#grace shelby headers

[little-diable]

Tangled Faith - Tommy Shelby 2/4

Thank you for the love on the first part of this, I can't wait to hear what y'all think about this chapter. Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this. Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: The reader, a female pastor, takes over the Catholic Church in Tommy's part of the city, so, it doesn't take long for her and Tommy to cross paths. Even though she tries to stay out of his business, Tommy can't help but notice that something seems off about the woman.

Warnings: 18+, lots of tension and almost smut, mentions weapons, blood, arson, threats, religious connotations

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x female pastor reader (2.3k words)

header by @deathofpeaceofmind

Part One Part Three

The Garrison was packed, loud chatter filled the place, a sound so uneasy, (y/n)’s body begged her to turn around and leave. But her curiosity spurred her on, forcing the woman further into the pub, eyes searching for a familiar pair of blue ones. Her hands tightened their grip on her black coat, covering the dark suit she wore, finding comfort in wearing the black fabric, one with the shadows she chased. 

It didn’t take her long to find the man who was already looking at her with an intense gaze, cigarette placed between his pale lips, hand wrapped around a glass. Her steps carried her closer towards Tommy Shelby, not breaking eye contact, not even as she noticed another man standing next to him, face graced by a prominent moustache. Only as she came to a halt in front of Tommy did she allow her eyes to meet the curious ones of the other man, nodding at him. 

“I followed your invite, like you asked me to. Did you make up your mind?” Her words were met with a laugh bubbling out of the other man, eyes flickering between the two. 

“Aye, would you look at that, you must be the new pastor. I’m Arthur Shelby.” (Y/n)’s eyes flickered down to the hand he reached out for her to shake, a test perhaps, a trick to toy with the woman, but she didn’t move, hands pressed against the fabric of her coat. It took Arthur a moment to lower his hand, irritated eyes finding their way back to Tommy’s piercing ones. 

“Get her something to drink, Arthur, there are things we need to discuss.” Without speaking another word, (y/n) took the glass Arthur reached out for her to take before she followed Tommy through the pub, pushing past men and women that studied the three of them with curious eyes, nosy bystanders that studied the woman that wore a black suit. She didn’t fit, an outsider that stood out amongst the crowd of drinking and smoking people, a threat to their families and their business, at least that’s what her demeanour led them to believe. 

They entered another room, an empty room that finally allowed her tense shoulders to relax, and her ears to stop ringing. She watched the two men sit down, making themselves comfortable in chairs they’ve sat in numerous times before, pointing towards an empty one. No word dared to pass her lips, waiting for them to speak up, hand tightening its grip on her glass filled with brown liquor. 

“You’re an intelligent woman, you know that there’s no way out of us working together. There’s no use in running from a deal, it will happen either way.” Tommy’s voice broke the silence, forcing a scoff from (y/n). She took a sip of the liquor, eyes closing in on Tommy who studied her as if she was an experiment of his, a body that had been granted life on this very earth. Tommy looked at her as if he was the creator of all things surrounding them, a higher power only those fortunate enough could even dare to think of crossing paths with.  “So, here’s how this will go: we will keep on using the church’s cellar as a depot or so to speak. And you will be protected by us.” 

“Protection is what you offer me? For hiding your drugs? Protection from what or who, Mister Shelby?” Her voice had a teasing undertone to it, an undertone that could easily be mistaken by those that didn’t pick up on the anger flaring up in her pupils, set on burning whoever dared to touch her to the ground. 

“Whoever may threaten you and the church.” (Y/n) drowned the last gulp of her drink, setting the glass down on the table with a humourless laugh rumbling through her. She rose to her feet, hands buried in the pockets of her heavy coat. 

“You’re the only one threatening me and my church. There will be no deal between us, certainly not for hiding drugs. I’d advise you to find another hideout, don’t think of approaching me with a pathetic offer like that ever again. Have a good evening, gentlemen.” She disappeared from the room before either Tommy or Arthur could speak up, staring at the place where she had been standing just moments ago. (Y/n) pushed her way out of the Garrison, deeply exhaling as she was met with the chilly evening air, finding comfort in the darkness that was lingering in the streets. With her eyes set ahead, (y/n) made her way back to the church, replaying the past moments in her head over and over again, unable to stop thinking of the intense gaze Tommy had shared with her. 

Her moment of distraction was used by those that approached her from behind, covering her mouth with a gloved hand to pull her into a sidestreet. She tossed in the man’s grasp, wide eyes focusing on the features of a man she hadn’t seen before. (Y/n) was pushed against the nearest wall, skin scraping along the cold surface. 

“Luca Changretta sends his greetings. Take this as a warning, pastor, if you are seen with the Shelbys again, he will kill you.” The man’s voice had a strange twang to it, a minor detail she couldn’t help but focus on, even as she felt a cold blade being pressed against her throat. The point of the knife moved along her throat, toying with the cross necklace dangling from her neck, mouth still covered by the man’s hand. An angry scream threatened to claw through (y/n), though before she could even try to rip herself free again, a fist was buried in her stomach, forcing her to topple over. 

Her palm met the cold ground, trying to catch herself before she’d collapse. Tears blurred her vision, angry tears that dripped down her warm cheeks. Before she could use her now free hands, wanting to reach for the knife strapped to her calf, the men disappeared in the shadows. (Y/n)’s eyes fluttered close in a desperate try to catch her breath, leaning against the wall for some support.

“It seems like you need our protection after all.” Her eyes shot open to find a pair of familiar blue ones, the mere sight of Tommy Shelby forced a groan out of her, allowing her eyes to close once again. Tommy stepped closer, carefully helping her back to her feet, not daring to let go. (Y/n) watched his gun disappear back in its holster before Tommy slung his arm around her waist, wordlessly guiding her through the streets. 

“Keys?” Tommy murmured the words as they came to a halt in front of the church, taking the key (y/n) pulled from her coat with a groan, watching him unlock the side door of the church, helping her inside. An almost eerie silence engulfed the two as he helped her into her bedroom, placing her down on the worn out mattress she had to sleep on. For a few moments all Tommy did was stare at her, as if he was giving her the chance to speak another spiteful phrase, to push him away from her, but she kept quiet, wordlessly begging him to help her out. 

Her coat was carefully pulled off her body, hands moving closer to her blouse, though stopped halfway by her cold ones. Their eyes met as (y/n)’s hands found his, shaking her head, not daring to cross that line just yet. Tommy’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, eyes flickering down to her bleeding palm. 

“We need to clean your wound, where’s the bathroom?” With a sigh leaving her, (y/n) pointed towards her bathroom, torn between her annoyance directed at Tommy, and the anger she felt towards those that had dared to threaten her. Tommy returned moments later with a wet cloth, carefully taking her hand in his to clean her palm. His eyes searched hers, trying to focus on the emotions swimming in her pupils, unable to tell what she was feeling. “The Italians are our problem, and since you’ve been seen with me, they’re now also your problem.” 

The cloth found its way to her bedside table, no longer focused on as Tommy towered over her. He reached for her chin, forcing (y/n) to keep on looking at him as he kept talking, “You need to get over your pride, and give in. I can’t protect you otherwise.” 

“I don’t need your protection. I was distracted, which they’ve seemed to pick up on, I won’t make the same mistake twice.” She rose to her feet, not liking the way Tommy stared at her, clearly using his position to talk down on her, making her feel the power he held over her. One of his hands found her waist, keeping her close as the other pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. She felt his breath teasing her lips, making her heart roar in her chest, unable to bite down the wave of longing he shot through her, a longing she had buried years ago, not daring to give into the carnal need. 

Something seemed to guide them closer together, eyes focusing on their lips, begging them to close the distance between them. The tension between the two of them was palpable, growing with every passing second, a tension that turned into a crackling wildfire as Tommy closed the distance between them. It took (y/n) a second to snap into motion, hand finding his neck to keep him close, lips moving in sync with his. 

The kiss wasn’t rushed and yet it was fueled by a passion neither Tommy nor (y/n) had ever felt before. A groan ripped through him as she bit down on his lip, allowing his tongue to meet hers, tasting the cigarettes and alcohol he had fostered for the past hour. Their bodies seemed to complement each other perfectly, guided back towards her bed, forcing her back down with Tommy towering over her. They didn’t break the kiss once, not as his hands were finally allowed to work on her blouse, not as he ground his clothed bulge against her core. 

A moan clawed through (y/n) as Tommy kissed his way down her throat, sucking marks into her skin as if he was claiming her for all demons and angels to see, one with the creator of all life, proving his power once again. But before he could free her of her clothes, needing to feel her naked skin pressed against his, (y/n) seemed to snap out of her trance, pushing him away from her. 

Both were heavily breathing, staring at one another with wide eyes. She rose from her bed, fingers working on buttoning her blouse once again, chasing the distance between them. Slowly he rose to his feet, eyes following her every step, not understanding what had just happened to force her away from him. 

“There will be no deal, and I certainly won’t be another woman for you to own. Leave my church, and let me promise you something, Tommy Shelby, if you ever dare to step foot into my church again, I will kill you.” 

……

Hours ago (y/n) had forced Tommy to leave the church, cold stone eyes watching the man’s every move as if she was God, knowing every thought that ran through the man’s mind. It was an easy game, a game both Tommy and (y/n) seem to lose, guided by their emotions rather than their rational thoughts. 

Now, a day after parting from him, (y/n) couldn’t help but wonder why she had given in, something had forced her body closer towards his, needing to feel his hands on her like holy water freeing a sinner of their wrongdoing. The poison only an exorcist could free one of, but there was no exorcist around, no man of God that could free her from the spell Tommy Shelby had casted upon her. 

“Help!” The sound of somebody calling for her ripped (y/n) out of her thoughts, storming out of her office and into the hallway. Her eyes were forced to focus on a burning confessionary, watching the flames dance higher. (Y/n)’s body was drawn closer to the flames, helping the nuns that tried to tame the fire with water. Due to their distraction the women didn’t pick up on the spreading fire on the other end of the hallway, taking over the first benches. 

“Pastor!” (Y/n)’s head snapped towards a young nun, trapped near the altar, begging for somebody to come and rescue her. The pastor’s body seemed to trust her instincts, not waiting for her thoughts to guide her but rather for her feet to carry her towards the crying nun. 

“Take my hand, sister.” (Y/n) helped the nun over the benches, guiding her towards the other nuns, shouting commands for them to leave the church. The sound of roaring sirens echoed through the night. Sounds (y/n) couldn’t focus on as she was drowning in waves of anger, pushing through her body faster than any fire could spread. There was no doubt in her mind, she knew who did this, knew who would be petty like this – because of an ignored deal, men that were just as greedy as those she had been running from. 

(Y/n)’s hands were carbon black, face covered just as much, but she didn’t allow herself to rest, pushing past the crying nuns, the men that tried to tame the flames, and a curious crowd of bystanders. Her feet forced her to walk faster, making her way towards the pub she had visited yesterday evening. Anger filled every pore of her body, the only emotion she was currently running on, trying to blink away the tears welling up in her eyes.

She forced herself to enter the Garrison, wide eyes moving around the pub, ignoring those that stared at her with wild gazes. Her eyes zoned in on the blue eyed devil, storming towards him as his frown deepened, rising to her feet before she could reach him. 

“How dare you set my church ablaze. Are you that petty? Are you that bitter? Just because I didn’t sign your deal? You can be glad nobody died, otherwise I’d shoot you right here, right now.” 

[akkaiito]

tommy and grace headers

[somethingsosimple]

Tommy Shelby & Grace Burgess

[graphiccreativemind]

I’ve found you and you found me.

[danielriccsworld]

tommy & grace header

like or credit @/tomshrlby

[smallheathgangsters]

Business Deal (Part Three)

Header made by the amazing @flowers-in-your-hayr 🌻

A/N: I’m so excited about this mini series and I hope you are exicted with me! Part four will hopefully be uploaded next week or at the beginning of the week after. Please enjoy and leave some feedback! ❤️ Excuse any mistakes, I try my best to make as little as possible. :)

Tag List: @captivatedbycillianmurphy @tranquility-or-chaos​ @zodiyack @claire-loves-music @cubedtriangle

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Reader

Word Count: 3264

Type: angst, violence, a lot of swearing

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You came back to consciousness only a few minutes after breaking down in front of Tommy’s betting shop and realised that your father’s men had carried you to a car and laid you on the back seat.

After pushing yourself up, you massaged your temples with closed eyes and tried to process everything that had happened in the last half hour. The graphic images flashed before your eyes that were shut tightly. The men storming in, the hands grabbing and pulling you carelessly, almost violently. Tommy being pushed to the floor. The fists and feet punching and kicking him. The blood.

And lastly, yourself. Yourself going absolutely crazy by shattering a glass against the wall and slapping the Shelby man across the face, as if he hadn’t been hurt enough.

Although, maybe he deserved it. Maybe he deserved worse for murdering your father and not even doing it himself. For sending his helpers like the coward he was, giving your father the least honourable death, he could have ever wished for. Your father would’ve never went to heaven. He’d done a lot of bad things in his life and caused a lot of pain. But he’d always done the dirty work himself, having to live with the consequences and only ever taking men with him for backup and assistance, not to do it for him.

That was one of the many reasons he’d been able to achieve such a great following. He was a man who people admired, apart from the horrible side of it.

You opened your eyes when you stopped massaging your temples and leaned forward to the two men in front of you, one of them driving the car. “Where are we going?”

“We’re bringing you home,” you heard Gerald say. He was steering the automobile.

“Did you kill Tommy?”

You saw him shake his head.

You frowned, surprised by his answer. “You didn’t? Why not?”

Gerald sent you a quick glance over his shoulder. His expression was confused. “You wanted us to finish him? I thought you’d be happy we didn’t.”

You let out an irritated scoff. “Why the fuck would I be happy?”

Gerald shrugged. “I thought you were like in love or something.”

“In love or something!?” you exclaimed outraged. “Bloody hell, Gerald! He killed my father! Why on earth would I still be in love with him?”

“So, you were in love before we stepped into that filthy betting shop?”

“Fuck off,” you grumbled and pushed yourself back into the seat. You saw the man next to Gerald on the passenger side turn around and give you a curious look. That made you realise that you didn’t only know your driver, but his companion as well. Ben.

“What are you staring at?” you said to him, annoyed by his invasive gaze. Your mother had always hinted at you that Ben might like you but was too scared to come forward because in the end, you were his boss’s daughter and he wasn’t just any kind of boss.

Ben immediately turned his head back to face the road. “Nothing, sorry.”

“Do you want us to go back and get him?”

“Tommy?” you asked. Gerald nodded. “We can send some boys to go back, pick him up and bring him to the mansion.”

You thought for a second. Having him at your house would give you some time to talk to him in private. Maybe you’d be able to find out what exactly had happened and what your father had done that made him get himself killed.

You started chewing on your lip. Since waking up from your black out you hadn’t yet shed a tear for your father’s passing. You felt bad because you loved him very much but the only thing you were able to think about was what had taken place between Tommy and him and what you’d do to Tommy if you’d have him in your control.

Your whole behaviour was the absolutely opposite of what you’d sworn yourself to be. Your promise to yourself and your future children to not follow into your fathers’ steps. To bring as much distance between his business, his lifestyle and yours. But the anger and rage in your body was too intense to ignore, to not act upon it.

“You know what, Gerald? Get him.”

Gerald nodded again. “I’ll send someone when we’re at your house. It’s not much further.”

He was right. Only a few minutes later the automobile rolled onto the large driveway with the pretty fountain in the middle. Thousands of roses graced the sides of the front yard. Pink ones, because they were your favourite. Your father had immediately called some gardeners to replace the red ones when he found out, that you preferred pink roses.

The car halted and you jumped out the back seat before Ben was able to open the door for you. You saw how Gerald leaned in to one of the men guarding your home, whispering something in his ear, most likely sending him off to the betting shop. With long strides you walked towards the entrance of your house, again pushing open the door yourself before Ben could get it for you.

The second you stepped into the entrance, the body of your mother flung itself against you, wrapping you into a lavender-scented embrace. Her slender arms felt as if they were trying to crush your ribs, making it hard for you to catch your breath.

“Mum …” you breathed out, signalling her that she was hugging you a little too hard. That made her loosen her grip but erupt into tears instead.

Your heart broke for your mother. She may be a gangster wife and daughter with a hard shell, but her core wasn’t. It was caring, soft and motherly. And you both knew what the death of your father meant. It meant that if they didn’t want to lose their influential position in the city, country even, your mother had to take over his place.

“I’m going to help you,” you said with a shaky voice, your eyes getting misty too. Hearing and seeing your mother cry shattered your heart. She didn’t deserve this.

You felt your mother nod against your shoulder, where she had placed her head. You knew she knew what you’d meant with that.

Your mother eventually peeled herself off of your body and looked at you with puffy, red eyes. But nevertheless, her expression was strong. Fierce even. “We’ll make these bastards pay.”

“We’ll be a great team, mum,” you assured her. “We’ll make father proud. There is no way we’re losing this fight or our position.”

That was the moment you let go of everything you stood for. With this statement you had committed yourself to taking over and helping your mother with your father’s business and there was no way out from here. But in that exact moment, you didn’t even think about the consequences.

You gave your mother another loving hug. Then you grabbed her hand and breathed in slowly. “Mum … where is he?”

Your mother gulped, trying to hold back another wave of tears. “S– still in his office, where he got shot.”

“He got shot in his office?!” you exclaimed loudly. “How was that possible?”

There was no way for somebody outside of your father’s inner circle to get into the house. All your entrances were either locked and barricaded, so nobody was able to get in or at least two men guarded them. Except …

“We’ve got a mole, Y/N,” your mother said, her voice now stronger again. “There wasn’t a break in or any of that kind. Nothing was damaged and there weren’t any noises that would’ve alerted me. I was here the whole time.”

“A mole?” you hissed. “Who? Do we know who?”

“No, not yet. But we’re at it.”

You huffed. “How the fuck are we going to find him if he’s among the men that should be detecting him?”

“I only told Gerald, we can trust him,” you mother said, trying to calm down your raging self. But it was no use. You didn’t trust anybody. Not since today happened. How would you know that Gerald was trustworthy? Not to mention that he had been the one to let Tommy live instead of killing right him on the spot, a decision that had been rather strange compared to the usual manner they had.

“Fuck Gerald,” you spat. “I’ll take care of this matter myself. The only person I trust at the moment is you, mum. And you shouldn’t be trusting anybody else than me. I don’t want something happening to you as well.”

“But–“ she started, but you interrupted her. “No, mum, no buts.”

Your mother knew you were right. You couldn’t risk anything, especially being women. Men, often looked down at you, underestimating your skills and knowledge and you weren’t going to let that happen. Most importantly not when it came to your father’s subordinates.

You were about to storm off when something on your mind stopped you. Your turned back to your mother and grabbed both her hands with yours, squeezing them comfortingly.

“D– did you find him?” you asked carefully, internally hoping strongly that it hadn’t been your mother who had discovered his body.

She shook her head, making you exhale deeply. “Thank god.”

She gave you a weak smile. “Please be careful, darling.”

“I will,” you promised her and then hurried down the hall. You weren’t paying attention at all when you ran towards your father’s office, suddenly crashing into somebody with full force. You had been preoccupied with your thoughts of what you’d witness when stepping into the office, that you didn’t see the person approaching you.

You inhaled sharply, trying to suppress the pain the collision had caused you.

“I’m so sorry, Miss, I wasn’t looking,” you heard a masculine voice mumble apologetically. A hand reached for your shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay,” you answered, looking up at the man you’d bumped into. Ben.

For fuck’s sake. He was the last person you wanted to see. His intense gaze on you made you feel uncomfortable once again and look past him into the direction of your father’s bureau. “I need to get going, Ben. Could you please let go of my shoulder?”

“Oh, of course, Miss. I’m sorry,” he apologised instantly, pulling back his hand. “I’ll be available if you ever need something. I understand that this is a hard time for you.”

Your instincts wanted to tell Ben to get away from you as far as possible, but your brain suddenly had an idea. Including Ben.

You mouth formed a wide, fake smile for him. “You know what, Ben? There is something I need your help with.”

“Y- yes?”

Ben seemed confused. Understandably though, since you’d never given him any attention and usually were very harsh with him, trying to get across your disinterest in him.

You nodded cheekily and grabbed his hand. Another puzzled glance from Ben. “Am I in trouble?”

You laughed. “No, Ben. Just trust me.”

Your inner self huffed at your choice of words. Trust. But you kept up the act and pulled him down the hallway, past your father’s office to the large door to the sitting room where you’d met Tommy Shelby for the first time.

“In here,” you said, pushing open the door, leading him inside and closing it behind him right away.

Ben stood in the middle of the room cluelessly. “What are we doing here, Miss?” he asked and frowned, looking around and probably trying to find something that would help him understand the strange situation.

You walked towards him and let your fingers run up the hem of his suit jacket. “A little birdy told me that it’s hard for you to keep your eyes off me?”

You heard him gulp, his Adam’s apple bobbing when he did. “Who said that?”

You gave him a disappointed look. A fake one, of course. “Are you telling me you don’t like the way I look?”

“N– no, not at all!” Ben stuttered, not really knowing how to react to your sudden approach.

“It was my mum,” you admitted, truthfully this time. “I don’t think my mother would lie to me.”

Your words made him even more insecure. “I didn’t intend on calling your mother a liar, please forgive me.”

“It’s alright, Ben,” you purred, looking up at him sweetly. Your hands wandered from the hem to the back of his neck, interlocking your fingers behind it. “As you know, my former love interest was beaten up badly for giving the order to kill my father and now I don’t have anybody who can cheer me up in this sad time …”

You pouted at him. With your hands around his neck you could feel his initial tenseness slowly go away. Finally, you had made him regain his confidence.

“Cheer you up, Miss?”

“Please, call me Y/N,” you said, winking at him quickly. He grinned and lifted his hands up to place his hands on your waist. “Something particular in mind, Y/N?”

You nodded and crashed your lips on his without thinking much. You felt sick to your stomach when you did that, every part of your body wanting to resist. But no matter how much you wanted to get away from this man, you maintained your act, not showing him the internal feeling of disgust that took over every fibre.

He moved his lips against yours and you tried your best to not tense up, letting him grip you harder and pulling you against his chest.

“Do you know how my father got killed?” you asked in between kisses, trying to keep him from pressing his lips to yours.

“Something about a mole?” he murmured, pulling your head closer to his again.

“So, you know about the mole?” you questioned before his lips were able to touch yours. You took a step back. Ben shook his head. “It’s what I heard Gerald say.”

You hummed thoughtfully. “You don’t know his name then?”

He denied and came towards you again, gripping your hips. You suppressed a groan when he touched you and unwillingly let him pin you against the wall.

“You’re really pretty,” he breathed against your neck, placing a kiss on it. You pressed your lips together, concentrating on the reason why were tolerating all of this.

“Don’t you have some insider information? Maybe somebody that has been acting suspiciously lately?”

You felt him sigh against your skin. “With a job like this you always notice strange behaviour going on.”

Ben trailed kisses along your jawline and let his fingers tangle into your hair. “Are you sure you can’t name someone who stood out to you? Or to Gerald? Did he mention something?”

“Why do you keep digging?” he suddenly asked, pulling away from your neck. He looked down at you with a strange look on his face. “I thought you wanted to get your mind off of things?”

“I do, but I’d feel much safer if I knew,” you admitted. Ben chuckled. “Don’t worry sweetheart. We have everything under control, it’s nothing a lovely lady like you should need to worry about.”

You scoffed internally. That had been the exact reason why you’d decided against simply walking up to Ben and asking him about conspicuous behaviour and events in your home and between the men working for your father. No matter how much he’d respected his boss, he’d never seen you as more than just the daughter they had to protect. Not as an equal with just as much brain as your father.

“If you tell me, I’ll show you a little more of myself,” you whispered seductively, running your tongue over your lips slowly. His eyes were fixed on them.

You reached down and grabbed the material of your dress, hiking it up your leg and revealing half of your thigh. “What do you say, Ben?”

“Fuck,” he grunted, connecting your lips again. He started letting his hand wander under your dress, suddenly grabbing your bum.

Your hand reflexively pushed it away. “Still didn’t hear a name, Ben.”

He let out a suppressed moan, moving his hand down again, but still having it resting on your thigh. “Chester. Chester Gordon.”

That was all you needed.

You knew exactly who Chester was. He had been your father’s main right hand next to Gerald. While Gerald had been with your father since before you were born, Chester had only just joined a few months ago. Still, something about the knowledge or the skill he had helped him get the powerful position, given to him by your father.

Without much thought your quick hand sneaked its way under Ben’s jacket and grabbed the gun in his holster, pulling it out. Before he was able to resist or protest, he had the barrel pressed against the skin under his chin. “Get the fuck away from me or I’ll shoot your brains out.”

“What the fuck, Y/N?” he breathed surprised and annoyed at the same time. He tried to grab your wrist and bring the gun away from his face, but you cocked the gun, making him pull his hand away immediately. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing! That’s a loaded gun, you stupid bitch!” he hissed angrily, but still too afraid to move. He thought you’ve never held a gun before. The way he was constantly underestimating you made you fume. “You’re fucking disrespectful, Ben. I said, get the fuck out of here and go tell Gerald to meet me in the back yard. I’ll have something I need to talk to him about.”

Ben inhaled sharply, gritting his teeth together. You saw him open his mouth to let out another insult, but you beat him to it. “Shut your mouth and do as I said.”

He scoffed but stepped back. Then he hurried out of the sitting room, adjusting his jacket before opening the room and entering the hallway.

When Ben was gone, you let out a shaky breath. Your hand was trembling. The façade you’d been keeping up for the last twenty minutes hand taken a toll on you. But you knew it wasn’t over just yet. You had to suck it up and finish what you’d planned on doing. Especially since you’d threatened Ben and made him look like a wimp.

You inhaled deeply, trying to calm your nerves and then followed Ben out of the sitting room but turning into the other direction instead. Chester’s office was three doors down from your father’s. You counted your way along the hall and eventually ended up in front of the one you aimed for.

You knew you didn’t have much time to think about what you were about to do. If you did, you probably wouldn’t pull through with it and you couldn’t risk failing. So, you pushed all worries and fears aside and burst into the office.

Chester was sat at his desk, hovering over a stack of papers, a pen in his left hand. His head shot up when the door slammed against the wall forcefully, eyes wide in surprise. He tried pushing himself up from his chair, but he didn’t get that far. You had already lifted the arm that was gripping the cocked gun and pulled the trigger.

A loud bang filled the air and the bullet hit Chester perfectly between his eyes. A clean shot. One that your father would have been proud of.

[missredherring]

Saving Grace - Part Four

(Fic header by @whirlybirbs. Beta’d by @agentofloveandcourage and @spookylilmoonpie.) 

Jim Hopper x Reader (Grace is a placeholder name.)

Summary: You find a job.

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

“Step one: get your car” was complete. That was good right? You were making progress.

The conversation with Hopper had been… different. His expression had been intense. 

You remembered when he would joke with you while waiting for Joyce to finish getting ready. His eyes would crinkle and there was no way to hide his grin. There hadn’t been any hint of amusement just now in his office.

It made you feel weird and you pushed the thought away. You had bigger issues to deal with right now.

The only place with free resources for job hunting in town was the library. You’d spent the rest of the morning looking through the help wanted ads and talking with the librarian, Mary. She’d been in one of your English classes and recognized you. She watched you taking notes on scrap paper for a good hour or so before asking about your situation.

It turned out that someone named Shelby had left to have her baby and the library was looking for a replacement Librarian Assistant. You’d given her one of the copies of your resume you’d made and Mary had promised that she’d put in a good word for you. By the end of the day the rest of your resumes were gone and the scrap piece of paper was scribbled out entirely. 

With that done all you could do was wait. 

The next few weeks were spent with your family and was surprisingly nice. Everyone was in a better mood since you offered to take over cooking dinner from Joyce. She’d agreed to let you stay until you found a place of your own in exchange for helping around the house. You’d never been bothered by cleaning and cooking, and struck a deal. The two of you even shook on it.

God bless nosy librarians. Two weeks later you were folding laundry when the phone rang and after another ten minutes you accepted a job at the Hawkins Branch of the Roane County Public Library. 

Whatever you’d been expecting working at a library to be like, it certainly wasn’t this. Mary dropped a large binder in front of you with a gleam in her eye. That look was just as bad now as it had been in high school. You looked down at the binder.

“Complete Bible on cassette tape?” You read aloud. “Fully dramatized and orchestrated. Wow.”

“Uh huh. Mrs. Miller gets this out every month, and it takes her about that long to listen to it. We’ve asked her why she doesn’t just buy her own copy, and she said ‘Then why would I have a library card?’” Mary shook her head and rummaged in the desk drawer.

“There’s something we need to do with it. Besides reshelving?” You ventured a guess.

“Bingo. Mrs. Miller listens to this every month, and never gets around to rewinding the tapes.”

“Please tell me there’s a cassette player we can use somewhere.” You said a little desperately. The insert advertised the complete Bible on forty-eight cassette tapes.

“Oh, there is. Unfortunately it’s broken at the moment. You’ll have to use this.” She placed a pencil next to the binder with some flourish. She waited a few seconds, drinking in your horrified expression before laughing. “Don’t worry! You don’t have to do them all, just what you can.”

With that Mary gathered up some cataloging supplies and headed towards her office. You’d be manning the circulation desk while it was slow. 

After prying open the binder you started fiddling with the pencil. At a glance it looked like all the tapes were almost at their end. Well, there was nothing to do but start. Picking up the first tape, you started winding.

Of course your productivity could only last so long under the boredom and silence in the branch. You’d moved on from the usual way of winding, and were now spinning the tape around the pencil end like a noise maker. It might not be quite as effective, but it was amusing. Until you flicked the pencil a little to hard and the tape went flying across the room.

“Do you have a permit for that?” Hopper asked as he bent down and picked the tape up. 

The sight of how well he filled out his uniform distracted you for a moment. You weren’t sure if you wanted to talk to him but he was the first person to come in for a while.

“I don’t. You gonna write me up, Chief?” You replied. He stopped right in front of the help desk as he read the writing on the tape. He held it out to you. At this angle he made an even larger figure. You took the tape and went back to winding it back with the pencil and a firm grip on the tape.

“I’ll let you off with a warning.” He said, knocking his knuckles on the desk. He looked around at the stacks with a little furrow between his brows.

“Can I help you find something?” You asked. 

Jim looked back to you and smiled. “You’d be the person to ask now, right?”

“Yes.” You said with a nod. 

He nodded back and ran a hand over his beard. “I’m looking for books on homeschooling. Like workbooks and all that.” 

“Ah.” You said, running through the parts of the collection you’d managed to memorize so far. Shelving books might be a pain sometimes, but it certainly gave you time to familiarize yourself with the stacks. “Yes, they’re over here.” 

Glad to abandon the tape rewinding, you got up and motioned for Jim to follow you. They were two shelves down and on the right. Turning to him you couldn’t help the grin. You were happy that you’d been able to find it on your first try, considering this wasn’t a section you’d paid much attention to before. 

“Homeschooling books are here. It’s not a large section, but it might have what you need.” You said as you turned around. The sound of clothes brushing against each other was loud, and you were suddenly aware of how little space there was between the shelves. Jim had reached over you and taken a book from the higher shelf you couldn’t reach. Bringing it down he only took a step back, but it felt like he was far too close. 

Jim looked up from the book cover and your eyes met. They held for a second and then he smiled and saluted you with the book. “Thanks. This is good enough to start with.” 

“You’re welcome.” You said, already turning and going back to the help desk. The image of his tall figure in the shadowed stacks wouldn’t leave you for a long time.

[imaginesbymk]

GIF IMAGINES.

NOTE: a lot of these gif imagines have been upgraded with old/new headers and some of them don’t have headers at all.

black mirror

USS Callister: Nanette Cole

black mirror: bandersnatch

Colin Ritman

brooklyn nine-nine

Jake Peralta

Rosa Diaz

Raymond Holt

Kevin Cozner

dracula (2020 netflix original)

Dracula

dunkirk

Alex

euphoria

Rue Bennett

Maddy Perez

Nate Jacobs

Lexi Howard

gotham

Jim Gordon

Jerome & Jeremiah Valeska [both]

Jerome Valeska

Jeremiah Valeska

Barbara Kean

Edward Nygma

haunting of hill house

Luke Crain

heathers

Veronica Sawyer

midsommar

Mark

peaky blinders

Everyone

Thomas Shelby

Grace Burgess

Arthur Shelby

John Shelby

Polly Gray

Michael Gray

Ada Thorne

Luca Changretta

Alfie Solomons

Tatiana Petrovna

skins

James Cook

Rich Hardbeck

JJ Jones

Grace Blood

Emily Fitch

Tony Stonem

shadowhunters

Simon Lewis

Magnus Bane

Alec Lightwood

Isabelle Lightwood

Jace Wayland

Clary Fray

Raphael Santiago

stranger things

Robin Buckley

Steve Harrington

Dustin Henderson

Billy Hargrove

Max Mayfield

the maze runner

Gally

Thomas

Newt

Minho

Teresa Agnes

the hunger games

Peeta Mellark

Finnick Odair

Enobaria

Foxface

the walking dead

Daryl Dixon

Negan

Carol Peletier

Sophia Peletier

titanic

Rose DeWitt Bukater

triple frontier

Ben Miller

William “Ironhead” Miller

Santiago “Pope” Garcia

Francisco “Catfish” Morales

[twistedrunes]

Master List

If you would like to be added to the tag list please complete the form here

Series

George  - An AU multi-chapter story about the life of an OC in the Peaky Universe - the whole gang are here

Performance Anxiety - An Alfie fic from reader requests

Tommy’s reaction to reader fainting

Intimacy with Tommy (inc NSFW) 

What Tommy finds attractive headcanon 

Tommy dating a Romani girl who’s a very accurate palm and tea-leaf reader 

Tommy after Grace’s death - the fuckboy and falling in love again (NSFW)

Tommy’s reaction to reader coming home with a puppy 

Tommy and Charlie dealing with the loss of Grace - All that remains

Shirts: Tommy

Tommy Pregnancy Headcanons 

Birthday Girl

Tommy New Father Headcanons

The kitten and the tiger 

Female best friend headcanons

The Two of Us (female best friend part II)

Nine O’Clock

Promises

Fire In The Belly

The Arrangement

NSFW Alfie head-canons

Jealous Alfie head-canons

What Alfie finds attractive headcanon

Dating Alfie head-canons

Husband and father Alfie head-canons

Alfie being supportive of reader with anxiety issues

Alfie meets anxiety reader’s parents - Performance Anxiety 

Alfie helps a homesick worker - Midsummer’s Eve

Alfie finds out you can look after yourself - gender neutral

Alfie and Hagrid buddies PB x HP crossover headcanon

Alfie drinking headcanons

Performance Anxiety - Part 2

Performance Anxiety - Part 3

Alfie Pregnancy Headcanons 

Alfie New Father Headcanons

Shirts: Alfie

A day to remember

Cyril

Changing Fortunes 

Too straight for straws  

Flames 

Bathhouse Blues

Homecoming

Chocolate Kisses

How They Sleep

Melting Hearts

NSFW John head-canons 

John’s reaction to his daughter dating for the first time 

Shirts: John

What’s school like for John’s kids

Bathtime with John - NSFW

Shelter

Finn and Isaiah’s little sister 

Drunk Finn Headcanons

Finn’s Firsts 

Finn’s Family 

What Michael looks for in a girl/ preferences 

NSFW Michael headcanons

One Way Ticket 

Shirts: Michael 

Weeping Willow

Michael pregnancy headcanons

Closer

Angelic

Shirts: Arthur

Jealous Arthur headcanon/drabble

A good lie in 

Polly Gray Headcanons

Because I love you

Favourite Foods

A trip to the museum

Shelby sister coming out as lesbian to the family

How the siblings protect/ look after a younger oc sister

Peaky Blinders - what happens on your Birthday

What if..... WWI never happened?

Fav books

Reactions to you flirting and being flirted with

Diner - a Luca Changretta imagine

Lingerie preferences

VIKINGS

The Selkie - a collaboration with @collecting-stories 

Rauðr - Bjorn Ironside

OTHER

Crushing on Rey - Written In The Stars (Star Wars)

Sit - Bob Saginowsky (The Drop)

Prompt events (closed)

Headcanon weekend Feb 2018 - multifandom mostly Peaky Blinders

Angst and Fluff March 2018 - Peaky Blinders

I’m also on AO3 - TwistedRunes

Thanks to @flowers-in-your-hayr​ for the headers 

[itwasanangryinch]

3...2...1... Happy New Year!!

For the first (?) time, I’m actually going to make and complete a New Years meme, because fuck it, I had a good year. I’m also going to put much shorter answers for last year since I had wanted to do this then, but then... didn’t.

Favourite new (to me) band: Against Me!     5 favourite songs:

The Ocean

White Crosses

True Trans Soul Rebel

I Was a Teenage Anarchist

Norse Truth

I’ve known about Against Me! since lead singer Laura Jane Grace since she came out as trans in 2012 with her Rolling Stone profile, but I hadn’t heard any of their songs until a couple of years ago. This year was the first year I really got into her music (both here and with The Devouring Mothers) after reading her biography Tranny while on vacation in Melbourne.

Runner up: Miss Guy and the Toilet Boys, seen for the first time at Wigstock 2.Ho

2017′s answer: Ataru Nakamura, the very, very talented trans performer who played Yitzhak to JCM’s Hedwig in Japan (and because of the staging, also played Hedwig for the non-singing part of the script.)

Favourite new (to me) city: Melbourne, Australia.

If you had asked me last year, my answer would have been Tokyo, Japan and this year’s is my favourite for much the same reasons: Melbourne is very easy to get around, very fun to walk around, and I got to see the wonderful John Cameron Mitchell perform there.

Melbourne is absolutely beautiful with so many shops to explore and a free (within the few square blocks I mostly kept to) public transport system.

Runner up: Sydney, Australia. Very similar to Melbourne and might have been the favourite if I had been able to stay there longer, but.... schedules.

2017′s answer: Toyko, Japan. For the reasons listed above. I could actually see myself moving to Tokyo at some point. Not right now, but possibly eventually.

Favourite concert: John Cameron Mitchell: The Origin of Love, Brisbane

This year I have seen this concert seven times in addition to one very abridged show in Portland, Oregon to go along with a double header of Hedwig and How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

On this particular date, the band gelled really well; John was in a great mood, great energy; the crowd was incredible..... Everything just... Worked. (Even tho this was the concert I had the least amount of interaction with John afterwards, lol.)

Definitely looking forward to seeing where John takes the performances for his upcoming stateside tour and at a later, yet to be announced, time in Japan.

Runner ups: (aside from the rest of the OoL tour), Rocky Horror with Mason Alexander Park, Taboo 15 (with Mason), Alice Cooper, and Wigstock 2.Ho where I finally got to see NPH performing as Hedwig.

2017′s answer: Hedwig and the Angry Inch: October 14th, evening. Tokyo, Japan.

In my estimation, this was the best of all of the Hedwig concerts. By this point, everyone had performed this in front of an audience twice before and the show from beginning to end gelled really well. Again, there was an incredible energy between the band and the two lead performers and the audiences for all of the Japan shows were great. From beginning to end, this one was the best.

From about the Tommy monologue til the end, the final Tokyo show (Oct. 15th) was the best because there was this crackling, alive, angry energy that had an almost dangerous feeling to Exquisite Corpse and was the only show (surprisingly!!) where I cried at the delivery of my favourite line “Then love the front of me.” On that show, with the exception of Exquisite Corpse, I cried from that line til John started the encore song, ‘The End of Love’ and I had only stopped there because I had completely forgotten he was doing an encore song.

Favourite movie: Black Panther

I’ve been waiting literal years for this movie to be made and there was not one thing to be disappointed in in its final rendering in my opinion. I realize that unlike a large portion of the audience, this movie was very much not reflective of my experiences and at no point would I claim to be represented by it as anything other than a nerd and a comic book fan.

Being a fan of the Black Panther for years has meant having tone deaf comic lines, sidelined animated stories, and much less content, merch, and even cartoon adaptation than some of his paler counterparts. So to see a film that was technically and narratively perfect being rendered so beautifully and taking the box office for many, many weeks was a wonderful way to start this year.

Runners up: Deadpool 2, Bad Samaratian, and does How to Talk to Girls at Parties even count for this year if I saw it last year in Japan??

2017′s answer: a strong tie between Transpotting 2 and HtTtGaP. T2 because it was so much better than I could have ever hoped it to be. It married themes and footage from the first film perfectly to the characters’ lives 20 years on. It gave me hope for an eventual Hedwig sequel in terms of quality because based on interviews, they share a similar tone in terms of ageing characters. Plus Danny Boyle’s cinematography was truly beautiful with the use of shadows, call-backs, foreshadowing.... A true equal to the most iconic of Scottish films.

HtTtGaP because well.... John Cameron Mitchell’s direction mixed with an alien invasion set against punk rock and the Queen’s jubilee? How could I not love it? To me, it’s a strong second to Hedwig in terms of quality and netted my absolute favourite review via the BBC (‘This is one of the worst films ever made’, trust me Beeb reviewer, if that were true, cinema would be a far more enjoyable art form.)

Favourite vacation: Australia

Long story short: I met my favourite actor five times. It’s very rare in this life that you can actually tell an artist who influenced your life in a very meaningful way just how much their art and they as a person mean to you. This year, after seeing JCM perform live eight times and on video, no lie, thousands of times, I had the chance to actually do this. And unlike how I was worried about for the past three years, I wasn’t actually nervous to talk to him at all. Part of that is that he is a very easy person to feel at ease with, very comforting presence.... And part of it was that during the first Australian show I went to where I’m dressed as the very first Squeezebox Hedwig, John lay on top of me as part of the final number. How could I be scared to talk to him after that introduction??

Runners up: going to see Taboo 15 in New York with my best friend and touring the David Bowie Is exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum (March), going to see Wigstock with Risa. Technically, I ditched work to be able to go, but.... 10/10, I would do it again. I saw a lot of amazing performers for the first time, had a chance to chat with Mason again, and saw the tour de force that is Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig and Lena Hall as Yitzhak.

Hopefully next year, the Hedwig section will be able to be longer. (Or maybe Yitz will perform by himself. Or multiple Hedwigs. Or just the entire Hedwig script delivered at the end of a seven hour drag festival pre-show.)

2017′s answer: Hedwig in Japan. Not only did I get to meet my friend @miyacantdecide for the first time in person, I was able to see the wonder that is JCM as Hedwig live. Even when he’s not delivering the script, his presence as Hedwig is truly something else. And having seen him perform as himself (but in a version of her makeup) this year, I can honestly say that She has a completely different stage presence to Him and how incredible of an actor to be able to deliver such radically different interpretations of the same material and songs??

Outside of Hedwig, I can honestly say that I came back from Japan a changed person. Better in so many ways than I was a year previous. Almost completely made whole again after past traumas (and completed a year later on a different trip.)

2017′s runner up: seeing RENT 20 live. I had a blast hanging out with my mother most of the days and the RENT 20 cast? Holy shit. What talents. Cried from ‘I’ll Cover You (Reprise)’ til the end of ‘Finale B’. Just goes to show: it doesn’t matter if the show’s set in December and it’s hot As Fuck outside if you have a talented cast bundled up in sweaters for 75% of the script.

Favourite album: Golden by Kylie

Not only does pop’s most talented princess talk about her recent breakup with Joshua Sause (sp?), there’s themes of her ageing as this year our princess turned 50. While I agree with reviewers that this isn’t her best musically or vocally, I find myself replaying this one over and over on my stereo and headphones more than almost any other album this year. Favourite song: a toss up between Shelby ‘68 and Low Blow.

2017′s answer: Pollinator by Blondie. It had been two years since the release of 2014′s Ghost of Download, but unlike Ghost’s offerings that went largely unnoticed by me at the time, every single from Pollinator got me more and more hyped not only because of the excellent music evident on songs such as Fun, Long Time, and Doom or Destiny, but collaborations with artists such as Raja (on the video for Fun) and Joan Jett (the aforementioned Doom or Destiny), the honey-thick entrancing song Fragments, and the wonderful Love Line.

This year has been weirder, queerer, and more wonderful than any year yet on record. I’ve been to a number of technically-but-not-really drag shows, revisited some of my favourite artists in concert, met two of my favourite Hedwigs, and saw four total Heds perform.... I’ve read and learned more about the queer experience that not only deepened my understanding of my larger community, but of my own experiences and how they fit within the community. I’ve become more confident being out to coworkers and customers at my job....

I had the pleasure of meeting two of my close friends @hedwig-in-a-jukebox and @fdelopera in person (with plans to meet up again early-2019) as well as making some new friends.

Here’s to an even better 2019! Onwards and upwards.

[evergrace]

→ okay SO i see loADS of posts with self-care tips, health tips, dealing with mental illness as a student, little reminders, etc. and to make it easier (hopefully) for some people, i wanna combine eveRYTHING that i’ve found in one place!!! so here we go this took so long lmao but it was worth it also i like the header i’m loving using photoshop also this is ridiculously long but i hope that’s okay

[+] my masterposts | my posts | my self-care tag

little reminders

you’re gonna be okay by @youtuder​

fresh start by @hoppip​

hey if you’re ever feeling shitty use this

note to self by @lattes-at-midnight​

self care isn’t selfish by @traitspourtraits​

you are so capable by @helpfulstudy

take a deep breath. relax. you got this. by @studywithpaigey

mental health is just as important as physical health by @reckonable

mental health + being a student

ADHD resources by @studygrr​

aloe app by @usagi​

self-care journal by @studynostalgic​

self-care masterpost by @lah-disputes​

masterpost for rough times by @propertyofwicked​

breathing exercises by @progressiveresistance

sleep easy by @sundaystudent

you feel like shit: an interactive self-care guide

feel better masterpost by @martinsassman

fall asleep faster by @annistudio

refocusing yourself by @studysum

chase your dreams by @annistudio

calming masterpost by @shelbys-advice-blog

mood booster masterpost by @michelle-arthur

stress reliefs by @studyign

stress management by yours truly, @phctcsynthesis

feed your brain by @studybowie

find balance!!!

fitness and health for the busy student by @abby-studies-art

ten days of minimalistic living by @studywithpaigey

why you should set aside a day every week to not study by @fullmetalbiochemist

breathe by @kiyoko-studies

simplifying your life by @universi-tea

how to get your life together by @studeebean

how to live a better life by @wilstudies

how to be more awake in the mornings by @staestudy

small and easy health tips that make a lot of difference by @fancywitchery

all the self care by @saturdaystudying

avoid being lazy by @annistudio

keeping new years resolutions by @intellectus

what to do when you get a bad grade by @munirastudies

a real ass guide to life by @sprintingstudies

best advice i’ve received so far by @marias-studyblr

stay sated whilst you’re motivated by @areistotle

what i have learnt throughout my years of being a student by @areistotle

apps for a better life by @areistotle

motivation by @areistotle

self-care galore

little self-care things by @flowerais​

how to get up earlier if you aren’t a morning person by @halseystudy​

bad habits & how to break them by @lilypotterr​

shopping list for clear skin by @fluidskin​

treat yo self by @studentium​

small gestures of self-love by @peachistry​

advice for people who are not having a good day by @kittykatears​

not doing great? by @skysuggestion​

some suggestions by @fakegreenplant​

hobbies masterpost by @killyouranxiety

self care is important by @extrastudies

drink to math your mood by @quicksilver-studies

eleven little self care tips for students by @theorganisedstudent

it’s time for tea by @gracelearns

head-to-toe self care by @just-another-blogging-recoverer

websites for when you want to by @draeneii

new years resolutions by @thegrangersapprentice

self care to do list by @mlstudies

pick an effect, have a drink by @ndravenclaw

stay healthy by @studyign

little happy things by @studyign

soothe yourself by @areistotle​

my masterposts

stress management

lettering

french vocab: back-to-school

starting + improving a studyblr

starting a bujo!!

and, as always, my ask box + messages are open 24/7!! much love, xx grace

[itsworn]

Eight-Time Top Fuel Champ, Tony Schumacher’s 1977 Pontiac Trans Am Project

When you’ve been down the quarter in just over 3 seconds, nitromethane exhaust spewing white hot from zoomie headers at more tnan 300mph, what sort of project car doesn’t seem boring? For eight-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher, it’s one that holds just a little bit of nostalgia– and with stiff clutch and nasty big block.

“My first car was an 1986 Trans Am when I was 16,” said Schumacher. “That was what I used to get to the drag strip.”

The car left an impression on him, as it did so many others, thanks to a Burt Reynolds fueled fervor. In fact, after the Trans Am’s short stint on the silver screen in the 1977 hit, Smokey and the Bandit, model sales nearly doubled, beating out the Chevrolet Camaro for the first time.

Teenage years long in the rear-view mirror, and with eight NHRA Top Fuel championships under his belt, an older, wiser, shorter-haired Schumacher, at the bequest of his son, began searching for another Pontiac.

“Years ago, Matco Tools was dropping off a shipment of tools I had ordered,” said Schumacher.  “My oldest son, Anthony, was 10 and he kind of looked at me and said, ‘why do you even have tools? You don’t have any cars.’ I’d never built a car other than race cars! [Anthony] loved Shelby cobras, but for a dad, they just don’t look safe with that little roll bar. I love the look, but I’m not going to put my kid in something like that. We watched Smokey and the Bandit and my son said, ‘that’s the car! That’s the car we’re going to get.’ I said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”

Completely sold on repurchasing a car from his youth, Schumacher began hunting down the perfect Trans Am. He found it while racing in Denver, Colorado, and pulled the trigger, purchasing a time-capsule of the breed. “Gold leather, 13,000 original miles–it was beautiful, said Schumacher. “I called the guy, he brought it up to Chicago, and I bought it. When I got it home my son said, ‘so when are we gonna’ work on it?’ I said, ‘we can’t, it’s got 13,000 original miles! We can’t touch this thing!’ He looked at me like I had two heads.”

Realizing it was less about the finished product and more about the build, the hunt resumed for the right canvas to paint the Schumacher family vision of the perfect Trans Am.

“My friend Matt Renz owns Midwest Muscle car in Lake Zurich, Illinois where I lived at the time,” said Schumacher. “Matt’s friend had another Trans Am. It was rough, but the body and the floors were perfect. Anybody that’s ever done a build knows that’s the key.”

Take two: the second Trans Am, a 1977 model, was purchased and went under the knife by Renz’s skillful hand. Getting a host of modifications to update it from late-‘70s spec.

“I made some phone calls, and one thing lead to another,” said Schumacher. “Before I knew it, Dick Maskin from Dart Machine was on the phone saying, ‘I’m going to build you an engine for that Pontiac.’ I said, ‘OK, build me a big aluminum big-block- something absolutely nasty.’”

Maskin delivered in the form of a 565ci low-deck, all-aluminum, big-block Chevy. Those cubes come courtesy of a massive 4.600in bore and relatively short–for a big block– 4.250in stroke. Dart aluminum heads, a gnarly camshaft grind and Holley EFI are also part of the mix. The end result makes good on the “nasty” requirement, and the engine walks the line of street manners. The saving grace is a Tremec T56 Magnum transmission, beefed up by Bowler, that helps make the misbehaved big-block more manageable. A Quartermaster dual-disc clutch is more than up to holding the big block’s 681 horsepower and 693 lb-ft of torque. Behind the transmission is a carbon fiber QA1 driveshaft, and Schumacher admits he’s still getting the hang of the race-derived third dual clutch. “I’ve stalled it, many times,” Schumacher laughs.

Under the body, the Trans Am is a far cry from what rolled off the GM assembly line, with a complete rollcage tucked close to the roofline to stiffen the body and a full independent suspension by Heidts Hot Rods and Muscle Cars.

“Matt Renz walked me into Heidts, which was next door to his shop,” said Schumacher. “We got to talking and it just snowballed from there.”

“Tony and I were talking about one of our favorite movies, Smokey and the Bandit when he remarked he would love to build a tribute to “The Bandit” only with a superior suspension system,” said Heidts owner, Wallace Leyshon.

Heidts had never done a Trans Am, so they used the car to prototype a suspension for the Pontiac based on their proven Pro G suspension system. The front consists of a Heidts Pro G front subframe with adjustable coilovers, tubular control arms, rack-and-pinion steering, and huge Wilwood brakes. Uprated swaybars, also part of the Pro G kit, keep the Trans Am planted during corners.

Outback, is the real pièce de résistance: a fully independent Heidts Pro G rear suspension. The setup uses a 9i-inch Ford style pumpkin, supplied by Currie Enterprises with a Posi unit, inboard Wilwood brakes, adjustable coilovers and double control arms linked to the axle by CV driveshafts. The kit affords the Trans Am mid-corner traction and suspension geometry simply not possible with a solid axle. “There’s 16 shock settings in each corner,” said Schumacher. “I drive dragsters, there’s no adjustment in those suspensions. It’s a whole new world, and it’s so fun!”

Completing the car’s unique look are a set of custom Forgeline wheels and fenders from Year One. The car was sprayed in Standox, Jet Black paint by Brian Ambrosini from P.A.B. Collision Repair Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The mandatory fire chicken on the hood is done in carbon fiber to add a contemporary touch. The interior is a combination of black vinyl and suede, engine-turned aluminum, and Year One is to credit, along with Ahmes performance who provided many of the hard-to-find Pontiac-specific parts.

“Matt said I want to build you the baddest car I can,” said Schumacher. “I really love what they did. I’ll never have anyone else build my stuff now.”

The car’s odometer just clicked past 500mi and so far, it’s solely pulled street duty. “My kids want to be picked up from school every day in it, said Schumacher. “We have a blast. This thing drives a lot like a NASCAR, only more fun and with a way better stereo.”

The post Eight-Time Top Fuel Champ, Tony Schumacher’s 1977 Pontiac Trans Am Project appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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