#jody jock

[shelterinplace]

Agrisexual

Soils And Men: Papa L   Jody Jock  2014

[manygeese]

ok I’m cooking guys. stardew valley au with Piper as the farmer

[yunggoblin]

Innocent, Yet Dirty - Sam Winchester (18+)

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Female!Reader

Summary: *Based off of Season 11 episode 12!* You're the youngest out of Jody's girls. What happens when the topic of sex comes across during dinner?

Warnings: Shy!Reader, Virgin!Reader, bullied, Un-Protected Sex, Awkward Sex Talk, Smut, Cussing, Minors DNI

Word Count: 4,164

Being the youngest in the house wasn’t the greatest, but it did have its advantages. The good thing about it was you basically got everything and treated a queen. The bad thing was no one heard the youngest, no one thinks the youngest is the one capable of doing things. Being the baby of the family meant basically you were treated like one and that’s what people saw you as. 

The bell rang loudly as you made your way towards your locker, putting in the combination. Once it clicked you opened the locker that was white inside and the shelf up top was silver. Plain. Everyone had pictures up with their family, animals or boyfriend/girlfriends kissing. You, you didn’t have many pictures of your parents since they were attacked by werewolves. You sighed softly only to jump when your locker door was slammed shut. 

"Hey Y/N.“ Alex, the second oldest of the three smiled, her boyfriend Henry’s arm hanging over her shoulder, her close to him. "Are you going to the game tonight?” She asked, cocking her head to the side.

You opened your mouth to speak but someone was already speaking for you. “Alex, babe. It’s Y/N you know she doesn’t go out.” Henry chuckled deeply.

"Henry.“ She snapped a bit, elbowing his side for his rudeness. "Well, I’ll see you in the car.” Alex smiled softly towards you and walked out with Henry, you did not like that boy ever since you laid your eyes on him. A group of jocks with leather men jackets on, obviously friends with Henry, walked by laughing. One roughly slammed his hand on your books making them drop to the ground, papers flying out of them from classes earlier today. 

As you gathered up all the papers and books you shoved them in your book bag, zipping it up and making your way outside to see Henry kissing Alex good-bye. You make your way past them to Jody’s work vehicle. “Y/N, wait.” You heard a voice before opening up the car. “Hey, I’m really sorry about Henry and his friends. I know that they can be assholes at time.” Alex explained in a soft tone, not wanting Jody to hear.

Your eyes flashed to the side mirror to see Jody looking at the two of you, trying to see what was going on. “Uh yeah.” Flashing a fake convincing smile towards your adopted sister. “It’s fine.” Lie, you weren’t fine with it. You just wish high school would be over.

"Great!“ She announced and got into the driver seat as you got into the back. The drive home was awkward and silent, as Jody pulled up in the driveway a black impala was parked there, you recognized that car anywhere. The Winchester boys were here. You couldn’t help but let a blush creep up upon your cheeks at the thought of Sam Winchester appearing in your mind. You haven’t seen him in a few years after the case. He and his brother worked to help you out. 

You knew who could then, Claire. “Can you guys help me with the groceries?” Asked Jody as she parked the car, you climbed out and grabbed a few bags for dinner tonight and a few other nights later on this week. Jody walked in first to see two men standing in the living room, Dean the short one with a jawline that could cut diamonds and Sam the tall one with puppy dog eyes and build like a rock. You passed everyone to put the bags on the counter top so Jody could go through it and put things away. 

"You remember Y/N, don'tcha?“ Jody asked as she pulled away from the hug she shared with Dean. 

"Of course I remember little Y/N. How couldn’t we?” Dean chuckled out, flashing a smile towards her way. 

"Hey Y/N, long time no see.“ Sam said, approaching you with his arms out wide expecting a hug. Your heart raced as the tall male wanted a hug from you. You quickly dodge the hug and rush up the stairs to your room. Sam frowned a bit and looked towards Jody to see if he did anything wrong, Dean also looked at Jody for an explanation. 

"She’s just a shy girl.” Jody tried to laugh it off, not knowing what your deal was. 

"Yeah, when it comes to contact with men.“ Claire teased out and stood up from the sofa, clapping her hands and rubbing them together. "Now, let's talk about that case.”

A few hours passed as you were sitting at your desk in your bedroom, writing down notes and reading in your History book about the Civil War. Sighing heavily as you rubbed your eyes as they grew heavier and heavier as you scanned the words on the paper. “Y/N, dinner is done!” You heard Claire shout out up the stairs. You placed your history notebook into the book and shut it so you wouldn’t lose the page you were at. You walked down the stairs to see two more people joining for dinner. 

You slowly shuffled towards the only seat that was opened, at the end of the table by Claire and Dean. Forks clinked against plates as silence filled the room, you, Claire and Alex looked at the two Winchesters as they tore into the food like they haven’t eaten in days. Sam ate the food off of his fork, tilting his head back as his eyes were closed like he was in pure bliss. “Hmm.” Dean was the one who broke the silence. “This bird is fantastic.” He basically moaned out from the taste of the dinner. “Just mix it up with the potatoes and- and the peas.” He looked at the four girls. “You guys eat like this everyday?” He questioned swallowing the rest of the food in his mouth.

“It’s just chicken.” Jody shrugged, like it was nothing but the boys were making something out of it. 

“It’s shaped like chicken, not on a patty or- or a nugget.” Sam explained. You couldn’t believe that the boys never had a meal like this; they only ate at fast food or a cheap gas station.

Claire rolled her eyes not wanting to talk about this, “Can we just please talk about the case?” She questioned making Sam stop talking but Dean was still digging into his food, ripping a bread roll apart and shoving it in his mouth. As they talked about the case you couldn’t help but watch Sam. The way he licked off the chicken juice from his fingers, licking his lips every time he took a sip from his wine and how he sat up straight in his chair, broad shoulders up and forearms resting on the table. 

“Yeah okay let’s talk about real life.” Claire scoffed with a smirk, you looked over at her. You knew that smirk anywhere, she was going to make a point and a damn good one. You pushed your mashed potatoes around with your silver fork. You brought up the fork to your mouth and ate the mash potatoes. “You and Henry pick a weekend yet?” She questioned making Alex arch an eyebrow and questioned ‘What?’ to Claire. “When you and Henry go to Jody’s cabin and screw yourself silly.” Claire announced to the whole table. 

Alex’s eyes widened and went red in the face. “Oh, here we go.” Dean said, putting his fork down and adjusting in his seat getting ready for what was about to go down. Sam patted on his chest like he almost choked on his food. 

“This uh, seems like a family business.” Sam swallowed thickly about the situation, he scooted his chair out but stopped when Jody slammed her hand down on the table. 

“Sit, stay.” Jody demanded. You looked over at Claire who was snickering about the thing. “Alex, anything you wanna say?” She questioned which Alex soon declined and slurped on her water. Dean was looking at Alex who was clearly lying and Sam was looking at his food. “Well hey, if we can’t talk about it we shouldn’t be doing it, right?” Jody asked and looked over at Sam and Dean. 

“Wha?” Dean questioned, swallowing a mouthful of food and Sam giving his best confused puppy dog face. 

Jody inhaled and sighed out. “Okay, I’m not going to tell you that you’re too young to be having sex. Nor you,” Jody pointed at Alex. “Or you.” She pointed at you, you almost coughed up your water. 

“Psh who is she going to have sex with? She doesn’t talk to anybody.” Alex snapped towards Claire, Claire rolled her eyes at the comment.

“Wrong person there. It’s Y/N, she’s the one who’s socially awkward. She wouldn’t even give Sam a hug.” You looked up to see everyone looking over at you. Your eyes darted towards Sam who cleared his throat and looked down. You could feel your face heating up and quickly stood up and walked out of the dinning room and rushed towards your room, slamming the door shut.

“Really? Did you really have to say that?” Jody asked in a pissy voice, Claire shrugged slightly and took a sip of her water. 

“This is fun.” Dean said as Jody walked out to get more potatoes. Claire laughed a bit sarcastically and nodded.

Throughout the night you tossed and turned, panting softly. The blanket became a furnace wrapped around your body, you kicked it off only to roll over and groan in your sleep.

Your dream contained Sam's lips against your neck, hands ghosting over your body, teasingly. Moans and groans echoing in the distance. You quickly woke up in a cold sweat, the last thing you could remember from your dream was his hazel green eyes staring down at you while he thrust inside of you. You froze once you moved around a bit, there was an aching in between your thighs. 

"Y/N, time for school.“ Jody knocked and opened the door making you pull the blankets closer to yourself. She frowned, noticing something was wrong. She walked over and put her cool hand against your forehead. "Oh sweetheart, you’re burning up. Stay home today and rest. I’ll be at the station, text me if you need anything.” She smiled softly and walked out, closing the door. 

You sighed out softly, you weren’t sick you knew that for sure. That damn wet dream you had of the youngest Winchester must have had you so hot and bothered that your own body temperature raised, making Jody think you were sick. You got up a half an hour later and took a cold shower trying to calm yourself down. Once you got out you dried off and put on something comfortable. You walked down the creaky steps and to the kitchen. 

As you looked in the fridge you could still imagine Sam’s hazel green eyes from your dream. Squirming slightly you quickly shut the door to the fridge and squeezed your thighs together, trying to gain friction to help with the feeling. 

You chewed on the bottom of your lip remembering when your sex ed teacher said about this. The only thing to really do is what’s called masturbation… well if nobody was around. You let out a shaky breath and walked up towards your room, the stairs seemed much taller than usual. Once you reached the top you looked down the stairs to see the front door, no one. You walked towards your room shutting the door, looking out the window, no impala nor the sheriff's car. You closed your curtains and slowly stripped out of the clothes that made your body feel like 100 degrees. 

You pulled the blankets back and laid down on the cool sheets, goosebumps erupted throughout your body as the air in the room seemed thicker than usual. Your hands slowly slid down the side of your body, going towards your core. You sucked in a break as your fingertip brushed up against your sensitive clit, you let out a whimper in the silent room. “S- Sam.” You blushed at the foreign sound, you didn’t even mean to moan out his name during this but he was all you can think of. 

Your fingertips slowly grazed against your entrance, another soft moan left your lips as you exhaled a sigh. The foreign feeling in between your legs made you shiver, the soft touch of your fingers pressed against your throbbing clit. “Sam, fuck.” You moaned a bit louder than before.

Your lower stomach clenched as you teased your clit, thinking about the youngest Winchester brother, Sam. His sweet smile flooded your brain along with his body. You shivered once more thinking about what was in pants, he was a tall man so it wouldn’t surprise you if he was packing a lot. 

Another hot wave hit your body, making you shiver as your pussy became even more wetter. Exhaling a shaky breath you slowly pushed your index and middle finger in between your aching lips. Swallowing thickly you placed the tips of your finger inside of you, your eyes shutting at the bliss of slowly being filled. “S- Sam, oh god, yes.” You moaned.

Before you could even push your fingers further inside of you, you heard your name being called out. “Y/N?” The person walked closer to the room. Your eyes darted towards the door as it started to open, they walked in as you quickly pulled the blanket over your naked body.

"G- Get out!“ You cried out, Sam’s eyes widen as he had a full view of everything, 

"I- I’m, I’m so sorry.” He said a bit too quickly, not moving from his spot. You couldn’t look at him, too embarrassed to even say anything but you knew he was there, still looking at you. 

“What are you doing?” Sam’s voice sounded deeper than usual. 

You slowly turned your head, looking at Sam who was leaning against your door frame now. “W- What?” Your voice shook when you spoke. You must have been imagining this. Imagining that his voice was deeper and rougher, imaging that he was asking you what you were doing. Imagining that he had a raging hard on.

Your eyes widened to see the large tent of his pants in between his legs. Your eyes shot back up to Sam’s face who was smirking towards you. “I asked you ‘what are you doing’?” Sam pushed himself off of the door frame.

“I- I’m- I’m…” You couldn’t get your words out as you held the blanket closer to your naked body, your pussy still getting wet at the sight of Sam’s eyes roaming your body. 

“Well, it looks like to me you’re playing hooky from school just to rub one out, yeah?” Sam walked inside of your bedroom, shutting the door softly behind him. “And you’re thinking of me while doing so.” You stayed silent as Sam approached you. “Isn’t that right, princess?”

You slowly nodded your head ‘yes.’ “Use your words, baby.”

“Y- Yes, I was thinking of you.” Your voice is small and soft when you speak.

“And here you have everyone fooled thinking that you’re some sweet innocent girl.” Sam clicked his tongue. “You know, from last night's conversation I couldn’t help but put two and two together. You’re a virgin?” He asked.

“Yes, I am.” You looked away, embarrassed but a blush upon your cheeks.

“And here you are touching that sweet little pussy, thinking of me and moaning my name.” Sam gripped himself, rubbing his cock as he let out a moan. “Does it feel good?” 

“Felt so good.” You let out a soft whine as Sam toyed with you, you clenched your thighs together once more.

“Show me, show me how good it makes you feel.” Sam grabbed the end of the blanket and ripped it off of you, showing off your body. The cool air danced along your feverish skin, breaking out in goosebumps while your nipples became hard. “Show me how you touched yourself, baby.” Sam stood at the end of your bed, leaning against your dresser, still rubbing himself.

Swallowing, you licked your lips and laid back against your pillows once more, spreading your legs more to give Sam a better view. “Fuck, you’re so wet and all from thinking about me?” Sam admired your pussy from afar, his eyes becoming darker. “Show me.” Sam reminded you what to do.

Your fingers trailed down your stomach and in between your legs. You sucked in a breath once the tip of your fingers connected with your clit, shivering you circled your fingers around it, toying with yourself. “Good girl.” Sam moaned, never looking away. 

“S- Sam.” You withered out a moan.

“I’m right here baby.” 

Feeling juices collect and leak down onto the bed sheets you knew you were ready to take your fingers. Sliding your fingers closer towards your entrance, you were about to enter them inside of you until Sam spoke. “Stop.”

Stopping your movements you watched as Sam approached the foot of the bed. “You’ve never touched yourself have you?”

“This- This is my first time.” You panted, trying to collect your breath.

“I want to taste you, I want my tongue to be the first thing ever to be inside this pussy.” Sam climbed onto the bed, nuzzling himself in between your legs. “This is if you’ll have me?”

“Please, please Sam be the first.” You begged.

Sam smiled up at you, his green eyes never leaving yours as the tip of his tongue slowly swirled against your clit. You gasped loudly as his hot breath was upon you. “Shit.” You whined. Sam engulfed his mouth on your clit, slowly suckingly softly. “Fuck.” You cursed again, arching your back at the feeling. 

Sam moaned, sending vibrations up your spine. He slowly pulled away, pushing your lips apart he hummed and dove back inside, lapping his tongue away on your pussy. You squealed as he pushed his tongue inside your tight walls, stretching them. “S- Sam.” You tried to warn him about your stomach clenching and your head feeling light. 

Sam kept going, flicking his tongue in and out of you as he fucked you with it, climbing to a faster pace than before. Your breathing got heavier as you rolled your hips against his face. “S- Sam.” You moaned once more, Sam moaned with you as he rutted his hips against the mattress. “Fuck- wait, n- no wait!” You cried out, you tried to push him off but he wasn’t letting go. Something snapped inside of you as your first orgasm washed over your body.

You were screaming in pleasure, bucking your hips against Sam as he kept lapping at the cream you were giving him. Once he knew you were finished, he pulled away. “What- What was that?” 

“You just came on my tongue.” Sam chuckled, licking his lips and collecting the rest of your juices on his face. “You want to do it on my dick?” Sam was now on his knees, rubbing himself through his pants.

“Y- Yes.” You panted, watching Sam get off the bed he pulled his shirt off, tossing it somewhere you admired his Anti-Possession symbol on his chest. Sam’s fingers danced along his belt, taking it off he pushed his jeans down along with his boxers. Sam’s thick cock bounced upwards slightly, hitting his lower toned stomach. Your mouth watered at the sight of his raging cock, leaking pre-come and begging to be stroked.

“Is it going to hurt?” You asked, still not taking your eyes off of Sam’s cock.

“Just a little baby, but I got you.” Sam crawled back on the bed, towering over you. Sam grabbed the base of his cock and rubbed his cock head against your slick folds, watching you come undone and shiver against him

"Sensitive little thing, aren'tcha?” He purred deeply as he slowly pushed the tip of his head in making you hiss slightly. 

"S- Sam.” You whined as his large tip stretched you.

“Shh, I’m right here baby. So tight around me and I’m barely even in you.” Sam looked down as your pussy slowly swallowed him. “That’s a good girl, taking this fat cock.” Sam moaned as he pushed himself inside of you.

You gripped onto his biceps, digging your nails into his flesh as the slight burning sensation washed over you as his thickness stretched your walls wider. Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes but you quickly blinked them away. “Shit- you’re big.” You cried out. 

“Almost there baby, it’s going to feel so fucking good when I start pumping inside of you.” Sam’s voice gruffed out as he was struggling to keep the movement slow as he pushed himself inside of you. Sam sighed out loudly, blissfully as he was now balls deep in you. “Fuck! Wrapped so snug around me.” It was Sam’s turn to whimper. “About to make me come.” He teased.

You moaned softly at the sound of that, the thought of your cunt being so tight that it made Sam come undone upon entering you. “Pl- Please, move. I need to feel you.” You whimpered out, gripping his shoulder and clawing at his skin. You wrapped your legs around his waist, the pain slowly fading which felt like forever which turned into pleasure. 

Sam slowly started to grind his hips against you, rocking back and forth as he pushed in and out, low moans erupting from both of you as he started to settle a pace. “Fuck, you’re so wet.” Sam moaned, looking down to see his cock glistening wet each time he pulled out of you. Sam pulled out all the way out and slammed back into you a bit too roughly. You let out a loud cry that could be heard throughout the house. “Shit baby, I’m sorry.” He apologized and stopped his movements. 

"N- No Sam, please. Again, again, again!“ You begged out loudly, he looked down at you smiling softly. He pulled out and pushed roughly back in moaning softly. "Fuck, yes right there.” You moaned.

Sam started to quickly pump his hips, in and out, in and out. “Fuck baby, you’re going to make me come.” Sam grunted out, you arched your back into him as his cock twitched in you.

"M- Me too, I’m going to come. Fuck, Sammy I’m going to come!” You sobbed, "Sammy, please let me come!” You screamed out his name. His hips roughly slamming into you, skin slapping against skin, the most sinful sounds echoing throughout the room, bouncing off the walls. 

You clawed down his back, gripping it tightly as he grunted, the bed rocking with a creak of every thrust. “Shit, fucking going to come.” Sam growled, your walls clenching around his hard cock making it harder for him to thrust. 

"Shit, Sam!“ You cried out as you were squirting all on his cock, Sam also moaned out, the tight feeling of your pussy clenching around him had him on the edge. He quickly pulled his cock out, his hand wrapped around his cock, covering in your juices made it easier for him to quickly jerk himself off. He moaned loudly as ropes of come squirted on your lower stomach. “Fuck, yes, fuck, Y/N.” Sam tilted his head back moaning, his hips rutting against his touch. You panted out softly as you were coming down from your high, admiring the mess Sam made all over your body.

Sam hummed and growled lowly as he milked himself. He slowly opened his eyes, looking down at you as you smiled up at him. He broke out a smile as well, leaning down and kissed your lips softly. Sam reached for his shirt and cleaned the mess off of you. Tossing the shirt somewhere on the floor he pulled your naked form close to him.

“I’m glad you took a day off from school.” Sam chuckled, you laid your head on his chest listening to his heart beat. 

"Hmm, me too.“ You hummed out and slowly fell asleep.

   A few days passed, you blushed as Sam hugged you a good-bye. "I put my number in your phone, text or call whenever you need me.” He whispered during the hug. 

You nodded as you pulled away from the tall male and waved good-bye as the two boys climbed into the 1967 ChevyImpala and drove off. “So, I was doing laundry last night.” Jody mentioned. “I couldn’t help but notice a stain on your sheets.” 

A blush crept upon your face once again as sex talk was coming. “Did Sam wrap it?” Jody questioned. 

"Oh my gosh, Jody.“ You squeaked out only to stop talking. 

“Y/N, we do not need a little Winchester running around here.” Jody dug into her pocket and tossed you a small foil package. “For next time.” She winked.

[eemamminy-art]

not obligated to answer this but if you have anymore thoughts about alex sdv (or stardew valley at all) please share. i am obsessed with alex

Oh hell yeah anon you've activated my current hyperfixation 😁 I have a google doc where I'm dropping my headcanons and a bulleted timeline for a Alex/m!farmer longfic I've been writing in my head that's up to about 13 pages now ahaha so here's a few things!!

When he first moved to Pelican Town he was actually really quiet and reserved because he was still grieving heavily, so he never really got close to the other kids. He talks about how he played gridball with his mom so I think once he got the chance to play that in school (in another town no doubt) I think he came out of his shell then and made some friends, but all those friends lived far enough away that after graduating high school he's been pretty lonely and never could connect with the other people his own age in town.

He never goes into the saloon to my knowledge prior to the 10-heart event dinner scene, so I headcanon that it's because he doesn't drink alcohol and doesn't want the temptation to try it. I don't remember if it's said explicitly but I got the impression his dad's abuse stemmed from being drunk so I imagine Alex refuses to touch the stuff out of both principle and fear of becoming like his father one day.

I said it in another post but I headcanon him as gay and suffering comphet. He's built himself up as this cool popular guy, so he tries to emulate the sexist straight guys he's seen in movies but there's absolutely nothing behind it. He says something rude to a girl and then is like uhhh (shit what now) bye! 😅 I want to think that in getting to know the farmer he not only does away with that facade but also gets more comfortable in his sexuality!!

and on a sidenote to the above: I hc most of the town as gay or bi and I am toying with the idea of Abby being transfem! Sam/Seb is a given, and maaaybe they're in a poly relationship with Abby but I'm still undecided!! I like Maru/Penny as a concept but need to marinate on that a bit more, I see them always sitting together and it makes me happy but I need to think more on how they met and what their relationship would be like. I don't have anything solid yet in terms of other characters' gender or sexuality headcanons exactly, other than Caroline and Jodi being bi and desperately yearning to run away together 🥰

But back to Alex!! With how his storyline goes of trying to impress others with his jock persona, then trying to switch gears and be super booksmart, I headcanon that he gets close to the farmer via the farmer tutoring him so he can take a community college placement test. :3 My thought for why he's in the rut he's in is that he wanted to play college gridball but his grades in high school were so bad he has done nothing with himself since graduation and has just been stagnating and becoming more and more bitter (which only amps up his shitty attitude when the player first meets him). So trying to get educated is doubly good for him because he can work toward his sports dream (in a way) and try to impress the farmer. Though of course, the thing that brings them closer is Alex learning to be true to himself 😊

This is getting long, so last thing: he's actually a really well-rounded homemaker but does not even think about it really. George has been disabled for a long time, so all of the handy work around the house has to be handled by Alex, and he's so eager to help out his grands. :3 They put a roof over his head so of course he'll climb up onto it to fix the leaks when it rains! Evelyn is always cooking and baking and Alex is so soft for his granny he has been in the kitchen helping her for as long as he's lived with them, so he's actually got a real talent for cooking and baking too! One of the first things he learned after moving in with them was the proper way to set a table, and the best way to wash dishes efficiently. He's spent enough time at Haley's house having no chemistry with the poor girl, but found Emily's whole sewing setup really fascinating and she taught him to mend the holes in his letterman jacket when he asked so he knows how to hand sew! These are all skills that he has but doesn't recognize as skills, he just inherently has this desire to help the people in his life so he picks up this and that to make it easier!

Anyway! Thank you for letting me ramble 😄 Alex is really sweet and soft underneath the mask he wears, and he's been rotating in my head for the last few months hehe

I had bought sdv when it came out but barely touched it, and started it up again on a whim earlier this year and I'm so glad I did!! I really adore the game and it's bringing me a lot of joy currently 🥺

[pacificgrimsarc]

Jody laments her relationship fumbles as he continues to dip his fries into his ice cream. It is comforting to hear that there have been others after him who have burned her, arguably worse than he ever did—but there is still that unmistakable guilt that he's grouped up with them anyway. He's different, or at least, he likes to think he is. One night stands are basically all he does these days because it's easy, it's what's expected of him, and it makes the most sense. Seldom does he ever get to see a girl afterward and face the music, so to speak. Maybe this is a reckoning of sorts for him; a sign that he should stop and settle down now that he's just a couple of years from hitting 30.

He chuckles. "Not lately," he says, "but I'm ashamed to say it's still in practice."

Finishing up his fries a second later, Jody crumples up the top of the paper bag shut and shifts so that he's facing Elisa more comfortably. "If it makes you feel any better, I get all that crazy shit on my side too. There was one girl who I found out had been writing wild fanfiction about me. Even for my standards, that stuff was... nasty." He shakes his head. "Then there was Penelope, who stole my credit card and a couple thousand dollars from it. And, uh, let's see." If it's not already clear, he's a serial dater, which means it's sometimes hard to distinguish names and situations from one another. "Yesenia, who took me to this bizarre art show and wanted to get our belly buttons pierced the same night or something like that, which, for the record, I didn't go through with. She got her belly button pierced and, I think, ended up hooking up with the artist after our date."

He grins and tilts his head at her. "But even after all these blunders, I keep trying. Why do you think that is?"

His Maserati was certainly an upgrade from his old beat up Toyota. It wasn't quite her style, but the girl could still appreciate it. They were currently sitting in it, sharing a bag of greasy food. Her nose scrunches up as she watches him dip his fry in his Frosty. She never understood why people enjoyed it - she most certainly didn't. It probably had to do with the fact that it was a mixture of both sweet and salty. Many seemed to enjoy that combination.

"Oh, is that why you asked me to come with you? To make you feel better about yourself? Typical." She teases with a chuckle, stealing one of his fries. He should have known better than to not get Elisa her own. Even though she had declined, of course she'd still want them. "I don't even know where to begin, if I'm being honest. Unfortunately, there's been a lot of bad dates since the last time you saw me." Especially now that her agent was on a relationship kick. Sign up for Raya, you'll love it! "There was Paul, who insisted on showing me his high school football highlights after we finished having what was the worst sex I've ever had. Jake, who ordered practically everything on the menu and expected me to pay for it all, Karla, who brought a demo CD to the bar in hopes I'd listen to it and pass it along to my producers...god, my dating life is pathetic, isn't it?" She can do nothing but laugh at it. Picking up her own vanilla Frosty, she takes a bite. "So yeah, safe to say that you ghosting me hasn't been the worst thing that's ever happened to me." Although, it had stung at the time. She remembered crying to her girlfriends about him for weeks. "What about you? Ghost anyone lately?"

[beguilingcorpse]

alright so we all know that harrow is Maximum Goth and gideon is Jock Prime but trying to place the rest of canaan house was.. harder than i thought. a few quick explanations:

- the second house are similar in vibe (prep jock) but jody feels more prep and marta feels more jock

- the third is ALLLL over the place. babs is full prep and decently jock (prevented from being higher due to both arrogance and Skill Issue). corona is also prep, but less so, and also jock, but more so. ianthe is VERY goth but definitely not a jock and not that nerdy. tbh she deserves her own little box labeled just "freak"

- the fourth are babies and still figuring out who they are, but some things are immediately clear: jeannemary is semi-goth jock (in gideon's footsteps) and isaac is semi-goth nerd (in palamedes's footsteps). don't talk to me about those parallels or i'll cry

- the fifth get the prep nerd quadrant all to themselves. abigail is a nerd queen on the prep side of the line, but with goth tendencies (have you ever seen anyone who loves ghosts like she does???). magnus is her equal and opposite - totally prep, on the nerd side of jockness (and the only cavalier in nerddom). they're just parents, y'all

- the sixth. oh, the sixth. there should be one quadrant called prepgoth jocknerd and they should both be in it. as it stands, i compromised by throwing them both into moderate gothness (they're both just too weird to go prep) but pal at maximum nerd and cam at near-maximum jock. (her and corona being about the same level of jock felt right)

- it's a shame we don't see much of dulcinea, and it's a shame we see even LESS of protesilaus. dulcie is fairly into the pocket for both goth and nerd, for reasons i hope are obvious. protesilaus must be at least a little goth (he IS seventh) and a jock on account of his build and bodyguard nature

- fuck silas octakiseron, but like, he's an archetypal goth nerd and needs to be recognized as such. i could tell you two things about colum asht and one of those is his name, but he SCREAMS normie to me. he was built to be a battery and that's it. i think colum is the most neutral man in existence. frankly it's what he deserves <3 go girl give us nothing

- cytherea isn't on here bc i would need goth and prep to wrap around and meet each other in three dimensional space. she is neither jock nor nerd but some secret third thing (lyctor)

[mikefaistinfo]

Interview: Mike Faist Pulls Back the Curtain

By AnOther Magazine

A decade on Broadway, a critically acclaimed turn in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, a role in Challengers alongside Zendaya – but who is Mike Faist? The Ohioan actor has remained an enigma, until now

One evening in 2016, the curtains fell on a normal weeknight performance of Dear Evan Hansen at the Music Box Theatre at 239 West 45th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Mike Faist quit the stage with the rest of the cast and was met with a guest, who had come backstage to see him. “I love a ghost story,” said the guest. It was Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg told Mike that he was working on a new film adaptation of West Side Story and that he wanted him to audition for it, breaking from a long tradition of Hollywood directors taking inspiration from Broadway but casting Hollywood actors in the roles. Mike had never thought he’d be in movies but loved the idea of being able to say he’d once auditioned for Spielberg. So, he put a tape together for the role of Tony, but Spielberg ended up giving him the role of Riff, the leader of the Jets – which he was thrilled about, having loved Russ Tamblyn in the original. Plus, “Everyone wants to be Mercutio,” he says.

Mike was lauded for his performance, which earned him a Bafta nomination, though Quentin Tarantino said he should have got an Oscar – something Mike hadn’t heard about before I told him when we met; he expressed a certain bemusement at the news. His portrayal of Riff represented a departure from previous interpretations of the character; instead of a corn-fed all-American type, Mike’s Riff is wild and waifish – he lost weight for the role and pored over Bruce Davidson’s seminal 1998 photography book Brooklyn Gang. “That’s where I found Riff,” he says. “They always cast jocks, muscular guys, obviously alpha guys. But that’s not who these guys were, they’re drunk, broke, heroin addicts, starving … ”

Now, the 32-year-old Ohio native is poised to star in two films: Challengers, the new romantic (read: love triangle) drama from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino, starring Zendaya and Josh O’Connor; and The Bikeriders, Jeff Nichols’ new feature inspired by Danny Lyon’s 1967 photography book of the same name, featuring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy, which follows the rise of a Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals.

The Midwest is where I’m heading to meet Mike – Columbus, Ohio, specifically, which lies an hour and a half up the highway from Cincinnati (presumably a route once traversed by the Vandals), where The Bikeriders was filmed. It’s here, in a suburb to the north-east of the city called Gahanna, that Mike was born and spent his formative years, and it’s here that he returned to in February 2021 when his father got sick, to be closer to his family.

Mike pulls up to my hotel in a silver-grey Ram pickup (huge for British standards, modest for American ones). I jump in and he greets me warmly – though not as warmly as his rescue dog, Austin, a pitbull cross, who leaps onto my lap and tries, persistently, to lick my face. Mike wears a scruffy brown shirt and muddy workman boots; a baseball cap crowns his tousled, mouse-brown hair and a beige bandana circles his neck – until he pulls it over his mouth, which happens periodically, when he laughs or, as I later interpret, when he is feeling shy. Confronted with this vision of Americana, it’s hard not to be reminded of Mike’s role as the cowboy Jack Twist (played by Jake Gyllenhaal in the film) in the 2023 West End production of Brokeback Mountain.

I’d been expecting just to go for lunch at a nearby restaurant, but Mike explains that we’re heading out to Woodville, a small town two hours outside of Columbus where his father grew up and his Aunt Christy and Uncle Bernie still live. We drive out of the city and onto the highway, which is roaring with trucks that dwarf Mike’s own. Strip malls, gas stations and chain restaurants flash by and soon give way to farmland – wide-open fields of corn (at this time of year, just a sea of dead, damp stalks) that stretch out like an endless brown carpet laid beneath a grey, wintry sky.

Speaking with a barely detectable Midwestern twang, Mike opens up about the past couple of months: on December 12, his father, Kurt, died of a blood clot, following a three-year battle with pulmonary fibrosis. A month later, his grandfather, known to him as Papa, died too. Death has long weighed heavily on Mike’s mind – in a way that now feels pre-emptive. Despite moving to New York when he was 17 and spending the majority of his twenties there, building his career as a theatre – then film – actor, he moved back to Ohio when his dad fell ill. He sold his flat in Brooklyn and bought a house in Columbus’s German Village, which he has since renovated almost entirely by himself. It now appears that Mike is a quadruple threat: he can sing, dance, act and flip houses. (He can also fly small planes, but that’s possibly less relevant.)

“There’s something very humbling about coming back to Ohio,” he says, “about going off and working with Steven Spielberg, and then coming back here.”

“My friends are super supportive and they’re super proud, but at the end of the day, I’m still just Mike to them, which is great.”

“Have you ever seen Fargo?” he continues, after a brief pause. “Well, in Fargo, they have this amazing Midwestern accent. My family speaks a bit like that.”

After a two-hour drive, we arrive in Woodville, a small, blue-collar town home to just 2,000 people, a lime plant and the oldest Lutheran church in the US, which is where Mike’s father’s funeral took place a few months prior. The church is a stone’s throw from Mike’s aunt and uncle’s house, a typical, clapboard dwelling just off the main street.

When we step through the front door, it appears that we’ve entered an Easter grotto – Mike’s Aunt Cheri takes decorating very seriously, completely transforming her home for every holiday imaginable: not just Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but Halloween, Fourth of July and St Paddy’s Day, too – despite not having any discernible Irish heritage. Easter bunnies, chickens and eggs cover every conceivable space – from the table in the kitchen to the towels in the bathroom.

I’m quite taken aback by Mike’s vulnerability here, bringing me to an intimate Faist family gathering so soon after meeting. He’s opening up in a very real way – inviting me into the home his father grew up in and where he spent all his holidays as a kid. It’s a reflection of ‘Midwestern nice’ (the famously friendly disposition of the people who inhabit the region), but also his desire to be authentic – to show himself, his roots and his real life instead of just a manicured version of it. Instead, I meet Aunt Cheri, Aunt Christy, Uncle Bernie and Cousin John, who have all come over to meet me and, as Mike predicted in the car on the way over, Cheri and Christy have gone all out, putting on a lavish spread of cheese, crackers and ham-and-cheese rolls.

Cheri and Christy talk like Fargo, yes, but also like Jodie Comer in The Bikeriders; in fact, Mike found Jodie’s portrayal almost disconcertingly accurate. “I remember shooting a scene in a kitchen,” he says. “And there’s cigarette stains on the walls and ceiling and she’s just gabbing away in this thick Midwestern accent. I was like, oh my God, you’re my aunt.”

“[Jodie’s] incredible. I have a couple of scouse friends, and when I drove to Liverpool on a road trip [while living in the UK for Brokeback Mountain], I saw a lot of similarities with Ohio. A kind of blue-collar mentality.”

The conversation quickly turns to Mike’s father, Kurt. Cheri and Christy talk fondly of their brother’s sense of humour and practical jokes, including one called ‘the Witch’s Zebra’, which I couldn’t quite follow. “Kurt had the best laugh. He did. No matter what he went through,” says Cheri. “That guy could laugh and make us laugh when we came down to see him after the surgeries. A couple of times we were crying because he would get us laughing so hard about old memories.”

Cousin John, it turns out, was in an alternative rock band called Introspect that once opened for Bon Jovi (the Faist men are musically talented according to Cheri, who admits that the women of the family aren’t gifted in this respect). I ask him what Mike was like as a kid. “He was a quiet young man. And he’s always been very committed to his family. He’s been through a lot of stuff … ” he trails off. “I’m proud of him.”

When he was 17 years old, in 2009, Mike graduated from high school early and, like so many before him, left his hometown for New York. His father drove him there and, after a ten-hour journey, dropped him off at a halfway- house dorm room in the middle of Manhattan. “I was terrified,” he remembers. “So was my dad. But I knew I wanted to do this more than anything in the world.” Still, there was a romance to it all: like a scene out of Patti Smith’s Just Kids, he recalls sitting on his fire escape that first night, drinking a coffee, smoking a cigarette and feeling like he’d arrived.

Still, those first few years were tough: he was poor and often hungry. While Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda had once lived in his building, and James Dean had lived down the street, his accommodation (then a flat on 64th Street) was pretty basic: his sink was a hole in the floor and his kitchen was a microwave, also on the floor. There were times when he was on food stamps and others when he’d carry around a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter because that was the only food he could afford. He worked a variety of jobs: selling tickets for Off-Broadway shows to tourists in Times Square; working as a bar host and runner at Harry’s Burritos; and even, briefly, collecting signatures campaigning for same-sex marriage (he remembers panicking because he only got nine, but when he returned they told him that was amazing and that he’d only been beaten by one person who’d got 13). It was hard, attending theatre school (the American Musical Dramatic Academy) while working hard to make ends meet; many of his contemporaries came from wealthier backgrounds and didn’t need to work while studying. He remembers bumping into the actor (and Dear Evan Hansen co-star) Ben Platt when he was on a job for Postmates (a food delivery service) and feeling so ashamed that he pretended he was doing something else.

After appearing in several Off-Broadway productions, most notably Newsies, he landed a role in Dear Evan Hansen, which made it to Broadway in 2016. Initially, he felt as though he was floundering in the role – “It was a new show,” he remembers, “and it was a character that is more or less a ghost or ethereal, ambiguous creature.” He decided to do some research into suicide survivors online and came across the website LiveThroughThis.org, which tells the stories of people who have survived their attempts to end their own lives. He spoke to Dese’Rae Stage who founded the initiative, and it allowed him a way into the character, lending him understanding and empathy about the experience. “It really grounded me with what I wanted to do with the role. Since then, research has been my way to feel more secure, to feel like I am prepared. Even if you have to throw it all away in the end.”

Then of course came West Side Story, which remains the project he is most proud of and a convergence of everything he wanted to achieve. Working with Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner, he says he found pieces of himself he never knew existed and let go of his inhibition. “It felt transcendental,” he says. “It felt like: I’m not me right now, I’m being used to tell the story in the best way possible. I don’t know how to explain it, it was like I had no control over the situation. It was like being used as a vessel, and that was the best feeling ever.”

After wrapping up lunch, we head back to Columbus, driving back through the Ohioan countryside, with Sufjan Stevens playing on the speakers. This feels appropriate for several reasons: not only is Stevens a fellow Midwesterner (the singer-songwriter hails from Detroit, Michigan), but he shares a similar sensibility to Mike: he too is thoughtful, poetic, and committed to his art. As with Stevens, fame and celebrity feel like an accidental or even unfortunate side-effect of doing what Mike loves. “I don’t want to do this as a job,” Mike says at one point, staring ahead at the road before him. “For me, it’s deeper than that.”

I thought this might be the end of our interview, but we arrive back at Mike’s house in the German Village and he beckons me in, introducing me to his roommate Dan, who has known Mike since he was 16 – the pair met acting in plays at high school. What was Mike like back then? “A loose cannon,” Dan says with a wry smile. “Eccentric,” Mike corrects. “Floaty and an idiot.” He was going through a rebellious stage in this period of his life, and, while this didn’t mean anything too nefarious (he was mainly just smoking and selling a bit of pot), he wasn’t heading down a good path and was bored stiff. It was theatre that saved him: he was keen to take part in the various productions his high school theatre club was putting on, but his teacher, Miss Macioce, disallowed him because of his behaviour, which is when he decided to make a change.

Mike shows me around the house he did up with some help from his dad before he died. It’s handsomely but humbly decorated, with a fair amount of older or thrifted furniture and a picture of his dog Austin (drawn by a young neighbour from Gahanna) hanging in the downstairs loo. His bedroom is painted dark green and books line the walls; it looks like a normal thirtysomething’s bedroom, except for the flash of gold on the bookshelf – the Grammy he and his castmates won for Dear Evan Hansen. (They were also nominated for a Tony for this.)

We head out to take Austin for a walk through German Village, the oldest and most affluent part of Columbus populated with lawyers and doctors who work at the local children’s hospital, one of the largest in the US. Real gas lamps flicker in the porches of smart, red-brick Victorian houses built by German settlers who arrived here in the early-to-mid-19th century; front gardens are lined with coiffed box hedges, while Ukrainian flags fly alongside the regular Star-Spangled Banner, indicating the liberal values and Democratic leanings of the neighbourhood. Two kids come up to say hi to Austin and Mike chats amiably with them, producing some dog treats for them to feed him (Austin appears to be more famous here than Mike).

An hour or so later, we’re still hanging out and sitting at the bar of a nearby restaurant called Cobra, which was set up by Alex, another high-school friend of Mike’s. It’s been an unmitigated success – the place is packed. We’re having a fairly furious debate over which superpower would be preferable: the ability to fly or be invisible. Mike wants to be invisible which I think is ridiculous, because what – besides things that are a) creepy or b) illegal – is being invisible good for? Doing random acts of kindness, like watering an old lady’s garden, says Mike. I laugh. Dan and two more high-school friends, Garet and Kaine, join us and quickly the debate resurfaces. Obviously, everyone agrees with me, but Mike isn’t backing down.

I suspect that the real reason is Mike’s discomfort with the public position his job is putting him in. He’s dreading the Challengers press tour and admits he was even dreading this interview a bit. It’s part of the reason he enjoys Ohio; no one knows who he is or treats him any differently. The gift of invisibility – or anonymity – is attractive to him.

On set for Challengers, Mike says he felt a natural synergy with O’Connor who “just wants to make pottery and be in his garden” in the Cotswolds. “I think he’s a bit more accepting of it all than me. Because he’s always had to do a lot more of it [press tours, et cetera], so I think he’s at least mentally prepared. And I’m like, coming around slowly. But luckily, Z [Zendaya] is a pro.”

“But she grew up with it, you know, kid actor and Disney Channel … It’s a different world … I think it really got crazy for her while we were shooting actually, when she fully acknowledged the scope of her fame. Because we were in Boston and she had an apartment and she just couldn’t walk outside. I would take Austin to the park, have a cup of coffee and walk around, and she just couldn’t do that.”

Mike doesn’t have this problem yet. Here in Ohio, his friends don’t treat him differently. To them, he’s the same guy they befriended at theatre club all those years ago. They’ve all rallied around him in the wake of his father and grandfather’s deaths and their support, as he says on multiple occasions, means a great deal to him.

These friends soon decide that I need to experience a proper American dive bar, which is where we head next: a crowded, noisy and sweaty place crammed with locals. There is sport on the TV and darts are being played in the corner. I’m soon plied with Busch – a classic Ohioan beer – as a couple more of Mike’s high-school friends join us: Julia and Garet’s wife Aileen. The gift of flight or invisibility debate soon rears its head again, but Mike is still unable to find a majority.

It’s the next day and Mike and I are discussing Challengers and the preparation he had to undergo to play a professional tennis player. He’d suggested meeting again and had picked me up from my hotel early in the morning to drive me to a Waffle House, where we’re now eating a classic syrup-laden American breakfast.

Breakfast, in fact, was a key part of his preparation for the film: he had to eat eight scrambled eggs every morning to help build up his physique, and work out for four hours a day for 12 weeks – he put on 20lbs of muscle.

“I enjoyed working out, but I think it made me feel like I lost some brain cells,” he says, laughing. “I enjoyed the challenge, I enjoyed the ritual of it, but I don’t know if I need to be eating a cake every morning. I was eating like every two hours.”

Tennis, of course, formed a big part of his preparation too; he was trained by Brad Gilbert, a former player who has won 20 pro singles tournaments and coached Andre Agassi and Andy Murray, among others. “Brad was really insistent that my character, Art, played with a one-handed backhand and his reasoning was that there was this big rivalry between Andre and Pete Sampras. Andre was more like the wild child, like Josh [O’Connor]’s character, and Pete was the more ritualistic, professional, disciplined one. Brad got really interested in that dynamic, so he was like, ‘You’re gonna play with the one-handed backhand.’”

The build-up for the film had challenges that went beyond the physical, too. Mike admits he had some hang-ups about taking on the role – insecurities that sometimes flare up about his being a small-town boy from Ohio working alongside major-league actors and directors. But as his performance in the film shows, he not only holds his own alongside Zendaya and Josh O’Connor (no mean feat) – he shines. His role is the more challenging; while Josh’s character, Patrick, is the slightly more cocksure bad boy, Art is a more internal, introverted character which Mike plays deftly – it’s more than skin-deep; he inhabits the role totally.

One line from Challengers that stuck with me occurs when Art is contemplating giving up his career in tennis. “I’m tired,” he sighs, in a way that expresses a weariness that is deeper than physical exhaustion. It’s the weariness of having pursued your dreams for ten years and being worn down to a point of real, inescapable fatigue. I ask him if he relates to this at all.

“What drove me to understand this character – why I liked and was interested in the character – was this idea. In Andre Agassi’s memoir, he talks about why he hates tennis throughout the entire book. And I understand,” he says, as we continue to eat breakfast. “The reason I moved to New York was to become an actor – like, I had no choice. And yeah, when you’re in your twenties, you’re just trying to get your foot in the door and make it happen by any means necessary; you’re gonna show up and you’re gonna hustle.”

“I enjoyed playing Art because I have a strange relationship to acting: I really love it, but at the same time I get so exhausted by it. And I fall in and out of love with it on a pretty regular basis. It’s just the truth of the matter. So I think I really understood Andre, and Art, when they talk about this idea of falling out of love with your craft.”

He felt another synergy with O’Connor in this respect: “Josh is always torn too. Honestly, he’s more Art than me … He’s like, ‘I’m tired.’”

It was on the set of Challengers where Mike first met Jonathan Anderson, who worked as the costume designer on the film. The pair quickly struck up a friendship – Mike says he appreciated Anderson’s sarcastic sense of humour. The designer later asked Mike to appear in a Loewe campaign (for the SS24 pre-collection) and while Mike was initially reticent, it was soon apparent that Jonathan wasn’t going to take no for an answer. On set, Mike had his initiation into the world of fashion and particularly took to photographer Juergen Teller, who shot the campaign and entertained Mike with the story behind his famous photo of OJ Simpson. “I love Jonathan no matter what,” he says. “He’s a great guy and a great friend.”

Later, we drive over to Gahanna, where Mike grew up. The houses are bigger and more spread out here, and it’s a lot leafier; there are bigger yards, lots of trees, with the odd lake or oversized pond. He drives me past his high school, which is currently getting an extension and vast new football stadium (a lot of pressure on the football team, the Lions, he says), and past his mum’s office, out of which she’s practised law for the past 40 years, only retiring last year. We keep driving on, past his friends’ houses – where Kaine, a friend we’d met last night, used to live; where a former girlfriend used to live; where other people he’d spent his teens mucking about with used to live. Many of them have stuck around; others flew off like Mike did, only to circle back home in their late twenties and early thirties.

Finally, we arrive at a classic American suburban home, with an open garage and stuff teeming out of it. We enter the house through a door at the back of the garage, Austin in tow, and hear the yapping of dogs. Two King Charles Spaniel-Shih-Tzus race out to meet us, a flurry of white fur and shining brown eyes the size of saucers. Charlie and Huck (named after Huckleberry Finn, of course) are followed by Mike’s mum, Julie, who sits down with us in the living room, where family photos sit framed on shelves and two sofas face a large TV (Julie loves home makeover shows).

“At two years old,” she says, “Mike became obsessed with dancing.” His grandmother, who had been living with them at the time and was suffering from dementia, loved old movies and would watch them on repeat. Mike, therefore, spent his first few years on Earth soaking up Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire like a sponge. “I’m going to be Gene Kelly one day,” he told his mum, before asking if he could go to dance class. Julie did her best, but couldn’t find a dance class that accepted infants, so Mike had to wait until he was five before finally enrolling in one. “He was born an adult,” says Julie. “At six, he told me he wanted to start saving for college. At six!” He asked her to write to the Barney show and see if he could go on it, but that didn’t work out, and Mike got his first taste of the cruel world of showbiz. He continued guzzling down Gene Kelly movies – On the Town, An American in Paris and, most importantly, Singin’ in the Rain, which he still ranks as one of his favourite films of all time.

According to Julie, Mike thought Gene was “the perfect man” – “he could do everything and would always get the girl. That was important: he always got the girl.” He started to wear suits to pre-school – a school photo on the shelf shows Mike in a pinstriped suit, smiling ear to ear – and even, on occasion, took to wearing a top hat. Julie encouraged Mike to try his hand at everything – from baseball to basketball and tennis, which has now – thanks to The Challengers – come in handy. He even had a brief but successful stint as the school mascot, donning an enormous lion costume to football games. This was largely an excuse to hang out with the cheerleaders, but when I ask if he had any luck in that department, he laughs. “No, I was definitely not cool enough for that. I think I sold them some pot though.”

It was at dance class where he really shone; Julie said he was always leading the other guys – at nine, he was helping dancers eight years his senior learn the choreography. One time, when they went to a Broadway show, Mike came home and wrote down the entire choreography – literally typed it up – and then taught it to his classmates, which they then performed (or rather, plagiarised, says Julie).

He didn’t do many school plays but there was an alternative theatre arts school in Columbus, and he decided to go there. His first production was an American play called Life With Father, in which he played one of the sons. And then he took part in a production of Grease – playing Danny Zuko, naturally.

Mike, Austin and I go out for a walk, through the wide streets and large front yards, down into the woods that back onto the suburbs. Here, Mike, spent his youth, messing around, collecting frogspawn and later smoking et cetera. The weather is unseasonably warm as we walk down by the creek, through the woods and onto a football field, where kids are warming up for sports to the sound of Soulja Boy. It’s a supremely American scene.

Mike suggests that we go to the cemetery where his grandfather has just been laid to rest. No one from the family has been there yet, and again I’m taken aback. His sister, Krista, calls on the way down, and Mike explains where we’re going. We’re not entirely sure where – in the sea of stone plaques, metal vases and artificial flowers that stretches out before us – his Papa has been laid to rest, and we search for half an hour in the fiery glow of the Ohioan sunset before calling it quits. We head to a brewery a half-hour drive away to catch the last embers of sun sinking down over Columbus and discuss The Bikeriders.

In preparation for the film, Mike spent two days in Maine with Danny Lyon, who he plays and who gave him some photography lessons. He takes out his Fuji camera and flicks through the photographs that he took on set, some of which represent restagings of Lyon’s original photographs, which will be compiled into a photo book. “It’s a small part but I just wanted to watch these great actors – Austin, Jodie, Tom. I wanted to be a fly on the wall and just be there. I was learning photography at the time and it was a great opportunity to get paid to photograph some of your idols. And it was in Cincinnati, so close to dad, and around the holidays.”

Once we’re back on the road, we decide to stop off at Massey’s – a local roadside pizza joint about 15 minutes away. His father loved this place and Mike says he would have found it hilarious that we’d come here. The air is thick with the smell of oil and cheese, and the interiors look like they haven’t been touched since the 70s: neon lights in the window; a swirly, navy-blue carpet; sticky, plastic tables; no music, just the sound of chatter from the few other diners. Julie joins us and we discuss family; how her grandparents had arrived in America, how her parents came up from the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression, and lived that Grapes of Wrath life. “That’s the Midwest,” says Mike. “Everyone has the mentality of work, work your ass off.”

“That’s the unfortunate thing about America. That’s something that physically hurts me,” he continues, his voice cracking and his eyes suddenly smarting with tears. “Because I’ve been so fortunate in my life to have crazy adventures and pursue my dreams. And my mom and my dad … They just worked so hard to make sure I was able to do what I do. And I don’t know, the cost of that, on their health and whatnot … ”

To date, Mike has made interesting choices in projects he’s decided to take on, which reflect his instincts and interests as an artist. And while he loves acting, he doesn’t love everything that comes with it. In many ways, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mike did a few more roles, had a five-year break – during which he flips houses for a living and enjoys a more regular existence in Ohio – and then comes back and does another role that lands him an Oscar. “I had this conversation a lot with [The Bikeriders director] Jeff Nichols, saying that I only really want to do pieces that come from a place of love,” he’d said earlier on in the day. “Like, it’s coming from me. Like not necessarily for love, but from love. It may not be good [laughs] but it’s coming from that place of ‘I’m free, I’m liberated, I’m the most authentic I can be.’”

After dinner, Mike makes me drive his truck part of the way home (despite my lack of pretty much any driving experience or, more crucially, a driver’s licence – we both fear for our lives), concluding not just a whirlwind journey through Ohio, but through Mike’s life. As we part ways, I wonder where his journey will take him next, and how these two major films will affect its course.

Hair: Tsuki at Streeters. Make-up: Kiki Gifford at Streeters. Talent: Mike Faist. Lighting: Eduardo Silva. Photographic assistant: Nathaniel Jerome. Styling assistants: Bella Kavanagh, Alexander Bainbridge, Umi Jiang and Alexa Levine. Production: Second Name

This story features in the Summer/Autumn issue of Another Man, which is on sale internationally from April 25, 2024. 

You can find this interview here: https://www.anothermag.com/another-man/15568/mike-faist-challengers-the-bikeriders-interview-profile

[deke-rivers-1957]

Least favourite elvis characters

Good question anon.

Since I haven't fully analyzed all of his movies yet, I'm just gonna the characters from favorite to least favorite for movies I did review.

1: Jodie Tatum

I'm sure some of you are as shocked as I am that this almost universally panned film gave me the best Elvis character so far. Jodie when you really look at his character is the perfect main character to have in an Elvis movie. As much as I typically despise the cocky, womanizing jock type character, Jodie managed to have all of those character traits and not be annoying. Just by looking at his scenes alone you can write a completely new movie where he's the main character and you would have a significantly better movie. Everything you need to write a movie about a young man learning to become humble and set aside his differences with someone he doesn't stand for the purpose of achieving a common goal of uniting two worlds through marriage is right there. Saying that a side character genuinely deserves their own movie more than the actual main character is the ultimate compliment.

2: Deke Rivers

It was so hard to pick between my number 1 and number 2. As much as I love Deke as a character, unless you want to write about him before the events of the movie or expand on what happened during the movie, Deke doesn't have that much potential for a story. His character arc is complete and he went through the most change out of any Elvis character. There just isn't really that much left to his story where you go "I want to see a sequel and see what happens next."

3: Scott Heyward

This is the best character writing out of all of the cheap to make era Elvis films so far. Scott has actual depth by not wanting to use nepotism to get everything he wants in life. Scott acknowledges that he's in fact privileged but doesn't use that as an excuse to lord over the lower classes. As much as he admittedly doesn't understand having to make a dollar stretch and wanting to have a comfortable lifestyle, he doesn't shame Dianne for doing what she does. The only thing keeping him from being #1 is that it seems out of character for him to want to be with Dianne on a romantic level since she's actively doing the one thing he wanted to get away from. Unless we have a character arc explaining what changed, it just doesn't make sense.

4: Walter Gulick

I admit that Walter doesn't have much of a character arc. But that doesn't matter to me, because the appeal of his character is his relationships with others. He's in the cynical world of boxing, but still has a wholesome outlook on life. Watching him interact with the done with life New Yorkers is incredible. Even though he knows they look at him strangely, he still has a high level of respect for not only the men but also women. It's honestly incredible that Walter isn't once tempted to be with anyone but Rose. Just a wholesome character with a good moral code and shows that not every character needs to have a significant flaw to be interesting.

5: Vince Everett

As much as I find him unlikeable, I think his character has a lot of fanfic potential. Seeing this otherwise everyday man's fall from grace, become one of the hottest artists in America then suffer a possibly career ending, life-threatening injury is such a wild ride. You can easily write introspective stories on why he became a jerk, how he felt when he though he lost everything, and see if his relationship with Peggy will work out.

6: Rusty Wells

Definitely a dark horse of an Elvis character. I wasn't expecting to like him as much as I did. In the first half I thought he was just going to be somewhat of a Tulsa. But once he got in a bar fight with drunken frat boys just to keep Valerie out of trouble, he immediately became way more interesting. The face he makes when one of his band mates ask him about Valerie is so telling. He genuinely cares about Valerie's well-being. And watching the process of seeing this flirtatious man genuinely fall in love and want to stay in a committed relationship is a pretty good character arc for a cheap to make beach film.

7: Clint Reno

I would've been perfectly fine with his character but the last 20 minutes of the movie or so has him go completely off the rails. Him losing his mind about Cathy potentially cheating on him can work as long as it's written well. Given his perceived age there's plenty of ways you can write this concept that shows a different side of Clint without making him completely switch to the "villains" side.

8: Charlie Rogers

Had all the potential of being a great character yet the writers completely dog on him. As much as he has flaws, I genuinely couldn't care because everyone else in his movie were much, much worse. Him wanting to go back to the carnival makes no sense because of how terrible he was treated. I think if done well he can be an interesting character.

9: Glenn Tyler

As much as I like the backstory and think he has the potential of being an amazing character, I don't think his story was handled well. Some of the decisions that he made don't feel like they fit with his character. He doesn't really love a lot of room to write introspective stories since we already have a full idea of why he's the way he is.

10: Mike Edwards

I really like his dynamic with Sue-Lin. It adds a level of depth that makes an otherwise generic nice guy interesting. Even though he doesn't have a character arc, the conflict that he's put in is so engaging. This conflict doesn't end with him learning a lesson, but it allows him to show a different skillset that otherwise wouldn't exist. I still believe that his romance plot with Nurse Warren wasn't necessary but at least it still shows how not everyone who goes through an unexpected conflict end up having a complete transformation.

11: Tulsa McLean

Tulsa is just a generic main character. He does have some comedic moments where he's sassy with his superior officer and "Tiger". Him being of Native American descent and having a lot of experience with women doesn't really add anything to his character. At least he does have a specific goal and the romance he has with Lili gives him an interesting conflict.

12: Rick Richards

I just don't think he's a memorable character. The conflict he faces is a result of his own actions but it really doesn't matter because he doesn't learn anything. His romance is so much of an afterthought that they don't even kiss until the very end. We get more of a focus on the people he used to be with than focusing on him overcoming that past. You get more invested in the Hawaiian background and the Polynesian Culture Center than you do with him.

13: Josh Morgan

The most boring Elvis character. His only goal isn't even his own: it's the Air Force who wanted him to go to the mountain. We don't learn anything about him outside of his distant relation to the Tatum family. His romance with Azalea doesn't give us any interesting dynamics and just feels pointless. He is a completely nothing character to the point where he shouldn't even be a main character.

[leftmysoulbythesideoftheroad]

i always wish i could marry alex because i want his grandparents to be my grandparents so fucking bad but also he. sucks.

stardew valley is great because you can replay and marry a different villager every time except i always marry shane

[chussyracing]

what is happening in the world of motorsports?

send all of hatred toward Red Bull because apparently they suspended the woman who dared to speak up against innapropriate behaviour from the side of her boss (there were rumours that Horner would leave the team by Australia because of boycotts coming from the US market which they wanna focus on, but it was denied a few hours after by Red Bull spokesman, worth noting that Emely de Heus running Red Bull livery in F1 Academy has Ford logos on the car which seems to be a nod towards proceeding with their deal for 2026, then also rumours of Max leaving for Mercedes, Horner contradicting by saying that no individual is bigger than the whole team etc.)

Fred Vasseur and his full wallet are still hungry for more for their all star team and they are now apparently looking into getting engineers from Red Bull (among the names most mentioned online are: head of aero Enrico Balbo, the legend himself Adrian Newey, David Morgan, Ben Waterhouse or Alessandro Germani)

what he already achieved is get Jerome d'Ambrossio who was preparing to take over the team principal duties in Mercedes when Toto Wolff's contract expires, Jerome will join Ferrari and be linked to FDA which should allow Jock Clear to focus more on F1

Red Bull Racing have a planned upgrade for Imola that is meant to be the reworked no-pod concept Mercedes tried out at the start of current regulations and Ferrari will react with their own big upgrade package featuring new floor, bodywork and sidepod scales (McLaren also teased upgrades for their car around this time in the season)

there are so many silly season rumours including Kimi Antonelli to Mercedes (Toto and Kimi were on track for a team who Marco Antonelli drives for in Imola), Fernando Alonso to Mercedes (Toto had another coffee date with his manager Flavio Briatore), Carlos Sainz to Red Bull Racing (his father met up with some Red Bull figures in the paddock), Carlos Sainz to Mercedes (again they visited their facilities and Corriere dello Sport claims that they started the negotiations for a 2025 seat), Ollie Bearman to Haas (he was already linked to the seat and according to our comms it was one of the worst kept secrets he had that seat reserved before the start of the season already, but after his amazing debut in Jeddah, he may have gotten the attention of some other - better - teams as well), Max Verstappen to Mercedes (Marko Helmut has been running his mouth to media - name ORL - about how he may be suspended for leaking internal information and Max followed by with saying he is linked to Marko so basically if he goes, he will follow him + Toto and Lewis spoke about how anyone would love to have him) and Guenther Steiner told Sky that Toto Wolff should consider Nico Hulkenberg for the Mercedes seat......

drivers have been shown the new track in Saudi - Qiddiya - that could appear in the calendar from 2027 by Alex Wurz himself (who co-designed it with Tilke) and they posted about it one after another as an ad for the gp (so there is no way you could have avoided it)

Mercedes may have more problems in the near future because their track data doesn't corelate well with sim data, so neither the engineers nor the drivers are sure how to evolve the package they have on their hands (they were 2nd slowest in high speeds after Alpine according to data) meaning that it is probably not a problem of their setup but rather the whole design

Felipe Massa sued FIA, F1 management and also Bernie Ecclestone over 2008 crashgate which cost him the title, he is asking for around 80 mil for the Singapore race not being nullified like it should (and Bernie because he said last year that he and Moss knew about the breach at the time but decided not to act on it in fear of it damaging F1 as a brand)

Jody Schecker is auctioning off some of his cars if you have a few millions to spare

we don't have an official update on Carlos, but according to Fred Vasseur he could even be ready to jump in the car by Australia (the decision will be made in accordance to the doctors and to how Carlos himself feels soon, probably next week)

Alessandro Bruni explained that Sauber is working on a fix for their pit stop issue, so it wouldn't repeat in the future

Alan Permane from RB team wants to talk to the FIA about Kevin Magnussen's unsportman like behaviour (mate he got 20s of penalties i think they are were aware he didn't race by the rules)

Ollie Bearman sat behind the wheel of Ferrari again as he tested F1-75 in Fiorano today

after the head of Bahrain mentioned they would want the gp on Saturday to be a permanent thing, the head of Saudi Arabian gp is now considering the same thing

Jack Doohan will participate in a special event during Australian GP to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his father's 1st Motorcycling World Championship win (Mick will also driver MotoGP Honda, so they will share a track)

after Otmar Szafnauer was fired from Alpine, he appeared at a Honda event and has also been linked to Andretti

lil summary of Jeddah 2024:

after the brake issues Charles experienced in Bahrain, the team started to investigate it, because they didn't experience this before and Jock Clear said they didn't get to the bottom of it yet with Brembo (the braking system manufacturer)

the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain is apparently considering the sale of its share in McLaren

Andretti showed off their new HQ whoch features a hint towards F1 journey so it seems like they will try again to get into the sport

in F1, FP2 session was delayed for a drain cover in pit lane which had to be re-screwed to stay safe

Carlos felt sick all weekend and it was because of appenditic, he had to get his appendix taken out and Ollie Bearman from FDA jumped in his seat for the weekend - after already scoring a pole for the feature race in F2 (the rules prevent him to start in both, so he chose to take the chance in f1 and lose a chance to score points from the sprint and feature race in f2)

Lando jump started the gp but didn't get a penalty (because he stopped and didn't gain anything from it and was still inside the starting box, so the sensor for jump starting the race didn't qualify it as such)

Checo Perez scored his 8th penalty point in Jeddah (after he left the pit box while the red light was still on and was therefor unsafely released in front of Fernando) and is near a possible race ban if he gets to 12 before some of them expire

F1 Academy championship started and Doriane Pin absolutely dominated (she got double pole and double victory - although she got demoted to p9 after the second win for taking checkered flag twice) and not even this was a smooth ride, because they had to take two formation laps in the first race after the race control had a problem with the starting lights

fun facts and fan's point of view:

Ollie is the first driver in history to be on the grid with a driver - Fernando Alonso - who scored a championship when he was born

also important note i see nobody else speaking about, Ollie mentioned a point that is contradicting what Logan has been saying, which is that feeder series - namely F2 - prepares drivers well for stepping up into F1

Ollie also mentioned that before the race, he got a message from Seb as a good luck and it made him happy, because it's a driver he admires a lot

fun fact about Ollie's 2024 season so far: he has more points in F1 than he has in F2 currently

oh and since Lewis was there first to congratulate Ollie, he has been helping him out of the car after the demanding gp

Charles got himself a new Ferrari (and yes i thought it is his Pista because he got a similar customisation for this one)

Alex posted a photodump where he photoshopped Yuki (you need to see it)

Australian gp will have The Pride Hub ready for fans (in partnership with Racing Pride)

there was this long essay written on F1 and the way the rich world works called "Behind F1's velvet curtain" and the piece from Kate Wagner was taken down without a word although the writer was commisioned to write it and it looks like the highest figures and structures were included in the decision to take it down due to criticism of the sport (or more like the world of it)

Nico Rosberg made a new ad where he sings karaoke (he is never escaping the Britney allegations)

last note: Ollie has gotten so much support from other drivers and fans, it's beautiful to see (also his father David Bearman has been an absolute icon in the Ferrari garage the whole two days)

Charles met with an Italian singer Ultimo and signed his T-shirt

Oscar showed off his new helmet for his home gp and it's very pretty!!

[1000sassa1000]

Soils And Men  - 2013  

photo by Jody Jock

[transrevolutions]

sdv gender and sexuality headcanons based off their appearances and the very little I know about them:

alex: straightest straight boy energy. cisgender man. big jock but not homophobic about it. he/him.

elliot: gnc gay man. probably writes love poetry. he/they.

harvey: cis bisexual man. he/him.

sam: pansexual and very loud and proud. super into queer history. cis man. he/him.

sebastian: panromantic asexual trans boy, he/they.

shane: says he's straight but ~dabbles~. cis man, he/him.

abigail: lesbian, trans girl, she/her.

emily: bisexual, nonbinary demigirl, she/they.

hayley: same boat as shane, says she's straight but ~~is she?? cis girl, she/her.

leah: trans girl, she/they. biromantic with a preference for guys. asexual.

maru: technically cis gnc girl who collects pronouns like hairties. she/they/xe/ze. bisexual with a preference for girls.

penny: cis girl, questioning her sexuality

caroline: lesbian cis woman in an unhappy comphet relationship (pierre doesn't know), she/her

pierre: gay cis man in an unhappy comphet relationship (caroline doesn't know), he/him

clint: heteroromantic asexual cis man, he/him

krobus: aromantic asexual ???? gendered (he's a shadow monster) any/all

leo: gender???? sexuality??? what are those? he/him but really doesn't care.

demetrius: bisexual cis man, he/him

evelyn: straight cis woman, will bake rainbow cookies for pride tho, she/her

george: trans elder, he/him, straight.

gus: pansexual cis guy, he/him

jodi: trans woman, pansexual, she/her (kent doesn't know about the pansexuality)

kent: the picture of internalized homophobia (military guy), bisexual if he'd admit it to himself. he/him.

linus: aromantic asexual, cis guy, he/him

lewis: straight cis guy, you'd expect him to be homophobic but he's not. he/him.

marnie: cis woman, lesbian, she/her

pam: lesbian who grew up in a super conservative household, never has long term relationships because she's scared she'll go to hell. hooked up with marnie once, has avoided her ever since.

robin: bisexual, cis butch woman, she/her.

sandy: lesbian cis woman, she/her

willy: gay, cis man, he/him

rasmodius the wizard: genderfluid aromantic pansexual. caroline will occasionally hook up with her on days she's a girl (pierre doesn't know).

birdie: bisexual femme nonbinary person, likes being called 'wife' tho. she/they.

gil: gay cis man, he/him. marlon's longtime partner.

gunther: bisexual gnc cis man, he/him. drag queen.

marlon: gay trans man, he/him. gil's longtime partner.

morris: has a homoerotic rivalry with pierre. he/him.

mr qi: gender is a mystery. nobody knows mr qi's gender, least of all mr qi. any/all. has a thing with the ghost of the pc's grandpa.

professor snail: gay gnc man, he/him.

[winter-jay-official]

Pls... this game has taken over my life ik I don't talk about it but thats bc. Idk. But I want to knooowwww

Mutuals I want to know everyone's sdv opinions I'm nosy and everyone has drastically different opinions on anything

[ofmermaidstories]

mer *hands on shoulders* pls help me get excited about sdv bc I have the game on every single console I own but I have never been able to get into it but I DESPERATELY want to. pls sell the game to me 😭😭😭😭

hmmmmmmmMMM. do you like relaxing nice games that don’t stress you out? if you do don’t play. 💀 HOWEVER, if you like the rewarding satisfaction of arriving to a new town where everyone’s a dick to you and then stalk them into submission until they all universally love you, then have at it, i reckon. 😌 i like piddling around on my farm digging up acorns and pinecorns and smashing open random containers that wash up on the cove’s shores, so the early-game grind of like, setting up the farm so that it made enough money that i could do whatever i wanted without going broke was what kept me going with my second save! also restoring the community gave me something to like, remember to focus on, so if i got bored and dropped the game i still had that to recentre me. 🥹 i treat stardew like i treat animal crossing: new horizons—something fun to wander around in and pick up random things. i’ve only recently gotten the hang of combat, in the skull caverns—that adds something too, because i like trying to find prismatic shards (i’ve only found two so far 😔). but what else? 🧐 you can make mayonnaise and then drink it in front of npcs and they’ll be like “ew” or “what?” and it will make u laugh. 😌 and, of course, you can date!! people make a lot of noise over the dateables. there is an alcoholic called shane who is quite soggy and sad BUT if you get enough hearts with him you will be able to buy blue chickens. they have curly tail feathers!!! i like elliot, he lives on the beach and mopes on a bridge or reads in the library. there’s also a doctor called harvey you can date, he’s into airplanes! sebastian still lives at home with his mum and stepdad, but he rides a motorcycle. there’s emily and haley, they’re sisters—emily is older and likes crystals and mystical woo woo things and haley is mean LMAO, she treats you like DIRT until she starts warming up to you (she likes sunflowers and coconuts and pink cake). leah lives out in the forest and has the cutest house, she always decorates it for the season. 🥺 she’s an artist!!! she does a lot of sculpture. she’s also quite forward LOL. ummmm there’s sam, he’s a cutie, he does tricks on his skateboard. his little brother is my little bestie, i bribe him with snails and cranberry candy. maru is seb’s stepsister and tbh she seems like a true loner in the town—kinda isolated? but she works in the clinic with harvey and she likes using her telescope to see the stars. alex was my first love—he’s a jock, and he’s also mean when you first meet him LMAOOO. he likes summer and the beach and wants to go pro one day. you can give everyone in town gifts and birthday gifts—i like giving stuff to kent, the ptsd-riddled veteran who’s come back from what sounds like a P.O.W camp? he’s married to jodi—they’re sam and vincent’s parents! the mayor is kinda ok. you can find his boxers in his girlfriend’s room and if you wanna you can put them in the summer luau’s giant soup pot and make him really mad lmaooo.

if you have the game on pc, you’ll have the 1.6 update, which is meant to add so much to the game too, like new secrets and stuff. 🥺 im only on my switch so i haven’t been able to play with it but from what i’ve seen and read of the update, starting a new save with 1.6 is a whole new ballgame!!!!

[minisugakoobies]

If you had to cast all of the members in a reboot of Daria, who would they be?

-Bloobs

Bloobs, you brilliant butterfly, what a great question. Let's dive in. 💕

Daria - I went back and forth on this one for a while. Daria's sharp. She recognizes just how ridiculous existing is. She's deeply sarcastic and cynical. I was torn between Yoongi and Jin for Daria, but I think ultimately Jin's too animated (lol) for this character. So Yoongi it is.

Jane - So that freed Jin up to be Jane. Think about it: they're both very independent and very confident. Jane's just as witty and cutting as Daria but she's a lot louder about it. Plus, Jane and Jin are both the babies of their families. Also, they know how to rock a red blazer.

Quinn - Jimin. First thought best thought. Jimin's every bit as pretty as Quinn. He's also just as shrewd. One of the things I love about Quinn is how everyone underestimates her. But beneath that shiny veneer is a scheming mind, always calculating the best way to become the queen bee at school. We all know Jimin's a Slytherin. He's also a Quinn.

Kevin - Jungkook. I'm sorry, babe. 🤣 Kevin's not a bad guy (from what I remember), he's just not the brightest. He's a big dumb jock overflowing with energy and excitement and the desire to WIN. Please understand, I don't think Jungkook is dumb! But I think he could very easily slip into this role. (I know this gif isn't him playing football but like… look at him go 🤣)

Jodie - Had to be Namjoon. Overachiever, smart as fuck, determined to accomplish every goal she sets for herself. But also feels a lot of pressure to live up to her high standards. Even though she and Daria sometimes disagree, they still have tremendous respect for one another.

Trent - Come on. Taehyung, right? The dark hair and gravelly voice. A true visionary, devoted to his art. Always in his own world, but also easily distracted. Someone Daria would be drawn to even if it would never work.

Helen Morgendorffer - MILF HOBI I'M NOT EVEN SORRY

[terrainofheartfelt]

And the repeated Mary Oliver references???? This is a movie for the SAPPHICS okay

I have to say it: Jodie Foster is so HAWT in Nyad.