#tomorrow or thursday i’ll have at least of then posted!

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Before He Cheats | Dagger Squad Imagine

Takes place after the events of TGM

TGM Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: female pilot!reader x Dagger squad (platonic), reader x ex!oc (past romance)

Content Warnings: angst, cheating, profanity, ends with sweet revenge | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 3.8k

Requested 📨 yes/no (rules for requests)

Premise: One thing about cheaters, they’re always gonna get caught. Whether right when it happens or years down the road the truth always comes out. And one thing they should realize is revenge is a dish best served cold.

Note: I finally finished my first year of grad school!!! Fucking finally people. Now I can relax and get to the drawing board. I already have visions and outlines for all current requests in my inbox and be sure to check out my April/May upcoming works and my pinned works in progress for what’s coming and posted! Thank you for your patience and to the anon who requested this I hope you liked it!

Also y’all….is there like some freaky shit going on with the universe and my works 💀 cause three days after I posted Lover inspired by Taylor swift she and her man of 8 years broke up and now I’m posting a cheater imagine (this request is from end of February) when there’s stuff going about Glen 👀 this is just freaky now

—————

Friday night at the Hard Deck consisted of a full house ready to kick off the weekend with beer and music. For a few years now Y/n had been working at the bar serving drinks and singing from 8pm to 9 as a way to make extra cash while her college sweetheart Ryan, who was a Lieutenant Junior Grade, was stationed at Miramar. Having not been married despite being a couple for so long, Y/n lived off base with some roommates while her boyfriend stayed in the dorms, however, he’d come to her place after work and stayed on weekends.

It was rare to see a military couple not be the stereotypically, “we got married right after I commissioned so my partner can be my dependent and travel with me when I get orders.” No, that wasn’t Y/n and Ryan. After Ryan’s commission Y/n stayed to finish up her Master’s at the University of Miami where they met while he was sent to Japan for two years. Then he was stationed in Virginia, followed by Lemoore, and now he was at Miramar. The longest base he’d been at. Y/n had been with him in Virginia, but didn’t move to Lemoore as she had a three-year contract with her job at the University of Virginia.

Toward the end of his two years at Lemoore, Y/n called Y/n to inform her he was being stationed at North Island and the contract was to be at least five years. Wanting to be close to him after being apart for so long and filled with hope they’d finally settle after Ryan hits ten years in the Navy, Y/n transferred to the University of California San Diego as the history of music professor. She also took on a part-time job as a bartender Friday and Saturday since she was only teaching two sections that occurred on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Plus Penny allowed her to sing Friday nights as an added bonus knowing she loved music.

Y/n settled rather quickly in North Island. With her two jobs she developed a friendly social circle consisting of the UCSD staff on campus and regulars at the Hard Deck. Several of the aviators took a liking to her. They knew Ryan and would often meet up every Friday after work to catch up on the week and watch her sing. Y/n always had their rounds ready the moment they walked in, “got ya seven cold ones.”

“Already?”

“The newbie over there didn’t read the sign. Round’s on him.”

They’d cheer Y/n on when she sang, literally the loudest bunch in the whole bar. “Sing it girl!”

“Ariana ain’t got nothing on you!

Phoenix sometimes sat at the bar when she needed to get away from the guys. “Are you working tomorrow?”

“Penny gave me the night off since I got papers to grade…but If I get done early I’ll be free.”

“Please, I am in need of a girls night. Hell I’ll even come help you grade if you tell me what to do.”

“Damn, Nat, were the guys too much this week?” She placed another beer in front of the pilot, removing the empty one to discard. “This one’s on me. You look like you need it.”

“You have no idea, Y/n. All week we’ve been training for an upcoming mission and they’ve been driving me nuts.”

Ryan had his own group of friends from the base who’d come toward the later hours of the night. They’d usually take up the space at the bar, Ryan greeting Y/n with a kiss and telling her how the day was. He’d nurse a couple beers before he and Y/n would retreat to her apartment when the place closed at eleven.

They’d been together for several years, coming up on their eighth anniversary when Y/n discovered his infidelity.

And it wasn’t just a one-and-done “I was drunk and stupid, she doesn’t mean anything,” type of deal. No, this was a long going affair lasting almost a year.

What was the kicker? The other woman was a married coworker of his.

Now Y/n may have had the reputation of being the sweet, down to earth, understanding person who would never hurt a fly. But as soon as her eyes landed on Ryan, her partner of eight years, shoving his throat down another woman’s throat while grabbing her ass like it would vanish from thin air…..she saw red. Kill Bill sirens blasting in her mind. Y/n wanted to ruin both of them seeing she wasn’t the only person betrayed. The woman’s husband was also being deceived.

And what was punishment for adultery and extramarital sexual conduct? Well, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice those in the military who are married or have affairs with married personnel are dishonorably discharged, forfeited of all pay and confined for one whole year.

Was it harsh? Maybe some would see it that way. But cheaters need to be taught a lesson.

And Y/n was gonna make sure they got it.

For a whole week Y/n put on a brave face. Accumulating photographs and screenshots of text messages, emails, and bank statements to show proof of the affair and how long it had been going on. She secretly got in touch with the husband of the Lieutenant Ryan was sleeping with, presenting him with everything. Heartbroken and angry, he agreed to remain quiet until the meeting Y/n had set up on that following Friday with their partner's supervisor.

“I know this is a lot to ask,” she exhaled, tired from everything and having to act like she was fine. “But come Friday they’ll be faced with the consequences of their actions. I’m sorry you’re having to go through this as well.”

“It’s not your fault—you’re not the one who cheated on me. You’re the one who found out and had the decency to tell me. We both got screwed,” he rubbed his face with his hands, wedding ring flashing under the light. When it caught his eyes all he could do was glare at it. “The only thing making this somewhat bearable is the fact they’re gonna be hit with the ultimate blindside.”

Y/n nodded to his ring, “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m contacting a divorce lawyer once I leave here. Hopefully the papers will be drawn up quickly so I can bring them to the meeting. Make it a double whammy. You?”

Y/n threw back the rest of her gin & tonic, letting out another tired sign, “I booked a flight to Cabo. Spring break is next week so I’m gonna take a well needed week long vacation and then figure it out from there.” Sunny skies with margaritas and radio silence seemed to be the best therapy at the moment.

For the next three days Y/n maintained a strong façade. Whenever Ryan went to kiss her she’d kept it short or moved to where his lips hit her cheek. She continued to send screenshots to her phone and delete the conversations so he wouldn’t notice. When she surprised him at work for lunch the day before the meeting it really threw both the cheaters off.

“Y/n,” his eyes went wide, “what are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d surprise you for lunch,” she held up a bag of homemade stir fry, bidding a glance at the woman who also was white a sheet. “Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Y/n.”

“Becca.”

“Becca,” she repeated, a smile tight on her lips. While doing so she gave an obvious glance to Becca’s ring finger, finding the diamond. “Beautiful ring you’ve got there. Are you engaged?” Becca became flustered, but kept calm.

“Married.”

“Ah, your husband has a great eye for jewelry. You’re so lucky.”

Ryan was quick to cut the conversation short after the mention of Becca’s husband. Visibly uncomfortable with how Y/n was throwing their aldurty in their face despite not knowing she was aware of it.

The next day Y/n marched into their superiors office, dressed like a corporate CEO ready to fire the entire team for an unforgivable mistake, with two boxes on each arm. One filled with all the evidence of Ryan and Becca’s affair, the other containing all of Ryan’s belongings he had at Y/n’s apartment. Becca’s husband, Tim arrived a minute later with a folder of divorce papers in his hands.

They met with the supervisor first. Y/n introduced who she was and who Tim was, presenting the box of evidence and explained while the Captain shuffled through the papers. Visibly disgusted, the Captain thanked Y/n for bringing it to his attention and promised the adults he would handle the rest.

“Are you calling them in right now?” She asked.

“I was planning to this afternoon, why?”

“I’d like to be present if you don’t mind,” a hand came up to the other box she had, “These are his things and frankly, I want to see the look on his face.”

“Me too,” Tim piped up and waved the folder in his hands. “These need to be served to Becca.”

The supervisor simply shrugged and said, “if that’s what you want, fine by me.” He hit a button on his phone, “Wilkins, please inform Lieutenants Stevens and Leeds they need to report to my office immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Though her heart was racing, Y/n remained poised and took a seat against the wall of the room. Tim sat beside her, both setting their gaze on the door to await their soon to be exes.

Roughly ten minutes later, a knock on the door sounded and the Captain gruffly said, “enter.” The door opened to reveal Ryan, whose eyes went straight to his superior before scanning the room ultimately resulting in him to freeze where he stood. Turning white as a sheet, Y/n could only imagine what was running through her ex boyfriend’s mind. There was great satisfaction seeing his eyes flicker from her to Tim to the Captain.

“Have a seat, Lieutenant,” the older gentleman's finger pointed to the seat in front of his desk. It seemed to snap Ryan from his daydream, the man stumbling into the room and unable to form words.

When he sat the first thing he tried to say was her name to which the Captain voiced, “I didn’t say you could speak, Lieutenant. Keep quiet, we’re waiting on one more before we get started.”

Becca’s reaction was pretty much the same when she arrived two minutes later. “T-tim,” she stuttered, red as a tomato and fear etched on her face.

“Rebecca,” his tone was blank, matching his expression. Just the full name combined with the parties in the room indicated to Becca she was about to have the worst day of her life.

But hey, maybe she shouldn’t have cheated then.

And Ryan? Mans was shitting bricks where he sat. Couldn’t even bring himself to look at Becca when she sat in the chair beside him. He kept trying to plead to Y/n with his eyes but she wasn’t having it.

The Captain got right to it. He laid out all the evidence on the desk for the two to see, Becca immediately breaking into tears while Ryan tried to explain. What could he explain though? How could he defend a year long affair with a married coworker in front of her husband, longtime girlfriend and superior.

When it came time for the Captain to discuss where to go from there, Y/n excused herself by dropping the box of Ryan’s things into his lap, “Here’s all your shit,” it nearly spilled onto the floor when the action surprised him. “Don’t call, text, show up at my place or at the bar tonight otherwise I’ll call the cops. I’m done with you, Ryan. Thanks for wasting eight fucking years of my life.”

“Wait, Y/n, please—,” she cut him off when he went to stand.

“You’ve not been dismissed yet,” that got him to freeze, noticing the Captain smirking in the corner of her eye. She turned to Tim, “Thanks for your help. Good luck with everything and I hope it works in your favor.” Becca gasped, realizing what the folder in Tim’s hand represented. It spurred on another wave of tears.

“Thanks,” he gave a tired smile, “And good luck to you.” With that Y/n was out the door and Ryan was out of her life. First thing she did was go home, change, and drive to the Hard Deck. Penny immediately poured a glass for her, “long day?” Y/n accepted the beer with a nod.

“Glad it's almost over.”

“What happened?”

Y/n felt the tears welling in her eyes. The emotions she had been holding the past two weeks had finally broken free. Concern formed on Penny’s face. “Ryan was cheating on me for the past year.”

“No,” the woman gasped. Never had she thought Ryan, who always came to the bar to keep Y/n company and watch her sing and her partner of almost a decade would betray her like that. “Did you just find out today?”

“Last Monday. I went to bring him his dry cleaning he left at my place and found him making out with his married coworker.” Another gasp left Penny. “I’ve been playing actor the past two weeks to make him think everything was okay while I gathered proof. Told the woman’s husband a couple days ago and we both met with their superior today. Gave him his stuff while I was at it.”

“I’m so sorry honey,” Penny reached over to pat her hand, “he’s an asshole and you’re worth so much more than him.” Y/n softly smiled at that, mumbling a thanks. Penny served her another glass, “Take the night off okay, I can call Elise to take your shift.”

If Y/n was being honest the offer sounded like a dream. She wanted to go home and cry herself into a bucket of ice cream while watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine until she passed out. But part of her also wanted to sing her pent up feelings out. “Thanks, Penny. I’d still like to sing though if you don’t mind. I could use the release.”

“Of course,” Penny waved a hand, “Whenever you feel like it I’ll have Jose set up the mic. Your guitar’s in the back where I keep the stock.”

For the next couple hours Y/n caught up on grading some papers at a booth while she waited for 8 to roll around. By 6 most of their regulars from the base arrived, signaling the end of the work day. Nat was the first to spot Y/n, strolling over and immediately noticed by the professor's body language that something was off.

“What happened?” She sat across from her.

“What makes you think something happened?”

Nat gave a look, “first, you’re not working the bar.” Y/n shrugged, trying to be nonchalant.

“Penny gave me the night off. I’m still singing though so I thought I’d hang out for the time being—catch up grading before spring break next week.”

“The tone in your voice is off.”

Y/n scoffed even though the pilot was right, “It’s not off.”

“What’s not off?” Rooster comes up, pushing Nat aside so he could slide into the booth.

“Y/n’s acting off and won’t say why.”

“I’ve been grading papers for the last two hours,” Y/n rolled her eyes, “sixty to be exact and all are six pages each. If I sound off it’s probably because I’m tired.” Again, Nat doesn’t appear convinced.

“But you’re still gonna sing even though you probably would rather be home sleeping the day away?”

“Friday nights are what I look forward to during the week,” Y/n scribbled a grade at the top of the paper in front of her, placing it on the stack, “I get to see you guys and sing whatever I want. I wouldn’t miss this.”

“Is Ryan coming?” It was an innocent question and one to expect from her friends given they had no idea of the events that’d taken place. However it didn’t stop the sharp intake of breath Y/n did.

“No, he’s not,” she quickly added before they could ask why, “he got held up at work. His supervisor needed to discuss some things with him.”

“Uh oh,” Rooster made a face, unaware of the boiling anger surfacing in Y/n. “That can’t be good.”

“Yeah,” Y/n clicked her pen, finishing up the last paper. Nat decided not to press further on what was bothering her friend. If Y/n wanted to say then that was up to her.

So to brighten her mood Nat bought her a round and challenged Y/n to a game of pool. Y/n packed up her things, placed them behind the bar and then greeted the other daggers.

“There’s our favorite singer,” Jake announced with a smile. “We were wondering where you were.” Y/n took the cue Rooster handed her.

“Just trying to get through the semester, Hangman.”

The two women played best out of three with Y/n winning the first and final game. By the time they finished it was pushing 7:50 so Y/n informed Penny she was getting her guitar. Once retrieving the instrument she returned to the floor to see Jose had set up the mic and stool for her.

Grabbing a glass of water, Y/n took the stage and set the glass beside the stool before clearing her throat, “Hey everyone.” There were a few hoots and whistles from her friends and regulars at the bar. “How’s your night going? Good?” There were some ‘yeahs’ from the crowd, people moving to get drinks and settle close to the stage. “That’s great to hear. Just sit back, relax, and feel the music.”

Y/n played several songs, all acoustic, starting with Taylor Swift’s ‘Getaway Car’ followed by ‘Back to Black’ by Amy Winehouse. She changed the tune by playing Bill Withers ‘Ain’t No Sunshine,’ but changed ‘she’ to ‘he’ that not many caught. She played ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell,’ by Lana Del Rey and ‘Somebody That I Used To Know,’ from Gotye.

Coming up to the final five minutes of the hour, Y/n gulped the remaining bit of her water and put on a brave face. “This last song,” she paused to close her eyes, “fits the theme you’ve been hearing all night, but is a little more close to the heart. It’s dedicated to someone who’s not present in the crowd which really is a good thing because he knew what was best for him,” very quickly Y/n saw the confusion appear on her friends, some whispering to each other to ask if they knew what she was talking about. “If you can relate to this song because you’ve been on the receiving end of betrayal then my heart goes out to you for I feel your pain. If you can relate because you’ve been that one to betray someone, well, I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

Letting her fingers drum against the strings, the beginning chords of ‘Before He Cheats’ by Carrie Underwood echoed through the bar.

“Right now, he’s probably slow dancin’,” her voice carried into the mic, raw with emotion. “With a bleached-blond tramp and she’s probably gettin’ frisky. Right now, he’s probably buyin’ her some fruity little drink. ‘Cause she can’t shoot whisky.”

Out in the crowd Nat cursed under her breath, anger rising at the realization, “That sly bastard.”

“What?” Mickey whispered, the guys leaning in.

“Right now, he’s probably up behind her with a pool stick. Showin’ her how to shoot a como. And he doesn’t know….”

“Don’t you see?” She gestured with a hand to Y/n, “Ryan cheated on her! That’s why he’s not here. That’s why his supervisor needed to see him. It’s why she’s dedicated this song, a song about a cheater, to him!”

All the sirens ring in their heads as Y/n belts the chorus.

“I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive. Carved my name into his leather seats. I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights, I slashed a hole in all four tires. Maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats.”

“Oh,” the word left Jake’s lips, fury in his green eyes. Y/n was his friend, and nobody hurts his friends. “Oh he’s gonna regret that.”

“You guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Rooster crossed his arms over his chest. All of them shared a look. Nat took one look at Y/n and saw how she was holding back tears.

Kill Bill sirens flooded her brain.

“Yeah, I think we are.”

Come Monday Ryan was emptying out his desk while he awaited his discharge hearing, dark circles under his eyes and in dire need of sleep. As he carried the box out to his car, it fell from his hands with horror coating his face.

Parked in the same spot his beloved red Mustang Charger was not the way he left it. The windows were shattered, tires slashed, the leather of his seats torn. His license plates were missing and the word cheater spray painted in white along the sides.

Hiding behind the building, the guys were biting back their laughter at his reaction. Bob holding the spray paint can, Mickey with the Louisville slugger and Bradley and Jake with pocket knives. Reuben had the plates behind his back and Javy kept checking the phone where he had hacked into the building's security cameras to make sure they were disconnected.

Right on time, Nat came running around the corner in her PT gear, slowing her run when she approached a visibly distraught and furious Ryan. Removing her headphones the pilot whistled, “Damn. That’s gonna be a field day to fix.”

Ryan snapped his head to her, “Do you know who did this?” His tone was accusatory and Nat couldn’t blame him. He knew she was friends with Y/n and frequented the bar every week. He wouldn’t put it past Nat being involved. “Was it you and her? Huh? Y/n had to get one last final laugh—as if she hasn’t done enough!” Nat only scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“I wouldn’t throw accusations so loosely, Ryan. I’ve had PT all morning and Y/n left for Cabo yesterday.” There was no lie in her statement. Y/n was currently sitting at the poolside of her resort with a margarita in her hand. She’d posted on her instagram stories and let Nat know when she landed. Plus the pilot did have PT and was finishing up her run before heading to the flight line.

But she was the mastermind while the boys did the dirty work.

The truth only angered Ryan more, his face turning even more red. “Then who did this?!”

“How should I know?” Nat smirked, putting her headphones in as she started to move past him. “But maybe next time you’ll think before you cheat.”

………..

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan @caitsymichelle13 @poppyalice2001 @cutelittlepotatofry @luckyladycreator2 @americaarse @elenavampire21 @back-tooo-black @wildellaa @artemissunn @pinkpantheris

[all-risejd]

A New Judgment Chapter 4: Protective Men and Matching Energy (Poly Judgment Day Fic)

Written by Scarletxraine who can’t seem to remember to post to this godforsaken hellsite so has me post here for your enjoyment!

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7.

"I'll do it" She tells Triple H.

"Excellent. Don't tell anyone yet I want their genuine reactions on Friday. Im booking you a flight now. You will fly out tomorrow. Once you land I am having you brought to the performance center for your evaluation and to begin your training. There we will go over the plan. You will fly out separately on Thursday to be there for smackdown and will be in a separate hotel. Once you debut you will be paired with your stable mates." He explains,

"Sir, before I sign this I have one question." She states.

"Ask it?" He prompts

"Will I be expected to kiss or be physical for the storylines?" She asks her voice more timid than she would like it to be with her new boss.

"It is a strong possibility, Nessa. But if it doesn't seem natural, we will scrap it so if you aren't comfortable it can be negotiated. We'll go over the details when I see you Wednesday, tomorrow is just training and testing." He offers. She says goodbye and hangs up the phone and begins packing, knowing she has to pack for at least 2 weeks. She pauses as the phone rings.

Dom's name flashes across the screen, she lets it ring knowing she is at risk of slipping up and letting him know if she answers. She isn't at all surprised when the phone rings again and it is a different member of the Judgement Day, and one she doesn't expect. She answers the phone apprehensively,

"Hello."

"Hello, Luv, Dom Dom is freaking out because you won't answer him." Finn's voice comes through and Nessa starts biting her thumbnail.

"I just can't talk to him right now, he went from being a ghost to literally blowing up my phone every day. It's too much, I need air, I need to think, to breathe." She explains, pacing across the room trying to keep from saying what she can't.

"Look he asked me to call and I am sorry he is so overbearing with this. I'll have a talk with him. But luv." He says, trying to make sure he has her attention.

"Yeah,"

"He still cares deeply for you and wants to earn your forgiveness. He wants you to be a part of his life even as just a friend. He just doesn't know how to communicate that without smothering you."

"Thanks, Finn, you know I wouldn't peg you as the voice of reason." She compliments

"Darlin, you could peg me as anything you want!" He responds and Nessa can't say anything besides the squeak of air that just left her. "Calm down luv I'm just joking, you are too easy to rile up", His accent seems thicker as he speaks.

"You all are going to be the death of me, I just know it." She finally manages to choke out and Finn laughs.

"Look, we hope you enjoyed the show and also hope you decide to join us. If not just keep in touch, for Dom's sake." He asks with true concern in his voice which makes Nessa nod in agreement even though he can't see it. "Are you nodding even though I can't see it?" He asks, letting out a laugh again.

"Uh yeah, I was, sorry."

"It's ok, look I'm gonna go so we can get some rest, we have an early flight out tomorrow and we are staying at Dom's place just giving you fair warning. I'll keep him from going to your place so you can have your space." He promises and Nessa smiles, some of the anxiety leaving her body.

"Thank you, Finn, that is really sweet."

"No problem princess, have a good night." He hangs up the phone and Nessa is thankful for what he promised even though she won't be home. She tosses her phone on the bed and continues packing wondering what mess Rey has gotten her into. Her alarm goes off early in the morning and she continues to lay in bed, scrolling through her unread messages from the day before.

From Dom Dom-

Monday 8:45 am

I'm sorry mi cileto I can't say I'm sorry enough for what I did. There is no excuse.

Monday 9:30 am

Are you ok? I haven't heard from you since yesterday.

Monday 10 am

Nessa I am starting to get worried.

Monday 11am

Mi sol, I want to make sure you are ok and to set up a time to talk. You deserve to know why I did what I did. I want to know what to do to make things right and at least be your friend.

Monday 11:30 am

I deserve this

Monday 12pm

Mi vida, you are probably at work and I don't know why I didn't think about that, I am sorry for the constant messages. I'll try again when you are supposed to be off work.

From- tall dark and broody

Monday 11:30 am

Chiqui I'm sorry Dom Dom is blowing up your phone, I took care of it. Enjoy.

From Dom Dom

Monday 7pm

Enjoy the show Reinita, just give me a chance to earn your forgiveness, please.

Nessa rolls her eyes and decides to leave him on read a taste of what he did to her, she is going to see him later that week anyway and she will hear him out then. Until then he can suffer. She knows Finn has her back on this. She notices she has some time to kill before she has to leave for the airport, so she decides to call Rhea

"Good Morning Doll, to what do I owe this honor?" she asks, letting out a Yawn.

"Sorry if I woke you Demi, but I told Finn and I am going to tell you. I need space, I need time. Dom is blowing up my phone and I need space to think. He wants me to forgive him and I will, I have, but I need space and he needs to earn my trust."

"Oh sweetpea, of course, I'll make sure he gives you that space. Do you need that from all of us? If so, we will do that too. We don't want to pressure you." Rhea agrees.

"Thank you, and no you guys don't blow up my phone and call me at work" Nessa sighs.

"Well, that's good then. We are about to head to the airport. I'm assuming Finn told you we are staying with Dom Dom this week. Maybe we can meet up for lunch just as friends, no pressure." Rhea asks.

"Uh, not this time Demi. I'm not quite ready, my head is all over the place but next time I promise ok?" Nessa lies trying to keep her ass covered so she doesn't get in trouble. She can hear Rhea's smile drop as she responds.

"Oh ok. I'm sorry. No, yeah, I'll let you know next time we are in town. Talk to you later"

"No No Demi It's not like that!" She panics hoping Rhea doesn't hang up.

"It's fine really Nes." Comes Rhea's voice still clearly disappointed.

"No really, I'm not going to be in town when you are here."

"Why?" Rhea asks, sounding a little less disappointed. Nessa doesn't answer, however. "Why won't you be in town? Don't you have to work?..." She trails off at the end. It takes her a moment but the answer clicks in her head. "Oh my god", She whispers, "No fucking way doll!"

"Shhhh, I had no choice, all the calls got me in trouble and the meddling put a target on my back." Nessa tries to shush her and continues, "It is supposed to be a secret to get genuine reactions so please don't spill to the rest of them. Especially Dom. After WrestleMania, he can't always control his expressions." She begs glad at least she didn't hurt her feelings.

"Of course, our little secret sweetheart. I gotta go, the boys are coming" she quickly ends the call.

____________________________________________________________________

Rhea hangs up the phone and quickly slides it in her pocket. Dom walks up and kisses her cheek.

"Who was that Mami?"

"My Mum checking up on me" She answers immediately covering for Nessa.

"Then what is your little secret," Damien asks, grabbing Rhea's bag from her hand and handing it over to Finn.

"She is going to get ice cream without my dad because she needs "me" time" Finn scoffs not believing it but doesn't question it further, Dominik accepts the excuse immediately while Damien is also skeptical and pulls out his phone.

_____________________________________________________________

Nessa starts her car as she gets a text message and decides to open it before driving off.

From- Tall Dark and Broody

"Am I going to see your gorgeous face on Friday Mamita?"

Nessa knows no answer will mean yes again if she doesn't answer and cover so she answers,

"No, I have a shift up until the show starts. I'll be late tuning in, but I look forward to seeing what you guys will do. Stay safe and keep Dom safe please." She asks hoping he buys it.

"Of course Mariposa, you too. Don't let those human Petri dishes get you sick, we want you healthy and happy."

Nessa rolls her eyes and doesn't respond to that and starts her drive to the airport knowing Olivia is going to pick her car up.

Nessa gets back to her hotel room near midnight, walking with a slight limp, sore from all the tests they put her through and her training. She checks her phone for the first time in hours and feels bad about some of the missed messages.

She responds to Olivia and Rhea and shoots a quick generic response to the rest, apologizing saying she was kept late at work which isn't exactly a lie.

"Oh my god how do you do this all the time?" Nessa complains to Rhea

"You get used to it eventually, are you ok?" Rhea answers,

"Yes, just sore. I passed the necessary tests and had my first training session. I have to do it again tomorrow and fly out Thursday. Also, I think I've been had. Luis and Finn have texted me asking if I am going to be there Friday. I told them I am working a later shift but I don't think they believe me. I don't want to get in trouble if they don't seem surprised when I show up." She answers, ranting. Rhea must be able to tell she is spiraling because her phone starts to ring.

"Hey." She groans.

"They may be suspicious but they don't know, they won't give you up. Trust me you won't get in trouble. He is looking more for Dom Dom's reaction anyway. So calm down, you got this." Rhea comforts her.

"If you are sure. Thank you for listening." "Anytime Nes, now tell me what story he wants to go for." She pries.

"Oh no that is all you are getting, I'm going to bed, I have another long day tomorrow then a flight to catch Thursday to make sure I am in town for the show. Goodnight Demi." Nessa avoids the question, not having processed what she was told enough to explain.

Friday morning she is awoken by her phone ringing before her alarm was set to go off. Without thinking or checking the caller id she answers it.

"Finally, Mi Corazon I have been so worried." He sighs in relief and something in Nessa snaps, she is not awake enough to control her mouth.

"You weren't worried when you ghosted me, Dominik. I'm just doing the same to you. I need space and time to think I know Finn has told you. You want my forgiveness, don't smother me, you can't go from nothing to the complete opposite and blow up my phone." She throws her arm over her eyes and continues. "And I'm not your heart or any of the other nicknames to you anymore, I am Nessa or Nes. You don't have that right anymore. You lost it when you dumped me over text and then proceed to ghost me for half a year." There is silence on the other end to the point where she thinks he hung up until she hears him take a shaky breath.

"I have no excuse for what I did Nes. I want to make it right. If you want space you got it. Just tell me what else to do." He tells her, his voice softer than she has ever heard it and her heart aches for him.

"Dom you are clearly trying and for that, I give you credit, you are working to it. And when I say space I don't mean go ghost again. Just not so much ok please." She explains as her alarm starts going off on her phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry for waking you, I know you have to work late. Hopefully, you can catch some of the show tonight." He sounds like guilt is filling him.

"It's ok Dom, some of the kids will have it on in their room so I'll be able to catch some of it. Kill it out there for me ok?" She offers the small peace offering feeling bad at how harsh she was a few minutes earlier.

"Look when we are back in town I want to give you an explanation. You deserve that much, could we meet up for lunch, you choose where." He asks, stopping her from hanging up. She chews on her lip for a moment before answering,

"Yeah, that would be fine Dom. I'll see you around." She ends the call and groans as she gets out of bed and gets dressed and grabs her bag ready for her ride to the arena.

___________________________________________________________________

Ness is pacing in the backstage office they have her in, having just changed into the clothes they picked out of her suitcase so she would match the Judgement Day to hammer home where her allegiances are. She is pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door and a voice on the other side.

"Are you decent?" Comes the voice of Triple H.

"Uh yeah come in," She stutters, her nerves making her hands shake.

"How are you doing, nervous?" He chuckles seeing her wring her hands in an attempt to self-soothe.

"Yeah actually, any advice?"

"Just be yourself. You know what to do and say. For all promos. Are you comfortable with the physicality of the plan? Did you practice enough this week?" He asks wanting to make sure she is going to be safe.

"Yes, I am fine with it."

"Good, you are going to be escorted to your place in the crowd so you can get noticed at your queue.. And once again welcome to the family" He holds out his hand to shake and she meets it feeling better from their talk.

She follows the employee Triple H brought to escort her to her seat, surprised at how fast he is making her move and the fact that she sees no superstars. It only takes a few minutes before she is in her seat a guard on either side of her, the crowd starting to roll in. She is shocked again by how many fans are noticing her as they fill in the seats around her. They are whispering to each other before smiling at her and waving. She sheepishly waves back, not used to the attention.

The show eventually starts, with Nessa trying to avoid attention and keep her head down as much as possible so an accidental camera shot can't give her away to the Judgment Day backstage. Eventually, Triple H's music starts and Nessa sighs in relief, all the anxious energy building up and she gulps trying to keep her mouth from drying out. She only half pays attention to what he says as he talks about the future and the draft coming up. Soon enough he introduces The Judgment Day and steps out of the ring as their music starts. Nessa stands up with the crowd which is a mix of cheers and boos.

She watches as Triple H shakes each member of The Judgement Day's hand before disappearing backstage. She is thankful the crowd remained on their feet so this next part would be easier for her. She makes her way to the barricade as they enter the ring and grab mics. She rests her hands on the barricade ignoring the people patting her shoulder and cheering as Rhea tells everybody to rise for her.

Nessa chuckles to herself the boys haven't noticed her yet. Rhea finishes speaking and Nessa knows that Finn is next talking about his match with Edge. How he is still standing and Edge is nowhere to be seen. It is finally Dom's turn he raises the mic to his mouth and the crowd boos so loud she can barely hear what he is saying so he pauses until they stop so he can try again.

"I decided not to show aggression towards my dad." The crowd boos more so Nessa takes the opportunity. She has the guard with her help her onto the barricade where she sits swinging her legs until the people in the ring notice her, the people behind her laugh while the rest of the crowd Boo's Dominik as he tries to talk.

"Hey we got all night!" Finn addresses the crowd looking around at them. He is the first to notice Nessa sitting on the barricade and he smacks Damien's shoulder pointing her out as Dom tries to speak again.

"I'll stand here all night!" Dom yells into the Mic and Nessa can still barely hear him so she exaggeratingly cups her ear smirking. The crowd quiets down again and she sees that Dom notices her on the barricade, his eyes wide and mouth open in shock. Rhea is doubled over laughing seeing Nessa wearing the She's My Mami t-shirt cut how she normally wears it like a sports bra, a purple bandana tied to her wrist.

Damien gestures for Nessa to join them in the ring, the crowd cheering wondering what is going to come next. She hops off the barricade and up the steel steps. Both Dominik and Damien sit on the middle rope and push up the top rope to create an easier opening for Nessa to get in the ring. She pauses on the apron unsure of which way to face when entering the ring. She looks between Dominik and Damien and chooses to face Damien, knowing if she looked at Dominik she might stumble. She locks eyes with Damien and the corners of his lips twitch like he is trying to suppress a smile. Nessa doesn't hide hers as she stands up in the ring. Damien offers his arm again and leads her over to stand by Rhea as Dom tries to speak again over the crowd chanting

"You suck"

"You know who sucks. A father who tells you to break up with the woman you love. A father who lays his hands on his only son. I held back at Wrestlemania. I pulled my punches because I knew at the end of the day, I could not hurt my own father. Especially in front of Mamita, who loves him like a father. I love my dad. I couldn't hurt him even though he caused me to hurt such a lovely woman. But I can't say the same for him. He brought my Mamita to hurt me, to manipulate me and it hurt her. Because when I stood in front of him I could see the anger in his eyes." He continues on in Spanish complaining about what kind of father spanks his son on tv and switches back to English and holds an arm out to Nessa. Nessa looks to Rhea who nods in permission, so she walks over and smiles as he wraps his arm around her shoulders. "But I understand where the lines are drawn dad and as far as we are concerned. You and the rest of my family can go to hell and take Bad Bunny and the rest of your little friends with you." He whispers in Nessa's ear as the crowd continues to boo. "Thank you" He kisses her temple.

Together they watch as the replay shows on the titantron and Rhea laughs as Bunny goes through the table. Nessa can't help but laugh as well, Rhea's joy being contagious. Rhea lifts the mic to her mouth again addressing Nessa, "Good choice mini me"

Instead of saying anything Nessa instead mimics Rhea and sticks out her tongue and Rhea matches the energy to cheers from the crowd. Damien's deep chuckle sends shivers down Nessa's spine before he starts speaking and she doesn't take her eyes off him as directed.

As soon as he is finished speaking Rey's music comes on and the match is announced. Nessa steps out of Dominik's arms and takes a step back as the LWO enters the ring. Rey steps towards Nessa to talk to her like he promised on Raw, only for Rhea and Dominik to step in front of her. Damien pulls her behind him and Finn as well. Keeping his hand on her wrist.

After a tense minute, Damien turns to Nessa, "Come, Mamita, Let's get you away from them so the match can start." He gently guides her to the ropes where Finn is already on the other side. Damien opens the ropes for her again and she gets out and Finn holds his hand out to help her down the stairs. Rhea jumps out of the ring and stands by Nessa and the match begins.

[reiashiftsrealities]

Hii, I wanna listen to ur shifting story about sturniolo triplets (out of curiosity:))-🥀

HI LOVE I’VE MISSED YOU!!!

I’m guessing you’re talking about the post I made a few days ago about this DR so I’ll share some things on the topic of that below the cut. I was waiting until I posted the intro for this DR before I answered this ask :)

Me and Nick are very very close. Like sharing clothes close. I would definitely consider him my best friend. And as I said before, I edit the Sturniolo Triplet youtube videos with Nick.

So I was playing with my cat on the couch at like 11:30 at night on Thursday and Nick calls me. My phone was in the kitchen but I knew it was Nick because I have a specific ringtone for him LMAOO.

Anyway I got up and answered the call, and this man is panicking. I’d literally never heard Nick panic until this phone call so I’m like “..? Nick are you alright?”

I hear Matt go “I REMINDED YOU YESTERDAY🫤”and I IMMEDIATELY why Nick was calling, so I go “Oh shit” and he picks the phone up again and the conversation went like this:

Nick: “We. Forgot.”

Me: “Oh my god how did we- DON’T WE HAVE AN ALARM SET????”

Nick: “I turned it off ☹️”

Me: “Why would you do that.”

Nick: “Be so fucking fr you turned yours off too. Don’t even.”

Me: “…..okay yeah. Do we have time to do it tomorrow?”

Nick: “Not a chance.”

Me: “fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck okay. I will be there in 10 just let me get out of these clothes.”

Nick: “No need. Open your door.”

Me: “What?”

Nick: “This shit is heavy please let me in.”

So I get up and unlock my door and this kid is standing there holding the editing computer, his backpack on his shoulder, and a dollar general bag on his arm. I didn’t even have time to say a damn word before he pushed past me and put his shit down on the table. Like he wasted ZERO time.

He put his bookbag down and opened the dollar general bag and he had gotten us all kinds of snacks and drinks 🙁. He handed me a coke and a bag of hot cheetos and was like “We’re finishing this tonight.” and I didn’t even argue.

We spent at least 5 hours working on this damn youtube video. Editing and cutting and audio clipping and inserting. We were so tired by the end of it that we didn’t even get up. We went to sleep right there in those chairs 😭. When we woke up it was like 1 PM and Matt was shaking my shoulders and Chris was shaking Nick’s. They had gotten worried because none of us were answering the phone. Over here thinking we were kidnapped LMAOOOO

We got it done though 🔥, Nick put in an extra psa at the beginning saying the editing was done last minute so that the editing may be a bit wack but it shouldn’t be bad. And it wasn’t, we ate 😁

Us forgetting about it isn’t really often. We procrastinate definitely but we NEVER forget about it entirely. Although Nick usually gets reminded by either Matt or Chris cause it just slips our minds.

[racinginchid3nt]

I’d Probably Still Adore You | Eight

Y/N x Lance Stroll, Y/N x Lando Norris, Y/N Best Friend x Pierre

Gasly

In which a night at the club and a game of never have I ever turns into something new

Inspired by 505 - Arctic Monkeys

Warnings: some smut, mostly in discussion/description. 18+

Previous | Next

————————————————————————

You spent the rest of Wednesday night relaxing in your hotel room. Starting to unpack and hanging your dress up for the event, your phone chimed.

When you checked it, it was Lando, replying to the text he had sent himself.

Smiling to yourself, you weren’t sure how you ended up with a date to tomorrow nights event but you figured if it had to be anyone at least he wasn’t a stranger. Besides Y/N Best Friend would be with Pierre, so you would have someone to talk to besides her.

————————————————————————

Thursday

Thursday morning went by quickly. You had opted to not attend media day. Pierre wasn’t on a panel and instead had individual interviews and team video shoots so there was no need to watch them.

You also took a few work calls, responding to some emails that came in throughout the day. While you had taken the day off, your boss only agreed if you were willing to participate in the two morning meetings. By midday, you were finally free to relax.

Stepping out of you room, you pushed the down button for the elevator. You’d skipped breakfast due to the time change but we’re starving and needed to pick up lunch.

As the doors opened, you saw a familiar face in the elevator.

“Hola Y/N. No sabiá que estabas aquí.” (I didn’t know you were here)

“Hola Carlos. It was kind of a last minute thing.”

“We’ll it’s great to see you. Are you going to the sponsor event tonight?”

“I am. Lando’s picking me up at 7:30.”

“Oh. That makes sense.” He laughingly replied.

Unsure of what he meant, you gave him a confused look.

“Lando told Oscar and I that he had a date last night. We wondered what poor soul he convinced and why he was so happy, but it makes sense that it would be you.”

“Oh uh yeah. We ran into each other last night and he asked.”

“Well I’ll see you tonight.” He replied, before stepping out of the elevator.

He made his way to the front desk, while you continued to the front doors. As you stepped outside you were greeted by a large crowd behind a barrier. Someone must have leaked the drivers hotel. As you pushed through the crowd to try and get to the small bistro you had seen on the way in last night, you were surprised to hear someone scream your name.

“Y/N! Can I get a picture?”

Unsure of what to do or why someone would want a picture with you, you turned and saw a fan in a Ferrari shirt waving at you. Confused you walked up and took a quick selfie. Was this because of that wag post a few weeks ago? You noticed a few other people taking photos of you as you chatted with the girl about the race weekend, before wrapping up and continuing on.

You placed your order to go from the bistro, heading back to the hotel to eat in your room and relax before you needed to get ready. As you sat down to eat and scroll through your phone, you got an Instagram notification that you were tagged in a photo.

Opening the app you saw that you had once again made the wag Instagram. It wasn’t your best picture, makeup free and hair undone, but you hadn’t expected anyone to care about you.

Is this what it’s always like for Y/N Best Friend you thought? You couldn’t escape the stupid wag pages and you weren’t even seeing anyone.

————

Lance sat in the car on the way back to the hotel from media day. The break had been nice, but he was ready to be back behind the wheel. Zandvort wasn’t his favorite track, but it certainly wasn’t his least favorite either.

As he sat in backseat of the car, driving the 30km or so back to the hotel, he thought back to the night before. When he arrived at the hotel from the airport, he had seen Y/N. After their hookup before the break, he had expected that to be the end of their interactions. He’d never seen her at a race before that week, so he figured he wouldn’t any time soon.

But to see her getting out of the car with Norris was a shock. While he hadn’t reached out to her after the hookup, she also hadn’t reached out to him. The last thing he expected though was for her to be dating someone already. It had to be serious if they had arrived together, but with less than a month for the break, he questioned how quickly that happened.

He had spent the next week replaying the night over in his mind. And every time a girl flirted with him on break, he couldn’t help but compare her to Y/N. Had she really thought so little of the night that she could move on immediately? During their game at the after party she had said she’d never slept with a driver. Sure Norris has mean’t the question about Pierre when he asked it, but that also mean’t she hadn’t slept with Lando either.

He knew first hand that there was a lot more to hookups besides sex. Just because she hadn’t fucked him didn’t mean she couldn’t have kissed him. Or sucked his dick. And as the thought of her getting on her knees for Norris crossed his mind, the tiniest hint of jealousy bleed through. He had missed out of the chance of that. Missed out on watching those big brown eyes look up at him while he fucked into her mouth. Missed out on watching her swallow down his cum.

He didn’t know much about Norris, but he seemed to have some charm. Lance had seen him leave the club with his fair share of women. What if he had the chance to eat her out? That thought sat even worse. He didn’t like the idea of someone else, much less another driver getting to see her like that. Recalling the look of her glazed over eyes when he tucked her in on the couch, he didn’t like the idea that he wasn’t the only one who had seen her like that.

He wasn’t typically a possessive man, but he also didn’t typically interact much with his occasional flings after the fact. He’d been single for awhile, hooking up here or there as he felt like it, girls aware of the situation, that it would be a one time thing. But for someone else to have made a move on what he viewed to have been his first didn’t sit right with him at all. He knew better then to confront either of them, he had no rights. But why was he upset about that?

Opening up Instagram for the first time in a week, he navigated to her profile. She had posted twice during the break, one a casual photo of her and some friends at dinner, the other a photo of her laying out at the beach. He tried to think back to where Norris had said he was spending the break. He said he was going somewhere warm, and he vaguely recalled an Instagram story of him on a jet ski. Had she gone with him?

Flipping through her story she had only two posts up. One of a photo outside the plane window, showing the dark runway at the Amsterdam airport, and one of what he presumed was her lunch from earlier. Neither of those were helpful in the slightest. He’d already started to edge towards creeper territory, so he might as well take it further.

Navigating to her tagged photos, he saw a new one from earlier that day. It showed a zoomed in photo of her on her phone, hair up in one of those messy clips and in a casual outfit, she seemed to be walking down the street. Reading the caption, it confirmed what he already knew. She was staying at the same hotel as all of the drivers.

Esteban had complained earlier to him that his room was next to Pierre and his girlfriend. Apparently the two had been going at it 24/7 for the past few days. Which meant that she hadn’t flown in with them and wasn’t staying with them. So who was she staying with? He didn’t know what she did for work but highly doubted she had forked over the money for overpriced luxury hotel.

Pulling up to the hotel, he exited the car. Tucking his phone back into his pocket, he thought about the upcoming sponsor event. He’d have to stop by for at least a few hours to socialize. It wasn’t really Fernando’s thing and someone had to represent the team well. At least they would serve dinner he thought to himself, the food was normally good at these things. As he headed up to his room, he ran through the rest of his weekend, analyzing what his engineer had told him earlier, all thoughts of Y/N leaving his head.

————————————————————————

A/N:

I really appreciate the support I’ve gotten on this story so far. If you guys could continue to like, comment, and reblog I would really appreciate it!

[ourflagmeanswaystar]

jump into the heat

buck/eddie | rated: T | ~25k | WIP, done by Thursday

summary: post-705 spec fic. following yet another doomed day intended to be full of joy for the 118, buck and eddie try to figure out their lives, themselves, and each other. a bachelor party, a decision, a move, an awakening, a realization, an acceptance, and a happy ending

“It was just under 80s songs and– and the lady said it’d be good for us and not too hard to sing!”

“Uh, ‘sing’ is a strong word,” Hen mumbles. 

“You think you can do better?” Eddie teases.

Everyone turns to look at Hen expectantly, who just giggles to herself. “Yeah get at least one more drink in me and I’ll consider it.”

Calling her bluff, Buck gets up and heads to the bar to order a refill for everyone, because why not? The vibes all night have been good, including the harmless teasing of Buck and Eddie that resulted in them getting up on that stage in the first place. 

But as woman of honor, or best woman, or whatever title Hen had landed on in the end, it was absolutely her turn to embarrass herself a bit.

Stepping up to the crowded bar, Buck sees the worker who was setting up karaoke before is back tending the bar.

 “Hey! Crockett!” she exclaims, moving towards him.

“Actually, I think I might be Tubbs. Not sure though. Not gonna lie– wasn’t my idea,” Buck chuckles.

“Cute idea, regardless though.” She looks him up and down, hands on her hips. “Nice execution too, I’ve gotta say.”

Previously, he might have seen potential here. To flirt, or more. And his confidence and security in himself grows by recognizing he could still be attracted to her, and other women. But the part of his brain responsible for romance or whatever is occupied with his date for tomorrow, thinking about introducing Tommy to everyone in this new capacity, dancing with him, etc. 

That is to say, he’s kind of caught off guard by what seems like light flirting from someone else.

Until the bartender says, “Was it your partner’s idea? Adorable. Been together long?”

Then Buck is really caught off guard. 

“Uh… what?” he so eloquently asks, leaning further against the bar and clenching his hands on the edge.

His ears ringing means he misses the details of whatever she says next, something about how they sang to each other and something else about Miami and iconic queercoding, or something. 

He realizes this is the first time he and Eddie have been misconstrued as a couple since he actually could date dudes and it wasn’t some preposterous assumption. 

It’s by no means the first time overall though, and probably not the last, and he catches her tilting her head, looking concerned at his lack of a response. The last thing he wants is to be refused service because he got flustered for no good reason and seemed too drunk. So he rights himself and rallies.

“Sorry, yeah my friend Eddie– he chose the outfits. Anyway, that reminds me, I was sent to order all of us more drinks, so uh…” Buck trails off. 

She slowly nods, catching on and gives him an apologetic smile. “Sure. Same as you had before? I can check the bachelor party tab and bring those out to y’all.”

The crowd around the bar has only grown and it makes sense she’s trying to get out of this now awkward situation as quickly as possible. Buck nods and slowly backs away to let her do her job. 

He’s still trying to shake the interaction as he looks down at his hands fidgeting together and walks back in the direction of his friends. His first thought is to feel like a jerk for assuming the bartender was flirting with him when in reality she had assumed he was… well whatever she had assumed. His second thought is: what exactly did he feel… almost shameful about her assuming?

After his slip to Maddie about dating Tommy, Buck made the active decision to… announce this information when the time felt right with Eddie. And whenever the time felt right with other important people in his life, he was more than ready to… announce to them too. Somebody ashamed of themselves wouldn’t announce it like that, would they? 

But. What is the announcement in question? Hey I kissed someone once and hung out with them twice and I like them, isn’t something he felt the need to announce to his friends so hugely before when it was with women. Obviously it looks a little different, but it’s not like he changed as a person. 

And yet, how is he able to reconcile not having changed, but suddenly feeling as though he’s newly lying by hiding a huge part of himself?

ao3

[waitmyturtles]

Alright. SPOILERS. It might take me a couple posts over today and tomorrow to process EAW ep. 14. I’ll try to keep things organized. My Big Thoughts on Young-woo are at the bottom. Long post warning.

1) I’m going to sound a far different bell than the reviews I’m seeing on the tag. I think the writing of ep. 14 was absolutely FANTASTIC. I am giddy over how good this writing was and I can’t wait to re-watch this episode. 

I think ep. 13 needed to set up a lot of conflict very quickly to get to the important penultimate episode next week, which we know can be huge. Today’s (Thursday’s) episode, for me, ironed out a lot of the sudden conflict we saw, including contextualizing Attorney Jung’s illness. When he says that South Korea has the best treatment for stomach cancer (a relatively common ailment in those parts of Asia that we don’t see as much in the US), I believe it, and I think the writers intentionally put those lines in there to give viewers who know that background a touch of relief (but we’re still worried about him). 

2) Content-wise, obviously, things are not going as linearly as us viewers would have liked or expected. But y’all -- I believe the writers know this and are doing this to us. Look at what Su-yeon said to Min-woo: “I almost reported you to the police for the crime of not staying in character.” The writers know what they’re doing! 

Another way I think the writers are injecting lightness here -- when Jun-ho said he wouldn’t drink, and then he got plastered. I think it was set up to be cute. I’m not reading a forever devastation and finality to the break-up, partially based on the existence of that scene. More on this below. 

(Also, side note, now we know that Min-woo knows. And, whoa, seemed to actually be supportive of his homeboy in the relationship -- Min-woo hadn’t tried to get them to break up, I guess?)

3) I believe the writers are setting up a moral dilemma conflict for Min-woo that I might be here for. NOT a hard bet, because I think he’s still scheming, but I wonder.

I also think that Su-yeon is fixing to be a freaking superhero vis à vis that dilemma. I’m getting that from the preview for ep. 15, where we see Su-yeon protecting Young-woo from reporters.

4) I’m seeing fam on the tag calling out CEO Han for being evil and scheme-y, but we already knew she was, and Young-woo’s dad knows this, too. Her scheme is not a surprise to me. Her hiring of Young-woo was going to lead to something like this. I just want to know their background in law school. Maybe CEO Han has a hereditary competition with Tae Su-mi. I want to know that juicy juicy drama. 

(I wrote this before, but this is why I think CEO Han eats Min-woo over this somehow. At least I hope so.)

(Frankly, and I know this is bad of me because it puts Young-woo in the middle of all of this shit, but I hope CEO Han blinks out Tae Su-mi. I think Tae Su-mi is pure evil.)

5) I think the big themes of this episode were: compassion, empathy, creativity, and revelation. Here’s why.

I believe the stories of Attorney Jung and Young-woo are linked. He’s the elder -- a senior partner who ignored his personal life, who ignored the people who loved him personally, to live and breathe the law. As his ex-wife notes, he’s more alive when talking to an attorney than when talking to her.

Wasn’t Young-woo the same as she was breaking up with Jun-ho? She was more energized about her law revelation than about communicating the reasons for the break-up. She kept that part to herself. And Jun-ho, bless him, was asking for that reasoning, continuing to demand to Young-woo that she work on empathizing with him.

We know that communicatively, there is a lot that Young-woo and Jun-ho need to say to each other. But this IS a drama, and the writers need to stave off that content to wrap up the series next week. 

However, I REALLY think we saw a lot of compassionate growth in Young-woo this episode. We saw her ignore Attorney Jung’s insistence to not fuss over him. We saw her absorbing the words of the song about the burden of love at the noraebang. We see her looking at Jun-ho on the plane. 

I think the way the writers are building Young-woo’s self-awareness and self-growth is absolutely gorgeous. In many instances, it’s wordless. Because -- we see her, as she’s growing into her adulthood, learning the words to use in these moments.

Autistic or not, aren’t we all doing that, growing as adults, learning about our emotions and ourselves? What’s the difference here, between her and Attorney Jung? Not a lot, in this moment. 

6) Jun-ho and ex-wife Ji-su, the two lonely left-behind lovers. Ji-su says she left Attorney Jung because of her loneliness. We see Jun-ho in his loneliness on the beach, left behind because Young-woo will not take him to where she thinks she’s going -- to always need to be cared for in her life, leaving her lover lonely.

First, we know she doesn’t need to be as cared for as she thinks, because we know she’s a breadwinning baddie. (She’s confident enough to take care of herself as the rest of the team eats the meat noodles with her take-away gimbap. She’s like -- I got me.)

Second, I don’t believe the break-up is final because of the pep talk Attorney Jung gives to Jun-ho. I think there’s a communication ultimatum between these two lovebirds, and Young-woo will need to decide to step up and believe she’s worthy of love, AND that she’s more independent than general society makes her think she is. 

7) This is where I think creativity comes in. After that pep talk, I think Jun-ho is fixing to fight for love. God help us, I think this is finally when some communication will take place.

Also, separately, creativity and empathy: I agree with Young-woo that we saw Attorney Jung at his absolute best when speaking to the Abbot at the end of the episode. Speaking to an opposing client is definitely skirting the edges of legal ethics. But he suggests that the temple work with Hanbada’s government affairs team, which is not technically a legal team. Genius. He wants to proactively help in the best way HE can. 

Did you see how proud of the team he was when his rookie attorneys were pitching the noodle restaurant owner? He’s realized he’s passed on his wisdom, creativity, and empathy. A huge law firm pitching a restaurant owner in Jeju. Even Min-woo getting into it. I love how the love for Attorney Jung is deeply spread out here.

8) One more point on empathy and compassion.

Did you notice, when ex-wife Ji-su was speaking to Young-woo, what was behind Ji-su?

It was a poster about women’s health. I can’t read Korean, but I did notice the small pink graphic of a set of ovaries. 

(Nothing like that will ever get past a mama.)

That shot almost certainly was not an accident.

Part of Ji-su’s sadness is likely not having a family with Attorney Jung. Yet she cared enough for him to fly down from Seoul to Jeju. And is concerned enough about his health to want him to have an earlier surgery.

Despite their break-up -- there’s still love and caring.

Despite Young-woo’s and Jun-ho’s break-up -- there’s still love and caring.

And, I think by including that poster in that shot, it gives us something to chew on. Young-woo, right now, is thinking she’s not deserving of love because she’ll leave her lover lonely in his caretaking of her. 

But I think -- in the most subtle, gorgeous way possible -- the writers have left us asking: can Young-woo deserve love and family of her own?

We all know that answer.

[selenitesdawn]

yandere max / mike headcannons?

tysm! <3

thank you for the request <3 i hope you like it! i actually never read or did yandere before, so i hope it’s slightly what you asked for.

Yandere Headcanons

warning : curse words

pairing : max mayfield x reader

max shows you off every chance she gets, she’s so proud to have you as her friend/partner

when you’re with others, max constantly showers you with compliments, making sure everyone knows just how great you are

but she also makes it pretty clear that you two are the duo and no one will come between you

“Y/n is my ride or die and I am theirs. It’s just that simple. We would never leave each other, ever.”

if someone doesn’t vibe with you or even dislikes you, she won’t hesitate to cut that person out of her life

whether platonically or romantically, max has always been VERY overprotective of you

whenever someone talks over you, max starts snapping or clapping in front of that person’s face

“Hey! Attention up here, y/n is talking you, asshole.”

she even stood up to billie after he made fun of you once, he actually didn’t dare to do that a second time

she definitely hypes you up every chance she gets, even if it’s just you getting out of bed after a long night

when you’re not doing too good, max goes completely out of her way to make you feel better

she has all your habits, including gesture and mimic memorized. the second your mood drops, she will know

After your social battery ran out at a birthday party, Max didn’t hesitate on taking you home.

“Come on y/n, I’m getting tired. We should go home.”

she wasn’t tired, she just didn’t want to make you feel guilty for wanting to leave

cuddling with you is one of her favorite things. she just feels so safe and calm when she’s close to you.

all in all, max is a giver. she loves to gift you things, she loves reading to you and just loves taking care of you

pairing : mike wheeler x reader

mike has never been great with words, but when he’s with you he doesn’t feel like he needs to explain himself

he loves spending time with you more than anything, it’s his way of showing affection

that’s why he literally takes you everywhere with him

“Okay so, tomorrow we play D&D, Wednesday we visit grandma’s and then on Thursday I really need to go to the post office. Got that?”

he takes every chance he gets to make you laugh. even if it makes him look like a fool

mike definitely puts your happiness first. as long as you’re okay, he’s fine

sometimes he just stares at you for minutes, admiring everything about you

whenever you’re out together, he makes sure to walk more upright and put his shoulders back, just so he seems big and scary in case someone tries to bother you

“Stay back y/n, I’ll take care of this.”

he gushes to his friends about you all the time. he wants the entire party to love you at least half as much as he does.

during d&d he sacrificed himself for you, much to the displeasure of the party. but he didn’t care what the others thought

when you hang out with the others, he always makes sure you sit next to him or at least close

“Y/n, I reserved this spot just for you, so we can sit together. Come here.”

mike definitely tries to adapt your interests. either to impress you or just so you guys have a “thing” together

he might have problems articulating his feelings towards you but he surely doesn’t have a problem with showing you

[where-is-francis]

𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙨

[ 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨,

“𝙬𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩.” ]

𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩

𝙍𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩: No

𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩: A certain metalhead has noticed that you’ve been acting strange. After figuring out why, he makes it a point to try and make you smile.

𝙎𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚: Slight angst to fluffy happy ending.

𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙨: He/Him [female aligned DNI with this post]

𝘼/𝙉: Shameless self indulgent fic that I needed to write. I didn’t feel right posting it as like OC content bc that’s not really my thing. That being said — clothes/bedroom descriptions are pretty specific to my usual stuff. I get really stressed and upset around my birthday; maybe I wouldn’t if I had this dork sneaking in my bedroom window irl.

**I don’t like how abruptly this ended but I’ll fix it later; I just need to post it at this point**

𝙏𝙒: You’re depressed bc of birthday things, withdrawing from friends/general avoidance, you and Eddie get high at the end (who do you think is writing this lmao).

A hot Thursday in August had found a group of teens gathered in the basement of Mike Wheeler’s house. It was around noon, but the campaign had to start early — per Mrs. Wheeler’s request. Sounds of rattling box fans mixed in the general rowdiness that was a Hellfire Club meeting, one you always loved.

It was hard for Eddie not to immediately notice your absence when he stumbled downstairs, carrying his folders; you were always one of the first to get there. Lucas and Erica sat with Max on the couch as they tried to brainstorm for her character, Dustin and the others already at the folding table. They all greeted the dungeon master, who immediately asked where you were.

Excluding Eddie’s band mates, everybody in the swampy basement looked away awkwardly. Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Mike all knew exactly why you didn’t show.

“Is it really that big of a deal? I mean, he doesn’t play with us or anything—“ Mike mumbled before being cut off by Eddie.

“No, but he’s still part of the group.” The brunette sighed. “Did he say anything to any of you?”

The four just shrugged or shook their heads respectively.

Dustin took a bite of his sandwich and then piped up. “He’s probably still asleep, or stoned in his room watching Scooby Doo reruns.”

The rest of the group watched as Henderson tried to remain calm, but he was in deep shit now. Eddie narrowed his eyes at the younger boy, leaning over the table and giving him the death stare. Had Henderson not been used to Eddie’s theatrics, and general protective attitude with you, he would’ve flinched. Internally, he was still nervous, but showing it would just get the metalhead even more riled up.

“You know where he is, don’t you?”

Dustin’s face (and sandwich) was now mere inches from the dungeon master. If he didn’t tell him — Eddie would make the session hell. On the other hand, if he did tell him — you’d threaten to kick his ass harder than Troy ever did.

Well, assuming you’d have the energy.

The younger boy swallowed and sighed, shaking his hand dismissively. “He’s not coming, doesn’t feel good. He just gets this way around his birthday.”

Eddie stopped in his tracks, pulling away from the table. “Birthday?”

Max nodded. “It’s tomorrow. I don’t know, something about it always stressing him out. Anyways, he’ll be fine in a few days.”

“It’s best to just give him space,” Lucas added, the others nodding in agreement.

The longer haired male crossed his arms, pacing the small room, trying to figure out what to do. Gareth and Mike had already started setting up the table, motioning for Dustin to get the crumbs off before adding the figures.

“I’m gonna call him.”

Nobody could even protest before Eddie practically ran up the stairs and found the phone. The tip of his tongue stuck out as he punched in your number, hoping you’d at least pick up.

Why didn’t you tell him tomorrow was your birthday? You met in the fall when Dustin, Lucas, and Mike joined Hellfire. If Nancy or Steve weren’t there to give them a ride, it was always you. It made sense that your birthday would have come up at some point, but it completely slipped the (taller/shorter) male’s mind.

“Hello?” Your voice on the other end was groggy.

No matter what, it still made him smile.

“Hey! I’m at the Wheelers’. It’s, like, 12:30 — where are you?”

You grimaced, running a hand over your eyes. Of course Eddie would call.

“I’m still at home. I don’t think I’m gonna make it today, not feeling super hot.”

The other male tried to hold in a groan. His free hand reached up to cup the end of the phone as he spoke, asking if you remembered your medication.

“Yeah, Eds, I’m good. I took it earlier. You guys go ahead with the campaign and you can fill me in later. I’ll be there next week, I promise.”

Eddie’s foot nervously tapped the tile, his brain wracking to figure out how to get you to say yes to coming. But he could tell by the tone in your voice that you wanted nothing more than to take a suggestion from Dustin and get stoned and watch Scooby Doo.

“Hey—! What about tomorrow? Are you free? I made some extra cash this week, I was thinking we could take a trip to the city and—”

Tomorrow. Your birthday.

“Sorry, Eds. It… sounds fun but I’ve got stuff to do.”

“Stuff that’s more important than us hanging out?” There was a steely edge to his voice.

Fuck, he’s hurt. Why would you word it like that?

“No! No, not like that. I just… there’s been a lot of stuff going on.” The wavering in your voice was begging you to hang up. “Soon, I promise. I gotta go.”

“What about—“

“I’m sorry, Eddie, I’ll call you later.” You slammed the phone back on to the receiver.

Guilt washed over you like a flooding rain, the thought of making Eddie feel like he wasn’t important practically enough to kill you. All because of a stupid birthday.

Back in the Wheelers’ house, the long haired male sighed and hung up the phone. His forehead pressed against the wall, berating himself for getting defensive. All he wanted was to do something special for your birthday, make you feel happy — the same way you always made him feel.

In the other room, Holly jumped due to the bang on the wall, accompanied by a set of words she was told not to repeat. She got up slowly and walked over to her brother’s friend. Eddie apologized as soon as she got there, her eyes meeting his.

“You’re sad. Do you want a popsicle?”

The doe eyed male took a quick breath and released it, giving her a nod of confirmation before they went into the kitchen. He watched in amusement as the child pulled out a step stool and teetered her way to get a popsicle down from the freezer. When she was done, she made her way back to the other room, and Eddie went downstairs.

The table was set and everybody was in their places. They avoided the brown eyes of their DM, knowing how things had gone on the phone — which they may or may not have listened in on. Eddie opened the popsicle and motioned for the club to sit, about to start the session. But his eyes could only focus on the empty spot on the couch where you normally sat.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

Hellfire went over with smashing success. There would still be two or more sessions before the campaign could be officially called finished, but it was becoming a favorite. Many a great hero were left wounded, but not terribly. Namely Dustin, who had gotten a low roll and gotten his ass kicked (just enough) by some low level goblins.

The group said their goodbyes and quickly scurried off to their own houses, leaving Eddie in the driveway with Dustin. Oranges and pinks streaked the sky and made a certain stoner smile, thinking about how you always said the combination was one of your favorites.

Dustin began to walk down the street, his new ‘big brother’ trailing at his side. It was silent, save for the crickets and cicadas singing in the cooled August air.

“Let me guess. You tried to get him to do something tomorrow, and he refused?” The younger boy questioned as he slumped his bag over his shoulder.

Eddie shoved his hands into his pockets and began to shake his head.

“It doesn’t make sense, man. Birthdays are supposed to be fun, and happy. He couldn’t even stand to be on the phone for two minutes. What happened?” The brunette looked over with furrowed brows.

Dustin’s eyes met his and he shrugged, not exactly knowing how to answer.

“Not sure. We just kinda learned what works best, so we give him space. He’ll feel better in a week or so, then you guys can go do whatever you normally do in the city.”

Oh shit.

“Wait, how did you…?”

Eddie glared at Dustin, who was now wide eyed and making a mad dash for his door. Suburban silence was now interrupted by pleads for mercy; playful and filled with laughs. The younger boy managed to get into the house after a bit of running — he’d have to apologize for trampling the flowers — but still alive, no thanks to Eddie. Henderson’s back rested against the front door to keep it shut, not wanting his friend to chase him through the house.

Eddie grinned deviously as he snuck up and opened the mail slot, sticking his fingers through and hooking them through the belt loops of Dustin’s pants to prevent an escape. Neighbors watched in confusion as they heard high pitched screams and laughs coming from the small ranch.

“Eddie, please, I yield! I yield!” The younger boy screeched as he attempted to grab something to use as a weapon.

“Say it, Henderson!”

Dustin yelped, swatting at Eddie’s fingers. “I won’t listen in on your calls again! I promise!”

The older male laughed and pulled his hands back with satisfaction, grinning in through the slot. They said their goodbyes — Dustin having flipped Eddie the bird — before he began to walk back to the rickety van. A smile was still plastered on his face, thinking about how you’d be laughing with him and ‘protecting’ Dustin for a few days after this.

At least, if you weren’t mad.

He didn’t know what to do, but the long haired male was determined to see you. His hands carded through the pockets of his jacket and vest, trying to think of what he could give you to make you feel not-so-shitty. An imaginary lightbulb went off in his head as soon as he gripped a small case that held a few pre rolls.

Okay, kind of lame, but it would work.

Eddie’s pace quickened to a jog until he reached the van, hopping in quickly and beginning to speed off to his trailer.

Eddie was bound and determined to surprise you. So much so that he parked on the street behind yours just to make sure you didn’t recognize the sputtering of his beloved van. The sun had already set and made way for the porch lights to illuminate the neighborhood for the night. Like Mike’s suburb, yours was silent too.

Neighbors were inside the cozy houses, most likely asleep at the late hour. It was kind of funny, in a way, that you’d live with them; a bunch of normal people in the middle of the suburbs, tucked away in the cookie-cutter houses.

You, the one who was nearly as insane as the metalhead himself.

Pink and purple-tinted lights filtered out through the obnoxiously green bushes as Eddie neared your house. The only way to your window was through the backyard, but he knew just how to unlatch the gate without making noise; a common occurrence, as he was usually sneaking in your window.

The sickeningly sweet smell of pool chlorine was in the air as he neared your small window. Eddie had ducked slightly, then pulling himself up to look through the opening.

A mess of (h/c) pooled at the top of the bed as you rested with your back to the window. Most lights were off, save for the lava lamps that always sat against the wall, giving it the moody lighting. Your old box TV accompanied it in filling the room. Nothing had changed, except the excess of clothes on the floor.

“Hey, handsome.”

It was hard not to tense up when you heard his voice as a whisper through the cracked window. Your day had already been rough enough; parents and other family members trying to cheer you up, only for their efforts to backfire. Year after year was the same routine, leaving you to wonder why you felt like shit.

The answer never came, though. Maybe you were just cursed — having every small hope snuffed out like a candle without fail, every single year. In all honesty, you’d probably feel better if you didn’t have a day of your own.

Instead of responding to the boy at the window, you opted to play possum.

It took a minute before he spoke up, leaning his forehead against the window in a grimace. “I know you’re awake. You can’t sleep with the tv on. Look — I wanna apologize. Can you just let me in?”

You contemplated his words for a minute, but eventually sat up. All it took was sliding the screen out of the way, and now a certain dork was climbing onto your bed. The moment was like deja vu since it had happened so many times before. But it was different this time around.

With Eddie now inside, you laid back down to resume whatever was on the tv. It wasn’t interesting, but it was a distraction. Every muscle in your body felt heavy on the bed. A familiar feeling, like a discarded shell; it left you devoid of any significant emotion. Though it would ease after a few days, that didn’t make it better. And Eddie’s presence made everything more real.

He looked between you and his hands, twisting the silver rings as he tried to figure out what to say. But it’s hard for him to keep a train of thought when all he can hear, see, and smell is the familiar setting of your room.

It was safe. A small retreat in the rows and rows of copy-pasted suburbia. Everything that lined the shelves and floors was an outward expression of who you were as a person. The interests that you held so closely and wore like a patch on your sleeve; to Eddie, you were never boring.

After a moment, his words came out hushed. “Look, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. For earlier, I mean, when I called?”

“Yeah, it’s fine, man. Don’t worry about it.” You waved dismissively with a hoarse voice.

He was hurt to see you like this. Even more hurt to think he made it worse. The mattress groaned as he shifted closer to your form, hand spread across the dark sheets for support. Although you loved Eddie Munson more than anything, you silently wished he would just stop talking and lay down with you. Your eyes locked with his for a moment before he had a chance to turn away.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your birthday?” He asked, sounding hurt. “We could’ve made plans, or done something. I would’ve gotten you something — like an actual present.”

“Cause I didn’t want you to. Look, whenever anybody’s tried to plan something for me for my birthday, it gets ruined.” You let out a dry laugh. “It’s just easier this way. Seriously, it’s not a big deal—“

“What do you mean it’s not a big deal?”

It came out wrong, sounding like you’d offended him personally.

You managed to sit upright, throwing him a look like he needed to elaborate. It was very rare that the King Freak was so helplessly nervous and tripping over his words, but everything that you were had that effect on him.

“You’re important to me. I want — I want to show you that.”

Time stopped as his eyes met yours again. But instead of looking away, the moment continued. No matter how bad you felt, it was like you could swim in his gaze forever. A gaze that was constant and supportive and loving — having the same feeling of a warm blanket. The dimples in his pale skin began to show as he smiled, reaching into his pocket.

“Alright, fine. You give me no choice.” The brunette cleared his throat in order to do his most dramatic impression of some pompous announcer. “One night only! Come one, come all, to the first annual birthday smoke sesh! All you can smoke — one night only. The shittiest birthday present I could think of, from me to you.”

He finished, passing you the case of pre rolls. In the other hand, he held his usual baggie, then flashed you a grin.

For the first time that night, you smiled. “You can’t be serious.”

“It’s on the house.”

It didn’t take long for you to agree. Eddie wasn’t known for being particularly generous with his own stash, but he did have a soft spot for sharing with you. He scanned the brightened features of your face, taking in every freckle and dimple that he swore to memorize. You began to move some pillows to make room to lounge against the headboard, leaving the other male to go gather snacks from the kitchen.

He tiptoed as quietly as he could — still stoked that you were at least trying to feel better. In the unlit kitchen, he made his way to the cabinets, but stopped after glancing at the small dining table.

A cake was sat out, topped with candles, but still untouched. Only one slice was removed from the entire thing, the single piece slumping like it had been there for a while. The table was set for a few people — likely you and your family — and just left without being moved.

Something about the sight was a bit painful and tugged at Eddie’s heartstrings.

He imagined your parents bringing the single slice to the bedroom door early in the morning. Maybe they’d try to sing, or get you to come out to eat it, but it wouldn’t work. The slice was plated, but never eaten. Candles had been placed carefully and poked out from the top, but remained unlit.

The sign of a birthday you’d refused to acknowledge.

It took a bit for him to push the thoughts aside long enough to finally get what he left the room for. Your favorite snacks had been shoved into the pockets of his vest and jacket, leaving him to get something to drink.

He could see into the darkened living room, but it had a similar effect as the cake. There were presents and cards sat out on the coffee table but it felt like a movie set, rather than your home.

The sound of your voice calling his name was enough to get him to stop staring, as he hurried to close the fridge. Despite his better judgement, he grabbed the lone slice of cake and held it behind his back. It was a miracle he didn’t trip in the dark trying to get to your room — alerting your family would definitely not aid in giving you the ‘best birthday ever’.

At his return, the room seemed softer, like something in the air had changed. Even though you hadn’t lit anything yet, your eyes looked less tired. Eddie always loved to compliment your eyes; the color and shape suiting you in a strange way.

The case to Psychocandy laid empty on the gray sheets. It was one of your favorites — of course you’d put it in. He could tell you’d been listening to it again, with the end of the album playing softly through your speaker. The two of you began to settle with the snacks on the bed. You watched as his grin grew from pulling out the slice of cake.

It was the one from earlier in the morning. The one you didn’t want at the time.

His calloused hands reached for the lighter, beginning to light the candles on the slice. You were a sight to behold, though; an unlit joint hanging between your lips, worn out tank top and sweats, accompanied by the necklace that never left the same spot on your chest.

Eddie held the slice up closer to your face, singing a hushed ‘happy birthday’ as the intro to Just Like Honey filled the room. The flame of one of the candles caught the end of the joint, and you gave a few puffs to start it. A blue alarm clock on the nightstand read 12:03; it was officially the day you were trying to avoid.

But not anymore.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

You grinned, using the cloudy smoke from your ‘present’ to extinguish the candles in one go. Their smoke mixed in the air before it dissipated completely and left a hazy outline around the room. Minutes passed as the joint began to shrink, leaving just the roach. No matter how many times you smoked it always tasted just as bad as your very first. Your (light/dark) lips went in for the last few puffs before crushing the nub onto the ash tray.

Eddie’s eyes couldn’t leave you. Whether that was the weed or just his usual habit was anybody’s guess. Time seemed to still for a bit as he took in every single detail that made up your very being. His eyes traced from the slight scar on your forehead, to the piercing that adorned your nose, and finally stopped at your smile.

He imagined just diving in and kissing you without a second thought. Maybe, if he was lucky, you’d kiss him back.

“Don’t tell me there’s ash all over my face again,” you groaned.

Eddie laughed a bit and shook his head at the memory of getting you high for the first time. “No, not that. I’m just… really glad you’re having a good time, man.”

And you were. Smoking in your bedroom with the pretty boy who called you ‘sweetheart’ was more than enough to make you happy. You grinned and began to reach for the slice of cake to pull the candles out. In actuality, it didn’t taste the best after sitting out all day, but you didn’t care one bit.

Eddie lit and started another roll while you lazily ate the cake. You began to sink into the mattress like you had previously done, this time in a peaceful way. Everything that had added weight in the recent weeks was simply gone, carried away by the gray smoke clouds.

He wanted to kiss you. He wanted to confess everything that had been running through his mind since the first time you showed up to see the band at The Hideout. No matter how strong the temptation, he didn’t want to do it high — that was a promise he made to himself.

The brunette took another hit and held the joint in your direction. You nodded, but just parted your lips slightly. Before he even realized what he was doing, he placed it between your lips. His fingers were rough from constantly playing guitar and something made him pull back; like if your softer skin touched it, you’d suddenly break.

But you didn’t. Instead, you leaned into his palm, gazing at him behind half lidded eyes.

“Thank you. For all of this.”

The warm sun hung in the air outside the open window, bringing comfortable heat and a nice breeze to match. You laid asleep with your best friend in bed while the cicadas hummed outside. Your eyes slowly began to open as you took in the comfort of the late morning. It was about 8; hard to tell when you and the long haired male fell asleep.

Rolling onto your side to face him, you couldn’t help but watch him in the relaxed state. He was sound asleep in your bed with his hair nearly consuming the pillows. Small streaks of sun highlighted the sculpt of his features; he always did have a good jawline. The tattoo on his bare chest slowly rose and fell with each breath, confirming he was, indeed, passed out.

Everything seemed to fall into place. It started slowly and silently, but now was hurtling full force into a collision. You were so helplessly in love with Eddie Munson.

The sweet moment didn’t last long as the two of you shot up in bed upon hearing your mother scream his full name.

Panic washed through the both of you — mainly Eddie, who brought weed into her house — before the door was forcibly opened. Your mom stood with the phone in her hand, other one being used to cover the end. A grimace crossed her face as she caught whiff of the strong earthy scent that began to waft from the room.

“I’m currently on the phone with Mr. Downs, who was on his way to work when he noticed a certain van parked in front of his house. Eddie, I suggest you go move it before he calls your uncle.” She yelled, quickly shutting the door.

It was hard to hide the grin on your face. Eddie got up and scrambled to find his shirt, hoping to any God that he wasn’t getting towed.

“You didn’t move your van?”

“I forgot about it!”

Even in his state of slight panic, madly looking for his sneakers, he still looked beautiful. You sat upright and reached out to grab him by the hem of his Dio shirt. Confusion and too many thoughts ran through his head before he could even ask what was going on. Using the guitar pick necklace you pulled him down, finally giving him a kiss.

“Hurry back.”

Too stunned to speak, the metalhead just nodded and exited your room with his face now red.

Maybe your birthday wouldn’t turn out horrible after all.

Like my stuff? I appreciate that! More male/GN reader content on my blog. Reblogs instead of likes — it helps other people find my stuff. Requests for Stranger Things are currently open. Come say hi!

[steves-strapcollection]

WIP Wednesday!

So I was tagged by the lovely @scoops-stevie and why not get an early start on this fine WIP Wednesday since I'll be cosplaying Steve from peace of mind at work all day tomorrow

THE RULES

In a reblog (or new post w/ rules attached), post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to post!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can’t share from (for example, an event fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. If you tag me in your post, I will send you an ask request!

THE WIPS

i'll burn that bridge when i get to it

romcom!AU

transmasc steve's strap collection (i'll choose which one unless u know the specific one u want)

steve bingo (i'll choose which one unless u know the specific one u want)

askbox prompts (i'll choose which one unless u know the specific one u want)

THE SNIPPET

This is from i'll burn that bridge when i get to it, which is related to my longfic, i could be honest, i could be human

Since bonding with Dustin Henderson during the whole D’Art thing, taking him to the Snow Ball, and then supposedly saving Dustin from the fire at the mall, Claudia Henderson had insisted on hosting Steve for dinner at least once a week. Thursday nights were always reserved for dinner at the Hendersons’ house to the point that Steve never made other plans.

Usually, Steve would rent a video as he clocked out of his shift, and then he would head over to the Henderson household. They would eat like a proper family, then watch a movie together even though Dustin usually bitched up a storm about what they chose. Claudia loved romcoms, and Steve was neutral about them for the most part. He usually ended up just as into the movies as Claudia though, which always annoyed Dustin.

Then at the end of the night, Claudia and Steve would do this dance where she would offer the guest bedroom, and Steve would say he had to go home. Claudia would insist because she didn’t like him being alone in his big empty house in Loch Nora.

That’s where he would get stuck, because while he was omitting the truth a lot, he didn’t like to lie outright to Mrs. Henderson more than he already had to about the Upside Down. Steve didn’t know how to dodge admitting that he hadn’t stayed at his house in Loch Nora in months, and that his current sleeping arrangements were sharing a twin-sized bed with his best friend. Who had sharp elbows.

So, Steve usually gave in and would spend the night, if only to have a bedroom to himself. Waking up to the sound of the Henderson’s bickering affectionately in the kitchen and music playing on the radio was also… nice.

One Thursday evening, Steve arrived for their weekly dinner to find Claudia was the only one home and quite flustered by his arrival.

“Oh, Steve, Dusty said he had that funny club of his for that game he likes. I think they call it Hellfire or something like that,” Claudia explained as she beckoned him into the house. “I asked him if he told you, and he said he would. He must’ve forgot.”

“That’s fine, Mrs. Henderson. I’ll just go home—” Steve began and Claudia sucked her teeth and practically dragged him into the house.

“None of that, sweetie. You came all this way, and I still made dinner so Dusty could have the leftovers when he got home,” she explained as she lead Steve to the kitchen. “Now you get his serving!”

“Sounds good, Mrs. Henderson,” Steve said pleasantly as he sat down at the seat she gestured to. Looking at the pots at the stove, it was clear the Claudia had made more than enough dinner for Dustin to have food when he got home.

“How was work?” Claudia asked as she dished Steve up a plate of meatloaf, veggies, and mashed potatoes.

“Same old, same old. Didn’t get to work with Robin today so it was kind of boring,” Steve complained lightly. “Keith still hates me.”

“That young man will come around eventually,” Claudia said as she put the plate in front of Steve and sat down at the table with him. They were quiet for some time while Steve ate, and the quiet was comfortable.

THE (no pressure) TAGS

@patchworkgargoyle, @scarcrossdlvrs, @stobinesque, @inairbinad, @pizzaqueen, @legitcookie, @sidekick-hero, @thefreakandthehair, @starryeyedjanai, and literally anyone else who wants to do this. just say i tagged you!

[ckmstudies]

99/100

One more day! And then this challenge is finally over!! And then I’m taking a few days break from posting here to rest myself. Today I have spent most of the day packing as I’m actually going on a trip tomorrow! It’s for my internship but I’m going to wait and post about where I’ve gone until after I’ve returned. But at least I’ll have some fun new pics!

Today also included: dropping some friends off at the airport for their internship trip, getting my nails done, practicing Italian, and attempting to finish this purple scarf. I think if I had an hour or two more I could finish it but I don’t have that kind of time and I’m really sad because I wanted to take it on my trip tomorrow. But I don’t want to waste sleep time on finishing the scarf up so I’ll just have to suck it up lol. I’ll wear it later on.

I fly out at 7:30 tomorrow morning and I don’t get back to my town until 11:00 Thursday night. I’ve got a lot queued up but if I suddenly drop off I’ll be back soon lol. I’m headed to bed now but I hope everyone is excited for this upcoming week!

[alittlebitgoofy]

we were friends, now i want more (1/3) - (spice/luxx)

heheheheh i didn't mean for this to turn into a multipart thing but i wanted to post what i had and i won't leave y'all hanging on such a cliffhanger. so much gay shit about to drop i felt like giving these gals the build up for the penny to finally drop :)) many thanks to @fuckyeah-dragrace and @puppywritesthings for dealing with my tired ass writing and making sure it makes sense, and dealing with my constnat questions about the american college system (ily puppy thx bestie) ao3 link

Luxx huffed impatiently on her laptop as if that would solve the block that was this assignment. Fucking essays. Whoever decided this was important for a music class was an absolute ass.

Marcia glanced at them wearily. Luxx wasn’t one to half ass anything, always insisting it had to be perfect, the issue came with the self criticism. Even in the short time they’d shared a dorm together, she’d figured out that they were never happy with anything they did. There was always something to improve which was great until you had assignments due that you were never happy with.

The laptop slamming shut made them jump, watching as Luxx growled into her hands.

“This is fucking ridiculous.”

“Maybe you should take a break?”

“Maybe. Or I could just finish this and be done with it. If my brain would work.”

They let out an exasperated sigh, picking up the laptop and throwing it into their bag.

“Maybe if I go to the library I’ll get this done.”

“This late? Marcia glanced at the time. Who in their right mind went to the library at 11pm on a Thursday?

“Fuck it, no one else is going to be there and it’s 24 hours for a reason.”

“You do you I guess.” Arguing with her roommate was a lost cause. Marcia just shrugged, shooting Spice a text to inform her of Luxx’s actions. If anyone could talk sense into them it was her.

Luxx swore they would get this done, ignoring that it was due the next morning. They didn’t want to take the hit and admit something was beyond them.

Thankfully the library was as empty as expected, only a few people typing at laptops looking as tired as they felt. The change in scenery helped a small bit, progress happening slowly but surely to this piece of torture their professor called coursework.

Hours seemed to pass in the blink of an eye yet agonisingly slowly. She stared down the word count like it was trying to murder her. 500 words left. That was all she needed.

Just as the focus began to stray, Luxx’s phone buzzed. The brief flash of irritation faded to a small smile as they noticed it was Spice.

Spice: u ok? marcia said u went to the libry to do an essay

Spice: libray

Spice: library? hot girls can’t spell

Luxx: you got there in the end, I’m fine just want to die over this shitty essay

Spice: due tomorrow?

Luxx: yeah, it’s evil

Spice: how long did u have to do it?

Luxx: two weeks

Spice: evil

Luxx couldn’t help but smile at her phone. At least someone got it. Spice's lack of spelling ability provided enough amusement rto finish this damn thing.

By the time they were done, there was nobody else left in the library. Luxx glanced at the clock, cringing as it read 4am. Did it really take five hours to finish this thing? How could a stupid essay have taken her this long. At least it was done.

Not like she needed to be up for an 8am class. That wasn’t a thing. Not at all.

The world seemed to want her exhausted, running off barely any sleep and wanting to commit a crime if anyone looked at her the wrong way. Luxx wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep for the weekend as they came out of class though knowing Marcia was with Jax in their dorm she chanced not having pda shoved down her throat and texted Spice to see if she was free.

Of course she got a text back in an instant, trusting that girl to always be on her phone.

Spice: sug is in class for a few hours, come hang out with me 🥺

Luxx: as long as no one is making out in your dorm im there

Even Spice was starting to grate on them a bit. Her relentless energy was usually fun but right now, all Luxx wanted was quiet. She grunted as Spice attempted to initiate conversation. They instantly regretted it as the black haired girl pouted, though her body didn’t seem to hold any tension or malice.

“Alright, I know what you need.”

Before they could question what that even meant and what the hell Spice was planning, she pulled them into her arms, leaning Luxx’s head on her shoulder as her hands became preoccupied stroking and being run through their head.

“If anyone else tried this I'd kill them.” She grumbled, though Spice just giggled in response.

“I know.” Spice chirped cheerfully, her relentless optimism making Luxx crack a small smile.

Thankfully Spice knew what to do. Now that she questioned it, Spice’s flipping on a dime was strange to say the least. How the hell did someone who got stressed out trying to figure out how much 3 items cost in a supermarket have so much emotional intelligence? It would be off putting if she wasn’t so warm, physically and emotionally. Seriously. Why did Spice’s cuddles always leave Luxx so relaxed? At last, their body gave in to fatigue, melting into Spice as she moved one arm to fall over Luxx’s back, circling small trails with her thumb.

It didn’t take long for Spice to notice the lack of movement in her friend. Truth be told, she’d noticed how tired Luxx looked the second their eyes met. She played dumb, knowing Luxx would end up letting her cuddle them to her heart's content and that was the easiest way to get her to rest.

—

Spice turned around as she felt a tug on her hand, Luxx looked down at the floor, as if making eye contact would make them combust.

“You think you could stay a little longer?” Her voice was quiet, tone not quite faltering but damn near close. Spice could feel the defeat in her, admitting to needing someone when she insisted she was fine alone. All the confidence and pride in the world meant nothing in that moment. Luxx finally glanced up, linking their eyes in a painful silence.

“You don’t have to. Fuck. Forget I said anything. It doesn’t matter.”

Spice didn’t speak, only moved back to Luxx’s bed and pulled them into a tight embrace. Luxx could only sit there speechless before letting themself fully relax into Spice. She was always the one to be affectionate and usually they just let her because it was fine. Not enjoyable, but fine. Right now though? She needed this. She needed Spice.

“Don’t try and deny it. You’re allowed to need someone. Let me take care of you this time.”

Something was different about Spice. Her usual thoughtless positivity was replaced by something a lot smarter. It wasn’t the first time Luxx had seen this shift, though it was the first time it was directed towards her.

She just did as Spice asked, knowing that she wouldn’t do anything wrong. Luxx let out a breath, leaning back into Spice as she pulled them down further into her arms. Somehow, only now did they notice how strong she could be. She always seemed so gentle and soft, someone Luxx wanted nothing more than to protect from anything and everything bad in the world.

Maybe it was the exhaustion, or the emotional vulnerability. But something felt different. There was an unspoken lack of boundaries, Spice content for whatever Luxx chose to do, letting her take control of the situation with a warm smile when she burrowed against her.

Luxx’s hands idly ran up and down Spice’s arms, that stayed wrapped around her waist. Soft hums accompanied the action, the black haired girl melting at the contact, squeezing them ever so tighter.

Something started to bubble up, threatening to break out of Luxx at any point. She hesitated, eyes darting down when Spice cocked her head to the side, analysing the sudden shift in their expression.

So many things she was trying to repress threatened to spill out. Her chest tightened, heart beginning to thud when things started to make sense and all of her awareness was placed squarely in the current situation.

“You’re so perfect.”

Luxx felt their body convulse as Spice spoke, stroking their hair away from their eyes as it fell in their face.

“You don’t have to be. I know you always want to be, but you are without even trying.” She continued, smiling softly as Luxx raised an eyebrow at her.

“You have everything anyone would ever need. You’re smart, pretty, you don’t let people step over you. Don’t think you have to work yourself to the brink just to be good enough. You are just by being you.” Spice’s tone was so genuine, dripping with so much affection when her eyes never left Luxx that they wondered if she’d been possessed. They wondered if this side of her was fleeting, if she’d be back to the girl who couldn’t sit for more than five minutes without mentioning dolls or getting sidetracked by the first interesting thing someone mentioned.

Spice’s presence was enough to put her at ease, Luxx just let out an agreeing hum into her chest, not quite trusting herself to speak. A warmth washed over her, replaying the sheer factual way Spice complimented her, like it was an everyday thing to comment positively on every aspect of someone’s being.

Sure, people called her pretty. People tried to flirt and lather Luxx with compliments they would shake off or just plain agree with. But the way Spice said it? Something deep within them melted when those sweet words came from her.

Time passed, soft whispers were exchanged between the two occasionally. Luxx’s brain was swimming, half asleep and wishing she could project her thoughts into Spice’s head without having to say a word.

“I love you.”

Before realisation could hit, Luxx had fallen asleep, leaving Spice reeling and ready to lose her mind over three little words. That’s a problem for another day though, Luxx finally resting was more important and sleeping with them in her arms was something she just wanted to enjoy for as long as possible.

[lolaversee]

GATHER AROUND THOSE LOOKING FOR AN ATSV FIC SERIES. AND SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE!!!

From what i’ve seen it’s easier to gain a community/other to talk to on here than wattpad but im not familiar with writing here at all so I wont write here. This is my first time using tumblr so 😭. This idea has been eating at me since Thursday and I just love it. It is not an x reader, something i saw often here, opposed to where wattpad has a lot of oc stories.

Oc is mexican and a spider. Her name is Mariana Bravo and she is the black widow (im aware she probably already exists but idc) she’s from earth- 1577 (my made up universe) and she is 15. Her love interest is earth- 1610 Miles.

I don’t want to give away too much but the general idea is this- In her universe, Miles dies when a villain from another universe lands in hers, alongside her father, but they weren’t supposed to- at least not yet. Her two canons were catalyzed by the villain landing in her universe. Sort of like with Gwen, Miguel arrives in her universe and helps her. It is there that he decides to take her in and she becomes part of spider society.

Then nearing ATSV after Gwen joins. Miguel decides someone should keep an eye on Miles and NOT Gwen because he thinks it’s dangerous. He chooses Mariana for some reason- out of all the spiders he chose her. But he sets some rules- Miles can’t know of the existence of the society meaning she can’t get close to him. She’s stuck watching someone she lost be happy and live their life without her. Until one day, after a super stressful day of being spider man, Miles has a mild breakdown. Before this she was stuck watching from afar, admiring and observing. But she gets a bit too close. She knew she wasn’t supposed to but she just couldn’t help it. But when Miguel finds out, he stops it before she gets any deeper. Thats all i’m giving out which was a lot i’d say but all of this is prior to the events of Gwen meeting with Miles again so I’d say safe? Anyways i’m trying to also make her have a platonic relationship with Miguel and her being a daughter figure because I go weak for platonic and found family fics.

Anyways anyone interested please head to my wattpad @/todoslosdolores . The introduction and playlist will probably be done soon maybe by tomorrow and I’ll probably just use this for updates since i’m assuming because this’ll be posted like 2 days before those 2 come out that a a good amount of the people reading will come from here? Idk lol.

Ok bye im done

- Lola.

[universestreasures]

Blog Update!

Hello everyone and Happy Mother’s Day! Hope those who celebrate it have a wonderful day with their moms/celebrate if you are one! I am making this post just to give a general update on things since my summer semester is starting tomorrow. 

First, my schedule is actually a lot more hectic than I thought it was going to be, with my Mon-Weds super booked up till the late evening hours with everything from work to meetings to preparation for my PH.D program (which I didn’t actually mention that when it happened but I got into my dream PH.D program that I’ll be starting in the fall!). I also have a heavy meeting filled day (4 over hour meetings) on Thursdays bi weekly, and while I have Fri-Sun off every week, that time is either gonna be spent traveling (like I have a memorial day weekend trip I start on the 25th, which happens to be my birthday actually, to see family), doing thesis work (which has been the biggest source of stress for me, especially with participants continuing to drop out or not respond to me), or the rest of my coursework stuff so I can hopefully graduate with my masters this summer!

What that means for my bloggos is that I’m going to be probably very sporadic/low activity, even more so than before. I am planning to set aside at least one day as a me day to just relax (probably going to be Saturday), but honestly with how hectics things are getting, I wonder if I’ll even be using that day for something. 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know what's going on. That doesn’t mean I still don’t want to write, I do! But just expect things to be slow. 

I also took the chance to clear out my drafts of things I have not responded to yet (not my inbox) that had been building up for months that I’ve lost motivation for. I would love to start new things with people, plot new things, and do all the things with my mutuals! I definitely are going to need the stress relief from school for sure, and this is a main way I relax.

Thank you all for understanding and being so patient with me. I very much love and appreciate all of you for sticking with me, even with my random changes in muse status, fandom interests, etc. 

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and know that you’re all amazing and keep doing what you love. <3

[honeysucklepink]

Covid Day 3 (apparently? What happened to the other days? I’ll tell you under a cut cause damn I’m long-wimdy):

Day 0: Thursday, when I started having symptoms (scratchy throat, sinus congestion, achy joints though to be fair one of those is a jammed up finger from my fall two months ago, and a temp of 99, which for me is actually a bit high). Went to work anyway LIKE A MORON, but stayed closed up in my office. About noon, when no one showed up to my online workshop (one person tried to login on mobile twice then gave up) and I realized I could barely get through it anyway, I took a Covid test I keep in my desk drawer--negative. Okay, so maybe the flu? Even though I had my flu and covid booster a few weeks ago, maybe it’s a strain they didn’t catch? I went to student health. Did I tell you my campus has declared we are “post-covid” and they aren’t even doing masks? And now you need an appointment, my primary doc had the week off, and the lady said “oh it’s probably just this bad cold that’s been going around anyway” *GGGRRR* I say fuck it, call it a day, run to Walmart to grab some meds and soup and decide I’m taking Friday off too.

Day 1: Friday. Still feel like crud, though the cough is starting to be productive at least, the temp is up and down but mainly in the upper 98-99 range. Sit in virtually on a faculty meeting, then a phone meeting with the estate attorney re: Dad’s will. Hubby is in a tree stand all day so I take care of myself. Fix some veggie beef soup and a roll for lunch, PBJ for a snack, and some stir-fry Hubs made the night before for dinner. Plus LOADS of ginger tea with honey and lemon. Hope I’m improving by Saturday because a work friend is having her “Birthday/Halloween/Breast Cancer in Remission” party tomorrow night and my Coach Beard costume is on POINT.

Day 2: Saturday. Fuck me. I wake up SWEATING, burning up. My temperature is now 100.0 (Allie Brosh gif “no, I wanted the opposite of this”) and I decide “fuck it, I’m taking another Covid test.” Well screw me sideways, for the first time since March 2020 when all this shit started it finally got to me. I text Hubs “DON’T COME IN HERE” and he texts back “LET ME GET THE FLAME THROWER” (haha very funny). Instead he brings me coffee, toast, and eggs. Then I ask him three separate texts for 1) apple butter for my toast 2) Crystal hot sauce for my eggs and 3) a glass of orange juice. Hey it’s the least he can do after the flame thrower quip. Fortunately there is an urgent care open until 4 pm down the road, so I go there, follow protocols, they don’t give me another test (apparently the home test positives are pretty accurate, they are more likely to give you false negatives). Interestingly they do not recommend paxlovid at this clinic, especially with my high blood pressure. They give me a shot to start my antibiotic/steroid boost, I run pick up a bunch of meds and some McDonalds, and hunker down in my isolation chamber and proceed to watch my Ole Miss Rebels end their seven-game winning streak. Joy. Hubby brings me soup and a roll and some gatorade.

So that makes today (Sunday) Day 3. According to CDC guidelines, I should isolate 5 days from the start of my symptoms, then so long as I’m feeling better after Day 5 and my temp has been normal for 24 hours, I can go back to work wearing a mask for at least five more days (though I will probably wear a mask for the rest of my life. I’ve realized I don’t like my lower face; my teeth are crooked, my lips are oddly scarred from years of cold sores, I’ve developed a complete lack of a chin which now blends into my neck...yeah I’ll wear a mask forever. Which would be easier if I didn’t also have to wear glasses)

[nancypullen]

Not Dead Yet

Hello, faithful readers!  I’m on the sofa with my laptop, watching yet another Hallmark Christmas movie, and pretending to feel better than I do.  I’m scheduled for the OR on Thursday to get the Hope diamond out of my kidney and I’m nervous.  I’ve made the mistake of reading about the procedure and the aftermath, and although I know that medical sites have to cover worst case scenarios, and that I tend to bounce back quickly from “stuff”, I’m not looking forward to possibly feeling worse before I feel better.  I’m trying to force a super positive mindset and just decide that I’m going to feel great.  I mean, historically that’s been my story. C-sections, hysterectomy - none of it was bad, at least not for more than 24 hours.  The ankle surgery was no fun and recovery was long, but I generally felt well.   So I’m going with the odds and deciding that this will be a cake walk.   The truth is, it’s more than anticipating the unpleasantness.  I’m a very modest person and the fact that my ureter is the star of the show and will be spotlighted for a team in the OR (it hurt to even type that) makes me shrivel up.  I would rather they found an undeveloped twin made of teeth and hair growing out of my armpit than to hear, “we’ll put your feet in stirrups and run a laser up your ureter.“  I’m not kidding.  Do I have hang ups? Yes.  Does it make this any easier knowing that I have hang ups?  No.  When this is all over I hope my crotch can go back to its groundhog-like existence, making it’s required medical appearance once a year and hopefully not casting a shadow.  If this all feels like too much information to you, please believe that I’m cringing harder than you are and don’t know why I’m sharing any of this.  Maybe so that someone, somewhere might find comfort in knowing they’re not alone in their weirdness?  So that’s where I am right now, a mixture of hope and dread.  I have a dear friend from my airline days who has apparently endured kidney stones since her 30′s.  She has been a wealth of information and honesty - some of it a little scary, but appreciated.  We were messaging one evening and she said that she’d come across an old photo of me from the early 90′s.  She shared it and I was stumped.  I recognize that I was in the operations/scheduling office.  But...ummm... why am I undressing and why was there a photo snapped??

My best guess is that it looks like a necklace wrapped around a scarf and caught on a button situation - but why didn’t I unclasp the necklace and go from there?  My friend didn’t know the story behind the picture either (I mean, it’s been three decades) but we delighted in dissecting the late 80′s/early 90′s fashion and makeup.  Those red lips were my favorite trend. Loved it.  If I try that look now I look like the Joker.  That hair clip was company issue and it created a fabulous cascade of big curls down my back. The poofy bangs and big pearl drop earrings - yes, please.  Those were the days. I’d had two babies by then  and thought that my 108 pound weight was atrocious. That girl had no idea what was ahead of her.  I miss that 24 inch waist.   I’ve hardly eaten since Halloween - mostly noodle soup and red grapes. Today I decided I’d step on the scale - I felt  wispy, I felt shrunken, why, I’ll bet I don’t weigh enough to trigger the automatic doors at Target.  Know how much I’ve lost after two weeks of less than 600 calories a day? Three pounds.  Three lousy pounds. What I’d give to be the girl in that photo again.  I might pass on the big hair and red lips, but I’d take the earrings and waist in a heartbeat.  I would also keep my shirt buttoned.  Okie dokie, that’s all from me today.  No one likes to hear about another’s health woes, and certainly not gross stuff.  Hopefully the next post here will be one raving about what a breeze it was and how great I feel.  I’m deciding that now.  I think I’ll make a pot of chicken soup tomorrow, something to come home to on Thursday - I’ll appreciate that. Stay tuned, and thank you for your patience.  After this I promise a blog that is full of jingle bells and jolly posts. Tis the season! Sending out loads of love. Stay safe, stay well, stay positive.

Nancy

[niennanir]

[Violence] [More Violence]

The next chapter of my current WIP has been 99% finished since Christmas. I never start posting a story unless it’s at least 75% complete. I know that’s a fluid concept, I’m going to tweak, I’m going to change phrasing. Those are things I’m going to do right up until I hit the add chapter button. But overall, I want at least 3/4ths of a story before I consider sending it out into the world. 

I write in sort of a noncontiguous manner, I’ll work on chapter six today, chapter three on Thursday, chapter nineteen tomorrow. In my head the story is finished, so I don’t have to be linear, I can work on whatever seems compelling right now and there’s a lot of freedom in that. I’ll write what I feel like writing and then when I get to a place that seems less interesting, I’ll put in a placeholder: [Scary villain enters] [car chase scene] [Big Emotional Moment].

The next chapter of my current WIP is 99% completed except for two paragraphs: [Violence] and [More Violence] 

Considering my life experiences I’m really mystified as to how I can write for 4 months and not come up with any violence.