#they say he abandoned xl and but when you try to tell them xl literally told him to leave | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

olliepig · 4 years ago

Text

Centre Stage - chapter 4

A slightly different one this time - set during the events of the Long Reach, Cat’s left alone to wait.

As always with these, massive thanks are due to @willow-salix for her betaing skills, general cheerleading and without whom it’s entirely possible I would have deleted the entire thing and given up.

The whole thing is also available on AO3 here.

******************************

Cat rolled over with a groan, awake again for what felt like the twentieth time that night. She hadn’t slept properly since Scott had left to get the results of the final test of the newly named Zero XL, and three nights of broken sleep combined with a full rehearsal schedule meant that she was now at a point far beyond exhaustion.

In times of stress, her bedroom had always been her sanctuary, its dusty blue walls and cream furniture reminding her of the wide expanse of the sky and the sense of freedom it gave her when she was feeling overwhelmed by daily life. Now, it just made her think of Scott, and today, that was bringing her no comfort.

Despite the lack of daylight creeping around the curtains, a quick glance at the small clock beside her bed told her that the night had passed and it was in fact now just about what could be considered morning, albeit much, much earlier than she would usually consider being awake.

With reflexes honed by too many nights spent waiting for news from the other side of the world, her first instinct was to reach out and grab for her phone, squinting as the harsh light of the screen hit her eyes. The sight of a message from Scott made her heart lurch, fear that it would contain the words that she had been both waiting for and dreading in equal measure spreading through her veins like ice.

All go for launch. I’ll call when I’m back. xx

Dropping her phone beside her, Cat let out a groan and buried her face in the pillow while the wave of nausea that Scott’s words had triggered passed, the sensation triggering memories of the last time she had to say goodbye to him under similar circumstances.

That time, he was being sent off into a literal warzone and she had hoped afterwards that she would never again have to go through the worry of having someone she cared about in such a dangerous situation, but clearly the universe had other ideas. Now, not only was Scott going on the most ambitious and dangerous rescue mission that anyone had ever attempted, she couldn’t even talk to anyone about it as secrecy was absolutely paramount.

OK, that wasn’t strictly true, Cat reminded herself. Penny was on the island and had promised to keep her up to date with everything that was happening as soon as she heard it and that fact alone was an absolute godsend, but it was also her distance from the mission that was making her anxious. Even as a child she had never been content to depend on other people for things, preferring instead to go out and make them happen for herself, and so being reliant on others was not something that came easily to her. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her best friend to keep her informed, far from it, but Penny was similarly emotionally invested in one of the other participants involved in the rescue and, if anything untoward happened, Cat feared that she would be too distraught to pass the message on.

It was this terror of not knowing that had kept her awake for the last three nights. Logically, she knew that she should be more scared of the physical and emotional risk that Scott was facing and the possible longer-term consequences of them both, but the reality was that she could barely fathom it all so, in order to maintain at least some level of sanity, she had chosen to stay focused on the few factors that she could have some modicum of control over.

So long as he came home, she had no doubts that they would be able to face whatever else had happened together. The alternative was something she was trying very hard to ignore.

Taking deep, calming breaths that stilled her racing mind for the time being, Cat lifted her head and glanced over to Scott’s side of the bed, suppressing a small smile at the fact that she already considered it his even though he’d only actually slept there overnight once. The rose he’d given her on his surprise visit to see her dance Swan Lake was dried and framed on the wall, and memories of that night made her smile widen before regret started to creep in, sending her mind spiralling back to that awful period afterwards where she wasn’t sure if she’d ruined everything between them for good.

Now that he was leaving on a rescue fraught with such danger, her heart ached at the knowledge that they could have had so much more time together if she had allowed herself to follow it that night and kissed him in the kitchen when she had the chance. At the very least, she’d have settled for having had enough time to go on what Scott would describe as a “proper” first date, but their busy lives had meant that even that hadn’t yet been possible. Instead, until he had arrived and poured his heart out to her three days previously, they had only had a single snatched night together in the two months since she had left the island.

It wasn’t enough.

No amount of time ever would be.

Cat rolled over with a groan and picked up her book, trying to distract herself from the almost unbearable ache for him that, regardless of the circumstances, was becoming an increasingly common feature of her life but, almost immediately, her earlier regret began to mingle with apprehension for what Scott was about to face. He’d been upbeat when they had spoken the previous night, the doubts and fears that he’d let her see only days before safely locked away again now that the hour was near, but this hadn’t been enough to convince her that they weren’t still there, bubbling away under the surface. Having agreed not to talk again until he was back, she felt cut off and alone, the enforced lack of contact between them now almost unbearable.

Realising that she had read the same sentence at least five times without being any clearer as to what it said, she gave up and abandoned her book once more on her bedside table. She hauled herself out of bed, deciding that an early start and a session in the fitness suite before work might take her mind off things, at least until she had confirmation from Penny that the launch had been successful.

As she went through the motions of her usual morning routine, she was pleased to find that she had been correct. Movement, albeit limited at the moment, had helped to clear her mind and she was already feeling a lot more positive about the day ahead. Although it was clear that her brain wasn’t quite firing on all cylinders as she carefully put her knife back in the fridge before throwing the butter in the sink to wash later.

A chime on her phone alerted her to a message just as she was gathering her things together to leave and she pounced on it, her hands shaking as she saw that it was from Penny.

They’ve not launched yet but should do in an hour. All in good spirits and are gathering in the lounge now. I’ll keep you informed of any further updates. x

Seeing first hand that their agreed upon system was working so far, relief flooded through her and she allowed herself a quick smile at her friend's formal style of messaging that hadn’t changed in all the years that they’d known each other. Letting the door slam shut behind her, Cat set off to start her working day, happy that at least one part of the load she was carrying had been lifted off her.

*****

“Wow, you look like shit! Everything OK?” Mark grinned, wandering over to take his place at the barre beside Cat for their morning class.

Looking up from her phone, Cat threw him a withering look, not dignifying him with an answer before going back to finish sending a message to Penny asking for an update.

Her time in the gym had done wonders for her state of mind, but by her calculations she should have had a message to confirm launch over an hour ago. The fact that one still hadn’t arrived meant that the nerves that she had worked so hard to rid herself of that morning had returned and were starting to become unbearable.

“OK, not the time, sorry,” he apologised, ignoring Maria, with whom Cat shared a dressing room and had been on the receiving end of her increasingly bad mood that morning, making frantic ‘stop talking’ gestures as he sat himself down next to Cat, slinging an arm around her shoulder. “What’s going on, honey? Your man out on another rescue?”

“Yeah, and it’s a really bloody dangerous one so I’d appreciate less smart-arse comments today, OK?” Cat snapped, knowing that she was pushing her friends away in her time of need but feeling so overwhelmed that she was unable to stop herself.

“Come here,” Mark insisted, pulling her into him in a one-armed hug where they sat. Smiling, he rolled his eyes at Maria as Cat rested her head on his shoulder, both of them knowing how badly Cat coped when she was not fully in control of things. “He’ll be OK, just you wait and see.”

Cat allowed herself a few moments to relax into him, closing her eyes and shutting out the unhelpful words that had been flooding her head, telling her that something was wrong. Mark’s silent support bolstered her reserves, calming her breathing and allowed her to think about getting through the day’s rehearsals, regardless of what was happening half a world away.

“I think that’s us about to start,” Maria informed them, jolting Cat back into awareness as Mark extracted himself and jumped to his feet beside her.

Unable to resist, she gave her phone one last look before chucking it into her bag with a huff of displeasure, as if it was the device's fault that she didn’t have a message back from Penny yet. Taking Mark’s outstretched hand gratefully, she hauled herself upright and pushed everything from her mind as the familiar movements of her daily warm-up began to slowly soothe her, calming her enough to believe that she would have a message back before the end of class.

In the short break between barre and centre practice, Cat took the opportunity to quickly check her phone again, convinced that this time there would be a message there.

“Any news?” asked Maria quietly, as they sat together, changing from the soft shoes they used for barre work into the pointe shoes that they needed for the remainder of the class.

“Nothing,” spat Cat, a hot flash of anger surging through her as she sent yet another message asking for an update.

Penny had been her constant support throughout her life, the one person who had never let her down, but now all her fears of being left in the dark were coming true, leaving her feeling abandoned and alone. She had trusted her to stick to her word and now she didn’t even know if they had departed safely.

Seeing the rest of the company beginning to gather again, Cat took a deep breath and dragged her attention back to class, trying to focus on the enchainements that were being given to them, but her mind was well and truly elsewhere.

Mistakes started to creep into her dancing as she struggled to concentrate, angering her even more. She had always prided herself on her ability to compartmentalise the different areas of her life and it was the first time that this strategy had completely failed, leaving her vulnerable to outside influences when she was in the one environment that had always been an escape for her.

Frustration began to mix with self-consciousness as she heard her name whispered more than once, making her whip around and glare at whomever was talking. She never made that many mistakes in class, and she could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she lost concentration yet again, her cheeks burning as she stalked to the side of the studio to await the next exercise.

As soon as the class ended, Cat grabbed her belongings and fled without making eye contact or speaking to anyone, ignoring the questioning looks that were thrown her way as the company enjoyed a brief break before the day's rehearsals began in earnest. Usually, she was in the thick of it, relaxing in one of the communal areas outside the studios, but today she had no desire for company and made straight for the relative privacy of her dressing room, collapsing onto her seat with her head in her hands.

She almost couldn’t bear to look at her phone, sure that she would still be no closer to knowing what was happening and had to resist the urge to throw it across the room when it turned out her hunch was correct. Images of the Zero XL exploding on the launch platform filled her head, making it spin as nausea washed over her for the second time that day.

Trying to ground herself, she grabbed her favourite picture of her and Scott from its place on her mirror, bursting into tears as soon as she saw their happy faces, laughing at something while they cuddled together on the beach on Tracy Island. Desolation that she may never get a chance to experience a day like that again flooded through her, leaving her breath hitching in her throat as she sobbed.

She knew deep down that she was jumping to conclusions without any proof whatsoever that anything untoward had even happened. But, if she was going to be able to get through the rest of the day she desperately needed the release of her tears so she didn’t fight them, letting them fall freely as she gasped for breath.

Hearing the door opening behind her, she quickly tucked the picture away, wiping her eyes as she turned to see Mark and Maria. Worry was etched on their faces as they descended upon her, wrapping her in their arms and holding her without a word until her breathing had calmed.

“You OK?” Mark asked gently as he extracted himself from the group hug and crouched down at her feet, reassured by the small nod that Cat gave in reply. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing,” Cat sniffed, suddenly finding eye contact very difficult to maintain, choosing instead to watch Maria dragging her chair from the other side of their shared dressing room so they could sit together in relative comfort.

“Well, with all due respect, it doesn’t look like nothing,” Mark pressed, forcing Cat’s attention back onto him, unwilling to let her get away with deflecting her focus onto someone else when something was so clearly affecting her.

“Just leave it, Mark,” Cat snapped, this time holding his gaze defiantly, daring him to continue.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. She knew herself well enough to know that she absolutely needed to, but she just didn’t know how to explain what she was going through without giving away information that she had sworn to keep secret. It was better to stay silent rather than risk it.

“Not gonna happen I’m afraid,” Mark continued, not looking away as he sensed her resolve wavering despite the challenge still present in her stare.

“And if he does, then I’ll be on your ass so you’re not getting out of this,” Maria added, giving Mark a nod of support before looking back at Cat. “You’ve been a total pain in the backside for days and now you’re crying in between rehearsals, so it’s obvious something’s going on. We just want to help but we can’t if you don’t tell us what’s happening.”

Looking between her friends, both watching her with concern in their eyes, Cat’s resolve crumbled, her need to talk outweighing everything else. She took a moment before answering, trying to collect her thoughts enough to navigate the conversation without saying too much, glad that they were giving her the space and not pushing her into an answer straight away.

“I can’t even really tell you,” she began hesitantly, expecting a chorus of protests, a wave of relief washing over her when none were forthcoming. “That’s the worst part about all of this. It’s all this big secret and I can’t talk to anyone about it. Penny knows and was supposed to message when they launched about two hours ago but I’ve not heard a bloody thing.”

“And you’re scared something’s gone wrong?” finished Mark, gratified to see a small smile of acknowledgement flit across Cat’s lips, encouraging him to continue now he was sure that he’d got to the root of the problem. “I’ll grant you it’s unlike Penny not to do something she says she will, but I’m sure it’s gone fine. She’s probably just got caught up in something else.”

“I don’t know,” Cat countered doubtfully. “It doesn’t sound like her.”

She desperately wanted to believe Mark. Penny was ruthlessly efficient in everything she did, but she was still human and that made her prone to making errors just like everyone else. With this realisation, a small portion of the worry that had been hanging over her all day lifted slightly.

“Has she even seen your messages?” Maria added, seeing the way Cat sat up a little straighter now that she had a plausible explanation for Penny’s silence and hoping that it might help further if it was clear that she wasn’t being intentionally ignored.

Cat reached for her phone again and shook her head, feeling better by the minute now logic was beginning to break through the panic that had overwhelmed her. She had never done well with hypotheticals, preferring to have definitive proof before allowing herself to believe something and yet she had allowed herself to become completely convinced of something that was not only unproven but also unlikely, if the number of test launches that Scott had told her about was anything to go by.

“See, you’re always saying how hard it is to get hold of her these days. If she’s not even seen your messages, I’m sure she’s just off dealing with something else,” Maria finished, relieved that some of the light seemed to be coming back into Cat’s eyes.

“It’s just scary not knowing what’s happening when all I want is to know that he’s safe. I just feel so stupid for overreacting,” she finished quietly, looking down at the floor once again.

“Don’t be silly. We’re your friends and that’s what we’re here for so there's absolutely no judgement coming from us,” soothed Mark, offering her a tissue from her dressing table.

“And I think I can safely say that there isn’t a person in the company who hasn’t been scared for someone they love,” added Maria, smiling encouragingly.

Cat nodded again, not trusting herself to speak as the casual way Maria had implied that she loved Scott sent a jolt of recognition through her heart. Pushing it away for inspection another time, she smiled at the others, reassured that at least they understood how she was feeling.

“Isn’t there anyone else you could message who might know what’s happening?” asked Maria, trying to think of anything that could help allay Cat’s fears, even though she was now obviously starting to feel a little better.

“Shit! Selene. She gave me her number when we were on the island but I completely forgot. It’s gotta be worth a shot,” she exclaimed as she grabbed for her phone again, leaving Mark and Maria to smile at each other at the difference in her demeanour now she was doing something practical.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we’ve got a rehearsal in 10 minutes. Do you think you’re up to it?” asked Mark once she was finished, glancing at the clock above the door.

“Yeah, I’ll be OK,” Cat smiled. “Thank you both. I don’t know what I’d do without you two.”

“It’s what we’re here for,” Mark grinned, as he stood, stretching out his legs to rid himself of the cramp that had formed after crouching for so long.

“Right, I guess we’d better get going then.” Cat jumped up and grabbed her bag, her conviction that Selene wouldn’t let her down filling her with optimism as she dashed out of the room, leaving Mark and Maria trailing in her wake.

****

Cat sailed through the rehearsal with her friends’ words and reassurances ringing in her head, banishing her doubts any time they arose. She felt lighter even without any news from the island, knowing that she was understood no matter what happened and whatever the outcome would be going further forward.

The fact that she had been the one needing support had taken her by surprise. She had always been able to deal with anything life threw at her and finding something that had left her so vulnerable had left her shaken. Anger still coursed through her at allowing herself to get so caught up in her fears that it had affected her performance in class that morning but, thanks to Mark and Maria, it had abated enough that she was no longer ruled by it.

Now that she was no longer relying solely on Penny for news, she had a new sense of confidence that by the time the rehearsal finished, she would have at least some news, be that good or bad. That optimism meant that she was finally able to concentrate and work to the best of her ability.

“Feeling better now?” Mark asked with a smile as they finished up, pulling a pair of trousers and top on over his tights to maintain the warmth in his muscles until the next rehearsal.

“You have no idea,” Cat grinned in response, shouldering her bag and rummaging in it to see if her prayers had been answered with a reply to one of her messages. “I mean, I still feel constantly sick and I sort of want to cry, but it’s nowhere near as bad as earlier so I’m taking that as a win.”

“That seems reasonable,” he nodded. “Any news yet?”

Cat’s heart leapt and she froze on the spot as she saw Penny’s name flash up on her screen. Hardly daring to open the message that had arrived only moments before, she steeled herself before clicking on it and devouring the words it contained.

I am so, so sorry for keeping you waiting. Issues on the island prevented me from being in touch sooner. They’re back in orbit. Mission successful.

Relief flooded through Cat as she read Penny’s words again and again, the implications slowly sinking in with every pass. Sheer elation replaced the fears of the morning as fresh tears formed in her eyes at the enormity of what had been achieved that day and what it would mean, not just for Scott, but for the whole family.

“Everything OK?” Mark ventured tentatively, watching Cat closely, still unsure of the contents of the message until he was nearly bowled over, arms flung around him in joy as she answered in two words.

“He’s back.”

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds 2015

15 notes · View notes

yasbxxgie · 6 years ago

Photo

How One Man Is Using Hip-Hop to Diversify Architecture Armed with a master’s degree in architecture, decades of hip-hop fandom and rapper teachers, Mike Ford is quickly getting kids into building

On a recent Thursday, Grand Wizzard Theodore was busy DJing in his home borough of the Bronx. Theodore is widely acknowledged as the man who invented turntable scratching, so his presence behind the decks was not unusual. The venue, however, was unexpected: The Cornerstone Academy for Social Action – a middle school, where Theodore’s selections were soundtracking furious Lego-building.

While Theodore cued up hits, Mike Ford, founder and leader of Hip-Hop Architecture Camp, was guiding a group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders as they assembled Lego models based on rap lyrics. Students gathered around the table where one of their peers was working with lines from Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Message:” “Broken glass everywhere/ People pissin’ on the stairs, you know they just don’t care/ I can’t take the smell, can’t take the noise/ Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice.”

This student created a literal representation of the song’s image: a staircase, a sprinkle of green pieces for “broken glass everywhere” and scattered yellow pieces for “people pissin’ on the stairs.” “Good start,” said Ford. But he gently pushed the student towards a more constructive response to “The Message.” “Could there be a building made from all the broken glass?” Ford wondered. “Let’s start to think about how we can make it so that nobody has to say those words in their song again.”

Ford sees his teaching as a way to counter the troubled history of urban planning in America. “We’ve decimated cities that were built by the hands of African Americans – like Black Bottom in Detroit, or here in the Bronx, when they built the Cross Bronx Expressway through a community of color,” he says. “Those decisions are made by people outside of those communities. There are a limited amount of people at the table to advocate for our communities.”

Hip-h[H]op Architecture Camp attempts to correct that representational imbalance, using rap as a hook to introduce young minority students to a field they may not otherwise encounter. “I have been on this planet for several decades, and I have moved in some pretty radical circles, but personally, I cannot recall meeting a melanated architect in my whole life,” says Chino XL, a veteran rapper who attended the camp in the Bronx. “Just for these children to know it’s a thing, that’s important.”

“I’m letting kids know we have a history of building spaces and places,” Ford adds.

For more than a year, Ford, a longtime hip-hop fan with a master’s degree in architecture, has led sessions like this around the country. (Ford has planned nearly 20 sessions nationwide this year.) The idea for the camp came from a simple insight made while Ford was in graduate school at the University of Detroit: “Less than three percent of architects in America are African American,” he explains. “We’ve spent a ton of money trying to diversity the profession, but it’s always from the same perspective: Come learn this western culture. Come learn about the Greeks and the Romans. It’s not making it relevant.” The tendency to emphasize the importance of certain models – Greek but not Egyptian, for example – means “we’ve experienced the world through a limited lens,” Ford says.

He is also interested in the aesthetic connections between hip-hop and architecture. “Music is saturated with references to architecture,” Ford says. “Not just critiquing your environment, but in the songs, [rappers] express what they wish architecture was. KRS-One talks about hip-hop artists buying property to build a hip-hop city.”

It’s not a coincidence for Ford that Kanye West recently expressed interest in architecture and community planning “for like the third time.” (“He also said a lot of other stuff that I don’t agree with,” Ford notes.) Ice Cube studied architecture before co-founding N.W.A, and Pharrell Williams included discussions of architecture in his 2012 book Places and Spaces I’ve Been.

Ford aimed to strengthen the relationship between the hip-hop and architecture communities with a summit he organized earlier this year. Architects attended the event along with the lyricists Chino XL, Lupe Fiasco and Nikki Jean. “They talked about city skylines, if they can write bars that fit within those lines to see how each city sounds,” Ford says. “Is there a hidden sonic experience within these environments?”

Anyone who can tell the difference between Golden Age New York hip-hop and Los Angeles gangster rap knows intuitively that there are connections between music and place. Then the question becomes, if space impacts rap, what happens when you change the space? “How do we make architecture so that people stop saying, ‘I want to hear another track like “The Message”‘?” Ford says. “I want to stop the cycle, and stop the environment that’s influencing some of these songs that are very challenging.”

During the five-day program held in New York in May, students used rap lyrics as a basis for Lego models, practice working with the three-dimensional design program Tinkercad, hone their own rap verses, often with help from professional MCs, and create a music video. Autodesk, the company behind Tinkercad, provides the software to Ford for free and helps fund the camps. “When you meet Mike and you hear what he’s doing, you can’t help but want to be involved,” Sarah O’Rourke, Autodesk’s youth audience strategist, tells Rolling Stone. “We’re looking to inspire kids, and what better way to do it than with music they’re already involved with?”

The Bronx students hunted for architectural connections in “The Message,” Nas’ “I Can” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” They were focused, only breaking from their modeling efforts to perform an impromptu line-dance to Migos and Drake’s “Walk It Talk It” or to lobby the DJ: a sixth grader named Dirk politely asked Grand Wizzard Theodore to play a song from the rising Brooklyn rapper 6ix9ine. Theodore had misgivings about the track – “a lot of negativity in that record; our kids need better role models” – but he cued it up anyway.

Theodore started visiting schools in 2002 with his Scratch Academy before connecting with Ford’s architecture camp. “To be able to go to school and have some people talk to me about my life, I didn’t have anything like this,” he said. “I grew up in abandoned buildings, fires all over the place, people smokin’ dope and nodding in the corners. I want to be able to turn on the TV and see a kid from the Bronx – that grew up the same way I grew up – building buildings.”

Both Theodore and Ford hope that more hip-hop artists will participate in future Hip-Hop Architecture Camp sessions, raising the program’s profile and expanding its reach. “The artists that have the biggest voice – that these kids see on TV every day that they play their records on the radio every six minutes – those are the artists that should be doing these programs,” Theodore says.

“We need to have youth hear it right from the artist,” Ford adds. “[Artists] have been influenced by the environment. I want to give them the opportunity, in turn, to influence their environment.”

In addition to enlisting more rappers to participate in his camps, Ford ultimately hopes to train others to lead sessions so they can take place in multiple cities at once. “It’s cool to have Mike Ford going to every city,” Ford says. “But I ended my TED talk with, I want to create an army of architects that can right the wrongs of modernism in communities of color. It’s about the dissemination of this curriculum to as many people as possible.”

For now, Ford’s army remains small, but it’s growing. Chino XL’s visit to the Cornerstone Academy marked his first time participating in the camp. “I was overwhelmed at how many kids signed up for it on a Saturday and Sunday, and how completely focused they were on what the goal and the initiative was,” the rapper said.

Ford called his work “making advocates,” and many of his students in the Bronx quickly grasped his mission. Toward the end of the first day, Dirk, the sixth grader, presented a model he built based on a line from Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”: “When laws were stern and justice stood.”

“When [Slick Rick] said, ‘when laws were stern … ,” I don’t really think that resonated with me,” Dirk told the class. “Now we’ve got a lot of people being arrested for no exact reason – like Kalief Browder, who the sixth grade is learning about now, who committed suicide because he went to Riker’s Island for three years for a crime he did not commit. He was given the opportunity to plead guilty, but he never did because he knew he didn’t do it.”

Dirk was imagining an alternative outcome. “This police station is supposed to represent a better future,” he said, “without false accusations.”

This episode drove home Ford’s words from earlier in the day. “These kids can have an immediate impact,” he asserted. “And they can create architecture we have not seen before.” [h/t]

Photograph:

The rapper Chino XL teaching students at Hip-Hop Architecture Camp (top)

#architecture #mike ford #hip-hop architecture camp #hip hop architecture camp #chino xl #education #music #black music #grand wizzard theodore #making advocates #slick rick #children’s story #when laws were stern and justice stood #kalief browder #rolling stone magazine #hip-hop #hip hop #black business #black businesses

2 notes · View notes

silverfootstepswrites · 7 years ago

Text

title Tremor summary It might be better not to hear pairing itasaku, tobisaku, hot messes

“You’ve been a loyal foot soldier of the 24K for years now. It’s time for your initiation, Jing-Mei.”

Hashirama’s words rang in her ears. Sakura refilled her flask, eyes unfocused. She swore as the drink overflowed, dribbling down her hand. She sucked the alcohol off her fingertips. Her lipstick smearing onto her thumb.

“What’re you going to do, Jing-Mei?” asked Tenten. Her black eyes fixed on her. Flipping a blade back and forth between her hands.

“What do you mean? It’s done,” Sakura said, glancing at her over her shoulder. She screwed the cap back on the bottle. And then she turned, taking a generous swig.

Tenten flicked her braid over her shoulder. She flipped her knife one last time before she shoved it back in the holster on her thigh.

“You could say no. Aren’t you his favorite or something?”

“Even a favorite dog will be put down if it bites its master, Tenten,” Sakura warned. Tenten raised her eyebrows.

“Alright, Confucius. Whatever you say,” she replied, getting to her feet. “Honestly, I don’t give a shit about those geezers. I’ve got your back. Not theirs.” She mimed shooting guns with both hands.

Sakura cracked a smile. She handed the flask over. Tenten guzzled the cheap whiskey down. Making a face as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

“Does that mean I have to call you ‘Boss’ from now on?” asked Tenten, grinning. It was Sakura’s tun to grimace. She shoved Tenten in the shoulder as she walked past.

“Shut up. Let’s go eat lunch,” Sakura responded.

“If you’re paying, Boss.”

Orochimaru had left her everything. All of his properties, his assets. Down to the clothes in his wardrobe.

Even the attorney she had hired let out a low whistle as he read over the list.

“Sis, if you weren’t rich before, you sure as hell are now,” he remarked, adjusting his glasses.

Sakura turned the chair around the straddled it. Crossing her arms across the top rail.

“Cut the crap, Jiraiya,” Sakura cut into his musings. He eyed her over his glasses.

“You know, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” he pointed out to her.

“Good thing you’re not a fly then,” she retorted. He sighed, shaking his head.

“I’d have to look some stuff up, but it looks like you’ll have to pay an estate tax on this. I want to double-check the numbers,” he said half to himself. And then he looked up. “But this guy is from Hong Kong. Why was his will written in English?”

Sakura clicked her tongue at him.

“Orochimaru always said that he didn’t trust Chinese. He said people would fight wars over how to read one damn character. Or maybe he was trying to show off how good his English was. He was always so proud of that,” Sakura recalled.

“How was his English?” queried Jiraiya, packing up his suitcase.

Sakura smiled.

“Awful.”

With Jiraiya’s help, she ended up selling most of what Orochimaru had left her. She really had no use for his penthouse near City Hall. And she had no use for his seven sports cars. She kept the limo, though. It wasn’t practical for everyday use, but it was a nice way to make an entrance at certain events.

It didn’t rain on the day of Orochimaru’s funeral. Sakura thought it should have.

Orochimaru had quite literally stabbed the previous chairman in the back. None of the other Red Poles attended the funeral. After all, who would pay respects to a traitor? And that suited Sakura just fine.

She sent word out to the members of just the Jade gang. She ordered the flowers and the casket. And she was the one who spoke. There was no priest, no fancy ceremony. Orochimaru had always hated religion. He probably would have frowned at even the incense lit in front of his portrait.

“I didn’t think he mattered that much to you,” murmured Tenten as tears escaped from Sakura’s eyes. Sakura hurried to wipe them away. Setting her mouth into a hard line.

“Neither did I,” whispered Sakura in return.

Late that night, Sakura stood on the balcony of one of Orochimaru’s apartments. The inside was garishly decorated in blacks and reds. The man had certainly been called many things, but bland was not one of them.

“Why do you think I asked Hashirama to give me you, Jing-Mei?” he had asked her one night, standing on this very balcony. His silky hair tucked behind his ear. A glass of red wine held in his palm.

“To piss him off?” Sakura remembered answering.

And Orochimaru laughed, head falling back. The tattoo of a snake curling around his throat like a living thing.

“Partly,” he conceded. And then his expression sobered. Golden eyes glittering as he tilted his head to one side. Like he was considering something about her face.

“I’d heard rumors of a girl. Some broad Hashirama found on the streets and took on as a pet project,” Orochimaru explained. Sakura didn’t bristle. She had heard much worse things before.

“And I wanted to see what was so good about that girl. What would have caught Hashirama’s interest?” he went on.

“And?” prompted Sakura.

A smile lit up Orochimaru’s face. He pointed at her. Reached out to tap directly between her eyes.

“That expression. The look of a woman who was prepared to tear someone’s throat out with her own teeth. The moment I saw that, I knew that I wanted to groom you,” he said before he took a sip of his too-sweet wine.

“Groom me? To do what?” she recalled spitting back. Still so filled with anger. The lingering ache of being abandoned by Hashirama. Being pawned off like an old piece of furniture. But Orochimaru lifted her chin, beaming.

“I want to sharpen those fangs, my dear. I want to open up the lion’s cage at the zoo and see what havoc you’ll wreak.”

Even as she remembered this all, Sakura still didn’t understand.

She leaned against the railing, just as Orochimaru once had. It was cold this high up. As pretty as the view was, she shivered. Looking around, she found one of his sweaters draped over the back of a chair. She pulled her arms through the sleeves. The fragrance of Orochimaru’s cologne still clung to the wool. And when she patted the pockets, she felt a lump. She pulled out a box of cigarettes, and a silver lighter with a dragon engraved into the side.

She lit one of the cigarettes, holding it between two of her fingers. She watched the smoke lift from the tip before it was whisked away by the wind. And as the fragrance filled the air, it almost felt like Orochimaru was standing right beside her. Swirling his wine. Smiling so brilliantly in that sad, sad way.

“When I die, I want it to be a spectacle. I want to be remembered,” he had told her once.

Raising the cigarette to her lips, hands shaking, she gulped down an ashy breath. Coughed as the smoke filled her lungs and burned. She exhaled between her teeth, eyes filling with tears.

“Goodbye, you weirdo,” she whispered, letting the tears drip down her face as she coughed her way through that first cigarette.

All those years later, Sakura still remembered Orochimaru. A soft-spoken man who loved art and culture as much as he loved flaying the skin off his enemies. And though he hadn’t died a spectacle, she supposed that he must be half-happy. Because she still recalled the way he pointed with his cigarette as he spoke. How he picked the scallions out of his food when he ate.

And for some reason, Sakura remembered Orochimaru as she stepped through the door to the “real estate office”. She left Tenten outside to stand guard. The men Tenten had knocked out wouldn’t be getting up any time soon anyway. And there was also a sniper across the street. He would hear if anything went wrong through the mic taped to the inside of her shirt.

Sakura crept through the storage room, careful not to kick any boxes. And when she emerged in the narrow hallway, she could see a door ajar at the far end. Fluorescent light spilling out through that crack. She tread carefully. Testing each stretch of the floor before she put her weight on it fully. But when she reached the room and peered in through the crack, she realized that all her caution was for nothing. Because Madara sat with his back to the door, giant headphones covering his ears. He bobbed his head along to the music, waving his fingers in the air like a conductor’s baton. She reached into her pocket as she tiptoed into the room.

A shout tried to escape from Madara when something constricted around his windpipe. Instead, all that came out was a grunt. He clawed at his throat. Fingernails catching on the nylon stockings. He tilted his head back to see Sakura smiling down at him, her teeth gleaming.

“I know what you’re thinking. ‘How did she find me here?’” she said. Clicking her tongue as Madara struggled to break free. She tightened her grip on the stockings, pulling them even tighter. His face began to turn purple.

“The better question would be, ‘Why did I ever think to piss off Haruno Sakura?’“ Sakura went on. Madara gurgled. Fingernails drawing blood as he continued to scrape. As his body started to go limp, she kept the pressure on his windpipe. Listening to the pathetic wheezes as his oxygen-deprived brain began to give up. And just as his eyes began to roll back, Sakura released him. Her fingertips tingled as she blood rushed back into them. The stockings left angry red marks on her hands.

Madara gulped down greedy breaths, coughing and retching. Tears and saliva mixing as they dripped off his chin.

“But we’ll get to that later. First, you’re going to tell me everything about your deals with Kabuto,” Sakura said. And Madara slowly lifted his head, bloodshot eyes glowering at her as he choked down precious breaths. Sakura smiled.

“And if you lie, I won’t bother with this again,” Sakura added, gesturing to the stockings. She reached into her pocket to pull out her golden revolver. “I’ll just fucking empty all these bullets into your body.”

As he hacked, Madara met her eyes. A smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“That was actually a little hot,” he wheezed.

“Ugh,” Sakura said. She unloaded a bullet into his shoulder. Blew the smoke from the end of the gun. And she watched him howl with pain, blood dribbling out between his fingers.

“Next one goes in your skull. Talk.”

Tobirama started when the back door banged open downstairs. He craned his neck back to check the security monitors on the wall. And as he saw her walking up the stairs, his shoulders relaxed. He switched his cigarette to the other side of his mouth. Her heels tapped against the scuffed floor. She held up a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“I don’t like wine, Jing-Mei,” he reminded her for the millionth time.

“I don’t care,” she answered for the millionth time.

He took the bottle from her. Pulling a knife from his pocket, he wedged the cork out with the tip of the blade. He poured the glasses. Set the bottle on the floor.

Sakura took one. And even though there were other chairs free, she deposited herself in his lap. Calves draped over the armrest.

“When did you get back to Hong Kong?” he asked, clinking his glass against hers.

Sakura sipped her wine. And then she held the glass to her chest as she smiled at him.

“A few hours ago,” she answered. Her eyes drifting down. She touched his chest, lightly. Felt no box in the pocket. So she plucked the cigarette from his mouth and placed it between her lips.

“You’re welcome,” he remarked.

Sakura winked. Tobirama sighed. He leaned his head back, letting it loll against the old sofa. She blew smoke into his face. He blinked a few times.

“So what’s the occasion?” he queried. He lifted his head in time to catch Sakura suddenly avoiding his gaze. Tobirama’s eyes narrowed.

“What?” he demanded.

“You remember that night your brother became the Dragon Head?” Sakura asked. She pulled the cigarette out of her mouth. Inspected the ring of lipstick she had left around it.

He scowled.

“That was years ago? What about it?”

She glanced at his expression. Sighing, she gave his cheek a light push.

“It’s nothing,” she said.

#SURPRISE DOUBLE UPDATE #eastern suns #writing #itasaku #triad!sakura x yakuza!itachi #tobisaku #nah this was actually bc i couldn't sleep last night #triad!au

80 notes · View notes

goarticletec-blog · 6 years ago

Text

PlayStation Plus December 2018: all the free PS4 games you can get this month

New Post has been published on https://www.articletec.com/playstation-plus-december-2018-all-the-free-ps4-games-you-can-get-this-month/

PlayStation Plus December 2018: all the free PS4 games you can get this month

If you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber then you’ll want to know all about the free PlayStation Plus games and discounts for December 2018 – and we’ve got the details you need right here.

We’ve also listed the PlayStation Plus games from previous months too.

For those of you who’ve just signed up and are completely new to the perks of being a PlayStation Plus subscriber, each month, you’re given a range of free games for the PS4 console (PS3 and PS Vita games have unfortunately been dropped).

This gives you a great way to try PlayStation games you might not otherwise have played, whether they’re indie titles that slipped under your radar, or titles that were too expensive to buy.

Remember PlayStation Plus games are only available for one month – so grab them while you can.

Get the most from PlayStation Plus

Even if you don’t plan to play these games straight away, or you’re not sure if they’re your kind of title, when they’re on PlayStation Plus we’d say it’s always worth claiming them while you can get them for free.

You then have access to them for as long as you have an active PS Plus account, and you can’t argue with that. Plus, you might even be pleasantly surprised by some of the titles you haven’t tried before, even if you weren’t convinced to begin with.

Since new PS Plus games appear for free every month, we’ve decided to create a one-stop shop where you can find the newest free games, and scroll back to see which games were featured in previous months.

This should help you work out if a game might eventually appear in an upcoming PlayStation Plus haul, or if it’s already been offered. Without further ado, here are the free PlayStation Plus games in North America, Europe and Australia for the month of December 2018.

PlayStation Plus games: December 2018

Onrush – PS4 – Get it here from December 4

An entirely new kind of off-road racing game, Onrush isn’t about coming first – it’s about causing as much damage on the track as possible! From the makers of MotorStorm, features all the huge stunts and crazy crashes you could ever dream of.

SOMA – PS4 – Get it here from December 4

Frictional Games hit it big with Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and its follow-up, SOMA, is another nail-biting chiller in the same vein. You wake up in a dilapidated industrial facility with a head injury, and only you can figure out why you’re there and who is after you!

Steredenn – PS4 – Get it here from December 4

A fast-paced and chaotic space shooter, Steredenn takes the fight to galaxy’s dastardly space pirates and features some insane boss battles and intense pixelated shmup gameplay.

Steins;Gate – PS3 – Get it here from December 4

A visual novel with anime style art, Steins;Gate tells the story of teenage scientists who discover the ability to send messages into the past, leading to all sorts of time travel-related adventures.

Iconoclasts – PS Vita/PS4 – Get it here from December 4

This action-adventure platform game is a deeply personal work from creator Joakim Sandberg, who spent seven years making this tale of a mechanic who wants to use her wrench to fix the world around her.

Papers, Please – PS Vita – Get it here from December 4

An award-winning masterpiece, Papers, Please has you play an immigration inspector in the communist state of Arstotzka, whose job it is to approve and deny entry to people. The trick is in figuring out which people are smugglers, spies, and terrorists.

PlayStation Plus games: November 2018

Yakuza Kiwami – PS4 – usually $19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95

Sega’s remake of the first Yakuza game sees you taking on the role of former yakuza lieutenant Kazuma Kiryu, who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. On his release, he realizes that his city has changed massively and quickly becomes caught in the middle of a faction war. With plenty of kooky characters and action, Yakuza Kiwami is a one not to miss.

Bulletsorm: Full Clip Edition – PS4 – usually $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$54.95

In cult-classic shooter Bulletstorm, you step into the boots of exiled assassin Grayson Hunt. After a crash landing on an abandoned resort planet, Hunt must decide whether to take his opportunity for revenge or get his team off the planet alive.

Jackbox Party Pack 2- PS4 – usually $24.99 / £21.99 / AU$40.95

Definitely one for those who enjoy party games. Jackbox Party Pack 2 comes with a mixture of madcap games including Bomb Corp, Bidiots, Quiplash XL, Earwax and Fibbage.

Arkedo Series – PS3 – usually $5.99

The Arkedo Series includes three retro-style games which will take you back to a simpler time.

Burly Men at Sea – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95

This folktale adventure falls somewhere between a graphic novel and a classic point-and-click game. With beautiful visuals and haunting soundtrack, Burly Men at Sea is one for those wanting to turn off for a few hours.

Roundabout – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95

If you’re less inclined to relax and more about anarchy then Roundabout is for you. This indie driving game sees you driving a limousine which is constantly spinning out of control.

PlayStation Plus games: October 2018

Friday the 13th: The Game – PS4 – usually $39.99 / £30.99 / AU$55.95

Just in time for Halloween, Friday the 13th sees you playing as either Jason Voorhees (hunting down unsuspecting counsellors) or as a teen counsellor desperate to escape from his clutches alongside up to six others. If you’re feeling brave enough, you might even team up to take him down.

Laser League – PS4 – usually $14.99 / £11.99 / AU$22.95

Indie multiplayer Laser League will provide you with hours of competitive fun with a premise that’s pretty easy to pick up. The light-speed future sport sees you competing ,in teams of two or three, to outlast your opponents by setting up moving lasers in an arena. It sounds pretty simple but provides hours of entertainment.

Master Reboot – PS3 – usually $6.99 / £5.79 / AU$10.45

Haunting first person sci-fi adventure horror Master Reboot sees you exploring a range of unique environments while solving puzzles. Master Reboot is definitely one to try for sheer uniqueness alone, with an atmospheric soundtrack, distinctive art style and psychological twist.

The Bridge – PS3/PS4/PS Vita – usually $9.99

The Bridge is a hand-drawn 2D puzzle adventure which sees you manipulating gravity to literally turn rooms upside down in order to make your way through challenging environments.

Rocketbirds 2: Evolution – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $9.99 / £8.99 / AU$16.45

Rocketbirds 2 is a plucky side-scrolling shooter adventure which sees you stepping into the shoes of a secret agent, who just so happens to also be a chicken, determined to take down evil penguins. Yep…

2064 Read Only Memories – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $19.99 / £17.99 / AU$32.95

Cyberpunk adventure 2064 Read Only Memories is a classic adventure game where you take on the role of a struggling journalist who meets the world’s first sapient machine, a ROM (Relationship and Organizational Manager) named Turing. Together they set off to uncover the city’s deepest secrets.

PlayStation Plus games: September 2018

Destiny 2 – PS4

Just in time for its upcoming Forsaken expansion, Destiny 2 is now free for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Get some co-op buddies together and join in the planet-hopping fight against the Cabal warlord Dominus Ghaul and the Red Legion in an effort to reclaim your home.

God of War III: Remastered – PS4 – usually $19.99 / £29.99 / AU$47.95

The closing chapter of the original God of War trilogy, God of War III is about as epic as games come. In this PS4 remastered edition of the PS3 classic, the ex-Spartan warrior Kratos is closer than ever to exacting his vengeance against Zeus for the deaths of his wife and daughter.

Another World – PS3 – usually $7.99 / £6.49 / AU$11.95

A beautifully remastered version of one the greatest adventure platformers of all time, Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition sees a young man transported to… you guessed it… another world, only to find himself in the middle of a slave uprising. Featuring stunning rotoscoped animation and timeless puzzles, Another World is a must-play title.

QUBE Director’s Cut – PS3 – usually £7.99 / AU$14.95

A first person puzzle game, QUBE sees you control a pair of futuristic gloves in order to manipulate your environment and the objects therein to solve a number of physics-based brain teasers.

Foul Play – PS Vita / PS4 – usually $7.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95

Devolver Digital’s side-scrolling brawler Foul Play is set on a grand theatrical stage, where you must hunt daemons as Baron Dashforth, who performs bone-crunching takedowns in an effort to please his audience.

Sparkle 2 – PS Vita – usually £5.79 / AU$10.45

An orb-matching game that’s both addictive and fun, Sparkle 2 has you casting magical enchantments and power-ups in an effort to clear each stage.

PlayStation Plus games: August 2018

Mafia III – PS4 – usually $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$69.95

The third instalment of 2K’s epic Mafia saga , Mafia III sees the gaming action moving to 1960s New Bordeaux – a re-imagined version of New Orleans. Returning Vietnam vet Lincoln Clay finds himself building a crime empire and trying to find his place in a very different world.

Dead by Daylight: Special Edition – PS4 – usually $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$47.95

Plenty of fun here for gore-hounds: Dead by Daylight pits horror movie icons Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface and others against each other in an asymmetric multiplayer arena deathmatch for the ages. Choose to play as the killer, on the search for victims to sacrifice, or play as a survivor, working with others to outsmart the killer and escape. Definitely one to get your heart pounding.

Here They Lie – PS4 (PS VR required) – usually $19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95

The terror just keeps coming and doesn’t let up with Here They Lie, a psychological horror game for PlayStation VR that sees you travel through an otherworldly realm filled with creatures and strange environments. It’s good to see VR titles getting an airing on PlayStation Plus.

Bound by Flame – PS3 – usually $19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95

In this solid RPG, you play a possessed mercenary who must take on the dreaded Ice Lords and their Dead-Army in an effort to reclaim your humanity. Every choice matters, so choose your abilities and skills wisely if you want to progress.

Serious Sam 3: BFE – PS3 – usually £9.99 / AU$19.45

A throwback to the glory days of first person shooters, Serious Sam 3 is all about crazy characters, silly action, and making things explode with the biggest guns you can find. Hugely enjoyable, in our book.

Draw Slasher – PS Vita – usually $5.99 / £3.99 / AU$7.55

As Hanzo the ninja, you must use your finger to slash your way through hordes of pirate monkey zombies in an attempt to get your kidnapped family back. It’s a simple concept, but it works.

Space Hulk – PS Vita – usually $19.99 / £6.99 / AU$14.95

Set in the legendary Warhammer 40,000 universe, Space Hulk is a turn-based strategy game where you command a squad of Space Marine Terminators against hordes of Genestealers.

PlayStation Plus games: July 2018

Heavy Rain – PS4 – usually $29.99 / £24.99 / AU$44.95

If you’ve been following the video game release cycle, you might’ve seen a game called Detroit: Become Human hit store shelves last month. Heady and complex, Detroit borrows heavily from Heavy Rain, the 2010 game designed by Quantic Dream and developer David Cage. If you like branching story path, great writing and slow-but-steady gameplay, Heavy Rain is perfect, and it was available for free on PlayStation Plus in July.

Absolver – PS4 – usually $29.99 / £24.99 / AU$44.95

Hear us out on this, Absolver is a fighting game MMO with PvE and PvP areas. The way it works is that you construct a fighter with light RPG elements and bring them online to fight against other gamer’s brawlers. There’s not a super deep plotline here, but if you’ve always wanted an open-world brawler, Absolver fits the bill.

Rayman 3 HD – PS3 – usually $9.99 / £4.99 / AU$14.95

While 2D Rayman has been racking up the accolades these past few years, the amelic hero got his first big break in the land of 3D graphics. Rayman 3 HD is a remastering of the PlayStation 2 adventure that pits the eponymous hero against André, an evil black lum, whose aim is to take over the world with his army of “Hoodlum” soldiers. Silly puns aside, it showed up on PlayStation Plus in JUly.

Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess – PS3 – usually $49.99 / £39.99 / AU$75.95

Deception IV is one of those games you can’t believe wasn’t a free title earlier in its life. The basic goal here is to lure enemies into increasingly grotesque and wacky traps in an attempt to clear missions. We probably wouldn’t waste the hard drive space with this one, but hey man, it’s your console.

Space Overlords – PS VITA – usually $7.99 / £6.49 / AU$11.95

If you’ve always felt that the solar system had too many planets, Space Overlords might be the gateway to galactic destruction you’ve always dreamed of. Allowing you to create and destroy worlds using giant robots, Space Overlords is like a 3D, space-centric version of Rampage.

Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma – PS VITA – usually $39.99 / £32.99 / AU$59.95

You know those really popular escape rooms that seem to be popping up all over the place? Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma brings all the fun of those into the digital world with a puzzle-solving adventure but blended with the world of SAW. So like, basically just SAW. It’s pretty fan-service heavy like Deception IV so take that into account before you download it.

PlayStation Plus games: June 2018

XCOM 2 – PS4 – usually £44.99/ $59.99/ AU $69.95

If you’ve managed to miss out on the critical hit that is XCOM 2, June was your chance to get it completely free on PlayStation Plus. With its tactical turn-based strategy gameplay set 20 years after humanity has lost a war against alien invaders, it’s sure to keep you invested for a long time to come.

Trials Fusion – PS4 – usually £24.99/ $19.99/ AU $59.95

Looking for something a little more fast paced? Then try Trials Fusion, the platform racing game. You can play solo, with friends or race against other players from around the world. And when you’re done with the official game courses, you can even explore the custom ones to keep things fresh.

Zombie Driver HD – PS3 – usually £7.99/ $9.99/ AU $14.95

Cars, zombies, explosions, combat – it doesn’t get much more wild or bloody than this. You can choose to play through the game’s narrative campaign or simply try to survive in its appropriately named ‘slaughter mode’.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – PS3 – usually £7.99/ $19.99

At this point we think it’s likely you know what you’re getting with a Tom Clancy game. One of the more futuristic offerings in the Ghost Recon lineup, this military shooter will take you to dangerous locations all around the world.

Atomic Ninjas – PS Vita – usually £7.99/ $9.99/ AU $14.95

This colorful action platformer is a perfect fit for the Vita (a device which PlayStation Plus no longer supports). Its multiplayer gameplay will have you take charge of one of eight ninjas and pit you against others either online or locally.

Squares – PS Vita – usually £6.49/ $4.99/ AU $11.95

Looking for something a little slower-paced than Atomic Ninjas? Thoughtful puzzler Squares is worth looking at. With 91 levels to get through, this could be a good one for the morning commute.

PlayStation Plus games: May 2018

Beyond: Two Souls – PS4 – usually £24.99/ $29.99/ AU $39.95

May was a big month for David Cage and colon fans, with his new game Detroit: Become Human due for release on May 25 and Beyond: Two Souls on PS Plus for the entire month. Beyond: Two Souls is an emotional narrative game driven by player decisions and stars Academy Award nominees Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe.

Rayman Legends – PS4 – usually £24.99 / $39.99 / AU $39.99

Who doesn’t love a bit of Rayman? Rayman Legends will take you back to the Glade of Dreams to save it from slew of terrifying creatures. Join forces with Rayman’s friends to save their home. This game can be played solo as well as co-op with three of your friends.

Risen 3: Titan Lords – PS3 – usually £15.99/ $14.99/ AU $24.95

In the mood for some action RPG of a piratical nature? Say ahoy to Risen 3. Explore seas and lush islands over the world in a grand adventure as you try to unite your body with its missing soul.

Eat Them! – PS3 – usually £3.29/ $9.99/ AU $5.95

Ever wanted to live you own comic book adventure? Here’s your chance. Eat Them! puts you in the smeared lab coat of a mad scientist and lets you create and control your very own giant monsters. Customize your monsters with weapons and powers and rampage through the streets to wreak havoc and get your revenge.

King Oddball – PS Vita – usually £3.99/ $4.99/ AU $7.55

This is an aptly named game which stars a king swinging a boulder back and forth with his tongue. It’s up to you to decide when he releases it. All you have to do is make sure you time it right to destroy as many things as possible.

Furmins – PS Vita – usually £5.79/ $6.49/ AU $10.45

Yes Furmins are as cute as they sound and this game tasks you with leading them safely through more than 100 levels. One for fans of physics-based puzzles, Furmins is guaranteed hours of focused fun.

PlayStation Plus games: April 2018

Mad Max – PS4 – usually £49.99/ $19.99/ AU$ 99.95

TrackMania Turbo – PS4 – usually £24.99/ $39.99/ AU $49.95

In Space We Brawl – PS3/PS4 – usually £7.39/ $8.99/ AU $13.45

99Vidas – PS3/PS Vita/PS4 – usually £7.99/ $9.99/ AU $14.95

Q*Bert Rebooted – PS3/PS4 – usually £9.49/ $9.99/ AU $16.45

Toy Home – PS3 – usually £3.99/$9.99/ AU $7.55

PlayStation Plus games: March 2018

Bloodborne – PS4 – usually $19.99 / £29.99 / AU$47.95

Ratchet & Clank – PS4 – usually $19.99 / £29.99 / AU$52.95

Legend of Kay – PS3 – usually $29.99 / £24.99 / AU$29.95

Mighty No. 9 – PS3 – usually $19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95

Claire: Extended Cut – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $24.99 / £13.99 / AU$25.95

Bombing Busters – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $6.99 / £5.79 / AU$10.45

PlayStation Plus games: February 2018

RiME – PS4 – usually $29.99 / £29.99 / AU$47.95

Knack – PS4 – usually $19.99 / £3.99 / AU$7.55

StarBlood Arena – PSVR – usually $19.99 / £24.99 / AU$39.95

Spelunker HD – PS3 – usually $16.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95

Mugen Souls Z – PS3 – usually $19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95

Exiles End – PS Vita – usually $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95

Grand Kingdom – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $39.99 / £11.99 / AU$24.95

PlayStation Plus games: January 2018

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – PS4 – usually $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.95

Batman: The Telltale Series – PS4 – usually $24.99 / £24.99 / AU$39.95

StarBlood Arena – PSVR – usually $19.99 / £24.99 / AU$39.95

Sacred 3 – PS3 – usually $14.99 / £15.99 / AU$17.95

Book of Unwritten Tales 2 – PS3 – usually $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$39.95

Uncanny Valley – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $12.99 / £11.59 / AU$21.95

Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness – PS Vita – usually $29.99 / £34.99 / AU$54.95

PlayStation Plus games: December 2017

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition – PS4 – usually $29.99 / £24.99 / AU$39.95

Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of the Legendary Legends – PS4 – usually $9.99 / £11.99 / AU$17.95

Xblaze Lost: Memories – PS3 – usually $39.99 / £24.99 / AU$44.95

Syberia Collection – PS3 – usually $29.99 / £24.99 / AU$44.95

Forma 8 – PS Vita/PS4 – usually $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95

Wanted Corp – PS Vita – usually $11.99 / £9.49 / AU$17.95

PlayStation Plus games: November 2017

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood – PSVR – usually $19.99 / £15.99 / AU$24.95

Worms Battlegrounds – PS4 – usually $24.99 / £19.99 / AU$30.95

Bound – PS4 – usually $19.99 / £15.99 / AU$29.95

R-Type Dimensions – PS3 – usually $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95

Rag Doll Kung Fu – PS3 – usually $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$7.75

Dungeon Punks – PS Vita – usually $14.99 / £11.99 / AU$22.95

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse (Episodes 1 & 2) – PS Vita – usually $24.99 / £15.99 / AU$29.95

PlayStation Plus games: October 2017

Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain – PS4 – (usually £24.99/ $19.99/ AU $39.95)

Amnesia: Collection – PS4 – (usually £23.99/ $29.99/ AU $42.95)

Monster Jam Battlegrounds – PS3 – (usually £7.99/ $9.99/ AU $14.95)

Hustle Kings – PS3 and PlayStation Vita – (usually £9.99/ $9.99/ AU $19.45)

Hue – PS4 and PSVita – (usually £11.99/ $14.99/ AU $22.95)

Sky Force Anniversary – PS4 and PSVita – (usually £7.99/ $9.99/ AU $14.95)

PlayStation Plus games: September 2017

inFamous: Second Son – PS4 – (usually $19.99 / £34.99 / AU$54.99)

Strike Vector Ex – PS4 – (usually $14.99 / £11.99 / AU$22.95)

Truck Racer – PS3 – (usually $9.99 / £10.99 / AU$16.95)

Handball 2016 – PS3 – (usually $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$29.95)

We Are Doomed – PS Vita – (usually $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95)

Hatoful Boyfriend – PS Vita – (usually $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95)

PlayStation Plus games: August 2017

Tokyo Jungle is the best kind of weird.

PlayStation Plus games: July 2017

PlayStation Plus games: June 2017

PlayStation Plus games: May 2017

PlayStation Plus games: April 2017

PlayStation Plus games: March 2017

PlayStation Plus games: February 2017

PlayStation Plus games: January 2017

PlayStation Plus games: December 2016

PlayStation Plus games: November 2016

PlayStation Plus games: October 2016

PlayStation Plus games: September 2016

PlayStation Plus games: August 2016

Source link

0 notes

frankthomas090-blog · 7 years ago

Text

abby winter yoga - The New Angle On Abby Winters Lesbian Porn Just Released

In town for a bit on business, he wants to have some casual fun. 5 inches and THICK- his emphasis. Hes at the top end of length for my preference, but self describing it as thick got my attention. Sometimes theres just an instant connection or chemistry, drawing you in so fast with a new person you just kind of dance around the usual screening process.

Described his cock as 7. Average height, better than average build, green eyes. Hes my age, 31, but with the right combination of personality and body- I can look past it. Gimme that thick dick. This Ginger was respectful and straight to the point from the get-go on Plenty of Fish. Hes former Army- he had a pic up in his dress uniform. He sends me his number, we text briefly, and make the plan to meet that same day.

I appreciated his ability to be direct without being rude or vulgar. I like em young and hung! Also, I give it a 95% hes well endowed- orange is the new Black. At no point did he ask for nudes, or ask endless intimate questions- I give it a 50/50 chance of being a satisfactory encounter given our lack of communication beforehand, but I cant resist a Ginger to save my life.

He passed with flying colors. Im telling you, this isnt rocket science. I feel my lady business respond immediately. In our very brief texting we went over our Dos and Donts, as well as both agreeing we like aggressive AND passionate sex. Dont ever forget that.

The way hes kissing me I can already tell this will likely be a very good encounter. " Its early afternoon, what a great way to spend it. Upon his arrival I am freshly showered, bed is made, and Im wearing t-shirt that says "MEETS OR EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS. He sits next to me, we awkwardly exchange hellos, and then he moves right in to kissing me. Not overly eager, not sloppy, makes you want it right meow.

Hes not pushing my body down while shoving his tongue down my throat. He starts lifting up my shirt after pawing me and groping for the goodies- having discovered my nipples are pierced and briefly sucking them, its time for layers to come off.

He peels his layers off as Im taking mine off and comes right back to mauling me so expertly I couldnt resist. Hes kissing me like hes excited to see me, and hes real good at it. Hes maneuvering me onto my back while he takes a top position.

Moving his head lower he pulls my panties off but with such reckless abandon theyre still on my left leg. Good kissers are also known to be good lovers, from my observation. Youre taking your clothes off, too. I dont recognize the alphabet hes writing, maybe its Spanish.

The moment he kisses my thighs its all over. His eagerness to put his mouth on my slit is palpable. He didnt just dive face first into my nonsense salad- first he ran his tongue up my outer labia on both sides and it felt soft and gentle and GIVE ME MORE. Fuck God sounds totally different when Im cumming and yelling nonsense. Right around now is where I learned Im actually bilingual, but whatever language I was stuttering out can only be whispered or shouted; theres no in between.

Oh my god hes licking my asshole- I have sex Tourettes. Do you think Jesus and God can tell youre not swearing AT them? he pushes my legs up and licks up and down, then just down. I can barely take it, stretched to maximum capacity for comfort, and even then hes mildly uncomfortably large. And it consists mostly of very short, hostile sounding 4 letter words.

DONT STOP, DONT STOP, DONT STOP. Once he was done tracing and teasing I felt the warm, wet touch of his whole mouth open around my clitoris, moving his tongue in ways I cant imagine or describe. Holding my body close to his and pushing his hips up into me, my limbs instinctively wrap around him like a slutty octopus. His length is perfectly spot on- any longer and he just wouldve www.abby winters.com been too much.

GOD DAMN YOU HAVE A BIG DICK. Pushing my limits for size, I question if my lungs have enough room to inflate fully while hes all the way inside. Id put him right around 7 inches in length, my preference being 6.

With my pelvis lifted to the right level, hed shove his tongue in me as my insides start to contract with the orgasm. Literally cumming on his tongue. For sure hes wearing the biggest condom commercially manufactured, or a trash bag. My hips would buck but his arms would find their way around them and hold them in place, while my legs stretched upward trying to walk on the ceiling. We didnt transition out of missionary, he sat up and spread my legs wide while plunging into me with force and conviction.

He rolls on a condom and pushes himself inside me- my eyes rolled back so far I saw memories from my childhood. I sound maybe like a dying rabbit as my fingers pull his short hair and hold his head firmly in place. I didnt keep count, I was much too busy screaming his praises to the Gods.

He gets his and we collapse away from each other. As soon as I begin to cum, back go the legs, down goes the head, and hed ride my climax on his face. When I would start to climax, hed withdraw quickly and push my legs up around my head. He puts his underwear back on and Im guessing hes leaving now, sad times, but then he hops back onto the bed and I take the opportunity to snuggle up into his armpit and touch on his body while I bask in the afterglow.

He does this for every single orgasm. Im wrapped around him and mostly content. I cant get my mouth around it right, my hand doesnt wrap around it. Its awkward to handle, do I need a license? I feel like my certs are out of date because this newfangled cocktraption is just outside of my scope of experience.

Good Lord, who taught you to do that? I gift him my mouth because hes more than earned it. I could definitely go for more, but hes not some 20-something with endless stamina. He pounds away at me from different positions, I like him behind me because I like his stroke and how he braces himself by holding my hips down. Clearly he gets most of his satisfaction from pleasing his lady.

Im not going to argue, and somebody has been listening to my thoughts and dreams again because this man was made in a fucking lab just for me. The sun goes down around 4pm right now so thats not a good indicator either. what even is time, man. Im amused I come across that way- Im all about those afterglow cuddles.

Between our rounds we break for cuddles and snuggles- he confesses he assumed, from my profile on PoF, that he was to go after the first round and I wasnt much for affection or cuddling afterward. He enjoys the cuddles too, and doesnt like to just leave after a hookup unless thats her preference. Please me you thick dick Georgia peach!

Take care of your partner after you fuck them. He enjoys my head game but it just makes him want to fuck me. He gets off twice more and I have no idea how much time has passed. HOLD MEEEEEEEEEEE, pet my hair and tell me Im pretty. Fool I dont get to round 3 very often with men in their supposed prime, so whos more thrilled! Hes an intuitive partner and he reads my cues very well, plus he just wants to bring me all the pleasure.

Apparently he doesnt get to round 3 very often, and hes kind of thrilled about it. His size is intimidating and hes more shaped for vaginal feel goods. I like how he lays it down, and I like anal with the right partner. He admits hes never been able to have anal successfully, and I can understand why.

The way hes shaped, getting the head in is not the hard part- he gest wider towards the middle and base, like a fucking road cone. I dont doubt that hell follow my lead and respect my signals if things get too intense. The last time things started heating up Im on my belly and hes pressing the head of his monster cock on my asshole- Im doing word problems in my head about the likelihood of this being a good idea or not.

He apologizes for cumming too soon- I had to hold back my school girl giggle. He flipped me over and fucked me hard up until I told him to say my magic words. What a dear, sweet lover. He actually thought he owed me an apology after our FOURTH consecutive romp. Tell me you love fucking me. Ive got shit to do as well. 10/10 would fuck again.

I tell him point-blank Id like to see him again before he leaves, he happily agrees. We were unable to make it happen, he was just too big and we didnt do enough warmup, but I took about half of him before tapping out. He texts me asking what my plans are for the evening, as hed like abby winters galleries to grab a couple of beers and a late dinner.

Fast forward 24 hours. When posed with options like this, I always ask WHY NOT BOTH? I tell him Im going to shower and meet him at the restaurant bar near his hotel, he instructs me to bring my lube. I dont really do compromises. Or I could come over to his hotel room after and he could just fuck my brains out all night.

Maybe Id like to join him? In the time it took me to excitedly shower and keelhaul the warts off my body, my phone starts showing notifications of other interested men folk. The words fall out of his mouth and he explodes seconds later, to his own surprise. why end with a OR when theres always an AND?

He tells me I cant miss him at the restaurant bar- hes wearing a cowboy hat. (You thought that hyperlink went to the movie reference, didntcha? CANT TALK NOW, THICKEST DICK EVER WANTS TO TAKE ME TO POUND TOWN! Oh goody, I know what Im wearing later. Can honestly say hes a good one.

Test me, Ive got true grit. ) The company was great, hes fun to talk to. Cleaned up, its time for him to go he has things to do. As were leaving I ask how many Magnum XL condoms he has- he says 4. He confesses he doesnt generally have his lady spend the night because hes very affectionate and waking up next to someone hes spent the better part of the night pleasing, can lead to him having feelings.

We need to buy more, STAT. I feel like a teenager again. We talk about our kids, divorce, he tells me about his previous military experience, and what hes doing now. Rolling into Wal-Mart at that hour, with giant shit-eating grins on our faces, buying only condoms.

You think youre big, you aint big until you must have custom condoms. I get what youre saying, were gonna fool around and then I gotta GTFO. Sexy Ginger man with a good head on his shoulders and giant cock, somebody please snatch this man up quick haha or dont, and let him keep sharing that beautiful endowment with all the ladies.

Back to the hotel room, we barely make it to the bed and hes on me. Details from here are fuzzy, but he went down for ages and we fucked around in every position. Dont get it twisted; theres approximately 10 million condoms in my purse, but they wouldnt fit him. Remember, if youre hard to size on either end of the spectrum theres a UK company called TheyFit that you can enter your measurements into and theyll get you fitted with one of their 66 sizes.

We took a smoke break before trying www.abby winters yoga abby winters.com (linked site) again, and he tells me hes half Mexican. This perfect Ginger man is also a beaner. He was made just for me. While he was behind me licking and sucking my clit, shoving his tongue inside my pussy and my asshole, I hear the top of the lube bottle click. At some point I wore his Stetson when we come back inside, naked.

He positions himself at the backdoor and gently adds pressure until I whimper or tense up. Working together slowly, gently, following my vocal cues I take him to the base. Pushed to the hilt we pause. Its more than mildly uncomfortable, but if we take it slow itll feel great.

I can feel it cold and slippery, then hear him stroking it on himself. I swear to Kylie Minogue I cant make this stuff up. Im a little drunk- 3 drinks on a mostly empty stomach, Ill sit on your lap and call you Daddy if you want. He picks up the pace, we start talking dirty to each other. I have not been quiet at all during any of this, but now Im incapable of controlling the primal animal noises Im bleating into the bedding.

He was having some performance issues but was bound and determined to make sure I enjoyed our time as much as possible. I can feel him shaking a bit, hes going to cum soon. Its late, the booze and orgasms are sedating me.

Hes down close on me, wrapping his big hands around mine, entwining our fingers, crossing arms under my chin as he grinds into me. I tell him to withdraw slowly. I wake up hazily to roll over and his arms find their way around me again, hes a perfect big spoon. After several loud, amazing orgasms, he gets down close and pushes himself inside me all at once.

Rocking into me Im wrapped around him in my koala hug. Hes holding me and Im lost in it. I awake fully to him sliding down the bed, tossing my right leg over and burying his face in my morning pussy. Digging my fingers into his back and pulling his short hair, I dont want it to end. Im cold and reach for a sheet, he covers us immediately and Im back out like a light.

He slows down but hes plunging into me with the kind of force and quivering body that lets me know its now. Pushing my skirt up, pulling my panties to the side, he takes my box in his mouth and I hold on for dear life, staring up at the mirrored ceiling I get to watch myself almost cum in his mouth.

Morning sex was more passionate, and a bit briefer. Hes even kissing me with my dragon breath. We havent even hit the floor button yet. When we get to the ground floor we smoke together outside, recap our enjoyment with each other. My back hurts from how he so violently throws my legs back to eat my pussy while Im cumming, both my pussy and asshole are recovering from their respective stretching and beating, and Im walking on a broken toe.

We get dressed together, and he goes to walk me out but as soon as the elevator door closed he dropped to his knees. He tells me after two days with me, he wont be able to fuck for a week. God damn that was good. He reaches up, hits L, and continues his works. 10/10 would fuck any time. I am completely satisfied. This will happen one week from now, when he has free time again.

I scamper home to sit on frozen bags of peas, pound water, and cuddle all my pillows. tt/2i9A4Cy /u/DDfnord Link is directly to this story http://ift. This entry on my sex blog has hyperlinks, if youd like to see it in full I write on WordPress and the blog name is All The Dicks.

0 notes