#and i'm working on my exit from my current company

[awkwardgtace]

Little bit of real life talk

Before you go ahead, just know I'm still trying to do gt july, still looking at the wonderful prompt in my inbox, and still plan to share a kaiju kyrie and melody sneak peek at some point. I'm just tired.

I kept thinking about whether or not I should make this post. I like to keep my real life stuff mostly separate from here. It's not something my writing ties to, but honestly it's making a big difference in what I can do this year so under the cut I'm gonna rant a bit.

This rant is specifically about the game industry since idk how obvious i've made it on this side blog, but i'm a game dev, for now.

Also no I won't specify my company cause then I can get in trouble for complaining.

TLDR: I'm bothered by the state of the industry, my own position, and it's making it hard to be creative.

I've been reeling since the layoffs this week. It was not something I was prepared for no matter how much I expected it. Friends were let go, friends I know had the skills the company claimed to want.

I hate sitting here and feeling so awful when I kept my job. I hate that it's making my brain just stop working. I had so many ideas monday night that are just gone since I walked into work tuesday morning.

I have to job hunt again, something I thought I wouldn't do for a few more years. I can't trust my safety at this company. I can't make that risky choice here.

It also sucks looking around and wondering if I was kept as a token. I'm a programmer, I'm a girl. Is that the reason I'm still here? Is that the reason others who were on projects weren't kept?

Game industry is rough. It's fucked my head badly this week. I can't come up with ideas as easily as I want or do much without thinking about it. My interests are games and now there's all of this.

This isn't a rant to say fuck games or anything like that. I just had to talk. Especially when it's making hard to write.

I want to be creative. I want to write stories that I'm happy to read over, that I'm happy to share. I'm sick of the way my brain works under stress. I need to go through a plot ten times to get it to a single story, something that doesn't usually happen

But I'm getting over it. I'm working on my gt july list, my little summaries before I start writing.

Just had to rant a little bit

[endzithefangirl]

"I'm gong to put 'being a WAG' on my CV"

Authors note: Here's a little Max Verstappen x TechCEO!Reader. Bet you didn't see that comng. Anyway, got the idea for this a few days ago, and I guess my love of Italian food made me finish this

Summary: Max's new relatioship causes a social media stir, but the new couple couldn't care less whilst in Italy.

Warnings: English isn't my first language, no use of Y/N, female reader, famous reader

Word count: 2k

You understood it, to a degree. Max had just broken off a three-year-long relationship right before summer break, and now suddenly he was spending the summer with you. Now you’re at the paddock... No wonder people thought there was some crossover.

The truth? You two met last New Year's at a party for some sporting event. You, being one of the sponsors for your country's national sports committee, were invited, and Max... well, Max was Max Verstappen. You hit it off, exchanged numbers, showed him around your company a few times, and took him to all of your favorite restaurants in NYC. But you knew he had a girlfriend; everyone knew. And he was taking care of her kid too.

That breakup was hard on him. He had stopped loving her, but he couldn't just kick a woman and her kid out of his house. Max waited for them to have a huge fight, and then they just... broke up. And to your surprise, he was in New York the next day, saying that he needed someone to talk to. Bullshit. You knew he liked you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come all the way here 'just to talk.'

But here you were, in Italy, spending time with him before Monza. You were currently typing away on your phone, trying to make peace in the finance department. Max glanced up from his phone every so often, stealing peeks at you while grinning.

He had never quite been so into someone like you. You were smart, funny, talented, pretty, and on top of all that - you were also rich. But you were also the most challenging girl to flirt with Max had ever met.

"You look like you could use a break," he said, after watching you tap away at your work laptop for a few minutes.

"Probably. What's the point of having interns if they don't do anything?"

"Then you should consider hiring me; I'm pretty good at helping out," Max teased, looking up from his phone and sending you a cheeky smile. He loved a woman who was in power, who knew what she was doing, and he could tell you were used to being the boss. "Come on, take a break. You know you deserve it," Max encouraged, resting his hand on top of yours to stop you from working some more.

"I guess I could eat…" You say, closing your laptop. "I saw on Google Maps that there’s a nice pizza place down the road. We can go if you’re hungry.”

Max smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m starving; let’s go,” he said, reaching for the car keys.

“No, it’s okay, let’s walk,” you stop him. He turned towards you, slightly confused. Usually, women would give anything to drive around with Max Verstappen. Maybe that’s just what makes you special.

The two of you walked out of the hotel, your bodyguard Lenny standing outside the door. The tall, muscular man just nodded as the two of you entered the elevator. Max found it funny that you preferred Lenny guard your stuff more than you. Especially the laptop. He sometimes wondered what you kept in there...

“Is Pierre gonna be at the race?” you asked as you exited the building, breaking the silence.

Max’s head snapped towards you, and he raised his brow. “Uh, yes, of course he is… Why?”

“Because I want to see Kika.”

“Oh, so she’s your secret F1 crush, eh?” Max said, relaxing.

You laughed. “Pierre is a solid seven with a better haircut. Kika is a twelve on a bad day.”

As you got to the bigger streets, you started to understand why Max drove everywhere. Unlike you, who were a chiller and niche celebrity, despite being incredibly rich, Max was a real superstar. Your short walk to the pizza shop became a fan meet and greet, with people coming up to you every three seconds and asking for photos.

“Is this your girlfriend?” one of the people asking for a picture asked. As you finished taking the photo, you noticed Max’s slightly flustered face as he heard the question. He stumbled, but you answered with a simple “Yeah.”

As you arrived at the restaurant, you noticed that Max was staring at you. He seemed… surprised. You laughed at his facial expression. The sound of your laugh calmed him instantly, his heartbeat beginning to return to normal. Max cursed himself in his head; he was better than this. He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Is it something I said?"

Max ran a hand through his hair, feeling his cheeks heating up slightly. "No, no... Not really," he reassured you, trying to sound casual. "I was just... thinking."

"Okay, well I'm thinking about the food. I think a Vesuvius sounds great right now."

Max chuckled and quickly glanced down at the menu to hide his embarrassment. "Vesuvius? What the hell is a Vesuvius?" he asked, though his eyes scanned down the menu, searching for it.

"It's a type of pizza," you teased. "It's been like three minutes; have you not even skimmed the menu?"

Max fidgeted under your gaze, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks again. "What?" he asked with a nervous chuckle. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You tell me. Why are you staring?" Max shook his head, glancing up at you questioningly. He had no idea what you were thinking about. "No... What are you thinking about?" he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"There are pots from 4000 years ago found in ancient Egypt that are made out of an incredibly difficult to manage material and are cut to such perfection that they balance on their round bottom."

Max's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He was expecting something totally different. Something that had at least a little bit to do with him. He chuckled, still somewhat surprised as he studied your face. "Where did that come from?" he asked incredulously.

"The Egyptians. They were like, cooking pots and stuff. Royal cooking pots probably, but still," you teased.

Max chuckled again, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're thinking about cooking pots, and here I am, just trying to figure out what I did to make you say that we're together so casually."

"What do you mean? Are we not together?"

"Well, of course we're together," Max said, his voice taking on a more serious tone now. He glanced around the restaurant briefly, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "I just... I didn't expect you to say it so casually," he said, his eyes meeting yours again.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know we were keeping it a secret. I mean, I was at the paddock and all last time, and I took days off work to come to this race—"

Max shook his head, realizing you completely misunderstood what he was saying. "No, no, it's not that... I just..." he began, struggling to find the right words. He took a deep breath, his fingers fidgeting in his lap. "It's just... you're so casual about it... and I'm... a bit too flustered for my own good," he admitted, a tinge of embarrassment in his voice.

You softened up a bit. "Oh, okay, I get it. It was just a bit too shocking for you... Yeah, sorry."

Max felt his heartbeat a little faster when you softened, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Yeah, it was a bit... unexpected for me," he chuckled, feeling somewhat silly for being so flustered. "But it's fine, honestly."

"Do you think my stomach is gonna have space for gelato later? There's a really good gelateria; I can see it from the window... They make the ones with the macarons..."

Max chuckled, loving how you were so excited about the gelato. "Well, based on the amount of pizza you usually eat," he teased, a smirk on his face. "I'd say you're probably fine."

"No, they put the macarons on the gelato."

"On the gelato?" Max repeated, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"I've never heard of such a thing," he said, leaning forward to get a better look out the window at the gelateria you were talking about. "Well, in that case," he said with a grin, "we're definitely going there for dessert."

After eating so much that your belts barely held, you came back to the hotel, Lenny greeting you at the door as usual. Max's stomach was stuffed to the brim, but he was in such a good mood from the good food and even better company, he didn't even care. He walked back into the hotel together with you, his hand still holding yours. Lenny greeted the two of you as usual, but Max couldn't help but notice the way Lenny looked at you, like he was analyzing you.

"All good, Len. You go to your room for the night," you said to Lenny. He nodded, smiled at the both of you, and then went off. Max watched as Lenny walked off, then turned to you, a small frown on his face.

"He was looking at you funny," he said, a protective edge to his voice.

"He thinks it's funny. That I'm dating a Formula 1 driver."

"What's so funny about that?" he protested, his grip on your hand tightening ever so slightly. "He just... I don't know, he's a big fan of yours I don't think he's processed it yet". Max's frown relaxed as you explained it, his ego immediately soothed a bit. Of course he was a big fan of his, who wasn't?

"Oh, so he's a big fan?" he teased, a hint of pride and cockiness in his voice.

You take your shoes off and lay on the bed, your stomach bloated from all the good food "Yeah. Talk to him a bit, I think it'll make him happy" You let out groan as you move "I hate you Italy. You has so much good food... I love it though"

Max chuckled, watching as you dramatically threw yourself onto the bed, your stomach protesting the amount of food you just had. "You're such a drama queen sometimes," he teased, grinning as he took off his shoes as well and joined you on the bed. He lays down beside you, running a hand over your bloated stomach. "You'll be fine," he said, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Oh, you know what I saw on TikTok?"

Max raised an eyebrow in curiosity, his hand now resting on your stomach. He didn't typically pay too much attention to TikTok, but he was more than happy to listen to you.

"What did you see?" he asked, turning his head to look at you.

"Well first of all, I'm a WAG now. Thank you for that, I will be putting that on my CV. But second, they liked that I was wearing Red Bull merch. I thought they wouldn't like it, but they did"

Max chuckled as you spoke, amused by how casually you mentioned being a WAG, and how seriously you were taking the fact that you were wearing Red Bull merchandise. "Well, of course they liked it," he said with a smirk. "You were wearing the merch of the best team out there."

He gave you a smug look, his hand moving up and tracing a lazy pattern on your stomach. "Not to mention the merch of the best driver out there."

[achaoticeternal]

electric touch

aemond targaryen x niece!reader

summary: while taking a visit to the royal library, you come across aemond who seems to have a small gift for you. word count: 1.1k warnings: afab!reader, targcest, reader is mentioned to have violet eyes but that is the only descriptor. a/n: this was just a little drabble I thought of. i'm trying to get back into the grove of writing after my summer hiatus.

Though King’s Landing was quite an enticing place to visit, the climate at Dragonstone seemed to accommodate her taste better. Where Dragonstone held warm air and cooling sea breezes, King’s Landing lacked such a luxury. Whenever Rhaenyra made visits to the capitol with her daughter, neither princess slept well for their own reasons. Both, however, missed their own beds and comforts of home.

Currently, the younger Targaryen princess was making her way down the aisles of the library. Particularly, she found herself in the special collection that her uncle had curated. Books that varied from philosophy, the history of Old Valyria, and even strategies of ancient wars. However, sprinkled in between were books that contained the sweetest words held in between pages. Yes, both she and Aemond held a secret bond over the lines of fine poetry.

It was a love they learned as children. Whenever Aemond was not training or being tormented by his brother and nephews, he would accompany his niece at the weirwood tree. Helaena would not be too far off either, allowing the creatures in the gardens to climb into her gentle hands.

Such a memory caused a small smile to grace her lips as she reached for a book that had been well-loved.

“Have you come to wreck my shelves?” The voice interrupted her abruptly.

She jumped away from her spot, the breath returning to her lungs when she recognized the man. Her hands went to smooth out her skirts, “Good day to you, uncle…”

The lady went to reach for the book again. Still, it remained just out of reach. The scoff sounding next to her changed her focus once more.

“Have you not considered using your words to ask for help, riñītsos?” He questioned.

Little Girl.

Sighing at his question, she moved back from the shelf. As she faced him, her eyes flicked from the book to his gaze. Though her actions were childish, she did not anticipate being denied her wish, “Kostilus…” Please.

His dismissive hum could be heard as he moved in front of her. With ease, he gripped the spine of the book before bringing it down. Aemond held onto it for a moment, eye scanning over the cover. Epics of Old Valyria.

“I see you’ve been working on your native tongue,” the prince stated nonchalantly, “Though it is still peculiar to me as to why you deem it fit to borrow from my personal collection?”

The corners of her lips dropped at his words, “And do you enjoy withholding the pleasure of knowledge?”

His violet eye slowly trailed up her height. Both of them had grown since they’d last shared each other’s company. This was evident to both parties. Her eye then met her own violet ones as a chuckle played on his lips, “Withholding pleasure is enjoyable for some people.”

Her posture straightened immediately, the innuendo not going unnoticed. She took the book from his grip, preparing to move past him and back to the security of her mother’s chambers.

The princess did not make it more than two paces before his hand shot out to grasp at her forearm. His touch was not harsh, yet there was no warm to it either, “What are you forgetting?”

She breathed out in audible frustration. Her eyes still trained toward the exit of the library, keeping her distracted from his intense gaze, “Are you not supposed to be in attendance of the small council meeting? Or has your seat been taken?”

Aemond’s jaw tightened at the taunt. However, his demeanor remained relatively calm.

Finally, she answered him properly, “Kirimvose.” Thank you.

After a pause of silence, she craned her neck to look up at Aemond. Her gaze was met with a playful smirk, “Issa daorun” You’re welcome.

However, his hold did not retreat from her forearm. Instead, he continued, “I have a little gift for you. Consider it a welcoming present for my favorite niece.”

“Careful, uncle,” Her eyes refocused on his face. The rest of the library remained at a soft focus, “You wouldn’t want to hurt poor Jaehaera’s feelings.”

His upper tip seemed to curl into a snarl at the quick-witted comment. Releasing his hold, his hands went to the pockets of his doublet, eyeing the item within it. Pulling out the piece, a finely forged Valyrian steel chain dangled from his nimble fingers. Resting at the bottom of the chain was a pendant of a singular dragon with a sapphire for an eye. The craftsmanship itself must have cost a fortune, not to mention the installation of such a fine gemstone.

“Kepus,” Her voice lulled, “Gevie…”

Without a word, Aemond moved to stand behind her. His gentle touch caressed her upper back as he moved her hair onto one shoulder. The cool pendant rested atop her bosom, sending tingles throughout her chest. The chain itself snaked around the delicate skin of her neck where he now clasped it together, “Dōna zaldrītsos,” Aemond purred.

As she turned back to face him, her lithe fingers toyed at the pendant. She quickly grew accustomed to the weight of it and the metallic feel against her skin, “Where did you find such a necklace?”

The look on his face was passive as if he could not drop his uncaring disguise, “I had it made for you.”

As her browed raised in motion for him to continue, Aemond added on, “I figured it would be to your liking.”

She took a moment, eyes flickering from the leather he wore to the steel chain at her neck.

“I see,” She nodded, “And what moved you to commission such a fine piece?”

Unbeknownst to the lady, Aemond fought an inner battle. He wished to step closer to her and reach out once more. He hated that he could easily despise his nephews, but never her… Not the girl whom he read poetry with between lunch and tea time. The girl who was now a woman grown before him. His greatest torment and object of his deepest affections.

Aemond faced her once more, bringing up his hand to toy with the pendant at her chest now, “The thought of you wearing it for me…”

---

all feedback is greatly appreciated. my ask box is open for requests.

[dwaekkicidal]

Hii sian!! Im new to your page and i love your writing! I don't know if requests are open rn tho. So feel free to ignore this! I was thinking if you could write something like dom!hyunjin x fem!reader and like hyunjin punishing reader for flirting with some other guys. feel free to ignore it and if you do want to write it i will be more then happy to read it! Also it can involve anything:3

hi nonnie❤! thank you :') I'm glad you've enjoyed everything so far! requests are open :3 if you're ever not sure just check my pinned post!

hope you enjoy hehe <3

Much Needed Reminder

˚ʚDom!Hyunjin x Model!Readerɞ˚

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ word count: ~2.3k

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ warnings: fem!reader, rough sex, meaner Hyunjin (my staple at this point sry not sry), dirty talk, ‘slut’ name calling, some spanking, overstim, mentions of edging

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ notes: fun fact: the name Choi (최) is actually pronounced "Chwe/Chwi" :)

DO NOT republish or translate+post my work!

You’re currently in some random studio in Seoul, modeling for an upcoming collaboration you were having with Beauty of Joseon, a skincare company. Your boyfriend happily tagged along for once, since he finally had some free time outside of his schedule. He sat in the sidelines and watched you do your thing, giving you a huge smile anytime your eyes met his. It led to some of the team’s favorite shots of you: your genuine smile shining from the attention of your lover.

All was going well until a few hours in, you noticed the lingering eyes of the producer staring at your cleavage any chance he could. It made you feel grossed out, but when your eyes landed on your boyfriend’s murderous gaze, you couldn't stop your legs from pushing together. ‘It’s been a while since we’ve had sex anyways… why not make a little game out of it.’

So, a game you started. It started with fake bashful glances at the producer, making sure both mens eyes were on you when doing so. Then, it quickly moved on to overly dramatic whines and puppy dog eyes whenever the producer would come up to you in order to describe a new pose. You could tell by the pink cheeks of the producer and the narrowed eyes of your boyfriend that the game was already going in your favor.

The final straw was when everybody was wrapping up, putting away the products and their cameras. You all but skipped over to the producer, placing your soft hands on his bare arms and squeezing. “Thank you so much, Producer Choi! I had soooo much fun today.” You made sure to say it loud enough so that the outraged boy watching your every move could hear your tone clearly. If Hyunjin wasn’t so blind by anger, he would’ve seen right through your fake act.

However, he is NOT God’s strongest soldier, and the sight of your hands on another man had him rising to his feet. He turned his back to the scene and walked towards the snack tables to grab a bottle of water. You watched him from your peripheral and the nonexistent victory screen was already in your line of sight.

Feeling quite proud of yourself, you suddenly tell the producer that you couldnt wait to ‘have him as a friend’ and quickly moved your hands away from him. You ignored the way his eyes widened and his smile faltered, and you offered him a sweet smile as you swiftly made your way to the double doors labeled “EXIT.”

As you’re walking down the long hallway, you hear long steps following you. You smirk to yourself and make a show to sway your hips with each step you take. There’s a faint groan and you bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing. As you step in front of the door with your name on it, you’re suddenly pushed against it. You let out a sigh as the ‘unknown’ man behind you pushes you into the door, rubbing his bulge between your ass cheeks. He sighs out a low “Jagiya..” and your mouth moves before your brain can stop you from digging yourself into a deeper hole.

“Oh~.. Is that you, Producer Choi?”

The man behind you tenses before essentially growling into your hair. He swings the door open and shoves you in, slamming the door behind him before stalking towards you. You’re quickly turned and pushed up against your vanity, meeting the angry and narrowed eyes of your boyfriend. His eyes dip down to your smirk and he rolls his eyes before grabbing you by the chin.

“You are such a pain in my ass.” He mumbles out, pulling you into a wet kiss and pinning between his body and the table. His hands fiddle with the bottom of your dress, pulling it up and above your head as he pulls away from your lips. You go to complain and ask what he thinks he’s doing all of the sudden but his hand moves to grab your cheeks, squishing them together and making it hard for you to speak clearly.

“If you wanted to be fucked so bad you could have just asked me, honey. No need to go rub your pretty hands all over some filthy freak who you don’t even know. You’re mine.”

You giggle against his hold and when his hands move down to cup your waist, you finally speak out, “Yeah but where’s the fun in that?”

“You think you’re just sooo cute, don’t you baby…” He whispers into your ear, his hands teasingly trailing down your sides to rest against your hips. When you nod with a big grin on your face he can’t stop himself from laughing. “Yeah, you really are. But I think you need a reminder of who you belong to. That cuteness won’t stop me from fucking you stupid all over this room.” He spins you around and roughly pushes you into the laminated table top by the back of your head.

You wiggle your hips impatiently as you hear him unbuckling his belt and pulling his lower clothes down in one go. He lands a loud smack to your right ass cheek, pulling your hips against his own when you squeak and run from the contact. His hands grip onto your waist and pull you back into him, also pushing you into the table to angle you downwards.

His free hand traces his tip along your folds to gather your wetness before pushing in rather impatiently. Off the bat he set a brutal pace, pummeling into you with each thrust as his hands roamed all over your body. He possessively squeezed at your hips and your shoulders anytime he passed them, hoping if he did it enough it would mark his name into your skin forever.

“F-Fuck! Hyunjin, wait! The d-door is unlocked.”

“Good. Maybe I’ll even fuck you up against it and let the staff hear your slutty moans so they know who you belong to.”

You whine at the thought, letting your eyes flutter closed. Your cheeks constantly rubbed against the table as your hands dug into the edge of it. Your hands shakily move near your chest in an attempt to push yourself up. But before you know it, one of his hands trails into your hair and grabs a fistful from your scalp. He angles your head back and uses his grip as leverage to hold you in place against the vanity as he fucked your brains out.

You cry out when your eyes land on the mirror above you. You were met with the sight of your boyfriend’s thick lips caught between his teeth, his eyes narrowed and focused on where his hips smacked against yours. His arm muscles flexed with the sheer strength he used to hold you down, and the sight had your legs shaking.

“Jinnieee.. Fffuck. I’m so close, pleaaase.” Your pleas sounded so desperate, but you couldn’t find it in you to care when one of his long fingers reached under you to rub messy shapes onto your clit. With the added stimulation, it took you no time to gush around him. Your legs shook beneath you as your orgasm ran through your body. It passed fast and once you were finished, Hyunjin quickly pulled out. You didn’t feel him cum and you looked back at him confused.

“I’m not even close yet, so we’re not done. You wanna act like a slut, you’re gonna get treated like one.” He growled out, pulling you away from the vanity and towards the loveseat in the room. He took a seat, spreading his legs widely before pulling you onto his lap. As your hips went to rest on him, he positioned himself so that you sat on his dick. You both let out low moans at the feeling, but his hands quickly moved away from you in favor of resting behind his head. When you made another confused face at him, he just smirked and leaned back against the couch. “C’mon baby. Work for it. I won’t do any of the work this round.”

You whine loudly and frown down at him, getting ready to complain that your legs were too weak but he thrusts his hips upwards roughly after your whine. “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Now hurry up before I leave you high and dry for the rest of the day.” You both knew he would never actually do it, he was way too obsessed with you and your body to even think about doing such a thing. But the way he casually lounged had you believing it and you clenched tightly onto him, pulling a cocky smirk from him.

Your bottom lip quivered but you dragged your hips against his, grinding against him slowly for a few minutes. You barely processed one of his hands moving as you ground yourself harder against him, whimpering at the way his shirt rubbed against your puffy clit. There was a harsh sting and a loud slap to your ass that sent you jumping forward. You expected to land against his broad chest, but instead you landed in a grasp that was his long fingers wrapped against your throat. Your gaze moved to lock with his but your eyes quickly shut feeling another slap hit your ass cheek.

“F-Fuck!” you cried out, tightening even more as you felt his fingers tighten around your neck. 

“Do it the right way, baby.” He commanded, moving his hand from your ass to rest on your thigh. You finally lifted yourself and bounced on his dick, letting out desperate moans as you swore you could feel him in your stomach. You rode him like this for some time, only slowing down to admire his features.

He was leaned as far back as the chair allowed, face dripping with sweat as his lips held the biggest shit-eating grin ever known to mankind. From your movements, the hand on your thigh had fallen to your knee and his other hand continued to rest like a puzzle piece against your throat. Your hips stuttered as your orgasm suddenly snuck up on you. Creaming from just looking at your boyfriend must have been a new record.

Your movements almost completely stopped as your thighs shook uncontrollably, but Hyunjin wasn’t having any of that. His hands moved from their spots to grab your wrists, pinning them to your back in an X formation as he pulled you to lean on him. You were too distracted to notice the way your head fell to his shoulder, but you nestled into his neck when you felt his hips begin to slam into you.

You silently screamed from the overstimulation, quickly biting into his neck and crying out against his skin as he gave you no chance to recover. With the way his hands held yours, you had no choice but to take what was given. You felt saliva pooling in your mouth and you tried desperately to swallow it but one deep into your cervix thrust had you seeing stars. It finally dripped down your chin as he spoke up for the first time in what felt like forever. 

“Nice and d-deep, right baby? Just how my little slut likes it?” He stuttered through the teasing statement at the feeling of his balls tensing up, and you could feel his thrusts getting sloppier. You nodded into his neck as your third orgasm built up fast, causing your nails to dig into your palms.

“You’re MY girl. This pretty pussy and this?” He pauses to land a slap on your ass, “This nice ass? Is MINE. Nobody can fuck you or love you like I do.” This sends you over the edge and you let out an porn-star like moan as you cum, your tightness finally being too much for him to handle and he finishes next.

The room is filled with nothing but your combined breaths as your heartbeats slowly return to normal. Your legs shake almost nonstop for a while after you calm down, and you find yourself whimpering at the feeling of Hyunjin pulling out. His dick slaps against his stomach and he coos soothingly against your ear.

Your forehead was still shoved against his shoulder when your eyes finally noticed your drool connecting your lips to his jacket. You shakily pulled away and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand.

You sat on his thighs, feeling his cum drip out of you and onto the floor as his pretty hands massaged circles into your hips and his pretty lips whispered sweet nothings into your ear. Ranging from “You did so good for me, honey. Took me so well.” to “You’re so pretty, my little masterpiece. I got you, I got you. Don’t worry.”

By the time you both return to normal, you’ve been changed into new clothes and Hyunjin has become distracted and newly obsessed with the drool stain on his jacket. He could feel himself getting hard again while staring at it, but forced himself to tear his eyes away once it was time to leave. He grabbed your combined belongings and had you hold onto his arm as he led you to the taxi he had called on the ride down the elevator.

Everything was back to normal and extra sweet as he opened the door for you to sit first, then shoved your things into the truck before taking his own seat. You smiled up at him with those pretty eyes and whispered into his ear, “That was so much fun, Jinnie.. Sorry I flirted with the producer, but you see what my vision was.”

He laughed and pulled you into a soft kiss before leaning into your ear to whisper, “Oh, don’t worry baby, your punishment has barely even started. Once we’re home I’m edging you all night.”

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Precious Truths: Part 14

Fandom: Bridgerton

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x F!Reader

Summary: After your father finds out you’ve been writing under a male pseudonym, he threatens to marry you off to an atrocious man unless you find yourself a husband within a month’s time.

A/N: yall i still can't believe sophie is asian. im so frickin happy dude. yerin is gonna be amazing. i just know it. anyway, enjoy!

Series Masterlist

You hide behind your hand as you snort with laughter. Benedict is beaming beside you. Hearing your laughter again makes his heart soar.

After your mother-in-law granted permission for his visitation, he immediately prepared himself for the trip to France. He was excited to see you, but he was also nervous. Therefore, he dragged Eloise with him. His younger sister wasn't in the mood to witness another pair of lovesick fools, however, she had never been to France. So she took up the opportunity to regardless. At the moment, a part of her regrets accompanying her brother.

"Hang on, how did you not know she was married?" Eloise asks Benedict.

"I never saw her wear a ring and her home didn't seem like a man lived in it!"

You chuckle, shaking your head, "How is it you always find yourselves in such situations, Ben?"

"Because he is an idiot, Y/N," Eloise responds and you laugh. Your laughter even brings a smile on Eloise's face, "Sorry to change the subject, but I hope you have been well, Y/N."

You softly smile at the young woman you always saw as a sister, "I'm getting better, Eloise. It definitely helps that you and Ben are here," you rest a hand on Benedict's and Eloise's, "Your company was very much needed."

"Always here to help," Benedict says softly.

"You didn't say long you'll be staying here for."

"Madame Montclair has allowed us a week, unless you grow tired of us."

You scoff, "I will never grow tired of you, Ben," realizing what you said you add, "And you, Eloise! Don't tell your siblings, but you two are probably my favorite Bridgertons."

Eloise hums, "Oh, please, Y/N. We already knew that," she bumps your shoulder with a cheeky grin and you two giggle.

Benedict watches as you and Eloise discuss your current works. Every once in a while, you'd turn to him and ask him a question. And every time your eyes fall upon him, the world goes quiet and he feels at ease.

________________________

Benedict gets along well with your mother and father-in-law. They, too, are fond of the arts and are in deep conversation with Benedict and his time at the academy here in France.

You can't help but feel a sense of pride fill you as Monsieur and Madame Montclair laugh at Benedict's jokes, praise him for his successes, and, overall, displays an openness to him. However, James had told you that is just how your mama and papa have always been. Good people.

Their relationship often makes you think if that's how your parents would have turned out if your mama hadn't passed early on. Would your father still love and care for you? Would he be happy and proud of your success as a writer?

The thought of him made you lose your appetite. You place your fork and knife down with a frown, immediately bringing you to the attention of papa.

"Are you alright, ma fille?"

"I apologize, I've suddenly lost my appetite. Is it alright if I step outside for a moment?"

Mama nods, "Yes, of course. Shall one of us go with you?"

"I will be alright. It'll just be for a moment, excuse me." You look to Ben with a nod and then to Eloise. Everyone watches as you exit the dining room.

Benedict clears his throat, "Forgive me if this seems inappropriate, but how has Y/N been doing from your perspective?" he asks the older couple, "She's only told me that she has her good days and bad days, but nothing truly more than that."

Madame Montclair sighs, dabbing at her lips with her napkin, "It is true. Much like my husband and I, Y/N feels as though she has accepted her life without James. Other days, it's hard to even go about her day without being stricken with grief. But as the months have come and gone, I think she is slowly healing. Her desire to go back out into the world becoming stronger and stronger. She will be going back to London after your visit."

Benedict and Eloise look at each other in surprise, "She hadn't told us that yet."

"Ah. Well, I apologize for that. I'm sure she was going to tell you. But I do think it's good that you two are here. I can already see she's happier."

Benedict softly smiles and nods, "Yes, well, my sister and I care a great deal about Y/N."

"That much is very clear, Mister Bridgerton," Monsieur Montclair says, "And I hope when she returns to London, you continue to care for her. We, too care a great deal about her." The older man gives a stern look to Benedict, one like a father scolding a son.

Benedict nervously clears his throat, "Yes, of course, sir."

_______________________

You're sitting on a bench outside, letting the air cool you. You're not sure how long you've been out there, but Benedict comes out with concern etched all over your face. He sits beside on the bench, hand grabbing yours to warm them, "Are you alright?" he asks, using his breath to warm your now cold fingers.

You sigh, "Yes. I'm sorry to leave dinner like that."

"It's fine. I just want to know what happened."

"Just watching James' parents made me think of my own. They made me wonder if, had mama not died, would they end up like that? Happy and proud of me? Would papa still love me and admire my work rather than scold me and cast me aside?"

Benedict squeezes your hand, "I understand. I, too, often think about how life would be if my father didn't pass. But I think it's best not to dwell on those things. If you get too caught up in it, you miss out on the wonderful things that are happening now right in front of you."

You hum, looking down at your fingers intertwined with Benedict's, "My aunt once told me after my mama passed, that in death, there is life. New beginnings. I suppose she is right. After mama's death, started my desire to publish my writings. With James' death, he brought you back into my life." You stare into Benedict's eyes, seeing how soft they are as they look back at you.

You find yourself leaning closer and Benedict is too, "Ben-"

"Everything alright?" you hear Eloise as she approaches and you two immediately create some distance between each other.

You clear your throat and look over your shoulder, "Yes! We were just about to head back inside."

"Very well. Make haste, it's cold out!"

___________________________

Your almost kiss with Benedict kept you up that night. You've been mentally scolding yourself for your weak resolve. He had only been staying with you for a few days and you are already throwing yourself at him. Your heart has always been weak when it came to Benedict. Even after falling in love with James, your love for him never compared to the love you had for Benedict. You always knew this.

However, it hasn't been a year since James had passed and you're already moving on with another man. You can't in good conscience do such a thing to James like that, even if he already knew how your heart had always belonged to Benedict.

Still. You need to control yourself around Benedict no matter how much your heart yearns for him.

[alanshemper]

[17 Oct 2024]

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg made another buyout offer this week, and threatened employees who speak to the press with termination.

After an exodus of employees at Automattic who disagreed with CEO Matt Mullenweg’s recently divisive legal battle with WP Engine, he’s upped the ante with another buyout offer—and a threat that employees speaking to the press should “exit gracefully, or be fired tomorrow with no severance.”

Earlier this month, Mullenweg posed an “Alignment Offer” to all of his employees: Stand with him through a messy legal drama that’s still unfolding, or leave.

“It became clear a good chunk of my Automattic colleagues disagreed with me and our actions,” he wrote on his personal blog on Oct. 3, referring to the ongoing dispute between himself and website hosting platform WP Engine, which Mullenweg called a “cancer to WordPress” and accusing WP Engine of “strip-mining the WordPress ecosystem. In the last month, he and WP Engine have volleyed cease and desist letters, and WP Engine is now suing Automattic, accusing Mullenweg of extortion and abuse of power.

In the “Alignment Offer,” Mullenweg offered Automattic employees six months of pay or $30,000, whichever was higher, with the stipulation that they would lose access to their work logins that same evening and would not be eligible for rehire.

One hundred and fifty-nine people took the offer and left. “However now, I feel much lighter,” Mullenweg wrote in his blog.

But many stayed at Automattic even though they didn't agree with Mullenweg’s actions, telling 404 Media they remained due to financial strain or the challenging job market. Several employees who remained at the company describe a culture of paranoia and fear for those still there.

"Overall, the environment is now full of people who unequivocally support Matt's actions, and people who couldn't leave because of financial reasons (and those are mostly silent),” one Automattic employee told me.

The current and former Automattic employees I spoke to for this article did so under the condition of anonymity, out of concerns about retaliation from Mullenweg.

“I'm certain that Matt hasn't eliminated all dissenters, because I'm still there, but I expect that within the next six to twelve months, everyone who didn't leave but wasn't ‘aligned’ will have found a new job and left on their own terms,” another current employee told me. “My personal morale has never been lower at this job, and I know that I'm not alone.”

Mullenweg himself, in internal screenshots viewed by 404 Media, acknowledged that his first “Alignment Offer” did not make everyone who disagreed with him leave the company.

On Wednesday Mullenweg posted another ultimatum in Automattic’s Slack: a new offer that would include nine months of compensation (up from the previous offer of six months). Mullenweg wrote:

“New alignment offer: I guess some people were sad they missed the last window. Some have been leaking to the press and ex-employees. That's water under the bridge. Maybe the last offer needed to be higher. People have said they want a new window, so this is my attempt. Here's a new one: You have until 00:00 UTC Oct 17 (-4 hours) to DM me the words, ‘I resign and would like to take the 9-month buy-out offer’ You don't have to say any reason, or anything else. I will reply ‘Thank you.’ Automattic will accept your resignation, you can keep you [sic] office stuff and work laptop; you will lose access to Automattic and Wong (no slack, user accounts, etc). HR will be in touch to wrap up details in the coming days, including your 9 months of compensation, they have a lot on their plates right now. You have my word this deal will be honored. We will try to keep this quiet, so it won't be used against us, but I still wanted to give Automatticians another window.”

“We have technical means to identify the leaker as well, that I obviously can't disclose,” he continued. “So this is their opportunity to exit gracefully, or be fired tomorrow with no severance and probably a big legal case for violating confidentiality agreement.”

Mullenweg and Automattic did not respond to requests for comment.

This is the latest in what has been a tense few months at Automattic.

“Regarding escalations, to me, the most upsetting thing has been the way he's treating current and former employees and WP community members,” one former employee who recently left the company after several years told me. “He clearly has no clue what people care about or how the community has contributed to the success of WordPress. It very clearly shows how out of touch he is with everyday reality. One, sharing pictures of him being on safari while all this shit is going down, as if people would think that was cool. Only rich tech bros would think that.” (Mullenweg posted photos from a trip on his personal blog and social media posts last week.)

In July, before the latest WP Engine blowup, an Automattic employee wrote in Slack that they received a direct message from Mullenweg sending them an identification code for Blind, an anonymous workplace discussion platform, which was required to complete registration on the site. Blind requires employees to use their official workplace emails to sign up, as a way to authenticate that users actually work for the companies they are discussing. Mullenweg said on Slack that emails sent from Blind’s platform to employees’ email addresses were being forwarded to him. If employees wanted to log in or sign up for Blind, they’d need to ask Mullenweg for the two-factor identification code. The implication was that Automattic—and Mullenweg—could see who was trying to sign up for Blind, which is often a place where people anonymously vent or share criticism about their workplace.

“We were unaware that Matt redirected sign-up emails until current Automattic employees contacted our support team,” a spokesperson for Blind told me, adding that they’d “never seen a CEO or executive try to limit their employees from signing up for Blind by redirecting emails.”

Mullenweg didn’t block emails from the @teamblind.com domain, Blind said. According to Slack messages viewed by 404 Media, instead, he redirected those emails to himself.

“We are disappointed when we hear employers or executives try to limit access to Blind. Some of the most commonly discussed topics on Blind are protected speech in the U.S.—pay, job terminations, critiques of workplace conditions—which we believe workers should be free to access and discuss. Blind's mission is to bring transparency to the workplace, as we believe it can inspire meaningful change,” the spokesperson for Blind said. “Employers' attempts to block Blind are misguided and often have the opposite intended effect. Generally, we have seen more employees register and use Blind when their company tries to restrict access.”

One Automattic employee told me that Mullenweg’s interception of Blind emails was the thing that made them start looking for a new job. “For Matt to do that, without prior announcement, was equivalent to spying on his employees. And for him to think it's ok to tell people to message him for their verification code is ridiculous—I've never questioned an employer's judgment as much as I did in that moment (although it has happened many times since),” they said. “Clearly, Blind is designed to allow employee discussion free from employer interference, and he was trying to prevent that in the most obvious way possible.”

Instead of Blind, employees have been posting on Anonymattic, an anonymous message board set up on WordPress’s own systems that allows all employees to post using one login.

“A common theme for posts on Anonymattic is ‘Any time I try to get work done, some new drama comes up and I get distracted.’ I know that's true for me,” an employee told me.

“There is a vocal group of sycophants who are cheering on Matt's actions via Anonymattic,” they said, “drawing favorable comparisons to how Elon Musk and Donald Trump operate. Their morale seems high, but I can't relate.” Screenshots viewed by 404 Media show some staff having changed their Slack usernames to include “[STAYING]” to signal their support of Mullenweg and intention to remain at the company.

Anonymattic was “conveniently closed down around Covid with the excuse of avoiding toxic discussions,” an employee told me. “I say conveniently because people would post their opinions and complaints to leadership that were sometimes uncomfortable. That’s when the Blind migration happened.” They said they believe Mullenweg’s interference with Blind emails was “an attempt to stop employees from joining Blind in some kind of intimidating fashion (are they collecting who is joining Blind? With what intentions?)” Anonymattic was reopened around that time, they said.

“At the end, even if anonymous, Automattic can delete posts there and not in Blind,” they said.

Last week, in response to someone criticizing his decision to add a checkbox to the WordPress.org login that forced users to denounce affiliation with WP Engine, Mullenweg posted in the WordPress contributor community Slack, “Wait until you see what we have in store for Thursday! And Friday. And Saturday. And Sunday. And Monday.” Several people posted vomiting and face-palm emojis in response to that message.

A recently-departed employee told me that the WP Engine legal drama wasn’t their final straw. “But in hindsight, it should have been,” they said. “The escalation since then just confirmed I made the right choice. At the time, I thought Matt might have a point about the trademarks (something I know little about), but he did say at the time he was going to treat this like a war and continue escalating it, because the truth was on his side. I guess we’re now seeing what that really meant."

[ssahotchnerr]

hey, i just broke my wrist today so i was wondering if you could possibly write some fluff about aaron taking care of reader with a broken wrist.

btw i love your writing!! 💓💓

fractures

omg oh no i hope you recover quickly!!!!! & you're so so sweet thank you <33 cw; bau!reader, reader gets hurt, descriptions of injury, established relationship, cute banter, aaron being concerned and a dork <3

it wasn't uncommon for you to do paperwork in aaron's office. you would never deprive yourself of being in his company - that was the first obvious reason you opted to work in there - but the occasional change of scenery was nice. it was much easier to tackle files, especially when caseloads were demanding and high in quantity, alongside aaron; making small talk, getting his seasoned input, a kiss or two if you were lucky. the setting also prevented the inevitable distraction of derek's humored remarks, usually leading into a conversation that was far from productive.

aaron sat behind his desk, while you were seated opposite of him. in the instances the two of you stayed behind after hours, your chair would join his, or you would simply end up on his lap. it wasn't very convenient with the limited space; it was uncomfortable yet comfortable at the same time. but just having aaron close, being able to hear his soft breaths and sighs as he worked, the warmth radiating off his body, sneaking more than just two kisses. it gave you a feeling you couldn't quite put into words.

it was crazy to think, that when you stepped into this office for the first time, ages ago, that you would end up here. with your boss of all people, who you loved more than anything.

a man you used to think had no emotion, but were granted the gift of being the only person he chose to reveal that side to.

however, and sadly, this wasn't after hours, so your current position was across him, scribbling away. as you finished writing a statement your pen quirked, slipping out of your fingers onto the floor. and while leaning over to the side to retrieve it, you and the chair completely tipped over.

your hands fanned out to break your fall, but unfortunately you reacted a bit too late- you still landed onto your right hand. hard.

intense pain shot right up your arm, the impact hot and immediately throbbing at your wrist, causing you to let out a small yelp, both from pain and the surprise.

"shit." aaron was on his feet just as fast as you fell, a few papers toppling off his desk in effect. "honey, are you alright?"

you didn't answer as you peered up at him, the expression on your face saying it all.

like him, you were stubborn. when injured, you would downplay it- insist you were fine, it wasn't as bad as it looked, all the usual excuses. but aaron knew you, so he knew the pain in your eyes.

he crouched besides you, reaching out for your hand hesitantly, raising his eyebrows in a silent question, may i?

you nodded your head in confirmation, and aaron picked up your hand at your wrist. his touch was gentle, but it still resulted in an immediate wince from yourself. the burn caused also tears to fill your eyes.

"can you move it?" aaron asked, his brown eyes lifting to meet your gaze.

"i think so?" you lied, not even bothering to try, your hand remaining limp in his. the swelling had already begun, your skin flamed with a vague blue faintly mixing in.

"shit." aaron swore again, a breath exiting his nose as your wrist changed colors right in front of his eyes. "well, it's best we get this looked at. and quickly. c'mon."

after helping you to your feet, holding onto your wrist firmly, but softly, aaron escorted you out into the bullpen.

"don't move it."

you began to quip back, "i'm not moving it-"

his tone was insistent, light. "yes you are."

"no, i'm not."

the exchange was on the playful side, but still weighed with concern. to aaron', you could get a paper cut and he'd be just as worried.

a few concerned heads poked up from their desks as the two of you passed, aaron pausing momentarily at the bullpen's kitchenette, still supporting your wrist. he stopped in front of the refrigerator, which luckily contained an ice pack in the freezer.

"keep this on, okay?" aaron quickly grabbed a paper towel, wrapping it around the frigid pack, slowly placing it against your wrist.

you winced again at the contact, but nodded as your hand laid overtop of his, taking over. the chill with the contrast of your hot skin was uncomfortable at first, but soothed the ache just a bit. the throbbing didn't falter, though.

-

at the ER, an x-ray confirmed a minor fracture, and soon enough, your wrist was bound and secured in a cast. the doctor mentioned physical therapy to restore motion and to regain strength, but that was a matter for the future.

"so i guess this means no hand to hand combat for me for a while, huh?" you stated once the two of you were in aaron's car.

"you got that right." aaron chuckled softly, reaching over you to buckle your seatbelt for you himself. "for the next five to six weeks," he pressed a kiss to your temple, "you're desk-ridden sweetheart."

"and can spencer do my paperwork?" you joked, but your right hand was your dominant one.

he started the car. "we'll see."

"morgan?"

"oh, definitely."

you laughed, "then one thing needs to be in order."

his arm rested on your seat briefly as he peered behind, backing out of the parking space. the sight caused butterflies to erupt in your stomach, he truly was too attractive for his own good. "and what's that?"

"you'll sign my cast, won't you?" you teased, your lips tugging into a smile.

aaron snorted a laugh. "sure. how about, aaron with some hearts?"

his suggestion was all play, teasing you right back. but in all honestly, if that's what you wanted, he'd do just that.

you rolled your eyes, his laugh making you forget any pain your hand still withheld. "just humor me, hotchner."

aaron grabbed onto your left hand, bringing it to his lips and placing a kiss on the back of your hand. "always."

[wordsaresimple-imnot]

Green Dress - Bill Guarnere x F!Reader

Summary: Easy Company hits the town for a much needed night of fun and relaxation in Paris. Reader, who's always in regular military wear and very tomboy, decides to dress up for the night and receives varying reactions from the boys.

Warnings: 18+ content, cursing, oral (f receiving), 1st person female POV (no use of y/n), I think that's it.

A/N: I have the biggest respect for the real life heroes of WWII (and all other wars, past & current), this work & all other works is based on the actor(s) and character(s) portrayed in the Band of Brothers series.

A/N pt2: This is my first time writing any type of explicit sexual scene, let me know what y'all think. As usual likes, comments, and reblogs give me love. Enjoy!!

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

I look at myself in the mirror and can't decide if I like what I see or should call the whole night off and stay in bed. I've styled my hair in a simple design, flowy but still away from my face. Light make-up highlights my eyes, cheeks and lips; just enough to make everything pop without being over the top. My hands run down my dress, picking away invisible lint. It's a deep, gorgeous green that almost shimmers in the light, falling just above my knee in a way that would cause outrage back home but is just this side of acceptable in Paris.

Ah, screw it. Let's have some fun. With a final twirl, I flash myself a smile and excite my hotel room to meet the guys downstairs. I stop briefly at the top of the stairs and look at the group waiting for me. We've been through a lot together; Toccoa, Sobel, jumping (literally) into Normandy, countless battles won and lost, losing fellow brother's, etc. Never once did they make me feel alienated or less than, each providing different facets of friendship and overall making a family.

In a weird way I was nervous to have them see me so feminine and semi dolled up. I've never wore anything other than the standard OD uniforms and was always down for "boy activities" in the down times. I was constantly referred to as "one of the boys" and never really cared until this moment. I was worried my effort would be turned into a joke. Just once I'd like them to see me as an actual woman. Well, at least one of them to anyways.

Just as I started my decent towards them, Luz catches sight of me and gives a loud whistle before beginning to clap. This catches the others attention and pretty soon the lobby is filled with whistles and claps until I reach the bottom of the stairs. I give them all an embarrassed smile, fully aware that my face is burning a deep red and I'm fighting the urge to run back upstairs and hide.

"Lookin' good kid!" Toye comes up and gives me a small kiss on my cheek, smiling as he motions for me to twirl around. I do a small spin, setting off the whistles and claps again.

"Oh, stop you hound dogs." I laugh lightly, waving my hands at them to quiet down.

"You knew a lady was underneath all those clothes and dirt." Luz shoots me a cheeky smile, grabbing my hand and giving it a kiss. I flip him off once he releases my hand, making him laugh. "There she is!"

"Alright let's get out of here, I'm dying for a drink." I start to make my way through the group to the exit. This causes a small, playful scuffle to erupt as some of the guys move towards me to grab my hand and be my escort. In the end Liebgott wins, shooting everyone a smile and me a wink. As we all spill out into the streets in search of the bar, my eyes briefly connect with Bill and I'm left wondering what's caused the frown on his face.

Two hours later, I'm on my fourth beer and loving the buzz I'm feeling. I've just finished another turn around the dance floor, being passed between Tab, Luz, Bull, and even Martin joined for a few beats. Needing to catch my breathe, I settle on a barstool and wait for my water to arrive. Before my water can get there, a few shadows come up to my side. Expecting it to be some of my group, I spin around with a wide smile and am met with three strangers faces.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were part of my Company." I give a small laugh, slightly embarrassed. The one closest to me just smiles and shakes his head slightly.

"No need to apologize ma'dam, if you'll have us we'd like to keep you company though." His English was nearly perfect, made sweeter by his French accent. What's the harm in a little flirting?

With a soft smile, I extend my hand out to them and give my name. They each take turns telling me theirs and giving my hand a kiss afterwards. While definitely being more flirty than I imagined they'd be, they were pleasant enough to talk to and even made me laugh a few times. When a new song started to play Pierre, the first one to speak to me, asks if I'd like to dance and I agree.

We are halfway through the song, having a really good time, when someone taps Pierre's shoulder. To my shock and confusion, there was Bill. He looks like he is holding himself back from killing Pierre, for what reason I have no clue.

"Mind if I cut in." It was a statement, flat out. No room for but's or giving a raincheck. I see Pierre is ready to go toe to toe with Bill, but that is a fight he'd never win and I don't want the night to turn sour.

I pat Pierre's shoulder and tell him it was alright and I've had a lovely time. He looks skeptical at Bill, but gave me a perfect smile mirroring my sentiments and gave my hand a final kiss as he walks back to his friends. Without wasting anytime, Bill grabs the hand that was just kissed and tugs me flush against him.

It takes a few seconds to get into a comfortable rhythm after that awkward start, whatever the hell that was, but we manage and are soon swaying between the other dancing partners. I was torn between reveling in the feeling of the heat of his hand on my waist and the skin to skin contact of our hands, and how confused and frustrated I am with how he acted.

"I don't know why you did that. Pierre was a nice guy." I speak low enough so the words stay just between us and can't float out to the Easy boys that seem to be watching us with barely concealed interest. They must have witnessed the exchange too.

Bill scoffs and his hand squeezes my waist for a half second. "Pierre. What kinda name is that for a man. Fucking French." I shoot him a small glare.

"Don't be rude. He was a gentleman." Bill rolls his eyes at me then spins me out then back in.

"Gentleman my ass. He was only interested in getting to know you because you're looking like a lady."

His words turn my body into stone and I frown up at him. "Looking like... Fuck you." I rip my hand out his and push him slightly, it doesn't do more than make him shuffle his feet but it's definitely got his attention.

"What the hell is your problem?" His jaw is set and his eyes are burning daggers at me.

"My problem? I don't have a problem. What's your problem? I'm not some dumb little girl that doesn't know what men are like. I know he was flirting with me, hoping for me to go off with him. He wasn't going to get anything, but guess what...I liked the attention! I liked having someone notice that I'm a woman and reminding me that I can be desirable. I'm not just looking like a lady, I am a damn lady you asshole." With a final shove, I turn on my heel and leave the bar before him or anyone else can try and stop me.

I'm halfway down the street, heading to the hotel, when I hear someone jogging behind me. I decide to ignore them and pray it's someone wanting to get someplace fast and not actually coming to talk to me or convince me to come back. Sadly, my prayers are not answered as a hand grabs hold of my elbow spins me around. I'm once again face to face with Bill.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore." I growl out, trying to yank my arm back to no avail.

"You don't gotta talk, just listen. I need to set some things straight." He's using his stern, Sergeant voice, and normally that'd have me blushing but I'm too angry for it to have it's usual effect on me right now.

"No thanks, I've heard enough for the evening." I make another attempt to pull my arm out, but he just pulls me closer and wraps his arms around me arms and waist, pining me against him. All I can do is glare.

Bill scans the sidewalk and road quickly, slightly nodding to himself as he makes some internal decision and lifts me off the ground, walking us a little ways into an alley to our right. We are far enough in that no one can stumble upon us easily but we can still get some of the street light so it's not pitch black.

"What the hell Bill? Have you become a psycho killer?" I push a little away from him, but that only presses me against the alley wall. He uses this to his advantage by taking a step forward, caging me between him and the wall. My brain short circuits a little at being so close to him.

"You're wrong." When he doesn't immediately continue, I raise an eyebrow hoping to encourage him to elaborate. After a few more seconds he continues. "We know you're a lady. The whole damn battalion knows you're a lady. Wearing OD's doesn't hide the shape of your ass when you bend over to help with the car engines or the outline of your breasts when you take your jacket off to cool down. All you have to do is glance around and you'll see the boys drooling all over themselves staring at you." His hand lands on my hip and squeezes. Hard.

I have to take a few deep breathes to steady myself before formulating a response. "If that's true, then what was the big deal about those guys flirting with me tonight?"

"Because they don't know what everyone in the battalion knows. You're my girl. It's one thing to have the boys dance with you or give you compliments, they'd never cross that line or I'd kill 'em. Those French twats wanted to cross that line." I barely registered anything after his declaration: my girl. His girl.

"You're girl?" My words come out in a whisper. Bill's face finally starts to soften and an easy smile starts to spread across his face.

"You really are oblivious. It's the worst kept secret in Easy Company. You drive me fucking crazy, sweetheart. Gorgeous, funny, sweet, and just the right mixture of feminine and tomboy. Everything I've ever dreamed of. And you're wrapped up like a damn present in this dress and I've been dying to get it open all night." By the time he's done speaking his mouth is a hairs breathe away from mine, eyes searching mine for any sign of rejection.

All words have left me so I decide to respond with action and close the distance between us. What starts out as gentle and timid, quickly transforms to rough and frenzied. Bill gives my bottom lip a bite, causing me to gasp and allowing him access into my mouth. I don't bother putting up a fight, I'm putty in his arms and give him full dominance. The hand not squeezing my hip so hard I know there will be some type of bruise, grasps the back of my neck and angles my head to the side to give him better access.

My hands have made their way up his chest, to his shoulders, and finally still with one in his hair and the other at the back of his neck. When the need for air becomes to much for me, I turn my head slightly to the side and break the kiss. Bill's breathing just as heavily as I am, but doesn't stop his assault. He moves my head again and starts trailing kisses up and down my neck, alternating between nips and licks based on my reactions. When he hits a particular sweet spot, I can feel him grin before biting there again hard enough to leave a mark.

"Fuck." I moan out, scratching the back of his neck. "That's gonna be hard to hide." With a final kiss on the new mark, Bill lifts his head to meet my eyes. His eyes are dark with lust and he can't stop smiling.

"That's the point, sweetheart." I roll my eyes at him, but smile back.

"If you get to mark me, I think it's only fair I get to mark you."

"Baby, you can do whatever you want to me. I'm yours." His voice is so deep, it makes my legs shake and I'm instantly happy I have that wall to hold me.

"I think you owe me an apology for what you said to me at the bar before I decide what I wanna do you with you." I mean more as a joke, but he seems to really be thinking about. Before I can reassure him that I'm not upset anymore, he gives me a kiss that has me seeing stars.

Before it leads to another make-out session, Bill breaks away from my mouth, trails kisses down the other side of my neck and then suddenly drops to his knees in front of me.

"What are you doing?" The situation wasn't bad enough to do this.

"I'm apologizing." Bill's eyes are so dark they could pass for solid black and his voice is deep and sensual. My response is cut short as I feel his hands run up my legs, going under my dress and grasp my thighs. With a smirk, he slowly finishes his trek to my underwear and starts pulling them down.

"Bill." I don't know if I say his name to make him stop or because I'm praising him. Either way, I have nothing to follow it up with. He keeps his eyes on me as I shift my feet helping him get my underwear completely off, noticing that he stuffs them in his pocket.

"Just lean back and enjoy baby. Be a good girl and hold this for me." He pushes my dress up to my waist, waiting for me to take hold of it. Good girl, Jesus.

"Sir, yes, sir." I take note of the tightening of his jaw and how his eyes somehow become even darker. There's something to explore later.

Bill grabs hold of my thigh and drapes it over his shoulder, trailing soft kisses on the inside. As he gets closer to my center, he bites and sucks a mark just for us to know about. A small moan escapes and my unoccupied hand lands in his hair. Before the sting has completely faded from his bite, I'm taken over by the sensation of his tongue gliding through my folds.

The only sounds to be heard is our combined groans, my heavy breathing, and his tongue working me like a man starved. His hand not holding my thigh in a death grip, maneuvers around to spread me more open for him and I nearly pass out when he sucks on my clit. I yank on his hair which only seems to spur him on as he starts starts alternating between licking and sucking.

The only words I seem to be able to say is his name and fuck. As my approach to my orgasm comes closer, I'm able to mumble out that I'm close. Bill tabs my thigh to make me look down at him and I nearly cum at the sight.

"Let go, sweetheart. That's an order. Cum. Now." His words, combined with the determined look on his face and a final hard suck on my clit has me falling over the edge chanting his name over and over again.

Bill doesn't let up as my orgasm washes over me, licking and drinking up my release until I start to whimper at the overstimulation. Slowly he places my thigh back on the ground, gently stroking my legs, and tugs my dress back down to cover me again. My hands grip his shoulders as he stands back up and I take in the sight of him. Hair completely wrecked from my fingers, face red from his efforts, breathing heavy and looking like he might drop to knee's to do it all over again.

I grab his jacket and pull him flush against me, kissing him with all the strength I have. He returns the kiss with as much force and pulls my thigh up around his hip, making our hips meet. I moan into the kiss at the feeling of his erection so close to my center and roll my hips to grind against him.

"If you don't stop that, we won't make it back to the hotel." Bill growls between kisses.

"Then you better get us there quickly." I give his lip a quick bite, before a laugh slips out at how fast he starts pulling by the hand back to the sidewalk and towards the hotel.

I think I'll wear this dress more often.

[yxngbxkkie]

off limits (h.h)

skz racing series is back! apologies for being all over the place. 😅 i hope you guys enjoy this and let me know who you'd like to see next! we've got channie, felix, jeongin, and hannie 🥰

feedback is greatly appreciated 💓

You're walking into the elevator with your father and his assistant, Choi. After the doors close, Choi glances towards your father and clears his throat. "I hate to ruin a good mood, sir," he begins, gaining both of your attention. "But, there was another race last night."

Race? "Are you sure?" Your father asks, and Choi nods. You watch the two interact with one another. Choi shows him photos on his phone, causing the older man to scoff. "I'm tired of these damn kids."

The elevator stops gradually before the metal doors open. Both of them allow you to walk out first. You keep your mouth shut until it's just you and your father. You walk outside of your father's company building and turn to face him.

"What's he talking about?" You ask him with a raised brow. "Are you doing some sort of fundraiser?"

He laughs loudly. "No, I'm not," he says while leading you down the steps. "It's nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart."

"Are you sure? I don't have to worry about you, do I?" You ask him, wagging your finger in front of him.

"You don't need to worry," he smiles before draping an arm around you. "Your old man has control of everything."

You lean into his side, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Okay, good. Sometimes, I worry about you," you sigh, gliding your hand up and down his back.

"I know, sweetheart. I'm fine though. I promise you," he reassures you the best he can, squeezing your shoulder gently. "What are you doing today? Hopefully not spending it all with me. Your old man's quite boring."

A giggle leaves your lips, and you shake your head. "No, I thought about going to the art museum today. I haven't been in a while," you mention to him.

"That should be fun! Going by yourself or with some friends?"

"Just by myself. None of my friends are interested in art," you tell him with a laugh. "I prefer going alone anyway."

He walks you to the sleek black car before opening the back passenger door. "Are you going there now? Do you need any money?" Your father asks, reaching for his wallet.

"No, no, no," you stop him, your hand catching his wrist. "I already have tickets. I don't need anything, dad."

"Okay, fine. Have fun, okay?"

You nod your head and place a kiss on his cheek. You bid each other goodbye before you slip into the backseat of the vehicle.

The drive from your father's company to the art museum is about half an hour. You thank the driver after exiting the vehicle. You fish your phone out from your jacket, pulling up the electronic ticket.

You greet the person sitting in the admissions booth, showing the young woman your phone screen. She scans the ticket before motioning towards the entrance.

"Enjoy the exhibit," she politely mentions, waving her hand.

"Thank you!" You nod your head with a smile.

You feel a little giddy as you make your way inside. It's been a couple of months since you've been able to come here. Work has been extremely busy, leaving you with very little free time.

You admire each art piece for about five minutes. Taking in every detail and brush stroke you can find. You take pictures of your favorites, quickly checking the quality of it afterward.

When you move on to the next piece, you keep your eyes on your phone. You noticed a text from one of your friends and decided to answer her while walking.

A gasp leaves your lips as your body collides into someone else. You reach a hand out, steadying yourself while keeping the stranger standing upright. "I'm so sorry," you apologize, lifting your head to look at them.

"It's okay," the man laughs, resting one of his hands on top of yours. "Are you okay?"

You nod your head in response. He's so handsome. You think to yourself. His eyes drift from your eyes to your hand, and that's currently still gripping his jacket. You squeal in embarrassment, dropping your hand to your sides.

"Goodness, I'm sorry," you apologize again while tucking some hair behind your ear. "I didn't hurt you, right?"

The dark-haired man shakes his head, continuing to smile brightly at you. "No, I'm good. My name's Hyunjin," he introduces himself, bowing slightly before holding his hand out to you.

"Hyunjin," you repeat with a smile. You bow as well, telling him your name. You shake his hand afterward, the coolness of his rings shocking you slightly. "It's nice to meet you. Do you come here often?"

"I try to, yeah," he nods. The two of you start walking together. "I paint myself, so I come here as much as I can."

"You paint?" Your eyes lit up at the news, getting excited. "Do you have any pictures? I'd love to see!"

He bashfully laughs, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. "I-I do, yeah," Hyunjin stutters over his words. "They're not as good as these, though."

You smile up at him. "I'm sure they are, Hyunjin," you reassure him, bouncing on your heels.

He pulls up a picture on his phone, showing you a picture of an elderly couple. You gasp, subconsciously taking the phone from his hands. You zoom in on the photo, taking it all in.

"Hyunjin, this is absolutely amazing," you tell him truthfully, keeping your eyes on the photo.

"Thank you. That means a lot," he says with warm cheeks. He takes his phone back from you, slipping it into his back pocket. "What about you? Do you paint? Or draw?"

You hiss and cover your face. "See, you think I would, but unfortunately, I don't," you sigh in defeat. "I was not blessed with art skills. I just really enjoy looking at it."

"I'm sure you're not terrible," Hyunjin mentions while nudging your arm. You scoff jokingly, lifting your head to meet his eyes. "I can teach you if you want."

"Can I make one request for that?" You ask, biting your lip. When Hyunjin nods his head yes, your stomach fills with butterflies. "Can it be a date?"

His dark eyes widen at your request, and you notice his cheeks reddening. "Y-Yeah," he agrees.

You grab your phone from your jacket, opening up a new contact before handing it to him. Hyunjin looks down at your phone, slowly taking it into his hands. He types in his contact information and hands it back to you.

"Let me just," you cut yourself off, texting him so he has your number as well. You lock your phone afterward, shoving it back where it was. "Text me whenever you're free, okay?"

Hyunjin nods his head, a smile coming to his plump lips. "Feel free to text me whenever," he adds on as the two of you start walking in opposite directions.

"I will. You do the same," you wave to him, rounding a corner after. You stop after taking a few steps, resting your back against the white wall. You release a sigh and smile widely. "He's so cute."

You shake your head while pushing yourself off the wall, continuing your path through the art museum. As you look at many more amazing paintings, you couldn't help but wonder if you'll see Hyunjin again soon.

-

"I appreciate your help, sweetheart. I didn't realize the trip would take this long," your father mentions, his voice echoing off the walls of his office.

He's currently in Japan on a business trip, and originally, he's supposed to be back today. The flight he's scheduled for is delayed, causing a few meetings to be behind schedule.

"It's no problem, dad," you laugh while picking up your phone, staring at his contact photo. "I need to go. It's getting late, and I don't feel like walking home in the dark."

"Alright, I'll let you go. Message me when you get home, okay?" He asks, hearing a hint of worry in his voice.

"Of course. If it gets too dark I'll catch an Uber," you reassure him, hovering your finger over the disconnect button. "Love you."

Your father bids you goodnight, making sure to let you know that he loves you too. Both of you hang up, and you set your phone down onto his desk. You swivel in his office chair, looking out the large windows.

"Man, it's getting pretty dark pretty fast," you mention to yourself. You remind yourself to call an Uber before leaving the building.

Your gaze moves down the window, noticing the parking lot across the street is filled with sports cars. You raise an eyebrow as you spot the group of people surrounding some of the vehicles.

A hum leaves your lips, and you turn back towards the desk. You decide to head out for the day, logging out of your father's computer. You clean up his desk before standing up, sliding your phone into your pocket.

It takes you a couple of minutes to get down to the lobby, growing shocked that no one's here. A shiver runs down your spine, finding it odd to walk through a dimly lit lobby. You walk out of the company building, the voices from the parking lot of cars getting louder.

"It's packed over there," you say to yourself, making your way across the street.

You walk past dozens of cars as you head towards your favorite convenience store. A familiar figure walks past one of the vehicles, causing you to stop in your tracks.

Your lips part in surprise as you see Hyunjin walking with another guy. You never would've guessed that he'd be at one of these, let alone own a sports car. His eyes end up meeting yours, and you quickly look away.

"Shit," you curse to yourself and quickly walk towards the store.

A hand wraps around your wrist, stopping you from going any further. "Y/N, hi," Hyunjin greets you, shifting his position so he's standing in front of you.

"Hey, Hyunjin," you smile at him, feeling his thumb stroking your wrist.

"Do you work out here?" He asks you, wondering why you're out so late. You furrow your brows at his question. Hyunjin motions his head towards your father's building. "I saw you walk out of that corporate building."

You glance over your shoulder, noticing that you can see the lobby doors from here. "Uh, not exactly. My dad… owns it," you tell him slowly. "He's stuck in Japan, so I had to take care of a couple of his appointments."

"Your dad owns that building?" He asks with wide eyes, a low wow escaping his lips afterward.

"Yeah, it's alright," you shrug your shoulders, tucking some hair behind your ear. "Hey, actually, can I ask you something?"

Hyunjin nods his head, waiting for you to continue.

"The other day, he was talking to his assistant, and they mentioned a race happening near here. Would you happen to know about that?"

"Ah," he laughs, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, we race here."

"You race?" You ask in disbelief.

The black-haired man nods his head in answer before grabbing your hand. Your heart flutters in your chest when his fingers lace yours, leading you towards the parking lot.

"Wait, where are we going?" You mumble, almost tripping over your own feet.

"I want to show you my car," he says while glancing back at you. "Since you can't seem to believe I street race."

A scoff leaves your lips as the two of you weave through the crowd of people. You apologize to some after bumping into them. You tighten your grip on Hyunin's hand, jogging a little so you can grab a hold of the back of his shirt.

He stops and checks on you. "Are you okay?" Hyunjin asks, glancing around.

"Yeah, I just don't want to lose you," you mention loud enough for him to hear.

He squeezes your hand before continuing to tug you along. "I'm right here," he reassures you.

You bite your lip as the temptation to kiss him becomes evident. Hyunjin stops in front of an orange vehicle, pointing at it with his free hand.

"This is mine," he grins. "Isn't she a beaut?"

"I like the color. It's my favorite actually," you tell him with a laugh, looking over the sports car.

His smile turns into a smirk, and he leans against it. "Oh, yeah? Will that give me an advantage if I ask you out?" Hyunjin asks.

"What?!" Your breath hitches in your throat as you look into his brown eyes.

"Are you surprised?"

You nodded your head, subconsciously bringing a hand to the tip of your ear. "A little bit, yeah. I just didn't expect it," you chuckle nervously.

Hyunjin laughs again as he glances down at your conjoined hands. "You were the one that asked for a date," he mentions with a raised brow.

"I know that, but I didn't think you'd actually want to," you hide your face with your free hand.

He squeezes your hand gently and smiles fondly at you. "You're really pretty, and I would love to get to know you more," Hyunjin says, rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb.

"You're like every girl's dream guy," you laugh, shaking your head as you continue to feel embarrassed.

Hyunjin chuckles, combing his fingers through his hair. "Including you?"

You press your lips together, turning your head to look away from him. "Yeah," you whisper loud enough for him to hear.

He releases your hand, bringing both of his hands to your cheeks. Hyunjin makes you look at him, his dark eyes staring into yours. Your breath hitches in your throat when he leans closer to you.

Your eyes flutter shut as his nose brushes against yours. He lifts your head slightly, leaning in further to kiss you. Before Hyunjin's lips meet yours, your phone rings from inside your pocket.

"Shit," you gasp and abruptly pull away from him. You fish your phone out from your pocket, seeing your father calling. You meet Hyunjin's eyes and hold up a finger. You answer the phone, pressing the device against your ear. "Hey, dad."

"Hi, sweetheart. Did you already leave the office?" He asks kind of erratically.

"Yeah, why? Are you okay?" You question him, turning your back towards Hyunjin.

He doesn't answer you right away, hearing him saying something incoherently to someone else. "Yeah, I'm okay. I was just informed about a race happening, and I wanted to make sure you weren't there," your father mentions, and your eyes widen.

"Yeah, I already left," you lie to him, running a hand through your hair. "You don't need to worry, okay?"

Your father releases a sigh into the phone receiver. "I know. I just don't want you mixed in with that," he mentions. You look back at Hyunjin, seeing his eyes glued to his phone. "We're now boarding the plane. Let's get some food when I get back, okay?"

A chuckle leaves your lips, and you nod your head. "Of course, dad. I'll see you when you get home," you mentioned before the two of you bid each other goodbye.

You turn to face Hyunjin again and he locks his phone, giving you his attention. "Everything okay?" He asks you.

"Yeah, yeah," you breathe out, providing a small smile.

He tilts his head to the side. "Are you sure? You look a little worried," he tells you with furrowed brows.

"My dad," you start, pausing for a quick second, "he doesn't want me around this." You motion to all the street racing cars.

Hyunjin's smile drops from his lips. "Ah, I see. What do you want?" He asks you, taking a step closer to you.

"I want to see you race," you whisper to him, looking up at him through your lashes. "I'd also really like to kiss you."

The smile returns to his lips, and he brings his hand back to your cheek. "You should ride with me," he says while stroking your skin.

"I should?"

He nods his head before connecting your lips with his. Your heart pounds against your chest, bringing your hands to his chest. You kiss him back, gently gripping the shirt he's wearing.

"Hyunjin!" Someone shouts his name, causing the two of you to pull away. Both of you look in the direction of the voice, seeing the guy he was walking with earlier. "Race starts in five!"

"Okay," he tells him with a thumbs up. The man pats Hyunjin on his back, and Hyunjin turns back to face you. "Ready, angel?"

You release a deep breath as others around you start getting into their vehicles. You nod your head in answer. "Ready as I will be."

~

tagging: @thewxntersoldier @reddesert-healourblues @spacegirlstuff @moon0fthenight @foxinnie8 @like-a-diamondinthesky @luckieleaf @stayconnecteed @tiaxa @yoonrimin @sunny-future @daysofskz-ateez @endzii23 @sweetbutpsychovalkyrie @bunnies-only @sleepyleeji @hhwangsmoon

[duchess-of-lara]

What do you recommend doing in Paris? I’m going for a week in March and am working on my itinerary!

This is so embarrassing late, but I hope you can forgive me and that people may find it useful!

First of all, my biggest recommendation: research, research and research!! And not just the weather or the hotel, find everything that Paris has to offer and think carefully about what you will enjoy the most and how to do it. For example, if I had known that Notre Dame was so close to being reopened we would have gone next summer.

Now we can start with my biggest disappointment:

❌ THE LOUVRE!!! You hear it constantly but it really is humongous, AND very difficult to navigate! If you can splurge on it get a guide or do it with a tour. You might think that you want to explore it on your own, but trust me, you don't! I almost had a panic attack trying to find the exit. I genuinely did not enjoy it. I really would recommend getting a guide or making an extremely detailed plan on how you want to visit it and what you want to see. Trust me you just can't do it all. I did love seeing the Niké of Samothrace and for some reason I was extremely enchanted by Marie Antoinette's picnic set. I can't really think of anything else that I enjoyed besides the jewellery gallery. I have said this to my friends and family, if they are visiting Paris and they don't have much time or aren't super interested in seeing something there... They have my permission to skip it.

On with what I enjoyed (everything else!!):

💜 Saint Chapelle 😍😍😍 Absolute must, it's really a 30min max visit in my opinion and it could be cheaper but it's absolutely worth it!!! Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous, don't skip it.

🔵 Boat ride on the Seine: it's ok, but not a must imo, it fills time but I feel like you're just going to see the same sights walking around all week (If you want to do something like that a dinner on a boat might be cooler).

💛 The lights on the Effiel Tower ✨✨✨ So worth it, so enchanting, just... Hearing that collective "OHH". We had to wait almost 40 minutes until 11PM because we had missed it and it was so so worth it. I'd recommend getting there a bit sooner and choose from where you want to see it. We were at the Champs the Mars, super close to the tower and I really liked it there.

🤍 Montmartre: very cute but I would explore it on my own, we were on a free walking tour and the guide was SO depressing, she kept going on and on about the miserable lifes of the artists of the Boheme (which I get it's a big part of Montmartre, but she seriously only talked about death for two hours and I don't feel like I saw any cute streets!!) Sacre Coeur is beautiful and free so don't miss it, the queue is long but quick.

🤎 OPERA GARNIER 😍😍😍 It's another thing that could be cheaper but SO WORTH IT, my mother was super impressed by it, we kept saying "oooohhh" all the time. There will be loads of people in your pictures though, so be patient to get a good one or go super early.

🟢 Galeries Lafayette: beautiful place to just take a break and look at the Chaumet jewellery you're not going to buy. The rooftop is nice and the only place with a free panoramic view of Paris but it's far from the best one (It's the only one we did because my mother has brutal vertigo so I can't recommend others sorry). Staff was rude though!!

💙 Latin Quartet: gorgeous, we did it with the best guide I've ever had so I found it very interesting, I actually thought the Shakespeare and Company was a tourist trap and I ended up almost crying after he told us the story about it (the original one and the current). The Luxembourg Gardens are GORGEOUS, and I'm not someone who really likes parks or gardens but there's something about it! While you're at the Latin Quarter PLEASE!!! Don't skip on Saint Suplice!! It looks very rough on the outside and it's not perfect on the inside either but it was such a delightful surprise! I still think about the virgin Mary on the altar, it looked like she was in a cloud, I had never seen anything like it. We didn't see Saint Germain des Prés because I didn't know it existed, but they are very close, so do both!! (Both are free by the way!!)

⚪ Le Arc the Triumph: I mean it's there? It's big? It's a beautiful end to le champs-élysées? Nothing more to add 😅 Oh, don't be an idiot like me looking for the way to cross, there's a very obvious subterranean access that I completely mistook for the metro. If my mother didn't have vertigo it's probably the place I would have liked to go up and take pictures, but I thought it was quite expensive.

🩶 Museum d'orsay: I thought it was very good, it's definitely a beautiful place and nicely organised museum, nothing like the Louvre, it was a breeze doing it..... But you have to like impressionism and post impressionism. I don't love it, though it was nice seeing lots of paintings you've seen in history classes, and there were some Pre-Raphaelites that I really like and didn't know were there. There's also lots of Rodin, and if you don't like him like me you won't feel guilty by skipping his museum. Basically, a nice two/two and a half long hours museum, not super expensive, but check to see if you would even enjoy it.

💖💖💖 VERSAILLES 💖💖💖 Oh boy did I LOVE IT!!!! Such a cliché but it really is so beautiful!!! We changed plans once we were in Paris from guided gardens and audio guide interiors to fully guided after the disaster with the Louvre and I'm so glad we did. I would have loved to stay a full day there but we didn't have time. The gardens really impressed me, more than the interiors, which surprised me a lot! I would have loved to see the petit Trianon as well but it was very easy to get there by public transport.

✅ Hotels: I'm extremely happy with my choice and I was very worried because you hear constantly that Paris hotel rooms are terrible but we stayed HERE and I thought it had a fantastic value for money.

☑️ Restaurants: honestly we had so little time that we skipped lunch one day and the rest was very much wherever. But I had researched two places and they ended up being quite good:

Le Mistral: Literally eating looking at the Seine for 17euros the menu???? And the food was very good????? I still can't believe this place existed. Also the staff was super friendly. A normal nice place that had good food and amazing location.

Chez Pippo: Not french but a really good Italian place not super expensive super close to the Eiffel Tower, it seemed like a nice restaurant that People who live in Paris actually go to.

Hopefully this helped. But if anyone has any questions please ask me or feel free to add anything I might have missed ❤️❤️❤️

Also!!! We only went for basically two and a half days and I would really recommend at least 5 if you're only going to it once in your life (living in Spain I know that I can go back any long weekend if I want to, but keep that in mind if it's the journey of a lifetime).

[drearycrow]

༺ꔛ❀🦝❀ꔛ༻

Plague doctor! Poe x reader

The town has been taken over by the plague. Despite all the efforts to treat and isolate the infected, most of the residents died. The town is empty besides the very few people that were lucky enough to avoid the plague. People are trying to scrape by with whatever food is left over. No merchants have visited the town due to the outbreak.

You wash the dirty clothes in the bucket and put an effort into getting rid of the stains from treating the infected. Your mentor, Edgar Allan Poe took you under his wing before the plague started. He has taught you everything about treating people for their injuries and ailments. You two have been working hard to treat everyone and find a cure. Poe exits the cottage to look for you. "Ah there you are! I need your help with something." You sigh from exhaustion and hang the wet clothes on the hanger. "What do you need help with?" You wipe your hands on your apron to dry them off. "I think I'm close to finding a breakthrough with this disease." Before you could say anything, Poe drags you into your shared cottage. A blush creeps up on your cheeks when he holds your hand. Poe leads you into his work area. There are books and papers scattered about on the table. Karl wakes up from his nap when he hears the door slam shut. He walks up to Poe and climbs to sit on his shoulder. "So I think I may know how the plague is spreading." Poe rambles for an hour talking about how it spreads through the fleas from rats. He shows you papers of medicine that he made that are effective with treating the symptoms. You stare at him with awe as he excitedly tells you about his breakthroughs. Your heart flutters when Poe talks about his current projects or books he is writing.

You help Poe with cooking food for the night. He stirs the soup and tastes it occasionally. He turns to you holding the spoon in his hand. "Can you do a taste test for me please? I want to make sure I didn't over-season it." He holds to spoon out for you to take. You drink the soup and your eyes sparkle. "This is delicious!" Poe smiles at you when he sees your reaction to the soup. "I'm glad you enjoy it dear." You start to blush when he calls you dear. He's never once called you dear until now. You quickly turn your head away to hide your flustered face. "Um is the food ready?" You speak softly to him. "Mhm it's ready now so dig in."

The two of you sit across from each other on the dinner table. Karl is sitting on your lap eating berries from a bowl. The three of you eat in silence enjoying each other's company. Once dinner is over, you go to your shared bedroom. You put on a night gown to sleep in. Poe enters the bedroom shortly after you, carrying Karl in his arms like a baby. Poe sets Karl down on the bed next to you and lays down. It's been awkward having to share a bed since your previous home burned down. Poe pulls the blanket to cover all three of you to stay warm. Poe wraps his arms around you hugging you tightly. Karl curls up with you in your arms. As you close your eyes, you hear Poe mutter something. "I love you my dear."

༺ꔛ❀🦝❀ꔛ༻

[herearedragons]

Fan Work Friday

I was tagged for this by @greypetrel a While ago, so! Time to do another rec post.

Rules: If you’re tagged, MAKE A NEW POST and showcase one fanartist or fanfic you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next! Don’t forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in!

(I'm bending the rules again and doing A Bunch of fic recs instead of one)

Tagging: everyone tagged in this post, and also @solas-backpack-mug @layalu @ndostairlyrium @apeirotilio if any of you feel like making a rec post!

Fanartist: @bragganhyl (Pillars of Eternity fanart)

I found this piece again yesterday and I still think it's really cool. I haven't seen a lot of fanart of Maerwald, so it's cool to see him represented, and it's really cool to see all three Watchers lined up like that, with all of their respective Themes and Symbols. Just. Idk, Watchers are cool, and this art made me appreciate that a little more.

Fanfic #1: The Way The Story Goes by @dragonologist-phd (Pillars Of Eternity)

The prince was born with a dragon. Dragons and the reasoning behind them were something of a mystery in the kingdom. Nobody knew where they came from, or why the hatchlings only appeared in the company of newborn royalty. Nobody knew how they picked their companions. None of these questions were all that important, in the end. What mattered was that there were certain types of stories that started with a dragon, and there was a way these stories were supposed to go. The king and queen turned their backs for one minute, and suddenly there was a tiny, iridescent dragon curled up next to their son in his crib. That was the beginning of the story.

A Pillars of Eternity fairytale AU where Iselmyr is a dragon and Aloth is her prince. It's a cute take on these two and I had fun reading it, so now I'm inflicting this fic on you all! If you're in a mood for a fun one-shot, I definitely recommend it.

Fanfic #2: In Lothering by @heniareth (Dragon Age: Origins)

“Now, now, is that a way to answer a friendly greeting?” The bandit captain clicked his tongue as his men tightened their ranks behind him. “A simple ten silver and you’re free to move. Not so bad, eh?” Astala smiled. There was no way in the Void these shem would squeeze several months’ worth of rent out of them.

I'm slowly making my way through this fic!! I really like how it slows down and lingers on all the small problems the DA:O party faces in the early stages of their travel, and the different perspectives they all have on these problems. If you like stories that combine great characterization with attention to Logistics and the practical side of adventuring, you're going to have fun reading this one.

Fanfic #3: the cracked and the cared for by @curiouslavellan (Dragon Age: Inquisition)

Risk was mitigated through planning. He picked this room just for the fact that it had so many possible exits. He kept so many different weapons close to hand to give himself options. He had been trained to wake at the slightest indication of danger, and to respond in the same moment. No one would be sneaking up on him here and living through the attempt.  Bull knew all of this. None of it made him feel any better at the moment. None of it helped him sleep. He didn’t think he could bring himself to take up any of the weapons. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get his head around fighting hand-to-hand in time. Retreating would be easier to handle, mentally, but every time he moved more than an inch, Halveri made this pitiful little whimper that he couldn't stand. So he just went still again and tried not to think about the fact that the most magical person he had ever seen in his life was currently asleep on his chest.

I read this fic A While ago, but I reread it recently and, yup. It's still good. I don't know what is it, but the Bull POV in this fic is just really fun to read: it's the perfect balance of doubt and strategizing and picking his own brain apart and the vulnerability of being attached to the Inquisitor and. AAAAA. anyway, it's a good fic, I recommend it if you're in the mood for a character study that makes you Feel Things.

Fanfic #4: THE FURY OF A SHATTERED MIRROR by ASpooky (Disco Elysium x Slay The Princess)

YOU - How did I get here? THE NARRATOR - You walked, I presume. You've probably come a very long way and endured quite a number of trials to get here, but given the magnitude of the task still left before you, it won't do to get cold feet now. You can take a well-deserved rest after you slay her. ENDURANCE [Easy: Success] - You *aren't* tired. Not even a little. You could run a couple miles right now without breaking a sweat. PAIN THRESHOLD [Medium: Success] - Even at a jog, the worst you should feel through the thin haze of painkillers is a dull ache. It's probably not a good idea to start running on a bum leg, but when has that ever stopped you before? PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT - There's still time. The sun hasn't risen yet, which means you can get in back-to-back morning jogs if you start *NOW*.

I actually don't know if this fanfic needs a recommendation because apparently it's so popular that at least one (1) youtube video was made about it, but I've been reading it and I want to talk about it, so in the rec list it goes.

If you have even a surface level familiarity with Disco Elysium and Slay The Princess, I recommend checking this out. The amount of attention of detail and effort that has gone into this fic is amazing and it's really clear why it's so beloved. The fic uses a CSS theme that looks like the Disco Elysium UI, and the author has gone the extra mile to play with the layout in pretty fun ways when it comes to the Disco Elysium voices-in-your-head and the StP voices-in-your-head interacting. And I haven't even said anything about the writing yet, but the writing is also really good. The character voices are great, the jokes land, and the story is really interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

[batsplat]

thoughts on the latest casey interview? it’s so funny because I keep seeing people posting different excerpts of it on here depending on which guy they like lol

well, first off, this is how I found out there IS a new casey interview. I did have a quick dig around whether I could un-paywall the original but. no luck. so I'm basing this on the write up in mowmag - which passes the test in that, unlike certain websites, it actually addresses multiple things casey said on different topics. so hopefully isn't just the most clickbait-y material and is a relatively exhaustive summary of the stuff he said. no cherry picking on THIS blog

anyway, my main takeaway is that it's probably for the best that the casey/valentino relationship doesn't get TOO warm, because if you ever put these two on a podcast together the resulting material could level continents. I still stand by my belief that these two could have co-hosted an all time great conspiracy theorist youtube show in another life. what a pair of guys

my other takeaway is that, despite working for them as a test rider AND a rider coach, casey still very obviously has NOT forgiven ducati. the grudges he's airing by proxy in this interview!! spectacular. with all athletes but ESPECIALLY casey, it's always healthy practise to just keep in mind the actual context of their careers when reading their mouthing off about the current sport. because sometimes they will be fighting yesterday's battles... this is a man who still has enough bones to pick with motogp to disassemble the whole skeleton

I'll follow the order of the interview provided by the mowmag piece:

“I know the company,” says Stoner, referring to Ducati and answering a direct question about the possibility that in Borgo Panigale they might decide to ‘sabotage’ Martin’s eventual victory, “and I know what they are willing to do to win. I’m surprised I haven’t seen it before, or maybe it happened and Jorge was good at overcoming it ” In short, Stoner goes so far as to say that Ducati might have already put a spoke in Martin’s wheels, but that the young Spaniard was still able to be stronger than any obstacles created. With Ianieri pointing out to the Australian, however, how much Dall’Igna insisted that it will be real sport and there will be no games. “That’s what Gigi thinks. But then there’s Ducati and they don’t want to see the number one go. But everyone is watching them very carefully, if they make a mistake like that we’ll see it. If they create a problem it will backfire on them. I hope that everything goes smoothly and that we can see the real world champion.”

do you know what an absolute nightmare it would be if martin has a mechanical dnf in the catalunya ii sunday race. something which can of course HAPPEN, pecco's had more mechanical gremlins than jorge this year. but obviously that wouldn't stop anyone from losing their minds

this is just so extremely casey. I laughed when I read it. of course he's been thinking about how ducati will probably sabotage martin since jorge's exit to aprilia was announced. of course he thinks ducati would pull off something shady to keep the number one plate in house. I love the idea that ducati HAS been sabotaging jorge but they've just been like, extremely shit at it. look at him saying that he KNOWS ducati and thinks they SUCK... an opinion he is completely justified in holding - ducati did not do right by him in 2009, and those wounds also still show in some of his other responses in this interview. but, y'know. if ducati was going to sabotage jorge, quite frankly they would already have done so. it's just a little late for this, isn't it. what are they even going to DO, stick a pin in jorge's tyres?

readers familiar with casey's oeuvre should be drawing a fairly obvious parallel at this stage - given that this is not the first time casey has dabbled in a light dash of conspiracism where title deciders are concerned. here are the two versions of his book concerning what happened at valencia 2006:

will never get over how casey was fighting the good fight for valentino's tenth in 2013 icl. early adopter

back then, casey was blaming the 'commercial interests' of Big America for sabotaging the most popular rider in the history of the sport - until Big Dorna sniped him and forced him to remove the 'commercial interests' line in the paperback version. (to be clear: this is a joke, there's no indication anyone from dorna had a chat with him, it's just funny that his stance ever so slightly softened between versions but then he did also add the wonderful 'welcome to my world' line.) it's perfectly reasonable to believe that valentino had a dud tyre in 2006 valencia and broadly tracks with what he himself says about the race, somewhat less reasonable to believe They were actually out to get him. valentino was very unlucky throughout 2006, yes, but... people are unlucky sometimes

anyway, I don't actually want to relitigate 2006 here, but I DO love his paranoid streak and how like... y'know, there's always the danger he's mellowed in his time away from the sport, he's certainly less tightly strung these days... but yup, he's still got that in him. still that guy

from a longer post about the similarities between valentino/casey, reckon this is one of the things I've written about the pair of them that holds up the best:

it is completely unsurprising that jorge martin's plight has struck a chord with casey, who himself always had a chip on his shoulder and was more than happy to use said chip to motivate himself. both jorge and pecco have a fair bit of casey in their competitive dna, which does show in how casey talks about both of them - martin perhaps with a bit more of lorenzo's brashness mixed in versus pecco having more of valentino's cunning... plus his contrarianism (which casey is no stranger to either). if we're already drawing alien parallels. just always that slight sense that they feel SOMEONE is out to get them, that they're never being given a fair hearing... again. chip on the shoulder

then there's this bit -

Calling it a very powerful attack is almost an understatement, with Stoner not being light on Ducati even when he comments on the decision to entrust the official bike to Marc Marquez for next season. “They could have made sure that he would settle for an official bike in a private team” – he thundered.

- which we're going to circle back to. I do love how casey's switched from going to an italian newspaper to launch an extended attack on valentino rossi to going to an italian newspaper to launch an extended attack on ducati. critical levels of support

So how will it end in Barcelona? Casey Stoner doesn't give his prediction, but limits himself to an icy comment: "I think Jorge deserves the title, and that he is in the position to win it. Pecco will do everything to be champion and Ducati would like to keep the number one. Everything could go smoothly, or there could be great chaos "

given how dud tyres have been a big theme in both 2023 and 2024's title battle, 'slightly odd jorge crash helped along by slightly odd michelin tyre' just feels like. such a plausible scenario. that could easily make everyone lose their minds. honestly, even if jorge crashes on his own and just says his bike felt weird afterwards, whether it's true or not. it'd be chaos, yeah. and casey will be THERE no matter what

If from the point of view of the show everything is more exciting, from the point of view of the rider who has raced, won and suffered in the difficult world of MotoGP, in this 2024 we are also witnessing a great injustice. "For me the World Championship should be as always: on Sunday - adds Stoner, stating himself openly against the Sprint and against the new MotoGP format - If you make a mistake you have lost an opportunity, now you have two. And then it doesn't allow you to really work on the set-up, because the only concern is getting into Q2. The system doesn't work for me, you can see it from the abysmal gaps. It might be there every now and then, like in Formula 1, but every weekend is not necessary. We have seen what Pecco has done in the last three seasons, the growth is constant. Ducati's results are always better, but in comparison with the others he is the one who wins the most. You can't belittle him, they are real victories, not Sprints. What he has done this year is impressive".

this bit I do agree with casey on, not because of what it's doing to this specific title fight and more just my general distaste for sprints. at some point this last year it's become received wisdom that pecco's sunday success is partly reliant on being able to do some trial and error in saturday sprints, so I found it interesting that oxley took a different stance in his sepang column:

I'm not sure I ENTIRELY agree on this (obviously I'm just basing this on vibes not actual expertise). even though obviously all riders do get this sprint data boost, I feel like it's fairly plausible pecco + his team make better use of it - just because there's better data, doesn't mean everyone is taking equal good advantage of it. then again, is there really any evidence that pecco is getting more out of it, beyond doing better in a format he's better at? as casey points out, it does mean you have way less time to faff about with set-ups, which pecco does like to do. there's also intangibles that might make the sprint experience advantageous to pecco on a sunday - for instance, I feel like his banger starts this year (remember when those were a thing) have tended to come on a sunday when he's already kinda figured out where to place himself in the pack. so maybe he does get something substantial out of having an extra race

that being said, I'm increasingly of the opinion that thinking pecco is ACTUALLY helped by the sprints - that the championship picture would be no different without them - is... kind of overthinking things. he's not good at the format. any marginal gains on a sunday he's getting from the sprint data just instinctively feel like they're probably not equal or more to what he's losing out in raw number of points through the sprints. it does feel like pecco's gotten better at sprints specifically in the second half of this year, so it's interesting to see if that carries through to next season... and look, none of this is to say jorge won't be a deserving champion - at the end of the day, you have to win the format you're playing. but yeah, I do reckon pecco would likely be champion without them

I've been curious for a while about casey's thoughts on the sprint format - I thought he'd be against it because of his luddite vibes as much as anything else, though I do also reckon the format wouldn't have been bad for him specifically as a rider. (if nothing else, it would've helped him in 2008, given he was fighting for the title against a rider you feel like would be TERRIBLE terrible terrible at this format. less time for set-up experimentation, softer grippier tyres and shorter races weighted towards qualifying/starting well? yeah say goodbye to that eighth.) anyhow, his reasoning checks out - part tradition, part the feeling that it's too forgiving of mistakes, part fucking up the structure of the weekend, part giving too little weight to 'real' wins... all very casey. casey was the type of rider who was always more about focusing on wins than championships - that you shouldn't settle for results just because your 'rivals' were behind you, for instance, that fighting for race wins comes first and the title will follow. here's a paragraph from a sachsenring 2012 write-up (where casey crashed on the penultimate lap while fighting dani):

obviously in the context of that particular title fight, it didn't end up mattering anyway because of the injuries casey would go onto sustain. but... well, casey's errors in the first half of 2012 would have put him in a tough position anyway - as dani proved, even once honda got on top of his chattering issues, reeling off victory after victory would not be enough to take the championship when jorge could just keep riding home to safe p2's. (and when dani in a disadvantageous points position pushed too hard in the penultimate round and crashed, it was game over, stop if this reminds you of anything.) the point is that pecco this year has played the race-win-or-bust role in a way that is probably instinctively quite appealing to casey - doesn't sit easily to watch the guy on ten wins lose the title. there'll probably always be elements of the slander pecco receives that resonate with casey... pecco's words getting misinterpreted by press and fans, pecco being called boring, pecco being called too crash-prone, unstable, bad at handling pressure... the two of them are plenty similar as characters, which is reflected in the type of criticism that tends to head their way. and pecco's stubborn resilience, a determination to motivate himself as a spite response to the doubt from others - well, that again is probably going to remind casey of himself

moving on.

Impressive, but not enough to win, with Jorge Martin now 24 points ahead, just one weekend away from the big dream, before the painful farewell. Casey Stoner is not easy on the market and Ducati's choices either. "If Ducati loses the world champion it will be a hard blow," he explained. " But I think it will be even harder for Martin, who has spent these years being loyal to Ducati I don't think it's right how it went. Unfortunately, it's the way Ducati works and that's why they've lost so many riders now. Marquez? In many ways I understand the decision, but it doesn't mean it's correct. When you have riders who give their all and stand out among the 22 on the track and someone arrives to take their place, I don't think it's right. I think Marc could have had a factory bike in another team. It wasn't fair for Bastianini and even more so for Martin."

yup, casey all over. of all the aliens, casey had the least hype surrounding him in the lower classes. he's... well technically I suppose valentino started in a satellite team and won his first title with one, but it was very much a ''''''satellite team'''''' - casey was the only alien to start his motogp career in a satellite satellite. a proper one. he KNOWS what it's like to not be the first choice for ducati!! if melandri had gotten out of his gresini contract to ride for factory ducati in 2007 (lol), casey could've been in real trouble even finding a seat. and he's a big believer in loyalty! casey was beyond disillusioned by the shit ducati pulled in 2009 - when they planted stories in the press that casey's diet and exercise routine was responsible for his mystery illness, big names openly criticising him during his absence... as well as of course how they aggressively courted jorge and offered him a way bigger salary than they paid casey, after telling casey they didn't have more money to pay him

it's that last bit that feels uncomfortable, right - like casey, martin threw in his lot with ducati, off the back of quite a contentious split with ktm to even get the pramac seat. like casey, martin has now repeatedly been looked over - and like casey, his ultimate split with ducati is the result of ducati favouring the golden boy. (while lorenzo obviously didn't join ducati at that time, this was ultimately still one of the big reasons why casey walked away after 2010.) unrewarded loyalty... hey, I suppose him and valentino actually agree on this, yeah. ducati has spent so much time cultivating its young talent before showing themselves ready to ditch them all for the big name. and it IS how ducati works, they really AREN'T particularly loyal. all these years later and they're still just the same, as far as casey's concerned

Ducati, therefore, as the central theme of the entire interview, but also as the favorite target of a Stoner who on the one hand seems to make very clear analyses, but on the other also appears to be someone with a decidedly poisoned tooth, given that even when asked about his future in the Team Lenovo garage he lets many doubts shine through on the management that Borgo Panigale will be able to have of two champions like Bagnaia and Marquez. “It depends on how Ducati behaves - he concluded - I think that Pecco, mentally, is strong enough to face the situation, it will be a question of seeing who Ducati wants to protect the most. For sure, the two will try to create chaos in the team to make things go in one direction or the other. We will see how Ducati manages the situation and who they choose. They will have to be as balanced as possible or it will be a problem”.

(incidentally, I love the italian 'poisoned tooth' term for having a grudge, it's so evocative. lots of poisoned teeth in motogp)

casey's confidence that there's going to be pecco/marc drama... he's so real for this. I've been wavering in my own confidence a little bit, wondering whether pecco/marc might not end up massively disappointing me, but casey's coming through for me here. unsurprisingly casey's going to implicitly relate more to pecco in that particular dynamic... in general, it's nice how complimentary casey is of pecco, even while summoning locusts upon ducati. just on a personal note, I never particularly enjoy when retired athletes play into narratives about how much worse the current competitors are... it's mean-spirited, generates dumb discourse and also feels rather undignified. so, y'know. always pro-glazing the current lot

in terms of what casey says specifically... obviously there's the ten wins thing, which casey unlike much of the fanbase does understand isn't something a mid rider can pull off, and then there's the line about pecco being mentally strong enough to go up against marc. I've talked before about the similarities between pecco and casey before, which obviously is also relevant here... casey faced accusations of being unstable and unreliable and too sensitive throughout his career, starting well before his path crossed with valentino's. too crash prone, a choker, too easy to rattle. and then they come up against a rival with a reputation for mind games, who many seem to expect will be able to 'break' them. whatever pecco's on-track success will be next year, there's no real indication that casey's wrong here - for all that the pair of them are high strung and ever so slightly neurotic, both casey and pecco have repeatedly exhibited real resilience and self-belief. idk, again, it's fun how both the current title contenders do have quite a few casey-coded characteristics. love casey-coded characteristics

The reference is clearly to Honda, with the Australian explaining the Japanese's major crisis in this way. "It's hard to get an idea from the outside," he said, "but I think it was convenient to have the three European manufacturers at the top, with the Japanese slipping to the bottom. I don't think that in Japan they suddenly don't know how to build a winning bike anymore. The Europeans are very creative and make everything happen faster, but they're not as refined as the Japanese. And with such fluid rules, everything is easier for the former. With Albesiano, Honda will try to add creativity and speed up operations. It will be interesting."

pretty sure I've said this before, but one of casey's funniest traits is gesturing vaguely in the direction of a substantive accusation without quite spelling it out. does he think dorna is sabotaging japanese manufacturers? is the system rigged against them?? for WHOMST is it convenient, wHO are you accusing of what? I'm not even saying he's WRONG about all of these things, sometimes conspiracies are real, I wouldn't know either! I just think it's great how this is his go-to reaction. always looking for that shadowy influence secretly protecting the anointed and sabotaging the unfavoured. the bit about more fluid rules favouring the europeans is interesting and I'd like to hear more about that theory, but obviously that wouldn't necessarily mean this was the intended consequence of said rules. does feel like casey's implying that though! come on casey, tell me more

anyway. this has been my take on casey's newest contribution to the discourse. I can be accused of many things, but not of lacking casey stoner opinions. that's my little guy

[chipped-chimera]

I enter the cyberpunk 2077 tag. I see a post about the game not being 'punk' because of all the triple A gaming company typical shit 'means it's not punk'. I roll my eyes so hard I exit the tag.

Points, context, rebuttal, whatever beloooow (I am not reblogging post because I don't want to attract hate to OP, but I am writing this cause I'm sick of seeing it).

Yeah triple A dev treatment fucking sucks. It sucks CDPR vowed to do different and didn't but that is missing a bunch of context. Here comes the context -

I've been following CDPR since about 2010-ish. They've always held onto older era gaming attitudes and respect their consumers. I guess in a way they were still made for an older era around the Cyberpunk release for the following reasons.

They shot themselves in the foot with their own marketing. Hiring a big name may have done that. If you look at the teaser trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 on announcement it basically says release date wise 'its done when it's done'. Being part of that older era they want to put out a COMPLETE game. Well tested. They came from a time where game updates were a LUXURY and that's why I trusted them to release a good product.

Marketing however got so big that it exited the realm of core fans and into the general public (derogatory). When they announced another delay, I was chill. I trusted them. Shit takes time man, whatever it takes to make it good AND treat your employees well bro. General public however was out for blood, sending death threats, pulling preorders.

There's this fine line you have to tread in marketing. Too little hype, no one knows about your product. Too much hype, you skyrocket expectations. Hype at the wrong time - you end up peaking at the wrong moment and end up losing momentum for release. You can see the conundrum here. They were arguably in the skyrocketed expectations and the losing momentum risk region.

So they did crunch time for release. In a way they had to. I mean sure they could have been 'punk' like OP suggested and said fuck you to the non-core fanbase but unfortunately punk doesn't pay bills. It doesn't keep the lights on. It doesn't keep your employees employed. It doesn't stop them from getting sent death threats for a delay.

So they rushed it out, it bombed. That sucked BUT it brought them peace. Because while everyone was making fun of them and quickly forgetting about it to go laugh at the next bomb of the month - it meant they could actually get onto fixing/finishing their game because people like ME knew them. It wouldn't be left as is. Also let them work at a less insane pace.

I started playing it (I finally had a PC that could handle it) right before the Edgerunners release and the public reboot. It was a fucking. Solid. Game. I studied game design and if I didn't get sick and had to stop this game would have been my goddamn final paper. There are so many good choices narratively and mechanically to the point you can't separate the two. It was everything I expected.

They worked hard to get there. We currently live in an era where entertainment is treated like fast food and people can be fucking incoherent when they're told to have patience. Why do you think so many games release in a scuffed state? Why do you think this new 'redemption arc' story in the game industry has become increasingly common? Because Devs keep getting sent DEATH THREATS just for doing work. That's fucking insane. No wonder they're working overtime and sleeping at the office because the general public has turned gamedev into an industry that basically uses psychological torture as a whip to get your game out 'on time'.

Yes there are absolutely horrible triple A gamedev companies, usually under the stable of a larger company (EA, Activision etc. take your pick) but CDPR ain't that. In my eyes their hand was forced.

You know what is punk? Going with a little, 'unpopular' (basically not DnD) ttrpg written by a black man and building a new IP and experience from it - AND having him on board and getting his active input during development. Because dear lord current media in general seems to be allergic to taking risks and new IPs.

You know what else is punk? Releasing free DLC updates that would be a micro transaction otherwise (no I am not talking about Phantom Liberty and I argue that's an 'expansion' though I guess no one uses that word now) and putting the goddamn pdf of the ttrpg handbook they based it off with the game download. Putting stickers in physical releases (going by my witcher experience), giving you goddamn HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES of in game posters to print for yourself FOR. FREE. No one DOES THAT anymore.

Also arguably putting out Cyberpunk is punk just in the narrative it tells in the goddamn first place - especially in the current climate, but I think I've made my point here.

Also my last point, in big letters because it's driving me fucking insane:

CYBERPUNK. IS. A. GENRE. A GENRE. THEY DID NOT INVENT CYBERPUNK. BLADE RUNNER. NEUROMANCER. ALTERED CARBON. IT'S A GENRE. THE PUNK ELEMENT IS IN THE NARRATIVE. IT'S NOT SOME KIND OF 'STATEMENT' ABOUT THEMSELVES, IT'S A GENRE AND ALSO THE LITERAL TITLE OF THE TTRPG THE THING WAS BASED OFF IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Anyway I'm sick of seeing CDPR being thrown under the bus and being treated in ways that will actively end up affecting future development. I really, really hope they haven't been too affected but if they end up feeling forced into modern day gamedev cycles and all the bullshit that goes with it ... well I know why.

And it starts with people who spout shit like this.

[kyurume]

secretary from hell!

pairing: yandere!assistant!geto suguru x fem!ceo!reader

warning(s): possessive suguru, he's two faced, manipulative, mentions of drugging and drug addiction, and reader's mature but naïve, suguru pretends to be a warm and caring figure, misogynistic ex secretary of reader's dad, geto is his age (28) and reader is 25

plot: after your father, the ex-ceo of takamitsu tech passed, you took over the company as ceo. finding out how the business world works is stressful, but geto suguru would help you through all that.

"i simply cannot accept that a sheltered, uneducated heir would take over this company, let alone a spoiled woman who doesn't know how business works."

after your father passed, the entire company was in your hands. it was a struggle, after all, he passed away so suddenly, and the company's partners and investors despised the idea of a woman being a ceo of one of the largest company in japan, and your father was considered a business genius, he saved this company from bankruptcy, and created a steady flow of profit. he was a successful businessman, and you were expected to live up to him. and for you, living up to the genius that was your father, was impossible. but it didn't hurt to try. but right now, your optimism is at rock bottom. your father's secretary, mr. nakamura, is insulting you. he's quite the misogynistic old geezer, and his head is stuck in the past. you rub your temples, as your head is starting to ache, due to how loud the guy is.

"women are completely incapable of understanding business, because they're not suited for a leading role where a man is supposed to be at. you should step down, right now, and let your younger brother do the man's work."

you suddenly stand up, angered by his comments.

"my brother is still in middle school, mr. nakamura. you must understand he is not capable of taking over, and your remarks are simply unforgivable, as your employer, i'm utterly disappointed by your behavior, and i'm sure my father, who might be watching right above us right now, probably is disappointed too, since he trusted you with his work, and now you're outright insulting his daughter. if you dislike me so much, i suggest you leave this building, right now."

you slam your desk, pointing to the exit of your office. mr. nakamura decided to leave your office, with a gloomy face. you sat back down, sighing. being a capable independent woman sure isn't easy. a few days later, mr. nakamura sent his resignation papers through an employee he was close with. you approved his resignation, and let him go, and now you need a proper assistant, to welcome a new chapter in your life. you let everyone and their mothers know that you were looking for an assistant who can understand the business world and its' complex systems. only one person applied, and that is, your middle school ex boyfriend, and currently the heir of geto innovations, your company's rival. well, not anymore. his father was arrested for tax evasion, and abuse of his position as ceo. geto innovations is doomed, and the heir, and the company's only hope, has come to apply as a secretary of their rival company. he fidgets with his suit, and he had his hair slicked back, he's sporting a bright smile, with dark circles under his eyes.

"suguru, quite a surprise.. why are you here?"

you look at him with one eyebrow raised. you knew him to be a smart guy. you dated for 2 months in middle school, and you didn't do anything crazy, just holding hands, going on dates. but suguru broke up with you, after getting reprimanded by his parents. he lights up, and replies.

"you still remember my name? so you must miss me!"

suguru chuckles, lifting a hand to his chin. you snicker at him, showing him his application papers, and waved it around.

"your name's on this paper, by the way. but i didn't forget your name, just your face."

you sighed, you didn't have a choice but to accept him, since you don't have any more time to look for someone else, and since suguru might be able to help you. you looked around your desk, and let out a little 'aha!' when you found your special little 'approved' stamp. you gently tap the stamp on the surface of suguru's application paper, and his face seemed to glow with happiness.

"you start tomorrow, good luck, suguru."

you smiled, and he was dismissed from the office. the day ended, and tomorrow is a new day, with a new secretary. you rode in your car, the city lights gleaming and glowing, the light of the vibrant and eye-catching signs and giant tvs with ads reflect onto the road, giving the usually black asphalt some color. you arrive to your family's estate, your maids greet you at the door, some asking how your day went, some informing you about your brother. you walked upstairs, the head maid notified you that she ran a bath for you already. you open the door to your brother's room, to find him studying. it's 11pm, he shouldn't be up this late. you pull the earbuds out of his ear to scold him.

"hey, mr. shuuya (ln), don't work too hard or i'll cut off your allowance. go to bed."

he just glared at you, and took back his earbud from your hands. he replied, with his mechanical pencil pointed against his cheek.

"you're saying that like you didn't stay up till 4am when you studied?"

after further observation, you saw that he's studying modern japanese. and majority of his mock quiz answers were right. as expected of your intelligent little brother. you were also guilty of staying up to study, but this little guy takes it a step further. he studied his weekends away, staying up from saturday to sunday. you ruffle his hair, and prepared to leave his room, you peeked your head through the gap of his door, and yelled.

"i mean it when i say i'm cutting off your allowance."

"good morning!"

suguru brought over a cup of coffee, the kind of coffee you liked. he knew the basics of how to manage a large corporation, and he was willing to show you the ropes, an odd decision, because he was even insisting he would share his father's advice for a successful business. he was reliable, cheerful, and warm. even your other employees seemed to like him. it didn't take you long to adjust to his personality, since he's so charismatic, and alluring. he was kind enough to take on most of your work, to let you rest, and drink your coffee. you sipped on the liquid gold that we humans call coffee, you looked over to suguru's office that was connected to yours, and he raised his head, to give you a little smile. god, he was just so charming to you. strangely, the coffee wasn't working, you were typing away at your computer, and your eyes were glued to the monitor. you looked at your watch, and realized it was 7pm. you peeked at suguru's office, and noticed he was getting ready to leave. he brightened onced he met your eyes.

"ah, (yn)! i was about to go over there and tell you that we're supposed to leave now."

he smiled, as he guided you to the elevator, stopping to let you in first. what a gentleman.. you arrived at the ground floor, and just before you were about to say goodbye to him when your ride arrived, he took your hand, and placed a kiss upon it.

"See you tomorrow."

he closed the car door, and waved you goodbye. your face turned red immediately, his eyes squinting into crescent moons. you really need some good sleep tonight. it doesn't matter if you're taking, like, 30 melatonin gummies, as long as you pass out and not think about him all night. you pass by shuuya's room, too distracted by what happened earlier. you flop onto your bed, still wearing working clothes. you stare at your window, the peacefulness of your neighborhood, and the A/C blasting to immediately sleep, and float off to dreamland, your sleeping situation strangely and completely contrasting your prediction from a few minutes ago. you were sound asleep. hours pass by, the morning rays softly grace your face, feeling that tingly and warm sensation on your skin, you wake up. you took a while to adjust your vision, and you realized your room was a mess. you were pretty organized, and you usually wouldn't leave the room like this, and shuuya wouldn't even attempt to go in your room, since he already knows there isn't anything interesting in there. you shrug it off, maybe you forgot to clean, or something. it was dark when you got in last night, that's why you only noticed this morning. you looked at your wall clock, and realized, it was 8am, you were about 2 hours late to work. you decided to go with the outfit you wore yesterday, you hurridly brushed your hair, deodorant, and perfume, to hide the smell you're going to develop later in the day. you open the door, and the maids greet you with a smile, but you rushed passed all of them, and you exited your estate, you looked at your driver, polishing up the car.

"mr. kikuchi! i'm so sorry to keep you waiting, oh my gosh. please take me to the company building, and take the quickest route there."

"i shall get you there at once, ma'am."

he opened the car door for you, and he got in the driver's seat, driving off to your destination. you immediately text suguru, and he replied just as quickly as you texted him.

'i'm so sorry for being late, please text me back immediately, i'm on my way there already.'

'don't fret. i'm fine! do get here within 30 minutes or you'll be late for a meeting.'

you sighed, and you arrived at the building safe and sound. you thanked your driver, and immediately headed up to your office. once you got to your designated floor, you saw suguru, preparing coffee for you. you greeted him with a good morning, and a sigh. he handed you the coffee, and you smiled a little at the cup.

"you might need this. you sounded like you slept in. happens to the best of us."

he pat your shoulder, to reassure you. you drank the cup, and looked around, with his hand, still on your shoulder. you noticed a pill pack near the coffee machine, you moved closer, suguru's hand slipping away. you read the label of the pack. 'temazepam'. is this a type of sleeping pill? you grabbed the pack, and showed it to suguru.

"is this yours?"

you looked at the back of the packaging, and you were right, it was a kind of sleeping pill. he answered with a smile.

"yes, i have trouble sleeping, and my doctor prescribed this for me. i usually forget to take them while i'm at home, so i put it over there, so i can take them before i return home. it doesn't kick in quick, so i thought taking them before i head back would be a good idea. "

you put the pack down and you apologised for your intrusion for something you shouldn't have pulled out of him.

"oh, sorry, i shouldn't have touched that topic for you."

"it's fine! it's probably public information at this point, i mean, look at these."

he points at the dark circles under his eyes, a sign of staying up late. he laughs, and tells you that you should prepare for the meeting. you nod, and you decided to fix your hair up more.

it's been about 3 weeks ever since suguru applied to be your secretary. his way of working, and the way he sees people, has been really helpful for you, and you've been securing lots of great business deals, thanks to his advice. geto innovations, has been dissolved, due to unpaid debt, the heir's rebellious behaviour and the absence of its' ceo. his father is still in jail, nothing has gone well for suguru in these past weeks, yet why is he still smiling? you didn't really wanna dig too deep, so you abandoned the idea of asking him if he was okay. though, you did find yourself being late to work often. you couldn't count how many times you had to apologise to suguru for the same reason every morning. you even tried to stay up late to complete some work you weren't doing while at work, since, well, suguru shoulders everything for you at this point, insisting you let him do everything, since you must be burnt out. he has been a big help to you, pampering you, and all. you never told him about the secret paperworks you were doing late at night, since he'd insist that he'll do it for you. you decided to listen to him, since he's so stubborn. his diligence was admirable, and he did his work so well. you sat in your office chair, all slumped and tired. suguru noticed, and got up from his own chair, and approached you. he walked behind you, playing with your hair, and braiding it.

"please leave everything to me. i'll take care of you, and your beloved inherited business. just focus on me, and your health, (yn)."

he strokes your head gently, as you lean on the backrest of your chair, your face looking right up at his. a warm moment, his eyes melt the borders of your heart, and you felt so comfortable around him. you reach for his hand, which was about to stroke your head once more, and lowered it, to your cheek.

"i hope you'll continue to do your best, suguru."

he swipes the stray pieces of your hair aside, your forehead in view. he plants a light and loving kiss on it.

"i will try. no, i will, i will continue to assist you in any way possible."

you tried reaching for his face, but..

as you try and stroke his cheek, his face seemed to wash away, his entire head turning into fragments, looking like sand being swept away by water. your entire environment being enveloped by darkness, you wake up from a seemingly long dream. you get up, realizing that free and lovely dream you had, was of the past. you're in your room, but it's doesn't seem to be in your estate. it has no windows, like how yours did. only a digital screen, simulating windows and the outside world. the door opens, and the love of your life enters the bunker-like room. you tremble, and get off your bed, gripping at his sweatpants, like a zombie. you were dressed in a light, flowy white dress, but the beauty of the dress clashes with your unhealthy appearance. your face looked like you stayed up a hundred days, and your figure was dangerously skinny. suguru bent down, to be at your level, petting your head like he did in your dream, and your past.

"it's me, sweetheart."

"please, please.. give me, the t-thing you gave me last time, suguru, i-i need it, so bad, i can't even d-describe how much i need it, i-i don't want the temazepam anymore.."

he tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

"of course, i'll give it to you, but first, let's get ready for our very fun playtime, hm?"

he carried you, bridal style, to your bed, he sat you down, and grabbed a hairbrush from your vanity, braiding your hair, like in the dream, he hums a familiar tune, as he gently styles your hair.

that's right. he drugged every single drink you had with temazepam. a popular benzodiazepine. a drug prescribed for insomnia, sleeping disorders and for treatment of muscle spasms and disorders that cause seizures, like epilepsy and the like. it is also a central nervous system depressant, which makes it a popular drug, well, to misuse. the longer an individual takes the said drug, they develop dependence, or in other words, an addiction. it also develops tolerance to the drug, and in your case, temazepam isn't enough to satisfy you anymore. suguru gave you something else, after he realized that temazepam doesn't work anymore. this time he injected something in you, he never told you what it was, but as long as it gave you that amazing feeling of being relieved of your suffering, you didn't care. you loved suguru for knowing what you wanted, and you continued to, even though you doubt what he says sometimes, you know that he's a good and smart man, and that you can always rely on him, that's all you needed, and he knows you'll always be by his side. he is your secretary after all. and he'll always be your secretary, in life, until death. until purgatory separates you two, sending him to hell, and you, the girl he's always seen as an angel on earth, to heaven.

[scart-t]

The Inauguration Ceremony

Fontaine Airport buzzed with its usual crowd, hundreds of people hustling and bustling within its confines. Some rushed towards security, fearing they might miss their flights, while others savored moments in cafes before departure. A few strolled leisurely towards the exit, reuniting with families and friends.

In the midst of the Parisian-clad individuals, a 6ft tall gentleman moved gracefully. He wore a blue vest over a white dress shirt and blue slacks, complemented by a long dark blue trench coat with gold lining. Onlookers couldn't help but be captivated by his handsomeness as they watched him move through the airport. A distracted young lady, engrossed in her phone call and clutching a coffee cup, accidentally collided with the stranger, spilling hot coffee all over herself.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Startled, the young lady looked up, only to find herself charmed by the stranger's appearance.

The man briefly glanced at her before redirecting his attention elsewhere.

“U-uh, sorry. I didn't see you there. I hope I didn't hurt you. I was on the phone, and…” the young lady apologized bashfully.

“You gotta be kidding me,” the man retorted.

“WHAT?!” The lady looked at him incredulously.

Before she could say anything else, the man left.

“The heck was your problem? I was just—” the lady started, attempting to address him.

“Hey, relax. He wasn't talking to you,” another person intervened.

“Excuse me?” The lady turned around to face another 6ft tall individual, this one with gay and green streeked hair, donning a black suit and a green tie. Speechless at his appearance, the lady bowed as the gray-haired man left to follow after his boss.

“Be careful of what you were thinking out loud. That woman was about to-” Alhaitham said "They can't be serious!" Neuvillette exclaimed, fuming with anger as he looked at a commercial his company produced.

"Can you even tell what product they're promoting? They just slapped a nobody on it and called it an ad."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't recognize him at all," Alhaitham said, agreeing while watching the ad.

"Find out whoever handled this. I want a name today," Neuvillette demanded, tearing his eyes from the ad to look at his secretary, Alhaitham, before leaving.

"Clear," Alhaitham sighed, feeling the weight of returning to Fontaine only to dive straight into work.

In the Fonatasia Research Lab, a food developer named (Y/N) was diligently working on different recipes for various products in their projects. Currently focused on finding innovative ways to make fish and chips, she experimented with different marinades for the fish.

While engrossed in her work, her phone rang. She swiftly removed her gloves and mask to answer the call.

"Hello, Monsieur Lyney? Oh! Already? I'm on my way! Got it!" she said hurriedly, grabbing her company ID and leaving the lab to head to the conference hall. As she made her way through the crowd, the distinct aroma of fish trailed behind her causing people to cover their nose as she made her way to her cowokers.

"Monsieur Lyney! Madame Lynette! Monsieur Friement! I'm here."

"Why are you so late?" Lyney said.

"I was busy working on the cod marinade for the fish and chips," Y/n replied, fixing her appearance.

"Take it easy, you..." Lyney was about to scold Y/n when he saw Friement sniffing, making him and Lynette do the same.

"My Celestia, you smell fishy!" Lyney exclaimed.

"Is it really that bad? I can't really tell," Y/n said, trying to smell herself.

"Woah, how could you not? Come here," Lyney said as he procured Lynette's perfume from thin air and sprayed Y/n with it.

"It's okay. It shows how hard you have been working on your research," Lynette said with a small smile.

Y/n leaned to hug Lynette, but Lynette gently pushed Y/n softly so that she didn't catch the fishy smell.

"Please take your seats, everyone," the PA announced as they were called inside the conference for President Neuvilette's inauguration ceremony.

As Y/n was about to sit next to Lynette, Lyney, and Friement, Lynette motioned for her to sit in a seat apart from them.

Lyney sighed and said, "I guess they were right about President Neuvilette; he really is a workaholic, straight from an office overseas. Not a single day of a break."

"You know what I heard? I heard he was actually really hot," Friement deadpanned, remembering what his friend Aerie from Research Department 1 had mentioned.

"I'm not really sure. He wasn't even there when I first started at the main branch, but you know, he can't be that handsome if that is his mother," Y/n said, jokingly.

Furina sat in the front row with the other executives, excited for her son to make his speech at the inauguration. The executives beside her congratulated her, now that her son would be the new president of the company.

From the back, Friement and Lyney took a look at Furina.

"Oh, maybe it's not true," Friement said as he leaned back, hugging his stuffed penguin.

"I also heard he's good looking and looks like a celebrity," Lynette added.

"Oh, the apple can't fall too far from the tree. He'll look okay at best."

"President Neuvilette will now make his inauguration address," the MC said, making everyone silent and straighten up, excited to see the president.

Everyone clapped as they saw a gray and green streaked-haired person making his way on stage, taking his place at the podium.

"Oh my god, he's so gorgeous," the girls in front of Y/n whispered.

"Wait, isn't that..." Lynette said.

Instead of Neuvilette on the podium, it was Alhaitham on stage. Furina looked at Alhaitham, glaring at him, expecting Neuvilette to be on stage.

"Thank you and welcome. My name is Alhaitham; I'm the company's chief secretary, and I'm here on behalf of President Neuvilette."

Everyone started whispering, confused as they thought he was the president.

"Chief secretary?" Y/n said questioningly.

"And I'm now going to deliver his inauguration address. To everyone who worked for today's inauguration ceremony, despite my former insistence on not having one, thank you very much. Going forward, I hope we prioritize business matters as opposed to meaningless events such as this one. I look forward to meeting you all in the near future. Thank you very much."

"Is that it?" Lyney said to Friement while Y/n giggled at how the president was such a character.

"This is amazing," Y/n thought.

"That would be all. Yours truly, President Neuvilette."

"I can't believe these arrogant little pricks! Oh, what are they thinking?" Furina said angrily, standing up and leaving the conference hall.

Everyone bowed as she left with her executives, and Alhaitham sneaked away, bowing to everyone first before leaving the stage.

"That's weird, so where is the president then?" Lynette said.

"I don't know, but all I can say is he sure is a character," Y/n said, giggling while shaking her head.

a/n: hehe hope you all enjoy it! wanna be part of the taglist click here

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