#Laura Madden
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She Said (2022, dir. Maria Schrader) - review by Rookie-Critic
She Said was a very well done, if not at times clinical, re-telling of one of the most important moments in modern equal rights history. Following the story of Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey's groundbreaking article on the atrocities of ex-Miramax head Harvey Weinstein, She Said follows in the footsteps of films like All the President's Men and The Post (the latter of which I will admit I have not seen) as a movie showing the challenges of getting the truth out there no matter the cost, and I found it to be incredibly well done. Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan (to no one's surprise) are absolutely dynamite as the leading duo, each bringing a unique perspective on the story at hand. This wasn't just a story for them, it was personal, as it probably is to every woman on the face of the planet that's ever had a male superior in the workplace.
The movie hits when it needs to, is reserved when it should be, and allows its central duo to breathe and have a life of their own outside of just being the vehicles for truth in this story. It works so well because of this fact; it was so important to portray Kantor and Twohey not just as journalists, but as humans themselves, as women themselves, women who understand the weight of what they were on the brink of uncovering, and what it could mean not only for the film industry, but for the way women are treated in the workplace at large. As the film points out several times, this goes so much deeper than the film industry and is not just about Weinstein, but about the system protecting the abusers and not the abused. Shoutouts also have to go to Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Morton, and Angela Yeoh, who played Laura Madden, Zelda Perkins, and Rowena Chu, who are just a few of the women who suffered at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher also deserve praise for their performances as Rebecca Corbett and Dean Baquet, the assistant editor and executive editor at the New York Times who oversaw the production of the Weinstein piece.
If I had one criticism of the film, it's that, for all of its very effective pathos and ethos, the film tends to be quite cold when it comes to the journalistic side of things. Portraying the profession itself as something that is harshly non-emotive, which I can definitely see the argument that it needs to be, and ultimately that's not quite what the focus of the film is on, so it feels like a nitpick. Even with that one small complaint, She Said surprised me in being better than expected and making me feel something other than anger, which I of course still felt a lot of.
Score: 9/10
Currently available to rent or purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and to pre-order on DVD & Blu-ray through Universal Studios.
#She Said#Maria Schrader#Jodi Kantor#Megan Twohey#Laura Madden#Zelda Perkins#Rowena Chu#Zoe Kazan#Carey Mulligan#Patricia Clarkson#Andre Braugher#Jennifer Ehle#Samantha Morton#Angela Yeoh#Ashley Judd#Zach Grenier#Peter Friedman#Tom Pelphrey#Frank Wood#Adam Shapiro#film review#movie review#2022 films
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#betty lou who#the grinch#christmas#christmas movies#carol newman#the santa clause#the santa clauses#doris walker#miracle on 34th street#elizabeth james#the parents trap#eva madden#the surge#villains of valley view#female tournaments#best mother tournament#best mother figure#Kate Mccallister#home alone#laura miller#raven baxter#raven's home#disney#disney channel#sophie johnson#my parents are aliens#citv#trudy proud#the proud family
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Laura Oliveira Granja in steve Madden boots
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Some college professors should be locked away, seriously.
#they're a different kind of breed#it's maddening#uni student#uni life#student life#student problems#random ramblings#laura talks
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I'm sorry but this picture is precious 🥹 seeing Laura with a good man and both grandparenting the big baby hits me in my heart
photo credit: @Bedollz on twitter (x)
#general hospital#gh#laura collins#laura webber#kevin collins#I know their writing lately is maddening#but this is too cute
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This day is the hardest so far, because it is an entire eight-plus hours of just winding tunnel. It is a day of travel of that same ten-foot wide, continuous tunnel, and it is maddening. - c2e50
different types of people on a road trip.
[Image description: A gifset of the Mighty Nein walking through the tunnel in episode 50 of the second campaign.
Gif 1: Laura, as Jester, starts singing, “Sixty-six bottles of beer on the wall, sixty-six bottles of beer.” Marisha, as Beau, starts waving her hands and clapping to the beat, Travis leans into his hand, and Sam stares forward. All of them have deadpan expressions.
Gif 2: Everyone from the previous gif, with the same soulless expressions, sing, “Take one down, pass it around, sixty-five bottles of beer on the wall.”
Gif 3: Caleb stares forward and says, “It’s two o’clock.” Offscreen, Nott says, “Shut up.”
Gif 4: “It’s three o’clock,” Caleb says. “No,” replies Nott.
Gif 5: Fjord says, “If you’re gonna do those maybe put some chimes behind it?” Caleb later says, “Ding dong, ding dong. It’s four o’clock.”
Gif 6: Beau says, “Hey guys. I’m just saying. If we’re gonna be underground in a blank, boring, shithole tunnel for a whole ‘nother day...”
Gif 7: Beau rummages through her bag before looking back up at the rest of the group. “I still have these mushrooms left over from Mollymauk.”
Gif 8: Beau holds up her bag in offering. “Might just help make it fun!” she says with a hesitant grin.
Gif 9: Jester says, “Beau! You know what we could do.” Offscreen, Laura says “I hand her the smutty book,” and Marisha mimes receiving it, gasping and grinning when she sees what it is.
Gif 10: “Wait wait wait!” Jester says. She leans forward with a devious expression. “Read it out loud.”
Gif 11: “Okay!” says Beau with an equally devious expression before excitedly flipping the book open and leaning back to glance over the first pages.
Gif 12: Beau says, “It already starts good you guys.”
Gif 13: Beau reads, “It was a glistening night. The snow fell on the winding paths. She could feel her nipples...” She cuts off with a wide-eyed expression. “(all caps) It starts so soon (end all caps)”. End image description.]
[Plain text: This day is the hardest so far, because it is an entire eight-plus hours of just winding tunnel. It is a day of travel of that same ten-foot wide, continuous tunnel, and it is maddening. - c2e50. End plain text.]
[Image description: One last gif of Jester slowly craning her head back and groaning, “Twenty-one bottles of beer on the wall.” End image description.] (image description via @imber-florum)
#critical role#the mighty nein#c2e50#cr2#cr2 spoilers#c2 spoilers#nott the brave#jester lavorre#fjord#beauregard lionett#critteredit#critical role gifs#caleb widogast#c2#critrole
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"the tendency of this fandom to only engage with what THEY want these characters to be#as opposed to what their creators are trying to do and the stories they want to tell" slap this on a bumper sticker, you just summed all cr discourse (about PCs at least) in 2 sentences
It truly is maddening (and it's not by any means exclusive to the CR fandom). The reason why the discourse always goes the way it does is that at the end of the day, the loud fanwanky people only see what they would do, if they were self-inserted into the story, as a valid choice; and they are, more broadly, fundamentally disinterested in what others think or feel. There are several examples of this, and the variety of spaces within the fandom that produce these ideas is an indicator that this isn't endemic to one specific group of people.
-Keyleth is an important character whose feelings and choices are validated by the other PCs and cast even if they still disagree with them, in spite of how she and her preachiness get in the way of the Murderhobo Jubilee? It's not because the cast are all friends and they genuinely believe Keyleth is valid and are interested in how these discussions and choices can guide the story. It's because Marisha is the DM's girlfriend, and also here's my totally unbiased theory that my pet favorite players Sam and Travis secretly hate Marisha and Keyleth.
-Vax's presence is still felt and nodded to in the post-canon VM oneshots? It's not because he was an important character who mattered. It's because Liam wants to make everyone talk about his tragedy because he has Main Character Syndrome. Scanlan Wishes for Vax to appear at the wedding? It's not because he cares about Vex or because Sam and Liam wanted a sweet tribute to Vex and Vax's relationship and by extension Liam and Laura's friendship. It's because Liam thinks Vex's life should always revolve around Vax, and Sam wants to enable him and jerk himself off as the one who facilitated it.
-Beauyasha and Fjorester become canon? It's not because the players wanted it and it happened naturally. It's because there was a secret behind-the-scenes push to "force" those ships to become canon instead, and like, Dani Carr is some sort of shipping puppetmaster who made the players do it, and "they" (whomever "they" is) decided to sink Beaujester or Widojest because it was "obviously" going to become canon before the pandemic hiatus gave them time to "make the corporate-approved ships happen".
-Beau and Caleb try to reform the Empire and dismantle the Cerberus Assembly from within? It's not because it makes sense for their stories or that people who would take this position regarding a corrupt government might have a valid perspective that differs from your own. It's because the people at Critical Role Productions LLC are all spineless neoliberal cowards who won't commit to real activism. The best activism, after all, is violent, and violent revolutions have always resulted in stable aftermaths, and the real world has never demonstrated that this mindset is foolish.
-Relatedly: Caleb doesn't kill Trent personally? It's not because the most poetic justice would be to deny Trent the thing he wants most from Caleb. It's because "Limo Brain" is too obsessed with tragedy to have the stones to do "what needs to be done".
-Asmodeus, DnD Satan, turns out to also be CR Satan? It's not because it fits with the cosmology and the lore; it's because Matt Mercer is too attached to the "establishment", and the Prime Deities should have actually turned out to be the bad guys because of my personal baggage about Western religion and Christianity they're a little mean to my blorbo sometimes.
There's a pattern here: fans had expectations that they'd built up for themselves after projecting and building up fanon and deciding what players meant before they explained themselves fully, and when the players strayed from that, they were derided for all manner of reasons. I think we're seeing that same pattern play out in C3 as the story progresses in a way that fans dislike, and in fact we have seen fanwank spread whenever someone does anything that interferes with personally catering to a) the favored ship and/or b) the favored philosophy. (Orym, Ashton, FCG, Percy, Pelor...all valid when they affirm the Fandom Opinions and all disdained when they don't.)
Don't get me wrong, I think there's a place for comfort stories that deliver a personal catharsis. And I'm not going to dismissively say "well if you want it so bad make your own" because, as an artist, I am very familiar with the fact that creating is hard and draining and sometimes you just need to consume instead. But when you become so wrapped up in yourself and your feelings to the point where your perspective is the only valid one, someone else's feels like a betrayal when it isn't. It's always "They aren't doing what we wanted and here's why they're terrible people because of it" and never "Hmm, why is this what the cast wants? Let's examine that."
This isn't a new phenomenon, but I think it ultimately stems from not assuming that other people can differ from you in major ways in good faith. There are a lot of reasons for that (some more understandable than others), but I think you rob yourself of the potential to enjoy something new when all you do is demand what you already want. No matter what you're doing or where you are in life, you tend to become a better and wiser person when you open your mind to what other people have to say, no matter how mundane the subject matter. Sometimes the stories people have to tell are challenging—and the only healthy way to deal with that is to engage with them on their own terms.
#critical role#cr discourse#asks#long post#for the record i think VLD fandom became such a shitshow partially for this reason#but also. and admittedly i'm biased. VLD was basically a show for no one#this by the way is part of why a faction of fe3h fandom capes so hard for crimson flower (which is basically a glorified bonus route)#and absolutely abhors the idea of byleth being religious and enjoying her job as a teacher#and why some cr fans are so vehemently opposed to the prime deities being good and characters being connected to them#religious trauma that leads a character to reject religion and that being framed as a valid choice is okay to want to see#but it is also just as valid for a character to find religion to be a healing and positive experience#seriously 'gods bad' stories are not that difficult to come by. they're just not doing that in THIS story and you're mad about it#instead of doing the work of finding a story that WILL do that meaningfully
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Fragmented
Noah Sebastian x OFC
Onward we go. This one is a little shorter, but it ended where it was supposed to. Bear with me folks. I love you!
Warnings: discussions of the sexuals, alcohol consumption, getting pissed at the main character tbh
+It goes without saying. This is a work of fiction. My words are mine. Plagiarism is a crime.
Taglist: @flowery-mess @lma1986 @myownthoughts12 @poisongirl616 @missduffsblog @reidsblessing @malerieee @jilliemiw86
Part 2 - Voices In My Head
The absolute worst thing a man can endure is being away from his child and his girl. Hands down. It’s excruciating, being pulled away from my reasons for breathing. It’s worse than dying, which may sound dramatic, but trust me - it’s true.
Yet here I sat, waiting at the table, meet and greet starting in five minutes. We had been on tour for a month now, and I was already over it. Sure, being on stage helped me forget for an hour and a half, but as soon as that high I rode came down, it was just enduring until I could get back to my room and call Mileena, and see her and Addison’s faces.
“You alright, dude?” Nick’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I just looked at him, sat next to me, Sharpie already uncapped.
“Yeah, why?”
“You just seemed spaced.”
I huffed out a long breath. “Just homesick dude. Missing the girls.”
He nodded in understanding. “We’ll be there soon enough. Only three days till we play San Diego. Leena’s coming down, right?”
“Yeah, her Dad’s at the house while I’m gone, so he’s going to babysit.”
“Right, yeah, Laura mentioned he was going to watch her so the girls could come.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “You talked to Laura?”
I saw him avert his gaze, the first wave of fans coming to the table.
“Oh, uh,” We both stood to greet them. “yeah we texted a little.”
He was avoidant, but now already talking to a tall girl wearing one of our t-shirts.
Well, we would be unpacking that later.
I was waist deep in autographs, photos, hugs, words of adoration and appreciation. Maybe this also helped distract me too, making it easy to smile and joke with the people who come by.
I was helping a guy unfold his shirt for me to sign while making small talk with him when I felt a tap on the shoulder.
“Noah?”
I peeked over my shoulder to see Rachel, one of our tour assistants, standing and smiling at me.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“T-minus ten minutes, then you’ve got to get stage ready. Your clothes are in the green room, and your ski masks are on the stairs on stage.” She had an earpiece in that she had to take out to speak to me clearly, undoubtedly getting shouted at on the other end.
“Okay, thanks Rach.”
She gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Anytime, hon.”
-
Tonight’s show was just off. First, Jolly broke a string during Artificial Suicide, making him have to switch to his backup rig, and it never played as well. Then, the fucking security guards damn near let a crowd surfer on stage. My voice kept going fucking flat for no good reason, which was an entirely different issue of its own. And finally, the icing atop the God damn cake, was that three fights broke out, forcing us to skip IDWT$, Never Know, and Limits, as it took security so fucking long to break it up.
By the last note of Dethrone, I was fucking done. Typically any irritation I had all came out during those breakdowns, but tonight I just couldn’t fucking shake it. It was maddening.
I stormed into the bathroom afterwards, and splashed water on my face. Maybe I should’ve called Mileena, let her calm me down with her sweet voice and comforting words, but I was too fucking pissed off. I would end up being a jackass, and she wasn’t even here to torture me for it if I was. I elected to call her back at the hotel.
A loud knock came on the bathroom door, which made me flinch. “Give me a sec.”
Only a half of a moment later, there was knocking again. I growled.
I flung the door open, glaring at Nick on the other side. “What the fuck?”
Nick took a step back. “Sorry dude, I’ve got to piss!”
I shrugged, stepping out to let him in. Before he shut the door, he called my name.
“You’re coming tonight, right?”
I stared at him. “To…?”
He rolled his eyes. “Dude, it’s Josh’s birthday? He wanted to go to a club, remember?”
Josh was the lead singer for Catch Your Breath, the band opener on our tour.
I groaned. “Don’t I get a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card for that? Alcoholic and all?”
Nick just shook his head. “Not this time, man. He’s always helping us with everything, letting us use their equipment and shit.” Nick moved to shut the door. “We’ve got to.”
-
“You’re going to be fine, babe. I trust you.” As I predicted, Leena’s voice was a soothing song in my ear, helping the stress of the day melt away.
“I know. I just wish you were here.”
“Me too, love.” I heard something shuffle on the other end. “Although, I kind of wish you were here.”
I stopped still, my shirt still in my hand, facing the bed where I laid my clothes out.
“Yeah?”
My phone vibrated against my face. I pulled it away, and saw she had sent a text. When I opened it, I nearly dropped my phone.
“Holy fuck!”
The photo was taken from a distance, likely having the phone propped up on the dresser. Leena was on the bed, a distinct Bad Omens shirt on her torso (judging by the listed tour dates and logo), and she was facing away from the camera. She was bent at the waist, looking over her shoulder, naked from the waist down.
Tucked so fucking perfectly between the cheeks of her ass was a jeweled plug.
I almost fell over.
“When did you get that?!” My face lost all color, the blood headed somewhere else.
She giggled. “Laura and I picked it up yesterday. I didn’t know how I’d feel about it, but it’s not so bad.”
I hissed, palming myself over my boxers. “I’m coming home. Right fucking now. If I get a flight I can be there by morning.”
She laughed loudly now. “Baby, you’ve got a show in Jersey tomorrow.”
“Fuck that. You’ve got a fucking toy, inside of you.”
“In all fairness, I took that photo earlier. Took a while to get a good one. I took it out after.”
“Well, I’ll just go ahead and put it back in.” I lowered my voice. “Then I swear to God I’m going to bury my cock so deep inside of you, you’ll never fucking walk again.”
She groaned. “Oh, honey, I’m so fucking excited for that.” She sighed. “But for now, you need to go to this thing for Josh.”
I rolled my eyes. “I straight up don’t want to.”
“Well that’s too bad. That guy totally idolizes you.” I slumped down on the bed. “Plus he thinks you hate him.”
I scoffed. “Why would he think that?”
“Uh, maybe because you never hang out with him?”
“I’m not a God damn babysitter.” I grumbled.
She laughed again. “I love you, grumpy boy. Now be good, go have fun, stay straight, and I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you more, Noah.”
The ride to the club was mundane, especially since I was the designated driver. The streets of upstate New York were busy no matter what time of day. The SUV was filled with laughter from multiple conversations. Jolly drove the other vehicle behind us, opting to stay sober with me tonight.
When we finally valeted the trucks, and entered the club, the volume of the music began rattling my chest. The large room was dark, and the atmosphere was electric. Swarms of bodies danced feverishly with the beat of the music.
Josh got us set up in a lounge area he had reserved, and we all took our seats, a waitress coming over quickly to take drink orders. I just shook my head when she came to me, opting for nothing. It draws less attention than when you order a non-alcoholic beverage, I’ve learned.
Jolly, however, did order a club soda with lime, prompting smirks from the other ten people sat with us.
After a few moments of adjusting, I ended up sat next to Josh, who was chatting away about the band’s album they were working on, asking my opinion on album art.
“I’m having a hard time finding something I like. I want a photograph, I’m really into the realism rather than paintings or abstract stuff.”
I nodded, hollering over the music. “I can get you in touch with the guy who did the photography for our last album. He’s fantastic.”
His eyes lit up, and the AMF he was drinking was slowly seeping through his smile.
“Yeah? That would be awesome, dude!”
He took another long pull of his drink, leaving only ice, and set down the glass. He leaned back on the couch and scanned the room before addressing me again.
“I appreciate you guys coming out, dude.” I nodded. “I know it’s not your scene anymore.”
I chuckled, rubbing a hand over my knee. “Yeah, it’s not. But you’re a friend man, I don’t mind.”
Josh wiped the moisture from his lips, looking straight at me.
“Hey, if you don’t mind me asking?” I leaned in closer to hear him. “How long you been sober now, man?”
I contemplated this, wondering if it was worth telling him. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that it couldn’t hurt.
“Just over two years.”
He raised his eyebrows, seemingly impressed.
“That’s fucking awesome, man. Good for you!”
I smiled, nodding in appreciation. “Thanks.”
The next forty minutes were spent small talking with everyone at the table before most abandoned to go get more drinks and find people on the dance floor. I had told Jolly to join them, trusting he would keep his word.
After about fifteen minutes of scrolling through Reddit threads, I felt the couch next to me dip.
“Hey, Sober Sally!” The nickname made me wince before I could look up to see who had the nerve.
My eyes met stark green irises, slightly red-rimmed from alcohol, and freckles scattered around them. I smirked, my irritation fading when I realized who was now sat next to me.
"Hey Rach." She beamed brightly at me and smiled, her strawberry blonde hair brushing over her shoulder while she set her drink down.
"How ya doing, honey?"
I nodded, scanning the room and the environment. "Bored, mostly." I admitted.
She leaned back on the couch, arm draped over the back. "I get that. Why aren't you dancing?"
I snorted. "I quit dancing in bars right around the time I quit drinking."
She chuckled, and I joined her. She lifted her glass to take a swig.
"Noah, 'm so fucking sorry about all the..." She was waving her hand around in front of her face, clearly searching her brain for the words she was looking for. "...technical difficulties tonight." She snapped when she found it.
I waved a hand at her. "Shit happens dude."
She shook her head violently. "Nope, nope. Not when I'm helping, it shouldn't. I work my ass off to make sure it goes according to plan."
Her words were starting to blend together from the drinks. I raised an eyebrow.
"How many have you had?" I ask, smirking, pointing at the glass in her hand that she was tipping back once again.
She smiled sheepishly behind it. "Two."
I nodded again, eyeing her. "And how many shots?"
She broke out in a full blown cackle at that. "Like, five?"
Shaking my head, I laughed at her. She was gone already, and was going to be just so much fun to be in the bus with tomorrow. Thankfully, it was a short ride from Manhattan to Atlantic City.
"I think maybe it's time to slow down?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Hey! I will stop when I am ready!" She said playfully, her body swaying involuntarily, sloshing the liquid in her drink over the edge of the glass, right between her and I on the couch.
We both jumped, and she squealed as the ice cold liquor hit her bare leg below the end of her dress. This drew my attention to what she was wearing. Short, deep red cocktail dress. Scoop neck, cleavage on full display. It was an interesting color on her. It made her eyes pop.
I tore my gaze away from her as I felt her hand wiping the side of my leg, trying to dry the drink spilled on my pants with...her skin, I guess?
I scooched further away on the couch and laughed, her face nearly as red as her dress.
"Still think it's not worth slowing down?"
She giggled, bashful. It was a merry little sound. "Maybe you're right."
She set the glass down, having to bend her body forward, making her chest push out and her breasts nearly spill over the top of her dress. I cleared my throat, looking purposefully away.
She sat back and surveyed her outfit, realizing the entire bottom right quadrant of the fabric was wet with alcohol. She scrunched up her nose and frowned at me.
"Well, this is ruined."
I gave her a sympathetic look, and she leaned back on the couch, pulling her phone from her bag.
"I think I'm just going to call an Uber and head back to the hotel. I've done enough damage for one night."
I knew what the right and proper thing to do was; allow her to do just that. Let her leave, tell her I'd see her in the morning. But she was frazzled, and sad. She's a young woman, riding home alone, in New York?
"I'll run you up there."
She shook her head, standing off the couch. "Oh no, no way. I am not going to be your excuse to bail on Josh."
I threw my hands up. "Why does everyone think I hate him?"
She just laughed in response. I stood up in front of her, then, catching her attention. Her laughing stopped abruptly, her shorter frame looking up at me.
"I'm going to drive you. I'll just drop you off at the hotel and head right back."
-
The ride back to the hotel was quicker, but not by much. We sat in traffic under the dull, murky lights of the streets, and I was rhythmically tapping my finger on the steering wheel.
I could hear her singing under her breath to the song playing through the vehicle's Bluetooth being fed by my phone. I slowly turned the volume higher, her voice coming louder as the music did.
"Crawling my way from a prison cell, no one can save me but myself." She clutched her chest dramatically.
I smirked at her. She looked right at me, singing directly to me mischievously.
"I know there's something more that I'm missing." She put her hand up over her mouth like a microphone, giving her voice a background effect. "Hoping to find place somewhere."
I rocked my head, belting out the chorus. "Staring right into the sun. Looking for the ending before it's begun." She joined me, flashing all her teeth at me. "I just need a reason to bleed. It feels like my heart's going numb."
We continued singing, finishing out the song in sync, but way off key.
The final notes rang off as we pulled up to the front of the hotel, and she laughed at me. "I didn't know you liked Sleep Theory?"
I turned the radio back down. "I like a lot of things."
Her eyelids lowered then, her energy changing entirely. I watched as she slipped her bottom lip between her teeth, and I thought I felt something begin burning in my abdomen, but I ignored it.
"Well," Her eyes glanced up and down me, which made me feel claustrophobic, but also really, very warm. "we should take some time, one of these days, so I can figure some of those things out."
I swallowed, hard. Luckily, before I was forced to respond, she was out of the car, and sauntering up to the entrance of the hotel. I peeled off before I could let my mind wander any further.
What the actual fuck? I've known Rachel for over a year, and never, not once, has she ever come on to me. She's met Mileena, and Addison. She knows I'm a happily committed man, so what just fucking happened? The alcohol. It had to have been.
Back at the club, I luckily didn't have to stay too long before everyone was ready to leave, Teddy, Josh's guitar player, already having ralphed in the restrooms. I was still so bewildered by the entire evening, so I didn't say much as Nick and I halfway carried Teddy to Jolly's car (he's not puking in mine), and reminding Josh that we have to go, and we can always go out again another time.
Josh spent most of the ride home telling me about a girl he danced with at the club, trying to convince me that he would be marrying her. He was done, that's for sure.
It took about thirty minutes for Nick, Jolly, and I to get everyone in their respective rooms. Folio elected to walk to his room on his own, something having irritated him at the club. I had my hands so full with the rest of the guys, I made a mental note to revisit that tomorrow.
Finally, I walked Nick and Jolly to our suite, heading inside to my room.
"Noah?" I turned to see Nick, a look of concern on his face. "You good?"
I furrowed my brow. "Yeah, dude. Why?"
"You were just real quiet tonight."
I pursed my lips, deciding that not telling Nick about the event with Rachel was likely for the best.
"Nah I'm good. Just, you know, club, alcohol..." I gestured with my hand and he nodded.
"I get it, man. Thank you for doing that."
I gave a small bow, waving him goodnight before heading into my room.
Once comfortably changed into my pajama pants, a tank top, and fresh socks, I flopped back on the bed. My fingers instinctively went to dial Mileena, but I noticed the time. 2AM. It was already 11PM at home, and Addison was surely asleep. Mileena had to take her to an appointment early. I elected to text her instead, so as to not wake her if she was asleep.
Me: I'm back at the hotel, baby. Sober as a saint. You up?
I waited, staring at my message, begging for the indication she had read the message, but it didn't come. Before I realized, I had been waiting fifteen minutes. Leena returned texts faster than anyone else I knew, leading me to the conclusion that she was knocked out already.
Me: Get some good rest, babe. I'll text you when we're leaving in the morning. I love you.
I locked my phone, dropping it on the bed, and sighed hard. I would need to find something to distract myself.
Slowly, I let my hand wander down onto my stomach, lifting my phone back up, and scrolling up through our text threads to the photo she sent me earlier.
Mother of God she looked amazing. I was still reeling over her use of the toy, having never been allowed to venture into that territory before. My hand reached the waistband of my pants, palming my growing erection through the fabric. I could feel myself getting excited enough to slip my hand in when my phone buzzed.
It was not, however, what I was looking for.
Rachel: Hey
Kill me. Actually fucking kill me.
I dropped my hand on the bed and groaned, opening the text thread. She was typing.
Rachel: Did I leave my vape in the SUV?
I raised an eyebrow. Was she serious?
Me: I didn't see one, but I wasn't looking for it.
Rachel: OK, can I grab the keys from you? I want to get it before the rentals are returned.
I sighed hard, sitting up.
Me: I'll just go look.
Opening the passenger door, I scanned around the vehicle, the hot pink vape becoming visible from under the seat. I swiped it, and began walking back in from the parking lot.
Me: Got it. What's your room number?
Rachel: 323
I whistled in the elevator, turning the vape over in my hand numerously. Once on the third floor, I padded to her room, doing my best to be quiet.
I knocked on the door once, the electric locking mechanism loud when the door swung open.
What I saw had my eyes bulging, my body freezing in place. Rachel stood inside the doorway, cropped t-shirt barely covering her small breasts, boy short underwear all that covered her lower half. Her hair was hung in strings from a shower, her eyes now free of makeup and false lashes.
"Hey! Oh thank God!" She reached to me and snagged the vape out of my hand, my body still frozen in the same spot.
She brought the vape to her lips, taking a long, painfully long, pull off of the device, the end brightening blue. As she inhaled, her eyes rolled back, and her lips pinched together before she exhaled a large cloud of smoke.
I was stone, unmoving and awestruck. I felt a very distinct shift in my pajama pants, my cock stirring at the sight.
"You okay?" Her words brought me back down to Earth for a moment.
"Huh?" I shook my head, tearing my eyes away from her. "Yeah, yeah."
I let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of my neck.
"Well, see you in the morning." But before I could walk away, her hand was tugging my arm, making me stop yet again.
"Wait." I dared to look at her, which I instantly regretted. She licked her bottom lip. "Do you want to," She tossed her thumb over her shoulder. "come in?"
I squeezed my eyes shut, my brain stuttering and glitching in so many different directions. I put a hand up between us, if anything than to just have a physical barrier between her and I.
"No, no I've got to get some sleep. We load up at 9AM."
She nodded, retreating back into the room slightly, a small pout on her face.
"Yeah, okay." She gave me a smile, now a little deflated. "Goodnight, Noah."
I waved, not looking directly at her. "Night, Rach."
I tried not to make such a dramatic beeline to the elevator, but I was nearly at a full sprint by the time I began jamming the button. I stepped into the metal box, sighing with relief and leaning back when the doors closed.
Only two floors up, I was back in my own room, falling back down onto the bed. I took several moments to let my breathing return to normal before I went back to what I had originally planned - masturbating to a picture of my girlfriend, like a good fucking boy.
I tried, I swear I did, but after a minute of running my hand up and down my shaft, my phone fell out of the other, and my fingers gripped the sheets. I would never admit, for fear that I may be sick, that in my mind's eye, I was picturing green eyes, fair skin with freckles, and devilishly long, strawberry blonde hair.
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Chapter Summary
Sam tries to picture what he thinks the famed Mr Baker might look like. He had heard nothing but kind things so far, from Principal Madden, from Laura, even from those couple of students that Sam had not spoken too but overheard excitedly telling each other about Mr Baker having arrived for the day.
When Sam pictures someone like that, he pictures Ted, or his father. Someone approachable, kind, soft around the edges. So, it is very fair to say that it takes him off guard when after a moment’s hesitation the door is pushed open, and Jamie Tartt steps into the room.
So I thought I was joking when I said I'd be able to finish this chapter today but uhhhhh, apparently I was not joking.
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Article: 'EA Sports and EA Games Splitting Apart in Internal Shakeup'
EA is undergoing a major internal reorganization, with EA Games being renamed "EA Entertainment."
Electronic Arts is undergoing a major internal shakeup, announcing today in a message from CEO Andrew Wilson that it is realigning its major studios and its leadership structure in an effort to "empower our creative teams."
The reorganization includes splitting EA Games and EA Sports, with the former being renamed "EA Entertainment" in a signal that EA intends to expand beyond games where possible.
"We’re building the future of interactive entertainment on a foundation of legendary franchises and innovative new experiences, which represents massive opportunities for growth," Wilson wrote in a message announcing the news.
Laura Miele, previously EA's Chief Operating Officer, will take over as EA President of Entertainment, Technology, and Central Development at EA Entertainment, where she will work closely with Vince Zampella and other well-known executives. Cam Weber, who rose out of EA's football games, will continue to lead EA Sports. Both will enjoy expanded control over their respective labels intended to give them more oversight over budgets and decision-making flexibility.
Wilson will continue to preside over both organizations as EA's CEO. The moves coincide with news that Chief Experiences Officer Chris Bruzzo is retiring, with EA Chief Financial Officer Chris Suh also departing the company. David Tinson and Stuart Canfield respectively will take over their responsibilities.
The moves are the latest in what has been a major reorganization for EA.
Earlier this month, we reported that Star Wars: The Old Republic is on course to move to a third-party developer, with many of its developers being given the opportunity to move elsewhere in the company. It's unclear whether the current reorganization will result in layoffs.
As before, EA Sports will continue to look after the F1 series, which just releases, as well as PGA Tour and the newly-acquired Super Mega Baseball. This is on top of traditional blockbusters including Madden, the newly-renamed EA Sports FC, NHL, and the upcoming College Football reboot.
EA Entertainment, meanwhile, will encompass Respawn, DICE, Ripple Effect, Ridgeline Games (Battlefield), Full Circle (Skate), Motive Studio (Iron Man), EA's Seattle studio, BioWare, and the EA Originals label. EA also includes numerous mobile games, including Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and the recently-released Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.
While dramatic on the face of it, much of the current structure will remain intact, with Zampella continuing to lead Respawn and Battlefield. Samantha Ryan will likewise continue to be in charge of BioWare, Maxis, Full Circle, and Motive Studios. Apart from giving studios leaders more control over their respective domains, the big change appears to be centered on separating out EA Sports, which continues to be EA's biggest profit driver. EA's soccer sims in particular continue to be major money machines for EA, with FIFA 23 pushing the publisher near $2 billion in net bookings.
"Over the coming months, Stuart, Laura, Cam, and David will partner closely with studio leaders to implement these organizational changes, further embedding dedicated capabilities into franchise teams and driving operational rigor," Wilson wrote, claiming that "EA's business remains strong."
[source]
#dragon age: dreadwolf#dragon age 4#the dread wolf rises#da4#dragon age#bioware#mass effect#next mass effect#video games#long post#longpost
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hi! could you please help me find an fc for a young woman in her early 20's, very sweet-looking, preferably poc? thank you <3
Alyssa Wapanatâhk (1998) Plains Cree, White.
Laura Kariuki (1998) African-American.
Lovie Simone (1998) African-American / Ghanaian.
Zhao Lu Si (1998) Korean.
Chelsea Clark (1998) Filipino.
Noor Taher (1999) Jordadian - is pro Palestine!
Genneya Walton (1999) African-American.
Megan Suri (1999) Punjabi.
Pegah Ghafoori (1999) Iranian.
Kim So Hyun (1999) Korean.
Auliʻi Cravalho (2000) Puerto Rican, Kānaka Maoli, Portuguese, Chinese, White - is bisexual.
Piploy Kanyarat Ruangrung (2000) Thai.
Anna Lambe (2000) Inuit - is bisexual.
Daniella Perkins (2000) African-American / White.
Kho'si Ngema (2000) Black South African.
Halle Bailey (2000) African-American.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (2001) Tamil - is pro Palestine!
Ashley Liao (2001) Taiwanese.
Miah Madden (2001) Cadigal, Bundjalung / Unspecified.
Andria Tayeh (2001) Jordanian and Lebanese - is pro Palestine!
Hope these are helpful!
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Okay but I need you to give me historical romance with the hero being Derek Craven's level of intensity!!
Then you're in luck because that's my favorite kind lmao
If you haven't read Seduce Me at Sunrise yet, obviously I've been talking about it a lot lately lol but Kev really does have traces of Derek. He's self-loathing, "coarse", he doesn't think he deserves the heroine, he is super threatening... His big spiel to Win about how much he loves her reminds me a little of Derek's "sometimes I want to punish you a little" line which... CHILLS.
Generally, Elizabeth Hoyt is a good way to go--I would recommend Thief of Shadows (Winter Makepeace, the ultimately Intense Devoted Lover Guy), Duke of Midnight (Maximus Batten, controversial king but INTENSE AS HELL), The Raven Prince (scarred self-loathing duke who wants his secretary so bad), and Sweetest Scoundrel (personally, I think Asa is in a very "Derek Craven: The Early Years" place in this book which is super interesting).
Sarah MacLean is on the record as a major Craven stan lol. I would say... Bourne from A Rogue by Any other Name gives me a similar degree of intensity, and he of course has the gambling club deal--which really means you may want to read the other Rules of Scoundrels books (One Good Earl Deserves a Lover is especially good).
Joanna Shupe has THIS. I would say The Prince of Broadway especially has this with Clay Madden, who also is self-made, tortured, and owns a gambling hell. If you haven't read The Duke Gets Even (best historical romance release of 2023 easily imo) Lockwood is not as like... self-loathing by any means, but the degree to which he LOVES Nellie is so intense.
Lol most Lorraine Heath heroes, but Ainsley from Waking Up with The Duke and Griffith from Scoundrel of My Heart come to mind in a big way, plus King from The Duchess Hunt. I don't see Scoundrel discussed enough--it's such an achingly angsty, superb book. The heroes of She Tempts the Duke and Lord of Wicked Intentions are RIDIC intense lol.
Jennifer Ashley heroes tend to be intense, but Ian Mackenzie from The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is literally like glued to Beth and Hart from The Duke's Perfect Wife is SO SO SO intense about Eleanor (and everything else tbh). Like, they get engaged when they're young and dumb, break up because he's super dumb, and like... YEARS later, around or over a decade later, he sees her again and has a tiny interaction with her and is like "... I'm marrying her". Because it was never over for him!!!
Alexander from What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long is real intense. Like, it's a funny book but he's a lot lol.
Umm Allegreto from Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale is one of the most intense heroes I've read ever in my life. Literally telling the heroine that she needs to go to confession because even though he's not going to Heaven she MUST!!!! (Customary Shadowheart CW for a noncon first encounter.)
Cull from Pippa and The Prince of Secrets by Grace Callaway is.... real intense.
Oh, Monica McCarty has a lot of real intense heroes--try The Chief, The Viper, The Recruit, and The Saint especially.
My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid has an incredibly intense, tortured hero. He uses a wheelchair following a bad accident and is convinced that he's impotent (he isn't).
Diana Biller's Hotel of Secrets has an amazing virgin spy hero who's super intense about the heroine while also being confounded by how she makes him have Feelings--he throws himself in front of her bodily to protect her like 3-5 times.
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Laura Oliveira Granja in a shirt by Nak-d, skirt by H&M and Steve Madden boots
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hi! i'm lexi. i'm thirty, live in the est timezone, and i love to write smut! below are a list of some of my kinks, limits, and faces i like. the bolded ones are my favorites! as far as muses go, i enjoy playing most dynamics (top/bottom, dom/sub/switch) and males and females. i don't have much experience writing nonbinary muses yet, but i would love to! i do try to tag triggering things, but this is in general a blog that will contain triggering and dark content. if you would like to rp, please feel free to dm me or ask for my discord!
kinks. abusive dynamics. aftercare. age gaps. anal. begging, bdsm. biting. body worship, bondage. cockwarming. dd/lg. dom/sub. dubcon. hair pulling. impact play. incest. marking. orgasm control/denial. power differences. praise. rough sex. spanking. taboo subjects. teasing. toys. 24/7. open to most.
limits. anything involving minors. beastiality. blood play. needles. scat. vore.
favorite femme faces. abigail cowen. adelaide kane. adeline rudolph. adria arjona. ana de armas. arden cho. ayça ayşin turan. brittany o’grady. camila mendes. chloe bennett. danielle campbell. demet özdemir. fivel stewart. florence pugh. gemma chan. haley lu richardson. hande erçel. jamie chung. kaylee bryant. kiana madeira. lindsey morgan. laura harrier. lily james. madison bailey. madelyn cline. margot robbie. melisa pamuk. mishti rahman. naomi scott. natasha liu bordizzo. olivia holt. shay mitchell. simone ashley. summer bishil. sydney park. sydney sweeney. zendaya. zion morena.
favorite masc faces. aaron tveit. alex fitzalan. can yaman. charles melton. charles michael davis. charlie hunnam. chris evans. garrett hedlund. henry cavill. henry golding. froy gutierrez. jacob elordi. jeffrey dean morgan. jensen ackles. jesse williams. john boyega. jon bernthal. michael trevino. michiel huisman. oliver jackson cohen. oscar isaac. pedro pascal. peter gadiot. rahul kohli. regé-jean page. richard madden. scott eastwood. sean teale. sebastian stan. taylor zakhar perez. theo james. tom hardy. tom holland. tyler posey.
favorite nb faces. liv hewson. lizeth selene. nico tortorella.
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@honorhearted continued from x
Laura was almost certain Ben would acquiesce the offer, and yet when she'd originally spoken it, it'd felt too strange of a thing to utter. Until now, the two of them had never attempted at intimacy that didn't resemble something transactional, even if money had never been exchanged between them. In the past, there had always been an existent line of business during these moments, but it was nice, the way she led him to the bathroom now, piling her clothes on the edge of the sink, turning to take Ben's clothes from him as he began undressing again.
“I wasn’t kidding about the breakaway pants. I at the very least need to start investing in Velcro…”
"It's a good thing I'm paying you then." She quipped, a faint smile curving along her mouth. It felt weird to smile, to give in to the fond ache she felt in her chest, the almost giddiness within her. "That can be the first thing you buy with your paycheck."
She almost groaned with relief when she stepped into the shower. The water was warm, the pleasure of the heat, the steam painful in its own way. She mewled tiredly, wrapping her arms around Ben's neck as she leaned flush into him, returning his kiss before stealing the stream of water for herself, pushing herself away from him long enough to rub the water deeper into her face, soak her hair.
"You don't have to do that you know." She found herself saying even when her actions betrayed her, even when she lifted her arms, allowing him access to run the bar of soap over her body, easily falling to stand with her back to him when he gestured.
“You’re so beautiful.”
"Ben." She whined, clasping his hand to her chest, trying to stop the maddening spark of his touch, her nipples unbearably hard just from the lathering of the soap. It was futile though, she knew it when her head lolled back and she managed to meet his gaze, the newfound kiss beginning anew the flutter of heat pooling between her legs again.
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you invited me in here with an ulterior motive in mind. Do you really think I’ll succumb?”
"It wasn't my intention, but now I'm not so sure." She swallowed, turning to face him. "Your turn." She took the bar of soap from his sudsy hands, placing a kiss to the underside of his chin, beginning to lather his shoulders, his chest, trying to maintain some control over herself.
"This is nice, right?"
Her mouth still brushed over his, the water dribbling over them tasted metallic. Laura's hands rested along the outside of his middle for a second before she began rubbing the soap into his skin. She faltered when she reached his lower abdomen, her fingers lightly tugging on the hair that trailed his his bellybutton downward. She didn't want this to turn into what they were doing before. She didn't want to succumb to mindless fucking; she wanted to know him, wanted to know whatever this new intimacy was.
"Not pretending?"
#three day weekend#honorhearted#laura x ben#lemon#ish#suggestive tw#// *shakes fist at legacy editor*
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greetings all! the admins at danceofdragonsrp wanted to put together a most wanted face claims list in ABC order - if you have any questions, please ask us
Male:
Abbas Jafri
Alfie Enoch
Ali Oner
Ali Zafar
Angel Bisamrk Curiel
Aramis Knight
Arjun Rampal
Arnas Fedaravicius
Can Yaman
Charles Michael Davis
Chris Evans
Charlie Cox
Chrlie Vickers
Daniel Nuta
Danila Kozlovsky
Devon Terrell
Elliot Knight
Emi Khan
Fawad Khan
Freddy Carter
Hayden Christensen
Howard Charles
Ilhan Sen
Jacob Anderson
Joe Alwyn
Joe Dempsie
Josh Heuston
Kartik Aaryan
Kartik Aaryan
Kendrick Sampson
Kit Harrington
Kit Young
Manish Dayal
Mark Rowley
Matt Smith
Nathan Mitchell
Nick Sagar
Oscar Isaac
Ram Charan
Rish Shah
Ryan Corr
Sam Claflin
Tom Hiddleston
Tony Revolori
Varun Dhawan
Female:
Alba Galocha
Amita Suman
Anna Shaffer
Aslihan Malbora
Astrid Berges-Frisbey
Blanca Suarez
Bruna Marquezine
Ellie Bamber
Gemma Arterton
Gemma Chan
Iman Vellani
Isis Valverde
Isolda Dychauk
Kiara Advani
Kiran Sawar
Kylie Bunbury
Laura Harrier
Leyla Tanlar
Maddison Jaizani
Madeline Madden
Maria Valverde
Mariah Idrissi
Mawra Hocane
Morfydd Clark
Nazanin Boniadi
Neelam Muneer
Olivia Cooke
Pallavi Sharda
Sajal Ali
Shanina Shaik
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Tuba Buyukustun
Valentina Belle
Varada Sethu
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