#and most recently marcus baker

[fbfh]

YOU BEING A SHIFTER WAS NOT ON MY BINGO CARD FOR 2023 BUT I LOVE IT

[writersblockedx]

Stalker

Pairing - Marcus Baker x Fem!Reader Summary - Y/n is pushed to confront the boy who can't seem to stop staring at her at school. Warnings - Alcohol & drug use Words - 2K

Masterlist

It had been happening all week. In the middle of talking, doing work or walking down the hallways, Y/n would look up, finding the same pair of eyes trailing her. In the beginning, she must have convinced herself she was imagining it. Marcus Baker wasn't one for wanting to self-illicit anything close to a social interaction. So she ignored it.

Then it started to seem like the boy's eyes were attached to her every move. Y/n had been in the midst of listening to Maxine go on about her most recent date (which hadn't ended well) when she noted the feeling of someone watching. Her back was pressed against the wall, Abby at her side as her gaze found Marcus once again. He didn't look away. His eyes lingered as if he weren't fazed she had caught him.

"Is he doing it again?" Snapped Abby. Her tone wasn't so loud that Marcus could hear from the other side of the hall, but the girl certainly wasn't trying to hide her words.

"Doing what?" Nora joined in.

Y/n lightly shook her head, shifting so she was no longer facing the shaggy-haired boy. "Don't worry about it."

"No." Abby cut in, gaining the attention of more of their friends. "It's getting creepy. If he likes you, he needs to come over and say something." Nora nodded in agreement.

"Can we just leave it?" She requested, but it was never that easy.

"Leave what?" Max questioned, peering over with wiggling eyebrows.

Y/n refused to answer. So Abby did it for her, "Your brother's obsessed with Y/n." The girl glared over at her best friend, wishing she ended this before it hadn't gotten to this point.

Max gave a sharp, mocking gasp, "My brother...and my best friend?" She spoke back to herself. "How scandalous!" Then she relaxed and let out a chuckle. "I mean, I'm surprised you've only just realised his obsession."

Y/n's brows raised at her words, "What?"

Another chuckle left Max's lips. "Oh, yeah." She said. "You should see how jittery he gets when I say Y/n is coming over. It's like he's on crack or something. Think he's too scared to actually talk to you but at the same time, surprised he's kept it in his pants this long."

"So, he just won't stop staring?" Nora inquired.

"Strange way to flirt." Abby added.

"Can we just forget about it?" Y/n asked with a pleasant smile. "I'm sure he'll find some other girl to swoon over."

Max wandered over, throwing an arm around Y/n, looking down at her sympathetically. "You know I love you, which is why I'm telling you, this thing he has for you, isn't something recent."

"It isn't?"

"You really have no idea, do you?" Y/n shook her head. "He's been in love with you for like a year. You're gonna have to let him down lightly. Or don't, he could use a punch to his ego."

Y/n swallowed the lump which had grown in her throat. Still with Max's arm slung around her shoulder, the girl slowly looked back. She located Marcus within a split second. He was still sat in the same place, his eyes still lingering over her and in an act to play off the last five minutes, she flash a small smile. Something which, while it took a moment, was returned to her.

Nothing more happened for the rest of the week. Just glances. Some of which were now prompted by Y/n's eyes as she started staring at him first. Granted, when she did that it was in wonder if he was already looking at her. Which, most times, he was.

Friday rolled around and while Y/n was relieved for the weekend, she couldn't escape the party Max had planned. In celebration of the part she received in the newest play, she begged Ellen to let her host another party in their house. After enough asking, the woman agreed and for another Friday night, a house was littered in cheap fairy lights, illegal substances and dancing teenagers.

"Isn't this so great?" Whined Maxine as she tumbled into her friend. "This was such a good idea."

Y/n wasn't nearly as drunk as half the people around her. "Sure, Max." She replied.

"You know what else is a good idea-"

"No, no, no, Max you know it's not a good idea." The girl was already reaching for her phone, desperate for the urge to message her ex.

Y/n tried to wiggle her fingers between Max's, but it was no use, the message was already being typed. "It's just- it's one message. Its closure, Y/n." She wasn't sure who Max was trying to convince with that.

The girl hummed, still trying to take a grasp of her phone. "And you will kill me in the morning if I don't stop you right now." She said. Her eyes scanned over the room, widening as they spotted Abby and Nora talking to the boys not too far away. "Abby! Nora!" She called across the blaring music.

The two girls glanced over. And all they needed was a glance to realise what was occurring. The pair came rushing over and suddenly, it became a fight for the phone. And for a second, it looked like Max might be winning. "No, no, it's fine." She tried to convince.

Abby wiggled her fingers between Max's cheering as she got grip on the phone and Max's hand slid away. "Finally." The girl huffed. "Would you get her something?" Abby asked Y/n.

Y/n glanced back at Brodie who was smoking the last of what they had. "I don't think that's going to be possible right now." She answered.

"What about Marcus?" Nora suggested, carefully. "He's bound to have some."

Abby looked over to Y/n, her expression silently questioning if she would be okay with that. "And you need me to go?" She checked over once more - just in case the answer changed.

A slurring Max was hanging from Abby and Nora was desperate to spend some quality time with her boyfriend; of course it had to be her. "At least if you go, we'll know we'll definitely get some." Abby shrugged, sending a sympathetic smile.

She sighed but started shifting on her feet anyway, "You both owe me, big time." She said to them, pointing her index finger between the two as she started strolling backwards towards the stairs.

Y/n soon found herself in the upstairs hallways. Many doors. And only one led to Marcus' room. Of course she had been up here many times before, but that only ever really consisted of Max's room. Alas, she wandered through, knocking against the one she believed to be Marcus'. Suppose she got lucky too.

"Yeah?" Called a voice from the other side.

Slowly, the girl pushed the door open, finding the shaggy-haired boy laid lazily across his bed. There laid a sketch book in his grasp as he had one earphone hanging out. "Hi." She forced a polite smile to her lips. "You got any weed on you?" What was the point for small talk anyway? She had a plan: get in, get a joint and get out.

Marcus shifted, sitting up as he threw his earphones to one side. "You came in here to ask for illegal drugs?" He reiterated.

She tensed, "Erm, yeah?"

The boy let out a chuckle before stepping from his bed. "Relax, I'm messing with you." Y/n didn't dare move from the space she took in the room as the boy wandered toward his dresser. He pulled out one of the draws, shifting through his clothes before returning with his two joints between his finger tips. "Rules are though, you smoking my stuff, you smoke it with me."

"It's not for me." She interjected. "It's for your sister." She watched as slowly, a certain speckle faded from his pupils. "I can try and bring her up if you'd want, but she's pretty wasted-"

"No, no, that's alright." His eyes darted to the floor, anywhere which weren't Y/n's eyes. That is, for once, anyway.

An awkward silence followed that Y/n made sure she filled. "She's just a bit, emotional right now. Abby thought it would calm her down." She explained. "She's been going through a lot, you know with the-"

"Break up." He finished for her. "Yeah, trust me, I know." Another pause. Another moment of awkward silence. Marcus passed over one of the joints, "Here."

The girl took without a word. She nodded her head and spun on her feet and headed for the door. She should have walked straight through. She should have tried to forget the very awkward situation she had just experienced. But something seemed to be pulling her back. Maybe it was the curiosity, maybe it was just the alcohol. Probably the latter if she were being honest.

But, she turned, finding Marcus still stood in the same spot. And with a rush of courage, she asked, "Why do you keep me staring at me?" She almost surprised herself more than Marcus when the words slipped from her lips. At first, she had herself second-guessing if she had really just said them.

A moment passed before Marcus responded, "Because I think you're pretty." His tone was matched with a nervous laugh as his gaze met her.

"Then why didn't you just say so?"

He shrugged, "I'm saying something now." The boy took a cautious step closer, uncertain if he was reading this correctly. "And I'm sure Max told you for me, didn't she?"

A smile rose to her lips as she recalled the girl's words from earlier in the week. "Maybe." Y/n uttered.

"If you want me to stop, I'm sorry, I will-" He started to ramble as the thought struck his mind.

But, Y/n cut him off before he could get much further, "It's fine." She cooed with the flash of her smile once more.

He took another step and there seemed little room between them now. "Yeah?" He questioned, so close Y/n could feel the breeze of his breath.

She nodded, trying to hide the way her eyes had flickered to his lips. "Yeah."

They lasted a moment which such little space between them. It was like cat and mouse. Like they were trying to catch each other out. Like a game of chess. But Marcus gave in first. He closed the gap between them, his hand cupping her cheek as their lips met, molding against each other.

When they pulled away, they had the same expression, the same grins plastered across their faces. Their foreheads hovered against each other as Y/n muttered, "I should probably get this to Max."

He nodded as they stepped away and Y/n grasped the joint. "I'll leave this door open." Marcus told her as she slowly started slipping back out into the hallway. "You know, if you just happen to find yourself up here again."

"Sounds like a good plan." She stole once last glance at the boy before turning on her heels and wandering back down stairs.

Marcus was left staring at an empty space, all smitten and drowning in awe.

Y/n tried to hide the grin on her face she returned to the party. The music still blared and Max was still whining. "But I still love her!" The girl went on.

"Oh, thank God!" Exclaimed Abby as Y/n came into sight, jogging over to them and passing the joint over. "I'd ask what took so long, but I don't want to know."

"Were you making out with my brother?" Inquired Max.

Y/n played it off as well as she were able, "No, Max. No lips were touching." She replied, feeling a shiver as she thought back to the kiss.

Max hummed and leaned over, "Oh, yeah? Then why is your lipstick smudged?" And like that, with that bomb dropped, Max lit her joint and pretended as if she had said nothing. All while Y/n flushed pink.

[train-wrecc]

Champagne Problems 2

marcus baker x female!miller!reader

warnings: mentions of vomit, nausea, mentions of food, panic attacks, i think that’s all… 

fluff with a sprinkle of angst?

word count: 4.5k

italics = sign language

A/N: this will probably be a series bc i wanna add more to this :) i would've posted this earlier but i was struggling to edit the lil collage below 😭 also, i feel like the first one was better but i tried :/ & i will try to dedicate more time to writing bc recently i’ve been gaming a lot more + struggling to write an essay but anyways… try to enjoy?

unedited!

part 1 part 3

。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ

You thought the Baker's reaction to your pregnancy would be worse. However, when both you and Marcus signed the words while simultaneously voicing that you were pregnant, they both wore a look of shock on their face, Max sitting on the couch with a wide grin. She practically threw herself at you and Marcus, pulling you both into a tight embrace. 

“Oh my god, I-I don’t know what to say…” Ellen murmured, causing you to slightly frown, and Marcus to squeeze your hand in reassurance. Clint signed, “Well, at least I’ll be a young Grandpa,” He chuckled. Which caused a slight smile to grow on your face. “I wouldn’t say that this is the most ideal time for a baby, seeing as you both are so young, but just know you have our support, in whatever you choose to do. Being a grandma doesn’t sound too bad, the baby can call me Glamma!” Ellen began to ramble.

After you had told them your decision, they let you know that they’d be there for both of you, every step of the way. You felt the weight being lifted from your shoulders, pulling Marcus into a hug. You knew that you still had a long way to go, and you’d have to figure out how to raise a baby, where to raise your baby, and a lot more, albeit you had Marcus and he had you. 

。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ

You woke up due to nausea causing you to run to your bathroom, and fill the toilet with vomit. You felt a hand holding your hair in a makeshift ponytail, another on your back, rubbing soothingly. You knew immediately that it was your mother. Her presence seemingly relaxed you. “It’s okay, baby, let it out,” She murmured gently, her voice slightly rough due to the fact that she had just woken up. 

Once you were done spilling your guts, you pulled away from the toilet, the horrid smell of vomit hitting your nose, causing you to once again reach for the toilet. After you were finished, you slammed the toilet lid shut, leaning your head against it, a sigh escaping your lips. 

You sat there for a moment, before getting up, your mother helping you up, you quickly rinsed your mouth with mouthwash, following it up by brushing your teeth, as you tried to rid yourself of the taste of bile.

“Come on, why don’t you go get some more rest, darlin’,” Your mom ushered you to your room, tucking you into bed before placing a kiss on your head. You smiled at her before turning to face the window. You reached for your phone, debating on texting Marcus. However, when you saw that it was 4:30 am, you decided against it, not wanting to wake him up. You gazed out your window as you tried to go back to sleep. However, you couldn’t, you tossed and turned, the moonlight shining in your room, seeing as it was still dark out. Suddenly your window was thrown open, and a figure fell onto the wooden flooring of your room. You immediately sat up, slightly frightened before you heard the slight murmur of a “Shit,”. 

You turned your bedside lamp on, “Marcus?” You questioned the boy, “What are you doing here?” You gazed at him curiously. “Georgia told me you were up because of morning sickness, so I thought I’d come over, not only because she practically threatened me but because I wanted to see how you and the baby are doing.” He tiredly smiled, eyes slightly drooping. 

A gargantuan smile broke out on your face, a giggle escaping your lips, before you patted your bed, so he’d come to lay with you. “You didn’t have to come over, but thank you. And excluding the morning sickness, we’re doing just fine.” You responded, your hand finding its way to your flat stomach, which would soon be not-so-flat with a baby bump. Marcus placed his own hand atop yours, “I know, but I wanted to,” He grinned, before gently placing a chaste kiss on your lips. 

His hands found your waist, pulling you impossibly closer to him, cuddling you. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby.” He murmured. “I know,” You said, laying your head in the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar, comforting scent, you let out a sigh. “What’s wrong?” He questioned. “Nothing, it’s just… I’m just kinda nervous about the appointment tomorrow- well, technically today.” 

One of his hands left your waist, placing it atop your head. “Everything’s gonna go great, we’ve nothing to worry about, alright?” 

“I know, I think it’s just cause, y’know it’s our first appointment…”

“Yeah, well let’s get some more sleep, everything’s gonna be okay, promise.” He smiled, before placing another kiss on your lips, causing you to smile against his lips. You pulled away, turning to shut off your bedside lamp. Out of the corner of his eye, your night light caught Marcus’s attention. He refrained from shutting it off, even though it slightly bothered him because he knew the gradual change of colors helped lull you to sleep, and you and the baby were the most important things in his life.

Marcus had drifted slightly away from you throughout the night- morning, which woke you up not even an hour later. You let out a whine, turning to find him practically at the edge of the bed, you scooted closer to him wrapping an arm and leg around his waist, the contact instantly relaxing you allowing you to drift off to sleep once again. 

Marcus had gotten up a while before you, at around 9:30. Your doctor's appointment was at 12:30, so he figured he’d let you rest for another hour, while he went downstairs to make you a good, nutritional breakfast for you and the baby. He looked online and discovered that he should make you oatmeal, and decided he’d pair it with your favorite fruit and juice. Marcus placed your breakfast on a bed tray, making his way upstairs to your room, before running into Ginny and Austin. “Hey, I made some oatmeal, you guys can go ahead and get some, while I give this to your sister,” They both nodded in response, a small smile on their faces, Austin saying thanks.

Marcus opened the door to your room, placing the bed tray with your nutritious breakfast at the foot of the bed. He made his way toward you, gently rubbing your shoulder to wake you. “Princess, wake up I made you breakfast.” He gently voiced in an attempt to get you up. You grumbled slightly in your sleep, nuzzling your head closer to his hand. “Come on baby, it’s time to get up and eat, we gotta get you ready for your appointment,” He kissed your cheek, caressing the other one. You stirred, eyes slightly opening. Your eyes met Marcus’s brown ones staring at you with nothing but love and pure adoration, a small grin grew on your face.

“Hi, bub.”

“Morning, princess, you sleep well?” He laughed.

“Mhmm, amazing with you beside me.” You smiled at him, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips. You stayed like that for a moment, as he returned the kiss, before quickly pulling away, nausea once again rising in you. “Oh god,” You murmured, getting up and making your way to the bathroom as fast as you could. Marcus was quick on your toes, as you lifted the toilet lid and threw up. Marcus gently held your hair away from your face, caressing your back. 

You pulled away, throat and back aching. “I’m so done with this morning sickness,” You groaned out. “I wish I could make it stop.” Marcus said, to which you responded with, “It’s okay, it’ll all be worth it,” You smiled at him. You went through the process of cleaning your teeth and mouth of the taste of vomit, before pulling Marcus into a tight hug. “I love you. Thank you for being here for me and the baby.” 

“It’s the very least, the minimum I should be doing, you don’t have to thank me, bub.” He replied, arms around your waist. “By the way, I made you oatmeal, so you and the baby can eat before we head to your appointment.” This caused you to smile at his thoughtfulness. 

“It’s the very least, the minimum, I should be doing, you don’t have to thank me, bub. After all, you didn’t impregnate yourself.” He replied with a grin, arms around your waist. “By the way, I made you oatmeal, so you and bub can eat before we head to your appointment.” This caused you to smile at his thoughtfulness.  

“Thank you, love, we appreciate you so much,” You said, your hand gently caressing your stomach which would soon have a bump, a sign of your healthily growing baby.

“Don’t thank me anymore, I’m just doing my part in making sure you and our baby are taken care of,” He insisted.

“Thank you,” You stubbornly insisted, a giggle escaping your lips. Marcus was about to lecture you once again before you shut him up with a kiss.

Marcus returned the kiss, as he pulled you closer to him, both of you melting into the adulation-filled kiss.

He pulled away, a whimper escaping your lips as you chased his own. “One more kiss, please?” You whined.

“You’re lucky you’re so cute.” He muttered, allowing you to press your lips against his own once again.

Once again, you eagerly kissed him, before he pulled away. “Alright, no more kisses until you eat your breakfast, sweetheart.”

“Fine,” you sighed dramatically.

Marcus guided you back to bed where your bowl of oatmeal sat on the breakfast tray, along with your favorite juice.

“Come on, baby, eat your oatmeal before it gets cold or else I’m gonna feed it to you myself.”

You sat down, stubbornly crossing your arms, “I was gonna eat it, but because you said that, now you get to feed it to me yourself.” 

He sat in front of you a laugh escaping his lips, “Fine by me,” He responded.

Marcus grabbed the spoon scooping oatmeal into it before lifting it to your lips. As you were about to eat the oatmeal, Marcus moved his hand, oatmeal getting smeared on your nose.

“Oops, I didn’t mean to do that, love, I’m sorry.” Marcus let out a quiet laugh at the pout on your lips.

“I think I deserve another kiss as compensation,” You murmured, Marcus giving into your wants as per usual.

。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ

Once you finished your oatmeal, you and Marcus got ready to go to your ultrasound. You insisted on doing your makeup because you wanted to look good to see your baby for the first time. 

“Love, you already look amazing,”

“I know, but I wanna look even more amazing,” You said with a small grin.

“Alright, do you want me to braid your hair for you, while you do your makeup?” 

“Pretty please,” 

Marcus had been practicing braiding your hair, along with doing other styles as well, because he refused to be one of those dads that didn’t know how to style their daughter's hair.

Marcus nodded, standing behind you, “Alright, what do you want, French, Dutch?”

(A/N: I think you can dutch braid most hair types like curly, wavy, straight, and really tight curls, so I decided to keep this part in, if you have really short hair I guess this might not apply to you sorry! Imagine whatever braid/style you want!)

“You choose, baby,”

He decided on doing two Dutch braids, liking the way you looked with them. “And… done!” He said tying the end of the braid with a hair tie. “How do they look?”

“Wow, they look really good, bub, thank you,” You smiled at him, looking at the practically perfectly done braids.

“Your welcome, love, are you ready now?”

“Yup,” 

“Alright, let’s start heading downstairs.”

You both made your way downstairs, running into Austin and Ginny in the living room, ever since you booked your ultrasound, they’d been begging to go with you and Marcus, and you just couldn’t say no to them.

“You guys ready?” You questioned them, and they both jumped up practically buzzing with excitement as soon as they heard your voice. “Yeah, we’ve been waiting for you two to hurry up!” Ginny exclaimed. “Alright… where’s Mom?” You asked. “Dunno,” Austin shrugged.

You let out a small sigh, before calling out for Georgia. “I’m comin’!” 

“Mom, we gotta go before we're late!” You called back. You heard footsteps on the stairs, before your mom, Georgia, appeared on the landing looking extra as ever, as per usual. Suddenly Max barged in, “Oh my gosh, guys, this is it, is everyone ready?! I’m so excited, let’s go, go!” 

Max and Ginny ended up riding with Georgia, and Austin insisted on riding with you and Marcus. 

。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ

Everyone sat cramped in the small appointment room, with you sitting on the examination table, Marcus holding your hand, as he stood next to you. Everyone was talking about everything and nothing at all at the same time, however, as soon as the ultrasound tech walked in everyone went silent. 

“Wow, it looks like we have a party in here!” She laughed, in an attempt to break the silence.

“Yeah, everyone really wanted to come with us.” You replied, giving a small smile to the woman.

“Well, it’s no problem at all, now, why don’t we get started? I assume you’re the father?” She gestured to Marcus, this prompted Max to pipe in, “Oh him? That’s so funny!” She laughed, “No, no, I’m the father.” She nodded seriously causing you to giggle quietly.

“Oh, uh…alright, we do get a lot of interesting couples in here.” The woman chuckled awkwardly.

“She-she’s kidding that’s- I’m the father.” Marcus nodded.

“Oh, okay…” She quietly answered.

“Alright, if you could just lay down for me, and lift your shirt a little just to expose your stomach, so I can apply the gel.” You nodded, doing as she said.

“Okay, it’s gonna feel a little cold,” She murmured before she applied the gel, “Now, this just helps the machine produce a clearer image as well as sound,” You slightly shivered as the cool gel met your skin.

(A/N: Idk what I’m saying tbh, just go with it…)

“Alrighty,” She grabbed the ultrasound probe, placing it on the skin where the gel had just been placed, “This can take a few moments to produce an image of the fetus,” She explained, moving the probe back and forth.

You simply nodded, as everyone intensely gazed at the ultrasound screen, just waiting for something to pop up. “So, it looks like you’re around 10 weeks pregnant, does that sound about right?”

You and Marcus nodded before she continued on, “So, because this is your first pregnancy, your bump can take a while to start showing, but you should start showing at around 12 weeks,”

“Now, I can’t seem to find- ah, there they are, oh my-”

“What, i-is something wrong?” You blurted out, beginning to sit up, worry immediately filling you as you gazed at the image displayed on the screen of the machine, Marcus’s grip on your hand tightened.

“Oh, no, no, nothing like that honey, it’s just- congratulations, you’re having twins!” She grinned.

“Twins?” Everyone exclaimed.

“Oh my god, we're having twins,” Marcus exclaimed, turning to you, he couldn’t stop himself from pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. You both pulled away, tears in your eyes.

“So, I’m seeing two placentas, this just means the twins are fraternal, not identical, right now the babies are about the size of a strawberry, now let me see if I can find their heartbeats,” She once again moved the ultrasound probe back and forth. 

“Aww, there just two little twin strawberries hanging out in your uterus,” Max exclaimed in the background, causing Georgia to laugh and Austin to question what a uterus was. Ginny attempted to explain it to the young boy without explaining too much, resulting in Austin understanding that a uterus was your tummy. “I have oatmeal in my uterus,” He told Ginny. Which prompted everyone to burst out laughing. “I’ll just explain it when you’re older,” Ginny murmured. 

A small yet strong thumping began emitting from the machine. “There they are, so far so good, the heartbeats sound nice and strong, the placentas seem to be forming properly, and everyone appears to be nice and healthy.” She smiled as tears escaped your eyes as you listened to the sound of your baby’s heartbeat, “Sorry,” You gave a teary-eyed smile to the woman in apology, Marcus gently wiped your tears with his thumb, before pressing a kiss to your cheek.

You were so happy your babies were healthy, but never in a million years did you think you’d be having twins. That was twice the crying, twice the cost, twice the feeding, and bathing. You tried not to show it but you were stressed. You and Marcus were going to raise not just one baby, but two small innocent humans, who were dependent on both of you. 

“Don’t worry, almost every single parent cries when they first see their baby, in your case babies,” She grinned, grabbing an antiseptic wipe to remove the gel from your stomach. “Well, I’m gonna print the sonogram images for you, before I forget to mention it on your way out don’t forget to schedule you’re next appointment, we recommend you come in at least every 4 weeks.” 

“Yes, we will do that, thank you,” You responded, pulling your shirt down, to its normal resting place now that the sonogram was over. 

You sat up from your lying position, “I-I’m gonna go use the restroom,” You hurriedly murmured, before walking out of the room. You let out a breath, searching for the restroom, once you spotted it you quickly made your way to it. You slammed the door shut, locking it, taking a few more deep breaths in an attempt to not panic. 

Albeit all you could think about was the twins in your uterus. Which caused you to slightly panic and spiral. But you were carrying twins you can’t panic, that’s not good for the baby. Before you knew it you were sitting on the restroom floor, having a panic attack. “I c-an’t do… t-this,” You quietly stuttered out through your tears, as they continued to cascade down your face. You tried to calm yourself down again but failed. 

Suddenly a knock sounded from the other side of the door, “Bub, are you okay in there?” You heard Marcus question. “Mhm,” You managed to get out, a whimper escaping, as you tried to hide your sobs. “Baby, let me in, I can tell you’re not okay, please,” He quietly said through the door, his head leaning against it.

“Okay,” You sniffled as you stood up, unlocking the door, and allowing Marcus to walk in. 

He immediately pulled you into a hug at the sight of you in distress. “What’s wrong, love?” He asked as you clung to him, tears rolling down your cheeks still. You attempted to get the words out, however, you’re breathing was too quick and uneven for you to get anything out. “Baby, you need to calm down okay? Listen to my heartbeat, and just follow my breathing, okay?” He told you in a questioning manner, pulling you in tighter, wanting to somehow squeeze out whatever was causing your tears.

You nodded, your head pressed against his chest as you listened to his calm heartbeat. Somehow listening to his relaxed heartbeat and being in his arms soothed you, following as he took a deep breath in and exhaled. Both of you stood there for a moment, a comforting silence enveloping you. 

“I’m sorry,” You whispered.

Marcus shook his head, “You have nothing to apologize for baby, just please tell me what’s wrong?” 

“It’s just- we’re having twins, Marcus, I mean, I was scared shitless when I found out I was pregnant with a baby, but now we’re gonna have two. I mean we’re barely gonna graduate, and I mean- how can we afford two babies!? I know you have your job, but- this is two babies, not just one anymore! And where are we gonna live? With my mom? Your parents? A-and what about college? I-I don’t know how you’re not freaking out, w-why aren’t you freaking out?” 

Marcus simply smiled at you, “Because I love you, Y/n Miller, and I know no matter what, as long as I have you, and our families, we’re gonna be alright. We’ll figure everything out, I promise you,” He said his hands now gently holding your face in his hands, so you could look at him. “Just please don’t stress about this, it’s not good for you, or our precious cargo,” He grinned. 

“You’re crazy.” You stared at him and all his calmness, causing him to laugh.

“Crazy in love with you? Yes, very much.” 

“I probably look a mess now,” You said with a slight hint of sadness, as you fell into his arms once again. 

“Well, if you look like a mess, then you’re the most beautiful mess I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”

“Hey!”

“What? It’s a compliment, come on,” He said, pulling you toward the mirror.

“See, still stunning, as always.” He told you, placing a kiss on the top of your head.

“Wow, my makeup looks pretty good still…” You said, grabbing a paper towel and patting the tear tracks away.

“That’s all you baby,”

“No, I think it’s that new setting spray I got.” You smiled lightly.

Another knock echoed off the restroom walls interrupting you, followed by Ginny’s voice, “Y/n/n are you okay in there? You’ve been gone a while… Marcus was supposed to come get you but he probably got lost, he’s kinda an idiot-” she was interrupted by a squeaky voice speaking up, “Hey, that’s not a nice thing to say, Ginny.” Austin said.

“I mean, is she lying though?” Max questioned.

“Honey, you alright?” Your mom called out after, as you and Marcus tried to contain your laughs.

“Maybe she’s not in there,” Max murmured.

You opened the door, being met with your family huddled around the door, “I’m fine guys, just a little worried, and hormonal, but besides that, fine.” You gave them a reassuring smile. 

“Well, come on then, we gotta set up you’re next appointment,” Georgia said, nodding toward the front desk. 

You all began walking toward the desk as you overheard Marcus, “Thanks for sticking up for me bud,”

Austin nodded, “You’re welcome, Ginny’s just a big old grump.” 

“You’re right about that, Max too,” He replied teasingly, causing both girls to roll their eyes as you laughed at the conversation taking place. 

。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ

You texted Padma images of the ultrasound seeing as she wasn’t able to make it. She congratulated you, her messages filled with love and excitement. Seeing as it was Saturday, the rest of the day was spent with your families, Clint and Ellen joining everyone at your house. They both sat in amazement as they stared at the sonogram images of your little strawberry twins.

“Wow, two healthy babies! We’re gonna have our hands full, again!” Clint signed.

“I know, I wonder if it’s because you and Maxine are twins Marcus,” Ellen murmured.

“Actually the ultrasound tech said something about it affecting ovulation, so Max would be twice as likely to have twins than me, or if one of our babies is a girl, she’d be more likely too. We just got lucky, I guess,” Marcus explained to his parents.

“Alright, remind me to never try for kids then, we don’t need two pairs of twins running around. That’s chaos is what that is.” Max laughed.

“I mean I’m sure you guys will be fine though,” She smiled awkwardly.

“Well, I can’t just wait to meet our little twins!” Georgia spoke, as you were all lounging around in the living room.

“Were they able to tell if they’re gonna be identical or fraternal? I don’t remember how many weeks I was when they were able to tell us, with Max and Marcus.” Ellen asked, Clint nodding in support of the question.

“They’re fraternal, thankfully, I don’t know how we would do it if they were identical. I mean we’d probably mix them up while they’re babies…” You answered while signing.

“There are actually a few tricks to tell them apart when they’re babies, like name bracelets or, painting their toenail a certain color, stuff like that,” Ellen responded.

“Yeah, and you guys might need to use some of those tricks, I mean, Max and Marcus looked almost identical when they were babies,” Clint informed you.

“Well then,” You smiled nervously, leaning into Marcus's arms even more. He rested his chin on the top of your head, as you sighed into his neck, beginning to feel slightly tired.

“You feel alright?”

“Mhm, just a little tired…”

“Wanna go nap for a little bit?”

“No, it’s okay, we can hang out down here a little longer if you want.”

“Y/n/n don’t make me drag you upstairs, if you’re tired, go nap,” Ginny said seriously. 

“Yes, ma’am, I guess I’ll see everyone later,” You said, before Marcus helped you up and to your room. He closed your curtains to block the evening sun, before pulling the sheets back, allowing you to get into bed. You lay down, letting out a sigh in comfort, patting beside you for Marcus to join you.

He gladly obliged, cuddling you once he laid down. You nuzzled your head into the crook of his neck, breathing in his calming and comforting scent. “You feel a little bit better about having twins?”

“Yeah, especially since your parents have experience in that department, I still can’t believe it.”

“I know, we’re having twins,” He murmured.

“Yup, I wonder what gender they’ll be…” You mumbled.

“Me too, but as long as they’re healthy, that’s all that matters.” He said as he caressed your back with his hands, rubbing it soothingly. 

“Mhmm,” You hummed, you’re breathing slowing as you began to fall asleep.

“Love you, bub,” You sleepily muttered.

“I love you too,” Marcus responded before placing a gentle kiss on your lips, “Sweet dreams, baby.” He whispered as you drifted off.

He pulled you closer to him as he began to drift off as well. Your favorite place was in his arms and his favorite place was you.

。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ

A/N: there are alot of like nicknames in this, lmk which one y'all think marcus would call the reader bc i really am unsure, also how do we feel about "princess" i think it's cute but ik it gives some ppl the ick... anyways have a great rest of your day/night/morning! 💞

[echoalyssa]

I could’ve sworn i sent in a request for chase hudson awhile ago but tbh i can’t remember if I actually sent it in or what i was even asking for lmaooo, i guess just, do you have any work in progress for chase? Or any requests for him? I just wanna know if I actually sent something in or if i was going through psychosis and THOUGHT i sent something in lmao. Anyways I LOVE YOU and i love your work! Thank you!!

Hello! Honestly you probably did and I just haven't done it yet. Writers block hit me hard in the last year lol. I don't get paid to do any of these so it revolves around my spare time.

I have quite a few requests from anons so here is the list in order of least to the most recently submitted ...

Chase Hudson x overweight reader - PUBLISHED

Chase Hudson x Hype House squad - canceled

Marcus Baker x reader in another state - PUBLISHED

Marcus Baker x reader with ADHD

Chase Hudson Pt. 2 cheater - PUBLISHED

Chase Hudson relate to 'Hype House' Netflix show

Chase Hudson, 'Hype House' ep. 7 or 8

Chase Hudson Pt. 2 cheater - PUBLISHED

Jaden Hossler SO who sings like Kikuohana

Jordan Baker - cop scene fluff

Marcus Baker - first time

Chase Hudson - smut - PUBLISHED

Jordan Baker - reader's BFF is JJ and Jordan gets jealous - PUBLISHED

Marcus Baker trio with Abby - PUBLISHED

Marcus Baker - smut

Marcus Baker - movie smut

Marcus Baker - SH talk - PUBLISHED

Marcus Baker - cheater, angsty - PUBLISHED

Pietro Maximoff - innocence kink - canceled

If you don't see your request please feel free to submit it again :) Working on knocking a few of these out today.

[kayzero]

Happy borth!!! It was a reminder for rambling about ocs I believe lol

thank you thank you!! i’m gonna ramble about a different oc with this ask!!

I didn’t really go into detail about the Seven Sins themselves. The writing concept continued from “okay Pride wants to rule everything, but she doesn’t want to be seen as a monster dictator, how do we get her into a position of power?” The answer was to make her a war hero. What would make better opposition for a group of personified Sins than Angels?

So the Sinful Saviors are a group of heroes that saved the world of Peccatum from a race of moralistic, puritanical invaders from a different dimension. They had large feathered wings protruding from their backs and wielded powerful Holy Magic that could also function as hardlight weaponry.

When the Angelic scouts initially came to Peccatum, they encountered the old regime of humanity, in which nobles owned land and ruled over the people who lived there. They were rude and selfish and condescending all to a tee, and the scouts took them to be representative of all humanity, and returned with an army.

(As an aside, in the old regime, what mattered most was who you were connected to, and every human had a last name tying them to their highest ranking family member, or rarely, the noble they served. Pride’s rule is meritocratic, and last names have been dealt away with in favor of Titles denoting their highest achievement.

Examples:

Janet, the Sector Four Baker, who has recently dethroned Marcus, the Patissier as the best baker in Sector Four.

Rufio, the Hummingsnake, a member of the Prideful Militia who was praised by their captain for being quick and evasive after a particularly difficult Monster Repellent mission.

Solaire, who is either called Pride’s Right Hand when dealing with advisory or administrative duties, or the Nexus when on the battlefield in recognition of his mastery over Elemental Magic.

The exception to this is Lady Pride, who is either hiding her previous identity or has sacrificed her True Name in exchange for her overwhelming power, depending on which rumor you believe.)

I talked about Aurora, the character I resonate most closely with, now I’ll talk about the character I love the most, who I like to think about and write the most:

Cadenza, the Lady Sloth.

(cw for religious themes and themes of suicide. very long post to follow.)

Cadenza Accorda and her brother Iratius were born to a nomadic tribe of warriors with incredible magical reserves. They owned no land, but roamed the Eastern Continent freely, frequently making contact with nobility and maintaining positive relationships.

The tribe saw childrearing as a community effort, and rather than have nuclear families with couples raising individual children, they split the tribe into four parts:

The Children

The Caretakers, those in charge of nurturing the children and overseeing homemaking efforts

The Warriors, who fought in defense of the tribe and trained the children, and

The Elders, who made decisions on behalf of the whole tribe and taught the children culture and esoteric magic

The secret to the tribe’s success was a secret technique from an obscure branch of Spiritual Magic. Cast by the carrier about halfway through pregnancy, they start to absorb ambient magic and transfer it directly to the unborn fetus. The fetus, still in development, doesn’t yet have a magical core or any of the three magical centers, and sends most of the energy back to the carrier’s Soul Center. This process strengthens both the fetus and the carrier proportional to the quantity and quality of ambient magic during the spell’s duration.

Iratius was carried along a Leyline, but Cadenza‘a carrier spent most of their pregnancy in the Waterfall of Rebirth with a small detachment of tribespeople. The Waterfall of Rebirth is the origin point for the Leyline of Adaptability, humanity’s Leyline. So Cadenza’s carrier got a significant power boost, and Cadenza was born with extreme magical depths, as well as a deep connection to Humanity’s Progenitor, the Cyclical Goddess.

The tribe elders could also cast this spell on other people, rather than just themselves, and this was the source of their prosperity. They went to nobles and offered their prenatal blessing in exchange for treasures or knowledge or rations or safe passage. And because the blessing influenced the carrier as well, their warriors were the strongest humanity had to offer.

When the Angelic Invasion began, a noble hired the tribe for homeland defense. And it worked for a while — the angel’s chaff were no match for the tribe’s warriors. Nobility began to flock to this one specific area for protection. But then the Angels sent their Elites. They beat the warriors, found out the source of their power, killed every single adult tribesperson so they couldn’t repopulate their forces with more super soldiers, and offered a choice to the children: reeducation and guaranteed safety from the Angels, or they could venture out into the wilds alone and risk being killed later down the road.

Cadenza and Iratius chose to leave. They wandered for a while, with Iratius hunting and Cadenza foraging. He grew more and more angry as time passed, she grew more and more depressed. She started hearing a voice. Every time they got to a relatively safe camp, it would say ‘just stop here. it’s safe here. just give up.’ But something urged her to keep moving, so they did.

And eventually they found a Church of the Cycle. The church offered to shelter them in exchange for a either work around the land or devotion to their goddess. Iratius chose work, and began to run protection detail for missionaries, but Cadenza chose devotion, and began to learn about the Cyclical Goddess.

She threw herself into her studies, became immersed in the precepts of Life and Death. The circumstances of her birth meant that she could perform tremendous feats of magic, and she became the Church’s best Healer, while also attaining mastery of Earth, Soul, and Necromatic Magics.

She worshipped the Goddess. The Goddess had saved her, the Church had saved her and her brother, and she loved them both deeply.

Years later, Cadenza set out to spread the good word of the Cyclical Goddess, with Iratius by her side. Her brother was stronger than her, being both more physically gifted and more magically talented with regards to combat, but she was no slouch. She could detect and cure ailments in no time flat, she could speak to the recently departed and put families at ease, she could raise Angels killed in combat and use them against her foes.

She healed those wounded by the Invasion with a kind smile and pleasant demeanor, she defended bastions of humanity with widespread earth manipulation, and every so often, when someone would ask how they could be more like her, she taught them the Tenets of the Cycle.

Except she broke the most important one.

A contingent of Angels ambushed Cadenza and Iratius. They had heard of Humanity’s Miracle Worker, and how she was grinding all of their progress to a halt with her healing, and tried to take her out of the picture.

A duo swooped in and carried Cadenza off into the sky while a dozen dropped to keep her bodyguard occupied. They thought her weak — Angelic Healers hyperfocused on their duty to the detriment of all else — so they thought all they had to do was carry her high into the sky and drop her, let gravity do all the work.

They were dozens of flights* overhead by the time Cadenza snapped out of her panic, but once she did, she corroded her captor’s brain, killing them instantly, then commanded his corpse to drop her and kill the second Angel, then swoop down and catch her before she hit the ground. There were maybe ten or fifteen minutes between her capture and her return, but it should’ve been fine, Iratius had faced worse odds before—

But every single Angel sent to occupy him was an Elite. She came to the clearing to see four Angels dead, two Angels holding him, and a third drove their sword through the base of Iratius’ skull.

Instant death.

Cadenza felt… numb.

She walked slowly, hesitantly, to Ira’s body.

The Angels tried to attack her, but they were stopped by the corpses of their fallen comrades.

She dropped to her knees and put her hands on his face.

He was still warm.

She could feel his soul leaving his body, toward its destination of the Leyline of Adaptability, to swim up the River of Souls and return to the cycle of rebirth.

…She could… feel… his soul…

She saw grey.

Cadenza’s Magic lashed out and gripped the souls of the Angels, ripping them out of their bodies and toward her own, fueling her desperate spell. She reached out with everything she had and grabbed onto Ira’s soul, forcing it back into his body, healing his wounds as she did so.

She heard a chime in the back of her mind. A death knell.

Only the Goddess should reintroduce life to this world, for mortal hands to attempt such is an unforgivable error.

The most sacred tenet.

Let life returned by mortal hands be struck down by the Goddess’ attendants, and the heretic removed entirely from the Cycle.

The punishment for breaking it.

She backed up to a tree and sat there blankly. Ira got up, tried to question her about the situation, tried to move her somewhere safer, but she was rooted, staring at nothing.

She stayed there for fourteen days, unmoving, unresponsive. Ira stayed by her side. Each day, the goddess would send her Executioners to slay Ira and return him to the cycle.

First they each came alone. One came from the sky on leathery wings and attacked with soul-rending claws. Another swam in on a wave made from the River of Souls, assaulting him with sword and shield. The third came in from the tree line, her head disconnected from her shoulders, with a chain attached to her neck at the end of a mace. The last came out of Ira’s shadow, her hands missing, skin flayed from her arms, her ulna and radius sharpened and serrated.

Ira dispatched them all with ease. Then they came in duos, shuffled each and every day, approaching him with different strategies. When that failed, they came in trios, set in different formations, but he still withstood them.

On the fifteenth day, they came as four, and their flawless teamwork finally overwhelmed him. He was twisted away from claws, with one hand diverting a sword from his neck, another arm blocking bones, but the dullahan had an open shot and sent her mace to strike him down—

And then Cadenza caught the skull in one hand and crushed it. Her face was blank as she slithered past Ira to knife hand through the harpy’s neck, her eyes were dead as she swiped the kelpie’s shield and ran it into her skull. When she faced the final Executioner, she merely said one thing before dispersing into shadow:

“The Goddess will see you in her court.”

Still numb, Cadenza walked northeast to the Goddess’ Isle, still unresponsive to Ira’s questioning. When they reached the beach, Ira was sent to sleep to prevent him from following her across the water — she didn’t want the Goddess to steal him away from her.

She stood underneath the Waterfall of Rebirth, the source of which was hidden in the heavens, and waited. Between one blink and the next, she was standing before the Cyclical Goddess. Cadenza did not beg, or plead, or even answer for her transgression.

She loved the Goddess. She loved the church.

But she loved her brother more.

So the Goddess removed her from the cycle of rebirth, and cursed her. Cadenza’s soul would never return to the River of Souls, would never ascend the Waterfall of Rebirth, would never again be graced by the Goddess’ touch.

And then she was underneath the waterfall again.

A squad of Angels surrounded her — they had seen her crossing the water, knew her as Humanity’s Miracle, decided to deal with her immediately. And so they did, running her through with each of their swords. One through her stomach, one through her heart, one through her neck, and one through her temples.

But she did not die.

She could not die.

She certainly tried. After dealing with those Angels, she separated from her brother and traveled the world. She was bitten by a monster whose venom could down a fully grown elephant-boar, but she yet lived. She was eaten by the Apex Green Dragon, whose acid burned through the ground to the web of magic below, and passed straight through their stomach. She antagonized a powerful Angelic Commander until he used his Light Magic to vaporize the upper half of her body, but she fully reconstituted from her lower half.

The Goddess’ Curse is a funny thing. It shackles the human soul to the flesh and bars it from entering the Leyline of Adaptability. The Damned would remain alive through anything — suffer through the pain of organ failure, stay awake through total exsanguination, feel every single moment as their body decayed from old age. Only when their body utterly withers away to dust would they be free from pain, and even then, their soul would wander Peccatum until the end of time.

But Cadenza was a Healer, and her magic was attuned to healing. But Cadenza was born atop an Origin Pool, and her magic was deep. But Cadenza bore the Soul of Sloth, which amplified everything the closer to attunement it was.

She would always recover. She would never suffer pain. She would never die.

She would never smile again.

[writemarcus]

Finalists/Semifinalists Revealed For 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival

The festival received 614 applications from playwrights across the United States.

By: Chloe Rabinowitz

Jun. 01, 2023

Playwrights Foundation, the West Coast's premier launchpad for exceptional new plays and playwrights, has revealed the semifinalists and finalists for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival, which will be presented in a hybrid festival (both in-person and streamed attendance options) April 12-21, 2024, per Playwrights Foundation's recent announcement to shift to a biennial festival structure. BAPF continues to uphold its legacy as one of the oldest and most successful new play festivals uplifting playwrights' new works early in their career.

The festival received 614 applications from playwrights across the United States. Applicants underwent a thorough evaluation process and were reviewed by Playwrights Foundation staff in collaboration with 189 committee readers-local and national theatre professionals serving as evaluators, with 57% who identify as playwrights. From this pool of 614 applicants, 148 semifinalists were carefully chosen based on the writer's voice, skills, and the play's potential. Applicants were narrowed down further to 45 finalists encompassing unique voices, under-represented narratives, and bold theatrical forms across various levels of experiences. Ultimately, five playwrights will be selected among the finalists and announced at a later point.

"The current landscape of contemporary playwriting is so vibrant. There is an abundance of writing which blooms with strong points of view, memorable plots and characters, and risk-taking moments of stagecraft." says Literary Manager Heather Helinsky. "Our community of readers were highly engaged by a wide range of theatrically innovative styles, compelling narratives, and poignant issues and themes. The semifinalists and finalists are deserving of reaching audiences in need of catharsis-from communal grieving to a good laugh."

Bay Area Playwrights Festival is one of the oldest and most successful new play festivals for new works in their early stages. Established in 1976 by acclaimed director Robert Woodruff, the festival has built a respected reputation for uplifting original and distinctive new voices in the theater, investing in the development of their work, and launching storied careers. Among the first writers developed at the inaugural BAPF was the young Sam Shepard. Since then, more than 500 prize-winning, nationally significant playwrights have received one of their first professional experiences at the BAPF, including Pulitzer Prize winners Nilo Cruz, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Paula Vogel, and Annie Baker; and acclaimed playwrights Lauren Gunderson, Rajiv Joseph, Katori Hall, Christopher Chen, Lauren Yee, and Marcus Gardley. BAPF's ongoing success in supporting and amplifying exceptional, newly emerging writers and launching their ground-breaking new work is its enduring legacy.

"We are excited to spotlight these talented playwrights and incredible plays in this year's BAPF semifinalists and finalists," says Executive Artistic Director Jessica Bird Beza. "There are an abundance of powerful narratives included on the list that made for an incredibly difficult selection process. We want to uplift and advocate for the dynamic work of this next generation of playwrights to other theatermakers and hope to see them on stages around the country."

After listening closely to playwrights and other constituents, Playwrights Foundation recently announced that the Bay Area Playwrights Festival model will shift from an annual festival to a biennial hybrid festival in order to expand the pre-festival program from 4 to 12 months. This change will allow staff to be more intentional and responsive to each playwright's needs and increase the amount of time, care, and resources dedicated to each playwright.

"The past few years have been a time for reflection and growth at Playwrights Foundation, resulting in newly expressed purpose, vision, and values," said Beza. "We move forward with a deeper commitment to center and empower the playwrights we serve, guided by a strategic plan co-created with significant playwright representation, and the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival program model changes reflect this."

45 FINALISTS FOR THE 46th BAY AREA PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Calley N. Anderson, The Alligator

Jennifer Barclay, Behave Yourself

Nikki Brake-Sillá, ReWombed

Karen Marguerite Caronna, Dream of a Marginal Deity

Sam Chanse, Fellowship

Sean-Joseph Choo, otou-san

Avery Deutsch, The Last Beach Day

NJ Draine, The Housing Situation on Neptune

Lisa Sanaye Dring, Seven Hoshi

Jahna Ferron-Smith, Are We There Yet?

Noa Gardner, Nan

Sara Guerrero, Have to Believe We Are Magic

Mya Ison, Laure

Hasti Jafari, Superposition: A Crawling Play in Two Parts

Alicia Kester, Water Spirits

Garrett David Kim, Belligerency

Claire Koenig, DYKER BYKES

Molly Olis Krost, Nanay

Melissa Leilani Larson, A Form of Flattery

Minna Lee, My Home on the Moon

Jeffrey Lo, Balikbayan Box

Ethan Luk, Flight of a Legless Bird

Zizi Majid, They Came in the Night

Nick Malakhow, Optional Boss Battle

Divya Mangwani, Vigil-Auntys

Schaeffer Nelson, Hottest Church Dads

Miles Orduña, Lola

Rena Patel, Pyar aur Coffee

a.k. payne, Dwellers

Aidaa Peerzada, Children of the Wise

Phanésia Pharel, R&B

Eliana Pipes, Cowboy and the Moon

Christina Pumariega, Her Math Play

Ankita Raturi, Fifty Boxes of Earth

Aurora Real de Asua, The Pride Before

Harrison David Rivers, maybe the saddest thing

Nia Akilah Robinson, The Great Privation: How to flip ten cents into a dollar.

TyLie Shider, Whittier

DeAndre Short, At Ease

Phillip Christian Smith, Riverside Drive

Caridad Svich, Chelsea & Ivanka

Jason Tseng, Fear & Wonder

Emma Watkins, Elizabeth is Going into the Ground

Madison Wetzell, The Body Play

David Zheng, Ching Chong Maka Haya

103 SEMIFINALISTS FOR THE 46TH BAY AREA PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Ai Aida, The True Tale of Princess Kaguya

Boni B. Alvarez, Sticky Rice

Amanda L. Andrei, Lena Passes By

Brent Askari, The Refugees

Alayna Jacqueline, You Know I'd Never (Even If I Did)

Jen Browne, Standing in the River While the World Falls Down

Phillip Gregory Burke, The Suncatchers of Sahel: An Ancestral Tale Told To Today's Griot, Part II: The Two Twilights

B.J. Burton, Maddie on Her Way Home

Nora Sørena Casey, The Censorship of Dreams

Chima Chikazunga, 1 Letter Shy of Coincidence

Matthew Chong, Lessons

Xavier Clark, backstroke boys

Katie Coleman, The Madonna of Logan Square

Lynne Conner, The Mother

Samantha Cooper, She Lives with a Shrine

Kate Danley, Working for Crumbs

Angela J. Davis, Griswold

Maddie Dennis-Yates, We're Just Redoing The Kitchen

Nelson Diaz-Marcano, 1898 or How Sugar Conquered the Enchantment

Judy M. Dove, Shinsei (rebirth)

Sean Dunnington, The Children's Farm

Alisha Espinosa, The Dirt is Fertile

Helen Everbach, Tea Patches

Zachariah Ezer, The Stones of Life

Jeanette Farr, Hedda on Fire: A Play Inspired by Ibsen and Climate Grief

Gina Femia, the thing about air

Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend, Come Again

Elizabeth Flanagan, Meth

Jeremy Gable, Carpenter Gorge

Craig Garcia, The Here and Now

Taylor Dodd Geu, Passing Over

Ruth Geye, These and Those

Emma Gibson, Lumin

Maximillian Gill, Blank Slate

Mikki Gillette, American Girl

lily gonzales, my eyes are up here honey

Franky D. Gonzalez, Escobar's Hippo

Ahon Gooptu, Seasons of Love

Keiko Green, Hells Canyon

Malique Guinn, Bounty on Our Heads

Katherine Gwynn, All I Want to Do is Be Pretty Like You

Rach Harris, Trophically Cascaded

Andrea Hart, Mounds or Talking Shit about a Pretty Sunset

Alli Hartley-Kong, People Should Talk About What's Real

Steven Hayet, Hugo Saves Christmas...in May!

Howard Ho, Reset

Daniel Holzman, Me & Who

Poliento Ico, A Love Letter to Loss

J. Lynn Jackson, Lucía Fuentes

Keenya J. Jackson, The Return of the Shogun

KJ Jarboe, Soured Milk

Jen Jarnagin, demolition extreme

Jacob Juntunen, See You in a Minute

Lisa Y. Kang, American Migration

M.J. Kang, The Battle of Saratoga

Ambata Kazi-Nance, M Power: A (Re)Birth Story

Lisa Kenner Grissom, here comes the night

Alex Lead, Easter Eggs for a Statistic

Tracey Conyer Lee, The First Time

Matthew Libby, Sisters

Alex Lin, Bad Chinese Daughter

Alicia Louzoun-Heisler, Bashert

John Mabey, Desert Oceans

Gloria Majule, Uncut

Eric Marlin, AirSpace

Leigh M. Marshall, The Hunters & All the Haunted

C. Meaker, Ghosts in the Graveyard

Francisco Mendoza, Piggyback

Alison Minami, Sinkhole

LJ Morizono, Transcending the Belly of the Beast

Aya Sophie Nassif, Without Her

Asia Nichols, The Incredible Darling(s)

Cynthia Galaz Ochoa, Matriarch

Dave Osmundsen, More of a Heart

Novid Parsi, Remains and Returns

José Pérez IV, Very Berry Dead

Reynaldo Piniella, Son of an Unknown Father

Zahida Rahemtulla, The Frontliners

Andrew Rincón, El Mito or The Myth of my Pain

Colette Robert, [landscape play]

Jacob K. Robinson, The Lark Ascending

Kira Rockwell, Space Bound

Ashley Lauren Rogers, Don't Think About Elephants

Lisa Marie Rollins, Token

Madeline Rouverol, You're Not a Mystery to Me

Martine Sainvil, Indispensable

Marcus Scott, There Goes the Neighborhood

Mak Shealy, exceptional

Nic A. Sommerfeld, Pieces

travis tate, YOUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL

Sebastian Timpe, The House of Mulberry Street

Amy Tofte, The Rest of Us

Jackson Tucker-Meyer, The Perfection of the Donut

Josiah Thomas Turner, BECOMING!!, or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 2279 and All that Followed

James Anthony Tyler, Pranayama

Joseph D. Valdez, Warrior's Blood

Hope Villanueva, Brackish

Caity-Shea Violette, Rx Machina

Stephanie Kyung Sun Walters, Come to Me, Cling to You

LaDarrion Williams, Hurt People

Lauren Wimmer, The Cookie Institute

Susan Yassky, The Women's Center

Laura Zlatos, Show Trial

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHTS FOUNDATION

Playwrights Foundation, led by Executive Artistic Director Jessica Bird Beza, was founded in 1978 and is widely recognized as one of the top playwright service organizations and new play incubators in the U.S., dedicated to supporting and championing playwrights' artistic growth and careers while uplifting their voices on a national level. PF envisions a future where playwrights are radically centered as visionary leaders who transform the world through storytelling. Serving emerging and mid-career playwrights from the Bay Area and around the country, PF has identified over 500 exceptional writers early in their careers and given them space, time and professional artistic collaborators to explore new theatrical ideas free from the pressures of the marketplace for more than 45 years. Playwrights PF has worked with have won every award in the theater including the Pulitzer, the Tony, the Obie, the National Critics Circle Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Award, and many more. On its 40th Anniversary, Playwrights Foundation was recognized with a Theatre Bay Area Legacy Award for its substantial impact on the field. PF has received two Glickman Awards for best new play to premiere in the Bay Area through its Producing Partnership Initiative. Among the many PF-developed works that have premiered across the country are Katori Hall's The Mountaintop, Rajiv Joseph's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Jihae Park's Hannah and the Dread Gazebo, Lauren Gunderson's The Revolutionists, Lauren Yee's King of the Yees, Madhuri Shekar's House of Joy, Mike Lew's Teenage Dick, and Mona Mansour's We Swim, We Talk, We Go To War, and many more.

[fedor-bortnik-fmp]

Forefront 11. Artist inspiration, part 2 -Marcus Rovn

Recently, I have stumbled onto an artwork created by Marcus Rovn (2024) which have just stunned me.

The reason why I have chosen to talk about this artist in my forefront is because I heavily enjoy the lighting, proportions and overall art style of his work. While I am not sure 100% that I will be doing a familiar art style in the future - it is something that I definitely want to improve through my work in the future.

I'm in love with this work. I believe that "Guardian of the Desert Salamander Eggs (Fan Art)" has a strong proportion of each body part, a smooth transition of muscle groups and details. It's really smooth and quality work that the author has created. The colour selection of this project is also lovely - as the entire artwork does not confuse or distract. I also love the small scene effects - where the light falls on the character's shoulder and an edge of the face, which makes the composition interesting to observe.

The graphics remind me of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), but upgraded to the absolute maximum.

In terms of the sculpt and material - I am only amazed by the quality and style. To me, this was done perfectly, with each piece of the work smoothly playing its part. In order for me to create a familiar work - it would take months, or even years to reach such levels.

After finishing looking at the model - I wanted more, so I observed more of his art and selected a few of them that I liked the most.

The next Art piece which I heavily enjoyed was "Barbarian Wild bird", I love the shading, sculpting and overal design of the character - The belts, the leath cloth pieces, the straps and cloth pieces. I find the overall composition of the attire and character look done amazingly well, since they connect to each other to the harmonic levels.

I really enjoy these two pieces together, as they follow into genres that I enjoy. In the future, I want my work to have a familiar design - where I would try to show good proportions, good colour balance and amazing work on subtle details - as with these pieces.

Another piece of work that I liked from Marcus is Alone in the Dark The New Nightmare - Edward Carnby. Despite this time, the texture quality on the jacket was slightly worse, I still enjoyed the way the character looked like: With good proportions, a solid face - he looks like a good character.

Overall, I am in love with the compositional structure of Marcus Rovn, since he smoothly combines and creates the stylised work through great attention to detail and sculpting quality. It is a world that I want to be inspired by in my future projects.

References:

Marcus Rovn (2024). Guardian of the Desert Salamander Eggs (Fan Art). [online] ArtStation. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/V2dm08 [Accessed 18 Aug. 2024].

Lucas, G., Kane, T., Baker, D.B., Lanter, M. and Taylor, J.A. (2008). Star Wars: The Clone Wars. [online] IMDb. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458290/ [Accessed 18 Aug. 2024].

Marcus Rovn (2022).  Barbarian Wild bird. [online] ArtStation. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/X1gkx0 [Accessed 18 Aug. 2024].

Marcus Rovn (2024). Alone in the Dark The New Nightmare - Edward Carnby (Fan Art). [online] ArtStation. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/BXE5e4[Accessed 18 Aug. 2024].

[kajaono]

Short guide to current Sherlock adaptations

I recently noticed that due to the many Adaptations we have these days some people get confused. So here is a short guide to most recent ones if you need it

All adaptations are based on the orginial books written by Arthur Canon Doyle (ACD), developed 1886.

None of the following adaptations are releated to eachother even though some are disctributed by the same streaming services or play in the same location and/or time

BBC Sherlock - sets in modern England, London. Feature characters from ACD, like Sherlock, John, Lestrade, Irene, Moriaty. Features also characters that didn’t existed in the orginial books, like Molly. Produced by the BBC - TV show, 4 seasons

Elementary - set in modern New York. Feature characters from ACD, like Sherlock, John, Lestrade, Gregson, Irene, Moriaty. Features also characters that didn’t existed in the orginial books, like Marcus Bell. Produced by the CBS - TV show, 7 seasons

Enola Holmes - sets in victorian London, 1890-ish. The main character is a young fictive sister of Sherlock Holmes - Enola Holmes, that didn’t existed in the orginial books by ACD. Produced by Legendary Pictures, disctributed by Netflix (official promo pictures do not exist yet) - Movie, one so far

The Irregulars -  set in victorian London, 1890-ish. Features characters from the ACD books, like Sherlock and John. The main characters are the Baker Street Irregulars, a kids gang that were allready mentioned in the orginial books. Produced and distributed by Netflix (has nothing to do with Enola) - official promo pictures do not exist yet - TV Show

RDJ Sherlock Holmes - sets in victorian London, 1890-ish. Features characters from the ACD books, like Sherlock, John, Mary, Irene, Moran, Moriaty. Produced by Warner Brothers - Movie, two, third one currently in production

Miss Sherlock - sets in modern Japan. Features characters from the ACD books, like Sherlock, John, Mary, Moran, Moriaty.  Produced and distributed by HBO Asia - TV show, one season

[whitneyfm]

welcome aboard, santos whitney, student #1 . we are excited to set sail with you ! has anyone told you that you look like mason gooding? according to our records, you hail from los angeles, united states, and are here to study music production. we also see you received a spot on the ss university because of your money — we won’t tell anyone. during your first few weeks here, other students said you were vivacious, creative, but also prideful. it sounds like you spend most of your time at the sky deck. upon checking your luggage, we noticed you packed a wind up music box. hopefully your roommates don’t steal it.

hello luvlies, im yari (she/her), and this is my messy lil honeybun santos luv him!

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬

name: santos beau whitney

faceclaim: mason gooding

sexuality: bisexual

pronouns: he/him

age: twenty-three

date of birth: january 25th, 1998

big three: aquarius sun, scorpio moon, leo rising

+ traits: dedicated, vivacious, tenacious, creative

- traits: arrogant, prideful, competitive, impatient

character inspo: denver (la casa de papel), toph beifong (atla), stiles stilinski (teen wolf), marcus baker (ginny & georgia).

aesthetics: drop top car rides going nowhere, diner fries and burgers at 2 am, humming literally all the time, calloused fingertips scribbled lyrics on napkins.

𝐛𝐢𝐨

- he was born to hella successful parents in la– and what a relationship that has turned out to be. it hasn’t been said to his face, but he knows he has a knack for disappointing his parents. it used to affect him a lot when he was younger which pushed him to excel in music and language.

- he is fluent in english, spanish, french, italian and recently has picked up on some asl (isn’t fluent yet though). along with his fluency with language, santos is also lowkey a music gawwddd. i’m not gonna list all the instruments he can play, but uh this mf can play a lot.

- his parents never saw his music as something to take serious but when he sat them down and truly expressed his interest to pursue music his hating ass parents were shook– again he doesn’t know why bc he was constantly picking up new instruments to learn. but uh it’s safe to say his relationship with his parents is kinda rocky.

- he’s a twin!! and he’ll go to war for his sister, so if you wanna mess with yara– DON’T!!!

- he’s a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy even though he knows he doesn’t have to live like that- he’s ✨ spontaneous✨ look it up!! 

- knows how to mf party!!!! chronic ouid smoker, but overall a cool mf dude

hit da like for some luv from moi<3

[kwebtv]

Character Actress

Randy Stuart, born as Elizabeth Shaubell (October 24, 1924 – July 20, 1996),  Film and television actress. A familiar face in several popular films of the 1940s and 1950s, and later in Western-themed television series,

Stuart's TV career had a solid start with her co-starring role as Louise Baker, the wife of Cold War spy Alan Hale Jr., in the 26-episode filmed adventure series, Biff Baker, U.S.A., which aired on CBS in the 1952-53 season (and was recently released on DVD).

Following her last film role in 1958, Stuart appeared for several years in TV dramas (usually Westerns), most of them produced by Warner Bros. television for the ABC network. In 1959 and 1960, Stuart had a recurring role as Nellie Cashman in 11 episodes of the ABC series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, with Hugh O'Brian in the title role of Marshal Wyatt Earp. Nellie was briefly a romantic interest for Earp.

From 1958 to 1961, Stuart guest-starred four times on Clint Walker's ABC/Warner Bros. Western, Cheyenne, including a role opposite Robert Colbert in the 1960 episode "Two Trails to Santa Fe". In another 1960 role, she played the mentally unbalanced Claire Russo in the episode "Tangled Trail" of Ty Hardin's ABC/WB series, Bronco, which rotated with Cheyenne. Her other Western appearances were twice on Lawman.  Cimarron City, Colt .45, and Maverick.

Her non-Western appearances included the ABC/WB dramas 77 Sunset Strip (as Lucy Norton in the 1962 Cold War-themed episode "The Reluctant Spy", opposite Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), Bourbon Street Beat, The Roaring 20s, One Step Beyond, and Hawaiian Eye (two appearances). She also guest-starred on CBS fantasy-drama The Millionaire.

Stuart's NBC roles included an episode of top-rated Bonanza, "The Duke", directed by Robert Altman and first aired in March 1961. Earlier, she was twice on the 1955-56 NBC comedy It's a Great Life, with Frances Bavier.  After a hiatus of five years from television, Stuart returned in 1967 and 1968 as Eileen Gannon, wife of Harry Morgan's character, Officer Bill Gannon, on NBC's popular Dragnet. Her final TV appearance was as Miss Kallman in the 1975 episode "The Covenant" of ABC's Marcus Welby, M.D., with Robert Young in the title role.  (Wikipedia)

[thesportssoundoff]

A Dumb Draft Exercise

It's a Friday night and we're all locked in so I decided to do something a touch different. I took the current NFL draft order and then looked up the last five NFL drafts (2015-2019) to see who was picked at spots. Using the teams as they stand after one long (and it feels it) week of free agency, I picked ONE player selected at that set position to try and do a retro draft. Each team picked ONE player picked over the last five years at that specific spot (so at 1 overall, you could only draft 1st overall). How different would your favorite team look? Welll.....

1. Cincinnati- QB Kyler Murray (2019)

The first round picks of the past five years consist of four QBs (Jameis Winston, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Murray) alongside premiere edge rusher Myles Garrett. As is often the case with top pick QBs tasked with saving bad franchises, each becomes less and less attractive as the years go by and they hit the ceiling of "damn good but not quite franchise saver" over and over. I went with Murray because while I think Goff is vastly underrated by most fans, Murray's got the ability and personality to drastically change an organization that feels like it's been hankering for a chance over the past five years. Murray was one of the NFL's brightest stars last year and figures to only improve, especially if you put him under the watchful gaze of an offensive guru (of sorts) in Zac Taylor.

2. Washington- DE Nick Bosa (2019)

Was REALLY torn with Carson Wentz and Nick Bosa for the Redskins. There's a lot of dead-ish weight here with Mitch Trubisky and Marcus Mariota and while Saquon may be the best player in theory, no team needs to take a running back in the top 5 (or in the first round at all). Assuming the Redskins are truly comfortable with Dwayne Haskins then taking Nick Bosa and pairing him up in the front four along with the likes of Montez Sweat, Matt Ionidis and Daron Payne would probably be a formidable ass crew.  Basically the Chase Young strategy.

3. Detroit- DE Joey Bosa (2016)

How about the Bosa Bros going back to back! One would assume tht if the Lions wanted a QB, they're GOING to have their pick of the proverbial litter on the back end. After all after Cincy, they'll have Tua, Herbert and Love at their disposal if taking a QB so amuses them. Instead operating under the belief that the Lions feel comfortable with Stafford for MAYBE one more year, it leaves us to choose from Joey Bosa, Solomon Thomas and Dante Fowler. Bosa is likely on his way to a multiple pro bowl career while Thomas may just grade out as average and Fowler is on his third team now. Easy choice if ya ask me.

4. NY Giants- WR Amari Cooper (2015)

The Giants would be picking from a variety of offensive players; two of which are current Dallas Cowboys. You have Amari Cooper, Zeke Elliott, Leonard Fournette on offense and then Denzel Ward at cornerback as pretty much your only other option. Give me Amari Cooper as he'd immediately step in and make an offense consisting of Daniel Jones, Barkley, Golden Tate and a two tight end threat of Evan Engram and Kaden Smith a pretty damn formidable one.

5. Miami- OLB Bradley Chubb (2018)

This WOULD be easy in theory. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey would've been a FINE choice here but the Dolphins have Xavien Howard and Byron Jones on the back end. With Jalen Ramsey out of the picture, you have an interesting linebacker in Devin White, a superb guard in Brandon Scherff and my selection Bradley Chubb. With so much locked in on the defense, Chubb (if healthy) steps in as an immediate premiere pass rusher. Barely edges out Brandon Scherff. BARELY.

6. LA Chargers- OG Quinton Nelson (2018)

Man! The Chargers would have their glut of talent to choose from if they so desired. Want an elite strong safety? Jamal Adams was picked 6th in 2018. Want a QB to groom and develop? Daniel Jones went here in 2019. If you want a flexible havoc inducing DL piece? Leonard Williams in 2015 went 6th overall. Ronnie Stanley is a pretty damn good tackle as well.  Quinton Nelson is a top 3 guard in just two seasons and figures to continue to improve. It's not a premiere position for a lot of people but Nelson bucks the trend.

7. Carolina- QB Josh Allen (2018)

Funny bit? We have two Josh Allens here as Josh Allen from Wyoming and Josh Allen from Kentucky both went 7th overall. Both would be tremendous picks given the Panthers needs (an elite edge or a QB). Deforest Buckner finally hit on his potential and got paid paid for it as well, fitting in interestingly here as a potential flexible front line piece. The Panthers just paid Teddy Bridgewater relatively big time money but if you have the chance to take a really athletic strong armed QB who has shown strides in two seasons, you should do it. Imagine Allen throwing it to the likes of DJ Moore and Christian McCaffery.

8. Arizona- RB Christian McCaffery (2017)

THIS one was hard given the lack of obvious options. Do you need more receiving options? If so TE TJ Hockenson was picked 8th. Christian McCaffery is probably the best player at this spot but again, running backs and top 10s and etc etc etc. Nuke Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk are on paper a superb trio of WRs and you also have Kenyan Drake at RB. Vic Beasley is a good pass rusher who has sort of lost his way as a player (hence the one year prove it deal). Give me McCaffery I guess. I think he'd do wonders in Kingbsury's offense and I suppose you can make he and Drake work together. That's why head coaches get paid.

9. Jacksonville- OT Mike McGlinchey (2018)

There's not a lot of obvious fits for a tanking team like the Jaguars. DT Ed Oliver would be intriguing but I have no idea how he fits in with the Jaguars defense. The likes of Leonard Floyd (recently released), Ereck Flowers (failed tackle turned kinda failed guard), John Ross (oft injured speedster) are other options. Lastly there's Mike McGlinchey who was starting at right tackle for the Super Bowl 49ers. The Jaguars have spent picks at both tackle spots but McGlinchey is better.

10. Cleveland- QB Patrick Mahomes (2017)

Fuck. Would the Browns even with Baker Mayfield flirt with taking Patrick Mahomes? Who cares. Mayfield can be traded. If you have the chance to grab the best QB in the NFL, you do it. Easy peasy.

11. NY Jets- CB Marshon Lattimore (2016)

This one came down to Lattimore or Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick can do so much across a secondary and his swiss army knife toolset was amplified in a Pittsburgh secondary that left to his devices where he could roam free and fuck shit up. On the other hand, Marshon Lattimore represents one of the NFL's rare commodities; a star shutdown cornerback. Plus with Marcus Maye and Jamal Adams tie up the safety spots pretty well.

12. Las Vegas- QB Deshaun Watson (2017)

The Raiders are openly flirtatious with moving on from Derek Carr. Deshaun Watson would step in and be a massive upgrade. There's also not much here either given how 90% of the players are DL and the Raiders have plenty of names and faces they like there. Maxx Crosby, Maliek Collins, John Hankins and Clelin Ferrell to name a few.

13. San Francisco f/IND- OG Laremy Tunsil (2016)

Take the 49ers OL with Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey and Laken Tomlinson and then slide in Laremy Tunsil at RG. That's an absurd OL. There also weren't many options to really delve into either depending on how you feel about Da'Ron Payne and Vita Vea.

14. Tampa Bay- DE Marcus Davenport (2018)

Pick 14 over the past five years is a bit of a dry spell unfortunately. The best player on the list is DeVante Parker and the Bucs clearly have a collection of damn good WRs. Shaq Barrett and JPP are in place for 2020 but could the Bucs use Davenport as a third rusher and move him inside on pass rush downs. Not a lot of good ideas here unfortunately.

15. Denver- RB Melvin Gordon (2015)

Easy peasy! I mean Denver just signed him! That's a bit of a cheapie but let's keep with it. Gordon fitshere (and nobody else does).

16. Atlanta- LB Tremaine Edmunds (2018)

Edmunds with Deion Jones? Sign me up! The only other option that makes sense here is Marlon Humphrey at corner which would be an equally fine pick.

17. Dallas- S Derwin James (2018)

Given that Arik Armstead and John Allen would be 3-technique types in this defense, it makes sense we would ONCE again look at the safety market! Yay! The Cowboys scheme in 2018 apparently didn't like Derwin James as much as the media thought they did but this is a brand new scheme and a new way to play. Derwin James would edge out Keanu Neal (who BTW when healthy is an amazing safety) by virtue of being more of the chess piece the Cowboys need.

18. Miami f/PIT- C Ryan Kelly (2017)

Again there's a glut of corners here but the Dolphins have their fair share. As such, turn your attention over to a glut of centers---who they also just signed a guy for. Ryan Kelly is a pro bowl center though and you can make exceptions for that.

19. Las Vegas f/CHI- LB Leighton Vander-Esch (2018)

One of the better linebackers in the NFL prior to his neck injury, LVE was a friggin' elite athlete who could still redefine what NFL linebackers look like. His defensive coordinator is there as well (as the DL coach) and I bet Gruden would love his leadership and his ability as an off ball linebacker. This one is easy enough.

20. Jacksonville f/LAR- TE Noah Fant (2019)

The Jaguars are in the midst of a rebuild of sorts but unfortunately there's no immediate building block pieces at 20. It came down to Frank Ragnow (a versatile OL with upside) or Noah Fant and I opted for tight end Noah Fant since Minshew could use a reliable safety blanket. Assuming Fant can control his drops of course.

21. Philadelphia- WR Will Fuller (2016)

The Eagles could REALLY use some targets for Carson Wentz. Last year in clutch games they were relying on JJ Arceaga-Whiteside and Boston Scott for targets outside of their tight ends. Wouldn't have a problem going with FS Darnell Savage either who also went at 21.

22. Minnesota f/BUF- DE Bud Dupree (2015)

I don't know if the Vikings NEED an edge but even if they don't, there's really no options here. Josh Doctson was a flop in Washington, Charles Harris was a flop in Miami, Rashaan Evans plays the same spot as their glut of damn good linebackers and Andre Dillard is an unproven tackle for Philly to this point. Hit or miss here.

23. New England- Isaiah Wynn (2018)

I mean they drafted him here. Easy enough. Although would they take TE Evan Engram all things being equal?

24. New Orleans- WR DJ Moore (2018)

The Saints did grab Emmanuel Sanders but DJ Moore, Sanders and Michael Thomas is a whole different world of WR depth. There's also pretty much nobody else here worthy of snagging either.

25. Minnesota- WR Marquise Brown (2019)

HOLLYWOOD! The Vikings just traded away Stefon Diggs and could use an infusion of playmaker at their WR spot to help assist their TE room, Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen. Marquise Brown would give Kirk Cousins a souped up version of Jamison Crowder; a WR-3 he relied heavily on in Washington.

26. Miami f/HOU- DE Montez Sweat (2019)

So the Dolphins have signed a lot of DE and we also gave them Bradley Chubb earlier BUT Montez Sweat is going to terrorize the NFL for the next 5-10 years and so he and Chubb combined? That's big time pass rush. Also, again, not much to really select from here either.

27. Seattle- CB Byron Jones (2015)

If you drew up a make and model for a Seahawks DB? It looks like Byron Jones. Byron just got paid big time money by Miami It's Byron vs Tre White and Byron fits the mold a bit better. Could also see Seattle liking Kenny Clark. Lots of good defensive players at 27.

28. Baltimore- OG Laken Tomlinson (2015)

Let Tomlinson battle it out with the interior OL the Ravens have currently. There's really not much here, it's either Tomlinson or DT Jerry Tillery.

29. Tennessee- TE David Njoku (2017)

Funny story, the 2016 1st round pick here was forfeited via deflategate. With just four names to choose from (and not really much to talk about either way), the Titans take David Njoku. Njoku has struggled with his role in Cleveland and the Titans do have some solid tight ends already in place but Njoku would be a pretty nice flier. Most of the guys here at 29 are just not good unless you're a Taven Bryan truther.

30. Green Bay- LB TJ Watt (2017)

And Cowboys fans across the globe shudder in horror. Yes, the Packers have two really good DEs in the Smith brothers. There's nobody else here who comes remotely close to the pure value TJ Watt has. Let him rush from the left side and rack up the sacks. You can figure it out somehow I figure. Let Preston Smith play 3-tech or something!

31. San Francisco- LB Reuben Foster (2017)

On one hand, the less said about Foster the better. On the other, there's really nobody else here who would come close. Unless you're a Germaine Ifedi fan?

32. Kansas City- DT Malcolm Brown (2015)

For any other team in any other league, this is Lamar Jackson. The Chiefs are really set at QB for the next 10-15 years so we'll have to take a pass. Instead Malcolm Brown is pretty much the only other really good value play. Big thumpy 1-tech/nose tackles are usually found later on in the draft but Brown is a good one and the Chiefs truthfully don't need much else either.

[brothersapart]

Hi I really just love your stories so much. This is just a question but what has been your favourite story writing and can you give us a list of all the OCs? There are some I’m not sure about and want to know if the person I’m thinking of is. And just keep up the good work your stories are the best.

@nightmares06– Oo, this is really hard, because they’re all so fun!

I think the one I had the MOST fun though, would have to be Jacob in Wonderland. We couldn’t wait to start, and once we started writing, it was one solid month (and a few days) before we stopped! That entire, enormous story was finished in that time, and every chapter was more fun than the last!

@neonthewrite - I think my brain short circuits and reboots every time I try to think of an answer to this one. I’m really just always so happy when my cowriters are writing with me, so all the AUs and stories are fun for their own reasons. I do love any excuse to have Bowman in the mix, though.

@borrowedtimeandspace - Man, this is a tough question, like choosing between your kids. All the stories are a blast to write! I’m the type of person that has a hard time picking favorites, usually whatever I experienced most recently ends up being my ‘favorite’ for the moment. I seriously feel like whatever story I’m writing with either of my cowriters is my favorite, because we’re making it together and it’s all so exciting and fun.

All three writers have their own separate characters, so I’ll list them below. You can also find this list in our FAQ!

@nightmares06–

Nixie, Ilyana, Celeste (problematic fave), Walt Watch, Mallory Watch, Briella Watch, Moira Wainscot, Krissy Vent, Sean, Kara Bolt, Christian Bolt, Mikael Foyer, Adriana, Noonia and Elenia.

@neonthebright–

Bowman, Jacob Andris, Oscar, Rischa, Cerul, Scar, Vel, (any of the wood sprites, basically), Colfax and Adrian (better prompted at @alittleblogoftrust ), Asp the shadow sprite, Indigo Seraf.

@borrowedtimeandspace–

Zepheera is my main OC, Stan Baker, Simon Baker, Nathan Sullivan, and a bunch of borrower bbys: Kernel, Orrick Shelf, Boston Mantel, Baycliff, Klerida, Marcue Overmantle.

[train-wrecc]

★彡 𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊’𝚜 (𝚝-𝚛𝚎𝚌’𝚜 ッ) 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝

(I'm excited to make this because I feel like I somewhat have enough writing to create it, & I never thought I'd make a masterlist... but here I am ☺️)

Updated: 4/16/23 -

(MOBILE USERS: on my profile click the search button and enter twmasterlist (which stands for train-wrecc not trigger warning lmao) and that’ll be all my writing, sorry for the inconvenience)

(UPDATE (2/19/23): I think the links are working now, I have no idea what happened, please let me know if they are or aren’t working, thanks!)

*Everything is in order from my most recent work to the oldest.

Key: fluff - 💞 angst - ❤‍🩹

Marcus Baker (Ginny & Georgia):

Two Ghosts ❤‍🩹

Champagne Problems 💞❤‍🩹

2

Nobody Gets Me 💞❤‍🩹

Lover of Mine 💞❤‍🩹

Here For You 💞❤‍🩹

Dumbass 💞❤‍🩹

Niklaus Mikaelson (TO/TVD):

Dating Niklaus Mikaelson Headcanon's

Sundays 💞

Grow As We Go 💞❤‍🩹

[latenightcinephile]

#887: ‘Greed’, dir. Erich von Stroheim, 1924.

One of the most interesting quirks of this list is that its films have their runtimes listed. Usually, they’re pretty close: off by a few minutes that could simply be chalked up to new credits added for a DVD version, or a scene trimmed or a different frame rate applied for a cinematic release. On occasion, there’ll be a typo in the book or on a DVD case, listing a film that’s an hour and twenty-seven minutes as 127 minutes instead. Greed is different. Not because the runtime is wrong - it’s surprisingly close, and my copy is a little bit longer than the book suggested because of an opening crawl and a weird three-minute patch of darkness following the end credits. What makes Greed different is that the film we have today is not what Stroheim wanted audiences to see; nor is it the film that audiences in the 1920s actually saw. We don’t even know what either of those tests would be, precisely. What we have instead is a piecemeal version of what a complete cut might have looked like. Even then, it’s pretty great, and one of those unjustly forgotten films of the past.

What was Greed? In its earliest form, it is reported variously as being 47, 45 or 42 reels long (some nine-and-a-half hours of footage, run in one sitting). A different eyewitness report lists Stroheim’s cut at 42 reels, but only nine hours long. There was reportedly an eight-hour version. But when MGM, now with Irving Thalberg (who had similarly gutted Stroheim’s previous film, Foolish Wives) as head of production, took control of the wildly over-budget release, Stroheim desperately tried to save his picture, commissioning a fifteen-reel, four-hour cut (maybe 18 reels). MGM denied this one and churned out a ten-reel version instead, slashing almost all subplots they deemed ‘extraneous’. The result was resoundingly mediocre, missing huge chunks of plot that had been hastily replaced with inadequate intertitles, but not skimping on some of the more provocative aspects of the novel. It wasn’t tragic, but it wasn’t funny either - it was just depressing.

To make matters even more confusing, three different ‘complete’ versions of the film were available up until the 1990s, in a variety of different forms. It wasn’t until relatively recently that the four-hour cut was once again made available, consisting of the material from the MGM version with missing scenes reconstructed from intertitles and still photographs. The original film, whatever it was, is gone for good. The chances of anyone coming across a copy now, nearly a hundred years after the fact, are infinitesimally small. This isn’t one of those stories where it could turn up in an attic somewhere and be suddenly identified as a lost masterpiece. It’s not one of those films that could be unrecognised - any archive worth their salt, or anyone who could find a film major nearby, would know what they had. It’s just a product that is gone. We made do with what we have.

So, what do we have?

Unusually for a film this long, the plot of Greed can be summed up pretty quickly: Mac McTeague (Gibson Gowland) starts work as a miner, but quickly becomes apprentice to a dentist. After time, he is able to open his own dental surgery in San Francisco. His friend, Marcus Schouler (Jean Hersholt) introduces Mac to his cousin and love interest, Trina Sieppe (ZaSu Pitts). Trina and Mac fall in love and, shortly thereafter, Trina wins the lottery. As she grows pathologically protective of her wealth, Mac and Marcus have to come to terms with their feelings of ownership over Trina and her wealth. Marcus has his vengeance, Mac and Trina fall into poverty with Mac being seemingly unaware of Trina’s savings, and the relationship crumbles. Mac and Trina have one final interaction, and Mac leaves to seek his fortune mining in Death Valley. Marcus follows him and is determined to settle their feud once and for all.

The four-hour cut that is now widely available restores some of the subplots that MGM cut from the film. Stroheim was a realist filmmaker, keen to cram his shots with details taken from life, and devoted large periods of his film to expanding aspects not present in the original novel. One piece of this preamble that was apparently quite prominent in Stroheim’s original film, but which no longer comes across in translation, is an early scene that takes place in San Francisco. We follow Marcus’ boss, Old Grannis (Frank Hayes) from the vet hospital where he works back to the apartment building where he lives. He pays Zerkow (Cesare Gravina) to dispose of the dog he has euthanised that day, and then we meet the spinster Miss Baker (Fanny Midgely), who has an unrequited romance with Grannis. The awkward interaction between Grannis and Baker is interrupted by the building’s maid, Maria Macapa (Dale Fuller), who will spend most of her scenes with Zerkow. Upstairs, Mac is visited by Marcus. This scene spins out in this manner for about fifteen minutes, and was completely excised from the film’s original release. As Jonathan Rosenbaum puts it in his exhaustive analysis of the film for the BFI, “virtually all the major characters and themes of Greed are presented in this section, [but] practically nothing of any narrative consequence happens.” It’s a literary form of exposition, Rosenbaum says, but a literary form of exposition that’s surprisingly absent from the source novel itself.

MGM’s approach to the film was to cut out anything extraneous to what the studio perceived as the central plot: the interweaving of the fates of Mac, Trina and Marcus. In the release version, the romance between Old Grannis and Miss Baker is gone. The downfall of the unhealthy romance between Maria and Zerkow is gone. In fact, Zerkow’s entire existence is disposed of, and with it one of the most poetic (if overly explicit) explanations of the film’s themes. These two romances, both removed, also leave the film without any contrasts against the weird, compelling but deeply twisted main romance.

This is a romance, after all, that in both the film and the novel has some inadequately-explored sadomasochistic tendencies. As their married life grows more fractious, Mac takes to intimidating Trina by biting her fingers. In the novel, this is part of a wider pattern with further symptoms: Trina and Maria “proudly show off their bruises”, as Rosenbaum puts it. In the film, however, this is glossed over with a single title card (presumably there in the released version, too - there’s your prurient and salacious interests right there). “And yet this brutality in some strange inexplicable way aroused in Trina a morbid, unwholesome love of submission.” It’s never a comforting sign when this kind of event, some three-quarters of the way through the film where it can’t hope to get enough explanation, is still described as ‘inexplicable’. It feels like an admission that MGM couldn’t remove this moment from the film and yet couldn’t explain why it needed to be kept in. And yet it’s unclear why the moment couldn’t be removed - it’s tempting to suggest that it’s because we need a reason for Trina to have a few fingers amputated later in the film, but that’s not mentioned at all outside another title card that could also be removed. I’d once again suspect the studio was attempting to make Greed as scandalous as possible.

Long story short, what MGM has done is mangle a story that for once needed to be four or five hours long. By taking away all the padding around the scenes that remain, the film’s story becomes brutal, jarring and psychologically incoherent. By retrieving the other romances for contrast, and by reintroducing Trina’s family and Mac’s parents and all these other subplots, it actually helps the film in its four-hour version make sense.

The one upside of this film now being largely comprised of still shots is that it takes on a languorous quality that it wouldn’t otherwise have. We get more indication of the emotions of the story when they’re shown in still vignettes than is available in moving pictures in the 1920s. Stroheim has a tendency to make his films theatre plays, because his naturalistic sets are so crammed with detail that he could often only shoot them from a single angle. And yes, what remains is creepy as fuck. Trina is Marcus’s cousin and nobody finds this even worth mentioning (although Marcus stops short of saying this late in the film, indicating that there is a taboo being broken here). Mac’s first kiss happens while Trina is unconscious in his dentist’s chair.

Looking past all that to see what this film really is - a picture about people who are broken, who were broken long ago and can never get back on the path to fixing themselves - it works best when it’s symbolic. Stroheim shows Trina and Mac as two canaries in a cage that Mac owns, by turns cohabiting cheerily and fighting amongst themselves. Marcus is a cat that watches the birds gleefully. As Mac triumphantly declares Trina his, she gets her fingers caught in a mousetrap, which both immediately indicates that this isn’t the happy moment the music insists upon, but also foreshadows her masochist tendencies, her fingers caught in a different way. The final segment of the film, in Death Valley, is both amazingly shot in contrast to the staticness of the earlier scenes, and also intensely symbolic. Every still image from these sequences reads like a Salvador Dali Surrealist short, and it’s telling that this sequence is the only thing that made it into the released version intact. It’s chillingly made, creating a real sense of despair that otherwise only exists in the scenes of Zerkow and Maria that were cut.

Look at this. That’s the equivalent of Metropolis; of Sunrise; of City Lights; of L’Age d’Or. Here, those responsible for resurrecting Greed tint the entire scene in yellow which before now was limited to showing gold. We’re beyond the point of no return here, and the remastered version (as well as Stroheim’s) are equating gold and the sun as equally oppressive. For the last twenty minutes alone, Greed is a film worth experiencing if you can. There are parts that you could probably skim through, if you felt you had to, but this reconstruction gets as close to Stroheim’s original symphony of a film as we ever will.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Elementary: Whatever Remains, However Improbable (6x21)

When they wrote this episode, they thought it was the finale, you guys. I'm emotional.

Cons:

I've got to say, I'm glad there's going to be a Season Seven. Not just because I like this show, but because there are a number of pretty essential dangling threads that I wouldn't be all that thrilled about leaving alone. Namely, Bell and Joan didn't really get a goodbye scene, Sherlock and Bell got barely anything, and things with Gregson fell completely apart. Now, don't get me wrong, the Gregson stuff was excellent. But if this really was the last we were going to see of him, then that would suck majorly. It felt unfair to his character to leave so much unresolved.

I recently learned that when the show-runners were plotting out this season, they thought they had a shorter episode order. That explains why Michael is missing from so much of the season. Unfortunately, just because I understand the reason now doesn't mean it fixes the structural issues of this season. Michael was so interesting, and then he was dead and this final episode was about something else entirely. Had they known they were getting a Season Seven, and had they known the season would be longer, I think the Michael stuff would have felt a lot more satisfying.

I never really understood why this FBI agent had such beef with Joan and Sherlock. Sure, I can see how they would be the FBI's worse nightmare what with all of their cutting corners, but this woman seemed to have something of a personal vendetta against Joan in particular, and that is not born out in the show we are being presented. What is her problem?

Pros:

For the most part, as you'll note, my complaints are more to do with the structure of this season as a whole, and not specifically with this episode, because... I have feelings, you guys.

Starting with Gregson - what he does in this episode to protect Hannah is extreme. It's career-ending. It's possibly prison time, and a lot of it. There's this very small part of me that wants to argue that this is out of character for him, but let's be real. Of course it isn't. This is his daughter. Gregson's career is very important to him, but he would do anything in the world for Hannah. What I love about this is that he crosses those lines to protect Hannah before he knows that Joan is going to be implicated. But when he realizes what's going on, he still can't come forward with the truth. How heartbreaking. He loves Joan like family, and after everything they've all been through together, this could not be more of a betrayal. And yet, there's one person in the world that trumps all other concerns for Gregson, so at the end of the day there's not really much you can do to argue him out of it.

One of the highlights of the episode was the rather long scene between Gregson and Sherlock. Tensions are mounting, and all of the history and friendship and mutual trust between these two men starts to crack. At the end of the day, there's almost nothing these two wouldn't do for each other, but Joan trumps everything for Sherlock, just like Hannah does for Gregson. The final moment, when Gregson makes a seeming plea for Sherlock to understand: "she's my daughter!" is met with a truly beautiful response from Sherlock, referring to Joan: "she's my best friend." Maybe most people would say that 'daughter' trumps 'best friend,' but in Sherlock's case those words just mean so much.

As I said, Bell doesn't get a ton of time this week, but I did like what we got of him. He staunchly stands by Joan as a character witness, saying that he knows she's innocent, that he respects her and trusts her entirely. There's also the bit where Bell meets with Sherlock and hands over the NYPD's evidence in Michael's murder. At this point, Joan and Sherlock don't realize the truth about Gregson, but Sherlock has already tried going to the captain and has been turned away. Sherlock isn't exactly angry at Gregson for not helping them, but he does seem to appreciate the unique and intense risk that Marcus Bell is taking to help them out. I liked the shot of the two of them shaking hands and then walking away from each other. They know that they will always have each other's backs in whatever way they can. They also know that this is probably the end of their working relationship. Very well done by the actors and by the director - a lot of emotion was imparted in very little dialogue or screen-time.

As is appropriate, the majority of this finale focuses on Sherlock and Joan's relationship, and let me tell ya - it is a doozy. Sherlock is absolutely determined - one might even say desperate - to save Joan from being accused of murder. This makes sense, obviously. We already know he'd do anything for her. But what he wasn't expecting was that Joan herself would be unwilling to help him at a certain point. She wants to take the risk, wait it out, rather than turn in Hannah. She wants to protect Gregson. And then comes one of the best scenes in the episode. Sherlock gets more and more agitated as he realizes that Joan might seriously go down for this crime. He reminds her that this is the end of "Our little family unit - you, me, the captain, Marcus." Joan says she knows that, and Sherlock, angrily, says "We're supposed to be partners!" Joan's response? "We are. So be my partner."

There are so many ways that you can take this, but to me it seems pretty clear that Sherlock is terrified of losing Joan, the most important person in the world to him. And Joan's reply is so cutting, so perfect. They are partners. She's asking Sherlock to step up and be there for her, even if things don't go the way he would have planned them. It's this line that makes Sherlock's next decision all the more devastating. Sherlock won't go against Joan, his partner, and betray Gregson on her behalf. He'll honor her wishes in that regard. Instead, he'll confess to the crime himself, clearing Joan's name. Damn.

I mean, of course he did. Sherlock would have sold out Gregson to protect Joan, of that I'm perfectly certain. But their relationship is such that Sherlock knows what's important to Joan. He knows what ultimately matters most to her, and he won't betray her, even as he makes this huge sacrifice to protect her. The final scene in the brownstone between the two of them is one that I'll probably go back and re-watch a bunch of times. It was pitch perfect. Joan is obviously in shock. She's a bit aloof, a bit shut off. She can't really believe what's going on here, that Sherlock is moving to London and can never come back. And Sherlock? He's positively weepy.

He calls her Joan. He thanks her for everything she's done for him. He says that when they met, he was dying, and nobody could see it but her. He didn't think it was possible for him to get better, and she showed him that he was wrong. She taught him so much. It just goes on and on, the most overt, flowery, convincing and emotional speech we've ever heard from Sherlock about his feelings for Joan. The reason this is so brilliant is that none of it is exactly a surprise. It's not news to us, or to Joan, that Sherlock feels this way. But it's still so important that she hear it, and that he say it. The kicker is when Joan echos Sherlock's assertion from earlier that they're "partners," and Sherlock says "we're two people who love each other." Again, it's not a surprise to anybody that Sherlock feels this way, but it's so important to hear it out loud. It's the kind of thing you say to someone when you think it's the end.

I know I've discussed this in previous reviews, but I once again have to admire how completely NOT romantic or sexual Sherlock and Joan's relationship is. This is heartfelt, tear-fueled confession territory. This is Sherlock and Joan believing they might be separated forever. And the goodbye is purely platonic. And I do mean purely - it's this pure, beautiful, incredibly powerful bond between these two people, a man and a woman, and I LOVE IT. This is so rare. It's practically unheard of. It was such a gorgeous scene, and so well-acted by Lucy Liu and Johnny Lee Miller.

Then you've got the final scene, where we see Sherlock talking to a client in 221B Baker Street. He gets increasingly annoyed at the noise being made by his next door neighbor, and after he's done with the client, he knocks on the door to 221A, and chastises Joan for making too much noise. Turns out, she's moved in. Turns out, he asked her to move in. The two of them walk away together, apparently having been called to Scotland Yard to consult on a murder. Joan lightly teases Sherlock about the whole "we're two people who love each other" thing, and Sherlock admits some doubt as to their new life in London. Joan says that she feels like they're exactly where they're supposed to be.

And... scene. If this had been the finale, as I mentioned above, I might have had some problems with the way things were left with Gregson and Bell. But given that we get more material, I honestly adored this season finale so very, very much. This whole ending is just so adorable and sweet! In BBC's Sherlock, one of the (very few, in my opinion) things that really works about it is the premise that all along, the show was about a young Sherlock Holmes growing in to the more distinguished, good person that he is in the original canon. Oddly, a somewhat similar thing is true of Elementary. You could view all of the stuff in New York as almost one long prequel to some of Doyle's canon. Now, Sherlock Holmes is in 221B Baker Street, where he famously belongs. He's got his Watson, he's off to Scotland Yard, and all is right in the Sherlockian multiverse.

I'll stop there, because I don't want to go on too long. This was beautiful. Full stop.

9/10

[justsportsgalore]

The Texans honored the memory of their founding owner, Robert McNair, in the most fitting way possible Monday night, winning a franchise-record eighth consecutive game at the expense of the Tennessee Titans, who used to be the Houston Oilers and whose departure in the mid-1990s led to McNair's successful pursuit of an NFL expansion team to replace them.

In beating the Titans 34-17 as Deshaun Watson threw for two touchdowns – both to recent acquisition Demaryius Thomas – and ran for a third, the Texans became the first team in NFL history to lose their first three games of the season, then win the next eight.

More important, the victory kept them two games in front of the 6-5 Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South and tied, at least record-wise, with the AFC East-leading New England Patriots in pursuit of a first-round playoff bye. The Titans fell to 5-6 and likely out of contention for the division title. The Patriots, of course, still hold the tiebreaker against the Texans by virtue of their 27-20 week-one victory in Foxborough.

"I think these players, even the younger guys, understood what Bob meant to this organization and to Houston for bringing the NFL back," head coach Bill O'Brien said. "It was a great win, a tribute to Bob McNair. That win was for Bob."

McNair passed away Friday after years of battling cancer. The Texans presented the game ball to his son Cal, the team's chairman and chief operating officer.

The mood in NRG Stadium, liberally sprinkled with a startling number of empty seats given the roll the Texans have been on and that it was the first Monday Night Football game in Houston since 2010, stayed somber and eerily quiet following a moving pre-game tribute to McNair And, seemingly distracted, the Texans got off to a lethargic start, falling behind 10-0.

A 33-yard pass interference penalty on rookie safety Justin Reid set up a 31-yard Ryan Succup field goal and, on Tennessee's next possession, tight end Jonnu Smith was left wide open in the middle of the field on what became a 61-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota.

That became the longest scoring play of the season against the Texans by an opposing quarterback. The longest play period remains Kevin Byard's 66-yard fake punt pass to Dane Cruikshank in first Titans game, when Tennessee led 14-0 at the end of first quarter in route to a 20-17 victory, the second of those three straight-from-the-chute defeats that threatened to wreck the season.

This night, however, the Texans fortunately awoke before things got out of hand, although they profited hugely from the Titans' failure to fall on DeAndre Carter's fumbled kickoff following Smith's touchdown. Instead, A. J. Moore covered the football and, given that reprieve, they chose to honor McNair's memory in appropriate fashion, countering with 24 unanswered points before the first half ended.

Never mind that Mariota, who didn't play in the first meeting between the division rivals because of an elbow injury, would complete all 12 of his passes for 157 yards. Mariota's availability had again been up in the air this week because of weakness in his throwing hand caused by a stinger suffered in Titans' previous loss, 38-10 to the Colts.

Mariota didn't throw an incompletion until his 20th pass, which came with 66 seconds remaining. Three plays later, the Texans first their first turnover of the game, a Derrick Henry fumble caused by Brennan Scarlett and recovered by Aaron Colvin, who was playing for the first time since suffering an ankle injury against the Cowboys Oct. 7.

With the victory, the Texans improved to 29-1 during O'Brien's five-season tenure when leading after two quarters. Also, going back to the Texans' 57-14 win over Tennessee here last season, they had scored 84 points against the Titans over a span of six quarters, 60 more than they allowed.

Watson responded to Mariota's sizzling start by scripting a seven-play 62-yard drive that he capped with a 12-yard scoring strike to Thomas, the veteran receiver acquired in a trade with the Broncos. Thomas had been targeted just once in the 23-21 victory over Washington after he'd caught three passes in his Texans debut in Denver the previous weekend. Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said that needed to be addressed, and it was.

"I thought we did a better job with him this week," O'Brien said.

Thomas' second touchdown, on a deftly executed 10-yard fourth-quarter pass from Watson who had been forced to throw on the run, gives him 62 over 10 NFL seasons.

Next came a five-play, 60-yard Texans drive, requiring less than two minutes, that Watson finished himself, sprinting into the end zone from the 15. Aside from completing 19 of 24 passes for 210 yards, he would also finish with 71 rushing yards – 8.9 per carry – as the Texans ran for a franchise-record 282. Miller gained 162, his best game in three Houston seasons.

Their third scoring drive in succession consisted of a single play, Lamar's 97-yard sprint to daylight, the longest run in franchise history and the longest run by anybody in the NFL since Miller also broke free on another 97-yarder as a Miami Dolphin in 2014.

"That was a well-blocked play," O'Brien said, "and Lamar turned it on."

Kai'mi Fairbairn tacked on a 43-yard field goal as time ran out. Fairbairn then put the Texans up by 17 points with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter with a 47-yard field goal.

Tennessee had seemed poised to reclaim the lead following Watson's touchdown, driving from its 25 to the Texans' before linebackers Zac Cunningham and Bernardrick McKinney stopped tight end Luke Stocker on an oddly-timed – and clearly ill-advised – trick play for no gain on fourth-and-one at the Texans' 3. That was the first time all season that the Texans didn't surrender points on an opponent's red-zone penetration.

And, one snap later, Miller was off to the races. The Titans weren't yet a beaten team – Mariota's 48-yard touchdown pass at the end of the third quarter cut their deficit to 10 – but the Texans had all the cushion they needed.

Still, O'Brien insisted, repeating his long-running mantra, the Texans "haven't done anything yet" despite their 8-0 run. Next up will be the Cleveland Browns Sunday at NRG. After going 0-16 last season, the Browns, led by rookie Baker Mayfield, come in with a 4-6-1 record and a two-game winning streak of their own.

The Texans then play the Colts here the following weekend. Their historic, for-the-ages even, unbeaten streak began with a 37-34 overtime victory Sept. 30 in Indianapolis.