#randy march one shot

[shall-we-imagine]

That's what friends are for! (Serge DurandalxAmelia Nile)

Some Amelia love!

Unedited because I'm lazy

Genre: basically dis a romcom 🤷🏻‍♀️

Summary: You better come get your man; I think he wanna be way more than friends. (Juice by Lizzo)

(Third person point of view)

"I'm tired, Amelia...he'll never feel the same way towards me..." Liz sighs, staring at their shared dorm's ceiling.

The ginger frowns, "Come on; don't say that. I'm sure he likes you. Maybe he's just...I don't know- not ready to confess yet."

"Amelia, he's THE Emperor. All girls like him; why would he go for the clumsy idiot?"

Amelia sighs, "Liz, he makes you clean his desk, doesn't he?"

"Yeah?" She looks back at her roommate in confusion.

"See? He totally likes you!" Amelia beams.

"Amelia, that makes no sense..."

She rolls her eyes, "Liz, you really don't understand men, do you? Think about it. Klaus isn't lazy, so why would he make someone else do his work for him? He's always around when you do it too, right? What do you think he's trying to do?"

"Torment me?"

"No! He's trying to spend time with you! I bet he even tries to start conversations with you."

"I mean...he yells at me a lot if that counts..."

"Hmm.." The ginger brings her her fingers to her chin, pausing to think for a bit. "Well, every guy has a different way to express affection, I guess." She shrugs.

Regardless of how unreasonable Amelia was being, Liz wanted to believe her. "You think so?"

"I know so! You just need to get him to realize he should confess to you."

She sits up to face her friend, "How do I do that?"

A few moments of silence pass before Amelia speaks up, "I have an idea."

Liz perks up in excitement.

"But you won't like it..."

She slumps back once more. "I should just forget about it and move on."

"Liz! How could you just give up on Klaus Goldstein?" Amelia scolds.

"That's the point, Amelia! He's Klaus Goldstein!" The brunette retorts.

Amelia sighs, "I'll help you out. Just leave it all to me."

×××××

"I don't understand how lemonade is supposed to help..." Liz ponders.

"Just do as I say, and you'll see for yourself."

"If you say so..." Still uncertain, the small brunette pushes the door open gently. "Prefect Klaus?"

"Oh, come in, Liz. Klaus is teaching a class at the moment, but you can wait here if you want." A familiar, cheerful voice invites them inside.

Just as the girls had planned, Klaus would still be busy for the next couple of minutes, and Serge was alone in the Prefects' room- the plan would turn out nicely.

Amelia nudges Liz the second they step into the room.

"Oh! We brought you lemonade!" Liz hesitantly approaches Serge, who happily accepts the suspicious drink. Liz hopes she isn't unknowingly poisoning her friend; surely, that couldn't be Amelia's oh so smart plan, right?

A few confused sips in, Serge drops to the floor, smashing the glass of lemonade in the process.

Liz barely manages to save his head from a concussion or worse. "Is that supposed to happen?!" Her head snaps to an equally horrified Amelia; the answer was a clear no.

Amelia rushes to place herself on top of an unconscious Serge, "Serge?! Serge!!" She holds his face in her hands.

"Amelia, what did we give him?" Terrified of what her friend's bizarre instructions had lead to, Liz hopes they could still save Serge (preferably, before Klaus comes back).

"A love potion; I was hoping we could try to get Klaus jealous, so he'd confess to you, but-" She frantically tries to explain before getting cut off by a ray of hope.

Serge moans in pain and confusion. "What's happening?" His eyebrows furrow together.

"Serge?!" The girls exclaim in happiness and relief.

"Oh, Amelia, I'm so happy to lay my eyes on such beauty." He dreamily rubs his face into her hand.

"Uh, er, I- you mean Liz?" Blushing, Amelia retracts her hands and tries to redirect the situation to the original plan.

"Well, Liz is not the one straddling me, is she?" He shoots a cheeky grin at a flustered Amelia.

She fumbles to get off but he grips her thighs, holding her in place.

"I- Serge, what are you doing?!" Liz semi-screeches.

"Mmhm, nothing." A dumb grin remains plastered on his face, as he continues to stare at Amelia.

"S-serge, I- this isn't-" Before Amelia could put together a sentence, someone barges in.

"Hey, I thought I told you- um...what exactly is going on here?" Klaus's irritated tone quickly switches to one of plain confusion and a lil bit of...suspicion? Disgust? Who knows?

"Prefect Klaus!" Amelia quickly pushes herself off of Serge while he was distracted by the interruption.

"That's me; yes." The blond raises his eyebrows, "still waiting for that explanation though." He crosses his arms.

"It's, uh, for a play!" Liz offers.

"A play?" Klaus repeats.

"A play!" Liz nods vigorously, eyeing a very confused Amelia. "Serge and Amelia are playing two lovers, so they were practicing!"

"Is this true?" Klaus stares right at Serge.

He giggles in response, "yes, in fact, we were just about to get to the kissing scene!"

"W-what?!" Amelia blushes furiously.

"What?" Serge blinks innocently.

"N-nothing! I think I have to go!" Amelia tries to escape the weird situation she found herself in, but Serge grips her wrist.

He pushes himself off the ground, "Aww, so soon? We haven't finished practicing the fun parts!" He pouts.

Amelia's face heats up even more; how was that even possible? She didn't know.

This was all going horribly wrong; Liz was the one he was supposed to be after not her!

"M-maybe later..." She frees her hand from his and quickly rushes past Klaus, her face remaining as red as humanly possible.

"Amelia!" Serge calls after her, but she doesn't look back.

Unfortunately for her, Serge soon catches up to her, "Amelia, wait!"

She almost stops, but her embarrassment pushes her to keep going until Serge grabs her by the wrist.

"Okay, okay, maybe I took it a little too far; I'm sorry." His other hand finds the back of his neck, as he gives an apologetic smile to a red faced Amelia.

"I- huh?" She faces him.

"You have to drink the whole thing for a love potion to work, Amelia; I just wanted to mess with the two of you."

"Oh." She responds before it registers in her brain what that actually means.

"Oh." She realizes. Then takes off sprinting.

"Amelia??" Serge is left behind, dumbfounded, "What just happened?"

×××××

"You ran away?!"

"Yes, Liz, I ran away; what else did you expect me to do?!" She groans into her pillow.

"Well, I guess I've done that before too, if I'm being completely honest." Liz chuckles, "but you're gonna have to face him eventually; plus, didn't you kind of have a thing for him anyways?"

"I'm gonna run away. Or fake my death." She groans louder.

"Amelia, come on, it's not that-" a knock on their window interrupts Liz.

Liz pushes herself off the bed and walks towards the window. She pushes the curtains aside and almost falls back in surprise.

"S-serge?" She pushes the window open, and he climbs in.

"Hey, Liz!" He beams, like he didn't just jumpscare the hell out of her.

Amelia moves slowly, pulling the covers over her head, hoping she won't get noticed.

Alas, things don't work that way.

"Hey, Amelia!" She jumps at the mention of her name.

"Hey, Serge..." Amelia slowly uncovers her head to look at the intruder.

"Oh, I just remembered I...have to be somewhere...important!" Liz exits the room, leaving Amelia to face her crush on her own.

"That little-" Amelia mutters.

Sighing, Amelia directs her attention back to Serge. "So, what brings you here?"

"I came to ask you out!"

"Huh?" Her face heats up; she really needs to work on that.

"See you at 7; wear something comfy!" He jumps back out the window casually.

"Hey, I didn't even say yes!" She calls out, but he was already gone. "Is this guy insane?"

She falls back on her bed, "well...guess I'm going on a date tonight..."

[givethemsmut]

Dom Mysterio x Reader

Chapter Fourteen | Where It All Started…

[Dom’s POV] i hadn’t forgot my parents were downstairs. More like selectivity didn’t care. I wasn’t opening the door for some stern talk like I was a child. I had enough of those when I lived under their roof. My mom was doing dishes and packing away leftovers when I moved around her to get to the fridge. My dad was sitting at the island with a drink in his hand looking disappointed as fuck. I was slowly becoming their greatest disappointment and I didn’t care.

“What you did was stupid.”

I stopped, popping open my soda and waited for the rest. My dad never spared any punches when it came to his speeches. “You risked your career, your familia, that woman upstairs willing to deal with all your shit. What the hell were you thinking?”

“When I beat up Randy or fucked someone else?” I let the bluntness of my words hang in the air heavily.

Pops went off in Spanish, castrating me. Only calming down enough to respond in English, “Both, Mija, both.”

“I was tired of fucking my own hand. You know better than anyone here. She doesn’t deserve to drop her whole life to follow me around so we deal with the lonely. I was weak. Randy? He deserved it. No one talks about her like that. She’s practically my wife.” I stared down at the counter top, refusing to make eye contact.

“I get it. Convince her to come on the road with you, let her see behind the curtain. It’ll make her feel better.”

Shaking my head I balled of my fist and let it collide with the countertop. “No. They want me to convince her to do a storyline. Any storyline. That’s not happening.”

“Your mom was apart of lots of storylines with me. It gave her a reason to be on the road.” My dad meant well but I wasn’t about to subject our relationship to WWE fans, endless string of tour buses and fucking Randy getting paid to talk shit.

“Did Eddie fuck mom?” I asked, our eyes connecting and my mom scoffing next to me.

My dad looked at my mom before he shot back the rest of his drink. “Then you get it. She’s pregnant with my child. She’ll get over it without being on the road.”

Grabbing an arm full of snacks and drinks I headed back upstairs despite my parents calling my name. They weren’t ever going to get it. Not when I was so unwilling to let my worlds bleed together and end up hurting her.

Marching back upstairs, I kicked open the door before dropping my loot on the bed. I watched her drop the phone from her ear, pressing the obvious red button to end a call. “It was WWE. They want me to appear on Raw with you, something about a storyline for Mania. They want to reinstate you early if I say yes.”

I heard what she said but I saw black, not even red, as I looked for my phone and started texting management. “I don’t give a fuck what they said or promised. No.”

“No?” She asked, twisting towards me as I sat down on my side of the bed.

“They want you to use Randy against me, be by his side and tempt me to betray Rhea on a paper view. They want to set up a feud and keep it going. They want to bank on the drama. Not happening.” Dropping the loot on the bed I fell into the plush surface. “No.”

Her face dropped into something I didn’t recognize like disappointment. “Okay, I thought it would be an excuse to be on the road together.”

“Let me make some calls. I don’t need our entire life broadcasted.” It was stern enough to kill the topic when I picked up my phone to text Rhea. She was a seasoned pro, she would be the one with a voice in the story line, not me. I needed her to tell me if it was a bad move.

It wasn’t like Randy could do more damage.

“You’re mine. If for one second I want to pull the plug I will.”

Cuddling into my side I wrapped my arm around her while she whispered it back. “Yours.”

[popcornforone]

Make Me A Match

Day 15 of Pedrotober (The Materialist Prompt)

Masterlist

Well I don’t think he has a name yet (it was rumoured it was Randy, Rocco or Ricky) but that didn’t stop the few shots we got from this filming taking over our feeds for a few days in the spring did it. We were fed well.

Synopsis:- Your morning wake up is anything but slow.

Word Count:-800

Warning over & above:- anal sex, not exclusive relationship, piv sex,mentions of oral female receiving, older gentleman, lying, swearing(I’m sure I am doing this man a disservice & his character won’t be like this at all but you know)

Thanks for the read peoples. Remember to check out everyone else doing pedrotober thanks to @alyssamariag & @norththelemon

“Fuck oooh fuck” you moan. Your arse taking a pounding as he thrusts deeper inside you. You didn’t pull the curtains last night when you went to bed. Those two huge bunches of roses meant you didn’t even get to cook dinner. He’d been out of town for a while, & now he was back to seduce & win you over. He knows you’re not exclusive, but every time he comes around you remember you prefer a man, not a boy who thinks he can.

Your bed was still sticky with sweat & sex when his alarm went off at 5am but he was clever he set an early alarm to get more you time before he left. Morning kisses around your neck lead onto him eating out your pussy before turning you over. You’re on your front head buried into to the pillow as he has his legs either side of you claiming your arse. Your moans fill the room.

“God baby so tight, so fucking tight” he growls & is now balls deep, he’s gonna cum soon. Your skin red from where he’s been gripping, your own fingers pleasuring your clit to make sure you cum as well.

“Please baby please”

“Fuck darling ooooh fuck” he whines & fills your arse up & that sensation means you let go. Your cum seeping out of your sex as he withdraws his cock from your arse. You collapse onto the bed. He lies next to you & you both turn to your side panting & breathless. The way his lips feel on yours has you blushing even more. How can a man look that soft after he’s just been so dirty & feral at 5am. He smiles softly as the orange glow of the sun rise creeps across you giving you even more of a morning glow.

“You always look so cute when your freshly fucked in the morning” his squinting form the sun warms your heart.

“& your so sexy when you tell me how cute I am” your run your hand through his hair & giggle. “But do you have to leave?” You whimper.

“A multi billion dollar business can’t run itself baby”

“But can’t you do it from bed?”

“Only if you say you’ll be mine, & no one else’s.” You pause. Your job as a match maker means you try to never be exclusive just to prove there’s lots of different types for people. You sigh & go to explain but then you see the roses behind him & smile. You know you’re just lying to yourself if you say no.

“Yea, I think I am yours, I just think I’ve been kidding myself for so long.”

He rolls on top of you, the kiss deep & long, his erection pushing into your belly. You moan & your legs part. Desperate for his affection despite having only finished your last session moments ago

“Match maker, match maker, make me a match…” he sings. “Who’s have thought I’d have ended up marching with the woman I paid to help me match with others”

“Not me old man,” you giggle.”but your exactly what I need baby &….oooooh fuck” in he slips his penis, your pussy filled in an instant, clamping around it hard.

“Fuck baby don’t make me cum already”both his hands start roaming your body as you both thrust.

“You got this handsome”

Moans fill the room for the next half an hour, you’ve never had such intimate sex as this. Clamping constantly as he drags against you, your special spot bring hit every time. Your clit will never be neglected again. He’s so sensitive & and romantic when he wants to be. He is the man you’ve always needed. As you both cum, stars fill the air & he moans as loud as you.

A couple of hours later you sit up after a short nap, still naked in your bed, the sun now completely up. He’s showered, put on his nice brown shirt & snazzy jacket he got from Milan & his smart jeans. His hair perfectly in place. No one in the outside world will realise how passionate he has been. How he likes to fuck his girlfriend in the arse each morning he’s here. He will just be like any other ceo in the city.

He leans next to the vase & picks out 2 roses, putting one in his jacket pocket & traces the other up over your still naked breasts, up your neck & over your face, placing it behind your ear.

“You’re more beautiful than ever baby”he whispers before kissing your lips.

“That’s because I found me a match, & I’m not gonna let him go”

[thebibutterflyao3]

Day 4 Prompt: Sunset @rosekiller-microfic

March Daily Series - 564 words

<<<Previous Part OR Start Here

Barty stared at his mobile screen as he waited impatiently for a response that never came. He wanted to believe that Evan listened to his messages, but after ten days of no contact, he doubted it. The text messages definitely went unread and Evan had blocked him on social media. Calls were all he had left.

Evan could have blocked his number outright, but he didn’t. His texts still went through and the line rang all four times before going to voicemail. That had to mean something. Maybe he just liked listening to Barty beg.

I’ll keep begging if he’s still listening.

He pocketed the phone and rhythmically tapped his head against the headrest. The constant nausea and burning pain in his belly that he’d tried to hide with a blanket of weed for the last week was catching up with him. Barty was fairly sure that he was giving himself an ulcer with the fatal level of alcohol he consumed every night and the stress from losing the only person that he could have loved.

Maybe, in another life. If I was a better man.

The white bottle of Kaopectate in his cup holder taunted him. He’d taken a few shots from it since he sobered up, but it seemed to curdle like old milk the minute it hit his stomach. Barty couldn’t actually remember when he last ate actual food, so that was probably not helping.

You’re a waste of space. Always fucking up. Ruining my name.

It had been a while since he was sober enough to hear his father’s voice in his head. Considering the insults were the man’s main form of communication throughout his childhood, it felt sort of nostalgic, in a twisted way.

“This one’s for you, Babbo!” he said, grabbing the bottle and taking another shot of the chalky liquid.

There was a residual flavour reminiscent of vanilla, but not real vanilla. He could always tell if it was the imitation shite.

After another shot, Barty capped the bottle and straightened up in his seat. He had to figure out where he was going next. So far, he’d driven all the way up to Scotland, then somehow ended up in Wales, and now…he just wanted to go home.

Well, his flat anyway. It was a far cry from any “home” he’d ever seen, but it was his, for now. He had to leave so that he wasn’t tempted to track down Evan. The compulsion was impossible to ignore back then. Now, he was starting to accept the truth.

Evan doesn’t want me anymore.

Barty was a shite boyfriend even when he put everything he had into it. He’d really tried this time too. When Evan wanted to go out, Barty took him to the best restaurants that he could afford When he wanted to stay in, Barty cooked for him. They watched sunsets together and fucked like animals whenever Evan was randy. He thought Evan was happy, so he dropped his guard and let himself relax a bit.

Then, out of nowhere, Evan showed up at the flat and told him that they were done. He called Barty a liar and cheater. The words cut deeper this time, sliced straight through the bone.

“He’s not wrong, just a little late,” Barty muttered.

He never cheated on Evan. It didn’t even cross his mind. Lying though…that was an old habit. One borne from self-preservation.

Next Part>>>

[fantasticalleigh]

Rewatching old RAW from 2020 and it’s so interesting to see how the Randy vs Drew feud went down because there wasn’t that much intensity behind it so when they announced their Hell in a Cell match I just sat there like huh neato. But seeing how differently (and WELL) built the Punk vs. Drew feud was handled leading up to HIAC and all the emotion and excellent promos and hatred behind it is incredible. The difference is literally night and day (and Drew and CM Punk have chemistry for days compared to Randy vs. Drew).

Of course one has to factor in that the Orton vs. Macintyre feud feels like it was a lot shorter (I haven't checked to see how long it lasted but it definitely doesn't feel like 10-11 months' worth of content) and of course there was different leadership at the time AND it was in the Covid Thunderdome era so of course all that impacted the show heavily but it still has to be noted how much better one feud was executed over the other.

Also “I’m Randy fucking Orton and I demand the WHC title for the 13th time because I say so” is much much much less compelling as an opponent for Drew over “you injured me and halted my career for several months, then stole something precious from me and mocked my family, thus invoking the pettiest fucking man in the roster. It’s fucking go time.”

In 2020 Drew was a huge babyface, having come back and proven himself as worthy of champion status. He was a fighting champion and let anyone who wanted a shot at the title to try. He'd had his own irl hero's journey to make his way back to the WWE and got along with most of the roster and seemed well-liked by most. He was cocky but honorable and booked like a beast.

In 2023-24 so far he’s the broken down, deeply bitter, deeply angry man who’s been disillusioned by everything that’s happened to him to the point he’s turned into the opposite of what he once was. It’s been absolutely fascinating to go through the archives and see how he is such an opposite of who he used to be. He’ll blame everyone but himself for the challenges he’s faced and each loss he’s taken. He’s so determined to get back the gold, he’s blinded to everything else and doles out destruction wherever he goes. And Punk brings out the worst in him and he brings out the worst in Punk. They're holding up mirrors to each other fighting over who gets to say they've been wronged the most. They had months of slowburn where Punk was out injured and it was just Drew in the ring with a mic and it still delivered. And (though I haven't watched the Drew/Orton HIAC yet) at this point, having watched (and gone insane over the punkintyre HIAC match) I don't think anything can compare to that at this point.

There's more I could and would like to add to this but I've rambled beyond the point I set out to make so I'll cut myself off here.

(Must add the caveat that I know there are huge swaths of lore and character developments I'm missing from 2019+2021-23 and everything behind that. I only started watching WWE in March of this year and have picked through content to watch and learn from over on Youtube and Peacock. Currently I'm only focusing on all the RAW 2020 episodes but will continue in chronological order and maybe do the same for Smackdown starting in 2020 at a later date. There just...so much to get through... @-@)

[fuckyeahvanhalen86-95]

Sammy Hagar has revealed he’s written a tribute song to Eddie Van Halen with Joe Satriani and Michael Anthony.

While Satch and Anthony have their parts recorded already, Hagar says he’s holding the process up because he gets “emotional” when recording his vocals.

After Alex Van Halen revealed that the previous attempt at putting an Eddie Van Halen tribute tour together failed because David Lee Roth didn’t want to pay homage to Eddie’s legacy, Hagar plans to take his tributes one step further.

“It’ll be a single,” he tells Rolling Stone. “We’re working on it right now. Mike [Anthony] and I just finished the bass and the background vocals. I took a shot at a lead vocal, but I don’t know if it’s done yet.”

“Joe’s got his parts done. Kenny [Aronoff] played drums. I gotta tell you, it was emotional singing it, because the song, it’s about Eddie. That’s the best I can put it. It’s a thank you to him, and it’s a thank you to the fans, and it’s a thank you to that era.”

He adds that fans can expect its release in “February or March”, but no other details were spilled.

He did, however, say that he and Wolfgang Van Halen “got goosebumps” when they saw each other at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.

The singer, who has announced the return of his Best of All Worlds shows via a Las Vegas residency at Park MGM in 2025, is full of admiration for Van Halen Jr.

“I walked into Ozzy’s dressing room and Wolfie’s sitting there,” he says. “We caught eyes and he jumps up, and we just fuckin’ hugged and got goosebumps on both of us.”

Wolfgang starred at the glitzy event which saw Ozzy Osbourne inducted into the Hall’s annals for the second time, this time for his work as a solo artist.

Taking the stage to perform Crazy Train – and nailing its iconic solo – alongside Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, he’d helped pour cold water on the muchly contested Randy Rhoads versus Eddie Van Halen rivalry that began in the early ‘80s and hasn’t been properly quelled since.

“It’s so funny, every time I’ve ever run into him and we embrace, I get the goosebumps because I feel like it’s Eddie,” Hagar says of meeting Wolfgang backstage.

“I really feel he’s the closest thing to Eddie on this planet right now. He looks like him, when you look him in the eye. He does his gestures. He takes his finger and he pushes his hair out of his face like Eddie.”

“He did that when I was talking to him,” he continues. “I said, ‘I can’t even look at you, Wolf. I’m getting teared up.’ Yeah, I love him and what he’s doing.”

Wolfgang has, understandably, been cautious about his positioning in regard to his late father’s monumental musical legacy, preferring to tread his own path with Mammoth WVH.

In August he told the WTF with Marc Maron Podcast: “I think people are sitting there waiting for me to outdo my dad in some way, but that's impossible. I'm not him. I'm doing my own thing and if anything I'm outdoing him in that way... I'm a better drummer than him and no one says that!”

Though he did inherit one technique from his dad, in a new chat with Bass Player, he's further distanced himself from his father by dispelling the belief that Eddie taught him every trick from his book.

“My Dad called me a ‘rhythm bassist’, but all he taught me was a power chord and an AC/DC drum beat,” he says. “From there, I just played along.”

Nonetheless, Hagar has previously expressed his desire to involve Wolfgang in the Best of All Worlds extravaganza at some stage, saying “I’m sure our paths will cross”.

[mrsaltieri-real]

His Perfect Victim (Mickey Altieri X OC!Dahlia Levine)

Chapter 4: Friends

Word count: 3k

Warnings: language, mentions of sex, a little angst, fluff, Mickey being a dick, (obviously) Mickey being sweet, flashbacks to Stu, brief mention of death

The smut is COMING I promise, I’m just fleshing it out. This fic is immensely fun to write, so I’m fr bashing out the chapters but it’s so so enjoyable I can’t seem to stop myself. Thank you again to @bisexual-horror-fan for editing and beta reading this for me. I know the extremely subtle reference to Stu and Billy hit! Kisses dude love ya!!

Gotta include the moodboard you made for me in this chapter because it’s fucking chefs kiss.

⬆️⬆️THIS. THIS IS THE VIBE⬆️⬆️

I’d never been this hungover in my entire life, my head is pounding as if a marching band is walking around the perimeter of my skull.

I groggily forced my eyes open only to recoil under the comforter at the harsh light streaming in through the windows with a low groan. Fuck the light, fuck me for not closing the curtains, fuck alcohol.

But especially fuck Mickey.

It took longer than it should have for me to realise I wasn’t in my own dorm. Once I finally resurfaced from beneath the sheets I took in my surroundings, blinking rapidly at the familiar dorm that didn’t belong to me. The posters littering the walls, the small figurines on the desk and I glanced down, noticing the Star Wars image on the comforter and frowned a little, lifting a hand to rub my eyes.

“Morning!”

I jumped, hand clutching the side of my throbbing head as my eyes settled on Randy’s goofy smiling face. He was holding out a cup of coffee for me, but he lowered it a little when he saw I was staring at him with a look of horror, mouth agape.

“Oh, God. What- what am I doing here, Randy?” I asked weakly. My voice sounded hoarse and raspy and I flinched at the sound of it, eyes darting down to my body quickly, hands pulling the blanket back to see I was not in fact naked. Thank God I was still dressed in my jeans and crop top I was wearing last night.

Randy chuckled a little, placing the steaming mug on his bedside table before sitting on the edge of his bed. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I found you last night throwing back shots with a couple of frat bros and decided it was time to take you home but you told me you didn’t want to be alone so I just brought you back here. I assumed it was safer than any of your other options and you clearly didn’t want to stick around Hallie and Sidney’s.” He stopped, eyes scanning over my face before he jerked a thumb behind him to his sofa which was covered over with a rumpled blanket and a pillow, “See? I slept on the couch.”

I relaxed a little, sighing in relief which made him roll his eyes. “Damn, D. Would you really be so disgusted if we hooked up?” He placed a hand over his chest in mock offence.

“Yes and you’d be too.” I said, reaching forward to nudge his shoulder which made him laugh again and nod his head in agreement.

I grabbed the coffee off the table, leaning back against his headboard and closed my eyes.

“Wanna talk about whatever happened with Mickey?” He asked hesitantly.

“I didn’t tell you?” I mumbled into the mug, glancing up at him as he shook his head before replying, “You weren’t really making a lot of sense. You kept shouting about a ‘Stupid blonde slut’ and that you were going to, ‘Kill that stupid fucking mouse’ but I didn’t get much from that.” For every quote his fingers came up in quotations and I rolled my eyes, unable to stop from smiling.

I shook my head before telling him, “It doesn’t matter. I’m not really sure if I really saw what I thought I did anyway, I was pretty drunk.”

“Pretty drunk? I had to brush your teeth for you, Dahlia.” Randy shivered as if the memory haunted him and I shoved his shoulder, scoffing at him before taking his hand with my free one, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles. “Thank you for taking care of me, Rand.” I said softly.

He clicked his tongue against his teeth bashfully, his cheeks flushing just slightly, “You don’t have to thank me, Dahlia. What are friends for?”

Before I left Randy’s I fixed my hair in his bathroom, giving up at the lousy attempt and rifling through my backpack for something to cover it with. For reference, my hair is dark, thick and curly, waving down to the middle of my back. I pulled out one of my favourite bandannas; maroon and patterned with flowers, with a relieved flourish and placed it over my head biker style, staring at my reflection.

God, I looked like shit.

Randy enjoyed teasing me for my quote “rustic bohemian” sense of style whilst Sidney absolutely adored it, constantly telling me as much. During my depressed period the upkeep on my fashion sense has faltered and I practically lived in sweats and oversized T-shirts that belonged to my dad, but I made the decision that when I went to college, if I wanted everyone to think I was truly getting better I’d have to act and dress like it. So for me, I was back in my comfort zone. But right now, it really didn’t look like it. Even in my favourite outfit, my brown and white soft striped cropped jumper and my cargo pants, I still looked horrifically hungover.

I quickly splashed some water over my face, stole some of Randy’s deodorant before pecking him goodbye on the cheek at his door, eager to get back to my own dorm to shower and change.

And who should appear as though from thin air?

“Walk of shame?”

I yelped, practically jumping out of my skin as I spun around seeing Mickey leaning against the wall of Randy’s building, toying with his video camera in his hands.

“Fuck off.” I snapped, turning back round to get as far away from him as possible. He caught up with me easily in just a few strides and I internally groaned. What the fuck was this guys problem?

“So you’re fucking Meeks? Guess that shouldn’t come to any surprise really.” I didn’t look at him as he spoke, I didn’t want to properly dignify such a ridiculous claim instead just replying with, “What do you care?”

“I don’t, really. Just think you can do better.”

I stopped so quickly he took a few more steps ahead before turning around and looking at me. Fuck, he looked good. He was wearing a dark blue button down shirt and black pants, his dark hair ruffled and messy as though he’d been running his hands through it.

Or as though some girl had been running her hands through it.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone? Go bother your girlfriend instead.” I was too tired, too hungover to put any emotion in my voice, looking at him blankly. He frowned slightly, tilting his head to the side as he looked down at me before asking, “What girlfriend?”

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms tightly across my chest and gripping my elbows, “Blonde girl? Under you last night? C’mon Mickey it’s been all of less than twelve hours.”

A smile played on the corners of his mouth as his eyebrows rose, his finger tapping against the side of his camera, “She wasn’t my girlfriend. Just some girl I fucked.”

I couldn’t stop the disgusted expression from taking over my face as I stared at him, “Oh, nice.” I muttered, “Aren’t you just charming.”

“I try.” He said cockily, shrugging his shoulders as he pointed, “It’s cute that you're jealous though.”

A surprised laugh burst through my lips and I shook my head, hands coming up to run over my face as I managed to get out, “Jealous? You think I’m jealous? You’re the one who lied to Sidney about wanting to apologise to me for being a jackass and trying to kiss me so I’d walk in and see you screwing some girl.”

His smile faltered slightly, arms dropping to his sides with his camera still clutched between his fingers, “Ah yeah, that. I guess I can be a bit of a jackass, huh?”

“More than a bit.” I muttered under my breath, starting to walk again. He walked beside me easily and I glanced at his face. He looked deep in thought, hands brought back in front of him as he played with his camera before he spoke again after about thirty seconds, “Sorry about that.”

“Hm?” I hummed as though I didn’t hear him.

He stifled a smile as he sighed, head tipping back a little, “I’m sorry about that. That was a fucked up thing to do. I just… I don’t know, I’m not used to rejection. Suppose I don’t take it well.”

“Yeah, I’ll say.” I scoffed and saw him smile down at me from the corner of my eye.

Damn him.

“Can I confess something to you?”

His tone made me look up at him in surprise, he sounded almost… Nervous? At this point I was so used to him being arrogant, confident and just a downright dick it completely caught me off guard.

“I guess?” I replied suspiciously.

“You have some kind of effect on me, Dahl. I don’t quite understand it to be honest. So yeah, when you physically fucking recoiled I assumed I read the signals wrong. So I kinda wanted to test it, you know? See how you would react if you saw me fucking some chick.” He spoke so candidly as though this was completely normal and average behaviour. Could he really not see that it wasn’t?

We were outside my building at this point and I paused, leaning against the cool brick and looking up at him, saying as softly as I could muster, “You know that’s not like… Normal, right? You could have just spoken to me.”

He looked thoughtful for a second as he nodded his head, eyes meeting mine. “Okay, I’ll talk to you. You wanna fuck?”

My eyes widened and I laughed in surprise. He was grinning at me cheekily, dimples pronounced in his cheeks and it didn’t falter as I laughed, only grew wider.

“No I don’t want to fuck you, Mickey.” I said once I stopped laughing, cheeks heating up a little before I continued, “But why don’t we start trying to be friends.”

He cocked his head to the side, smile shrinking just a little, “You wanna be my friend?”

“You said it yourself, we’re going to be around each other a lot. We might as well try. Besides, if you’re good enough for Sidney you’re good enough for me.” I held out my hand and his eyes dropped to it before looking back at my face, looking deeply amused by my formality as he asked, “Really? A handshake? What is this a fucking job interview?”

I looked down at my hand and back to him pointedly and he rolled his eyes, another smile stretching across his face as he took my hand and shook it gently, squeezing it softly. Mickey’s hand was calloused and rough. An unfamiliar but welcome warmth spread through my chest as he touched me, his eyes looking down into mine with a strange kind of affection.

The contact lingered a couple of seconds longer than necessary before I gently withdrew my hand, dropping it at my side.

“Okay, so we’re friends. That entails not fucking girls in my best friends bed and tricking me into watching it, alright?”

“Ah damn, we can’t build a foundation off of that? Not much of a voyeur, huh?” He teased and I shook my head, leaning up from the wall and pulling my keys from my jacket pocket before unlocking the door.

“Yeah, no. I’ll see you around, Mick.” I froze for a second before continuing, “-ey. Mickey.” I corrected myself quickly, wanting the ground to swallow me up.

He laughed again, holding up his hands. “Call me Mickey if you want, I’m not going to stop calling you Dahl.”

I smiled over my shoulder at him, finally pushing the door open and stepping inside.

“Wait, Dahl?”

I turned around, Mickey reached out and kept the door propped open with his hand just by my head. He stood right over me, so close and I noticed he smelled incredible, like spices and vanilla. His scent filled my nose and made my head spin and I subtly leaned against the door so I wouldn’t fucking fall as I breathed, “Mm?” Not at all trusting my voice.

He seemed to notice my little head rush and seemed to openly completely relish in knowing he had this effect on me as he leaned just a touch closer before he spoke, “I didn’t get the chance to say last night, but you looked hot. But honestly, I think you should wear the bandana more often, it suits you.”

I know I blushed, I know my cheeks completely stained pink as he glanced at them, his smile turning cocky as he pushed himself off the door and it swung closed as I stepped back, leaving me standing in the stairwell completely bewildered.

How the fuck did he do that, have this kind of instant effect on me? I’d never experienced this level of attraction to anybody before and I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with myself.

I’d never slept with anyone before. I hadn’t even fooled around and never really had time to do anything to myself. These feelings were just as endearing as they were confusing but at the moment, I wasn’t ready to explore them, right?

I thought about it as I walked up the seemingly endless stairwell to my dorm. Was this something I’d simply been putting off and making excuses for? I didn’t date in High School, too focused on school and life to even look at people in that way. Stu used to endlessly tease me for it, finding it truly hilarious that I was, at the time, seventeen and still hadn’t slept with anyone.

“What are you waiting for, D?” He’d teased, poking me in the ribs as I sat cross legged with him on his couch. I laughed, slapping his hands away from me before the guaranteed tickle fight began. Our respective parents were out of town yet again so we’d decided I’d stay over at the Machers instead of sitting home by myself for the weekend. I much preferred this anyway, Stu was more like a brother than a cousin to me.

“Stop fucking doing that you fucking ass.” I kicked out my foot but he caught it quickly, laughing as he pushed it down before continuing, “Seriously, Dahlia. What’s with the hold up?”

“You know what Stu, I don’t think I want to talk to my cousin about how I haven’t had sex yet. It’s creepy.”

Stu scoffed at me, leaning back on the couch and rolling his eyes, “Oh, please. That’s not why you don’t wanna talk about it.”

I leaned toward him and shoved his shoulder and he grabbed it in mock pain.

“No but seriously, I’m getting a bad rap. Why are you putting this off?” Stu seemed genuinely curious, fingers tapping on the upholstery of the arm of the sofa as he spoke.

I sighed, deciding to give in and tell him so he’d just let it go, “I’m not putting it off. I just… I want it to be with the right person, you know?” I spoke shyly, eyes dropping to my lap.

“Awe, how sweet and boring is that!” Stu teased but his eyes were still affectionate, “You want my advice?”

“Trust me Stu, I really really don’t.”

He ignored me, starting to talk again before I even finished my sentence, “Stick to that. Stick with your gut and wait till you find someone you really care about.”

I glanced up at him, seeing an expression on his face I hadn’t seen before as I asked softly, “Sounds like you wish you’d waited for a certain someone, huh?”

Stu smiled halfheartedly at me with a small upturn on his shoulders.

“Is it who I think it is?” I asked gently.

He nodded his head with a sigh, picking at the loose fabric of the arm of the couch, “Yeah, it’s who you think. You’re right for wanting to wait, trust me. Because man, when you find that person? Fuck, nothing else matters.”

By the time my little trip down memory lane was over I had finally made my way into my dorm and was relieved to discover my roommate wasn’t home. Karla was a nice enough girl, but I’d always found small talk insufferable and we just didn’t have the kind of relationship where talking came easy so I just hadn’t bonded with her the five months I’d been living with her. Lucky for me, my classes were in the morning and hers were in the afternoon and more often than not she would stay out at her boyfriend's off campus apartment so I pretty much had the place to myself.

I dropped my bag on the bed and walked to the bathroom, stripping off on my way and popping my clothes in my hamper by the door. I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror and had to do a double take.

I didn’t look at all like myself, or at least the version of myself I’d grown accustomed to looking like.

My cheeks were flushed and my lips were upturned in a smile, but that wasn’t what caught my attention.

The thing that was most surprising was my eyes. They looked bright, lively and almost wild. I hadn’t seen myself look this way in forever and it caught me completely off guard.

I spent a lot of time faking being happy, mainly to appease friends and my parents but now? There was nothing artificial about the way I looked.

I looked happy.

Usually even if I happened to be in a good mood, reminiscing about past conversations with Stu brought me down and crushed me all over again. As my reflection stared back at me in the mirror I realised for the first time since Woodsbro thinking about him didn’t make me depressed, it didn’t make me wish I in fact stayed dead.

Thinking of that playful conversation made me realise how right Stu was. I never wanted to make the same mistake he made, I was one of the only people that knew what he was hiding from everyone and although this was different, I knew that that memory didn’t pop into my head out of nowhere.

I didn’t know Mickey well, we were just starting to become friends after all. But I hadn’t felt this happy, this content for far too long, if ever.

I touched the corners of my eyes as I looked at my reflection as I thought, maybe he was the right person?

Chapter Five HERE

[wifelinkmtg]

Dominaria United Who’s Hot Speedrun

Please, G-d, they cannot already be doing March of the Machines spoilers come on Phyrexia All Will Be One has been out for like, two weeks. Hnnnnnngh okay here we go.

DOMINARIA UNITED

Mostly disappointing, if I’m being honest! Like hey remember Chris Rallis’ Danitha and Anna Steinbauer’s Radha from last time we were on Dominaria? Hey, no worries if not, here they are:

Extremely hot! I’ve said a great deal about that version of Radha previously. Anyway now here’s versions of them from this set:

Radha, Coalition Warlord (art by Randy Vargas)

Like I’m not complaining, you know, she’s still an absolutely massive elf lady with a huge sword (and you really don’t see enough muscular elves, do you?) but like in comparison to the above version...no, wait, sorry, I changed my mind, she is still extremely hot, I do very much still want her to rail me.

Danitha, Benalia’s Hope (art by Magali Villeneuve)

This, though, is very much a “go girl, give us nothing” moment for Danitha. Which is fine! It’s a fine painting, and Danitha has to cut her Phyrexianized dad’s head off in this story if I recall, so it’s okay if she doesn’t feel quite up to the glamor shots. Not everything should be five-star wifelink material, you know?

Join Forces (art by Aurore Folny)

We do get this nice gay little team-up for the both of them, which feels a little calculated, but I’ll take it. Okay what else we got, Dominaria United?

Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (art by G-host Lee)

Ooh, now we’re getting somewhere! Love a woman just dripping with ichor.

Phyrexian Missionary (art by Mila Pesic)

Ichor AND horrible cyborg parts, even better!

Hang on, do you hear something? A noise, as of distant thunder mixed with the clangor of the factories of Hell? Why, that could be none other than

SHEOLDRED, THE APOCALYPSE (art by Chris Rahn)

All the way from New Phyrexia, the Dross Pits’ lovely Praetor-Thane has strapped herself into an ancient dragon engine: a potent force multiplier both for battlefield devastation and raw sexual appeal. (The dragon engine is a metaphor.)

This set also, in a rare turn of events, has a version of Liliana who absolutely does not make the cut. You really have to fuck up for that to happen.

NEXT TIME ON WIFELINK: THE BROTHERS WAR

Nothing. Like, actually nothing, and I’m not just saying that because I don’t want to have to review yet another set before I get to the good stuff. It turns out Old Phyrexia wasn’t nearly as hot as New Phyrexia. We’re skipping it.

NEXT TIME ON WIFELINK: PHYREXIA ALL WILL BE ONE, AT LONG LAST.

[bizarrequazar]

GJ and ZZH Updates — March 5-11 (nice)

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

03-05 → Gong Jun’s studio posted a video spoken by him for Learn from Lei Feng Day.

→ Tangle Teezer posted a photo of the wax Gong Jun with one of their products.

03-06 → Gong Jun was seen filming running as a torch bearer for the Asian Games.

→ Deeyeo posted a video of behind the scenes footage from their ad campaign with Gong Jun.

→ L’Oreal posted a promotional video spoken by Gong Jun.

→ Madame Tussauds posted two photos of the wax Gong Jun. Fan Observation: It was already noted at this point that the figure had sustained some damage on the abs and clothing from fans touching it. 

→ Safeguard posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (If you’ve been wondering why I never seem to include Safeguard, it’s because I can’t access their profile for some reason. 🙃)

03-07 → Gong Jun posted a promotional video for MARRSGREEN.

→ Deeyou posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ InStyle posted a video interview with Gong Jun from the day of the Madame Tussauds unveiling. [text translation]

→ Gong Jun deleted 121 posts from his Instagram, primarily personal ones, promotions for shows, and all photos from before November 2018. Posts for Word of Honor are still there; posts from the filming period and some from the promotional period are not. The most recent post removed was his Thailand photos. Equivalent posts on Xiao Hong Shu and Weibo are still there. The reason for the deletion is unknown at the time of this post.

03-08 → Gong Jun posted in his supertopic for Women’s Day: “Happy holiday everyone!”

→ Gong Jun posted four photo ads for L’Oreal.

→ The Instagram posted eight photos of “Zhang Zhehan”. The merch being worn in the photos was available on the brand’s online store for exactly thirty minutes. Fan Observations: The face on the right seems to have not been photoshopped enough. A whaler on Weibo criticized a fan who pointed it out, claiming that the fan had edited it to look different, and a whaler on Twitter DID edit it to look more like Zhang Zhehan before posting it.

→ GQ magazine posted a teaser video for their March issue. Caption: “Who is in the studio?”

→ Fresh posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ 361° posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

03-09 → Gong Jun followed the Weibo account of a fan who sadly passed away from illness, who used to make sand art of his characters. He also liked the video of her art that her husband had posted in her memory.

→ Madame Tussauds posted two photos of Gong Jun and wax Gong Jun.

03-10 → The owner of the dog used in Gong Jun’s recent Tangle Teezer ads posted photos of him from the shoot.

→ Gong Jun’s studio posted a video with behind the scenes footage of his recent ads for Tangle Teezer, Deeyeo, BEAST, and Hogan. Caption: “Full of spring, full of energy! Unlock the multiple poses of the boss @ Gong Jun Simon with one click, and feel infinite freedom between the shots.” BGM is One for the good times by Jef, the main theme from Zorba the Greek, Big Stones by Amphibious Zoo Music, Light Lock by Instupendo, Mr. Garita by Randy Sharp, and Parade by Backing Tracks. This was reposted by Tangle Teezer.

→ Zhang Sanjian airport photos again, once again very covered and in very baggy clothing.

03-11 → Gong Jun’s studio commented on his March schedule: “Adding new itinerary to this month: 3.24 brand livestream, 3.25 attending an event. Spring is getting stronger, waiting to see you~” The livestream is believed to be for L’Oreal.

→ Madame Tussauds posted four photos of people posing with wax Gong Jun.

Additional Reading: → Flora’s daily fan news

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

[aestheticvoyage2024]

Day 78: Monday March 18, 2024 - "Cactus League 2024"

We laid in bed just before midnight and Audrie asked me what the best part of the day was; and it was probably that part - cycling back through it all in an instant, the joy of William rolling down the hill and getting to draft fantasy alongside my good friend Dave. Getting that sweet shot of Adolis Garcia crushing a homerun. Not having to be in the office - getting sunshine and baseball, seeing an old friend, all that cousin time for William, and him in his pink Randy Savage pajamas. I settled on the soothing thought of that giant hot dog for 9.75 and the eight packs of relish I put on it, eating it next to Dave with a matching one, behind home plate.... that was good, indeed. But near as good as that moment I spent running back through it, trying to pick one. It really was a great day, and a new entry for William's baseball journal - his first of many in 2024.

Song: The Rural Alberta Advantage - Alright

Quote: "Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal." -George Will

[ausetkmt]

Tory Lanez's motion for a new trial in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case has been denied.

On Tuesday (May 9), Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David J. Herriford made a final decision in the Tory Lanez prison time saga. Judge Herriford decided Tory Lanez does not have the right to a new trial and the Court will be moving forward with the sentencing process, according to Los Angeles Times journalist James Queally.

Queally shared this afternoon via Twitter, "Tory Lanez motion for a new trial has been denied. We don’t have a sentencing date yet. Attorney Jose Baez and the Lanez team did file a motion disqualify Judge Herriford — I don’t know on what grounds we don’t have copies yet — but Herriford still issued his ruling. That matter will likely be heard outside the county at some point (and that’s also a very high bar.) There will be more in the afternoon: defense wanted to ask Herriford to confirm he’s denying their due process claims (not relevant at present) and a sentencing date could be set."

On Dec. 23, 2022, Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion on July 12, 2020 and convicted of one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner to cause bodily injury. He was initially slated to be sentenced on Jan. 27. However, he was able to get the date pushed back after acquiring a new legal team in an attempt to secure an appeal.

On March 29, Tory officially filed for an appeal of the verdict in court, citing an unfair trial and arguing some evidence should not have been admitted. On April 6, the prosecution in the case submitted a 16-page document countering Tory's attorneys' claims.

"The evidence presented at trial was properly admitted, and the defendant's claims of errors and violations of his constitutional rights are without merit," the statement read in part. "The verdict reached by the jury was based on credible evidence and was supported by the law."

In an update on April 25, the lawyer handling Tory Lanez's appeal, Jose Baez, announced that in the then-coming days, Tory and his team would bring forth new information regarding the DNA evidence that was used against the "Broke In A Minute" artist in the trial. Baez claims the original DNA information presented was "false and misleading" to the members of the jury.

From there, an incarcerated Tory Lanez hit up Instagram with an audio message calling out his prosecutors and accusing them of "manipulating" the original DNA results in the case.

"I’ve been incarcerated for almost half a year over a gun that the D.A.s lied and said I shot," Tory began in the jail recording on April 25. "In 2021, they demanded I take a DNA test. I took that test without no pushback, delay or question. Not only because I knew I never shot the gun. But mainly because I was 100 percent positive that I never even touched this gun. In my trial the verdict of innocent or guilty depended heavily on my DNA results."

He continued: "With the help of L.A. Crime Labs DNA expert Randy Zepeda, D.A. Kathy Ta, and Alex Bott completely manipulated my DNA results, and lied to the world, the media, and most importantly my jury, by stating that my DNA on the gun was inconclusive. That was an absolute lie."

Tory Lanez faces up to 22 years in prison when he is sentenced.

XXL has reached out to Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion's attorneys, and the L.A. County District Attorneys Office for comment.

[reasoningdaily]

Tory Lanez's motion for a new trial in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case has been denied.

On Tuesday (May 9), Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David J. Herriford made a final decision in the Tory Lanez prison time saga. Judge Herriford decided Tory Lanez does not have the right to a new trial and the Court will be moving forward with the sentencing process, according to Los Angeles Times journalist James Queally.

Queally shared this afternoon via Twitter, "Tory Lanez motion for a new trial has been denied. We don’t have a sentencing date yet. Attorney Jose Baez and the Lanez team did file a motion disqualify Judge Herriford — I don’t know on what grounds we don’t have copies yet — but Herriford still issued his ruling. That matter will likely be heard outside the county at some point (and that’s also a very high bar.) There will be more in the afternoon: defense wanted to ask Herriford to confirm he’s denying their due process claims (not relevant at present) and a sentencing date could be set."

On Dec. 23, 2022, Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion on July 12, 2020 and convicted of one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner to cause bodily injury. He was initially slated to be sentenced on Jan. 27. However, he was able to get the date pushed back after acquiring a new legal team in an attempt to secure an appeal.

On March 29, Tory officially filed for an appeal of the verdict in court, citing an unfair trial and arguing some evidence should not have been admitted. On April 6, the prosecution in the case submitted a 16-page document countering Tory's attorneys' claims.

"The evidence presented at trial was properly admitted, and the defendant's claims of errors and violations of his constitutional rights are without merit," the statement read in part. "The verdict reached by the jury was based on credible evidence and was supported by the law."

In an update on April 25, the lawyer handling Tory Lanez's appeal, Jose Baez, announced that in the then-coming days, Tory and his team would bring forth new information regarding the DNA evidence that was used against the "Broke In A Minute" artist in the trial. Baez claims the original DNA information presented was "false and misleading" to the members of the jury.

From there, an incarcerated Tory Lanez hit up Instagram with an audio message calling out his prosecutors and accusing them of "manipulating" the original DNA results in the case.

"I’ve been incarcerated for almost half a year over a gun that the D.A.s lied and said I shot," Tory began in the jail recording on April 25. "In 2021, they demanded I take a DNA test. I took that test without no pushback, delay or question. Not only because I knew I never shot the gun. But mainly because I was 100 percent positive that I never even touched this gun. In my trial the verdict of innocent or guilty depended heavily on my DNA results."

He continued: "With the help of L.A. Crime Labs DNA expert Randy Zepeda, D.A. Kathy Ta, and Alex Bott completely manipulated my DNA results, and lied to the world, the media, and most importantly my jury, by stating that my DNA on the gun was inconclusive. That was an absolute lie."

Tory Lanez faces up to 22 years in prison when he is sentenced.

XXL has reached out to Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion's attorneys, and the L.A. County District Attorneys Office for comment.

[scopitonearchive]

Scopitone star Randy Sparks dies at 90

Randy Sparks died at the age of 90 at an assisted living facility in San Diego, California on February 11, 2024. Sparks was probably best known as the founder of the folk group the New Christy Minstrels, where he helped launch the careers of stars such as John Denver, Steve Martin, Kenny Rogers, Gene Clark of the Byrds, Larry Ramos of the Association, and "Bette Davis Eyes" singer Kim Carnes.

He had a second group, the Back Porch Majority, who made one somewhat controversial Scopitone film, "The Mighty Mississippi" in 1965. In March 1966, Sparks complained to Daily Variety that his "wholesome act" was "promised the same kind of class treatment as Debbie Reynolds got in the Scopitone film she did and we didn't get it." Instead, Sparks stated, after the group's performance was filmed, Reynolds' production company Harman-EE Productions "went to their own studio and added material that turned it into a dirty look in low taste." Sparks vowed never to do another Scopitone for Harman-EE.

Harman-EE's Irving Briskin responded, in a letter to Daily Variety, that Sparks' complaints were "untrue" and that Scopitone films are "always produced with the artist there at all times and nothing is shot without the artist's full knowledge." Briskin also opined that "if I were a manager of an artist and an alleged image of that artist had supposedly been damaged, I do not believe I would further damage that image through a newspaper comment."

For more info, see:

Brian Murphy, "Randy Sparks, who gave folk music a big choral sound, dies at 90", Washington Post, Feb. 16, 2024: https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/02/16/randy-sparks-folk-music-dies/

Clay Risen, "Randy Sparks, Founder of the New Christy Minstrels, Dies at 90," New York Times, Feb. 17, 2024: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/17/arts/music/randy-sparks-new-christy-minstrels-dead.html

Diego Ramos Bachara, "Randy Sparks, New Christy Minstrels Founder, Dies at 90," Variety, Feb. 17, 2024: https://variety.com/2024/music /obituaries-people-news/randy-sparks-dead-new-christy-minstrels-1235915076/

Back Porch Majority, "The Mighty Mississippi," Scopitone S-1027: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDeApYkH7XA

"Sparks Ignites Charge Against Scopitone Clip," Daily Variety, March 14, 1966

"Letters to the Editor: 'Manager's Slip Showing'", Daily Variety, March 16, 1966

[aestheticvoyage2023]

March 2023

So many great things about March 2023 - it was a good month if I really stop and take a true measure.  From beautiful road shots, to snow covered cactus.  William started to say his name and learn to swim and cheered for the Spartans in March Madness.  He danced with his cousins in our living room, and rode along in a cart with Grandpa.  So many sweet memories.  And it wasn’t always easy and fun - at times it was an absolute grind this month.  But my wife has got my back - I received a lot of love and support this month and going into April its starting to feel like maybe we really are ready for whats next.  Ready to begin again. Ready to have it right. Evolving and shedding the skin.

Best Day: March 12 - A special day with Grandpa

Best Song: Randy Houser - Note To Self

Best Quote: There’s this flash I get often, a fever dream or a vision of sorts Most times late at night And I haven’t found out why, but I know exactly why I’m on this road and I hear gravel underneath me, and I feel it too And I don’t know where I am, but I know exactly where I am It’s dark, It’s really dark And the car is warm, but somehow I can feel how cold the night is I don’t know where the road leads, but I know exactly where it ends You see, I keep driving And all I see for the longest while is my headlights, for an eternity it seems And everything is desolate and empty and nothing and hopeless I’m lost, but I know where I’m going I’m safe, I’m warm, I’m driving And I see this small light A dim one, growing brighter and bigger and closer and stronger And the closer I get, the more I see I make out a house with light strewn across it, a porch, and cars Some frosted windshields that haven’t been touched for hours I hear a song, and it’s faint, I can’t make out the name but I know every word I feel my feet first And it’s cold, and they’re crunching, and it’s the sound of driveways And the wind takes my breath with it And then I walk up to this door, and I knock even though I feel like I don’t have to And I don’t know where I am, but I know exactly where I am And this crack of light widens on this porch underneath me as this door opens And this brown haired girl with the brightest smile I don’t know who she is, but I know her so well And behind her, the warmest home I’d ever seen It’s orange and comfortable, there’s fire and it’s bulb lit She says “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you all night, we’ve missed you” She says to the kindest smirk I’d seen in so long Then she tapers off the sentence with the, with peaceful sound that a lady makes She grabs me on the forearms, pulls softly into the dining room And there’s people, and they’re happy, and they’re content for one I don’t know who they are, but I know exactly who they are And we’re all standing, and I’m laughing at a joke I’ll never hear again I don’t know where I am, but I know exactly where I am And then she tucks her head between my collar as a friend Between my collar and my jaw, and there’s no weight at all And I don’t know where I am, but there’s no weight at all It’s laughter and grins and no tomorrow to win And I don’t know where I am, but I know exactly where I am I don’t know where I am, but I know exactly where I am ~Zach Bryan, This Road I Know

Best Photos of the month:

[daniels-rwby-blog]

V9EP3

Ep3 rude red royal I'm telling you best intro so far

The marching is pretty funny The shot of the castle with the massive tower and, i wanna saw low poly-looking spires reminds me of adventure times lemon king, but the rusted stonework is really interesting, seems to go along with the "time is passing/ has passed" theory. Wiess continues to be the winner of this show.

In the words of randy, THE PLOT THICKNESS!!! okay, this is my new favourite character, this is quite literally Wiess volume 1 just a bit more... EXTRA!.

THE SMIRK!!!!! my god, the smirks are amazing this season.

And that wonderland sequence with this butterfly was also incredible, jeez this whole volume is really beautiful, makes up for the experience that is pre-Maya RWBY.

Also at 6:33, that's just yang fan service, nothing else.

The laughing is pretty funny and the rules are as expected.

GET TINYED WBY! (yeah that's what I'm calling them)

finally some RWBY fight action. As short and bizarre as it is. The blush was, just too cute for words. (cannot wait for the love triangle when sun returns)

I swear he was about to burst into song with that spotlight.

Humans eh?

I had the privilege of watching this scene with a home theatre, the music is really well mixed and with Dolby it is awesome plus HDR helps with the spotlighted nature of the sequence. And the BEEE SPINN AWWWW it's like the trailers. And the music is incredible here, I want this soundtrack so badly.

*Epic rwby music intensifies*

Wiess giving off mercy vibes and yangs semblance has never looked so good, the hair was yang on.

It was an easy but fun fight. The cat ends up being ex machina but I don't mind it, it introduces the car well. And again the Wiess wins the show with adorableness Okay, this is the best sequence of the whole volume so far. And the cat and Wiess's sarcasm is all just a bit much, I feel like we've just missed pacing by one EP, but it makes up for ep1 being like 50% already seen. So I can accept it.

What jabber walker, B plot? NEEEEOOO? NEEEOOOOS??? THE MULTINEO.

Well crap, i don't know what the take away is here. Neo or the kings absence and the furthering of the "fairytale story" vs the as Wiess puts it stupid sequel.

Also the credits were awesome this ep again.

[bongaboi]

Gonzaga: 2022-23 West Coast Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- Gonzaga's players heard the criticisms this wasn't the same Bulldogs team that has been among the nation's elite in recent years, and they even struggled themselves to live up to the program's enormous expectations.

"There were numerous days where I was not fun to be around," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.

The Bulldogs kept working at it, and on Tuesday night, No. 9 Gonzaga sent a message to the rest of the country with a dominant-from-the-start 77-51 victory over No. 16 Saint Mary's in the championship game of the West Coast Conference tournament.

The Zags (28-5) continued their domination of the WCC with their fourth consecutive tournament championship and 10th in 11 years, with Saint Mary's in 2019 being the only exception. Gonzaga has won 21 tournament titles overall.

Drew Timme scored 18 points and became Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer, earning tournament Most Outstanding Player.

"I took for granted winning," Timme said. "I won so much in my career, it's a shock not to win. I think early in the year, it just kind of made me appreciate what it takes to win night in and night out. I think sometimes we kind of assume we were just going to win because we're Gonzaga.

"Sometimes it's hard not to fall into mindset we just need to get to March. It was grind this season. I think that grind has made us as a group appreciate each and every night winning and what it takes to win and be a good team."

Saint Mary's (26-7) was seeded first in the tournament after the teams split the regular-season series, and Timme said it was strange wearing a blue jersey rather than the customary white one. The Gaels were the last team to beat Gonzaga, which takes a nine-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament that includes beating Saint Mary's to end the regular season.

Both teams will find out their seedings and destinations Sunday.

Gonzaga made 58% of its shots, while holding Saint Mary's to 33% shooting. The Bulldogs led by as many as 37 points and never trailed.

Timme was efficient in making 8 of 10 shots to lead four Bulldogs into double figures. Malachi Smith scored 14 points, Nolan Hickman had 12 and Julian Strawther 10. Anton Watson had 10 rebounds.

Timme's short jumper with 10:18 left put him alone in first place as the leading scorer in Gonzaga history. He entered just five points short of breaking the mark, and his 18 points for the game gave him 2,210 for his career. Frank Burgess held the previous record of 2,196 from 1958-61.

Logan Johnson led the Gaels with 20 points, and Alex Ducas scored 10.

Gonzaga took control early, using a nine-point run to go up 14-4 and maintained a double-digit lead most of the way from there. The Zags at one point in the first half made 10 of 12 field goals, and by halftime, they had taken full command with a 37-19 lead.

"I told our guys we played 32 games and played pretty well in 32 of them," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said. "This one, we're off. You can credit them. They played well. We didn't show up."