#but my friend is a huge Pete Davidson fan so it was nice to see our friendships world collide

[captainrayzizuniverse]

My camera roll full of random people airdropping me pics at the cinema.

So we went to the wrong theater at first because I’m stupid then had to Uber to the next one and made it just in time. Honestly though I loved it and I’m so so glad I went. No deep thoughts but my friend is crushing hard on Isaac.

[eyoricka]

Pete Davidson fluffly ABC

Words: 3600

Warning: mention of drug (weed) and I try my best to not be too cheesy but I am pretty sure I failed

A = Attractive: what do they find attractive about the other?

You love his smile. He is so cute and adorable whenever he smiles or laughs, your heart automatically melts. When he is happy his face lights up with joy, his eyes shine, and he has a bright smile on his face. This happy charming puppy face is your favorite thing in the world even though you are a sucker for his tattoos.

About his personality you love how honest and opened he is about his feelings, his life and all. He never hides something from you, whenever he feels sad he tells you, whenever something is on his mind, stressing him out he is opened about it. He is him no matter what, no matter how he feels and that is so important for you.

Pete on is part adores how tiny and cute you look next to him. He finds any excuse to hold your hand and loves how small they are compare to his. He thinks you are the cutest girl he ever met. And god knows how much he loves your hair, he finds them stunning. He always likes to play with them because to him they are as soft as you are.

He also is really attracted to your personality. You support him no matter what, you never judge him or his decisions but rather try to understand them and do your best to show him that he is not just making a bunch of errors. He can also talk about his mental health issues and personal troubles with without fear or shame because he knows that you will not judge him but rather discuss the problem with him to try to solve it or simply listen to him whenever he needs it. He is amazed by your patience and still process the fact you are never bothered by him and those discussions.

B = Baby: do they want a family? why/why not?

Yeah, he definitively wants one. He always imagines having kids around the house running, playing giggling and he looks forward to have them. He has a bit of practice with children after his road trip with Colson and Cassie and it gave him even more envy to have children. He doesn’t necessarily want a huge family, but 2 or 3 kids seem perfect for him. He even keeps a bit of place on his body to tattoo for their names and dates of birth.

C = Cuddle: how do they cuddle?

Whenever you are doing something, he just likes to come behind you, circles his arm around you and holds you close. Most likely you would turn to bury your face in his chest and wraps your arms around his neck. You could remain like this for an eternity completely forgetting what you were doing because his warmth is relaxing, making you feel home.

In bed, you enjoy when you rest your head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat, while your hand runs against his bare skin. He likes feeling your breath on his skin and plays with your hair when you are like this. It would relax both of you and most likely drive you to sleep.

D = Dates: what are dates with them like?

They are almost always spontaneous and absolutely sweet. Pete doesn’t really like to plan everything so that the same with dates. So yeah obviously for your birthday or anniversary, he calls a nice restaurant in advance and tries to plan romantic gesture but that exceptions. Most of the time your dates are more unplanned. It can be anytime and anywhere. You can be watching Netflix when he would ask you to go outside stargazing with him. He would wake up a random day and say that he was in a mood for a walk in a park where you could eat something you would prepare before going out… He also tends to have original ideas, restaurant, parks, picnics… are okay by him but not his favorite dates. He rather throws a kid party with where you craft a Pinata together or make you try graffiti or buy some Lego for you to build together your perfect home (you never finish it because you end up laughing to hard at your crappy construction). Your favorite date nights are when you build a pillow castle and wrap yourselves in blankets while talking about everything that is on your mind, eating sweets and having the time of your live.

E = Everything: “you are my ____” (e.g my life, my world…)

You are my high. Because even if he smokes a lot and all, he never feels so high than with you. Your simple presence makes him feel better, he forgets everything that put him down and he is just high on happiness. He knows it sounds cheesy, but he doesn’t care, he loves you.

F = Feelings: when did they know they were falling in love?

He realized he was head over heels for you after few months of dating. You had sleep at his house and spent the morning with him. You were eating breakfast in his garden when a small seemingly lost bunny ran across the garden and stopped next to some flowers. The rabbit was skinny and looked afraid. You guessed the poor bunny had been chased by a predator. It broke your heart and you went in the kitchen to grab some celery, carrot tops, broccoli leaves and raspberries that you put in a bowl. You also added some dandelions of the garden. You calmly walked to the scared animal and gently put the bowl close to him but with slow movements. You didn’t go too close or pet him too scared that he would then smell like you and that his mother wouldn’t recognize him and abandon him. Then you walked again in the kitchen to pour some water in a bowl and brought it to the bunny. This latter ate and drank a bit seemingly calming himself before leaving the garden. You carefully watched him just in case. Then you insisted that Pete should always keep a bowl of fresh water and one with vegetables and some fruits if some animals need them to stay alive. The way you looked after the creature with him not being yours and the way you carefully took care of him made Pete’s heart melt and he realized there was no turning back, he loved you, your dedication to the others and your kind heart.

You were once again spending all your time on a work project and you were a nervous wreck. This project was stressing you out and time consuming and you kinda felt bad to always said no to Pete, you couldn’t see him or do anything with him. You hadn’t seen him in few days and you dearly missed him. You had decided that would work until dinner and then call him to spend the night with him. You were lost in your project when your bell door rang, and you grumpily opened the door to face a smiling Pete. He kissed your cheek and showed that he had brought take out. You ate with him and he took your mind away from this goddam project. He told that he understood why you could not be as present as you wanted and that he would always support your career even if that meant making small personal sacrifices like not seeing you for few days. At that precise moment you knew he was the one.

G = Gentle: are they gentle? If so, how?

Let’s face it Pete is a soft boy, he is so gentle. Anytime he wakes up before you (that doesn’t happen a lot though) he leaves a note with a cute message on it to express his love, support in a gentle way or just a bad pun so you wake up in a good mood. After a long day he likes to snuggle. He usually helps around with choirs.  Pete is clearly not really self-confident, and he is still amazed that you accepted to date him so he does everything he can to shower you with the love and affection he thinks you deserve. You try to convince him that he worth your love, but you can’t deny that his soft gentle side is charming.

H = Hand/Hold: how do they like to hold? how do they like to hold hands?

When you walk down the streets together you do the pinky grip. Some people might think that it is because you are distant, but this is actually the opposite. It is just for you a cute and reassuring way to show the other that you are by his side and that if one of you needs it, he can intertwine his fingers with the others.

When you are waiting for something or sitting Pete holds your hand in his and gently massage your palm. That always brings a smile to your face and you wish that it never ends.

I = Impression: first impression/s

You knew Pete from the SNL and the media, you always pictured like another obnoxious celebrity who was just high all the time and not interesting. When you met him through a friend at a party you realized that even though the part about him being high was true, the other part was not. He was actually down to earth and not superficial. He was deep and funy at the same time and you liked that a lot.

When your common friend introduce you to each other he noticed immediately how cute you were but also that you had put a distance between you, clearly showing that you weren’t not impressed by the fact that he was a celebrity and that was rather all the contrary. He found it kind of hard to have a decent conversation. However it was a defy he gladly took, he was willing to show you that your prejudices were not right and that he wasn’t not like you think he was. He definitely perceived you like a challenge

J = Joker: are they into pulling pranks?

Pulling pranks is not his thing but he is really funny, I mean he is one the SNL member for a reason. He always handles situation with humor and make you crack a smile even when you don’t feel at your best. Sometime in the middle of a conversation, he blankly states something in a funny crude way and you burst into laughter. He usually delivers a good punchlines at the right time.

K = Kisses: how do they kiss?

Since you are not the biggest fan of PDA you kiss discreetly in public, only a small peck on the lips, a loving kiss on the forehead… however when you are alone the kiss session tend to become rapidly heated make out session

 L = Love: who says I love you first?

Pete was having a bad day, he was feeling low when he woke up and it grew worse with the day. He felt like he was not worth it, that he couldn’t achieve anything. Those dark ideas prevent him from writing any good skit, he hadn’t had a single good funny idea. It was driving him mad and even more depressed. When he came back home you could see on his face that he was not feeling good. So, you did what you always do in those moments. You ran him a relaxing bath and put some music on. You soon joined him in the bathtub. He hugged you close to him and buried his head in your neck as you were running your hand on his tattoos to appease him. after few minutes you felt some tears rolled down his cheeks, you silently moved to put a hand on his face and your forehead against him. You waited for him to speak up his mind as he usually did. But he remained silent and that worried you a lot. You called his name and he looked at you with teary eyes and that broke your heart. “I don’t get it? why are you with me? I’m a mess, a loser, a failure, every decision I made was wrong, I did nothing good…” the more he was talking, the more he was crying. You wrapped tightly your arms around him, you hold him impossibly closer. You kissed him softly and you heard him mumbled again “Why? Just tell me why?” You revised the million reasons why you were with him trying to sum them up the best way when you simply whispered to him “Because I love you, I love you so much.” He looked kind of surprised and you smiled at him, showing how genuine you were. He brushed his last tears away and replied his voice still shaking because of the crying “I love you too, I have never loved someone this much”. You both remained silent enjoying each other company for few seconds before you heard Pete chuckled “That’s kind of suck I had planed for a while a romantic cute unforgettable way to say to you I love you but I guess it’s kind of ruined now”

M = Memory their favourite moment together

You had decided to make a time capsule that you would open fifteen years from the day you buried it. You are really fond of that memory because anytime you are thinking of it, it reminds you all the things you had put in the capsule and all the good moments they represent. In the capsule you can find the menu of the bar you went for your first date, the ticket of the movie you went to see and where you shared your first kiss, some Machine Gun Kelly’s concert tickets in memory of all the fun you had when you joined him on his tour, a stuffed animal he won during a carnival that was so ugly you both wanted it badly, a cute picture of you snapped during a party for John Mulaney’s birthday, a harry potter’s book and a DVD of one of the film because you couldn’t settle the debate of which support is the best, a soap for the first I love you in the bathtub, some Legos for that perfect house you never finish, a SpongeBob shirt that you usually steal from him, a old pair of sneakers for you first and dumb argument about which sneakers are the best…

N = Nickel do they spoil? do they buy the person they love everything?

You are both not material person, yeah not struggling with money is great but you do not care about material gift. When he gives you a necklace or something else you are happy and glad but whenever he mentions you during an interview with lovely eyes or during his stand up routine, or when he tries to bake you something, or crafts a adorable photo album or gives you a massage, you are happier. You prefer it because he invests not just money but also love and time to do it and it really shows his affection.

O = Orange what colour reminds them of their other half

Pastel pink reminds you of him since he doesn’t hesitate to wear pastel pink sweatshirt, jacket and all and that to your eyes it fits him well. Plus, it was a soft, calming, underrated color just like Pete.

Peacock blue was the color he associated with you. It was a symbol of patience, compassion, loyalty and love for exploration, he thinks that nothing could describe you in a better way.

P = Petnames what pet names do they use?

Not really, he would just use your nickname but sometimes he just feels like calling you by the cheesiest nickname he could find just to see your priceless reaction. He always laughs hard when he calls you peachy pie, cuddle cake, marshymallow, rum-rum and you just rolled playfully your eyes at him.

You always call him Pete and sometimes Peter. When you are annoyed by him you use his full name or last name and he knows he is in trouble. You also sometimes come up with stupid cheesy pet name because it was like a competition between you to who will find the worst nickname for the other. You are quite proud of your sun beam, heaven-sent, Fluffernutter, Snookums.

Q = Quaint what is their favourite non-modern thing?

After you moved together you went several time on flea markets to find original decorations for your house. Once you found an old jukebox from the 50’s that had belong to a small pub that had closed. You were not sure if the thing was still working but you really liked it, you just glanced at Pete to see his satisfied smile and knew he wanted it too. So, you bought it and as soon as you were back home, you installed it. Luckily it was still working, and you grinned at each other. You spent the rest of the day dancing like fools at the songs of the jukebox.

R = Rainy Day what do they like to do on a rainy day?

Pete doesn’t mind the rain for him it is an excuse to stay inside, cuddling with you, chilling together, watching movies, laughing like crazy, smoking, listening to music, watching silly videos on YouTube, discovering new artists on Soundcloud…

S = Sad how do they cheer themselves/each other up

Whenever he is sad you run him a bath and wait for him to talk about his problem. Confessing to you what was on his mind appeases him. you show him support by listening to him and discussing about his troubles with him, giving him an honest opinion and showing him love. plus, you cook him some comfort food

Pete when you are sad, shows you the same support. He listens to you no matter if you are grumbling about the same thing for the hundredth time. He cracks a joke or two just to see you smile a bit. If you are crying he hugs you and tells you how much he loves you, how amazing you are, comforting things until you feel a bit better. Usually he will stay awake most of the night if you had cried during the day to soothe you and check that you are not having nightmares or sleep troubles.

T = Talking what do they love to talk about?

He likes to talk about his day with you, what he did, who he met and all. For a lot of people, it can be seen as useless conversation but to him it is important to share his life with you, the happy moments, the sad ones and also the normal ones. He enjoys talking about music with you, he always ends up discovering new artist to add to his playlist.

U = Unencumbered What helps them relax?

Most certainly smoking weed. Pete has always been honest about him smoking and the effect it has on him. so yeah when he needs to relax, he likes to smoke and watch a movie. It drives his pain away.

V = Vaunt what do they like to show off? What are they proud of?

Pete is not self-confident, so he is not the type of guy to brag about his personal life, wealthy lifestyle or career. However, he is proud of his family and friends. Whenever he can he talks about his mum, sister or you, or gives a shout out to his homies.

W = Wedding when, how, where do they propose?

You didn’t want to rush thing and you took your time before the wedding. He proposed you at home. He had asked Colson to help him to write a proposal song. Colson also help with the instru when Pete recorded the song. One day after work he told you that he wanted to make you listen to a new song he had just discovered. You agreed and at first you were not fully understanding but when you turned yourself to Pete to ask him to explain and saw him on one knee with a simple and yet magnificent ring, you couldn’t contain the tears of happiness.

You got married during the last days of September to have a nice but no too warm weather. You got married in New York, only families and close friends were invited. Actually, it was a secret wedding, you didn’t want the paparazzi and media to ruin it and comment month in advance about it. you wanted to live fully the moment and enjoy it. the ceremony was emotional, and you had the time of your life during the party. Pete never felt happier and during the opening dance you thought that he would never let you go.

X = Xylophone What’s their song?

Soundtrack to my life by Kid Cudi. Pete loves Cudi, it is nothing new and he really relates to the lyrics.

Y = You the ___ to my ___ (e.g the cookies to my milk, the macaroni to my cheese)

You are the straw to my berry. This was quite of a lame joke between you but you both are really fond of it.

Z = Zebra: if they wanted a pet, what pet would they get?

Pete is not against the idea of having a pet but he is allergic to some so to not risked anything you never adopt any. However there is always food and water in the garden your shared house for lost and abandon animals.

[crowdedimagines]

Fanboy Pt. 2 - David Dobrik

word count: 2476 an// italics are flashbacks throughout the relationship. this turned out amazing so you better read both parts.

~

Part One

It’s been exactly three years since the day I met David. Three years that have been filled with joy, surprises, and unending happiness. We’ve been together for three years, now I am going to spend three minutes thinking of our past.

We went on our first official date only a couple of days after meeting. Neither our friends or the fans were surprised. We waited several months before coming clean to the fans, most had their suspicions.

“David, they totally see right through us.” I laugh, swinging my legs as I sit on the countertop.

“No they don’t, everyone thinks you’re too famous for me to date.” He presses a kiss to my cheek before walking out of his kitchen.

“Okay, first of all that’s not true. Second of all, read your comments. They’ve noticed how often we hang out. They aren’t stupid.”

“Well, what do you want to do?” He looks up at me from his seated position on the couch.

“I am happy to come clean. I don’t want to hide what we have anymore.” I slowly sit down on his lap, “Plus, everyone deserves to know where I’m getting my inspiration from lately.”

I press kisses down his neck, successfully making him moan with pleasure.

“Fine. We’ll tell them.” He smiles, finally we’re on the same page.

After that we told them in a vlog, revealing all of the footage he hasn’t been able to use in the past. The fans were easily thrilled with the confirmation. It happily merged our two fan bases. A few months after that I finally got to release my new album, which had been a long time in the making. David and I had been together nearly a year by the time it all came together.

“I don’t want to jinx us like Ariana did by calling a song Pete Davidson.” I complain, “But, everyone is going to know it’s about you anyway. I love you, they should know exactly who I’m talking about.”

“I am not superstitious. I would be honored if you named a song after me, but I also understand why you wouldn’t want to.”

“I’m giving them the okay.” I grin. David pulls me in for a quick kiss before I text my manager. My album is released at midnight tonight, this was the final decision that I was supposed to submit an hour ago.

“Now that that’s all taken care of, we can start getting ready for the party.” David drags me off the couch so we can start setting up my house. We’re having a huge party to celebrate the album, we’re basically inviting every person we know. The whole vlog squad is attending, and all of my los angeles friends. David has been hyping up the album release to everyone, he’s still my little fanboy.

It takes us hours, even with help. Carly and Erin showed up a couple of hours ago, knowing David and I would struggle to do this on our own. They even dragged Zane, Toddy, and Jeff along with them.

“Y/n, we’re all good here!” Erin insists, “Go get ready!”

She shoves me off in the direction of upstairs to my bedroom. David is already up there, he’s changed out of his black tee to a nice jacket.

“Hey, baby.” I greet, pulling him in for a hug.

“Hey, are you excited?” David presses a kiss to the top of my head.

“Can’t wait. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”

“I just can’t wait to hear it! I can’t believe you made me wait with everyone else.”

“I wanted your reaction to everything, now you get to be surprised with everyone else!”

I reluctantly leave his grasp to get dressed. I avoid wearing a dress or a skirt to try and be more comfortable. 

By the time I get downstairs, the party is in full swing. The hours pass by quickly with the mixture of friends and alcohol. Soon enough it’s midnight, we all pop our champagne bottles and the first song of the album comes on the speakers.

“You did it again.” Charlie pulls me into a hug to congratulate me. “This is going platinum, I can feel it.”

“Shut up.” I laugh and lightly shove his chest.

Charlie and I catch up for awhile and listen to more of the album. So far everyone is loving it from what I can tell.

“It’s amazing, baby.” David comes up out of nowhere to press a kiss to my temple and wrap his arms around my waist.

The rest of the night ended up being a blur, I only remember everyone loving it. After that, David and I got to just be ourselves for a while. His vlogs were doing amazing, more and more companies wanting to work with him everyday. Charlie was right, the album ended up going double platinum.

“I have to go on tour.” I tell David, nervous for the response.

“What? For how long?”

“Five months.”

“Five months? It’s only been a couple months since you released the album.” David huffs, sounding a little mad.

“I know, they told me that this is going to be the best option timing-wise. It’s now or never”

We sit in silence for a while, letting all of the new information sink in.

“What am I going to do here without you?” He asks, he looks up at me with his sad puppy dog eyes. His arms pull me closer to him, we both fall back against his bed.

“Well, what if you didn’t have to.” I smile.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, I thought it might be a little crazy, but I think we could give it a try. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?”

I hold my breath as I wait for a reaction. I know his whole life is here, but he can still vlog on tour. Brand deals will still work on the road. He can fly back when he needs to, I just don’t want to go so long without seeing each other.

“Can I actually?” He sits up suddenly.

“Would you really want to?” I ask, getting just as excited as him now.

“Of course I would. Why wouldn’t I want to follow my girlfriend all around on tour?”

“Because your life is here.” I run a hand through his hair, trying to bring him back down to earth.

“No, my life is with you.”

So David went on tour with me for five months. It ended up being the best tour I’ve ever had. Having him with me made it so much better. Every city was a new adventure for the two of us. When we stopped in Chicago we drove to Vernon hills to surprise his family. It’s safe to say they all freaked out when we showed up there. I gave them all front row tickets for the Chicago show. It was easily my favorite show to be able to look out and see David smiling back at me with his whole family.

Once tour ended it felt weird living in different houses. For five months we practically shared a bunk, the eight minute drive was too much distance. We decided to buy a house together, trusting our year and a half of dating.

“This is the house.” I grin, looking at the completely empty home, imagining all of the things we could do with it. It’s a beautiful and large home. It has a gorgeous view, and enough privacy we won’t have to worry about fans.

“How do you know? All of the houses we’ve looked at have been this nice.” He looks around at the place confused.

“I can feel it.” I grin, “This is our home.”

David turns to look at me, a smirk on his face.

“This is our home?” He takes several steps closer to me, he places his hands on my hips, “This is the house you want to come home to after we get married? The house we raise our kids in? The house we grow old in?”

My smile gets wider with each of his words.

“Absolutely.”

That very same day we closed on the house. It took a couple of weeks, but we started moving our things in. We both brought things from our houses and then bought new things to fill all of the empty house we had.

“Hey babe, can you unpack that box?” David asks as he nods to the large cardboard box on the kitchen counter. “I want to finish everything in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely not in the middle of anything.” I roll my eyes. I set down the picture I was attempting to hang on the wall. David is unpacking the other kitchen box.

I pull open the flaps on the box, instantly I notice the small velvet box sitting on the very top.

“David.” I say his name to get his attention, though my eyes never leave the little box.

“What? Find anything good?” He teases, his head still in a cupboard.

He walks over and reaches into the box to grab it. He pulls my attention.

“Why do you have tears in your eyes?” He asks, he brushes a tear off of my cheek, I notice his hand is shaking slightly.

“If that’s a pair of earrings, I’m going to kill you.” I joke, letting out an anxious breath.

“It’s not earrings.” He laughs as he gets down on one knee. “Y/n, I have loved you since before I even knew you. You are kind to the world and I am so glad that I am a part of yours. You are my world, Y/n. You make me the best version of myself. Every morning that I wake up next to you is the better than the last. I would give up everything I have just to see your beautiful smile. Before I start crying as hard as you, Y//n, will you marry me?”

“Well obviously.” I roll my eyes.

David shoots up and slides the ring past my finger. As soon as he does I take his face in my hand and pull him in for an excited kiss.

“I love you so much.” I whisper, our foreheads resting against each other.

“I love you so much more.”

After that it was hard to get back to unpacking. Eventually, we finished moving in and started planning our wedding. We debated back and forth for months whether we should have a small wedding with close friends and family or to just go all out. We decided on the latter. Then it took us months of real planning, we weren’t worried though. We enjoyed our time of being engaged.

“Oh my god, I’m getting married today.” I finish the rest of my champagne as the realization sets in.

“You’re just realizing this?” Erin asks, she looks at me with a dumbfounded face.

“Don’t yell at her, she’s just in a little bit of shock. Every bride is at some point.” Carly tries to defend.

“I think I just need some air.”

I leave the rest of the bridesmaids in the room. I find a balcony and lean against the rail.

“You aren’t getting cold feet, are you?” It doesn’t even take a second to realize it’s David that’s behind me.

“Hey, you aren’t supposed to see me!” I turn around to yell at him, “It’s bad luck!”

“Hey, I thought we decided we aren’t superstitious?” He smirks and raises a brow. He takes a couple of steps closer.

I look up into his eyes and I don’t feel the nerves anymore. They’ve all vanished.

“I was kidding before, but I just want to check. You aren’t getting cold feet?”

“No.” I smile and shake my head, “Not anymore.”

“Okay, good. Charlie might have mentioned that you could be out here.”

“How did he even know?” I ask.

“He’s your best friend, he knows you.” David laughs.

We stay that way for a couple of minutes, just enjoying each other’s embrace.

“We should go.” He announces.

“Is it too late to elope?” I joke, we both start walking back to our respective rooms.

“I have I feeling yes.” He laughs.

The wedding was beautiful. More than I could have ever wished for. Friends and family all surrounding us. It was an amazing experience, by far one of my favorite all time moments.

It’s only been four months since the wedding and honeymoon. We’ve filled our three years with even more than I can think of. My three minutes are up.

Pregnant.

I quick run out to the mall before David gets home. I want to do this right, I know that we are both going to be thrilled with the news.

When I pull into the driveway, I notice David is already here. I take the bag and leave it by the front door.

“Hey!” He calls out.

“Hey.” I grin, I take a seat next to him on the couch.

“How was your day?” He asks, he runs a hand through my hair, completely giving me his attention.

“Amazing.” I smile even wider, “What about you?”

“It was pretty good.” He shrugs.

“Do you know what today is?” I ask.

“Uhh.” He takes a couple of seconds to think, “Awe baby, it’s our three year anniversary of meeting!” He pulls me onto his lap, pressing his lips all over.

“Yes it is!” I push him back a little, “I got you a gift.”

“What? I thought we don’t do gifts for this anniversary?” He groans. I quickly get off of his lap and go over to the door to grab the bag.

“This year is different.” I tease, “I didn’t have time to wrap it anyway.”

I sit down next to him again, this time dropping the bag in his lap. He pulls out the folded shirt.

“A black tee shirt? Babe, you know me so well.” He leans forwards to give me a kiss, I push him back before he can.

“Unfold it, dummy.” I laugh with a roll of my eyes.

He unfolds it and it gets dead quiet in the room.

“Are you pranking me?” He sets down the shirt to look at me.

“I’m completely serious.” I grin.

“We’re having a baby?”

“We’re having a baby.” I confirm.

He tackles me in a hug and peppers my face and belly with kisses. Everything I have is thanks to Charlie and that day three years ago. This is a blessed day. A day that brought me my fanboy and my baby. A day that I owe everything to.

[tillidontneedfantasy]

‘Thank U, Next’ - Ariana Grande REVIEW: I think we’re ALL so fucking grateful for her ex

Only 6 months following the release of her fourth studio album, Sweetener (2018), Ariana Grande released her fifth, Thank U, Next (2019). According to Grande, the entire album was written in the span of two weeks with a group of her close friends and collaborators. Inspiration comes at you fast, and boy, did the latter part of Ariana’s 2019 call for some more art. And sometimes the only way to process tragedy is to create something beautiful from it.

Thank U, Next sometimes feels like an invasion of privacy, most specifically on “ghostin’,” a track about grieving the tragic loss of her ex-boyfriend and talented rap star, Mac Miller, while still trying to show love to her then-fiancé, SNL’s Pete Davidson. As beautiful and heartbreaking as the song is, it wasn’t even supposed to make the album, and any listener can understand why, but Scooter Braun insisted. Another intimate track about Miller that Grande did want to share, “imagine,” is a breathtaking daydream of the kind of life they could have shared together. Though much of the album is somber sentiments hidden behind playful melodies, exploring the difficult few years Grande has had to undergo in the limelight at the height of her fame, Thank U, Next is, at the end of the day, a celebration. “7 rings,” (which samples The Sound Of Music’s “My Favorite Things”), “NASA,” and the titular track, “thank u, next” explore Grande’s success, her star-power, and the important lesson she’s learned that she doesn’t need anyone but herself; she’s “so good with that,” as are we.

BEST TRACK(S): “thank u, next,” “in my head”

Pop artists and label executives will study the release of “thank u, next,” for many, many years to come. Discussing all of her most significant and high profile relationships in one verse, throwing shade at her own father in the bridge, the early 2000’s iconic empowered female romcom throwbacks in the music video, and just the title itself, “thank u, next,” all encapsulate a significant pop cultural moment. With this track, Ariana spins tragedy on its head and challenges us all to be positive about what’s to come, to find success in failures (”God forbid something happens / ‘least this song is a smash!”), and to be grateful for our past and the lessons it has taught us.

She isn’t as grateful on “in my head,” a track that reviews her blind spots in a failed relationship. The song begins with a voicemail from her friend, who lovingly but sternly tells her, “You’re in love with a version of a person that you’ve created in your head, that you are trying to but cannot fix…the only thing that you can fix is yourself.” The music is a bit distorted, just like her perception of this person. She claims that her imagination is “too creative,” seeing only the best of him, and that “they” (presumably her friends, just like the one leaving the voicemail) only see the bad, using the biblical tale of Cain and Abel to contrast their perception of this person. Just as her friend reprimands her, she is trying to help someone grow who isn’t willing to do the work themself. “I saw your potential without seeing credentials / maybe that’s the issue,” she contemplates in the outro. We all have had that experience of giving someone too much benefit of the doubt because we love them so blindly, believing we could be the ones to change something within someone somehow without them putting any of their own efforts forward; “in my head” is a good reminder that we usually can’t, nor should we try.

WEAKEST TRACK: “break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored”

Considering the mature content and storyline of this album, “break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored” feels like five steps backward. To make this track the closer instead of “thank u, next,” feels like a complete misfire. Despite its commercial success, this song offers the least out of everything else on the record; the most exciting part is the sample from *NSYNC’s “It Makes Me Ill,” which more than anything makes me feel the overwhelming urge to go listen to No Strings Attached (2000).

THE IN-BETWEENS

The fact that Sweetener was released only half a year prior to Thank U, Next, is present throughout the album, and although Grande went through events that made her evolve personally, she did not have quite as much time to catch up sonically. Songs such as “bad idea” and “make up” are very fun, but do not push her sound forward in any way. However, on most other tracks, that evolution is present in the lyrical content. One topic covered in "needy" and “fake smile” is Ariana’s difficulty balancing her fame and her mental well-being. “Fuck a fake smile" she declares. While this is especially true for Ariana, considering there are cameras constantly flashing her way and so much expected of her, this applies to all listeners as well: it’s okay to not be okay sometimes, and you don’t have to mask your pain for anyone, nor should you. As the process of creating art shows, being honest about your struggles makes the fight against them all the easier.

BEST PROSPECTIVE SINGLE: “NASA”

Immediately following her admission to being needy, she turns the tables around and asks for some space, reminding the subject of the song that she's a star, hence the clever title. "NASA" is an extremely enjoyable track and has all the makings of a successful single: impossible not to dance (or at least bob your head), easy to sing along, not too serious yet still empowering. The main takeaway is that Grande is not going to let anyone drag her under with them, and neither should you.

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All of that being said, I would like to take a moment to destroy the notion that only despair and pain can inspire art. This simply is not true. The reality is that sadness is easier to access and explore than happiness; we have more words for it, more concrete situations that define it, more stakes in it. I wish Ariana Grande never had to go through any of the things she has in the past few years. But there are two ways that we can handle adversity: let it defeat us, or defeat it. Grande chose the latter with Thank U, Next. Not only is this a great example to set for her fans of all ages, but it is a great precedent for herself, too; the best use of your past is utilizing it as a means to move forward, and so, she marches on. But hopefully there’s some joy-inspired music on the horizon. We’re so fucking grateful for your ex(es) too, Ariana, but we’re ready for what’s next. Grade: 4/5

DISCLAIMER – REVIEWER’S BIAS: I have watched Ariana Grande go from performing on Broadway in the musical 13 to becoming a breakout star on Nickelodeon’s Victorious to becoming one of this generation’s biggest pop stars. I find Ariana’s voice to be phenomenal and for her music to be quite enjoyable. “Into You” is an all-time pop jam. I wasn’t a huge fan of Sweetener, so receiving Thank U, Next so quickly thereafter was a nice pallet cleanser for me. I feel like I spent the entire past year worried about Ariana, as there are many videos of her online crying throughout her shows, barely able to even sing. What I hope more than anything for Ariana is to be able to find the right balance for her to do her job and preserve her mental health so that she can continue to create more pop cultural moments for us all to look back on for years to come.