#i was trying ti make sense of it for 30 minutes

[kittychosis]

my brain is so mush from the flu that i forgot my bf doesnt look like luigi mangione and i got really confused bc his eyebrows are so far apart and luigi has a unibrow

[cosmiclily]

chapter one: heartache

wc: 2.1k

Five years. Vi and Caitlyn had been together for five years before Caitlyn decided that the exposure from Vi’s life as a musician was “too much.” She said she was already dealing with enough from her mother’s expectations, constant scrutiny, and the pressure to be perfect. Being tied to someone constantly in the spotlight only amplified the chaos she was trying to escape.

But how do you just walk away from five years? Five years of love, growth, and shared memories. They had been through everything together—the awkward phases, the big milestones, the small, intimate moments that made life feel worth it. They were each other’s first in almost everything: first love, first heartbreak, first time believing someone could truly know and accept them for who they were.

Vi couldn’t imagine a future without Caitlyn in it. Caitlyn wasn’t just her girlfriend; she was her rock, her balance, her safe place in a world that could be loud and overwhelming. With her, life made sense. Without her, it felt like the ground had been pulled out from under her feet.

Now, Vi was left standing in the ruins of what they had built together, forced to pick up the shattered pieces and figure out who she was without Caitlyn. Every corner of her life reminded her of what she’d lost—the songs Caitlyn inspired, the jokes they shared together, the faint trace of her perfume still clinging to the throw pillows they’d picked out together.

Relearning herself wasn’t just hard—it felt impossible. How do you start over when so much of your identity has been intertwined with someone else? How do you let go of someone who was your past, your present, and the future you were certain you’d have?

Vi’s days were spent trying to fill the void Caitlyn left behind, and her nights were haunted by the deafening silence where laughter and love used to live.

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“Wake up!” you say, shaking Vi’s body aggressively. “I sure hope you’re not dead or still drunk because we leave in 30 minutes. Pack your shit.” You’re already gathering her clothes scattered across the room, shoving them into her beat-up suitcase. It’s barely holding together, much like its owner.

The thing is, you love Vi—you really do. She’s one of your best friends, and without a doubt, one of the most talented people you’ve ever met. But ever since her breakup with Caitlyn, she’s been a complete wreck. All she does these days is drink and mope around like the world ended.

When she first came to you, heartbroken and teary-eyed, spilling every detail of the split, you were genuinely sad for her. Five years with someone isn’t easy to walk away from. But, selfishly, you couldn’t help but think,“At least we’ll get some killer songs out of this.” Heartbreak always fuels the best music, right? You figured she’d take her pain and pour it into the band.

Instead, she spends 85% of her days drowning herself in booze and picking fights with strangers in dive bars, and the other 15% passed out somewhere she probably shouldn’t be. Honestly, it’s exhausting keeping up with her. At least this time, she actually made it back to her own hotel room instead of crashing on some stranger’s couch—or worse.

“Violet, seriously,” you snap, shaking her again when all you get is a groan. “You’re a grown-ass woman, and I’m not your babysitter. Get up, get dressed, and try not to look like you’ve been on a week-long bender. The van is leaving, and I’m not letting you make us late again.”

She finally stirs, one bloodshot eye cracking open as she glares at you. “What’s your problem?” she mutters, her voice gravelly and tired.

“My problem? My problem is that you’re wasting your talent and dragging us all down with you. I get it—you’re hurt, heartbroken, life sucks. But this?” You gesture around the room, littered with empty bottles and discarded clothes. “This isn’t you, Vi. And it sure as hell isn’t the Vi this band needs right now.”

She sits up slowly, rubbing her temples like even that’s too much effort. “You don’t get it,” she mutters, her voice low. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone like Cait.”

You take a deep breath, softening your tone. “No, I don’t. I won’t pretend I do. But I know Caitlyn wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself. And I know you’re better than this. So, get your ass up and let’s get to work. You don’t have to fix everything right now, but at least show up—for yourself, and for us.”

She looks at you for a long moment, her face unreadable. For a second, you think she’s going to argue. But instead, she sighs heavily, dragging herself out of bed like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.

“Fine,” she mutters, running a hand through her mess of hair. “I’ll pack. But don’t expect me to look ‘presentable.’”

You snort, tossing her a clean shirt you found buried under a pile of god knows what. “Presentable’s overrated. I’ll settle for functional.”

She gives you a half-smirk, the closest thing to a smile you’ve seen from her in weeks, and starts gathering the rest of her things.

You make your way to the van, your thoughts swirling as you reflect on how much your lives have changed in such a short time. Just a few months ago, you were barely scraping by, playing gigs at any bar that would have you. Your dad thought joining a band was a terrible idea—especially since it meant you wouldn’t be going to college. He never liked Vi, or her family for that matter, constantly calling her a bad influence. He’d been saying that ever since the two of you met in high school, always claiming that Vi was the one putting reckless ideas in your head.

When you told him you were starting a band with her, he completely lost it. You could still hear the echoes of his angry voice, the awful things he said, the way he swore you’d never make it. “You’re throwing your future away for a pipe dream,” he’d yelled. “Mark my words, you’ll regret this.” Those words used to haunt you—sometimes they still do. But right now, you can’t deny the faint sense of satisfaction in knowing that you’ve proven him wrong. Sure, things aren’t perfect, but you’re here. You’re on a tour van, opening for a bigger artist, starting to get noticed by her fans. It’s not the dream yet, but it’s closer than it’s ever been.

Climbing onto the van, you spot Jinx already in her usual spot by the window, earbuds dangling around her neck as she scrolls aimlessly on her phone. She glances up when she hears you, a crooked grin forming on her face.

“Did you get her to wake up?” she asks, scrunching her nose in exaggerated disgust. “I tried, but it reeks in there. Smells like whiskey, sweat, and bad decisions.”

You roll your eyes but can’t help the small laugh that escapes you. “Yeah, she’s up. Barely. I had to practically shake her awake and threaten to leave her behind. She’s packing now, probably still half-asleep.”

Jinx smirks, leaning back in her seat and tossing her phone onto the cushion beside her. “You’re a braver soul than I am. I gave up after two knocks. You know how Vi gets when she’s hungover—like a grumpy bear. Or a bear with a hangover.”

“She’s not a bear,” you say with a sigh, dropping into the seat across from her. “She’s just… going through it. Though, honestly, I wish she’d just move on already.”

Jinx raises an eyebrow, her expression equal parts amused and frustrated. “You’ve been saying that for weeks. When does ‘going through it’ stop being an excuse? She’s dragging herself—and us—down. It’s not like we’re rolling in free passes for her to waste.”

You glance out the window, watching the early morning light streak across the horizon. She’s not wrong. Vi’s breakup with Caitlyn hadn’t just been hard on her—it had been hard on all of you. The drinking, the fights, the inconsistency... It was becoming impossible to ignore.

“Where’s Ekko?” you ask, changing the subject. “Don’t tell me he’s late too.”

Jinx shrugs lazily. “Oh, he forgot something in his room. He’s probably on his way back already. You know him—‘fashionably late’ and all that.”

As if on cue, the hotel doors swing open, and Ekko steps outside with Archie, your ever-enthusiastic manager, trailing close behind. The two are deep in conversation, their hands gesturing wildly as they talk.

“Oh, you girls are already here! Excellent.” Archie’s voice carries before he even reaches the bus. His short, chubby frame and thick british accent somehow manage to command attention wherever he goes. He’s the reason the band even had a shot, the one who saw potential when no one else did.

“I have exciting news,” Archie announces, his grin stretching ear to ear as he climbs aboard. Then, his expression falters. “But… where is Miss Violet? Don’t tell me she’s late again.”

“She’s packing,” you answer, sitting up straighter. “She’ll be out any minute.”

Archie narrows his eyes, clearly unimpressed. “Packing? At this hour? I gave everyone strict instructions to be ready by now.”

“She had a rough night,” you offer, though you feel like a broken record at this point. How many times have you covered for her?

“A rough night?” Archie throws his hands up dramatically. “She’s had a ‘rough night’ every night for the past month! If she’s not careful, she’ll burn herself out before we even get close to making it big.”

You exchange a glance with Jinx, who shrugs as if to say, He’s not wrong.

At that moment, the can door opens again, and Vi steps aboard. She looks like she just rolled out of bed—hair tousled, hoodie wrinkled, and sunglasses covering her undoubtedly bloodshot eyes.

“Morning,” she mutters, flopping into a seat without so much as a glance at Archie.

“Morning?” Archie echoes incredulously. “Miss Violet, this is hardly the professionalism I expect from you. We’re opening for one of the biggest acts of the year, and you’re showing up like you’ve just walked out of a frat house!”

Vi groans, tilting her head back against the seat. “Save it, Archie. I’m here, aren’t I?”

Archie pinches the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath before shaking it off. “Fine. I’ll save my lecture for later because—believe it or not—we’ve got good news. Big news.”

Everyone perks up at that, even Vi, though she does so begrudgingly.

“What kind of news?” you ask, leaning forward with curiosity.

Archie’s grin widens as he claps his hands together. “You’re being added to three more tour dates! One of which is in LA. And, if you can manage to pull yourselves together, there might even be offers for an single on the table.”

The van erupts into excited chatter, a buzz of energy filling the space. Jinx punches the air, Ekko grins from ear to ear, and even you feel a rush of exhilaration. This is what you’ve all been working for—an actual shot at something bigger.

Even Vi, slouched in her seat with her sunglasses still on, cracks a small smile. It doesn’t quite reach her eyes, but it’s there. Maybe this could be the spark she needed—the moment she finally stopped wallowing and started using all that anger and hurt for something productive.

“Quiet down, please,” Archie calls out, waving his hands to settle everyone. “I know you’re all excited, and you should be. But this will only be possible if you show your absolute best in the upcoming concerts. No more sloppiness, no more excuses. This is your chance to prove you’re ready for the big leagues.”

His words hang heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the stakes. The excitement dims just slightly, replaced by determination.

“So,” Archie continues, checking his watch, “settle down, get your heads in the game, and prepare to give it everything you’ve got. We’ll be leaving in a couple of minutes.”

Jinx leans over your seat, her voice low but tinged with excitement. “Three more shows, an album, and LA? Think we’ll survive?”

You chuckle softly, glancing at Vi, who’s staring out the window now, her expression unreadable. “We’ll survive,” you reply. “The question is whether we’ll thrive.”

Jinx snorts. “Speak for yourself. I was born to thrive.”

Despite everything, you feel a flicker of hope. This was it—the break you’d been waiting for. Now all you had to do was rise to the occasion.

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masterlist - chapter two

notes: i love making vi suffer 😔 it’s a character flaw im sorry

[purplephantomwolf]

Love in Motion

Chapter One

Synopsis: You're a normal college student until you get a wrong number text.

Note: This is not an accurate portrayal of how the real people in this act. I do not know them personally, so I will not be portraying them accurately.

Warnings: None

Masterlist

I AM REWRITING THIS FROM AN OC STORY. IF I MISS ANYTHING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO I CAN FIX IT! THIS IS CHAPTER 1 OF 5 OF ALREADY WRITTEN CHAPTERS.

April 4, 2022 12:30pm

     You sigh, turning your attention away from your software engineering professor to your laptop screen. You watch as the 20 best drivers in the world complete the last lap of the first race of the 2021 Formula 1 season. You just recently got into Formula 1, so you’re watching the 2021 season to get a feel for the sport. Someone told you the 2021 season is a great season to watch because of the fights between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. You silently cheer as your favorite driver, Lando Norris, finishes P4. You look up at the clock and see that it’s only 12:30. Still 35 minutes left of class, you think. You let out a small sigh, turning back to your laptop. You move on to watching qualifying for the first Italy grand prix of the 2021 season. You have just clicked play when you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket. You grab it and see a text message from an unknown number. 

Unknown Number: Did you make it home from the club okay?

You: *One Image Attached* Considering I’m currently in a programming lecture, I think you may have been given the wrong number. I’m sorry.

     I send a picture of my view of my professor, laptop, and notes to the unknown number. 

Unknown number: Oh, thank you! I’m sorry for bothering you!

Unknown number: Hang on, are you watching Formula 1 while in lecture?

You: It’s okay! Also, yes I am watching Formula 1 while in lecture. I’d rather be learning about Formula 1 than boring C++. Also, why are you texting someone about getting home from the club okay? It’s 12:30 pm?

Unknown number: It’s currently 2:30 am for me. I was attempting to text a girl I was talking to at the club, but it looks like she gave me the wrong number. 

You: Oh, that makes sense. Wait, where are you that’s 14 hours ahead of me? Also, I’m sorry about the whole wrong number thing. That really sucks. Unless she gave you the wrong number cause you’re a creep. Then you deserve it. 

Unknown number: I’m currently in Melbourne, Australia. And I wasn’t being a creep! At least, I don’t think so. I hope not at least; I try my best to not be a creep. 

You: Alright, that’s good. I doubt you were being a creep. And Australia? Jeez, that’s so far from me. I’m in the United States.

Unknown number: That's only a small stretch from Australia. 

You: Yeah, it’s going to be not fun to watch the F1 race this weekend, but staying up is so worth it to see the race live.

Unknown number: Big fan of the sport? 

You: Yeah, I am. I just recently got into it, so I’m watching the 2021 season to learn everything I can. I’m also attempting to watch all the qualifying and races live.

Unknown number: Oh cool. That’s got to be tiring because most of the races are in Europe. Waking up early every day of the weekend must suck. 

You: I mean, yeah. It kinda sucks, but it’s not too bad. I’m not waking up super early unless it’s races in places like Japan and Australia. The earliest I have to wake up is like 6 for other races. That’s not too bad though. 

Unknown number: Oh, that’s not too bad then! Which team do you support?

You: Well, there’s not a specific team I really support. If I have to choose one, it would be McLaren, probably followed by Red Bull. I support drivers more than I support teams really. 

Unknown number: Okay, then who are your top three drivers?

You: That is a hard decision to make for 2 and 3. Lando Norris is for sure my number one driver, but I have like 5 drivers tied for second and then 5 tied for third. 

Unknown number: Oh interesting. Any drivers you dislike then?

You: No, I don’t dislike any drivers. Unless you count past drivers *cough* Mazespin *cough* 

Unknown number: That’s a funny nickname for Mazepin. But why don’t you like him?

You: I’m not sure. I just get a weird vibe from him. 

Unknown number: Interesting. But I get what you’re saying. Can I ask why Lando is your favourite? 

You: Sure! Lando is my favorite because of his personality, humor, and how he speaks out about mental health. I really struggle with depression and anxiety, so having such a public figure speak out about it is amazing. Also helps that he’s got the boy next door charm. That’s definitely my type lol

Unknown number: Ahh, okay! Those are good reasons to like him! Now, I feel weird talking to a nameless person. Can I ask you what your name is?

You: My name is Y/n. Can I ask what your name is?

Unknown number: Y/n, that’s a pretty name. My name is Luke. 

You: Nice to meet you, Luke. 

     You look up when you hear a commotion around you. You see that your classmates are packing their things and leaving. Wow, time really flew by talking to this stranger. You put your phone down and quickly pack your things. You sling your backpack over your shoulder and head out. You feel your phone vibrate with a text again. You see that it’s Luke again. 

Luke: Nice to meet you too, Y/n. 

9 pm

     You groan, leaning back in your chair. You glare at the lab manual you’ve been trying to make sense of for the past two hours. You glance over at your phone as it lights up with a message from your mom, and you pick it up to respond to the message. You are distracted from responding to her though because you see a message from Luke from 10 minutes ago. Your eyebrows rise in surprise. 

Luke: Good morning!

You: Uh, hi. Good morning! Did you sleep well?

Luke: I did! Has the rest of your day gone well? 

You: The rest of my day has gone okay. I’ve been staring at some stupid code that’s not working. The assignment is due in three days, so I need to get this code fixed.  

Luke: That sounds awful. I’m so thankful I’m no longer in school.

You: Yeah, I’m jealous. I’m searching for jobs in my dream field, but I haven’t found any that allows me to do what I want yet. 

Luke: Oh? What’s your dream job then?

You: My ultimate dream job is working as a photographer in the motorsport world, preferably F1, but I’d take any motorsport. My next dream job is just anything that allows me to travel the world taking photos. 

Luke: That would be an awesome job. I recently got into photography as a hobby. Do you have any photos you’d be willing to share with me? 

You: Sure! 

     You send him five of your favorite photos I’ve taken. Two are of cars on the move, one is a still life of a bunch of cars from a car show, the fourth is a sunset, and the last is of a group of people playing soccer. 

Luke: Holy shit! Those are amazing! 

You: Thanks! I’m really proud of these photos. They’re some of my favorite ones I’ve taken. 

Luke: They’re beautiful. 

You: Thank you! So, you mentioned that you’re no longer in school. Can I ask what exactly you do?

     You wait for a minute, but get no response. You decide to mess around on your phone for a bit while waiting for a response. After 5 minutes of not getting a response, you set my phone down. Right as you set your phone down, a notification for your chat with Luke pops up and you quickly click it. 

Luke: I am an event manager for McLaren F1 team. 

You: Really? That is so cool! I wanted to do event management in sports before I was in software engineering, though I was wanting to get into baseball. If I was still event management, I’d want to do motorsports now. Do you enjoy it? What does that entail? 

Luke: I plan events for the fans mainly. 

You: That sounds like a fun job. 

Luke: Why did you switch?

You: My parents thought I wouldn’t find a job that would make as much money as they do, so they made me switch to software engineering because it has higher paying jobs. 

Luke: Well, that’s stupid. Were you happy in event management?

You: Yeah, I was. But my parents are paying for my college, so I have to do what they want.

Luke: That’s very stupid. I take it you aren’t happy with software engineering?

You: No, I’m not. But I’ve only got two years left, so it’ll be all good!

Luke: Alright, well good luck. 

You: Thanks! Do you have a hangover?

Luke: I actually didn’t drink that much, so no hangover for me!

You: That’s very nice. I’ve never been hungover. I don’t drink a lot when I do drink. Can’t stand the taste of alcohol lol

Luke: Oh yeah, I get that. Do you want to play a game?

You: What game?

Luke: 21 Questions? To get to know each other?

You: That sounds like a good idea. I can start. What is your favorite thing to do in your off time?

Luke: I like to play video games. What is your favourite tv show?

You: Doctor Who. I could go on about that show forever. Who is your real life hero?

Luke: Valentino Rossi. What’s your favourite season of the year?

You: Fall. The colors are beautiful, the temperature is beautiful. I love it. What is your favorite song?

Luke: Right now it’s Last Last. What is your favourite city?

You: Of all the cities I’ve been to, London or Barcelona. If you had to guess what people appreciate the most about you, what would you say? 

Luke: My humour for sure. You’ve been to London and Barcelona?

You: Yeah, I went when I was a lot younger with my family. My family went on a three week trip to four different countries in Europe. We went to London, Paris, Zurich, and Barcelona. I loved London the most. It was right before the 2012 Olympics, so the city is probably different from what I remember now, though. Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

Luke: I would say I’m in the middle. What are your top three items on your bucket list? 

You: Going to an F1 race, start going to the gym, develop my skills in photography even more. Do you like to go to the movies or prefer watching them at home? Do you talk during movies?

Luke: I would prefer watching them home because it’s more comfortable. Plus it’s not expensive. I do not talk during movies if it’s the first time someone is watching it. If it’s not the first time, I’ll discuss the movie with others while watching it. If you could choose any F1 race to go to, which one would it be?

You: I’m torn between Austin and Great Britain. I know Monaco is like the go to cause of the history and prestige of it all, but I think Austin or Great Britain would be more fun with the atmosphere. Are you into podcasts or do you only listen to music?

Luke: I only listen to music. Podcasts need more attention than what I'm willing to give than music. What is your favourite ice cream flavour?

You: Probably chocolate. What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?

Luke: Talking to my friends. What is the phone app you use the most?

You: TikTok or Discord. How would you spend your birthday, ideally?

Luke: Spend the day casually with my friends and family, and then have a party with them at night. You said you use discord, do you play video games?

You: Yes, I do. It’s one of my favorite things to do in my free time. What video games do you play? Do you usually play single player or multiplayer?

Luke: I usually play CS:GO and F1. What video games do you play?

You: If I play multiplayer games, it’ll be Valorant. But I mainly play single player games, like Assassin’s Creed. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of my favorite games ever.

Luke: Which one is that one? I know they take place throughout time. 

You: That one is the Greek history one. I’m super into Greek history/mythology, so I absolutely love it. 

Luke: Oh that sounds cool!

     You glance over at the time. “Shit, it’s already midnight,” you groan. Now that you’re not focused on responding to Luke, you realize you are struggling to keep your eyes open. 

You: As much as I’d love to continue this, I just realized it’s midnight here, and I need to sleep. 

Luke: Okay, sounds good! Have a good night! 

You: Thank you! Have a good day! 

Luke: Good night!

You: Good night!

     You plug in your phone, shut off your pc, and change for bed. You crawl into bed, falling asleep quickly.

Next Chapter: Chapter Two

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Permanent taglist:

@sol3chu

@faithshouseofchaos

Story taglist:

[shorthaltsjester]

trying not to set myself up to start spiralling back into c2 (i’m always like. a slight gust of wind away from it if i’m being honest) but i was confirming a quote from ep 141 and in general the conversation between fjord and vandran makes me insane, it’s truly some of my favourite rp from travis across all the campaigns, it has one of my personal top 5 cr Thematic™ quotes when fjord tells vandran “you showed me kindness, and love, and honour, and it meant the world to me.”, it has lore drops about vandran and avantika and uk’otoa, it has a silly sweet interaction of jester shouting out a greeting to vandran and fjord going “she’s wonderful.” and vandran saying “she’s a handful.” and fjord agreeing only for vandran to add “she’s perfect for you.” but beyond all that wonderfulnesss packaged into a mere 30 minutes, i am once again struck by how fjord and imogen are very interesting foils in terms of like. the absence of a parental figure who has knowledge of the curse you bear that your own curiosity for has led you through your recent life.

especially with (relatively) more recent imogen literally pretending to be her mother for utility versus fjord who took on aspects of vandran hoping to feel more assured in himself (featuring nightmares sponsored by a malevolent being intricately tied to said missing parental figure and occasionally featuring their presence). like both imogen and fjord start off their campaigns being like I Would Like Answers About My Powers (at any cost implied by the apparent possibility both of them had early on to be swayed away from the Good™ side) only for it to become clearer to them that the person who might have the most answers for their questions was not only their parental figure but was a parental figure they assumed dead only for that assumption to be undermined. and the fact that vandran and fjord stay apart so long because fjord is scared and busy and hadn’t even considered that vandran could’ve survived and because vandran made the same assumption that fjord hadn’t lived — but who also had a sense of hope that maybe that meant the cycle of violence had ended only to be met again with a fjord who tells him “despite your best efforts, your curse is now mine.” versus imogen and liliana who stay apart so long because of liliana’s choices, her insistence that imogen stay away from her even when imogen made it clear over and over that she wouldn’t stop without some answers or some clarity. the fact that fjord is reunited with his father figure and says i have so many questions and vandran gives him answers, even hard ones. that imogen has to beg just for her mother to actually hear her and not just the paternalistic idea of an infant she left behind decades ago. even fjord asking vandran if he wants to leave with them, and vandran making in clear he doesn’t intend on staying with them long term but whose happy to join them. versus imogen who begs her mother for help and to come with them and who ultimately can’t trust her to be telling the truth when liliana offers to come. i just think they should meet. i am always vying for a fjord cameo just because he’s my best friend but i think they should meet.

[slut4sugu]

𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 ! — (E!42 Miles x Fem!Black Reader)

❀ including: miles being a bit of a simp, reader being a sweetheart & innocent, mutual pining, use of the names: airhead, chica and princesa. miles being whipped for reader, cursing, use of the n word. ❀ Genre: fluff ❀ Summary: reader is having some trouble stuck on a question and bsf miles comes to her aid! Despite you two saying your just ‘good friends’ an outsider looking at you two would say something different.

Back to masterlist . ♬ : her way- partynextdoor

MILES HAD ALWAYS BEEN SCARY BUT HELPFUL TO YOU; Despite people saying that he was in a gang or that he carries knifes you gave him the benefit of the doubt. He was an A+ student and minded his business, so when he silently gave you one of his pencils when he saw you lost your pink one, you gave him a small smile and mouthed a ‘thank you.’ Ever since then he’d always help you silently, holding the back of your chair when he saw your clumsy ass was about to fall. “Stop rockin in the chair airhead.” You’d always roll your eyes before saying, “M not an airhead lil nigga.” Which in turn he would snicker at, knowing that you were smiling despite your words. Miles didn’t know why he had become so fond of you, your music would be almost blasting out of your AirPods at 8am in the morning, you always smelt like candy and vanilla so when you would hug him your smell would rub off on his clothes, your laugh was loud and weird, you’d always check your mirror every 30 minutes despite the fact that you looked pretty as hell every second of every day- shit.

Once he found out the root of his fondness of you he didn’t know what to do, he’s never liked anyone in that sense before. So the question of what to do about it lingered on his mind for the longest time, “Miles? Hellloooo?” You snapped him back into reality with a wave of your hand across his face, “Shit- sorry chica, what’s up.” You sighed, dropping your head onto the library table. Your arms folded over each other as you mumbled beneath your breath, “Even your ass is bored, ughhh im never gonna past this stupid ass test!” You groaned, he smirked at your childlike manner. “Your never gonna pass if you don’t stop whining.” You looked at him from the corner of your eye, the knowing look he gave you made your heart skip. ‘Stupid ass fine ass nigga.’ You thought to yourself before sitting up, avoiding his gaze as you tied your braids in a ponytail before looking at him with a, ‘im tired as hell so please don’t use no big words right now dude’ face. A small smile tugged at his lips, seeing your lips in a slight pout and your tired eyes made him wanna kiss you right there on the spot. “Ya know what, its already late. I’ll let you copy my notes this time chica.” As soon as you heard this it was like all the energy that had once left your body came back, “wait really? Oh my god- thank you milesss.” You let out a sigh of relief, a hand over your heart as you looked at the ceiling. Seeing you so happy over notes made miles wanna let you copy off of him more often, fuck it. Seeing you smile like that for him made him want to make you his.

He saw the looks that other guys gave you and heard how they would talk about you in such a degrading manner and always would put them in their place with a icy glare, but he knew that he couldn’t keep trying to ward off guys when you weren’t his to begin with. The last thing he wanted was for you to be mad at him because he’s scaring off possible boyfriends, though in his defense none of them could treat you as good as him. So when he saw you in the dim lighting of the library, your cute pink and white outfit complimenting your brown skin and braids he knew that he couldn’t wait anymore. He would protect your heart and pretty smile from any assholes that try and take advantage of you.

“I like you chica.”

Bonus <33

+ you literally were in shock at his confession that you sat for almost a minute trying to figure out what to say.

+ ended up telling him you felt the same and that you were glad he told you because ‘he was too fine to be walking around without no girl.’ (He said the same to you <3)

+ walked you home, hugged you anddd gave you a lil kiss before he left.

+ that next morning he surprised you with flowers at your doorstep, putting one in your hair before kissing your cheek. “Mornin princesa.”

[storytellerdannie]

watching todays podcast and dan’s speech about TikTok at the end of todays video I am always so impressed with the way Dan can articulate his thoughts so well at the drop of a hat, whether it’s a silly anecdote or a political stance. He always structures his answers in such a fixed manner, he first lays out his point and then his anecdotes have a clear beginning, middle and end that ties it all back to the original point while dropping analogies or metaphors that immediately become recurring fandom lexicon (“the roombas of our life”) and it sounds obvious, but people really struggle between having structure and sounding scripted.

And we joke he is a yapper and he is! but you don’t understand how hard it is to speak that long and still make sense until you are watching someone else totally lose their audience’s attention or fully butcher their original point (I’ve seen some seriously painful TikToks).

It makes sense cause for so many years that was his bread and butter on his YouTube channel, narrative stories with sketches and life lessons sprinkled throughout, but I often forget that when he was regularly uploading, most story time videos on YouTube never broke the 30 minute mark because people were so afraid their audiences were not interested in long form content, but you look at YouTube now and it’s the opposite you’ll struggle to find videos under the 20 minute mark and what some YouTubers are doing now with an hour of length time, Dan was doing in under 15 minutes with the same impact and that’s impressive storytelling.

So yes he is a yapper, but he is a theatre kid too and you only realize how difficult it is to successfully talk for more than 20 seconds until you start paying attention to the average person trying to tell a story.

In another life he wrote speeches for political campaigns (like fellow pretty curly haired, brown eyed Rob Lowe in West Wing iykyk)

[fannyyann]

Tkachuk tells NHL.com how change in approach lifted game for Panthers

Forward no longer playing it safe, becomes ultimate clutch player in Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There was a time in Matthew Tkachuk’s life when he played it safe. It’s hard to remember now, hard to get that image out of your head, the one where he is crushing opponents and taking over Stanley Cup Playoff games and literally walking off the ice after scoring a game-winning goal in the fourth overtime of Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Final. 

It’s hard to remember there was a before. 

But there was.

Once upon a time, like most mortals, Tkachuk didn’t want to make a mistake. He didn’t want to be blamed. He didn’t want to err, to let down his teammates, the fans, himself. It was a time when he wasn’t quite as confident, wasn’t quite as assured -- if that can be believed -- when he didn’t know that, for him, safe was the riskiest play of all. 

“I think maybe earlier in my career, being a young player, not wanting to be the guy that made the mistake, [I] maybe played a little bit safe in the high-pressure situations,” Tkachuk said. “Just trying to play it smart and, honestly, safe’s a perfect word for it. 

“And then a couple years ago, I was like, why not make the play when nobody else wants to try to attempt it because they’re too nervous [about] what bad’s gonna happen? And I’ve seemed to go the other way, in the extreme other way, and that’s seemed to work the last few years.”

Tkachuk pinpoints it exactly, to 2021-22, his final season with the Calgary Flames, before the trade, before he landed in South Florida and became a genre-crossing star, before he helped propel the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final last season. 

“I was like, ‘Why not?’” Tkachuk said. “Why wouldn’t you want to be the guy that can make that right play at the last minute of the game or whatever? … I’m like, I’m capable, I feel like I’m a good enough player where I can be confident in myself no matter what the situation is. And that’s just kind of kept going.”

The Panthers and Tkachuk will need it to keep going, as they head to the playoffs having hit a tough skid of late. The Panthers, who are set to face the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), are 3-6-1 in their past 10 games, including a 6-0 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. 

They are second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind the Bruins, having clinched a playoff spot on March 28, a far cry from last season when the Panthers clinched with a single game remaining on their schedule. They then fell behind 3-1 in the best-of-7 first-round series against the Bruins. That was when they -- and Tkachuk -- came roaring back to force a Game 7. To win that Game 7. 

“I knew what he could bring on a stage like that, but I don’t think the whole rest of the world knew what he could do,” brother and Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said. “So for him to show what he was all about is pretty cool. And I think he’s got another level to his game.”

Paul Maurice thinks he knows why. 

The Panthers coach has seen a handful of players in his career who are elite, who might even rise to the level of potential Hockey Hall of Fame players. And when he’s viewing them, he notes something, something that seems to be common to all of them.

“I watch them and they have a higher expectation of the result,” Maurice said. “And the analogy I used [was] when that guy goes in and buys a suit, he expects it to fit right and it’s going to look good. He has an expectation of the result. 

“With Matthew, it seems to me, it’s tied, there’s four minutes [left], he’s excited about that situation because he has a really high expectation that something good’s going to happen because over the course of his life, that’s exactly what’s happened. It wasn’t a lottery. It’s just he’s gone out and made it happen, so he wants to and believes it can. 

“I never sensed any arrogance on him. I truly have not. It’s not like, hey, give me the puck, I’m the shooter. He just thinks when he hits the ice, it could happen, and his life has told him that it could happen. So why wouldn’t you enjoy the hell out of that?”

Oh, and he is. 

Not only has South Florida been a revelation for Tkachuk, so too has the team, which has entered into the top echelon of the NHL. He has figured out himself and his game, not only that he can -- and will -- come up big in the biggest of moments, but that he can also adjust to fit what the team requires, mold his game to the situation. 

Asked if he is a chameleon, he readily agrees. 

Especially in the playoffs. 

“I look at those types of playoff games differently,” Tkachuk said. “Like some people if they’re not producing, they’re not doing too much to help their team, whereas one of the good things that I’m able to do is recognize what my team needs out of me on that particular night or that particular shift. 

“There are some nights when offense comes second and all I’m trying to do is run around, be physical, try to forecheck and try to gain my team momentum like that. Even if teams are keying in on me or really focusing on me, there’s ways to make an impact.”

No one can argue with that. The Bruins still bear the scars -- some literal, some figurative -- of what Tkachuk did to them in the playoffs last spring. 

In the final four games of the first-round series, Tkachuk had eight points (four goals, four assists) to help them win the best-of-7 series. 

Boston forward Trent Frederic, who traces his understanding of Tkachuk back to basement games as kids in St. Louis, said that he thinks that, likely, had Tkachuk not been on the Panthers, the Bruins would have advanced. 

But he was. They didn’t. And now it’s not hard to believe that many teams are uninterested in seeing the Panthers on the opposing bench in the playoffs, in seeing Tkachuk on the opposing bench. 

Before a cracked sternum forced him to miss the fifth and final game of the last season’s Cup Final, Tkachuk had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists), including four game-winning goals, in 20 playoff games. 

“So the playoffs, I think the one quote, he’s a [expletive] gamer, that’s how I feel about him in the playoffs last year. And I know it’s profane, but it’s also very specific words, it’s exactly the way I feel about him,” Maurice said. “Sometimes the words just fit. Sometimes they’re casual and you swear too much. Sometimes I do. But that is how I -- a [expletive] gamer. He comes up with the biggest plays time and time again. And his energy level to be able to play at that level, that was specific to the hockey. 

“This year, I’ve gotten to watch what an incredible leader he is.”

He sees it on the bench, in the exhortation of his teammates, in his calming of them, in his barking at them. He sees it when he brought a friend and his two kids into the dressing room after a game in Detroit, when Tkachuk paused in his postgame showering routine to sign a jersey, to take a picture, to get Carter Verhaeghe out of the shower to sign the other jersey. 

“I don’t even blame players who don’t sign,” Maurice said. “But he doesn’t have to do that, and he does that consistently. … It’s not fake. It’s not showy. I think he understands the responsibility that he has and he takes care of it.”

There are so many responsibilities heaped on Tkachuk now. 

He is a leader on the ice and off it. He is the second-leading scorer, with 83 points (24 goals, 59 assists), the top chirper and certainly the most talked about player on the Panthers. And he is ready, once again, to receive that pressure. He is ready for the playoffs. He is ready for the eyes and the lights and all that comes with it.

“I enjoy it,” Tkachuk said. “I think that the high intense games and the rivalry games and the, just like the intense part of the games that some guys might not feel too confident or comfortable, I seem to thrive in them and I love those moments.”

There will be no shortage of those moments in the waning days of the season, in the start of the playoffs, as the Panthers attempt to replicate their Cinderella run to the Final last season -- without the Cinderella part. 

Because much like the Panthers, who have been at or near the top of the NHL all season, there will be no surprises when it comes to Tkachuk. He is known, now. Known for stealing games, for coming up big in the biggest moments, for never, ever playing it safe. 

And when the pressure comes, as it will, he will be right there. 

“Knowing him, that’s going to make him go to another level,” Brady Tkachuk said. “And I think for him, he’s going to love, not the spotlight, but the opportunity that comes from that and what he’s going to be able to do with that. He gets better when the pressure is higher.”

[sissylittlefeather]

How the Web Was Woven: Chapter 6

A/N: I'm sorry this one took so long! I have a hard time writing sometimes, but y'all keep me inspired and I thank you for it. ICYMI, this is the time travel/soulmate AU with Elvis and a fem!reader.

Need to catch up? Here's my Masterlist.

Special thanks to @ccab for loving this series so much that I can't abandon it. This one's for you, baby.

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI, kissing, cussing, fingering, oral sex (f receiving), p in v penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, AND DRINKING, POSSIBLE ALCOHOLISM, and ANGSTTTTTT

Word count: ~3.5k

There's no way he's leaving you now. Not like this.

******

When your alarm goes off the next morning you roll over and groan, turning it off haphazardly. Elvis has been awake for a while, watching you sleep. He knows today might be rough for you, but he has a question that's burning in his mind and just won't go away. Seeing you last night has him worried about your wellbeing.

"You alright, honey?"

"Mmm. No." You groan and snuggle into his chest. Your hangover has your head pounding and your stomach rolling over. You want nothing more than to sleep in his arms for the next 24 hours, but he seems determined to wake you up.

"You need food. Come on." He tries to get you out of the bed, but you don't move.

"Later. I need sleep."

"Y/n, it's almost noon." You laugh.

"So much for my 10:30 class."

"Come on, honey. We gotta get up."

"Why??" You whine and snuggle under the covers again.

"Because we need to talk." This gets your attention. It doesn't sound like he has a good talk in mind. Has he had enough of you? You should've known this was coming. You've been a mess for almost two years now. It makes sense that he would notice it and want to cut ties as soon as possible. Making a portal will be difficult if he doesn't love you or even like you anymore. You sit up and grimace.

"Talk about what?"

"Let's just go get some food." Somehow, you manage to slink out of bed and get some clothes on. You know you must look terrible, but you don't care. It matches the way you feel, both physically and emotionally. He's not even gone yet and you already miss him.

About twenty minutes later, you find yourself in a booth at a local breakfast place and he waits for you to finish as many fried potatoes as you can stomach before he comes back to his question.

"Y/n, I told you we need to talk about something."

"I know. You're ready to leave and never come back, aren't you?"

"What? No. The exact opposite. I'm worried about you."

"About me? Why?"

"Are you happy?"

"Right now?" You look around the restaurant and consider your current level of happiness.

"No. When I'm not here. Are you... are you okay?" You look down at your hands. So he has picked up on the fact that you're not doing so great. You think for a long time before you answer him. Should you be honest and tell him that you've been miserable every day for almost two years? Or should you act like everything is fine, so he'll go back through the portal to his own life? You look back up into his eyes and know you can't lie.

"No. I'm not." He grabs your hand where it sits on the table and watches as your eyes fill with tears.

"That's what I was afraid of. It's my fault isn't it?" He rubs small circles on the back of your hand.

"No, Elvis it's not you. I just should never have left you alone. I know how much it hurt you. I'll regret it forever." A single tear slides down your cheek.

"Honey, no. You had to go. We didn't know any other way. I understand that. I don't blame you for anything." He stands up and scoots in next to you on your side of the booth as the tears start to stream down your face and your shoulders quake with the intensity of your sadness. You feel his arm wrap around you and he holds you as tightly as he can without hurting you. You cry and cry into his chest and it feels like all the pain from the last two years finally has some release.

He holds you and looks at the ceiling trying not to let his own tears fall. His resolve to never leave you gets stronger and stronger. How could he when he knows how badly you need him?

******

You spend the next week together and slowly you start to feel better. His presence is reassuring and almost healing. Knowing that he's forgiven you does wonders for your depression. Still, every time he ignores a portal, a small part of you worries that he might be missing his last chance. You know he has to go back. He has to become the man the world knows. And as much as you want to keep him here, you know he can't stay forever.

On Friday, one of your friends invites you to a party at his house. Elvis is nervous about you drinking again, but he agrees to come along just to be with you. Before you head over, your friends come over to pre-party like always. The shots of Fireball start to go around again and Elvis throws back two just to try to ease his nerves about how the night will go. He has a bad feeling, for some reason, but the Fireball helps.

By the time you get to the party, you're both pretty relaxed and ready to have a good time. You stay together and mingle with the other party guests. When you decide it's time for a second drink, though he tries to stop you gently.

"Y/n, are you sure? Remember how you felt on Monday?" You stop and look up at him surprised.

"I'm sorry; are you my dad now?" He rolls his eyes as you walk away to get another drink. He follows close behind you.

"No, I'm just sayin' maybe you don't really wanna do this again." He steps in between you and the bar. "You know I love you. I just want what's best for you."

"Ha. Okay. How about this: I'll listen to you when you start listening to me about leaving." The alcohol in your system makes you brazen. You can't ignore it anymore.

"That is not the same at all, honey."

"Except it is. I know what's best for you, you know what's best for me. Now, let me get a drink, please." The thought of sending him through the portal inspires you to drink even more, but you know it has to be done. Maybe if you push him away now, it'll be easier for both of you. He steps out of the way to let you walk up to the bar. To your surprise, he gets himself another two shots of Fireball. This may not end well for either of you. When you get away from the bar, he puts his arm around your waist and pulls you in close. You think back to your earlier plan to push him away. Despite the unbelievable comfort you find in his embrace, you know now is the time.

"You know, you don't always have to stay with me. You can walk around and talk to people. I'm fine." He looks down into your face, shocked.

"Doll, I'm perfectly happy to stay right here. Fore-"

"Don't say it." You interrupt him before he can. This whole situation is breaking your heart and you just need him to get it over with and go. Before either of you can say anything else though, your friend, Zach, that lives at the house calls to him.

"John! What's up, man?" He pats him on the back and shakes his hand. Elvis quickly rearranges his face to hide everything he's feeling as a result of your conversation. Sometimes you forget he's such a talented performer, but watching him change like this brings it all back to you.

They chat for a bit about music, since Zach was present for Elvis's karaoke success and he plays the guitar himself. Somehow the conversation ends with Zach fetching two guitars from his bedroom.

"Hey, yo, cut the music!" Zach hollers to no one in particular. The party music stops and the jam session begins. Luckily, Zach is an Elvis fan and there's a good number of songs they can play together. When Elvis starts to sing, you notice something you haven't before: the other girls. He certainly has their attention as they stand in various states of attraction. Some giggle, some blush, and some simply stand with their mouths slightly open. You look back at him and he's eating it up. Maybe it's the alcohol, but maybe it's just who he is. You shouldn't be surprised. You've read about him and his ways with women. It's different to see it in action when he's supposed to be with you, though. A few of them come close to him and sit down around him and he sings directly to them with a flirty smile. When he winks at your friend Stephanie, you turn away and head to the bar. There's only one guy back there, since everyone else is busy watching the music taking place in the living room.

"What're you drinkin'?"

"I don't care. Give me a shot of anything."

"A girl after my own heart." He smiles and you notice he's actually really cute with his round blue eyes and sandy brown hair fixed in a faux hawk. You take the shot that he hands you and smile in return.

"Thanks. I'm y/n." You reach out to shake his hand and he kisses yours gently.

"I'm Jeff. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He's a little dorky, but you're kind of into it.

"You're not an Elvis fan, I take it?" He asks.

"Ha, no that's not exactly... I just... it's hard to explain."

"No worries. We can talk about something else. What's the best concert you've ever been to?"

Your conversation continues while Elvis plays in the living room. He looks up from the throng of girls that has gathered around him to try to find you, but you're nowhere to be found. He turns back to Zach and hands him the guitar.

"Thanks, that was fun. I've gotta find my girl, though." The party music starts back up and the girls close in on him to try to get him to dance, or more, but he gently brushes them off. He's getting more and more nervous about your whereabouts. When he finds you, you're doing another shot with Jeff. After you finish it, you lean your head on his shoulder and laugh. You've had more than enough alcohol and you're clearly not thinking straight. Elvis stands there in shock for a good thirty seconds before he walks up to you.

"Are you having fun?"

"Oh shit, it's my boyfriend." You giggle and pop your head up.

"Something like that." He wraps his arm around you and pulls you over to him. "Come on, it's time to go."

"Maybe I don't want to leave. Maybe I want to stay here with Jeff." You gesture to the guy at the bar. Elvis's eyes burn with something you haven't seen before. It's a kind of possessive anger and jealousy and you should know not to push him. But you're drunk and sad and want to push him away, so you double down. "Maybe you should take one of your fangirls home."

"Oh shit." Jeff says and laughs out loud. Elvis turns to him and grabs the front of his shirt.

"Give me an excuse, fucker." This sobers you significantly and you step in between them facing Elvis.

"Babe, don't. Okay? I'll go with you." You almost called him Elvis in front of all these people, but you caught it at the last second. Still, the pet name seems to pull him back down to earth and soften him. He lets go of Jeff's shirt and puts his arm around your shoulders.

"Let's get the hell outta here." He guides you to the exit, forgetting that you drove and shouldn't drive home. He digs your keys out of your purse and gets you settled in the front seat. Then, he slides into your seat behind the steering wheel. He knows how to drive a car, obviously, but this is not any kind of car he's familiar with. It takes him a good ten minutes, but he eventually figures out the push-button start and how to adjust your mirrors and seat with the electric controls. While he's doing all of that, all you can do is look out the window and cry quietly. You know what needs to happen tonight. And more importantly, you know what you're sending him back to. Or rather, who you're sending him back to. He'll fall in love a few times and none of them will be with you. And then he'll get married. That won't be you either. You can't live like this anymore. You have to let him go. And the very thought of that damn near breaks you.

"Hon? What's wrong?" He's finally figured out how to drive your car and noticed that you're crying.

"You have to leave. Tonight."

"What the hell? Because of the other girls? Look, I'm sorry about that. But I don't want any of them. I don't want anyone but you." He reaches out and touches your face and it just makes you cry harder.

"No, not because of that."

"Then let's just forget about it. I'm not going anywhere." You ride the rest of the way in silence with his hand in yours, tears still sliding down your face.

Finally, you get back to your house and you've managed to stop crying. He comes around to your side to help you out of the car. You're so exhausted from the events of the evening that he half-carries you to your room.

When you make it inside, you stand in your room just looking at each other. He leans down and kisses your mouth gently. You grab the back of his neck and pull him into a deeper kiss, putting every emotion you're feeling into the movement of your tongue against his. He snakes his arms around your waist and holds you close, pushing your hips into his. You feel his erection growing and swallow the lump in your throat. He pulls back and looks into your eyes.

"You're not too drunk for this?"

"I'm really not. I promise." He sees how clear your eyes are and knows you're telling the truth, so he goes back to kissing you. You know you'll need to have sex with him to do what needs to be done. But the fact that this is probably the last time you will hits you squarely in your chest and settles there.

He pulls your shirt up and over your head and you do the same with his. He presses his chest to yours and puts his hands behind your back to undo your bra. For the first time, he manages to get it off all by himself.

"Ah ha! I got it!" He's so excited that he tosses your bra to the side and lifts you so that your legs are wrapped around his waist. You grab onto him and hold him a little too tightly. He lays you down on the bed, climbing in next to you, and puts his hand on the side of your face.

"Doll, what's wrong? Please tell me." You search for something you can tell him that won't give away your plan.

"I'm just sad again. Ignore me."

"You know I can't do that. Do you not want to do this?"

"No! I want to! I need it. Please." He remembers how you were there for him when he needed you and nods.

"Just tell me if you want me to stop." He runs his hand down your neck to your chest, massaging your breast gently. Then, he keeps going down to your hip, pulling you into him. He kisses down your neck and slides his hand under your pants and down to your center. Teasing your entrance with his finger, he gathers some of the wetness gathered there and begins to massage your clit. You moan softly and your hips buck forward into his hand.

"Does that feel good, baby?"

"God, yes."

"Good. I just wanna make you feel good tonight." You whimper as he pulls his hand out to unbutton your jeans and slide them down your legs and off. He makes his way back up to your center, pressing hot kisses to your legs along the way. When he gets back up to the place where your thighs come together, he presses a kiss to you through your panties. He pulls them off too and pushes his mouth onto you, settling his tongue on your clit. He licks up each side and then begins to move over and around it in the way that only he can.

"Yes! Elvis!" You moan loudly and run your fingers through his hair.

"That's my good girl." He says it quickly and goes back to licking you. You feel the pressure of your orgasm gathering in your center as he laps at you, moving down to slide his tongue into your slit periodically. Finally, he slips two fingers into you and pushes them in and out quickly while he tightens his tongue and drags it over your clit repeatedly.

"Oh God! I'm gonna come!" You whisper breathlessly.

"Do it, baby, come for me. I wanna feel you." Just as he ends his sentence, you feel the burst of your orgasm take off and reverberate across your body.

"Ohhhhhh, fuck, yes." You moan through gritted teeth as you pulse around his fingers. He smiles and kisses your clit one last time before taking his pants off.

The thing that's settled in your chest threatens to come screaming out of you and you feel the tears begin to gather again. As he climbs back up your body, you grab him and pull him into a kiss, hoping you can distract him from the fact that you're almost crying again. You press your forehead to his with your eyes closed and whisper.

"Make love to me, Elvis." He pulls back and looks you in the eye. Something is wrong and he knows it.

"Do you know how much I love you, y/n?"

You nod and lose control of the tears as they run down your cheeks. "You're sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, please. I need to know you love me." He lines his cock up with your entrance and pushes into you slowly. When he fills you fully, he pulls back and slides into you again.

"I love you more than I ever thought was possible." He kisses your cheek and thrusts into you again. "I love you so much that I don't even feel like I'm fully myself without you." Your voice catches in your throat.

"Please don't say that."

"Y/n, I love you with everything that I am." He continues to push into you slowly, picking up speed with each thrust. You grab him and hold him tightly while he moves against you. You wrap your legs around him and try to get as close to him as possible. If you could, you'd melt into him completely and stay with him forever. But you can't and you know that. So instead you hold him and cry silently as he drives into you as gently and lovingly as possible.

"I'm gettin' close, doll." You nod and he kisses the tears on your cheeks. He begins to pump in and out faster before he reaches his climax and moans loudly, shuddering into you. He pulls out of you and rolls over, cradling you against his chest.

When you hear the buzzing sound, you squeeze him tight and then stand up. Your hands are shaking and the tears continue to flow.

"Get up, Elvis. You have to get dressed."

"What? No. I told you-"

"Do you want to go through naked?!" You yell at him and he stands up ready to fight you on this.

"I'm not going! I'm staying here with you forever, y/n! I can't leave you. You're the love of my life."

"No. I'm not. You have to go back to her. You have to get married and be a dad. I can't take those things from you." You toss him his pants and he puts them on without thinking.

"Then I'll marry you. I'll have babies with you. That's what I want anyway!"

"You can't. Elvis, God, I'm so sorry. I'm so so so sorry. You know I will always love you, right?"

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"For this." You shove the rest of his uniform into his hands and push on his chest with both hands as hard as you can. You manage to catch him off guard just enough and he stumbles backwards, falling through the portal.

"Nooo!!" You hear him yell as he disappears.

The portal closes with a pop.

You fall to the floor and sob openly.

******

Back in 1960, Elvis falls backwards onto the floor of the train station and scrambles into the bathroom. He manages to get his uniform back on and then slides down the wall, tears streaming down his face.

What will happen to you without him?

Will he ever see you again?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Will there be a next chapter?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taglist:

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @ashtag6887 @your-nanas-house @deniseinmn @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows @60svintage @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @that-hotdog @eddiesgirlforever @helen06dreamer @returntopresley

[starryeyedjanai]

helloo, for the writing prompt thing 9. “Don’t ask me that.” ☺️💕

thanks for the prompts #9. "Don't ask me that." and #30. “Can I sit here? The other tables are full.” @delta-piscium and @atmilliways 🥰

to be known

steddie | rated: teen | 3.7k | angst with a happy ending :)

read on AO3

When the words settle onto his skin on his 18th birthday - Can I sit here? The other tables are full. - Steve is immediately taken back to the first week of middle school.

The day he met Eddie. When his hair was buzzed short and he was brand new to the school and knew no one.

He remembers those words.

He remembers looking up from his lunch and seeing this kid that looked nothing like Steve or any of his friends - dressed in all black, some kind of band logo on his t-shirt. He remembers seeing how timid he was to be asking, remembers saying yes or something to that accord.

He looks at the words and he's sure, he's certain, that the words etched onto his skin are the first words Eddie spoke to him.

Steve can't remember exactly what he said to Eddie in response to these words, just that he let Eddie sit with him and they've been best friends ever since, however unlikely a pair they made.

If Steve's words are on Eddie's skin, however unmemorable they are to Steve, he's sure Eddie would know they're soulmates - he would remember the first words Steve said to him all those years ago just like Steve remembers.

But.

Eddie turned 18 a while ago and he's never once mentioned the words on his skin to Steve.

Steve asked once, a few days after Eddie's birthday and Eddie changed the subject. Steve thought that might mean that he didn't have any words on his skin, because not everyone does.

He's thought about it since then too. If Eddie had gotten his words on his birthday, why would he not mention them? If it was something incredibly generic or even if it was a phrase that made no sense to him, he probably wouldn't have hidden it.

So then Steve had the thought that maybe it was something personal or maybe something embarrassing that Eddie just didn't want to say out loud.

And yeah, they're best friends, but that doesn't mean they have to share everything with each other. If it was something Eddie wanted to keep to himself, who was Steve to try and pry the information out of him? If Eddie wanted him to know, he'd tell him.

But now, looking at the words on his skin, he thinks that maybe there's another reason he never said anything. That maybe it's because he has Steve's words on his skin, but he doesn't want Steve as a soulmate. That maybe he was hoping it was a mistake, that if he ignored it, Steve might not get Eddie's words when he turned 18.

If Eddie has something written on him, he's hidden it from Steve for months. If he has a soul mark, he's hidden it for a reason.

The thoughts running through his head make Steve spiral a little, looking at the words on his skin.

It makes something ache in his chest, thinking about Eddie not wanting him. They've been friends for over five years now. They do everything together. They know each other better than anyone else.

If Eddie has his words on him somewhere and didn't tell Steve because he was that horrified at the thought of being tied to Steve forever, he doesn't know how his heart is going to take it.

As it stands, just thinking about it is making his heart beat a mile a minute, the hurt spreading with every heartbeat.

--

Steve looks at the words on his skin for a long time.

Eddie's handwriting is normally neat and measured, so unlike every facet of Eddie's actual existence.

He thinks about Eddie's room, always messy and cluttered. He thinks of Eddie's hyperactive personality, always needing to fidget, always needing to be doing something.

He thinks about seeing Eddie so focused on writing new lyrics for his band, thinks about looking at Eddie's notebook when he shows him a clever turn of words he came up with, the way his handwriting starts off small and contained, but gets bigger and sloppier the more excited he is.

The words on his skin are sloppy, excited.

But there's a lump in his throat thinking about how if Eddie has his words, he wasn't excited about it.

He doesn't know what he's going to do if Eddie tells him that he has his words on his skin and he doesn't want to be with him.

He woke up this morning with hope blossoming in his chest at the thought of seeing his soulmate's writing, their first words to him, on his body.

And now, he's getting ready for school, going through the motions, dreading what might happen.

It's not like he can miss school - Eddie would just skip school and come find him, regardless of the fact that his many unexcused absences are what got him held back last year. He'd skip anyway, and he'd find Steve no matter where he went.

He knows all of Steve's hideouts, all the places Steve goes when his parents are home and on his case.

He knows everywhere Steve might think to go if he's skipping school on his birthday because he knows Steve. He knows him better than Steve thinks he knows himself most days.

At school, he heads to his locker and doesn't look for Eddie. Sometimes, Eddie hitches a ride with Steve, but on Mondays, Eddie has Hellfire after school, so he drives himself.

Steve's never been as grateful for a Monday as he is now. He doesn't think he could have handled being in a car with Eddie this morning, trapped and with nowhere to go, the big question hanging between them, probably.

Did your mark come? (and maybe in this case, is it me?)

It's what everyone wants to know on someone's 18th birthday.

By the time he makes it to his locker, he's been asked if he got his mark a handful of times.

He makes it to third period before he realizes he hasn't seen Eddie all day.

The feeling of dread is sitting heavy in his stomach. Did Eddie skip school today because he didn't want to deal with Steve's mark at all? If he knows that Steve is his soulmate, this just further cements the fact that Eddie doesn't want him, that Eddie is doing everything he can to get away from Steve.

At lunch, he heads out to his car and sits in the quiet for a while.

He's not going back in there, he realizes, after a while as the clock keeps ticking forward, closer to the end of lunch.

He starts his car and heads up to Lover's Lake.

Because he knows Eddie just as well as Eddie knows him, and he knows exactly where he'd be if he didn't want Steve to find him.

Because as much as it might hurt to know Eddie doesn't want him, he has to hear him say the words. He has to know for sure that Eddie never said anything because he doesn't want Steve.

He has to hear it because anything his mind can make up is probably worse than anything the Eddie he knows would actually say. He'd let him down easy, if it's true that he just doesn't want Steve.

Steve thinks it would hurt the same even if Eddie was cruel about it - if he scoffed at him and said of course he didn't want him versus him gently sitting Steve down and saying as much as he likes being his friend, he just doesn't want him like that.

He parks next to the curb in front of Rick's house, behind Eddie's van, and steels himself. He's going to walk in that house and he might not come out of it the same. He might leave with one less friend. One less best friend.

He doesn't bother knocking because he knows the door will be unlocked. He can hear Eddie and Rick talking in the living room so he follows the voices.

The conversation dies immediately when Eddie catches sight of him. He blanches, like he wasn't expecting Steve to come find him, like he was expecting Steve to just let this go untalked about the way Eddie has for so many months now.

"Steve," Eddie whispers into the painfully awkward silence.

"Eddie," Steve says back. "I think we need to talk, don't you?"

He sees Eddie swallow and glance at the doorway behind him, like he's thinking about making a break for it.

He knows for certain that Eddie's his soulmate now.

Steve tries not to let it show how much that affects him, the thought of Eddie being so fucking unwilling to talk to him about this that he'd rather run from him. He's never run from Steve like this before.

"Please," Steve says softly, his voice desperate and shot.

Eddie nods slowly. He says, "Rick, um. Can you, uh, give us a minute?"

Rick looks between them and says to Eddie, "You know this is my house, right?" but he gets up all the same and heads to the sliding glass door to step outside.

"Steve," Eddie says again.

"You've been hiding from me," he says, stepping closer to the couch.

"It's not that I was, was hiding, per se," Eddie stammers out.

"No?" Steve asks. "So you just skipped school to hang out on Rick's couch today?"

He sits on the opposite end of the couch, a good distance from Eddie. His heart is in his throat and he realizes all of a sudden that he's not going to be okay if Eddie doesn't want him. He thought maybe he could power through this, hear Eddie say he'd rather never see Steve again than be stuck with him as a soulmate or something equally as devastating, but there are tears stinging at the corners of his eyes at the thought.

He doesn't want Eddie to not want him.

He looks away from Eddie, blinks rapidly a couple times to stubbornly keep the tears at bay.

"I don't. I don't know what you want me to say," Eddie says softly.

Steve clears his throat and says, "I want you to tell me why you didn't tell me."

Eddie scoffs and says, "Don't ask me that."

And Steve sits there, feeling defeated, feeling like his heart is splintering because his best friend is shutting him out. Eddie doesn't want him, doesn't want to even talk to him about it.

He can't do anything but stare at him for a moment, the sinking feeling in his chest settling like it's made a home there.

So that's it then.

He won't even talk to him about it.

He gets up, ready to leave because what else is there to say if Eddie can't even bear to say it out loud? If he can't even acknowledge that they're soulmates, can't say out loud why he never told him, it has to be because he realizes anything he says is going to hurt Steve.

Eddie's not malicious. Even if he doesn't want Steve like that, he still probably wouldn't want to hurt him.

Eddie rushes to stand up when Steve turns to leave, the stinging in his eyes getting worse than before.

"Steve, don't- we can just-" Eddie lets out a frustrated breath. "Can't we just go back to how it was before? This doesn't have to change anything."

And those are words that make the tears that Steve's been trying to keep in tip over. He wipes at his eyes, frustrated with himself. He told himself he wouldn't cry about this in front of Eddie, but here he is, tears falling down his face anyway.

Eddie looks panicked all of a sudden, like he didn't expect Steve's tears. Like he thought Steve would just say yes, say sure, we can just pretend we aren't fucking soulmates.

"Steve?" He says his name hesitantly, like he's a startled horse or something, and Steve wants to turn and run, wants to hide from the hurt feeling that's gripping his heart.

But he came here for a reason.

He came here to get the answers that he needs and he doesn't know that he has them yet.

Eddie won't talk about it, but Steve needs him to. Eddie still wants to be his friend and Steve needs to hear him say that there isn't a chance, needs to know that there isn't a hope of a chance that things might change for Eddie one day. Because Steve will wait, is the thing.

Steve would wait forever for him.

If Eddie wants things to go back to normal, to how they were before they knew they were soulmates, Steve would keep being his friend and keep waiting for things to change forever if Eddie doesn't tell him now that he can never feel that way about him.

So he says through his tears, "I need you to tell me the truth. I don't care if you think it'll hurt me. I just need to hear it."

Eddie looks confused. "Why would me telling you how I feel hurt you? That's- Why are you crying? What did I say to make you cry?"

"You don't want to talk about it! You want to pretend this doesn't exist," he says, pulling the hem of his shirt up to expose the writing on his rib cage. "You want us to pretend we aren't soulmates and you didn't think that would hurt me?"

Eddie shakes his head. "You- you don't want this," he insists. He hasn't even asked what Steve wants.

"How could you possibly know what I want when we haven't even talked about it? You hid this from me for months, Eddie! And now you're gonna stand here and act like you know what I want?" Steve scoffs, the tears in his eyes now coming from a place of anger instead of hurt.

"You're not into guys, Steve. And you're certainly not into me. I know that much," Eddie says, still looking at the words etched on Steve's skin.

Steve lowers his shirt. "You didn't even ask me," he says again. He wipes the tears from his eyes and steps forward, closer to Eddie.

Because Eddie said Steve wasn't into him, wasn't into guys. He never said that he wasn't into Steve. He's hanging onto a fucking thread of hope, but Eddie didn't say he didn't want him.

He doesn't know if Eddie's deflecting from the real issue of him not wanting Steve by turning it around on him, but he has to try. He's his soulmate. Of course he has to try.

He stands in front of Eddie, the tips of their shoes touching.

"Show me," he says softly, the words a whisper into the quiet of the room.

He looks at Eddie and sees the fear in his eyes, sees how scared he is. He didn't notice it before, being so far away from him. But up close, he can tell that Eddie is scared.

Scared like Steve is scared.

He just hopes he's getting this right.

Eddie pulls the collar of his shirt down to show the script sitting right on his collarbone.

Oh, yeah, of course! I like your hair!

"You've been hiding this from me," Steve says, running his fingertips over the curve of the letters on Eddie's skin. Eddie shivers under the light touch.

"I thought it might be you, but I wasn't sure," Eddie says back.

"But you wanted it to be," he says, taking the leap. He thinks Eddie wanted it to be him. He hopes he wanted it to be him.

Eddie looks him in the eyes, that fear still gripping him. "I wanted it to be you so fucking bad, Stevie. I thought, when I got my words- I thought that I had wished it true, that I wanted you so badly that I made the universe make it you. And I've been feeling so fucking guilty this entire time because of it."

"Guilty?" he asks, confused.

Eddie nods. "Like I forced it into existence because I wanted it too much."

"I don't think that's how the universe works, Eddie."

"I think it's a special case because you don't even like guys and somehow you got one as a soulmate. Got me as a soulmate." Eddie looks so dejected, so guilty about it that Steve has to set him straight.

"Eddie, we've been soulmates since the moment we met," he says, tearing his eyes away from writing on his chest, the writing that's in Steve's handwriting, tolook into Eddie's eyes. "Even if we never got the mark, you would still be it for me."

Eddie bites his lip, glancing down at Steve's mouth quickly. "Do you mean that?" he asks, still hesitant.

"I mean it. I- we've never really talked about who we're into, and maybe that was a mistake. Because I do like guys. Or- well, I like you. I've liked you for so long," he says, glancing down at Eddie mouth too.

He thinks getting to kiss him would either calm his rapidly beating heart down or send him straight into orbit. Either way, he's going to find out.

"You like me? Me?" Eddie asks, surprised, and Steve swoops in to kiss the incredulity off his tongue.

He presses his mouth to the plush lips in front of him, just a gentle press at first and he feels more than hears Eddie gasp against his lips.

It's-

People talk all the time about how kissing your soulmate is different from kissing just anyone. That it's somehow astronomically different. But Steve's never understood it until now.

Because how can kissing your soulmate feel any different from kissing someone else? Sure, maybe there's different feelings involved, but if you love someone who isn't your soulmate, does that mean kissing them wouldn't be as good?

These were the questions Steve used to think about when he would think about who his future soulmate might be. Back in middle school and early high school.

How could kissing anyone feel that much different?

It's what all the magazines say, all the romance novels and the tv shows and movies too. They all say that it's different, that you'll know for sure, as if there could be any doubt with the first thing they say to you marked on your skin forever.

Steve never thought they could be right, that it was a dramatization of what it really is. That even through the woo-woo soulmate magic or whatever, kissing would still feel like kissing, no matter who you were kissing.

He's never been more glad to be wrong about something.

Because it is different. Somehow, it is.

It's different from kissing Nancy, who Steve was very much in love with.

It's different from kissing any of the girls he's kissed in the past, different from the one very confusing kiss he shared with Tommy Hagan back in sixth grade for "practice".

It's like there's an energy between them, the force that's been trying to pull them together for years finally snapping into place.

Something inside him feels settled. Like for the first time in his life, he feels content. All the background noise - the leaky kitchen faucet Steve has heard since stepping inside the house, the birds outside, the buzz of electricity that Steve can always hear - it all just fades away.

All he's left with is Eddie, right in front of him.

He's the only thing he can feel right now, the only thing he can hear and taste and smell, and see when he pulls back from the kiss.

Eddie had his eyes closed, so Steve gets to see him blink them open slowly, like his whole world has been shifted too. Like something is finally settled inside him too.

It kind of makes Steve want to cry again, embarrassingly enough.

He cups Eddie's jaw and leans in to kiss him again, this time swiping his tongue across his lower lip. Eddie opens his mouth and Steve tilts his head to the side and presses his tongue inside his mouth.

Their tongues tangle together for the first time and it's so heady, Steve feels dizzy with it. He kisses him harder, licking into his mouth, both hands now on either side of his head, not trapping him or keeping him there, just holding him so he can be kissed by Steve for as long as they both want it.

Eddie's hands find Steve's waist, and one slips up under his shirt. He touches the words written onto Steve's rib cage and Steve trembles, the skin contact making him shivery with want.

And god, does he want.

He wants everything. He wants to keep kissing Eddie until the room around them darkens as the sun goes down. He wants to stand here kissing him for hours, wants to bite his lips until they're swollen and tender and then keep on kissing his bruised mouth. He wants to touch him, wants to put his hands everywhere, wants Eddie's hands on him.

He's snapped out of the trance Eddie's mouth has put him in by a tap-tap-tap on the glass door.

They pull apart slowly, their mouths separating with a slick sound that Steve's going to be replaying in his head for hours.

They both look at the back door where Rick is standing.

"Can I come back in now? It's chilly," he asks, his voice muffled through the glass.

Steve rolls his eyes and steps back from Eddie.

Eddie grins at him and says, "Yeah, man. Come on in."

Rick slides the door open, steps back inside, and says, "Glad you two finally worked this all out then. Maybe now Eddie will stop complaining about it all the time."

Eddie looks at Rick, betrayed, then looks at Steve and says, "I don't- I do not complain. I was just, I do probably talk about it a lot, but I wasn't complaining, exactly-"

"Eddie, you complain more than anyone I know, about everything," Steve says, voice playful.

Eddie lets out an exaggerated gasp. "You're going to say that to me, your soulmate?"

Steve just rolls his eyes.

He's got the rest of their life to get Eddie to admit that he's the most dramatic person he knows.

---

tagging people who voted for this in the wip game or asked to be tagged: @legitcookie @sidekick-hero + @patchworkgargoyle 💕💕💕

[ambcass]

ᴊᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴅᴅ || ᴛʜᴇ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ.

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. (𝐏𝐓.𝟏)

warnings: mentions of throwing up, cursing, OCC (maybe), Y/N being a lil shit, fake friends, shit talking?, mentions of ED, arguments, stalking (in the sense that!..)

They called me a disappointment. My so-called "friends", teachers, and family. All because I couldn't be #1. I tried, I really did but I just couldn't. Ever since I lost my best friend, MY Jason.

"It's been years Y/N. Why can't you get over it? I got over it when my mom died and-" I cut her off. "How are you making this about you right now, Eveling? Your mom died when you were 5 but I've known Jason since-like forever! I snapped back. She stayed quiet and didn't dare to speak. We got to a bus stop and sat on a bench. In silence.

"I-I didn't mean to talk about your mom like that. I know it must have been hard for you" I comforted her. I didn't mean what I said. The "it must have been hard" part. I only said it because I felt bad. She turned and softly smiled at me.

"It's ok, Y/N. I know you didn't mean it." Excuse me? What did this bitch mean? "I know you didn't mean it" Is that supposed to mean something?!? I brushed it off. The bus arrived. I waved goodbye to Eveling and hopped on the bus. I gave the bus driver exactly $1.25 and sat myself in the back. It took 30 minutes to get home. I didn't mind waking up early to get ready for school but never in a million years would anyone would think a bus would be at full capacity at 6:00 AM!

I got off at my stop and headed home. I unlocked the door. Great. No one home again? On the dining table was a note that stated,

*Back home late. (1 the latest)

*Left leftovers in the fridge.

*Be in bed by 10.

Love, Mom.

okayyy. I walked towards my room. Starting my homework while trying to get rid of the thought of giving up. Not even 27 minutes later, I gave up. I went to the kitchen to heat up the leftovers. My phone started ringing, and Eveling wanted to call. I picked up my phone.

"Hello?" I spoke. In her usual bubbly self, she replied to me in an enthusiastic voice. "Hi! Y/N, I'm at a sleepover right now but it's pretty boring so I decided to call you." The majority of the call time went from her telling me what was going on during the sleepover and me responding with many mhms, cool, and yeahs. I thought the call was going perfectly fine. Our calls were always like this. I listen while she talks. My stomach started to ache. I felt nauseous. I wanted to throw up.

"Eveling, I'm going to the bathroom," I ran to the bathroom because I was sure that leftovers were causing me to feel so sick. After multiple attempts to throw up, I finally got it out of my system. I washed my face and walked out to the kitchen counter.

My phone was on speaker. My phone was always on speaker. She knows this. So, why did she say those things about me? I walked into Eveling telling her friends shit about me.

"Y/N? I think the only reason why she rushed to the bathroom so quickly was because of her eating disorder!" she was giggling. Laughing even. My heart sank to the core of the Earth. Tears were being held back. I slowly walked back to the bathroom. I shouted,

"I'm doneee!" My voice was about to crack but from the speaker, I could hear her friend ask, "Are you sure she didn't hear?" and to that she responded with "We would have heard her fatass stomp around." They all laughed. At this point, I was done. Fuck this- you know what.

"You know what we can all hear? YOUR fatass stomping around for food. Get your fee, fai, foo, fum ass the fuck outa here. Y'know damn well, I'll run your shit. So, don't testtt mee." I retorted at her and hung up. I stormed to my room and slammed the door. I was too mad to cry. I fell to the ground and brought my knees to my chest. The few minutes of desired silence were interrupted. Knock. Knock. Two knocks came from my window. I didn't pay much attention, I thought it was squirrels.

Knock, knock, knock. This time the knocks became more intense and repetitive. I got up, walked up to my window, and opened my curtains. A man with a red helmet, leather jacket, and a suit with a red Batman symbol on it. I flinched and closed the curtains. The man knocked on the window again. He spoke,

"Y/N, don't be so scared." His voice. It sounded like a deeper and huskier version of Jason's.

He's dead. That's not Jason. THAT'S NOT JASON. I tried telling myself this but for some reason no matter how much I tried to restrain, I walked closer and closer to the window. I reopened the curtains.

I took another step and opened the window completely. I allowed this unknown man, who was pretty muscular into my home. He entered my room. The two of us meet eye to eye. He took off his helmet, it released steam, and it had a click to it.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Y/N?" I raised my brows. A man who looked 6'0, with short black fluffy hair and a white streak asked me. He looked like Jason? I thought, but he would never dye his hair with a conry white streak in it.

"I don't know you..." I was lying. I knew who he was but I just needed the confirmation.

"So, you would let a random stranger in your house? What? Is it cause I haven't been there to protect you all these years or is it because you know who I am and you're just playing dumb?" He asked.

It was truly him. He was back and I had so many questions but he's back. My Jason is back and I'll make sure he won't leave me again.

a/n: i was gna post last week but :)...

[roetrolls]

OH YEAH HEY

IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I MADE ANY PUBLIC UPDATES ON MY MG TREATMENT

In June I saw my neurologist and she was finally satisfied with my progress!!! So I've been getting weaned off the steroids ever since :] !!! Been stepping down by 2.5mg every 2 weeks, and this upcoming Sunday I'll be at 10mg (‼️) after starting at 30 (‼️‼️)

Then we start stepping down by 1mg instead of 2.5, so 5 more months on the meds after that and then!!!! We start weaning off the infusions!!!!!!!!

If I get sick my symptoms come back because I have more antibodies in me I think? And I've noticed that towards the end of the month when I'm due for another infusion my jaw starts to get sore if I talk too much... I also still get water in my nose if I'm not totally upright when I drink (so water fountains suck) but other than that!!! I really don't feel my symptoms at all anymore <:) I can finally sing again :']

I'm pretty weak though. Which makes sense. Because my muscles weren't working properly for a long time. But I'm trying to rebuild my strength and stamina and my whole family loves inviting me to work out with them

There are so many things I never realized were tied to the MG, like... I got really good at taking fast showers and you would 't think that's related! But it turns out the reason I used to take long showers was because I had so much fun singing in there. When I stopped being able to sing, there was no reason to stretch it out. I've also been so much more active and social and it's like... I feel alive again. I feel like I've risen from the dead.

There's never been a time in my life before now where I was healthy in both mind and body at the same time. Before my MG I really struggled with depression, and really soon after I got a handle on that my symptoms started. I've been really happy for the past few years, but also severely limited in what I was capable in doing. So now it's like... for the first time in my life there's nothing holding me back.

I mean there is a little bit, the infusions are still pretty brutal + I have to time things around them... and when a steroid drop lines up with my period my hormones go BALLISTIC and I cry at everything lol,, but like. I can just go out and do things. I have a job! A job TEACHING! Where I need to stand for 90 minutes (before treatment I could manage 11) and SPEAK WITH MY MOUTH AND PROJECT AND BE CLEAR AND I CAN DO IT! I CAN DO IT!!!

Anyways um <:) I'm doing really really well and I'm really happy. Idek if anyone is interested in hearing this stuff but. Have a little diary entry i guess, lol

I'm really looking forward to the future, and it's a wonderful feeling

[piracytheorist]

Spy x Family 30 Day Challenge

Day 6: Favourite Soundtrack

This is actually such a freaking hard question for me to answer, exactly because I've spent so much time listening and analyzing the soundtrack that every piece I listen to I go like "Oh this has great instrumentation" or "This ties in to that moment or that other song really well" and combined with the use of themes and leitmotifs in the soundtrack, I'm just... kinda at a loss to pick one? 😅 So I guess I'll settle for three pieces I like, in no particular order!

I think I would be remiss if I didn't mention "子守唄" (Lullaby).

I mean, aside from the whole context that this song was used in...

like excuse me but how dare they

I have a confession to make: although being anime-only and avoiding manga spoilers, I had actually gotten a spoiler about that episode, that Yor would sing a song to Loid because he for some reason was sleeping or unconscious. I had no idea it would be that impactful for him, but at that point I had already listened to the available soundtrack enough times to remember the "As a mother. As a wife" song so, with the idea of a spoiler like that, I was like Damn. If the song Yor sings has this melody. If they do that. IF THEY DO THAT...

And then they did do that. Yor kicked Loid, I burst out in laughter because I hadn't expected that at all, Loid dropped unconscious and I was both shocked and a little excited because yay whump, the screen went black...

AND THEN I RECOGNIZED THE FUCKING NOTES. For half a second I was like, is it now? Is the song coming now? And from the first notes I was like YES THEY DID IT. THEY WROTE YOR'S SONG INTO A LULLABY.

Of course, I didn't have a lot of time to react to that because baby Loid was shown immediately after and I quite lost my cool at that point. Even more so when he said that he recognized the song.

But yeah, this was an absolutely brilliant way to incorporate Endo's idea of the lullaby into the anime, especially if you've paid enough attention to the soundtrack already. They prepare you with the soft tune that plays in some of Yor's moments, and then they just HIT YOU SMACK ON THE FACE with that scene. Absolutely fantastic, 10/10 would lose my entire mind again.

Next, I will have to go with the "main theme", aka STRIX.

I am in love with this piece. It's fast-paced, it's exciting, it's rich, it sets a magnificent theme, it introduces the "spy leitmotif" that we next hear in "serious" mode with Loid and "playful" mode with Anya, the part at 1:30 is just... MY GOD. TERRIFIC. And all just in less than two minutes and thirty seconds. Absolute banger of a main theme.

Last but certainly not least, I'll pick the "little by little" piece.

FAMILY THEME MY BELOVED.

No but for real the fact that the composers created a leitmotif that centers around family, and specifically the Forgers?? My musician heart swells and melts with it. And they made it into a soft theme, because for this family the main theme is that they make each other feel at home, feel safe, feel welcomed and protected, and so the music mirrors that.

Also, important video to watch regarding the soundtrack 👀👀 (so that all that stuff I say about leitmotifs makes sense to y'all)

Finally, I'll add some honourable mentions because they really nailed that jazz (jazz noir sometimes!) feel, and I hope they add more tracks like these as the seasons go on: WISE, Liar, Disguise, Ponder, Berlint, Gorgeous step, Try again, and The Forgers.

[shrimptacodaniels]

all i know is you make sense (pt. 4)

something something birds of a feather blah blah blah the tree is poetic (imma let you read 🫶)

“Well hey there, adult man lurking in a tree,” Katrina says cordially, as if she frequently sees adult men lurking in trees.

And really, Josh shouldn’t be surprised. 

(He is.)

Because, well, he hasn’t seen Katrina in days. It’s no fault of hers, they’re just busy. Actuarial work is a lot to manage. 

Okay, that’s not what it is. 

Josh has been hiding. It’s something he does exceptionally well - slipping through shadows and gates and loopholes. Usually, this is a point of pride for him. Hiding is a useful knack to have. Getting away from the chaos for a moment helps with perspective. With strategy. 

But the fact that he may have just destroyed his professional life hasn’t given him a lick of perspective. And he doesn’t know his next steps. 

So he’s been sitting in a tree until he does. 

“Alright,” Katrina grunts with the effort of hoisting herself up. “Let’s hope this branch holds the both of us.” 

“I guess we’ll see once you’re up here, hm?” he calls to her. 

But she’s faster than he realizes. 

“We’ll see-“ one more push, and she’s up to the branch he’s on, “-now.” She brushes her hands off on her leggings and settles in. 

He takes a second to look at her. She’s tied her hair back and is sporting her ancient New Balances.

She’s dressed like she knew she’d have to climb a tree today. 

She looks like she’s going to give him hell. 

And despite all the turmoil drilling into his brain, he’s so glad to see her. 

“How’d you find me?” he asks. She opens her mouth to answer, but freezes right as she’s going to. Something passes over her, some revelation Josh can’t quite place. 

“Hear me out on this one, okay?” 

“Take it away.” 

“You still stick your tongue out when you’re concentrating. It’s a habit you sometimes try to stop yourself from doing, especially when we’re working on something with the hackers, but it hasn’t gone away even still. 

You count on your fingers. You have a tapping system for multiplication and do it normally for addition, but you refuse to divide mentally. You work best when you can write out your thoughts. And when you feel like no one is watching you. 

You hate scrambled eggs but you eat them anyway because that’s how Rachel likes them. You’re a bit of a hoarder. You still have clothes from high school in your closet, but you don’t wear them. I think it’s because you don’t want to forget the kid you were. You like him, still. 

You can’t text someone back without reading your response aloud. ‘S just how you think. Which is why you keep your phone on silent during social gatherings in case something of sensitive nature comes up. But you’re sure to check every 25 minutes to see if anyone’s called because you feel like 30 minutes leaves too much room for error and 10 minutes is rude to the people at the gathering. 

Your favorite color is purple. Being inside for too long drives you crazy.

You light up when you’re watching someone do what they love. You’re the kind of person who just lets people talk about their passions because you find the most joy in their joy. And yet you don’t give yourself that luxury.” She fixes him with a hard stare at that. “I’ll come back to that point.

Rachel calls you honeypot not just because it’s a sweet pet name, but also a defense  system for computers. She loves you and she loves that you make her feel protected. You’re so important to her. 

Janice doesn’t cross her arms as much when she’s around you, because she feels as though she doesn’t have to keep up any “tough” image when you’re around. She treats you more bluntly than anyone because she knows that you see things how they are and she respects that. She trusts you to be someone who wants her at face value. 

You are the bravest person I’ve ever met in my life. Because you are the most supportive guy I know. You go out on a limb to challenge the people you love, to make them better. And that’s vulnerable. You’re flexible and creative and quick and charming and brilliant.

Of all the people on the planet, you are the easiest for me to read. And I know how miserable you are as a paralegal - it drains you. And I know how afraid you are of switching up your career. But look at me.” 

She takes his hand in hers. Squeezes twice. 

“I found you because you were made to be found. Because I have the privilege of waking up excited to see you. People spend their whole lives looking for refuge like you. They have to know where to look. And it sure as hell won’t be in a dingy office under heaps of legal teachings from the 1800s. You belong where you’re happy.“ 

She’s crying a bit now. He is too. 

“You weren’t meant to hide,” she whispers shakily. “So don’t. You’re too loved.” 

“I love you,” he leans their heads together, “more than you know.”

“This one’s about you, kid.” She tilts her head to nudge at his. “I know it’s a lot to process. But doesn’t it feel right? Like this is exactly what you’re made for?” 

Josh pauses at that. Looks out at the sunset. Hears the rushing wind and cars zooming past. Knows he’s going home to his girlfriend later. Knows he’s the most loved he’s ever been in his life. 

Knows that starting a board game café has been his dream for the better part of ten years. Feels the thrill of finally being free - not having to carry people’s problems anymore. 

Just give them a soft place to land. 

“You know what?” Josh looks over at her. “It’s starting to.” 

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Week 5: I'm Annoyed

Hey y'all. We're back. And I'm a little annoyed about the show last week. I'll start my regular reviews next week. But for now, I'm gonna do some ramblings and spill my thoughts. So here we go.

The Elimination

I was completely fine with Brooks being eliminated. It was the only thing that made sense at this point and I couldn't stomach another moment of Gleb giving her trash choreography and half assing teaching her while going full steam ahead with the showmance for the THIRD SEASON. I couldn't even really tell you what dance they because there was no technique. It could've been a salsa, a cha-cha or a samba. Idk. Brooks could've been much better with any other pro because the potential was there. But here we are. Unfortunately.

Derek and Hayley's Dance

It was really beautiful and it was so nice to see Hayley out there dancing like that again. That's so scary what they went through. I can't imagine Derek's actual feelings in the moment. The brain is no joke.

The Scores/Judging

Mark was a mostly great addition. He was sometimes on some bs though (along with the other judges). So I'm wondering what is going on. Chandler, Joey and Danny should've been tied for the lead with 34 points each. Phaedra should've gotten the same score as Dwight. Jenn should've been given a 30/31 because Sasha sh*t the bed once again.

Thoughts on Individual Couples

So I have a few other lingering thoughts. The first is this weird standard that they are holding Chandler to. The reason I hate contemporary on this show is because it's not valued if it doesn't make you spit up, shake sob, dribble, snot and fart once you're done. That dance was perfectly fine. It was almost perfect minus a lift where Chandler's dress got in Brandon's face and a slight out of sync moment in the side by side choreo. Chandler dances with conviction. She hits her marks, she doesn't just step. She full out dances. None of them feel the same in terms of the feeling. Yeah, this contemporary was lighter, but we weren't dealing with a heavy topic. Her mother is still very much alive and well. She was thanking her. Trying to make it all extra sad would ring as inauthentic and I'm glad that Brandon spoke to that in their interviews. You could tell that they both were confused and that Chandler was shaken by the strange critique.

This Phaedra and Val partnership is not working. Sorry. Homie checked out this season and is not giving Frack (for all you RHOA fans out there) dances that show her in the best light. Is Phaedra the best dancer? No. But she could be so much better if her pro tried. That rumba was the best example of that. Mama pulled a Reggie and that's the one dance I thought she would kill. I'm so disappointed and I wish she had gotten someone else. So far Brandon has done the best with his RHOA star, followed by Tony (surprisingly). Val is sucking this season. I'm just gonna flat out say it.

Sasha had one good week of choreo and went back to bs. That foxtrot was atrocious. I need him in a class or something because the way his choreography skills have regressed in 6 years is WILD.

Joey and Danny, while both good, are being given very kind scores. Joey was skip stepping during that whole dance and Danny needs to loosen up just a bit more (his foxtrot is still my favorite dance of his). The judges are rightfully calling out Stephen for his areas of growth. The same needs to be done for those other two.

I enjoyed Ilona's dance a lot and I think she would benefit with talking to Laila Ali. I feel like that would help her really settle into the dance world in her own unique way. She's almost there, there are just a few more things she's gotta tend to.

Dwight was fine. I want him to dance from his whole body and not just picking a couple different places to focus on.

That's it. Sorry this is late again. Life and I was annoyed with the show last week. But Disney week starts in 5 minutes for the Eastern and Central time zones. So I'll talk to you all very soon.

[lucarionite9364]

Khaotic Turn of Events

Havik x Reader Ch. 1.5

(Side plot where we actually interact with other characters)

CW: sad Kung Lao, that’s about it lmao

WC: 1855

A/N: actual second chapter next week tehe💖

Your mind is racing with too many thoughts to comprehend at once. You feel overwhelmed. Why? Because you leave for Outworld tomorrow morning.The stress of preparation has kept you up all night. You have to make sure that you’ll have everything you need. . . and may not need, but there could be a situation where you need all the backup Yo-yo string you have in your drawers.

Stopping your pacing, you take a deep breath in, then out. Calm down. You still have time to double, maybe triple, check your bag. But that will come later. For now, you need to find your fellow champions. Putting a pin in your stress-packing, you leave to find the boys.

You find Johnny and Kenshi first, as they’re both in Kenshi’s room. Kenshi looks exhausted and a little annoyed. However, the reason isn’t that hard to find. Johnny is non stop talking about his Hollywood movies. You pause at the door and wait for permission to enter.

Kenshi notices you first. When Johnny sees that he isn’t listening anymore, he turns to look for the distraction. He smiles and waves you in.

“Hey! I was just talking about one of my movies. Wanna hear about it?” He smiles so wide like a kid. He really loves his own movies, doesn't he? Before you could foolishly say yes, Kenshi interrupts you. “Sure, say yes,” He deadpans. “He’ll only talk your ear off for 3 hours!” He shoots daggers at the actor with his eyes.

“Oh come on Takahashi. It’s only been about 30 minutes. At BEST!” You sense Kenshi’s growing agitation before it shows on his face. “You have been running on and on about your dumb movies since we came back from dinner at 6. It’s 9:30 now!” You finally chime in, “Johnny, I think you might need to get a watch.” He frowns, “Oh hush.”

Kenshi just sighs and Johnny starts sulking, trying to get more attention. “Anyways, did you need something?” You look at him like he grew a second head. You were so caught up in their petty squabble that you forgot why you came here. “I didn’t really need anything. I was just stressing myself out packing. I just needed to get my mind off of it. That’s all.” You shrug as the other men nod.

“Well I would have been packed a long time ago if it weren’t for someone here.” Johnny feigns being offended. You stifle a laugh at their bickering. They either snicker or scoff at you finding amusement in the situation at hand. When Kenshi shoots up from his bed to point fingers into Johnny’s chest is when you decide to intervene.

You whip out Reaper from your short’s pocket. Giving it a few spins you throw the yo-yo in their direction. You watch in delight as Reaper wraps around the two, tying them together. Johnny loses his balance and falls forward with Kenshi landing on top of him.

Johnny’s pained cry can be heard as he’s always loud. He wheezes out, “Not cool dude! Kenshi, get off. You’re squishing my beautiful face into the ground.” Kenshi squirms to attempt getting out of Reaper’s hold. “I would be faster if you would just sit still for five seconds.”

They both would have hit the other by now if they had full range of their hands. Your eyes feel wet as tears start to well up in your eyes. “GAHAH,” You doubled over. “You two should see your faces right now.” You let out a string of cackles. Your stomach hurts from roaring at the situation. All you get in return is glares from your two friends. “Untie us Y/N.” “Get him off me!” They shout in unison.

You chuckle the whole way walking over to them. You really tied them tight. It took full effort to get the string untangled. Finally getting the last loop undone, they push themselves off eachother. You skillfully recall the yo-yo back to your hand. With the looks they give you, you almost think that they’re tired of your pranks.

With that, Kenshi ushers you both out of his room. He did have to pack after hearing a whole TED Talk about Johnny’s movies. You and Johnny continuously laugh as you walk to find Raiden and he walks to his room. Probably to pack at least three more hand mirrors.

As you head down the halls of the Wu Shi, you feel more relaxed. You quickly find Raiden’s room as you are all grouped close together. You knock gently on the door. You hear soft footsteps coming to the door as he slides it open. He was surprised to see you but welcomed you in.

“Hey Raiden,” You plop down on a chair in his room. “How’s packing going for you?” He sits on his bed not too far from you. “I was done packing earlier this morning. I’ll take it that everyone else isn’t done?” He chuckles slightly. “I might be avoiding mine and Kenshi had an unfair distraction.” You look at him but Raiden gives you a confused look. “Johnny was said unfair distraction. Let’s be thankful that we didn’t have to hear about his movies for three hours.” You grimace. Raiden only has a baffled expression on his face.

“Three hours? I knew Johnny could talk endlessly, but I’m surprised Kenshi put up with it that long.” He smiles as he removes his hat to put it on the nightstand. “I totally thought Kenshi was gonna hit him after I tied them together,” The mental image in your head makes you snort. “Raiden, are you ready for tomorrow?”

He looks up at that question, then looks away sheepishly. “I don’t know. I’m nervous that I won’t be the champion Lord Liu Kang wants me to be.” His hand rubs the back of his neck. “Rai, you’ll be fine. You were chosen for a reason.” You smile softly at him and he relaxes a little. Standing from your seat, you move over to the bed and put your hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Whatever you could possibly lack in strength, you make up for in heart.” He looks directly at you hearing those words. You seem to have struck a chord in his mind as he looks more assured than before. “You give me too much praise. Thank you, I will not let you guys down.” “Atta boy, that’s the spirit. Now I have to go. I still need to find Lao. Good night Raiden.” “Good night.” He waves you off as you leave and close his door.

Honestly, it feels like you haven’t seen Kung lao since breakfast this morning. We had the day off to relax before the tournament. Thank the Gods for that. You make your way to Kung Lao’s room with ease, however, you make a quick detour to the kitchen to grab some chips. You two play games and have snacks together often, so you know his favorite kind of treats.

You knock on the door, “Hey Lao, you in there? I have snacks.” You hope the snacks will get him to run to the door. Nothing. That’s weird. He never refuses snacks. You knock again, and after no response you think he must be asleep. You turn to leave, before you hear the door creek open. You turn around only to be met with a disheveled Lao.

Your face drops to worry and you open the door farther to see the mess his room is. “Lao? What’s wrong, what happened?” You put the bag of chips aside and move him back to sit on his bed. He wipes away the remnants of his tear streaked face. Sniffling, “You brought snacks?” You pause, that's what he wants after crying? Makes sense. You retrieve the chip bag and open it, leaning the bag toward him.

He takes a chip, and eats it. He stiffens as he feels your hand caress his back. “You can tell me what’s wrong. I want to help you.” He keeps his head low, not wanting to make eye contact. “I just– It’s that,” He calms himself with a deep breath. “I’m jealous of Raiden, and I hate that I feel this way because he’s my best friend.” You're shocked at his response. He is so carefree. You never thought anything got to him. “Can you tell me why you’re jealous?”

He looks at you like he might start crying again. “It’s because. . . he got the title of champion and I didn’t. I’m so happy and proud of him. But I just wish that it was me. I carry the name of the Great Kung Lao. How am I supposed to honor that name if I wasn’t even good enough to be champion?” Your heart breaks for your friend at his confession.

You rub circles into his back to give him some comfort. He pushes his face into his hands. “I’m such a horrible friend.” That takes you aback. He is nothing of the sort and you will let him know, right now. “Kung Lao, you are not a horrible friend. You’ve always been there when we needed you.”

He sniffles, “Really?” You smile, “Yes of course. And being jealous doesn’t make you a bad person. Everyone gets jealous, it’s a part of being human. What makes me so proud of you is that you can recognize those feelings, and not let them get the best of you. That takes being a great friend to do.”

You thought that he couldn’t hug you tighter in that moment than when you said, “Your ancestors would be proud of you Lao.” You probably felt a rib pop but this is fine. When he lets go he wipes the tears from his eyes.

He looks at you, “And what about you? You don’t feel jealous that Raiden is the champion and you didn’t get a chance to compete?” Your heart pounded. “You know I’ve waited almost my whole life for the tournament. Despite how badly I wanted to participate, I knew I wouldn’t be able to. I’m not from Earthrealm, but it is my home.”

“Does that not hurt?” “Of course it doesn’t, but I’ve made my peace with it. Regardless if I was born here or not, home is what we make it, not where we come from.”

“Thank you Y/N. You’re the best. Now. . . Are you gonna eat the rest of the chips?” You both burst out laughing at how he still thinks with his stomach. “No, you can have them. And if anyone asks I’ll blame Johnny. Now get some sleep, Champion of Friends, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Goodnight.” “Goodnight.”

He covers himself up with the blanket, but you still hear him crunching on his chips. He won’t be going to be soon. You chuckle to yourself at how many crumbs will be in his bed by morning.

You’re exhausted, but that doesn’t change how excited you are for the tournament tomorrow. You swear the moment you hit the bed you’ll pass out. And that you did. . .

[tearssmith]

LeBron James turns 40: Ranking the top 40 highlights from the King's legendary career on his birthday.

LeBron James has been a dominant force in basketball for over two decades, amassing a legion of awards, trophies, medals, and records. We try to narrow his incredible resume down to a top 40.

LeBron James isn’t just a basketball player—he’s a living legend. For two decades, he’s redefined the game, shattered records, and silenced doubters while cementing his place as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

As he turns 40, we celebrate the King’s unparalleled legacy by revisiting the 40 moments, records, and stats defining his incredible journey. From winning Olympic gold at Paris 2024 to setting the all-time NBA minutes record, here’s how "LeBron James" became a name synonymous with greatness.

A stunning NBA debut & Oldest player to average 30 points per game in a season.

James' was the most hyped NBA prospect coming out of high school in history, so it only makes sense that his professional debut would be equally seismic for the NBA and indeed the sport itself. Thankfully an 18 year old James gave a taste of what was to come, stuffing the stat sheet with 25 points (on 12-of-20 shooting), 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in a 106-92 loss to the Sacramento Kings on 30 October 2003.

James is the oldest player to average 30 points per game in an NBA season, doing so at age 37 in the 2021-22 campaign. James averaged 30.3 PPG in 59 games.

James' skill on the court is so elite that he could seemingly play any position, but 'officialy' playing as a forward has seen him rack up 11,261 Assists - The Most in League history by a clear margin.

With 119 (regular season) triple-doubles and counting, James holds the record for the most by a forward in NBA history.

I would Choose the Los Angeles Lakers for my future Basketball's Team.

The Lakers have a Rich History and Tradition

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. Founded in 1947, the team has a legacy that includes 17 NBA championships, tied for the most in league history with the Boston Celtics. This rich tradition of success is built on the shoulders of legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. Being part of such a prestigious organization means joining a lineage of greatness and contributing to a legacy that resonates with fans around the world.

Current Star Power

With superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are consistently competitive. LeBron, often regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, brings unmatched experience, leadership, and basketball IQ to the team. His ability to perform in clutch situations and elevate his teammates makes him an invaluable asset. Anthony Davis complements LeBron perfectly with his defensive prowess and scoring ability, creating a dynamic duo that can challenge any opponent.

Championship Aspirations

The Lakers are always in pursuit of championships. The organization has a winning culture that emphasizes excellence and competitiveness. As a player, being part of a team with such high aspirations can be incredibly motivating. The Lakers' front office is committed to building a championship-caliber roster, which means that players have the opportunity to compete for titles every season.