Here's the second instalment of our back stories for some of the kickass craft beer crusaders working in our company who started off their BrewDog journey in our bars. Check out how they came to be where they are today:
Name: Neil Taylor
Then: Bar Manager at BrewDog Aberdeen
Now: Mr World
The Story: "I started off my BrewDog journey at BrewDog Aberdeen. I then got shipped down to the Big Smoke to become BrewDog Camden's Manager, levelled up to UK Area Manager and I'm now known as Mr World. It's been a pretty epic journey, and my current role is something I don't think I ever even imagined I'd be doing. I oversee the expansion of our bar division outside of the UK, ensuring that our international bars hit the peaks that we expect from our UK bars. I bring the passion, knowledge and enthusiasm that BrewDog employees bring to their jobs to new and exciting places!
Name: Starky
Then: Bar staff at BrewDog Edinburgh
Now: Assistant Brewer
The story: "I used to be a barman in Edinburgh. I spent my days talking beer in the UK's best craft beer city, contemplating why my already short name (Dave) had been manipulated into Starky, lugging kegs about the bar and occasionally serving beer.
Name: Fisher
Then: Full time bar staff at BrewDog Aberdeen
Now: Gaffer (Manager) at BrewDog Edinburgh
The story: "I jumped from bar staff to key holder to duty manager and the big jump to GM Edinburgh all within 9 months...pretty exciting! I've been involved with various painting projects too, including the brewery office block bit, the shark and the tiger on the tanks, indoor and outdoor murals at Shoreditch, the toilets at Aberdeen and various pieces since starting in Edinburgh! Art, design and anything hands on/creative is what I really enjoy. With BrewDog I've been given some awesome projects to work on with a ton of creative freedom.
My initial application at BrewDog was for a marketing role. I didn't have any experience in the field but I have a background in graphic design and thought that I had some cool ideas for the company. This role didn't happen but I was sorted out with a wee job at the Aberdeen bar. I had been working in bars and nightclubs with no passion so joining the team in Aberdeen was a fantastic change of scene! From there it has just been a roller coaster and I'm excited for whatever happens next.
The Shoreditch painting trip with my brother and Calvin was a definite highlight of my job at BrewDog so far. It was also a lot of fun getting weird (not like that...) in the Aberdeen toilet hall with John. The fumes got to us a bit and made us do one of my favourite and scariest murals I've ever done. '
hello, hello! this is my first voltron fic and, consequently, my first klance fic! ever since i finished my rewatch of the show, i knew i had to write something for this fandom. i was going to wait until my longfic was finished but couldn't wait any longer. this idea has actually changed a few times, but i knew that i wanted to explore backstories from the boys' garrison days. it's also a lot longer than i had originally planned... i aimed for 5k but well [gestures at fic] obviously that fell through. i love these dorks so much, and i really hope everyone enjoys my first attempt at writing them!!
Shiro and his crew slip into the simulation. The whole class goes quiet, the quietest Lance has ever heard them be, as it begins. Lance watches in stupefied silence as Shiro seamlessly navigates through foreign terrain, commanding the rest of his group with patience and vigilance. Lance has never witnessed anything like it before. Shiro is textbook- no, better than textbook level. He makes it look so damn easy. Like scary easy.
Once it ends, Shiro and his crew step out of the simulation pod. His gaze sweeps over the crowd and, for just the briefest of seconds, lingers on the person beside Lance. Fucking Keith. Lance almost has himself convinced he imagined the purposeful eye contact.
Eventually, no more hands are raised. Shiro seems relieved, and Lance wonders how someone this young got saddled with this responsibility. Sure, he's a kickass pilot and leader but, from what Lance has heard, he's only in his early twenties. Most senior officers are around the same age as his parents.
His feet are rooted to the spot. Openly staring at Shiro, he blatantly ignores classmates pushing past him as they head for the door. Shiro meets his gaze, unfazed by eyes that could probably burn holes through metal.
What the hell? Lance feels his hackles rising. He's kind of pissed, okay. Keith is the top fighter pilot, and Shiro is the young prodigious senior officer so of course they know of each other. Not that the thought does anything to stamp down the abrupt surge of jealousy.
No matter what Hunk says, Lance has always frequented the training room. It's not like he's there more often to spy on Shiro and Keith or anything. He just needs to sharpen his combat skills. Important skills for a cargo pilot to have under their belt.
Lance dives for his sparring partner- Joe? John?- and lands a solid hit to his stomach. They've been going back and forth for a good thirty minutes now, and Lance, for once, has scored more winning strikes than usual. Not to toot his own horn, but he's getting better at this.
Shiro stands behind Keith, tweaking his fighting stance. He shifts Keith's shoulders, nudges one of his feet, and settles large hands on his waist, twisting it ever so slightly. Prickly as a porcupine, Keith appears unnerved by the contact.
And, just like that, they're fighting again. Lance can easily tell Shiro's been practicing longer. His moves are calculated, careful and precise, while Keith's are more sporadic, honed through pure instinct alone. Even though their styles differ, the combination creates a fluid sequence of ducks, dives, and extensions. It's almost like watching a couple dance, kind of like when Lance's parents took dancing classes and excitedly demonstrated their new moves at family reunions.
Eventually, Shiro finds an opening and tackles Keith to the ground. Keith is sprawled out with Shiro straddling his hips, arm drawn back with his fist poised inches away from Keith's face. He smirks triumphantly and moves, helping Keith stand. Keith is breathing heavily, face flushed from the exertion, and, right, that's Lance's cue to look away.
But he's also angry. Keith isn't that much better than Lance so why does he, of all people, get to train with Shiro? The pessimistic asshole living in Lance's subconscious reminds him Shiro is the one who picked Keith so he can't actually place the blame on Mullet Boy.
Lance peeks at the dueling star pupils. Keith manages to twist Shiro's arm behind his back and now Shiro is the one being taken down, Keith sitting astride the back of Shiro's thighs, chest nearly close enough to press against Shiro's back and-
And Keith- he gapes. A distinct red flush creeps up his neck, over his cheeks, and reaches to the tips of his ears. Never in a million years did Lance think he would witness Wonder Mullet, star pilot Keith Kogane, blush.
Because you started taking notes on one of the fighters instead of paying attention to the actual fighting, dumbass. Subconscious Lance is a real dick. Kind of sounds like a combination of his uptight older brother and Keith. The mental image of them morphed into a single human being makes Lance shudder.
Lance practically jumps out of his own skin. Screaming, he falls backward, head smacking painfully against the foam mat below. He curses under his breath in flustered Spanish, and blinks back stars to reveal the intruder.
His mouth is suddenly dry and, for once in his life, Lance is speechless. Keith seems to take his silence as a yes and releases his grip, dropping Lance flat on his ass. He grunts, silently cursing his parents for depriving him of much needed cushion in the ass department.
Lance blinks. The red clouding his vision starts to clear, and reality comes crashing in. Woah. Everyone in the nearby area is ogling their table. Some offended- and not trying to hide it- while others appear curious. So maybe he got a bit carried away. Lance swallows down the lump in his throat and nods.
Hunk, Pidge, and Lance all move closer to the monitor as Shiro speaks, frantically warning everyone in the room. He carries on and on about aliens and a weapon and, shit, did he actually just say evil aliens were on their way? To Earth?
Lance deflects several globs destined for Hunk. Laughter bubbles up on his lips as he scoops a handful of green gelatinous stuff into his hand and launches it at Coran. Soon enough, everyone is laughing. Shiro, Pidge, Hunk- hell, even Keith! Lance always disregarded a laughing Keith as an urban legend.
Keith already has a reputation for his training room obsession. But now with Lance as an excuse, he practically lives there. Into the later hours, he grumbles something about practice while they shovel down space goo and Lance- well, how can he say no to a chance to train with Keith?
Lance jolts, almost falling backwards, thrown off balance by the sudden weight around his neck and against his chest. In a daze, his gaze travels down to find the source and- Lance is dead. Or hell has frozen over or pigs are flying or the world is ending because Keith Kogane is hugging him.
He never gets the opportunity to sort things out with Keith as planned. Their mission leads to Allura getting captured, Shiro directing them into the heart of the Galra Empire, and a fuck ton of poor decision making and risked lives.
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