MCalhen

White Collar - When to Say No

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 20:09:00 -0400

Also posted on my fanfiction account. Not putting this on my writing tumblr since I’m considering just deleting that anyway, and it was for original crap only anyway.

The FBI agents were not always immune to Neal’s blue eyes. He used them as a weapon, a part of him that—when conjoined with his charisma—could be loaded against someone until they had been charmed away to insensibility. Peter knew this, and thought he had a shield against it. He knew when to say “no” to his CI.

Then Neal would come up with reasonable pleas. Peter agreed to the expresso machine because they all needed better coffee, and he would be damned if there wasn’t an FBI agent who wasn’t happy to see the old coffeemakers go. Some of Neal’s schemes—no, they were stings, Peter corrected stubbornly—were brilliant and within the law after Peter had edited out the parts that were not. Sometimes it was stupidity not to listen to Neal Caffrey.

Peter was not a man to tout his authority. The law was meant to protect the people, not to dictate them. That was the reason for his leniency when Neal was out of line. He thought of Neal like a kid struggling to make the right choices but too lured by the temptation to stay within the lines. It was all right to give him the benefit of the doubt, and lately, Neal had been trustworthy enough not to go astray—much. Peter was beginning to trust him. But sometimes, for the sake of remembering the word, Peter would say it: “No.”

Neal looked at him like a desperate teenager, begging his parents not to make him stay with a family member or be supervised because he was too old for it. His blue eyes promised no party when there would always be a party wherever Neal Caffrey went. “Oh, c’mon, Peter. Why not?”

“I want to go home to my wife and my dog and my dinner, that’s why.” The thought of all three of those things—those precious bits of normalcy—made Peter wish he had a button that would transport him, chair and all, into his home without worrying about the drive home or the remainder of his work hours. He was more than ready for the weekend.

“But you can bring El with you.”

“Is Satchmo welcome?”

“I don’t see why we couldn’t smuggle him in.”

“Like you did when you went to the planetarium with him?”

Neal inhaled deeply, smirking a little, when he said, “That wasn’t smuggling. He posed as a seeing eye-dog.”

“Uh-huh. And you propose we do that again? And what do you mean, ‘he posed’?” Peter narrowed his eyes. “My dog knows how to behave, unlike a certain somebody…”

“I get it,” said Neal quickly. “Peter, please.”

Peter shook his head. Neal left his office, shoulders drooped slight as if to indicate contrition. It was false, of course. Neal never gave up that easily. The last time he had wanted someone to go with him to any sort of event outside his radius, he had asked every single person in the building. But that was before Neal had wedged himself into the lives of the Burke family, and that would be his shoe-in for getting what he wanted. So Peter waited, and he pretended to be immersed in a file between catching glimpses through the glass at his CI. He knew when Neal slipped out the doors just what he was doing, who he was calling.

Therefore, Peter was unsurprised when the phone rang and he picked it up and heard El on the other side. “Honey, Neal invited us to an art gallery tonight, and I told him we would go. We can go out to eat before the viewing.”

And so Peter’s “no” was dismissed. His wife was excited, and if he thought he could refuse Neal, it was the opposite with El. His happiness was dependent upon hers, not because he would be made miserable by her if she was not pleased, but because her smile was always worth any extra effort or sacrifice on his part.

When Peter had finished exchanging dinner ideas with El and hung up, he went out to the landing and called Neal’s name, accompanied by a two-finger point that only made his partner smuggle his grin unconvincingly.

“Yes, Peter?” asked Neal cheerfully when he strode into Peter’s office.

Peter put his hand on his hip. “You went around me and called El. Wasn’t there someone else in this entire building you could ask?” He nodded to the glass, to the FBI agents beyond. “The last time you wanted a chaperon, you asked every single person here. I’m sure someone would have wanted to go.” Then he realized something—Neal had been pressuring him for days, but he hadn’t overheard him ask anyone else.

Neal shrugged, hands in pockets. “Yes, but there’s no one I would want to go with more than you and El.” There was a tenderness in his blue eyes, a sincerity that touched Peter in that steady gaze. “You’re family to me.”

After a few minutes of stunned silence, Peter smiled. “You should have said that earlier.”

“I didn’t want you to think I was trying to con you. I had to tell you after I knew you were going, so you’d know I wasn’t saying it to influence your decision.”

“Oh, you knew I was going from the beginning, Neal. You’ve gotten around me using El before, and I had a hunch you’d try it again. I know you.” And just for the sake of a little authority, Peter added sternly but in his playful way, “I caught you twice, remember?”

With a grin, Neal said, “I wasn’t trying to run the second time.”

And you’re not trying to run now, thought Peter. Because family didn’t run away from each other—not family that was made because you cared so deeply about the people who were in it that they could be nothing else to you.

archivistsrock: White Collar DVD commentary: “Forging Bonds”...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:59:02 -0400

archivistsrock:

White Collar DVD commentary: “Forging Bonds” (2x11)

currently-onhold: “Character defines personality, and in that...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:53:03 -0400

currently-onhold:

“Character defines personality, and in that department, your cup runneth over, little man.” -Mr. Jefferies

My mom is playing FFVII

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:51:14 -0400

Mom: I'm coming up to the part where Cloud crossdresses, how do I make him pretty?
Me: Want to borrow my strategy guide so Don Corneo chooses him?
Mom: Yes, please!

kisrahferraris: mcalhen: I made this yesterday. It’s huge....

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:15:13 -0500

kisrahferraris:

mcalhen:

I made this yesterday. It’s huge. That’s a ten inch plate. It is a peanut butter cookie…well, a cookie bar. I’m supposed to make it long and all oval or square like, but I thought, “Fuck this shit, I’mma make a bunny.”

HUUUUUGE! :O

It even looks like it has an eye. Was that an accident?

No, it’s intentional. I pressed an eye into it with my finger when molding it, before I baked it. It looks like it’s sleeping with the way it baked, though. xD

I made this yesterday. It’s huge. That’s a ten inch...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:05:23 -0500

I made this yesterday. It’s huge. That’s a ten inch plate. It is a peanut butter cookie…well, a cookie bar. I’m supposed to make it long and all oval or square like, but I thought, “Fuck this shit, I’mma make a bunny.”

Photo

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:02:53 -0500

devlininthetardis: Forever shipping jack and john. Obviously...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:14:02 -0500

devlininthetardis:

Forever shipping jack and john.
Obviously not as much as janto. But they are still pretty cute.

I made a giant peanut butter cookie bar in the shape of a rabbit.…And I didn’t take a...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:11:33 -0500

I made a giant peanut butter cookie bar in the shape of a rabbit.

…And I didn’t take a picture. I could probably still do that if I wasn’t being too lazy to take the camera downstairs and take a picture. P:

usedempyrealthunder: salusa: ginnypants: shanellestumblr: Saw...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:42:37 -0500

usedempyrealthunder:

salusa:

ginnypants:

shanellestumblr:

Saw this circling around Facebook and want to repost because I can’t agree more!

The Tumblr community is notorious for wanting novelty pets simply because of the novelty (fuzzy chicken, chinchilla, etc) without doing any research. Please, please please do your research before you even consider getting a rabbit for Easter. And NEVER buy one as a GIFT! They are a personal commitment that you must make yourself, not that you can make for other people or that other people can make for you.

this please!!!! mattie and I were going to buy one of about 10 guinea pigs at the store the friday before easter but decided to wait and think about it… we came back on monday and EVERY PIG HAD BEEN SOLD. we got numchucks that day and he’s a sweetie of course, but the clerk told us people tell them to just grab a random guinea pig and box it up for an easter present. it blew my mind and broke my heart D:

as an owner of bunnies i second this heartily. rabbits need a lot of care and attention and they aren’t pets one should just get on a whim!

Omg you have bunnies could you be even more awesome

Really important stuff to know, IMO - and some rabbits can even live far more than ten years.

That said, I always get anxious around Eastertime because I know a lot of bunnies are going to homes where they will be neglected until they die, or they’ll wind up in shelters. : /

usedempyrealthunder: lariattemackdiamond asked you: Eyes/Kanone- Trying to move on Spoilers for...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:31:31 -0500

usedempyrealthunder:

lariattemackdiamond asked you:

Eyes/Kanone- Trying to move on

Spoilers for the epilogue of Spiral

Read More

ohwowmegan: favorite real life friendships matt bomer &...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:54:52 -0500

ohwowmegan:

favorite real life friendships

matt bomer & tim dekay

MCalhen Commissions - 2013

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:56:57 -0500

mcalhen-creations:

mcalhen-creations:

General Information:

1. My prices differ based on where they ship and if I ship them. Convention items are cheaper than anything I ship because I send them in bulk, and they are bought at the table.

2. Payment after I make the item, but BEFORE I ship it.

3. PayPal payments only.

4. I can decline a commission at any time.

5. I base my Shipping & Handling prices not only on what it costs to send it, but the boxes or bubble envelope I ship it in, as well as the bags I buy to secure a lot of stuff in, in case the packaging gets wet. S&H prices will be adjusted if anyone orders more than one thing, since I can usually shave off a bit on the price! Unfortunately, my international prices are sadly high because I’ve taken some losses by trying to go lower. I cannot afford to end up giving away my stuff in the end, so they have to be quite high to cover the cost of S&H, materials, and still give me something for my labor.

6. No refunds—I try my best with the product at hand (and if there is some issue with it, I’d like to know), but I cannot control what happens in the mail. I do my best to make sure things ship safely. I will take pictures of the product before I send it and ask for opinions on it so it can be approved, too.

7. Making something takes time. I like to try to take no more than two weeks, but depending on scheduling, it sometimes takes a bit longer. As soon as the item is paid for, however, I do try to get out as soon as I have transportation and the post office is open!

Sea turtle
With US S&H: $16
With International S&H: $22

Mini Squid
With US S&H: $7
With International S&H: $10

Rabbit
With US S&H: $17
With International S&H: $23

Regular Sized Octopus
With US S&H: $15
With International S&H: $20

Plus costs—if you order an octopus with any of the above, the following prices will be additional:
A cog around the eye: $1
(Additional cogs also cost $1, so if you want two, it would be $2)
Stovepipe/Top Hat: $2
Mustache: $1

(Example: If you order an octopus with a mustache and a top hat, It will be $3 extra on top of the price, so if you’re ordering US, that’ll be $18, if you order International, it would be $23. If you have any further questions, contact me!)

Colors Available: Orange, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Mint Blue, Light Purple, Purple, Dark Purple, Gray, White, Tan (“Bone”), Dark Brown, Black, Yellow, Bright Red, Burgundy, Bright Pink, Light Pink, Lime Green, Light Sage Green, Dark Sage Green

Unfortunately, I cannot offer the following for sale at the moment due to the impossibility of finding 6 mm eyes lately (and I may have to rethink eyes on them if I continue to have trouble with them): mini octopus, seahorse, and turtle

Customized Items are by INQUIRY:

1. You can contact me at MushyKHendricks@hotmail.com

2. The price of materials, the S&H, and labor are all very relative to this, as well as the complexity of the item. I will run a price by you when you inquire if I accept, and you can decide if you still want to commission me after that.

3. Unlike the items I have set prices for, coloring is not as limited, but keep in mind that I have to be able to find the color, and the cost of some yarn is quite high compared to others. If you specifically want wool or cotton over acrylic, expect to pay a lot more.

4. All general information still applies to customized items unless otherwise stated.

5. If you want to see what I can do with custom pieces, please feel free to browse my tumblr (mcalhen-creations), deviantart (mcalhen), or FB page (MCalhen Creations)! (:

Thank you for considering me! I try to be friendly and helpful, so don’t be afraid to ask questions, despite the strict business-like tone of the rest of this entry!

Reblogging! \o/

salad-suud: mcalhen replied to your post: also suddenly im being followed by a lot of… I’m here...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:06:24 -0500

salad-suud:

mcalhen replied to your post: also suddenly im being followed by a lot of…

I’m here for the stupid spiral things, but also because Lin says you’re awesome

well i still have to read spiral: alive so you can look forward to more stupid liveblogging :’D

(also dont trust her, she’s fallen for my adorable charms and i am now her beloved little sis so she’s biased)

Yeah, I saw someone (Aza, I think) pressing you to read Spiral Alive. Unless I imagined that, I’m half-tired right now so I can’t keep up with everything on tumblr that I have seen in the past half hour or so xD

I trust her! EVEN BIASED LIN IS TRUSTWORTHY TO ME

Photo

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:19:54 -0500

Cal: Also, logged into tumblr, you now have a tag where I blame you

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:10:57 -0500

Cal: Also, logged into tumblr, you now have a tag where I blame you
Cal: <3
Lin: XD
Lin: everyone has a tag where they blame me <3

Spiral

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:57:59 -0500

I basically decided that I’d finally bother with this account because:

Spiral blogs

Then I got sidetracked with White Collar on my dash, but I’m here for the Spiral stuff.

Aza and Lin are to blame. Always.

Photo

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:56:50 -0500

Would anyone be willing to help me out by proofreading Perdition? Red pen, shredding, decimating it...

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:51:42 -0500

Would anyone be willing to help me out by proofreading Perdition? Red pen, shredding, decimating it - whatever needs done to make it worth self-publishing… D:

Congress takes its first action after Newtown.

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:42:22 -0500

Congress takes its first action after Newtown.:

deeeeeeeeeeeeetitsaaaaaaaaaaaaan:

think-progress:

Hint: It isn’t gun control.