#mike organized a surprise birthday party just for him this year

[longstoryshqrt]

guys it’s the sun’s birthday today ☹️

[inklessletter]

Maybe then, Maybe there

Pairing: steddie

CW: 3.2k

TW: angst and hurt, not talking about feelings, pining, kissing, period typical and internalized homophobia, trauma, possibly multichapter

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“Alright, then. Let’s swim.”

Eddie Munson had always been careful. He had to learn to anticipate every possible scenario so he could react, so he could protect himself. Sometimes that habit made his mind a wasteland, a dangerous place to stay for a long time. But it was necessary, if he didn't want to end up beaten, crushed and shattered, like the time he forced himself not to think of every now and then.

Eddie Munson had to learn to control his life in a way that no other boy his age had to. He was loud and obnoxious, a carefully designed persona to keep everybody away, and it has worked so far. Even if he had failed twice to graduate, he had friends with a purpose. He always had, and he always acknowledged what every single person around him wanted to get from him.

The band members needed a solo guitar and someone to scream his lungs out at the microphone every week. The kids from Hellfire expected him to entertain them with D&D campaigns. Rick needed him to sell to a specific group of people he couldn’t really reach regularly.

It was lonely sometimes, being a mastermind. But it was safe. And he would take safe over lonely every single fucking day of the year. 

Yeah, he would. He craved a surprise free life, and after spring break, a portal to hell and a witch hunt from his whole home town, it was a mandatory requirement. A ground rule. No surprises.

And he tried, he tried so goddamn hard to keep working on anticipating everyone’s movements. He absolutely wanted to know, to decipher their means, because after all the shit they’ve been through, why on earth would that bunch of people want to keep being in touch with him? His circumstances made them go through hell; he still couldn’t bear to look at Henderson straight in the eye for more than three seconds, just because he knows what he made that kid go through. He clinically died on his arms, he scarred him for life. The fact that the kid kept showing up every day at the government hospital blew his mind. 

He couldn’t anticipate that. Eddie didn’t know what to do with that. He also didn’t know what to do with the fact that along with Dustin Henderson, the rest of the gang were there, visiting him, treating him like he wasn’t the cause of the worst distress of their lives. They worried about him, asked him about his recovery and the scars of the wounds, they brought him gifts and treats, and he even got to know new kids, like Will Byers that Mike couldn’t stop talking about, or his girlfriend El, the superpowered girl. And they were all friendly with him.

What was Eddie supposed to do with that, huh?

What did those people want from him? He had absolutely nothing to give them. 

He even tried to apologize to them, maybe that was what they wanted, an apology. But they all looked at him like it was insane (Henderson told that he was actually nuts) and kept coming back.

It took Eddie a few weeks to know that his life now was entirely different and he had to adjust to not being able to anticipate what those people wanted from him. It wasn’t until he heard Buckley talking to Nancy about him and addressing Eddie as “their friend” that he understood that maybe this whole situation had completely destroyed his carefully constructed wall between him and the world, because he had now friends, apparently.

Trying to get a hold of the kids was easy, he just had to organize D&D campaigns again and they would be all his minions again. He could give them something worthy of their times, and that could grant him a glimpse of the control he had lost with all this fuckery. That made him feel less… lost. Safer, in a way.

But then they started inviting him to movie nights, and birthday parties, and they even brought him presents and made him a small surprise party on his birthday (they learned about his birthday being on June 23rd because Erica just looked at his file when he was at the hospital). 

It was—it was madness. He took a deep breath, and came to terms with him not having a fucking clue about how to anticipate to that group (exactly when he was blowing the candles of the birthday that Erica and Dustin had baked for him) and just went with it.

And here he was, a random night of August 1986 sitting on Steve Harrington’s car hood at the quarry, talking with him and actually realizing that he had been stupid enough to actually “go with it” a little bit too much.

Being friends with Steve was the most surprising thing of all. See, he didn’t play D&D, he hasn’t smoked weed in four years, he did no drugs (not that he had any on him, now that he wasn’t dealing anymore) they had nothing in common. Steve was fire and Eddie was water. They were—they were supposed to be incompatible. Steve liked sports and Eddie could only run twice in his life when his actual life was in danger. Eddie read fantasy books and Steve hasn’t picked one up since high school. Steve was a morning person, for fuck’s sake.

Steve was the sun and Eddie was the moon. They were not supposed to meet. Ever.

But he was easy to talk to, and he was responsible and loving with the kids, and he had the funniest look on his face when he rolled his eyes at Dustin’s remarks until the back of his skull. When he was with Buckley those two were an unstoppable team, Eddie could swear that they melted and fused into one single hive mind because the way they acted, god, that could be just one person. Their friendship was something to behold with utmost joy. Steve was also a bit bitchy, and Eddie found himself loving that. He learned to read Steve’s judgy face, and what came after was always worthy of his time. The man was witty. 

But he was also kind and giving. Maybe his gossiping skills kept him on the loop of every detail of Eddie’s life, or maybe he was just a good listener, but Steve kept asking Eddie about things he mentioned like, two weeks ago, and Eddie was impressed that he remembered.  No one, besides Wayne, has ever paid that much attention to what he had to say.

Eddie was stupid enough to actually want more from that. They started hanging out, and sharing things. Steve gave Eddie the opportunity to laugh at him when he shared stuff about his childhood, but Eddie didn’t laugh. He just shared things in return.

Later he would analyze the fact that he really didn’t want to laugh at Steve, because he wanted him to keep looking at Eddie in the eye, and he did that more and more when he found that Eddie didn’t really mock him for what happened to him, or what he wanted to do with his life. The result of that analysis had Eddie��s head spinning for days.

He was falling in love with Steve, and at this point he didn’t know how to stop it.

Whatever was left of his stupid persona was gone now, and he was utterly fucked, because he realized that he didn’t want to stop hanging out with him, even if it led to his heart to be destroyed. He wanted him.

Eddie wanted the heartbreak, but also wanted Steve’s smiles, and stories, and bitchiness.

Night car rides were a thing now, and there they were, under a full moon, after Eddie just shared with him yet another silly piece of information of his childhood (that he didn’t know how to swim and the fact that he dove through Lover’s Lake was pure intuition and he would not know how to do that again). Steve had hopped off the hood and was lending Eddie a hand.

“Alright then, let’s swim.”

“Didn’t you hear the part in which I told you that I don’t know how to?” Eddie said, rolling his eyes.

“I’ll teach you,” Steve insisted, with a wicked smile on his face while he danced his fingers, urging Eddie to take his hand.

“I’m not a good student,” Eddie said, smile forming on his lips. Oh, he was so going to end up in that stupid lake, wasn’t he?

“Then I’ll get you, you won’t drown, I swear.”

Eddie looked at him in silence, and then at his hand, he took it, but didn’t leave the car. He spoke softly.

“I don’t have any swimming trunks,” Eddie said, as his last retort.

“Neither do I,” Steve said through his smirk.

“Are you suggesting skinny dipping?”

Steve burst in laughter, but Eddie actually stood next to him, hand in hand.

“No, you are,” Steve said. “I was going to keep my underwear on, but if you’re so eager to spice this up, then, yeah. Totally naked.”

Steve was fucking unreadable. Why did a straight jock, boring young man that wanted everything missionary, and a house with a wife and half a soccer team of kids happen to be so hard to foresee?

What did Eddie miss about him? And why the fuck was he already taking his shirt off?

Before they both could know it (and Eddie was blaming the blank canvas that his mind was now that he apparently decided to let himself go, carefree and dangerous) they were at the shore of the quarry in nothing else but their boxers. Steve didn’t hesitate, and he walked into the water.

“Come on man, it’s warm.”

“What if there are—uh—things? Actually, Harrington, how the fuck are you not shitting your pants at the idea of swimming in another lake at night after what happened to you?” Eddie asked, ranted, really, but he was already getting into the water.

He observed Steve, that he was already chest deep. He really observed him.

Steve was—god, he was beautiful. Scarred in his stomach and his back, his pinkish, healing wounds were visible under the full moon. He looked like he was made of silver and it felt wrong in Eddie’s mind because Steve’s color was gold, not silver. Eddie saw him run his wet hands through his hair, combing it back, and, yeah, yes, he was something else.

He was the kind of something else that he wouldn’t have dared to dream of, the kind of something else that made him force himself to look away every single time they were showering after PE, or dressing in the locker room. Steve was the kind of something else that Eddie could not have, and looking at him with want was nothing but hurtful.

Steve turned around and looked Eddie in the eye. He smiled briefly and then he sank under the surface, and Eddie panicked. When he came back a couple of seconds later, Eddie felt himself like he could breathe again.

“Dude! Not. Cool!” Eddie said with a hand on his chest, worrying expression on his face.

Steve laughed, honest, bright. 

“Sorry, I’m so sorry, man. My bad,” Steve said, bubbly, light hearted. 

Eddie rolled his eyes at him and looked away for a second, trying to recompose. When he looked back at Steve, he—he was staring at Eddie.

Eddie saw Steve’s eyes roaming through his chest and he suddenly felt hyper aware of his own looks, scarred and broken, tattoos destroyed, meaningless ink of what once was a cool design. Designs that were made to reinforce the persona that was no longer with him, also broken and scarred. Eddie swallowed around nothing when he realized that it was such a poetic parallel.

In an impulse to stop the staring, Eddie came closer, sinking until his chin, in front of Steve. The younger man didn’t even bother to pretend that he wasn’t staring, and looked at Eddie’s face when they were next to each other. 

“Do they give you hell? The—uh, the scars. Do they still hurt?”

Eddie didn’t know why Steve was suddenly whispering. The slick, wet skin on his face, on the tip of his nose, on his cupid arch, were gleaming under the moonlight. Eddie followed the light, and it was a mistake. He looked back at Steve’s eyes when he answered.

“Sometimes. Yeah, sometimes they hurt.”

“Mine too.”

Eddie studied his face.

“Do you—do you think that he—”

“No,” Steve said quickly. “No, it’s over. He’s dead. I think they hurt because they’re still healing and nothing more.”

Eddie looked away.

“You’re safe.”

And there it was. The hurt.

He didn’t need to be told that before. Steve telling him that he was safe was a reminder that he had no control over anything.

“How do you know?” Eddie asked, also whispering. He saw Steve struggling to reply to that, and before Steve could read that question differently, Eddie specified:  “How do you know that he’s not coming back?”

Steve shrugged and smiled at him, crouching enough to be chin deep, too, mirroring Eddie.

“I need to believe that this time is for good. There’s no point in going on with our lives if we are stuck in that headspace, you know?” Steve licked his lips and he was suddenly, somehow, closer to Eddie. He didn’t see when he moved. “Like, what’s the point of trying to get a good job if I’m always fighting monsters in my head? Why would I try to find a person to fall in love with, to marry, to build a family with?” Steve studied Eddie’s face before he continued, again, closer. 

“Steve—”

“Why would I even bother?” Steve asked, and Eddie felt Steve’s warm hands grasping his under the water. 

Eddie didn’t quite know what was happening, but he felt Steve’s forehead against his, and he was starting to feel dizzy with want. This was—god, this was insane.

Why was he so close? Why—why was he telling him this?

There was something that didn’t feel quite right. And Eddie hated that he knew exactly what.

“Is that what you want in life, Steve? A wife and a family?” Eddie’s voice was a little trembling and he felt like shuddering all of the sudden, like the water went extremely cold, and the skin against skin was burning him alive. He could even taste Steve’s breath in his mouth, and his mind, god. His mind was clouded, overcast, no sun to be seen even if it was right in front of him. 

It took Eddie a couple seconds to understand that Steve didn’t respond. 

Steve was still unreadable to Eddie, and Eddie had never been more lost in the past few months that he was at that moment.

“What I want,” Steve said, low, raspy, shaking. “What I want is to live, Eddie.”

Steve didn’t ask Eddie with words. Steve asked for Eddie’s permission to kiss him looking at him in the eye, and then to the lips, and back to the eyes. He gave Eddie time to back down, and when he didn’t, he came slightly closer, grazing his lips against his. Eddie forgot how to breathe, especially when Steve stood there, not kissing him, not moving. Waiting for Eddie to move away.

Eddie laced his fingers with Steve under the water and that was permission enough for Steve to finally mold his mouth against Eddie’s.

Eddie’s mind crashed. He didn’t understand anything that was going on. It still didn’t click. Maybe he was sleeping,maybe this was nothing but a feverish dream but it felt quite too real.

Steve was kissing him, gently, softly. Tentatively. Steve kissed his bottom lip, once, twice, three times. It was only when he tilted his head to deepen the kiss that Eddie actually kissed back.

It still felt off, but they kissed, oh, they kissed. Steve cupped his jaw with a hand, drawing him closer, chest to chest, wet skin slick and soft against one another. Burning bright and all consuming. 

Swimming lessons forgotten, they kissed and touched until the water was actually too cold for their bodies and they had to get out of the lake. Eddie tried not to think too much of what he thought he knew about Steve, he tried not to think about if Steve was finally showing his cards about what he wanted to get from Eddie. Eddie decided not to listen to that voice, not that night, not when water and fire actually made magic together, like an impossible. Like a paradox, the universe destroying itself and building itself back.

Steve Harrington, the unreadable man, surprising Eddie once again, against his will, by kissing him. 

Eddie didn’t pry about Steve’s sexuality, that was a conversation for the future. Their bodies were around a towel that Steve retrieved from his car, pressed together, still kissing fiercely, pulling up sighs and moans from each other.

“You didn’t—uh—you didn’t teach me how to swim,” Eddie said suddenly, stupidly, and he scolded himself. Steve laughed in his lips.

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m sorry. I can teach you another time, though,” Steve suggested. Eddie smiled in his lips, ignoring that terrible feeling.

“A-ha. Yeah, sure. We can—we can do that, yeah,” they both laughed softly, still pressed together. “Was this your plan all along? Getting me naked and kissing me stupid?”

Steve laughed again and Eddie wanted to die in his laughter. “No, not really. I really wanted to teach you to swim, but,” Steve gave Eddie a peck, “you kept asking about what I wanted and, um—nobody has asked me that in a long time. And I—well, I just realized there what I wanted.”

“To live?” Eddie asked, not really teasing.

“Yeah. I want to live, to love, to have a family and a nice house,” Steve said, smiling. He looked into Eddie's eyes. “I want all that, Eddie.”

And that was what it wasn’t clicking.

Because Eddie couldn’t give him what he wanted. Eddie couldn’t give him a fancy wedding, a nice life, in a respected neighborhood. He couldn’t bear children of their own. They probably wouldn't be able to buy a house because he knew, he saw how clandestine and secretive lives like that were. How dangerous, how mortifying not being able to hold hands in public. 

A life with Eddie would bring Steve nothing but misery and his dreams crushed, shattered, scattered all over.

Eddie was not part of that equation, and he wouldn’t let himself be, because Steve deserved to have all that, everything that he wanted.

What was happening between them, the kisses under the silver moon, bare and wet and full of dying love, was turning that quarry into a graveyard of the unborn life that they were not meant to have together.

Eddie hugged him tighter, kissing him deeply and hungry and leaking what was left of his love for that fantasy into Steve’s mouth, hoping that it would be imprinted in his blood and in his lips for the rest of his life that he so wanted to fully live.

That he could foresee.

For that he could prepare.

But not that night. Not that night. Not when it was new and raw and experimental. 

Maybe it could work in another world, Eddie thought, where fire and water can kiss, and the sun and the moon can share the same sky at the same time.

Maybe then.

Maybe there.

[hawkins-losers]

I've still got you all over me | Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader

Summary: When Eddie and the band rose to fame, your relationship was brought to an end. Four years later, Dustin plots behind your back and invite his former Dungeon Master to his birthday party without telling you

Word count: 2.3k

A/N: This is how I imagine older Eddie (edit credit to the owner, I couldn’t find)

-

Two years after you left for college, Corroded Coffin blew up and moved to Philadelphia to record their first EP. Although it was closer to New York, closer to you, you and Eddie saw each other even less – go figure.

On your third and last year of college, the band released their EP and went on their first tour. It was small, but the crowds were bigger and bigger at every show. Eddie invited you for a couple of dates, but you could never stay for more than a few days.

You had promised each other to make the long distance work, but being apart was hurting you both. The more you talked on the phone, the more difficult it was to be miles apart. So the phone calls became less frequent.

He called you on your birthday and congratulated you on the job you got at a publishing company. You surprised him for Christmas at his apartment in Philadelphia. He didn’t show up to your graduation. You tried calling him on his birthday, but you had no idea where he was.

In November, you received an invitation by mail to his album release. You saw him with someone else.

Four years later, you came home for your brother’s big eighteen birthday.

Your mom had organized a big party with all of Dustin’s friends. Her baby boy was turning eighteen and leaving home soon, it was difficult for her to process.

‘’Happy birthday, Dusty!’’

He had grown so much these last two years. He was no longer the little boy who brought home strange slugs and who had a huge crush on his friend’s sister.

Dustin smiled in return, hugging you. ‘’Thanks. I’m so happy you made it.’’

‘’Me too. Where is Suzie? I want to meet her.’’

He looked over his shoulder and shrugged, not seeing her. ‘’Somewhere. Max and El stole her from me. Did I tell you we’re going to MIT in September? It’s in Cambridge, in case you didn’t know. I’m gonna be able to visit you more often and-’’

‘’Hey, is that Garreth?’’ you asked, spotting a guy in a red flannel chatting with Mike. ‘’Does that mean…

The moment Dustin was dreading arrived: he had to break the news about his surprise guests. ‘’Yes. Eddie is here.’’

Hearing his name made your stomach churn and your heartbeat double in pace.

‘’You invited him?!’’

‘’He’s my friend. And, maybe you could try talking to him. I mean, it’s been four years, Y/N.’’

You gasped, piecing the pieces together. ‘’You little shit! You planned this.’’ You wanted to murder him. ‘’You know how much he’s hurt me. Why would you do this behind my back, Dustin?’’

‘’I’m the worst little brother, I know I know. You can be mad at me all you want, but later. Eddie showed up, Y/N. He took a day off from his busy rockstar schedule and came to Hawkins to see you, to talk to you. I’m not forcing you to forgive him. Just…talk. Hear him out.’’

You glanced in Garreth’s direction again, feeling an ache in your chest. ‘’I can’t. He promised he would come back, but he just left me behind and found another bitch to fuck,’’ you said with bitterness and anger. ‘’How would you feel if Suzie had found another guy and didn’t tell you about and just ghosted you?’’

Speaking of the wolf, Eddie appeared by your side. He looked the same as the day you last saw him. His hair was still long and messy, but he had ditched the baby skin for a light scruff, giving him a more mature look. You couldn’t deny, he was still very attractive.

‘’Henderson,’’ he greeted your brother. His deer-like brown eyes then fell on you, causing his breath to catch in his throat. ‘’M’lady.’’ Eddie bowed the stupid way he used to do when you were dating, almost tearing a smile from you.

You rolled your eyes instead, keeping a straight face.

‘’I’ll leave you two to talk.’’ Dustin excused himself, his plan finally put into action. He walked backward in the direction of the living room.

‘’Dustin!’’ you hissed. ‘’Don’t- And he’s gone…’’

An annoyed sigh left your lips. That little shit better sleep with an eye open tonight or you’ll sneak into his room and cut his curls with your mother’s knitting scissors in his sleep.

Before you, Eddie shifted on his feet and played with his skull ring, a demeanor from when he was nervous. ‘’It’s nice to see you again, Y/N. I missed you.’’

You scoffed, leaning against the kitchen counter. ‘’Don’t waste your saliva, Munson. I have nothing to tell you.’’

Leaving was tempting, but you knew Dustin was lurking around and would corner you into going back. Instead, you cracked open a can of coke. A beer would’ve been better, but your mom never had beer at home.

‘’Can we have a mature conversation? Please.’’

You took a sip of coke and glanced around the room, looking for a blonde in a slutty dress. ‘’Where’s your side bitch- Sorry, I meant girlfriend.’’

It was immature and rude, but you didn’t care. 

‘’Angela and I-’’

‘’Angela, uh? So you and her are still together.’’ 

He looked down in confirmation.

‘’Do you think, for one minute, that she would even be interested in you if you weren’t if Corroded Coffin hadn’t blown up? If you didn’t sell thousands of albums and toured the country with Metallica as headliner? Are you that blind?’’

‘’At least she didn’t hide our relationship for months. She treats me like I’m somebody,’’ Eddie said back, digging into old wounds.

Keeping your relationship a secret had been the cause of many fights in the early days of your relationship. You realize today how damaging it had been. Eddie thought you were ashamed of him and no matter how many times you tried telling him it wasn’t true, the way you would dodge his kiss whenever someone was around said otherwise.

You didn’t tell your mother about him until the summer after graduation. After a rainstorm, you came home in a hoodie she didn’t recognize. When Dustin asked why you were wearing Eddie’s Judas Priest hoodie, she asked if this ‘Eddie’ was your boyfriend.

‘’Would she love you if you were nobody?’’

‘’Nobody loved me when I was nobody!’’ Eddie snapped, his unhealed wounds coming out of his mouth before he could stop them. 

They say you accept the kind of love you think you deserve. After it was drilled into Eddie's head that he wasn’t worthy of being loved, he was willing to accept any kind of love that was given to him. Genuine or not. It was sad, but Eddie would rather have someone who loved him for his fame than be with someone who didn’t love him at all.

‘’I did!’’

The loud volume of your voices made everyone go silent, their attention turning to the quarrel in the kitchen.

Shit.

Everyone’s eyes were on you and Eddie, but, in the heat of the fight, neither of you paid them any attention. 

‘’Before the money, before the fame, and before you left Hawkins.’’

Tears sprung up in your and Eddie’s eyes. He looked away to avoid Niagara Falls, staring at ugly painting of Mews behind you. Why did your mom hang this atrocity?

You knew what he was doing. He was avoiding your eyes to hide his emotions from you.

‘’Look at me, Eddie.’’ Your voice was soft and pleading. With a trembling jaw, he glanced at you. ‘’To me you were a somebody, but you let our relationship turn to dust and now you’re a coward. A spineless coward who asks his agent to write his girlfriend a breakup letter.’’ Your words cut like glass, stabbing your old lover right where it hurt.

With a slam of your can of coke on the counter, you ended the conversation and left the kitchen. Your steps were fast as you snaked through the people, trying to make it to privacy before breaking.

In the kitchen, Eddie was stunned. He knew you had left, he had seen you leave, but he hadn't moved a finger since you had left half a minute ago. His mind was racing, the little hamster in his head going a thousand miles an hour.

What do I do now?

He clenched and unclenched his fists, fighting the urge to kick a chair or punch a wall. Violent behaviors didn’t solve anything.

With a clear of his throat, Jeff came up to him, bearing bad news. ‘’Eh, I don’t mean to interrupt your deep thinking, but we gotta get on the road if we want to be in Florida in time for the next show-’’

Eddie shrugged his bandmate off, moving his hands frantically around. ‘’Fuck Florida! Right now is not the time to drive up to fucking Florida!’’

He disappeared through the crowd, ignoring Jeff’s calls of his name.

You should have known Eddie would look for you. Your blow-up in the kitchen wasn't how he wanted to leave off. Old wounds had been reopened, pent up feelings had been released and confessions had been slipped.

All that was left was to pick up the pieces and mend them – if possible.

Eddie stood by the backdoor for a few minutes, hovering his hand on the door handle and retracting it. He tried to think of what he would say to you, but he couldn’t find the words. The breakup letter written by his agent had been a shitty move – he’ll agree. He was so caught up in his fame and career at that time, his brain to heart signals hadn’t been working right.

After a good fifteen minutes, Eddie finally stepped outside, knowing exactly where to find you.

When you were a kid, your father had installed a swing for you in the backyard. He would push you and make you fly as high as the birds – your child eyes thought so. When you turned seven, he took off without explanations and that’s all that was left of him. You resented him for abandoning you, but your love for that swing remained. You read too many books, cried too many tears and got too many splinters in your butt to hate it.

Eddie’s boots swished in the grass, too tall and needing a good mow. Your back was to him, but you knew he was there. You could feel his presence.

‘’It’s unfortunate that it’s not my birthday, I would’ve used my wish to make you leave,’’ you said, keeping your eyes on the old shed.

Behind you, Eddie laughed dryly. ''Always humorous, Y/N.’’ He took a few steps closer, now standing in your sightline.

‘’Why are you here, Eddie? You have the life you’ve always dreamed of and a girlfriend that worships the ground you walk on. Why did you come see me?’’

The question was simple, but its answer was of a higher complexity.

‘’I don’t know.’’ Eddie paused, running his hands over his face, his feelings in shambles in his head and heart. ‘’When Henderson sent me the invite, I didn’t think twice and got in my van. The boys and I were recording in L.A., I knew the label would be mad at me for peacing-out like that, but I needed to come. I didn’t care how many miles I would have to make to see you or about my other obligations; all that was on my mind was you.’’

‘’I was on your mind?’’ You scoffed. ‘’That’s new. I surely wasn’t when we were together.’’

‘’That’s not true-’’

‘’Was I on your mind when you shoved your tongue in that bitch’s mouth at your album release party?’’ you hissed at him, bringing back a stinging memory.

A frown formed on Eddie’s face. ‘’You didn’t come to my album release party.’’

‘’I did! I did. I said ‘hi’ to Garreth and asked where you were. He told me you were in the living with people from the label. When I got there, you were making out with her.’’ 

‘‘I know and I’m deeply sorry-’‘

‘‘You can shove your ‘sorry’s up your ass, Munson.’‘ 

‘’No.’’ 

‘’It wasn’t a question.’’ 

Something snapped inside Eddie and he stepped closer to the swing. ‘’I refuse to end us like this. Our love is stronger than this. Henderson was right, we’ve gone through so much together, I refuse to give up on us.’’ He crouched before you so he was at your level, then set his hands on your knees and shifted his eyes to yours. ‘’I refuse to let you go like you were just a chapter in my life.’’ 

‘‘Eddie--’‘ 

‘’I’m being serious.’’ He grabbed your hands in his, his eyes begging for your forgiveness, begging for another chance. ‘’You are my past and my future, and I’m a fucking idiot for letting rust grow between us instead of keeping the fire burning.’‘ 

The backyard door opened and Jeff poked his head out, calling for his bandmate. He really didn’t want to interrupt, but the clock was ticking and if they didn’t make it to Florida in time for the show, their manager will be pissed. ‘’Eddie, the show. We really need to go.’’ 

‘‘Jesus Christ,’‘ Eddie grumbled under his breath. ‘’I’ll be in the van in a minute!’’ 

-

Taglist: @broadway-or-noway @violetsleftfist @thelaststraw3  @cursedandromedablack  @Slashersimpfor  @savagejane1   @wh0reforbucknasty   @eddiemunson-slut   @slvdsjjk  @hehehehannahthings  @dreamdancers-world  @eddiemunsonbby  @notbeforelong  @lexi-2004 @violetrainbow412-blog  @tatespillows  @alwayslexii  @lilygreennn   @milkiane  @imahomeslice  @bunnygrl16 @cwritesforfun @marauders3rawh0re  @your-mom21 @parkersmyth @voguesir @milkiane @andrewgarfields-girlfriend @lilygreennn @alexxavicry @charlie-chick  @wandamaximoffs-deadchild  @horrorstreet  @rmeddar123  @pastel-abyss-x @lil-tracys  @luvmybbies  @chloepricesgrafitimarker  @inluvweddiemunson @i-like-trains @kittenfrostt @simp-for-slasher @m-rae23 @kenzi-woycehoski @amberputh  @sea040561​

Eddie Munson taglist: @nighttwingg @yourfavoriteakutagawakinnie @heizenka @eddiemvunsongf @Eddie_munsons_girlfriend @magicalchocolatecheesecake @eddiemunsonistheloveofmylife @avril-reblog-cave @Fandomfaeryreads @harrys-tittie @straycatarang @fourlokiss  @eddiemattress  @ghoulishlygrey   @paola-carter @bubsonnobx @pauldanoswifereal @ofherscarlettwitchways @kiszkathecook  @truewdw1 @bubsonnobx @ohhrexella @Dreamtiara @pastelbabygirl19  @steves-robin @eddiemunsonbby @jenlouvre @bonked-beyond-belief2  @tvserie-s-world @bootlegmothman420 @courtmr @chrisxevans-seb @satinselenite @thikkiesixx  @jennilynn63  @nia-um  @welcometohellfirw @strangermarvelgirl @sugar-simz @fandomloversvaries @miakatharinaa  @julsss321 @m1rkw00dpr1ncess  @Minksblog @soph69420world  @ameliakf13 @nancewheelersworld @parasadic-blog @nluvwitheddiemunson @veniceb1tch88 @ali-r3n @Luv.eddie @stephylovesmayahawke @ruinedbythehobbit @sweetheart-im-the-boss @jusstdreaaming @hoeformunsonandhargrove @buckyswhxre @tomspidertingle @stormyparker @thechoiceslookgrimm @ilikechocolatemilkh @bbylyneth @bobafettsleftglove @princesseddie @yourfavdummy @xbreezymeadowsmunsonx @rosaliesrealwife @munsonswhore86 @eddiescvmslvt @slightlyvicked

[usual-day-dreamer]

Let Me Touch Your Fire (Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader) Chapter Six

MASTERLIST

8 years ago

"I tell you Robin, you are the best and the prettiest, you'll do just fine!" You assured her as she changed into her concert clothes.

"Really?" She stepped outside with her full attire on except for the hat.

"Of course! After the concert we'll go to my house, my mom prepared us dinner. You can even stay over if you want" you answered giving her a sided hug "And if someone makes fun of you or something, I'll kick their asses, I promise"

"Thanks Y/N! You're the best"

You smiled at her brightly and walked towards the school's gym. She quickly made her way with the other band members and you looked for an empty place to sit.

You placed yours and Robin's backpacks behind you and sat down, waiting for the concert to start as you looked at the other kids and some parents. Robin's parents couldn't go because they had work or something, some adult stuff that was incomprehensible for you at that age, but Robin didn't care, with you there was more than enough.

Meanwhile, Steve really didn't wanted to go, but still he did, their English teacher would give extra points if they attended the concert and Steve needed them to pass so his friends agreed to go with him too and after the concert they'll go play somewhere else and enjoy some snacks they've bought before going to the school's gym.

"It'll probably be boring as hell as always" one of his friends said as they parked their bikes on their usual spot

"Yeah" they argued "Full of losers too"

"I know but I really need those points, my parents will be mad if they see I failed again"

The boys kept silent and walked towards the gym.

They were surprised to see that the gym was packed, when they spotted a place for all to sit, they sprinted towards it. Steve was distracted and when he noticed his friends were missing, he groaned running behind them. Everyone was already seated and there seemed to be no place for him. His friends laughed.

"You were way too slow"

Steve groaned "Once this is over let's meet at the entrance and we'll go back to my house to continue playing"

They all agreed, and Steve started looking for another place to sit. He finally spotted one next to a girl. He smiled and walked towards it, his hands on his pockets.

"Is this taken?" He asked, the girl looked at him and softly said no, he sat down and looked around awkwardly.

"I'm Steve" he said breaking the silence

"I'm Y/N"

"Are you here for the extra points?"

"No, my best friend is part of the band"

"I see"

Conversation flowed easily between the two kids, Steve occasionally joking and you laughing at how stupid he was.

The headmaster appeared and introduced the band and you quickly spotted Robin. You waved happily at her and she smiled at you, frowning as she noticed someone sitting next to you, she knew that boy, his name was Steve Harrington.

He was with her in one of her classes. She couldn't understand how every girl found him attractive or cool. If you asked Robin, she thought he was messy and not so smart, he'd probably turn into a jerk when he was older.

She flinched at your attitude, she has never seen you like that before and it gave her an uncomfortable feeling in her belly. You were smiling but it wasn't your usual smile, it was nervous, almost shy, you were constantly playing with your hair placing it behind your ear or just twirling it between your fingers. But what caught her completely off guard, were your eyes, they were looking at him in such a way she could not describe, you have never looked at her like that before, hell, you've never given anyone that look before. Her stomach twisted as she watched you laughing at something Steve said.

The concert was over sooner than you would have liked, talking with Steve was really fun, he seemed like a nice kid. Robin walked towards you as soon as she had packed her instrument wasting no more time. She wanted Steve to be gone.

"You were amazing Robin!" you exclaimed giving her a hug, the uneasy feeling of before leaving her as soon as she felt you in her arms.

"Thanks"

"You did great" Robin looked at Steve with his eyes a little narrowed, she ignored him and looked at you again.

"Can you pass me my bag please? I'll go change quickly and then we can go" you handed it to her, and she quickly walked away to change. You looked back at Steve with an apologetic look in your eyes.

"Sorry, she usually gets cranky after her concerts" you said scratching the back of your neck "Probably because her nervousness leaves, to be honest I don't really know"

"Don't worry" he assured you. You were soon engaged in a conversation while you waited for Robin to come back.

"I'm ready" Robin said, you looked at her and smiled. You grabbed your bag and stood up, Steve doing the same.

"Bye Steve, see you around" you waved at him and turned around, walking away with Robin.

"Wait!" you looked back at him.

"My friends and I are going to my house to play; do you want to come? Robin can come too"

You smiled brightly at that, Robin narrowed her eyes and quickly answered "I'm sorry, we already have plans, we have to organize Y/N's birthday party tomorrow"

Steve looked disappointed "Tomorrow's your birthday?" you nodded with a shy smile, fidgeting with your fingers.

"I guess I'll have to buy you a present" he winked at you and you blushed, Robin rolled her eyes and grabbed your arm, pulling you with her as she walked away.

"Bye Steve!" you said, and he waved at your goodbye.

Your mom was already waiting for you outside the school, Robin and you got inside the car and said hello.

"How was the concert sweeties?" she asked driving off.

"It was awesome as always" you answered looking at Robin with a warm smile, she blushed and returned the smile.

"I bet it was"

"Where's Dustin?"

"He's at home, Mike, Will and Lucas are there too"

"Is Nancy there too?" you asked

"She couldn't come, she had things to do with her mom, darling"

"Okay"

Your mom was silent the rest of the way home, Robin and you talking about tomorrow and the things you'd do once you arrived at your house.

When you arrived, Robin and you ran inside.

"Y/N!" Dustin ran and hugged you tightly, you hugged him back and ruffled his hair.

"Hello Dusty, hello boys" you said, and they waved at you. Dustin let go of you and you made your way towards your room, Robin right behind you.

"You'll see Y/N, tomorrow, I'll give you the best present you've ever received" she said, you were eating M&M's laying on the floor.

"I'm sure you will Robin" you swallowed the M&M's that were on your mouth "I want to see what Steve's going to give me" a small smile appeared on your face.

"Do you really think he's going to give you something? I mean, you met him today"

You shrugged your shoulders, the smile never leaving your face

"You are way too positive Y/N, he's stupid, I bet he's going to forget"

Your smiled disappeared and Robin felt bad but said nothing.

"Robin! Your mom's outside"

She grabbed her things and put her shoes on, you walked behind her towards the door,

"I'll see you tomorrow"

"Sure, love you"

Robin rolled her eyes "Love you too dork"

You closed the door after she got inside her car.

"Dustin is already asleep, go change and I'll put you to bed in a bit" you nodded and went towards your room. You changed into your pajamas and waited for your mom. She arrived a few minutes later.

"Mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Is dad coming home tomorrow?"

"I don't know baby" she said sitting next to you on your bed "But I'm sure he'll call to congratulate you"

You smiled faintly "Now go to sleep, tomorrow's a big day"

She kissed your forehead and stood up. She turned off the lights and closed the door, you fell asleep soon after.

"Happy birthday to you" the sun was shining outside, you opened your eyes slowly and smiled, sitting up "Happy birthday to you" your mom came inside the room, a plate with stacked Eggo's and whipped cream and a candle on top in her hands. Dustin sleepily walking behind her.

"Happy birthday dear Y/N" she sat on your bed and helped Dustin up after placing the plate on your lap "Happy birthday to you" she finished with a smile, you smiled brightly "Go on, blow your candles"

"Do you want to blow them with me Dusty?" he nodded eagerly now fully awake "On the count of three"

Dustin settled himself next to you and got ready "One... two... three!" Dustin and you blowed the candles and your mom applauded. Dustin giggled and hugged you "Happy birthday" you hugged him back.

"Let's get ready for school or it'll get late"

Everyone went to their usual routines and it ended up getting late. When you got to your school the classes had already started so you ran towards your classroom.

You settled on your usual spot and apologized to your teacher, she just smiled and congratulated you with a smile. You thanked her and classes went on as usual.

You didn't find Robin at lunchtime and Steve was missing too. You ate your lunch alone and went to the rest of your classes afterwards.

The last bell rang and with a smile you ran out, waiting for Robin at the entrance of the school so you could go home and continue celebrating. Steve completely out of your mind. You looked around as you waited but Robin was nowhere to be seen.

You heard someone call your name and you turned your head, your eyes glowing at the sight, your father was right there next to his car.

"Dad!" you ran towards him, he received you with a hug

"Are you here to pick me up?"

"Of course, sweets, I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world" you hugged him again.

"I missed you"

He opened the passenger's door and you hopped inside.

Your dad started his car and drove off.

"Your birthday surprise is really far, you should sleep sweets" you smiled and closed your eyes, dozing off.

Robin quickly ran out of the school and frowned; you were nowhere to be seen. She decided to wait for your mother, maybe you were talking with a teacher. And she waited and waited but you never appeared, she was starting to worry.

She saw your mom's car, she parked in front of her and rolled down her window with a frown "Where's Y/N?"

"I don't know" Robin asked.

Your mother stepped out of the car and started searching for you. They asked teachers and anyone that was close, but no one has seen you.

"Come on Robin, I'll take you to your house" she sounded worried but kept calm.

"But I want to look for her too" Robin pouted.

"I know baby, but I thinks it's better if we call the police"

Robin got inside the car defeated and looked out the window as Mrs. Henderson drove her home.

Her mother was home, she opened the door and let both inside. Robin felt her eyes watering and quickly went to her room. Her mom and Mrs. Henderson stayed at the living room.

She grabbed one of her backpacks and placed inside a few things to help her with her search. She opened her window and as she heard Mrs. Henderson cry, she jumped out, ready to find you.

It was late, her lantern wasn't helping much now, and she was desperate. She couldn't find you anywhere. She went to the police station, but they told her they were already investigating. She decided to go back home.

Weeks passed and there was no news of you, the Henderson family were desperate, your face was on the Hawkins Post and your mother pasted posters with your face and name on every corner of Hawkins.

Robin was devastated too. She missed you more than anything and she was desperate to have you back. But nothing could be done about it, you were gone without a trace and god knows with whom. She could only hope you were fine wherever you were.

It's been two months. Two months since you were gone when she finally heard the devastating news.

She had just arrived from school, and her mother had that look on her face that could only mean one thing: bad news. Robin felt her hands start to sweat and shake. Her heart beating faster as she waited, what if you were dead?

She sat down at the table, her mother across from her. She reached for Robin's hand and she took it.

Her mother sighed.

"Robin, they found Y/N"

"And where's she?"

"With her father"

She smiled excitedly "And when is she coming back?"

"Robin..." her smiled disappeared.

""Remember that her parents divorced?" She nodded, not knowing where this was going "Well, he doesn't want to bring Y/N back"

Robin looked down at her lap not really knowing what to say.

"They are trying to get her back but her father's not cooperating"

"That means she's not coming back?" She was crying now, her mom pulled her into her arms as she sobbed.

"She'll be back Robin" she said.

"I'm sure of it"

[eddieeatsass]

“Apparently all our friends have a bet going that we end up together.” with reddie (duh) maybe including said friends trying to get them together repeatedly???

It was a warm sunny day in Derry Maine. The birds were chirping, kids were riding their bicycles, and Richie and Eddie were shoved in a closet together; a place neither of them had been since Junior year.

When they’d decided to come out at the same time, previously only having confided in one another about their sexuality, the response from their group was explosive.

The entire Losers Club seemed unanimous on the idea that Richie and Eddie were perfect for each other, and now that it was confirmed that they were both into guys, there was no reason for them not to get together.

Despite Eddie groaning every time it got brought up, and Richie wiggling his eyebrows so suggestively they threatened to jump right off his forehead, the Losers didn’t quit their mission to get their friends together.

It had been four years now, and those four years had consisted of multiple attempts to get Eddie and Richie alone in the most romantic or compromising situations possible.

There were more innocent occurrences, like when the Losers would plan a movie night and then all coincidentally cancel last minute, leaving Richie and Eddie to go the night alone. Those were the times that were easy to laugh through, when the pair would stuff their faces with popcorn and rag on their friends all night, laughing into the early morning before passing out together on the couch.

But there were also moments that stirred things low in their bellies, feelings that neither of them were ready to acknowledge. The time the Losers all went skinny dipping together up at Ben’s cottage, and then stole Richie and Eddie’s clothes when they weren’t looking. They had to walk back to the cottage nude and alone, averting their travelling gazes and suppressing their urges.

The more time passed, the more fed-up the Losers seemed to get with Richie and Eddie’s untouched chemistry. Finally, they had decided that this summer would be the summer that they finally got these two idiots to confess their feelings.

That’s when the bets began being placed. Bill and Ben, the hopeless romantics of the group, had put their money down for the first month of summer, insisting that June would be the winner. Mike was alone in bidding for the second month, hoping that his 4th of July party would be the tipping point. Finally, Bev and Stan placed their money on August, pessimistic that their friends would pull their heads out of their asses any sooner.

Well, June and July had gone by in a flurry of disappointment, which lead to Bev and Stan putting together a plan of action.

The invitation to Stan’s house was presumably innocent. Stan had invited Richie and Eddie over to help him and Beverly bake a cake for Mike’s upcoming birthday. Richie didn’t know what knowledge he had to offer on baking, but he wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity to lick batter off a spoon. Eddie, on the other hand, had about as much talent in his pinkie as the rest of the losers had combined.

The afternoon had gone according to plan, Eddie took charge of delegating tasks, getting feisty when Beverly started a flour fight instead of concentrating, and scrunching his nose up as Richie licked a spoon clean while holding unwavering eye contact with him.

Unfortunately, what Eddie and Richie didn’t know, was that Bev and Stan’s plan was also going accordingly, landing Richie and Eddie in Stan’s small walk in closet as they looked for clothes to change into, their own now covered in flour (thank you, Beverly).

“Just pick whatever fits.” Stan offered.

“You’re a beanstalk, nothing is going to fit.” Eddie grumbled, looking through a rack of button ups.

“Hey, do not insult our kind just because you’re too short to-”

“I will never be ‘your kind’, Richie.” Stan interrupted.

“That’s right, because I’m one of a kind!”

“No one’s arguing that.” Eddie mumbled sarcastically under his breath.

“Bold words from someone who’s tiny enough to be Stuart Little’s stunt double.”

As the pair continued their quarrel, Stan slowly backed up out of the closet. He gave Beverly a nod, and then the next few seconds were filled with commotion.

Stan slammed the closet doors shut as Beverly swooped in with a chair, propping it between the door handles and the floor to effectively cage the two boys inside. Protests could be heard but Stan and Beverly began speaking over it.

“You two can come out when you’re done denying the inevitable.” Beverly stated.

“We gave you all summer but apparently you’re both too stubborn to make a move.”

“We’ve got fifty dollars riding on this, don’t let us down!” Beverly added, before retreating to the living room with Stan.

Richie and Eddie glared at the door, their irritation palatable in the tiny space.

“Well, apparently all our friends have a bet going that we’ll end up together.” Eddie stated irately, turning to face Richie.

“Those greedy little bastards will bet on anything.” Richie sighed, not too surprised to find that there was now money on this... thing the Losers had been trying to make happen for years.

Eddie let his arms drop from where they’d been crossed against his chest. He dragged his feet over to the back of the closet and slid down the wall, sitting on the carpeted ground with a thud.

“Do you think they’ll ever give this up?” He asked, nibbling on the sleeve of his sweater.

Richie took to rifling through Stan’s clothes, determined to fuck things up for him as much as possible for as long as he kept them locked in here.

“Probably not.” Richie shrugged. He began grabbing random items and misplacing them, knowing that Stan had a strict way of organizing his closet that he never let anyone disrupt.

“Maybe we should just...” Eddie sighed, letting his head bump against the wall. “I don’t know, lie? Say we’re dating to get them off our back?”

“Stan would see right through it. He’s like a bloodhound, except he smells deceit.”

Eddie watched as Richie mixed Stan’s linens with his cottons, and then began turning every single one of his sweaters inside out before hanging them back up.

“Stan is going to kill you.” Eddie commented.

“Not as much as I’m gonna kill him once he opens that door.”

Eddie stayed silent. He knew how much they both hated their friends’ antics, but at some point, Eddie had sort of started to enjoy these moments too.

Spending time alone with Richie was always way more fun than spending time with any of the other Losers. Even though the taller boy got on his nerves to no end, he always had a good time when he was around.

“Would it be so bad?” Eddie thought aloud.

Richie gave a little hum, indicating he was listening but not following.

“If we, like, got together.”

Richie froze in the middle of unlacing a pair of Stan’s shoes, a pile of laces already collecting beside him.

“Uh... do you think it’d be bad?” Richie asked hesitantly.

“You’re avoiding the question.” Eddie said. “You can be harsh, you won’t hurt my feelings.”

Richie twiddled with the string in his hands, pretending to be too preoccupied to look up.

“Honestly? I don’t know, Eds. I love the way we are. I don’t want anything to change.” Richie admitted.

Eddie had heard those words before, echoing around in his mind from his own thoughts. Richie was his best friend, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their relationship.

“Wouldn’t it be weird, anyway?” Richie asked as he began tying all of the shoelaces together in one long train.

“I mean, I don’t know. Don’t we pretty much already act like a couple, by everyone’s else’s standards?”

Richie nodded minutely. “I guess.”

“All that would really change is...” Eddie cut himself off before his words could thicken the atmosphere.

“I’d be rocking your world every night?” Richie supplied with a smirk.

Eddie threw him an unimpressed look, cutting it short to look away and hide the blush on his cheeks.

“Well, as fun as this game of ‘capture the Reddie’ has been, it’s getting a bit old. So if you ever feel like taking a ride on Richie, just let me know.”

Eddie’s face scrunched up in disgust.

“Gross.”

“Hey, you’re the one suggesting we get together.” Richie defended.

Eddie’s face flared up again, the red dusting his cheeks nearly imperceptible in the low lighting of the closet.

“Whatever. I take it back.”

“Nu-uh, no take-backs.” Richie stated proudly, using the long connection of shoelaces as a makeshift scarf and draping it around Eddie’s neck, using the ends to pull him closer.

“You want to love on me.” Richie singsonged.

“Shut up, Richie.”

“Frankly, I don’t blame you. I’m a looker. My mom says I could be a model. Your mom says I could be a playboy model.”

“Richie, I swear to god-”

“It’s not your fault you’re attracted to me, really, you’re only human.”

“If you don’t stop talking-”

“There’s a reason I’m the eye candy of the group.”

Eddie, now mere inches from Richie’s blabbering mouth thanks to the maneuvering from the shoelace scarf, did the only thing he could think of to shut him up.

Richie let out a startled yip as Eddie crashing their lips together, his eyes squeezed shut as Richie’s widened.

It took a moment, one long agonizing moment of hesitation, before Richie was pushing back into the kiss.

Their lips moved together easily, soft and pliant against one another, flavored with a faint taste of peppermint chapstick.

The kiss wasn’t deep. It didn’t last uncharacteristically long, nor did it ween off into other activities. It just, was. And once it wasn’t, Richie and Eddie both felt a distinct loss in their chests that felt both familiar and unfamiliar all at once.

It was the same feeling they got every time they had to part ways to go home for dinner. The same feeling they got when one of them left for vacation. The same feeling they got when they arrived at school, eager to see the other, only to find out they were home sick.

It was the feeling of loss when your other half wasn’t with you. And now that they’d kissed, anything less felt like a loss.

They reconnected within an instant, surging towards each other with renewed fervor. This time the kiss became more, became heavy, became wanting. It was an acknowledgement of years of repressed feelings, an apology for all the time lost, and a promise to never revert back.

Eddie let Richie pull him into his chest, falling backwards so they laid together in a heap of grasping hands. Richie’s fingers threaded through Eddie’s hair, Eddie’s hands clambered at Richie’s chest, their mouths became open caves as tongues explored new ground.

There’s no way of knowing how long they stayed like that before the doors to the closet reopened.

Eddie lifted his head, squinting as his eyes got used to the natural light coming in from Stan’s window. Richie stayed laying on the ground, tilting his head back and being greeted by an upside down Beverly.

“Stan! We made fifty bucks!” Beverly yelled excitedly into the hallway.

Eddie and Richie untangled themselves from each other, standing up slowly as their minds struggled to catch up to the real world.

“No way, they actually did it!?” Stan barreled into the room, observing the pair as they exited the closet, noticeably disheveled.

“You guys better not have had sex in there.” He added as an after thought.

Richie sighed, grabbed his art piece from around Eddie’s neck and balling it up before tucking the connected shoelaces into Stan’s shirt pocket, patting it lightly.“Thanks for the chill time, Stan the man.”

Stan and Bev stared after them quizzically as they left the room.

They were halfway down the hallway when Stan discovered the state of his closet.

“WHAT THE FUCK, RICHARD!?”

With hands interlocked, and matching giggling grins, they booked it out of Stan’s house.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Global poverty rates to rise because of coronavirus (NYT) The World Bank says that for the first time since 1998, global poverty rates will rise. By the end of the year eight percent of the world’s population—a half a billion people—could be pushed into destitution, largely because of the wave of unemployment brought by virus lockdowns, the United Nations estimates. While everyone will suffer, the developing world will be hardest hit. The World Bank estimates that sub-Saharan Africa will see its first recession in 25 years, with nearly half of all jobs lost across the continent. South Asia will likely experience its worst economic performance in 40 years.​

About 7-in-10 U.S. adults say they need to take breaks from COVID-19 news (Pew Research Center) An earlier Pew study found that 87% of Americans are following coronavirus news “fairly or very closely,” but new research suggests that many are reaching their limits for news intake. A majority of Americans (71%) say they need to take breaks from coronavirus news, 43% say it makes them feel worse emotionally and about half say they find it difficult to sift through what is true and what is not, according to the new survey.

Is the United States still a party to the Iran nuclear deal? (Foreign Policy) When Washington wants to sanction Iran, it seems to think it is. The Trump administration is looking to its fellow members of the United Nations security council to support the United States in extending an arms embargo against Iran, due to be lifted on October 23. Under the terms of U.N. Security Council resolution 2231, the resolution that endorsed the Iran deal, any country can reimpose sanctions if parties are believed to be in breach of the deal. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has pushed back against the idea that just because the United States withdrew from the agreement it is excluded from enforcing parts of it. “Someone suggested this is fancy lawyering. It’s just reading,” he told a State Department press briefing. Pompeo also called on the European nations who were parties to the Iran deal to join the United States in extending the arms embargo.

Bolsonaro appointee blocked (Foreign Policy) Brazil’s Supreme Court has blocked the appointment of Alexandre Ramagem as Brazil’s new chief of federal police, saying that Ramagem’s close relationship with the Bolsonaro family put him in a compromising position. Bolsonaro had already been criticized for the appointment by Sergio Moro, who recently resigned as justice minister. Moro alleged that Bolsonaro had interfered with federal police investigations prior to stepping down.

Swedish authorities thinking outside the box (Foreign Policy) Authorities in the Swedish city of Lund have devised a novel way to ward off crowds for an upcoming day of national celebration: chicken manure. The Walpurgis festival is usually an all-day, alcohol-fueled party to celebrate the coming of spring, with mass gatherings and bonfires part of the fun. With no formal lockdowns in place across Sweden, Lund’s municipal workers will spread a ton of chicken manure in its central park to deter such revelry. “We get the opportunity to fertilize the lawns, and at the same time it will stink and so it may not be so nice to sit and drink beer.” Gustav Lundblad, chairman of the local council’s environment committee, told the Sydsvenskan newspaper.

Happy Birthday ‘Colonel’ Tom (Reuters) British World War Two veteran Captain Tom Moore, who has become a national hero after raising almost 30 million pounds for charities that help front-line National Health Service staff, celebrates his 100th birthday on Thursday with an honorary promotion and two military flypasts. Moore was appointed the first Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College, based near the town where he grew up, a position that came with the approval of Queen Elizabeth, the defence ministry said. He raised the money by completing laps of his garden with the help of a walking frame, having initially set out to raise just 1,000 pounds. That figure means he now holds the Guinness World Record title for the most money raised by an individual through a walk.

Pandemic Shakes France’s Faith in a Cornerstone: Strong Central Government (NYT) While France’s vaunted health care system has staved off disaster, France has suffered the world’s fourth-biggest death toll—now at 23,660 official deaths, behind the United States, Italy and Spain—a consequence, critics say, of the central government’s failure to anticipate the onslaught of the contagion. That failure and a critical shortage of masks and testing kits—also resulting from gaps in state policies—led to the virus’s rapid early spread, prompting France to impose one of the word’s strictest nationwide lockdowns, now in its seventh week. Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced a tentative plan on Monday to gradually reopen the country starting on May 11. But it was not clear that those steps would halt what polls show is declining confidence in the government’s handling of the pandemic. “Trust in the state has been eroding for some time, since the state is no longer able to respond to the need for security,” said Phillipe Laurent, the mayor of Sceaux and the secretary general of the Association of Mayors of France.

In lockdown, Swiss turn to snooping and snitching (Reuters) A mother checking on her ex-husband’s sexual habits to protect their asthmatic child; a retiree frustrated with a neighbour who talks loudly on late-night conference calls; a woman angry with a family downstairs for hosting large play dates. These are all client requests made to a Swiss private detective since the country imposed coronavirus confinement measures six weeks ago. Christian Sideris, founder of Seeclop, a six-man detective agency in Geneva, has refused all but one of them, urging his callers to seek other solutions in extraordinary times, but the requests reveal the mounting frustration of living together. “We have a lot of these types of cases because people are confined and on top of each other all day,” he said. Normally, Sideris gets between two and four requests a year for such cases. Since lockdown began, he has had two a week. The Swiss are known for complaining about their neighbours, often using rules designed to keep the noise down. These are rigorously enforced in Geneva, where 16th Century protestant reformer John Calvin banned instrumental music when he was in charge.

Greece Has ‘Defied the Odds’ in the Pandemic (NYT) For years, Greece has been seen as one of the European Union’s most troubled members, weighed down by a financial crisis, corruption and political instability. But in the coronavirus pandemic, the country has emerged as a welcome surprise: its outbreak appears to be far more limited than what was expected. As the virus spread across Europe, many Greeks feared the worst: They would be the next Italy or Spain. After all, the country’s health care system had been weakened by a decade-long financial crisis. And Greece has one of the oldest populations in the European Union, second only to Italy, leaving it more vulnerable to the disease. But the number of reported deaths and people in intensive care because of the virus in Greece has remained a tiny fraction of what they are in many other European nations.

Taiwan Emerging From Pandemic With a Stronger Hand Against China (Bloomberg) Few governments around the world are likely to emerge from the pandemic with a stronger standing than before. Taiwan is one of them—and that’s not good for China. Taiwan was forced to contain the outbreak without official help from the World Health Organization and other international bodies, thanks to China’s longstanding push to isolate the democratically ruled island that it claims as its territory. For weeks, leaders in Taipei struggled to evacuate residents from the virus epicenter in Wuhan, as Beijing rejected basic conditions such as having Taiwanese medical personnel aboard the aircraft. Around the same time, the People’s Republic of China flew bombers and fighter jets around the island, prompting President Tsai Ing-Wen to scramble warplanes. Despite those hurdles, Taiwan has led the world in its fight against the virus, with only about 400 infections and six deaths for a population of 23 million. By comparison, New York state—with slightly fewer people—had almost 300,000 cases and more than 22,000 deaths. Taiwan’s success against Covid-19 has shown that democracies could fight the virus without resorting to authoritarian measures, serving as a key rebuttal against Chinese propaganda showcasing the strength of its system against the West.

Packed With Migrant Workers, Dormitories Fuel Coronavirus in Singapore (NYT) Singapore has seen a surge of coronavirus cases among migrant workers, after months of successfully controlling the outbreak. As of Tuesday, coronavirus cases linked to migrant worker dormitories accounted for 88 percent of Singapore’s 14,446 cases, including more than 1,400 new cases in a single day. Many migrant workers live in packed dormitories on the outskirts of the city. These dormitories can house up to 20 people per room, making it almost impossible to follow social distancing guidelines. Migrant workers around the world have been among the most vulnerable groups affected by the pandemic.

Japanese Gangsters Say “No” To COVID-19 aid (Worldcrunch) Japan’s notorious yakuza—gangsters—have displayed a peculiar sense of civic duty in the face of past national disasters, having donated money to victims of the Kobe earthquake in 1995 and the 2011 Fukushima tsunami disaster. Now, Japanese news site News Post Seven reports that yakuza bosses are publicly declining the 100,000 yen ($940) coronavirus relief checks that the government recently agreed to issue to all registered residents. It’s apparently a question of reputation as much as magnanimity. “To put it simply, it’s not worth it taking a mere 100,000 yen if people then turn around and say that I’m profiting from the country during this state of emergency. If the story spread through word of mouth, my reputation would be finished!,” one unnamed leader of a major gang told Tomohiko Suzuki, a writer and noted organized crime expert. We must assume that the yakuza bosses also wouldn’t dare leave the house without wearing a mask.

Protests flare in Lebanon (Foreign Policy) Protesters are out in full force again in Lebanon, where thousands poured into the streets earlier this week to protest the sharp devaluation of the country’s currency, which has worsened a severe economic crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic. The protests turned violent as demonstrators blocked roads, razed banks, and attacked soldiers, injuring 54 military personnel. The turmoil has some experts worried that the country is on the brink of both economic and political collapse.

[lookwhatilost]

saulposting time!

i really, really loved “nippy” tbh. i’m not sure why people on reddit are so angry about it – i guess since point & shoot and fun & games felt a bit more like brba episodes, and the latter ended with the saul goodman jump cut, people were expecting a concurrent timeline situation. i’m happy they didn’t end up going in that direction with it. gus and mike’s endings were perfect, and i feel like the gaps between kim leaving and becoming saul don’t need to waste time with expositional details.

like, we know that jimmy is like this now because no one is around to discourage this sort of behavior in him anymore. we know that he bought caldera’s black book off him. it’s probably fair to assume that francesca’s decor was swapped out in favor of the kitschy constitution decor because it’d matter less if his customer base wrecked it. after a while, it just becomes splitting hairs.

i think this is one of those episodes that people’s opinions will improve towards when it hits streaming honestly

going off the information available – the episode title being announced as “breaking bad” and the promo pictures, it’s likely that this is referencing gene and jeff, or maybe jeff and his buddy.

here’s my ending prediction: jeff and buddy try to pull off a similar heist without gene’s guidance and get caught. they make a deal for a reduced sentence while in custody on the condition that they rat gene out. he’s eventually arrested based on this. kim, having moved back to nebraska, hears of this, studies to pass the nebraska bar (assuming she hasn’t returned to law already, given how much time has passed), and represents him in court. she ends up getting him a reduced sentence.

it seems like a sensible ending to me, but there’s also a lot that it doesn’t account for. for one, the nebraska football fans narrowed the timeline down to october 2010, so that puts us around a month after walt dies, and a few weeks before the birthday phone call to francesca. gene’s been in hiding for around 7 months at this point, so maybe the call is from him? just to check in with how things are going on her end legally. i don’t know if it makes sense for kim to be calling him. i feel like that would take away from the gravity and seriousness of their breakup if they’re still marginally in contact. maybe it’s huell? kuby?

and then the walt and jesse cameos. i genuinely don’t know how they could be organically integrated into the series unless it’s one of the following:

1) we get an episode dedicated to what kim has been doing these past 6 years. at some point during this, she catches a news program about the heisenberg manhunt and the associated parties, being jesse and saul. i’m presuming she’s mostly moved on with her life at this point. maybe she’s remarried. she turns to her spouse and says something to the effect of “holy shit, that’s my ex husband”

2) we see a flashback scene that’s relevant to what exactly jeff was doing in abq. he crosses paths with walt and jesse at some point.

3) jeff solicits gene’s help for more schemes. gene gives jeff a warning: “remember that chemistry teacher i told you about?” and it’s a condensed retelling of the events of breaking bad from his perspective. think “bad blood” from the x-files, with an emphasis on comedy. come to think of it, gilligan wrote that one. it would also make a lot of sense for the character. saul didn’t exactly think highly of them: “you two suck at peddling meth”

i’d be happiest with option one or option three. either way, jeff is certainly going to be a linchpin for the final act of the show. i’m also fond of the theory that marion knows more than she’s letting on.

i still don’t understand why gilligould and company announced those cameos at all. it could have been a nice surprise, provided it’s executed properly, but now so many of the fans are just getting impatient and they’ll be disappointed if it’s not everything they built it up as in their head. i think it’d really suck if they did an el camino type thing with them.

some other stray thoughts:

- this seems to be a bit of a callback to how we were introduced to jimmy. slipping jimmy moves to abq from chicago and is trying to live a more honest version of his life after getting into legal trouble, gene moves to omaha from abq and is more or less trying to do something similar, albeit with less choice in the matter and higher stakes. he dips his toes back in the water with the kettlemans, he dips his toes back in the water again with jeff. so, will jimmy accept this as one last hurrah and bury it? will he turn himself in?

- there was a s6A promo where we see gene back in abq. so, it begs the question, what exactly is he doing there? is he surrendering or is this business on jeff or marion’s behalf?

- i’m like 90% sure tom schnauz is trolling with the title. remember when everyone thought black & blue was a negro y azul callback, and since it’s the brba episode that preceded better call saul, they were so damn certain walt and jesse would show up in the next episode? pepperidge farm remembers.

- not a fan of the theory on reddit that jeff was a former member of jack’s gang, that he’s aware of walt’s meth money, and enlists gene to help him find it. i don’t want the nazis to be a last minute bigbad AGAIN. it felt slipshod the first time. but it would explain the abq gene promo? ugh fuck.

- i still wish they’d done more with spooge. maybe spooge is part of the bad crowd dafjldjfldjafhk

- i wonder what the deal is with neal honda’s character? maybe we’ll see him in the kim episode? i can’t imagine there isn’t going to be a kim episode.

eh, i suppose this is enough for now. i can’t wait for monday hah 😸

[fireflythecinnamonjollyrancher]

hello it is once again time for my end of the year wrap up. this should be... interesting

january

finally finally got to have a happy apartment experience!!!!! tried out tea drops which are dope. there was a fair amount of stress revolving around APO induction and the musical rehearsal, but we made it!!! partied hardy (the infamous tess in the washing machine incident) kelli was watching always sunny more often than not. i wore some arguably bad clothing but ya know. gays. we tried to take off my closet door (it did NOT work). the beginning of the goose saga! there was a sleet storm so kelli and i made some popcorn and watched mike birbiglia’s new special. darci, kelli and i went out to eat and then ended up in babcock playing air hockey before watching videos with kai who was on duty. PEP BAND???? some good memories formed there. dogs in the library! got bullied by my library boss to put gas in my car and i sent her a video of proof that i did it “daddy long legs” “stop. what?” “the musical” (i do love timothy) i actually practiced my instrument lol wild. WE (becky, celeste, timothy and i) WATCHED SPIRIT and got wildly drunk -- the origin of “[redacted] [redacted] who???” which is my favorite joke.

february

MORE PEP BAND im actually really glad i spent my last few college months dicking around with the band. one man drumline!!! kai made some good tiktoks in our apartment! miss hanging with them it was really fun. oh i hung out with sam and celeste watching movies “he was a boy, she was a dolphin, can i make it anymore [strangled dolphin noises]” OUR MICROWAVE HANDLE BROKE OFF while kelli was gone man that entire apartment was falling apart (hey dumbass grab from top) -- a list of things that were broken in our apartment: fridge light, front entry light, showerhead, phone. the birth of the beans insta!!!! got hit on when i was at taco bell with timothy by being accused of being trans (taco bell guy was not far off to be fair). oh the improv posters as compared to the posters i built for an organization fair. went out and got daRUNK at what appears to be wandas. really struggled with my period. cut hair with kelli n darci. MOZZ STICKS. “you still a lil bitch???” oh we did kpy pal-entines!!! where we ate good food and watched the princess bride!!! i received the plush goose. there was a possible bombing at the bank next door to where we rehearsed for band. aw i went on a tommy’s date with becky that was cute. they tried to STEAL the QUESO. disagreed with a curb and still have those scars. worked a horrible gig at the theatre. closing shifts at the library baby! middle school tours EW more library dogs! fish hooks song oh my god. drunk mash nights!!! i rewatched HAVEN and had lots of feelings. actually got drunk alone a lot which was Bad. however michael malloys birthday! watched choir concert at work lol. stats final whilst drunk!!!! becky got a piercing

march

here things go downhill rapidly. hit up the trains at least once. oh late library nights with timothy!!!! the best nights i miss hanging with him while at work. struggled with my car. went on a college sponsored adventure to a back alley farm. SCURVY FEARS. opening shifts that were lonely. oh celeste played plague and named it covid and won lol yikes. the infamous apartment cone. we stayed up long enough to see the sunrise on literally the last day in college I would ever have. that was good. I FOUND OUT KELLI HAD GLASSES im still pissed. came home indefinitely. went to st patty’s day at brookes with karrigan and that was SO much fun (this was before things seemed real) the best part of that was the irish pub owner who happened to have a son that went to my college. got my mom onto tik tok. took a gay lit class. can’t believe i took daily fckn walks around the pasture who was i. hosted virtual meetings for apo and played around with the closed captioning. that was fun. shaved my moms head lmaooo. worked on my capstone which im like super proud of? i wish i could have directed it but say law vee. 

april

BAGPIPE CORPS INTERNATIONAL. virtual band wreaked havoc on my animals mental health. my grandmother would always bug me while i was working which i understand now was misplaced love but it was so irritating at the time. we had library meetings once a week or so that was vital to mental health. hosted a really fun “panel” about queer identity for my queer lit class that was able to educate a lot of people. having a capstone class with am*lia was a nightmare. watched a cirque du soleil show for free and lost my mind. wrote a comedic monologue that i suffered through. suffered through papers and projects. worked on a project with celeste and kelli and we had SUCH a good time. i hosted several jackbox nights for both apo and kpy. that was SUCH an exhausting experience. also uno and drawful with the uno group (kelli would win 100% of the time). ranted about group projects lol i struggled. OH THE MOVE OUT DEBACLE i really went off the deep end. kelli’s virtual birthday!!!!

may

we had so many good jackbox nights. academic showcase and honors convocation happened wherein i was name bronco award winner and that really wrecked me too lol. we had a sunday crew hang out for library workers. clarinet game night too! i tried so hard to build community during covid and im not altogether sure i accomplished it but ya know whatever. watsky broke the record! made my “aced it” grad cap which was so FUNNY and still is tbh. becky taught me how to do makeup. took grad pictures at an abandoned farmhouse lol OH MY GOSH BEAUX ARTS AND APO SKIT i was so proud of that night and annette said it was the best one we’d ever had. wish i had done more but we did it boys. also got VERY drunk for it lol completely redid my room. bc it was NASTY. the way i write papers is so SO funny to me. had our last capstones class and then dressed in grad outfits for our last lit meeting . graduated and got all my stuff from college finally. went shopping with timothy, had el puerto with becky (i think?). oh the infamous miller moths UGH shit is nasty. THE FORMING OF BANJO SHRIMPS occurred on may 24 2020 and that was the absolute best thing to come out of this year. started working at my dads agency which was the absolute worst thing to come out of this year. attended my first protest in cos which was good and healthy. started protesting regularly after that. my most poignant memory was laying down in front of city hall and chanting “i cant breathe” for 8 minutes. 

june

it snowed???? i was angry. part of my job was reading my dad’s email and there was some WACKO shit in there. went to brookes for pride as a surprise which was cute n fun. had a horrible interaction with a client. the appearance of the bigfoot statue!!!! we had a vanilla beans hang out. there was a WILD storm that literally made my hide out in the office. 

july

went on a bonkers rant about america bc fuck this place. helped mom out with homework. we had several clients get divorces which was messy. went to a Bad party where i was angry the whole time. went to the top of pikes peak with my grandma and saw many much bigfoot things. we got a GOOSE he hated us so much. oh there was a night where darci and kai came over and we hijacked kelli’s spotify and communicated that way it was SO funny. took a video of the dichotomy of man bc of my long ass leg hair and short ass head hair. shaved my head to the BONE and tried dragon fruit. GOT NIKO ON JULY 24 my sweet sweet boy lil bat looking motherfucker. got denied for life insurance for mental health reasons. 

august

went back to hc for a birthday “party” and to see the band. did a lot in that weekend (stayed with timothy’s family, helped becky move, met kelli’s look-alike, saw timothy and karlie’s new house!!! had lunch with kellis family which is closest to “meet my parents” i think i’ll ever get lmao). got my prof headshots and hate every single one of them but more for self esteem reasons lol. neighbors got goats and my mom lost her marbles. got trapped in traffic on the way back from hc. niko had crackhead energy. oooooooh documented gender crisis. ma got more chickens. went to a birthday party for a high school friend and was just... so out of my element. its weird. took off my grandma’s bathroom door bc she had knee surgery. started a full time job as my grandmother’s caretaker (love working for the family business lol).

september

went to breckenridge with a friend!!!!!! spicy times lol. cleaned the cupboard. had a birf. turned 22. cas finished her drugs!!!! and felt much better. we did a charcuterie board for my birthday which was very fun. Got a mixer set!!! went to hc for homecoming and graduated!!!!! surprised celeste and hannah with a celebration party for them (it was a lot of fun). came up with my BEST joke (summa cum laude). got called tf out for my gender crisis via tarot. got the goose game!!!! played the goose game!!!!

october

applied to chicago center!!!! will now be working there for a year!!!! this was the first documentation of banjo shrimp nights. surprised my dad for boss day by working with the team to fill his office with balloons. house sat for dad’s friends. started taking showers in the dark. went to celestes and made PASTA wow got very drunk and while she slept i just explored a strangers house. voted!!!!! wow. finally (finally) started to accept that i was maybe agender. had a snow day but i couldn’t work so that was fun. had halloween with banjo shrimps where i dressed up as david rose. that was SUCH a good night. participated in ace week!!! then, dressed as radar for actual halloween and had monumental. worked a volunteer haunted house and like... actually did pretty good?? felt like a real adult!!!!

november

so many things happened in november. i finished miraculous ladybug on netflix. had another bad interaction with a client bc the customer is always wrong. shaved my head. PRESENTATION NIGHT to distract from the election lmao what a good time. had so many emotions about the election. then biden won and we lost our damn minds -- video called with celeste and becky to celebrate (with the reminder that we know that this doesn’t solve everything but it was such a huge sigh of relief). started watching the last kids on earth. made more PASTA and soup! got my GHOSTY TATTOO. kahoot night with the banjo shrimps lol. watched the supernatural finale with kelli (what good memories) rewatched 3below good shit. got the chicago job so i quit being an insurance person!!!! brooke came for thanksgiving!!!

december

i dont wanna talk about it but i finally started watching unus annus (theres an archive its not the same but it provided me wild amounts of serotonin). “call that invisible split dye”. crimmus. had a video call with people from high school i rarely if ever see. this entire month has been a fuckin blur my guys but i’m so excited for what’s next. in two days i will be in an apartment in chicago. i will be reunited with my best friend in a little under two weeks. i cannot emphasize enough how excited i am for this next chapter. so yeah. that was my year. im sure there was more memories but that’s what the sideblog is for lol

[politicoscope]

Tulsi Gabbard Biography and Profile

New Post has been published on https://www.politicoscope.com/tulsi-gabbard-biography-and-profile/

Tulsi Gabbard Biography and Profile

Tulsi Gabbard was born in Leloaloa, American Samoa on April 12, 1981, the fourth of five children. At the age of two, Tulsi and her family settled in Hawaii where as a teenager, she co-founded the Healthy Hawaii Coalition, a non-profit teaching children to take care of themselves and the environment.

“I grew up with the Aloha Spirit. We try to treat everyone with respect. Like family.” –Tulsi Gabbard, US Congresswoman.

An advocate for environmental policy, Tulsi ran for the Hawaii State Legislature in 2002 and became the youngest person ever elected. A year later, Tulsi joined the Hawaii National Guard to serve Hawaii’s citizens and our country.

Tulsi Gabbard spent her life growing up in beautiful Hawaii. As a teenager, she co-founded an environmental non-profit called Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, focused on educating children about protecting Hawaii’s environment.

An advocate for environmental policy, Tulsi was elected to the Hawaii State Legislature in 2002 when she was just 21 years old, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state. A year later, she joined the Hawaii Army National Guard to serve Hawaii and our country.

In 2004, Tulsi volunteered to deploy with her fellow soldiers, becoming the first state official to voluntarily step down from public office to serve in a war zone.

Tulsi served two tours of duty in the Middle East, and she continues her service as a Major in the Army National Guard. Tulsi’s 2005 deployment was a 12-month tour at Logistical Support Area Anaconda in Iraq, where she served in a field medical unit as a specialist with a 29th Support Battalion medical company. She was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at the end of this tour.

“I think she’s wonderful,” House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer tells me. “She’s been in combat in a leadership role, and she knows how to lead. She deals well with men and women, young and old, Republican and Democrat. She’s got an extraordinary political talent.”

In between her two tours, Tulsi served in the U.S. Senate as a legislative aide to Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), where she advised him on energy independence, homeland security, the environment, and veteran issues. While working for Senator Akaka in 2007, Tulsi graduated from the Accelerated Officer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy, where she was the first woman to finish as the distinguished honor graduate in the Academy’s 50-year history.

Tulsi was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and again assigned to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion of the Hawaii Army National Guard—this time to serve as the Military Police Platoon Leader.

Tulsi continued to work for Senator Akaka until 2009, when she again voluntarily deployed with her unit to the Middle East. During this second deployment, in addition to leading her platoon on a wide variety of security missions, she also conducted non-military host-nation visits and served as a primary trainer for the Kuwait National Guard. Tulsi was one of the first women to set foot inside a Kuwait military facility and became the first woman to ever be awarded and honored by the Kuwait National Guard for her work in their training and readiness program.

In 2010, Tulsi was elected to the Honolulu City Council, serving as Chair of the Safety, Economic Development, and Government Affairs Committee and Vice Chair of the Budget Committee. In 2011, she visited Indonesia as part of a peacekeeping training with the Indonesian Army. Tulsi was elected in 2012 to the United States House of Representatives, serving Hawaii’s 2nd District. She is one of the first two female combat veterans to ever serve in the U.S. Congress, and also its first Hindu member.

Now in her fourth term in Congress, Tulsi brings with her a broad range of real world experience, a storehouse of personal strength, and tested leadership as she represents the people of Hawai’i and our nation in Congress. As she works on the challenges that face our country, she remains focused on bringing her pragmatic approach to working in a collaborative, bipartisan fashion to find real solutions that best serve the people.

Tulsi serves on the House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee where she is a strong advocate for veterans, our service members, and making smart strategic decisions that best secure our nation. Tulsi is working every day to make sure we have a sustainable economy that works for all families, with access to affordable health care, good jobs, and a quality education.

Tulsi Gabbard and Her Father Mike Gabbard Her father, Mike remembers, “When we look back, there were these qualities like determination and focus. When Tulsi was ten she said, ‘Dad, there’s this Typing Tutor program.’ ” He and his wife, Carol, were homeschooling all five of their children at the time, shaping the curriculum to their interests. They bought the program, and a year later: “She goes, ‘Watch this.’ She’s eleven, typing 120 words a minute.”

In those years, Gabbard says, she had a yearning “to be part of something bigger than myself.” At fifteen, she cofounded with her father a nonprofit environmental organization, Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, and then at 21, when a seat came open in the state legislature, she made a surprise decision to run, despite her almost paralyzing fear of speaking in public. “It never entered my mind that this would require giving speeches,” she says now, laughing. “The first one I gave was at an elementary school, and there were 300 people. I thought I was going to throw up, I was so nervous.”

But she delivered that speech and more; she knocked on doors, turned out inexpensive black-and-white flyers (“I didn’t have any money,” she says. “We made every dollar count”), and won the election—becoming among the youngest women voted to statewide office in U.S. history. That year, 2002, it seemed easy to believe in something called Team Gabbard. Her mother, Carol, was already on the State Board of Education; her father was getting elected to the Honolulu City Council; and Tulsi wasn’t just her district’s new representative but appeared cut from the same cloth as her parents. She shared their vegetarianism, their attraction to Hinduism (which she adopted as a teen), and the hard-line social conservatism that has made her father, in particular, a bugbear to women’s groups and the LGBT community to this day.

Tulsi Gabbard and her father Mike Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard and Abraham Williams

Abraham Williams is a freelance cinematographer in Honolulu. He is a son of Anya Anthony and the stepson of Timothy S. Anthony of Kailua, Hawaii. The groom’s mother is the manager of Ms. Gabbard’s district office in Honolulu. His father teaches social studies and administers the English language learner program at Kalakaua Middle School in Honolulu.

The bride’s first marriage ended in divorce.

She and Mr. Williams had been acquainted for some time, but they didn’t really get to know each other until 2012, “when he was volunteering on the shoots for my campaign ads,” Ms. Gabbard wrote in an email. “About a year and a half later, he asked me out for the first time at a birthday party that a mutual friend of ours threw for me. It was the first time that we had a chance to kick back, relax and really talk on a personal level.

“As we got to know each other, we realized how much we actually had in common. We went for a long walk on our first date, and ended up at a pickup volleyball game with a few friends. Pretty soon, we were going on hikes, going surfing and spending as much time together as we could. Oftentimes that meant an early-morning surf before work. Our friendship and relationship developed over our mutual love for the ocean and surfing.”

Surfing also played a part in the marriage proposal. Ms. Gabbard said:

“I was home from D.C., and the day before Thanksgiving, he mentioned he wanted to go for a sunset surf on the South Shore that night. I was in meetings all day, and by the time we left, the sun was starting to set. We got stuck in traffic at a really long red light, and he was getting so frustrated. I couldn’t understand what the big deal was.

“By the time we got there and were paddling out, the sun was just about to dip under the horizon. He paddled quickly out to the lineup, way ahead of me, and waited as I slowly made my way out. Then he paddled over, pulled out a double-tethered contraption attached to a gold duct-tape-covered flotation device, with a beautiful ring attached, and said, ‘I have a question for you: Will you marry me?’ ”

Tulsi Gabbard and Abraham Williams

Tulsi Gabbard Biography and Profile (Tulsi Gabbard)

[symplegades]

i’m gonna do one of those old facebook note quiz things from 2010

Are you ready to answer these questions honestly even if it starts to get hard? ya How old is the last person you kissed on the lips? 27 Who was the last person you had a face to face conversation with? my best friend from undergrad What were you doing at 12 am last night? getting into bed/falling asleep Does the person you like, like you back? um i hope so!!!!!!! we share a bed????? Have you ever walked away from someone who was yelling at you? unclear. maybe but i think i’d be too squeamish to do that, i’d just stand there and cry Do you ignore people when you're mad/upset with them? nah i always have to talk it out either with them or someone else, and both options usually end in me getting over it/getting closure and going back to normal Did you kiss or hug anyone in the last 48 hours? yep When you say you don't care do you mean it? i don’t say i don’t care very much, so i guess when i say it i do mean it? i’ll have to pay attention next time Do you plan on sleeping in tomorrow? yep Did your last kiss take place in/on a bed? nah i kissed mike while he was still covered in shaving cream it was yikes Have you ever cried cause you were so mad? oh absolutely, like 100% of the time What's your favourite color? cool colors. <-- what i wrote in 2010 but still true What color is your shirt? grey with purple lettering What do you hear? netflix, i’m watching this movie ~out of the dark~ Last person of the opposite sex you gave a hug to? actually my friend kevin from grad school! i just ran into him at work Are you sitting or standing? sitting. <-- also written in 2010, also still true Are you keeping a secret from anyone? um probably Have you ever kissed someone in the rain? ya Have you kissed someone with braces? yes. <-- i don’t remember that but apparently yes Are you short? ok in 2010 i wrote yes but i think i’m actually pretty average or even taller than average. maybe i was shorter in 10th grade What would your last name be if you were married to the last person you texted? ok i just texted like 3 people at once. i guess velez Last picture comment was from? did this mean, like, on myspace or facebook? idk who was the last person to comment on my fb photos. oh actually you know what a friend of a friend went through all my public posts including photos and commented on all of it and it was rly offputting, so that’s who How was your day overall? p good, i applied to 2 jobs and got called back for a second interview for another job (FINALLY) Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now? probably SOMEONE in the world. maybe my ma Have you ever kissed anyone within an hour of meeting them? ok mike tried to kiss me after our first date but i was like no that is creepy. and looking back i’m like aw so sweet we shoulda kissed! but no it was still uncomfy that he was trying to kiss me a very short time after we first met Are you anyone's first love? pls. sure i guess, people in high school. Could you handle living together with the last person who texted you? lol maybe? i’ve never considered it. prolly we could find agreements/common ground So, the person you like, their name starts with a B, doesn't it? it does not. <-- still true Is the person you last texted single? negative. <-- also still true Do you think age matters in relationships? i mean it’s totally dependent on context. we talking about 16 and 18 year olds or 16 and 32 year olds? i guess it always MATTERS it just depends on how it matters, like being similar ages kinda matters bc you’ve had similar life experiences at similar points in history and being very different ages matters bc you gotta wonder what’s going on. but once you’re over like, 25 i feel like bigger age gaps are more acceptable depending on what’s going on in folks lives. idk. How is your hair right now? it’s okay, up in a pony. actually i thought it was in a bun but i just touched it and it is a pony, usually it’s a bun when i’m home Do you hate the last guy you had a conversation with? nah he’s cool, although sometimes i have trouble following his thought process Where was your default picture taken? my prof pic on fb was taken at columbia Who's the last person you took a picture with? yikes, ahhhh... probably mike. Are you waiting for something? a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How did you get your last bruise? who knows. <-- still true. i’m not sure i currently have any bruises? Do you believe in love? yes. <-- still true What are your plans for the summer? ikea with sami tomorrow, permit on monday, kate's birthday party monday night, possibly beach with em sara hayley + meg on tuesday, dermatologist on wednesday, california with sami from friday to tuesday, one week home, to maine for 2 weeks, one week home to schedule driving time and finish summer reading and find a job. wooo!

^^^^^sorry i just wanna preserve that 2010 message bc it’s so wholesome and high school-ish and carefree.

my actual summer plans are just intense job hunting and getting a job. then maybe planning a trip home or to maine, then planning a china trip but probably won’t happen this summer. What was your first thought this morning? wa wa why is my alarm going off Have you kissed anyone this month? ya Could you date someone taller than you? sure Is there anything in your past that you'd like to try again? uhhh. yeah i’m sure there are things i didn’t do great. idk? Have you ever gotten butterflies from someone? oh yes. <-- lol wtf? “oh yes”? ya sure idk Do you like waking up in the morning to find that you have new texts? sometimes. i think when i was younger it was more exciting but now i’m kinda relieved when i wake up and don’t have notifications. Ever had braces? nope. <-- still true Do you enjoy Taco Bell or McDonalds? i haven’t eaten either in ages even tho i want to but i know i’ll just get diarrhea. but i’d probably get mcdonalds given the choice Have you ever walked on the beach at night? oh yes. <-- oh yes?? anyway the most prominent “walking on the beach at night” story was when i was on spring break with my friends in ghana (or maybe we were in togo?) and we got stuck in this beach house like a mile down this deserted beach and it was like 2am and we’re walking and all super scared bc we’re a bunch of american girls in a foreign land and then 2 random dudes come out of nowhere and we’re all like NO LEAVE US ALONE and they somehow follow us to our house? and like try to come in? and we’re all f r e a k i n g out bc we’re afraid they’re gonna attack us but then my friend who is naive and trusting opens the door and we’re all screaming like DON’T OPEN THE DOOR but then i guess he just asked if we like... needed matches or something. anyway it was a lot What were you doing at 2AM this morning? sleeping.  <-- still true Let me guess, your last incoming call was from the opposite sex? nope it was mike’s mom Has a girl sat on your bed before? yes although actually i don’t think that has happened in this apartment? no one ever really goes in the bedroom except mike and me. but maybe in the old apartment girls had sat on my bed before. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? chatting with my friend and getting my thread organized Ever kissed anyone 18 or older? lol ya Math or English? womp. english? i’m poop at math now i haven’t taken it since i was a freshman in undergrad Do you have any twins in your family? i don’t think so, which is surprising bc it’s a pretty big family Are you shy? depends on the setting and how comfy i am feeling Are you close with your siblings ? meh depends on the day. i think sometimes my middle sister mom’s me too much/nags me/treats me like a baby. You'd say "Fuck you" to your ex, ain't I right? which ex? i mean probably not, what’s the point? How you feeling? kinda hungry Will you ever run away and get married in Las Vegas with no notifications to either of your families? lol nooooooooo What do you think of boyfriends/girlfriends calling each other by food names? i think it is hilar and i wish mike and i did it If you're single, then why don't you get a boyfriend/girlfriend ? not single but also this question unnecessarily adheres to the gender binary also even if i was single i don’t need a partner heck! When was the last time you were craving to get drunk? wah not in a while, i can’t hold my alcohol and mike doesn’t drink so it’s not very fun I don't know about you, but I like saying "fuck" a lot. Do you? not like a LOT. when appropriate Do you think you'll be one of those people that will get a divorce in the future? eep i hope not? does anyone consider themselves “one of those people”? Who did you last hug? my best friend from undergrad Have you ever done something that was really bad for yourself? dur Is it worth crying over a guy or a girl? i mean... crying is crying. it’s not a question of worth it or not. if you wanna cry then cry Would you ever take someone back if they cheated on you? ya but we’d need to do a lot of emotional repair Has the last person you texted ever been mad at you before? oh absolutely i was trying to pretend that i wasn’t running horribly late but i was and i made her stand around for so long and she was pissed Has someone ever called you at midnight on your birthday? probably Are you wearing pants? shorts. does that count? <-- same Would you date someone twenty years older than you? womp not right now i’d feel a bit yikes. maybe if i was like 60 and they were 80 or something. it feels better to me if we’re both old lol Is your birthday in less than 6 months? nah Would you ever quit a bad habit for someone? i did actually! i was still smoking a bit when mike and i got together and he really hated it/asked me to stop Have you ever felt guilty about something you didn’t do? oh absolutely lol i feel lots of emotions about everything Do looks matter the most to you? nah Are you looking forward to tomorrow? meh Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to? yeah! What are you doing after this? probably gonna make french fries Is something bothering you? unemployment ;( Three days from now, will you be in a relationship? i don't even know if i'm in a relationship NOW. <-- o shit 2010 alicia??? wyd?? you good???

anyway ya i hope so Has someone ever made a promise with you and broke it? i’m sure Will your next kiss be a mistake? hope not! Do you think you can last in a relationship for 3 months? we goin on 3 years here so Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? mommy. <-- still true!! we literally talk every day if not multiple times a day. Are you trying to avoid liking somebody at the moment? nope! What are you doing tomorrow? sigh probably clean... apply for another job. cross stitch lol What was your last thought before you went to bed last night? he still likes me (: <-- i’m so sad for 2010 me. what is going on? i’m so sad.

and i have no clue what my last thought was, i think i was wondering if mike wanted me to stop leaning on his arm Do you get along more with girls or guys? girls are beautiful and perfect and guys are yikes until proven otherwise next Do you remember who you liked on New Years? lol ya this same guy Have you ever intentionally pissed someone off? probably? Is there someone on your mind that shouldn't be? nah The person you fell hardest for calls, what do you say? hey!!! how's phoenix?! why are you talking to me and not your arizona brethren? <-- ooooooooooh it’s when i dated this white missionary boy who i loved so much but he def did not love me but i was like, just totally infatuated. my best friend from high school refers to this boy as my renaissance bc i after dating him i started dating much cuter people lol

um anyway it’s hard to quantify who i fell hARDEST for i guess? i mean i’m currently in the process of marrying mike so i think he wins. if he called i would ask how bar night was and when the transformers movie is starting bc he got free tix from work Do you think someone has feelings for you? lol he better Have you done anything sneaky lately? hm hm. i don’t think sneaky. Do you find smoking unattractive? sigh i shouldn’t but i do think it makes ppl look sooooo COOL Do you still talk to the last person you kissed? ya we like live together How many cigarettes have you smoked today? zero. <-- still true! Kissed someone who's name started with an N? hmmmmm. when i studied abroad i kissed a LOT of people so i’m sure one of their names started with N When was the last time something bothered you? lol what? constantly? Was last night terrible? nah it was good just a quick turnaround of getting home and going to bed. i ate a lot of watermelon which was gr8 What does your hair look like right now? pony-ish First person to speak to you in '09? lmfao damn i’m dating myself. idfk. Are you afraid of losing the last person you talked to? i mean, i’m not worried about losing them, but yes i’d be afraid or upset if i lost them Are you basically a happy person? i hope so! Do you wish you could take things back? meh. no regerts and all that Have you ever wondered what life would be like without your best friends? omg what?? no?? it would be terrible?? Last person to make you seriously mad? prolly bigots Be honest, are you starting to gain feelings towards anyone? i’m like 3 years in so Do you think relationships are even worth it? well fuck i hope so lol Does anyone completely understand you? i mean no one will ever ~~completely~~ understand me but ya i have lots of people i am close to and whom i trust a lot Did you hug anyone in the last 48 hours? yep! Can you recall the last time you liked someone a lot? lol yes smh Where do you see your ex in 5 years? sigh i have a lot of ex’s don’t put me on blast like this. a few of them are already married so. idk. employed? Your ex runs into you and hugs you, what do you do? which. one. actually it doesn’t rly matter bc if any of them did that i’d be like wat Who was your last missed call from? my dad, we were playing phone tag on father’s day Did you have any unread text messages this morning when you woke up? yeah one from my best friend from high school saying “wtf” bc i told him about how rats can eat snakes if you’re not paying attention when you feed your snek When you and your friends are out and about do you usually get dirty looks? wut? i mean no but probably when i was a teen or preteen we were annoying and did get dirty looks Are you easily scared by horror/thriller films? i lOOOve these films but if it’s about like home invasions i get scared, or like things that live in your house Favorite fruit? god i love fruit. raspberries, applies, cherries (but i’m allergic now :(((((((( ), melon, oranges, the whole shebang. When someone says "we need to talk," what runs through your mind? yikes.com What are your chances of getting with your crush? smh i think they’re pretty good Who did you talk to on the phone last, and why? mom bc i was walking home and wanted to chat with her Do you always answer your phone? yes always Ever worn something of the opposite sex's clothing? dur Which do you enjoy more, to eat or sleep? lmao ahhhhhh i guess eat. Is there a member of the opposite sex on your mind? i mean, yes i have a partner who is a man who i love dearly but he’s not like ALWAYS on my mind, like rn i’m not rly thinking about him but i do care for him a lot and think of him often/want to share most things with him Do you believe your latest ex thinks about you? who??... is my latest ex...... either that aaron guy from okcupid or -- omg CONNOR sigh omg poor boy i hope he’s okay. i hope he doesn’t think about me omg Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed last night? mike Do you know anyone who would just drop everything to come see you? i mean what’s EVERYTHING... like within reason yeah Your best friend tells you, you have a drug problem, you say? ah i love you and we will get through this lets research our options together

[riichardwilson]

Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox CEO Have Been ‘Close Friends’ For Years. Here Are 7 Other Top Tech Exec Friendships.

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Elon Musk and Larry Ellison. Jeff Bezos and Barry Diller. 

What do all these high-profile pairings have in common? They’re all close friendships within the world of tech. 

Silicon Valley may be known for its competitive spirit, but it’s also fostered several years-long friendships among some of its most famous executives. Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett, for example, have been buddies for nearly 30 years. And Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff have been friends for decades, even though their respective enterprise software companies are technically rivals.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has several close pals in tech, including friends he’s defended online or taken for Tesla test drives. 

Here’s a closer look at some of the friendships among tech CEOs. 

Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey

Elon Musk, left, and Jack Dorsey.

Image credit: Joe Skipper/Reuters; Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

While it’s not clear if Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey actually hang out in real life, they do seem to have a solid virtual friendship. 

As far back as 2016, Dorsey said Musk was “a really good model” for how to use Twitter. More recently, Dorsey said in an interview that Musk is his favorite Twitter follow, to which Musk responded, “Thanks Jack, Twitter rocks!”

Then, in January, Dorsey and Musk spoke over video chat in front of Twitter employees and Musk gave Dorsey advice on how to improve the platform. 

In March, as Dorsey faces a possible ouster at the hands of an activist hedge fund, Musk publicly tweeted his support of the CEO. 

“Just want to say that I support @jack as Twitter CEO,” Musk tweeted. “He has a good <3.” 

Jeff Bezos and Barry Diller

Jeff Bezos, left, and Barry Diller.

Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images; Mike Blake/Reuters

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and IAC Chairman Barry Diller appear to have been friends for years. 

In January 2016, Diller correctly predicted that Bezos would become the richest person in the world.

And in the last few years, as Bezos has gone through changes in his personal life, he’s been spotted hanging out with Diller and his wife, designer Diane von Furstenberg, more often. Diller and von Furstenberg have reportedly attended multiple parties hosted by Bezos, and Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, have sailed aboard von Furstenberg’s yacht. The two couples were also reportedly spotted exploring Venice together.

Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs

Larry Ellison, left, and Steve Jobs.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Jeff Chiu/AP

Oracle founder Larry Ellison and late Apple CEO Steve Jobs were friends for 25 years before Jobs’ death in 2011. 

Ellison and Jobs used to be neighbors in Woodside, California, and the pair often went hiking together. It was during one of those hikes that Ellison helped Jobs plot how to regain control of Apple after he was ousted — Ellison even suggested buying Apple himself and installing Jobs as CEO.

It was Jobs who came up with the idea that Apple should acquire his company, Next, instead. When Ellison questioned how the pair would make money, Jobs said to him, “Larry, this is why it’s so important that I’m your friend. You don’t need any more money,” Ellison said in a commencement speech in 2016. 

Ellison said he spent time with Jobs in his final days, taking shorter walks around the block with him as he became weaker. Ellison gave a eulogy at Jobs’ funeral. 

Elon Musk, Larry Page and Sergey Brin

From left: Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, and Larry Page.

Image credit: Mike Blake/Reuters; Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters; Ruben Sprich/Reuters

Elon Musk has been friends with the cofounders of Google for a long time.

In the early days of Musk’s tenure at the electric car maker, he took Brin and Page on a test drive. Unfortunately, a software bug prevented the car from going any faster than 10 miles per hour, Musk recounted at a company shareholder meeting in 2016. Despite “the world’s worst demo,” however, the duo ended up investing in Tesla anyway, Musk said. 

Over the years, Musk and Page especially have become close friends — Musk even sometimes sleeps at Page’s house when he’s in town, and Page once said he’d rather leave his money to Musk than give it away to charity.

Brin, Page, and Musk also reportedly used to hang out in a Google-owned apartment and brainstorm ideas. 

“It’s fun for the three of us [including Google cofounder Sergey Brin] to talk about kind of crazy things, and we find stuff that eventually turns out to be real,” Page told Ashlee Vance, who wrote a 2015 biography about Musk.

Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff

Larry Ellison, left, and Marc Benioff.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Kimberley White/Getty Images

Ellison and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff met when Benioff began working at Oracle when he was 23. He was a star early on, earning a “rookie of the year” award that same year and becoming Oracle’s youngest VP by age 26. He spent 13 years at Oracle, during which he became a trusted lieutenant to Ellison. 

The pair became such close friends that rumors swirled about their relationship’s backstory — people wondered if they were related, or if Ellison had been Benioff’s childhood babysitter. Ellison and Benioff took trips together, sailed on Ellison’s yacht, and went on double dates. 

Benioff began working on Salesforce with Ellison’s blessing, and Ellison became an investor, putting in $2 million early on. 

The duo has publicly feuded over the years — including when Benioff fired Ellison from Salesforce’s board — but Benioff has also described Ellison as his mentor. 

“There is no one I’ve learned more from than Larry Ellison,” Benioff said in 2013.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, left, and Bill Gates.

Image credit: Dennis Van Tine/AP Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates met in 1991 when Buffett was invited over to Gates’ mother’s house. Neither man was very interested in meeting the other, but they ended up hitting it off. Soon after, Gates asked Buffett for a business book recommendation, and Buffett loaned him his copy of “Business Adventures” by John Brookes — Gates still has it today. 

Since then, the duo has done everything from play table tennis together to participate in Berkshire Hathaway’s annual newspaper toss competition. And Gates, his wife Melinda, and Buffett launched the Giving Pledge together in 2010, vowing to give away the majority of their wealth in their lifetimes or in their wills. 

While Buffett owns a major stake in Apple, he’s said that he’ll never invest in Microsoft due to his friendship with Gates. 

Larry Ellison and Elon Musk

Larry Ellison, left, and Elon Musk.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Mike Blake/Reuters

Ellison and Musk appear to be two of the friendliest CEOs in tech, if their relationships with Benioff and Jobs, and Page, Brin, and Dorsey are any indication. So it’s not much of a surprise that the two moguls are “very close” friends with each other, too. 

Back in 2018, when Ellison was named to Tesla’s board of directions, he highlighted his relationship with Musk. 

“I think Tesla has a lot of upside,” Ellison said at the time. “I am not sure how many people know, but I’m very close friends with Elon Musk, and I’m a big investor in Tesla.”

It makes sense that Ellison and Musk would get along well, as they’re two of the most colorful personalities in tech. Ellison owns an entire $300 million island in Hawaii, likes to race yachts, and doesn’t mind trash-talking his competitors. Musk spends his money on rare cars, has had multiple high-profile relationships, and is often outspoken on Twitter. 

Mark Zuckerberg and Drew Houston

Image credit: Charles Platiau/Reuters; Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have apparently been friends for years, with the former often turning to the latter for advice. 

“[Zuckerberg’s] given me a lot of advice just on company scaling, how do you organize people, how do you set up these systems,” Houston told Bloomberg in 2015.

That same year, a Fast Company profile on Dropbox described Houston as a “close friend” of Zuckerberg’s. The pair has been photographed together everywhere from Houston’s birthday party at a ping-pong club to the prestigious Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. 

This past February, Houston was appointed to Facebook’s board of directors. 

“Drew brings valuable perspective to our board as a leader of a technology company with services used by millions of people and businesses,” Zuckerberg said in a statement at the time. “He thinks deeply about where technology is going and how to build a culture that delivers services that always work well.”

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source http://www.scpie.org/mark-zuckerberg-and-dropbox-ceo-have-been-close-friends-for-years-here-are-7-other-top-tech-exec-friendships/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/612585405139877888

[douglassmiith]

Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox CEO Have Been Close Friends For Years. Here Are 7 Other Top Tech Exec Friendships.

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Elon Musk and Larry Ellison. Jeff Bezos and Barry Diller. 

What do all these high-profile pairings have in common? They’re all close friendships within the world of tech. 

Silicon Valley may be known for its competitive spirit, but it’s also fostered several years-long friendships among some of its most famous executives. Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett, for example, have been buddies for nearly 30 years. And Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff have been friends for decades, even though their respective enterprise software companies are technically rivals.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has several close pals in tech, including friends he’s defended online or taken for Tesla test drives. 

Here’s a closer look at some of the friendships among tech CEOs. 

Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey

Elon Musk, left, and Jack Dorsey.

Image credit: Joe Skipper/Reuters; Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

While it’s not clear if Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey actually hang out in real life, they do seem to have a solid virtual friendship. 

As far back as 2016, Dorsey said Musk was “a really good model” for how to use Twitter. More recently, Dorsey said in an interview that Musk is his favorite Twitter follow, to which Musk responded, “Thanks Jack, Twitter rocks!”

Then, in January, Dorsey and Musk spoke over video chat in front of Twitter employees and Musk gave Dorsey advice on how to improve the platform. 

In March, as Dorsey faces a possible ouster at the hands of an activist hedge fund, Musk publicly tweeted his support of the CEO. 

“Just want to say that I support @jack as Twitter CEO,” Musk tweeted. “He has a good <3.” 

Jeff Bezos and Barry Diller

Jeff Bezos, left, and Barry Diller.

Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images; Mike Blake/Reuters

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and IAC Chairman Barry Diller appear to have been friends for years. 

In January 2016, Diller correctly predicted that Bezos would become the richest person in the world.

And in the last few years, as Bezos has gone through changes in his personal life, he’s been spotted hanging out with Diller and his wife, designer Diane von Furstenberg, more often. Diller and von Furstenberg have reportedly attended multiple parties hosted by Bezos, and Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, have sailed aboard von Furstenberg’s yacht. The two couples were also reportedly spotted exploring Venice together.

Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs

Larry Ellison, left, and Steve Jobs.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Jeff Chiu/AP

Oracle founder Larry Ellison and late Apple CEO Steve Jobs were friends for 25 years before Jobs’ death in 2011. 

Ellison and Jobs used to be neighbors in Woodside, California, and the pair often went hiking together. It was during one of those hikes that Ellison helped Jobs plot how to regain control of Apple after he was ousted — Ellison even suggested buying Apple himself and installing Jobs as CEO.

It was Jobs who came up with the idea that Apple should acquire his company, Next, instead. When Ellison questioned how the pair would make money, Jobs said to him, “Larry, this is why it’s so important that I’m your friend. You don’t need any more money,” Ellison said in a commencement speech in 2016. 

Ellison said he spent time with Jobs in his final days, taking shorter walks around the block with him as he became weaker. Ellison gave a eulogy at Jobs’ funeral. 

Elon Musk, Larry Page and Sergey Brin

From left: Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, and Larry Page.

Image credit: Mike Blake/Reuters; Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters; Ruben Sprich/Reuters

Elon Musk has been friends with the cofounders of Google for a long time.

In the early days of Musk’s tenure at the electric car maker, he took Brin and Page on a test drive. Unfortunately, a software bug prevented the car from going any faster than 10 miles per hour, Musk recounted at a company shareholder meeting in 2016. Despite “the world’s worst demo,” however, the duo ended up investing in Tesla anyway, Musk said. 

Over the years, Musk and Page especially have become close friends — Musk even sometimes sleeps at Page’s house when he’s in town, and Page once said he’d rather leave his money to Musk than give it away to charity.

Brin, Page, and Musk also reportedly used to hang out in a Google-owned apartment and brainstorm ideas. 

“It’s fun for the three of us [including Google cofounder Sergey Brin] to talk about kind of crazy things, and we find stuff that eventually turns out to be real,” Page told Ashlee Vance, who wrote a 2015 biography about Musk.

Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff

Larry Ellison, left, and Marc Benioff.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Kimberley White/Getty Images

Ellison and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff met when Benioff began working at Oracle when he was 23. He was a star early on, earning a “rookie of the year” award that same year and becoming Oracle’s youngest VP by age 26. He spent 13 years at Oracle, during which he became a trusted lieutenant to Ellison. 

The pair became such close friends that rumors swirled about their relationship’s backstory — people wondered if they were related, or if Ellison had been Benioff’s childhood babysitter. Ellison and Benioff took trips together, sailed on Ellison’s yacht, and went on double dates. 

Benioff began working on Salesforce with Ellison’s blessing, and Ellison became an investor, putting in $2 million early on. 

The duo has publicly feuded over the years — including when Benioff fired Ellison from Salesforce’s board — but Benioff has also described Ellison as his mentor. 

“There is no one I’ve learned more from than Larry Ellison,” Benioff said in 2013.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, left, and Bill Gates.

Image credit: Dennis Van Tine/AP Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates met in 1991 when Buffett was invited over to Gates’ mother’s house. Neither man was very interested in meeting the other, but they ended up hitting it off. Soon after, Gates asked Buffett for a business book recommendation, and Buffett loaned him his copy of “Business Adventures” by John Brookes — Gates still has it today. 

Since then, the duo has done everything from play table tennis together to participate in Berkshire Hathaway’s annual newspaper toss competition. And Gates, his wife Melinda, and Buffett launched the Giving Pledge together in 2010, vowing to give away the majority of their wealth in their lifetimes or in their wills. 

While Buffett owns a major stake in Apple, he’s said that he’ll never invest in Microsoft due to his friendship with Gates. 

Larry Ellison and Elon Musk

Larry Ellison, left, and Elon Musk.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Mike Blake/Reuters

Ellison and Musk appear to be two of the friendliest CEOs in tech, if their relationships with Benioff and Jobs, and Page, Brin, and Dorsey are any indication. So it’s not much of a surprise that the two moguls are “very close” friends with each other, too. 

Back in 2018, when Ellison was named to Tesla’s board of directions, he highlighted his relationship with Musk. 

“I think Tesla has a lot of upside,” Ellison said at the time. “I am not sure how many people know, but I’m very close friends with Elon Musk, and I’m a big investor in Tesla.”

It makes sense that Ellison and Musk would get along well, as they’re two of the most colorful personalities in tech. Ellison owns an entire $300 million island in Hawaii, likes to race yachts, and doesn’t mind trash-talking his competitors. Musk spends his money on rare cars, has had multiple high-profile relationships, and is often outspoken on Twitter. 

Mark Zuckerberg and Drew Houston

Image credit: Charles Platiau/Reuters; Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have apparently been friends for years, with the former often turning to the latter for advice. 

“[Zuckerberg’s] given me a lot of advice just on company scaling, how do you organize people, how do you set up these systems,” Houston told Bloomberg in 2015.

That same year, a Fast Company profile on Dropbox described Houston as a “close friend” of Zuckerberg’s. The pair has been photographed together everywhere from Houston’s birthday party at a ping-pong club to the prestigious Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. 

This past February, Houston was appointed to Facebook’s board of directors. 

“Drew brings valuable perspective to our board as a leader of a technology company with services used by millions of people and businesses,” Zuckerberg said in a statement at the time. “He thinks deeply about where technology is going and how to build a culture that delivers services that always work well.”

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[scpie]

Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox CEO Have Been ‘Close Friends’ For Years. Here Are 7 Other Top Tech Exec Friendships.

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Elon Musk and Larry Ellison. Jeff Bezos and Barry Diller. 

What do all these high-profile pairings have in common? They’re all close friendships within the world of tech. 

Silicon Valley may be known for its competitive spirit, but it’s also fostered several years-long friendships among some of its most famous executives. Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett, for example, have been buddies for nearly 30 years. And Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff have been friends for decades, even though their respective enterprise software companies are technically rivals.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has several close pals in tech, including friends he’s defended online or taken for Tesla test drives. 

Here’s a closer look at some of the friendships among tech CEOs. 

Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey

Elon Musk, left, and Jack Dorsey.

Image credit: Joe Skipper/Reuters; Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

While it’s not clear if Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey actually hang out in real life, they do seem to have a solid virtual friendship. 

As far back as 2016, Dorsey said Musk was “a really good model” for how to use Twitter. More recently, Dorsey said in an interview that Musk is his favorite Twitter follow, to which Musk responded, “Thanks Jack, Twitter rocks!”

Then, in January, Dorsey and Musk spoke over video chat in front of Twitter employees and Musk gave Dorsey advice on how to improve the platform. 

In March, as Dorsey faces a possible ouster at the hands of an activist hedge fund, Musk publicly tweeted his support of the CEO. 

“Just want to say that I support @jack as Twitter CEO,” Musk tweeted. “He has a good <3.” 

Jeff Bezos and Barry Diller

Jeff Bezos, left, and Barry Diller.

Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images; Mike Blake/Reuters

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and IAC Chairman Barry Diller appear to have been friends for years. 

In January 2016, Diller correctly predicted that Bezos would become the richest person in the world.

And in the last few years, as Bezos has gone through changes in his personal life, he’s been spotted hanging out with Diller and his wife, designer Diane von Furstenberg, more often. Diller and von Furstenberg have reportedly attended multiple parties hosted by Bezos, and Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, have sailed aboard von Furstenberg’s yacht. The two couples were also reportedly spotted exploring Venice together.

Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs

Larry Ellison, left, and Steve Jobs.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Jeff Chiu/AP

Oracle founder Larry Ellison and late Apple CEO Steve Jobs were friends for 25 years before Jobs’ death in 2011. 

Ellison and Jobs used to be neighbors in Woodside, California, and the pair often went hiking together. It was during one of those hikes that Ellison helped Jobs plot how to regain control of Apple after he was ousted — Ellison even suggested buying Apple himself and installing Jobs as CEO.

It was Jobs who came up with the idea that Apple should acquire his company, Next, instead. When Ellison questioned how the pair would make money, Jobs said to him, “Larry, this is why it’s so important that I’m your friend. You don’t need any more money,” Ellison said in a commencement speech in 2016. 

Ellison said he spent time with Jobs in his final days, taking shorter walks around the block with him as he became weaker. Ellison gave a eulogy at Jobs’ funeral. 

Elon Musk, Larry Page and Sergey Brin

From left: Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, and Larry Page.

Image credit: Mike Blake/Reuters; Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters; Ruben Sprich/Reuters

Elon Musk has been friends with the cofounders of Google for a long time.

In the early days of Musk’s tenure at the electric car maker, he took Brin and Page on a test drive. Unfortunately, a software bug prevented the car from going any faster than 10 miles per hour, Musk recounted at a company shareholder meeting in 2016. Despite “the world’s worst demo,” however, the duo ended up investing in Tesla anyway, Musk said. 

Over the years, Musk and Page especially have become close friends — Musk even sometimes sleeps at Page’s house when he’s in town, and Page once said he’d rather leave his money to Musk than give it away to charity.

Brin, Page, and Musk also reportedly used to hang out in a Google-owned apartment and brainstorm ideas. 

“It’s fun for the three of us [including Google cofounder Sergey Brin] to talk about kind of crazy things, and we find stuff that eventually turns out to be real,” Page told Ashlee Vance, who wrote a 2015 biography about Musk.

Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff

Larry Ellison, left, and Marc Benioff.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Kimberley White/Getty Images

Ellison and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff met when Benioff began working at Oracle when he was 23. He was a star early on, earning a “rookie of the year” award that same year and becoming Oracle’s youngest VP by age 26. He spent 13 years at Oracle, during which he became a trusted lieutenant to Ellison. 

The pair became such close friends that rumors swirled about their relationship’s backstory — people wondered if they were related, or if Ellison had been Benioff’s childhood babysitter. Ellison and Benioff took trips together, sailed on Ellison’s yacht, and went on double dates. 

Benioff began working on Salesforce with Ellison’s blessing, and Ellison became an investor, putting in $2 million early on. 

The duo has publicly feuded over the years — including when Benioff fired Ellison from Salesforce’s board — but Benioff has also described Ellison as his mentor. 

“There is no one I’ve learned more from than Larry Ellison,” Benioff said in 2013.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, left, and Bill Gates.

Image credit: Dennis Van Tine/AP Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates met in 1991 when Buffett was invited over to Gates’ mother’s house. Neither man was very interested in meeting the other, but they ended up hitting it off. Soon after, Gates asked Buffett for a business book recommendation, and Buffett loaned him his copy of “Business Adventures” by John Brookes — Gates still has it today. 

Since then, the duo has done everything from play table tennis together to participate in Berkshire Hathaway’s annual newspaper toss competition. And Gates, his wife Melinda, and Buffett launched the Giving Pledge together in 2010, vowing to give away the majority of their wealth in their lifetimes or in their wills. 

While Buffett owns a major stake in Apple, he’s said that he’ll never invest in Microsoft due to his friendship with Gates. 

Larry Ellison and Elon Musk

Larry Ellison, left, and Elon Musk.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Mike Blake/Reuters

Ellison and Musk appear to be two of the friendliest CEOs in tech, if their relationships with Benioff and Jobs, and Page, Brin, and Dorsey are any indication. So it’s not much of a surprise that the two moguls are “very close” friends with each other, too. 

Back in 2018, when Ellison was named to Tesla’s board of directions, he highlighted his relationship with Musk. 

“I think Tesla has a lot of upside,” Ellison said at the time. “I am not sure how many people know, but I’m very close friends with Elon Musk, and I’m a big investor in Tesla.”

It makes sense that Ellison and Musk would get along well, as they’re two of the most colorful personalities in tech. Ellison owns an entire $300 million island in Hawaii, likes to race yachts, and doesn’t mind trash-talking his competitors. Musk spends his money on rare cars, has had multiple high-profile relationships, and is often outspoken on Twitter. 

Mark Zuckerberg and Drew Houston

Image credit: Charles Platiau/Reuters; Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have apparently been friends for years, with the former often turning to the latter for advice. 

“[Zuckerberg’s] given me a lot of advice just on company scaling, how do you organize people, how do you set up these systems,” Houston told Bloomberg in 2015.

That same year, a Fast Company profile on Dropbox described Houston as a “close friend” of Zuckerberg’s. The pair has been photographed together everywhere from Houston’s birthday party at a ping-pong club to the prestigious Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. 

This past February, Houston was appointed to Facebook’s board of directors. 

“Drew brings valuable perspective to our board as a leader of a technology company with services used by millions of people and businesses,” Zuckerberg said in a statement at the time. “He thinks deeply about where technology is going and how to build a culture that delivers services that always work well.”

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[laurelkrugerr]

Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox CEO Have Been ‘Close Friends’ For Years. Here Are 7 Other Top Tech Exec Friendships.

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Elon Musk and Larry Ellison. Jeff Bezos and Barry Diller. 

What do all these high-profile pairings have in common? They’re all close friendships within the world of tech. 

Silicon Valley may be known for its competitive spirit, but it’s also fostered several years-long friendships among some of its most famous executives. Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett, for example, have been buddies for nearly 30 years. And Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff have been friends for decades, even though their respective enterprise software companies are technically rivals.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has several close pals in tech, including friends he’s defended online or taken for Tesla test drives. 

Here’s a closer look at some of the friendships among tech CEOs. 

Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey

Elon Musk, left, and Jack Dorsey.

Image credit: Joe Skipper/Reuters; Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

While it’s not clear if Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey actually hang out in real life, they do seem to have a solid virtual friendship. 

As far back as 2016, Dorsey said Musk was “a really good model” for how to use Twitter. More recently, Dorsey said in an interview that Musk is his favorite Twitter follow, to which Musk responded, “Thanks Jack, Twitter rocks!”

Then, in January, Dorsey and Musk spoke over video chat in front of Twitter employees and Musk gave Dorsey advice on how to improve the platform. 

In March, as Dorsey faces a possible ouster at the hands of an activist hedge fund, Musk publicly tweeted his support of the CEO. 

“Just want to say that I support @jack as Twitter CEO,” Musk tweeted. “He has a good <3.” 

Jeff Bezos and Barry Diller

Jeff Bezos, left, and Barry Diller.

Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images; Mike Blake/Reuters

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and IAC Chairman Barry Diller appear to have been friends for years. 

In January 2016, Diller correctly predicted that Bezos would become the richest person in the world.

And in the last few years, as Bezos has gone through changes in his personal life, he’s been spotted hanging out with Diller and his wife, designer Diane von Furstenberg, more often. Diller and von Furstenberg have reportedly attended multiple parties hosted by Bezos, and Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, have sailed aboard von Furstenberg’s yacht. The two couples were also reportedly spotted exploring Venice together.

Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs

Larry Ellison, left, and Steve Jobs.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Jeff Chiu/AP

Oracle founder Larry Ellison and late Apple CEO Steve Jobs were friends for 25 years before Jobs’ death in 2011. 

Ellison and Jobs used to be neighbors in Woodside, California, and the pair often went hiking together. It was during one of those hikes that Ellison helped Jobs plot how to regain control of Apple after he was ousted — Ellison even suggested buying Apple himself and installing Jobs as CEO.

It was Jobs who came up with the idea that Apple should acquire his company, Next, instead. When Ellison questioned how the pair would make money, Jobs said to him, “Larry, this is why it’s so important that I’m your friend. You don’t need any more money,” Ellison said in a commencement speech in 2016. 

Ellison said he spent time with Jobs in his final days, taking shorter walks around the block with him as he became weaker. Ellison gave a eulogy at Jobs’ funeral. 

Elon Musk, Larry Page and Sergey Brin

From left: Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, and Larry Page.

Image credit: Mike Blake/Reuters; Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters; Ruben Sprich/Reuters

Elon Musk has been friends with the cofounders of Google for a long time.

In the early days of Musk’s tenure at the electric car maker, he took Brin and Page on a test drive. Unfortunately, a software bug prevented the car from going any faster than 10 miles per hour, Musk recounted at a company shareholder meeting in 2016. Despite “the world’s worst demo,” however, the duo ended up investing in Tesla anyway, Musk said. 

Over the years, Musk and Page especially have become close friends — Musk even sometimes sleeps at Page’s house when he’s in town, and Page once said he’d rather leave his money to Musk than give it away to charity.

Brin, Page, and Musk also reportedly used to hang out in a Google-owned apartment and brainstorm ideas. 

“It’s fun for the three of us [including Google cofounder Sergey Brin] to talk about kind of crazy things, and we find stuff that eventually turns out to be real,” Page told Ashlee Vance, who wrote a 2015 biography about Musk.

Larry Ellison and Marc Benioff

Larry Ellison, left, and Marc Benioff.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Kimberley White/Getty Images

Ellison and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff met when Benioff began working at Oracle when he was 23. He was a star early on, earning a “rookie of the year” award that same year and becoming Oracle’s youngest VP by age 26. He spent 13 years at Oracle, during which he became a trusted lieutenant to Ellison. 

The pair became such close friends that rumors swirled about their relationship’s backstory — people wondered if they were related, or if Ellison had been Benioff’s childhood babysitter. Ellison and Benioff took trips together, sailed on Ellison’s yacht, and went on double dates. 

Benioff began working on Salesforce with Ellison’s blessing, and Ellison became an investor, putting in $2 million early on. 

The duo has publicly feuded over the years — including when Benioff fired Ellison from Salesforce’s board — but Benioff has also described Ellison as his mentor. 

“There is no one I’ve learned more from than Larry Ellison,” Benioff said in 2013.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, left, and Bill Gates.

Image credit: Dennis Van Tine/AP Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates met in 1991 when Buffett was invited over to Gates’ mother’s house. Neither man was very interested in meeting the other, but they ended up hitting it off. Soon after, Gates asked Buffett for a business book recommendation, and Buffett loaned him his copy of “Business Adventures” by John Brookes — Gates still has it today. 

Since then, the duo has done everything from play table tennis together to participate in Berkshire Hathaway’s annual newspaper toss competition. And Gates, his wife Melinda, and Buffett launched the Giving Pledge together in 2010, vowing to give away the majority of their wealth in their lifetimes or in their wills. 

While Buffett owns a major stake in Apple, he’s said that he’ll never invest in Microsoft due to his friendship with Gates. 

Larry Ellison and Elon Musk

Larry Ellison, left, and Elon Musk.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters; Mike Blake/Reuters

Ellison and Musk appear to be two of the friendliest CEOs in tech, if their relationships with Benioff and Jobs, and Page, Brin, and Dorsey are any indication. So it’s not much of a surprise that the two moguls are “very close” friends with each other, too. 

Back in 2018, when Ellison was named to Tesla’s board of directions, he highlighted his relationship with Musk. 

“I think Tesla has a lot of upside,” Ellison said at the time. “I am not sure how many people know, but I’m very close friends with Elon Musk, and I’m a big investor in Tesla.”

It makes sense that Ellison and Musk would get along well, as they’re two of the most colorful personalities in tech. Ellison owns an entire $300 million island in Hawaii, likes to race yachts, and doesn’t mind trash-talking his competitors. Musk spends his money on rare cars, has had multiple high-profile relationships, and is often outspoken on Twitter. 

Mark Zuckerberg and Drew Houston

Image credit: Charles Platiau/Reuters; Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have apparently been friends for years, with the former often turning to the latter for advice. 

“[Zuckerberg’s] given me a lot of advice just on company scaling, how do you organize people, how do you set up these systems,” Houston told Bloomberg in 2015.

That same year, a Fast Company profile on Dropbox described Houston as a “close friend” of Zuckerberg’s. The pair has been photographed together everywhere from Houston’s birthday party at a ping-pong club to the prestigious Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. 

This past February, Houston was appointed to Facebook’s board of directors. 

“Drew brings valuable perspective to our board as a leader of a technology company with services used by millions of people and businesses,” Zuckerberg said in a statement at the time. “He thinks deeply about where technology is going and how to build a culture that delivers services that always work well.”

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[the-record-columns]

May 30, 2018: Columns

Ward Eller:  A man who has paid it forward...

Ward Eller's daughter Karen Worley, and wife Kate, at the November 2017 Tribute to Ward Eller which was held at the VFW Hall in North Wilkesboro.

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

      On the cover of the ChickenFest 2018 program there is a picture of Ward Eller.

     The caption under the photograph reads:  "Ward Eller is an icon of Wilkes County Music.  With his trademark cowboy hat and red Fender Stratocaster guitar, Eller took the stage at the VFW Hall in North Wilkesboro every Saturday evening for nearly 60 years.  He fronts a band--a revolving group of topnotch musicians--which performs for the crowd of dancers that turn out each week. For the past several years, Eller has also opened up ChickenFest with his VFW band backing him on the Sammy Lankford Stage in the Tyson Pavilion.  He was scheduled to perform again this year,  but earlier this week realized that recent pressing health issues would not allow it.  We at The Record had already made the decision to put Eller on the cover of this program.  For all he's done for us, the VFW with the Honor Guard, and the community, it's an honor to pay this heartfelt tribute to Ward Eller."

    Among the many awards and recognitions Eller has received is being inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, and, a few years ago,  he was listed as a "Pioneer of Bluegrass" in the International Bluegrass Music Museum on Owensboro, Kentucky.  It was shortly after this award that The Record's editor, Jerry Lankford, put together an exhibit of records, music magazine articles, photographs and Ward Eller's first Gibson acoustic guitar in the offices of The Record.  The display was up for several months and drew steady traffic during its run.  When the exhibit was taken down, Ward Eller gave us a framed photograph from the display which we proudly display to this day.

    Back in November of 2017, local musician Mark Gentry organized an event at the VFW Post 1142 Post to do just that, honor and pay tribute to Ward Eller. referring to Eller as a mentor, hero, and friend, Mark Gentry said, "His dedication to our country, service to our veteran's, and longevity as a musician speaks for itself.  Ward gives so freely of himself and we are honored to come together to show our appreciation for him."  Gentry arranged an amazing array of musicians for the Ward Eller tribute that evening, including David Johnson and Eric Ellis, both Blue Ridge Music hall of Fame members.  The Ward Eller tribute drew the biggest crowd to the VFW in many years.

      And then there was ChickenFest.  We got a little rain, but who didn't get a little rain this past weekend. But we had Ward and his wife, Kate Eller, and that was sunshine enough for us all.  While he couldn't play this year, Ward Eller came to ChickenFest on Friday and Saturday to support his fellow musicians, especially Mike Palmer and the crew he put together to play in Ward's opening slot on Friday evening.   

    Folks literally stood in line to greet and to wish Ward Eller well, and, as I walked him to his car Friday night, he remarked how humbled and thankful he was at the outpouring of support and prayers he had received from friends and strangers alike.  I told Ward that he shouldn't be at all surprised, because, after all, I was pretty sure he was the person they coined the expression about which goes like, "You have paid forward..."

    A few years ago, I remarked to Ward's daughter, Karen Worley, that I only had one complaint about her daddy--that I hadn't known him my entire life.

    It is still true, so very true.  What a blessing this wonderful man has been to so many.

 Why are holidays important?

By LAURA WELBORN

Quick quiz:  if given the choice of a vacation or a small money bonus, which would you take? 

My choice is the vacation and here is why: it is a change! 

Research shows how important change is to your everyday happiness.  Smart employers recognize this and build vacation days into most employment packages. You come back more productive and happier even if the vacation is exhausting or doesn’t turn out perfect.  It is about your brain recognizing a change in environment and “reprogramming” from tired negative thoughts to positive ones.

I recently decided to visit a friend who lives in Pine Knoll Shores. I had been trying to find a good time to go and kept putting it off for one reason or another.  Finally, I just went.  I knew I needed a change-I was taking my life far too personally and getting far too annoyed over little things.  This mini vacation was just what I needed to reroute my brain into more positive thoughts and actions.  Maybe that is why we have holidays, to encourage us to do something different and help us get unstuck from whatever negative slump we are in.

I have been reading the book “Upward Spiral” by Alex Korb. In it, he discusses the neuroscience to reverse the course of depression one small change at a time.  The whole book is great, but I was particularly taken with several thoughts:

1.      Change your environment:  Randomly change something in your environment - anything you don’t like.  This could be changing a picture you don’t particularly like, buying new clothes, starting a new hobby or taking a mini vacation.  Part of the problem when you are in a slump is that no matter where you go you take your tendencies with you.  But changing yourself is often easiest when you change your environment first.

2.      Make your bed. Ever watch the commencement address where the marine says to be successful you need to make your bed when you get up?  This simple act gives you success first thing in the morning and your brain feels it.  Once you start being productive, dopamine is released in the brain and suddenly you have more energy and motivation to do the things you really need to do. 

3.      Laugh. Ever think about how you remember the good times and laugh at the things that went wrong on vacation even when at the time you could not laugh?  This helps our brain produce serotonin and we start to feel better.  When we can laugh at ourselves and remember details we shared with family it starts us on a positive path.  It can be the memory of a holiday family gathering when we felt close to each other.  Relive those memories in detail and you will get a serotonin surge which will put you on a positive path. 

So, why holidays are important? It is about creating good memories by just getting outside your routine and changing your environment. Doing one small thing each day that helps start the day with an accomplishment. And, if that one small thing goes a little south, laugh, just laugh. 

  Don’t mess with my Pimento

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

Not so long ago I was traveling from Charlotte to Forest City, N.C. On my way I called a friend, Allen Langley. He asked what I was up to and I told him I would soon be passing through Shelby.

He said, "Great, stop by and I’ll ride with you."

I did, and as we drove along he told me about the many things he and his family enjoy doing in the area. He was very excited about eating at The Fountain at Smith's Drugs. They went into business in 1939, and are still the go to meeting place in Forest  City.

After we found our table, Wendy Bennett stopped at our table with her daughters and friends. She told me that she started working at The Fountain when she was sixteen and continued there for three years before becoming a nurse. She now champions the call as the mother of three. With a smile, she said Smith's Drugs is full of great memories and is a favorite for her family.

Our waitress was Susan Donnahoe, a quick witted lady of Irish descent. I asked what the most ordered item was. Susan said that would be the grilled homemade Pimento Cheese Sandwich. So that order went in, but before she left the table, I asked if the maker of the pimento cheese was in.

"Let me check," she said.

The manager, Susan Stewart, came to the table. She is also the recipe developer and maker of The Fountain's pimento cheese.  While she was not willing to share the secret ingredients, she did say they make at least 45 pounds of the amazing spread every week.

I spoke with other diners who raved about this simple yet tasty comfort food that regulars can’t seem to get enough of. Pimento cheese lovers can get upset with you if you mess with their favorite.

Case in point: some years ago amidst much controversy the traditionally served pimento cheese recipe changed at Augusta National, and is still being talked about today. In an article published by ESPN, the magazine's senior writer Wright Thompson reported that a fan, Paul Jones, said, “I’m fine with adding the female members, and I am tolerating the belly-putters, but changing the pimento cheese recipe is taking change too damn far.”

As it turns out our taste for cheese in no small matter. According to the USDA, Americans have increased their average consumption of cheese from 7.7 pounds in 1950 to 36 pounds in 1915. It was a good lunch and a great visit at Smith’s Drugs.

Allen and I then drove to the town of Rutherfordton to visit KidSenses Children’s INTERACTIVE Museum, located on Main Street. This is a great place with over twenty interactive exhibits designed to stimulate the imagination of young ones. Allen shared memories of taking his daughter to KidSenses for her birthday party when it first opened in 2004.

I had the opportunity to meet the town manager. Doug Barrick shared some very interesting local history, including the fact that Christopher Bechtler minted America’s first one-dollar gold coin here in 1832. This was almost 17 years before the U.S. minted their own. The Bechtler Mint minted more than two million dollars in gold prior to its closure in 1849.

Rutherfordton has a commemorative trail called “The Gold Mile”. It starts at the Bechtler House and winds around town, and is marked with replica Bechtler one-dollar coins. As you walk around this historic town there are information plaques with QR codes that point to additional information online. I did not have time to see everything, so I will need to return.

While a bit cheesy, it was a great day. I love the traditions of good food, education and a visit with the past.

 Carl White is the executive producer and host of the award winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In the Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its seventh year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte viewing market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturdays at noon. For more on the show visit  www.lifeinthecarolinas.com, You can email Carl White at Carl@lifeinthecarolinas.com.                                                                                    

[heartmemoirs]

Fictional

A LETTER TO MY SON

   Dear Jake,

If you’re reading this, then it is must be your birthday, and you must be 25 years of age, I wrote this while I was at the last moments of my life, the tumor was inoperable, your mother prayed endlessly for it to go away, I prayed also, I needed to see my kids grow up, to achieve something, to be something, and even though I probably am not here with you, I still live on in your heart…

Watching you grow was inspiring, as a baby, the way you fell again and again trying to figure out this walking thing, how you hugged everyone that came into our house including the plumber, then I was opportuned to watch you grow into a teenager, how you became reckless, daring, always ready to kiss every “dead” girl just to find your snow white, and then you found that snow white or you thought you did- she broke your precious heart, you were plunged into a tornado of hurt, confusion, anger, pain, you swore never to love again, I tried to get to you, Your Mum tried, even Pastor Jerry tried, it was as if we were pouring water on a rock, it just was not penetrating.. I even tried to make you see that true love led me to your mother, but you insisted that I was just Lucky….  Having your heart broken does not stop you from adding a year to your life, you got old enough and you moved out and then the stories began, your siblings especially, Jessica narrated to us how she heard that you were a loner, how you walk out on ladies who are interested in you, I mean you are handsome just like me, with the stature and swagger, Damn! Okay Okay! Back to the point, at every junction you shut down every opportunity to love and be loved and it killed me every time, when I heard news of this manne it pained me greatly: I believe this is the final lapse of my life, I could feel my body shutting down, every organ taking a strike, so I think its time I tell you about how I met your Mother, how she has been the only lady in my life since I was 19…..

 It was Jan 5th 1988, it was just after the new year, the festivity was still very much alive, the year had just begun, everyone was expectant, ready to march out into the year and accomplish stuff, smiles were plastered on faces, it really was a happy period.. I know you are wondering where I am, well I was preparing for a birthday party, a friend of mine invited to me to this girl’s birthday party, she was turning 18, I really did not have anywhere else to go and my parents were traders which means this is the best period to catch new customers, so they were out, my siblings, well they were outside playing with their new shoes, they were so caught up in their boring fun, leaving me alone in the house switching from one channel to the other, not like there were many channels, actually there was just two channels, don’t laugh just yet we had a quack antenna, So when Mike, my closest friend came to invite me for the party, I had nothing to do, so I just went with him… I dressed casually, because as much as it was a birthday party, I was not interested in the party but I was interested on not being bored. On getting to the party, I was welcomed with a glass full of beer, that was when I realized that this party was not for me, I took a sip and my God! It was bitter! I dropped the beer and rushed for a more softer drink, chilled and all mine to consume, I relaxed on the closest available chair to continue my sip of whatever this is, that I am drinking… As I was about to down more of my drink, I was brought back by the cheer of the crowd, wondering what was going on, I decided to stand up and there she was, she was very beautiful, her hair rolled down perfectly, her smile formed perfectly, the glitter In her eyes could lighten the entire night sky, every one screamed in excitement, while I was stuck in an attraction limbo, I remember that my breath stopped, my heart froze, the hairs  on my skin died, nobody told me she was this beautiful, My eyes followed her throughout the party, wait did I tell you that she was the girl celebrating her 18th birthday? Cause yeah, she was;, every attention was on her, I was so glued to her, I planned on taking a bold step after the party to try my luck, and just then Mike brought my world down, I discovered from mike that she had a guy already, the son of a Minister, and an undergraduate in a British university, and also her father was a Top ambassador of Nigeria working in the UK embassy, while my Dad had two stores in Onitsha Main Market, how did I forget to observe the mansion I stepped into, it was then I took a look around my environment and my heart shattered, she was out of my league, I suddenly became depressed, Mike was surprised at how forlorn I looked, he was surprised at how a girl I just met for the first time could control my emotions in this manner, I did not even meet her!... well I just stayed till the end of the party, cause basically I had nothing to do at home and I could not stop staring at her face….