#I’m sorry but I thought this show aired in 2018 not 2008

[mimdecisive]

s*amista is so bad sometimes I forget it’s actually canon

[joshjacksons]

Joshua Jackson interview with "Mr Porter" (2021)

Minutes before Mr Joshua Jackson joins me in a booth for a Friday afternoon drink at a vibey hotel bar in Santa Monica, he’s confronted by his past. Or rather, a woman in her early twenties who is binge-watching Dawson’s Creek, the teen show about a close-knit group of high-school friends coming of age in a sleepy American town, which made Jackson incredibly famous between 1998 and 2003. The series, which also made household names of Ms Michelle Williams and Ms Katie Holmes, went off air 18 years ago, but is now streaming on Netflix, to the bemusement of Jackson, who played lovable rogue Pacey Witter. “This girl was like, ‘Are you...?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, I am. He got old. I’m sorry to break it to you,’” he says, before ordering an iced tea and a charcuterie board to tide him over until dinner time. “It always surprises me when young people say they’ve just got into Dawson’s Creek. I’m like, ‘Is it a costume drama to you? Do you feel like you’re watching a historical documentary?’”

The idea of a Friends-style reunion episode or a Sex And The City revival feels equally far-fetched to Canadian-born Jackson, now 43 and wearing it well in a pale green linen shirt and tailored linen trousers by Oliver Spencer that complement his fading brown hair and Cali-tanned skin.

“I don’t know why you’d want to [bring it back],” he says. “Nobody needs to know what those characters are doing in middle age. We left them in a nice place. Nobody needs to see that Pacey’s back hurts. I don’t think we need that update.”

And Jackson doesn’t need Dawson’s Creek. From Mr JJ Abrams’ sci-fi series Fringe (2008-2013) to the Golden Globe award-winning The Affair (2014-2019), from Ms Ava DuVernay’s ground-breaking true-crime drama When They See Us (2019) to the recent Ms Reese Witherspoon and Ms Kerry Washington-produced Little Fires Everywhere (2020), he has commanded the small screen – with a collection of dynamic and diverse work – ever since.

His latest role as Mr Christopher Duntsch, the Texas surgeon convicted of gross malpractice when 33 of his patients were left seriously injured after he operated on them and two of them died, in chilling Peacock crime drama Dr Death, is only stepping his career up another gear.

“I’ve never played anyone irredeemable before,” says Jackson, who is joined in the eight-part series (based on the 2018 Wondery podcast of the same name) by Messrs Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin. “He is charming, gregarious and has a high-level intellect, but he’s also a misogynist, probably a sociopath, certainly a narcissist and a complete incompetent who is incapable of seeing himself.”

If Duntsch is terrifying, then Jackson’s portrayal is even more so. The artist formerly known as Pacey is virtually unrecognisable (thanks to prosthetics) in the opening scene, but the real challenge for Jackson was allowing himself to view someone who is so “spectacularly evil” as a human being in order to walk in his shoes. “It’s a more damning portrayal of the man to make him into a human being, rather than just make him the bad guy,” he says. “He really believes he’s the hero, he’s the genius and that he’s the victim, so once I got past my own judgment, all the other things fell into place.”

Jackson might have his pick of stellar roles – and challenges – now, but it has not happened by accident. Take it from someone who has been in the business since landing his first job aged 14 in Disney’s live-action movie series The Mighty Ducks, opposite Brat Pack alumnus Mr Emilio Estevez.

“You try to make it look like it happens accidentally,” he says, “but there is no way to do this and not be ambitious. I’d say I’m extremely ambitious because I’ve been doing this cutthroat job for nearly 30 years. I’m in the pay-off phase of my career now. One of the benefits of surviving for as long as I have is you get to learn from your own mistakes.”

Such as? “I wouldn’t say, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that,’ because it all becomes bricks in a path, but [after Dawson’s Creek] I was not choosy enough about the things I was doing. You get stuck. You start trying to perform the performance you think people are hoping to see you do. I was so used to working all the time that I just worked all the time. There was definitely a conscious moment in my mid-twenties when I realised I wasn’t really enjoying the work that I was doing. My manager at the time just said, ‘Take a breath. You’re burnt out.’”

The turning point came in 2005, when Jackson was offered a role in the two-hander Mr David Mamet play A Life In The Theatre, opposite Sir Patrick Stewart. “God bless him, Patrick could have made my life miserable because I had no idea what I was doing, ” he says. “I hadn’t been on stage since I was a kid and now I was in the West End in over my head. But it reminded me that I actually enjoyed being an actor, that it’s not about the red carpet or travelling around the world. What I really enjoy is working on good material with good people.”

It’s no surprise Jackson’s time on Dawson’s Creek led to a career crisis. From the ages of 19 to 24, he lived with his fellow cast mates in Wilmington, North Carolina, filming day in, day out, in an arrangement he likens to college. “You get to the end and they’re like, ‘Here’s your degree. Go live now. You’re an adult. Go out into the world,’” he says.

But most graduates don’t have to deal with global fame. “It’s transitory. You’re only ever cool for a moment and then you become much less cool. I was always pretty dubious about flatterers,” he says, recalling a time he was stung in London in the mid-2000s. “I went on a date in Hyde Park with a woman whose name I will not use – she was socialite-famous – and she was acting completely bizarre, looking over her shoulder the whole time. I came to find out that she had hired a photographer to follow us through the park and gave a whole story to the tabloids about how I was going to meet her family.”

It was his growing fortune, rather than fame, that caused Jackson the most anxiety. “Suddenly, at 19 years old, I was making more in a week than most of my friends’ parents would make in a year,” he says. “It was lovely to have the money, but it was that feeling of nobody is worth that kind of money. You feel like a fraud and it took me a long time to forgive myself for not being the thing that I was perceived as.”

Born in Vancouver, but raised in Topanga, California, until he was eight (before moving back to Vancouver following his parents’ divorce), Jackson bought his childhood home in 2001 and lives in it today with his wife, British Queen & Slim actor Ms Jodie Turner-Smith, and their 15-month-old daughter.

“My father unfortunately was not a good father or a husband and exited the scene, but that house in Topanga was where everything felt simple, so it was a very healing thing for me to do,” he says. Fast-forward to 2021 and his baby daughter now sleeps in her father’s childhood bedroom. “There was a mural of a dragon on the wall in that room that I couldn’t believe was still there, years later. The owner [who sold him the house] said, ‘I knew it meant a lot to somebody and that they were going to come back for it some day.’”

Becoming a first-time parent during a pandemic sounds stressful, but it afforded Jackson months at home with his wife and child that his normal work schedule wouldn’t have allowed.

“I now recognise how perverse the way that we have set up our society is,” he says. “There is not a father I know who works a regular job who didn’t go back to the office a week later. It’s robbing that man of the opportunity to bond with his child and spend time with his partner.”

Despite his obvious career ambitions, fatherhood has changed Jackson’s priorities in “every possible way”, he says. “It’s 100 per cent changed how I approach my work and my life. That has been made so clear to me in this past year. For me to feel good about what I’m doing day to day, my family has to be the central focus.

“There are plenty of things left for me to do, but now the thing that gets me excited is experiencing the world through my daughter’s eyes. I can’t wait to take her scuba diving. I can’t wait to take her skiing. I can’t wait to read a great book with her. I’m not worried at all she’ll be a wallflower. She’s been a character from the word go.”

Jackson met Turner-Smith, 34, two days after his 40th birthday. He had been single since his 10-year relationship with German actress Ms Diane Kruger ended in 2016. “I was not looking to fall in love again or meet the mother of my child, but life has other plans for you,” he says.

The couple met at a party. Turner-Smith was wearing the same The Future Is Female Ejaculation T-shirt Ms Tessa Thompson’s character, Detroit, wears in the 2018 film Sorry To Bother You. “That’s what I used to break the ice. I shouted, ‘Detroit!’ across the room. Not the smoothest thing I’ve ever done, but it worked. We were pretty much inseparable from the word go. It was a whirlwind romance and I can tell my daughter I literally saw her mother across a room and thought, ‘I have to be next to this woman.’”

A self-confessed “useless” shopper, Jackson gives his wife full credit for his current wardrobe. He is jewellery-free, apart from a wedding band and a gold signet “JJ” ring on his little finger (a present from his wife), and discovered tailored sweatsuits (by Stampd and Reigning Champ) in the pandemic.

“Jodie has influence in the way that a wonderful wife encourages you, through love, to dress well. She was like, ‘We’re going to throw away all the sweatpants from your past and I’m going to get you some that actually make you look like an adult male and you will still feel comfortable around the house,’ and I’m like, ‘What an amazing idea!’ Who knew you could get sweatsuits that actually look good on your body?”

Jackson’s style has evolved, he says, “from slovenly teen to it’s-nice-when-your-clothes-actually-fit-you”. The penny dropped after he auditioned for his former co-star Estevez, who was directing the 2006 Mr Robert Kennedy biopic Bobby. He said to me, ‘You only got this job because I know you. You came in here to play a very well-put together 1960s political operative and you’re wearing jeans and a hoodie.’

“I had to grow up a little bit. We are very much raised in Canada to never, ever show off, so it took me a while to recognise it’s OK to look good when you go out.”

Still, when you’ve grown up in front of the camera, “every pimple literally documented”, and lived (very successfully) to tell the tale, you can probably be forgiven for the odd fashion faux pas.

“I wore a silk Ascot to an event once in Paris and I still have nightmares about it,” he says. “I looked like Fred from Scooby Doo, but you live and learn.”

[sazc94]

The Three Times James "Bucky" Barnes Broke your heart

This was inspired by @msmarvelwrites 2k Writing Challenge because I'm a sucker for Taylor Swift especially sad Taylor Vibes. I chose the all too well lyrics.

Apparently, I can't do anything small so it's in two parts.

Part 2 Here

Pairs Bucky x Reader and Pietro x Reader. (Not at the same time)

No smut but mentions of sex so 18+

Themes: highschool, cheating, college/uni. Friendship

Words 5659 its Suburban AU.

Winter 2018

You sat on the window seat, head resting on the cool glass a mug of hot chocolate between your hands. Winter in New York was something else, the way everything sparkled in the blanket of snow. This wasn’t your first December in the “Big Apple” but it was your first after moving here. Like the walking cliché you were you had moved here for a Fresh Start, after being offered a once in a lifetime opportunity of working for Tony Stark. You hadn’t planned on taking the job working as head of advertising for Stark Industries. The idea of moving from your small town in Michigan away from your family, everyone you knew and loved, and most importantly away from your best friend and your on-again-off-again boyfriend Bucky seemed ludicrous. You knew James or Bucky as he was to those who knew and loved him would never leave Michigan not if it meant leaving her.

James and you had been friends since, well as since long as you could remember. You had lived on the same street, gone to the same schools, played in the streets on your bikes when you were 8, played in the local park between the ages of 10 and 12. When you both hit 13 everyone assumed you would both either stop being friends or would fall romantically in love. Neither of those happened at least not right away. You two carried on hanging around each-others houses, playing video games and watching movies. Bucky had always been fiercely protective over you, his blue eyes narrowing at anyone who dared to pick on you when you were younger. His eyes would light up when you walked into the room, he loved Friday nights saved just for the pair of you to watch cheesy horror films, lounge around his sofa and stuff your faces with popcorn.

2008

Everything changed when you were 15, you and Bucky had always been inseparable, when no one asked you to combined Prom in your Freshman year, Bucky had surprised you. Showing up at your house dressed in a suit and tie with a white rose corsage, his long brown hair slicked back. You walked downstairs in your ballet slipper pink chiffon dress, your locks twisted into an intricate bun, this was the first time you’d worn heels and you nearly missed the bottom step when you saw Bucky in his Grey Suit stood in your living room. Bucky had tried out for the football team and obviously to no ones’ surprise had become the Star QB. As a result of that Bucky’s grey suit stretched across his muscular frame. Once you’d saved yourself from falling face-first down the last stair you walked over to Bucky grinning like a fool. “Bucky, what, what are you doing here? I thought you were going with Sam and Pietro and the rest of the football team” you said. “Well, I couldn’t leave my best girl flying solo at our first prom now, could I?” Bucky grinned down to you. “Besides the rest of the guys were meeting dates at the dance, so I told them I’d meet them there with you” you felt yourself blush at Bucky’s term of endearment. You and Bucky posed for photos for your Mum and Dad, your Dad trusted Bucky like his own son so there was no awkward father stare down there, you even had your curfew extended to 2 am.

The prom itself was magical, Bucky introduced you to his teammates and their dates. Sam was there with a cheerleader, Jane Foster she was friends with the cool alternative girl Wanda Maximoff who was Pietro’s twin sister they were Sophomores but made you feel welcome at their table. Complimenting your hair and shoes. Pulling you onto the dancefloor to dance with them and the rest of the cheerleaders and co to the pumped-up pop songs that blasted out. The way the gym had been transformed was nothing short of breath-taking, led fairy lights strung up in waves from the ceiling, silver stars hanging against the velvet blue backdrops made you believe you were spending the night under the stars. When the music changed to a slow song -Tim McGraw by an up-and-coming artist Taylor Swift. The Group of girls surrounding you soon dissipated to slow dance with their respective others. You started to make your way back to the table you’d been sat at, happy to finally take a breather when you felt someone tug on your wrist. You turned around fully prepared to slap whatever creep had felt it suitable to touch someone they didn’t know but your face softened to find the familiar blue-eyed, muscular brunette smirking at you. “Miss Y/N” may I have this dance?”, he asked. “Why certainly, MR James Buchanan Barnes” you replied chuckling to yourself. Bucky cocked an eyebrow at the use of his full name before pulling you tight towards him. He wrapped your arms around his neck before wrapping his around your waist. Your breath caught in the back of your throat, you and Bucky had never been this intimate, sure still hugged and had kissed each other on the cheek when you were like 5, but this felt different. The way Bucky enveloped you, the scent of his aftershave mixed with his mum’s washing powder he smelt like cherry blossom mixed with sandalwood. You rested your head on Bucky’s chest, closing your eyes deciding to take this all in. A small smile tugged on your lips as you felt Bucky stroke your hips. You didn’t know it, but he looked at you with such love and adoration and his heart squeezed watching you rest your head on his chest the smile on your pale pink lips. Bucky moved his right hand from your waist and brought it to your cheek, slightly stroking it before lifting your face to look him in the eyes. His eyes shone with affection; his eyes so blue like the ocean you felt like you were drowning in them. Then his lips were on yours crashing against your slightly chapped lips, you cursed yourself for not wearing Chapstick like the cheerleaders and Wanda did. However, as the kiss deepened, and you felt Bucky’s left-hand grip on you together and you melted into the kiss everything else faded away. Bucky drew back and looked at you. Your smile dazzling him as your eyes shone back at him. Neither of you said a word as he pulled you back to his chest whilst the DJ played another slow song.

2009 - 2010

Bucky and you dated from the end of your Freshman year right up until the summer before your senior year. Bucky and you had been inseparable for most of your High School life, he even convinced you to try out for the cheerleading squad in your Junior year, usually you sat on the Side-lines with Wanda and Carol Danvers, it wasn’t that you didn’t want to be a cheerleader it's just you were comfortable being “Bucky’s Girl” the one everyone knew without being in the spotlight, however after Wanda and Carol egged you on saying that you had the moves you went for it. You surprisingly made the squad. You couldn’t wait to tell Bucky, warmth spreading through your cheeks at the thought of how he’d be so proud. You decided to keep it quiet until you had your uniform. Jane and the girls had also promised to keep their mouths shut until you’d had the chance to surprise him. So, when homecoming rolled around, and you got your uniform for the first time you went along to the locker rooms where the football team would be heading off to change before the big pep rally. You stood against the wall one foot pressed against it, your knee bent whilst you waited. You heard Sam and Pietro before you saw them. They turned the corner roughhousing one another playfully. “Looking good Y/N” Sam shouted as he clocked you in your brand-new uniform. “looks like Bucky’s personal cheerleader now cheers for us all,” he said walking over to you and enveloping you in a hug. You giggled and at that moment Bucky Turned the corner with Peter Parker a freshman. He couldn’t see your uniform from the way that Sam’s body was covering yours, but he saw your face and started running down the hallway to you. As Sam and Pietro headed inside, he finally got to see the big reveal, he stopped in his tracks for a second. His eyes taking in every inch of your body, the skirt shorter than anything you owned, the top hugging your curves. He ran over to you picking you up and spinning you in the air as you squealed. “I knew you could do it Doll,” he said as he peppered kisses over your head, cheek, and lips. You blushed at his praise. Your Junior year with Bucky was a blur, between the football games, classes, parties’ dates with Bucky you felt like time was rushing past. You Even won Prom King and Queen at your Junior Prom. To no one’s surprise. However, that summer everything changed.

Summer 2010

You were on holiday with your family, visiting your grandparents in Miami. Every year you for as long as you could remember you and your family would spend the last 3 weeks of summer break at your grandparents. You had begged Bucky to come with you as he had in the past, however, due to football camp, he had been unable to swing it. “Hey, I’m sorry doll, it’s just coach said if I didn’t go he wouldn’t consider me for team captain,” he said hugging you from behind as you sat on your porch steps, his chin resting on your head. He had sworn to you that you would text every day and would skype at least once a week for the three weeks you were there. However, after the first week, Bucky’s texts had become less and less frequent. He’d only Skyped you once and you’d get texts from Various friends asking where you were as you weren’t at the latest party. On the final night of your holiday, as you walked along the beach by yourself taking in the last of the holiday feel your phone rang, you looked down it, confused when the caller Id said, Jane. “Hey, babe. Look I’m not sure how to say this” but uh we’re at a small party at Wanda and Pietro’s there’s about 15 of us, including this friend of mine Nat and uhm well, Bucky’s pretty wasted and well after I noticed I hadn’t seen him for a while I went looking for him”. Jane’s voice sounded stressed. You squeezed your eyes shut as tears tried to escape, not liking where this was going. “And uh, oh god I’m really sorry girl, but I, I kind of walked in on them fucking” Jane blurted it out, going for the band-aid approach as if saying it quicker would make it the cut sting any less. You didn’t say anything, you just stood there staring out the black ocean, the warm sand between your toes, feeling your heartbreak. You couldn’t believe it. Your sweet protective Bucky who had beaten up Miles Morales in 8th Grade for standing you up for an arcade date and breaking your heart. “I, I, I got to go my flights early tomorrow. My, my family will be wondering where I am” you stumbled over your words trying to get off the phone as quick as possible not wanting anyone to hear you cry.

Senior year was one of the most painful years, Bucky had met you at your house the day you got back, sitting on the wooden steps to your porch. He looked like he had barely slept, much like you. You were an only child, but your older cousin who was transferring to Michigan State University for his second year had come home with you. He took a look at Bucky and then back at you, you nodded telling him it was fine and that you had this. He walked inside but not before muttering punk under his breath. Bucky winced, he looked at you his blue eyes that once shone with nothing but love and adoration for you, now looked blank, empty, and almost unrecognisable. His brown hair which he had cut in his Sophomore year looked a mess. He started towards you, but you held your arm out.

“Don’t,” you said. He looked crestfallen and his heart shattered as you struggled to hold yourself together. “Doll, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me, please, look at me, ill make it up to you, it will never happen again” he pleaded with you, his ocean blue eyes stared at your red brimmed eyes, cheeks puffy and streaked from all the crying over the last 16 hours. “Just don’t” You warned him. “Look, baby, it was a mistake, it meant nothing to me” he continued to plead despite your warning reaching out for your hand. His words hit you like a knife, you two hadn’t slept together yet and here he was claiming this meant nothing. You wrenched your hand free from him his touch burning you with his betrayal. “It meant nothing. It meant nothing!?! If it meant nothing you wouldn’t have slept with this Natasha James” you whispered. Bucky flinched at the use of his real name. Oh, how you wanted to shout, thrash scream at him and tell him you would forgive him, but you couldn’t. You had looked up the girls Instagram that night when you laid in bed crying and you couldn’t help but compare yourself to her the gorgeous read head with curves in all the right places. You started to walk towards your house. Unable to keep the tears back and not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry, Bucky called out for you, pleading with you. “I thought you loved me James, but it clearly meant something to you, or else you wouldn’t have thrown away two years of dating and 12 years of dating for sex with someone that wasn’t me, we were meant to be each other’s firsts, but you decided you couldn’t wait to get your dick wet so you went and fucked this chick you’ve known for what 5 minutes?” you cried out in anger, Bucky flinched again as if you’d slapped him. “Actually, I met her last year at one of our away game parties” he mumbled, his feet kicking the dirt around his feet. “I think you should leave” you whispered, choking back a sob before you ran into your house slamming the door behind you.

You and Bucky barely spoke that entire final year of school, you had been voted cheer Captain at the end of the summer semester, much to Jane’s approval, and you loved being a cheerleader, so you threw yourself into that as well as the school’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. You cheered at the games putting on your show face and hyping up the crowds. You wowed in the role of Audrey in the show, avoided parties with the football team and buckled down focusing on your exams and audition for the performing arts programme at the University of Michigan. After Bucky had realised, he was never going to get you to forgive him he had ended up dating Natasha. The news hit you like a sucker punch to begin with but after meeting up with Wanda, Carol, and Jane during the spring break you made your peace with it. You even smiled at Bucky in the hallways when you saw each other. By the time Graduation rolled around you had healed.

November 2011

You ended up getting into the University of Michigan on a partial scholarship thanks to your cheerleading and you were enjoying the performing arts programme, the performing arts programme at the Uni had really blown up after the whole viral “A Very Potter Musical” back in 2009 and you were thrilled to be there. You had settled right in making friends with a young lad from your course Loki Laufeyson right away. He was attractive in an unconventional way, with long black hair, a tall skinny frame but he still had muscles. You two had been cast opposite each other in Romeo and Juliet during your first year and had become good friends. You even ran into Pietro frequently he had gotten a football scholarship and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw you on the sidelines one November game. Pietro didn’t really “do” social media and hadn’t paid any attention to Wanda as you had told her, after Bucky’s betrayal you hadn’t spoken much with Sam or Pietro, after all, they were his friends and were now Uni students. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Bucky’s girl,” he said grinning at you after the game, ruffling your hair like you were 5 again. You couldn’t help but wince at the old pet name, everyone in the group had called you it, Sam, Wanda, Carol even Jane but you hadn’t been Bucky’s girl for a year, well longer if you take into consideration the fact he’d been chatting with Natasha on and off for the entire year before they slept together. “It’s just Y/N” or you can call me cutie you said winking at Pietro, he chuckled. “How about I just call you tomorrow?” he retorted, you felt yourself blush. Pietro had always been a cocky confident guy, his silver-blonde hair covering his ice blue eyes, he had always been a hit with the ladies, but he seemed that bit more attractive, slightly leaner, still confident but not arrogant. You shrugged before pulling out a sharpie from your bag, you wrote down your number on his arm. He cocked his head puzzled. “I changed it last year after Bucky wouldn’t stop blowing it up with apology texts,” you said simply. Before Pietro could respond you ran off to join the rest of your squad and headed for the changing room.

True to his charm and word, Pietro called you the next day offering to be your personal guide and show you all the hidden beauty spots of the campus. You accepted; even though you had been here for two months already. You walked around the campus and had a great time, you felt yourself really relaxing and laughing at his corny jokes and the way he wiggled his silver eyebrows at you whenever he made a bad joke. You couldn’t remember the last time you laughed, and you meant really laughed, the kind of clutched over struggling to get air into your lung’s laughter that the Silver-haired, blue-eyed cutie gave you. By the time Pietro had finished his tour the sun was beginning to dip, he walked you back to your dorm ever the gentleman. However, this time when your hands brushed against each other he grabbed your hand and spun you around. His hand was cool and smooth, a stark difference to Bucky’s warm calloused hands. The pair of you walked back hand in hand in comfortable silence. When you got to your dorm you leant against your door, your eyes meeting Pietro’s ice blue eyes, the almost sparkled. Pietro positioned himself so that he had one hand above your head, the other to your side trapping you between the door and himself. He leant down and kissed you. It was soft and delicate, his cool lips sucking the air out of your lungs. He pulled away winking at you before he sauntered off to join his teammates at some frat party.

That was the beginning of a three-year relationship with Pietro, you two had been on multiple dates, some official, some were just bumping into each other at the same party and then spending the rest of the evening together all through November and early December of your first year. He even came to support you at your Cheerleading competitions. Neither of you had put a label on it, but he had changed his home screen to a picture of the pair of you, it was one captured by Peter Parker, funnily enough, he was visiting the Uni with his photography club and captured the moment Pietro had picked you up after the Wolverines won their 6th game. He spun you around before dropping you down and kissing your forehead. Pietro didn’t know that you had seen his home screen. However as you were both travelling home for the Holidays you had agreed to travel together, Pietro had offered to drive but you had refused. Telling him that it would be easier for you to drive as you would be running lines late and therefore you could swing by his apartment on the way out of town. It was only a short drive to Dearborn but with the extra holiday traffic, you estimated it would take at least an hour to get to your parents. You connected your iPod to the car via AUX and pulled up your playlist you had made for the drive. You avoided all Christmas songs, and you were sick of them they played everywhere you went. Instead, you opted for Taylor Swift, damn she had blown up since 2008.

After about 30 minutes of driving as you hit the peak of the holiday traffic, you leant over to turn down the volume of your music. Comfortable with the pace of the traffic, you turned your head to Pietro. “So,” you began. “What’s up Bunny?” Pietro asked snapping his eyes up from his phone. “Well, I just thought now might be a good time to talk, we’re obviously going to run into a lot of our old friends, and there’s no way Wanda won’t know something is going on here, and I, I saw your lock screen,” you said, you could feel yourself blush, there was something about Pietro, he made you feel like a high school sophomore all over again. “So you were wondering what we are?” the amusement in Pietro’s voice didn’t escape your notice, you could feel yourself getting embarrassed. Of course, he was a college Sophomore, you two had never had the exclusive talk, how could you be so silly. You stared straight ahead focusing on the slow-moving traffic. Oh god, you wanted to die. Pietro noticed the change in your demeanour and instantly felt bad, he grabbed your right hand from the steering wheel. “Hey Bunny, look at me,” he said softly, you turned your head to face him. “We are exclusive, we are a couple, I’m sorry you felt the need to ask, but I adore you, so we are a thing,” he said stroking circles on the back of your hand. You smiled and nodded to yourself.

Almost everyone had made it back for the Holidays, excluding a few people, Bucky, Carol, and Jane, they all had their reasons, but you couldn’t help but feel a little sad that Carol and Jane had been unable to make it back. Wanda was elated for you and Pietro, to your surprise she threatened Pietro and not you. Christmas break came and went all too quickly. Pietro even brought you a small gift even though he didn’t celebrate Christmas, what with being Jewish. He was also very touched at your gift a small, framed copy of the photo of his lock screen, only in black and white except for the ribbon in your hair, the number on his Jersey matching his number painted on your cheek. The next year also seemed to rush by, between keeping on top of your studies, your rehearsals for the play, football matches, nationals for your cheerleading competition. It felt like you had barely any time to breathe.

2012

The summer between your 1st year and 2nd year was a small respite, Pietro had decided to stay in his apartment for the summer, he had a summer job and you decided to stick around after trying out for a local theatres summer production of Grease, unsurprisingly you had been cast as Patty Simcox a cheerleader. “How ironic, my little cheerleader playing a cheerleader” Pietro joked. You just rolled your eyes at him, that night Pietro stayed in your dorm, you were going to have to move out for the summer, your roommate for the year had decided she was going to move into her Sorority House next year and was going home for the summer. You and Pietro were cuddled up on the sofa watching Grease, you had your legs over Pietro and the arm of the sofa. To your surprise, Pietro had confessed he’d never seen it and had asked you to watch it with him so he could see who you would be playing. You let out a sigh. “What’s up bunny?” he asked not taking his eyes of the movie, he was rubbing small circles on your legs. “Student housing emailed me today, they said since Sophie is moving out and going home for the summer. I can’t stay in my dorm this summer. I’m trying to figure out where to go as the apartment I want to rent isn’t available until August” you said, blowing your hair out of your face. “Move in with me for the summer,” Pietro said without skipping a beat. “We’re not going to be around much in the daytime, you’ve spent a lot of nights at mine recently and it’s just for the summer, theirs a spare bedroom where you can store your stuff, and Wanda will be visiting in 3 weeks, it’s no big deal,” he said as he continued rubbing circles on your legs. You stared at him for a moment, your mind racing. “Okay,” you said nervously biting your lip. “Okay, I’ll move in for the summer,” you said again this time sounding surer of yourself. You picked up the remote and pressed pause on the DVD. You and Pietro had been dating for most of the school year, and he had been nothing but a gentleman never pressuring you for more than you were comfortable with, he knew Bucky had hurt you and you still hadn’t had sex yet as a result of it. You stood up a peeled of your jumper, Pietro cocked his head with his cute, puzzled expression. You didn’t say anything, instead, you removed your athletic shorts leaving you in nothing but one of Pietro’s football jerseys and your panties. You walked to your bedroom. Pietro didn’t move. After a few moments of waiting for him to follow you walked to your door frame and coughed, Pietro looked at you. “Well, are you coming or not handsome?” you asked leaning against your frame, so his jersey rid up slightly exposing the skin of your stomach. Pietro chucked his phone on the sofa before throwing you over his shoulder. That night you and Pietro had sex for the first time.

December 2012

Summer came and went in a blur of a heatwave, and lots of sex. You moved into your apartment off-campus, you spent a lot of time hanging out with Loki between classes, throwing ideas back and forth for an original piece you had to work on for the spring showcase. Pietro and you would always ride to games together, with Pietro being in his third year, the team bus rides were no longer compulsory and as the college couldn’t afford for the squad to have a bus you had to make your own way to the away games anyway. You and Pietro had driven home for Winter break, your family had decided to head to Boston this year, that way your cousin could see his family, however as you and Pietro had a game two days after New Years it didn’t make sense for you to fly out for such a short period off time. This was your first Christmas in years where you wouldn’t be seeing your family, or even celebrating really. However, Wanda and her Mum had insisted Pietro bring you home with him for the winter break. So that was how you found yourself sat in Pietro and Wanda’s basement drinking beer and hanging out with the old gang along with some new faces. Carol had brought home her girlfriend Valkyrie, Jane and Sam were there, even Peter Parker who was now a senior was there he’d even brought his girlfriend Gwen with him. Wanda had brought home her Boyfriend James or Vision as he was affectionately known. Wanda was studying Fashion in NYC; Vision was studying IT and was a whiz with technology. You were cuddled up in the corner of the sofa with Pietro, he was playing some game with Sam and Peter and you were scrolling through your IG feed. Taylor Swift’s latest Album Red playing through the speakers. Pietro had groaned but with Sam being a secret Swifty he was quickly outvoted. You kissed Pietro’s cheek getting up to grab another bottle of beer each. You were technically underage for another few months, but Wanda’s mum had said if you were going to drink whilst you were here, she’d rather you did it under her roof in a safe controlled manner.

You heard him before you saw him. Being the gracious guest you are, you had noticed the beer was low in the fridge, so you were restocking it when you heard Bucky’s familiar laugh. You may have made peace with what Bucky had done but other than a quick congratulations and farewell at Graduation you hadn’t spoken since that summer back in 2010.

Bucky walked over to the fridge, you had changed your hair colour since you’d last seen him at Graduation in 2011, your usual hair was now a chocolate brown, you had your head in the fridge still when he coughed. “Hi I’m Bucky,” he said. You took a deep breath, grabbed three bottles of beer and pulled your head out of the fridge, turning around to face him. “I’m well aware who you are, Bucky,” you said handing him a beer. Bucky’s eyes widened as his ocean blue eyes reached yours. “Hey Buck,” you said softly. “Y/N. I didn’t recognise you” he grinned, moving to hug you. You let it happen, standing stiffly in his arms. “Yeah it's been a minute, how’s school, and Natasha, I heard you got into UDM?” you asked shooting him a smile before twisting the lid of your bottle. “Yeah, I did. Schools great kicking my ass a bit and Natasha and I broke up actually” he said avoiding eye contact with you. You and Bucky made polite conversation for a few minutes Pietro finished up his game with Sam and Peter, noticed you hadn’t returned so made his way over to you and Bucky. “Hey Bunny,” he said kissing the corner of your head before wrapping his arms around you. “Hey Buck, long time no see!” Pietro said. Bucky stood frozen for a few seconds processing what he had just witnessed. “Hey, Pietro Yeah. It's been a hot minute, so you two are a couple? You guys look cute congrats. Oh man, wow is that Peter over there? I barely recognise him I’m going to go say hey. Catch you guys later!” Bucky said practically running over to Peter. You turned around and kissed Pietro. “Come on Quicksilver, let’s see if I can beat you at Mario Kart,” you said pulling him over to the sofa.

December 2012 – August 2014

Winter break came and went. Your second year at Uni whizzed past. Pietro even joined you and your family for your annual summer vacation in Miami, your grandparents were getting on a bit so you decided to skip the summer production of Hairspray. By the time, your third year rolled around you and Pietro settled into a routine between school, studying, games and rehearsals you would steal kisses in the hallways, meet one another at classes with hot drinks, coffee for Pietro not that he needed a boost of energy and usually a hot chocolate for you. After football games, Pietro would drive you back to his apartment. If it were a rare free evening, you’d curl up with a movie at yours. Hanging onto the small moments of peace. You both knew Pietro was going to be moving to New York after he graduated. He’d been studying business and was going to start a fashion company with Wanda. You also both knew that long-distance wasn’t going to work, you’d been majoring in performing arts, but you had also been taking extra courses to help with a career in advertising as a backup. Saying your goodbyes to one another sucked ass. You and Pietro had left your annual Miami holiday a week early to spend a week in Florida visiting the Theme Parks, Wanda and Vision were also going to meet you there. Neither of you had grown up exceptionally wealthy, but Wanda and Pietro’s dad Max Eisenhardt had reached out to them a few years back and had insisted on paying for the four of you to have a group vacation. He had tried to convince Wanda and Pietro to book a holiday in Germany where he was living but they had refused. Pietro had already packed up his apartment and moved most of it back to his family home whilst you finished up school for the year. He had been staying with you for the summer before joining you on your vacation so when you headed to the airport it was time to say your goodbyes. “Be good Bunny, don’t cause too much mischief with Loki and stay in touch. I love you my little Bunny” he said wiping the tears from your eyes. You couldn’t say anything, so you just held him tight and cried.

Tagging the bestie @lannycleave because I have promised to write a sad Steve one as a way to punnish myself

Part 2

[s-trawberryv-eins]

An Introduction

(NOT MY GIF)

AN INTRODUCTION TO CAROLINE STARK

A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading! So, after months of waffling about wanting to write, I finally sat down and did it. It’s pretty complicated, so it’s pretty important to read this one before you start with anything else. I’ve created an original character, who lives in a slightly alternative universe to the one we were left with after Endgame. I’d like to state that none of my personal changes are reflections of my opinions of what DID happen, but in order to build her as I wish, some things needed to be slightly different.

1)    Steve didn’t go back to Peggy after he returned the stones

2)    Hulk and Banner didn't become one, they’re still two separate beings

3)    Natasha was brought back by Steve as he was able to return the soul stone in return for her life

4)    The compound was rebuilt after the Battle of Earth. There is a memorial for Tony where he died.

A few other things to note:

1)    My first piece of writing will be a background that is applicable to all of the fics. However, many of them will be stand alone, unless I state otherwise. I’ll be creating a masterlist which will lay everything out very clearly, but please feel free to ask if you need to 😊

 Thanks for reading the boring stuff. Everything will be up soon!

 Summary: An introduction to the secret Stark sister. Who is she? Why was she kept a secret? And what happens when everybody finds out?

 Warnings: Abandonment, injury, PTSD, death, blood, but there's plenty of soft love too.

 Word count: 1921

 SUMMER 2004

MALIBU, CALIFORNIA

"Yes, yes, two seconds!" Tottering over to the front door of her bosses lavish Malibu home, Pepper Potts grumbled under her breath, annoyed by the fact that she was the one answering the incessant knocking. "I’m not your maid, Tony!” Sighing, she unlocked the door and prepared to shoo whichever reporter, play bunny, or cold caller had decided that 10 PM on a Tuesday evening was a good time to show up. However, she was greeted with something entirely unexpected.

“Oh! Hello! Are you lost? Where’s your Mom?" In front of Miss Potts stood a small girl, 7 years of age, a sparkly pink bag held tightly in her little hand. Pepper greeted the young girl with the cheeriest voice she could manage in her surprise. Sticking her head out of the door, she looked around, but with a furrowed brow she realised that they were alone. There wasn’t another figure or car in sight.

“Momma said I had to give you this." In her tiny outstretched hand was a thick envelope. "She said my Daddy lives here.” The look on her face told Pepper that she knew exactly what had happened. Even as young as she was, she had an obvious maturity that would break hearts. Her mother had abandoned her, and the girl understood that entirely.

With eyes so wide it hurt, Pepper took the envelope, peeking inside to find a passport, a letter, and a photograph of Mr Stark and a woman. The girls' mother, Pepper presumed. Shock was written into the PAs face, but she forced a smile all the same. After a quick look at the passport, she ushered the child inside.

"Come on in, Caroline. We’ll sort you out, okay?”

 LATE 2008

NEW YORK

A series of loud bangs on her bedroom door pulled Caroline from her daydream. Not even having a chance to respond, the door burst open and three young girls practically fell into her room.

“Turn the TV on!"

“As if you weren’t famous enough!"

“Did you know? You must've known?!"

Wide eyed and clueless as to what her friends were talking about, Caroline blinked back gormlessly as Amelie grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

“What channel?“

“Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on?" The 11-year-old spoke up, and all three heads turned to face her, humour in their eyes as they stated what was seemingly obvious.

“Your dad, Care.” Caroline knew her Father had been in some trouble. Happy had shown up outside the halls of residence, whisking her away immediately. The panic set in as her heart sped up violently. As the girls scrambled through the channels, they froze as a man in a suit appeared on the screen. Caroline's dad. Tony Stark. They watched in awe as he addressed his audience. As his daughter, she'd watched a few press conferences before. They were a bore, however, she couldn't lie.

The TV remote fell from Amelie’s hand as he spoke the four words that changed history.

“I am Iron Man.”

 MAY 2012

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Footage of the Chitauri destroying the very ground she stood on flashed through Caroline’s mind. Gripping Happy’s arm as she sobbed, the 14-year-old girl cried out desperately for her Father. Their relationship had been very rocky for a while. He’d rejected his new responsibility at first, leaving Pepper to parent the girl. He’d even shipped her off to boarding school, where he further pushed away his long-lost child. It wasn’t until Pepper dragged him by the sleeve to the young girl’s dorm room and forced him inside that he’d actually spoken to his daughter. From there, they established a solid relationship. Caroline, of course, fell head over heels for her Father. He could do no wrong in her eyes. That never changed, even as she grew.

Fear wracked her body at the thought of Tony not surviving the battle. Staring at the sky, she prayed and prayed that he return from that giant swirling hole of death that currently dominated New York. When she saw his body fall through the sky, her fear both vanished and increased ten-fold.

-

Later that evening, JARVIS informed her of her Fathers arrival at the beaten-up tower. Racing to find him, she threw her arms around his neck and cried. She cried and cried until she ran out, but she never let go of his hand.

 MAY 2015

NOVI GRAD, SOKOVIA

“Daddy?” Her voice came out a whimper. She felt weak and small.

“Hey baby girl, I’m uh…I’m guessing you’ve seen, right? Yeah, it’s bad, Care.”

“Dad, what’s going on?”

“Listen, baby, I’ve gotta end this. Me and Thor, uh, we think we’ve got a way. A lot of people will die if we don’t do this. You're the best thing, you know?" His voice was soft, even as he continued to fight off robots and save the world. The line grew staticky and Caroline couldn’t stop the tears that spilled from her eyes. "I'm so glad you showed up on my doorstep all those years ago. I’m sorry for taking so long."

“Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye? Daddy you're scaring me!” Her voice was a desperate whimper, and a pain in her chest bloomed violently.

“I love you, Caroline. Remember th-" Horror erupted over her features as the line went dead. Not knowing whether she'd ever see him again, she made her way to New York, her heart dragging painfully behind her.

 NEW YEARS EVE 2015

AVENGERS COMPOUND

UPSTATE NEW YORK

Caroline and her Father walked through one of the many laboratories of the new compound. On her 18th birthday the Stark girl was offered a position as a biomechanical engineer for the new era S.H.I.E.L.D. program, built following its collapse in 2014. Taking after her Dad, she had excelled in school, and to the amazement of her new bosses, had landed a glowing recommendation from Iron Man himself. The decision for her to live under a different last name to Tony was one he himself had requested in a bid to keep her safe for as long as he could. She had never really met the other Avengers, and only three other people knew of her existence; Pepper, Happy, and Natasha Romanoff. It was easy enough to hide her identity.

Caroline didn’t mind too much. She could still see her parents as much as she pleased, and it prevented any special treatment from schools and professors. Those around Caroline herself knew; her school friends knew, she didn't want to keep a secret from them, and besides, she didn't know any better when she told them at 8 years old.

“How’re you settling in? Are you sure this isn’t too soon? This is too soon. I’m taking you-“ midway through his rambling, Tony realised his daughter both lived and worked at the compound, rendering his threat useless. "I'll take you somewhere. Details, schmetails."  

“Dad! Calm down! You’re spiralling. I’m fine, I’m settling in just fine! Now come on, I need to meet everyone.” A proud smile graced the young girls features as she tried to rid her rather of any worry. With a sigh, he took his daughters hand in his own and led her to the Avengers quarters. Separating just before they entered the room, Caroline took a shaky breath.

“Folks gather round. This is our new Doc. With Banner MIA," his brows drew together as he spoke, and his gaze fell to the floor for a second before finding Caroline "she’s our go to! This is Caroline. Caroline Lockwood.”  A half smile appeared on his face, the bittersweet moment getting the best of him. After a few brief introductions, the girl bid them goodbye to get ready for one of Tony Starks famous New Year’s Eve parties.

 JUNE 2018

AVENGERS COMPOUND

UPSTATE NEW YORK

Pepper sat with her daughter, a blanket around the two of them as they hid. They sat in silence, unable to find the words. Trying to maintain hope when everything around them told them to give up was the hardest battle they'd fought yet. “Momma? We’ll be fine, right? We always win.” Her voice nothing but a whisper in the darkness, she felt her adoptive mothers’ fingers tighten around her own.

“We'll be fine, baby. Your Dad will do what he always does. He'll save us. He'll save everybody.” The sad smile on Caroline's face couldn’t be seen in the dark, but Pepper could tell the moment that it fell. She felt the energy in the air shift. Did they lose? “Baby? Baby what’s wrong?" Placing her soft hands either side of her daughter’s face, she gasped sharply as the blanket fell around them, no longer supported by two bodies. Instead, a dark ash took the place of the youngest Stark.

“I’m sorry, Momma" she choked out before disintegrating completely "I'm sorry.”

Pepper was left alone, covered in heartbreak, grief, and the ashes her child left behind.

OCTOBER 2023

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

"Hey, sweetie. Do you want Mom?" Morgan shook her head and stepped closer to her sister.

“Can you help me? You’re my sister.” With sad, glazed over eyes, Caroline nodded. It's not difficult to sympathise with the two girls. Morgan knew all about her big sister. Stories were told, and pictures were framed in every inch of the house. Morgan idolised her before she’d ever met her. And when, by some miracle, they did meet, it was a few days before their fathers’ funeral. Two days before that, Caroline had been dead.

Dead.

It'd been one hell of a week.

To say the oldest Stark sister walked on eggshells around the younger one would be an understatement. Allowing their relationship to be on Morgan’s terms was the least she could do. The thought that Morgan may reject her completely never left her mind, despite Peppers constant reassurance. “I can braid your hair, if you’d like. Momma taught me when I was a little girl."

-

"Where's Morgan?" Pepper's voice barely registered in Caroline’s brain. She could feel herself drifting further and further away every day. But she didn't have the strength to fight it.

“Happy took her for cheeseburgers.” A hint of smile traced her mouth, but it didn't stick. It never stuck. The bags under her eyes were heavy and dark, and the once rich brown of her eyes seemed to have dulled miserably. After receiving her own private recording from Stark, she felt as if she'd broken completely. Turning to face Pepper, she struggled to continue, her voice hoarse from crying and screaming in the night. "They should be back an-"

“MOMMY SISSY UNCLE HAPPY BOUGHT EXTRA.” Watching the tiny girl stumble through the door, a brown paper bag clutched tightly to her chest, Caroline just stared in awe. Of course, Morgan was too young to really understand what happened. She missed her Daddy, and she knew he wasn’t coming home, but she managed to smile. Her eyes shined bright as ever. The world hadn't tainted her hope, it hadn’t torn away her faith.

It would be so, so easy to just let go. To just give up and fall into the oblivion that called her name. But in doing so, she'd miss even more time with her sister. Watching her eat with a pensive look on her face, clutching on to Pepper and watching all the strangers around her, Caroline made a choice. She could do it for Morgan. She could hold on and keep going.

So, she did.

TAGS:

@bucky-castiel​

[kopykunoichi]

The Legacy of Star Wars: An Open Letter to the Writers and Creators of A Galaxy Far, Far Away

“Suddenly the Rebellion is real for you. Some of us live it. I’ve been in this fight since I was six years old!” ~ Cassian Andor

I saw a great meme once that played off that quote, meant to depict an older fan describing to a newer fan how they had been invested in the story of Star Wars from childhood. I could relate. Though I am not old enough to have seen the original Star Wars movies in theater, they were a significant part of my childhood. I remember renting the original theatrical VHS from our local video store all the time when I was little. Then we bought the digitally remastered Special Edition VHS Box Set and I spent the next decade wearing them out! We would have popcorn and Star Wars marathons all the time. My friends and I would always pretend we were in the story. My swingset was the Millennium Falcon. I was that 11-year-old girl who would argue with my friends over who was hotter - Luke or Han. (The correct answer is Han, of course!) My mother would read the Expanded Universe novels to me in the afternoons and we would talk about the characters. All my spending money went to Jedi Apprentice books and 6 inch action figures. In short, I loved Star Wars. 

I was 13 when The Phantom Menace hit theaters, and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to get to see new stories from my favorite fictional universe play out on the big screen. Though I struggled a bit with some of the acting, the story was absolutely amazing to me. Star Wars felt all the more real to me with the amazing graphics and intense action sequences - not to mention the layers of politics and the complexity of the story. I watched Revenge of the Sith several times in theaters, and though it broke my heart to see Anakin’s fall, I never considered it to be a sad ending overall, when taken as a whole with the original trilogy. 

When the Clone Wars aired in 2008, I was ecstatic. Here was an Anakin I could actually get into (sorry, Hayden). I loved him. I adored Ahsoka. I wanted to marry Rex. The character development and the plot deepened my attachment to that era, and made me question everything I had previously taken for granted as good and bad. The whole system was flawed - the Republic and the Jedi. It wasn’t just a matter of mistakes being made and the wool being pulled over their eyes, there was deep rooted corruption in the side that I once felt was “good”. The light side and the dark side were not as black and white as I thought. I found myself strongly disliking some of the “good guys” and deeply sympathizing with some downright detestable people (I don’t know how you got me to care for Maul, Filoni - but well done). While the series had not yet ended, we knew where it was going. But still, we had already lived through the pain of Order 66, and we knew that the story would eventually culminate in a victory at the end of Return of the Jedi.

I couldn’t believe our luck when the first installment of the sequel trilogy hit the theaters in 2015. It had some of the feelings of a reboot, but I was beyond thrilled to have a series of Star Wars movies that I could now share with my children, as my parents had shared them with me. Though it was hard to say goodbye to the first love of my life, Han Solo - I just knew that Ben would be redeemed and Han’s sacrifice would be worth it...

2016 brought us Rogue One. We knew how that one was going to end too, but we still ate it up. I fell in love with a whole new set of characters, only to see each and every one of them die in the end. Talk about tragedy. But Leia’s line about hope reminded us that five minutes later, a whiny little farm boy was about to have his whole life upended in the best sort of way...so it was okay. Sort of.

Four years of Rebels ended in 2018, and it was so, so lovely - but it hurt so, so much. My perfect, beautiful space family had been torn apart with Kanan’s death. Ezra was missing. Rex was a 29-year-old man who should have been in his prime, but was instead struggling with the wear and tear of a 60-year-old body. Ahsoka was separated from him - AGAIN - and then she left with Sabine to look for Ezra. The ending still held the promise of the fight to come with the Empire, but the majority of our characters were left in a place of grief and brokenness.

2019 brought an end to the sequel trilogy. Once again, we had characters who pulled at our heartstrings, and an interesting struggle between “light” and “dark” that reminded me of the complexities introduced in The Clone Wars. It became more apparent than ever that balance in the Force did not mean the light triumphing over the dark, but instead a harmony between the two. At least, that’s what I thought. Until I watched every person I loved from the original trilogy die, Palpatine come back (and die) again, and the same exact ending of Return of the Jedi played out before me - except not as happy. Why? Because Anakin’s legacy had been reduced to ashes - his rise, fall, redemption, and sacrifice rendered null and void. The last Skywalker was redeemed and promptly killed, just like his grandfather. But because Rey Palpatine decided that she identified as Rey Skywalker, it was supposed to be okay. She then went to go hang out (or live?) alone on Tatooine because that’s where it all started. I was dumbfounded. This was the satisfying, hopeful, ending we were promised? How? 

Believe it or not, I’m not here to trash the sequels - I enjoyed them very much - right up until the last 20 minutes. But in that space of time, the entire legacy of the Skywalker family went up in smoke, and the legacy of Star Wars along with it. Since Return of the Jedi, there have been no happy endings to a Star Wars movie trilogy or TV show. And with the ending of The Rise of Skywalker, that one happy ending we did have was ripped from us as well. Star Wars is now a never ending series of tragic endings. The lessons we are left with: Don’t fall in love in Star Wars, it will end badly. Your actions ultimately result in failure. As soon as you turn good, you die. There is no balance in the Force, just a pendulum swinging back and forth for all time. 

Then The Clone Wars finally got her last season. I didn’t think Order 66 could have hurt worse, but Filoni set out to prove us all wrong...and succeeded. I’m still not over it. And once more, the bitterness I felt over the ending to the sequels (which had begun to subside) flared up all over again. What was it all for? All that pain. All that sacrifice. No happy endings. 

I still love Star Wars. Nothing can take that away from me. No amount of bad writing can change that. And there are still plenty of good writers and creators working on Star Wars content. But good writers spinning tales of tragedy and endless pain negates the power of good writing. The Star Wars of my childhood is not the Star Wars of today. We wore out those VHS tapes because we loved the stories and the people. But my kids are not going to wear out DVDs where everyone they love dies or ends up alone. They aren’t going to queue up those digital movies and series over and over - because who wants to subject themselves to that kind of torture?

Just about the only safe space for Star Wars fans right now is fanfiction archives where the people who love the characters are busy writing fix-it fics to squeeze some sort of satisfying ending out of the canon content. The Mandalorian is literally our last hope for a Star Wars story that has the potential to end well. I swear, if Din Djarin ends up dead or alone at the end of this series, I’m going to lose it. The overwhelming sentiment of the Star Wars fanbase - from original trilogy fanboys to Tumblr blogging Reylos, and everyone in between - is that of dissatisfaction with canon content (with the exception of The Mandalorian). So much so, that many fans are just saying “screw it” and churning out a myriad of fanfiction AUs because there is no way to salvage what has been written. Half of Tumblr is in therapy after The Rise of Skywalker ending and the last episode of Clone Wars - but they weren’t exactly stable to begin with. The other forums and social media platforms are not much better, though.

It’s not just about the quality of writing - because Filoni and co. have done exceptional work with The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian. It’s the tragedy, guys. We can’t take it anymore. Is this really what we want the Star Wars legacy to be? Sadness? Despair? It’s a story about war - people are going to die. I get that. Victory comes at a price, but the cost can’t be worse than the victory. I want to sit down with my kids and watch Star Wars over and over again. The Mandalorian has given us a taste of that - but I’m almost afraid of where it will go. We’ve been burned so many times, I’m beginning to know what Anakin felt like on Mustafar - writhing in agony and screaming “I hate you” to someone he once loved. 

I remember happier days when Luke and Leia and Han were laughing and smiling with their friends while Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin looked on. I want that back. Filoni. Favreau. Creators. Writers. Producers. Directors. You are our only hope for canon content. Use The Mandalorian wisely. Use Din’s story to bless other characters. Here’s some ideas:

Let Din have a happy ending! Preferably with someone he loves and respects at his side (like Cara). 

Let Cara become a Mandalorian - and put Paz Vizsla in charge of her training (we need to see them spar).

Let what’s left of the Tribe establish a new Mandalorian colony - and let Sabine Wren lead it. And give her that Darksaber back - she earned it. 

Let Ezra come back from regions unknown with a deeper understanding of the Force, and have him train the child in the new colony. 

Forget the Jedi and Sith, let’s start a medical training center/hospital run by Force users who can help heal people when modern medicine fails! 

Ahsoka can use her talents for that too. 

Find the rest of the child’s race and bring any of their Force sensitives onboard. 

Let Boba Fett and Din have their epic showdown, but then use a sample of Boba’s unaltered DNA and some mystical Force healing to restore Rex’s body to what a 43-year-old should be (and then he can marry Ahsoka so we can have the Clone/Jedi couple we always wanted...thanks to you, Filoni).

Let the Mandalorians partner with the New Republic in the Outer Rim as law enforcement instead of bounty hunters, so they can get their reputation back. 

They can train new recruits and pilots, just like Fenn Rau trained clones. 

Let them keep their autonomy and traditions, while helping keep the New Republic honest.

Let them be a force for good in the galaxy, for once. 

The Mandalorian could serve as the vessel to give a lot of characters with unresolved or tragic storylines some closure and better endings. If not The Mandalorian, then other new shows. My 6-year-old daughter wants nothing more than to be Ahsoka Tano. My 3-year-old son asks me to watch The Mandalorian every day. My 18-month-old daughter walks around in her brother’s Mandalorian helmet babbling “Way”. Please let me share the Star Wars legacy that I grew up loving with them. Let me show them the happy endings I enjoyed. Let me show them that even in the midst of conflict, not every life has to be ruined. Let me show them a Star Wars story with a satisfying ending. Hope. Redemption. Love. That’s what Star Wars means to me. 

May the Force be With You (and your pens),

Rebekah, A Star Wars Fan

[maxortecho]

There was a new interview with Carina and Hollier...I get that Max is dead. Rosa was also dead but did Nathan not film with anyone else besides Jeanine? Cuz that's at least an entire month without Max in the picture. What the hell! So even though the show won't start till, let's say January, we won't get any Max till February?! That's a long ass time.

Sorry, what interview? I’m not sure which one you’re talking about. 

I think we’ve basically got confirmation that Jeanine&Nathan have only filmed one scene together for at least 2x01-2x04 (which I’m assuming is like a scene with Liz and Max’s body, or a missing scene/flashback from S1). 

However, I still expect Nathan to be filming other scenes such as flashbacks atm (not necessarily high school flashbacks, but anything between 2008-2018). I’ve thought this since 1x13 aired, and even moreso now since Nathan has repeatedly mentioned at both the CW upfronts and NYCC that he can feature in flashbacks. He’s still #2 on the call sheet, so I believe that’d mean it’s in his contract to feature in every episode (or at least get paid for every episode, so why not use him?).

I know it sucks to be a Max fan atm but there’s not much you can do but buckle in for the ride.

[theclacks]

Buffy Season 7 Thoughts

Current Emotional State:

So yeah. That is it. After starting in March 2017 (thanks to the 20th anniversary), I officially finished the series Jan 1st 2018.

And hooboy. Straight out the gate, I’d say it its now in my top three shows of all time (i.e. Doctor Who, Stargate, and BtVS). That’s right. It beat out ATLA. (Sorry ATLA but you never ripped my heart out like the others.)

IDK, a part of me is still kind of like “why did it take me this long to watch this show” and another part is glad, because I watched DW, SG1, and ATLA all around the same year or two of my life, and to get completely walloped by something a decade later... well it’s wonderful. Completely and truly wonderful.

BtVS & AtS Recap Master Post located here

So, starting with predictions that I made during my S6 recap...

On predictions that I made during my S6 recap:

- Spike comes back to Sunnydale and becomes tentative friendship bros with Buffy with continual underlying UST that’s never resolved again because of the attempted rape and also because none of my ships can ever be happy It was resolved. It was fucking resolved. I don’t care that they never kissed on screen and Spike didn’t believe Buffy when she said she loved him (still crying forever, Spike you idiot), there was a confession. And even before that, Buffy telling Spike that she believed in him, and that she wasn’t ready for him to leave, and sleeping beside him for those final nights. THAT WAS MORE THAN I’D EVER BEEN EXPECTING. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL (NO CHECK AND I’M HAPPY FOR IT)

- Dawn and Spike eventually work through his attempted rape and become bros again Yeah, their relationship went up in flames (NO CHECK)

- Dawn takes a level in badassery, will fight things Aside from the first episode or two when Buffy’s giving her training, Dawn pretty much got shafted when the potentials arrived (NO CHECK)

- Buffy’s perma-death/rebirth will be addressed re: slayer chain of dead slayers leading to new slayer (CHECK... SORT OF?)

- Anya stays a vengeance demon because fuck Xander (NO CHECK)

- Willow finds a happy place between using no magic whatsoever and trying to fry the earth (CHECK)

- Giles hangs out in Sunnydale again because Giles (CHECK)

- Anya stays in command of the magic shop because it’s her magic shop… even though Willow kind of destroyed it She stayed in command but the other characters stopped visiting, so... (CHECK?)

- Clem continues to have cameos because he’s Clem and he’s awesome (HELLA CHECK)

On Spuffy:

I’ve written enough about these two in my earlier posts. I might make a completely separate post where I talk gush about their development over the course of the series but yeah. In this post, all I’ll say is that I thought Seeing Red would be the official end to their relationship. I thought even with the soul, their connection would be like a giant white elephant that’d never be directly addressed again... and then I got S7, aka the giant, canon, hurt/comfort fic.

Also, I didn’t cry during Chosen, but “No, you don’t. But thanks for saying” kept playing through my head over and over and over again, gutting my heart into numbness, and then sometime during the next day, it morphed into “Quite right, too” and I was so confused, thinking where did that dialogue come from, and then I remembered:

And it’s ridiculously bizarre, since Doctor Who’s Doomsday has been a traumatic thing that’s been a scar on my heart for the last decade, so I naturally think of it as the older, original traumatic “I love you” DENIED scene, but then I look at when Chosen actually aired and Chosen came out first? So if anything Doctor Who cribbed off Buffy? (And both cribbed off Star Wars and “I know” but that one doesn’t count because there wasn’t actually a failure to communicate between Hans and Leia, just Hans being Hans.)

Oh, and then the day after I watched Chosen, as I was getting ready in the morning, I made the mistake of listening to Sarah Brown Eyes which is about a guy reminiscing about the first time he met the love of his life after she’s already died. And then the song ends with “come, let’s dance” and there’s a sad instrumental section and I STARTED BAWLING. STRAIGHT OUT BAWLING.

So, thanks BtVS for that. I haven’t done that for a fictional couple since 2008. I appreciated the jump start to my heart.

Okay, officially moving on.

On Andrew:

AKA the best reoccuring character. I loved his arc in this season, going from a comic puppet of the first evil to a still-comic, yet emotionally redemptive who can’t hide behind “i was just following other people/didn’t know better”. He was the best, and Storyteller was one of my favorite episodes

On Buffy’s relationship with Giles:

I really wish they’d had the time to wrap a bow on this, but I can understand why they didn’t. As it is, their relationship kind of ended in Lies My Parents Told Me with Buffy shutting the door on him and his tendency to decide what’s best for her. But I’m not sure they held to that? Or rather, in Chosen it was kind of back to situation normal re: Willow, Xander, Giles, and Buffy being in the final pow-wow together. Either way, I liked that Buffy stood up for herself, that Giles was finally acknowledged as fallible as opposed to the savior woosh he got at the end of S6.

On Anya, Willow, and Xander:

I feel like the three of them got kind of shafted this season? Xander didn’t really have an arc or purpose other than “fix Summers house when monsters break it”. Oh, and his convo with Dawn in Potential. I really did like the episode Potential... I just wish the whole “you still have purpose” extended past the boundaries of that episode? Which honestly is the subject of another post I’ll write, entitled Xander vs Sokka: Giving Purpose to the Powerless.

And then yeah, Willow intentionally stayed on the backburner for the majority of the season (her best moments were in AtS), and Anya... oh Anya. I understand why she was un-Vengeance Demon-fied, but I still wish she’d stayed a Vengance Demon. Mostly because as soon as she lost her powers, the show for the most part ignored her.

Which is a crime.

Actually...

On Anya specifically:

I’m gonna let some time pass before I do a “thoughts on BtVS as a whole”, but I want to say right now. Anya was my favorite surprise of the series. Every other character or major, major plot development, I’d been warned, or hinted, or inadvertently spoiled for.

Anya (aside from her name) was a complete unknown. When she appeared in S3 as Anyanka the Vengeance Demon, I thought... no, that can’t be “Anya the eventually reoccuring character.” And then she was. And was amazing. And continued to be amazing for the next four seasons.

I love Anya. She is everything I aspire to in life.

Now that I’ve talked about minute character stuff, let’s go to major S7 plot stuff:

On the Potentials:

Honestly, everything I’m gonna say is not groundbreaking thoughts re: fandom. I actually liked the potentials, but I didn’t like how there were so many of them, and how some of their actress were not that great. I didn’t like how Chao Ahn was the one who couldn’t speak English and was the butt of language jokes. They could’ve easily had a French or German-speaking potential.

On the First Evil and other villains:

The mark of a great villain (for me) is how much they reflect and/or personally tie in with the heroes. It’s why Angelus remains my number one fave BtVS villain (and why S2 is still my favorite season from a plot standpoint). It’s why I’m still super pissed that Maggie Walsh (unpowered, rigid, military-backed, older woman to Buffy’s powered, improvisational, rogue, younger self) was killed off in favor of Adam (generic evil dude)... even though I now understand it was because of behind the scenes actor stuff.

So yeah. I started off with high hopes re: the First Evil... and then got let down a bit when psychological enemy was pushed aside in favor of the Turok-han and then later Caleb. Though, honestly, I was more fine with the Turok-han than I was with Caleb. Caleb was... meh. (Sorry, Nathan Fillion.) If I had to guess, I’d say the writers couldn’t think of a good way to keep the First a constant threat without relying on minions that could physically attack the heroes. IDK.

On Spike’s soul:

Once again, this is a topic I’ve talked about before in my per episode recaps, but overall, I really like how they ended up handling it. It makes sense that he’d more easily adapt to it and wouldn’t do an abrupt personality shift like Angel because he voluntarily got his. I still hold to my S6 theory, that (if it hadn’t been for the First tormenting him) he could’ve returned to Sunnydale with no one (except Anya) being the wiser.

BUT! At the same time, it did make him a lot more mellow and self-reflective. Gave him self-doubt as well. And Get It Done and Lies My Parents Told Me were excellent episodes that showcased that.

On Sunnydale getting sucked into crater, Buffy being one of thousands of Slayers, and ending the show with a “well, what happens now”/“possibly anything” kind of feel:

I loved it. It was a great ending. And together with Spike coming back in AtS, and the comics, and whatever, it makes for a ending that fans can play around with however they want. It’s an amazing launching point for new stories, and honestly...

I’d take that open ending over a 19-years-later, “All was well”, ship-killing epilogue any day.

So... thanks, BtVS. It was one hell of a ride.

(PS: If you liked these thought posts and wanna see more inner workings of my mind, my current BtVS fanfic is over here.)

[spicita]

Impressions 2019 - Grace

Although I'm behind on my annual impression -- sorry about that -- it's been a year in the making. Originally I got on board with the idea of wonder. With my tendency to focus on problems, I thought it would be helpful to imagine viewing the world through a lens of solutions, beauty, and awe. Re-framing challenges can be useful but it's not a new concept for me and somehow it fell short.

Perhaps part of this year's delay was due to my fear of sharing something that makes people feel uncomfortable. But it's impossible to paint an accurate picture of the past year without opening up a bit. And while I might not want to admit it, my dad made a good point when he mentioned that my impressions could be more revealing. After all, vulnerability is what I love most about my favorite social media mavens. And -- if there is anything true about me -- it's that I'm always striving for more. (Emphasis on strive.)

So, as I was honing in on the previous year's impression, I "surrendered" to the idea of exploring God. I know. Bear with me. While I was a strong believer as a child, tremendous doubts have ensued ever since my boarding school roommate cried for a girl with parents from different faiths (one Christian, one Jewish) because my roomie believed the girl was going to hell. But here I am, 25+ years later of mostly avoiding God, and no matter what I do it's never enough.

The first thing I learned is that while Genesis is the first Chapter in the Bible, it's not the best place to start. Something about husbands ruling over their wives. Please don't tell DJ. ;p I did find value in regularly reading the Bible and attending Church, further re-enforcing my belief that we tend to grow in areas where we spend time. And because various religions present God differently I didn't stop there. I watched The Story of God with Morgan Freeman which explored God across various religions and cultures around the globe. I also read books, watched movies, listened to videos, even attended a re-treat with a spiritual component. Some of these resources made me mad, a few of them made me cry, others opened my heart, but all of them made me think.

I continued to struggle with frustrating aspects of the business and failed to explain why taking a leap of faith had done very little to change how I felt. Regardless, I pressed forward, never one to give up easily. In an effort to feel more at peace, I even dabbled with hypnosis, an amazing experience in and of itself.

Perhaps the most difficult part of this process was the seemingly absent dialogue on how to grapple with such a mysterious topic and how something so important is generally approached with tension and strife... even among family and friends. I used to get annoyed by any mention of God but lately I've been surprised to learn that many of the people I admire have close relationships with God. And that even two of my favorite intellectuals recognize the value of religion. While Scott Adams does not practice religion, he does believe that it "probably makes the world a better place". Malcolm Gladwell was raised Presbyterian and believes that "when you remove faith from people's lives there is a void and they try desperately to fill it with something else." He mentions Yoga, not Pilates -- because everybody needs Pilates!

I've been told that my greatest challenges with the Bible are a matter of context but I'm not so sure. I don't believe that our faith matters more than our actions. I also struggle with the concept of God's will as it seems to contradict God's "gift" of free will. I even continued to doubt prayer. That said, one of the most fascinating things I learned from the Morgan Freeman documentary is that scientists were able to observe a noticeable change in brain activity between an individual praying and an atheist contemplating God. While that doesn't speak to the effectiveness of prayer on outcomes, it does show that prayer changes our experience.

One of my favorite quotes is from Wayne Dyer who proposed: "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." With our thoughts on God, DJ shared a link with 40 behind the scenes facts about one of our favorite movies, It's a Wonderful Life. The feature quotes actor James Stewart: "As I said (Dear Father in heaven.. show me the way), I felt the loneliness and hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing. This was not planned at all, but the power of that prayer... reduced me to tears."

As "luck" would have it, DJ and I watched "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" on New Year's Day. In the movie, Mr. Rogers asks a dying man: "Will you pray for me?" Later, when asked why, Mr. Rogers explains: "anyone who has gone through challenges like that must be very close to God". When reading the Esquire article that inspired the movie, I learned a slightly different account but my reaction remained unchanged. Although Mr. Rogers confessed to a "selfish" explanation for his request, the truth of the matter is that the interaction served an even greater purpose of up-lifting the person asked. I still hesitate to pray and feel awkward doing so but it's hard to refute it's strength.

The same weekend that we celebrated DJ's well deserved promotion we also attended a farewell gathering for the Dobbins Air Reserve Base Commander, General Kemble. While others in his position may have understandably treated me like a dime a dozen, General Kemble always interacted with me as though I was the only one in the room. That is how he relates to people, with grace.

Mr. Rogers was also a man of grace. He was humble, compassionate, and forgiving. He listened intently, sought to understand, and treated others with respect. Everyone's neighborhood hero acted upon making the world a better place and always maintained a profound passion for serving others. In stark contrast, most days I can barely make it out of bed without thinking of myself.

In Tools of Titans, Tim Ferriss shares a useful exercise from Google Pioneer Chade Meng proven to elevate his happiness. To try it, simply think of any two or three people and then wish for them to be happy. Ferriss credits it's effectiveness on the fact that it shifts our focus from ourselves onto others. I think prayer works in much the same way but more intensely.

In the video segment I shared earlier with Malcolm Gladwell, Larry King says "Doesn't it all deal with death? No death. No Religion." I suppose that might be true for some but my exploration has had more to do with life. How can I feel more at peace especially during difficult times?

Fortunately for me, my legal boyfriend is always there to pick me up. He didn't always enjoy my evening Bible reading or listening to contemporary hymns at church, but he did willingly pray for me (his idea, not mine). He also joined the American Legion on Veterans Day and signed us up for their Thanksgiving Day potluck alongside Veterans. And although I am often inclined to chill out on our own, DJ rallied for us to host another memorable Halloween Party bringing together old and new friends including some of our favorite neighbors and studio members. My ego might expect otherwise but it's not all about me... community does matter.

Ultimately, death did play a part of my journey. The memories of those I lost are a regular reminder of how their grace made my own life better... then and still now. At Santa Lift, an inquisitive young girl surprised me by asking if I was a real elf. Despite my stature, hopefully all of you know I'm not. That made me think too. How can humans be so steadfast in their beliefs but still struggle to act graciously?

I wish I could say that I figured it all out. A part of me hoped for a "born-again" moment -- because that seems so much easier -- but even Mother Teresa wrestled with doubt for 50 years. I did discover that praying feels more natural and effective than meditating and that thinking about God regularly with the help of religion inspired more actions of grace.

This was by far my most challenging impression to write. And if it wasn't your cup of tea, stay tuned for something completely different next time. I promise. I do hope my words gave you something new to think about and if you are so inclined, feel free to share what you do to inspire more actions of grace. I'm listening. Either way, I am definitely committed to praying for your happiness. After all, it's a little like the lottery... you can't win if you don't play.

Read prior impressions…

Impressions 2018 - Surrender

Impressions 2017 - Ordinary

Impressions 2016 - Kindness

Impressions 2015 - Blossom

Impressions 2014 - Independence

Impressions 2013 - Vow

Impressions 2012 - Faith

Impressions 2011 - Dream

Impressions 2010 - Penguin

Impressions 2009 - Smile

Impressions 2008 - Fun

Impressions 2007 - Inspiration

Impressions 2006 - Magic

Impressions 2005 - Love

Impressions 2004 - Influence

[poekeyalmighty]

Time Travel on Graham Norton

Youknow, call me crazy, but sometimes I fantasize about time-travelling onto a nightshow, like Graham Norton’s in..let's say 2005.

The audience's mind will be erased afterwards and they can only take 3 words of wisdom home with them on a sign (to avoid large changes to the future but to encourage a small change in their behaviour.)

Emma (that's me.) and several celebrities will then sit on the couch and spoil little secrets (not too much, as I said, everything needs to be erased again) about the future.

They can invite anyone from any year, but it is very expensive. The more they reveal, the more it costs to erase the minds afterwards.

*It'll be like:*

Graham: Sooooo..today, ladies and gentlemen, the celebrities on the couch will be Miranda Hart and Richard Ayoade. Áááánd we have someone from the year 2018, oh véry exciting! Let's give them a welcoming applause and let's start the show!"

*everyone sits down*

Graham: 'So..welcome everyone, I have to say, Emma, judging from your shoes, I see our horrible Ugg-trend won't last long, ihihihihihi. Ohh just kidding, there's probably still some around. They'd be antique! Hah hah. Okay..now..let's start with the question we're all curious about...what is the future like?"

Emma: "Eh..well..not that great. Or..well..it depends on which side you are, who you voted for."

Miranda Hart; Oh gód I knew it, there's going to be a war!"

Emma: "Not in my year..not yet...but the presidents are fighting and threatening with nuclear weapons.."

Richard:"Youknow, it's funny...we've all been excited about you visiting, but I'd rather have you leave now.."

*everyone laughs*

Graham: 'Is the American president still Bush?'

Emma: "Oh no...oh, wait, ofcourse..2005..eh..then I guess I first have some good news..'

Graham: Thank god, I thought my show had paid a lót of money for some depressing nightmare..."

Emma; "It gets more depressing towards the future, but the president in 2008 is pretty good. People like him, ánd...."

Miranda Hart: 'And it's a woman?"

Richard: "She said "him"..."

Miranda Hart: 'He could be a transgender, couldn't he?"

Graham: 'Will the both of you shut up, she'd going to say it.."

Emma; "Well..it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but it is pretty cool. He's black."

Richard: 'I always knew I was going to make it big! So I'm going to be president huh? What about that, Graham? Take that Miranda Hart!"

*everyone laughs*

Emma: "His name is Obama, his wife is called Michelle, she's going to help kids exercise more and eat healthy. And-

Graham: Sorry to interrupt, but I just háve to ask..how do the Harry potter books end?

Emma: 'Oohhh I can't tell you that! Not even with mind-erasing!"

*Audience boohs and groans*

Emma: 'I'm sorry, I can't. But I can assure you there'll be 7 books...and the last book will be mindblowing and awesome and it'll have nearly anything you could've wanted."

Richard: 'It's good to hear that the tragedies will only be aimed towards ús and not the book-characters..."

*audience nervously giggles.*

Miranda Hart: 'Can't you just put us out of our misery? What is it...will there be murders..will the Queen die?"

Emma: 'Oh..no, the Queen is still alive. But you guys will leave the EU, now you remind me of it.."

*Miranda Hart gasps*

Graham; We will leave the EU? But why? And what about Scotland and Ireland?"

Emma; 'Scotland will have a referendum to leave you guys, but they'll stay..'

Miranda Hart: "Jesus.."

Emma: 'Haha, but that's not the worst. Oohh..I feel bad, you guys don't want to know this..aahh.."

Richard: 'Be honest, will I be forced to become a stripper? Is that it? *audience laughs* Will this beautiful body be sacrificed to dance in glittery latex to fix the debts of Great Britain? Will it-''

Emma; "Noo...Richard..Oh..okay, I'll tell you. After Obama's second term..there'll be two people that run for the presidency. A woman and a man. The woman will be the most popular, but the man will be chosen by electoral college. And the man is someone that many people don't like."

Miranda Hart: "Bush reruns?"

*audience laughs*

Emma: 'I'll give a couple of hints. He's never been in politics before, he's a bigot and racist and very orange..."

Richard: Sounds like a provoked and angry and sudden racist Arnold Schwarzenegger? Sudden racism aside, that'd be awesome."

Miranda Hart: Is it-?'

Emma: "It's not Pauly D from Jersey Shore, hah hah..."

Miranda Hart: Who?

Emma; 'Oh...eh..no one, nevermind. It's from a show...in the future.."

Graham: Emma, whó. is. it?!"

Emma: 'He has very large towers....golden towers.

Graham; 'Is it a king?

Emma; 'Nó, he had an American show..he used to fire people."

Richard; I don't know who this is...but it sounds bad.

Emma: 'He goes like this *makes face and gestures with hands* 'All Mexicans are rapists.they bring crime and drugs."

Miranda Hart: 'Who the *bleep* says thát?! Are you serious? No, for real...áre you?

Emma; 'Yes. He used to organize beauty-pageants...he has a-"

Richard: 'Oh don't you dare telling me it's Mister Trump.”

*silence*

Emma: I-

*Graham gasps and holds the cards against his face*

Emma: It ís Donald Trump.

*Audience nervously giggles, but also looks panicked. Graham twists and turns on his chair while he looks up to the ceiling and Miranda Hart shakes her head with an open mouth and holds her hands up in the air.*

Richard: "Well..Graham..you certainly got what you paid for...this is more of an information-bombshell-moment than you could've ever wanted.."

Miranda Hart: 'And is he doing something to the Mexicans..youknow..setting rules or anything, against them?

Emma; 'He tried to ban all muslims from going in and out the USA...but that didn't last long. And youknow..the usual stuff you'd expect from him.."

Graham; I’m seriously struggling to continue the show here..jeesh..those Americans huh?

Emma: Well, you guys will have Boris Johnson..”

Miranda: ‘Hihi…”Johnson?”

Richard: ‘Don’t tell me he’s a unexperienced racist too..”

Emma; ‘Graham, pour everyone another drink. And get me another few glasses of water. This is going to be a long night.”

[things-considered-blog1]

I.

Before I miss my train, a few very crucial thoughts go through my head:

Where are the service people? (My ticket wouldn’t print, and I insisted on fiddling with the machine, on my own, for way too long.)

Where is the platform? (It doesn’t say on the confirmation.) How far is it?

Why aren’t I running! I should run! (The clock on the wall reads 20:17. I have two minutes. And I remember, heart sinking, that European trains always leave on time. Without fail.)

“Ca va être chaud, hein ?” The guy who is trying to help me print the ticket is shaking his head, saying it will be difficult for me to make the train.

“Go! Just go!” cries his colleague.

By the time I get to the platform, the train is already pulling away. It is moving so slowly it is hard to believe it is really missed. I want to jump on top, or something. But when the train is gone, it’s gone.

It is a strange end to what was otherwise an incredible holiday—two weeks in Toronto, followed by three days in London and three days in Paris. It was the first time I had been to London, and I was struck by the city’s mix of styles, unlike anything I had ever seen. My first impression was that the city had a really industrial look to it; the brown brick and red metal of the buses reminding me vaguely of a fire station.

I was led around the city by Londoners I met in the South of France, also on exchange, who were back in the city for the holidays. I walked around the Tate Modern gallery and was actually moved by the artwork; I wandered through markets with my friends and chatted with the merchants; I ate brunch at a restaurant with an underground speakeasy, which required a password to get in. I watched a show called “A Comedy about a Bank Robbery” at Picadilly Circus which was very slapstick but entertaining. All the while, I admired eclectic style of Londoners: bangs, turtlenecks, newsboy hats (which I haven’t seen since 2008), and huge fur coats.

“Was that the last train to Marseille?” I ask a guy in uniform, panting.

He is with some other men, also in uniform. “Oui,” he says simply. Then the group turns away in unison and walks away like a gang. I am left alone on the platform, gripping the handle of my suitcase.

Think, Marisa. Think. I force myself to find a chair and sit, because when I panic, bad things happen. I leave things behind, like bags and wallets and keys. I have an English class to teach tomorrow morning, and if I miss this class it will be the fourth week in a row I have missed, due to the holidays.

Using the GoEuro app, I do a quick search. It compares all the possible routes from one place to another in Europe: plane, train, bus, whatever. The trains for tomorrow morning are 100+ euros. Nope. The flights are 150+. Double-nope.

It’s worse than I thought. I’m stranded.

There are three buses leaving from Paris to Marseille. They are 10-11 hours. Overnight. I vowed years ago to never take one of these buses. But I have to teach a class. You made a commitment, you have to follow through. This phrase flies to the forefront of my brain, without me even realizing. These are my mother’s words; she said them so often that they are now mine.

II.

At the ticket counter, I try to get reimbursed for the train ticket.

“There’s nothing I can do for you,” the guy says. “The ticket is non-remboursable.”

“But it’s your machine that wouldn’t print my ticket.” Would he rather I have gotten on without one? I want to ask this but do not know how to say it in French so I let it go.

“Sorry,” he says. “Nothing I can do.” He prints, now, the ticket that wouldn’t print when we needed it to and tears it in half. I find this very pointless and look at him squarely. Then I gather my things and leave.

The train has left and I am not on it. It has left without me, and it will get there, without me. While I was arguing with this man, one of the three buses has left. It is late in the day and I am running out of time.

I pull out my laptop. I buy a ticket for one of the remaining buses. Immediately there are a few issues:

This bus is overnight and I cannot sleep upright (!)

I cannot print this ticket because there is no printer near me.

I do not know where the station is in Paris.

I check my watch. I have a few hours. More than enough time to find out.

III.

I find the bus stop and realize I still have a ton of time to kill. I eye a McDonalds from across the station. It’s raining and I want to sit inside, idly, but in Europe they always make you buy something. And I have not eaten McDonalds in over a decade so if they make me buy something there, I will be upset.

I decide to take the chance and set up in a booth, eating a sandwich I have packed. A security guard eyes me shyly for around 30 minutes before approaching me.

“Mademoiselle, you cannot just stay here, like this. You need to buy something.”

Sometimes when not-so-great things happen (like missing important trains, for example) I make the conscious decision to let it go. In situations like this I am so busy laughing at myself that I become borderline giddy. I decide to mess with this security guard.

“Oh,” I say, placing a hand earnestly on my chest. “I don’t eat McDonalds.”

He raises his eyebrows. “You have to buy something. A coffee, a cookie…”

“I’m not hungry.”

We look at each other. I relent almost immediately. We walk over to giant menu screen thing that McDonalds have now and he presses the buttons on my behalf.

“I don’t eat McDonalds, you know,” I repeat. He is hardly listening. “I have my reasons!”

“You want this cookie?” he says, pointing.

“Yes,” I lie. I stand at the cash and wait for the unwanted cookie. “Where is my cookie?”

“He’ll bring it for you. You can sit.”

I can’t recall a single McDonalds in North America where they bring you your food. It’s so European I grin. “This is a weird McDonalds,” I point out.

“A weird McDonalds!”

“Yes,” I say. I am North American so I feel like I have authority on this, at least. Maybe not about high-speed trains, but this, surely.

“This is a McCafé, mademoiselle.”

I shrug and pull the cookie from the bag. It’s chocolate. “Woah, woah, woah,” I say, grinning. “This is not the cookie that was pictured. I am not happy; I am going to complain.”

He smiles and shakes his head, resuming his post at the side of the restaurant. While I eat my cookie (happily, because I actually do love chocolate), the security guard and I discuss my being from Toronto and my inability to catch important trains. It’s a welcome distraction after a pretty hectic day.

IV.

On the overnight bus, I try every possible sleeping position until my legs are literally folded cross-legged against the window. I alternate between lying down, sitting up, and wrapping my scarf around my face as a mask and a pillow. The bus jolts to a stop. A burst of cold air and cigarette smoke burst through the door, chilling me to the bone. Why did I choose a seat by the door?

“Excuse me, Madame,” I ask the conductor. “How many stops do we have like this?”

“Every hour and a half,” she tells me.

Nightmare, I think. Nightmare!

I probably look like a character out of a nightmare, too, with my big scarf around my face. That, or a human cotton swab.

I take three sleeping pills and try to will myself to sleep but nothing works. As promised, every hour and a half I am met with a blast of cold air. I stare around jealously at the people who are sleeping, heads lolling.

I watch the sun rise. Then, after 11 hours on the road we finally reach my stop. I have not slept at all and practically fall out of the bus. Salvation!

I realise that, for some reason, I am still 20 minutes out of town. When will it end, I wheeze. I feel genuinely very gross. No shower, no teeth brushed, and when I get to the washroom at the station, the person who stares back at me has her makeup smudged and hair mussed. But she’s made it!

I get back home and collapse into bed—but only for 30 minutes. I still have to teach my class.

MC

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These Actors Are Notoriously Troublesome To Work With

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These Actors Are Notoriously Troublesome To Work With

Individuals in present enterprise love being within the highlight, however generally they let their egos get the very best of them. However whereas some have simply earned a fame for being downright terrible to work with, others have paid the last word value for his or her poor attitudes. From not memorizing their traces to being described as “soul-crushing” on set, these actors are notoriously tough to work with.

Did any of your favorites make the listing?

Regardless of making of thousands and thousands of by means of his movie work, Val Kilmer grew to become notoriously tough to work with through the mid-’90s. Richard Stanley directed Kilmer for 3 days in The Island of Dr. Moreau and revealed, ”Val would arrive, and an argument would occur.” John Frankenheimer changed Stanley and mentioned: “I don’t like Val Kilmer, I don’t like his work ethic, and I don’t need to be related to him ever once more.” Even Kilmer’s brother thought he was a narcissist. On the time, Kilmer was going by means of a divorce and was touring world wide to work on location — maybe that’s why his habits was so troubling?

In 1995, Joel Schumacher launched Batman Eternally, starring Kilmer because the caped crusader. The 2 had so many points with each other, at one level they refused to talk for 2 weeks throughout filming. Following the movie’s launch, Schumacher mentioned that working with Kilmer was insufferable, telling media shops: “He was being irrational and ballistic with the primary assistant director, the cameraman, the costume folks. He was impolite and inappropriate. He was infantile and unattainable. I used to be pressured to inform him that this is able to not be tolerated for another second. Then we had two weeks the place he didn’t communicate to me but it surely was bliss!”

Kilmer, who appeared in hit movies like The Doorways and Prime Gun early in his profession, has just lately battled throat most cancers and presently speaks with a rasp. He instructed CNN in 2017: “Fame is type of a multitude. You get handled otherwise, but it surely doesn’t have something to do with who you truly are.” He added: “I’d get upset when issues like Oscars and recognition failed to return my manner. I want to have extra Oscars than anyone.” Whereas he has appeared in quite a few movies for the reason that ’90s (in addition to some TV sequence), it seems the height of his profession has handed, perhaps because of his habits on set.

The subsequent actress had a promising profession forward of her, however then it crashed and burned.

In 2005, Chris Pine labored with Lohan on Simply My Luck. He referred to as the expertise and media consideration on the actress “an actual cyclone of madness, like being round The Beatles.” In 2007, there have been issues on the set of Georgia Rule, together with arriving late and never displaying as much as set in any respect. Morgan Creek Productions CEO James G. Robinson despatched her a letter, writing: “We’re effectively conscious that your ongoing all-night heavy partying is the actual cause on your so-called ‘exhaustion.’ We refuse to simply accept bogus excuses on your habits.” Her unprofessional habits even irked her co-star, Jane Fonda, who instructed her off.

In 2012 Lindsay Lohan made an look on Glee, but it surely was not a superb expertise for individuals who labored together with her. A supply from the present instructed E! Information that she was by no means on time and didn’t just like the job: “Lindsay was a complete nightmare. She was three hours late within the morning, and when she did lastly arrive, she simply didn’t need to be there. She didn’t need to work. She had not memorized her traces, and she or he saved disappearing so nobody may discover her … she has rubbed [the staffers] all of the fallacious manner by being so disrespectful of everybody else’s schedule.”

Lindsay Lohan later admitted to Oprah that she had an issue with tardiness. However she was more and more unreliable, and through her stint within the play Velocity The Plow in London, they needed to feed her the traces. She was dumped by a publicist and is reportedly tough to insure. Add that to her rap sheet of drug and alcohol offenses, and you may see why she’s struggled to achieve the trade. But, she retains getting supplied work. In keeping with Selection, she has been forged in season 2 of Rupert Grint’s sequence Sick Observe, set to air in 2018.

Subsequent, see how Edward Norton paid the last word value for being too pushy along with his artistic course.

In 2008, Edward Norton met with director Louis Leterrier to star in a reboot of Hulk. The actor agreed to the challenge on one situation: his options for the screenplay could be used within the script. Norton proceeded to make a considerable rewrite of the script only a few weeks earlier than capturing began, but it surely was far too late to alter something huge. The director added Norton’s adjustments, however Marvel hated it, notably the addition of extra dialogue and character improvement, which Norton had inserted into the script. When the Hulk returned as a part of The Avengers, Marvel changed Norton with Mark Ruffalo.

Edward Norton later wrote concerning the expertise on Facebook: “It appears it received’t work out for me…I sincerely hoped it may occur and be nice for everybody, but it surely hasn’t turned out as all of us hoped.” 4 years later he claimed that he simply didn’t like doing sequels. It wasn’t the primary time he messed with a script. In 2002, Edward Norton performed FBI profiler Will Graham within the Silence of the Lambs sequel Purple Dragon. When he confirmed up on set, he introduced the director Brett Ratner a number of pages of the script that he had rewritten (and never been requested to do). For sure, his enter was not appreciated.

Edward Norton has additionally fought with Paramount over contract negotiations, notably about showing in The Italian Job in 2002. The studio practically needed to sue the actor to look within the movie. On the set of Demise to Smoochy, he clashed with the costume designer as a result of he needed a swimsuit fabricated from hemp designed by Armani. The actor additionally demanded he make his personal edit of American Historical past X. Director Tony Kaye was so incensed, he instructed a reporter that Norton was “a narcissistic dilettante who raped the movie.” Norton’s most up-to-date movie, Collateral Magnificence, bombed on the field workplace.

Say it ain’t so! Is everybody’s favourite Glee star is definitely a nightmare to work with?

Naya Rivera starred alongside Lea Michele in Glee and the pair didn’t get alongside. Rivera recalled a time that their co-star Chris Colfer wrote an episode and introduced some canine with him to the set. Whereas Rivera didn’t title names, folks knew who she was speaking about when she wrote in her ebook that one explicit Glee star determined to “amp up her b**** issue” by making “an enormous deal concerning the canine, and demanded hand sanitizer any time one got here close to her.” The strain between the 2 girls bought so unhealthy, that their feud might have even price Rivera her job.

In 2014, Naya Rivera was so upset with Lea Michele’s habits on the set of the FOX present that she complained about it to the higher-ups. The very subsequent day Rivera discovered that she had been let go. She wrote in her ebook Sorry Not Sorry: Desires, Errors, and Rising Up: “So I assume you possibly can throw a b*** match, lock your self in your trailer, stall manufacturing but nonetheless allegedly discover time to leak tales to the press. I feel Rachel— erm, I imply Lea— didn’t like sharing the highlight. Ultimately, I do want that Lea and I had gotten alongside higher, however I’m not dropping sleep over it.”

Whereas engaged on Broadway’s Spring Awakening, Lea Michele reportedly freaked out when the air conditioner broke. Her colleague claimed the actress “saved threatening to name SAG concerning the unsafe working circumstances.” However regardless of her doubtful fame behind the scenes, Michele landed a job on the short-lived sequence Scream Queens, which was additionally created by Glee’s Ryan Murphy. She’s mentioned that she and Murphy are good associates. Michele is presently starring on The Mayor and says she seems as much as the careers of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. On her newest position, she mentioned: “I needed one thing that felt related in that type of trajectory for me.”

Discover out who one director described as “soul-crushing” subsequent.

Kevin Smith directed Bruce Willis in Cop Out and had a horrible time working with the motion star. He revealed in a 2011 interview: “It was tough. I’ve by no means been concerned in a scenario like that the place one part just isn’t within the field in any respect. It was f*****g soul-crushing.” He added that Willis was not solely an issue on set. He additionally didn’t need to pose for photos for use on the movie’s promotional poster. Smith famous, “I imply, lots of people are gonna be like, ‘Oh, you’re simply attempting responsible the film on him. ‘I had no f*****g assist from this dude in anyway.”

In 2015, Bruce Willis claimed he had scheduling conflicts relating to the stage adaption of Stephen King’s Distress and was pressured to drop out of Woody Allen’s interval piece Cafe Society. But the rumor was that Willis was fired as a result of he didn’t know the traces. Twitter person Tom O’Leary tweeted: “Yep. Fired. A buddy is on the movie. Bruce couldn’t bear in mind a line. Cue playing cards had been no assist. Solid had been dropping their minds.”

Sylvester Stallone labored with Willis on “Expendables three and though he didn’t title names, he tweeted a few co-star in 2013: “GREEDY AND LAZY …… A SURE FORMULA FOR CAREER FAILURE.”

Regardless of the issues Bruce Willis allegedly has had behind the scenes, he doesn’t appear to have an issue getting performing jobs. He starred in half a dozen movies in 2016 and 2017, though none of them had been huge cash makers. He additionally has loads on his plate for the approaching yr. He’s internet hosting the TV present Gershwin Prize for Well-liked Track and can seem within the kidnapping drama Acts of Violence. He’s additionally rumored to reprise his position as John McClane in Die Arduous Yr One. His movie Demise Want hits theaters within the spring of 2018 and he’ll additionally seem in The Bombing.

Discover out why everybody hates Chevy Chase subsequent.

Chevy Chase is notoriously laborious to work with, in response to many who’ve starred alongside the actor or directed him. Within the ebook Saturday Evening: A Backstage Historical past of Saturday Evening Dwell, the writers be aware that Chase was generally known as “a viciously efficient put-down artist, the kind who may discover the one factor someone was delicate about — a pimple on the nostril, maybe — after which child about it, mercilessly.” Chase would additionally mock the writers, telling them that their concepts weren’t superb. He gave little credit score to his colleagues throughout interviews, ordered folks round, bragged about his fame, and did numerous cocaine.

Chevy Chase was shut with SNL producer Lorne Michaels till he abruptly stop the present on the finish of his contract. He additionally fired his supervisor. In keeping with one author, “Chevy was a scumbag the way in which he left. Deceitful and dishonest about the entire thing.” Chase mentioned his cause for leaving was “cash. A number of cash.” He additionally ticked off SNL co-stars comparable to Jane Curtin and Invoice Murray. In 1985, he steered homosexual forged member Terry Sweeney seem in a sketch the place they weighed him each week to see if he had AIDS. Within the ’90s, Chase requested a feminine author to pleasure him.

Regardless of his fame for being very tough, Chevy Chase landed a job on the TV comedy Neighborhood in 2009. He famously feuded with present creator Dan Harmon, who leaked a profane voicemail the actor had left him. Chase additionally fully alienated his co-stars, a lot of whom had been girls. Yvette Brown as soon as mentioned: “Perhaps he was from a time when girls weren’t empowered sufficient to talk up.” He’s appeared in a number of movies since leaving the present in 2014, a lot of which have been bit components. 2015’s Trip grossed simply $58 million on the field workplace and acquired simply 26 % on Rotten Tomatoes.

Do you know Jenny from the block has a nasty fame?

Jennifer Lopez reportedly has an extended listing of calls for film execs should adjust to if she stars in a movie. She’s additionally been identified to have a match if issues don’t go her manner. She instructed the Hollywood Reporter in 2016: “I used to be at all times fascinated by how I may see (a person) being late or being belligerent to a crew and it being completely acceptable. In the meantime, I’d present up 15 minutes late and be berated. Like, we’re not allowed to have sure opinions and even be obsessed with one thing, or they’ll be like, ‘God, she’s actually tough.’ It’s like, ‘Am I? Am I tough as a result of I care?’”

Jennifer Lopez instructed the Hollywood Reporter that she doesn’t like being generally known as a diva as a result of she isn’t one. “I bought a moniker of being ‘the diva,’ which I by no means felt I deserved — which I don’t deserve — as a result of I’ve at all times been a tough employee, on time, doing what I’m imagined to do, and getting that label since you attain a specific amount of success,” she defined. She revealed that she usually feels “crippled to voice her opinion.” She added, “Particularly as a result of sure administrators and the boys’ membership that they type could make you’re feeling like, ‘Oh, I can’t say something.’”

Jennifer Lopez, who can be a really profitable singer, has labored steadily on the massive and small screens all through her profession. Regardless of her fame for being a diva, she has no downside discovering individuals who will work together with her. She presently stars as a police officer within the TV drama Shades of Blue. In 2018, she is going to seem within the romantic comedy Second Act and the made-for-TV film Bye Bye Birdie Dwell! She is engaged on some music with DJ Khaled and collaborating with Cardi-B. She additionally seems in Guess Denims’ spring 2018 advert marketing campaign. Privately, Lopez retains busy together with her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez.

Photograph: Matthew Simmons/Getty Photos

Contemplating that Charlie Sheen was fired from the present he starred on, Two And A Half Males, it comes as no shock that he’s tough to work with. His battle with alcohol and medicines was in plain sight on the set of the hit TV present, as costars and the crew mentioned there have been occasions when Sheen “couldn’t get it collectively” they usually needed to cease filming. Whether or not he was offended, absent, or couldn’t bear in mind his traces, it was extraordinarily disruptive and pushed everybody to the purpose the place Sheen needed to be reduce.

Photograph Credit: Mark Gail/The Washington Submit through Getty Photos

At his peak, Charlie Sheen was the very best paid actor on tv, but it surely additionally ended up destroying his possibilities of changing into the true actor he dreamed of changing into. At one level, he was being paid $1.eight million per episode within the sequence Two and a Half Males which individuals regarded him as charming when he first began. Nevertheless, folks started to note a change in Sheen as soon as the cash began coming in. It’s been attributed that the cash in addition to the identical outdated jokes on the present ultimately drove him loopy and sucked the present proper out of him.

Photograph Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Photos

In 2017, Charlie Sheen instructed NBC’s As we speak Present that he was recognized as HIV-Optimistic and that a couple of folks knew about it, but demanded cash so as to maintain it a secret. He simply needed to clear the air and let everybody know in order that he now not needed to stay with this secret. Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to only let his analysis get the higher of him. In 2017, Sheen was in two movies titled mad Households and 9/11, proving that he isn’t totally out of the sport simply but. We’re positive that we are able to anticipate some extra motion from Sheen within the close to future.

Photograph Credit: Common/Getty Photos

Though Russel Crowe is called a powerhouse actor, starring in action-packed but tasteful movies comparable to Gladiator, Grasp, and Commander: Far Facet of the World and extra. Apparently, all of his power and bruteness doesn’t simply keep behind the digicam. He has been identified get fairly rowdy on and off of the set of his movies. He’s no stranger to bodily altercations and different emotional habits. On the set of Gladiator, he even bought so upset with movie producer Brank Lustig, that he needed out of the manufacturing for worry of his personal life.

Alongside his brief fuse, Crowe has additionally been identified to make quite crude feedback about girls that he doesn’t discover to be as offensive as they are surely. In an interview with Australian Ladies’s Weekly, he commented that, “I feel you’ll discover that the lady who’s saying that the roles have dried up is the lady who at 40, 45, 48, nonetheless need to play the ingénue, and might’t determine why she’s not being forged as a 21-year-old”. The largest downside with that is that he instructed this to a lady’s journal which definitely didn’t entice many females to need to work with as they as soon as may need.

Photograph Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Photos

But, his performing speaks for itself and it hasn’t appeared to cease too many administrators, producers, or different actors/actresses from nonetheless eager to work with him. He has starred in quite a few award-winning movies, and he’s not probably the most hated actor in Hollywood. He received the Academy Award for Greatest Actor for his work in Gladiator, been nominated twice extra for a similar award, and has received quite a few others. he’s been persistently making motion pictures all through the years and even has an upcoming film in 2018 titled Boy Erased. Though he could also be just a little tough across the edges, Russel Crowe is much from completed with performing.

Photograph Credit: Noam Galai/WireImage

Because it seems whereas engaged on Star Trek for all of these years, William Shatner was not all that well-liked and was identified to have quite a few feuds occurring with completely different members of the forged. He was described as being jealous and at all times needing to be the focal point. In 2015, this stubbornness was demonstrated when Shatner determined to not go to Leonard Nimoy’s funeral due to a feud the 2 had that predated Star Trek. Though he says that he unintentionally missed his flight, that was no shock to anyone.

Photograph Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Photos

One in every of Shatner’s most well-known feuds was with George Takei which has been occurring for over 5 a long time now. This animosity was fairly apparent through the Roast of William Shatner on Comedy Central when Takei actually laid in on Shatner to the purpose that it was clearly private. Though the purpose is to be as harsh as potential, it bought just a little actual when Takei closed with the assertion “F***okay you and the horse you rode in on”. In an interview with Invoice Maher, Takei even went on to say that he was so laborious to work with, that he was the one forged member that didn’t know Takei was homosexual.

Photograph Credit: David Livingston/Getty Photos

Lately, Shatner has appeared on the NBC actuality mini-series Higher Late Than By no means, which was concerning the adventures of Shatner and three different ageing celebrities as they traveled the world. He additionally has co-founded a comic book ebook sequence which wone the 2017 Unbiased Writer Ebook Awards’ Excellent Books of the Yr Unbiased Voice Award. In 2017, he additionally appeared within the animated sequence My Little Pony: Friendship is magic the place he was the voice of the character Grand Pear. Clearly, Shatner has been taking his older years to do his personal factor exterior of performing and testing the waters for brand spanking new ventures.

Photograph Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Photos

It’s no secret that Mel Gibson has had a little bit of a rocky previous in his points with alcoholism, anti-Semitic remarks, and violent cellphone calls to his spouse. However working with him apparently wasn’t all sunshine lollipops and rainbows both. Round 12 years in the past, Mel Gibson received the title of probably the most hated man in Hollywood, which made many individuals draw back from working with him for quite a few causes. He was seen as a legal responsibility, violent, offended, and fully unpredictable. Many believed that he would truly by no means find yourself working once more due to his habits and noticed working with him as a loss of life sentence. That was till he cleaned up his act.

Photograph Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Photos for AF

Andrew Garfield revealed that he was “warned off” working with Mel Gibson on the movie Hacksaw Ridge, arguably the movie that rocketed him into stardom after his breakthrough Spiderman position. Garfield instructed discuss present host Graham Norton that Mel’s previous fame in not simply Hollywood however life, generally, was “an enormous factor for me to have a look at” previous to signing the contract to work on the movie. he mentioned that he’d learn and heard about every little thing that had occurred though he nonetheless admired him as an actor. However he wanted to fulfill him so as to make up his thoughts. Nevertheless, after assembly him, he knew that he’d moved on from his previous transgressions.

Photograph Credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Photos

Though Mel Gibson had made fairly the title for himself on either side of the spectrum some years again, his current work has proven some clear promise for the long run. After his DUI, anti-Semitic and racial remarks in opposition to African Individuals, it appeared that each one hope was misplaced for Gibson. But in 2016, he got here out along with his first directing position since 2006 along with his movie Hacksaw Ridge. He went on to obtain a directing honor on the Hollywood Movie Awards accompanying a standing ovation for his general comeback. Though it took 10 years, plainly Gibson is again and able to play ball once more.

Again in 1979, Meryl Streep instructed TIME that not solely was Dustin Hoffman tough to work with however that he has sexually harassed her the primary time they met whereas she was auditioning for Kramer vs. Kramer. Describing the interview to TIME, Steep mentioned: “He got here as much as me and mentioned, ‘I’m Dustin—burp—Hoffman,’ and he put his hand on my breast,” Streep mentioned. “What an obnoxious pig, I assumed.”

Steep went on to get the half and she or he and Hoffman famously clashed on set. In a single occasion, Meryl steered altering a climactic scene to make clear her character’s motivation. When writer-director Robert Benton agreed, Hoffman reportedly exploded and mentioned: “Meryl, why don’t you cease carrying the flag for feminism and simply act the scene?”

On prime of his now well-known beef with Meryl Streep, many others have echoed her sentiment and mentioned Dustin Hoffman is tough to work. A number of folks imagine that is do to him being a perfectionist. Wanting artistic management over every little thing associated to his efficiency in a challenge, the 80-something star even admits he’s tough. This isn’t too stunning, contemplating The Graduate star has had such an extended and profitable profession spanning greater than 5 a long time. Though he’s earned a fame for being very off-putting on set, it hasn’t curtailed his profession, and he has continued to be forged in quite a lot of roles all through the years.

If one factor’s for positive, Dustin Hoffman is effectively conscious of his fame for being tough to work with and isn’t afraid to say that he thinks this label is unfair, contemplating different actor’s unhealthy habits. “I stay in a neighborhood the place there are rather more objectionable issues being completed than disagreeing with a director,” Hoffman instructed The Guardian. “I imply, Jack Nicholson threw a tv set at Roman Polanski, Invoice Murray picked up the producer and threw her within the water, and Gene Hackman would throw a director from one finish of the room to a different, and I at all times thought, why have I bought this fame…”

Gwyneth Paltrow has had a formidable profession during the last 20 years. She’s starred within the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Se7en, simply to call a couple of. There’s little doubt that the star is proficient, however she isn’t probably the most favored star both.

On a number of events, it’s been mentioned that Paltrow isn’t simple to work with because of her coldness and demanding nature on set. In keeping with IMDB, “Paltrow is alleged to be ultra-competitive and may be unfriendly to folks she sees as rivals. She apparently refused to talk to Scarlett Johansson on the set of Iron Man 2.”

What makes Gwyneth Paltrow’s case much more fascinating is that not solely is she notoriously unhealthy to work with, however she is seemingly hated by…everybody. At the least in response to Star Journal, she is. In 2013, the publication named her the “Most Hated Celeb.” And whereas they didn’t listing causes, it’s simple to see that they aren’t alone of their opinion. Google “Gwyneth Paltrow annoying quotes” and greater than 266,000 outcomes seem. However why precisely does everybody really feel so negatively concerning the star? Now we have a hunch….

Gwyneth Paltrow has earned herself a fame for being one of the vital pretentious stars on the market. However maybe what provides insult to damage is that she is so contradictory, claiming she’s identical to us however then at all times reminding us she’s higher. Affiliate editor Louis Peitzman says: “ the entire concept that she insists she’s relatable and like everybody else, however she makes it clear again and again that she’s simply not.”

Need proof? Listed below are a couple of memorable Paltrow quotes: “I’m actually (expletive) good at my job. People who find themselves fascinating and good know that, and that’s all that issues.” “I’m who I’m; I can’t fake to be someone who makes $25,000 a yr.” And naturally, “I might quite smoke crack than eat cheese from a can.”

Christian Bale had maybe one of the vital well-known on-set blow-ups ever, which has solidified him as one of the vital notoriously tough actors to work with in Hollywood. Whereas filming Terminator: Salvation, director of pictures Shane Hurlbut apparently interrupted an intense motion scene. Bale was greater than livid and fully exploded on set.

Bale halted all work and commenced shouting: “Am I going to stroll round and rip your (expletive) lights down, in the midst of a scene? Then why the (expletive) are you strolling proper by means of? Ah-da-da-dah, like this within the background. What the (expletive) is it with you? What don’t you (expletive) perceive?

Bale’s rant went on for practically 5 complete minutes as he proceed berating Hurlbut. Sadly for Bale, video of his episode was leaked and now stay on the web perpetually.

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Trump apologises for Britain First retweet

Donald Trump has apologised for retweeting videos posted online by Britain First and said he did it because he is a 'big believer in fighting radical Islamic terror'. The 71-year-old was speaking to Piers Morgan in Davos, Switzerland, and eventually said he would apologise if the far-right group is seen as being 'horrible and racist'. It comes after Trump landed himself in hot water after he retweeted three clips which purportedly showed 'anti-Muslim' material.   They were initially posted by British nationalist Jayda Fransen, who has been convicted of hate crimes, and Theresa May publicly condemned the President.

US President Donald Trump has now publicly apologised for retweeting videos which were initially posted online by far-right group Britain First 

The 71-year-old (left) was asked by Piers Morgan (right) whether he wanted to say sorry and replied: 'I would certainly apologise if you would like me to do that'

Piers Morgan landed the first international interview with Donald Trump since he took office (pictured together in New York in 2010)

Donald Trump retweeted a video which was initially posted online by far-right British nationalist Jayda Fransen, who has been convicted  of hate crimes  He was asked about the controversial retweets during the interview, which was aired on Good Morning Britain, and said he did not know who Britain First were when the messages were posted last November. Trump said that he retweeted the videos because he is a 'big believer in fighting Islamic terror' and also said he is the 'least racist person that anybody's going to meet'. And just hours after the interview was aired on ITV this morning, Ms Fransen hit back at Morgan and demanded a sit down with him following the 'horrific accusations' he made. Speaking outside a court in Belfast, where she faced a hate speech charge, she said: 'I have challenged Piers Morgan to sit down with me and to discuss these absolutely horrific accusations that I am a horrible nasty racist - something I wholeheartedly refute.' If you're telling me they're horrible people, horrible racist people I would certainly apologise if you would like me to do that.  President Donald Trump But Piers quickly replied on Twitter and wrote: 'Here's my apology to her: "Sorry I wasn’t more offensive about you".' It comes after the President, who also met Mrs May at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, said: 'I know nothing about them and I know nothing about them today. Other than I read a little bit. 'I guess, again I'm in the United States, so I didn't read as much about it, perhaps it was a big story in Britain, perhaps it was a bit story in the UK.  'But in the United States it wasn't a big story. I did a retweet. When you do your own tweeting, or you do your own social media, it's fine.  'When you do those retweets it can cause problems, because you never know who's doing it to start off with. 'I don't know who they are, I know nothing about them, so I wouldn't be doing that. I am, as I say often, the least racist person that anybody's going to meet.  'Certainly I wasn't endorsing anybody. I knew nothing about them. They had I guess a couple of depictions of radical Islamic terror.  'Radical Islamic terror, whether you like talking about it or not Piers, it's a fact.  'You look at what's going on in UK and you look at what's going on all over the world, you can try and shield it.' Given the amount of offence, Trump was asked if he regrets the retweets.  He added: 'Look, it was done because I am a big believer in fighting radical Islamic terror. This was a depiction of radical Islamic terror. 'Here's what's fair, if you're telling me they're horrible people, horrible racist people I would certainly apologise if you would like me to do that.  'I know nothing about them. I don't want to be involved with people, but you're telling me about these people because I know nothing about these people.' 

Trump (pictured during the interview in Switzerland) insisted that he did not know who Britain First were 

Morgan (right) asked the President (left) about his relationship with the UK and he said that he is a 'tremendous supporter' of Britain 

Trump (right) also met Mrs May (left) during a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday 

Piers condemned his friend in November, when he urged him to 'stop this madness' after Trump retweeted Britain First

Britain First Deputy Leader Jayda Fransen was pictured arriving at Belfast Laganside Courts today to face charges related to comments made about Islam. She demanded a sit down with Piers following his 'accusations' Before the interview, the old friends were filmed joking together and Morgan shouted: 'Mr President!' Trump replied: 'Man, I've missed you. Nice to see you, you doing well?'   When asked if he had been 'busy', Trump responded: 'A little busy but that's okay, it's good to be with you.' And when they finally sat down to discuss his first year in office, Trump also revealed he has a 'very good' relationship with Mrs May and added that the US 'will come to Britain's defence is anything should happen'. He added: 'I can tell you I have a very good relationship with your Prime Minister who I just left.  'She's been doing a very good job. We actually have a very good relationship, although a lot of people think we don't.  'I support her, I support a lot of what she does and a lot of what she says and I support you militarily very much.  'We will come to your defence if anything should happen, which hopefully will never happen. I am a tremendous supporter of the UK.' In November, Mrs May criticised the President for retweeting the three videos, the first of which was captioned: 'Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches.' The second appeared to show a Muslim man destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary while the third video was captioned: 'Islamic mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death.'   

Trump (pictured) insisted that he is the 'least racist person that anybody's going to meet' during the interview

Morgan pushed him for an apology and he eventually said that he would say sorry after he was told the group were 'racist, fascist people'  Responding to suggestions that some figures in the UK would like him to be banned from visiting the country, Trump said: 'I hadn't heard about banning, I think a lot of the people in your country like what I stand for, they respect what I stand for and I do stand for tough borders.' He added: 'The real me is somebody that loves Britain, loves the UK. I love Scotland. 'One of the biggest problems I have in winning, I won't be able to get back there so often. I would love to go there. 'As you know, before this happened, I would be there a lot. Very special people and a very special place. I don't want to cause any difficulty for your country, that I can tell you.' Asked what he thought of attacks from his critics, he said: 'I don't care. I don't care. It's just one of those things.' Morgan spoke live from Davos following the interview and said it was a 'significant climb down by the President'. He said: 'I think it is significant. A lot of the antagonism I think from people in Britain towards Donald Trump was dramatically fuelled by retweeting one of the leaders of Britain First. 'Donald Trump made it clear to me that when he did these retweets he had no idea who this person was, he had no idea who Britain First was. 'He just thought that the videos, which to him depicted ISIS-like behaviour deserved a retweeted. I questioned him on that. 'I think it was right and proper that he, now he was made aware - and I made him very clearly aware that these are racist, fascist people - that he should apologise and he said look, if they are these people you tell me they are then I would certainly apologise. 'I think that is a significant climb down by the President. I thought it was an interesting exchange, I don't think he really wanted to go to the point of apology. But I kept pushing him and eventually we did get there.' 'The reality is, he has apologised and he has said, I didn't know who these people were.' Piers added of the interview: 'It's very wide-ranging, we talk about everything from trophy hunting, to Meghan Markle, to Europe, to ISIS, all sorts of stuff.' 

Morgan, a MailOnline columnist and editor-at-large for Dailymail.com, is old friends with the US President (pictured with Trump and his family, Donald Trump, Jr., left, and Ivanka Trump, right, in 2008 at the Apprentice finale)

The outspoken columnist for MailOnline has been a big supporter of Trump ever since (pictured together in 2010) On Friday morning, Morgan said that Trump 'publicly apologised' for retweeting the messages and added that the President said he 'did not know who they were'. He wrote online: 'President Trump has publicly apologised for retweeting far-right group Britain First.  'Says he didn't know who they were. 'I don't want to be involved with these people. If you're telling me they're horrible racist people. I certainly apologise'.'  Following the outrage caused by the tweets, Trump subsequently pulled out of an expected visit to Britain to open the new US embassy building in London, which lead to speculation of a diplomatic rift.   Trump's appearance in the UK is now not expected until the second half of 2018 - and is likely to be met by protests. Downing Street said: 'The PM and President concluded by asking officials to work together on finalising the details of a visit by the President to the UK later this year.' During their 40-minute meeting in Davos, Mrs May also raised the issue of aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, which has a major plant in Northern Ireland and is at the centre of a US trade dispute. Morgan and Trump became friends while the former News of the World editor, who was working at CNN at the time, after he won the US' Celebrity Apprentice.  Piers said last year: 'I genuinely like him. I have known him through ten years, and saw from The Apprentice he can be charming, funny, smart and his judgment is spot on. 'He loved drama and arguments and making the right decision and being popular.' The full interview will air on ITV on Sunday evening.  Read the full article