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halliescomut · 11 months

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Our Dining Table: Costuming Analysis

Alright…week 3..4?? of me begging you to watch Our Dining Table. No spoilers in this one, I actually wanna talk about one of my favorite underrated things in TV shows…wardrobe and costuming.

I’m going to be focused on the wardrobe of Minoru and Yutaka, but I’ll also touch on Tane and Koji (who I may also call Papa).

Wardrobe is one of the most fascinating things to me about film and television, but it is especially important in television (I think) because TV shows more often show a day-to-day story. There may be time jumps, but in general you’re following these characters through daily life. Character costuming is intended to not stand out unless that’s the point (see Tankhun) but instead add additional dimension to each character and enhance the information being presented by the script, actors, and director.

Looking at Yutaka first, what we know about Yutaka is that he is fairly simple, not very gregarious, quite kind, and from a monetarily privileged upbringing. He works a steady job, I would imagine likely has a college degree, and while he may be a mid-level employee, he’s probably making a decent salary. His clothing you see throughout the show is often simple, we don’t see loud patterns or a lot of color, he generally sticks with neutrals across the board, which makes it simpler for him to build perfectly fine outfits. His clothing is generally very neat, seems to most often be natural fibers, making it comfortable to an extent. It also appears to be more on the expensive end, not designer, but not Walmart.

So, what does this tell us about Yutaka? He’s not really interested in appearing fashionable, his clothing allows him to blend in, not be noticed, which we’ve seen is kind of his preference. He takes pride in looking well put together but doesn’t necessarily want to put in a large amount of effort. The natural fibers tell us that comfort matters a bit more than style, but also that he’s not going out of his way to buy something markedly expensive. Touching back on the expense, with his history and being from a fairly privileged family, my interpretation (which is based on experience with friends) is that he’s not seeking out buying expensive clothing for prestige, but more just shopping at the stores he’s used to going to, the stores his parents would have taken him to. A secondary benefit is that he’s buying higher quality clothing that with care is going to last him a fairly long time, which means less having to shop for replacements.

Moving to Minoru, but also the Ueda family as a whole. They’re clearly a working-class family, but may not be financially struggling, but more just coasting to a certain extent. The family as a whole wears some brighter colors, mostly Tane by the simple fact that he’s a child and children’s clothing is often colorful. I’m not going to say their clothing is unfashionable, because that’s too much of a subjective term, but more I’ll say that it’s serviceable, especially the adults. Papa and Minoru both wear comfortable basic clothing items, rarely anything ‘fancy’. We don’t see slacks, or neatly pressed clothing, just comfortable basics. Minoru tends to stick with cargo pants, jeans and sweats, with cotton t-shirts and hoodies. Any of these items could be looked at and seen as well used, or possibly even purchased secondhand. In Minoru’s case specifically, it’s likely that much of the clothing is pieces he’s had for several years, as he’s a young adult and isn’t having to purchase new items to accommodate for regular growth spurts.

So, what does this say about Minoru? Comfort is high on his level of importance with his clothing. While his clothing is always clean, not in need of repair, or clearly mended, which indicates that he takes care of his clothes, but also doesn’t feel pressed to make a single item last as long as possible. Again, with the natural fibers, which promotes the individual comfort of the wearer, but also conveys a sense of comfort and softness to the viewer. We’re far more likely to think of someone as comforting wearing a soft, worn sweatshirt versus an itchy wool sweater. By their ages, which are fairly similar, we do also see Minoru looking slightly more juvenile, which could be indicative of him continuing to wear clothing from his teen years because it’s still in perfectly good condition for wear. What look to be the newest items he wears are his coats and jackets and his uniform at the ramen shop, which you can attribute to a combination of outerwear generally being worn less often, meaning less wear and tear, and the likelihood that his uniform is provided by his employer, and therefore replaced whenever it’s worn to a point where they deem it unwearable.

Looking at Tane, his style matches that of his father and brother in that he’s seen wearing very comfortable clothes. There’s occasionally some mismatching going on, which for his age (I’m guessing around 6) could be just because he’s dressing himself or because Minoru and Papa don’t care if he’s mismatched…or both honestly. His clothes, noticeably to me, look to be slightly better quality than what we see on Minoru. They also obviously look newer, but Tane is likely only just getting to the stage where his growth has plateaued to the point that he might wear out an item of clothing before he grows out of it. I also don’t see much cohesion in the styles or themes of his clothes, which to me implies that they’re letting Tane pick a lot of his clothing in the store, versus them picking it out. Generally, when parents purchase clothing for their kids, they stick to the colors and styles that they themselves feel comfortable in. Going off Minoru that would mean Tane in sportswear like sweatshirts, track pants, etc.; maybe jeans but with limited funds, items with more give, would be preferable. Tane also has some ‘nicer’ clothing as well, not necessarily formal, but whatever the child equivalent of business casual would be (I would call them church clothes).

So, what can we read from Tane’s clothing? It’s in good condition, fits well, contains a few what I would call department store pieces, which are slightly more expensive than what we see on Minoru and Papa. This indicates he’s well cared for and that new good quality clothing for him is prioritized over other members of the household. The mismatching, and not so cohesiveness of the wardrobe overall indicates that he’s probably allowed to pick his own clothing and outfits regularly. In some cases, combined with other things, this could indicate lack of adult involvement, but here it’s mostly likely meant to imply that Minoru and Koji are encouraging Tane’s independence, and helping him learn to be self-sufficient (which is in line with general cultural norms of Japan).

Papa, or Koji, now we get to a little more fun. Of all the characters, Koji’s wardrobe and costuming is the most interesting to me and generally the most interesting to look at. His wardrobe, like the rest of the Ueda family is comfortable, well-worn, but also includes far more traditional Japanese cultural pieces than Minoru and Tane, who wear majority 'western’ styles. His clothing is often mismatched outside of the occasions where we see him wearing a full outfit. The styles we see of western clothing is along more classical lines, as opposed to ‘trendy’ pieces.

Looking at what this information is meant to impart, we see some repetition of course, the desire for comfort over being fashionable, serviceable clothing that shows wear as well as care. The inclusion of traditional Japanese clothing pieces emphasizes the generational divide, but also I think serves as an intentional counterpoint to Papa’s clearly accepting nature. As this is a queer story, the audience would have some concern over the possibility of him not accepting Minoru and Yutaka’s relationship. The mismatching outside of full outfits that don’t require decision-making to match, tells us that Koji doesn’t particularly care about looking ‘good’ especially while at home, as we actually only see him in the Ueda house. The classic styles of his western clothing I think serve a two-fold purpose. The most important is I think an indication of how he is able to be both traditional and modern in his mindset. He can respect and appreciate the traditions and styles of his culture and want to keep those alive without perpetuating outdated discrimination. A common phrase you see in the western vintage clothing community is “Vintage clothing not vintage values”, which I think gets my point across a little better and definitely more succinctly. The second purpose is that it makes it difficult to determine when a piece would have been bought. Take the polo shirt he’s wearing- the viewer would have no way of knowing if it was purchased in 1984, 2006, or 2019 outside of physically inspecting it (and having a remarkably in-depth knowledge of polo shirts). We also wouldn’t know if it was purchased new, at a discount shop, or second-hand.

I’m going to make a brief stopover to talk about Yutaka’s adoptive family, just to give some context. All dress very similarly to Yutaka, expensive, higher-end clothing, but not ostentatious. They follow a similar muted color palette of mostly neutrals as well. I would note that Yuki’s clothing is more well-fitted than Yutaka’s perhaps not tailored, or not always tailored, but probably actively tried on in stores where Yutaka would likely just buy the size he knows usually fits and if it’s a little loose who cares. Bottom line is Yuki is a man who strikes me as someone who knows what his inseam length is while Yutaka may not even know what an inseam is.

The Evolution of Yutaka’s clothing through the series

Yutaka’s sense of fashion doesn’t necessarily change, but you can see a progression in him through his clothing. We get a sense of two Yutaka’s in the beginning: work Yutaka and off-duty Yutaka. His work attire is as expected, your standard salaryman suit with an assortment of bland ties. Occasionally he wears a sweater as well, which makes sense as it’s winter. Off duty Yutaka wears jeans, though nice ones, not worn, no decorative rips, with sweaters and occasionally a button-up as well. We only see him in ‘comfortable’ clothing at home. The first time Minoru sees him in ‘comfortable’ clothing is episode 5, when Tane spills something on his shirt and Minoru gives him a sweatshirt to wear. Seeing Yutaka in that style of clothing is him becoming more comfortable with Minoru. He’s okay with Minoru seeing him at ‘less than his best’. We see it again in the next episode with Minoru coming to take care of a sick Yutaka at his home.

The ‘comfy’ clothes indicate Yutaka’s willingness to be vulnerable in Minoru’s presence. We also see a progression from mostly blacks, whites, and greys to more colors. We start with blue, which makes sense to me, as it’s not outside of Yutaka’s comfort zone, but it’s also a color we see a lot of in the Ueda house. This is a visual indication that Yutaka is not only welcome there, but fits in. He can belong there. I feel it also shows Yutaka becoming a bit braver over the course of the show as well. In our most recent episode, we see our biggest leap-- THE YELLOW SWEATER.

Interestingly he wears this sweater to his parent’s house. Seeing him in that space…he doesn’t fit in there anymore. That house is all cool-tone neutrals, but that’s not Yutaka anymore. He’s come to life. And do we even need to talk about the metaphor of him taking off the neutral greige jacket and showing that sunshine yellow underneath? Right before he reveals to his brother that he’s found his place, that he’s found himself??? He’s not going through the motions of trying to fit in, he’s not attempting to blend into the background. Oh! It’s beautiful!! Not to mention we see Tane in yellow throughout the show, which I believe makes the yellow sweater a little bit of a nod to Tane’s youthful kind spirit helping bring life to Yutaka.

In a final wrap up I want to discuss what is one of my favorite things to see in serialized television and that is outfit repeating…or at least clothing pieces repeating. It’s not something you see a lot of in television, though you see it more in long running or serialized television in the west, because wardrobe and costuming can be expensive. But I specifically appreciate it when you’re dealing with working-class characters. It’s impractical for a character who supposedly depends on their job to live to have an entire new outfit every single day. Having limited wardrobes for characters and showing items worn repeatedly adds to the realism of a show. It also enables you to add personality. As in real life a character would wear their favorite items of clothing a bit more often. We see Yutaka repeat whole outfits, which probably means that he’s not really thinking about making unique fashion choices, but instead just knows what goes together to look presentable. With Minoru you see different items of clothing repeated but never a whole outfit (outside of his work uniform). But you also don’t see anything that looks contrived or like an attempt at a fashionable or cohesive outfit, which indicates a lack of concern about fashion, but also a lack of concern of other’s perception. He doesn’t care what other people think about the way he dresses; it just isn’t something that has occurred to him at all.

Well, I hope you enjoyed. I don’t know if this will have encouraged you to watch the show, but I certainly hope you will.

NOTE: Many pics were pulled from various posts here, and I wanted to give credit. Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4, Link 5, Link 6, Link 7, Link 8, Link 9, Link 10, Link 11, Link 12, Link 13, Link 14

#Our Dining Table #yutaka x minoru #minoru x yutaka #bokura no shokutaku #Our Dining Table Meta #Wardrobe and Costuming #This post is 2300+ words #Japanese BL

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hologramcowboy · 1 year

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https://startefacts.com/news/ready-set-aww-danneel-ackles-reveals-how-she-knew-jensen-was-the-one_a136

This whole article is actually gross. Romanticizing her forcing an unscripted kiss to shoot her shot it gross.

Being the confident woman that she is, she decided to kiss Jensen in one of the scenes, even though "that was not scripted."

The scene in question is the one at the end of the movie where Tish (Danneel's character) walks up to Priestly (played by Jensen) and gives him a kiss.

According to the actress, Jensen knew that the kiss was not in the script. No wonder Priestly looks so (pleasantly) surprised in that scene! Who wouldn't be?

Danneel said that the reason for her girlbossing was that she just understood that she "had to do something else, or it would be too late." This is a clear example of feminism working for you, folks!

Kissing someone when they aren’t expecting it and you aren’t sure if they want it while you’re on camera doing your job is not “girlbossing” and it defiantly is NOT feminism. It’s the exact thing men do to women all the time and people point out how wrong it is. There is nothing cute about this story. What makes it worse it that it’s not even completely factual. I mean, maybe that was their first kiss, I don’t know, but the fact that this gross story is what they have chosen as their lie? Tells you all you need to know about them as individuals and a couple.

I can debunk her claim easily and so can anyone in touch with the industry:

As an Actor/Actress there is no universe in which it is okay to make any type of intimate move towards your co-star prior to setting boundaries during rehearsal and asking for their clear definite permission and limits. I repeat, invading personal space, suddenly touching, kissing etc your scene partner by surprise is strictly forbidden and the #metoo movement has plenty of stories that prove my point. Again, no professional actor will EVER invade their scene partner's space or boundaries. Unless they are a creep or lack balance. Even if your co star likes you or is your friend, spouse, whatever, when it comes to acting boundaries are everything and everything is talked about prior during rehearsal and most of the time in the presence of an intimacy coach. So, not sure why these people are publicizing this story, all it shows is that Jensen got harassed on set. That poor man gets objectified and preyed upon so often he ended up thinking that's what love is. This is endlessly sad.

Secondly, this script was written by a woman for a woman centered audience, in which universe do you all think the kiss was not written? Please find a copy of the script.

Thirdly, if the kiss was unplanned why did the camera perfectly frame and capture it? 🤣 Were the crew men psychic? 🤦🏼‍♀️ I mean, I get wanting to level up the Ackles image because they have zero credibility, affability and chemistry but Danneel, if you are going to lie about something to make yourself look good once again at Jensen's expense, at least do your research. Any coach, director, casting director, etc. etc. will tell you straight off that touching, insinuating, kissing, etc all gestures, choices that invade personal space and boundaries are a huge no no without consent. I am so appalled that people are publicizing this. Do you all even realize the negative message you are sending to Actors everywhere? They already have very little to feel safe about, please don't add to it and instead of buying into whatever crap Danneel tries to sell, do your research. Research is King.

Let me reinforce this once more: If you overstep boundaries of your fellow actors (I don't f* care if they are your spouse, brother, cousin, etc), you should get professional help before ever stepping unto a stage/set/audition room floor again. You are what is deeply wrong with this industry. Finally, while Jensen is endlessly beautiful, he does not deserve to be treated like a fish you are trying to catch, Danneel, you are just like any other obsessed fan girl, you view him as an object so much so you kissed him forcefully. ( Yet again you prove you have no love in you). Also, you were set to marry Riley so if YOU chose to forcefully kiss Jensen you chose to willfully betray the man that was the supposed love of your life at the time without a second thought, without scruples. IF the kiss thing is true, because, as stated above, I highly, highly doubt it was not scripted and have very valid reasons to think so.

Moral of the story is: next time you feel like lying, remember there are professional people who have experience in your field, that will see you for the pitiful impostor you are.

#anti danneel ackles #anti danneel #anti jenneel

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impromptu-sketches · 10 months

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Because nobody asked, here’s an example of why I love Giovanni so much - especially compared to some other common BL tops that are also presidents/directors at their company.

First, relatable ¯\(ツ)/¯

Second, he literally just wants to go home to be with his new lover ♡♡

In the beginning, Giovanni is kind of shown as a common BL top trope: rich president with a bad personality - also seductive and stubborn.

But unlike others, Giovanni doesn’t really care about his status or wealth that much. He’s shown to be a huge giver to the people he loves, mainly to Felix and Felix’s family, and he doesn’t use his position to get things unfairly.

(slight spoiler in this paragraph) - When bad things happen out of his control and Felix gets hurt/is in trouble, he literally gives up his COMPANY for Felix in order to protect him. Idk about you, but other characters would just kill someone, threaten someone, or use their connections to get what they want. But Giovanni? He didn’t have a lot of options and he chose to give away -everything- he worked so hard for. And that means a LOT when you know that Giovanni was an orphan and has the chronic disease of always being cold - always being uncomfortable (which kind of explains some of his bad personality because I too am a bit snappy when I’m freezing cold for a long time, kind of like being hangry. But I digress). Yes, he was adopted into a nice family and his brother is also a president of a company who has his back - and he does use that to get into a new position - but that’s motivated by him wanting to keep an eye on the person who hurt Felix!! Before that, you see him and his brother working together and keeping work completely separate from their relationship, he even declined a project to Giovanni’s company and Giovanni was like ‘it can’t be helped.’ Just saying, he’s not one to abuse his power (unless it’s to help or protect someone else).

He is just so down to earth and where other characters choose questionable methods, he gives what he can give in order to protect the one he loves. And honestly, this is just a reflection of his whole personality. He's very ‘I don’t care about anyone or anything but you’ and I love that about him ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)

I could go on... and I will.

Thirdly, when you think about Giovanni’s past, it’s actually so sad. His family abandoned him when he was young because of his condition, he was an orphan, got adopted into a nice family, and worked his way up to be president of a company. But for his whole life he can’t feel warmth at all. He even gets bullied because of his condition. So he goes through life cold, freezing, and as far as we know, pretty much alone. He does have his family but from what we see in the story he only interacts with his brother Leo, and that’s mainly through work and Leo calling to check up on him. Multiple times Giovanni threatens to never speak to him again if he oversteps (little bit dramatic if you ask me). He lives alone in a huge place - Felix even points it out, ‘no wonder he��s so cold in a place like this.’ It’s shown that he’s not that close to his subordinates at work or anyone else in his life.

~ Until he meets Felix ~ But it’s hilarious that Felix was just like ‘I love you, please go out with me’ and Giovanni was like... ‘nah, not interested.’ And it was only when they touched hands and he felt warmth for the first time that he gave Felix any attention.

I mean, when Felix first approaches him, Giovanni is drinking alone at a bar, not looking like he’s in a good mood. When Felix tries to sit with him and flirt he shuts him down and leaves looking annoyed. But when their hands touch, he feels warmth and so he gives in.

The story starts there and as the story goes on we see that the only person he cares about, really the only close person in his life is Felix.

(spoilers in this paragraph) - Felix on the other hand, has his mother and sister and is basically being threatened to do what he’s doing to keep them safe. And later we learn that Giovanni picks up on this and - thanks to the persistence of his brother - learns that Felix is using him. And he lets him. Mostly because he doesn’t want to give up that warmth he -finally- feels in his life. Also because he starts having feelings for Felix, but they’re really one in the same. He finally feels warmth, he finally feels love, he finally receives love. It’s no wonder that a large plot later on is that he’s worried Felix will leave him.

I also think it’s the cutest thing that Giovanni has Felix’s contact saved as ‘Miracle ♥’ and has this photo of him sleeping as his background

♡*:.。ღ˘◡˘ற.。.:*♡

In conclusion, I love Giovanni

#hold me tight #hold me tight manhwa #giovanni x felix #giovanni ma #felix gi #nabit #hold me tight season 1

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pink-strawberry-kissess · 1 year

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Ok I just want to put my thoughts on the whole Leon should be with someone “healthier” and “better” for him. &The thing with that is if Leon wanted that, Capcom had so many opportunities to do so. Not to say Leon didn’t try, but there was a 6 year period after RE2 that Ada wasn’t around, and within that period there was a point where Leon believed her to be dead and then finds out she’s alive. Hypothetically let’s say he did want to be with Claire, he had the time & opportunity to and still didn’t, clearly they’re just friends. But generally, that goes for anyone he could have formed a relationship with during that period. Especially for the period he didn’t believe her to be alive, bc I’ve seen people act like if Ada were to just disappear completely now, then all of a sudden he could just totally forget about her, will go running into the arms of someone “better”, and his trauma will be fixed 🤪. That scenario literally existed, he had the opportunities, and it STILL didn’t happen.

Now fast forward to after RE4 where Leon sees her again face to face alive and well, all the relationships he could’ve had 1 year after in Degeneration or 2 years after in Infinite Darkness also never stuck. (I don’t count the scene where Claire falls on top of Leon in Infinite Darkness bc Stephanie Panisello said it was her idea and asked the movie crew to add it for the Cleon shippers as it wasn’t in the original script). And then at some point after, it’s confirmed that in 2009 they spent time together, but who knows how long they’ve been in contact prior to that, I just think there must have been a lot of prior interaction that developed over time before jumping straight into “that night”. Like I know a lot if us can’t help on focus on the “that night” part but in the article where Shotaro Suga mentions romantic dinner/hotel/motel room night, but I’m over here thinking so much about the “romantic dinner” part lol bc it’s beyond just them wanting to sleep with each other, they actually cared to spend quality time together, like what did they eat, what did they wear, what did they talk about ?? I feel like they try to not mix work with pleasure (there’s just simply so much she cannot answer if he tries to even ask). Especially in the behind the scene of the video of the movie Suga says “He shows his real self when he gets in touch with a woman (Ada)”. Which is very important factor with his relationship with Ada vs his relationship with anyone else both romantic and not. We know Ada rarely shows her real self and her puts on a mask, but looks like Leon does too !

HELLO so i had to take my time to read this and formulate a response

i think with the remakes, it's implied that between 1998 and 2004, he was forced to work for the government and possible did not have time to date. during this time i believe he also does not see claire either. (correct me if i'm wrong) i think that the whole baby-girlfication on leon has really rotted into people's brains that think that he's not a man of agency and can literally go date someone if he wanted to. but even with re4r with the "i'm a one lady type of guy," and the complete removal of his flirting with literally any thing that breathes, it seems that capcom is pushing it into this direction as well. with leon not holding ashleys hand, and leon not flirting with hunnigan. it's just on his own it seems.

degeneration was the weirdest film also imo. and he did have a weird thing with angela but then he just never called her again lol. and he did that in front of claire too????

yeah i agree that the scene with leon and claire in infinite darkness was especially weird considering claire has like a face of visible disgust when she falls on him.

"that night" is also followed with the director saying that yes, they spent time outside of their jobs and their lives continued on in the background of re5. it would make sense that they saw each other some how and it lead up to "that night"

i firmly believe that leon thinks of ada as a strong woman, and someone that he doesn't need to protect or feel like he has to "baby" her. she's a woman with her own choices and decisions and he finds her challenging. it's almost like they can be partners that compliment each other and challenge each other.

leon saves the day every day- he doesn't want to do that in his personal life. he needs someone who can stand on level ground with him. someone who can really truly understand him. and im sorry but it's not gonna be self insert civilian here, that understands him.

leon's characterization changes from a bright eyed rookie cop to an agent who sees that the world is shades of grey and that no one is truly good or evil. that everyone has their own agendas and that the government that he works for isn't pure either. he struggles with knowing this and knowing that even though he tries to do the right thing, nothing gets better. we even see this with ada in re6, she has a breaking point

"we're beyond humanity"

also i firmly believe that re6 ada is extremely depressed and traumatized as her smile consistently drops whenever she's not looking at leon.

both of them have lived lives where they were used and abused. and both of them can understand each other in ways that others can not. they even showed this with infinite darkness with leon not only wanting to keep claire safe, but knowing that her line of thinking was going to get her killed or worse.

even then! both leon and ada have made mistakes and that's interesting! they both live with regrets, and god damnit it just want them to be happy together.

people say they don't deserve each other? nah, they do. they should just be together already

they can be true to each other, no facades, and just be themselves.

#ask heart #heart answers #anon #ada wong #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy #aeon #leon x ada #leon kennedy x ada wong #resident evil #leon s kennedy x ada wong

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stewardofningishzida · 8 months

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Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel Chapter 7: Fury

Introducing, Director Nick Fury! SPOILERS AHOY! — Wandavision, Loki, & Secret Invasion. A little of Multiverse of Madness is touched on, but not much. TRIGGER WARNING: Language, threat of kidnapping, implied threat of torture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Stephen approaches us in the mess hall, looking troubled. We had all just sat down for breakfast, but clearly that was going to have to wait. I look at him anxiously.*

Me (worried): What’s wrong, Stephen? *I’m worried that someone important died or our universe somehow got worse.*

Stephen: SHIELD. You’ve heard of Nick Fury, right?

Me: Yes.

Trix: Oh boy.

Tear: Who hasn’t? For being a secret spy, his identity is even better known than Tony’s or Steve’s…

PrettyWitch: Jackson or Hasselhoff?

Stephen: Apparently, he sent a message and he wants to talk to all of you. He claims that he needs to meet with you four so that he can improve SHIELD’s aid response for your universe. *He seems considerably less than pleased. It’s clear that Stephen isn’t buying any of it.* Steve and Tony know about it too and will join a conference call to make sure everything goes smoothly. Unfortunately, declining the meeting would lead to SHIELD withholding aid and support for your universe. So, it’s unavoidable. *The sorcerer is grim.*

Trix: So how does he even know we’re here? I don’t see the other avengers telling him anything.

Me (sarcastic): Greeeaaat…

Tear: *I chuckle humorlessly* He’s The Spy, remember? His secrets have secrets.

PrettyWitch: *I shrug at Tear’s remark.* Yeah, that sounds about right.

Stephen: He has his own ways. *He grumbles.*

Trix: I mean, we kinda have a leg up on him though. *she looks at the others* This universe is not caught up to what we know yet. It might be slightly different but we even know about…well… *she looks over at Stephen* the whole *she kinda flails around* thing with Fury and Captain Marvel. And what’s likely going to happen.

Stephen: It’s something, at least. Be careful how you talk to and bargain with him. In fact, try not to bargain with him at all if that can be helped. *He’s serious and lowkey trying to protect us.*

Trix: Of course. But I also want to know if it’s going to be him or the other him. Because if it’s actually Nick Fury we’ll get our answers immediately and there won’t be a delay. If it’s who I think it is, we’d have to wait while they stall and get him actually there. *she looks over at the others to see their reaction*

Me: Ohh…Good point. *I give her a knowing look.*

Tear: *I frown worriedly* Really? In this universe too, you think?

PrettyWitch: *I go wide-eyed.* Oh, HoaryHosts is gonna kill us when we tell her we met him…or rather…if we meet him.

Stephen: “Who I think it is”? *He ponders this, but dares not ask more. He knows how fickle meddling with the timeline can be.*

Wong: What about meddling with the timeline? *He walks over, having overheard us. He’s clearly displeased.*

Stephen (grim): Fury.

Wong: *Sighs* I should have known…

Trix: Honestly, I have no idea how blending our universes is fucking with what we can say. Honestly, that fact that the TVA hasn’t shut us down either means that this is supposed to happen or the TVA got fucked up already which is a whole other can of worms. *she’s starting to get nervous*

Me: Eeeeeeeeh yeah…..*I shift uneasily.*

Stephen: Quick meeting before we proceed with speaking to Fury. We need to establish a few things.

Wong: We will need to figure out as much as we can without triggering potential negative consequences.

*They usher us to a private chamber for the briefing and make sure that nobody else is around.*

Stephen: Judging by the variations we’ve experienced between universes, the timelines we’re all familiar with are different enough to avert most of it.

Wong: So, we should be safe provided you only bring us up to speed on events leading up to the current present. No further.

Trix: Gotcha. I can do that. I have way too much of the movie timeline ingrained in my head. *she smiles weakly and stretches a bit* So the first thing to explain is that your universe was first introduced to ours in media because of comics. Marvel Comics to be exact. They have been around for decades which means that stories have been rebooted multiple times over, so even then, not everything is lined up. The big thing that happened though, is that someone decided they wanted to do a series of movies that all happened within the same universe and be interconnected that way instead of a bunch of series on their own. That is what started the MCU: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Trix For complicated business reasons and debt, Marvel the company sold the movie rights of certain groups in the comics to other studios, and I promise this will be important in a minute, but it’s why the MCU doesn’t have mutants or inhumans in the story. Spider-Man didn’t even appear until a decade into the movie series because of the studios fighting. It’s still complicated. But it’s why our timeline for understanding what’s going on in your universe is a bit…different. Certain players weren’t a part of the story we know despite yours having an eerie similarity to what we know. Does that make sense as a sort of background?

Wong: So far. We’re still following you. Go on.

Stephen: I remember this from when I was first trapped in your universe. Still makes as much sense. *He’s half-joking.*

Trix: *she grins* It’s incredibly complicated but hey- capitalism! *she then frowns a moment* Basically, we have a kind of guide map for whereabouts you are in the timeline but there’s one big difference. Tony Stark is alive here. For us, he died from using the infinity stones to stop Thanos. That cascaded a few issues in the movies which I don’t think will happen here or have happened in different ways. Like the universe almost tearing apart due to a spell Stephen did for Peter in the movies isn’t going to happen here but instead Stephen ended up in our universe and you know the rest.

Wong (appalled): He did what?! *He scowls.*

Stephen (annoyed): Hey! I didn’t even cast the spell in this timeline! Don’t get mad at me.

Trix: *she blushes at getting Stephen in trouble* Yeah, please no Runes of Kof-Kol on a major scale because Peter’s identity got out. It got borked.

*Wong glares daggers at Stephen. The younger sorcerer seems to slightly shrink under his mentor’s gaze.*

Stephen (glancing at Trix and then back at Wong): Deal.

Trix: *she tries not to laugh before getting back to the main point* Yeah, so the main thing for this Fury meeting is that back in the 90’s when Carol Danvers got her powers, there was a bit of a thing with Skrulls, aliens who can shapeshift, who were brought here as refugees from the Kree. By the time The Snap happened, Fury and Carol hadn’t found them a new home yet but they are still around. Fury tends to have one of his closest Skrull allies take his form while he’s up on a spaceship working on who knows what. That’s why we aren’t sure if the Fury who contacted us is actually Nick Fury, and we really want to keep our story as close to our chest as possible.

Stephen (subtly pleased with this new information): Good to know.

Wong: So, how do we tell them apart?

Trix: *trying not to laugh again* It’s pretty dumb but it’s subtle. First of all, we need to make it a breakfast or brunch meeting with food.

Stephen (raising an eyebrow): Why?

Trix: Because apparently the real Nick Fury can’t eat his toast cut diagonally. *finally she can’t hold back her giggles* Yes, it’s incredibly weird as hell but it’s apparently a thing he admitted. Also, we know how he got the eyepatch. If he’s grumpy about how we know then it’s likely him.

Me (small joke): Meow. *Mimes a cat scratching.*

Trix: I will admit that if I ever see Goose I will not be getting anywhere close to her. I appreciate and love her but I value my life.

Me: Admittedly, as cute as flerkens are, they’re terrifying.

Wong: Goose is a flerken?

Me: Yes.

Stephen (curious): What’s a flerken?

Trix: I have a feeling you will find out soon enough. *trying not to giggle again* There’s a reason Nick Fury has trust issues.

Stephen: I get the feeling I’m not going to like this…

Trix: Oh! *realizes she almost forgot the other important parts* Speaking of other things you aren’t going to like: Wanda Maximoff is likely holding a town unintentionally hostage in New Jersey in a magic bubble that makes the world like sitcoms through different eras due to unresolved trauma while another witch is in there trying to get her to break so she can steal Wanda’s power with the Darkhold. *Trix makes a face as she then realizes the bombshell she dropped* That knowledge is easier to digest when it’s what you think is fictional stories versus real now that I’m considering it…

*Both sorcerers are silent for a moment.*

Wong: I will see to Wanda and the Darkhold. Strange, you ensure that the girls do not get tied into anything Nick Fury attempts to steer them towards.

Stephen: Fine. *He’s resigned to it at the moment due to all of the world-shattering information.*

Trix: Oh, and if you see anyone in what looks like riot gear that says TVA on it, we’re fucked.

*They stare at her.*

Stephen: Noted. *He’s dreading it, but knows that they should probably find out.*

Wong: Dare we ask?

Trix: So, there’s no real easy way of explaining this, there’s a guy who exists outside of time and space who basically micromanaged your universe’s timeline to fit his needs. His organization, the TVA or Time Variance Authority, was in charge of keeping the ‘sacred timeline’ and would wipe out timelines that branch off how they weren’t supposed to go. The time heist from the Avengers? Supposed to happen because then he could get the science of time travel in the first place. Did they tell you about how they tried to get the Tesseract from 2012 but Loki ran away with it?

Wong: That, I remember. The Ancient One was surprisingly calm about it all. I assume she probably knew about this.

Trix: Well that makes absolutely a bunch of sense. Anyways, the Loki that escaped was caught by the TVA and that entire timeline was erased and he was essentially arrested. The TVA is kinda the judge, jury, and executioner but in a 70’s vibe. Loki learned of what his timeline was ‘supposed’ to be and decided against it. TVA recruited him for a bit because apparently variants of Loki cause them issues a lot but things got crazy and he united with other Loki’s to take out the man behind the curtain because free will, yay! *she does half hearted jazz hands* Problem is that by Sylvie, the female presenting variant of Loki, killing the man behind the curtain instead of taking over for him kinda fucked up the multiverse because by keeping the universe under such tight scrutiny, the man’s variants wouldn’t rage a multidimensional war. So: good news is that because the multiverse is accessible then the TVA is down and we won’t be atomized and dropped off at the end of time to be eaten by a giant cloud that vaporizes you because we veered off the written path. Bad news is that there’s gonna be a multiversal war on the horizon and rogue agents may be out and about to try and get the TVA back up and running again. Tadaaaaa. *she is much less enthused by now*

Stephen (digesting this information): …We’ll put them on the watchlist just to be sure and put all of this on record.

Trix: If you see Loki and he’s wearing an outfit that looks like office attire, dress shirt and tie with tan pants, he’s the good one!

Wong: Noted. Thank you for this information.

*Stephen conjures a book and magically jots down everything Trix said.*

Stephen: Okay…Now, we need to get going. Fury isn’t known for being patient.

Trix: BRUNCH! Without eyeballs!!!

PrettyWitch: *Sticks her tongue out, dreamingly.* I hope they have cheesecake after.

Me: Good luck with Wanda and the other witch, Wong. Please be careful.

Wong: I will do my best. *He warms up to us slightly, seeing that we care about him.*

Tear: Wait, you’re really going on your own? Wouldn’t it be wiser to bring backup? *I wring my hands in worry. While I have confidence in Wong as the Sorcerer Supreme, I also know that Agatha and the Scarlet Witch already make for powerful opponents without even considering the Darkhold*

Wong: I will call for backup if needed. Strange is going with you four to ensure Fury does not attempt to detain you. Even then, with how many civilians are involved, keeping our numbers small in this delicate of a situation would be best.

Trix: Yeah! And be careful of the Hex, it can change people permanently if gone through too many times!

Wong: Thank you. I shall ensure this does not happen. *He opens a portal to West View to confront the witches.*

*Meanwhile, Stephen opens a portal to SHIELD HQ.*

Stephen: Stark and Rogers will conference call in as soon as we’re in the meeting. It’ll help to have multiple Avengers there to prevent any funny business. Are all of you ready?

Trix: As ready as I can be! *she smiles at him and then at the others*

Me: Bring it. *I smirk.*

Tear: *I’m still more worried about Wong than our own meeting with Fury, but I still nod in reply*

PrettyWitch: You know I am. *I smirk.*

*Stephen nods and ushers us through the portal and we walk into the building. It’s heavily guarded, but the agents are at ease. It seems that Director Fury was there in the main room waiting for us.*

Fury: So, you four are in the middle of all of this. Welcome to Universe-616. Take a seat at the table over there. We need to have a talk.

Stephen: Mind if we eat while debriefing? We came directly here. *He’s secretly attempting to initiate the toast test that Trix mentioned earlier.*

Fury: *frowns* ……I don’t see why not. We can have some stuff sent in from the cafeteria. *He nods to Maria Hill who immediately steps away and begins to speak into her earpiece* Now why don’t we have a seat in the meantime, I hear you have a pretty interesting story. *He gives the group a look as he sits down in one of the plush office chairs*

Me: It’s rather long and complicated, but the short version is that there was an accident from a demon stealing Stephen’s Sling Ring, which trapped him in our universe. This caused a rift. By the time Wong tracked him down and got him out, too much time had already passed and our universes became entangled with one another. So, now energy from the multiverse is spilling into our home universe and all of Hell is breaking loose. We came here to train in a safer environment so we can help clean up the mess. That’s the summary of it. *I’m direct, but polite, making sure not to give too much away.*

*Fury hums as he considers the story, staring at the group who is still standing on the other side of the table.*

Fury: Interesting that you would trust a man so quickly when he doesn’t fit in with the rest of your universe. Do you even have enhanced over there to have made such a judgment call?

Me: No. To be honest, his sudden appearance was…complicated. When he first showed up, I nearly attacked him. However, after a rather surreal discussion, we came to an agreement. *I keep it vague, but honest.*

*Fury hums again and swings his chair to stare at Stephen with an eyebrow raised.*

*Stephen looks at him, stoic. The conference phone rings. It seems that Tony and Steve are calling in. Meanwhile, the food is arriving.*

*Fury is still staring at Stephen as he answers the phone. When the call connects, holograms of Tony and Stephen appear in the room with us.*

Fury: This better be important. *he gestures to the agents bringing in the food to leave it on the table and then get out as soon as possible*

Steve (conference call, polite): Director Fury. *He gives a small salute.* Due to our familiarity with the situation at hand, we request that we participate in this debriefing.

Tony: *He rolls his eyes at Steve’s formality before addressing Fury* It’ll be much easier on you this way, trust me. *His eyes drift over to Stephen and his newest novices, and he can’t help grinning* Aww, you guys are wearing matching outfits! Now you really do look like ducklings following their mother around.

*Stephen gives Tony a look that could shatter a diamond. I turn away slightly in an attempt to conceal a blush.*

*Fury rolls his eye at Tony*

Fury: I was under the impression that the both of you would be unavailable due to a rescue mission you didn’t see fit to share with the rest of the class. *He can’t help but glare at the hologram in front of him*

Tony: It’s called the magic of multitasking. Surely you’ve heard of it. How else would I find the perfect way to grace you with my presence while watching War Machine doing brilliant rescue work? *He cups his hands around his mouth and stares somewhere behind the camera* You’re doing amazing, Honey Bear!

Rhodey: *Out of frame* Screw you, Tones!

*Fury is visibly annoyed and is about to shout at the billionaire when he finds Trix pushing a plate of toast towards him, cut horizontally with nothing on it. Fury glances over to Hill briefly who gives him a nod and he accepts it, cautiously. After throwing some jam on it, Fury angrily takes a bite before pointing the toast at Tony’s hologram.*

Fury: For fucks sake, stop taking all of the Avengers on a multiversal road trip. *He turns back to the group in front of him* Now what I want to know is how you know so much you’re not supposed to know.

Me (calmly): It’s rather odd to say, but in our universe, you are all fictional characters in a comic book series, coupled with several movies and video games. Your stories are all told there. However, for safety’s sake, it’s best not to say more than that. We could tell you up to the present day, but no further. Even then, the Avengers wanted to help us due to the ongoing multiversal debacle.

Steve: It’s a humanitarian mission, Sir. *He’s defending our position as well as theirs.*

Tony: *He claps his hands and throws his hands out in a fakely innocent manner* Science!

Me (polite): Would you care for another piece of toast, Director Fury? You’ve finished the other one. *I offer another slice of toast. This one is also horizontally cut. We’re secretly planning to catch him off-guard.*

*Fury was ready to start ranting when the plate is offered to him and it throws him off balance. He knows something is up but has no idea what*

Fury: Sure… *he takes it and takes out his rising annoyance on the toast with the knife for the jam but doesn’t immediately eat the toast* So what is stopping someone from just going over to your universe for that information anyway? If anything, we should have a guard on you 24/7 as you likely have classified information that could easily be…convinced to be shared. *Fury finally eats the toast as he’s getting confident*

Tony: *He points a menacing finger over at Fury* I’m just gonna pretend you didn’t just sit there and threatened four young girls right in front of the sorcerer put in charge of their protection, because if I don’t then I’m heading over there with every single Avenger to teach you some fucking human decency. Strange here might be their Mama Duck, but you’re now messing with their Dad. *His glare loses its effect when something off camera catches his attention, but he waves it off in a casual way* Just co-parenting business, Platypus, nothing to worry about.

*Fury just raises an eyebrow at him, but says nothing*

Steve: Gentlemen, let’s be civil about this… *He skillfully ignores Tony’s offended spluttering* Director Fury, I can attest to these girls’ characters and traits. They are, rest assured, completely harmless. This escalation is far too much.

Me: Plus, multiverse travel IS still rather difficult, even with magic. Even then, what good is our “classified” information in a universe where none of you ever existed? Plus, there are still some variations. So, perhaps it’s worth it and perhaps it isn’t. Hard to make the call and use so many extra government resources for such a project, no? It may be seen as a tad excessive. *I remain candid, subtly goading Fury with the reminder that he isn’t in total control.*

Fury: And why use the resources when the prize is right here at this table anyway? You don’t have counterparts here, no legal means of existence. Just some ties to Nepal that could easily be seen as trafficking in a certain light. I’m not sure I would turn on that light switch but someone might. The tech genius who could forge the paperwork is so off world that he can’t do much in time. *He finally finished his toast and takes a swig of orange juice from the bottle that was set in front of him*

Tony: Is that a fucking challenge?

*Stephen is seething in silence, but decides to speak up.*

Stephen (coldly): …Be very careful how you complete that thought, Fury. These young women came here willingly as refugees from their home universe and they are under Kamar-Taj’s protection.

Fury: And yet they have the means of preventing future threats and won’t provide them. I’m just trying to keep our people safe, Strange.

Strange: Even in the case of Thanos, sticking our necks out with the Infinity Stones could have easily destroyed all of existence as we know it. If the wrong information is disclosed from them, it could collapse BOTH of our timelines. *He’s direct and almost growling.* They stay with us and only disclose what they can do so safely. WE know how to proceed with this better than SHIELD does.

Fury: Somehow, I can’t trust that statement to be true. *he shrugs nonchalantly* Besides, they could have already done damage to our world anyway. What was that about a global pandemic?

Steve: That was already taken care of. They sent us some testing material with antibodies against the virus. We’ve already reverse-engineered a vaccine and inoculated everyone prior to entering their world. *He’s addressing each concern within his understanding as it comes up to keep things relatively calm. Though now he’s getting more and more angry beneath the surface himself. Steve is doing his best to remain civil. His tone is becoming more clipped.*

Tony: Doubting the Holy Order of the Wizards of Nepal is one thing, but doubting both the Science Bros and Facial Hair Bros is astoundingly stupid, even for you. Friday, care to forward your newest work to Agent Dickhead? Here, I’ll even be magnanimous and speed things up for you. *He flicks his hands and images of brand new legal documentation for all four girls show up on his screen, ruining any opportunities for Fury to lie about their existence* What was that you said about a tech genius? And that was under four minutes, I believe. Congratulations on your new world record, Fri.

*Fury merely frowns but doesn’t seem overly bothered*

Me (simply): If you detain or attempt to “influence”, harm, threaten, harass, or otherwise negatively affect any of us and/or our loved ones, no information and no more access to our universe.

Fury: All it takes is making it over there with the right kind of drive to get our own copies. *he shrugs and leans back in his chair and finishes his orange juice. So far he has been the only one to eat*

Tony: *He shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. This is worse than talking to a wall*

Steve (innocently): All interdimensional devices require a spell crafted by Stark and Strange in order to work in other universes, Sir. They are useless otherwise.

Stephen: *Starting out amiably* With “our” influence *referring to the sorcerers*, they may not even be of any use to you anyway. Not only do all devices require a spell crafted by Stark and myself to work, but the girls could simply “conveniently” fall asleep for as long as is needed. Unharmed, but completely useless to you and your operatives. *He hisses the last part of his speech.*

Trix: Wait- that’s a thing?

*Stephen lightly puts his hand on Trix’s shoulder to subtly reassure her. Also as an affirmative that it IS in fact a real spell.*

Steve: I’d say that the best course of action here would be to open a more diplomatic set of relations, Director Fury, SIR. *He almost spits the title as he speaks.*

*Trix subtly grabs a last piece of toasts and cuts it diagonally before slipping it slowly to Tear*

Tear: *I accept the plate from Trix and reach over to place it on Fury’s desk, the movement not exactly kind* Right. A “token” of goodwill, for diplomacy’s sake. *My smile seems innocent enough, but we’re all observing him attentively*

Fury: *he pauses imperceptibly before frowning and pushing the plate away, he grabs his own slice of toast from the small stack remaining and cuts it himself, horizontally* No, I can get my own damn toast at this point.

Me: *Smug smirk like a shark surrounded by chum* So…We are now at an impasse with the real Director Nicolas Joseph Fury. *I’m practically purring, knowing that we’ve caught him.*

Trix: You absolutely got played. *she’s beaming from ear to ear*

Tear: For someone who was desperately begging for information, you clearly failed to see it once we dropped it on your lap.

PrettyWitch: Who’s the wise guy, now? *She’s grinning stupidly.*

*Fury stills as the girls celebrate, looking down at what he grabbed versus what was offered when the thought finally occurs to him*

Fury: Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting you to know about that and call me out on it.

Me (innocently): Need we say more about…that? Perhaps the story of your eye as well?

*Fury frowns at them before slumping back in his chair*

Fury: Fine. I can admit defeat. This group is certainly full of tricks.

*Stephen looks smug, clearly proud of our cunning.*

Tony: *Blinks in confusion at everyone in the room* Am I the only one who thinks I missed something? I don’t like it.

Me (smoothly): We are glad that we have come to an understanding. Now, the aid does need to continue until our universe can get back up on its own feet. Let us be, leave our friends and family alone, and we will occasionally help your universe in return, provided the information doesn’t jeopardize any timelines. That and if the Avengers or other hero teams need additional manpower, we will step in. Sound reasonable?

Fury: *he sighs but cooperates* Fine. You win. I agree to your terms. *he rolls his eyes as he sits back but only does so once*

*Stephen seems to notice something and checks on a small, glowing relic from his pocket.*

Stephen: Provided this truce remains intact, I’ll be back to come get you ladies in a while. Wong needs my help.

Trix: Uh oh.

Me: Please be careful, both of you.

Tear: Keep in touch whenever you can!

PrettyWitch: Yeah! And good luck.

*Stephen acknowledges us fondly and leaves quickly, portaling away.*

Steve: In the meantime, we should more properly debrief and get our bearings on the full situation at hand. I trust that Stephen already knows the information. So, please let us know anything additional, girls.

*We catch them all up on what we discussed with Wong and Stephen, no details spared all the way up to the present, but also confining it to what the other Avengers already know in the spirit of letting Fury catch up. During the discussion, we compare events and notes to piece together the similarities and differences.*

Me: As you now know, Wong and Stephen are currently on a mission that they learned about from our information. This will ensure the mitigation of a major threat to the multiverse in the form of the Scarlet Witch. *I give Fury a slight, withering look to emphasize my point that we are willing to cooperate, as per the deal we made.*

Fury: *he’s leaning back in his chair and puts up both of his hands in a gesture that he’s not going to do anything…visible at least*

Tony: The Scarlet Witch? You mean Wanda? What does she have to do with any of this?

Me: Wanda is effectively being manipulated by another witch as we speak. Potentially to the breaking point.

Tony: *His expression freezes in poorly concealed panic* She’s what!? And Wong and Stephen just went to confront that on their own?

Me (grim): If it isn’t too late, then they may be able to break her out of it. Magic stands a better chance against other magic. That and with a town full of trapped, brainwashed civilians, a group needs to be small to get through the Hex and be able to minimize damage. That Hex Wanda unleashed changes people. It basically rewrites reality in West View to a version that Wanda prefers to see and interact with as a coping mechanism rather than facing the actual reality everywhere else. No matter who they are. Stephen and Wong are probably the safest bets to get through and not get completely altered. If a whole force of people tried to get in, they could very well be violently rejected from that reality bubble or killed outright.

Tony: What the fuck… *He has gone pale in horror, completely baffled by what he’s hearing. He turns and seeks out Steve, nearly ready to summon all the Avengers to assemble*

Steve (shaken): Can we expect anything extra coming our way from what Strange and Wong are doing? *He’s hoping that I’m right in regards to Stephen and Wong being able to free Wanda, but dreading everything else.*

Me: Honestly, intervening at this period of time in order to prevent her multiversal rampage causes a divergence that we’re unfamiliar with. So, I don’t have a good answer for that. Though Wanda DID flip between hero and anti-hero a lot in the past. So, there is a decent chance they might be able to stop this before it gets worse.

Steve: Go ahead and alert the other Avengers so we can all be on standby. *He’s quick about this and lets Tony send an alert via device.*

Tear: From what we’ve told you…Do you think Wanda’s divergences in your timeline compared to our own are significant enough to further influence the outcome of this conflict? *I’m shy if not a bit scared myself of what having to face off against a fully awakened Scarlet Witch would be like*

Steve: There is a chance. *He seems a bit shaky about this, but slightly more sure with what he remembers of her.*

PrettyWitch: Yeah…*She places a hand to her chin and starts to think what other potential threats could arise from preventing Wanda from fully awakening as the Scarlet Witch.*

Trix: The main issue is going to be the other witch there. If she pushed Wanda past a certain point then it’s a bit of a ticking time bomb. Wanda certainly needs therapy based on what we’ve seen. Add in the influence of the Darkhold and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Me: Somehow, the Darkhold needs to be destroyed. All copies. Before anyone else can get corrupted by it.

Trix: I don’t think Wong would allow us on a field trip to that mountain. I think Stephen would rather stuff us in a room of pillows with no sling rings first.

Tear: We wouldn’t even know in which dimension we should even start looking for Mount Wundagore anyway…

PrettyWitch: Even if we did, would that be wise? I mean, we have no idea how to destroy that damn thing.

Tony: Well, we can’t exactly nuke a mountain that’s not in this world without a proper location.

Fury: So you need somebody else to go destroy a magic book.

Steve: I think it’s safe to assume that book can only be destroyed by magic anyway, right?

Trix: Uhh…*she tries to remember exactly how the book was destroyed in the movie* I know that the copy for this universe can be destroyed temporarily with anything but the place where it’s from has to be destroyed or it will come back eventually anyway.

Me: Think Wanda’s the only one who can do it?

Trix: I think we need to blow up a mountain and not die. Is the risk of taking her there worth it?

Me: Good point. So, if the temple goes down, the Darkholds should go away?

Trix: I mean, when the temple went down the entirety of Darkholds across the multiverses were destroyed which is not a bad thing whatsoever. But again, that was the Scarlet Witch doing it. So we’re back to the same risk vs reward argument.

Fury: *raises an eyebrow* I’m guessing this is too far in our future to be frank about the details?

Me: I think this is as far as we can say until we know that the timeline has been averted for certain. At this period, it’s all hypotheticals based on whether or not the current situation turns in our favor.

Trix: Also we have no idea if a certain person will show up either. *she glances at the others and draws a star in the air*

Me: *Nods at Trix* True. We’ll cross that bridge if it comes. For now, let’s switch topics in case this goes too far. Tony, how is the ongoing situation in our universe? *I’m changing the subject in an effort to protect their universe’s timeline.*

Tony: *He doesn’t uncross his arms, still too concerned about the Wanda situation, but he relents to the change of topic* It’s slow going. The United Nations are less helpful than we expected when we first reached out. Murdock and co. have gotten a few promising headways with certain countries though, even if we’re still far from actually managing any kind of united global response. I thought universe-altering events would be enough to put an end to all discord but that was too Barbieland of me, I suppose.

Me (rather world-weary about this particular issue): Yeah…It was a similar disaster when the pandemic hit.

Steve (attempting to deliver some good news, though still being honest): Despite that, we have managed to successfully evacuate thousands of civilians and some of them are actually being helpful. Though not all of them. Some of them seem to still be clinging onto the notion that this is all a hoax. There are a ton of misinformation campaigns and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to reach certain people. *He’s frustrated, but keeping it together.*

Tear: *I send him a small smile* I’m sure that more people will start believing you in due time. It’s only a matter of time they either encounter you or another being. That level of denial cannot persist much longer.

Trix: One would hope, but there’s still people who will stick their heads in the sand no matter what.

PrettyWitch: *I snort.* Ain’t that the truth.

Fury: The main focus is just getting the ones with the power and resources to get the ball rolling. PR can always happen after.

Me: Any other news we should know about?

Tony: Uh…not much, really. At least, nothing cataclismic yet. Whatever Stephen and Wong did after you moved in to Hogwarts seems to have stabilized the appearance of the largest beasts. Thank Merlin’s stockings for that. The Kraken was horrifying enough. I have no wish of having to drag Godzilla back into the ocean.

*After a while, a portal opens and a disheveled Stephen and Wong emerge. They look quite battered.*

Wong: Wanda Maximoff is now in custody. After we broke her free of the brainwashing, she surrendered willingly. However, the witch responsible for Wanda’s corruption, Agatha Harkness, is still at large.

Trix: Well, fuck. Good about Wanda but incredibly bad about Agatha. Are you guys okay?

Stephen (nursing a rather large cut on his side): We’ll be fine. We need to get you four hidden. When she finds out you four warned us about what she was doing, she’ll start to hunt you down.

*Both sorcerers are worse for wear, but ignoring it in favor of protecting us.*

Tear: Your definition of fine seems to be in an entirely different dictionary than ours… *I keep staring at the dark stain on Stephen’s robes, too anguished over their injuries to really spare a thought to Agatha*

Me: Shit… *I take a breath because I had stopped breathing after the announcement about Agatha. This felt like a punch in the gut.*

Trix: Well, there’s the extra terror we’ve been missing since the Chupacabra incident. *she is incredibly pale in shock*

PrettyWitch: *She bites down on her finger and starts taking deep breaths. She’s trying not to panic, even as her coping mechanism for anxiety sets in.)

Tony: *Groans and covers his face with his hands* Great. These just won’t stop coming. Popping like daisies. *He takes a deep breath, braces himself, and then spreads his arms out at a loss as he turns to the sorcerers* Who is Agatha Harkness?

#doctor strange fanfiction #doctor strange meta fic #doctor strange #doctor stephen strange #multi author #dr stephen strange #stephen strange #tony stark #iron man #captain america #steve rogers #scott lang #ant man #nick fury #wong

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aclosetfan · 2 years

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If you don’t mind, do you mind sharing any more headcannons for the fake dating story? I love your work by the way and I hope you’re feeling better!

Aw haha nah I wouldn’t mind!! Sorry Ik I haven’t updated anything but writing is taking everything out of me rn 😂 I think with everything that’s going on my brain imploded, but I’ve been adding sentences here and there to everything!

Tbh I don’t have many h/c for the fake dating au that don’t give away the plot, but here’s some sweet things I’d like to incorporate:

1) I think I’ve already discussed that BC is on a roller derpy team for super powered people! She’s the youngest on the team, but their big point star. A lot of the people she plays with are older women with families and when she lets it slip that she’s “dating” someone they demand he’s brought in to perform the hazing ritual. Without revealing too much, Buttercup asks if he wants to go to a game despite this breaking “NO WEEKENDS” rule and can totally not if doesn’t want to, nbd, truly she doesn’t care, but if you do don’t wear anything nice. He says yes, ends up really liking be a derby-boyfriend, gets a shit ton of Gatorade poured on him, and a very platonic kiss of the cheek. Officially, initiated into the derby fam, he gets a jacket like the rest of the derby-wives.

2) Bubbles also has a derby jacket despite not being officially initiated because she might as well be. She’s basically the teams number one fan and leads the crowds in the chants. The girl has a touch of bloodlust in her and gets amped when things get dangerous. Blossom is also a big fan but she’s quiet and likes to enjoy the atmosphere. No jacket but she’s considered Bubbles ‘assistant Pep Squad director

3) Boomer loves derby and Brick reluctantly likes it! They’re weary hanging out with the girls for the first time eve socially outside of school, but they all end up having fun. And the guys enjoy seeing Butch so happy.

4) speaking of, this isn’t a “first love” story for Butch. He was kind of head over heels for a manic pixie dream girl type at the juvenile hall. She was one of those poetic smokers who say a lot but nothing at all and Butch was suckered into the cool girl vibes. They got into a lot of fun trouble together and when he wanted more out of the relationship she dropped him. It ends up being a relationship he regrets and panics when he starts to feel like he’s getting too close to Buttercup b/c he doesn’t want to go through that again. Obviously, though, Buttercup is too much of a dweeb in this story to be a cool girl like his previous love interest, she just gives off the allusion. Butch is actually the cool one lmao (I know, I know, but he’s not actually cool just between the two he is). To alleviate his fears, he just has to wait until Buttercup drops her phone on her face, or cry over the Air Bud movies, or ask him something just Boomer-level stupid and he feels better.

5) pretty early on Buttercup and Butch realize that their fake relationship ends up being this great “get out of jail free card.” When Buttercup doesn’t want to go to some public function or Butch needs five seconds away from his brothers, they just go “oh sorry! I actually have a date with butters/Butch.” They don’t really have to seek each other out to maintain the lie, but they more often then not hangout during these moments. Mostly the hole-up in Butch’s room or they mess around somewhere in the City or the nature reserve. Hanging out in Butch’s room usually leads to more intimate moments, which they both would prefer to avoid, but Buttercup is sometimes fighting off sleep deprivation from the hero job she maintains, so they take a lot of naps together. Mostly she’s the one napping while Butch fiddles around his room like she isn’t there (she thinks he makes good white noise), but occasionally she falls asleep on his shoulder and it’s not like he’s going to be the one to wake her up.

6) here’s a snippet:

“Name one thing,” Brick jabbed a finger in her face, “one thing you like about my brother!”

Her eyes crossed as looked at the finger in a panic. “H-huh?”

“If you like him enough to date him,” Brick seethed, red in the face as he spoke through gritted teeth, “then you can name one fucking thing you like about him.”

“It’s not an unreasonable request, Buttercup,” Blossom said, crossing her arms. Playing the opposite of Brick, Blossom didn’t look visibly angry, but Buttercup knew in her bones what the cold tone of her voice meant. “Answer the question,” her sister demanded.

Buttercup chewed on the inside of her cheek as she scrambled for anything at all she knew about Butch, but it was like the boy had been erased from her mind. Terrified that she had just been caught in the scam and not even three days in, she babbled soundlessly as she tried to assemble one coherent thought.

“It’s a fucking lie, isn’t it?” Brick hissed, after she didn’t answer, “You don’t like my brother. You’re using hi—“

“His smile!” She squeaked, because maybe, right now, honesty was the best policy. “He has a very—“ she blushed, thinking up an appropriate adjective that revealed enough but not too much, “—it’s, uh, well nice! No wait,” she corrected herself because nice wasn’t good enough, honestly, in her real opinion, “better then nice. Pretty? Um, or handsome? Do guys like when girls say dashing? That’s kind of a fancy thing to say right? Or, no, that’s kind of old-timey, right?”

Buttercup clamped her mouth shut after that, having the good sense to shut the hell up. How did someone fuck up a compliment about a person’s smile? She was an idiot.

She boiled with embarrassment as she looked between the two red-heads. She prayed for Blossom’s sympathy, out of the two people cornering her right now, Blossom was the one who knew how awkward she felt when it came to compliments.

“Aw, babe,” a pair of arms shot out, pulling her away from the two in front of her and wrapping her into a backward hug. Butch smiled down at her, “you think my smile’s dashing?”

If she thought she had been boiling before, this was like punting her directly into the sun. She wanted to hide behind her hands (or tbh punt herself directly into the sun), but that wasn’t what girlfriends did, was it?

“Well, y-yeah,” she shrugged, still brave enough to be honest despite her embarrassment. Butch really did have a nice smile, she was pretty sure everyone knew that.

If Buttercup wasn’t so intensely watching his face, she would have miss the millisecond where the look in his eyes softened. Butch pulled her tighter into him, ripping his gaze away from her to glare at his brother and her sister. Their positioning was reminiscent to the one they stood In at the pep assembly as Butch rested his jaw on the crown of her head. It, combined with the memory of the pep assembly, made her stomach flip-flop.

“Can you two stop interrogating my girlfriend?” He growled, “We’re dating, get over it.”

“She’s my sister,” Blossom snapped, but Butch didn’t bow to her trump card.

“Yeah, and some sister you are, you’re being a dick to her.” Butch huffed, turning back to Buttercup, “We’re going to be late for class. Come on, Buttercup,” He tugged her towards math in the opposite direction of their siblings.

She let him pull her along by the hand almost a little starstruck, watching the broad part of his back. No one, and she meant no one, got away with talking to Blossom like that. And Butch just had.

Her stomach flip-flopped all over again.

#fake dating au #anon asks #there’s a snippet to the next chapter under the readmore!#buttercups not good at flirting #edit: holy shit I had to fix a sentence that made zero sense sorry everyone

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happinessinkpop · 1 year

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A Scratch - Woo Do Hwan fiction

Characters: Woo Do Hwan, Lee Jongwon, Reader

Summary: you have a little accident while filming on set with the boys

The set was buzzing with life; the crew were walking about getting everything ready, with you, Dohwan and Jongwon in the middle of it all, practising your lines and movements. The series was a thriller and you played the role of an innocent bystander, who happened to be at the wrong place, wrong time. Jongwon’s character was chasing Dohwan’s, and as collateral, he had grabbed you and stuck a knife to your throat.

“So, I run up here, turn around…”

“Then I come around the corner…”

“I grab your shirt-“ Dohwan turned to look at you and gently pulled you by the front of your shirt. You followed and stood in front of him as his arms went around your body without actually touching you, then his hand went up to your neck where a knife was supposed to go.

“I struggle and you guys say your lines,”

“Then I push you aside…” Dohwan lets you go and you dramatically stumble to the side.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay?” Dohwan asked with a little laugh. You laugh along with him and wave him off.

Some minutes later, the director called for everyone on set, to start filming, and a knife was handed to Dohwan to hide in his pocket.

“Tell me if I hurt you okay?” he said to you before he walked away out of frame.

“Roll camera… and, action!”

You walked down the alleyway, minding your own business, when you start to hear loud footsteps coming your way fast. You turn to look and you see a man, dressed in dark clothes and a hat, running in your direction… you didn’t think much of it as you kept walking, but then you hear another set of footsteps not too far behind.

“Lee Manseok!” a voice shouted, which made you flinch a little. You didn’t even get a chance to think about what was happening before rough hands grabbed you and you screamed at being manhandled.

“Don’t step any closer! If you do, I’ll kill her!” you struggled in the man’s grip to try and free yourself, but the more you struggled, the tighter his grip got. The other man’s hands went up in defence as he tried to defuse the situation.

“Lee Manseok… put the knife down. She doesn’t have anything to do with this, if you wanted to hurt someone, hurt me…”

“FINE!” the man threw you to the side as you fell to the ground in a heap. Without much hesitation, you scrambled to your feet and hurried off.

“And cut! Let’s reset for the other angle,” the director shouted as the cameramen rearranged themselves.

You were about to get back to your starting position when Dohwan and Jongwon came up to you.

“How was that? Did I hurt you??”

“No, that was okay, I’m not hurt,” you answered with a smile.

“Hmm, be careful with the fall too okay?” Jongwon mentioned and you nodded your head, and with that, the both of them went back around the corner.

“Everyone ready? Let’s go,” someone shouted some minutes later.

“Camera rolling… and… action,”

The scene played out again and you tried your best to act the same as you did before, so there wasn’t any inconsistency.

“Don’t step any closer! If you do, I’ll kill her!” you struggled again but this time, something was different. The blade that Dohwan had up to your neck, was sharper that you originally thought it would be. Unknowingly, he had pressed the blade harder into your skin (not a lot, but enough to draw blood), and in your struggle, you decided to ignore it and finish the scene. It was just a scratch; it can wait to be attended to. If you stopped the shoot now to get it looked at, you would just hold up everything, and it was already late… you didn’t want to keep everyone.

Manseok threw you aside, and you were quick to scramble out of frame. You were thankful that the shirt you were wearing had a semi high collar, so you could hide the scratch and blood, even though it stung when the fabric hit.

“Cut! That was great, we’ll just do another take of Dohwan-ssi and Jongwon-ssi’s lines and we’re done for the night!”

You walked back to the boys and bowed a thank you to them as this was the last you’d be on set.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Thank you for looking after me! Please don’t work too hard, fighting!” you took your phone out and did a quick selfie with the boys before you said goodbye to them, and turned around to thank the staff and crew.

When all the pleasantries were over with, you walked over to the rest area, where your manager was waiting.

“You did well! Let’s get you home,” he said as he led you back to the car. When you were further away from everyone, you stopped him.

“Manager-nim…” he turned to look at you.

“I think I need to get this shirt cleaned first before I return it,” you told him with a slight frown.

“Oh, why??” you pulled the collar down slightly, so the scratch was showing.

“Yah! What happened?! Was it from the blade??” he worried over you, and judging by the look in his eyes, it looked like he was ready to give someone a piece of his mind.

“Mm, but please don’t make a scene, it’s just a scratch…a band aid will do,”

“Are you sure you’re okay?? We can go to a clinic and get it checked out?”

“I’m fine, I just need to get some sleep…I’m tired,”

With a sigh, he turned and kept walking to the car with you following behind.

Back on set, Jongwon and Dohwan was waiting for the camera crew to finish rearranging again and they were admiring what they thought to be a fake knife.

“It’s so shiny…and the blade, wow…”

“Hyung..” Jongwon eyed the knife in Dohwan’s hand, before his eyes grew wide.

“…is that blood??” Dohwan took the knife into better light and had a closer look.

“Oh my- director-nim!!” his hand with the knife was shaking and Jongwon was starting to worry. One of the staff came running at the alarmed tone of his voice and the director was not too far behind.

“I-I think…did I hurt them??” was all Dohwan could come out with as he showed them the blade.

“Someone get a hold of their manager and ask about them!” the director yelled as the crew took the blade away.

The silent car ride home was interrupted by the sound of your manager’s phone ringing…

“Yes, director-nim,” your ears perked up the mention of the director.

“Ahh… it was just a scratch, I took a look myself. Nothing to worry about,”

Ah, they found out..?

“No, a doctor’s not necessary at this stage but if it gets worse I’m sure to let you know. Tell them not to worry,”

“Thanks for calling and checking in director-nim,” your manager hung up the phone and looked at you through the rear view mirror.

“Dohwan-ssi found some of your blood on the knife; he was shaken a little bit,”

“Oh, please tell him -somehow- that I’m sorry for not being careful...”

A couple days later, you came into your work building to your manager handing you a small fruit basket.

“He was still a little worried, but I reassured him you were okay,”

“Thanks manager-nim,”

#woo do hwan #lee jong won #do hwan fiction

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my-shields-are-down · 2 years

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Really wanted a chenford hand holding scene in 5.05. Like it would have been perfect 🥰

How did you find 5.05?

Tim + Lucy are nowhere near ready to show any affection for the other just yet. Remember, when she showed up at the hospital - she and Tim were barely on speaking terms.

Neither has given the other one any indication they want to pursue something with the other person - much less that they have feelings for the other one. Lucy generally speaking is much more touchy freely than Tim is, but Tim is prickly. She does super quick hand on arm touches and a couple hugs.

Maybe if that scene happened later in the season, and they were in a physical relationship that with the other one, then sure. But not now.

Way too soon.

I liked 5x05, but I found the episode had too much going on in general. Felt very cluttered. I love Celina and all her “woo-woo”.

I think Ashley is dealing with a lot of fear and anxiety about her dad’s recent health problems and has taken a lot of it out on Tim. (diet changes,talk of retirement, freaking out when she found out Tim got shot, and bailing the instant she knew Tim was ok.) I think she would’ve bailed sooner if she could have.

I think it was a dick move breaking up with him the way she did - the instant his eyes were open. But she was written in such a self-absorbed clueless way. I still cannot get over the fact she didn’t know he was shot. The man has scars? Has she never explored his body or asked about them? That’s a pretty standard “we are naked- let me get to know you” conversation.

I was astounded by how few questions anyone asked about the surgery. That’s why you take someone with you- to ask questions, take notes, when you start to freak out.

Tim seemed very alone in his relationship with Ashley- very unconnected to her and more so her to him. She didn’t know him at all. I think she loved his potential- but not who he actually was. I think he placated her a lot, going with the flow. I think he liked her and cared about her, but I don’t think he loved her. I’m sure he was hurt by the break up - as it was another woman not choosing him, not choosing to stay.

Sorry babe, you break up with him and then tell him you love him and would keep dating him if he retired? What? Like a pity girlfriend who drags you to Bali on the other side of the world and lives off your retirement? What? No. Rude.

I thought Nolan’s response to Bailey’s proposal was foreshadowing issues with the wedding - as in someone does try to stop him from marrying her.

And I loved, LOVED Lucy manning the fort, kicking Smitty to the curb, and taking over. Nyla helped boost her confidence and Grey gave her a boost too - both he and the communications director were very impressed with her.

I think that’s nice foreshadowing for her career swerving away from undercover work.

Lastly, I loved Tim’s longing looks at or after Lucy. Especially the ones right under Ashley’s self-absorbed nose.

#askandrea #chenford #the rookie #i love them #tim x lucy #lucy chen #tim bradford #hold my hand #i'm in chenford withdrawal #chenfordedit

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mikuni14 · 1 year

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Of course, despite all my complaints, I still think about NLMG :)

The first 3 episodes made NLMG, next to MSP obviously, my favorite series of those currently airing. And then, the 4th and 5th episodes aired and I feel like something weird happened to this show.

The first episodes were great. The development of the plot was linear and had a good direction, same with the development of PalmNueng's relationship. I could see the sense and logic of Palm and Nueng's actions (especially Nueng’s who is the driving force in NLMG after all), the tension, the flirting was a lovely bonus. Everything was good. From the 4th episode, I have the impression that the director got lost in what he actually wants to show and what the series is actually about. There is no linearity anymore, the plot is all over the place, a lot happens, but in fact we barely touch even the "heavy" stuff, or new problems, jumping to the next scene, next issue, but never properly addressing them, experiencing them.

Nueng, a well-written, character who slowly revealed himself to Palm and to the viewers in each new episode, was shown as someone who actively fights for Palm's friendship and intimacy, that he dislikes the master/servant relationship, that is based on class and service. I liked him! But it has changed. What struck me the most was that Nueng seeing Palm fighting with his father, seeing Chanon's aggression and violence - verbal AND PHYSICAL, all he got out of this scene was "oh no, so Palm is bullied to be with me :'( I'm just a job for him". Nueng didn't think about how Palm felt, how all the fight, THE SLAP, could affect him, he thought about himself. And this is just one of the many recent scenes where it's clear that to Palm Nuneg and his well-being come first, but as for Nueng - Palm and his well-being comea AFTER his own needs.

Don't get me wrong: personally I like tropes like attack dog, spoiled prince, or submissive, self-sacrificing seme. But only on terms similar to those from Utsukushii Kare, like: - attack dog consciously CHOOSE his "lower" position, and the master/ spoiled prince makes sure to “repay” him for his "service" - in their seemingly unequal relationship, they are in fact equal (and both consent to their roles). They both give and take, minding the fact, that their needs are different. They are equaly obssessed with each other :), it's important that the strength of feelings is the same in both of them - despite the master / servant relationship, the spoiled prince is not being blind to the “servant” and his needs, there is no maliciousness in his actions, even when he’s being a dick ;)

At the moment, I feel like NLMG doesn't meet any of the above terms (although the first episodes, in my opinion, quite clearly suggested that the series would go in this direction, which made me giddy with anticipation). Unfortunately, Palm - although he obviously WANTS to serve Nueng - is forced to do so by the unpleasant circumstances, that constantly remind him of his low status. He gives the most in this relationship, and he does it all the time, he sacrifices the most, receiving only pain and humiliation in return (plus one kiss that, like salt in a wound, is also "about another guy", he can’t even have that little).

The biggest disappointment of the last two episodes - and who lost the most in my opinion, is Nueng. I really liked this boy, I saw in him as a young master who was shaped by his surroundings, so he’s a bit cynical, a bit manipulative, able to give orders and enforce them, a skilful strategist, bravely fighting the obstacles. Who still managed to have a good heart and a fairly regulated moral compass. Who meets on his way someone, who suddenly awakens in him a lot of different. interesting 😏 feelings, that change his life. And Nueng DOES SOMETHING WITH IT. And it was all great. And somehow, thanks to the last 2 episoded, I don’t care about him much now, in fact I don't even like him. I see him and think, how are you gonna hurt Palm NOW? What’s your new way of torturing this poor boy? :D

Eeeehhhh 🤡

#Never Let Me Go #thai bl #bl drama

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veronicasanders · 2 years

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"Suggest how you might resolve the staging difficulties inherent in a production of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt." if you get the reference I'd love you forever, but it's not the question for this week. Here it is: If you could change the way any movie/play/book was made, which one would you change? how?

Okay well I do not get this specific reference so I guess you can only love me for a finite period of time, but fuck do I love this question. 🥰🥰🥰 Alright…*gets out my 2,000 page binder and slaps it on the table*…here we go! 💖

No, in all seriousness, I do have like a thousand answers for this but I’ll try to think of some highlights that are potentially entertaining.

I guess an obvious one is RENT? Because the movie adaptation was just so EGREGIOUSLY wrong? I mean starting with, choosing a director best known for Home Alone and other cheesy family shit. And then casting the OG Broadways actors, most of whom were bordering on too old to play those roles when they did them the first time around, because that’s just how Broadway works, and then the whole “color blind” phenomenon of the 90s which resulted in the bizarre situation where not only is the pretentious Ivy League snob a Black woman, which…like, okay, maybe you could have gotten away with, I guess, but also the oppressive rich douche landlord who’s fucking the teenage stripper? Why did anyone think it was progressive to give this role to a Black man? It wasn’t progressive in the 90s on Broadway and it certainly the FUCK wasn’t progressive when they made the movie in 2005 and you know what this question is supposed to be fun and I’m giving myself a migraine so I don’t want to talk about RENT anymore.

Mommie Dearest - this is a perfect film and not a frame should be touched. Okay actually, I have a theory that like, 95% of what makes this movie so weird and campy is the pacing? Like, the fact that the shots are held for SO long after people finish talking? I wonder what it would be like if some editor took it and cut in a more normal way? I know the acting is still over the top and like, there’s no cutting around the terrible wigs on Old Christina (although…maybe with some good vfx…?). Anyway, a recut could be interesting experiment. I bet it would be like an hour and 15 minutes, tops.

Along those same lines….I really want a recut of Drag Race Season 7, where instead of focusing on petty drama that no one actually cared about, they instead give us the “everyone wants to fuck each other” cut we deserve. I mean the fact that the best scene we saw all season was a CUT SCENE (the one where Violet yells "SHOW US YOUR DICK!" to Trixie) really tells us everything we need to know.

Okay this one is for Andy Cohen - I want have a section, maybe even a whole episode, of the Real Housewives Reunions, where an actual licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, who is familiar with the show, has seen ALL seasons and read all their blogs and tweets and shit, sits down and coaches them through the layers of miscommunication and ego bullshit so that the stupid nonsense can actually be resolved. Because as a viewer, it actually stresses me out when a simple miscommunication gets amplified and blown up and dragged out over 4 seasons just because people are fucking stupid. I’d rather see them all be drunk idiots having fun together. Yes, watching them fight is fun, but watching them have the SAME fight over and over makes me want to push them all into moving traffic.

The L Word - I would kill Tina in the pilot and then like…I dunno change a bunch of other stuff, especially the horrendous way they handle the Max plotline, but mostly kill Tina. Bette deserves better and so do we.

Oh also, I'm happy that we made Dawn pansexual in the Baby-Sitter's Club series, but where's the Kristy lesbian icon plot line? It needs to happen. Also I want Alicia Silverstone to say "Clueless" more because that's only happened once and I found it deeply emotionally satisfying.

(I know you didn’t say TV but I’m garbage and TV is very important to me.)

I have a lot more, but I think that’s what fanfic is for, isn’t it? Like, what I’m doing queering up the Parent Trap and stuff like that? Anyway this answer has gone on too long so I’ll stop torturing you.

#walking down the glittertrail #this was fun #I can do more

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disappointingyet · 6 months

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Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

Director Paul Mazursky Stars Robert Culp, Natalie Wood, Elliott Gould, Dyan Cannon USA 1969 Language English (with a bit of inept Spanish directed at the maid) 1hr 45mins Colour

Era-capturing comedy-drama about two affluent couples trying to stay hip in late ‘60s Los Angeles

Saying a film is incredibly of its moment is not necessarily a judgement. By which I mean: the movie could be a fascinating time capsule or a pivot in cinema history or simply an unhappy accumulation of the tropes and cliches of the year it was made. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice seems (to me) to fit well in the first category and is maybe a bit the second and (fortunately) not slot into the final one.

In any case, it certainly screams ‘1969!’. Before we even get to the credits, we’ve seen naked breasts – this is just a year after the final burial of the production code that had restricted what could be shown in Hollywood films since the 1930s. Those breasts aren’t in a sexual context, they are in ‘let’s shake off our old hang-ups’ context. Bob (Robert Culp) has come to The Institute to scout for a documentary, and his wife Carol (Natalie Wood) has tagged along for the ride.

The Institute seems modelled on Esalen (think the final episode of Mad Men), and Bob and Carol take part in a marathon session where a roomful of participants do a long series of exercises and keep going for 24 hours straight hoping to break down their barriers so they can express their feelings without filter.

And when they get back to their everyday existence, Bob and Carol do feel changed, and insist on insisting on full openness when talking to each other and other people – not just with their best friends Ted (Elliott Gould) and Alice (Dyan Cannon) but also with eg, the maitre d’ at their favourite restaurant. It’s all a little much, and becomes pretty disruptive, especially to poor Ted and Alice, who are a little less furiously trying to prove they are moving with the times.

Culp was in his late thirties when this was made, the others in their early thirties. I was thinking maybe that’s a bit young to be worrying that you are out of touch with what’s happening, but actually I was already sensing my moment had passed when I was about 20, and undoubtably (without buying into boomer self-importance), the mid and late 1960s could be dizzying times.

Each couple has a kid, and Bob and Ted are well established in their well-paid professions, so these are meant to be grown-ups, and in previous generations would have had no urge to chase what young folks were doing. (And despite all Bob’s beads, these four aren’t in full rejection of the taste of their generation – towards the end of the movie, they all head to a concert… not the Dead or Sly And The Family Stone, but Tony Bennett.)

Probably the most notable stylistic choice director Paul Mazursky (who was the same age as Culp, incidentally) makes here is having some very long scenes – that early one at The Institute, a therapy session Alice has (a session that is nevertheless curtailed just as she seems to be reaching a breakthrough), plus the climax to the film. Like the characters, we’re here to really explore what’s going on with these people, just probably with a little more scepticism. And crucially, that approach works (there’s nothing worse than a wilfully extended scene you don’t care about.)

The cast is an interesting one – all at very different points in their careers. The one true movie star of the bunch at the time was Natalie Wood, who had been acting since she was a small kid. This film should have set her up to take a prominent role in the New Hollywood of the 1970s, but sadly didn’t for some reason – there was not a lot of great work ahead in the final decade of her short life. She’s just absurdly beautiful here, but also sharp and expressive.

Culp I first remember seeing in a regular supporting role in a not-very-good early ‘80s TV show called The Greatest American Hero. Mostly if I think of him these days, it’s as one of those reliable and well-connected actors of the time who got to play multiple Columbo villains. Back when this was made, he had just finished the three-season run of I Spy, a hit show in which he starred alongside Bill Cosby as globe-trotting operatives whose cover was they were a tennis player and his coach.

Meanwhile, Cannon was best known for an unlikely marriage to Cary Grant – she was in her twenties, he was past 60, she was his fourth wife (and there had been always been rumours that he was gay.) That union had ended by the time of B&C&T&A. She was reasonably famous during the 1970s and has worked steadily ever since, although I’m not sure that many people would recognise the name.

And then there’s Elliott Gould, the one who was about be huge. Watching this, it feels like he’s cast against type as the more uptight friend, but this is the year before M*A*S*H, the first of the three movies he made with Robert Altman (the others are The Long Goodbye and California Split*) that defined his star persona.

Anyway, they are all absolutely perfect for this film, believable as a group of friends, plausible in their power dynamics. And Mazursky and his team immerse us in their world: the big houses, the flashy cars, the hip hang-outs, none of which means they are not fundamentally insecure.

From the opening aerial shot of the Bob and Carol driving to The Institute to the great closing images, it feels fully liberated by what cameras were able to do by 1969. So I was a little surprised to check who the cinematographer was and find it was not some young dude who had just escaped from Czechoslovakia but instead Charles Lang, who had been working in movies since 1926 and whose extraordinary list of credits includes The Magnificent Seven and Some Like It Hot.

I was really taken with this film – it’s funny, the cast are immensely charismatic, it captures the vibe of the time brilliantly without bombarding us with tacky faux-psychedelic camera effects or editing, there are some awesome clothes. Very happy I finally watched it.

(I'm always Quentin Tarantino-sceptical, but he's good talking about B&C&T&A here) *He has cameos in Nashville and The Player.

#bob&carol&ted&alice #natalie wood #elliott gould #Hollywood in the 1960s

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maskspurpose · 2 months

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mika ^_^ asked: for a ficlet/drabble prompt, maybe some post-canon wtng? no specifics, but an idea I had was wataru sneaking off to see nagisa (with some theatrics of course) have fun!! -mika

// tysm i hope you like this!! i got a bit focused on the sneaking out so... yeah. //

Hibiki Wataru is a professional and as such, he neither begrudges his fellow actors their success nor does he get bored, waiting for his cue to start yet another minor scene. Wataru does, however, get jittery, unable to stay still and seated in their chair on the sidelines, periodically seeking the clock on the wall to confirm the time.

They're familiar with the rhythm of filming by now, they know their cue won't be called, likely not for the rest of the day, with the way this specific director has focused in on the main character, an older actress who keeps shooting Wataru warning glances, clearly disappointed by their lack of focus.

Yuzuru next to them, cast in an equally minor role, similarly keeps shooting them pitying glances, though he seems much more aware of the actual cause of Wataru's distraction. When the scene ends and the director calls for another redo, he leans over to them. "Hibiki-sama, I doubt your absence would be noticed for another half hour at least."

Not a dismissal, but an opening. Wataru nods, attempting to still the rush of butterflies and rise of heat to their cheeks. To be seen, they remind themself, means to be cared for. They slip away from the soundstage with a grateful nod to Yuzuru, unseen by the rest of the cast, making their way quickly to the building just next door.

Truly, the difficulty is not in drawing the ire of the director, who seems to have little interest in Hibiki Wataru, and more in avoiding the attention of Saegusa Ibara, Vice-President of Cosmic Production, who would not be amused to see them sneak into the studio currently used to film Eden's newest music videos. Snake-san is, however, blessedly busy directing the director of Junkun-san's apparent solo section, which means the only people who notice Wataru slipping into the shadows of the studio building are Hiyori and Nagisa, who give an understanding nod and small smile respectively upon seeing them.

It's a well-practiced dance by now, Hiyori jumping to his feet to continue to distract Snake-san to let Wataru avoid any accusation of corporate espionage (as though they would leave such an action to anyone but Yuzuru, who seems to delight in bothering Snake-san more than anyone else) and Nagisa at least a few minutes to join Wataru in front of the building.

"I thought you were working today," is the first thing Nagisa tells them, voice soft before leaning in to kiss Wataru on the cheek.

Their lips are even softer than their tone, and Wataru finds themself unable to respond, turning to kiss Nagisa properly on the mouth. "I thought so were you, it appears both of us were met with a lull in work. How fortitous~ don't you think so too?"

Nagisa nods, leaning forward until they are both pressed close to each other in an embrace. It's noon, the sunlight bright and warm enough to make a comforting combination with the rush of emotion Wataru still cannot help themself from whenever the two of them touch. Nagisa too, is warm, in the ways human bodies are warm, in the way love is warm, spreading out from the stomach into cheeks and fingertips. Unable to help themself, Wataru combs their fingers through Nagisa's long ponytail and it's slightly uneven curls and waves, adding their own little braid to it while Nagisa's gentle silence settles them, washes over them as a warm ocean.

They're not talkative, not in moments like this, preferring to hold on kiss, to exploit a stolen moment like this, the few minutes of companionship before either Wataru's phone buzzes with a message from Yuzuru, or Ibara notices Nagisa's absence inside. Until then, the moment is theirs.

[Smile or comment on the answer here]

#wataru hibiki #nagisa ran #watanagi #my writing #retrospring asks #hibiki wataru #enstars #my fics #retrospring prompts

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miekasa · 3 years

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Mie, I’m begging for some Jean college au bf hcs - im literally so down bad for this man and the way you write men is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Absolutely, not a problem 😌 I saved this ask as a draft a while ago when you sent it, sorry for just now getting to it. Anyway, I love Jean with my whole heart, best boy, best boyfriend <33

King of forehead kisses, and not even just because of his height in comparison to yours; he just likes it. He likes the feeling of pressing his lips against your skin, and making you feel safe.

Brings you tea or coffee however you like it every day without fail. If he can get it to you in the morning before work/school then he’ll do that, if not he’ll meet you some time in the middle of the day to drop it off. Your own personal courier just for drinks.

He… has a thing for long(er) nails. He loves the feeling of them against his skin, even if you’re not scratching to apply pressure—just you holding his hand them grazing his skin is enough for him.

That being said, he will pay for you to get your nails done. Actually, he’ll pay for… almost anything you want, but the nails benefit him as much as they do you so feel free to ball out.

He never blowdries his hair because he doesn’t... know how to do the back of it. You did it for him once and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since, but he’s also too embarrassed to ask you to do/style it again.

On the subject of hair, he does do his best to style it and take care of it, but he’s a sucker whenever you play with it. Sometimes he feigns like you’re messing up all his hard work, but he’ll literally crane his head into your touch. He loves it.

The first time he lays on top of you and you run your hands through his hair... top 10 most euphoric moments of his life. He tries to fight off the sleep threatening to take over him, but it’s futile. Give it 15 minutes at most before he’s knocked out like a baby.

Dogs love him. Anytime you’re in a park or just taking a walk and there’s a dog around, it’ll come up to him and he looks adorable leaning down to pet it. He loves dogs, too! So he’s always happy to stop and pet them. He’d be a 10/10 dog dad.

Has your name saved in his phone with two hearts at the end. Do not point it out.

Loves taking pictures together and if you guys are on a date, he’ll ask someone to get a picture for him. He just likes having them to look back on (and to send to his mom, later).

He doesn’t mind painting classes or videos or tutorials, but he hates paint by numbers kits. He claims that they have no sense of color theory and that it takes the originality and fun out of painting. Not to mention the quality of the paints isn’t great to begin with; all of which he takes very seriously.

It’s pretty cute actually, to see him get worked up over the paint kits. He claims that painting and drawing isn’t even something he takes “that seriously,” it’s just a hobby for him (one he’s insanely good at); but in moments like these, you can tell that he’s way more into art and art theory and history than he lets on.

Huge movie guy, from animated movies to martial arts movies, Jean is usually willingly to give anything a watch at least once. When he’s high, he can go on about his favorite directors and art styles and movie details for hours if you don’t stop him. It’s super cute. Just don’t bring up Moana, because he’ll start crying.

Arm around the shoulder kind of boyfriend for sure. It’s a casual way of keeping you near him and letting everyone know that you guys are together. Plus it allows for him to easily pull you into him for a quick forehead kiss when needed.

Listen. If you hug his arm, he’s on cloud nine. He tries to be nonchalant about it but he’s about three seconds away from his eyes rolling back in his head it feels that good to him. Bonus if you lean your head on his bicep a little—then he’s a goner.

He takes his bagels very seriously and believes that both you and him deserve nothing but the best quality bagels. He’ll grumble if a bakery gives you guys a less than favorable one and make a note that taking the long route to get to his favorite place is much more worth it.

Always makes you walk on the side furthest from the cars. If he notices you’re not, he’ll just shuffle behind you until he’s shouldering the street and you’re on the inside.

He grew up on a kind of modern ranch situation; not exactly all the way in the countryside, but not isolate from the city, either. Because of this, he knows how to ride horses, take care of smaller farm animals, tend to plants, and yes he knows how to use a lasso. You wouldn’t know any of that though, because he never ever talks about it. The only way you find out is when he takes you to visit his mom’s house for the first time, and she asks him for a hand around the place.

(He’s got a cowboy hat, too, but refuses to put it on. He got it when he was, like, nine, okay, leave him alone).

When he thinks you look tired, he’ll wrap his arms around your shoulders to hug you. It’s usually followed up with a kiss to your head, and a promise that you guys will go home soon and get food on the way.

He’s a really good cook. He just understands and flavors and pairings really well, so he doesn’t need a recipe to make something that tastes good; he just kind of knows what to add to get the balance he’s looking for.

Naturally, he’ll cook for you. Especially if he finds out that you haven’t eaten all day/in a long time. He doesn’t care if it’s 11pm and it might seem excessive to make steak and potatoes with a side salad at this hour, he’s gonna do it to make sure you eat, and you are going to sit there and watch.

He also bakes pretty well, though he isn’t as experimental with his baking as he is with his cooking. He usually sticks to what he knows, and it’s not cupcakes and brownies and cakes; he’s better at croissants, and cheesecakes, and canelés.

Dating Jean means getting along with his friends. If you guys didn’t know each other before you started dating, be prepared to be ambushed by Connie and Sasha (after Jean stops hiding you away and gives them the green light lmfao). Neither of them waste time with the small talk and formalities; straight into mini golfing and beer pong. They make you feel welcome right away.

Sasha always teases that you’re too good for Jean, and that she might just steal you away for herself some day. Sasha is also Jean’s main confidant, so she really knows just how much he loves you, and yeah, she teases him for being lovesick, but really she’s happy for Jean. And proud of him for facing his feelings like this.

Connie adores you, and you know he trusts you when he starts going to you for advice/help. Could be anything from schoolwork, to what color he should get his new shoes in. He’s also the one who, surprisingly, you have the sentimental talks with about your relationship with Jean. It’s easy to overlook, but Connie loves Jean, and he’s come to love you too; he just wants you both to be happy, so he’s there to listen when you need it.

Jean waits outside of your classroom after you’ve had a test or presentation, usually with a drink or a snack, or the promise of taking you out as a treat. Always tells you he’s proud of you, and is there to comfort you if you think you didn’t do too well.

He does not shut up about whatever major you’re in. It could be the same as his; it could be the complete opposite as his. He thinks it’s so sick that you’re doing it, you make it look cooler, you make it look better, and he’s certain you’re the smartest person in your program.

He’s pretty serious about his studies, too, so he’s always down to study with you in the library whenever you’re both free. More often than not, he shows up after you, usually with food or extra chargers. He greets you with a kiss on the forehead, and asks you how you are while massaging your shoulders gently. If it’s been a while since you took a break, that’s the first item on the list, after that, he gets to work and stays with you until you’re ready to go, even if he doesn’t have as much work to do.

He always sits across from you. This goes for when you’re in the library, or out to eat at a restaurant; Jean loves sitting across from you. He gets to see your face the best that way, and he adores looking into your eyes when you talk.

He’s not... not a morning person. He’s not up at 6am ready to grind, but he wakes up before noon; let’s say 10am is his happy medium. That being said, if you wake up before him, regardless of the time, there’s a 9/10 chance he’ll lay on your back and tell you to hush so you guys can sleep for 10 more minutes.

If you’re (close) friends with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, Jean is... happy you’ve got people to rely on, but, “Of all people on the planet, you put your trust in Jaeger?” He acts so bitter (because he is), but deep down inside, he’s glad you have Eren to rely on if you need to.

(Also, you have to humble him and remind him that he and Eren aren’t all that different. If you like him, why wouldn’t you get along with Eren, bye).

Turns out though, that it’s not Eren who threatens to beat him up if he breaks your heart. It’s not even Mikasa, although, her threat goes without saying; it’s Armin he’s terrified of.

The last time Armin hated someone, it was this guy in your program, who happened to share a few mutual classes with him, too. Jean never knew the full story, just that he’s pretty sure that kid dropped out the following semester.

If you have a job on campus, Jean usually doesn’t show up while you’re working (knowing how embarrassed he would be if you did that to him), unless you work the night shift and it’s dead. Connie, however, does show up; usually in some kind of crisis (“Please help me, I don’t know what the fuck APA formatting is and this is due tonight, please, please, please!!”). Your coworkers actually thought Connie was your boyfriend for a minute. That’s when Jean starts showing up more lmfao.

He makes it a point to go on a scheduled, night out, kind of date at least twice a month. He knows life gets busy with school and work and midterms, but he always makes sure you both set side a time to take a well-deserved break and be with each other.

He’s the romantic type, so these dates are pretty swoon worthy, too. Drive-in movies, nice dinners, classy art exhibits, Jean plans it all. On that note, he really likes planning dates; he just doesn’t like talking about them with his friends beforehand.

All in all, very romantic, very precious boyfriend. He’s always thinking about you, what you need, and how he can help you out. You’re one of his main priorities, and he just wants to treat you right.

#anonymous #when.... when.... WHEN IS IT MY TURN #aot x reader #jean x reader #jean kirschtein x reader #jean kirstein x reader #aot imagines #no because he's the love of my whole life #jean fluff #jean smut #eren x reader

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buckyownsmylife · 3 years

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Worst Behavior - Chris Evans smut

The one where it was supposed to be a sex scene, but Chris fucked you for real - and he didn’t care that your boyfriend was watching

Warnings: infidelity (reader cheats on oc boyfriend with Chris), smut, exhibitionism, public sex, dirty talk, angst.

Word count: 1.7K

A/N: thank you to my ride or die, @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog for looking this over and giving me her thoughts about it. Writing is such a better process with you to scream about it!

Chris’ P.O.V.

I was seething when I burst through her trailer’s door, so out of my mind that the sight of her raising a hand over her heart, clearly startled, didn’t make me feel even remotely guilty.

“So this is it, huh? We’re gonna film this one last scene, and then you’ll be back by his side, like you and I were nothing, like I never even mean anything to you.” Somewhere inside my troubled mind, a tiny, still emotionally sober part of me saw her wiping a stray tear after it immediately fell from her eye, clearly not wanting to show this sign of weakness in front of me.

But again, I was too out of it to care. I wanted her to hurt, I wanted her to feel the pain that I was feeling, after all she put me through. How could she expect me to leave this set like I was the same man that met her? She had fundamentally changed me, by showing me how to love and be loved, how it was possible to find in a single person the answer to all of my needs and desires for my future.

I couldn’t just go on pretending I didn’t know what I knew now. But that’s what she intended to do. She wanted to leave and keep living in the pretense that nothing had changed, that she was still in love with the man waiting for her on set.

I knew for a fact that wasn’t the case. I knew it because there was no way my feelings were one-sided, no way everything we had gone through had only mattered that much to me. I knew her, probably better than I knew myself. And I knew this was all just fear and anxiety, clouding her mind and stopping her from going after what she truly wanted.

Unfortunately, the only way I could process these emotions at the moment was through anger.

“Is that how you see me?” Her sweet voice surprised me, I didn’t expect her to actually respond to my hurt-filled accusations. “Do you think I’m that cruel, that I would just be able to… to leave and forget you like this?”

I huffed, too inside my own mind to relent now. Yes, this is how I saw her, at least at that moment. She was the cause of my hurt, because she was the object of my desires.

“You’re doing this out of your own free will,” I reminded her. “Don’t try to pretend you’re just some innocent little victim in all of this. You have our fate in your hands, and you’re deciding to let it all go to waste.”

At the sight of tears rolling down her cheeks, my decision to leave was made even before she ordered me out of her trailer. I couldn’t stand to see her cry, couldn’t deal with the knowledge that I was the cause for it.

So, once again, I turned that distress into anger.

Y/N’s P.O.V.

The air was chilly on set, and the fact that I was practically naked under the robe didn’t help. Neither did the tension between Chris and I. I wanted to make things right, I wanted to reach over and run my hands over his shoulders, relax the muscles I’d come to know so well. But I couldn’t do that right now. Not with my boyfriend watching us.

So I resigned myself to fiddling with my fingers as we waited for the set to be ready. Since it was one of those artistic sex shots, it would be filmed from a distance and there wouldn’t be any lines or sounds that we had to make, just movements to simulate. Which meant that the few people that were allowed to stay on the set had to watch the whole thing unfold from afar, and we would be free to fake having sex while they filmed us.

I don’t think I realized this could very well be the last time I had Chris this close to me until I had his mouth on mine again. I could still feel the emotions from earlier that day right beneath the surface, boiling his blood as he buried his hand on my hair and devoured my lips like he’d done so many times before.

Good thing the scene called for desperation.

I kissed him back just as desperately, wanting to enjoy every second of this experience, even if it wasn’t exactly what I desired at that time. Chris always kissed me so well, guiding me to where he wanted, and in no time at all he had me sprawled on the bed, underneath his larger body. I couldn’t help but to moan lowly when his lips attached themselves to my jaw, and I felt his smirk against my skin.

I couldn’t blame him. The effect he had on me was incomparable. He had every right to be smug about the sounds he could pull from me, Lord knows I’d cried out his name enough times to permanently puncture my own ear drums.

And still, it didn’t seem like it would be enough. The more he touched me - even if it was under a blanket, for a scene - the clearer it became that it could never be enough. I still wanted him. I wanted him forever, in fact.

But just as the realization occurred to me, his thumb slipped over my covered clit, pressing on the little nub and making me jerk away in surprise. “Shhh…” He directed, making sure to cover my face with his bicep so the camera wouldn’t catch my shock. “Just relax so it doesn’t hurt.”

I didn’t understand what he meant until I felt him pulling the flimsy excuse of underwear aside. That’s when my cunt pulsed, just before he positioned his cock and easily slid right into my wetness.

The feeling of his thickness was too much, especially when I wasn’t expecting it. My mouth fell open in a silent gasp, and he moved his arm so the camera could see it, but also turned his head to the other side so they wouldn’t notice his lips moving as he murmured to me, “Careful, sweetheart. Can’t make any real sounds. Not like the ones I usually pull from you. Wouldn’t want your boyfriend to realize that we’re actually doing it, huh?”

Chris’ P.O.V.

My desire for her ran so deep, I could hear my blood pumping in my veins as I fucked her right in front of her boyfriend. Right in front of everyone from the filming crew, for the camera to see.

I took sick pleasure in knowing this moment would be eternalized for history. Everyone would see just how pretty she looks for me and only for me, and no one would ever know the truth.

No one would ever know the truth. That I had her, that she was mine, but only for a bit. That I got to hold her, and have her screaming my name, but I’d never get to hear it again. I’d never get to have her again.

I didn’t want to have to pretend that I forgot it. Like I didn’t know this other side of her, that we never shared these sexual experiences that felt much more intimate than anything I’d ever shared with anyone else before.

It was hard to pretend that I didn’t care underneath the mask of a character that cared too much, because I was that character. I loved this woman just like he did, and I wanted to show her just how much.

I’d looked for her in everyone I’d met before. Slept with so many women, went out on so many dates, and now here she was, clenching around my cock, reaching for my hand and still, she wasn’t mine.

How can you keep looking for the love of your life if you’ve already met them?

And even if there was emotion - and there was so much emotion, ours or of our characters, it didn’t matter anymore - this felt so dirty, dirtier than anything else we’d ever done before.

I’d had her in so many ways, and still, having her now, right in front of him, brought new feelings I never expected to feel. And I couldn’t suffer through them alone. I needed to make sure she’d acknowledged it too.

“He has no idea, you know,” I whispered, low enough so the only person who could hear was her. Her eyes met mine in surprise, but she kept in character, while I took advantage of my position to taunt her more. “No one has. No one knows you only look like this when you have my dick inside of you.”

A moan broke free from her, making me smile inwardly even though I couldn’t smirk like I wanted to. I let go of one of her hands to push a few strands of hair away from her face, so both the camera and I could get a good vision of her expression.

“You’re such a good girl for me, honey. He could never get you like this. Only I can do that.” The way she clawed at my back made it obvious that I was right. And still, the reality of our situation didn’t allow for me to feel any sort of pride in that.

I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to cum and have to pull out of her, let her go back to him and their life as I was left by myself. “I can’t let you go,” I admitted, and her eyes opened up to meet mine, a slight sparkle of understanding in them. “Not like this,” I continued. “Not ever.”

And still, my hips picked up the pace and brought us to that old familiar high, right when I came to terms with the fact that I’d have to leave her. “Baby,” I whispered, this time knowing the microphone would pick it up.

Our eyes connected once more, but this time, there was mostly pain, from my gaze and from hers. I stood there for as long as I could, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones, until the director’s voice freed us from the scene, and then I was forced to leave.

Before I did though, I had one last thing to say.

“I don’t want to have to miss you.”

One thing was certain. It would be impossible to remain professional during the press conference.

#my fics #chris evans smut #smut #chris evans #famous reader #chris evans x reader #chris evans reader #chris evans reader insert #chris evans reader inserts #chris evans reader smut #chris evans fiction #rpf

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watchmegetobsessed · 3 years

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Mine Again - Harry Styles

a/n: this is something i just thought about after my nap today lol, so enjoy this treat, a classic exlovers to lovers fic!

pairing: Harry x Famous!Reader

word count: 3.4k

masterlist

Seeing an ex is never easy. Whether it’s by your choice or not. Working together with an ex is even harder and now you brought a situation on yourself where this is your reality.

Arriving to the studio of The Late Late show you immediately get escorted to your designated dressing room where a hair and makeup artist are already waiting for you. Today you are here to promote your new movie, Don’t Worry Darling with your onscreen lover, Harry Styles, however, what no one else in the building knows is that once the two of you were real life lovers.

Your romance blossomed during filming, having spent so much time together on set, it didn’t take long for a relationship to form between you and him, the chemistry you shared was immense and undeniable, anyone could see that and you felt like you were burning in a bonfire of the most intense feelings you’ve felt for any man. It was passionate and intoxicating, it felt like something that could only happen in movies, but it was your reality.

However filming ended and you were forced to go your separate ways, you both tried hard to keep what you had and though your feelings never changed, distance brought the worst out of the both of you. Six months after you became an item, you mutually agreed to break it off.

You haven’t seen him since then, meaning that it’s been five torturous months without having any contact with him and now that promo has officially kicked in, you are forced to travel around and make appearances with the man you love, yes, still love more than anyone on this Earth. Not even five months and absolutely no contact could change your feelings for him, however he might already be over you at this point, having forgotten about feelings and memories you still hold close to your heart.

How has he been doing? What is he like now? Has he been thinking about you? Does he miss you? What is it going to be like to see him for the first time?

The questions flood your mind as you sit in the chair and let the professionals work their magic on you, covering up the dark circles under your eyes that formed due to the sleepless night you had the day before, nonstop thinking about Harry and what it’ll be like to see him for the first time again.

After careful elimination, you choose a dress for the appearance, it’s tight and short, the fabric is covered in glittering sequins down your body and the long sleeves as well and while the dress covers a lot up from the waist, it makes up in the lack of length on your legs as the end of it barely reaches the upper part of your thighs, ending it black feathers that tickle your freshly shaven legs. The nude heels add even more to them, making you appear like you could hit the runway any moment when in reality you are not high enough to be a model.

There’s still some time until the taping starts, James drops by to say hello and tell you how excited he is to have you and Harry on tonight and you chit-chat for a little before you go to take a quick business call outside. When you’re done with that, you head back to your dressing room to take a few quick photos to post later, but right as you near your destination, a door swings open down the hallway and Harry steps out, wearing a black suit, of course, head to toe Gucci. The crispy grey shirt’s first few buttons are left undone, allowing you a glimpse of his toned chest and his necklace with the tiny cross pendant on it.

He looks good. No, he looks absolutely stunning, just like he always does and just the sight of him takes your breath away, forcing you to stop in your tracks when you lay your eyes at him. He spots you as well, stopping to take a look at you before you see a small smile on his perfect pink lips.

“Y/N, hi! You look… gorgeous,” he speaks up lowly, his eyes raking your body up and down.

“I, uhh—Thanks!” you breathe out, feeling already flustered. How are you gonna survive the interview, sitting next to him, talking about what it was like to play a married couple?!

His hand moves a bit and there’s a moment of awkwardness, neither of you really knowing what to do, last time you saw each other you kissed as your hellos, but now it’s not an option, obviously. At last, he moves forward and goes for a hug.

He envelopes you in his arms as you wrap yours around his neck, the warmth of his body bringing you a sense of home and it hits you hard how much you’ve missed him in these five months.

You swear he holds you just a second longer than what would be appropriate before his arms fall from around your frame and you force yourself to let go of him, though every fiber in you is protesting against it.

“How—How have you been?” he asks, his beautiful green eyes finding yours.

“I’m good. I’m good,” you nod. “What about you?”

“Same. Just the… usual stuff.”

“Writing music?” you ask with a soft smile. You still vividly remember those nights you spent together after a long day of filming, crashing at either his or your place and you often found him strumming his guitar in a corner, scribbling words down into his notebook. Sometimes he sang you the songs he came up with, sometimes he kept them to himself.

“Yeah, I’ve been writing a lot lately,” he admits with a shy smile.

Someone calls his name down the hallway and his head snaps up before looking back at you.

“I gotta go, but I’ll see you soon, right?”

“Yeah,” you nod, stepping aside so he can walk past.

“And you really look amazing, Y/N,” he calls after you one last time before jogging down the hallway.

You walk into your dressing room and shutting the door you lean your back against it, huffing heavily as you try to recollect yourself. Somehow, this encounter went really well, because the two of you were civil and respectful, but it was also a painful shock to see him in the flesh again. It was one thing to see pictures of him here and there, but actually meeting him, hugging him, talking to him… you need time to process it all.

Unfortunately, you don’t have much of that. Twenty minutes later you are walked to your spot behind the curtains from where you’ll walk out when James calls your name. Just as you arrive Harry appears as well, casually talking with one of the camera guys, having a laugh and just as he sees you, his eyes fall down your body again and you swear you see him gulp hard before turning his attention back to the man.

“Ready?” he asks upon walking up to you, a hand coming to rest on your lower back. Glancing over your shoulder you look down at his hand, lips parted at the feeling of his welcoming touch. He sees your glance and pulls his hand back quickly. “Sorry, it’s a habit, I guess,” he mumbles, blushing softly.

“It’s fine,” you smile. Of course it’s fine, for what you care, he could throw you over his shoulder like a cave man and run out of the building, you wouldn’t say a word. You want his touch on your body, you’ve been craving it since the moment you last saw him, but are you even allowed to admit it? You have no idea what he is thinking or feeling, you can’t just come right at him like that.

Harry fixes the lapels of his suit jacket, but what he doesn’t see is that the collar of his shirt is kind of stuck under the jacket.

“Your shirt is… let me fix it,” you breathe out and he turns to face you, letting your delicate hands fix his outfit, perfecting the look to the tiniest bit. “There, you look great,” you smile, your hands sliding down his chest before they fall to your sides again.

“Thank you,” he nods smiling back at you before offering an arm that you take gladly. He knows how much you hate high heels and that you are always scared of tripping and falling and being the gentleman that he is, he’ll be the support you need.

The taping soon starts and the two of you stand patiently behind the curtain as James introduces you.

“And now, please welcome the stars of the upcoming hit movie, Don’t Worry Darling! Ladies and gentlemen, Y/N Y/L/N and Harry Styles!”

The crowd starts clapping and cheering as the curtain moves and the two of you walk in, arms linked and Harry makes sure to slow down when you walk down the few little stairs. James welcomes the both of you with two kisses before everyone takes their place, James behind his desk, you and Harry sitting on the couch.

“Thank you so much for dropping by tonight, guys!” James smiles at the two of you.

“Thank you for having us,” Harry nods with a soft smile.

“You both have been guests on the show separately, but tonight you are here as a pair, since your latest movie, Don’t Worry Darling is hitting the theaters this weekend. How are you feeling about that, excited to see the film finally?”

“Very excited,” you nod with a smile. “I can’t wait to see the final version, because obviously we only know the version we envisioned while filming, but the actual movie is going to be something else.”

“Y/N, your role in the movie was originally handed to Florence Pugh who had to step back because she broke her arm,” James points out and you nod.

“Yes, I stepped in her place just about a week before production started and if I’m being honest I was scared that people would prefer to see her in the role, but I had a talk with her actually and she said she helped Olivia, the director to pick out the person to take her place and she said she instantly knew I would be perfect for it, so I trust her.”

“That’s amazing to hear, that the two of you didn’t have any rivalry going on,” James enthuses.

“She actually visited set a few times,” Harry chimes in and you nod.

“Yeah, we had a great time together.”

“Sounds like a lot of fun, the three of you together,” James chuckles. “So, the two of you play a married couple in the film and if I’m not mistaken you didn’t know each other beforehand. Was it hard to get into the roles with not much background on each other?”

“We met up a few times before filming started to get to know each other more and I think we hit it off right away, so it wasn’t hard for me,” Harry speaks up and you nod along.

“It was obviously a little different situation than when you meet someone and become friends, because as we got to know each other more, we had to go through scenes that were meant for a couple that was already years into their relationship, but I think it strengthened our friendship,” you answer, hands laid flat on your bare thighs.

No lie has been told, everything you said was the truth. You just left out the part where you become real life lovers and started dating a month into production.

“Y/N, you’ve been acting for a while now, have quite a few roles under your belt, what did you think of Harry’s acting?”

“I think that he is a wonderful actor and I hope people will give him his much deserved credit for it. He is often still seen as just a silly singer from a former boy band and they don’t take him seriously when he really is a very talented man. You’ll see in the movie as well, his role was a tough one, needed a lot of work and a wide range of emotions, but I think he did an amazing job.”

You dare to glance at him at the end of your little speech and for a moment you forget about the audience, James and the cameras. He is looking at you with so much gratitude and thankfulness. You remember every talk you had where he opened up to you about wanting to be taken seriously in the acting business, that he is not trying to be just a joke and another failed attempt of a singer to try himself out in movies. He told you how scared he is of not being good enough when you saw him every day on set and you were blown by his eternal talent and special take on his role. He deserves to be praised, he deserves every bit of it.

“It was easy, I had a great partner to learn from,” he smiles softly and you feel the heat crawling up your neck.

“You two really have the chemistry we’ve heard so much about, I can’t wait to see it on the big screen!” James sighs. “Tell me a little about what it was like to film? You guys spent a lot of time together, must have made a lot of memories.”

You take a deep breath as all those memories mentioned flood your mind. You had the best time of your life not just with Harry, but with the whole crew. Leaving after production was wrapped really broke your heart.

“It didn’t even feel like working,” Harry starts. “We always joked around, had lunch or dinner together, we were like a big family. It was so nice to have so many amazing, talented and hard-working people around you all day.”

“The jokes never stopped,” you add chuckling.

“I wish I could have been on set!” James laughs wholeheartedly. “That didn’t happen, but we have a little something. The crew has put together a short BTS video of the filming, so let’s have a look at that,” he announces and the video starts playing on every screen in the studio.

It’s a short little montage, but it captures the vibes of filming just perfectly. Clips shown from set are not just of you and Harry, but all the other cast and crew members. Goofing around, having lots and lots of laughs, dancing on set, which happened quite often and just all of you having a great time. Some of the slips however pain your chest, the ones of you and Harry.

This was very early into your relationship, no one on set even knew you were together, but seeing yourself on the screen you can’t deny the sparkles in your eyes every time you were around him.

A clip shows the two of you between two takes, doing a goofy dance in the kitchen of the home that was used as the set of the house of your characters, you are both wearing your costumes, Harry looks great in his suit and your long retro dress is flowing around you with every movement you make. He grabs you by your waist and spins you before you end up in his arms laughing crazily, you were so happy, so carefree. You wish you could go back to that moment…

Another footage was taken in your trailer when Harry took the place of Clare, your makeup artist and tried to do your eyeliner but miserably failed. In the video, he is gently clasping your chin, angling your face for himself as his other hand is working on the line, but it’s wobbly and way too thick, so you both end up just laughing when you check yourself in the mirror.

And there are some small moments of the two of you, moving around on set, lying in bed between takes, sitting in your chairs while eating, just tiny memories you still cherish so much and wish to live through again, but it’s the past. And it wouldn’t hurt this much if you knew Harry from the video was still yours.

When the video ends you need to blink a few times as your eyes have watered a little. You catch Harry’s gaze and he looks worried, he clearly wants to ask if you’re okay, make sure it was just the sentimentality of the moment, but he doesn’t have the chance, the cameras are still rolling.

“That looked like so much fun! Next time make sure to invite me on set too!” James jokes and you force a laugh out of yourself.

A few questions are asked about future plans and just generally about your careers before the taping finally ends. You thank James for the invite again and a photo is taken of the three of you, you standing in the middle with the two men on your sides. When everything is settled, you head to your dressing room, using the chance to slip away silently while Harry is still chit-chatting on the set.

In the comfort and silence of the dressing room, you lean onto the vanity, staring at yourself in the mirror, finding it ironic that on the outside, you look perfectly fine, healthy and pretty, but on the inside… you could scream. You miss Harry so much, you hoped that your feelings for him have toned down a little over these five months, but it was just the same if not even worse.

A faint knock is heard on the door and you quickly fix yourself before calling out to the person outside. The door opens and for your surprise, Harry steps inside, closing the door behind him.

“Hey, you disappeared so fast,” he softly says.

“Yeah, I’m just… a little tired,” you lie, though you know exactly he can see right through you.

“Y/N, I saw that look in your eyes after the video…”

“What look?” you ask with a huff. “What do you want me to say, Harry?”

“The truth,” he answers. “I’m not James, don’t bullshit me.”

“You want the truth? I’ll give it to you, but don’t blame me if it’s uncomfortable for you,” you chuckle bitterly, throwing your hands into the air. “I’ve been miserable, Harry. I miss you so fucking much, seeing you today was like Hell. I really thought it would be easier, but now I’m stuck with going from one interview to the other with red carpet events all around the world, seeing you every day when I terribly miss you and it fucking sucks, because you might not even feel the sa—“

You don’t get to finish, because Harry crosses the distance between the two of you, his hands grab your face and pulls you into a hard and passionate kiss. His lips move perfectly against yours and it feels like he is trying to squeeze every missed moment from the past five months into the kiss, making you melt into his arms completely.

He is everywhere. He is all you can taste, you breathe him in, his hands are everywhere on your body and your chest is pressed tight against his as you wrap your arms around his neck, locking him into your embrace. Your tongues dance, teeth tugging and pulling on lips, it’s a whole mess, but it’s the most perfect mess you’ve ever been. He takes your breath away completely and you don’t even want it back if it means you can’t have him.

Harry pulls away first, both your chests heaving wildly from the heavy make-out session and he looks down at you with hooded eyes.

“If you think I haven’t missed you like crazy… you can’t be more wrong, baby. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, I wanted to call you a thousand times and beg for you to come back to me, but I thought you already moved on.”

“Moving on?!” you huff with a tired smile. “Harry, I could never…”

“Alright, then I’m not letting you go again. No way you are walking out of this building without being mine again.”

A shiver runs down your spine at his words as you pull him down for another kiss, needing to feel his lips on yours.

“I never stopped being yours,” you whisper against his lips and he moans weakly before crashing his lips against yours again.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

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