#like so much of the plot’s problems had to do with the paparazzi and regular college shit that you would think it was about celebrities | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

boop-le-snoot · 3 years

Text

masterpost ☀️ main masterlist ☀️ taglist

previously on...

Chapter 5. We have stucky, we have stevesambucky friendship, we have a new place to live and strange being a good guy because tony definitely ranted at him. Also, we're beginning the creepy part of the plot. I have decided that sam will be one of the main platonic characters in this story because I love sam.

fun fact: I used to be a creepypasta writer! Going back to my roots here, hehe.

Things had stated changing, for better or worse, much sooner than I had been prepared for - but was anyone, ever, really ready for the next big step? Certainly not me - the view that greeted me after I'd finished my shift at Jeremy's was peculiar and unexpected, so I froze, eyebrows high at the two super-soldiers parked, once again, illegally, right in front of the entrance door.

"Hi, doll," Bucky was reclined against his boyfriend comfortably, his bike standing a pace behind Steve's, who nodded companionably, a sheepish grin on his face.

"G'day," I nodded, eyeing them warily. "I think I know where this is going..."

"No, no, nothing like that," both men frantically waved their hands around, Steve coming up close to approach me slowly. "You're not in trouble. I came out here to say thanks," giving a sappy look to the grouch that was his boyfriend, Steve reached into his pocket and handed me a slip of paper. "Just, uh..."

"Those are our phone numbers. Don't hesitate to give either one of us a call if someone bothers you," Bucky took over the stammering blonde, shaking his head at the soft blush that blossomed on the good captain's face. The brunette wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders with a shy smile of his own. "Or if you, I don't know, need someone to carry your groceries or something," he snorted. "The punk wouldn't leave it alone until we came out personally to thank you, the sap."

The laughter bubbled up from my chest as I grabbed and pocketed the paper, throughly amused and at the endearing gesture. "Sure, thanks."

"And, uh," Bucky's eyes briefly looked to the side. "We'd appreciate if you keep the status of our relationship to yourself for now. We're not, like, officially out yet."

I froze in place, mouth falling open. Surely they were aware that anybody with a functional pair of eyes could see that they were much more than 'good, lifelong friends'. "No problem, guys. Lemme know if anyone gives you shit about it though, this place," I gestured to the café behind me, "is strictly paparazzi and homophobe-free."

Steve's grin grew even more genuine. "Yeah, we heard all about it from Tony and Stephen. Said 'twas the only place they go these days."

I wasn't aware of that. "It's the paps, isn't it?" I remembered Tony's remarks.

Bucky shook his head, the metals of his prosthetic arm whirring as it recalibrated. "Not only. The public hasn't had the best reaction to a man goin' out with a man," the brunette looked away to the side, where Steve's face had fallen considerably. "And Tony's an eccentric rich man. We're jus' two soldiers. The US Army won't be too happy if we... Came out," both men were crestfallen yet determined.

I had a hunch nothing would be able to separate the two - seeing as not even seventy-odd years and brainwashing and ice couldn't keep the captain and his sarge apart, I doubted that a few government weasels could successfully do the job. Even so, it was unpleasant, to say the least, to see them deny themselves something that technically was perfectly fine in the 21st century.

I chewed on my lip, gathering my wits. "I've clocked out, I can tell you this as a friend- as a person. You don't owe the army jack shit. They do not own you, you are your own person that they experimented their German knockoff steroids on. Respectfully, fuck that shit." I firmly stated my opinion, figuring that there should have been at least someone that told Steve that he is more than his star-spangled uniform and giant metal frisbee.

The blonde scrunched his eyebrows together, fingers gripping onto his belt until the knuckles went white, the hard line of his jaw set firm.

Bucky laugh took me by surprise. "Agreed, doll. I'm too old to be hiding in back alleys and shit," he clapped on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Although I'm happy enough with just not going to prison for bein' in love with this idiot."

"Jerk," Steve's responding pout was downright adorable now that I knew the circumstances surrounding their relationship.

Which wasn't exactly surprising. As a barista, I knew my fair share about my regulars' love lives, their jobs, their kids. The tea was almost always piping hot. "Bye, boys," I smiled at them warmly, throwing a glance at the time, adjusting the strap of my bag for comfort. "Stay outta trouble!"

Steve scrambled for his bike, having noticed my pointed gesture. "Sorry, didn't mean to hold you back. There, I have a spare helmet," he gestured behind him. "I'll give you a ride."

"There's no way in Hell I'm getting on that death trap!" I shouted cheerfully, walking briskly towards my second job, hiding a laugh in the warmth of my scarf as two very offended motorcycle-loving gay fossils sped past me, making truly incredible amounts of noise. Good for them.

Odette was content to let me rummage around the bodega without showing herself more than necessary, taking her appointments and doing- well, witch stuff, I guess, only coming out to poke at the various jars for ingredients.

"Star, I have a proposition for you," right before closing time, Odette's voice filled out the store with its low drawl. "A good friend of mine owns an apartment building, not far from here actually, and one tenant recently moved out. It's a safe space for those who are different," she enunciated the last word, fixing it with a pointed stare. "She's not overly fond of total strangers coming to live there. The rent is reduced and the apartment itself is slightly bigger and more fashionable than yours..."

"Where's the catch?" I found myself interrupting her. I wouldn't lie: the reduced rent and increased size of the apartment did interest me, as well as the probability of a kinder, more involved landlord. My current one was - not the best, but such was life in the NYC.

"There are a few rules to follow, rules that might seem strange at first but they'll make sense in time. And your neighbors might be also a little... Unusual," Odette carefully studied my face for any signs of displeasure.

I sighed.

And then I sighed some more as I was signing my new lease in a few days' time, having spoken with Porter, my new landlord, and his boyfriend who had claws and fangs- after so much time spent around Odette's, I didn't even blink. The couple liked me enough to extend a secure but flexible offer and some furniture to choose from the attic where they kept the spares.

I quite liked the large, vintage couch I placed next to the wide bow windows in the living room. The floors were hardboard and well-kept, the walls a nice, homely shade of green and Porter didn't mind any new holes in them that might arise from hanging up decorations. I scheduled a thrift crawl at the next possible opportunity, happy with the "good employee" bonus Odette had given me after I sealed the deal.

My stuff was boxed up, a sleepless night and a call to a begrudging Jeremy to have a couple of days off to move; I was, thankfully, not late on my schedule and all that I had left was to rent a car to move the boxes of my things and the few pieces of furniture I had decided to keep - my haul in Porter's attic had been incredibly rewarding and my new apartment had all the basics to make it look like a warm, inviting bohemian home in a while.

My phone rang suddenly, startling interruption to the romcom I was watching as I ate my last lunch in my old apartment. "Hello?" I answered the number without looking.

"Hi, doll," Bucky's voice rang out cheerful. "A little witch told me you were moving. I thought you might need a hand?"

I blanked momentarily, the thought of enlisting two very busy super-soldiers to haul ten boxes and two endtables worth of stuff not having crossed my mind at all. "Is this the moment when you stop by my house just to unattach and put your prosthetic arm somewhere and leave?" I asked, hearing distinctive snickering - several more people were with him.

The cheer in his voice blossomed into a full belly laugh. "You're funny," he teased me. "And thanks for the idea. But no, I have a room full of men that have nothing better to do but get on my nerves. Might as well make 'em useful," his accented drawl thickened the more we spoke. Muted cheers rang out in the background.

"Uh, sure," who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth? I rattled off my address and warned them I didn't have a car, after which Bucky assured me it will be taken care of. The last remaining knick-knacks packed away, I went down to take out the trash, and returned to four people standing in front of my apartment building, all except one unrecognisable in their civilian clothes. "Hello," I waved at them, side-eyeing the tallest, grumpiest man of the bunch.

Stephen Strange was there, looking around curiously, hands in the pockets of his plain grey hoodie. I had already forgotten how normal he looked without his robes, and, frankly speaking, I preferred him like that. His title and the attire that came with it were quite intimidating.

"Hey there," a dark-skinned man who I recognised to be the Falcon, raised his hand. I had not met him yet. "I'm Sam, Sam Wilson. You must be the Star we're helping?" His quick once-over and the tilt to his lips; the ease with which he flirted had me brandishing smirks of my own. I led them all upstairs, Stephen's silence being just so loud. Sam, however, had no such reservations. "So, you're a witch, right?" Wow, subtlety was his middle name.

"Yes, I'll show you my broomstick," I deadpanned, wiggling my eyebrows at him with a grim look.

"Woah woah," Sam raised his hands as the three men behind us snickered loudly. "What happened to 'how are you? let's have dinner sometime'?"

I did my best imitation of an evil cackle as I let them through my front door. The four newcomers looked around my nearly empty apartment with muted interest before zeroing in on the pile of things in the corner: a few pieces of furniture and nearly taped boxes. Should be a walk in the park for four men.

A hand on my arm pulled me from the stupor of observing Sam, Bucky and Steve act like a well-oiled trio, bantering and teasing each other as they discussed how to best move the things.

"Look," Stephen Strange had all the appearance of a chastised puppy. "I wanted to apologize for my behaviour that day. I was out of line," the low notes in his voice made the appearance of the apology being somewhat reluctant. Tony probably put him to it after our little burger run.

Irregardless, I wasn't looking to make any enemies. "Me too, I was under stress - not that I'm using it as an excuse," to give where it's due, I nodded at the sorcerer, immediately awestruck by the easy, boyish smile that stretched on his lips.

"You are strong," he added. "If you would like to learn our ways, we would welcome you." There was a spark in his eyes, something belonging to man that respected and collected knowledge. My own respect for him grew immensely just from that one thing.

"I'll think about it," I offered amicably, however, I still leaned heavily towards a negative answer to that particular proposition. I liked my current way of life.

Strange's grin made a momentary second appearance, until Sam's voice rang loudly: "Fire in the hole, Wizard-man," causing the former to groan loudly and look at me.

"Think about your new place for a second," he spoke, briefly touching out fingertips. As soon as that was over, a golden circle with my new living room on the other side of it appeared quietly, Strange's hands immediately going back into his pockets after that. I sighed and pointed the men into it, stepping in a second after. The sorcerer wasn't far behind. "You could learn that, too, you know," he added wryly, having seen my look of mild envy directed at him.

"I think I'll be good with having the 'pissed off the sorcerer Supreme and lived' pass for now," I retorted with an eyeroll, turning around to stare him down.

He had the decency to look somewhat sheepish, at least. "I'm not like my predecessor," his words were chosen carefully. "And, to be honest, I have no clue as to why your... Boss is so hostile towards me- us," Strange looked around the room before unceremoniously beelining for the couch and plopping down on it.

"Not to be a gossip," I started, slightly intrigued. "But Odette and some lady she called ancient had mad beef," I slipped into casual language easily, trying to recall the details of Odette's, quite often jumbled, stories. "Sounded almost like territorial disputes," I shrugged. "And the apprentices Odette took on before me found themselves in all kinds of compromising situations," I chewed on my lip. "Like the Arctic."

Strange rubbed his face with a noisy groan, large hands doing nothing to mask the resignation and slight embarrassment.

I focused on the thin, red scars on his hands - they had to have been something serious, the way slight tremors betrayed the deteriorating state of the nerves in his fingers. I frowned, quickly averting my gaze before he could catch me ogling him. The fact thag Stephen kept his hands in his pockets or covered by gloves at all times didn't go over my head.

He muttered something to himself, something that sounded like he was often forced to clean up his predecessor's mess. "I see," was the only thing he'd offered me, looking slightly pitiful and apologetic.

"Well," I started, noting the last of my stuff was about to be in its rightful place, "as long as you don't toss me into the ocean, I think we can coexist peacefully."

"Tony would kill me if I'd tried," Stephen groused.

"Probably," I agreed. "Considering the fact he hit on me, for you, it would make one hell of a lover's quarrel," my hand pointed towards the kitchen as Steve and Sam carried in the boxes aptly labeled "kitchen", looking around a place to put them down.

"Tony did what now?" Stephen's tone dropped, a wry smirk decorating his lips as he eyed me through his lashes.

"Don't ask me," I raised my palms, feeling my eyes widen. "He's chaos personified and Satan only knows what he's got on his mind."

That squeezed a laugh out of the tall man, followed by a fond, sappy smile as he looked out of my large, panoramic window, probably thinking of Tony himself. There was no doubt, Stephen Strange was utterly and throughly head over heels in love with Tony Stark. Good for them, good for them.

"A-and that's it," Bucky walked in, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel I'd provided them earlier. "I took some liberties and assembled the furniture, Steve is stacking the dishes as we speak," the brunette noisily plopped down next to me, arm carelessly thrown behind me on the back of the couch.

"Oh, um," I stammered, unused to such random gestures of kindness. "Thanks a lot, you saved me a day's worth of time and a backache," I smiled, scooting over to make some room for Sam.

"No problem, not like we had anything better to do than argue which part of the Lord of the Rings is the best," Wilson rolled his eyes, elbowing Bucky none-too-gently.

Bucky elbowed back, thus starting a horsing war between the two, causing me to scoot closer to Stephen as I attempted to avoid any flailing limbs; the sorcerer and I shared an identical, perplexed sigh as to how two grown men could easily bait each other into such juvenile behaviour.

Whatever. It was kind of endearing.

Steve emerged from the kitchen dusty but smiling, having heard the commotion, and quickly herded his guys into a semblance of decent behaviour before all of three of them left, leaving me and Stephen to go back to my old apartment and give the keys to it to the guard. That was done, too, and a portal from an alley behind my old building straight into my living room had me and Strange awkwardly hovering, saying out goodbyes and waving to each other as the golden circle rapidly shrunk in size and disappeared, golden sparks scattering across my living room carpet for a short second before they fizzled out, too.

I used the brief moment of respite to find the small piece of paper containing the rules Porter had insisted I read and take seriously; figuring it might be a good idea to give them a read before beginning to unpack, I popped open a bottle of soda, holding the itemized list written in neat cursive to my face.

The further I read, the further my eyebrows rose:

"1. Keep your door locked at all times.

2. If a person knocks on your door claiming to be the mail man, do not open the door under any circumstances. You are free to ignore the knocking - it only lasts a minute or so. After the person has left, you may open the door and check for any packages.

3. If Samantha from 3B visits you and asks you to babysit, you may do so at your personal discretion. Her twins are a handful and their daily habits are not for the ones with a weak stomach, however, they mean nothin ill and will not harm you in any way.

4. Do not use the elevator between the hours of 1 and 4 AM.

5. There are no apartments under number "7". If someone claiming to be from those apartments knocks on your door and requests entry, come up with a polite excuse to decline and send me a text message. I will take care of it.

6. There is no garden on the premises of this building. If a man approaches you, claiming to be a gardener, don't interact with him and simply walk away. He will leave you alone.

7. You may meet a girl in a polka-dot dress playing in the hallways or in the stairwell. This is Lucy. Always be polite to Lucy - you won't like what will happen if you're rude to her. She does not talk but she knows limited ASL and may request to visit you. Allow her in ONLY if you have fresh meat in your fridge (beef or mutton, preferably bloody). You might want to avoid seeing her eat, however, it might be very beneficial to make friends with Lucy. She knows a lot of things.

8. If, when taking the stairs, you encounter inconsistent numeration of the floors, such as floor 2 followed by floor 5 and etc, simply walk a flight back. It will sort itself out. The building is old and sometimes it gets confused.

Important notice: these rules apply to your guests as well. Please make sure to introduce and educate them on these matters. We will help as much as we can should a situation arise but ultimately, there are fates far worse than an untimely, however swift, death.

- Porter and Lance."

A slow, creeping dread began to gnaw at my nape, curling on like a cold snake deep in chest. As if laughing at me, the warm, welcoming embrace of the green walls and the toothy, wide smiles my landlords had given me encouraged my recently found sense of adventure, all of it mixing into a cacophony of exhilaration and unease, equally steadily driving my running brain insane.

I sighed again, immediately going to the box containing my altar and the rest of the protective items. So much for peace.

Taglist: @couldntbedamned @mikariell95 @letsby @sleep-i-ness @toomanyrobins @mostly-marvel-musings @persephonehemingway @schemefrenzy @lillsxd @bluecrazedandbeautiful @slothspaghettiwrites @xoxabs88xox

#practical alchemy #bun writes #tony stark x reader x stephen strange #stephen strange x reader x tony stark #ironstrange x reader #stephen strange x reader #tony stark x reader #stephen strange x y/n #tony stark x y/n #Stephen Strange x you #tony stark x you

48 notes · View notes

marvelsswansong · 5 years

Note

Can you do a bodyguard au with Steve? And if you'd like, make it Steve x reader please? :) if its okay with you!

a/n: I went for a slight mix of bodyguard au with mob au to make this story work, I will admit I personally really hate how this turned out but i hope you like it or don’t hate it at the very least xx

————————-

“(Y/n) will not be taking any more questions, thank you very much.” announced Steve, glaring at the reporters and parting a way in the clustered crowd of press peoples.

“You alright?”

You were the only person Steve was this soft around.

You smiled up at Steve and nodded. Steve carefully placed his hand on your back, resting it just above your waist, ensuring your safety as the rest of your security team cleared a path for you to walk back to your car. You wouldn’t have minded at all if Steve were to place his hands lower but wrap you in his arms, but you knew he wouldn’t do that.

Steve had a strict sense of morals he abided to and took his job as your bodyguard very seriously, never engaging in anything other than chivalrous forms of gestures and quick touches both in private and public. And though he maintained a cold and unmoved facade to the public, he was always kind and soft to you. You thought it meant something- that, perhaps, he was interested in you too.

But he never took it further than that. If you sat next to him, he would call another bodyguard over to sit to the other side of you to ensure maximum security. If you placed your hand on his he’d stiffen and say he needed both his hands free at all times to protect you. If you made a flirty comment he’d just smile and nod, pretending like what you said was just mundane and friendly.

All these thoughts plagued your mind as you sat in the car, the bright flashes from the paparazzi no longer annoying you as the limousine pulled away from the theater.

“Are you alright?” asked Steve, his low voice sending shivers down your spine.

You shifted in your seat and nodded.

“Yeah… yeah… That’s the second time you’re asking me that today, you know. Do I look that tired to you?” you joked, trying to lighten the mood.

It started to rain outside as Steve sinked back to his seat and sighed, his eyes shifting to the floor for a quick second before looking back up at you.

“You’ve been acting strange for the past few days. What’s on your mind?”

You opened your mouth to spout out another lie, only for Steve to cut you off with a stern look.

“And don’t try and lie to me, you know I’m better than that.”

Should you say it?

Whatever. You were just going to say it. Rip it off like a band-aid.

“Do you like your job?”

Steve was taken back at your unexpected question for a moment, before he regained his composure and responded.

“Of course I do. Your family is lovely, even though they are in the mob business. The job pays well. It allows me to practice the expertise I gained from being in the army and training with the FBI.”

You huffed at his vague answer.

“And what about me?”

He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“What about you?”

You sighed and crossed your arms.

“Who am I to you? Just a client? Just the daughter of a mob boss? Just an actress?”

Steve stiffened at your question. He could feel how annoyed and angry you were, and he didn’t want to piss you off even more. But could he say how he truly felt without risking it all?

“You’re…” started Steve carefully, gauging your reaction.

“You’re wonderful.”

You blinked.

“What?”

“You’re wonderful, (Y/n). You’re kind. You’re talented. You’re not caught up in all the negative bullshit of the world. You actually wanted to be something bigger than some daughter of a rich mob boss. You’re hardworking. You care about other people. You’re just… so wonderful.”

The way he uttered his last word was just so soft, and combined with his feather touch on your hand, you couldn’t help but feel all your anger dissipate into thin air.

“And do you like me?”

Steve smiled sadly.

“You already know the answer to that, (Y/n).”

You grabbed his hand without hesitation, linking your fingers with his.

“Then why don’t you make a move? You know I’ve liked you too, for at least two years now.”

Steve sighed but didn’t pull away from your touch. He was letting himself indulge in this fantasy for a little longer.

“You know why I can’t. It’s unprofessional.”

You quickly removed your hand from his.

“Are you serious? God, Steve, you know, there just comes a point where it’s less about professionalism and more about you being afraid.”

Before Steve could make up an excuse, the limo came to a stop and you got out, ignoring Steve’s commands that you wait for him to get out first. In fact, you quickly walked down the sidewalk, passing your house and beelining straight for the bar.

“(Y/n), wait-”

You stopped walking briefly to yell at Steve.

“No, Steve, I won’t wait. I want a goddamn drink, and if I want one, I’m going to go get-”

You felt unbearable pain in your stomach before you could finish your sentence, the smell of gunpowder and the deafening sound of a gunshot filling the air. Before the second shot could be fired you were thrown onto the ground by a massive figure, the familiar smell of Steve’s cologne letting you know who it was.

He cradled your body protectively by dragging you behind a nearby car, dialing a number with his right hand while shooting at an unknown figure with his left.

“Code red on sunset boulevard. Three shots fired, she was shot in the stomach. Requesting backup and medical assistance immediately.” spoke Steve into the phone, looking at you desperately.

“Steve… it- it hurts.”

Steve dropped his gun when the assailant fell to the floor and quickly turned around, ripping off his jacket and using it to suppress your wound. His desperate eyes screamed in fear as he gently brushed the hair out of your eyes, his voice cracking.

“I-I know sweetheart, but you gotta hold on, okay? Don’t close your eyes, help is on the way.”

The last thing you heard before your vision went dark was the sound of an ambulance siren in the background.

When you woke up, you were in a neat hospital bed covered in a thin white sheet with the repetitive beep of the heart monitor filling the room. Your body was so sore but you forced yourself to look to your left, only to see Steve at the corner of your bed, his head resting on the bed while his body was slouched over on a chair.

You tried to called out his name but coughed instead, which woke Steve up immediately. He was at your side in an instant, his hand on your face.

“You’re awake! Uh, how are you feeling?

You let out a small grunt.

“Like I’ve been shot.”

Steve smiled.

“Even in the worst moments, you joke.”

His laughter faded away and a serious expression settled on his face.

“I’ve been thinking… God, I was just so damn scared when you passed out. I thought I was going to lose you forever. Forever before I could-”

“Could what?”

Steve grabbed your face and kissed you quickly, his lips smashing onto yours without hesitation. Thought it was unexpected it was needy, it was sweet, and you found yourself pulling him closer to you.

“I love you.”

“B-but you said because of your job-”

Steve shook his head sideways.

“Screw the job. I realized a large reason why I loved the job was because of you. And if your dad has a problem with it, I’m-”

He took in a deep breath.

“I’m willing to quit my job.”

You quickly sat up in bed.

“But your job is your entire life, I don’t understand-”

“No, doll. You are my life. And I’d rather lose my job than lose you. Okay?”

“Okay…”

“So what do you say? Can I take you out for dinner sometime?”

You looked up at him with a mischievous smile.

“I don’t know, kiss me once more and I’ll be able to give you an answer.”

—————————————-

a/n: holy shit this was garbage ahh im sorry im so tired and lowkey burnt out from writing every day

–> read my other blurbs here

–> prompt list // REQUESTS ARE OPEN

regular taglist: @wantyoubackpeter @platonic-plots @superwholockwannabe @xxmizzlexx @xdsockmonkey @princess-unicorn124 @not-jay-c @therealmrshale @caswinchester2000 @heartbeats-wildly @mostlylyricedits @musiclover1263

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x you #steve rogers headcanon #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers oneshot #steve rogers fluff #captain america x reader #chris evans x reader #chris evans x y/n #chris evans x you #marvel x reader #avengers x reader #bodyguard au #marvel oneshot #marvel fanfiction #marvel reader insert #marvel blurbs

439 notes · View notes

bakudomaster · 5 years

Text

Hot In Cleveland

Greetings to literally no one! Hopefully that will change....

I’ve had this account for a while now and I’ve finally thought about what I want to use it for.

Starting today, this will be a literary analysis of some of the entertainment media I have consumed over the years. Why you ask? Hmmmm, that’ll be for a later post. I hope that you enjoy reading this!

WARNING: THESE POSTS WILL UNASHAMEDLY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

Today, we’ll begin with a sitcom that’s very close to my heart - Hot In Cleveland

[cue title music - ba ba ba baaaa... ba ba baaa... dwing dwing HEY!]

PREMISE

Hot in Cleveland first premiered in 2010 on TV Land as their first ever original production. Up until that point, the network was well known for airing reruns of previously ended shows, such as The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls. One of the producers of the show was Sean Hayes of Will & Grace fame.

The show revolves around three middle-aged women bound for Paris to forget their troubles of broken hearts and struggling careers when their plane makes a emergency landing in Cleveland, Ohio. Deciding to explore the city, they find it a more compassionate and welcoming than the glamorous, youth obsessed Los Angeles and decide to relocate there. When they rent a house, they find it comes with a decidedly snarky housekeeper.

CAST & CHARACTERS

Valerie Bertinelli as Melanie Moretti - a recently divorced one-time author, she has known very little beyond her roles as mother and wife. She tends to be very optimistic and romantic, often to the annoyance of her friends. Out of the younger trio, she takes the most to Cleveland and tries new things to broaden her horizons. She is the most compassionate out of the three, often being the glue that binds them together. Though she’s a very nice character to watch, she lacks true grit and comes off as a pushover at times. I don’t know much about Valerie’s work before the show, but she does do quite well, with her natural warmth and friendliness coming through.

Wendie Malick as Victoria Chase - an ambitious but ditzy soap opera actress, she has just had her show cancelled and falls into despair at not being in the public eye anymore. Self-centered and willing to do almost anything, Victoria is the least enthusiastic about moving to Cleveland due to the lack of botox and paparazzi among other things. Over time, she takes on various projects to try and revive her career, resulting in an Emmy & Oscar win. Wendie Malick is best known for her role on Just Shoot Me as well as her voice acting in various shows and movies, such as The Emperor’s New Groove and BoJack Horseman. She’s an absolute delight to watch here, completely immersing herself in the role and surrendering to Victoria’s insanity.

Jane Leeves as Rejoyla ‘Joy’ Scroggs - a beautician with a business that’s starting to fail, Joy’s real problem is being unlucky in love. From being abandoned by her teenage sweetheart when she fell pregnant by him, to being left at the altar on her wedding day, Joy’s endless parade of bad luck has left her cynical and just a tad yandere for any man who dares cross her (watch out boys...). She’s neutral to Cleveland, but secretly longs for romance and eventually settling down to start a family. Jane is best known for her work on Fraiser. She’s initially a bit frigid over the first two seasons but warms up to the role as she gains more prominence in the show over the later seasons.

Betty White as Elka Ostrovsky - an escapee from WWII Poland, she is a widow who lives in the house as a caretaker. Though she finds the LA trio’s obsession with glitz and glamour very strange, she quickly makes friends with them to varying degrees, often dispensing advice and acting as a voice of reason when the others get a bit too crazy or feel despondent. She is very proud of Cleveland, eventually becoming its mayor and is not averse to doing things outside of the law. Betty White has a career in television spanning over 80 years. She was initially only supposed to appear in the pilot episode but the audience response was quite positive so the producers upgraded her to series regular.

STRUCTURE, WRITING & DEVELOPMENT

The series plays out as a typical slice-of-life sitcom. The idea of older women living together and going through life isn’t new - think Golden Girls in the modern era and you pretty much have the gist of the show. However, is that such a bad thing? I think every TV era needs a show that focuses on the challenges one faces as the march of time proceeds; something that feels comfortable without pushing the boundaries too much and HiC was that for a generation who missed out on Betty White’s previous hit show. It wasn’t cerebral watching and it didn’t need to be.

In line with this, many of the plots are taken out from well known tropes that have developed over the years. Love triangles, a vapid rivalry in Hollywood, false pregnancies and lost loves returning all play part in the show’s six season run, edited and polished for character context. This is a big part of why the show felt so familiar to many viewers. Script structures followed one of three methods:

Characters A & B take part in subplot 1 whilst C & D take part in subplot 2 - this proves most effective for humor, balancing out the plot and giving each character something to work with

Characters A & B take part in subplot 1, C in subplot 2 and D in subplot 3 - this proves most effective for character development but can feel too scattered at times

Characters A, B, C & D take part in the main plot - this is most effective for plot lines, usually occurring at season premieres or finales

In terms of character development, the main trio of ladies find fulfillment in each other’s status. I’ll explain:

Melanie was an author but didn’t really have much experience in the working world, choosing instead to derive her satisfaction from being a mother and a wife. Now that her marriage is over and her kids are in college, she feels lost and doesn’t know what to do with herself. Over the course of the show, she has a series of meaningful relationships but develops the most in her career;becoming a column writer, a public relations assistant, a radio show host and a restaurant manager. This is what Victoria was trying to achieve at the beginning of the show.

Victoria is an out of work actress who has to resort to all sorts of tricks to get back into the public eye. Her approach is hit and miss, but she eventually goes on to win an Emmy and an Oscar, along with some work in critically acclaimed stage plays and a brief period as a news reporter. Despite this, she finds more satisfaction in her love life (despite being married EIGHT times!), eventually marrying her one true love at the end of the series. This is what Joy was trying to achieve at the start.

Joy is struggling as a beautician who looks for love in handsome men and one night stands, but never seems to catch a break. Her love life goes from bad to worse and her relationships fail due to a combination of her own issues with trust and the fact that the men she loves aren’t that great to begin with. She eventually puts her cynicism and stalking tendencies (I told you to watch out for her!) to good use, studying criminology and becoming a private detective. She also reconnects with her son that she gave up for adoption and gleefully accepts when she finds out that she’s a grandmother. Long story short, she’s looking for stability and finds it in the most unlikely man, becoming a wife and a mother at the end of the show. This is what Melanie was looking for at the start of the show.

Over the first three seasons, a heavy emphasis is placed on Elka due to the show trying to capitalize on Betty White’s resurgence in popularity at the time. This is in spite of the fact that Elka kind of feels like a lost puzzle piece. She doesn’t really fit in to the whole cohesiveness of the other three characters. This is changed in season 4, when the character of Mamie Sue (played by Georgia Engel, Betty’s costar from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) is promoted to a recurring character. It not only gives a nice chemistry to a previously ill fitting character, it creates a parallel with the LA trio: Mamie Sue is a combination of Victoria’s airheadedness and Melanie’s kindness to Joy’s cynicism found in Elka.

The show starts off quite shakily, despite its hype, but takes a turn for the better around the fourth season. The frivolous story lines from earlier episodes are eschewed for more long term plots with more emotional impact. Themes of loneliness, love at middle age and returning to correct past regrets are explored quite deeply. The show also loses some of the LA stereotypes as it goes on.

Some really big names are booked as guest stars, some notable ones being:

Susan Lucci as a parody of herself, being Victoria’s arch-nemesis

Joe Jonas as Will, Melanie’s son

Craig Ferguson as Simon, Joy’s first love and babydaddy

Jon Lovitz as Artie Firestone, an eccentric billionaire who takes an interest in Joy

Heather Locklear as Chloe, one of Melanie’s bosses at her PR job

The entire cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as G.L.O.B. (Gorgeous Ladies of Bowling)

Alan Dale as Sir Emmet Lawson, a renowned actor and Victoria’s sixth husband

Rick Springfield as a parody of himself

BULLSEYES & IMPROVEMENTS

What the show gets right:

Exploring the crossroads many women face at middle age, in terms of the main aspects of life: family, love & career

Great acting, especially in the later seasons

Wendie Malick - she deserved an Emmy nomination for her acting here

Jennifer Love Hewitt as Emmy, Victoria’s eldest daughter. Seriously, watch her episodes and tell me they aren’t funny

The general lack of pressure - you don’t need much attention to cycle in and out of the show, it’s easy watching

The consistency and plot development post season 3

What I think should be improved upon:

Melanie can be TOO nice, something that’s actually picked upon by other characters. Her cancer subplot was a nice opportunity to get some grit, but most of it was just by the way and not fully delved into

Victoria’s job as a news reporter was forgotten as soon as she landed a part in a Woody Allen movie. It would have been nice for her to be in that occupation a bit more or go back to it after her Oscar win and give her a chance to be on the other side of fame

Elka’s love life - every boyfriend seems to be a copy of the other and there are way too many of them

CULTURAL & PERSONAL IMPACT

This article from the A.V. Club goes into detail about the show and I have to say, I agree with it wholeheartedly agree. HiC was a reminder of what was before the more intellectual comedies came along. It shamelessly pandered to an older generation who wanted something familiar in an ever changing landscape. The fact that it didn’t take many risks in its approach was a risk in itself. It was clearly one that paid off, given the six season run. It wasn’t a darling of the critics, but it didn’t need to be. This was a show that could be watched to generate a few laughs without the need for in depth discussion with a coworker in the break room the next day.

A few years after the show’s cancellation, Valerie Bertinelli expressed her anger at TV Land for the decision, calling it sexist. I can’t really comment on that, given that I’m not too familiar with TV Land’s other work, but I will say that HiC did what it had to do. Six seasons in an age where you’re lucky to get more than three is amazing. The plot lines tied up quite nicely at the end and in the end, that’s all that everyone wanted.

Personally, I watched this show at two very difficult times in my life. The first was at college during my final year, when deadlines loomed and twisted my stomach in anxiety. The second was a few months ago when I had quit my job and needed something to distract me from the depression. On both occasions, this show has really made me laugh and fall in love with its simplicity. It’s undemanding and solid, just what I need to get through a trying period.

WHERE TO WATCH IT

Seasons 1 to 5 are available on Amazon Prime Video

Seasons 1 to 4 are available on Hunnyhaha’s channel on Youtube

If you’re in Southern Africa, the entire series are available on Showmax

#hot in cleveland #tvland #sitcom #literary analysis #betty white #valerie bertinelli #jane leeves #wendie malick #television #series

2 notes · View notes

mrsspidermanmaryjanewatsonparker · 7 years

Text

Recent conversations have inspired me to make a big ass list of Marvel creators stances on the marriage.

This isn’t definitive as it’s me going off memory.

Bear in mind some of this is inferred from other stuff they’ve said and is more a representation of whether these people there is anything wrong with Spider-Man being married in general not necessarily their thoughts on the marriage as it actually played out.

This isn’t a list of every Marvel creator ever, just the ones who to my recollection have expressed an opinion about whether being married was appropriate for Spider-Man in general.

Half and Halfs

Steve Ditko: Co-creator of Spider-Man. According to Marv Wolfman in an interview published (but possibly not conducted) in 2004, when he spoke to Ditko decades ago Ditko felt it was a mistake for Spider-Man to have ever aged beyond high school. However bear in mind this comes from typed up notes of a one-to-one interview (presumably done face to face, but we do not know) and it is giving us someone’s recollections of what someone said decades ago about a character that that person had ceased working on at least 10-15 years beforehand. Hardly the benchmark of reliability.

Gerry Conway: Author of the Death of Gwen Stacy who’s run also turned Harry Osborn into a villain, a frequently adapted plot point in other media. Has said it was a mistake because Spider-Man should never have aged beyond age 21. However he has had four runs in which Spider-Man has been 22 or above. Three of those have featured a married Spider-Man, the latest of which very deliberately so. Has also admitted that part of his apprehension regarding the marriage when he was writer was that he was dealing with his divorce at the time.

Ron Frenz: Acclaimed artist and part of one of the most well received Spider-Man runs and Spider-Man spin-offs ever. Has stated that when he was doing Spider-Man in the 1980s he felt that if Peter was ever to marry he’d have to give up being Spider-Man. However has also done a whole run featuring a married Spider-Man as a supporting character where he shared a poignant quote about why the relationship is very interesting.

Howard Mackie: Despite his early work being more positively received, is regarded as one of the worst Spider-man writers ever. Stated in the early 2000s that the marriage was too difficult to write. However in the 2010s stated that he saw the arguments from both sides.

Roger Stern: Author of one of the most acclaimed Spider-Man runs ever. Stern has said Spider-Man is about youth which you would imagine means that he feels Spider-Man cannot work whilst married. However Stern has actually said that he feels Peter Parker could possibly get married, his problem was that it was with Mary Jane specifically (and that’s neither here nor there).

David Michelinie: Author of a run with a mixed reception. Some people like it whilst others hate it. The run however included the introduction of popular villains Venom and Carnage as well as introduced the marriage itself via editorial mandate. He didn’t like the idea of writing a married Spider-Man when he got the job as ASM writer because the Spider-Man he knew had been a student. Bearing in mind that at the time Spider-Man hadn’t been a student for three or four years and had graduated from his college education and was undergoing studies for a Master degree before dropping out. Michelinie however has alternatively stated his apprehension was due to a lack of experience with romantic relationships and that in taking the assignment he endeavoured to write it as well as possible. In a 2007 publication he stated that he felt there was nothing wrong with Spider-Man being married because Spider-Man was about responsibility.

Brian Michael Bendis: Acclaimed author of Ultimate Spider-Man which depicted a moderinization of teenage Spider-Man’s adventures, creator of one of the most popular Spider-Man spin-off characters Miles Morales. Well known for writing a teenage Spider-Man and stated that Spider-Man is supposed to be a kid instead of an old divorced guy. However he wrote Peter and MJ in his teen drama Spider-Man series as a pseudo married couple and even used such terminology more than once in-story in reference to their relationship. Has expressed a fondness for the Peter and MJ relationship.

Danny Fingeroth: Author of a handful of Spider-Man stories with at best mixed receptions, at worst panned receptions. Instituted the infamous robot parents subplot with no clear direction in mind. Clashed with David Michelinie and led to his departure from the series. Hasn’t ever come out and said it was a mistake for Spider-Man to be married or that Spider-Man shouldn’t ever be married but has stated that around the time of the Clone Saga there was the thought that being married made him too unrelatable. However other accounts have indicated that that was not the original genesis of the Clone Saga and that the original long term plan (which he was in on) was to eventually have Spider-Man become a father as well as husband (with the single Ben Reilly becoming a spin-off character).

Mat Fraction: Acclaimed author. Wrote an Eisner nominated Spider-Man story specifically celebrating the marriage but also stated he was not certain if marriage was right for Spider-Man.

Todd Dezago: Acclaimed author who cut his teeth on Spider-Man. Has never stated anything about the marriage one way or the other but learned to write comics during that era in the Spider-Man office.

John Romita Junior: Acclaimed artist. Allegedly felt the marriage was wrong but I do not recall seeing or hearing him ever explicitly state this.

John Romita Senior: Acclaimed artist, regarded as pseudo co-creator of Spider-Man because so much of his run helped to define Spider-Man. Co-creator of Kingpin, Rhino, Shocker and Mary Jane. Inker of the Death of Gwen Stacy. His depiction of Spider-Man became the in house style for Spider-Man and all of Marvel for several years. I forget, but I seem to recall he expressed mixed feelings about it as opposed to a clear cut opinion one way or another.

Those against the marriage

Mark Waid: Eisner award winning writer. Has written one acclaimed Spider-Man story which is praised because it plays well upon classic tropes. Essentially his big claim to fame is writing a good paint by numbers Spider-man tale. His other Spider-Man works have included writing Spider-Man and Daredevil’s relationship in correctly by portraying Daredevil as disliking Spider-Man despite this egregiously contradicting older stories, and a story where Spider-Man was a mentally ill person with some form of split personality but when regular Peter Parker would routinely bully J. Jonah Jameson.

Dan Jurgens: Wrote 7 good issues of Spider-Man starring Ben Reilly as the titular character. Feels that Spider-Man is about suffering and that marriage is thus in appropriate.

Marv Wolfman: Wrote a good run of Spider-Man despite some characterization problems. Feels Spider-Man being in a relationship with someone too attractive like Mary Jane is wrong and that marriage is wrong because Spider-Man is about having the rug pulled out from under him and that being a high schooler was the true state of the character. Bear in mind he is also famous for agining Dick Grayson from Robin the Boy Wonder who was created to be Batman’s child sidekick into the distinctly adult Nightwing who at one point almost got married. He actually did this with multiple other teen character sidekicks who were part of a team called the TEEN Titans. It got to the point where the series name was changed to just Titans. So...seems a tad hypocritical no?

Kurt Busieck: Wrote a well received run on a series set in the Ditko run. Has never written a Spdier-Man story set in the modern day where Spider-Man is the main character with said story getting particularly good reviews. Began reading in the Gerry Conway/Ross Andru run

Steve Wacker: Has no formal writing experience whatsoever. Was editor of an era of Spider-Man where the title character deliberately withheld knowledge of his identity from one of his loyal friends and confidants whom he knew had romantic feelings for him all for the purposes of having mask sex with her in hotel rooms that they’d illegally broken into together. Did I mention this person was also an active criminal whom Spider-Man routinely let go? Also oversaw a story he personally expressed pride in that involved child cannibalism. And another storyline in which there was a strong implication of rape by deception.

Dan Slott: Wrote a story where Spider-Man acted as a paparazzi despite the character being fully aware of the dangers of invading someone’s privacy, since the previous year his identity was public knowledge. Most acclaimed Spider-Man work is Superior Spider-Man which is literally not about Peter Parker but another character. In the course of this story major plot points involved the lead character trying to rape an innocent woman, possibly succeeding in sexually violating Peter Parker himself, probably sexually violating a different innocent woman and playing the Green Goblin’s identity as a mystery before revealing it to be Norman Osborn all along, thus rendering it an entirely pointless mystery. Maintained the status quo of his acclaimed Superior storyline through objectively large plot contrivances such as the Avengers scanning his brain without bringing along anyone who could read the results.

Jim Shooter: EIC of one of Marvel’s most critically acclaimed and financially lucrative periods

Erik Larsen: An artist who wrote one vaguely well received Spider-Man issue. All his other Spider-Man writing work has been panned or rarely mentioned.

Terry Kavanagh: Regarded as one of, if not the, worst Spider-Man writer of all time, responsible for the critically panned FACADE storyline.

Joe Quesada: Wrote literally the two most critically panned Spider-Man stories of all time which character assassinated Peter Parker and Mary Jane.

John Byrne: Drew and wrote Spider-Man Chapter One, a critically panned rebooting of Spider-Man’s history from the acclaimed and iconic Ditko run. Wrote one critically panned (by those who remember) issue of Web of Spider-Man. Wrote 2 issues of the critically panned Gathering of Five/Final Chapter storyline. Has said that the acclaimed Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies were poor adaptations. Was responsible for the sickening scene wherein an underage teenage girl kissed the then-recently widowed and very much adult Peter Parker. Seems to think that by making Superman someone who doesn’t see himself as an alien at all, has never lost his parents and doesn’t pretend to be a mild mannered or bumbling fool as Clark Kent but rather an upright and confidant person didn’t change the character of Superman. Did I mention he regularly ships underage teenage girls with adult male characters?

Jordan D. White: Has only ever edited a few Deadpool projects which have involved Spider-Man.

Jason Aaron: Has written one well reviewed mini-seires involving Spider-Man and Wolverine, which is more of a Wolverine storyline

Bob Harras: Edited just one Spider-Man story. Was the extremely controversial editor of X-Men who’s actions were part of the reason well received X-Men writer Louise Simonson left the X-Men franchise, something her husband Walt Simonson has not forgiven him for to this day. Gave the editorial mandate to bring Aunt May back to life and undo the milestone and acclaimed Amazing Spider-Man #400. Also gave the editorial mandate to kill off the highly popular character of Mary Jane in order to end the marriage. The move was critically panned and even disagreed upon by Howard Mackie and John Byrne who wrote and drew the issue in question. The story took the series in a direction that greatly lowered sales and led to even more critical panning, indeed it was regarded as one of the worst eras of Spider-Man ever. EIC of DC and overseer of the critically panned and sales decreasing New 52 era which led to the DC Rebirth era as an antidote.

Bill Jemas: Co-plotted Ultimate Spider-Man #1-7. Is one of the most heavily criticized Marvel EIC’s ever. Sole writer of Marville one of the most panned Marvel stories of at least the 2000s.

Christopher Priest: Edited a strong era of Spider-Man and has written a few decent-great one shot Spider-Man stories including the acclaimed Spider-Man vs. Wolverine storyline. However he has also stated that the reason that Spider-Man shouldn’t be married is because it ruins the wish fulfilment factor of young boys who don’t want to be tied down. This is patently not true given the raw number of male Spider-Man fans who began reading during the marriage and the higher sales compared to the post-marriage stories. It also obviously doesn’t take into account female fans or fans identifying by something other than strictly male or female.

Those in favour of the marriage

John Semper Junior: Showrunner of the 1994 Spider-Man cartoon which was at it’s time acclaimed and has gone on to influence other media adaptations.

Greg Weisman: Acclaimed writer who’s work includes Gargoyles, Star Wars: Rebels, Young Justice and the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, regarded as THE best adaptation of Spider-Man ever.

Tom DeFalco: Former Spider-Man editor during the acclaimed Roger Stern run. Former EIC of Marvel. Wrote one of the most popular and well received runs of the character in the 1980s. Went on to have 2 more runs in the 1990s and co-created possibly the most popular Spider-Man spin-off character ever in Spider-Girl who is the female marvel character with the longest unbroken run to date. Helped institute elements which have remained part of Spider-Man lore to this day including the iconic black costume. Author of at the time the most definitive Spider-man information book. Began reading Spider-Man in the early 1960s with Amazing Fantasy #15 itself.

Peter David: Acclaimed writer, who’s acclaimed comic work has included runs on X-Factor, one of the most popular Spider-Man spin-off characters (Spider-Man 2099) and a well recived run on Spectacular Spider-Man. He also penned one of the most acclaimed Spdier-Man stories of all time, the Death of Jean DeWolff.

Jim Salicrup: Editor of arguably the most financially successful period of Spider-Man ever, including Spider-Man #1 which sold in the millions.

J.M. DeMatteis: Has had 3 runs on Spider-Man, 2 of which were well received. These included the well received Spectacular Spider-Man #250, the acclaimed Harry Osborn Saga, the best Vulture story of all time and the acclaimed Amazing Spider-Man #400. He has also written the acclaimed Spider-Man: the Lost Years and Spider-Man Redepmtion as well as Kraven’s Last Hunt, regarded as one of the best Spdier-Man stories of all time, possibly the greatest. Many of his works are regarded as the height of literary fiction about Spider-Man.

J. Michael Straczynski: Critically acclaimed Emmy award winning writer, creator of Babylon 5, wrote the sometimes controversial sometimes acclaimed Amazing Spider-Man run, which included the relatively well received characters of Morlun and Ezekiel, the well received 9/11 issue of Spider-Man, the acclaimed direction of having Aunt May know Peter’s secret identity.

Tom Beland: Wrote the well received I (Heart) Marvel: Web of Romance

Todd Nauck: Well received artist of Spider-Man: the Clone Saga, Mr and Mrs Spider-Man.

Roberto Aguirre Sacasa: Acclaimed playright and writer of the well received Spider-Man stories, the Book of Peter, The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock and Sensational Spider-Man #32-34 which were character studies of Mary Jane, Aunt May and Black Cat.

Ryan Stegman: Acclaimed artist of Superior Spider-Man and Spider-Man Renew: Your Vows.

Stan Lee: Co-creator of Spider-Man who worked on the first 100 issues of the character. Also co-created other iconic comic book characters. His advocating of the marriage led to it happening.

23 notes · View notes