#I don't really have anything to celebrate-

[nochd]

I imagine there's variation across Christianity as there is in anything else.

I don't recall my (Evangelical) church using the nouns "heresy" or "heretic", though certainly some theological positions were "heretical", adjective. "Heretical" meant a more sinister kind of Doing Christianity Wrong than mere "cultural Christianity", however; "heretical" was believing wrong things about Jesus, like the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons.

"Cultural Christianity" was part of a broader, less evil range of Doing Christianity Wrong which we called "lukewarm Christianity". Lukewarm Christians might really believe in God and Jesus and everything; they might believe all the right things about God and Jesus; they might even actually have been Saved at some point; but they no longer made God a priority in their lives. But "lukewarm" also included people who didn't believe in the Bible and only went to church at Christmas and Easter and for weddings and funerals. Those people were rumoured to call themselves "cultural Christians".

We tutted and shook our heads. Cultural Christianity wouldn't save you from Hell.

I can't express enough how firmly it was drummed into our heads, at Sunday School and at Christian summer camp and in all the material given to us to take home from both, that imitating Christians doesn't make you a Christian. You had to believe the right things about God and Jesus and the Bible, but that belief, while necessary, was not sufficient; you also had to repent of your sin and make a personal commitment to Jesus in your heart and soul.

And, just to reiterate; in the eternal scheme of things, the only difference between people that really mattered was the difference between Christians and non-Christians. Christians go to Heaven; non-Christians go to Hell.

To leave Christianity and stop believing in God was to fall from Heaven to Hell.

I don't now have a problem with being called a "cultural Christian" -- perhaps ironically precisely because, in my upbringing, it meant someone we didn't consider a Christian at all. I still celebrate Easter and Christmas with my family; I actually find I have more respect for Jesus of Nazareth now I think he was just some guy doing his best who's been lied about than when I thought he was God Almighty; I can quote Bible passages and often get old church songs stuck in my head.

But I can easily see why someone who's being told by their community of origin that they're no longer a Christian and going to Hell, would baulk at then being told by the wider community that they're still too Christian in some sense they can't quite get their head around.

Now I've typed the word "Christian" so many times it's starting to stop meaning anything.

I think maybe the reason the term “culturally Christian” is jarring for some people is that as Jews we come at this from the understanding that there are Jews who are straight up atheist and still do a lot of Jewish culture things, and a lot of the time we don’t use belief as a measuring stick for how Jewish you are because all of us are part of the nation no matter what. Meanwhile, the amount of Christian you are seems to be a function of how much you believe. So to us, describing something as “culturally Christian” doesn’t imply belief. But to them, since Christian culture is the default, the primary way to be Christian is to believe, so if we are calling them in any way Christian, we must be thinking that they believe.

[bapeach]

Accidental love

Another long fic and I'm honestly very proud of it! I don't know anything about torn ACL's or anything so if stuff is wrong, just ignore it. I hope you enjoy! Constructive criticism is always welcome :D Find my masterlist here :) Pairing(s): Paige Bueckers x female!reader  Word count: 9.1k+  Warnings: depression, life-changing accident, cursing, happy ending Summary: After a life-changing accident, Y/N finds peace in her new life, but when Paige Bueckers faces her own injury, their worlds collide. ------------

Paige Bueckers

Of course, it was a name you knew. You’re a student at UConn, so if you didn’t know of her, well, you’d be living under a rock. Paige Bueckers is UConn’s star player. The golden student. The future of women’s basketball. A legend in the making… 

You could go on and on about the things you’ve heard about her. She always seemed to be present in your life in one way or another. A mumble in the hallway as you go to class, an edit on your TikTok fyp, a celebration post on UConn’s Instagram page…

You don’t know the girl personally, having only been in the same room as her a few times when you went and watched some of her games. You’ve heard a lot of good things about her. You respected her grind, the way she gave her all to basketball and was a great team leader. You’ve also heard she’s a sweetheart off the court and always tries to make people comfortable. She’s also really pretty, which you’re sure is a contributing factor to why she’s so loved. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. 

You’d had your own fair share of admirers because of your looks. You’d caught plenty of girls fawning over you as they ogled your muscles, giggling when you sent them a flirty wink. If you were honest, you were quite the player when you first came to university. You’d messed around with a few girls, never really getting into anything too serious. 

You just didn’t have time for relationships. You were too busy studying biomedical engineering while also having a job and hobbies. And boy, did you have hobbies. Ever since you were young, you were a very active kid. Your parents always had to beg you to come inside, only being able to persuade you with promises of weekends at the indoor playground/kid gym.

Growing up, you stayed active. You went for a run every morning and swimming at least once a week. You didn’t join your school’s sports teams because how could you only choose one? You spend every weekend doing a different sport until you run out, only to start over. Basketball, boxing, soccer, baseball, hockey... you did it all. Your all-time favorite, though? Rock climbing.

You think there’s nothing better in this world than rock climbing after a long week. Wind ruffling your hair as the bright sun shines on your back. Climbing as high as you can, your muscles burning as you strain them to their limit, your chest tight as you gasp for breath. But it’s all worth it, because in the end, when you reach the top and have a full view of the horizon? It feels like you’re on top of the world. Like you’re untouchable and all your hopes and dreams are within reach.

The thought of climbing always filled you with warmth and excitement. Even after climbing the same rocks over and over, you still felt in awe every time you made it to the top. Knowing that no matter what, at the end of the day, you could always count on the dusty stones beneath your fingertips always made a smile grow on your face. 

Well. That was before the accident, at least. Now the thought of it makes you feel a dull throb in your chest. 

The last time you went climbing, you’d gone with some fellow enthusiasts. It was a group of strangers you’d met at the indoor climbing hall. Their little club ranged from new climbers to experts, and you’d clicked with them immediately. The guide you went with was a middle-aged man who had over 20 years of experience, so you were excited to maybe learn some new things. He was a really nice guy, happy to see someone your age be so excited about his favorite activity. When you partnered up with him, you didn’t expect anything to go wrong. Daredevils like yourself never really think too much about the consequences of your actions or things that could go wrong, otherwise you’d be too afraid to do half of the things you do. So that day was like no other. At first at least.

When you had reached 3/4ths of the climb, it happened. Even now, 2 years later, you’re not sure what exactly happened. You only know that one moment you were gripping onto the rocky wall and the next you were falling. When you think about it, it all feels like a dream. It didn’t take you long before you hit the ground, but it somehow felt like ages.

You remember how distraught your guide was when you finally woke up in the hospital. You didn’t understand anything he was saying at first. He was crying too hard, stumbling over his words as he kept apologizing. Something about malfunctioning equipment? 

When the doctor walked in, you immediately knew something was very wrong. Your chest filled with an unbearable ache when you saw the sad frown on his face. After that, everything is pretty much a blur. You didn't hear anything after the words “paralyzed” and “never walk again” were spoken. Everything became muffled as your ears started buzzing. You felt your chest tighten, and this time not in a good way. You were drowning on dry land.

The next months were some of the darkest moments of your life. You felt like your world was ending. And it kind of was. Everything you thought you were, gone in a matter of seconds. Bound to a wheelchair for the rest of your life. You shut everyone out at first, but soon realized you couldn’t bear all of this alone. Your family was your greatest support. They were your greatest fans, always celebrating your wins, and now they were here to mourn your greatest losses with you as well. 

You lost quite a lot of friends after the accident. It was hard being friends with your sporty friends when you could only think about how you wished you could join them. Your friendships didn’t all end on a bad note, though. You knew that if anything was wrong, you could still call them, and they’d show up in a heartbeat. 

You also gained a few friendships. Some people you met at therapy, support groups, online forums,... You also found a friend in the guide you were with that day. While you hated him at first, too filled with pain to think clearly, you’d talked to him at a later point. He apologized profusely once more, but you forgave him quickly. It’s not like it was his fault. Besides, it was hard to hate him, the way he looked at you with so much guilt. He had kind but wise eyes, prominent smile lines, and his hair was graying a little, but he was still full of life and filled with passion. You knew this accident would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he didn’t deserve that, so you made sure to stay in touch with him. If only to let him know you were doing well and make sure he was too.

You still often think about the days when you could be wild and free. In the two years since the incident, you’ve changed a lot. You’ve calmed down greatly, becoming a lot more mature and wise. While you used to be the go-to friend for a crazy time, you were now the friend people came to for advice. You missed your younger self, but still felt like she was a part of you. You’d gone through so much, the change was only natural. And honestly? You were proud of the person you’d become. Sure, you weren’t perfect and still had your days when you felt like you couldn’t breathe and like the world was against you. But overall, you were at peace with your life. It’s also not like you’d fully lost your playful self. You still loved teasing your friends, pulling pranks, and causing mischief.

So yeah, while you didn’t know Paige personally, you definitely felt like you knew a lot about her from the media, the people around you, and even some of her friends. You’d met Azzi a year ago when she got injured during a game. She’d been destroyed when she realized she wouldn’t be playing again any time soon. Having to find something new to do, she’d made her way to the library, where she bumped into you. You started talking, and before long you two became pretty good friends. You listened to her situation and told her what you’d been through. 

At first, she’d apologized profusely, feeling bad about how she complained about not being able to play for a few months while you’d never get to do your favorite things ever again. You’d made sure the younger girl knew it was okay, and that you didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t be upset just because you’d also gone through something. You’d spent hours with the girl talking about the adventures you used to go on and how much your life had changed. You made sure to tell her how happy you were despite everything, letting her know that no matter what, she’d be okay. 

While you don’t talk as much as you used to anymore, now that she’s back on the court, you still text each other every so often, smiling as you pass each other on campus. You didn’t blame her for becoming busy, you were excited to see her play with that bright smile on her face. You made sure to cheer her on and text her congratulations on her wins and “You did well” messages when the team lost. The girl appreciates you more than you know. Without you, she wouldn’t be where she is now. She’d learned so much from you.

Somehow, during your whole friendship, you’d never really met the team. Not that you really felt the need to. She had her friends, and you had yours. There was no need to mix up the groups. That being said, you didn’t really think you’d ever meet Paige or become close with her.

You were curious, though. As you wheel out of the library, you hear Paige’s name all around you. Two girls leaning in close as one gasps her name. A group of guys with their mouths dropped open as a video on their phone says the star athlete’s name. A professor walking past with a frown, mumbling, “... yeah, Paige Bueckers…”. 

When you reach your dorm, you open your laptop and search “Paige Bueckers” on Twitter. You immediately feel a pit in your stomach. The first tweet you see is a video with the caption “I’m gonna cry, I feel so bad for her”. You click the video and see why the basketball player was being talked about everywhere. At first, it looks like a normal clip from their most recent game. You see Nika passing the ball to Aaliyah, who passes it to a sprinting Azzi, who finally passes it off to Paige. You blink, and suddenly the blonde is on the floor, clutching her knee as tears stream down her face. You can see the worry and fear on her teammates’ faces, and the distraught but knowing look on Paige’s. A torn ACL. No doubt about it.

For a moment, your own accident flashes in your mind. The weightlessness as you were falling. Waking up and realizing you can’t move. You shake away the thoughts, blinking the haze from your eyes. You grab your phone to text the girl something, anything to make her feel better, but you pause. Right now, the last thing she’ll care about is a stranger texting her she’ll be okay when they probably don’t have any idea what she’s going through. Your thumb hovers over Azzi’s contact, but you end up closing the app. The brunette is probably too busy to talk, being too worried about her best friend. “I’ll talk to her soon,” you think to yourself before going on about your day.

You were right about talking to her soon. Only a week after the latest UConn tragedy, you see her. You were tucked away in your favorite corner of the library, a worn copy of your favorite book lying in your lap. You were surrounded by colorful pens, post-its, stickers, and tabs as you added new scribbles in the margins of the book (don’t worry, you’d gotten your own copy after the first time you read it).

Finishing a tiny doodle on the inside of the cover, you look up and see the younger girl. Beaming that wide smile of hers that could light up a dark room. The type of smile that makes you return the gesture before you even realize what’s happening. When she reaches your table, she greets you happily before looking back. It’s only then that you realize she’s brought company.

There she is. UConn’s basketball miracle in all her glory. Paige Bueckers. 

You look her up and down. She’s wearing her blue UConn tracksuit, her hair is in a bun, and she’s holding two crutches under her arms. Her usually bright blue eyes have become a darker color as a frown is set on her face. She didn’t want to be there, she wanted to be in her room, wallowing in her bed with a pint of ice cream. She doesn’t understand why Azzi felt the need to drag her out of the comfort of her own dorm to go meet some stranger that would give her the same stupid pitying looks she’d been getting from everyone around her. 

“Hey Ace,” you send her a grin before looking back towards the injured girl. “Hey, I’m Y/N,” you nod at her. She only frowns at you until Azzi turns and sends her a pointed look. “Paige,” the blonde sighs. You hide your amused smile, knowing she’d get even more annoyed if she thought you were making fun of her. 

“I figured it was finally time some of my favorite people met!” the brunette beams. When you catch her eye, you have a silent conversation with her. You knew why she was here with Paige. She was hoping you’d be able to help her best friend the way you’d helped her. You can tell by Azzi’s body language that she’s slightly on edge, not sure how you’d react. You send her a reassuring wink as you start talking, “About time! I’ve heard a lot about you, Paige,” you say gently. The girl only hums in response. 

You see Azzi frown for a second before her signature easy smile makes its way back to her face. “I was thinking we could all go for coffee,” she says, looking at you with hope in her eyes. “Sounds good to me!” you grin as you start packing up your stuff. Once you’re done, you glance over at Paige, who is looking around with a bored expression. You’re not offended at her not wanting to spend time with you. You knew what it was like to feel your world crash, and you’d also tried pushing people away. The blonde maybe didn’t want to be around you right now, but you’d make sure she realized that she’d be okay.

You put your bag on your lap before wheeling your way around the table so you could be right beside the basketball players. You see Paige’s eyes widen as she takes you in, only now having realized you were in a wheelchair. You let her observe you for a moment, seeing her emotions swim in her eyes. You could tell she was shocked and a bit embarrassed, but you also saw her frustrations as she clenched her jaw and started frowning again. “So that’s why Azzi wanted me to meet her. Just so she could tell me that whatever I’m going through is nothing compared to what she has to live with,” Paige thinks as she tries not to roll her eyes. 

You simply send her a smile. You don’t mind the anger that seems to radiate off of the girl. You know she’ll probably say and do stuff she doesn’t mean in rage, and you don’t mind being the person all that fury is aimed at. You know that at the end of the day, she won’t mean any of it, and you’d rather she tries to hurt your feelings than her sunshine best friend.

“Let’s go then, shall we?” you say with a raised brow and a tiny smirk before you start wheeling away. You lead the way through campus to your favorite coffee shop, making small talk with Azzi. You try to include Paige as well, but you don’t talk to her all that much, not wanting to overwhelm her. When you arrive at the shop, the brunette holds the door for you and Paige with a smile, her eyes twinkling. You thank her before following the blonde in. 

“Your usual?” Azzi asks as she walks in behind you. “Yes please, thanks Princess,” you say with a playful wink, a wide grin on your face. The brunette shakes her head in amusement, her eyes crinkling as she smiles. You make your way towards a free table in the back, waving hi to the barista that always calls you his favorite regular. Paige follows not long after, while Azzi waits in line to order the drinks. Once Paige sits down with a huff, slightly out of breath as she rubs the spots where she leaned against the crutches, you don’t say anything at first. The silence isn’t exactly fun, but it’s not a bad silence either.

When your friend makes her way to your table, you smile softly at her as you accept your drink. “Thanks, Ace.” “Of course,” she replies, her voice soft. She looks over at Paige for a moment before clearing her throat. “Listen, P, I know you’re hurting. Not just physically but mentally too. And I know how you feel like it’s the end of the world, but I promise you, it’s not. When I went through my injury and couldn’t play, I spiraled too. But then I met Y/N, and she made me realize that everything would be okay. I know you’re not happy about being here, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re not allowed to be sad, but please just… talk to her. Y/N is an amazing friend to have, not just because she knows what it’s like to lose stuff, but just because she listens. She really listens, and she has a way of making you feel a little lighter on days when things seem impossible.” 

You look at her as she’s speaking, your smile soft as your chest feels warm. It was nice to hear her say such sweet things about you and trust that you’ll be able to help someone else she cares so much about. 

Azzi turns to you before continuing. “And Y/N, please don’t think we’re only here because I want you to help P. I’ve always wanted to introduce you two. I feel like you two could be great friends!” You lean over to grab her hand and give it a little squeeze. Of course, to anyone else it might’ve looked weird, the way you and Azzi hadn’t spoken in a while, and she only seemed to come back to you for help. You knew that wasn’t the case, though. The brunette was the definition of kindness. I mean, she has the nickname “The People’s Princess” for a reason. You didn’t feel offended at all, knowing this only proved how much she trusted you and how much you’d helped her in the past.

Paige’s jaw stays clenched a little longer, her brows furrowed. “I don’t need her help. I don’t need anyone’s help,” she thinks angrily to herself. When she looks up at her best friend, however, she falters. She knows Azzi doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. “I guess… if Azzi speaks this highly of her, then… she can’t be that bad.” You see her soften as she gives the brunette a soft nod. She turns to you, sighing softly before giving you a tentative smile. You grin at her as mischief swirls in your eyes. “Yeah, we’re gonna work out just fine,” you think.

As you drink your coffee, you talk about everything that’s been happening in your life lately, asking Azzi for details on what she’s been up to since you last talked. You make sure to ask Paige questions too, getting to know her more as well. You keep the conversation away from basketball or your own accident. There was a time and place for that conversation, and it wasn’t here and now. 

You stay in the coffee shop for hours, just chatting about everything and nothing. You manage to make both girls laugh a lot, one time even making Paige laugh so hard, her coffee comes out of her nose. She’d looked pretty embarrassed, her face turning a bright red, but she couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. 

You’re in the middle of telling Paige a story about something you and Azzi had done a few months ago when the brunette’s phone went off. You pause your conversation as you look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Oh shoot! I gotta go, uh, do you guys mind if I head out?” she rambles, already getting up. You look at Paige, who’s already looking at you. You grin at each other before turning to Azzi. “Don’t worry, we’ll play nice,” you smirk. 

Once the brunette leaves, you think for a moment Paige will go back to her quiet self, but you’re wrong. “So? What happened next?” she asks, her eyes wide in a childlike wonder. Warmth blossoms in your chest. The people weren’t wrong when they praised the type of person the star athlete is. She was sweet, paid full attention to what you were saying at all times, and she was funny as hell. 

You continue the story, making the blonde chuckle and shake her head in disbelief. “There’s just no way Azzi did that.” You shrug with a smirk, “It’s all true.” She looks at you a little longer, eyes squinted, as she tries to find out if you're lying. When she realizes you’re not, she chuckles again as she leans back. 

You continue to look at her and notice her demeanor change. Her smile slowly leaves her face as her body becomes tense again. Somehow you’d managed to not make her think about basketball or her injury the whole time you were at the coffee shop, but now it seemed to all come back in one big wave. 

She frowns, leaning forward as she hesitantly meets your eye. “So… Are you finally gonna tell me to just suck it up and stop moping about my knee? Because at least there’s a chance I’ll still be able to play?”

You look at her for a moment. “Nope.” You push away from the table as you start rolling your wheelchair to the door. “W-Wait, what?” You hear Paige stutter, her chair screeching from how hard she scoots it away from the table. You grin, hearing the clattering behind you as the blonde struggles to grab her crutches to follow you. You thank the girl holding the door open for you as you roll into the warm afternoon sun. Paige huffs as she finally reaches you, a frown on her face. You can tell she’s not really upset, though, the way her lips are curling into a small smile.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to your dorm… well… wheel you to your dorm…? Wheel to your dorm as you hobble along…?” Your eyebrows are furrowed as you rub your chin, trying to find the right wording. You hear Paige snort beside you as she starts moving. “Oh my god, bro, just shut up.” 

You stick your tongue out in response before speeding up a bit to match her pace. You two don’t talk for a moment, enjoying the nice breeze as birds whistle around you. “I had fun with you today, Paige,” you smile up at the girl. She smiles back at you. “I had fun with you too… I’m sorry for how I acted earlier, it’s just… it’s been really hard,” the frown from earlier makes its way back onto her face.

“Don’t worry about it, P,” you say with a smile. The girl returns the gesture, hearing you call her her nickname. “So uhh, you don’t want to tell, y'know, all that stuff about how it’ll all be okay?” She asks hesitantly. “Would you believe me if I did?” You ask without any judgment in your voice. “I’m not sure… probably not,” she says as she looks over sheepishly. “Then there wouldn’t be any point to it, would there?” You tease. 

She looks back ahead of her, but you stare a little longer. “I’ll tell you about my accident some day, but not right now. I don’t wanna tell you and have you just end up feeling bad, y’know? We had a good day, let’s not ruin it with my sob story,” you grin as you send her a wink.

Once you reach the blonde’s dorm, she looks at you with reluctant eyes. She doesn’t want to say goodbye just yet. “Give me your number, we’ll text,” you demand, not really giving her a chance to say no, but you both know she wouldn’t. You see her relax a little as she hands you her phone. Once you’ve put your number in and added a cheeky contact name, you give her back her phone. 

“Text me, alright? I know where you live now, so if you don’t, I’ll come find you,” you say with a teasing wink. “Yes, ma’am,” she grins. You two say your goodbyes before you make your way to your own dorm. You haven’t even made it out of the basketball player’s hallway before you hear your phone ding. Your stomach flutters and your chest feels warm. You were excited about your new friendship and were looking forward to getting to know the legendary player on a deeper level. 

Over the following weeks, you two continue to text every day, hanging out in the coffee shop a few more times too. Sometimes Azzi joins you, but more often than not, it’s just the two of you. You learn more about Paige’s family and friends and how life was living in Minnesota while she also gets to know you more. 

You can’t say every day you spend with the blonde is an amazing day. The girl’s injury was still fresh, so she was often grumpy and sad and found it hard to enjoy having to sit still in some coffee shop or library when she’d rather be out there playing ball. You never got upset with her though, you’d been there before, and you knew she just needed some silent support. 

One afternoon, your phone rings, bringing a smile to your face. You know who’s calling before you even look. “Hey, P,” you say, your grin clear in your voice. “Hey Y/N/N, whatcha up to?” she mumbles. “Just hanging out in my dorm, watching a show. What ‘bout you?” you reply, leaning back on your bed as you stare at the ceiling. “M’bored, you should come over… Some of the girls are coming over later… You should meet them,” she says. When you close your eyes, you can see her sitting in her room, one hand holding her phone as the other rubs her neck shyly.

“Sounds nice,” you murmur. You hear a soft sigh of relief on the other end. “Yeah?” Paige’s voice crackles through the phone, her tone hopeful. “Mhm,” you hum, “I’ll be there in like… 20 minutes?” “Ugh, 20 whole minutes?” she whines as you chuckle at how childish she could be. “Oh, I’m sorry? Do you want me to put my wheelchair in turbo mode?” You joke. “Oh my goddd, stoppp,” she groans, muffling her chuckles behind her hand. 

When you first made jokes about your injury and wheelchair, Paige had completely frozen, not knowing how to react. It had taken her a while, but now she was used to your stupid little jokes and knew you made them because you liked making people laugh.

You laugh softly at her reaction before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. You get out of bed, hopping into your wheelchair with ease, having been through this whole thing what feels like a million times before. You quickly get ready, grabbing a book Azzi had been wanting to borrow for a while and putting it in your bag before heading out. 

You were excited to see Paige and Azzi again and were curious to see what their other friends were like. You were pretty nervous, though. You’d be the odd one out in their usual little bubble. You didn’t let that stop you from going over, though. You’d never really been afraid to take leaps, and weren’t going to start now either.

When you make it to Paige and Azzi’s dorm in record time (the wind must’ve helped you make it there so fast…), you let your presence be known with your signature knock. Paige opens the door almost immediately with her trademark grin. “Hey P,” you smile as you wheel your way inside. “Hey Y/N/N,” she replies. “So, when’re the others gonna be here?” you say as you follow her towards her room. “Don’t know. Half an hour maybe?” she shrugs as she plops down on her bed. You nod your head as you look around. 

You’d been in the blonde’s room a few times already, but you still liked seeing if anything had changed. Her room was filled with the usual clutter, clothes thrown on the chair in the corner, a few water bottles next to her bed,...

She pats the space next to her, inviting you in. You wheel closer before heaving yourself onto the bed. Blue eyes follow your every move, ready to jump into action if you need help. Once you’re comfortable, you lean back and smile at her. “Grey's Anatomy?” you ask, your head tilted in question. Paige’s face immediately lights up as she leans over to grab her laptop. You continue the show where you’d left off last time before you hear commotion in the living room. 

You look over at Paige, who looks back at you with a pout on her face. You chuckle, sitting up a little straighter to hop back into your wheelchair. Once you’re seated, you wait for the blonde to grab her crutches and lead the way. You laugh softly at her huffing and puffing, knowing she’d rather watch her show right now than hang out with her team.

When you make it to the living room, you see KK, Nika, Ice, and Azzi chatting as they shrug off their jackets. When they notice Paige and you, they quiet down. “Y/N! Hey, I didn’t know you were here,” Azzi beams at you. “Guys, this is Y/N, the girl I’ve told you about, the one that helped me during my recovery,” she says cheerfully. KK, Nika, and Ice smile kindly at you before introducing themselves. 

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you guys,” you smile. “Only good things, I hope?” Nika teases. “Meh,” you reply with a smirk. The girls laugh before finding a spot to sit as you guys hang out. They leave 2 spots open on the couch for Paige and you, making you send them a thankful smile. 

You sit down and get to know the girls a little better. You could see why the UConn team was such a close-knit group. The girls were funny, sweet, and protective and treated each other like family. 

After a while, KK and Ice get bored and decide to turn on Paige’s PlayStation to play Fortnite. You continue to talk to everyone, laughing at the funny stories the girls tell you about Paige, trying to embarrass her. The blonde’s face turns a bright red as she complains about them being jerks, but her bright smile doesn’t leave her face. Your heart feels like it’s grown two sizes with how happy you’re feeling.

“Oh wait, Ace, I’ve got that book you asked for,” you say. You look towards your bag, seeing it near KK. “Hey KK, d’you mind grabbing my bag for me?” you ask the gaming girl. “Hm?” she hums distractedly. “Grab it yourself, bro,” she says, completely focused on the game. You see Azzi open her mouth to say something, but you hold up your hand to stop her. You send her an evil grin as mischief swirls around in your eyes. You make your face neutral, maybe even a little pouty, as you let out a sad sigh, “Alright.” 

You grab onto your wheelchair a little louder than necessary as you lean forward to move into it. KK’s head whips around so fast, you think she might’ve given herself whiplash. “WAIT, NO!” she yells, her eyes wide as she scrambles to get up to grab it for you. You don’t think you’ve ever seen anyone move as fast as her at that moment. 

The girls around you slap their hands in front of their mouths to stifle their giggles. The younger girl looks at them with a pouty frown, feeling bad for forgetting you couldn’t easily get up to grab something. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles as she hands you the book. You send her a wink and a grin, letting her know you were just joking. You weren't offended about the fact she seemed to have forgotten. It showed you that the girls didn’t just see you as someone with a disability.

She sits back down next to Ice, sticking her tongue out at the still laughing girl. “s’not funny,” she mutters, staring at the TV as she continues the game. You could get used to hanging out with these girls. You loved the way they constantly teased each other, but never went too far. Many people were too scared to make any type of jokes around you, too focused on your impairment to realize you were also just a person. 

20 minutes go by before a phone rings. You recognize the ringtone as Paige’s and look towards the sound. Her phone is lying on the table near Ice and KK, who both look over for a split second before their attention goes back towards the TV. “KK, gimme my phone,” Paige demands, leaning forward to grab it from her. “Get it yourself,” the younger girl quips back, not even glancing at the blonde. Paige looks over at the other girls for a second, a “Seriously?” clear on her face. 

She grins before copying you. Sigh. “Fine,” she mutters, grabbing onto her crutches, making them bang against each other. KK looks back and deadpans at her. “Go ahead,” she says dryly, turning back to her match. 

“Bruh, what the hell,” Paige huffs as she gets up to grab her phone. You let out a deep belly laugh at the annoyed look on her face. The blonde turns to you with an unamused frown, as you send her an innocent smile and a shrug. 

You guys hang out for a few hours before it’s time to head back to your dorm. Your chest feels light when you say your goodbyes. Each girl gives you a hug with the promise of hanging out again soon. When you make it back to your room, you see you already have 2 texts from Paige. “had fun 2day, thanks for coming over” and “think KK likes you more than me”. 

That night, you go to bed with a wide smile on your face.

Days go by, and you stay in touch with all of the girls, but you mainly hang out with Paige. Today was another one of your planned hangouts, this time at your dorm, but the second the blonde arrived, you knew it wouldn’t be all fun and games. She’d just gone to physical therapy for her knee, and her face looks thunderous. She hadn’t slept well, constantly waking up because of her knee, she’s sick and tired of not being able to play, and physical therapy had gone horribly. 

When she walks in, she wordlessly flops down on your couch as she stares at the ceiling, a frown etched into her face. You go over to your fridge, grabbing a bottle of water for the both of you before returning to her side. You give her the bottle and wait patiently for her to talk. “I fucking hate this,” she fumes. “It’s been weeks since the game, why is everything still so… so… ughhhh,” she groans, unable to find the words. You give her arm a squeeze in support, but she shrugs you off, shooting upright as she continues her heated rant. 

You stay calm as you listen to her, knowing she needs this moment to blow off some steam. When she quiets down, heaving from all the talking, you quietly try to comfort her. “I know it sucks, P, but you need to just keep going, don’t give up. You’ll be on the court again soon enough, and it’ll be like you never left-” you can’t finish your sentence before Paige interrupts. 

“NO, YOU DON’T FUCKING GET IT!” she yells, her frustrations high. You wince slightly at the volume but don’t say anything. You give the blonde a moment to calm down and let everything sink in. You’re not offended, you know people say things they don’t mean in moments like this. 

Once she realizes what she just said to you, the one person who understands more than anything, she looks at you with guilt in her eyes. Her blue eyes having become a shade darker as they look at you sadly. You see tears starting to well up before she leans forward, putting her face in her hands. “I’m sorry,” she whimpers in shame. You lean forward again, softly grabbing her wrist to take her hands away from her face. You hold one hand between yours as you catch her eye. You give her a gentle smile, letting her know you’re not upset.

“I shouldn’t have yelled… I shouldn’t’ve said that,” she mumbles regretfully. “It’s okay, P,” you murmur, giving her hand a squeeze. “You’re not mad?” She looks at you like a kicked puppy. You shake your head with a smile, “I’ve been through worse. I’ll survive a pretty girl raising her voice at me.” She gives you a tiny, sad smile, leaning her forehead against your entwined hands.

You start telling her your story. The story of how you grew up, playing every sport under the sun, up until that one dreadful day. You tell her about the dark, depressive hole you fell into after you woke up paralyzed, the way you pushed everyone away, and how you thought nothing would ever be okay again. The whole time you’re talking, she looks you in the eyes, barely blinking as she listens intently. Her jaw clenches as her eyes become glassy when you talk about your depression. When you finish talking about what it was like the first few months after the accident, you pause for a moment, letting everything sink in.

“How’d you do it…?” She asks, her voice cracking with emotion. “It was hard… really fucking hard,” you start. “I pushed everyone away at first, but my family never gave up on me. They helped me realize that while it really fucking sucked… I was still alive. And I would find new things to care about. And I did!” You smile. “With all my free time, I started looking for new hobbies. I found out pretty quickly that I don’t have the patience for puzzles, and I poked myself one too many times to enjoy cross-stitching,” you say with a playful grin, making the athlete breathe out a little laugh.

“I learned that I have pretty good rhythm, so I was able to pick up playing the guitar and the piano pretty easily. I realized that doodling really helps me unwind after a long day, which is funny because it’s the complete opposite of how I used to relax. I got better and better at drawing and tried out a bunch of different mediums, but my favorite is still pencil drawings. I’d always loved reading but never made enough time for it, but now I try to finish at least one book a week… Uhh, I bought a PlayStation which I play on maybe a little too much, but you know what that’s like, Ms Fortnite addict.” You tease. She rolls her eyes, but you can tell that she’s no longer feeling so bad, a tiny smile decorating her face. 

You let silence fill the room for a moment. “I’m not saying this in a way of being like, ‘Stop complaining and get over it’, but I promise P, things will be okay. You’re the Paige Bueckers… It’s gonna take a lot more than a torn ACL for you to stop being you. Have some faith.” You send her a comforting smile as you squeeze her hand. She nods at you, her muscles relaxed as she finally lets out a relieved sigh. “Thanks… for everything,” she breathes. You shake your head with a smile, thinking it’s silly she’s thanking you for being her friend. “You don’t need to thank me for that… but you’re welcome. And thank you for including me in your group of friends… I don’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun.”

You two talk for the rest of the afternoon, ordering a pizza when dinner time arrives. After you’re done eating, you migrate to your bedroom, letting a movie play in the background as you keep talking about everything and nothing. You’re sitting on your bed, telling Paige a story, waving your arms animatedly as her blue eyes stare into yours. “... And then she looked at me and I almost passed out from laughing! You should’ve seen the look on Ace’s face!” you say, hiccuping a little from laughing. The blonde laughs along, her chest feeling warm at the sound of your laugh.

“So what’s up with that nickname anyway?” she questions as she leans her head on her hand. “Ace?” You ask. “Well, her name’s Azzi, but people call her Azz, so then I started calling her Ace, as in A C E, like in a deck of cards. The ace cards are the highest cards in the deck, and I think of her quite highly,” you explain.

“Okay, but doesn’t it depend on the game?” she asks, tilting her head like a confused puppy. “Hm?” “Well, isn’t the ace card the lowest in certain games?” she says with a raised eyebrow. You can’t help laughing as she says that. “God, are you always this negative?” You tease, giving her a little push. She rolls her eyes as she scrunches her nose, sticking her tongue out. 

You continue talking until the sky becomes dark. Paige looks out the window, a slight frown growing on her face at the thought of having to leave. “Do you wanna stay the night?” you ask nonchalantly, but you feel your heart beat a little faster. Her bright blue eyes find yours immediately as she looks to see if you’re joking. “Yeah, sure, if that’s cool with you,” she says as she fiddles with her necklace. You smirk at how nervous she seems. “I wouldn’t have offered if it wasn’t, now would I?” She slaps your arm lightly to shut you up. “Go ahead and grab some clothes from my closet,” you tell her, hopping into your wheelchair to go get ready for bed in your bathroom.

When you return, you freeze for a moment, your heart swelling at the blonde dressed in your clothes. When she looks over at you, you start moving again, letting her use the bathroom as well. A few minutes later, she returns, looking around a little sheepishly. You pat the bed next to you, sending her a calming smile. You continue talking a little longer, but slowly feel your eyes grow heavy. You fall asleep to Paige’s tired mumbling. The last thing you remember is a soft hand grabbing yours, entwining your fingers before you doze off.

After that night, your relationship with Paige changes. You feel like you’ve somehow become even closer to her and are happy to call her your best friend. You’re rarely seen without the other, always attached to the hip. You make sure to come with her to physical therapy for silent support, while she often joins you in the library as you finish another book on your list. Your favorite hangout spot is the coffee shop where you two properly talked for the first time. You make sure to go there every week, sometimes even being joined by the girls on the team (who you’d all gotten to know pretty well by now).

When the end of Paige’s recovery nears, you’re a little nervous. While you never blamed Azzi for getting too busy to hang out a lot after she recovered, you would still be upset if the same happened with the blonde. All your worries were for naught, however, when Paige continues to call you every chance she gets, sending you quick texts when she can’t. She often adds silly selfies as well, just to make you laugh.

You’ve known you’ve had a crush on the girl for a while now, but you never said anything. Paige needed to focus on getting better without any distractions. You also didn’t want her to think your whole friendship was based on you having a crush on her, so it was best you just kept quiet.

Paige, in return, was also too scared to tell you about her crush. She loved the friendship you two had and didn’t want to ruin it just because she’d caught feelings. She was afraid that every glance, every touch, and every soft smile was just you being a good friend. She couldn’t bear to lose you after everything you’d done for her, so she kept her mouth shut.

Azzi, being the observant friend she is, immediately knew about both of your feelings when she’d “caught” you two asleep on the couch, holding each other close. She made it her mission to get you two together. She started off by trying to convince Paige to confess, but that didn’t work out well, seeing as the blonde was too scared and always shrugged her off. Her next plan was to try to make you confess, knowing you were the bravest person she knew. That sadly also didn’t work, seeing as you were too considerate of others to think about your own feelings when you knew Paige could end up getting hurt. 

So here she was, back on plan A. “Come onnn, P, she’s head over heels for you, I’m telling you!” The blonde rolls her eyes so hard it gives her a bit of a headache. “Azzi, please, we’ve been over this before, let it goooo,” Paige groans, feeling butterflies flutter in her stomach at the thought of you liking her back. “No! I’m not gonna let this go. You two mean so much to me, I just want you guys to be happy,” she says with a sad pout on her face. Paige lifts her head from where she’s lying on her bed to look at the brunette, and groans again at the kicked puppy look on her face. She could never say no to her when she made that face.

Paige sighs and stares at the ceiling for a moment. “...How sure are you?” She mutters, looking over at Azzi with desperation in her eyes. The brunette gives her a soft but excited smile. “110%, P. You know I wouldn’t say this if there was even a slight chance I was wrong.” The blonde’s cheeks turn a soft pink as a happy yet slightly embarrassed smile shows on her face. “Okay then, how do we do this?”

You’re hanging out with a friend when you hear the familiar ringtone go off. You excuse yourself for a moment, picking up the phone. “What’s up, P?” You grin. “Hey Y/N/N!” You can hear the smile in her voice. “You’re coming to our next game, right?” she asks. “Uhm, hello? It’s your first game back on the court, of course I’m coming,” you tease, sounding slightly offended she felt like she had to ask. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she chuckles, “jus’ wanted to be sure.” “I’ll be your biggest cheerleader, don��t even worry about it,” you promise. “Ight, I’ll hold you to that,” she replies before you two say your goodbyes.

When the day of Paige’s first game back arrives, you know the blonde is bursting with nerves. You meet up with her before the game to wish her good luck and to encourage her. Her leg shakes up and down as she bites her nails. Her eyes flit around the room as she nods along to what you’re saying, but you know she’s not listening. You roll closer to her, grabbing her hand and pulling it away from her mouth. You give it a gentle squeeze as she finally looks at you. “Don’t worry so much, P. You’ve been working your ass off for this moment, and you’re gonna do great, okay?” you say, trying to reassure her as much as you can. Her shoulders loosen as she finally takes in what you’re saying.

“Thanks, Y/N/N,” she mutters with a small smile. You give her a wink before you leave to wish the other girls good luck and to find your spot before the crowd starts filtering in. While Paige is extremely nervous about her first game back, she’s more nervous about what’s going to happen at halftime. She really hopes she won’t embarrass herself. She walks back over to her team, quickly going over everything again to make sure everything would go exactly the way she’d planned. 

The first quarter of the game flies by before she even knows it. She already scored 12 points, giving UConn the advantage. As she sits on the bench, listening to coach Geno, she looks around. Her eyes immediately find yours as you send her two thumbs up. She grins before locking back into the game. 

The second quarter goes by even faster, making Paige’s stomach clench with nerves. They were now 9 points ahead, so it was still anyone’s game. First, however, it was time for halftime. 

The blonde wipes her sweat on a towel, looking over at Azzi. The brunette gives her a reassuring smile before walking over to you. You don’t expect her to walk over but smile at her nonetheless. “Hey Y/N/N, how much do you trust me?” she grins. You raise an eyebrow at her, but the smile on your face doesn’t disappear. “With my life,” you reply. She sends you a beaming smile, giving your shoulder a squeeze as she wheels you onto the court. You chuckle as you ask her what’s going on. She simply says, “You’ll see.” 

Paige walks up to you, fiddling with her hands nervously. She bends down on one knee and starts talking, her voice quivering a little. “Y/N… I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” You open your mouth to tell her off, but she holds up her hand before you can say a word. “I know, I know, I don’t need to thank you… but I want to. When you entered my life, I was going through a very difficult time. I felt like I was drowning on dry land… But you? You were like my life buoy, not letting me sink. You’re this amazing, strong person, and you’ve made me want to be like you. To never give up and to look at life in a positive way, even when things go wrong.” She swallows harshly. You grab her hand and give it a squeeze, speechless at the girl's words. Your chest feels warm as your heart feels like it’s about to burst out of its cage.

“The past few months have meant more to me than you could imagine, and… I fell for you harder than I thought I ever could… So… I want to ask you this,” she says, still nervous but a bit more confident as she sees the adoration in your eyes. She stands up and accepts the flowers Nika gives her. She hands them to you as she steps aside. 

Your eyes tear up as you see the scene in front of you. The whole UConn team, as well as the opponent's team, are standing there. All holding various items. A few girls are holding cardboard signs with the words “Will you go out with me?” on them. Your free hand flies to your mouth as you look up at Paige. The blonde is already staring at you lovingly with a soft smile. You chuckle at the amount of love you’re feeling right now as you nod your head at her. You can barely hear the crowd cheer around you as you feel your blood rushing in your ears.

The star player’s smile becomes even wider as her eyes crinkle. She grabs your hand, placing a kiss on it as all players start making their way towards you. You get handed all kinds of gifts from the blonde. Your favorite book annotated by her, a Lego set you two had talked about getting, a new pack of expensive pencils, a guitar pick maker, and a bunch of other things. You feel so incredibly seen by her that you find it hard to keep your tears at bay.

Once you’ve received all the gifts and thanked Paige a bunch, you make your way back to your seat. You hear a few “congrats” aimed your way as fans smile widely at you. When you turn back to the court, you see the blonde already looking at you. She sends you a flirty wink, making you chuckle as you shake your head in amusement. While the circumstances of you two meeting weren’t the best, you thank your lucky stars that the universe guided you to the Paige Bueckers. UConn’s star player. The golden student. The future of women’s basketball. A legend in the making. The girl that stole your heart but gave you hers in return.

[ambeauty]

thoughts about Sydney and Carmy’s Love Story as told through the music in The Bear

If you know anything about the bear you know that the music is extremely important to the storytelling. There have been many metas about specific songs and versions of songs and the artists and genre influence the story. For this one, I’d like to illustrate how I think the music replaces the dialogue and tells Sydney and Carmy’s love story more overtly. Chris curates the music and editing choices himself so I know that every song choice is intentional as well as where they are placed. I believe that when the dialogue drops out and the lyrics come in and are transcribed into the subtitles, it is done to illustrate what the characters are feeling in these moments even when they can’t explain those feelings themselves. These are just a few examples but I believe there are many many more.

Season 1

Impossible Germany by Wilco- plays infamously behind Sydney and Carmy in Sheridan as she discusses her catering business failing. Their first moment of vulnerability. Sydney also asks Carmy for help. Something she doesn’t really like to do. The lyrics on the subtitles are “That’s what love is.”

Season 2

Pasta- You are Not Alone by Mavis Staple - the through line of the entire season. This song plays as Sydney has dinner with her father to celebrate her mother’s birthday and Carmy is reintroduced to Claire. This moment initiates what is the central rift between these two characters will be. Who are theoretically loners, but able to find kinship with each other. However a new character threatens that dynamic and possibility. The lyrics of You Are Not Alone describe them perfectly.

Forks - Love Story by Taylor Swift- “Marry me Juliet you never have to be alone. I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress.”

This lyric plays at the end credits of forks. The beginning of forks shows Carmy and Sydney working on the renovations of the bear. Separately but together, yet still alone. I also think that lyric represents the future partnership agreement which is a business marriage of the two. Once they are official partners, they’ll never have to be alone. Also "I talk to your dad" is funny because we know how Emmanuel feels about Carmy and how they have yet to meet. What will that meeting mean for Sydney and Carmy?

Most episodes in S2 after the end of Sundae, where Sydney loses trust in Carmy after her ditches her, shows her doing research and design alone. She never goes back to his home.

Even though Carmy is with Claire there’s a sense of loneliness for him in her world, because he doesn’t quite fit. This might be a reach, but I just tried to analyze his body language in Pop, which to me felt stiff and uneasy. He knows he’s supposed to be somewhere else but he’s trying to cure his loneliness with Claire as she is the first person that truly forces him to confront his failures at forming romantic relationships.

Season 3

No Machine by Adrianne Lenker - the lyrics "don’t know what I’d do without you" illustrate a scene where Carmy is thinking of a conversation with Claire, the scene cuts and everything is blurry around him but Sydney's voice is clear, the scene cuts again and its Richie in the dining room listening but thinking about his family. Another lyric/subtitle "don't know where I'd go without you" and it cuts again to Sydney at home contemplating her relationship with Carmy from the beginning. All 3 of our main characters are contemplating what they mean to each other and what their life is like with them in it. I think this song describes the throughline of the season as well. They are all contemplate the importance of these bonds they have created and what they actually mean.

I'm quite sure there are many other examples of this occurring but I don't have the capacity to do the amount of research this requires. However, if you notice this pattern of the music enhancing the emotional depth of the characters and the story and want to share please do so.

Hopefully this makes sense and not more senseless sydcarmy babble!

[phightingheadcanons]

"It's my birthday! Tadaa!"

"I don't really care if Inphernals don't celebrate their birthdays or smth. I'm telling you hcs of how my favs celebrate them =3c"

"DOM & VALK: I think they wouldn't throw big parties or anything of that sort. They would celebrate with their family first and then pull a late birthday stream with all unwrapping of the gifts they were sent lol"

"ROCKET: Just as ecstatic as I am. We fucking party until midnights lol. Though out of guests, I think he would only have those he's close to. Zuka, Sword and Medkit (maybe? It's my hc that they're friends lol) and that's all"

"COIL: This man also celebrates his birthdays in close circle. More often than not he prefers to keep it chill. Just music, snacks and yapping with games. But he's not against making it loud sometimes"

"BOOMBOX: A party. A party of a size of more than 30 demons. He makes it in a fucking rave or something. Loud music, snacks, activities and all of that. He's a social raccoon of the group lol. But after the party he just crashes and forces the Playground trio join him and a snuggle pile"

"BIOGRAFT (Citrone): Since all of the Biografts are like robots and I very much doubt Subspace would makes them celebrate, Imma use my Biograft oc Citrone. Xe celebrates alone, huddling in some abandoned building with a cupcake as a cake. Though if xe would have it xirs way, xe would invite Boombox and Playgrounders. And maybe Medkit. Xe wants to repay for his mercy and help"

[punkrockmlchael]

Congrats on 100, babe!! I’d love to request Gareth x fem!reader with prompt #40!! ❤️‍🔥

Masterlist for 100 Follower Celebration!

18+ mdni, Smut: Unprotected PinV, Riding Gareth, Creampie (Both Gareth and Reader are in their early 20s)

Thank you so so much for reading my work and for requesting! I hope you enjoy hehe. This quickly became longer than anticipated but oh well... (Word Count: 1681)

Prompt: Camping ; Gareth Emerson x Fem!Reader

"I hate camping," Gareth complained as you finished setting up the tent. You pounded the stake into the ground, ensuring the tent was sitting up perfectly and would not move despite anything coming its way. "Did I mention that I hate camping?" He asked, crossing his arm over his chest as he stood behind you and supervised, as he called it.

"Mm," you hummed, standing up. "You may have mentioned it once or twice in the last, oh, I don't know, five minutes." You muttered, unzipping the tent. You set up the blankets, sleeping bags and pillows inside the small space, looking back at Gareth as he continued to pout with his arms crossed.

"So, then, why are we camping?" He asked, looking at you.

"Because, I thought it would be fun?" You replied back, standing up. You walked towards your boyfriend and smiled, wrapping your arms around his waist gently. "And because I wanted to snuggle up next to you under the stars by the fire in the woods." 

He grunted in response, moving his arms down to your hips gently. He held your hips softly, looking down at you. "Why couldn't we just snuggle together in our own bed at home?" 

"Because, what’s the fun in that?” You asked, giggling softly. “You don’t want to roast marshmallows, make some s’mores, cuddle up next to each other in the tent and who knows… have some fun later?” You added, wiggling your eyebrows at him. 

“Have some fun, how?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow at your wiggling eyebrows. “There’s literally nothing fun about camping. There’s dirt, there’s bugs, it gets cold at night, there’s never anywhere to use the bathroom.” Gareth rambled on complaint after complaint. 

You sighed in frustration, groaning at how oblivious your boyfriend was, and at how he didn’t seem to want to have fun with you. 

“Give me one night?” You pleaded, placing a gentle kiss on his lips before muttering softly. “Give me tonight, if you’re still hating camping tomorrow we can go home early.”

“Really?” He asked, trying to hide the smile on his face. 

“Really,” you replied, nodding. “But you have to promise to at least try to have fun.” You pulled away from the kiss and grabbed your backpacks, placing them inside the tent in the corner. 

“I promise,” he mumbled, watching you. “Do you need any help?”

You shook your head, looking back at him. “Not unless you know how to start a fire.”

“Gasoline and matches.” 

You snorted a laugh, “I suppose you are correct in that sense. But, just be careful.” You said, watching Gareth move to try and start a fire. He threw some wood in the small fire pit, arranging it perfectly before he soaked the wood with some gasoline. He lit a match carefully and threw it on the soaked wood, watching the flames rise up quickly before dying down into a soft lull. "How did you do that?" You asked, watching the fire before turning your attention to Gareth.

"Well, I was a Boy Scout," he said with a chuckle.

"Really? You were a Boy Scout and you hate camping?" 

"I don't enjoy sleeping in a tent when I could be in my bed all nice and warm."

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head as you grabbed the hotdogs out of the cooler to cook them over the fire. "Gareth, don't you enjoy seeing nature? Spending time outside while observing your surroundings? Getting away from the big city to just take a deep breath and enjoy your time?" You asked, moving towards the fire to cook dinner for the two of you.

"Not really, no." He shook his head, watching you. "Don't get me wrong, baby. I enjoy seeing nature with you, I enjoy spending time with you away from the big city but... why couldn't we just go to the beach or something and sleep in a hotel room with a bed?" He asked, taking a seat next to you in the folding lawn chair he had set up earlier before the tent. 

You looked at him, rotating the hotdogs on the fire. "Because, I like camping. I like spending time with you and I wanted to get away from everything for a bit. If you hate camping that much next time we can just go to the beach." You pointed toward the bag of hotdog buns on the cooler and Gareth reached for them, opening the bag. He grabbed out some hotdog buns and opened them, holding them towards you.

"I just, I never really camped other than with my Boy Scout troop and it just wasn't fun." He said, nodding as you put the hotdogs in the buns. "A bunch of nerds and losers running around making things out of sticks and getting stupid badges." 

"It'll be different with me," you replied, taking one of the hotdogs from his hand. "I promise." You smiled, looking at him.

"I believe you," Gareth said softly, taking a bite of his hotdog. 

"Do you?" 

He nodded, wrapping his arm around your shoulder as he pulled you closer to him.

-

Around one in the morning Gareth woke up freezing. He groaned and moved closer to you, trying to get some of your body heat or some more heat from the blankets. He shivered again, wrapping his arms around your waist. "Baby," he mumbled into your ear, causing you to stir and wake up slightly.

"Hm?" You asked, rolling over so you were facing him. You looked up at him and smiled tiredly, kissing his lips gently. 

"Are you not, like, freezing to death?" He mumbled against your lips before he kissed you back. You hummed into the kiss and shrugged.

"Not really," you replied, pulling away from the kiss. "Why? Are you?"

"Fuck, yeah, it's so cold." He replied, shivering slightly.

"Need me to warm you up?" You asked, kissing his neck gently.

"Please," he mumbled, closing his eyes as you continued to kiss up and down his neck. 

You readjusted yourself under the blanket, moving so that you were now on top of him. You left another soft kiss on his lips as you moved your hips against his slightly. A groan escaped Gareth's lips as his hands moved to your waist, holding you tightly.

"Fuck, baby girl," he groaned. "Is this your plan to warm me up? Get me all hot and bothered?" You shrugged, rubbing against the growing bulge in his pants. 

"Best way to warm you up is to have some fun, you know?" You asked, moving to slide your pants and panties off quickly. "Unless, you don't want to?" 

He shook his head quickly, watching you tug his sweatpants and boxers down just enough to let his rock hard erection spring free. "Oh, no, no; I want to." He said, wincing as the cold air hit his cock.

"Perfect," you muttered, moving overtop of him again. You sunk down onto his cock slowly, groaning at the feeling. You repositioned the blanket over your shoulders and leaned down, kissing his lips as you rocked your hips against his. Your hands rested on his chest over the soft fabric of his hoodie. 

Gareth moaned against your lips, his hands moving back to your waist as he held you tightly. “Mm, fuck,” he groaned, thrusting up into you as you continued to move and bounce on his cock slowly and teasingly.

You moved to place kisses on his jawline and back to his neck, nibbling on it gently. He moaned your name softly, head falling back against the pillow in the small tent. He looked up at you, seeing you through the dim moonlight that was peeking through the tent. Gareth’s hands moved up from your hips to your chest, squeezing your breasts through the heavy sweatshirt you had on still.

“Fuck,” he moaned, thrusting up into you again. “God, baby, if this is what camping with you is like… maybe I should reconsider how much I hate it. Because this?” He groaned as you bit on his neck a little harder. “This is definitely something I love.” 

“Mhm,” you moaned as he squeezed your breasts harder. “What did you think I meant when I said we could have some fun?” 

“I don’t know, star gazing?” He replied, moving his right hand down to where your bodies were connected. He found your clit and began rubbing tight circles on it as he thrusted up into you.

You moaned his name, shaking your head as you moved to kiss his lips again. “Fuck that,” you mumbled against his lips. “I’d rather just do you inside a tent.”

He groaned, kissing your lips roughly. He bit your bottom lip and snuck his tongue into your mouth as you stopped your movements, sinking down onto him fully before just grinding your hips against his. He groaned into your mouth, rubbing circles on your clit faster as he bucked his hips up again.

“Fuck, Gareth,” you whined, pulling away from the kiss. “I’m gonna cum,” you groaned, rocking your hips more.

“Yeah, pretty girl?” He asked, looking up at you. “Cum for me, cum on my cock,” he said softly, squeezing one of your breasts in his left hand. You moaned his name loudly, clenching around him before you released around him. 

Gareth groaned, moving his hands to your hips again. He gripped them tightly and helped you move on his cock again. “Gareth,” you mumbled, moving your hands to his shoulders for support. You groaned, squeezing his shoulders gently.

“Fuck, baby, I’m gonna cum,” he moaned softly, thrusing up one more time as he whined, cumming deep inside of you. You moaned again, falling back down onto him as you leaned down, placing some soft kisses on his cheeks. 

He smiled a little, his arms wrapping around your back. He hummed, leaving a soft kiss on your head as you snuggled into his neck. “Still hate camping?” You asked softly.

He shook his head, chuckling. “No, not if this is what we get to do at night.”

gareth tag list: wanna be added? comment + let me know! @keeryhours ; @darkyuffie-blog ; @luveediary ; @the-witty-pen-name ; @bastardstevie ; @pupwrites ; @swiftieintheupsidedown ; @hawkinsmafia

[midnight-mourning]

300 Followers Special!

AGH IT HAPPENED AGAIN

was legit just checking through my blog and realized but at least i caught it in time!!

Thank you all so much! For this and for all the support everyone gives on the silly things I make. I know the last like, several months of this blog have been chaos (from posting often to nothing while I was sick to semi-daily in December etc. etc.) so I appreciate everyone sticking with me through it all very much <333

I'll admit there's.... a LOT going on right now (looks at my wips and at my research to-do list) BUT, i don't mind adding something to the list! It just might take a bit of time to get to it lol

Pulling from the 100 follower milestone celebration ideas that didn't get picked, as well as a few other things I came up with, will do the top two if results are close :D

BUT feel free to pick the 'other' option if you have soemthing else you'd like to see! I will do whatever since this is me saying thanks ^^

Little bit of info on each thing below the cut, excited to see what you pick!

Q&A/Ask the Cast: a classic, I know my ask box is open but here's also a clear chance to ask something that you've been really curious about! I won't share spoilers for the story, but everything else is on the table, including stuff about me, writing etc. Just no super personal questions is all! Additionally, you can ask the cast questions and answers will be in character, perhaps with a little doodle as well ^-^

Writing Requests: same as all the other request things I've done, same rules apply (no nsfw, suggestive is fine, be specific if you want specific) and will be about 500-1000 words each

Doodle requests: I provide you with a little drawing I made with tender love and care (would be lined, colored, shaded, etc.)

A peek into the drafts: I do in fact have a couple other fic ideas floating around in my brain that I simply haven't started so that I don't get bogged down/focus on CS. I would share those and a little bit of concept art

AU Oneshot/Continuation: I take a oneshot I've written and add MORE to it in some way, anything that I've written is up for grabs (besides my multi-chap stories ofc) This includes my Promptober responses, DCA December, 'Secret' gifts I've done, and any other drabbles or such. Examples of times I've already done this would include Holiday Spirit (continuation of DCA December Day 7), and Restart (continuation of Promptober Day 29)

DIY the DCA: silly idea I've thought about where using my knowledge as an MechE I determine the costs of materials, equipment, etc. for what it would take to build the daycare attendant yourself, would it be completely accurate? probably not I am not an expert, would it be fun? yeah I fuckin love deep-diving on mcmastercarr for shit

Chekov's Gun Analysis Post: i explain and go line by line about ch. 15 of Confused Spirit and explain all the little callbacks, hints, etc., why i love it so much, and so on

Other: explained above, don't be shy to tell me if none of these sound interesting! Won't hurt my feelings :)

[flamnhotlemon]

Setting Goals

AdvisorElle, Episode 2

(Find the PDFs for the post HERE and HERE)

Sometimes, goal setting can feel really daunting or even pressuring. "How many goals are right?" "Are these goals SMART?" "How should this goal be implemented?" "Is this even a goal???" These are some questions that have gone through my head when trying to plan out what I want for the year. Luckily, I've been able to work out a system that works for me and through this post, I hope it works for you as well.

Write down, haphazardly if you want to, what you want to see in your life. (No ideas for this? Go on Pinterest, grab a book, take anything that might give you any inspiration.)

While you're on Pinterest, make a vision board. (This helps, especially when you need some extra motivation, or when you feel like you've lost your way while navigating your goals.)

Organize your messily written goals into categories.

Choose 5 to 10 goals that you think you can achieve within this year.

Rewrite the goals in simpler terms, you can even use the SMART method.

Break down the goals into simple steps and decide how to apply the goals on a monthly basis.

Over each month's planning, take a step towards those goals (add it to your list of goals for the month).

Make a to-do list daily or weekly and include a step towards each goal (no matter how small - small progress is still progress!)

Write a letter to your future self, in case of any hiccups in the journey. Encourage yourself, explain why you're doing what you're doing.

Lastly, don't forget to celebrate and track all progress on your goals (this makes the process more enjoyable).

Wishing you the best with your goals! X's and O's, Elle.

[azurem]

(Warning for lots of yapping)

Would married inkmare have a wedding anniversary that they celebrate ? Or a dating anniversary for non-married!inkmare ?

My hc is that the first couple of years (if they make it that far) ink writes the date in his scarf but forgets about it until the day of/the day before. Nm plans ahead and makes it super romantic and evil. But with time they kinda stop being extra (nm has a hard time with that) and they meet up for a cuddling session with extra kisses.

For gifts, my hc is that that Ink ’’buys’’ a human made gift from an au, stores it in the doodlesphere, forgets that he already got a gift, gets another gift and stashes it. After a couple of months there’s a small pile collecting dust. The day of the date he apologizes to nm that he didn’t get him a gift (he did, he forgor) :( and the next day he pops into the castle and leaves a mysterious pile of gifts. (This happened at least twice). The other sans(es) don’t hesitate to steal two or three things >:). With time he has an easier time remembering and the pile isn’t as impressive.

Nm knows that his partner is going to/might forget about their anniversary, so he plans ahead and makes it really romantic. Like, over the top fancy and classy dark academia royal themed date. He mostly does it for himself because he loves being classy and dramatic and extra. He writes poems and plays music on his record player (that ink gifted him). For gifts, nm gives… actually I’m not sure what he could gift someone that can draw anything into existence ? Idk I can’t think of anything he could give him. Maybe he’d write him something extra extra romantic ?

Last thing is they ignore the 3 kisses per day quota, just for a day !

I have so many other things to add honestly I hate them sm >:(

I think celebrating anniversaries is kinda hard for them because time passes weirdly in the multiverse. I think Nightmare would try to keep track of the date™ (by snooping around in a "twin" of the branch of Outertale where they married and trying to figure out what day it was). Dating anniversary is. Hm. Hard?? I don't think they have a date where they officially started dating, but they def would celebrate the date of their ultimate truce™ instead hmmm

My headcanon aligns very closely with yours I see......! I like the idea that Ink would try to make the effort but legit forget that he already did DKJDKD Nightmare just overall carrying the romance™ is very much in character for my version of him, too...!

I think Ink would prefer acts of service rather than gifts, but he'd appreciate art materials all the same. Underfell merch too/silly. I think it'd be funny if Nightmare tried to compose him a little tune every time. He gets pretty smug whenever he hears ink humming it to himself hmmmm

Yea, yea. I think they invent the concept of negative kisses just for the special occasions™. Or maybe they keep track of days where they haven't seen each other and "recover" the kisses that couldn't be given???? Evil stuff id say

[dorkyteenagedirtbag-ks]

Synopsis: Kaiser’s dream of glory comes true, but his victory feels hollow.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

The energy in the stadium was electric; people were crazy. The crowd was roaring for Kaiser. The lights shone bright, and the chants of his name echoed, everything felt surreal. Football was his life, his savior, his everything. But as he stood there, triumphant and soaked in sweat, a weight settled in his chest like never before.

The locker room was filled with excitement, but Kaiser sat quietly in a corner, a towel draped over his head, lost in thought. His mind was elsewhere.

It had been weeks since he'd last seen his lover, (Y/N).

(Y/N), a man who once was his silent shelter against the world's noise, his refuge. A touch from him, his smile, or even a look into his eyes were capable of drawing Kaiser from all turmoil within himself back into a tranquil lake. From the moment he began with nothing, the beginning, in itself-he'd seen him work so hard and struggle. And all through it, during every fall and after, even at moments when he'd wonder what everything was about, he'd have Y/N beside him.

But he wasn't here now.

The argument was still echoing in Kaiser's ears, louder than the cheers surrounding him. It had happened a week before the semifinals, a time when they should have been celebrating one of his biggest wins; instead, they were at each other's throats, saying words sharper than they wanted to.

"You're never here, Kaiser," Y/N had said shaking. "You keep talking of the future, about 'one day,' yet it's the same. Constantly football and always something big and more important than me. You just don't see me in that future you are talking of."

"That's not fair," Kaiser had snapped, on the defense. "You knew what this was about when you began dating me. This is my dream, (Y/N). You should get that. You more than anyone else should understand!"

"I get it!" Y/N had shouted, tears welled in his eyes. "But what about my dreams? What about us? What about my feelings? Are we just something you fit in in the cracks between the matches and training sessions?"

 

Kaiser had gone quiet, unable to answer.

"I can't keep doing this," he'd murmured, the anger sizzling out into exhaustion. "I can't keep being your second choice. I can't keep being the one you seek only when you're not shining on the field."

Kaiser wanted to say something-he really wanted to assure (Y/N) that things would be different, that things would change. But the words got caught in his throat, entangled in a truth he couldn't face. Football did come first. It had to. It was his dream, after all. A part of his everything.

(Y/N) had walked away that night, his absence louder than anything he could have said.

Now, sitting in the locker room, Kaiser felt that absence weighing down on him like a rock. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through the unanswered texts he had sent to him. Each one was a little more desperate than the last.

Please, talk to me.

I didn't mean for it to be like this.

I need you, (Y/N).

But (Y/N) didn't answer.

A hand clapped Kaiser on the shoulder, jerking him back to the present. It was Noel Noa. "Press is waiting for you, Kaiser."

Kaiser nodded slowly, still in a haze. Standing up and plastering on a smile that felt fake, he went to talk to them. Everything felt like a lie today.

The press conference was a blur as reporters bombarded him with questions about his goal, the team's strategy, and his future. Kaiser answered like a robot, his mind elsewhere, somewhere with Y/N.

Later, standing alone in the parking lot, the night was eerily quiet. It was almost like the world was taunting his loud mind. He made one last call. It rang endlessly, and just when Kaiser thought it would go to voicemail again, (Y/N) finally answered.

“Kaiser,” (Y/N)’s voice sounded tired and distant.

“I won,” Kaiser said, his voice shaky. “We’re heading to the finals.”

There was an uneasy silence that lasted for what felt like hours. "Congratulations" a soft reply was muttered by (Y/N).

Kaiser's eyes screwed shut because this pain he was feeling had very almost reached its maximum threshold. "I wish you were here."

"I cannot be," responded Y/N. "I can't keep looking at you when you're not even gazing at me."

Kaiser's throat lumped. "It's not like this; to me, you're everything."

"But not enough," he cut in. "Not enough to be first for you. Maybe we weren't meant to be after all."

Kaiser was wordless. "I hope you win," (Y/N) said with a soft tone, and the call ended.

The silence hung between them, heavy and final.

He was there for quite a while-the stadium sounds diminished, the ache in his chest not going away, reminding him of what he'd lost.

Kaiser lowered his phone, staring at the screen as if it could somehow bring back Y/N. But it didn't.

In the end, Kaiser had chosen football. And it had cost him the one thing he could never get back.

And maybe, maybe after all Y/N was a part of his everything, but it was too late.

- 𝐊𝐒

[themoodyestj]

i wonder if you can even understand what love is like. is like that story Jensen shared about how he feels making breakfast for his children. have you ever felt like that? love is getting up and letting your partner sleep in for a little bit. or doing silly stuff together like playing with rubber bands or jumping on a trampoline. going to sleep in another room when you come home really late and your partner is already asleep, because you don't want to bother them, that's love! when you love someone, you support their dreams and aspirations, you let them be an individual and do their own thing. to let your partner go and be willing to take care of things and wait for them to come back because you trust that they will, that's a true demostration of love. to have somebody to come back to, when you call a person your home, that's love.

God, it's been a while since I had one of those. No, I'm not going to share about my personal life. I'm not that stupid. But rest assured, my life is really good. And yes, I know exactly what it looks like. And that's precisely why I know I would never put down a loved one in public. I would never say publicly anything that's less than complimentary about someone I love, because inside jokes are *inside* jokes, and because there's something called respect. I know that if a loved one had a traumatic event, I would board the first plane to where they were and I would make sure they were ok, kids in tow or not. While talking about my partner's job, I would sing praises to the high heavens. One, because I'm not insecure of my own power, two, because I know my partner's success is my success. I would raise my kids privately and not post pictures of them that they could see later and regret they were there. I would not put my kids in danger by exposing them, I would not make drunken lives with some very sensitive topics or expose myself to ridicule because I know my image is my family's image. And I know exactly what is like to hold the fort for someone, and to have the fort held for me. And I'm not a millionaire celebrity, I don't have it as easy. It comes with patience, love, compassion, and self-sacrifice, and making choices sometimes taking others into account and not me. I know what all of that is like, and more. The things you said were beautiful, Anon, but they were all Jensen's. I'm not Jensen critical. I'm Danneel critical. I don't criticize their marriage, I criticize her in their marriage. You need to start being able to split the two.

[riversaremeanttobefollowed]

Okay so this is all set in my jewish batman universe where Bruce is also raised by the Kanes and is a practicing jew. He's still batman of course, but has a better support system than just Alfred (although if I remember correctly, originally Alfred joined the batfam after Dick, but in this verse Alfred is here from the beginning). Ezra is mizrahi jewish from his mother and ashkenazi from his father. Ezra's father died when he was young after they moved to Gotham, also murdered. Ezra and Bruce met at temple as teenagers a little before Bruce went off to boarding school. They hit it off and were good friends, but lost contact after Bruce went on his batman training montage. Its when Bruce returns and they hold a gala celebrating him that he meets Ezra again. They start up a romance, but since it's still pretty rocky to be gay in public at this time they keep it a secret. Ezra isn't out to his family either, and Bruce also doesn't really say anything to his family. Ezra's maternal family is all like John Constantine with their abilities within the occult and are consultants basically. Ezra has already joined the family business, which is an open secret within the jewish community within Gotham. I like to think that a lot of bubbled of jewish people know about the occult stuff that happens within the dc universe before it starts to become public knowledge. So Bruce already knew and found out more after he returned with his Batman paranoia. Ezra then finds out about the Batman stuff after Bruce needs his help on a case, so they work together when their cases overlap. Then Dick joins Bruce's family and him and Ezra get along like a house on fire, but Dick is obviously still the angry Robin due to the death of his family and mishandling of his parents case and the fact that he was in juvie for no reason other than the fact that they had no room for him in an orphanage before getting taken in by Bruce. Eventually after Dick has been with Bruce for a year, and Bruce and Ezra have been together for awhile now (multiple years, but it was never agreed explicitly that they were exclusive, but It was sort of implied, but they never called each other boyfriends and though they never saw anyone else). I need to figure out the years still, but Bruce then proposes to Ezra since he's rich and they can get married anywhere, but Ezra rejects him (for many reasons, but mostly because he's scared). He blows up a bit at Bruce and then leaves Gotham entirely. Bruce is devastated (but also he never asked if that's where they were going anyways, they have never talked about their relationship, so also on him for not communicating even if Ezra definitely would have wanted this if he wasn't so scared though). Years go by, Dick doesn't know why Ezra and Bruce weren't together anymore (he knew since he walked in on them kissing once and was talked to by Bruce), but thinks Bruce was the one at fault. but one day after the Justice League has been running for years at this point, Ezra is brought on a case by John Constanine, and it's obvious that Batman and Nightwing know him (Nightwing never told his siblings about Ezra and I don't think most of them know Bruce is bi) since Nightwing basically jumps him with a hug. There is tension, but Ezra and Bruce talk during the mission at one point when they are alone with Ezra telling him that he misses Bruce and that he would like to try again, and Bruce apologizes to Ezra for not talking to him ahead of time. (also Kate is Batwoman at this point and has come out to their family and gay marriage is legalized at this point) They agree to try again as friends since Ezra is returning home.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

You want a feel-good headcanon? I GOT YOUR BACK-

Since Knuckles is definitely scared of ghosts, since Movie 3 confirmed it, he would most certainly NOT enjoy Halloween. While yes, the candies are the best part, and dressing up in costumes (He was a cowboy,) he didn't like all the scary parts, like the spooky skeletons or creepy crawlies or anything that involves gross blood or any of the uncomfortable stuff. He may be an Echidna Warrior, but he never liked any of that body horror stuff.

Sonic knew he wouldn't be a big fan, but he knew there was another Earth tradition after Halloween that Knuckles might like. Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. (Let me know if I got the name wrong)

I don't know a lot about the tradition itself, I've never really participated in it before, but I know it's a celebration of music, food, and the people we loved and lost. From what I've heard about this beautiful tradition, I believe Knuckles would be likely to participate.

Knuckles lost his tribe, and Sonic lost Longclaw. They both lost important people at a young age. The Day of the Dead seems like the perfect day for them to grow closer over their lost parents, and talk about them and get to know more about Longclaw and Bricks (Knuckles' dad's name. I remember 😎)

Sonic wonders if Longclaw would be okay with the fact that Knuckles is his friend and teammate, despite him being an Echidna, her owl tribe's enemy. Knuckles would believe that after all they have been through together, as not only a team, but as brothers, she would be very proud of both him and Sonic, for setting aside the differences, and come together as one, strong tribe.

Day of the Dead would be Knuckles' favorite Earth tradition, because not only would he pay tribute to his tribe and father, but also Longclaw. It helps bring him and Sonic closer, and in a way, it brings peace between tribes.

It was Knuckles' only exception of allowing ghosts into his life <3

Aww! That’s a pretty good headcanon Hon❤️✨

[frostedsketches]

( Before you continue, please do not comment or repost with any inappropriate context. It's sad that I have to bring this up, but after having a problem with this on DA and something in a similar taste here on Tumblr just recently, I feel that it is necessary. I am a minor, and in my opinion, pregnant bellies are wholesome and not something to be sexualized, so I will not tolerate any person trying to warp any aspect of this piece into anything pertaining to fetishes or NSFW in any way. We all know how babies are made, we don't need you to yell the specifics with blatancy. Anyone who does will immediately have their comment deleted/reblog hidden, and will be blocked.

Thank you for your time <3 )

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had to have had the hardest time expecting their young ones out of the Mane Six: Pinkie because she's a short pudgy little muffin carrying twins with the tallest stallion in Ponyville and Fluttershy because, well. . . giant hybrid draconequus baby with chaotic powers carried by a lanky and petite mare such as herself. You can imagine the weight off-set they had to struggle with, especially in the last few months.

Pinkie has almost always wanted to be a mom. She's a people person, adores little kids, and all those years of throwing them and their families parties as well as Cuteceañera's, weddings, baby showers, and every kind of celebration in between let her see first-hoof the treasured memories made, and relationships brought closer together by the entertainment she brought forth. You can see how this might make someone like her long for the same, to feel what a wife and a mother feels and have a family of her own.

This desire was fortunately shared by Cheese who had witnessed much of what she had in his career and often wondered something similar, and though they didn't plan to have kids quite as early as five months after their wedding, they joyously welcomed the surprise. Pinkie often finds herself staring at her unborn twins and realizing over and over that her dreams are really coming true.

Pinkie normally isn't the tidiest pony ever, though she isn't the type to sit around without something to keep her busy — but like most mares with one, or in her case two, little buns in the oven, she started nesting, and when that happened, there was no stopping her.

Other than this her life went on normally, even seven months in she was still throwing parties, making ponies laugh and smile, and baking ( with close supervision from Cheese, more on that later ). In the last few months however, she did find herself slowing down and allowed herself to become more reserved, resting up for the big day and the strenious days following.

Doctors orders were to stay away from sugar after she let it slip how much she consumed on a day to day basis — though considering the twins are from Pinkie's peculiar genes, I doubt it would have mattered either way — and Cheese had a heck of a time making sure she did as told. It's not easy giving up junk food entirely when you're used to eating like that for so long. She still baked as mentioned before, under Cheese's supervision, and Cheese spent most of his time making sure his wifey didn't consume anything she was baking.

Soon though, the thought of using honey instead of sugar popped up, and she was able to eat special honey sweetened treats if she ever just couldn't ward off the cravings.

Fluttershy's foal being half draconequus and chalk full of chaotic powers no less, often gave her symptoms and side affects that one wouldn't consider normal. On top of the usual pregnancy symptoms, she also had to deal with magical stuff like sneezing bubbles, throwing up confetti, changing the colors of her coat/mane/eyes etc etc, one time she had the ability to turn everything she touched into cheese, including living organisms — THAT was a fun eight hours. All this, plus back pain and limited wing usage from her kiddo's size, overall did not give Fluttershy the best experience.

Despite everything above, Discord did his best to help her ease these strange symptoms, wether it was simple comfort methods or magical help to lessen her magical effects. One example of that, when Fluttershy's hurting back got too much for her, since she couldn't lay on her stomach to ease the pain, he would make himself into a makeshift maternity pillow. This way she has a perfect sized donut hole for her belly to rest in while the rest of her is laying comfortably on top of her hubby's velvety soft noodle side whenever she needs it, and Discord gets a warm, beautiful, feathery pegasus blanket to keep him warm, so he didn't mind in the slightest.

~~~

Hope you enjoyed ^^ and I mean what I warned up there!

Toodles~

[whatexactlyismyhoohah]

Okay well first things first, here is the video. Thankfully it's still up! It's from the behind the scenes of America's Suitehearts and the infamous shot happens about 4 minutes in.

Now that the important information is out of the way...

Lol yes I posted the pic! Now people are profiting off it on red bubble, which is weird. If I EVER find the link to my OG post I will send it your way.

Like I'm sure I couldn't have been the only one to see the video and see his face and lose my shit. However, when I made my original post it got hella reblogs and likes, more than anything else I posted. Actually it was two posts. The first one was just the picture and I said something along the lines of, "He asked for Jack Nicholson in the joker, and he got this. Oh my god."

The second post was just an old school Tumblr grid of the same picture over and over again.

I feel weird claiming to be the person who originally posted it but it seems that maybe the case? So please, don't see me as a celebrity. See me as a little internet goblin who was creeping through the bowels of FOB content on YouTube and found an amazing reaction pic. I quite literally stumbled upon gold. I didn't even know people were calling it the, "Dr. Benzedrine Autism Creature" pic. I love that it is getting a second life.

For real though, when you watch the video you will love it because it just randomly cuts to him having an existential crisis and it made me hee haw donkey laugh the first time I saw it. I wanted to say something to you sooner but I'm always a little nervous about interactions on Tumblr and I didn't want to seem weird or like I'm trying to get attention. Really I just want you to know that I actually LIKE you using it as your pic, it's an honor haha!

no matter how much I may post about other things always know that I still want to know patrick stump carnally

[c00kietin]

Hey- why do I have 300 followers all of a sudden O_O

[thesummerestsolstice]

Broke: Gondolin was a serious, conservative, prudish city.

Woke: The Gondolindrim were stuck in one city for 400-ish years with no Morgoth threatening them and basically nothing do to. If anyone in Middle-Earth was entertaining themselves with festivals and ragers, it was them. We're talking drunken moshpits, people getting thrown into fountains, endless romantic intrigue between most of the Lords, the whole nine yards.

Bespoke: The Gondolindrim were party animals but they all agreed that what happens in Gondolin stays in Gondolin and never talked about the parties after the fall; which is why Gondolin gets a reputation for being so serious and boring. Most of the Gondolindrim, and especially Turgon, think this is hilarious.