#The camera is so much better too and like basically everything is better EXCEPT for the storage

[galactichelium]

Why did a 2:30 minute screen recording on my phone take up 824 MB of storage. THIS PHONE ONLY HAS 64 GB ?????

[ilikeredcars]

Two hearts, one love

Charles Leclerc x Wife!Reader

Summary: Formula's one cutest couple also happens to be between a reporter and a certain pilot in red

Warnings: Broken bone (leg)

An: Hiiiiii!! I'm very very proud of this work (so if you don't like it pls don't tell me 😌) anywhoss, just remembering yall that I'm brazilian so English is not my first language, that means you have to forgive me if I make any mistakes LOL, ENJOYYY!

Being a reporter for Formula One truly isn't easy, but you love it and always did. You were indeed always fascinated by all the cars, drivers, teams and everything that had to do with the sport, so it wasn't surprising to anyone when you graduated college and soon got a job as a reporter to a highly successful TV channel. Your job was great, you could do together the two things you loved most, work for TV and Formula One. And that is how you met the third thing you love most: Charles Leclerc. He had just signed with Scuderia Ferrari when you two met. It was your first year as a field reporter, which meant you went around interviewing drivers, mechanics and team principals, basically anyone that you passed through who had time and knowledge enough to be interviewed. The day you two officially met was in the first Grand Prix of the season, it was qualifying day and Charles had just done amazingly well for such a young driver, fortunately the universe was on your side and you managed to get a interview with him, il predestinato, all dressed in red and with sweat dripping from his hair to his forehead and onto the sides of his face, that was the first time you saw him so close, and the moment he looked inside your eyes, the driver knew that the purpose of his life, was to make you his wife. And he did it, two years later you married in a beautiful church just outside Monaco, and it was the happiest day of your lives.

Current days

It is race week! And you couldn't be more happy with the excitement of every fan who passes by your side, you just love everything the paddock has to offer, maybe except for the giant cast on your right leg that couldn't go by unnoticed even if you tried. The week before you were walking home and in your way you encountered an old lady whose cane had fallen, without thinking twice you bent down to pick up the object for the poor woman who could clearly barely bend down, unfortunately for you, a car next to you lost control and hit you hard, fortunately he was not driving at a big speed and so the only injury you received was a broken leg, you were released from the hospital a day later with a cast on your leg and a crutch. And that's how you ended up here, this is officially your first race as Charles' wife and not as a reporter and you couldn't be more excited, with Charles help you got out of the car and was immediately flooded by questions and fans wanting to take a picture with your husband or wanting an autograph, you told him it was okay and gave him space to talk to the fans for about ten minutes. After some of the fans went away he walked slowly toward you with a giant smile on his face, "Sorry about that mon amour, let's get you to the garage okay?"

"Okay" You smiled and gave him a small kiss to his cheek, "I love you so much angel" "And I love you more bébé"

As you were walking to the red garage that was near the end of the paddock a reporter stopped you and you immediately recognized her as Rachel, the girl who was filling in for you until you took off your cast and could go back to work.

"Charles! YN! How are you love? Are you getting better after the accident?" She asked smiling towards you. She had a microphone in her hand and the cameraman had the camera pointed at you, Rachel can be your friend but this was still an interview and you had to be careful with what you and Charles said.

"Hey Rach! Fortunately I'm great! The accident wasn't too bad and I'm not feeling pain at all!"

"That is awesome YN!"

"Yeah! And let me tell you a secret..." You felt your husband's hand wrap around your waist and smiled. "...I have this great guy by my side who is helping me with everything I need!"

You turned to Charles who gave you a passionate smile and slowly pulled you in to give you a loving kiss (appropriate for the cameras around you, of course), you smiled and found home in his embrace.

"Okay okay, let's let the lovebirds be! Haha! It was great seeing you both. Good luck on the race today Charles and hope you get better YN!"

"Bye bye Rach! Thank you!"

"Merci Rachel" Said Charles before turning once again to you and helping you continue your way toward the garage. As soon as you entered the space you grabbed your husband's hand carefully.

"I love you so so much and I'm so proud of you my love. You have no ideia how much I look up to you"

"Je t'aime tellement mon ange, je l'ai toujours fait et je le ferai toujours"

*I love you so much my angel, I always have and I always will*

[ohbo-ohno]

I'm gripping the bars of my cage desperately, I'm chewing at the bars, begging, pleading for more zombie ghoap x reader au.

zombie ghoap x reader au coming right up chef 🫡

btw this is super similar to charliemwrites' jaw dropping ghoap x reader "the (scottish) cabin in the woods" so you need to go read that immediately (and leave a nice comment because charlie rocks)

cw for noncon puppyplay below the cut

i was talking to ceilidh a tiny bit about this earlier, and i think that johnny and reader met in like a cannibal cult kinda thing. very much so like that episode of TLOU, yknow? they both think they've found a little commune safe haven, but it very quickly becomes clear that that's not the case.

anyways, they end up trying to get out together when they realize what's going on, and have to kill a few of the cult members :/ they've been "stuck together" ever since

they threaten to leave the other for dead (or kill them in the middle of the night) constantly. it hasn't happened yet, obviously, but boy oh boy do both of them bring it up nonstop. they act like they hate each other, but honestly they just need to fuck

but they're sorta stuck together now. you're better off paired up with someone than on your own, that's something they both learned pre-cult fiasco. and, really, they don't dislike each other nearly as much as you might think based on the way they gripe

enter ghost. he spots these two survivors wandering through the forest, one injured and both filthy, and basically thinks to himself "hm. could be good in home entertainment"

(here's the deal with puppyplay like this - it's absurd, and we're just going with it. alright??? just WORK with me here)

if you didn't see, i put in the tags of the original post "#btw - he takes you home then chains you both up outside and says something like “this is where dogs stay” :/#dont worry you're perfectly safe (he has a high fence keeping zombies out) but he likes to hear how scared you get when you're out there all#you're both quite well behaved when he lets you in for dinner the next night <3#he only has to scold you once when you both complain about being made to eat while kneeling on the floor next to him"

you're probably both "behaving" because you don't want him to. you know. fucking KILL YOU. but this is also a zombie apocalypse au, so you're both totally feral too. and this is an apocalypse ghost too, which means he's probably way harsher and way rougher around the edges than he even is in canon

anyways i think soap and reader here are more likely to be like "lets wait this out and try to escape when he's not expecting it" except they're like... really bad at trying to play along

ANYWAYS!!!! ghost takes you two back to his compound, ties the both of you up outside for the night. he wraps soap's ankle first, gives him a stern command to stay off of it, and goes back inside like everything is normal. he watches you two over the camera while planning out how he'll build some outdoor kennels for the two of you

you're both cold and tired and hungry and scared the next morning, so it doesn't take much coaxing on his part to get you inside. it takes a lot more coaxing to keep you two on your knees :/

honestly johnny's ankle is so fucked that it's almost a relief to keep pressure off of it (even if it means crawling around on the floor like an animal) but you care a hell of a lot more. ghost threatens to break your ankles before you finally listen :/

he ties the leashes to your wrists, to keep you both out of trouble as much as he can. it's not like either of you are eager to go very far - his house is warm and you're both chilled to the bone from your night outisde

anyways. that's all i've got like, linearly. but i can offer some random little tidbits about their lives after

ghost makes you both eat from the floor. he gives you plates (no silverware) at first and lets you use your hands, and gradually works the two of you up to eating from bowls with just your mouths

you and johnny bicker constantly and simon frequently makes the two of you kiss to make up :( forces you to make out with each other while he smokes a cigarette and enjoys the show. no matter how mad you are, you both end up needy and humping the air when he finally lets you stop

he tries to have you two sleep in the same crate, but it does not go well. ghost very quickly realizes that you two will try to tear each other's throats out if forced that closely together for an entire night

sometimes one of you will try to get the other in trouble. there's one particular night where you trick johnny into misbehaving and he's stuck in the outside kennel all night - but it rains. and every time you glance out the window you see how sad and cold he looks :((( ghost lets you love on him the next morning, and soap is more than eager for a bit of comfort after such a miserable night

[gadriezmannsgirl]

Can you do with family and friends on with gavi broke things off w reader because it was too much and he loved her so much but got scared of love and broke up with her but reader was having a fashion show and Barca got tickets and when gavi found out he wanted to go and beg for you and everyone went to go get you back because they know how much he needed you but you were kinda hesitant to except returning back with him

Loved this request! I got kinda confused at the end, because of the mixed words but I got it after reading it a few times🥴🤭

(Influencer!Reader)

Work For It -P.G

Summary: He left and now he wants to be back...

Being a famous influencer had it's pros and it's cons. You try to always keep up with positive mind and change the negativity to positivity. And sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't.

One of the cons, is that you're always on the spotlight. You can't go out because you have a camera up to your face or fans screaming your name walking besides you trying to get their phones, markers and pictures into you. You basically have to create ways and manage yourself to have a private life.

The other of many cons, is that you almost never have time free. You're always doing something but you kinda like that because it keeps you active, so... Why not?

But being a huge influencer in Barcelona and you being a die-hard Barcelona fan means that the FC Barcelona wanted you to, kind of, promote them, use their newest jerseys, go to the matches and met the players.

Meanwhile that was the greatest thing for you because you are a fan, it was also one of the worst because you fell in love with one of them and two years later, broke up.

But how could you have been stupid enough to fall for the Golden Boy, Pablo Gavi?

He had swept you off of your feet with his charming smile, his sassy and messy attitude, joking around until he at least got one smile from you and then he just left you claiming that "It was too much", "I love you but I can't do this. Not to me and mostly not to you", "You deserve better" and simply just disappeared from your house, from your view and from your life.

So, seeing him, after almost a whole year in the fashion show you were in, along with the guys and a few WAGS, your whole stomach and body turned upside down

"What is he doing here?" You asked to your assistant and best friend, Michelle

"Do you forget that you and the Barcelona team are still connected? I believe the team gave them some tickets for the event" She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

"You would've known that"

"Mikky was also invited, she could've been the one giving them the tickets" She said shrugging her shoulders "I know you don't want him around you, I'll make sure of that but you can't avoid him forever. It's time for you to pass the page and move on"

"That's the thing, Elle" You sighed "I can't seem to"

Yeah, you were still head over heels for the guy that left you without a good reason. You hated it, you hated yourself for that because as much as you wanted to, you couldn't erase those brown eyes and that sweet smile that once was directed to you with warmth, love and care.

"Maybe" She began "This is the clousure you need to keep on with your life and let him be just a nice part of your past" She shrugged her shoulders once more "C'mon, cariño. You gotta pose for the cameras and look pretty"

You smiled a bit at her words and made your way to the carpet, you soothed once more your outfit and plastered a smile, everything was going great until you felt someone tap your shoulder and when you turn around you find no one other than Pedri and Ansu.

"Hola" You said hugging him quickly

"Hola. It's nice to see you after so long" You nod at Ansu

"Bueno..." You shrugg your shoulders a little "What can I say?" The three of you laughed

"You look nice"

"Thanks, Pedri. You do too" He blushes

"Mind if we take some pics together? I miss my friend" You sighed, when Gavi cut all connections with you, you made sure to cut connections with all of them too, barely talking to the WAGs but other than that, no one else from their group.

"Sorry. It's not that easy" You said passing an arm around each boy's waist and pull them for pics

"I bet it isn't... It wasn't easy for him either" Ansu said

"Oh my god!! You're here!!" You heard a femenine voice call and soon a body collide with yours. Mikky. The four of you got out of the carpet and you smiled returning her hug "You're looking absolutely beautiful, I was waiting to see you! I missed you so much!!"

"You were also invited?"

"Of course I was" She pushed her hair back and you both laughed

"I missed you too, Miks" You hug her once more and from behind her you saw Alejandro, Torre, Ferran, Frenkie, Ousmane, Ter Stegen, Robert, Raphina, their wives/girlfriends and lastly Pablo. "And you managed to get almost Barca's whole squad tickets? I need you to tell me that secret because I can barely ask for a plus one" She laughed

"I told them about the show and I think it was Gavi who asked for the tickets, he was so desperate to get them" You raise your eyebrows as Pedri coughs

"Was he?" You turn to Pedri and Ansu, who simply nodded

"Look, babes... I know you two broke it off-"

"He was the one who broke it off, it wasn't me" You said shaking your head at Mikky

"He hasn't been the same without you, Y/N" Pedri said "It still affects him"

"Then if it does, why he did it?"

"He was scared" Ansu said as you laugh

"Scared?" You shook your head "I was scared too but you didn't see me breaking things up, I loved him Ansu and it completely hurted me when he just throw us to the dead line"

"Please, just listen-"

"If you guys came here for me to go back with him, you are in the wrong" You shook your head "You're welcomed to be with me if we don't talk about him, but if you're going to do that then I'll make my exit and wish all of you the best" You said as the rest of the guys approached

"Something's wrong?" Robert asked

You shook your head, smiling softly "I was just leaving" You waved at them and left in the opposite direction

You heard footsteps behind you and you could guess who was the one but still you didn't turned around until you were heading towards the bathrooms inside of the venue

"Can you stop speed walking?" He asked and you shook your head "We need to talk"

"I have nothing to talk to you, Gavi" You said and seconds later saw him standing in front of you blocking your way "Move"

"No"

"Please, move"

"We need to talk"

"You said everything you wanted to say a year ago, I'm done with that"

"But I'm not, Y/N. I'm serious"

"So am I..." For the first time in the night you looked at him in the eyes and sighed looking away before falling into its beauty once more "It was nice seeing you again, Pablo. But I think it's time to let it go, we're just nice strangers with nice memories in common" You moved around him and sending him a one last smile you started walking off

"I don't want to be a simple stranger for you" You managed to hear and you sighed

Neither you wanted him to be but that's what he had decided.

Two hours had passed from that little encounter you had with him and haven't seen him since that moment again, you were sat with your manager and Michelle, your best friend and assistant when she sighed

"What's wrong?" You ask

"Pedri, Ansu and Alejandro are coming" She said "Want me to back them off?" You roll your eyes turning around

You were about to open your mouth when Ansu beat you to it

"Look, I know you probably don't want to see us and you don't want us to talk about him" His strong response had you shocked "and we obviously aren't him to say what exactly went through his mind at the moment of breaking up with you"

"But what we do know is the fact he has been a completely mess because of it" Alejandro said "He's shit at practice and shit out of it. We thought that with time he would get over it, but it's been a year and you're still on his mind and nothing has changed, he still has your birthday picture as his lockscreen and he tries to hide the fact that he goes through your messages, sometimes I find him crying in the shower and other times he's sadly looking at pictures of you two. We can't see him like that anymore and we bet you are exactly the same when no one's around"

"We certainly don't know what he said to fuck what you guys had but he's definitely regretting it. That night of your break up, he came straight to my apartment to cry and kept on asking: "Why did I did that?" over and over again. I never understood what he meant by that until he finally told me that he didn't felt worthy of your love, that he was scared, there was so much going on for him, you knew it and you acted on it but he didn't wanted to feel like he was a burden, he didn't wanted to put any more preassure on your shoulders, his fans were hating on you and he couldn't bear to see you sad because of it. A lot of external facts were the ones who pushed him to make that decision" Pedri said

"But he still checks his phone for you everyday, he sometimes says: "She'll be doing this" or "she'd love this". He doesn't go out with his friends anymore, he basically stopped being that little ray that fucked us up with his moody attitude sometimes" Ansu said making the four of you laugh "We don't say you have to forgive him, we are just asking, for a friend's well being, for you to clear things up and be on the right side"

"You can still be friends, you can go back to what you guys had or simply just not be anything... And that's okay. We just want, for both of you, because you are our friend as well, the best in everysingle aspect possible"

Your eyes danced in between the three youngmen

"Where is he?" You ask whispering, feeling a knot in your throat

"He left"

You nodded, turning around you grabbed your purse and smiled at them "Thank you" They smiled and you hugged them, walking off.

You went into the car that brought you here and told them Pablo's direction. You started biting your nails nervous, why didn't he had said anything from that to you? Were you really still on his phone lockscreen? Does he still loves you, just like you love him after all this time?

You quickly thanked the man and left the car, you pushed your thumb into the gates and it opened, you going straight to his door which you banged over and over again until he opened

"¿Qué-?"

"Gimme your phone, please"

"What? Why?" You shook your head

"Please, gimme your phone, I need to check something" He shook his head as you quickly took it from his hands and saw the lockscreen.

It was both of you, on your 19th birthday party, you smiled before feeling the phone being grabbed away by an angry Pablo

"Why have you done that?"

"Why you still have that pic as a lockscreen?"

"You don't care about it"

"If I'm asking you is because I do"

Silence flowed in between the two of you

"Gimme the real reason why you broke up with me" You shook your head feeling the tears coming up "I don't buy the half assed bullshit, I want the complete thing"

He stood in silence

"How do you know?"

"Why? We were so good, so in love"

"I had a lot of things coming on me, I was stressed, I wasn't playing great, I didn't wanted to transfer my worries and my problems to you, because you had a lot of those for yourself. I kept pushing you away without wanting to, I was and am so in love with you it fucking hurts! My fans were sending you hate, all of that combined made me think I wasn't good for you, fuck, I was so scared of fucking it up but I still did it!" He looked up to the sky, his voice was trembling and his shoulders were shaking. He was crying. "And I hate me for it, all this time we could've been together and we aren't because I let my insecurities get the best of me"

"But we can work on them, we can work on this, on us" You said "I'm not willing to let you go, Pablo. I want us. But you need to work for it because I'm not ready to go through another heartbreak"

"I will, mi amor" You hugged his waist and he pulled you closer to him, kissing your hairline "I will make us work"

°°° °°° °°° °°°

Taglist: @gaviypedrisbride @stuckinaf4nfiction @elijahslover @azzpenswrld

[oddfable]

Sketches of my lovely lovely MC for the magnificent @loveandleases's "Love and Leases".

Nothing real serious, just some doodles of my MC Julia and Cam (or, well... my interpretation of him). This boy has me in a chokehold, and I can't believe Julia picked prissy Chris over him T-T

I'm also really looking forward to Gage and Ardent's romances, but I'll need to build the willpower to NOT romance Cam before I can get to them. Same with Markus and Isaac, and mmmaaaaayyybbbeee Kara. I only hesitate going for her because I'd feel bad if MC dates every Clarke sibling BUT Cam. Doubly so because he is, in my humble opinion, the best Clarke.

Anyways, my heads just buzzing with little tidbits about my girl, so here's a bunch of useless knowledge about her down below.

Quick heads up! This is basically just a long rant about her and her relationship with Cam. Read at your own peril, it's unnecessarily long and dumb.

Name: Julia Fontaine

Dog: Koi the shih tzu

Career Path: Modeling for Cam

Summary: If Jade is the "It Girl", cool and collected and desired, Julia is the "Good Girl". The quiet, well-behaved girl. The sweet plain-Jane. The nice but forgettable sister, quickly overshadowed in the blinding brilliance of Jade Fontaine.

Basically, she was the boring one.

Years of being overlooked in favor of Jade left Julia vying for attention by being perfect. Perfectly behaved, perfectly smart, perfectly understanding and in her shell and away from the spotlight. And for the longest time, this left her very insecure and even more reserved than she already was. For as much as she loved Jade and held little resentment, there was still a part of Julia that compared herself to Jade negatively. After all, it was natural for everyone to favor Jade. And there had to be a reason everyone liked her better.

The only exception to this was Cam.

Whereas other friends would be lured away by her mesmerizing older sister, Cam stuck to Julia's side like a stubborn stain on white sheets. And in doing so, Julia not only thrived in his presence but grew into herself.

Julia came alive whenever Cam was around. With him she smiled brighter, laughed louder, felt more genuine in each and every of her interactions. She was playful, and teasing, and had a much warmer atmosphere. Unafraid of showing how she truly felt. Embracing all of her emotions, the positive and negative.

He helped her be confident, not only in herself as a person, but in her love for art. An outlet that she happily turned into a hobby, and a skill that she tirelessly worked on and developed over the years. Though she still hesitates doing anything worthwhile with it, Julia is easily skilled enough to try going professional as an artist.

Cam brings out the best and the worst of Julia. And for a while, she thought he was "the one". But when his heart went to someone else, her own was stolen by Chris Clarke.

And what a mistake that was, falling for Chris Clarke.

_____________________________

History

Developed a crush on Cam at a very young age. Realized her growing feelings sometime in middle school. Did her best to ignore them until junior year of high school. Starting junior year, she slowly overcame her fear of destroying the friendship and subtly tried confessing. The problem? Her "confessions" were either too vague, easily misunderstood as admission of feelings for someone else, or she would straight up chicken out last minute. ~*~

In college she said "Fuck it" and was going to confess to Cam as straightforward as possible. She had a whole plan and everything. Found an interesting gallery exhibition she knew he'd love and made reservations at a very popular, slightly high-end restaurant. She worked super hard and saved up for months at her part-time job to afford a whole new (pricey) outfit and makeup set, to fund the entire date herself, and so she could buy him this camera he'd recently mentioned. It was a professional camera, recently released, and very expensive. BUT totally worth it. ~*~

Legit went all out when planning to romance him. ~*~

Was going to ask Cam to "hang out" (aka initiate the date) when she heard he was dating someone. Putting her confession on hold, Julia was in complete denial of this new development. Then she saw him with his new girlfriend. She was heartbroken. Regardless, she pushed her own feelings aside and became the #1 supporter of Cam and his girlfriend. Literally went out of her way to get out of the way for the new girl. ~*~

She repurposed the camera she bought as a Christmas gift for Cam. Claimed it was an investment in his future career, but also a bribe so he'd photograph her future wedding for free. ~*~

Before college, Julia didn't think much of Chris. He was kind of just there. Like, a background prop you didn't really notice. Sure, they'd exchange pleasantries and maybe even chitchat for a bit, but that was it. She had no interest in him. When Cam started dating his now-ex, Chris swooped in and wormed his way center stage of Julia's life. The two formed a very close and tight knit friendship. ~*~

Julia was hesitant to start dating Chris. Even though she'd mostly gotten over him, Julia still had lingering feelings for Cam. She ended up giving Chris a shot so long as he promised he'd have no expectations. Much to her shock, Julia was quickly swept off her feet, all feelings for Cam fading away. Needless to say, Julia was genuinely head-over-heels in love with Chris. ~*~

Despite falling for Chris, Cam remained Julia's "person". Her touch stone, someone she absolutely couldn't live without. Wanting her boyfriend and best friend to get along, she put max effort into mending their relationship. The results were... less than ideal. BUT, she tried. Additionally, she put a lot of effort into getting to know Kara better and rest of the Clarkes. ~*~

After "the incident" and moving in with Cam, Julia is horrified her feelings for the red head have returned with a vengeance.

Trivia

Julia paints and draws both digitally and traditionally. That said, she lowkey prefers traditional medium. She loves oil paint the most and is particularly fond of using splash techniques when she can afford the paint and canvas. She'll strategically splashes paint onto the canvas and forms shapes until she gets the image she wants. When it come to people or animals, she's more precise with her strokes. You could say her style is more on the expressionist side. ~*~

A lot of her older drawing notebooks are filled with doodles of Cam. ~*~

Was a tall kid. Would use her height advantage to affectionately tease Cam. Lowkey wonders if their current height difference is some kinda universal karma, especially when he gently teases her the way she used to teased him. ~*~

They have the same energy as a pair of bonded cats so in sync they're basically joined at the hip. ~*~

Julia and Chris were actually a great pair, and Julia would have remained loyal to him till the end of her days had he stayed faithful. She would do a lot of little things to show how much she appreciated him. Things like bring him a snack if he was still working at home. Pack him a nice lunch if she got up early enough and was in the mood, topped with a little stick-it note of a cute drawing and words of affirmation. Also freely gave shoulder massages and back hugs, and overall was incredibly physically affectionate. ~*~

You could say she was physically affectionate to the point of being clingy. Luckily, for the most part, she was empathetic enough to pick up if she was being too much and back off. If she didn't pick up on it, all you'd need to do was tell her and she'd step back. ~*~

Love languages are physical touch and words of affirmation. ~*~

With anyone else, Julia would want to wait until marriage to be "intimate". With Cam, she's pretty much ready to go any time he is. The reason isn't that deep: Julia is terrified of being tied down to a bad relationship because of amazing sex (has seen it happen plenty of times, does not want the same fate). But with Cam, things are different. She has a level of trust in him that goes beyond reasonable. There is no line in the sand when it comes to him, because she knows, in her heart of hearts, that he'd never do anything to hurt her. And she'd never do anything to hurt him. ~*~

Has thalassophobia. Mostly centered around the ocean and sea, but is also unsettled by huge lakes. Could probably overcome it if Cam is with her. Even then, she's goanna be clinging to him like she's dying and he's a lifeline. ~*~

When dating Cam, she half-jokingly suggests they skip dating and get married at the courthouse. Then they can start saving up for their dream wedding. Claims they've known each other so long that it'd work out fine. Says this as a joke because she wants to test the waters and see if the idea puts him off or not. She would absolutely elope and start saving for the wedding of their dreams if he implied he's down for it. She may or may not already have a few ideas for engagement and wedding rings. ~*~

I like to imagine that, after getting notoriety as Cam's model, Julia gains the confidence to sell some of her paintings. I also like to imagine that she and Cam are extremely successful in the world of art and photography.

[idioticcrow]

141 + LV reacting to an older male reader that they didn't expect to be a badass person

Requested by @xdark-acadamiax

Warnings: cannon typical violence, blood, death, explosives, reader being kind if a menace, detailed gore, reader may have a touch of 'tism, reader is 6-7 years older than Price (40), reader is this characters are this font, reader is mentioned to be a demolitions expert, reader kind of turned out feral instead of badass, reader is cruel a but, and a sadist. Reader joined the military at 20-21 and is ranked above Ghost but Below Price, reader knows arabic

Im sorry if it looks gn reader, i have never wrote for m! Reader

Gifs are not mine

Characters Included: Simon 'Ghost' Riley, John 'Soap' Mactavish, Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick, Jonathan Price, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo 'Rudy' Parra

He doesn't really know what's your age but he doesn't underestimate you. Since your older than Price

On this mission you were sent you planned an other thing.

It was a stealth mission, but you got ambushed, you teamed up with Ghost for the time being.

You ran up to a window on the 2nd floor (3rd for the americas) of a building. "What are you planning to do?", "Just watch".

And with that you jumped down.

You jumped down on the enemie's shoulder, broke his shoulders, then used this moment to shoot all of them surrounding then you ripped the knife from the guy's hand and stab his neck with it, cutting in a straight line trough his artery.

Blood was everywhere, on your hand, on your thighs, your boots.

Then the enemy started to tilt from your weight as you got down.

And Ghost just watched this, he would have done this other wise but now he likes your ideas more.

Congrats, you got his respect for your ideas.

When he found out you're an demolitions expert, he knew he is lucky to meet your

You two were sent out on a mission to a lab in far Siberia, you had to sneak in, get the files and explode the building.

There were only stealth allowed so you had a plan, kill 2 enemy and wear their clothes, easy.

Except Soap didn't count on how much demolition you can make on 2 buildings.

He went on building A, and you went to B and C, he got the info, put down the bombs, and radioed you.

But you had other plans, you made gas grenades that contained magnesium and sulfur, and if magnesium is ignited it burns hotter that the sun. And Sulfur was used in old matches that used to explode. Overall the fractions of death.

So after you got the info and put down a bomb, you threw these grenades into the vents, everything I side the building had a glittery layer on them by the Mg (magnesium) .

You and Soap met up at the exfil point and there was nothing more than to send the buildings up above, so you did that.

First he exploded building A, it wasn't a really big blast but you could hear the fire eat up the desks, and everything flammable in there.

Then there went B and C, the explision had bright blue flames because of the burning magnesium and sulfur, it was beautiful.

Soap watched as you smiled at you "art" piece, he had to admit it it was one sight to see. But now, he had a fear of you, a fear in the back if his head that you could do so much more, and make more deadlier gas grenades

He was fond of you since you two understood eachother because of you ages,

he knew that you werent what you seemed because he arranged you here

It was a solo mission for you, but you had a camera on your helmet so he could see what you were doing

He was a bit terrified behind the screen, he never saw someone murder soldiers like this, it was a massacre

The mission went South and you basically had to kill every hostile (100 personnel)

But the twist was that you had 3 mags left, aprox 90 Bullets left (Choose your own gun)

So you went South too, one bullet-one head, you were giving out death to those hostiles like it was a peaceful airsoft match.

Then the Last 10 people, no ammo, face to face, with them having guns

But you had a knife, better that nothing eh?

You jumped onto the 1# guy, for Your luck he was big enough that he could cover you, you jumped and slashed his Neck and threw him onto his allies, -1

Then you sprinted to slash those 2 's neck that stuck under the Dead body -3

There was 7 left, they were in a bit of a shock due to your speed and power to throw a Man 150kg of pure muscle with accuracy

Not only they were suprised but John was suprised behind the screen too. He made the right choice with you.

The remaining 7 just started to shoot at you, you quickly got behind one of them, and broke their neck, then used their body as a shield, Nice! -4

Got onto the 5th person, you slipped into a crouch like position, made a ground with you left arm and kicked the guy in the Ribs, since you launched you entire anatomy at him a single kick, and his heart stopped :). -5

A half of them remained, they were still sooo sure that they can take you down, well no.

After the kick you Again used the Deadbody as a shield, stole his knife then you threw it into 6#'s solar plexus, you threw strong enough to Pierce the tac west, his clothes and his muscles in that area, drop dead, -6.

You decided you had enough showing off and you stole 6's gun, and just shot them up i ran out of ideas sorry

And there was Price again sitting at the desk as he watched all this in a 1st row seat, he really made the Best choice

He knew that you were authority when he saw you on base

He was lucky, that he got on your good side, you didn't scold him for his and Soap's shenanigans, instead you just laughed, maybe even joined if you found it good enough

You Got kidnapped on a Mission, and its been 1 week from it, the guys were back in the safe house making a Plan on getting you out, bit you had enough of being captive.

You were locked in the basement, and you Got the Plan to get out and destroy the building

So when the AQ soldier came in to interrogate you again, you knocked him out switched his clothes with yours and off you went, you knew it would be handy to learnedt arabic

Off you went, to search for C4's and alikes, and thee who seeketh thou shall find

You went to the basement and placed the bomba on the pillars, then you hade done this on every level, telling the AQ soldier that their boss wanted them in his "office"

Then you went around the whole site, the hangars, playing charges on the helis and the pillars, took a car and just drive out of the site

BOOM, all That could be heard, but if listened closely the screams of the AQ soldiers that burned to death, and the sound of falling building parts, the sound of the flames eating up anything fireable, as you watched the fire and the adrenaline started to get out of your system everything hurt,

You Got slapped by the reality that your knee was broken, your shoulder dislocated, your wrist broken, few Ribs broken and just a Lot of bruises and cuts that your torturer had bestoved upon you, you didnt kmow how the AQ didnt notice but you were glad

Of course the explosion wasnt excluded from the team's vision and hearing, espcially from gaz's he was absolutely amazed even though he just heard it, you alone exploded the whole site, probably with one foot in the grave from the week of pain.

You went away from the safe house in solo, of course shit went south and you got back to the safehouse, with half your body in the grave

You got atleast 5 stab wounds, 3 bullets in you, atleast 2 ribs broken, 2 of you fingers partially blown off, 2nd stage burns on your face, and partially blinded by a flash grenade because they thrown like 3 at you and a broken shoulder, yikes

Alejandro knew that you were older than him so he was a bit suprised that you still walked and was able to get yourself back to the safe house without dying ar further injuring yourself

Amd you got the whole job done like the whole mission, it costed a few things but it wouldnt be a bother anymore

After this Alejandro held you with deep respect because he knows for himself that he probably wouldnt be able to still treck back to the safehouse that was 5km away from the base you were attacking.

He started questioning in himself, if you could take this and still treck 5km then how much you can take, and what saddend him a little that to build up this much will and taking yourself back to safety, it must be often happening since you moved with no pained expression

Rudy knew that you were one dangerous fellow but he knew it more when he saw you run into a terrorist base alone to save him

He was projected cameras for him to see that nobody will come for his rescue, but there you were shooting up the building searching

Searching for him, he saw your face of concern and worry as you search for him

Eliminating guards, quickly, 4 and 5 at once to save him and you just kept running for him

You kept running so you could find him alive

He saw how easily you deleted 15 guards with just a single knife before you broke up the door of his cell and save him

When you entered his cell there you were, bloody, sweaty weary and searching for him

And you saw him, bloody and tired from torture so they could get information from him

-------

I'm sorry I ran out of ideas for Rudy's part

[casinodove]

✧ COULD BUY ANYTHING . sagau headcanons

✧ SUMMARYzz.. 1111

Sagau except the reader has yet to descend, and is filthy rich. They already have the entire world at their fingertips, their family has wealth unspeakable and an insane amount of connections. To put it simply, reader is a stereotypical filthy rich person.

✧ PAIRINGzz.. 2222

Sagau x GN!reader

✧ WARNINGzz.. 3333

Religious themes , cult au , privacy deprivation , mentions of blood n human + animal sacrifices , helplessness , some characters get desperate .

✧ SIDE NOTESzz.. 4444

Idk why I got the motivation to write but hey, not complaining

THE acolytes found you rather interesting actually, beyond the fact that you were obviously their creator, they still happened to find the way you seemingly could buy about everything interesting.

Your mora seemed to never run out, almost as if you had an infinite amount of it. And, your device never lagged somehow.

You were always on new devices, they were sure. Each and every able to run the game faster than the last. And, well, once they got access to your camera and were able to see even a glimpse of you, they understood why.

They were barely able to see half of your room, it was well lit and actually,, seemed rather luxurious. Now, the acolytes weren't stupid. Surely, they now knew that you weren't anywhere near poor, instead they assumed your wealth was above average, if not, insanely high.

Panics, since your wealth is beyond average, that means your used to luxuries. Whatever will they do if you dislike their offerings or deem them as too cheap for your liking once you descend?? Oh, this is a disaster!

Xiao , Zhongli , Thoma , Traveler , Barbara , Kokomi , Gorou ++ any non filthy rich character basically

Someone with taste, at last! A challenge is always nice, but don't you worry for they will sacrifice treasures from all over teyvat for you. Handmade trinkets you can't ever find anywhere outside of teyvat, pretty hidden gems that sparkle and shine brighter than the sun itself.

Kamisato siblings , Pantalone , Ningguang , Beidou , Childe .

Well,,,, they'll try their best! Surely, they will find something that you'll like, no? It can't be that hard..or so they hope.

Wanderer , Traveler , Kazuha , Albedo , Zhongli , Thoma , Venti , Gorou , Kokomi

Please, their taste is beyond lavish. They'll find you the best of the best, price tags are mere numbers to them. Doesn't matter how many millions of mora they'll have to spend on merely a coat, a necklace or a pair of silk gloves for you, it isn't a waste if its for the divine creator!

Pantalone , Tsaritsa , Ningguang , Kamisato siblings .

Honestly,, they'll just continue making sacrifices per usual. And if you don't like them, that's too bad! They tried okay? You can't expect everyone to be filthy rich! That doesn't make them a sinner, it simply makes them logical person! And in the end, their wealth shouldn't matter so much that it shows their level of faith. Some people just, don't want to be spending millions of mora for a small piece of jewelry.

Rosaria , Dottore , Wanderer .

They try buying nice things that they think you'd like, it's expensive surely you must like it! Right? Right?? It's even in the favorite shade of your favorite color! Please don't be disappointed in them, they'll try get something more lavish next time they swear!

Diluc , Gorou , Kokomi , Jean .

They're the one who has built many many manyyy altars, churches and statues in your honor, still gives you things twice as expensive as like all of your organs combined.

Tsaritsa , Ningguang , Kamisato siblings

More of a corpse sacrificing person. Kills and goes to wars in your very honor, will bring multiple gallons of human or animal blood to your altars if you even imply you'd want it.

Capitano , Childe , Arlecchino

Offers you their own creations! It's free servants, and they'll never dare to disobey you! Wayy better than a normal human servant no? They're custom made, include multiple insane features and are guaranteed to help you out in your day to day life once you descend! How can you not accept that??

Dottore , Sandrone

✧ ENDING NOTEzz.. 5555

Christmas is sooo close! I may do a Christmas n New years special but that's a maybe.

✧ casinodove , 22/12/22 .

[pip-n-chips]

How about being Harper's favourite fucking menace though? Fighting everything he does tooth and nail, in a straightjacket every night, getting other patients to distract the orderlies so you can beat his ass... No matter what he does, it doesn't break down your spirit. It's infuriating, he just can't get his hands on you. he might have to use more... sinister methods...

YES YES AND YES!! also this didn't go in the direction I planned it to go, but here's something for you regardless

Harper absentmindedly drums his fingers against the wooden desk as he looks through patient files, the room filled with silence aside from the occasional clicking of his computer mouse. His fingers halt upon reaching your name.

Harper considers himself a patient man, and in his line of work it's absolutely crucial to be. But even the best of men lose their patience, and his is running very, very thin.

His eye twitches.

The reason?

You.

(continued under the cut)

You you you, of course it's you. He's dealt with patients in the past who didn't, ah,, favor his methods, but he's never met anyone quite like you before.

You're always resisting, always fighting. You just don't know when to quit, to give in, and it drives him mad. If you were anyone else, he would have accepted the loss and sent you over to Remy's, made you their problem, but no.

He couldn't. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

Because something about you draws him in; he wants to study you, get inside your head. He wants to fix you. He's not meant to be the bad guy in your story, why can't you see it? He can help you, he can make you feel all better, but you can't fucking see it yet.

Harper leans back in his chair and takes off his glasses to drag a hand over his face, frustrated. His attention shifts to the familiar tightness in his pants, and he glances down at his crotch.

He can't deny the effect you have on him, however.

Every snarky comment, every demand. Every kick and every scream. Everytime you shake yourself out of the trance he put you in, everytime you deny deny deny...

Oh,

you sweet little thing.

You must think it's wearing him down, bit by bit, but you'd be such a fool to think so. All it does is make him want you more and more and more. He can't lie and say a part of him doesn't like how you've been fighting him, because you give him a challenge. You give him a kind of thrill he's never felt before.

God, you're such a tease.

He wants to tame the untameable, cure the incurable. You are the mouse to his cat, and he wants to chase you down and show you what he can really do. And once he has you in his grip, he's never, ever going to let you go.

The tightness is almost unbearable now. Harper's belt clinks as he hastily removes it and unzips his fly. His cock is soon in his hand, the tip already dribbling with precum. He shakily lets out the breath he's been holding onto as he starts to stroke.

How do you tame a mouse? Do you give it cheese? What would be your cheese? Do you trap it? Maybe he should toss you into the quiet room again- but ah. Last time he left you there for too long, he saw you back in town after a while of searching here. He still hasn't figured out how you managed to get past security. Or the cameras. What a sneaky little bastard, you are.

He loves it.

Maybe he should throw you in a rigged maze, one you can never solve. One you can never escape. It'd wear you down until you come to him begging. But would you even ask for help? Maybe he could deprive you of everything except the basic necessities until you're forced accept his help, it'd teach you to be humble. You fight so much to maintain your broken yet incredible mind, so he couldn't imagine you giving up completely.

His breath quickens as he lets his thoughts run wild, the room filling up with his desperate grunts and the slick sound of skin rubbing against skin as he gets more and more aroused.

That could work, and he has a separate property in mind to keep you. Well- technically Remy owns it, but it's been unused for a while, and he's sure he could pull some strings to make it work. He's going to make sure he's all you see, all you feel. You'll be so starved for any type of interaction, you'll practically be begging for his cock inside you- any hole of his choosing. He'll drug and tie you up so you can't fight anymore, and you'll finally see just how much he can help you. How much you need him, and how much he needs-

Harper suddenly convulses, thick ropes of semen spurting from his cock, splattering on his desk. He sinks into his chair, panting, waiting for his mind to clear.

Only you could get him so hot and bothered like this. Only you can give him this kind of reaction. You must be doing this on purpose, this must be your plan. To rile him up, to tempt him. The way you fight, the way you look at him... You're asking for it, surely- It's all a cry for attention. You're playing games with him, hoping you'll lose. You just don't want to admit it, because if you did, you'd have to face the truth. And you and him both know that you prefer your little lies.

How could someone so strong be so cowardly?

Harper reaches into a drawer for wipes and begins to clean up the mess resulting from,, his activities. He thought he got all of it, but upon looking up he sees some managed to land on the computer screen, right on the image of your face.

Would you look at that...

A low chuckle escapes past his lips as he leans forward. His breath his hot against his face as he caresses your image and wipes it clean with his thumb. He wonders what it would be like, cumming on you like this. (You'd hate it with a burning passion, but he'll teach you to love it. Just like how he'll teach you to love him.)

He's itching to find out, but he can wait.

It won't be too long now, anyway.

(Not long at all...)

If you want to keep playing your little games of fighting and denying and teasing and pretending- then that's fine!

He'll play too.

It'll just make his prize upon winning that much sweeter.

[d4isywhims]

hello friends! 🌷

recently i got an ask on how i edit my instagram screenshots and here in gemville, all you have to do is ask and you shall receive my child

fun stuff under the cut!

this guide will be divided into two parts: how i take & edit my gameplay screenshots and how i edit my simstagram posts

before we get into the actual tutorial, here are a list of things that i use to help me take better screenies :)

gshade

i'm using an older version of gshade because - thanks to my procrastination - i never updated the version before everything went to shit.

2. presets!

i switch around between presets a lot lmao but for the most part, i use ellcrze's gshade preset for my family dynamics save, sunset n vinyl for my globetrotter save & sim download pictures and a modified boho dreams for my tjol legacy save (first post coming up soon!) sometimes i use lithium for cas pics too :p click here for a somewhat detailed explanation lol

3. tab mode camera mod

this camera mod is a godsend and makes taking screenshots soooooo much easier! 😌 i highly recommend getting this mod!!!

i think i mentioned this before in an ask - i edit my screenshots in photoshop before posting them on tumblr :D i don't really do much, just running a few actions and cropping my screenies. gshade does most of the work for me lol

this tutorial by @buglaur is insanelyyyy helpful omg i based my entire editing process on her tutorial, except for the colouring part because i'm lazy hehe

here's an example of my screenshots before and after editing (cropping the screenshot and running some actions)! there’s not much difference because as i said earlier, gshade will basically carry your entire editing process 💀

sometimes i put text in my pics like these screenies below :) i mainly use these two fonts - winkle and lemon milk :D

and that's about it for part one! now it's time for

here's what you neeeeeed

1. photoshop

i'm using a 🏴‍☠️ version of photoshop that i got from a somewhat sketchy website but it runs great so i'm not complaining 💀

2. instagram post template and instagram story template

a HUGEEEE thank you to @windslar for sharing the instagram story template link 😭 she is such an inspiration to me 💛

3. the actual instagram app

this is how i add text and emojis to my simstagram posts lol

disclaimer: i am NOT a photoshop expert. there's probably an easier way to do what i'm about to show you, but this works for me and i don't really mind the steps hehe

first things first, you're gonna want to open the psd files on photoshop and it'll look like this, depending on which file you opened

i usually just hide the layers that i don't need so in this case i'll hide the tagged users layer from the story psd and the bg layer from the post psd.

these are the layers that i hide but you can also leave them on if you want hehe totally up to you my dude. then you'll end up with something like the pics below

now we move on to the profile pictures! so what i do is i click these layers (shown below) and go 'file > place embedded > selected picture'

once you do that, you'll end up with something like this (below)! use 'ctrl + t' to resize your picture to fit into where the profile picture would go.

right click on the layer of your selected picture and click 'create clipping mask'. then you can hit 'ctrl + d' to adjust the picture to your liking!

now for the actual pictures for the posts. click on these layers (shown below) and go 'file > place embedded > your selected picture'

now all you have to do is 'ctrl + t' to resize your pictures, right click on the layer of the selected picture and click 'create clipping mask' then 'ctrl + t' again to adjust the pics!

after this whole process, i'll export my pics to my family dynamics folder on my desktop and queue it up on tumblr! :D sometimes my simstagram story posts have text and emojis like these ones below

all i did was upload the pics to google drive, download it to my phone, add text/emoji on the actual instagram app then saving the story to my phone... a lot of work but i don't really mind <3

aaannnnddd that's it!!!! i can't believe i made this guide 😭 hopefully this helps :D english isn't my first language so apologies for any grammar/spelling mistakes i've made in this post 🙈 feel free to ask any questions and i'll try my best to reply to you asap!!

[sovonight]

what's exhausting about bg3? I know me and a few others haven't been able to get it bc we're poor and I wanted your take on how it's exhausting if you don't mind

i called it exhausting for ace reasons so if you're not super ace you'll be fine. i do have other disappointments though:

visual character customization is lacking

like okay i'd bought the game blind so my disappointment is 100% on me, but can you blame me for assuming based on posts of people raving about the customization options and saying they 'made their oc' that there would be a fully-fledged cc with sliders for facial features and everything??

what you get is just a set of like 8 preset faces (for human/elf/half-elf/tiefling/etc at least) and 2-4 body options. there's an impressive amount of hairstyles at least, but what the fuck does that matter if i can't even really customize my character's face. there's not even much you can do with the textures--you only get a palette of pre-approved colors instead of a color picker, there's no option to flip or translate tattoos/facepaint, and you can't even layer makeup textures. the ui design here is very clunky too which just underlines how low of a priority it must've been

on one hand i get it, this all costs time and money and they clearly had a lot on their plate with the actual meat of the game, but on the other hand my character gets the most closeups on the camera in dialogue/cutscenes, so why can't i do more with their appearance?? the character customization possibilities everyone raved about really just boil down to class, stats, & numbers, so basically more like arpg character building, where it's more about gameplay than the character

don't get me wrong, the race/background/class you pick do influence dialogue options, but i can't do something as standard as sculpt my character's face?? are you kidding me?? like, if they're not gonna let me do that, then what the fuck are all these high res glossy graphics for?? everyone else in this game gets a unique look except for me, huh? if they care that little they might as well turn this back into a text-centric game and let me import a custom png for my character like in the old days

there are a few points in the game where i was like, they really took the trouble to write and pay a voice actor to voice responses based on player actions to that level of specificity… when that time and money could've been put towards the cc. like yeah it's impressive, but it's empty. i don't need this character to voice my exact actions--i KNOW i took those actions--i want something of worth to me.

navigating the map is kind of a pain

you use the keyboard to control the camera, and you use the mouse to click where you want the character to go. the issue i have with this is that the camera is SO frustrating to orient and zoom in and out sometimes--they go through great pains to try and not show the insides of any 3d models while you're moving the camera, and they'll cut away the rooftops and other levels for you, but sometimes the game just Doesn't Understand What I'm Trying To See. like they've made it so ~elegant~ and ~presentable~ that it gets in my way. i constantly feel like i'm fighting the controls--not just of the camera, but the movement too. tbf, i don't know how this could be made better so i think what they did was the best solution, but i do get very frustrated

there's no undo button if i click "hide" by accident

unlike literally every other button on the hotbar, there's no "click again to confirm" or "right click to cancel". they just instantly hide and that bonus action is WASTED

you can enable tutorial-like informative popups, but they forget to teach you some of the most basic ways to interact with the world

there's a heavy rock at some point that's "too heavy to throw" but is clearly meant to be interacted with. …you're supposed to click and drag to "drag" it away. i had to look up what to do with it and i'm not crazy because MANY people had the same question!! not to mention those small tunnels around the environment where your character's like "well I'M too large to fit in there" and i'm like "oh i'll summon my tiny familiar and have them scurry in there!" only for the tunnel to be like "uh your familiar can't interact with me actually". so i give up because i'm over it at that point and i go online hours later to look it up and SOMEONE SAYS YOU CAN SEND YOUR FAMILIAR THROUGH THE TUNN-- (at this point i have keeled over in rage)

you can press left alt to highlight interactable items, but they only highlight what they think is important based on their own mysterious criteria. you have to sweep around like it's an i-spy game to figure out ALL the interactables in the area

i would like this if the CAMERA WERE EASIER TO OPERATE and if--actually no! no! i would NEVER like this! either highlight everything or highlight nothing at all, don't waste my time! i understand that some stuff is left unhighlighted so that the characters can roll perception checks and go "OH! a hidden lever!" but JUST TELL ME OUTRIGHT WHERE THE CRATES ARE. i play with an unavoidable glare on my screen and also, frankly, i have better things to do than squint and pick out every item in the room. let me get my meagre satisfaction from looting and be done with it!

there is absolutely no firm indication of when you might be stepping into an exclusively romantic or sexual line of dialogue

i would like this if i could turn the sex off. like set sex to no. i'm a fan of not having too many dialogue indicators or visible approval bars, BUT ONLY when i know i can relax and feel comfortable in the game. this game loves suggestive wording so i can never tell whether a scene could just be played platonically or not. like (early spoiler) gale invites you to a private magic lesson that he says can only take place in an intimate setting, so you meet him after the party, alone. given the other conversations i'd just experienced (from the fighter & the vampire) i was like great this is going to be sexual isn't it, but i was weak and wanted character interaction so i gave in and i went--and then IT WASN'T??? in fact you could play it totally platonically?? so i almost MISSED a perfectly good companion interaction because of the overly suggestive way it was worded!

"sovo are you sure that isn't just gale's personality to say it like that" YES BECAUSE EVERY COMPANION EXHIBITS THIS. it's woven into the companions, into the narration, into all the word choices. it's just a suggestive game all around, the atmosphere NEVER goes away, even when it's just a false alarm. it's part of why it's so ABSOLUTELY exhausting--because i know every other person playing this and seeing this is having a blast, and i'm the only one out here with my guard up and 10 layers of emotional shielding because i CAN'T like any companions because they're GOING to proposition my character at some point and i WILL take emotional damage when my only options are "yes let's enter a fully animated sex scene!" or "no i fucking hate your guts". do you see?? do you see my pain?? where is the middle option--the compromise?? and oh yeah, the rest of the real life world thinks my complaints are baseless, ridiculous, and avoidable. "just don't fucking play, idiot!" but do i not deserve to have fun as well? can i not get a CRUMB of something in a world where i have to make everything myself?? just once, can i play a game and have it fit--not perfectly, but at least fit??

just give me the heart icons of da:2/da:i. tell me when i'm walking into a flag i don't want to raise. better yet, when the game asks whether or not you want nudity enabled, add an option there to opt out of romance too. i say romance even though all i want is to opt out of the sex dialogue options bc as we all know romance and sex can NEVER be separated--

anyway those are my gripes. the things i like about it are… well, there are a few fights where i was like, oh that's cool that it actually uses the environment and/or teaches you a mechanic about the game that you can put into use later. the environmental puzzles are interesting, but all satisfaction is lost when i have to look up the basic mechanics they rely on that i was never taught or made aware of in-game. but i don't play games like these for gameplay, i play them for the story and the companions and the romance, so given this specific game i guess i should just keel over and die

[salemsimsrender]

Beginner Blender Tutorial Basic Render: Part Three (Adjusting Render Settings, Adding Lights, and Rendering!)

(Continuing from Part Two)

Step 1: Adjusting Render Settings

I exclusively render in Cycles, and though I'll be doing some Eevee runs for the sake of tutorials, I'm going to share what I know today and show you how to set up a Cycles render the way I do

Navigate to Render Properties and select "Cycles" in the Render Engine dropdown

If you have an older system, leave CPU selected If you have a newer or beefier computer, select GPU complete I render on a MacBook Pro, so I'll select GPU

Under Sampling -> Viewport, make sure you click on the Denoise, this will clean up our render preview so we can more easily see what the final result will look like

Under the same Sampling tab, adjust your Max Samples to match mine (32 in the viewport and 128 in the render window, this will speed up your render time)

Click into Output Properties and select "Render Region" and "Crop to Render Region", and change the frame rate to 50fps In the Output tab, change the Color Depth to 16 Nothing will change in our 3D Viewport, but the settings are ready to go

Step 2: Adding Lights

Right now, if we were to change our mode to Rendered, we'd have nothing but a black box. This is because our sim is in a cube with no light source Let's add some lights! For portraits, I like to use a combination of Spot and Point lights You add in lights the same way you add in the camera and the cube, either by clicking "Add" in the top menu or with Shift+A on your keyboard and selecting Light -> Spot or Point I'm going to add a Spotlight first I like to add in lights in Rendered view, but be careful using rendered view as it ups the chances that your Blender will crash

I added in a spotlight but it appears that nothing happened Objects are added into Blender at the Cursor point. I never adjusted mine so it's at the center of the axis, meaning below my sim's feet and outside of the box Using G and X,Y,Z, I'm going to move my spotlight up

Now the light is above her, but I want it shining on her, so I'm going to rotate it forward Rotate objects using the R key and X,Y,Z directions on your keyboard

That's not bad, but I want more dynamic light. I'm going to add two more spotlights for 3 point lighting

This is looking better, and you can see where my lights are and how they're oriented Now let's adjust the background Select your cube in the Outliner panel and navigate to Material Properties Click "new" in the bar Then navigate to your Shader Editor window and you'll see a Principled BSDF Node is here

We're not going to do anything too fancy here, just change the color of the cube and some aspects of how it looks Change the color of your box using the color wheel then adjust your nodes to everything is set to zero except roughness

You should have something like this (of course use whatever color compliments your sim best)

I don't want the background to be super flat, so I'm going to adjust the Metallic value on mine Now I have this:

I like the lighting but I think it might be a little too bright Let's adjust it a little In your Outliner panel, select one of the spotlights then go to "Object Data Properties" (the little lightbulb)

I'm going to adjust the Power to 5 and click off multiple importance and click on shadow caustics, like this:

Do the same for all three spotlights and you should have something like this:

That's better, but let's draw attention to her face with a Point light Add in a point light the same way as a spot (shift+A, light -> point) or Add in the top bar) and move it in front of her face

This is obviously way too bright, so let's adjust it like we did for the spotlights I've changed the radius and adjusted the power to 8, as shown here:

Here's the result:

That's much better! Normally at this point I would probably change her hair and add in jewelry and make minor adjustments to this and that, but for the sake of this super simple beginner render, we're ready to go! Before you run your render, save this file somewhere easy to find. I'll be using the same file for future tutorials!

Step 3: Rendering!

Once you've done all the setup, rendering is actually super easy Make sure you switch your 3D viewport back to Material Preview (rendering while in rendered mode has a tendency to make blender crash) Then go up to the navigation bar and select Render -> Render Image

A new window will pop up, and your render will begin!

Rendering time will depend on how complex your scene is and how many assets you've added in. Ours is very simple so mine says it'll take about 6 minutes

And it's done! Save your render and either post it or edit it in your favorite photo editor!

UPDATE 7/17/23

As you can see, my render was looking very glowy. I didn't know why (there was no glare node in the compositing settings or anything that would cause this, or so I thought), until I adjusted the roughness values on my sim.

Now it looks like this:

So if yours is looking glowy, adjust the roughness to 0, then back up to 10 and that should fix it!

Homework:

Your Render School homework is to create a simple portrait render using these tutorials and tag me in it! I can't wait to see what yall make!

Please leave any questions in the comments below or send an ask and I'll help as best I can!

Happy Rendering!

[variousqueerthings]

So I rewatched the scene in period of adjustment and this time I noticed (because I wasn’t too busy gasping out loud) that BJ even says that Trapper built that still with Hawkeye!!

I fully was reading that whole context as subtext, but he fucking says it!!! (and then the camera cuts to a close-up of Hawkeye like this:

(what cannot be seen in a screenshot is how heavily he swallows, but the intensity of the expression? the bruise) 

It’s not until after that BJ says that he’s home too and Hawkeye tells him that he’ll go home, they all will (convincing nobody, including yourself of “going home” without leaving something behind...) 

but this isn’t about Hawkeye in this scene, it’s really just that I missed that whole moment, because I was already agog at the whole thing -- we’re talking about BJ:

(you ever think about how he missed this whole period in his own kid’s life?)

BJ who wants to go home, because that’s his lifeline, which reminds me once again of Trapper (and the way I think BJ will always hate Trapper for being there first -- no other character sits in someone’s shadow like he does, not Potter, not Klinger, not Charles). Both of them try to think of this part of their lives as a blip, after which they can return home to the real world and presumably forget it ever happened, although the way that they exist within the blip itself is different.

(and ok maybe this will be a bit about Hawkeye anyway)

With Hawkeye the feeling is he’ll never “escape,” if that was even something he was capable of trying to do in the first place (every moment is intensely real, welcome to Hawkeye and undiagnosed Brain Chemistry), but also these people all matter so much to him, which is part of the sadness of them having Something Else to return to, knowing that he’s a small part of a larger picture they’d all rather forget (except for Margaret...........??? I assume???)

anyway

BJ’s probably not going to forget, nor is he going to fit back into his old life like he used to (at least, that’s his fear), nor is the war going to leave him, nor is this a blip or an unreality, but he’ll fight it anyway (somethingsomething, my guy you’re so fucked up in ways that Sidney ought to prod at, but you’re waaay better at hiding it behind amiability up until the point you punch your best friend in the face)

Also this callback to BJ cheating on Peggy before (I was warned we hadn’t necessarily seen the last of that!) and Hawkeye being in his corner once more in ways that... aren’t the exact same words to last time, but have a similar sort of tinge to them -- that is, Hawkeye is basically making sure that BJ doesn’t fuck up with her (again). Anyway I wrote a whole post about that back in s4 (Season 4????? what!!)

And then this episode written and directed by Mike Farrell:

BJ: I’m a prisoner of war

BJ: I can’t go from “how do you do” to “I love you” because of the war!

BJ: I have a lifeline. I’m hooked to a little house in Mill Valley where my wife and daughter live. That line gives one tiny element of control in a situation where everything else is beyond my control

BJ: I’ve got to live for tomorrow, because for me there’s no now

I wonder how this attitude is going to serve him once the war actually ends. My guess is “not very well”

I suppose the conclusion to this is: this man is not okay. and he won’t be going home anymore than the rest of them. and the ways the war and the military hold him hostage means he can’t feel the things he may want to feel. and the lifeline he’s so desperately holding onto is fraying by the second (but may not noticeably break until he’s actually back?) and the dissolution of traditional/expected nuclear familial bonds. and Hawkeye built the still with Trapper. 

[pluviophile-bookworm]

HSMTMTS season 4 reflections: I have been changed for good

It's been an incredibly wild ride and I was overflowing with emotions even before watching the final season, but now... the emotions are even stronger. I've let them settle down a bit and I think I'm ready now to share a list of my favourite and least favourite things about this season (both lists in a completely random order, though more or less chronological, if anything).

My favourite things:

‘It’s a good thing the cameras won’t be in our faces back at school. Right?’ This has the exact same energy as ‘Nothing will shake these ivy walls’ in School of Rock, and I love it for that. I'm all about the dramatic irony.

Alyson Reed as Ms Darbus looks just like a much older version of Ashlyn as her in season 1. What I’m saying is, the casting choice of Ash as Ms Darbus was on point.

I learnt the hard way back in season 2 not to get too invested in any core four relationships, but Ricky and Gina… they’re kinda it. I mean, just look at them, they’re so cute. Also, I've come to realise that, as an aroace autistic person who loves shipping, I mostly tend to ship canon couples only, except for when I don't perceive them as having chemistry. Conversely, I will sometimes ship non-canon couples if I perceive them as having chemistry. This will be important a bit later.

Rina's duet with the montage of season 1 references. That was so beautiful. And don't get me started on their Can I Have This Dance... Miss Jenn was trying to get through the table read quickly through all the chaos and wanted to skip over the songs, but Gina was just like 'no, I'm not doing that'. And we love her for it.

Ricky’s ‘You can tell it’s a joke because I laughed’… so me-core. Love it.

I found the bit about Troy and Gabriella being in couple's therapy so funny... I wonder, is that anything like Therapy from Tick Tick Boom?

Now or Never, the audition version (and the show version, too, but especially this one). That was the definition of Slay.

As a newly dog-favourable person, I would agree with Ricky — puppies are everyone’s kryptonite. In one way or another… I mean, can you believe that up until this last April, I would just literally go out of my way to avoid crossing paths with any dog of any kind, and then I put it into my head that I wanted that to stop, and now I’m this close to actually becoming a dog person? All this to say… I really appreciate those puppies. Everything really is better with puppies.

Ricky's background character in the film was giving Thayne Jasperson in Stick to the Status Quo. I enjoyed that.

Ashlyn's iconic 'I'm dying, I'm deceased, yes' is back again, and once again it comes in connection to Ms Darbus. We love to see the parallels.

Nightmares Come to Life is such a good song, though. Hallowe’en-y, creative, but also reflective of the characters’ very real fears and anxieties. Might be my favourite. Or it might not -- remains to be seen.

Why are all of Ashlyn’s songs the best in the show? Idk, but I might be warming up to Madlyn after this. Call It What You Want is quite something and their chemistry is off the charts.

Redlyn have always been so in sync, they even broke up with so much love and respect and amicability... I've heard the phrase 'We can still be friends' so many times, but they're one of the few ex-couples where I actually fully believe it.

EJ and Ricky’s duet is everything, and they’re finally, finally letting Matt sing… took them long enough.

Big Red in the last couple of episodes -- I literally teared up instantly even upon his first appearance, and with the exception of the extremely stupid and unnecessary cheating storyline, I just enjoyed seeing him one last time and especially getting to say a proper, less embittered goodbye at the end.

Carlos' recap in 4x6 goes hard. Pun absolutely intended. As were all of his go puns in it.

4x6 is the most Glee this show has ever been, even if we take season 1 into account. This is basically the '2009' episode of HSMTMTS, and my favourite of this season until the final one.

Seblos being back and making me believe in love again. I think the world healed a little after that duet. Though I've got to wonder... if it was meant for Ryan and his partner in the film... what is the script making those two go through to warrant such a song? I'm just curious, is all.

Dreams Don't Die, and Emmy's energy throughout the entirety of this season. It's been a sight to behold for certain.

Miss Jenn sending out Ricky's college application behind his back (Troy and Ms Darbus much?) and Mr Mazzara, Benny if you will, vouching for him. The world has truly turned upside down.

EJ and Big Red and Seb showing up for opening night (and Ricky carrying on Nini's opening night cards tradition), the way the gods intended. Big Red expecting to be 'screaming, crying, throwing up' (huh, a bit like on BATB opening night in season 2, innit?), and EJ just vibing to the entire first act, while Seb sings along like his life depends on it.

Carlos and Kourtney being magnificently fabulous as Ryan and Sharpay. Also, Seb just walking out there amid the number and planting one on Carlos with no warning. I sort of got Nick Nelson on sports day in season 1 of Heartstopper vibes from this. 'This means we're a thing'... we love it.

EJ’s scene with Miss Jenn… when did he become so wise? I was going to ask that about his scene with Ricky in 4x5, but this, this is something else. This is an adult conversation he’s having. It was even officially labelled as such. I just… I love this boy, this young man, I really wish him all the best. I wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told me this during season 1, but I shall miss Elton John Caswell.

'Antoine' not really being French was absolutely something I'd called all the way back in 2x7, but back then I certainly couldn't have called him being interested in Big Red, and not in a million years Big Red being interested in 'Napoleon over here', as he once referred to him. Then again, back before I watched this season, I'd never considered the thought of Redlyn not being endgame, so there's that. But I'm now 1000% here for it. As I mentioned a bit earlier, I ship canon couples if I see chemistry between them. (Also, it took me longer than it should have, but... Andy? Like Andrew? They literally didn't bother giving the character a name.)

The last ten or so minutes of it all, with Denny's and Born to be Brave and For Good at the end... now that was a sendoff such as this show deserved.

My least favourite things (some of them I find mildly irritating, others I'm actually enraged by; I hope it comes across which are which):

In the entire first half of the season, feeling like I couldn't even say 'Seblos' anymore bc they felt, for the first time since forever, like such separate entities which didn't seem like they'd be one again. That was painful for a while.

The 'Seb and Big Red cheating on Carlos and Ashlyn together' plotline... like, not only is this sticking an arguably biphobic stereotype on my favourite character, but it also feels extremely out of character for both of them. Another bit which just hurt to watch and to think about.

This is a bit of a gripe with HSM3 itself, but also with the fact that this version did nothing to change that up -- the two genders according to A Night to Remember: excited for prom and dreading prom. Interesting how I've always identified with the latter and to this day regret going to my prom... oh well. This is one of those mildly irritating ones.

The way Emmy pronounced Jean Valjean... I mean, nobody’s perfect. Even Mike Faist says ‘mischievious’. But this was a bit much for me. Still, it was sobering in this emotionally charged moment. I sort of needed something like this to take me out of things for a bit.

So yeah, it's clear to see that I liked more about this season than I disliked. At the end of the day, I walked into this season expecting to feel a bit 'meh' about it and walked out all like 'how can I sleep at night, pretend that I'm fine leaving it all behind'... That's been HSMTMTS, and it's been quite a wild ride. Because I knew you, I have been changed for good, indeed.

[angelsdean]

AU where everything is the same except deancas are casually affectionate with each other like they cuddle during movie nights and they touch and they hug every time they’re reunited after being apart (even if it was just a grocery trip) and dean is constantly running his fingers through cas’s hair trying to fix it and he does cas’s tie for him every morning and sometimes (a lot of times) they sleep in the same bed because dean falls asleep during movie nights and octopus hugs cas all night or dean has a nightmare and just asks cas to hold him because it makes him feel better and they SAY how they feel and how much they care abt each other (even if it’s a bitch to get the words out) and cas texts strings of heart emojis and dean replies with the ‘i love you’ hand emoji and sometimes he’ll say ‘love ya, buddy’ and cas’ll say ‘love you’ and Everyone thinks they’re dating, thinks they’ve been dating for years but. no. and then the confession happens and dean is just like. well yea cas loves me, we’re literally besties. and he’s walking around doing the widower’s routine 2.0 and sam’s like ‘we’ll get him back’ and keeps making parallels to losing eileen and losing jess and dean’s like yea ok but it’s WORSE than that he’s my BEST FRIEND. and basically he just doesn’t even realize it’s romantic until cas is back in front of him and he’s sobbing “i love you too you idiot” and they’re hugging and cas thinks it’s reciprocated (it is but dean’s dumb) and dean’s like “good to have you back buddy” and cas stares into the camera like wtf and THEN. dean kisses him because what else is he supposed to do?? he’s abt to vibrate out of his skin with all the adrenaline and emotion so might as well kiss cas, that sounds like a good idea. he’s still sobbing btw and he pulls back like “whoa i-- uh.” and cas is just like shut up shut up shut up and kiss me again. so they do that 

[jarita123]

The Essex Serpent

I finally managed to rewatch the show. The first time I watched it, was a week by week and I think this one was made to be bingewatched.

Spoilers will follow for the show AND the book. Also, please forgive errors, English is not my first language but I just wanted to share some of my thoughts and it is easier to write it in English :)

I read the book before it was announced that they are making it into the show and before Tom was even cast. I just like reading, basically everything and when Victorian era is involved, with mystery elements, I am all in. I did not read it in English but in my language so I may have missed some nuances but I think the translation was spot on.

I don´t think it was Tom´s best work, in the sense that the show did not make waves but was not bad at all. But it seems to be the case with many Apple+ shows. They invest money, give the directors and writers freedom, don´t care much about ratings and produce a lots of quality content but somehow, they still shake a bit behind Netflix, D+ or Amazon as far as the audience appreciation goes (with noteble exceptions like Ted Lasso, I guess)

And I think the way they streamlined the story for the miniseries worked, tbh. The book is OK but it had a lot going on, with an uneven ending and with most characters unlikeable to the point that I felt was not too realistic. It also dealt with too many romantic angles (how many love triangles can one story get, especially with a few characters like these?), had too much going on without solving it and the ending was open ended.

However, one may argue that the book is basically - or from how I understand it - just a window into a life of a few people. You go into their lives, follow them for a while, and then just leave them and go on. As if you were a part of some group or was in a job for two years and then left, went on with your life, without knowing how they are doing.

I have to also appreciate how they turned letters into scenes. A big chunk of the book happens in letters and it must have been tough to adapt it.

Let me start with characters. Cora is obviously the main character but I have to say, they made a remarkable progress with her on the show. The book made her look immature, never growing up, hurting people around her. it was briefly explained that she married young and never had a chance to grow up emotionally but the thing was, she never learnt. She is the same person and still thinks she has it the worst in life. On the show, Cora knows this, she changes and settles her relationships with others, apologizes to Martha, knows she hurt Luke and gets to be with Will in the end. The story with her son, however, is well done in the book and on the show, despite this being mostly described through her inner thoughts in the book.

Will is not that well flexed in the book and however you can read about his emotions and confusion that he can love *two* women at the same time, the show works a bit better here. I am glad they left the scene where he gets angry with the sculpture of the serpent in the church, or his despair after he cheats on his wife. Him sitting at his wife´s dying is strong and sad. But there is just too much going on the show and Will is not that well fleshed out as he should be, I tink. But Tom does a remarkable job and his way to find anything in any character he plays, is just a proof that he *gets* it. Plus, let´s be honest here, camera loves him (again) because he just looks fantastic. I love how Tom works with women directors a lot and they can use his presence :) i am also glad they made Will a bit more likeable on the show as well. I disliked the angle in the book, where he sent his kids to town to friends to take care of them, while he could be with his sick wife. I mean, it would be understandable for first few days but in the book, it seemed like a permanent thing and made Will look not only as a cheating husband but also a bad father.

His chemistry with Clare Danes is there, it is slowly building and the dance scene is kind of a peak of that. But Tom can have a chemistry with a plank of wood. And Clare does a great job here as well. She must work real hard to make Cora likeable and get her through all the emotions that were described in the book so we can understand why she behaves the way she does. To add some scenes with her dead, abusive husband definitely helped.

I am glad they got rid of the bit out of nowhere romance between Martha and Nev (that is the one love triangle part I mentioned above) and they let her only working for Spencer, not marry Nev with Spencer left hanging...the way they hint Cora and Martha relationship on the show is also interesting and works better than in the book. Also, as someone who despises communism (as post communistic country, we know well what it does to the country), I am glad they tuned her down a bit into just a socialist with some sensible demands.

As opposite to book, I would probably drop the story of Naomi entirely. It is not properly explained why she did what she did til the very end and the best part in the book is her friendship with Jo, which is not really discovered here and her actions are briefly explained only in a "blink and miss it" moment. What I was sorry they dropped for the show, was Jo herself. She was described as a mini version of Will, with the same calming and strong presence as her father and it was not properly done. Except maybe the scene at the funeral where she was singing (a beautiful scene, btw.)

I know I am in the minority with this, but I disliked Luke actively in the book and on the show. i feel like Frank Dillane was honestly a bit creepy and maybe he nailed it because Luke was, kind of, exactly that. Stalkerish, a bit patronistic over Cora, because as much as he respected her, she was "still only a woman", misguided and emotional in his eyes and needed a protection from him (which she did not need or want). I did like how his friendship with Spencer was done in the book and on the show.

Both, Spencer and Stella, were the unsung heroes, btw. Both pure souls, maybe too pure for this world (and theirs). What I find interesting about Stella is, that in both cases (book and show), it is hinted she knows about Will and Cora and on the show, seems to be supportive because she knows she is dying and Will and her kids will need someone. It is a nice sentiment but not sure a realistic one. Especially when he has these feelings for another woman now, when she is alive and here.

The main difference is the ending. In the book, it is hinted that Stella recovered, Will had no intention to go to seek Cora, however he remained in contact with her via letters. On the show, Stella dies, and they give Will an "acceptable" time for mourning before he is reunited with Cora. I am not sure which ending works better but I think the show worked better for all characters, notebly Cora, Will, Martha and Luke, who all found purposes in their lives.

Of course, the production design of the show was beautiful. It helped the atmosphere, it looked fantastic, sounded fantastic and as someone who loves long, wide shots, I had no problem with it even slowing down a pace a bit.

I do recommend the book AND the show, both for different reasons. i don´t believe The Essex Serpent is the best book ever and as I said, the show is not the best thing Tom did but it is definitely in his better work and I will happily come back to it. It just went a bit unnoticed because it is still a stream and Apple+ was just starting its streak of good and successful shows. He definitely does not need to be ashamed he did it, on the contrary and as it is his most recent work (Loki excluded), it is a joy to see him more recent. Now when covid and strikes are over, let´s hope he will do more. I am already excited for The Life of Chuck (as Stephen King´s fan, I knew the story...it is kind of an odd choice, he does have more interesting stories but I get what Tom or Mike Flanagan mean by "there is warmth to it" or that it is "celebrating life")

One last remark from my side - Tom seems to love doing book or play adaptations (probably because he can get a "source material" for the character and can dive into it), I just recently read two books where I think he would be perfect and it somehow follows the pattern he likes in his characters.

One of them is a book by Darcy Coates (who I love and read everything she does). Her haunted houses books are amazing, some better, some worse, but thrilling and atmospheric. And however her main characters are in 80% women, with men being a bit of a "type", when she has a man as a main character, they are very interesting.

"The Haunting of Rookward House" is one I would love to see and I can perfectly picture Tom doing it. Guy, the main character, is an example of a man who was unlucky in his life, just went through some tough times and now he gets to be stuck in this haunted house. Also, spoiler...there is some (however scary) dancing involved :)

The second one is "The People next door" by Tony Parsons. The main characters are Lana and Roman Wades, each chapter is written from a perspective of either Lana or Roman, and however the ending is a bit far-fetched (it can be always amended for a movie), Roman is an interesting character who has an unusual trauma behind him (unusual for a man, you get the hint...) and it is interesting to see the life he lives in denial for the most part of the book because of it.

But I am sure Tom does not need any suggestions from me :) These are more of my "fancasting" for books I like. Also, to get adaptations right is hard so, if it never gets made into a movie, maybe it is better. As a big reader, I prefer for a lots of stuff to stay in the books because it does not work every time (Ender´s Game, I am looking at you)

If you managed to read this far, thank you and forgive my grammar.

[gamebunny-advance]

@galaticuwu said: "If Gigi is a spy for Nsr he probably was the reason for fights you have before the bosses. Like he told Tatiana and Nsr about Kliff getting the briefs on the artiests or told west where may and zuke were."

---

Hm... I dunno if I would give him that much credit XP.

Even though I stand by my theory that he's a spy, I don't think that automatically makes him instrumental to all of NSR's actions. I don't trust him, and I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes an antagonist in NSR 2, but I don't think he's pulling every string behind the scenes (just a couple).

To start, the approach segments appear to just be normal security measures for NSR's talents. Even without a revolution going on, I assume that the stars would have some level of security during public appearances, so I don't think they were set up specifically to thwart B2J.

Maybe he was responsible for NSR improving their bots for each subsequent boss by reporting on their methods of attack. For example, every approach except Sayu's has its own version of the "tower bot" which have slightly different abilities that make them trickier to defeat:

Yinu's - Standard

1010's - Energy Shield

Eve's - Teleportation/Invisibility

(The "tower bot" enemy, 1010 variant)

However, any info about B2J taking out their security bots could have gotten and acted on just by observing them normally. Since B2J are going through security, you'd expect there to also be security cameras in these areas (heck, one of the bot designs is basically a camera) or some other kind of monitoring on their own end.

(The drone/camera bot enemy)

But even if they didn't have direct surveillance of the situation, I think making your security forces stronger is also just a natural response to said security being destroyed over and over. It just doesn't seem reasonable to me that anything Gigi is doing would have much affect on NSR's security measures when there are much more mundane explanations to these occurrences.

But, if you wanna be generous to Gigi (and ungenerous to NSR), then maybe NSR doesn't directly monitor these security areas, and the only way they found out about how/what kept destroying their security bots/gates is due to Gigi's intel. After all, Kliff is apparently able to hack into NSR's security before the finale, as first revealed in Eve's briefing.

"...head over and I'll make sure the security system won't be a bother to you."

And Kliff must also have some way that he's monitoring the events on his end since he responds in real-time to B2J's actions in these sections and most of the boss fights as early as Sayu. So maybe he hijacked NSR's security cameras, and they can't access them anymore. So then he must have already been a security threat much earlier than is formally stated, and Gigi might have reported as such. Because despite everything he's able to do, what Kliff can't do is disable the security outright (at least remotely).

Perhaps the security was tightened since NSR anticipated this and increased their anti-hacking security in response to Gigi's intel. If that's the case, then maybe that would explain why Kliff is still able to hack into NSR's satellite. If Gigi never found out about Kliff's true plans, then he couldn't have warned NSR to buff the security on that too.

However, to claim that Gigi was necessary to any of that would be to ignore that Sayu had unhackable security before Gigi would have been able to report about Kliff's hacking ability. So, we're once again stuck with the most probable answer that these security measures were in place without Gigi's report, meaning he can't be responsible for them.

Moving to the next point, I also don't think he was involved with DK West at all…

But you can make a better case for that than the former.

Even though West was called to the city by Tatiana for the benefit of NSR, his actions and loyalties are independent. It would be easy enough for West to find where Zuke was on his own, given that B2J are becoming minor celebrities by the time he enters the story, and DK West still has some pull in the population given that he already has a sizeable posse of hype men when he comes back to the city.

But I suppose it's also just as likely that Gigi told NSR where B2J were based, and then Tatiana told West. Or that Gigi was ultimately the one that passed along the message through a calculated happenstance. In the current theory, it isn't hard to imagine that Tatiana asked MM to make sure that West finds B2J and that Gigi was the agent that made it happen.

I wasn't feeling it at first, but I'll go ahead and give this one to you.

Overall, their very nature as spies makes it easy to pin almost any event on MM or Gigi. Anything that doesn't have an explicit explanation could be explained by them working in "mysterious ways," but I also consider the fact that if the spy theory is true, neither were able to stop B2J and Kliff from nearly causing a crisis, so they can't be all that powerful or formidable. But that idea in itself lends itself to other discussion points, such as where their loyalties ultimately lie. Maybe they didn't stop it because they didn't want to. Who knows? The flexibility of the theory allows for lots of different scenarios~