#i thought last year i was sad that i was missing the jurassic world movie

[phantomskeep]

I'm so sad because I work on ships and my hitch is over the summer. This means I'm going to not only miss the fucking Barbie movie, the new Spiderman, fucking ASTEROID CITY, elementals, flash, Indiana Jones, TMNT, and finally the goddamn ladybug and chat noir movie. I'm so sad this is a great year for movies and I'm going to be stuck in the middle of the Atlantic for all of it༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽

I'll be with y'all in spirit and in spirit only :')))

[phantombandit-films]

Jurassic World: Dominion Thoughts.

First off I’d just like to say that I did like this movie, it was enjoyable and fun and yes, I did cry. But I just wanted to talk about a few points and how I felt about it all. No way am I saying that I hated this movie because I didn’t but this is just how I feel after my first sitting, who knows maybe my mind will be changed after I see it again. Obviously this post will contain spoilers, so if you still haven't seen the movie, please don't read!

Fist off I would like to talk about every bodies favourite Raptor Blue - I feel like they could have used her way more than they did. They could have found some way to have take her with them to rescue Beta and Maisie, then she could have had a fight with the Atrociraptor’s and maybe even the Pyroraptor. I did like the whole ‘Owen making her a promise to get beta back’ thing but I would have just liked to see more of blue, especially seen as this is the concluding film. Also with Beta! I was expecting her to be the main thing about this film but she wasn't, I also thought Maisie wouldn't want to leave her side when she set her free but she just left her then we didn't see Beta again until the end?! What was the point.

Can we also talk about them completely changing why Maisie was made.

This then leads into the other dinos - which I just feel like they put in so many new/ old dinosaurs but didn’t utilise them enough, like there was this big thing around promoting the Atrosoraptors but they were in it, what? All of five minutes? Same goes with the Pyroraptor and Therizinosaurs I feel like they were a massive part of the promos but then wasn't use to their full potential. The Allosaurus and Carnotaurus looked so good and I'm so sad we didn't get to see much of them and their rampage in Malta. I would of also liked to have seen Allen interact with the Dilophosaurus that would have been so cool.

ALSO WHERE WAS SPINO :’(

I feel like we should have had at least one major death (Not going to lie though I nearly started crying when I thought Giga was going to get Ian), might just be me on this one as I kind of siked myself up for either Ian, Rexy or Blue to die and sort of wanted that strong emotion. Another point that might just be me but I missed Zia and that one scene with her at the start just wasn't enough for me.

I also did really like the locust story line but I feel like that could have been it's own movie entirely, I kind of wished this one had just stick to wrapping up the other two movies and focused more on seeing dinos and humans living together, like 'Battle at Big Rock' Also like what we saw from the concept art that was released.

I feel one thing that would have been good as well, would be if the prologue was added to the beginning of the movie. If people are going to see it who aren't massive Jurassic fans and haven't kept up with all the little promos like 'Battle at Big Rock.' or the Prologue, they wont be confused at the Giga and Rexy rivalry but i feel like seeing that prologue before is more beneficial, because then you see their fight as a rematch of ancestors thousands of years later, and also that the mosquito that took that T-Rex's blood all those years ago after the Giga killed it, is now Rexy.

Talking about the end fight, what even was that? I was hoping for something as twice as epic as the battle at the end of Jurassic world, but this one was so weak and lasted a second. Yeah I was disappointed. The little bit where Rexy comes in though and stands behind the circle like the Jurassic logo made me scream though, I did love that. I also did sob when I though Rexy was dead, my queen.

There was just something a little off about it, something that didn’t feel like Jurassic that I cant put my finger on.

If you want to see more concept art please go follow the amazing artists on Instagram! @andreewallin @riabovitchev

[potter-imagines]

Smoking 🍃 w/ Your Boyfriend Fred Weasley...

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader  Prompt: Thought this was an interesting idea since I think we can all agree the Weasley Twins were def dealers lol

 (I’m still on vacation I just had this one in my drafts so I finished it up)

Warning: mature, sexual, weed, smoking, swearing, probs more.  If mentions of drugs makes you uncomfortable or you just don’t like it, don’t read this please! as implied by the title, this is literally all about what smoking with Fred Weasley would include 

-      Okay lets face it

-       Everyone and their owls know Fred and George Weasley were the best, most trusted, ‘flower’ dealers in Hogwarts 🍃🍃

-       You knew this before you started dating Fred

-       It just came as a bonus after getting together

-       Fred and George are almost always a little high

-       They sell carts, wax, edibles and flower

-       Like they’ve got it all, and the best quality

-      Their edibles are only for the brave; half the time you get an out of this world high, and other times, your skin is bright pink for a week from their trick

-       Lee Jordan also helps them with sales, the three of them are by far the biggest stoners in your year- probably in the whole castle

-       Seeing as most Slytherins’ did lines in the bathroom and in their dorms, Fred and George hardly sold to Slytherins

-       Most of the money the twins make goes towards saving for their dream joke shop

-       But Fred loves to buy you gifts when he has the chance

-       Like flowers, a bracelet, butterbeer, candies, books, etc.

-       He adores spoiling you

-       Fred never makes you pay if you wanna pick up from him

-       But he usually prefers you smoke with him or him and George

-       “You’re just so adorable when you’re high, sweetheart, I don’t wanna miss a thing. Plus, I’m scared you’ll tweak like a minx if you’re alone.”

-       Munchies galore

-       You guys will smoke late at night in their dorm with Lee

-       George is the designated snack man and will sneak into the kitchen before your smoke session

-       Lee shoves towels under the door and closes the vents

-       You would probably be the one enchanting the room so the smell doesn’t get out, but Fred really couldn’t care if anyone smelled it

-       You’ll usually smoke out the window, then trudge over to Fred’s bed and plop onto of him

-       “Jeeze, I think someone took one too many hits.”

-       Fred, George, and Lee will mess around, laughing loudly as they pass a blunt amongst the group

-       If it’s your first few times smoking, you’d probably just sit in Fred’s lap on the ground, staring off at the floor

-       Fred loves to tease you when you’re high

-       “Earth to Y/n- come back to us please.”

-       “Lovie, you’re eyes, they’re bloodshot as hell!”

-       Lots of kisses

-       You guys don’t make out too much after smoking as it’s nearly impossible for the both of you

-       Dry mouth is a bitch

-       Fred is vvv handsy when high

-       Like he needs to be touching your skin somehow

-       Whether he places you on his lap with his arms around you

-       Or laying together in his bed

-       Or holding hands on your walk back to the castle after smoking in the forest

-       Likes to pinch your butt when you’re walking up the stairs

-       He doesn’t really like when you’re high in public

-       He can tell when you’re nervous and start getting fidgety, so he’ll ask you to go on a walk with him to calm you down

“Angel, let’s go to the lake, yeah? Think you could use some fresh air, love.”

-       Fred will help you if you’re using a bong

-       “Here, love, just breathe it in until I tell you to stop and I’ll lift the top.”

-       COUGHING IN A SIN IN THEIR DORM

-       Whoever coughs first is labeled as a ‘little bitch’ according to George

-       Fred scolds Lee and George when they try to make fun of you for coughing

-       Like will murder them with his eyes and slap ts out of George’s arm

-       “Leave her alone… you know she doesn’t smoke as much as us… it’s completely normal, darling.” “Merlin’s sake, Fred. We’re just teasing her, mate. I think you could use the hit next him, maybe it’ll calm your hormones.”

-       George and you will have heated life debates

-       “No, George! Dinosaurs were here before people!” “That is not true, Y/n. Humans ruled the earth before those vicious stompers came roaming about. The dinosaurs- or should I say dinomurders- they killed all of humanity! They stomped on them, trapped the kids in those jeeps trying to eat them and ruined the kid’s fun and made destroyed the theme park-“ “George… that’s Jurassic Parks. It’s a fucking movie, you git.”

-       Fred likes to wrap his Gryffindor tie around your head and putting his sweaters over you “Aw, you look so cute, darling. I love seeing you in my clothes but my favorite thing is seeing you with nothing on at all.” “Fred! You can’t say that in front of George and Lee-“ “Oh believe me, Y/n. We sleep only feet away from you two- we’ve heard a lot worse. A lot worse.”

-       You guys will just lay around laughing for most of the night

-       You favorite times were when Fred and George would start talking about their childhood and sharing hilarious stories

-       George likes to mess with Fred when he’s high

-       For example

-       He’ll throw his arm around you and lazily lean into your side

-       Fred would watch closely from only a few feet away

-       George would then whisper into your ear, causing giggles to erupt from your chest

-       Which makes Fred jerk in annoyance

-       The weed didn’t help control his jealous- it magnified it if anything

-       Typically, he wouldn’t care since he knew George and you were extremely close friends

-       But Fred always got a little more… horny and possessive when the weed hit his bloodstream

-       Fred would pout until you noticed him and would comfort him

-       “Freddie, what’s wrong, bubba? You look so sad, aww.”

-       His jealously would diminish the second you moved away from George to his side

-       He loves when you hold his hand

-       Your favorite thing to do when high is play with his red, vibrant hair or when he would stroke and pet yours

-       Fred likes to attempt a braid in your hair

-       But he just ends up twisting two strands of hair in a coil then wrapped your black hair tie at the end

-       The gleeful, proud look on his face afterwards melted your heart so much you couldn’t tell him he failed miserably at a braid

-       You guys will place bets on who will slump first

-       It’s usually you or George

-       Fred and Lee will stay up until morning talking about life, school, quidditch, life goals, and anything else

-       Nights that you did get high with Fred in his dorm, he’d always insist that you sleep in his bed

-       He didn’t like taking the risk of you walking alone to your dorm room and risk getting caught

-       The last thing he wanted was you in trouble when he could’ve prevented it

-       You guys like to sneak into the kitchen after hours and make edibles together

-      Preferably marshmallow bar edibles or cookies

-       You liked to bring things with you for your smoke sessions with the twins

-       Like coloring books

-       A blanket, since Fred only sleeps with two which just seems criminal

-       A water bottle !!! this is a must

-       And some vanilla cherry Chapstick, Fred’s favorite

-       Fred’s favorite spot to smoke in along the Black Lake at night

-       Coming here with Fred will usually end with the both of you swimming in the lake

-       Whether it’s because he pushed you, you pushed him, or it was decided in the moment mutually that midnight was the perfect time for a swim

-      You liked smoking out by the lake as it was relaxing and fun with Fred

-       But you much preferred his dorm- it was the safest option by far

-       Fred loves getting high alone with you

-       Typically in his room as your roommates didn’t want people constantly in and out of the room as where Fred, George, and Lee were used to it

-       They made a handful of sales from their dorm room

-       Like a sinful amount 

-       It was by far the easiest way

-       Fred would light some candles before you arrived

-       A variety of sweets and snacks were sprawled against his bed

-        And warm fuzzy socks laid out for you 

-       He’d pack the bowl, then open the window

-       A blanket was thrown across the ledge so you could sit more comfortably

-       “What a gentleman!”

-       After smoking, Fred would carry you back to his bed

-       Most nights, you guys would just cuddle and whisper to each other

-       Fred never misses an opportunity to kiss you

-       On your lips

-       Forehead

-       Cheek

-       Nose

-       Neck (which will usually lead to something else with this boy)

-       Anywhere

-       Continuously giggling all night

-       Fred and you share your high thoughts

-       “But, just hear me out here. Is there another word for synonym?”

-       “Babe, who do you think came up with the alphabet? And how the fuck did they put the alphabet shit in alphabetical order.” “Darling, I am way too baked to even remember what fucking goes in an alphabet.”

-       High sex

-       Fred makes you feel so comfortable

-      Compliments you profusely 

-       Lot of laughing

-       He lovesssss going down on you when you’re both baked

-       Cause you make the cutest little noises, euphoria taking over your sense

-       He can stay down there for hours just basking in your sweet moans

-       Favorite is missionary so he can see every reaction gracing your face

-       Is only brave enough to try new sex adventures when he’s either high or drunk

-       Discovers that you both very much so enjoy his hand wrapped around your neck as he thrusts into you

-       And when you get on top

-       His touchy side comes out the most in these moments

-       Sloppy sex

-       But still vvvv fulfilling and pleasurable

-       He’ll whisper in your ear as his pace quickens

-       “You look so beautiful, sweetheart. So pure but so dirty just for me.”  

-       “Merlin, you’re bloody breathtaking with my fingers in your mouth, angel.”

-       “Freddie, you feel so good.”

-       You both finish within a matter of minutes, never lasting long when in this state

-       “…That was the best sex I’ve ever had, ever.” “Fred, lovie, you say that every time we have sex.”

“Cause it just keeps getting better and better!”

-       Cuddling for the rest of the night

-       Always making sure you’re dressed before George or Lee turn in for the night

-       Fred would fall asleep first when it was just the two of you

-       He talks in his sleep, nearly every hour he’d mutter something

-       In an odd way, you found it comforting

-       Especially when it’s your name he’s mumbling

-       Falling asleep in Fred’s arms

[im-hqlover]

Imagine Owen Grady proposing.

(No image used belongs to me)

A/n - Okay, maybe I got a little excited while writing this, but I have to say, I don't regret anything, because I loved writing it, and I hope you like reading it as much as I did. For context this happens more or less in February / March 2015, a few months before the I-Rex incident, and it also kind of happens in the DT universe, buuut, maybe when I'm writing on the series, I'll do a second version of it, but in the dinosaur paddock where y/n trains, idk. 

This was requested by an anon, and I thank them again for making this request, it made me very happy, really. Thank you very, very much for that, and I hope you like it.

Enjoy~

Requested? Yes, by a wonderful Anon~ 

Summary: Imagine Owen doing a very romantic date with several surprises and asking you to marry him.

Warnings: You can die (of cuteness of course). Sex suggestion, and maybe it can trigger if you are like me and feel anxious when you can't see. Possible English errors. 

Pairing: Owen Grady x Reader 

Things you might find useful to know:

- The reader is female.

- The reader is 26 years old and Owen 31. 

- This takes place a few months before the events of the movie Jurassic World 1 

- Owen and y/n have been together for about 2 years. 

- This somehow happens in the same universe as Dinosaur Trainer (maybe it's part of the official, or is like an alternative timeline, i have to decide yet).

Y/n = Your name

L/n = Last name

F/c = Favorite color

F/fw = Favorite flower

Words count: 5377

Taglist:  If you want to be part of my taglist, please let me know!

(I hope I have put all the information, let me know if I forgot something)

After a long day at work, I finally arrived at my bungalow, where my faithful friend Kodi was waiting for me and came to greet me as soon as I opened the door. 

- Hi buddy, how was your day? - He grunted and I pet him behind his ears. - Mine was the same, as always. 

I put my bag on the couch and went straight to my room, and I was surprised to find a gift box on my bed, I was sure it wasn’t mine and it wasn’t here before, but I soon thought Owen left it there, since he is the only one who has the key to my house. 

I approached the box and picked it up, there was a post-it note with something written by hand that said the following: 

"I'll be there at 20:00, and if you can, dress in that f/c dress that looks very sexy on you ;)"

I smile when I read and a little laugh comes out of my nostrils, I open the box and feel my heart speed up when I see that there was my Polaroid camera that had been damaged and was now brand new, and in the box there was one of the first photos I took with Owen, where we were having a picnic outside his bungalow, in the photo we were both kissing while we both held the camera with one hand, and between us was Kodi and Red, I still didn't know how the hell we managed to get that picture. I looked at the small image for a few minutes with a smile and a tear escaped my eyes as I remembered that day. 

I left the camera and photo on the nightstand and went to the bathroom to shower, I had a cold one because it was still hot and I wanted to cool off from a long day exposed to the heat of Central America. 

After I dried my hair completely I did a high bun, and I wondered if I did makeup or not, and in the end I decided to do light makeup after brushing my teeth, I put on my favorite f/c dress which I can say was probably also my boyfriend’s favorite, and I put on my flat sandals that matched the dress. I looked at myself in the mirror for a few long minutes before I turned to Kodi who was lying on the bedroom floor. 

- Hey buddy, how am I? - He replied with a small bark and wagged his tail which made a noise when it hit the ground. - Thank you Kodi. 

I petted him and went back to the bathroom to keep all the things I had used, I organized the mess around my house a little bit and saw that it was still 10 minutes before Owen arrived to pick me up, I sighed deeply thinking about what I would do to wait for him. I looked at the camera on the nightstand and picked it up, analyzing it carefully. It was certainly the same camera, but I wondered how it had been repaired, looking almost like it was new.  I put the Polaroid where it was before and I took the photo, I had several photos that I had taken with that camera, but this was definitely one of my favorites, and because of that I had left it with Owen. I also observed Red, he unfortunately left us a few months ago, and I couldn't help feeling a little sad to remember that, he was Owen's dog, but I had become attached to him too.

I left my thoughts when I heard the sound of the wheels of a car making noise on the gravel, and Kodi barks towards the door and goes over there, I immediately leave the photo on the nightstand and go towards the door and wait for the sound of the knock on the door, which didn’t take long to happen. 

- Who is it? - I ask, but of course I already knew who it was.

- Hello miss, sorry to bother you this simple night, but could you tell me if y/n l/n is home? - I bit my lip to keep from laughing and thought about what I would answer.  

- Hmm, I don't know, she has been very busy with work lately, I don't know if she is available. - I leaned against the door waiting for Owen to answer. 

- And wouldn't she have some time on her busy schedule, even to go on a date with her amazing boyfriend? - I held back a small laugh in his pity and needy way, and took a deep breath before answering him.   

- Hmm, let me see. - I got off the door and opened it, revealing Owen, who surprised me because he was wearing a gray coat with matching pants, and wearing a black shirt, and he rarely dressed like that. I crossed my arms before answering. - Well, I think she does have a little time. 

Owen open a smile that melted my heart and showed his perfect teeth, that even after two years together it still made my legs look like gelatin. 

- You're beautiful as always. - - I smile at him and feel my blood boil on my face, he then removes the arms that were behind his back revealing a beautiful bouquet of f/fw flowers,  handing them over to me, which I picked up and smelled. 

- They are beautiful Owen, thank you. - I approach him, grabbing the collar of his shirt so that he bends down and then I could kiss him, I feel him put his hands on my hips, bringing me even closer to him, crushing the flowers a little bit. It was a deep and long kiss, a kiss to kill the longing since it was a week since the last time we saw each other, even if it was little, I already missed him and his lips,  but unfortunately we had to separate as soon as we needed air, he rested his forehead on mine and then I let go of his shirt I was holding up to that moment and put my hand around his neck.

- I missed you. - Owen whispered, still holding my hips, not allowing me to move away from him. 

- I miss you too. - - He kissed me again, it was a smoother kiss and it didn't take long because Kodi interrupted us with a bark, making me jump with fright, which made Owen laugh. 

- I think he wants us to go to our date soon. - Owen said and I laughed with him. 

- I'll put the flowers in there, I'll be right back. - I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and enter my bungalow, leaving the flowers in a vase that I had in the kitchen, and when I leave I close the door saying goodbye to Kodi, and Owen takes my hand and guides me to the car. 

- Can you tell me what the occasion is? - I asked Owen, and he turned to face me. 

- Hum? 

- The suit, you never wear it unless it is a very special occasion. 

- Our date is something special. - I laugh at his speech, and shake my head. 

- You know you don't need to dress up like that for our date, do you? I imagine wearing a suit must be hell, especially with the heat here on the island. You know I never cared about you wearing casual T-shirts and shorts. If we were on a date with you shirtless I wouldn't complain. - He laughed and scratched the back of his neck, was he nervous? He only did this when he was nervous, and it was difficult for him to do that. 

- I know, but I wanted to do something special. - I stop and look at his green eyes and think for a few seconds. 

- Am I forgetting something? What day is today? - He laughed softly before answering.

- No, you're not forgetting anything. 

- Then why something so fancy? I think the only time I saw you dressed like that was at your sister's wedding. You know I don't care about simple things. 

- I know baby, I just felt I should do something special for you. - He smiled and I looked at him suspiciously. - Oh, and you better use that. 

He took a black fabric from his pocket when he finished speaking. 

- What's that for? 

- I want it to be a surprise. 

- You are full of surprises today, aren't you Owen? - I cross my arms to him, which only makes his smile open even more. 

- Come on, turn around. - He gestured for me to turn around, so I did and he put the blindfold over my eyes, preventing me from seeing anything in front of me. - Can you see anything?

- I don't think so.

- It's too tight? - He asked as soon as I touched the fabric, and I shook my head. 

- No, that's fine. But where are you? - I look for him and then I feel him take my hand. 

- Come on, I'll help you. - I hear the car door opening, and with Owen's help I get in and sit on the seat,  and then the door closes, and a few seconds the sound of the other door opens and closes with the sound of the car starting. 

- Where are we going? - I ask as soon as the car starts to move, I shake my head trying to look at something, but I didn't see anything, so I decide to turn my head to "look" at Owen. 

- You'll already know. 

- Hm… - I cross my arms and turn my head forward, leaning against the seat. - You know I don't like not being able to see, right?

- I know baby, but it won't be long, and I promise that nothing will happen, and if you stumble I'll catch you. - Owen placed one of his warm hands on my knee, stroking it gently to try to make me comfortable, I laugh at the last part he said and keep "looking" forward, not being able to see anything beyond the darkness was scary, and left me feeling very vulnerable, my vision was everything to me, and being unable to see, even for a few minutes, terrified me and made me panic.

- Can you turn on the radio? - I ask him and hear him murmur in agreement, he removed his hand from my leg for a few seconds and then the sound of the radio invades the car, the song was over and I didn't recognize it, but the next one that started playing I already knew, and it was one of the songs that I've been listening to a lot lately, it was Am I wrong, by Nico and Vinz, and I started humming along with the song. Other songs I didn't know played , and then I finally heard the car stop and Owen saying.

- We're here. - I mumbled an ok, and waited for him to open my door and help me out of the car, I couldn’t see exactly where I was, but I could see something luminous, Owen took my hand and guided me to the brightest place, and when he stopped he withdrew my blindfold revealing the big tree that was next to his bungalow, its branches were lit with several yellow lights, and right below the tree there was the picnic table with a red towel, where there was a small vase with some flowers, the same as the bouquet he gave me, and there were two small candles beside them. My mouth was open, impressed by all that.

- So, what do you think? - Owen asked me as he put one of his arms around my waist. 

- Owen… this is… this is… beautiful, it's incredible. - I felt the air in my lungs leave me, that was so romantic and cute. I turn to face him and see him smiling. - Did you do all this? For me? 

- Well, I had a little help. - He shrugged and continued smiling, which made me smile.

- Thank you Owen.

- No need to thank me, not yet, because this is just the beginning. - Owen removes his arms from me and guides me to the table, I sat down and he did the same sitting in front of me. 

- Just the beginning? What else do you have to surprise me? - I raise my eyebrows in surprise and then look at him questioningly. 

- Calm down, you'll see. - He winked at me which made me smile and made my heart melt. - Waiter!  

- Wait, did you hire a waiter? - I was impressed, but when I turn to see the waiter my smile gets even bigger when I see my boyfriend's best friend.  - Barry!  

- Good night lady y/n, Mr. Owen, I am at your disposal tonight, what would you like to ask?

I looked at Owen who was also smiling, I realized that Barry was also wearing a suit, but it was a black suit with a white shirt, along with a bow tie, in addition he had grown his mustache and had a notepad, he really looked like the waiter.

- I thought of asking for the chef's special tonight. - Owen replied to the friend who nodded, I bit my lip trying to hold my little laugh, while looking at my boyfriend who didn't break eye contact with me and his smile had never disappeared.

- Uhum, it's a great request sir, it should be here in a few minutes. Want a drink to go with it?  

- Champagne, please. - I raised my eyebrows at the choice of drink, I saw Barry nod again and write on his pad. 

- I deliver immediately, sir. - As soon as he said that he went to Owen's bungalow. 

- Champagne, huh? - Owen nodded, and continued with that smile of melting my heart and making my legs weak. - I still think I'm forgetting something and you don't want to tell me. 

- Don't worry, you're not forgetting anything. - He put his hand over mine and drew small circles on my skin and I kept looking at his pretty eyes until Barry came with two glasses and a cold bottle of champagne, placing them on the table and opening the bottle and then pouring the liquid into the containers.  

- The food should come in a few minutes. - Barry announces and Owen and I agree, and then the waiter enters the bungalow again, I take a sip of champagne and realize that Owen is still looking at me.  

- What's it? Is there something on my face? - I say laughing because he is looking at me like that, and he laughed too. 

- The only thing on your face is the most incredible beauty I've ever seen. - He puts his free hand on my cheek, caressing it, I give a small nervous laugh and look away, I feel my face heat up. His compliments still made me feel like it was the first time I heard it and because of that I didn't know how to answer it, but I think Owen knew that I was grateful for that, even though I couldn't say it in words, or I at least expected him to know that. 

- Dinner is served. - Barry reappears with two plates in his hands, mine being my favorite food of all time, and Owen's was his favorite dish of course, steak with potatoes. - Enjoy the night, and anything just call me.  

- Thanks Barry. - Owen and I talk at the same time and Barry leaves with a smile and sits in a chair by the lake. 

- Jinx. - I speak at the same time as Owen again, causing us to laugh. 

- Jinx! - The same thing occurs and causes us more laughter. 

- Buttercup! - The fourth time happens, and I start laughing a lot about it, and Owen too, and when I calm down I hear the sound of a song start playing and look at my boyfriend, who was still smiling. 

- Come and get your love? - I ask Owen and he nods. 

- How about we eat our food before it gets cold? - I nodded, and so we started eating, we were silent, just the sound of music resonating, along with the rustling of the leaves on the trees and the sound of the water. 

- Did Barry do it? - I asked, referring to the food. 

- No. It was me. I just asked him to leave the food warm until we arrived. - Owen replied, and I mumbled an "hmm". - Is it bad? 

- What? No, this is wonderful. - I speak as soon as I realize he looked worried and I put my hand over his and look him in the eye. - Seriously, this is amazing, and I don't have enough words to thank you. 

His worried face disappeared as soon as I said that, and a smile returned to his face. 

- Well, I'm glad you liked it. - He paused for a few seconds before looking at me in that malicious way. - And I think I know a way for you to thank me.

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and I bit my lip smiling. 

- Better hold your pants Owen! - I hear Barry scream what made me laugh and Owen chuckled. 

We continue to eat and drink, and when we're done and the song Dancing in the Moonlight starts playing Owen offers his hand and says. 

- Wanna Dance? 

- I would love to. 

I accept his hand smiling and we both get up, Owen takes me a little farther from the table so that we have space to dance and not occasionally hit there. He put one of his arms around my waist, and with the other he held my hand and we started to dance, even if it wasn't exactly a slow song, but we danced anyway. One of the things that made me even happier is that today was a full moon, so it was very visible and bright, mainly because the only lights that were there were on the tree, so we were both literally dancing in the moonlight. I hummed softly when the chorus came, and I was surprised when Owen did the same, and about halfway through the song when the instrumental part came Owen spin me around and when we came back to the previous position he bends over pressing our lips sweetly, and when we split up we continued to dance slowly, the song ended and was replaced by December 1963. We danced for several minutes, listening to Hooked on a feeling, Sugar Sugar, Burning Love and Endless Love, the last of which Owen was humming softly close to my ear, which was making me shiver, but he stopped singing in the middle of music and then whispered. 

- I want to take you to another place. - I look at him silently questioning where he intended to take me, and then he pulls the blindfold out of his pocket. 

- Is this really necessary? - I ask, pointing to the black fabric in his hands. 

- Yes. - I raise my eyebrows and he smiles. - Trust me. 

I sighed and turned around so that he would put the blindfold over my eyes, and as soon as he checked that it wasn't too tight he took my hand guiding me to the car again, it took him a long time to get in the car and I suspected he was talking to Barry. 

- Where are we going? - I asked as soon as he got in the car, and he gave a little laugh.

- If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. - He started the car and I crossed my arms. 

- I'm curious, I need to know. 

- You'll have to wait baby. - I rolled my eyes, not that he could see, I didn't really like to have to wait, and curiosity was eating away at me, along with that anxiety of not being able to see anything. Owen turned on the radio in the car where it was playing songs I didn't know, he also left his hand on my leg, making small circles on my skin. The drive took several minutes, and every second I was more curious to know where the hell we were, especially when he stopped the car.  

- We're here. - Owen commented as soon as he helped me out of the car and withdrew my blindfold, and I came across the velociraptors paddock. 

- Why are we here? - I asked as soon as we started climbing the stairs to get to the walkway. 

- I thought you would like to see the girls, since it's been a while since you saw them, and I think they miss you. - He answered me as we continued up the metal steps. 

- Of course I want to, but shouldn't they be asleep by now? 

- I think they don't mind staying awake to see their mother. - I chuckled when he said "mom", it was an internal joke since I mentioned one day that he was Papa Raptor, so he started saying that I was the mother of the velociraptors. 

- If you say. - We arrived on the walkway, I leaned on the railing and Owen put his arm around me and whistled, but nothing happened, I looked at him who whistled again. 

- Come on girls, don't you want to see your mother? - He speaks with his Alpha tone, but at the same time begging for them to appear, which made me laugh when none of them did.   

- Leave it to me. - I put my fingers on my lips to amplify the sound of the whistle, and in a few seconds I see Echo, who tried to imitate my sound, then Blue, Delta and finally Charlie appears. - Did you see? 

- Traitors. - He murmured more to himself, but I managed to hear what he said, what made me laugh, he was still a little jealous when I managed to get them to pay more attention to me than to him. 

- Hey, we are their parents, I'm sure they love us equally. - I caress his back and he looks at me. - And aren't you going to tell me that you didn't obey your mother just before your father?

- Yes, you are right. - He laughed and looked in the direction of the raptor squad, Delta and Charlie were making noises to each other as if they were going to attack each other, but nothing really happened, already Echo was still trying to reproduce the sound of my whistle, and Blue was attentively looking at Owen and me. - Delta, Charlie, stop it! 

He had to snap his fingers a few times and whistle until they stopped and looked at him. I rested my elbows on the rail and started talking to them.  

- Hey girls, how are you? Did you miss me? - They make some sounds that make me smile. - I missed you too. 

Owen changes position and stands behind me, putting his strong arms around my waist, pressing his chest against my back, and resting your chin on top of my head.

- Did dad fight you a lot this week? - I feel Owen's chest quiver with his muffled laugh and the velociraptors make more sounds. I was sure Owen would say something, but he said nothing, and we were like that in silence, with the occasional sound that the raptors made, I looked up watching the beautiful starry sky with the big, bright full moon. 

- The sky is so beautiful today. - I comment and Owen bends to stand at my ear.  

- Not as beautiful as you. - I open a smile and close my eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that hit my skin, and after a few minutes in silence I say. 

- Thank you Owen, for everything, it was an amazing night and I loved everything. - I turn to face him and put a hand on his cheek. - I love you. 

- I love you too. - Our lips are moving in a deep and passionate kiss, those kisses that I wish would never end, but that unfortunately we had to stop at some point, but this time it wasn't because of the air, but because Owen slid one of his hands up to my ass.

- Owen! - I tap him on the shoulder as he laughs and smiles innocently. 

- What?

- Not in front of the kids. - I speak laughing, putting his hand on my hip again and I hear the sound of the velociraptors.

- I think they want us to continue. - Owen said while lowering his voice with each word getting closer to my ear and slowly lowering his hand but I stop him from getting to where he wanted to go.

- I think they're saying, "Eww, mommy and daddy are kissing, how disgusting, stop it." - I tuned my voice to try to imitate a child which made Owen laugh. 

- Okay, maybe you're right. 

- But... If Barry has already left... we could go back to your bungalow ... - I suggest while playing with the collar of his shirt.

- I like that idea, however, I still have one last surprise. - I turn my attention away from his shirt so I can meet his eyes. 

- One more? First you surprise me with my camera that had broken and was now fixed, in addition to my favorite photo, then you surprises me being dressed like this all stylish along with a bouquet of my favorite flowers, and then take me to your bungalow where there was incredible decor, with my favorite food and champagne, with background music and Barry as a waiter, sooo you decided to bring me here to see the girls. What else would you have to surprise me?

- Well, I can make a huge list of things that I could surprise you with, but… I was talking to all our daughters and son about this for a while, and I think we all came to a consensus. - Of course he was referring to the velociraptors, the dinosaurs I trained and Kodi, for us it is as if they were somehow our "children". 

- Oh yes? A consensus among them all? - I ask curiously, it should have been funny that he kept talking to all of them to reach a consensus on something. 

- Shh, don't ruin the moment, I'm trying to be serious here. - I looked closely at his face, and by his expression he was really serious, and then my smile fell becoming serious too, paying attention to what he was going to say. 

- Y/n, I never thought in my life that I would have a serious relationship with anyone, I never thought that I would meet such a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, funny, courageous, kind, loving woman who could have stolen my heart like you, and after thinking about it a lot I made the decision that I want you forever in my life, that you are mine and that I am yours. - He knelt down and took a black velvet box from his coat, and when he opened a ring it was inside, I put my hands on my mouth and I could feel the tears starting to form on my face. - So, y/n l/n, I want to ask you if you would like to become Mrs Grady. 

My voice was gone for a few seconds and my tears kept falling, so in the midst of sobs I managed to speak. 

- Yes, oh my god, yes of course. - I hugged him so fast and tightly, that he almost lost his balance and fell.

- Hey! Careful, it almost made the ring fall off. - He spoke with a little laugh and put his arm around my waist, I move my head so I could face Owen and he had a big smile, we stared at each other for a few brief seconds when we slowly approached our faces and sealed our lips in a passionate, deep, full of affection and breathtaking kiss, I don't know how long that moment lasted, but I wish it would never end. 

When we separated our lips, Owen gently took my left hand, sliding the ring on my finger, after he put away the small velvet box our lips met again, until we were interrupted by the sounds of raptors below us. 

- Yeah girls, now it's official. - Owen told the squad what made me smile even more, and I looked at my finger to see the ring, it was silver and had small details carved into it, but what I found strange was that I had a familiar feeling about that ring, I was sure I had seen it somewhere before.

- I know you don't have a jewel like most engagement rings, but I know that you would like perhaps something more simple and sentimental than something extravagant. 

- Wait... I recognize that ring, it... it is my great-grandmother's engagement ring... how did you get it? - I look at him and he scratches the back of his neck before answering me. 

- When I was looking for a perfect ring, I called your mom to get a suggestion of what you would like, and she said I could use the ring that your dad used to ask her in an engagement that belonged to your great-grandmother. We all know you like these sentimental things, so I accepted her suggestion, and she sent me the ring. Not you… - I shut his mouth by sealing our lips, and I could feel him smiling during the kiss. 

- Oh Owen… that… is perfect. I love you very very very much. - I say as soon as we split up, his smile couldn't be bigger, and of course I return him with a smile too. - Thank you. 

- I love you too. And you're welcome, I just do what's best for my girl. - Our lips meet again, and again the velociraptors make a noise from below. - I love you too, I love all my girls. 

He said, addressing the dinosaurs below us who were still watching us closely.

- And boy, don't forget Kodi.

- And boy. Even though he's kind of disobedient to me and…

- Hey! - I playfully punch him in the chest making him laugh. 

- You didn't let me finish, I was going to say that I love him too. - We both continue to smile like two idiots that we are, and without realizing it we started to dance slowly there on the walkway, even without any music. 

- We didn't even get married and we already have 8 daughters and 1 son. - I laugh at the thought of our dinosaurs and dog as our children, which in some ways wasn't wrong, since they were like children. 

- Well, not that I want to have a real baby now, but we could do the process of one, you know… - Owen moved his eyebrows suggestively making me laugh, he ran his fingers through the zipper of my dress, threatening to open it. 

- First let's put the children to bed, and then we go back to your bungalow and... we can see what can happen ... - I ran my fingers over the collar of his shirt. 

- I can't wait for that. - He smirked and before I could stop him he hit my ass. 

- Owen! - He left my side and started walking quickly down the walkway.

- Let's go girls! Time to sleep! - He gestured for them to go to the cage where they slept, he didn't need to repeat the command and soon they went. - And you come with me. 

He gestured towards me and I bit my lip and crossed my arms. 

- Oh I don't know... should I? - I teased him and didn't move from the place I was, but Owen approached me slowly with that look of "Do you dare disobey my orders?". 

- Are you disobeying the orders of Alpha, miss? - He stood a few centimeters from me, with his arms crossed and looking "serious", I forced myself to look serious, but that was very difficult.

- Who said you are Alpha? - I asked him, not breaking eye contact for even a second, and before I could regret what I said he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. - Owen! Put me down! 

- Since you doubt my authority as Alpha, I think I should show my domain over here. 

I start to laugh and hear his muffled chuckle and he starts down the metal stairs, heading towards the car. 

I think today would be a long night. 

A/n - Hey, here we are again! I hope you liked it and that this is good. As always if you find an english error or find something confusing please let me know so I can fix it.

Until the next post! 

- Ina - 

Masterlist

[hatsukeii]

can i request a tsukishima scenario? When he is feeling sad so his fem! S/o pampers him with kisses in his face and hands, and maybe cuddles 🥺🥺

*cough angst with fluff ending *cough

I have to make it up to you guys for the last Tsukki angst right?

Before slamming another multitude of depressing scenarios but don’t worry about that for now.

lol I genuinely love this prompt so much though, tysm anon!

Always, I’ll care//Tsukishima x Reader

Word count: 2000+

Warnings: Mild swearing, mentions of divorce, mentions of anorexia, ✨cyberbullying✨

Summary: Tsukishima’s been out of it for week but you can’t seem to pinpoint why, until he finally reaches out.

Yeah, you were absolutely certain that something was up with Kei at this point. There was, without a doubt, something that had been bothering him terribly. Whatever this thing was, it was draining him of his usual spirit. The usual glint of mischief that sparkled in his eyes has been gone for weeks, now replaced by a dull golden. He hasn’t bantered with any of his teammates throughout the last few practices, he hasn’t made an extra effort to make you feel short, nor has he reached out to anyone at all. His sharp tongue was gone, along with his usual tendencies to taunt other students. You haven’t been able to reach him in what felt like forever. He hasn’t replied to any of your texts, hasn’t walked you home at all, nor has he invited you over for your study dates. This felt weird. This didn’t feel right at all. This wasn’t the Kei you were used to, but at the same time you had no idea what you could do to make him feel better. He was too closed off for his own good, keeping everything to himself and letting his worries eat him up from the inside.

You heaved a heavy sigh, shoving your books into your locker. He had ignored your text again. This was the seventh one in a row that he had left on seen. Everyone who knew him was worried, especially you and Yamaguchi. He refused to tell even Yamaguchi what was up with him these days.You two had all the reasons in the world to be extra wary of his mental state. “(Y/N), you don’t think he’s okay either, do you?” The freckled boy mumbled next to you, grabbing his notes from the locker next to yours. “No, he’s definitely not okay. Constantly having his headphones on is never a good sign. The last time he was like that was when his parents got divorced.” You slammed your locker door shut as hard as you can, earning quite a few glares from other students that were startled by the noise. “Jesus, I haven’t been able to reach him for weeks. What the hell happened?” You pressed your forehead to the locker door, squeezing your eyes shut. “He’s been out of it at practice too. Tsukki almost never misses his blocks against anyone, but he’s been doing terribly in practice. Coach Ukai had to put him on the bench last week. What’s up with him?” Yamaguchi recalled, shaking his head a bit. “Hell, as if I’d know. I’ve been trying to check up on him for weeks, but he’s left all of my texts on read.” You removed your head from the metal door, before heading to class, where you had to deal with a dead silent, gloomy, angsty Tsukishima for about an hour, before school ended. 

You were curled up on your bed, a million thoughts rampaging through your mind, every single one of them being about Kei. It’s been half an hour since school ended. You walked home with Yamaguchi. Tsukishima was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had abandoned you two and left on his own. No, scratch that, he probably did leave alone. Was he doing okay? What happened to him? Did he fail a test or something? Oh no, did his parents get back together again? Even worse, did he get invited to his dad’s wedding with his new wife? Or maybe he was just fed up with you? Wait, what did you do? Did you piss him off? Oh god, it must’ve been the time where you forgot to bring him that strawberry shortcake you promised to make him. Or was it that time you were late for your date and he almost didn’t make it in time for the premiere of that new Jurassic Park movie? Your train of thoughts was rudely interrupted by the ringing of your phone. You lazily slapped a hand across your nightstand, grabbing your phone from the charger and pulling it towards you. Your eyes widened at the contact that was shown on the screen. You sat up at an inhumanly speed, accepting the call as you brought your phone to your ear. “Kei?” “(Y/N), can you- can you come over? Please- please come over.” He was audibly sobbing, tiny sniffs making their way into his sentences. “Oh-oh god, yeah, of course, I’ll be there in five, stay put, don’t worry.” You changed into a random pair of sweats, and took off to Tsukishima’s house, grabbing a bunch of candy and some shortcake on the way, just to make him feel a bit better.

You slowly creaked open the door to his room, taking a peek. The blond haired boy was sitting in front of his laptop, a hand over his mouth as tears slowly dropped onto the keys. His eyes were bloodshot, presumably from all the crying. His phone was in his other hand, the knuckles of his fingers white from gripping the piece of technology so tight. Your heart clenched at the sight. It was as if an entire army fired arrows at your heart simultaneously, and all the arrows managed to pierce through that pulsing lump of muscle. The boy, that you cared for so dearly, was breaking down, and no one knew except for you. “Kei....” You opened the door a bit more, lightly treading on the wooden floor of his room as you approached the taller male. “Am I worthless?” The blond whimpered out, his eyes never leaving the screen. Your gaze landed onto the computer screen. You gave out an audible growl after reading what was shown on the monitor.

From: Unknown

To: Tsukishima Kei

Dear Tsukishima,

I hope you know that you’re the reason your parents got divorced, you little shit. I wish for no one to ever love you. Everyone that dates you should only date you out of pity. You’re worthless. No one truly cares about you. You could kill yourself and no one would notice, you anorexic blond bitch. Stay your ass scrawny while everyone buffs up xx

Sincerely, Your dad- oh wait you wish, he probably can’t even remember who you are

Your face darkened at the disgusting email that was sent to your boyfriend. How dare someone say such hurtful things to him. Tsukishima sighed, his head hanging low. “You can’t even answer it. I already know I’m worthless, I don’t need you to rub it in either. I thought you could help.” Your head snapped towards the blond, misbelief and rage shining through the look you gave him. “Kei, how long have you been receiving emails like this? Why didn’t you tell me-” “Just answer me first.” You were taken aback by his tone. It was hurt, definitely, but almost in a hopeless way. You brought your hand up to cup his tear stained cheek, drying it with your thumb as your other hand went up to ruffle his hair. “How could you ever be worthless? Even if everyone else thought you were worthless, I’d still think you’re the most precious thing in the world, and you better not let anyone tell you otherwise.” Tsukishima let out a strained sob, nuzzling his face into your warm hand, before taking a deep breath. “This person, whoever it is, they’ve been sending me these emails for a few weeks. At first, they weren’t that bad, but then it started to get personal. They attacked my family situation, my relationship, and my body.” Your nose scrunched up in disgust. “What kind of sick freak attacks someone’s family situation?” The blond shakily sighed. “Apparently this person.” You shook your head, shoving your face into your hand. “We all know they got divorced because your mom caught him cheating. It’s clearly not your fault. You dad was in the wrong and you know it.” He sulked a bit, before continuing. “Well they’ve also been calling me anorexic for weeks.” 

Your eyebrows furrowed at this new information. Never in a million years did you think Kei would think so heavily of his own body image. He always struck you as a carefree, unbothered person. Who would’ve known he was so insecure underneath it all? “Kei, why didn’t you tell me about all this?” “I didn’t want you to worry. I thought I could deal with this on my own, but then they started bringing up by dad and me looking anorexic. Apparently I’m too skinny for anyone to appreciate. No one wants an anorexic person. I’m not even anorexic but I’m getting offended by this. I can’t help being lanky you know.” You heaved a dry chuckle. “Seriously? Body image issues? Tsukishima god damn Kei look at yourself and tell me you have a terrible body. Do it.” He was visibly shocked, looking down at himself. “Exactly. You can’t.” Your hand went down to grab his, pulling him on his feet. You pulled his sleeve up, giving his shoulder a tiny peck. “Look at you. You’re built like a whole ass Greek God. You’re like lowkey ripped, how in hell’s name did you manage to believe in that asshole’s emails?” Next, you led his hand to your face, giving each finger a kiss. “Somehow your fingers are still intact for me to hold, even after winning so many sets with your insane blocks.” You let go of his hand, slowly trailing your fingers along his face. “Your eyes are deadass the most perfect thing. I don’t think I can enjoy the sun anymore, your eyes are enough for me to get mesmerised in.” You pulled his face down, giving both his eyelids a tender peck. You squeezed his cheeks, before squishing them between your palms. “You may be lanky and muscular, but your cheeks are still as squishy as ever. I love squishing them so much, they’re like a baby’s cheeks.” With that, you gave both his cheeks a peck, before finally moving to his forehead, giving it a gentle kiss. “Right here, is where the magic is put to work. Everything you’ve been through, learned, felt, all stored right here. Your mind is quite the battlefield, constantly giving you conflicting thoughts about yourself. You’re still dealing with everything that’s been thrown on you. From your parent’s divorce, to your brother’s lie, to the shitty emails. But that mind of yours, also managed to find a way to block THE Ushijima Wakatoshi. It’s aced so many exams for you, it’s helped you get to me, and it’s helped you make up those snarky one liners that you love to use so much. I know what I say might not make any significant difference, but I just want to let you know how I feel. I think you’re a complete badass, a hotshot middle blocker, and one of the hottest people I’ve landed my eyes on. So many people care about you, so please never render yourself worthless. Please.” At this point, Tsukishima had stopped crying, now looking at you with wide eyes. “How could your words ever be insignificant to me?” His arms were instantly wrapped around you, pushing you into his chest. It was dead silent in the room. You could hear his heartbeat in your ear. “Thank you... so, so much.” His voice cracked a bit as he whispered. You moved your head up, giving him a soft, but passionate kiss, keeping your forehead in contact with his. “You don’t have to thank me, I was only stating the truth. Plus, you better report that asshole to the school, they’re gonna get what they deserve when the teachers find out who it is.” He pulled away, grabbing your hand and lacing his fingers with yours. “Why do you care so much anyways? You sent me like seven texts in a row at school. You should be pissed at me or something. I did leave you on read for weeks after all.” You laughed heartily, before drawing circles on his hand with your thumb.

“Always, I’ll care, dumbass.”

Is this fluffy enough for you guys? Probably not considering it’s still like part angst lmao but idc have fun reading it the angst will be back in a bit my dudes and I’m about to make Tsukishima suffer again I’m sorry I love him too but like I crave angst xx

Tags:

@izzyphantomgamer @sunshines-and-tatertots @tiger1719 @artsamber @talks-a-lot-of-stuff @for-ests @fluffy-bokuto @bokutokoutarou @just-another-bored-writer @macaronnv @kaylacinderella @random-fandomlover

If you wanna be tagged just comment or pm bc I don’t know that many people on tumblr yet:)

[senpaiisimp]

A Movie Lover

Iwaizumi Hajime x Nerdy!reader

Summary: The Vintage store around the corner is having a sale on all of their movies. You already know that you can take your time cause no one buys the Godzilla stuff...or so you thought Warnings: little bit of timeskip spoilers

reader is shorter than Iwa; also has a kansai bent (I like writing it so much)

Couldn’t get it out my head that Iwa meets his perfect match at a Video store (idk what their actually called, but it’s where you get old Manga/movies/vintage records)

A huge, huge end of the year sale! The biggest one in the area ever! You can’t miss this chance, how else would you stock up on all your Godzilla stuff! You thank the lord for Christmas money and set your way to the store. “No one else watches Godzilla movies anymore. I’ll be able to get the best stuff” is what you thought to yourself. What a silly thought

You planned to get stocked up on things to bring with you to America. You were going there to study in the film industry, you were obsessed with movies since you were little, so the states seemed like the best choice as there movies were quite good even if you couldn’t understand everything they were saying. Stocking up in your favorite movie series from your home country seemed reasonable in your mind.

The cold winter breeze chased you in the door as you entered the shop. The store still had the AC running for some odd reason so you opted to keep your beanie on which slightly covered your face. Not wasting a moment you hurried over to the merch section first incase the Jurassic Park fans confused your stuff for theirs when a loud couple of boys entered the shop.

“Iwa-chan, you said we were going to watch movies! Why are we at your nerd store?” The taller and obviously more eccentric one asked rather loudly before getting hit by the other. They must be best friends’ you thought as you moved to the back of the store where the movies were.

“If you listened shittykawa, I said I was going to get movies. You can wait in the cold if your gonna complain.” Iwaizumi said while leaving the whiny boy at the front of the store. Iwa just wanted to buy his Godzilla stuff in peace, he didn’t get many chances to buy for himself when he had to worry about volleyball things. Now that his season was sadly over, he preparing for his future travels to college.

Scouring the movie shelves he found the whole set of Godzilla movies. His eyes sparkled with the idea of watching every single movie in order as much as he wanted. He couldn’t wait and went to grab it however at the same time he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings and bumped into someone below him.

That someone being you. You didn’t choose to be this height, genes just decided to hurt you in life not letting you grow tall enough to reach the movies you had your heart set on. While wallowing in self-pity and thinking of how in the world you would get the movies someone bumped into you. “I know ‘m short but ‘m not that short...” You spoke to the person as your turned and took your mask down to not be rude.

Iwa, well, he blushed. He wasn’t expecting a cute person to be standing in front of his movies. Before he could even get an apology out you spoke again. “If yer gonna apologize don’t. ‘M used to it but since your here and your taller than me, can you help me get the movies up ‘ere please.” After finally getting over his sudden attraction to the person in front of him, he looked to where you were pointing. I’m probably mistaken he thought to himself as looked in the direction you were pointing.

“Um, sorry which movies do you want? I’m Iwaizumi by the way.” He said as he waited for your response. It’s hard, like very very difficult, to get Iwaizumi to blush so he might as well push his luck and get to know this snarky person in front of him. You weren’t as bad as shittykawa so he thinks he could handle you for a little while. “Y/N, I was lookin’ to get the Godzilla series up there. can’t reach it tho, please help me strong man.” You pleaded.

You weren’t going to lie to yourself and say you didn’t notice his cuteness. However you can’t be focused on boys while the last of Godzilla was on the top shelf waiting for you. You can take in his glorious face after Godzilla is in reach. You were waiting for him to go grab it but he didn’t budge, just looked at you with a surprised face. “You- you want the Godzilla series? Are you sure your s/o wants-“ he didn’t finish his sentence before you softly hit him in the stomach. “Iwaizumi-san, I’m getting it for myself. ‘S a good series if ya give it a chance, if we were friends I’d lend it to ya ‘som time.” You said trying to make him hurry in case others come to take it.

He was stunned to say the least. He thought he would be the only one his age wanting to get the Godzilla stuff. You were cute and were into Godzilla, how more perfect could you be. “Uh- it’s just I was hoping to get the Godzilla movies for myself. There’s only one more left..” he trailed of as he looked back down at you. It was your turn to blush a little. Hot, into Godzilla, what is this a fanfic?! How can he be all these things. (Well about that-) Your inner geek came out as your started to bombard him with questions about the series, a little to fast for him to even answer.

“You like the series a lot huh.” He interrupted your line of questioning with a hot deep laugh before reaching to grab the movies. “Here you can have them, i can just try and find them somewhere else.” He said with a small smile as he tried to give it to you. At this point you were stunned. He’s nice enough to let you have it even tho the look in his eyes say he really is gonna be sad if he doesn’t get the series. You can’t let him have that sad look in his eyes, must protect his smile. Being bold wasn’t a strong suit of yours but hey making new friends that shared your interest wasn’t bad.

“I-if ya want, I could give ya my number a-and we could share it. You want it to, can’t just keep it ‘from ya.” You explained while looking down in your nervousness. He thought you were an angel. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he really wanted to watch the movies really badly. Thank god you were looking down and didn’t see the glee in his eyes. He clears his throat so he wouldn’t sound eager. “Y-yea that sounds nice. We could..watch it together too... if you want of course!” Way to go not sounding eager he scolded himself.

After you exchanged you and Iwa got to know each we through the love of Godzilla. Of course you wanted to be in a relationship with him but you didn’t want to put him through the pain of long distance. You told him you left the country for college but you never really brought up where you were headed moving topics really fast. It wasn’t till a couple months later did you think you it would have been good to talk about.

——————————————————————————

“Um, geez how do I say this. English is so hard I swear. The west dorm? How do I get there” Iwa asked the people at the desk in the best English he could. ‘No way.. You thought as you saw your dream man asking the head student at your college. As he was about to turn he spotted you with wide eyes.

“Please tell me that’s you and I have at least one person who can understand me.” He pleaded out loud as you ran to hug him tightly.” I brought the Godzilla movies with ‘me, guess I don’t hav’ to ship ‘em out to ya now.” You joked as you released him from your grasp.

Yeah I guess you don’t

BONUS

*at the vintage shop*

Oikawa was bored. What could be taking his best friend so long to buy a couple movies, he questioned as he walked in the direction his friend went. He walked around the corner but stopped himself and took out his phone to record this momentous occasion as he narrated.

“Hello future Iwa-chan, your best friend here. If your seeing this that means that my ship has sailed and your getting married to this cutie. Your welcome for recording your adorable meeting.”

The video is of you and Iwaizumi sitting on the ground laughing and giggling about something. Oikawa continued as he was about to end the video. “I’m glad you made me come with you to get those movies or else we might’ve missed you finding a soulmate, see you guys at the wedding. I know I’m the best man anyways so I’ll let my beautiful self take it from here.” Oikawa said as he stopped the video

“Nice kill, Iwa-chan.” He said to himself as he walked out the store knowing his friend most likely forgot about him at this point.

That video did indeed get played at your wedding.

The end ( ^ω^ )

[loudsuitlover]

The girl, the Miss, the Mrs II

A/N: They met they met they met 

It had been raining for days and even though it was still cloudy in the morning, Harry had woken up with the thought of taking his little nephew somewhere. If he couldn’t take him to the park, then he would take him to the cinema or they could surely drive until they found a bowling alley. George had never been to a bowling alley before and he had said that to Harry a couple days before when they were bulding Lego cars on the living room table. He had thought in that moment he could have been a much better uncle- he could have been a much better anything- for then he realized he barely knew his sister’s child. He remembered he had been in Tennessee when he was born and then he remembered his sister calling- he was on Spain with Y/N at the time- and telling him her son had indeed Asperger Syndrome. He remember he cried on the phone, even though it didn’t seem to matter that much now. 

Gemma was working, typing away on her laptop with her legs crossed Indian-style and she gave a smile to her daugther as the girl joined her on the kitchen table, placing her Chemistry books next to her mother’s laptop and giving her a soft smile back. It was a Saturday, so under any other circumstances she’d feel a little worried that her daughter would rather do Chemistry exercises instead of going out but she knew, even though it had been a week, that Eric had really hurt her and she also remembered her first heartbreak and she remember how much her mum had meant to her in that moment so the only that was on her mind, and the only thing she wanted to do, was to be there for her daugther as her own mother had been for her. 

She had been on the same page for twenty minutes when she spoke. 

“Mum” she attracted her mother’s attention as the woman hummed “do you think if uncle Harry had married Y/N we would have seen him more?” 

Gemma stopped typing and then Laura looked up at her from her notebook and so her mum coughed and tried to pretend like she could still write after that question. It had taken her by surprise, that her daughter would be talking about her brother’s love interest, that she would think it would have change their own relationship with him, but mostly it scared her that she could be right. 

“Mmhm” she doubted instead “why do you say that, honey?” 

Laura shrugged. 

“It’s just... You know, I can almost count the times I’ve seen him in the last... Ten years with my fingers... But he’s also... It seems like he really loves us.” 

“That’s ‘cause he does, honey.” 

“He barely sees us though.” 

“Well, you know your uncle is a singer, love. He doesn’t even have a permanent residence. I bet if you ask him where home is, he would say Holmes Chapel.” She smiled. 

“Where Nana’s biscuits are.” They both chuckled. “I don’t know, I just think if he didn’t have his heart broken he wouldn’t have to hide so much.” She shrugged. 

“You think he’s hiding?” 

“I think he’s... Have you noticed how much George likes him?” 

They both stared into each other’s eyes. When it came about the little one in the family, few words needed to be exchanged. They both knew what some people said, that children with Asperger Syndrome or other Austitic disorders had a world of their own and so they thought they could be right but they also knew, and this was something they knew from experience, that they were very generous when it came about sharing it. Mother and daughter knew they probably have a different connection because they were not just a mum and a daughter, they were also little George’s guardians and that brought them all the more closer together. 

The little boy had always been so retiring and that was exactly the word, but he was also so, so good. In that moment, under her mother’s stare, she had to swallow the little lump that would form on her throat every time she thought about just a week ago, when she had come home crying and she had yelled at both her mum and dad and she would have locked herself on her room if only she had had a lock- but instead she just closed the door, lied in bed and cried as she felt her heart breaking for the first time in her life; and in that moment the door cracking opened, the little feet walking to her bed, and her little brother sitting with his legs crossed on the corner of her mattress with his brand new book of dinosaurs on his lap. 

“George, what are you doing here buddy?” 

“I know you’re sad.” He reasoned. “And I want to be with you.” 

She felt new tears falling down her cheeks, but that time they felt different, and she just nodded her head, changing her position so she could be closer to the little boy. 

“You want to know about the T Rex?” He asked his sister as if that could fix her. “You know in Jurassic Park, that scene where the T Rex runs after the car and the family is inside screaming because he’s going to get them?” She nodded. “Well that’s not true! A T Rex couldn’t run as fast as a car!” He giggled. “He was too heavy, he could only run 30 km per hour.” 

“Well” Laura said “I think they get along so well because uncle Harry gets him like we do and I think he does that because he also doesn’t really like people too much.” 

“You know the phrase Treat People With Kindness you have on your schoolbag right? That’s his. That’s your uncle’s merch.” Gemma smiled. 

“I know, mum.” Laura rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean like that. I mean... You know today Charlie called and said they were all going to the mall to see Rose and I just... I don’t really want to go out, you know? And I know I’ll get over this, but Eric wasn’t my Y/N. I mean... Imagine you didn’t have dad, or us” she raised her eyebrows “maybe you wouldn’t be so... outgoing? And you definitely wouldn’t want to hang around the people who remind you of dad the most, would you?” 

“Lauri” Gemma smiled “never change that little head of yours, yeah?” 

Laura smiled back at her mum before they went back to their own tasks and then Gemma tried not to, but couldn’t help to, steal little glances at her daughter’s phone every time she would text. And then her own phone lighted up on the table and she smirked. 

Haha I know you do. I just hate yoga, it’s nothing personal haha- Y/N

“Hey mum, Dylan might come over before dinner to help me with Maths. Is that alright?” 

“It sure is, sweetheart. Ask him to stay over for dinner though. Dad is making a roast.” She raised her eyebrows excitedly and her daugther laughed. 

“Okay.” She smiled. 

And then they both cut vegetables while Asher got all the ingredients on the table, as usual terribly singing to Ben Howard while the two women on his life whispered under their breaths. 

“This is the kind of Saturdays I like.” He smiled. “My girls helping me out, only my little man is missing but he’s having fun so it’s not that bad.” 

“You’re so cheesy, dad.” Laura rolled her eyes. 

“You really are, babe.” Gemma laughed. 

“Hey! You both are mean.” 

Laura left the already cut courgette on the table next to her father before she gave him a little smile. 

“I’m only doing this because I’m single.” She dared to joke, making her dad roll his eyes as her mum laughed. “Guys, I’ve also been thinking” for she couldn’t say she had been searching for Y/N online, hoping she could contact her and try to fix a 35 years old man’s heart “what if... What if we tried to get in touch with Y/N?” 

Her dad dropped a fork, Gemma smirked at his awkwardness. 

“What for, baby?” Gemma asked. 

“Well, you know, it’s about to be Easter. What if... What if the Easter bunny wasn’t the only one doing magic?” She smiled. 

“Okay we’re definitely unsubscribing Netflix.” Asher shook his head. 

“Oh, come on, dad! You believe in love! What would you do if mum just disappeared? You’d like to at least know how she’s doing, right?” 

“Yeah but Y/N didn’t just disappear, Lau. Y/N left and that’s different.” 

“He doesn’t hate her.” Laura said. “And there must be a reason for that. He wouldn’t still talk of her that highly if she had just left. Something... Something must have happened.” 

“Or not, love. This is not To All The Boys I’ve Written A Letter.” 

“That’s not even the name of the movie.” Laura just noted, softly shaking her head at her dad as he rolled his eyes. 

“Gemma talk some sense into our daughter’s head.” 

“Actually, Ash-” 

“No-”

“I think it’s a good idea.” 

An hour and a half later Dylan had given up about his friend actually understanding what she was doing with those calculations. She just had a brilliant memory and she remembered it by heart, the method, the equations, so if you asked her she had no idea what was going on but she could give you an answer and for that day, Dylan thought that was okay. 

“No, Dylan, it’s not a blind date. There are so many ways that could go wrong.” Laura explained her friend as he picked up his books. “But my mum and I are gonna meet with her! She agreed, you know? She doesn’t know my uncle is here or anything but maybe Mum tells her when we see her.” 

“And then what? You think they’re gonna get back together? After two years?” 

“Crazier things have happened.” She shrugged. “Plus, love will find a way. I thought we had been over this already.” 

He just stared at her and if she wasn’t just fifteen or if she knew just a little bit more about men, she would know that meant a completely different thing to him. He stretched his legs under the table and the thought crossed his mind, that at some point he might be her Harry and she might be his Y/N and then he tried to fight the little stupid smirk that was pulling from the corner of his lips. 

“What?” She swatted his arm playfully. 

“Nothing!” He laughed. “You’re just so cliché. You live for a romcom, don’t you?”

“So does my uncle!” She widened her eyes. “That’s why I know this can work. You’ve just never been in love that’s why you can’t understand.” 

Dylan nodded. Right. So cliché and so oblivious. 

“And then the parrot said that the cat couldn’t fly and then the cat fell out the window and he yelled see how I can fly?” George laughed right after Harry had closed the door. “Is that funny?” 

“It is funny, George.” Harry chuckled. 

“Oh, here’s my baby!” Gemma squealed as she ran towards her son. 

“Well hello Gemma.” Harry chuckled. 

“Hello brother.” She smiled. 

If only he knew what was coming for him. 

At that point he thought he was close to being a trespasser, for two weeks at his sister’s house seemed to be the closest to too much a sibling could get but he also felt as if he was taking all the time he hadn’t allowed himself to have with his sister’s children and also, ever since he had heard your voice again, on those damn videos, he just couldn’t get it out of his head and I love you, Harry but also I think I’m falling for someone else. Two years; two years apart and more than 20 together... How did two years mean anything at all? He got up and decided that day was going to be about reminiscing. 

Laura had her arm tangled with her mother’s as they both walked to the café they had agreed to meet with you in the mall. Laura was meeting Dylan at the theatre afterwards, just on the top floor of the same building, but she was too excited thinking at last she was going to meet the already famous Y/N for her to think about any other thing. She just walked as if she knew nothing about the world, like an innocent girl about to meet Santa for the first time and she felt her body squeaking if that was possible when her mum greeted someone. She tried to look for her on the cafeteria, she narrowed her eyes; her mum had greeted someone else. Then they sat down on a table outside, on the corridor of the mall, right in front of a costumes shop and she sighed, licking her lips and hoping they could fix this for her uncle, and then you arrived. 

Your hair was a bit shorter than she had seen on your graduation video and you wore round sunglasses but when you smiled at them, she smiled as well because if your smile looked the same then maybe everything else about you hadn’t changed as much either. You wore skinny jeans and a white blouse and she thought she wouldn’t mind looking like that, she thought she wouldn’t mind at all and that Dylan would find you hot. 

“Hi.” You grinned, placing your sunglasses on the top of your head. “You look so gorgeous!” You complimented Gemma. 

“So do you!” 

She got up from her chair and pulled you in a very tight hug and Laura just stared at your profile as you closed your eyes and enjoyed her mum’s embracement. She took that moment to really see you and then she undertstood why it had been that long and her uncle still hadn’t forgotten about you because you had the kind of face one never forgets and she knew if Harry was in love with you then he would see you even prettier, and that was prettier than anyone could ever forget. 

“This is my daughter Laura.” Gemma smiled. 

“What?” Your eyes widened as you stared at the young teenager who looked a lot like her mum did. “You have got to be kidding me! I feel so old!” You laughed. “Hi Laura! I’m Y/N, I bet you don’t remember me.” 

“Remember?” She frowned. “So we’ve met before?”

You chuckled, nodding your head. 

“You... You know who I am? Or who I was?” 

“Yeah.” Uncle Harry’s girlfriend. 

“Well we used to take you out quite a lot before we moved but I think you were... Like... 5 or 6 so... I expected you not to remember me.” You smiled. 

��Wow, I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be!” You chuckled. “It’s not like you can control that! You are so beautiful. Sorry I had to say it. You look a lot like Anne.” 

“She does, doesn’t she?” 

“Yeah, how is she by the way?” 

“She’s good. Yeah, she’s good. She... She finally moved to London.” 

“Right! Well that’s... That’s great.” 

“Yeah.” 

“And... How is Asher? And George?” 

“They’re good.” Gemma smiled. “Little George found his passion in dinosarus, right Laura?” 

“Yeah.” The girl laughed. “He’s like a little genius. He can tell you everything and anything about dinosaurs the little nerd.” 

“That’s funny.” You smiled. “My sister had a child too.” You grinned. “A year ago. He’s called Nick. She... She wanted to... Ask Harry to be the godfather, even if we were not together.” You shook your head, giving them an awkward smile. “She didn’t, eventually.” 

“Is... Is Tommy the godfather?” 

“No!” You widened your eyes. “I wasn’t with Tommy at the time already.” 

“Wait, what?”

“Wait, who is Tommy?” Laura asked. 

“Tommy is... My ex.” 

“Like my uncle.” 

You gave her a look. Why did it feel like the little girl was judging you? Instead you gave her a little smile before you whispered “no, not like your uncle.” 

“I guess you’re wondering why all of a sudden we wanted to meet” Gemma dared to direct the attention to the elephant in the room “and quite frankly the fact that even without knowing you said yes was what really made me let my daughter do this.” 

“Your daughter?” You looked at Laura. “What is it? Is everything alright?” 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. He’s alright.” 

“Thank God.” You brought your hand to your chest and sighed. “I... I came without asking because I was so scared something might have happened to him. I knew you wouldn’t tell me that over the phone.” 

“No, God, no.” Gemma said. “He’s perfectly fine.” 

“He’s staying with us.” Laura blurted out, making her mum sighed as she shut her eyes. Now this was the moment when you stood up and walked away. 

“He is?” You asked instead. “Last thing I heard was that he had moved to Japan.” 

“He did.” Laura confirmed. “But he’s back now.” 

“He is.” 

You repeated her words, sounding like an idiot, because for a moment there you had felt overwhelmed by her statement. It was as if only thinking that he could be in the same country as you was turning you into a silly girl who couldn’t count to three. All of a sudden you wanted to cry and you knew it didn’t make much sense but you also knew if someone were to ask you you were going to start crying and you would tell them you didn’t know your own name. 

“Is he?” You voice croaked. “Fuck” your eyes widened as Laura’s presence hit you “I’m sorry, does he know I’m-”

“No” Gemma said “we didn’t talk to him, we just... Laura, tell her what happened.” 

Laura looked at her mother in a moment of panic. How was she going to tell her what had happened? Her mother didn’t even know she had had that talk with her uncle, or did she? And she didn’t even know which part she could tell and which part should be a secret but her mum just nodded and then she understood she wanted her to be the one to do this, for she had been the one who wanted to do this all alone, so she sighed before she turned to look at you. Her mum turned her head to order two coffees, a chocolate and two pieces of cake and then she told her everything, from the moment Harry had comforted her about Eric Shepelld to the conversation they had shared in the kitchen and you were not sure whether you were about to faint or to cry. 

“What about Kendall then?” You asked Gemma. 

Laura frowned. Her uncle hadn’t told her anything about any Kendall, or about any other girl for that matter, and then in that moment, she felt as if she had been unfair and all of a sudden it was as if she had just noticed how much affection there had been on her mother’s embrace to Y/N just before and then she thought the whole thing might have not been as simple. Maybe her uncle had thought at some point he was in love with someone else too. 

Gemma just shook her head and then for the first time Laura realized sometimes adults, even being 34 years old, don’t know what’s going on either. 

They had left the cafeteria with the promise of talking soon.  Gemma had driven home and Laura had made her way up the theatre to meet with Dylan who, as expected, was already waiting for her right where he said he would. She gave him a big smile and then she realized how lucky she was to have him and the thought crossed her head, if only for a second, before she wrapped her arms around him. 

“I take it it didn’t go as well as you thought it would?” Dylan asked her. 

“It’s not that.” She smiled. “I’m just happy to have you.” 

He grinned, and he prayed she couldn’t see the blush on his cheeks, so he tightened his arms around her figure, not only because he liked to hold her, but so that his face could go back to its normal colour. She pulled back and looked back up at him. 

“Promise we will never stop talking to one another?” She asked. 

“So far in these ten years of friendship, you are the one who’s stopped talking to me.” He smiled, grinning wider when she frowned. “Remember when I chose Mary Hardy as my bus partner to the museum trip when we were 8?” Laura grinned. “You stopped talking to me for two days.” 

“You never chose another bus partner after that.” She shrugged. 

He grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her to the fifth theatre. And I never will now. 

Harry was sitting on the kitchen table, at the farthest corner with his guitar on his lap, and he had been strumming on the same melody all morning for he couldn’t get it out of his head and somehow it felt as if he had heard it before. For some reason that scene, the guitar playing on somebody else’s kitchen had reminded him of that summer the two of you went to Jamaica. 

All of a sudden it was as if he could see you, waking up after him, as usual for you were not as much of a morning person as he was; and making your way to the kitchen on your undies and his shirt from the night before. He had been jogging in the morning and he had probably waking you up with the sound of the shower. He grinned as he saw you, your hair a proper mess as you yawned and he knew you hadn’t even washed your face. 

“There you are.” Your voice was crocked from sleep. “I woke up and you weren’t there.” You pouted. 

He chuckled, resting the guitar on the table next to him and patting his lap for you to sit on it. You smiled, proud of yourself for having at least brushed your teeth, and then you straddled him, your hands instantly finding a home on his hair and he hummed in appreciation. His hands slided down your back as he just smiled at you and then he all but whispered “give me a kiss” and so you leaned down and captured his lips with yours and just the thought of you kissing him made him weak at the knees, even if it was years later at his sister’s kitchen. 

He is sure it’s strange, that he can still perfectly rememer how you kissed. It might be getting harder, especially to close his eyes and think he’s feeling it, but what’s true is that he still remembered the feeling and he still remembered the way your lips seemed to perfectly mold to his. 

“Why do you smell so good?” He whispered, his nose buried in the spot right behind your ear before he started kissing down your neck, making his way back to your lips. 

“I love waking up with you.” You moaned. “Don’t... H... Don’t just leave in the morning.” 

He chuckled against your neck, feeling the skin of your bare legs turning into goose bumps as he kissed your jaw. 

“But you’re such a sleepyhead, baby.” He bit down your skin. “I woke up and couldn’t sleep any more. Thought I’d let you sleep after last night...” 

He smirked smugly and you cupped his jaw and brought his face to yours. You gave him a skimo kiss, tangling your fingers on the curls of his neck as he just grinned like a child. 

“I always miss you so much when you’re gone.” You whispered. “So when you’re here, I want to wake up with you and if that means you literally have to stir me awake I want you to do so.” 

He just stayed quiet then. It was as if all a sudden he had realized you were serious and then he nodded, he would wake you up every morning for the rest of his life, and he wanted you to know how much he fucking loved you, even if he was away a lot, even if you had to wake up alone a lot of days in the year. He wanted you to know you were the only one and he also wanted to stop hearing those things, even though they were true, so he kissed your lips and the deeper it got the harder his grip on your body but you only moaned, naughtly and greedily rolling your hips on his for you loved that slightly agressive side of him. He still kissed you as he unbuttoned the shirt of his you wore, leaving your chest exposed and your undies getting more and more wet. You couldn’t stop moaning and it was some sweet perverted way of complaining because the way you moved over him could never give you the relief you needed. 

“I want you.” 

You half whispered half begged, holding his neck and making him look into your eyes because you wanted him to see it, that hunger for him that was roaring at your belly; despite everything he had given you the night before, you still wanted more and you hoped you would always want more and that between the two of you there would always be that energy, that attraction, and that years wouldn’t pass over that, that you would always be young for this. 

“I want to fuck you so hard right now.” 

He had to clear his throat at the memory of that and he could feel his neck and cheeks turning red. He looked that at his pants. Great, he’d need a cold shower then. 

When he came out of the shower, Gemma was already wearing a fancy dress and he gave her an amused smile. 

“Am I babysitting?” He asked. 

“No, you’re coming along.” She nodded. “Today’s Asher’s company charity dinner, remember?” She raised her eyebrows.

“I do remember.” He lied. 

“Sure, sure.” She smiled. “You’ve got about twenty minutes.” 

She sat down on her bed as she put her earrings on and Asher noticed she was frowning so he pressed a kiss to her shoulder and whispered it would be alright as she gave him a grateful smile. It’s not like she believed in destiny or soulmates or that kind of thing, but she was certain she would never love anyone the way she loved Asher and so she just got it. There are no soulmates, she thought, but sometimes the one is just the one. 

Laura had put on the dress Asher’s mum had weaved for her last Christmas and she spun around in front of her mirror. She could wear a little mascara and a little light lipstick that night and somehow when she looked at herself in the mirror she realized that light makeup made her look older than her usual dramatic black line and she thought she might listen to her mum more often. Dylan texted her the colour of his tie. Do you like it? - Dylan. She smiled, for some reason she was feeling a little nervous about seeing him; but it might just be how tremendously nervous she was that her uncle was going to see her. 

The Weatherfords got there just ten minutes late, just like the vicepresident of the company should, as Gemma had said; but still it gave Asher an excuse to lean down and whisper on her ear that they should have another baby so they could have a proper excuse for being late. She giggled and blushed and her husband grinned because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and she was also his and he couldn’t really ask for anything more. 

Laura and Dylan had been talking to Harry for the biggest part of the night and his niece had noticed how much female attention he was getting just as she had noticed when he would smirk at the ones he might like. She couldn’t really get mad at him for that, could she? Then why was she? She grabbed Dylan’s wrist, had a glance at his watch, and didn’t notice the way he was staring at her. So she could get even prettier. 

“Lauri, you do know there’s not a like a... band coming or a show or even a clown, right?” Her uncle smirked. “You can stop checking the time.” 

“Are you sure there’s not a clown coming? Cause I’m seeing one right now in front of me.” 

Harry laughed and then he had a sip of his scotch. He had never really drank scotch, but he could almost hear Niall going real men drink scotch, only Harrys drink gin so he had ordered a scotch instead even though next time, he’d order a gin because even if only Harrys ordered gin, he was a Harry after all. 

You walked inside Asher’s boss’ house after having given your name to the doorman. He had given you a gentle smile as he opened the door for you and as soon as you stepped inside you felt yourself calm down because you had been afraid you were overdressed. You straightened your dress right after you left your coat on the rack and then had a look around, hoping to see Gemma soon. It was moments like this when you missed her gray hair for the brunette Gemma was harder to spot in a crowd. Not so much Asher, the tallest man you had ever met so you just had to walk to that tall head who was laughing hard. 

Harry was still meters away when you joined Gemma, joking with his niece and her best friend and he couldn’t help but think those two were going to end up together- or at least he hoped so for Dylan’s sake- but it wasn’t long until Laura spotted you and tangled her bare arm with that of her uncle, guiding him towards you. She was biting her bottom lip, feeling like a kid in Christmas at the anticipation of her uncle’s reaction but then as they got closer and you were in sight, she felt him completely tensed next to her, and she wished they had given him some kind of warning. 

He stopped on his tracks and he didn’t look at anyone and his niece had to stop too for he wouldn’t budge and people were going to notice. 

“Is that?”

Only then he looked at her and Laura just nodded, now afraid that he was going to get mad or that he was just going to turn around and leave but before he could do any of that, Y/N had noticed the way Gemma had seemed to stop listening to you as she set her eyes on something behind your back so you just turned around and your heart stopped beating when you saw him.

“Harry!” 

You literally chirped before you ran towards him, almost stumbling with your own feet before you threw yourself at his arms. His heart went off in a mad frenzy and he was sure you were going to feel his rapid, crazy pulse against your skin, as your arms tightened around his neck and, even though if he had known and if he had had time to stop and think about the possible ways a reunion with you could have gone, he would have never considered this a possibility; he buried his head into your neck, and he breathed there for seconds enough for him to know this was actually you as if your presence had momentarily overwhelmed him. 

“Hey.” 

He finally said, and the way he sounded, and the awkward word, made you almost jump from his chest. You cross your arms across your chest, caressing your elbow timidly with your fingers as you looked at the floor. There was a strand of hair that was shielding your face from his stare and he was dying to reach for it and tuck it behind your ear but he knew he couldn’t do that now, despite your warm welcome and having just had your arms around him. 

“I’m sorry.” You whispered. “I don’t... I don’t even know why I did that. It’s just... Really nice to see you.” 

It broke his heart to think that you had assumed he didn’t want to hold you. He would kill to have you in his arms again but instead he just shook his head. His mouth had suddengly gone dry and he was tongue tied, he was sure if he were to speak he would stutter with the words. He scratch the back of his neck, he could feel his skin turning red. 

“It’s nice to see you too.” 

You smiled at him and the ridiculous amount of times he had spent gawking at the pictures of you he had or just thinking about your face couldn’t prepare him for actually seeing you again. It was really an experience because it wasn’t just the way you look, absolutely fucking perfect if you were to ask him, but also the way you smelled and the way you sounded and the way your skin looked, soft like a peach, that could never be captured in a picture. The desire of running his fingertips down your bare arm almost got the best of him but he just smiled back and in that moment even Dylan almost started believing in romcoms. Laura had grabbed his arm, and that alone, considering the way she looked tonight, was reason enough for him to be glad that this Y/N girl had arrived. 

“Y/N” Gemma attracted her attention, giving her brother time to gawk at her “if you want a drink, Harry can take you to the bar, right Haz?” 

“Sure.” He nodded. 

The two of you walked towards the bar in silence and even though he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that you were just right there next to him and that he could just reach an arm and he would touch you, he knew this was the moment when it got awkward. He gave you a little smile when he rested his elbow on the bar and then he asked you what you wanted to drink. You smiled. 

“Strawberry gin and Sprite.” 

He chuckled before he nodded. He was glad to know you still had the same drink. He wondered how many things were still the same and how many things had changed now. He then thought after all, he was at least allow to look at you without being embarrassed and so he did and he couldn’t bring himself to catch all of that. Your nose, the few freckles he had memorized, your eyes, your thick lips and then he looked down at your neck as if he was afraid that freckle he was obsessed about was gone but it wasn’t so he smiled. You looked just the same, if only a little wiser. You sighed before you gave him a big smile. 

“How are you?” You whispered. 

He opened his mouth and then he closed it again. He probably wouldn’t even be able to tell you his own name. He couldn’t remember a single time he had been more nervous. 

“I am... I’m good, yeah, good.” He smiled. “And you?” 

“I’m good too. I’m very, very happy to see you. I hope you know that.” You gave him a little smile. 

“Yeah, I know.” He smiled. “I’m... I’m sorry I never went to... You know your invitations.” He smiled. 

You nodded, looking down at your feet and he knew he shouldn’t have brought that up. You had invited him a few times for the past year to some exhibitions of yours, a photography exhibition you have modelled for... But he had never find the courage to go because he was afraid this exact thing that was happening now would have happened then. That he would look at you and you would smile at him and he would feel his entire body turning into jelly and he wasn’t ready to feel that. For months he thought he could never be your friend and the thought of torturing himself by trying to be just that was too much for him to handle. 

“I would rather not talk about that.” You smiled. “If that’s okay?” 

“Sure.” He shrugged. “Sorry I... I shouldn’t have said that.” 

“That’s fine.” 

“Well then... Uh... How about you tell me about you?” 

He was afraid she was going to tell him things he didn’t want to know but how could he ask her to leave out everything that could possibly have to do with a family or a lover or a kid? He really needed to calm the fuck down if he didn’t want to have a goddamned heart attack so he just had a sip from his scotch and he just asked the waiter to refill it so he didn’t waste a second asking for a change of drink. 

“Well” You blushed and he hated that you felt embarrased with him “there’s really not much to tell.” You chuckled and he lost all control over his expression as he just grinned at the sound. “I... I moved to New York.” 

“Really?” He smiled. “That’s what you’ve always wanted.” 

This is the part where she tells me her boyfriend has always wanted to live there too. 

“Yeah, it is.” You smiled. “It’s not... As good as I thought it’d be though.” You chuckled. “Maybe it’s just a bit lonely... I feel like it’s really crowded but there aren’t really many people. I don’t know if you know what I mean.” 

“I think I might. It kind of sounds like Tokyo to me.” 

“Really? We... I mean you loved Japan when... You remember when we went there together?” 

“Yeah, but that’s the thing.” He smiled. “Can you think of a place we’ve been together I didn’t love?” 

You chuckled and shook your head. 

“I remember that suit.” 

You whispered, your eyes set on the black suit he was wearing and he looked down himself, suddenly remember he wore that same suit on Mitch’s and Sarah’s two years anniversary party and the fight you had the next day. 

“I remember what I said to you in the morning. It wasn’t true, I-”

“Harry, I know.” You looked him in the eyes, and the green in them almost made you want to cry. “Relax, okay? It’s just me.” 

“I know.” His voice almost croaked so you frowned, surprised that he would be so emotional and you brought your hand to his arm. “But that’s exactly the thing, Y/N. It’s you. And... And it’s just been so long and I feel like I have so many things to tell you and so many things to ask you but... I know it’s been two years but... I’ve missed you a lot and... I know you haven’t but I can’t help but hope you’ve missed me too.” 

“Of course I’ve missed you.” You pouted. If she does that again I might cry. 

“What?” She smirked. 

You caught up with was he was doing immediately and you rolled your eyes, glad to see some things never change, and glad to see he was still that good at lighting the mood when things got sad. You shook your head, blushing and biting on your bottom lip. She still does that.

“I said of course I’ve missed you.” 

“I know.” He grinned. “I just wanted to hear you say that again.” 

And then the dinner was being served so both of you walked back to Gemma’s family but before they arrived. He grabbed your elbow and made you stop in the middle of the huge hall. 

“You said you’re living in New York now.” He said. “So how long are you staying?” 

“I don’t know yet. I didn’t really expect to see you here. I didn’t know you were back in England.” 

“So... You would stay... Longer? Because of me being here?” 

You just looked at him. The way he was looking at you, as if it hadn’t passed a single day, and you hang the moon in the sky, you smiled and without another word you started walking towards the table. 

[gotboredwrote]

Role Reversal // GL!JFM

Pairing: Gardner Langway x Fem!Reader Word Count: 4K Style: Sequel (Part Two of Anchored, But Irradiated) Warnings: Broken bones, so much fluff you might feel sick by the end of it Summary: Y/N and Gardner go on that date they talked about, but something happens to Y/N and there’s only one person qualified to help her out. He isn’t qualified on the medical credentials, but he’s the only one who could do the job. Permanent Author’s Note: To clarify, I write because I get bored. Nothing is meant to be professional in any way, nor is meant to offend, cause anxiety, cause anger, cause sadness, or promote disagreement among readers in any sort of (semi)permanent way. A/N: Request from @took-me-hours-to-steal-those​ ! The first unprompted request I’ve ever gotten! So, I’m very thankful for you, hon! I hope this is what you hoped for! ALSO – if you have not read part one of this, this may not make sense at first. There’s buildup to this point and background there, so I highly suggest you give that a read first, friends.

Masterlist // Part 1

~

It was hard to tell if Gardner truly understood what an actual “date” was, because the two of you had gone on his route while he was in his cast together almost every single day. But nonetheless, it was special. It was special because it was Gardner, and he was happy that you kept your vow to remain close to him. You could tell it made him happy – he was not really good at hiding his feelings, but you found that extremely endearing.

Regarding his emotions, he was not super happy when you were assigned a new person to take care of in the way that you did for him. To you, it meant proof of a steady job and some money, which you needed pretty bad, just like most people in the world. To Gardner, though, it meant less time to spend with him. He wanted to keep spending time with you like you had when he was injured. He wanted to keep cooking in Calvin’s kitchen. He wanted to keep sharing his nuggets of wisdom about each crack in the sidewalk with you. He wanted to show you his newest stamps, and most of all, he wanted to tell you how much you meant to him.

And if it was not for Nettie, he could have done all those things.

Knock knock.

…

The pastel pink door to the small cottage slowly creaked open revealing a small, gentle older gentleman of about 85 years of age. Standing there in your olive-green scrubs, you offered him a large smile, which he reciprocated in his own, less-exuberant way.

“Mr. Thompson?”

“Hello there, dear. Would you be Y/Wrong/N?”

“It’s Y/N, but yes, I am here from the hospital to help your wife, Nettie, right?”

“Oh, my apologies, dearie. Yes, Nettie. Took a nasty fall, hit her head. Has trouble doing anything without getting dizzy right now and my muscles aren’t what they used to be. Not what attracted her to me, at least.” You offered him a laugh, and he stood to the side of the door as if to let you in. “She’s upstairs waiting for you, please come in.”

You thanked him, and you walked past him into their home, which was all painted in pastels and had knickknacks all around from the years of travel it appeared they did. He pointed you to the kitchen where you dropped off Nettie’s paperwork and your personal bag, taking your medicine bag upstairs. Your medicine bag was actually a gift from Gardner. He had a retired doctor on his route, and he constantly saw Gardner walking with you in your scrubs, so he offered his old-fashioned house-call bag to him to give you. You had not stopped using it since the day he gave it to you.

No longer in the presence of her husband, you made your way up to their bedroom where he told you she would be. You knocked gently, but heard no response. You knocked again. Hearing no response again, you lightly pushed the door open to see Nettie sitting on one side of their shared bed, not facing the door, seemingly looking out the window.

Had you noticed the hearing aids sitting on the bedside table, you would have never done what you did. Alas, you did not notice them and grabbed her shoulder to get her attention. It was the first genuine mistake you had made as a nurse.

“Miss Nettie? I’m here to—”

Then you felt a large pressure on your wrist, and the next thing you knew, you were doubled over on the floor next to the foot of her bed. You were half moaning, half screaming at the searing, sharp pain radiating through your wrist and shooting up your arm. Somehow, this 80-something old woman had gotten so riled up by you touching her shoulder all of a sudden that she mustered up the strength to shatter a handful of bones in your wrist. His husband heard the commotion coming from the bedroom, which now included yells from Nettie herself, and as fast as he could made his way into their bedroom.

“What’s going on?”

“Reggie, who is this woman? Why is she in our house? Did you know she was here?”

“Nettie, it’s okay. This is Y/N, she’s the nurse who’s going to be helping you balance while you try to do things around the house and in town.” He looked down at you, still whimpering on the floor from the pain that did not seem to get any better. “Well, I’m not so sure she’ll be helping you now.”

~

Whenever you work somewhere, you never really expect to be on the receiving end of the situation. Especially you, because you worked at a hospital, so if you were on the receiving end, that meant something was wrong. You had visual proof of that looking down at your light blue cast – a color you had admitted you chose for Gardner’s sake. Your supervisor and all your nurse friends crowded in your room and looked at you sheepishly.

“What? How was I supposed to know an 80-year-old lady had the strength to latch onto me, let along break my wrist?”

The x-ray tech came in and placed the shot on the viewer. Everyone in the room winced at how shattered your wrist appeared to be.

“Well… somehow that lady managed to grab you in a way that broke all but one of the bones in your wrist. I think you know the drill for how this goes. Don’t get the cast wet, have someone help you as much as possible, and if you decide to come into work, you’ll be with someone who can help you do stuff. Do you know who can help you?”

“Yeah, I think I know someone.”

Carefully, you drove your car home, considering you only really have the use of one hand because your cast went from your hand to your elbow. Once home, you never even went inside. You walked through your neighborhood about 4 blocks or so until you saw the familiar boat that made you all too warm inside. You were about to walk up to the side of it and knock on it, when a familiar voice called out to you.

“He’s on his route right now, won’t be back for a while!”

Calvin, in his robe, pan with something sizzling inside it. A familiar site, considering your days with Gardner before usually were about 12 hours or more.

“Woah, what happened to our favorite nurse, girlfriend? Oh, well maybe I shouldn’t call you that. Gardner might question what it is you two have.”            

“We’ve been on one date, Cal.”

“Are you denying that you want to be his girlfriend?”

“…” You had not really thought about it. Well, you had, but the one time you went on a date with him, it just felt like you were back at work again because you had to do that while he was injured. You refused to put any thought into the idea that you and Gardner could date until after the work situation was over. And here you were, standing on his doorstep about to ask him to do the exact same thing you did for him.

“Well, I can see you’re pretty lost in your thoughts right now, girly. Did you want to come inside for some breakfast? You can stay here and wait for him to come home, we have tons of movies you could watch.”

“I wouldn’t be intruding?”

“Absolutely not. I’ll be at the shop all afternoon, despite it being Saturday, but you have my cell number, so you can always call me if there’s something you can’t find or need.”

“Thanks, Cal. This means a lot to me.”

“Again, it’s no trouble. And I’m sure Gardner will be thrilled to see you.”

You walked into the all-too familiar home, memories of the showers and sponge baths you gave Gardner flooding into your mind. You felt happy thinking about them, at peace. Not even recognizing the pain in your wrist. Endorphins rushing through you at a mile a minute. Calvin fixed a plate for you, one that consisted of what you remembered were his favorites – bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and an everything bagel. He always made a sandwich, you remembered, so when you asked him to make you one just like he always did, his eyes lit up. It made him happy that you did not just pay attention to Gardner, that he mattered just as much.

You ate the sandwich as best you could with one hand, using a fork to eat the remaining bits that fell. Calvin cleaned up after both of you, and scurried upstairs to change, pointing you in the direction of their living room so you could get comfy. You chose a couple movies they had on DVD, a couple you had not seen before, and choosing an old favorite – Jurassic Park. The little boy, Tim, reminded you of Gardner in some ways. He looked a bit like him, too.

Before you could get up to grab yourself a drink and put a movie in, you heard Calvin sprint down the stairs and nearly fall down the last 5 steps.

“Don’t you dare get up – I’ll get what you need before I leave. Whatcha looking for?”

“Just a drink, thank you.”

“Water or some other beverage?”

“Tea, if you have it, actually.”

“Coming right up.”

With that, you settled back down into your comfortable position on the couch, snuggled in a blanket they had draped over the back of the couch. After about 3 minutes, Calvin came back into the living room and placed the mug down next to you. A USPS mug of all things. He saw you had some DVD’s picked out, Jurassic Park on top, so he popped that in for you and started it. As he started walking out the door to go to the shop he turned around and told you something.

“Gardner actually brought that mug home for you. For you to keep here. He really wants you to spend time here, you know. He really likes you, Y/N.”

You felt your face flush but did not turn to look at Calvin. All you did was listen to the sound of his voice fade out and the classic sounds of John Williams fade in.

~

You did not have a guess as to when you fell asleep, but you were gently startled awake because you heard the door opening. You expected Calvin to walk through the door, but when your eyes adjusted to the light entering your eyes, you saw a lot of blue and a large bag slung over a shoulder. You also saw a safari cap of sorts.

It was your favorite mail carrier.

And he looked so terrified that you were just sleeping on their couch. He had so many questions about the situation, but he pushed them aside. He walked over to your side and watched as you stretched and smiled gently up at him.

“Thanks for the mug, Gardner.”

“What?”

“Calvin told me you brought this here for me to use. Thanks. And I accept the invitation to come over more often. Especially now, because I actually have a pretty large favor to ask of you.” Your arm was still hidden underneath the blanket, so Gardner had no idea what he was about to see. When you raised your arm from behind the blanket, Gardner’s eyes went wide with concern and instantly he dropped to the floor by your side, grasping your arm a little bit more roughly than he should have. He heard you wince in pain and instantly retracted his arms.

“Sorry, s-sorry…”

“It’s okay. This is actually what I wanted to ask you about, Gardner. I kind of…need us to switch roles for a few weeks.”

“You want to be a mail ca—”

“No lovebug, I need you to take care of me like I did for you while you had your cast on. Think you can do it if I walk you through it?”

Gardner simply nodded his head, and then the two of you looked to the door which was opening to reveal an exhausted looking Calvin. He just waved at the two of you and trudged upstairs to shower, so he could then move on to making dinner. After watching him make his way up the stairs, Gardner broke you from your thoughts.

“Have you been here all day?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I didn’t know you were coming.”

“I was thinking it was Sunday and you would have been home. I forgot what day it was and…”

“And?”

“And… I was really hoping you would help me.”

Gardner looked at you funnily. “I already agreed to—”

“I know you did. But I don’t know if you’re grasping the intensity of what I’m asking you to do. You’re going to have to do practically everything I did for you, with the exception of pushing me around in a wheelchair.” Now Gardner looked nervous, and instantly you felt horribly guilty. “Gardner, I can ask one of the nurses, I’m sorry. I just thought it would be a good excuse to hang out with you again.”

“I can do it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I can do it.”

You felt warm. Giddy. Thankful that Gardner walked – well, tripped – into your life.

~

Calvin, despite how tired he was, managed to make a really good dinner for the three of you. Afterwards, you began to realize that Gardner was taking what you said to him very literally. Gardner insisted that you stay with him on the boat because you stayed with him when he was hurt. He insisted that he be the one to help you with anything involving your hands. Which translated into needing a shower. You had worked a night shift before having to go over to Nettie’s house this morning, which felt like a lifetime ago already, so you felt grimy. But you realized all your stuff was at home, Gardner did not drive, and you smelled.

“Hey, Gardner?”

He poked his head around the wall from the kitchen where he was making you another cup of tea. He had made sure you were sat right back where he found you after dinner so you did not exert more energy than necessary.

“I, uh… I need to shower. And I need pajamas for tonight and clothes for tomorrow.”

“I’ll wash your hair, and you can borrow my stuff for tonight. I still have those clothes you wore that first night. When you wanted less laundry to do.”

You just looked at him and hoped that he either could not see how hard your heart was beating, or that he was just as nervous as you.

The latter was true.

For some reason, this felt way more intimate than the first time, the minute you walked into his bathroom. A familiar room. You should not feel this nervous. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that you were going to have to take the top layer of your scrubs off in front of him. Maybe it was the fact that he was going to be yanking on your hair – something you realized you might like because of the way he reacted when you did it to him. Maybe it was the fact that the two of you had gone on a date but had not yet established what this relationship of yours really was. Or kissed.

Gardner had a very good knack for taking you out of your thoughts, because the water from the spicket started cascading into the tub, loudly. And instantly your skin was red hot. Gardner was kneeling beside the tub checking the water, waiting for you to tell him what to do. You shakily unbuttoned your scrubs top and let the fabric fall from your shoulders. You were staring right at Gardner while you did so, and he was doing the same. All you had on now was a white tank top. He watched as you loosened your hair from how you had it, letting is cascade down just like the water. Then, before you realized it, you could feel the cold ceramic of the tub on your upper back, head hanging over the side of the tub. You looked up at Gardner who was as stiff as a piece of plywood. You reached up to hold his face and turn it to yours.

“Hey, hon, it’s just me. We’ve been in this position before. This isn’t weird, okay? All you have to do is wash my hair like you would wash your own. Think you can do that?”

He nodded his head, eyes shining and boring right into your own. There was something behind those eyes, you just could not place it.

“Plus, it’ll be kind of funny – I’ll smell like you because of the shampoo!”

Gardner pried his eyes away from your own to start letting the water run down your hair. It felt nice to have someone do this for you. You had not been to a hairdresser in a long time, so this was as close as you were going to get.

Gardner watched as the droplets of water streaked down your hair, now a couple shades darker. It was mesmerizing to him, how smoothly they moved. Then he looked to your face – completely at ease, no tension, just enjoying the warmth. Almost…blissed out. Then he realized that your hair was far beyond being drenched enough, so he carefully placed the showerhead down into the tub and reached for his shampoo. Initially, he only put the amount he would use on his hand, ever so literal he was, and then he made up the difference for your much longer hair.

“I’m… going to start putting the shampoo in.”

“Mmm.” All you could offer was a hum. You genuinely felt like you looked. As soon as Gardner had started the process, your nerves faded. His on the other hand, were just getting worse and worse.

Then, his hands were working the shampoo from your roots to your ends. At first, he quite literally just used his flat hands and moved from the top to the bottom, but then he realized that is not exactly how one washes hair. So, he began to use his fingers a little bit more carefully. Running them through, detangling.

Pulling.

And your suspicions were confirmed. A noise left your lips that were so desperately terrified would escape, and instantly Gardner’s hands retracted. He held his hands up like he had a gun pointed at him, not caring that they were dripping all over himself, and looked at you widely.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No, hon…feels good.”

Somehow, the manner and tone with which you said that urged him to keep going. After all, the soap had to get out sometime. He worked the remaining streams of shampoo into your hair, and then rinsed off his hands so he could wash out your hair. All the meanwhile small huffs of air escaped your lips with every pull and stroke down your hair. You understood now how Gardner could not control his reaction – you were doing the exact same thing. All the while wondering to yourself ‘what is this that we have?’

Then you heard the water shut off, and Gardner reached back for a towel. He was sitting back on his knees waiting for you to sit up, with the towel placed gingerly over his hands which were extended in front of him.

“Oh, look at you, lovebug! I didn’t even have to tell you what was next.”

He continued to look right at you with determination and… that other thing you still could not pinpoint. Regardless, you sat up and leaned straight against the bathtub. You looked at him wistfully, somewhat tired from the warmth, and he took that as a cue to toss the towel over your head. He was not quite sure how to properly towel-dry hair, but he did his best. Something he did, though, earned him another noise. One much more intense than the others. It stopped him dead in his tracks. The towel had been covering your face, so he did not get to see the face you made before, but slowly he removed the towel from your face and leaving it atop your head.

You were either embarrassed or turned-on, Gardner could tell that much. He was not experienced but he knew those two emotions. He had felt both when he was in your boat a little while back. In a very unlike Gardner move, he just decided to hope that it was the latter of the two options.

Soft. That was the first thing you noticed about them. They were relatively plump for someone like him, and very soft. They also moved against your own like they had more experience than they let on, but you knew from previous conversations with the boy that he had no real experience other than a childhood one when he was about seven.

So, you could not help but wonder, where in the world did this massive smacker he was currently laying on you come from? And why?

Not that you minded, of course.

At first, he was still. Clearly unsure of whether or not you were kissing him back, or if you hated every millisecond of this. His eyes were pressed shut so tight he was starting to see those little colors you see when your eyes go berserk. But then he felt it. Motion not coming from his own mouth. You were kissing him back.

He had no idea what it was to do, so he let his natural instinct take over. His mouth started to move with yours, against your motions, trying to feel every single inch of space your lips had to offer. After a few moments, it became more than just lips, mouths barely opening to simply feel more of each other. He was still holding onto the towel – you could tell simply because the pressure on your head was increasing with each passing moment, signaling to you that he was holding onto it for dear life. Then, the pressure moved away. His hands moved somewhere else. But it was not your body.

He had placed his hands onto the edge of the tub to ground himself and give him somewhere to balance. You could feel his body shift. He moved over top of you, your head leaning back a bit from the height difference. And the feeling on your lips was more intense. More passionate. Deeper, slower. He was putting every fiber of his being into this kiss as if it were the only time he would ever get the chance. You placed your good hand into his hair, lightly pulling just the way you learned he liked, and instantly he melted into you.

So much so that the hands that he had on the tub had finally realized they had water under them and decided to slip backwards into the tub. Now with nothing to hold him up, Gardner’s entire body came crashing down into yours, the only exception being that you got your hands up to his face in time so your heads did not collide.

Both of you were breathing in heavily, right into each other’s ears and necks. But, ever the silence-breaker, you heard his breathing hitch before hearing his voice.

“That cast feels funny.”

You simply pulled your head back to look at him and playfully smirked at him. His eyes were blown black, and his cheeks were bright red. It was a sight you loved. He spoke again.

“Can we go to bed now?”

“On two conditions.”

He simply gave you a questioning look.

“You have to promise to show me that new stamp you were telling me about when we get down there, and you have to promise to do exactly what you just did for a long time.”

Permanent Taglist: @bensrhapsody @chlobo6 @gardnerlangway @xtrashmammalstefx @bohemiandeakyy

Gardner Langway Taglist: @gardnerlangway

Request: @took-me-hours-to-steal-those

// If you want to be added to either taglist mentioned above, or the one for another character I’ve written for, send me an ask here! //

[hannahindie]

85 Statements!

Rules: Answer these 85 statements about yourself, then tag 20 people.

I was tagged by the absolutely amazing @ultrafandomcat Thank you so much for tagging me love!

Last

1. Drink - Cherry Coke

2. Phone call - The dude from Ink in a Blink.

3. Text message - not a text technically, but @pinknerdpanda! <3

4. Song you listened to - As The Jurassic World Turns (Jurassic World Soundtrack)

5. Time you cried - Umm...sometime earlier this week. I found pictures my grandmother who just passed away took at my wedding last year.

Ever

6. Dated someone twice? - Not dated, but talked to. Dumb.

7. Kissed someone and regretted it - Oh, yes. Oh my, yes. And Facebook memories just keep popping up the fallout from it. -eye roll-

8. Been cheated on - ...This is weird to answer. No but yes? It’s a weird story. lol

9. Lost someone special - Yes.

10. Been depressed - Yeah

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up - Yeeaaaaa. I used to be able to say no to this, and then I got old and my body decided to remind me.

Favourite colours

12. dark purple

13. bright blue

14. dark gray

In the last year have you…

15. Made new friends - Yes.

16. Fallen out of love - Nope! Still very much head over heels, thank youuuuu.

17. Laughed until you cried - Yep

18. Found out someone was talking about you - I’m sure people talk about me at work a lot. -shrug- I guess that happens when you get shit done. -flex-

19. Met someone who changed you - Sure have

20. Found out who your friends are - Uhh...I don’t think so?

21. Kissed someone on your Facebook friends list - Sure have! -whispers- My husband is my facebook friend.

General

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know irl - I’d like to say most of them, but I had a pretty significant time frame where I made alllllllllll the online friends.

23. Do you have any pets - My kitty!

24. Do you want to change your name - I changed my last name!

25. What did you do for your last birthday - I honestly can’t remember. I’m sure I went with my parents, we had a dinner with friends, I think my husband might have taken just the two of us out.

26. What time did you wake up today - 8 a.m.

27. What were you doing at midnight last night - Watching Grey’s Anatomy because I hate myself.

28. What is something you cant wait for - APRIL. I get to see my water bear and my twin and the boys and and and everyooooooooone!

30. What are you listening to right now - People talking about....something. I don’t know. Not paying much attention.

31. Have you ever talked to a person named tom - One of my first close college friends is named Tom.

32. Something that’s getting on your nerves - Wanting to go home and being trapped here. lol

33. Most visited website - Tumblr, Facebook, BeFunky.

34. Hair colour - dark strawberry blonde I guess. Someone said brown once, but I don’t think that’s accurate.

35. Long or short hair - I miss my long hair.

36. Do you have a crush on someone - Yes. -whispers- It’s my husband. Don’t tell him.

37. What do you like about yourself - I’m pretty hilarious.

38. Want any piercings? - I toyed with the idea of getting my nose pierced.

39. Blood type - I have no idea. I live life on the edge.

40. Nicknames - Han, Hanners

41. Relationship status - Marrrrrrriiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeed

42. Zodiac - Pisces

43. Pronouns - She/her.

44. Favourite TV shows - Supernatural, Walking Dead, Criminal Minds, Psych, The Office, Game of Thrones, Sherlock, Grey’s Anatomy (just recently. it’s my guilty pleasure)

45. Tattoos - One, on my foot. It says Amor motis est.

46. Right or left handed - Right.

47. Ever had surgery - Yup

48. Piercings - Yep: I had three on the bottom, but now I have two on the bottom, and the first hole is gauged, I have a regular cartilage piercing in one ear, and an industrial in the other.

49. Sports - I did roller derby for awhile. I am not an athletic person.

50. Vacation - New Zealand, Ireland, pretty much most places, okay, ,thanks.

51. Trainers - My favorite pair are black converse that are super glittery.

More general

52. Eating - I haven’t had lunch...but I had a McGriddle for breakfast.

53. Drinking - Still sipping on cherry coke.

54. I’m about to watch - Nothing. Because I’m trapped.

55. Waiting for - the contractors to be done with my house so I can move in!

56. Want - to go home, and see my parents, and also mooooooove.

57. Get married - I am! It’s pretty great. I thoroughly enjoy it.

58. Career - If I could make money from writing and cross stitching, and be able to survive...that. OR Moving into the ID department. Or an occupational therapist.

Which is better

59. Hugs or kisses - I like both very much.

60. Lips or eyes - Eyes.

61. Shorter or taller - Taller, because I’m already pretty short.

62. Older or younger - Doesn’t really matter...my husband is only like a month older than me. lol

63. Nice arms or stomach - Mmm...arms.

64. Hookup or relationship - Relationship, yo.

65. Troublemaker or hesitant - I can be both.

Have you ever

66. Kissed a stranger - Uhhh...I don’t think so? hahah

67. Drank hard liquor - Oh, yes.

68. Lost glasses - Yes

69. Turned someone down - Yes

70. Sex on first date - Nope

71. Broken someones heart - Yeaaaa....but not on purpose.

72. Had your heart broken - Yep. Facebook thought it would be cool to remind me.

73. Been arrested - Nope

74. Cried when someone died - Yes.

75. Fallen for a friend - Yeaaaaaa.

Do you believe in

76. Yourself - Sometimes.

77. Miracles - Sure do.

78. Love at first sight - I knew when I saw my husband walk across the street to meet me for our first date. Hadn’t even spoken to him in person yet.

79. Santa clause - Why wouldn’t I?

80. Kiss on a first date - That depends.

81. Angels - Yup

Other

82. Best friend’s name - This makes me feel like I am going to make someone sad. They know. lol

83. Eye colour - Blue/Grey with a yellow ring around the pupil.

84. Favourite movie - Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, alllll the Marvel Movies. There’s too many.

85. Favourite actor - Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Simon Pegg, Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Zac Efron, Matthew Gray Gubler...there’s so many.

[sciencenewser]

Irrfan Khan, Dies at 53 Last Tribute to a prolific contributor to the World

Irrfan Khan spent away today at an emergency clinic in Mumbai, where he was conceded for colon infection. The 53-year-old on-screen character had engaging malignant growth since 2018 and his official representative had affirmed on Tuesday that he was under specialist's perception. Irrfan Khan has made due by his significant other Sutapa and children – Babil and Ayan. Movie producer Shoojit Sircar wrote a sympathy note recollecting the entertainer. My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.— Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020 His family given an official articulation, "I trust, I have given up"; These were the portion of the numerous words that Irrfan communicated in a genuine note. Also, a man of scarcely any words and an on-screen character of quiet with his profound eyes and his noteworthy activities on the screen. It's disheartening that this day, we need to present the updates on him dying. "The appeal you brought to all that you did was unadulterated enchantment," tweeted Priyanka Chopra. You propelled such huge numbers of us. Irrfan Khan, you will genuinely miss it. Sympathies to the family." Acclaimed Indian actor #IrrfanKhan, known internationally for roles in Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire, has died at the age of 53. pic.twitter.com/a6bzvYitVX— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 29, 2020 Indian government official Rahul Gandhi depicted Khan as a "flexible and gifted on-screen character" who might "extraordinarily missed" while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said India had lost "one of the most excellent entertainers within recent memory."

Last Tribute to a prolific contributor to the World Cinema

In March 2018, Khan uncovered he had been determined to have a neuroendocrine tumor, however after broad treatment, he recouped alright to shoot Angrezi Medium, the film that would end up his last, and whose discharge this March was stopped in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Most popular with English-talking crowds as the police auditor in Slumdog Millionaire and for his jobs in Jurassic World and Life of Pi, Khan was a Bollywood backbone, acting in hits, for example, Haider, Piku and Hindi Medium. Since that industry has its own method, its own particular manner of making films that has nothing to do with aping Hollywood. It starts in Parsi theater." T 3516 - .. just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news .. 🙏 An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum .. Prayers and duas 🙏— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 29, 2020 Irrfan Khan conceived Saahabzaade Irfan Ali Khan in Jaipur in 1966, the child of a tire merchant, and went to dramatization school subsequent to flopping as a cricketer. He battled to make progress in the film business, regardless of the cast in a little job as a letter essayist in Mira Nair's 1988 Salaam Bombay! – to his dissatisfaction, he just figured out how to discover standard work in second rate TV dramas.

Filmfare

Irfan Khan has accomplished Filmfare grants multiple times in his movie profession. He got Filmfare grants for his exhibition in 'Haasil' (2004) 'Life in a Metro' (2008) 'Paan Singh Tomar' (2013) and 'Hindi Medium' (2018).

National Award

Because of his wonderful acting, Irfan Khan additionally accomplished a national honor. He got the National Award for the 'Best Award' for the depiction of 'Paan Singh Tomar'.

Man of the year

Irfan Khan was titled 'Man of the Year' by GQ magazine in 2009. Likewise, he additionally gave the title of 'Indian of the Year' by CNN-IBN in 2011 for his excellent ability.

Padma Shri

Aside from Filmfare, he likewise regarded with the fourth most elevated regular citizen respect in 2011 for his ability.

Global Awards

Aside from national honors, the 'pure fantasy' on-screen character Irfan Khan has made an extraordinary acknowledgment universally also. He gave a few honors for 'The Namesake' (2006), 'Slumdog Millionaire'(2008), New York (2010) 'Paan Singh Tomar' (2013) and 'The Lunchbox' (2014), D-day (2014, Piku (2016) and Hindi Medium (2018).

Asian film Awards

Irrfan Khan was awarded over the trophy for the best entertainer at the eighth release of the Asian Film Awards (AFA) held at Macau.

Khan's advancement job started from an impactful source

the component presentation of then-obscure British chief Asif Kapadia, whose low spending samurai story, The Warrior, was shot in India. Discharged in 2002, The Warrior chose for the esteemed San Sebastián film celebration and won the Bafta grant for the best British film. Irrfan was a solid soul, somebody who battled till the end and constantly motivated everybody who approached him. Subsequent to having struck by lightning in 2018 with the updates on an uncommon malignancy, he took life not long after as it came and he faced the numerous conflicts that accompanied it. Encompassed by his adoration, his family for whom he most thought about, he left for paradise homestead, deserting really his very own heritage. What's more, to resound and leave behind his words he had stated, "As though I was tasting life just because, its mysterious side". Irrfan Khan's last film 'Angrezi Medium', which hit the screens days before the lockdown was declared. His guiltless depiction of a dad ready to conflict with all chances for his girl abundantly praised by fans. Because of the lockdown, 'Angrezi Medium' quit playing in theaters and later released on an OTT stage. RIP to one of the finest actors of film industry. The Lunch Box will never be the same again. " I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye"

Why does the death of Irrfan Khan feel so personal?

Perhaps because he proved that success is not hereditary. Talent with hard work will rise always. he taught us the key to a happy life is to accept you are never actually in control. India Lost a Gem today. One person, however, who did not thrilled with the film, was Irrfan's own Mother. His mother asked her what she thought of the film. His mother asked where the film's director was. The Universe works its own little ironies into our lives. Irrfan's Mother passed away last week, almost as if she refused to see him die in life, as in art.

Irrfan Khan Last Audio Clip

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[bmclassahan]

Oscars 2020 Preview

Fade in from black

Cue Jurassic Park theme

Ext.- beneath the ocean, night

Tracking shot moving underwater.

Ext.-field of stars, night

Looking out from the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.

Ext.-giant moon, night

Shadow of a bike flying past the moon.

Ext.-tropical island, day

Approaching an island of dinosaurs.

Int.- auditorium

Close-up of regal old man in tuxedo.

MOVIE TRAILER VOICE GUY: Ladies and gentlemen, here tonight and nominated for the 52nd time, Mr. John. Williams. Welcome to the 2020 Academy Awards.

*

In catching up with the Oscar nominees this year, a few really stood out to me. Among the animated films, I enjoyed Missing Link, a fun computer/claymation hybrid animation about an eclectic team of explorers- it has a good story, moves along at a brisk pace, and has a genuine warmth to it that you don’t see a lot of these days. More noteworthy animated fare for me include the shorts Kitbull, which is a touching little story about an unexpected friendship (and cmon who isn’t a sucker for interspecies friendships), Hair Love, which features Issa Rae as a hair stylist vlogger along with a gnarly hair monster, and Sister, a dreamy, haunting and acutely felt meditation on growing up in China’s one-child society. Another short that resonated with me was the live action The Neighbor’s Window, which has a little bit of Hitchcock’s Rear Window, with that modern internet sense of always being watched and an unexpected dash of humanism (check it out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1vCrsZ80M4). Out of the heavies competing for Best Picture, I was blown away by the raw and primal power, coupled with real feelings of lightness, hunmor, and pathos, of Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. It’s a tough and painful movie to watch and is a hard type of movieworm to get out of your head, resonant for the difficult examinations it makes on romance in our society, as well as the unyielding power of its performances. 

A few other notes before I get to my picks:

- Yeah, I watched The Irishman in one sitting.

- It would be pretty dope if Scarlett Johannsson won 2 acting Oscars (she is actually the first to ever be nominated twice for acting in a given year).

- More Oscars fun facts: “Honeyland’ has already made history. It’s the first film ever nominated for both best documentary and best international film, the category formerly dubbed best foreign language film.” (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/how-documentary-honeyland-has-already-made-oscar-history)

- I didn’t know this, but they release the shortlist of prospective nominees for certain categories. It would be cool to see the shortlist of all categories, but I’m guessing they’d rather avoid any more controversy at this point.

- Joker would be the first superhero movie to win best picture, but I think this is less to do with its quality and more with the trend of superhero movies getting nominated in recent years. I think it’s a little too polarizing to win, but it might have enough fervent support to emerge as a dark horse winner.

- Another, more overdue first would be if Parasite became the first foreign language film to win best picture.

- This profile of a key figure in the birth of Star Wars is a pretty amazing story: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/features/he-was-star-wars-secret-weapon-why-was-he-forgotten-1275211

In years past, I’ve given recommendations for new types of Oscars (a Best Ensemble Award), and ways to improve the telecast. This year, I’m throwing out there something I’ve thought about for a while, and in the spirit of who knows the world might end here goes: For close acting races, instead of narrowly giving it to someone and inciting controversy (or reading the wrong name) or just adding to the long list of strange decisions (two people who are commonly cited in this vein- Al Pacino and Martin Scorsese- and one person who I went on about this for years- Roger Deakins- are all nominated this year again for The Irishman and 1917, respectively), have the top two vote getters duke it out in an act-off. Each actor has 5 minutes to deliver the most stunning monologue they can give. The best director nominees all vote on the winner. And we all get a little something extra.

Anyways, here are my choices for a few cherry-picked categories:

Sound Mixing

Should Win: Ad Astra

I’d like to see Ad Astra get something, as I thought it was one of the more underrated flicks from the following year.

Cinematography

Should Win: Roger Deakins

The great Deakins seems to be a front-runner and for good reason- few films have ever felt as intoxicatingly fluid, haunting, and mesmerizing as 1917 and the continuous tracking shot is a big reason why.

Adapted Screenplay

Should Win: Greta Gerwig

Gerwig did for Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women what has been done for Shakespeare in recent years- updated an old source text to feel modern and fresh, yet still honoring the core story of its original version.

Best Supporting Actor

Should Win: Joe Pesci

I actually think Tom Hanks should win, but seeing Pesci walk up on stage would be an unbelievable moment I’m not sure I’m fully prepared for (ditto John f@#$n Williams).

Best Supporting Actress

Should Win: Scarlett Johansson

I like Laura Dern and think she has done a lot of consistently good work in recent years, especially so in The Last Jedi, but I don’t understand why she’s a runaway favorite for the award this year. Dern certainly delivered with what she had, but I think Johansson was astounding in Jojo Rabbit, and it’s hard to think of that movie without her complex mix of sternness, love, sadness, anger, and courage.

Best Actress

Should Win: Saorise Ronan

Ronan’s performance as Jo March in Little Women was one of my favorites in years. It’s a full-on honest and vibrant performance that makes the character feel like a timeless symbol for following your heart. 

Best Actor

Should Win: Adam Driver

I’m not really sure why I have to write anything out for this, so I won’t.

Best Picture

Should Win: Jojo Rabbit

Yeah yeah I know what I said just now, but this film continues to stick with me a few months after seeing it. I haven’t seen many movies like Jojo Rabbit, with its heady mix of black comedy and imaginary historical bent (kind of like a mix of Borat, Harvey, and Life is Beautiful) and don’t think there have been many Best Picture winners like it either.

[stacks-reviews]

Must Reads Special #3

Grab your favorite comfort food and an extra box of tissues. It’s time for another special edition of Must Reads. This months episode: Tears Part 1 Some of my favorite moments that will always make me cry. 

--Cowboy Bebop “The futuristic misadventures and tragedies of an easygoing bounty hunter and his partners.”

Episode 24: “Hard Luck Woman” Faye comes across an elderly woman who knew her when she was younger which triggers some of her memories to return. Back at the Bebop, Ed runs into her absentee father and the rest of Faye’s memories return. As Faye leaves to find her home, she tells Ed that belonging somewhere is the best. Which prompts Ed to leave as Ein follows. Spray painting bye-bye on the ship before she leaves. As Spike and Jet eat the eggs that they had split for everyone we see Faye excitedly run up to her old home only to find nothing but ruins. She draws where her bed was and lays down. 

It’s sad enough to see the Bebop crew split up like this but with “Call Me” playing in the background, it makes this scene all the more heart breaking.

Episode 18: “Speak Like A Child” Our first look into Faye’s past through a mysterious package that turns out to be a tape that she sent to herself as a child. All other music and sounds stop, except for a quiet piano in the background. As the crew looks on, Faye spying from the door, it starts of easily enough. A glimpse into what was. But what rips out my heart every time is the cheer Faye gives to herself. Faye doesn’t remember making the tape or who she was and was like. So although young Faye is telling herself not to lose, to keep trying, adult Faye has already lost (at least in terms of memory).

Young Faye: “Good morning, me. Did you sleep well? Did you wake up feeling good? Did the light, and the wind, and the smell, and the sound, all seem like they’re brand new and fresh this morning? Is each and every cell in your whole body awake and alive now? Today, you are who you are today. See? You’re still me, but you’re a newer version.…Myself ten years from now. It’s so far away; it’s almost impossible to imagine. Am I alone or is there a wonderful person next to me? Knowing me I’m sure you’re causing all kinds of trouble for lots of different people. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to, but it’s all right. That’s part of life too, isn’t it? You’re not perfect but you’ve got a lot to give, so remember: I’ll always be cheering you on. And now a big cheer from my heart. Let’s...go...me, alright! Do your best! Do your best! Don’t lose me! Let’s go, don’t lose, don’t lose me! Do your best! Do your best! Me, me, me! Don’t lose, don’t lose! Me, me, me! Go me! In your time I'm no longer here, but I am here today, and I'll always be cheering for you, right here. Cheering for you- my only self.”

--Futurama “The adventures of a late-20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Phili J. Fry, who, after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, finds employment at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company in the retro-futuristic 31st century.”

Episode 2: “The Series Has Landed” Fry, Leela, Bender, and Amy head to the moon to deliver their first package as a delivery crew. The scene that makes me tear up; in more of a bitter sweet kind of feeling instead of downright sad, is when Fry and Leela are on the dark side of the moon in the Apollo 11 lander. Then this moment happens:

Fry: “Look, Leela. I’m sorry. I never should have dragged you out here.” Leela: “That’s right, you shouldn’t have. I still don’t get what the big attraction is.” Fry: “I never told anybody this, but a thousand years ago I used to look up at the moon and dream about being an astronaut. I just didn’t have the grades, or the physical endurance. Plus I threw up a lot, and nobody liked spending a week with me.” Leela: “A week would be a little much.” Fry: “The moon was like this awesome, romantic, mysterious thing, hanging up there in the sky where you could never reach it, no matter how much you wanted to. But you’re right. Once you’re actually here, it’s just a big, dull rock. I guess I just wanted you to see it through my eyes, the way I used to.” Leela: “Fry, look. It really is beautiful. I don’t know why I never noticed it before.”

It was the first scene that showed me that this show was going to be much more than a silly comedy. It would have moments like these where it becomes something beautiful.

Episode 137: “Game of Tones” A strange ship is heading toward Earth emitting four loud notes that start to cause structural damage on the planet. Fry seems to recognize the melody so they put him to sleep to explore his memories of the day he was frozen to find what was causing the melody. 

I haven’t seen this episode as much as the others on my list today but I do remember the ending. As a thank you for helping save the world again Nibbler helps transport Fry to his mothers dream so he could speak to her. She mentions that she dreamed about him a lot since his disappearance and asks what he wanted to speak about. Speechless, he just hugs her and back in the year 2000 his mother wakes from her dream to Fry’s picture on her nightstand, smiles, and peacefully falls back to sleep.

Episode 56: “Leela’s Homeworld” Leela learns the truth about where she is from. She is not the only cyclops alien in existence, she is a mutant and her parents gave her up so she could have a better life on the surface. At first she believes that the two mutants killed her real parents and almost kills them when they said they did. Then Fry shows up with the note that was left with Leela when she was given away saying it was written on paper commonly used in the sewers. After the reveal Leela says that they are her parents, they embrace and everyone cries. Even Bender gives out a little aww. But what really kicks you in the feels is the montage that follows, showcasing all the ways that Leela’s family secretly looked after throughout her life. Catching her before she could fall down some stairs, leaving her cookies while she worked on homework, giving her birthday presents, and even covering her up with a blanket to this day while she slept.

Episode 36: The Luck of the Fryrish After a string of bad luck Fry wishes he had his old seven-leaf clover; that helps him beat his older brother at everything, and with the help of Leela and Bender they travel to the ruins of Old New York to see if they can find it. Amazingly his house is still there but the clover is gone and after finding a statue that looks like his brother, Yancy, with the inscription, “Philip J. Fry The Original Martian, he concludes that his brother must have stolen it and his dream to be the first person on Mars. Fry finds out where his brother is buried and decides to do a little grave-robbing to get his clover back. The episode jumps between Fry’s past and his current time. Mainly focusing on his relationship with his older brother. Showing how Yancy wanted to be named Philip and kept copying Fry. 

Once they arrive at the grave Fry knocks off the moss that had covered the graves inscription. It then jumps to his older brother discussing what to name his newborn son with his wife: 

Yancy: “Daddy has a present for you today. Do you know what it is? It’s a lucky clover that can help you be successful whatever you do. Even break dancing. And it once belonged to someone very special.” His wife: “I know what name you want to give him, Yancy. It’s okay.” Yancy: Really? Son, I’m naming you Philip J. Fry in honor of my little brother, who I miss every day. I love you Philip (sniff) and I always will.”

Fry (reading the inscription): “Here lies Philip J. Fry, named for his uncle, to carry on his spirit.”

The episode packs quite a punch. We spend the majority of the episode under the idea that Yancy didn’t care for Fry much. He wanted to be the one named Philip, he wanted to steal the clover, he kept copying his brother’s style, and appears to have taken over Fry’s life. And through Fry’s frustrations, we don’t care much for Yancy in the beginning. But upon later reflection we realize that Yancy actually admired and loved Fry a lot and wanted to be more like him. And I think Fry spends most of his life thinking that his brother may not have liked him and here he has irrevocable proof that his brother loved him.

Episode 61: Jurassic Bark At a fair about the 21st century Fry finds his old dog, Seymour, fossilized. With the Professor’s help they plan to clone Seymour but Bender becomes jealous and throws Seymour into lava. But realizing that Fry could love an ‘inferior creature’ and wasn’t trying to annoy him jumps into the lava to rescue Seymour before he melts. As they begin to extract Seymour’s DNA it is revealed that Seymour died at 15, 12 years after Fry was frozen, and Fry has them stop the cloning. When this happens: 

Bender: “Fry, what’s wrong?” Fry: “Think about it: Seymour lived a full life after I was gone...He probably even added new songs to his repertoire.” Bender: “But that’s a good thing. “Walkin’ On Sunshine” sucks noodles.” Fry: “I had Seymour ‘till he was three. That’s when I knew him, and that’s when I loved him...I’ll never forget him...But he forgot me a long, long time ago...”

After giving Seymour one last affectionate pat goodbye it cuts to show that Seymour spent twelve years outside Panucci’s Pizza waiting for Fry to return (while ”I Will Wait for You” plays in the background). Until one day he laid down and closed his eyes. 

Kills me every time. Fry thought Seymour happily moved on but he dutifully stayed there and waited for his return.

--Gattaca Gattaca is my favorite movie. And I have a lot of contenders for that position. But when it comes down to it and when I really stop and think about it, Gattaca is the first that comes to mind. I’ve looked up and thought about many of the quotes from it. 

In a futuristic setting (though the present gets closer and closer to it everyday) people are born through eugenics. Born to be the best of both parts of their parents DNA. Those born in a more natural was are known as “God-child” and are discriminated against. 

Vincent: “I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the color of your skin. No, we know have discrimination down to a science.”

Vincent is one such God-child who dreams of going to space but no one is willing to hire him due to having a high possibility of getting sick and having an estimated life span of only 30.2 years. But with the help of a genetic donor he switches places with one Jerome Eugene Marrow, a former professional swimmer who was injured in a car accident. Posing as Eugene, the fake Eugene gets a job at Gattaca and will be heading to Titan as a navigator. But a murder occurs at Gattaca and almost gets him found out when an eyelash of his real DNA is found near the scene. After evading police and the real murderer being found fake Eugene is all set to go to Titan. Only to find a new security DNA check before loading. Not having any extra samples of real Eugene, fake Eugene is found out by the doctor that has always done the DNA tests. And has known about Eugene posing as someone else for a long time. He then joins the rest of the crew and is last scene heading off to Titan.

I love this movie for various reasons and I might someday do a whole breakdown of why. But for now, why it makes me cry. It is the ending. As he says his last line: 

Vincent (as Eugene): “For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess, I’m suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course, they say every atom in our bodies was once a part of a star. Maybe I'm not leaving; maybe I'm going home.”

I tear up every time. The first time I don’t think I even knew why because I didn’t grasp the full film. That took a second viewing and a little research. There is the argument of how far are we willing to take science, there’s the issue on prejudice, and how limiting creating people in such a way can slow progress and ultimately affect our lives. How we would stop pushing ourselves. But for now let’s just leave it as an example of the underdog proving everyone wrong and rising to a position that no one believed they could make it to.

Anton: “Vincent! How are you doing this Vincent? How have you done any of this? We have to go back.” Vincent: “It’s too late for that. We’re closer to the other side.” Anton: “What other side? You wanna drown us both?” Vincent: “You wanna know how I did it? This is how I did it Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back.”

And then there’s this moment with his love interest, Irene:

Vincent: “My name is Vincent, all right? Vincent Anton Freeman, and I'm a "faith birth" or a "de-gene-erate", whatever you want to call it; but I am NOT a murderer!” Irene: “You're a "God-child"?” Vincent: “But we do have one thing in common, only I don't have twenty or thirty years left in mine. Mine is already ten thousand beats overdue.” Irene: “It's not possible.” Vincent: “You are the authority on what is not possible, aren't you Irene? They've got you looking for any flaw, that after a while that's all you see. For what it's worth, I'm here to tell you that it is possible. It is possible.”

--The Possibility of Fireflies by Dominique Paul “It’s 1987 and fourteen-year-old Ellie Roma doesn’t have much of a family. She lives with her mother, who has taken a break from parenting; and her older sister, Gwen, who is on her way to becoming a juvenile delinquent. Her father left them to start a new life. So Ellie spends a lot of time alone, especially at night, when all she has to keep her company are the fireflies that flicker in the summer air. Then one day a mysterious stranger enters her dark world. He is Leo, twenty-one, who is on his way to Hollywood to become a rock star. Ellie and Leo connect instantly, and Ellie hopes Leo will be the one to rescue her from her unhappy life. But instead, Leo teaches Ellie that no one can save you. You have to go after what you want. So one night - one terrible, frightening night - that’s exactly what Ellie decides to do.”

I loved this book. I read it at least three or four times when I was in middle school. Partly it was because I could relate to Ellie really well. My parents got divorced when I was nine and although I didn’t have abusive parents, the woman my dad got remarried to did do a lot of emotional and mental abuse to my older sister and myself. And those first several years of the divorce it was pretty rough. I’ve blocked a lot of it out and I try my best not to think about it but every now and then those memories like to attack. Due to the strong connection I felt toward Ellie and my own history, I have cried every time I have read this book.

Why it makes me cry. There are plenty of sad moments throughout this book but what makes me cry every time is the ending. Near the end Ellie’s older sister decides to run away with her friend. Ellie doesn’t really want to stay there with her mother alone so she runs across the street and asks to leave with her new neighbor friend. Who turns down her offer but does give her a ride and some money to get on a bus. She decides to go to her dads house and thinks of everything they’ll do together. But when she arrives no one is home and there aren’t even any fireflies for her to watch. As she starts to wonder if he even still lives there and would even want to see her, a car pulls up. It is her father and he leads her inside and shows her a bed (or was it a couch? It’s been a while since I last read it) so she can get some sleep. He tells her goodnight and leaves a house key for her on the table. 

--Yu Yu Hakusho “From cutting classes to brawling in the streets, Yusuke Urameshi is not your typical role model. In fact, this kid's nothing more than a fourteen-year-old delinquent with a talent for trouble. But in a single selfless act Yusuke dies while saving another. For such noble sacrifice he is given a second chance at life, but it's to be a life far different than the one left behind. Now a Spirit Detective, the young man must track down demons and humans alike who desire to rule over the three realms of reality.”

Episode 1: “Surprised to be Dead” Yusuke’s funeral. The first time I saw Yu Yu Hakusho was during my early anime years. So I was very unprepared for someone to actually die in their show. No other anime I was watching at the time had any deaths yet, least of all it the main character. 

If you’ve never seen this classic series Yusuke is a delinquent. He skips school, starts fights, all that. And yet he stops to save a child who was almost hit by a car and dies in the process. The shinigami who breaks the news to him, Botan, takes him to his funeral. Yusuke expects to see everyone laughing and being glad that he’s dead. Including his mother, his rival, classmates. Only to find his mother and his childhood friend, Keiko, crying. Then comes in his rival, his principal, and the boy he saved. And then I’m an emotional wreck.

Komada: "Come on, let's go back! This isn't right!" Kuwabara: “Shut up! Let go of me, wouldja?" Yusuke (floating over everyone’s heads): “What? Kuwabara [his rival]?!” Kuwabara (enters Yusuke’s apartment): "Damn you! You think you can just back out 'cause you're scared!" Okubo: "Kuwabara, this place is for mourning!" Kuwabara: "I'm not gonna leave! Not until he comes out here and lets me fight him!" Okubo: “He can’t do that!” Kuwabara: "I'm gonna beat you down, you punk! You hear me? Who do you think you are, huh? Dirty punk! Who am I gonna fight now? Who am I gonna fight?" Okubo: “He’s gone!” Kuwabara: “No! You’re supposed to be here...for me.” [and thus this bromance was born]

Takenaka: "At first I was so surprised, Yusuke...to hear you'd saved a kid at the cost of your own life. You've always acted more selfishly than that. Darn. Yusuke, I don't know why I don't feel like speaking well of you. [begins to cry] Why didn't you stay? You could have made something great out of yourself!"

Little Boy (the one Yusuke saved): "Mommy, do you think it'd be okay if I played with that boy tomorrow, if I'm good?" Mother: "No, son." Little Boy: "I know some people sounded angry at him, but he's really nice. He made really funny faces at me too, and he got me my ball! I don't know why those people were crying like that. It was probably because they wanted to play with him, too."

I think this was the first anime that ever made me cry. Yusuke thinks everyone hates him, would probably be better off if he wasn’t around, and then finds out that isn’t the case (a bit of It’s a Wonderful Life moment). It was a very sad scene and gets me every time.

[wandashifflett]

Former MythBusters Host Grant Imahara Dies Suddenly At 49

A former host of popular science show “Mythbusters,” Grant Imahara, has died suddenly at the age of 49.

According to The Hollywood Report, Imahara died on Monday. A Discovery Channel representative confirmed news of his death in a statement provided to the outlet, but did not elaborate on the cause of death.

“We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant,” the statement reads. “He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

Imahara, an American electrical engineer and roboticist, co-hosted more than 200 episodes of “Mythbusters” from 2005 through 2014, joining in its third season. He replaced welder Scottie Chapman.

He also starred in the Netflix series “White Rabbit Project” alongside co-hosts Tory Belleci and Kari Byron. The team investigated topics like jailbreaks, superpower technology, heists, and World War II weapons through scientific experiments and builds. The show ran for one season in 2016 and was not renewed.

His longterm partner, Jennifer Newman, shared a heartfelt tribute to Imahara on social media early Tuesday morning.

“I haven’t found the words. I don’t know if I’ll be able to. I lost a part of my heart and soul today,” Newman, wrote in a post alongside four photos.

“He was so generous and kind, so endlessly sweet and so loved by his incredible friends. I feel so lucky to have known him, to have loved & been loved by him,” she added. “I love you, honey,” she added.

Byron shared a photo on Twitter of Imahara and Belleci with the caption: “Sometimes I wish I had a time machine.”

I’m at a loss. No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years. Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.

— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) July 14, 2020

Former Mythbusters host and special effects designer Adam Savage meanwhile honored Imahara by saying he was at “a loss.”

“No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years,” Savage said on Twitter. “Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON.

“Working with Grant was so much fun,” he added. “I’ll miss my friend.”

I’m at a loss. No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years. Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.

— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) July 14, 2020

American voice actor Matthew Mercer remembered Imahara as a “rare” person “made of pure love, light, and kindness.”

“Not an ounce of malice within that soul. Intelligence and heart that eclipse so much shadow. His years of friendship are precious to so many,” Mercer wrote.

“He would drop anything and everything to help a friend, including our engagement. He put charity and community work as a priority in so many projects. He was an inspiration in so many ways, and I’m going to miss that joyful laugh so much. The silliness and adventure,” Mercer continued.

“He was passionate about making tomorrow a little better, in ways big and small. In being a mentor and entertainer, to make others smile with his gifts. His generosity was unrivaled. There are too many stories. Too many wonderful memories. We miss you, bud. <3.”

Before making his way onto TV, Imahara worked for Lucasfilm’s THX division and later joined Industrial Light and Magic. He worked there for nine years and contributed to movies like the three “Star Wars” prequels, “Jurassic Park,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “The Matrix Revolutions,” “Galaxy Quest,” and “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.”

He also appeared on “Drunk History,” “Battlebots,” “Sharknado 3,” the web series “Star Trek Continues,” and the Marvel animated series “Avengers Assemble.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

from Rayfield Review News https://therayfield.com/former-mythbusters-host-grant-imahara-dies-suddenly-at-49 from The Ray Field https://therayfieldreview.tumblr.com/post/623627450777223168

[therayfieldreview]

Former MythBusters Host Grant Imahara Dies Suddenly At 49

A former host of popular science show “Mythbusters,” Grant Imahara, has died suddenly at the age of 49.

According to The Hollywood Report, Imahara died on Monday. A Discovery Channel representative confirmed news of his death in a statement provided to the outlet, but did not elaborate on the cause of death.

“We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant,” the statement reads. “He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

Imahara, an American electrical engineer and roboticist, co-hosted more than 200 episodes of “Mythbusters” from 2005 through 2014, joining in its third season. He replaced welder Scottie Chapman.

He also starred in the Netflix series “White Rabbit Project” alongside co-hosts Tory Belleci and Kari Byron. The team investigated topics like jailbreaks, superpower technology, heists, and World War II weapons through scientific experiments and builds. The show ran for one season in 2016 and was not renewed.

His longterm partner, Jennifer Newman, shared a heartfelt tribute to Imahara on social media early Tuesday morning.

“I haven’t found the words. I don’t know if I’ll be able to. I lost a part of my heart and soul today,” Newman, wrote in a post alongside four photos.

“He was so generous and kind, so endlessly sweet and so loved by his incredible friends. I feel so lucky to have known him, to have loved & been loved by him,” she added. “I love you, honey,” she added.

Byron shared a photo on Twitter of Imahara and Belleci with the caption: “Sometimes I wish I had a time machine.”

I’m at a loss. No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years. Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.

— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) July 14, 2020

Former Mythbusters host and special effects designer Adam Savage meanwhile honored Imahara by saying he was at “a loss.”

“No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years,” Savage said on Twitter. “Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON.

“Working with Grant was so much fun,” he added. “I’ll miss my friend.”

I’m at a loss. No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years. Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.

— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) July 14, 2020

American voice actor Matthew Mercer remembered Imahara as a “rare” person “made of pure love, light, and kindness.”

“Not an ounce of malice within that soul. Intelligence and heart that eclipse so much shadow. His years of friendship are precious to so many,” Mercer wrote.

“He would drop anything and everything to help a friend, including our engagement. He put charity and community work as a priority in so many projects. He was an inspiration in so many ways, and I’m going to miss that joyful laugh so much. The silliness and adventure,” Mercer continued.

“He was passionate about making tomorrow a little better, in ways big and small. In being a mentor and entertainer, to make others smile with his gifts. His generosity was unrivaled. There are too many stories. Too many wonderful memories. We miss you, bud. <3.”

Before making his way onto TV, Imahara worked for Lucasfilm’s THX division and later joined Industrial Light and Magic. He worked there for nine years and contributed to movies like the three “Star Wars” prequels, “Jurassic Park,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “The Matrix Revolutions,” “Galaxy Quest,” and “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.”

He also appeared on “Drunk History,” “Battlebots,” “Sharknado 3,” the web series “Star Trek Continues,” and the Marvel animated series “Avengers Assemble.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

from Rayfield Review News https://therayfield.com/former-mythbusters-host-grant-imahara-dies-suddenly-at-49

[27timescinema]

INTERVIEW - NYFA - CRAIG CATON

By Maria Salomia (pics © Sinead Shahrzad)

Craig Caton is a special visual effects artist known for his work on an impressive number of lovable Hollywood blockbusters. He has designed, built and pupeteered some of the most memorable creatures in recent cinema history: the famous raptor(s) in the riveting kitchen scene from Jurassic Park, Slimer from the 1984 Ghostbusters, the penguins from Batman Returns and countless others. Being a part of the motion picture industry for 36 years, he has worked with highly acclaimed directors like Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron and contributed to over 100 films.

He was present at the 76th Venice Film Festival as a special guest and representative of the New York Film Academy, where he teaches 3D Animation and VFX. The 28 Times Cinema participants had the opportunity to attend and actively participate in a workshop he held on Wednesday 4th, during which he managed to shed some light on the wizardry of motion capture, augmented reality and the wonders of digital special effects in general.

I sat down with him to find out more about his background, his impressive career, his extremely diverse skillset and his passion for monster films.

I would like to start at the very beginning: you have mentioned in a previous interview that your career grew from a childhood passion, triggered by seeing the original Planet of the Apes and trying to reproduce that makeup on yourself. Would you say that your career is, in a way, an extension of that child-like playfulness? Do you still approach your work in that manner?

Absolutely, that was all I wanted to do from the fifth grade on, move to Hollywood and make monsters for movies. That was my dream and I realised it. And it’s really fun. If people pay you to make toys and then play with them, you should do it!

What was your first encounter with puppeteering and animatronics? What got you into it?

Ghostbusters was the first one. I got to work on the Slimer ghost and that gave me a taste of mechanics. It took off from there, I went from being a makeup artist to being a sculptor, then to doing the mechanics and in the end that’s what I liked better. When you were doing the mechanics for a puppet you also became its best puppeteer, because you knew how it worked.

It also had something to do with my background, because I used to be an X-ray technologist. So I have a great knowledge of bone and anatomy and that actually worked pretty well for creating puppets.

It’s very interesting that you could take that knowledge and use it to create characters that don’t actually conform to basic human anatomy at all.

That is what I really liked about doing puppets, that you weren’t constrained to the human form any more. I had done so much makeup and effects that were on people that I just wanted to completely move away from that and do real creatures and monsters instead.

How do you create these creatures and monsters? What sort of references do you use, where do you get your inspiration from?

I use as much real world references as I possibly can, especially when it comes to movement. I love to study how birds fly, how fish swim, how centipedes crawl and try to look at the real nuances of those motions, so that I can incorporate them into my puppets. A lot of it comes from nature.

Was any of the projects you have worked on particularly challenging? In the sense that, for example, you had to find new ways of doing something that didn’t have much precedent in the field at that time?

Jurassic Park was the big innovator because Steven Spielberg said: whatever you can do to make the best dinosaurs ever, do it. Without much time or budget constraints. So we pulled out all the stops and just came up with great ways to make dinosaurs! And I’m pretty happy with some of the solutions we came up with. There is a lot of groundbreaking stuff in that movie that people don’t realise.

You have been in the field for 36 years and during that time special effects have evolved considerably. Jurassic Park is especially relevant in this respect, as you didn’t just witness the transformations, but have actually worked on a film that pioneered and propelled a big shift in paradigm. How did you welcome the change? And how did you eventually transition to computer generated visual effects and digital animation?

In the early 80s I had started playing around with computers, mostly to play games. But then the Amoeba computer came out and it had all these amazing 3D graphics and even as a home user you could create dinosaurs and logos and a lot of cool stuff. So I did a logo for my boss, Stan Winston, which was kind of goofy and sad, but he thought I knew everything there was about computers. Of course I didn’t, and I still don’t. But times were changing and he wanted to be able to create these things. So he gave me a lot of money and I bought a bunch of computers and software and set up a lab. And then James Cameron and Stan and another man named Scott Ross joined together and we created a company called Digital Domain. One of the early movies that came out of Digital Domain was Titanic. We were really pushing the envelope on digital stuff back then.

I also created for Cameron the first permanent motion capture stage in Hollywood, and that was my personal contribution to the field.

What sort of relationship would you say there is between a director and a VFX artist? How would you describe a successful creative collaboration?

We all have to remember that we’re trying to create the director’s vision. And some directors like Ron Howard, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg are very visual. They can describe to you right down to the minutous detail what they want, which is great, because as an effects artist that leaves a lot of the mystery out and you can focus on what you have to do. It’s a great liaison to work with directors like that. James Cameron is a very good example because he started out as an effects artist, so he spoke the language, he knew everything about visual effects and he knew what the expectations were.

Whereas directors that aren’t visual will say something that is very vague and keep rejecting the results because they don’t really know what they want. And it becomes very frustrating, not to mention vey expensive.

Would you say that there’s a tendency toward over-reliance on CGI nowadays?

I do. I see a lot of bad filmmaking where they say “let’s fix it in post”. And that little sentence, that’s like hundreds of thousands of dollars right there! My personal philosophy is to try to do as much as you possibly can in the real world and then use the CG tool for what it’s really meant to be. When you can’t do it in the real world, that’s when you go to CG.

To what extent are practical visual effects still being used?

It’s real hit and miss and it depends on the director. You can get someone like Christopher Nolan who doesn’t like CG, so before having to rely on it he will try to do everything practical first. But every type exists, of course there are a lot of directors who go straight for the digital effects.

Can you name one or more films from the past few years that you especially enjoyed?

One of my guilty pleasures is watching the Marvel movies - superheroes are always fun. And of course I like the Batman movies and some of the really out there SF movies like Ready Player One. I’m a popcorn-movie fan, if it’s fun to watch I don’t need something really intellectual, I just want to enjoy it and I also want it to be something that I don’t see everyday. I’d rather watch soap operas about spaceships blowing up than regular ones that portray what happens in real life.

Is this the reason why you chose to work on monster films and in genres that usually represent a departure from reality?

You are really able to stretch your imagination with these projects, but you do need to ground everything in reality, otherwise you loose your audience. There’s actually a fairly simple rule about it that’s called the “double mambo-jumbo rule”: you can have a movie with a lot of science fiction and tech and you can have a movie with lots of cool magic, but when you try to combine them, that’s when things start to fall apart. I think that’s one of the reasons why the remakes of the Star Wars movies, the prequels, were a bit over the top.

You are a self-taught professional, but now you teach at the New York Film Academy. As someone who has a perspective on both formal and non-formal education, what is your take on film schools?

I think that going specifically to a film school like NYFA has an advantage over going to normal universities. Let’s say you decide to take an animation class at a regular university. The other people in the university are either lawyers, businessmen, doctors and social workers and all these other things that don’t really have anything to do with filmmaking. But when you go to a film school, you go to school with directors, cinematographers, screenwriters and actors and actresses and now all of a sudden it’s more than just a school, it’s a network. It’s a great advantage to going to school with people likeminded.

Is there anything that you learned in the beginning of your career that you still apply to this day? Do you pass it on to your students as well?

I used to say: it’s who you know that gets you in the door, but it’s what you know that keeps you there. A strange phenomena is that some young people today think that knowing somebody and using that person to get a job is not fair and they think that it’s cheating - and it’s not! Use everything you can to your advantage. Because once you get there, if you don’t know how to do your job, you’re not going to last for very long.

This was totally by accident, but one of my students used it recently and it worked: when I first came to LA, there was this company called Make Up Effects Labs. I went to them and they didn’t have any work for me, but said that they might have something in a couple of weeks. In the meanwhile I could work for free in the shop, reorganising all the tools and the shelves and the supplies. I did that, and by the end of the week I was the only person who knew where everything was. And all of a sudden, I was indispensable! And one of my students just got an internship at a stop motion company and he was able to repeat that and succeeded!

It might seem like a trivial thing or it might seem beneath you to sweep a floor, but you should never be afraid to roll up your sleeves. Whatever it takes to get that movie made, you should do it.

Is there also something that you have learned from your students?

To talk slower (laughs). 64% of my students are from other countries, from over 122 countries. And for the most part, English is their second language. And if I start rattling off like a machine gun, I’ll loose them. But even more importantly, all of these countries and all of these students bring their unique stories and experiences with them. Yet everybody has the same great core values, everybody just wants to love each other and get along. Our leaders should look at our students. There’s a lot to be learned from young people today.

What are you working on right now?

I have an internal project that I’m actually using students at the NYFA to do. We joined up with NASA who are planning to send a space rover to the moon to explore these giant holes that they discovered. So what we’re doing is creating animation for them to play and help sell the idea to Congress.

If you could create any character/project from scratch and had the means to do it, what would you like to do?

I’m pretty sure it would involve dragons. In a perfect world, it would be a dragon movie directed by Ridley Scott. One of the only things that’s left on my bucket list is to even just meet him. He was so inspirational, when I saw Alien that was my decision point right there: I wanted to come to Hollywood and do stuff like that.

[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/06/23/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-62317/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 6/23/17

  It’s gonna be a quick one this week, as I’ve got too much real life stuff going on. Plus, there was a lot of little news, but no big whammy.

Last Saturday I took in Awesome Con which, in its fifth year, was being held at the Washington Convention Center. Normally I’m all about con reports. You’ll see my cosplay pics, and hear about all the stuff I bought. Not so much this time around. I don’t know what it was, but it didn’t feel very Awesome this year. I hate cons that are filled to capacity (like NYCC), but I felt like this one could’ve been better attended. Sure, there were a lot of folks there, but I still bet they fell short of the numbers that had been expected. No cosplay really caught my eye. There were only, like, 7 comic vendors. The show really doesn’t seem to know if it’s a pop culture con, like a Wizard World show, or if it’s a comic-con for the DC area, rivaling Baltimore’s.

It wasn’t all bad, though. I got to hang out with my buds @KeithDavidsen and @ClassickMateria, plus I had a great conversation with 2/3 of the 3 Black Geeks Podcast. Oh, and I totally gushed over Christopher Hastings, who currently writes I Am Groot and The Unbelievable Gwenpool for Marvel. I’ve been a fan of his since his indie series, The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, and I’m a huge Gwenpool fan. I pretty much went just to meet him, and he was totally gracious and nice. Meanwhile, I was gonna confront Scott Snyder and get him to sign my Dark Days: The Forge book. And then ask him why he blocked me on Twitter. But the stars were not aligned, as his line was capped before I got there. I suppose it was for the best. So, while lacking in awesome, there’s still room for improvement, and I’m sure I’ll be right back there next year.

While a lot of folks are getting excited about it, I have some problems with the way Netflix’s The Defenders series is being marketed. Something seems off with the tone of everything. See that poster above? As I remarked on Twitter, it looks like a TV Guide ad for a show Fox canceled in 1994. I can hear the promo now: “The Defenders, followed by an all-new New York Undercover. Thursday, at 8/7 Central.” There’s nothing about it that *pops*, and it just looks so pedestrian. Are they a rag tag group of NYC street-level heroes, or is it a coming of age drama about 3 guys and a girl trying to make it in New York City? I still have 3 more seasons of Marvel Netflix shows to catch up on before I can even watch this, so maybe I’m not the target audience. It’s just all so formulaic now, though. “Hey, look – a hallway fight!”

We finally got a premiere date for the long-delayed Star Trek: Discovery, bowing September 24th at 8:30 on both CBS and CBS All Access. What’s with the 8:30 start time, though? I guess we’ll get some kind of half-assed, 30-minute Trek retrospective before the show. And, taking a page from cable shows, the season will be split in two, with the first 8 episodes airing in the fall, while the remaining 7 will air starting in January. I couldn’t be less excited for this show. So many damn hoops to jump through, so many broken promises regarding its premiere date. At this point, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they requested a blood sample before allowing you to watch it. That’s how crazy this has become. What was once thought to become the most pirated series of all time, I’m now starting to think most of us aren’t even gonna bother.

I had no clue that Phil Lord and Chris Miller were the directors on the Han Solo film (how’d I miss that?), and I would’ve told anyone who’d listen that they were a terrible choice – which is why I’m not surprised that they were fired this week, citing “creative differences”. Sure, The Lego Movie was great. The Jump Street franchise was great. But I don’t see them fitting into the “Star Wars vision” that Kathleen Kennedy clearly has. They would’ve given us something great and entertaining, but I don’t know if it would’ve been a “Star Wars movie”. Then again, I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan, so what do I know. I’d like to think there’s room to do a lot of stuff in that franchise, but I just don’t see their style fitting into what’s already been established. And then Ron Howard was announced as their replacement. I really don’t know how I feel about this. I mean, gifted director, but this seems sort of out of his wheelhouse. Any of y’all have strong thoughts either way?

Meanwhile, somebody needs to make up their mind about whether these Spider-Man spinoffs are gonna be set in the MCU or not. We were basically told that only Spider-Man was crossing over, and even that’s been threatened as a possible one-time deal. But then Amy Pascal did a press junket earlier this week, where she danced around the matter, saying that the Spider-Man spinoffs would build upon the world that is being carefully crafted, leading some to believe they might actually be set in the MCU. That’s how some folks saw it. I just saw it as Pascal trying to keep her job. I guess time will tell. Meanwhile, Spider-Man Homecoming 2 is already being discussed (which I hope is called Spider-Man: Sadie Hawkins Dance), and there will reportedly be a cameo by another MCU character who’s not Iron Man. Keep it in your pants, boys. Let’s see how this one does first, OK?

Song of the Week

Yup, it’s a Taylor Swift song, but it’s NOT sung by Taylor. She gave this song to Little Big Town, who have ridden it to #1. It’s got her trademark juvenile lyrics, but I still think it’s beautiful. I kinda wish I didn’t know she wrote it, but I think that was part of the push that got it to #1. Anyway, here’s “Better Man”.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Shonda Rhimes had to fail eventually, which is why her summer Shakespeare series, Still Star-Crossed, has been moved to Saturday after 3 low-rated episodes. Stick a fork in that turkey!

Speaking of dead shows, CMT couldn’t make the numbers work to revive Last Man Standing, so the sitcom is officially dead

Dule Hill’s real-life fiancee, Ballers actress Jazmyn Simon, will play Gus’ love interest in the Psych reunion movie

Apparently Nickelodeon is prepping a one-hour reunion, called Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling. I didn’t have cable growing up, but I know this means something to some of you.

Virginia Madsen won’t be back for season 2 of Designated Survivor. I was kinda hoping she and Kiefer would bang, so now I have the sads…

Six cast members are out at Taken, amid a major shake-up prior to season 2. I guess you could say they didn’t have the right set of skills.

They’re teasing a Downton Abbey movie for 2018. I hope it’s called Downton Abbey: Matthew’s Revenge!

There are rumors that Damon Lindelof is in talks to do a Watchmen TV series for HBO. That network is really into dongs lately, so I guess this is a perfect fit.

Daniel Henney is shifting his Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders character over the main Criminal Minds series, following the former’s cancellation. Remember that when your CBS-watching grandpa asks you where he’s seen that “Oriental fella” before…

The CW is interested in a Supernatural spinoff called Wayward Sisters, which would star recurring guest star Kim Rhodes. I don’t watch Supernatural, but she was Zack & Cody’s hot mom, so I’m a supporter of giving her more work!

After a thorough investigation, Warner Bros found no evidence of misconduct on the set of Bachelor In Paradise, and production has resumed on the season. Now it’ll probably be the most-watched season of the show, but there’s no way they saw that coming, right? Right?

As a reward for being the #1 daytime drama for the past 28 (!) consecutive years, CBS has renewed The Young and the Restless for another three seasons

NBC is scrambling to do some damage control, as Megyn Kelly’s highly publicized interview with Sandy Hook truther Alex Jones was beaten by a rerun of America’s Funniest Home Videos. That’s right, it was beaten by a show that’s been rendered virtually obsolete since the proliferation of the Internet

Heroes is coming to Crackle on July 13th. You know, that free streaming network that nobody watches? So, if you’re still itching to save the cheerleader, there ya go.

The sequel to Jurassic World will be called Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Meh. That shit ought to be called Jurassic Galaxy. Take those dinos into space already!

Daniel Day-Lewis has quit acting, meaning we’ll never get to see him in the Fast and the Furious franchise like we’d always dreamed!

Fresh off his mistrial, Bill Cosby plans to give speaking engagements where he will instruct folks how to dodge sexual assault charges. I couldn’t make this shit up! “If you put the pudding pop in the Jello, make sure you’re not caught on any Kodak film!”

Transformers 5: Bad Touch had the lowest opening day box office for the franchise, with $15.7 million.

In the ultimate Fuck yo’ Father’s Day move, Beyonce’s dad announced to the world, via tweet, that her twins had arrived. I hear he was dragged away by wraiths soon afterward.

Adam West’s unaired episode of Powerless can now be seen on DC All Access, as well as Hulu.

No one had the West Week Ever this week. As Nina Simone sang, “It be’s that way sometimes”. I do have a correction from last week, though. Like I said up top, I’ve got some real world stuff going on and I wasn’t really thinking clearly. I inducted Adam West into the West Week Ever Hall of Fame, when my pal @zacshipley pointed out that a better honor was staring me right in the face: that honor should be called the West Life Ever. So, the post has since been corrected and, going forward, that is what will be bestowed upon those greats that we’ve lost along the way. Adam West had the West Life Ever.