#i can sit in the car for years bouncing from genres to languages to decades in my song choices

[kickingitwithkirk]

Rain pt:I

Summary: After Supernaturals end Jensen’s life turned upside down. A year later an unexpected movie offer gives his career a second chance but it comes with an unexpected surprises.

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x OFC! Lili

Word Count: 1918

Warnings: cursing, nervous Jensen, drinking, mentions of Holocaust, mention of divorce 

A/N: This story has components from my favorite W. Somerset Maugham short Rain and Lace by Shirley Conran.

prologue

*no beta-all mistakes are mine

Jensen had been sitting in his manager's office for twenty minutes having arrived early. He wasn’t gonna chance missing this meeting and seriously wished he hadn’t drank that third cup of coffee ‘cause his leg was getting sore from the relentless bouncing between the caffeine and his nerves.

After making Jared swear not to say anything he gave him what he knew. Davis didn’t have a clue what the film was but Zimmer wanted to personally meet with him and the man didn't do face to face with anyone unless he had already decided about casting them.

Davis emphasized even if it's a small part, just being in a Zimmer film could, no, would reinvigorate his career, sending it in a whole new direction, he’d be seen as not just a sci-fi/horror genre actor but one whose name was bankable, maybe even capable of opening a movie.

Jensen jumped up when the office door opened as Davis walked in followed by an older, slightly built, elegantly dressed gentleman.

***

Eban Levi Zimmerman, who only went by Zimmer, was the decedent of two Holocaust refugee families, one from Austria, the other from Hungry. Both sets of his grandparents immigrated to Israel in the nineteen fifties, his mother and father were their middle children. They met and married in fifty-nine and he was born a year later.

He was their only child and dotted upon by all his family. From a young age he fell in love with the movies, his youth spent endlessly watching the greats of the silent era to the in fashion Cinema Italiano.

After graduating secondary school he was admitted into the NYC film school. Two years later he transferred to and graduated from USC film department.

He spent the next decade honing his craft as an assistant director for the likes of Spielberg, Scorsese, and Merchant before independently making his first film, a documentary on his family’s Holocaust experience.

It earned him an academy award nomination for best short documentary and soon studios were vying for him.

Zimmer’s directorial style had been compared to that of (One take Woody) W.S.van Dyke, bringing in his films on time and under budget.

His specialty was taking period pieces based on classic works and modernizing them with the gritty realism he learned under Scorsese. The studios learned years ago not to offer Zimmer big budget films with mindless, watered down scripts crafted for mass box office drawings only.

He was notorious for utilizing the difficult to pull off, long track shots, also learned under Scorsese. Many found this exasperating and exhausting to achieve.

A-list actors publicly pronounced they’d love the opportunity to be directed by him and some had been..but only once. He was always curtious but they learned the hard way he has absolutely no tolerance for a dialed in performance from his actors.

Behind the scenes they ended up cursing his name, becoming quickly disenchanted when they found that once in Zimmer’s domain, they would not be toadied or pampered, their whines catered to on his sets.

He also keeps an eye out for new talent, having cultivated his own small stable of actors utilizing them in most of his films as they had not only proved their mettle but earned his personal respect.

***

“Mr. Ackles, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Zimmer said sidestepping Davis and extending his hand, his grip stronger than he appeared surprising Jensen. “Sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

Zimmer softly humphs, waving a hand, “my father is sir, call me Zimmer,” he responds in a soft spoken accent more European than Israeli. “You’re taller than I thought, excellent. Of course, working alongside Mr. Padalecki would make most of us look short, I’m sure to appear as a midget next to him.”

Jensen chuckled, “Yeah, Jared has a lot of acreage. Please call me Jensen.”

“Won’t you have a seat…” Davis started and Zimmer gives him a do not interrupt me look.

“Jensen, would you please remove your hat and jacket.” He pulled off his ball cap and jacket as Zimmer walked slowly around him, sizing him up in an appreciable manner, “veuillez m’excuser,” and with his index finger poked at Jensen’s chest and abdomen.

“What the…” Jensen jerked in surprise as Zimmer smiled at him. “I’d appreciate it if you join me for lunch. I want to discuss the prospects of you joining my new project.” He turned walking out the office door without another word leaving the two men in shock.

“What’a you doing, waiting for an engraved invitation, move your ass!” Davis hissed at him.

Jensen grabbed his jacket and cap hurrying after Zimmer, suddenly feeling like a newbie chasing his big break instead of someone in the biz for over twenty years.

Zimmer was getting into his car as Jensen emerged from the building. Taking a deep breath to slow his heart rate and steady his nerves he climbed in the back of the limousine, sitting on the long seat on the other side of the limos bar. They drove in silence for a few minutes before pulling up to the Chateau Marmont.

Lunch turned out to be what in the fifties was termed a liquid lunch at the Bar Marmont. Zimmer orders a dirty martini with three olives and Jensen has a Chimay, figuring he better stick to something that wouldn’t muddle his brain today.

Zimmer takes a sip studying Jensen over the rim of the glass demonstrating his nervous tick with his tongue, slightly popping out between his lips licking at the bottom one but acting as if he’s not.

“You’re wondering why someone like me would contact you, am I not correct?”

Jensen fully licks his lips, “Honestly, yeah, I’m confused as hell. It’s not like we run in the same circles.”

“No, we certainly do not. I keep my eyes open for talent that has been, shall we say..overlooked, or in your case, underutilized. Casting picks up on your obvious qualities and misses the more subtle aspects.”

“Subtle aspects?”

“Yes, you’ve honed your obvious talents quite well. A long time ago Fellini told me a good director will only see the surface, a great one will seek out the untapped potential.” He paused to take sip, “I will admit I’m not a fan of your previous show but a close friend of mine is. I have always wondered why my friend had watched for years, what made your show so special. They told me to watch the nonverbal relationship between the Winchester brothers, how a glance, posture, a twitch even, expresses more than written words. I then saw it.”

“It?”

“I watched an episode with the deadly sins, the one with gluttony I believe, who found Dean hollow, it was the end that caught my attention, something in your expression when you were begging for help, I knew I found my Mr. Davidson.”

“Mr. Davidson.”

“Do you only parrot the end of sentences Jensen?” Zimmer teased, “Over a decade ago a spec script was being shopped around. It was an updated version of the 1928 silent film based on W. Somerset Maugham's short story Miss Thompson, which was severely edited due to objectionable moral content...language and reference to Davidson’s title as Reverend borrowed from the stage version. It’s rather amusing the censors found those things immoral considering the lifestyles in pre-code Hollywood.

This script was brought to my attention by a studio optioning it at the time. I agreed to direct if we came to terms on the stars. They were very specific about who they wanted to star, both are excellent actors but I believed they didn’t fit the roles and suggested two other leads. Well, long story short, it fell through.” Zimmer paused again to savor his drink, “I later found out someone had purchased the script and all rights to it produce it at a later date.” He stops to nibble on an olive.

“Preproduction is currently underway, the rest of the cast has been signed and I’m planning to start rehearsals in a few weeks. The only component missing is Davidson.” Zimmer pulls a script from his inner coat pocket and sits it on the table.

“There are two things I need you to consider before agreeing: you’ll have to lose a minimum of fifteen pounds, twenty five preferably, I have a nutritionist you can consult with to safely do it in the time since actual filming doesn’t start until October.”

Jensen never had to do extensive exercising to stay in his current shape but knew losing that much weight wouldn’t be easy with his solid build, “And the second?”

Zimmer tapped his slender fingers on the script a few times before opening it, “I am trusting your discretion if you say no not to discuss the scene you read,” he slid it across the table. Jensen picked it up and scanned through the script, reading the dialogue.

He shook his head and reread through it again slowly, paying closer attention to the directors notes. “Are you seriously shooting this?”

“Yes, this is my completed shooting script for the film. You’ve done some directing, that’s the reason I showed it to you. I wanted you to know what this part fully entails.” He retrieved the script placing it back into his inner coat pocket before picking up his martini glass studying Jensen over the rim again. “And before you ask, yes, the actress playing Sadie knows about the scene and I’m well aware this part is like nothing you’ve never done before.”

“I’m sorry but I really don’t get it, why me? I’ve done mostly television, what makes you believe I can pull off this role?”

“Instinct.” Zimmer clasped his hands together on top of the table and leaned towards him, “I don’t waste my time on anyone or anything I don’t have faith in Jensen.”

Zimmer reaches for his glass again, “Like I’ve stated, I see more in your acting abilities than you’ve tapped yet. You’ll be working with some of the best in the business, co-stars who will push you to reach for that extra bit. Say yes and I can help shape you into an actor who gets the coveted rolls most only dream of.” He finishes the last of his martini.

“I’m going to say this now, I’m not missing Christmas with my kids, I’ve already promised them I would be there, it's the first since my divorce. I also have to be in Toronto in early February.”

“I’ve cut out a week of rehearsals to compensate for the producer who insisted shutting down production from December twenty-third to January third. We are scheduled to wrap filming by the twenty-ninth, so there’s no conflict with your other commitments.”

Jensen mentally calculates actual filming time will be less than thirteen weeks, a tight shoot compared to some filming schedules.

Zimmer stares him straight in the eye, “I’ll apologize now for the time constraint, a decision such as this that will affect your career needs time to consider but unfortunately, I need a definitive answer by tonight.

Zimmer stood up, “Now, the driver will take you back to your management's offices. I have a currier waiting with a contract for you to look over, I’m sure you’ll find the terms more than applicable.” He extended his hand and Jensen got up to shake it, “I’m looking forward to working with you Jensen Ackles.”

tbc

Tagging: SPN @donnaintx​​​

Dean/Jensen: @flamencodiva​​​

Rain @stoneyggirl​​​

[ereribigbang]

Summaries Batch #3

Fic #11

GENRE: modern au, romance, a slice of life RATING: E (to be safe) WARNINGS: N/A ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: Future Eruri Side Ship (will be dissolved), Underage Drinking & Drug Use, Cheating, Physical Violence

SUMMARY: This work follows Eren Jeager during his senior year of high school meeting new people and trying to make up for mistakes he had previously made in class. During this time he meets Levi Ackerman, the least likely person around to become friends with Eren but through some bonding at a bonfire their relationship begins to blossom, more and more of their time is spent together.

Before their relationship can evolve into something else Eren brings the news to Levi that he has to move again so his mother can get another job, this ends their relationship for six years before Eren returns and learns that Levi is now engaged to Erwin Smith. Eren does his best to try and patch up their relationship after six years of silence, his success goes beyond what he could have ever expected, ending with a black eye, bloody nose, and recently single Levi dragging Eren to the hospital for his wounds to be looked after.

EXCERPT: “It’s the brand new fashion trend, you should try it. It’s called the ‘I woke up late and rushed to get dressed’ Super popular with kids our age.” Eren poker faced it, watching Levi for any hint of amusement or disgust at his attempts. To Erens delight he watched icy cold features go soft before looking over the brunette once again.

Fic #12

GENRE: modern au, romance, fluff RATING: T to M (No smut is anticipated, but will be referenced). WARNINGS: N/A ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: N/A

SUMMARY: A couple of years ago, when he first moved into Shiganshina, Levi used to babysit Eren. Now, Eren is a college senior and Levi teaches French at the same college, and the two of them are dating (and live together). Only problem is, no one else knows and Eren is sitting in Levi’s class for his language requirement to graduate! (The fic will bounce between past & present and span 4-5ish months. The excerpts below show an example of the past & present.)

EXCERPT:   (Excerpt in 2 halves)

“Is that you, Eren?” a familiar voice called out from the kitchen.

“Yeah. I just got back.”

“Good. Go wash your hands. Dinner’s ready.” Trudging towards the sound, Eren spied his boyfriend and French lecturer in the kitchen scooping something onto a plate. Whatever it was, it smelled fantastic. Levi had always been a good cook and had tried teaching him, but it was still a work in progress. Eren either burned most things or somehow injured himself in the process. Hurriedly washing his hands in the kitchen sink, he poured out a glass of water and grabbed the cutlery.

“How was your first day?” Levi’s first day had been shitty as always. There were late students,those who whined after class about what counted as an excusable absence, and the blind idiots milling in the hallways blissfully unaware of their surroundings. He had long since gotten used to being shorter than average, but dealing with immature college brats made it that much more frustrating.

…….

“Hi, I’m Eren!” The chubby green-eyed toddler, who had yet to lose the baby fat from his face, waved at his newfound friend. “I’m free!” The three-year-old held up his hand and stuck out three fingers.

“Maman, je ne joue pas avec un bébé.” Levi grumbled. Why was his mom forcing him to play with a baby? He wanted to go back to France. That’s where all his friends were. And he could understand everyone there. He had only learned English recently, but the baby couldn’t even pronounce three correctly.

Fic #13

GENRE: modern au, fantasy, slice of life RATING: T WARNINGS: no warnings ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: n/a

SUMMARY: When young Levi’s mother falls ill, he agrees to go live with some distant relatives over the summer so that she won’t have to worry about him. From urban centre to country village, there’s a lot of change that comes with that, but Levi plans to keep to himself. Until he meets another boy called Eren, down by the nearby lake. Eren is friendly but alone, and acts strangely before sunset. With Eren’s help, plus interactions with baby cousin Mikasa and her parents, Levi learns how to enjoy summer and open up. And then Eren hits him with a secret; at night, he lives in the lake as a merman.

EXCERPT: Levi sits in the car for so long that Uncle comes and opens his door for him, Levi’s bag held loosely under his arm. He steps out onto dirt and gravel, taking in his surroundings. The air is fresh and clean, and the leaves rustle at the lightest breeze. It feels like the middle of nowhere, but Levi finds he doesn’t mind the thought so much. It’s not like he chooses to go many places in the city either. His hobbies are mostly solitary anyway, and he keeps to himself. While he’s here, he has no friends to call, and only one person to miss.

Fic #14

GENRE modern (college) au; drama; romance RATING: E (or M, if I end up chickening out on the smut) WARNINGS: underage sex (or, at least, allusions from past Ereri) ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: Please note that Eren is going to be several (minor) relationships with other characters before he ends up with Levi and that their relationship is not going to be sweet and fluffy until the very end. There will be hints (if not explicit references) of past infidelity, emotional abuse and trust issues if I don’t end up excluding them. Also, I know very little about college life so there may be some inaccuracies that I will attempt to correct (but might not succeed entirely on eliminating). Background ships include: Eren/various characters (which will most likely include, but are not limited to: Jean, Annie, and other original characters); EruMike; Jean/Marco/Armin

SUMMARY: It’s been a tiring decade but, at long last, Levi’s on the cusp of graduating college with a PhD, friends (that he could do without, in all honesty) and a healthy fear of everyone under the age of 25; all he needs, now, is to survive his final year and land himself a job. Everything’s perfect (or as perfect as it can get in college) except for his nymphomaniac of a neighbour, who just has to fuck the loudest partners at the most inappropriate times, and the spectre of someone he once knew drifting at the edges of his vision.

But when Levi gets smashed beyond any limit he’s imposed on himself and wakes to a strange bed, he also wakes to someone who’s not strange. Specifically, the man who’d made him reconsider everything he knew about love and trust- and the same man who’s been plaguing his thoughts since they broke up years ago, has possibly fucked his way through most of the college and is (to all appearances) determined to screw up his life once again.

Levi’s been running away from Eren Jaeger for years but now, with the hope of his future jeopardized by his past, he has to settle things once and for all (and if he’s still vulnerable to the jerk because of certain feelings, well… nobody has to know).

EXCERPT: “Captain, this is Squad Leader. I repeat—”

“What the fuck is wrong with you,” Levi flatly grumbles, itching to rip out his earpiece and crush it underfoot. “We’re not in a fucking spy novel; speak like a normal human being.”

“But what’s the use of all this stuff if I can’t live a little?” Hange whines, voice lilting in the distinctive way Levi’s grown to associate with their kicked-puppy expression. “Besides, this is a covert mission! A brilliant plan to bring our sleep back! This will be—”

“The death of you if you don’t shut the fuck up,” Levi hisses, glaring at the undergrad staring slack-jawed at him.

Fic #15

GENRE: Modern AU, Fetish Model AU, BDSM AU, Piercing & Tattoo AU RATING: Explicit WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: This fic will contain accurate information of the BDSM community as well as descriptions of a BDSM nightclub, fetish model information, and a BDSM instruction scene of simple spanking. If these things make you uncomfortable please do avoid it. Most things are not delved too deeply into and it is not centered on this but it is influenced and scenes do occur with this focus.

SUMMARY: Left on his own in his, rather expensive, home, Eren Jaeger must find himself a new roommate to cover the loss of his last. He takes to online classifieds to search for the perfect person. Fortunately, his search is fruitful. Provided with Levi Ackerman, Eren is more than thankful….at first. Levi’s job of a piercer and his own of a professional make-up artist keeps them from seeing too much of one another and, thus, he seems to be the perfect roommate: quiet, clean, and pays he rent on time. There is one problem, however, and that is that after a couple of months his behavior borders on the erratic. Not seen eating, unknown patterns of sleeping, coming in once or twice with bloodied clothing, and most of all? A padlock securely fastened on his bedroom door no matter what time he left the house. After divulging his fears to his colleagues he’s left with one conclusion: Levi Ackerman is a serial killer. It all comes down to one night of following him to find out what exactly he’s hiding beneath the cover of the night.

EXCERPT: Armin chuckled softly “Haha, well, if you live with Dexter you might want to find out. I don’t know how you’d go about doing that exactly, but I’d want to know if my roommate was luring people from craigslist and chopping them up in my spare bedroom.”

Thinking about that fact made Eren skin prick as a chill seeped into his spine “Dude!! Can you not?! I don’t wanna get murdered.”

“You’re probably not his type,” Ymir cackled with a crooked grin. “Besides, he wouldn’t do anything to damage home base since you could give him an alibi when the hooker on the corner of 5th and Garland goes missing.”

“Goddammit, Ymir!” Eren shrieked in a less than dignified whine. “You guys are gonna have me freaked out of my fucking roommate. Levi isn’t that bad he’s just…. weird.”

“Well,” Marco started with a shrug “if he is hiding something your best bet is to follow him around one night and see where he goes. Stay out of sight and just, ya know, see where he goes. Maybe you make a flash mold of the key to the padlock while he’s busy and you may even be able to sneak into his room when he’s out. It’s time to see just what the weirdo is up to.”

[taylorfennersbookishworld]

Excited about Vi Keeland’s upcoming release, The Rivals? Check out this SNEAK PEEK Title: The Rivals Author: Vi Keeland Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance  Release Date: July 13, 2020 Blurb The feud between Weston Lockwood and me started at the altar. Only neither of us attended the wedding, and the nuptials happened decades before either of us was born. Our grandfathers had been best friends and business partners, at least up until my grandfather’s wedding day—when his bride-to-be blurted out she couldn’t marry him because she was also in love with Weston‘s grandfather. The two men spent years fighting over Grace Copeland, who also happened to be their third business partner.  But in the end, neither man could steal half of her heart away from the other. Eventually, they all went their separate ways.  Our grandfathers married other women, and the two men became one of the biggest business rivals in history. Our fathers continued the family tradition of feuding.  And then Weston and I did, too. For the most part, we kept as much distance as possible. Until the day the woman who started the feud died—and unexpectedly left one of the most valuable hotels in the world to our grandfathers to share. Now I’m stuck in a hotel with the man I was born to hate, trying to unravel the mess our families inherited. As usual, it didn’t take long for us to be at each other’s throats. Weston Lockwood was everything I hated: tall, smart, cocky, and too gorgeous for his own good.  We were fire and ice.  But that shouldn’t be an issue. Our families were used to being at war. There was just one minor problem, though.   Every time Weston and I fought, we somehow wound up in bed. ADD TO GOODREADS Pre-order Links APPLE BOOKS / AUDIBLE B&N / KOBO / GOOGLE PLAYPAPERBACK AMAZON LIVE RELEASE ALERT OR TEXT 'BOOKS' TO 77948 (US ONLY) Excerpt Sophia “What the hell?” I pressed the button on the elevator panel a second time. It illuminated, yet the car continued to sit there. So I jabbed my finger at it a third time. Finally, the doors started to glide closed. Just as they were about to shut completely, a shoe blocked them from closing.  A wingtip shoe.  Weston’s smiling face was there to greet me when the doors bounced open.  My blood was near boiling. “So help me, Lockwood, if you try to get in this car, I can’t be responsible for what happens to you. I’m not in the mood anymore.”  He entered the elevator anyway. “Come on, Fifi. What’s wrong? I’m just playing around. You’re taking things way too seriously.”  I counted to ten in my head, but it didn’t help. Fuck it. He wanted to get a rise out of me? He was going to get one. The doors slid shut again, and I turned and backed him into a corner. Seeing my face, he at least had the decency to look a little nervous.  “You wanna know what’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong! My father thinks I’m inept because I don’t have an appendage dangling between my legs. The man I spent the last eighteen months with was cheating on me with one of my cousins. Again. I hate New York City. I despise the Lockwood family. And you think you can get away with anything you want just because you have a big dick.” I jabbed my finger into his chest and punctuated each staccato word with another stab.   “I’m   Tired.   Of.   Men.   My father.   Liam.   You.  Every single fucking one of you. So leave me the hell alone!”  Frazzled, I turned back around and waited for the door to open, only to realize we hadn’t started to move yet. Great. Just fucking great. I jabbed the button a few more times, closed my eyes, and took deep, cleansing breaths as we started to move. Halfway through breath three, I felt the heat of Weston’s body behind me. He had to have moved closer. I continued to try to ignore him.   But the fucker still smelled good.   How the hell could that be? Whose cologne lasted for—what had it been now?—twelve hours? After the gauntlet run he’d sent me on across town this morning, I probably smelled like BO. It pissed me off that the asshole smelled...fucking delicious.   He moved closer, and I felt his breath tickle my neck.   “So,” he whispered in a gravelly voice. “You think my dick’s big.”  I turned and scowled at him. While this morning he’d been clean-shaven, he now had a five o’clock shadow all along his chiseled jaw. It gave him a sinister look. The suit that hugged his broad shoulders probably cost more than Liam’s entire sweater wardrobe. Weston Lockwood was everything I hated in a man—wealthy, good looking, cocky, arrogant, and fearless. Liam would hate him. My father already hated him. And at the moment, those were actually Weston’s strong points.   While I struggled with my body reacting to his scent and how much I liked the stubble on his face, Weston slowly reached out and put a hand on my hip. At first, I assumed he thought he needed to steady me, as he had when I’d wobbled in the bar. Had I wobbled again? I didn’t think I had. But I must’ve.  Though when his hand glided from my hip around to my ass, there was no misunderstanding his intention. He was not trying to help me stay on my feet. In my head, my immediate reaction was to scream at him, but somehow my throat felt too clogged to speak.   I made the mistake of looking up from his jaw into his blue eyes. Heat flickered, turning them almost gray, and his eyes dropped to my lips.   No.   Just no.  This was not happening.   Not again.  My heart thundered in my chest, and the blood in my ears roared so loudly I almost didn’t hear the ding of the elevator announcing that we’d arrived at my floor. Thankfully it snapped me out of whatever moment of insanity I’d slipped into.   “I…I need to go.”  It took all of my focus to put one foot in front of the other, but I managed to walk down the hall and make it to my room.   Though…  I wasn’t alone. Author Bio Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty-five languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six. Author Links FACEBOOK PROFILE FACEBOOK PAGE FACEBOOK GROUP WEBSITE TWITTER INSTAGRAM GOODREADS

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