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capturethechaos · 3 years ago

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Josh Kiszka x Reader

Words - 1474

Warnings - Marijuana use, tooth aching fluff ♡

Elevated | Daze | Baked

a/n - This is based on this ask, lemme know if y'all want me to do alts for the other boys. This had me and @amouratomique in our feels while I was writing it, so enjoy ♡

Y/n had been friends with the boys for years, being dragged to every jam sesh, bonfire and event in between.

Smoking was the one thing they would do that she would not participate in, it just never interested her. Though they would occasionally tease her about it, she never felt pressured by the boys into doing anything that made her uncomfortable. The thought had crossed her mind multiple times in the last while, but the uneasy feeling that sat within her remained, so she wouldn’t even bring it up with any of the boys.

The end of the week had rolled around after what felt like an eternity, and she knew as she walked out for her lunch break that she was ready. She pulled out her phone, already seeing a text from Josh asking about how her day at work had been so far, and she opened it, pressing the call icon and listening as it rang a couple times before he picked up.

“Hey Mama, how’s work going?” He asked, the sound of the boys chatting loudly in the background coming through almost as clearly as his own voice.

“Can I come over tonight and smoke with you?” She asked bluntly, getting into her car and slamming the door.

“You want to come over to smoke— Yeah I’m sure everyone would love to have you here, we can get some snacks and everything, it’ll be-”

“No— Josh— I meant just you and me. I love everyone, but I’d be more comfortable if it was just us, is that alright?” She asked, placing her phone on her leg as she pulled out her lunch.

“Y/n of course! I’ll meet you at your house after work, that way it can just be the two of us. How’s that sound?” He asked enthusiastically.

“Sounds great Joshy, thank you!” She said, getting even more excited at the thought of spending the night alone with her best friend.

The two hung up the call, Y/n spending the next half hour finishing her lunch before rushing back into work, impatiently waiting for the end of the day.

Seven o’clock finally came, and Y/n practically sprinted out of the building. Jumping in her car and racing home as fast as she could without being pulled over. Josh’s car was already parked out front as she pulled into her spot, fishing through her bag for her keys before leaving the car and walking into her apartment building.

When she opened her door she was welcomed by the sound of humming coming from the living room, drawing her in as she dropped her coat and bag, slipping off her shoes just before walking out of the front hallway. Her eyes opened in surprise when she caught sight of Josh adjusting a blanket on what looked like a pillow fort.

“Josh.” She said, her voice coming out breathy as she looked at the work he had done.

He looked up in shock, not expecting her to be home so soon. His look quickly changes from shock to excitement and he races up to her, scooping her up into a tight hug.

“I thought I’d make it as comfortable as possible for you.” He said, placing her back down on the ground.

He showed her around his creation, pointing out the pile of blankets and cushions on the floor for them to lay on, the basket of snacks filled to the brim with all of her favorites, and netflix open on her tv. Inside the pillow fort was incredible, a string of fairy lights hung from the top, illuminating the fort with a soft glow.

“Josh— you didn’t have to do all of this, I would have been fine smoking on my couch and watching cooking shows all night.” She said, leaning against him as they stood from their position looking into the fort.

“Like I said, mama, I want to make sure that you are completely comfortable with this.” Josh said, leaning his head down to look at her.

“I am always comfortable with you Josh.” She said, looking back at him with a smile.

“Promise.” He said, holding up his fist, his pinky extended towards her.

She hooked her own pinky into his, “promise.”

Josh’s smile widened, and Y/n was convinced that it could light up even the darkest night. Josh held her pinky as he pulled her towards the coffee table, a bag of pre rolled joints sitting there waiting for them.

“Okay, I was thinking we could share one, that way you don’t get as high on your first time.” Josh suggested, pulling a joint from the bag.

“Oh— yeah, sounds good to me.” She said, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

All things considered, she should have seen this coming from a mile away; but the thought of sharing a joint in a small pillow fort, with her best friend that she has been in love with for years— it made her flustered as hell.

The two made their way back into the fort, Josh waiting until she was sitting comfortably beside him to light up the joint, taking a drag before passing it to her. He watched as she took a moderately long drag herself, handing it back to him as he watched her try to hold it in. His cautious optimism turned to mild awe as he watched her keep it in for a moment before blowing out, accompanied by some mild coughing.

“That was great! I was a mess the first time I took a hit, didn't stop coughing for like 10 minutes.” He said, taking the joint back from her.

Josh wanted to show off, locking eyes with Y/n as he attempted to french inhale his next hit. It didn’t go as planned, and he ended up having a small coughing fit, sending her into a fit of giggles. The sound made him smile, despite his failed attempt to look cool.

They passed the joint back and forth until it was gone, and after a few minutes of basking in the growing high, the phone rang to let them know that the pizza had arrived. Josh crawled out of the fort, leaving the apartment temporarily to open the door and pay for pizza. Y/n sat in the fort waiting for his return, staring at the soft fairy lights, her eyes becoming unfocused.

“Pizza for you, mama.” Josh said, entering the fort and placing one of the pizza boxes on her stomach.

“You’re the best Joshy.” She said, opening the box and pulling out a slice.

Josh watched as she hung the slice over her mouth, her hand wavering as she tried to get the end of the slice in her mouth. He took a slice of his own pizza, continuing to watch as she attempted to eat lying down. His gaze slid down her relaxed form, appreciating the way her chest slowly raised and collapsed with every breath, her left leg crossed over the right, the happy little wiggle she did when she took a bite of her pizza.

“How’s your pizza, bubba?” She asked, looking up to him through her lashes.

He gave her a bright smile as he took a big bite of his pizza, “delicious mama.”

The two ate what they could of the pizza, placing the boxes on the coffee table when they were done. Josh propped himself on the back of the couch, grabbing the remote and scrolling through Netflix looking for something to watch.

“What do you wanna watch?” He asked, looking down at Y/n, who was still laying on the floor.

“Big Mouth please.” She answered, looking up at him.

“Okay, you gonna come up here to watch, or are you gonna stay laying down?” He asked, keeping his eyes on her.

She gave him a small smile, turning over and crawling over to him. She lifted herself to a sitting position, falling into place against his chest, his arm falling across her shoulders as he found the show and pressed play. They sat in silence for a while watching the show, occasionally stealing glances at each other. Both would attempt to look when the other was paying attention to the tv, but on the off chance that their glassy eyes would meet, Josh would flash his earth shattering smile, and Y/n would melt further into him.

“Hey mama.” Josh said, looking down to her.

“Yes bubba?” She replied, keeping her gaze locked on the tv.

Warm fingers traced along her jaw, coming to a stop at her chin, tilting it up to face him.

“Can I kiss you?”

She didn’t respond, choosing to act instead. She lifted her head towards his, feeling his hand move back up her jaw, cupping her face as their lips met.

If you’d like to be added to the taglist, send me a dm, ask, or fill out my taglist form!

@the-chaotic-cow @prettyxvenomx @prettyintopeerpressure @amouratomique @eatmejoshkiszka @theweightofstardust @gretavanhoney

#josh kiszka x reader #josh kiszka imagine #josh kiszka #josh gvf #greta van fleet imagine #greta van fleet

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spacecoffeeandcartoons · 2 years ago

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What if Locked Tomb were a TV Show? The Opening Scenes

What if Netflix or someone picked up Locked Tomb for an 8 part series, and it opened with a cinematic montage of the heirs and cavs receiving their letters? Here is a script for that montage, culled from its collaborative creation in a Discord server. Contributions from @eldritchwyrm @kwekstra and @sciencefordragons

I: EXT. SPACE

A sweeping shot of a massive Cohort ship in orbit above a lush, green planet. A montage of close shots of the planet being invaded – boots on the ground, a bloody sword and a fallen cavalier, an angry necromancer who strikes back in frightening anguish. It is brutal, but the Nine Houses win over their faceless opponents. The planet succumbs to a tide of thanergy. Camera zooms into victorious banners with the emblems of the Nine Houses. That shot transitions into-

II: INT. COHORT SHIP

Camera zooms out from the Second House insignia on the breast of a Cohort soldier. He hurries down a sleek spaceship corridor, urgency bringing his pace to just short of a jog. He clutches a letter with a white-knuckle grip.

He approaches a double-door with a guard standing on either side, and stops, catching his breath.

GUARD 1: Halt!

SOLDIER: I need to speak to Captain Deuteros.

GUARD 1: She is in a debriefing. She is not to be interrupted.

SOLDIER: How long until she’s done?

GUARD 2: Try tomorrow.

SOLDIER: I need to speak to her right now.

GUARD 1: Look, you can’t-

SOLDIER: (insistently) I need to deliver this letter.

The guards exchange a skeptical look, like “is it this guy’s first day or something?” Guard 1 reaches out and takes the letter.

GUARD 1: Let’s see what’s so important.

Guard 1 begins to open the letter, as the soldier cries out.

SOLDIER: You can’t open that! It’s from the-

Guard 1 freezes, reading the letterhead.

SOLDIER: (weakly)….Emperor.

Wordlessly, the chastised guards open the door for the soldier. He enters, to see JUDITH DEUTEROS speaking at the head of a table of Cohort officers in their starched uniforms. Her head snaps to the commotion at the door.

DEUTEROS: What?

SOLDIER: (salutes) Captain! A letter from the Emperor.

He hands her the letter. The Captain reads it silently, whole body tense. Then she lowers the letter. For half a second, she stares into the middle distance, clearly stunned. Then her eyes refocus.

DEUTEROS: Get Lieutenant Dyas.

III. INT. DAYROOM, PALACE ON IDA

Tea is being served in an obscenely opulent dayroom, gilded in a riot of colour. At table are CORONABETH TRIDENTARIUS, IANTHE TRIDENTARIUS, and NABERIUS TERN. Naberius is animatedly telling a story while only Corona pays attention, her lovely head resting on her hand. Ianthe absentmindedly mashes her cake and plays with a piece of broken skin on her lip.

NABERIUS: (braggadocious) -and after I’d finished with that joker, for my final round, I was up against some left-handed lout from Trentham. Naturally, I knew he’d defend his chest, so I guarded my outside arm and feinted to quarte, then I attacked-

CORONA: (breathless and charming) Octave?

NABERIUS: No, sixte.

Ianthe speaks, looking at her nails.

IANTHE: (drawl) I’m sorry?

NABERIUS: What?

CORONA: She didn’t hear you, Babs.

IANTHE: Could you repeat that? I never remember my parries, see.

NABERIUS: I attacked in sixte.

CORONA: I bet you did.

Ianthe stifles a snort, which Corona mimics. Ianthe flicks a piece of skin from her lip at her. Naberius realises they’re making fun of him and goes red.

NABERIUS: (spluttering) Princess—

He is interrupted by a servant clearing their throat and bowing, holding out a letter. Ianthe reaches for it and tears it open. She begins to read, but Corona snatches it away. She reads it and laughs, bubbly.

CORONA: (laughing) We’ve been invited ‘by the Emperor’ to ‘the temple of the First House’? What a feeble joke! (turning as if to co-conspirators) Who do we think this is from? The Fifth?

Her twin looks at her, frowning.

IANTHE: This isn’t a joke, Corona. Feel the thanergy trace on the letter? It’s time for the necromancers of the Third House to shine.

IV: INT. WASHROOM AT KONIORTOS COURT

ISAAC TETTARES stands ramrod straight in front of a washroom mirror, trying so hard to look older than his fourteen years that it has the opposite effect and makes him look younger. He talks to himself, attempting an air of authority.

Isaac: (attempt at deep voice, cracks due to nerves) Brave soldiers of the Cohort! I am Baron Isaac Tettares of the Fourth House. We are first into battle, the vanguard of the empire, and we will not rest until –

He is interrupted by the door bursting open. Isaac flinches at the sound, but JEANNEMARY CHATUR pays no heed to whatever she has walked in on. She runs up to her necromancer and shakes his shoulders, pressing a letter into his hands.

JEANNEMARY: ISAAC! ISAAC!

ISAAC: Whatareyoudoing-

JEANNEMARY: IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! THE LETTER! WE GOT A LETTER!

Isaac looks down at the letter in awe.

ISAAC: Is it-?

JEANNEMARY: What else could it be? It’s our summons to the front!

V: INT. STATEROOM AT KONIORTOS COURT

Immediately after, Isaac and Jeannemary come tumbling into a dignified stateroom, hung with portraits and lined with bookshelves. The teens buzz with excitement over their still-unopened letter. Before they can set to tearing it open, they look up and see the concerned figures of ABIGAIL PENT and MAGNUS QUINN. The teens stop in their tracks. They notice that Abigail is holding the same letter, but opened.

JEANNEMARY: (confused) Lady Pent? Why are you being summoned to the front?

Abigail and Magnus share a worried, knowing look. Magnus puts his hand on his wife’s shoulder, comforting, as she sighs.

ABIGAIL: We’re not being summoned to the front. We’re being summoned somewhere entirely more dangerous.

VI: INT. BUNK ROOM, THE LIBRARY

PALAMEDES SEXTUS and CAMILLA HECT are packing, amidst a flurry of activity. Palamedes flits among no less than five opened suitcases, stuffed with necromantic artifacts, scientific instruments, and, mostly, books. Camilla calmly stands above one suitcase, stashing a variety of knives amongst her clothes.

PALAMEDES: (frazzled) Cam, have you seen my glasses? I can’t find my glasses.

CAMILLA: (not looking up) Did you check your head?

They are indeed on his head.

PALAMEDES: Yes of course I checked my – oh. Thank you.

Palamedes puts on his glasses, then grunts as he heaves another stack of books into an already overflowing suitcase.

PALAMEDES: (excitedly) Who knows what these Lyctoral trials will entail – I’ve studied all three schools of necromancy extensively, but the First House has stood since before the Great Resurrection. We may encounter theorems that have, until now, been lost to time. What an opportunity!

CAMILLA: We’ll have to be careful of the other Houses. I’ve written up a watch schedule so we don’t get knifed in our sleep. I’ve also packed headlamps in case of a cave-in.

PALAMEDES: Why would a cave-in happen? Are there caves? Why would we be in one?

CAMILLA: I take your security seriously, Warden. We must be prepared for all eventualities. Now, are you going to pack any clothes?

VII: INT. HOSPITAL ON RHODES

A Seventh House administrator paces impatiently outside an ornate door, decorated with finely detailed roses. The door cracks open, and a doctor emerges. Sounds of laboured breathing, and the beeping of a medical apparatus, can be heard as the door is open. The doctor gingerly exits, forehead wrinkled.

ADMINISTRATOR: How does our Lady Septimus fare?

DOCTOR: (tired, flat) She can’t go. She’s deteriorating by the day. The journey alone may kill her, never mind these – trials.

ADMINISTRATOR: She must go.

The administrator looks meaningfully at the closed door.

ADMINISTRATOR: Becoming a Lyctor might be her only chance at survival.

VIII: INT. CORRIDOR, EIGHTH HOUSE

SILAS OCTAKISERON stands before a plex, staring out at an expanse of stars. His expression is as harsh as the blindingly white surroundings of the Eighth House. COLUM ASHT walks up to him, stopping a half-step behind.

SILAS: (solemn) Are you ready, Brother Asht? We leave tomorrow.

COLUM: (equally emotionless) I was born for this, Uncle. Do you have cause for worry?

Silas has not taken his eyes off the night.

SILAS: (ominous) It is not the trials of Lyctorhood that occupy my mind. It is our sister Houses. I have no doubt that the black vestals of the Ninth have some unholy scheme afoot. The Emperor only knows what dread iniquities occupy their time on that godforsaken planetoid.

IX: INT. CELL IN DREARBURH

Opens on close-up of the cover of ‘Frontline Titties of the Fifth’ affixed to a rough stone wall, poorly lit in the sunforsaken atmosphere of the Ninth House. Sounds of exertion. Zoom out to reveal GIDEON NAV, doing curl-ups and coming face-to-face with the titty magazine each rep.

INT. DRILLSHAFT, DREARBURH

A shovel slices into the grey dirt. It is dark, cold, dank, misty. A bruised hand, with bleeding, dirt-encrusted fingernails, surgically places bones in the resulting hole.

INT. CELL IN DREARBURH

Gideon has switched to push-ups.

INT. DRILLSHAFT, DREARBURH

HARROWHARK NONAGESIMUS is dimly silhouetted from behind as she walks across the drillshaft floor, dragging the heavy shovel. Her black robes engulf her thin frame, and her puffs of breath fog the air.

INT. CELL IN DREARBURH

Gideon, in high spirits, does a practice manoeuvre with her two-hander sword. Then, she sheathes it, shoulders a rucksack, and exits the cell.

INT. DRILLSHAFT, DREARBURH

Low pan over the disturbed earth to Harrow, who finally turns around, dropping the shovel. We see her ribcage corset as she gloves her bleeding hands. Her imperious expression curls to a smile as she surveys her work.

#the locked tomb #Gideon the ninth #tlt #locked tomb #fanfic #locked tomb fanfic

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thesnicketfile · 4 years ago

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Set photos from Netflix’s ASoUE S1: The Reptile Room episodes.

Production Design by Bo Welch. Set Decoration by Sandy Walker.

Dan Harmensen | Supervising Art Director

#Netflix #Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events #Season 1 #Behind the Scenes

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cyborg-franky · 2 years ago

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I’m sorry your day didn’t start out good and I hope it got better. Comfort shows are a definite yes. Which one were you watching if you don’t mind me asking? I also like turning the temperature down to freezing (more so than usual because I prefer the cold) so that I have an excuse to grab my weighted blanket, a squishmellow, and heat up chocolate milk. And watch a comfort show ofc. It makes me feel sleepy and if I’m asleep I don’t have to think abt my problems. Easy solution. It also makes me feel safe. I don’t know if thats the experience for everyone but I hope you got to experience that today. Because you’re a wonderful person who deserves it simply cause you exist. Also. I’ve been meaning to watch a horror movie but I’ve just been so swamped with work these last two weeks. I was thinking abt watching Smile. Have you heard of it? It just came out and I’ve heard it’s great but like at the same time not to go watch it if you’re in a bad head space so like I’m 50/50 on it. Do you have an spooky movie recs oh amazing Franky? Sorry this got so long I didn’t even realize I was rambling. Anyways I hope you feeling better soon and just a reminder that you’re an amazing and wonderful person who deserves to rest and that everyone had their off days! *sends many comforting virtual hugs*

- virtual hug anon

Thank you for the sweet message, you are always a total bean. You make me feel like maybe I do deserve it <3 I was watching Final Destination 4 [The Nazcar one] and later I watched JIGSAW. Yeah I just keep having a few bad days recently, like bad weeks but I am trying to get my ass into a better headspace and finish everything I need to. I am thankfully not behind on deadlines.

Horror is one of those things I can scream about for ages. I was a journalist for years and I covered a lot of horror related things. I used to get press passes to Gaming cons and comic cons to go and play the new horror games, check out new and up coming things, talk to guests who'd been in horror roles.

So I could talk about it for ages.

I am very behind on anything new that has come out, I think I said somewhere that the newest horror thing I have seen is Netflix's new Resident Evil show [The live action one not the CGI things] and it was pretty good.

My top horror movies, regardless of how good they are.. SO many movies undercut

The Skeleton Key Dog Soldiers [Fave movie of all time tbh] Dawn Of The Dead [2000s remake] The Hills Have Eyes [2000s remake] The Descent Thirteen Ghosts Final Destination [first 3 are good the rest are ridiculous fodder but still fun] Battle Royale [Also the best book I have ever read] Circle HUSH PULSE [American remake actually, yeah I know] The Autopsy of Jane Doe Insidious - The Last Key The Ring [Japanese] The Grudge [Japanese] STAY ALIVE [dumb, so dumb but I love] SAW [Torture porn or not the first saw was ground breaking and well written, it broke boundaries] Veronika [Veronica?] REC [Spanish] The Ritual The Woman In Black The Conjuring The Mist Event Horizon The Ruins Nightmare On Elmstreet [Orginals] CUBE As Above So Below CAM SHUTTER [Japanese of American, both are good] DARK WATER [Japanese] The Eye [Japanese] Afflicted We Are What We Are The Last House On The Left [2000s remake] The Thing [Both the 80s and 2000s one is good] Dog House [Horror/Comedy] Severance [Horror/Comedy] Land Of The Dead [2000s Remake] THEM Old [It's a M.Night but it's pretty clever/intense] Alien [The first one] Spiral - From The Book Of Saw [It's pretty good, alot of people will shit on it but if you don't want a typical SAW it's good] HOWL Escape Room [first only] The Purge [ANYTHING other then the first one is pretty good, just skip the first one and enjoy the rest.] EXTE [Japanese horror comedy, a fucking wild ride] The Happiness Of The Katakuris [Japanese, musical, horror, comedy] Hill House [TV Show] Frozen [The horror movie, please] What Lies Beneath Before I Awake SINISTER Just a tip if anyone says Cabin In The Woods if their fave horror they didn't get the point of the satire. take a shot for every horror movie thats one word or starts with THE.

#frankys bs #horror movie recommendations

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smallscreengifs · 5 years ago

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#television #News #Awesome #TV. Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House Blu-Ray release will feature ext

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solarsavoy · 2 years ago

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My World Monday, Thera the planet

I'm going to start with something a little random. Therans stopped using the word "world" a long time ago at the point when Deshi appears on the planet and says the word "world" and they correct him to realm. That's because to say Thera is a "world" is technically inaccurate. The planet itself doesn't have a name and the only place that holds life, to their knowledge, is the realm of Thera, so that is the only place that "matters". Thera is their world, but it is not the entire world, so they prefer to use the term realm and the word world was phased out.

The reason for this is because unbeknownst to them, there are actually three realms: the realm of Thera, the Desert realm, and the water world.

When making my planet, I watched a documentary on Netflix that proposed life on a planet that was tidally locked with their star. What that means is one side is always facing the sun, so it's constantly baking from radiation, and the other side is in perpetual darkness, and thus freezing. However, life can exist in the balance that is the ring around the planet where light is indirect on one side and coolness of the dark constantly threatens the other. It is the most thermally stable area on the planet and thus able to sustain life.

However, Thera isn't tidally locked, but this poses the idea that parts of the planet may not be inhabitable, and some are, which is the case of Thera.

There are three regions and only two are known to Therans. I'll start with the biggest one, the Desert realm.

This is where most of the radiation hits, the center of the planet. Though the Hummes moon protects the planet from some forms of radiation, it doesn't protect from all of it. I'll be using Earth terms to describe this. Between what would be considered roughly the Arctic and Antarctic circles lies the Desert realm, a large expanse blasted by the radiation of two stars. This causes severe wind storms that push anything that moves towards the poles of the planet. This includes water that has not been vaporized, the foundations for life, plants, animals, light metals (important later), dust and small rocks. This constant barrage of junk eventually builds up and creates two large mountain ranges along the Arctic and Antarctic circles (which are at 66 degrees latitude and in Thera's case it's more like 50-55 degrees latitude in comparison).

Oh, almost forgot, no plate tectonics on this planet, so they weren't made the standard Earth way.

These ranges grew to be so tall that eventually, they were able to protect the poles from the more severe temperatures created in the Desert realm so that water could liquify and not get evaporated back out into space.

This brings me to the realm Therans do not know about, the water world.

On the south pole is a large collection of water that neither freezes nor goes back out into the Desert realm because of 1. the mountains and 2. the strong winds created by the binary star system that ensures it only goes one direction, down.

And now the north pole, Thera. This pole also collected water, but unlike the south pole, they also collected a bunch of dirt and plants and amoeba life and so on. Essentially, Thera is a giant island that covers the water world that settled onto the north pole. This planet runs hotter than Earth so the poles aren't freezing like ours are and to combat the extra gravity that a super Earth would have, Thera floats and is constantly being pulled on by the moons' gravity. This is why Deshi doesn't feel heavier on Thera, which is something that would normally happen on a super Earth.

Because it's a rocky planet, it has a different type of gravity than a gas giant and because there's more of it, the gravity would be heavier than it is on Earth, which is why the five moons are very important. Their constant pull on the "island" that is Thera makes the gravity not as intense for the life it sustains. Then there's the constant push of the winds from the Desert realm climbing the mountains, cooling the extremely high temperatures of it in the meantime, comes back down into Thera at a more reasonable temperature and stabilizes just how much the pull of the moons affects the "island", essentially holding Thera in the perfect place for life.

Eventually, the "island" fused with the mountains which is why water words also don't exist. They don't have oceans, they don't understand tides, there are no rivers except underground, and they only have scattered lakes not fully buried. This is also unique as you could dig literally anywhere and find water. Anywhere. And the trees are also very easy to draw water from using spiles. Instead of syrup or other sap based viscous liquids, you get a more pure form of water than usual.

Anyway, another occurrence of me needing yet another day to explain things, so I'll get into Thera as a biome next week.

To finish this part off, I'm actually going to go back to the Desert realm. Unlike Earth where the smallest concentration of water in any desert is still at least 6%, the Desert realm on Thera is always under 2%, often dipping under 1%, which is extremely dangerous for life. Again, the hottest desert on Earth is still at 6% of water in the atmosphere and Thera's Desert realm is barely a third of that most times.

Another interesting fact, the inside of the mountain range is actually quite cold, even forming ice in places. (And I found all these desert and mountain details out because of Stag for his origin book, Echoes of Stag. -_- It's all his fault.) Something the wind also does is keep Thera warm, unlike inside the mountains which never gets direct sunlight OR the regulated winds from the Desert realm, which is why it reaches freezing temperatures.

And there you have it, the planet of Thera. More about the realm of Thera next week, unless you'd like to hear about something else. Thanks for reading!

Suggestions for future My World Mondays:

Thera as a biome and how it works. (may combine with below, we'll see)

Weather on the planet.

The great Hummes/Solara conflict.

A bit more about Marka, the kingdom with a perpetual sunset. (I'll do a map and explain how time works on Thera too because they kind of go hand in hand.)

#daily delivery #My World Monday #Krystar #worldbuilding #analysis and explanation #how to make a planet #im a space geek

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noirshadow · 3 years ago

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Subtext

Alina gets her first adult job in Tinseltown and meets her match with famed talent agent, Aleksander Morozova. She thinks she has the read on him...or does she?

Or: Alina tries to achieve her goals in Hollywood and Aleksander can make or break her.

Ch 1 (AO3 here - with better formatting!)

——

1. EXT. CLOUDLESS DAY - DAY

We open on a wide meadow and The Sun Summoner, in blue and gold kefta, is riding on horseback toward a beautiful and imposing palace in the distance.

THE SUN SUMMONER (V.O)

Since discovering my powers, I ride to my destiny. I don’t know what the palace will hold for me but I hope to harness my powers. I will right the wrongs that have been done to me and find justice for my people. I will use my powers for good and uncover the darkness that plagues these lands.

——

Shit shit shit.

Alina was running late. Why did she think Santa Monica Blvd. during rush hour was a good idea?

Ugh, the Westside. Why was it that somehow the traffic was infinitely worse here?? During her two year MFA at USC, she managed to stay east. It was a bit rough around the edges, but it had more color. More vibrancy. She suspects it reminded her of New York City. She always preferred the slightly more off-beat path. There was always something happening - something new to see. She loved that.

Now, 3 months fresh off of finishing her Masters, she was starting a new job at the famous Lantsov Morozova Agency - LMA, for short. Today was her first day and naturally, the traffic wasn’t cooperating. She had left an extra half hour early but clearly that wasn’t enough. The traffic from Beverly Hills into Century City was bumper to bumper. She should have listened to her roommate, Genya, and left earlier…ugh. She was not super familiar with west LA traffic and it was coming back to bite her.

Just a few weeks ago, she had moved west into an apartment with her best friends, Zoya and Genya. They had first met at NYU, freshman year when they were in the same dorm. Genya made an obscure joke in their first floor meeting and Zoya and Alina were the only two who laughed. The rest was history.

After they graduated, Alina had floated around in various admin jobs for a couple years until she was accepted into the prestigious screenwriting Masters program at the University of Southern California. Genya was always working on student films and short projects as the jack of all trades art dept/set design/make-up department during college so it was no surprise that following her passion, she got a job as a make-up artist/stylist with a small indie production company. Zoya travelled for a couple years around South East Asia and Latin America and had just moved down to LA to finally start adulting. Her dad was a Warner Bros executive before retiring to the Bay Area so naturally, she had her pick of industry roles. She ended up in marketing at Netflix. It was great to be reunited and living together again. After the dorms, the three of them had a great time living in the West Village. They were a great match and felt lucky to have found each other.

When Zoya came down to LA, they moved west to be closer to their jobs. They had found a lovely Spanish-style duplex in the heart of West Hollywood. While it was great, it was definitely a different vibe to the edgier eastside Silverlake apartment that Alina and Genya shared. They hadn’t all lived in the same city in a few years now so, nevertheless, it was exciting and felt like a fresh start as they entered proper adulthood.

And was it a positive start. Everything started falling into line. Zoya’s college boyfriend, Nikolai, had gotten a job for Alina at his dad’s talent agency. He was a name partner there so he definitely had some pull. Nikolai refused to get a handout and after college, much to his family’s chagrin, had gone to work for WME - one of its main rivals. Now with all of them armed with new jobs, they finally weren’t poor starving students and could fully enjoy the city.

However, Alina’s real dream was to be a screenwriter. The USC program was that first real step toward her dream. Famous writers like Wylan Van Eck and Kaz Brekker got their start there. Besides a robust curriculum, it was well worth it just for the connections alone. The alumni network was world-renowned. However, even with the prestige of the top school in the field, screenwriting was one of the hardest industries to break into.

When Nikolai mentioned a role at his dad’s agency, she jumped at the chance. So many industry individuals got their start at talent agencies. Famous actors were discovered in the mail room or assistants who had the ear of a sympathetic agent and got their scripts optioned. This is what Alina was hoping for.

She continued to write on the weekends and hopefully her dream would come true. She was writing an innovative YA fantasy where a determined girl gains the power of the sun and uses it to save her world from an impending darkness. Alina only wrote fantasy fiction. Real life was great but getting stuck in a fairytale was the reason people consumed content, right?

Of course it would have been great to go straight into full-time writing, but this was a good start. She could learn about the film industry and it was an invaluable first job for the resume. She still loved writing and kept her goals close - getting up early on the weekends to write for several hours. This past weekend, she got through a big chunk of The Sun Summoner. Screenwriting was definitely slower than writing a normal story or book but she was pleased with the progress and felt energized to complete it. She hoped this would be the one to get her career started.

Except currently she was just hoping she wouldn’t get fired on the first day. As she turned into the parking lot and pressed the button for a ticket, the timestamp was already 9:30 on the dot. She still had to park and get upstairs to reception.

——

Alina got out of the packed lift in the reception area of LMA. Although it was only 9:36, which was early for the film industry, it was buzzing. Assistants, armed with contracts, were running through the lobby and the sofas in the waiting area were already full of guests. She headed to the large white reception desk to check in.

She walked up to one of the gorgeous model-like receptionists, all wearing the same cute crimson uniforms. “Hi, I am Alina Starkov and today’s my first day. I’m one of the new assistants for Vasily Lantsov.

“Hi, welcome to LMA - yes, I found you. Let me call Tamar, the other assistant you’ll be working with. Take this visitor pass for now. She’ll help you get your badge later. Have a seat at the sofas and she’ll come grab you.”

Alina went over and sat down on the edge of the seat - keeping her posture straight as if that would improve her first impression. She mopped her forehead and smoothed down her hair, trying to look more presentable. After parking, she had practically ran for reception and was still trying to cool down.

“Alina? Alina Starkov?”

A very pretty girl who seemed similar in age with a short dark pixie cut and a yellow and navy DVF dress that only flattered her lovely olive skin was at the edge of the bank of sofas looking out to all the seated guests. After lots of prep from Nikolai, Alina was thankful she had the sense to spring for the forest green Theory pant-suit set that she was wearing. At the agency, and in almost all of Hollywood for that matter, everyone was into labels and it could make such a difference in climbing the career ladder.

“Yes - that’s me.” Alina stood and did a little wave.

“Great, hi - come with me.” Tamar said.

“Welcome to LMA. I’m Tamar. I’m so glad you’re here. The last assistant left a whole month ago and I have been drowning!” Despite everything Alina had heard about the ruthlessness of agency life, she felt instantly comfortable with the girl already and her friendly demeanor settled Alina’s nerves.

“You know Nikolai, right? I have met him a couple times. He’s nice! Very different from his brother, but you’ll soon see. Is this your first time working in an agency?” Tamar kept up a steady stream of chatter as they navigated through the busy building.

“Nice to meet you too, I’m super excited to be here. I actually went to college with Nikolai and he’s dating my best friend. Yes, this is my first agency job - real job actually. I just finished my MFA at USC.” Alina volunteered.

“Oh! Go Trojans! I graduated five years ago. I did my undergrad there in Theatre. I want to be an actress but you know how that goes…” Tamar rolled her eyes and gave a small shrug before continuing on.

“I got a job here first starting in the mailroom and then moved up to Vasily’s assistant about a year ago. I would have preferred to be on Helene van Houden - she’s gotten 2 of her assistants into film roles - but it’s fine so far. It’s a tiny bit smaller than the likes of WME or CAA so it’s not quite as cutthroat. But it’s still definitely super tough. You can say goodbye to your social life now. But, we try to keep it fun. Good perks, you know?”

While Tamar had gone on, they had arrived on the 19th floor. Alina was already struggling to remember the convoluted route through the tangled maze of offices and was grateful for Tamar’s guidance.

“Here we are. I’ll give you a proper tour later. But Vasily’s office is just behind us there. Our desks are here.” Tamar motioned to the two desks, facing each other, flanking the path to the office.

“Yours is the one on the left. I already set up the phone for you so it has all the main numbers you’ll need. One of us should try to be here at all times in case Vasily or another agent needs us. There are a lot of errands so we can take turns depending on schedules. I’ll walk you through everything later. Why don’t you get settled and make sure your login is working. Do you want a coffee? I’ll show you the kitchen…”

The morning passed in a whirlwind of training. By the time she was all set up with Outlook - her calendar and Vasily’s, learned the complicated phone system and also the in and outs of her new boss, it was lunch time.

“It’s our day to get lunch. So, all the assistants take turns in grabbing the agent lunches. We are responsible for the order of our own boss and we pass it along in the Assistants’ Slack chat. The only good thing about this is that we can add on our lunches so that’s one perk. We almost always work late so sometimes it’s our only real meal for most of the day. Today, we’re getting Sweetgreen. I got you a Green Goddess - hope that’s ok.”

Tamar was sitting next to Alina, having brought her chair around to train her. She pushed off from the desk and sent her chair spinning back towards her desk.

After the busy morning, it was nice to get fresh air. The strong LA sun was warm on Alina’s face as they took the pedestrian bridge to the Westfield Century City. Apparently most of their meals came from the huge food court there, unless it was a Friday. On Fridays, the agents always went out. Even if there wasn’t a client to take out, it was the day for boozy lunches. Half of the business conducted by the entire talent management industry could arguably have settled during a Friday lunch.

When they got back, Alina sat down and checked her email before opening her salad. To her surprise, there was an email from Nikolai’s dad’s assistant, Marie.

Hi Alina,

Hope your first day is going well. Magnus wants you to stop by and say hi. Does 4pm work? Let me know or just give me a call at ext. 5438 if not. Thanks.

Best wishes,

Marie Beznikov

Assistant to Magnus Lantsov

The Lantsov Morozova Agency LLC.

“Ooh…called up to the big dogs.” Tamar was hovering, reading over her shoulder as she held her salad in one hand and munched on a piece of kale.

“The partners sit on the 20th floor. It’s just Magnus and Aleksander - Morozova - the other name partner, up there. Their assistants are Marie and Ivan - you may have to work with them a bit. Marie will be smug as fuck but just ignore her. Just because she is a managing partner’s assistant, she acts like she’s in charge. Ivan is like my work BFF and he’s the absolute best.” Tamar shrugged and sat on the edge of Alina’s desk, still crunching through her salad.

“Oh. Tell me about Mr. Morozova, I mean Aleksander? What’s his deal?” Alina inquired curiously.

She had met Mr. Lantsov at NYU a bunch of times and he had always taken their whole crew out for lavish dinners at the end of every school year. Being old friends, he had mentioned his partner a few times but, within the big group, they had never talked long about work and Alina hadn’t really cared to pry further with questions until now that it affected her.

“Ohhh. Great question. He’s an enigma. Everyone loves to speculate about him. He’s the subject of most of the office goss because nobody knows much but everyone desperately wants to. He’s super hot and super young too! He’s definitely closer to our age than any of the other senior partners. You’re 25, too, right? I think I saw that on your resume. He’s probably like 32/33? It’s crazy how he got this job…”

Tamar continued her rundown of him, half in admiration and half like speaking about a crush. According to her, Aleksander was plucked from obscurity back in the day as a junior assistant at CAA. This was back before Mr. Lantsov had started this company. Apparently, Aleksander was his assistant and had, all on his own, found and then secured deals with two obscure up and coming talent who were now two of the biggest in the industry. Since then, it had been a straight upward trajectory. Talent management turned out to come easily to him and Vasily saw the potential. He was a perfect complement to Vasily’s old-Hollywood gladhanding: Aleksander could hardline any studio with his negotiation tactics but also possessed a calm rationality and sense to manage fickle actors. It was a perfect marriage of good cop/bad cop and, although smaller than the powerhouse big 3 agencies, LMA quickly became one of the leading management companies in the industry holding its own with top tier talent.

“Do you know Kaz Brekker, the fellow Trojan writer? Any script he touches turns to Oscar gold. Aleksander was the one who found him and also Nina Zenik. Both of them came over with him when LMA was established. I die for Nina - she was so good in her last film - did you see that one? I saw her once up close in a meeting room and she’s just so gorgeous in real life.” Tamar’s eyes got glassy - completely starstruck in her reminiscing.

She shook herself, bringing her eyes back into focus and continued on, “Anyway, he doesn’t come down to the other floors much or socializes at company events more than he has to but hopefully you can see him soon - i want know to what you think.” Tamar declared.

Alina just nodded processing all this information. Wow, starting from assistant to name partner in a few years. It wasn’t the path she wanted but she still had to admire him for that.

“He is definitely the strong and silent type. Tall, dark, and handsome if you know what I mean? But definitely with an edge. I guess you have to have one, in this industry. All the girls in reception are always competing for a date — I swear they all come to work with blowouts everyday. Psh, he’s never even looked at them twice. I guess, since he caught success so early, he has to keep focus, ya know? Don’t tell my girlfriend but I have to admit he is VERY easy on the eyes…Are you dating anyone?”

“No…I broke up with my ex at the end of undergrad.” Blushing, Alina busied herself with her salad.

She had dated Mal almost all through college having been in the same dorms also. It hadn’t ended well and straight after graduation he relocated upstate to enroll in Westpoint. It had been fun but she should have known they were polar opposites from the start. Alina always had her head in the clouds with some story or book that she was either reading or writing and followed Hollywood life closely. Mal had come from a military family and planned to follow in those footsteps. His dad was a two-star general so he practically had his name down for a military career since birth. As soon as he could, in the spring of their junior year, he had applied to a Masters program in data science with the Marines.

Since then, she had gone on a few awkward Tindr dates or with a couple guys in her cohort but with the workload of grad school, she had honestly been too busy to focus on it properly. She didn’t know why she was embarrassed right now to be single but maybe it was the flashy environment and all the gorgeous people around here. She suddenly felt dowdy and out of place.

As if sensing it, Tamar said reassuringly, “You’ll get used to it all. It took me awhile, but you’ll see it’s just a flashy facade. They are all the same insecure people like us underneath…” she broke off laughing.

Alina smiled gratefully at her new friend. She threw her empty bowl in the trash and turned back to Tamar.

“So, should I tell Marie that 4pm is ok? I didn’t know what we had planned for this afternoon.” Alina asked.

“Girl - of course. He’s the managing partner - what he says goes. Yes, just let Marie know that’s fine. Vasily is coming back about 2pm from a shoot so perfect timing to meet him and then you can run upstairs. In the meantime, let me show you where the copy room is and I definitely need another coffee…”

At around 2:30, Vasily came storming in. He had the same sandy golden hair and unmistakable chiselled chin as Nikolai, but unlike the warm hazel of the latter’s, Alina’s new boss had icy blue eyes that matched their lack of emotion. If anything, they almost highlighted his handsomeness but in a more cold and detached way.

“Hi Vasily, welcome back. Kristin at Paramount called about whether you still want to submit Jesper for that new Michael Bay movie? He won’t be able to do it cold. He will need to read for it. And then, also, this is Alina - she is Katie’s replacement.”

Alina stood up and came out from around the desk, smoothing out the front of her suit jacket. He stared at her. Eyes were completely vacant, emotionless.

“Oh right. You’re Niko’s friend, aren’t you? Well, welcome. Hope your first day is going alright.” He smiled slightly but it didn’t reach his eyes.

He immediately turned back to Tamar. “Get Kristin on the phone right now. No way is Jesper is going to fucking test for that. He’s perfect for the role and he doesn’t read for anyone - not even Michael fucking Bay.” He went immediately into his office and closed the door so violently the glass trembled.

Alina was a bit shell-shocked. She had never heard that kind of language in a work setting before. She was prepped by Nikolai on entertainment life but hearing about it was a lot different than actually witnessing it.

“Wow - is he in a bad mood or something?”

“HA! No, girl. That actually went better than I expected! He’s like that most days but he’s not as bad as some of the others I’ve worked with. At least he doesn’t really yell or anything. He just always talks like that so you get used to it. And we don’t ever have to do anything too degrading. Do I have some stories about that! Some of assistants here have to do a lot of cringeworthy personal errands. Julia, downstairs, had to buy her agent’s partner a gift and got the wrath from both of them. You just get used to it. Most of it isn’t personal, or you have to just keep telling yourself that.”

Tamar nodded a bit sadly and went around to sit back at her desk. “I gotta get Kristin on the phone.”

The next hour passed quickly. Tamar sent some intro emails to the clients and she spent the rest of the time getting up to speed with Vasily’s stable of clients and upcoming projects. Before she knew it, it was already 3:55.

“You better go! Good luck! Let me know how it goes.” Tamar called out distractedly without looking up. She was furiously typing out some memos for Vasily. The call with Kristin hadn’t gone well and she was now facing the aftermath.

Alina waved in thanks and put her jacket back on. She was thankful for Tamar to shield her on her first day.

——

Alina came out of the elevator on the very top floor. The first thing she noticed was the view. Unlike the rest of the floors, because it was only two offices, there were huge unobstructed floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the entire Westside. One side looked out all the way to the water or what she could see of it. The smog layer was thick and she could barely make out the thin blueish horizon line of the ocean. The other side sprawled east to the rest of the city. Although this was by no means the tallest building in Century City, it was tall enough that she could see the long boulevards stretched to Wiltshire Corridor and beyond.

The second thing she noticed was the sound. It was noticeably much quieter than her floor. While hers was already less offices than the rest of the place — bigger office footprints for the senior agents — it was still a flurry of assistants running around, agents gabbing on their phones or barking commands. You could hear a pin drop on this level. It hardly felt like the same office at all. She turned from the elevator to the left, as instructed by Tamar, and saw a pale girl sitting in a purple blouse behind a desk very similar to hers. She had simple make-up on, highlighting her dark eyes, and her dark tresses flowed down to her waist. Like the rest of the office, she was gorgeous.

She looked up, unsmiling, as Alina approached the desk. She seemed to give Alina a once over - eyes travelling from hair all the way down to her basic BP pumps.

“Hi Marie, I’m Alina. We spoke on email. I’m here to see Magnus.” Alina smiled, willing herself to keep a friendly tone.

Without a greeting, she replied, “I know who you are. Magnus will see you shortly. Please go wait over there.” Marie gestured to the cream Ligne Roset sofas with a slight nod of her chin.

“Thanks.” Alina said nervously going to sit down. She knew Mr. Lantsov pretty well at this point but somehow was still nervous as she settled her shacking hands by clasping them together on her lap.

“Alina!” A booming voice cut through the still air.

Alina turned and stood up quickly seeing Mr. Lantsov approach. Unlike the son that sat one floor below, he had the same warm eyes as Nikolai. He had the slight paunch of an affluent older man but because of his height, he held it well. He wore an expensive bright cobalt blue tailored suit with an intricate and rather loud tie featuring golden spirals.

“Hi, Mr. Lantsov. Good to see you again.” Alina said shyly. His friendly tone made her nervous especially as she could see Marie seething in the background.

“Please! Please! Call me Magnus. We are coworkers now! Can I offer you a drink or anything at all?” He chuckled jovially.

“Marie!”

She stood up and came over. “Yes, Magnus? How can I help?” Though her eyes were still daggers at Alina, Mr. Lantsov didn’t notice as her tone was dripping in honey - complete contrast to how she spoke to Alina mere moments before.

“I’m ok, Mr. Lant - Magnus” Alina corrected herself. She wasn’t used to calling him, or anyone’s parents that she knew by their first name.

“Great. Nothing for me either, Marie. Hold my calls for the moment.” He waved a hand airily to her. “Come on back into my office - I want to hear all about your first day.”

Alina entered his office. Contrary to her boss’ one, which was opulent in itself but standard for all agents, this was double the size and richly decorated in all the latest contemporary furnishings. Besides the large glass desk in the middle, the rest of it resembled a living room out of Architectural Digest. A big meeting table in the corner looked out toward the ocean and a big mustard yellow mid-century style sofa and two matching Van Der Rohe Barcelona chairs in complimentary lime green sat opposite the desk with a modern and very expensive looking coffee table. Mr. Lantsov gestured to the sofa as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down in one of the armchairs.

“So, how is everything? How is my son treating you? Tamar is one of the best assistants here and you will soon be up to speed with her impeccable training.”

“Firstly, thank you so much, Mr. Lantsov - Magnus. I really appreciate this opportunity and I’ll do my best. I won’t let you down.” Alina blurted out - she hadn’t had a chance to express her gratitude yet, in person, and had been waiting for this moment.

“I never would have doubted it! I still maintain that Nikolai would not have passed Comp. Lit his second year without you. But tell me - what do you ultimately want to do? What can I help with?”

Alina’s cheeks pinked in embarrassment. She didn’t want any overt favoritism but from everything she had heard about the industry, this was pretty standard.

“Well, I am just grateful to learn everything I can here. But um…if I am honest, I want…i want to be a screenwriter.” Alina’s cheeks deepened to a red hoping he wouldn’t laugh.

“That’s wonderful! You just finished your MFA, right? Did you ever take one of Per Haskell’s classes?"

Alina shook her head. Ever since he mentored Kaz Brekker into a stunning career, Professor Haskell’s class was in the highest demand and students had to have an in at the registrar to even have a chance.

“I just sold his next script to Focus Features. Next time he comes in, I’ll introduce you. Oh wait, have you met Aleks yet? He handles most of our writers. He has a knack for finding obscure scripts and introducing them to the world. Let’s walk over and I’ll introduce you now. You should definitely set up time with him to chat.”

Magnus held onto to the arms of the chair to push himself up. He gestured to Alina to follow him.

As they exited, Marie eyed them curiously.

“Just heading to Aleks’ - back in a few.” Magnus called out breezily without looking over.

Alina was somehow nervous. Maybe it was from everything Tamar said. Or maybe it was just her brain running wild already, thinking about her writing getting discovered and spiraling at the potential opportunities.

She swallowed as they approached the office. Through the glass, she saw a standing dark figure facing out one of the full-length windows. Legs slightly spread and hands in pockets as if surveying the sprawling city below.

Ivan stood up at his desk. “Good afternoon, Magnus. Can I help? Aleksander is just finishing a call.” he said sycophantically.

Magnus waved him off. “All good - just saying hello.”

He was trim guy, probably similar in age, with short wavy locks. His bronzed skin was exacerbated by the fake tan that Alina detected. Ivan’s eyes widened as he looked at Alina, taking her in. It wasn’t a malicious look though, like Marie’s, and he gave a wink in recognition. Tamar must have already talked to him about her.

Magnus rapped lightly on the glass and opened the door without waiting for an answer. Aleksander turned around, saw who it was and waved him in, still talking.

“Correct. No. I won’t do it for less than 20% so that’s my final offer. You are getting a great deal here and we shouldn’t be wasting my time still having this conversation. Think it over and get back to me.” He hung up without a signoff.

Alina struggled to keep her face neutral. He was one of the most gorgeous men she had ever seen. Not necessarily in a cliched Abercrombie beach blonde way but there was definitely something about him. Dark wavy hair, cut cheekbones and eyes like pools of black ink. He cut a striking figure in a pitch black suit with matte black tie. It was opposite to the almost whimsical look of Nikolai’s dad.

Even his office matched his look. While Magnus had colorful touches and a few movie memorabilia scattered, Aleksander’s was equally modern but much more austere in decor. Same glass desk but black matte light fixtures and a stark black Roche Bobois sofa. Unlike Magnus’ colorful Barcelona sofas, the ones here were Eames black leather with dark wood finishes.

He stared at Alina, seemingly depthless eyes looking through her. She could barely look away fast enough and she felt a faint tingle down her spine. She only broke contact when Magnus gestured her to come closer.

“Aleks - I want you to meet Alina Starkov. This is Niko’s friend I was telling you about. From NYU. She just started as Vasya’s assistant working with Tamar. She wants to be a screenwriter though. Thought you could meet with her when you have a sec, maybe give her some pointers.”

He walked over, “Alina, hi, welcome to LMA. Nice to meet you.”

Alina outstretched her hand and quickly dropped it when it became apparent he was not going to shake. And although his words sounded warm, they didn’t reflect to his face. His eyes, obsidian and steely, they weren’t unfriendly per se, but they weren’t really welcoming either.

“Hi, Aleksander. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Alina managed to verbalize, thrown off by the cool attitude. A complete opposite of Magnus.

“So, you want to be a screenwriter. Well, that’s not an easy road. But happy to meet with you. Just set up time with Ivan in the next few weeks and we can chat.”

His eyes rested on her - seemingly to want to say something more - but just for a split second, before turning back to Magnus.

“I don’t know how much of that you heard but that was James. Lionsgate won’t budge for more than 15%. Wylan won’t do it for that.” He shook out his sleeve, looking down at the shiny Audemars Piguet on his wrist before turned back to Alina, businesslike.

“We’re done here, right? We have some matters to discuss. I expect you’ll have to go back to work anyway?… You know how to find your way back down.” He gestured toward the door and immediately turned back to his partner, dismissing her with a single small nod.

Magnus looked at her apologetically, unable to demur from his business-focused partner. His consolation was giving a small wave and a little smile back at Alina.

Any butterflies or previous excitement that she may have contained before now instantly evaporated, like a slate wiped clean. Alina tried to stamp down her building rage. How condescending was he? She knew she was just lowly assistant but Magnus had personally brought her in to meet him.

Swallowing the molten lava of her fury that threatened to bubble up, she coolly replied, “Oh yes, of course. I should go back to work. Thanks so much, Magnus. Nice to meet you, Aleksander.”

She turned abruptly and walking quickly, almost ran into the glass door as the partners kept talking. After exiting, she rested against the door for a second, trying to regain composure. Her blood slowly lowered to a simmer and she could breathe normally again.

She mumbled a hurried goodbye to Ivan before bolting for the elevator. Pressing the down button furiously, she prayed for its quick arrival. She turned back toward Aleksander’s office. Magnus was leaning over the desk as Aleksander was pointing something out. As if sensing eyes were on him, he looked up slowly and, impassively, made eye contact with Alina, continuing to speak before turning back. She blushed and quickly turned toward the doors just as they mercifully popped open.

Leaning against the rail, she tried to catch her breath. The meeting totally rattled her. She had met Vasily earlier and already had seen and heard some agent tantrums on her floor but something about his tone to her enraged her. She knew he didn’t owe her anything but it was his partner’s son’s close friend and he could have been a bit more hospitable. Amidst her resentment, she was also irritated at herself for letting her emotions get the best of her - especially in a work setting. It was probably just everything Tamar had told her and the expectation it created. If she was going to do well here, she had to keep her focus. As the doors dinged opened on her floor, she resolved to stay strong.

#darklina fic #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #shadow and bone #modern au #hollywood au #fic: subtext #grishaverse #darklina

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