#i like to think (and make myself miserable by thinking) that victor and romane tried to stay in contact but drifted apart a bit during the

[hyperfixation-or-death]

NEVER MIND. Minecraft is CANCELLED because my siblings all ditched me. Parallels rewatch is BACK ON.

rewatch of parallels is put on hold to play minecraft with my siblings.

however, i do have to say that sam's line delivery of: "uh...yeah, but it's because i was in shock." is still the funniest thing ever. i just burst out laughing in the living room by myself.

i will reiterate my previously stated position that sam deslandes should lie to the cops more often.

[littleoddwriter]

Sex worker Victor with roman? Sorta smutty with a heart to heart after?

Stay | Roman Sionis x Victor Zsasz | ZsaszMask | N/SFW

Thank you so much for this request, Anon! I really hope you enjoy what I did with it! <3 It got more angsty than I had first aimed for, but also--- I just took this opportunity to finally write the Fic inspired by a few scenes/dialogues from the 'Halston' Series that I've wanted to write ever since I watched it for the first time, so- If any of the dialogue seems eerily familiar - that's why. Hope the direction it took is okay for you anyway. :)

summary; Victor's been Roman's "boy toy" for a while and they both want more from each other; but Sionis is too afraid.

notes; SexWorker!Victor Zsasz; Alternate Universe - Sex Worker and Client; Roman Sionis has BPD; (mild) Angst with a Happy Ending; Hurt/Comfort; Short Sex Scene; Anal Sex; Orgasm; Love Confession; Pushing Until Someone Breaks; Panic Attack; Crying; Begging (not sexual); Embrace.

“Can I call you again?” Roman had asked, looking at Zsasz, who had just been putting his pants back on after their very first night together.

“You can do anything you want, boss,” Victor had replied, a bright smile lighting up his features as he stored away the copious amount of money into his wallet.

“Mh, I like the sound of that,” he had grinned, as he reclined in the pillows and watched Victor stand up and leave for the night.

That was how it had started between them.

Roman would call him whenever he felt like it and Victor would come and fuck him silly, while earning himself a good amount of cash. It was a good arrangement that satisfied both.

Until it didn’t.

Zsasz would sometimes beg Roman to spend some more time with him outside of sex, and so he did. He liked Victor enough. And then he liked him too much. Roman desperately wanted to turn back time and stop himself from actually enjoying Zsasz’s company and missing him when he wasn’t there. Because now he was stuck with all these feelings and desires that he neither wanted, nor needed.

Naturally, he was aware of the fact that he could just stop calling Victor and instead find himself a new boy toy for his pleasure – and he had in fact tried it (and failed miserably, he couldn’t even get it up once); but he was entranced. There was nothing he could do about it, except to use his last ounces of self-control to still push Zsasz away when needed.

Still, none of that changed the fact that he was currently on his knees with Victor behind him and his dick up Roman's ass, as his mind finally quieted down after the day he’s had. Zsasz’s thrusts were powerful – hard, quick, relentless – just like Roman needed it, making the bed shake. Victor hit his prostate repeatedly, eliciting loud moans from Sionis, who held onto the bed’s headrest with such a tight grip that his knuckles turned white.

“Fuck, Victor- Make me come, baby,” he groaned, pushing his hips back to meet his part- acquaintance’s thrusts.

Zsasz chuckled huskily and complied, holding Roman’s hips tight with his left hand as he snaked his right one down to take hold of Sionis’ hard, dripping member. He stroked his cock in time with his thrusts, driving Roman positively insane. No one could fuck him out of his mind the way Victor fucking Zsasz did.

Sometimes, Roman would tell himself that that was the only reason as to why he just couldn’t get rid of the other man, instead of his fucking feelings.

None of it mattered anymore, when he felt the tell-tale hotness and tightness in his thighs and abdomen, before he finally came. Moaning loudly, needy and brokenly, his release came out in spurts, soiling the bed sheets below him.

Only moments later, while he was still coming down from his orgasm, he could feel Victor come in him, his seed warm and wet as it painted his insides.

Both were breathing heavily when Victor pulled out and Roman flopped down on the bed, just narrowly avoiding his own cooling come on the sheets, ew.

Then he fished up his underwear from the floor and pulled it on lazily – for his own comfort only, of course, he wasn’t a modest person by any means after all.

As he lay there, still on his stomach, Roman could hear some of the usual rustling behind him after they’ve had sex as he put his underwear and pants on, and only a moment later Victor was suddenly half on top of him. This sudden change of routine surprised him and he wanted to push Zsasz off of himself and kick him out, but a bigger part of him just wanted to relish in this proximity for a little bit and pretend that he could actually do this.

“You know what?” Zsasz suddenly broke the comfortable silence they had going, “From now on, when I fuck you, it’s on me. I’m not gonna charge you anymore.”

“Zsasz...” Roman started, a little shocked to hear these words come from him – he’d always thought his money was what kept him coming back for more.

“I’m more than a simple prostitute, baby. And I should be more than that to you. So, I thought that, from now on, I could be your man instead, y’know?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sionis said softly and heaved Victor off of him at last, rolling over onto his back and sitting up.

“Why not?” Victor asked, sitting up as well, confusion and anger twisting his face, “Because you don’t want to be with me? Or just because you don’t want to be seen with me, a boy from the streets who fucked you for money?”

“Victor, don’t fucking do this. I didn’t even say that!” he shot back, his mood turning sour quickly – so much for this post-coital bliss he had just enjoyed.

“No, fuck you. I can see right through you, Roman. I’m nothing but a dick to you, here for your own enjoyment and that’s it,” Victor sighed deeply, all anger leaving him at once, “I just wish you weren’t so afraid of me. You want absolute loyalty from everyone around you. But you also just want them to do exactly what you say. And I’m not like that. I keep stepping out of line. I keep lingering after we fucked. I keep demanding things and tell you ‘no’ sometimes. I know it drives you insane. And I know that you know that I’m loyal. But I’m still myself, and I’m yours. Do you understand?”

Roman immediately stumbled out of the bed and put some distance between them as he walked over to the opposite wall. He was overwhelmed. His heart was beating so rapidly against his rib cage that he thought it was trying to escape. His vision swam and he felt sick to his stomach.

“Why do you do that? Why do you push me away like that?” Zsasz asked heatedly.

“I’m not fucking pushing you away! I just- I can’t have this conversation right now.” Roman tried so hard to keep his temper in check; he didn’t want any of this. Not now, not ever.

“Okay, but this is the problem. We could be a team, Roman, you and me. But, no, you rather push me away whenever we get a little closer. I know you want more from me, too.”

“I can’t do it,” Roman whispered, his voice strained with the effort of holding back all these emotions that clawed at him, “I can’t fucking deal with you. Get the fuck out!” he yelled.

“I love you, Roman,” Victor suddenly confessed, perched on the edge of their- Roman’s bed, “Tell me you love me.”

“Just get the fuck out of the house!”

“No, Roman, I love you. And I want you to tell me that you love me, too.”

“I can’t. I- I fucking can’t!” Roman’s vision got blurry as tears pricked his eyes and spilled, as sobs tore themselves from his tight throat.

Zsasz got up and packed his little bag he always had with him. Then, he pulled his shirt over his head, getting ready to leave. It was all so sudden. Roman could barely even see and he couldn’t stop sobbing violently. It hurt.

“Victor,” he choked out, sliding down the wall and kneeling on the floor, cowering as he convulsed with sobs, reaching his hand out to Zsasz, “Don’t leave me. Please. Don’t fucking leave me! Please! Please! Please! Fuck… Victor, please!” Roman never begged for anything in his life.

As suddenly as all of this happened, Victor quickly walked over to him, crouched beside him and embraced him tightly, rubbing his hands soothingly over Roman’s back and upper arm.

“Okay, I’m sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that. I was being an asshole,” Victor shushed him softly, “I’m right here. It’s okay. I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere, Roman. I promise.”

After some more minutes that Roman spent crying and pleading, like he hasn’t since he’d been a child, he finally started to calm down. His sobs morphed into quiet hiccups, until those subsided as well. Even after he stopped crying entirely, he kept his face buried in Victor’s neck, clinging onto him for dear life, while Zsasz kept shushing and reassuring him softly, patiently.

“I can’t say it, Victor. I can’t,” Roman rasped, his voice was so broken and raw now, “I don’t want you to leave me. I’ll be with you, ‘kay? I want it, I do. I just can’t say that.”

“Okay,” Victor replied softly and kissed the top of Roman’s head, nuzzling his hair, “I won’t ever do this to you again, I promise.”

[bbclesmis]

In the Director’s Chair: Tom Shankland on learning from actors & unhealthy obsessions with Roman emperors

The latest director to answer The Drum’s questions in our Director’s Chair series is Tom Shankland, who is represented by Great Guns for branded content. Having worked on TV shows such as Les Misérables and House of Cards, Shankland talks to the Drum about being inspired by actors and why the original Tango ad is still the best ad.

Previously in the series, The Drum has quizzed Matías Moltrasio, Jamie Jay Johnson, Emmanuel Adjei, Henry Busby, Andrew Lang, Camille Marotte, Mea Dols de Jong, Klaus Obermeyer, Eli Roth, Mate Steinforth, Pamela Romanowsky, Traktor and Doug Liman.

Who or what inspired you to be a director? (or who are your creative heroes and why?)

Once upon a time in Italy, my dad took me to an open-air screening of Spartacus. I can still hear the cries of 'Io sono Spartacus!' echoing around the night sky as bats flew across the screen. At the time, I probably had a very unhealthy obsession with very violent Roman emperors, so I'm blaming Stanley Kubrick, Kirk Douglas, Emperor Caligula and my dad for my (healthier?) obsession with the awesome, emotional, inspirational power of cinema.

Outside of work, what are you into?

If I'm not dreaming up shots or cursing budgets, I love being as childish as humanly possible with my kids, leaping around a soft-play area, racing around the kitchen with my one-and-a-half-year-old in the guise of a squeaky anime creature. I like cooking for friends and family, transcendental meditation, pouring over photography books, and anything at all with my girlfriend.

How would you describe your style of commercial/film making? What are you known for?

My directing heroes like Billy Wilder or Howard Hawks seemed to make musicals one month, film noirs the next, and a classic Western just after that. I like to push myself towards genres I haven't tried before. It was great to venture into the Marvel universe for the pilot of The Punisher, come up for air and then dive deep into Victor Hugo's 19th France with Les Misérables and all of the challenges of a classic literary adaptation and period drama.

I love working with actors and have been lucky to work with some of the best – Tom Hardy (WΔZ), Olivia Colman (Les Mis), Robin Wright (House of Cards), Dominic West (Les Mis), David Oyelowo (Les Mis) and many others. As a director, I've learned so much from listening to the actors. A strong vision is essential but without collaboration, it can end up being imposing and dull. I always enjoy trying to squeeze every drop of emotional truth from a moment, however, heightened, bizarre, or seemingly implausible a scene might be.

 Much that I love actors, I'm also a massive Alfred Hitchcock fan, who famously quipped that actors are cattle. Hitch was probably just being mischievous but I've always loved his 'Total Cinema'. A good script and good performances alone don’t make filmmaking. I'm always looking for ways to use every element of the medium to max out on tension and create visual metaphors. Whatever I'm doing, I want to keep the audience on the edge of their seats!

I approach commercials in exactly the same way. Of course, short-form is a very different discipline, but the ingredients are the same: framing, sound, performance, design, the rhythm of the storytelling. I find it fascinating because it’s like a beautiful miniature. You have to work so much more forensically but it is still about pictures, people, and story.

Have you got an idea about what sort of projects you’d like to work on or are you quite open-minded about what work comes your way?

I love to have adventures I haven't had before. If I'm reading something new, I like that little feeling of fear and excitement about stepping into a story or setting I haven't explored before. The protagonist or people have to grab me in some way. I don't have to love them, I just have to be fascinated by what makes them tick.

Increasingly, if it is drama, I like scripts that try to talk about the world we live in now. I wish I was drawn to escapist entertainment, but I always gravitate to pieces that feel like they might resonate with the audience's own experiences. The Marvel shows I've done might look like superhero fun on the surface, but Black Lives Matter and the tough times faced by war veterans haunt Luke Cage and The Punisher. I'm not automatically drawn to period pieces but there was so much in Andrew Davies' adaptation of Les Misérables that made me think of our current chaotic political situation and social injustices. I'm not interested in preachy soapbox stuff, but I like it when great entertainment also tries to be smart and thought-provoking.

What's your funniest moment on set?

I love shooting and I generally find that the darker the piece, the more entertaining the atmosphere is on set. I made a film called The Children where little kids turn on their parents in increasingly disturbing ways. I wanted it to be a smart chiller about parental anxieties and how people deal with aggression in their kids. Needless to say, everybody was very concerned about making sure the child actors weren't remotely disturbed by the material, so the crew and I went to great lengths to turn everything into a fun game. One of the children we worked with actually got in touch with me recently and sounded incredibly well-balanced.

The kids loved the experience - the adults were completely freaked out! I can still remember one six-year-old going up to her screen mum at lunchtime, pretending to jab a pen in her eye. Once she had learned that she was going to do this for a scene, she thought it was hilarious. At the end of the shoot, the children wanted to keep their blood-spattered costumes as a souvenir. They were incredibly sad when it all ended. Scary film – a wonderfully fun shoot!

What's your best piece of work?

I'm proud of everything that I've done where I felt the vision was at its purest. This isn't the same as thinking of something as 'my best work'. It’s such a good feeling when the gap between ambition and finished work feels narrow. I sometimes think that if I've shot my tone book, then I've succeeded - this is probably true for The Children, The Missing, and Les Misérables.

There were also episodes of House of Cards that I did where we created a dreamscape that fitted the overall tone of that show and that was very satisfying to pull off. Recently, I made a four-part TV series called The City and The City that involved an incredibly challenging concept: two over-lapping cities in which each population pretends they can't see the other citizens. I was very proud that we dug so deep on a very challenging budget to find the right visual language.

Which ad do you wish you'd made?

There are so many. I should probably nominate most ads by Jonathan Glazer for their beautiful, lyrical, filmic sensibility, but just for fun, I'm going to say the first Tango ad because I know Ben, the actor, who nailed that look! I love Ben's face and I found a little part of him in Les Miserables. 'You've been Hugo'd'!

How well does the information flow between client, agency and production company on a job?

In my experience, the flow of information between agency, producer and client on an ad shoot is very good (maybe too good at times! ). I have learned quite a lot from that process of having to be incredibly precise in PPMs about what the shooting plans are. In a drama, you tend to want to balance being clear with execs about the plan for the shoot, but also allowing space for those beautiful happy accidents. In general, I'm a fan of bringing everyone with you on a shoot rather than keeping them in the dark. Much that I love an auteur, it is a bit of a fantasy that directors achieve their vision entirely by themselves.

What's been the biggest change to the industry during your career?

The film, TV and advertising industries have all changed massively in the last ten years or so. I have to say (but maybe I'm biased) that a lot of the most creative storytelling seems to be happening on TV now. This will all change, but there seems to have been a big re-calibration of budgets and creative freedom across the mediums; in TV, artistic freedom and budgets seem to have gone up and vice versa in the film unless it involves a superhero.

Of course, everybody is watching content differently now. You only have to look at Great Guns’ (the guys that represent me for branded work) work to see how progressive and inventive that medium has become across so many disciplines and genres - from branded short films to documentaries to music videos. I love how these long-form ideas are taking hold in the world of advertising. It is a confusing but potentially creative time as the world adjusts to this big transition.

Have you worked on any client direct commercials (no agency involved)? What's been the difference?

I've never worked on a client direct project so 'no comment'!

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/02/11/the-director-s-chair-tom-shankland-learning-actors-unhealthy-obsessions-with-roman