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Pop-Up Task: Paparazzi

@jjamesmichaels: Doesn’t matter how old I am, how I try to disguise myself, where I’m at, or that privacy is obviously important to me, the media is always there. It started when I first met my husband and it hasn’t stopped since.

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Pride Spirit Week: Moodboard

“We are powerful because we have survived.” – Audre Lorde

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Task #31: Survey

Under the cut. ~

1. If your character was an animal, which animal would they be? There are different sides to Johnny, so it's hard to choose. Something like an owl or fox would definitely fit him, but so would something like a panther in other situations. 2. Does your character pick wildflowers when they see them? He's not really the type, but his (grand)daughter sure is. 3. How do they see themselves in their head? Is the image accurate, or not? I think Johnny sees himself as more geeky than he comes off to others. Otherwise, he's pretty realistic about it. 4. If they talk in their sleep, what do they say most often? Johnny doesn't really talk in his sleep, but on the rare occasions he has, he was arguing a case that was weighing heavily on his mind. 5. Do they like muffins or cupcakes more? Why? I guess probably cupcakes. Muffins are just boring cupcakes, right? But he's not immune to any sweets every now and then. 6. Do they prefer arm day or leg day more?  While he doesn't skip leg day, Johnny prefers arm day more. He definitely has runners' legs. 7. What is the longest your character has ever slept in?  After finals in law school, he went to bed following his last exam and slept until 4:00 PM the next day. To be fair, he hadn't slept for almost 40 hours before then, but still. 8. What is their most embarrassing middle school moment? There were a few, but his mother berating the principal on how school rules should be modeled on state law in front of his classmates probably took the cake. 9. What is/are their favorite pizza toppings? There are not very many Johnny doesn't like of the typical toppings. He usually eats supreme or pepperoni. 10. What was the last dream they had?  Bella sliding down the stairs banister and climbing the railing at the top like monkey bars, and Johnny being terrified she was going to hurt herself. 11. What is one possession they should get rid of, but can’t/won’t? At least half of his old Harvard t-shirts. They are so worn at this point that a couple aren't even wearable, or they're covered in paint (from repainting the house, or from Briel wearing them to work). 12. If your character spray-painted a wall, what would they write/draw? Johnny can't draw to save his life. He would probably write "REGISTER TO VOTE" or something similar. 13. What would your character want their final words to be? He truly hasn't decided. There are so many impactful and/or wild "last words" stories in criminal law. He definitely wants it to be something meaningful. 14. What is one aspect of their physical appearance that they like? At this point in his life, he really appreciates his hair – particularly that his hairline isn't receding and doesn't seem like it will any time soon. 15. Do they prefer jeans or sweatpants, or something else? Johnny almost always wears slacks because of work, but when he's at home he likes, and wears, jeans and sweatpants equally. It just depends on the day. 16. How far can your character spit a watermelon seed?  It's almost guaranteed that he has never tried. 17. Are they more likely to notice the shapes of the clouds or the color of the sky? The color, for sure.  18. Do they laugh during serious moments? Not unless he’s doing it on purpose. After years of practice in his career, Johnny has a pretty high degree of control over the way he presents himself. 19. On a road trip, are they usually the driver, in the passenger seat, the DJ, the backseat driver, or the one napping in the back? He's usually in the passenger seat because of his propensity for road rage. He has gotten better with it over the years, so he drives sometimes. He's been known to be a backseat driver now and again. 20. Does your character sleep in normal clothes, pajamas, or something else? Eight times out of ten, just boxers. Sometimes he adds a soft t-shirt. If it's winter, he wears pajama pants and shirts more frequently, but not always. 21. When they sneeze, do they use their hand or elbow to cover their mouths? Elbow. As a kid, he'd get smacked across the head if he forgot. It's deeply ingrained. 22. Someone asks your character to dance and pulls them out to the dance floor. How would they react?  It depends. Johnny would be somewhat uncomfortable dancing formally with someone other than his husband or a close friend or family member. He can let loose and/or be silly from time to time, though. The audience and setting definitely makes a difference to him. 23. Are they more of a cat or a dog person? Dog person, hands down. 24. What alternate time period would they enjoy living in? Johnny enjoys a good medieval TV show or movie, but he's not sure he'd actually want to live in it. The roaring '20s are also super interesting to him. Ultimately, he wants to exist in the freest point of history possible... so, maybe the future, actually. Hopefully. 25. Does your character keep a diary? If so, what do they write about?  Honestly, keeping a journal of his thoughts is probably the last thing on earth Johnny would do. It's just too much evidence. Not to mention, he has no time. Now, a journal of his whereabouts and time stamps? Maybe... 26. When they’re stressed, do they stress shop, bake, eat, clean, etc.? Not really. He paces. Chews on pens. Runs his hands through his hair. Pours a stronger drink. 27. Do they prefer raw cookie dough or fully baked cookies? Cookies, of course.  28. What game is your character bad at playing?  Pictionary and the like, which absolutely infuriates him. Johnny is so competitive. Give him something strategic and he swears he'll figure out how to win. 29. Are they ticklish? Sort of. Certain places will make him squirm or give him goosebumps: the back of his neck, sometimes his lower back, those claw-looking head scratcher things... 30. What’s inside their car’s glove box? His registration and insurance, some napkins, an extra notebook and pen, business cards, a tire pressure gauge, his car phone charger, a flashlight, and his pass/badge for Bella's preschool. 31. What’s their birthstone? Do they like it? Why or why not? Emerald. He doesn't have any strong feelings about it either way. 32. Which Avenger is your character most like, personality-wise? Honestly, probably Captain America... which, come on, makes sense. He was probably more like a Spider-Man as a kid. 33. Does your character pay attention to the weather forecast? Yes, mostly to dress Bella appropriately, or to be aware of extreme weather and prepare for it. He also really doesn't want to walk to work and then end up in the rain. 34. When was the last time your character got sick? Did anyone take care of them? He actually got a little virus this past spring, but it wasn't bad. Johnny doesn't often get sick. Gabriel always fusses over him when he doesn't feel well, and Bella tries to be helpful. It never fails to warm his heart. 35. What’s a weird/wacky/embarrassing story about them as a young child? Well, Johnny wasn't very fond of pants for a little while as a toddler, so that led to wonderful outcomes (such as some truly embarrassing photos). 36. If they eat steak, how do they like it cooked?  Medium or medium rare. 37. Do they prefer to write with a pencil or a pen? If a pen, what color? Always a black pen, and usually it's a fountain pen. #lawyer 38. Imagine your character on the beach, waist deep in the water. A big wave rolls up and towers over their head. Do they dive under the wave, body surf, freeze and get swept off their feet, or something else? Dive under it, definitely. Johnny's a 'deal with the problem headfirst' kind of guy, but also, he just likes outsmarting the waves. 39. What are the last five items in your character’s Google search history? Do they often clear their search history? 1. "Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government selection" 2. "grass stain removal jeans" 3. "Yankees" 4. "Ginni Thomas" 5. "New Mexico weather" Johnny always clears his search history, and he uses a VPN. One might say he's a little paranoid about his freedom. 40. Does your character sing in the car? In the shower? He sings in the car occasionally and every now and then in the shower. Johnny has a good singing voice, but he doesn't use it as much as his best friend, Sam, wishes he would. 41. Do they have a harder time going to sleep at night or getting out of bed in the morning? He has gotten pretty good at both, but since he loves sleep and cuddling his husband, probably getting out of bed. Neither is too terribly hard for him, though. 42. Would they rather fly or be immortal? Probably fly. It would save him a lot of time, which he values. Immortality would only be a valid choice to him if those he loved were immortal, too. 43. What’s the dumbest way your character has been injured? Oh, by far, trying to move a coffin (don't ask) without help and promptly giving himself a hernia. 44. Are they able to fall asleep in the car? On an airplane? On a boat? Yes, yes, and yes. Johnny can sleep almost anywhere. It's a talent. 45. How do they like their coffee or tea? Most often, he drinks his coffee black. He will occasionally add plain creamer. He doesn't hate cream and sugar in an iced coffee. He isn't huge on tea, but he'll drink it however Briel makes it for him.

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(COMMISSION) click on the source link to find 300 medium, textless gifs of the actor bradley cooper in the comedy the hangover part ii (2011). all these gifs were made and coloured by me from scratch so i’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t post them as your own or make them into gif icons without credit. please like and/or reblog if this helped you in any way and last but not least enjoy !

content/trigger warning: flashing lights, food, alcohol, fire, semi nudity.

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Syd, you okay? Will, please, Will…I don’t want Francie to know. I promise I’m the only one who saw – I don’t want to ruin this for her, I don’t want to ruin this for her. I’m the only one who knows, I promise you. [ crying ] Danny?

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BRADLEY COOPER as STANTON CARLISLE NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2022) dir. Guillermo del Toro

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Task #30

13 questions. ~

Q: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A: “I wanted to be a crime scene investigator so I could help bring people to justice!” – Eloise Delacroix

Q: If money were no object, what outrageous luxury would you add to your house? A: “A full library and writing room that has tons of old original copies of books.” – Thackery Adams

Q: What is the biggest risk you've ever taken in your life? A: “The biggest risk I have taken was deciding to join the FBI. Everyone knows how hard the academy is. A lot of people don’t make it, so I took a huge risk.” – Theo Davenport

Q: What topic could you spend hours talking about? A: “Oh god, this is tough because I am a talker and I can talk about anything for long periods of time. But if I had to choose one thing, I would probably talk about my obsession with HH Holmes and Jack the Ripper; they are my favorite serial killers. I know, I know, that is strange to say, but what can I say? I am a strange person.” – Frankie Stone

Q: Do you have any regrets? If so, tell me one of them. A: “The regrets in my life are few, but one of the strongest is failing to protect someone I held close to me, and the result ended up with me losing them.” – Saber Whitlock

Q: If you had to disappear and start a new life, where would you go and why? A: “If I had to hide and start a new life, I would move to Paris and become a fashion reporter. Why? Because I love fashion, and I love everything French. From the language, to the culinary, and the culture itself. Plus, Paris is the capital of fashion in regards to Chanel and other houses.” – Maribelle Wagner

Q: What's one of the most embarrassing things that has ever happened to you? A: “The most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me was when I had a little too much to drink, then made my way into work. Everyone stared at me because I walked in without pants.” – Jaylan Trevino

Q: If you had 24 hours to do anything you wanted with no cost or consequences, what's the first thing you would do? A: “Fly to Ireland, then to England, then tour the rest of Europe.” – Harrison Abernathy

Q: On a scale of 1-10, what is the highest degree of pain you've ever experienced, and what was it from? A: “I would say a 10, and it was when I got shot in the shoulder. That hurt like hell and still gives me issues at times.” – Amelia Reyes

Q: If you had one chance for a ‘do-over’ in life, what would you do differently? A: “If I am being honest, nothing at all. My life formed the way it has, and that’s why I am the person I am today.” – Avery Meadowes

Q: What are you most afraid of? A: “I'm most afraid of snakes, spiders, and other creepy-crawlies.” – Devin Thompson

Q: If you could keep only five of your possessions for the rest of your life, what would they be? A: “My cell phone, lip gloss/chapstick, my car, my journal, and a toothbrush.” – Harlow Jensen

Q: If you were given three wishes to be granted by a genie, what would they be? A: “I would wish for all of the homeless animals to find a good home and food, for there to be less violence in the world, and lastly, for my grandfather to be alive.” – Charley Daniels

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sorry if i haven’t replied to your messages i forgot that i’m a human being

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Task #28: Teenage Dream

Rating: PG-13 (language). Relationships: Johnny/Gabriel, Johnny & Sam. Recurring Characters: Johnny, Gabriel, Sam, Sofia. Warning or Notes: AU. Word Count: 665.

“No no no no no no no,” Johnny fretted as he exited the bathroom and paced around the bedroom. “How could this have happened?” he asked no one in particular, though he could feel his husband’s eyes on him with every move he made. “This has to be a dream,” he decided, stopping in his tracks and lightly hitting his cheek, soon moving on to pinching his arm. Nothing happened as a result. Nothing changed. When he made it back to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, the reflection staring back at him was still wrong. Somehow, in the middle of the night, time had reversed – but only for him. When he’d woken up this morning, he was the 15-year-old version of himself all over again.

“Oh my god,” he said for what was probably the hundredth time, and then there was a long pause before he looked over at Gabriel. “What did you three do?” he asked, realizing that his voice was cracking as his stress increased. Yes, cracking. He stalked back toward his husband. “What did you do with Kale and Velvet last night?” To be fair, it was a relevant question. If they had gotten up to something, say, witchy, it wouldn’t be the first instance in which Velvet had coaxed her coworkers into doing so. 

Briel didn’t respond except to shake his head, a still-shocked, innocent expression on his face. The other man wasn’t stunned to silence often, so Johnny was pretty sure he had nothing to do with it. There were literally zero answers as to why he was now dressed in a t-shirt and basketball shorts, where his beard had gone, or why his wedding ring was suddenly too big and constantly sliding off his finger – not to mention that he had shrunken to a healthy 5’10” max.

Johnny sunk down to the bed and put his head in his hands. He was trying to think of what the hell he was supposed to tell people when he remembered what day it was. “I have to go to work,” he panicked, shakily standing back up. “What the fuck am I supposed to do?” 

“You are not going to work,” Briel finally chimed in, laughing the whole way through his statement.

But Johnny was still Johnny. Benjamin Button syndrome or not, he was going to work, especially because they had a huge case on the docket today. So he went. Despite the oversized suit and shoes and the fact that he technically wasn’t old enough to drive anymore, he sped all the way to the Manhattan D.A.’s office so as not to be late. And as soon as he walked in, he immediately understood the difficulty that came along with this decision.

“Can I help you?” Sofia, their secretary, asked, standing up from behind her desk. Her face looked mildly confused. Kids rarely came into their building – and pretty much never did without their parents. “Are you looking for someone?”

At that exact moment, Sam, Johnny’s best friend and paralegal, came around the corner and halted in her tracks, openly staring at him.

“Sofia, Sam, it’s me. It’s Johnny,” he insisted. “I don’t know what happened, but it’s me. I’m here. I wasn’t going to miss the Osman sentencing just because of… whatever this is.”

As he was speaking, Sofia was slowly raising the phone to her ear. Johnny assumed she was calling up to his empty office and that they’d believe him because of it, but under her breath, she said, “I need security to the main lobby.”

“No! No no no,” Johnny almost shouted. “Okay, okay, I’ll go,” he assured them, then backed out of the big glass double doors. Never mind that he had used his badge to enter and exit; apparently, that only made him look more suspicious.

Finding himself on the expansive front steps once again, he unlocked his phone and opened a message to his husband. 

Okay… on my way home.

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Task 28 Bonus: Moodboard

“Every master was once a beginner. Every pro was once an amateur.” — Robin S. Sharma

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recent social media posts

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Task #27: Lent

Rating: PG-13 (language). Relationships: Johnny/Gabriel, Johnny & Troy (mentioned). Recurring Characters: Johnny, Gabriel, Bella, Troy. Warning or Notes: (1) This is crack, tbh. (2) I wrote Gabriel in this piece. His writer does a much better job at it than I do. Word Count: 1,077.

The minute Johnny woke up, he had already wondered at least three times why the hell he'd made the decision he had. Decrease his caffeine intake – where had that idea even come from in the first place? 

Maybe it was an accumulation of well-meaning opinions he'd received over the last few months. The doctor who'd performed his hernia surgery was downright astonished when he told him how much coffee he drank. His coworker, Troy, never failed to make a sly comment before court proceedings: “How many is that now? Five? Eight?” To be fair, he was getting older. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, and probably never would out loud, Johnny knew that. Though he didn’t feel much different from his thirties, he was almost 49 now. At some point, he knew he needed to pay attention to the caffeine as much as he paid attention to his physical activity and emotional health. Technically, it was a substance just as much as alcohol or cigarettes. And at the amount he consumed, it was truly a wonder he didn’t have resulting symptoms. The fact that anxiety, depression, insomnia, and/or high blood pressure, among other issues, could eventually become a problem was not lost on him.

It was just SO. Damn. Hard. He lived on the stuff and always had. Johnny was one of those people that could generally sleep anywhere at any time; what was he supposed to do without his main source of energy? After over 30 years of the habit, how was he supposed to stop now? 

There wasn’t a point where he’d actually buckled down and laid down the law for himself; recently, it was just a constant, nagging thought in the back of his mind. Johnny knew cold turkey wasn’t the answer, and sounded pretty much impossible anyway, so he had vaguely set a rule: one cup in the morning, one cup in the afternoon.

It was just that, currently, he hadn’t yet peeled himself out of bed after forty-five minutes past his usual arising time.

“Why’re you still here?” Gabriel asked sleepily, having just woken up.

“Existential dread,” Johnny deadpanned.

There was a pause. His husband’s eyes weren’t open. “...mmkay…” he said, then rolled back over.

Eventually, he was up, showered, and even perky with his first cup of coffee in hand as he walked down the streets of Manhattan. If there was one thing to be said about Jonathan James-Michaels, it was that he had the iron willpower of a bull. He was determined – not only born that way, but he’d practiced at it his entire life, and it had served him well. 

However, the rest of the morning went downhill fast. Work wasn’t getting done. His head was pounding. He was irritable, frankly, and after the second cup hadn’t hit the way it normally did, he had indignantly closed his office door and pretty much stared into space for most of the rest of the work day.

The walk home was a drag, and getting dinner started was arguably worse. By the time he had burned half of it, neglected to help Bella with her homework, and gotten snippy with Gabriel, his husband finally decided to query him again.

“Okay, what’s up?” he asked. “Seriously.”

“I decided I’m going to drink less coffee,” Johnny muttered angrily at the stovetop. 

“Yikes,” Briel replied. “Why?”

Johnny explained his reasoning, however petulantly, while making a mess of the food he was supposed to be cooking. He didn’t know what it was that caused Briel’s sympathy to kick in – or maybe he just wanted an edible dinner – but he ended up gently taking the spatula from Johnny’s hands.

“Let me finish this,” he said, and though Johnny tried to protest and insist he just needed to push through it, his husband wasn’t having it.

Against his typically adamant nature, Johnny relented without too much resistance and walked off to rest until it was time to eat. Gabriel called from the kitchen when the meal was complete, but only Bella and the dogs came running. After making their (grand)daughter’s plate and getting her all set up at the table, then giving it a few more minutes and a couple more yells, he ventured off to go locate his husband.

Honestly, he expected Johnny to be either working again and distracted, or that he’d tell him he was skipping dinner. Neither getting sucked back into a case or forgoing a meal was uncommon for the other man. But, much to Briel’s surprise, he didn’t find Johnny in any place he’d predicted. He wasn’t in the den, his office, or even their bed. All the rooms he glanced in were either empty or the lights were off. “Jay!” Gabriel called louder this time, and a bit more gruff. If he was being honest, a little bit of anxiety cropped up inside him, too. Where the hell had he gone? Gabriel knew he himself probably wouldn’t be acting normally if he was trying to, say, stop smoking, so in his mind, there was really no telling where Johnny had run off to, or what he was doing. It was somewhat of a relief that his motorcycle and car were both still in the basement, but by that point the last thing he knew to do was call him.

Gabriel walked up the stairs and into their bedroom to grab his phone, but when he got halfway inside the room, he heard the water running in their ensuite. “What the fuck…” he whispered under his breath. “Johnny?” he said, then walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light.

And there was his husband – bent over, his whole upper body laid on the countertop, toothbrush in hand, water running… out cold. Dead-to-the-world asleep.

Gabriel put his toothbrush back in its holder and turned the water off before gingerly placing a hand on Johnny’s back. “Baby, go to bed,” he said softly, urging him awake. 

Johnny grumbled his objection and tried to shrug Briel’s hand off. 

“Jay, come on. You’re on the bathroom counter.”

“No,” Johnny spoke clearly, albeit laced with exhaustion.

“Okay then,” Gabriel said, a smile evident in his voice, and started to walk away. “Goodnight.”

It took a few beats, but eventually Johnny replied, mostly unconscious. “...g’night.”

“I’ll get your coffee set to brew in the morning. How many cups?”

This time, there was no hesitation. “Six.”

And Gabriel left the room laughing.

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“May your glass be ever full, may the roof over your head be always strong, and may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.” – Irish Blessing

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BRADLEY COOPER in Silver Linings Playbook (2012) dir. David O. Russell

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Be careful, she’ll hit ya.

A STAR IS BORN (2018) dir. Bradley Cooper

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A Star Is Born Wins Original Music | EE BAFTA Film Awards 2019

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Task #24: Voicemail

Rating: PG-13. Relationships: Johnny & Kathleen; Johnny & Joan; Johnny & Tim. Recurring Characters: Johnny (mentioned), Kathleen Ward. Warning or Notes: Cancer, death, and reference to homicide.

You have reached the voicemail box of [ JONATHAN JAMES-MICHAELS. ] At the tone, please record your message. When you are finished recording, you may hang up or press 'one' for more options.

You have one new message.

TODAY, FRIDAY, MARCH ELEVENTH, 8:19 A.M. "... Jonathan, hello. ... This is Kathleen Ward. I know... I know you haven't heard from me in quite a while. I'm sorry for that. What has it been, ten years now? Or more? ... Sometimes I wish I had called you sooner. ... But you know how Thomas felt about us talking. ... He never did move on, Johnny. He barely survived with that black hole in his heart, and he died with the burden still so heavy on his chest. And, you know, I just don't want either of us to do that. ... Joan was his daughter all the same even though she was gone, and mine too... and, well, God and I both know what she meant to you. ... In the end, the three of us shared a pain that no one else could ever understand. ...

I don't know what you have learned about her death after all this time. Or what you know that the rest of us can't. I don't know if there is anything you could have done to help her. ... I guess none of us ever truly will. ... But I believe I have finally made my peace with that. ... And I know in my soul that you are a good man, Jonathan. ... That's why I called – to tell you that. I know you are a good man. ... You probably don't know I battled cancer six years ago, but now the melanoma has come back in a big way... And I realized... I don't have many opportunities left to tie up loose ends. ... But, you know, I think I'm going to be reunited with her soon. I'll get to see her beautiful face again, and hear her voice, and hold her in my arms. I'll receive the knowledge I've always begged God for -- the good and the bad. And I just wanted you to know... that all will be well. All is well. ... I understand if you don't want to call me back. ... Bye bye now. ...