#joe mcgrath

[thisnoise]

Can you describe what it’s like? I feel nothing.

[uncoloredhearts]

So, I'm reading Wuthering Heights and I'm loving it. I've come across the news of a WH movie with Margot Robbie as Catherine and Jacob Elordie as Heathcliff (he is not white guys, that's a big part of the story!!) and mh... No. Just no.

So instead of studying for my upcoming exam I made a fancast (shhh don't judge me, I'm having a crisis)

Amar Chadha-Patel as HEATHCLIFF HEATHCLIFF

Or

Dev Patel

Katie Mcgrath as CATHERINE EARNSHAW

Or Florence Pugh (? Idk)

Joe Alwyn as EDGAR LINTON

Morfydd Clark as ISABELLE LINTON

Harry Collett as HARETON EARNSHAW

Or Barney Harris

Ellie Bamber as CATHY II

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST IMELDA STAUNTON AS MY GIRL NELLY

[dontirrigateme]

Last of the battle from the outskirts of Carentan

@1waveshortofashipwreck

[jaflazo]

"planet of the apes" "artists on tumblr" "photographers on tumblr" "supernatural" "vampire" "miraculous ladybug" "naturecore" "splatoon" "joe biden" "donald trump" "us politics" "cats of tumblr" "art" "one piece" "american politics" "photography" "painting"

"ts4" "ts4cc" "honkai star rail" "katie mcgrath" "kingdom hearts" "sonic the hedgehog" "genshin impact"

[bbcmerlinvault]

BBC Merlin segment of an episode of Blue Peter where host Helen Skelton helped film a segement of episode 1x10: The Moment of Truth. This was aired 8th October 2008. Not much of the actual filming is shown because The Moment of Truth didn't actually air until 22nd November 2008.

The full episode can be viewed here thanks to an upload from Blue Peter With Helen, Andy And Joel

[thena0315]

SVU Characters on Organized Crime

Main Cast & Recurring/Guest characters

[lenaluthorgays-blog]

Honestly am very excited for this

My main takeaway from the Agatha All Along finale is that Kathryn Hahn will be cracking jokes over Joe Locke’s shoulder for the entirety of Young Avengers and I could not be happier

[rockpaperscissuhs]

Band of Brothers Birthdays

January

1 John S. Zielinski Jr. (b. 1925)

21 Richard D. “Dick” Winters (b. 1918)

26 Herbert M. Sobel (b. 1912)

30 Clifford Carwood "Lip" Lipton (b. 1920)

31 Warren H. “Skip” Muck (b. 1922) & Robert B. Brewer (b. 1924)

February

8 Clarence R. Hester (b. 1916)

18 Thomas A. Peacock (b. 1920)

23 Lester A. “Les” Hashey (b. 1925)

March

1 Charles E. “Chuck” Grant (b. 1922)

2 Colonel Robert L. “Bob” Strayer (b. 1910)

4 Wayne “Skinny” Sisk (b. 1922)

10 Frank J. Perconte (b. 1917)

13 Darrell C. “Shifty” Powers (b. 1923)

14 Joseph J. “Joe” Toye (b. 1919)

24 John D. “Cowboy” Halls (b. 1922)

26 George Lavenson (b. 1917) & George H. Smith Jr. (1922)

27 Gerald J. Loraine (b. 1913)

April

3 Colonel Robert F. “Bob” Sink (b. 1905) & Patrick S. “Patty” O’Keefe (b. 1926)

5 John T. “Johnny” Julian (b. 1924)

10 Renée B. E. Lemaire (b. 1914)

11 James W. Miller (b. 1924)

15 Walter S. “Smokey” Gordon Jr. (b. 1920)

20 Ronald C. “Sparky” Speirs (b. 1920)

23 Alton M. More (b. 1920)

27 Earl E. “One Lung” McClung (b. 1923) & Henry S. “Hank” Jones Jr. (b. 1924)

28 William J. “Wild Bill” Guarnere (b. 1923)

May

12 John W. “Johnny” Martin (b. 1922)

16 Edward J. “Babe” Heffron (b. 1923)

17 Joseph D. “Joe” Liebgott (b. 1915)

19 Norman S. Dike Jr. (b. 1918) & Cleveland O. Petty (b. 1924)

25 Albert L. "Al" Mampre (b. 1922)

June

2 David K. "Web" Webster (b. 1922)

6 Augusta M. Chiwy ("Anna") (b. 1921)

13 Edward D. Shames (b. 1922)

17 George Luz (b. 1921)

18 Roy W. Cobb (b. 1914)

23 Frederick T. “Moose” Heyliger (b. 1916)

25 Albert Blithe (b. 1923)

28 Donald B. "Hoob" Hoobler (b. 1922)

July

2 Gen. Anthony C. "Nuts" McAuliffe (b. 1898)

7 Francis J. “Frank” Mellet (b. 1920)

8 Thomas Meehan III (b. 1921)

9 John A. Janovec (b. 1925)

10 Robert E. “Popeye” Wynn (b. 1921)

16 William S. Evans (b. 1910)

20 James H. “Moe” Alley Jr. (b. 1922)

23 Burton P. “Pat” Christenson (b. 1922)

29 Eugene E. Jackson (b. 1922)

31 Donald G. "Don" Malarkey (b. 1921)

August

3 Edward J. “Ed” Tipper (b. 1921)

10 Allen E. Vest (b. 1924)

15 Kenneth J. Webb (b. 1920)

18 Jack E. Foley (b. 1922)

26 Floyd M. “Tab” Talbert (b. 1923) & General Maxwell D. Taylor (b. 1901)

29 Joseph A. Lesniewski (b. 1920)

31 Alex M. Penkala Jr. (b. 1924)

September

3 William H. Dukeman Jr. (b. 1921)

11 Harold D. Webb (b. 1925)

12 Major Oliver M. Horton (b. 1912)

27 Harry F. Welsh (b. 1918)

30 Lewis “Nix” Nixon III (b. 1918)

October

5 Joseph “Joe” Ramirez (b. 1921) & Ralph F. “Doc” Spina (b. 1919) & Terrence C. "Salty" Harris (b. 1920)

6 Leo D. Boyle (b. 1913)

10 William F. “Bill” Kiehn (b. 1921)

15 Antonio C. “Tony” Garcia (b. 1924)

17 Eugene G. "Doc" Roe (b. 1922)

21 Lt. Cl. David T. Dobie (b. 1912)

28 Herbert J. Suerth Jr. (b. 1924)

31 Robert "Bob" van Klinken (b. 1919)

November

11 Myron N. “Mike” Ranney (b. 1922)

20 Denver “Bull” Randleman (b. 1920)

December

12 John “Jack” McGrath (b. 1919)

31 Lynn D. “Buck” Compton (b. 1921)

Unknown Date

Joseph P. Domingus

Richard J. Hughes (b. 1925)

Maj. Louis Kent

Father John Mahoney

George C. Rice

SOURCES

Military History Fandom Wiki

Band of Brothers Fandom Wiki

Traces of War

Find a Grave

[fandom]

Celebrities

Taika Waititi went up +69 this year. Nice.

Queen Elizabeth II

Joseph Quinn

Andrew Garfield

Tom Holland +3

Chris Evans -3

Taika Waititi +69

Oscar Isaac +32

Robert Pattinson +44

Misha Collins -5

Tobey Maguire

Joe Keery

Zendaya +7

Sebastian Stan -10

Jensen Ackles -9

Elon Musk +22

Pedro Pascal -15

Chris Pine

Rhys Darby

Neil Gaiman

Henry Cavill -12

Florence Pugh +20

Maya Hawke

Chris Pratt +12

Will Smith

Alex Hirsch +55

Johnny Depp +24

Kit Connor

Mads Mikkelsen -10

Ewan McGregor +28

Tom Hiddleston -24

Sadie Sink

Hayden Christensen

Dana Terrace

Hailee Steinfeld +29

Timothee Chalamet -11

Joey Batey +59

Matt Smith

Tom Sturridge

Dylan O’Brien +8

Katie McGrath -25

Joe Locke

Finn Wolfhard

Alfred Molina

Keanu Reeves -8

Noah Schnapp

Benedict Cumberbatch -4

Zoë Kravitz

Hugh Dancy -22

David Tennant -21

Elizabeth Olsen -33

Hayao Miyazaki +10

Natalia Dyer

Apo Nattawin

Charlie Cox

Tom Hardy -24

Paul Dano

Jamie Campbell Bower

Mile Phakphum

Jodie Whittaker

Sydney Sweeney

Chris Rock

Chris Hemsworth -22

Alexa Demie

Ryan Reynolds

Nichelle Nichols

Marilyn Monroe -17

Amber Heard

Barry Keoghan

Natalie Portman

Harvey Guillén

Selena Gomez

David Jenkins

Con O’Neill

Christopher Eccleston

Tessa Thompson +15

Simone Ashley

Jonathan Bailey

Jodie Comer +7

Walker Scobell

Bella Hadid -22

Wang Yibo -54

Betty White

Scarlett Johansson -58

Anne Hathaway

Emma Watson -9

Millie Bobby Brown

Jared Padalecki -76

Ana De Armas +3

Xiao Zhan -60

Oliver Stark -23

Bible Wichapas

Prince William

Angelina Jolie

Toby Fox

Jack Black

John Mulaney -84

Michael Sheen -42

Blake Lively

Ryan Guzman

Anya Taylor-Joy -68

The number in italics indicates how many spots a name moved up or down from the previous year. Bolded names weren’t on the list last year.

[irregularincidents]

A lot went wrong when it came to the filming of the 1967 "official" James Bond spoof Casino Royale (the producer who owned the rights to the story originally intended for a straight adaptation but decided to make it a comedy when Sean Connery wasn't avaliable), with a good chunk of the blame for the film's infamous failure landing at the feet of the actor Peter Sellers.

At the time at the height of his career, Sellers was under the impression that he was going to be in a serious adaptation of the story (much like his co-star David Niven) and demanded a $1 million fee (roughly a twelfth of the movie's budget), 3% of the box office, and a white Bentley on the first day of filming... all of which he got, which makes what happened AFTER filming started even more bizarre.

In one scene, for example, the action called for him to mistakenly shoot at another character when they startled him, only for Sellers to instead intentionally shoot co-star Jacqueline Bisset (credited as Jacky Bisset) in the face for a "joke".

As Bisset later recounted of the incident,

"Peter Sellers was horrible to work with," she said. "My first big role was Casino Royale, and I was supposed to enter the bathroom in a nightgown with a big bottle of champagne suggestively cradled in my arms, trying to seduce James Bond. As a sick joke, Sellers turned and fired a gun directly into my face. There was a blank in the gun and the burning gunpowder and shreds of the blank hit me directly in the face. First I thought I had actually been shot, and when I realised it had been a blank I thought I had been blinded. My face looked like a shower spout of pin pricks leaking blood. Everyone on the set could see that I had dozens of tiny wounds. Of course I dropped the bottle of champagne on my foot as well."

This incident wasn't what caused Sellers to eventually quit/get fired from the movie, however. This occurred due to the fallout of Sellers childishly deciding to start a one-sided feud with his co-star, le Chiffre actor Orson Welles.

Yes, that one.

After pressuring the filmmakers into hiring Welles in the first place, the deeply insecure Sellers immediately took offensive to how the rest of the cast and crew liked the legendary actor/director, as Joe McGrath, one of Casino Royale's FIVE directors put it: "[Sellers] was very insecure. Orson was quite a presence, but he was great fun and the crew loved him. Peter took exception to that."

Things came to a head when Sellers managed to convince Princess Margaret, sister of then Queen Elizabeth II, to come and visit the set. As McGrath explained,

"Princess Margaret came in and she did a curtsy to us all, and then we all bowed to her," McGrath said. "Then she passed Peter by and said: 'Hello, Orson, I haven’t seen you for days.' She sat between Peter and Orson and spent the whole time talking to Orson. That infuriated Peter."

Sellers responded to this perceived insult by attempting to bully Welles, making various comments about his weight, and once refusing to ride in an elevator with the man, claiming that doing so was a "safety hazard". Welles for his part, scathingly called Sellers an amateur for his childish antics on set.

Regardless, this eventually led to Sellers refusing to be in any scenes that also featured Welles, which considering how they were meant to be facing each other across table playing cards (the entire premise of the original story), McGrath rightly said that the situation was becoming ridiculous.

As he later recounted in an interview,

“He told me he would refuse to appear in the same shot as Orson. ‘You’re Peter Sellers; you’re a star,’ I said. He replied: ‘Yes but he is Orson Welles.’ I reminded him that he had asked for Orson and then told him, ‘this is ridiculous. You can’t get paid this enormous amount of money; ask for Orson Welles and then refuse to appear with him. Peter you are behaving like a spoilt child.’ He then punched me in the face and I hit him back in the face. “Afterwards, I met Peter Cook who said to me. ‘I hear you and Sellers had a punch up. I think this is the first instance ever of the fan hitting the shit.’ Isn’t that wonderful?”

Shortly after this, Sellers walked off the set and never came back, resulting in additional scenes having to be filmed with other actors due to there only being 30 minutes of footage that actually had usual footage with Sellers in it. The result was a mess, not helped by the script undergoing multiple rewrites by Sellers, David Niven and Woody Allen (yes, he's in the movie too), with entire new subplots involving additional agents all named James Bond to try and paper over the cracks in an already shaky story.

A year after the Sellers stormed off the set, he did send a written apology to McGrath for his behaviour... Which Sellers said was the only time that he ever apologised to anyone, not even the Bisset, the aforementioned actor he shot in the face for a joke.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Bad Boys: Ride or Die

There is an important lesson being taught here to filmmakers that step into a franchise they are fans of. Fans of a franchise can be the most devoted and best choice to continue on the franchise, but if they are not in service of the story, the characters or the identity of the franchise, then they aren't the right one to take it on. You cannot come in with your own biases, agendas or what your idea of what the franchise is. True fans of a franchise know this and take that lesson to heart and deliver an outstanding entry and that's what this directing duo has done yet again. The Bad Boys franchise has always been about the classic buddy cop relationship that keeps you engaged in between the amazing action. This franchise has a strong beating heart of love and fun at its core and this film keeps that heart pumping at a hardy pace. The previous film was a welcomed return that had its moments of flare, stylistic action and comedy, but it focused on the story and the humanity of the characters first. That same elegance of storytelling continues in this new entry and it may be a bit more kinetic, sometimes overwhelming, but it still lands strongly in the category of greatness.

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as our favorite dynamic duo Detective Lieutenant Mike Lowry and Detective Lieutenant Marcus Burnett and they haven't skipped a beat. The magnetic chemistry between them is what keeps you engaged and I loved that this film once again drives home that brotherly love they have for one another. Like the last film, they both deal with their mortality in a unique way as they are older now. Mike has an unexpected growth in personality and I loved that he isn't as perfect anymore. You see him deal with a personal disorder that he must overcome and it is pretty inspiring the way Will portrays it. Marcus gets a new lease on life and lets go of the whiney tone and actually has more pep in his step. In a sense, Mike and Marcus switched perspectives and role types as Marcus has become the more reckless and Mike has become the more cautious. I loved his spirituality which made for some great moments of comedy where Martin truly shined the brightest. Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig return as AMMO teammates Kelly and Dorn and they were both fantastic yet again. They weren't an after thought and they both were a powerhouse in the action and held their own when on screen with Mike and Marcus. Paola Núñez was awesome yet again and now as Captain of the Miami PD, Rita Secada. I loved her strength in the film and her chemistry with Mike and Marcus is still strong. Its a mild spoiler, but I hated the fact that her and Mike didn't end up together. Ioan Gruffudd was good as Adam Lockwood and its always great to see him on screen. Joe Pantoliano is always a welcomed face and seeing him as Captain Howard one last time was heartwarming. Jacob Scipio returns as Mike's son, Armando Aretas and he was just as badass and deadly. I liked the strained avenue that Mike and Armando go down as their father and son relationship is slowly being built. Eric Dane enters the franchise as the new threat and I liked him as James McGrath. He was cunning, quick and brutal and wasn't about world domination. I liked the history behind the character even if his motivation was a bit boring. Dennis Greene returns as Reggie McDonald and he has always been the butt of the joke in the past films since his iconic entrance. I loved that in this film, he finally earns respect and he becomes the MVP of the film in an amazing scene.

Composer Lorne Balfe returns with an absolute knockout of a score. Not only does he have his unique touch of intensity, but he continued to incorporate, modulate and evolve the iconic Bad Boys score and themes by original composer Mark Mancina. It drives me up the wall when composers don't use the iconic themes of a franchise and I loved that Lorne kept it alive and flowing throughout the film in multiple variations. The action in this film was top of the line and felt classical in its practical execution. It was gritty, bloody fun that had me smiling from ear to ear. There is a bridge sequence that leads to the iconic Bad Boys shot, but that scene felt a little disjointed and dizzying in the placement of characters. There is a feeling of finality to the franchise as it sort of gives a loving look back at the past films with fun parallels and role reversals. Directing duo Adil & Bilall truly love Bad Boys and it shows in every inch of the screen from the action, the character development and comedy. They have done a magnificent job in delivering an even better entry than the last and I can't wait to own the 4K Bluray. This is definitely the best action film of the year so far! Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[lenisoldi]

BoB character nicknames

Listed alphabetically Part 2

I am so sorry! Cobbs nickname is NOT cancer (he died because of cancer) I read it wrong!!!😭

Albert Blithe: Al

Alex Penkala Jr.: Penky

Antonio Garcia: Tony

Burton Christenson: Chris, Pat

Carwood Lipton: Lip

Charles Grunt: Chuck

Darrell Powers: Shifty

David Kenyon Webster: College boy, Web, Dave, Professor

Denver Randleman: Bull

Donald Hoobler: Don, Hoob

Donald Malarkey: Malark, Don

Earl McClung: One Lung

Edward Shames: Ed, Sob

Edward Heffron: Babe, Ed

Eugene Roe: Doc

Floyd Talbert: Tab

Francis Mallet: Frank

Frank Perconte: Perco

Henry Jones: Henk

Herbert Sobel: N/a

James Diel: Lee

James Miller: The “outlaw”

John Hall: Cowboy

John Martin: Johnny

John McGrath: Jack

Joseph Liebgott: Joe, Lieb

Joseph Toye: Joe

Kenneth Webb: Kenny

Lewis Nixon: Lew, Nix

Norman Dike: Foxhole Norman

Paul Rogers: Hayseed

Richard Winters: Dick

Robert Strayer: Bob

Robert Wynn: Popeye

Roderick Strohl: Rod

Ronald Speirs: Sparky, Ron

Roy Cobb: Cobb

Walter Gordon Jr.: Smokey

Warren Muck: Skip

Wayne Sisk: Skinny

William Dukeman: Buddy

William Guarnere: Gonorrhea, Wild Bill

William Kiehn: Bill

[allthingsfangirl101]

Love Test – Joe Keery

Inspired by Big Bang Theory S8 E16

Working on Fargo was an interesting experience. The cast was great, but I couldn't help but feel like they all knew something that I didn't. I've been doing the actors' hair and makeup so I have a lot of one-on-one time with each person.

Fargo was my first big job. Before this, I worked in my mom's salon, mainly doing the hair of sixty-year-old women. One of my clients knew someone who knew someone whose nephew worked with FX. Through the grapevine, my mom found out that FX needed a new makeup and hair person.

I get along fairly well with the cast, but there was always something a little awkward between me and one of the younger cast members: Joe Keery. I've seen him act in person and he's really good, but when we get one-on-one, the only thing we're able to do is maintain awkward small talk.

Barely.

"Y/N, are you coming?" David Rysdal asked.

I turned around to see a few of the cast mates walking into the makeup trailer.

"To what?"

"Party at my house!"Jon Hamm laughed.

"Oh," I laughed awkwardly.

"You're coming right?" Juno Temple asked.

"I'll stop by," I shrugged.

"Great!" Jon Hamm cheered. "See you tonight at 7."

I didn't want to go, but after 5 seasons, this season's cast has been putting in more of an effort to get me to hang out with them. I went home after we wrapped up for the day and put more work into making myself look good. When I showed up, the party was in full swing. Jon really did invite everyone on set.

Two hours and way too much drinking later, some of us were sitting around the coffee table, talking.

"Have you guys heard about this experiment to see if you could make two people fall in love in a matter of hours?" David asked.

"Hours?" I asked. "Is it even possible?"

"That's why it's an experiment, Y/N," Jennifer Jason Leigh scoffed.

"The participants ask each other a series of questions designed to promote intimacy. And they finish it off by staring into each other's eyes for four minutes," David quickly explained to lessen the awkwardness.

"We should try it!" Juno cheered as she bounced up and down.

"Y/N and Joe should try it," Jon said with a smirk that made me nervous.

"Us?" Joe and I said in sync.

I cleared my throat and added, "Why us?"

"Why not?" Juno smirked.

"I will text you both the questions," David said as he typed on his phone. I sighed when I got the message.

"You can use my office," Jon said. "It's right through there."

"Great," I mumbled under my breath. Joe and I shared a look. He stood up and reached his hand out for me to take.

"Shall we?" He asked, trying to sound light.

"Don't have much of a choice, it would seem."

It was extremely awkward as Joe and I walked into Jon Hamm's office. We sat down on the couch, neither one of us saying anything. I grabbed my phone and looked through the questions. Every single one I read, made me want the floor to open up and swallow me even more.

"Okay," Joe said as he turned toward me. "You ready?"

"I guess," I shrugged. I glanced up to see Joe looking at me weirdly. I cleared my throat and read the first question. "Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a diner guest?"

"Bing Crosby," Joe answered instantly.

"Really?" I asked. "Bing Crosby? Why?"

"I grew up watching White Christmas," Joe explained. "I've seen everything that Bing Crosby did. Also, my mom listened to his music all the time. He's the reason I went into acting."

"Oh," I said softly. "That's actually really sweet."

"Thanks," he smiled. "What about you?"

"Pat McGrath."

"Who?"

"She's a British make-up artist," I said, a blush forming. "Vogue called her the most influential make-up artist of all time. She's kind of like my idol."

"Did she inspire you to go into makeup?" He asked.

"A little," I shrugged. "My family did. My mom owns a hair salon back home. I got into makeup because I wanted to start a new business and connect it to my mom's salon. She'd do clients' hair and I'd do their nails and makeup."

"You didn't go into it," he said slowly. "Did something. . ."

"We had a falling out," I confessed when he didn't ask his question. "Technically my dad and I had a falling out. My mom was just an innocent bystander. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps of dental school while my mom wanted me to follow in hers. No matter what I did, one of them would be upset."

"I'm sorry," Joe said, his voice dropping.

I cleared my throat and looked at the list of questions. "Next question?"

"Next question," Joe nodded as he looked at his phone and read the list. "What would constitute a perfect day for you?"

"It's going to sound lame," I mumbled, messing with my fingers.

"Try me," Joe said gently as he lowered his phone.

"My perfect day would start with me sleeping in," I started to explain. "I'd wake up and put on an outfit that was comfortable but still made me look amazing."

I blushed as Joe smiled at me. Before I could wimp out, I kept talking. "I'd walk around a mall, sipping my favorite coffee drink, and go on a small shopping spree. Girly, but what can I say?"

"No judgment," Joe chuckled. "What else would you do?"

"I'd end the shopping spree at the bookstore," I confessed. "On the way home, I'd pick up my favorite dish at my favorite Italian place on Meaker."

"Girmaldis?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, a little shocked. "You know that place?"

"It's my favorite." This sudden tension that has been building since the cast put us in the spotlight, started to thicken between us. He cleared his throat before asking, "Anything else you'd do?"

"Just finish the night with binge-watching my favorite show," I said. "And then a bubble bath."

"Sounds amazing," he chuckled. "Although, I'm not much of a bath person."

"Then you've clearly never taken a good one," I teased.

"Guess not," he shrugged.

"What about you? What would your perfect day consist of?" I asked, the nerves still jumping around my stomach.

"Oh, it's super adventurous," he chuckled. "I'd sleep in and spend most of my day doing nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing," he confirmed. I thought about asking him more but didn't bother to push him.

Instead, I looked down at my phone and asked the next question. "What is something that makes you feel unstoppable?"

"Weirdly enough," he chuckled, "when I'm at one of my premieres. Especially if I'm proud of what I worked on. What about you? What makes you feel unstoppable, Y/N?"

"When I see a really hard makeup look that I did on the big screen," I said instantly. Joe just smiled at me before looking back at his phone.

"If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?"

"No social anxiety," I blurted. "I just. . . I mean. . ."

"It's okay," Joe said gently. "Not everyone likes being in big groups. Hell, even I get a little bit of anxiety when I'm on the red carpet."

"That's different," I mumbled, looking down at my hands.

"You're right," he said quickly. Joe leaned over and delicately put his hand over mine. I looked up to see him smiling at me. "I'm sorry. It's not the same thing. I wish I could help you with your social anxiety."

The tension was thick between us again. It didn't seem to go away as I said, "What about you? What quality or ability would you want?"

"Don't tease me too much," he smiled as he slowly pulled his hand back into his lap, "but I wish I was better at something, anything."

"What do you mean?"

"The only thing I feel like I'm good at is acting," Joe continued. "I wish there was something else I could do. It would be nice to have something I could fall back on when acting eventually doesn't work out anymore."

"Why are you so sure it won't work out for long?"

"Actors don't act forever. It'd be nice to have a safety net," he shrugged. Without another word, he read the next question. "What is something you consider too serious to joke about?"

"People's appearances," I said a little too quickly. He looked up at me, making my face burn.

"Did someone. . ."

"Your turn," I cut him off. "What is something that you think is too serious to joke about?"

"People's relationships," Joe said, his voice soft. "I always hate when guys talk about their girlfriends like they're objects. Some things should stay between the couple. A guy shouldn't share everything with his friends."

"That's. . . Sweet," I barely got out. I cleared my throat and looked at my phone. "How do you react to anger from others?"

"Doesn't really affect me, if I'm being honest. Especially if it had nothing to do with why they're angry," he shrugged. Joe's smile dropped when he saw the look on my face. He lowered his voice as he asked, "What about you?"

"I don't handle it well," I said softly. I looked at my hands and started picking at my nail polish.

"Y/N. . ." He whispered.

"My parents used to fight a lot," I continued, my voice shaky. "It was never my fault but. . . When they fought, I'd lock myself in my room and read or listen to music. They fought all the time. The only time they weren't fighting was when they were each at work. My mom was at her salon from opening to closing. My dad was at his dental office way past closing."

"I'm so sorry, Y/N," Joe said. He went to grab my hand but I grabbed my phone and read out the next question.

"Do you often listen to your intuition?"

"Not nearly enough as I should," Joe said with a small chuckle.

"Same," I said, still looking at my phone. "Last question. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone?"

"My feelings," he blurted out. I snapped my head up and looked at him.

"Your what?"

"I just. . . I have a tendency to keep my feelings to myself," he stuttered. "When I like a girl, I rarely tell her."

The tension was officially suffocating as we stared at each other. "What would you regret not saying?" Joe asked, his voice soft.

"I guess," I said slowly, "I'd regret not telling my parents how I really feel. I've never told them how much their fighting affected me. I should've been more honest with them."

"You still have the chance," he said gently. "Luckily, you're not going to die tonight so you can still talk to your parents."

"That's true," I said softly. "That also means that you can still tell a girl you have feelings for her."

The second I said it, my face burned. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't form the words.

"What's next?" Joe asked.

"Well, we finished the questions so now we stare into each other's eyes for four minutes," I said, clearing my throat. I grabbed my phone and set a timer. "Go."

I looked up, my heart instantly jumping into my throat as Joe and I made eye contact. The longer we stared at each other, the harder it was to not look away.

"Wow," Joe chuckled. "This is kinda. . ."

"Awkward," I whispered.

"But, to be honest, this has been working."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I mean, the questions got us to open up to each other. And staring into each other's eyes forms a. . ."

"Connection," I said under my breath.

"Connection," he agreed. I hadn't realized we were getting closer until our noses touched. By the time I realized it, Joe had made the first move.

My heart jumped into my throat when Joe gently pressed his lips to mine. Time froze as we slowly began moving our lips in sync. As slow as we initiated the kiss, we broke it.

"Well," I whispered, "I guess the experiment works."

"Something tells me this is exactly why the others had us do this experiment," Joe whispered.

"You're damn right!" Jon yelled from the other side of the door, making Joe and I laugh.

"Leave them alone!" Juno chastised. "If you want them to get together, you can't interrupt their moments."

"Oh boy," I sighed. Joe gently grabbed my chin, making me look at him. I blushed as he leaned in and kissed me again.

"Hey," Joe whispered, breaking the kiss. "Let's get out here."

[vintagelasvegas]

Friday night flight through bars of Fremont East. Jaybyrd Films.

The buildings on the 500-block of Fremont Street date from the 30s-50s when Fremont was the economic and retail core of the city. Anchored by a Sears that stood across the street at 601 Fremont, the JC Penney's chain built 520 Fremont in '52. In that same year Joe Shoong and Richard Tam's National Dollar Store built 501 Fremont.

Retail and service business slowly abandoned downtown Fremont Street in the 60s-80s as the city spread out into new neighborhoods. Sears closed in '65, Penny's in the late 70s.

Beauty Bar, opened May 2006 at 517 Fremont, was the first of what would become the current bar and live music scene, followed by The Griffin later that year. The City of Las Vegas developed plans for Fremont East District, budgeting $5.5 million on widening the sidewalks, adding a median, creating neon signs and an archway over the Las Vegas Blvd entrance. The signs completed the project in summer 2007.

The flight path of the video passes through:

Park on Fremont, 506 Fremont, built in '56.

Discopussy, 512 Fremont, built in '58, formerly retail clothing Leeds, Eatons, Bartnetts.

Lucky Day, 516 Fremont, built in '51 for Leeds.

We All Scream and Cheapshot, 517 Fremont. The date for this building is unclear. It's seen in '72 as Herb & Marv's Menswear.

La Mona Rosa, 100 S. 6th, and Commonwealth 525 Fremont. City Laundry & Dry Cleaner opened the 6th St location in the 30s, and expanded with the construction of 525 Fremont in '43.

David McGrath Schwartz. Fremont Revival Sought. Review-Journal, 7/2/2006; David McGrath Schwartz. Plans Advance for Fremont East. Review-Journal, 12/21/2006; Dressing Up Downtown. Review-Journal, 6/30/2007; Fremont East District Gets a Face-Lift. Review-Journal, 7/1/2007.

[bullet-prooflove]

Past Mistakes - Part Twenty Two: Perfect - Mike Duarte x Reader (Feat: Joe Velasco)

Tagging: @mysoulisasunflower @resonmalvo @littleone65 @thesandbeneathmytoes @mydarkestsecretlol @evee87 @wooshwastaken @hearthockey @justreblogginfics @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @rosaliedepp @thatesqcrush @storiesofsvu @whateversomethingbruh @burningpeachpuppy @legit9thlunaticwarrior @kiwiithecrazybird @spooky-pomegranate @telepathay @weiwei0210 @spaghettificationandpretzels @plaidbooks @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @withakindheartx

Past Mistakes Series:

Part One: Try - Mike turns back up in your life after three years apart.

Part Two: Hope (NSFW) - Mike and you get reaquainted.

Part Three: California - Mike and you discuss the past.

Part Four: Favours - Mike asks Liv for a favour.

Part Five: Choices - Mike comes face to face with someone from his past.

Part Six: Truth Hurts - Mike begs you to tell him the truth about what happened three years ago.

Part Seven: Sharing - Mike and Joe have a conversation.

Part Eight: Buried - Mike discovers that McGrath’s misdeeds go far futher than he thought.

Part Nine: Complicated - Mike discusses moving forward.

Part 10: Feral - Mike returns to the apartment to find you’ve disappeared.

Part Eleven: Torture - You wake up in the basement.

Part Twelve: Fire - You and Joe discuss moving forward.

Part Thirteen: Lost Time - You and Mike get real on his porch.

Part Fourteen: Plan B - Mike always has a plan B.

Part Fifteen: Proud - Mike tells you how proud he is of what you’re doing.

Part Sixteen: Mattituck (NSFW) - You show Mike how much you love him.

Part Seventeen: Seven - Joe makes a discovery.

Part Eighteen: Patterns - Benson and Murphy discover the reality of McGrath’s misdeeds.

Part Nineteen: Mike & Nora - Joe learns the story of your relationship.

Part Twenty: Bad News - Joe calls Mike with bad news.

Part Twenty One: All The Way - You and Mike make a decision regarding your futures.

The only unofficial mail that Joe receives in his SVU pigeon hole are postcards from you. Today’s is of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Franisco, before that it was L.A and before that San Diego.

See you in Las Vegas! You’re written in your cursive scrawl. It arrives in an envelope with a hand drawn wedding invitation, something you’ve sketched on the back of a pink napkin. He can’t help but laugh because if there’s anything you and Mike aren’t, it’s conventional.

It’s been six months since Duarte retired from the Gang Unit, he’d taken his Mustang and you on the road trip that you had always talked about. Joe’s got a drawer full of postcards from the two of you, he can’t explain how much each and everyone means to him. What the three of you had been through had created a bond that was forged in fire and blood, a connection that stretches over the distance.

He takes his pen and ticks yes on the RSVP section of the invitation before snapping a picture and sending it to you. You respond with a heart emoji almost immediately and Joe books his plane ticket the next day.

***

When Joe arrives in Las Vegas, it’s you that’s waiting for him at the airport.

The three of you had gotten close in the aftermath of the investigation. He’d visited you and Duarte a handful of times before the two of you departed. You'd had stayed up most of the night shooting the shit, it had gotten deep at some points.

Joe had found himself discussing his life in Juárez, how he’d been recruited into a gang, send to Fortworth to perform a hit, that he’d run away to New York when he couldn’t do it. He’d told you both his secrets and in turn you’d shared yours. You’ve both lived in the darkness, endured it the same way he had. It makes the difference being around people understand what it’s like to carry that.

"Mike’s picking up the marriage licence." You tell him at the airport. 

You look good, healthy. You move with a confidence he isn’t used to seeing in you, you’re more relaxed, more grounded these days.

When the three of you sit down for dinner Joe notices that Mike seems to smile a lot more, he laughs with his whole body instead of that wry, suppressed chuckle. He realises he’s seeing the man that Mrs Evaristo talked about, the one that was happy, in love.

The place you’ve chosen to get married is the Glass Gardens Chapel, a stunning indoor themed venue with plush living trees lining the aisle and a glass ceiling that resembles the sky. It’s beautiful, Joe has never seen anything like it.

A smirk plays across Mike’s features when he sees Joe’s reaction.

“Did you think we’d be getting married by Elvis?” He teases the other man as he adjusts the cuffs of his suit jacket.

“It is a Vegas wedding.” Joe shoots back before taking up his position alongside Mike, his hands clasped in front of him.

Mike clears his throat as they wait for the music to begin.

“Thank you for including me in this.” Joe says, straightening his spine. “It means a lot to me that you asked me to be a part of it.”

Mike inclines his head towards Joe.

“You helped make this happen.” Mike says quietly. “That night I was planning to run, you were right. We would have spent the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders, it would have killed her. Now she’s free and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as happy as she is today.”

“Give it a few more minutes and I’m sure that’ll change.” Joe teases before he tilts his head towards the entrance.  

The music starts to play, and Joe recognises the song ‘Home’ by the Magnetic Zeroes. It’s perfect, he thinks as you appear in the doorway.

Absolutely perfect.

Love Mike Duarte? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Want more Mike? Check out his Masterlist here!

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[thena0315]

Octavino Pisano, Molly Burnett and Terry Serpico filming on April 17, 2023