#MARQ Films

[mxmoth]

FAVORITE HORROR FILMS | LIVIDE (2011) La Fabrique 2, Dir. Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo Chloe Coulloud, Chloe Marcq, Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Catherine Jacob

[greensparty]

BEST DOCUMENTARIES OF 2022

Documentary as a genre can encompass any medium: feature film, TV mini-series, or even podcasts. Here are my picks for the best Docs of the year:

Honorable Mentions:    

Meet Me in the Bathroom  Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern

Nothing Compares  Kathryn Ferguson

Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99  Jamie Crawford

George Carlin’s American Dream  Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio

The Beatles and India  Ajoy Bose and Peter Compton

Freedom Uncut  David Austin and George Michael

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, A Song  Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine

Sidney  Reginald Hudlin

10. Back to the Drive-In  April Wright

9. Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres  Suzanne Joe Kai

8. Is That Black Enough for You?!?  Elvis Mitchell

7. Claydream  Marq Evans

6. If These Walls Could Sing  Mary McCartney

5. Stutz  Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill sits down with his therapist for a doc about the therapist and his approach, that is insightful and thought-provoking.

4. The Pez Outlaw  Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel

This profile of a man who smuggled rare Pez dispensers into America in the 90s and made millions is so crazy and outlandish you need to see it to believe it!

3. Moonage Daydream  Brett Morgen

Morgen’s doc about David Bowie was made with the Bowie Estate and had some rare footage of the rock legend, but it was really the sci-fi approach to the subject that made this electric!

2. Good Night Oppy  Ryan White

The inspirational story of Opportunity, the Mars rover that was expected to live 90 days and explored Mars for 15 years, was the big screen Event Movie of documentaries in 2022!

1. Last Flight Home  Ondi Timoner

Ondi turned the camera onto her father Eli Timoner towards the end of his life with a cinema vérité account of the family confronting death. This went beyond a movie or a documentary and was truly an emotional life experience that was captured on film by one of the people experiencing it. Nothing but respect and admiration for Ondi and her brave filmmaking at such a time.

[marqacademy]

Marq Academy

Marq Academy is a film making school & video production school, specializes in Digital Film Production, cinematography courses, offering film course that hands-on learning and real-world experience. Partnered with The Marq Pictures, it prepares students to lead in advertising, entertainment, and film.

Contact Us:

Marq Academy

+60 18-358 9600

No. 49A & 49B , Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/2, Skudai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Social URL:

https://www.instagram.com/marqacademy/?hl=en

Keyword:

Film Making School

Film Course

Video Production School

Cinematography Courses

[nickgerlich]

Fanning The Flame

We live in a very divided nation, one that finds us increasingly split along political and religious lines. Worse yet, it seems the gulf between opposing sides is widening, with adherents on both sides digging in their heels as if their lives depends on it. It’s too bad, because I really don’t want to be friends with any extremist, regardless of which side they find themselves on. There’s much better dialogue going on in the middle of the spectrum.

But there is a balm that can heal those societal wounds, and it has nothing to do with the hot buttons that trigger people. That balm is fandom, the intense feelings of attachment that people can have toward any object, TV show or movie, book, sports team, or entertainer. Social media is the glue that keeps these people connected, although there can be gatherings and even stores dedicated to the object of their adoration. Political and religious differences take a back seat to whatever it is that catches your fancy.

It’s a powerful force, and marketers need to be attuned to it. There’s money to be made.

It’s what drove many women (and some men!) to wear pink to movie theatres last summer to watch Barbie. It’s what motivates sports fans to don jerseys of their favorite team, and even favorite player, when attending games. It’s what drove me to Albuquerque on several occasions in the last 15 years to attend Breaking Bad parties, not to mention many more trips to hunt down filming locations and assemble them into a driving tour.

And while we’re talking about Breaking Bad (and its prequel, Better Call Saul), I must mention my friends Marq and Ed, who opened The Breaking Bad Store in Old Town Albuquerque. It is half museum, half retail, and 100% shrine to their favorite show. They have a slew of licensed products that the folks at Sony have approved. Then there’s my other friend Marc from Sacramento, who has written two very thick books about both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul filming locations, and other authors who have written very informed and introspective books about the series (I have a chapter in one of those books).

Netflix is on top of the fandom they have created with their original programming. In December 2022 I visited a pop-up Netflix store in Grapevine Texas that featured decor and merchandise from their hit show, Stranger Things. They likewise licensed Squid Game characters to be made into Funko-Pop figures.

Then there’s the state of Montana, beneficiary of hordes of TV tourists wanting to savor the beauty captured in the hit show Yellowstone. What most folks don’t know is that, while those sweeping panoramas were indeed filmed in Montana, along with exteriors of the Chief Joseph Ranch, a large portion of the show was filmed in Ogden Utah, both on a soundstage, and even the downtown area that “became” Bozeman if only on television.

Tourists bring money. Why bog them down with details, right?

Here’s the nice part about fandom: It brings people joy. It is an escape from other painful realities, the social divisions that bring us all such discomfort. They are flights of fantasy, and the camaraderie that can be found both online and at in-person events like Comicons give us outlets for personal expression, as well as opportunities for us to spend money on travel along with memorabilia.

Lastly, fandom can become a lifestyle. It is not at all a new phenomenon, because more than 50 years ago, Dead Heads were following The Grateful Dead from concert to concert, hearing the same songs and set list one night after the other. On a somewhat lesser note, I confess to having seen Trans-Siberian Orchestra 18 times this century, having seen them in Amarillo, Lubbock, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, and Lakeland Florida. I’m not a groupie to the level of a Dead Head, but seeing TSO at Christmas has become a family tradition.

Some fandoms are short-lived, and go away after the ending of a series or artist. But some live in perpetuity, like sports teams. Nearly eleven years have passed since the final episode of Breaking Bad, but it is still hugely popular, and both the store and a separate private tour company (using a Bounder RV, of course!) rack up impressive revenues. Heck, there are still Ferris Bueller’s Day Off tours going on in Chicago, and that movie came out in 1986.

Fandom is every marketer’s wildest dream, because it gives them the opportunity to make money not just the usual ways, but by leveraging a brand that resonates with its followers. I’m good with this, and should you ever stop by my office, you can see some of my Breaking Bad collection. Just keep your politics and religion in check, because we’re not going there.

Dr “I Am The One Who Teaches” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[haroldgross]

Claydream

[3 stars] Will Vinton was a legend in animation and Marq Evans does an amazing job capturing the man and his journey in the industry. Through interviews, archival footage (including deposition recordings that start the film) you get as balanced a telling of the tale as I’ve seen or heard. Every major player in this story is flawed in personality and action. And yet, the effect on the industry and…

[sassysophiabush]

[piratewithvigor]

WRESTLING VIDEOS MASTERLIST (AEW)

SINGLE WRESTLERS

Bryan Danielson - Monty Python's Life Of Bryan

Chris Jericho - The 13 Stages Of Grief With Y2J

CM Punk - ATOMIC CM PUNK

Danhausen - Danhausen In Exactly As Much Context As He Requires

Danhausen - Feed My Evilhausen

“Hangman” Adam Page -  Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself

"Hangman" Adam Page - Country Girl 🤠

"Hangman" Adam Page - La Folie Temporaire

Jack Perry - Jungle Boy - I Wanna Be Evil

Jon Moxley - Livewire

Marko Stunt - The Very Best

Marq Lynch - Hurt

MJF - Everybody Loves Me ;3

MJF - blah blah blah...

MJF - The Biggest Balls Of Them All

MJF - Long Island V Connecticut

MJF - MJF Being Completely Insufferable Part 1: Jul-Nov 2019

MJF - MJF Being Completely Insufferable Part 2: Nov 2019-Jan 2020

MJF - MJF Being Completely Insufferable Part 3: Jan-March 2020

MJF - MJF Being Completely Insufferable Part 4: April - August 2020

MJF - S&M(JF)

Nick Jackson - Magic Girl

Orange Cassidy -  BASIC 🍊🕶️NOMICS

Pac - If Weird Al Did Pac's Theme

Sting - What Goes On In Surfer Sting's Head

Wheeler Yuta - Yu Make My Dreams Come True 💕

William Regal - Sharp Dressed Man’s Man

William Regal - Ra Ra Regal

William Regal - What A Lucky Man (He Was)

GANGS/MORE THAN ONE

Gunn Club Assboys - Billy Ass And The Assboys

Blackpool Combat Club - BCC Golden Girls

Dustin Rhodes VS Willie Mack - Kissin Willie

Eddie Kingston & CM Punk - WRESTLING SILENT FILMS: Was The Truth Too Much For CM Punk To Handle When Kingston Put Him On Blast?

The Elite - When I See You Dance With Another

The Elite - Best 15 Seconds Of Each BTE (1-23)

The Elite - Runnin On Empty

The Elite - What If Carly Rae Jepsen Sang Like 4 Middle Aged Men Having A Sexually Charged Karaoke Battle On A Japanese Train?

"Hangman" Adam Page VS Lance Archer - Blood In The Texas Death Match

The Hardys - The Hardy Show: Rednecks On The Loose

House Of Black - Du Rieschst So Gut~

Jurassic Express - KINGS OF THE JUNGLE

Jurassic Express - Happier Days

Pinnacle & Inner Circle - Pinnacle VS. Inner Circle: Ballroom Fucking Blitz

The Hardys VS Private Party - Poor Bones

Young Bucks VS Lucha Bros - The Match, But As Clowns

AEW Moments That Have Probably Changed Me As A Person

Ranking Hey!(EW) Guests Based On How Angry They Get Being There

Once In A Lifetime: An AEW Retrospective

Oh, You Missed The First 3 Years Of AEW? Let Me Catch You Up Real Quick

SHIPS

Hookhausen (Hook X Danhausen) - curses~

William Regal X Tony Schiavone - Out Of Touch Thursday

Hangmox (Hangman X Mox) - ⛓️HANGMOX: THE CHAIN⛓️

AdaMJF (Adam Cole X MJF) - You're My Best Friend

Chuck Taylor X Orange Cassidy - I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire

AEW OPENINGS REDONE

What if Dynamite was 2004 Raw?

What if Collision was 2009 Hockey Night In Canada?

[greensparty]

Talking with Marq Evans

In 2017, I interviewed WA-based filmmaker Marq Evans about his documentary The Glamour and the Squalor about influential DJ and tastemaker Marco Collins. In our interview, I was super excited when he mentioned that his next film was going to be a documentary about Will Vinton, the father of claymation and known for such characters as the California Raisins, the Noid, and the PJs. When I was a kid in the 80s, I was a big fan of Vinton’s innovative clay animation, so this project remained on my radar. Sadly in 2018, Vinton passed away at age 70. Evans completed the documentary and after some festivals in 2021 (including Tribeca Film Festival), ClayDream was released by Oscilloscope Laboratories earlier this month to a very positive response. It is one of the most visually enchanting documentaries I’ve seen in a long time.

director Marq Evans

I recently caught up with Mr. Evans via email about ClayDream. This marks the second time I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Evans.

Me: When I interviewed you in 2017, you mentioned at the time that you were working on a documentary about Will Vinton. I took an interest immediately because I used to love Vinton’s claymation when I was a kid in the 80s. How did this documentary come together?

Marq E: In 2015 I was finishing up my previous film, The Glamour & The Squalor, and looking for projects. I came across an article called ‘How the Father of Claymation Lost His Company to a Rapper Named Chilly Tee.’ The headline forced me to take a look, and when I saw pictures of Will Vinton and his characters I was immediately interested. I grew up watching the California Raisins and the Noid and watched the Claymation Christmas Special every year. And being from the Pacific Northwest I knew the name Will Vinton and knew of the guy with the great mustache, but I didn’t know his story. When I read this article, it felt like a movie and pretty quickly I got obsessed about making it. I found an email address for Will online and reached out. He got back to me pretty quickly and told me that we could meet, but that he wasn’t interested in doing a film. We hit it off pretty quickly but it took about six months before he finally agreed to the film. By the time you and I spoke in 2017, I would have interviewed him a few times and about 30 other people. 

Me: Did you have a favorite claymation from Vinton? I loved California Raisins and the Noid, but my favorite was Festival of Claymation, where the dinosaur film critics Herb and Rex showed various Vinton shorts.

Marq E: I loved all those as well, but my favorite has to be Great Cognito. It just hits on all levels. The metamorphosis of the claymation is great, the writing is sharp, the picture and sound editing is so tight, and the performance is spot on. I just love that show. We’re getting the bonus materials gathered now for the blu-ray release, and I’m happy to say we’re going to be able to include most of the early Vinton shorts with 2K and 4K scans that were preserved by the Academy.

Will Vinton surrounded by his claymation creations

Me: In October 2018, Vinton passed away at age 70. Where was the documentary at that point (mid-production? post-production?)? How closely did you work with Mr. Vinton? Did he see some early cuts of the film before he passed away?

Marq E: We were pretty much done with production when Will passed. In fact, the footage of him getting treatment at the end of the film was the last time I saw him. I knew he was sick, but as you see in the film he never let on to his actual condition, so I didn’t think that would be the last time I saw him. After that, I kind of got away from the project for a few months, just being sad and not knowing exactly which way was the right way to proceed. But then we picked ourselves back up, got a couple final interviews that were important and started to work towards completing the edit. I’m happy that Will got to see a rough cut of about 15 minutes of the film. I know it changed a lot from what he saw, but it was at least in good enough shape for him to like it and feel like his story was in good hands.

Me: This doc is clearly a respectful and affectionate tribute to Vinton and his legacy of work. Was it hard for you to complete the film following the passing of your subject?

Marq E: We took a couple months away from the film just to mourn a bit and be able to come back to it with clear eyes. And I didn’t know how to best tell the end of the story. At first I wrestled with if he should pass away in the film or not. But after he died, it was even more important and urgent to get the film finished and released. One thing I was kind of surprised about when we did release it was that most people have never heard of the name Will Vinton. They know the characters and the work of his studio, but not the man. I’m glad that is changing with this film. 

movie poster for Claydream

Me: From a cinematic standpoint, you are documenting a visual medium. So much of Vinton’s work was eye-popping and exploding with creativity. But in addition to being a doc about an animator, it is actually a doc about a business and showing what worked and didn’t work and you framed it through the lawsuit. Can you tell me about the legal challenges you faced in what you were able to show in this doc?

Marq E: We had great lawyers at Donaldson Callif that we worked with every step of the way to make sure we were protected. The deposition footage for the suit between Will and Nike founder Phil Knight is an interesting story. I always knew that part of the story would be in the film, but I didn’t know how we would tell it. It wasn’t until about two years into the project when Will casually asked, “Did I give you the deposition?” I thought he meant a transcript, and then he told me that he had hired people to shoot the whole thing. So he gave me a big box of beta tapes and I had them digitized. I knew when I got the footage back that not only did we have the perfect way to tell that part of the story, but it was also something that was really going to elevate the film. 

claymation version of Marq Evans

Me: Your previous doc The Glamour and the Squalor was about Seattle radio D.J. Marco Collins. This one is about a Portland-based animation studio. What do you think it is about the Pacific Northwest that attracts so many artists and creative people?

Marq E: The Pacific Northwest is a great place to be an artist, and I know a lot of people like to point to the weather and say since it’s raining all the time all artists do is stay inside and create. I’m not sure if I really buy into that, but Seattle and Portland have great cultures for artists and there’s lots of like minded people around to collaborate with. And being from the area myself I’m attracted to stories from this part of the world that may be overlooked.

Me: What’s next for you?

Marq E: I have about 10 projects in various phases of development right now, but a few I’m most excited about and that are looking good are a baseball documentary, a true crime story based in Kodiak, Alaska in the 80s, and a Dracula film that is so hard to explain you’ll just have to see it when it comes out!

For info on Claydream: https://www.claydream.film/

[saturnsorbits]

Hello, please indulge me with more self ship thoughts:

What is you and Denki’s movie? The movie that either reminds you of each other or SCREAMS the type of couple the two of you are so much it just HAS to be your movie?

What are some weird hobbies yall bond over?

Where does Denki go to decompress?

How often do you two argue?

Denks is a goofball yes but what is one thing he will never ever joke about (besides loving you)?

I hope your day gets better my sweet. 💖 Love you.

MARQ! Get out of my head - I’ve literally just finished crawling into your ask to chat about KiriBakuMarq and I find this 😭💕

I don’t think we have a movie, but that’s mostly bc I don’t think Denki has seen the end of most films. I feel like he gets distracted and wonders off and I’m always doing at least three things at once so my attention is always spotty 🤣

As for hobbies: We both bake, badly, but we bake. He’s always hassling Bakugo for recipes and routinely gets shouted at for sending Kirishima home to him (and you 😉) with terrible baked goods bc he’s too nice to tell us to just throw them out like everyone else does. We game too, but it’s the baking that stands out!

He’s got a weighted blanket! It he’s overstimulated too much for touch, he’ll just plonk himself down on the couch in my office with that and some water because it’s quiet, but if he needs touch/contact, he’ll do the same thing in the living room with either me or my dog laying on him instead 🤣

I think we both get a bit snappy when the other is dismissive. He uses humour and I use sarcasm, but we’re both avoidant little fucks and sometimes it takes a little bark before we realise the gravity of something… Apart from that we don’t argue much, but when we stumble upon big ones (Mostly about Jirou in the early days and his lack of aspirations when he decides to quit Hero work later on) - they’re really big.

He won’t joke about his own intelligence. He used to: a lot. But, when we met he had it so hammered into him and internalised that he’d started to just write himself off? He thought I was taking the piss the first time I told him I thought he was intelligent and it took months for him to believe me and start to realise that he isn’t actually that thick at all. (The first time he cried in front of me was because I refused to let him use humour to wriggle out of situation where he was about to talk himself out of an opportunity I knew he really wanted bc he was ‘too stupid anyway’. Hence the little agreement.) Apart from that, everything is free game 🤣🤣🤣

Thank you for letting me ramble about me and Denks, it really does mean a lot 🥰

[montysworld]

Zara Origins - Avril 14th from Roger Guàrdia on Vimeo.

Visual experience based on APHEX TWIN's song Avril 14th for the new Origins collection by Zara.

FILM CREDITS

Directed by Roger Guàrdia -----------

Produced by CANADA -----------

Executive Producer Víctor Mata

Producer Marga Sardà Badia -----------

Director of Photography Ryan Marie Helfant

Production Designer Oian Arteta

Production Manager Yolanda Gata

1st AD Diego Núñez

Stylist Marq Rise

Make-up Artist Lucy Bridge

Hair Artist Louis Ghewy

Editor Carlos Font Clos

Grading Marc Morató @ La Metropolitana

Sound Design Jack Sedgwick @ Wave Studios

Postproduction La Metropolitana -----------

Production Coordinator Marta Vega

Production Assistant Aina Salarich

Ecoshoot Coordinator Aurora Muñoz

Postproduction Coordinator Sara Camacho

Postproduction Supervisor Iván Iniesta @ La Metropolitana

PAs/Drivers Pau Arévalo David Ceballos Guille Lavin Gerard Llopart Marc Massó Ramón Novellas Marcelo Pérez Oscar Pérez Aitor Rau Oriol Recasens Riky Serrano

Ecoshoot PA David Medina

PA Trainee Sara Martínez

Set Manager Aiman Halabi

Location Manager Iván Gómez

Location Assistant Sergi Cabrera

Location Scout Jaume Jordana Joel López Matías Saravia

2nd AD Dani Velázquez

3rd ADs Helena Lobato Albert Marcos

Casting Lane Casting

Special Effects Clemente Torres

Animal Wrangler Gabriel Lozano

-----------

Focus Puller Toni Rodríguez

2nd AC Eneko Abad

Clapper Loader Mònica Mauri

VTR Xavi García

Steadycam Operator Sacha Naceri

Camera B Operator Teo López Camera B Focus Puller Iván Buñuel

Camera B 2nd AC Arkaitz Latorre

Camera B VTR Kian Rahnema

Scuba Cam Jose Manuel Herrero

Scuba Cam Assistant Raúl Caso

Gaffer Juan F. Román

Sparks Raul Alimbau Alberto Álvarez Jordi Biosca Alex Carvajal Juan F. Flores Oscar Gallego Víctor Gasull Xavier González Patrik Herchl Víctor Moreno Joan Manel Pérez Jesús Manuel Prieto Santi Rodríguez Jordi Sánchez

Key Grip Jordi Soms

Grip Toni Espejo

Scorpio Crane Jordi Galán

Sound Technician Carles Prats

Boom Operator Gabriel Hernan

----------- Assistants Art Director Cristina Cortizo Anna Llubera

Props Buyer Eduard Arbona

Art Assistants Julien Anderson Nata Jacob Jonathan Rodríguez Sergi Ruiz

----------- Styling Assistants Alexa Barrios Maria Combalia Iria Franch Nona Permanyer Bea Rivas

Seamstresses Aloma Abeyà Blanca Oliva

Mk’up Ass. to Ms Bridge Kyle Dominic Jana Reininger

Hair Ass. to Mr Ghewy Eduardo Bravo

Add. Talent Mk’up & Hair Oliva Marcos

Add Talent Mk’up & Hair Ass. Cristina Casanovas Eli García Olalla Limeres Sandra Martín Vanessa Sánchez Laura Sans

Manicurist Rosa Matilla ----------- Main Talent Takfarines Bengana Rogier Bosschaart Kwaku Broni Ottawa Kwami Chester McKee Babacar N’Doye Yura Nakano Sacha Quenby Mika Schneider Moustapha Sy

----------

Orchestra Furius Music Orchestra

Underwater Stunt Carlos Ribera @ Filmsport

Background Extras JK Guzman

----------- Storyboard Roger Pibernat

Credits Design Judit Musachs

BTS Camera Operators Pol G. Sala Juanjo López

BTS Photographer Dani Pujalte

BTS & Assistant Editor Bernat Udina

----------- “Avril 14th - Orchestral Version”   Music: Aphex Twin ‘Avril 14th’, Courtesy of Warp Records   Music Production Hook and Line Inc.   Orchestral Arrangement Bryan Senti   Production Assistant Francesco Le Metre

Music Mix Bill Mims @ Alpha Road Studios in Los Angeles, California

  Studio recording by FILMharmonic Orchestra in Prague on August 31st, 2021 Conductor:  Adam Klemens Sound Engineer: Jan Holzner Assistant Sound Engineer: Michal Hradiský Orchestra Contractor and Recording Sessions Manager: Petr Pycha

Live performance by Furius Music Orchestra in Barcelona on August 22nd, 2021

-------------- Suppliers

Servicevision Zeferino Another Light Blacklight Grip Support Cinelab London Zafarrancho Location Support Quadis AAV LocLum Kaizen Modasa Lazaro Dynamic International Inextremis Elemento FX Animales a Rodar Frankachela Tasta’m Cinevent Geseme Blue Screen Freecov Travelface

------------ Special Thanks Momo M. Javier G. Javier R. Carlos T. Jacobo S. Oscar G. Antonio P. Carlos N. Javi Botella Marina M. Campomanes Sophie Williams Davey Ahern Cristina López Diana C. Milesi

------------ Shot in Barcelona on August 19th-22nd, 2021.

[haroldgross]

New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on https://literaryends.com/hgblog/claydream/

Claydream

[3 stars]

Will Vinton was a legend in animation and Marq Evans does an amazing job capturing the man and his journey in the industry. Through interviews, archival footage (including deposition recordings that start the film) you get as balanced a telling of the tale as I’ve seen or heard. Every major player in this story is flawed in personality and action.

And yet, the effect on the industry and the art form remain profound. If you aren’t in the industry you probably don’t know Vinton’s name, though you do likely know Phil Knight’s (as in Nike). How these two came to butt heads and divide a community, though the docu sort of avoids a lot of that, is what Evans presents. What he does create is a relatively neutral eye of the history and continuing future of the creatives involved. It is a beautifully edited and interestingly told story that carries you through to the resolution without making you angry or maudlin…only sort of in awe of what it all wrought.

Where to watch

[lancearcherinrippedjeans]

It Was All Good...Then in Comes Kenny

For previous parts, click HERE

Pairings - Adam Page x OFC, Matt Jackson x OFC x Kenny Omega, Chuck Taylor x OC

Categories - Fluff, Angst, Almost Smut

Warnings/Promises - Cussing (like always), sexual jokes, and well uh, almost smut

Summary/Desc - Adam and Gabby get into an arguement, Brianna has a rough day, Parker and Chuck finally talk, and Adriana gets into a, well, entanglement.

Back in Gabby’s life, her and Adam had bought a house in Ann Arbor Michigan where they planned to raise their baby. A baby boy named Ashen Page. 8 months into her pregnancy she was on lock down not knowing when the baby would come, other on Adam’s hand he still had to wrestle.

“He’s not home yet?” Parker said, “Nope.” Gabby sighed. Gabby and Parker were facetiming while she sat on their couch, waiting for Adam to arrive home. Minutes later she heard the sound of the door being unlocked, “Ok he’s here I’ll call you back.” She hung up the phone. Adam entered the house, hair in ponytail, luggage draped over his shoulder. “Hi baby!” Adam dropped his bags and ran to where Gabby was, “Hi!” 

They kissed, when Gabby noticed something...off, “Have you been drinking again?” “Of course not, babe.” Adam placed his hand on a frustrated Gabby's stomach. While she was pregnant, her and Adam promised he’d sober up, unless it was drinking for work. She immediately moved his hand off her, “I’m not fucking dumb Adam, I can taste the whisky in your breath.” she rolled her eyes. They sat down on the couch, “I was stressed about work and you and Ashen, I just had to.”

“You sound fucking dumb, if I can’t drink for 9 months, you can’t either.” Gabby shook her head in disappointment. “When are you gonna become more understanding Gabrielle, like fuck!”

“More understanding?! I’ve been nothing but understanding bro.” A tear ran down her face. “It’s like you want me to be this person that can wrestle, and be a great dad, and pleasure you, plus be your emotional support system? I can’t do it all.” “So what? Am I asking for too much? Because if I went to Joey and asked him to be my emotional support system, or fuck it. Go to him for sex them what would you do Adam?” Gabby wiped her tears, crossing her arms. “Really? Maybe I wasn’t wrong about you and Kenny then!” he shouted. 

“What is it Adam? You think we fucked? Kissed? Want each other? I’ve told you it's not like that at all. You're the only man I want.” Gabby teared up again. Adam couldn’t bear to see Gabby cry anymore, so he pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry about the drinking babe.” “It’s ok, I love you”. Adam used the tips of his thumbs to wipe the tears off her face, lifting Gabby’s shirt rubbing her baby bump. “Love you so much more.”

All the way over in Jacksonville, Brianna was getting ready to film a BTE bit. She had agreed to film with Brandon and Frankie Kazarian, and was a bit excited. “Alright, Brianna you ready?” Brandon asked, Bri nodded enthusiastically. “Kaz you ready?” She looked over at Frankie and he was glaring at her. “Yeah, I’m ready.” He said in a sharp tone.

She went back and got into place and Brandon started filming.

Bri was hunched over looking through Twitter on her phone, not watching where she was going. “OW- What the shit!?” Frankie Kazarian yelped. Bri quickly looked away from her phone to see that her foot was on top of Frankie’s heel. “Oh my god. I am so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going-” she rambled. Frankie was steamed. He was already angry, as usual, and this made it a MILLION times worse.

“You know what I am sorry for BRI-ANNA?” He asked quite loudly which made everyone turn to look at him. “I'm sorry that someone as talented as Joey Janela wasted his hard earned money on someone like you.” Bri opened her mouth to apologize again but was cut off. “HOW are you even back here? I don’t know if you have read the fucking signs EVERYWHERE, but this is for talent only! What talent do you have Bri? Besides getting on your knees for people other than the Lord himself?” Kazarian was extremely dramatic with everything he said during BTE- but this seemed a little too real.

“Like honestly, as soon as you get here you have Marq Quen following you around like you’re important; and then the very next day I SEE you talking to Cash Wheeler- who has only been here for a couple WEEKS?! I’m surprised you didn’t all go in a room together and fuck yourselves, or maybe you did.”

Bri was actually concerned. “How the hell does he know who I’ve been with… this wasn’t in the script?” She began to notice everyone around listening into her conversation whispering to each other. “This is so embarrassing.” she thought. “What else have you done here? You’re by far the LEAST relevant outta of your little friend group, and you crave attention so much - so now you got it! Should I go off and check everyone you’ve batted your eyelashes at since you’ve been here?” 

Bri shook her head no, but it was too late. “There was Marq of course, then when you got bored with him you crawled over to the new hottest thing; Cash Wheeler. But do they know who you’ve had between them?” Bri’s eyes slightly widened.  “You had made heart eyes, with not one but ALL members of Team Taz. What is wrong with you?! Two of them have families of their own, You damn homewrecker!” She saw some of the people backstage shake their heads. 

“Kaz… stop.” she mumbled under her breath. 

“Nah nah, don’t be quiet now you fucking cheater! Everyone has heard you, like when you thought since you were in a janitor closet with Austin Gunn no one would notice the strange moans coming out of them?” Shit. Bri was tired of hearing this man exposing her, “I told you - that wasn’t me. This arena is old, could have been a ghost Frankie.” she lied of course, but she would do anything to get out of this situation.  

“Last time I checked we were at a wrestling arena not a damn haunted mansion. Everyone is smart enough to know the difference between a moan full of fucking pleasure from a cry from a ‘ghost’.” 

Brandon Cutler began to lower his camera but Kazarian yelled at him. “Don’t you fucking dare cut this! We’re all about being real, well THIS right here,” as he points as Brianna, “Is as real as we’re gonna get. Because some people are stupid enough to let bitches like this come in here and suck off the whole roster.” Bri was shocked. 

“Who are you calling a bitch? I know the least important member of SCU isn’t talking. Let me talk to Scorpio.” she rolled her eyes, there was no way in hell this was getting posted online. “Sorry, he’s trying to stay away from women that seduces half of the indie wrestlers on Dark.” 

Bri slapped Frankie with tears starting to form into her eyes, “You ain’t shit.” and she meant every word. She didn’t care that Cutler was calling her name, or even some of the wrestlers trying to stop her- she had to get out of not only this situation, but the arena as fast as possible.

The Elite

The The Elite

The Elite

The The Elite

The Elite

The The Elite

Superkick PAAARRRR-

Tan Legs

“Why are there so many rooms in this damn arena?” Adriana questioned as she was acting like she was looking for Tony Khan’s office. She had been searching everywhere as Brandon Cutler followed her with his camera. The camera cut to her in front of the Elite locker room, raising her hand to knock at the door. A relieved Kenny popped in the doorway. “Oh Adriana, am I glad to see you!” He moved over and invited Adriana into the room, closing the door behind him. 

“Well, I would love to sit here with you Kenny, but could you show me where Khan’s office is-?” Kenny pushed his finger onto her lips making her shush. “Shhh, I can show you where his office is. But I need something from you since Matt is busy handling phone calls.” 

Her face lit up to the mention of Matt’s name, but she had to stay in character, so she immediately nodded and mouthed an okay. She sat down in the chair, across from the couch Kenny was sitting on. “You’re a little far, wouldn't you say?” he said as he began to shift to the edge. “Uhm, that depends what exactly am I doing?” As she looked at him with confusion. 

“Just move a little closer.” Kenny demanded. “We gotta get this over with.” Adriana’s mouth slightly fell open, in shock of the words coming out of his mouth. “I- I’m sorry. What do you mean get this over with-” Kenny chuckled, “No one was out there right- you came alone?” She nodded quickly, unable to speak; she could feel the room closing in on her, making her move her chair slightly to where he was on the couch. He looked at her weird, “Haha a little closer than that Adri.” 

He said as he leaned over folding his hands. “Well, how close do I have to be?” she tilted her head up giving him her full attention. “I mean…you’re still a little far for what we have to do.” She began to pull her chair forward, but Kenny pushed her back down lightly and stood up. “What WE have to do?” She asked, not understanding the signals he was giving to her. At this point she was losing it on the inside, he’s never been so forward with her. His hands began to adjust the band of his gray shorts. 

“Yea, hey you mind getting on your knees?” he asked with all seriousness in his voice making Adriana almost fall out of her chair. From the corner of her eye she could see Brandon’s eyes widened a bit. She looked up and saw a slight smirk from Kenny, which made her roll her eyes. “He knows what he’s doing.” she thought in the inside of her head. Kenny stood there , looking stupid as Adriana came back to reality. 

“O-on my knees? Are you sure?” As she began to crawl out the chair. “Uh yea- I know this isn't your first time, but I thought you would be more prepared.” he joked. She had almost let out a laugh. “Oh, and take that ponytail holder on your wrist and tie your hair up- this could get a little messy.” as he pushed his shorts down his legs- making her face to face with his package. She felt Brandon move closer to get a better shot of her face, and she wished he hadn’t. She shot her head back, letting out a sigh. “Damn, he is bigger than I thought.” She closed her eyes, and tried to gain control overself. She did a slight prayer as she closed her eyes and opened her mouth slightly, waiting for Kenny. When he placed it in her mouth she was shocked, it was thick… but cold. 

She opened her eyes when she heard Kenny freaking out. “ADRIANA! STOP BEING RIDICULOUS! DID YOU SEE HOW WHITE MY LEGS ARE?” Adriana also started freaking out as she spat out a bottle of tanning spray. “STOP LOOKING AT MY RIDICULOUS QUAD DEVELOPMENT AND GET THIS GOD DAMN QUICK TAN ON MY LEGS STAT!” Kenny yelled.

 “YES- TAN! RIGHT, NOTHING ELSE.” as she scurried to pick up the bottle.  Adriana had struggled unloosing the cap not only because of the commotion, but because of the fact she thought she was about to get filmed for a porno with Kenny Omega. “ADRIANA! HURRY UP. THE COLOR OF MY ARMS, AND THE COLOR OF MY FACE DO NOT MATCH THE COLOR OF MY LEGS!” He pouted as she finally shook the can getting ready to spray but then it accidentally slipped out of her hands. “SPRAY MY LEGS!” 

She shot the cap throwing it somewhere in the room. “God, I’m an idiot.” she said to herself. “Sorry Kenny, I didn’t know they were this pale-” “MAKE THEM ORANGE!” He ordered, making Adriana spray faster. “Eh it’s looking… pretty good!” he said while examining his now newly tanned legs. “I knew I could count on you. Thanks.” he said. 

“You’re so welcome, sorry I don’t know why that was so hard for me to do.” She said as she got up from her odd position to sit on the end of the couch. “Why were you so freaked out-” He asked as he spotted the spray can top in the corner of the room. “I’m not sure honestly, it’s just something I do nowadays.” She lied, but he didn’t think anything of it. 

He took the can out of her hand and popped the cap back on as he sat next to her, “Anyways, since Matt isn’t in here. You should get over here and suck me o-”

Stolen Bit Partner

“Did you see how big his biceps were?” John Silver said, walking down the hallway with Alex and Parker, arms hooked. “You were right John, his milkshake sure does bring all the boys to the yard.” Parker said, chuckling slightly. Alex was about to protest what Parker was saying, but agreed. No one could deny that Wardlow was a beautiful human. The trio kept walking, talking about the man who’s locker room they had just left, when they bumped into another trio, one that Parker was very familiar with.

The Best Friends and Orange Cassidy.

They all stopped in their tracks. That’s when Alex detached from Parker, him and Chuckie going around in a slow circle, sizing each other up. Trent and John just looked at each other. And in the middle of all of this, Cassidy took off his glasses, and started looking Parker up and down.

The rotating finally stopped when Chuck spoke up, “You stole my bit partner, Reynolds.” “Oh, YOUR bit partner?”

And so the argument began, Trent bending down to get in Silver’s face, and Chuck and Reynolds pushing each other back and forth. Behind it all, Parker looked over to Orange and waved, but when he didn’t even give a sup motion, she turned away, a defeated look on her face.

“At least I’m not in a cult with a bunch of spooky perverts!” “Well these spooky perverts have a better hug than you guys!”

“What even is a ‘Johnny Hungie’?!” Trent yelled, “Well what the fuck is an ‘olive tit’ TRENT?!” “Boys, Boys! Please!” Parker yelled, standing between all of them. “Did they experiment on your brain!?” Chuck questioned, looking down at Parker. “What- Okay. No they did not experiment on my brain!”

“Did they TRAIN you to say that?” Trent said jumping at Silver. Parker pushed Trent back lightly. “Train Trent? What do you think we are? Some kind of cult?!” John argued. “Yes! That’s exactly what we’re saying.” Chuck answered.

“Y’know what?!” Alex grabbed Parker by the arm, “We’re leaving!”

Parker swatted Alex’s hand, that look on her face. “I think I’m going to...be on Sammy’s vlog instead.” She gave a nervous smile before walking behind the camera, “See ya Brandon.” “Uh, bye.”

Alex pointed his finger in Chuck’s face, Kool-Aid container still in his hand, “This isn’t over.” Reynolds and Silver walked away when Chuck mumbled, “We’re in the middle of a pandemic, keep your hand out my face.” Trent and Cassidy looked at each other while Chuck walked away. Trent shrugged one more time before following.

Orange just sighed, minding his own business.

Hungry Hungry Hippos

The room had conversation and laughter, when Trent spoke up, “Uh, BTE Championship match, triple threat.” The camera panned over to the left, “Marq Quen checking in.” Marq said with a smile, Isiah waving from behind him. The camera panned past Trent to the right, “Parker here, with uh, Chuck Taylor.” Chuck and Parker looked awkwardly at each other before Parker looked back at the camera, “My other friends decided to be dicks and not show up.”

Brandon pointed back towards Trent, who explained the game, “So uh, we’re playing the game Hungry Hungry Hippos, first one to get to two victories wins my BTE championship.”

The next scene showed all of them surrounding a table. “I am a GOAT at this game.” Marq said, rubbing his hands together. Parker pointed at him, “Oh yeah? Well prepare to lose Quen.” 

The game had started, and the game had almost fallen off the table. “Y’all are so aggressive!” Matt Jackson laughed, pointing out how seriously they were taking the game.

Marq had quickly gotten the first victory. Trent and Parker groaning at their defeat.

“Already halfway THERE.” “Shut up!” Trent and Parker said in unison.

And the games went on, until all of them were tied with one victory each.

The three looked at each other, before talking to their “coaches” for a moment. 

They had all returned to the table, and the tiebreaker had started. This round was definitely the most aggressive, with Trent actually trying, Marq jumping up and down making noises, and Parker trying to be as quick as possible.

When all the marbles were gone, they had each counted them up.

Trent had gone first, only having 5. Then Parker counted theirs, having 8. Marq counted the last of the marbles.

“Five, Six,” He pulled out the last marble, “Seven.” Marq had dropped to the ground, while Parker jumped up, knees almost to her chest in victory. “New BTE champ!” Nick said, grabbing the championship and handing it to Parker.

Parker held up the championship, before looking at it, “I have to go rub this in Adriana’s face so she gets mad at me.” She was about to leave the room, when she stepped back, “Oh yeah, I promised Marko I would fight him for this if I won. So next week, we balance KitKats on our heads.” “You’re gonna WHAT?!”

The screen showed Parker vs Marko for next week, for the Being The Elite Championship.

Hey, did you like that video? Click the screen for more.

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And thanks so much for Being The Elite.

The Elite The The Elite

What Nick you’re not gonna sing it all with me this time?

Brianna was so embarrassed. How did Frankie even know all that? She kept thinking to herself, “Did Marq tell everyone?” He wouldn’t...right? This was just all too much for her, cause of some stupid mistake.

She stayed outside the arena the whole show, not wanting to show her face in there. Then wrestlers and producers started walking out, some mumbling when they looked over at Bri. She looked over at the people walking out, and saw Marq and Isiah. Marq and Brianna stared at each other, before Marq looked away, almost like he didn’t want to look at her. She watched them pack up and drive off, and she heard a familiar voice call out from behind her, “Hey Brianna!”

She looked over her shoulder and saw Cash walking over to her, and they both started smiling. That smile quickly turned back into a frown, when Dax grabbed Cash by the arm, dragging him away.

Great. 

She went back to staring at the ground, upset. She almost jumped back when someone sat next to her. “They said we can delete it.” Brandon Cutler said, trying to sound sympathetic. “Thank you.” Brianna mumbled. “Look, we got Kaz to calm down, and he’s gonna talk to you about it,” Brandon put his hand on her shoulder before getting up, “Hang in there, alright?”

“Could this day get any worse?” Brianna thought to herself.

When of course, with Brianna’s luck, it could. She felt something drop on her head, then her arm, then ankle. It’s like the rain started on command. “This is so fucking cliche.” Brianna said, standing up and walking to her car, not without one of her heels breaking. 

She waited until she got in the car, and then she screamed, at the top at her lungs. She just wanted to go to sleep, and find a fucking way to prove Kaz wrong.

Back at the Hotel

It had been months. Months since Parker and Chuck broke up. She wanted to talk to him outside of BTE for months. But she didn’t have the guts to do it.

She was watching tv in her hotel room, thinking about him, like always.

She pulled out her phone and facetimed Gabby, the only person she could really talk to about this stuff. There were a few rings before Gabby picked up, clearly irritated, “Girl it is half past midnight. Why are you calling me?” “I need to talk to him.” “Talk to who?” “Chuck! I can’t keep putting it off anymore.”

“Well then just talk to him?” “I can’t just discuss that over the phone.”

“Well, ask if you can talk in person.” Parker nodded, and went to her contacts, and clicked on the one she hadn’t touched in months. She read through the last of his messages to her, she didn’t answer.

It made her feel horrible.

She finally worked up the courage to type it out, “Can we talk? Like in person?”

“Okay, I did it.” “Great, now you just have to wait and see what he says.”

“Gabby, I’m sure he’s sleeping right now. And I can’t blame him if he doesn’t respo-” Parker paused, and looked like she had just seen a ghost. “Parker? Everything okay?” “....He texted back.”

“Well what did he say?!”

“He said of course, and then his room number…” “Well then go!” Parker got up quickly, tripping over her own feet walking to the door. “Wait wait Parker!” “What?”

“Put shoes on, don’t be a hobo.”

Parker laughed, quickly putting on some shoes, before hanging up on Gabby and making her way towards the elevator.

She waited when it opened, Trent coming out the elevator. “Oh, hey.” Parker said, looking at her feet. “He sent me to James’ room so you guys could talk.” Trent said, slightly laughing. Parker didn’t say anything, “Hey, it doesn’t have to be awkward y’know. We’re still cool.”

Parker smiled, and hugged Trent, before getting into the elevator. 

She walked out the elevator, for once walking with some pep in her step. It stayed that way until she reached the front of his door. She reached her hand up, and was about to knock when she put her hand down.

Well, not without hitting the door.

When she realized, she started freaking out. In silence of course. The door creaked open, Chuck and Parker looked at each other. “Do you wanna come in?”

Parker nodded, walking through the doorway. She sat on the couch, rubbing her hands awkwardly, looking at the floor. “So, what did you need to talk about?” He asked, sitting on the opposite side.

She could feel it coming, word vomit, “I made a mistake, and I know I did when I broke up with you, but I couldn’t work up the courage to talk to you cause I know you want nothing to do with me and-” “Wait wait, you still…” “Yes I do, and I know things will never be the same and just...I know this was a mistake.”

“Parker, I have been waiting to talk to you. Just at least when you’re ready. I miss you.”

Parker continued to look at the floor, slightly smiling. Chuck lightly gripped her chin, lifting her head up. “I love you, Parker.” Parker smiled, “I love you too, Chuck.” 

For the first time in months, they shared a kiss. “I missed having my whatever.” Chuck said, foreheads pressed together.

“Now can we please go back to being bit partners John keeps saying my name over and over.” The couple laughed, “Of course, I’ll tell James to stop giving you dirty looks.” “And I’ll tell the spooky perverts to not argue with you anymore.” The couple jumped when they heard the door open.

“I forgot my bag of chips.” Trent said, walking into the room. “God Trent you could’ve texted.” Chuck said, slapping his forehead. “I did. Did I interrupt something important?” Parker and Chuck looked at each other and smiled.

Trent started to “ooo” like he was in middle school. Parker stood up, cheeks red, “Okay on that note I’m leaving.” She started towards the door, “I love you Parker!” Chuck yelled out. “I love you too.” She was out the door when she heard Trent, “OH MY GO-” The door closed, and Parker laughed listening to Chuck yelling at Trent to shut up.

Parker walked towards the elevator, glad to have that situation of her shoulders and to have Chuck back.

“So, what's next for you two?” Trent asked, sitting back on his bed. Chuck looked out the window, “I don’t know yet exactly, I just know that I can’t lose her again.”

Back at Daily’s Place

“Did you see the look on Brandon’s face, it was priceless!” Kenny and Adriana had just finished their BTE bit and were now laughing at themselves for how clever they were. “Dude, I think we’re geniuses. Only we could come up with stuff like this.” Kenny said while holding his stomach from laughing. 

“You know, for a second I thought you were serious.” Adriana said after wiping her tears. Kenny tilted his head to the side. “What are you talking about… my legs were actually white as paper.” She shook her head, “That’s not what I’m talking about and you know that.” Kenny seemed to understand her a bit clearer now as he scooted closer next to her. “Do you really think that I would let you give me head at our job?” He asked with interest in his eyes. She began to start breathing heavily noticing their knees were touching. 

“You’re right - what was I thinking. You’re all business.” She sighed and put her hand on her face covering it up. Kenny thought it was cute how she was trying to hide from this conversation instead of talking about it. “That’s not true. I do childish shit all the time. And if we really wanted to, it would be way more than just head.” 

Adriana felt like she was powerbombed on the apron. “Plus I don’t see you as a person to give head in weird places like this EVP room, in a public bathroom, or even inside of a car.” He added. Her head whipped up so fast she thought it would fall off. “Right, why would I do that? That’s gross and disgusting-” she lied. If only he knew… “What’s gross, having sex with me or giving head in weird places?” She opened her mouth to speak but decided against it. 

He noticed as he rested his hand on her thigh. “I saw the look in your eyes Adriana. The way you looked at me when we did that bit for Being the Elite, is something I won’t be able to get my mind off for a long time. So - I am not saying it has to be today, but soon I want to hangout with you out of work. I want to know the real you.” She was left speechless, once again by Kenny Omega. “I got to go, but I’ll think about it.” 

She got up from the couch and wiped her now sweaty hands on her jeans. Kenny also stood , studying her. The way she avoided eye contact, the way her feet shuffled trying to gain her stuff immediately. His heart started to get louder as she finally looked at him and reached for a hug, making him open his arms. It wasn’t anything like he wanted. It was short and meaningless but he did get the chance to smell the perfume she was wearing and that alone made him swoon. Kenny gave her a wave as he sat back on the couch, “Shit.” he mumbled. “What have I gotten myself into.”

 On the other side of the door, Adriana was trying to come back to reality. “That really just happened.” she thought. “Did you have fun with ‘Spray Tan’ in there?” a voice asked sarcastically. She jumped up and when she turned around she was met with a frustrated Matt Jackson.  “Oh! Jeez you scared the hell out of me. I didn’t know you were here today.” She mentally slapped herself, “I really need to learn how to lie.” 

Matt leaned on the wall looking her over. “Really, last time I checked - I was an EVP. You on the other hand - are not - so what were you doing in this room for that long?” He asked. Adriana bit her lip, they hadn’t seen each other since their session in the car and both of them were aching for more ever since. “I had to record something with Kenny for BTE. It’s not that serious.” Matt ran his hand through his hair shooting his head back. “I saw the segment, Adri.” He plainly said. “Is this what we’re going to do? We’re going to act like what we did was nothing?” He walked closer to her sliding his hands to her waist. He lifted his hand to move some of her hair out of her face and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Meet me at the Jacksonville Jaguars Stadium at 10 O’clock. And wear a bathing suit.” He hovered his lips over her neck before patting her ass and then walking away. 

Adriana stood there dumbfounded. She had waited a whole week to be able to get to see Matt, since they last met in the car and all she got was teasing. She looked toward the EVP room and sighed. She was so confused with emotions, she needed to get this stuff with Matt out of her system before it was too late. Adriana began her walk to her car, so she could get ready for a night with Matt Jackson.

“I SWEAR NONE OF THESE HOES ANSWER THE PHONE WHEN I NEED THEM!” Adriana threw her phone onto the bed after attempting to call Gabby, Parker, and Bri and of course they declined. Every. Single. Time. “Guess I have to go at this alone.” She sighed. She really missed talking to her friends, no matter how annoying they got. She would never feel complete without them. 

She pushed her friends to the back of her mind as she threw clothes out of her suitcase. After 15 minutes deciding which bathing suit to wear she chose a normal two piece with some shorts and a normal tee to go over them. After she changed in the bathroom she grabbed everything she needed and headed out the door. 

She pulled up to the stadium and parked confused on where to enter until her phone buzzed. Matt Jackson : I see your car, we’re the only ones here. So I’ll let you in.” Adriana chuckled. She got out the car fluffing her hair so she appealed somewhat decently. She saw Matt waiting for her at the entrance. 

He picked his head up from his phone and let out a low whistle. “Well damn, I was not expecting this.” He fumbled with his keys as she rolled her eyes. When they finally got in he took her hand and led her to the pool. She removed her shorts and shirt as he did the same. Adriana dipped her toe in removing it as she felt how cold it was. 

Before she could react she was pushed into the pool and when she got to the top for air she saw Matt jumping and doing a cannonball, making water go everywhere. Matt swam around a little before looking over to a shivering Adriana. “Yo-you’re an i-idiot.” Her teeth chattered making Matt laugh. “Ah, stop being a big baby and swim with me.” He slapped water onto her making her gasp. “I think I should wait till it gets w-warmer.” She smudged, making Matt swim over to her. 

“I have a couple ways we could speed up the process.” She smirked. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he backed her up to the edge. He lightly pressed against her, making her let out a small whine. “If you’re going to do something just do it.” She said, clearly impatient. He pressed his lips onto hers, as she kissed back. He began to lower his hands trying to find the part to disconnect her bottom. She smirked into the kiss making him hungry for more as he pushed his tongue onto her bottom lip. She opened her mouth a little, only to hear a “IS ANYONE IN HERE?” Adriana tried to disconnect, but Matt pulled her back. “Whoever it is, will either go away soon or get a free show- I couldn’t care less.” Adriana pushed Matt off making him groan. She heard the door open and was shocked when Kenny Omega came out in swim trunks. 

“Oh, it’s just you guys. What are you doing here?” he asked, confused. “Nothing much, just going for a late night swim.” Adriana lifted her finger to her mouth as she could feel her lip swollen at how hard Matt had bit it. Kenny nodded, “Right… mind if I join you?” He asked. Matt mumbled something too low to understand. “Of course, come on.” She smiled. “There it is again, that damn smile.” He felt weird seeing her in a bathing suit and it was even more weird seeing one of his best friends next to him. 

Matt turnt around and faced Adriana , so Kenny couldn’t hear what he had to say, “He totally just cockblocked me. It had to be on purpose.” He whined. Adriana rolled his eyes, “He didn’t know. Leave him alone, let's just save our first time somewhere other than a public pool.” He scoffed, but he couldn’t stay mad at HER. 

It was Kenny who was the problem, and he would make sure that he stayed out of the way.

WE’RE BACK FAM!!!! Thanks again to my co-writers @westanaew​ and @adriii-omega​ , it feels great to get back into the series! <3

[fatehbaz]

Before Tulsa’s mayor, in May 2020, got on social media and enthusiastically proposed purchasing a fleet of Tesla cybertrucks for the city’s police department (during the same week that he unveiled the towering “Golden Elon” statue to bribe Musk into moving a Tesla factory to the city), the mayor had already been under fire in January 2020 for police-related stuff. In January, the mayor was hosting town halls to collect input on selecting a new police chief for the city. (A new police chief was eventually announced on 22 January.) During the discussions, the mayor received a lot of criticism about how he, without input from residents and without consent of city council, secretly signed a contract with television producers to allow camera operators of the Live PD show to travel along with Tulsa police and film arrests for later TV broadcast and public entertainment. During town halls, the mayor argued with multiple residents about Live PD and racist policing.

Live PD, a show in which law enforcement officers are followed while they patrol cities each weekend, is a smash hit on A&E network. Viewers get the opportunity to see day to day police interactions with local citizens, nearly in real-time. The series began in 2016 as an eight-episode pilot, with each episode as a two-hour block. However, as viewership increased dramatically, so did Live PD’s impact on the media. Currently, “Live PD” airs each weekend night for three solid hours.

Yet Live PD is not without controversy. A resident of Bridgeport, Connecticut, one of the cities which originally participated in Live PD, sued the city and police department for brutality and violating his Constitutional rights following his arrest while filming. [...] Other cities have followed suit, claiming that Live PD portrays their communities in a negative light, focusing on dangers for citizens and crime, exploiting them — particularly people of color. [...] Williamson, Texas, and Streetsboro, Ohio, both canceled their contracts with Live PD and Big Fish entertainment in 2019.

Yet Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, who single-handedly signed that contract with Live PD without the consent of the City Council, dismissed such concerns at a public town hall meeting for the selection of a new Tulsa Chief of Police, on the evening of January 8 at Rudisill Regional Library. When asked if he would cancel Tulsa Police Department’s contract with Live PD, he replied with a curt, “No!” [...]

“What happens to the footage that doesn’t make it on the screen?” community activist Marq Lewis asked Mayor Bynum. “That footage is theirs forever. Live PD has more access than any of the media professionals here,” continued Lewis. “You have given access, as well as our personal information, to a production company, for entertainment purposes — not education.”  

Despite citizens’ concerns about who owns the footage captured on Live PD, and for how long the footage is maintained by Big Fish, which in turn is part of entertainment conglomerate MGM, Mayor Bynum doubled down on his refusal to end the city’s contract, implying that Live PD benefits Tulsa, stating that it is important for people to see what our officers actually deal with in the field. Live PD provides the ability to do that, and I support it.”

However, with its focus on citizens who are stopped by police, and to all appearances, Live PD overrepresents Black people in Tulsa as criminals. [...] Black citizens of Tulsa are 2.3 times more likely to be arrested than white Tulsans, and between 2012 and 2017 there were 49 arrests of residents of North Tulsa per 1000 citizens, compared to 32 arrests per 1000 citizens in other areas of Tulsa.

When one audience member retorted that cameras should be placed on officers rather than citizens, Mayor Bynum reminded the crowd that all field officers have body cameras. However, Mr. Lewis stated, “In order to see that footage, citizens have to file an open records request, while a private entertainment company has access.”

[From: Erika Stone-Burnett. The Black Wall Street Times. 9 January 2020.]

--

--

On 22 January 2020, when Tulsa’s new police chief appointment was announced, the incoming chief was asked about Live PD:

‘Asked about the city’s participation in the “Live PD” television program — a recent subject of controversy — Franklin acknowledged the entertainment aspect of the show but also noted its benefits.“I will say this about ‘Live PD,’ ‘Live PD’ is entertainment. There is no question about it; it is entertainment,” he said. “But I will say that, where else can I for free as a chief of police, show transparency? Where else can I showcase the work of what TPD is doing on a national stage?”’ [From: Canfield, for Tulsa World. “Wendell Franklin discusses his vision for TPD, 'Live PD' and being named Tulsa's first black police chief.” 22 January 2020.]