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optimistic-violinist · 5 years

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Guys, we’re getting the band together!

Wow! Another fanfic! This time inspired by the lovely @not-so-innocent-bi-sander ‘s CALM band au, which you can find here.

summary: how Roman manages to get them all together in one place and pitch his idea.

word count: 2500 ish

Enjoy!!

“Mr. Brooks? A messenger dropped this off for you this morning.”

Logan looked up from his phone as he walked into his office and nodded gratefully at his secretary, taking the letter from him.

“Thank you Dominic. If you need me, I’ll be going over the latest mix in my office until my meeting at eleven.”

Logan Brooks: music producer, DJ, remixer, and EDM composer extraordinaire. Logan sat down at his desk, taking a moment to look out over the skyline, before turning his attention to the letter he had been handed.

To: Mr. Logan Brooks was scrawled on the front of the heavy, cream colored envelope. It was sealed with a bright red, wax seal that made Logan quirk his eyebrow. That was a bit extravagant. He grabbed the letter opener he kept in his desk and deftly opened it.

Dear Mr. Logan Brooks,

You are cordially invited to a business dinner at my home this Friday evening at 7. I am a big fan of your work and would love to discuss a collaboration with you if at all possible. Do you have any allergies I should know of? Please let me know in your RSVP.

Highest regards,

Mr. Roman Lyons

Now that was a surprise. Roman Lyons was a well-known actor, having won several awards over the past year alone. What on earth could he want with Logan’s line of work?

But still, the invite was intriguing. He figured there would be no harm in seeing what this collaboration was all about. After all, if worse came to worse he could always decline. Rising from his seat, he returned to the front desk.

“Dominic. Send an RSVP to Mr. Lyons through the same messenger service. Tell him I’ll be there.”

Patton Campbell was probably the most down to earth celebrity anyone had ever met. Granted, he was still up and coming, but he was talented and his fan base was growing fast. Even with the added attention recently, he still loved to go out and mingle with the crowd after a show, signing autographs, taking photos, or just thanking them for coming.

He was enjoying the buzz from the crowd as they slowly trickled out of the lobby and back into the parking lot, ready to go home after the concert. He was still smiling as someone came up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Patton Campbell, correct?”

He turned to face the newcomer and his jaw nearly dropped.

“Yeah, yeah! That’s me! And you’re-“

The man laughed. “Roman Lyons. That was a sweet concert you just put on my friend.”

“Oh wow, I mean, thank you! I- I really enjoy what I do, so it’s always a pleasure.”

“I’m glad. It’s important to be passionate about one’s career. Say, what are you doing this Friday evening?”

“Oh, I- um, I don’t think I have anything. I’d have to double check of course, but, why?”

“I’m having a dinner at my home with a couple other artists. I have an idea for a collaboration and was wondering if you would be interested in joining us.”

Patton didn’t know what to say. “I- yes! Oh my gosh, I would love to! I’ll be there!”

“Excellent! I look forward to it. I’ll have my agent contact yours with all the information. See you then!”

Patton stood in blissful shock as he watched one of his favorite actors ever walk away after, not only, congratulating him on his show, but giving him a personal dinner invitation.

He needed to sit down.

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Virgil was finally happy to have a moment to relax. He had been working non-stop on his latest album and had just sent the final cut to his producer to make sure it was good to go. With a groan, he flopped back onto his bean bag chair that he kept at the studio for that express purpose. Being a solo artist was a lot of work, that was for sure. He had convinced his assistant editor to take the night off and had finished up the album himself. The punk rock guitarist had just needed some time alone.

He was dozing off, enjoying the quiet, considering playing a game on his phone when there was a quiet knock at the door and the click of it opening. Virgil’s eyes snapped open and settled into a glare when he saw who it was.

“I already told you I’m not interested,” he said loudly, relaxing back into the bean bag.

“You haven’t even heard my idea yet!” Roman replied closing the door behind him.

“Well it’s your idea so, the answer is still no.” The actor heaved a deep breath, trying to keep his cool, and Virgil smirked, pleased to get a rise out of the man.

“I know you like to work alone,” Roman finally said, voice a lot softer than expected. “But I can’t help but think that that must get… lonely sometimes. This Friday evening at 7, Patton Campbell and Logan Brooks will be coming to my place for dinner. You’re invited. And if after that you decide you still don’t want a part in it, I won’t bother you further.” He held up a business card and set it on the desk where the sound mixer sat. “I hope you’ll come.” And he left.

Well- heck.

Now he kind of wanted to go.

He and Logan and interacted a bit in the past and he had never met Patton, but the guy seemed nice enough (not that he wasn’t totally convinced it wasn’t just a front). And just the four of them wouldn’t be too awkward.

Or it could be the most awkward thing of his life.

Virgil groaned, pressing his hands into his eyes, fighting against the new emotions. He had tried working with others one time and that had led to him going to ongoing therapy for the last five years and a scandal of considerable size that had taken months to work through. So no, he was not eager to try it again.

But Roman had seemed to cut right to the heart of the issue. If he really admitted it to himself, he was lonely. He didn’t do friends anymore; he couldn’t, not after last time.

He finally stood up and stalked over to the card Roman had left. It was a business card with the actor’s address and (personal?) phone number scribbled on the back. Virgil hated this- this… speck of hope.

He shoved it in his back pocket and grabbed his jacket, flipping the lights off on his way out. Maybe this time could be different.

He doubted it though.

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Roman peeked out the door and into the entryway. Everything was set up and ready to go. Two out of the three of his guests had arrived and were making small talk near the door, but he had to admit, he was quite disappointed that their resident punk rocker had failed to show. Ah well. He poised himself, ready to swoosh open the doors and welcome his guests, when his phone buzzed. Odd. Roman pulled it out to see a text from an unknown number.

Running late. Be there in ten. [skull emoji]

Roman smiled. This was going to be an excellent evening.

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“Friends! Welcome to my home! Thank you so much for coming.”

Logan and Patton looked up from their conversation, Patton smiling warmly, dressed in a light blue flannel shirt, and Logan, wearing a black button up shirt, merely looking intrigued.

“Glad to be here,” Logan replied, adjusting his glasses. “Are we expecting anyone else this evening?”

“Our third guest will be arriving shortly, he’s running a bit late I’m afraid. While we wait, let’s move to the dining room.”

Roman’s house was indeed quite ostentatious. Dark wood, white marble floors, with red upholstery and gold detailing really made the place seem quite lavish. And of course there was the fact that it was, well, huge.

“Your house is amazing, Mr. Lyons!” Patton exclaimed as they made their way down the hall.

“Please, call me Roman. And thank you, I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. “ His phone buzzed. “Excuse me. Please, take a seat. Our third guest just arrived.”

Patton watched Roman go, then turned back to Logan excitedly, taking the seat across from him. “Who do you think it’s going to be?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea. While you and I may be in the music industry, there is no connection between the three of us. I expect we’re in for a surprise.”

No sooner had he spoken than Roman returned toting a leather jacket clad Virgil Grimm in tow.

“Oh. My. Goodness,” Patton breathed. No one could probably tell based off Patton’s look alone, but Virgil Grimm was one of Patton’s favorite artists. His lyrics were absolute masterpieces.

“Sup,” Virgil greeted. Roman gestured for him to take a seat and he chose the spot next to Patton, almost sending the country singer into a heart attack.

“Hi! I’m Patton!” he greeted, unable to contain himself any longer and extended his hand, which Virgil awkwardly shook.

“Virgil.”

“Big fan of your work. Actually, big fan of all your work. You guys are amazing!” He stopped, realizing he had started to gush, and hoping he wouldn’t be kicked out or anything. Roman smiled.

“I have to agree with Patton. You guys are amazing. But, there’s plenty of time to talk business later. First, food!”

A couple servers came in, each carrying two plates, placing one in front of each artist. They were met with a quiet chorus of thank you’s as they ducked back out.

“Geez Roman, you pulled out all the stops, didn’t you?” Virgil asks, admiring his steak, baked potato, and bowl of fresh fruit.

“It does look quite good,” Logan agreed, placing his napkin on his lap before digging in.

Patton and Roman were the ones that kept the conversation going throughout dinner. They jumped from Roman’s most recent projects to how Logan got into the music industry in the first place to asking after the inspiration for the lyrics of Virgil’s various songs. It was a little awkward, but not for long. Virgil hated to say it, but he was enjoying himself.

“How about we take dessert in the lounge?” Roman suggested. The others followed him, Virgil and Logan quietly discussing the pros and cons of various sound editing techniques, and ended up in a comfy lounge. Bookshelves lined the walls, a couple couches were centered around a coffee table in front of a fireplace with a TV mounted above it on one side of the room, while a grand piano took up the other half of it. A small display of sweets was set up on the coffee table and they moved to sit on the couches.

“Now-“ Roman began only to be cut off by Virgil.

“So help me, if you say, “now you’re probably wondering why I’ve brought you all here today.””

“Psh, ah, I was not going to say that.” A pause. “But since you brought it up, you’re probably wondering why I’ve brought you all here today.”

“Yes, that would be accurate.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.”

“Very well then. I told all of you I was interested in a collaboration and that’s true, however what I didn’t tell you was that it would be a collaboration between the four of us.” They looked amongst themselves all thinking the same thing: they were all so different. What could they possibly do together?

“I want to form a band.”

All three seemed to react at once. Patton with a laugh and a surprised smile, Logan with a frank, “Absurd,” and Virgil with a growl as he seemed to sink in on himself.

“Now hear me out-” Roman began.

“Not to be rude,” Logan interrupted. “But the thought is preposterous. We all come from different genres of music and you,” he said, waving his hand, “don’t even have a presence in the music world.

“Come on now Logan,” Patton said. “We have more in common than you think. Music…”

They waited, but he didn’t continue.

“Oh he’s done. As I was saying-”

“I am Moana!”

They were all left in stunned silence as Roman belted out the random Disney line. It was surprisingly good.

“Have you ever felt like nobody was there?”

“Dear Evan Hansen?” Patton whispered to Virgil.

“I want adventure in the great wide somewhere! I want it more than I can tell!” he sung, standing up and moving to the more open part of the room.

“Beauty and the Beast,” Virgil muttered.

“You sound really good Roman,” Patton said.

“Yes,” Logan mused. “He’s not wrong.”

“Oh, ah, thank you,” Roman said, clearing his throat. “Come on, don’t you see! We could make this work! I’ve always wanted to sing, but the right role never came up. So, I thought, why not take matters into my own hands? And you three! You’re all brilliant! With me as vocals, Virgil on guitar, Patton on bass, and Logan on synthesizer, how could we not be huge?”

“So is that what this is about?” Virgil said. “Being huge? In case you haven’t noticed Princey we’re all kind of famous.”

“Which is why…” Roman drawled. “We keep our identities a secret.”

He was met with confused silence, maybe a cricket chirp.

“What-”

“Think about it. Combined, we have the resources to keep this completely internal. To write, record, and produce our own music without anyone having to know who we are. And then we can see how good we are together. Will people listen to us for our music? Or just for our names.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Patton finally said. “And I think it sounds like a lot of fun. I’ll need to brush up my bass skills though.”

“The idea is intriguing, I admit. Assuming we can work around all of our schedules, I’d be willing to give it a try.”

“Virgil?” The look Roman gave him was pleading, but also respectful; whatever Virgil’s decision was, he would accept it.

“You know I hate working with others,” he finally said. “But, I’ll give it a shot.”

Roman couldn’t help the whoop of excitement with a rather enthusiastic fist pump.

“Thank you guys. Thank you guys so much. I can’t wait to start working with you.”

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #brittany writes #logan sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #band au #famous au #i just #i really like this au ok

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valentines-in-london · 5 years

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I Need Fire (Part 18)

Authors Note: Please I encourage you to listen to Send Her My Love by Journey while reading the beginning of this chapter followed by Faithfully by Journey, both songs were huge inspirations for this chapter! I hope this chapter makes up for the last few!! As always any and all feedback is more than welcome<3 Word Count: 3,898 Warnings: a bit of angst and fluff Taglist: @freddiessmallnipples @triplehaitches @samanthadegaro @lauravic @oh-well1 @la-sorciere-fleur @anxious-diabetic @xdeath-soulx @fanofnightz If you’d like to be added please let me know!

Previous Chapter // Master List // Next Chapter

Chapter 18 December 23rd

One week, seven days, one hundred and sixty eight hours, ten thousand and eighty minutes. That’s how long Tommy had been gone. Rayne had tried everything to find out where he was, to no avail, so either he really was MIA or people were covering up for him. She was sure Doc was covering up for him, he claimed to have no idea when she called. Nikki was out of his mind on drugs but claimed to have no idea. It was frustrating and she was close to giving up. Rayne had fallen asleep outside on the back patio night after night on one of the lounge chairs. She would wrap herself in an oversized blanket and the brisk cool California air and the sound of waves swirled around her lulling her to sleep.

She’d been spending a lot of time outside for the past week, she felt such emptiness when she stayed in the house. So she would choose the chill of the outside world, than the emptiness of the home she lived in. It hurt too much to see the Christmas tree and the decorations around the house that they had put up when they first got back. Rayne hadn’t even turned on any of the Christmas lights all month, which usually symbolized such joy for her. To top it all off she wasn't even sure if her Christmas plans were still happening. She and Tommy talked about hosting Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas dinner with his family at their new home. She'd went out and bought all the food one day after work that week, she just hoped she had someone to feed it to.

There was some good news however, Rayne had gone to the doctor for a follow up and he said she was healing very well. She could go back to taking baths and more strenuous exercise. Rayne had gone to a kickboxing class every day since the check up. It was practically therapy going to the classes, which is why she always loved kick boxing. Her doctor also told her she could resume normal sexual activity which she did everything she could to not let out a laugh at that statement. She couldn’t even if she wanted to. But tonight she was going to go out and have fun. Journey was playing a show at the Forum and she was always in love with Steve Perry’s voice. Tommy and her had planned to go but since he was MIA she wasn’t going to miss out.

Rayne stood in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom. She wore a ripped up black denim skirt, black stockings, a leopard print top with her signature leather jacket and boots. Jo had always given her shit for liking Journey, saying that they were “corporate rock” whatever the hell that meant. And she knew she might look a bit out of place but she didn’t care. With a few tweaks to her hair and makeup Rayne was ready to head over to LA for the night.

When she got to the Forum, Rayne made her way through the sea of people tailgating. She always loved the atmosphere of the tailgate, the energy was always buzzing with excitement of fans before they saw a band they loved. Rayne headed to a bar down the street to grab a quick drink before show time. Of course since a show was in town was bar was booming. Rayne made her way to the bar sliding in to order a whisky neat. Once she paid for her drink she found a vacant space against a pillar. It was at that moment that she saw Doc sitting in a booth with a guy Rayne did not recognize. Doc locked eyes with her and waved her over.

“Hey Rayne, didn’t expect seeing you here.” Doc smiled up at her. As soon as she approached the table she could feel the other man's eyes on her.

“Yeah, I am going to the Journey show tonight and figured I’d grab a drink beforehand.” She replied looking over to the man in the booth, he was awfully handsome. Rayne extended her hand to him. “Hi by the way, I’m Rayne.”

The man took her hand and flashed a million dollar smile. “I’m Jon, nice to meet you Rayne.”

“Take a seat Rayne.” Doc offered.

“Oh I don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not, please sit.” Doc encouraged and Rayne took a seat across from Doc and next to Jon. “Jon’s a new signing of mine and his band is about to do some press and shows over in Japan so we made a stop in LA, he’s from the east coast. Which you’re from also right Rayne?”

“Yeah I’m from Jersey.”

“No shit so am I.” Jon smiled turning in the booth to face her.

“Really? Huh, small world.” Rayne chuckled. She was about to ask him where in New Jersey he grew up but Doc quickly spoke up.

“Is Tommy with you?” Doc interjected. Snapping Rayne out of whatever was going on with her and Jon.

“No.” Rayne sighed. “He’s still no where to be found. I kinda thought you might have been covering for him.”

“I’m not, I honestly have no idea.” Doc said honestly. Rayne shook her head, how could Doc not even know where he was? Rayne simply finished her glass of whisky before pushing it to the center of the table.

“Well it was good seeing you, I’m going to head back I want to catch Bryan Adams, he’s opening and I’ve heard good things.” Rayne smiled pushing herself out of the booth. “It was nice meeting you Jon, good luck with everything.”

“Bye.” Jon said softly watching as Rayne made her way through the crowd of people and out of the bar.

What she had heard was true Bryan Adams. He definitely wasn’t as hard rocking as what Rayne usually liked but his lyrics were amazing and his energy as a solo artist was great. You could tell that he was still learning about himself on stage and commanding a large crowd, but he had incredible potential. Once he had left the stage Rayne walked up to the concession stands to grab a beer, not her favorite but it would do. When she returned to her aisle seat the lights went down and the crowd erupted.

When Journey came on she was transfixed, they were just absolutely incredible musicians and Steve Perry’s voice soared throughout the arena.

Early on in the set the keyboard notes of one of Rayne’s favorite songs off the new record started emitting an excited squeal from her.

It's been so long Since I've seen her face You say she's doing fine

Rayne sang along to the words loving hearing the crowd sing the words back to the band. She hoped one day that would be what Motley Crue received every night on stage. They had been the opener for the tour with Ozzy and the crowds knew some of their more popular songs but she knew one day they’d be the headliner and the crowd would drown them out during every song.

I still recall A sad cafe How it hurt so bad to see her cry I didn't want to say good-bye

There was something about the way Steve sung the lyrics that night, it went straight to her heart. She felt the tears start to sting, it all just hit too close to home.

Send her my love, memories remain Send her my love, roses never fade Send her my love

The same hotel, the same old room I'm on the road again She needed so much more Than I could give

Rayne almost jumped out of her skin when she felt someone grab her hand. She turned ready to punch whoever it was that thought they could grab her. But was shocked as hell to see Tommy standing sheepishly next to her.

We knew our love could not pretend Broken hearts can always mend

Half of her was elated, and the other half was seething. Did he seriously think he could just show back up and be affectionate? Rayne unlaced their fingers and watched as Tommy silently mouthed, “I’m sorry.” She didn’t respond, simply turned her attention to the stage and the electrifying band on it.

The last song before the encore that night was Faithfully, and honestly the lyrics and song were completely too much for Rayne, halfway through the song she pushed past Tommy and began climbing the stairs up to the concourse. Rayne kept her head down, her hands furiously wiping tears away from her cheeks.

“Rayne! Rayne wait!” She nearly stilled at the sound of Tommy’s voice but kept moving through the arena. She was forced to stop walking when Tommy grabbed her hand and spun her towards him. “Rayne, hear me out.”

“What’s there to hear Tommy?” Rayne raised her voice. “You bail on me for a week and then you just fucking show up here and act like everything is okay?”

Slipping her hand out of his grasp Rayne turned on her heel and walked towards one of the arena doors. The crisp December air was a welcome feeling against her hot skin. “Rayne! I’m not trying to act like everything is okay. Just, talk to me!”

“I’m going home.” Rayne said as she reached her car. “So if you want to talk, that’s where I’ll be. If you can even remember how to get there.”

Tommy opened the passenger side door and slipped into the seat causing Rayne to lean down inside the car looking at him in shock, “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m going home with you.” Tommy said simply. Rayne sighed getting behind the wheel.

“I’m not saying a word until we get home. You just fucked with me seeing a band I really love.” Rayne said pointedly at Tommy turning the key in the ignition and cranking up the volume on her cassette player. Malibu wasn’t extremely close to Los Angeles and Rayne was seething behind the wheel. Eventually they pulled into the driveway and Rayne turned the car off and silently walked into her home with Tommy falling behind her. Rayne put her bag down on the kitchen counter and turned to Tommy, “You wanted to talk. So talk.”

“Rayne, I’m sorry. I completely reacted the wrong way. I should never have left that day, and I should’ve come back before tonight. I just, I didn’t know what to do, or what to say.” Tommy admitted. “So I’ll start with the beginning.”

Rayne crossed her arms and was all ears.

“When you told me about the baby, everything in my brain started to misfire. It was a lot to take in, I was excited to think we were pregnant, and then to hear that we lost the baby was heartbreaking. And then it was earth shattering to hear that you thought you had to bear the grief on your own to not hurt me.” Tommy’s words were coming out rapid fire, Rayne knew he was nervous. “I could only imagine what you were going through. And it made complete sense why you pulled away. But on top of all of that, I was still hurt.”

“You shouted at me Tommy.” Rayne said sadly. “You have never raised your voice to me the entire time we’ve been together.”

“I regret that as much as disappearing. I never should have done that, there’s no excuse for that. No matter how angry or hurt I was feeling, I should never have raised my voice. That’s not me.”

Rayne heavily sighed and looked down to the floor. “Where do we go from here?”

“We talk about how we’re feeling. What happened is no small thing baby. And this is the first time either of us have been able to talk about it with a cool head.”

“You hurt me Tommy. Do you remember what you said to me before you walked out?” Rayne couldn’t even look at him.

“I-I’m sorry I don’t.” Tommy said sadly.

“You said ‘it looks like you failed at that too,’ and you know that cuts me to the bone. When we talked about a family I told you my biggest fear would be that I would fail them. And I was already beating myself up about doing exactly that. So for you to say that to me…” Rayne began to get choked up. “It broke my heart Tommy.”

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Even in anger that is below the belt.” Tommy apologized. “How can we fix this? I know we can get through this as long as we’re together.”

Rayne looked up at Tommy with tears in her eyes, “Just get over here and hold me.”

Tommy let out a sigh he didn’t know he had been holding and rushed toward Rayne and tightly wrapped his arms around her, lifting her ever so slightly off the ground. Rayne wrapped her hands around Tommy’s neck burying her face in his hair, breathing in his scent. Tommy whispered in her ear, “I missed you so much baby. I love you. I love you so much.”

Smiling softly Rayne began to cry. It felt so good simply to have his arms wrapped around her. It was the first time since the accident that they had really touched or showed any physical affection to the other. “I’m so sorry Tommy.”

“What? Baby you have nothing to be sorry for.” Tommy pulled his head back in order to look at Rayne. Rayne just nodded her head.

“I do, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should have. And I’m so sorry I was caught up with the craziness of life and completely unaware of the fact that I was pregnant. If I’d have know I’d have been more cautious.”

“No, baby. No. Do not apologize for any of that. You had no idea, and I think for anyone, not actively trying, that is probably normal to not know. Maybe we just have to trust in that everything does happen for a reason.” Tommy said softly, gently caressing Rayne’s face. “You are perfect, and you’re going to be a great mom, when the time is right. And I’m here for you Rayne, truly, I am here.”

Smiling softly at his words Rayne leaned in a kissed his lips tentatively. "I've been an emotional wreck for weeks Tommy. Just because you and I are alright it doesn't change that fact."

"I'm here for you baby, no matter what. My only ask is don't hide what you're going through from me. If you're hit with a wave of sadness I want you to come to me for support okay?" Rayne nodded her head. "I'll always be here to support you baby."

Rayne knew he was telling the truth. She knew he would support her through not only the emotions that may come up but also through life in general. Happy that they put that on the table Rayne asked another question that had been bugging her all week. “Where exactly did you go anyway?”

“I crashed at Mick’s house much to his dismay.” Tommy gave a light chuckle.

“Oh I’m sure he absolutely loved that.”

“I got a lot of shit thrown at me all week.” Tommy nodded. “So am I forgiven?”

“Am I forgiven?” Rayne asked for herself.

“There’s nothing to forgive baby.” Tommy kissed her.

“Ditto.” Rayne smiled. “Can we go to bed now? I’m exhausted.”

Holding his hand out for her to take Rayne gladly did and allowed Tommy to lead her upstairs to bed. Tommy took off his shirt as Rayne walked into the bathroom to take her makeup off and wash her face. Rayne looked at herself in the mirror to see she looked like a hot mess, mascara stains had run down her cheeks from her tears. “Jeeze Tommy, you could’ve told me I looked insane.”

“You don’t look insane, you look beautiful.” Tommy spoke from the bedroom. Rayne popped her head out of the bathroom to look at him.

“I love you babe, but I look like a crazy person.” Rayne chuckled taking a makeup wipe to her face and walking back into the bathroom. After washing her face, moisturizing her skin and pulling her hair up in a pony tail Rayne padded into the bedroom. She opened one of her drawers and grabbed an oversized t-shirt. She walked over to the bed, throwing the t-shirt on the mattress and began to undress. Of course Tommy rolled over on his side to admire his girlfriend.

“You are truly the most beautiful woman in the world.” Tommy said softly just before Rayne took off her bra, she playfully threw it at him. Grabbing it from the air Tommy smiled, “What? It’s true!”

Slipping her t-shirt over her head Rayne placed her clothes in the laundry basket. When she walked back to the bed Tommy threw the comforter and sheets down for Rayne to slip under. Rayne turned off the light next to the bed and slipped under the sheets, immediately Tommy wrapped his arms around Rayne pulling her close. He was home, not only in his physical home, Rayne was also his home. “It’s good to be home.”

“It’s good to have you home. Goodnight Tommy.” Rayne gave Tommy’s arm a squeeze.

“Goodnight baby.”

The next day Rayne woke up to the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. She rolled over to wake Tommy up only to be greeted with cold sheets. She sat up in bed rubbing the sleep from her eyes before pushing the covers off her to go downstairs. What she saw in the kitchen shocked her. Tommy was standing over the stove cooking, actually cooking. "What are you making?"

Startled Tommy turned to look at Rayne. "Well you're always feeding me so I wanted to treat you to some french toast."

"Tommy it smells amazing." Rayne said appreciatively taking a deep breath in. "Since when do you cook?"

"I mean, I wouldn't consider following the receipe anything special but my mom taught me a few things in the kitchen." He grinned shyly. "And besides I know you're going to be cooking a lot today, which I'll also gladly help with. But I figured one thing you didn't have to worry about would be helpful. Now sit down."

Rayne smiled at the gentle command and took a seat at the kitchen table watching Tommy work his magic. The food did really smell amazing and she hadn't eaten french toast in forever. "So everything is still going as planned for tonight and tomorrow?"

"Yeah. My mom is so excited to see you and the house and have your cooking." Tommy said enthusiastically while bringing a plate over setting it in front of Rayne. He then quickly returned back with a cup of coffee.

"Well I'm glad I did my shopping this week. I didn't know what would be happening, what with everything that was happening." Rayne teased Tommy, he took it well. "Anyway I hope you like seafood because there's going to be lots of it tonight."

Rayne's grandmother had passed down many Italian traditions to her, one of the ones the older woman was most passionate about was the Christmas Eve meal of the seven fishes. She had never really had the opportunity to do it on her own because it was usually just her and Jo, and Jo wasn't much a fan of seafood.

"I love me some seafood and anything that you cook. You know my mother is going to be flying around trying to help you right?"

“And I will gladly welcome the help.” Rayne took a sip of her coffee. “Also I’m just saying, if your cooking for other things is as good as your French toast, I’m gonna have to go to have to work harder at kickboxing class. Because food this good will make me fat.”

Tommy laughed and took a bite of French toast for himself. “I’m glad you like it. You always cook so much for me, I figured it was only right to return the favor.”

Rayne simply tapped her index finger against her pursed lips and Tommy happily pushed his chair back and leaned over the table to kiss Rayne’s lips. She tasted like maple syrup and cinnamon she was sugar and spice incarnate. When Tommy pulled away from her lips he couldn’t help how his heart soared. She was his person, she was his forever. He stood up straight and started to make his way up the stairs. Rayne called after him playfully, “Tommy where are you going?”

“Just, stay. Right there.” Tommy said enthusiastically as he disappeared into their bedroom. Shrugging her shoulders Rayne took one last bite of French toast before pushing the dish away from her and grabbing a strawberry to nibble on. Rayne heard him shuffling around before he rushed back down the steps until he stood tall in front of Rayne.

“Tommy, what are y…” she couldn’t even finish her sentence Tommy was down on one knee.

“Rayne Sykes, I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything in my whole life. You make me so happy, and if you’ll allow me I’ll spend my entire life trying to make you as happy as you make me. Everything good that has happened to me and all the good that is yet to come, it all means nothing unless you are right next to me to experience for it. I wanted to propose at the perfect moment, I wanted everything to be perfect. But what I was blind to was that every moment with you is perfection.” Tommy spoke with a heartfelt passion and pulled out a red velvet box opening it to reveal a sparkling diamond ring. Rayne gasped when she saw it. “Rayne Sykes, will you marry me?”

Rayne was genuinely shocked. She knew Tommy had wanted to propose to her the night of the accident, but she didn’t expect him to choose this moment to do it. His words were beautiful and from the heart, everything Tommy did was from the heart. She didn’t know what she did to deserve the man kneeling in front of her but she would be happy to be his forever, and she would be happy to have him forever. Rayne began to frantically nod her head smiling wide before she happily replied, “Yes.”

Tommy took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Rayne’s ring finger before standing up smiling down at her. Rayne stood up and onto her tippy toes to bring her lips to Tommy’s. Pulling away she looked down at the sparkling ring on her finger which the diamond itself was large but the band was also completely adorned with smaller diamonds. It was just completely stunning. “Do you like it?”

“Tommy it’s beautiful.” Rayne exclaimed breathlessly before meeting his gaze and giggling. “Holy shit, did we just get engaged?”

“We’re engaged baby.” Tommy smiled leaning in to kiss Rayne once more.

It was not how Rayne expected the day to begin, but it was a welcomed surprise. She knew she had to shower and get ready for the day and Tommy’s family but right now she wanted to stay in this little bubble that was just the two of them as long as she possibly could.

Take me to the next chapter....

---

Did I make up for making you all suffer the last few chapters? It’s not the end of angst in this story but for now we’ll live in the bubble of happiness. Did you listen to the songs while reading? What did you think? Any favorite parts of this chapter? Anything you’d like to see moving forward? Let me know!

#I NEED FIRE #The Dirt #the dirt fanfic #the dirt imagine #motley crue fanfic #motley crue imagine #Tommy Lee #tommy lee x oc #tommy lee fanfic #tommy lee imagine #engagement #couple #christmas #concert #fanfic #fan fiction #Original Work #original story #My Story

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lefaystrent · 5 years

Text

Welcome to the Neighborhood part 2

Fandom: Thomas Sanders, Sanders Sides

Pairings: Prinxiety?

Summary: Virgil’s really bad at peopling, or so his new neighbors find out.

Chapter Navigation: part one part three

Notes: I didn’t plan to continue this, but a lot of people liked it? So here’s some more of this absurd little comedy.

AO3 Link

Early one morning before the sun had yet to rise, Virgil was lounging on the roof munching on some Cheetos.

“How did you even get up there?”

Virgil most definitely did not yelp. He let out a manly grunt of surprise at the figure on the ground who managed to sneak up on him. It was one of the new neighbors, Roman. He wore shorts, sneakers, and a tank top, looking like he was about to go for a morning jog.

He also stood there grinning, and Virgil didn’t think he imagined the movie star twinkle that came with it.

Virgil slowly pointed a finger at him. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Sneak up on me. People die that way.”

Roman threw back his head and laughed. It annoyed Virgil so he tossed a Cheetos at his stupid perfect face. Roman batted the projectile away easily.

“Do you always sit around eating chips?” Roman asked benignly.

Virgil shrugged, frowning down into his nearly empty bag. When did that happen? “Nah, when I’m in the backyard I eat Oreos.”

“Of course,” Roman nodded sagely. “Where else would one eat Oreos?”

“Exactly. You so get me.”

Roman watched him for a moment as he upended the bag to pour the rest of the chips into his mouth. “So why the roof?”

Virgil swallowed his mouthful. “I thought my gargoyle aesthetic was pretty self-explanatory, but I guess not.”

“Gargoyle?”

“I’m a gothic gay disaster. Is there any other reason someone like me would be chilling on a roof other than to emulate a gargoyle?”

“When it comes to you, I’m finding that there are infinite possibilities to the reasons why you do things and none of them I would have ever guessed.”

Virgil narrowed his eyes. He probably would have appeared more threatening without the cheesy crumbs littering his mouth, but whatever. It was all about the eyes yo. “I can’t tell if that was an insult or a compliment.”

With a flourish, Roman straightened and gestured to himself. “Coming from a writer such as myself? Yes, it was most definitely a compliment.”

“Hm,” Virgil hummed noncommittally. He balled up the chip bag, relishing in the sound of the plastic crumbling. He threw a leg over the roof’s edge to hang in the air casually.

The chill in the air nipped at his cheeks. Had he not been dressed in his usual hoodie, it’d probably be cold. He wondered if Roman was cold, standing down there in shorts and no sleeves. He didn’t look cold, expression one of interest as he was content to stand there.

Virgil wanted to ask him about his work, what kind of things he wrote, because truthfully Virgil would have took one look at him and never thought ‘writer’. Instead, he blurted, “Weren’t you going to go, like, do jock stuff?”

“I was, but then I found a cute little kitten stuck up on a roof,” Roman said with a smile so sweet that his eyes smiled too. “Oh, I’m sorry, I meant cute little gargoyle.”

“Damn right I am,” Virgil said confidently, not feeling confident in the slightest, but Roman didn’t have to know that. As it was, Virgil called on the powers of God and anime to will away any inkling of a blush that might dare to tinge his corpse pale cheeks. He didn’t exactly prepare to be flirted with this morning by his hot neighbor.

Oh God.

Wait.

. . . was his hot neighbor actually flirting with him?

Okay, okay Virgil. Don’t be a dweeb. It’s not like you’re so socially repressed that you barely leave the house and work from home and nobody has flirted with you since high school except that that love letter wasn’t actually supposed to go in your locker in the first place and you didn’t realize until after you asked them out, talk about childhood trauma, yeesh—

“Virgil?” Roman asked.

He snapped violently out of his memories, responding too loudly, “Yeah! I’m here!” And really? ‘I’m here?’ Virgil briefly contemplated whether or not Roman would be alarmed if he tried to choke himself on the balled up Cheetos bag.

“I was just going to ask if you made a habit of sitting on the roof every morning,” Roman inquired. “It’d be nice to see a friendly face before I head out on my morning runs.”

“Uh, yeah, I watch the sunrise every morning so—” He slapped a hand over his mouth. Oh fuck, he didn’t mean to say that.

Roman’s eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline. “You watch the sunrise?” he asked, and yeah, it was time for Virgil to yeet himself from the roof.

“Uh, I mean,” he floundered for some response that didn’t make him look like the flowery sap he truly was. “I sit up on the roof every morning to glare at the sun.”

“To . . . glare at the sun?”

“Yeah, just in case he gets any bright ideas,” he punned without thinking and he deadass would have actually jumped from the roof after that if Roman hadn’t chuckled good-naturedly and rolled with it.

“Can’t have that, now can we? All of us mere mortals are indebted to you and your bravery.”

“Well, uh, yeah,” Virgil said and finger-gunned at him.

God help him, he couldn’t stop.

The sky had lightened by this point. The first sun rays pierced through the cool fog haunting the suburban streets. Roman glanced towards the backyard where the orange haze originated. In that moment, with the soft breeze lifting his wavy brown locks, Virgil wondered why on earth Roman had settled for being a scriptwriter and not an actor.

“You know . . .” Roman began, lips tugging up and eyes warming in the sun’s glow. “I like to ‘glare’ at the sunrise too, on occasion. It’s magnificent, isn’t it?”

Virgil wasn’t sure why, but he felt the urge to hug his knees to his chest. “Um, yeah . . . It’s nice.”

Roman didn’t seem to mind his weird quirks. He didn’t belittle or laugh at him, nor did he run away. It was a lot more than what Virgil expected when he heard they were getting new neighbors.

“It’s a nice sight to see before you sleep,” Virgil admitted. “I usually go to bed afterwards.”

“Then surely you have the sweetest of dreams,” Roman smiled at him.

Virgil snorted and threw the crumbled up Cheetos bag at him. “Just because you’re a writer doesn’t give you an excuse to talk like a dork.”

“On the contrary, it gives me all the more reason!” he declared. “And honestly, darling, you must stop with the throwing of chip bags at people. Aren’t gargoyles supposed to be symbols of protection?”

“I’m protecting my sanity.”

Roman laughed in a carefree way that made Virgil want to smile too. However, the front door to Roman’s house opened and his roommate shuffled out. The bespectacled man looked ready to head out for work but paused upon seeing them.

“Oh, good, Virgil,” Logan called out.

Virgil stiffened. Never in his life had he wanted to be an actual gargoyle more than he did now, because currently he was unable to ward off the evil coming right for him.

“Virgil, I’ve been meaning to have a word with you,” Logan said, stopping beside Roman.

“I’m sorry, my people need me, I must go,” Virgil said, moving to crawl to the other side of the roof.

“Wait, please, I’m afraid we got off on the wrong start—”

“What gave you that idea?”

“You threw a chip bag at my face.”

Roman placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “It’s a sign of affection really.”

Logan shook his head. “I only wanted to extend an invitation to you and your roommate to join us for dinner sometime, in the hopes that we can get better acquainted.”

“Or so you can lure us into your evil lair.”

“Virgil, I am not a vampire.”

“That’s just what a vampire would say!” Virgil hissed.

“Virgil, please.”

Virgil thrust out a finger to point at him accusingly. “If you’re not a vampire, I demand proof.”

“I . . .” Logan looked down at himself and then up at the sun shining directly on them. He glanced at Roman beseechingly.

“You heard the man,” Roman said with a teasing grin. “Prove it.”

The light of hope dulled in Logan’s eyes. “I know where you sleep at night, Prince.”

Roman’s eyes went comically wide. “Good Heavens, he’s out for blood! Is that a glimpse of fang I spy? Virgil, dearest, run now before it’s too late!”

“Roman!” Logan surged forward but was a second too late. Roman had already fled, cackling down the sidewalk as he ran with Logan hot on his tail.

Virgil watched them go, contemplating whether or not he should take a bath before he hit the hay. From beside him, his walkie-talkie crackled.

“Virgil, honey, did you eat the last of my Cheetos?”

Virgil eyed the device and considered the benefits of living on the roof from now on.

“I know you’re on the roof. I can smell your guilt from here. I won’t hesitate bitch.”

Tag list: @spectralheartt @a-pastel-pan @notalwaysthevillian @rose-gold-roman @ijustrealizedhowdumbmynamewas @katie-the-noble-fangirl @yourroyalydramaticanxiousness @aroundofapplesauce @merlybird500 @beach-fan @jemthebookworm @whats-going-on-kiddos @roman-red-aesthetic @joyful-milkshake-observation @lizziepopanime @ab-artist (let me know if you want to be added or removed from this story’s tag list)

#sanders sides #virgil #virgil sanders #roman #roman sanders #logan #logan sanders #remy #remy sanders #prinxiety #humor #comedy #fluff #writing #fanfiction #welcome to the neighborhood

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wolfpawn · 5 years

Text

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 42

Chapter Summary - With Tom in Sudan and Danielle in Wales, they are tested for the first time on the ability to be apart from one another for a notable amount of time, can they hack it, and what are they planning for their little reunion?

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long. This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller @fairlightswiftly @salempoe @lys-syl @youcantcatchafallingstar

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

“You got it!” Tom was forced to hold the phone away from his ear as Danielle shrieked excitedly down it at him.

“I have not gotten anything yet, technically speaking.” Tom pointed out.

“But you were brilliant, and half of the nominations, I haven’t heard of the shows, much less the actors.”

“Elle, that’s mean.” Tom scolded.

“But I haven’t.”

“Well, you’re not renowned for your love of watching telly.” He pointed out.

“Guilty,” she admitted nonchalantly, causing Tom to chuckle. “Who else has congratulated you?”

“So far, I have had texts from Luke, Ben, the cast, obviously, Kenneth Brannagh, a few of my previous work colleagues, couple of the guys from school and college, cousins, my aunt, Sarah, and of course, mum called, but I only got a message because I was charging my phone, I will ring her back in a while.”

“And Emma?” Danielle asked, noting that he had not mentioned the youngest of the Hiddleston siblings.

“She hasn’t sent anything yet, but mum said that her schedule is hectic at the moment and that Jack was saying she does not get home from the show until three or four most mornings, so I think she is still asleep now, it’s lunch time here, but I think you are still midmorning.”

“Yeah, it is. That’s fair enough.”

Tom had been about to ask Elle something when he noticed the disheartened tone to her voice. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“She’s not talking to me.” Danielle almost sounded like a child, her voice was so small.

“Emma?”

“She’s barely responding to anything I text her, she only responds with one-word answers.”

“She will get over it with time, as you said already; it’s just a little weird for her. Though it’s not fair for her to guilt you like this.”

“It’s also not fair to go after a friend’s brother.” Danielle countered.

“What, are you saying you broke some ‘girl code’?”

“I don’t think there is something officially written out, but yes, I have done something worthy of being told to go fuck myself in many people’s books.”

Tom felt crestfallen. “Do you regret us?”

“I know it sounds bad, but no, I don’t. Emma is one of my closest friends, I have never really been as close with anyone like I have her, I love her, I would do anything, legal or otherwise for her, but I love you, and I like being with you.”

“These are different sorts of love you have for us both, I assume?”

Danielle laughed, “Obviously.”

“It will be resolved soon enough, darling. She cannot stay too mad at people for too long, it is not her way. Do you want me to say something?”

“No, if she needs to be mad for a bit, then let her be, I rather not talk to her until she is ready to. She could say something in anger that could make a big difference to everything and I don’t want to do that.”

“I don’t think I have ever heard of you not confronting something head on before,” Tom noted.

“Because normally, I don’t feel like I could lose my best friend from it.”

“You won’t lose her.” Tom felt hurt on Danielle’s behalf. “She’ll realise soon enough that she’s not actually mad at us and that this isn’t some sort of trashy little fling and that we are happy together, then she will realise you are all the more special.” His smile was blatant through the phone.

“Especially when we decide to…Shit, I am being called back onto set here. Tom, I will talk to you later and I am so happy for you, bye.”

Tom did not even get to say goodbye before Danielle hung up the phone, not that he would have been able to utter the word anyway. He stood, phone still to his ear as he processed what Danielle had been saying before she was called off. She was clearly about to mention something that indicated that she was thinking of something regarding the long-term future for them. His curiosity was piqued at what she could have been about to say. Looking at the screen, he realised he had received several more texts of congratulations, one of which was from Emma.

Emma – Just heard, well done. X

Tom stared at the message before deciding what to text back.

Tom – thanks, sis, sort of shocked, obviously, in an honoured sort of way. By the way, is everything okay? Elle thinks you are angry at her.

Tom looked at the phone for a moment wondering should he have mentioned Elle, before pressing send and turning it off, heading through the departures lounge to start the journey back to London. His trip back to Sudan was over, and in truth, felt worn from it, but, armed with new experiences of the situation there due to his revisiting, he would be able to speak more of it and the terrible situation there, so hr knew it was worth it.

“Hey Irish,” Danielle looked at the sound guy who was standing nearby with a few other behind the scenes set staff. “We’re stuck working this weekend, but off earlyish Saturday and late on Sunday, so we are having an unofficial Christmas Party, you in?”

Danielle had taken out her phone as soon as he had informed her that they were working to tell Tom. “I’m probably not going to be able to.”

“Cancelling plans?” he asked, referring to her phone.

“Himself and I were supposed to be going to friends, so yeah.”

One of the make-up artists looked at her curiously. “You never mentioned a boyfriend.”

Danielle froze for a moment, thinking as fast as she could. “Does anyone around here, if you don’t have a wedding band or a diamond ring, I don’t know anyone’s relationship status.”

“True actually. So what will be your plans now?” The artist conceded.

“I will have to tell him the situation and see what he does about it, he may come here instead now.”

“Surely he can join us all then.”

She looked at the other woman apologetically. “He’ll be just back from a tedious flight, so I will mention it, but I can’t give a definite answer yet.”

“Ooh, he sounds fancy, what does he do?”

“Promotion,” Danielle thought quickly, technically, it was not a lie.

“Meh, scratch that,” The other woman dismissed, “at least in makeup, I get to work up close with celebrities. So Danny has an introvert boyfriend, let me guess, you two sit in, watch Game of Thrones and read most days off.” She smiled playfully.

“Not really a big fan of the show, but yeah, read, relax, walk the dog and going for a run usually.”

“Ooh, a dog and everything, very cosy. I hope we get to meet him.”

Danielle smiled politely, but in her mind, she feared such a thing, not yet mentally ready to declare to the wider world about her celebrity boyfriend. “Maybe if he is feeling up to it, we can join you all.” She commented as she thought of what to say to Tom of what was now her weekend, knowing full well he would plead for her to allow him to join her for it.

“Cool, so Danny is a ‘maybe’, what about you Jack?” the makeup artist decided to focus on who else could be roped into a drinking session.

Danielle just smiled, part of her relieved that she already had set up the excuse for her not being there at the weekend. A piss-up, in the guise of a Christmas party, was the last thing she wanted, especially that she knew Tom would be back. Unlocking her phone, she decided to finish and send the text to Tom.

Danielle – Your coming home has saved me from a weekend of hangovers and regrets. Are you coming Friday or Saturday?

“It hilarious,” Danielle erupted in fresh giggles.

“I respectfully disagree,” Tom grumbled, though he was somewhat surprised by her reaction, relieved that she had not been upset.

“It’s hilarious, trust me.” Danielle reaffirmed, looking at her laptop. “Though what has me concerned is; the artist putting it there because they knew you lived nearby, which is somewhat odd and unsettling, and how did the paparazzi know you would be passing there. Was it all done as a stunt?”

“You think I set this up?” there was both hurt and anger in his voice.

Danielle sighed, she knew he was jetlagged and that he was always somewhat sensitive when people suggested that he was media hungry. “No, I am saying that they would, of course, know you are home, since you were on the TV this morning, talking about your trip, which, by the way, was a very well done piece, but let’s face it, I knew it would be, I think they did the stunt to keep making money off you and her, even if all you were doing was going to Sainsbury’s for some milk.”

“Sorry,” Tom groaned, his tiredness blatant in his voice, “I shouldn’t…”

“Love, you’re exhausted, please, go get some rest.” Danielle encouraged.

“I’m not…”

“Tom, you seem to forget you were on telly this morning, I saw you with my own two eyes, you’re bollixed tired, don’t deny it. Get some rest, after all, you promised to come see me this weekend.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go out with the others, I can entertain myself for a couple hours?” Tom asked, turning on the kettle to make a cup of tea while he read over a few things that had accumulated while he was away.

“Well, let us look at everything for a moment, I could go drinking, something you and I both know of my lack of interest in, with a bunch of people I only know three weeks and will only be working with for another two, or I could hide away in a hotel room with my incredibly sexy boyfriend and show him how much I have missed him over the past few weeks, especially when I may have bought something just for the occasion. Such a difficult decision to make.” She feigned a tone of deep thought for a moment before giggling. “I ought to spank that delectable derrière of yours for even suggesting such a thing.”

“I am not going to lie, I am looking forward to seeing…wait, you want to spank me and you bought something, please tell me it’s something I can ogle you in?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.” She could not hide the grin on her face or the excitement in her tone.

“Darling, you have no idea how much I want to get in my car and drive there to you, right this instant.” He groaned in frustration.

“Aw, is my poor man frustrated?” she half-joked.

“Well, thanks to your imagery, I am now sporting something that could…”

“Herd cattle?” Danielle laughed, loving how he was getting more and more wound up.

“Country mouse.” Tom grinned, using Danielle’s own analogy of herself.

“City mouse,” she retorted jestfully.

“Darling, I cannot wait to be around you.”

“Are you heading to your mum’s between now and then?”

Tom’s brow furrowed slightly, unsure as to why she was asking about his mother. “I don’t plan to, why?”

“I was just going to ask you to send me a picture of Mac, I miss him.” she stated sadly.

“If I do, I will.” He promised.

“They have a collie dog staying here at the moment that reminds me of him, I think one of his parents was a collie and the other a German Sheppard, it is so like him.”

“They let dogs stay there?”

“Yeah, not everyone wants to put their dogs in kennels when they go away, so they allow them here for another ten pound a night.”

“That’s a great idea.”

“I know, right? So if you see him, tell him I miss him and I will see him soon, and get me a photo.”

“I promise if I see him, I will.” He smiled, loving how much Danielle cared for the scraggy pup he had rang her about one cold morning while he was on set. “I will talk to you soon, and trust me when I say, I cannot wait to join you.”

“Goodbye Tom, I…I love you.” She admitted in a meek voice.

Tom’s eyes widened at her words, she had said them once or twice before, but never over the phone like that. “I love you too, Elle.” He smiled, “Goodbye, darling.” As soon as Danielle hung up, Tom thought to himself for a moment and then grinned slyly, so with a quick Google, he retrieved the number he required and pressed the call button. When a woman answered the phone, he put his most charming voice on. “Hello, I know this is an odd request, but I need to ask a favour and keep something secret for me.”

#tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fic #I Hate You I Love You #chapter 42

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artbyjenisse · 6 years

Text

Creative Talent Network Expo. CTNX 2017 Review

I have been going to CTN for about four years now, and this will probably be my last year at the event.

CTNX is one of the very few events (I’ll talk about the others later) that are geared to the animation industry.

Recruiters. The recruiters are all super nice and will answer your questions about the hiring process, studio life, what they like to look for, ect and yes you can connect with them on LinkedIn but I’ve had more than a few admit they don’t actually go to their LinkedIn profiles often. They also don’t act ready to give you an e-mail to contact them by, probably because they don’t want to be spammed with the whole ‘dude I am poor and need a job, pls gimme one.’ Which I get I do, but maybe I just want to drop them a line when I’ve updated my portfolio? Or see if they know a good coffee shop nearby? Also when it comes to the line ‘hey can you get me a job’ they will always direct you to the company job page, because yes you have to go through that process.

Yes, there are big studios there. Disney, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures, Blue Sky, Pixar, Blizzard, Hasbro, they are always there. I have yet to see Cartoon Network there though, I’m sure there are reasons they are just unknown to me. Disney and Pixar do offer a portfolio review but only if you a specific ticket then sign up for a review by a specific date, and your review is like 15-20 minutes long. The other studios have turned to doing reviews by sign up onsite or you can wait in line (like I did for DreamWorks). But go talk to small studios, they are usually nicer.

And yes the animations schools are there, CalArts, Animation Mentor, Pasadena ArtCenter, SCAD has been there in the past, they be there. I have already graduated college and am drowning in debt from it but it’s still good to talk to these places because sometimes you can get info on workshops you can attend online or in person. CalArts does a few and I’ve heard SCAD does, but alas that’s all I know. I did try to talk to CalArts about their Visual Development Portfolio workshop they do in the summer… but the guy at the table was not only on the phone the whole ten minutes I was there patiently waiting to ask him about it-but you could just feel the whole ‘I’d rather be anywhere but here’ vibe coming off him. You are there to do a job, please do it.

Artists. Talk to the artist. DO IT. A LOT of well-known artists go to this event and either have a table to sell their stuff or they are doing workshops/panels. Many of them are freelancers and they are happy to answer your art questions, give advice, and yes they might look at your portfolio. I recommend you make a connection/network with them and not the big studios so much. You’re learn more from the artists themselves, and they are more ready to really talk with you than most of the studio staff I ran into (I think the studio staff gets burned out fast from all the gimme-a-job talk). I will usually try go talk to about 5-10 artists, sometimes it’s hard because their tables are flooded with other fans, but hey give it a try. Find artists who do what you want to do and just talk to them, they won’t bite.

Examples: I talked to Ty Carter while I was there and he is a really cool guy, I’m one of his patreons so I made it a point to thank him in person for what he does on patreon because it helps me in my background work. I also talked to Casey Robin and asked for advice on approaching boutiques/shops so I could maybe do a few pop-up shows, because she does that. Another artists I talked with was Elsa Chang, I was asking how she balancing her work at the studio with all the shows she does.

The Venue. So this event is held every year at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport. It’s right across the street from the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, CA. The hotel is very nice, we stayed there this year, friendly staff, thick walls so you don’t hear the airplanes taking off, large rooms, soft beds (YAY!), and it does have a small convention center attached to it. It’s easy to go up to the room and leave stuff there or just chill for a bit.

Now that you’ve read all that, let me tell you the bad things about CTNX.

Price. This event is A LOT of money. I bought the three day floor pass and spent like $97 on it. A VIP Pass will run you upwards of $300. In my opinion, that’s too much money for what little you get (I’ve been a VIP in the past). On top of what you pay for your ticket, you also pay for parking (discounted but still), and some of the other special events are a separate ticket price. I really don’t feel this event is worth the price tag it comes with.

Venue. Yes, it’s at a hotel. BUT they need to move the convention. It has gotten too big for the Marriott. In the Marriott’s separate convention space they have the workshops, VIP lounge area, and the WACOM work station-which sucked because I wanted to talk to WACOM and couldn’t. They also have workshops and panels in the rooms at the convention center AND they use pretty much all the meeting rooms in the hotel itself at the same time. It can be confusing to navigate all this and find the workshop or whatever that you want to attend.

There is a tent that takes up half the parking lot, that’s where all the vendors and studios are. The tent does NOT work. The ales they create are smaller than your average artist alley ales way and it gets really crowded around the tables, making walking through next to impossible. And when studios are giving portfolio reviews, the lines are a problem and they typically make you go outside to wait and come in. It gets loud and hot as hell. They need to have two separate tents, in my opinion, one for the studios and the other for the artists.

Lack of communication and organization. This a reoccurring problem I’ve seen at the show. When will the schedule be on the webpage? Usually two weeks before the event starts if you’re lucky. What artists/studios will be there? You might find out a month before. Might. Wanna take the shuttle to the Center Stage Gallery? Good luck! Not only is the shuttle spot not clearly marked until the end of day two, but even the info booth admitted, ‘it’s not very reliable.’ First day in and you can’t find the ‘theater’? Oh well that’s the Pasadena Room in the hotel lobby, the sign just isn’t up and it’s not listed as such on the program.

One thing they did this year that really annoyed me was an e-mail they sent out about the Disney pre-show party, you got an e-mail with an excel spreadsheet and you’re told to check and see if you got on the list. They sent that e-mail to everyone. No. You should only send that to the people who actually got in. Don’t get me all excited about something only to tell me I’m not on the list. Just don’t send it do me if I didn’t get in. It’s not that difficult.

As I said at the start, this is probably my last year going to CTN. I just don’t feel the event is worth it for me.

What other events are there?

I know of two:

ACM SIGGRAPH. I haven’t been to this show, SIGGRAPH is for those of you who do more of the tech side of things. Computer driven graphics, interactive design, VFXs (so I hear), 3D modeling, things like that. This event is held up in Vancouver around the August-September time frame so you’ll want a passport. They do also have one in Asia.

Ground Zero Animation Expo. This event is relatively new and I haven’t gone yet, but I’m really thinking about going this year. In it’s 3rd year, GZAExpo will be in Santa Ana this June. It’s been in Anaheim in the past. Admission and parking are free and while there is a separate charge for panels and stuff, it only starts at $15. Again, I might be going to this show in 2018 to see what it’s all about.

Have you been to CTNX? What are your thoughts about it?

Know of any other events like it? Spread the love!

#ctnx #my cons

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