#muse. : rhys larsen.
Advice/hard truths for writers?
The best piece of practical advice I know is a classic from Hemingway (qtd. here):
The most important thing I’ve learned about writing is never write too much at a time… Never pump yourself dry. Leave a little for the next day. The main thing is to know when to stop. Don’t wait till you’ve written yourself out. When you’re still going good and you come to an interesting place and you know what’s going to happen next, that’s the time to stop. Then leave it alone and don’t think about it; let your subconscious mind do the work.
Also, especially if you're young, you should read more than you write. If you're serious about writing, you'll want to write more than you read when you get old; you need, then, to lay the important books as your foundation early. I like this passage from Samuel R. Delany's "Some Advice for the Intermediate and Advanced Creative Writing Student" (collected in both Shorter Views and About Writing):
You need to read Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, and Zola; you need to read Austen, Thackeray, the Brontes, Dickens, George Eliot, and Hardy; you need to read Hawthorne, Melville, James, Woolf, Joyce, and Faulkner; you need to read Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Turgenev, Goncherov, Gogol, Bely, Khlebnikov, and Flaubert; you need to read Stephen Crane, Mark Twain, Edward Dahlberg, John Steinbeck, Jean Rhys, Glenway Wescott, John O'Hara, James Gould Cozzens, Angus Wilson, Patrick White, Alexander Trocchi, Iris Murdoch, Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, Anthony Powell, Vladimir Nabokov; you need to read Nella Larsen, Knut Hamsun, Edwin Demby, Saul Bellow, Lawrence Durrell, John Updike, John Barth, Philip Roth, Coleman Dowell, William Gaddis, William Gass, Marguerite Young, Thomas Pynchon, Paul West, Bertha Harris, Melvin Dixon, Daryll Pinckney, Darryl Ponicsan, and John Keene, Jr.; you need to read Thomas M. Disch, Joanna Russ, Richard Powers, Carroll Maso, Edmund White, Jayne Ann Phillips, Robert Gluck, and Julian Barnes—you need to read them and a whole lot more; you need to read them not so that you will know what they have written about, but so that you can begin to absorb some of the more ambitious models for what the novel can be.
Note: I haven't read every single writer on that list; there are even three I've literally never heard of; I can think of others I'd recommend in place of some he's cited; but still, his general point—that you need to read the major and minor classics—is correct.
The best piece of general advice I know, and not only about writing, comes from Dr. Johnson, The Rambler #63:
The traveller that resolutely follows a rough and winding path, will sooner reach the end of his journey, than he that is always changing his direction, and wastes the hours of day-light in looking for smoother ground and shorter passages.
I've known too many young writers over the years who sabotaged themselves by overthinking and therefore never finishing or sharing their projects; this stems, I assume, from a lack of self-trust or, more grandly, trust in the universe (the Muses, God, etc.). But what professors always tell Ph.D. students about dissertations is also true of novels, stories, poems, plays, comic books, screenplays, etc: There are only two kinds of dissertations—finished and unfinished. Relatedly, this is the age of online—an age when 20th-century institutions are collapsing, and 21st-century ones have not yet been invented. Unless you have serious connections in New York or Iowa, publish your work yourself and don't bother with the gatekeepers.
Other than the above, I find most writing advice useless because over-generalized or else stemming from arbitrary culture-specific or field-specific biases, e.g., Orwell's extremely English and extremely journalistic strictures, not necessarily germane to the non-English or non-journalistic writer. "Don't use adverbs," they always say. Why the hell shouldn't I? It's absurd. "Show, don't tell," they insist. Fine for the aforementioned Orwell and Hemingway, but irrelevant to Edith Wharton and Thomas Mann. Freytag's Pyramid? Spare me. Every new book is a leap in the dark. Your project may be singular; you may need to make your own map as your traverse the unexplored territory.
Hard truths? There's one. I know it's a hard truth because I hesitate even to type it. It will insult our faith in egalitarianism and the rewards of earnest labor. And yet, I suspect the hard truth is this: ineffables like inspiration and genius count for a lot. If they didn't, if application were all it took, then everybody would write works of genius all day long. But even the greatest geniuses usually only got the gift of one or two all-time great work. This doesn't have to be a counsel of despair, though: you can always try to place yourself wherever you think lightning is likeliest to strike. That's what I do, anyway. Good luck!
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𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 GETTING TO the muses part of my revamp, so down below will be a list of muses i'm keeping, recycling & muses that i've moved to my reserved list.
reserved.
aiden nilsen ( aaron tveit fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty eight.
antony smith ( theo james fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty seven.
corrine braun ( lili reinhart fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty five.
taner eldem ( alp navruz fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty two.
trevor geller ( jon bernthal fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. forty five.
wyatt foster ( dyldo o’crien fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty.
keeping.
archer larsen ( finn wittrock fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty seven.
asher bailey ( hero fiennes tiffin fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty five.
austyn hansen ( kristine froseth fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty six.
avani hasan ( alisha boe fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty five.
blakely owen ( maya hawke fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty five.
brayden cameron ( thomas doherty fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty seven.
briar morris ( florence pugh fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty six.
cemile sydin ( aslihan malbora fc ) … heterosexual. she/her. twenty seven.
daisie forbes ( madison iseman fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty five.
davie vásquez ( maia reficco fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty three.
daxton fraiser ( thomas doherty fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty seven.
davie vásquez ( maia reficco fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty three.
daxton fraiser ( thomas doherty fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty seven.
derek stewart ( scott speedman fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. forty six.
dilan kanca ( bahar sahin fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty five.
emerie coyle ( daisy edgar jones fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty four.
emira demir ( hande ercel fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty eight.
frankie novak ( bailee madison fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty three.
georgina becker ( halston sage fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty nine.
harlan alder ( freddie thorp fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty eight.
harvey james ( alex fitzalan fc ) … heteroexual. he/him. twenty six.
jackson kraus ( chris pine fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. forty two.
kaisen adams ( jonathan bailey fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty four.
kamile karsli ( cemre baysel fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty three.
keaton jenning ( nick robinson fc ) … heteroexual. he/him. twenty six.
kiyana kumari ( simone ashley fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty seven.
koray ekim ( alperen duymaz fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty nine.
kyson davis ( jeremy allen white fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty one.
laila demirci ( ayça ayşin turan fc ) … heterosexual. she/her. twenty nine.
lara kiraz ( melis sezen fc ) … heterosexual. she/her. twenty five.
lucien robinson ( josh duhamel fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. forty nine.
maritza ruiz ( priscilla quintana fc ) … heterosexual. she/her. twenty nine.
matthew garza ( oscar isaac fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. forty three.
mavie ereira ( abigail cowen fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty three.
melinda fredrick ( ana de armas fc ) … bisexual. she/her. thirty four.
miller axelsson ( bill skarsgard fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty one.
navie pereira ( mikey madison fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty five.
niles walsh ( dyldo o’crien fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty.
noah morelli ( milo ventimiglia fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. forty five.
nora chandler ( liana liberato fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty seven.
rainer moretti ( dyldo o’crien fc ) … heteroexual. he/him. thirty.
ranslie lundy ( adelaide kane fc ) … bisexual. she/her. thirty two.
reagan martin ( abigail cowen fc ) … heterosexual. she/her. twenty four.
rhys vaux ( timothée chalamet fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty six.
richie moretti ( dyldo o’crien fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty.
ridge walker ( robert pattinson fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty six.
riley keller ( rudy pankow fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty four.
riven krause ( timothy olyphant fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. fifty four.
rylan de vries ( michiel huisman fc ) … heteroexual. he/him. forty one.
salem sousa ( camila mendes fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty eight.
sayde nowak ( crystal reed fc ) … heterosexual. she/her. thirty seven.
talen arauz ( jacob elordi fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty six.
valerie lewis ( sadie soverall fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty three.
vance mirkin ( austin abrams fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty six.
verity martín ( melissa barrera fc ) … bisexual. she/her. thirty two.
walker johnson ( oliver jackson cohen fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty five.
warren erner ( sebastian stan fc ) … heteroexual. he/him. thirty nine.
whitley collins ( josephine langford fc ) … heterosexual. she/her. twenty five.
retiring.
alexander matthews ( chace crawford fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty seven.
* anaya kumari ( anya chalotra fc ) … heterosexual. she/her. twenty six.
andie stevens ( maia mitchell fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty nine.
arlo dixon ( jesse williams fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. forty one.
cerilla garza ( alexa demie fc ) … bisexual. she/her. thirty one.
christian knight ( danny griffin fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. twenty five.
elodie serra ( mia goth fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty eight.
elsie granger ( lily james fc ) … bisexual. she/her. thirty three.
heath levy ( logan lerman fc ) … heteroexual. he/him. thirty.
* jaiden anderson ( henry cavill fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty nine.
kailene sanchez ( sofia carson fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty nine.
marcus ruiz ( manny montana fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty eight.
myles lee ( charles melton fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty one.
sereniti hill ( olivia holt fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty five.
sirena lee ( adeline rudolph fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty seven.
* sylas kaseke ( rege jean page fc ) … heteroexual. he/him. thirty four.
* thomas cantor ( ben barnes fc ) … heteroexual. he/him. forty.
wren hossen ( malia pyles fc ) … bisexual. she/her. twenty four.
zane burton ( hunter parrish fc ) … heterosexual. he/him. thirty five.
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smash or pass rhys larsen.
Send Smash or Pass + a name and my muse will say if they would smash or pass on that person. // always accepting this one tbh // @ac1num
“I think it’s pretty obvious that my answer is smash. Have you seen him? I’ll gladly do it if no one else wants to.”
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literature muses.
daisy jones and the six.
billy dunne, lead singer of the six, twenty-thirties/forties, sam claflin, bisexual. camila alvarez/dunne, photographer, twenty-thirties/forties, camila morrone, bisexual. margaret/daisy jones, lead singer for the six, twenty-thirties/forties, riley keough, bisexual. eddie roundtree, guitarist/bassist for the six, twenty-thirties/forties, josh whitehouse, bisexual. graham dunne, guitarist for the six, twenty-thirties/forties, will harrison, bisexual. karen sirko, keyboardist for the six, twenty-thirties/forties, suki waterhouse, bisexual. simone jackson, disco queen, twenty-thirties/forties, nabiyah be, lesbian. warren rojas, drummer and stoner for the six, twenty-thirties/forties, sebastian chacon, bisexual.
malibu rising.
nina riva, nepo baby ( unfortunally ) eldest daughter of singer mick riva and mother june riva. love surfing and doesn’t like to be the center of attentions. loves her sliblings so much, she would do anything for them. twenty/thrity, victoria bronova, bisexual.
off campus / briar u.
allie hayes, drama queen of briar and college student, twenty, scarlet leithold, bisexual. brian crowes, hockey player of briar and college student, twenty, jacob elordi, bisexual. daisy abrahams, hockey player for the girl of briar and college student, twenty, benedetta porcaroli, bisexual. garrett graham, stars of the hockey team of briar and the bruins, twenty, froy gutierrez, bisexual. hannah wells, singer of briar and college student, twenty, diana silver, bisexual. ivana loveslange, influencer of briar and college student, twenty, sahar luna, straight, ship exclusive with. jake connelly, stars of the hockey team of harvard and the bruins, twenty, xavier serrano, bisexual. john logan, stars of the hockey team of briar and the bruins + garagist, twenty, drew starkey, bisexual. sabrina james, baby mama of jamie and law student at harvard and briar, twenty, cindy kimberly, bisexual. demi davis, twenty-one years old girl who loves to show confidence, nailea devora, bisexual. taylor marsh, twenty-one years old, loves educating children from hasting's elementary school, iskra lawrence, pansexual. conor edwards, surfer and hockey player from briar , twenty-two, neels visser, pansexual. summer heyward-di laurentis, sunshine who's living her best life at briar, twenty-one, kaley mcpherson .
twilight.
alice cullen, vampire who’s a little bit lunatic at times and psychic, nineteen in apparence but 186+, ashley moore, bisexual. rosalie hale, beauty queen who’s a little bit cold but is a cinamon, twenty in apparence but 73+, samantha logan, bisexual.
the seven husbands of evelyn hugo.
evelyn hugo, porto-rican godess who hated everything about herself so she build an image of perfections, actress, twenty/thirty/forty, ana de armas, lesbian ( closeted at the begining )
the secret circle.
diana meade, witchy woo and student, twenty, lea seydoux, bisexual.
the vampire diaries.
damon salvatore, brooding brother who’s obessessed with a evil vampire, +500 years, louis garell, bisexual.
after.
theresa lynn young, student and writer, eighteen years old girl who tries not to attact attentions but doesn't suceed, bisexual, olivia dejonge.
offside.
chase carter, twenty-two years, likes to pushes men against ice rinks when they says outrageous and bad things about women, straights, elmo o'dwyer. bailey james, twenty-one who got dumped on her birthday and hates her own college, so, likes to hang with the enemy, straight, marissa grace long.
the maze runner.
thomas, subject a2, the leader, greenie, chuck's older brother, runner from the glade, group a, impulsive at times, will do anything for his friends and people in general. seventeen-nineteen. bisexual. dylan o'brien. minho, subject a7, keeper of the runners, is thomas's and newt's sidekick, will do anything for his friends, people in general. bisexual, seventeen-nineteen, ki hong lee.
twisted games.
rhys larsen, thirty-one years, former military now a bodyguard, stoic broody and arrogant, is pretty good at his joband tries not to let it get too personal, straight, hakan adalı.
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just a quick post
i’m going to be consistently working on my boys new backstories and bios, so i am going to post who i have as active right now and if you have any questions about them, you can always send me a message if you feel like plotting, i’m willing to tell you anything about them until i can get my bios finished
so my active muses so far and their fc’s are
bentley lupescu - sebastian stan
toby allen - hunter parrish
roy masters - dylan sprayberry
lennon maguire - colin o’donoghue
noah riley - dave franco
gunnar motta - zac efron
aidan turner - samuel larsen
wesley everly - garrett hedlund
cyrus vega - kyle harris
declan rhys - misha collins
bowie anderson - xavier samuels
riley montgomery - chris evans
kingston everly - charlie hunnam
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@famefckr, bridget von ascheberg sent to rhys larsen. " i just want to feel something. "
being intimate while on a mission wasn't easy. not that he hadn't tried with her before. even though, he was intimate with bridget, he had to admit that he had a lot of things to handle. like for example the guys who tried to circle around her while he was a few centimeters away. can't they sees that he was there and that she was soon to become his? the look he gave them said it all. he was on a mission to knock heads. yet, tonight, it was just the two of them. he had prepared a delicious dinner, something she deserved after the long day she had had. bringing her a drink, he couldn't help but lean towards her, his hand on her shoulder as he added, massaging her softly. " if you're nice tonight, maybe you'll have a surprise at the end of the night. it's true that not feeling you close to me is starting to make me grumpy. guess we can start that dinner by the dessert, uh? "
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@forbaes, caroline forbes sent to rhys larsen: I'm naked underneath.
she was going to be the death of him. isn't she already? she's the only one who invade your mind when you are back home, rhys. his conscience reminds him as he couldn't help himself but take a long breathe as he looked up from what he was doing. how could she not be when she was everything he was thinking about? it was starting to scare him a lot. he wasn't supposed to be this attracted to his client, yet, this blonde seems to get on his skin everytime she was around him. she was in his thoughts everyday. when he wakes up, when he works out, when he was left alone while she was shopping, when he was going to sleep. she was everywhere. it was as if she has taken every thoughts. past lifes all forgotten when her presence was around. a new start that he quite liked if he has to admit. but he was on a job here, he had to be serious. but those words. those ords weren't helping him doing his job properly. a groan escaped him as he tried to stay serious. how could he stay serious and focused now when he only had one image in mind, caroline and what was hidden underneath that long coat. it was inevitable. the tension that built up when they were around each other, this desire to protect her from everyone, to keep her only for him. now that she had taken the first step, perhaps he should take the second? eyes locks with her as he licked his lips and added, with a teasing tone. " careful, you might start a trend. i might have to try that 'naked under clothes' look too. though, it wouldn't suits me. even that coat alone brings lot of things to my imagination. "
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@depictedblue, cassie howard asked to rhys larsen: you owe me a drink because when i saw you i dropped mine.
she had tried to run away from him, again. something she had to be wary of when he was around was that he had ears and eyes everywhere. he know it was hard for her. she wasn't used to have a men behind her back everytime she tried to actually have a little fun with friends. but she has to understand that he had become her shadow the day he signed the contract with her parents. she also have to understand that he has to knew what she was doing and who she was with. it was a non-negotiable point in the little talk they had when she first tried to escape. he would try to let her breathe if she told him where she was going. yet, it hadn't worked out for him tonight. a laugh escaped him when he saw her near the bar. arms crossed, he couldn't help but add. " i'll buy you more drinks when you finally accept that i am here to stay, cassie. it's not a game, you know. there is threats under your head. "
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two plots i really want for rhys ....
undercover assignment: an undercover agent posing as a bodyguard is assigned to protect a wealthy and influential individual suspected of being involved in criminal activities. as they spend more time together, the lines between their professional relationship and personal feelings begin to blur. they must navigate the complexities of their undercover assignment while grappling with their growing attraction and the moral dilemmas it presents. witness protection: a bodyguard is assigned to protect a key witness in a high-profile criminal trial, whisking them away to a remote safe house to keep them hidden from dangerous adversaries. as they spend time together in close quarters, they form a deep connection forged by shared experiences and mutual trust. however, as the trial date approaches and tensions rise, they must confront their feelings for each other while ensuring the witness's safety and delivering them to court to testify against powerful criminals.
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@forbaes asked: send “…can i?” for my muses reaction to yours asking to kiss them. / rhys &. caroline.
rl. rhys held his breath when he heard caroline's words. his heart raced in his chest as he desperately searched for the right words to respond. he looked into her eyes, captivated by the gentleness of her gaze and the sincerity of her question. “ caroline… " he began, his voice soft and laced with emotion. he took a deep breath to calm the frantic beating of his heart. " i… i don't know what to say. " he felt overwhelmed by his own emotions, struggling to find the words that could express everything he was feeling in that moment. he had suppressed his feelings for her for a long time, fearing he would ruin their precious friendship. but there, before him, stood the woman he had always secretly admired, offering her heart to him with touching vulnerability. he gently placed his hand on caroline's cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath his fingers. his gaze bore into hers with captivating intensity. “ caroline, you are… you are so special to me, " he finally said, his words laden with sincere tenderness. " and… and i want nothing more than to give you a kiss. but… " he swallowed hard, feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension wash over him. he had to be honest with her, even if it meant risking breaking her heart. " but i want it to be special, " he continued, his voice soft but firm. " i want our first kiss to be perfect, without any uncertainty or confusion. because i want you to know how important you are to me, and how much i care about you. " he looked at her with infinite tenderness, hoping that she would understand the extent of his feelings. he knew this decision was crucial, that it could change the course of their relationship forever. but he was willing to take this risk for her, for their budding love that burned in his heart. " so yes, caroline, you can kiss me, " he finally whispered, a shy smile stretching his lips. " but only when you're ready, when you know without a doubt that this is what you want. because i will be there, ready to receive you, to welcome you in my arms with all the love i have for you. "
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🛑 do i even need to saaaay
let my muse ( rhys ) clean off blood off of your muse ( caroline's ).
rl. threats were something that rhys took seriously. even though, some of them aren't harmful, he has to admit that the last one they'd received were lowkey bad. this ended up being one of those where the person kept following them around and waited the perfect moment to attack them. he might had fallen and failed the missions, but seeing the blonde fight off someone twice her size, made the bodyguard proud of the lesson he taught her when she had asked him to actually gave her. when he walked into the dimlit room, rhys carefully approached caroline, who was sitting wearily on a chair. the blood on her face and hands were something he hated to sees. this means he hadn't been ready to defend her honor. something he should have done and not let anything distract him. though, she was a badass, he had to give her that, he hated it greatly. looking around them, he took the bassin he had found early in the bathroom as he carried it with warm water in it and a clean cloth, ready to tend to caroline's wounds. " let me take care of that for you, " he said softly, his eyes reflecting a mix of gratitude and concern. gently, rhys dipped the cloth into the water, wringing it out before delicately dabbing at the bloodstains on caroline's hands and face. the room was filled with a comforting silence, broken only by the sounds of their breaths and the water dripping back into the basin. " you could have died. " was the words that he should had said, but instead of those, he looked up at her, eyes showing concerns and proudness. " guess my skills and my lesson got you somewhere today. though, let me take care of the fighting next time. don't want you ripping anyone's bones when i could do even worse. " / @forbaes.
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MR RHYS LARSEN. visual edits. mutuals may interact.
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@goldenboybarracuda, alex claremont diaz sent to rhys larsen. [ blowing ] a kiss in the air.
rhys is used to events like this. in fact, it was something that people wanted him to orders around. his years in training back to the army pays off when it comes to this type of events. he had protected rock stars, movie stars, singers, even dancers. he had seen quite a few concerts during his career. grammys, awards in other countries, but the oscars? it was a first for him. but who was he to not agree to go to this awards ceremony? what wasn't cool was the thousand of people who were there to see alex. even if he could understand why people wanted to see him, he had a heart of gold and could give heaven and earth for a smile from a child, that didn't stop it from being hard on the security agents, first of all him. advancing with the president's son, he stopped near the stands and waited patiently. eyes riveted on each person who approached alex and his friends too closely, he was surprised by the gesture of the latter, taking the flying kiss that alex had sent him and pretending to put it in his pocket.
sms. mr president (son.): next time, it must happen in real life.
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@goldenboybarracuda, alex claremont diaz gets an update statut from rhys larsen.
" have you finished with this press conference or should i still keep a close eye and stay three centimeters away from you? all these people jumping on you… are preventing me from doing my job properly ."
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