#He wears a lot of camouflage btw

[dedlit]

#ted lasso #fanart #trent crimm #colin hughes #this is in honor of the sunflower episode #i adored their interactions #it makes colins line in season 2 more important when he said to will #it's the camouflage... giggles #He wears a lot of camouflage btw #does trent make leopard print work? unfortunately yes 🐆 #why unfortunately? because it doesn't suit me #ted lasso spoilers

[romeavebrainrot]

FIRST POST FOR APHBLR !!

hiii here are some of my redesigns for my MCD rewrite!!! The designs are very rough and are NOT final btw i just felt like posting these sketches

+ one fun fact abt each design :

▪︎ Aph's markings can damage any cloth it touches; the only exception is her cloak. Materials such as leather and metal gain less damage, however she prefers to wear clothes that are lightweight as they complement her style of combat (lots of running, surprise attacks)

▪︎ Garroth's cape was a gift from Dale when he first became a guard of Phoenix Drop. That's why its a lot newer than the rest of his armor

▪︎ Laurance's home, Meteli, trades a lot with pirates, so their clothing and jewelry also follow a similar style. He also wears a lot of accessories such as beads and earrings but i forgot to draw them lmao

▪︎ Nana, like all other meif'wa, has eyes with cat-like properties; yellow sclera, clear night vision, colorblindness, the like

▪︎ Dante used to live in the Eastern Wolf Tribe before meeting Aph, so he wears white padded clothing for camouflage + warmth. Although i might change the design cuz i dont rlly like it

▪︎ Katelyn keeps her hair long despite it being a nuisance in battle because her siblings love to braid them when she's off-duty (also i forgot to draw her scars dammit)

#minecraft diaries #aphblr #mcd #mcd rewrite #redesign #aphmau #aphverse #mcd garroth #garroth ro'meave #laurance zvahl #mcd laurance #mcd nana #mcd dante #mcd katelyn #mcyt #cant wait to talk more abt my rewrite #rewatching all of mcd just for the niche details #might even post on ao3..... ooo #nana ashida #goobersrewrite

[kald-dal-art]

I'm assuming your headcanons for Morphling will be covered inside of your fanfic, but you mentioned having a lot for her, would you make a list of them?

Sure I can, because most people don't have all the time in the world to read a super long fic.

I headcannon her name is Maureen Trevi. She won the 49th Annual Hunger Games when she was 18 years old.

(so In Catching Fire she is around 44 years old btw :) )

Before getting reaped she did paint jobs for different vehicles at the same factory as her dad.

She lives with her dad and younger sister and she has an estranged mother.

The last time anyone from D6 won was the same year she was born so she didn't have very high hopes for herself. At the same time she kind of knew moping too much wasn't going to let her win

Her District partner was a 13 year old boy named Dev that had essentially given up before the games even started. Even being the first causality of the game. One of the rare times that last place and first place were from the same District.

The arena for her games was an overgrown humid forest.

During her games she mostly hid with camouflage and used poison to get a upper hand on the other tributes.

She killed 4 tributes during her games, has a lot of crippling guilt around that. Always kind of seeing herself as a coward for how she killed the other tributes.

Had a brief alliance with another tribute because they bonded during training, he unfortunately dies (well yeah duh)

Added to that he was the son of a former victor, so added fun having to see his mom every year afterwards.

Has a low key friendship with Haymitch because of how close their Victory are, and they relate to each other when it comes to the substance abuse problems.

Usually wears long sleeves or long sleeved gloves because she is tired of hearing complaints from capitol audience that they can see needle marks on her arms.

11 years after her Victory, during the 60th game, she was the mentor of a 16 year old boy named Cassius and he ended up winning.

Mostly having a similar strategy as her and even getting her to share the strategies she used for her games because he thought that was the best chance he had to survive.

Unfortunately he ends up pretty quickly following her path with getting attached to drugs to cope with the games and his new life as a Victor.

They mostly bond after the games with art. Her mostly preferring to paint landscapes and him mostly preferring to draw with pen and pencil.

Most of the paintings she has done is usually around landscapes and rather abstract stuff. Usually any excuse to play around with colors.

Also like to think their friendship is WLW and MLM solidarity. Too many fics have the Morphlings as a romantic couple and I am tired of it. Nothing wrong with that interpretation, but it feels very "man and woman is considered a duo, they must be a couple" kind of.

Here are some of the headcannons for her.

#eva answers stuff #the morphlings #of course more in the fic but not going to write a whole ass plot synopsis for it #if you are curious the fic starts around the 60th game and it jumps back and forth between the past and present #thg headcanons #anyways thanks for the ask #not art #district 6 #tofs tag

[count-alucard-tepes]

Headcanons: The reason they dress the way they do…

Kizaru💫

He wears a pin striped suit because it looks classy and he like the mob-style flare with a fedora. He likes bright and soft colors for his suits, ties, shirts or turtlenecks. He once hurt his eyes with his devil fruit abilities and someone suggested he wears glasses as a joke…next thing you know, he’s wearing sunglasses all the time even though they do nothing to protect his eyes and the younger marines always said he looked cool…swagger for life.

Akainu🌋

He always favored the color red and since wearing suits is kind of a norm for higher ups. He likes a floral shirt because he enjoys growing plants and flowers at his home, the pattern brings joy to him. The pink rose on his jacket is made from fabric to resemble a rose as he doesn’t like to pick flowers from his private garden. He doesn’t like ties or to button up his shirt because it’s constricting and it makes him feel too hot. He did wear gloves before just to make sure he didn’t accidentally burn things or anyone but after he became Fleet Admiral, he didn’t think they were necessary anymore. He tends to always wear a cap when he’s at work or even when he’s away from work…unless he’s at his home, he just likes it and always wore it.

Benn Beckman🔫

He likes loose pants and the military style pants never seem to go out of fashion so he tends to always get tailored clothes in this style which the usual camouflage color for obvious reasons. Benn wears his regular tight black shirt to show off his body even though he’s aged, he still thinks he looks pretty good for the ladies. He didn’t bother to color his hair once he started greying and just let it be. The cloak that he wears is a gift from Shanks and he always treasured it.

Sir Crocodile 🐊

He likes expensive clothes and shoes that are all tailor made with fabrics from all over. He doesn’t like ties because they’re not his style and are not too classy for him. He prefers ascot ties or scarves of various colors and patterns. He likes expensive furs on his coats from various animals too. His shoes are alligator skin and the rings he are gold just like his hook, what can I say? He likes to match his accessories. He never had a lot of luxuries as a child and wanted to make sure he always was well dressed…even if he was a pirate.

Doflamingo Donquixote 🦩

He was born into luxury and is a firm believer of comfortable, sexy and bougie. He lives pretty much on the beach and in hot and humid weather. So there’s no way he’s gonna button up shirt, he needs to show his hot body of course! He wears traditional tragje de luces aka bull fighting inspired pants which are made from rich silks and satin with black flats. The bright colors because they are the color of a flamingo and it does mask the color of blood spatters too. The color pink in Spanish culture is considered good luck and Doffy wants all the luck with his huge feather coat. He has Jolly Roger cufflinks and his sunglasses are more because he doesn’t like brightness too much. It’s probably also because he might be blind in one eye or he is hung over most of the time… or both. (I loved research this btw I’d love to do more character analysis soon).

Katakuri Charlotte 🍡

He always thought he needed to dress up as a biker because people seemed to fear them when he was a child so in his case, judging a book by its cover worked out in his favor. On the inside, we all know Katakuri is a sweet heart…literally and figuratively. He doesn’t like shirts because he thinks they’re too constricting and when he fights, it’s easier to just take off his vest. The scarf was something that was gifted to him by Brûlée so he likes to wear it with pride to cover up his mouth. His tattoos go all the way from his shoulder to his ankle and he also thoughts tattoos make him look badass, they also have significance to him which are jail bars in the front and wings in the back, take it anyway you want to interpret it.

Killer🔪

He tends to favor the color blue when he’s getting his clothes and since he recently got quite muscular, he likes to wear a T-shirt to show his new body. He likes wearing jeans even though it’s not that comfortable but it’s a strong material and lasts for a long time. He painted his helmet by himself and drew the design, he usually gets a few upgrades every now and then but not often. He was once told by a girl that he liked that his hair was beautiful and so he just kept on growing it but he doesn’t really take care of it. He naturally has really pink lips and was teased he looked like a princess with his blonde hair, blue eyes and pink plump lips…so that’s why he covers his face all the time.

Kaido🐉

He doesn’t really care too much about his clothing but he does favor purples or dark colors for the fabric. His theme seems to be quite rustic, badass, not giving any fucks which goes to his style as well. His nio dasuki belt is very much like Oden’s, I guess for admiration of such a great opponent. This belt also said to evoke power and majesty of sacred warriors which Kaido is very much about.

King 👑

He likes wearing leather as it’s fire resistance due to his abilities, he wouldn’t want his clothes burned off (even though we all want this to happen) . He likes the badass look with straps and spikes to make him look more intimidating along with his mask. He doesn’t like to show his face because it’s a constant reminder that he is the last of his race and it hurts him deeply. He wears a float whiter shirt under because it’s classy and he likes that even though he doesn’t really show it. When he’s alone, he usually just wears a dress shirt and leather pants. Queen made fun of him for wearing all leather and that he looks likes a BDSM enthusiast which pissed him off a lot because he’s not like that at all.

Queen 👑

He wears vertical black and white stripped overalls, these colors usually represent prestige and success. Being the star of the beast pirates means he’s got to stand out like his loud personality and his look definitely indicates this. The infinity signs that he has on his overalls symbolize love, beauty and power. The number 8 also means power and success so these are elements that Queen wanted to manifest through his style.

#ooc #crocodile one piece #king one piece #one piece crocodile #one piece #sir crocodile #akainu sakazuki #one piece akainu #fleet admiral sakazuki #donquixote doflamingo #doflamingo donquixote #one piece kizaru #kizaru borsalino #killer one piece #queen one piece #benn beckman #katakuri charlotte #kaido one piece

[arthurmango]

Adoption AU

• Hosea and Dutch are 2 Dads™ who have adopted the whole gang; Susan is the housekeeper (lmao) and Pearson is the personal chef; Uncle is the drunk uncle that wont. fucking. go home. please go home youve been here for a month and you STINK

• The rest is all teenagers (or preteens) with ages ranging from 12-18

• Arthur's the oldest at 18 and has to babysit whenever Dutch and Hosea go on dates. Arthur practically lives in his room because of his depression.

• on a lighter note did i mention that they live on a horse farm

• Hosea goes to Walmart with all the kids and John and Sadie immediately scope out the pool noodles; Arthur's wearing pajamas because this boy doesn't fuckin take care of himself because he's just Sad and just woke up (its 3pm)

• Sean is the "i fucked yer mom" 12 year old on xbox live. he also has ADHD so he's Everywhere all At Once but that's okay

• Micah's still in his emo phase and won't admit it (he listens to bvb) he and sean fight over their shared netflix account. Micah is in the prime age of 13.

• Karen's the type of 16 year old that parties a lot. She argues a lot w/ her dads and is only rly close with Kieran.

• Mary-Beth is an introverted 14 year old that writes fanfic. she has a deviantart account and probably listens to nightcore

•Tilly is 16 and takes cosmetology classes online and omg she is the go to girl for hair (she even does Dutch's hair) (+free haircuts)

• Abigail is a teen mom at 17 and the whole gang Loves Jack. She moved in with Hosea and Dutch because her parents kicked her out. She and Sadie share a room and theyre besties

• Swanson is their neighbor & family friend that also won't GO HOME

• Trelawny is his roommate and. he's Daddy material. smash. (he travels a lot and takes the kids on vacation during the summer)

• Javier is 16 makes his own music and its really good!!!!!!!! he'll probably audition for America's Got Talent

• Charles is the second oldest at 17. he's a wildlife enthusiast and wants to be a veterinarian!!! he loves animals and hes vegan. he brings home so many stray animals and Hosea & Dutch just "Charles....this is the 3rd stray cat you've brought home this week. honey. we already have Cain and you have Taima. you cant. okay fine" (he has an etsy btw)

• Molly is Dutch's ex who comes over on Christmas with her girlfriend and its the Best

• Lenny is 16 & makes vlogs for youtube and sometimes he gets paid as an editor for other content creators

• Kieran is 14 and is the newest addition to the family :> Arthur isn't too fond of him at first because he's the Favorite™ but he comes around

• Bill is 17 and is one of those camouflage wearing YeeYee boys who chews dip and ITS GROSS

• Hosea and Dutch are v adamant about that

• Dutch is the Fun dad. Hosea enforces the rules.

• "can i have some money

"what did your other dad say"

"he said no"

*slides a 20* "buy urself something nice"

"DUTCH THAT WAS FOR OUR TAHITI VACATION"

• Strauss is one of those teenager hating old men. he's neighbors with the Van Der Lindes and lemme tell u he's a fuckin bitch

• John......,,,,,,is a fuckin hipster. he went vegan with Charles like. once. that was until Arthur drove him to mcdonalds. for nuggets. he's 17.

• Sadie paints!!!! Charles bought her new brushes and paints for Christmas. she's 16.

• road trips are a nightmare but thankfully they have an rv

• shopping trips......are a nightmare

javier pls get off your phone and restrain ur brother

sadie stop encouraging john

ARTHUR HELP PLS

sean,,,,,,,,please,,,,,,,please stay near the cart,,,,,,,,,,,

karen if u dont stop flirting with the cashier we're going to throw hands

• Dutch is a mango farmer lawyer bc of that silver tongue™ and Hosea is a stay at home dad who homeschools the kids

• John, Charles, and Arthur share a room and most nights p much go like this:

*3 am* "hey arthur where do racoons get their eyeliner"

"i dont know, john. you usually get yours from walmart."

">:("

• they have a rly big house and they own a ranch with all their horses and their dog Cain and the animals that Charles finds

•there was more to this post and i posted it but tumblr boinked uwu so now i've had to rewrite it but i still hope its okay!!!!!!!

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #rdr2 headcanons #rdr2 oc #red dead redemption #rdr2 au #rdr au #dutch van der linde #hosea matthews #charles smith #john marston #jack marston #javier escuella #sean mcguire #micah bell

[kale4md]

Sure thing, I can do that for you! Thank you for the support.

Awww, I can even ask you for details, it’s so cool! 😍✨ I’m writing a large modern-AU Thramsay fic (“Symphony of pain”, it’s in Russian) for more than year, that’s why I’m so happy to find your arts. Well, my head-canon Ramsay wears red shirt with ¾ length sleeves, camouflage trousers with lots of pockets and heavy army boots. His haircut is just like cool-future-Simon’s one from “Misfits”) He’s a rather well-nourished teen, but not fat. Reek is 1-1.5 inches higher than Ramsay, but much more skinny and has a slouch. His haircut is just like in your arts) He has lots, lots of scars but not on his face, there’s only 4 fingers on his left hand. Large Bolton emblem is tattooed on his chest (it’s a scar from knife and burn injury as well). He wears a wine-colored dog-collar, black leather gloves without parts for fingers (haven’t found translation 😿), “wifebeater” shirt and grey trousers or black shorts. Oh, and also Reek has dog-shaped teeth (implants), his smile is amazing :)What can they do with each other… Smth cute, please! But with knife. They love each other very much, but Ramsay is rather sadistic + dominating and Reek is happy to be his dog (lick his hands, for example, and so on)~ Thank you very much for your arts again! ❤

[theherondaels]

Oh No (A Soy Luna Next Gen Fanfic)

Hi! Finally an update. I hope y'all survive this hell of a 7K chapter :D Toppy is all Maro's btw! Have fun reading!

5. Free Show

Stella almost had to drag herself through the front door. Her school day had been a nightmare. She had ignored all of her friend's messages about her and Andrés during the weekend but she hadn't been able to escape their pestering during the lesson breaks. Stella had never been so grateful for her double maths period. You just didn't talk during Mr Zima's class (unless you had a very strong desire for detention). Thankfully, her afternoon class had been cancelled. Stella doubted that she would have survived the 45 minute long lunch break otherwise.

She took her shoes off and made her way to her room. Once she had changed into her normal clothes, Stella felt a lot better. She observed herself in the mirror. She had put on dark blue jeans and her favorite longsleeve with camouflage print. That would have to do, Stella thought. She then eyed her school uniform on the bed and sighed. Wearing the same boring uniform five days a week was truly an imposition. The bland navy blue colour wasn't her thing either.

After one last look into the mirror, Stella went downstairs again.

Her father was setting the table while Luca was lying on the couch, still in his uniform. It didn't vary much from the one her male classmates had to wear, despite them not going to the same school. The only big difference was that the colour scheme was red instead of green. She kinda missed that uniform. Not that she didn't like green - she did! - but red was her favourite colour. And with the blue she had always sported the colours of her favourite - Argentine, mind you – football club.

"Principessa! What are you doing here already?" Matteo greeted his daughter, confusion evident on his face as he checked the clock above the TV.

Even though it was only a ten minute walk from school she normally let her parents know if she would be home earlier. Stella hadn't done that today because she had been too busy with getting out of class as soon has the bell had rang. And then she had more or less sprinted out of the building. She really hadn't been in the mood for yet another round of "You and Andrés, eh?"

Stella shrugged, "English got omitted." Her father nodded in acknowledgement. "So how was your school day?" Luca asked gleefully, sitting up.

Stella groaned while she sat down next to him. "You mean the interrogation? Just splendid," she answered sarcastically. Matteo chuckled lightly, "That bad, huh?" Stella put her head in her hands, "They just wouldn't stop asking questions!" When she looked up again she noticed that the magazine, which contained the article that had ruined her life, was lying on the small glass table before her. Stella still had to read the article... Her friends had almost fainted when she had mentioned that. She figured that she should though.

"What's for lunch?" Stella changed the subject, not wanting to talk or think about that horrendous school day anymore. "Pizza," her father answered, "We thought you could probably use a little cheering up." Stella's mood changed immediately. "Pizza is love, pizza is life," she sang happily. Seriously, if pizza couldn't make something better, nothing would! "Hey, I wanted pizza too," Luca chimed in. "It's a win-win situation then," Matteo laughed.

"Pizza's ready in about five minutes. Luca, please change before we eat," her mother called from the kitchen. "Ok, Mom!" her brother yelled back. Wise decision. Tomato sauce on white wasn't a good look.

It took all of Stella's will power to not gab the magazine the second Luca got off the couch. When he had left for his room, she eagerly snatched the magazine from the table.

She never really read anything the media wrote. If it was not made up there still was a whole lot of exaggeration. Stuff like that made Stella angry so she usually avoided it. But not today! She flipped to page 17.

To be honest, looking at the pictures, Stella didn't get what the huge fuss was about. They weren't even holding hands! But had they really been this close? She had been too busy with trying to recognize Andrés and not going off on the paparazzi than to keep track of their distance.

Stella sighed and began to read the article...

How epic would it be if Stella Balsano and Andrés Arias dated? Well, the possibility of that happening just skyrocket! The fans wanted this for years so it was no surprise that #andella was trending all over twitter the second these pictures made their way online. The two teenagers were on their way to the Jam&Roller and a little birdie told us that they are skating partners, but are they just that or is there already something more going on?

Oh dear God. Stella debated whether she should burn the magazine or not. In the end she just flung it across the room, almost hitting the TV in the process, causing her mother to check on her. Luna looked from the magazine to daughter's angry face, "Is everything alright?" Stella cursed herself. She should have burned that damn thing! "Yes, absolutely. The whole world is already theorizing if we're together or not," she replied, voice full of bitterness.

"If you'll excuse me I have to bleach my brain." Stella had totally forgotten that her dad was still in the room. He went to the kitchen and closed the door. "Drama queen," her mother mouthed. Stella laughed, the stupid article long forgotten.

She shifted a little when a certain question crossed her mind again. "Hey, Mom, do you um remember when you well, you know, knew you had like feelings for Dad?" Stella stammered, fidgeting with her hands. A soft smile was displayed on Luna's lips, "Any special reason you want to know that?" Instead of answering Stella played with the hem of her longsleeve. "Just curious," she muttered. "So this isn't about you and Andrés?" her mother asked carefully. Stella sighed. This was 13th time she had heard her and Andrés names in a sentence together. Someone save her! "Mom," she whined annoyed. Luna started to grin, "I knew it!"

"I came here for motherly advice and this is what I get," Stella deadpanned.

Her mother sighed in defeat, "I was in denial for a long time." Denial? That word didn't exist in Stella's vocabulary. According to Gastón her father had this denial problem too. Maybe their denial's had cancelled each other out. Or everything went to Luca.

"So it wasn't love at first sight when you two crashed into each other?" Stella teased. Her mother couldn't refrain a chuckle, "Despite what Matteo likes to tell people, no." Stella's brows knitted. It just seemed so surreal that her parents, who were still  very much in love after 18 years of marriage (it could be really embarrassing sometimes), weren't fools for each other since the beginning. "It was annoyance at first sight at best," Luna chuckled again.

Stella liked to hear the story of her parents first meeting. It was always very entertaining when they started to argue who really skated into who, but knowing her parents it had been very likely both their faults. Her mother had probably been too distracted by the surroundings and her father had been super concentrated on getting that trick right. It was a nice first meeting story though.

Escaping paparazzi would be a good one too.

Alright, Stella, stop right there, she warned herself.

And it hadn't been their first meeting anyways. She had been a few weeks old and he close to turning two. Probably. It was not like she could remember it.

"The realization came gradually," her mother continued, "But when he sang Siento to me I wanted the song to be about me." Thank God it was. Who knew if Stella would be here otherwise.

"I'll better look how your father's doing," Luna sighed eventually, knowing that it wasn't easy for Matteo to see his little girl grow up.

She could hear her bother walking down the stairs. "Yeah, he's probably trying to drown himself in the sink right now," Stella said loudly and she heard a giggle from the staircase. Luca returned a few seconds later, he was wearing a yellow shirt now.

Just when her mother was about to grab the doorknob, the door opened again. Luna jumped out of the way. "You couldn't have said anything?" she looked at her husband accusingly.

"What can I say? I like the element of surprise, luce dei miei occhi," her father said and placed the pizza on the table. Her mother rolled her eyes, still her lips formed into a fond smile.

Stella and Luca shared a look as they both sat down on their respective chairs. Jesus, this was more cheesy than the pizza. Her dad had literally called Luna "Light of my eyes".

"So how was your school day, fratello?" she repeated his earlier question, letting an Italian word slip into it. Her parents had made sure that she and Luca had grown up bilingual but with Stella's brain it was more a curse than a blessing. The two languages were too similar for it. She would often write the Spanish word the Italian way. Or wondered for five minutes to which language a word belonged. And don't get her started on all these false friends.

That's why she liked English so much. It was completely different from the two Romance languages.

Sometimes though Stella would speak her mother tongue on purpose, just to annoy people. Or to get things her way. She had noticed that if she would ask her father for something in Italian it increased her chance of getting what she wanted.

"Very good, I got my maths test back. It's a B," he chirped. "Yeah, just rub it in my face!" Stella pressed her lips together, not liking the fact that her little brother was better at something than her. "I would never," Luca tried to assure her, but his grin said it all.

"The pizza's getting cold. Who wants this slice?" Matteo asked, thus ending the conversation between his children.

A little later

Stella walked to the lockers while listening to bubbly pop songs. She didn't really pay attention to her surroundings and of course, of course - as if her day hadn't been shitty enough already! - she bumped into someone. She let her phone fall, the earphones being ripped out of her ears. Stella opened her mouth, ready to give the person a piece of her mind, but when she looked up she was being silenced by green eyes.

"You," was all she could come up with. "Me," Andrés said amused, picking up her phone, seeing the artist. "You and boybands. Who would have thought?" he chuckled. Stella glared at him. She didn't need the whole Roller to know that. "At least my music taste has some variety, Mr-I-only-listen-to-emo-bands!" Ha, take that!

Andrés snorted, "Bold words from someone who has the same name as an All Time Low song." She scrunched her nose up in confusion, "What?"

"Stella, would you take me home?" he sang. He had such a nice voice. It wasn't fair and yes, she would. And then she would lock him in her room. Forever.

When she didn't reply, still a little dazed by his question, he finally gave Stella her phone back. Luckily, it was still in the same condition as it had been before the fall. She mumbled a quick "Thanks" and shoved her phone into her right jeans pocket.

Andrés tilted his head to the side, "So what are you doing here? There's no training today." A grin spread across his face, "Miss me?"

Stella snorted, despite having hoped all day that she would at least catch a glimpse of him, "As if. I'm meeting up with Aitana and Isa." She and the two girls had clicked instantly and Stella was really glad that she had already found friends at the Jam&Roller.

"Why do you want to know anyway? It's not like you own the place," Stella added. His laugh was bitter, "Most people would actually disagree with you." She knew she had hit a nerve. Andrés was more or less the king here. Surprisingly, he didn't really seem to enjoy his position at the Jam&Roller. She questioned him about it.

"It isn't my merit. The first day I came here they gave me that title. I could have been a terrible skater for all they knew," he sneered. "And besides," he looked at her, the infamous smirk in place again, "What's a king without a queen?"

She wished she hadn't asked that. "There isn't one already?" Stella wondered. All the girls here skated really good. Not as good as her though. "No. I only had temporary skating partners and they all have this weird idea here that king and queen have to skate together," he said, eyes searching hers, "I'm actually surprised that they haven't declared you queen yet." Stella grimaced. Aitana and Isa had hinted at it a few times. It kinda rubbed her the wrong way that they thought that she only deserved the title because of who she skated with.

His brows drew together. "You don't want to be queen?" Andrés asked in disbelief. "I want to. Without any help from you," she snarled. A corner of his mouth lifted, "The words you chose make me believe me that you don't want to be my queen." He was so wrong with that. So wrong.

Andrés misunderstood her silence, his expression hardening, "I'm sure Tamara will assign you to a new skating partner in no time if you ask for it."

"I never said that," she clarified, "And just for the record, you're stuck with me." He flashed her a genuine smile, dimples on full display and all Stella wanted to do was to take a picture of this glorious moment and hang it above her bed.

Andrés changed the topic, the smile still on his face, "The next Open is soon. Have you thought of participating?"

"How do you know that I can sing?" Stella questioned him. "My exceptional intuition tells me that," he answered, a smug grin forming on his face, "Or am I mistaken?" Oh, how she would have loved to tell him that he was indeed wrong. But Stella was never fond of lying. "Don't worry, I can warble a tune or two," she assured Andrés.

"Just imagine it then: You, me and my guitar" He could play the guitar? Okay, that new gained knowledge made him ten times hotter. Stella didn't know if she should thank or curse Pedro and Delfi for their son.

Stella smirked, turning around, "Depends. If I like the theme and school allows it, maybe."

"I'll leave it to you then," he said and walked away from her. Stella swore she had seen a little disappointment in his eyes at her answer. He hadn't tried to ask her out, had he?

Once she had ordered something to drink and had found herself a seat Stella's eyes never left the main entrance. However, after a few minutes, she was already fed up and sighed annoyed as she put her now empty drink down. Aitana and Isa should have shown up three minutes ago!

Stella looked at her drumming fingers. Her head shot up when she heard a deep baritone voice speaking, "Already bored, Miss Impatient?"

"How can you ask that? I'm obviously having the time of my life here!" she exclaimed while Andrés leaned against the table, his arm brushing hers on accident. Stella tried her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. It was easier said than done because they were doing some serious flips.

"I'm on my way to the rink," he said, "Want to join me?" She glanced back to the entrance. Andrés noticed her unsureness, "Don't worry, Aitana and Isa are never really on time. Besides, they'll look on the rink first if they can't find you." That won her over. "Okay, let's go," Stella agreed.

They went to the lockers, Stella putting her bag and jacket into her locker while Andrés got his black (no surprise there) roller skates. After they both had laced up their roller skates, they decided to practice the step sequence Tamara had showed them during their last training.

"You mixed up the last two elements," Andrés let her know. Stella cursed herself for that stupid mistake. Concentrate better, she thought. "First spin, then hands. It's not that hard," he added. Stella pursed her lips, "You don't think I can memorize a step sequence?"

"Why did you make that mistake then?" It was his fault, really. His white t-shit was still visible despite the black hoodie and created a really nice contrast with the black skinny jeans. It was messing with her brain. Stella shook her head, trying to get over his outfit, "Well, watch me."

A small smile graced his features when she had ended the step sequence perfectly, "Not bad." Stella put her hand on her hips, "Not bad? Not bad?" Andrés just grinned as he skated closer to her, crossing his arms, "What do you want me to say? That you were outstanding or even exceptional?" Stella smiled. She really liked the idea of that.

"I want you to say all those things."

He chuckled, shaking his head, "Well, aren't you something else." Stella avoided him with her gaze in hopes of not turning tomato red. It didn't quite work. The older, attractive raven-haired boy had more or less given her a compliment and she didn't really know how to handle that.

"I think we practiced enough, what about freestyle?" Stella offered eventually. Andrés nodded, "Good idea. Do you have any particular trick in mind?"

"Not really," she admitted. Andrés started to talk again, "Well, there's always the fire snake." Stella's eyes lit up. "You really can do that trick?" she asked awestruck. Her parents had used this trick a few times in their performances and it was really complicated. But her parents had always been able to make it look so effortlessly that Stella had begged them to teach the trick to her several times. It was one of the few tricks they still refused to teach her, always saying that a professional trainer should supervise this, which she thought was really hypocritical since both her parents had learned it from the Underwheels, and they were in no way professional skating trainers.

"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise," he made clear and held his hand out, "You're in?" Stella hesitated, she didn't really want to go behind her parents backs, "I don't know... My parents wouldn't-" She didn't continue talking when he lowered his hand, a sly smirk crossing his features.

"Do you always do what your parents say?" Andrés taunted.

"Who knew! A boy has a rebellious streak." He glared at the mention of his nickname, but said nothing about it. His lips curled into a smirk again, "Look, princess, I totally understand if you don't trust yourself with that yet."

Stella crossed her arms, not liking his mocking tone. Determination was burning in her eyes now. Rebel princess he wanted? Rebel queen he was going to get!

"Show me," she demanded. He raised an eyebrow teasingly, "Now?" Stella rolled her eyes, "No, in two hours... Yes, now!"

He explained the trick before demonstrating it. "Your turn," he grinned after he had ended his performance. When Stella got it right after the third time Andrés whistled. First the guitar, now the whistling. Did God want her dead? And maybe she was a little jealous of if whistling abilities because she couldn't whistle to save her life. "What can I say? I'm a fast learner," Stella grinned, really proud of herself.

"I'm impressed really. I only got it right after the seventh try. Even Alicia needed one more try than you."

Stella's grin faltered. Had he learned the trick with her? Her curiosity got the better of her and she asked Andrés about it. He nodded, "I didn't want to at first but she blackmailed me into it." Yeah, that sounded like Alicia. Don't let that Californian Beach Girl look fool you. That girl could be ruthless if she wanted to.

His answer didn't sit well with Stella. It's because you're jealous, her inner voice sang. Stella snickered. If there was anything she was jealous of it was Alicia's height. Stella could be wearing heels and still not be as tall as the Argentine girl.  

"I wonder," Andrés began, "If we could do the trick together." Yes, sign her up! Without much thinking she took his hand, "C'mon, let's show them what we've got." He smirked as they skated towards the edge of the skating rink, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Everything had been fine until they had done their spins, the distance too close, causing them to crash into each other's arms. They clung to each other, desperately trying not to loose their balance. Not a piece of paper could fit between them now. Andrés tried to shift his weight, leaning towards her while Stella looked up and suddenly their faces were were just inches apart. Both their eyes were glued the other's lip's. Stella couldn't help but wonder how his lips would feel on hers. Her heart was beating so fast she could her the drumming sound in her ears. Stella asked herself if this was it. If this would be her first kiss.

It hadn't, as Aitana and Isa had the worst timing ever. And that should mean something coming from her! "Stella! There you are," Aitana yelled excited, dragging Isa behind her. The two of them let go of each other immediately. Andrés hand went to the back of his head in frustration, casting an annoyed look in the girls' direction. "Did we interrupt something important?" Isa asked, squinting her eyes behind the frame of her black glasses. Aitana's eyebrows were raised high in expectation, "Yeah, did we?"

"Nothing important at all," Andrés assured them.

But his smirk told her everything and Stella smiled back.

A month later

Stella was already at the Jam&Roller decorating. It was the day before the reunion party and she really wanted to get this thing done fast. She wasn't alone though. Andrés had offered to help her and as much as she had hated to admit it, she really needed any help she could get.

Tamara had allowed them to throw the party on the skating rink. They had carried a few tables and chairs from the café area on the rink, which had closed earlier today.

They were busy attaching balloons on the railing. "Can you pass me the sellotape?" Andrés asked. "Sure thing, A boy!" Andrés let out an exaseperated sigh. "Again with that nickname? Seriously, stop calling me that," he demanded. "I won't," Stella said, a smirk forming on her lips, "It's way too much fun."

You'd think that an almost kiss had made things awkward between them. This wasn't the case at all. It only had made their conversations more flirty. Aitana and Isa had once said that they should just get a room. And Andrés had winked at her and Stella honestly still didn't know how she had survived that.

"Well, then I think it would be only fair if I had a nickname for you too." She shook her head and crossed her arms, "No, no, that won't be necessary."

"I think it is. I have something in mind. In fact, you already heard it," Andrés grinned. Stella should know by now that he wouldn't back down. It was truly half the fun. "Don't you dare," she glared at him. "No can do, little star," he said with a smirk.

"Really, Aarón?" His glare matched hers now, "Second name, that's a bit harsh. Don't you think, Liliana?"

"Wow. Fabián wasn't exaggerating," she heard a familiar voice say. Stella turned around to see three teenagers. She wasn't surprised with seeing Alicia and Rafael, Andrés had mentioned that they would stop by and help them earlier, but she hadn't expected the last person at all.

Lola threw her hands into the air, grinning widely, "Hey there Juliet." Stella sighed. That damn play had ruined her life. Rafael laughed, "That's a good one."

"I thought of it on the train," Lola said proudly. "Seriously? You do know I wasn't born in Verona, right?" Stella questioned the brunette. Lola just grinned, "I know but it's Romeo and Juliet!" Why did she had to be born in Italy's capital again?

After they had exchanged their hello's - and in Stella's and Lola's case a bone-crushing hug - they sat down in the middle of the skating rink, distributing the different tasks.

When Rafael got assigned to a task he really didn't want to do he questioned the other's why Fabián wasn't here. Stella wondered that too. "Date night!" Alicia answered, not looking up from her phone. "He texted you that?" Rafael asked impressed. "No, Eloísa did," she made clear.

"I think it's cute that they're together." Lola said, giving Stella a look. Why the hell was that supposed mean now? "I mean, they've known each other since they were kids like c'mon this is the stuff dreams are made of," she explained, eyes darting between her and Andrés.

Stella gnashed with her teeth, "Just because you've known each other for years doesn't mean you end up dating."

"Yeah, take you and Luis for example." Andrés' mouth set in a hard line at her best friend's words. "Alright, let's get started. Rafael and I have to head home in an hour because one of us still has to walk Topaz," Alicia said quickly.

Stella was glad that they hadn't brought the Maltese dog with them. She was more of a cat person. Even her first word had been cat. In Italian. Her godfather Gastón still insisted to this day that she had tried to say his name.

"It's Toppy," Rafael said disapprovingly. Alicia crossed her arms, "Hey, you and Mom can call her what you want but I'm appreciating the fact that she's the one that got stuck with a gemstone name."

"I couldn't handle being an Esmeralda or a Margarita," Alicia added while shuddering, "They all sound like old lady names. I could have been a passenger on the Titanic with a name like that!"

Stella grimaced upon hearing the ship's name. Lola saw that and crossed her arms, "C'mon, it wasn't that bad."

"That movie was like three hours long and there was only half an hour of action. It was torture. I was so relieved when the iceberg finally showed up," she remembered, gesticulation all over the place. Lola gasped, "Stella, you can't just say that." She just shrugged, "I already did."

"It's a classic," Lola tried to change her mind. "A boring classic," Stella said, not letting go of her opinion, "And why didn't she pull him up to her? That was so selfish? What happened to her love for him?"

"Well, aren't you a sunshine," Rafael commented. "You've got something wrong there. My mom's the sun," Stella said, voice laced with sarcasm. Lola and the Álvarez siblings broke out in laughter. Stella's eyes wandered to Andrés who didn't seem amused at all. She only realized now that he hadn't taken part in the conversation since Lola had mention the Luis thing. Was Stella imaging things or was he clenching his jaw?

Lola put her head into her hands dramatically, "My best friend still trash talked my favorite movie. I need a minute." Alicia laughed and patted her shoulder, "There, there" Lola looked up and smiled at her.

Stella's forehead creased. She knew that Ofelia and Alicia were very good friends, being the oldest girls of all her parent's friends. But Alicia and Lola had never seemed that close. Until now. It was weird. Stella decided to keep a close eye on them.

"We should get started," Andrés finally spoke again. Everyone agreed with him and once all had stood up, they went of to their respective tasks.

The hour flew by rapidly and after Alicia and Rafael had said their goodbyes, Lola decided that she should go too. "It's late and the train takes awhile," Lola reasoned and said goodbye as well. She meant two hours with that! Stella would call it eternity.

The almost fifteen-year-old mostly did things because she didn't think them through and always winged them somehow, but with Lola she had a very strong suspicion that her best friend believed that everything would work out in the end and did the thing despite all the warnings.

It was starting to get dark when her and Andrés decided that the Jam&Roller looked festive enough. They went to their lockers, getting their belongings and putting on their jackets. They had walked to the café section when Andrés grabbed her hand out of nowhere and pulled her towards the counter, "Duck!"

"What's going on?" Stella sputtered, having no clue as to why they were suddenly kneeling behind the counter. "Paparazzi," was all he said. Still, it was enough to let her blood ran cold.

"We have to take the back entrance," Andrés concluded. Stella nodded in approval. There was no way anyone would get her to walk out of the main entrance now.

They scurried to the back entrance. Andrés opened the door, revealing two other paparazzi a few meters away. This had to be some kind of sick joke, Stella thought. They couldn't be encircled by paparazzi!

"Are you kidding me?" she heard Andrés mutter.

"I have an idea," Stella said, after she got over her shock. "Really? What-" Andrés didn't finish his sentence, he was too taken aback that she had started to run without any warning whatsoever. "Just follow me!" Stella yelled over her shoulder. She heard him curse but when she looked again, she saw that Andrés was running right behind her.

Unfortunately, the two paparazzi had seen them and were now shouting for the other ones to follow them.

Stella and Andrés ran along the main street. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see how people curiously turned their heads towards them. It must have looked strange, Stella imagined. Two teenagers being chased by at least five paparazzi.

They turned into a side street. And then into another one, each step bringing them closer to the heart of Buenos Aires.

After awhile Stella no longer knew how many turns they had taken, she just hoped it had been enough to get rid of the paparazzi. They stopped eventually as both had to catch their breath. Stella's lungs felt as if they would collapse any second. Andrés didn't far better either. He leaned against a wall, unable to hide the fact that their sprint through the city had strained him as well. "I think we shook them off," Stella gasped, her lungs were still giving her a hard time.

Andrés didn't look convinced and pushed himself away from the wall. "We should go somewhere inside," he said. Upon seeing Stella's confused expression he explained, "This hasn't been my first run from the paparazzi. You think you've escaped them but then they suddenly show up again!"

Stella looked around, taking in their surroundings. Across them was a little café and next to them was a flower shop. There was a sign a few meters away which informed them that roses were cheaper today.

Stella gazed back to Andrés and it was only now that she realized how absurd this whole situation really was. She started laughing hysterically, "Oh my God. That was the weirdest experience of my life."

"Be quiet," he hissed, "Or do you want them find us?"

"Live a little," she said, still laughing. He crossed his arms, "I just ran through half Buenos Aires. I did enough crazy things for today!" The laughter died in her throat. Stella scoffed loudly, feeling a little offended, "Really now?"

"What did I say about being quiet?" he asked annoyed. Stella lifted her chin, "Make me!"

Andrés smirked as he stepped closer. She really wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. With her lips. "You shouldn't say things you don't mean," he warned. "Oh, but I mean it," Stella said with sweet smile and turned around. While she was walking away a huge grin spread across her face.

Her happiness didn't last long though. Stella's face fell when she saw the paparazzi. The two of them wouldn't survive another chase through the city.

She gritted her teeth and glared at the paparazzi, who frantically looked in every direction, trying to find her and Andrés. Stella wanted to scream at them about how neither of their parents were with them and that they should just get lost.

Her anger won the upper hand and Stella reacted without thinking, "They want press from us? Well, they can have that!" She marched back to Andrés, he was leaning against the wall again, eyes narrowing.

Before he could say anything back in response, her hands reached for his shoulders. She squeezed her eyes shut and stood on her tiptoes.

Their lips met.

If Andrés had been surprised by her move, he hid it very well. Stella could feel him smirk against her lips and she relaxed, relieved that he hadn't pulled away from her.      

His hands had found their way to her lower back and rested there. Andrés' tongue began to trace her bottom lip and Stella's lips parted. His tongue was on hers now and like in most of their conversations, there was a fight for dominance. Stella could taste the cherry flavor of her chapstick on his lips.

Next thing she knew was that her back was against a wall.

The wall against her back was really cold, still she felt like someone had lit her on fire. Stella couldn't stand on her tiptoes anymore, so she wrapped her arms around Andrés' neck and dragged him down to her. The kiss became more frantic with each passing second. They were kissing like crazy, as if the morning depended on it.

Stella had imagined kissing him countless of times before, but this right now surpassed every fantasy.  She never wanted this kiss to end.

Sadly, they had barely come up for air this entire time and were in great need of fresh oxygen. Stella fell back against the wall, panting. Her heart was beating so rapidly that she could only take little sips of breath.

Andrés still managed to smirk while gathering some much needed oxygen and Stella thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to make her earlier thought reality.

But before she could ponder about it further, Stella felt a hot breath on her neck, making her skin tingle. His lips burned as they made contact with her flesh. Andrés trailed kisses down her neck and she thought her heart would jump out of her chest any second. Her fingers roamed through his soft hair as the kisses became harder and more urgent. Stella tilted her neck, giving him more access.

Just right before reaching the nape of her neck, he stopped abruptly. Stella wanted to cry. She heard him take a deep breath and his lips found her neck again mere seconds later. She yelped in surprise when he started to suck on her skin. When he added teeth, Stella was done for. She gripped his hair tighter and he hissed at the sudden pressure. The biting increased and a small moan escaped her lips. "You just can't keep quiet, can you?" he chuckled lowly.

Her eyes fluttered open and the view she got made her heart race even more.

Andrés was smiling down at her in a self-complacent manner. His hair was very disheveled (Stella really liked that look on him), lips swollen and his pupils were dilated. Stella was sure that she didn't look representable either. The spot on her neck was probably bruising right now as it throbbed wildly. It would surely leave a mark and Stella was strangely okay with that. A small grin crept upon her face when she realized that Andrés current appearance had been all her doing.

A hand slid around her waist and drew her closer to his mint scented body. Andrés lowered his head slightly. "Maybe I should do something about that," he murmured. Their faces were so close that if one of them would lean forward just a little bit their lips would touch again. "You should," Stella whispered. She didn't have to say that twice. Andrés closed the gap between them immediately.

The way his lips connected with hers still made her knees weak. His tongue brushed gently against her upper lip this time and Stella kissed him back just as tenderly. Their second kiss resembled their skating style more, tongues dancing in synchronization.

Stella heard photoflashes, but she didn't care. At all. Neither seemed Andrés as he made no attempt to separate himself from her. They were too lost in the moment. Only when someone laughed he reluctantly broke their kiss off. Stella's cheeks burned, as did her lips and the spot on her neck. Andrés stroked her hair and his green eyes looked at her with a strange glow. Just when she thought that she would sink in his eyes, he turned away and Stella perceived a smile she had never seen before. It was cunning and arrogant, almost sardonic. His arm was around her shoulder and the look he gave the paparazzi let goose bumps over her back.

"We apologize for this incident."

Stella stared at him. Was he being serious? The looks of the paparazzi, who had paused to take pictures, were just as puzzled. Andrés lowered his head and whispered to her, "Let's go before they realize that we were friendly to them." He took her hand once again. That shook her awake.

She followed him but still couldn't resist saying something. "Arrivederci!" she yelled mockingly, earning a laugh from Andrés.

"They don't follow us," he said as she glanced over her shoulder. The amused tone in Andrés' voice couldn't be overheard, "They're too shocked because we offered them a free show and then just turned around the corner."

Stella didn't answer him. It was a miracle that she managed to nod, seeing has her brain had went into overdrive at his words, as she had realized what she - or rather they - had just done and that the paparazzi had pictures of it. That's why they didn't chase them anymore, they had gotten what they wanted!

Her father would have a heart attack.

Stella seriously considered writing her last will. It was unlikely that she would survive tomorrow. She would either die at breakfast, in school or at the reunion party... Was it possible to die three times in one day?

Once they had made it out of the jungle of side streets, they were on the main street again. They reached a crossing with traffic lights. Andrés stopped walking and she  was only realizing now that they were still holding hands. He looked at her, then at their intertwined hands, "Well, I have to get to the other side," the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, "See you tomorrow, reina."

Stella just stood there, her brain processing his words as she watched him crossing the street. One word in particular had evoked a question in her mind she couldn't shake away, no matter how hard she tried. What were they?

Get a grip, Stella thought. She started to walk faster and after a few minutes she stood before her home. She opened the door as quietly as possible, despite her parents not being home yet. Thank God for that. Stella didn't really know why they weren't home but she really didn't care because it worked in her favor. After she had switched the floor light on, Stella quickly walked up the stairs. She noticed with relief that Luca was still over at his best friend's house and went straight to the bathroom, checking her neck. Her cheeks gained colour again upon seeing the purple-ish mark. Stella doubted that concealer would hide the spot near the nape of her neck. She furrowed her brows, fingers tracing the hickey. How could she get away with wearing a scarf in mid-April? She had just stopped wearing them! Stella smirked when she had the life-saving idea. She would just tell everyone that she felt a cold coming up. There, problem solved!

After she was done in the bathroom, Stella switched into her pajamas and crawled into her bed. She had had a hell of a day and all she wanted to do now was sleep. But sleep didn't want to come.

Stella tossed around again, her brain giving her no peace. She sighed in defeat, knowing that her curiosity would get the better of her and grabbed her phone. She typed her name into Google Search and then tapped the news section. There were already five articles. Stella opened the first one in a new tab and tried to prepare herself mentally. She switched tabs, scrolled down and began to read...

It has been a few weeks since photos of Stella Balsano and Andrés Arias first started to circulate. Ever since then, fans of both their parents have been infatuated with the idea of them becoming a couple. Needless to say, Twitter completely exploded last night when these kissing pictures surfaced on TMZ. We can't get enough of them! Stella and Andrés also seem like they can't get enough of each other either! Just look at their appearance! We seriously feel like we have been robbed of a steamy kiss photo! The last photo made it up for it though. The way Andrés looks at Stella has our hearts melting. While neither of them confirmed anything on the spot they really don't have to, these photos say it all! Even Stella's godfather tweeted the infamous flower video again, yes, the one where he proclaimed that the two of them would end up dating in the future. Said godfather also added the caption "I'll only accept cash!". Well, it looks like the Jam&Roller has found its new king and queen...

A smile spread over Stella's face. She really loved the sound of that. But she had to ask her mother about that flower video. Why hadn't she heard about it until now? She quickly neglected the thought and put her phone on the nightstand again. Stella fell asleep soon after, the smile still visible on her face.

#IT'S BEEN 84 YEARS #fic: oh no #soy luna #soy luna next gen #my fics

[anonymousbandito-blog]

Eyes On Me

This is probably trash, or crappy.. It’s been a long, long while since I have sat down and actually wrote a story. But I am someone who has struggles with anxiety, depression and social anxiety and I got to a really low point where I questioned if I should even live. Instead of acting on that in a negative manner, I decided to write out how I feel in a story. Let me tell you, I feel a HELL of a lot better getting that off my chest (yes, I am getting help, btw. This was one of the recommended ways to help relieve some of my anxieties and thoughts). Anyways, I hope you enjoy. I tried to check this over for errors, but my main concern is to just write, and to get these negative thoughts off of my chest.

Josh had seen variety of strange things in his time on tour. If he were to rattle off a list of all the things he’d seen, you would need a drink and to clear your calendar. Of all the things he had seen, though, he had never seen anything quite as unnerving as what he had just walked in on.

In between songs, he’d slide off a very, very dark stage and stumble into the back. They had a few moments before they were required to go back on, so he would duck into an area to gather himself before going back on.

The arena they were currently in had a small, hidden back room that was pretty secluded. His plan was to sit in seclusion for a few moments, but all that was blown out of the water at the sight of what was before him.

There was a young woman, probably in her mid twenties, standing on a bench. She was wearing an old camouflage hoodie, a yellow bandanna in her red hair - she fit right in with the crowd that they performed for. The only thing off about her was the red, tear stained face that stared back at him, and the rope she was about to pull over head.

What the hell, this girl was about to hang herself.

She must have noticed the horrified expression on his face, for her face turned an even brighter shade of red as more tears flooded her eyes. Josh was not entirely sure what her next move would be, so he reached out his hands slowly, in hopes she wouldn’t try anything.

“Hey, it’s okay.” he spoke softly, trying to keep his voice calm.

The tears flooding the poor girl's eyes were already running down her cheeks, as she hid her face behind her hand, as the other continued to hold onto the noose. It was obvious that she was embarrassed, and rightly so - no one would want to be caught in an act such as this.

She removed her hand, pain still evident in her expression as she refused to meet his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I thought.. I expected to be alone.”

There were several different scenarios running through Josh’s mind, several different ways he could possibly handle this. He could tackle her, but doing that risked hurting her. He could call for security, but this felt like the wrong time and the wrong place to bring in security. Security would escort her out of the arena, and in no way would it result in her finding any help. She would only find a new location to finish the deed.

Lowering his arms, he placed he nodded his head in understanding.

“It’s okay,” still soft, he added: “Can I ask, what is your name?”

Through her tears, the girl let out a pitiful laugh as she shook her head.

“Like that really matters at this point.”

Josh shrugged his shoulders, as he leaned against the door frame. His outward posture screamed someone who was poised and relaxed, which he could tell was a surprise to the young woman. If only she could feel how quickly his heart was pounding within his chest.

“Well, maybe not. But I’d still at least like to know.”

The young woman gave him a quick once over, it was obvious she was trying to read him but she couldn’t get anything from a simple glance, so she decided to humor him.

“Elise,” she admitted softly.

Josh smiled at her, it was a soft smile, but he tried his best to come across like a reassuring, friendly face.

“That’s a pretty name. It’s nice to meet you, Elise.”

His comment was met with no reply, instead Elise turned her attention back to the rope in her hand, a frown on her face. The plus side was that he had somehow managed to stop at least some of the crying.

Tilting his head, he decided to give her a once over glance - just like she had done to him a few moments prior.

“I do have to ask, why is it that you are doing this, Elise? And why here?”

Elise kept her gaze frozen on the rope, amazingly still and calm for having just been basically questioned on why she was throwing her life away. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Elise released a shaky breath.

“I thought I could handle living this life, things seemed to be going well, even with my depression and my struggles.. I opened my own business, I had friends, I had my own ministry in my church.. I thought life was going to be better.” she shook her head, her eyes blinking rapidly, “I was stupid to think that. My business is barely surviving, I live paycheck-by-paycheck, my entire family thinks I am a failure, my ministry..”

Her voice failed her, as she was overwhelmed with another round of tears. Her story sounded all too familiar, like many of the stories you hear about people who were at the end of their rope.

“Sounds like you’ve hit a rough patch, but haven’t we all?” he piped up, hoping to calm her down again. His question did the exact opposite, though - as Elise let out a broken, raspy sob. The tears were not stopping at this point.

There were no words spoken, but Josh could see it - he was losing her. She grabbed the rope tighter in her grip, ready to pull it over her head when Josh quickly threw himself out of his calm, composed posture. His hands were out in front of him, his voice losing all sense of calm: “Elise, Elise!”

His voice was begging, pleading - his heart beating against his rib cage. He had to get through to her, he had to do it in a way that would make her think. He had to reach her soul.

“Elise,” he tried again, his voice quieter this time, with a hint of shakiness to it. She was sobbing more at this point, as if his voice was an awful reminder that she was still with everyone on this earth.

He could feel it, she wanted this world to fade away. She wanted to remain numb, cold and distant. How do you reach someone like this? Someone who was almost too far gone, but not so gone that she couldn’t still be saved?

The words tumbled out before anything else could be said or done, before either one of them could think another thought: “Eyes on me,”

They were three simple words, three, easy to breathe, meaningless words that would mean nothing to most, but meant everything in this moment.

She was still inconsolable, her breathing rigid as she continued to cry. The only good thing was, she had done anything rash yet.

“Elise,” he tried again, his own voice shaking: “Eyes. On. Me.”

For the first time since he walked in that room, Elise brought her eyes to Josh’s. He was relieved to catch a good glimpse of her greenish blue eyes, even more relieved that he seemed to be getting through to her.

He gave her a weak, hopeful smile, as he brought he held out his hands for her.

“I don’t know what you’re going through, I don’t understand the severity of your situation or why you’re in pain.. But I understand the paint that you’re going through, and I want to help you through it. Elise,” he breathed, inching closer, “will you let me help you through it?”

Another question, and her emotions were set off again. Only this time, she let go of the rope she was holding so tightly onto, lowered herself down from the bench she was on, and threw herself into his arms. He was a bit thrown off by the response, even more surprised by the fact at how she had thrown herself so quickly into trusting him - but he was thankful she did.

Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, Josh closed his eyes and placed his chin on top of Elise’s head, his arms holding onto her tightly as he let her cry.

Nothing needed to be said or done in this moment, not a word was breathed from either one of them. She would never admit this, but she felt safe in his arms, she felt relieved that someone  - a random stranger - felt her life was important enough to fight for.

-

-

Josh eventually had to be pulled back onto stage, but not before he made sure that Elise was comfortable and in good hands. One of the paramedics on staff checked up on her, and various members of the crew made sure that she felt welcomed and safe until Josh was able to return from finishing their show.

Once the show was over and the crowd was gone, Elise was brought to Josh by a couple of crew members. The look of relief that crossed Josh’s face when he saw her was enough to make her face turn red, thankfully it wasn’t because she was crying.

Tyler stood at Josh’s side, noticing Josh’s expression he turned to look in the direction Josh was.

“How are you feeling?” Josh asked, not giving Tyler a chance to even open his mouth.

Elise gave a small smile.

“Alive, thankfully.” her smile faded at that comment, as she looked down at her hands. “Look, I’m sorry I brought this drama into your show.. I just, I knew this arena inside and out. My friend owns it, so I thought if I came during a popular show, no one would interrupt..” her expression grew dark, as she reflected on the situation that happened only a short while ago.

Tyler tilted his head to get a better look at Elise, making her feel vulnerable. He was probably judging her, like any normal person would.

“Josh told me a little about your story, something about how you feel like you’ve failed because your business isn’t succeeding?”

Embarrassed, Elise met Tyler’s question with a simple nod.

“Like I said, I am sorry. It was, this whole thing was selfish and stupid..”

“Don’t be sorry,” Tyler interrupted, looking directly into her eyes.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Elise. I am sure you know our music,” he nodded towards her outfit, which was a nod to the entire look they were going for for their Bandito tour.

“I also struggle with a mental illness, it’s obvious that I get to some pretty dark places. I perform sold out shows in multiple arenas, I travel the world.. I’m happily married, I have a steady income.. But my success does not equal me being free from my mental illness. I still have moments, moments where I am ready to give up on life. Some would find that hard to believe, because I am a man who has everything anyone could possibly want.”

Elise wasn’t even aware of the tears in her eyes until she took a breath, and she felt a couple run down her face. Dammit, she thought she was past this..

Tyler gave her a soft smile, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I am glad Josh found you, I am glad you’re still here. And I can’t wait to perform for at your business next week.”

Elise looked up at Tyler with a confused expression, one would think that a second head had just grown out of his neck or something.

“Excuse me, what?”

Tyler looked at Josh in disbelief, as he raised his hands.

“Wait, you didn’t tell her, man?” Josh rolled his eyes, as Tyler shook his head.

“Forgive my friend, clearly he is dumbfounded by his newfound crush-” a jab to Tyler’s side from Josh almost shut the man up, but he kept talking: “-but yeah, it was his idea to put on an exclusive show at your business next week.”

Hours ago she was crying in a closet alone, more than ready to end her life. Now, she sat in front of the two members of an insanely popular group, a couple of guys who were making her cry again with their plan.

This was no real guarantee that life was going to perfect, or that Elise wouldn’t find herself in this situation again. It was just a small reassurance that giving up on too soon was never the answer.

She had to keep her eyes on what truly mattered - and as she threw arms around two gentlemen who were about to become her closest friends in life, that became insanely clear to her.

-

-

Five Years Later

“Hey, eyes on me.” the familiar voice met her ears, as she opened her eyes to a familiar pair of dark brown ones. Elise was exhausted, she had been on her feet alone at work most of the day and so she felt she deserved five minutes of just resting with her eyes shut.

Clearly, the person before her felt differently.

“You know,” Elsie huffed, sitting up in her chair, “You sure like saying that.”

She leaned forward, staring intensely into the eyes of the one and only, Joshua Fricking Dun.

“You said it when you took me on that ridiculous see through bridge, you said it when we were on that Ferris wheel, not to mention, the time-” “I brought you to that really beautiful park? You know, the one where we had our first real date? You kept checking out everything around you. I just wanted somewhere quiet so I could kiss you for the first time.”

Elise shook her head, as Josh held out his hand and began counting all the times he used his infamous statement.

“Or how about the time you were talking a billion words a minute on our one year anniversary as a couple, you were stressing out because something was not working right with one of the pottery wheels. I was sitting there on one knee, a ring box open in my hand.”

“Are we done?” Elise questioned, her face slightly flushed in embarrassment at the idea.

Like the tease he was, Josh continued counting down on his fingers and reciting stories about all the different times he had to remind her to calm down.

“One of my favorite times, of course, had to be our wedding day.” Josh nearly finished, staring at his hand.

Having given up on trying to stop him, Elise just stared at him in amusement.

“Oh, really?”

He nodded, biting his lower lip in an attempt to hold back a smile.

“You were up there with me, looking beautiful in your white dress. However, I could tell you were nervous - you were breathless, your hands were shaking in mine, and you looked a little green.. Who knew I was going to have an alien for a wife?” - she punched him lightly, making a smart remark about him always being the alien.

“Okay, so you said that was one of your favorite times. So what was the other, Josh Dun?” Elise questioned him, keeping her eyes on his expression.

This was the first time he looked her in the eyes since he walked into the room, his gaze was enough to make her head spin. Or maybe that was just her current exhaustion and condition washing over her again..

“Um, well I have to say that my other favorite time was the day..” he swallowed hard, his eyes growing distant. He was quiet for a moment, she was almost tempted to ask him if he had gotten lost on memory lane, but he opened his mouth again before she could speak.

“It was the day you chose to live your life, Elise.” he admitted softly.

She was taken aback by his response, especially since neither one of them had brought up that day in a long while. Sure, he would text her or call her to ask how she was doing, but nothing was said about what happened that day. Elise got the help, and continued to get the help she needed.

Her business, which happened to be a art workshop, was starting to thrive. Whether or not that had anything to do with Tyler and Josh performing one night in the coffee shop area, God only knows.

Oh, and her ministry..

Elise was now a part of a new group at her church, a group that helped others who struggled with mental illnesses and suicidal thoughts.

Her life was never 100%, nor was it a walk in the park 100% of the time. She had moments, dark moments. They were often when Josh was on the road, or when something stressful was eating at her. Thankfully, it was nothing like that day.

“You made a choice that day, Elise.” Josh broke her thoughts, “You could have chosen to end your life, but instead you listened to a total stranger - a stranger with bright yellow hair, and a crazy lifestyle-” Elise chuckled at his remark, earning a smile from him.

“I still question why you listened, but I am really glad you did. If you had not, who knows if we’d be getting ready to head off to add another memory to my list of favorites.”

Elise tilted her head, pretty much looking like Jim when he is curious about something.

With a smile on his face, Josh took Elise’s hand in his and motioned for her to stand up. She did as he requested, some of her confusion fading away the moment he placed on of his hands on her stomach.

“Today, we are going to find out what gender our baby is going to be. You’re going to be nervous, which is to be expected.. But I am going to be right beside you, so Elise, keep your..”

“Eyes on you?” she quickly interrupted, a smile crossing her face.

“How can I say no to that?”

Her remark earned another smile from him, before he leaned in and pressed a gently kiss to her lips.

Life on earth can be hell, but if we keep our eyes on what’s important - it is worth living.

[sentrava]

City Dog Goes to Florida

Hey pups, it’s Ella, back from the dead to recount my recent escapades. Mom and Dad always claim they’re traveling “for work” (hmmm…), so I insisted they take a few days off and take me somewhere for a change. And where is more pet-friendly to my kind—dogs, the superior race, I of course mean—than our southern neighbor of Florida?

Mom’s been going to the Gulf Coast for much of her life, but to date, she’d only taken me one other time before. To which I say: HOW RUDE! I was born for this life.

Some ridiculously sweet humans let us crash in their house for the week, and it was just what the vet ordered: relaxing, chill, no itinerary—the polar opposite of how Mom usually vacations!

Florida is totally my speed, btw: Plenty of space to run, no rules, no squirrels to taunt to me, no mailmen to guard the house against—just me and the sand (and OK, a few thousand birds to terrorize).

We were there in mid-November, which could be chilly on some days. On the mornings it was too cold and windy to spend outdoors, we lazed around the house doing my favorite activity: napping.

Life’s a beach, but sometimes a girl just needs a nap.

And sometimes a girl needs a beer. We found one sweet brewery that allows my kind inside: Grayton Brewing Co. The humans who run it are pretty swell and, bonus: The beer is really doggone good, too!

How do I know? Well. While Mom said I was too young to sample the libations—whatever, I’m 52.5 in dog years!—Dad gave me a sip of his gose (which is why he’s obviously my favorite parent). We liked it so much, we even came back a second day to fill up our growlers for the road!

We decided to drive to Florida so we could take my paddleboards (I only let Mom and Dad borrow them) down with us and spend the afternoons skimming the top of that placid water. I think the water there might even be calmer than my lake domain back in Tennessee.

Did you know there are devils in Florida (and to think, I always thought they lived down in Georgia…)? If you take a peek at the video I worked my tail off filming for you all, you may even spot them!

Man! Life’s good.

The people of Florida were even so thoughtful as to vacate the state for the week to ensure we had it all to ourselves. Floridians, you sure are an obliging bunch (for humans, that is).

Mom promised to log off of social media for the week—BIG FAIL; speaking of which (shameless plug!), are you following MY new Instagram, @BustedPuppy?!—and Dad planned to read a lot of books. Neither of those things happened, but I made sure they focused on the important matter at hand, and that was that I logged plenty of beach time.

In fact, the beaches of Florida are my natural camouflage—who knew? (Well, I would have had I been brought to this magical Gulf Coast place earlier! Harumph.)

Our trip was all too quick; before I knew it, we were packing up the Jeep and headed down to Orlando for the holidays at Universal.

We’ll be seeing you again real soon, Florida, if I have anything to say about it (and let’s be honest, I wear the pants in this family!)

Pup out,

Ella

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