three | journalistic integrity unit

WRITERS BLOCK WAS THE MOST PITIFUL CURSE THAT AN AUTHOR WILL EVER FACE. Unfortunately, it was also the most common plague amongst them. Writers block could strike at any moment, even when you feel on top of the world and the words seem to be flooding out the tips of your fingers. Only moments later to be struck by an all encompassing paralysis where stringing a sentence together was near impossible. Dionne knew all too well how that felt. The black line blinked on her near empty word document, tormenting her like the bullies of her youth.

Write an article about your conversation with him, she'd been told (which, by the way, was the last thing she'd wanted her boss to say). When she'd come to her bosses office, phone in hand, she'd been expecting this to be leverage she'd needed to be allowed to write about other things. But he'd just seen the dollar signs. People love drama, he'd told her as he ushered her back to her desk.

"So, how long are you going to sit there staring at your screen?" Came Korra's voice from across the desk, "or are you watching a movie on mute because I do that all the time."

Dionne looked up and gave her an embarrassed smile. "I don't like this guy but leaking our private conversation feels. . . wrong," Dionne admitted, leaning back in her swivel chair and feel her back crack from being stuck in the same position for the last hour.

"That's showbiz, baby," Korra said, shrugging. "I feel weird staring at strangers facing for hours and editing them but a girls gotta eat."

Korra had a point. It was her job and it wasn't personal (well, not entirely, anyways). It was entirely unprofessional of him to even reach out to her in the first place—he was in the wrong here, she was just reporting on it. "This is going to bite me in the ass, isn't it?" She sighed, turning back to her computer screen.

"Just think, you'll have thousands of girls across the country jealous that you have their dream man in your DM's," Korra, ever the optimist, told her as she bit back a laugh.

"They can all have him for all I care," Dionne grumbled, running her hands through her hair. "I don't get the appeal at all."

Korra raised her hands and shrugged. "Beats me."

Opening a second tab and typing his name into Google, she was met with an influx of photographs of him ranging from player head shots to pictures clearly taken without him knowing. She scrolled for a bit until she found a picture of him after their grand final loss looking extraordinarily melancholic. "I'm gonna email you a pic of him, can you edit the title and some tears on it?"

💌

2024 IS OUR YEAR 💪‼️

JORDAN RIKI • 3:45PM
ayo patty, why're u
fighting journos 💀

REECE WALSH • 3:46PM
LMFAOOOO I just saw
that article

EZRA MAM • 3:46PM
Send link pls

JESSIE ARTHURS • 3:46PM
sharing is caring boys 🙏

KOTONI STAGGS • 3:47PM
Kevvie is gonna cook u

KEENAN PALASIA • 3:47PM
fly high my uso 🕊️

JESSIE ARTHURS • 3:48PM
now why haven't we kicked
him yet, traitor

KEENAN PALASIA • 3:48PM
ur just mad i bring the vibes
all the way from the goldie

HERBIE FARNWORTH • 3:49PM
If the vibe is delusion then sure

PAT CARRIGAN • 3:40PM
Tf are you on about @jordanriki

REECE WALSH • 3:40PM
Oh, you haven't seen it yet
Yikes

PAT CARRIGAN • 3:42PM
Seen what?????!

JORDAN RIKI IS TYPING. . .

💌

@dionnestanley via instagram stories!

PAT CARRIGAN REPLIED TO YOUR STORY!
Can private conversations not just stay private ever? Like at least block me before writing about me again, far out.

DIONNE STANLEY • 12:35AM
Are we seriously going to keep
going in circles like this?

PAT CARRIGAN • 12:39AM
You tell me.
Gonna write an article about
this as well? 

DIONNE STANLEY • 12:45AM
I might.

PAT CARRIGAN • 12:47AM
Should be allowed to defend
myself without you writing
three thousand words hating
on me.

DIONNE STANLEY • 12:49AM
Your job is to throw a ball around,
mine is to report on the people
throwing said ball.

PAT CARRIGAN • 12:51AM
Yeah, whatever.

💌

@ppaattyycarrigan just made a post!

liked by jordanriki, aligreer & 34, 576 others.

PPAATTYYCARRIGAN: It's all just noise.

view 1,567 comments

JORDANRIKI: 🔥🔥

USER1: oop, shadey ass caption

HERBIEFARNWORTH: Looking delicious 🤤

USER2: What I'd give to be between those thighs...
     ↳ USER3: mate, that's a bit outrageous

JESSIEARTHURS: Daddy chill

USER4: does he reply?????
     ↳ PPAATTYYCARRIGAN: Usually I'd say no but that might end up in having an article written about me again @dionnestanley
     ↳ USER5: incoming 5 week suspension
     ↳ USER6: The pettiness is hilarious
     ↳ USER7: Typical egotistical Broncos player

💌

🌸 KARLA YAPS !

i lowkey neglected this fic & im really sorry about that but i was distracted posting all my other drafts. i'm feeling like i'm back in the groove of things again though so there shouldn't be such a long wait in the next update.

this one is dedicated to patty scoring his third ever nrl try tonight (even though we did lose).

also, i haven't decided if herbies still in the team or not hence why i used keenan as the joke but still left it ambiguous with herbie. i think though because it's my fanfic, i'm just going to keep him on the team because why not lol

anyways, until next time 🫶
(p.s. pls don't forget to vote & spam comments for my ego, i beg of you)