favourite people."

Whit: "That's awesome. And how was that at first, though, being romantically involved with one of your teammates' family members? Sounds like grounds for some chaos, if I'm honest."

Auston: "It sure made meeting the family a bit more nerve-wracking. I'm just kidding. No, it was fine. It was definitely a little awkward at first trying to figure out how I was going to tell Mitch that I wanted to date his cousin. Like, he and Y/N are very close. Always have been. And the last thing both me and Y/N wanted was for Mitch to be uncomfortable. He did handle it really well, though. It's because of him I was even able to get to know her in the first place, which I'll never be able to thank him enough for."

Rear: "Now, you're a pretty private guy. You post the odd picture of your little family from time to time. Y/N is rather private, as well. So, really, no one knows your guys' story other than those who have lived it with you or watched it unfold. I'm sure many people will jump right on the chance to listen to this, seeing as you and Y/N are one of the most beloved couples in the NHL. But, what exactly made you want to come on here, give a bit of insight into your private life, and talk about it all?"

Auston: "Well, for one, Biz would not stop asking me to do it. Literally kept calling and texting me for days until I finally agreed."

Whit: "Shocker."

Biz: "Hey, now."

Auston: (chuckling) "That and also I figured, why not. I love my wife, and I love our little story. It's nice to think back on everything that's happened and see how it all got us to where we are now. With all the ups and the downs, its uh, it's been an amazing ride for sure, and I wouldn't change it for a thing. Also, it's for Valentine's Day. I haven't told her I'm doing this, so when you guys drop the episode, I'm just going to send it to her without much context."

Whit: "Do you think she'll cry?"

Auston: "Absolutely. I know this kind of thing would make her tear up regularly, but those pregnancy hormones have got her bad. Without a doubt, she's going to call me crying once she's done watching this."

Y/N scoffed as he said that and grabbed some tissues to wipe away the waterworks she already felt coming on.

Biz: "I've met Y/N many times now. The first time being back in what, 2018?"

The screen then showed an old picture of Biz sitting in a restaurant with his arm wrapped around Y/N's shoulders, both smiling widely as they held up their drinks, with Auston seemingly moping off to the side a little bit. Y/N chuckled at the image, instantly thinking back to the day she first met Paul Bissonnette and how wild it was before the photo faded away and showed the guys again.

Biz: "Yeah, it was when she was in Scottsdale visiting you during the summer. Great girl, completely out of Auston's league."

Auston: "Hey!"

Biz: "I'll never forget you sassing her when she commented on how hot Arizona was, with her being Canadian and all, but damn she was fast putting you in your place by calling you a, what was it?"

Auston: (grumbling) "Desert Boy."

Everyone burst out laughing again, except Auston, who just rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically.

Auston: "Whatever. She sasses me all the time when I complain about the snow, but the one time I do it back, I get called a Desert Boy and can never live it down."

Biz: (still laughing) "Ugh, amazing. Okay, moving on because we don't have much time and can probably fit in like two more questions. So, Auston, tell us how you knew that Y/N was the end game for you. How did you know that she was the one?"

Auston: "Oh, man. I don't even know how to explain it. Growing up, you see all these movies and shows, or read books where people always find someone who is their soulmate. Their perfect match. And I never knew what the feeling of finding that person was because I had never experienced it. My mom would tell me that when I did find that person, I'd know. That it'll be such an intense feeling, and to be honest, I didn't believe her. Until I met Y/N, I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. The first time I met her, something drew me in, and I knew I wanted to get to know her better right away. Mitch spoke so highly of her, so did the other guys on the team that had already met her and over the first couple of months of us knowing each other, I saw what they meant. She quickly became one of my best friends ever. When we started dating, I saw more of how good a person she is, which attracted me even more. She is so selfless and caring for everyone around her; it truly blows my mind. I had never seen my family welcome a girl I introduced them to as quickly as they did her, and I trust their judgment the most. But even if they didn't do that, I know they would have accepted her regardless because, honestly, I probably seemed like a lovesick idiot. I still do. Y/N became this significant light in my life that I knew I wanted to be there forever. I began thinking about what it'd be like spending the rest of my life with her. Then it became something that I knew I needed. I can't imagine my life without her, and I never want to. She makes me so happy and has given me more than I could ever thank her for. I'll never understand how I, of all people, was the one to capture her massive heart, but I do know how lucky I am."

As he spoke, the screen showed a little picture slideshow of Y/N and Auston over the years of their relationship. It started with one that Ema took the first time Y/N had ever gone to Scottsdale. Y/N was sitting on the edge of a pool, and her legs dipped into the water. Auston stood between them as he wrapped his arms around her middle and leaned against her while looking over at where Ema stood taking the picture. The next one was from a Christmas party where the two were under a mistletoe as Auston leaned Y/N back and was kissing her cheek as she laughed and held onto him for dear life. There was a picture of them with Auston's family, one of them with Mitch and Steph, and another of Auston with his arms around Nate and Mya, Y/N's younger brother and sister, as the three smiled at the camera and Y/N was in the background looking confused.

The last few pictures were a bit more recent. They showed Y/N holding Frank as a puppy, a maternity photo of her and Auston posing when she was pregnant with Mia, and one of them on their wedding day with Mia and the rest of the gang. Then, the slideshow concluded with a very recent picture of them taken just a couple of weeks prior at Mia's birthday party, where Auston has his arms wrapped around Y/N from the back, showcasing her growing belly. At the same time, she leaned against him and glanced over her shoulder at him lovingly. The photos then went away and showed the guys again as Auston finished speaking.

Auston was right. Y/N was full-on bawling by that point.

All the guys were smiling as Auston finished saying his thing, but were soon interrupted by a knocking noise followed by a door opening.

Mitch: (offscreen) "Wait, no! Don't let her in!"

Mia: (also offscreen) "Daddy!"

Mia then came into the frame as she ran towards Auston, not caring about what was going on or who was there. Auston was quick reacting as he smiled widely and scooped Mia right up into his arms, making sure to place multiple kisses on her cheek as she giggled and squirmed in his hold, while Mitch became visible too and shrugged.

Auston: "Hi, mini. I missed you. Did you have fun with Mitchy?"

Mia: "Yeah! Where's mommy, daddy?"

Auston: "She's at home, baby girl. I'm almost done, then we can go get a Timbit while we wait for Mitch to be done. Sounds good?"

Mia: (knuckling at her eyes, tiredly) "Mhmm."

Rear: "This is adorable."

Biz: "Hi, Mia."

Mia: (shyly while hiding against Auston's chest a bit) "Hi, Biz."

Whit: (laughing) "Okay, I think we've kept you long enough now, Auston. Is there anything else you and Mia would like to say to Y/N?"

Auston: "Yes. Happy Valentine's Day, babe. I love you so much, and I'm sorry I'm not there right now. You're going to hear a lot more from me on actual Valentine's Day, but for right now, I think that's just about it. Mia, can you blow a kiss to the camera so mommy can see it and say 'happy Love Day!'"

Mia: (blows the kiss) "Happy Love Day, mommy!"

Auston: "Can you tell her that you love her?"

Mia: "Love you!"

Auston and Mia then waved to the camera and said bye as the clip faded out, and a new interview of another NHLer began playing.

Y/N's heart felt so full. She couldn't stop crying over how much she loved her family and how badly she needed to hear something like that. Life had been particularly hard on her as of late and seemed to keep throwing her curveballs, but this, this was exactly what she needed. To be reminded of how loved she is and that she genuinely is never alone.

She then grabbed her phone to call Auston and remind him of how much she loved him, that day and every day. The two talked for a few minutes before Y/N was pretty sure she could hear Mia waking up. After saying their goodbyes, Y/N found herself thinking about how, regardless of how she feels about the actual day, this was a Valentine's Day she will never forget.

[kimmiplayssims]

1st Sims Dump!

A bunch of my peers have been showing interest in downloading my sims, so I decided to compile my favorite sims of 2020 (and some oldies) and make a CC list! 

Alongside that, I’ve uploaded all of these to the gallery. 

Please keep in mind that some of the CC I used in these sims were retired by the creators, but I kept on using them because I have attachment issues lmao.

Packs Used: All of Them (wasn’t planning to share haha)

Skintones & Skin Details

Cumulus Skin Tones by @disorganaized 

The Other Side Skin Tones by @peacemaker-ic

Folie à Deux Skinblend by @simlishsweetie 

Essencials Skinblend by @simbience 

Torrada Body Blush by @simandy

Kijiko 3D Eyelashes Versions 1 and 2 by Kijiko 

Vitiligo Beauty by peachtrees

Eyes:

Clarity Eyes by @noodlescc

Heavily Feautured CC 

AxA 2019 Collection by @aharris00britney and @ayoshi

ADA Simblereen Collection by aharris00britney, ayoshi and Dogsill

Male CC Clothers Pack 2020 by liliili-sims (now deactivated)

Carhatt Collection by @nucrests and @simgguk

Heart & Seoul Collection by nucrests and simgguk

Hoodie & Denim by nucrests

Taurus Jeans Collection by nucrests

Summer Florals Collection by @qicc (quirkyintrovert)

Golden Days by @clumsyalienn

Chiclete Pack by @isjao and simandy

Retired Facial Hair by @simstrouble

Mask by @cherry-sims

Hairstyles

1. EP09 Eco Lifestyle 

2. Sailor Space Buns and Bad Gal Braids by @savvysweet

3. Ashes V2 by simandy

4. Jack Hair by @isjao

5. Phantasm by simandy

6. Connor Hair by @kotkatmeow

7. Dante Hair by aharris00britney and ayoshi 

8. Brodie Hair by qicc

Download the tray files HERE

Or in the Gallery! ID: hoondere

[maisondenachtai]

Boss. (Y’lan Noel x Reader)

Pairing: Boss!Y’lan x Reader Summary: Tensions flare when there’s a change of command.

Author’s Note: Thanks for reading and make sure to do my taglist survey so I can add you to the gang! I added Trevante and Y’lan to my list. Join The Taglist Here!

(if you have already filled it out once and don’t want to fill it out again, just im me! i’ll update the spreadsheet myself!)

               You hated him. Sitting over there, across the way from you being…kind and considerate, thinking of others in the room, listening to ideas and taking them down as if he really cared. Smiling.

What kind of boss smiled like that?

“And I just want to know what has been working here and what hasn’t. Uh, I’m not familiar with Fashion but I ran Esquire well for 5 years and when Jimmy told me that Black Style was not doing good, I jumped at the chance to right the ship. My mother, may she rest in peace, loved Black Style Magazine.” He placed an open palm on his chest, right where there was a sliver of dark skin peeking out of his white Cuban collar shirt. You tried hard not to roll your eyes too hard at his ploy at gaining sympathy.

“Aww.”

You sighed inwardly, of course your idiot co-workers would eat it up.

“Mrs. Y/Ln.” He placed his eyes on you, sitting forward in his chair steepling his hands. “You worked close with the old editor. Is there anything that you ever wanted to do or something that she did that maybe you didn’t agree with?”

You sat forward recognizing his posture and question for what it was, a power play. “Mr. Noel. I hope I am not out of line when I say that I have great respect for Courtney Barnes, the old editor you speak of, and while everything she may have done for the magazine might not have been the best, I am not in the mood to speak Ill of a former colleague and friend.” You placed your hands on the table, and kept your posture open, face trained into non-chalaunce.

Y’Lan Noel made a small noise, almost like a laugh and sat up nodding. He smiled, all of his pretty white teeth, straight and aligned like chiclets but in the best way. He was still nodding when he stood up going to the board where he had written out words like ‘modern, style, beauty, timeless’ and picked up the marker.

               It was disconcerting how silent it was when he wrote out the word loyalty in big red letters and then placed his hands in his relaxed trousers, and stared at the word. You didn’t bother looking at your colleagues that were giving you the look that said that you probably needed to pack up your desk. You adjusted in your chair, switching your legs over just to cross them again and watched him.

“Loyalty. I’ve always liked that word.” He started, quietly. “Loyalty is a great trait to have. Our readers are loyal to us, and we have to be loyal to our readers. I understand that many of you were and still are loyal to Courtney, and I understand why. She’s a great woman, she actually gave me one of my first starts. I am not asking you to lose your fidelity to her, only allow me to earn your trust and loyalty as well.” He turned and with an open posture, his hands out of his pockets, giving a sweeping look to everyone in the room. “I want Black Style to be everything it has been and more, and with your help we can do this.”

The room was silent for a moment, and then one person clapped, and then another, and soon you all were up on your feet, you giving him a silent golf clap while keeping your face neutral.

               “Thank you so much for coming.” Y’lan commented over and over as people being filing out of the conference room, you were one of the last people to have to pass him.

“Oh, Ms. YLN, please stay and chat with me, I just have a few things to discuss with you.” He was smiling but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. You adjusted your shoulder bag, awkwardly hanging back as the last few people filed out, trying hard not to look at you.

When everyone was gone, he closed the door and pressed a button on the wall that made the glass frosted, which made you more antsy. He left you standing near the door, moving to the table where there were waters and assorted snacks sitting out.

“Water? Fruit snacks?” He said, picking up a cookie with a napkin and placing it on a small white plate.

“Uh, no. I’m okay.” It was funny. Any and all bass that might have been in your voice earlier was gone, what was left was your normal voice, quietened by confusion and slight paranoia.

“Sure? I know the meeting ran long. I’m giving you all an extra 30 for lunch.” He turned around and leaned against the buffet table. He grinned and bit into his cookie, “Sit. This won’t take long.”

You pulled out a chair on the other side of the table, putting a whole table and a row of chairs between you. “What’s this about?”

He put the plate down and brushed off his hands. “This is about me and you.”

You sat back in your chair looking at him with even more confusion. You and him, there wasn’t any you and him. You didn’t even know the man past what his email was and how he liked to be called Y’lan. “What are you talking about?”

He stood up from his position on the buffet table and crossed over slowly to the table, sitting down in front of you. He kept your eye contact when he said, “You don’t like me do you?”

Your eyes were burning with trying not to blink, “That’s not a fair question. I don’t know you.”

He smiled and placed his mouth in the crook of his index finger and thumb, “Usually a person can tell in the first 5 minutes of meeting someone whether or not they would want to be around them, romantically, sexually, or professionally. What did you think about me?”

You tapped your fingers on the table, looking at him for a moment and wondering if being honest would lose you your job. “Can I speak candidly?”

He sat back, grinning. “Of course.”

You sighed leaning forward a little, “I thought you were a man who got the job because you were a man, not because you were qualified. Courtney had been grooming me for the job since she announced that she was retiring and you walk in with your nice flowery words, handsome face, and beautiful smile and now your editor in chief and I’m still just a stupid Head of.” Your words had become fast at the end and now you were panting, a little angry at yourself for spilling so much of your feelings to your new boss.

Y’lan looked taken back, but he quickly masked any surprise with a nod and a smile, “To be honest, I figured they would give the job to you too.”

You sighed, feeling a little calmer at his admission and acceptance of your angry rant. “Well –

“But, let’s get facts straight Mrs. YLN, I am qualified. Esquire has been the number 1 selling men’s magazine for the 5 years I have been running it. And while I’m not well versed in women’s magazines, I know at the bottom line this business is about selling.”

“It’s not just about selling, yeah that’s a big part of it, but it’s also about giving a quality magazine and making sure we don’t alienate our readers with huge changes.”

Y’lan leaned forward, eyes impassioned. “Okay, like what?”

“Like- “You stopped yourself sitting back in your chair, folding your arms. “You’re the editor, you figure it out.”

               Y’lan sighed then, raking those thick fingers over his face as if this conversation was stressing him out. You smirked to yourself, happy that he was seeing that you weren’t going to fall in line.

“Mrs. Y/LN, I don’t want there to be a struggle between you and –“

“Well I want your job.” You admitted, your hands on the table now, folded together with a victorious smile on your face. “So obviously we don’t always get what we want.”

Y’lan stood up then, leaning forward across the table, one finger pressing down on the wood. It made you focus on him, and really focus on what your body had already noticed moments earlier. Y’lan was uncomfortably sexy. You gulped as you noticed the vein in his neck ticking, noticing his adam apple bob in the silence of your stare off.

“…So take it.” He finally said, quietly, eyes not leaving yours.

“Excuse me?” You sat up, uncomfortable with what had come to your mind when he said that. You shouldn’t be thinking of your boss that way.

“1 Month, we’ll do two issues. Your way and my way. If the higher ups like your magazine, I’ll resign and recommend you for my job. If the higher ups like my magazine, you submit to me and respect me as your boss.”

You gulped at the word submit, something in the way he said it with a glance down your body before finding your eyes again made you tremble. “…Fine.”

“Deal then?” He raised his hands, across the table. He smiled.

You gripped it, shaking hard meeting his eyes with a determined stare.

“Deal.”

(Hey! Yes, this is going to be two or three parts. Yes, I know but I’ve been sitting on this for a while and I want to write outside of who I’ve been writing for.)

taglist: @chaneajoyyy  @wawakanda-btch  @blackmissfrizzle @quietpoeticheart  @bigsisbria​ 

[hockeynoobs]

the s l a n g

alright, hockey is a whole language in itself. there's a weird accent to it, and the slang words go on forever. i'm gonna leave the most popular with their definitions here, and use them sparingly. please.

apple: an assist.

bar down: when a shot hits the crossbar and goes in the net.

barn: rink or arena.

bender: someone who's ankles basically touch the ice when they skate. they never tie their skates tight enough, and probably have a roller bag. no talent, most likely the coaches son.

bottle rocket: when a goal breaks the goalie's water bottle, which sits on top of the net. the opposing team will probably maul whoever got the shot.

biscuit: the puck.

beauty: the team's probably most loved player. they're talented, they've got a great personality, and their flow is immaculate.

celly: celebrating a goal. looks stupid most of the time, but they're iconic to each play. can be as little as punching the air, or as much as slamming yourself into the glass.

chirp: trash talking. absolutely roasting the other team.

chiclets: teeth, or lack thereof.

clapper/slapper: a slapshot.

deke: a decoy

dangle: when a player is a deke by doing fakes to trip up the goalie or opponent. also can be used to describe stickhandling.

dirty/filthy: used to describe a very good deke. 10/10.

duster: the mf that collects dust on the bench. never is on the ice because they just really suck.

egg: when the game ends 0-0

flow: long hair. please take care of it. please. y'all got major greasy/crusty flow and it's disgusting.

lettuce: hair. probably my least favorite slang word. just stupid.

light the lamp: scoring a goal. the red light will start shining, hence the name

sin-bin: the penalty box. my favorite. cracks me up every time i hear it. who makes this shit?

sweater: your jersey. a lot of people pronounce it as "sweatah" because hockey players+new england.

top shelf: between the goalie's shoulders and crossbar.

twig: a stick.

[puckinghell]

Matthews on Spittin Chiclets spending 10 minutes talking about Willy being beautiful and stylish and also ripped/jacked/huge?? Nobody asked Matts but go the fuck off I guess??

[rangers2076]

Drop the list 👀👀👀👀👀

So the OG, my pretty boy, and my forever love is Brady Skjei. I’ll be forever bitter that the Rangers traded him. I’ll always love him and support him no matter what team he is playing for though. I started liking him when he started playing for the Rangers cause I saw him and was like he’s hot I love him. My family is full of Rangers fans and I’ve been a fan my whole life but never watched it consistently until October 2018, when the Rangers posted this video of dumb and dumber and I remember sending it to a good friend at the time and saying “I love Brady Skjei”. The rest is history

Chris kreider was the second hockey player I turned into an absolute simp for. I always remembered him and Lundqvist when I was younger and guys would be like “oh you like the Rangers? Who’s your favorite player?” The blood clot thing terrified me even though I didn’t watch the Rangers religiously and barely knew him when it happened. He was an egg at the time I fell in love with him, but this video sealed the deal for me

Kevin Hayes was next. This video showed his personality more than ever to me and I saw how funny he was and I’m a sucker for funny guys

Mitch Marner after my dad showed me this

I was never into the man, the myth, the legend: Jimmy Vesey until I read a fantastic story about him. Sadly the person who wrote it deactivated so I cannot give them props. Ever since then I’ve loved him and I’m still sad he got traded because now I never hear anything about him. He made a hell of a statement about blm on twitter and Instagram that everyone should checkout. He’s a good dude

I tried hard to resist Tyler Seguin, because I knew he was a slut, but I eventually caved. @psychospeak-blog’s story “Won’t Go Slowly” made me fall even harder for him. He’s now “my favorite hoe”, but idk how much longer I can call him that because he has grown up a lot lately and I gotta love him for it. Respect the dude a ton more now

I had a thing for Alexander Georgiev for a while, due to @numba99 and @beanbennett and because he was playing so good at the end of last season

I had a short appreciation for Jamie Benn during last year’s playoffs. I was rooting for the Stars because of Segs and I just loved how good of a player he was

Andre Burakovsky made his way into my heart last summer and he wormed back in even more in January. Not much explaining to do other than say how beautiful I think he is

Last summer during Worlds I had a thing for Jack Hughes (I’m only a year older than him, I wasn’t being too much of a cougar lol)

The Spittin Chiclets episode with Kirby Dach had me loving him for a little bit

This season I started to appreciate Brett Howden even more

The amazing @bandgirlsclub wrote an awesome story about Tyson Jost that made me start liking him. Also shoutout to @burkymakar for having a great Josty fic that I’m loving too!

Nolan Patrick, TK, and Carter Hart were my “hockey boys of the month” last month. I still think they’re all attractive but the fascination for them all died out kinda quickly

And I saved Mr. Vince Dunn for last. Once again I tried to resist him but @bandgirlsclub and @plasticfilth made me cave into him because of their writing and all of the good things they were starting to say about him. Not to mention all of tumblr is in love with him right now, and I couldn’t go on without seeing him. Followed him on Instagram last week, starting staying up until 2 to watch his streams, and began to thirst along with everyone else on tumblr

Sophie broke me down and I never thought I’d say it but I’m such a simp for Barzy rn it’s not even funny. Try to find a flaw in that man, you cannot. He had a daddy glow up over quarantine and now I’m very very interested so welcome to the list Mathew