M

indie, generally canon compliant gareth mallory or 'm' of the craig!bond movies. sideblog to youthfulinnovation. written by crow, he/him, 24

[threemonthsheld]

since i’ve got 6 bond franchise blogs on the go:

@youthfulinnovation​​ : everyone’s favourite bespectacled quartermaster (the main) @threemonthsheld​​ : u are here (a sideblog to q) @firstrodeoed​ : a humble collection of bond verse cia agents (sideblog to q) @forjanus​ : alec trevelyan, completely self-indulgent and riddled w canon fuckery (sideblog to q) @stiffassbrit​ : james bond, complete w canon fuckery (also a sideblog to q) @chiefofsix​ : bill tanner, my beloved (feat. villiers) (sideblog to q)

[threemonthsheld]

theresastargirl​:

She was in a particularly good mood today, and as she delivered M’s morning coffee, she couldn’t quite help but bestow the compliment. There was the chance he’d assume it was another of her ‘cuckoo bananas’ moments, but she caught the slight change in his demeanor, subtle, but there, to let her know that it was well received.

“You know as well as I do that my friends can’t always be swayed by the coffee girl, sir.” Ophelia replies with a laugh. “Though I do try my best. If only they saw those rare smiles, they might be more inclined to try. Though given our line of work, I’m not sure if that’ll happen much sadly.”

“Perhaps I misspoke,” he muses, “There’s hardly much swaying that needs to be done when they actually listen to you, Smith. That’s what I’m getting at.” But it’s not exactly sporting to harp on so rampantly about work when she’s just given him a one-two punch of goodness to start his day, so he waves away the entire sentiment.

His tongue briefly finds a home between his teeth and his bottom lip, a look that suggests he wants to say something that isn’t quite polite about the suggestion that he ‘smile more’. Slowly, slowly, the urge ebbs. “It’s rather a good thing that they don’t pay me based on my ability to smile in the face of adversity, I suppose. I’ll leave that to you, I think.”

[threemonthsheld]

It’s been a not insubstantial amount of time since Gareth’s last had to entertain genuine compliments about anything that wasn’t his ability to do his job. It catches him off-guard, then, when Ophelia’s pleasantly bestowing a particularly poetic one upon him.

He’s not entirely sure how to react; it warms his heart, certainly, but there’s enough self-awareness contained with that crotchety old demeanour of his to stop him from proving her assessment to be true with one fell swoop of a grin. He opts for an awkward middle ground, then. Allows the faint upward quirk of his lip for little more than a moment before returning to a look of neutrality. The faint joy in his eye gives him away. “I’m not sure that I’d go as far as comparing a smile to a shooting star, but perhaps that’s enough motivation for you to convince your friends-” he uses the term loosely and as derisively as possible, given the company Phee keeps, “-to elicit more smiles than scowls from me, hm?”

@theresastargirl​ sent: " your smiles are like shooting stars. really rare, and really beautiful. " - m ▼ grumpy/sunshine trope

[threemonthsheld]

theresastargirl​:

Part of Ophelia couldn’t still wrap her head around the fact that M had a son, and yet, here he was, standing before her. If she could amuse him, and keep an eye on him, by telling him embarrassing stories, then why not? She’s surprised that M hasn’t came home and told his family about her some days, but she’s happy to see his reactions to each of her mishaps at work. “But that’s the only exciting part about me!” She pouts before laughing. “Okay, hobbies, well… I try to cook, that fails miserably. I read a bit, go on runs every so often, watch loads of tv and feed my boyfriend gummy worms when he’s video gaming and keep the cats distracted.” She’s teasingly mostly, but she’s not sure she has many actual hobbies now. “What about you then? Outside of becoming Britain’s next best solider, what are your hobbies?”

“-Britain’s next best soldier. Fuck me, I need that t’be a TV programme now-” genuine laughter at the idea aside, he’s bought himself a few more moments to rack his brain for his own sparse list of hobbies. He’s lucky, perhaps, that he’s still young enough to have the most stereotypical of the youthful hobbies. “Me? I mean, I drink when I can. Go out with the lads. Uh-” beyond that, he has to think. “Video games’re alright? I don’t- yeah, I dunno if I’ve got many hobbies either, actually. Think the whole ‘soldiering’ thing is all I’ve got goin’ for me.” In fairness, that sort of meant that he and Ophelia had something going for them, right? Meant they were good employees? “But, hey, tell me ‘bout these cats and this boyfriend. Closest thing to a pet I’ve had is the pair’a dogs that lived down the road from me when I was growin’ up. What sorta cats are they?”

[threemonthsheld]

still think it’s very endearingly himbo of niall to a) think that he’ll willingly give up his place in the sas once he’s qualified enough to Make It and b) still have hope that he’ll ever make it as a field agent, never mind a double-0 in mi6 some day

[threemonthsheld]

also unfortunately for everyone i’m also Homesick:tm: so ur gonna be getting niall content on gareth’s blog today

[threemonthsheld]

theresastargirl​:

“Ah, yes, I’m not one of those either.” She definitely wasn’t in the slightest bit anywhere close to being a soldier or double oh, thank god for that. The country would be falling apart in seconds. “Learning about your in the good way. You’re like your dad, sure, but I think you’re way cooler. And, if I happen to drink too much and end up acting ‘cuckoo bananas’ around you, I think I could live it down.” She laughs, smiling at him. “No need to lie, alright? If anything, you can lie to me about me being good company. Since, you know, I’m not a soldier or anything.”

“Don’t think I’d hafta lie about that - you’ve told me more stories this evenin’ than I’ve ever gotten from Da - so I don’t think I’ll be lyin’ about your company any time soon.” On the contrary, he thinks. He’s lapping up everything Phee’s saying, enjoying the living vicariously through the hiccups and missteps that had gotten her to where she was now ( cuckoo bananas fully included ). “I do think I should stop houndin’ ya about work, though. ‘s unfair to ya.” A pull from his pint, “What’s your thing, then? Hobby-wise, I mean.” Definitely not like his dad, clearly, if he’s taking a genuine interest in Ophelia’s life outside work.

[soulrph]

grumpy/sunshine trope prompts!

naturally these are shippy and soft and i'm honestly so honored that someone asked and trusted me to do these, so i hope y'all enjoy them just as much as i enjoyed writing them!

from the grump

" i know i can be an asshole, but... you always see the good in me. "

" only YOU could convince me to do something like this! "

" don't make this weird, but... i saw this in the store. figured you'd like it. "

" nobody's ever made me feel the way you do. "

" you're so full of light... and i'm terrified that i'll be the one who quenches it. "

" why do you stick around with a misery-guts like me? "

" you're the lighthouse in the fog, guiding me to shore... "

" i'm trying so hard, but... i can't stop myself from falling in love with you. "

" i love you... oh, damn it, don't look at me, i'm all red... "

" i don't really smile much. not unless you're around, it seems. "

" no. no way, no way in hell am i doing that. no! no... aw, fine... "

" how are you so happy all the time? "

" oh jeez... nobody's ever made me laugh like that in a long, long time. "

" i don't think i wanna know a world without your smiles. "

" i never feel like this grumpy asshole when you're around. i feel like... me. the real me... "

" hey, now... i'm not going anywhere. i'm gonna stay right here. right with you. "

" whoa... hey, now, who made you cry? where'd they go? "

" don't make a big deal out of this. you like hugs, right? so... here's a hug. "

" um... if you don't mind, i think i'd like a hug now. if that's okay... "

" the world just... feels right. when you're with me. "

from the sunshine

" i love it when you smile! i wish you'd do it all the time... "

" you have a really good smile, you know that? "

" see? i knew there was a soft heart under all that grumbling! "

" admit it. you had FUN today! "

" i want to know you. the REAL you. so let's go somewhere that makes you feel happy. "

" you can't get rid of me that easily. i'm gonna be here every day to remind you how wonderful you are! "

" you know me. you... you see me. i'm never totally myself unless i'm with you. "

" everyone else always sees this ridiculously happy, over excited, naive little baby who needs protecting. but... never you. you've always seen the real me. i guess that's what i love the most about you. "

" why is it so damn difficult for you to believe you're worthy of love? "

" you make me smile. and laugh. i feel happy when i'm with you! is that so hard to believe? "

" don't be so stubborn! take my coat/scarf! "

" come on! dance with me! "

" who'd have thought you'd be such a softie! "

" your smiles are like shooting stars. really rare, and really beautiful. "

" don't go. please? just... we can share the bed. i just don't want to be alone right now, if you don't mind... "

" we all have our flaws. you stayed with me in spite of mine. now i'm doing the same... "

" we're two sides of the same coin. right? "

" well, they do say opposites attract... "

" of course i remembered! i remember everything about you! "

[threemonthsheld]

theresastargirl​:

Oh he was adorable like this, drunkenly talking her ear off as she sipped her drink at the bar. Better her than some unsuspecting lass who wouldn’t have the faintest idea where to start. “Someone that’s not a double-oh you mean?” Ophelia’s teasing, of course. Though she plans on keeping an eye on him through the rest of the evening. Even seeing him home if she has to. “No, it’s alright. I quite like listening to you ramble. I’m learning a lot about you.”

“Well, no, actually. Not a soldier would probably be a more accurate statement,” though he may have wished that he brushed shoulders with double-0s as often as Ophelia seemed to, the pool of people whose company Niall kept tended to be far less steeped in espionage. Maybe that was why he was still fairly well-adjusted, all things considered. He stifles a laugh into his drink, an entirely bashful gesture, “Learnin’ about me in a good way, or a ‘feck me, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ way? ‘cos if it’s the latter, just lie, yeah?”

[threemonthsheld]

"I don't often get the chance to talk to someone like you." That’s the excuse he’s using for why he’s been bending their ear for the better part of the evening. Probably wasn’t the objective of going out for a drink of an evening, but unfortunately they’d crossed paths with a just-inebriated-enough Niall.

[threemonthsheld]

i am apparently fixated on the fact that once niall’s back in gareth’s life - in any capacity, even if it is ‘annoying son that i don’t want to acknowledge’ - gareth gives him his signet ring and niall wears that shit like a badge of honour. full blown prized possession energy bc it makes him feel like gareth has Accepted him even if he doesn’t strictly speaking ‘like’ him.

[hithewalls]

harris dickinson as simon in the county lines trailer

[dailytvwomen]

KRISTEN BELL as ELEANOR SHELLSTROP THE GOOD PLACE (2016—2020) S02E03: Team Cockroach

[antigoney-archive]

HARRIS DICKINSON as CONRAD OXFORD The King’s Man, 2021, dir. Matthew Vaughn

[garethamm]

Good looking and warm

[threemonthsheld]

secretsandspies​:​

The kid was all but eager for a fight when they began, and honestly, Ian enjoyed the sparring match, (and winning), to put the boy right back in his place. Even with training, hd still wasn’t ready to go out into the field, and he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to have that conversation with M.

“Much younger than those old dogs.” He laughs, grabbing his bottle of water and tossing it over to Niall. “About a year or so now, and yes, very good at my job. But don’t get it twisted, James was once my age too out in the field. You’ve still got a few years to go before that, and a hell more training.” He was good though, really. He hit and dodged at all the right places, so at least he was on the path if he so chose, though it was unlikely he’d get in. “And what about you then? How many years have you been preparing to become the next double oh?”

A year? A year and the man before him was already making him look incompetent in comparison. It was very nearly awe-inspiring, and only for the grace of the bottle that found itself in Niall’s grasp the younger man would’ve looked properly aghast. “You plannin’ on stickin’ around as long as Commander Bond has, then?” He knows what his own answer to that question would be ( I’ve worked my whole life to get here, of course I’m sticking around for as long as I can ) but Ian’s got a different aura to him, one that he’s not quite accustomed to quite yet. Niall’s simply curious.

“And, uh, not long, honestly, sir. Only just got into the SAS this year, and I’ve got loads’a trainin’ before I get stuck in properly with them.” Far from looking ashamed or sheepish, though, Niall looks very nearly unperturbed despite his inexperience. He knows what he wants, after all, and he’ll do everything in his power to achieve it. Even if it does include getting his ass kicked up and down Six by the folks whose footsteps he hopes to follow in. “Probably have to wait for Dad to retire, too, before I’ve even got a hope in Hell of joinin’ you lot here.”

[threemonthsheld]

He likes to think he’s shown great restraint whenever he’s been by to visit his father at work. Yes, he’s got ulterior motives for stopping by, and yes, clearly one’s father being M made sneaking around that little bit easier, but even so, Niall was still sporting the stupid visitor’s tag like the obedient son he was. The young man was not, no matter how much he liked to pretend, a spy. Not yet.

It did make it all a bit more awkward when he crossed Bond’s path, though. A fanboy, certainly, but youthful excitement at meeting one’s hero - one of them, at least - could only be tamped down so much before he began to look very much like a 25-year-old. “Commander Bond...” he begins, “Didn’t know if coffee was your thing, but I was grabbin’ one for me ‘n M on the way over,” he extends a paper cup, can’t stop the anticipatory look of expectation that inevitably shines through his polite smile. “Think I’ve met everyone else ‘round here by now. Mostly. Think you ‘n- ah, Q, actually, yeah, are the last two on the list.”

@thexunpleasantsurprise​