myersjm

[myersjm]

alycia-acosta​:

.

Something about the man before her, however ambiguous, told Aly commitment wasn’t his thing. In art or in life. She didn’t know how she knew, just that she did. The phrase it takes one to know one crossed her mind, but wasn’t she committed now? The question posed itself against present temptation. A handsome and willing man. An empty art gallery. Did she dare break the bonds of her commitment? Temptation came and went with the utterance of his name because it wasn’t the right one. It wasn’t Ben.

Still, Aly shook Jason’s hand. Her grip was firm and assertive, possessing too much strength to be an unintentional flex. Early in life, her father taught her to shake hard. He said, a handshake conveyed a person’s worth, their will over others. Aly was many things but willful especially. “I have to say,” She began the moment their hands fell from one another’s grasp. “The pleasure is all yours.”

.

Her comment made him smile.  “It is.  But you’ll think about this later, too,” he said, trying to offset her confidence with some of his own.  If he knew nothing else about her, he knew she liked it if things weren’t too easy or too simple.  And if he hadn’t been able to read that from her words and the set of her shoulders, he absolutely would’ve gotten it from her handshake. 

“You must work in business somewhere,” he commented lightly, based on the handshake alone and looking to extend the conversation beyond art because he knew little to nothing.  “CEO?  CFO?  Something in charge, for sure.” 

[myersjm]

evie-morris​:

.

Evie’s nearly physical reaction to her name was as plain as day, most times. It did little to no good to hide it from Jason when he had seen it so often in their affair. She still had yet to wrap her head around it, but it was exactly that: an affair. She couldn’t claim to knowing she entered one as the other woman, but she had been so blissfully unaware and ready to risk the death glares and mutters about her ‘sleeping her way’ to the top. The difference was, she just hadn’t been prepared to risk it during the fallout, not when she had been so sure that it was real. Part of her wanted to believe it was. 

Just like everyone else in her life, Jason had let her down and let her down hard. 

“You can always ask the questions, the answer just may be something you need to brace for,” she joked lightly, a near desperate grasp at a straw for some hint of humor in their horrible situation. “But I suppose one can’t hurt.”

It was in public, at the very least. Nothing could go wrong in public.

.

He was oddly at ease asking the question and waiting for her answer, even though he didn’t know what the outcome would be.  He’d felt like he existed in this nervous headspace with her before, but there had been a lot of years in between for that to dissipate.  This time, too, it could’ve also been a product of him no longer having anything to hide.  He wasn’t lying, he wasn’t sneaking around, wasn’t telling himself he shouldn’t feel things he felt.  He could just exist around her without the sky falling.  

Of course, then it occurred to him he was maybe a little nervous for other reasons.  What if she said no?  She had every right to, but he didn’t want to her to, obviously, or he wouldn’t have even asked.  They were definitely, as a pair of people knowing one another, past the point of being polite.  He was asking because he wanted to see her, in a social sense.  She would answer the same way, for better or worse.   

“Bar at the Atwater, maybe?” He asked, pocketing his hands and giving a shrug as he proceeded to explain why he was suggesting a more high-end location.  “People look at me weird when I go to McFlanagan’s.  I’m sure they recognize me for being a cop, which was bad enough, but I think now I give off the lawyer vibe they don’t want around most places.” 

[myersjm]

[myersjm]

We were living in the moment when the past became the present A memory unfurling, a simple truth returning

[myersjm]

camilaxtorres​:

.

Camila smiled at the description of his mother. That was something that her grandmother would do. Or so she was told. She had never met the one on her father’s side, since she had passed before she was born. Her other grandma was still in Mexico but her mother had no contact with anyone on that side of the family anymore so that was a no go either. The woman nodded at his question. “I do, yes. He has been working here for years now, even before the new owners and name changed to Can Baix. I know this is only going to be temporary for me to work here, but I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can.” Okay, how much did you want to call it temporary if it meant that you were working there for a full year, but she knew that there was going to be an end date by the end of the year due to resuming work and training for the football team. A lot of promotion would need to be done. “Heading home? In which direction? I have to go that way to get to my car, if you don’t mind me walking along of course.”

.

“Why temporary?” He asked, understanding the concept because he’d lived it.  He knew how unhappy it’d made him and, though he didn’t really know this woman at all, he didn’t wish that on her.  Of course, in his case, it had all been a mixed bag that brought him to where he was.  It wasn’t the worst possible outcome, because at least he had the potential to improve on past mistakes from a whole new vantage point on Catalina now.  

He pointed vaguely toward his apartment, but shrugged easily after he did so.  “I don’t mind at all.  Not that it’s particularly unsafe around here, but it’s always nice to have company anyway.” 

[myersjm]

charlotte-roberson​:

☀︎

She laughed softly at his question. “No, not usually. I mean it more in the way of spatial awareness, I guess. Say you have this really amazing blank wall in one place that will hold a big, bold piece, right? But then you move to your next home and there’s no wall that will support something like that. I think your taste is your taste regardless, though. So if you find something small enough to fit anywhere that you love, that’s the big winner.”

Her eyes followed to where he pointed and then widened along with her grin. “That one is really beautiful.” Without warning, she strolled away from him so she could look at the piece full-on. “Wow, yeah this is gorgeous. I love the mix of colors, the circles against the lines… The contrast is really stunning but it’s not overpowering. Are you sure you don’t have an eye for this stuff?” She smirked as she looked to him. “This feels like something you could design around and move with. Easily.”

.

Jason nodded his acceptance of her point.  He hadn’t really thought of it like that, preferring to think he would only increase something like available wall space with a move.  His apartment was pretty bare-bones, definitely not what he was used to living in, and he didn’t want to stay unless it was necessary. 

Her evaluation and smirk made him chuckle and shove his hands into his pants pockets.  “Maybe I do and I just didn’t know it,” he admitted carefully.  “But I hadn’t thought of useable space as a consideration.  Maybe this one would be better for a lot of reasons.  What other things should I consider?” 

[myersjm]

alycia-acosta​:

It wasn’t like Aly to take advice from anyone. She always thought she knew best and was prone to going with her gut. Now wasn’t the time she’d start to do any different, and she plucked the purchasing card from the bottom of the portrait. “You could just be saying that so you can have it for yourself.” Distrustful by nature, she rarely underestimated others’ intentions. Even over something so trivial. 

There was a particular undertone to the other’s words that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. An innuendo, perhaps, gone amiss. “I thought you were the one who needed help?” Her manicured brow quirked, as her red stained lips began to purse. “Looking for an excuse to following me through the rest of the gallery, perhaps?” A bold assumption, whether it was true or not. With a laugh, Aly downplayed her egregiously arrogant question. “Kidding.” She assured with a flash of her brilliant smile. Even though she wasn’t, at all, joking. “I’m Aly, by the way.” The candor of her voice was nonchalant, despite the fact she’d just told him the best thing he’d heard  all day.

.

Jason shook his head.  “I’m not really that committed to this one,” he explained.  Though, really, he understood her suspicion.  And it was entirely possible she still wouldn’t believe him.  He chuckled at her bold, pursed-lip statement.  “Following only interests me for one or two reasons.  I could’ve been looking for an excuse to accompany you, though.  Then at least I have some of your attention and I’m not being creepy.”  He let her smile and tone resonate, took her name maybe even a little greedily and let the name and face attach themselves in his memory.  He was usually pretty good with those details at the very least, and once they were locked in, he extended his hand toward her.  “Jason.” 

[myersjm]

FMK: The last 3 people you texted.

“Well, I’m technically still married I guess, and I texted my almost-ex about our kids.  I would not marry her again, so that’s off the table.  I probably wouldn’t fuck my boss, either.  So fuck my Grub Hub driver who said his name was Mario, marry my boss, and kill my ex-wife.” 

[myersjm]

What’s a relationship deal breaker for you?

“It’s probably really hypocritical of me to say infidelity, but that’s the first thing that comes to mind.  I guess what it really comes down to is when something in a relationship isn’t working, how willing are the partners to fix it?  If one is less willing than the other, the relationship is broken.” 

[myersjm]

camilaxtorres​:

.

It was always a surprise how people were going to react if you addressed a stranger in the streets. Some people were distant, trying to gauge the person who had just said something to them. Some people were defensive right away. But then there were people like the man in front of her who just gave a normal reaction. For a moment Camila worried if she had interrupted him with something as he had been focused on his phone quite intently. But in the end he did reply to her. Camila smiled at the words. “I get that, whenever I don’t want to cook I can always ask my dad who works in the kitchen here. He’s always happy to cook something for me.” It was probably a good thing that Cami did quite a lot of working out in physical therapy and the small bits of football she was playing again, otherwise she would become so fat with all the food she would eat. “I’m Camila,” she introduced herself before motioning over to the phone in Jason’s hands. “I hope I’m not interrupting something important?”

.

Jason offered her a soft smile.  “My dad is a law professor, so things look a bit different when I need to eat, even when I was living closer to my parents.  My mom on the other hand.... ask her for a sandwich and you end up with meals for a week.”  He shrugged then, trying to point out without words that he didn’t really do that much.  He was a grown man, after all, had children and a big-time job.  It would’ve been a little ridiculous in his situation to ask his mother to cook for him.  Her situation, however, seemed way different and quite possibly better.  “Do you like working with your father?” 

He shook his head.  “No, just headed home for the evening.  Pretty boring, really.” 

[myersjm]

charlotte-roberson​:

☀︎

For a moment, she worried she’d crossed a line or asked a question that was too personal without meaning to. When she looked his way again, though, he seemed to be studying the piece in front of him. He’d said he was clueless in selecting art but that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t acutely interested in art or drawn in by it. She waited politely, letting her own eyes drift to another painting nearby until he felt ready to respond to her.

“Usually I’d say if it’s just a transition place not to worry too much about what goes up on the walls. If you��re thinking of spending a year or less where you are, it feels a little pointless to me? Not that you shouldn’t make every house a home and comfortable while you’re there, of course. I just think your tastes or design could change so much when you get to where you’d like to settle down permanently. I wonder, though… Does anything in here immediately catch your eye or stand out?”

.

Jason was quiet as she explained there may be little to no point to what he was doing.  He hadn’t really thought of it all that way, though, had only been doing what his mother suggested.  And he figured if he ended up in the apartment longer than planned, it was possible he’d just be a little more comfortable if it felt a little more settled.  Or, maybe in the end, he’d just move back to the city.  It all hinged on how things worked out with his family.  “Is it common for a grown man to change their tastes just because they’re in a new place?”  He mused.  He still felt stuck, comfortable in a lot of the same habits even with his change in environment and lifestyle.  In spite of where he lived, his day-to-day routine remained largely unchanged.   Her last posed question had him looking around until his gaze landed on one in particular.  He pointed toward it, though it was only a few steps away from them.  “I really like that one.” 

[myersjm]

Gender & Pronouns: Cis man, he/him

Date of Birth: November 11th, 1986 (34)

Place of Birth: Culiacán, Mexico

Neighborhood: Ventura

Length of Residency: Since January 2021

Occupation: Attorney, DOJ

Face Claim: Alfonso Herrera Rodríguez

BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGERS: Drug Mention, Parental Death, Immigration, Adoption, Infidelity, Divorce.

Jacián Alonso Cardenas Morales was the first and, as it would happen, only son of Juan Carlos Gutierrez Cardenas and Gabriela Hernandez Morales.  He was born in Culiacán, Mexico and welcomed into a vast, seemingly close-knit family.  He, of course, remembers none of this.  Because before he even reached the first, tender anniversary of his birth, his family was shattered and his mother had taken unlikely, swift action to remove him from the situation.  While she didn’t speak of their shared history often, and in fact didn’t share the story until after he had turned eighteen, the details drove them from the country before he even developed a memory of the place.  His father had been part of the illicit drug trade that dominated the city, in the grand tradition of his family, and it killed the young man with a new wife and a newborn waiting at home.  His father’s family, in an old and outdated tradition, blamed his mother heavily for many details of the killing.  Gabriela refused to accept the blame and refused to accept a cartel life as a legacy for her baby.  So, in the middle of the night and under very sketchy and illegal circumstances, she fled with Jacián in tow.

How they landed in San Francisco, California, he doesn’t remember.  His mother’s version of their history states “one thing led to another” and she met the man he came to recognize as his father, marrying Adam Myers before Jacián turned three years old.  While odds were slim his biological father’s family would, or could, track them to an upscale suburb fifteen hundred miles away, Gabriela secured both Jacián’s adoption and a name change that bucked Mexican tradition.  His identity, she argued, would not be defined by the circumstance he was born into.  Once Adam legally adopted Jacián, agreeing with Gabriela, his name was changed to reflect a more American affectation and he became Jason Morales Myers. It was a blank slate befitting a child who would have almost every opportunity afforded to him in spite of a violent, complicated, and dangerous start to life.

His upbringing was very typically suburban American in the 1990s, if not for the emphasis that he remain upright and law abiding.  Gabriela required her eldest son’s help in managing his younger siblings, six of them, and consistently expected him to be a good example.  His stepfather very much encouraged Jason to follow a straight path.  As a college professor, Adam made it clear his children were all expected to obtain an education and earn a living doing something they loved.  And while religion wasn’t a staple in their home, the Myers children were raised as at least occasional Catholics, which would later haunt Jason considerably.

Jason remained exceptionally close to Gabriela as he grew up.  He’d become, in many ways, her right hand man.  There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to please his mother, a fact which brought him a lot of esteem with his stepfather as well.  He excelled in swimming, kept his grades up, and went to college close to home so he could continue to help with his siblings.  With no idea where he came from, who he was, or what to be, he followed in his stepfather’s footsteps, parroting that he wanted to work in the criminal justice system, become a judge, and eventually be a law professor. A seminar on Crime and Democracy during his freshman year was the first thing that really stirred any kind of interest within him, and lead to Gabriela finally disclosing the more sordid elements of their past to him.  It was the push he needed to embrace some kind of identity for himself, and that would be the antithesis of his biological father.  Meanwhile, he’s long-harbored the thought about learning more of where he came from, and the desire to investigate pops up from time to time.  

Detours happened as they will.  He met Jenica Grossman in a general education class his senior year, a credit he’d somehow overlooked, and she became the second thing he wanted for himself.  They married less than a year after college graduation.  Reality intervened in the path Jason’s parents had constructed for him, and they returned to her native Catalina Island when both her parents fell ill at the same time.  Out of necessity, Jason used his freshly minted poly sci degree not to apply for law school, but to get a job at the local police department, where his ‘yes man’ status gained him rapid promotion if not any kind of real reputation.  Children were born in quick succession.  Before he knew it, the Myers were settled.  The trouble was, he didn’t love being a police officer, especially not somewhere as sleepy as Catalina.  He wanted to fight crime from a bench and he wanted to do it in a city that actually had crime.  While his mother and stepfather adored Jenny and the children, Jason grew more disconnected and dissatisfied with each passing day.  He kept his head down and mostly did what he was told and it kind of sucked.  It may have taken him a while to formulate a plan for his life, but what he was eventually living was very different from the plans he’d made, and that didn’t sit well.  He just didn’t know what to do about it. The third thing he ever wanted for himself happened in the form of a young recruit, someone he was training in a new role as a training sergeant in the police department.  She was sexy, spunky, and mouthy.  He’d never had anyone tongue-tie him the way she could, and then refuse to let him off the hook.  He’d never met a woman so challenging but worth the effort.  Much like the seminar his freshman year of college, he got caught up and swept away in a blink.  The difference was, this time, there were consequences.  The affair was revealed and the fallout, both professional and personal, was impressive.  The Myers were just Catholic enough divorce wasn’t considered an option.  His mom, especially, gave him hell for even considering being that selfish and running away from his obligations to Jenny and their two small kids.  He couldn’t bear to disappoint his mom, so he disappointed Evie instead.  The only bright side was it became what propelled him away from the police department and into law school— finally.  

It turns out, though, the things he’s wanted for himself are absolutely incongruent to his marriage.  While he was consumed with law school, falling in love with a new job and completing his path, his now ex-wife grew restless and disenchanted with him.  The divorce, on her terms instead of his now, is proving messy and he’s only back in Catalina because she’s moved their kids back to her home.  

At least… that’s what he’s telling himself.  But over a lifetime, however intentional or not, through his own decisions or not, he’s left these pieces of himself behind with each sea change.  Maybe it’s time he thinks about trying to get them back.

PERSONALITY

Positive: Intuitive | Imaginative | Charismatic

Negative: Selfish | Suspicious | Obsessive

Jason Morales Myers is portrayed by M.

[myersjm]

[myersjm]

evie-morris​:

Don’t do that, Evie wanted to say. Don’t compliment me.

Everything happening all at once left her head in such an odd place. All she could do was her job. Evie continuously took on more than she could handle in a masochistic way of proving herself to no one of consequence, yet she still remained aimless. She worked herself into the ground as an expectation. All it took was a compliment for her people-pleasing ways to kick back up again, especially a compliment from Jason. 

Evie couldn’t contain her cringe at the sound of her given name, yet she persisted. “Yes,” she stated clearly for the recording. The next forty-five minutes was rehashing one of the first big cases she had ever worked and arguably one of the biggest cases of her career. Not for the first time, she needed alcohol to take the edge off this. Had she had a flask, seeing her ex would have gone a lot smoother. 

“Is there anything else you need?” she inquired.

.

Jason knew she hated her full name and he’d actually looked into a loophole so she wouldn’t have to deal with it during their interviews.  There was no efficient way to manage it, because it was her legal name.  He caught her cringe, but didn’t say anything for the same of professionalism.  They made it through the rest of his questions, all business, without any pauses or awkwardness. 

That was saving itself for their packing up process, as it turned out.  Once the recording was turned off and his phone was safely stowed in his pants pocket, her tone was different, as was his posture. 

Seeing her felt great and awful all at once.  He’d seen her after, of course.  After the confrontation with her and Jenny in the bullpen, after he’d stood there and watched because he was too stunned to do anything else.  This was still the first time in a very long time they’d been alone, though. 

“Not for the case,” he agreed.  That was the easy part; he dropped his gaze, not looking at her as he posed his next, most unofficial question of the day.  “Would it be too bold of me to ask if I could buy you a drink?” 

[myersjm]

.

Dining al fresco wasn’t exactly his favorite thing, but he was currently working long hours combined with his ongoing divorce.  He wasn’t exactly good, or desirable, company.  His cooking skills being what they were, exactly none, meant he was eating out a lot at a table for one or ordering a lot of takeout.  Tonight had absolutely been an eating out night, trying to squeeze in at least a small break before a looming deadline early in the next week.  It was quite likely his last meal without working and eating simultaneously for a little while and, yes, he’d enjoyed it immensely.

He’d come to a stop outside Can Boix only because his oldest son had texted him a good night wish.  Thanks to the ongoing negotiations in his divorce, he hadn’t seen Gabriel in close to two weeks, and these moments were the only ones he could exploit to feel even a little connected.  He wanted to give it his full attention.  That attention was promptly split by a passerby.  “Oh, um, it was good,” Jason agreed, not minding her approach.  “I tried something new, so I can’t say if it was as good as usual, but I enjoyed it.  I live not too far and I can’t cook to save my life, so you have definitely seen me.  I’m Jason.” 

Starter for: @myersjm​ Where: Just outside Can Baix restaurant When: Late night

Camila had wrapped up a shift at Can Baix earlier that day. And despite the fact that she loved the restaurant, she had dinner at the neighbours, simply for the change of scenery and change diet. Food and Camila was a true love match and no one who knew her was going to argue with that. When she left the restaurant, she saw the man standing outside. Cami had seen him several times before at the restaurant. Probably every other person would just go their own way and let the other person be, but Cami was in a curious mood tonight. “How was the food tonight?” She asked the man standing there, a smile on her lips. “I’m sorry to bother you. I work there. I think I’ve seen you around the restaurant several times before?”

[myersjm]

charlotte-roberson​:

There was never a dull moment in the world of design. Sure, there were some elements that were timeless but more often than not things came and went as any other trend would. It was up to Charlotte to keep abreast of these trends before they blew up and reached the mainstream. Once you saw three Instagram posts with the same elements in a month those were already on their way out. Who knew wallpaper would make a comeback in such a huge way and that shiplap would be once again relegated to farmhouses and select beach properties? Charlotte did. And she knew it earlier than most people because she never stopped looking for the next big thing. 

Though it wasn’t strictly traditional, one of her favorite ways to draw inspiration was by looking at local art galleries. Local artists always had their finger on the pulse of what was coming– they usually set the tone and created what was coming. It was why Charlotte found herself at the gallery at least one weekend a month and why she was able to smile at the man asking for help.

“It might depend on who you ask but I think I’m pretty good with this kind of thing, yeah. That’s a pretty vague ask, though. Do you have any pictures of your apartment so I know what we’re looking for? Art should either set the vibe for a room or match what’s already in place in some way.”

.

“Then thank God you’re here,” Jason said with a chuckle.  It faded almost immediately into a frown, trying to pick and choose from her words what his points would be when he replied.  It took a moment, but he got there, covering the gap in response with studying the artwork in front of him.   “I don’t have any pictures.  I just moved in and I’m hoping it’s not a permanent place.  I guess you could say I’m planning for when I can upgrade after my divorce is final and child support payments are set.”