A BLACK GIRL RUNS THIS BLOG BITCH

IN HIS DREAMS. part II

“ pretty brown eyes, you know i see you

it’s a disguise, the way you treat me. ”

PAIRING quarterback!cameron cade x fem oc!zaia (zy-uh)

IN WHICH, star football player cameron is enamored with zaia—who can't stand him.

CASSETTE Breakin’ My Heart - Mint condition

¡WARNINGS! 18+ MDNI, bitchy!fem oc, strong language, height difference, college campus setting, angst, obsession, yearning

A/N i’m sooo sorry for the wait yall! but i thought this would be so cute and i was so right, zaia getting a little frustrated with herself 🤣 im obsesseddd! please let me know what you guys think! all feedback is welcome <3

while others were out tailgating and celebrating yet another one of the football teams’ wins, zaia spent the entirety of her weekend preparing for the lab her chemistry professor has been raving about since the semester started.

she hates science.

could do without it if it wasn’t needed as a prerequisite for her degree. but she loved lab days,

and yet somehow still managed to wake up thirty minutes late.

she hopped out of her bedroom on one foot, stuffing the other into her nike p6000’s while struggling with the sweater that hangs halfway down her arm

payton huffs a laugh once zaia comes in to view clamoring down the hallway “damn, good morning! you’re like a pink tornado, all that noise and movement” she says before bringing her hello kitty coffee mug to her mouth, leaned over the island enjoying the scene unfolding in front of her

“ha ha,” she says sarcastically and does a light jog around the living room, collecting the folders she left out while studying the night before “i’m so fucking late it’s ridiculous” she stresses.

she finally manages to get everything she needs into her tote before hurriedly grabbing her tumbler off of the counter and heading for the front door, “see ya!” payton calls out after her as she swings the door open “wouldn’t wanna be ya!” she calls back before stepping out of their shared apartment into the cool morning air

when she enters the building it’s bustling with traffic to her surprise.

students shuffle about in every direction, including a couple of people she recognizes from her lecture which makes her sigh in relief, happy to know she isn’t the only one running behind.

her professor is busy talking to another student at her desk when she emerges through the doorway, but as soon as zaia goes to look for her assigned seat she’s called back up to the front

a look of confusion decorates her face, she hadn’t stopped anyone else that came in late

“good morning zaia,” the blonde woman beams “i just wanted to pick your brain really quickly about a few last minute changes i’ve made” she says, maneuvering around the desk that separates them and taking a seat

zaia smiles tightly with an eyebrow raised. what kind of changes could she be talking about?

“yeah, sure” she insists, shifting her weight from one leg to the other “a student in another one of my lectures has to do a make up for this lab, so he’s agreed to sit in this morning,” zaia releases a heavy breath through her nose, already knowing what direction this is heading in

“you’re one of my brightest, and this section has been giving him some trouble so i thought it would be a great idea for him to shadow you.”

anndddd there it is. a charity case.

she purses her lips together before answering, it would be no use in saying no if her and this student already talked about it. it would just make her seem rude.

“that’s fine, but to clarify they won’t be participating, correct? just watching?” she reiterates and the professor nods profusely “absolutely, your work will be all yours, he’s just spectating so he has an idea of how to get it done— her eyes travel to the door as it opens

“oh! here he comes now!” she stands from her seat “good morning cameron, congratulations on the big win” she chirps “thank you thank you, i appreciate it” that deep, velvety, patronizing voice falls onto her ears and she freezes.

“i want you to meet zaia, the phenomenal student i’ve been telling you about” she introduces

you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

she turns to meet them where they stand and he already looks pleased, more than that. excited

it makes her want to scream

“ahhh so you’re zaia?” he folds his arms over his chest and tilts his head at her, not missing the opportunity to trace her frame hugged just right in the outfit she’s wearing “good to know.” he smirks

“zaia’s agreed to be your point of reference today, so please pay attention” their professor stresses to him

“trust me, she’ll have all of my attention. i won’t miss a thing. promise” he assures tauntingly and while their professor beams with joy at the pair zaia huffs, annoyance consuming her already.

what a load of bullshit.

the two take their seats and cameron immediately begins fumbling with the sample vials placed in the center of the table as if they’re toys. zaia shoots him a look, which he pretends not to notice

“you’re here to observe,” she slides them out of his reach “stop touching stuff.” she grumbles

“damn, you extra bossy this morning i see,” he lifts his hands in mock surrender, lips twitching “woke up on the wrong side of the bed?” he pushes even further, earning a hard glare

she digs into her tote for the three ringed binder before flipping it open to her research notes

“let’s just get this over with.”

cameron leans back coolly into the chair, folding his hands over his lap and locking his gaze onto the side of her face, watching as she flips through the pages laid out in front of her

she’s so cute when she’s focused.

“didn’t know you wore glasses”

she pauses for a second before flipping to the next page “why would you? you don’t know me.” she scoffs “true, but i want to” he shoots back, and she doesn’t even care to dignify him with a response, so now they’re sitting in silence.

the sounds of the room circle around them. glass clinking, pages flipping and low chatter in heavy rotation

“your hair looks good like that” he cuts into the quiet, running his tongue over his bottom lip and awaiting the response he knows is coming.

she huffs and turns in her seat to face him, “what are you doing?.”

checkmate

“nothing,” he says innocently “just observing.” he shrugs. it’s quick, but he swears he catches a glimpse of a smirk curve into her lips before she hurriedly turns her attention back to her notes “hilarious.”

he grins at the fact that he almost got a smile out of her this time

meanwhile, she hates that she came so close to cracking. she also hates how fast her heart is beating right now. he shouldn’t even be here. it’s like the universe is playing some sick joke on her

“can i ask you something?” he leans up onto the table, hands still folded, inching closer to her than she can stand, he catches a whiff of the perfume she’s wearing and his eyes flutter shut

of course she smells good. just another thing for him to fixate on

he feels her stiffen at the closeness

she adjusts in her seat so that their shoulders aren’t brushing anymore, “is it about the assignment?” she slits her eyes at him “yes.” he lies. she purses her lips together, unconvinced

she restlessly taps the fountain pen onto the page of insanely organized notes, which he admires, and turns her head in his direction, stretching her eyes as if to rush the words out of him

“why you act like i’m such a problem?” he tilts his head at her, studying her like he’s trying to figure something out.

she stills her movement, “…‘cause you are.”

“straight like that, huh? just how i like it” he blinks, she still manages to shock him with her bluntness. but little did she know, it just makes her harder to resist

not a single smile, smirk, nothing. she just mugs him. he can’t help but laugh

“alright, my bad, my bad.” he says in between chuckles, “I’ll chill” his hand placed over his stomach and head tossed back

she then shifts in her seat again, angling her body away from him this time. completely over his antics

“come back” he says, softly, coaxing her with his eyes

he watches as she hesitates, and then finally moves her legs back but she still doesn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her face.

“do you take anything besides football seriously?” she asks pointedly, his eyes don’t leave her “nah,” he says easily “but i’d definitely take you seriously.” he adds and she takes a deep, calming breath, placing her hands flat onto the table in front of her to ground herself

she hates how he knows exactly what buttons to push

“you know i didn’t have to agree to this right, cameron?” she reminds him, voice steady. the warmness in his chest swells at the use of his name, he loves the way it sounds coming from her

despite the fact that she’s a few seconds away from mauling him.

“if you knew it was me you wouldn’t have agreed, zaia” he says, she glares at him

she couldn’t deny it if she tried.

“my name is off limits.” he smirks at that “and yes, i don’t particularly like you, but i do want to help. so stop being annoying and pay attention, please.” she says sharply. she isn’t being cruel, or rude like usual, he can tell. she’s just being honest. which in turn makes him straighten up a bit

and for the first time in a long time, he feels nervous.

he doesn’t know if it’s the classroom setting, or her being so smart that it makes her even sexier, but she has him flustered. yet here she is, cool as a cucumber. has been from the moment he laid eyes on her.

that slightly annoys him.

as she goes through the bullet points, he can’t focus on anything other than the way her lips move with each word. doesn’t comment like he wants to because he’s trying to be respectful of her time, but his eyes scan her face. reading and studying her.

the furrow in her brows as she explains something that he could tell she doesn’t agree with, how she takes her bottom lip into her mouth before moving on to the next point, her eyes fluttering up to his every so often to make sure he’s listening.

“does that make sense? any real questions before we start?” she looks up from the notebook with an eyebrow raised, he blinks rapidly, as if she’s snapped him out of something,

“uh— no, nah.” he clears his throat “i’m good. i think i got it” tearing his gaze away from her, he lets his eyes settle onto the microscope that sits in front of them, leg starting to bounce beneath the table

“great. i’ll explain as i go through each one, I’d be taking notes if i were you.” she warns, eyes falling over him, subconsciously taking in his appearance

he’s dressed in a simple black ‘nets’ tee and camo pants, the chains around his neck glisten courtesy of the light overhead, her eyes widen a bit at the veins in his forearms, flexing and contorting with each sudden movement as he digs through his backpack

the zipper snapping shut draws her back to the room and she shifts, quickly refocusing before he catches her staring.

she stretches each hand into the gloves and reaches for the first vial.

“okay” she rolls her shoulders, releasing a breath, trying to steady her pulse

after fumbling with the sample she slides the glass cup beneath the microscope

“this is our control,” she leans in to the lens, closer to him than she intends to be, and, again, he gets a nose-full of her perfume. sweet. clean. her. he shakes his head to rein himself in

pay attention.

he watches intently as her hands turn the dial to adjust the focus

“we’re just keeping an eye on the sample, watching for a reaction” she explains as she adds a droplet and waits a few seconds “see? no reaction yet, that’s the goal”

she does a quick glance in his direction and her eyebrows lift in surprise

he’s watching. actually watching.

good.

but her gaze, inconveniently, travels to his large hands.

she curses herself in her head and moves on to the next sample.

“now, do you see that?” her eyes catch his for a moment “how its blooming a little? that’s the reaction starting” she says

he leans in to squint through the lens, humming in thought “so if it’s still boring after you add the clear shit— she darts her eyes at him, a smirk quirking at her lips before she can stop it and he stifles a laugh “the clear stuff, that’s a good thing?” he corrects, a quiet laugh slips now.

the sound makes his heart flutter

“yes, exactly. boring is good”

he can’t help but glance at her in shock, pleased with himself. finally

“did i just get a laugh out of you?”

“don’t get used to it.” she straightens, already reaching for the next vial

everything is rhythmic after that. she explains, he listens. occasionally asking questions which lets her know he’s actually paying attention, she even lets him take control of the lab some. little things like adjusting the focus and adding droplets to a couple of samples.

time passes quicker than she expects it to, the next time she glances at the clock on the wall her eyes widen a bit

“shit- we’re going way over. i think that’s enough” she looks around the classroom and hadn’t even noticed that it had dwindled down to just a few students now

he exhales and leans back into his chair, hands folded behind his head as he watches her gather her things

"so, zaia," he starts, she pauses and shoots him a warning look, skin humming from the way he says her name, but of course she shakes every conflicting thought from her mind "you doing anything after this?" he asks carefully, but not carefully enough

"going home. don't push it" she rolls her eyes, sliding the strap onto her shoulder and he shrugs, fighting a smile, still riding the high of how good everything went "i'm just asking"

"right" she says dryly, grabbing her tumbler and heading for the door

he waits a few seconds, long enough for it to look coincidental, before pushing back from the table and jogging to catch up to her

he emerges from the classroom and searches for her down the hallway, finally landing on that pink hair and sweater closing in on the exit "yo" he calls out after her, she doesn't stop walking but he expected as much

he finally manages to catch up with her and falls in step, leaving a respectful distance between them

"what?” she says without even sparing him a glance “class is over."

“i know. let me walk you” she scoffs “you don’t need to.”

“i want to.”

“so? you can’t always get what you want.” he laughs quietly at that, fingers curling into the straps of his backpack as they continue

“and please don’t get anything confused. this-” she gestures between them “isn’t a thing.”

“yet.” he corrects

she stops walking so fast he almost topples over her

“don’t be annoying.” she turns to face him “how am i being-

“by getting beside yourself. you’re stopping at the gate, and that’s it. nothing else” she says sharply, he stares down at her for a second, and then nods “alright, i hear you.”

he figured he’d stop pushing, for now at least.

she continues in the direction she was going and he trails a little behind at first, eventually falling in step at the same pace again. much quieter now.

she shakes her head, jaw tight

he really doesn’t quit does he ?

for some reason, the silence bothers her more than anything else. just him walking next to her, there. she tells herself it’s nothing, though. just two people walking

no big deal.

“i’ll see you later” he says once they make it to his stopping point

“no, you won’t.” she says back without hesitation before pushing through the gate and continuing down the sidewalk

he watches as she walks away and can’t stop himself from smiling.

the worst part for her?

she knows she wouldn’t have let him get even that far if she hadn’t felt it too.

and that alone is enough to piss her off the whole way home.

Sinners - How They Captured 95% of the Audio On Set | Collider BTS

01/20/2026

Shooting Sinners on IMAX film created stunning visuals—but it also introduced one of the biggest sound challenges the team had ever faced.

In this Collider behind-the-scenes interview, Chris Welcker, production sound mixer, and Michael P. Shawver, editor, break down how they captured usable dialogue, music, and performances despite working with IMAX cameras that generate constant mechanical noise. Their solution wasn’t relying on ADR, but developing a workflow that preserved performances from the very start of production.

Drawing on experience from previous IMAX shoots, the team recorded sound-only passes, collaborated closely with on-set editorial, and worked hand-in-hand with post-production to ensure nearly all the dialogue recorded on set could be used in the final cut.

They also detail how complex twin scenes featuring Michael B. Jordan were carefully timed using body doubles, dialogue playback, and precise audio cues to help coordinate performances and physical interactions. Each scene was planned alongside VFX to determine the best approach, whether that meant locked camera moves, split screens, or face replacements.

The conversation wraps with a look at capturing live guitar performances, cicadas bleeding into interior locations, and why embracing real-world sound helped make Sinners feel immersive and authentic.

Are any of my girlies Tyriq Withers girlies ??? Asking for research purposes 🙏🏾

Yall don’t know what this means to MEEEEEEE

We’re trying something new 🤭🤭

Ryan Coogler On First Phone Call Pitching Sinners To Michael B. Jordan

Ryan Coogler Recalls Initial Phone Call Pitching ‘Sinners’ To Michael B. Jordan: “Oh Sh–, Did I Lose Him?”

Michael B. Jordan Nominated For Entertainer Of The Year

"Michael B. Jordan continues to shape the future of Black cinema both in front of and behind the camera. His standout performance in Sinners anchored one of 2025's biggest films.

Through intentional storytelling and bold creative choices, Jordan reinforced his role as a cultural leader committed to expanding representation and opportunity in entertainment."

i think sinners is a far far superior film to one battle after another and deserves much more hype than it is getting presently.

And special flowers 💐💐 for my badass babygirl, Annie. Favourite character in a film in so long.

Also…

Idk if ya’ll know this…

But Mike has won 17 Best Actor awards for his portrayal in Sinners 😭

So all these mofos tryna leave him out of the conversation…

Ima need ya’ll to accept that Timmy Turner should be very intimidated 😭😂 because him and Mike are pretty much neck and neck.

When Jamie said that she argue that it’s not that Mike is beautiful it’s that he makes it look “easy”

I get it. I got her as soon as she said it. That’s exactly what he does. And it’s not even easy work mind you.

This entire press and awards junket has really shed more light on Mike’s preparation process and how he dives deep into character. I respect it. And that’s why I don’t listen to the discourse anymore because how dare you say this man can’t act or he doesn’t deserve wins?

Smoke? Stack? 👀👀

So imma need Mike to pull out smoke or stack and I need Wunmi and Jayme to eat this shit up! I need to since Delroy fit and miles!!