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#The Sultan of the Shooting Star Press
the--last--me · 6 years
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Chapter 13 -- Perfect Harmony | Charlie Gillespie
Summary: Emily Fox is a talented 17-year-old with a passion for all things music. Her dream is to become a successful singer-songwriter one day. But to achieve that dream, she needs to get into one of the most prestigious music schools in her district – it’s all been part of her plan since she was six. Sadly enough, those schools cost a ton of money that her parents don’t want to invest. They don’t even want her to pursue her dream. So, now Emily’s hustling, working at the music store to save up to get into college. That’s until she meets Charlie, an annoying seventeen-year-old boy with the same dream as her. The only difference is, he’s just doing it. He doesn’t need a fancy college to pursue his dream to become famous with his band. He just writes his songs and books small gigs here, there and everywhere. Will meeting Charlie defer her from her dream college, or will he actually help her achieve the dream?
Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x OC (Emily Fox)
Warnings: mentions of death, sexual assault
Important note: the characters of Charlie, Owen, Jeremy and Madison are based on the characters they play on the show and i do not own their names, only OC are mine. The songs aren’t mine either, they’re all from the show except for one.
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Chapter thirteen 
~|Emily Fox|~
“Good morning, party girl!” Uncle Mitch shouts a little too loudly on a Sunday morning. “You look rough.” I sit down at the kitchen table on the opposite of him. “Gee thanks,” I rub my face harshly, then rest my head on my hand with my eyes shut. “You got in late last night. Didn’t think you’d stick around at a Brianna Holly party for so long. It surprised me you went in the first place, but you know, you do you.” My eyes shoot open at the reminder of last night. Jake’s eyes. Jake’s hands. On me. Jake’s lips. On me. “I shouldn’t have gone,” I tell him honestly which only earns me a worried look. “I mean, it was fun teasing Brianna a little and standing up for myself and playing a song with the boys but then Jake…” I trail off, not wanting to talk about it but Mitch and I are all about the open-book-policy. Talk about anything and everything with each other even if it might worry the other. Better to share the load than take all of it on one’s shoulders. “What did he do?” Uncle Mitch’s voice sounds darker, heavier. Almost villainous. “He was talking about how great we used to be and that he wanted it back, I think? I don’t really remember what we’d talked about, all I know for sure is that he’d tried to kiss me. The boys had to literally tear him off me.” Mitch’s eyes are intense, but at least he’s not trying to go and murder Jake. “We left pretty much straight after that and the boys took me to the Music Store. We stayed there, talking, pretty much all night.” I smile at the memory because even though what preceded that beautiful moment was literally the worst thing, it’s still a moment to cherish forever. “I’m glad those boys were there to help you out. They sound like great friends.” I smile a little and nod determinedly. “Wish I could hear you guys play.” “We’re having band practice later tonight, if you want to come and li—” I can’t even finish my sentence, because Mitch has already gotten up excitedly, dancing around the kitchen – though I wouldn’t call that dancing – and running up to me to hug me tightly. “But first!” He lifts a finger in the air. “Let’s grab all the snacks and watch some movies!” I nod excitedly and get up to gather up some snacks. With hot cocoas and all the chocolate in the world, we settle onto the sofa with blankets wrapped around us and Disney+ open to pick a movie since today is Disney day. We alternate between Disney+ and Netflix, one week Disney, the other non-Disney. “Can we watch Aladdin?” I suggest, mainly because it reminds me of mine and Charlie’s moment on the balcony, unbeknownst to my uncle. It’s been a little while since we’d made out on the balcony. Might have to suggest it soon. Mama needs her sugar. “Your uncle Bobby loved that movie,” Mitch comments as he presses play, “Do you remember you two singing A Whole New World together when you were really young, and he gave you a bath?” I nod my head at the far, but beautiful, memory. “That first weekend I came to stay at this house?” Mitch nods his head, “Yeah, I used to make a Sultan out of Bobby with the bubbles.” Uncle Mitch laughs at the memory. “The bathroom was such a mess after that!” I can’t help but laugh at the desperation in Mitch’s voice. “But you two were the cutest duetters alive. I loved having you around when you were really young too, you know? Still so innocent, not knowing how big and bad the world was. It made me forget about the big, bad world too.” I smile at him and rest my head on his shoulder. I don’t know what I’d do without Uncle Mitch. Live on a street, I guess? Probably? He might not be family by blood, but he sure does feel like it. I never knew anyone being with Uncle Bobby than Mitch. They were my one true pairing. I wanted someone to love me the same way they loved – and still love – each other. Their bond is unbreakable.
“Ready to go, Mitchy?” I ask when we’re both changed out of our pajama’s after dinner, ready to head to Jeremy’s garage for band practice. It’s the first time we’ll be rehearsing in his garage, but I’m excited to find out where Sunset Curve previously used to rehearse. Pre me. “Yes! I am ready to partaaaay!” I roll my eyes at him, an amused smile on my face. “Behave though? Don’t go and embarrass me on the first day meeting them, okay?” “Yes, mom.” Mitch can be such a child, but I love that about him. “Boys?” I knock on the wooden door that’s ajar. There’s some rummaging inside, but nothing else. I push it open to find all three boys inside already. Charlie’s sorting through his loose songbook papers, Jeremy is tuning his bass, and Owen just sitting on the couch, playing around with his drumsticks. “Hey! I brought my uncle; I hope you don’t mind?” “Oh, not at all!” Jeremy says, and gets up from his spot on the armchair. “Hey, I’m Jeremy,” he introduces himself with a smile, reaching his hand for my uncle to shake, which he does. My uncle has this look on his face that I recognize as his gaydar. He literally scans people to find out their sexuality. His gaydar is very accurate. “Mitch, nice to meet you.” Owen gets up next, shaking my uncle’s hand too. “I’m Owen, the drummer,” he shows the sticks in his hand. “I see,” Mitch replies with a smile, and then comes Charlie. “Hey, I’m Charlie, I’m—” he points at me, and I know what he’s going to say, but I can’t have him tell my uncle about us yet. “The lead singer!” I chime in and give him a knowing look. “Right, yeah, the lead singer,” Charlie looks kind of hurt, and it breaks my heart in two as well. Just an us-thing, for now. Then it can be an everyone-thing. I hope he understands. “Nice to meet you, guys!” Mitch then leans closer to me, “And which one of the two cute semi-straight boys is the Cutie from the Music Store?” he whispers with Charlie just a few feet away. His head turns slightly and his mouth curls upwards. He heard Mitch. “Semi-straight?” I ask for an explanation. “Jeremy is questionable.” “Right…” I trail off, still whispering, “Let’s get to work, guys,” I speak up now, so the band knows I’m talking to them. Uncle Mitch looks a little hurt at me ignoring his question, though I’m pretty sure he knows it’s Charlie. “What song first?” Charlie queries while my uncle takes a seat on the couch and we get ready. “Why don’t we let the guest choose?” Jeremy suggests, pointing at my uncle. “Me?” I nod my head, encouraging him. I’d told them all the songs we’d made or already sang together. Which are three, four if you count This Band Is Back. “I really liked Perfect Harmony when Ems showed it to me the other day.” Charlie and I exchange a glance, a shy smile plastered on his face, and I’m pretty sure mine mirrors his. He goes to grab his acoustic guitar for this one. “Perfect Harmony it is, then!” Owen says and counts us in. Where Charlie and I imagined the soft beat and melody, that’s where Owen and Jeremy come in with the drums and bass. We’d only practiced this one a couple of times before. It still has the same, electric vibe it did when Charlie and I sang it alone. I still feel the same sparks, the same tingles rushing over my body. “I feel your rhythm in my heart, yeah,” I sing without taking my eyes off of him. “You are my brightest, burning star, woah-woah” “I never knew a love so real” “So real,” he echoes. “We're heaven on earth, melody and words When we are together we're In perfect harmony Woah, woah Perfect harmony Woah, woah Perfect harmony” I glance at Uncle Mitch. He’s staring at us with so much pride and intensity. When he catches my glance, he mouths “Cutie from the Music Store”, which makes me smile like an idiot. He knows. “We say we're friends We play pretend You're more to me We create a perfect harmony” Uncle Mitch gets up off his seat, clapping and whooping like an intense fan. “My favorite song ever! So beautiful!” he shouts in between cheers. We play Now or Never, and, upon Jeremy’s request, This Band is Back before calling in a break. “I need a wee,” I say and patter towards the bathroom in the back. When I’m about to head back inside, I hear the boys playing a song I haven’t heard before. Or at least I don’t think I have. It intrigues me even more when I hear Mitch’s voice through the microphone. “Let me introduce myself We got some time to kill Consider me the pearly gates to your new favorite thrills We could go make history or you could rest in peace But here there ain't no misery Cause on the other side we live like kings” I find the boys in their regular spots, Uncle Mitch probably having told them what chord to play in or something. Either that or they’re just playing around, and Mitch’s song just matches. “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Let your body loose, let your body loose Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Show you a thing or two 'Cause you ain't seen nothing” That’s when I recognize the song. It’s the one Uncle Bobby wrote for a Halloween musical at his school once. It was the villain song of the whole story and stuck in all our heads for months. I still know the words, and thus decide to sing along with my uncle, much to the boys’ surprise. “Life is good on the other side of Hollywood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood So welcome to the brotherhood Where you won't be misunderstood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” I get behind the keyboard and play a couple of notes, leaving the verse for my uncle. “Everything has got a price but happiness is free Just so happens, you're in luck We've got a vacancy We can set the night on fire and break out of the scene Your soul print on the walk of fame On the boulevard of your wildest dreams” I now grab a mic too, properly wanting to join in now. “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do boys? Let your body loose, let your body loose Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do boys? It ain't bragging if it's true Now you ain't seen nothing” I walk up to Jeremy whilst I sing along to the chorus and Jeremy’s shredding the bass. “Life is good on the other side of Hollywood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” I walk over to the drumkit and jam out for a moment with Owen. “So welcome to the brotherhood Where you won't be misunderstood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” I then move to Charlie while my uncle gets to the bridge. The boys stop playing and clap along with me. “The rain don't blind the rising souls They got too much to see I got your glamour, got your gold Got all you'll ever need Let me hear you now!” The boys have somehow remembered the lyrics my uncle just sang, and sing them with me now. “The rain don't blind the rising souls They got too much to see” “Yeah,” Mitch goes for a high note, chilling my spine. “I got your glamour, got your gold Got all you'll ever need,” the four of us continue. “Yeah,” Another high note from Mitch. The boys now pick up their instruments again. “I said watch me make a move, watch me make a move boys” “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” the boys and I echo. “I said watch me make a move, no, I don't disappoint” “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” “Watch me make a move I'm ya number one choice” “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” “Watch me make a move Come one and give me that noise” The boys take a break. “A tomb with a view Ain't it something?” And pick it back up with a bit of bass before all three of them join in again, and even join me into singing the backing vocals for my uncle. “Life is good on the other side of Hollywood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood So welcome to the brotherhood Where you won't be misunderstood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood So welcome to the brotherhood Where you won't be misunderstood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” Charlie and Jeremy stop playing and leave Owen a little drum solo.
“Ain't it the best? Long live the dead!” Mitch shouts out dramatically, and then Owen goes off again on his drums. “I thought your Uncle Robert was the musically talented one?” Charlie asks with an impressed smile on his face. “How do you think we met? It was musical night in our favorite bar, and we sang a song together. That first scene in High School Musical?” The boys nod, knowing what he’s talking about, “It’s based on our story… Just straight.” The boys laugh light-heartedly at his story. “That’s not true,” I whisper, making them laugh even more. “That was a fun song though! How did you know it?” Jeremy asks me. “Uncle Bobby wrote it. He is – was – the music teacher at this high school and he wanted a cool villain song for the villain in his Halloween musical, so he wrote himself one. The song used to be stuck in our heads for months on end. It surprised me I still knew it.” “The boys were playing around with their instruments and it reminded me of Bobby’s song,” Mitch tells me, “I couldn’t help but chime in and start singing.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. “It’s such a tune,” I say with a smile, “I think Bobby would’ve liked us singing it together.” “I think so too,” says Mitch and he presses a kiss to my hair. “Let’s get home now, yeah? Give your boyfriend a kiss and we’re off.” Charlie and I freeze, neither of us expecting Uncle Mitch to know about this since I never told him. “Oh, come on. You could not sing Perfect Harmony without staring at each other like that heart eyes emoji-thingy. I don’t only have amazing gaydar, I also have amazing love-dar.” He winks at me as I shake my head in disbelieve, but I can’t help the smile either. My uncle knows me well. “See you tomorrow, guys,” I say with the most awkward wave. I mean, I’m not going to kiss Charlie in front of my uncle. Especially when he specifically told me to do so. That’s just weird. Uncle Mitch gives me a look, which I shoot back. He then rolls his eyes. “I’ll meet you outside. Say goodbye properly.” He leaves the garage, and then it’s the four of us. Neither Charlie nor I move, still unsure of the public displays of affection in front of the boys. “Seriously?” Jeremy groans before leaving the garage with Owen. They’ll be able to entertain my uncle for a while. I don’t even know why it’s so hard for me to show PDA. It never used to be this way with Jake. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe us taking it slowly and not showing us off too much is healthy for us. “I’ll see you at the store tomorrow?” I ask whilst the two of us slowly walk up to each other, inching closer and closer by the second. “Definitely,” he replies with a smile. Once we’re inches away, he grabs my hands in his. “Isn’t your uncle going to be annoyed you didn’t tell him sooner?” I shrug. “I don’t think so. He knows how private I am about relationships. And besides, you heard him, he’s got amazing love-dar.” Charlie’s laughter intertwines with mine. “I think he knew before today already too. He’s all-knowing.” “As long as he doesn’t know about our sneaky dates on your balcony, I think we might be fine.” I chuckle at that comment, and then both of us fall silent. “He probably knows this’ll happen though.” The words come out just above a whisper as he inches closer and dips down. His lips meet mine in a sweet, somewhat long-lasting kiss. “I’m pretty sure they’re eavesdropping, though,” I say when we pull away. “No, we’re not!” Jeremy shouts from the other side of the door. “Yeah, definitely,” says Charlie, and he lets go of one hand, intertwining the fingers of his other hand with the one he’s still holding. He leads me out the door and then lets go of that hand too. “She’s all yours, Mitch,” he tells my uncle, and reaches out the hand he’d just held mine with for a handshake. “Hey!” I shout, “I’m no property!” Both Charlie and Mitch raise their hands in defense. “Yes, girl! Tell ‘em!” Owen preaches, holding his hand up and I slap mine on it in a high five. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” I kiss Charlie’s cheek quickly and then leave the boys with Uncle Mitch. “They’re really nice boys, Muffin. I’m glad you’ve found them.” I smile at that. “Me too, Mitchy, me too.”
Taglist: @parkeret​​ @lukeys-giggle​ @hannahhistorian92​ @gingerxarmy​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @lovesanimals​ @thequirkybookaholic​ @calamitykaty​ Lemme know if you want to be on my taglist for this story/any of my other works!
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musette22 · 4 years
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Anal Fingering 101
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Anal Fingering 101
By @paper-storm​​​​ & @musette22​​​
Pairing: Chris Evans x Sebastian Stan (Evanstan)
Word count: 6.6k
Rating: E (so 18+ only please!)
A/N: Yup. Anal Fingering 101. That’s what we’re calling it. That’s the fic. We're just still quarantine horny and got excited about this concept after discussing the above gif and then we wrote this. It got weird but also (we think) strangely sweet and hot. We hope you agree 🤷🏻
Summary: The one where Sebastian (jokingly) suggests they should make a sex tutorial video and upload it to PornHub, Chris (not jokingly) agrees, and Sebastian doesn't know what he's gotten himself into.
Read on AO3
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Sebastian stretches languidly. Feels a slow moan rumble through his chest, unsure if it actually escapes his lips or if it dies before it gets there. He’s warm, and the sheets below his bare skin are soft, and it feels like hours, they’ve been at this, Sebastian laid out on their bed like a sultan and Chris down between his legs, two fingers buried in him. It’s leisurely, this time.
Certainly not always. They have their quick, we have to be there in less than an hour, hurry up! times and their intense, emotional times and their wild times where Chris is worked up and is rough and punishing, making Sebastian see stars and hiss in pleasure-pain and forget his own name six times before they’re done. Other times, like this one, Chris likes to go meticulously slow. Take his sweet time, sliding his warm tongue over every inch of Sebastian’s body, touching him gently and then taking his hands away to prolong it, playing Sebastian like a treasured instrument so that by the time he finally comes, eons later, it’s not with a kick and a shout but unhurried and deep and soulful, like it’s trapped in honey.
He loves every possible way they do this, every single thing Chris does to him and every single thing he does to Chris in return, but it’s possible this is his favorite way. When Chris just adores him, slathers him in attention and kisses to his hipbones and quiet, heartfelt praises. It’s also possible his favorite way is whatever is currently happening, and he’ll change his mind by tomorrow.
“Mm,” Sebastian hums, making a real noise this time, as the tips of Chris’s talented fingers find his prostate again and rub slowly against the gland.
“Feelin’ good?” Chris asks, Boston charm, sweetly eager to please him, while at the same time smug because he knows he is.
“Yeah,” Sebastian sighs. “You gonna get on with it at some point? Or just torture me forever?”
“Hmm.” Chris pretends to think about it. While he contemplates, he takes the head of Sebastian’s leaking cock into his mouth, and swirls his tongue around the head, into the foreskin, where it’s hot and sensitive. Then he slides down, taking Sebastian fully into his mouth, sucking just once before he rises up and lets it fall away. Sebastian swears in a whisper and pants, the tease lighting him up, the cool air on his now-wet dick making him shiver and ache for more.
“Chris,” he says, on a shaky laugh, draping an arm over his eyes.
“I’m undecided,” Chris says, even though he isn’t. He cups one of Sebastian’s legs, just under the knee, and lifts it, so he can slide his tongue along Sebastian’s inner thigh, leaving trails of moisture and blowing on them. The fingers of his other hand, still massaging Sebastian’s prostate, withdraw and press back in a few times, but slow enough that it couldn’t be described as a thrust. Just teasing him.
“You’re evil,” Sebastian tells him.
“You’re beautiful,” Chris returns, earnest against the junction of Sebastian’s hip and thigh.
It makes Sebastian shiver again, for reasons other than physical this time.
“Love this so much.” Chris puts Sebastian’s leg over his shoulder and leans back down, nuzzling into his heavy balls as he continues, “love this body. Love you letting me have it. Love the noises you make.”
His fingers search, again finding that fireworks spot inside and working it, a little more insistent, now, but still meant as a tease. It’s one of those times, Sebastian can tell. It will be ages before Chris lets him come. Chris might not even fuck him. They might not even get that far. He might just stay right where he is, massaging inside, until Sebastian gets too close to the edge of that cliff and can’t stop himself from tipping over it.
“You’re… oh,” Sebastian breathes, chest heaving suddenly, as Chris rubs harder unexpectedly, just for a moment, and then lets up again. “Fuck. You’re good at this.”
“I had a good teacher,” Chris says, earnest again, all that sweetness that ruined Sebastian so thoroughly when they’d first met.
Sebastian closes his eyes and smiles, remembering. Remembering how Chris had experimented a few times with other guys but it had mostly consisted of quick, shameful hand-jobs or hurriedly sticking his dick down some extra’s throat in a back office, before rushing back out onto a set feeling hot and wrong. He remembers showing Chris so many things, when they finally stopped dancing around each other and gave into what they’d both wanted since the moment they shook hands.
“The student has become the master,” Sebastian jokes, and Chris rumbles out a chuckle. “I mean it. You should do like, one of those sex tutorials on PornHub. ‘Finding the G-Spot 101’, except for anal fingering.”
“Ooh, baby, say anal fingering again,” Chris says, faking a moan, and Sebastian giggles and covers his face, his whole body flushing, but in a good way.
Chris returns to his task, dragging the flat of his tongue up the underside of Sebastian’s erection, digging the tip in below the head. Then, in a contemplative voice, he says, “maybe we should.”
Sebastian laughs again, and reaches down to thread his fingers into Chris’s hair, soft right now because they’d showered earlier and Chris hadn’t put any product in it. “Sure,” he says.
Chris looks up at him. Blue eyes shining, through his thick eyelashes, blinking at him with an expression that takes Sebastian by surprise. He pushes up to his own elbows, so they can exchange a more significant look. Not breaking their eye contact, Chris licks at him again, making a show of sliding his tongue in a zigzag across Sebastian’s dick, apparently intent on breaking Sebastian’s brain.
Chris replies to the question in Sebastian’s eyes with a shrug. “Let’s do it,” he says, and Sebastian can’t, for the life of him, work out whether Chris is still kidding.
But then Chris crooks his fingers while his soft, lush lips close around the head of his cock again, and for a while Sebastian forgets everything that isn’t heat and slide and wonderful, delicious pressure.
---
“So, about that video.”
Sebastian lowers his book and looks up at Chris upside down, from where he’s resting his head in Chris’s lap. “Huh?”
“That tutorial you mentioned last night.”
Instead of replying, Sebastian gets temporarily sidetracked by Chris’s ridiculous eyelashes, fanning out delicately over his cheekbones. When the words finally register, he blinks.
“Tutorial? What are you – oh.”  
“Whaddaya say?” Chris asks, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Sebastian’s own eyebrows rise slowly towards his hairline. “You’re not serious.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Come ooooon, Sebby,” he cajoles. “It’ll be fun.”
“So,” Sebastian says pushing himself up into a sitting position and turning to look at Chris. “You wanna like… roleplay? Pretend we’re shooting some sort of porn video?”
Chris shrugs easily. “Who says we’ll be pretending? You know me, I’m a show off. I kind of like the idea of showing other people how to please their partner.” He raises an eyebrow. “Plus, I’d be showing off my beautiful boyfriend in the process, right? And you can’t tell me you don’t like the idea of me putting you on display and having my way with you in front of thousands of strangers.”
Sebastian swallows. There really isn’t any use trying to pretend he doesn’t like the sound of that – Chris knows him far, far too well for that, judging by the devious twinkle in his eye.
“Think about it,” Chris goes on, slowly running a hand up Sebastian’s thigh. Sebastian helplessly lets his legs fall open a little bit wider. “I’ll lay you out on the bed, make sure the camera captures all of that beautiful, smooth skin. Spread those beautiful legs wide to give ‘em a good view, hm? And then I’ll slick you up and rub on you a little until you’re all pliant and relaxed, slide a couple’a fingers inside, one by one, open you up slowly for everyone to see. And then I’ll show ‘em how to find your sweet spot, all the way up inside you, rub it nice ‘n slow until you start makin’ those pretty little noises for me…”
“Jesus, Chris,” Sebastian breathes, blood rushing in his ears, dick throbbing in his sweats. “You’re a fucking menace, you know that? Everyone thinks you’re this big, happy golden retriever, but really your mind’s in the gutter twenty-four seven.”
Chris’s grin isn’t repentant in the slightest. “Only when I’m around you, sugar. Can’t help it, you’re just so fuckin’ sexy all the time. ‘Sides, there’s no need to act all virtuous, baby. I’ve got your number. I know you need it just as bad as I do.” To prove his point, his big hand slides over the bulge in Sebastian’s sweatpants, squeezing it lightly.
Sebastian curses, hips jerking into Chris’s grip, which only makes the smirk on Chris’s handsome face that much more smug.
“So?” Chris asks again, leaning in to press his nose into the spot just below Sebastian’s left ear. “You in, sweetheart? You gonna let me show you off?”
“Fuck you, Evans,” Sebastian says weakly, tilting back his head to give Chris better access. “Of course I’m fucking in, what do you think?”
“I can’t decide whether you’re being a good boy or a brat right now,” Chris rumbles in his ear, teeth nipping briefly at his earlobe. “But I guess it doesn’t matter so much if I’m getting what I want.”
Before Sebastian can object, Chris is climbing off the couch, his big, lean body towering over him as he holds out his hand. Sebastian takes it instinctively and Chris pulls him up so quickly Sebastian stumbles a little.
“Whoa, we in a hurry or something?” he asks, steadying himself on Chris’s tiny waist.
“To get you naked?” Chris grins, leaning down to steal a quick kiss. “Always.”
---
“Move up a little higher for me, baby.”
The instruction comes from where Chris is squatting behind their side table, looking at Sebastian through the lens of his expensive camera, which he propped up against a stack of books – Foucault’s History of Sexuality among them, Sebastian notes with faint amusement. He wonders briefly how Michel would’ve felt about his seminal work being used for this particular purpose, and then decides that he probably would’ve cheered them on.
“Shift that pillow a bit to the right, don’t want it hiding that pretty face of yours.”  
Sebastian still blushes like Chris hasn’t called him pretty a thousand times before, and does as he’s told. “Like this?”
Chris regards him critically, tilting his head a little as if he’s assessing the shot. He’s got his director’s hat on, Sebastian thinks, and something about that, about Chris looking so capable and in charge, has him feeling hot under the collar. Well, that’s if he were wearing one. As it is, he’s not wearing anything at all. He’s stretched out in the center of the king-size bed, propped up a little on a couple of pillows, as naked as the day he was born.
“Perfect,” Chris decides. “Stay right there for me.”
“Yes, sir,” Sebastian mumbles, and Chris shoots him a look that says, don’t get smart with me, sweetheart.
All that does is make Sebastian squirm, which earns him a raised eyebrow, which only makes him want to squirm more. It’s a vicious circle, really. Chris can play him too easily.
“Now what?” he asks, eyes tracking Chris’s movement through their bedroom. Chris is wearing dark wash jeans and a white, short-sleeved t-shirt that strains across his shoulders and biceps but hangs loosely around his waist. His proportions are so ridiculous, it’s damn-near impossible to find shirts that fit him properly. Sebastian thinks he should probably mind that Chris gets to be fully clothed for this while Sebastian’s got all his most private parts out for everyone to see, but he can’t find it in himself to object. If he’s honest, he likes it. Likes it a whole lot.
Chris grabs the lube from the nightstand, tossing it onto the mattress. “Patience,” he says, belatedly replying to Sebastian’s question. “All I need you to do for this one is lay back and look pretty.” He comes to stand at the side of the bed, one hand on the mattress as he leans over Sebastian and brushes a feather-light kiss over his forehead, his cheeks, the cleft in his chin. “You think you can do that for me, Sebastian?”
Sebastian exhales, feeling a little unsteady. “Yeah, I think so,” he nods. He tilts his face up, shamelessly angling for a proper kiss.
Chris laughs silently but obliges, catching Sebastian’s lips in a soft, fairly innocent kiss that still leaves Sebastian feeling like there’s an electrical current running through his skin. When Chris pulls back, Sebastian runs the tip of his tongue over his tingling lips. He wants more, wants Chris to climb on top of him, kiss him again, devour him, but Chris doesn’t, and other parts of Sebastian are left tingling as Chris turns his attention toward the camera and Sebastian realizes again how utterly naked he is while Chris is still fully clothed.
“So, hi,” Chris starts. His voice is different. Higher, clearer, like he’s performing. Which, Sebastian realizes with a swoop in his gut, he is. “I’m, uh, Chris. Evans. You probably know that already. Or maybe you don’t, I don’t wanna act like I’m some big shot.”
He chuckles, and shrugs modestly, and Sebastian snorts. “You’re Captain America,” he reminds him.
“Yes, I am,” Chris agrees, grinning down at Sebastian, and then back at the camera. He gestures at Sebastian, who cringes as he’s slapped in the face with how completely ridiculous this is. “This gorgeous slab of man-meat is Sebastian Stan, my – oh. I guess technically most of you didn’t know, yet, that he’s my boyfriend.”
“Well they fuckin’ know now,” Sebastian cracks up, a little delirious at the notion of what a completely insane way this would be to come out to millions of people. “Man-meat?”
“I also said you were gorgeous,” Chris points out, winking.
Sebastian laughs. “That makes it better.” He feels crazy, like he’s spinning around on an amusement park ride and can’t get off. They’re not going to actually post this. There’s no way Chris was serious, Sebastian thinks. But he doesn’t know. And that thrills him a little more than it probably should.
It’s all hot and confusing and Sebastian is undeniably turned on even though Chris has barely touched him below the shoulders, his cock thickening where it’s laying against his belly.
“Today, we’re going to show you how to… God, how do I even say this?” Chris giggles, embarrassed, and then gives himself a shake and restarts. He points authoritatively in the direction of the lens. “No, this is important. Today we’re going to show you how to make your biologically male partner feel real good using just – ” he wiggles his thick fingers, “ – these.”
He sits, making the mattress dip next to Sebastian’s hip, and looks down at him. There’s nerves and excitement swimming in Chris’s clear turquoise eyes, and he smiles a little, and Sebastian feels like that one is just for him. He’s likely pleading again, with his own eyes, for a kiss, because Chris braces a hand next to his arm on the bed and leans further over to slide their mouths together. His tongue slips in, and Sebastian moans quietly around it, bringing his hands up to hold Chris’s face.
Chris is smiling into their kiss and whispers, “love you,” barely loud enough for Sebastian to hear. Then, louder, talking to the camera and their future audience again, he says, “you gotta warm them up first. Never wanna just dive right in, gotta get them feelin’ good and relaxed and turned on.”
Again, Sebastian is about to say something, add to the commentary somehow, but he’s too embarrassed so he doesn’t. The heated flush travels all the way down his chest. Chris follows it with his lips, sucking small bruises into Sebastian’s neck, collarbone, lips finding a nipple and closing around it. Teeth squeeze the bud and then his tongue soothes the sting and Sebastian gasps a little and buries his fingers in Chris’s hair.
“Not all guys are into this so much,” Chris says, as he moves over to the other nipple. He turns his head to look at the camera, adding, “try it out, though, so you know for sure. ‘Cause he is.”
“I’m –” Sebastian begins, searching for something to protect his dignity, but the words die in his throat as Chris closes his lips around his other nipple and sucks, hard. Sebastian twitches, and pleasure rolls through him, and he whimpers.
Chris lingers, for a lot longer than he needs to, like he forgot himself a bit and got lost it kissing and licking at Sebastian’s chest. By the time warm fingers curl around his erection as Chris sits up, Sebastian barely needs them before they move onto the reason they’re actually here. He’s already hard, moisture already left in trails across his hip, but Chris strokes him anyway, looking down at him with darkened eyes that leave Sebastian shivering. Chris squeezes, twists his fist, works him just perfect, and Sebastian reaches out, patting his forearm.
“Chris,” he breathes. Get on with it, is what he’s trying to communicate, if you want me to last. It’s hardly been anything, it’s humiliating that he’s this worked up already, but it’s everything. Sebastian can’t lie even to himself, the idea that a camera is rolling, that thousands, maybe even millions of people might watch this, has his head spinning. It isn’t news to him that he has tendencies like this, that he likes being on display and appreciated, consumed by hungry eyes and maybe embarrassed a little. It’s news to him that he likes the idea of strangers watching him quite this much.
“Kinda wanna do everything to you,” Chris murmurs to him, probably loud enough that the microphone will pick it up, but soft enough that he’s talking to Sebastian and not their audience. “Show ‘em how to suck you off, how to eat you out, how to fuck you.”
“Chris.” Sebastian shivers again, hot and cold running through him like a fever, and gets dizzy at the thought of it. At people he knows seeing him like this. Seeing him laid out and cherished, brought to orgasm in any number of ways by Chris’s talented hands and mouth and cock. Seeing him loved, but also used. It’s a confusing, desperately arousing tangle of emotions deep in his gut.
“Make sure your fingernails are short and clean,” Chris instructs, suddenly all business again, focusing back on the camera and his task, “and use lots of lube.”
Sebastian can’t even tell if he’s also turned on, because he’s still in jeans and Sebastian can’t really see his lower half from this position. Sebastian almost wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t – if Chris was taking this so seriously, so earnestly, like he does everything, that it wasn’t even affecting him in that way. Too busy being a professional, too busy caring about what they’re doing as if it’s actually important. That thought thrills him too. That in a way, this isn’t even really sex. Not if Chris isn’t getting off on it, too. It’s entirely performative.
“Especially if they’ve never done it before. It’s gonna feel a bit strange at first, before he gets used to it and knows what to expect, so making sure it’s nice and slippery helps. You don’t want it to hurt.”
“Speaking from experience?” Sebastian asks, finally finding his voice enough to make a shadow of a quip.
Chris grins at him. “Yeah, I am.” He looks back at the camera, but nods his head toward Sebastian. “He’s pretty good at this, too. Maybe we’ll have to show you that, sometime.”
Sebastian shudders at the thought. He’s pretty sure he’d be so embarrassed he’d melt right out of his skin, if he was expected to run this show. He’s also pretty sure he’d love it. Getting his hands on Chris’s body and waxing poetic about it are kind of two of his favorite things in the world, after all.
“Now,” Chris goes on, “find a position that works for you both. Your partner could be on his front for this, which could give you easier access, but Sebastian here usually prefers to be on his back.” He pauses and quirks a cheeky eyebrow at the camera before adding, “he likes to watch.”
He’s not wrong. Sebastian can never get enough of watching Chris’s face while they make love, seeing the awe and hunger and adoration there as he lavishes attention on Sebastian’s body, wringing every last drop of pleasure from it. It’s humbling and intoxicating and so goddamn sexy. Still, Chris saying those words to the camera, in that tone, makes Sebastian feel almost dirty, like he’s some sort of voyeur, peeping on his own life. A voyeur and an exhibitionist, it seems.
Chris is kneeled on the mattress now, between Sebastian’s spread legs. “As you can see, Sebastian likes to keep himself nice and tidy. Some people will opt to go natural – not everyone’s going to like waxing or shaving and that’s completely fine, as long as you make sure you’re clean.”
Oh God, Sebastian thinks, a trickle of shame running through him. This shouldn’t be hot. He’s discussing intimate hygiene, for crying out loud. Chris talking about whether Sebastian washed his ass before he presented himself like an offering should not be turning him on, and yet it does. It’s something about the detached tone of Chris’s voice, his almost clinical instructions, that have Sebastian feeling like he’s there just for Chris’s convenience and enjoyment. Like he’s a prop; an instrument that Chris is teaching their audience how to play. It makes Sebastian so wildly, unreasonably horny, it’s almost unbearable. He tries to hide how much it’s affecting him, to steady his breathing as much as possible, but Chris doesn’t even seem to notice, focused as he is on his task.
“Lube’s naturally quite chilly,” Chris states matter-of-factly, as he squirts a generous amount of it onto the fingers of his right hand. Some spills onto the comforter, but he doesn’t pay it any mind. “So you’re gonna want to warm it up a little, by rubbin’ it between your fingers. It’s not imperative, but it is the nice thing to do.”
Sebastian huffs a breathless laugh. “Thanks,” he says weakly.
Chris winks at him. “Anytime, sweetheart.” His expression turns a bit more serious. “Ready?” he asks, as if making sure that Sebastian is still up for this.
“God, yeah.”
Chris smirks and turns towards the camera. “If you’ve done a good job warming him up, he’ll be pretty eager at this point. That’s good, ‘cause that means he’ll be more likely to be relaxed and receptive.”
Sebastian’s face is flaming. He can’t believe Chris is calling him out like that, basically calling Sebastian a needy bottom, but fuck if that isn’t true, at this point. He almost wants to tell Chris to hurry up, to put his fingers inside him already, but stays silent. He doesn’t get to make demands right now. He just gets to lie there and look pretty, let Chris use him however he sees fit.
The next moment, Chris is reaching down, sliding his slippery fingers between Sebastian’s cheeks and starting to slick him up. Sebastian shivers, goosebumps erupting all over his body at finally being touched where he’s been aching for it.
“Like I said before, it’s important to use lots of lube, make sure he’s nice and wet. When that’s done, you can start by rubbing on him a little, to try and relax the muscle as much as possible before you penetrate it.” He does exactly as he says, rubbing slow, insistent little circles around Sebastian’s entrance with his thumb, before switching to his forefinger and finally pressing the wide tip of it inside.
Even though this is hardly the first time Chris has done this to him, Sebastian still clenches instinctively around Chris’s thick forefinger, and Chris reaches for Sebastian’s cock with his left hand, slowly stroking him as he pushes his finger in deeper.
“Always start with a single finger, and go slow when you push it in. It’s normal to feel resistance, it’s the body’s natural response to an unusual intrusion, but do make sure your partner is comfortable and try to help him relax as much as possible.”
“Mmm,” Sebastian sighs, wiggling his hips a little bit to spur Chris on.
Chris chuckles, a low, rumbling sound. “For some people, it might take a while before they get used to the feeling, so make sure you give them time to adjust before you try to up the dosage. Other people, like Sebastian here, are more… experienced, and will want you to start moving right away.” He demonstrates by pulling his finger most of the way out again before pushing back in, rotating his finger as he slides it in and out of him easily. “As you can see, Sebastian has no trouble taking a single finger. He also likes it when it burns, just a little bit – don’tcha, baby?”
Already, Chris is lining up a second finger next to the first and starts to push against his rim, forcing his middle finger inside, too. Sebastian blows out a quick breath, trying to relax. It still burns a bit, because Chris’s fingers are solid and wide, but like Chris said, he does like the sting.
“Uh huh,” Sebastian groans, gritting his teeth.
“Yeah,” Chris replies, sounding almost contemplative, “that’s it. See how well he takes it?”
That last bit is aimed at the camera again, and Sebastian has to stifle a moan. Jesus. Hearing Chris talk like that, as if Sebastian isn’t even there, is so much hotter than he would ever have anticipated.
“Now, with two fingers, you can start scissoring a little. Don’t try to force anything, just incrementally widen your fingers, gently loosening that tight ring of muscle, coaxing him open. Be patient. Don’t rush, and don’t forget to keep checking in on your partner, see if he’s doing alright. You want to be making him feel good, first and foremost. If he’s not feeling good at this point, chances are you’re not doin’ it right.” Chris has been mostly watching either his own hand or the camera up until this point, but now he’s looking up at Sebastian, his expression earnest and attentive. “You feelin’ good, sweetheart? Nothin’ hurting?”
Sebastian, struggling to keep his breathing level, shakes his head. “Nothing hurts. Feels good.”
“Good,” Chris hums, satisfied. “That’s good, baby.”
It’s not even really praise, and yet Sebastian lights up at Chris’s words. Chris is pleased with him. He’s being good. That knowledge alone feels almost as good as the two thick fingers buried in his ass, rubbing against his inner walls as Chris starts to slowly fingerfuck him.
Getting distracted from his lesson plan for a moment, Chris leans down and licks up the underside of Sebastian’s dick. He takes it into his mouth, the same way he had the other day. He sucks, slow and controlled, and Sebastian swears and covers his face. It’s so good, and at the same time it feels dangerous, because they didn’t discuss him doing that.
Chris lets it fall out of his mouth again, and turns back toward where the camera is still rolling, faithfully capturing every inch of this hot, confusing, crazy thing Chris managed to goad him into. “Seb likes just being fingered for a while, not having it immediately leading anywhere, just enjoying the sensations. Other guys might not be into that, so keep communicating.”
He does as he says, just slowly sliding his fingers in and out of Sebastian, slippery from the lube, catching on his rim, Sebastian’s whole body still thrumming with the dirty thrill of having an audience, even though that audience doesn’t technically exist yet.
“When you want to find the prostate,” Chris says, a little quieter, the only sign he’s affected at all by any of this, “you wanna aim about two inches in, and upwards. It’ll feel like… you’ll feel it, when you find it. Kinda unmistakable. Then crook your fingers up and towards yourself, like you’re doing that ‘come here’ motion.”
He does it, and Sebastian gasps.
“Right there?” Chris asks, a self-satisfied grin apparent in his voice.
Sebastian nods and feels like he can’t open his eyes or the room will spin away into space. “Fuck, yeah. There.”
“It feels really good,” Chris tells the camera. “Orgasms from just this are out of this world, I’m tellin’ you. You can also provide additional stimulation of the prostate from the outside, by rubbing your thumb over his perineum, applying light pressure.”
He keeps talking as he fingers and strokes, but Sebastian can’t hear him anymore. It’s just more instructions, more tips, and it all falls away into the white noise rushing through his head. He’d meant what he said, when he made the comment that started all this. Chris is good at this. Too good at it, and Sebastian’s whole body is on fire. Warmth spreads out, his skin prickles, and he wants Chris’s mouth back on his dick but at the same time, like this, he can focus solely on the other sensations because there aren’t competing ones.
“Chris,” he mumbles, feeling it bubble up unexpectedly fast, whether because Chris is paying so much attention to the gland inside or because the idea of doing this on camera is so hot and shameful all wrapped up into one, he couldn’t say, but his gut is clenching. He tries to warn Chris, tries to stop it, but then Chris’s fingers press right there, unrelenting right on the perfect spot, and Sebastian loses it. He grunts and comes in slow, all-consuming waves, cock spilling over his quivering stomach as his breath comes in pants so harsh they burn in his lungs.
Chris stops mid-sentence, and his fingers stop moving, and when Sebastian opens his eyes Chris is staring at him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Sebastian wants to hide. To recoil into himself, dive under the covers and never, ever come back out. He wasn’t supposed to do that. They’d discussed it, all the details, this morning. It was meant to be educational, Chris had dutifully insisted with doe-eyes, not actual pornography. Chris was going to demonstrate what needed to be demonstrated and then turn the camera off, and keep the ending just between them. Chris may be a show off, as he’d said, but he’s also possessive, and didn’t want anybody else to see what Sebastian looks or sounds like when he comes. Chris wanted that to remain just his.
Renewed embarrassment flies like wildfire over Sebastian’s bare skin, and he covers his face with his hand. “I’m sorry,” he whines.
Chris is quiet just for another moment, and his fingers slowly retreat and leave Sebastian’s body, and Sebastian prepares himself to be scolded. Instead, Chris’s fingers drag through the mess Sebastian left on his stomach. Sebastian looks down at it, the mess of sticky white on his own skin and Chris’s fingertips in it, and then up at Chris, blinking in confusion. Chris looks back, his mouth still open and his eyes wild.
“Jesus Christ,” he whispers, shaking his head, and then he’s surging down, mouth crashing into Sebastian’s so hard it hurts, devouring his lips in a ravenous kiss.
“That felt so good,” Sebastian breathes, admitting it into the space between them, and Chris growls low in his throat.
“You’re so fuckin’ sexy, I can’t stand it,” he says, sounding almost pained.
It’s a half hour at least before they remember the camera is still rolling.
---
They take a shower, and a nap, and order a pizza. Neither of them brings up watching the recording, but Sebastian knows they both want to. Chris doesn’t mention it, so Sebastian doesn’t either, but it remains unspoken between them. Finally, well after the sun has gone down, Chris just grabs the camera and an HDMI cable and starts hooking it up to the T.V. in his living room, without a word. Sebastian gets nervous all over again, and excited, and ashamed, that confusing jumble of emotions returning in his chest as he settles on the couch and Chris plops heavily down beside him.
“What if it’s awful?” he asks, with a laugh, trying to make it a joke to hide how unsure he is about it. He’s heard horror stories, of people making their own sex tapes and finding out they don’t look nearly as good as they thought.
“Then we delete it and never speak of it again,” Chris says. He puts an arm around Sebastian, pulling him in and kissing his hair. “But it won’t be. You’re gorgeous. Everyone thinks so.”
“Everyone hasn’t seen my dick,” Sebastian points out, and Chris chuckles warmly.
“I’m glad to hear it. But, that’s gorgeous too.” He presses a button on the remote, and they appear on the screen, Sebastian naked on the bed and Chris’s voice behind the camera.
The thing is, Sebastian is an actor, and as such he’s used to seeing himself on the screen. Not that he watches his own movies in his spare time or anything like that, but since he has to attend his own movie premieres, he sees all of his movies at least once. So he’s not a stranger to watching his own face. Watching his own, stark naked body on a T.V. screen, however, is a bit of a novelty. He’s been pretty damn close to fully nude on camera a couple of times but between the combination of movie magic and stunt doubles, it was nothing like this. This is just him. No filters, no clever angles. Bare in a way he never has been before, the shot immobile and continuous and leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.
“That’s what I look like naked?” He’s seen himself in the mirror, but somehow this feels different from that, too.
“It is,” Chris says into Sebastian’s hair. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I look…” Sebastian hesitates before finishing, “…pretty good.”
Chris huffs, jostling his shoulders. “You don’t gotta be so modest, baby. Admit it, you look incredible.”
“I don’t look incredible,” Sebastian protests, but that’s the moment when on-screen Chris leans over on-screen Sebastian and kisses him, and Sebastian transforms. From one moment to the next, he goes from self-conscious and tense, seemingly hyper-aware of the fact that he’s naked and being filmed, to just melting into Chris’s touch. The Sebastian on the T.V. positively flourishes, turning into Chris like a flower turns to the sun, moaning softly as Chris kisses his neck, his chest and then pays special attention to his nipples. Real-life Sebastian’s skin prickles watching it, like feeling ghosts of those lips on his body right now.
And suddenly, Sebastian thinks Chris kind of has a point. Together, they look pretty stunning.
“Oh,” he says, softly.
“Wow,” Chris whispers, seeing it too, just as captivated as Sebastian. “I’ve never… I mean, I see you, all the time. But never like this, never get to just sit back and watch you… fuck, sweetheart. So responsive, so perfect for me, I can’t believe-” He trails off, distracted by the scene unfolding on the T.V. screen.
Sebastian’s not sure whether to focus on the way Chris is lavishing attention on his chest as Sebastian arches up to meet him, or the way Sebastian can see his own cock thickening against his stomach the longer Chris loves on him. It’s mindboggling and strangely exciting at the same time. Watching Chris turn his attention back to the camera, going methodically through his instructions about lube and clean fingernails, fills Sebastian with the same dirty thrill as it did at the time. Although watching it back, he feels a lot less like he’s just a body for Chris to demonstrate on. He sees love in Chris’s open expression, that he hadn’t noticed when it was really happening.
“See that?” Chris asks, as if there’s any chance Sebastian could not be watching the screen right now. He couldn’t tear his eyes away if he tried. Chris is so close to him, still with his arm snug around Sebastian’s shoulders, talking reverently into his hairline. “Now you see why I can’t keep my eyes or my hands off you? You’re fucking gorgeous, Seb, especially when you’re naked and laid out like that, all open and willing. Wanting me so badly.”
“Needy, you mean,” Sebastian murmurs.
“Sexy as hell,” Chris corrects, lifting Sebastian’s left hand to his face and pressing a kiss to the back of it. He nods towards the screen. “Look at yourself. Look how turned on you are from just one of my fingers inside you. Imagine how that makes me feel.”
“How?” Sebastian asks breathlessly, eyes still glued to the screen, where Chris is now pushing a second finger into him, all the while describing what he’s doing while Sebastian tries his hardest not to burst into flames.
From the corner of his eye, he can see Chris turning his head to look at him. When Sebastian does the same and meets his gaze, he shivers at the naked want and adoration reflected back at him.
“Like I’m the king of the fucking world, baby,” Chris tells him in that almost painfully sincere way of his, leaving Sebastian with no choice but to attack him with kisses, breathless, rash and joyful.
A loud moan from the direction of the T.V. pulls their attention back to the screen, just in time to see Sebastian’s eyes rolling back as he comes with his dick untouched, spilling onto his own stomach while Chris looks at him like he’s one of the seven wonders of the world. With a rush of heat in his gut, Sebastian remembers how embarrassing that was, and how hot it was at the same time. How intense it felt, how intense it looks, his own chest rising and falling as on-screen Chris reaches out to drag his fingers through the mess Sebastian made of himself.
“Holy shit, Sebastian,” real life Chris curses, and Sebastian – surprising even himself – giggles. It’s just all so absurd. Hearing himself moan like that and watching himself having sex on T.V. like he’s in some sort of cheap, homemade porno (which he supposes this is, actually) is just a bit of a trip, really.
His laughter is infectious, it seems, because soon Chris is giggling right along with him, pulling him into his arms as Sebastian winds his arms around Chris’s waist and buries his face in Chris’s neck again.
“So yeah,” Sebastian says dryly, once they’ve calmed down a little, “we’re probably not going to actually put this online, are we?”
Chris snorts into Sebastian’s hair. “Probably not, no. This was really fun but also really fucking weird.”
“So weird,” Sebastian agrees, then feels compelled to add, “but I kinda really enjoyed it, too.”
“I had an inkling you might have, yeah.” There’s a pause, before Chris asks, “So we’re totally gonna make more of these, right? Just for us?”
“Fuck yes.”
“God, I love you.”
And then Chris is pushing him back into the couch cushions, while in the background, on-screen Chris and Sebastian are getting increasingly noisy. It’s kind of odd, the notion of having sex to the soundtrack of themselves having sex, but it’s like, good odd. Sebastian and his body are fully on board with it. No one ever claimed actors were not slightly narcissistic creatures.
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hookedonapirate · 4 years
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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
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Summary: Detective Killian Jones took an indefinite leave of absence from SBPD after his brother was murdered in the Line of Duty. Bitter and broken, he resides in a cabin on the beach when his brother's former partner, David Nolan brings him a case he knows the vengeful detective won’t be able to resist. A case involving Liam's killer.  
Dr. Emma Swan makes all of her decisions like she operates on her patients—with care, competence and compassion. But when her colleague, Graham Humbert, is murdered in cold blood by the man who was freed because of a decision she made as a juror, she starts second-guessing herself. To make matters worse, her squeaky clean reputation is being questioned when she becomes a suspect for Graham’s murder.
There is one detective who believes she’s innocent, and he has a plan to protect Emma and find his brother's killer at the same time. When Killian finds himself caught between his duties to the SBPD and his need for vengeance, matters are only complicated by the feelings he develops for the woman he's supposed to protect.
He's impulsive and hot-tempered, and she's methodical and cool under pressure. Despite their differences, can they work together to bring the murderer to justice, or will the murderer get to them first?
A/N: Many thanks go to @ultraluckycatnd for her wonderful beta-ing skills and @onceuponaprincessworld as always for her encouragement and letting me bounce ideas off of her.
Posting this a day early because it's my day off. I have the next chapter done, and in the meantime, I'll be working on The Princess and Her Sultan for those who have been patiently waiting and because I miss writing for that universe.
I have to warn you, this chapter is a bit absurd lol, but it's fun, I promise. And the end of the chapter will give you a hint for what's to come in the next chapter.
Rated: Explicit due to mature language, character death, violence, murder and smut. The scenes won’t be too graphic, but I’d rather overrate than underrate it.
Catch up: Pro I Ch 1 I Ch 2 I Ch 3 I Ch 4
Also available on: AO3 I FF.N
Chapter 6
Hans forces a tight smile on his face and hesitantly shakes Killian’s hand, obviously embarrassed he’d invited her to his hotel room. His features contort in pain as if Killian is gripping his hand a little too tightly. 
  Killian loosens his grip, apology flickering over his face. “Sorry, mate, sometimes I forget my own strength. I once tapped a bloke in the nose and broke several of his nasal bones.”
  Unmistakable fear shows in Hans’ eyes and he quickly rips his hand from Killian’s tight clutch and spins around on his stool, returning to his drink and chugs it down.
  Emma is still recovering from the initial shock of Killian coming over to… what, rescue her? Or stake his claim even though she’s not his to claim? She’s not entirely sure, but she plays along, flashing a sarcastic smile. “These heels are killing my feet. I had to sit down.”
  Killian moves behind her and places both hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently as he sweetly kisses her temple. Her entire skin warms from his touch. “Well, how about I give you a good foot rub when we get home, hmm?” he murmurs in her ear loud enough for Hans to hear as Killian kneads his fingers into her shoulders.
  Emma has to swallow the moan rising in her throat as his decadent, silky voice penetrates her ear and his firm hands give her a momentary dose of heaven. 
  Holy fuck.  
  He’s not even doing anything to her, and she’s completely turned on. She’s not imagining his hands on her achy feet, giving her a good, thorough rubdown. Certainly not. “Mmmm, that sounds amazing, babe.”
  He grins against her earlobe, causing a shiver to skate down her spine. When he removes his hands from her shoulders and extends one to her, she feels the loss of his warmth. “Until then, are your feet rested enough to dance?”
  Emma slips her hand in his, interlaces their fingers and stands up, grinning from ear to ear. “I thought you'd never ask. Lead the way.” 
  She looks over at Hans to catch his reaction as they walk past him, holding hands. Even from behind, she can tell he’s sulking. 
  When she realizes Killian is actually leading her to the dance floor, panic rises in her chest, and she tugs on his hand to stop him. “Wait, are we actually dancing?”
  Killian turns his head around to look past her and nods. “Aye, love. Hans still has his eyes on us.” His jaw twitches as he shoots daggers at him. “Or rather, his eyes are still on you. So it’s best we keep up the ruse.” He moves again, pulling her through the crowd. 
  “But I don’t know how to dance,” she confesses, slightly ashamed. Her cousins took dance classes when they were younger and loved dancing but Emma mostly stuck to her books and simply listened to music rather than danced to it. 
  When they reach an appropriate spot on the dance floor, Killian stops and pulls her to him, placing her free hand on his shoulder and his open palm on her back. “There’s only one rule, love.” His eyes lift from their joined hands, and a breath escapes her when his face is only inches away, those baby blues boring into hers. “Pick a partner who knows what he’s doing.”
  Emma’s heart flutters as their bodies are pressed closely together. A hint of a smile curves her lips as she follows his lead, and soon they’re moving with the rhythm of the music like they’re at a fancy royal ball. But somehow she manages to replace her smile with a small scowl. “I didn’t need a dashing rescue, you know. I can take care of myself.” 
  He smirks knowingly. “I don’t doubt that, love, but I was saving you from getting scolded by the bride for causing a scene at her wedding.”
  Emma wrinkles her brows in confusion. “Causing a scene? What scene?”
  “Oh, come on, Emma, you were about two seconds away from giving that bloke a bloody nose.”
  “I was not,” she argues defensively.
  He lifts both brows. “Oh really? Because it sounded like he was inviting you back to his hotel room. If I were you, I would’ve kicked him in the bollocks.”
  “With the way you were staring at him and had that death grip on his hand, I’m surprised you didn’t. Talk about causing a scene,” she scoffs. “By the way, a nose only has two bones, not several.”
  “I know that, but judging by the scared shitless look on his face, he either didn’t know or didn't care,” Killian chuckles. 
  She tilts her head slightly, narrowing her eyes at him. “You weren’t jealous of him, were you?”
  He almost laughs. “Jealous of that wanker? In order to be jealous, I’d have to be threatened by him. But he’s not capable of snagging someone of your caliber.”
  Emma’s eyes widen in bemusement. “Someone of my caliber? And what caliber might that be?”
  “I told you, love, you’re the prettiest surgeon I’ve ever met.” He leans closer to whisper in her ear. “And you cut quite the figure in that dress.”
  Her face flushes as she cocks a brow. “So you’re saying you are capable?”
  Blush paints his cheeks, his lips giving into a smirk. “A man can dream, can’t he?”
  She doesn’t comment, and instead just stares into his eyes, which she’s beginning to think is a monumental mistake because she soon gets lost in those forget-me-not blues. Everything else around them disappears as they move across the dance floor, and all she can see is this gorgeous man who seems to be just as intrigued by her as she is by him. “Thank you,” she manages in a breathy whisper, her eyes still locked with his.
  His pointy ears actually perk up. “What was that? I don’t believe I heard you right because it sounded like you were actually thanking me instead of yelling at me.”
  She laughs. “That's because I was. You were right, I was two seconds from either punching Hans in the nose or giving him a swift kick in the balls. So thank you for stepping in... and for saving me from that asshole.”
  He chuckles and lifts his hand to stroke her cheek. “You’re very welcome, love.”
  The song ends, and the DJ plays something slow, but Emma has to admit she’s not ready to let him go yet. And she can tell he feels the same. It’s written all over his face. Which is confirmed when he releases her hand and wraps both arms around her waist. She curls her hands around the back of his neck and is so close to him, she can feel his heart beating against hers. She has to admit, he is very charming. Any woman would be a fool not to notice. Guilt stabs her when she recalls the mean things she’d said to him earlier, which definitely weren’t true. “I’m sorry for what I said before about a woman having to be either naive or desperate to fall for your charm.”
  To that, he pulls back slightly, astounded by her apology. Then his brows furrow. “Did the bartender spike your drink?”
  She giggles in his arms. “No, it was just… it was harsh… what I said.”
  He smiles warmly. “No need to apologize. I came onto you a little too strongly.”
  She scoffs playfully. “A little?”
  He blushes, his smile widening. “Okay, a lot too strongly.”
  “Not as strongly as Hans,” she points out.
  “That’s true. Now there’s a guy you’d have to be either naïve and desperate to date.”
  Emma nods in wholehearted agreement. 
  Killian breaks their trance to look over her shoulder. He smirks and whispers in her ear. “Don’t look now but we have an audience.”
  Emma glances behind her, seeing Anna, Elsa and Ingrid staring at them and smiling, obviously enjoying the show; they might as well be watching a rom-com while munching on popcorn from one of those giant movie theater tubs.
  “I told you not to look,” he chuckles. 
  She turns her head to face him again and laughs. “I’m glad we could entertain them.” 
  “Aye. It’s not even our wedding and yet we seem to be the stars of the show for the moment.” 
  She nods and stares at him for a moment, trying to figure out how they hadn’t met before. She’s heard about him, and he used to live in the same town as her, but somehow they had never crossed paths. 
  “What, love?” he inquires, noticing her staring at him thoughtfully.
  She shakes her head. “Nothing, you’re just… you’re a mystery to me. I can’t figure you out.”
  He cocks a brow, intrigued by her statement. “Why do you say that?”
  “Because you act all cocky and smug, yet the way you were dancing with Camila was…”
  “Was what?” he asks when she doesn’t finish her sentence.
  “It was freaking adorable,” she admits with a smile. “You weren’t trying to impress anyone, you were just being you.”
  He shrugs. “I’m good with kids. What about you, love?”
  “What about me?”
  “You seem so confident in your own skin, yet I look into your eyes and see someone who’s emotionally armored. Like you’re trying to protect yourself from something. Perhaps someone?”
  “Oh really? You can see that about me?” she asks with an amused grin.
  “You’re somewhat of an open book,” he says with a confident smirk.
  “Or maybe you’ve just heard my back story.”
  He chuckles. “You caught me.” Killian takes her hands and steps back, spinning her around and dipping her. She loses a breath as she looks up into his eyes. “I’ve heard we’re opposites, but we’re actually not so different, you and I.” He brings her back up and draws her into his arms again.
  “Oh? And how’s that?”
  “I grew up without parents as well.”
  Emma’s heart tightens when his eyes darken with sorrow. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she says sincerely. “But how does that make us similar?”
  “Because we both know far too much what it’s like to be alone.” 
  She knows he’s not only referring to losing his parents but also his brother. She wants to argue and tell him she’s not alone, but who is she kidding? She lost one of her few friends, and the only guy who’s confessed his affection for her is a psychotic killer. Well, she can’t say he’s the only guy because while Killian hasn’t announced he has a crush on her through an anonymous card, she can see how attracted he is to her. She can see it in his eyes. In fact, she wonders if she laid one on him, would he kiss her back?
  Emma’s eyes fall to his lips as she ponders the thought. Her gaze flickers back to his, and she loses a breath when she catches him staring at her lips. She wonders what his mouth tastes like, wonders what it would hurt if she kissed him just once. Her eyes return to his mouth and she leans in, aching to feel those pretty lips pressed against hers.
  A drum roll draws their attention to the center of the room, and they separate, looking to see what’s going on. They were so lost in their own little world and forgot they were at a wedding. 
  Anna prepares to toss her bouquet to a group of eager bachelorettes who shout and jostle for the best position to catch it. Emma wants no part in the bouquet toss, but Elsa seems to disagree when she grabs Emma’s hand and pulls her toward the group. 
  “Come on, Em, you’re single too!” 
  When Elsa releases her hand, Emma slinks to the back of the group and can’t wait for this to be over with. She looks over at Killian who’s gazing back at her longingly, and she can’t believe she almost kissed him. Well, she can—he’s fucking gorgeous—but at her cousin’s wedding? In front of all the guests? What was she thinking?
  Anna tosses the bouquet behind her, and all the bachelorettes—except for Emma—spring for it. But Anna's throw is much stronger than expected and the bouquet goes far above their heads, aiming directly at Emma, and ends up in her hands after she instinctively catches it.
  Damn it.
  Emma holds it up, forcing a smile as the other ladies scream in excitement. She glances at Killian, who is laughing with Kristoff and drinking a glass of what she assumes is rum based on the color and what he'd ordered prior. Her eyes move to Anna who squeezes her into a hug.
  Next, a chair is placed in the center of the room and the single men are called to gather around as Anna sits down, grinning from ear to ear. Emma stands off to the side, her eyes dancing between Killian and the newlyweds. Suddenly she’s nervous again, her heart pounding erratically against her breastbone, and she forces herself to look away from him to give her attention to the bride and groom. 
  Kristoff gets on all fours and pushes back Anna's skirt, his hand moving up her leg before his head disappears under her dress. Anna is squealing and blushing profusely, the crowd erupting with giggles and chants of encouragement. In a quick motion, Kristoff is out from under her skirts, his teeth pulling the frilly white garter down her leg and over her heel. When he stands up, he slingshots the garter over his shoulder toward the bachelors, and while the men aren’t as enthusiastic as the ladies were, Hans springs for it.
  But when he misses it and falls to the floor, the man behind him—who of course happens to be Killian—lifts the garter into the air, grinning like an idiot as everyone cheers. His eyes find Emma’s through the crowd and he tosses her a wink as he twirls the garter belt around his finger. She responds with an eye roll and smiles at him, her cheeks warming with blush. 
  The next thing she knows, Emma is being prompted to sit on the chair as she holds onto the bouquet, and Killian still has that stupid grin on his face as he makes his way to her, holding up the garter belt. Emma bites her bottom lip, anticipation coiled in her gut. 
  The DJ plays Pour Some Sugar On Me as Killian circles around her like an animal circling its prey, eagerly awaiting its meal. When he’s behind her, he bends over to whisper in her ear. “I have to warn you, love, I’m a biter, too.”
  Emma gulps, quite certain she knows his meaning.
  Killian appears in front of her, and as he kneels on the floor, she extends her right foot to him, her heart suddenly pounding in her ear. She’s relieved when he uses his hands to pull it over her stiletto, and her skin tingles when she feels his fingertips on her ankle. Then he steals the air from her lungs when he gets on all fours, takes the lace of the garter between his teeth and starts dragging it up her leg with his mouth. Emma’s cheeks are on fire so she briefly buries her face in her hands, laughing in embarrassment as everyone whistles and screams and snaps photos. But the sounds and flashing lights are quickly drowned out because the man who’s moving up her leg with his lips and warm breath brushing her skin demands all of her attention.
  Fuck.
  She clenches her thighs together, trying not to envision his face in her lap for other reasons. He gets the garter belt past her knee, but then it gets snagged by her dress. So, with both hands, he pushes up the offending material and moves his face to the side of her outer thigh for a better angle, his hand brushing her other leg as he brings it back to the floor to use only his mouth again. She can’t imagine what this might look like to the guests. Well, she can, and she hopes the young ones aren’t watching. She can’t seem to take her eyes off Killian’s to check though. 
  The garter gets caught again, so he lifts her dress once more using his hands. His face inches closer to where she is definitely imagining him to be right now and with one final drag, he gets the garter where he wants it—mid-thigh—and backs away, taking all of his warmth and intoxicating scent with him. All the men are cheering for him, and he grins and blushes, his eyes locked with hers. 
  ~*~
  Killian hadn't meant to take it that far. When he caught the garter belt, he hadn’t planned on using his teeth—he was certainly envisioning it—but he knew it was definitely too much. If he weren’t working on the case and if she weren’t a suspect, and they were just two guests at the wedding, he would still be intrigued by her. He would still be attracted to her. And yes, then he wouldn’t have thought twice about using his teeth. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. But when she sat in the chair, biting her bottom lip, her eyes glinting with anticipation as she gazed over at him, he almost lost himself and consequently threw all rational thinking out the window. 
  When he’d whispered in her ear, he’d seen her flush and heard her gasp. When he’d knelt down in front of her, he’d witnessed those luminous green eyes sparkle, those pupils dilate as she offered her foot to him. He could feel the heat radiating off of her. And he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist using his mouth to drag that dainty piece of lace up her leg. Every inch of her was so extremely sexy, even her unpainted toenails were sexy, he had to use all the willpower in him to not touch her. And when he accidentally grazed his hand over her leg after he’d pushed the skirt of her dress out of the way, his heart rate sped up. But somehow he’d managed to place the garter belt around her thigh without completely molesting her.
  The first part of his plan had been to crack open her shell, make her feel more comfortable with him, and now he’s afraid he’s screwed that up. And David of course was quick to point that out. While Emma was surrounded by her cousins and other females, probably commenting on Killian’s performance, David was pulling him outside and giving him an earful about how he should’ve let someone else catch the garter belt and how he definitely shouldn’t have used his mouth. David was so furious, Killian was sure he would send him back to Port Lavaca, but Killian assured him his behavior wouldn’t affect the second part of his plan. In fact, it would probably make it even more possible. David muttered a “You better hope so,” before storming back inside, pouting.
  Killian downs his fourth glass of apple juice as he gazes across the room, his eyes connecting with hers. She blushes and looks away as she’s chatting with Elsa. He’s pretty sure they’re talking about him if the way they keep glancing over his way is any indication. He would definitely put his money on it.
  ~*~
  “Okay, spill it, Emma. And don’t leave anything out,” Anna encourages with a big, toothy grin, her eyes glinting with intrigue.
  Emma's eyebrows furrow. “Spill what?” 
  “Don't play dumb with me, you know exactly what I’m talking about.” She looks across the room, and Emma follows her gaze, seeing Killian on the other end of it as he's drinking another glass of rum. 
  “You mean, Killian? What about him?”
  Anna sighs dramatically and looks like she's about to burst. 
  “Is it true, you two are a couple?”
  That question was from Elsa, who's just as eager as her sister to expunge the juicy details. Well, maybe not quite as eager, but still very interested.
  “No, of course not,” Emma answers, her eyes wide with shock. “We just met.”
  Anna’s eyebrows are knitted in confusion. “But my husband said Killian was your boyfriend.” Anna blushes and giggles. “Oh my God, it feels good to finally be able to call him that! My husband, I mean,” she clarifies, as though they didn’t already know who she meant. “But back to Killian, why did Hans yell at my husband for not telling him you were already taken?” 
  Emma frowns at the mention of that creep. “Oh that. Killian told him he was my boyfriend because he saw Hans making me uncomfortable. He was trying to save me from punching Hans in the face and ruining your wedding.”
  “Awwwww, that’s so sweet,” both cousins gush.
  “By the way, who invited Hans?” Emma demands sharply. “He invited me to his hotel room, and before that, I made it very clear I didn't even want to engage in conversation with him.”
  Anna’s eyes go wild. “He did what?!” she gasps. “Oh no, that is not okay. I told Kristoff we never should have invited him.” Fueled with anger, she spins around, lifts her skirts from the floor and marches over to Kristoff, who’s chatting with the groomsmen.
  “Anna, wait, I don’t want to make a big deal about it,” Emma calls after her, but her auburn-haired cousin ignores her and continues her trek. Emma sighs and turns to look at Elsa who’s always been the calm, rational one of the two sisters. At any rate, she can’t say she’d be sad to see Hans kicked out.
  “I’m so sorry about Hans. He’s such a creep,” Elsa comments before sipping her punch.
  Emma dismisses Elsa’s words with a wave of her hand. “It’s fine. I can handle myself.”  
  “I know you can.” A slow smirk pulls at her lips. “So tell me, what exactly is going on with you and Killian? And don’t you dare say 'nothing'. He just used his mouth to get the garter belt on you when he could’ve easily used his hands. And you were…”
  “I was what?” Emma asks, trying to contain the smile threatening her lips.
  “You were pretty into it,” she teases, swatting Emma's shoulder.
  Emma rolls her eyes. “Okay, maybe he's a little cute, but as I said, we just met. I know nothing about him, except that he’s cocky and a compulsive flirt.”
  Elsa nods in agreement. “You’re not wrong about that, he can be cocky but in a charming, boyish sort of way. And yes, he can be a bit of a flirt, but he’s mostly bark and no bite.” She laughs at her own remark. “Okay, well as we all saw, he is a little bit of a biter.” 
  Emma flushes at the comment and wonders if he’s a biter in the sack because she definitely wouldn’t mind it if he were. Not that she plans on getting him in the sack. Because she definitely doesn't. She snaps her eyes shut briefly, chastising herself for having those thoughts.
  “But don’t worry, I won’t badger you about him.”
  “Thank you,” Emma murmurs before imbibing her water. She thinks about it for a moment though. Elsa knows Killian pretty well, so this might be an opportunity to find out whether she's wasting her time on him or not. She wants to say she’s not even considering the possibility of dating him, or anyone for that matter, but Elsa can easily squash any or all of Emma’s musings about the man. “So, tell me…” Emma gnaws on her bottom lip, deciding on the right question.
  Based on Elsa's knowing smile, she seems to be onto her. “Yes?”
  “Is Killian a good guy? I mean honestly? You know I don’t date because I have my trust issues. So am I just wasting my time by lowering my guard around him or—”
  “He’s a great guy, Emma. I promise. I wouldn’t lie to you about that. I’ve spent some time with him, and we were pretty close before Liam died. He can be a little rough around the edges and hot-headed at times, but he’s honest, has a good heart and can be very sweet. We had a rough patch for a while but now I hope we can be close again. And I know it’s difficult for you to open up, Emma, but you can’t keep people out forever. Besides when is the last time you’ve gone on a date and just had some good old-fashioned fun? You work so damn much, I bet you can’t even remember.”
  Guilt rises in Emma’s cheeks, and she nods, considering Elsa’s words. “You’re right. It’s been far too long since I've been with a guy. But he hasn’t even asked me out. How do I know he’s even interested?” She already knows how ridiculous the question sounds when she asks it.
  Elsa lifts a brow that says, really, Emma? “With the way he was dancing with you, giving you those doe eyes and the way he put that garter belt on you, do you really need any more proof that he’s completely into you?”
  Emma sighs. “But how do I know he doesn't act like that around every woman he meets?” 
  “He doesn't, only with women he's interested in. And that's rare for him. He caught the garter at mine and Liam’s wedding, but he didn’t use his teeth, and the bachelorette was much more flirty than he is with you. It was more of an obligation for him then,” Elsa ends the statement with a smirk. “But with you, I could tell—hell everyone in the room could tell he was into you.”
  Emma laughs, her cheeks flooding with blush. “Okay, okay, I get your point. So... I should just ask him out then?”
  Elsa’s face lights up in excitement. “Yes, you should!”
  Emma inhales a deep breath, her heart pounding at the possibility of approaching him. She doesn’t really have a plan yet, but maybe it’s better to just wing it. No, on second thought, she has to have a plan. “Women can ask men out, right?”
  “Are you kidding? Yes, they can! Go for it, Em,” she chants encouragingly.
  Okay, here goes nothing. 
  Emma turns around and straightens her shoulders, determined to march over to Killian. Instead, she freezes, her eyes widening in surprise when he’s standing in front of her with a drink in his hand. His hair is carelessly disheveled, his eyes are a dull shade of blue and he’s still wearing his jacket, but his tie is hanging loosely around his neck and his dress shirt is halfway unbuttoned, allowing a patch of dark chest hair to poke out. He's obviously been drinking a little too much. But he still looks delicious.
  “Hi there, love,” he greets with a smirk, his words slurred. He stumbles forward and Emma grabs onto him and catches a whiff of him. Okay, he’s been drinking way too much.  
  Her eyes sting from the smell of rum as she helps over to the nearest chair. “Easy tiger, I think you’ve had too much to drink.” As she helps him sit in the chair, she glances at Elsa, her cousin’s features donning a mixture of concern and apology.
  “He doesn’t normally drink this much.”
  Emma looks around, seeing the kids on the other side of the room playing and running around. 
  “We should probably get him home. I don’t want Camila or his nephews to see him like this,” Elsa says in a worried tone.
  “I’m fine, really.” Killian lazily waves off her words and tries to stand, but almost falls over again before Elsa and Emma catch him. 
  “I guess I should take him home. Will you watch Camila while I’m gone?” Elsa asks her.
  “Why don’t I just take him?” Emma suggests. “You should stay and spend time with your sister before she goes off on her honeymoon.”
  “But you don’t have your car with you,” Elsa points out.
  “Did he drive here himself?”
  “Yeah, he came in his truck.” 
  “Okay, so I can just drive him home in his vehicle and catch an Uber home. Where’s he staying?”
  Elsa shakes her head. “I’m not sure. A motel I think.”
  Emma kneels in front of him like she’s speaking to a child. “Where are you staying, Killian?” 
  “Wherever you want me to stay,” he drawls with a cheeky grin.
  Emma rolls her eyes and reaches into the inside of his suit jacket, searching for his wallet.
  He smirks. “If you wanted to feel me up, all you had to do was ask.”
  Emma can’t help but blush, his face inches from hers as she grabs his wallet. God, he’s wasted. Rifling through his wallet, she finds a key card from Pinn Road Inn, which is on the other side of town.
  She informs Ingrid what’s going on, and after she hugs the newlyweds and wishes them a fantastic honeymoon, she and Elsa help Killian to his truck and buckle him up in the passenger seat. Elsa apologizes profusely as though she’s responsible for her brother-in-law, but Emma waves off her words and hugs her goodbye. She promises to have lunch with her and Anna after the honeymoon and climbs into the truck.
  The drive to the motel is mostly silent until Killian suddenly starts cursing like a sailor. She looks over to see him pulling at a thread that's hanging from the cuff of his jacket.
  “Don’t pull at it, you’ll ruin the jacket,” Emma warns, returning her eyes to the road. “Just take it back to the haberdashery you got it from.”
   “Royal tuxedos, my arse. More like royal crap,” he bleats, reclining in his seat to reach into his pants pocket. 
  Too late.
  Glancing over at him, she sees him using a Stanely knife to cut off the string. Her eyes widen in horror. “Don't do that, you'll—” 
  Killian’s groaning in pain, his left hand is covered in blood and the blood is dripping all over his suit.
  “...cut yourself,” she finishes with a sigh.
A/N: So you probably have a lot of questions about what exactly is up Killian's sleeve, but I promise that will be covered in the next chapter. And yes, I couldn't make either Emma or Killian a doctor without injuring the other one at least once and having some doctor/patient scenes. I promise Killian will be in good hands though :-)
@itsfabianadocarmo @snowbellewells @ilovemesomekillianjones @nikkiemms @teamhook @xhookswenchx @xsajx @julesep3026​ @hookedmom​ @biefaless​ @cluttermind​ @yasbio2015​ @kmomof4​ @lfh1226-linda​ @harshini01 @noensnaringnet​ @xarandomdreamx @onceuponaprincessworld​ @annastasiarinaldiva​ @royalswan​ @brustudyblog​ @officerrogers​ @gingerchangeling​ @melly326​ @singersdd @mzbossyboots​ @unworried-corsair​ @iamemmaswanjones​ @authorarsinoe​ @kingofmyheart14​ @nightskylover​ @jamif​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @iam2307​ @winterbaby89​ @chinawoodfan​ @mormonkryptonite @ultraluckycatnd​ @captainswan-shipper88​ @killianswanjones @bethdacattfm @andiirivera​
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magaden · 3 years
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Why Are Progressives So Illiberal?
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By Victor Davis Hanson January 31, 2021
Progressives adopted identity politics and rejected class considerations because solidarity with elite minorities excuses them from concern for, or experience with, the middle classes of all races.
One common theme in the abject madness and tragedies of the past 12 months is that progressive ideology now permeates almost all of our major institutions—even as the majority of Americans resist the leftist agenda. Its reach resembles the manner in which the pre-Renaissance church had absorbed the economic, cultural, social, artistic, and political life of Europe, or perhaps how Islamic doctrine was the foundation for all public and private life under the Ottoman Sultanate—or even how all Russian institutions of the 1930s exuded tenets of Soviet Marxism. 
Pan-progressivism
To be a Silicon Valley executive, a prominent Wall Street player, the head of a prestigious publishing house, a university president, a network or PBS anchor, a major Hollywood actress, a retired general or admiral on a corporate board, or a NBA superstar requires either progressive fides or careful suppression of all political affinities.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 98 percent of Big Tech political donations went to Democrats in 2020. Censorship and deplatforming on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media companies is decidedly one-way. When Mark Zuckerberg and others in Silicon Valley donate $500 million to help officials “get out the vote” in particular precincts, it is not to help candidates of both parties.
Google calibrates the order of its search results with a progressive, not a conservative, bent. Grandees from the Clinton or Obama Administration find sinecures in Silicon Valley, not Republicans or conservatives.
The $4-5 trillion market-capitalized Big Tech cartels, run by self-described progressives, aimed to extinguish conservative brands like Parler. Ironically, they now apply ideological force multipliers to the very strategies and tactics of 19th-century robber-baron trusts and monopolies. Poor Jack Dorsey has never been able to explain why Twitter deplatforms and cancels conservatives for the same supposed uncouthness that leftists routinely employ.
Silicon Valley apparently does not believe in either the letter or the spirit of the First Amendment. It exercises a monopoly over the public airwaves, and resists regulations and antitrust legislation of the sort that liberals once championed to break up trusts in the late 19th and early 20th century. As payback, it assumes that Democrats don’t see Big Tech in the same manner that they claim to see Big Pharma in their rants against it.
Wall Street donated markedly in favor of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden in their respective presidential races. Whereas conservative administrations and congressional majorities are seen as natural supporters of free-market capitalism, their Democratic opponents, not long ago, were not—and thus drew special investor attention and support from Wall Street realists.
The insurrectionist GameStop stock debacle revealed how “liberals” on Wall Street reacted when a less connected group of investors sought to do what Wall Street grandees routinely do to others: ambush and swarm a vulnerable company’s stock in unison either to buy or sell it en masse and thus to profit from predictable, artificially huge fluctuations in the price.
When small investors at Reddit drove the pedestrian GameStop price up to well over a hundred times its worth, forcing big Wall Street investment companies to lose billions of dollars, progressives on Wall Street and the business media cried foul. They compared the Reddit buyers to the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6.
One subtext was: Why would nobodies dare question the mega-profit making monopolies of the Wall Street establishments? The point that neither the Reddit day-traders nor the hedge-fund connivers were necessarily healthy for investment was completely lost.
Surveys of “diverse” university faculty show overwhelming left-wing support, reified by asymmetrical contributions of 95-1 to Democratic candidates. The dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. to make race incidental to our characters no longer exists on campuses. Appearance is now essential. More ironic, class considerations are mostly ignored in favor of identity politics. “Equity” applies to race not class. The general education curricula is one-sided and mostly focused on deductive -studies courses, and in particular race/class/gender zealotry that is anti-Enlightenment in the sense that predetermined conclusions are established and selected evidence is assembled to prove them.
We are also currently witnessing the greatest assault on free speech and expression, and due process, in the last 70 years. And the challenges to the First and Fifth Amendments are centered on college campuses, where non-progressive speakers are disinvited, shouted down, and occasionally roughed up for their supposedly reactionary views—and by those who have little fear of punishment.
Students charged with “sexual harassment” or “assault” are routinely denied the right to face their accusers, cross examine witnesses, or bring in counterevidence. They usually find redress for their suspensions or expulsions only in the courts. What was thematic in the Duke Lacrosse fiasco and the University of Virginia sorority rape hoax was the absence of any real individual punishment for those who promulgated the myths.
Indeed in these cases many argued that false allegations in effect were not so important in comparison to bringing attention to supposedly systemic racism and sexism. In Jussie Smollett fashion, what did not happen at least drew attention to what could have happened and thus was valuable. It was as if those who did not commit any actual crime had still committed a thought crime.
Almost all media surveys of the last four years reflect a clear journalistic bias against conservatives in general. Harvard’s liberal Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy famously reported slanted coverage against Trump and his supporters among major television and news outlets at near astronomical rates, in some cases exhibiting over 90 percent negative bias during Trump’s first few months in office. Liberal editors can now be routinely fired or forced to retire from major progressives newspapers if they are not seen as sufficiently woke.
No major journalist or reporter has been reprimanded for promoting the fictional “Russian collusion” hoax—and certainly not in the manner the media has called for punishment, backlisting, and deplatforming for any who championed “stop the steal” protests over the November 2020 elections. The CNN Newsroom put their hands up and chanted “hands up, don’t shoot”—a myth surrounding the Michael Brown Ferguson shooting that was thoroughly refuted. Infamous now is the CNN reporter’s characterization of arsonist flames shooting up in the background of a BLM/Antifa riot as a “largely peaceful” demonstration. BLM, of course, has been nominated for a Nobel “Peace” Prize. After the summer rioting, one could better cite Tacitus’s Calgacus, “Where they make a desert, they call it peace”.
A George W. Bush or Donald Trump press conference was often a free-for-all, blood-in-the-water feeding frenzy. A Barack Obama or Joe Biden version devolves into banalities about pets, fashion, and food. The fusion media credo is why embarrass a progressive government and thus put millions and the planet itself at risk?
Andrew Cuomo’s policies of sending COVID-19 patients into rest homes led to thousands of unnecessary deaths. Still, the media gave him an Emmy award for his self-inflated and bombastic press conferences, many of which were little more than unhinged rants against the Trump Administration. Anthony Fauci’s initial pronouncements about the origins of the COVID-19 virus, its risks and severity, travel bans, masks, herd immunity, vaccination rollout dates—and almost everything about the pandemic—were wildly off. Yet he was canonized by the media due to his wink-and-nod assurances that he was the medical adult in the Trump Administration room.
It would be difficult for a prominently conservative actor or actress to win an Oscar these days, or to produce a major conservative-themed film. Bankable actors/directors/producers like Clint Eastwood or Mel Gibson operate as mavericks, whose films’ huge profits win them some exemption. But they came into prominence and power 30 years ago during a different age. And they will likely have no immediate successors.
Ars gratis doctrinae is the new Hollywood and it will continue until it bottoms out in financial nihilism. When such ideological spasms contort a society, the second-rate emerge most prominently as the loudest accusers of the Salem Witches—as if correct zeal can reboot careers stalled in mediocrity. Hollywood’s mediocre celebrities from Alec Baldwin to Noah Cyrus have sought attention for their careers by voicing sensational racist, homophobic, and misogynist slurs—on the correct assumption their attention-grabbing left-wing fides prevents career cancellation.
Hollywood, we learn, has been selecting some actors on the basis of lighter skin color to accommodate racist Beijing’s demands to distribute widely their films in the enormous Chinese market. Yet note well that Hollywood has recently created racial quotas for particular Oscar categories, even as it reverses its racial obsessions to punish rather than empower people of color on the prompt of Chinese paymasters.
Ditto the political warping in professional sports. Endorsements, media face time, and cultural resonance often hinge on athletes either being woke—or entirely politically somnolent. A few stars may exist as known conservatives, but again they are the rare exceptions. For most athletes, it is wisest to keep mum and either support, condone, or ignore the Black Lives Matter rituals of taking a knee, not standing for the flag, or ritually denouncing conservative politicians. Those who are offended and turn the channel can be replaced by far more new viewers in China, who appreciate such criticism directed at the proper target.
Again, what is common to all the tentacles of this progressive octopus is illiberalism. Of course, progressivism, dating back to late 19th-century advocacy for “updating” the Constitution, always smiled upon authoritarianism. It promoted the “science” of eugenics and forced race-based sterilization, and the messianic idea that enlightened elites can use the increased powers of government to manage better the personal lives of its subjects (enslaved to religious dogma or mired in ignorance), according to supposed pure reason and humanistic intent.
Many progressives professed early admiration for the supposed efficiency of Benito Mussolini’s public works programs spurred on by his Depression-era fascism, and his enlistment of a self-described expert class to implement by fiat what was necessary for “progress.”
Even contemporary progressives have voiced admiration for the communist Chinese ability to override “obstructionists” to create mass transit, high-density urban living, and solar power. Early on in the pandemic Bill Gates defended China’s conduct surrounding the COVID-19 disaster. Suggesting the virus did not originate in a “wet” market was “conspiratorial”; travel bans were “racist” and “xenophobic.” In contrast, had SARS-CoV-2 possibly escaped by accident from a Russian lab, in our hysterias we might have been on the brink of war.
So it is understandable that progressivism can end up as an enemy of the First Amendment and intellectual diversity to bulldoze impediments to needed progress. To save us, sometimes leftists must become advocates of monopolies and cartels, of censorship, or of the militarization of our capital.
The new Left sorts, rewards, and punishes people by their race. And some progressives are the most likely appeasers of a racist and authoritarian Chinese government and advocates of Trotskyizing our past through iconoclasm, erasing, renaming, and cancelling out. San Francisco’s school board recently voted to rename over 40 schools, largely due to the pressure of a few poorly educated teachers who claimed on the basis of half-baked Wikipedia research that icons such as Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Washington were unfit for such recognition.
Absolute Power for Absolute Good
There are various explanations for unprogressive progressivism. None are necessarily mutually exclusive. Much of the latest totalitarianism is simple hula-hoop groupthink, a fad, or even a wise career move. Loud progressivism has become for some professionals, an insurance policy—or perhaps a deterrent high wall to ensure the mob bypasses one for easier prey elsewhere. Were Hunter Biden and his family grifting cartel not loud liberals and connected to Joe Biden, they all might have ended up like Jack Abramoff.
More commonly, progressivism offers the elite, the rich, and the well-connected Medieval penance, a vicarious way to alleviate their transitory guilt over privilege such as a $20,000 ice cream freezer or a carbon-spewing Gulfstream by abstract self-indictment of the very system that they have mastered so well.
Progressives also believe in natural hierarchies. They see themselves as an elite certified by their degrees, their resumes, and their correct ideologies, our version of Platonic Guardians, practitioners of the “noble lie” to do us good. In its condescending modern form, the creed is devoted to expanding the administrative state, and the expert class that runs it, and revolves in and out from its government hierarchies to privileged counterparts in the corporate and academic world.
Progressivism patronizes the poor and champions them at a distance, but despises the middle class, the traditionally hated bourgeoise without the romance of the distant impoverished or the taste and culture of the rich. The venom explains the wide array of epithets that Obama, Clinton, and Biden have so casually employed—clingers, deplorables, irredeemables, dregs, ugly folk, chumps, and so on. “Occupy Wall Street” was prepped by the media as a romance. The Tea Party was derided as Klan-like. The rioters who stormed the Capitol were rightly dubbed lawbreakers; those who besieged and torched a Minneapolis federal courthouse were romanticized or contextualized.
Abstract humanitarian progressives assume that their superior intelligence and training properly should exempt them from the bothersome ramifications of their own ideologies. They promote high taxes and mock material indulgences. But some have made a science out of tax evasion and embrace the tasteful good life and its material attractions. They prefer private schooling and Ivy League education for their offspring, while opposing charter schools for others.
There is no dichotomy in insisting on more race-based admissions and yet calling a dean or provost to help leverage a now tougher admission for one’s gifted daughter. Sometimes the liberal Hollywood celebrity effort to get offspring stamped with the proper university credentials becomes felonious. Walls are retrograde but can be tastefully integrated into a gated estate. They like static class differences and likely resent the middle class for its supposedly grasping effort to become rich—like themselves.
The working classes can always make solar panels, the billionaire John Kerry tells those thousands whom his boss had just thrown out of work by the cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline. It is as if the Yale man was back to the old days when the multimillionaire and promoter of higher taxes moved his yacht to avoid sales and excise taxes and lectured JC students, “You study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”
There is no such thing as “dark” money or the pernicious role of cash in warping politics when Michael Bloomberg, George Soros, and Mark Zuckerberg, both through direct donations and through various PACs and foundations—channeled nearly $1 billion to left-wing candidates, activists, and political groups throughout the 2020 campaign year.
In sum, the new tribal progressivism is the career ideology foremost of the wealthy and elite—a truth that many skeptical poor and middle-class minorities are now so often pilloried for pointing out. Progressives have adopted identity politics and rejected class considerations, largely because solidarity with elite minorities of similar tastes and politics excuses them from any concrete concern for, or experience with, the middle classes of all races. The Left finally proved right in its boilerplate warning that the “plutocracy” and the “special interests” run America: “If you can’t beat them, outdo them.”
Self-righteous progressives believe they put up with and suffer on behalf of us—and thus their irrational fury and hate for the irredeemables and conservative minorities springs from being utterly unappreciated by clueless serfs who should properly worship their betters.
https://amgreatness.com/2021/01/31/why-are-progressives-so-illiberal/
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In addition to movies that never were, Tales from Development Hell looks at movies still in limbo. One is the historical epic Crusade, which would have reteamed Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film is described as "part Spartacus, part Conan the Barbarian."
The project began during Total Recall. The director and star discussed a screenplay about the Crusades that Schwarzenegger had read. Verhoeven approached Walon Green (co-writer of The Wild Bunch) to write a film set in that time. In it, Arnold played a rogue named Hagen who winds up in the thick of battle in the Holy Land. Total Recall co-writer Gary Goldman helped rework the material. An AICN script review proclaimed it "the greatest unproduced script of the decade [90s]" and "Verhoeven's answer to Alexander Nevsky [and] Lawrence of Arabia."
Crusade takes a critical view of the period, particularly of Christian opportunists and Pope Urban II. Early on in the screenplay, Hagen burns a crucifix into his back to fake divine piety and escape a hanging; and the story doesn't shy away from the anti-Arab sentiments or anti-Semitism of the crusading armies. Goldman says in the book, "It was an anti-war statement, basically saying that the Christians had no business going there."
The film was in pre-production in 1993. Sets were partially built in Spain and the cast would have included Robert Duvall, Jennifer Connelly, John Turturro, and Christopher McDonald. The plug was pulled due to the projected $100 million budget, and eventually Carolco (the production company) went bankrupt following the release of Cutthroat Island. Verhoeven estimates a $200 million budget if he were to do it today, and probably without Arnold. David Hughes shares some thoughts after the cut.
The story of the Crusades is the murderous attack of the Christians on the Arabs and the Jews. Do you think that's a politically interesting situation?
-- Paul Verhoeven (quoted in Tales from Development Hell)
Do you think a movie like Crusade could ever be made given the budget and the current global political climate?
David Hughes: Absolutely. I was just saying in an interview [last week] that if Dwayne Johnson decided he wanted to make Crusade, he could probably get it made pretty much as written. Then as soon as I got off the phone there was a press story about Johnson making a Hercules film and I thought, "Wow, that could so easily have been an announcement about Crusade." The budget is fixable, and if you shoot it in North Africa rather than the Middle East, I think you could circumvent a lot of the political issues -- which have the convenience of being historical and therefore at a certain distance (cf. Kingdom of Heaven).
In your chapter on Isobar [a project in limbo described as "Alien on a train"] it's mentioned that characters and thematic concerns change with the times. If Crusade were to be taken up again, how do you think the characters and story would change?
I could tell you, but as a working screenwriter you'd have to pay me for my "take". (But see above!)
Somewhat related to the last question, is this something that you think Arnold would be interested in as part of his film comeback or is this project something for a younger actor?
Well, when Paul Verhoeven told me that Arnie was too old to play Hagen, a little piece of me died. But he was right -- it needs a younger man, in his thirties ideally (even The Rock is a bit too long in the tooth fairy -- I mean tooth). Chris Hemsworth could do it, but I think I would rather concentrate on finding a way to visit the parallel universe where Verhoeven and Arnie actually made it in the '90s.
...While I would have liked the idea of Arnie playing a crusader knight, the story sounds even worse than Kingdom of Heaven. When Verhoeven says that the Crusades were “anti-Arab” or “anti-Semitic”, he is lying or ignorant because that is not the full picture. 
While it’s true that Jews were massacred by the crusaders, they were the result of uncontrollable mob violence rather than an actual order of the Church to annihilate them. So much so that Calixtus II issued the papal bull Sicut Judaeis forbidding Catholics from harassing, killing, stealing, forcing Jews to convert to Christianity on the pain of excommunication.
As for being anti-Arab, this is incorrect. Nevermind the fact that the crusaders enjoyed the support of Arab Christians, in fact many Muslims chose to live within the Christian states of the Holy Land because they found the crusader rulers more fair and just than their own sultans, caliphs and emirs and never compelled them to convert to Christianity either. This is acknowledged by ARAB SOURCES, mind you.
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So all of this shows that the Crusaders were actually more noble and tolerant than we give credit and certainly not the fanatical monsters that we picture. But then again, in the liberal/leftist perception of “morality”, they still qualify as monsters for the sheer fact they were European Christians and representative of proto-Western imperialism. 
So I am kinda glad that this movie was never made, and it likely never will because if Kingdom of Heaven proved anything to Hollywood with it’s mixed reception is that the controversy in movies revolving around the Crusades is not worth the effort.
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josiebeale · 5 years
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I See You
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Request: omg hi!! love ur fanfics!!! can u maybe do one where ur brother (a prince) is supposed to go to agrabah to court princess jasmine so u go with him but she ends up falling in love with u (a princess) and u with her? hope u can do this!! :)
A/N: That was actually perfect timing, Anon 😁 I was thinking about writing another Princess Jasmine fanfic but I couldn’t come up with a plot so thank you. 
I wrote a sequel so go check it out. Click here. And wrote a part 3. Click here. Part 4. Click here.
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Your legs slightly scrapped the saddle as your trusted horse galloped along the streets of Agrahab. Your men surrounded you as your darling of a brother waved to the crowd, smiling perfectly as you moved closer to the palace. You gripped the reins angrily, barely resisting to roll your eyes. You had no business here, you were dragged along on this ride to watch your brother charm the princess of Agrabah with his polished ways and arrogant personality. 
Make no mistake you loved your brother dearly but it made you angry that all he had to do was flash his smile and the princess’ would fall over themselves, competing to earn his affection. 
Nobody ever noticed you, just standing slightly behind his broad shoulders. 
The large double doors loudly closed behind you, closing out the rest of the people and you hopped off the horse, landing on your feet in the sand. Your servants instantly came and helped your brother off his and dusted off his attire. 
“Are they waiting for me?” He asked strongly from his adviser and got a nod in return. “Then let’s go.” 
You bit the inside of your cheek as you followed him dutifully inside the palace, the beautiful decor making you feel intimidated as you entered. They led you into the coronation hall and you caught sight of the Sultan, waiting impatiently in front of the stairs. 
You both bowed before him respectfully and with a pursed lips he signaled to one of his guards. You had no time to think before the doors on top of the stairs suddenly opened and your breath caught in your throat at the sight that greeted you.
The Princess clad in a gorgeous pink dress with sequences of gold appeared in front of you and your heart started to beat faster. The world stopped moving for a second and it was just you and her in the room. You couldn’t take your eyes off of her as she descended the stairs, accompanied by - is that a tiger? - and her maid and came to stand beside her father. 
The Sultan cleared his throat. “Prince Philip, my daughter Princess Jasmine.”
Jasmine. You repeated her name inside your head. You’ve never seen anyone more beautiful.
From the corner of your eyes you noticed your brother straightening up before bowing. “Princess Jasmine, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She titled her head slightly as her eyes squinted. “Fashionably late, I see.”
You couldn’t help the smirk that formed on your lips as your brother cleared his throat. He wasn’t used to having to explain himself. 
“Forgive my tardiness, Princess.” He was humble in the beginning but his signature cocky smile reappeared. “I was busy greeting the people of Agrabah. After all, I needed to make a good impression.” 
Princess Jasmine raised her eyebrows and slightly pouted her bottom lip. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Your reputation reached my city much faster than you did.” 
The snicker came out of your mouth unwillingly and the sound traveled across the silent room until it reached Jasmine’s ears. The Princess’ eyes snapped to you and a small smile appeared on her lips before her attention was stolen again.
“Thank you.” Your brother replied, clearly thinking the words about him were good when you knew it was the opposite.
“It wasn’t a compliment.” The Princess answered back sternly and your brother’s jaw dropped. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”
You watched her walk away as you exhaled deeply, while your brother turned around with the most ridiculous expression on his face, his ego bruised from the rejection. 
/
It was a miracle that you weren’t kicked out of the palace immediately after your brother’s pathetic attempt of courting the Princess. He stormed away with his adviser to one of the assigned rooms but you couldn’t stand hearing him whine loudly so you decided to take a stroll. 
The day turned into night as the moon appeared high on the sky but you didn’t return. You dragged your feet along the floor until you reached a small garden between the towers. A large fountain sat in the middle, shooting water out in a coordinated fashion. 
You walked closer to the creation as the wind picked up the pace and you tightened the thin scarf around your shoulders, trying to keep the cold away. But as you neared, you noticed that you weren’t alone.
“Princess Jasmine.” You gasped slightly as the Princess came into view, sitting on the edge of the fountain. She looked different, instead of being dressed up, her elegant pink dress was replaced by a brown gown, her dark hair flowing down on her shoulders and her face was free of make-up.
She was even more beautiful than when you first saw her. 
“I’m sorry for interrupting you.” You bowed down as you chest rose up and down from the nerves. “I’ll be on my way.” 
“No, please.” She stopped you, her voice soft and kind as she looked at you. “It’s alright. Please, stay.”
You opened your mouth but thought better of disobeying her so you nodded and stayed silent. She sent you a small smile as she turned back to look at the moon. 
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She asked softly as she placed her hands on her thighs. 
“I haven’t see one quite like it.” You weren’t aware of your words as you muttered them, your eyes never leaving the Princess. Jasmine hummed gently as a relaxed smile crossed her face. She truly looked happy and you realized that you would give anything to keep her that way.
“I apologize for my brother.” You knew there was no way around bringing him up, The Princess knew you were his sister. “He gets nervous around girls like you.”
Jasmine’s eyes snapped to yours as her eyebrows frowned in confusion.
“Girls like me?” 
You took a deep breath as your hands started to sweat. “Yeah, independent, strong...beautiful girls like you.” You added shyly.
Jasmine paused as her head tilted to the side, the corner of her lips turning up. “And what about you?”
You froze at the unexpected question as your mouth closed and opened, like a fish out of water. She made you nervous as her beautiful brown eyes melted into yours. “I’m...doing the best that I can.” 
She let out a slight laugh at your answer and you sighed a sigh of relief. 
“I can assure you, you are doing better than he was.” She confessed as she stood up and began to walk closer. You unconsciously straightened up, swallowing down your nerves.
“He’s not that bad as he seems.” Regardless of your brother wrongdoings, you still loved him and you couldn’t help but defend him. 
As she neared you, your heartbeat started to pound. “Are you two close?” 
Everything suddenly felt too intimate. The moonlit garden, the stars in the sky, you and Jasmine all alone. 
“Our parents died when we were young. He had to take over the kingdom while trying to raise me.” You said lowly, your eyes shifting away from Jasmine. “He’s not perfect but he’s all I have.”
The air felt thick as you breathed.
“I was ten when my mother was killed.” At the small voice you slowly lifted your head and bit your bottom lip when you realized how close you are to her. You could reach out your hand and you would touch her.
Jasmine paused before continuing. “My father put everything into finding out who was responsible and punish them. Staying awake day and night to think, to wonder where he would be hiding. But he was never found. My father was broken...and so was I.” 
You sighed sadly as she quieted down. You knew how hard it was to lose a parent and your heart ached for the both of you.
“I’m sorry.” You whispered.
Her eyes bore into yours deeply as you felt something changing in the air. You took in everything about her, the beauty mark on the corner of her lip, the slight crease between her eyebrows, her beautiful, mesmerizing brown eyes...
Without a thought your hand slowly reached out and gently swept a piece of hair behind her ear. Jasmine took in a sharp breath at the contact and leaned closer...closer...closer...
“Princess Jasmine!” 
You sprang apart at the sharp cry and turned to the right seeing Dalia patiently waiting for the Princess. 
Jasmine sighed before she cooled her expression. “I have to go.” She muttered before pulling away and starting to walk toward her maid.
“Wait.” You called after her and she stopped. “Can I - uhm...” You struggled to force out the words but her soft smile made you feel better.
“Meet me here tomorrow when the moon reaches the sky.” She said lowly and with one last smile turned on her heels and went to her maid, leaving you alone in the garden.
You took in a sharp breath as you pressed your lips together to conceal your smile and turned to watch the beautiful moon, dreaming about what tomorrow would bring.
The End.
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salmankhanholics · 6 years
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★A Note On 30 Years Of Salman Khan!
Like life, Salman is the proverbial box of chocolates – when you walk into his zone, you truly have no idea what you will get. I write about some of my interactions with the star over the years
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This week marks 30 years of Salman Khan in cinema. On August 26, 1988, Salman made his debut playing Vicky Bhandari, the disco-loving younger son of the affluent Bhandari family, in a film called Biwi Ho To Aisi. The first time we see him, Salman is dancing furiously. It’s morning and Vicky hasn’t had his tea yet. But he can’t stop himself from bouncing like a bunny all over the room. Salman is skinny. His hair flops over his face. His dancing is way better than his acting. I don’t think anyone could have seen this film and predicted that 30 years later, he would be looming large like a colossus.
Over the years, I’ve had several intriguing interactions with Salman – intriguing because I can’t figure him out. His unpredictability is intimidating and refreshing. Like life, Salman is the proverbial box of chocolates – when you walk into his zone, you truly have no idea what you will get.
I first met him in the mid-1990s. I was a reporter with India Today. He was a massive star post Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! but he was largely allergic to the press. It was the ‘Bad Boy Salman’ phase and he didn’t really want to speak with any of us. I had requested David Dhawan’s wife Lali to set up a meeting. Because she asked, he agreed to see me. We met at a restaurant called Shatranj in suburban Mumbai. It was incredibly awkward. He was more interested in the tiramisu he was wolfing down than the conversation I was hesitantly trying to make. I said we really wanted to do an interview. He said he would do it but only if the magazine donated 10 lakh to his favorite charity. His logic was that his face on the cover would sell magazines and therefore we should be willing to pay it forward. I said we didn’t pay for interviews. He ordered a second tiramisu and said good bye.
Another favorite Salman memory is an interview he did with me in 2014. I was hosting two shows – The Front Row in English and Star Verdict in Hindi. We used to shoot both back to back on the same set at Mehboob Studio. The English one went off smoothly. The Hindi version required him to make an entry and walk onto set. He did that. I stood up to greet him. Instead of a handshake or a hug, he lunged down and touched my feet. I burst out laughing. When I asked why, he replied, buzurgon ki respect karni chahiye, kyun ki yeh hamare culture mein hai. It was priceless (for the record, I’m younger).
Over the years, he has become Hindi cinema’s Teflon Man – flops, controversies, criminal charges – nothing sticks
In 2015, I requested Salman for a meeting but it wasn’t for an interview. It was for the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI). Chairperson Kiran Rao, I and festival creative director Smriti Kiran now led the festival. It had been a gargantuan task to find sponsors, raise money and organize a week long festival that screened over 200 films. We wanted Salman’s support. He agreed to see me. When I walked in, he laughed and said, I really wanted to cancel this meeting. I remember quoting the late film critic Roger Ebert to him. Ebert had written: Of all the arts, movies are the most powerful aid to empathy and good ones make us into better people. Salman said he believed that too. He immediately offered to use his social media handles to promote MAMI and to come to the closing ceremony.
Of course, he arrived late. When he walked in, a member of the children’s jury was giving a speech. On seeing Salman, he stopped and gaped. Salman very sweetly said – don’t worry, I forget my lines all the time. He then proceeded to give a speech about why MAMI is important. He smiled and said, “I know I will never win an award at this festival but I’m here to show my support.” It was incredible.
Salman continues to be mystery – both as a person and as a performer. His oeuvre ranges from the sublime (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Sultan) to the ridiculous (Bodyguard, Race 3). Over the years, he has become Hindi cinema’s Teflon Man – flops, controversies, criminal charges – nothing sticks. I’ve heard horror stories about him but also tales of astounding generosity and selflessness. Salman remains a walking contradiction. I’m curious to see what the next 30 bring.
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hitchell-mope · 2 years
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(Third film. After “monster”. The spell causes a backdraft that throws Mal backwards into the door of the cottage. Hadie helps her up)
Mal: I can’t believe that worked.
Hadie: that. Was AWESOME!!!! Wasn’t that awesome Persey?
Persey (smiling kindly): very very awesome. But there is still the slight problem of your family and the pirates.
Mal: right. Lemme think....
(She walks up to the statues of Ben, Jay and Carlos and strokes the backs of their heads in turn. She turns to Ben’s statue and closes her eyes)
Mal: king of Auradon/encased in stone/break free now/reclaim your throne.
(Nothing happens. She goes to Jay’s statue)
Mal (a bit more shakily): my best friend/break free now/we all need you/. No that’s not it. Uhhhh. Sultan’s son/our work’s not done/come out now/let’s have some. Nope. Still not it.
Persey: forget Jay for a moment. He’s a genie. You’re a dark fae. Go to Carlos.
Mal (reassuming her stance in front of Carlos): child of the queen/child of the king/you know you want to/break free and sing.
(Nothing happens)
Mal: I don’t get it. Why aren’t these spells working. How’d it reverse on you guys?
Persey: I don’t know. Did you recite a spell?
Mal: no. I was in pain. I was screaming. Just wishing someone would help me.
Hadie: can I. Can I try something?
Mal: be my guest.
Hadie (bringing out the ember): okay so. This is likely to turn your hair completely blue. So please try not to freak.
Mal (chuckling slightly): I’ll try not to
Hadie: cool. Alright then let’s try it.
(He presses the ember to the middle of her forehead)
Hadie: PRIORI INCANTATEM
Mal and Persey: are you fucking kidding me right now?
Hadie: hush! It’s working.
(Emerald green light bursts from Mal’s scalp line forming the words. Oldest sibling/encased in stone/break free now/and aid tne throne).
Persey: oh my god. Can’t believe that worked.
Mal: what does it mean?
Hadie: your subconscious made the spell. But. It wasn’t specific. It just asked for the oldest sibling. And Persey and I are twins.
Mal: so the spell freed both of you.
Hadie: brilliant. You get a gold star.
Mal: awesome. Now put my hair back to the colour it was before I met you. Thank you. Now. What’s the time.
Persey: about half 11.
Mal: that means we’ve got thirty minutes before we can’t wake the Smee twins anymore.
Persey: wait. What? The Smee twins? What’ve the Smee twins got to do with any of this?
Hadie: they’re under the sleeping curse and midnights the deadline.
Persey: so we’re just gonna ignore the the regicidal teenager possessed by the megalomaniac fairy or....?
Mal: when we stop Chad and Maleficent the twins will wake up.
Persey: right. Okay. Gotcha.
Mal: I just need to think first. Oh god. Why can’t they just wake up. I want them to wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Please just wake up!
Hadie: how is this gonna help the twins?
Persey: I don’t think she’s talking about the twins.
(Mal faces the statues of Ben, Jay and Carlos again. This is when “the story” happens. After the song she tries tlk on Ben’s statue. It doesn’t work)
Hadie: I’m sorry
Mal: it’s okay. We need a plan. You guys know my allergy right?
The twins: yeah
Mal: good. If I fly ten feet in front of them then it might work....but then there’s always the chance of a backdraft....then I’ll just have to be careful then won’t I?....alright enough so be it....so be it then!
Hadie: what is she doing?
Persey: I think she’s conversing with her subconscious.
Hadie: ohhhh
Mal: HAHAH!!!! I got it!!!! (She uses magic to summon to water bazookas). Fill these with liquid iron. They’re self refilling so they won’t run out
Persey: what’re we gonna use them for?
Mal: we’re gonna exorcise Chad
Hadie: no offence. But he doesn’t look like the type of guy who does Pilates.
Mal: exorcise Hayds.
Hadie: ohhhh. I understand
Persey: but she already put you in iron chains.
Mal: yeah I know. Melt them down. Pour them in them in the bazookas. Shoot them at Chad.
Persey: No yeah I got that honey I got that part. But what about you?
Mal: I’ll be flying. You two’ll be on the ground.
Persey: okay. Cool. Just wanted that cleared up.
Hadie: but what if something goes wrong?
Mal: it’ll be fine. She can’t hurt me. The worse thing that could’ve happened me literally just happened to me. My family and Evie stone. She can’t do anything to me right now.
(This is when “invincible” happens. After the song. Mal bursts through the parapets door and comes face to face with Chadeficent)
Chadeficent (Maleficent’s voice): you——
Mal: oh yes. It didn’t work. And now. I’m gonna exorcise you out of Chad no matter little he deserves it
Chadeficent (worriedly): you can try
(They double over and vomit a fresh batch of black tar)
Mal: I know that look. I’ve had it on my face more than once.
(This is when “fearless” happens. After the song. Id!Ben’s been watching the whole thing. And now he’s panicking)
Ben: oh god. Oh god oh god oh god. I need to think. I just need to think for a little bit. I just need everybody to SHUT UP!!!! (Everything freezes). Good. Goodgoodgoodgoodgood. What can I do? What can I do? What can I do? OOH!!!! BIOGRAPHY BREAK!!!! Everyone loves a good biography. But who though? (He teleports back to the cottage and starts listing off the statues from Ben to Evie to Harriet). No. No. Fuck no. (He gets to Uma). Oooh. That could. But we’d have to expand it a little. (He inhaled sharply). Morgana. Heheheh. Your mere existence sent her life into a tailspin from which she is yet to recover. And you only know half. (He turns to the audience). I’ll see you soon. But for the time being. I’m sending you....eighteen years and uh nine months into the past to see why she is the way she is. God I hope it doesn’t bore you to all hell.
(With the screen smashes to black. When the picture comes back. The scene is in Facillier’s arcade).
Facillier: I’m sorry.
Morgana: you may be but she isn’t.
Ursula (smug as ever): why should I be sorry he decided to start a family with the superior sister?
Morgana lunges at her sister intent on scratching her eyes out but Facillier manages to stop her just in time)
Facillier: No, wait, the baby!
Ursula: throw her out Antoine. She’s stressing me out. It can’t be good for the child.
Morgana: no. I’m not leaving. You leave her. I was here first.
Facillier: I’m sorry
Morgana: I’m not. She’s not. You’re not.
(This is when “and I am telling you I’m not going” happens. After the song. The scene changes to nine months later)
Anastasia: so you’ve heard then?
Morgana: of course I’ve heard Mrs Baker. Of course I’ve heard. You could here tne swearing from every side of the island.
Anastasia: so you’re not going to see her?
Morgana: daughter of the sister who stole Facillier from me. Or daughter of the mistress of all evil? Hmmmmm. That’s a toughie. Well. I guess I’d have to go with the dragon spawn.
Anastasia: she’s your niece.
Morgana: last time I went near a niece of mine I ended up trapped in an iceberg.
Anastasia: that was when you were being an evil bitch. Now you have a chance to mend fences
Morgana: how much do I owe you for the mutton?
Anastasia: one bronze piece.
Morgana: see you later
(She Lea Ed the butchers shop and makes her way home. This is when “on my own” happens. After the song. The sene melts anyway to five years later. The squalid apartment is now a Speakeasy. The place is packed, waiting for one it’s it’s patented amateur boxing matches. Morgana steps up to the emcee mic. This is when “barracuda” happens. After the song. Later that night at closing time. Anastasia walks in)
Morgana: hello Mrs Baker. To what do I owe this intrusion.
Anastasia: she’s had another baby.
Morgana:....oh?
Anastasia: with Facillier
Morgana: again?
Anastasia: and she’s given her up
Morgana (scoffing): what?
Anastasia: the girl doesn’t share Ursula’s magic. So she’s left her on Antoine’s doorstep. And she’s pissed. Uma really needs someone right now
Morgana: not my problem
Anastasia: yes it is. You damn well first hand what’s it’s like to be at your sisters “mercy”. Now imagine being her daughter.
(Morgana waves her hand and Anastasia disappears in a swirl of teal smoke. Morgana breathes deeply)
Morgana: this is gonna bite me on the ass....
(She heads to the restaurant. On the way there she stops by the docks. Just in time to see Ursula grabbing a little girl with lilac hair by the ear and away from a skinny boy with sticky up black hair who’s got his hands over his eyes and is screaming in pain)
Morgana: and it begins
(She follows them at a distance and stops a few feet away from the restaurant as Ursula practically throws the girl inside. This is when “stay with me”. After the song. Outside the restaurant. Morgana thinks for a bit and summons Gaston to her side)
Morgana: how would you like to help me ruin my sisters life?
(In the bedroom/storeroom Uma’s crying on the camp bed when pebbles are thrown at her window. She goes to open it and sees Morgana smiling at her)
Morgana: hello dear.
Uma: heh-hello. Who are you?
Morgana: I’m your auntie Morgana
Uma: who?
Morgana: I’m your mothers (tensely) sister.
Uma: oh. I can ask her to let you in.
Morgana: no no. That won’t be necessary my girl. Come on. Up you get.
(She picks Uma up, lifts her through the window and sets her down next to her)
Morgana: there you go. That’s much better than that stuffy old bedroom isn’t it?
Uma: mhmm.
Morgana: now. What say you come home and have tea with me?
Uma: what’s that?
Morgana: it’s warm and sweet and it helps you sleep. And I have a feeling you’re in need of it after the day you’ve had. Mothers can be very stupid sometimes can’t they?
(Uma giggles)
Morgana: and afterwards I can drop you off back here or you can have a nice little nap at my place or I can take you to your father?
Uma: my. My father?
Morgana: oh my poor sweet child. She never told you who your father is? For shame. Every child should know who their parents are. Oh. Hello Mr Legume. Uma this is Gaston Legume. He’s got a son about your age. I’m sure
Uma: mother says I’m not allowed to know people
Morgana: don’t worry. I won’t tell if you won’t. C’mon now. Walk with me.
(This is when “a nice little walk” happens. After the song. Later there might. Uma’s a tad hyper from the tea and she’s jumping all over the place until Morgana catches her and playfully throws her onto a bed)
Uma: AGAIN, AGAIN!!!!
Morgana: maybe tomorrow. For now you need to sleep or you’ll be far too tired in the morning.
Uma (disappointed): awww but why?
Morgana: because you’re tiny. And tiny people need their sleep.
Uma: you stay.
Morgana: of course I’m gonna stay. I wouldn’t be a very good aunt if I left you in the dark now would I? Now. You settle down and I’ll sing you to sleep. Okay?
Uma: okay
Morgana: okay
(Uma lays down and Morgana sits next to the bed. This is when “Morgana’s lullaby” happens. After the song. She walks away from the docks. Facillier spots her and runs after her)
Morgana: no.
Facillier: what’ve you been doing to my daughter
Morgana: what happens between me and my niece is none of your businesses “shadow man”
Facillier: the way things ended things ended between us in no way means you have to use Uma against me
Morgana: this isn’t about you Antoine. This is about my sister always taking things from me. So I took something from her. The only thing she truly values. Loyalty. Not you. Not me. Not Uma. And certainly not your second daughter. Now Uma’s loyalty is to me. And I will take advantage of it when the time comes. You can be sure of it.
Facillier: Morgana please
Morgana: NO! I’m not talking about this anymore. I don’t—I don’t want to talk about this anymore
(This is when “the winner takes it all” happens. After the song. A few minutes later there’s a knock at the door. She opens it)
Uma: I’m going to Auradon
Morgana: huh?
Uma: she doesn’t get to win every time. I’m going to Auradon with Harry. We’re fine gonna find her. And we’re gonna kill her. You in?
Morgana: uh ah um....
Uma: “uh ah um”?!?! What’s up with you? C’mon. Arendelle left her carriage and steward here. We can kill him and take the carriage
Morgana: the barrier would be closed by now
Uma: well she had to get in here somehow didn’t to save her “little girl” from justifiable retribution.
Morgana (worriedly): have you honestly thought this through? I mean. What you want to do is admirable. But, um. This is Mal we’re talking about. Mal and the king. And their friends
Uma: they took Gil from us. It’s personal now
Morgana: wasn’t it already personal?
Uma: what’re you saying?
Morgana: I’m saying um. Think about it first before you go rushing into something that could dangerous for you?
Uma: what’s there to think about? Get the carriage. Kill the steward. Get to Auradon. Find Mal. Kill Mal. It’s couldn’t be simpler.
Morgana: nothings ever that simple sweetheart. How’re you going to escape and get back? Will you be able to get back? Are you going to be able to evade the search party that will inevitably look for you after you’ve killed the kings girlfriend? There are so many things that can go wrong. You need a contingency plan.
Uma: what contingency? I kill her. I rule Auradon. What else is there to think about
Morgana: they love her over there. They don’t know you from Eve. If you go in there guns blazing without a get out plan they WILL capture you! I know what I’m talking about. You don’t. So please just LISTEN TO ME!!!!
(Uma looks like she’s just been slapped)
Uma: screw you
Morgana: no no wait please I’m sorry
Uma: don’t. Ever. Treat me like you’re my mother. You’re not. You’re nothing. You were bested by a 12 year old in bare feet. So don’t you dare tell me to listen. I’m going to Auradon. And you can go to hell.
(She stalks out of the Speakeasy leaving Morgana alone again. This is when “Morgana’s lament” happens. After the song. Id!Ben’s looking on as Morgana and the scene he’s watching freezes in place).
Ben: that was vastly more depressing than I’d anticipated. Ah well. Best shuffle on. (He teleports back to the present, the cottage and the statues. Right in front of Uma). You know. About 90% of what you go through is self inflicted. Sadly there’s no way to wake Ben up without you and the fuckwits following suit. But he has to wake up. He has to. It’s four minutes to midnight. He has to wake up. (He teleports into a large chessboard print platform in the middle of a vast, crumbling castle). How are you?
Mal: I don’t know what’s happening. Why am I here
Ben: this is your subconscious seeetheart. Maleficent flew through you, knocked you out and you landed in the reflecting pool. Your magic put you here to keep you safe.
Mal: where’s Ben. And why are you wearing his Ariel Spirit costume?
Ben: still stone. And I’m your Id. Ego and Superego are in the war room part of your subconscious.
Mal: why are they still stone? I exorcised Chad. Her spell must be over by now.
Ben: I don’t know. But I’m working on it
(He teleports back to the statues and sends a wave of magic at the Ben statue. Just like everything else that’s been tried. It doesn’t work)
Ben: uuuurrrraaAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!! WAKE UP!!!! WAKE UP!!!! WAKE UP!!!! SHE NEEDS YOU!!!! I NEED YOU!!!! WE ALL NEED YOU!!!! (He collapses onto his knees). It can’t end like this. Not now. It just can’t
(This is when “rescue me” happens)
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thewrosper · 4 years
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Yash Raj Films turns 50: Actors who began their film career with the production house, from Anushka Sharma to Ranveer Singh
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Yash Raj Films, founded by late filmmaker Yash Chopra, is currently in its 50th year. The production house, popularly known for its romantic dramas and colourful palette, has experimented with its offerings over the years, particularly when Aditya Chopra took over. From stylised action dramas to films set in small-town India, YRF has brought many a flavour to the big screen. Through a series of throwbacks, we will celebrate the legacy of the production house across the year. Before the coronavirus outbreak shook the world, YRF was scheduled to launch three new faces in their 50th year in 2020. These includes Sharvari, who was seen in Kabir Khan's Amazon Prime Video India Original show The Forgotten Army opposite Sunny Kaushal. She will make her Hindi film debut with Bunty Aur Babli 2, opposite Siddhant Chaturvedi.
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Sharvari, Shalini Pandey, and Manushi Chhillar Similarly, Shalini Pandey, who was noticed in Sandeep Vanga Reddy's 2017 romantic drama Arjun Reddy opposite Vijay Devarakonda, will make her Hindi film debut opposite yet another YRF find, Ranveer Singh, in the comedy Jayeshbhai Jordaar. And Manushi Chhillar, Miss World 2017, will make her long-awaited screen debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Chandraprakash Dwiwedi's historical drama Prithviraj. Now, a major chunk of the credit must go to the recurring casting director of the production house, Shanoo Sharma. She joined YRF in 2011, that coincided with an infusion of fresh blood into the studio. While introducing new directors was a norm since 2000s, the 2010s saw a surge in new faces, some of whom subsequently became A-list stars. The A-list wagon Anushka Sharma YRF had introduced new faces since 1970 but those were few and far between. None of them, despite making promising debuts, went on to register themselves as A-list stars. Yash Chopra can be credited with his share of finds like Poonam Dhillon and Saif Ali Khan but their debut films Trishul and Parampara were produced by Gulshan Rai and Firoz A Nadiadwala respectively, not YRF. The first major star to debut in a YRF film turned out to be the game-changer Anushka Sharma, who was cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Aditya Chopra's 2008 directorial Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. She played the role of Taani, a submissive homemaker who finds herself in a marriage without will and finds an unlikely partner in a dance class.
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Anushka maintains the film changed her life as she went on to become an A-list star and a producer herself, under the banner of Clean Slate Filmz. "Adi (Aditya Chopra) used to say that we have taken you because you can stand on your own against anyone. Yash ji had also said the same. For a young person like me to hear that was a huge confidence booster. The only reason I was so confident when I did the film is because I was so prepared. Confidence comes because you work so hard," she said to Press Trust of India. Anushka's three-film deal with YRF (a banner ritual since then) included Parmeet Sethi's 2010 directorial debut Badmaash Company and Maneesh Sharma's cult romantic comedy Band Baaja Baaraat. She was later seen in YRF films like Sharma's 2011 heist drama Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, Yash Chopra's 2012 romantic drama Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Ali Abbas Zafar's 2016 sports drama Sultan, and Sharat Kataria's 2018 film Sui Dhaaga: Made in India. Ranveer Singh Ranveer made his debut in the lead role opposite Anushka in Band Baaja Baaraat. The film catapulted Ranveer into the A-league, inviting comparison with the flavour of the season, Ranbir Kapoor, who was interestingly the first choice for the role. Ranveer played Bittoo, a brash Dilli ka launda, who collaborates with Anushka's character to start a wedding planning business, but ends up falling for her. He made the body language and accent of Bittoo so memorable that it took a while to let it sink in that Ranveer was actually a born and raised in Mumbai.
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It is common knowledge that Karan Johar was doubtful about Anushka's prospects before the release of her debut film, but Aditya Chopra kept a check on Ranveer's expectation as well. He told the actor, "You’re not the most good looking guy. You have to do some good acting if you want people to like you." Of course, Ranveer then went on to feature in YRF films like Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, Ali Abbas Zafar's 2004 buddy crime drama Gunday, Shaad Ali's 2014 action comedy Kill Dil, and Aditya Chopra's 2016 romantic comedy Befikre. Parineeti Chopra Interestingly, Parineeti was a public relations consultant in YRF before she was spotted by Shanoo for one of the four love interests of Ranveer's character in Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl. She stood out for her spoilt Delhi girl portrayal, and went on to do Habib Faisal's 2014 action romance Ishaqzaade as the female lead.
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Parineeti, who was already shooting for Ishaqzaade when her debut film released, was called by Yash Chopra, who thanked her for being part of his film. Parineeti was later seen in several YRF films like Maneesh's 2013 romantic drama Shuddh Desi Romance, Habib's 2014 food film Daawat-e-Ishq, Kill Dill, Akshoy Roy's 2017 directorial debut Meri Pyaari Bindu, and the upcoming Dibakar Banerjee film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar. Arjun Kapoor
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Arjun was supposed to make his debut in a film produced under Y Films, a subsidiary of YRF. But Aditya Chopra then cast him instead as Parma, the male lead in Ishaqzaade, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's iconic play Romeo & Juliet. Arjun was subsequently seen in YRF films like the 2013 crime drama Aurangzeb, Gunday, and will appear in Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar. Vaani Kapoor
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Vaani's performance in her debut film, a supporting character in Shudh Desi Romance, remains her best till date. Later, she was seen as the female lead in films like 2014 Tamil flick Aaha Kalyanam, Befikre, and most recently Siddharth Anand's 2019 espionage thriller War. She will next be seen opposite Ranbir in Karan Malhotra's dacoit drama Shamshera. Bhumi Pednekar Bhumi, a former assistant to Shanoo, auditioned for Sharat's 2015 romantic drama Dum Laga Ke Haisha. She was asked to gain weight tremendously to play Sandhya, a plus-sized wife to Ayushmann Khurrana's character.
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The film not only solidified Bhumi-Ayushmann as a dependable onscreen pair but also established Bhumi as an A-league actress. She has not been seen in a YRF film since her debut but has chosen to mix it up with a wide range of banners, directors, and roles. However, she continues to be represented by YRF. Other noticeable debuts Farah, actress Tabu's sister, got her big break in Hindi cinema through Yash Chopra's 1985 directorial Faasle. She later appeared in several films till 2005 but could never break the glass ceiling like her younger sister did. Mandira Bedi and Parmeet Sethi were introduced as supporting actors in Aditya Chopra's iconic 1995 romantic drama Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. They played siblings and the quintessential third vertex in the love triangles involving the protagonists Simran (Kajol) and Raj (Shah Rukh Khan). While they continue to act in films, they have not really made it big in the industry. Parmeet was last seen in Ruchi Narain's Disney+ Hotstar show Hundred, and Mandira appeared in Sujeeth's 2019 multilingual action entertainer Saaho. The Mohabbatien brigade in 2000 saw Aditya Chopra introduce as many as four newcomers, including his younger brother Uday Chopra, Shamita Shetty, Kim Sharma, and Preeti Jhangiani. All of them formed a stellar ensemble, along with Jugal Hansraj, Jimmy Sheirgill, SRK, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Archana Puran Singh, Anupam Kher, and Helen. None of the newcomers are active actors today. Uday works in the backend of YRF, and was last noticeably seen in the Dhoom franchise. Shamita last appeared as a finalist in Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 10. In 2002, Tulip Joshi made her debut with Sanjay Gadhvi's romantic comedy Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai. However, she went into oblivion after Anant Mahadevan's 2004 film Dil Maange More, opposite Shahid Kapoor. The same year, Sandhya Mridul graduated from television to films with a supporting role in Shaad Ali's Saathiya. She has appeared sporadically on screen since then, and last appeared in Ajay Bahl's 2019 courtroom drama Section 375 in films and ALTBalaji and ZEE5 show Mentalhood. Sagarika Ghatge was lauded for her portrayal of Preeti Sabarwal, an ambitious Indian hockey player in Shimit Amin's 2006 sports drama Chak De! India, alongside SRK, who played the coach. She has appeared in a few films since then, and is now married to Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan. Gauhar Khan and Shazahn Padamsee made their debut together in Amin's 2009 film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, alongside Ranbir. Gauhar was last seen, in yet another corporate comedy, in the Hindi adaptation of The Office last year on Hotstar. Shazahn, however, was last seen way back in Sajid Khan's 2012 ensemble comedy Housefull 2. Meiyang Chang, who rose to fame with reality shows like Indian Idol and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, appeared in a few YRF films but was the most noticed in Badmaash Company. Saqib Saleem was introduced in Nupur Asthana's 2010 film Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, produced under Y Films. He has since then appeared in several noteworthy films like Karan Johar's short film in Bombay Talkies, Rohit Dhawan's 2016 film Dishoom, Remo D'Souza's 2018 action drama Race 3, and will be seen in Kabir Khan's sports drama 83 later this year. Shashank Arora and Shivani Raghuvanshi got a break in Kanu Behl's 2014 directorial debut Titli. They later reunited for Amazon Prime Video India Original show Made in Heaven last year. He last appeared in Geethu Mohandas' critically acclaimed gangster drama Moothon in 2019, and she was noticed in short film Devi earlier this year. The bad guys from the Mardaani franchise, Tahir Raj Bhasin and Vishal Jethwa, made remarkable debuts when they locked horns with Rani Mukerji's lead character. Both won awards for their breakthroughs, and Tahir later appeared in Nandita Das' 2018 critically acclaimed period drama Manto and Nitesh Tiwari's 2019 blockbuster Chhichhore. Unlikely acting turns Filmmaker Karan Johar and costume designer-cum-stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania made unexpected acting debuts as Raj and Simran's friends in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. This was three years before Johar made his directorial debut with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He, of course, later appeared in a few acting roles, most notably as the antagonist in Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet. Anaita continues to be an ace stylist, and made only one fleeting appearance as Saif Ali Khan's love interest Geeta in Nikkhil Advani's 2003 film Kal Ho Naa Ho. Stand-up comedian Abish Mathew played Ayushmann Khurrana's friend in Meri Pyaari Bindu. His role mostly seemed like an extension of his persona off-screen. He has not appeared in any film yet, and continues to be busy with his gigs and show Son of Abish. Read the full article
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ayshakhatunbda4 · 6 years
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তাহলে বাংলাদেশে কবে মুক্তি পাচ্ছে ভাইজান ও সুলতান? | Shakib Khan | Jeet | New Bangla Video Please Like Comment and subscribe our channel. Subscribe Us: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUUG53aYhOUb2pu4L7-tirg Facebook Fan Page: https://ift.tt/2HrC9CV Twitter: https://twitter.com/relaxmulti Google Plus: https://ift.tt/2kTyJjP Please Like , Comment , Share and subscribe our channel . Thank you for watching the video. Running News Multimedia is going to start a new one. I wish you cooperation. You are our friend, you always stand beside us. Show your friends on the video and like, comment. And share it on your facebook. You must subscribe to the channel to get new videos and press the call button to get new videos. ➤ Running News Multimedia videos show how it sounds. And if you want to watch videos on any topic, please tell us, we will try to make videos on your favorite topics. ➤ Health Tips, Bangla Love Story, Food Tips, Bangla News, Cooking Tips, Bangla Funky Jokes, Bangla Poetry, and more on video on this channel. Thank you. Please Like , Comment , Share and subscribe our channel . About== Sultan:The Saviour is an upcoming 2018 India-Bangladesh joint production Bengali language action thriller film directed by Raja Chanda. The film features Jeet, Bidya Sinha Saha Mim and Priyanka Sarkar in the leading roles. The film will release in West Bengal and Bangladesh in Eid 2018. Production== The movie was announced by Jeet through official Twitter handle of his production house on 16 February 2018. Shooting began on 21st February. The shooting takes place in Kolkata, Bangladesh and Bangkok. Jeet will play a character with different shades and Priyanka Sarkar will essay the role of his sister. This is is a big budget film, and the promotions are started. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (English translation: Brother Bajrangi) is an Indian Hindi-language drama film,[4] directed by Kabir Khan. Written by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad, the film was produced by Salman Khan and Rockline Venkatesh. It stars Salman Khan and Harshaali Malhotra, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Kareena Kapoor Khan in supporting roles. Salman Khan plays Bajrangi, an ardent devotee of Hindu deity Hanuman, who embarks on taking a mute six-year-old Pakistani girl (Malhotra), separated in India from her parents, back to her hometown in Pakistan. Made on a budget of ₹100 crore (US$15 million), the principal photography commenced in November 2014. The cinematography was done by Aseem Mishra and was edited by Rameshwar S. Bhagat. Julius Packiam composed the film score while the songs featured in the film were composed by Pritam. It became the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time.[5] In October 2015, the film was broadcast on Star Gold and became the most watched Bollywood movie in the history of television. It had 15.5 TRP in its world television premier, beating the previous record held by 3 Idiots.[6] The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 63rd National Film Awards.[7] The film was nominated for Best Film and Best Actor in the 61st Filmfare Awards, as well as other categories, and won the Filmfare Award for Best Story. It was also nominated for Best Foreign Film in China's 6th Douban Film Awards for 2015. Our Tag== shakib khan jeet shakib khan srabonti movie sultan the savior jeet new movie bangla news Bangladeshi news bangla news 2018 bangla news update latest bangla news film bangla new bangla movie media news health tips bhaijaan elo re eid new movie sultan movie eid news Please Like Comment and subscribe our channel. Please Like Comment and subscribe our channel. Please Like Comment and subscribe our channel. Please Like Comment and subscribe our channel. Please Like Comment and subscribe our channel. Thank you for watching the video. Running News Multimedia is going to start a new one. I wish you cooperation. You are our friend, you always stand beside us. Show your friends on the video and like, comment. And share it on your facebook. You must subscribe to the channel to get new videos and press the call button to get new videos. ➤ Running News Multimedia videos show how it sounds. And if you want to watch videos on any topic, please tell us, we will try to make videos on your favorite topics. ➤ Health Tips, Bangla Love Story, Food Tips, Bangla News, Cooking Tips, Bangla Funky Jokes, Bangla Poetry, and more on video on this channel. Thank you. Please Like Comment and subscribe our channel. Subscribe Us: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUUG53aYhOUb2pu4L7-tirg Facebook Fan Page: https://ift.tt/2HrC9CV Twitter: https://twitter.com/relaxmulti Google Plus: https://ift.tt/2kTyJjP Please Like , Comment , Share and subscribe our channel . Please Like , Comment , Share and subscribe our channel . Please Like , Comment , Share and subscribe our channel . by Running News Multimedia
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zarahatkenewsblog · 6 years
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14 बार फेल हुई एक्ट्रेस की प्रेग्नेंसी, फिर सरोगेसी से बनीं जुड़वां बच्चों की मां Comedian Krishna Abhishek and his wife Kashmira Shah are the parents of twin sons in May 2017. According to reports, children were born through surrogacy. Now there are reports that Krishna and Kashmeera are also a daughter to be appointed. "We want a baby girl for a long time and now we want to enter the small fairy in the house soon after the twin sons," Kashmiri told in an interview to an entertainment website. 14 times the pregnancy of Kashmiri failed ... Talking about children and pregnancy, Kashmiri said, "I have also made a distance from my work for family planning and have tried to persuade pregnancy for the last three years but this has not happened." It is very difficult when Naturally Pregnancy is not a conservative. Because of this my health was also down. For this, I resorted to IVF technology for children. " You will not believe that my 14 pregnancy attempts have failed. In this, I also resorted to IVF injection, which had increased my weight. " Later, it was difficult for me to lose weight. My waist was 24 to 32 and the phase was very painful for me but I did not give up. " The people who went in the meantime also make me these comments that I did not have a pregnancy for the figure but that's not the case. My every possible effort has been made. " I really want to thank the serogate mother, who gave birth to my children and suffered so much pain. " Salman Khan gave this idea to Kashmiri-Krishna There was talk of Salman Khan talking about Krishna and Kashmira's children. Even about the surrogacy of both Salman was the one who knew this thing first. Even a child's name is Sultan. Yes, the name of both sons of Kapal is Ryan and Krishank but Ryan is also called Sultan. Actually Ryan was not healthy during birth. In such a situation, he fought for a few days in life for the sake of life and at the young age he won. That's why he called Sultan. Kashmeera also said in the interview, "We can adopt the daughter too, and it can also be that I become pregnant. We definitely want to have a daughter in our house." "If God wanted, I might become pregnant, otherwise he can take the help of Sarogesi and if there is no such thing then we will do the adopt." Love Story of Bollywood star Govinda's nephew Krishna Abhishek and actress Kashmira Shah started in 2005. Both of them met for the first time in Jaipur during the shooting of their film 'Pappu Pas Ho Gaya'. In an interview, Krishna said, "Our love was started in Vanity van, it was night and we were sitting in the van, then the light went on. I asked what to do now, Kashmiri asked back, 'why Something to do! And in this way, we fell in love with each other. We had sex for the first time. " Krishna had revealed to his relation that Kashmiri was giving him a hint from the beginning. After the One Night Stand, they had some more carers. Later, he started bringing food from the house to Krishna. Let me tell you, Kashmiri married the first time by film producer Brad Liverman. In 2007, she married Krishna to divorce husband Brad. *********************************************************************************** Thanks For Watching This Video Subscribe For More Latest News & Update ZARA HATKE NEWS!! Visit Our Website :- http://zarahatkenews.com Subscribe Us for Latest News & Updates Zara hatke News Web Sites Logon to https://khabrezarahatke.blogspot.in/ Watch this Video. https://goo.gl/1zQ4oD Watch this video. https://goo.gl/xaVdx9 Watch this Video. https://goo.gl/MKRhaa Watch this Video. https://goo.gl/J1yPZY Watch this Video. https://goo.gl/3cAzav Zara Hatke is one of the Trending News Chanel on Youtube to Provide original news to the Audience, The News About the Trending Topics Like Breaking News, Politics, Sports, Dharmik, Social, and many More Topics of the News and also some Live Events For More Updates SubScribe Our Chanel Now Like Our Official Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Zara-Hatke-1940750756181144/ For More Updates Press the Bell icon to get Immediate Notification of any New Video Here are the New way to Derived News at home for the Topics like Sports News, Bollywood News, Viral News, Live News, Hot News, Comedy News, Serious News, Crime News, Breaking News, Business Releted News, Community like Jio Airtel Vodafone Idea Etc Pure in Hindi
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investmart007 · 6 years
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NEW DELHI | Indian court grants bail to Bollywood superstar Salman Khan
New Post has been published on https://goo.gl/c6J3ks
NEW DELHI | Indian court grants bail to Bollywood superstar Salman Khan
NEW DELHI|April 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News)  A court on Saturday granted bail to Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who is appealing his conviction on charges of poaching rare deer in a wildlife preserve two decades ago.
Khan was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison on the charges and was immediately sent to jail. Judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi ordered him to sign a surety bond of 50,000 rupees ($770) on Saturday before he could be set free in Jodhpur, a town in western India.
He was likely to be released from jail later Saturday.
Khan’s overjoyed fans danced outside the courtroom and chanted “We love you, Salman.”
Khan’s sisters, Alvira and Arpita, were present during the hearing.
His attorney Mahesh Bora has challenged the conviction and sentence, and Khan will remain pending the outcome of the appeal.
Four other Bollywood stars also accused in the case — Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam — were acquitted by Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri on Thursday. They were in the jeep that Salman Khan was believed to be driving during the hunt in 1998. Tabu and Neelam both use just one name.
Khan says he did not shoot the two black buck deer. The heavily muscled actor was acquitted in two related cases.
The 52-year-old Khan has starred in more than 90 Hindi-language films. But he has also had a reputation as a Bollywood bad boy, known for his run-ins with the law — including a fatal car accident — and his troubled relationships with women.
His biggest Hindi films include “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (I have fallen in love),” ”Sultan (Ruler),” ”Ek Tha Tiger (There was a tiger),” and “Tiger Zinda Hai (Tiger is alive).”
Khan spent a total of 18 days in prison in 1998, 2006 and 2007 in the poaching cases, but was freed on bail. He had been sentenced to prison terms of between one and five years in related cases before being acquitted by appeals courts for lack of evidence.
The blackbuck is an endangered species protected under the Indian Wildlife Act.
The Bishnoi, a religious sect whose beliefs include worshipping nature and wildlife, and who have long protected the blackbuck deer, expressed disappointment at the acquittal of the four actors.
Khan has faced other charges in the past. In 2014, the Mumbai High Court acquitted him in a drunken-driving, hit-and-run case, after he was accused of running over five men sleeping on a sidewalk in 2002, killing one of them.
The judges found that prosecutors had failed to prove charges of culpable homicide.
The government of Maharashtra state has challenged that acquittal in the Supreme Court.
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By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)
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In the wake of the controversy around the movie Padmavati, BJP MLA Ram Kadam, who heads Film Studio Setting and Allied Majdoor Union, said on Wednesday that their union would not support anyone, who distorts history for publicity. Kadam added they would demand a ban, if need be.Speaking to ANI, Kadam said, “We will take decision this afternoon. Our union will not support a person who distorts history for the publicity of his film and will demand a ban if needed. If director (Sanjay Leela) Bhansali does not agree (to cut some scenes), our union will not let him shoot any film in the future.” Earlier in the day, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti urged the Central Board of Film Certification to not issue a censor certificate to ‘Padmavati’ until the filmmakers delete “objectionable” scenes from the film. “During the ancient times, women born in noble Hindu families never used to dance before the society; on the contrary, they used to fight with swords and make the enemy dance in the battle fields. Despite such a glorious history, Bhansali has shown queen Padmavati dancing,” the organisation said. Turning down Bhansali’s clarification on a scene between Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji, it asked the director to show the film in the presence of the representatives of the Hindu organisations. On Tuesday, the Indian Film and TV Directors Association held a press conference to extend support to the film and Bhansali. The period drama, slated to hit the theatres on December 1, stars Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, Shahid Kapoor as Maha Rawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji. The Rediff.com : 15th. Nov,17
BJP MLA RAM KADAM SAID : “WOULD NOT SUPPORT ANYONE WHO DISTORTS HISTORY” In the wake of the controversy around the movie Padmavati, BJP MLA Ram Kadam, who heads Film Studio Setting and Allied Majdoor Union, said on Wednesday that their union would not support anyone, who distorts history for publicity.
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salmankhanholics · 6 years
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★ “Salman Khan is the ROCKY and RAMBO of Bollywood” – Ali Abbas Zafar !
Faridoon Shahryar | Nov 8, 2017
The promo of Tiger Zinda Hai is getting an insane response. Writer Director Ali Abbas Zafar in a worldwide exclusive with Bollywood Hungama‘s Faridoon Shahryar opens up in detail about his film that has displayed an international class. Ali speaks about Salman Khan‘s star power, the hard working Katrina Kaif, the exotic locations that blazed with heat, the music of the film and how he convinced Girish Karnad sahab to act in the film.
The promo of Tiger Zinda Hai is far bigger than what the posters promised. And if this is the trailer toh film kya hone wali hai. Is it a conscious decision to take a film like this to many notches higher than Sultan?
Well I didn’t feel that was the reason I made Tiger Zinda Hai. I always feel that the scale of the film comes from the story. The most important part of Tiger Zinda Hai is that even before it became a sequel, first I wrote the story and I had no idea it will go and become Tiger Zinda Hai. I just wrote a story and it was inspired by real events and it happened in 2014. There was so much press coverage of it and there were so many political meetings about it. And I thought that those nurses getting kidnapped and captured was a very interesting chapter. It was a completely individual story than a Tiger Zinda Hai sequel. I shared the story with Aditya Chopra while we were shooting Sultan and he said what are you doing after this and I said I don’t know. So he said koi kahani hai? And I kind of shared the story with him. He said the story is very good. And when Sultan released he said ab kya karna hai? So I told him the same story as a Tiger sequel, and he started smiling and he said that’s a smart one. I think both Katrina and Salman came on board because they felt that the story was worth telling in a genre that I want to tell. It’s an action drama, it’s a spy espionage but what triggers the entire genre is the story. That is what brings scale to the film. When I wrote the entire script and took it to Adi, first thing he did was take a breath and said that we have to mount it like an international film. He told me you can’t make it look like a substandard film, get the crew from entire world, find the best crew to execute it. So when you see the trailer and the film you’ll see that we put detailed attention to how that country looks. A country that is in the middle of a war, as the film is triggered by a real story we kept the tone of the film very real. Salman’s Tiger character and Katrina Kaif’s character will give you the flamboyance of a hero and a heroine but they are still contained. They are not like Superhero and Wonder woman, they are real and emotional.  There is a reason why they are on that mission, their internal chemistry and what’s going on between the two of them. Characters from the first part are there, then there are new characters, the cast is from all around the world, Iran Abu Dabi, Dubai, UK, America. It’s an ensemble cast.
A film becomes a talking point because of its topic. This film is not only about guns blazing and high octane action. You are having references to ISIS, turmoil of middle-east, trailer starts of from Iraq for that matter. You mention Pakistani agent and Katrina Kaif comes into the picture. You are talking about brotherhood across the world. How crucial was it to tie all the ends together?
I think as a story teller and a film maker, one needs to have clarity on why you are making a film! There’s a line in the film which sums up the plot which is “Aaj dunia ko ek hee cheez ki zarurat hai, aur woh hai insaaniyat”. Whenever there will be a fight between right and wrong, humanity will be at stake. Where are we taking this world to? That is the general broadline stroke of the film. We talk about emotions at a very human level. We are not talking about the political side of it. As soon as the things become political people start taking sides. What we are taking sides is that there is a story about these girls, they get kidnapped and as a human what would be my duty to get those people out of there or not. And obviously as a trained agent there is a respect to the country and duty is bigger than everything. Patriotism is important for the country. It’s a mix of a lot of emotions and at the same time the key story is about this rescue mission where these agents are going to go and get you out of there.
Salman Khan did Tubelight. It also spoke about humanity but the film didn’t do well at the Box Office. How crucial is it for Salman Khan after Tubelight to make a big comeback in terms of Box-Office?
Well obviously I have a lot of pressure on Tiger Zinda Hai. It’s a sequel of a very successful film. It has Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in it. They are both very big stars plus I did Sultan with him which made a lot of money at the box-office. So there is a lot of pressure, but hit or flop is a part of our game. No one knows what’s going to work at the box office till the time it really comes out. As film makers we can only believe in stories which we want to see and there is a certain way of presenting those stories. I never went to film school, most of my schooling happened at the cinema where I went to theatres watching films in Dehradun. I always believed that every star that I saw in the theatre had certain strengths like Salman had certain strength, Aamir Khan had a certain strength, Mr. Bachchan had some strength and SRK’s strength is different. I like celebrating Salman as Salman and I am very honest about it. One of my favourite films while growing up was Karan Arjun; he was brilliant in that film. The way he has done Tere Naam, I was in college when it came out. Tiger, Wanted and even Dabangg for that matter. Sultan was an ode to his stardom. What I feel is that if you humanize Salman Khan, his impact is more at the box-office and even his reach. So even when his fans find out that he has a heart and even he gets hit, but when he rises it will be the biggest comeback. So we have to create stories around him where you find that the character resonates Salman Khan’s persona. There is no one who can carry a name like tiger better than Salman Khan. He is very charismatic. Like I always say if there is one guy who is Rocky and Rambo in the industry that’s Salman Khan.  There is no other actor who can look like Rambo other than Salman Khan. He has his own charisma, style and swag. When he is little self-brooding you know, he speaks less but when he speaks it’s nice because he has lovely voice. There is different charisma of the way he speaks his line and that’s what people love about him. I like him like that and I always say that if I am doing a film with Salman Khan, I have to have moments like these. If I am not an audience of my own film, I don’t know how many people would be an audience of my film. My understanding of him as an actor is that you know I will write a scene and every morning I will go to his van and I will tell him to see and he will tell me 2 or 3 things and we will discuss and then we will find this ground where there is a great balance between the character and Salman Khan. He doesn’t work on the rhythm of what I write and I think that’s where both of us have now found the space where I know I have to respect the stardom that he holds and that this is character that his stardom has to fit into. That up till now is working like magic with him.
One other notable part of the film is the look. Colour tone is prominent and it’s a dessert colour look. Was that a conscious decision?
Ya the thing is that, when we make films that are set in certain set ups, for example a war country, we need to do enough research to portray how those countries look on camera. We were fortunate enough that we wanted to capture summer of Iraq. We shot most of our film in Morocco and a huge part in Abu Dhabi where we recreated the set. Luckily we were there in the peak of Summer. So half of the tone that you see on camera is the natural tone which was captured while shooting. So I did not have to do much in post to get that tone.  Lot of times there is sweat on actors’ face that is real sweat because the temperatures were 50 degree Celsius. There are certain films which require budget for projection; Tiger Zinda Hai is amongst those films where budget has gone to make a film look a certain way. We have recreated a water on city in Abu Dabi. 3000 people were working day and night to create that set. It was the biggest set that we put outside India. There was no way we could go to Iraq. The research happened through people who I know who stay there. But majorly it was how we recreate it, how we set design it, how we costume design it and how we shoot it. Most of my crew was international and specially people who have worked in those terrains. My production designers, my costume designers everyone. My action designers are from LA. All started from the script, all read the script and the kind of the stand that the script took towards the end of the film all thought it is the kind of film they all want to be a part of. The energy just changes when you know that you are doing something worth telling.
Background score is playing an important part. It’s almost a character in the film. How many songs?
Obviously in an espionage drama theme is the most important thing and I think Ek Tha Tiger had a very strong background score. Julius and I are very close, he has done work in all my films and when we came to this one I thought we need to do a rendition of a theme. People are liking the background score because we did a very bizarre thing. We mixed the whole brass section which is like this old school James Bond style with a very electro riff. It’s an amalgamation of two schools which kind of sits on the bed of those backgrounds. It has this old school brass section which is playing the riff and it changes to new EDM distorted rough mix which kind of complements Iraq. It took a lot of time. Vishal Shekhar produced entire music for the song that’s going to come out in an album. I love the music. There are 5 songs which they have created. 2 of them are very beautiful songs and we hope that people will like them.
Finally something about Girish Karnad sahab. He wasn’t well but you still convinced him to be a part of the film.
Because he is the RAW chief and it’s a sequel. He is a brilliant actor and there are no two ways about it. But he is not keeping well, we wish him well. The kind of person he is, he is a fighter. He has a problem with his respiratory system and he needs a continuous flow of oxygen in his nose. When I approached him he told me I am not keeping well. I asked what has happened. He said I have to carry this oxygen pack with me even when I sleep so it has become difficult for me to travel. I said do you want to do it? He said I want to do it. I like acting. I don’t want to say no to you like that. I said we’ll make you as comfortable as possible. He said send me the script. So when he read the script he said I want to do it. I said are you sure? He told that I have taken a decision and I will make sure I’ll come and do it. He plays an important part and so it’s good to see him. An actor of that calibre and Salman Khan come from very different schools but they gel brilliantly on camera. Salman loves him and respects him a lot.
quotes from bollywood hungama
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zarahatkenewsblog · 6 years
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भारत' में कुछ ऐसे नजर आएंगे सलमान, शुरु हुई शूटिंग Salman, who was released on bail from a black deer hunting case, has once again been busy shooting for his upcoming films. His next film 'Bharat' has started shooting and the first photo of the film has also been revealed from the set. Director Ali Abbas Zafar has shared a photo set of the film on Twitter. Salman's face is hidden in it. Tagging Salman, Ali tweeted, "And India has started. Man's journey with a country. Zafar also said in the tweet that the film will be released on Eid this year. In his last tweet, it was written that the pre-production of Salman's upcoming movie 'India' is in the works. We are in full swing about the preparations of India. You will soon find interesting information related to it. This is Zafar's third film with Salman. Earlier, Salman has worked with him in 'Sultan' and 'Tiger Jinda Hai'. It is believed that the film is Inspire from South Korean Movie 'Odi to My Father' which was released in India 2014. Let us tell that Zafar had shared a video in the past, in which Salman was seen flipping in the air while flipping the back. This video is about the time of shooting the film Sultan. Salman's heroine in 'India' will be Priyanka Chopra. Priyanka is currently in America and she will soon come to India for the shooting of India. Before that, news of Katrina Kaif being revealed in the film was coming out, but recently a film critic tweeted, "It has become official, Priyanka Chopra will star in the movie" India ". Please tell that this is one of Salman's most expensive films. Its budget is about Rs 180 crore. Salman and Priyanka together have three films. Among them, I will marry, God Tussi Gret Ho and Salaam-e-Ishq. *********************************************************************************** Thanks For Watching This Video Subscribe For More Latest News & Update ZARA HATKE NEWS!! Subscribe Us for Latest News & Updates Zara hatke News Web Sites Logon to https://khabrezarahatke.blogspot.in/ Watch this Video. https://goo.gl/1zQ4oD Watch this video. https://goo.gl/xaVdx9 Watch this Video. https://goo.gl/MKRhaa Watch this Video. https://goo.gl/J1yPZY Watch this Video. https://goo.gl/3cAzav Zara Hatke is one of the Trending News Chanel on Youtube to Provide original news to the Audience, The News About the Trending Topics Like Breaking News, Politics, Sports, Dharmik, Social, and many More Topics of the News and also some Live Events For More Updates SubScribe Our Chanel Now Like Our Official Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Zara-Hatke-1940750756181144/ For More Updates Press the Bell icon to get Immediate Notification of any New Video Here are the New way to Derived News at home for the Topics like Sports News, Bollywood News, Viral News, Live News, Hot News, Comedy News, Serious News, Crime News, Breaking News, Business Releted News, Community like Jio Airtel Vodafone Idea Etc Pure in Hindi
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