#there's still a ton but she picked up a decent chunk & i can breathe better

[thiswasinevitableid]

For the prompt fill, number 3 for Indruck seems pretty fitting!

Here you go! Prompt 3 was “sweet” , Indrid’s design is based on a barracuda and I went with SFW on this one.

“Duck, can you do me a favor when you lock up?” Leo dumps orange taffy into a glass jar. 

“Sure, what d’you need?”

“Got some locks for the garbage cans; put ‘em on after you set the alarm out back. Somethin’s been getting into our trash every damn night for the last week. It makes a god-awful mess and I’m worried we’re gonna get a fine for littering.”

Duck nods, turns his attention back to the flock of tourists approaching the window. The afternoon is swallowed up in a pit of sugar-sticky air and blasts of welcome cold from the freezer. There are worse places for a summer job than Tarkesian’s Sweets--he’s right by the water, can watch the wildlife on his lunch break, and Leo is low-maintenance boss--but after eight hours on his feet getting splashed with soda or burned on the popcorn machine, he’s ready to head home. The trash locks have other ideas.

It takes ten minutes of cursing and fumbling to get the first bin secured. He doesn’t even know how the damn things are getting overturned; they seem too heavy for a raccoon or seagull to knock to the ground. 

A tiny splash behind him, probably a fish jumping. 

Then a crooked, shiny pole slowly enters his periphery. In dim yellow of the streetlight, he can tell the end of it is curved. It pokes inelegantly at the wall, then the locked can, then the wall once again, and then Duck’s leg.

The hook pulls back, pauses, then pokes him again.

“The fuck?” He grabs it when it goes for another jab, pulls up only for his arms to be wrenched towards the water. Not to be outdone, he tugs harder. His opponent retaliates with enough force that he almost tumbles off the pier. He growls, braces his foot on the railing, and hauls the hook and its owner up onto worn wood with him. 

It’s a guy about his age, angular face framed by a mess of silver hair and pierced ears. Figures it’s some sort of artsy punk swimming around poking people in the leg. That explains why he’s shirtless too. 

It does not, however, explain why he has a tail. 

“Rude.” The guy sits up on his hands, silver and black tail flicking droplets of saltwater everywhere, “I don’t go around stopping you from eating.”

“Look man, I just wanted you to stop jabbin me and knockin the trash over.” Maybe if he doesn’t mention the tail it will go away. 

“How else am I supposed to get at those odd, pulpy tubs full of ‘cookies and cream’ or ‘bubblegum’?”

“The fuck--wait, you were tryin’ to get the ice cream containers out of the trash?”

“Yes? I also want more of the caramel apples” he pronounces the last word “applees” causing Duck to giggle in spite of himself. 

“Look, I have to piece words together from the signs on your store. And you obviously know what I meant or you would not be laughing, so do you have any in the cans or not?”

“Nope” Duck gets his laughter under control, “sold out of caramel apples today.” 

“Drat” the visitor starts scooting across the pier towards the unlocked trashcan, “I’ll see what else I can find.”

“Wait don’t fuckin knock that over, Leo’ll be pissed at me if he comes back to a mess, and I don’t feel like pickin up trash because you want a snack!”

“But I’m starving!” The merman, because at this point there’s no way he can deny that’s what’s been rooting through the garbage, whacks at Duck with his tail.

“I know for a damn fact there’s food down there.” He points at the bay. 

“Only if you can catch it, and only if it is not in another mer’s territory. Which much of this area is; I am new here, young, and thus have no claim to any patch of sea.”

“You ain’t got any family?” Something pings in his chest. It’s the part of his heart that made him pick out the runt of litter when his mom let him get a cat on his thirteenth birthday, that means he always splits his lunch with Juno because she’s running track and needs it more than he does, that makes him tear up when he thinks about everything a sapling has to survive to become a tree.

“Merfolk leave home at sixteen.” The merman shrugs.

Duck sighs, grabbing his keys, “If I bring you somethin to eat, will you leave the trash alone?”

“Yes.” 

He shuts off the alarm, grabs a cone and fills it with bright blue ice cream. The merman is back in the water when he returns, arms resting on the pier.

“Oooh, my favorite!” He takes the ice cream, biting huge chunks out of it as Duck re-arms the door. 

Crunch

“...The container is edible!!”

He sits next to the merman’s arms, “Guess you wouldn’t have had an ice cream cone before, huh.”

“No, but it is lovely. I wish humans threw these away more often.” He polishes off the treat, licks his fingers clean with moans Duck hears in his dreams later, and smiles, “thank you for the meal. Goodnight.” 

There’s a final flash of silvery tail, and then Duck’s alone in the breezy night air.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“That’s a sandwich, correct?”

“AHfuck” Duck knocks over his water bottle in surprise. He’s eating behind the candy store like usual and not expecting an aquatic dining companion. 

“Apologies. I have seen you eating here before and thought you may like some company.” He sets a sea urchin on the ground and proceeds to bang on it with a rock. 

“Found some lunch?”

“I followed some otters; I was mainly trying to draw them, but they led me to a kelp bed no one else was in.”

“...Wait how do you draw underwater?”

“Let me finish cracking this open and I will show you.”

Duck spends the rest of his lunch break on his belly, the merman showing him a sketchbook and enchanted pen that conjures whatever colors the illustrator envisions. The mer is genuinely excited to talk to him. He assumes the nuzzling is due to him smelling like cotton candy; he doesn’t mind, the mer’s skin is cool and he makes cute little noises whenever he touches Duck. 

Before the stands, Duck asks, “You got a name?”

“Indrid.”

“Duck.” 

Indrid’s eyes flick to the nearby estuary.

“Yeah, like the bird. It’s a nickname.”

“I like it.” Indrid smiles, dives, and flaps his tail once in farewell.

------------------------------------------------------

“Cutting school again?” Indrid’s voice bubbles up by his feet. 

“Yep.” Duck watches the spring clouds roll by from his favorite spot on the beach. It’s secluded and far from town, meaning no one will give him shit for skipping class and nobody will see Indrid.

He worked at Leo’s until this past summer, only quitting at the start of his senior year of high school when Indrid pointed out that much of Kepler was surrounded by water and that, if Duck wanted to see him, he did not have to keep working at the candy store in order to do so. 

“Not that I mind the free food.” Indrid winks. 

“Just gonna bring you bulk ice cream from Safeway; no way am I missin out on that chirpin you do when you eat it.”

Duck slides the grocery bag towards the surf, “not like KCC is gonna rescind my offer. Ain’t a fuckin Ivy League or some shit.”

“And you will be happy there?”

“Yeah. They got a decent work-study program with the park, so I can still get a job as a ranger if I want to.”

“Oh. Good.” 

Indrid sounds sad, and Duck sits up on his elbows. His friend’s torso is fully on land, his tail fidgeting in the foam. 

“What’s up?

“I...Barclay told me his human is going to a school further inland, and I know there are many places you could got to learn. You...you did not choose to stay in Kepler because you feel the need to look after me, did you?”

“Course not.” Duck is sitting up now, aching to stroke Indrid’s hair, “I mean, I’m glad we’re still gonna be able to see each other, and I really hopin I can get a room near the beach so it’s easy to come talk. But this is the right choice for me; if I really want to, I can transfer to a different school in a few years, and I can learn a lot here without takin on a shit-ton of debt. Besides, ain’t like I think you’re helpless; I love bringin you stuff and rubbin your fin when it’s sore, but that’s because you’re my friend. Don’t think you’re helpless. I never have.”

“Not even when I was stealing trash?”

“Thought you were a fuckin nuisance, not helpless.” He playfully nudges his shoulder with his toes. 

Indrid turns his head and nips his calf, “How’s that for a nuisance?”

“Not much, felt kinda nice. Uh, I mean, uh, fuck, so, where’d that worry about my stayin come from?”

The mer crawls and wiggles until they’re shoulder to shoulder, “I think my future sight is finally developing; my fathers arrived around the time he turned eighteen, so it makes sense mine would arrive at a similar point. The trouble is, I am having a hard time telling the futures from my own imaginings and worries.”

“That fuckin sucks.”

“I’ll manage. All seers struggle at the beginning. I just wish I was quicker at learning whether certain timelines are really more likely or if they are just ones that I want to be likely.”

“Like what?”

Indrid glances at him, opens his mouth, then shuts it and faces the sea.

Duck smirks, “‘Drid, there somethin you wanna ask me?”

“No. Yes. Maybe? I, I just don’t want to pressure youOOOHhhh that’s not fair” he flops on his back with a groan as Duck scritches his upper tail, “you know I’ll do anything when you touch me like this.”

“Damn right I do. And what I want is for you to tell me the truth.”

Indrid whines, covers his face with his hands.

“Do it or I’ll stop.”

“Rude” Indrid lowers his hands enough that his red eyes peer over the top, “is that any way to treat a mer who wants to kiss you?”

Duck gives his answer by pouncing on his friend, pinning narrow shoulders into the sand as he devours his mouth in kisses. 

“You like that treatment better?”

“Goodness, yes.” Indrid pulls him back down, slipping his tongue between his lips and nibbling his neck when he finally stops to breathe. Then his hand flails sideways, grabbing the plastic bag and chucking it further up the beach.

“The, the tide is coming in and I, ah, foresee us working up quite the appetite.” He tugs Duck’s collar down with his teeth, nuzzling and licking across his skin with little hums of pleasure, “so I want to save those for afterwards. Who knows” he grins, “maybe we’ll need energy for round two as well.”

Duck cups his cheek, inhales the scent of the sea and the sight of his future, “I like the way you think, sweet thing.”

#Indruck #indrid cold/duck newton #mermay fills

[cedriccullen00]

your back!

(embry call x reader)

-your mom has always been good friends with charlie and billy, so you grew up in La Push.

-you moved away three years ago and you and your mom are finally moving back.

-you were best friends with Quill, Jacob, and Embry

Mom and I sat in the car in front of our old house next to Charlie Swans. It had been 3 years since I’d been here, most of the memories had washed away but a good chunk of them stayed. The house had been rented out a few times while mom and I were gone but she never officially sold it, I like to think she knew we’d come back. I cleared my throat and she looked at me smiling. “Ready to get settled back in?” she asked and I nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” I whispered and she nodded. I stepped out of the car and took a deep breath smelling the rain, I smiled to myself I never noticed how much I missed this place. I grabbed a box and walked into the oh so familiar house and up to my old room that was still the light grey I picked out at 12. I chuckled a little at my younger self, I had pleaded with my mother to let me paint over the bright blue walls because a ‘mature’ almost teenager didn’t need blue walls. I went back out to the car and helped my mom carry in the rest of the boxes. We then proceeded to unpack our rooms while we waited for the truck carrying our furniture to arrive.

I heard a car door close and I looked excitedly out my window to see the police cruiser in the driveway next door. “Charlie’s home mom!” I shouted running out of my room and down the stairs as quick as I could. I threw the front door open and ran over to Charlie, he was always like a father figure to me. “Charlie!” I shouted as he unlocked his door and his head turned to me, a smile breaking out on his face. I got to him and wrapped my arms around his neck and he chuckled. “Hey kid. God you’ve grown.” he said and I laughed releasing myself from the hug. “Yeah I have, 3 years does go a long way.” I said and he nodded with a chuckle. “Dad whose here......” a voice came but drifted off as we met eyes. “B-bella?” I gasped and she smiled “Y/N.” she said. She threw herself on me and my eyes began to tear up, we had been the best of friends. When she visited Forks you wouldn’t see one of us without the other. “Oh my god.” I whispered and she hugged me tighter. “I’m so glad you’re here.” she whispered and I nodded “Me too. I heard you moved here, I missed you so much.” I mumbled and she laughed. “I think to make this reunion better we all should take a trip to La Push.” my mother said walking over to us. “Heidi....” Charlie mumbled and my mother smiled flashing her beautiful teeth. “Hello Charlie.” she said.

We pulled up to the Black house and Charlie turned around in his seat. “Ready?” he asked and I nodded excitedly. “Last one in there owes the rest a milkshake!” I shouted jumping out and running towards the door. “Hey not fair!” Bella shouted jumping out of the car. I got to the door and knocked hard. “It’s open!” Billy yelled so I opened it and sprinted in. “Ha! Beat you Swan!” I yelled looking behind me and she rolled her eyes. “Y/N?” Billy asked and I turned my attention to the small living room. “Hey Billy! Surprise!” I shouted walking over to him and hugging him. “You look great kid, how’ve you been?” he asked and I shrugged. “Decent, glad to be back.” I said looking around the familiar Black house. “Hey do I hear Y/N or am I going crazy?” a voice came from the hallway and I turned to see Jacob. A tall, handsome, strong Jacob, Ill be honest it kind of took me back. “Wow..” I whispered and he chuckled. “Hey Y/N.” he greeted and I waved. “What’s wrong?” he asked and I furrowed my brows. “You’re just so much taller. And stronger, how? It’s been three years.” I whispered as he walked closer. “Puberty.” he said and I shook my head. “Are you taking steroids Jake?” I asked looking up at him and he burst out laughing with Bella. “Now Y/N.” my mother scolded as she walked in. “What mom? Look at him!” I said pointing at my old best friend. “Just shut your yap and hug me already.” Jacob said and I sighed. I wrapped my arms around him and realized how hot he was but decided to to mention it. After a minutes I pulled back and Jacob smiled. “Wait til Embry and Quill see you.” he whispered and as if it were on cue the back door opened.

“I’m just saying you’re......wrong.” Embrys voice came but stopped when I met his eyes. His pupils grew large and he shook his head. “Hey Call, long time no see.” I said walking towards him and he nodded. “Um yeah it has been. You look good.” he said and I smiled. “Thanks Em, you don’t look half bad yourself. And look at you Quill, finally grew into those eyebrows.” I teased as he hugged me. “Yeah and I see you finally grew into your attitude.” he shot back and I rolled my eyes slapping him playfully. “I turned to Embry and hugged him gently seeing his tense figure, I wrapped my arms around his middle and he wrapped his around my back. I let go after a second and turned to face everyone motioning Jake over. He stood by Quill and I look at the three boys. “Look a little different don’t we?” Jake asked and my mom nodded. “Yes....you all look nothing like the 10 year olds that couldn’t get enough of each other.” she said and I chuckled. I felt a movement beside me and saw Embrg shaking a little. “You okay Em?” I asked and he nodded. “Umm yeah. Listen I should be getting back home. It was nice to see you again Ms.L/N and you too Y/N.” he said before bolting out the back door. Quill and Jacob sent me an apologetic look before following him. We all hung out at Billy’s for awhile before mom said we’d better get back since she had work tomorrow.

“Mom did Embry seem off to you?” I asked as we walked into the house and she shrugged. “He was probably just nervous, you haven’t seen him in 3 years and you grew up. Maybe he thinks you’re cute.” she said and I shook my head smiling, a little part of me has always loved him. “Don’t be ridiculous mom. Listen I’m going to his moms tomorrow since I haven’t seen her in awhile, I also need to go get some groceries. I’ll have dinner ready by the time you get off work.” I said and she nodded. “I appreciate it hun.” she said kissing my cheek. “Of course. Night mom I love you.” I said heading to the stairs. “Night sweetie, love you too.” she said. I walked into my room and sighed, the walls were to blank. I opened one of my boxes that held tons of pictures and smiled. There was one of Billy and Charlie with me at a Father Daughter dance, some of the boys and I at the beach, one of mom and I on Christmas, and the last one which was my favorite. It was of again the boys and I, it was the last summer I was here and we all decided that it would be a good idea to see who could bake the best cake. It all went to hell so that described the flour and cake batter all over the kitchen, but it also described the happy kids that truly loved each other. I hung all the pictures up wiping a few stray tears that escaped my eyes. After they were all up I layer down on my bed and quickly drifted to sleep.

I knocked on the Calls door with a little candle in my hand as a gift. Embrys mom, Tiffany, opened the door and gasped. “Y/N L/N, oh my look how beautiful you’ve gotten.” she said looking over my features with a smile on her face. “Awe thank you ma’am that’s sweet of you. Only difference really is my hairs longer.” I said with a small laugh and she chuckled opening the door wider. “Yes you could say that. Here come in come in.” she said. I walked into the house that smelled that cinnamon and leaves and took my shoes off. “Here, a little gift. It’s not much but I remember how much you liked candles.” I said handing it to her and she smiled. “Oh sweetie that wasn’t necessary. I do love a good candle though. Go ahead and make yourself at home, I’ll have tea out and ready in a minute.” she said and I nodded walking over to the couch and sitting down.

After a minute she came back into the living room with to mugs of tea smiling brightly, she handed me mine and sat down next to me. “So how are you? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” she said and I chuckled. “I know it’s been awhile. I’ve been good though, Nevada was actually really nice and there were a lot of nice people there.” I said. “So did you have a boyfriend in Nevada?” she asked and I chocked on my tea. I coughed a little while shaking my head, I recovered from the accident and answered. “You know how I am Ms.Call I don’t date. Granted a lot of boys did ask me out.” I said and she frowned. “Wel no wonder, your beautiful. Why’d you turn them down?” she asked and I blushed slightly. “I knew none of them were the ones, it didn’t feel right.” I said and she nodded sipping her tea. “So how’ve you been?” I asked and she shrugged. “It’s been okay. The store has been very busy so I’ve been doing double shifts, but I guess it’s good because I do get more money. Embrys been good though, he helps a lot when he can.” she said and I nodded. “He’s always been like that. I missed you guys so much you have no idea, I wanted to come visit but I had school and a job.” I said and she smiled at me. “Education comes first sweetie. I’m just glad your back, the boys weren’t the same while you were gone and everyone could see it.” she said and I chuckled as the door opened. Embry walked in and I turned to look at him. “Oh hey Y/N.” he said closing the door and I waved. “Sorry to interrupt. I’ll just grab something to eat and leave you all be.” he said walking to the kitchen. “Oh no it’s okay. I have to get going anyway, I have to get groceries before moms shift ends. It was great seeing you Ms.Call really, I’ll call later.” I said getting up and she nodded. “Hey Embry can you go with Y/N to the store, we need some milk and eggs.” she called and Embry walked out of the kitchen. He seemed tense but nodded, he couldn’t say no to his mom he never could. “Of course mom. I’ll be in the car.” Embry said heading out the door. I said my final goodbye to Tiffany giving her a quick hug before walking out to my car.

I started the car and pulled out of the driveway slowly before starting up the road. Embry was silent which was strange, so I decided to break the silence. “How was your day Embry?” I asked and he shrugged “It was alright nothing exciting.” he said and I nodded. I glanced over and saw him looking out the window will flexing his fingers. “Ok spill it. What’s up with you? You acted like you didn’t want to be around me yesterday and now your all quite.” I said and he sighed looking down at his hands. “I can’t directly tell you.” he whispered and I scoffed. “Why not? Is it me? Did I do something wrong?” I asked and he looked up at me frowning. “No of course not. Okay so you remember the stories Jacobs dad used to tell us?” he asked and I nodded. “The legends about the shapeshifters, the third wide, imprinting, and all that fun stuff right?” I asked taking a turn. “Yeah right. Well there true.” he said and my eyes widened and my head snapped in his direction. “W-what? S-so you’re a w-werewolf?” I gasped and he shrugged. “You could say that. Anyway you know about imprinting right?” he asked and I shrugged. “Sure, it’s like a soulmate isn’t it?” I asked regaining my voice and he nodded. “More or less. Well erm when I say you yesterday my heart literally skipped a beat, it felt like you were an angle just glowing.” he whispered and I smiled. “Awe.” I whispered and he nodded. “So I went to Sam and asked if that’s what he felt when he first saw Emily and he said basically.” he mumbled. “Embry Call are you saying Im your imprint?” I asked as I pulled into a parking space in front of the store. “Yeah I guess...but it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way.” he whispered and I chuckled. “Stop while your at it Embry. Of course I feel the same way, I’ve liked you since I was 11. Now c’mon I need groceries.”I said climbing out of the car. He got out too and came over so he was in front of me. “Y/N L/N will you be my girlfriend?” he asked and I smiled. “Of course you dork. Now c’mon I really want some mac n cheese.” I whined taking his hand and dragging him to the store.

I pushed the buggy down the aisle grabbing things my mom and I like. “So you aren’t freaked out at all?” he asked and I shook my head. “Nope.” I said popping the ‘p’ and he sighed. “I appreciate you being so nice about this.” he whispered and I chuckled. “Embry do you really think I would’ve been like ‘Ew really? That’s so creepy why would I want to date a wolf!’ cause if you did that’s kind of mean.” I said looking at him and he smiled. “Of course I didn’t think you’d react like that. I’m not that mean.” he said and I shook my head. “You know Em, I think this’ll be a great relationship.” I whispered looking into his brown eyes and he smiled brightly. “Me too Y/N, me too.” he whispered before kissing my head and leading us towards the next isle.

#twilight #embry call x reader #embry call #jacob black

[gunmetalarchived]

continued from this text thingy for something to tell you | a discord thread with @diabolicaltendencies

ALEX

She hovered outside his door, already wondering if he had just been nice on the phone to let her down in person. Even worse, after years of going through the conversation with people she didn’t give a shit about, it was hard to redo it all when she cares this much about someone else’s opinion. It was easy to dismiss gossip and rumour. Not so much the way her face cracked in a smile whenever her phone lit up with his name.

Fuck it. She took a deep breath and hit his door bell, the smell of vinegar seeping up from the heavily soaked chips in her arms. At least she would have some fuel for bribery, and a couple of beers to help it flow quicker.

SAM

Sam knew the conversation they'd had over text was heavier than she was letting on. He'd done some poking around the internet since, but after one or two crazy headlines and hyperlinks to celebrity conspiracy blogs popping up on his screen, he quickly quit he quit. It just gave him more proof that talking to people was more useful than googling them. He still can't believe people actually do that.

He opens the door with a smile, genuine and bright as he looks at her, "Hey!" He glances down at the bag and looks a bit confused but no less happy to see her, "Did you bring food?"

ALEX

“And beer, don’t forget the beer.” She beamed up at him, immediately glad she had come even if this was going to be awkward. She took a step inside setting the bag down in his hall to immediately yank him down to her level. If he had been acting polite earlier, fine, but there was no way on earth he was going to escape her barrage of kisses. She missed him. A couple weeks up north and a long overdue day in the studio aggravated that. The nerves more so.

“Cmere stupid.”

SAM

"And beer." He concedes, closing the door behind her. He pulls her close the same time she reaches for him, kissing her thoroughly like there hadn't even been an earlier conversation. He missed her just as much. Cupping her jaw, Sam runs his thumb along her cheek when they pull apart. "If you keep that up, the food's going to get cold."

ALEX

She folded into him so easily, so naturally it was like she was made to for there. It was still a surprise how normal this could feel. Her experience of relationships had been all or nothing, hot and cold was a mild way to put it. Yet with Sam, things seemed to sit at a constant simmer. A gentle bubble, a constant reminder that happiness was just a kiss away d as t the most. Gentle hands and soft touches, it was all so cliche and yet simply perfect.

Alex shrugged, because in all honesty she was happy to forget about the food entirely. But she rolled her eyes like a begrudging teenager, even if the idiotic grin on her face gave her away. “Fine, but I’m coming back for more later, alright?”

SAM

He presses a kiss against her hair before pulling away to pick up the food, "I hope so~" He flashes her a just-short-of-cocky grin and ushers her inside. The flat is an organized mess. There are jackets, papers and books littered about but they've each found their own neat pile. He's been pulling long hours and has resorted to just enough tidying to keep things from overwhelming him. One day it'll all get put away but it's not today.

"Wow, what'd I do to deserve this?" He comments happily upon peeking at their meal for the evening. He places the bag on the coffee table and settles down on one end of the gently worn couch.

ALEX

Alex followed him into his space, heading straight for the sofa too. She liked his flat, it was funny how it could feel so lived in. Her own place was so sparse, she looked like she could leave at any moment without it seeming out of place. But his was worn, loved, filled with time and memories.  “Consider it bribery? Also, you’re welcome for saving you from any attempt at me cooking.”

She kicked her shoes off, immediately tucking her feet up underneath her and reaching for her keys from her pocket to open the beer bottles. “What have you been reading about? What’s that one?” She pointed to a pile on the coffee table curiously.

SAM

He begins sorting out the food, placing a box on either end of the table within reach and divvying up all the extra things in the bag. He glances up at the pile of books. It's mostly a stack of textbooks but the top one is a novel, "Oh, that's Stephen King's new one." He reaches to grab it and pass it over to her before opening his box and popping a fry into his mouth.

ALEX

She took the book form him, flipping through the pages likes he could actually take any of it in. No doubt she'd be up for it whenever it became a movie, but she had neither the mindset or the patience for reading. She learnt over, setting it back down carefully where he had pulled it form even if it meant being thoroughly in his way.  Alex grabbed one of the bottles, using her keys in a way they were definitely not intended and holding it out for him to take.   "Here y' go"

SAM

He leans backs slightly to make room for her to lean over but not quite enough that they aren't completely in each other's space. But it's comfortable, easy. "Thanks," He takes the bottle and downs a quick swig before smiling at her. "So what's the bribe for?"

ALEX

She grabbed the other bottle, playing with her keys again to loosen the top and taking a large swig to gather her thoughts. Her own food was still semi wrapped, so she stretched out for a chip from his. Taking it, Alex smirked.

“Well, I’m guessing you’ve got a ton of questions. And you might not like the answers so.. just in case.”

SAM

Sam slides his food a bit closer between them without complaint, continuing to casually eat himself. He smiles softly at her smirk, there's a short silence after she speaks before he replies, "We don't have to do this now. Unless you want to. My questions can wait."

ALEX

"Feels like we should rip the plaster off now, right?" There was no easy way to explain that if she put it off, she might stop talking all together. It happened, from time to time. He had just the good fortune of not being around to see it. Long distance worked like that. Alex shifted further into the sofa, curling into the arm to face him. "I'm all ears."

SAM

Sam looks over her and sits back against the couch, holding the beer in his lap. "Okay... I'm... not sure where to start." He offers an apologetic smile. "Maybe if you just-- explain what you were worried about me hearing? Give me the context?"

ALEX

"That's... fair." And it made it all the harder. Usually the songs lead this conversation or the press. Or both, if it was truly awful. She had fielded the worst of it for a few years not. It just had less stakes than this normally. Even when Jim found out. "I- erm-" She swallowed, hard. She pursed her lips to let the silence hang, trying to figure out where to start.

"I was with someone for about five years, l-like I said. He was on my course, and lived with me. We made a lot of music together until he got scouted, and then the thing I liked about him made us... not great."

SAM

Sam nods, he's listening intently, following along but not demanding anything. "And... that's what went into the music he wrote?" He asks gently, trying to put the pieces she's given him so far together.

ALEX

Alex nodded too, averting her eyes to take a sip from her own bottle as her fingers moved to fiddle with the label. “I wasn’t a great person... well I’m still not.” How best to put it? Her early twenties had been toxic, partly because of her relationship but also her outlook. There wasn’t really a way to explain all of that. “He wrote about me, about how he felt things had shifted between us. He took songs I had worked on with him and changed the lyrics to suit his view. And because my family is involved in politics, I didn’t get the luxury of having a fucked up relationship the same way other people do.”

SAM

Sam frowns, "So the media get a hold of it." He concludes. That would make sense of all the dramatics he'd seen from a simple search.

ALEX

“The band charted, there was a lot of press around the music from the few demos the label had pushed and... I was a great target.” She shifted awkwardly, tearing off a larger chunk of the label and rolling to between her fingers. “Things kind of spiralled from there.”

SAM

"Can I ask his name.. or the band's? I don't want to listen." He clarifies quickly. "Not unless you want me to for some reason. I just-- I don't want to look like an idiot if they come up."

ALEX

"Yeah- yeah, no of course. Elliot McAlistair, the band is Vactican Camoes. It was some dumb in joke the boys had." She smiled, softly. It was reassuring, whether he meant it or not. "You can. I mean, they're on the radio constantly. Sort of... unavoidable."

They had become the soundtrack to her life, especially working in the bar. Eventually she'd managed to curate some decent playlists to avoid it, but every now and agains she would be caught off guard by his tinny voice echoing from a shop front or builders radio.

"I don't come off well from it. I'm not... the most stable person in his eyes. And my dad - my brother, they didn't take it well."

SAM

"Well, good news is I don't believe everything I hear on the radio." Sam looks at her fondly. She's sitting so defensively, so worried about what he's going to think or say, but all he want to do is wrap an arm around her shoulders and hold her close. He knows this is her side of the story, but honestly that's the only one that matters to him. "...How did they take it?"

ALEX

Everything about her was nervous, tightly wound and yet somehow restless. Maybe finally talking about this would release the pit in her stomach.

“It’s- erm...” she tried to swallow again, opening her lips a few times before she had the sounds to fill them. “It’s.. complicated. I’m not, well, I wasn’t close with my dad so- yeah. It was very... personal. I sort of- I-I stopped talking for a while. My brother, he was better. But it’s... it’s not something people forget.”

She puffed out her cheeks, letting loose a heavy breath. “He wrote about things that made them look b-bad.”

SAM

Sam puts down the beer and shifts to sit facing her. He slowly reaches for her hand, giving her time to pull away if she wants to. He won't force the contact, "Hey." He shakes his head, "That's not your fault."

ALEX

“No, n-no I know you’re right.” She took his hand, lacing her fingers through his with a small squeeze. It was hard because she wasn’t expecting this comfort, but she liked it. Maybe this is what healthy relationships looked like. Her smile fell from her face though, her eye-line dropping to her feet. “Except, well, it kinda is. S-some of it anyway. They’re politicians so my life just... it doesn’t work for them. Me being me- it’s a bit of a whirlwind.”

SAM

He takes her hand in both of his, fingers caressing her skin. "I can't pretend to know what you were like then. I guess I don't really know your family either, but, I like who you are now. A song or headline isn't going to change that... and politicians, celebrities or not, nothing justifies someone selling your private life to the public without your consent. You know that, right?"

ALEX

On some base level, she knew he was right. And she agreed with him completely. Yet her mind swung constantly, between outrage at her life being subject to the judgment of the British public and shame at what a mess it had become. "Yeah." She said it quietly the first time, barely audible before she repeated it a little stronger. Maybe it would sink in.

"I don't know. I wasn't a decent person, neither was he. And I can live with that. It's become very real, having to explain it to everyone."

SAM

He nods and smiles encouragingly, squeezing her hand lightly between his. Sure, he would need more details for the full picture - to actually listen to the songs or read the articles. But even if it's the worst thing he can imagine... he doesn't think it would matter. He likes the Alex he knows, flaws and all, "Well I'm not running away yet... so now what?"

ALEX

"You sure? There's still time?" She uses her free hand to check an imaginary watch, trying to use the bit to gather her shaky confidence. It made sense he was playing nice now, whilst she was here and in the room. It was what came later she was terrified for. "It's okay. If this is too much, that's alright. My life isn't private anymore, it's a lot to get used to"

SAM

"It's not too much." He keeps up his reassuring smile. "Is there anything else you want me to know?"

ALEX

“You say that now...” she took a swig from her beer with a shrug. “I don’t know, guess if there’s any questions?”

SAM

"Hm." He looks down at their hands leaning in to kiss her knuckles before glancing back up with bright blue eyes, "Do I get to hear more of your music now that I know?"

ALEX

It was impossible not to smile when he did shit like this. Small, meaningful gestures that completely derailed her toxic train of thought. She leant forwards, pulling her hands away setting her bottle down on the coffee table before she flopped onto him entirely. She let her head rest against his chest, curling her shoulders to fit in the space at the back of the sofa. Impossible for him to eat, but soothing all the same. “Maybe. If you wanted to? Truth is I haven’t really written, well not for me. For friends, sure but that’s different. I’ve had an idea or two... just not got very far ‘til you came along.”

SAM

Sam falls perfectly into place, right where she wants him. He curls an arm around her, fingers lightly ghosting back and forth before reaching up to brush her hair back from her face. "I'd love to hear it." And he genuinely means it. There's a small note of excitement in his words.

ALEX

Easy. He made things easy. Easier to talk, to be kind, to be honest. Easier to write too. Sure, she'd been playing around with ideas more form the moment they met. However they were still personal - a real outlet for the intense feelings she had been having and trying to play down. Alex knew she was besotted. Acting cool was tricky when she fel so hard, and so fast for the people who showed her the slightest affection. She didn't even think, she just let it out. She had intended to say 'I'd love you to.' but it came out... different.

"I think I love you."

SAM

Out of everything she’s said, all the supposed horrors and skeletons in her closet, it’s those three words that surprise him. He inhales, chest expanding under her cheek, and his expression flutters between surprise and happiness. His breath catches on the exhale, words tumbling out of his mouth before he can think twice, whispered into her hair, “I love you too.” 

Maybe it wasn't the right time to say it. Maybe he should've waited for a moment that wasn't weighed down by what's she's been through. But he's happy. He loves her. It's the truth. His arm tightens around her in a loose hug.

#discord thread 012 | something to tell you #( sh: toothpaste kisses | alex + sam | happyverse ) #diabolicaltendencies #( v: happyverse )

[jillmckenzie1]

Almost, But Not Quite, The Abyss

If you’re a regular viewer of movies, you know you can track the seasons by the kinds of movies playing. Are the theaters jam-packed with big, loud blockbusters? You’re in summer. Do you have a wide variety of Oscar bait to choose from? Congratulations, you’ve arrived safely in the fall.

The depths of winter are when studios give up. They already released the films built to either make an assload of money or attract awards. What’s left is the cinematic equivalent of the island of misfit toys, and production companies frequently throw these redheaded stepchildren into theaters with a hasty prayer to any deity still willing to listen.

It gets a little more complex, though. I’ve found that while a good chunk of January and February movies do legitimately suck, decent films sneak in under the radar saddled with an undeservedly poor reputation. These are films made with intelligence and skill that never quite find the audience they deserve. It’s a pity, but there is an occasional upside: a theater all to myself.

And so it was that I boldly strode into my local cinema palace and found that I was the only human being there. If I so chose, I could have treated myself to a full Thanksgiving dinner. I could have tripped balls. I could have viewed the film sans pants. Guys…I did none of those things because a) I take moviegoing far too seriously* and b) my attention was grabbed by the new creature feature Underwater.

As a quick aside, did you know that space travel is easier for us than undersea exploration? I’m not arguing that it isn’t easy to die horribly in space. It is! With a complete lack of breathable air, you have perhaps a minute of survival before things go pear-shaped. I’ll take that over the alternative. The bottom of the Mariana Trench is the lowest point of the ocean, over 36,000 feet below sea level. If you’re able to make it that far down and an accident occurs, you don’t have to worry about that single minute of survival. With water pressure that’s more than eight tons per square inch, you’ll be crushed into a pink mist within picoseconds. Survive that and you also need to reckon with the alarming fact that 95 percent of the ocean floor has been unexplored. So, it sucks all the way around.

With all that in mind, it’s no wonder the heroes of Underwater barely get a moment to breathe. We’re introduced to mechanical engineer Norah (Kristen Stewart), working a job on a deep-sea oil drilling facility at the Mariana Trench. She’s not the most positive person in the world, and you kind of can’t blame her. As soon as she finishes brushing her teeth, things go straight to hell. An earthquake hits, causing catastrophic damage. The hull starts to break up, so Norah does what many of us would do-try to get outta Dodge with a quickness.

The good news is that she picks up a number of her co-workers, including Rodrigo (Mamoudou Athie), Emily (Jessica Henwick), Smith (John Gallagher Jr.) and Paul (T.J. Miller). The bad news is that one of her co-workers is T.J. Miller. The better news is that Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel) also survived, and he’s a competent and decent enough sort that the group has a fighting chance of survival.

Or maybe not. It turns out all of the escape pods in their facility have either been demolished or used. Plan B is to suit up, take an undersea stroll to another facility a mile or so away, and utilize the pods there—if there are any left. With all that going on, they’ll discover that something else is down there with them, and it’s very, very unfriendly.

It is my pleasure to report to you that Underwater is genuinely pretty good! Permit me another quick aside, but my kid and I were fans of last year’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. We didn’t care for the ham-fisted moments of pseudo-drama and the attempts to wring two dimensions out of one-dimensional characters.** We absolutely went cuckoo bananapants for the outstanding portrayals of kaiju demolishing everything in sight. Unfortunately, we had to wade through some garbage to get to the gold.

Director William Eubank must have heard my cries of frustration, and it’s almost as if he responded to me, personally, with Underwater. He knows why we’re watching this movie, and he does not screw around. Less than five minutes after the opening credits, there’s running, screaming, people being crushed, and assorted aquatic chaos. Jump scares are kept to a minimum, and tension is effectively developed through a combination of murky cinematography by Bojan Bazelli and Eubank’s skillful usage of geography. While the characters frequently don’t know where they are, Eubank always makes sure we know where they are and where they’re going.

The script by Eubank, Adam Cozad, and Brian Duffield is fairly solid. I appreciated that they kept the action with our primary characters and never had a superfluous b-plot about rescuers up top. I felt like there were a few too many moments of tragic character backstory, but the script never dwells on it for long. It’s constantly moving onto the next moment, and for a movie like this to work, it needs constant momentum.

The cast is a mixed bag. If I’m being honest, there’s only one problematic element, and we’ll get to that shortly. Overall, everybody is solid, with Kristen Stewart being the entirely unsurprising standout. She excels at understated and subtle performances, and as Norah, she does nice work playing an intelligent woman doing her best to get through impossible situations. I like that Stewart has been taking part in genre films, and I very much want her to continue. I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing a rare heroic performance from Vincent Cassel. He excels at playing oily aristocrats and arrogant nogoodniks, and I appreciated him shifting gears to play a guy that you would be happy to be stuck with during an underwater disaster.

The problematic element of the cast would be one T.J. Miller. Between allegations of sexual assault, calling in a bomb threat on a train, and wildly unprofessional behavior on the set of Silicon Valley, Miller is doing a bang-up job of making himself persona non grata within the entertainment industry. Bad enough that he brings a lot of baggage with him, but as far as his role in Underwater goes, it feels like he’s in a different movie than everyone else. He’s playing the comic relief here, yet his wisecracks are never terribly amusing, and he can’t quite sell the terror that everyone else is experiencing.

William Eubank has stuffed a disaster movie and a monster movie into a Brundlepod and given us Underwater. I’m saddened that the film has flopped at the box office, and I hope it finds a second life streaming or on home video. Give it a shot, since its relentless pacing and a strong performance from Kristen Stewart makes it rise above the usual debris released in January.

  *Ordinarily I get bent out of shape by people futzing with their phones and talking during a movie. When I’m the only one there? I gave myself a pass for hooting with laughter and, when a specific cast member is sucked out of his pressure suit, yelling, “HOO-BOY, THAT’S INCONVENIENT!”

**Hoping for three-dimensional characters in that movie is like hoping Donald Trump develops a conscience. It’s so vanishingly unlikely, why bother thinking about it?

from Blog https://ondenver.com/almost-but-not-quite-the-abyss/