#I grew up just outside of Nashville for a while

[hillbillyoracle]

Oh you know, just laying on my bed wondering how the news the Nashville shooter was trans and targeted a Christian school will escalate my already deteriorating safety.

[darkeralmond]

Can you do a william Smith smut when they get home from his draft. Pls I haven't seen any writing pieces for him and he's so cute.

Ps. I love your writing pieces

THANK U SM FOR THE REQUEST ILYSM ❤️❤️❤️

All Night

Will Smith x fem! Reader

synopsis: it’s draft night and you attend the draft with will and his family, but while there will’s drooling over your body. when he gets drafted, you tell him you have a reward for him in your guys’ hotel room

warnings: 18+, smut, swearing, oral (m! recieving)

word count: 1.2k

a/n: HEY GUYS!! i wanna get back to writing smuts and imagines so i saw one of my old requests and thought i would write it. also i am so excited to see macklin and will play tg!! enjoy i love u guys sm ❤️❤️

It was the night Will had been waiting for his entire hockey career. It was NHL draft night, and he was determined to go in the first round. As his long time girlfriend, he really wanted to take you to Nashville with him and his family to cherish the moment with you.

While entering Bridgestone Arena, there were media teams all over the place capturing all the young prospects. Players such as Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, and Oliver Moore who were just as glorified by the press as your boyfriend.

Photographers were snapping pictures of Will, ESPN commentators were interviewing him, and all you could do was step back and watch like an outsider.

After escaping the media frenzy by entering Bridgestone, he pulled you close to him and whispered, “You doing good?”

“Yeah, it’s just really crowded,” you answered. Fancy events made you anxious, so being at a nationally televised event with your super popular boyfriend was super overwhelming.

“Well, you look beautiful,” he teased before kissing your temple. His grip around you grew tighter as he stared at your chest which was slightly exposed with your v-neck dress, causing him to lick his lips. He then turned to his parents and said, “Hey, I’m gonna take Y/N the bathrooms so she doesn’t get lost. We��ll meet you guys in there.”

“Sounds good, just be at the table by 5:30,” his mom advised before heading down to their reserved spots. Will moved his hand from your waist to your hand before guiding you away from the crowd of people.

“Will, what are you doing?” you asked as he pushed through the crowd to a more secluded area. He spun to face you before kissing you deeply. You returned the action by moving your hands up to the sides of his neck. He ran his hands down your back and groped your ass.

You gasped before pulling away. “Will! Not here!” You meant for it to come out as stern, but you couldn’t help but giggle.

“Fuck. Why did you wear such a revealing dress?” he whined as he stared at your chest. “You know I can barely control myself around you. This is torture!”

You pecked a kiss on his cheek before saying, “You’ll have all this to yourself when we get back to the hotel. Remember, your parents got us our own room.”

He groaned again. “That’s hours from now!”

“Looks like you’ll just have to wait,” you teased as you winked at him. “Now come on, your mom will kill you if you’re late.”

The draft started shortly after that, and you held onto his hand as you and everyone else anxiously waited for his name to be called. Will ended up getting drafted to the San Jose sharks as the 4th overall pick, and he was over the moon. When they announced his name, the cameras panned onto him as everyone erupted into applause and cheers. Will let go of your hand as he and everyone at the table stood up, clapping and embracing him.

Will finally got to you as he grinned from ear to war and pulled you into a tight hug, burying his face in your neck. Your eyes rimmed with tears as the two of you held onto each other. You placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered into his ear, “Looks like I need to award you with a blow job in the hotel room.”

Now he was smiling even harder with his face red as he walked up to the stage to accept his hat and jersey. When he came back to his seat, he leaned into your ear and whispered, “Thank God they couldn’t see how hard I am just now.”

…

The first round of the draft took hours to complete due to the amount of prospects, so when it concluded his parents complained about how exhausted they were. Not you and Will though. You guys would’ve gone straight to sleep when you got to your room, but you both were really horny and ready to celebrate.

When you made it back to the hotel, his dad gave Will a keycard to the room. “Here’s a keycard for you guys to share. Your mom and I are gonna keep this one to check in on you so don’t be getting into trouble. I’ll see you two in the morning,” his dad said before heading down the hall to the hotel room for him and his mom.

“Good night!” Will yelled out to his parents before looking down at me, holding up his key card. “Looks I have you for the night.”

You ushered him by saying, “Hurry up! I’ve been waiting for this all night!” He scanned the card and the door unlocked.

Before you even made it in the room, his hands were all over you. His lips were all over yours, and he was kissing you like your life depended on it. You could barely even breathe as his tongue brushed across your lower lip before he opened his mouth and licked your top lip with fervor.

You broke the kiss so you could breathe. “I need this off you now,” you said as you unbuttoned his jacket and shirt and he shrugged them both off, letting it fall to the floor. “You ready for your celebration?”

He ecstatically nodded his head causing you to grin as you tugged off his pants. His boxers were black, very tight and covered in little white hearts. In your opinion his boxers had every right to be tight, he knew what was coming.

With his boxers gone and his obvious erection, you got down on your knees in front of him and stroked his tip with your tongue.

Will moaned softly causing chills to run down your spine. Your hands traveled up his dick, firmly grasping at the base. You kissed the tip and then slowly lowered your mouth to take half of him in your mouth. Multitasking, your other hand massaged stroked slowly.

He groaned in bliss as his hands held onto your hair. “That feels good, yeah?” you asked after pulling away, continuing to stroke his dick with your hand. He moaned again, louder than before, as confirmation. Your stomach flipped in excitement and you smiled wickedly.

“You look so fucking beautiful, baby,” he praised. You didn’t respond with words, you only let out a soft hum in amusement as you took his dick in your mouth again.

He thrashed his hips forward in order to go deeper down your throat. This caused you to slightly choke as a mix of saliva and his pre-cum escaped your mouth. “God, I wanna be inside you…” he whispered quietly.

You pulled away again and made eye contact with him, still jacking him off. “Oh, sweetheart,” you purred. “This is only the beginning.”

As he grew closer to finishing, your head bobbed up and down fast as your sucking became harder. He kept moaning your name louder and louder like an addiction that no drug could replace.

It only took him a minute to finish before he shot a load in your mouth. When you swallowed it, he groaned. “Wow… wow, that was amazing,” he rasped breathlessly.

“You still have my body to get through, you know?” you replied as you wiped the residue off your face with the back of your hand. “You said you wanted to be inside me, right?”

[builtbybrokenbells]

Long Time Coming

After spending your entire life getting to know the optimistic, perpetually happy Josh Kiszka, you are pleasantly surprised when he shows you a different side of him.

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x f!reader

Word Count: 8.3k

Warnings: SMUT 18+, fingering, oral (f!receiving), unprotected sex (don’t be silly, wrap your willy), swearing, angst, alcohol consumption, mentions death/sickness, mentions of drug use and addiction, parental issues, creepiness from men. Sorry if I missed any!!

here’s some smutty angsty grumpy x sunshine love. Writing this whole thing has been a bit therapeutic, so it turned out a little longer than I expected 😭 I apologize. anyways, be kind, I hope you enjoy, and please excuse any grammar mistakes! ALSO it’s been a long time since I’ve written smut so if it’s bad please bear with me

-

There was something about him. Something that all of the girls seemed to swoon over, that implored them to flock to him and fall to his feet. Sure, you could understand how it could be charming, but to you? It drove you absolutely insane. And not in the good way. You didn’t hate the guy; far from it, really. But you did try to limit your one on one time with him, just to spare yourself the headache later in the day.

Josh Kiszka was not a bad person. He was nowhere near it. He was very attractive, but also nice, kind, and quite funny, too, but he was so unbelievably happy all of the time. You didn’t hate happiness, but by god, you were sure if you told him you’d murdered his whole family he’d still find the best in the situation. Admittedly, you were aware that you lived your life a bit more on the grumpy side, always leaning towards the glass half empty idea, but even so; you didn’t understand how he never seemed to be in a bad mood.

You didn’t hate optimism, but he sure as hell made you feel like you shouldn’t be sad over the stuff you’re allowed to be sad about. That, and due to your mediocre life filled with more than enough troubles, you envied that you’d never seen a frown on his face. You loved him, sure. He was one of your friends, albeit you found yourself closer with the other three boys. You’d grown up with them, always found yourself in their company, and even moved to Nashville after you’d finished university just to be around them again, and perhaps to get away from Michigan, as well.

You worked in finance, securing a well paying job as an accountant at a big name company not long after your move to the big city. You had sort of moved on a whim, with no real promise of a good job or any sustainable income. You didn’t want to move until you had one for sure, but eventually conceded because of a promise from Sam that he and Danny had a spare bedroom in their apartment that was begging for someone to take it. They had been pestering you for as long as they’d lived there for you to move in with them. You had graduated with Jake and Josh, but found more solace hanging out with the younger two boys once you all grew up. Josh still took credit for ‘founding your friendship with Sam’ as he was the first of any of the brothers to spark a conversation with you.

You got plenty of alone time when the boys were off on tour, and didn’t mind the noise at all when they came home. As much as you liked to believe you were an introvert, you found yourself longing for their company after coming home every day to silence. Maybe it was just Sam and Danny that brought that out in you.

You pulled into your usual parking spot outside of the apartment complex at exactly 5:17, the same time you were home almost every day, due to the ungodly (but predictable) traffic always in the way of the roads. The firm you worked for should only be a five minute drive, at most, but city traffic was tedious and nothing like what you were used to in your small hometown. You were certain you’d never get used to it. You pulled your keys out of your ignition, followed by a cigarette from your pack. You had the habit kicked for a while, but picked it up sometime during the three month stretch the boys had been gone. You hoped you could quit it again before they got back within the coming weeks, but you had little hope.

You sat on the grass by the door, lighting the end of the cigarette. You let your eyes scan the parking lot, looking for nothing in particular. The sun was warm and it was nice being outside after eight hours of stuffy office air. Your dress pants were growing even more uncomfortable by the second and you were eager to get inside so you could curl up in bed and start your weekend off correctly: a glass of wine and a date with your book. You were excited to play the new vinyl records you’d picked up earlier in the week on a spur of the moment shopping trip.

You decided to have another before you went inside, just to curb the craving for a bit longer. Just as you put the filter between your lips, the front door of the building opened. You didn’t bother to look up, figuring it was just your creepy neighbour. He always seemed to be waiting for you when you got home from work. Sam promised you he’d get him evicted when he got back. “Chainsmoking, now, y/n?” You heard a disapproving tsk follow the sentence. Your head snapped up, barely believing your ears.

“Sammy!?” You shot up from your position on the ground. He held his arms out and you jumped into them, not caring how stupid it looked. “What are you doing home?” You asked, head still buried in his shoulder. He held you until you were ready to let go.

“Missed your pretty face too much, had to come back just to see it.” He said, pinching your cheeks when he finally let go.

“You’re too sweet, Samuel. Don’t flatter me.” You rolled your eyes.

“Seriously though, you’re smoking again? I thought you were the first person to actually adhere to their New Year’s resolution.” You gave a shrug.

“What can I say? Old habits die hard.” You admitted. He nodded as if to say ‘fair enough’. “Is Danny back, too?” You asked, a hopeful gleam in your eyes. He nodded, a grin still stuck on his face.

“We had a stretch with no shows so we came home to see you.” He informed. “I know you’d never admit it, but we know you get lonely when we’re gone.” Instead of his usual joking tone, it was laced with sincerity. Instead of responding with words, you just pulled him into another embrace. He smelled like Sam; a scent that felt more like home than anything else. “Come in, get comfortable, and get something to eat. We brought you your favourite takeout,” he paused before continuing. “Thing one and Thing two are coming over tonight, too.” You chuckled at Sam’s pass at his brothers. You missed them so much, you weren’t even dreading having to deal with Josh’s exuberant personality all evening.

When you entered your apartment, you wasted no time searching for the honorary Kiszka brother. You found him standing in the living room, anxiously awaiting your arrival. You wasted no time running to him, tackling him in a hug. You both fell to the ground in a mess of limbs and echoing laughter. “I missed you too, bug.” He said, with his arms still wrapped around you. Danny was the only person in the world you allowed to call you any pet names, aside from your Grandmother, who’d raised you your whole life. Josh tried his luck, calling you ‘mama’ any chance he got, which was always met with a glare in return.

When you both got back on your feet, you implored them to tell you all about the last few months. They waved it off, assuring you they’d tell you all about it later night. You ushered them upstairs to show them the new vinyls you’d added to your collection. Eventually, you had gotten changed and graciously ate the food your roommates had brought home to you. You took a quick shower before the twins arrived, reapplying a bit of makeup so you could cover the exhaustion caused by your never ending pile of work. You sipped on a glass of wine while music played softly from your phone.

A knock sounded on the bathroom door, catching your attention. “What’s up?” You asked, unsure of who would answer.

“Get dressed up, we’re going to head to the bar down the street.” Sam’s voice sounded. You opened the door so you could talk to him face to face, rather than through a wall.

“Implying I don’t always look fantastic?” You teased.

“Not in the slightest, my dear, for you are the fairest maiden in apartment 3C.” He gave a dramatic bow. You rolled your eyes, shoving him backwards. He stumbled slightly before regaining his footing.

“I’m the only ‘maiden’ in 3C, Sammy.”

“Not true, I’m not sure if you realized but Daniel also lives with us.” You let a giggle escape your lips as you fumbled with the tube of mascara in your hand. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

You finished getting ready not long after Sam left you, pulling a nice dress from your closet and throwing it on. You took your hair down from its clip to let it dry naturally. When you made your way back to the living room, four voices sounded down the hall. You appeared around the corner, staying silent until one of the twins noticed you. After a few minutes, Josh broke from their conversation to check if you’d shown up. His eyes lit up at the sight of you. You didn’t even find yourself annoyed when his infamous smile crossed his cheeks. He pushed past everyone to greet you. You welcomed his hug, to everyone’s surprise. “Looking good, as usual, mama.” He whispered as he let go. You bit your tongue, fighting back a snide comment at his pet name.

“Thanks, Joshua.” You replied. You let your eyes linger over him for a moment. He looked good, too, but you’d never let yourself say it out loud. It would fuel his ego a bit too much. He’d cut his hair, which you’d failed to notice in the photos Sam had sent you. It was shaved on the sides now, the top a curly mess. You noticed he looked a little less boyish since the last time you’d seen him, now growing in a bit of facial hair. He looked really good. After an awkward staring contest, Jake pushed his twin to the side to greet you, too. “To the bar, then?” You asked the group after a few moments. There was chorus of agreements.

It was dark out now, the sun just finished setting, leaving a rusty glow in the sky. The group of you walked down the busy sidewalk together, passing other groups of drunkards with the same idea. You were sandwiched between Sam and Danny, both of their arms wrapped around you. To be honest, you hated the bar. Sweaty drunk people dancing to shitty music, creepy guys who made your skin crawl, and always leaving feeling dirty. It was not something you desired to experience. But tonight, you were more than happy to go if it meant you got to be with your friends.

Jake led the way to a booth in the far corner, away from the crowd. You slid in first, and Josh jumped at the chance to sit beside you. You bit the inside of your cheek, wishing someone else had claimed the seat first, but you stayed silent. The night was filled with chatter, stories about the tour bus antics and the different cities they’d been lucky enough to visit. “You have to come with us sometime, y/n, I think you’d love it.” Josh said.

“I can’t just get up and go, Josh. I have to work.” You told him, shutting the idea down. It irked you slightly, knowing he thought you could just drop everything and leave.

“Take some vacation time, then. We’d love to have you come along. Plus, I hate the thought of you being here alone all of the time.” You had to take a double take when the words left his mouth. Not once, in your lifetime of friendship, could you ever recall him saying he hated something. ‘Weird’ you thought to yourself.

“Y-yeah, maybe.” You nodded, taking a long sip from your drink. After the silence lingered too long, the youngest brother jumped at the opportunity to break it.

“Shots, anyone?” Sam asked, eyeing you specifically. You shrugged.

“As long as it’s not bottom of the barrel liquor.”

“Don’t I always treat you well?” Sam snipped back. You smiled at him as he left the booth, Danny and Jake following suit, presumably also to get more drinks. That left you and Josh to yourselves.

“How’s your big girl job treating you?” Josh asked, taking sudden interest in your personal life.

“Uh, it’s work, I guess.” You let out a small laugh.

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad! You work for a huge company - it must be exciting!” He smiled at you. You let out a long exhale, nodding and forcing a smile on your face. There it was, the dreaded, mind-numbing optimism.

Sam returned with a platter of shots. He sat them in front of you with a charming smile. “For the lovely lady.”

“All for me?” You raised an eyebrow.

“If you feel such a need to have all of them, then I suppose I couldn’t be too upset with you.” He joked. You took two off the tray and the lime slice. You threw one back with no salt or lime, barely flinching at the burn it left behind. You finished the second one and popped the lime in your mouth, sucking the juice from it. “Good god, woman. You could bring any man to his knees shooting liquor like that.” Sam said with a humorous, lustful tone.

“I’m just getting started, darlin’.” You mumbled. Chasing the shots with the last of your drink. “I’ve got to take a trip outside; I will be back.” You said, shooing Josh out of the booth. You went outside for a cigarette, letting the cool air settle deep into your bones, returning feeling slightly rejuvenated. When you went back inside, you stopped by the bar to grab another beverage. As you waited to be served, a man just around the same age as you squeezed into the limited space between you and the next person.

You shifted awkwardly, not wanting to bump shoulders with him. He turned to smile at you, looking you up and down. “What’s a pretty girl like yourself doing buying your own drinks?” He asked. You brushed the comment off, not responding. You drummed your fingertips off the sticky bar top, signalling your impatience. “Playing hard to get, eh?” He pried, making a move to put his arm around you. You tried to shimmy out of his grip, but you were packed too tightly between other people to get away.

“Nope, just not interested.” You huffed.

“Oh come on now, let me buy you a drink, at least. Then maybe another, and I might get you drunk enough to agree to come home with me.” He gave you a sly grin. You couldn’t see it, but Josh was staring daggers at him from the booth. He’d been the first to notice your delay in returning, and the first to catch sight of the sleazy guy trapping you beside him. He was ablaze with anger just at the thought of someone touching you when you didn’t want it.

“Yeah, not the best pickup line, buddy.” You shut him down once more. His grasp around your waist tightened as you saw a flash of anger in his eyes. Your heart drummed against your chest, hoping one of the boys would notice and help you out.

“Oh come on, quit being a tease. Showing up here in a dress like that? You’re begging someone to take you home.” He practically growled. Just as you were trying to formulate a good enough response to get him to leave you alone, a firm, but gentle hand was placed on your shoulder.

“Hey, man, get the fuck away from her.” The person snapped from behind you. You turned your head, expecting to see Jake due to the tone of voice, but you were very surprised to see Josh standing there. The unknown man scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“And who are you?” The guy puffed up his chest, wanting to seem scarier than he was.

“My boyfriend.” The words tumbled out of your mouth faster than you could process them. “Come on, babe.” You grabbed Josh’s hand and pulled him back towards the booth, finally getting a moment of freedom to allow you to do so. Josh was just as stunned as you were at your proclamation, but both of you brushed it off quickly.

“You okay, mama?” He asked, silently begging you to look at him.

“Yeah, thank you, Josh.” You breathed. Your hands were still intertwined. He nodded, eerily still, afraid that the physical contact would end.

“No need to thank me, I can still go and punch him, if you-“

“No, that’s okay.” You cut him off, even more surprised at the anger that was radiating off of him. You’d never seen Josh any less than content. His eyes held an emotion you weren’t sure Josh even knew existed. You hated to admit it, but you found it quite attractive. The thought of Josh getting that worked up on your behalf was causing you to have some conflicting thoughts. He nodded, looking to the floor.

“Sorry,” he cleared his throat. You shook your head, giving him a small smile.

“No need.” You whispered back. You felt your eyes linger over his face, still trying to fully grasp the situation at hand. “Did you maybe want to play some pool? Take our minds off it?” You suggested. He gave a slow nod.

“Sure, yeah.” He mumbled.

You gathered the rest of the boys, making your way to a vacant pool table. You sat on a stool and watched the brothers play a viciously terrible game, stifling laughs the whole time. “Sam, what the fuck was that?” Danny asked, motioning to the ball he’d hit too hard, causing it to fall from the table to the floor.

“Hey! I may be pretty, but I never once said I was good at pool,” Sam raised his hands in defence. The game ended in a stalemate, as all parties gave up at the realization that there was no progress being made.

The night carried on without another hiccup. It was filled with laughs, jokes and stories that you likely would not remember by the time you woke up the next day. You were positively drunk, stumbling to the bar after Sam had convinced you to do a terribly hilarious karaoke performance with him. “Hey! Can I get another screwdriver and whatever that man has been getting all night!” You shouted at the bartender, pointing to Josh. She laughed at you but nodded, getting you the drinks.

You returned to the group, handing Josh the drink you’d bought for him. “For me?” He questioned.

“Yeah, as a thank you for earlier!” You practically yelled in his face. Your level of drunk could always be measured by the volume of your words. You were a loud drunk, for certain. Josh laughed at you.

“I think it’s time to get you home, mama.” He said, placing a hand on your hip as you tumbled into him. For once, the nickname sounded nice on his lips. His smile wasn’t irritating, and his hand felt fantastic on you. You weren’t sure what had come over you. Something changed while he was gone.

“Only if I’m going home with you.” You batted your eyelashes at him. You had no idea what you were saying, and you sure as hell would regret it in the morning. Josh gave you a questioning look, but clearly whatever you said had affected him greatly. His hand on your hip tightened a little bit and his breathing sped. “What? You are my boyfriend after all,” you giggled, trying to make light of the earlier situation.

“God, I wish,” he mumbled under his breath. You didn’t catch it, your inhibitions greatly diminished. He was grateful for it, not sure if he was ready to admit that proclamation yet.

“You look good too, Josh. I wanted to say it earlier, but, you know…” you trailed off. He didn’t know, but he didn’t question it, too scared that the moment of intimacy would end. His fingers grabbed at the fabric of your dress, pulling you closer to him. Your faces were inches apart. He could smell the vodka off your breath. Your chest was almost fully pressed against him. You were both quite intoxicated, not really understanding that you were on full display in front of everyone. Sam was watching everything, mouth agape in shock. He was quite aware of your usual disdain for his brother, not understanding what was happening. Jake had a smirk on his lips, always knowing it was bound to happen eventually.

“Thank you,” He whispered, voice sounding a bit strained, not breaking eye contact with you once. You took a long gulp of your drink, feeling the liquid courage coursing through your veins. Your skin was on fire with a feeling you’d never felt before. Sure, you’d had a fling or two, a short term relationship here and there, but you’d never felt desire quite like this. Seeing Josh angry had sparked a fire in you. It showed you he was much more complex than he let on. You two stayed in that position, not sure how to continue on from there.

“So are you going to take me home, Joshua?” You leaned in, whispering in his ear. He sprung to action in an instant, pulling his jacket off the back of his chair and ushering you out the door. Sam shared a look with his brothers, a silent protest, wondering if he should stop you.

“Leave them be, it’s been a long time coming,” Jake said.

“Okay, then.” Sam nodded. “Looks like we’re stuck with the tab and nowhere to go for a while.”

•

You practically fell through the door of your apartment, hanging on to Josh for dear life. His hands were exploring your body as you led him to your bedroom, wanting to become familiar with every curve. He kicked the door shut behind him, pushing you back onto your mattress. He stood for a moment, heart pounding in anticipation.

You reached out for him, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him on top of you. Your mouths met for the first time, coming together with a neediness you couldn’t comprehend. It was messy, your teeth clashed into his a few times but you were far too invested in the moment to care. Your hands found the hem of his shirt, feeling the soft skin that lie beneath. You hastily pulled it over his head, finally taking a good look at him.

Your distaste for his loud personality seemed to overshadow how attractive he really was. Your mouth was practically watering at the sight of him, more exposed than you’d ever really seen him. His eyes were dark with a look never shared from him before. You never wanted it to go away. “Can I?” He asked, tugging at the bottom of your dress. You gave an overly-eager nod, too desperate to chastise him for his politeness. He slipped his hands under, lifting the tight skirt up to your stomach, letting out a guttural groan at the sight before pulling it off completely. “Fuck, mama.” He said, running his fingertips over the smooth skin of your stomach. His hands found your breasts in a second, quickly leaning down to pull your nipple in his mouth. He let his tongue flick over it, biting down softly after, causing a sharp gasp to break from you. You felt him smile against you.

“You like what you see?” You managed to stutter out. He pulled back, eyes raking over you again.

“You have no idea.” He said lowly, causing a knot to form in your stomach. You reached over and unbuttoned his jeans, hastily trying to get him out of them. You wanted him. No, you needed him. He stood, shimmying out of them and discarding them somewhere on the floor. He took no time in resuming the position on top of you. “So beautiful,” he mumbled, his lips meeting the sensitive skin on your neck. You were aching, desperate for his touch. Your fingers knotted in his hair at the nape of his neck. His hand found your hip once more, gripping it with a strength that made your heart flutter. “Can’t believe this is all for me.” His fingers dipped into your panties, running his fingers through your arousal. Your hips bucked upwards off the bed to meet his touch.

The pornographic moan that slipped from your mouth when his hand fully connected with your cunt sent a shiver up his spine. “Please, Josh.” You begged.

“Please, what?” He teased, his fingers lightly brushing over the bundle of nerves you’d so desperately wanted him to touch.

“Touch me, please. I need it.” You realized how desperate you sounded, but any sense shame was long gone.

“Well, since you asked so nicely.” He whispered. The feeling of his body hovering over you, trapping you down to the bed, was overwhelming. When his finger dipped into you, you could’ve come undone on the spot. “God, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.” He said before connecting your mouths again. His fingers pumped into you at an agonizingly slow pace, the pad of his thumb brushing against your clit with every movement of his hand. He was driving you crazy.

He pulled his hand away just as you felt yourself reaching a climax. You whimpered at the loss of contact, eyes pleading with him to continue. “As pretty as you look begging for me to touch you, I’m not done with you yet.” He said, dipping his finger into his mouth to taste the wetness. He let out a soft moan as he pulled his finger from his mouth. You were throbbing, unsure how Josh had found this power over you seemingly overnight, unsure how he was this hot and you’d never noticed it before. He took one more look over your exposed body before hooking his fingers in your panties and pulling them off you completely. He kissed down your stomach, letting his lips linger just below your bellybutton.

His fingers slipped inside you once again, eliciting a hiss of pleasure from you. He resumed his pace from earlier, now letting his tongue slip over your increasingly sensitive clit. Your hands found his hair, pulling at the ends of it, completely lost in pleasure. Your hips rose from the bed, desperate for more. “That’s it, mama.” He mumbled against you, driving you crazy. “Can you cum for me?” He asked.

“Please don’t stop, Josh.” You begged, your breathing ragged.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He breathed against you. He curled his fingers upward and gave another flick of his tongue, pushing you over the edge. You clenched against his hand, slurring out a string of profanities mixed in with you crying his name. He watched you longingly as you rode out your orgasm, slowly tapering off his pace. “You make my name sound so pretty, baby.” He said pulling his boxers off and throwing them with the other discarded clothes. You admired him in the moonlight, noticing he was much larger than anyone you’d been with before.

He barely gave you time to recover before he lined himself up with your entrance. He slowly thrusted into you, giving you time to adjust. You were having none of it, pushing yourself down on him and gasping when he filled you up. His eyes fluttered closed, revelling in the feeling for only a moment before he began fucking you. He started slow, but your whimpers only fuelled him further. He reached back with his hands and grabbed your knees, pushing them into your chest. You let out a yelp when he pushed himself back into you, his tip brushing against your cervix. His movement stuttered, the look of lust quickly turning into concern. “You okay?” He asked, searching your eyes for an answer.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Please keep going.” You begged. It took him no time to resume, thrusting into you at a brutal pace. “Fuck, Josh!” You moaned. The sounds coming out of him were delicious. You felt your orgasm creeping up on you again.

“Fuck, you feel so good.” He growled, looking down at your pleasure-ridden expression. “Look so pretty wrapped around me like this.” Your moans were desperate, never having felt this way before. You had no idea sex could be this enjoyable. You had no idea sex with Josh could be enjoyable, period.

“M’ gonna cum, Josh.” You rushed out. He let one of your legs drop back to the bed, reaching his thumb back down to swirl around your clit once more.

“Come on, Mama. Cum on my cock.” He spat. The authority in his tone was heavenly. The words alone were enough to send you over the edge, but the added sensation of the circles he’d been rubbing over your most sensitive spot sent you spiralling, clenching around him and crying out his name.

You were fucked-out; ready to be nurtured, but he wasn’t done. He slipped his arm under your ass, pulling you even closer to him. The new angle caused a new wave of pleasure to hit you. He let your other leg drop, now bringing his hand to pinch one of your nipples between his fingers. You bucked against him, unwillingly but desperately searching for another orgasm. When you met his face again, he was almost smirking at your reaction. “Can you give me one more?” He pleaded. Sweat was dripping off him, showcasing how hard he was working to give you a good time. You could tell how hard it was for him to hold back, to pause his orgasm to ensure you were satisfied. He hadn’t faltered once, needing this just as bad as you did. You managed to give him a nod. “One more, baby, you can do it.”

You were sure the neighbours woke up from the scream that tore out of you as your third orgasm took over. Your legs were shaking, your head was spinning, and the only words you could muster were his name. His hips stuttered, pausing when he bottomed out inside you. He let out a long moan as he spilled his release into you. You two stayed still, scared to move, unsure if what had just happened was real, or some sick dream.

Eventually, he pulled out slowly, causing you to sigh at the sudden emptiness. He stood and disappeared, coming back with something to wipe you clean. He collapsed back in bed beside you once he was finished, pulling you into him. You hummed at the warmth of his body, basking in the intimacy. He placed kisses over the back of your neck and shoulders, a silent thank you for the best night of his life.

“So about that boyfriend thing,” he finally spoke, humour laced in his words. You let out a soft giggle. It wasn’t long before you both drifted into sleep.

•

You woke with a startle, your phone ringing angrily from somewhere in your room. Your head was pounding and your stomach was churning. Your eyes fought hard to locate where the sound was coming from. The scattered clothes around the room took you with a shock, but not as big as the shock when you realized someone was wrapped around you. Your stomach dropped as the memories from the night prior flooded your brain. Pushing the dread away, you continued your search for your cell phone. You didn’t have time to worry about him, yet. Silently slipping out of Josh’s grasp, you tried your best not to wake him.

You were still naked, and very sore. As much as you may have regretted what happened, the thought of Josh between your legs sent a rush of emotion to the pit of your stomach. As annoying as he was, he was damn good in bed. You finally found your phone under your discarded dress, realizing you must have dropped it in the rush of last night, but by the time you picked it up it had stopped ringing. The moonlight cascaded through the bedroom window, letting you know that it wasn’t quite morning yet. Fear settled in your stomach at the realization whoever was calling probably didn’t have very good news.

You grabbed Josh’s t-shirt and threw it over your head, checking the screen of your phone to see you had multiple missed calls from your grandmother. The same fear from before seeped into your veins as you stepped into the hallway to call her back. The phone barely rang before she answered. “Nana?” You whispered, praying it was her that answered the phone.

“Hey, pumpkin,” She greeted back. You let out a sigh of relief.

“What are you doing up? It’s..” you pulled the phone away to look at your screen “like five in the morning, there.” You stated.

“It’s your mom.” You could practically hear her grimace through the phone. The panic you had before grew even larger, but a new found anger came with it. Your mother had never been your favourite person. She’d had you when she was quite young and left as soon as she could. She had no shame in sticking her responsibilities on your grandmother, who’d never once treated you like you weren’t her own daughter. The last you’d heard from your mom was when she showed up for your university graduation, high on whatever drugs she’d taken before the ceremony, and embarrassed you for the millionth time.

“Uh-huh,” you said, not certain about what she would tell you next.

“She’s sick again, I’m at the hospital now.” Sick was subject. Your grandmother never liked to admit that your mother was an addict. You always presumed that it hurt her to do so, knowing that she felt like she’d failed your mom.

“Should I come home?” Was all you asked.

“I think so, pumpkin.” The sadness dripping from her tone was more than enough of an answer.

“Okay,” you whispered. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” You didn’t give her time to respond before you hung up. You went back into your room, barely glancing at the sleeping boy in your bed. You pulled a new pair of underwear on and some sweatpants, not immediately recognizing them as your own. You concluded that they must have belonged to one of your roommates, as you had to cuff them a few times just to make them the right length for your legs. ‘Lanky bastards’ you thought to yourself.

You grabbed a backpack, shoving the necessities in it, being unable to process a single thought. You were so angry at your mother. It had been a whole lifetime of broken promises, lies, and embarrassment. Multiple hospital stays and near death experiences that brought everyone to her bedside, just for her to recover and disappear again. Asking for money, begging for a place to stay, but barely ever an ‘i love you’, a thank you, or even the common decency to tell you who your father was. You hated her, hoping deep down that maybe this would be the last time, that it would all just be over, but you felt dirty for even thinking that.

A sob left your mouth as you pulled your hair back into a messy bun. You tried your best to stay silent as you pulled out your laptop out and searched for the next flight back to Michigan. You pulled your knees to your chest as you scavenged through the ticket sales, crying into the worn fabric of your pants. You found one leaving later that morning. By pure luck, you managed to get a ticket. You were unsure if you should buy a second, thinking maybe you could ask Sam or Danny to come with you. You bought it just in case you wanted company, not caring about the wasted money if you chose to go alone.

“Y/n?” A sleep-laced voice broke you from your thoughts. ‘Fuck’ you thought to yourself, wiping away your tears. “What’s going on?” Josh asked, rubbing his eyes, making a move to sit up. You refused to look at him, trying to transfer the plane tickets from your browser to your phone.

“Nothing, Josh. Go back to sleep.” You snapped, words as cold as ice. He had to stop himself from recoiling at your tone. He’d hoped that maybe after last nights events you’d finally warm up to him a bit more. He knew you held some sort of disdain for him, but he wasn’t certain why.

“Are you crying?” He ignored your statement, now standing to come over to you. He pulled on his boxers, covering himself up.

“No.” A grand lie. “Everything is fine, Josh. Just go back to sleep.” You sighed. His eyes fell on your computer screen.

“You’re going back home?” He questioned. “Today?” His heart dropped, hoping that he didn’t cause whatever you were feeling in that moment. When you didn’t answer, his anxiety grew even larger. “Did I do something?”

“No!” You finally broke, more tears falling from your eyes. “It’s my fucking mother, again!” You slammed your laptop shut, finally pulling the boarding pass up on your phone. “Just when things are going okay, when I think that maybe she’s done ruining my life, something else happens.” You choked out. Josh crouched to be eye level with you, now wide awake. “She’s in the hospital again. My grandmother says it’s not good, but they say that every time, and she always manages to bounce back. Makes everyone drop everything to run to her side, then fucking gets up and leaves and we don’t hear from her until she needs something or ends up back in the ICU!” You were pulling at your hair as you spoke, so distraught you didn’t even realize what you were saying.

Josh knew that whatever was happening was serious. Very rarely did you ever willingly tell anyone about your mother, or even really speak about her at all. He knew that you hated her, and that she was never around, but that was about it. He didn’t even know her name. As much as you were hurting, he felt his heart soften at the fact you were willing to share your troubles with him. “You know, I don’t even know where she lives, Josh. I’ve never been to my mothers house. I don’t know if she has a boyfriend, or if I have any siblings she abandoned with somebody else, or if she lives on the fucking street, or what. I don’t know her, at all.” A scoff fell from your lips as you finished. “The only time she bothers to call me is when she needs money, or somewhere to crash for the night. I don’t even have her phone number saved, because it’s a new one every time she calls.” You cried. “I was hoping when I moved here I could get away from it but she’s always going to ruin my life!”

“Mama, just take a breath-“

“I don’t even remember the last time she said she loved me. I’m tired of uprooting my entire life every time she decides to fuck up again. I don’t even want to go, but I’d feel too guilty if this time she finally decides to kick the bucket. Knowing my luck, that’s what would happen! Then I’d be the bad guy because I wouldn’t be there, that I refused to see my mother when before she died!” You were practically screaming the words. If the others hadn’t been so drunk when they returned, they likely would have woken up to your breakdown.

“Y/n,” Josh started, desperate for your attention. He was panicking. You finally looked up to meet his eyes. He took your cheeks in his hands, wiping away stray tears with his thumbs. “Baby, it’s going to be okay. I promise, everything is going to be fine. Your mom is gonna pull through, and maybe things will be different this time.” You recoiled at his statement, pushing him away from you.

“Jesus Christ, Josh!” You were furious. “Enough with the fucking positive vibes and the optimism. I cannot deal with that right now. My mother sucks, the situation is terrible, and it’s never going to change until she finally fucking dies!” You yelled. Your head was searing with a migraine and you felt like you could throw up. “I don’t understand how you always have a smile on your face, how things never go wrong for you, o-or how you always try to see the bright side of things. Sometimes, things are just shitty, and there’s nothing you can do about it!” You stood, wanting to get your bag packed and out of his company as fast as you could.

“Mama, I’m sorry, I didn’t-��

“And quit it with the pet names!” You snapped, tearing your phone charger out of the wall. “We fucked, that’s it. It was a drunken mistake and it will never happen again.” Josh tried to reason with himself, wanting to believe your harsh words were only because you were upset, but it felt like you had stabbed him. “I don’t understand why you’re so concerned about me. You cannot begin to understand what this feels like. I don’t think you’ve ever been anything other than happy; you have no idea what I’m going through right now. You try and console me and tell me that she’ll be okay, and it’ll all work out. Maybe I don’t want it to, maybe I just want her to fucking die, so I can leave and run away and start over. I just want to live a life that she has nothing to do with.” He was beginning to get angry now, too. “God, you always do this. You always make me feel like I’m an idiot for being upset!”

“Why I’m so concerned about you?” He shot back. “Are you that fucking blind?” You paused, unsure how to react to his words. You turned to look at him, finally willing to give him your attention. Something about Josh snapping made you realize that you might have overstepped. “I don’t know if you’ve realized, but I care about you, a lot. You keep shitting on me because I’m ‘always happy’ and you’ve ‘never seen me frown’ but have you ever thought about why that is?” He asked, taking a step closer to you. He took your face in his hands again, forcing you to keep eye contact with him, not even allowing you to ignore him anymore. “I am in love with you, and maybe the reason you’ve never seen me upset is because I am always happy to be around you!” You were frozen, feeling like your heart was going to explode out of your chest. “I hate seeing you sad. It kills me. So yeah, I always throw out something optimistic because I want nothing more than to make you feel better. I’m not doing it to make you feel like shit.”

Your chest ached at his words, feeling like the worst person in the world for misjudging him so badly. “Did last night really mean nothing to you?” His voice broke as he asked. In turn, it shattered your heart.

“No, of course it didn’t.” You reached up to run your thumb over his cheek, wanting to take back every mean thing you had said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m scared, and I’m hurting, and I don’t know what to do or where to go. I know it’s not an excuse, but I had no idea that you felt like that for so long.” You took a breath, searching for something in his eyes that would make you feel better like it always did. “I don’t hate you, Josh. I could never hate you. You absolutely piss me off sometimes, but I don’t know… last night when you stood up for me like that, something changed. Seeing you doing something other than smiling, hearing you say words that weren’t dripping with optimism, I dont know… made me realize that there was more to you than I ever really noticed. That you were more than this ray of sunshine in an untouchable bubble.” You had to laugh for a moment at your own words. His hands dropped from your face and grabbed you by your waist, pulling you into him. He kissed you again, gentle and more meaningful than the ones you’d shared the night before. You never wanted it to end. When he pulled away you had to stop yourself from pulling him back in.

“It scares me, Josh. Im terrified. We’ve always been so different that I never could have imagined we’d end up here, but now we are, and I don’t mind it.” You admitted. “I don’t know how to let people help me. I’m always defensive and closed off; I know I’m grumpy almost all of the time, and I wish I wasn’t, but my life has never been that nice to me. Im still waiting for the day Sammy or Danny will tell me they don’t want me here anymore. I’m not used to good things lasting, and I’m so scared that if anything happens, I’ll lose all of you. Hell, everything is fine and I’m still always scared I’m going to lose you guys.” You confessed. His eyes softened.

“You could never lose us.” He soothed your worry. “You could never lose me, that’s for sure.” He said, pulling you into his chest. You rested there for a moment, feeing at peace in all of the chaos. “All I ever wanted to do was make you happy. I still want that, if you’ll let me.”

“I’m so scared, Josh.” You whispered, reiterating what you had told him earlier. You were terrified, but also painstakingly curious about what it would be like. You wanted to know what it was like to love him, and to be loved by him. Really, genuinely loved. You wanted to know him, the little things that you’d always overlooked. You found yourself yearning to be held by him, for some sort of comfort. For once, you weren’t annoyed at the thought of his optimistic words, you almost wanted him to say them, to soothe you with them. “I’m terrified of everything right now. I don’t even know what to do.”

“Just let me be here, then. Let me help you through it.”

“Okay,” you whispered. His hands were burning into you. You could feel the emotion radiating through his skin. “I think that you already make me happy.” You told him. He pulled you tighter to him, if it was even possible. “I mean, I’ve been with people, but I’ve never felt anything like I did last night. Even now, when everything feels like it’s falling apart, you’re with me and it doesn’t feel hopeless like it always does.” He placed his lips to the top of your head. You closed your eyes, breathing in his scent. The cologne he put on last night was still lingering on him.

“What time does your flight leave, mama?” He whispered.

“Eleven.” You answered, not daring to open your eyes or move away from him.

“Think I can still get a seat beside you?” He asked. You looked up at him, tears starting again. As if you already knew how this would end up, you remembered the second ticket you’d bought. Still, you felt guilty asking him to do something like that for you.

“You don’t have to do that.” You shook your head. “It’s too much.”

“I want to.” He assured you, tucking your stray hairs behind your ear. “What kind of guy would I be if I let my girl deal with something like this all by herself?” You heart fluttered at his words, swelling with affection. You never wanted anyone to be a part of your mess. You wouldn’t even talk to Sam about it. Danny pried bits and pieces of your troubles from you, but never enough to know the full story. But with Josh in front of you, touching you with so delicately, saying the words you always wanted to hear from somebody, you couldn’t help yourself. You wanted him to come with you, even if it was selfish.

“Okay.” You agreed.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” He asked, his thumb and forefinger bringing you chin up to look at him. You nodded. “Then I’m all in. I’ll be here until the day you don’t want me here anymore, Mama. I promise.”

[coimbrabertone]

Injuries, Job Security, and How MotoGP and Indycar Differ...Or Don't.

In the last two years, two racers I support have been seriously injured. One was Enea Bastianini, rider of the #23 Ducati in MotoGP, and the other was David Malukas, who never actually got to drive the #6 NTT Data Arrow McLaren-Chevrolet Indycar.

So, just to go over what happened to them: Enea Bastianini was injured in the opening sprint race of the 2023 MotoGP season, the Portuguese GP at Portimao. Luca Marini went up his inside into turn five (Torre VIP), lost it, and his bike slid into Enea's bike. Enea broke his collarbone in this crash, wound up missing the opening five races, came back, injured himself again at Catalunya, and missed another three races.

Enea would return for the Indonesian Grand Prix and would then win the Malaysian Grand Prix towards the end of the season. That win, combined with Jorge Martin on the Pramac Ducati failing to beat Francesco Bagnaia for the championship, secured Enea's seat for 2024.

So, while Enea was enjoying a secure offseason, David Malukas was preparing for his switch from Dale Coyne Racing to a frontrunning team in the form of Arrow McLaren...except, he never actually made his debut for the team.

David Malukas was mountain biking in California, riding an easy trail, when, trying to slow himself, pulled the front brake too hard, went up and over the handlebars, and landed on his hands. He would break his left wrist and it was announced he would miss St. Pete and probably Thermal.

St. Pete and probably Thermal soon became St. Pete and definitely Thermal, missing those two races. Callum Ilott would fill in.

Malukas missed Long Beach next, with Theo Pourchaire in the car now.

Then Theo Pourchaire raced Long Beach as well.

Around this time, various rumors started flying about Malukas getting replaced. This only grew as Nathan Brown reported that Malukas had traveled to Panama in order to receive stem cell shots to speed up his recovery, and only then did he get the pins in his wrist removed.

Then, after Barber - the fourth race of the season, Malukas blacked out his twitter page. I was sat in a discord debating what exactly this meant with some other Indycar fans, with news picking up that he had been dropped. With the story pretty much out there, Arrow McLaren made the announcement early in the morning, David Malukas had been released after failing to meet his contractual obligations.

By now, it's been announced that Ilott will do the Indy 500, and then Theo Pourchaire will fill out the rest of the season in the #6. The Malukas at McLaren story ended before it could even begin.

Meanwhile, in MotoGPland, Enea Bastianini continued with the factory Ducati team. However, with Jorge Martin now building up an annoyingly large championship lead and Marc Marquez on the Ducati stealing all the attention, the whole world seems to think it's between the two of them to get the Ducati factory seat for 2025.

For the record, Enea is tied on points with Marquez, just two behind his teammate, and spent this weekend's race - the French Grand Prix at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit - starting tenth, getting a penalty, recovering to fourth, setting fastest lap, and finishing just 2.2 seconds off the lead.

Enea is an immense talent, he's the rider I chose to support when I decided to become a MotoGP fan ahead of the 2023 season, and it's so rotten to see his career falling apart because of factors outside of his control.

As for Malukas, he's a young, popular kid and has proven so talented on the ovals in a Dale Coyne Racing car. I was so eager to see what he could do with an Arrow McLaren, particularly at tracks like Iowa, Gateway, and Nashville which seemed like they'd suit him. Now, we're not going to get the chance, and it's unclear where he might land if he were to try and return to Indycar.

So, in theory, MotoGP gives more time to injured racers, but no matter what series you're in, motorsports can be a cutthroat business. Bastianini and Malukas certainly aren't the first racers to lose top rides after an injury, and they certainly won't be the last. It's not exactly an industry known for job security.

If I could manifest a happy resolution to both, I'd have Enea Bastianini go to factory Aprilia to join Maverick VInales, while David Malukas could join Meyer Shank Racing (perhaps with Tom Blomqvist returning to IMSA with the same team) to reinforce their oval program the same way Felix Rosenqvist has revitalized that team on the road and street circuits.

For now though, we wait to see what happens to them.

To end on a happier note, Brad Keselowski won the Darlington Goodyear 400 NASCAR race last night running a throwback scheme in honor of the TOM's Castrol Supra. That is an awesome motorsports word randomizer and the fact that it's real is why NASCAR is really cool in 2024.

One day I'll write a blogpost where talking about current NASCAR is actually the point instead of just spending the final paragraph gushing about last weekend's cool race.

[lightofraye]

Shawn Mullins - Lullaby

She grew up With the children of the stars In the Hollywood Hills and the boulevard

Her parents threw big parties Everyone was there They hung out with folks Like Dennis Hopper and Bob Seger And Sonny and Cher

She feels safe now in this bar on Fairfax And from the stage I can tell that

She can`t let go and she can`t relax And just before She hangs her head to cry I sing to her a lullaby Everything is gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye Everything is gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye Rockabye

She still lives with her mom outside the city Down that street About a half a mile And all her friends tell her she`s so pretty

But she`d be a whole lot prettier If she smiled once in a while Cause even her smile looks like a frown She`s seen her share of devils in this angel town Everything is gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye Everything is gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye Rockabye I told her I ain`t so sure about this place It`s hard to play a gig in this town And keep a straight face Seems like everybody`s got a plan It`s kind of like Nashville with a tan Everything is gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye Everything`s gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye

Everything`s gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye Everything is gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye

Everything is gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye Everything is gonna be all right Rockabye Rockabye Rockabye Bye, bye, bye, bye

[frazzledsoul]

I've been thinking of a Literati Civil Wars AU based on the excessive amount of Civil Wars lore I know, so here goes.

Joy Williams was born in Michigan but grew up in California. Her parents were involved in ministry and she was a CCM artist for many years, releasing three albums that sold well and was nominated for three Dove Awards (which are the CCM version of the Grammys). She married her first husband at the tail end of her CCM days and then decided she wanted to branch outside of the genre (he was her manager). Her first big gig was a song for an Oscar Meyer weiner campaign. Then she had some songs on Grey's Anatomy, met John Paul White at a songwriter's camp in Nashville, and alt country history was born.

So I'm thinking this backstory doesn't work if Lorelai raises Rory, but it absolutely does if her grandparents do. So Rory grows up the adored daughter (granddaughter) of devout Christians, who is a CCM teen prodigy and rises up quickly in the industry, fulfilling all the expectations of multiple generations, all the while she is yearning to break free and do her own kind of music and be more like the independent biological mother she barely knows.

So the husband/manager is Logan, of course, who Rory married young and has an excessive amount of influence over her life and career, as he is the route out of the CCM world she wants to leave behind.

John Paul White was born a Muscle Shoals boy (represent, y'all) but grew up on a chicken farm in Tennessee. He seems have been raised Catholic while Joy's background is probably evangelical (I don't know this for sure, just an observation). He recorded a few albums on his own before hooking up with Joy at the songwriter's camp.

IRL, John Paul is married and has four kids, but I don't want to incorporate that into the AU here. So I'm thinking Jess grew up with his mom on the chicken farm (spoiler alert: there's a cult there) but his family's roots are in Muscle Shoals and that's where Luke lives. So Jess is drawn to the musical culture of that area and all the history that comes with it, as its his route out of his own background. And yet he's an iconoclast and doesn't quite fit in there, because of the Catholic thing. He starts writing super dark lyrics and wearing a full suit during every performance.

So John Paul (Jess) and Rory (Joy) meet at the songwriter's camp. Sparks fly. Their disparate backgrounds and varying religious beliefs make up the yin/yang of their buoyant yet deeply depressing songs, which are always about that attraction you hate yourself for but can't fight. They don't travel with a band (The Civil Wars didn't, either) so their reputation is just based on the music and their chemistry onstage. They become fabulously successful with their first album, win multiple Grammys, and prepare to start recording their second album.

Then Rory becomes pregnant with Logan's baby (hello, AYITL plot twist) and things really heat up: Rory and Jess's emotional affair proceeds to a physical one, and Logan starts to realize that even the baby that he thought would save his marriage isn't enough to fight the chemistry. He's the manager and starts to steer their career towards featuring only Joy, wanting Jess out of the way ASAP. The baby is born and things get worse. Rory is torn between the two of them. Eventually they go on deep hiatus and Rory and Jess stop speaking. Jess retreats to Muscle Shoals and refuses to promote the second album: it wins a Grammy, which he accepts alone because he and Rory can't be in the same room together. Their last release is an alt country version of You Are My Sunshine.

(Most of the aforementioned events happened to the actual band, except the affair, which I can't prove, of course).

Rory releases a pop album that does nothing. She and her family move back to California. Jess starts an acclaimed indie record label in Muscle Shoals, where he releases albums by local artists as well as an all-but-forgotten Muscle Shoals songwriter/session player who he takes on tour with him (IRL, this would be Donny Fritts. Look it up). He releases a few solo albums but never reaches the success he had with Rory. The record label would be the alt country version of Truncheon Press, I think.

So IRL, Joy has a second child several years after the first one, breaks up with her husband almost immediately afterwards, and releases an alt-country album that is not as good as those in her Civil Wars days. Both she and her husband remarried in the years afterwards. John Paul White continued to tour, record, and produce albums for other artists. I saw him in concert twice and he absolutely never mentioned The Civil Wars. They remain on non speaking terms, apparently: they re-recorded Safe and Sound with Taylor Swift separately and under their own names. What actually happened there? Who the hell knows.

So I'd make the Literati end of this saga simpler: she can never really make it work with Logan again after falling in love with Jess, and they divorce. She meets Jess at the joint session of re-recording the pop star's song and they fall in love again, have their own kid, and make beautiful music once again. The pop star credits herself for playing Cupid.

[thesinglesjukebox]

LUKE COMBS - "AIN'T NO LOVE IN OKLAHOMA"

You're doing mid, Oklahoma...

[5.62]

Ian Mathers: This goes so much harder than anything from Twisters: The Album ought to that it verges on false advertising. [8]

Julian Axelrod: There are two songs on the Twisters soundtrack with "Oklahoma" in the title. Lainey Wilson's "Out of Oklahoma" is a tender, conflicted ballad that underlines both our heroine Kate's complicated feelings toward her hometown and Daisy Edgar-Jones's complicated feelings toward American accents. On the other end of the spectrum is Luke Combs's "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma," a big honking stomper that blares out of YouTube storm chaser Tyler's truck every time he drives into frame. "Out of Oklahoma" is a much better song, but "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma" feels truer to the movie around it: unapologetically dumb, unfathomably huge, and completely uninterested in weather science. In a way, Luke Combs is the Glen Powell of the Twisters soundtrack: He feels it, he rides it, he secures the bag. [6]

Katherine St. Asaph: You know what they say about the weather in Oklahoma (and every other state with a version of this adage): if you don't like how badass a song about it sounds, wait two minutes. [4]

Tim de Reuse: My bona fides: I grew up in tornado alley, a stone's throw from the same Red River that Combs is caterwauling about here, and I spent every spring and summer hiding in basements and bathrooms with a battery-powered radio whenever the sirens turned on. If you're going to write an aggressive, regionally-themed country belter, then the theme of middle-American inclement weather gives you a lot to work with! A skinny little fuck-you from heaven that selectively plucks entire neighborhoods off the map, terrifying in its unpredictability but boring in its yearly ritualization -- you could say a lot there about vice, adrenaline, self-destruction, or maybe just the texture of life in Oklahoma itself. But outside of a few lines that explicitly reference storm-chasing, ostensibly added out of contractual obligation, it's Combs-by-numbers, albeit with a soundtrack-ass hard-rock production job that bounces off his voice completely. If someone else had gotten this paycheck they might have accidentally done something interesting. [4]

Nortey Dowuona: Not bad, just not good. Doesn't tell me anything about who you are, or what you feel. [6]

Alfred Soto: I want my tornado songs to sound like sax solos on Stooges tracks or to depict romantic entanglement like this forgotten 1996 beauty. Luke Combs doesn't sound like a windstorm -- he blows hot air like a MAGA on a street corner. [3]

Taylor Alatorre: There were probably discussions at some point about wanting to learn from the mistakes of "Humans Being," which is unfortunate because "Humans Being" is Van Hagar at their messy, pissed-off best, mixing chaos and composure in a way that perfectly mirrors the characters on screen. Combs's paean to the perils of storm chasing is more deliberate in its pacing and more literal in its writing, while still leaving enough lyrical wiggle room for those who really do just want the tornadoes to be metaphors. The focus on duality and ambivalence is appropriate for a disaster film in which the disaster is both sought out and avoided in equal measure. And if the tough-talking country-rock grit scans as generic upon first listen, those few seconds of breathing room after each verse offer both variety and a hint of the “silent extreme” that Hagar spoke of. [7]

Jonathan Bradley: As unnecessary as making a sequel to Twister and at least as gloriously obvious as titling it Twisters. In recent years, the distortion pedal has been cause for concern in country music, not because it's a sign of inauthenticity or any of that guff but because Nashville wields it like a dumb man with an oversized truck: as an easy marker of lunkish masculinity that's never actually used to get anything from A to B — wit, wordplay, weltanschauung. "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma" sounds like that type of thing, but Luke Combs matches the storm-sized riff with roaring intensity. The lyrics about chasing the devil down a Sooner State highway don't get deep or dark enough to suggest any actual hell is being raised, but this is a song off the soundtrack of a summer blockbuster; it's enough to kick moderate quantities of ass. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[shefanispeculator]

Starwood Rehearsals, a 10,000-square-foot turnkey space that opened in June 2022, offers a blank canvas for creative artists and their teams to bring their brightest ideas to life before kicking off their headlining tours. The massive venue is located outside of Nashville, Tennessee.

Schirmer spoke about the Starwood’s thoughtful design, offering vast space and an intentional blank slate for artists “to create an environment for people that is open to their imagination,” he said. Artists like Ballerini and Shelton (who used the rehearsal venue to create a virtual concert experience during the pandemic) can bring their shows from a visual conception to a true performance with full run-through rehearsals, working out any snags or technical difficulties before reaching their live audiences.

Photo: PRG

Photo: PRG

“I think having been on both sides of it as a music-loving fan who goes to shows, and somebody who's worked in this industry for 30 years now, I think the big surprise — and it has always been when I bring my family out to shows, and they stay after the show ends to see what happens — the big surprise is just how much work goes into, and how much work and activity goes into putting these shows in every day,” Schirmer said, when asked what most fans might be surprised to learn about tour prep. “It's possible that the average concertgoer doesn't understand that we come (to the venue) first thing that morning. We set up that show and it's ready by the time they come in, and then we do the show and it ends and we tear it down, we put it in trucks and we go do the same thing the next day. I think sometimes that gets overlooked. So, it's definitely a big surprise when they understand that something like Rihanna may have 200 employees on that tour and there's 53 trucks and there's 7, 10, 12 buses, and there's all these people that go along with it. I think that's a big surprise for everybody when and if they get a chance to see that, how much work actually goes into it.

Photo: PRG

Schirmer also emphasized that the Starwood Rehearsals space is designed to be private, so as not to allow for distractions when the artists and their teams are working, and to not give away any of the unique elements of the show.

Photo: PRG

Starwood: Paying Tribute To Local History While Looking Ahead To The Future

Located outside of a major city so rich in music history, the cutting-edge rehearsal space pays homage to a since-closed iconic outdoor music venue. The Starwood Amphitheater was a renowned venue located just a few miles from the newly-opened rehearsal building. Preceding Downtown Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater and Franklin’s FirstBank Amphitheater, the Starwood Amphitheater hosted tons of legendary artists in the two decades it served local concertgoers, between 1986 and 2006.

“It's a big part of the heritage, culture and community of Nashville,” Schirmer said of the former venue. “You got to kind of think about how you move into the future. But when it left, it left a big hole in the area. …So, we really wanted to pay homage to the fact that this community grew around this particular venue, and we think that means something to the culture of Nashville and being central to the United States and such.

Schirmer spoke about the Starwood’s thoughtful design, offering vast space and an intentional blank slate for artists “to create an environment for people that is open to their imagination,” he said. Artists like Ballerini and Shelton (who used the rehearsal venue to create a virtual concert experience during the pandemic) can bring their shows from a visual conception to a true performance with full run-through rehearsals, working out any snags or technical difficulties before reaching their live audiences

[wickedsrest-rp]

Name: Bridie Fionnuala Dougherty Species: Faun Occupation: Owner of Tír na nÓg Age: 28 Years Old Played By: Grace Face Claim: Aisha Dee

"My parents totally knew when they named me that I was gonna be amazing. It’s in my initials! BFD- Big Freakin’ Deal!"

TW: Alcoholism

Bridie always loved music. It felt like it buzzed through every single fiber of her being. It would make sense, since she practically grew up in venues like The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The Dougherty family lived in an aos sí just outside of the city limits. It was far enough away that they were safe from the non-fae, but close enough to the city that they could go and have their fill of people enjoying themselves. And Nashville was a great spot for it. Bachelorette parties, bars, clubs, and concerts- the city had it all. And one of the city’s biggest acts was Fionn Dougherty. Bridie loved watching her father perform. The control he had over an audience was like nothing she’d ever seen before, and the frenzy he’d get them all whipped up into… They could feed for weeks on that energy alone. She knew from the time she was sat in the wings with her mother Oisin, she wanted to be just like her dad when she grew up.

Unfortunately, Bridie’s talents weren’t exactly musical in nature. She could sing well enough,but not well enough to sell out venues, and she couldn’t play an instrument to save her life. But her ear was her gift. Bridie could predict what songs would be hits with astounding accuracy. She simply attributed it to knowing what she liked. “And if I want to dance to it, then everyone is going to want to dance to it.” Being a young faun in a big city, she spent a lot of her evenings in nightclubs once she was old enough, and that’s when it hit her. She could do this. She could create a space where people would come, and listen to great music, dance until their feet fell off, drink, revel, and give her enough euphoria to feed off of for the rest of her days. It was foolproof!

Well. Almost foolproof. 

There were a few problems. The main problem with owning a business is that you’re the one in charge. And while Bridie loved to party, she hated to be the boss. That was the major downfall of her first spot- a nightclub in New York she called The Avalon. She just did not want to be the one responsible for getting all the paperwork in order that she needed to have everything open by the books. It was stupid, in her opinion. Why the hell did they need a liquor license? It’s easy! You open the bottle, and you drink! It’s not hard! Needless to say, the place was shut down within a year. The second problem was that  she’d unfortunately not picked the best location for a fae bar. Because across the street and two blocks down was a dingy little bar that was very popular with hunters passing through the Big Apple. Once they caught wind, Bridie knew it was time to skip town. Down on her investment and determined not to go home, she looked for a new spot that she could buy for cheap. She was going to try and do it right the second time. 

She heard a rumor from a friend of a friend about a town in Maine. A town with plenty of fae, and plenty of unsuspecting mortals wandering in and out. And it just so happened that there was an empty venue available for incredibly cheap due to some silly rumor about the bathroom being haunted. Bridie bought it for a song, and opened up Wicked’s Rest’s hottest new nightclub, Tír na nÓg.  

This time, she’ll have this thing in the bag.

Character Facts:

Personality: Colorful, adventurous, confident, fun-loving, friendly, careless, childish, impulsive, irresponsible, naïve

Both her parents work with music. Her father is a very popular singer in the Nashville music scene, and her mother toured for years as a dancer.

She can frequently be found not doing her actual job of managing her club and instead will be dj-ing. It’s the only way she can ensure everyone is having an amazing time.

When she says she listens to every genre of music, she means it.

In her unglamoured form, she has honey colored fur on goat legs, with little patches of white dotting her coat in irregular patterns, and curling horns that spiral back from her temples.

[calvins-dad]

I love this post. https://www.tumblr.com/drew-marsinvestigations/724745820429320192?source=share

I'm from the south, and I haven't listened to country music in so long because none of it feels authentic to my experience or beliefs. I listened to Tyler Childers for the first time today. I loved it. It makes me so nostalgic for the music I grew up listening to. Do you have any recommendations for more songs/artists with this type of music?

oh boy do i this is like one of my favorite things to talk about

putting this above the cut because they deserve the promotion:

Black Opry Revue is a collective of Black country and country adjacent artists that tours, offers artist residencies for Black artists, and generally does fantastic work promoting Black performers in a really white dominated industry. i've seen a set of theirs live and can't recommend them enough !! they are a great place to start for finding artists that fall outside the country mainstream :)

more specific recs below

i would say that tyler and zach bryan are two of the biggest stars of the country/appalachian revival rn and both deserve the praise they get

a tyler gem i would recommend is follow you to virgie live at red barn (really that whole album, there are no skips on it)

zach bryan's live version of revival on his all my homies hate ticket master red rocks recording never fails to make me want to go to a concert posthaste

orville peck is pretty big on tumblr and is a more country-western sound if you like that better! he has some incredible good music that handles topics like bisexuality and relationship violence with a lot of nuance and grace (he also has plenty of fun ones, but i like that he's not afraid to handle difficult topics too)

hexie mountains is one of my favorites by him because it deals with complications around home and distance in ways i love

ok now for some people who aren't as big on here but deserve all our love <3

adia victoria is FANTASTIC and has some really incredible music with a little bit of a darker, more gothic sound

stuck in the south is the obvious place to start

in the pines is also amazing and follows in the sacred country tradition of talking about the grittier sides of the south and trying to understand where you fit into all of that

valerie june is also a little bit less straight-country but she's doing some really cool stuff and she never fails to make me pull out my most exaggerated twang. her voice is amazing

astral plane is my favorite of hers

shakedown never fails to make me dance

i only recently discovered wyatt flores but i love the rasp in his voice on

please don't go

jason isbell has been around for a while and released music as a solo act and with jason isbell and the 400 unit.

morgan wallen (don't bother with him he Sucks) released a cover of his song cover me up that got a ton of press but the original is lightyears ahead of the cover

the nashville sound is no skips album from him

hope the high road off this album fulfills the niche for me i think this year does for a lot of other people

le siren isn't all county but i love her music

the banjo on yikes! Gets me as a country girlie

i saw kyshona live and her voice is UNbelievable

my own grave is my personal fav

the turnpike troubadors have plenty of bangers including

a long way from your heart which is another no skip album

some other bangers:

jersey giant - elle king

georgia to texas - leon bridges (the only reason he didn't get his own section is he's really more r n b but this song is about being from the south so it counts)

just let go - sturgill simpson (this guy's music is all over the place in the best way, and he produced some of tyler's stuff if you like that)

a life where we work out - flatland cavalry ft kaitlin butts

also everyone above is a modern artist but it goes without saying that classic country is full of people with interesting things to say that isn't the boot-licking-bro-country-sound folsom prison blues, harper valley pta, 9 to 5, the pill, cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other, etc are all classics for a reason !!

finally rainbow kitten surprise really aren't country, but they are a queer band from north carolina and everyone should watch their hide music video which is about being queer in the south and features several drag queens coming out to their families

in conclusion: yeehaw

[sinceileftyoublog]

Willi Carlisle & Golden Shoals Live Show Review: 2/9, Schubas, Chicago

From left to right: Grady Drugg, Willi Carlisle, Sophie Mae Wellington

BY JORDAN MAINZER

For Willie Carlisle and Golden Shoals, playing live is both an opportunity to share the stories behind the songs and the stories behind the band itself. Both the Fayetville, Arkansas singer-songwriter and Nashville-based folk duo work outside the machinations of the mainstream country scene but are intimately aware of it. Their songs, though, have the perfectly classic country mix of truth and legend, tales of living outdoors and the ills of late capitalism seamlessly weaving the rawness of reality with the showmanship of exaggeration. Their show at Schubas on Friday exemplified what they do best.

Carlisle delivered a triumphant set balancing his new album Critterland (Signature Sounds) with back catalog favorites. Accompanied by guitarist Grady Drugg and fiddler Sophie Mae Wellington (who also showed off her flatfoot dancing skills), Carlisle contextualized his songs with his personal history and ethos. When he started playing music, Carlisle traveled the country with his banjo, sleeping in his van or outside, including in Millennium Park and under the Clark Street Bridge. He busked in Mariano Park; like a tried and true flaneur with a flair for the colloquial, on Friday, he referred to Mariano Park what we Chicagoans call it: the Viagra Triangle. To Carlisle, though, these days, a song like "The Van Life" from 2022's Peculiar, Missouri is less biography and more a recognition of, as Carlisle put it, "the failure of the American left," the crisis of the unhoused, and immoral eviction laws.

Carlisle & Wellington

With so much weight behind his songs, it would be easy for Carlisle to fall victim to overexplaining. However, I found his banter essential, just as much a part of the show as the songs themselves. Take a song like "The Great Depression". Carlisle knows that giving a song that title while adopting even a bit of an old-timey aesthetic conjures thoughts of stock market crashes, John Steinbeck, and Woody Guthrie. To hear that it's really about epigenetics, and the passing down of not just generational trauma but the love of song, was revelatory, and made me appreciate it even more as a folk tune. When Carlisle played "The Arrangements" for his father, his father apparently replied, "I didn't know you knew your grandfather that well." Carlisle clarified that both his grandfather and father were good dads, adding a layer of complexity to it all; as a result of our actions, what we pass down, up, or to the side is not always so clear-cut.

During his set, Carlisle mentioned the paradox of "authentic" country music in 2024: After all, those who claim to be authentic are, as he noted, rehashing the very concept of authenticity. What was more important on Friday was a sense of audience or listener inclusion, true to the spirit of the punk music he grew up on or the folk music he's adopted. Hoedown "Boy Howdy, Hot Dog!" and Gospel-style main set closer "Your Heart's a Big Tent" inspired not just singalongs but stomp-alongs. And a show-stopping a capella performance of Critterland closer "The Money Grows on Trees" quieted the crowd to a state of rapture, save for what will be Carlisle's eternal outlaw chorus. ("Oh, hippies, hillbillies, won't you gather 'round? / A good man murdered, a bad man drowned / The cops are all moonshiners now / But the money grows on trees / Yeah, the money grows on trees.") The stories from an area of Northern Arkansas where, according to Carlisle, rumors fly and can rival network TV, may not be, for lack of a better word, authentic. But Carlisle knows, even on mostly true story "Higher Lonesome", that relying on our memory is not always the best way to be an effective troubadour, or even to get at the core veracity of life.

Golden Shoals' Amy Alvey & Mark Kilianski

Golden Shoals' two members came from contrasting backgrounds, and like Carlisle, they apply a punk spirit to folk music. Fiddle player Amy Alvey, from California, met guitarist and banjoist Mark Kilianski, from New Jersey, at Berklee College of Music in 2008. (Kilianski first picked up a guitar so he could learn Limp Bizkit's everlasting dumbass anthem "Break Stuff".) They started playing together in 2013 and touring full-time in 2016. Each member brings their distinct experiences into the Golden Shoals songs they write and sing. Many of the tunes could be country-folk standards, like Kilianski's rollicking "(Who'da Thought) Thinkin' About The Good Times (Could Ever Make You Feel So Bad)" and weary tale of hitchhiker's luck "Coffee in the Morning". Alvey is a rapt observer of place. On the as-yet-unreleased "Everybody's a Somebody", she sang about the "kind of famous" people in Nashville, squinting hard enough to see whether that truly is Orville Peck and Sierra Ferrell sitting at the bar at the American Legion. Another new song detailed the changes permeating Fredericksburg, VA, a city she's never called home but visited many times. The chosen details ranged from evidence of gentrification to "the Bachmans buried their favorite dog," which, yes, is a reference to the family of Daniel Bachman.

Kilianski

Alvey's "Bitter", co-written with Rachel Baiman, came to light after Spotify ghoul/CEO Daniel Ek basically insinuated that working musicians need to release new music every week in order to compete in the market. Though the irony was not lost on Alvey that the song is available to stream on Spotify, the band found a way to pivot: they've now been selling homemade bitters as part of their merch. It seemed like a metaphor for the night's bill. The music that artists like Carlisle and Golden Shoals make may never again be "popular," and it's not more--gulp--authentic because it's not popular. But it adapts within the hell-world, and finds strength in its own spirit and the reception of those who may find some validity in the stories for themselves.

Alvey

[aidansghananlitblog]

Week 11 blog

This week, I read pages 80-100 of the book “Transcendent kingdom” by Yaa Gyasi.

The most important sentence of the week can be found on page 97: “ I came home with the beginning of locks. People will think you were raised in a dirty home.” I think this sentence stuck out to me for numerous reasons being that I also have locks and this is something that I feel like I deal with almost every day on a similar level. With the beginning of her locks, gifty feels that people will think she grew up in a dirty home while with the beginning of mine, or now that I have them people think I am dangerous and choose to keep their distance when it is just hair. I think that with this sentence the author really points out something that many people do go through, it is a real thing for people to have stereotypical thoughts about different things. Especially things they don’t understand or lack education on. So when the author added this to the story I felt like maybe she was either speaking of experience, or even something she has seen that will further connect to the audience.

Something that also shocked me was when she wrote about the bus ride home from the nashville game. Gifty remembers how her she was determined to make the bus riders feel every minute of the two hour bus drive, but after she had began misbehaving her mother had given her the look. Another thing many readers can relate to, is the look your parent gives you when you have misbehaved outside of the house, because at the moment, there isn’t anything that can be done about it, but to be told “wait until we get home”. I didn’t think I would have found things I have experienced myself in this book, but there are quite a few and I’m sure many more.

Word count : 328

[n0resistance]

Bedstuy

    I think my favorite area in Brooklyn will always be Bedstuy. When I first moved back to Brooklyn, I moved to Bushwick. I found a room online, because I only lasted about 2 weeks living with my parents. In this new apartment, I-didn’t have a bed yet, 3 roommates lived with me, and there was no AC, right in the beginning of June. When I moved to Brooklyn from LA, I was lucky enough to have a savings but I was a month late in getting a job. Where all the good hospitality jobs in the summer are all hired by June 1st. 

    It was difficult but I was happy to have my dog back, finally a twin bed from amazon, and an opening to a hotel serving job. I tried a bunch of different serving jobs, they weren’t quite paying the bills, so I had to drop one by one until I found consistency. Also the sublet I had was totally falling apart, and when the roommates asked me to extend, I declined, I was hustling hard for something better, with a lot of rejections. My old friend sent me a text while I was on the subway “are you still looking for a room”. I texted back right away “yes!”. 

    I saw the place, and there was beef between the previous roommates, whom I never met. My room was small, and the closet was very tiny, but I liked the patio area and having the ability to sit outside. I loved the exposed brick, that there were 2 bathrooms, hardwood floors, and central air after dying without AC. I asked where we were located and my friend said “Bushwick”, she told me the price of the room was $750, and I took it. 

    It was 2 weeks later that I found we lived in Bedstuy. My other friend moved down the block, just a street away. I said we lived in Bushwick, and she corrected me that we were in Bedstuy, I kept saying no it’s Bushwick. She goes - Do you wana live in Bushwick?  I didn’t care where it was. I was just told something different. We totally were living in Bedstuy. It was 2019. I first was working at a hotel called Sister City, that came from the Ace Hotel Group. The money wasn’t really good and had to quit, and became an Assistant Front Office Manager at a hotel down the block in Nolita. That kind of job pays okay, but not enough, so I ended up getting a job at the Biergarten at the Standard Hotel as well. Where I finally felt like I was making enough money. 

    The years I spent in Bedstuy got blurry because 2020 had occurred and we all lost our jobs for about 6 months. Thankfully I received unemployment. Spent days hanging with friends, biking to the beach, and taking care of my family. Everyone got sick which was traumatizing, as well as I was going through a breakup, and falling in love all over again. I got close with my roommates and my friend who lived a block away because we weren’t able to talk to anybody else. 

    I had thin walls where even though I wanted to spend time a lone, I felt like I was in conversation with my roommates in the living room. Only a 15 min bike ride away from Williamsburg and  I was a server on the roof of a hotel in Williamsburg. I did a virtual play as well as host my events in Brooklyn. 

   Blogging began again here. I painted my room Blue with a landscape of Buenos Aires, my dream city I’ve never been to. My wall fell down in January of 2021 which was totally scary. Because even though this was a modern apartment, it was decaying on the inside. My dog got sick, the signs was that he completely stopped eating, and then he died of old age while I was living there.

     I grew from the age of 28 to 31 in that apartment. I traveled a lot. Started with little trips like Boston, Upstate, Long Beach Island, then to Dominican Republic, California a few times, Mexico, Belize, Miami, Las Vegas, Nashville, Seattle. The winters were bad in New York, where depression would hit. I also learned a lot about boundaries, and not feeling the need to people please finally, and learning to keep my circle small. When I had money I would treat my nephews with lavish gifts including hotel rooms in New York, a bouncey house, and a piano keyboard.

 I worked in Manhattan and it was a nice medium. I met a boy in Jersey City. We kept separate apartments him in JC and me in Bedstuy, until the rent went up $400 per room a month. So I moved to Jersey City. I had to do my last things to do in Bedstuy; chill in Herbert Von King Park and eat tacos at Warude. Get a drink at Chilos or the rolling creamery near the house. I made a lot and would spend a lot. My rent was a bit more living a lone and I was still in a somewhat a fast life. 

   I dated two guys in that apartment, and went through 4 jobs, different projects. It was sustainable. I learned standards with that apartment and will always have a deep love for Brooklyn and living here.  Bedstuy doesn’t feel pretentious and some interesting things like a bird and Laundry machine store. Cages of birds to sell and laundry machines. It’s not really cheap but not as expensive as Manhattan. There’s amazing arepa truck on Broadway, a 24 hour juice spot, filipino breakfast with Ube lattes, an astrology bar. It gets weird and fun and I’ll always be into a chill vibe now that New York is home. I remember leaving and a tattoo shop just opened next door. It’s a feeling in this part of town and there will always be a big part of me who feels she grew up in Bedstuy. Because I had to start over, had to heal, and had to grow. Thankfully I did it all there.

[itbeabbyc]

Orlando Entertainment Culture

When you are looking for a new place to live, with endless varieties of entertainment and culture, what kind of things do you look for? For me, I look for activities, food, drinks, festivals, and music.  Growing up on Long Island, and right outside of New York City, I was fully surrounded by all of the culture and entertainment I could possibly imagine.  But, after living there for the first 20 years of my life, I decided to make the hard choice of leaving my comfort zone, and moving to a new place. Since it was my first move though, I wanted to go somewhere where I could still feel a sense of community and familiarity.  Orlando, Florida has been a second home to me my entire childhood, as I grew up going to Disney World multiple times every single year.  So, this felt like the perfect opportunity to have my first big move to a new city with a new culture.

Orlando is a really amazing and unique place when it comes to culture. You have all of those aspects of culture and entertainment that most larger cities have, with a huge added layer. Orlando’s theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios were a huge draw for me when I made the decision to come here. I love the theme parks, and knew working at the parks would be a fun opportunity for me as an entertainment management major. I found that the theme parks brought such a different cultural experience than many other places I’ve been. There is a huge community just within the theme parks and there are endless things to explore within each park.

My favorite aspect of the theme parks is their festivals throughout the whole year. Each park has their own festivals full of food, drinks, theming, and entertainment during each season. As someone who loves EPCOT(and works there), my totally biased opinion is that they have the best festivals. I think they have the perfect combination of live entertainment and special offerings that I usually can’t even completely see throughout the whole festival. I love the focus EPCOT has on culture and how they incorporate that into every single thing they do. With their Flower & Garden festival or Food and Wine Festival, you can try new foods from different cultures while also experiencing live concerts and performances around the park from local artists and more well-known artists.

While I have explored the theme park culture thoroughly, I feel like I need to explore more areas of Orlando. There is so much to see and do in Central Florida. Something else that I love about this area is the cruise industry. Living in Central Florida is amazing because you are 45 minutes away from both coasts that have beautiful beaches and cruise ports that make it super easy to travel. The best part about living in Orlando is the array of opportunities I can have, as far as my future career goes.  With such an immense entertainment industry with such variety, I feel like I have so many options once I graduate and I have a lot of peace of mind when it comes to that.  

If there was one thing I could improve about the Orlando entertainment culture, it would be the music scene.  There are concerts and a lot of smaller venues, but as someone who sees a lot of bigger artists, I think we could use a midsize arena or amphitheater.  With many artists only going to Tampa, Jacksonville, or Miami, I find myself always traveling to shows that I want to see.  I would much rather be able to drive 15-20 minutes to my shows, and Orlando could become a bigger hotspot for more famous artists.

As the time goes on and I am about to graduate, I find myself looking for what is next.  Where could I possibly have my next big adventure and learn about a new culture in a new place.  My best friend just recently moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and I have been considering moving there for a while now.  If I want to work in the music industry, Nashville would be an absolutely amazing place to be.  Each little area surrounding Nashville has its own scene and culture, and the more you explore it the more you realize it isn’t just for country music lovers.  It is so hard to even think about leaving this amazing city that I have called home for the past two years, but it also excites me to think about learning about a completely new place as I start this crazy new chapter in my life.

[carterthompson]

✦ EVAN MOCK, CIS MALE, HE/HIM ✦ CARTER THOMPSON the THIRTY year old has been in Hidehill for FIFTEEN YEARS and was a ACQUAINTANCE to Miyeon Kang, the murder victim. Whispers on the streets are that the FIREFIGHTER/EX MILITARY who lives in HIDE SQUARE are said to be EXTROVERTED and DIMWITTED but I guess we’ll find out for ourselves. [MADDI, 24, EST, SHE/HER]

CHARACTER BASICS

FULL NAME: Carter Phillip Thompson

AGE: Thirty

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis Male, He/Him

FACE CLAIM: Glen Powell

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Light Brown

HEIGHT: 6′0″

DATE OF BIRTH: October 20th, 1993

ZODIAC SIGN: Libra

OCCUPATION: Ex Military / Firefighter

HOMETOWN: Cleveland, Ohio

TATTOOS: TBD

LIKES

his dog, sunrises, the color green, digital cameras, the sound of rain in the morning, cooking meals, wearing old sweaters in the cold, aviator sunglasses, taking his car to the car wash, watching reality shows, poptarts

DISLIKES

doing laundry, soups, having to dress up formally, getting sand on wet feet, anything pumpkin flavored, when people bite their nails, driving when its snowing out, rock music

Carter Thompson grew up in Cleveland, Ohio to a middle class family of four. He was the oldest of two kids and the dumbest. He was favored by his mother and dismissed by his father. He found it hard to fit in at home, feeling like an outsider most days because he wasn’t the image of his father like his father had wanted in a son.

Carter was a toddler when his sibling entered the picture. His mother had always wanted to adopted a child and when his father finally agreed, the new baby was welcomed with open arms by both parents. Carter had a hard time adjusting, but finally did come around a few years later. Despite feeling like the newest addtion of the family was a replacement for him.

When he was 15 the family moved to Hidehill, Tennessee to be closer to family in Nashville. Carter hoped to find more acceptance from this side of his family, but was met with the same dismissive attitude his father showed for him. Everyone was always so much more interested in the younger brother of the two, eager to hear what the star child had been up to as opposed to the child who was falling behind.

While he didn’t excel in grades in high school, he did with his social life. Using school and friends as a place to escape his life at home. He was always found laughing about something with his friends or making new ones in class. He was probably one of the only kids upset when graduation came around.

Unsure of what to do with him, he let his father talk him into joining the military. Wanting to do something to please his dad for once in his life, he went through it. Carter served 8 years in the army before coming back home. He thought he would finally be met with the love and acceptance he wanted now that he had done something to be proud of, but his father just shrugged him off again while his mother was happy to see him.

Three years ago, his parents moved out to Nashville to retire while Carter and his sibling stayed behind in Hidehill. Finally feeling like he could breathe and do what he wanted with his life, he became a firefighter and adopted a sweet puppy that he treats like his own kid. 

QUICK FACTS

Has a miniature poodle named Sugar

Loves hot chocolate

Hobbies are photography and thrifting old sweaters

Favorite movie is Wolf of Wall Street

Drive a white Toyota Corolla 

CONNECTIONS | PINTEREST

[stardustndreamsofsilver]

Everything is Temporary

Part Four

Josh x Reader (f)

Warnings: angst, cursing, pregnancy

Find All Parts Here

Six Months Later

A lot had changed in the last six months. After you found out you were pregnant, you were in shock for about a week. But once the shock wore off, the love for your coming little one grew. You moved out of your old one bedroom apartment into a little two bedroom cottage about an hour outside of Nashville. Your job offered you a remote position with a small raise, so you were able to afford the move and able to furnish the baby’s nursery with everything they could possibly need.

You’d thought about telling Josh about the baby, but figured it was best if he didn’t know. Even if he didn't love you, you knew that if you told him, he’d feel obligated to make the three of you a family. You didn’t want that. You didn’t want to be an obligation, you didn’t want your baby to be an obligation. You wanted them to only ever know love. So, you decided he would never know. With that decision, you also blocked him on all social media. Not only to keep him from finding out, but also to keep you from having to see him.

You were called into the main office one day for a meeting, so you drove into Nashville for the day. It’d been awhile since you’d come to town, so you decided to stop by your favorite coffee house. You ordered your favorite drink and a breakfast sandwich and sat by the window. You enjoyed your breakfast and got up to leave. As you leaned over to grab your purse, you heard the door chime as it opened. You straightened back up and faced the doorway. There he was. You stared at Josh in disbelief and he stared at your 37 week pregnant belly.

A million thoughts raced through your mind. When did he get back? Why did he have to be here? Why today? Will he realize this is his baby? Will he try to take the baby from you? 

Shaking your head, you rush past him. You needed to get out of there. You got out the door and a few steps down the sidewalk before you heard someone running up behind you.

“Hey! Hey! Where the hell do you think you’re going?” He says, grabbing your arm and stopping you.

You yank your arm back and sigh. “What do you want Josh?”

“Are you serious? I want to know what the hell this is?” He says, gesturing toward your bump.

“It’s none of your concern. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to go to.” 

“Like hell it isn’t! Why didn’t you tell me? It’s mine right?” He asks, searching your face for answers.

“Josh, I really need to go.”

“No. You’re going to tell me what’s going on.” He says, stepping closer to you.

You backed away and said, “Fine, how about this, I’ll meet you for dinner and explain everything. But, I have to go.”

“Where? When?” He asks.

“I’ll meet you at that ramen shop downtown around 6.”

“Alright. Fine. Swear you’ll actually show up and this isn’t a trick so you can go?” He asks.

Scoffing, you say, “I promise. I don’t lie. You’re the one who’s good at that, remember?”

You watched guilt sweep over him, but it didn’t change the facts. Everything had been real for you and it was just a game to him.

“Alright. I’ll see you then.” He says looking down to the ground and sticking his hands in his pockets.

“See you there.” You say as you walk away.

You went to your meeting at the office and everything went smoothly. You decided to catch up on some work while you were there since you had time to kill until dinner with Josh. You dreaded this dinner. You’d finally started to get over him and your life had started to come together. And now it was all coming down around you. Finishing up one last email, you checked the time. It was close to 5 so you decided to go ahead and pack up. As you were riding the elevator down to the ground floor to go meet Josh, you felt a twinge.

Your water broke.