#also marcus is big no he's huge like how can someone be so tall

[reaperkiller]

🌹🍂🌾🌠 for jason & marcus!

OUGRGhrgrh you know exactly how to make my brain go into overdrive

SORRY THIS GOT VERY LONG

🌹 Where in the world does your OC feel most at home? Is there any reason why? If it’s not the place they were born, where were they born? Is there a certain somebody that makes them feel at home where ever they may be? What does home mean to them?

for marcus. it's pretty much wherever his friends and family are. a familiar face always makes him feel Safe. he was born in california so thats Also home to him. but sometimes he wants to be as far away from there as possible. like i said before home is Warmth and Safety thats what it is to him.

same for jason, but he has never really felt like that. not for a very long time anyway <3 home??? he doesnt feel like he has one. he doesnt feel like he really Belongs anywhere + he doesnt want to admit it but marcus is the closest thing he has to home and thats Very gay of him i think

🍂 Does your OC enjoy hugs? What do they do as a show of affection for: their friends, their family, their significant other(s) or for strangers? Over all what are they like with recieving affection from others?

THEY ARE BOTH BIG HUGGERS but again bc of jason being Like That he has to act like he hates hugs. any sort of affection from anyone and he's like. I Have To Go Home Right Now Immediately. so he can cry bc of how starved he is of love and touch and. aorusrkghsfghkl

marcus hugs lou and morgan all the time. they are Very Close. he loves hugs. he loves the warmth + comfort and safety that comes from it. again. he is like a little cat in a patch of sunlight. he loves affection his brain always goes !!!!!!!! when anyone is nice to him and compliments him. biggest cheesiest grin you have ever seen Every Time.

🌾 Describe your OC through the eyes of someone absolutely head-over-heels in love with them

oh this one is going to Kill Me ok. OK

to jason, marcus is the single most delightful person he has ever met in his life. a ray of sunshine. he would collect every single star in the universe for the guy if it meant he'd be happy. the goofy smile makes him Very Weak at the knees every time he sees it. and marcus smiles So often. he's in hell. this little man made him realise that he's allowed to love and Be loved and that not everyone has an ulterior motive. the world isnt out to get him. he loves Everything about marcus he cant deal with it bc he's 'too cute' or whatever. again very gay of him. also he loves how short marcus is compared to him bc of how Easy he is to pick up. A+ boyfriend material he couldnt have asked for better

AND to marcus?? jason is very much still big and scary and intimidating, but he finds that very. endearing in a weird way. bc he Knows most of how jason looks/acts is just a front he's putting on. marcus has a think for broody men ok. anyway. he's seen the man smile a few times and he went Insane. internally. every single time. a small genuine smile that makes Him weak at the knees. they cant smile at each other or they will both collapse. he looks at jason and he's like thats MY big huge handsome man that will carry me when i am a little bit tired. my absolute bastard man. my man will kick your man's ass in a fight he's so good at it. and he's pretty (: he is the prettyest man i have ever seen in my ENTIRE life. there is no one prettier. have you seen his eyes?? have you seen how Tall he is?? he's so tall. im in love with him your honour.

basically. they cant shut up about each other. and the other's mere existence makes them insane. but in like. a good way. theyre so painfully in love with each other i need to lie down

🌠 On a scale of 1 - 10 how Baby is your OC? BONUS when asking this question rate the OC yourself as see if the reply matches up!!

the exact opposite of what you would expect bc marcus is like a 5? 6? on baby scale bc he can handle himself faily well but also he's small and cute and i would hold him oh so gently in my hands.

jason is like. 11. because he's got so many issues and problems and he needs to lie down. he needs 5000 warm blankets i NEED to cradle him in my arms like a newborn baby. my god

#oc tag #THESE TWO ARE GOIGN TO MAKE ME FROW UP I SWEAR

[rowandamisch]

"Name yourself, stranger" nynaeve was ready to fight

#wheel of time #when she spoke I had the biggest smile of my face zoe as nyn is just perfect #I qas expecting a second teaser or full trailer but im not complaining #wifi is sht as usual so I can't watch the panel but been playing that clip over and over #THE TENSION #also marcus is big no he's huge like how can someone be so tall #rand giving egwene puppy eyes dhdjsjdh #and LAN !!!! #man I love nyn so much can't wait to watch the first ep #I know zoe did an amazing jobshe spoke and I was sold

[flightlessangelwings]

The Interlude: A Marcus Pike Love Story

Chapter 1/7 (complete, more in masterlist, story also tagged)

Marcus Pike x fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Tags/warnings: none right now really, no use of y/n, reader’s bf is a douche (it’s not Marcus don’t worry), Marcus is a sweetheart, pining, romance, fluff

I was nervous about this, but @tintinwrites “gently nudged” me into writing this ;)

Marcus Pike couldn’t believe how quickly six months went by since he moved to DC for his new job. He buried himself in his work to deal with his heartbreak over Lisbon, which actually did help. It didn’t give him the time to stay stuck inside his own head and as a result, he had never been more successful in his job. Marcus didn’t even entertain the idea of going on a date or anything, and instead chose to be married to his work.

However, the case he was currently on hit a roadblock. Marcus and his team had been after a prominent art thief for weeks now and they didn’t have a single solid lead. The guy was so elusive that they didn’t even know exactly what he looked like. Somehow, the thief always managed to avoid cameras or any other type of identifier, and it frustrated the hell out of the art theft team.

But, Agent Pike had an idea. It was risky, but he felt backed into a corner and didn’t see any other options. He got in contact with a prominent local artist and got him to agree to set up a sting at his next art show. It would be too tempting for the thief to pass up, and Marcus banked on an appearance from their slippery friend at the show.

It was mid afternoon when Marcus and his team arrived at the gallery to meet with the artist and get themselves set up.

“Johnny Luna?” Marcus asked the man who stood in the middle of the room.

He turned around from the portrait he focused on and greeted the agent with a wide smile, “Agent Pike, I assume?” he extended his hand, “Nice to meet you in person.” Johnny was the definition of tall, dark and handsome, and he had a smile that lit up a room. He had a kind face and flawless skin, and Marcus found himself envious of the man at how effortlessly charming he was.

“Nice to meet you too,” he replied cheerfully, “Thank you for letting us do this. It means a lot here.”

“Happy to help,” Johnny looked around the room, “Just promise me nothing will happen to my babies.”

“We’ll have agents posted throughout the whole gallery, and we’ll stick around all night,” Marcus took note of his team in the midst of their set up, “Nothing’s gonna happen to any of your paintings. You have my word.”

Johnny was about to answer when a figure approached behind him, “Hey Johnny,” your voice broke into the conversation, “Sorry to interrupt, but I need your opinion over here real quick,” your eyes met with Marcus’ and they lit up, “I just need him for a second, I promise,” you added with a quick wink.

Marcus nodded as he watched the two of you walk towards the large painting that was the centerpiece of the collection. As he studied you, he felt something awaken within himself that he tried so hard to keep dormant. You were so beautiful, and there was just something about you that immediately pulled him in, even after just a few words. But as much as Marcus wanted to make a move, he reminded himself about what happened last time and he forced himself to refocus on his work.

“Agent Pike,” Johnny’s voice knocked him out of his thoughts, “Let me introduce you to the best event planner in DC,” he introduced you with your name and swung an arm over your shoulders as you extended your hand to the agent.

“Call me Marcus, please,” he took the opportunity to really study your face, and he couldn’t find a single thing that he didn’t like. He hoped his gaze didn’t linger too long, but he didn’t want to look away from you.

“Marcus,” you repeated his name with a wide smile. The two of you stood in silence for a moment with your hands still connected until you felt the need to talk to him more, “So what drew you to working in the art department?”

“Big fan of art I guess,” he shrugged as he reluctantly let go of your hand and suddenly felt nervous under your soft gaze, “What drew you to event planning?”

“I saw The Wedding Planner when I was young and it sparked the party planner in me,” you replied with a giggle, “Although I have to say I’m a big fan of art and history as well. Federico Andreotti is one of my favorite artists.”

Marcus’ eyes lit up, “The Interlude is one of my absolute favorites,” he felt as if he could run in every direction at once with how much life filled his veins at how perfect you were.

The smile on your face only grew and you felt your heart pound in your chest, “I love that too! Serenade is my personal favorite,” you opened your mouth to say something more but just then, a member of your staff called your attention, “Excuse me gentlemen, duty calls.” You bit your lip before you slowly turned away from the agent and got back to your work.

The two men watched you walk away, and Marcus couldn’t help the question that left his lips, “Are you two… together?” he motioned between you and Johnny and found his heart beat faster in his chest.

“Nah man, she’s my best friend. Known each other forever,” Johnny replied right away as he faced him, “You’re more my type anyway,” he added with a wink. 

Marcus chuckled at the comment, “I’m flattered, but she is more my type,” he retorted playfully. 

Johnny smiled brightly at him, “I knew it!” he laughed as he clasped his shoulder, “And honestly, I know we just met and all, but I can tell already you’d be so much better for her than Tom.” He watched your whole interaction silently, and it made an idea pop into his head. Johnny knew you well enough to know when you liked someone, and he definitely knew you liked this agent.

Marcus’ face dropped, “So she’s with someone?” He couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice.

“Yeah, a huge douchebag if you ask me,” he scoffed. 

Clearly there was more to the story than that, but one of Marcus’ colleagues walked up then and wanted to go over some details with them. They spoke for a while, and the entire time Marcus snuck glances over at you across the room.

“One thing we have learned about this guy is he seems to take a liking to the ladies,” the other agent said, “The few images we have of him, he’s always talking to good-looking women at galas when he comes to scope it out.”

Agent Pike scanned the room and studied his team and he found himself wondering when so many men were on the art theft team. The only two women were much older, and he knew he couldn’t use them for the setup. Chatter filled the space around him as everyone put in their opinions and ideas; everyone knew that they couldn’t blow this opportunity to finally catch this guy.

“What if I help?” your voice chimed in from behind him.

Marcus jumped and turned around to face you and he wondered how long you had been standing there. “No, this is something for my team to handle. I can’t ask you to do something like that.”

“No offence Agent,” you quipped back, “But your team is kind of a sausage fest. Besides, how much risk can there be in the middle of a crowded art show with a whole FBI team here?” you were light with your words, but held firm in your stance.

Marcus turned back to his team, who all seemed to be in agreement. It was unconventional for sure, but no one saw a better option. With a sigh, he turned back to you and extended his hand once more, “You’re right. I guess you’re an honorary agent for tonight,” he used his humor to hide his nerves before he went through the plan with you and his team. You were to arrive early and wear a wire and a hidden camera while you talked to several men at the show to give them a better shot at identifying their thief. 

Once the plan was set, you left with a nod so you could get ready for the evening. Marcus felt a similar feeling in his chest as he watched you leave. Johnny stood by the door to lock it behind you and he shot Marcus a knowing smile when he turned around and caught his eye. He looked away and pretended to be occupied, but he could still feel Johnny’s gaze on him.

The afternoon flew by and before he realized what time it was, you were back at the gallery, all dressed up. Marcus stopped in his tracks when you walked through the doors in your little black dress, your hair and makeup styled to perfection. You greeted Johnny before you looked around, and your face lit up when you met Marcus’ gaze.

“Wow,” he breathed out when you made your way over to him, “You look stunning,” Marcus complimented you as he felt himself get flustered. But he kept it together; he had to be extra focused now that you were involved in the sting here, “You ready?”

You nodded with a fierce determination in your eyes, “I’m ready, Agent Pike.”

Marcus felt a tightness in his chest at your bravery. Beautiful and brave, he hardly knew you but you were already a dream come true for him. And Marcus found that he wanted to do anything to get to know you more, not to mention he felt a fierce determination to keep you protected during the art show tonight. 

He pinned a small hidden camera to your dress and handed you an earpiece so he could stay in touch with you throughout the evening as he explained his plan. You were to float around and chat up men in hopes that they could get enough to successfully identify their culprit once and for all.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always be close by,” Marcus said in a soft voice, “I’ll watch over you.”

“I know you will Marcus,” your voice was equally as soft as you gave him a look that he couldn’t decipher the meaning behind.

Marcus’ fears were soon pushed aside as the show started and people filtered in. You moved throughout the crowd, and made sure to take the time to talk to any men who lingered. The tech team went right to work and analyzed the images from each of the men you spoke to and so far came up with nothing. And true to his word, Marcus was always close by just in case something went wrong.

As you made your way around the room, you approached a tall thin man who studied the centerpiece of the collection.

“Hey there,” you broke him out of his trace as you cleared your throat. You seemed to startle him, and you couldn’t see his face until you were right next to him. Immediately you became suspicious.

The man soon recovered, however, and he grinned at you, “Well hello there,” his voice felt like ice and you wanted to back away from him. Yet, you stayed determined. “Shouldn’t you be hung on these walls too? Because you are a piece of work.”

You forced a chuckle at the terrible line, “You’re too kind, but thank you,” you shifted yourself to make sure that your hidden camera got a good look at the man, “This is real art though. You can really feel the emotion the artist put into this piece,” you of course knew just how much your friend poured into the painting before you, but you kept that to yourself.

“For you sweetness, I’d buy it in a heartbeat,” he leaned in close to you.

“You don’t even know me,” your reaction was genuine, “Besides I couldn’t ask someone to spend that much money on me. I’d feel too guilty.”

“Well maybe I won’t actually pay for it then…” he spoke under his breath. When you looked at him in surprise, he shook his head and changed the subject, “I mean…” for the first time he seemed unsure of himself, “There’s things other than money that can buy affection. If you get my drift.”

At that, you visibly cringed and took a step away, “I…. I have to go. Excuse me,” you turned around and walked away, suddenly very uncomfortable. You scanned the crowd for a familiar face and you let out a sigh of relief when you saw Marcus in the distance and you all but ran to him.

“You alright?” Marcus asked in concern as he placed a hand on your shoulder.

“I’m fine,” your voice didn’t convince him in the slightest , “He just seriously creeped me out. I did not get the warm fuzzies from him at all,” you made yourself laugh for a moment at your words, and Marcus relaxed along with you.

“You did really good tonight,” he said your name with admiration, “I think we got what we need here so you can enjoy the rest of the show now,” he paused and looked you over once more, “Thank you.”

At his words, your nerves completely disappeared as you looked into his soft, kind eyes. You let yourself exhale as you handed the hidden camera pin back to him. Once your hands connected, neither of you pulled away for a few moments, and you let your touch linger with his. You were about to close your hand around his when a voice called your name.

You jumped and turned around to find your boyfriend, Tom, walked up with a scowl on his face. He was taller than Marcus, and had a lean, muscular body, though he was not as handsome as Marcus or Johnny. “There you are. You haven’t answered your phone. I’ve been looking all over for you,” there was more annoyance than concern in his voice as he spoke to you.

“I’m sorry,” your once confident and sparkly demeanor changed as you suddenly became a shadow of yourself, “I told you I’d be here and I’d be busy.”

Tom sighed as he ran a hand through his light brown hair, “Well, are you ready to go then?”

“Yeah, just give me a few minutes?”

He nodded with a huff and gave Marcus a disapproving glance before he turned and walked away. You turned back to Marcus and tried to smile, but it didn’t reach your eyes like before, “Sorry, I gotta get going. Is there anything I need to do before I go?”

Marcus watched the whole interaction with a subtle frown on his face, but he softened his expression when you turned back around, “No, you’ve done more than enough,” he paused. He didn’t want you to go so he tried to think of a reason to keep you in front of him for even a moment longer, “Here’s my card. It’s got my cell on it so give me a call if you ever need anything,” his breath caught in his throat when your fingers touched again as you took the card from him, “I’ll probably need to follow up with you if we successfully ID our perp.”

You were about to pull out your phone when Tom shouted your name again. You let out a shaky breath before you decided not to irritate him further, “You can get my number from Johnny, just tell him I said it’s ok,” you lingered for another moment, “I’m sorry, I gotta go.” With that, you rushed to meet your boyfriend, who put his arm around you the second you were close enough. But it wasn’t a comforting or loving embrace, and he seemed to treat you more like an object or a possession than a person. And it made Marcus furious.

“I see you’ve met Tom,” Johnny’s voice came from behind Marcus, “I told you: total douchebag.”

Marcus nodded in agreement, “Is he…” he cleared his throat as he struggled to find the words, “He’s not hurting her or anything, is he?”

Johnny shook his head, “What kind of best friend do you think I am? I wouldn’t let her stay with him if he was.”

Marcus sighed as he watched the door in the futile hope that you would walk back inside. The two men stood together in silence for a moment before he remembered, “Oh, she told me I can get her number from you. I need to follow up if we get a lead,” Marcus said.

Johnny smiled widely, “I would love to give you her number.”

Meanwhile, you sat in the passenger seat of your boyfriend’s car as gazed out the window as he rambled on about himself yet again, not even bothering to ask you about your day. But then again, he rarely did. You were brought back to the present when your phone buzzed, and you looked down to a text from a number you had just saved in your phone.

It’s Agent Pike. Thanks again for your help today, the sausage fest art department appreciates it. I’ll be in touch. :)

For the first time since you got into the car, you smiled.

~

Notes: I’m not sure how long this is going to be, but right now I’ve got it at about 5 or 6 chapters. Most likely though, it’ll end up longer. Thank you to @tintinwrites for encouraging me to write this and for giving it a read over for me! And thank you @thirsty-flygirl for your help on this as well! Taglists are open so let me know if you’d like to be added! :)

Everything taglist: @thirsty-flygirl

Pedro Characters taglist: @tintinwrites @ollypopp @starwarswh0re @emesispo @mrschiltoncat @perropascal @shadow-assassin-blix @huliabitch @randomness501

#marcus pike x reader #marcus pike imagine #marcus pike #marcus pike x you #marcus pike x y/n #marcus pike fic #marcus pike fanfic #marcus pike story #the mentalist #the mentalist fanfic #the mentalist fic #Pedro Pascal #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfiction #the interlude

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE MY UBER DRIVER

Marcus Alvarez x Reader

Anon asked: Hey, could you do an imagine with Alvarez where the reader is a very close friend of Chucky and once she brought peach pie to the club and he's there for a meeting with Bishop, and she ask him if he wants some and she's overall really kind with him and his boys that he's surprised to see someone so nice to them even if it's the first time they met?

Thanks to my lovely beta reader @chibsytelford ✨

Word Count: 2.5k

Author comments: I hope you all enjoy. Gif isn't mine, credits to the author.

Tag list: @starrynite7114 ​ @chibsytelford ​ @dazzledamazon ​ @mara-mpou ​ @sammskellington ​ @gemini0410 ​ @1-800-imagines ​ @briana-mishell24 ​@sassymox @whyisgmora @aquamento @sadeyesgf @viviansafizada @samcrobae @jade770 @witchy-wish @rebel-without-cause-x @xx--day-dreamer--xx @spiced-reads @tita127 @ifoundmyhappythought @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat ✨ (if you wanna be tagged, send me a message!)

Chuckie and you have been friends since four months ago, when you move from San Diego to Santo Padre. There was no reason to do it, you just feel tired of being you whole life living at your hometown, and you were looking for a change of scenery. You opened a bakery store in the center of the small city and he was your first customer. You thought he was a somewhat weird, until you met him a little more. Chuckie was kind and pretty gentle, so that made easy to turn you two from strangers into good friends. So, when he asked you to go to his birthday party, you didn't surprise. He also wanted to introduce you to his friends, even if you already met one called Happy, who was strangely kind when he tasted your pancakes. The biker with rough look told you they reminded him of what his mother used to prepare for him. At that point, you really stopped judging people by their looks.

Chuckie didn't ask you for a birthday cake, but you thought it would be a good gift cook his favourite one. Peach and cream. 

Parking at the entrance of the car scrapping, you hold the big cardboard box between your arms with a extreme care as if it was a bomb, following the rows made by scrap and the latin music sounding somewhere. You reach a crowded yard with a blue house in the middle of it and a lot of motorbikes around. You have already heard about the Mayans, but it's the first time you're there feeling somewhat small and lost.

“Yo! Man, who's that piece of art?” Angel says, among Coco and Gilly on the porch, watching you looking for Chukie.

“I don' know, let's see, hermano”. Gilly smirks at him, hitting his chest with a soft gesture.

“Can we help you, mami?” With a strong mexican accent, a skinny and tall man comes closer to you, pulling away the long strands of hair from the roots to the back of his head.

“Yeah… Ahm… Chukie?” You reply in a shy mood consuming you. “I'm (Y/N)”.

“He's insi—”.

“Hey, love!” A familiar voice interrupts him behind you.

“Happy! You're here too!” The man places an arm on your shoulders, taking the toothpick from his mouth to leave a kiss on your left cheek.

“Cake, uh?”

“Yeah. It's a present for Chukie”.

“You know her, brotha'?” Gilly asks then, a little bit curious.

“She has a bakery store here. Chuckie's friend, and also mine. Don' mess with her”. Happy's scratchy voice doing that warning makes you feel somewhat safe, even if they don't look as bad as you heard. “Come with me, love”.

Raising your chin like a farewell, for the moment, you let the man guides your steps inside the clubhouse where the music is a little low than outside. The men there are older than the other, sharing beers and laughs surrounded by a lot of girls. Girls that, by the way they have to caress and treat every one, you know what they are. But you don't even care.

“(Y/N)! You came!” Chuckie's excited voice claim for your attention, walking somewhat faster towards him when Happy lets you go, leaving the cake on the wooden bar so you can hug him tightly.

“Happy birthday!” You say before giving him a kiss, pointing after that the cake.

“Smells like peach! I accept that!” He looks like a five years old super excited, holding your hand to accompany you to a large room with a huge table in the middle of.

The men inside looks at you with curiosity, getting up from their chairs.

“That's my good friend, (Y/N)”.

“Nice to meet you, kid. I'm Tranq”. A big and tall one comes closer, narrowing your hand as you show him your best and dearly smile.

“Che Romero to serve you, but you can call me ‘Taza’”. Another man, the oldest one but with a kind smirk on his face does the same gesture.

“Bishop Losa, querida. A pleasure to meet you finally. Chukie talks a lot about you”. El Presidente hold your right hand gentle, leaving a paternal caress on the back of it.

“Yeah, they talk about you all too. I'm sorry it took me so long to finally come”. 

“We know about your bakery store, and that box you brought… smells pretty good from here, sweetheart”. Tranq says supporting his forearms on the top of a chair, making you chuckle.

“Is it yours?” An unknown man, with mexican accent and a light whistle pronouncing every ‘s’, appears at your back.

“Yes, sir”. You nod turning above your sneakers, feeling a soft jump shaking your heart when you focus your gaze on him.

“Marcus Álvarez”. He raises a hand on air, taking you some seconds to react, narrowing it when you start to feel stupid.

“(Y/N). Nice to meet you”. You just say.

“C'mon! I want to introduce you to my north Cali friends!” Chuckie sound so excited that makes you laugh, saying goodbye with a hand to the men smiling at you somewhat warm. 

You can't help but being so obliging with everything. Helping the prospect to take more beer from the warehouse, helping with the barbecue and the music. You just want to contribute at Chuckie's party because he's your friend and you want to make him feel the most special man on earth, at a day like this. You're having a lot of fun going from a side to the other, sneaking with other Mayans, mostly with Angel who looks so interested in dancing with you, in the way to help someone else. They're like a big family around California and some nearby states. And you felt like part of it since you put a foot there.

“Hey, kid, have a rest!”

Tranq has a hand raised, making a gesture to come closer. Leaving the box of Jose Cuervo over the bar, you nod walking towards the men you met at the main room a couple hours ago. Taza makes you some space by his side at the sofa, falling down there actually feeling somewhat tired. Bishop opens a beer for you, offering it before sitting in front of the sofa.

“Are you having fun?” He asks.

“Yes! I've never been in a… party like that. I like it. Reminds me to my family”.

“All drunk and a little high?” Tranq laughs, exactly like you do.

“Yeah, more or less. I'm from San Diego, but my family are from Guadalajara”.

“So you're used to this kind of celebration, but without the bikers part”. Taza jokes a little, making you nod again.

“What about Chuckie and you? Just friends?” Seems like Bishop wanted to ask that a while ago.

“Just friends. He was my first customer. He's cool and smart. And knows a lot of things. But, just friends”. You say then, understanding that they want to endorse their friend.

“Chuckie is a good man. Somewhat weird. But he's loyal”. Tranq ads then, drinking from his beer with pursed lips.

“I assume you're single”. Bishop says leaning forwards somewhat above the table. 

You laugh a little bit nervous and ashamed, covering your mouth slightly with a hand.

“I'm just asking to protect your ass from my dogs”. He assure infecting his laughter to the others, knowing well that he's referring to the first men you met before finding Happy. But you also know there's something else hiding behind that question.

You're not stupid. You have seen sideways Marcus looking at you at four times. And even if you didn't asked him about his gazes, looks like he wants to talk with you and doesn't know how to do it without scare you. Guns, long rides, a lot of risks… Sounds like it's not easy to live with. And, because of their behavior, family is the most important thing for them. Put something like that into a danger it's not an option. But even if it's just your thoughts not being sure if he's interested, you could try. You hear him talking with other women there in a gentle way, taking care about them as only a good man, and also a good father, could do. The work he does, doesn't determine how he is. And you like it. You like him since you heard his voice, feeling that good energy around as soon as he was close to you.

The night passed by, between more beers, tequila shots and pieces of the cake you made. It's been a long time since you had some fun. Everyone is delighted with it and you're more happy than other days because of the alcohol. And because of that, you decide to take a first step, knowing that you probably are going to regret it. So getting up, and pretending you're okay, your steps follow Marcus direction to the room they called Templo. 

“Hey!” You say, sounding more excited than you should. “Did you taste the cake?”

The mexican turns at you, surprised at first because he didn't expect you. Smiling at you, he just simply nods wearing the black leather kutte after clean it with a wet rag, looking shiny than a while ago.

“Good!” You reply feeling truly stupid, not knowing what you can say to continue the talk. But he's staring at you like if he was waiting for something else. Like you leaving, for example. “Well, I just… I'm goin' home and I was asking myself if you liked it, 'cause you don' look seem very talkative”.

“It was a long day”. He says walking closer to your position. “You're not going to drive, aren't you?”

“No, ahm… Chuckie told me I could leave my car here, so I'm gonna call an Uber”. You shake your head, making a gesture with your left hand to take away its importance. 

“Where do you live, ah?”

“Second avenue, next to the post office. It's ten minutes walking, but Angel make me dance too much”.

That's the point. That's the hook ready to fish, and you don't know how the hell you have thrown it in such an amazing move. Marcus doesn't say anything about it, erasing the relaxed gesture from his face.

“It was a pleasure…” Focusing on the vest, you read one of the patches. “Padrino. I hope you enjoy the party”.

He nods in silence before seeing you turn over your steps to walk outside of the room. You say goodbye faster than you would like, promising that you will come back soon, looking for Chukie after that. He's with Happy next to the Mayans bikes sharing some drinks and old memories.

“Hey, guys!” With both hands into the pockets of the jacket, you smile at them. 

“Are you leaving, love?” The taller one asks, giving you back two kisses.

“Yeah, I'm kinda tired and I should work tomorrow”. You say before hugging Chukie tightly. “Thanks for inviting me, it was pretty fun”.

“I'll visit you tomorrow anyway!” He says blissful as always.

“Cool! Good night, guys”.

“Rest, love”.

At least you can walk straight through the hallway of the scrapping, right to the street. Rubbing your face with both hands, you feel like an idiot about the idea of Marcus having some interest, hoping he thinks you drunk too much. By the way, the fresh and cold air of the dawn helps you a little, crossing your arms before reach your car. You look at it, ready to drive it, but doesn't look like a good idea. So you finally leave it there, continuing with slow steps to the outside of the place, until the roar of an engine calls your attention. Turning aside, you find him stopping at your position.

“C'mon, I will take you home”. The mexican is giving you a black helmet, turning off the bike.

“Oh, no, no. Don't worry”. You say with pursed lips, feeling the shame running through your body, pretending you're waiting for the Uber car with your phone in a hand.

“C'mon, chamaca”. He insists moving his arm again, knowing that he'll not take ‘no’ for an answer.

Biting your lower lip, you nod holding it to sit behind him. Wrapping his waist with both arms, you try to relax yourself on your way back home, noticing that he's driving slower than normal. But you're not going to complain about it, resting your chest on his back getting somewhat comfy until he reaches your avenue. Then, the nerves return again when you have to point the building where you live at. Marcus parks there, letting you get up first.

“Thank you”. You just say pretending that everything is okay, while you return him the helmet. 

“The cake was delicious”. 

Raising your gaze from the keys you were looking for, your eyes go straight to the darkest. Now, he is who wants to talk, although he doesn't sound insecure as you did. You smile like an idiot, playing with the key chain and the nose bridge slightly wrinkled.

“I don't know if you are into the date game, bu—”.

“Yeah, tell Angel I would like it”. You're teasing him for making you wait and making you feel stupid for some minutes. And by the way his steps towards you stop dead and the look on his, you know it worked.

“I will”. He just replies back, tightening the gloves around his wrists.

“Really?”

“Sure, chamaca”.

You laugh somewhat funny, taking another step closer.

“You should see the look on your face”.

“I don't know what are you talking about”. He gives you his back somewhat prideful, keeping the helmet you used into a bag hanging by a side of the motorbike.

“You were looking at me”. You finally say licking your lips, after clicking your tongue slightly.

“Looked like you were part of the fam'”. He answers automatically, sitting on the bike with both hands catching the handlebar.

“Was it bad?”

“No. I actually liked seeing you taking care of my boys, when no one asked you to do it”. Even if that sounded a little passive-aggressive at the end, doesn't stop you to come closer enough to face him.

“I would really like to have a date with you, if that it… was you were to ask”.

“What if it wasn't?” Now, Marcus is playing your same game, at least, you hope it.

“Me sentiré aún más pendeja”. (I'll feel more stupid). You chuckle rubbing your nose in a nervous gesture.

The man laughs because of your words, shaking his head for a while. Then, he nods.

“I want it. Maybe I asked mi primo if he could find out what was going on between you and Chuckie”.

“Just ‘maybe’?”

“I'll pick you up tomorrow night. At seven?”

You lean towards him, leaving a soft kiss on his right cheek as a way to accept it.

#mayans mc x reader #mayans mc #mayans mc imagine #mayans x reader #marcus alvarez imagine #marcus alvarez x reader #marcus alvarez

[mego42]

while I was not specifically prompted, @foxmagpie posted a fic request that made my brain go hmmmmmmmm, so I went ahead and pretended it was a prompt for me because I do what I want.

i want to read a fic from rio’s POV of 2.10 when annie reached out to him both because i think annie trying to arrange a business proposition would be hilarious but also because i suspect that rio thought beth was either orchestrating things or that it would be a way to get her back and i wanna get in his head about it

can we meet

All in all, it's a pretty standard text. Rio could probably scroll through his phone and find at least 15 others at any given point. More if he didn't dump his phones every week or two. Even more if he didn't have Mick filtering most of the bullshit for him. 

But that's the thing, he does have Mick, which means when these kinds of texts make it all the way to him, he knows who they're from and what they want. The problem here is he doesn't know who the fuck this is or what they want or, most importantly, how the fuck they got this number. 

And that last part especially is a big enough fuckin' problem that he shuts his laptop and scoops up his phone, swiping through to call and see who it is. 

"Hello?"

He doesn't immediately recognize the voice that picks up, though it pings something. He waits, still not saying anything, figurin' he'll either place it, or they'll give themselves away. It's fuckin' unbelievable the kind of shit people will say if he just keeps his mouth shut and waits 'em out. 

"Is this…" The voice trails off, and he's right on the cusp of placin' it, can feel a face bubbling to the surface when it continues in a whisper. "Gang friend?"

The fuckin' sister. 

Rio's mouth snaps shut so hard it sends a pang through his jaw, and he's pretty sure she heard his teeth click together over the phone. 

There are motherfuckers who would kill—hell, who have killed—for his number, and here's this suburban bopper callin' him up like she can summon him or some shit. Like she has the right.

And isn't that just like Elizabeth, makin' her sister call? After her pretty little fuckin' speech, that prim, butter wouldn't melt it's over, leavin' his cut on the goddamn nightstand like he was some kind of hired help. 

His phone case creaks, giving slightly under the force of his grip, and he forces himself to relax. He leans back in his chair, drumming his fingers on his desk, tryin' to figure out how he wants to play this.  

He fuckin' knew it. 

He's not about to pretend the victory isn't at least a little sweet underneath the bitter rage just thinking 'bout their stalemate brings to the surface. He knew Elizabeth wasn't gonna walk away. She couldn't, she didn't have it in her. 

It isn't enough, though, knowing he was right. It's barely a dent, a scratch, a fuckin' scuff in the debt she owes him, the mountain of shit he's gonna make her pay for.

"Hello?"

He hasn't said anything yet, and it's makin' the sister antsy, he can tell. There's a static, scratching noise, and he realizes she's put her thumb over the speaker or something because he can hear what she says next, but it's muffled. 

"Are you sure this is the right number?"

Something in him bottoms out—he's not exactly tryin' too hard to identify what. The bright, bitter flair of satisfaction's gone as quickly as it came, leaving a dark, hollow space behind. 

The sister's actin' out then, going rogue. Elizabeth knows damn well what his number is. She hasn't exactly been too shy 'bout usin' it whenever she needs a payday loan. Or other services for that fuckin' matter. 

He can't help but laugh at that, but it's a harsh, biting sound. The audacity must be genetic. 

"Okay, now I know you're there. Stop being a dick."

He should hang the fuck up, now that he knows who it is. Hang up, block the number, forget all about that bitch and the sister. It's probably the smartest thing to do, all told. 

Except. Except she fuckin' owes him, and Rio hasn't gotten to the top by letting debts go unanswered. 

"What?" He asks, giving the t an edge sharp enough to cut. 

There's a pause. "What like you didn't hear me, or what like what do I want?"

Rio adjusts a potted bromeliad's alignment on the corner of his desk, running a finger along the edge of one of the tall, spikey leaves. Mick had dropped it on his desk one day with no fanfare, only snide commentary about Rio needing to take a vacation, and maybe this'll get him thinkin' 'bout it.

The annoying part is, it's not like the disrespectful fucker's wrong. Rio knows damn well he's let himself get far too twisted up in Elizabeth's bullshit. Offerin' to deal with her problems, lettin' her get away with all kinds of amateur hour bullshit like bringing her fuckin' kids on drops. He never should've let her strong-arm him into cuttin' her in. It's not like she's the first person to try, should've dealt with her like he would anyone else, string her up and don't give her the option to not tell him where his shit is. 

Hell, further back than that, he never should've followed her into that motherfuckin' bathroom. Should've kept it business, should've never found out how soft those miles of pale skin really are, how far that delicate pink flush can spread, how unexpectedly dark and rich she tastes.

Disgusted with himself, he shoves up out of his chair, pacing around the tiny, concrete floors of the control room currently serving as his office in long, loping strides.

He should take a week. Tie things up, take Marcus to Disneyland, or some shit. Get some fuckin' distance. Perspective. 

"Hello?"

Now the sister sounds like she's getting annoyed, and Rio's really gotta do somethin' about the two of them runnin' 'round actin' like he's someone they can get away with not takin' seriously. Like he's some sort of pet. Defanged. Declawed. Fuckin' neutered. 

"Get to the point."

"I mean, I kind of did in the message." 

Rio can hear some kind of groan or somethin' from the background. Probably the friend. She was the only one of the three of them who ever seemed to really get what kind of waters they were swimming in. How deep they were and what kind of monsters lurked beneath the surface.

"Yeah, that ain't really how we do things."

"I know, I...look—" He has to yank the phone away from his ear when she sighs, loud as shit, right into it. "Something...I mean, um. I know Beth quit, but, uh…"

He tunes her out, the way she's going, she'll be stutterin' her way around to her point about a half an hour from now. 

She wants a fuckin' favor, a hookup. They always do. Not just these bitches but everyone. Once you're at the top, all people want is a piece; it's only a matter of whether or not they're gonna beg for it or try to take it. Every now and then, they try to earn it. 

It’s one of the things he'd liked best about Elizabeth from the jump. Yeah, sure, she was arrogant as shit, struttin' 'round in those heels like she understood the rules the world played by. Like she could twist anything and everything' round her pretty little fingers and get away with whatever the fuck she wanted as long as she batted those big, blue eyes just right. 

But she was willin' to work for it. She might’ve expected to be awarded a piece just because she worked hard and that was the fair exchange for her effort. And isn’t that a trip? The idea of livin’ in a world where fair meant somethin’. Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t gonna get down in the dirt and scrap for it. 

Her problem is—well, one of 'em, he doesn't even have enough warehouses to house 'em all—she looked out at her tidy little garden and thought that was the dirt. She didn't want to accept there's a whole other subterranean playing field underneath all of that. 

He'd seen it though, the thing with teeth and claws she had locked up inside her. It'd come out in flashes and splinters, peaking through the bars of the cage she kept it in, eyes flashing, tail lashing, and he couldn't help it, the urge to see what would happen if he pulled its tail. Let it loose. 

Rio stops pacing, coming to a halt in front of one of the huge paneled windows in the exterior wall of his office, leaning up against the edge and looking out. The panes are dingy, giving his view of the Michigan winter sky a bleak, barren cast. Not that it needed any more of one. This warehouse sits on the edge of a train yard, the miles of rust and concrete below reaching out towards the horizon. All grey and dirty red, broken up by the occasional patch of strangled grass or vibrant streaks of neon tags left behind to defiantly mark the artists’ passing. 

"...I guess what I'm saying is, you know, you still have options in this, um, market. If you catch my drift. I'm hoping that we can figure a way to continue this mutually beneficial arrangement…"

The sister's still going, so he ticks through his options. 

He'd have preferred Elizabeth came crawling back all on her own. That'd be ideal. He hadn't decided yet if he'd initially shut her out, make her work for reentry, and then make her pay, or go straight to the main event. It would've depended on the circumstances, what was most advantageous at the time. All good plans are flexible. He’s learned the hard way to always take contingencies into account. 

She would've, though. Come crawling back. It was only a matter of time. She's had a taste now, she'd let herself go just enough, she wasn’t gonna be able to pack herself back away in that soul-sucking suburban box of a house, of a life. Not for long.

Beyond that, there was the money. She might've thought she had enough, but four kids, three mortgages, and a moron with a talent for squandering every last thing he's given? That's a lot of financial upkeep. 

'Sides, even if she thought she was in the black, he was still keepin' tabs on all of them—it wasn't even personal, just good business, they were too new, too green, too unpredictable to go without the extra surveillance—and he knew that wasn’t the case across the board. Elizabeth might've been in an okay spot for now, but the sister and the friend sure as shit were not, and if there's one way to get Elizabeth to jump, it's come through her people. 

And on the off chance that all of that failed to come to fruition—always a possibility, she's stubborn as shit and not above gettin' into some kind of dumbass, fucked up mess to keep from backin' down—he's got his little landfill insurance policy tucked away on ice if he ever needs to really force her hand. 

"So, what do you say?" The sister‘s finally run out of steam.

Rio runs his tongue along the inside of his lower lip and tucks it in his cheek. 

Now that he’s really thinkin’ about it, this might actually be a better option than any of the ones already on the table. There's no way the sister and the friend are gonna pull some shit all the way off, not on their own. He knows how to read a room, it’s been the thing that’s kept him alive more than once, and he knows without a shadow of a doubt, the two of them aren’t half as effective on their own. They don't have Elizabeth's steely determination, her gift for spinning bullshit into gold. Not only that but there’s too much friction there. They need Elizabeth to grease their wheels. He can toss 'em some piddly shit that don't matter and let 'em get tangled up. Give 'em enough rope and all of that.

And hey, it's not like he came after her—them. If anything, he's tryin' to help. He’s givin’ them the same opportunity to earn some money, build their own side hustle. He's practically the good guy here.

The thought makes him laugh, this time like it's actually funny.

"Okay, well, thanks for that. You know, you don't have to be rude. I just thought—"

"Park. 2 pm."

"What? Oh! Seriously? Okay, great. Wow, that is...phew. That is a load off, you don't even kno—"

Rio cuts her off, locking his phone and tucking it back in his pocket, then tapping his fist against the window. 

Three seagulls are down in the warehouse parking lot fighting over scraps of something. Even all the way up here, he can hear 'em cawing, screamin', tearin' into each other for the same piece of the pie. After a minute, one of ‘em rips whatever it is away from the other two, swallows it and takes off. The others follow a beat behind, and he watches the three of ‘em fly directly overhead until the building obscure his view. 

Either Elizabeth'll come to him, or this will give him a new string to tug, somethin' he can use to yank her right back under his thumb. He'll get her right back where he wants her and then he'll— He'll—

Well. He'll just have to see. 

#nbc good girls #good girls nbc #beth x rio #brio #brio fic #(kind of anyway) #my fic #wheeeeee i can still do a prompt fill!!!! #apparently the trick is to do them when i'm supposed to be working on something else #anyway back to dean pov #hope this somewhat scratches the itch? #confession i haven't watched 210 in actual ages so i have no idea how canonically accurate this is but i did my best #gg 2x10

[londonsquitebiggg]

THE ONE - Part One

^^^ this is the town in which my story is based^^^

Krista's Pov,

*BEEP, BEEP, BEEP*

"mmmmhhhmmmmm" I groan rolling over to turn off the horrid sound that is my alarm.

Today was the first day back at school after a very long summer break! I'm not excited to go back to campus today but I can't wait to see Sam, we have been the best of friends since we were born.

I start my day off with my normal routine, I wake up, reluctantly got out of my warm bed and walk into my in suite bathroom. I plugged my IPhone into my Ihome port and put my music on shuffle as I hopped into the shower. After I washed my hair with my strawberries and cream shampoo and conditioner, and washed my body with my strawberry body wash (Okay so I love the scent of strawberry don't judge me!). I washed the soapy suds off my body and shut off the water. I dried myself off with my big fluffy towel.

As I walked out of the bathroom and headed to my walk in closet trying to figure out what to wear today, I peaked out of my window to see what the weather was like, it was the same as always, hot and sunny! I decided on a tealy greenish cropped tank top, some ripped skinny jeans, and some white lace toms.

After I'm dressed I walk over to my vanity and plugged in my straightener to try and tame my mess of hair. While waiting for it to heat up I did my make-up which consisted of some concealer to mask my dark circles, a bit of powder to make my face look less oily,  some mascara, a little bit of blush, of course I did my eyebrows, and put on my chap stick. I'm not a huge fan of make up mainly because I honestly don't know how to do it but I also am too insecure to not where any at all so I do what I can.

Once deciding that this was as good as it was going to get I  ran my straightener through my hair till it was less of a mess and more of a wavy look. I walked to my bathroom to brush my teeth, and put on perfume and deodorant so I wouldn't smell ,  I pinned my hair back so I was out of my face and put a hair band on my wrist in case I needed to put it up later in the day. I grabbed my phone and backpack and headed downstairs to get some breakfast.

I guess it's about time that I introduced myself, my name is Krista Mayfield, I live in High Water, North Carolina, I'm currently 17 but my birthday is just three short days way. I am a Sophomore in college, I know that I'm technically "too young" but I worked my booty off and graduated high school early so it works. I still live at home with my family, we have our own house cause my Father is the Alpha of our pack.

Yes. I know what your thinking and it's true, I'm a werewolf. Well I will be you see, I'm 17 still and I haven't shifted yet so I don't have my wolf yet. That will all change soon though, just three days and I will shift and I'll be able to start looking for my mate.

"Krista get your breakfast before your father eats it all!" I heard my mom call me and walk into the kitchen, I grab some toast and a banana not feeling all that hungry and also running late to meet Sam at the school.

I kissed my mom on the cheek "Morning mom! I have to get to school early to meet Sam, I love you! Bye" I rushed as I grabbed my keys off the hook, almost out the door when my Father's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Krista, there are some new wolves that are on our territory looking for their mates, they'll be attending your school so if you see them be nice please? I don't want them to feel unwelcome, they are from a neighboring pack and their families are old friends" I nod my head in response kiss my dad on the cheek, and rush off to school.

After a thirty minute drive I pull up to school and jump out, I saw Sam and I screamed as we ran to each other we crashed into a big bear hug, (yes we are those friends).

"Oh my gosh I missed you so much!" She said and we broke the hug. "I know I don't know how I survived without you!" Man was that the truth.

We saw each other over break, of course. Spent lots of time at the beach and just hanging out in general, I mean we practically lived at each others houses! However Sam's birthday was a month and a half ago, so she had to start her training and also her family went on a vacation for like three weeks so I haven't seen her as much as usual as of late.

We were out front of the English department when the we realized the time. We walked to our first lecture of the day and picked out our seats and put our stuff down, I went over to Sam and started to talk about her trip before the teacher got there, I wanted to know everything.

During the conversation I heard the door open but was too involved in my conversation with Sam and some of our other friends that had joined upon their arrival. Sam stopped talking and focused on something behind me, she was staring wide eyed, I wanted to know what had her so distracted. I turned around and there was four cute boys, well three cute boys and one extremely hot one, he had brown hair styled in this messy, effortless pushed back style, he was wearing all black and from the looks of his arms he had A LOT of tattoos... he is SO hot! I was basically drooling at how absolutely stunning the god like man.When suddenly I remembered that my birthday is in a couple of days and I will be able to find my mate and I know for a fact that the moon goddess would never me with someone as hot as him no matter how much I have prayed for basically a mate just like him I knew he was just too far out of my league. Plus he definitely is one of the wolves looking for his mate, not to mention that he's probably a lot older then me he has to be at least 25-26, I mean age doesn't really matter when mates and werewolves are involved but I could practically feel the power radiating off of him and I didn't even have my wolf yet! there is no way that I would be paired with such a strong Alpha!

Harry's Pov,

I'm not going to go into detail about my morning mainly because its not very interesting, I got up, got dressed, and drove to the new school I'm attending while one the BloodMoon Packs territory. Alpha Mayfield told me that a lot of the wolves from his pack go to this school which I could tell by the smell but I could also smell some humans, So it's a mixed school which is common considering it's a big city and it's not just a werewolf community.

I'm Harry, I'm here in High Water to try to find my mate, I'm 26 years old so I'm starting to get concerned that I don't have one. Which would be bloody terrible if you ask me but if that's what the Moon Goddess has planned for me then I guess I don't have much of a choice, but that sure as hell isn't going to stop me from looking for her.

I grew up in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. You guessed it, I'm British. My family moved to the states when I was 16 after our Pack was attacked, my father was lost that night, my mother was lucky enough to be blessed with her second chance mate, Robin when we moved here. He was an Alpha of one of the biggest packs in America. My sister Gemma she found her mate last year, He took over Robins stop as Alpha and Gemma is now our Luna, I'm be an Alpha but I lost that opportunity from not having a mate yet. It didn't really bother me, I would be the Beta of our pack unless I don't find my mate, or unless she is to become the Luna of a pack, making me her Alpha... If she accepts me that is.

"Harry! my main man, nice of you to finally show up" one of my best mates Louis said knocking me out of my thoughts as I walked up to our group.

"Yeah, I figured if I'm here to find my mate I should get out of the house and start looking around shouldn't I?" I jokingly replied.

As he was about to say some smartass response when we noticed everyone rushing inside and we figured it was time to head to class, we didn't want to be late to class on our first day, well we didn't care about being late to class we just didn't want to miss an opportunity to find our mates. We were all just leisurely walking a when I suddenly got wind of this amazing, intoxicating, overwhelming, and addicting smell of Lavender, Cedar wood, and what I could only describe as sugar, my wolf Marcus was howling with glee, he kept chanting

"Mate, Mate, go to mate"

Over and over again, I started walking a little bit faster towards following her smell which lucky for me lead right to my first lecture I was so lost in her sweet smell, I could barely see straight. I opened the door and almost fainted at sight of my gorgeous mate. She was tall and tan, she had perfect long blond hair that was pulled back away from her face in a natural wavy style, She had the most stunning face that I had ever seen, she had very little make-up on which worked because she didn't need any she was so gorgeous, she was wearing very skinny ripped jeans that hugged her in all the right places and a green crop top that showed her skin which made me mad because I didn't want anyone else seeing what was mine!

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth when I caught her checking me out, wondering if she was think about me in the same manner that I was thinking about her. Shit, it's taking every ounce of self control I have to not rush at her and claim her right here right now!

But just the she realized something and turned around, which made Marcus whimper because that means she didn't recognize me as her mate, or she did and didn't want me. I couldn't help the longing to walk up to her and say hello, to tell her how beautiful she was, how much I wanted her, how much I loved her eyes. So that is exactly what I did. I walked my way over to her and tapped on her shoulder.

"Hey, my names Harry, It's nice to meet you." I introduced myself to her once she turned around.

"Hi, I'm Krista, I don't mean to sound rude so if it comes across that way I'm sorry. But why are you talking to me? I mean your so hot and so much older then me...I.. uhhh.. umm I mean your like older and you don't want to embarrass yourself on the first day here talking to the awkward nerd when you could get in with the top of the food chain so easily with your looks.. I mean age...  I mean I'm, I'm going to shut up now " My little mate was rambling with nerves, making me chuckle at how adorable she looked all flustered, not to mention that she called me hot, but I didn't like the fact that she thought that she was embarrassing, a nerd, or saying that I was so old, Kind of hurt the ego a bit... I guess her hot comment could make up for that.

"What are you talking about? I'm only twenty-six??". I asked her confused.

"Yeah and I'm only sevente.." before she could finish her friend cut her off.

"Oh come on Krista you know your turning eighteen in like three days." my cute little mate was blushing at the reveal of her birthday being so close, especially it being such an important one.

It all made so much sense to me now, she wasn't rejecting me, she didn't recognize me as her mate because she hasn't shifted or got her wolf yet. Without her wolf senses she wouldn't be able to identify my smell, or feel our mate pull as intense, she would still feel it but she wouldn't be able to understand why she is feeling things towards me.

"Oh well, don't worry I just wanted to introduce myself to such a gorgeous girl as yourself, I'll see you around love" as I was walking away I winked at her and she blushed, bloody hell she looks so innocent when she blushes. It makes me want to do very unholy things to her! Which is okay because I am her mate but if anyone else was thinking these things about it I would rip their throat out.

I turn my head back as I walk back to the guys, because and can't stand not looking at her for longer than three seconds and I see her looking at me a bit flustered, her breathing is labored and her cheeks are tinted the most beautiful shade of pink. It's good to know that my words had there intended effect on her, 1 point Harry.

Krista's Pov

I can't believe that he just freakin' talked to me!!! Like the hottest guy that I have ever seen in my life just came and talked to me, he literally just called me love! Let's not  forget he called me gorgeous!! I think something is wrong with his eyes I mean has he seen me? I mean don't get me wrong I know I'm not ugly, I just don't think that I am pretty enough for the literal hottest guy to say I'm gorgeous!!!

Also how sweet is he to talk to me and not even care about my nerdy status! I mean the wolves here wouldn't dare disrespect me like that but the other students here find every excuse they can to pick on my age and my grades.. which doesn't make sense to me? like you come to college because you want to learn stuff so you can get a good job.. why would you want to have bad grades????

"what the heck just happened???" Sam said pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I have no stinkin' idea! like did you see that man? like holy smokes he is good looking" I said fanning myself trying to cool down, feeling like the temperature has risen like 20 degrees in here since him and his friends walked in.

"And let's not forget that incredibly sexy British accent!!" One of my best friends Ashlyn said. No matter how much I agree with that statement, it was makes me feel super annoyed that she just called him sexy, why am I feeling this way? Normally I would be blushing at her use of the word "sexy" but no I'm fuming with anger at the thought of someone else finding him attractive!

"Get a grip woman! You have no claim over him!" my subconscious screams at me. As much as this irritates me I know she is right. He isn't my mate and I don't have any sort of claim on him... he isn't mine.

"Do you think he is one of the wolves that's here looking for his mate?" Ashlyn questioned.

"I would assume so. I've never seen any of them before, heck I didn't even know we had wolves coming on our territory until my dad said something this morning. Why do you ask?" Was my reply to her, irritated that she was intrigued with him.

" Well I'm just wondering why he came over and was talking to you of all people".....OUCH! that was kind of harsh. I mean I'm as surprised as anyone that he was talking to me. I know that I'm not the prettiest girl around but I wouldn't expect one of my best friends to be so shocked that I could actually attract male attention.

As if sensing what I was thinking, probably because I wear my feelings on my face, she jumped into action to dig herself out of this hole.

"I didn't mean it in the way that you are thinking!! I just meant that his whole purpose here in High Water is to find his mate, so by him coming and talking to the most literally prettiest girl in school, I assume that means that he hasn't found his mate yet which means that talking to you could come across as him being a guy who doesn't put his mate first and flirts with other girls before he finds her... or he found her and he's a huge player..." Ashlyn nervously rambled, making some really good points.

" I don't know Ash, maybe we should consider the fact that maybe Krista is his mate??" Sam cut in. Both mine and Ash's heads snapped towards her staring in shock and confusion.

"I mean, she doesn't have her wolf yet so she wouldn't have been able to sense if she was. But he doesn't come off as the kind of guy to cheat on his mate, and he's twenty-six. Don't you think he is a little too old and mature to be flirting with girls that aren't his mate?" She said trying to explain her logic.

" I mean, yeah but like me? And him? I mean that's funny Sam I don't think the Moon Goddess would do him that disservice. I mean he is way out of my league! We aren't even playing the same game that's how far out of my league he is." Was my response to her outrageous theory.

"oh don't start this crap again! Krista you are the most gorgeous girl in the whole world! As much as you don't believe it, Sam's right. I mean his whole purpose of coming her is to find her, why would he jeopardize that by making her insecure and jealous of you?" Said Ash, They hate it when I talk bad about myself.

"And don't bring the Moon Goddess into this! You know just as much of the rest of us that, looks, age , and status have nothing to do with who she pairs you with! All that matters is that your mate is your other half. They complete you! Heck, your probably the best mate that guy could get!" Sam said being the best friend ever and boosting my confidence up a little.

I looked over my shoulder behind me at him, my mind jumbled with the possibilities of me and him being mates. As if sensing me staring his head turned at that exact moment. Gorgeous green eyes locked with mine, a stupidly attractive smirk on his face. It was that moment when Professor O'Neil walked in telling us to find our seats so we could start. It was like he knew how he was affecting me, my breathing labored, my cheeks flushed, and my heart pounding.

I couldn't tare my eyes away, he chuckled as he winked at me and faced the front to pay attention to what our Professor was saying. I rushed to my seat, trying to calm myself down and control my breathing. Trying to pay attention to my English lecture, but was struggling because my mind kept floating back to what Sam said.. could I really be his mate? Maybe.. but if I truly was, why didn't he say anything?

#one direction fanfiction #harry styles imagine #one direction #watermelon sugar #harry styles smut #harry styles fic #harry styles #werewolves

[menswearmusings]

My Spier & Mackay Custom Shirt Guide

If you’re looking into having a custom shirt made through Spier & Mackay, I recommend them. Of the online custom shirt makers I’ve tried, they have my favorite pattern. Something about the way they cut the armholes and chest is magic—fitted but not constricting.

The process is pretty straightforward, but it can nonetheless be daunting because the pressure to get it perfect on the first go is high. I’ve ordered a few shirts at this point, and have some tips for getting the best results.

Fit considerations

Measuring

I prefer to measure shirts I like the fit of and combine those measurements into the ideal amalgamation of them all. That gives maximum control over the resulting fit pattern. Below are some tips to make sure you get it right.

Pay attention to their specific instructions for how to measure by watching the embedded YouTube videos for how to do it. In particular:

Neck measurement is measured from the button to the middle of the buttonhole, not the far end of the buttonhole (like some other shirt makers).

Cuff is measured end to end, not button to buttonhole (this is huge; don’t mess this up).

The sleeve measurement is straightforward, but many people have a misconception about how long a shirt sleeve should be. A sleeve should hang about an inch past your wrist when the cuff’s unbuttoned (and your cuff should be cut slim enough that when it’s buttoned, your hand stops the cuff from slipping down). Watch the video of how to measure your body for a shirt and that illustrates where it should go. When you’re inputting your own shirt measurements, adjust accordingly.

The armhole measurement is tricky to figure out. You measure a shirt by laying it flat but that makes the armhole curve a little. The instructions say to measure straight, though. So here’s how to think of what you’re doing to alleviate confusion: Measure the full length of the seam. You can either do that by leaving it curved and measuring around the curve, or pulling it straight and measuring it straight.

Speaking of armhole, my suggestion is to go for a relatively small armhole and relatively loose bicep. My first shirt had a high armhole and slim bicep and it feels constricting. My second shirt had a slightly more relaxed armhole and slim bicep, and it still felt a little constricting. I locked it in at a small armhole, with looser bicep, and it’s awesome. Great range of motion, comfortable, and wearable.

Elbows and forearms. I hate feeling like my shirt might tear at the elbow. But if you have a fairly fitted cuff and relatively fitted bicep (compared with the way many shirts are super loosely cut), that can happen. So I specified the elbow measurement in the comments of the shirt order. That measurement is simply measuring the sleeve from the end of the cuff to the shoulder seam, and right in the middle is where to measure the elbow. Measure it straight across the sleeve.

If you also want to specify the forearm, which might be unnecessary (I did it but if you specify the elbow it’ll probably work itself out), you measure 6 inches up from the cuff seam (where it attaches to the sleeve) and take the measurement straight across. Measure straight across the sleeve.

Do you have to allow for fabric shrinkage?

My experience has been that the shirts are cut accurately, and shrinkage has been minimal. I asked Rick, the owner of Spier & Mackay, and he confirmed that they cut with normal shrinkage allowance in mind, so you don’t have to game the system to get the result you want (which mirrors my experience so far). A few years ago, a couple fabrics they offered had major shrinkage, which got lots of chatter on Styleforum, but he tells me those fabrics were discontinued 2 years ago and it’s been a non-issue ever since.

What if the shirt comes out wrong? What’s the cost for a remake?

Remakes for fit problems that are your own making—say you don’t carefully read the instructions for cuff width (edge-to-edge, not button-to-buttonhole!) and they’re super tight—are half price. To initiate that process, just email their customer service at [email protected] to get the ball rolling. However, like any good company, if the shirt is cut wrong—say you specified a measurement and it comes out way off by more than a normal tolerance—they’ll make it right on their dime.

Design considerations

Collar choices are personal and many design choices are personal, too. But below are some of my preferences based on my own style and recommendations for design combinations based on what I’ve seen good designers do.

Button-downs

The button-down collars from Spier are rockin’. The classic one (C3-K) is really great for almost everyone. The Italian version they sometimes use off the rack for special makes (C22), like the washed denim shirts, is 10% extra cool and a little bigger, but not so noticeably bigger as to call more attention to itself. For those who want maximum collar drama, there’s the biggest Italian button-down (C23), which I plan to test eventually.

Design pairings with button-down collars

Pair button-down collars with the rounded single button cuff and normal placket. On the back, go for a center box pleat if you’re a traditionalist, but side pleats give it a modern twist that breathes a bit of life into the OCBD. Pocket or no is your choice. If it’s striped, specify “one piece yoke” in the comments.

Spread collars

I personally go for either large cutaways (which I like when worn without a tie the best), or large spread collars. So for me that’s the C21 and C19 collars. Big, tall collar band and big, long collar points, which tuck under a jacket nicely and stand tall. However, for someone with a smaller frame and/or shorter neck, the standard version of these collars would also work well (C13, C16, C17).

Design pairings with spread and cutaway collars

Pair these with either the rounded single button cuff or a mitered cuff (mitered is more business-y if that’s what you’re going for). For the placket, a French turn placket is the more business friendly approach; go standard placket for more casual fabrics like chambray or oxford cloth. And on the back, either side pleats or no pleats. I do no pocket, typically. One designer who makes a great shirt that dresses up or down excellently is Sid Mashburn who makes his with spread collars, a standard placket, rounded cuffs, side pleats and a front pocket in all types of fabrics, and it looks great in every situation.

Collar linings (and cuffs and placket, too)

Unusual for many custom shirt makers is the ability to specify collar, placket and cuff linings. Most of Spier’s shirts have a fused interlining of some sort by default but you can specify in the comments box during the checkout process for them to use something different. Here’s the down-low:

There are four levels of collar interlinings ranging from lightest to stiffest. The linings can be either simply sewn in, or fused into the collar, and you can even have them use two layers if you want.

From lightest to stiffest, the identifiers are soft, medium, medium-firm, and firm. My preferences are for the lighter linings, which allow the collar to roll and have some shape to them (which is an Italian affectation; you may prefer the collar to stay starched in place). Here is how I have done shirts so far, and I like it. I may experiment in the future but for now this has given me good results:

For shirts in more casual fabrics like oxford cloth or cotton-linen or madras, I go for a single layer medium sewn interlining. It gives the collar just enough body to shape nicely, but doesn’t weigh it down. Inside button-down collars, it gives the collar a perfect amount of body to roll beautifully, but is thin enough the collar still has some of the charming unlined look. This feels about like how a Drake’s Oxford collar feels to me.

For shirts in business-y fabrics like broadcloth or pinpoint oxford, I go for the single layer medium fused interlining. The fusing makes the collar smoother in appearance, so it’s a bit more professional. It still stands up well under a jacket without a tie on, too. This feels about like how my Eidos dress shirt collars feel to me.

Just remember to specify in the comments box no only the collar lining, but for clarity, also specify that you also want the same in the cuffs and placket if your shirt is being made with a placket. (They might do this automatically but I’m not sure so it’s safer just to put it in writing.)

Basically unlimited options

You can ask them to do almost anything in the comments section. I haven’t gone too far down the rabbit hole with minute changes, but I have specified changes to the base collar pattern. Specifically, I’ve asked them to increase the front collar band height, and requested the collar be cut with no tie space. They accommodated both requests on my orders. (In case you’re wondering, I did that on the C21 collar, which modified it to be identical to my favorite Eidos shirt collar, the “Marcus”).

You can even send in a shirt you love and simply have them copy it, too. I haven’t done that, but if you want to give it a try, email [email protected] and they’ll tell you how to proceed.

So that’s it. Those are my tips for ordering a custom shirt from Spier & Mackay. While the program’s UI/UX on the website leaves a lot to be desired, and I still wish they’d allow you to order fabric swatches, the results and quality of the end product are excellent; and the price is outstanding.

Is there anything else you’d like to see covered in this article? Let me know in the comments below!

(Help support this site! If you buy stuff through my links, your clicks and purchases earn me a commission from many of the retailers I feature, and it helps me sustain this site—as well as my menswear habit ;-)  Thanks!)

If you’re just getting into tailored menswear and want a single helpful guide to building a trend-proof wardrobe, buy my eBook. It’s only $5 and covers wardrobe essentials for any guy who wants to look cool, feel cool and make a good impression. Formatted for your phone or computer/iPad so it’s not annoying to read, and it’s full of pretty pictures, not just boring prose. Buy it here.

Read more at Menswear Musings

#Bespoke shirts #custom shirt #custom shirts #spier and mackay

[milich96-ocs-blog]

Sorry if you've already answered this but for the camp half-blood au who are the character's godly parents?

Dw anon, nobody asked me anything yet! I was waiting to see if someone would guess it on their own, but also I'm happy you gave me this opportunity to share!

Note! @artsarasp and @thenightmaregirls are the 2 who have read the books and know how the camp works. I'm reading the books now, but also adding some rules of my own/going against the canon cause I can :P

Edgar: son of Poseidon. He is quite tall and strong for his age, so a common joke is him being the son of one of the giants

Kate: Hecate's daughter. Altho not related to blood at all, she and Edgar consider each other siblings.

Marcus: son of Iris. It's hilarious and you know it. However (since Craig is an asshole), Marcus has 2 moms in this au: Iris and Rachel.

Cici: One of Apollo's sons. Aphrodite would have been an easy choice, and I like a challange. Also he looks good with a bow and arrow.

Dakota: son of Athena. Very smart and quite often bullied by Ares' kids.

Loui: son of Hermes and "shopkeeper" of the camp. He has a huge crush on Marcus.

Griffin: son of Aphrodite. He is the most pursued of the camp (especially by the boys of Ares)

Trevor: son of Dyonisus. So sweet and caring. He has a wonderful green thumb.

Forrest: son of Zeus. Incredibly powerful but he's also such a coward. He could defeat anybody if he wanted... but he doesn't want to get hurt

Julien: Hades' kid. After Zeus had Forrest, Hades decided to seduce the same woman, as a proof he could be as great as his big bro. This rivalry is present in Forrest and Julien as well. Juju keeps his hair super long as to hide behind them when he gets too overwhelmed

#oc #anon #ask and you shall receive #percy jackson au #edgar #kate #marcus #cici #ciril pentimalli #dakota #loui #griffin #Trevor #julien #forrest #artsarasp #thenightmaregirls

[fics-for-my-heart]

Secrets (b.h)

Summary: Maybe keeping a secret from Ben wasn’t a good idea

Word count: 1671

Warning: swearing, dude gets too handsy, nothing graphic

Requested: @strawberryfields-forever Hey!! I was wondering if you could do a Ben Hardy Imagine where the reader and Ben are together and the reader is like a producer or works in the audio/sound crew on movies and someone she works with is really pervy and like assaults her but she keeps quiet about it to Ben and he finds out and stands up for her or something? I love your work btw xxx

A/N: So I changed it up a bit. I wasn’t too comfortable writing an assault so he just gets a little too hands and tried to be very persistent. I hope you like it though I’m hoping this turned out better than how I feel it did. I have another requested piece coming soon!

Masterlist in bio

“I’ll see you at lunch, love. Have a good day.” Ben pressed a firm kiss to your lips, holding you too him with an arm around your waist.

You gave him another quick kiss, patting his chest. “You betcha. Have fun filming.”

The two of you had met during Bohemian Rhapsody and instantly clicked. And now here you were, almost two years after first meeting and a year and a half dating, five months into working on a set together once again.

Working on the same movie was a blessing in many ways. Riding to work together, eating lunch together, watching each other do what they love. When Ben first found out that they needed an extra sound tech he quickly jumped up to suggest you.

As you made the short walk to the sound trailer, rattling off the list of things you needed to get set for the new scene today, a familiar, and incredibly unwelcome, voice echoed off the sides of the other trailers.

“Y/N! Sweetheart. Where’s my coffee, love?”

You cringed a the way he sounded when he spoke. It was always this way, with all the female workers, but he seemed to focus more on you. “Ha. As I’ve said before, Malcum, I’m not your assistant.” You called back, subtly taking wider steps. But he was a tall man and was next to you in just a few steps of his own.

“Oh, baby. You might as well be. After all, I’m the head of sound around here. You just work under me.” He raised his brows and winked before entering the trailer.

Malcum was incredibly forward, to the point of making you uncomfortable. It never went further than the over use of pet names and clear innuendos, but it definitely wasn’t appropriate. You knew what would happen if you said anything though. You’d seen it many times before, someone complained that someone else made uncomfortable advances and the person reporting would get fired. Especially when it was someone who had pull like Malcum.

After the morning meeting, everyone was called to set and the day began. It was just like any other day. You made sure everything was plugged in right, up enough, recording, and anything else sound related was correct. You had lunch with Ben and the cast, and even made plans to meet up for dink’s with some of them and the crew. It was a normal day, till the end.

“Y/N. Gonna need you to stay late and work on some of the editing we’ve got right now.” Malcum called from his desk.

“What?” You spun around, hand on the door to leave. “We don’t even have an order to go in yet?”

Malcum smirked that disgusting smirk. “I need some help s’all.”

You shot a quick text to Ben then made your way to your desk.

It really was just busy work. There wasn’t much you could piece together because they had only recorded a handful of bits. But you worked with that you could. Editing out some unnecessary background noise, making sure that the audio was on time. You’d been at it for about thirty minutes when hands were on your shoulders.

“How’s it going?” Marcus was speaking almost directly in your ear.

You tried to shrug him off before replying. “Good I guess. How much longer will you need me? I had plans with my boyfriend.”

Marcus started massaging your shoulders now. “If you wanna forget those and go back to my trailer.”

You shot up, chair pushing into him. “I’m good. I’ve got to go.” You silently thanked yourself for having already saved all your work.

“Come on doll.” He reaches out to try and touch you again but you were out the door before he could say another word.

Body vibrating with nerves and tears threatening to spill from your eyes, you made your way to Ben’s trailer. When you got inside you were surprised to see him lying on the couch watching tv. He immediately shot up when he saw you.

“Are you okay?” He was at your side, hand smoothing over your hair.

You nodded. “I’m just really tired. Can we go home?”

“Of course.” He kissed your head and lead you to the car.

——

The next few weeks you avoided Malcum as best you could. Always staying in a group or around Ben. He still tried to get you alone though. But you wouldn’t let it happen.

You also didn’t tell Ben. Every time you thought about it, a sick feeling would wash over you. So you kept it to yourself. You did, however, ask him to start meeting you at the trailer at the end of the day. And that’s how he found out.

It had been a long day. They shot two really big scenes and there had been a problem with one of the boom mics. Everyone was finally getting to leave, well after normal time. You were busy fixing the mic and hadn’t realized you were alone till you heard a voice.

“Have you been avoiding me, doll?” Malcum was standing at the other end of the table.

You sighed, “Just busy.”

“I feel like you’ve been avoiding me.”

“Nope. Now could you please leave me alone so I can finish this?” You glanced over at him and cringed when you realized how close he had gotten.

He shook his head. “How about you put that away and spend some time with me?”

“I’ll pass. I’m just going to go home.” You set the mic down and got up, putting your jacket on and grabbing your bag. But before you could make it to the door Malcum pushed you against the wall.

“Come onnnn baby.” His breath reeked of alcohol.

You pushed at him. “Get. Away.”

“Don’t be like that.” He pushed you hair behind your ear.

“Malcum. Get off me.” You screamed.

The door swung open and in seconds Malcum was off you and on the floor. Ben was standing in front of you, an arm protectively holding you to his back. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Nah. She wanted it mate.” Malcum wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth.

“I’m not your fucking mate you piece of shit. Now I suggest you fuck off before I have you fucking escorted out of here.”

Malcum eyed you as he go up. “I could have helped you climb the ladder, but you just knocked yourself off it.” He walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Ben turned immediately to you, both hands on your face smoothing away tears. “Love are you alright?”

You nodded, clenching at his shirt. “Thank you. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me love. I’ll always be there to protect you. Let’s get you home okay.”

Neither of you spoke the entire way home. Ben got you in bed and brought you a cup of tea, before final talking about what happened

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

You took a deep breath, quicking deciding it was time to tell him everything. “Yes. But I need to tell you something.” Ben’s eyes flash with hurt before he nodded. “No no. Nothing like that. It’s just. Malcum has been a problem for a while. Always saying inappropriate stuff, innuendos and stuff. He never got touchy till a few weeks ago.”

“Wait. You mean it’s not the first time?”

You bowed your head, giving it a shake. “He, a, he tried to make a move on me that night when I had to work late.”

Ben sat straight up. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me, or would be mad at me. Things had been okay, I’d been staying around people, avoiding him.”

“No no, back up. You thought I’d be mad?” You just shrugged, you couldn’t look at him. “Y/n.” His voice was soft as he pushed your chin up lightly, his own eyes brimmed with tears. “I would never, ever, be mad at you for being sexually harassed. Ever. It’s not your fault. Also, I would believe you, I do believe you. Please don’t ever keep a secret like this from me. I love you. I want to keep you safe. But you gotta tell me stuff okay.”

You sniffed, wiping the tears off your cheek and nodding. “I’m sorry Ben.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for love.” He pulled you closer, then laid you both down on the bed. “Let’s get some sleep.”

The next morning you woke up to an empty bed, which was unusual for a day off. You did, however, have a text from Ben saying he ran out to get breakfast. While you waited you took a shower and started a load of laundry.

When Ben finally came home it was almost an hour later, you’d started to get a bit worried. So when the door opened, relief washed over you as you rushed to the door.

“You were gone for a long time.” You groaned, giving him a kiss and taking the food bag.

He followed you to the kitchen, grabbing mugs for coffee. “Well. I stopped by set and spoke with the producer and director. Apparently they’ve been keeping an eye on Malcum. A few other women on set have reported him. I told them what happened and they said it’s done, he’s going to be fired.”

You let out a huge sigh. It had been bothering you deep down that you would have to return to work with Malcum there, but knowing he wouldn’t be there anymore was such a relief. “Oh my god. Thank you.”

“I couldn’t wait till we went back. I had to do something. Keep you safe. Keep everyone on set safe.” He wrapped his arms around you. “I love you too much to have let you go back to working with that creep.”

You kissed him. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Now let’s eat and go back to bed.”

Tags: (open)

Everything:

@hermionedeservesbetterthanron @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @kaylzjordan

Ben&Roger:

@screaminggalileochickenwrites

Ben:

@obliviatevamps

#ben hardy #ben hardy fic #ben hardy x you #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy fanfic #ben hardy imagine #ben

[thatfilmduderyan]

Death Studios: My studio space.

For a long time I’ve wanted to do a blogpost about my studio but it’s never materialised (mostly due to always being distracted by other more pressing matters in the world of work). That is until now. 

Death Studios began life in September 2016 when I came back from working on the All Fucked Up video for The Amity Affliction. From time to time a mutual friend of mine worked from a coffee shop I often frequented, and she turned up one day and said that off the back of brexit she felt a need to find “a new place to work from to change things up”. Immediately I got on board with the idea as I’d never found the perfect spot to set up a studio before. Previously I’d been accepted at a number of innovation centres but the problem was that they were often far too ‘office like’ for me. I probably could have moved into a studio space about 5 years ago but I’m someone that operates strongly off the back of their gut feelings. Nothing every felt right for me until I walked into this place.

The entire building was up for grabs and 3 of us ended up coming together with the same goal. The other 2 people were more ‘desk based’ (a graphic designer and an illustrator) and therefore they needed a lot less space than me, so they ended up taking the floor above and turned it into a shared desk studio. But I needed shelf spaces, work tops, storage areas and a host of other features, so this room had massive potential. There were a few structural changes required that included an overhaul of electrics, the recovering of all surface woodwork, new windows with an advanced security system, a couple stud walls, a new wooden floor and finally the painting of the entire place. My dad was a huge part of the work that went into this place and he came up with the idea to drop the strip lights from the ceiling and hang them by chains (which I loved so much). There were a lot of late nights spent working on the space as well as continuing to run other video/film projects. I have fond memories of my brother and me painting the walls and laughing until I sides hurt at old stories of us growing up. Originally I had wanted to keep things minimal but I soon realised this was near impossible with everything I had. I actually suffer with OCD, so once I’d made peace with the layout I began arranging things as I saw fit. A large part of inspiration for the room came from Casey Neistat’s studio (his youtube blog linked below but click his name for a studio tour) and various other interiors outlets like Rocket St George (some bulbs and the coat rack near the front door are from that store). 

The main aim for the studio space was for me to have a private working environment where I could do a number of things. The layout is setup for meetings, post-production work, pre-production work, team sessions, equipment storage/maintenance and physical product distribution. I actually want to create and release things that all get made and distributed from the studio at some point but I’ve yet to do this (it’s in the works though). The layout of the work surfaces means I can move to different points of the room depending on my mood. It sounds kinda crazy but my mood really does affect this and I’ve used pretty much all the different positions for different pieces of work. During the winter I often like to sit in the position picture 3 showcases. Picture 2 is often utilised for packing cases and the layout of the room means I can pretty much pack for any job within a 30 minute period. I have a large wall (not pictured) behind where picture 4 is taken but this is covered in post-it notes relating to the projects I’ve currently got going on so I can’t show it due to privacy requirements/NDAs I’ve signed. Originally the wall was covered with framed posters from various releases I’ve directed, but I felt like it wasn’t being used properly so these were taken down in favour of a wall where I could stick post it notes (this was partly inspired by the character Nathan in Ex-Machina, and the scene where we see a wall of post-it notes behind his work computer). There are a couple angles of the room I’ve not included due to me wanting to keep the location largely hidden, but there is also a tea and coffee area which has a picture of the Defeater boys hanging over it haha (thanks to my friend Josie Hoffman for that gift). The space can house about 4 people when working from computers but I’ve held a production meeting for a film here with about 12 people present.

The strip light you see above the shelves in picture 4 has a strange tale behind it. My parents bought an old derelict newspaper shop to setup their business in and during the renovations they found an old light that sat on top of a cigarette counter. The light sat in the loft of their business for years and as we approached the completion of the studio build my dad said “do you want that old cigarette counter light in here?” and I said “hell yes I do”. My plan was to have it on the floor previously and replace the old branded perspex front with my own custom one. I ended up going with a phrase that has stuck with me for years which is ‘fear mediocrity’. Mediocrity is of the the biggest threats to inspired and original art. Mediocrity is also a very big seller and it functions as the facilitating ground for many people looking to make money from creativity (it’s easy to accept and often doesn’t challenge the status quo). This is something I’ve always felt has to be avoided to achieve greatness in your work; so what better place to illuminate it than above my head every day. Either side of the phrase are a couple of aliens from the John Carpenter film ‘They Live’ who in the story are trying to capture and brainwash the earth. The strangest part of this light was that when we came to the installation it went perfectly into the gap above the shelf... there was no space either side of it to shift. It was a spooky moment because it honestly felt like that light was meant to be in that spot. If you look closely at the picture of it you’ll see a steel conduit right next to it with no space... this was fitted before the light went in, let alone was in the same building. 

The studio has become an integral part of my work routine and allows me to disconnect from whatever I need to and concentrate on the job at hand. This place was at the centre of all of the projects I’ve helmed over the last 2.5 years. Due to the nature of how I work and the routine I have I unfortunately can’t accept work experience placements, but Crashburn does accept them on shoots. My creative routine has become extremely private since moving into this space and I realised that I want to keep it that way moving forward into future projects. I’m currently writing my first feature film (off the back of a recently produced short) which is bringing new challenges but never the less is being aided by this custom made space. I really recommend people in the creative industries finding their own studio space and making it truly ‘them’. It’s a tall order to find a spot you feel comfortable in but ultimately if you don’t feel good your workflow will be heavily disrupted. My advice to would-be studio designers is.... don’t rush. Find what works and make it yours. That is the very crux of what Death Studios is for me. I think the most gratifying thing about owning a spot like this is that it has come from a place within myself. In filmmaking you’re often surrounded by many different types of people and eventually you end up realising that everyone is different and everyone has their own idea of what filmmaking is. The journey is never the same twice. I’ve always wanted to be independent and able to do whatever I want, however I want, and finally this studio is a step in that direction (just think along the lines of Neil Blomkamp’s ‘Oats Studios’). I’m here to create the films I feel need to be made while developing myself further as a feature film director. In this process there’s a wonderful gap to facilitate anyone who wants to collaborate and make great things. The process is natural, nurturing and it makes me feel strong. All parts fit together. Long live Death Studios. 

Rx

Links!

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#studio #filmmaking #filmmaker #director #dp #create #they live #movies #crime in stereo #hxc #bridge nine

[soujun-arts]

Case 4 : Cupcake Madness

Reginald’s 4th Case ! English isn’t my first language so bear with me.

You can read the previous cases @ /~SilverBaron

Neovia, 15:30

I'm laying in my bed, staring at the roof of my room. I've been stuck in there for 3 long and boring days already and it doesn't look like it will be over anytime soon... My name is Reginald Acorn, I'm 20, a grey gelert and I'm currently fighting a cold. I'm a detective working for the police force of Neovia. Three days ago, the boss and I had to hide in front of the abandoned asylum to catch all sorts of thieves, including the most annoying one you can think of. And by the looks of it, thieves aren't the only things I caught that night ... But, the good news is, we were able to recover a stolen locket and give it back to Vincent Von Verzweiflung. The look on his face when he saw the "treasure" inside was well worth this nasty cold. I'm getting all emotional just by thinking of it !

It reminds me of how I miss Mama ... When I was young and sick, she would make me the most delicious of cocoa with some marshmallow floating in it. It was delicious and helped distract me from whatever sickness I was suffering under at that time...

A loud knock on my door makes me go back to reality. The doors opens to reveal an enormous darigan skeith, engulfed in tightly fitted trench-coat. A hat is deeply screwed on his head, letting only small tufts of grey hair around the sides of his head show.

_"Oh good, you're still alive kid !" he says, laughing loudly and slapping his stomach.

_"My wife made this soup for you. It's extra spicy but it should help free your stuffed nose." he grumbles as he lays down the bright red tureen on my table.

This tall and heavy Skeith is my boss, "Big Skeith". His name is actually Marcus Worsley but everyone calls him Big Skeith at the station so being the new guy, I just went with the flow. He's a bit rude, has a very loud mouth but I assure you that you could never hope for a better chief of police. He also kind of became a father figure for me since I've never met my own father... I respect him a whole lot ! _"Oh, almost forgot, I also got you this, kid." he says as he puts down a small green bottle on my night-stand. "Should help fight the cold, at least, that's what the pharmacist told me. And if it doesn't work, I can always arrest him!" Big cackles at his own joke like it was the funniest thing he ever said. I smile, not because of the joke, but because I'm genuinely happy he's there for me.

_"Okay, I must leave now, I have a job to do yaknow. I'll stop by later tomorrow to check on you kiddo, so sleep well and eat like there's no tomorrow. See ya !" he yells as he storms out of my flat. Big's appearances are always something.

I taste Big's wife's soup and it's absolutely delicious. No wonder he keeps on praising her cooking everyday ! I'll have to ask him to thank her for me, when he comes back to check on me. It really is spicy though, I thought, fighting the tears coming in my eyes. I glance at the medicine bottle ... I've always hated medicine and mama had to trick me with cookies every single time to get me to take them. The bottle is really pretty and the liquid is bubbling inside. The eagerness to go back to my cases is stronger than my disgust for medicines. I drink a spoonful of it and promptly go back to sleep.

Neovia, 7:15 am

I let out a big yawn and stretch while still laying in bed. The pharmacist kept his promises as I really feel fresh and ready to tackle whatever challenge comes my way ! The only weird thing is that I don't feel hungry at all, and if you know me, you know I always crave a huge breakfast. Thinking nothing more of it, I jump in the shower and let the warm water drench my fur. I wash my grey hair that is a bit sticky for some reason, plus it really needs a trim, they're getting way too long...

Once I've dried myself, I dress with my usual work attire and feel tremendous joy at the thought of finally being able to get back to work. I step outside and let the freezing air fill my lungs. Yes, to another awesome day of investigation !

Neovia, 8:00am

_"Oh hey kid, you're back !" shouts Big as I enter the police station. "Guess that potion and the soup worked well uh ?" _"Yes, they did ! Thank you for taking care of me boss ! And please thank your wife for me, she really is a talented cook !

_"Ahaha, I know, right !! Well, since you're up and ready, how about you join Lenny. He's going to investigate a theft and break-in at the Crumpet Monger.

_"Sure boss ! I'll be going !"

I've never had the occasion to work with Lenny before. Lenny is, well, a Lenny. He's a weird mix of faerie and grey colours and looks always completely depressed. Maybe it's the fact that he is bald that makes him so upset ? He's very nonchalant and walks as fast as snail. He also speaks in a monotonous voice and I always feel like sleeping when I hear him talk.

Neovia, 9:00am

Finally, I can see the Crumpet Monger ! The shop is actually only 20 mins away by foot from the station but Lenny being so slow, it almost took us a WHOLE hour to get there. And since I'm still the newbie, I can't say anything. The Crumpet Monger shop is relatively small but it sells the best baked goods in all Neovia ! A cupcake is drawn right over the porch roof, and just underneath, an elegant door that opens upon a world of delicious treats ! As we get closer, I can see that the door was fractured but the frontage is thankfully intact. Lenny pushes the door and a bell rings inside. We were standing in the entrance when a mountain of hair came rushing out of the kitchen like a storm. Underneath all that hair, a meerca.

_"Oh so yer finally here ! Thank goodness ! As yer can see, we were robbed last night. All ther cakes, scones, pies, tarts and everything in between, gone !" she shrieks, visibly upset.

_"I see." ponders Lenny, completely out of it. _"Did they steal anything else, like the cash register ?" I asked, ready to do my job.

_"Well, yer see, no they didn't. They only stole and ate whatever we had in there.

But ... shouldn't the shop be empty of pastries during the night since you make fresh ones everyday ?" I say, pointing at a small sign saying so by the counter.

_"Oh yer, we do ! In these kind of jobs, we work at lot at night. My main baker was working tonight, made a whole storm of pastries yer see to set the shop for ther morning. He then left for a short while to see our supplier as per usual yer see. It was during that short time ther shop was ransacked." she lets her arm fall flat on her sides. "We lost a lot of money tonight yer see...

_"I'm very sorry Mrs Crumpet. We will do our best to wrap up things quickly so you can re-open again. Would it be possible to talk with your main baker ?"  I glance at Lenny as I speak, hoping he would step in to take the reigns but he was busy dozing off with a bubble popping out of his beak. Charming.

_"Sure yer can darling ! Aaron please come yer !" she shouts.

Coming out of the kitchen, wiping his hands covered in flour on a towel, a young Maraquan Gelert. He's of average height, has a long and weird tail with a, what, fin on it ? He is purple and his hair, which kinda look like algae, is greenish. He wears a big cooking hat on his head and a fancy looking uniform with a star on it. Around his neck, a red neckerchief.

He holds out his hand and I shake it amicably, this guy seems to be really friendly.

_"Hello, name's Reginald Acorn and here's my colleague Lenny Dot. We're here to investigate and we'd like to hear what you have to say please.

_"Thanks for coming, both of you. My name is Aaron Watson, I'm the main baker here. I think you won't have much trouble finding the culprit.

Really ? How so ?" my ears rising up in surprise.

_"Look at this, they left their prints all over the display cases. Should be easy enough to find, no ?

I get closer to the case and indeed, Aaron was telling the truth, you could see distinct prints all over it. I glance at the few leftover cupcakes there, suddenly feeling hungry.

_"Hmm yes, this is all very importance evidence...

_"Hey Regie, I hope you're talking about the prints and not the cupcakes" cackles Lenny, suddenly awake.

_"Of course I am !" I yell angry he found me out. "Dust for the prints instead of dozing off, that'd be helpful" I say, still sulking.

Alright, alright, let the pro do his job baby." he shouts proudly while holding a weird pose, showing off.

_"I really hope you catch that thief, but in all those short years I've worked here, it's really the first time this happens.." adds Aaron, rubbing his chin with his hand, still in disbelief.

_"No offence here, but you seem really chill for someone who had all his hard work eaten without being paid for...

_"Oh, that's because he took out his anger on yer poor innocent dough sweetheart" giggles Mrs Crumpet.

_"Boss, please !"

_"Okay I'm done dusting the prints and taking pictures here" says Lenny, striking another weird pose. "We will have the results tomorrow or so, so you can get cleaning your fantastic shop my beautiful darling." he adds, kissing Mrs Crumpet hand in a what I assume was supposed to be a gentlemen like gesture.

_"Oh, Oh, my, my, what a charming gentleman you are Mr Dot !" says Mrs Crumpet, blushing.

_"Urhg, disgusting." whispers Aaron while laughing slightly. "Then, I'll get back to work, thank you for coming."

Neovia 13:30

I'm sitting at my desk, eating my sandwich. It took us forever to get back here, as Lenny took his sweet, sweet time. Sometimes I really wonder how come this guy still had a job considering how slow he is in everything he does, but Big told me that he's the best when it comes to little details and all the other stuff we tend to overlook. He's currently studying the prints we found and comparing them to the files we have. Whenever someone decides to move in Neovia, they're obligated to give their prints as well, I'm not really sure why, but I guess after being a cursed town for years, they prefer to use some caution. I had to do it too when I filed all the paperwork in the City Hall. I swallow the last bite of my meal when Lenny comes rushing out from the lab and sprint right into the boss's office. How weird it is to see someone as slow as a snail go as fast as a cybunny ... I guess he did find something. Not two minutes later, Big yells for me to come to his office right now. Why do I feel like I'm not gonna like this ?

_"Kid, we have a match for the prints you guys found." says Big, dropping the file on his desk. He turns around to face the window, turning his back to Lenny and I. "The culprit is a Gelert.

_"Oh, really ? Is it that annoyingly annoying jewel thief ? Though, I wonder why he would steal cupcakes..." I say, rubbing my cheek.

_"No, praise Fyora, this guy is innocent for once. Though, I wish it was him right about now...

Knowing how Big despises that thief, I feel the anxiety rushing through my body.

_"That thief never leaves any prints behind, that's why we have so much trouble identifying him... Reginald, don't you have anything you want to say to me ?" he says calmly, turning back to face me again.

_"No.. I don't understand, I haven't done anything wrong..

_"Kid, the prints are yours. Your prints are all over the display cases of the Crumpet Monger shop. Lenny even found some grey hairs that belong to you on the scene, hair that were covered in frosting. You are the cupcake thief." he looks at me, visibly disappointed.

_"But ... I haven't left my flat yesterday.." I cry, upset I could tarnish my reputation this way. "I ate the soup you brought me, took the medicine as well and went to bed. I swear I didn't do anything wrong..."  I state, still sobbing. Disappointing Big is one of the last things I want to do...

_"Look Kid, I know you, I know you're not a thief nor a liar. There has to be an explication, and we will find it." he says, putting his clawy hand on my shoulder. "Oh and wipe your nose, I don't want any snot on my desk!" he adds, smiling snarkily. "Let's go on a walk, I think you need some fresh hair. Thanks Lenny for your work, you can go back in the lab work on whatever you have left to do."

Neovia 14:00

_"Okay, let's go to the pharmacy and see what the guy has to say. I don't feel like you're lying like I said, but how come every evidence found incriminates you..." he grumbles as we walk in the main street.

_"I don't know, I'm really lost here... I don't remember a thing, but I do recall not feeling hungry this morning and my hair being sticky when I woke up." I follow him, looking at my shoes, still feeling shameful.

_"We're here." he says as he pushes the door open.

_"Oh hey it's you !" points a young Zafara with his head full of blond and spiky hair. "How is it doing man ?

_"I'm not your man, kid.

_"Yeah, yeah, what can I do for ya ?

_"I want "ya" to tell me more about this medicine I got from you yesterday. Are there any side effects I should have been told about when you gave it to me ?" asks Big, pushing his finger into the zafara's coat.

_"It was groovy eh man ?!" he says, still pointing his fingers at us. "I think I'm gonna slap some sense into this idiot, if you know what I mean." whispers Big in my ear.

Oh, Oh...

_"Stop being such a moron Arnold !" yells a middle-aged Kacheek, hitting his head with a stack of paper. "Ugh, I swear to Fyora, you're really an idiot. Please excuse my employee sirs. What can I do for you ?

Big Skeith, after a glance at my pathetic face, decides to explain the situation to the Kacheek himself. She closes her eyes as she listens to him. _"Uh, Uh, I see. I do have an explanation for you, I believe. Did you wife happen to add some clawmatoes in her soup ?

_"Yes, it's one of her favourite things to put in there. Why ? Is there an issue with it ?

_"As stupid as it sounds, yes actually. I do not know the full details, but they contain some enzymes or something that react quite badly with the cold medicine your friend here took. They can induce sleepwalking tendencies and cravings when mixed together. Since the poor guy doesn't remember a thing, I believe that's what happen. What were the odds though ?

_"I see, thank you Ma'am ! Please keep slapping some sense into your apprentice.

_"I will good sir, have a nice day, sorry for the trouble !

Neovia 14:30

_"Wait for me here, I won't be long kid." says Big gently slapping my shoulder as he opens the door of the Crumpet Monger shop.

I'm leaning against the façade, still unsure about what's going to happen. Am I going to got to jail ? How are Mrs Crumpet and Mr Watson going to react ? They seem really nice to me and I really don't want them to hate me. As I'm wondering what's going to happen, I hear the bell and the door opens. It's Aaron.

_"Rough day, eh ?" he says as he leans against the shop next to me.

_"Yeah, pretty much. I assume you know everything." I whisper, still full of shame.

_"Yes, I do."

The sharp answer makes me shiver, but I didn't feel any anger in it. _"Look, as upset as I am, we know it's not your fault. Your boss said he was going to pay for the damaged door.

_"Really ? But what about the cupcakes, I mean, I ate all your stock...

_"You sure did!" he cries in laughter. "I can't believe you ate all that without feeling sick, you have some strong stomach kid !

_"Hey, don't call me kid, you're barely older than I am !" I manage to utter as I start to laugh with him.

_"Now that's better ! We have agreed on something with your boss. We're not gonna ruin a promising career, so hear me out. When you're not working your usual job, you'll come and work part time with us, that includes cleaning, deliveries, tasting my new recipes and other little things. That's how you're going to pay your debt to us. Does that sound fair to you ?" he grins.

_"You bet, thank you so much !" I say sobbing, finally relieved from the tension in my shoulders.

Neovia 21:30

I lay down my pen on my desk. I desperately needed to write a letter to mama to tell her everything. After that chat with Aaron, we came back inside the shop were Mrs Crumpet gave me a delicious crêpe to cheer me up. We ended up having a good laugh over this unlikely story and I'm going to start working part time with them tomorrow. I'm really eager to make it up to them. Once again, Big Skeith was there for me, and I can't thank him enough. He talked food with Mrs Crumpet during what felt like an eternity but it was a peaceful moment. As for Aaron, despite him being rightfully angry for his destroyed goods, he opened up to me and showed me how passionate he is about his job. I felt like we were the same on that point. I really wish I can become his friend because I really enjoyed his company. I better go to bed now, I have quite a doozy of a day tomorrow !

#neopets #neolodge #reginald acorn #writing #gelert

[janeykath318]

The Sulky Sailor

“There! You’re all ready to go rock that aisle and be the radiant bride that I knew you’d be!”

Having finished lacing up the back of the beautiful strapless wedding dress, you carefully circled the bride one last time to make sure every last inch was properly fitting. Carol Marcus looked absolutely stunning and you were quite relieved to see the alterations were completely successful and it fit just fine. Normally, you weren’t actually at a clients wedding, but Carol had specially asked you to be there to help get her into the dress, not wanting to risk damage to the delicate lace up fastening, which could be tricky for the inexperienced.

“Thank you so much, Y/N,” Carol said earnestly. “It’s a dream come true. I thought about this day this since I was a little girl and you’ve helped make me into a fairy tale princess.”

“That’s my goal!” You said cheerily. As the manager of Bea’s Bridal, you loved matching brides with that perfect gown and seeing the happy glow on their faces as they admired their reflection in the mirror. Carol was by far the most high profile client you’d ever had, being a renowned biologist as well as the daughter of an admiral.

You’d been stunned that she’d chosen your little shop to shop from, but Carol had confided she preferred the more personable and cozy atmosphere of Bea’s to the bigger upscale boutiques.

“You really have a wonderful selection given the size of the place,” she’d said. “I think I’ll find the perfect gown here.”

So, here you were, sitting in the back pew, tissue in hand to wipe away the tears as Carol made her triumphant entrance on the arm of Admiral Marcus. Peeking a look at the groom, you were pleased to see Captain Kirk’s famous blue eyes widen and visibly light up with joy at the sight of his bride. That was another reason you loved your job so much: hearing the stories of the groom’s reaction. You rarely got to see it in person like this and it was truly heartwarming.

The bridal party was rather large, consisting of seven bridesmaids and seven groomsman, all but one of whom were wearing dress uniforms like the groom. By process of elimination and scanning the program, you guessed the non-naval member was the Best Man, George Samuel Kirk, who was the groom’s brother. They were a fine looking group: the ladies clad in long seafoam green dresses and the gentleman looking sharp in their white uniforms. Was that another admiral among the groomsmen? A bit of squinting and program consulting confirmed it was: one Admiral Christopher Pike. Wow! Talk about friends in high places!

While James and Carol listened to the officiant’s exhortations, you found your eyes landing on the second groomsman from the center, a tall, square jawed man, who was stunningly handsome and broad shouldered, but wearing a very longsuffering expression, which darkened to a scowl occasionally.

What is his problem? You wondered. Way to wreck the aesthetic, dude! Such a shame. You’re hot, too.

You pondered over the grouchy hottie’s possible reasons for being a party pooper until the swish of satin skirts indicated that Carol was turning to face Jim for the vows. The light sparkled off the medals on his chest and the crystals on her gown and your hopeless romantic heart was in pure bliss as you watched them pledge their love to each other. A more stunning pair you didn’t think you’d ever see.

After the ceremony, you stuck around in order to congratulate the happy couple. Carol introduced you to Jim, who was very charming and friendly, and obviously smitten like crazy with her.

You were a little leery of the reception, given that you didn’t really know anyone, but decided a couple hours couldn’t hurt. After all, you didn’t have anywhere else to be. You did see some former clients among the guests and milled around chatting with them. The room was swarming with uniformed people and gloriously gowned ladies. It was a feast for the eyes, if nothing else.

You watched the bridal party introductions and noticed that every pair did something cute—except for the brown haired sulky man. He walked straight ahead with a determined expression while the woman on his arm smiled and waved to the crowd. He must be a total introvert, you decided. Probably hated big crowds.

In the excitement of the ceremonies and watching Kirk and Carol cut the glorious wedding cake, you didn’t notice someone coming up beside you until they spoke.

“So much fuss and bother. It’s ridiculous. By the time they finish paying it off, they’ll be celebrating their 20th anniversary, if they’re even still together.”

Shocked by this pessimistic statement, you turned and saw the Grumpy groomsman standing beside you, looking just as handsome and just as disgruntled as he had from afar. Your mouth went dry and you struggled to get words to come out. That frame….in that uniform….words weren’t enough to describe the splendor of it.

“Um, well, they’re both pretty important people, so a big wedding was kind of expected,” you ventured.

“Yeah. Jim likes to do things big, the egoist. It’s all a big racket. Who even has time to enjoy their special day with all the pomp and people to please?”

“I’d say the Captain and Mrs. Kirk are very much able to enjoy it,” you countered, smiling at the sight of the newlyweds feeding each other bites of cake.

“They’ll be totally exhausted after all this hullabaloo. I say, if you’re gonna jump into matrimony, just elope. Just think, you could buy a decent used car for the price of that fancy dress. It’s a big racket for people to make money off of.”

Now you were getting annoyed. He’d moved from sympathetic to downright jerk in the space of two minutes.

You put your hands on your hips and stared at him. He had murky hazel eyes and a mouth that was currently twisted in annoyance.

“No offense, Sailor, but you seem determined to spread your misery to everyone else! If you hate it that much why did you agree to be in the wedding?”

“I can never say no to Jim,” he sighed ruefully. “And the name’s Leonard McCoy, ma’am.”

“And I’m Y/N,” you told him. “You must be really close to Captain Kirk to put up with going through something you obviously dislike so much.”

He nodded.

“He’s my best friend. Couldn’t miss it, but That won’t stop me from ditching this place as soon as they’ve left.”

You heaved an exasperated sigh.

“Well, Leonard McCoy, since I don’t know hardly anyone here, I see it falls upon me to help you suffer through it. How can I help you lighten up a little so you don’t end up distressing the happy couple?”

He looked at you searchingly for a few minutes.

“Stick around and have a dance with me?” He suggested, a gleam appearing in his hazel eyes.

“Maybe,” you said coyly. “But you’re going to have to make it up to me for calling my passion a “racket.” I happen to run the shop where Carol and her bridesmaids bought their dresses. I assure you, she could not have bought a car with what she paid for that dress.”

Leonard flushed, realizing how his grumbling had sounded.

“Whoops. I made an ass out of myself again,” he said sheepishly. “When I get on a roll, my big mouth gets away from me. I may dislike weddings and romance, but that was wrong of me to talk bad about the whole industry. Forgive me?”

Your annoyance melted away at his genuine apology. The man may be cynical, but he did seem to recognize when he’d gone too far.

“Of course, but I’m curious, where did you get such a negative opinion on weddings?”

He looked off in the distance for a second.

“Let’s just say, personal experience. Mine was huge and elaborate and the marriage crashed and burned inside five years. My ex was what they call a bridezilla and it should have been a huge red flag, seeing her treat her friends and coordinators so horribly,  But no, I went through with it and lived to regret it.”

He took a sip of champagne as if to wash the bitter taste of the memory from his mouth.

“Oh, man. I’m sorry to hear that,” you sympathized. “I’ve dealt with difficult brides in the past, but that sounds really unpleasant. Much as I enjoy big weddings, they’re only supposed to be a celebration of the marriage, not put a strain on it.”

“Well, there was lots of stuff that ruined my marriage. I was so young and naive back then,” Leonard sighed. “She took everything I had in the divorce. Ended up joining the navy to get away from her reach.”

You winced. He really HAD had a bad time of it.

“So, what’s your specialty, Leonard?” You asked him.

“I’m a surgeon on the USS Enterprise,” he responded. Your eyes widened.

“Oh, wow. That’s Kirk’s ship isn’t it?”

“Yup. For better or worse.”

He proceeded to tell you all about shipboard life, his struggles with an irritatingly bold captain and extremely logical first officer, seasickness, and the first hand account of their defeat of the Narada. You were spellbound and when the dance floor was opened up to everybody, willingly took him up on his offer in order to keep up the conversation.

Leonard was a very good and quite funny narrator and the charming accent didn’t hurt. He danced like a dream as well and you were living in happy fantasyland while his strong arms were around you, steering you around the floor. Up close, his eyes were even more stunning and bored into yours intently, taking your breath away.

“So Tell me, Y/N, what got you into the business?” He asked.

“My great aunt Bea started the store forty years ago and when she saw I was also interested in bridal fashion, she took me under her wing, taught me a lot, and after I finished school, I started working there for her full time. She retired three years ago, and now I run the place. It’s so satisfying to see the look on a bride to be’s face when she finds The Dress. I live for those moments.”

His face softened.

“You’re doing what you love. I can respect that. You’ve certainly turned Carol into a downright belle.” You glanced over at the bride, who was currently held closely in her groom’s arms as they swayed together.

“That’s mostly happiness and her natural beauty, I think. But she did pick an extremely flattering style. I hope their happiness lasts for a lifetime.”

“Me too,” Leonard admitted. “Goodness knows they deserve it.”

The song ended and you looked up at the clock, shocked by how late it was.

“Uh-oh. Cinderella is about to turn into a pumpkin,” You said. “I should leave while I can still safely drive.”

“Not a night owl, are ya?” He teased.

“Nope. I can’t Last later than eleven unfortunately. Just the way I am. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you Leonard McCoy. You are really something else.”

You eyed him appreciatively and he smirked at you, a stunning amount of dimples appearing when he smiled. Your heart noticeably flip-flopped at the sight and you hated that you’d probably never see him again.

“Well thanks,” he said flirtatiously. “I must say, though, you’re pretty darn gorgeous yourself. Thanks for pulling me out of my sulk.”

“No problem. I didn’t want you to be sticking out like a sore thumb in their wedding photos.”

With a wink, you headed off to gather your things and say your goodbyes to Carol.

After Congratulations on your part and effusive thanks and a hug on hers, you waded through the sea of richly dressed people to sign the model of the Enterprise that stood there.

After you’d scrawled your name on the bow, you heard Leonard’s voice again.

“Hey, Y/N, Sorry If I’m being presumptive here, but I couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing you again.” He handed you a napkin upon which a phone number was written.

“You can pitch it if you want, but if you’d ever like to hang out sometime, I’ll be around for the next four months or so.”

He looked super nervous and unsure, which you thought was cute. Pulling a business card out of your purse, you scrawled your cell number on the back and handed it to him.

“I think I’d like that,” you smiled. “See you around, Leonard McCoy.”

Leonard stared after you, a gobsmacked expression on his face. He was venturing into long uncharted territory, but it was a risk he felt was worth taking. Jim would be proud.

@yourtropegirl

@taylorjacksonandtheolympians

@whatif-animagineblog

@star-trekkin-across-theuniverse

@mybullshitsensesaretingling

@outside-the-government

@medicatemedrmccoy

#leonard mccoy x reader #bones x reader #star trek imagine #Leonard McCoy imagine #reader insert #fluff fluff fluffety fluff #weddings #background jim x carol

[nebulous-frog]

A Day in the Life of a Fast Food Employee

Summary: Phil works at McDonald’s and just wants to go home when a huge family comes in and orders obnoxiously, but it’s okay because Uncle Dan is incredibly attractive.

(Based partly on my own experiences working in fast food) 

Word Count: 2660

Pairing: Phan

Genre: Fluff, some angst

Warnings: swears and an irrationally angry lady, very brief mention of existence of homophobic slurs, food mentions

Link to AO3 Fics Masterlist

Phil was counting down the hours until he finally got to leave work for the night. He had an eight hour shift from noon until eight and it was only three o’ clock but he was already so bored. People would come in to order their food in waves of about 20 people but, in the time between those waves, the dining room went very quiet and very still.

The door opening jolted Phil back into the Cashier Position, complete with incredibly fake smile and a less-than-hearty “Hi, welcome to McDonald’s! I can help you over here if you’re ready!”

“C’mon, everybody, go inside, that’s it, we don’t want to leave the doors open forever, come on now,“ said the man in the door as he shepherded at least four children into the restaurant. Phil was taken aback by how attractive he was; he was tall and had brown curly hair and he was wearing black skinny jeans that showed off his legs brilliantly. His dark flannel button-down accentuated his pale skin and the angles of his face.

"Uncle Dan Uncle Dan I want chicken nuggets!” one small voice called.

“I want a Happy Meal!” cried another.

“I want a shake!”

“Ok, guys, walk over to the counter! Janet, you can’t sit on the floor there, come on, we need to order food for you,” the man, probably Dan, shuffled his way up to the front with the kids.

Phil giggled a little at the haggard look on Dan’s face. “Hi, what would you guys like?”

Dan looked up from where he was holding one little girl’s hand and a little boy was sitting on his foot with his arms wrapped around his leg. “Um. Right. Okay, I’ll take a Number 2, large, and then whatever these guys are getting. Sorry, they’re a bit much,” he yelled over the excited chatter of the children dancing around him.

“It’s no problem,” Phil yelled back. It was most definitely a problem, however. Phil usually didn’t mind kids, but he could hardly hear what the man was ordering and their voices were so grating and shrill that he found himself irritated already.

“Right, Janet, what do you want?”

“A Big Mac!”

“Try something else, there is no way you can eat that much burger. How about a Happy Meal?”

“A Big Mac!”

Dan sighed. “She’ll have a hamburger Happy Meal with the fries and a chocolate milk.”

“But I wanted a Big Mac, Uncle Dan!”

“You’re getting a Happy Meal, Janet.”

The little girl holding his hand pouted.

“Marcus, which Happy Meal do you want?”

“I GOT KETCHUP!” A small hand shot up from somewhere behind the counter, holding a small cup of ketchup.

In any other circumstances, Phil would have laughed. As it was, however, he was starting to get quite irritated. The kids were extremely loud and now more people were starting to come in, causing a long line to form as the indecisive group continued to bicker.

“You can’t have a shake, Marcus, your mother told me not to give you anything inherently sugary.”

“What does incoherently mean?” Marcus asked.

“Not incoherently, inherently. And it means that you need to pick a drink or I will pick one for you.”

“Juice box!”

Dan looked up at Phil again. “He’ll have the nuggets Happy Meal with the fries and a juice box.”

Phil had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes and telling the man, yes, the fries come with the Happy Meal and you have to actually ask for the apple slices. “Alright. Do you want toys for all of these Happy Meals?”

“TOYS! TOYS! TOYS!” the kids yelled.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” said Phil, sighing internally but maintaining his Cheery Cashier facade.

“Can you make them all the same toy? Then they can’t fight over them,” Dan pleaded.

Phil softened at the look in Dan’s eyes. He looked truly worn down and desperate. “Yeah, sure. What else would you like?”

Dan looked around him. “Who hasn’t ordered yet? June?”

The girl quietly hiding behind Dan’s leg stepped forward a bit and said something very quietly that was quickly covered up by someone yelling “LOOK AT THE DRINKS MACHINE!”

Dan’s head snapped up. “No! Marcus, do not touch! Get back over here!”

Marcus, looking very guilty, walked back to the group.

“June, you have to speak louder, honey, I can’t hear you,” Dan said.

June mumbled again, causing Dan to bend over to be able to hear her repeat herself again. This gave Phil an excellent view of Dan’s butt, which Phil had to say made up for a lot of the horrors that were happening around him now.

Dan straightened himself again and told Phil, “She’ll have a nugget Happy Meal with apple slices and a chocolate milk.”

June tugged on Dan’s sleeve, so he leaned over to her again. “She also wants a cup for water.”

“Okay, anything else?” Phil asked.

“Uncle Daaaan I haven’t ordered yet!” said the little girl that had gotten the ketchup earlier.

“Oh, right. Sorry, Mary, which Happy Meal do you want?”

“I don’t wanna get a Happy Meal, I want the McRib sandwich!”

“Mary, I don’t think they have that right now. Besides, that is way too much food for you.”

“But Uncle Daaaaaaaaaaan I want iiiiiiiit,” Mary cried. Phil tried not to bash his head into the register.

“Mary, you can’t have it. See, let me ask this nice man if they have McRib sandwiches.” Dan turned to him, giving him a look that clearly begged Phil to say, No, we don’t have those, whether they actually had them or not.

Luckily for Phil, he didn’t have to lie. “Sorry, we don’t have those right now.”

“When will they be back?” demanded Mary.

“I don’t know, sorry. Probably next year some time?” Phil said. He really had no idea; he wasn’t told anything about it until it was back and he had to try to sell it. He hated when people asked him things like that. Why would he know? Sure he works there, but he’s literally never told anything.

“So, Mary, which Happy Meal would you like?” Dan asked again.

Mary mumbled something, scuffing her foot against the floor. Dan sighed and leaned down.

“What was that? That was too mumbly-bumbly for me to understand you.”

She said it again, a bit clearer this time, and Dan stood up and relayed the information to Phil: hamburger Happy Meal, fries, and a juice box.

“Alright, will that be all?” Phil asked. Please, dear god, let that be all.

“I WANT A SHAKE!” yelled Marcus.

Dan rolled his eyes. “Yes, thank you. That’ll be all.”

“Okay, is that for here or to go?”

“Sorry to bug you more, but it’ll be for here,” Dan cringed a little as he said it.

Phil smiled a bit more genuinely at that; it was sweet of him to acknowledge that his party was a bit unruly. “That’s alright, it’ll actually be a bit easier as we won’t have to pack it all and figure out how you’ll carry all your food out. Can I have a name for the order?”

“Dan,” he replied. Phil had expected that, of course, but he had to ask or he’d get in trouble. It was nice to have the name confirmed, anyway.

Dan paid for the food and Phil told him it would be out momentarily. The staff in the kitchen had actually already compiled most of the meals and Phil just had to gather it all and throw it (gently, of course, we can’t upset customers) into the Happy Meal boxes with toys and put it onto the tray.

Once the order was mostly taken care of and his coworkers said they would handle the rest, Phil moved on through the line that had formed, luckily with much less issues, until almost the very last person in line walked up.

“Can’t you get those kids to shut the hell up?” she said, none too quietly.

“I-I’m sorry, there’s not much I can do. If you talk to the family yourself, I’m sure they’ll be willing to quiet down a bit,” Phil replied as diplomatically as possible.

“This is YOUR restaurant, it’s YOUR job to fix it. Get them to stop.”

“Okay, ma'am, I will try. May I take your order first, though, so your food will be prepared as I talk to them?”

“No, deal with the problem now!” she yelled.

“Ma'am, there are other people in line right now. I can’t go talk to them until I’ve made sure the next customers will also be served in a-”

“I don’t give a damn! Fix the fucking problem now or I’ll take my business elsewhere! Where’s your manager?!” the woman screamed.

Everyone in the restaurant stared. One of the kids with Dan started bawling her eyes out as Dan tried frantically to tell the others that they really aren’t allowed to say those words, they’re very rude and your mother would kill me if she thought you picked them up from me, don’t say them ever.

Phil was shocked and couldn’t move. He had never had someone swear or scream at him at work before and it was extremely disconcerting.

“Well?! I asked you a question! I want to see your manager right fucking now!” she bellowed.

Phil’s mouth moved but no words would come out. Luckily, the kitchen was small enough that some of his coworkers ran to grab their manager, who walked out to the front quickly.

“What seems to be the problem here, ma'am?” Phil’s manager, James, asked with his standard Manager Smile (how he made it look genuine, Phil would never know).

“The problem is that this employee is refusing to do what I ask him to do and those damn kids won’t shut the hell up!” she hollered again.

James knew Phil and knew he wouldn’t refuse to do anything that was reasonable of him to do or within his job description. He took one glance over at Phil and saw him white-as-a-sheet pale and clearly very uncomfortable. “Ma'am, is there something we can get for you?”

“Yes, get those damn kids to shut up! Tell that wimp of a father to grow a pair and man up, show them what’s what and take control of his damn family like a man!”

Phil glanced over at Dan to see him shrinking further into the seat as he tried to calm down the bawling girl and get the rest of the kids to quiet down.

“Ma'am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re upsetting the other customers and holding up my line. Please leave.”

After a bit more yelling and a few empty threats, the woman finally left.

James turned to Phil, asking, “Are you okay? You should go on break now. I’ll deal with your register and customers. Go get yourself some fries or something and sit somewhere for a bit, I’ll take care of it.”

Phil nodded numbly, making his way to the back to grab his phone, a large fry, and a drink, before going out to the dining room, where the kids were still very loud and the customers that had been in line stared at him or sent him pitying glances. Phil kept to himself as best he could.

After a few minutes, some of the shock wore off, the adrenaline leaving his body. He was exhausted, but he still had five hours of work left and he had such a pounding headache, amplified by the screaming- wait. The kids weren’t yelling anymore.

Phil looked up quickly, hoping that he would still see Dan since he was pretty and intriguing and good with kids. What he found, however, surprised him so much he nearly fell backwards out of his chair.

Right in front of him was the whole family again, from Dan to Janet, Marcus, Mary, and June, all of them very quiet.

“Um, hi?” Phil squeaked.

Dan smiled a bit at that, then said, “Okay, guys, what do we say?”

“Thank youuuuu,” the kids intoned.

“And?”

“We’re sorry for being so loud,” they added.

“And?”

“Have a nice day!” they finished proudly.

Phil was incredibly touched. He really did like kids, after all, he just was having a rough day. “Oh, thanks guys! I hope you have a nice day, too!” Phil grinned at them; they were pretty cute, now that they weren’t all yelling.

“Okay, now go get your jackets,” Dan told them. They immediately got louder again, but Phil couldn’t bring himself to care. He was too busy wondering why this unbelievably attractive man was still talking to him.

“Um, thanks for that, it was really cute,” Phil said.

Dan smiled (oh my god he has a dimple, thought Phil) and nodded. “It was the least I could do. I really am sorry they were so obnoxious earlier, and I’m very sorry that we got you in trouble with that lady. That was really horrible. If there’s anything else I can do to make it up to you, please let me know.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. You don’t have to do anything for me. I got to go on break while customers were still in line, it’s great. What about you? Are you okay after all those horrible things she said?”

Dan blushed and hung his head a bit. “Oh, yeah. I’m okay. I mean, I’m not their dad, I’m just their uncle, so the fatherhood comments didn’t really bug me, and, I mean, I don’t need to be secure in my masculinity like others. I’m just glad she didn’t find out I’m gay, cuz that would’ve made it way worse.” Dan looked up at Phil a bit through his fringe on that comment, clearly not-so-subtly trying to gauge the odds of Phil being interested in him.

“Oh, yeah, that would’ve been horrible. I would have had to take the whole rest of the day off for that, I really can’t stand homophobic slurs. It just gets too personal.”

Dan nodded with a slightly bigger smile than before. “I- well, I’m sorry if I’ve read the situation wrong, but- well, could I get your number? It’s just, I mean, you’re really cute and very nice and I thought I’d regret it if I didn’t ask. I mean- don’t feel like you have to, just please don’t give me some fake number. Just tell me flat-out if you don’t want to give it to me, it makes everything easier later. Oh, this was a bad idea, I’m sorry, I’m so awkwa-”

Phil’s giggles cut him off. “No, no, you were right. Gimme your phone so I can put in my number.”

Dan looked relieved, blushed, and handed over his phone. Phil put his number in and saved his contact name with the fries emoji, then sent himself a text from Dan’s phone.

“I’m glad you asked me for my number, I don’t think I would’ve had the guts to ask for yours,” Phil joked shyly, making Dan blush even harder.

Before Dan could reply, a small voice interrupted them.

“Uncle Dan, we’re ready to go now! Stop talking already!”

Dan rolled his eyes. “They get really antsy when adults start talking. Their mother insists on chatting forever with her friends, so they always try to annoy her into leaving but, apparently, they do that with everyone. I better go now before it gets worse.”

Phil giggled a bit, then said, "Yeah, you probably should. I’ll see you around.”

Dan gave another shy smile. “Yeah, I’ll text you.” He waved, then turned and corralled the kids out the door.

When Phil got off work a few hours later, he would find a text from Dan.

I know you said I don’t have to, but could I make it up to you with a date?

And, of course, Phil would agree.

#phan #phandom #getting together #mcdonalds #food mention #fluff #au

[kimjauhiainen]

“Tremors” – welcome to perfection

(originally published on Talkbacker.com on April 8, 2014)

You only need to catch a glimpse of the “Jaws”-parodying poster for “Tremors”, and you’ll know exactly what to expect. These filmmakers aren’t about to throw blood and guts or dark stuff at ya. This is strictly tongue-in-cheek; there ARE underground monsters, they eat people, there will be deaths, but there will also be hilarious dialogue, great characterizations, gorgeous desert vistas, and some high-quality filmmaking and practical effects-work here.

Someone should deserve a special award for casting Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward as the main protagonists in this film. As we are introduced to Valentine “Val” McKee (Bacon) and Earl Basset (Ward), the instant and natural chemistry between these two is palpable. It’s a match made in movie heaven. Val and Earl wake up in the desert, in true cowboy-style, one sleeping in the back of their pickup truck, the other sleeping under it. The cowboy analogy actually reminds me of another great pairing, Butch and Sundance. That’s probably the closest comparison of the character dynamics that’s going on between Val & Earl.

Val is the younger one, a dreamer, a womanizer (with a very special list of qualities he expects from a woman: “You will have long blonde hair, big green eyes, world class breasts, ass that won’t quit and legs that go all the way up.”) and the more restless soul. Earl is the older, wiser, laconic, practical man. But the unifying quality of both Val and Earl is, they are not the all-knowing, all-powerful movie heroes. They are actually both kinda…dummies. In a good way. In an entertaining way. I don’t know how much Bacon and Ward hung out or rehearsed before the shooting of this film, but they are clearly having a blast with their characters. Most of the stuff they do has a spontaneous, improvisational feel to it. I would certainly like to see them work together again sometime.

Earl Bassett: “Is this a job for an intelligent man?” Valentine McKee: “Well, show me one and I’ll ask him.”

Val and Earl are the for-hire “handymen” in the Town of Perfection (population 14), located in a vast Nevada valley surrounded by mountains from all directions. As the town’s survivalist nut Burt Gummer (more about HIM later) states: “that’s why we chose this place. Total isolation.” Besides Val and Earl, the township consists of: storeowner Walter Chang (the great Victor Wong), pottery maker Nancy (Charlotte Stewart) and her daughter Mindy (“Jurassic Park”‘s Ariana Richards), Melvin (Robert Jayne), Dr.Wallace and his wife (Conrad Bachmann and Carol Marcus – I mean, Bibi Besch), Miguel (Tony Genaro), Nestor (Richard Marcus), Old Fred (Michael Dan Wagner), Edgar Deems (Sunshine Parker) aaaand of course, the aforementioned Burt Gummer and his wife Heather (Michael Gross and Reba McEntire). Also in town is a graduate student of seismology, Rhonda LeBeck (Finn Carter), who is the EXACT opposite of everything in Val’s list, but it’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen there, isn’t it?

Earl Bassett: “We gotta run. We’ve got a schedule to keep.” Valentine McKee: “Yeah. See, we plan ahead, that way we don’t do anything right now. Earl explained it to me.”

But as the story begins, the number of characters begin to decrease. In fact, one of them is already gone at the point where the movie begins. As Val and Earl finally have had enough of this shit (literally, as emptying a septic tank blows in their faces), they come across Edgar Deems, sitting on top of an electrical tower. Edgar, who apparently was a town drunk, has actually died from dehydration. As the doctor diagnoses, he’s been sitting up on the tower, probably for days. Here’s the first sign, that something’s rotten in Perfection. Well, UNDER it, to be more precise.

Now, the director, Ron Underwood, does even more emulating from “Jaws” that just the poster. The underground creatures appear mostly off-camera for the longest time, much like the shark. The following attacks on people, Old Fred and the doctor and wife, are filmed very efficiently, adding mystery to the monsters while also showing their viciousness and extreme strength, as the doctors wife is sucked inside the ground while hiding inside a Ford station wagon! These creatures mean business. Also, two road-construction workers who are working on the only road in and out of town, get quickly dispatched and the resulting rock slide cuts Perfection completely off from the outside world. The scene includes a brilliant physical jackhammer gag, that’s like something right out from a Warner Brothers cartoon. And in this latest viewing I noticed, that there are a LOT of cartoon gags in the film.

Underwood is clearly using a Tex Avery-playbook in the way he shoots action, and it adds an extra level of fun to the overall tone of the film. Especially the demises (spoiler there) of each of the creatures are a carefully balanced mix of cartoon and grossness. From a creature coming in contact with concrete at full speed with a big “boink”-sound effect into the last one taking a Wile E. Coyote-swan dive off a cliff. And in the end of the second act, a creature entering “the wrong goddamn rec room” – Gummers’ basement – and getting drilled with more bullets than in your average John Woo film.

The Gummers. Ahh yes, the Gummers. Let’s talk about them for a bit.

Earl Bassett: What kind of fuse is that? Burt Gummer: Cannon fuse Earl Bassett: What the hell do you use it for? Burt Gummer: My cannon!

Until “Tremors”, Michael Gross was basically known as the liberal, ex-hippie father Steven Keaton in “Family Ties”. One day after filming the last episode of that show, Gross began filming “Tremors”. Now talk about switching gears; Burt Gummer is a polar opposite of Steven Keaton. He’s a paranoid survivalist, definitely right wing, a gun nut with a capital “N”. The Gummer home is basically a bunker, set up for end-of-the-world conditions. Or as Burt states after the monster attack: “Food for five years, a thousand gallons of gas, air filtration, water filtration, Geiger counter. Bomb shelter…” That tells all about good old Burt’s world views. As does the license plate of his car: UZI 4U.

His wife Heather is played by country singer Reba McEntire in her first film performance. She does a damn good job too. Heather is likable, but also just as tough-as-nails as Burt and can certainly handle guns as well.

The creatures – Graboids, as they have been known since, in sequels and TV-series alike – are designed by Tom Woodruff and Alec Gillis’ company Amalgamated Dynamics and they are some of the best and most realistic creature work that’s been ever put on screen. Basically pre-historic worms – although the characters are trying to make up all kinds of explanations for them, from being aliens to government-built monsters to be used against invading forces. AD has worked on the “Alien”-franchise since “Aliens”, and one can see that the “double-mouth”(biting tentacle tongues shooting out from a larger mouth) has evolved from the star-beast’s similar one. These creatures are strong, fast (moving like armored freight trains underground) and smart. That is always a welcome thing in monster films. Graboids are constantly adapting, and the means that the heroes use to avoid them, don’t necessarily work for a second time. Of course they have a weakness, this time it being loud noises, as they basically sense everything by vibrations. Smart, almost “National Geographic”-approach. Nothing hokey or supernatural. Just the way I like it.

Earl Bassett: “Hey Rhonda – you ever seen anything like this before?” Valentine McKee: “Oh sure, Earl. Everyone knows about them – we just didn’t tell you.”

Pretty soon the remaining residents of the town are forced into exile, trying to escape into the mountains while pursued by the hungry beasts, the final confrontation happening on the edge of a tall canyon. “Tremors” was shot – with the exception of two sets – on location. Outside in Lone Pine, California. And you can basically SMELL the desert, and the heat,  in every frame of the movie. The setting, as well as the look of the town, evokes memories of the great westerns. In fact – the third sequel for the movie IS a western, going back in time to the golden years of Perfection.

Too bad the sequels are of diminishing quality, adding unnecessary sci-fi elements (such as FLYING Graboids, WTF?) and poorer quality effects. The unifying element in the sequels (as well as the quickly cancelled after 13 episodes TV-show) is Michael Gross’ Burt. But to be absolutely frank, Burt Gummer is not a leading man. He works best in small doses. The driving force in this film is the tag team of Val & Earl, arguing, bickering, rock-paper-scissoring through near-death scenarios and finally coming up as winners (spoiler).

I’m sensing a pattern in my reviews (besides all so far being from 1990); “Tremors” was only a modest hit at the box office, but it went on to become a huge hit on home video and subsequent media. But as I go through my lists of great films, such seems to be the case with almost all of them. “Tremors” is funny, well-paced, beautifully shot thrill ride, with wonderful characters and rich, quotable dialogue. If that is not the sign of a cult classic, I don’t know what is. Ron Underwood proceeded to direct films like “City Slickers” (keeping up with the western tone from this film), “Heart and Souls”, “Speechless” and finally “Pluto Nash”, which basically killed his mainstream career, reducing him into mostly a TV-director.

Too bad – perhaps another low budget monster movie is what he should try again…?

#movie review #tremors

[aodagr8]

NFL 2018 Rookie Draft

every year I do a post on my tumblr for the NFL draft -- the post usually covers players I happen to be familiar with and who I like in the draft to potentially be a good player in the pros. imo, this draft is pretty crazy with talent and a lot of players happen to be young as well -- there’s a linebacker who is 19! what is going to make this draft even more crazy is the quarterbacks. teams happen to go after them often in the first 2 rounds but it’s looking like at least 5 can go in the top 10 -- which makes very good talent possibly falling out the top 5. that said, i’ll go position-by-position with some opinions and tidbits:

quarterback- the top 5 quarterbacks I was referring to above are Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield, and Lamar Jackson -- I am very, very high on Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen! I think both guys have the potential to be very elite in the pros -- they both covet a crazy high confident self-esteem, where their intangibles, imo, set them apart from the pack. And I think intangibles matter a lot when it comes to the QB position. you can’t teach someone how to be a leader... i think that ish comes naturally.. and the way these 2 guys carry themselves, itll be easy for them to lead a group of men to be a good offense when you combine that off the field ish (work ethic and responsibility) with their talent... their talent, Mayfield was the best QB in the red zone, on 3rd downs, and under pressure. to me those are the 3 things i look at when i try to see if a QB has “it”.. Tom Brady is a beast all those 3 things.. Russell Wilson ranked high in those 3 categories when he was a rookie and it carried over rest of his career. Look into Mayfield’s story further, this guy loves football and more than anything else, it seems like he loves to prove people wrong, loves the competition, and loves to win.. Rosen reminds me of Rodgers off the field where he is way too smart and he’s going to be able to pick up a playbook and adapt to the game and adjust where he is a top QB on the next level like he’s been his entire life -- I haven’t watched Sam Darnold but he’s supposed to be the best QB out USC where Carson Palmer imo was a beast -- Josh Allen has the best arm out the bunch but he is horrible under pressure and it will hurt him and his career early if he gets thrown to the wolves after being selected by a team that may not have their O Line established -- Lamar Jackson is the wild joker, the running Qbs have short careers in the NFL but! i think he is more than just a running QB, I read somewhere Patriots like him and if they get him, he can learn a great deal from Bellicheck and Brady and I can see him being successful in the Pros

runningbacks- aw man Saquon Barkley! I can be biased because ever since Allen Robinson, I’ve lowkey liked players out of Penn St more than not, but I’ve said it for the past 2 years that I would draft Barkley number 1 overall if I had the pick, he’s 1 of those players that don’t come around often, you know a Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson, Marcus Allen? Barkley is seriously a can’t miss prospect,he will instantly make it easier for offenses to build after you input him in the HB slot, Giants would be smart to go him 2nd overall if they don’t take one of these Qbs, it’s been awhile since they’ve had a bad ass RB and pairing him with Odell would be crazy -- Sony Michel, i watched dude play towards the end of season since Georgia had their run and all, and every time Georgia needed a big play they gave it to Michel and he produced, he came up with big 3rd down conversions and TDs.. read a report where he has a bone on bone issue on one of his knees that will shorten his career so he can fall in the draft but Michel is an instant starter when selected -- Derrius Guice took some time and carries away from Leonard Fournett when they were both at LSU together, if that don’t say much! Penny outta San Diego ST. was rated high in RB categories by PFF so I’d keep an eye on him 

wide receivers- i didnt watch a lot of college football like i normally do and neither the senior bowl like i always do but i do know WR DJ Moore would be the 1st WR i’d select, he’s a late bloomer in college but soon as he got it, it dont look like he looking back, he’s just gonna keep getting better and better and that’s obviously from hard work behind the scenes, he has strong hands and makes spectacular catches in traffic and is good at turning up field quick and is hard to bring down with his foot work -- I came across WR St. Brown outta Notre Dame for his funky name but dude is a big wide receiver who surprisingly can route run good and has good hands, he’s definitely a sleeper prospect that I think will be a lot better than his college numbers show -- I also like Christian Kirk (Texas A&M) who is being overlooked probably because his height, no pun intended, but he can contribute in slot and special teams right away imo, Dasean Hamilton (Penn St) might be biased again but Hamilton looked good like how Robinson and Godwin before him, Dante Pettis (Washington St.) I really like this guy as a #2 or slot in pros, he contributed tremendously as the #2 when John Ross was the #1 at Washington ST, he’s a good route runner and super elusive, fluid, and fast

others- Quentin Nelson offensive Guard outta Notre Dame is a beast and will immediately be good in the pros with his nasty and bully play -- Maurice Hurst DT outta Michigan is falling because his health conditions but he’s following the short stout interior lineman trend set by Aaron Donald and he’s a beast in the pass rush game which is huge since a  lot of teams pass these days -- for pass rushers ill keep an eye on Bradley Chubb (who reminds me of Mack), Marcus Davenport and Arden Key -- Linebackers i obviously like Roquon Smith a lot who i seen run side to side with ease and has very good coverage for a linebacker where like i said earlier the nfl passes a lot more now, he is drawing comparisons to Ray Lewis which is crazy -- I’m intrigued by Tremaine Edmunds outta Virginia Tech, he’s only 19!! he’s super tall for an inside linebacker but plays with a lot of range and speed -- defensive backs I really like Fitzpatrick outta Bama and Josh Jackson outta Iowa, I also like Derwin James outta Florida St