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bixels · 6 months

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Portal 2 is still the perfect game to me. I hyperfixated on it like crazy in middle school. Would sing Want You Gone out loud cuz I had ADHD and no social awareness. Would make fan animations and pixel art. Would explain the ending spoilers and fan theories to anyone who'd listen. Would keep up with DeviantArt posts of the cores as humans. Would find and play community-made maps (Gelocity is insanely fun).

I still can't believe this game came out 12 years ago and it looks like THIS.

Like Mirror's Edge, the timeless art style and economic yet atmospheric lighting means this game will never age. The decision not to include any visible humans (ideas of Doug Rattmann showing up or a human co-op partner were cut) is doing so much legroom too. And the idea to use geometric tileset-like level designs is so smart! I sincerely believe that, by design, no game with a "realistic art style" has looked better than Portal 2.

Do you guys remember when Nvidia released Portal with RTX at it looked like dogshit? Just the most airbrushed crap I've ever seen; completely erased the cold, dry, clinical feel of Aperture.

So many breathtakingly pit-in-your-stomach moments I still think about too. And it's such a unique feeling; I'd describe at as... architectural existentialism? Experiencing the sublime under the shadow of manmade structures (Look up Giovanni Battista Piranesi's art if you're curious)? That scene where you're running from GLaDOS with Wheatley on a catwalk over a bottomless pit and––out of rage and desperation––GLaDOS silently begins tearing her facility apart and Wheatley cries 'She's bringing the whole place down!' and ENORMOUS apartment building-sized blocks begin groaning towards you on suspended rails and cement pillars crumble and sparks fly and the metal catwalk strains and bends and snaps under your feet. And when you finally make it to the safety of a work lift, you look back and watch the facility close its jaws behind you as it screams.

Or the horror of knowing you're already miles underground, and then Wheatley smashes you down an elevator shaft and you realize it goes deeper. That there's a hell under hell, and it's much, much older.

Or how about the moment when you finally claw your way out of Old Aperture, reaching the peak of this underground mountain, only to look up and discover an endless stone ceiling built above you. There's a service door connected to some stairs ahead, but surrounding you is this array of giant, building-sized springs that hold the entire facility up. They stretch on into the fog. You keep climbing.

I love that the facility itself is treated like an android zooid too, a colony of nano-machines and service cores and sentient panel arms and security cameras and more. And now, after thousands of years of neglect, the facility is festering with decomposition and microbes; deer, raccoons, birds. There are ghosts too. You're never alone, even when it's quiet. I wonder what you'd hear if you put your ear up against a test chamber's walls and listened. (I say that all contemplatively, but that's literally an easter egg in the game. You hear a voice.)

Also, a reminder that GLaDOS and Chell are not related and their relationship is meant to be psychosexual. There was a cut bit where GLaDOS would role-play as Chell's jealous housewife and accuse her of seeing other cores in between chambers. And their shared struggle for freedom and control? GLaDOS realizing, after remembering her past life, that she's become the abuser and deciding that she has the power to stop? That even if she can't be free, she can let Chell go because she hates her. And she loves her. Most people interpret GLaDOS "deleting Caroline in her brain" as an ominous sign, that she's forgetting her human roots and becoming "fully robot." But to me, it's a sign of hope for GLaDOS. She's relieving herself of the baggage that has defined her very existence, she's letting Caroline finally rest, and she's allowing herself to grow beyond what Cave and Aperture and the scientists defined her to be. The fact that GLaDOS still lets you go after deleting Caroline proves this. She doesn't double-back or change her mind like Wheatley did, she sticks to her word because she knows who she is. No one and nothing can influence her because she's in control. GLaDOS proves she's capable of empathy and mercy and change, human or not.

That's my retrospective, I love this game to bits. I wish I could experience it for the first time again.

#ramblings #long post #not art #personal #also i know “did glados actually delete caroline” is debated cuz the credits song disputes this #but i like to think she did #it's not sad. caroline died a long time ago #it's a goodbye

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curated-tiktok · 3 months

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TikTok, OP: Ayandastood (she/her), posted: 2023 November 9

[Video description

visual description: A black woman with braided hair, wearing golden rings, an orange dress and AirPods sitting on a couch speaking to the camera. In the background there's a white wall.

transcript: Something I find so fascinating is we keep each other safe. Like, collective safety is a thing, right? So, the more people that talk about Palestine the more safe it becomes to talk about palestine, because the less they can single us out.

But some people have such an individualistic understanding of safety that they're like I'm just gonna protect myself. They're not like oo I'm gonna protect the collective by adding to the voice to the collective so the collective cannot be divided and conquered, you know what I mean?

so as long as we are more difficult to single out, they cannot attack us.

so when you worry about your safety you are playing into the individualistic paradigm that they want you to play into.

But just know, safety was never something you were supposed to give yourself. It was something that we as a collective were ment to give to each other. Some people sleep while others stay awake. We have always as a species protected each other. It is our survival and it is no different, ok?, over here.

Love you, bye.

video description end]

caption:

also I know there are real dangers involved. I also feel this needed to be said. I didnt get into this but we keep each other safe primarily means we do what we can to keep ppl suffering genocide safe #freepalestine 🇵🇸❤️#freecongo🇨🇩 #freesudan🇸🇩❤️

#Palestine #TikTok #standing together #stronger together #video #described video #accessible post

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kanekoii · 7 months

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How do you think Luxiem and Noctyx would react to collabing with the Reader who is a popular indie vtuber and their kamaoshi?

lyra’s notes -> methinks…you should read and find out

pairings -> luxiem, noctyx x gn! indie vtuber! kamioshi! reader

!! since this is intended to be romantic sorta, reader is male in uki’s part !!

genre -> scenario

song -> don’t wake me up - jonas blue & why don’t we

warnings -> they all have a crush on u, food in mysta’s part, joking mention of death in fuglur’s

VOX AKUMA ->

he’s going full adorable fanboy about it, screaming with joy when you agree to collab with him and freaking out over it on his twitter- i mean x. xitter. he will be so stoked about the opportunity to talk to you in person when he usually just lurks in your chat. he’ll take the opportunity to flirt with you and try to show off a little bit, only to fail miserably and be met with a laugh. yet he still made you laugh, so mission accomplished. he was so excited to collaborate with you and make you laugh, and he’s sure to ask to collab in the future.

IKE EVELAND ->

compliments. so many compliments. he’ll straight up tell you how excited he is to work with you and how you’re his kamioshi. ike will be sure to tell you how adorable he thinks you are and just how much he genuinely admires you. he is so absolutely smitten that poor boy can barely handle talking to you without blushing or getting flustered. the more times you collaborate, the more used to it he’ll become and the more he’ll start to hint at his crush on you.

LUCA KANESHIRO ->

he didn’t even believe you’d ask. you’re his literal kamioshi and you asked to collaborate with HIM of all people? he’s absolutely grateful for the opportunity to work with you and be able to talk to you more than just occasional comments in your chat when he’s not streaming. it was an off-collab too, so you’d be seeing him in person to see if he was just as pretty off camera as he was on. someone (me) akasupa’d and asked to give opinions on each other and the revelation that you loved his content just as much as or even more than he loved yours had his heart soaring.

SHU YAMINO ->

he would get SO flustered and nervous before you hop on call together to play the horror game he had chosen. it would likely lead to poor boy getting more scared than usual just because he’s nervous to be talking to someone he admires that much for the first time. he would most definitely try to flex his math skills too as some weird way of trying to gain your attention. every time he makes you even smile with his silly comments, his heart will soar out of pure pride.

MYSTA RIAS ->

he’s keeping it cool. or at the very least, he’s trying to. he knows his personality type doesn’t appeal to everyone and he’s so happy when he finds that you actually enjoy his loud yet introverted personality and his weird antics. the stream you did together was you teaching him how to cook without poisoning everyone. please teach him how to wash rice properly and how to cook it without the starch water. please i’m begging teach him how to cook and he will be so happy, bragging to chat that he learned this recipe from you.

FULGUR OVID ->

hooligan wants to play co-op rage games with you just to see you mald and absolutely lose it. hear me out, what if he invites you to a crab game or among us collab and introduces you to everyone and he gets teased for teaming with you and trying to essentially carry you. instead of die for nari it’s die for you. he will see to it personally that you win every game you play together just as a little chance to impress you and get you to smile. that would make him SO happy.

SONNY BRISKO ->

cutie will be so taken aback to see you in his chats sometimes, so a collaboration would be more than heaven to him. he looks up to you and your content so much that he’s sure he’s dreaming when he has a full conversation with you on stream. your collective chats ship it SO much. imagine all the ship edits when you do a stream together in person as an off-collab.

UKI VIOLETA ->

(male reader for this one) he would definitely do a baking stream! much like the ones he’s done with his fellow nijisanji en members, he gives vague instructions and you try to figure it out from there. while uki is muted, his viewers would be subject to comments about oh my god he’s adorable he’s trying so hard to make me happy. ugh boy is down bad and let’s just say there will be so many more streams like that in the near future <3

ALBAN KNOX ->

he’s SO insanely shy and nervous it’s adorable. though, as the stream with you goes on, he becomes less nervous and goes back to his normal silly self. if he needs to, he’ll break out the mickey voice to make you laugh but that’s a last resort. his personality compliments yours in such a way that it’s just so enjoyable to watch, and he’s such a comforting person to be around as well.

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rebeccathenaturalist · 11 months

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An App Does Not a Master Naturalist Make

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/app-not-master-naturalist/ - I had written this as an op-ed and sent it to WaPo, but they had no interest, so you get to read it here instead!

I have mixed feelings about Michael Coren’s April 25 Washington Post article, “These 4 free apps can help you identify every flower, plant and tree around you.” His ebullience at exploring some of the diverse ecological community around him made me grin, because I know exactly what it feels like. There’s nothing like that sense of wonder and belonging when you go outside and are surrounded by neighbors of many species, instead of a monotonous wall of green, and that is a big part of what led me to become a Master Naturalist.

When I moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest in 2006, I felt lost because I didn’t recognize many of the animals or plants in my new home. So I set about systematically learning every species that crossed my path. Later, I began teaching community-level classes on nature identification to help other people learn skills and tools for exploring their local flora, fauna, and fungi.

Threeleaf foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata)

Let me be clear: I love apps. I use Merlin routinely to identify unknown bird songs, and iNaturalist is my absolute favorite ID app, period. But these tools are not 100% flawless.

For one thing, they’re only as good as the data you provide them. iNaturalist’s algorithms, for example, rely on a combination of photos (visual data), date and time (seasonal data), and GPS coordinates (location data) to make initial identification suggestions. These algorithms sift through the 135-million-plus observations uploaded to date, finding observations that have similar visual, seasonal, and location data to yours.

There have been many times over the years where iNaturalist isn’t so sure. Take this photo of a rather nondescript clump of grass. Without seed heads to provide extra clues, the algorithms offer an unrelated assortment of species, with only one grass. I’ve gotten that “We’re not confident enough to make a recommendation” message countless times over my years of using the app, often suggesting species that are clearly not what I’m looking at in real life.

Because iNaturalist usually offers up multiple options, you have to decide which one is the best fit. Sometimes it’s the first species listed, but sometimes it’s not. This becomes trickier if all the species that are suggested look alike. Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) and eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra) all have pinnately compound, lanceolate leaves, and young plants of these three species can appear quite similar. If all you know how to do is point and click your phone’s camera, you aren’t going to be able to confidently choose which of the three plants is the right one.

Coren correctly points out that both iNaturalist and Pl@ntNet do offer more information on suggested species—if people are willing to take the time to look. Too many assume ID apps will give an easy, instant answer. In watching my students use the app in person almost everyone just picks the first species in the list. It’s not until I demonstrate how to access the additional content for each species offered that anyone thinks to question the algorithms’ suggestions.

While iNaturalist is one of the tools I incorporate into my classes, I emphasize that apps in general are not to be used alone, but in conjunction with field guides, websites, and other resources. Nature identification, even on a casual level, requires critical thinking and observation skills if you want to make sure you’re correct. Coren’s assertion that you only need a few apps demonstrates a misunderstanding of a skill that takes time and practice to develop properly—and accurately.

Speaking of oversimplification, apps are not a Master Naturalist in your pocket, and that statement —while meant as a compliment–does a disservice to the thousands of Master Naturalists across the country. While the training curricula vary from state to state, they are generally based in learning how organisms interact within habitats and ecosystems, often drawing on a synthesis of biology, geology, hydrology, climatology, and other natural sciences. A Master Naturalist could tell you not only what species you’re looking at, but how it fits into this ecosystem, how its adaptations are different from a related species in another ecoregion, and so forth.

Map showing Level III and IV ecoregions of Oregon, the basis of my training as an Oregon Master Naturalist.

In spite of my criticisms, I do think that Coren was absolutely onto something when he described the effects of using the apps. Seeing the landscape around you turn from a green background to a vibrant community of living beings makes going outside a more exciting, personal experience. I and my fellow nature nerds share an intense curiosity about the world around us. And that passion, more than any app or other tool, is fundamental to becoming a citizen naturalist, Master or otherwise.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

#iNaturalist #plant apps #Seek #Merlin #nature #wildlife #plant identification #apps #botany #biology #science #scicomm #science communication #Google Lens #naturalist #Master Naturalist #conservation #environment

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sunny1616 · 3 months

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Pressure

Rafe Cameron x reader

Summary: During the weigh-in conference rafe's opponent, jj maybank, makes a comment that get rafe riled up.

Warnings: some fighting, cussing, mentions of pregnancy

"Standing at 6'2" and 180lbs, Rrrrrafe CamerON!!" You are seated against the wall of the press area with Rafe's team clapping as you watch your boyfriend being weighed in. You usually don't come to the weigh-ins or other press conferences, knowing how tense they can be. And you would've skipped it since you were 7 months pregnant, but you wanted to be supportive of your partner. After all, this was no regular fight because you were in South Carolina for the biggest event of Rafe's boxing career so far against the infamous JJ Maybank. JJ is no joke, with 19 wins, 0 losses, and 6KOs.

The coverage and attention that this fight is getting isn't something that you're used to seeing and it sometimes makes you nervous. Regardless, you decided to be brave and support your man since it's his first time with so many eyes on him. Though he hasn't admitted it to you yet, you can tell that the pressure is weighing on him. You are concerned but not worried, Rafe is tough because of the pain hes been through in his past with his family. He's the strongest and most resilient man you've ever known.

After Rafe's time on the machine, JJ stepped up and flexed. The MC announced his measurements, and the cameras went off. The conference went on as expected, with small insults and verbal jabs thrown between Rafe and JJ. Nothing serious. But then, just as face-off photo op was about to complete, JJ says something to Rafe that makes him rage and right-hook JJs jaw. The stage turns into a moshpit, and cameras go wild. Rafe's bodyguards try to remove him from the stage, but all Rafe wants to do is get to JJ .

Meanwhile, you stand eyes wide and hands protectively on your bump. Rafe's assistant and one of his bodyguards inch closer to you while watching the scene unfold. Eventually, Rafe is taken off the stage, and the announcer tells the crowd the date of the fight, concluding the event. You are then escorted to Rafe's room. Once inside, you take a look around, trying to spot him amongst all the bodyguards and other team members. You then spot him in the corner, sitting on a cubby bench, talking to his manager and trainer. Both trying to calm him down, which marginally seems to be working because though he is seated with elblows on his knees and listening attentively to the two men, he still has a terrifying amount of fire in his eyes.

As you walk up to him he immediately makes eye contact with you. He then looks to the two people talking to him and signals them to give you two some space. While hes still sitting he pulls you and hugs you around the hips. You immediately bring you arms around his shoulder and scratch the back of his head while giving the top of his head a kiss. After some deep breaths he looks up at you and you down at him.

"Lets go back to the hotel. We dont need to be here for another second."

"Okay, but are you alright? What happened up there?"

Rafe exhales, "i dont want to talk about that right now. That mother fucker should sooner be 8 feet under then in our thoughts." Okayyy so not the time to talk about it then, you say to yourself.

"Alright lets go." You both get into a black escalade and drive 20mins to your hotel. Once alone in your room you take a shower while Rafe orders food and makes some calls. Rafe then goes to shower and u lay on the bed with your robe on too exhausted and filled with thoughts about the event. Just as your deep in thought rafe comes out with his robe on and stares at you.

"Can we talk now?" You say.

Rafe looks at you and sighs and lays down on the bed. He turns to face you and says, "He threatened to take you from me. He said that it wouldn't be hard and that the baby wouldn't want a loser of a father anyway after the fight."

You blank.

"Rafe, that isn't true. You know it isn't. The loser part or it being that easy for me to leave you. This probably isn't the right thing to say, but im surprised that got to you. Tell me why it did."

Another breath, "No opponent has ever said anything about you before. That's always been my boundary. I've also never had to worry about it because all my previous opponents were professional, never made it personal. Ever. And I've been so... mentally off for this whole thing because i was partly raised here. My mom left me when i was here. And with the swarming media and dwindling privacy lately and the underdog card, i just feel so... off. There's so much pressure with this one. And i dont want to lose for the team, and especially for you and our girl."

"I love you, rafe, and no matter the outcome, that will never change. Im not going anywhere, and she won't either. She will be proud and in awe of how strong and amazing you are, just as i always am. And as for the past, that's all it is. It's over. You moved on. Nothing can hurt you here. We and the team support you bc this is your fight. We're here to support you bc we all know that you are better than him. You can prove it to yourself, too, by fighting. For. Yourself." With a soft smile, you reach out and cup his cheek, rubbing your thumb over his cheekbone.

Rafe just stares at you in awe. He savors moments like this. He's never felt so lucky. He can never get enough, so he closes the small distance between and meets your lips with his. The kiss emulates love and gratitude. He then pulls you in closer. "I love you, baby. Thank you."

You chuckle and shake your head, "i love you too, bubs. Now come on, the new love is blind episodes come out today we have to see whos gonna get ditched and hitched!" You then kiss his nose and sit up to find the remote. And in lighter air you both happily watch cheesy tv.

Authors note: okayy so this is my first post. Please go easy on me 😅💗

*edited some of it*

#boxer!rafe #rafe x reader #rafe cameron #pregnant reader

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 1 month

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WIBTA if I send in screen shots to someone that made a callout post about a former friend?

Please read this entire thing before your decision. I understand the "blurb" may make me seem like a backstabber and someone you wouldn't trust, but I have my reasons I'll detail why this person is a former friend.

I'm a former friend of someone we'll call Marie. Marie, idk how to explain it, but she kind of didn't care about anyone but herself. Anytime someone would talk about something she'd make it about herself and it was very annoying. Marie also would make a lot of us uncomfortable at times. She said some racial slurs to us various times and claimed it wasn't racist. One was towards me and I asked her not to, basically I told her she can't call me a slur because she's white and made me feel uncomfortable. The other was some Irish thing I had to google because our friend who is Irish was uncomfortable and I'm still horrified with what I saw.

Marie would reblog my vent posts on tumblr a lot. None was ever to console me. One was where she reblogged and said "this would be a good ice breaker for a date." I did go off on her since at the time I had such a nasty break up and my vent had absolutely nothing to do with that. Now here's the issue, besides reblogging my vent posts, someone archived her reblog of my vent posts on the wayback. Multiple ones. I contacted wayback, but they said they only delete archives if the blog owner makes a statement on their blog. For reference, i have had multiple chronic stalkers and Marie was very well aware of it. So I already had wayback not allow archives of my blog because one stalker was using it to archive everything on me online. So a stalker found a loophole in the form of Marie. Now, this was before Tumblr had allowed us to disable reblogs. So no jumping to the comments saying it's my fault when this was years ago before that function was available. So, Marie refused and told me its whatever and if anything they were probably archiving her edits despite all of the archives on her blog had my vents she reblogged, like every single time she reblogged it got archived.

Now lastly, Marie was one of those people who would never celebrate anyone's victories. It was so weird, someone could say "oh, I got a new camera for my photography" and she'd say something like "in 3rd grade someone shat on my camera, so I never got a new camera". It would make stuff so awkward and make us not want to talk in our discord. I got a scholarship one year she decided to go to school (she was 12 years out of highschool) and she lost her financial aid in one semester because she didn't do any of her school work! Yet somehow "the government picks favorites and doesn't want to pay people that deserve it". Her words, I was very offended since she knew I worked full time, was a POC, and was not eligible for financial aid. Let me have the scholarship win without making it about you!

So one day I just blocked her everywhere after I deleted the friend discord we had. It wasn't right after, I waited over a year and became more and more distant. She did contact me again, but surprise surprise, she wanted me to help build her a website for her "oni-sona". I declined and we haven't spoken since.

Now the callout part. She has a callout under her new alias and it has her previous too. In this callout it's talking a lot about how she treats people like shit and uses them for her own gain. It details as well to not support her or any of her projects because she steals (idk about that, I've personally never witnessed it, but I'm believing OP because everything else is true.)

Now, would I be the AH if I submit stuff to add to the callout? I was just going to send in how she reblogged my vents and someone archived them on wayback and she refused to contact way back to delete them despite knowing I had stalkers. Maybe I'll submit more stuff, but not caring I had stalkers is my biggest gripe and something I think should be added since she allowed my stalkers to do that.

#aita #am i the asshole

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brf-rumortrackinganon · 3 months

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What do you think about the "kill notice" about the new Catherine pic? I looked at the picture, there doesn't seem to be any distortion or manipulation. Some filters have been used but nothing is misaligned or photoshopped in or out. No dodgy shadows. Wtf is with the reporters agreeing with it?? Is this a shady attempt to force Catherine to be out in the public sooner than she would like to be? Apparently the controversy is about her left hand and somewhere along Charlotte's left sleeve. Part of me feels it's because reporters know she is now well and are angry she isn't back to work and giving them content. But, the picture agencies pulled the pic, so what's with that?? Such an unnecessary controversy.

I think it’s much ado about nothing. A lot of what people are point out as edited can be explained away, such as:

Kids are wiggly so of course they’d be blurry.

It’s a still from a video or a Live Photo.

Kate isn’t wearing her rings because maybe her fingers are still swollen from all the post-op meds and steroids, or maybe she just doesn’t want to wear them.

It's a program/app on William’s phone that stitches together the best parts in a sequence of photos to fix a squirming kid. (Like Google’s Best Take feature, in which case it’s AI, not photoshop.)

But wait, what about that pap pic last week of Kate with all weight in her face looking unrecognizable, and now in this photo she looks like herself? It’s about camera angles and body positions. There’s a pose - I call it the goose pose - where if you tilt your upper body forward just slightly and push your head/chin all the way forward, the extra weight in your midsection, neck, and face disappears from the camera if the photo is being taken from the front. (When you do this pose and the picture is taken from the side, you look like a goose.)

It’s great that the wires all have standards and that they take it seriously but the “kill” request illustrates a bigger problem: that in todays age of photo editing, filters, and AI, is any photo we see real and original? Once you permit minor edits like removing dust (which is an AP allowance), it opens the door for other edits and who’s the authority to say what’s right or wrong? So it’s a sticky line.

The reporters are writing about it because they have nothing else to write about. The media makes a ton of money off Kate and the children (more than they care to admit) so of course they’re going to pick up on this and write about it. They’re desperate for Kate content because she sells.

[[Interrupting now to say that I've just seen the update from KP of Kate (scroll to the end) acknowledging the edits and apologizing for any issues. It's bullshit she had to do this but I understand why she did it: she's proud of her photography, it's her own picture she edited and not one from anyone else, and it's overshadowing the Commonwealth Service coverage.]]

I mean, it's no coincidence that a prolific royal fashion blogger notorious for bashing Kate while simultaneously profiting from her appearances and photographs announced she's taking a break to Easter. Other royal events are still happening. Other royals are still working. Other royal families are still working. But that doesn't matter: she makes her money from Kate and when Kate doesn't work, she can't make money. So why bother keeping up the blog?

Anyway, believe what you want to believe about the photograph, but just be ready for all of this to backfire. And trust me, it will backfire.

If it's true that the Sussex Squad is behind this, well, Meghan may work hard but karma works harder. Harry and Meghan's own photoshopping and photo-editing may become equally under fire: Harry's Friar Tuck bald spot is world famous and everyone knows about it, no matter how much photoshop they do.

If it's true that the media and social media is making this a bigger issue than it actually is (which it sounds like, given Kate's newest message), then reap the consequences of your actions: fewer pictures from Kate and fewer pictures of the Wales family. The chances are extraordinarily high that they'll stop sharing pictures of their family now. It's already happened - back in ye olde days, it was custom for the royal family to have a photo call during a ski holiday so the press pack could get their pictures and leave them alone. William and Kate did this in 2016 on a skiing holiday, and boom - immediate criticism. Now no more vacation photos.

If it's true that the reporters picked up on this to force Kate to returning to work sooner than expected, well, I hope Kate retreats further into the cocoon of privacy and doesn't give you the satisfaction of new birthday pictures.

If it's true that this is a sign of how shambolic KP's communications office is, then hopefully the right people learn the right lessons and make more professional decisions. We know Kate will. She always learns from her missteps, even if it takes some time.

If it's true that the wires and the press associations need to revise their rules because everyone edits, I hope they do. Trust me, there are more worrying matters about photo editing and AI manipulation to write and "kill" than a touched-up family photo of the future king's family posted to social media. This is not the hill to stake your professional reputation on.

But I guarantee you that the same people who are making a fuss about these photo edits that EVERYONE does are the same people who are moaning about the dearth of content from the Waleses and they're the same people who scream and shout when the Waleses don't do what they want them to do.

But at the end of the day, it's a family photo taken by a proud husband and dad, who probably made stupid cheesy jokes to make his kids laugh like that, which his wife and their mother edited to make sure everyone looks their best. Everyone does this. It's fucking normal.

It's much ado about fucking nothing and I hope that everyone, most especially the reporters, who fed into the hysteria understand what they've done. They've just signed the execution notice for Waleses family photos.

Kate's apology:

#ask #brf #waleses #theories

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my3rzs · 1 year

Note

can i pls request something abt xavier and op who can see people's auras?? like shes new to nevermore and sees everyone's auras changing according to their humor but she just?? cant see xavier's and that bothers her, so she tries to get emotions from him, anger, happiness yk, then idk maybe they go to the raven together and at the end of the night when they finally kiss she can see a bright pink aura around him :]] or whatever way you feel like writing it (you can write reader as GN if you want as well!)

i don’t get it?

pairings: xavier thorpe x reader

summary: you saw everyone’s auras except xavier’s, who knew a kiss could change it

warnings: reader is an asshole, swearing, idk i think thats it

a/n: im sorry this was really shitty, i am more focused on school mostly rn, and this is NOT PROOFREAD, REBLOGS HELP A LOT!

nevermore.

at first you thought you were gonna be an ‘outcast’ at an outcast school, but you made a couple friends, enid, her aura was a bright yellow, probably because she’s always smiling and full of joy, and wednesday who had black, ‘cause she was so mysterious, and had strength. you could see all of your friend’s auras except for xavier, the guy you like, of course it has to be the guy you like.

you were at the quad with ajax, so you told him about it for some help, maybe he knows what to do.

“i just can’t see his aura! and, of course i have to have a crush on him, for god’s sake!” you whined

“maybe, try getting some emotions out, make him happy, sad, whatever” the gorgon said

“thats a great idea, ajax! i owe you for this one!” you say

“y/n- please, don’t go too far on him- hes kinda a sensitive kind of guy, okay?” he says worried

“i’ll try, i’ll make sure hes okay” you gave him a smile as you left the quad

“goodluck!” he screamed

you decided to make xavier happy, the easiest one first so you couldn’t cause any harm, so you decided to do one of his favorite things he does with you, the carnival. good thing it was a friday, so no school tomorrow which is perfect.

classes were finally over, so you could finally try to find xavier.

you ran to him when you saw him in one of the hallways, “xavier! hi! do you maybe wanna do something tonight?” you say

“sure! what do you think we should do?” he looked down at you

“wanna go to the carnival, maybe?” you smiled

“okay then, it’s settled! be there at 6:30 sharp, y/n” he gave you a big smile and patted your head

“see you there, xav!” you walked away and blushed because he patted your head, you kinda felt bad you were kinda forcing him to show emotions.

you were scrolling through social media while in bed, seeing your friend’s posts and enid’s new gossip about the school, until you checked the time, it was 5:24PM, so you decided to get ready for your plans with xavier.

you decided to wear pants with a chase atlantic shirt, and you brought a jacket just in case.

“oh my god! y/n, do u have a date?!” enid, your roommate squealed out of excitement

“it’s not a date, idiot, im just hanging out with xavier at a carnival” you say

“just admit it, it is kinda a date, y/n” she smiled

“well i guess- but it’s like a friends kind of date?” you say

“whatever you say, y/n” the werewolf gave you a wink

you rolled your eyes and looked at the time, 5:59PM and decided to text xavier

y/n: hey, is it ok if i come right now? im a bit too early

xavier: uh yeah sure, meet me by the ferris wheel

at the carnival

you walked up to xavier, “hi! what do you wanna do first?” you gave him a smile

“photobooth?” he questioned

“yes!”

you two walked in the photobooth, getting ready for the camera, you both did some funny poses and one where he was looking at you but you were too busy posing to even notice he was looking at you

you guys walked out and grabbed your photos, and saw that he was looking at you in one of the photos, you smiled.

“we look so cool!” you say

“wanna do balloon darts?” he asked

“okay!” you gave him a slight smile

you kept missing every dart and it was getting kind of annoying.

“idiot, let me help you” the blonde boy said and grabbed darts

he popped almost every one of the balloons and won a stuffed bear for you.

“thank you” you say.

it was the next day after u hung out with xavier, and you still didn’t see his aura that time. you sighed and saw ajax come up to you.

“anything yet?” he asked

“no, i tried making him happy by hanging out with him” you whined as you covered your face with your hands

“maybe you just need to kiss him” ajax teased

“shut up!” you whispered as you hit him lightly on the hand

“speak of the devil” he gave you a mischievous smirk and walked away when he saw xavier walking your way

“what-“ you got cut off by a tall boy behind you

“y/n! last night was fun, do you maybe wanna go to the weathervane today? we could study there, or i could go on my own?” he gave you a light smile

you wanted to say yes so bad, but you decided to make him jealous today, or mad.

“uh, sorry, no. i have a date with tyler today, maybe tomorrow?” you say nervously

his smile faded when he heard you say the last part, he didn’t really have a good relationship with tyler.

“right, have fun, y/n.” he says and walked away from you

did you go too far? you sighed.

but he mentioned about going to the cafe on his own, and tyler was there. so you decided to go there aswell to meet up with tyler.

at the weathervane

you saw xavier sitting in one of the booths and walked past him as you felt his eyes on you.

you rang the bell and waved to tyler and hugged him.

“hi tyler!” you say energetically

“hi, y/nn!” he says

you could see xavier fuming at your peripheral vision, perfect. but you still couldn’t feel his aura. you looked over to xavier’s booth and saw that he was gone. i guess it really affected him.

2 weeks later

it was 2 weeks after the whole weathervane thing, you didn’t really talk to xavier much because of his jealousy and if you were being honest, you kinda regretted getting xavier’s emotions out of him just so that you can see his aura.

tomorrow was the rave’n, so you and your friends went shopping for your outfits.

you already got yours, but you were missing one thing, a date. you wished xavier was your date right now. but it was not possible. so you just decided to go solo.

it was the next day and it was 7:30PM, the rave’n starts at 8 o’clock so you decided to dress up in your outfit already. you met up with your friends downstairs.

“lets go!” enid squealed

you all walked down the stairs and you could feel everyone staring at you, including xavier.

your friends decided to get drinks and dance. while you just sat there all alone. a slow, romantic song started playing. and everyone and their s/o started to slow dance. you sighed but felt a light tap on your shoulder.

“hey, wanna dance?” xavier gave you a smile and held his hand out.

you grabbed his hand and went to a corner, you placed your hands around his neck as he put his around your waist and you two swayed your hips to the music.

“i’m sorry, i only did the whole tyler shit so i could see your aura ‘cause i couldn’t see it, and also because i liked you.” you say

“you’re an idiot, you know that?” he says chuckling

“your idiot, of course” you smile

he cups your face and leans in to kiss you desperately and you kissed him back. you felt a bright pink aura from him, you smiled against the kiss.

------------------------------------------------

I FINALLY GOT THIS DONE HEHEHEHE SEND MORE REQUESTS BTW PLS

1K notes · View notes

siilvan · 9 months

Text

bloodsport – IV

prologue | one | two | three | next

characters: vladimir makarov

summary: your first time back in the field is a whirlwind of emotions, especially after being forced to rely on yet another enemy. new information is revealed, and you realize that a drastic action may be the only way to fix this mess.

genre: angst, slowburn, enemies to ?, fem!reader (callsign: petra)

warnings: semi-proofread, cursing, canon-typical violence, descriptions of blood/injuries, poorly written spec-ops, allusions to trauma and stress, reader has a bit of a breakdown, graves lol

word count: 6k

note: giving a quick PSA here— please be mindful about what y'all write. i know this fic is about a very controversial and problematic character, but i try to be mindful about how i portray him and his actions. don't romanticize things that should not be romanticized, and be respectful to people. COD as a whole is problematic, but that doesn't mean we need to be a shitty community. support real victims, don't spread hate. easy peasy.

also, yes, i changed my formatting. the little text is too hard to read without my glasses, so... yeah. hope it's not ugly now :)

you spend the rest of the night tossing and turning, trying but failing to will yourself to fall asleep. soap texts you shortly before the sun comes up - a picture of himself and the rest of the team, posing for the camera. they're covered in dirt and ash, exhaustion apparent in their eyes, but the image is enough to make you crack a smile.

you give them a few hours, pulling yourself out of bed after sunrise and occupying yourself with mundane tasks around the house, before picking up the phone and calling price.

"hey, captain. sorry for calling so early." you chuckle, leaning against the arm of the couch.

"don't worry about it," price clears his throat, hoarse from fatigue, and you wonder for a second if he was asleep before you called. "was just finishing some paperwork. what d'you need?"

a low sigh escapes from you. "i know it's only been a day, but... can i come back? i really want to get back to work."

you can hear papers shuffling from his end. "i know you want to work, but we just can't take the risk—"

"there isn't going to be any risk," you assert, raising your voice slightly and interrupting him. you pause and wet your lips, speaking in a softer tone again. "please, captain, i know i can handle it. i just want to get back to normal already."

the line is quiet for a long moment, with price silently deliberating over your request. you shift nervously, gripping the phone tighter as you wait impatiently for a response.

finally, after you shift for the umpteenth time, he exhales deeply.

"i'll see if i can convince laswell, okay?" he concedes. you can hear his chair creaking as he leans back - you're assuming, at least. "pack your bags. i'll send a transport helicopter in an hour."

⋆⋆⋆

that's how you ended up at base again, with the team welcoming you back with open arms. laswell initially rejected the idea, stating the same concerns as before, but price managed to sway her after some discussion.

so, now you're in a meeting room, gathered around a table with lists, blueprints, names, pictures— any and all of the intel that the task force has gotten their hands on, scattered across the surface. you blink when price raps his knuckles against the tabletop, drawing your attention.

it's laswell who talks, shooting a glance around the table to address the group. "as you're all aware, shadow company has been a target of the konni group in recent times," she starts, sending you a cursory look, asking you for confirmation. you nod, and she continues. "not only have they been fighting the group head-on in al-mazrah, but there's been several incidents with undercover konni operatives in their ranks."

"good, let 'em fuckin' deal with it." soap remarks, earning noises of agreement from gaz, ghost, and yourself. price and laswell aren't as entertained by it.

"general shepherd, commander graves, and their men betrayed us." laswell pauses before letting out a heavy sigh. "i know none of you were happy about the ceasefire, and i know that you were furious when graves resurfaced. but, besides farah's forces, shadow company is our strongest ally."

"—and the only one capable of making any strong moves without risking an all-out war." price adds, shaking his head. everyone's displeased with the situation, that much is obvious.

"where are you goin' with this?" ghost asks. a tense silence fills the room for a long moment, making you shift awkwardly.

laswell motions towards the door on the far side of the room with her head. you cast your gaze in the same direction, watching as the door is pushed open.

as if on cue, the very man that should've been buried in flames in las almas walks into the room. the shadow himself. philip graves.

"oh, fuck off." soap growls at the man, looking ready to lunge at him from across the table. ghost steps forward and, if you didn't know any better, you'd think he was reaching for his sidearm. gaz and price are eerily quiet while glaring daggers at him, and you immediately feel the blood rush to your ears as every nerve commands you to shoot him yourself.

"i know this isn't ideal," laswell attempts to placate all of you, though the cold stare she regards him with betrays her calm demeanor. "but, for now, we're allies. we have a bigger threat to worry about."

"yeah, those konni guys are, uh..." graves perks up, languidly sauntering up to the table. he purses his lips for a second, thinking, before clicking his tongue. "real troublesome. i've lost a lot of good men thanks to them."

"good." ghost mutters, straightening himself next to soap.

price cuts through the tension with a wave of his hand. "alright, none of us want this, but we've got no other options." he grumbles. "konni's moving towards urzikstan. if we want to stop 'em, then we need to cooperate."

you eye graves from your peripherals, recalling the information that makarov gave you a couple weeks ago. graves isn't in on shepherd's plan, but he's likely the only person who knows the general's whereabouts. you need to say something while you still can. how will he take the news, though? he's betrayed you before, he'll do it again if it benefits him.

"petra, you listening?" laswell's voice abruptly interrupts your thoughts. you divert your attention back to her and notice that everyone's focus is on you.

"i have something i need to say," you blurt out. you need to bring up the general before he potentially ropes graves in.

you receive a collection of interested stares, urging you to go on.

"when i was captured, i managed to get some information," you drop your gaze, narrowing your eyes at the documents laid out. "we're not just fighting konni and al-qatala. some of the forces occupying al-mazrah are under shepherd's command."

the silence that falls over the room is almost deafening. the group balks at you with shock and confusion written on their expressions, until graves huffs out a laugh.

"general shepherd's 'forces' are my men. i can assure you, petra, that none of my shadows are workin' with konni." he says with a lopsided smile, confident as ever.

you turn to face graves fully, grimacing. "i'm not talking about your shadows. shepherd has another group under his command."

"what group?" price asks.

"cia operatives. ex-soldiers, specifically." you turn back, eyes flitting between price and laswell. "he's sending men undercover. the unmarked mercenaries that we keep encountering? that's them."

laswell shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest. "where did you get this information?"

you freeze. your mouth opens to say makarov's name, but for some reason, you hesitate. with a deep inhale, you blink away the odd feeling and force the words past your lips.

"makarov. i'm not sure why, but he told me about it."

yet another unbearable tension befalls the group; you're getting close to ripping your hair out over it. as if reading your thoughts, gaz speaks up.

"you know about this?" he says, directed at graves. he's tight-lipped, glowering at him.

graves doesn't respond, letting the question hang in the air. he looks just as surprised as the rest of you - makarov was telling the truth, then. shadow company isn't in on the plan. shepherd has effectively betrayed his strongest ally, to your knowledge.

"i'm sure there's an explanation," graves utters, chuckling to himself. "war's a dirty business. there's good reason to send men undercover."

"he's got part of the special activities division in his pocket." laswell says.

"isn't that where you pulled alex from?" price hums, earning a nod in reply. it's a bad situation, to say the least.

you regain everyone's attention and continue. "i don't know the full plan, but makarov suspected that shepherd's doing this to put himself back on top. start a war, get himself marked as a hero, reap the rewards."

graves raises a brow at you, amusement written on his face. "and, we should trust the judgement of a terrorist?" he says while searching the room for support.

price keeps his gaze on you, though the distant look in his eye tells you that his mind is elsewhere. "i'd trust this one's judgement." he mutters, jaw clenching.

"well, there's no point in standin' around, is there?" graves seems to bounce back quickly, shrugging off the news. "we've got a job to do and a terrorist to catch. let's focus on that."

"i'll contact farah and see if alex knows anything about the men under shepherd's command." laswell says as you all break away from the table and start to file out of the room.

"keep us updated," price nods to her before turning to the rest of you. "wheels up in thirty. we'll debrief on the way."

you breathe out a relieved sigh once everyone breaks off, heading off to finish any last minute preparations before takeoff. you linger in the corridor, running a hand down your face and groaning into the palm of your hand. of course, you have no choice but to work with an enemy whilst relying on intel from yet another. at least you can be open with your team about this one.

shepherd and makarov are your targets. graves comes after. take down all three, and your headaches are gone. no more doubting yourself, no more questions, no more nights spent looking at lists of crimes that make you feel sick. you can resume your not-so-peaceful life with the rest of the task force and celebrate the world being a somewhat safer place.

your phone buzzes in your pocket, distracting you from your pondering and pulling you back to the present. you frown at the name on the caller id.

it's a single letter: 'v.'

after your conversation - if you can even call it that - with makarov last night, you saved his number. putting his name in your phone is basically shooting yourself in the foot, so you saved it under a name that gives you deniability in the event someone sees it.

you duck into an empty rec room nearby and accept the call, keeping an eye on the door as you lift the phone to your ear.

"you actually picked up the phone this time." makarov remarks upon you answering. your frown deepens, brows furrowing.

"if you don't have anything important to say, i'm hanging up."

he chuckles, far too casual for your liking. "i have an update. something that i'm sure you'll be interested in."

you shift, leaning against the back of one of the couches. "what is it?"

"in case you're planning to return to al-mazrah, just know that shepherd's men have been given strict orders to target and eliminate members of the one-four-one."

a chill creeps up the back of your spine. it's an unsurprising order, but you still rack your brain as to why he gave it. does shepherd somehow know that you know about his plans? it shouldn't be possible— until the meeting that finished just minutes ago, the only people privy to the knowledge were makarov and yourself.

of course, shepherd's allies are aware of it, but the only ally of his that you've contacted is graves. you doubt that he's talked to the general in the short amount of time since, which eliminates graves as a possibility just as quickly as you suspected him.

there has to be another source. someone feeding him information, keeping the one-four-one under watch.

"shepherd's got a mole in our group." you reply, pinching the bridge of your nose. "fucking hell. he knows that we're onto him."

"'we,' lieutenant?" he comments with an amused lilt in his tone.

"my team, asshole. he's got men undercover in your group and in my squad. he's watching all of his enemies."

makarov hums, voice dropping a little. "you have a keen eye, petra. have you asked the shadow about shepherd's whereabouts, yet?" he asks, brushing past your frustration.

"haven't had the chance," you mutter. "based on his reaction to the news, i doubt he'll give it away, though. we might have to get the location ourselves."

he exhales, audible through the phone. "it would be more convenient if you could convince him to tell you."

you roll your eyes. "yeah, of course it would. just don't expect any miracles. aren't you the one with all the mysterious ways of gathering information, anyway?" you grumble sarcastically and move away from the couch, starting to pace around the room while keeping your gaze on the door.

"i can get his location if necessary, but that would eliminate your usefulness in this operation, wouldn't it?"

he's right, and you hate him for it. "you still need me to kill him." you counter bluntly.

"i can do that, too. your team wants revenge for his betrayal. this is me being charitable - don't disappoint."

makarov ends the call before you have the chance to argue, leaving you to huff to yourself in the empty room. a moment later, a head pokes around the doorway, startling you and nearly making you drop your phone when you jump.

gaz is regarding you with a sly grin as he fully reveals himself and steps into the room. your palms immediately moisten with sweat as worry floods your mind - how much did he just hear?

"so, who you talkin' to?" gaz cocks his head to the side, teasing. he's relaxed, standing in front of you with his hands shoved in his pockets.

you pocket your phone and flash a calm smile. "that depends. you have any guesses?"

he chuckles, lifting one of his hands to playfully stroke at his chin as he thinks. "let's see... i know you weren't home for long, but—" his grin morphs into a lopsided smirk as he eyes you suspiciously. "y'got a boyfriend?"

dear god, no.

you resist the urge to gag at the thought and shake your head. "nope, it's just a... friend of mine."

gaz leans forward, an inquisitive 'ah' tumbling from his lips. "a friend, eh? they got a name?" he asks.

"he, uh... just goes by 'v.'"

"'v?' like the letter?"

you answer with an affirmative "mhm," patting gaz on the shoulder as you brush past him. "it's a nickname i gave him. don't worry about it."

gaz groans in exasperation as you stroll towards the door, trying to ignore the way your heart races. lying is a normal part of the job, but lying to your team? generally not recommended.

"most 'just friends' don't have exclusive nicknames, you know!" gaz calls out from behind as you round the corner and start down the hall, leaving him alone.

a sick part of you finds the sentiment - makarov, being anything more than an enemy - entertaining, but your better judgement steers you back on track. you've got a mission to prepare for, and the likelihood of something going wrong is as high as ever. you need to focus on the mission and getting graves to give up shepherd.

⋆⋆⋆

shadow company's gunship is a familiar sight as you climb aboard, slipping past the groups of shadows and finding your teammates gathered around what you can only describe as the command center. graves is standing close by, though the tension is palpable as you approach.

after the aircraft lifts off is when graves talks, addressing the soldiers lining the seats of the craft.

"alright, now i know we've had our problems in the past," he starts, briefly acknowledging your group before turning back to his men. "however, none of that matters right now. the one-four-one is our ally on this mission; treat 'em like your own. copy that, shadows?"

johnny snorts from next to you. "where have we heard this before?" he mumbles.

there's a resounding "yep-yep" from his men, accompanied by several nods and looks in your direction. graves pats one of the soldiers on the shoulder and looks to price.

"think you can lay out the rest, captain."

price starts down the middle row, his voice booming even over the sounds of people checking their weapons, gear, and anxiously shifting in their seats. he moves slowly, practically stalking down the length of the gunship.

"the mission is simple: konni and al-qatala have set up bases across the city. they're using gas, heavy artillery, and stolen weapons to protect themselves." price stops for a moment and lets his gaze drag over the soldiers staring back at him. "i don't think i need to remind you shadows of what konni's done to your brothers in arms. we're going to break off into strike teams - eight men - and destroy these bases. alpha team will take the nerve center in the heart of the city. you already know your assignments."

graves speaks again once price goes quiet. "the commanders are not likely going to be in any of these field bases. but, if they are, then each and every single one of you has execute authority." he announces. "first man to bag an HVT gets a reward." he adds with a smirk, earning light laughter from several of his men.

when the speeches conclude, you settle back in your seat.

alpha team includes yourself, price, graves, and five of the shadows that graves handpicked. ghost, soap, and gaz are leading the bravo team, charged with the largest and best-guarded of the field bases. the commanding chain within shadow company are leading the other groups tasked with the bases scattered around the city.

you fish your phone out of one of your vest pockets when it buzzes, reading the notification on the screen.

there's an agent in your group 11:06 am

not a shadow. special forces. 11:06 am

you frown, angling the screen back and quickly scanning the group. everyone seems to be engrossed in conversation, giving you a chance to respond.

do you have a name? 11:07 am

not yet. he's a rookie. 11:07 am

he's stationed at the base you're staying at 11:07 am

check the files. should have transferred recently. 11:08 am

thank you. 11:08 am

don't mention it. 11:09 am

you're quick to tuck your phone away again, jolting when gaz suddenly addresses you.

"texting your boyfriend, eh?" he laughs, catching everyone's attention.

soap snorts and turns to you. "since when did you start dating?"

you wave them off, sitting up again as all eyes fall on you - even ghost, who is usually horribly uninterested in gossip.

"what are you two, schoolchildren?" you ask, earning playful noises of offense. "he's just a friend. not even a close one."

you're getting yourself caught up in a lie. a shitty one, at that. all it's doing is making people more interested in who you're talking to. at this rate, you'll get caught by the end of the day.

"bullshit— no one in this job talks to a person this much if they're not special." gaz counters, pointing an accusatory finger at you.

price chuckles. "c'mon, gaz. come off it," he lightly scolds the sergeant before looking at you. "just make sure he treats you nice, yeah?" he adds, both teasing and sincere at the same time.

"he's not my— yeah, okay. i'll remember that." you concede, slumping back in your seat.

the topic is dropped not long after, leaving you to relax as people talk around you. after a couple minutes, you can feel your eyelids start to droop, reminding you of how restless last night was. the trip's going to take a while, you might as well get some sleep while you still can.

⋆⋆⋆

everything is so hot. the sun, the ground, your clothes, the air— you.

you don't have any protective gear on, your sidearm secured in your loose grip as you stumble through the ruins where a city once stood.

that's right, you think. the city was destroyed in all the fighting. reduced to nothing more than rubble. you remember when there used to be buildings here; half-toppled and abandoned, but they stood as evidence of life nonetheless.

you falter, landing on your knee and hissing as it hits the solid ground below you. your vision starts to blur as your eyes water, forcing you to rub at them with your free hand in a desperate attempt to clear them.

when you blink rapidly, trying to force back the disorientation and bleariness, you notice a figure directly ahead of you.

an ally. a friend. someone that can help.

you force yourself to your feet and stagger towards them, sucking in a hopeful breath when they start to rush to meet you. the harsh sun— fuck, it's so hot— makes you squint, preventing you from making out a face until they're already pulling you into their embrace, strong arms holding you close to their chest.

"it's okay." their voice— his voice, reassures you softly, one of his hands coming to rest on the back of your head, cradling you impossibly closer. "i took care of it, my dear. you're safe now."

hot tears streak down your cheeks, dirty with sand, dust, and ash, as you wrap your arms around his middle. you try to speak, but all that comes out is a hiccup and a pathetic sob, so you resolve to burying your face in his shoulder to muffle your cries.

you're tired. exhausted, actually. for once in this career, you want to be selfish. you want to be the protected one. fighting, losing allies, killing— it never ends.

he shushes you, but even in your state, you can tell the action is unnatural. gentleness, empathy, tender care... it isn't who he is.

you manage to lift your head enough to look at him, eyes glassy with tears.

makarov stares back at you, his callous gaze betraying the way he holds you. it makes you pause, confused, as you slowly recall why you're even here.

you were fighting konni operatives. there was a missile— no, something bigger. something that decimated the city and would have taken you along with it, had you not ducked into a shelter at the very last second. when you emerged, shaken and dazed in the aftershock, you encountered al-qatala and konni mercenaries alike.

bodies scattered in the streets, men wheezing for air despite blood displacing the oxygen in their lungs and leaking from every orifice, some still trying to fight even as they collapse in heaps of pure agony, writhing on the ground alongside their brothers in arms.

you wince when his fingers trace along the edge of your jaw, his forefinger hooking under your chin and forcing you to look into his eyes after your gaze drifts away.

"their lives mean nothing," makarov whispers, barely audible over the sound of your heart pounding against your ribcage. "not compared to you. you're better, stronger, than them. you will serve me well. you will help me usher in a new age."

he runs the pad of his thumb across your bottom lip, slightly chapped from the dry heat. on instinct, you part your lips, and he moves his hand to cup your face before leaning in to capture your lips in a searing kiss.

it's wrong. this is wrong.

you shouldn't be here. you shouldn't be doing this.

the kiss is a distraction, keeping you occupied as his other hand falls from its spot on your hip. you don't even notice the change until a gunshot rings out, and pain equally as burning as the kiss courses through your veins.

you can't even muster a proper cry as you pull back, one of your own hands flying to the epicenter of the pain, right in the middle of your stomach. your fingers brush against the spot, and you whimper when you lift them back up to your face. dark red stains your skin, dripping down your wrist.

"i just need to fix you first. under my guidance... you will be perfect, my dear." makarov mutters, catching you and holding you up when you crumple against him. he coos at you, sympathetic yet mocking, as he scoops you up in his arms, the world around you going dark.

⋆⋆⋆

you wake up with a start, shifting to the edge of your seat as you frantically rub at your eyes. there's an ache deep in the pit of your stomach, making you press your palm against the same spot as your dream.

this time, when you look down at your hand, you see nothing. a shaky sigh escapes from you at the sight - or, rather, the lack thereof.

"y'all right?" ghost asks, eyeing you from the seat across from you.

"yeah, yeah—" you respond, shaking off the lingering effects of the dream. "we almost there?"

price comes over, having been talking with graves some feet away, and pats your shoulder in acknowledgement. "about to touch down, actually. let's go."

you disembark alongside the rest of alpha team, taking up formation with price and graves, with the few shadow company operatives behind the three of you. reaching the building isn't a difficult task despite the many mercenaries standing between it and your team; as much as you hate to admit it, the shadows are skilled in the field, even with their misgivings.

the building is another high rise, like the one you infiltrated weeks ago, half-crumpled from the effects of the fighting in the city. price leads the group as you all enter it through a sizeable hole in the wall, clearing out the first floor with trained precision.

the group of shadows form a perimeter just outside as you investigate the interior with price and graves, finding it... empty?

"thought you said this was the nerve center," you mutter, turning to the men as they search around, equally as perplexed as you. "there's nothing here."

price shakes his head, standing up from where he was crouched over some rubble. "there was something here. they must've moved."

"they knew we were comin'." graves says with a frustrated huff. "probably just protecting it to keep up the charade. the real control center could be anywhere in the city."

the two start for the exit with you in tow. "could be outside of it for all we know. we need to contact the other squads." price replies before pausing at the threshold and angling his head upwards. you stop several feet back and send him a confused look, before a low rumbling echoes throughout the building, sending dust and small debris falling from the floors above.

the rumbling stops for a second, until a louder, harsher one follows. larger pieces of wreckage start to loosen and threaten to fall, small bits clattering against the ground.

"shit, the building's too unstable— it's gonna collapse—!" price shouts as a metal beam crashes into the ground less than twenty feet away from you.

while price and graves are able to duck out amidst the falling debris, you're forced to dive backwards after a piece of the floor above falls right into your path. you search for a way around it, but as the violent shaking increases and sends more collapsing down all around you, you realize that cover might be your only option.

you scan the room quickly and dive under a pile of slabs and beams, sturdy enough to not collapse under the weight of falling wreckage, but with just enough room for you to squeeze in underneath.

it's only seconds after you find cover that the thundering sounds of heavy rubble crashing down all around you fills your ears, forcing you to cover them with your hands as each crash makes you flinch.

the worst of the destruction is short-lived. a couple minutes pass by before you're willing to move, the occasional piece of the upper floors still collapsing around you every now and then. you let out a trembling breath once you emerge, pure adrenaline coursing through your veins.

the exit. you hastily search for it, but all hope drains from you when you find it and see that it's completely blocked by the wreckage.

"petra? can you hear me?" price's voice crackles through your radio.

you go to respond, coughing harshly due to all the dirt and dust floating in the air. "i hear you— i'm all right," you tear your eyes from the exit and look for another path. it's a big building, surely you can find something. "just stuck in here." you grumble into the radio.

"we're gonna try to find another way in, see if you can meet us somewhere." he says. you can hear graves barking orders at his men in the background. "be careful." price adds in a rushed tone.

you drop your hand from your radio and clutch your gun close as you carefully traverse the field of debris, mentally thanking whatever higher power that the building only partially collapsed on top of you, instead of crushing you completely.

every movement out the corner of your eyes makes you stop and aim your weapon at it; it's highly unlikely - but not impossible - that you're not alone. anyone could've snuck in after the collapse, or hidden themselves like you did. al-qatala, konni, shepherd's men— you have a lot of enemies and very few allies in the area.

you spin around at the sound of something shifting, but only see a few pieces of wood hitting the ground. you're getting too paranoid. you try to steel yourself, breathing deeply, before a smooth voice makes you choke on the air that gets caught in your throat.

"you are very unlucky, aren't you?"

you turn again, gun drawn and finger on the trigger, but stop short upon seeing a friendly...

well, you see makarov standing across the room. it's an enemy that doesn't seem all-too interested in killing you - for now, at least.

"how did you..." you trail off, lowering your weapon.

apparently understanding your question, he vaguely motions behind himself. "there's a breach." he says, glancing over the destruction as he approaches you.

you squint at him as he draws closer, briefly tightening your grip on your gun. he stops several feet away, though, so you allow yourself to relax just a bit, lowering your weapon.

"i figured you'd be staying far away from al-mazrah, it's an active war zone after all." you comment, earning a dismissive look.

"i don't mind getting my hands dirty," makarov utters with a lofty grin tugging at his lips. "besides, we need to talk."

you cock your head to the side, curious. "and, you couldn't call or text me about this? that's been working out so far." you chuckle softly.

he steps closer again, standing a little over an arm's length away. "i happened to be close by." he responds. "this is also something better discussed in person."

you nod, hesitantly slinging your gun over your shoulder to cross your arms over your chest.

"after our last exchange, i managed to gather more information from my... source." he punctuates the last word with a half-assed attempt at a conciliatory smile. "the mole planted within your group reported to shepherd recently; he's aware of our communication." he continues, before you interrupt him.

"wait, no one knows about this, not even my squad." you assert, taking another step closer to him. you're just under an arm's length away, now.

"there was an agent within the group assigned to your care when you were captured. one of the two men that accompanied us on the first day - he listened in on our conversation and delivered the details to the general." makarov speaks in a hushed tone, one you can just barely hear over rubble crumbling somewhere nearby. "the agent on your end tracked you after you reunited with your squad. something of yours was bugged, they heard us that night."

how could he... most of your belongings were clothes, which you know for certain weren't bugged. the only other item that traveled home with you is your cellphone—

"shit," you mumble, practically tearing your vest pocket open and grabbing your phone. there's nothing obviously wrong with it at first glance, but once you pop the case off and check inside, your suspicions are confirmed.

there's a small tracking device flashing red at you, mocking you, and you rip it out before tossing it on the ground and stomping on it.

"he's heard everything," you say, twisting your boot to scatter the broken pieces. "fuck, if this gets out— i can explain this to my team and make do with the judgement, but if shepherd tells any of his friends in their cushy government positions, i'm dead."

makarov shifts, looking past you, but you don't even notice the action thanks to the adrenaline reflooding your system. "that would be an issue," he mutters, reaching for the holster at his hip. "i suppose i could protect you."

you snort, dragging your gaze from your boot to his face. "i'm not joining your side, even for this."

a thin string of red light shines from the darkness behind you, aimed at the back of your skull. makarov follows it to its source, all but ignoring your rejection, as his fingers wrap around the handle of his desert eagle.

a loud gunshot rings out, echoing against the walls. you instinctively reach for your stomach, preparing yourself for the pain you felt in that dream, body tensing up as it flies into survival mode.

the pain never comes. a heavy thump makes you turn, however, watching as a soldier collapses to the ground. unmarked uniform. one of the general’s men.

"shepherd has not earned your blood. if anyone is going to kill you, it will be me." makarov lowers his gun and meets your muddled gaze. "i suggest you reconsider my offer, petra, and give me a call when you make up your mind."

you’re left in that state as he sidesteps and saunters past you, seemingly disappearing into the darkness himself. you’re sure there’s another exit that you missed, one he’s taking to avoid running into your squad.

his offer. joining him for protection.

you'll never follow makarov or his ideals, much less join him for such a selfish reason. if you can kill shepherd, then you can destroy any evidence and get yourself out of this mess. with graves' cooperation and your team to help, that possibility is well within your reach. the only crime you'll have to answer for is severely disappointing your teammates, but they'll understand.

except, there's no guarantee that graves will help, and the rules of engagement prevent you from taking effective action against shepherd. he may be on the run, but he's an american general - killing him could land the one-four-one in hot water with the government.

that'll only lead to more restrictions, more eyes on you, more questions— there's nothing you can do to stop it.

you need someone without limits. someone the government doesn't have their hands on.

you need makarov.

a series of heavy footsteps alert you to a new presence, snapping you out of your trance. you lift your head in time to see price, graves, and the shadows appear from around a large pile of debris in the same direction that makarov originally approached you from.

"petra!" price calls out, jogging ahead of the group and stopping just in front of you. "you broken?" he asks, placing a firm hand on your shoulder and dragging his gaze across your form, searching for any injuries.

"no, i'm fine. nothing major." you mumble, struggling to find your voice all of a sudden. "just, uh..." you lose it again, your tongue darting out to nervously wet your dry lips.

"something wrong?" he murmurs, quiet enough that graves and his men can't hear from their positions farther away.

you can feel every beat of your heart, rapidly thumping against your ribs to the point of making your chest ache. only price can give you approval to do something so risky, so stupid. he'll understand. he knows the job isn't perfect, but you do what you have to do—

"i have something to confess, captain."

taglist: @sofasoap, @roosterr, @rohansregret, @lonesome-doves, @thorrsexual, @miss-nob0dy, @woodeelf, @fbs-fc-ur-mommy, @soap-mactavish, @itsyellow, @johfaam0, @cumbermovels, @chxe-zdechnac, @imagineswritersblog, @emorgz33, @sparda-ly, @ponyboys-sunsets, @frazie99, @chensipstea, @thriving-n-jiving, @preciouslittlecreature, @infinitewhore, @jade-jax

⋆ feel free to ask to be added to/removed from the taglist! (18+ only please <3)

#call of duty #cod #cod mw2 #mw2 #call of duty x reader #cod x reader #mw2 x reader #makarov x reader #vladimir makarov x reader #cod makarov #vladimir makarov #sylph.writes

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rottenpumpkin13 · 2 months

Note

Who has the biggest social media following?

I think Sephiroth would either post every thought he has or he would post once every lunar month.

Genesis would have the highest quality camera, knowledge of all social media sites and plus being a queer.

Angeal could be an online dad who mostly posts/reblogs cute animals.

Lazard is legally obligated to have social media and post, he makes it well known to all.

Zack posts every 5 seconds and most of the time it is complaints or vague posts that scare Lazard.

Rufus has been a social media presence since he was five and he has dirt on all the most famous people.

Idk about Cloud.

• Sephiroth has the larger following, but he also has maybe 20 photos in total on his social media, and only one of those is of himself (a picturesque photo Angeal took of him in the mountains. Sephiroth posted it, thanking Angeal and complimenting his photography skills in the caption, but it quickly broke the internet and is one of the most liked images ever. He posts once every few months and it's usually obscure and done so only because PR nags him about his social media presence.

A photo of his food at a restaurant, a photo of his sword perched against the wall of his office, a box of chocolates with his face on it (a partnership Shinra did with a famous chocolate company that Sephiroth found amusing), a photo of a book he likes, several nature snapshots, a cat he saw in an alleyway and stopped to pet, and what was his favorite picture—a nice photo of him, Angeal and Genesis together that Lazard took. PR took it down because Genesis was throwing gang signs (he didn't know Sephiroth was going to post it)

Oh yeah, there was one other photo that had to be taken down.

*Lazard bursts into Sephiroth's office*

Lazard: I TOLD YOU TO POST A PICTURE OF YOURSELF WITH PRESIDENT SHINRA.

Sephiroth: I did.

*Lazard pulls up a picture of Sephiroth with the half-cropped out President Shinra*

Lazard: THIS ISN'T WHAT I MEANT.

Sephiroth: God I look stunning.

• Genesis is a close second in terms of following, a fact that will forever irk him—even though he acts like it doesn't bother him. He's very dedicated to his curated, themed social media feed filled with action shots of him in battle, photo ops of him attending events and plays, magazine cover shoots, countless book recommendations and walls of text where he's waxing poetic about Loveless. At a glance, one would think Genesis's life is effortlessly perfect, and that's exactly what he wants people to think.

But who needs reality checks when you're best friends with Sephiroth.

*Genesis posts a perfect mirror selfie alongside Sephiroth and Angeal, he captions it "We seek it thus"*

SephirothOfficial commented: He cried when he couldn't get the lighting right.

• Angeal is somewhere in the middle, and he's relatively normal about what he posts, preferring to showcase what his real life looks like. There's pictures of him with the Seconds, Thirds and select infantrymen he's befriended. He also posts his cooking proudly, and always makes sure to add the recipe in the caption of the photo. He even posts some post-workout photos of himself that garner a lot of attention. He posts proud pictures of his plants, and picturesque nature scenes from his missions. Angeal's social media is where you'll find lighthearted photos of his friends, as well as a heap of sillyness that has PR ripping their hair out every other week. But his ultimate sin is being the friend who has to take a photo of everyone's food before they eat.

*At the restaurant, Zack is slowly rocking back and forth*

Zack: I'm having unfriendly thoughts.

Sephiroth: Can we please eat now?

Angeal: In a bit. Let me just adjust take one quick picture of Gen's soup...and.....done!

Zack: THE GODS HAVE ANSWERED MY PRAYERS

Genesis: They all look a bit blurry.

Angeal: You're right. Let me start over.

*Zack starts sobbing*

#ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy 7 #sephiroth #final fantasy vii #ffvii crisis core #genesis rhapsodos #ff7 crisis core #angeal hewley #crisis core #headcanons

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strniohoeee · 7 months

Text

Confidential

Pairing: Matt Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: Y/N travels to the US for the triplets tour, and what happens when Matt takes a little extra liking to her, and invites her beyond backstage.This is for a request I got asking for an international reader having some fun backstage with Matt😏

Warnings⚠️: This is SMUT. I mean I think there’s smacking like one time. Other than that it’s POUNDTOWNNNNNN

Song for the imagine: Backstage Passes- EST Gee, Jack Harlow

Read part 2 here🫶🏽

⚠️This is an 18+ imagine, so minors do not interact, or do??⚠️

These girls will do anything for some backstage passes

Yeah lights, camera, action

I had flown into the US for the triplets tour because I loved them so much, and simply couldn’t pass on this offer. I was so sad they weren’t touring international, but I was so fortunate to be able to go to the US for them.

I had arrived to the states, and had two days to kill before the tour. This was easy I went shopping, out to eat and just chilled in my hotel room.

The day of the tour I was up and out early, so I could get a good spot on the line. I had seen that many people were waiting hours to get in, and I didn’t want to be that person.

I had pre show small talk meet and greet, pre show photo op, and I had backstage passes. I mean I loved these guys so fucking much I had to interact with them at any cost

I waited a good two hours before we got in for the small talk, and when it was my turn I was so nervous and excited!!

I first met Nick. I ran over to him, and gave him a hug

“Hii, how are you?” He asked giving me a hug

“I’m good! How are you?” I asked him

“I’m good thank you” he said

We took pictures together and chatted before I moved onto Chris, and it was the same with him picture videos and chatting.

It was now my turn to say hi to Matt, and this is who I was the most nervous for because I was team Matt, and he looked so fucking good today

“Hi! So nice to see you” he said giving me a hug

“Hii! It’s so good to see you! How are you?” I asked him

“I’m good! How are you?” He asked me

“I’m good! I’m rooting for team blue” I told him flaunting off my blue outfit

“I see that! We’re gonna win tonight baby” he said, but my head lingered on him saying baby….

“I have backstage passes, so I’ll be there to congratulate you when you win” I said to him

“Oh yeah?” He responded giving me a smirk, am I going crazy, or is Matt being flirty with me????

“You already know!” I told him

That interaction ended, and then we did the photo op, and we waited for the show to start which took a few hours of waiting, so I snacked and drank some water

After the show was over, and Chris had won I was devastated. Matt had this in the bag, but he fumbled horribly. Tril came out to perform, and then by 9:30 they were calling everyone for backstage to get on line. I waited on this line while they did the after show photo op.

I was the third and final group. I was so nervous and excited, and I just couldn’t wait to see Matt again so we can talk about him losing

I had met Chris and then Nick. We chatted and took pictures together, and even filmed a few tik toks. Finally I was the last person to talk to Matt

“So good to see you again” he said before giving me a hug

“So great to see you. You had that in the bag I thought you would’ve won” I said to him as he signed my stuff

“Man, I know! I was so so close” he said shaking his head

“Maybe next time? I could be your partner next time, and we’ll win” I told him

“Oh with you on my team. Id be winning in every aspect” HES FUCKING FLIRTING HE IS

“Is that so?” I asked with a flirty ring to my tone

“Very much so. You in another body con dress…on my side. Yeah I’d be winning” he said winking

The wink? The fucking wink?? I know I’m not going crazy.

At this point the security was telling everyone that there was two more minutes before it was over.

Matt went over to speak to the security guards, and they nodded while looking at me.

“Hey so stay at the back of the line, I want to chat with you a little longer” Matt told me

“Oh okay sure!” I said super excited. Its not everyday that a fan gets to stay extra long backstage with their celebrity crush

Everyone had left, and they shut the door before I walked out.

“Hey follow me” Matt said as he started to walk to another door that led to another long corridor

I followed him till we got to an extra room. I assume it was for any of their guests that came to this venue

Matt had locked the door. Something I took note of

“Take a seat” he said gesturing to the couch in the corner

I sat down, and he sat next to me. Not too far, but not too close either

“So…” I said trying to break the silence

“What would you do for backstage passes” he suddenly blurted out

“Ummm pay for them?” I said laughing

“No. I mean like if you couldn’t buy them, and all you could do was bribe your way in…what would you do” he asked me now completely turned towards me

“I’d do just about anything” I told him

“Would you suck a dick” he said

“Matt….where’s this going?” I asked getting a little uncomfortable

“Would you suck a dick for backstage passes” he asked again

“I mean it depends” I told him

“Depends on?” He said prying

“Depends on who they are, and if I find them hot” I told him

“So would you suck my dick, would you fuck me for more backstage passes?” He asked licking his lips

“Matt that’s….I don’t know” I told him looking down

“Well look at me. I’m powerful, I’m hot it’s not everyday I’m asking a girl this question” he said standing up

“I…” I simply could not form an answer

“What if I said you had to suck my dick.” He responded now standing in front of me

“Why would I have to suck your dick?” I asked looking up at him

“Because I’m in charge, and I said so” he told me

“And if I Don't want to” I said back

“Then there’s the door” he said moving and waiting for me to get up, but my feet weren’t moving

“Exactly my point. You want to” he said now standing in front of me again

“I never said that” I told him back

“So then leave” he said pointing to the door

“No” I told him, honestly my mouth was moving fast than brain

“So then stop talking, and use that mouth of yours to suck my cock” he said. My mouth dropped. I was genuinely shocked by his vulgarness. This was not Matt

Within a few seconds my hands were on his waistband and I was tugging his pants down allowing his dick to spring upwards

Am I really about to suck thee Matt Sturniolos dick?? God what has my life come to, and I never want this to end

“You in that tight dress hugging your every curve has made me so fucking horny” he said petting my face

“Now suck” he said lightly smacking my face

My mouth opened and immediately I took his dick into my mouth. Allowing him to slide all the way to the back of my throat before I gagged

“Fuck” he said inhaling sharply

I pulled back, licking the tip and sucking harshly before going back down. Jerking whatever wasn’t in my mouth with my right hand

I had to take a second to get my breathing back, so I slowly started to stroke his dick.

“You look so hot with your mascara running down your face, and your lips all swollen” he said looking down at me

“You look so hot like that with your dick in my hand” I said looking up at him through my lashes

“Do you wanna fuck?” He asked

“Yes” I said looking up at him and licking my lips

“Good cause so do I” he said lifting me up and placing me on the table that was in the room

He started kissing my neck and down to my collar bone

“I don’t kiss, I hope you understand” he said looking at me

“Tuh. But you fuck and get your dick sucked?” I asked rolling my eyes

“Yeah cause I’m in charge. I say what goes” he said looking at me sternly

“Yeah whatever you say” I said back to him smugly

He slid my dress up and moved my underwear to the side

“So fucking wet” he said slowly rubbing my clit

“Fuck Matt” I said sighing and throwing my head back a little bit

He started to jerk his own dick before slowly inserting himself into me.

“Fuckkkk” I said now completely throwing my head back

“Ready?” He asked me grabbing onto my hips

“Yes please” I said propping myself on my elbows

Without a second thought he immediately started to point into me ruthlessly. Hitting my g spot in all the right ways

“Fuck you take me so well, doll” he moaned out

“Fuck matt keep going….HARDER” I yelled out to him

Matt gripped my hips harder and started to slam into me at an ungodly pace. Anybody walking by would hear skin and moans, and this table creaking under us

“Fuck just like that” I said with my brows furrowed

Matt was relentlessly thrusting into me. Moaning and groaning every single second

“Oh goddddd” I moaned out letting my jaw fall slack

“Fuck keep clenching on me, and I’m going to cum” he said pounding into me which caused me to clench down on him again

Matt picked up his shirt and put into his mouth biting on it before grabbing my thighs and pushing them back a little bit, so he could screw me at a new deeper angle

This caused me to fall back and grip the edge of the table for support

“Fuck fuck fuck oh my goddddd” I moaned out completely loosing my mind

He let one leg fall down and used that hand to start rubbing at my clit

“Shitttttt” I said picking my head up to look at him

“I’m gonna cum I’m gonna cum” I said clenching down on him. This made him rub my clit harder and faster

“FUCKKKKKK” I screamed out before I came all over his cock. Shaking and trembling and speaking gibberish. This was the best orgasm I’ve ever had

He let me calm down before pulling out and jerking himself off. It took about thirty seconds before his mount went slack, allowing the shirt to fall from between his teeth

“Fuckkkk” he said as he came on my lower abdomen. Shaking and convulsing

Once we both came down from our high he picked his pants back up, and walked over to grab some napkins before wiping me clean

“How sweet…cleaning me up” I said to him as he finished wiping me off

“I usually try to keep my cum sluts nice and pampered” he said before walking to the trash to throw out the napkin

“God you have a way with words” I said hopping off the table and sliding my dress down again

“What can I say?” He said smugly

He helped me gather my things before deciding which one of us would leave the room first.

I decided to leave first.

“Bye Matt. I guess I’ll see you at the next tour” I told him giving him a kiss on the cheek

“Yeah. I hope to see you on the next tour. So we can do this again and again” he said kissing me on the cheek

“Still no kiss?” I said half joking

“I told you I don’t kiss, but maybe next time” he said giving me a flirty smile

“See you then!” I said and turned to the door. He smacked my ass before opening the door for me

“I’ll see you around” he said nodding his head

The End

Hiiiiii I hope you guys enjoyed this one💋. For the person that requested this I pray to the lord above I didn’t disappoint ❤️❤️ I got so many more stories coming for yall 😁😁

-J💅🏽

#sturniolo smut #matt sturniolo smut #matthew sturniolo smut #sturniolo triplet smut #smut #Spotify

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inoreuct · 2 months

Note

undercover op with sanji in a dress?? i think judge would be pissed asf if he picked a backless one and decided to own that metal spine bcs he’s a badass 😏😏 (unless cyborgs are discriminated against. are they? are they common in this au?? or are sanji and his sibs the only ones?? I’M SO INVESTED PLS 🤲🏻)

ooooh anon anon anon,,, YOU READ MY MIND WITH THE BACKLESS DRESS also cyborgs are pretty uncommon but they aren’t really discriminated against— more seen as things to be put on pedestals and not people, though. some see them as feelingless machines, and sanji’s siblings definitely aren’t helping that rep :((

there are other cyborgs but the vinsmokes are the most well-known, and their power + skills and apathy (save sanji) have people kissing the ground they walk on with a mix of fear and reverence. sanji just wants to be a Normal Guy, though, and zoro treats him like one, and it both pisses sanji off and makes him immeasurably happy. make of that what you will 🤭

“Found him.” Zoro frowns at his monitor, double-clicking with his mouse to zoom in. “Grey jacket, next to the beer taps.”

“Yeah, I see him.”

He tracks Sanji over the security camera, watching the blond slink through a crowd that parts for him effortlessly without even seeming to realise. Zoro can’t blame them, seeing as he looks good enough to stop traffic. “Remember, he doesn’t know what’s—”

“Going on, I know, I know,” Sanji mutters under his breath, weaving around a woman who gawks with her mouth slightly open as he flashes her a soft smirk and a wink. “Keep him unaware and get the drive. I could do this in my sleep.”

“I know,” Zoro echoes, even as he holds back a scoff and an eye roll. He’s in a bad mood and he knows exactly why.

He’s scrunched up in his chair in sweatpants and a ratty tank top, a half-drunk can of beer steadily forming a puddle on the desk next to his keyboard as he watches Sanji sidle up to the bar and order a drink. Their target sneaks a look to the side before ducking his head and taking a gulp from his own glass.

The man’s a small-time photographer who looks clean-cut but understated— Insignificant. He’d been chosen precisely because of that fact; GERMA66 had deemed him acceptable as an oblivious carrier of a thumbdrive that supposedly contains plans for whatever the hell Judge is up to next.

Their job is to intercept it before it gets to Charlotte Linlin, or anybody she’s affiliated with.

The bartender returns with Sanji’s drink and he takes it with an elegant incline of his head. “Old fashioned?” he asks, gesturing to their target’s glass, and there’s a pause before the poor man looks around quickly.

“A-Are you—?” he starts, pointing to himself.

Sanji laughs, silky and soft. Zoro takes a controlled breath. “Who else?” He raises his own glass to his lips, and Zoro knows what’s in it. A rum and orange cocktail with Kahlúa and cacao nibs in the egg white foam on top. “That is an old fashioned, isn’t it? Yeah.” The blond’s lips curl up behind the crystal rim, a bold red and sharp at the edges. “You seem the type.”

“You seem the type,” Zoro mocks silently, scowling at the screen. He doesn’t even try not to scoff this time; his chair complains with a loud creak when he throws his weight back, sullenly crossing his arms over his chest.

Look. He’s not sulking, alright? It’s just— difficult. Sanji twists sideways, leaning one elbow on the bar, and the back of his dress dips low enough for his entire spine to glimmer silver-wet in the dim lights. Where was he?

Right, difficult. Sanji’s over there buttering up a literal nobody, and Zoro has to sit here, in his apartment, in this shitty rolling chair with no back support where he’s close enough to go in if Sanji needs backup. He listens to his partner flirt over the comms and grits his teeth as he tries to consciously keep his fists unclenched.

He’s not jealous. It’s just that he’d gotten used to the idea of there not being anyone else, he supposes. Neither of them have any time for romance outside of their jobs, and at some point being together had just become routine; and Sanji’s a flirt, sure, but at the end of the day it’s always Zoro that he ends up with. They have toothbrushes at each other’s places. Sanji has weights by his shoe rack and Zoro has a block of chef’s knives tucked into the corner of his kitchen counter.

Sanji’s laughter grabs his attention, and Zoro realises that at some point he’d lost the thread of the conversation. The blond pinches the collar of their target’s grey windbreaker between his thumb and forefinger, running down the length of it, and their eyes meet through the camera as Sanji pushes off the countertop and the man scrambles to follow.

His dress drags along the floor. The red satin is made heavy by crystalline beading, draping down to just above his hips as he makes his way to the lift lobby, and the man trails behind hanging onto his every word like a starstruck fool; Zoro suspects he himself isn’t much better. The lights of the lift lobby are harsh as they make their way up to the hotel above the bar, and Zoro switches from camera to camera all the way until the man’s sliding a key card into a lock and disappearing when Sanji shoves him into the room with an exaggerated giggle.

His expression sobers when looks directly at the camera across the hall. Strands of hair are drifting out of his chignon and catching in his lashes. “Sorry, mossy. Gonna have to sign off for now,” he whispers, and Zoro can hear the soft smile in his voice before he pulls his earpiece out and shuts the door.

Silence.

…Yeah, Zoro’s jealous.

It’s enough to have him finishing his beer in two chugs, leaning back to drag his hands over his face and groan. He knows what it looks like. Knows what it’s supposed to look like; a hookup, plain and simple. Judge can’t know that Sanji’s the reason the drive won’t make it to Linlin. It’s risky, sure, but they’re banking on the fact that he doesn’t know that Zoro knows anything about how Judge still has Sanji under his thumb. And if Sanji gets some fun out of it, well— Zoro can’t fault him.

It doesn’t change the fact that he feels sick to his stomach, and it’s pissing him off because he has no right. None at all. He isn’t entitled to anything; Sanji doesn’t owe him, or anyone, anything. It doesn’t matter how he feels. It doesn’t matter how close they sit when they’re falling asleep in the middle of a movie on Sanji’s couch. Sanji’s already been backed into a corner by his bastard of a father— Zoro refuses to complicate things for him any more.

He’ll get up in a moment. Grab a bottle of something stronger this time. The apartment will be his till morning, anyway, so what’s the rush?

And then he hears the front door beep as somebody enters the passcode, and he nearly falls out of his seat sitting up straight.

Zoro glances at the clock as footsteps echo through the entrance; it’s only been twenty minutes, give or take.

Multiple hard somethings clatter onto his desk, and he looks up to find Sanji leaning against the doorway. “Help me out. I’ve got a screw loose,” he says, grinning, and then there’s a moment before Zoro groans.

“If you think that’s funny then you clearly do,” he replies tiredly, standing as Sanji sits on the other side of the table.

He picks up the screwdriver he’d been given, reeling a little. Sanji isn’t supposed to be here, and yet— Here he is, pulling pins from his hair left and right and dropping them all over Zoro’s desk as his chignon untwists itself. A weary sigh leaves Zoro’s lungs. “Where?”

“L4, R6, L12 and 16, and… R23.”

“23?” He frowns. “That’s lower than usual.”

Sanji grimaces. “Slept wrong last night, I think.”

“Hm.” Zoro flips the tool in his hand as Sanji gathers his hair over his shoulder; it’s gotten long now, enough to dust the tops of his shoulder blades with soft, shimmering gold. He rests his thumb at Sanji’s hairline and drags down gently until he gets to the first corresponding vertebra and he’s careful as he fits the screwdriver head in, turning slowly until the joint tightens.

“Did you sleep with him?”

Sanji makes a pfft sound and doesn't even turn, used to Zoro’s straightforward questions. “‘Course not. What, not confident enough in my abilities?”

“No.” Zoro clamps his mouth shut when he realises how defensive he sounds. “No,” he amends, voice marginally less tense, four fingers wrapped over the edge of Sanji’s ribs as he moves down. “I just thought… You were having a good enough time. He liked you. No reason not to.”

“I didn’t want to. That’s the reason,” Sanji says, and it’s flat enough that Zoro knows to ease off. “When we got into his room I knocked him out before I nicked this,” he taps the thumbdrive he’d tossed onto the table with the screwdriver, “out of the lining of one of his jackets.”

Zoro narrows his brows. “Knocked him out how?”

Sanji shrugs a shoulder. “Compressed his carotid. Pretty sure the poor guy was enjoying it, honestly.”

They’re quiet for a while after that. Zoro holds Sanji’s side, elbows digging into the table as he crouches down to see what he’s doing. He resists the urge to press his nose to Sanji’s skin. Beading digs into his knuckles as the screw clicks into place.

“Zoro.”

He stills. They rarely use each other’s names. “Yeah?”

“Did you—” Sanji’s breath catches, the moment suspended until he shakes his head. “Nevermind.”

He’s beautiful, Zoro thinks. The scarring that frames his spine is smooth under his thumb. “Did it hurt?”

“Hm?”

“When he…”

“…Yeah.” Sanji puts the heels of his palms on the table, fingers curling over the edge, thumbs pressing into the sides of his thighs. “He said it was my fault, anyway,” he sighs, letting his weight drop so his shoulders hunch up to his ears. “That I wasn’t even supposed to feel pain, but I ruined it before he could… perfect me.”

Zoro lets his eyes flick up, gaze falling on the elegant curve of Sanji’s nape before he focuses on the last screw.

He’d made a promise to himself on that fire escape. The metal melded to Sanji’s back is a constant reminder to both of them that he’s a double agent. Everything they do is a risk; hell, they both lose sleep over it. Zoro’s used to his phone ringing in the middle of the night. Sanji’s finally starting to allow himself to call.

The blond’s head is hung low as the strap of his dress slips off his shoulder, and Zoro slides it back up and lays it in place. He’s done with Sanji’s spine. “How’s that feel?”

“Hm?” Sanji blinks as he looks up, before rolling his shoulders back. “Better.”

“Alright.” Zoro barely stops himself from drumming his fingers on the table as he bites his lip. He turns around under the guise of readjusting random things on his windowsill. “It’s late. You staying over?”

“…Oh, fine,” Sanji relents, waving a hand. “Too tired to go anywhere, anyway.”

It’s second nature to leave a set of pyjamas on the bed; Zoro usually takes the couch, if only because the springs are hell for the tactile sensors in Sanji’s spine. He’s just leaving when Sanji steps out of the adjoining bathroom with a wash of warm air with a towel around his waist.

“Pretty sure your bed’s meant for two,” he says lightly before grabbing the clothes and disappearing back through the door, and Zoro blinks. Sure, he’d splurged on a queen-sized mattress, but he’s never shared it.

He ends up lying down anyway and swiping through his phone mindlessly until Sanji comes out again, hair brushed back. The covers pull as Sanji climbs under and he stretches to turn the lights off, before they’re laying there in silence.

Zoro’s half asleep when he hears it.

“We didn’t do anything in that room.”

“It doesn’t matter if you did.”

“But we didn’t,” Sanji insists, and Zoro hears I didn’t want to do it, any of it, and he doesn’t even realise he’s reached for Sanji’s hand until their fingers brush.

“I know,” he says, gentle. Their hands lay in the space between them until Sanji threads their fingers together, rolling onto his side.

“Just, uh,” he begins, clearing his throat gruffly. “Just wanted to clarify.”

Zoro laughs against his will. His shoulders shake with it, and he hisses when Sanji kicks his shin. He finds the knuckle of Sanji’s thumb as he brings their hands up between their pillows, rubbing over the bone. “Go to sleep, curly. We’ll go through the drive tomorrow.”

Sanji’s lashes flutter before he swallows. “Okay.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, marimo.”

He turns his face into his pillow. He smells like Zoro’s body wash.

Zoro stares at his ceiling and wonders just how much he’d be willing to give to protect this man falling asleep next to him.

(He wakes not long after sunrise the next day.

Sanji’s ribs rise and fall against his palm, the corner of his borrowed shirt riding up. He’d rolled over Zoro’s arm sometime in the night; his other hand is tucked close to his chest, his ankle skin-warm and pressed to Zoro’s shin. His hair is all over the place and Zoro’s pretty sure he’s drooling.

He smells even more familiar now, like cheap lavender detergent that Zoro buys on a discount, leftover hair wax and orange from the night before. Just a hint of mint toothpaste. There’s the slight rasp of stubble when Zoro drags the heel of his hand across Sanji’s jaw, and the man mutters in his sleep, flipping over to face the other way and hug Zoro’s arm to his chest.

Well. Zoro doesn’t usually sleep in. He’s a busy man, he’s got weights to rep and evidence to process— But seeing as his arm’s trapped, there’s not much he can do, is there?)

(The next time he opens his eyes it’s past noon. He smells caffeine and hot butter, and it drags him out of bed to the kitchen; Sanji’s standing over the stove, hair shoved up into a haphazard bun with a blue ballpoint pen, spatula in one hand and Zoro’s laptop balanced on the other.

“About damn time, you log,” he huffs, jerking his head towards the table. “Coffee’s ready, help yourself. You won’t believe what bullshit Judge is trying to pull.”

Zoro raises both eyebrows and decides to save himself an ass-kicking by keeping his mouth shut. He pours himself a mug of coffee and sits down. “S’that my pen?”

“It’s—” Sanji frowns. “I picked it up off the floor.”

“Hm. I was wondering where it ran off to.”

Sanji rolls his eyes, leaning over to put the eggs down. “You’re fucking horrible. Are you telling me you only have one pen?”

“No. I was just looking for this,” Zoro reaches up and yanks it from his hair, “pen.” He yelps a laugh when Sanji swats him over the head and drags a chair out. “It looks better down, anyway,” he chuckles, wrapping a curl around his finger and tugging before he lets go. “Now run me through what’s going on.”

The blond gives him a stink eye and sighs, turning the laptop so it faces them both. “Okay. So…”)

(Zoro settles in, drinks his coffee, and he still hasn’t figured out how much he’d give. He’s starting to think there isn’t a limit.

He thinks he’d be okay with that, though.)

(part 1 | part 2)

#cyborg sanji au #that last line… be careful zoro be careful #they’re literally married?? and they’re still not together?? guys PLEASE #the way i had to fight w myself to not make sanji answer “when i fell from heaven?” when zoro asked “did it hurt”#THERE’S MORE COMING FOR THIS AU KEEP YA EYES PEELED #WILL BE SEEING MORE STRAWHATS + MORE CYBORG DETAILS #judge is about to earn himself many more haters that’s all imma say #THANK YOU FOR THE ASK AGAIN ANON 😽😽#ino writes #ino’s ask box #zosan #roronoa zoro #one piece zoro #zoro #black leg sanji #sanji #one piece sanji #zoro x sanji #one piece

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ask-a-w · 8 months

Text

Watched Nick Apostolides play Separate Ways and wrote down stuff that caught my attention.

Guests on the stream: Craig (Wesker’s VA) & Andre (Luis’ VA). Andre joins for a short while mid-way through the stream.

- Nick was there when he watched Andre film the cutscene of Luis doing the flamenco. Apparently Andre nailed it in one take.

- Nick says Andre spent months researching the Spanish culture. (Andre talks a little bit more about it later.)

- Craig went to Vancouver three times in 2022 to film RE4R & SW. The main game & DLC were shot together. He couldn’t say he went to Vancouver more than once or else he would give away that there were extra content like SW & Mercenaries.

- Nick was not aware how Ada got infected.

- Craig played RE5 co-op years ago and is trying to play it solo but acknowledged it’s not that fun to play solo.

- Craig’s download for SW took 7 minutes and he was very amused by that.

- Craig can only talk about games that have come out so don’t ask him if there’s gonna be a remake for CV or RE5.

- Craig was not aware who or what he was auditioning for and only knew he was playing Wesker when he was flown to the studio. He asked them if he should play Wesker like previous incarnations or like what he did in his audition. They told him to play Wesker like his audition.

- Craig said when he filmed for RE: Outbreak 20 years ago, the actors only saw stick figures on the screen but now, as you stand in front of the mocap cameras, you can see your entire character model on the screen rightaway and he’s quite impressed how far technology has advanced.

- Craig said he did mocap for Outbreak for 6 months. He did not book a part in Outbreak initially but Alyson Court (Claire’s original VA) actually brought him to work on the game.

- Craig filmed all his scenes together with Lily and only saw Nick 3 times during filming since Wesker & Leon don’t have any scenes together.

- Craig has been a fan of RE for a long time. He played RE1 with his acting classmates and they were happy for him when he booked a part in Outbreak.

- Craig says he has never gotten a copy of any game he has worked on as the people he works with don’t work in game distribution. He only managed to get a copy of the RE4R deluxe edition thanks to an ex-girlfriend who works in game distribution.

- Craig & Nick know both Wesker & Leon are very beloved characters in the franchise and have given it their all for their portrayals.

- Both of them squeed when Wesker says “complete local saturation” and Craig has been waiting for a whole year wondering how fans would react to that line.

- Nick had no idea what would happen in SW since he didn’t get the script for it.

- Craig also had no idea Wesker would be in Mercenaries but put two and two together when he recorded lines for Merc.

- Scenes are filmed out of order. Craig didn’t know if he was filming for the main game or SW. He had to wait till the main game came out to see what scenes were shown in RE4R. Nick also has no idea if he filmed anything for SW.

- While the VAs have their own general idea on how to play their character as they walk into the studio, how they express their lines are based on a combination of what’s requested by Capcom’s Japanese team, how the translator translates Capcom’s requests, and Steve Kniebihly’s (cinematics director) direction.

- Someone asked Craig if he thought when Wesker was a child, would he shine a magnifying glass on ants. Craig said probably yeah and maybe pulling the wings of flies too. (Side note: The Ashford twins did that in Code Veronica)

- Craig was a musician first before he got into acting. In high school, everyone was into music and he made some music with his friends. His then-girlfriend asked him to audition in a school musical and he loved the acting expect of it. He then auditioned in plays before he went to acting school for college.

- Craig applied to both music & acting programmes for college. He always wanted to be a performer.

- Andre joins halfway through the stream. He enjoyed filming the opening flamenco scene even though it took a while to get the steps right. He doesn’t think he can do the dance any more since it’s been a while.

- Andre mimed the reaction to being pulled by a rope in chapter 1. He didn’t have confidence to pull it off and the team also agreed. He doesn’t have stunt training anyway.

- Craig on the other hand, recounted when he was filming being grabbed by a monster for RE Outbreak. He had a rope on his head while filming for that and he didn’t get stunt pay. But things were different years ago.

- Andre said the team took safety really seriously and even for simple things like pretending to fall over, Steve Kniebihly would tell the VAs not to do it and let the stunt team do it instead.

- When Craig auditioned for Wesker, the description was “Villain in a video game”. That was it. All the audition scripts were fake so actors who don’t book the part won’t leak that the game is being made.

- Andre lived & breathed Castellan Spanish culture for months while he filmed RE4R and it drove his family a little crazy. He even spoke with a Castellan Spanish accent for a while too. His family is of Mexican descent and Mexican Spanish pronunciation is different from European/Castellan Spanish.

- Nick was friends with Paul Haddad (OG RE2 Leon VA) before he passed away. He also took some voice lessons from Paul Mercier (OG RE4 Leon VA).

- Craig has not spoken to any previous Wesker VAs. He is long time friends with Alyson and she was his director on one project he worked in before. He has met OG Brad Vicker’s VA before.

- Andre has only met Neil Newbon (RE8 Heisenberg & RE3R Nikolai) in person.

- Craig enjoys playing bad guys since it’s fun to do something he can’t do in real life.

- Nick had to lower his voice for RE4R Leon since Leon in 2004 is a bit “sick of the same shit happening repeatedly” instead of being a newbie cop surprised at everything.

- Craig’s favourite scene to film was the Wesker & Ada confrontation at the beginning of the Island. He had to do the Wesker smirk at the end a few times as the team had to ensure it looked right on the Wesker model.

- Craig has a Guinness World Record for playing in the longest concert which lasted for 19 days, around 437 hours. He was in the planning committee for it and he played 5 times during the concert. To qualify for the record, there were a lot of rules. For example: at least 10 people in the audience had to be awake at all times, each song had to last at least 2 mins, and there can only be a maximum 30 seconds pause between each song.

- Nick got electrocuted in science class when he touched a capacitor with his bare hands. He mentioned that it really freaking hurt and it was almost impossible to let go. He had to force himself to open his hands.

- During the recording of the injury effort sounds for when Leon got electrocuted, Nick clenched his fists and shook them while grunting through gritted teeth.

- For Wesker’s injury effort sounds during Mercenaries mode, the team had to tell Craig to dial back as Wesker responds to injuries in a calmer manner.

- Nick had a lot of fun filming the part where Saddler transforms into his final form.

- Nick mocapped the pilot flying Ada’s chopper.

- Nick was completely mind blown by the stinger at the end.

#crossbow down #resident evil #separate ways #ada wong #leon kennedy #albert wesker #luis serra

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m1ssunderstanding · 4 months

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Get Back Rewatch 55 Years On: Day 14

Who is this talking to Ringo? Press? A boy scruff? Someone who wants their project produced by Apple? He tries George too.

Again, I love the "freak-out" as John calls it. They really could've had so much fun together under different circumstances. (Different being neither of them ever dated John) But John's so sweet saying, "Id like it to be part of her new LP. Our new LP."

I wonder what Robert Fraser thought of the beard.

Why are we playing 20 Flight Rock now, Paul? It's just overlayed over a montage to change "scenes", but I wonder what the real context was.

Billy. What a little ray of sunshine honestly.

"So what should we do that's fun? Besides work?" I feel like every day, John has a little adorable quote, and this is today's. Words to live by.

I don't remember if Get Back includes the "Oh Darling" version where John's answering back between lines in conversation with the lyrics. I sincerely hope so. Peter Jackson was probably like "well I can only include so much homosexuality before people have too many questions."

Ringo, you smooth criminal. I love that he just has this trick he learned as a teenager that the Beatles were all impressed by, back when Ringo was the scary gangster with the car and the beard, and he still does it for them like ten years later. It's so endearing.

Another cute John and Yoko moment: "It's just that screaming all the way." "Poor John." "Yes, it's so terrible." She's teasing him and being sweet to him at the same time. Cuties.

George asks Paul where his Rickenbacker is. "Isn't that one much better?" And Paul makes up some shit about the Hoffner being lighter. You nostalgic little bitch. Poor baby.

John's little guilty look at the camera when he's almost just taken something on film. It's cute. He looks like a naughty kid. But it's kind of a cool moment. It shows just how relaxed and natural he is. He's not performing for or worried about the cameras at all. What we're seeing of him today is just him. You know? Idk I think it's nice.

What's with the little pigeon noises in the middle of a recording, guys? They're so weird smh

Poor Glyn. He's just trying to do his job and he has to deal with fucking Leopold and Leob over here. He gives them some instruction. There's a look between the two of them. And then it's all, "Don't interrupt" "Hey son" "Stahhs when" "Hey" "they're recording. We're bloody Stahhs you know." "Look fuckface. Don't comment." "The cheek." The impenetrable wall of Lennon and McCartney, folks.

"Well, we'll have to do it sitting down. Or we get too excited." It's heartbreaking to me how obvious it is that they're still just having the absolute time of their lives together and that, as John put it, "the minutes are crumbling away."

Literally what the hell is with Dennis smacking Paul's ass (as like a 'good job, your band wants to put your song out as the single' I guess) and nobody reacting? Linda would've been like "ope, time to find a new head of Apple films." (Dave Spinoza on RAM, anyone?) He really does look so proud of himself, though. Happy for you, baby.

Oh, right, that's what Robert thinks. Paul looks like his working class fantasy. (DH Lawrence. Victorian Miner.)

And I'm just going to add this, since Peter Jackson REFUSES. Paul: Can't afford to mess around here, you know. Then