25 (aka too old to date Leo DiCaprio☠️) ----- -she/her/he/him 🏳️⚧️ 🏳️🌈 - Just here to read smut from fandoms I'm not even a part of ☠️ pls ignore😭 genshin, tlous2, cod, love and deepspace, resident evil = 💖 Im also a sims 4 girlypop 🙈 mobile user sorry for formatting 😍
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synopsis: Ice on the roads. Power's out. Nowhere to go. And Phillip Graves sitting a little too close.
Previous Chapter Here!
Masterlist Here!
A/N: This is definitely the longest chapter I’ve written for this series so far. I got a little carried away, but I had a lot of fun with this one and I hope you all enjoy it.
I did have someone ask about a tag list, so if that’s something you’d be interested in, just let me know and I can start one. I’ll be putting tags at the bottom for those who wanna be notified when new chapters drop.
Also, my asks and DMs are always open if you have ideas, things you want to see, or just want to talk about the series. I love hearing from you all, and I could honestly talk about this story forever.
The first few weeks after that night, you pretend it didn’t happen.
Not in a deliberate way. You don’t sit down and decide it, don’t draw any kind of line. It just… happens. Quietly. Mutually. Neither of you brings it up, and somehow that’s enough.
At first, it’s easy to justify. You were both emotional. It was late. Things were said that shouldn’t have been, and then, somehow, you ended up in each other’s arms anyway. Like that was still where you went when everything got too heavy. Like your body hadn’t caught up to the fact that you’re not supposed to do that anymore.
That’s the part that sticks. Not the fight. Not the things he said. The way it felt normal.
Too normal.
Enough that, once the adrenaline wore off, all you could think was what the hell are we doing?
Because you’ve done this before. Not exactly like this, not with the distance and the years between you, but close enough to recognize it. Close enough to know where it ends.
So the next time you see him, you don’t look at him for longer than you have to.
And he lets you.
That’s what surprises you most. He doesn’t push it, doesn’t crowd your space or say your name like it’s a challenge. He just adjusts, like he always does, reading the room and deciding how much of himself he’s allowed to give you. As much of a pain in the ass he is, he knows when to back off. And when to chase.
For the first time since all of this started again, it’s not much.
Weeks pass like that. Pickups and drop-offs get quicker, quieter. Conversations stick to your son, schedules, the things that matter and nothing else. You don’t linger. He doesn’t either.
It’s careful. Measured. Almost polite.
And it’s wrong.
You find yourself on edge during custody exchanges. Like he’s walking away from you with that familiar sway of his hips in the middle of a sentence and your entire being is dying to know what he was going to say. There is no teasing. There is no flirting. A notable absence of his normal parading.
The song and dance is gone. And you don’t know what to do with the silence it leaves behind.
You feel it every time he’s in the same room as you. The absence of it. That pull that used to sit just under the surface, constant and unavoidable, now buried so deep it almost feels like you imagined it.
Almost.
Because sometimes you catch it. In the way his eyes linger a second too long before he looks away. In the way his hand hesitates before passing you something. In the silence that stretches just a little too long before one of you fills it.
It’s still there.
You’ve both just stopped reaching for it.
And somehow, that’s worse.
-
Winter in Texas is usually a joke. A few cold nights. A little frost on the windshields. People acting like thirty-five degrees is the apocalypse. You roll your eyes at the chaos on the local news as they prepare for lockdown.
But tonight, the sky is heavy and bruised and wrong. The air has that sharp metallic bite that makes the back of your throat sting when you breathe too deep. The kind of cold that doesn’t belong here. The kind that makes the streetlights glow like they’re underwater, everything a little slower, a little off.
By the time you finish brushing your son’s teeth, flakes have started to fall outside the kitchen window, soft at first, almost pretty. Like a movie. Like something harmless. Then the wind shifts. And the harmless turns sideways. Turns into sharp ice that sticks to the streets.
You glance at the clock. 7:14pm. Phillip said 7. You try not to let your nerves show. This isn’t like Phillip at all.
You pick up your phone, thumb hovering over the messages. No text. No call. As perpetually annoyed you are at your ex-husband, this isn’t like him. Your eyes flick to the window again. The street is already glimmering, slick with ice.
A sick feeling coils in your gut, half worry, half annoyance, half that old familiar dread that he will always do what he wants when he wants, weather and sanity be damned.
Then your phone buzzes.
Phillip: On my way. Roads are slick. Don’t start.
You stare at it. Your jaw tightens, but you can’t stop the stupid smile that tugs at the corner of your mouth and the way your stomach is released from that icy grip.
“Don’t start,” you mutter to yourself, shaking your head. “God, you’re insufferable.”
You busy your maternal nerves by heating up a kettle on the stove to pour a mug of tea to fight against the chill as it howls against the windows
Outside, headlights cut through the swirling snow. Big truck. Bright beams. Aggressive engine. Of course.
Then the doorbell rings.
Your stomach does that stupid little flip it always does when he’s on the other side of your front door. You hate it.
You open the door and cold air punches you in the face. Phillip Graves is standing on your porch like winter doesn’t apply to him. A dark jacket. Boots. Ballcap low. Snow dusting his shoulders like the weather tried to claim him and failed. He looks… wrong in it. Like a summer man dragged into ice.
Your son is balanced on his hip like he weighs nothing, arms wrapped around his dad’s neck, face buried against his chest as the wind bites at his little flushed cheeks and ears.
That familiar calm. That confident, maddening steadiness like nothing in the world is too big for him to handle. Even a snowstorm.
“Evenin’, Ma’am,” he drawls, giving you a quick wink, always working some angle, “I believe you ordered a snotty nosed baby?”
Your son picks up his head and glares at his father, a face all too familiar when you look in the mirror.
You fight a laugh as you hold out your arms, “Hey Baby,” you coo as Phillip hands him over gently.
Your son transfers fluidly, wrapping himself around you, seemingly grateful for the warm air inside the house.
“Mama,” he chirps, smiling big and wide.
“Did you have fun with your Daddy?” you ask, bouncing him a little as you hike him up your hip.
Phillip opens his mouth to respond, but your son interrupts by excitedly pointing at the snow on his jacket.
“Daddy you got snowed on!”
Phillip looks down, mock surprised. “Well I’ll be damned. You'd think it was falling from the sky.” He takes off his ball cap and shakes it off.
Your son giggles and swipes at the snow clinging to Phillip’s jacket, tiny fingers brushing at the melting flakes like it’s the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen. Phillip lets him, steadying him with one hand while shrugging out of his coat, snow shaking loose onto the entryway floor.
That’s what makes it hurt. How easy it is for him to still fit here.
“Careful,” you murmur automatically, shifting him higher on your hip. “You’re gonna soak your pajamas.”
“Worth it,” Phillip says easily, glancing at the kid like he’s in on some shared joke.
Your son grins, then immediately launches into a half-coherent explanation of something. Baseball, dinosaurs, snow, all tangled together like his brain is moving faster than his mouth can keep up. His words start strong, animated, hands waving…
Then slow.
Then drag.
His head dips once.
Twice.
Phillip notices first. Of course he does.
“Hey,” he murmurs, reaching out to tap lightly under the kid’s chin. “You crashin’ on me already?”
Your son blinks up at him, stubborn for half a second like he might argue, then his face scrunches, rubbing his eyes and yawning like a kitten, “Mama… I’m tired.”
Your instincts kick in before your feelings can. “Okay, Baby. Let’s get you to bed.”
Your son reaches for Phillip immediately. “Daddy can you tuck me in?”
Your chest tightens. Of course he does.
Phillip’s gaze flicks to you. Not asking permission, but checking the temperature.
You swallow. “Fine.”
Phillip’s mouth curves like he’s trying not to smile too wide.
You step back and gesture inside because standing here arguing in the cold is pointless and you’re not a monster.
“Come in,” you mutter. Phillip’s eyes flash like he won something.
He steps over your threshold like it’s nothing. Like he belongs here. Like your house is still his house in some part of his brain he refuses to correct. You shut the door. The wind rattles it immediately.
He gently scoops your son up again from your arms and carries him down the hallway like he’s done it a thousand times. And maybe he has. You shake your head and step back into the kitchen, pouring the freshly boiled water into a mug and dipping your favorite tea bag into the steamy cup.
A few minutes later, boots echo on the hardwood floor behind you as you wrap your hands around the ceramic comfortingly. Your eyes find Phillip’s as he leans against the kitchen doorway, one hand braced up above on the wood, watching you gently.
“You always make tea when you’re stressed.”
You freeze. You don’t look at him. “I’m not stressed.”
Phillip hums like he doesn’t believe you.
You grumble and roll your eyes, “Don’t let it go to your head. You were late. It's slick out. I was worried about my baby. That’s all.”
You push past him, dipping under his arm, before he can fire off another charming retort that he surely has locked and loaded.
You bring the mug into the living room and set it on the coffee table. You sit on the couch and glance over at where he looms in the archway. Phillip glances back at the front door. Then at the window.
Snow is coming down hard now. Thick. Fast. Aggressive. Damn near sideways. His jaw tightens slightly. You catch it.
“Do not,” you warn immediately, voice low and cautious.
Phillip looks at you like he’s entertained, “Don’t what, Darlin?”
“Don’t start acting like you’re staying.”
Phillip’s smile turns slow. “I’m not actin’.”
You open your mouth to argue.
He cuts you off and nods toward the window. “You see that?”
You huff and fold your arms. “Yes.”
He shrugs. “Ain’t safe.”
You scoff. “You drove here.”
“And now I’m tellin’ you it ain’t safe,” he replies calmly, like it’s reasonable. Like you’re the one being dramatic.
You blink, incredulous. “So what, you’re just going to… move in for the night?”
Phillip’s eyes glint. “You know I hate it when you tease me, Babydoll.” He puts a hand over his heart dramatically.
You inhale and roll your eyes, “Ew.”
Phillip chuckles. “There she is.” He puts his hands on his hips, shoulders squared and broad.
You shoot him a glare sharp enough to slice steel.
Phillip shifts his weight like he’s settling in. Like he’s comfortable. He glances back out the window, a slave to appearances.
“Road’s already ice,” he says. “Texas ain’t built for this. Nobody’s built for this.”
You tilt your head and raise an eyebrow. “The CEO of Shadow Company isn’t built for snow?”
He makes a click noise in the back of his teeth and shrugs his shoulders.
You glare harder. “After everything you’ve done, you think a snowstorm’s what takes you out?”
Phillip shifts his weight as if he's weighing his options. “After all I’ve done? Might be the most ironic way. Someone up there's probably got it out for me at this point.”
“Someone right here’s got it out for you at this point,” you snap back, sipping your tea.
Phillip’s mouth twitches. “I can handle snow,”
You stay silent, unable to remove the condescending look that you know is staining your face.
Phillip leans in over the edge of the couch back just enough to lower his voice, like he’s sharing a secret, “I can handle snow,” he repeats. “Can’t handle you makin’ our little boy fatherless ‘cause you wanted to prove a point.”
You freeze. He says it smooth, almost teasing, but there’s steel underneath it. Real seriousness. You swallow, eyes glued to the brown liquid in your mug.
You lower your voice. “I wouldn’t hate it if you crashed that stupid truck into a ditch.”
Phillip laughs, low and rich. “You’re so funny.”
You glare. “I am.”
Phillip nods like he agrees. “Yeah. You always were.” He slides his jacket off his shoulders and tosses it on to the back of a chair, “And for the record, you used to love that stupid truck.” The air shifts, subtle. Heavy.
You sigh, giving in. “I love my son more, fortunately for you and your frozen ass.”
He chuckles and toes off his boots at the front door, knowing how much you hate shoes in the house.
He speaks first, like he’s already decided, “I’ll take the couch.”
You blink. “Oh? Was there any other option I was unaware of?”
Phillip shrugs. “Don’t want you cryin’ about your boundaries.”
You scoff. “I wouldn’t cry.”
Phillip looks at you. Slow. Deliberate. “Sure,” he murmurs. “You’ll just glare at me until I feel bad.”
You glare immediately. Phillip smiles like he expected it. The wind slams the side of the house, regardless of who is home, and the power flickers for a second, lights dimming.
Phillip’s head turns toward the window like he’s tracking threats. Then he looks back at you.
“Mhm…” His voice is calm. Certain. “Ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
Your fingers tighten on the mug. You hate that your shoulders loosen a fraction anyway.
And then, because someone up there has it out for you,
The fucking lights cut out without warning.
One second the house is warm and steady, the soft hum of appliances filling the quiet space, and the next everything drops into darkness so complete it feels like the house itself inhales and holds it. The wind hits a second later, slamming into the side of the house hard enough to rattle the windows, ice tapping sharp against the glass like thrown gravel.
“Mommy?”
Your son’s voice carries from the hallway, small and uncertain in a way that pulls something tight in your chest. Your head whips around and you immediately stand. You barely take a step.
Phillip is already moving.
“On it.”
It’s immediate. Instinctive. Not a question, not a discussion, not something he waits for permission to do. He’s already halfway down the hall before your brain catches up to your body.
You follow anyway.
Your son is standing in the middle of the black hallway, blanket slipping off his shoulders, eyes wide in the dim blue light coming through the windows. The storm makes everything outside look blurred, distant, unreal.
“Hey, Baby,” Phillip says, already crouching in front of him, voice low and even like nothing in the world has changed. “Easy. Power’s just out.”
“Why?” your son asks, voice wobbling just slightly. Your throat tightens up at the fear in his little voice.
“Storm’s actin’ up,” Phillip replies, simple and certain. “Happens sometimes.”
Your son studies him for a second, searching his face for something solid. Reassurance from his dad. Then he folds forward, arms wrapping around Phillip’s neck without hesitation, sniffles coming out of his little nose as he shakes.
Phillip catches him easily, one hand coming up to cradle the back of his head, pressing him in close to his shoulder.
“Daddy’s got you, bud,” he murmurs, pressing soft kisses into your son’s temple gently.
And just like that, the tension drains out of your son’s body. He continues to shush him gently, rocking him against his chest until the sniffling settles down.
You lean against the wall without realizing it, arms crossing loosely over your chest as you watch the two of them. Phillip stands, your son tucked securely against his chest, cheek pressed against your son’s forehead, and heads toward the bedroom like he remembers the exact number of steps it takes to get there. Like he knows which floorboard creaks, which corner turns tighter than it should.
Like he never really forgot.
You follow slower this time, guided by the ghosts from years ago.
He sets your son down on the bed, pulling the blanket up around him, tucking it in with careful, practiced hands that don’t hesitate or fumble. Your son watches him with that same wide-eyed trust, like Phillip is the solution to every problem the world could possibly throw at him. He picks up your son’s favorite stuffed animal and makes it hop across the comforter, tickling it under your son's chin until he giggles.
“Daddy?” he murmurs, already halfway to sleep.
“Yeah, bud?”
“…you gonna stay?”
There’s a pause. Small. Almost invisible.
Phillip’s eyes flick toward you, quick and quiet, like he’s measuring something he doesn’t say out loud. Then he looks back down.
“I’m right here,” he says softly. “Ain’t goin’ anywhere tonight.”
Your son nods, satisfied immediately, his body relaxing into the mattress as his breathing evens out. Phillip stays there longer than necessary, his hand resting lightly on the blanket near your son’s chest, thumb moving once, twice in an absent, grounding rhythm. His eyes never leave the small sleeping body curled up in the blankets. Not until he’s absolutely sure the kid is settled and safe.
You watch him, something complicated and unwelcome pulling tight in your chest.
Then he stands. You step back automatically to let him pass through the doorway.
He pauses in the doorway for just a second, his gaze drifting over the room like he’s cataloging it, like he’s remembering something he didn’t realize he missed. Then he looks at you, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes, before it disappears just as quickly. His hand comes out hesitantly, as if scared of spooking you. He sets it gently on your shoulder, his thumb moving across your sweater in a soothing motion the same way he calmed your son.
It seems to work on you as well because for the first time in a long time you don't pull away from his familiar touch. He opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, but closes it quickly with a hum in the back of his throat.
You both move back toward the living room.
The house feels different now. The quiet isn’t comfortable. It’s thick. Heavy. The storm outside presses against the walls, wind howling low and constant, ice scratching against the windows like it’s trying to get in.
Phillip glances around once, assessing the space like he always does.
Then he nods slightly to himself.
“I’ll get a fire goin’.”
You cross your arms. “You don’t have to-”
He’s already kneeling in front of the large stone fireplace.
The motion is smooth, practiced, like muscle memory takes over without him needing to think about it. He pulls the kindling from the side cabinet, stacking it neatly, deliberately, every movement precise and controlled.
You watch him from the doorway, something in your chest tightening.
“…you remember how to do that?” you ask, your tone sharper than you intended.
He reaches over and pulls one of the large matches from the box. He strikes the match against the stone, once, twice. The flame catches on the second try, flickering against the wood.
He doesn’t look up.
“We designed this place from the ground up,” he says quietly. “You picked that fireplace. Wanted something usable. So yeah- I know how to use it.”
Your breath catches. You hadn’t expected that.
He adjusts the logs, the fire beginning to take shape, glow building stronger with each second.
Then, like it’s nothing-
“This used to be my house, too, Sweetheart.”
The words aren’t defensive. They aren’t bitter.
They’re just… true.
And somehow that makes them worse.
Your jaw tightens, arms folding tighter across your chest as the fire finally catches, warmth pushing out into the room, softening the edges of everything it touches.
You can’t stand there anymore.
You push off the doorway and move into the kitchen, needing something, anything, to do with your hands.
Your tea sits abandoned on the end table, long gone cold.
It suddenly feels… insufficient. You need something a little stronger to take the edge off whatever’s twisting in your chest.
You reach up into a cabinet near the fridge and pull out a bottle of wine. The weight of it settles into your hand, familiar, grounding.
Better.
Behind you, you hear him shift. A cabinet opens.
You freeze for half a second.
He doesn’t ask. Doesn’t hesitate.
Just reaches up and pulls down a second wine glass from the exact spot it’s always been, like his hands remember the layout of your kitchen better than they have any right to.
“Still keep ‘em in the same place,” he says, quiet, almost to himself. He sets the two glasses down in front of you on the counter.
You don’t look at him when you pour, but you hand him the glass anyway.
His fingers brush yours when he takes it. Light, brief.
It still feels like something.
You pull your hand back first.
He doesn’t comment on it. Just turns, already heading back toward the living room like it means nothing at all.
You follow a second later, bottle in hand, watching as he settles onto the rug in front of the fire like he’s done it a hundred times before.
Because he has.
Then he pats the spot on the rug beside him like you’re a skittish animal. “C’mon,” he says softly. “It’s cold.”
You roll your eyes so hard it almost hurts. But you sit. Not close. Not touching.
A respectable distance.
Phillip leans back, one arm draped over the back of the couch like he’s casual. You stare at the TV even though it’s off. Silence stretches. The snow taps at the windows like nails.
Then Phillip speaks again. Low. “You still afraid of me?”
You turn your head slowly. “I was never afraid of you.”
Phillip’s eyes drag over your face like he’s reading you. “No,” he murmurs. “You’re afraid of what happens when I’m here.”
His eyes flicker over to the foyer.
Where a little over a month ago you had sobbed into his chest. Where he had held you and kissed your head, breathing you in just like he used to.
Your breath catches. You hate him for saying it like it’s obvious. You stare into the fire a second too long before the words slip out.
“…we don’t get to just pretend that night didn’t happen.”
The second it’s out there, you wish you could take it back.
Silence stretches. He doesn’t move right away. Doesn’t look at you.
Then-
“I know,” he says, quieter. “I’m not.”
You glance at him then. Really look at him.
There’s no deflection there. No edge. No attitude.
Just… honesty.
And somehow, that’s worse.
Your grip tightens slightly around the glass.
“Could’ve fooled me,” you mutter.
His jaw shifts, just barely. You both know. The silent exchanges. The pleasantries. The performance of normalcy that neither of you ever had since the day you said “I do”.
“I didn’t-” he stops, exhales through his nose, starting again slower. “Wasn’t tryin’ to just leave it like that.”
“Then why did you?” you ask, sharper now. Because you remember that night. Not the fight. Not the things either of you said.
After.
The way everything went quiet. The way you were still standing there, half out of breath, eyes burning, and he was still right in front of you, close enough to touch.
Close enough that he did.
And that you didn't push him away.
Your throat tightens.
The way he pulled you in like it was instinct. Like none of it mattered. Like it was just… you and him again.
And then-
The way he stepped back.
Like something in him snapped. Like he realized what he’d just done. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t try to fix it.
Just turned and walked out your front door like it hadn’t happened at all.
Like you hadn’t just been crying into his chest.
Like he hadn’t just held you like that.
You’d stood there for a long time after.
Waiting.
For him to come back. For your phone to ring. For something.
It never did.
And just like that-
you’re back in it.
Right where you left off.
You inhale deeply, trying to calm yourself. You look away sharply. “You shouldn’t be here, Phillip.”
He takes a light sip of his wine, voice quiet. “I know.”
Then, because he can’t leave anything alone, he adds,
“But I’m glad I am.”
Your pulse stutters. You swallow. “You’re going to leave in the morning,” you say firmly. Like it’s a rule.
Phillip hums. “If the roads are clear.”
“And if they aren't?"
Phillip turns his head toward you, mouth curling like a promise you don’t want to hear.
“Then I guess I’ll be here,” he murmurs. “Til you get sick of me.”
You snort. “I’m already sick of you.”
Phillip smiles wide, teeth flashing. “Liar.”
For a couple minutes neither of you speak. You both sip your wine and watch the flames dance in the fireplace gently, the comforting smell of the roasting wood soothing you and warming your bodies.
“He have fun?” you ask quietly.
Phillip leans back on one hand, his other hand loose around the glass. “Yeah.”
You huff a small laugh, “He always talks about it all week after he spends a weekend with you, you know.”
A small smile pulls at his mouth, softer than usual, less guarded. “Thank the Lord. He sure has a lot of opinions about my choice of movies at my place. Think he’s getting tired of Rio Bravo.”
“You still watching those old westerns? I'm shocked you haven't bored him to death yet,” You snort into your wine glass as he elbows you gently.
“Watch your mouth when you talk about John Wayne,” he warns, voice low and grave.
You take a sip of your wine, the warmth spreading slowly through your chest.
“He loves you so much,” you add, as if that wasn't obvious.
Phillip’s gaze shifts to you, steady, unflinching. “I know,”
“I love him more than anything.” he finishes.
The fire pops softly as you avoid his gaze, busying yourself with the shadows on the walls.
“I always wanted more,” he says after a moment, fingers stroking the rug under him mindlessly.
You glance at him, your brows pulling together slightly. “…more what?”
His eyes don’t leave yours this time.
“Kids.”
Your stomach drops.
You let out a quiet breath, your gaze flicking back to the fire, shaking your head, “Of course you did.”
His jaw shifts, something tightening just beneath the surface. He sets his wine glass down on the coffee table next to him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
You turn toward him now, your expression steady, even if your chest isn’t. “It means you were barely home enough to make more kids, let alone raise more.”
That hits home.
You see it in the way his posture shifts, in the way his grip tightens just slightly around the glass.
“I was workin’. You know that. I loved being home with you and him but I had to-”
“You were gone.”
“-provide for us.” he finishes firmly, like he’s in a board room and not laid out on the floor of his ex wife’s house.
You shake your head slowly, your voice quieter now, more controlled.
“You weren’t even there when he was born.”
The words settle between you like something heavy and immovable. Phillip’s gaze drops.
“I was on a contract. You know I can’t just walk away from that. I got back as soon as possible. You went into early labor and-”
You cut him off again, “I was alone in the hospital for two days before you were back to see our son. He didn't even have a name until three days after he was born because his father wasn't there to help pick one out.”
Silence stretches, thick and real. The weight of your emotions lingers in the air, hitting him in the gut.
The fire crackles. The wind presses harder against the house.
“That wasn’t easy for me” he states, his voice lower now, less polished. “Knowing you had to be strong all alone while I was out in God knows where, doing who knows what.”
You let out a soft, humorless laugh. “Couldn't have been harder than having to be the strong one by myself.”
That lands.
You see it in the way his expression falters, just for a second, before he pulls it back into place.
He takes a deep breath, “You’re right,” he hesitates before reaching his hand out and setting it next to yours on the rug, “I’m… I’m sorry. I’ve said it before but,” he pauses again, “I don't think I’ve said it enough.”
You sit in silence for a minute before placing your own hand over his in a forgiving motion. You swallow, your voice softening before you can stop it.
“…you’re a good dad.”
He looks at you then. Really looks.
“You are,” you add, holding his gaze. “You always have been. Even if you weren't here all the time. When you were here you were here. Fully.”
Something shifts in his face. Subtle, but real.
“I didn’t think I could be,” he admits, looking back towards the fire. “Didn't think kids were ever in the stars for me,”
Your breath catches slightly.
His voice drops, quieter, more honest than he usually allows himself to be.
“Not until you.”
The space between you changes. It’s not just warm now. It’s charged.
You don’t realize you’ve leaned closer until you’re already there, the blanket slipping slightly around your shoulders, your knee brushing his without meaning to.
His eyes flick to your mouth.
Then back up.
Slow. Intentional. Like he’s giving you time to stop this.
You don’t.
Your hand tightens in the fabric of the blanket.
His shifts on the floor, closing the space between you just enough that your breath stutters.
“Phillip,” you start, but it comes out softer than you intended, your voice catching on his name. More breathy than warning.
That does something to him.
You see it in the way his jaw tightens, in the way his breathing shifts, just slightly deeper. He murmurs your name softly, almost inaudible under the crackling of the fire. Like a plea. Like a question you don’t know how to answer.
His gaze drops again. Lingers this time. His tongue barely drags across his lower lip, but you still catch the subtle way he wets his lip.
Your heart is beating too fast, too loud, like it might give you away.
You don’t move.
Neither does he.
The distance between you is gone now. Completely gone.
His hand lifts, slow, deliberate, like he’s giving you every opportunity to stop him before he crosses that line.
It hovers near your face. Close enough that you can feel the heat of it.
Your breath catches, your body leaning into it without permission, without thought. His thumb strokes across your cheekbone lightly, his fingers ghosting over your jaw.
He’s right there. So close you can feel it. So close you remember exactly what it feels like to be kissed by him.
Your eyes drop.
His follow.
And for a second-
It’s not almost.
It’s happening.
His head tilts just slightly. Your breath stutters out. And then-
you pull back.
Not far. But enough to break it.
“I should check on him,” you say quickly, your voice uneven despite your effort to steady it.
It’s like a bucket of icewater washes over the two of you, shocking your systems.
Phillip’s hand drops immediately, like it was never there.
“Yeah,” he says, his voice rougher now, less controlled. Pained. “Yeah, you should.”
You stand, your heart racing, your chest tight, and walk down the hallway just to breathe, just to put space between you and whatever that was about to become.
You don’t need to check. You just need a second. You pace in the hallway, one hand on your chest the other tracing the dark walls of the hallway while you breathe deeply.
When you come back, he’s still there.
Sitting in the same spot, the firelight flickering across his face, his posture still, controlled again, like he forced himself back into it. Like nothing happened.
You hesitate in the doorway. Then you walk back over and sit down again. Closer this time. Not touching. But close enough that it would take nothing.
The silence settles again, softer now, heavier. At some point, your body gives in before your brain can argue.
Fuck it.
Your head tilts, slow, hesitant-
-then settles against his shoulder.
You go still for a second, waiting for him to react.
He doesn’t.
Doesn’t move. Doesn’t say anything.
Then, just slightly, he shifts, angling himself closer so it’s easier for you to stay there.
Your eyes close slowly. His shoulder is warm. Solid. Familiar in a way that makes your chest ache.
He stays perfectly still beneath you, like he knows if he moves, even a little, you’ll pull away.
The fire burns low, casting soft light across the room.
The storm continues outside, relentless and loud, but it feels distant now.
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Quick reminder that Kyle isn't boring. Not in the slightest. He's tired of everyone's BULLSHIT while struggling to hold himself to a standard of morality that simply doesn't exist in the career of necessary violence he actively chooses to be a part of on a daily basis.
Why? Because he legit thought that being the dark hand of fate would allow the rest of society to live in their light. But he quickly finds out how easy it is to slip into the ugliness of it all. Hell, he was already there from the start of the games.
Because remember, his first conversation with Price is, "Hey, Dad, WHY CAN'T WE DO MORE VIOLENCE TO GET THE RESULTS WE WANT VIA ANY MEANS NECESSARY?!"
That's not someone who is good, or soft or scared to engage with the enemy. That's someone who absolutely believes "The ends justify the means."
So yeah, stop writing Kyle as some paragon of virtue. He's just as deeply flawed as the rest of them. And that makes him awesome, interesting and yeah, just as hot as the rest of the 141.
I despise how the fandom erases him or accuses him of being "boring" because he hides his cracks better than everyone else. The fact that he hides his commitment to violence so well that he comes off as completely normal if you didn't know any better? Yeah, THAT IS THE SCARY PART.
Okay, I'm gonna be completely honest here but for the past several months, all this news about age verification laws spreading around the world has made me extremely anxious. I'm starting to lose sleep over it and have been doomscrolling news about it just hoping that there will be some sort of turn around like enough backlash and data breaches will occur that governments and corporations will realize how bad of an idea it is to dox and spy on everyone and say "fuck it" let's find another way to protect the kids... (even though we all know they don't care about that), or implement a less intrusive method like "zero knowledge proof" that I've heard of. I’ve written before how worried I’ve been about this in other articles but never talked about how I thought this would affect me on a personal level.
The biggest scare I had was when I heard of Discord's plans to roll it out and I felt relieved when the backlash was big enough for them to postpone it, though I wish it was just not coming at all. Discord is one of the most active places I am now socially. The last thing I wanted was to have features locked behind age gates for me. So yeah, I was relieved when they delayed the rollout but it’s only a matter of time.
So this is mainly a vent post and I'm gonna give a rundown of how I'm scared about this affecting me. As you know, I live in Canada so there's no law regarding it yet, but there are a few bills that tie to it in a way. The most recent is Bill C-34 which aims to ban minors from social media and make platforms safer. Don't get me wrong, safety is important and I do care about kids being safe, but kids shouldn't be barred from this, they should instead be educated on online safety and it scares me that it won't be long before this bill is law and what this means for me as an adult. This is being presented as child safety in other countries but it is enforced as surveillance for every legal adult when we upload our personal information and put it at risk in a database that isn't 100% secure.
Many of the people involved in this bill’s readings, and I’m sorry if I am being ageist here: but they’re all people old enough to be my grandparents who didn’t grow up with the Internet and don’t understand that showing your ID to a third-party vendor online is not the same as showing it in person at a casino. It seems countries around the world are rushing to put these laws through without giving it much thought about the consequences. Why is that? I think they are falling for the trope that
we’re doing this for the kids” because there’s two things governments will make rash decisions about, even if the public doesn’t like it. Take any bill you want to become law and wrap it one of the two following categories: stopping terrorists or protecting kids. Yes both of those things are important but the question is, how do you achieve those things without it implemented as mass surveillance?
So here are my concerns and I'm sharing this here wondering if anyone else feels the same. I already tried to share this in a subreddit about privacy but it’s been several days, and then eventually the moderators removed it without explanation, so I am sharing it here instead. It'll be freezing in hell before I give my ID or my face to some shady third-party company:
1. I'm worried if it will impede my ability to create content. This is the biggest one. I'm not a creator with a large following and my content is just writing on here and AO3, I'm scared of age gates causing those sites to be shut down (especially AO3 which is nonprofit) or prevent users from continuing to make their content unless they verify. I would be devastated if I woke up one morning and logged into either here or AO3 and discovered I needed to verify my age to access certain features. My work that I do on these platforms is like if I had a child. So very dear to me and I don’t want to be impeded from it by being forced to hand over sensitive information to something I don’t think I can trust will delete afterward.
2. Losing access to my community. This is also important. Living with autism, social media has been a great outlet for me as in-person interactions can be challenging. (not impossible, but challenging), it's allowed me to meet people who share the same interests as me. In high school and college, there were no clubs I could join that say, were about things like heavy metal and Transformers for instance. I’ve made many online friends the two decades. Some have come and gone, and the ones that stuck around, I know what they look like and they’re not predators. One of my longest ongoing online friends I even met in person a couple of times, and he lives in France. I definitely don't want to lose contact with him.
3. Being falsely labelled as a child, I know we all hate this. It may not seem like a big deal at first because I don't even watch porn, which is the going to be the first place that will obviously be age-gated. I was so scared about YouTube expanding its AI verification into Canada that I purposely stopped watching cartoons I love out of fear of YouTube possibly mistaking me for a child when in reality, I am 32 and will turn 33 this May. I don't like false labels put on me, it's just a pet peeve you know. I would NEVER lie about my DOB.
They also don’t make it clear about how they will try to guess your age based on account behavior, but then again, many sites that do this make it vague as well. Some of it is account age. Well, my Facebook account is old enough to vote so I might be in the clear with that. As for Google, I had to make a new account a couple of years ago but my credit card is already tied to it, so that should be enough proof you need. Then they say it’s other things like when account activity occurs, but at what times would I have to be active to be classified as an adult? If I was online during school hours, does that make me a kid? They're not transparent enough and that just fuels the anxiety.
Basically they are planning to treat everyone like children until they dox themselves to prove they are not. This is why age verification doesn't work because it impacts everyone. Adults shouldn't have to struggle to access legal content just because they may value their privacy.
4. Being able to play my favourite games, my Steam account is almost 11 years old so I doubt that if Valve had to comply, they'd think I'm underage but let's just say when that Hellraiser Revival game is released, will I be forced to verify just to purchase it? Sounds hypothetical right now but still you get the point.
I think this one might be the most irrational concern because I saw a few videos that Valve is one of the companies that is fighting back against age verification along with Reddit (or so I thought) and 4chan. In the UK, Valve did comply with the law but only by asking users to have a credit card on their account if they wanted to purchase games with mature content.
And then there's general concerns that I'm sure everyone else has like: how often will we be asked to do it and where? Will it be taken advantage of to spy on us, even if we don't have a criminal record? I've given out personal information before like my credit card to buy things, but ID is where I draw the line.
On the surface, age verification seems like a decent idea so kids don’t accidentally go to places they’re not supposed to, but why should everyone else have to do it just because some parents don’t use the parental controls available to them? How many times must I say it? Child safety is something universally agreed upon, but it shouldn’t have to cost everyone else their privacy. It seems more like it’s about surveillance and censorship, and could be easily be used to block legal content.
Let’s use a similar example, one fellow blogger who is trans, wrote about how trans people in Kansas were banned using public washrooms that tied to their gender identity. The state's government claimed this was to protect women and girls, but in reality it was to oust trans people.
Age verification is no different, it’s being presented as protecting kids to get people to agree with it easily. But, it’s actually about the government having more control over the Internet and knowing exactly who we are behind the screen so advertisers can make even more money with our data. They don’t care if the sensitive information we upload becomes a honeypot for hackers, they got what they came for.
If age verification was done in a way that was privacy-centric, like I said, zero-knowledge proof, or it was done directly by the government instead of these third-party vendors and didn’t use invasive measures like ID and biometrics then maybe I would be more accepting of it becoming the way of the future. Unlike a password, you can’t reset your face. The last thing I want is to discover my face was used to train AI without my consent and then it was used in deepfakes or photoshopped onto some random female naked body. Or, my ID was leaked and then hackers break into my bank account or started one in my name.
Identity theft is something that should be taken very seriously and my government should know this risk that comes with scanning your face or uploading your ID to verify age, especially if it’s from a third-party company that isn’t clear about whether the information is deleted immediately afterward.
Maybe some of my concerns are irrational and maybe this is an excuse for me to touch grass more: and trust me, I do go outside. But the Internet is still a big part of my life, especially when it comes to making my written content and playing games so I don't want to have that taken away from me or limited due to being caught in the crossfire of age verification laws that are put in place under the guise of protecting kids. I'm preaching to the choir here but once again: I do want kids to be safe, but it shouldn't cost everyone else their privacy.
Is this also spreading around the world because of the lawsuits social media has faced the last few years from parents whose child took their life and that KGM case around a former social media addict? Yes, social media is addictive and negatively impacts mental health, but according to the scientists, there isn’t enough evidence that the youth mental health crisis rests solely on social media. In fact, there are positive benefits to children using the Internet such as forming connections and learning new things. We shouldn’t block them completely by installing age gates. Once again, use the parental controls. Look at Japan, instead of making age verification laws, they are making it mandatory for children to be taught online safety in school! Why can’t we do that instead?
Why not change the algorithms that make social media addictive instead like infinite scroll and suggested content for instance? I think the core problem here, if we go back to the issue with child safety, is not the fact that they are on social media, but social media is designed in a way to be addictive for everyone, not just kids. So instead of kicking kids off of social media, censoring the Internet for them, let's make changes to the way social media is designed and educate kids and parents about parental controls. No bans and no eliminating the right to be anonymous.
I have done all I have can to do my part against this: signed petitions, donated to Fight for the Future and EFF (OpenMedia may be next), I contacted my MP and several senators (including the one who has kept reintroducing the bill that pushes for this), and I may consider a VPN as that might be the only way to circumvent these rules should they come for my country. Some of my friends who live in countries that have already have this as law, complied anyway because they feel like they have nothing to hide, but I disagree. Maybe they don’t care what happens, but I’m different. I am drawing a line in the sand, and wish this wasn’t something happening at all. This not how the Internet should be. While I do agree something needs to be done about cyberbullying, predators, hate speech, and child safety, this is not the way the do it. It’s the parent’s responsibility, not the government’s, and not everyone else you’re making verify their ages either.
I feel powerless and I'm sure I'm not alone here. I just want to be able to keep making my content, have fun, and interact with my friends without restrictions or be forced to upload sensitive information to lift those restrictions. I would be devastated if I woke up one day to discover the bills that brought age verification to my country became law. I don’t feel safe being blocked from doing what I love unless I show my ID online. Again, it’s not the same as doing it in person. I have the right to privacy equally as children have the right to safety and the bill that proposes age verification in my country strongly violates Section 8 under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as Canada's privacy laws such as the Privacy Act and PIPEDA.
TLDR: I'm scared of what age verification will do to my ability to create content, socialize and do other hobbies online and I’m sorry if I keep repeating this, but I strongly believe that we shouldn't have to forfeit our privacy in the name of safety. If polticians really wanted it to be about safety, then it wouldn't be done like this. Digital privacy is a human right and age verification takes it away.
👽Emily
Source: Fears of how Age Verification will Affect Me
summary: You just started working as the Task Force’s newest secretary, and the boys love you. These are something’s they do, to try and make your life easier (except Soap 😘)
a/n: This is my first COD post, im actually super scared to post this but yolo, lmk if you like it and want more💕
When Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley first met you, you briefly mentioned you liked peppermint tea. Since then, every morning Simon stops by your desk & brings you a cup of tea on his way to his morning meetings with Price. He rarely speaks when he drops it off, but when he does it’s usually a “mornin’ luv”
Throughout the work day Johnny ‘Soap’ MacTavish will randomly come up & compliment you. Whether it’s “new shoes, aye? I like em” or “that lipstick looks really good on you, let me know if you wanna test if it’s transfer proof” after every little comment, he leaves with a wink, and it leaves you flustered for a solid ten minutes
During the day, Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick will stop at your desk to see how you’re doing. He always makes sure your office is the temperature you want, & makes sure you have some snacks and water. On those days he finds you overwhelmed, he’ll ask if you want to join him for lunch. “Hey honey, wanna go out to eat? Just me n’ you?”
Whenever Captain John Price drops off paperwork to you, he always makes sure it’s organized before it even lands on your desk. He doesn’t want you putting all your energy into getting the papers in order just because his boys couldn’t. If he sees you exhausted, he’ll sit with you and rub your back till you’re ready, then he’ll help you wifh the paperwork, he whispers sweet little things in your ear while you rest, “Take your time sweetheart, no rush”
a/n: I hope you all enjoyed this!! Once again this is my first post on them! Enjoy the rest of your day/night💕
Okay, I'm gonna be completely honest here but for the past several months, all this news about age verification laws spreading around the world has made me extremely anxious. I'm starting to lose sleep over it and have been doomscrolling news about it just hoping that there will be some sort of turn around like enough backlash and data breaches will occur that governments and corporations will realize how bad of an idea it is to dox and spy on everyone and say "fuck it" let's find another way to protect the kids... (even though we all know they don't care about that), or implement a less intrusive method like "zero knowledge proof" that I've heard of. I’ve written before how worried I’ve been about this in other articles but never talked about how I thought this would affect me on a personal level.
The biggest scare I had was when I heard of Discord's plans to roll it out and I felt relieved when the backlash was big enough for them to postpone it, though I wish it was just not coming at all. Discord is one of the most active places I am now socially. The last thing I wanted was to have features locked behind age gates for me. So yeah, I was relieved when they delayed the rollout but it’s only a matter of time.
So this is mainly a vent post and I'm gonna give a rundown of how I'm scared about this affecting me. As you know, I live in Canada so there's no law regarding it yet, but there are a few bills that tie to it in a way. The most recent is Bill C-34 which aims to ban minors from social media and make platforms safer. Don't get me wrong, safety is important and I do care about kids being safe, but kids shouldn't be barred from this, they should instead be educated on online safety and it scares me that it won't be long before this bill is law and what this means for me as an adult. This is being presented as child safety in other countries but it is enforced as surveillance for every legal adult when we upload our personal information and put it at risk in a database that isn't 100% secure.
Many of the people involved in this bill’s readings, and I’m sorry if I am being ageist here: but they’re all people old enough to be my grandparents who didn’t grow up with the Internet and don’t understand that showing your ID to a third-party vendor online is not the same as showing it in person at a casino. It seems countries around the world are rushing to put these laws through without giving it much thought about the consequences. Why is that? I think they are falling for the trope that
we’re doing this for the kids” because there’s two things governments will make rash decisions about, even if the public doesn’t like it. Take any bill you want to become law and wrap it one of the two following categories: stopping terrorists or protecting kids. Yes both of those things are important but the question is, how do you achieve those things without it implemented as mass surveillance?
So here are my concerns and I'm sharing this here wondering if anyone else feels the same. I already tried to share this in a subreddit about privacy but it’s been several days, and then eventually the moderators removed it without explanation, so I am sharing it here instead. It'll be freezing in hell before I give my ID or my face to some shady third-party company:
1. I'm worried if it will impede my ability to create content. This is the biggest one. I'm not a creator with a large following and my content is just writing on here and AO3, I'm scared of age gates causing those sites to be shut down (especially AO3 which is nonprofit) or prevent users from continuing to make their content unless they verify. I would be devastated if I woke up one morning and logged into either here or AO3 and discovered I needed to verify my age to access certain features. My work that I do on these platforms is like if I had a child. So very dear to me and I don’t want to be impeded from it by being forced to hand over sensitive information to something I don’t think I can trust will delete afterward.
2. Losing access to my community. This is also important. Living with autism, social media has been a great outlet for me as in-person interactions can be challenging. (not impossible, but challenging), it's allowed me to meet people who share the same interests as me. In high school and college, there were no clubs I could join that say, were about things like heavy metal and Transformers for instance. I’ve made many online friends the two decades. Some have come and gone, and the ones that stuck around, I know what they look like and they’re not predators. One of my longest ongoing online friends I even met in person a couple of times, and he lives in France. I definitely don't want to lose contact with him.
3. Being falsely labelled as a child, I know we all hate this. It may not seem like a big deal at first because I don't even watch porn, which is the going to be the first place that will obviously be age-gated. I was so scared about YouTube expanding its AI verification into Canada that I purposely stopped watching cartoons I love out of fear of YouTube possibly mistaking me for a child when in reality, I am 32 and will turn 33 this May. I don't like false labels put on me, it's just a pet peeve you know. I would NEVER lie about my DOB.
They also don’t make it clear about how they will try to guess your age based on account behavior, but then again, many sites that do this make it vague as well. Some of it is account age. Well, my Facebook account is old enough to vote so I might be in the clear with that. As for Google, I had to make a new account a couple of years ago but my credit card is already tied to it, so that should be enough proof you need. Then they say it’s other things like when account activity occurs, but at what times would I have to be active to be classified as an adult? If I was online during school hours, does that make me a kid? They're not transparent enough and that just fuels the anxiety.
Basically they are planning to treat everyone like children until they dox themselves to prove they are not. This is why age verification doesn't work because it impacts everyone. Adults shouldn't have to struggle to access legal content just because they may value their privacy.
4. Being able to play my favourite games, my Steam account is almost 11 years old so I doubt that if Valve had to comply, they'd think I'm underage but let's just say when that Hellraiser Revival game is released, will I be forced to verify just to purchase it? Sounds hypothetical right now but still you get the point.
I think this one might be the most irrational concern because I saw a few videos that Valve is one of the companies that is fighting back against age verification along with Reddit (or so I thought) and 4chan. In the UK, Valve did comply with the law but only by asking users to have a credit card on their account if they wanted to purchase games with mature content.
And then there's general concerns that I'm sure everyone else has like: how often will we be asked to do it and where? Will it be taken advantage of to spy on us, even if we don't have a criminal record? I've given out personal information before like my credit card to buy things, but ID is where I draw the line.
On the surface, age verification seems like a decent idea so kids don’t accidentally go to places they’re not supposed to, but why should everyone else have to do it just because some parents don’t use the parental controls available to them? How many times must I say it? Child safety is something universally agreed upon, but it shouldn’t have to cost everyone else their privacy. It seems more like it’s about surveillance and censorship, and could be easily be used to block legal content.
Let’s use a similar example, one fellow blogger who is trans, wrote about how trans people in Kansas were banned using public washrooms that tied to their gender identity. The state's government claimed this was to protect women and girls, but in reality it was to oust trans people.
Age verification is no different, it’s being presented as protecting kids to get people to agree with it easily. But, it’s actually about the government having more control over the Internet and knowing exactly who we are behind the screen so advertisers can make even more money with our data. They don’t care if the sensitive information we upload becomes a honeypot for hackers, they got what they came for.
If age verification was done in a way that was privacy-centric, like I said, zero-knowledge proof, or it was done directly by the government instead of these third-party vendors and didn’t use invasive measures like ID and biometrics then maybe I would be more accepting of it becoming the way of the future. Unlike a password, you can’t reset your face. The last thing I want is to discover my face was used to train AI without my consent and then it was used in deepfakes or photoshopped onto some random female naked body. Or, my ID was leaked and then hackers break into my bank account or started one in my name.
Identity theft is something that should be taken very seriously and my government should know this risk that comes with scanning your face or uploading your ID to verify age, especially if it’s from a third-party company that isn’t clear about whether the information is deleted immediately afterward.
Maybe some of my concerns are irrational and maybe this is an excuse for me to touch grass more: and trust me, I do go outside. But the Internet is still a big part of my life, especially when it comes to making my written content and playing games so I don't want to have that taken away from me or limited due to being caught in the crossfire of age verification laws that are put in place under the guise of protecting kids. I'm preaching to the choir here but once again: I do want kids to be safe, but it shouldn't cost everyone else their privacy.
Is this also spreading around the world because of the lawsuits social media has faced the last few years from parents whose child took their life and that KGM case around a former social media addict? Yes, social media is addictive and negatively impacts mental health, but according to the scientists, there isn’t enough evidence that the youth mental health crisis rests solely on social media. In fact, there are positive benefits to children using the Internet such as forming connections and learning new things. We shouldn’t block them completely by installing age gates. Once again, use the parental controls. Look at Japan, instead of making age verification laws, they are making it mandatory for children to be taught online safety in school! Why can’t we do that instead?
Why not change the algorithms that make social media addictive instead like infinite scroll and suggested content for instance? I think the core problem here, if we go back to the issue with child safety, is not the fact that they are on social media, but social media is designed in a way to be addictive for everyone, not just kids. So instead of kicking kids off of social media, censoring the Internet for them, let's make changes to the way social media is designed and educate kids and parents about parental controls. No bans and no eliminating the right to be anonymous.
I have done all I have can to do my part against this: signed petitions, donated to Fight for the Future and EFF (OpenMedia may be next), I contacted my MP and several senators (including the one who has kept reintroducing the bill that pushes for this), and I may consider a VPN as that might be the only way to circumvent these rules should they come for my country. Some of my friends who live in countries that have already have this as law, complied anyway because they feel like they have nothing to hide, but I disagree. Maybe they don’t care what happens, but I’m different. I am drawing a line in the sand, and wish this wasn’t something happening at all. This not how the Internet should be. While I do agree something needs to be done about cyberbullying, predators, hate speech, and child safety, this is not the way the do it. It’s the parent’s responsibility, not the government’s, and not everyone else you’re making verify their ages either.
I feel powerless and I'm sure I'm not alone here. I just want to be able to keep making my content, have fun, and interact with my friends without restrictions or be forced to upload sensitive information to lift those restrictions. I would be devastated if I woke up one day to discover the bills that brought age verification to my country became law. I don’t feel safe being blocked from doing what I love unless I show my ID online. Again, it’s not the same as doing it in person. I have the right to privacy equally as children have the right to safety and the bill that proposes age verification in my country strongly violates Section 8 under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as Canada's privacy laws such as the Privacy Act and PIPEDA.
TLDR: I'm scared of what age verification will do to my ability to create content, socialize and do other hobbies online and I’m sorry if I keep repeating this, but I strongly believe that we shouldn't have to forfeit our privacy in the name of safety. If polticians really wanted it to be about safety, then it wouldn't be done like this. Digital privacy is a human right and age verification takes it away.
👽Emily
Source: Fears of how Age Verification will Affect Me
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
✨This mod adds new interactions to doors so your Sims can Knock, Check On Sim, Eavesdrop, Late Night Knock, or Bang on Door when your sims lives get a little intense.
Whether it’s a check-in, someone listening a little too closely, a late night visit, or a Sim refusing to be ignored, each interaction comes with custom popups, buffs, and outcomes to help bring more storytelling into your game.
✨Eavesdrop Is Unlocked instead of being limited to only certain situations or specific door types. Sims can sneak up to a door, listen in, and try to uncover secrets easier!
Depending on the interaction, you may be asked to choose a sim inside the room. From there, the mod can trigger custom popups, moodlets, and response outcomes. Sims can check on someone behind a closed door, listen in, show up late at night, or bang on the door.
Check On Sim lets your Sim use a door to see if someone inside is okay. It’s built more for storytelling than random chaos: your Sim chooses someone in the room, checks in on them
🔥Late Night Knock lets Sims show up at another Sim’s door after hours and hope for the best. They might let them in for a private late-night steamy make out, But if the vibe is wrong? The Sim inside can deny them at the door and yell at them to leave.
Bang on the Door is the more dramatic version of a regular knock. Instead of checking in, the Sim bangs on the door like they’re upset, impatient, or desperate to be let in. After someone bangs on their door, they can either open it and deal with the situation face-to-face, or refuse to let the other Sim in.
you should think of these two as Montauk and Ida, or Montauk and Murdoch. The thought of using Montauk's first name to refer to her in any capacity just feels…wrong to me.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Red fire, golden fire, green fire. A sharp sizzle and a crack when another firework went off and showered the dark in colourful flitters. Thick smoke crept along the wide road. The silhouettes of people swam in it, down the street where they fired a new rocket, shadows against the dim light of the street lanterns.
A laugh rang in my ears as I tipped my head back and downed my glass of champagne. I turned, stumbled against a guy I barely knew from university but still had invited to my flat, along with a bunch of other half-strangers. Colourful speckles reflected in his eyes as another firework went off. He yelled something, and I didn’t understand, nor care, what exactly it was. I grinned at him, raised my glass.
“Happy New Year. It’s gonna be a great one.”
Oh, how bloody wrong I was.
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Meanwhile, in an apartment somewhere on the outskirts of the city, Lieutenant Simon Riley drew the curtains shut.
The fabric was flimsy and did nothing to drown out the flashing lights, the bursting sounds of fireworks going off. Fuck, he hated New Year’s Eve.
Pacing around his dark, empty living room, he grabbed the piece of paper from the coffee table again. Small black letters bled together under the poor lighting, but they had burned into his mind anyway, he didn’t need to read them again. He just held the letter to keep his hands occupied.
Immediate threat from Russia… Possible use of nuclear weapons…preparing bunkers for evacuation of civilians…
At the window, another explosion went off, and he forced a breath through gritted teeth. Had those people seen that letter, they would be in a different mood for sure. Yet they were celebrating.
He yanked another bottle of bourbon from the cupboard, pouring his - what, his sixth, eighth? - glass that night. He’d never admit it, but he only forced the burning liquor down his throat to silence a growing anxiety. There was nothing to be done about a missile, no way to fight your way out and save your ass. It brought the feeling of being small and powerless, and that notion whipped the sour taste of bile from his throat.
He set the glass back onto the table, with enough force to leave a dent in the smooth wood. He had packed his duffel back this afternoon. His combat boots waited by the door, his neatly folded uniform in his wardrobe. Tomorrow he would slip back into it for the first time after the incident, earlier than he could’ve anticipated. And he’d drive out to the bunker near Manchester and help with the evacuation efforts.
“Fuckin’ hell.” Golden brownish liquor plattered into his glass. Another one, until his head stopped screaming at him. Somewhere between the explosions and the colourful sparks outside, the new year started. It was already starting to look like shit.
I feel like we all domesticate Phillip too much sometimes in our thoughts. The truth is he‘s killed people, committed war crimes and can be both manipulative and narcissistic. And I also think, if he believes he is in the right, he would use those traits ruthlessly to make his partner agree with him. Wether it be a simple decision/ opinion that‘s disagreed upon, or a bigger argument on both of your views. He‘ll end up twisting the words in your mouth, make you feel guilty, clueless even, so that he can appear as your saviour. He just wants whats best for you, you just don’t know it. He‘s always right, you wouldn’t understand. Don’t you love him? If you did, you‘d listen to him. I feel like he would go that far to get what he wants. Not with malicious intent, but genuinely in what he believes is your best interest. He knows what he wants and how to get there. That‘s why I believe his relationship has a very clear power dynamic and no matter how much you banter or lecture him, deep down both of your know he makes the final decisions.
I definitely agree that Phillip gets overly domesticated sometimes, and I do think it is important to remember that he is not just some sweet husband in a cowboy hat. He is dangerous. He is arrogant. He is controlling. He has killed people, committed war crimes, and very clearly knows how to manipulate a situation when he wants to. I don’t think any of that disappears just because he falls in love.
But I do think there is a difference between Phillip being controlling/protective/used to getting his way and Phillip emotionally manipulating his wife into submission as the foundation of their relationship.
For my version of Phillip in my writing, I don’t think he would want a wife who just rolls over and lets him make every final decision. Honestly, I think that would bore him. I think he is attracted to competence, passion, backbone, and someone who can stand across from him and push back. He likes control, yes, but I don’t think he wants a partner who is powerless. I think he wants someone who chooses him, challenges him, frustrates him, and still stays.
That does not mean the relationship is perfectly healthy or soft. I do think Phillip can be manipulative. I do think he can be arrogant enough to believe he knows better. I do think he can justify a lot under the idea of “I’m doing this to protect you” or “I know what’s best.” That is absolutely part of him. But for me, the tension is that those traits create conflict in the relationship, not that they are the accepted structure of it.
Like, if Phillip started twisting your words, making you feel guilty, or pulling the “if you loved me, you’d listen” card, I don’t think my reader would just accept that as him being the final authority. I think that would be a serious problem. That would be a fight. That would be one of those moments where the relationship either has to confront the ugly parts of him or start breaking under them.
And honestly, that is more interesting to me than “he makes the final decisions.”
Because I do think Phillip wants to be in control. But I also think he wants to be respected, not just obeyed. He wants to be trusted, not just feared. He wants his wife to believe in him, not just give in because he backed her into a corner emotionally.
So yes, I agree that we shouldn’t sand down his darker traits entirely. He is not harmless. He is not morally clean. He is not just a domestic husband who makes pancakes and calls you darlin’. But I also don’t personally characterize his marriage as one where his wife secretly knows he has the final say no matter what.
For me, the interesting version of Phillip is a man who is used to command, violence, manipulation, and control, suddenly having to figure out how to love someone without turning the relationship into another chain of command.
And sometimes he fails at that.
But the failure is the conflict, not the fantasy.
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