#man I wish I got to meet the Freddy voice actor

[clowneryandshenanegans]

“Never meet your hero’s” dude I haven’t even met a single one of my hero’s and like 80% of them have already let me down

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

“Let’s keep this between the two of us” smut with Rami

Your brother’s best friend, Jack, was a trust fund baby, so he always threw the best parties at his loft in Brooklyn. It wasn’t unusual to see celebrities, athletes, or the occasional popstar, but most of the time, you never knew who they were. Work kept you busy, and you had little interest in keeping track of anyone’s life but your own.

Jack’s parties were something you looked forward to because you knew most of his friends, and your brother was always in attendance. You knew he would never let anything bad happen to you. Jack’s loft became the perfect place to let loose and to usually meet a hookup who never expected more from you than what you were willing to give.

A relationship just wasn’t something you were looking for right now. Being independent made you feel electric because every success you had was solely attributed to your own hard work. You weren’t ready to share your life with just anyone, but … you were only human. A hard-to-ignore craving for intimacy was what drove you out to Jack’s and into the arms of a very sexy stranger.

By the time you got to Jack’s, the loft was crowded. You texted your brother to let him know you were there, then made your way to the bar to play catch up.

“Hey, sis,” your handsome brother said as he pressed a kiss to your temple.

“How’s the crowd tonight?”

“Depends what you’re looking for.”

“You know why I’m here,” you said as you squeezed a lime into your gin and tonic.  

Your brother narrowed his eyes and took a swig of his IPA.

“Do you trust me?”

“On the assumption that I’ve forgiven you for trying to convince 10-year-old me I was adopted, yeah … I trust you.”

“God. You were such a little witch that year.”  

You chuckled and downed your drink, sliding it across the counter for the bartender to refill.

“Being a little girl is tough,” you defended.

“Mmm,” your brother said with a roll of his eyes. “Table how tragic your young life was for a night. I want you to meet someone.”

“Really?”

“I know. But he’s … there’s just something about him that I think you’ll like.”

You shrugged, fixed your drink once again, and slipped off the stool.

“Take me to him—wait, you’re not making a commission if we hookup, right? Because I will totally turn you over to that pimp with missing teeth who works this neighborhood to ensure your ass gets kicked.”

Your brother laughed and took you by the arm, bending to your ear to say, “You’re still such a witch.”

“Love you, too,” you said grinning up at him.

But that grin was knocked right off your face when you heard the husky laughter of the man your brother stopped in front of.

He was … gorgeous: flawless brown skin, curly, black hair, and a pair of polychromatic eyes that seemed to tease that their owner knew everything there was to know in the world, and maybe, if you were good, he’d let you in on the secret.

“Rami, this is my sister, Y/N.”

“Hi,” Rami said, elongating the “i” as if the two of you were old friends.

“Hi,” you returned, in a voice so unlike your normal tone that your brother snorted.

You elbowed him (more gently than not) in the ribs without ever taking your eyes off the bewitching man in front of you.

“Your brother’s told me a lot about you.”

“Has he now?” you said, turning your attention away from Rami to raise your brow at your sibling.

“All good and intriguing things, I assure you,” Rami said with a smile as he raised his glass to his lips.

His very full, lovely lips that seemed more and more familiar as you studied his face.

“You’ve got that look,” Rami said, almost a little sadly.

“I’m … sorry,” you said, uncertain of what he meant.

“I’m an actor.”

“Freddie!” you said, snapping your fingers as the realization finally cemented itself in your mind.

“That look,” Rami repeated as he took another drink.

“I’m sorry—I don’t keep up with a lot of pop culture, but I did see Bohemian Rhapsody. I’d rather go for a run or, well, try to sleep if I’ve got time on my hands.”

“A girl after my heart, then,” Rami said with a soft laugh. “Sleep is something I sure as hell took for granted in my youth.”

“Wasn’t it amazing? You’d just go to bed, every night, without care, and sleep like the dead. Wake up the next day, refreshed and ready to go. I miss that.”

“As engaging as this conversation is, I think my job here is done,” your brother said, startling you because you’d forgotten he was even there.

“No commission. You need to keep those pearly whites intact,” you teased, smiling wider at the quizzical expression that appeared on Rami’s face.

“She’ll fill you in, I’m sure,” your brother said before pulling you in for a side hug and whispering to text him later.

You and Rami watched him walk away before you turned your attention back to each other, both of you smiling with an almost-juvenile, shy liking.

As it turned out, your love for a good night’s sleep was only one of the many things you had in common. Hours of conversation and a few drinks passed as you got to know each other and just after midnight, you found yourself in an Uber, headed back to your place as Rami’s fingers drummed on your knee.

He either did this a lot, and you, in particular, made him nervous, or he didn’t do this often enough, so the situation made him nervous.

But there was also something that was just generally jittery about him, like he had too much energy packed into his small frame. You wondered if that energy was something he had in the bedroom, which hopefully, you weren’t going to have to wonder about for too long.

As soon as you shut the door to your apartment, Rami’s hands were on your hips, pressing you back against the door.

“Hi,” he said, again, this time his voice a sultry whisper

“Hi,” you answered, grinning at him, barely able to see anything other than his too-white teeth in your dark apartment.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, his alcohol-sweetened breath warm as it puffed across your lips.

You grabbed him by the front of his shirt and connected your mouths.

If Rami was half as good with his fingers or his cock as he was with his tongue, you were going to have to send your brother the biggest Edible Arrangement money could buy.

Rami kissed with the same intensity that was hidden in his eyes. He worked over your lips with his teeth and his tongue and had you panting before he even entered your mouth. When he finally did slide his tongue between your lips, your knees almost buckled.      

When he gave you a moment to breath, you didn’t let him get too far. You sucked in his bottom lip, biting it just a little before releasing it.

“I want you.”

Rami moaned and leaned in, but before you let him kiss you again, you kicked off your heels and grabbed his hand to lead him down the hall to your bedroom.

The soft light that filtered in from the front of your apartment provided just enough visibility to let you see each other with clarity.

You pushed Rami onto the bed and he propped himself up on his elbows to watch as you undressed, those big eyes of his examining you like he was committing this moment to memory.

You stopped when you got to your bra and panties and fixed him with a smile.

“You’re gorgeous,” he said, his voice dark and seductive.

You crawled onto his lap and pushed him flat as you kissed him, deep and thorough. You could feel his hard dick through the thin barrier of your panties and his trousers. His hands roamed your body freely, grasping your ass, sliding along your waist, and massaging your breasts. When you pulled back, he was breathless, his eyes still closed so you pressed a kiss to each lid.

“Your eyes are … soul searing,” you said, unable to stop the genuine compliment from tumbling out of your mouth.

“I’ve taken a lot of shit for them over the years.”

“Mmm,” you hummed a bit dismissively. “And I’m sure you’ve gotten quite a few girls because of them.”

Rami laughed, “You don’t miss a thing, do you?”

“No—now get naked for me,” you said as you rolled off of him and imitated his earlier position.

With another laugh, Rami sat up, then stood.  

“As you wish,” he said as he shrugged out of his blazer, letting it lay rumpled on the floor.

He bent down to untie his shoes next and you watched with a grin as he awkwardly stepped out of them. The way you undressed may have been done much more smoothly, but Rami owned every movement his body made and that kind of confidence made him pussy-saturatingly sexy.

By the time he was hooking his fingers into his boxer-briefs to finally shuck them off and stand naked before you, your mouth was dry because every water molecule in your body had gone straight between your legs.

You sat up and reached back to unhook your bra, watching as Rami’s cock grew even harder at the sight of your bare chest.

“Show me how pretty you are,” he commanded softly as he slowly slid his eyes from your chest to your panty-clad center.

You pushed off your soaked underwear and under Rami’s intense gaze, you spread your legs.

“Wow,” he uttered as he stepped forward and hooked his arms under your thighs to scoot you back onto the bed.

He pressed sweet kisses to your lower abdomen and along the tops of your thighs, and as he moved closer to your aching center, you said, “I’m ready. I don’t need—”

“I don’t care,” Rami said pointedly as he cut you off, pressed his strong hands to your inner thighs, and slid his tongue from perineum to clit with a slow, lewd lick.

Some inhuman noise escaped your throat as you watched him, his eyes locked on yours as you he licked up your arousal, swallowed, and began eating you out like you needed it.

Never had you come so fast and so hard with a brand new lover, and you were certain Rami’s scalp was going to hurt in the morning from the way you pulled on his hair as you came undone.

He let your breathing even out as he pressed wet, soft kisses up your stomach and across your chest, teasing your nipples as his hands pushed your breasts together.

“Rami, Rami, Rami,” you moaned, reaching down to grasp his cock, still half out of your mind from your incredible orgasm.

“Do you need me, baby?” he whispered against your neck.

“Yes. I need you,” you answered.

You issued a whimper as the heat of his body pulled away and he slid off the bed, digging into his wallet for a condom.

Watching him put the condom on pulled you out of your lust haze long enough to realize you wanted to fuck him properly. You moved up and onto your knees, and when Rami got back in bed, you pushed him onto his back.

There was no need for anything more than a kiss before you lowered yourself onto his cock, and it was Rami’s turn to groan.

“You feel so good, Y/N,” he growled as you rode him slowly, rising up to the tip of his cock before sliding down to take all of him inside of you.

Base to tip, you tortured him, until you started to grind down against him, swirling your hips and making his eyes roll back.

“Fuck, baby. So fucking good.”

“Rami?”

“Yeahbaby,” he slurred in answer.

“I want you to come on my tits.”

Rami’s eyes popped open and he pulled his lower lip between his teeth, fixing you with a searing look.

“Tell me when you’re close, yeah?” you panted as you continued to alternate between grinding on him and bouncing.

“Fuck, Y/N. I’m fucking close.”

You popped off of him and he pushed you back, scrambling to pull off the condom and to situate himself over your tits. He pumped his cock, his mouth falling open as he cursed through his intense orgasm.

You pushed your tits together and arched your back as his hot cum splattered over your chest, onto your neck, and the last of it, onto your stomach.

“Oh my god,” he panted, his hands coming to rest on either side of your body as he looked over his handiwork.

He ran a finger down your sternum, smearing his cum until he dipped into your belly button, making you giggle.

“Remind me to buy your brother a car in the morning,” Rami mumbled, his voice thick and his words slow.  

“Better yet, let’s just keep this between the two of us,” you suggested. “Just in case … there’s a follow-up.”

“Oh, there will be a follow-up, and then another, and another,” Rami said, as he moved off the bed, picking up the used condom from where it had landed.

“Bathroom?”

“Through there,” you said as you pointed above your head.

Rami disappeared and you winced as the bright light of the bathroom flooded into the bedroom. Soon, he returned with a damp towel and the bed dipped as he reached over your torso to swipe up as much of his mess as he could see.

You took the towel from him and got what he missed as he collapsed onto his back.

“I was just going to send him an Edible Arrangement.”

Rami laughed and ran a hand through his hair, his curls an absolute wreck, which made him look schoolboy-charming as he grinned.

“I’m not worth a car?”

“Well, the night is still young,” you said, returning his grin.  

“Is that so?” Rami questioned as he rolled on top of you and lowered his mouth to nibble along your jaw.

Your giggles gave way to soft sighs as you wondered if maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to give up a little independence if Rami was what you got in return.  

Tagging my posse: @ramimedley @clumsybookworm18 @r-ahh-mi @aboutthatmelancholystorm @alottanothing @sherlollydramoine @txmel @diasimar @hah0106 @free-rami @rami-malek-trash @ramisgirl512 @dancing-disco-deacy @s-k-y-w-a-l-k-e-r @breadnbutternips

[gii-heylittleangel]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! The best holiday of the whole year, in my very humble opinion.

I’m so happy I managed to finish this fic to post it today because I really wanted to post it. This is just Charlie and Dean being their usual dork selves and going to a Halloween party in matching costumes. I hope y’all enjoy it and that you have a nice holiday!

Read it on AO3 or keep reading it here.

Dean was pacing up and down in his apartment, waiting for Charlie to show up. He checked and rechecked his costume a thousand times, fixing a thing or another every time he passed by the mirror—even when there wasn’t anything to fix it. Time didn’t pass fast enough and Dean was just about to finish the whole candy bowl—supposedly for the trick-n’-treating kids and that would probably make him sick later that night, but he was too anxious to care.

He was excited for the party and excited for his and Charlie’s costume: Dean so wanted to have everyone turning around to check their costume because it’ll be the coolest. Having two other friends go with them would be a lot better but no one wanted to go; everyone had other plans or said they didn’t like Halloween—e.g. Sam—so they ended up saying screw it and going just the two of them.

When the doorbell finally rang, Dean basically ran to it, throwing it open to see Charlie dressed just like him: a beige jumpsuit, a black tag with their name written in red, a very detailed backpack, with wires and lights, a belt and black gloves, just like the Ghostbusters. The only difference between their costumes was the name: Dean’s said “Winchester” while Charlie’s read “Bradbury”.

When she walked into the apartment, Charlie’s excitement was easily seen in her smile and it matched Dean’s exactly. She went straight to the candy bowl, without even saying hello, and searched for something in it.

“Oh, come on, man, you ate most of the Twixes already. You know they’re my favourites.”

Dean sighed while he rolled his eyes. “There’s more in the cupboard,” he pointed to the kitchen. “You know where to find it.”

Charlie smiled broadly before making her way to where Dean pointed. “That’s why you’re my best friend.”

“And you’re mine ‘cause you always save M&M’s for me.”

“Damn right I do.” Charlie walked back with a couple of Twixes and two packets of M&M’s, which she threw to Dean.

“So, just the two of us in the end, huh?”

“Yeah. Jo, Kevin, Meg, and Lisa insisted on not coming and the rest didn’t even answer me. Something on your end?”

“Nope,” Dean popped a few chocolates in his mouth. “Benny, Sam, Cas, Eileen, no one wanted to go, all saying they had better things to do. Not even Ash wanted. He said costume parties are lame and that we’re lame for going to one.”

“Now that’s just mean,” Charlie took a bite of her chocolate, sprawling herself on Dean’s couch. “They’ll all gonna be so jealous when we tell them how amazing it was, regretting their decision of not going.”

“They are too lame for that. They won’t even realize how cool it was.”

Dean took over the other couch, eating his own candy while he and Charlie chatted before it was time for them to leave—he wished he could just get there as soon as possible, but he knew there wasn’t going to be anyone there yet and so they wouldn’t have much to do. 

With Charlie there, though, the clock moved faster as they talked, and soon was time for them to finally leave. The party was close and they decided walking was better than taking their cars; Charlie would probably spend the night in Dean’s apartment anyway and neither of them wanted to risk driving back drunk if they ended up drinking.

Seeing all the kids knocking on the houses as they trick-n’-treated also made their walk be more fun; it allowed them to comment about all the costumes they saw, rating them on what they thought were the best concepts to judge: coolness, if it was based on a movie/book/show, if it was a costume they would wear themselves, and if it was cooler than their own—no other costume won over theirs.

The house the party would be at could be seen from the other end of the street; there were tons of decoration on the outside, carved up pumpkins—most of which the own guests carved up earlier that week—spider webs, made-up tombstones, fake skeletons scattered around the golden grass, and a few fairy lights put on the trees. It looked beautiful and very cadaverous, perfect for what Dean was sure was going to be an amazing party.

There were already half a dozen or so people inside, but more were arriving every minute. Dean and Charlie paid attention to every little detail, from the others’ costumes to the decoration inside the house—because just the outside wouldn’t be enough. Even the food and the drinks represented Halloween; there were some foods in cauldrons, steam rising up from the liquid inside; the cupcakes were decorated with zombies, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and any other monster Dean could think of; he even saw ice cubes with spiders, roaches and tiny skulls inside them. 

He had to give it to the owners of the party: they knew how to throw a party.

As they walked deeper into the house, Dean was able to see more of the decoration: there were monsters scattered around the rooms, looking so real that Dean was sure one was going to jump on him before the end of the night. There were spider webs inside the house too and the lights were just enough for him to be able to see his surroundings. Even the bathroom was decorated: some mirrors had red writing on them, while others had an almost translucent image, making it seem as if a spirit was right behind you.

Once they finally finished looking the whole house and checking some of the costumes—Charlie insisted on both, saying she wanted to see if someone would have a cooler costume than theirs—they went after food and people, getting to know a few amazing people and finding out the food tasted amazing.

The two of them soon got glued to a group of five people who shared a lot of their interests—they were all dressed as one of the main characters from Scooby-Doo, so they won Dean’s heart easily. They played all the games available, going against each other or against another group—and winning, of course. 

When it was around 11p.m., the hosts announced a horror movie marathon but with a twist: actors and actresses came from the shadows to scare you when there was a jump scare in the movie, sometimes simply appearing right behind you, their voices on your ear. Dean hated to admit it, but he jumped every time someone scared him and sometimes when someone else got scared and screamed. Still, it was one of the best horror movie marathons Dean ever had and they all finished the last Friday 13th movie laughing.

Some of the actors and actresses stayed for the rest of the party—which didn’t last long, considering the fact that it was almost five in the morning and everyone was tired—and Dean got entertained talking to one of the actors who pretended to be Freddy Krueger, one of Dean’s favourite horror villains. They got along pretty well and they had just exchanged numbers when Charlie came after him, her eyes practically closed from sleep, and begged Dean for them to go—and Dean, being an amazing friend and tired as hell too, complied.

He waved goodbye to the actor—Nicolas Broughton—before crossing the door, one arm around Charlie’s shoulders while she kept one of hers around Dean’s waist. They supported the other as they walked to Dean’s apartment, talking about the party, what they liked the most, but mostly about the people they talked to; Charlie said she had an amazing time with the girl dressed as Velma and that they agreed to meet sometime the next week for a coffee; Dean told her about Nicolas and that they had a lot of in common, especially about horror movies and books and that Dean hoped to keep in touch with him.

When they got to the apartment, they were both exhausted and wanting nothing more than to sleep. Dean and Charlie took each a side of Dean’s mattress and dragged it to the living room, settling it in front of the TV. All of Dean’s pillows and three blankets for them—because Charlie had a tendency of stealing Dean’s blanket during the night. The only two other things they did were change their costumes for their PJs and brush their teeth before falling on the mattress.

Still, for Dean, it was the best Halloween party he had ever had.

[dontmindthefangirling]

Broken Nose {t.h.}

Tom Holland x Female Reader

Summary: You’ve just gotten a new job as an on-set medic for Spider-Man: Far From Home to be on stand by for any injuries that may occur during stunts. When the star of the movie, Tom Holland, breaks his nose from a particularly bad fall, you fix his broken nose but can he fix your broken heart?

Warnings: mention of blood, swearing, Tom getting hurt :(

Disclaimer: I do not know Tom Holland personally or in any capacity or any of -the staff of Spider-Man Far From Home

series masterlist

-

A soft breeze pushed your hair out of your face as you hoisted your bag onto your shoulder. It was a particularly sunny day in New York, and you were sweating a little in your tactical pants and New York Emergency Medical Services polo. Your partner had just finished making sure the ambulance was gassed up, and you were ready to go. 

You climbed into the passenger seat, and pulled your sunglasses down. You were a little nervous, but not as nervous as you imagined that you would be. You’ve dealt with all sorts of patients, as working in New York definitely comes with some odd-ball cases. Last week, you and your partner, James, had to transport a patient with a branch impaled in his arm. 

But these patients were movie stars. What if you messed up and you ended up scarring their perfect faces?

“Ready?” James asked, looking over to you. You smiled at him and nodded. 

“Ready.”

As you pulled out of the station, you thought back to when your company got a particularly unusual call. Apparently, the new Spider-Man movie was being filmed in the city, and a few of the producers were worried about potential injuries. There was a law suit from a previous stuntman in a recent blockbuster movie and it was all over the news about how the lack of emergency medical care led to the stuntman suffering nerve damage in his arm. 

The producers of Spider-Man must have wanted to be prepared in case something like that happened to them. 

You didn’t blame them. All sorts of things could go wrong in a risky stunt. It was better to be safe than sorry. 

Besides, you could use the extra pay. Living in New York was expensive, and although you had this job as a paramedic, you were applying to medical school at NYU in the next year and the thought of paying for tuition made you sick. 

“Whatcha thinking about?” James asked, glancing at you before looking back at the road. 

“Nothing,” you said and smiled at him. 

“Excited to meet some famous people?” James teased with a grin.

You shrugged. “Definitely different from the usual crowd of patients.”

James chuckled. He was a little older than you, in his mid twenties, and he had been doing this job a long time. He trained you to become one of the best paramedics in the city, and he acted like a big brother. He was always looking out for you, in and out of the field. 

Only a few minutes later, you were approaching the gated off complex where filming must have been occurring. You were stopped at the gate by two security guards, but you both flashed your paramedic licenses and the card that the producers gave you before you arrived. 

The gates opened and you were in. 

-

“You guys will be set up over here,” Mike, one of the producers’ assistants, said leading you and James to a medical tent set up outside of the set. Your ambulance was parked in the back for easy access in case someone got seriously injured, but neither of you were expecting that to happen. If anything, the worst thing you were probably going to see was a fracture or two. 

“Great, thanks,” James said, setting his go-bag on the table and heading around the back. 

You let out a sigh as you sat down in one of the two chairs provided for you.

“Don’t tell me you’re tired already,” James chuckled as he double-checked that you had splinting bandages in the go-bag. 

“I’m just preparing,” you said.

People walked by the medical tent, looking important with their earpieces and clipboards. Costumes were wheeled by on carts along with expensive-looking lighting equipment. 

“Ever been on a movie set before?” James asked you as you both watched the hustle and bustle of everyone around you.

“Nope, you?” you asked, looking over at James.

“Once.”

You looked at James, narrowing your eyes and trying to read his face for seriousness. 

“You’re lying.”

James grinned. “Caught me.”

A figure in the corner of your vision caught your eye and you turned just as Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon approached your table. You and James stood from your seats.

“Hey,” Tom said with a friendly smile, his English accent was stronger than you were expecting. “We heard that the medic team had arrived so we figured we would come introduce ourselves.”

“I’m Tom,” the actor said, sticking his hand out to James first. 

“Oh, I know who you are,” James said with a dopey grin on his face. You almost laughed out loud at the expression across his face. James was a six-foot, muscular guy who was geeking out at the sight of a celebrity. “I’m James.”

“I’m (Y/N),” you said, shaking Tom’s hand, then Zendaya’s, and then Jacob’s. 

“It’s great you guys are here,” Jacob said. “I suddenly feel much safer in your presence.”

You and James laughed. 

“Well, hopefully we won’t have to be working together too much,” you said with a smile. “A slow work day for us is a good one.”

Suddenly, a man in his twenties approached your table. You thought you recognized him from the trailer for the movie, but you weren’t sure. 

“Is this the medic team?” he asked. 

“Yes, I’m (Y/N),” you said, sticking out your hand for him to shake. However, the man stared at your hand as if it were infected. 

“Seriously?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at you. You dropped your hand to your side and stared at him. 

“Excuse-”

“You look like you’re sixteen. Are you trying to tell me that this girl is responsible for my life if it comes to it?” the guy asked. 

“Dude,” Tom sneered. “What’s your problem?”

“Yeah, seriously Freddie,” Zendaya said. “Sexist much?”

“I’m just saying!” the guy, Freddie, said, holding up his hands. “She doesn’t look like she could lift ten pounds!”

James stepped forward, as if he were going to punch the guy, but you placed your hand in front of him and stepped forward yourself. You looked up at Freddie and narrowed your eyes. 

“Let me tell you something,” you said, your voice was calm despite the anger you felt. “If you crack your skull open and the only thing standing between you and death is me, you’re going to wish you never said that.”

Freddie stared at you, looking as though he were trying to come up with something to say, but instead he looked like a gaping fish.

“Yeah!” Jacob said, with a wide grin. “Get out of here loser!” 

Freddie scoffed and rolled his eyes before backing away and leaving the table. As soon as he was gone, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Your hands were shaking with anger. As a woman in the emergency medical field, you received comments like that all the time. It was like they were trying to strip you of all the training and hard work you put in to get to where you were now. 

“I like you,” Zendaya said, crossing her arms over chest and smiling at you. You smiled back, grateful for that. 

“I’m so sorry about him,” Tom apologized, looking genuinely mortified by Freddie’s actions. 

“Who even was that?” James asked. You knew that if you let him, James would have beaten Freddie to a pulp.

Tom sighed and rolled his eyes. “He’s one of the producers’ nephews. He’s in college to be an actor so his uncle let him be an extra on the movie.”

“Unfortunately for us, that means we get to interact with him daily,” Jacob added. 

“Yeah, and he thinks because of who he is, he gets to treat the staff like shit,” Zendaya said. “I hate him.”

“That makes two of us,” you muttered. 

“Again, so so sorry about that,” Tom said, placing a hand over his chest. “I know the rest of us are very grateful to have you guys here.”

You smiled. “Thank you.”

“We have to get back on set, but if you guys need anything at all, please let us know,” Tom added. 

“Will do. It was nice meeting you guys,” James said. You waved goodbye as the three movie-stars walked away. When they were far enough away, you fell back into your seat, suddenly more exhausted than you were when you arrived.

“If I see that twerp again-”

“You’ll leave him alone,” you said, finishing James’s sentence before he could say what he really wanted to. James looked at you, frowning. 

“James, we have a job here and that’s to help the injured. Please don’t get caught up in some fight with the producer’s nephew.”

James sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had to know that you were right. As much as you wanted to slap that smug grin on Freddie’s face, you knew in doing so that you would be fired on the spot, and make your company look bad in the process. You had to remain professional even though it took every atom in your body to hold back your emotions. 

-

A few hours passed without incident. A couple people came up and asked for a band-aid but that was about it. James was folding a piece of paper into a paper airplane while you picked at the chipped nail polish lingering on your nails. 

Shouting caught your attention. It wasn’t panicked shouting, but it was loud enough to cause commotion. 

“Tessa! Tessa, come back!” 

You lifted your head and looked out in front of your table to see a gray figure weaving in and out of people before making a beeline straight towards your table. 

You stood up as the dog rushed to you, her tail wagging uncontrollably. You couldn’t help but laugh as she jumped up on your legs. She wasn’t very big, but her big brown eyes were absolutely adorable. You knelt down, patting her head as she licked your face.

“Hello, there!” you cooed. “What are you doing out here?”

The dog stared at you, wagging her tail as she licked your face again. You laughed, picking her up and holding her tight as you saw Tom approaching. 

“Oh my god,” he gasped. “Thank you so much. I thought I was going to be chasing her all day.”

Tessa started squirming in your arms at the sight of her owner. 

“She’s adorable,” you said with a smile as you handed her back to Tom. 

“She’s a pain,” Tom laughed.

Tom looked at Tessa and shook his head. “You’re not supposed to leave the trailer!”

“Do you bring her to work often?” you asked. Tom looked back at you.

“Only sometimes. My family was visiting, so they brought her because they know how much I miss her,” he said. You noticed how prominent his English accent was when he talked. It dripped off of every syllable. 

You frowned. “That must be hard leaving her.”

“It is,” Tom sighed. “But then she does things like this.”

Tessa barked as if she knew you were talking about her and you both laughed. 

“I should get her back to the trailer where I can keep a better eye on her,” Tom said. “Thank you for catching her.”

“Anytime,” you smiled before leaning forward and patting Tessa’s head. “It was lovely meeting you, Tessa.”

Tessa licked your cheek and you laughed before waving goodbye to her and Tom. Once Tom was gone, James cocked an eyebrow at you while you sat back down.

“What?” you asked.

James smirked. “Nothing.”

Another hour went by, uneventful as you were expecting, but you and James came up with a game of counting how many times you saw someone famous walk by. You may have freaked out a little bit when Jake Gyllenhaal walked by. 

You were hoping that Tessa would escape from Tom’s trailer again, because she was just so adorable that you wanted to pat her little head again. And it was better to pet a dog than twiddle your thumbs. 

Unfortunately, Mike the assistant, came up to your table rather quickly. 

“We have a problem.”

-

You and James were led to the site of the accident by Mike, each of you carrying your go-bags through the crowd of people that parted for your entry. You were led over to where a circle of people were standing.

“Excuse us, medics coming through,” you said forcefully. The people parted for you to see what had happened. 

Tom was sitting on the ground, holding his face his hands, groaning loudly as he rocked back and forth. Jacob was sitting on one side of him, and a blonde boy who you thought might be Harrison Osterfield, was on the other side of him with his hand on his shoulder. 

You placed your bag down and knelt in front of Tom while James took out one of the medical clipboards you used to take down patient documentation. 

“Hey Tom, it’s (Y/N),” you said gently. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“He was doing one of the stunts with a harness and I think his foot got stuck in it,” Harrison said, “He fell and landed on his face.”

You sighed. “Okay Tom, can you look at me?”

Tom slowly lifted his face from his hands. The bruising had already started around his nose and cheekbones, a mixture of red and purple, and blood trickled from his right nostril. 

“Can you talk?” you coaxed. 

“Hurts,” Tom grumbled. 

“I know,” you said. “But we’re gonna fix you up okay?” You reached over to your go-bag and pulled out some Advil to help with the swelling. While you were rummaging through the medicine bag, you heard Tom say something. 

“Am I dreaming or is she really pretty?” Tom grumbled to Harrison. Harrison let out a laugh. 

“Can you stay focused please, buddy?” Harrison chuckled. You felt your cheeks heat up at the comment. It seemed as though Tom had tried to whisper his comment, but it was not quiet at all. 

However, something about his comment concerned you. He was not acting as himself, which was a bad sign of a concussion. You found the Advil, but you also grabbed your pen light. 

“Hey Tom, I’m going to shine a light in your eyes, is that okay?” you asked. 

Tom nodded weakly. 

You flashed the pen light into each eye, and saw that each pupil was equal and reactive to light which was a good sign, but the fact that he couldn’t talk coherently was concerning you.

“I think he has a concussion,” you said, looking up at the director and producers that had crowded around you. “He’s going to need to rest.”

“Rest? We don’t have time for rest, we have to finish a lot of scenes today!” the producer who you didn’t know the name of exclaimed. You narrowed your eyes at him and stood.

“Your star of the movie just suffered a concussion and can barely speak and you’re telling me you’d rather put his health at risk than shoot filming for an extra day?” you said to the middle-aged man. You wondered if this was Freddie’s uncle. 

The man stared at you and you shook your head.

“He’s resting for the rest of the day, and he should be taken to see a doctor for follow-up.”

You turned back around before the producer could say anything else. You knelt at Tom’s side as James handed you a plastic cup of water. You lifted it to Tom’s lips so that he could gently sip it. You didn’t know if he was coherent enough to swallow the pills and there was nothing you could do for a broken nose other than pain meds, so you figured you could give him some water before getting him to the ambulance. You knew that he should see a doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment, since there was not much you could offer him in the field. 

“You’re really pretty,” Tom mumbled as he took another sip of water. The boys chuckled while your cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet. You swallowed thickly while James took a piece of gauze and wiped away the blood around Tom’s nose. 

“We’re gonna bring you to the hospital for an evaluation, is that alright Tom?” James asked, since you suddenly couldn’t find your words.

“As long as (Y/N) comes,” Tom almost slurred. He was so disoriented that he pointed to Jacob when he spoke. He thought Jacob was you. 

You inhaled sharply while you stood to go find the stretcher you were going to use to wheel Tom out. 

You knew he was just delirious considering he just fell face first on the ground, but his comments still made your heart suddenly race. You steadied your breathing when you grabbed the stretcher from the medical tent and composed yourself while wheeling it back over to Tom. 

In the ambulance, you sat in the back with Tom and Harrison while James drove. You were monitoring Tom’s vitals which all seemed stable as you approached the nearest hospital. Tom was talking to Harrison, as you encouraged him to keep talking and to not fall asleep. 

When you felt the ambulance stop at the ER, you went to stand, but Tom grabbed your hand before you could. 

“Stay, please,” he croaked. The bruising around his face seemed to get better with ice, but it’s always scary getting a bad concussion like Tom had. You felt like your heart had tried to jump out of your chest as soon as his hand came into contact with yours. 

“Okay,” you whispered. 

Tom smiled weakly as James opened the ambulance doors.

-

The next day, you and James were sitting back at the medical tent on set. Tom had been diagnosed with a much milder concussion than you were expecting him to have. According to the ER doctor, the thing that was causing Tom to be delirious wasn’t the concussion, but was the pain from the broken nose. He had a very mild concussion and needed rest for a week before he could return to work, but the production company figured they would shoot other scenes during the time that Tom was resting. 

Jacob and Zendaya came over to your table a few times to tell you how Tom was doing and how they thought how cool it was with what you and James do. James kept teasing you about Tom calling you pretty, but you shrugged it off. It was just the pain talking.

Two more days passed and one other stuntman got injured from a trip on set. It wasn’t bad, just a sprained finger, but it was something to do. 

You wondered how Tom was doing, and you wondered if he meant what he said. You knew it was stupid to think about that when you should be more concerned with his health, but something about his words made your heart skip a beat. 

It was a slow afternoon when Harrison came up to your table. 

“Hey, you’re (Y/N) right?” Harrison said. You nodded and smiled at him. 

“Yep, that’s me.”

“I know Tom is probably going to thank you when he gets back, but I wanted to thank you also, I mean, for sticking up for him and making sure he got really good care,” Harrison said. “He’s my best friend, and if something happened to him, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“There’s no need to thank me,” you smiled. “It’s my job.”

Harrison nodded. “I know. But still. Thank you.”

“How’s he doing, by the way?” you asked. 

“He’s alright,” Harrison said. “He’s itching to get back to work, he hates being cooped up in the hotel, but I keep telling him he has to wait until Tuesday.”

You smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

Harrison smiled back. “He keeps asking about you.”

You were taken aback by his words, and James laughed out loud next to you, earning an angry slap to the shoulder. 

“He- what?” you said. “About what?”

Harrison chuckled. “You’ll have to ask him yourself when he gets back.”

Without saying anything else, Harrison walked away, leaving you dumbfounded with your mouth hanging open and James laughing hysterically next to you. 

Suddenly, Tuesday couldn’t get here fast enough.

-

-

part 2

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Marine reunion; Joe Mazzello x Military!reader

*Author’s note*

As a little decompresser before I go to take my second final, I thought everyone who is suffering as I am could do with a little Joey fluff. So I want to wish anyone who is currently doing their finals the best of luck and I hope this distracts you for a brief moment of all the stress that we’re all going through at this very moment.

Sidenote if I get anything wrong in regard to Marine rankings, PLEASE let me know, I want to do justice esp. since my dad was a former Marine himself, so just send me a message or comment below and politely correct me if I’ve missed something. Thank you all and happy reading and good luck on your finals. And may the odds forever be in our favor.

_________________________________________________________

“Hey guys it’s (y/n) (l/n). Or to any of my military pals out there this is Staff Sergeant (l/n) of the United States Marines. I just landed in London and I am about to head over to the Bohemian Rhapsody set. I didn’t want to do this live on my Instagram because I don’t want the surprise to be ruined but I will have it posted on there soon. I’ve got to go get my bag but I’ll check back in later, over and out.”

I went over to the baggage claim and waited for my duffle bag as well as my suitcase to come out.  Even as an American once people saw me in my uniform, they saluted me or came up to me and told me that I was doing a good thing serving my country.  I graciously thanked them and soon my bags came in. As I walked out with my bags I soon saw a man in a black suit with a sign that read.

S.S (L/n).

I knew right then that this was my ride.  I had called my good friend Rami Malek and told him of the special surprise I was hoping to do for my boyfriend Joe Mazzello and Rami had actually arranged a cab to take me straight to the set of Bohemian Rhapsody.  I walked up to the man and he said.

“Ms. (l/n)?”

“That is correct sir.”

“Hope you had a safe flight ma’am. I’m Lewis and I will be driving you over to the film set.”

“Thank you so much Lewis.” I thanked him.

“No need, my grandfather fought in the South Pacific.” He said.  He took my suitcase leaving me with my duffle and the two of us headed out and got into the car.  I took my phone back out and went back to the video setting and said.

“Okay so I am in the car right now, I just got picked up by this lovely gentleman right here, care to say hello Lewis?” I flipped the camera vision around to show Lewis and he turned around and waved before I flipped the screen back to me. “He’s going to be taking me to the set. Hopefully no one’s spilled the beans to Joe, but I think it’s gonna be good. I’ll touch base back once we get to set.”

You see I had known Joe and Rami since forever.  In fact I was currently at the same bootcamp that they were training in in order to get into their characters for a little project called ‘The Pacific.’ And Joe was playing a great hero known in the Corp, Corporal Eugene Sledge. I was at bootcamp for about 7 months at the time when I first met them, but we became good friends with each other.

As much as we could, we’d touch base with each other whenever there was a break from their lessons and I had a day of rest for a bit before going back to resume training.  I taught them as much as I knew of the Marine’s history and they took each thing I said to heart to help with their roles.

As time passed on, contact with them grew less and less until one day at my 18 month temporary leave from Iraq, I met up with Joe at a club.  He was apparently in the middle of developing a project about his brother, John who was a baseball player.  Then one thing led to another and soon we began to date.

Of course the distance between not only my leaving for deployment but his acting career was sometimes strained but somehow we still managed to work out.  I had been told from him through a phone call once he had gotten the okay to tell people, that he had been casted as Queen’s bass player John Deacon in the new Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

I was so proud of my bae and I was beyond excited because Queen was my all time favorite group growing up.  My mom loved their music and even got to watch their Live Aid performance with my dad when he was on deployment in London.

My family’s always been a military family with my dad’s side.  My grandfather fought in WW2 in the actual Pacific wars, my father fought in Desert storm and now I have been part of the military fleet of taking down Al-Qaida.  In fact I was there and the one to pull the trigger on Osama-Bin Laden himself.

Now I had told Joe that I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to visit the set and watch them film the official Live Aid performance.  Poor Joey took it so hard but he understood and didn’t say another word of it.

But what he didn’t know was that I was lying.  I had gotten the all clear to go on a 1 year deployment leave and I would be arriving on time just before they would film the most iconic rock concert in history.

After about an hour and a half drive through London and me taking pictures of all the sights since I hadn’t been to London, we finally arrived at the set.  I got out of the car and thanked Lewis and he told me it was an honor to drive me, one Military brat to another.

“You must be Joe’s girlfriend.” I turned around to see Graham King the producer of the film.

“Yes. Staff Sargant (Y/n) (l/n), it’s great to finally meet you Mr. King.” We shook hands and he said.

“Please call me Graham. And it’s an honor to have a young Marine like yourself here.”

“Thank you so much for allowing Joe the part, this meant so much to him.”

“Oh believe me he was a blessing in disguise. Practically looks like John Deacon himself.” I laughed softly and agreed with him.  “Do you mind if you record the rest of the video for me?”

“Not at all.” I handed him my phone and he took it and he messed around with it and I said.

“You recording?” He held his finger up and then pointed at me telling me that he was now officially recording. “Well here I am at the set of Bohemian Rhapsody. Weather’s been good to me so far, uhh I’ve got the producer Graham King recording and being my camera man for a bit. And now I’m about to go see Joey.”

“But we gotta make sure we’re quiet because last I was there; they were about to start filming.”

“Okay so let’s hurry and get over to the main stage and see how they all do.” We then walked across the set.  Graham would put the phone down so as to not spoil any secrets until finally we came around the bottom of the tall Wembley stage.

Oh my god, it was just like looking at the actual thing.  And I could see the guys all up on stage in full costume and god did Joey really look like John with that fluffy wig on.  After not seeing him for over a year this was unbelievable, my heart was racing and I almost screamed out to him but I didn’t want to give the surprise away too early, plus I didn’t want the director mad at me for ruining a take.

Graham handed me my phone back and I asked if I was at least allowed to take pics of the boys and he granted me access so long as I didn’t post them on any social media yet.  So I shut off the recording and began to take some pics as the boys began to recreate the full Live Aid concert.

And it was absolutely amazing.  The costumes, the lights, the live playing of their instruments, everything was beautiful. Seeing my good friend Rami embody Freddie on stage was like actually seeing Freddie live and in person, now I know how my mom felt when she was at the real Wembley stadium at the actual performance.

And Joe—oh my Joey.  Playing the bass and doing the famed Disco Deacy moves when need be.  As ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ ended and Radio Gaga came on now, I couldn’t help but sing along and when the double clap came up, I joined in smiling widely as tears formed in my eyes.

Song after song played and I would softly sing along, danced a bit (Crazy little thing called love) and do the stomp-stomp-clap (We will rock you) as well as taking pictures as well as short snippet videos.  Finally the last song ‘We are the Champions’ came on and I swayed softly singing along and watching the boys bring it all the way home.

Just like the real Live Aid performance, these four boys were truly bringing a show and punching a hole in the sky.  By the end of it all, I along with the crowd of over 200 extras were applauding.  Even the crew members were applauding as the four boys stood front and center on stage and Rami did the famed goodbye Freddie did at the real Live Aid.

After calling cut and seeing that the first run through was a huge success and no need to do it again, Graham then took one of the mics and said.

“Alright everyone that’s a wrap on the Live Aid set!” Everyone clapped along with Rami, Gwilym, Ben and Joe.  “And I know it was probably special to one of our actors, Joe will you please stay forward?” Joe got that confused look on his face as Rami pulled the two other boys back and one of the crew members came over to me and led me up towards the back of the stage.

As I raced up the stage and was guided behind the flaps where the boys had come out of before filming started, I felt my adrenaline pumping up as Graham’s voice continued to speak.

“Joe Mazzello playing our bass player John Deacon, we’d like to acknowledge your girlfriend Staff Sergeant (Y/n) (L/n) of the US Marines.” And once again even though as an American officer of the military, Armed forces is Armed forces, so all the British extras and crew members cheered and applauded as Graham continued, “Staff Sergeant (l/n) has been serving in the military for over 10 years, you both met during the set of filming ‘The Pacific’ and we tip our hats to your girlfriend for being part of missions like the fall of Al-Qaida. And the search for Bin-Laden.” The crowd kept cheering and I knew Joe had to be a blushing mess right about now. “So everyone please give it up for Staff Sergeant (l/n)!” two of the cast members playing the volunteers pulled back the flaps and I walked on stage and the crowd roared with applause.  Joe turned around and bless his little heart he fell to the crowd crying.

I walked closer to him until he suddenly shot up like a bullet, sprinted like a freakin cheetah and tackled me in a hug.  Picking me up and spinning me around.  I sobbed into his shirt as I held him as tightly as he was holding me.

I could hear the crowd whistling and cheering, and through my own teary eyes I saw Rami and the two other boys clap and wipe away their tears, I could also see Rami with his phone out probably recording a video of this.

Joe then began kissing all over my face frantically before capturing my lips and not letting up.

“I don’t—I can’t……how did…..oh who the fuck cares you’re here! And you’re back! You’re really here!” he said between hard and deep kisses.

“Ladies and gentlemen please give it up one more time for Staff Sergeant (Y/n) (L/n)!” The crowd cheered one last time as Joe pulled me in for one last kiss, but this time he dipped me backwards in that famed ‘dip kiss’ pose.

After things finally calmed down, Joe and I were walking through the backstage of the Wembley stage and he said.

“I still can’t believe you came. Did you see the whole performance?”

“Yeah I did. Saw it from start to finish. I was watching you the whole time.”

“But how?”

“You can thank the set approval visit from Rami. Also I got approved for a 1 year leave. I can stay here with you and see you film the movie, maybe even go to the premiere. If you’ll have me that is.”

“Oh doll of course I want you there with me. God I just can’t believe you’re here.” He hugged me tight and I buried my face into his neck, playing around with his floofy wig.  It was then I was shocked to see just who a few feet were away from me were.

Going around the set talking with Graham was the real life Brian May and Roger Taylor.

“Oh….my god.” I said star-struck.  Joe turned around and he said,

“You wanna meet them?”

“I—I’ll make a fool of myself I just know it.” I said sheepishly.

“Hey, I was petrified to meet them too but they’re really awesome guys.” I looked up into my boyfriend’s brown eyes and said.

“I swear if you embarrass me we’re finished.” He laughed softly and pecked my cheek before taking my hand and leading me towards the two rock Gods.

“Brian, Roger.” The two rock legends looked up and Brian said.

“Ah Joe, amazing job out there. You all were fantastic; it was like being back at Live Aid.” Brian said.

“Thanks Brian.” Joe thanked them.

“So this is the girl you wouldn’t stop talking about.” Roger said as he turned to look at me.

“Yes, I told you I wasn’t making her up.” Joe teased.  He wrapped his arm around me and said, “Gentlemen, this is the love of my life (Y/n) (l/n). (Y/n) you obviously know Brian and Roger.” I nervously waved and smiled sheepishly.

“I really hope he didn’t overdo it on talking about me.”

“Nonsense, we’ve done the same thing with our wives. It’s great to finally meet you dear.” Brian said with a soft smile and extended his hand out to me.  I shook it and blushed at the fact that Brian May just called me dear.

“Can I just say that it’s just an honor to even be in her royal majesties presence? My mom actually got to see you guys perform in the real Live Aid concert while my dad was deployed here in London back in the mid 80’s.”

“Believe us love, if anyone’s honored to be in someone’s presence it’s us that are honored to meet you. You’re doing your country proud for all the work you’ve done.” Roger said and soon the two members of the greatest rock and roll band actually saluted me.  And I did the best thing I knew.

I saluted her majesties back.

Later that day as the day went on and I got to know Ben and Gwilym more by going out to the pub once filming was over.  I noticed that Joe refused to take off his Yankees hat.  In fact he made sure that no one was going to take it off.

“Joey please take the hat off, there’s no need for it.” I said.

“I don’t think I should.”

“Oh come on, it’s not like you can get wig-hair. Now take it off before you get severe case of hat-hair.”

“(Y/n) it’s for the best that I—” suddenly Gwilym flopped the hat off and gestured,

“This is why he won’t take it off (y/n). He’s got a perm!” The boys then all began to hoot and holler as Joe embarrassingly grabbed his hat and put it back on. However I stopped him and removed the hat to see his full on curly perm. He refused to look at me as he muttered.

“I didn’t know perm stood for permanent.” I smiled at my loveable dork and kissed his cheek and said.

“It looks cute on you.”

“Yeah right.”

“I’m serious. It’s not that bad. When I first enrolled at bootcamp my hairdresser actually screwed up and cut my hair into the Captain Marvel mohawk style. And all I wanted was just a pixie cut.”

“You mean the female captain Marvel style right?”

“Yes.” He looked at me almost imagining it and he said.

“I think you’d look cute with it, hell badass even. I mean when I met you your hair was already midway to your neck.”

“Yeah but never again will I get a mohawk.”

“Oh c’mon babe. If I have to get a perm, then you have to get a mohawk.”

“Absolutely out of the question Mazzello. Now not another word of it or I’ll have you detained for insubordination.”

“Ohh gonna get all naught with me Staff Sergeant?” he mocked as his forehead touched mine.

“We’re still here you know.” Rami’s voice piped in.  Joe and I chuckled nervously and we pecked each other’s lips before I apologized to the guys and we continued our round of drinks.

As the weeks followed and more scenes were being filmed, Joe was currently being fitted into some of the concert footages they were going use as Queen got more publicity.  He now had the long haired wig, wore the black pants, high-heeled boots and the black overcoat with buttoned down white shirt that revealed his chest, you know the Live at the Rainbow Nov. 1974 look.

“Well how do I look?” he asked.

“I swear Joey if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were trying to seduce me with that outfit.” I said as I had been fitted to be one of the extras in the crowd.

I wore a beautiful black floral chiffon cape dress that went down pass my knees. I was fitted with a (h/c) wavy haired wig as well as some black heels and a couple of necklaces and bracelets.

“Oh really?” Oh god he was now slipping into Deacon’s accent.  He slowly walked over toward me and cupped my chin and said still using the accent, “Am I seducing you now love?”

“Possibly.” He smirked at me before lightly kissing me before trailing along my jaw line, up my cheek and towards my ear.

“My beautiful darling, you have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?” He nipped and kissed around my ear, whispering to me in that accent of his words of love and lustful desires.  I gripped onto his shoulders as I softly moaned, I felt myself get lost in the pleasure of feeling his strong arms around me and his dirty whispers in my ear that I almost didn’t even register the director calling everyone into place. “Care to stay after the show love?” he spoke.

“John Deacon I swear you better take me home after this concert.”

“I will love, that’s a promise.” Joe grinned and kissed me before taking me hand and leading me toward the set.

In the months to come, I was there for Joe each scene that was filmed.  Being an extra in the crowd and when it came time for the premiere, I was right there center stage right by Joe’s side the entire time.  I was so proud and happy for all that’s he’s accomplished and I was so happy that I was allowed to be a part of this massive success.

[queenborhapreaderships]

rekindling the flame - chapter 1

Hey everybody! So this is that rami x reader (with a dash of freddie feels) I was talking about earlier! It’s not done, so I guess this is chapter 1? I’ve never cut a fic into chapters before because I’m a stubborn perfectionist but like. Eh. Ya know? Thanks to everyone who told me to go ahead and post this! Also, if anybody would be interested in a tag list, hit me up. I’ve never done one before but I think I can grasp the concept, haha! Anyways, here we go! (pls let me know if you like it, fr)

-description-

You're the daughter of Jim Hutton, so growing up was a roller coaster. With Freddie as practically a second father, things were never boring. But time passed and things changed. Everything changed. Not knowing how to process any of your past, you flee to the states in an attempt to write music and find yourself. It pretty much turns into instant isolation! That all changes when you get a call from your Uncle Bri about a movie being made on Freddie. Secrets come to light and you just might find yourself falling in love with the boy with the beautiful eyes along the way.

-word count- 2,987

ao3 link

You’re alone when you get the call. You’re alone a lot these days, but you work best without the distraction of friends pulling you out to party and get drunk every other night. Besides, you really want to focus on this latest song you’ve been writing. You just can’t seem to get the bridge right, the chord progression is off in the tiniest way and for the life of you, you can’t figure out why. Suffice to say it’s been driving you absolutely mad.

Your eyes light up when you strum the new experimental chord you’ve thrown in, but you’re interrupted by the harsh ringtone of your cell.

“Goddammit” you mumble to yourself and sigh as you put your guitar down on top of its case. You look over and feel yourself involuntarily smiling at the contact name. It’s Uncle Bri, you wonder what he’s up to these days. It’s been a while since you’ve heard from him. Too long, actually. That’s hardly his fault, you’re aware of the fact that you’re isolating yourself but you really can’t really garner up the energy to care, as bad as it sounds. You pull yourself out of your thoughts and reach over to answer the phone.

“Hey, Uncle Bri!”

“(y/n)! I’m glad I got a hold of you! How are you doing, my dear? We miss you!”

“Aww, I miss you guys too! I can’t complain! I’ve been working on my music a lot, so that’s been taking up the majority of my life at the moment” you sigh, suddenly wishing you’d have managed your time better. You really do miss your goofy Uncles.

“Ahhh, just like good ol’ Freddie, I see” you can hear the smile toying with his voice.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say that”

“Well, I would,” he says triumphantly. “Anyways, do you have any serious, unmovable plans for the next, oh, say 8 or so months?” you can hear the grin in his voice.

“Um, not that I know of...” you say, although it comes out more as of a question

“Perfect! Then I’ll be flying you over here to the UK pronto. You’ve got work to do” he says and hangs up in a haste.

You pull the phone down and stare at it. That was. Odd.

It’s not until later you realize that this is all for that movie that you’ve been hearing rumors about for months. You weren’t sure if it was actually happening or not, you feel like you definitely should have considering who you are, but Uncle Bri certainly wouldn’t be uprooting your life for anything unimportant. You’ve settled into a nice routine over in the states. For a movie this important though, this central to who you are, you’d be upset if you weren’t involved.

~~~~

If you were being completely honest with yourself, you don’t remember as much about your father’s partner as you wish you did. Let’s be real though, he was practically your second dad, he raised you until you were almost seven. You have faint memories of calling him papa. Your dad didn’t love it at first, he was probably worried about what Freddie thought. He, of course, absolutely adored it and as well as he adored you. So, papa, he was.

The memories you do have, you wouldn’t trade for the world. For the entire world. Some of your favorites were Freddie making you breakfast and cuddling on the couch. He would always read to you before bed and find your favorite stuffed bear before tucking you in and pecking your forehead. Sometimes, your favorite nights, he would sing you to sleep. You were probably too old for lullabies, but Freddie never failed to deliver, not even towards the end. His favorite song to sing you was I Was Born to Love You. He sang it slow and soft, making sure you took every word to heart. Sometimes you dream about it, wishing for just one more day together with the two of them.

You don’t have much to do on the hellish flight ahead of you, so you pull up the folder you keep on your phone of pictures of your dad and Freddie. They looked just as happy as they were. You smile as you scroll through them, pictures the world hasn’t seen. Pictures of the two with their cats, pictures of all three of you together.

You feel your eyes mist up when you get to one of your favorites. At first glance, it appears to be the most mundane thing in the world, but to you it’s everything. Freddie’s balancing you on his hip and he’s got his other arm wrapped around your father, kissing his cheek.

“Oh, fuck” you mutter under your breath, tearing yourself away from the grainy image. You’re finally realizing just how difficult consulting on this movie is actually going to be. You miss your dad and you miss Freddie more than words can say.

You never really dealt with your fathers' death nearly a decade ago. Freddie’s death probably messed you up in more ways that you’re even able to conceptualize because you were so young at the time. He was just a part of you. A part of your history. A part of who you were and who you are.

You’ve got a lot of shit to work through, and god, you hope you’ll be able to hold it together for just a while longer. This movie is important to the two most important people to you. You’re certainly not going to ruin your chance at making it the best it can be because you can’t look at the main character of the film without losing it.

You swallow the lump in your throat and reach down to rummage through your bag for your headphones. You close the photos app and pull up Spotify instead. Zoning out and distracting yourself with music is always how you’ve dealt with the brunt of your emotional issues since practically the beginning of time. The second the first note rings out, you feel a weight lift off of your shoulders and you sigh in relief as you settle in for a long ride.

~~~

You’re pretty damn sure that finally getting off the stuffy plane and stretching your legs is the best feeling in the world. You’re instantly proven wrong though when you spot your uncles waiting for you. They’ve got a dorky sign with “(y/n) Hutton” scrawled across it with a few shaky hearts at the bottom. You can’t help but chuckle, your heart swelling at the gesture.

You quicken your pace and when they notice you barreling towards them, your clunky bags in tow, their faces light up. Their sign and your suitcases are instantly ditched in place of Uncle Rog opening his arms up for you to crash into. Of course, you do, without a second thought and you hold on tight. It feels like if you don’t, he’ll disappear right out from under you.

“Oh, love, how are you? How are you, really?” Uncle Rog says, pulling you away from him to study your face. You sheepishly avoid eye contact, aware that these two know you better than most.

“You know, we do worry about you. More than you think.” Uncle Bri chimes in, responding to your silence. He then reaches over and takes his turn to pull you into a hug. You close your eyes and bury your head in his shoulder. You barely muster the strength needed to keep your voice from shaking.

“I know. I just missed you guys, is all” you break away and get your bearings together. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice the two sharing a skeptical glance, but luckily they drop it for now.

~~~

To say the studio was huge would be an understatement. You’d never dealt with anything this major in your entire life, sure you’d been going to your Uncle’s concerts since you were little. That was different though, that was second nature. Music has always been second nature. This? This is a different world, man. There are more… rules. You’ve never been one for rules.

So far, you’ve been introduced to a lot of the key players in the movie, big execs and such. They’ve all been very graceful and polite if not slightly intimidated by you, which you find hilarious. You still haven’t met any of the actors yet, but you’d been given their names and have already done extensive googling. They all seem like the perfect people for the parts.

You’d actually seen a bit of Rami, Freddie’s actor’s, work in the past. The Night at the Museum trilogy is a goddamn classic and your friends have forced you to watch a couple of episodes of Mr. Robot. So you’re definitely excited, if not a little nervous, to meet the boys.

It’s almost like the universe can read your mind because when you and your uncles turn the corner, there they are. You can tell they’ve met before because Rami, and if you remember correctly, Joe are waving and they all walk over.

“(y/n), you haven’t met the boys yet, have you?” Uncle Bri asks, and before you have the time to answer, he’s introducing you to them respectively. You do your best to remember who is who, it shouldn’t be too hard but this would not be a great situation to slip up. There’s Ben, Joe, Gwilym, and finally, you reach Rami.

His eyes are even more striking in person. You think he’s saying something but you can’t hear a word of it. A poke on your shoulder pulls you out of your trance and you realize you’ve been staring at him for a longer amount of time than would be considered socially acceptable. You glance over at Uncle Bri, a thanks for snapping you out of whatever that was.

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry! Zoned out there for a second, it was a long flight” you grin and do your best to sound casual but you’re definitely rattled from your mistake. You almost let out a sigh of relief when you see Rami’s warm smile.

“Don’t worry about it, I totally understand. You flew in from the states, right? That ten-hour flight can be brutal” you nod and he continues. “Anyways, I was just saying how much of an honor it is to be playing Freddie and if there’s anything you ever need or want to talk in regards of the script or characterization, I’m always here. You probably have more influence than me when it comes to that actually, but the offer is always on the table! The same goes for all of us.” He gestures at his castmates and they all nod accordingly. He sounds incredibly sincere and it’s impossible not to grin.

“I really appreciate that, guys. I’m here if any of you need anything too! If you need help going over your lines or if you have any questions about my uncles, dad or my experience with Freddie as a father figure, I’d be more than happy to let you in on everything I know” You’re not, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but why else are you here?

You hear a chorus of thank you’s and wave at them as they rush off to hair and makeup, already late. You look down and try to swallow a smile, you’d be lying to yourself if you tried to pretend it wasn’t endearing. The three of you continue down your path and you feel Uncle Rog bump into you.

“You okay, (y/n)?” he says, trying poorly to hide his shit-eating grin. Oh god, what does he think he knows now?

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired…” you taper off when you notice the look the two give each other.

“Okaaay, whatever you say,” he says in a sing-songy voice. You groan and roll your eyes.

“Well I don’t know about you two, but I’m gonna go explore the set,” you say, trying to get a minute to yourself. It’s just all been a little overwhelming and the last thing you need is your uncles scheming over whatever it is they’re scheming over because if there’s anything you know, it’s that look.

“Have fun, love. We’ll be here if you need us” Uncle Bri reminds you for the thousandth time. You thank him and wander off on your own.

~~~

As the days go by, you fall into a routine. They don’t need you there at a specific time so you definitely consider yourself lucky in that regard. All of the actors have to be at hair and makeup typically at around 6. You shuffle in at a comfortable 10, say hi to anyone who isn’t currently working on a scene, and hide away in one of the back rooms with the writers.

The script has already been put out of course, but they still meet every day to talk about potential revisions or go over their work with the rest of the cast and crew. While definitely on different sides of the globe from each other, what they do isn’t very far from what you do. At least it’s on the same planet. Which would be a first in this new world of Hollywood. So you’d say things are going pretty smoothly. You haven’t yet had to dig deep and reveal anything about yourself or your history that you didn’t want to.

Of course, though, the universe can’t let you stay comfortable for very long. It needs to have its fun in throwing you for a loop just once you think you’ve got things figured out. This loop comes in the form of none other than Rami Malek. At first, that is.

It starts like any other day. You come into the studio in your baggy hoodie, with your messy hair strewn everywhere, and your headphones in with the volume up as loud as it will go. You yawn and scrub at your eyes. You were up pretty late working on that same damn song, it’s just been eating away at you. The day you figure out how that bridge works will be a goddamn national holiday in your book. You groan and continue down the winding hallways.

When Rami comes up behind you and taps your shoulder, you jump out of your skin and your soul just about leaves your body. You rip your headphones out and turn around to see him giggling like a toddler and you gasp, grasping your chest dramatically.

Your heart flutters at the carefree expression on his face and you swallow down and try to ignore the emotions so obviously bubbling up to the surface. You can’t help but stare though, it’s not your fault that he’s absolutely breathtaking. You’re confident that his jawline could cut steel. This time, your admiration slides and he doesn’t notice because he’s still pulling himself together after the little incident.

He’s wearing Freddie’s angry lizard jacket and he’s got the fake teeth in. He’s the spitting image of Freddie and it honestly would have been a little jarring if it weren’t for him being so warm and open, squashing any possible nerves you may have before they even have the time to fully form.

“Sorry!” he chokes out, swallowing the last of his giggles. “I really didn’t mean to scare you, I thought you heard me walking up, but I guess not,” he says and gestures at your headphones dangling down and twirling together.

“Jesus Christ, Rami. You do know that you almost killed me, right? I literally almost died right here!” you say, still playing it up a little bit. You can’t keep a straight face for long though and break eye contact to laugh under your breath. “Anyways, what’s up? I haven’t seen you in a while! You look great, I must say” you point out, referencing the outfit.

“I always look great, darling,” he says, putting on Freddie’s accent. You raise your arms in surrender and he shoots you a grin. Suddenly he’s Rami again, just like that. “So I’ve got that one big scene tomorrow and I feel like something is off with my performance and I just can’t put my finger on it. I was wondering if you were free later tonight after we’re done shooting to go over the script with me?” you’re not sure if he’s doing it on purpose, but he’s giving you the biggest puppy dog eyes you’ve ever seen.

“Oh, I know that feeling,” you say, thinking back to your stupid song. Maybe you can play it for him and get his input? You quickly brush off the thought, this is about him, not you. “And of course! I’d love to!” You can’t even pretend you aren’t honored and a little excited to see him later. Even though you’ve fallen in love with your little routine, you have a real soft spot for this boy.

“Perfect! I can’t wait to see you then” he waves as he walks off. You wave back and once he’s turned the corner, you can’t contain your giddiness. Before you know it, you’re hopping and -hopefully- internally squealing like a schoolgirl. He’s just so cute, okay? It’s not fair. It shouldn’t be legal.

~~~

You spend the rest of your day curled up in the bean bag chair in the corner of the writers' room going over a thousand different scenarios in your head, both eagerly and anxiously awaiting the end of filming. You’ve really been thrown for a loop here, going from total isolation to the midst of practically a high school crush. You’re not even entirely sure why, there’s just something about him. You’re not quite sure whether you like it or not, but there’s one thing you do know. Denying it won’t get you anywhere, you’ve been down that road before.

[ghoulboyboos]

Magic = bad. Now Steven and Andrew have to look after smol! Ryan and Shane who have a crush on each other, while trying to hide the fact that they also have a crush on each other (or vice versa)

I woke up on cold sweat I know you’ve done a smol!aubefore I meant child ksjfks            

I gotcha Anon no worries ;D

“Oh my God isn’t that a precious little guy!” Freddie exclaims, bending down to look into the face of the kid Steven’s carrying on his hip. The maybe five-year-old boy beams at Freddie with a huge, white smile before giving Steven a look she could almost interpret as smug and Steven rolls his eyes.

“A relative of yours?” She asks, when Steven doesn’t answer and the kid stays quiet. That question gets her offended glares, funnily enough from both Steven and the boy.

“Really, Freddie? Because we’re both Asian? I expected more of you.”

“Uh, no?” She gives him a judging look. “I’m asking because you’re carrying him around and I don’t assume you stole someone’s child. You also don’t strike me as someone who has a secret baby, so I figured he might be a cousin or something.

“Oh.” Steven deflates. The kid is giggling.

-

“You really didn’t have to make eyes at Freddie, you know.” Steven grumbles as he continues his way towards the Buzzfeed “Kiddie Corner” where employee’s with children can leave their kids in careful hands.

“I would have talked to her if you didn’t tell me to keep my mouth shut,” Ryan complains. It’s weird. The vocabulary and cadence is still the same, but Ryan has the voice of a little kid now and his tongue is clearly stumbling over a couple of words. He doesn’t have a lisp, but he sounds like he still has to get used to having a smaller mouth and less teeth and whatever other changes he went through when he got turned into a kid. Steven always told him not to mess around locations too much, but Shane was a bad influence on him. At least Shane got cursed as well. Steven briefly wonders how Andrew is doing. That thought makes him nervous, so he answers Ryan instead.

“I had to. You sound nothing like a little kid, Ryan. People would notice something’s up.”

“I doubt that. People usually are as stupidly dismissive as Shane is. They love to think up the dumbest of explanations.”

“Will you stop talking about Shane for five minutes, Jesus. You’ll see him again in a few.”

“I’m not- I didn’t-” Ryan starts stuttering and under normal circumstances, Steven would sit back and laugh at Ryan’s dumb crush on his co-host, but right now he is busy.

When he hands Ryan off to the caretaker and she asks for his name, Steven freezes. He can’t call the kid Ryan, people would notice how much he looks like Buzzfeed Unsolved’s Ryan Bergara. Ryan of all people saves his ass:

“I’m Ricky!” He calls out, childlike voice surprisingly believable as he holds out his hands towards the lady who just laughs and takes him out of Steven’s arms.

“He’s a cousin of mine…” Steven mumbles, but he is mostly ignored because the lady has started to chat with “Ricky” about the games they could play.

Not for the first time that day, Steven wishes that Andrew was with him.

-

Shane is a little bored. He likes kids, they are fun, but usually he is in some form of “authority” or at least intimidating in whatever way kids consider a very tall dude. Now, he is barely taller than the children around him. The other children because he is a child as well. It’s been a long time since he’s been one and he is sure he is acting suspicious. At least this places has Mega Bloks, even though Shane would have preferred Lego.

He is building aimlessly and without a real plan, when suddenly he’s tapped on the back. He squares his shoulders, preparing to discourage whatever kid is trying to join him when he spots a familiar face. It’s not quite as familiar as it used to be, but he can still see Ryan in this kid. Even if not, they woke up together on location yesterday, turned into little kids and panicking. Ryan looks a bit better now.

“Oh. Hey. Steven’s here, then?” Shane keeps his voice low so nobody listens in. Ryan nods.

TJ and Devon had transported the “kids” home and - in lieu of a better place - left one Ghoulboy each with one of the Worth It Boys. Adam was spared because he is currently assisting with another shoot for a couple of days. Andrew and Steven both thought they were being pranked for a Buzzfeed video, but eventually admitted that no child actor could reproduce Shane’s completely insane and off-track ramblings that well. Ryan had complained a lot about being handed off to Steven but Shane understood. They couldn’t just go home. Sure, they still had their adult minds so it wouldn’t be exactly like leaving children unsupervised, but a lot of things were way too dangerous to try alone and at their current height. Shane really doesn’t want to get smashed in the head with the microwave because he can’t reach it properly, so having Andrew for assistance had been really helpful. Shane made a point of telling him so.

He doesn’t know how Steven and Ryan spent their evening but he had a relatively normal night in with Andrew, except that Andrew insisted to bring him to bed at eight because at the moment, Shane looks to be about six and it eight is a normal time to go to bed for someone of that age. He had tried to protest, but realized that he was actually close to passing out when Andrew put him on the couch and tucked him in. That last part was so unnecessary, but Shane fell asleep before he could complain. Apparently, his body very much had the metabolism and inner clock of a little kid because he slept for ten hours and woke up feeling refreshed and energetic. He hadn’t felt like that in forever.

Ryan looks like he did yesterday. For someone who knows him well, it’s very obviously Ryan, just a little different. His hair is even messier than before and his cheeks are a little rounder, but his eyes and his smile are as big and as bright as before. Well, minus the constant bags Ryan usually has under his eyes. He looks a lot more fresh faced now.

“Wanna play?” Shane asks, indicating towards his half-finished whatever the hell he is building. Ryan looks at it before shrugging and dropping on his knees on the play mat, scooting closer. They are dressed in kid clothes now, thanks to Devon and TJ making a quick stop to buy them proper clothes yesterday. Until then, both he and Ryan and been wrapped in their ow (now way too big) shirts. Shane has to admit that Ryan looks adorable in his blue overalls. It’s a strange thought and it’s also weird to see such a close friend as a little kid. Well, weird and intrusive in a way that makes Shane uncomfortable.

“I’m glad I’m not alone in this.” He mutters, because he feels like he should say it. Ryan is looking at him but Shane keeps his eyes fixed on the blue block he puts on top of the little wall he set up. “Not that I want you in the same mess as I am in. Just… you know. Helps to keep sane when you’re not the only one.”

“Nah man, I get it.” Ryan looks around to make sure nobody is listening. “I just hope this isn’t permanent.”

“Otherwise we have to create “Buzzfeed: Kids” and milk this mess for all it’s worth.” Shane grumbles and he hears the first real wheeze from Ryan since they woke up in this mess. It turns into a full laugh and Shane finally looks over at his giggling friend. It makes Shane laugh as well. Sure, Ryan’s smile is still the same. But their laughs sound lighter, softer. More innocent, he thinks and immediately makes a face at that.

“What’s up?” Ryan rubs the corner of his eye as if he actually laughed himself to tears.

“This is weird.” Shane mumbles. “I feel like I shouldn’t see you this way. This is something that is kept to our childhoods and our family and stuff. Not your co-worker who probably got you into this mess.”

“I highly doubt it was just you.” Ryan rubs his nose. It’s kind of runny. Someone will probably make him blow it soon. “And… I don’t know. It’s kind of fun. We kept finding out about obscure stuff that we both did despite never meeting before. But now we kind of… get to be childhood friends. Because for some reason you don’t have five years on me now.”

“True.”

Shane sits back and looks at the building they made. It looks horrendous.

“We will never be architects.” He says sadly and Ryan laughs again.

-

Andrew and Steven pick them up after work and decide to just grab dinner together. It’s easier than cooking and being in public will force them to not rant and panic about what happened to Ryan and Shane. It’s supposed to be relaxing. Really.

It’s only when the four of them are seated around a table in a nice little restaurant with Shane and Ryan placed on extra big cushions and the kiddie menu in front of them, that Steven realizes what this must look like. A sweet gay couple and their equally sweet little boys. Fuck. He only hopes Andrew hasn’t noticed. He glances over.

Andrew has his elbow on the table and his chin leaned into his palm. His gaze is on Ryan and Shane, who are playfully squabbling over the menu. Ryan tells Shane that he is ridiculous for wanting chicken nuggets in dinosaur shape while Shane fires back that if there ever was any time appropriate for that kind of stuff, it was now. Andrew is smiling softly and Steven stares, not realizing he does until Andrew’s gaze drags over to him and they both start, returning to their menus. Steven is sure he can hear muffled giggles from the “kids” but he won’t address it

The waitress is very fun and sweet and chitchats with the “children” about their favorite foods. Steven thinks that Ryan and Shane lay on the “cute little kid” stuff a little too thick but she seems completely enchanted by them, so he can’t really reprimand them in front of her.

“Oh he’s not my brother.” Shane says when Steven tunes back in. “He’s my best friend. My ghoulfriend!” With that, he takes Ryan’s hand, completely oblivious to Ryan’s face lighting up and turning red at the same time. The waitress giggles and mutters something about them being cute before she finishes taking their order and leaves. Shane seems fine with keeping Ryan’s hand, but the other boy winds his fingers free after a while, muttering something about Shane’s hands being sweaty.

Steven rolls his eyes and looks over at Andrew. Andrew is looking at him, a thoughtful expression on his face. The smile he’s directing at Steven is careful and soft and Steven is about to ask, but finds that he can’t. They all eat in a strangely awkward silence.

-

Shane sits on Steven’s couch while the “grown ups” are busy in the kitchen and looks at Ryan. They picked a Netflix movie to distract themselves and nearly got into a fight about it. Shane had seen no reason why they shouldn’t watch a horror movie as always but Ryan had insisted that it felt weird to him to watch one while he looked like he was five. Sure, he wasn’t actually that young, but still. Shane thought it was dumb, but he had conceded to watch Coco instead, which was more “age appropriate”.

“Did I overstep earlier?” He asks out of nowhere after staring at Ryan for a while.

“What?” Ryan blinks at him.

“When I took your hand, I mean. I didn’t... I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, I just felt like doing it.”

“I don’t know.” Ryan frowns at him as if he’s suspicious. “Do you always want to do that or just because I’m... I dunno, small and adorable right now?”

Shane laughs.

“You’re always small and adorable, Ryan.”

“Fuck off!”

“Language!” Andrew calls from the kitchen.

“Shut up, Andrew!” Ryan shouts back. “I’m not a little kid! Not really at least!”

Shane takes a deep breath when Ryan turns back to him.

“Would it be okay if I wanted to hold your hand sometimes? Or maybe... do other things?”

“What things?”

Ryan has leaned in a little. His hand is brushing the back of Shane’s hands and he seems a little apprehensive at what might happen. Shane can’t really tease him when he looks like this. A scared little kid, even more vulnerable than usual. So he shrugs.

“Once we figured this out, I mean. I would like to take you on a date or something.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean. I figured life is really weird.” He gestures to their situation. “And I’m not so scared about making things between us weird anymore.”

Ryan looks at him for a moment. His bottom lip is pushed forward as he is thinking and his brows slowly pull together. Then, as if he made a decision, he leans in and kisses Shane’s cheek. It’s just a quick peck, but Shane feels his face light up anyway.

“Okay, big guy. Once... once you’re a big guy again.”

They both wheeze.

-

When Steven and Andrew check on “the kids”, they find them asleep. Curled together on the sofa with Ryan’s head on Shane’s shoulder and Shane leaning against Ryan’s head, they snore. Andrew is smiling again, the soft, domestic expression that Steven has seen on him a lot the past few days. It makes his stomach flutter all funny and weird. They each carry one of the boys to bed and watch as they immediately curl on their sides, faces towards each other.

“I’m sure things will not be the same once this is all over.” Steven says, as he closes the door behind them.

“Yeah, I think the same. I don’t really mind, though.” Andrew is glancing at the floor when Steven looks at him.

“What do you mean?”

Andrew shrugs.

“It’s kind of... fun. Playing house with you and all.”

“Really? Playing house? That’s what you’re gonna call it.”

Andrew shrugs and chuckles to himself.

“Okay. What is so funny?” Steven puts his hands on his hips. “You keep smiling and laughing and looking at me all weird since we have this whole kid debacle. What in the world is going on?”

Andrew leans closer, almost caging Steven against the wall.

“I just think... you’re really sweet like this. Even though you and Ryan keep calling each other names and stuff, you’re really caring and you want to help them and I think that‘s admirable. And also really cute.”

“Oh.” Steven blinks. “Well, okay.” He doesn’t know how to deal with this information but he definitely knows that his face is warm and his heart is doing funny things in his chest. He kind of feels like he should take Andrew’s hand or something. So he does. Andrew links their fingers and smiles his weird little domestic smile again. Okay then.

-

Ryan and Shane wake up in Steven’s apartment, curled into each other and the stretched out versions of kid’s pajamas straining over their bodies.

“Thank fuck.” Ryan mutters as he tosses the too-small t-shirt aside. He’s about to get out of bed when an arm sneaks around his waist and Shane pulls him back against his chest.

“Shane!” Ryan hisses. “What if Steven checks on us or-”

“He’s busy.” Shane mumbles into Ryan’s hair, forcing the other man to settle into bed again. “Heard them talking last night. Stuff happened.”

“What stuff?” Ryan asks, but he lies down again, curling up against Shane’s side.

“Later.” Shane yawns and cuddles closer to Ryan, rubbing his back. “Sleep now. You’re much cuddlier like this.”

“Fine.” Ryan rolls his eyes.

He could ask later and mock Steven for whatever happened.

[writerofculture-blog]

Chapter 14-End

2017

“Deaky, are you home dear?” Brian called out as he entered the front door singing to himself.

“Yeah, in the study.”

Brian waltzed across the living room to find John and grabbed him in for a snog as soon as he saw the younger man.

“What’s up Brian? Why are you so happy?” John was startled by the extravagant greeting, understandably so.

“It’s our movie Deaky. They have finally announced all the cast and the day to start shooting, officially. It’s finally happening.” Brian exclaimed, beaming with excitement.

Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic of Queen as a band, was a project Brian started working on seven years ago. The project ran into so many issues through the years, scripts being changed, people being fired, that John thought it might never happen. He didn’t know if he liked the idea to begin with, but Brian had a point. If they didn’t do it, then someone else will. It’s better for them to be involved in the production.

“That’s definitely something worth celebrating.” John nodded.

“Wait until I show you the pictures of the cast Deaky.” Brian jumped onto the couch and turned on his laptop.

“Watch it Brian. You are 71, not 17.” John scolded. Brian was so excited he’s like a little boy.

John sat down beside Brian and glanced over at the screen while Brian was pulling up the pictures of the cast of Bohemian Rhapsody in their costumes.

“This is Gwilym Lee. He’s going to play me.” Brian started with himself. John could definitely see the resemblance of the Welsh actor to younger Brian. Tall, lean, with rather square chin and intelligent hazel eyes, the Brian he fell in love with before he knew what love was.

“This is Ben Hardy. He will be Roger.” John snickered as soon as he saw Ben’s picture. Of course, Roger would find the blondest and prettiest boy in England to play himself. That silly self-centered twat.

“What about me?” John asked curiously.

“Hold on.” Brian pulled up the picture of a long-haired brunette, “this is Joe Mazzello. He will be you Deaky.”

“Holy shit, he really does look like me.” John inhaled sharply.

“Yeah he does Deaky. I actually think your character bares the most resemblance. You didn’t happen to fuck some American bird in the eighties and forgot about it did you?” Brian snorted.

“Fuck off Brian.” John punched Brian’s arm, “wait, did you say he’s American? You got a bloody American to play me? Can he even do my accent?”

“Come on Deaky. He looks more like you than any of your sons do and he’s a good actor. Of course, he can do your accent. Besides, Freddie is played by an American actor too.”

“Are you bloody serious? Freddie will have a break down if he knew he’s being portrayed by an American.” John exclaimed.

“Here, take a look. This is Rami Malek.” Brian pulled up a picture of Rami in full costume, with Freddie’s black long hair and teeth.

“Wow.” John felt his heart skip a beat as for a split second he could not tell the difference between the picture of Rami and Freddie. “Brian, I think Freddie will like this.”

Brian put an arm around John, “we have to make sure he likes it Deaky. We owe it to him.”

John leaned on Brian’s shoulder and asked, “when does the shooting start?”

“In three weeks. We will go together, okay?” Brian rubbed the younger man’s arm.

The first time John went on to the set of Bohemian Rhapsody, he definitely had a déjà vu. The stadium in front of him was the exact replica of the Wembley in 1985 Live Aid concert where their performance was voted the best live performance of all time. It was during a difficult time for the band. Their previous 2 albums Hot Space and The Works were a disappointment on the radio and in sales. Brian, Roger and Freddie were all working on solo projects. John even thought maybe this was it for Queen, maybe they had past their prime.

Then Live Aid happened. The support from the audience was a great boost in energy for all of them. Riding on the excitement, they went back to the studio to record another album and planned another tour. Little did they know at the time that would be their last tour.

Was Freddie already infected with the deadly virus back when Live Aid happened? Probably. John thought. Would Freddie have given the same magnificent performance if he knew? Probably. Freddie was born to be a performer.

“It’s uncanny, isn’t it?” Brian’s voice brought John back to reality. He took out his cell phone to start taking picture of the set.

“Definitely.” John murmured.

John followed Brian and the crew to the trailers set up for the actors. When one of the crew knocked on the door of Joe Mazzello’s trailer, a smallish young man with John’s ridiculous perm in the 80s opened the door. John stared at Joe for a moment, unable to speak. Brian was right, Joe does bare more similarities to his looks compared to any of his sons.

John held out his hand to the American actor, “I’m John, John Deacon. How do you do?”

Joe earnestly shook his hand, “Hi, I’m Joe. It is really an honor to meet you Mr. Deacon. I am a huge fan.”

2018

“Brian, are you ready? Roger is outside with the limo.” John called as he went upstairs trying to find the older man.

“Coming Deaky.” Brian called as he came down the stairs, “how do I look Deaky?”

Even after so many years, the sight of Brian all dressed up in a black coat with maroon fringes on top a black shirt, tall and handsome still took John’s breath away.

“You look handsome as always dear.” John smiled.

“You look magnificent yourself Deaky.” Brian grabbed John’s hand, “let’s go. We are going to enjoy this tonight.”

The premier ceremony of Bohemian Rhapsody hosted right by Wembley stadium was a great turn out. John figured he should be used to crowds, being on stage at so many concerts and still touring at his late sixties. But the thought of so many people watching the movie together with him for the first time still made him unbelievably nervous.

Even back in his younger days, John hated interviews because he never knew what to say. The way reporters haunted Freddie during his last days on Earth made John hate the British press with all his gut. He swore he would never talk to any of them again. Nowadays he refused to go on any interviews or talk shows. He was reluctant to come to the premier night because he knew he can’t avoid talking to reporters. But once again, Brian and Roger always had a way of convincing him.

“Mr. John Deacon! I’m so excited to see you here!” Bollocks. John swore under his breathe. The MC was walking straight toward him. It’s impossible to hide.

John forced a smile on his face.

“How do feel tonight at the world premiere of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody?”

“I’m definitely excited. It had been a long way for the movie to be at this stage. The cast and crew had done a wonderful job. I think people will really enjoy it.”

“There are hundreds of thousands Queen fans watching tonight around the world. I’m sure they would love to hear a word from you. Do you have a message for them?”

“Thank you very much.” Was all John could mutter. Good thing Roger just walked by and grabbed the MC’s attention.

Brian found John just before the viewing of the movie began and whispered to him, “that wasn’t so bad, was it Deaky?”

“Easy for you to say.” John wiped sweat from his forehead despite the chill of the autumn evening.

The movie began. John had seen it many times before but seeing it on the big screen with thousands of others was definitely another experience. 4 of them in their twenties, young and carefree, with nothing in their pockets but a big dream. Their voices, their songs, their laughter. Memories from almost half a century ago flooded John’s mind. He naturally grabbed for Brian’s hand.

Life was no bed of roses. John knew he had made many mistakes. Maybe he should have never picked up a bass guitar. Maybe he should have never joined Queen. Maybe he should have never married Veronica. Maybe he should have never left her.

Sometimes John felt he watched his whole life passing by in front of him, as if it was all a dream. But as long as he was able to hold the hand he was holding now, he felt real; he felt safe.

Just as the words that Freddie sang filled the stadium.

I've paid my dues Time after time I've done my sentence But committed no crime And bad mistakes  I've made a few I've had my share of sand kicked in my face But I've come through

We are the champions, my friends And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end We are the champions We are the champions No time for losers 'Cause we are the champions of the world

  As the credits of the movie were rolling out, Brian squeezed John’s hand. “I think we did Freddie proud, Deaky.”

“I think so too.” John beamed.

“Freddie, I think I know what I am going to do.” John sighed.

“That’s wonderful dear.” Freddie pulled John into a tight embrace. “Life does not go on forever.”

John nodded. “I wish you were still with us Freddie. I wish I could see you again.”

“You can see me whenever you need Deaky. You only see what you want to see.” The singer gave John a toothy laugh and disappeared.

The noise from Wembley stadium became fainter. John started to feel the coldness and wetness of the freezing rain, the hardness of the concrete and the pain from the curb hitting his head.

“Mate, you’ve got to wake up. You will freeze to death here.”

John opened his eyes to a stranger violently shaking his shoulders. The rain seemed to have stopped, leaving only the chill and quiet of the winter night.

“Finally, you are awake.” The stranger let out a sigh of relief. “How are you feeling? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

John shook his head and stumbled up. He mumbled ‘thanks’ to the stranger. John before hailing a taxi and as soon as he got in, told the driver Brian’s address.

The END

[ahouseoflies]

The Best Films of 2018, Part II

Part I is here. Let’s keep it moving. ENDEARING CURIOSITIES WITH BIG FLAWS

103. Zama (Lucretia Martel)- In this movie there's a motif of Zama, an officer of the 18th century Spanish Empire, starting a scene by talking to someone or staring at someone off camera. After a minute or two, the camera cuts to some servant and disorients us. There's a person there, always there, to serve him, and it doesn't really matter who it is. It's a brilliant way to get at the colonialism that the character depends on but is still trapped by. So I get a little bit of what the film is trying to do, but it's boring. I'm an ignorant person who doesn't know how to watch Lucretia Martel's films or have any context for South American history, but I know what boring is. 102. I Feel Pretty (Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein)- I like that Schumer tried something different instead of falling back on her persona, but there isn't enough new or interesting here for me to recommend--besides National Treasure Michelle Williams, of course. The film nearly displays "Do you see that she's turning her back on her real friends now?" on the screen. 101. A Simple Favor (Paul Feig)- At times cheeky and sexy and juicy, but it still wears out its welcome by twists ninety-one and ninety-two. 100. Double Lover (Francois Ozon)- Diverting until it gets silly, then so silly that it gets diverting again. There are about five too many twists, and I'm still unclear on how seriously the film takes any of those twists. More importantly, I don't think there's much of a takeaway from any of it. Ozon seems to have found a real muse in Marine Vacth though. 99. Borg Vs. McEnroe (Janus Metz Pedersen)- As a Shia Pet, I felt obligated to see his portrayal of Johnny Mac. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know from this mediocre biopic though. Watch the documentary McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice instead. 98. Ralph Breaks the Internet (Rich Moore and Phil Johnston)- There's some clever visualization of the the Internet, such as the way that a link shuttles an avatar off in a transparent car or the way that shady newsboy types whisper about pop-up ads. And I liked a lot of the Disney tie-in stuff that critics are wincing at. As far as textbook screenwriting goes, it's great at that idea of making you think that the protagonists will accomplish their goal very easily, only to have them be re-directed to square one. The voice acting is top-notch. Why do these movies get so plotty though? I felt as if the internal logic started getting inconsistent about halfway through--at the same time that the first one got bogged down with candy stuff instead of 8-bit video game stuff. And if there are so many lovable characters from the first entry, why do we get such tiny servings of them here? The movie's too long already, but what I wouldn't give for an occasional cut back to Fix-It Felix raising some kids.

97. We the Animals (Jeremiah Zagar)- The Tree of Life is one of my favorite movies, and on its face, We the Animals is a really similar impressionistic memory. So why do I like it half as much? Are lighting and music that important? Is Jessica Chastain? Is latent racism? All I know is that this felt like a story I had seen before pitched at the same intensity for a running time I was happy to see expire. 96. Kodachrome (Mark Raso)- The three leads are all pretty good. (Ed Harris does this bashful, pulling-on-his-eyelid thing that killed me.) But with mathematical precision, the film matched each element I liked with another thing that infuriated me. Specifically, the whole plot hinges on one scene, and that scene is preposterous and alien to human behavior. 95. Deadpool 2 (David Leitch)- The pacing of these movies is bizarre to me; they're half-over before they really get started. No one else is bothered by the fact that Cable has no motivation or backstory for the first hour? Some of the connections to X-Men felt more forced this time around, but I thought this entry was much funnier than the first, even mixing in some more subtle visual gags. (The exotic locales montage ending in Biloxi really got me.) I have to give credit to the X-Force parachute sequence, which is audacious and unexpected. And clear out for Zazie Beetz, who is a huge star in the making. 94. At Eternity’s Gate (Julian Schnabel)- Something about Van Gogh was essentially unknowable, which is a great reason to make a movie about him and a terrible reason to make a movie about him. I'm not sure that Julian Schnabel got to the bottom of the man any better than anyone else has, though maybe that's an unfair expectation. To his credit, Schnabel yada-yadas the ear business and Van Gogh's death in favor of his more poetic understanding of the artistic life. The movie doesn't coalesce for me, but there's a banger of a scene between Dafoe and Mads Mikkelsen about the responsibility an artist has toward God. That short nested inside makes the whole thing worth seeing. The conversation I had afterwards with one of the two other people in the theater, an art historian, was a solid three stars. 93. Bohemian Rhapsody (Bryan Singer)- Some biographical movies do a good job of compressing time, and their supporting characters don't feel sacrificed or glossed over. For many other mediocre ones though, including this one, I submit the Three Scene Rule. Three scenes is kind of the minimum for a character to register an arc and for an actor to present any kind of dynamic performance, so in a lot of these true story movies, that's all that a supporting character gets. If you're looking for it, it's glaring. (Watch Hidden Figures again with the husband and boyfriend characters in mind. I'll wait.) This movie has a few characters that matter: Freddie Mercury, obvs; the other Queen members; Paul Prenter, the unfairly composited villain; and Mary Austin, the platonic love of Mercury's life. The movie spends way too much time on her, as if to tease the audience with the idea that Freddie might be straight. As for everyone else? Three scenes. Ray Foster, the record executive played by Mike Myers (!): A. "Look, guys, I like formulas. This opera stuff you're talking about? That sounds crazy." B. "The opera stuff is crazy. I ain't making that the single. You can walk out of here for all I care." C. [hangs head in shame after being proven wrong] Jim Hutton, Freddie's partner for the seven years this movie doesn't care about: A. "Look, pal, I may be a waiter, but you can't just grab me like that. On second thought, let's talk. You should learn how to love yourself." B. "Oh, hey. Glad you tracked me down, slugger. You love yourself now? Sure, let's go meet your parents." C. "Guess I'm your boyfriend now. Looking forward to the show." Freddie's Parents: A. "You go out every night! What are you doing out there? Why can't you be a good boy? What's up with your new name?" B. "Why can't you be a good boy? What's up with your new name?" C. "You're a good boy, I guess, even if you're gay. Guess that's your name for real." I like the idea of reproducing the Live Aid performance in full, and the movie comes alive during its musical sequences. But I wish that the same attention given to, like, the number of Pepsi cups on the piano was also given to the nuts and bolts of the storytelling.

92. The Predator (Shane Black)-  I get why other people don't like this. The final fourth feels obligatory, and it seems cut to the verge of incoherence. But if you don't get a little tingle out of a game cast saying Shane Black things like, "Predators don't just sit around making hats out of rib cages," then we are very different moviegoers.

91. Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley)- I admire Boots Riley's ambition, the way he's taking many of the ideas that drove his music and channeling them into film. But there are too many ideas and, strangely, too much plot to cohere. I liked some of the jokes, especially the Robocop-py TV clips laced throughout. I think my main problem, however, is Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius. He's a fascinating actor, but his energy is completely wrong for an everyman lead like this. I don't think he was the right choice to carry it. 90. Thoroughbreds (Cory Finley)- The repartee at the beginning is sharp, and there are some engaging elements of style. God knows I've never complained about rich, sad, nubile brunettes with strange eyes. But there are pieces missing in that forest-for-the-trees way that happens sometimes with debuts. Like, how do these privileged girls not have access to a gun when our national nightmare is based on all young people having access to guns? Or what is the exact motivation behind the crime at the center? Lots of great characters have been spurred by a violent curiosity, but a zinger here and there doesn't make these girls Raskolnikov. 89. White Boy Rick (Yann DeMange)- Even if this isn't it, I think Yann Demange has a great film in him. There's some urgency to White Boy Rick's politics, and it looks interesting. If nothing else, it succeeds in making the surroundings seem as gloomy as the characters all acknowledge them to be. But this isn't a great film in either of its halves. It's motivated by plot until a crucial event that I don't want to reveal, then it veers much more into character. I would normally sign off on that, but this movie grinds to a halt in the change and never recovers. McConaughey pulls his weight, but Richie Merritt is pretty bad in the lead. 88. The Strangers: Prey at Night (Johannes Roberts)- Despite some striking images and a welcome lack of explanation for the menace, Prey at Night doesn't reach the heights of its predecessor, mostly because the characters are too paint-by-numbers. 87. Ant-Man and the Wasp (Peyton Reed)- Probably the first Marvel movie that would benefit from more action. Some of the material is genuinely funny thanks to Michael Pena and Randall Park, but I got a little drowsy during the middle hour of talk about phase-shifting and the quantum realm. Get back to making things big or making things little, Dr. Molecule! 86. Creed II (Steven Caple Jr.)- The pieces are there, but it's a problem when Jim Lampley, who has one hundred times as many lines as the fifth lead, explains to the audience what they literally saw an hour earlier. If nothing else, this movie proves, through his absence, how good of a director Ryan Coogler is. I would be lying if I said I didn't get the chills at some key moments. Stallone’s performance and Jordan's muscles are good. But there was a dark, honest way for this movie to end, and it went directly against that ending into something more Hollywood. 85. Let the Sunshine In (Claire Denis)- Like Taxi Driver if Travis Bickle just wanted the guy to get him a glass of water afterwards. The film does have that kind of myopic focus--the sexy, ever-candid Binoche is in every scene--but it's far more elliptical, progressing only through character, never through plot. Let the Sunshine In is unique in a way that is different from Denis's other unique works: No one talks like an actual person, and she acts as if you should know all of the characters instead of properly introducing them. It's not supposed to be funny ha-ha, so excuse me if that's what I wanted.

84. Revenge (Coralie Fargeat)-  like the style of this film, the color palette, the synth score, how far it's willing to go with the gore. But if it's called Revenge, and it's clear who the hero is (hint: not the rapist), then the whole thing feels like a fait accompli. We know exactly who's going to be the last woman standing, and we even know the order of the people she's going to kill.

PRETTY GOOD MOVIES 83. The Rider (Chloe Zhao)- This movie is trying to be a poem, but the parts I like the most are prose. It's a promising piece of filmmaking with heartbreaking moments, but I found it most effective when the storytelling spelled things out. It's an all-hands-on-deck independent film, so the amateurism of the piece shines through in the performances from non-professional actors. The relationship between Brady and his autistic sister is interesting because she speaks with that sarcastic cadence that can be learned from only children's programming. It's unlike what we usually see because, you know, she's a non-professional actor and real autistic person. So what do I know? 82. Unfriended: Dark Web (Stephen Susco)- Pretty tight from a storytelling standpoint and definitely grisly enough to get under the skin. But these laptop flicks move with such alacrity that it's hard to believe them whenever they ask you to buy something like love, since they paint it with the broadest strokes imaginable. Not that I would want a two-hour version of this anyway. 81. Juliet, Naked (Jesse Peretz)- Charming enough, arriving at a more realistic place than I expected, Juliet, Naked does nothing to make me revoke my charter membership in the Rose Byrne fan club. What an odd shape this film has though. The inciting incident happens at the hour mark, and it races obligatorily to an ending at an hour, thirty-seven. 80. Ocean’s Eight (Gary Ross)- It sets its marks and hits them adequately, with most of the charm that made the other Ocean movies fun. But there's something lifeless about Ocean's 8, both in the direction and the score. Take, for example, Richard Armitage's bland, sort of lost performance as an old flame/mark. It's such a nothing part that I began to think that it was a thesis: The men are just chess pieces, and they shouldn't take attention away from the women this time. But then James Corden emerges in the last half-hour and shines. So maybe Armitage was just bad and directed poorly? This movie exists for the Movie Star interplay though, and it delivers on that level. Cate Blanchett was good for so long that she's popular, and Sandra Bullock was popular for so long that she's good. Rihanna has to dress like a janitor at one point as a disguise, and she proves how absurd it would be for her to ever blend in. Anne Hathaway is the funniest of the bunch, balancing on a highwire of how big she's supposed to seem. Helena Bonham Carter gets the "and" hammer for all my credit fetishists. 79. Mary Poppins Returns (Rob Marshall)- I saw this on Christmas night with my family. The original Mary Poppins was the first movie my mom ever saw in theaters, and it's probably my wife's favorite. To the extent that insulting it is kind of insulting an important part of who she is. So I couldn't be the guy coming out of the theater like, "The Bankses definitely deserved to lose their house." Between you and me though, it's just fine. Entire sequences could be cut without damaging anything--do we ever come back to the bowl that Meryl Steep is supposed to be mending?--and most of the conflict feels manufactured. These legasequels always end up feeling like boxes being checked. We all know that the guys with the cannon had to come back, right? But some of the numbers are so joyful or stirring that even this grinch snuck a few smiles at his daughter as she pointed to the screen and said, "That's so silly." It's a good movie to see on Christmas night with your whole family. 78. RBG (Betsy West, Julie Cohen)- This movie is designed to make the viewer who would seek it out go, "What an American hero." It does that, I suppose, and there isn't a whole lot wrong with it. Yes, she is a very impressive person. But the film has too much untapped potential and too few teeth to recommend beyond that rubric of achieving its goals. For example, what about half of the population that would sneer at the notion that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an American hero? Besides the inclusion of some radio clips over the credits, the filmmakers aren't concerned. "Look, she was friends with a conservative!"

77. Searching (Aneesh Shaganty)- Since I've seen thousands of movies that don't take place inside of a computer, there's still some novelty to the handful that do. On one hand, there are four or five twists too many, and the film isn't consistent with its own rules. On the other hand, it gets intriguingly dark for PG-13, and it never stops moving. 76. Uncle Drew (Charles Stone III)- The attitude toward women is retrograde, and to call the plot cookie-cutter would be an understatement. But this works, mostly because of the sunny, natural performances. Kyrie Irving, whose handles are even more of a marvel on a forty-foot screen, has to act through pounds of makeup, but he pulls it off. With only commercials to his name, he has to carry scenes of, like, standing at someone's grave and apologizing, and he has the presence and confidence to do it. I also should mention that Nick Kroll has a nothing-to-lose, galaxy brain performance for which probably zero of the lines were written ahead of time. "Shout-out to Oberto, shout-out to Aleve, the number one pain reliever in the game right now." I have to extend some of the credit here to Charles Stone III, who has made a calling card out of coaxing performances from newcomers. 75. Christopher Robin (Marc Forster)- Cute. 74. Unsane (Steven Soderbergh)- What seems to be a B-movie hitting its marks gets elevated by one fantastic scene that makes it seem timely and vital. I can't help but think Steven Soderbergh is punching below his weigh class though. I'm glad that an experiment like shooting a movie with an iPhone gets him up in the morning, and I know he doesn't want to make another Traffic or Out of Sight. But maybe, here's an idea, audiences might? 73. 22 July (Paul Greengrass)- The first thirty minutes are harrowing, in part because of their disciplined cross-cutting and Anders Danielsen Lie's chilling stoicism. The mistake that Greengrass makes is thinking that, later on, the three strands of story are equal in importance. He cuts away from the court case at its apex to see a kid trying to walk again or a prime minister demanding that his administration get tougher. Some moments are powerful, and Greengrass's composition and editing have mercifully softened, but this becomes a grind at a certain point. 72. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Ron Howard)- I hate to state the obvious, but this feels like multiple movies stitched together because that's exactly what it is. On one hand, we have the foggy opening, featuring an airtight inciting incident and setting up Emilia Clarke as that rarest of things in a Star Wars movie: a character with unclear motivations. But as the film goes on, it reveals why Han doesn't work as a protagonist. (Ehrenreich is bad, but the storytelling sinks the movie more than his performance does.) Everyone else in the movie drips with charisma and comments on the action while Han is left to connect the dots. In other words, the other characters get to be Han Solo, and Han Solo doesn't. By the time we get to the marauders, past the two hour mark of a movie that shouldn't have been more than two hours, the narrative crumbles under its own weight. These movies are way too competent to fail--I can list five or six moments that transcend the flaws--but each of these origin stories has a way of erasing the myth of Star Wars with a pen. 71. Bird Box (Susanne Bier)- This is a genre film that you've seen before in one way or another, so your expectations (and filmgoing experience even?) will dictate what you think of it. There's a metaphorical reading available, but that doesn't make the picture more artful automatically. Trevante Rhodes is a Movie Star. Here's what I can tell you: We need to appreciate John Gavin Malkovich while we can. Delivering the apotheosis of the selfish dickhead survivor character, he a) asks why the group can't stay in the grocery store forever, b) points shotguns at people when they try to let in strangers, c) drinks as he's telling people matter-of-factly that this is the end of the world, and d) (sort of) explains why he is the way he is. And-he-does-it-all-with-the-deliberate-cadence-that-you-are-doing-in-your-HEAD-right-NOW. I'm not saying the guy should win Best Supporting Actor or anything, but I admire his career more than any that would get a Best Supporting Actor.

[theunseeliemperoress]

Ultimate Custom Night: Voice’s

(I’ve decided to make a post of all the lines from the game [not including phone guy’s] and give my analysis/opinion on them)

This is the video I used as a ref

Foxy: “Yar I came for ye booty. That be treasure you know.” “Yar. You never stood a chance.” “I can’t run like I used to. But I can pull my self apart just fine.” (Could refer to how he’d run at you in the first game) “Arr. So much more spacious in here. I may stay a while.” “Yar har har. Never underestimate the cunning of a pirate. Or a fox for that matter.” He sounds exactly how I thought he would.

Nightmare Fredbear:  “Let’s see how many time’s you can be pulled apart.” (pulling things/being pulled apart seems to be a reoccurring theme) “I assure you I am very real” “This time there is more than an illusion to fear.” (Both lines could be about how in FNAF 4 none of the animatronics are real) “We know who are friends are. But you are not one of them.” “Let me put you back together. And  then take you apart all over again.” I like how his voice is gruff and distorted (actually I like how all the fnaf 4 animatronics have distorted voices). It also sounds layered to me. Or there could be a second voice underneath.

Happy Frog: “Everyone underestimates me. But then they turn their back and I’m like boo! And their like wagh!” “Move over Freddy Fazbear! Happy Frog is the new star of the show.” “We’ve only just begun. I will never let you leave. I will never let you rest.” (Said in a whispered tone. Sounds more sinister than her usual voice) “I bet you weren’t expecting me were ya? Turn your back for one second and I’m like wozoo! Ninja skills.” “You and I don’t get to talk as often as I’d like.” Very cute voice acting. I like how they throw in one creepy line. That should throw a few people off.

Jack-O-Chika: (voice is distorted) “I am a burning reminder of your misdeeds.”) “Greetings from the fire and the one you should not have killed.” (Player character killed someone. Who? My theory at the moment is they’re the purple guy (or maybe one of them) and they’re in hell. But we’ll see if that sticks) “Did things get really hot in here? Or is it just me?” “Come and burn with me. The fire burns eternal. And now you shall as well!” (Further supports my hell theory) A lot of their lines contain hints towards the lore. But due to the distortion they can be hard to hear. Typical of fnaf lore (in plain sight but hard to decipher). My fave voice from the fnaf4 animatronics.

Lefty: (whispers everything) “Shhh...Come spend eternity inside. With me.” (Inside where?) “Shhh...I’ve been looking for you. And now I’ll never let you go.” “Shhh...I’m so glad that I found you. Let me make room for you.” “Shhh...It will all be over soon.” “Shhh...There is room for one more.” (One more in the suit?) His voice is actually one of the creepiest to me. Especially as it sounds like a little boy.

Mangle: “I wanted to wait till just the right moment to drop in.” “It’s so much more fun hanging out in here with you.” “He’s here. And always watching. The one you shouldn’t have killed.” (”The one you shouldn’t have killed” is mentioned a lot) “Don’t be afraid. Soon you will look just like me. Beautiful.” “Now I get to play take apart and put back together. You won’t feel a thing.” The fact they have a male and female voice actor makes me really happy.

Marionette: “The others are under my protection.” “Seeing you powerless is like music to me.” “The others are like animals. But I am very aware.” (Did the other children/victims loose their humanity? Why not this one?) “I don’t hate you. But you need to stay out of my way.” “I recognise you. But I’m not afraid of you. Not anymore.” (Further evidence player character was/is a killer) The childish voice makes an already creepy character creepier. Are they the one “You should not have killed?” (Though their voice sounds like a little girl and Mangled clearly say “He’s here”.)

Ballora: “I could hear you breathing.” “Admit it. You wanted to let me in.” “These are strange circumstances. That have brought us together.” “Don’t be shy. Why do you hide inside these walls?” Her lines are very flirty. Which seems strange.

Toy Chica: “Where’s my beak? Lodged in your forehead of course.” “*Giggles* You won’t get tired of dying will you? You won’t get tired of my voice? Will you?” (further evidence towards the hell theory) “Let’s go somewhere more private. So I can eat you.” Interesting but very fitting voice acting.  Nightmare Bonnie: “You will not be spared. You will not be saved.” “The shadows (indistinct) me. And (indistinct) you back to horror(?) “Your/You’re wickedness made of flesh.” “I’m here to claim what is left of you.” Creepy voice but I can barely understand anything he says

The Music Man: “Hear that. It’s the sweet sweet sound of your eternal silence.” “Hey keep it down would ya?” “When I’m here you play by My rules.” “A song was requested of me. And now I sing it.” “You and I will be making music together for a long long time.” A weird voice for a weird looking character.

Nedbear: “Stranger danger! *laughs* I was just waiting for you to drop your guard.” “Woops. That’s gonna leave a mark.” “This is how it feels. You get to experience it over and over and over again. Forever. I will never let you leave.” (A little girls voice can be heard just out of sync) “Don’t you hate getting killed by obscure secondary characters?” The hillbilly accent is fun. The little girls voice implies even these characters have dark secrets.

Nightmare Freddy (voice is distorted): “No light can save you now.” “I have always been hiding in your shadow.” “What a gift to relish a victim that can’t perish.” (Hell theory) “I am given flesh to be your tormentor.” “I am remade. But not by you. By the one you should not have killed.” Very creepy. Probably one of the easiest Nightmare to understand but still creepy.

Nightmare BB: “There just isn’t room in here for both of us.” “You knew I’d get you eventually.” “Come closer. Help me count my teeth.” “Flash that light all night/all you like. It can’t save you now.” “You’re not so big. Just a bite size morsel.”

Nightmarionette: (voice is distorted) “The nightmare is just beginning.” “Let’s taste (?) death again, and again and again.” “I am the fear of your reflection and the one you have created.” (The one you have created could be the Marionette) “This is a nightmare you won’t wake from.” (Hell theory?) “This time death can not save you.” (Hell theory) Voice is very hard to understand but very creepy.

Nightmare Mangle: Voice is covered by a lot of static and radio interference. I could hear something that sounded like “Come here come here” though it’s not clear.

William Afton:  “I always come back.”  Has a more human sounding voice despite being in a state of disrepair (like the nightmares and withered animatronics) which makes sense. The fact he and Springtrap are different animatronics throws a wrench in a few theories I’ve heard.

Orville Elephant: “I hope you enjoyed the grand finale.” “Now is my time to shine.” “He tried to release you. He tried to release us. But I’m not gonna let that happen. I will hold you here. I will keep you here. No matter how many times they burn us.” (a little girls voice can be heard just after his. Who are they?) “What did you think of my act? I don’t get out much. So you’ll have to forgive my enthusiasm. I love how he sounds like a sweet old man.

Pigpen: “Even monkey’s fall from trees.” “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” “The talented hog hides his claws.” “I consider it a dignified death. Not really it was actually quite pathetic.” “If you sit by the river long enough you’ll see the body of your enemy floating by.” The hillbilly voice really suits him, and the banjo makes me laugh.

Rockstar Bonnie: (Electronic voice, sings) “What a fine day to come here and say Your face and flesh I must flay” “What a treat, to come here and meet (?), your face as it hits concrete (?) “I found my guitar. now reach for the stars, As I bludgeon and pull you apart.” “Why so blue? You know I’ll be true. And now I’ll make slippers (?) out of you.” “So good to see you again. My truest friend. But now your life must end.” (Calls the player character his “truest friend”. Does he mean it? Why does he want to kill PC? Did PC kill him (if he’s one of the possessed animatronics)  Interesting how he’s the only one who sings.

Rockstar Chika: “That’ll teach ya for trying to trick this old bird.” “Thought you could fool me with that sign. But I was too smart for ya.” “I may not like wet floors but the smell of fresh meet is just too enticing.” “Looks like you’re the one who slipped up this time.” “That’s right. And don’t you come back now you hear.” Her voice makes me think of a female rockstar from the 70s or 80s.

Scrapbaby: “Time for your controlled shock.” (said two different ways) “Let’s see how many pieces I can cut you into.” “You won’t die. But you’ll wish you could.” (hell theory) Sounds just like Baby’s voice. (personally I’d have made it a little different but it’s fine as it is) Toy Freddie:  “It’s not my fault. I have these fat plastic fingers that can’t press the buttons.” “Mr hugs got me again.” “If I get jumpscared. You get jumpscared.” “That game was totally rigged.” “That’s what you get for leaving me hanging.” Voice could get annoying after a while.

Trash and the gang: (female voice, whispers) “Psst over here. Get closer.” “Excuse me could you come a little closer?” “Hey. Down here. Hello. I wanted to ask you something. Its something really important.” “Psst. I have something to tell you.” “Hey hey. I want to tell you something.” The voice seems to only be there to trick the player into listening more closely before they are jumpscared.

Rockstar Freddie: “Please deposit five coins.” (Said repeatedly during gameplay when active. After jumpscaring the player is said once and grinds to a stop)

Rockstar Foxy “Yar. Ye play with fire and sometime’s ye get burned.” Voice is very similar to Foxy’s but the slight difference is fitting.

Withered Bonnie: (voice has an electronic echo) “Time to face the consequences of your behaviour (?)” “Might as well face the facts. You were always destined to fail.” “You blinked.” “Why (indistinct)? Is it me (indistinct)? Or is it you? Perhaps it is us both.” “I’ve made (indistinct) fate. But (indistinct) taught (?)” Could someone please tell me what he’s saying?

Withered Chika: (Indistinct) through the vent. But now we are together.” “Let me show you how to break your face and look like me.” “I was the first. I have seen everything.” (The first what? Animatronic? Victim?) “Come closer. Let’s smile(?) together.” “I have seen him. The one you shouldn’t have killed.” The juttering voice is creepy though not the creepiest.

Baby: “I guess you forgot about me.” “Want to see the scooping room?” (Player character could be the main character from SL or Baby’s creator. Or both?) “Guess you forgot about me. Looks like something bad happened.”

Robot(?): “Now I will tell you a story.” “But he could not choose.” “He placed the remains together.” “He promised to never leave them.” Sounds like the War of the Worlds CD my mum has. Who’s story is it telling? The player characters? The Marionettes? 

Mr Hippo: NOPE. NO. Not doing it. I’m not typing all his lines. I’d like to do other things today thank you very much. (His line “maybe I met some sort of demise of my own” is interesting though) Sounds like an old man.