#yeah yeah preaching to the crowd

[alectoperdita]

I wanna protect everyone who's still willing to draw joukai art in this day and age while braving how it's increasingly the fandom black sheep ship and tumblr's shitty reblogging drought

[yanderenightmare]

TW: noncon, yandere, omegaverse, subjugation, some type of sexism, angsty, also a little fluffy?

fem reader

Discussions about superiority and inferiority between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas have become more popular lately. It’s always been many people’s opinion that the weak should cater to those stronger than them—but a debate with that as its topic is unsavory. Unfortunately, they’ve found new ways to phrase it. 

A resonating “Unmated Omegas are a danger to themselves!” garners much more sympathy…

And with the rise of people talking about it in the media, it was only natural to move the conversation into school as well.

You keep your head bowed in class as the chill runs down your spine. You feel the glare of thirty fellow students—the points of their teeth, too, and how they snicker under their breath. It’s always been rather scary being an omega, but you can’t say you’ve ever felt quite so alone.  

The teacher’s an alpha, so why should he care how what he says impacts you? He’s preaching to the choir, and you’ve never had the right to sing. The three other Omegas in your class have all chosen to stay home. They probably have the right idea—wait it out until it all blows over.

But you don’t know when that might be… You don’t know if that will be.

Society is on the precipice of critical change—new politics, new laws, new systems, new rights that separate you from them. You wallow in fear of the outcome, lying awake at night and scrolling through the news under the safety of your duvet. The statements seem endless. You wonder, why are all politicians Alphas?

You don’t want any of the things they’re suggesting—mating homes to help you find the perfect Alpha to bond with, systematic pairings done from birth, auctions. Is no one going to suggest they put shock collars on all Alphas and Betas to keep them in check? They’re the ones who need to—

“Your scent is distracting the whole class—don’t you feel ashamed?” 

It’s too easy for him to have you bent over the desk, your wrist on your back in his big fist as he wraps his tie around them. He and his goons stand around, all smiles—watching—enjoying it. It’s as if they’ve planned the whole thing, the way two of them peel away from the crowd to grab each their pick of your feet. Parting them, they use your own shoelaces to tie them to the desk legs.

The ringleader laughs. There’s an awful smell coming off him in waves—it makes you quiver. He flips your skirt up and whistles at the sight, showing everyone your ass and cotton undies. The bulge he presses against you is enough to make your tears spill despite how hard you’d fought to keep them at bay, knowing it only arouses them further.

“Aww, don’t cry, little bitch. You should be happy,” he coos, leaning over your trapped form to whisper right at your ear. “Don’t you know? You’ll never feel happier than you will bouncing on my big Alpha dick. It’s all your little Omega cunt dreams about, isn’t it?” He snickers, fiddling with his belt buckle—you flinch at every sharp clink as he jostles the metal. “Well, salvation is here—”

“Keep it to yourself.” Another voice breaks through the sounds of hollers and cheers.

Your eyes open to see him. You despise how your heart jumps in relief.

“Oi, you—” the guy at your back challenges, stepping away from you and toward the interruption.

“Yeah, me,” he states blankly, jaded. He eyes the rest of the guys with disinterest—five betas, zero threat—before telling them, “All of you. Scram.”

They all take a step to walk out as if his voice alone had compelled them, but then the previous guy interjects, making them stop in their tracks again. “Tch—you know what they’re saying. All unmated Omegas are free game, and I won this one. So back off.”

It was like watching a match of tug-of-war.

“Heh,” the intruder laughs. “That rule only counts for Alphas.”

You spot your aggressor's fists curl—there’s a growl rumbling in the back of his throat. “I am an Alpha, asshole.”

“Really?” he feigns, sizing him up with a cocky tilt of his head. “Couldn’t tell.” He doesn’t seem fazed in light of the aggression—actually, it seems to amuse him if anything. “To me, you smell no different from all these other Beta losers.” 

He takes a casual step forward, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face—baring canines with grace.

“But if you wanna prove it, I’m ready when you are.”

It’s quiet after the declaration. The betas are unsure who’s side to pick, none of them eager to get caught in the middle. It becomes a competition purely between the two Alphas.

Without backup, your aggressor backs down and leaves.

“Thought so,” your savior jeers, showing the crowd out, closing and locking the door behind them.

It’s quiet after they’ve left.

You hide your face. Listening to his footsteps approach—he sighs when taking the place of the former guy. He doesn’t touch you, though.

“Y’know…” he starts. “That guy might be trash, but he isn’t wrong…” He picks up your skirt and drapes it back in place. “None of this would ever happen if you weren’t unmated.”

You speak through grit teeth. “Untie me.”

He chuckles familiarly at that, clicking his tongue at you. “What? Aren’t you gonna say please?” But he does what you say anyway. Squatting down, he starts with your ankles.

The scent of your fear still lingers in the air despite your tough act. You’ve always been so steadfast, ever since you were kids, even when it does you no good. He frees your feet—one, then the other, slowly—he even reties your laces into pretty bows before he’s done. 

He remembers it being so obvious. The sun rose in the morning and the moon at night, and you were supposed to be an Alpha while he a Beta at best. You promised you’d be by his side to keep him safe forever, and he wanted nothing more.

But then puberty hit, and nothing was as you’d imagined.

He stands and unknots the tie keeping your wrists restrained.

You immediately push him off—already storming away.

“Do I get no thank you, no nothing? Always so stubborn—” He grabs your arm.

You spin around, an unnatural snarl on your face. “Let go!”

You’d have been a terrifying Alpha. But as fate has it, you’re not. And you shouldn’t act like it. It only lands you in trouble.

But he doesn’t say that. 

“You been watchin’ the news?” he says instead, ignoring your cry and keeping a firm grip on your arm. “Seems like auctions are winning the voters. You know what that means?”

He feels you flinch, followed by a quiver. He can tell. No matter how good you are at hiding it. He can see—the way you’re fraying at the edges, barely holding it together. Always acting so strong. He can’t tell whether you enjoy torturing yourself or if you’re just that good at convincing yourself you’re fine.

“Pretty soon, new authorities are gonna come storming in here, roundin’ up every sorry unmated Omega they find, and put ‘em all on a farm where pompous Alphas can have their pick of the litter.”

He can never tell what you’re thinking, but he knows he doesn’t need to tell you any of this. You’re not stupid, you never have been. He knows you already know. But…

“You should decide now while it’s still your choice.” 

You must be terrified. He understands. But truly… it’s obvious what you have to do, isn’t it?

“It’s not like you have many options.”

It’s obvious. It always has been.

You don’t meet his eyes. You haven’t for a long while. Actually, you haven't since both of you got your test results. He understands this wasn’t what you had in mind, but you can’t afford to mope about it forever—

“How am I supposed to choose any Alpha when you’re all such assholes…”

Your mutter stunts him. It wasn’t what he expected. Or, the words were more or less exactly something he’d expect from you, but that voice—quiet and soft, dangling on the brink of sweet. If you’d said anything else, he’d have taken it as a confession.

“Can't argue with that,” he ends up chuckling again.

You hate how easy this is for him. He would cry at every turn when you were kids. It’s unfair. 

“But you can’t keep doing this, either,” he states. His voice is soft, paired with that ugly authority they all have when talking to you—talking down to you. “Just look where it gets you���scared and exhausted because of it. At least have the brains to stay home.” He says it as if it’s a joke, but you both know it isn’t. His chuckles are light—far from fullhearted.

He bends down, trying to find your eyes. He still holds onto your arm, knowing you’d sooner stomp away than listen to him. His other hand brushes your cheek gently, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“You hear the call from the rafters—it’s not about what you want anymore. It’s about what you need.”

That’s what they say, isn’t it? What you need. You want to slap him. Scratch him with claws, bite his throat out—make him choke on his own words. Need? What you need is for them all to fuck off.

You mean to say it with the same sentiment, but something hard and rough in your throat makes all your words come out wobbly. “Mate an Alpha to stay safe from other Alphas. What a joke.”

You bow your head further. The tears return. They burn as they trail down the sore streaks from before.

He’s never seen you like this. He won’t lie, it makes his pants tight—feeling the urge to suck your cheeks, hold you close and comfort you. But knowing you right, you’d probably never let him. Your face would probably scrunch up in disgust, punch his gut, knee his groin, then turn on your heel and leave him on the floor wheezing.

You really would have made the most terrifying Alpha. 

“The world isn’t fair,” he agrees. “But you get nowhere cryin’ about it—do it my way, and you’ll never—”

“Have any freedom,” you cut him off with a sniffle. 

It’s about the most adorable thing he’s seen in his life.

He gets why you don’t like Alphas—they’re all gross. He makes himself sick sometimes. He can’t believe he’s getting off on watching you have a mental breakdown. There’s something seriously wrong with his side of the species. His throat’s tight, mouth watery with the urge to reap your vulnerability. 

Suppressing it only makes his inner beast furious. Some of that aggression comes out in his next words.

“I’m sorry, but the world doesn’t give a shit about your freedom.” 

The grip around your arm tightens, and you look up in shock—watching his narrowed eyes through your watery ones. 

“What you need is safety—now more than ever. Or do you like being preyed on by every Alpha around the corner?” 

Your bottom lip trembles at the reality of it—a little while ago, you were almost— 

“One of these days, I'm not gonna be here in time, and you’ll be a slave to some fucking—” 

He huffs and hangs his head. His hand loosens up—it trembles where he holds you in place.

“In all honesty, I think I’m more scared than you,” he whispers under his breath. “I think I might kill—”

He stops himself again. You don’t know if it’s in an effort not to frighten you or himself.

“Speak about needs…” he begins anew, now softer. “I need to know you’re safe. I need to—” He looks up. His eyes are back to being round. “I need you more than you need me, probably.”

There’s a desperation on his face. It almost looks like he’s on the verge of tears himself.

“So… please?” he begs. “Will you keep me safe like you promised and stay by my side?”

Your tears dry and prickle. Looking into his eyes now, you see the same boy you knew back in your childhood—that one who’d chase you all over even when you’d call him a sniveling crybaby. You realize, Alpha or not, he hadn’t changed all that much at all. 

“It’s not like you need my permission,” you end up saying.

You’ve always been so hard-headed. He has to smile. “No, but I want it.”

You nibble your lip. You can’t believe you’re at the mercy of this big dumb hunk of… you don’t have the words to describe him. He wasn’t exactly a crybaby anymore. 

“Okay. You win.” 

His eyes widen as you bear your neck with a stretch. Head high and shoulders slack. 

You swallow thickly. “Get it over with.”

He shudders at the sight. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but now it almost seemed too soon. 

“We should be supervised by a professional—you know how wrong things can go—”

“Hurry up before I change my mind.” Your eyes remain shut, and your lips pursed.

His tongue grows thick in his mouth at your bark. A sudden stroke of performance anxiety makes his palms sweaty, hands heavy and shaking. But then the sight of your soft neck has his mood shift, becoming drowsy.

He has no control over the growl that begins rumbling from his gut.

But he doesn’t apologize for it either.

He bends forward—breaths on your chest before he licks your throat. You can’t help but whimper at the warmth. He watches you through hooded eyes—your usually angry face is now all cute, riddled with anxiety you try hiding paired with the grim anticipation of pain.

“Shh,” he soothes, kissing the spot softly. He sways you against him, then lifts you up on the desk for you to sit. Grazing your neck with teeth when feeling your hands tangle two fistfuls of his shirt. He expects you to push him away, but you don’t—you tug him closer instead as if silently telling him to hurry up.

But he doesn’t want to rush, doesn’t want to lose himself—that’s how accidents happen. So he sticks to sucking gently, only tiny nibbles that leave your skin hot and lightly bruised in their wake.

You give a moan once he finds the spot, and he growls in restraint upon the pretty sound—feeling you relax despite being threatened with his teeth right at your artery. He almost humps your leg in return, feeling the boil of blood pump him hot and heavy in his pants—breaths turning equally hot and heavy, each one laced with rust.

Drool coated your neck in a cool sheen, soothing the marks made beneath it, while his lips and fangs aroused pleasure in the spot that now ached for the sting of his bite.

“Please,” slipped from your mouth while tugging him closer. 

His eyes, completely drunk on the pretty prayer, had only a slim rim of color left surrounding the hungering bottomless pits, blown full and black with opium.

No one could come and take you away from him now. Not with his print so pretty on your neck. You were his—just as you were always supposed to be.

♡ BNHA – Deku, Kirishima, Natsuo, Amajiki, Mirio ♡ JJK – Yuji, Yuuta ♡ HQ – Kuro, Miya twins ♡ DS – Tanjiro, Zenitsu

♡ FEM x M INSERT masterlist ♡ GN x M INSERT masterlist

[cutielando]

ma meilleure ennemie | r.c.

synopsis: in which you don’t know how to feel about him

a/n: based on this request!

my masterlist

The golden light of the Outer Banks sunset filtered through the trees, casting a warm glow over the tangled chaos of the marsh.

You were perched on the dock behind the chateau, skipping stones into the water, trying to pretend the world wasn’t crashing down around you.

But Rafe never let you pretend for too long.

He stood only a few feet away, hands in the pockets of his khakis, the embodiment of Kook arrogance. You didn’t even need to look at him to know he had that infuriating smirk on his face.

The one that made your blood boil.

“Didn’t know the Routledge princess spent her nights sulking. Thought you were out with your Pogues planning another heist” Rafe taunted, his voice sharp.

You clenched your jaw and tossed another stone into the water, harder than before this time around.

“Did you want something? Don’t you have better things to do?” you snapped, turning to face him.

Rafe’s smirk fell for a split second, but he recovered quickly. He didn’t want to let his guard down around you.

“Maybe I just wanted to see you” he said, his tone laced with something you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, refusing to let his words have any kind of effect on you. Rafe didn’t want to see you, not really. You were just another means to an end in his eyes.

“Yeah, sure. You’re not exactly known for your heart of gold or love for my crowd, Rafe” you said, turning away and splashing the water again.

He chuckled, his voice low and bitter.

“And you’re not exactly the sweet Pogue everyone things you are” he said, making you stop in your tracks.

His words hit you harder and deeper than you wanted to admit. You had spent your entire life trying to hold your family together, trying to glue everything and make it stick so nothing would happen to the ones you loved.

But Rafe had a way with his words that would get under your skin, peeling off layer by layer and exposing the cracks you had desperate tried to hide your entire life.

“You don’t know anything about me” you finally said, your voice small and wavering.

Rafe stepped closer to you, which made you look up at him for the first time ever since he came. You came eyes to eye with his charming blue eyes, seeing the storm brewing behind them.

“I know you’re tired of pretending. I see it in the way you look at everyone, especially your friends. You’re carrying the weight of holding everyone together, but who’s left carrying you?” he asked, his voice incredibly soft.

Your breath caught in your throat for a moment. You hated how easily he could read you, how his words cut through every single layer of thick skin you had spent years building.

“Don’t act like you care about me. You’re just as selfish and destructive as you’ve always been. You don’t care about anyone else other than yourself, don’t preach to me” you said, taking a step back and turning away.

Rafe’s jaw tightened, and for a split second, you thought he might snap at you and prove your point. But he didn’t.

Instead, he took a deep breath, his expression softening.

Something that was very rare for him.

“Maybe I don’t, and maybe you’re right with everything you’re saying. But maybe, just maybe, you make me want to try and care about someone else” he confessed, his voice soft.

The words hung in the air around you, heavy with unspoken truths and impossible realities. You wanted to laugh, to scream in his face that he was crazy, that you could never even phantom trusting him or letting him in.

But a small, very small and traitorous part of you wondered if he could be telling the truth.

And that was the most dangerous thought of all.

The only sounds that could be heard were the waves crashing around you. His words replayed in your mind over and over again, chipping away at your resolve with each passing second.

“Maybe you should figure yourself out before you drag someone else into your mess” you said, your voice quieter and softer now.

Rafe’s lips twitched into a small, bitter smile. He knew how hard you were trying to hold your ground, he could tell. Because he always did the exact same thing as you.

“Maybe I already know what I want. I’m tired of being the guy everyone expects me to be” he said.

You folded your arms over your chest, more for your own comfort than anything else.

“And what, are you expecting me to save you or something?” you asked.

“No” Rafe said quickly. “I’m not asking you to save me. I just, I don’t know. Maybe I just wanted to talk to someone who doesn’t expect anything from me” he confessed, his tone almost vulnerable.

His confession took you completely by surprise.

This wasn’t the Rafe Cameron that you knew. The one who had tormented you and your friends for years, manipulated and assaulted Sarah, stolen from your family; that Rafe Cameron wasn’t capable of having feelings or being vulnerable.

But the way his eyes were holding your gaze in these moments, the emotions swimming around in his eyes, they made you question everything about him.

“This doesn’t change anything, Rafe” you said, taking a step back again. “You’ve done too much to me, to my family. I can’t just forget about it and pretend nothing ever happened” you explained.

“I know, and I’m not asking you to forget” he said, taking a step forward. “I know I’ve messed up, I know I’ve hurt you more times than I can count. But you make me feel like I could truly be better, than I could be more than what my dad made me” he said.

The mention of his father sent an unpleasant shiver down your spine. Everyone on the island knew about Ward’s influence over Rafe, but that wasn’t an excuse for Rafe’s behavior.

It was, however, a reason. A crack into his perfect Kook facade, a crack that made him human.

“I don’t know if I can fix you, Rafe” you whispered, your voice tired and broken.

“I’m not asking you to fix me. I just, I don’t want to feel like this anymore. Like I’m always one step away from falling apart. When I’m around you, you make it stop, just for a little while you make everything stop and I can just… be myself for once” he confessed, completely breaking through your walls.

You wanted to scream at him, to hit him and push him away for even daring to come here and beg you for your forgiveness and mercy.

But you couldn’t.

Your heart wouldn’t let you send him away, because he was right. You did understand him, and you knew what he was going through.

Because just like he said, he made everything quiet when you were around him.

He made it stop.

“You have one shot at this” you whispered, closing your eyes as you finally give in.

Rafe’s lips curl up into a small smile, his stomach erupting with anticipation.

“You won’t regret it. I’ll be better” he said, stepping closer to you.

You nodded, giving him a small, tentative smile.

As you two stood there on the dock, you looked out at the horizon, wondering about what had just happened.

Wondering if you had just made the biggest mistake of your life.

Or maybe, wondering if you had just made the best decision ever.

Wondering.

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[chrissv4mp]

im on the bleachers🦈

basketball player!matt × gn!reader

warnings: minor injuries, vulgar language

author's note: okayyy, i know i said this was fluff & the warnings seem otherwise, but i swear there's fluff!!

_____________

matt breathed in deeply, looking at himself in the mirror before muttering, "final game of the season, you got this."

"stay calm." he added on, knowing that every time he was on the court he would get a little crazy.

but it's not like it was his fault, the referees were just blind as hell and didn't even know the difference between pivoting with the ball and traveling.

or maybe it was him. whatever, even if it was he wouldn't dare to admit it.

"hurry up, boys! gotta get you kids out there for some warm-ups," coach yelled, his voice echoing off the walls of the locker room.

matt sighed, closing his eyes and taking one more deep breath before throwing his jersey on.

04, under the number was the name of his school, WESTFIELD HS.

"matt!" chris's voice broke the brunette boy out of his trance, looking over his shoulder before turning around fully to look at his brother.

matt couldn't help crack a smile at the excited expression on his brothers face, his eyes bright and his smile big.

"what's up?" matt said, running a hand through his hair.

chris straightened our his jersey, number 03, before looking back up at matt and speaking, "oh. nothing, just wanted to check up on you, you nervous?"

matt nodded, "yeah, but i'm still hopeful. the other team isn't all that, either, but we still need to be strong. and aggressive."

chris nodded, his facial expression serious now, "yeah. hey, let's go to the team, give them a pep talk?"

_____________

"bring it in wildcats!" matt called, and the team was quick to get together, chris going over to matt's side immediately.

the players looked around at one another, giving knowing looks and muttering quiet encouragements.

"hey, today isn't any different than our other games. we always come to win, and what do we always do?" matt asked, and the team responded proudly:

"win!"

matt smiled, "yes, exactly! we need to play with energy and sportsmanship, no matter how pissed the other team gets you. and above all, we need to play aggressive and fast." chris nodded at his brother, his eyes scanning his other teammates.

"so, we're gonna play all the basics. 2-3, box, etcetera. now, everybody knows that the other team isn't that good, they've lost a majority of their games this season and the main reason for it was them not being on defense."

matt inhaled deeply, "some of us have a bit of a problem with that, too, so, we need to always, and i mean always be on our man. everybody just goes to the ball and leaves the other team open."

a boy on the team nodded, knowing that the comment was mainly directed to him.

"even if we don't win, we're still the wildcats, and we'll always have our confidence. no matter what." matt encouraged, giving soft smiles to his team.

"preach, matt." chris laughed, earning some smiles from his teammates.

matt rolled his eyes before putting his fist out, leading the whole team to do the same thing, "wildcats on three!"

"1, 2, 3, wildcats!" the team roared, voices echoing off the gym walls as they parted ways, some players going on the bench and some going onto the court.

coach smiled at matt, giving him a thumbs up before matt went to jog on the court.

matt's attention was quickly turned to the crowd on the other side of the court, his eyes immediately landing on you.

you waved, giving him a thumbs up with your free hand as he waved back.

chris was in the middle, his eyes never leaving the ball as the referee raised it in the air.

matt went into his defense position, getting low and in front of a player from the opposing team.

the tension was high as the gym fell silent, only the sound of quiet buzzing from the scoreboard heard.

then, the referee put the whistle to his lips, and blew. he dropped the ball, and chris swiftly smacked it behind the opponent and into his teammates hands.

"let's go wildcats!" was heard from the sidelines, and as matts teammate dribbled the ball up court and shot a lay-up, the crowd erupted in roars and screams.

well, this was gonna be an easy win.

_____________

this wasn't gonna be a very easy win.

matt groaned in frustration as the ref called a foul on him. he hadn't even touched his opponent!

the wildcats and sharks were neck and neck, 30-30, the scoreboard read.

the opponents coach had waited until they were losing by a lot to put in his best players, and now the wildcats were on the brink of losing a game.

"shit," matt muttered as number 08 on the other team ran up the court.

he pushed himself to run with all his strength, and as nunber 08 went to score, matt jumped up to try and block the shot.

number 23 on the opposite team pushed matt with all his strength, sending him flying onto the floor face first.

he landed on face, his knees sliding on the freshly waxed gym floors.

a loud roar of anger was heard from the wildcats, and the whistle blew many times before the gym was shut up.

"fuck, fuck, fuck!" matt groaned in pain, holding his nose as he breathed heavily.

nick, taking the pictures of the basketball team for school, quickly raced down the bleachers and to his brothers aid.

chris did, too, worry evident on his face as he patted matts back, "you're okay, matt, c'mon, get up."

nick helped matt to sit on his butt, carefully grabbing his chin and noticing his bloody nose.

"it's fine, you'll be okay. we're gonna get up on three, alright?"

matt nodded, groaning as he stood up on the count of three.

his knees ached and so did his nose. shit, there was no way he was going to be able to have more playing time.

sure, his teammates were good, but matt was the best player on the team.

nick and chris walked matt to the sidelines, letting him sit down on the bench before nick handed him his water bottle.

"you okay?" chris asked, tilting his head a bit.

matt nodded, his head fuzzy with frustration.

the game went on, and number 23 got benched & fouled. 1 more foul for the sharks and the wildcats would get two free throws.

1 more basket and the wildcats would win.

the game was getting heated, and people the opposing team were screaming at their teammates.

it had only taken a few missed shots from the wildcats to get matt stirred up, and he shot up from his seat, walking to coach with a passion.

"put me in." he demanded, and in any other circumstance, he would've crumbled in fear at the way his coach looked at him.

he cocked an eyebrow, "you're hurt, matt, we can't risk it."

matt grumbled, looking down at his feet as he balled his hands into fists. why not put him in? he was the best player, and the others were clearly not locked in. he needed to be in there.

"put matt in!" you and nick chanted from the bleachers, making the coach and matt himself turn their attention.

the chant caught on quickly with the rest of the wildcats, even the players that were on the court, currently on timeout.

matt smiled sweetly at you, and you just cheered for him, your heart melting at the way he looked at you.

the brunette boy turned back to his coach, not daring to break eye contact again. he took deep breaths, trying to control himself as he asked once more:

"can you put me in, coach? please." he asked, and this time, coach didn't hesitate to nod.

the people controlling the scoreboard wasted no time in subbing out a worse player for matt, and the brunette boy ran onto the court, determined to win.

the game started back up again quickly, and matt was quick to steal the ball when 06 on sharks were passing the ball in.

he ran down the court, his legs burning and his throat dry. the crowd cheered loudly, and so did his teammates.

even over all the other voices, the only one he listened to was yours, you were the only one he cared about.

he jumped up, the ball rolling off his hand and going up into the air.

matt drowned everybody out, his breathing heavy and his legs tired. the ball spun around the rim not once, not twice, but three times before it fell into the basket and dropped to the floor.

matts eyes widened, and he could finally hear everything. cheers erupted from the wildcats and the coach for the sharks threw his clipboard down.

"holy shit. oh my god!" matt yelled, the realization that he had won the game finally hitting him.

you didn't hesitate to scramble off the bleachers and onto the court, wanting to be the first one to speak to him.

you jumped into his arms, almost sending him falling to the floor, but he steadied himself and wrapped his arms around you tightly.

"you won, baby! im so proud of you." you muttered into his shoulder, and he smiled.

"thank you." he whispered.

_____________

matt and you sat at a booth in a local diner, drinking celebratory milkshakes.

you couldn't help but smile as he drank it, putting the cup to his lips before putting it back down, leaving whipped cream on his upper lip.

"what?" he questioned before licking his lips, and you couldn't help but laugh softly.

"nothing. just wanted to look at you. you literally just won the state championships, can i not be proud of you?"

matt smiled softly, hiding his face as he blushed.

"couldn't have done it without my favorite person." he praised, reaching his hand out to yours that was on the table.

...

☆

author's note: AHHH the support on my hcs are insane, I love u guys sm!! hope u guys enjoyed this and also, thank u smsmsmsm for 40+ followers🫶🏼🫶🏼

@chrissturnswife @latinasforchrizz @suyqa @mayhem-72 @sturn-wrld @mattsbbg

[itsbebebrainrotting]

Actually insane atp when people infantilise EITHER cc or q tubbo.

Like holy shit that is a 20 year old man who has just succeeded in the biggest project of his life, one which involved a lot of responsibility, as well as a very good knowledge of his own physical and mental limit. He regularly gets drunk on stream, has spoken before about still wearing his exs underwear on stream and has a fucking husband. That is a grown ass man who can take care of himself (for the most part - hes still very privileged so can get away without doing certain things himself but my point stands). Just because hes ND doesn't mean you should treat him like hes still a child.

And the same applies to his character. Qtubbo is seemingly fucking ancient based off the creation stream before his revival. He is very talented and stubborn and self assured as well as extremely smart and also a good father. He doesnt act as anyones kid (aside from maybe qluzus for a while) and is perfectly fine all on his own thank you very much. Qtubbo is also a massive fucking flirt. Like qroier pre marriage levels of flirt. Qslime but with more shame levels of flirt. And he flirts with anyone but mainly people he knows better, which includes the people cc tubbo knew when he was a minor. So uh... no one gives a shit on that front. Anyway all this to say, qtubbo does not act like a child. He doesnt make sense as another characters son in your funny little headcanon nuclear family roles and he also only really works as a younger brother figure if you make sure your portrayal of younger brother isnt boiled down to annoying and childish. Cuz besties that isnt qtubbo.

So yeah im preaching to the crowd here but that "i ThOuGhT tUbBo WaS tHeIr AdOpTeD kId" tweet pissed me off sorry

[juliusxxxxxx]

How to start your own cult

*this is more or less a crack fic

*au where Scar is trying to use Grian’s watcher power to start a cult

*2000+ words

*probably not a one-shot

Knock knock.

No one’s answering.

Knock knock.

This time Scar banged on the door.

No one’s answering.

“Excuse me?” Said Xelqua. Their face was obscured under the shadow of their ominous purple robe, appearing as a pitch-black void. “What—are you doing?”

“What are WE doing!” Scar corrected the being, then reached forward to pull on their hood. “Take it off. You’re going to make ‘em scared.”

“No! How dare you—” Xelqua clasped tightly onto the inexplicable fabric. It felt cold to the touch and almost weightless in Scar’s hand. “There’s a sacred ritual that needs to be done before we can reveal our faces to mortals—you can't do it right after you just manifested me!”

“You’re here to fulfill my wish, right?”

“Yes…unfortunately! Stop it, mortal!”

But the deed had already been done. After the shadow was lifted, there was a face.

It's just a typical face, belonging to a person who appeared to be male, with blonde hair, black eyes, and some light freckles. Their eyes didn't seem to have pupils. Just black as ink.

“Oh…that’s what you look like.” Scar rested his hand. “I thought you were going to look way cooler. Like a cyclone or something.”

Xelqua rolled their eyes. Two eyes, how disappointing. Scar couldn't help himself but sighed.

“Now, can you tell me why we are here, mortal?” They surveyed the dreadfully dull middle-class neighborhood, under the bright midday sun. All nice houses, with neatly manicured front yards. “You dragged me here without even telling me what your wish was. It is extremely rude, in case you don't know it already.”

“My wish?” Scar puffed out his chest, wearing a bright smile on his face. “I want to start a cult.”

“…What?”

They looked at Scar with clear disgust on their normal-looking face.

“Yeah. Since I had a desire strong enough to summon a literal god, I did my research and…volià, here you are!”

He put his arm around the being's shoulders. There were many things he chose not to mention in the explanation he gave, including the graphic description of too many fresh eyeballs and organs that grossed him out. But it was all worth it in the end, right at the moment this Watcher emerged in the center of the wired rectangle he had made. It was drawn with blood, of course.

Xelqua gave him an unimpressed look.

“You seem to have some doubts,” Scar gave them a tight squeeze. “Alright, picture this: a bright, luxurious convention hall with thousands and thousands of people gathering. I am the super duper charismatic orator, preaching about fighting evil and injustice in the world with the power of true happiness. Someone shouted in the crowd, ‘Scar, how are you going to convince me, a stubborn moron who’s never been scammed in my entire life because I’m so lame and boring?’”

“And?”

“That’s when you come in, and strike ‘em with the power of thunder! Everyone trembles and kneels, offering me their life savings out of their pure, heartfelt faith.”

Xelqua stuck their tongue out.

“Alright, I’m leaving.” They brushed off his arm. “Have fun with your scam. I don't want to be a part of it.”

“No, Xelqua—but my wish!”

“I don't even want your soul anymore. It’s too…morbid for my liking.”

“Please! You haven't even heard of the amazing books I’ve been planning—”

Before he could finish his wailing, the door in front of them suddenly swung open.

“Uh…hello?”

A woman held the door, looking bewildered at the pair.

“Why, hello!”

Scar pulled the being back to the porch and put on his best expression, whether they liked it or not.

“We don't need anything—”

“No, no. We’re not salesmen. Far from them, actually.” He rummaged through his blazer and found a name card, which he handed to the housewife. He was fully prepared for this moment. He had been preparing this day for quite some time, and he was determined not to let it end in vain. “Here, take my card. The first one is for free.”

“Uh…Church of the True Happyness…of the Third Watcher?” She frowned, trying to read the wordy name. “Is this a new religion or something? Why is the ‘happiness’ spelled wrong? And why are there two ‘of’? ”

“I’m not with this lunatic—”

“Yes! A new religion. For true happiness. Just ignore my spelling mistake, please.”

Scar cut them off.

“The two ‘of’ thing is trendy. Just look around the other popular cul—churches, like the one started with an M.” He then reached both of his hands toward the housewife and shook with her eagerly. “Me and this—this—” He quickly lowered his voice and whispered to this extraterrestrial being, “what’s your pronouns?”

“I—I—he him?” The being stuttered.

“This handsome young man,” Scar patted on his back and declared, “are here to help.”

“Help?”

“Uh-huh. The lady who lives down the street mentioned that you have a faulty vacuum cleaner you got from your MLM just weeks ago. How unfortunate.”

“My MLM? Excuse you! What are you talking about? My business is legit—”

“Can I take a look at it?”

He pulled Xelqua toward the doorway and squeezed past the woman.

“This is private property! You can't just come in like this!” She frantically followed them into her own house. “Get out before I call the police!”

Scar began opening each closet in the house, ignoring her warning. It didn't take him long to find the broken house appliance in question, lying lifelessly in the dust.

“Here it is! You are a big beauty.” He pulled it out from the closet and wiped it clean haphazardly. “Xelqua?”

“Wha—you are out of your mind!” Xelqua turned towards the approaching woman and then turned back to face him. “We have to leave! I don't want to deal with your mortals’ cops—they’re notorious, even in my dimension!”

“Come on—” Scar nagged. “You’re here to fulfill my wish, right? Then consider this to be it. Fix this vacuum cleaner then consider we even.”

“…Are you serious right now?” Xelqua dropped his jaw. “You’re going to waste your one and only wish…on this?”

“I don't see any reason why not, since you’re going to leave me anyways.” He said with arms crossed. “Just do it for me.”

“And you’ll let me go?”

The being widened his pupil-less eyes. It was even more eerie than usual.

“Yeah. You are one vacuum cleaner away from freedom.”

“Get out of my house! This is the final warning!”

The woman yelled in fury, rightfully so.

“You came at the right time, ma’am.” Scar turned toward her, putting on his smile again. “We just fixed it. Can you plug it in for me?”

“…Heh?”

She halted.

“Try it out. If it doesn't work right away then we’ll leave immediately, am I right?” He gave the being a nudge.

“…Yes.”

Xelqua answered unwillingly.

The housewife knelt down to plug in the vacuum cleaner, grumbling about how absurd everything was. The moment it was turned on, a spark of purple light emitted from its indicator.

It worked.

“Phew—that was close.” Scar wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. He should have just lost his soul a second ago, yet he didn't feel anything. Well, maybe he really was the chosen one who didn't have a soul to begin with.

“It…it worked?” She kept pressing different buttons on the vacuum cleaner, and they all certainly performed their functions. “How—how did you do that? My hubby can't do anything about it!”

“By the power of true happiness and the third Watcher, of course. By the way, the ‘happyness’ is actually spelled with an ‘y’, I just decided it. It’s better for trademark legalization anyway.”

Then, he grabbed Xelqua’s robe as the being tried to dematerialize and slip away from reality. A small part of his body had gone transparent already.

“What more do you want?” Xelqua protested, trying to get rid of him. “I’m leaving.”

“Give me a second,” Scar whispered to him and called the woman, still in awe, admiring her newly reborned cleaner. “Could you please help me with something? As a repayment for our service?”

“Uh…I really don't want to pay you. You seem like a scammer.”

“No—not money, yet.” He shook his head. He was rather frustrated that she would think so lowly of him, but he decided to let it pass. “Do you have the business card I just gave you?”

“…Yes?”

She began searching for it as she was instructed.

“There’s a line in the back. Can you read it out loud?”

She turned it around and started laughing immediately. “How am I supposed to read this? This is gibberish.”

“Well—I should know it beforehand…” Scar took a deep sigh and scratched his neck. Guess normal people without any knowledge would definitely not be able to read it, but he had no one to test it out for him yet. “Just repeat after me, then.”

He cleared his throat and started reciting.

“Mggoka ya orr'e.”

“Mgg…oka…ya orr’e.”

The being called Xelqua let out a short gasp as soon as the words left her mouth.

“What are you doing, mortal?”

“Ng ya bthnk.”

Scar ignored him but continued the chant.

“Ng ya b…thnk.”

She was trying her best to speak the obscure language that had been long lost in this mortal land. As each forbidden word was spoken, defying all laws of nature, the being trembled by the power of a divine offering.

“—Xelqua.”

“Xelqua…?”

Right after she finished the chant, the entire room was momentarily illuminated by a cold, purple glow. It happened so quickly, too quick for her to even realize it was emanating from herself.

“Thank you.”

Scar bowed to her, then walked decisively towards the doorway without looking back.

A few moments later, he heard another set of footsteps approaching him.

“How do you know these words?” The being known as Xelqua called as soon as they stepped out of the house.

“I did my research,” he simply said. “I know you’d follow me.”

“Of course I will…you are despicable.”

Xelqua uttered, catching up to him and walking alongside him.

“You sacrificed her soul to me for a…vacuum cleaner?”

“Yeah, I guess?”

Scar raised his shoulders.

“One more soul for you to chew on in the Void. I bet mine tastes awful so—I did you a favor?”

“I don't chew on souls! What do you think I am?”

“But that’s what all you want, am I right?”

Xelqua’s gaze locked on him for a while.

He couldn't read the emotions behind those eyes; it was as if he was staring into the Void itself. They reminded him of the legends he had learned from those ancient books about how the Watcher’s eyes can see through a person's very true self. A self. He often wondered if he even possessed one of his own.

But then, the Watcher laughed.

“What are you trying to do, mortal?”

Perhaps he actually had one after all.

“I want to start a cult!” Said Scar. “I said it from the very beginning. I'm true to my words—well, sometimes.”

“So that is your plan.” Xelqua shook his head. “I get some free souls so that you can start your dream cult.”

“You’re a smart god.” He reached out a hand toward the being. “How’s the deal?

“Sounds fine to me.” Xelqua shook it. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I know. Doing the world a favor.” Scar released the being’s hand immediately. “Man, I can't wait!”

He didn't appreciate the being's lack of body temperature. He preferred interacting with real humans, especially someone who is willing to accompany him to a vibrant and dramatic apocalypse. Hopefully, cats and trees will be part of the experience.

“I’m thinking—I’m thinking we should go to a college campus next. Those students are so young and impressionable…and stupid.” He started marching down the street in victory, while the being followed him close behind. “Everyone is so anxious about their futures and—whatever the kids are worrying about nowadays. It’s perfect! You can give them some good grades or the body type of an Instagram model—or drugs, I don't care, then they will be your good little lambs.”

“Why do you hate the mortals so much, then?” After listening to his rambling in silence, the being asked.

“I don't?” Scar stopped sharply, turning toward him. “I love humanity! They are so great. So bright. So wishful and always so creative. I love them. Oh, how can I ever hate them!”

“Then why are you doing this, willing to condemn their souls for all of eternity?”

“For the money, I guess.”

“You can simply wish for it,” Xelqua said, slightly confused. “Many mortals wished for money and I granted them more than their wildest dreams.”

“Nah. That’s boring.” Scar waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll be bored to death, and nothing is more scary than that.”

Xelqua looked at him with a tilted head.

“You’re funny.”

“No, tell me I'm charismatic.” Scar continued his walk. “I need to be a cult leader after all.”

[redtsundere-writes]

Pillow | Cult Leader!Suguru Geto

cult leader!suguru geto x f!reader Sypnosis: suguru geto is your secret lover. Contents: Secret lover, i wrote this while listening lana del rey so yeah, that. Warnings: vaginal, raw, doggy, oral. Mdni. Minors Do Not Interact. +18 Word Count: 758 words. Author's Note: even tho my heart is owned by Sukuna (shame me i have an humiliation kink) this man makes me go ahasnhghsbdjs.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto was a busy man. Being the leader of a cult was not an easy task. Keeping a friendly mask on in front of his followers, preaching his message over and over again, ingesting curses to become more powerful, and leading a brainwashed crowd tired him every single week.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto could forget all about the cult once he came to your room every Sunday night. Geto had adopted you into his community when he first saw you tied up in that abandoned warehouse years ago. Your relationship had grown since then until you became his secret lover.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto knocked three times on your bedroom door. You quickly opened and he wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. His hands lovingly ran around your waist to pull you closer to his warm and tall body. "I missed you" he whispered in your ear, an electric feeling ran down your spine. You hadn't gotten used to the idea that you meant everything to him.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loved to lie on your bed while using your thighs as a pillow. He liked it when you braided his long jet black hair and placed kisses on his forehead. He loved to make you smile with funny comments. He felt like a naughty teenager breaking into his girlfriend’s room every Sunday night. 

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto wanted to stay with you for the rest of his life, but he knew he had responsibilities to fulfill with his community. Luckily, you were always there to remind him that the next Sunday was always coming. You were the only thing that kept him “sane” enough during the exhausting week.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto kissed you passionately, his lips guiding yours to move in sync. Like every night, he wanted to make it clear how much he loved and desired you. His kisses traveled over your cheeks, your forehead, your neck and your shoulders being undressed little by little, causing your skin to feel the freshness of that night.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto moved towards you causing his body to gently push yours against the bed. His kisses traveled over your breasts, tummy, and down to your intimacy. Like Moses in the red sea, he opened you wide to taste the juices of your intimate secrets. He was a master at satisfying you, he knew every inch of your body and what left you trembling, begging for more.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto took his precious time licking and kissing your sweet folds while you let out soft moans, trying not to wake up the other members of the community. He always ate you as if he hadn't eaten all day, his desperation to taste you satisfied his lust.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loves to fuck you hard and raw. He liked to lay you face down on the bed and hit you from behind so he could hold your hips firmly with his skillful arms signaling that your ass belonged to him. You loved it when he held you as if you were going to escape even though it was the last thing you wanted to do when his cock impacted all the way in you.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto moaned in delight at how good your tight, juicy pussy felt. He wanted to be with you forever, he wanted you to stay with him in the cult, he would do anything to keep you obedient. It didn't matter if he had to brainwash you, drug you or kill your family. He would do whatever it took to get his most beautiful follower to give him her soul and body.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto loves every part of your body. Your round tits, your greedy ass, your sensual curves and those lips his cock wants to dwell on for life. He was always rough when it was time for your mouth to suck his cock. Your teary eyes wanted him to stop but your lust begged him to continue dominating you. Suguru pushed your head all the way down so he could cum comfortably as he let out a satisfied moan from his lips while tilting his head back in pleasure.

> Cult Leader!Suguru Geto got dressed again to go back to his room while you watched him from the bed. "Stay the night," you requested. "You know the other girls will be jealous if they see I'm giving you special treatment. Think of your sisters," he explained as he did every Sunday. "Promise me you'll come back next Sunday" You begged along with a pout. He reached over to plant a simple but loving kiss on your soft lips. "You know I always come back" he promised you before walking out that door again. You really hated to see him go, but that’s how it should be.

Order your own fanfic!

Masterlist.

[f0point5]

The double standards in stans reactions to the wolffs doing something versus anybody else in this fandom is something else. The stans use everything and anything to discredit their behateds moral character but when it's their beloved wollfs they pretend not to see it. Toto cheated on his wife the mother of his older kids with Susie his employee at the time can this fandom as whole not hold them as the unproblematic power couple. Toto is known to have had as ignorant takes as Marko but because of the gokarts in the rain comment on dts Toto is the Saint that would've saved max in their eyes as if toto isn't buddies with jos irl for years

I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS TOTO LORE?!

Am I shocked? Um no because he’s a good looking billionaire can be real for a sec here 😂 but we clearly don’t talk about this bit of lore enough because…tell me more.

Yeah, like if you look at the people Toto is known to be friendly with…it tells a story. And no shade to him, you don’t have to agree with someone’s every action to be friends with them, and you don’t have to apologise for being friends with someone anyway. But. It’s a little hilarious that you want to get high and mighty about “issues” when you have been friends with vilified personality Jos Verstappen, and (even jokingly) offer to have Helmut Marko on board in the team when you have been preaching about diversity for the last decade. My guy, be so real with me right now. It’s okay to be who you are, you just have to be honest about it.

Side note, people do overcook the rivalries between these people. At the end of the day, these guys are all friends/friendly. They live in a Petri dish and they share passions/interests, why would they not be friends? Also, let’s not forget that crowd favourite Nikki Lauda was besties with Helmut, too. The whole “guilty by association” thing is such a stupid game to play in F1 because they are ALL associated at management level.

Lol Toto is the Francis of Assisi of F1, patron Saint of the downtrodden and dispossessed. His rehab centre for washed up drivers will never not be funny to me. I low-key find his adoption of driver creepy but that’s a topic for a different ask lol.

We all know I get the ick from Toto and Susie, they’re just not a bit of me. There’s a bit of self righteousness there that is just so…not for me.

I am not in the least surprised that her statement has been well received. She is indeed well liked. That being said, I do think that on top of the RB stuff and the Sulayem investigation, any statement of this nature would be well received right now. People are baying for “transparency”, whatever that means. So I don’t think she’s receiving unusual/heightened support for this particularly.

But in general, I agree that those two could get away with murder.

[one-piece-aus]

Whumptober Day 6

Ace x Reader

Warning: implied loss in accident

Edit: forgot this was requested by anon, oops

"Spark on the wire~ fuel on the fire~ preach to the choir~ do~ or die..."

"I know you could sing!" Ace exclaimed revealing himself once you finished singing.

"Ace?" You jumped around to see him. "How long have you- why are you holding your phone?"

"I'm gonna upload this to YouTube~" Ace said, a giant smirk tugging on his lips.

"Oh no you don't!" You climbed off your bed and started charging at him as he ran away laughing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come on [Y/n], just give it a try," Ace said as the recording started. "You saw how many views the last one got, people will love to hear your voice again."

"I don't know..." You adjusted the headphones around your neck. "You sure it wasn't because of the end of the video that people kept watching it?"

"I'm sure, you got an amazing voice, you just need to get it out there." Ace smiled at you from behind the camera. His smile made you smile, even if it was a small smile you gave.

"Alright... here goes nothing." You put your headphones on and let the music take over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, alright, how does it feel to have your first gig offer at 20k subscribers?" Ace asked holding the camera up to get your reaction.

"I can hardly believe it," you laughed, leaning your head on the back of your chair. "Are you sure this isn't a dream?"

"Would you like me to pinch you?"

"Sure."

Ace moved closer and pinched your arm.

"Ow! Not that hard," you whined rubbing your arm.

"You asked for it," Ace chuckled backing up so the camera wasn't in your face, he then turned it around to face him. "She asked for it."

"Oh yeah? Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!"

"Woah shit!" Ace started running out of the room, camera still facing him as he rushed out of there. From certain angles, the camera caught you chasing after him from behind. "I didn't ask for this!"

"You did with a smug smirk of yours!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Acccce, there's so many people out there," you whispered walking over to him, holding your mic in your hand.

"This is nothing, [Y/n]," Ace reassured, accidentally getting his hand in the camera's frame. "Way more people watch you sing on YouTube." At least, he's trying to reassure you. Your grip on the mic tightened and you held it closer to your chest. Taking notice of this, he moved the camera away from his face so you could see him. "Hey, you're gonna be alright, just find me in the crowd and act like you're in our chill cave, they even got the same lighting as the place."

You glanced up at Ace before wrapping your arms around him. He hugged you back for good luck, only letting go when the lights went down.

"I better get to my seat now. Don't worry, you'll do great out there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You'll never make me." You turned your back to the camera.

"[Y/n], this a ticket to your dream city!" Ace reminded you as he waved the plane tickets. "They're first class and everything."

"I'm afraid of heights."

"Since when?" Ace questioned, putting the tickets down.

"Since always."

"How come I never knew before?"

"Because we've never been up somewhere high before?"

"What about the top of the monkey bars?"

"That's not 10 thousand miles in the air!" You stated, turning back to the camera.

"Okay it's not that high-"

"You're right, it's probably even higher!" You spun around again and fell back on your bed. You folded your arms and pouted while Ace walked around your bed and looked down at you.

"You know, for someone scared of heights, you fall down on your bed without hesitation," Ace pointed out, you grumbled and narrowed your eyes at him. He sighed and sat down next to you on your bed. "If you're nervous, you don't have to be. Trust me, with some headphones and music playing, you won't even notice where you are."

"Really?" You look at him, fragments of worry still lingering in your eyes.

"Mhm, and I'll be there by your side the entire time."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Because the world will never take my heart~!"

The crowd cheers after the performance ends. Ace smiles from behind the camera as he's recording you smiling and waving to the audience. Who knew you'd get this far?

"Thank you everyone!" You began, and more cheers were heard. "Alright, alright, settle down." You waited for the crowd to quiet down before you continued. "You are all so amazing, and I'm grateful you're my fans, but I never would've gotten here if it wasn't for someone, which is why I wanna say a big thank you to Ace."

"Me?" Ace whispered, surprised and caught off guard when you hopped over to him, taking his arm and pulling him on stage.

"Many of you know him if you watch my YouTube channel, he's the reason why I'm standing here today." You gave him a side hug and Ace had to adjust his hold on the camera so he could return the hug. "So thank you, Ace!"

The camera perfectly captured your smile at him, so full of life and joy, a memory he'll treasure forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So thank you, Ace!"

"Hey, bro you in here- oh sorry."

Ace paused the video and looked up at Sabo.

"Didn't mean to interrupt," Sabo apologized. He frowned as he watched Ace close his laptop.

"Nah, it's fine..." Ace pushed the laptop away from him and shifted his position in bed. "What did you need something?"

"No, I was just gonna tell you the pizza's here."

"Oh..." He dipped his head down. "Can you bring a box up for me?"

"Sure thing." Sabo headed out, leaving the door open since he'd be returning shortly.

Ace's gaze wandered around while he waited for food. Your CDs are scattered across the floor next to his radio, he'd probably pick one to play while he's eating. His hoodies you used to steal were thrown over his dresser, your scent faded from them, and even the one he wore now hardly held it anymore. His hand gripped onto your old headphones, trying to hold your presence.

"I'm back." Sabo entered his room with three pizza boxes.

"I only asked for one-"

"You don't expect me to eat two pizza boxes by myself downstairs, do you?"

"Alright..." Ace moved over to make room for Sabo to sit down and place the pizza between them. Silence laid in the room for a bit as the two ate until Sabo broke the ice.

"How long has it been since... the accident?"

"I don't know," Ace shrugged. "Each day is a blur now."

"Hmm..." Sabo hummed and finished his slice before continuing, "You know, I was in your shoes after Kuma passed. It's hard losing a friend-"

"She wasn't just a friend." Ace lowered his slice of pizza. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I just... I loved her you know... and I never got the chance to tell her how I really feel."

Sabo sighed and placed a comforting hand on his brother's back. He wishes he could say something more but alas, what do you say to someone whose heart was stolen by the world?

Tag: @bookandyarndragon @roseoftrafalgar

[gardenschedule]

A collection of Beatles quotes about the breakup

I know I'm preaching to the choir on tumblr.com because people here examine the breakup with empathy, nuance and critical thought. BUT these quotes are convenient if you ever get caught up in frustrating arguments online with male boomer beatle fans who think John and George hated the band and couldn't wait to escape while Paul was desperate to get back together. Sorted by band member and chronological order.

Quotes from/about Ringo:

1969:

People really have tried to typecast us. They think we are still little moptops, and we are not. I don’t want to play in public again. I don’t miss being a Beatle anymore. You can’t get those days back. It’s no good living in the past.

Ringo Starr, 24 March 1969 while filming The Magic Christian in New York

1970:

Ringo?  He was the peacemaker for John, George and himself to Paul and was shaken to find Paul intransigent to the point of saying some pretty blunt things.  But none of the Beatles is vindictive, and pettiness is their natural enemy, and when Paul released his album, Ringo sent a telegram congratulation him on “Maybe I’m Amazed” (one of the tracks) and meant it.  Ringo has a lot of heart and more soul than most and since he knows he will be a Beatles to the grave, he will cooperate should it all come together again.

The Party's Over for the Beatles - written by Derek Taylor

“The Beatles have not split up. We are waiting for John to get back and then we will have a friendly Beatle chat and see what we are going to do. I keep looking around and thinking, ‘Where are they? What are they doing? When will they come and talk to me?’ This is supposed to be a press conference to promote my new film. The other Beatles aren’t here, so I don’t want to be answering questions for them. I hope to see Elvis in Las Vegas before I return to England. But, I will not be in the States for very long.”

The Beatles Off the Record (Keith Badman)

1971:

The Beatles might yet stay together as a group. Paul is the greatest bass player in the world. He is also determined. He goes on and on to see if he can get his own way. While that may be a virtue, it did mean that musical disagreements inevitably rose from time to time. But such disagreements contributed to really great products. […] I was shocked and dismayed, after Mr. McCartney’s promises about a meeting of all four Beatles in London in January, that a writ should have been issued on December 31. I trust Paul and I know he would not lightly disregard his promise. Something serious, about which I have no knowledge, must have happened between Paul’s meeting with George in New York at the end of December. […] My own view is that all four of us together could even yet work out everything satisfactorily.

Ringo Starr’s affidavit – From “The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970-2001” by Keith Badman

No one doubted that Starkey would go along with the majority.

You Never Give Me Your Money – Peter Doggett

Later/unknown year:

RS: But that’s only Imagine. You know what I’m saying? Paul with his Band on the Run. We all started on a bus and small clubs and things like that, but Paul is that type of person. Paul wanted to do it all over again, and he did. And he went through hell. He went through hell. I mean, now he’s not talking to me and that’s too bad, but he started again from the bottom to do the Paul McCartney show. I don’t wanna do it anymore. I did it once.

All You Need Is Love – Peter Brown & Steven Gaines

Quotes from/about George:

1969:

“Yeah, quite definitely, but I’d like to do it with the Beatles but not on the old scale, that’s the only drag. With the Ono Band and me playing with Delaney and Bonnie there’s no expectations because it’s really quite anonymous, you just go and do whatever you can do. Once the Beatles are advertised and all the crowds come along they expect too much. I’d like to do the Beatles thing, but more like Delaney and Bonnie with us augmented with a few more singers, and a few trumpets, saxes, organs, and all that"

Interview conducted by Roy Carr, NME, 20 December 1969

1970:

George was greatly disappointed that Paul should come off like he was injured by Klein (business manager) whom George believes to have greatly eased the effects of the present and insured the safety of the future. George view is “Did you have to be so nasty. You can go so far but you can never get back, and you can say things which get in the way forever. For me, I would be glad to play with all of us again.”

The Party's Over for the Beatles - written by Derek Taylor

Q: “You think the Beatles will get together again, then?”

George: “Well, I don’t… I couldn’t tell, you know, if they do or not. I’ll certainly try my best to do something with them again, you know. I mean, it’s only a matter of accepting that the situation is a compromise. In a way it’s a compromise, and it’s a sacrifice, you know, because we all have to sacrifice a little in order to gain something really big. And there is a big gain by recording together – I think musically, and financially, and also spiritually. And for the rest of the world, you know, I think that Beatle music is such a big sort of scene – that I think it’s the least we could do is to sacrifice three months of the year at least, you know, just to do an album or two. I think it’s very selfish if the Beatles don’t record together.”

WABC-FM, May 1, 1970

The Harrison quote that went around the world that spring was purely optimistic: 'Everyone is trying to do his own album, and I am too. But after that I'm ready to go back with the others.'

You Never Give Me Your Money – Peter Doggett

1971:

The only serious row was between Paul and me. In 1968 I went to the United States and had a very easy co-operation with many leading musicians. This contrasted with the superior attitude which, for years past, Paul has shown towards me musically. In January 1969, we were making a film in a studio at Twickenham, which was dismal and cold, and we were all getting a bit fed up with our surroundings. In front of the cameras, as we were actually being filmed, Paul started to ‘get at’ me about the way I was playing. I decided I had had enough and told the others I was leaving. This was because I was musically dissatisfied. After a few days, the others asked me to return and since I did not wish to leave them in the lurch in the middle of filming and recording, and since Paul agreed that he would not try to interfere or teach me how to play, I went back. Since the row, Paul has treated me more as a musical equal. I think this whole episode shows how a disagreement could be worked out so that we all benefited. I just could not believe it when, just before Christmas, I received a letter from Paul’s lawyers. I still cannot understand why Paul acted as he did.

George Harrison’s affidavit – From “The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970-2001” by Keith Badman

“In a “Come back Paul, all is forgiven” mood, George Harrison said this week: “I wish we could all be friends again. It’s a drag that things are as they are, because Apple is now becoming much more what we originally wanted it to be. “Personally I’d like to see Paul back at Apple and let him do what he wants to do. After all the new studio is his studio, too, and I’d like to see it all happening for us all.”

October 1971 Record Mirror

When John finally hinted that he would be willing to play with George when he appeared at Madison Square Garden. “Well, maybe I can come and help ya,” he said. “That’d be nice.” George glowered at John. Then George’s anger really burst forth. “Where were you when I needed you!” he snapped. It was the first of a series of explosions, each of them followed by moments of tense silence. “I did everything you said. But you weren’t there,” he repeated. “You always knew how to reach me,” John would reply evenly to each of these outbursts. There was no doubt in my mind, watching those two, that George’s anger with John had been accumulating for years. It was exactly the kind of situation that John usually ran from. But I could see in that moment that he loved George enough to remain calm and still as George drilled away at him. George said that repeatedly in the past he had sung what John wanted him to sing, said what John wanted him to say. Because John wanted it, George had gone along with the decision to go with Allen Klein. In the nearly four years since, John had virtually ignored him, a fact that pained George deeply. George’s voice grew even more harsh as he blasted John for his sudden appearance, as if out of nowhere, to offer an evening’s worth of help. Yet again George said furiously, I did everything you said, but you weren’t there.”

May Pang, Loving John

1973:

"George came into the office and said, 'I wanted you to know before anyone else. We're leaving Allen.' I said, 'Why?' And he said, 'We'll never get together again with Allen managing us.' And that was it. They left. George always had that distant hope."

Allan Stecker, Mojo interview 2023 (on Monday April 2 1973)

"[Allen Klein] made [John, George and Ringo] feel financially and artistically secure,” Steckler reckoned. So why did they decide that Klein had to go? Steckler believed he knew the answer. “George called me and said, ‘We’re not re-signing with Klein,’” he recalled. “I asked him why, and he said, 'The only way The Beatles can get together again is if Allen isn’t there. I’m ready to do it, so is Ringo, and I think we can persuade John to go along with it. But if we’re going to work with Paul, we need to get rid of Klein.’"

Peter Doggett, You Never Give Me Your Money

1978:

Personally, I’m not opposed to the idea, if it’s done through mutual agreement. But the pressure seems to be bigger than any of us, and when they talk of sums like $50 or $60 million, it’s almost a farce. I know Paul’s booked for the next few years, and John may have lost interest in the idea. Ringo and I are closest on it; we both feel it’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely, if only because of the legal and business maze that would have to be resolved before the four of us set foot on stage together.

M. George Haddad interview with George Harrison for Men Only magazine (Nov. 1978 issue)

Quotes from/about Paul:

1970:

On the eve of the release of the Beatles new movie and album “Let it Be,” Paul McCartney said, “I quit,” or “I think I quit,” which is roughly the same thing. As a publicity stunt, it’s as good or bad as any stunt they ever appeared to pull. But like every stunt they never did pull, this isn’t one either. McCartney’s declaration of independence was entirely impromptu, spontaneous and personal and so far had the group’s lines of communication become crossed that none of the Beatles really knew when the album would be out, or whether, nor did they greatly care.

...

I guess the way it stacks up now and the way it was around the time when Paul dropped the big on is that he wants right out of it all and they don’t.

The Party's Over for the Beatles - written by Derek Taylor

"John's reply was that I was daft!" He then said he wanted to leave the Beatles and wanted an immediate divorce. None of us really knew what to do about the situation, but we decided to wait until our film 'Let it Be' came out in April. I got bored and made 'McCartney' instead!"

Paul McCartney, in his first magazine interview since the split, tells FLIP's Keith Altham... "THE BEATLES ARE FINISHED!"

When we had to go to the studios, Linda would make the booking and we’d take some sandwiches and a bottle of grape juice and put the baby on the floor and it was all like a a holiday. So as a natural turn of events from looking for something to do, I found that I was enjoying working alone as much as I’d enjoyed the early days of the Beatles. I haven’t really enjoyed the Beatles for the last two years.

Paul, Interview for Evening Standard • Tuesday, April 21-22, 1970

Klein tells George he will get him more money and he tells Ringo the same. He tells them all that there are four first-class Beatles, not two and John doesn’t mind being told this. Paul doesn’t like any of it, none of it. He has a father-in-law who is also from New York and his name is Lee Eastman. Lee Eastman is also a toughie, but his manners are more formal than Klein’s and some people like him. Paul would like Eastman to be the Mr Big Apple needs. John wants Mr Klein to be Mr Big. A year passes. It is 1970. Paul still doesn’t like Klein but John digs him more than ever and George digs him more than that and Ringo doesn’t mind him. Paul? He is so uptight about Klein he only leaves the Beatles, that’s all.

As Time Goes By - Derek Taylor

1971:

Klein: “If Paul McCartney doesn’t get his way, he bitches. He may have a choirboy image in the press and with fans, but I’m here to tell you its bullshit. If anybody broke up the Beatles, it was him.”

Allen Klein, Playboy: A candid conversation with the embattled manager of the Beatles. (November, 1971) (note: obviously we should not trust a word Klein says, but at this point why isn't he repeating John's party line that he wanted a divorce?)

I think John thought I was using this press release for publicity-as I suppose, in a way, it was. So it all looked very weird, and it ruffled a few feathers. The good thing about it was that we all had to finally own up to the fact that we'd broken up three or four months before. We'd been ringing each other quite constantly, sort of saying, 'Let's get it back together.' And I think me, George and Ringo did want to save things. But I think John was, at that point, too heavily into his new life-which you can't blame him.

You Never Give Me Your Money – Peter Doggett

1972:

“We planned a big festival for one afternoon in Central Park, and ‘Imagine’ was the theme. Each retarded person from an institution would be paired with one able-bodied volunteer – twenty-five thousand people in the park. The issue arose whether the retarded should come to the matinee concert at Madison Square Garden. Obviously it would be a huge revenue loss. So Allen Klein and John just bought $50,000 worth of tickets and gave them to the retarded kids and volunteers.” Suddenly John got cold feet, after the concert had been sold out for weeks. “John said he didn’t want to do it,” Rivera recalled. “He said he hadn’t played in public for years, he hadn’t rehearsed with a band, he was just too nervous. …When they had that rush of insecurity, Yoko told me that she and John called Paul and Linda. They said, ‘Let’s bury the hatchet and appear together at the concert.’ Why Paul said ‘No’ I’ll never know.” Rivera and others managed to calm John’s fears and get him to start rehearsing with Elephant’s Memory.

Jon Wiener, Come Together: John Lennon in His Time. (1984)

“A few months ago, John asked us to do a concert with him at Madison Square Garden (note: same concert as the above quote) and it’s a pity now that we didn’t do it. I didn’t want to do it at the time but we will do things, I’m sure. I don’t see any reason why all four Beatles shouldn’t be on stage at some time all playing together and having a good time. I don’t think you’ll ever get the Beatles reforming, because that’s all gone. The Beatles were a special thing in a special era and I really couldn’t see it all coming together again. But I think it’s daft to assume that just because we had a couple of business upsets we won’t ever see each other again, or that if John has a concert some time we won’t go up and play on it.”

Paul McCartney, interview with Ray Connolly in The Evening Standard, December 2, 1972 (source: The Ray Connolly Beatles Archive)

“Don’t ever call me ex-Beatle McCartney again. That was one band I was with. Now I’m not with them. I’ve got another band. We won’t do things the same way any more. We’re not so bothered in trying to please other people all the time even though we obviously don’t try to displease them. All we want, in Wings, is to please ourselves with our music, That’s all.

“If people start fan clubs for us, do that kind of thing from the past, well, fine. But we won’t start one. I just get irritated by people constantly harping on the past, about the days when I was with that other band, the Beatles.

“The other Beatles get together and that is fine, but I’m almost always in another part of the world. The Beatles was my old job. We’re not like friends – we just know each other. But we don’t work together. so there’s no point keeping up old relationships.”

“All I know for sure is that I’ll never be conned again. I’m 30 now and, after what I’ve been through. I should know my way around. I get angry with fans, who interrupt my life, even now. I get fed up with the feeling that I was losing my identity, becoming some kind of legend, not a person. And I’m downright angry with the people who keep trying to get me back with the others again.

Paul McCartney and 'that other band'' by Peter Jones, in the Liverpool Echo, 13 December 1972

There’s no hard feelings or anything, but you just don’t hang around with your ex-wife. We’ve completely finished. ’Cos, you know, I’m just not that keen on John after all he’s done. I mean, you can be friendly with someone, and they can shit on you, and you’re just a fool if you keep friends with them. I’m not just going to lie down and let him shit on me again. I think he’s a bit daft, to tell you the truth. I talked to him about the Klein thing, and he’s so misinformed it’s ridiculous.'

Paul interviewed by student journalist Ian McNulty for the Hull University Torch, May 1972 [From The McCartney Legacy, Volume 1: 1969 – 1973 by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, 2022

1976:

“The truth is very ordinary. The truth is just that since we split up, we’ve not seen much of each other. We visit occasionally, we’re still friends, but we don’t feel like getting up and playing again. You can’t tell that to people. You say that and they say, ‘How about this money, then?’ ‘Or how about this?’ And you end up having to think of reasons why you don’t feel like it. And, of course, any one of them taken on its own isn’t really true, but I was just stuck for an answer, so I said I wouldn’t do it just for the money anyway. And I saw John last time, he says, ‘I agreed with that.’ But there’s a million other points in there. A whole million angles. “I tell you, before this tour, I was tempted to ring everyone up and say, ‘Look, is it true we’re not going to get back together, ‘cause we all pretty much feel like we’re not. And as long as I could get everyone to say, ‘No, we’re definitely not,’ then I could say ‘It’s a definite no-no.’ But I know my feeling, and I think the others’ feeling, in a way, is we don’t want to close the door to anything in the future. We might like it someday.

Paul McCartney, Rolling Stone: Yesterday, Today, and Paul. (June 17th, 1976)

Later/unknown year:

“John phoned me once to try and get the Beatles back together again, after we’d broken up. And I wasn’t for it, because I thought that we’d come too far and I was too deeply hurt by it all. I thought, “Nah, what’ll happen is that we’ll get together for another three days and all hell will break loose again. Maybe we just should leave it alone.”

Paul, November 1995 Club Sandwich interview

“ELLEN: So was there ever a time when both you and John Lennon wanted to reform the Beatles? PAUL: There was a time… let’s put it this way: there was never a time when all four of us wanted to do it. And each time it was always someone different who didn’t fancy it And I’m actually glad of that now. Because the Beatles’ work is a body of work. There’s nothing to be ashamed of there. In the end we decided we should leave well enough alone. The potential disappointment of coming on and not being as good as the Beatles had been… that was a risk we shouldn’t take

Paul McCartney, interview w/ Mark Ellen for Radio Times. (October 20th-26th, 2007)

Quotes from/about John:

1969:

JOHN: The point is, if George leaves, do we want to carry on The Beatles? I do. [inaudible; drowned out by mic feedback] And I’d just get another member of the group and carry on. But if The Beatles split, well, I’ll get another group. [to Paul and Yoko?] I’m a singer not a dancer, baby! Woo-hoo!

January 10th, 1969 (Twickenham Film Studios, London)

Friday, 21 March, John: “Everything we do, we shall be doing together. I don’t mean I shall break up The Beatles, or anything, but we want to share everything.”

The Beatles Off the Record (Keith Badman)

MICHAEL: But funny enough, the other day, when we were talking, he said that he really did not want not to be a Beatle. He said he really looked forward – not, you know. Meaning he didn’t want that screwed up.

[T]he Beatles are always discussing, “Should we go on or shouldn’t we? Why are we together for now?” And what it gets down to is I like playing rock n’ roll and I like making rock n’ roll records. Now, I’ve got either the choice— if I want the whole LP to myself — is to get a few musicians together. Now, I know that— I’ve played with other musicians — just very rarely, but occasionally I’ve played with them — and it needs some work together to get anything going. I don’t like session men, so I try not to use them. I don’t like violinists or anything these days. I try not to use anybody but the Beatles. And if I wanted to make a record I’d chose the Beatles! I can say, “Give me a ‘Be Bop A Lula’”. So therefore, we’ve got that going. And even from a commercial point, when we discuss it, “What’s the biggest selling name? Beatles or John Lennon and The Fabs? Or George Harrison and The Fabs?” Which— Where’s our biggest market? It’s Beatles! Who are our closest friends? Beatles! Who do we have the most arguments with? Beatles. So Beatles is it!

John Lennon and Yoko Ono give a series of interviews at the Apple Corps building at 3 Savile Row, London (Friday, 12 September 1969).

JOHN: See they’re growing up too, you know. And uh, we all want Beatles still cause it’s, it’s a big power and it’s good power, you know. And we’ve no intention of splitting it, you know. Any of us. I can’t be specific about it, you know. But obviously, I’m deeply involved with Yoko, it has some…you know, maybe less reliant on the others but so it goes for the others too, you know. That as we’re all sort of branching out. Which we were occasionally all the time, you know. Like I did How I Won The War, I wrote In His Own Write and Paul wrote the music for Family Way, etc. and George went off to India with sitars and that. So it’s only, you know. We nip off and come back and do some work then nip off again, you know.

John and Yoko gave several interviews on September 12, 1969

[Will] The Beatles split up? It just depends how much we all want to record together. I don’t know if I want to record together again. I go off and on it. I really do.”

John Lennon, interview w/ Alan Smith for NME. (December 13th, 1969)

JOHN: I was really losing interest in just doing the Beatles’ bit – and I think we all were – but Paul did a good job in holding us together for a few years while we were sort of undecided about what to do, you know. And I found out what to do, and it didn’t really have to be with the Beatles. It could have been, if they wanted… But uh, it got that I couldn’t wait for them to make up their minds about peace or whatever. About committing themselves. It’s the same as the songs. So I’ve gone ahead – and I’d have liked them to have come along.

YORKE: Did you ever try to get them into the peace scene?

JOHN: I did a little at first, but I think it was too much like Yoko and me and what we’re doing and trying to get them to come along; and I think they reacted. I hassled them too much, so I’m really leaving them alone. Maybe they’ll come along, wagging their tails behind them, and if not, good luck to them.

John Lennon, interview w/ Ritchie Yorke. (December 23rd, 1969)

“This is why I’ve started with the Plastic Ono and working with Yoko . . . to have more outlet. There isn’t enough outlet for me in the Beatles. The Ono Band is my escape valve. And how important that gets, as compared to the Beatles for me, I’ll have to wait and see.

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS DECEMBER 13, 1969

1970:

Why do you think he [Paul] has lost interest in Apple?

That’s what I want to ask him! We had a heavy scene last year as far as business was concerned and Paul got a bit fed-up with all the effort of business. I think that’s all it is. I hope so.

John Lennon interviewed by Roy Shipston for Disc and Music Echo (February 28, 1970)

John’s view is: “Okay. If this is it, this is it. We’ve all left the Beatles anyway.” If Paul were to approach him and say, “Let’s do it together again,” he probably would; with no more words, he probably would do it.

The Party's Over for the Beatles - written by Derek Taylor

Now even Lennon was prepared to hint at a positive outcome: 'I've no idea if the Beatles will work together again, or not. I never really have. It was always open. If somebody didn't feel like it, that's it! It could be a rebirth or a death. We'll see what it is. It'll probably be a rebirth.'

You Never Give Me Your Money – Peter Doggett

'Eventually,' McCartney recalled, 'I went and said, "I want to leave. You can all get on with Klein and everything, just let me out." Having not spoken to Lennon for several weeks, he sent him a letter that summer, pleading that the former partners 'let each other out of the trap'. As McCartney testified, Lennon 'replied with a photograph of himself and Yoko, with a balloon coming out of his mouth in which was written, "How and Why?" I replied by letter saying, "How by signing a paper which says we hereby dissolve our partnership. Why because there is no partnership." John replied on a card which said, "Get well soon. Get the other signatures and I will think about it.” Communication was at an end. Yet the press continued to believe, fired by hope more than evidence, that it was only a matter of days before the four men healed their wounds. The stories taunted McCartney, who fired off a letter to the prime offender, Melody Maker: 'Dear Mailbag, In order to put out of its misery the limping dog of a news story which has been dragging itself across your pages for the past year, my answer to the question, "Will the Beatles get together again?"...is no.' He had finally pronounced the verdict that was missing from his self-interview in April: the Beatles were no more.

You Never Give Me Your Money – Peter Doggett (note: John is stalling)

For McCartney, and maybe Harrison and Starkey as well, this signified hope. ‘For about three or four months,' he recalled years later, 'George, Ringo and I rang each other to ask, "Well, is this it, then?" It wasn't that the record company had dumped us. It was just a case of: we might get back together again. Nobody quite knew if it was one of John's little flings, and that maybe he was going to feel the pinch in a week's time and say, “I was only kidding.” I think John did kind of leave the door open. He'd said, “I'm pretty much leaving the group, but...” McCartney testified in 1971, ‘I think all of us (except possibly John) expected we would come together again one day.

You Never Give Me Your Money – Peter Doggett

John: George was on the session for Instant Karma, Ringo’s away and Paul’s – I dunno what he’s doing at the moment, I haven’t a clue.

Interviewer: When did you last see him?

John: Uh, before Toronto. I’ll see him this week actually. If you’re listening, I’m coming round. (Note: as AKOM point out, Toronto was before the divorce meeting. Why is he pretending it never happened?)

Feb 6th 1970 (audio snippet approx 1:14:00)

Interviewer: What about the Beatles all together as a group?

John: As soon as they’re ready, you know, we had half the Beatles on again at the Lyceum Ballroom. Uh it was George and me but we also had Delaney and Bonney and 17 piece band we had on, it was a great experience. Uh it should be like that you know, if we were doing that and all the Beatles wanted to come it would be great, and it would be no great thing about ‘oh the Beatles are coming back on stage’ like they expect, sorta of, Buddha and Mohammad to come on and play. I keep saying that, but that’s the fear the Beatles have, including me as a Beatle, about performing. It’s such a great – so much expected of us, you know, but you see George has been on tour with Bonnie and Delaney playing and I’ve been drifting around playing, it’s just playing isn’t the hang up. It’s going on as the Beatles that’s the problem for us.

1970 (audio snippet approx 1:23:00)

Interviewer: Do you care about making another Beatles album?

John: I think Beatles is a good communication media you know, and I wouldn’t destroy it out of hand or dissolve it out of hand. So that’s what I think about Beatles.

1970 (audio snippet approx 1:41:00)

Interviewer: Why do you think rumours like this start?

John: Because there was a lot of tension around the Allen Klein coming in days and the ATV thing going on, and the Beatles were under a lot of pressure and we had to be together all the time, fighting and arguing and listening to all the different business things. And so we’re taking a break from each other like we always did after a tour end. The business thing is like a heavy tour, in it we may get back in abbey road and a couple of singles and under a great strain you know, doing that business. And so now we’re just taking a break from each other.

1970 (audio snippet approx 1:41:00)

You can’t pin me down because I haven’t got- there’s no- it’s completely open, whether we do it or not. Life is like that, whether I make another Plastic Ono album or Lennon album or anything is open you know, I don’t like to prejudge it. And I have no idea if the Beatles are working together again or not, I never did have, it was always open. If someone didn’t feel like it, that’s it. And maybe if one of us starts it off, the others will all come round and make an album you know.

1970 (audio snippet approx 1:43:00)

In 1964 I produced a book, they were asking me that then, and why should I not write a book? The Beatles wanted me to do it, they wanted me to do these LPs, you know, they have nothing against it – I want George to produce and record any records he wants to. It doesn’t interfere with Beatle time, I use my own time to do other things and so do they. The Beatles will remain, there’s no doubt about that. And we’ve been saying it since She Loves You, we’re together and that’s it.

1970 (audio snippet approx 1:45:00)

I just uh I wanted to do it [announce the breakup] you know, should’ve done it. I think damn, shit, what a fool I was. But there were many pressures at that time, I think Northern Songs and all that was going on, it would’ve upset the whole thing. (Note: again as AKOM point out, the Northern Songs fight ended the day before the divorce meeting. Why would the pressure of Northern Songs impact John's decision not to announce the breakup?)

Lennon Remembers

1971:

INT: I asked Lee Eastman for his view of the split, and what it was that prompted Paul to file suit to dissolve the Beatles' partnership, and he said it was because John asked for a divorce.

JOHN: Because I asked for a divorce? That's a childish reason for going into court, isn't it?

John Lennon interviewed by Peter McCabe and Robert Schonfeld at the St. Regis Hotel, September 5, 1971

Well, there was this Japanese monk, and it happened in the last 20 years. He was in love with this big golden temple, y’know, he really dug it, like—and you know he was so in love with it, he burnt it down so that it would never deteriorate. That’s what I did with the Beatles.

John Lennon, interview w/ Alan Smith for NME: At home with the Lennons. (August 7th, 1971)

MCCABE: Let’s talk a bit about Paul’s aversion to Klein. From what we’ve read it seemed as if this wasn’t there in the beginning, even though Paul wanted the Eastmans to run things. But it came on later as things progressed. And yet despite this, we gather that Klein was still hoping that Paul would return to the group.

JOHN: Oh, he’d love it if Paul would come back. I think he was hoping he would for years and years. He thought that if he did something, to show Paul that he could do it, Paul would come around. But no chance. I mean, I want him to come out of it, too, you know. He will one day. I give him five years, I’ve said that. In five years he’ll wake up.

MCCABE: But Klein is still hoping?

JOHN: He said to me, “Would you do it, if we got your immigration thing fixed? Or if we could get rid of the drug conviction?”

YOKO: And people don’t understand, you know. There’s so many groups that constantly announce they’re going to split, they’re going to split, and they can announce it every year, and it doesn’t mean they’re going to split. But people don’t understand what an extraordinary position the Beatles are in, you know. In every way. They’re in such an extraordinary position that they’re more insecure than other people. And so Klein thinks he’ll give Paul two years Linda-wise, you know. And John said, “No, Paul treasures things like children, things like that. It will be longer.” And of course, John was right.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, interview w/ Peter McCabe and Robert Schonfeld. (September, 1971)

It was true, that when the group was touring, their work and social relationships were close, but there had been a lot of arguing, mainly about musical and artistic matters. I suppose Paul and George were the main offenders in this respect, but from time to time we all gave displays of temperament and threatened to ‘walk out’. Of necessity, we developed a pattern for sorting out our differences, by doing what any three of us decided. It sometimes took a long time and sometimes there was deadlock and nothing was done, but generally that was the rule we followed and, until recent events, it worked quite well. Even when we stopped touring, we frequently visited each other’s houses in or near London and personally we were on terms as close as we had ever been. If anything, Paul was the most sociable of us. From our earliest days in Liverpool, George and I, on the one hand, and Paul, on the other, had different musical tastes. Paul preferred ‘pop-type’ music and we preferred what is now called ‘underground’. This may have led to arguments, particularly between Paul and George, but the contrast in our tastes, I am sure, did more good than harm, musically speaking, and contributed to our success.

If Paul is trying to break us up because of anything that happened before the Klein–Eastman power struggle, his reasoning does not make sense to me.

John Lennon’s affidavit – From “The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970-2001” by Keith Badman

JOHN: Yeah, Gilbert and Sullivan. I always remember watching the film with Robert Morley and thinking, “We’ll never get to that.” [pause] And we did, which really upset me. But I never really thought we’d be so stupid. But we did.

WIGG: What, like splitting like they did?

JOHN: Like splitting and arguing, you know, and then they come back, and one’s in a wheelchair twenty years later—

YOKO: [laughs] Yes, yes.

JOHN: —and all that. [laughs; bleak] I never thought we’d come to that, because I didn’t think we were that stupid. But we were naive enough to let people come between us. And I think that’s what happened. [pause] But it was happening anyway. I don’t mean Yoko, I mean businessmen, you know. All of them.

October, 1971 (St Regis Hotel, New York)

Q: "Did Klein hope to get Paul back into the group?"

JOHN: (laughs) "He came up with this plan. He said, "Just ring Paul and say, 'We're recording next Friday, are you coming?' So it nearly happened. Then Paul would have forfeited his right to split by joining us again. But Paul would never, never do it, for anything, and now I would never do it."

St Regis Hotel Interview, September 5th, 1971.

John would say things like, ‘It was rubbish. The Beatles were crap.’ Also, ‘I don’t believe in The Beatles, I don’t believe in Jesus, I don’t believe in God.’ Those were quite hurtful barbs to be flinging around, and I was the person they were being flung at, and it hurt. So, I’m having to read all this stuff, and on the one hand I’m thinking, ‘Oh fuck off, you fucking idiot,’ but on the other hand I’m thinking, ‘Why would you say that? Are you annoyed at me or are you jealous or what?’ And thinking back fifty years later, I still wonder how he must have felt. He’d gone through a lot. His dad disappeared, and then he lost his Uncle George, who was a father figure; his mother; Stuart Sutcliffe; Brian Epstein, another father figure; and now his band. But John had all of those emotions wrapped up in a ball of Lennon. That’s who he was. That was the fascination.

I tried. I was sort of answering him here, asking, ‘Does it need to be this hurtful?’ I think this is a good line: ‘Are you afraid, or is it true?’ – meaning, ‘Why is this argument going on? Is it because you’re afraid of something? Are you afraid of the split-up? Are you afraid of my doing something without you? Are you afraid of the consequences of your actions?’ And the little rhyme, ‘Or is it true?’ Are all these hurtful allegations true? This song came out in that kind of mood. It could have been called ‘What the Fuck, Man?’ but I’m not sure we could have gotten away with that then.

Paul McCartney, on “Dear Friend”. In The Lyrics (2021).

Q: “If you got, I don’t know what the right phrase is… ‘back together’ now, what would be the nature of it?” JOHN: “Well, it’s like saying, if you were back in your mother’s womb… I don’t fucking know. What can I answer? It will never happen, so there’s no use contemplating it. Even if I became friends with Paul again, I’d never write with him again. There’s no point. I write with Yoko because she’s in the same room with me.” YOKO: “And we’re living together.” JOHN: “So it’s natural. I was living with Paul then, so I wrote with him. It’s whoever you’re living with. He writes with Linda. He’s living with her. It’s just natural.””

St. Regis Hotel Interview, September 5, 1971

1973:

My last question was inevitable… Any chance of us seeing the four Beatles on a stage or record together again? “There’s always a chance,” grinned John. “As far as I can gather from talking to them all, nobody would mind doing some work together again. There’s no law that says we’re not going to do something together, and no law that says we are. If we did do something I’m sure it wouldn’t be permanent. We’d do it just for that moment. I think we’re closer now than we have been for a long time. I call the split the divorce period and none of us ever thought there’d be a divorce like that. “That’s the way things turned out. We know each other well enough to talk about it.””

John Lennon, interview w/ Chris Charlesworth for Melody Maker. (November 3rd, 1973)

MINTZ: Would you want to initiate that happening?

JOHN: Uh… Well, I couldn’t say. [long pause]

MINTZ: If you could, I mean is it something you would like to see yourself doing?

JOHN: If I could… I don’t know, Elliot, because you know me, I go on instinct. And if the idea hit me tomorrow, you know, I might call them and say, “Come on, let’s do something.” And so I couldn’t really tell you. If it happens, it’ll happen.

MINTZ: So it’s not something that you would totally rule out as never taking place again?

JOHN: No, no. My memories are now all fond and the wounds are healed. And if we do it, we do it, if we record, we record. I don’t know. As long as we make music.

November 1st/10th, 1973 (Malibu, Los Angeles): For Eyewitness News on KABC TV Los Angeles, Elliot Mintz

1974:

“No, no, no,” he answered and he meant it. “I’m going to be an ex-Beatle for the rest of my life so I might as well enjoy it, and I’m just getting around to being able to stand back and see what happened. A couple of years ago I might have given everybody the impression I hate it all, but that was then. I was talking when I was straight out of therapy and I’d been mentally stripped bare and I just wanted to shoot my mouth off to clear it all away. Now it’s different.

“When I slagged off the Beatle thing in the papers, it was like divorce pangs, and me being me it was blast this and fuck that, and it was just like the old days in the Melody Maker, you know, ‘Lennon Blasts Hollies’ on the back page. You know, I’ve always had a bit of a mouth and I’ve got to live up to it. Daily Mirror: ‘Lennon beats up local DJ at Paul’s 21st birthday party’. Then we had that fight Paul and me had through the Melody Maker, but it was a period I had to go through.

John Lennon, interview w/ Ray Coleman for Melody Maker: Lennon – a night in the life. (September 14th, 1974)

John seemed to be in a very strange state of mind about the dissolution. From the hints he had dropped since we had been together, I had learned that John’s departure from the Beatles had essentially been Yoko’s idea. Without Yoko to drive him forward, he felt strangely ambivalent about officially ending the Beatles at that moment. By nature, also, he felt inclined to take a position opposite from that of Paul McCartney. Paul desperately wanted that agreement signed. Whether or not it was the best thing for him to do, John, on principle, was inclined not to want to sign it.

May Pang, Loving John. (1983)

I’ll tell you exactly why I said that. We had a business meeting to break up The Beatles, one of the famous ones that we’d been having — we’re still having them 17 years later, actually. We all flew in to New York specially. George came off his disastrous tour, Ring of flew in and we were at the Plaza for the big final settlement meeting. John was half a mile away at the Dakota and he sent a balloon over with a note that said ‘Listen to this balloon.’ I mean, you’ve got to be pretty cool to handle that kind of stuff.

George blew his cool and rang him up: ’You fucking maniac!! You take your fucking dark glasses off and come and look at us, man!!’ and gave him a whole load of that shit. Around the same time at another meeting we had it all settled, and John asked for an extra million pounds at the last minute. So of course that meeting blew up in disarray. Later, when we got a bit friendlier — and from time to time there would be these little stepping-stones of friendship in the Apple sea — I asked him why he’d actually wanted that million and he said, I just wanted cards to play with. It’s absolutely standard business practice. He wanted a couple of jacks to up your pair of nines. He was one great guy, but part of his greatness was that he wasn’t a saint.

Paul McCartney: An Innocent Man? (October, 1986) (note: John is STILL stalling)

At that moment, John was at his most unpredictable. Suddenly his fears that his money was going to be taken away from him, that he was going to be cheated, that he had to have as much money as possible, had all come into play. This was also John’s way of resisting the reality that the Beatles were officially about to come to end, and that Paul was about to prevail.

Loving John, MAY PANG (1983)

1975:

“At the time I was thinking that I didn’t want to do all that Beatles—but now I feel differently. I’ve lost all that negativity about the past and I’d be happy as Larry to do ‘Help’. I’ve just changed completely in two years. I’d do ‘Hey Jude’ and the whole damn show, and I think George will eventually see that. If he doesn’t, that’s cool. That’s the way he wants to be.”

John Lennon, interview w/ Chris Charlesworth for Melody Maker: Rock on! (March 8th, 1975)

1976:

“I’ve always felt that splitting up was a mistake in many ways” John Lennon has said, and he believes a Beatles revival “would undoubtedly produce some great music.”

Australian Woman’s Weekly, 1976

1980:

“I and the other three former Beatles have plans to stage a reunion concert…” (Part of a statement in the legal disposition brought by Apple Corps against the ‘Beatlemania’ stage musical for trademark infringement. John was referring to an event that was to be filmed for a documentary being put together by Neil Aspinall. It was abandoned/shelved after John’s death, but ultimately became the Anthology project)

John Lennon, 1980

“Just days before his brutal death, John was making plans to go to England for a triumphant Beatles reunion. His greatest dream was to recreate the musical magic of the early years with Paul, George and Ringo … (he) felt that they had traveled different paths for long enough. He felt they had grown up and were mature enough to try writing and recording new songs.”

Yoko Ono, quoted in The Beatles: The Dream Is Over - Off The Record 2 by Keith Badman

[hellspawnmotel]

I know I'm preaching to the crowd here, but I think few games are as soulful as the original Paper Mario trilogy. I hope 64 and SPM can get remakes of as phenomenal quality as TTYD did. Apropos to nothing except the fact that I saw your Tippi and Bleck post on Twitter, haha.

oh yeah, completely awesome games. tbh though even if it would be a dream come true I'm skeptical we'll get remakes of the other two any time soon... I'd settle for at least a rerelease on a virtual console situation for spm. that would make me very happy. unfortunately as you probably know ttyd is MUCH more universally beloved, although spm has definitely gotten an increase in respect over the years thanks to hindsight and nostalgia people were pretty down on it for a while. much as I hate to admit it ttyd is also just...... a better game...... mechanically, anyway (no bias here, I love both rpgs and platformers and spm is actually a lot closer to my heart than ttyd). ideal scenario would be a spm remake that overhauls the gameplay a bit, maybe makes it a little more complex, and also either gets rid of the really annoying bits or makes them optional. I'd love even more to see a brand new version of spm with the exact same writing but similar gameplay to ttyd, but that seems like a bit much to ask lol. as it stands though it's a bit of a black sheep and I can't envision nintendo giving it the same treatment as ttyd, but I can dream..... maybe, just maybe, someone up the ladder will see how the love for it has grown and think there's a market for it

[lscholar]

A SEMI-REASONABLE 40 CHARACTER SMASH ROSTER

An exercise in indulgence and egoism, and posted as the same.

THE RULES:

1. Characters shall be semi-reasonable! Beatoriche I love you but this needs to be a roster composed of characters who could conceivably actually make it into Smash. They should be from video games, and ideally ones people care about.

2. Characters shall be gender balanced! I separated my picks into four categories: GUYS, GIRLS, and CREATURES AND CHARACTERS, TYPICALLY PLAYER, OF EITHER CARDINAL GENDER (like Pikachu or the Animal Crossing Villager). the number of GUYS shall be EQUAL TO OR LESSER THAN the number of GIRLS. I set this restriction on myself and so should you.

3. Characters shall be 40 of them! but you could tell that from the title.

GUYS

MARIO - You have to have this guy. also like it's been like 20+ years since Sunshine can we not give him something other than FLUDD?

DONKEY KONG, LUIGI, NESS, BOWSER, FOX, WARIO - You also have to have these guys. I cut Captain Falcon, as we already had Fox as a Smash original character.

LINK - Someday we will be able to put Link in the CHARACTERS OF EITHER CARDINAL GENDER list, but not yet.

KING DEDEDE - Sakurai made this so his faves get a little extra attention. I claim that same right.

SNAKE - Updated for MGSV, naturally.

SONIC (Palette Swap: SHADOW) - I really really don't care about these guys. I kind of actively hate them actually. but they deserve to be here, even if all their moves are the same (turning into a ball and the ball flies at you).

CLOUD - The iconic Final Fantasy pretty boy. Would I prefer Lightning? yeah. but this is the semi-realistic roster.

PHOENIX WRIGHT - I know, preaching to the crowd here. This guy is a tumblr darling behind only his boyfriend Miles Edgeworth. But they've put him in fighting games before! And he totally has a moveset, right? Presenting his badge as a jab, shooting OBJECTION and TAKE THAT! (HOLD IT! is a grab!), submitting paperwork and random items hoping and praying that they'll be accepted as evidence...

Barely missed the cut: Sans Undertale, Sekiro, Shulk, Solaire, Paper Mario, Sora.

GIRLS

SAMUS - You have to have this girl.

PEACH/DAISY - Ideally Daisy would get Luigified (this is the very technical term for when a Smash character starts out as a clone and then gets differentiated) as the Mario Sports Game Representation. But that probably wouldn't happen. Peach is fine. kind of

ZELDA (Breath of the Wild/Tears Of The Kingdom) - The opposite of the Smash Ultimate dynamic. Smash Lscholar Link is old-school Link; Zelda is newer Zelda. Like in Hyrule Warriors she fights using runes on her magic ipad/wii u pad/nintendo switch game console. Bombs, Ice Block, Ultrahand - and the ability to Recall all of them, sending them flying backwards along their trajectories when the attack is reinput. An evil zoner but let's be honest: she already is. Maybe she has a "take a picture" that can stun?

ISABELLE, ROSALINA - both need reworks. Isabelle in particular has the potential to be a Kirby for new players - but hitting with her is so hard that most try her for a round and play Toon Link instead.

BAYONETTA - No notes.

HORNET (Hollow Knight: Silksong) - Clear moveset, fan favorite, zero questions.

D.VA (Overwatch and, fine, Overwatch 2) - The single most popular Overwatch character by far, and a much needed female heavyweight character. Would translate pretty well to Smash as a pushy zippy tank-type.

EDELGARD VON HRESVELG (Fire Emblem: Three Houses/Three Hopes) - big smashy axe, avowed militant atheist, Vriska, Fire Emblem rep. Smash Lsclr's Ike. Slow but dangerous, with surprising range, much like Byleth; unlike Byleth she is an actual character. also her axe twirl has to be a taunt. Also she's canonically bisexual. which would make her the second bisexual smash character after Snake, and the third in my heart after Cloud Strife (Byleth isn't real).

REIMU HAKUREI (Touhou) - Iconic rep from possibly the single most important indie game series.

CHUN LI (STREET FIGHTER) - Honestly surprised they put Ryu in Smash. I feel like if you asked anybody to name a Street Fighter character Chun Li would be first?

UNDYNE (Undertale) - Fine. Susie (Deltarune) is also acceptable.

VI or JINX or SOME LEAGUE OF LEGENDS GIRL (LoL) - as with Sonic I don't care for these but they have undeniably earned their places. Arcane was better than it should have been and I really hope Mel Medarda survives into s2.

SABER (Fate/Stay Night) - It's Saber! I know this seems like a meme pick but I really do think she deserves to be here.

Barely missed the cut: Karlach or Shadowheart, The Silent, Arle Nadja, Vriska

CREATURES AND CHARACTERS, TYPICALLY PLAYER, OF EITHER CARDINAL GENDER (like Pikachu or the Animal Crossing Villager)

PIKACHU - You have to have this thing. Brand recognition on par with Santa Claus or Jesus. A creature for sure, even if its tail indicates biological gender.

KIRBY - This is technically a Guy but in practice this is a creature. also I have one less Guy than Girl so I could put him there, but I chose not to.

YOSHI/BIRDO - Put a trans woman in Smash. She's just a Yoshi reskin and that's fine.

MARTH/LUCINA - The other Fire Emblem rep. Why does Awakening get like three characters? may have to make Marth a bit less floaty to make this work but they really should consolidate these two.

POKEMON TRAINER (Charizard, Ivysaur, Squirtle) - good on nintendo for making it possible to play pokemon trainer as a guy or girl.

POKEMON TRAINER 2 (Gengar, Gardevoir, Lucario) - We have so many pokemon and here's three more. swap out one of your choice for Jigglypuff or Mewtwo or Mimikyu or Greninja or whatever, as long as your substitution isn't from Kanto. This pokemon trainer is a bit more of a tryhard, and wears darker clothing. also their pokemon are category balanced: one is a guy, one is a girl, and one is a creature.

INKLING - Kind of a creature and definitely not of either cardinal gender. these kids squids are nonbinary. A good addition to smash; may they goop and bloop for many games to come.

Wii FIT TRAINER - Mix in Wii Sports and Ring Fit and whatever else.

ANIMAL CROSSING VILLAGER/MINECRAFT STEVE AND ALEX/PACMAN AND MS PACMAN - CHARACTERS OF EITHER CARDINAL GENDER

NOAH AND MIO XENOBLADE (XENOBLADE 3) - Like Pyra and Mythra but less gross. Mio has faster short range chakram attacks and mobility; Noah has slower harder-hitting moves.

THE ASSASSIN (Assassin's Creed) - Snake represents Solid, Naked, and Venom; why can't The Assassin be Altair, Ezio, and whoever else?

Barely missed the cut: Duck Hunt, Toad/Toadette.

if you got mad at me about removing your favorite character reply and I'll tell you why I took them out. probably because I didn't care about them.

[mysticstarlightduck]

Character Aesthetic Deep Dive Tag!

I created this tag in this post, and I want to do it again for another Scrapyard Boys OC of mine so here we go!

Rules: Make a moodboard with your character's aesthetic, a playlist that fits their vibe, "badly summarize them" (like, talk about their personality, but funnily), etc. It absolutely does not need to be super detailed!!!!!

✦ Character Aesthetic: Maxwell Cymbelline, WIP -Scrapyard Boys

♡ Moodboard ♡

♡ Playlist ♡

Not All Heroes Wear Capes - Owl City

He doesn't fight crime Or wear a cape He doesn't read minds Or levitate But every time my world needs saving He's my Superman Some folks don't believe in heroes 'Cause they haven't met my dad He loves his workshop And rock 'n roll He's got a hot rod And a heart of gold And you could say he's a man of few words But he talks a lot within And even though I'm a little taller I still look up to him

Could Have Been Me - The Struts

Don't wanna live as an untold story Rather go out in a blaze of glory I can't hear you, I don't fear you I'll live now 'cause the bad die last Dodging bullets with your broken past Well, I can't hear you, I don't fear you now Wrapped in your regret What a waste of blood and sweat Oh oh-oh I wanna taste love and pain Wanna feel pride and shame I don't wanna take my time Don't wanna waste one line I wanna live better days Never look back and say It could have been me It could have been me, yeah

Burn The House Down - AJR

Used to keep it cool Used to be a fool All about the bounce in my step Watch it on the news Whatcha gonna do? I could hit refresh and forget Used to keep it cool Should I keep it light? Stay out of the fight? No one's gonna listen to me If I write a song Preaching what is wrong Will they let me sing on TV? Should I keep it light? Is that right? Way up way up we go Been up and down that road Way up way up, oh no We gon' burn the whole house down

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - Taylor Swift

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did Lights, camera, bitch smile, even when you wanna die He said he'd love me all his life But that life was too short Breaking down, I hit the floor All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, "More" I was grinning like I'm winning, I was hitting my marks 'Cause I can do it with a broken heart (one, two, three, four) I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day I'm so obsessed with him but he avoids me like the plague I cry a lot but I am so productive, it's an art You know you're good when you can even do it With a broken heart

Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips

When life leaves you high and dry I'll be at your door tonight If you need help, if you need help I'll shut down the city lights I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe To make you well, to make you well When enemies are at your door I'll carry you way from war If you need help, if you need help Your hope dangling by a string I'll share in your suffering To make you well, to make you well Give me reasons to believe That you would do the same for me And I would do it for you, for you Baby, I'm not moving on I'll love you long after you're gone For you, for you You will never sleep alone I'll love you long after you're gone And long after you're gone, gone, gone

♡ Badly Summarized OC ♡

Seemingly delicate, polite teenager who loves vintage stuff but can actually pack a punch and is not afraid of a fight - in fact... she rather likes a good bit of chaos

Certified Daddy's Little Girl

That one friend that strangers think is the "Responsible One" but is actually a main Source Of Chaos in the friend group

Feral gremlin of a girl and unashamed, will watch the goriest and intense horror movies while having a girl's night with her friends and painting her nails different colors

Enabler of Bad Decisions who never thinks things through and then gets like "well, went horrifyingly out of control.... LET'S DO IT AGAIN!"

Worst driver in the history of drivers but is trying her best <3

Human embodiment of both an orange cat and a hyperactive border collie in one body

Would practically collect stray puppies and kittens like Pokémons if her current doggo wasn't jealous of every other animal in the world

Likes cereal without the milk. This has nothing to do with anything, but I think its a relevant fact of her personality lol

Tagging (gently): @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@thecomfywriter

@topazadine, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes

and OPEN TAG

Taglist for Scrapyard Boys below the cut 🧪

Scrapyard Boys Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,

@diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea

@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child

@thepeculiarbird

@the-golden-comet, @urnumber1star, @ominous-feychild, @anyablackwood, @amaiguri, @lyutenw @finickyfelix

@thecomfywriter, @the-letterbox-archives, @differentnighttale

@wyked-ao3

Let me know if you'd like to be added!

[mykoreanlove]

lucky encounter

„I can’t believe you dragged me along to this”, you huffed out in annoyance.

“Love and Light! Namaste! Welcome!”

A woman dressed in boho chic handed you a flyer, ushering you into the venue. In here, it smelled like patchouli and false promises.

“What? We need this”, your best friend encouraged you, clearly brainwashed by all those delulu videos she has seen.

“No, we don’t?”, you snapped at her.

“Just get in, y/n”, she pushed you while rolling her eyes.

The venue was filled with girls - various girls that were desperately seeking for love. You took a good glance at them, wondering how pathetic you had to be to come here voluntarily.

“Girls, listen up. I salute you”, the boho chic lady started preaching emotionally.

“You’ve been through it all. The games, the lies, the heartbreak. Each time you let down your walls and really opened up to someone, you got let down. Abandoned. Rejected. Cheated on!”

The crowd was agreeing, everybody was shaking their heads and wiping away tears.

“It’s like no matter how hard you try; you just can’t win at love. Isn’t that right?”

“YES!”, they all agreed with her.

“It’s like no matter how hard you try; you are never good enough. Isn’t that right?”

“YES!”, they agreed again.

“It’s like no matter how many affirmations you recite or script or buy crystals; it just never works. Isn’t that right?

“YES!”, they agreed.

“The fuck is this cult..”, you muttered under your breath before getting up.

“Where are you going?”, your friend muttered under her breath.

“I’m not staying here, sorry”, you turned around and got up hastily.

“Oh, I see we have someone that doesn’t need our help”, the boho lady said.

The venue fell quiet as all heads turned, dozens of prying eyes on your back.

“Shit”, you mumbled before turning around.

“I just-“, you mumbled before she interrupted you.

“You don’t need help with your love life, I guess?”

Her tone was condescending, irking you the wrong way.

“No, I-“

“You don’t need my help?”, her eyes pierced through you. Her menacing vibe made you feel uneasy, your hands started to shake.

“I was just joking. You wouldn’t be here if you were already partnered with the love of your life”, she mocked.

The crowd started laughing, agreeing with the condescending leader.

“Does she think she’s better than us?”

“What a cocky bitch!”

“No wonder she’s single.”

You felt the rage bubbling up inside of you, even though she was right. You were single, you always were. But still – why was she talking to you like that? And why were the others agreeing with her?

As you felt the rage building, a tall, mysterious stranger stepped forward from the crowd. His piercing gaze met yours as he spoke up confidently: “Actually, she might not need your help because she already has me.”

A surprised smile crossed your face as you locked eyes with this unexpected encounter, intrigued by the possibility of finding love in the unlikeliest of places.

The crowd fell silent, too shocked by this revelation. Even the boho lady watched in surprise, cursing herself for messing this up.

“This is your boyfriend?”, she finally said out loud.

Was this mysterious stranger your boyfriend? Hell, no. But whatever he was, you were drawn to him like a moth to the flame. You found yourself drawn to his enigmatic presence, curious to learn more about him and the connection that seemed to have sparked between you.

“Yeah”, you muttered.

“I told you I didn’t need this”, you spat triumphantly.

The boho lady pursed her lips, trying to conceal her anger. You made your way to him, stretching out your hand while flashing him your loveliest smile.

“Wanna go?”

His cheeks reddened, only slightly. You felt yourself smiling – God, he was cute. You took another glance at him. He was handsome as the devil. Sweet as honey. Taller than you. His eyes golden, warm and inviting. A killer smile, enticing you to run away with him.

I didn’t say his name, but he popped into your head, didn’t he?

[chirpingfromthebox]

The Frost's Post-game Press Session from 1/12/2025 - MIN vs. MTL at Denver

The Minnesota Frost's post-game press session after their Takeover Tour match against the Montréal Victoire in Dever, CO.

At the table were head coach Ken Klee, goalie Maddie Rooney, and defender Sophie Jaques.

Transcription is under the break.

[Video begins]

Reporter:

How’d Denver go for you guys?

MADDIE ROONEY:

Yeah, it was awesome. How they were loud, they were fun. But you know at the previous Takeover Tours we saw the attendance for that and then for 14,000 to show up for today? It was really special to play in front of.

Reporter:

Sophie [Jaques], you, obviously, your first game back. Two points. Are you still 100%? And how did it, obviously, feel being back on the ice?

SOPHIE JAQUES:

Yeah, I think definitely the first period I was getting back into it, but it felt great once I was out there and just excited to be back on the ice with the team.

Reporter:

Coach, the last 5 games between Montréal have been decided either in a shootout or a one goal difference. What makes these matches so competitive?

KEN KLEE:

Well, I don’t think it’s just Montréal. I think it’s every team. I think every team in the league is so tight. The margin for error is so slim that, you know, you have to be on your game. If you don’t play well you’re not gonna win it. Especially in our league. There’s only six teams, you look at the talent that’s spread throughout. The talent is really high, I think, on every team. So it’s exciting. It’s great for us. We’re finding ways to get points. And that's- Right now, at this point in the season, that’s all I keep preaching. Just, we gotta do the little things well and just keep getting points.

Reporter:

I just- I guess- As someone who’s spent some time here, what was it like to see 14,000 people show up for a women’s hockey game?

KEN KLEE:

It was awesome. I mean it was incredible. To showcase these ladies’ talents is- You know, that’s what it’s all about to me. It’s about growing the game; you know, the women’s hockey game, how far it’s come, since I first got involved in 2014? It’s remarkable. Now to see- you know when people were asking me yesterday at practice, “Well, how’s it gonna be? We haven’t seen them live.” I said, “You wait, you’re gonna see something and you’re gonna say, ‘That’s incredible.’” And they are incredible.

Reporter:

For either of the players, like, walking around before the game, there’s so many young girls walking around in, like, their own jerseys. In like- with their teams. Whenever you’re meeting them before practice or before games, what is it like to see little girls in their hockey jerseys looking up to you?

MADDIE ROONEY:

Yeah, that’s what it’s all about. I mean, when I was a kid, you know, I watched the NHL, but for those girls now to be able to watch the PWHL? It’s really cool to create those- or have those role models that we necessarily didn’t have as a kid beside- outside the national team. So super special. And it’s great visibility for them to be in the stands as well.

Reporter:

Maddie, at the start of the game Montréal had a little bit of a shots lead and they obviously opened the scoring. What does it say about the maturity of this group to push back in this game the way they did?

MADDIE ROONEY:

Yeah, we responded to every goal really well. And that game was a grind. A lot of these games are a grind. It was chippy. But we ultimately bared down. We blocked shots, got pucks out, and capitalized on our opportunities.

Reporter:

Did it- For either of you, did it feel like a little bit of a home game because, I would think it would obviously because of Nicole [Hensley]?

SOPHIE JAQUES:

Yeah, I think it was great to hear- to have the fans behind us when we scored and stuff was really cool. They made- they did a great of accommodating us here and it was really cool to be in the Avalanche locker room here. And I think it was great that the crowd was just loud in general; it really feeds into the excitement of the game.

Reporter:

Coach, with both teams neck-in-neck for the top spot how was this a measuring stick for you?

KEN KLEE:

Well, I mean it’s points. Like I said, right now it’s not about what standing we are, we’re just trying to get points. We know come- down the stretch here we’ve got a lot of games this month, but later on we don’t have many games. So we need to try to accumulate as many points as we can now, so that way we can get yourself into a playoff spot. Then once we do that, it’s- then the match-ups start mattering more to me. But right now, like I said, it’s just awesome that we’re finding ways to get points. We’ve been a little banged up. Obviously her coming back today [gestures to Jaques] is a big lift for us. But we still have two more games on the road coming up so we know they’re gonna be tough. Just gotta keep battling and get ready.

Reporter:

For either Sophie or Maddie, how hard is it to take all the excitement in playing in different buildings and all that stuff and still focus on what coach is talking about there? Just playing hockey and getting points?

MADDIE ROONEY:

Yeah, I don’t think it’s hard. It kind of aides in the excitement. Each night is a different atmosphere to play in front of and overall it’s just fun. It’s fun to play in front of a bunch of fans and, like we talked about, growing the game.

[ID: A screenshot from the game with the Victoire's Kristen O'Neill and the Frost's Nicole Hensley posing for the ceremonial puck drop. /. End ID.]

Reporter:

And I know Nicole didn’t get to play today, but does sharing this whole weekend and experience, for any of you guys, what was that like? And you know, she did the ceremonial puck drop [everyone smiles], you don’t usually see goalies doing that. How great was that, getting to share that with her?

[ID: A screenshot from the press conference. Maddie Rooney, Ken Klee, and Sophie Jaques are at the interview table smiling after getting asked about Hensley's ceremonial puck drop face off. /. End ID.]

KEN KLEE:

Well I thought it was great. Obviously it was unfortunate that she got injured last week. But I was happy to have her back on the bench to be here with us supporting our group. But yeah, it’s a homecoming for her. I know it was a big game for her, important for her. But still, she’s with our group. She’s gonna play meaningful games. She knows it. Between her and Maddie, they’re really tight. They always support each other. So it’s good to see.

Reporter:

Sophie, what was your look on Michela [Cava]’s in the third period? It looked like she got a really great shot?

SOPHIE JAQUES:

Pardon?

Reporter:

What was your look on Michela’s goal in the third period? It looks like it was a really fantastic shot and I imagine you had a great view of it?

SOPHIE JAQUES:

Yeah, I mean, honestly, I was kinda- the defender was blocking me, but I just saw it go into the top of the net and was very excited for her.

[End of video.]

[ewicomkicks2point0]

Random ds2001 things I like

No Cusu-Cusu stuff because that’ll be its own post

The announcer voice line : “Girls, guys and everyone else, let’s dance it up in this strange, strange place!” This whole series is so queer and I cannot believe that a lot of idiot-I mean people, don’t understand that.

The capoeira crowd in the Muscle Stadium. There’s over 100 of them. I’ve counted. Multiple times.

Hamamatsu’s special skill being ‘Sexy beam’. HAMAMATSU IS SEXY !!! I WILL FUCKING PREACH THIS !!!!!!!!

How Disco21 breaks the system of the stages. It doesn’t cut away to any other setting, it just keeps going up into space.

^^Also the lights that aggressively spin around, it’s really fun to watch them go past the screen

The doors opening and closing in the Muscle Stadiums hallways

Planet and Tomoe most likely drink underage: Planet saying: “I don’t driiiiiiinnnnk” and Tomoe “no comment” like,, okayy girlz... What an interesting thing to add

There’s a poster of a Wrestler called Darkness, they look cool and I like them, I’ve drawn them a couple times

The fact that Micro is likely polyamorous. I don’t really care about him but good for him

The bass in 79th Street’s interlude

How introverted Apollo is: how he talks to his cacti to relieve stress rather than talking to his literal wife Miranda.

I really relate to him so it’s nice to see a character who really prefers to be on his own but can still get married and not just be a completely isolated loner.

Also that he collects dolls, because I also collect dolls.. hell yeah

Ducks:“dammit I’m so smart~~”“dammit is so stupid…” I just find it so funny

How the developers definitely told whoever was doing the motion capture for Utan to act like an orangutan and flail their arms around [and legs for that one quartet where he ends up on the floor]

Obviously Dragon and Texas’ handshake, I’ll love it forever

THE STAIRS IN HANAZONO!! I might sound crazy but I LOVE stairs so I always lose my mind at that part where they start dancing on them [I think it’s specifically in the remix ??] and the camera angle and the layout of the characters and just everything ugh [also the stairs in the subway of 79th Street and the implied stairs outside of the Muscle Stadium]