#maya x omar | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ssahotstuff · 2 years ago

Text

Lie To Me

An Aaron Hotchner x reader series

Aaron Hotchner/Ozark crossover

Part 10

Part 9 can be found here

Warnings: oral, male receiving, crime, money laundering, violence, smut, minors DNI cursing, drinking

Word count: 4k

Aaron

I called as promised as soon as I touched down in Mexico, telling her I loved her and that I'd talk to her when I could. The last thing I wanted was to be away from her; when they told me I'd be the one to bring Marty home, I prayed he'd just come on his own. They were worried he was trying to run, and even though we had connections everywhere, we had no one on the inside of the Navarro cartel, the people Marty worked for.

Omar Navarro was their leader, and currently detained in American prison because our agent Maya Miller had jumped the gun and had him arrested after he'd decided to make a deal with us. He was going to work for us for five years in return for unhindered passage to and from the United States and no prison time. If he agreed, Marty would work for us too, and he'd get to avoid jail time. But that wasn't possible now, because Omar was in custody.

Rumor was that Marty was in Mexico running things for Omar, and he'd gone dark, not communicating with us since he'd left. The FBI was concerned, and it was my job to make sure he made it back to the Ozarks in one piece. I picked up a car that I knew would be waiting for me at the airport, one of the perks of having connections. The weather was hot and dry, and I was glad I'd skipped a tie today. It was too hot for a suit and even I knew that.

The first place I'd be visiting was Omar's home. It was a grand compound, with a giant gated entrance that I somehow managed to get clearance through. I assumed Marty was around somewhere and that was the only reason I wasn't shot on arrival. When I made it through the front door, a series of Omar's accomplices pointed me in the right direction until I'd found Marty, sitting at Omar's desk like he owned it.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

I looked around the room and to Marty, who'd made himself at home.

"I could ask you the same thing. This is how you do things now? You're in charge?" It was no surprise that Marty had to come clean things up and find a new leader for the cartel--Omar's sons weren't old enough yet.

"I'm fixing our problem. You need someone new to make a deal with. Omar's nephew is that guy," he stated, but I wasn't convinced that it was so simple.

"Just like that?"

He made a face, putting his hands in his pockets. Nothing about him was trustworthy. I never understood how Y/n got mixed up with him, considering he was the least trustworthy person on the planet. Everyone involved with him was shady with the exception of her.

"Well not exactly that easy. I still have to talk to him," of course he hadn't gotten any closer to making the deal than he was before he left. Coming to Mexico only prolonged our action moving forward. It was no secret that I didn't want to make a deal with him--but it wasn't my call.

He explained that Javi wanted to take over Omar's empire, and that the deal would be for ten years instead of five. Marty would do anything to keep himself out of prison, so he needed this to work. I didn't care one way or the other--I just wanted to go home.

"Well you can do it from US soil, because we're leaving. Tonight." Truth be told, we could wait until morning, but I didn't want to be away from Y/n any longer than I had to be. It was hard enough getting on the plane and leaving in the first place, given how emotional she got when I told her I had to leave. It nearly broke my heart watching her cry over me, over things I couldn't control, but I'd be back to her as soon as I possibly could.

"No can do. Javi's coming here in the morning."

I crossed the room, unsure of who he thought he was negotiating with.

"This isn't a discussion. You don't get to make any choices. We're leaving as soon as I find a flight to Missouri." He sat down at his desk, pouring a drink before he offered me one. I declined, checking my watch--it was nearly time for The Blue Cat to open, and I wondered what my girl was doing without me, how her day was going. My routine was always off if I didn't at least see her for a bit in the mornings, and today had been no different. I didn't get to sleep with her, and she hated sleeping alone. I'd gotten used to sharing her bed--it was much bigger and more comfortable than mine by far.

"If you want to make a deal, we need to stay until morning."

I shook my head, picking up my bag and slinging it over my shoulder.

"I want to put your ass in prison. No amount of convincing will get me to stay in Mexico tonight. Get Javi to America," if he wanted to do any sort of deal, he'd have to comply with our terms, one of which was meeting on US soil.

"I'll try."

Three hours later, Javi was set to fly to America shortly behind us. By the time we boarded our flight, Marty was especially giddy, a smirk on his face.

"Rushing back for any reason in particular?" He teased, nudging me with his elbow. I recoiled away just as quick, in no mood to be friendly with him.

"I didn't want to come chase you down in the first place."

He rolled his eyes, and I took the time before we took off to let Y/n know I was on my way back, and that I'd see her soon. It was only a three hour flight, so I'd get back before bedtime if we were lucky. He nodded to my phone screen, my wallpaper was a photo of Y/n, one I'd taken one night at the Blue Cat of her leaned against the counter, smiling as she talked to Jonah. It was such a good candid photo, and she was so beautiful, and she didn't even have to try.

"I bet she wasn't happy you had to come get me." She was the one thing we had in common, the only thing we could talk about and not argue over because he'd been smart enough to keep her off our radar.

"She wasn't. She's worried about you, though. You should know by now that she always worries," it was one of the cutest things about her, the way she felt so deeply, with her entire heart no matter what the situation.

"I hate that she's being put through this but I'm glad we're in agreement that she can never know about any of it," keeping her out of it would make sure that Marty's kids always had a scapegoat. When he'd first suggested the idea to my boss, I hated it until I realized how much better they functioned with her around.

"Never. I'll shelter her from it for as long as I can, because I don't want her or your kids knowing what you do." It was something I'd asked for early on, to keep it quiet to her from everyone else too. They agreed simply because I never asked for anything so they knew it must be important to me. Maya was good about not letting anything slip when she talked to her, so Marty was the only person I had to worry about.

"I appreciate that you help her with my kids. Jonah cooked us dinner when he was home, said you taught him how."

I enjoyed his kids, which only made seeing Marty worse for me. He made a good decision to send them to stay with Y/n, but it was the only good decision he'd made in years.

"They're innocent, Marty. I'd never hurt your kids. I spend just as much time with them as I do her," I could tell it bothered him a little but he'd never tell me, not when he knew my intentions were only good.

"I know you wouldn't."

By the time we landed and I had delivered Marty to the director, I was exhausted. The first call I made once I was in the car alone was to Y/n to see where she was. It was getting late so I didn't know if she was still at work or not.

"I miss you," there was no greeting, just her sweet voice on the other end of the line.

"I miss you, baby. Tell me where you are," I didn't drive off until she told me she was still at work, getting ready to close things down. I made my way to The Blue Cat, where her and Kay's cars were the only ones left in the lot, even Dave was already gone.

I made my way inside, spying her at the bar, counting out tips. She turned around when she heard the bell, practically sprinting towards me, hugging me with all of her might.

"So glad you're home," she murmured, letting me kiss her greedily on the lips, pulling her into me. Kay came from the kitchen, stopping when she saw us, but I didn't care. I thought I'd be away from her for much longer, but any amount of time not around her was too much.

"You ready to go home?" She nodded, taking my hand as we all headed to the parking lot.

"Leave your car. I'll bring you in the morning," I'd missed her so bad I didn't even want her taking her own car, not when she could just ride in mine. I didn't want to be apart from her for another minute.

"So was finding him hard?" I shook my head, telling her the brief details, like how long it took. I'd never dare tell her anything more than that.

"I hope now that he's home, he's back for good. I was dreading sleeping without you," she only wanted Marty to stay put so she didn't have to worry about me leaving again, and it made me feel so loved to know she enjoyed having me around so much.

"Now you won't have to. I'm off tomorrow so I figured we can have coffee together in the morning, it's been a while." Usually I was gone before she woke up, starting my days early so I could be home sooner.

"The kids will be happy you're back. They miss you when you're not around," she said as we pulled in, the kids coming outside when they saw my vehicle.

"You're back!" Jonah said excitedly, rushing forward to greet me.

"I am. And hopefully I won't have to leave again," I told them, following them inside. Y/n made everyone a cup of tea, something she was trying to get us all in the habit of since we were all notorious for drinking coffee, even right before bed. The tea she made was calming, specifically for bedtime. The kids enjoyed it, it was their chance to rehash their day, and ask about hers. It was a slice of normalcy in their torn apart world, and I felt my heart swell when I realized they cared enough to let me be a part of it.

When we all said our good nights, I wasn't surprised when she dragged me towards the front door and across the street to my place, despite her attempts to get everyone ready for bed.

"Want to show me how much you missed me?" I teased as I unlocked the front door, taken by storm when she dropped to her knees as soon as we got inside, tugging my pants down with her.

"That's the plan,"'she said sweetly, plopping my cock into her mouth as soon as she'd freed me from my boxers. I groaned as she let me touch the back of her throat, tears already brimming her pretty little eyes as she gagged around me.

"Goddamn, baby. Your mouth feels so good," I let my eyes flutter shut as she choked on me, my cock practically in her throat, but she didn't stop. She sped up, letting me wipe the tears from her cheeks as she hollowed them out around me, making me grip the back of her head, a smile on her lips. She didn't stop until she'd swallowed every last drop of me, wiping her mouth as she stood up, hugging me as she got on her feet.

"I missed you so much," she said finally, leaning up to kiss me. She'd never know how a minute away from her felt like days, and I needed her like the air in my lungs in order to keep going.

✨✨✨

"So tell me what you've been doing. You still with Hotch?" It was closing time, but Ruth had showed up. She'd been afraid to come around because of the investigation, but she'd needed a friend tonight, and stopped by the Blue Cat to see you.

"We've been together for months now. We're doing good. The kids are still with me," she didn't seem shocked given the circumstances. You were having your nightly beer, waiting on Aaron to show up, because you knew he would. He was rather predictable, and he'd told you he worked late tonight, which meant you'd be the first stop on his way home.

"They do good with you."

It was common knowledge that Marty and everyone knew his kids were safe with you, but not only that, they were growing into spectacular people. You were afraid of what they'd become if they only had their parents influence in their lives. Marty and Wendy weren't bad parents but their priorities were way out of line and Marty had put everyone in a shitty spot by committing these crimes.

"They do. I worry what'll happen if Marty goes to prison." You worried about everything, not just Marty going to prison. You worried that soon enough, the kids would need more than a friend, they'd need a parent, and you weren't sure if you could be that. You'd try no matter what, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't get scared for the future.

"Me too." You heard him before you saw him, the bell letting you know he'd arrived. You stayed at the bar, letting him come to you. You handed him a beer that he took gratefully, sitting on a barstool in front of you as you leaned on the bar.

"I'm glad you found someone who's good to you," Ruth said as she finished her beer and headed for the door so you could head home, knowing that it was late. Aaron waited until you were alone to lean across the bar and kiss you, his hand on your face. You leaned into his touch before walking around the bar so you could finish your beer with him.

"Marty's making a deal tomorrow. This mess should be over soon."

He seemed hopeful that all of this would soon come to an end. He was supposed to be retiring when that happened, and you had thought about asking him to run the restaurant with you, maybe expanding and making it bigger. You weren't sure what his plans were but you hoped he stuck around.

He followed you home, coming over right after. You didn't even know the last time he'd been in his bed-- he was always with you. The two of you were inseparable, and you preferred it that way. The kids were already waiting for you; Charlotte had ordered pizza and it had just showed up. You all sat at the table and ate, hoping that Jonah would still come around even after things resumed as usual and there was no threat at his home. You knew he would, you just got worried sometimes.

By the time you were in bed that night, Aaron could tell something was wrong. He pulled you into his lap, his hands on your thighs.

"Talk to me, gorgeous girl. Tell me what's on your mind," you leaned forward and kissed him, still shocked that he knew you well enough to know when something was up, even if you were acting fine.

"All I do is work. Sometimes I worry that if I get Jonah, I won't be enough for him, guidance wise."

He brought you to his chest, letting you lay on top of him as he raked his hands through your hair, his other hand on your back.

"You're more than enough. You give them peace, something they haven't had at home in a long time. Don't ever worry about not being enough for any of us. I promise you are."

You let him make you feel better, pressed against him as he gently rubbed your back. You were lucky enough to have the following day off, and so did he. Kay was working in the morning and Charlotte was working the dinner shift, giving you a break. You were letting Charlotte take your car since you'd be with Aaron for the day.

"Could sleep like this," he muttered hazily as you nuzzled into the crook of his neck, getting cozier by the second. You were asleep before you even realized it.

Waking up with him was always a treat. It wasn't everyday that you ended and started the day with one another, so you didn't take it for granted. When you woke up on top of him, your first instinct was to move until you realized you couldn't. His arms were wrapped around you, pinning you to his chest. He kissed your forehead in his sleep, making you smile to yourself as you tried to untangle your body from his without waking him up.

"Where are you going?" His voice was still raspy and deep from sleep, giving you the shivers.

"You aren't uncomfortable?"

He shook his head, squeezing your ass lightly before he moved his hands back to the small of your back, your shirt lifted up slightly, your skin exposed. His fingertips trailed along your pant line as you leaned up to kiss him.

"Slept so good," he said, holding you for a while longer. At some point the two of you fell back asleep, and when you woke up again, the clock read almost 9 AM. You hadn't slept that late in ages, and you felt refreshed and ready to start the day. Aaron was stirring too, stretching and yawning beneath you, letting you climb off of him.

"I never go back to bed once I'm awake, I don't know what you've done to me," he joked, kissing your cheek as he stood up, raising his arms over his head as he stretched.

"Me either. I was sleeping so good though," it was the most blissful night of sleep you'd had in a long time. You should've known it would come accompanied by a day where things started to crumble.

Master tags: @wheelsupkels @periodtcevans @hausofwhores @criminallyobsessedcm @tojithesourcerkiller @fireworksinthesky @realdirectionx

#aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner au #ssa aaron hotchner smut #ssa aaron hotchner #Aaron Hotchner #Aaron Hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x fem!reader #aaron hotchner x reader smut #aaron hotchner x fem reader #jason bateman ozark #Ozark #marty byrde

15 notes · View notes

randomontheinternet · 4 years ago

Text

Our Life Voiced Names A-Z

I heard some people wanted a list of the voiced names so far, so I took the time to copy down all of the names from A to Z. The names are under the cut to not clutter.

Aaron

Aayria

Abby

Ace

Adrienne

Aeon

Aeriie

Aesilng

Aga

Aine

Aisha

Aisling

Aki

Akira

Akua

Alaina

Alex

Alexis

Alfonzo

Ali

Alice

Alijah

Alison

Alvis

Alyssa

Amanda

Amber

Amelia

Amy

Anaïs

Andra

Andre

Andrew

Andri

Angel

Angela

Angie

Anima

Anita

Anna

Anna-Maria

Anne

Annie

Annika

Anthony

Antoine

Aoife

Arabella

Aram

Ari

Arielle

Arrow

Arthur

Arturo

Arty

Ash

Asher

Ashla

Ashleigh

Ashlyn

Aspen

Asteria

Astrid

Athena

Atticus

Audrey

Aura

Aurora

Austin

Autumn

Ayanna

Barbie

Basil

Beach

Beata

Bec

Becky

Bee

Belen

Ben

Bethany

Bia

Blue

Bobbi

Bonnie

Boyd

Braden

Brian

Briana

Brielle

Brittany

Brooke

Brooklyn

Bryony

Bunni

Cadence

Cai

Cam

Cami

Cara

Carmine

Casey

Cassidy

Cato

Cecilia

Cecily

Celestia

Cerise

Chance

Chantal

Chara

Charlie

Charmaine

Chelle

Chris

Christie

Christina

Chuck

Ciara

Ciaran

Cillian

Claire

Cléo

Coco

Col

Conny

Cora

Cori

Corrina

Cristal

Cristina

Crystal

Cygnus

Cyina

Dan

Dani

Dante

Daphne

Dara

Dayton

December

Denny

Deremy

Desiree

Desmond

Destiny

Devyn

Dexter

Diamond

Diana

Diane

Dorothy

Duane

Eddie

Eden

Elaine

Elda

Eleanor

Elegance

Elena

Elenus

Elissa

Eliza

Elle

Ellie

Eluned

Elysa

Ember

Emilith

Emily

Emma

Emmy

Enjel

Ennae

Eric

Erica

Erii

Erin

Ester

Eve

Evren

Ezekiel

Ezra

Felicia

Felicity

Felix

Fianna

Finist

Finn

Flynn

Francesco

Franklin

Gabrielle

Gaby

Gail

Garnet

Gavin

Gemma

Genevieve

Gerry

Gigi

Gin

Giulia

Glen

Grace

Gray

Gwen

Haley

Halima

Hana

Hannah

Hanni

Haru

Hazel

Heather

Helena

Héloïse

Hime

Hiyori

Hollis

Holly

Hon

Hunter

Ian

Iga

Illidan

Imani

Irene

Iris

Isabel

Ishan

Isla

Isolde

Issa-Kabeer

Ivy

J.R.

Jacob

Jade

Jaden

Jaiet

Jake

Jan

Janice

Jas

Jasmine

Jasper

Jatin

Javi

Jax

Jay

Jaycie

Jazz

Jeannie

Jeff

Jemma

Jen

Jennifer

Jenny

Jess

Jesse

Jessica

Jessinia

Jill

Jinx

Joanie

Joanna

Joelle

Johanna

Jordan

Jordanna

Joseph

Josh

Josie

Joy

Juleyma

Juli

Julia

Julianne

Julien

June

Jupiter

Justina

Kaden

Kai

Kala

Kaleton

Kalina

Karat

Karen

Kat

Kate

Katelyn

Katrina

Kay

Kel

Kellie

Ken

Kendi

Kenton

Kevin

Kia

Kiara

Kiba

Kie

Kien

Kim

Kimberly

Kimory

Kira

Kirsty

Kisa

Kit

Knox

Kodie

Kozmo

Kra

Kristen

Kyan

Laëtitia

Lanz

Laura

Lauren

Lavender

Leaf

Leann

Leina

Leo

Leon

Leslie

Letty

Levi

Lex

Lexi

Lia

Libbi

Lidia

Lilith

Lillian

Lily

Lindsay

Lindt

Linley

Lisette

Liss

Livia

Lotus

Lucy

Luke

Luna

Lyla

Lyric

Lvsander

Lysella

Maddy

Madeline

Mae

Maggy

Mahari

Mai

Maia

Mali

Mallory

Malyia

Mandy

Marcel

Marcella

Marcia

Marco

Margaret

Mari

Maria

Marianne

Mariposa

Maris

Marissa

Marlene

Martina

Mary

Mary-Elizabeth

Mason

Matina

Matthew

Maus

Max

Maya

McKenzie

Megan

Mel

Melanie

Melissa

Melly

Melody

Merlin

Mia

Mich

Michael

Michelle

Michiko

Mickie

Mikaela

Mikey

Mimi

Mina

Minette

Mini

Mira

Miranda

Mishal

Missy

Mizuki

Molly

Monica

Mordaine

Morgan

Morgana

Moriah

Morina

Muriel

Mykaela

Nakira

Nancie

Natalie

Natasha

Nathaniel

Neelam

Nessa

Nessi

Niamh

Nicole

Nier

Night

Nikki

Nina

Noah

Noe

Noel

Nui

Oda

Oliver

Olivia

Ollie

Omar

Onyx

Opal

Ori

Osmond

Oumou

Paige

Parvati

Patience

Patrice

Patricia

Patrick

Peter

Philippe

Phoebe

Phoenix

Polly

Priya

Querriana

Quinn

Quinniece

Rachel

Rain

Rainie

Ran

Randi

Raphaël

Raven

Rayne-Beau

Rayraye

Rebecca

Reed

Rei

Reina

Rémi

Ren

Revan

Rhiannon

Rhi-Rhi

Rhyne

Rika

Riley

Rini

Riona

Risa

Riven

Riza

Robyn

Rory

Rosa

Rose

Rosetta

Rosie

Rowan

Runa-Lucienne

Ruth

Ryan

Rye

Sabrina

Sage

Salem

Sam

Samantha

Sammi

Sandy

Sara

Saro

Sasha

Savannah

Season

Selena

Selkie

Serena

Shaelei

Shakyra

Shay

Shayla

Sheena

Shelbie

Sid

Sienna

Silvia

Simmy

Simon

Sinead

Skye

Skyla

Skylar

Soffia

Soleil

Sonja

Sora

Soraya

Stacey

Star

Stefan

Stevie

Stella

Steph

Stephanie

Stephen

Story

Susan

Suzy

Sydney

Tama

Tammy

Tanisha

Tanya

Taylor

Ted

Teddy

Terra

Terrence

Terry

Thomas

Thorgunna

Tiago

Tida

Tobias

Toki

Tokiko

Tom

Tommy

Tomoko

Trey

Tricia

Tristan

Twila

Tye

Uma

Undyne

Vaeril

Van

Vandy

Vaughn

Vaylin

Velise

Venla

Vera

Verly

Verv

Vesper

Vicky

Victor

Vina

Vincent

Violette

Vivi

Vivienne

Wendy

Westley

Whispthera

Winnie

Wonder

Xander

Xavier

Xiri

Yasmin

Ylthin

Yon

Yoonie

Yuki

Yukino

Yuli

Yvette

Yvonne

Zachary

Zack

Zae

Zariyah

Zayla

Zen

Ziya

Zoey

#our life beginnings & always #our life #ourlifeba #the final list if more names don't come out #last update- feb 17

76 notes · View notes

cotchottakes · 7 months ago

Note

I honestly think Deltron 3000 should appear more in Cotc and we should see how he looks outside of the creek

Bryson and the Ice Pop trio should get more content. Omar also needs more content outside of missions or the "Heart of the Forest" Arc. Maya should appear more often too.

I also actually like Craig x Wildernessa but I can see how people don't like the ship 👍🏽

Calmest Vancraig shipper

#craig of the creek #cotc #character appreciation #deltron 3030 #maya cotc #omar cotc #ice pop trio #wildernessa x craig

18 notes · View notes

probably-writing-x · 5 years ago

Text

Impossible to miss.

Arón Piper x Reader

Request by anon: heyyy could be able to write an Aron Piper imagine where him & the reader are married & they have a child & Aron has to go away for something he’s filming & it happens to fall under his child’s birthday but he surprises him & the reader at the end? I know it’s not much detail but feel free to make it your own :)

Gif is not my own

Requests are open 🤍

“So, what did they say?” You ask excitedly as Arón hangs up on the phone call.

“They want me to start filming as soon as possible,” He grins, slightly off from the excitement you’d expect.

You squeal and run up to hug him, “Thats amazing, babe! God I’m so proud of you!”

He returns the gesture but you can tell that something’s not right.

“What is it? You’re happy right? I mean you wanted that part...”

“Yeah, no, god yeah I wanted the part. But they want me to start filming next week, and I’ll be filming for at least three months, likely longer...”

“So you’ll be away for Maya’s birthday,” You return, “Thats why.”

“I can see whether they could delay filming for a few months or I c-“

“Babe, no,” You stop him, cupping his cheek, “Go whenever they need you and I’ll still celebrate her birthday with her. We can FaceTime you from the party and she’ll be able to see you, and then when you’re home we can all celebrate together again. Okay?”

“Are you sure?” He sighs, frowning a little.

You smile and kiss him quickly, “Go and be a movie star, honey.”

- - - - - -

It had now been just over a month since Arón had gone off to start filming. He’d stayed in contact every single day, made sure to text you as often as possible and call at least every other day. Sometimes he’d call so that he could see Maya, your daughter, and other times he’d call so you two could watch movies together late at night. You made it work, as you always did. But as Mayas third birthday approached, she was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that her (favourite) parent wouldn’t be there to celebrate.

“Are you excited for tomorrow baby?” You smile as you change her into her pyjamas for the night.

“Is Daddy going to come home?” She frowns, sitting down on the edge of the bed to let you dry her growing curls.

You pause with the towel over her head and sigh, “No, honey, he’s still filming. But you’ll have all of your friends there, and all of your family, and you’ll get lots of presents and you’ll be the superhero of the day, okay?”

She smiles at the idea and nods, “And I can see Daddy soon?”

“You can see him really soon,” You assure her, “And we can tell him all about your party.”

“Yeah!” She exclaims, before going on to ramble all about the plans for her party and all of the friends she’d have for the day.

It breaks your heart to hear her talk about Arón not being there. And you know it would break his heart too. But his job always came first, and you’d reminded him of that ever since the two of you first became parents. Sure, your family was important to both of you. But acting was his passion and he was in the prime of his success with his career that you couldn’t possibly let him jeapordise that. This was just the first time where it felt like you weren’t the only one affected by him not being home. And that hurt a lot more than every other time he’d been gone.

“Can I see Daddy tonight?” Maya asks as you finish drying her hair.

You see the hope in her eyes and find it impossible to dispute, “How about we call him and see if he’s free? But he might be busy darling so remember-“

“He night not pick up,” She finishes the line for you as she shuffles up to the top of yours and Arón’s bed and sits patiently waiting for him to answer the FaceTime.

You let out a breath of relief when it says it’s connecting and his face soon pops up on the screen,

“Hello girls!” He grins brightly at the sight of both of you, “This is a nice surprise!”

“Daddy!” Maya grins, jumping over your lap to stick her face right in front of the screen.

He gasps, “Isn’t it past your bedtime Maya Piper?”

She giggles, “Mummy said I could stay up later today.”

“Well Mummy is clearly a bad influence,” Arón shakes his head, “Are you all ready for tomorrow?”

Maya starts to ramble once again about her plans, stumbling over her words a few times as she speaks with such built up excitement.

“Sounds amazing sweetie, you’re going to have the best time,” Arón smiles fondly, laughing as she sticks her head in front of the camera again.

“Daddy why can’t you come home to see me?” She pouts, fiddling with the material of her onesie.

Arón frowns gently and you two make pained eye contact through the screen, “Because, Maya, I’m still busy working - you remember I told you? Daddy’s on a really big project right now and I can’t come back for a little while, but I promise you I’ll be home as soon as possible, okay?”

She nods slightly, “Pinky promise?”

Arón sticks his pinky finger toward the screen and kisses the other side of his hand, “Cross my heart.”

“Say bye to Daddy, we’ll speak to him tomorrow yeah?” You suggest, “Text me in the morning?”

“Yeah of course,” Arón encourages, “I’ll speak to you tomorrow. I love you.”

“Love you too Daddy!” Maya speaks up, waving at the screen and blowing kisses.

“I love both of you,” Arón looks back at you, smiling at you with that pained look where you both knew you were missing each other a little more than what felt bearable.

“Love you too, good night.”

You hang up the FaceTime and set your phone down on the side.

“How about you sleep in Mummy’s bed tonight?” You suggest to your little girl who looks at you with a bright grin.

She snuggles into the sheets and you do too, wrapping your arms around her.

“He’ll be back soon Mummy,” She mumbles through a yawn, “He pinky promised.”

You let out a breath and squeeze her a little tighter, “Yeah, soon.”

- - - - - -

The following day, you’re at the hall for Maya’s party which has been set up in her chosen theme - superheroes. She was already running around with a Batman costume on that Arón had bought her a couple of months ago. And a few of her friends were already here dressed in their own costumes too.

You’d been busy greeting people as they arrived, keeping an eye on Maya as she became engulfed by the ecstatic feeling of her own party.

“Hey (Y/n)!” Miguel calls as he and Mina walk through the door, both carrying presents, “Sorry we’re a bit late.”

“Oh, no that’s okay,” You smile, hugging him, “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Of course! I bet she’s so excited!” Mina grins, “Look at her!!”

“Yeah, she’s so happy! She really wanted Arón to be here but I think she’s distracted enough now,” You laugh, “I would try to bring her over but she hasn’t stopped playing on that bouncy castle.”

“Don’t be silly, we’ll say hi when we can,” Miguel encourages, “Here, Omar’s over there - lets go say hi.”

They walk over to where a couple of their cast mates were stood, all here to celebrate the birthday of the girl they treated as a niece.

You check up on the food and check that everybody is settling in okay to the party before actually relaxing yourself, getting a drink and walking over to mingle and talk to everybody.

You try to relax into it all, but it still feels like something is missing. Something very prominent. You should have Arón’s arm around you as you talk to your parents, or have him joke about having a second child as you talk to your friends. It felt so empty, even in a room full of people, without having him there.

Just then, as you’re about to find Maya to tell her to come and say hello to a few people, you’re stopped by an abrupt entrance at the front door. The door bursts open and someone dressed as Spider-Man is stood on the other side.

“What the f-“ You stop yourself, glancing around at everyone with evident confusion.

Miguel walks over and chuckles a little, “Who could that be?”

“I didn’t order a-“ You go to hurry forward to stop whoever this person was but Miguel holds your shoulder to keep you back.

“Don’t worry, something tells me you’ll want to see this,” He comments, nodding his head in the direction of the moving superhero.

Instantly, Maya is fascinated as she hurries over to see him, looking up at the costumes person with a bright grin.

“Spider-Man!” She exclaims, “You’re my second favourite superhero.”

The man crouches down in front of her and smiles, “Only second favourite?”

“My Daddy’s favourite is Spiderman but he’s not here,” Maya explains hurriedly.

“Well, you’ll have to tell him you met Spiderman then won’t you?” He continues, before reaching up and pulling the mask off from the back of his head. You recognise the shaven head instantly, your heart dropping at the sight.

“Daddy!” Maya squeals with more excitement than this party could ever give her.

She instantly wraps her arms around him as he lifts her into his lap and squeezes her tightly.

“Happy Birthday honey!” Arón laughs, kissing her forehead.

She pulls the costume from his body like she’s trying to make sure it really is him as she runs excitedly around to tell her friends about how her Daddy has surprised her.

You walk over and stand in front of where he was sat on the ground, just as dumbfounded yourself.

He stands up quickly and lets a smile overtake his features brightly. You let out a laugh and step to wrap your arms around him, holding him tight against you like you too were trying to convince yourself it was actually him.

You pull away momentarily to ask, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t miss it (Y/n), I couldn’t miss her birthday,” He shakes his head, “So I spoke to Miguel this morning and planned it so I could get here on time, drove the whole way back.”

You laugh again and pull him back to you, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” He mumbles, leaning back so he can kiss your lips.

“Mummy, Daddy!” Maya pulls on the material of your trousers, “This is the best birthday ever!”

He bends down to lift her into his arm as she wraps both of her tiny arms around each of you. Your little family, reunited.

69 notes · View notes

sweetsmellosuccess · 4 years ago

Text

TIFF 2020: Days 1 & 2

Films: 5 Best Film of the Day(s): One Night in Miami

One Night in Miami…: I guess you could form an argument that basing a film on a pre-existing play would make the feature easier to put together, but that wouldn’t be taking into account the tremendous differences between the mediums, their relative strengths and weaknesses. For her feature debut, the Oscar-winning actress Regina King has cinematically adapted the stage play by Kemp Powers about a fictionalized fateful night amongst four famous Black men in 1964. Those men, Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), are all in town ostensibly to celebrate Clay’s beatdown of Sonny Liston to first become the heavyweight champion of the world at the tender age of 22. But the film puts them all together in Malcolm X’s modest hotel room, watched over by Nation of Islam security men, to spend a night, essentially, debating the merits of what they bring to the struggle for Black equality and economic emancipation, and arguing back and forth about their distinct positions. Here is precisely where many play adaptations falter, without the dramatic friction of a live performance to power the emotional core, such conventions generally fall flat on the screen, but King’s virtuoso acting instincts serve her able cast well, and her work with DP Tami Reiker allows the film to flow, seemingly organically between its few location movements. Working from a skilled script by Powers, the celebrated figures feel three dimensional, which gives even their more didactic diatribes (Malcolm), and pithy rebuttals (Cooke) enough weight to avoid sounding contrived. The cast work wonders on the material, granting a needed organic vibe to their nonfiction characters, echoing the essences without tipping into caricature. It’s a strong debut for King, and the film’s complex ruminations on the responsibility of successful Black people towards their community as a means of bringing attention to the country’s oppression couldn’t be more on point. At one point Clay tells Cooke the four of them will always remain friends, because they are among the few who can possibly understand what it’s like to be “young, Black, famous, righteous, and unapologetic.”

Shiva Baby: Danielle (Rachel Sennott) is in the midst of having a day. Turns out Max (Danny Deferrari), the sugar daddy with whom she has frequently been visiting as part of her regular prostitution gig, is somehow a friend or cousin of the deceased at the same Shiva she has come to attend with her well-meaning, but completely overwhelming parents (Polly Draper and Fred Melamed). If that weren’t enough in Emma Seligman’s spry comedy, Danielle is also horrified to find Maya (Molly Gordon), a successful young woman she’s known for years, and a recent ex, also there. Crammed into the Shiva house, full of cousins and aunts and uncles all kvetching about everyone else, and being physically grabbed and moved about by her mother, Danielle faces this house of horrors, with everyone commenting concernedly on her weight-loss (“You look like Gwyneth Paltrow — on food stamps!” her mother hisses at her), and her lack of job prospects when she graduates, and her parents telling scathingly embarrassing stories about her in front of Max and his shiksa wife (Dianna Argon), whose 18-month-old baby, her mom says is “freakishly pale — and no nose,” with no respite in sight. As a result of this sort of hyper-scrutiny, Danielle goes the only route that makes any sense: Lying to everybody about nearly everything, from her current major (“gender business”), to the many job interviews she has supposedly lined up. She’s just trying to get through the ordeal, one that Seligman, along with a continually spiraling score from Ariel Marx, ratchets up, until, near the end, poor Danielle is in a near fugue state, sweat glistening on her face, and the attendees, shot in unflattering slo-mo, and distorted lenses, take on the sheen of a waking nightmare. At a brisk 77 minutes, the film still doesn’t have quite enough to sustain its running time — at a certain point it begins doubling back on itself — but it’s still a lot of horrific fun, as Seligman expertly captures the absolute loss of agency one can feel, swallowed up in a claustrophobic family gathering, where escape feels futile.

Limbo: If Scotland has a cinematic identity, as such, it seems like the kind of place, desolate and unforgiving, where individuals come to exit regular society and come to a land filled with eccentric loners (stoic and unique in their oddities), in order to get better in touch with their souls. Ben Sharrock’s serio-comedy captures both the pitiless beauty of the land, and the lonely plight of a Syrian immigrant, Omar (Amir El-Masry), waiting with a group of other men from across the Middle East and Africa, on an island off the mainland, for word from the Immigration Office that his bid for political asylum has been accepted. Omar, sweet-faced and approachable, was a musician by trade in his native Syria, and walks around everywhere carrying his precious oud, bequeathed to him by his grandfather, also a musician, even though his right hand is locked in a cast from an unspecified injury. Even without the cast, however, you get the sense that his heart really isn’t into playing, despite the entreaties from Farhad (Vikash Bhai), his Afghani roomie and self-appointed “agent and manager,” who wants him to enter a local music contest. Omar is carrying a significant amount of weight beyond missing his mother’s fragrant home-cooking. Talking to her on the lone payphone on the island, where other immigrants-in-waiting stand in line for a chance to hear from home, she implores him to speak to his older brother, who chose to stay behind in Syria and fight in the Civil War that has plagued the region for years. Omar feels guilty for having left, and suffers from having disappointed his father in the process. It doesn’t help him that the culture he finds himself in seems so foreign to him, despite his speaking flawless English. Sharrock’s brand of deadpan perfectly suits the setting, but as funny as the film can be (when asked in a culture/language class to create a sentence using the “I used to” construction, one immigrant offers “I used to be happy before I came here”), it doesn’t paint a rosy affirmation for Omar and his ilk, stuck as they are, as the title suggests, between countries and lives. Omar’s pain is real, and for every positive step forward he takes, it’s one further away from his family and his beloved home country.

Enemies of the State: Sonia Kennebeck’s challenging and curious documentary seems at first to present a case for its protagonist, Matt DeHart, a young teen hacker interested in social justice, who through his work with Wikileaks runs afoul of the U.S. government, and his beleaguered parents, Paul and Leann, who vigorously defend their only child against the evil forces conspiring against him. Through a series of personal interviews with Paul and Leann, both retired Air Force intelligence officers, who believe their country has turned against them for what Matt had downloaded from his computer into secret thumbdrives shortly before the FBI arrived at their door and confiscated all his equipment, and various lawyers they employed, first to protect Matt from what they claim as utterly bogus child-porn charges, then, after they slip away to Canada in the middle of the night, the lawyers trying to earn them asylum. While in Canada, under close supervision and confined to his parents’ apartment, Matt uses his charms, his hackavist bonafides, and his skill at PR, to generate enough interest in his case to become a digital cause celebe, along the lines of Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning. Protests are fronted, defense funds gathered, and pressure put on the government to come clean about why they seem so hard-driving against the young man. During a peculiar reenactment set in a Canadian immigration hearing — Kennebeck employs actors who apparently lip sync their lines in perfect time with the actual recorded audio — DeHart describes a harrowing ordeal earlier in the affair, after having moved to Canada to attend college, being abducted by the FBI shortly after crossing the border to renew his Visa, and tortured for days for information related to the material on the thumb-drives. Some documentation seems to corroborate his claims (even Paul and Leann, as fierce supporters as can be, were shocked to see just how ready the FBI were to snatch him), but as the film continues, and we hear more and more from the investigators and prosecuting attorneys about the original child-pornography crimes, it becomes clear that our sympathies are being played with by Kennebeck. By the end, the film itself becomes an indictment of our rapid-assumption culture, in which decisions of guilt and innocence are determined in seconds online and forever after based on the presentation of information before us.

The Way I See It: For non Trumpites, the switchover from eight years of the dignified, intelligent, and measured leadership of Barack Obama, to the perma-tanned tackiness of power-mad, narcissistic bloviating of Donald Trump, was like a double-feature that went from Citizen Kane to Kevin James’ Loudest Farts. One man better than most to measure Obama’s time in office against the subsequent regime is photojournalist Pete Souza, who served as the official White House photographer for both of Obama’s terms, and has gone on to become an outspoken critic of Trump by way of his devastating IG account, in which he juxtaposes stately Obama photos with Trumps scandal-du-jour. Lest you think he’s just another divisively partisan liberal, you have to take into account his previous turn in the White House, as one of the official photographers for Ronald Reagan’s presidency. In fact, Souza’s fly-on-the-wall quality was considered one of his strengths in the oval office. Documentarian Dawn Porter travels with Souza as he makes the media rounds promoting his newest book, Shade, a collection of those IG photos that have earned him millions of social media followers (a sort of companion piece to his previous book Obama: An Intimate Portrait). Hauling from far-off India (where he gets a standing ovation before he even takes the stage), to domestic conferences and speaking engagements, Souza emerges as a man becoming more used to being out from behind his ever-present Canon lens. Through that lens, as he displays to his rapturous audiences, he has taken many hundreds of indelible photos, showing Obama’s various interactions with foreign dignitaries, his council of cabinet members, and his more raucous time with his two daughters (one shot of Obama with his girls making snow angels on the rear lawn during a heavy snow storm remains his computer screensaver, Souza says with pride). As Porter moves from talking heads to public oratories, Souza’s remarkable photos — brilliantly composed, and inspiringly intimate, having been given nearly unlimited access to the president — play throughout, showing us a collection of images that capture the inspiring hope the president inspired and the agonizing rigors of the job he was elected to perform. The film spends little time on his Reagan years, except to note how media and image-savvy the former Hollywood actor and his wife were (Souza professes no political ill-will towards the Reagans, other than noting that while he didn’t always agree with him, he was a genuinely caring man, who at least understood the parameters of leadership). At first, the film trolls Trump by a sort of subtweet level of backhandedness: Without directly naming names, Souza makes it entirely clear who he finds failing in comparison to Obama’s empathetic, engaging deportment, but by the time the film comes around to his notorious IG account, there can be no doubt the subject of his ire. Souza maintains it has less to do with his partisan feelings (his political affiliation is never revealed), and more the way he finds the current president’s undignified manner and total disrespect for the office and the leadership it demands unacceptable. Trumpers will of course take great exception to the portrait the film portrays of the sitting president, but even the most hardcore GOP folks won’t be able to help noting the blatant differences between the loving, genuinely close Obamas; and the preening, viciously competitive Trumps, each trying to outdo the others in acting as their father’s primary sycophant.

In a year of bizarre happenings, and altered realities, TIFF has shifted its gears to a significantly paired down virtual festival. Thus, U.S. film critics are regulated to watching the international offerings from our own living room couches.

#sweet smell of success #ssos #piers marchant #films #movies #TIFF #tiff 2020 #toronto international film festival #one night in miami #regina king #limbo #The way I see it #pete souza #nomadland #frances mcdormand #chloe zhao #the new corporation #summer of 85 #francois ozon

8 notes · View notes

whatisthiswitchcraft · 6 years ago

Text

books I read in 2018! (not including rereads, favorites are bolded!)

Shortcomings - Adrian Tomine

Skim - Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary - Keshni Kashyap

Turning Japanese: A Graphic Memoir - Marinaomi

Killing and Dying - Adrian Tomine

Take What You Can Carry - Kevin C. Pyle

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee

Riotous Flesh: Women, Physiology, and the Solitary Vice in Nineteenth-Century America - April R. Haynes

Finder: Voice - Carla Speed McNeil

Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett

Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

We Are Never Meeting In Real Life - Samantha Irby

Priestdaddy - Patricia Lockwood

What We Lose - Zinzi Clemmons

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours - Helen Oyeyemi

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead - Rick Riordan

Strange Practice - Vivian Shaw

The Best We Could Do - Thi Bui

Kindred: A Graphic Novel - Octavia Butler, Damian Duffy, John Jennings

Will Do Magic for Small Change - Andrea Hairston

Pachinko - Min Jin Lee

Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt

Salt Houses - Hala Alyan

March: Book One - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

March: Book Two - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

March: Book Three - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

Sing, Unburied, Sing - Jesmyn Ward

The Power - Naomi Alderman

Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White - Lila Quintero Weaver

Blood Justice: The Lynching of Mack Charles Parker - Howard Smead

Warriors Don’t Cry - Melba Pattillo Beals

Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection - ed. Hope Nicholson

Monstress: Awakening - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Boundless - Jillian Tamaki

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South - Michael W. Twitty

Speak: The Graphic Novel - Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll

A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry

Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me - Janet Mock

Bingo Love - Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, Joy San

Vietnamerica - G.B. Tran

Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery - Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece

Arab in America - Toufic El Rassi

Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer: Undocumented Vignettes from a Pre-American Life - Alberto Ledesma

Tell the Wolves I’m Home - Carol Rifka Brunt

The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin

The Argonauts - Maggie Nelson

Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng

The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley - Malcolm X and Alex Haley

All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes - Maya Angelou

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body - Roxane Gay

Deer Woman: An Anthology - ed. Elizabeth LaPensée and Weshoyot Alvitre

Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War - Wallace Terry

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror - [Daniel] Mallory Ortberg

It’s All Absolutely Fine: Life Is Complicated So I’ve Drawn It Instead - Ruby Elliot

The Book of Unknown Americans - Cristina Henríquez

Through the Woods - Emily Carroll

The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America - Isaac Butler and Dan Kois

Tributaries - Laura Da’

On the Bus With Rosa Parks - Rita Dove

Full-Metal Indigiqueer - Joshua Whitehead

Whereas: Poems - Layli Long Soldier

Not Your Villain - C.B. Lee

My Body is a Book of Rules - Elissa Washuta

Mis(h)adra - Iasmin Omar Ata

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages - ed. Saundra Mitchell

This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare - Gabourey Sidibe

Crazy Brave - Joy Harjo

Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh

The Lesser Blessed - Richard Van Camp

A Burst of Light: and Other Essays - Audre Lorde

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart

My Brother’s Husband, Vol. I - Gengoroh Tagame

When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead

The Wicked and the Divine: Imperial Phase (Part 1) - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

Honor Girl - Maggie Thrash

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang

Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli

The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) - Amy Spalding

How to be Black - Baratunde Thurston

Bury What We Cannot Take - Kirstin Chen

No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach - Anthony Bourdain

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook - Anthony Bourdain

Our Dead Behind Us - Audre Lorde

The Wicked and the Divine: Imperial Phase (Part 2) - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6'4, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian - W. Kamau Bell

There There - Tommy Orange

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl - Andrea Lawlor

Jonny Appleseed - Joshua Whitehead

Just the Funny Parts: ... And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boys’ Club - Nell Scovell

Perma Red - Debra Magpie Earling

Toil and Trouble - Mairghread Scott

Kissing God Goodbye - June Jordan

Wade in the Water - Tracy K. Smith

Reincarnation Blues - Michael Poore

Nepantla: An Anthology [Queer Poets of Color] - ed. Christopher Soto

Not Here: Poems - Hieu Minh Nguyen

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession - Alice Bolin

Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir - Kai Cheng Thom

Taproot: A Story about a Gardener and a Ghost - Keezy Young

The Witch Boy - Molly Knox Ostertag

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

Don’t Call Us Dead - Danez Smith

Bright Dead Things - Ada Limon

The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo

Citizen Illegal - Jose Olivarez

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin - Terrance Hayes

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf - Ntozake Shange

The Carrying - Ada Limon

Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury - Lesley-Ann Jones

Unclaimed Baggage - Jen Doll

A River of Stars - Vanessa Hua

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik

Barbie Chang - Victoria Chang

Corazon - Yesika Salgado

Chemistry - Weike Wang

Number One Chinese Restaurant - Lillian Li

Lucy and Linh - Alice Pung

My Favorite Thing is Monsters - Emil Ferris

The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species - Carlos Magdalena

The Incendiaries - R.O. Kwon

Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Dumplin’ - Julie Murphy

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? - N.K. Jemisin

My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite

Unapologetic: a Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements - Charlene Carruthers

#books #2018 #year in books #my lists

8 notes · View notes