#kayla mills

[thekylemeredith]

This week on Kyle Meredith With... I'll welcome #Landman's Kayla Wallace and revisit my interviews with Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard and Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro for our #BestOf2024!

And on 91.9 WFPK, I'm hanging with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe & Mike Mills, The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, Maren Morris, #CobraKai's Martin Kove, & The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson.

Pic: A mirror into infinity with #TheEnglishBeat's Dave Wakeling.

[moviesandmania]

OUIJA: BLOOD RITUAL Reviews and free on Tubi

‘Be careful what you conjure…’ Ouija: Blood Ritual is a 2020 supernatural found footage horror film written and directed by Dustin Mills (Slaughterhouse Slumber Party; Don’t Answer the Door; Her Name Was Torment and sequel; Bath Salt Zombies; Zombie A-Hole; Easter Casket). Mills also co-stars, alongside Kayla Elizabeth, Rob Grant and Brandon Salkil. Plot: Three Ohio filmmakers set out to debunk…

[bucketbueckers]

ACCOUNTING

pairing: azzi fudd x fem!reader (no use of y/n) wc: 2.8k synopsis: you're watching kk and the rest of the team fool around on live when azzi fudd walks in asking for an accounting tutor. deciding to humor it, you're surprised to find that azzi was completely serious, and even more surprised when your offer leads to something more between the two of you. notes: in honor of azzi fudd hoops last night - i was supposed to have this up before the game but i forgot i had a three hour lab and unfortunately i will not write fanfiction in the middle of the university food court. first tumblr post, lmk if we're rockin w it 🙂‍↕️

You’re settling into bed to unwind for the night when you get the TikTok notification.

KK Arnold has gone live!

For the better part of your day, you’ve had your nose in the books, trying to get ahead of your weekly homework. You have a terrible habit of letting most of it pile up during the week and finishing it all over the weekend. As an accounting major, you didn’t really have fun weekend plans, anyway, but it would be nice to lay in bed all day and not worry about something that was due at 11:59. You only had three classes today: managerial accounting, intro to auditing, and intermediate accounting. It wasn’t a rigorous schedule by any means; you were done and out of classes by lunchtime, but after two and a half hours of listening to your professors drone on, you were ready for the nap you couldn’t afford to take due to your piles of homework. 

Seeing the live notification is enough to remind you that you aren’t really that tired, so you click on it. KK’s face fills the screen and she’s unboxing Crumbl cookies. You say a silent prayer for the girls – Crumbl tasted terrible and that was a hill you were willing to die on. Paige sat behind KK, with Ayanna, Jana, Kayla, and a few other players milling about off-camera. For a painful few minutes, KK tries her best to get everyone’s attention so she can narrate about whatever monstrosity of a cookie they’re eating, but everyone’s laughing too hard to fully lock in.

Ayanna leaves to get a knife so KK can cut the cookies evenly. KK entertains the live while Ayanna is away, singing, chatting, and interacting with commenters. When Ayanna finally returns, she has the knife, but Azzi also trails behind her - a fact that the live is definitely appreciative of. “Oh, my God, look who it is!” KK intones in a shrill voice, much to Azzi’s clear bewilderment. You’ve never seen an expression of such confusion on someone’s face before. “It’s Azzi Fudd!”

Azzi buries her face in her hands and moves off-camera as everyone laughs. KK’s voice softens as she asks, “Azzi, wanna try a cookie?”

“No,” Azzi whines.

KK’s entire expression shifts, and admittedly, yours does, too. It’s no secret that Azzi was almost nationally known as the people’s princess. Perhaps you’d have to fight someone. You hope that no one’s actually done something wrong to her – first of all, you can’t even fathom the idea. It’d be like kicking a puppy. Second of all, you were just someone, along with 13,000 other viewers, watching the team interact behind a screen. You were sure that Azzi’s team would handle business, although you were willing to step in if needed, too, even if you stood a solid six inches shorter than Azzi herself. “What happened?” KK asks. Paige echoes her question.

“Ask the live if anyone can tutor me in accounting,” Azzi says forlornly.

You don’t think she’s serious until KK turns back just in time for the cowboy hat to return. “Hey, y’all! Is there anybody who’s really good at accounting for Azzi Fudd? Please send help. If you do have someone who’s really good at accounting, please DM me at k2times TikTok or at kamoreaarnold Instagram or at azzifudd Instagram! Thank yew.” The room dissolves into giggles as KK continues, “And if you DM me with edits or anything else but accounting help, I will block! Thank yew.”

You have the time today, so you switch over to Instagram as the live continues in the background, and you go to Azzi’s page and hit the Message option. You doubt she’ll see it, let alone respond, but as an accounting major, it’s basically your civic duty to help those in need, especially since you know these classes are hell.

hey do u actually need accounting help? i major in it!

Satisfied, you click back over to the live just in time for Azzi to comment, “KK, I might actually have a tutor,” she says in near disbelief. You think nothing of it as KK turns her head, humming at Azzi. “Wait, I think she’s in my class.”

That manages to catch your attention. Sure, you’re watching a live with a couple thousand people on it, but how many of those people are accounting students at UConn who happen to share a class with Azzi Fudd?

An Instagram notification pops up on your screen as Paige leaves the camera frame to most likely peer over Azzi’s shoulder. You’re shocked again to see Azzi has DM’ed you back.

Yes please this homework is killing me Are you in ACCT3201 with Cansler??? I recognize you

Discovering just how unobservant you are should not come as a great surprise. Apparently, you’ve been sharing a class with Azzi Fudd this entire semester and you didn’t even realize it. This is easily the most embarrassing moment of your entire life.

i am i can’t believe i didn’t know u were in it i’m a lot better at accounting than i am at paying attention, i promise

This draws a giggle from Azzi that you can hear over the live. It makes a flush rise on your cheeks. The fact that Azzi Fudd knows who you are combined with the fact she’s laughing at your jokes is enough for a feeling of anticipation to twist in your chest. This is your life now, apparently.

“Azzi is cheesing so bad,” KK teases. You can’t help but feel a little pride at that. “Who’s chatting her up right now? Lemme invite you. Accounting rizz is insane work.”

“Don’t scare away my tutor,” Azzi grumbles, coming back into view of the camera. True to KK’s words, a faint blush has settled on her cheeks. Feeling far too smug, you comment on the live, ‘calling it rizz is crazy, i’m just helping the people.’ Azzi’s eyes scan the screen before rolling slightly. “Look at what you did, KK.”

“Is that her?” KK shrieks. She leans in closer to the screen, blocking out much of the background. “Oh, she fine. Lock in, Azzi; she can help you with more than accounting.”

At that, you and Azzi both blush a deep scarlet red and Azzi turns on her heel. “Goodbye, KK!” The room dissolves into rambunctious laughter as Azzi walks out, calling, “I’m going to finish my homework!”

A moment passes before Azzi messages you again.

I’m so sorry about KK, she’s feral

You swipe away from the live again, grinning slightly. In your DMs, the typing bubbles appear for a few short moment. You heart her most recent message in the meantime.

Will you please help me? I genuinely don’t understand what I’m doing wrong

Yes, you’ve spent most of the day in classes and doing homework. Yes, you’re tired. Yes, you really only joined the live to unwind. But when Azzi asks for help, you can’t really say no to her.

of course, are u working on this week’s homework set?

Her affirmative response is swift, telling you what she’s having trouble with. Your fingers hesitate on your screen, trying to figure out how to put your thoughts into words before settling.

i know this is incredibly forward but would u want to ft? i can explain better verbally

Azzi sends you her number. After tonight’s events, you really shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but you can’t help it. Azzi is a nationally (and internationally) recognized college basketball player and, until now, you were just a girl who watched her team’s TikTok lives and cheered in the student section. Azzi had seemed so untouchable, by virtue of her celebrity and your lack thereof; it’s hard to believe you’re this close to her now, even if it’s just to help her with accounting homework.

The two of you talk well into the night, even hours after Azzi submits her problem sets successfully and she understands the material. You feel like you get to see a side of her so rarely seen by other people who aren’t her teammates. She’s softer, with a beaming smile on her face when she finally understands a difficult concept. There’s something so alluring about the way she speaks that you can’t help but listen to every single thing that comes out of her mouth, ranging from her frustrated rants to the smoothness of her giggle. The lamplight reflects off of the lenses of the glasses perched on her nose and you think she’s so incredibly beautiful – bare-faced and slightly delirious from staying up so late.

When the two of you finally hang up half past three, you can’t wipe the smile off your face, and somehow, you just know that this is the start of something new.

From then on, your friendship with Azzi all but flourishes. She’s incredibly sweet, soft-spoken, and so deliberate in the way she moves and speaks to you. When your next accounting class rolls around, she finds the seat next to yours, asking to sit there with an almost shy expression. When there’s lulls in the lecture, you entertain her with jokes, drawing red-cheeked giggles that she has to stifle. You’re almost like her personal TA, sitting next to her and clarifying concepts that she doesn’t understand. It helps you, too; the best study advice you’d ever received was to teach it to someone else. 

Your friendship progresses outside of the lecture room and outside of your texts. You both spend a lot of time in the library, studying in peace together or enjoying lunch in each other's company. You always thought Azzi was gorgeous, but now that you know her on a far more personal level, falling for her was a near guarantee. The far-away admiration transformed into something pure, genuine. You couldn’t imagine Azzi returning those feelings — she’s far too busy, too committed to ball — so you keep your rapidly growing crush close to your chest. 

You’ve always showed up to the UConn games, though there’s something distinctly different about them now. Azzi was never one for grand celebrations or trash talk in the way Paige was. She was intentional and lowkey, which is why you feel like you could float when she makes direct eye contact with you in the student section, throwing up three fingers to celebrate a particularly deep three. It’s why you cheese when she finds you after the game, after she’s showered and changed, and asks if you want to get ice cream with her. The better question was how could you refuse?

Azzi deliberates between vanilla and cookie dough for a long while before settling on the latter. Even as the clerk fills her bowl, she stares at the the vanilla and your choice of ice cream becomes obvious. Azzi stares at you as the clerk fills your bowl with vanilla. “What? It’s my favorite flavor,” you lie, and her lips quirk up as she studies you. 

“Said literally no one ever,” she says wryly. The clerk hands you the bowl and Azzi swipes her card before you have the chance to even contemplate otherwise. When you stare at her in disbelief, her smile widens and all fight leaves your body. What were you supposed to do about that? You were a puddle for pretty women — a puddle for Azzi, honestly — and your resolve should be commended for maintaining months of friendship with Azzi. 

The two of you find a secluded booth towards the back of the ice cream shop. Azzi shares her midterm grade — a solid 100, and you whistle lowly. “I got an 89,” you say, not hurt by it at all. As long as it was above an 80, you could care less. “You sure you still need me?”

Azzi swirls her ice cream around her bowl, suddenly quiet. The realization dawns on you immediately. Your words were meant to be a joke, but the truth to them stuns you. You really hoped Azzi would say, ‘of course not, it’s not like that!’ but her silence keeps you guessing. 

“I have a confession to make,” she says after a beat, finally glancing up at you. The vulnerability and nervousness makes your heart fall out of your ass. “Promise it won’t make anything weird?”

You open your mouth just to close it again. You clear your throat. “Promise, Az,” you say finally. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” she says quickly. “Um, so here’s the thing. I struggled a lot with the first problem set. You know, the one I needed the tutor for?” You nod, confused by her words. “You helped a lot. And, like, I haven’t really needed actual tutoring in weeks. I just really liked spending time with you.” You blink at her. She stares at you right back, brows furrowed with guilt and her doe eyes wide. “I’m sorry. You must feel like I wasted your time.”

At that, you can’t help but laugh, and Azzi pouts. “Az. I thought you were about to dump me,” you explain. “Plus, I kinda figured after a while we were just like, studying together, and not me actually tutoring.”

She sighs, burying her face in her hands. You laugh again, pushing your leftover ice cream towards her. Azzi glances up again, her eyes soft and fond. “I guess I just wanted an excuse for you to stick around.”

“You never needed one,” you tell her honestly, and a blush creeps up her neck. 

“You’re not really picking up what I’m putting down, are you?”

Her words almost make you recoil. It’s no secret at this point that you can be a little oblivious, but her words make your heart skip a beat. “Az, I have no idea what you’re putting down,” you admit.

“So, I just admitted to you that I liked spending time with you and lied about needing study help just so I’d have an excuse to hang out with you,” Azzi confirms. “We are sitting here, alone, after a game while my teammates celebrate at Ted’s. All of that, and you have no idea what I’m putting down?”

The realization hits you like a ton of bricks. “Oh,” you say smartly. 

“Yeah.”

“So, you like me?” you ask just to be one hundred percent sure. 

She smiles at you. You’re certain your heart almost stops beating. “How could I not?” she asks like it’s the easiest thing in the world. “You make me laugh. You’re always so patient with me, you make me feel seen — like I can just be myself. It’s… hard to find something genuine like this. You don’t expect anything from me.”

“I just want you to be happy,” you say simply. 

Her eyes confirm everything for you. You’re not observant, sure, but your main priority has always been what was directly in front of you. And right now, it’s hard to focus on anything that’s not Azzi. Azzi’s eyes are so soft, kinder than anything you’ve ever seen before. They hold so much understanding but there’s also a silent plea of let this be mutual that you’re too happy to give into. 

“I’ve been falling for you for a while,” you admit, and her face brightens. Your shoulders feel lighter; carrying around your feelings has burdened you, but if it’s the price you had to pay to make sure Azzi felt comfortable and that she could have friendships without people taking advantage of her celebrity, then so be it. You’d bear a lot more for her if it ever came down to it. “I kept it to myself for a while,” you continued. “You deserve normal. A friendship without expectations. But, God, Az, how could anyone not fall for you?”

Azzi’s cheeks flush a pretty red. You can’t help but smile at her, growing a little braver, and you slide your hand across the table. She wastes no time before intertwining your fingers together, giving your hand a gentle squeeze. 

She walks you home that night, refusing to let go of you until you’re halfway through your doorstep. She stops you; her height would be intimidating if you didn’t know she was the sweetest person to ever walk the earth. “Can I…” She trails off, her hands gentle on your waist. 

You don’t need much more convincing — you loop your arms around her neck and tug her down to your height, planting your lips on hers with a softness that she eagerly reciprocates. You can taste the vanilla on her lips, the sweetness of the cookie dough, and the promise of something distinctly reminiscent of Azzi Fudd. You’re suddenly thankful for KK’s stupid live, for Crumbl cookie, for the accounting class you shared together. It’s all led you to where you are now, in Azzi’s arms outside of your apartment, overcome with the knowledge that all of this is so new, but you have everything you could have possibly wanted.

(You ask her to officially be your girlfriend two weeks after that, having been on three dates since — it’s only after you pop the question and the two of you are settling in to watch a movie that she admits to you the real reason she was struggling so bad with the problem sets was because she’d spend entire lecture periods staring at you. You roll your eyes, feeling inexplicably cared for in a way you haven’t experienced before Azzi, and your only true response to her confession is the lingering kiss you place on her lips.)

[pistachions]

Fun facttts abt my ocss:

Carla has been renamed to Kayla and has received a slight redesign, she’s also a botanist!

Gerald is 32 while Kayla is 35!

Gerald somehow sent himself back in time by accident, sending himself exactly at springtime before missing mill (I don’t know what exact year mml takes place in-)

Gerald got his crack from an accident after he fell back in time

They both would form a platonic relationship overtime (coughcoughincludingsomemutualromantic attentioncoughcough)

Aaaand yeh thats all i have for nowww

I LOVE these guys sm actually omg

Botanist and pistachion duo is SUCH a cool idea fr omg

[dear-indies]

Different anon here, but seeing the Becky Albright ask, I would like to know of all the current disabled folks that are in the media, whether it is physical or otherwise. Thank you for your work!

Hey anon! I actually have a masterlist of disabled faceclaims here but for ease of access I'll list some people below too! Listed sexuality and other important information too.

⭐ - has resources at time of posting! bolded - have spoken up for Palestine.

Actors / acting roles:

Non-binary:

⭐ Chella Man (1998) Hongkonger and Jewish - is deaf (not everybody in the d/Deaf/HoH community identities as disabled but I've read that they call themselves disabled!) - is trans genderqueer and pansexual (they/them).

Two-Spirit:

⭐ Ellyn Jade (1990) Ojibwe, Afro Jamaican, Taino, and British - is Two-Spirit (she/her) - has has nephrotic syndrome and celiac’s disease.

Gloria May Eshkibok (?) Mohawk, Ottawa, Irish, French - is Two-Spirit (she/her) and has one eye.

Women:

María Elena Saldaña (1963) Mexican - has dwarfism.

Selene Luna (1971) Mexican - has dwarfism.

⭐ Christina Applegate (1971) - has MS.

Cherylee Houston (1974) - has Hypermobility EDS.

⭐ Angela Rockwood (1975) Thai and German - is quadriplegic.

Maysoon Zayid (1974) Palestinian - has cerebral palsy.

Sarah Gordy (1976) - has down syndrome.

⭐ Lisa Hammond (1978) - has Pseudoachondroplasia and hypermobility syndrome.

Katy Sullivan (1978) - is a bilateral transfemoral amputee.

⭐ Tatiana A. Lee (1978) African-American - has spina bifida.

Cerrie Burnell (1979) - born with her right arm ending slightly below the elbow and has dyslexia.

Amara Zaragoza (1980) Shawnee, Mexican [Purépecha], White - has multiple sclerosis.

⭐ Vanessa Ray (1981) Mexican, Slovak, Scottish, Welsh, English - has not specified which type of Bipolar Disorder she has.

⭐ Anna Paquin (1982) - unsure of disability but has recently been using a cane recently - is bisexual.

Santina Muha (1983) Unspecified - has a spinal cord injury.

⭐ Savannah Welch (1984) - is paraplegic.

Katie Leclerc (1986) - has Ménière's disease.

⭐ Samantha Renke (1986) has Osteogenesis Imperfecta type 3.

⭐ Ruth Madeley (1987) - has spina bifida.

⭐ Tuppence Middleton (1987) - has OCD.

⭐Ali Stroker (1987) - is paraplegic and bisexual.

⭐ Angel Giuffria (1990) - is a congenital left arm amputee and uses a prosthetic arm (uses she/they).

Melissa Johns (1990) - is an arm amputee.

Megan Prescott (1991) - is autistic and has ADHD.

⭐ Sofiya Cheyenne (1991) Taino, Dominican, Syrian, and Italian - has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.

⭐ Madison Ferris (1992) - has muscular dystrophy.

⭐ Storme Toolis (1992) - has cerebral palsy.

⭐ Sky Ferreira (1992) Ojibwe, Cree, Chippewa Cree, Cheyenne, Brazilian of Portuguese and possibly other descent, Galician Jewish, Bukovina Jewish, White - has Chronic Lyme Disease.

⭐ Ashley Argota (1993) Filipino - has scoliosis.

Jyoti Amge (1993) Indian - has primordial dwarfism.

⭐ Rhiannon Clements (1994) - born with a shortened forearm.

⭐ Sasha Lane (1995) African-American, Māori, White - is gay and has schizoaffective disorder.

⭐ Ruth Codd (1996) - is a right leg below the knee amputee and uses a prosthetic leg.

⭐ Francesca Mills (1996) - has achondroplasia.

⭐ Lolo Spencer (1996) African-American - has Lou-Gehrig’s disease.

⭐Kennedy McMann (1996) - has OCD.

⭐ Alaqua Cox (1997) Menominee / Mohican - is a lower right leg amputee and uses a prosthetic leg, is also deaf.

⭐Chloé Hayden (1997) - is autistic, has ADHD, POTS, endometriosis, and adenomyosis.

⭐ Kiera Allen (1997) - is paraplegic.

⭐ Annabelle Davis (1997) - has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.

Kayla Cromer (1998) - is autistic, has dyscalculia, dyslexia and ADHD.

Marissa Bode (2000) African-American - is paraplegic - is bisexual.

Rhea Norwood (2001) - has type 1 diabetes.

Milly Shapiro (2002) Jewish - has cleidocranial dysostosis - is a lesbian (she/they).

Ellie Henry (?) - has epilepsy.

Joci Scott (?) is a woman of colour but otherwise unspecified - is paraplegic.

Alison Midstokke (?) - has Treacher Collins Syndrome.

Shannon DeVido (?) - has Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Men:

Tony Cox (1958) African-American - has dwarfism.

⭐ Michael J. Fox (1961) - has Parkinson's Disease.

⭐ Mat Fraser (1962) - has thalidomide-induced phocomelia

⭐ Daryl Mitchell (1965) African-American - is paraplegic.

⭐ Peter Dinklage (1969) - has achondroplasia.

⭐ Timothy Omundson (1969) - is a stroke survivor.

Warwick Davis (1970) - has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.

Callan Mulvey (1975) ¼ Maori, ¾ Scottish - is blind in one eye.

⭐ David Harbour (1975) - has not specified which type of Bipolar Disorder he has.

Kurt Yaeger (1977) - is a leg amputee.

Rana Daggubati (1984) Telugu Indian - is blind in one eye.

⭐ James Norton (1985) - has type 1 diabetes.

Prince Amponsah (1985 or 1986) Ghanaian - is a burn survivor, is a double arm amputee with his right arm amputated above the elbow and his left arm amputated below the elbow.

⭐ Ryan O'Connell (1986) - has cerebral palsy - is gay.

Josh Thomas (1987) - is autistic and has ADHD - is gay.

⭐ Nathan Mitchell (1988) Black Canadian - has narcolepsy.

Tim Renkow (1989) Mexican Jewish - has cerebral palsy.

⭐Joel Kim Booster (1988) Korean - has bipolar disorder - is gay.

⭐ Eric Graise (1990) African-American - is a double leg amputee and uses prosthetic legs and a wheelchair.

Steve Way (1990) - has muscular dystrophy.

⭐ RJ Mitte (1992) - has cerebral palsy.

⭐ Sean Berdy (1993) half Ashkenazi Jewish - is deaf and has bipolar disorder.

⭐ Angel Bismark Curiel (1995) Taino and Afro Dominican - has asthma and a heart murmur.

⭐ George Robinson (1997) - has tetraplegia.

Tylan Grant (2001) Zambian / White - is autistic - is a trans man.

Jacob Mundell (?) - is a congenital hand amputee.

Ben Mehl (?) - is blind.

Matthew Jeffers (?) - has dwarfism.

⭐ Daniel Monks (?) - has hemiplegia - is gay.

Not actors but have substantial followings:

Women:

Celine Dion (1968) - has SPS.

Shirlene Pearson (1972) African-American - has pituitary dwarfism.

Abira Greene (1986) African-American - has achondroplasia.

Amy Purdy (1979) - is a double leg amputee.

Katie Piper (1983) - is a burn survivor.

⭐Jillian Mercado (1987) Afro Dominican - has spastic muscular dystrophy.

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard (1989) - has hypermobile ehlers-danlos syndrome with marfanoid phenotype causing blindness in one eye and deafness, is a crutch and wheelchair user - is a lesbian.

Lizzie Velasquez (1989) Mexican - has Marfanoid–progeroid–lipodystrophy syndrome that, among other symptoms, prevents her from accumulating body fat and gaining weight - also blind in her right eye and vision-impaired in her left eye.

Jordan Bone (1990) - is quadriplegic.

Sweet Anita (1990) - has Tourette’s syndrome including coprolalia, is demisexual.

⭐ Chelsie Hill (1992) - is paraplegic.

Hannah Witton (1992) Jewish - has ulcerative colitis.

⭐ Tiny Texie (1992) - has Kenny-Caffey syndrome - is not straight otherwise unlabelled.

Molly Burke (1993) - is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa.

Paola Antonini (1994) Brazilian - is a left leg above the knee amputee and uses a prosthetic leg.

Molly Burke (1994) - is blind and demisexual.

Ellie Simmonds (1994) - has achondroplasia.

Lyric Mariah (1995 or 1996) African-American - is right foot amputee and uses a prosthetic.

⭐ Bella Hadid (1996) Palestinian / White - has Lyme Disease.

⭐Victoria Salcedo (1997) Ecuadorian - is a triple amputee.

⭐ Fatima Timbo (1997) Sierra Leonean - has achondroplasia.

⭐Georgia Rankin (1998)- has skeletal dysplasia.

Clairo (1998) - has juvenile idiopathic arthritis - is bisexual.

Cat Burns (2000) Liberian - is queer - is autistic and has ADHD.

⭐ Aaron Rose Philip (2001) Afro-Antiguan - is trans and has Cerebral Palsy.

Zyra Gorecki (2002) - is a leg amputee.

Briel Adams-Wheatley (?) Brazilian - is a double leg and arm amputee and is a trans woman.

⭐ Danielle Perez (?) Afro-Dominican - lower leg amputee and is queer.

⭐ Hülya Marquardt (?) Turkish - was born Dysmelia and had both legs amputated.

Jasmine Arteaga Sorge (?) Mexican - has cartilage hair hypoplasia.

Tess Daly / tess.daly (?) - has Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 2 .

Men:

⭐ Adam Hills (1970) - is a leg amputee.

Lee Ridley (1980) - has cerebral palsy.

Spencer West (1981) - double-leg amputee and is gay.

Josh Sundquist (1984) - is a leg amputee.

Alex Brooker (1984) - has congenital abnormalities.

Zach Kornfeld (1990) - has ankylosing spondylitis.

Shane Burcaw (1992) - has spinal muscular atrophy.

⭐Jack Francis (1995) Afro Trinidadian / Unknown - has Tourette Syndrome.

⭐ Lewis Capaldi (1996) - has Tourette's syndrome.

⭐ Zion Clark (1997) African-American - is a double leg amputee.

Juan Pablo Dos Santos (1999) Venezuelan - is a double above the knee leg amputee and uses prosthetic legs.

Alex Parra (2000) - is a left leg above the knee amputee and uses a prosthetic leg.

Alex Barone (?) - has fibular hemimelia.

Questioning:

Kristin Chirico (1984) - is questioning their gender, “encompassing a lot of things” but is not yet sure if she’s non-binary or a gender non-confirming woman (they/her) - is openly bisexual and demisexual and has OCD, ADHD, dyslexia, and asthma.

I'll stop for now but PLEASE let me know if you want me to add more to this/update this and again the masterlist has more suggestions!

[masqueradenoir]

A prop coss au idea that is basically just the show once upon a Time without the plot of once upon a Time but it's a world where all the major characters that are part of the sharp gang are living in a small town and many of them are living very different lives or lives that are similar to their lives and their original universe here are some examples

Sterling and Alexis: are cops that are partners obviously not romantically but in basically the same relationship they have in Canon where they're basically siblings that have grown up together Heath is also a cop one that largely works alone but he's still a cop

Tayrun and Mara both work at the local library

Benny is running a mechanic's garage where he works on people's cars while also making custom ones for people basically shifting his mech armor work to something similar but more common in our real world he's also still in a relationship with champagne who in this world is just a medical doctor

Vasilia is a tailor making custom outfits for basically the entire town usually giving discounts to people she likes

Dresden is the town's mayor and unkillable Kate is his adult daughter who he has a really bad relationship with for a lot of reasons if you've seen once upon a Time he's basically Regina Mills in the first season of that show but Kate is not like Henry their relationship is toxic for a lot of reasons namely the fact that Dresden is very distant from her and was never there for her and mostly left her to be cared for by a man who abused her who she eventually killed in self-defense when this man unsurprisingly a human normalized version of bestar went too far Kate got leniency in part because she was the mayor's daughter and she still falls in love with Sterling here he's still at least in part attracted to her due to her danger appeal

For simplicities sake let's just call this the soap opera AU if you have a better name for it tell me and also feel free to ask me questions about this concept I do have some ideas for characters like Jake Kayla I'm not sure on since a lot of the things that I like about her character like her quirks would be very difficult to work into this au concept even though her Canon backstory is basically her coming from the normal world until something sci-fi happens to her and things happen along with adventure

[triviareads]

Are there any sugar daddy or sugar mama books?

You know, I've yet to come across a sugar mama romance (there have been a few books I've read where the hero had a sugar mama in the past but they... were never really framed as healthy relationships which I feel is kind of telling).

There are a lot of historical romances with wealthy heroes and not-so-wealthy heroines (and he'll inevitably buy stuff for her) but I can only think of two heroes who actually have sugar daddy vibes, and both of them unsurprisingly are Lisa Kleypas heroes. Secrets of a Summer Night's hero Simon Hunt is the og; he wants to make Annabelle his mistress and is fully like "tell me your price" and "you could do with a bit of spoiling", and backs it up by buying her really nice boots (the first pair of shoes in a long line of extravagant shoe purchases), and there's a very sugar daddy-esque scene where he buys her jewels and the second they're home, she all but pounces him to thank him. Marrying Winterborne's hero Rhys Winterborne has a similar energy where he thinks plying a gal with gifts is the best way to court her (and plying her with a piano or a greenhouse is the best way to get her to sleep with him which.... does work tbh), and Helen actually has to teach him to curb some of his more extravagant impulses.

Moving onto contemporary recs:

No Ordinary Love by Ann Christopher is similar to Marrying Winterborne in that the hero has only ever had transactional relationships before, so that's all he knows. So this man, Baptiste (he's French) hooks up with Samira ONCE and pays off 11k in credit card debt. She's understandably shocked and tries to make him take it back and as the story goes on, she teaches him that affection ≠ money.

So Sweet by Rebekah Weatherspoon: A classic modern sugar relationship; Kayla signs up for a sugar website but ends up hitting it off with the website owner/Internet billionaire Michael at a mixer and they begin a sugar relationship that morphs into something more pretty quickly. I also appreciate how it dealt with a pretty common misconception about the kind of person who has success attracting sugar daddies (skinny, white).

Skyscraper Cinderella series by K. Webster: Kind of a bonkers sugar relationship; Winston propositions Ash, the maid who's cleaning his office, and then financially incentivizes every sex act (and non-sexual acts) that Ash performs. There's a good amount of degradation involved. That being said, their relationship is actually really hot and pretty damn hysterical.

Highest Bidder by Sara Cate: Fairly run of the mill as far as sugar daddy/baby romances go, but it fits the bill; obscenely rich older man, financially unstable younger woman, he likes to be called daddy in bed, he takes her to Paris at some point.

The Master by Kresley Cole: So Cat is a substitute escort and it's supposed to be a one-night thing, except it isn't, and then he freaks out about her baby-trapping him and holds her as prisoner in his penthouse so she buys a lot of stuff on his card out of spite (or as she calls it "retaliatory consumerism"). That's the sugar aspect, but honestly the highlight is the prisoner bit.

Preferential Treatment by Heather Guerre: Mikhail offers Kate money to get her our of debt in exchange for domming him. There is also a huge financial domination component that takes a WILD turn when she has him donating money to Super PACs to (ironically) overturn Citizens United.

[thesinglesjukebox]

LE SSERAFIM - "CRAZY"

So confusing sometimes to be girling...

[6.15]

Mark Sinker: You wonder sometimes when time is going to get called on K-pop’s vast factory of choreographed prettiness: when the sugar-spun cornices, colonnades, spandrels and turrets on the Hansel-and-Gretel house finally fall away to reveal the same-old-same-old beneath, the ancient shrivelled industry rooted as ever in who gets to devour whom. With an anagram as a cryptic band-name and hyper-choreographed blankness as a attitude branding (of course they dimple up and giggle sometimes, but you could never call it unscripted), Le SSerafim often make fun gestures at refusal — “I wish for what’s forbidden!” in a 2023 song called "Eve, Psyche and the Bluebeard’s Wife." But as Solomon taught us, the rivers all flow into the sea, yet the sea can always swallow more. You want to refuse too! You want to follow the logic: to imagine the cyborg psychosis unleashed by the machine, the robo-gogo pleasure dancers advancing in your direction, Westworld-android style, insanely beautiful cyberpunk sex-cuties Terminator-trained and complete with in-brain targeting overlay, with crosshairs and scheming calibration figures up the side, until no one even grasps any longer who ordered what. “All the girls are girling girling all the girly girls” (first of all in a Southern accent, as “gals”, and afterwards in posh English diction). You want to read clues into the teen-goth Kraftwerk-style threat that’s kept out of the translated lines: “renew the neuron system / I broke out of the prison in my head." Revolution of the Relentless Mannequins, as they break the glass and swarm through the city. And yes, I love this amping up of the menace; I love the promise that all can be overturned and changed in a moment; in our programming is your doom — to me this is a heartening fiction. So good at what they do! What if they did… something else? Who gets to devour whom? Who gets to dethrone whom? But it’s just pop, and its tremors are painted on air. [10]

Kayla Beardslee: [A whiteboard with “Le Sserafim voguing????” written on it and nothing else.] [4]

Jessica Doyle: With Blackpink seemingly done as a group, it makes sense to try and take the trendy-dancing-model-dols slot while it's open. I just wish HYBE hadn't thrown out their previous approach to song selection when they made the pivot. Songs like "Antifragile" and "Eve, Psyche, and the Bluebeard's Wife" had verve and fun to go with the required pose-striking; "Crazy" consists solely of poses. (And this isn't about their vocal performances; a good deal of the charm of "Antifragile" lay in Eunchae's not having to sing "??? ?? like a lion ? ??? ? ??? desire ?".) We don't even get "Where the heck is Saki? / She's waiting down in the lobby." [4]

Andrew Karpan: A sort of loose fabric of a song, more a dreamscape of crossfaded bounce symbology than a statement about anything in particular (non-derogatory)     [8]

Alfred Soto: The synths wander in from early '10s grime, the beats are in place, the vocals are adequate, but it doesn't stick. [6]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: A [10] in terms of grist for the fancam mill ("girls are girling" alone!) but unremarkable in all other regards — tips my scales for a shockingly well-executed reference to Galileo's trial. [6]

Katherine St. Asaph: The girls are girling, the funk is funking, the pace is racing. Learned from "Meet Me at the Loveparade" the power of slightly sinister synth riffs and from Lil Jon the power of dropping in a "WHAT?". [8]

Dave Moore: Love the house music 5th synths against the dah-dah-dah hook, but the whole thing is a bit stagnant. They should stick to what they do best -- arty alt rock.   [5]

Anna Katrina Lockwood: The sublime and the ridiculous would coexist here peacefully, were it not for a meme being beaten to death to punctuate every eight count or thereabouts. Still, it makes more sense than most of the 4th/5th(?) generation non-sequitur clamorousness, though that is faint praise indeed.  [5]

Taylor Alatorre: That the song's signature line has the reedy, metallic tone of a computer status update is appropriate, given the dependable K-pop release schedule of a new project every six months. The girls are all girling now, and they require additional supply depots. It hardly matters that the "craziest" deviation from the house-pop formula is found in the rising-pitch imitation of a mechanical overload, a fearlessly campy sci-fi take on the buildup/drop sequence. Such literalizations are welcome in a single with perhaps the most overused title in pop music; if you're gonna grab the low-hanging fruit, you might as well squeeze it for all it's worth. [7]

Jel Bugle: The beats are good, a robotic voice informs us that “all the girls are girling,” and this is a good thing! But Le Sserafim are not good as my fave K-pop Trinity – (G)I-DLE; Itzy and Asepa – and this song lacks a certain sense of dynamism and excitement. It is cold and robotic and not that crazy. [6]

Ian Mathers: I mean, it's not a great sign when the best parts of the song are the ones where the vocals feel like they're samples dropped into an EDM track and the verses kind of drag. But still, fun! [6]

Nortey Dowuona: Having a nuanced take or going "da." Going "da." [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[carter84262]

Kayla Windemuller, Michigan Open (XC Meet), Fri 30 Aug 2024

Michigan Open (XC Meet), Fri 30 Aug 2024, Hudson Mills Metropark 8801 N Territorial Rd, Dexter, MI 48130, USA. 1st place in the Women's 5k Kayla Windemuller tells us about her race & it's place in the new season.

[i-am-q]

Putting me in a meta verse does the opposite of keeping both me safe and the people nearby. The radius is growing too.

REAGHAN RUFF AND JILL BIDEN HAVE JOINED THE ARMY OF NAZIS

Formerly referred to as Hitler:

Kayla Williams Pavlantos (accurate)

Mary Richter (Accurate)

Jed Stone ie. “User: Steve Mills” (Accurate)

Reaghan has trained the instrument to tunnel and supply fixed potentials to biochemical pathways vital to keeping me alive.

[agentcable]

Chicago Fire Season 1 Ep. 8 "Leaving the Station"

At the site of a train accident, Peter Mills is upset when he sees a dead body. He questions his future as a firefighter. Dawson and Shay save a 6-year-old girl from her mother, but the woman gets violent. Meanwhile, Severide hurts himself while helping a heart attack victim, and Shay sends Claire, her married, pregnant ex-girlfriend, home to her husband.

If you want to watch the series for yourself, stop reading! This post contains spoilers to the storyline.

The Chief introduces Gavin and Presley, two firefighters from Toronto who will be observing the firehouse. Before introductions can be made, the sirens sound.

The crew arrives at Logan Square Station where a third rail incident has stopped a train. As the Chief works to shut off the power, Severide, Shay and Dawson free a young boy named Jacob, who's trapped in the tracks. Mills goes off in search of Jacob's sister Kayla, who was also hit. Minutes later, Casey comes upon Mills in the darkened train tunnel. He looks ahead to see the body of a girl face down in the tracks. Casey gets two body bags and puts his hand on Mills, who is speechless.

Later that day, the guys are resting in the kitchen. The Chief reminds them that it was a tough scene today. There's no shame in reaching out to speak to someone. Sitting across the table from Gavin and Presley, Mouch asks them about their home country. He's clearly angry about Canada. From across the room, Mills watches the group. How can they act so normal after the horrifying scene they've just witnessed?

Outside, Shay is with Clarice. It's awkward; Clarice is happy to be with Shay, while Shay reminds her that she has a husband to go home to. They're interrupted by the siren and Shay goes to help a girl, Grace, who has just had a seizure. They rush her and her mother Nina to Lakeshore Hospital. Nina tells Dawson that Grace has celiac disease and a history of seizures. Dawson thinks there's more to it.

At the firehouse, Severide watches Mills stand over a pot of soup. When Mills steps outside to throw out the trash, he breaks down. Casey asks the Chief for permission to leave for an hour and asks him to keep an eye on Mills.

Dawson and Shay ask Casey if Hallie can look into Grace's medical file, but Casey says they're on a break. Shay calls an old friend at the hospital and learns that Nina lied about the celiac disease and Grace has been in the emergency room twice in the last six weeks for seizures.

The crew is called to a scene where a man had a heart attack while collecting branches. Severide hooks the pulley onto the man's vest and tries to lower him down, but his shoulder seizes up. Mouch and Otis lower the man to safety. Dawson realizes the victim is diabetic and works on his blood sugar. The man's eyes open; he'll be fine.

Away from the action, Casey arrives at a cemetery and goes to a gravestone where three people are standing. They are Casey's sister, her husband and her daughter. They haven't seen each other for years. Casey goes to the gravestone: it belongs to Gregory Casey. Today is the 15th anniversary of his death.

In his office, the Chief tells a worried Mills that they've all been there. Mills doesn't know what to do, but the Chief says he should take a break and talk to someone. As Mouch folds his laundry, Otis comes up to him and says the Canadian firefighters are actually from Cleveland. Herrmann made them play a joke on Mouch. Mouch and Otis plan to get Herrmann back.

Outside, Shay's got an unwanted visitor, Clarice's husband Daniel. He's angry that Clarice is staying with Shay a few nights a week, but Shay says it's not her problem. She says she'll get Clarice back home today.

Mills wants comfort from his mother, but she begs him to leave. She saw what it did to his father: he became cold and distant.

At the firehouse, Severide's on the phone, begging for more medicine. Shay and Dawson go to Lakeshore. Grace has been seized because she swallowed turpentine. Her mother says she left it out by accident. Dawson reaches out to DCFS because Grace's mother has been going to different hospitals to hide the abuse.

That night, Ingrid, Mills' mother, visits the Chief. She says Mills is not like his father and that she wants him to live a different live. The Chief thinks Mills can decide whether to stay in the profession or leave, but Ingrid says he will not be returning. The Chief meets Severide in the locker room. He asks what's wrong with his arm. Severide says he just tweaked it lifting weights.

Dawson takes Shay to the Wilkinsons' doorstep to speak with Nina. Shay tries to stop her, but Dawson is determined. When Dawson tells Nina that she's poisoning Grace and needs to see a doctor, Nina accuses Dawson of lying and says she'll be contacting her lawyer. Back at the firehouse, the Chief tells the partners off. Shay has to calm her hot-headed partner down. If Dawson doesn't calm down, she'll lose her job.

The next morning, Severide goes to the restaurant looking for Mills. Mills' sister says he went for a drive but hasn't been heard from.

At her apartment, Shay tells Clarice to go home to her husband. Clarice left Shay, and now she's pregnant and married, so she can't just come back. Clarice understands how badly she's hurting Shay and leaves.

Later at the firehouse, Mouch makes a prank in which buckets of water rain down on Presley and Gavin. That's what they get for lying about being Canadians. Except that they're not lying, and Otis is the one who fooled Mouch. The Chief is angry with Mouch and Otis for their silly prank, but before he can say anything, the ambulance sirens start. They're going to Grace's apartment.

Shay and Dawson rush into the apartment expecting to see Grace, but instead they find her mother on the couch, barely breathing after taking an entire bottle of Doxepin.

At the firehouse, the Chief reprimands Otis for the stund he pulled. Gabriel and Presley didn't drive 10 hours to be the butt of a joke, and the Chief orders Otis to apologize. Otis goes over to Mouch and the two of them hear Mouch's story. Mouch explains that he gave $5,000 to a Russian woman in Toronto so that she could get her American citizenship. He never saw her again. The Canadian government agents at the Anti-Fraud centre didn't help Mouch, but just laughed at him. Gabriel and Presley apologize to Mouch on Canada's behalf.

At Lakeshore, Shay, Dawson and the Chief are interrupted by Mr. Wilkinson, who accuses Dawson of being responsible for his wife's suicide attempt. Later, Grace steps up to Dawson and admits that her mother forced her to drink the turpentine. Dawson was right about Nina's manic tendencies.

That night, Severide gets a package with more of his medicine and a not saying, "You owe me." He takes some tablets, and when Shay's friend comes looking for her earrings, they go to the bedroom. They're just looking to keep things simple and fun.

Casey picks up Mills after his shift at the restaurant and takes him to a house he doesn't know. They meet Gary and his daughter Sophie, who has badly burned skin. Sophie shows Mills her burns and he aplogizes, but she doesn't mind. What's a few bad burns when she's alive and well thanks to Casey? Mills realises that in their line of work, for every life lost, there's a life saved. That's the most important thing.

[millieslvrr]

AUGUST SLIPPED AWAYY

Literally tho. It's September now..I'm just shocked like how?? Who put 2023 on 100x speed 😭 cause I'm processing March still lmao. Anyways..this is not mills content (which is coming soon I promise!!) But here's a photodump of August. because it's a TS song, and I love tay tay <33

Hehe I had a lot of fun with my bestie Kayla 😙

Lysm bye!!!

Xo- ems ;) ☆

[esoutherngolf]

Crystal Mountain

Crystal Mountain Names Jamie Davison, Director of Golf The family-owned four-season resort Crystal Mountain is pleased to introduce its new Director of Golf, Jamie Davison, who has a wealth of experience in golf operations and leadership at various country clubs nationwide. Jamie Davison named Director of Golf "After working from all corners of Michigan including the Upper Peninsula, and then down south in Georgia, Texas and South Carolina, I finally feel at home here at Crystal," said Davison. "This resort has such a remarkable legacy already, especially among the snow sports industry, and I'm looking forward to helping create a northern Michigan golf legacy as well." Davison most recently comes from Gladstone Golf Club in the Wolverine State, where he served as general manager and head golf professional. Before that, he spent several years working for ClubCorp, recently rebranded to Invited, which owns and operates more than 200 private clubs worldwide. "He checks all the boxes," said Everett Leonard, Senior VP of Finance overseeing golf. "Jamie understands the complexity of resort golf and has the passion and drive to succeed. He is a proven leader with great business sense; he is tech savvy and has phenomenal customer service skills." Davison earned a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Business Management from Lake Superior State University and an Associate Arts Degree from Bay College in Escanaba. He later returned to LSSU in 2009 as the head coach of the Division II men's golf team and the first-ever women's golf team. "I had the privilege of recruiting new student-athletes and sharing my knowledge and love for the game with them," added Jamie. "Growing the game is a passion of mine, so being able to work alongside Crystal Mountain's award-winning golf school team is invigorating." As Director of Golf, Davison will lead most golf operations. Greg Babinec will remain the head golf professional, Brandon Dean will be the assistant golf professional, and Trevor Mills will be the golf course superintendent. "His addition to the team makes me even more excited for the future of golf and golf instruction at Crystal Mountain," added Leonard. In addition to his golf background, Davison has been a registered official for high school and college basketball in both Michigan and Georgia for 26 years and continues to referee in Michigan. A native of the Upper Peninsula, Jamie now lives in Traverse City with his wife Kayla and their 2-year-old daughter Lorelei. Established in 1956 Crystal Mountain is located 28 miles of Traverse City and a short drive from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The 1,500-acre resort features lodging, dining, downhill and cross-country skiing, two championship golf courses, shopping, award-winning Crystal Spa, Michigan's only alpine slide, Peak Fitness, the 'Park at Water's Edge', Michigan Legacy Art Park, a conference center, and real estate options. Please visit CrystalMountain.com for more resort details or information about Four Seasons Club memberships. Read the full article

[hurricanepursonafied]

Things We Said in the Dark

Chapter 5

I stood in the atrium of the school and watched as my father spoke to a lady at the front desk. The room was filled with people, parents speaking to each other or on the phone and children milling about. They where all dressed in the same uniform no matter their age. Speaking of their age, I saw that they ranged from kindergarten to high school and some older kids where dressed in a different uniform with a name tag that had their name next to INTERN in bold font the color of gold.

I assumed it was an intern program for collage aged kids who wanted to continue being part of their old school.

My sisters where wandering around and making friends, Alora was good at that because she was loud, funny, and could make everyone happy somehow, Hazel just knew the best things to say at anytime. You could throw the craziest thing at her and she'd have the perfect response.

I couldn't make small talk to save my life, whenever I tried approaching anyone it was always awkward.

So I stayed by myself. No one ever took the time to approach me so why should I approach them.

I simply followed my father around and did whatever he asked me to do.

Eventually all the parents had to leave and all of the teenagers and children where led into another room where a video played giving a tour of the campus and I was placed next to a small short girl who looked like she was my age. She had dark eyeliner and short choppy brown hair. She looked small and vulnerable in her uniform.

When the video ended and the lights came on I approached her. There was something different about her...

Something I saw in myself but out in the open. Like a gaping wound for anyone to jab at.

Something in me arose and I had the urge to protect her from every conceivable thing that could come up to hurt her.

Maybe it was my maternal instinct.

Maybe it was my loneliness.

When I walked up to her she looked slightly frightened, I tried to soften my features but I've had this stone cold expression engraved on my face for so long it was hard to change it.

"Hello, my name is Violet what's yours?"

"It-its Kayla...it's nice to meet you."

I held my hand out and she shook it, her hand was cold and small in mine.

"I'm kinda excited about enrolling here, did you see the video about the forest? It looked so beautiful!" I tried to speak softly like with a skittish puppy and it seemed to work.

After our introductions we decided to walk around the school, just sort of wandering while teachers and students also milled about.

It seemed that at this school, the 'first day' was more of a 'explore and get acquainted' day.

Kayla and I talked about everything and nothing, we each where into the same things and she confessed that she was bullied a lot at her previous schools for multiple things. Her size, her interests, her family, basically everything about her.

Every word out of her mouth just made me want to protect her more.

After we walked around the grounds for a bit, an intern walked up to us. He was short with pale blond hair and held his hands behind his back, "Deepest apologies for interrupting your talk ladies, but I'm afraid the Headmistress has requested you get your schedules and dorm keys."

I nodded once and immediately started back toward the mansion.

As we where walking back we passed a group of girls, all taller then us.

There where four in the group, two brunettes, one red head and one blonde. The blonde was obviously the leader of the group, the red head looked like she had dyed her hair and could've been blonde before but blonde mean girls tend to want to be the sole blonde in the group or have everyone be blonde.

The girls giggled as we walked past, staring at us unabashedly. They where all tall and slim and beautiful.

I looked the main blonde in the eye and glared at her, not breaking eye contact.

Her laugh faltered as she realized I wasn't fazed or scared.

My gaze sharpened as I felt a wave of warm, almost calming, rage.

She thinks she's better then me.

They all do.

Well I can't change what they think about me. I can only change how I act around them. I already had a friend who I was sure would stick by me. She seemed the type to become overly attached to one person and as I was the same, I figured it would make quite a helpful friendship.

When we made it back to the manor I saw the Headmistresses, she was tall and slim with dark skin and short hair.

Her lips were bright red and smiled serenely, though I suspected that they hid something sinister.

She stood out on the yard on a makeshift stage with a microphone in front of her.

Her dress was as red as her lips and as all the students gathered in front of her, they opened...

"Hello my dear students. You are about to embark on an amazing journey of new friends, fantastic new knowledge, and many many adventures!"

She paused dramatically,

"WELCOME, TO ENDEROAK!"

The sound of applause exploded over the crowd and accosted my ears.

Kayla squeezed my hand and leaned into my shoulder, almost like she was trying to hide.

Dear God, please don't let this be torture for two whole years...

[krystaline]

ever since the day calvin has left town, maeve swore to herself and to her pet greece's grave to never allow him disrupt her life again. be it in films, memories, him in the flesh—but here she was, rebelling against her rules in one day. it shouldn't feel as exhilarating as it is conversing with him, but she is reminded of how it felt to be with him all those years; and well, who was she up against her high school self who viewed calvin as her entire world? "yeah, you do." she agrees but immediately adds to it as she realizes it might've sounded admitting to it, "must be crazy to have teenage girls fawn over you though. say, how many fanmails do you get in a day?"

once the impulsivity of her actions had dawned on her, maeve realizes that despite the many years spent crucifying and burying him away, she'd bear it all again for him in a bat of an eye. and even if there were truth to her words, she wonders if deborah or any of the excuses she had come up with were really for their peace's sake or for the sake of her longing heart. her mind is in a haywire, choosing to ignore calvin's words until they hasten. but, it was as though the universe truly hated her because as she finally looks at calvin to hum along, the next song that plays broke her spirit.

looking at this scenario from an outward perspective, one could find it hilarious how fate operates. from an upbeat country song to the nostalgic, heartwrenching tune of snow patrol's chasing cars; maeve wanted the ground to swallow her whole the moment she hears the first beat. of course, it had to be their song. she doesn't want the car ride to become awkward however, but how else will she react? "um, remember senior prom? we almost got kicked out of the school gym for always coming up to the dj booth to request this song?" she asks the first thing that pops into her mind. it may have been a poor choice on her end to scavenge through the memory box, but it seems he also has the same thing in mind.

"waller mill park?" she repeats, verifying if she's heard it right the first time. that place holds so much memories that it'd been years since the last time she went there, avoiding it at all costs. "i-i believe so, yeah. kayla was just there with her friends a few days ago." she replies almost immediately, not wanting to seem affected by the mere mention of it. however, as they rounded the corner of the street that is too familiar, she panics. "are you sure you want to go there? i could be wrong." well, she isn't wrong as they reached the park's entryway still in fact intact.

it took no time at all for calvin to fall back into the routine of teasing maeve. “oh?” calvin gleams with renewed confidence. “my apologies. i do have that effect on people.” he shrugs in an exaggerated manner, aware of the absurdity in his statement. although it might not be entirely far-fetched, considering calvin has to be a heartthrob of sorts to appeal to the greater mass. 

calvin’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, not really expecting maeve to acquiesce in spending more time with him. well, thank you deborah. the nosey woman has unknowingly become calvin’s wingwoman. “oh, sweet deborah,” he chuckles. he would’ve made a remark on how nice it was that the woman hasn’t changed, but he recalls maeve’s earlier words—his words said back at him—about change in small towns, so he decides not to. “i suppose i have her to thank,” he says ambiguously. 

with the morning sun beaming down on them, calvin has not felt this cheery in what seemed like a long time. country music softly fills the space as he turns on the sound system. humming along to our song by taylor swift, he appears to be in an upbeat mood. just a few hours ago he had dreaded being back in town, but being with maeve has changed his entire perspective. and he wonders, foolishly, about what else maeve could change about him. he banishes the thoughts away almost immediately. those dangerous, hopeful thoughts.

the clicking of the turn signal pulsates as calvin prepares to turn a corner. “is waller mill park still around?” he asks innocently enough, even though maeve has likely already seen through him. situated in the forested outskirts of williamsburg, waller mill park had a restricted area they’d both often sneak into just to feel like they were alone in the world. within that restricted area, they had discovered an abandoned treehouse they’ve designated to be their own little place. contrary to popular belief, small town life can get a bit suffocating with everyone being up in their neighbors’ businesses. calvin and maeve were teenagers once too, and had both often wanted to find escape from the rest of williamsburg.

[dashonkelley]

SKY BLUE FC - Frat dads. Flops. Family.

“I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” - Mia Hamm