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lullabieswrappedinlies · 5 years ago

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A Happy New Year

Summary: While awkwardly navigating a friend’s New Year’s party, you and John cross paths for the first time. Pairing: John Krasinski x Reader Word Count: 1895 Warnings: Celebratory/social drinking.

A/N: Okay, here it. My first posted John Krasinski fic! I’ve been a fan of this guy for longer than I realized, but the crisis recently took over. As I mentioned before, I’m known in the other fandoms for writing fluffy, cliche fics ... and this is just that. I hope you all enjoy it - I have a part two planned, if you do! Please reblog if you feel so inclined, as I would love for as many people to read this as possible :)

Tags: @professorkrasinski @booklover1814 (Thanks for agreeing to be tagged!)

The house was already bustling with people by the time you arrived — late, as usual. You hung your coat in the closet in the entryway and smoothed out your comfy sweater. The party had been deemed casual, but you knew your friend and her other friends well enough to know that a t-shirt and a ponytail just weren’t going to do the trick. You still had opted for a nice pair of jeans and boots, but you made sure your hair and makeup were done to impress.

You searched through the house for the hostess, and finally found her pouring drinks in the kitchen. You snuck one from the row of glass tumblers and winked at her.

“You’re here!” she squealed, setting down the bottle of Southern Comfort and coming around the island to hug you tightly. “I’m so happy to see you, I forgive you for snagging that drink.”

You giggled and returned the embrace with one arm. “Happy New Year to you, too. There’s so many people here!”

She finished pouring the drinks then put them on a tray. She nodded with her head for you to follow her, so you did.

“It’s the first time Chris and I are hosting a holiday together, and I’m having multiple anxiety attacks,” she sighed, handing drinks off as she went. “He’s got a million people on the guest list. I had you and like a handful of other people, most of which decided to stay in Jersey instead of coming to Boston.”

You raised your brow. “So I know nobody here but you? Ash …”

She gripped your arm tight. “Please, Y/N. I’m begging you. Stick with me through this — I’m freaking out over here!”

Though you weren’t crazy about the crowd or not knowing anyone, Ashley was your best friend. For that reason only, you knocked back the majority of the contents in the glass you had swiped not that long ago and told her you were going to need some beer.

“Not a problem. I’ll get you a beer, and we’ll just stick together for the rest of the night.”

That, of course, lasted all of about five minutes. You were tossing the cap from your beer bottle into the trash and when you turned around, Ashley was off with Chris’s arm around her. She was smiling and laughing; you just chuckled to yourself. She’d come find you later. Hopefully.

You sipped at your beer and meandered through the party, recognizing a few people here and there from around the city, but no one that you knew well enough to stop and talk to. So, you continued to meander.

When you had first moved to Boston, you used to walk by this house and wonder who lived here, what the inside was like. Then, Ashley had started dating Chris and your questions had all been answered. She still lived in New Jersey, but she came down as often as she could to see him. Sometimes, when you got bored, you’d call Chris and see if he was bored and the two of you would hang out. It was only because of those visits that you recognized a few of his friends here and there.

Teasing yourself about being a Disney character, you found the library and quietly began to browse the titles that lined the shelves. Old and new, tattered and worn or in mint condition. Ashley had told you about this room before, but you hadn’t believed the amazingness of it until now.

Your fingers floated over the spines of the hardback books until a particular title caught your eyes. Still holding the longneck in one hand, you pulled the book from the shelf and skimmed over the first few pages.

“If you haven’t read that book, you should. It’s one of my favorites.”

The voice in the doorway called your attention away from the page you were reading. Quickly, you shut the book and placed it back in its proper spot on the shelf.

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to be in here, but I don’t really know anyone so I was wandering the house. I live here and before Ashley started dating Chris, and I used to wonder what it was like on the inside, and then she told me about the library — that’s a run-on sentence. And I’m rambling.”

“You are,” the tall, vaguely familiar stranger nodded, but with a charmed laugh to accompany his comment. “And it was. I didn’t mean to spook you by the way. I noticed the light on and wanted away from the crowd myself. I’m John, by the way.”

He stepped into the room, extending his hand to shake yours. You wiped your hand on your jeans before slipping your hand firmly into his. His sudden presence had made you nervous, and in reaction, your palms had become slightly clammy. That was the last thing you wanted to pass on to this handsome guy. Then, you realized.

“John,” you repeated, “John Krasinski. You’re the guy from that show …”

“The Office,” he offered with another amused smile. “Been a while since someone didn’t recognize me right off. Refreshing.”

You winced. “I’m sorry, I’m really horrible about watching new shows. I stick with Grey’s Anatomy and older shows, more or less.”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

He opened his mouth to say something else, but Ashley burst into the room. “Y/N! There you are! We’re starting beer pong. Let’s go! Oh, John, you can be Chris’s partner!”

She took you by the hand and dragged you away. You weren’t entirely sure that John was in tow until he appeared beside Chris on the other side of the beer pong table.

After a short tournament of three games, you and Ashley were declared the winners. There was no way you’d be getting back home in this state, but Ashley assured you that she had reserved a guest room for you. Since that was the case, you grabbed another bottle of beer and wandered back to the library.

This time, you were only along for a few seconds before John showed up again. He greeted you by name and clinked his glass tumbler with your beer bottle.

“Congrats on the win. Thank goodness Ashley said your name when she came to get you earlier. I wasn’t sure you’d give it to me otherwise.”

“I would have, eventually,” you assured. “I was nervous. Maybe. Tipsy, for sure.”

John nodded. “Can I show you something?”

Chewing on your bottom lip, you considered him carefully. You didn’t know him other than the fact that he was Chris’s friend. You were, however, just tipsy enough to slip your hand into his, leave your beer where it was, and allow him to lead you to the front closet. He waited patiently while you bundled up, then took you by the hand again and led you out to the sidewalk.

A few blocks down, John tugged your hand to the left, across the calm street. Snow was starting to fall and the temperature seemed to be dropping by the hour. That didn’t stop you from excitedly following him through his loft apartment, out to the balcony. He left you there for a moment to admire the view, but came back with a big, flannel blanket.

“That’s Fenway Park!” you exclaimed. “You can see this from your balcony? Like you just wake up every day and see the Green Monster?”

“I do. Ashley mentioned before how much you love the Red Sox.” John confirmed, wrapping one end of the blanket around you, and the other around himself. He pulled you in front of him so that he could pull both side of the blanket tight around the two of you — not an easy feat considering the height difference. “Are you warm enough? Can you see over the stadium okay?”

You nodded, leaning back into him. A part of you couldn’t believe this was happening; not one bit of it. Here you were, in this crazy romantic setting on New Year’s Eve, with a guy so far out of your league, it was like you were playing coach pitch and he was in the majors. The other part of you, though, the part with inhibitions lowered thanks to the beers, decided to drink it all in and let it happen.

At the stroke of midnight, fireworks exploded over Fenway Park. You drew in a deep breath and watched in wonder as the colors lit up the sky. Even through the snow, the fireworks continued.

When they finally ended, John opened the slider so you could get inside and get warm. He shook the snow from the blanket, then hurried inside himself. You took a deep breath and shrugged.

“What now?”

“Now,” John replied, almost as though he was deciding even as he spoke, “I make you your favorite breakfast, and you tell me more about yourself.”

“Breakfast? At midnight?”

John nodded. “It’ll head off the hangover. I’ll tell you more about me. Maybe we’ll even watch The Office.”

You giggled and unzipped your coat. You laid it carefully over the arm of the chair, and slipped your shoes off, too. “French toast. And bacon. Please.”

John didn’t just smile this time; he grinned.

While John cooked, you sipped at a tasty cup of coffee and told him about your life: where you had grown up, what made you decide to move to Boston, and how strongly you felt that you should have been in this city your whole life.

“It is a pretty great place,” John agreed. “And what do you do for a living?”

You filled him in on that information while he plated a few pieces of French toast and bacon for each of you. When he sat across from you, you clapped excitedly; you hadn’t realized how hungry you were until food was an option.

“Your turn,” you encouraged with a cheek full of French toast. “Tell me how you got to this point in your life.”

The next hour or so, the two of you filled your bellies and filled each other in on your basic life information. After you helped John with the dishes, the two of you sat on the couch. You were getting sleepy, so he offered the same blanket from the balcony, took a seat next to you, and covered both of you with the blanket. You leaned your head against his shoulder, and John put an arm around you. His hand landed at your hip. You were warm and cozy and fighting sleep in a matter of minutes.

“I wanna see you again, but my life gets pretty crazy these days,” John told you quietly.

You adjusted so your cheek was against his chest and nodded. “It’s okay. I’m having a great night, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be in any sort of limelight.”

John kissed the top of your head. “Guess we’ll just have to be secret lovers then.”

You responded with a sleepy chuckle. The kiss on your head had left you wanting more, so you tilted your chin up to him. “Happy New Year, John.”

“Happy New Year, Y/N.”

Your lips met John’s halfway. That first contact was so soft and sweet, you were still feeling the butterflies when you took a cab home several hours later.

#john krasinski #fanfiction #john krasinski x reader #john x reader #reader insert #fluff #john fluff #john krasinski fluff #john x reader fluff #john krasinski x reader fluff #okayherewegoi'msonervous

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fallout4treasures · 5 years ago

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I’m bored. Here are my actor choices for a Fallout 4 movie.

I don’t think it’s everyone, but it still took me all day.

I tried to keep them in a rough order of appearance.

Also, I based Nate and Nora off of the games’ preset. However, if I were actually casting a movie, I would just have open auditions. But anyway, here we go.

Nate:

Milo Ventimiglia

It was between him and Jensen Ackles. But honestly, I already had my Nora choice in my heart and I could just see Milo and her running to the vault in a panic together. If that’s not enough I saw Nate in him instantly. The widowed soldier desperately looking for his son in the annihilated future. Plagued with nightmares, but he would still stay warm and uplifting. Milo + Jumpsuit + Dogmeat = Yes, please.

Nora:

Anne Hathaway

Anything I say about her won’t do her justice. First off, she’s easily one of the most talented actors of all time. From the Princess Diaries to Les Miserables, she has proved time and time again that she can be anyone she wants to. Could she be a full-of-life but grief ridden mother, making new friends and enemies while shooting her way through the Commonwealth to find her kidnapped child? In her fucking sleep. Plus her presence would be plenty strong enough to stand up to any of the rest of our star studded, “would-be” cast.

Codsworth & all the Mr. Handy bots(voice):

Tim Curry

I just want to see it, I have no other excuse.

Conrad Kellogg:

Christopher Meloni

I kept wanting to go with Jeffery Dean Morgan, but I just didn’t think I could learn to hate that face the way I hate Kellogg’s. But then once I thought of Christopher there was no other choice. He can do the voice and the terrifying, non-emotional thing with no issue. (His character seriously got to me in Handmaid’s Tale.) But he could also be relatable enough to actually feel for Kellogg while diving through his memories.

Preston Garvey:

John Boyega

I had definitely forgotten about John when I was browsing through. My husband and I actually discussed him versus Donald Glover for awhile. In the end we decided that Boyega’s Preston would have a stronger stoic side as well as the fun loving friend. I think he would effortlessly display Preston’s disappointment in the Minutemen, as well as his survivor’s guilt.

Sturges:

Chris Pratt

This part is way too small for Chris nowadays, but I really think he could fall into Sturges’ carefree 50’s mechanic vibe. Plus I could see him throwing in a new sarcastic side to him that could be fun. If not, then I think he would still take him on perfectly, line for line.

Mama Murphy:

Helen Mirren

She’s powerful. She’s gorgeous. I would almost be afraid she would steal from anyone else on screen with her. And yet, it’s the surreal power that’s needed to make Mama Murphy a real life character. So there ya go.

Paladin Danse:

John Krasinski

Have you seen him in Jack Ryan? I really think he could embody Danse, heart and soul. From his hardened and serious outsides to his soft, broken, and vulnerable insides. He would play the soldier with so much heart, and would probably have us sobbing when he struggles over his new identity. (Me being in love with both of them has absolutely nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.) Plus him in a flight suit. Nuff said.

Piper Wright:

Kat Dennings

First off, she’s freaking gorgeous. Second, I think Piper’s fiery personality would fit her like a glove. Plus she would take on the role of Nat’s big sister perfectly. If you’ve seen her in Thor then you already know she makes an excellent side-kick and adds some great comic relief.

Mayor McDonough:

Alec Baldwin

I jumped around a lot with this one. I even considered people like James Spader and Jack Nicholson (too old, I know). But then I remembered Alec’s ability to lay on the cheeeeeese. I have no doubt he could handle McDonough’s suspicious but seemingly normal character, and transitioning into his manic and desperate attempt to stay alive. Plus, he would nail his “I am not a synth!” speech, finding the perfect balance of creepy and welcoming.

Ellie Perkins:

Ellie Kemper

She has an adorable, scrappy, and loving personality that glows every time she’s on screen. I don’t think I’ve seen her in anything serious, personally, but I bet she’d be up for the challenge. Especially to fill the role for someone cute and spunky like Ellie.

Nick Valentine:

Liev Schreiber

I really, really struggled with this one. Obviously CGI and other special effects would have to happen no matter what, but whoever I chose still had to have those serious eyes, warm and friendly smile, and that old Boston gumshoe voice. Cue Liev. He’s probably a touch young, but if we’re already using CGI anyway so who cares.

Elder Arthur Maxson:

Tom Hardy

I don’t even feel the need to explain myself here. Venom. That’s all I’ll say.

X6-88:

Michael B. Jordan

As sweet as his smile is, I feel like the minute Jordan pulls on a stone cold look, blood would drain the face of whoever was playing opposite of him. However he would easily be able to add the oddly comforting touch X6 has when he watches over the Sole Survivor.

Desdemona:

Laura Prepon

Her commanding and sexy vibe in everything she plays is absolutely perfect. At least for me. She’s a bit young, but I think it would be easy enough to age her up. She would naturally become the leader of the Railroad, and would totally scare the piss out of everyone in her way.

Deacon:

Ryan Alosio

Yep, the man himself. He’s got the look, the charisma, and he can obviously do Deac’s iconic voice. Don’t fix what’s not broken. If you’re not convinced, watch this very impressive reel of his. Or do it anyway because DAMN. It was shameful how quickly I fell in love.

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3911957785?ref_=nmvi_vi_imdb_1

Tinker Tom:

Anthony Mackie

Tom has a whole lot of energy to keep up with. I pushed him off to one of the last ones I chose because he is just so unique, and I actually needed my husband’s opinion. We finally settled on the talented and energetic Anthony. He’s goofy, absolutely lovable, and would probably have way too much fun playing into the crazy conspiracy bits.

Father(Old Man Shaun):

Gary Oldman

I feel bad not giving this brilliant actor a bigger role. His chameleon ability could land him almost anything here, but his soft but strong voice is literally perfect for Father’s. Just age him up a bit and he’ll melt into the role like with everything he doeswewse. He would make the reunion with Shaun 1000x more intense and emotional, and I could see him almost convincing all of us to join the Institute. I mean, it’s Gary fucking Oldman.

(Side Quest Characters)

John Hancock:

James Franco

I actually couldn’t believe I hadn’t put this together before. I’m starting to wonder if Hancock was actually written for James. Super chill, but not scared to get shit done. Including taking care of Finn in the most casual and Godfather way possible within the first few moments of meeting him. Then afterward he would take some chems with Sole and talk about life for awhile. I’m totally okay with this idea.

Robert MacCready:

James Marsden

I’ll be honest, I have never played with MacCready before. I had to watch some videos to get a feel for it but in the end I feel like I found a solid choice. I know he’s “pretty” but throw on some scruff, dirt, and a green cap and he’s there. Think Westworld.

Cait:

Karen Gillan

Cait can kick my ass any day, and that’s how I feel about Karen. They are both just so breathtakingly badass. Any sole survivor would struggle to keep from lusting after her, and then caring deeply as they worked through her drug addiction.

Curie:

Mélanie Laurent

Both Curie and Melanie are just innocently stunning and can light up a room with a smile. Curie would be especially difficult because not only is she gorgeous, but she’s almost always the smartest one in the room, but I think Melanie could do her justice.

---

So there is our very expensive cast list!

There’s a lot here that I feel on the fence about but this was still a lot of fun to do. I’m sure there are other actors that I have forgotten that could take on these characters too, so let me know what you would have done differently!

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justformyself2 · 4 years ago

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Notthing Hill.²

A/N: Hi, back again with part two,if you are reading this right now i hope you know you are awesome ♥

This is my participation on my friend’s @lullabieswrappedinlies Rom-Com writing challenge (go check her out, she is so damn creative and amazing).This story is based on the movie Notting Hill and will be added on my MASTERLIST. or tell me you want to be tagged if you want to keep up.

BEFORE YOU JUMP IN BE ADVISED.

Pairing: Reader x John Krasinski. Contains strong language.

"There is no way she still sleeping. She doesn't want to see me."

Restless, Alexis occupies the empty chair in front of you, once again, pretending to care about her manicure, lashing out on her right thumb by sinking her teeth into it. Her eyes were darker, tired, but still somewhat attentive to the stair at random times. You didn't need to ask why she was wearing the miserable beige turtleneck shirt. Several times, she promised to donate boxes, like a martyr, with no other way of portraying it. She was torturing herself. She hasn't slept.

"Shame on her, it is exciting to watch you trying to eat your fingers."

She laughs, and you know she is pissed, Alexis at her best only giggles, and laughs are only separated for dramatic times.

"You can tell me that when you have your kids."

"I have you."

"Why is everything a joke to you?"

"She is fifteen Alexis, it could be worse."

The corner of her lips curved down.

"Yes, it could, and it is...for both of us."

Her irises went cold while watching over you, bowing over the coffee mug. The image of Rudolph and Santa, swinging outside, blinked on your memory in the firefly pattern. It wasn't mourning material remains of the past. It was a sarcastic move that turned into a premonition growing for weeks into the back of your imaginative thoughts, crashing ever now and then like weaves.

"What did Kyle said?"

Your itching tongue asked, without conscious permission, breaking the sacred rule you could pretend not to live by, so the feeling of being in control was maintained. You wondered, yet you knew it, and Alexis was respectful towards the way dealt with it, to a point.

"Ghost from Christmas past called, he wants you to get that shit out of your front door, by the way, I'm going upstairs."

"Are you kidding me?"

"What was that?"

"She is breaking up with me, on a three-line text, what the fuck!"

Kyle pats my back in a way that is supposed to be some type of comfort as I try to read between the lines of a very simple "This is not going to work."

"At least you saw it coming."

He says, then takes a sip of the London Pride, looking down at his phone. He was right. I saw it coming since the last phone call, we were bored with each other, her more than me, and I couldn't even blame it on the day-to-day routine, not satisfying enough for Naomi, between the several months apart. I wasn't as adventurous as she needed me to be or that I purposely pronounced the "I love you." right close to an inevitable end to show that I, at least, cared at some point, which was pitiful in the end, considering we weren't that much introduced to the expression. I could blame the fact that I wasn't the one who did sooner to spare her from doing it over text. I deserved it.

I put the phone back into my shirt pocket as Kyle got the eyes fixated into his, sighing a tone louder than before, letting me know it is my turn to ask, just as yesterday. He fixes the Patriots cap once and twice, making it possible to spot his sweaty forehead amid the chilly weather.

"So, what is up, Alexis?"

"Nothing yet."

He drops the phone over the green tablecloth. I noticed how easier it became to spot frustration on another human being as if I could feel it on my own skin, and how it was sad. However, a valuable trait I would carry from my now, past relationship. Kyle could be more straightforward than Naomi ever was, shifting to a slightly nauseated expression at each glare towards the phone.

"You talked to her yesterday, how was it?"

I aim to ask the necessary questions so he could be comfortable enough to vent the rest organically as he's has been waiting for.

Kyle shrugs and inclines himself over the table, readjusting the cap again.

"I left when my daughter was barely ten, I appear once in a lifetime so she can be reminded of the daddy she has, how do you think it went?"

"Not great."

"Yeah, not fucking great."

A resentful laugh comes out with the answer, causing me to come down from my simple perspective, realizing that Kyle was more than a frustrated man who just couldn't make it work, we weren't neighbors of the same pain although linked by two different women with the same last name.

"What is changed now? It this just regret, or do you still think you love her?"

I ask, remembering to taste the beer becoming hotter in front of me, with the clear image of Portobello Road filling my memory, opening a box of its other branched memories. At least there was some pride in knowing I hadn't let myself wander around the thought for some months, months spent with Naomi, who hated people who remained in the past. I began to love the irony of our combination, convincing myself by using the 'fair balance' argument. Now she could be making her bags with recently brought tickets to whatever exotic place she wanted to go. At the same time, I was dragged back into the past.

"I... I want to see my daughter man, I want to stay for good in her life, fuck everything else, I want to do the right thing now, I didn't do it with Alexis, but I want to do it for Nova."

"And by the way, you are sweating over your phone, she hasn't decided yet."

"No, she is going to make me suffer for it, and it is not like I don't deserve it, but I won't give up, I won't give up."

He takes, shaking his head and looking over his shoulder, apprehensive.

"Well, you already know what I think about this."

His eyebrow raises in response to the remainder of our previous conversation.

"I know... I know, I won't force them to forgive me or love me, accept me back or whatever, but I want to try."

He cleans the remains of alcohol out of the mustache. I remembered how Alexis didn't even recognize him at first because of it. It made me wonder how (Y/N) would have reacted it.

"Is Y/N still there?"

He laughs, elbowing my arm.

" Oh...What? Are you also wanting round two, hun? Now I get it."

Kyle's second laugh echoes on the bar, attracting every British look a mile away. I can't help but incline over the table and bow my head, holding a grin while he looks around for a second, managing his tone.

"I'm only asking, man."

His attention bypasses my answer, causing me to regret asking him about (Y/N).

"Do you think it is funny that we only took this stupid job to get back to them? This movie is already busted. That fucking script could have been written better by a twelve-year-old who watched a bunch of Transformers movies."

"Transformers actually made about four billion, and no, I didn't take the job to get back to anyone."

"I know that you, in fact, did exactly that, and I know because Naomi told me you were ready to pack to some shit she hooked you up for, and when I got hold of you later, you didn't even want to listen till I told you the location we were filming. You changed your mind too, fucking, quickly. Tell me I'm lying, chowderhead."

I chuckled at watching his overexcitement. Besides my father, who still inhabits the same house in Newton for the past 40 years, Kyle always carried the Bostonian slangs, using words such as 'chowderhead' at random times. However, he is still fixed in California for decades. Mr. Krasinski would be proud of him.

"I'm not here because of her."

"And now Naomi did puff."

He shrugs smirking.

"She broke up with me."

He raises the bottle.

"Yeah, it means that you are in luck, enjoy it. You can come with me if you want after you pay the bill."

I roll my eyes before noticing more people starting to fill the tables around us, most of them looking under the drinking age.

"What place is this again?" "Walmer Castle pub."

#RomComWC #RCWC #John Krasinski #john krasinskixreader #john krasinski imagine #original story #mine #notthing hill #IMAGINE #fanfiction #fanfic #interative imagine

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howdoyousayghibli · 5 years ago

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Miyazaki Finally Gives Up the Pretense, Makes Film About Man Who Draws Planes for a Living

“Spoiler culture” gets a lot of hate these days, and I get it. There’s a fine line between “how hard is it to not talk about the plot of a movie you just saw on social media” and “how hard is it to stay off social media for a little bit until you’ve seen the movie.”

I get the annoyance with spoiler culture, but I also remember the circumstances that led to our current situation. I remember the mid-2000s, when trailers had half the movie in them — and if that wasn’t enough, the movie’s official website usually went the rest of the way. I remember poring over detailed rosters of every character set to appear in an upcoming X-Men movie. Even Pixar fell into the over-sharing trap — The Incredibles villain Syndrome, who doesn’t appear until a good chunk of the movie has passed, had a bio on the official website with his “powers” and evil plan right there for 12-year-old Chase to read all about.

This led to teenage Chase making a conscious decision to not seek out information about movies that he already wanted to see, a policy I still roughly adhere to today. My greatest success was with Ant-Man, which I managed to see in theaters without having seen a single trailer. Usually, though, it means I just stick to teaser trailers.

This go-in-blind mentality is never easier than when writing these reviews, since there’s not exactly a marketing blitz, past or current, for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises. So far, I think my policy of avoiding both trailers and reviews of these movies has served me well, helping me to form my own thoughts without being biased one way or another. Unfortunately, this policy may have done more bad than good with this particular movie.

The Wind Rises was released in 2013, and is (for now) the last film directed by Miyazaki. It’s a dramatized biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of Japan’s infamous “Zero” fighter planes — but you wouldn’t guess that from the movie itself. Not knowing anything of the film going in, I assumed I was watching a historical drama, like From Up on Poppy Hill or Grave of the Fireflies. As such, I was confused at the pace of the movie, which skips freely through large portions of Horikoshi’s life. The rapid and largely unannounced jumps in time and the lack of chyrons made it difficult for me to get a handle on the time period — although I’ll admit it probably wouldn’t be nearly so difficult for someone native to Japan, who could likely guess closely enough from the clothes, architecture, and other context clues.

Beyond being confused about the setting, though, my lack of foreknowledge of The Wind Rises left me confused about the story the movie was telling. When you know a story is based on true events, it changes how you experience it. Studio Ghibli already departs from traditional Western ideas of storytelling and structure, and when you throw real-world subject matter into the mix, it goes further afield still.

This is all to say: I think I would’ve enjoyed The Wind Rises more if I’d understood what it was beforehand. It’s a bit like how I kept waiting for the magic to show up in Whisper of the Heart, only it was a bigger, structural issue — something just felt off, until I pulled up the movie’s Wikipedia page after it ended and suddenly things clicked into place.

Is the movie at fault for not spelling out its premise? Even the trailer doesn’t mention that it’s based on a real person. More than ever, I think that cultural differences may play a role here. I get the feeling that Jiro Horikoshi is relatively well-known in Japan; it would make all the difference watching this movie if you were vaguely aware of Horikoshi’s name and achievements.

As for the movie itself: it’s breathtakingly beautiful. The animation is almost insultingly lavish, like the third dining room on an episode of Cribs. Horikoshi’s glasses distort your view of his face, just like in real life. There’s a close-up involving a moving slide rule that made me gasp with its detail. The Wind Rises portrays Horikoshi as a dreamer, and his dreams constantly leak into the world around him, to wondrous effect.

The audio work is similarly audacious. Horikoshi’s (and Miyazaki’s) infatuation with flying machines breathes life into them, reflected not only in the lively way they’re animated, but also in the choice to use human vocals for the sound effects. The planes literally hum, roar, and gasp — never quite approaching cartoonish personification, but instead letting us see them through the engineer’s eyes.

Other aspects of The Wind Rises aren’t quite as thrilling. I think there’s something very worthwhile in the film’s message on trying to make something beautiful in a world bent on cruelty, but it’s a bit muddied by a strange insistence that creative people have only 10 years to produce their life’s work. It’s an oddly specific limit, made even odder by Miyazaki’s own prolific career — at the time of this film’s release, his directing career alone stretched over 34 years. This may sound like nitpicking, but the 10 years number basically bookends the film, so I feel justified in calling shenanigans.

Equally odd is the film’s love story. While beautiful and charming at times, it ends on an strange and unsatisfying note that makes me question the purpose of including it at all; did they simply feel that they couldn’t make a whole movie only about designing planes? If so, they could’ve done more to integrate the two stories, especially since this plot line was already entirely fabricated.

To end on a positive note: the voice cast for this film is impossibly stacked. You’ve got Horikoshi voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, his work buddy voiced by John Krasinski, his boss voiced by Martin Short, Emily Blunt as his love interest, Mae Whitman as his little sister, Werner Herzog as his random German friend, Stanley Tucci as his Italian dream-friend, Zach Callison as young Horikoshi, and Elijah Wood in a role so small I literally can’t figure out what it was. It should be difficult to pick a favorite among such a lineup — and they all do great work here — but the runaway winner is, of course, Werner Herzog. The raspy voice and dry humor he brings to the sympathetic Castorp are a highlight of an already beautiful movie.

I fully expect that, when I read other reviews of The Wind Rises, they will have only the highest praise for it. I can see where they’re coming from; this is a movie with breathtaking visuals, an innovative soundscape, a moving message, and talented cast. For me, however, those individual elements aren’t brought together in the service of a compelling story.

Up Next: The Tale of Princess Kaguya! It’s the last film directed by the late Isao Takahata and I’m ready to be emotionally destroyed. It’s also the second-to-last Ghibli movie (as of 2019), which is wild! Will I finish these reviews before the year ends?? The suspense is killing me!

Alternate Titles: The Wind Rises: Because No One Wanted to Put Poppy Hill on Their Best-of-the-Decade Lists

#studio ghibli #ghibli #the wind rises #hayao miyazaki

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spaceorphan18 · 5 years ago

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The Pam Beesly Files: Pilot (1x01)

Welcome to the Pam Beesly Files!

Tagging @ckerouac in every single one of these cause she convinced me to start doing this! :D

I’ll be digging in and exploring one of my favorite fictional characters of all time - Pam Beesly(-Halpert). Something I really enjoy about Pam is that, unlike a lot of sitcom characters, Pam grows and changes over the years. She starts off meek and quiet - a bit of a pushover, but grows up and gains confidence and really blossoms into her own person, which is really quite cool.

Kicking it off with the Pilot. I don’t think it’s the strongest pilot -- the show, in trying to play it safe, nearly copied the British version of the episode, but in doing so lost a little in translation. Despite the fact that the show takes a while to really get on its feet, there’s a lot to dig in her, so let’s get started!

Introducing Dunder-Mifflin

When we first meet Pam, she’s sitting in her usual spot at reception, having to endure an overly out of control (because of the documentary crew) Michael. (As an aside - I’m curious as to why this documentary wants to film a failing, mid-western paper company, but maybe it’s a life piece or something.) Pam, as we’ll learn as we get to know her, is not an outgoing person. In fact, here at the beginning, she’s down-right timid, constantly drawing in on herself. I love Jenna Fischer’s acting choices here -- she physically closes in on herself to seem even more meek and withdrawn.

This whole documentary crew is a rather disruptive thing, and I get the sense that Pam doesn’t really want or need to be filmed -- the opposite of Michael Scott, who is going overboard in his performance for the cameras. Was Michael a good boss before putting on a show for the documentary? No, not at all, but he’s even worse when he has an audience.

Pam mostly just endures Michael as he plays it up for the camera, just as she probably endures him every time he comes up to reception, which is probably more often than a normal amount. If I had to guess - based on future interactions, any time Michael needs attention, she might be the first place he stops, though he gets frustrated with her, cause she’s not a good audience member. Later - her relationship with Michael will change, but for now, she just waits in mostly awed silence until he’s gone.

Since this is an introduction, we do learn a little about Pam’s life at Dunder-Mifflin. She’s been with the company for a while (my headcanon is three-ish years putting her in her mid-ish twenties). And that Michael used to think she was hot.

About that second thought, when we meet Pam, she’s got somewhat of a frumpy look (and that’s intentional!). The cardigans, button down shirts, and pencil skirts are business attire, but not anything more or less. I have to wonder that when Pam first started working there (as someone who was freshly in her twenties) she did dress nicer -- but then after a lot of unwanted comments, purposely downplayed her looks. But there’s more to that, too. She’s settled in a relationship that she’s content but not necessarily happy in, and therefore it spills outward into her appearance as well.

After the introduction - Pam attempts actual work, and Michael just kind of throws an important fax back into her face. She’s bewildered and frustrated that he continues to act like a child and not an actual boss -- but the fascinating thing is how she keeps everything buried. She is livid with Michael -- for laughing at her, for not taking anything seriously, for literally throwing actual work back at her face, but she contains it, and it doesn’t quite get to surface level but it’s most definitely there.

One scene in - and we can already see how much Pam is restrained in her interactions -- there’s a lot waiting to leap out, but it’ll be awhile before anything can really be pulled out of her.

Corporate Meeting

Jan comes to the office to warn Michael about possible downsizing. Pam’s in attendance at the meeting -- mostly because Michael probably enjoys the idea that she’ll be his assistant in such things. She doesn’t have a whole lot to do here - except position herself out of the excruciatingly awkward conversation Jan and Michael are having. She has a mild, horrific look on her face the entire way through -- knowing that everything Michael is saying is bad, but not feeling it her place to say anything at all.

The only time she speaks is when Jan asks about the agenda, which Michael had thrown away earlier. Interestingly, Pam is honest about what happened to it -- that Michael tossed it into the trash, and uses his own wording against him. Pam won’t currently speak out against Michael, she’s too scared to rock the boat, but she can push back with actual honesty if nothing else.

Downsizing

Our next Pam scene is our first Jim and Pam scene!! And we can already see there’s a stark difference between a Pam who is on camera having to deal with Michael, and Pam who doesn’t know the camera is on her, speaking to her bff.

But first - I want to mention that before this, everyone else is discussing the possibility of downsizing. Everyone else in the office is worried about their livelihood, and what steps they should be making for job security. Pam (and Jim) don’t have such concerns. Not only are both of them younger - and still of mind that they have time to ‘get out’ of such a meaningless life, but Pam (as we’ll later learn) doesn’t think downsizing is the worst thing that can happen to her.

Instead - Pam asks Jim about going to Angela’s cat party, and the two both share a giggle over it. It’s the first time we see Pam not only smile in the series, but also look like she’s got one genuine thing in her job that she cares about -- her friendship (relationship) with Jim.

As an aside, I’d also like to note that Pam’s a touch sassy about the whole cat party thing. The two of them are slightly judgy of the others, thinking they’re above the settled (and ridiculous) lives of the rest of the office.

Talking Head

In her first talking head, Pam admits that she’s fine being let go. In fact - you get the impression that she probably dreams about being let go or how she’d storm out if she just up and quit - but beyond the fantasy of that, she hasn’t thought about her future much. She states that it’s not many little girls’ dream to be a receptionist, and that’s probably true. But it also seems like she hasn’t put a lot of thought into what her own ambitions are. What did Pam want to be when she grew up? Well, not a receptionist, but that’s as far as she’s gotten.

She does have a hobby, however, as she says she likes doing illustrations and watercolors. (It’s a nice touch by the filmmakers to include her carefully whiting something out during the monologue.) She may or may not have other interests or hobbies but this is the one she holds onto. She also feels the need to bring up that Jim thinks they’re worth something. Because not only is Jim’s opinion incredibly important of her - his finding value in her creative side seems to validate her as well. Pam doesn’t have much self-esteem, but Jim finding worth in her is something that she clings onto. (Now she’s just got to discover it for herself! Because we’ll learn -- Jim can’t be her only source of positivity in her life.)

I’d also like to mention that she not only doesn’t bring up Roy here, but his opinion doesn’t seem to matter much on the subject either. Not to mention, he probably doesn’t give her much encouragement when it comes to such things.

Six-Million Dollar Man

Michael’s still being obnoxious - doing impressions for the camera. Pam really just wants him to go away and stop bothering her. After doing the Six-Million Dollar Man, Michael claims that that’d be a good salary for him and suggests he get a raise. Pam mutters that they all deserve a raise -- to which Michael grows serious and annoyed with her. Pam isn’t one to push back very often, and having been pressed too often, I’m sure things like this spill out, which seem to spoil Michael’s mood, but are very truthful. Pam’s a little stunned with herself for expressing an honest emotion, as well as Michael’s petulance, by the end of the scene.

Conference Room Meeting

In an attempt to calm people’s fears, Michael calls a conference room meeting to talk about the possibility of downsizing (though he really just wants an audience for his supposedly good management skills). A point of notice - as we go on in the series, Jim and Pam will usually be seated together for these things, but I believe this is just about logistics more so than anything related to the story -- Jenna Fischer had lines, John Krasinski did not, hence they were not seated together.

Anyway -- Michael tries to lie about the possibility of downsizing. In her most passive-aggressive move yet, Pam (still very meekly though) tells the rest of the office that since she was in the meeting, she can tell them what Corporate said, and thus undermine everything Michael is talking about. It totally throws Michael under a bus, and she knows it, but once again, she’s hiding behind the guise of brutal honesty. It’s the little things she can get away with that she’ll do. She won’t outright confront him on his shenanigans, but there are still simple things she can do to get back at him.

Also, another point of mention is that during this scene, she’s biting her nails. Now, this really isn’t going to be a thing I see with her going forward -- apparently it’s a tick for this episode that Fischer (or the director) added just for this episode -- but it’s another physical reminder of how inward and insecure Pam is at the beginning of the show.

Mixed-Berries and Jell-O

We get a talking head with Jim where he states that one of the useless things he knows is Pam’s favorite flavor of yogurt (which is Mixed-Berry btw) and when the doc crew asks Pam about it, she gets all happy flustered and giggly. Why? Because it’s another sign that Jim notices her. And really - no one else in her life, personal or professional, really notice her. It’s one reason she’s drawn to Jim -- he seems to really (like actually really) care about her, what her interests are, what hobbies she has, etc, etc, and has used that to form a connection and a bond with her. She doesn’t really have any other (seemingly) friendship or relationship with anyone else. But (for reasons we’ll get to in a moment) she really tries to pretend it’s just a silly thing between the two of them, and not the emotional affair that it really is at this point.

Meanwhile, we get a jump on Jim-pranks, a staple (ha pun intended) of the show, when it’s revealed that Jim put Dwight’s stapler in Jell-O (again). Yes, Jim’s first and foremost reason for doing it is that he’s bored and Dwight bugs him and he gets a kick out of it. But a nice side effect is that it entertains Pam. She is the only one giggling as the whole thing unravels (the rest of the office really would just like to work without the shenanigans) but it’s another way Pam and Jim have bonded -- they share the same sense of humor.

Roy

So, we have another spy shot of Jim and Pam up at reception. A little detail I love is that their hands are close to each other, not touching, but if you looked quickly, you’d think they were holding hands. Anyway, Jim’s asking Pam to come with him for a drink with the rest of the office -- and Pam’s pretty cool with the thought at joining. They’re super flirty and giggly with each other just as the scene opens, and you’re supposed to get the idea that they’re probably already some sort of couple until we get the twist of the scene in a moment.

Here we get the introduction to Roy -- Pam’s fiance who works in the warehouse. Fascinatingly, the moment Roy comes in, Jim jolts away from the desk, putting a lot more space in between them. Pam is pretty oblivious to what her actions mean, but Jim is well aware that he’s treading on dangerous ground, to the point of possibly crossing the line by asking Pam out for a drink (though he probably already has in other ways).

Roy, we learn, is kind of a brute, and uncompromising when it comes to putting his own feelings above Pam’s. Pam would like to go out for a drink - does Roy want to go? Nope, okay then, and Pam is shut down. Why? Well, for one - Roy is kind of /that/ asshole is blind to his own selfishness that he doesn’t realize he’s suppressing Pam. (There’s also some hold over class stuff from the British version here that doesn’t necessarily translate as well with Roy being a blue-collar worker vs Jim being a white-collar worker.)

Mostly though, Pam just isn’t her own person right now. She let’s Roy kind of dictate her life because it’s easier than always fighting with him (and is slightly self-sabotage because if she pushed back she would have to wake up to the actual state of her life). But also - she’s letting Jim dictate her happier emotions - letting his feelings for her dictate her own self-esteem. Eventually, she’s going to learn to be her own person, but that’ll be awhile.

Anyway - Pam gets a talking head where she explains a bit about Roy -- they’ve been engaged for three years, with no wedding date insight. She’s happy to talk about Roy at first, until the camera lingers on her a little too long, and her face falls. She’s trying to present that she’s happy in her life when, in fact, she’s really not. I’d also like to point out that she does not light up when talking about Roy the way she does with Jim. She likes Jim and has fun with Jim -- Roy is just another obligation in her life. But she’s made a commitment, and she doesn’t take that lightly.

I have some personal headcanon for the whole Pam and Roy thing -- in that they knew each other in high school, and Roy, probably a popular jock, took notice of her. As I said earlier - people don’t notice Pam, and she somewhat clings on to those who do. So, being young, they probably dated a little - and since he was popular and she wasn’t, she probably thought his coolness rubbed off on her. And then they went through their college years (though I don’t think either of them went to college) and after nagging him about their future, he finally proposed and it’s been in this unmoved, content state since then.

(As a personal aside - there’s a joke in there that if Pam had married Roy, she’d be Pam Anderson. And I’m epicly rolling my eyes. I kind of hate that, like, the only famous Pam anyone knows is Pam Anderson, so this joke seems to keep being made.)

Prank

So, Michael, in an attempt to show off to Ryan the temp, decides to pull a Punk’d-esque prank on Pam and fake fire her. It’s deeply uncomfortable -- especially since Pam has a breakdown right in Michael's office. And we can learn a few things here! For one, Pam’s a pretty decent worker. Despite being bored all the time, she does take her job seriously, and does a pretty decent job of it. And, she hasn’t so much as stolen a paperclip.

On top of that, her job and life are in a very stable state right now. Pam doesn’t do well with upheaval - it’s one reason why she hasn’t broken it off with Roy yet. And Michael throwing her a curveball upsets the nice, little life she’s crafted for herself. Remember earlier when she said she’d be fine if she was let go? Well -- turns out that’s not so much the case. What is her life without her job? Not a whole lot…

But also, she’s endured Michael’s shit for years at this point, I’d be close to breaking down, too. Interestingly, though, when she finds it’s a prank, she storms out and calls him a jerk. It’s rather tame by comparison to what she could do -- such as be very cruel and/or angry, or be assertive and go to HR about Michael. She doesn’t do either, she just leaves. Michael is a terrible person to her - she has every right to complain and get angry, but eventually, like everything else that happens to her at the moment, she’ll let it slide off. Just another day in the office.

Heading Home

Jim was supposed to be going out with the rest of the employees out for drinks, but instead, he’s waited to walk out with Pam (which I assume they do nearly every night). Pam’s happy to see him -- especially since she’s had her break down of Michael firing her. It’s a relief to have a friend in such an awful working environment. They’re both aware of the camera, however, so they’re both playing things a little cool. Jim’s obviously concerned that Pam’s been crying, and Pam is grateful that someone, again, notices her -- but neither are going to present to a camera what they’re trying to hide from themselves.

Jim offers to walk her downstairs, but Roy’s already down there, noisy honking his horn for her to hurry up. Such a classy guy, that Roy. And Pam takes off -- just another day at Dunder-Mifflin.

Overall Thoughts

The first season, in general, I think is a little rough. And the pilot is a direct copy of the British version -- which is grittier and more pathetic in a lot of ways. I don’t think that much of this particular episode because I think it’s a softball of what the British version is. (And, I’m not even a fan of the British version -- oops.) That said, I think one thing it does have going for it is that it has some fully fleshed out, three-dimensional characters, which is a nice change from the zany sitcom character we often get on American television up to this point. The Office will eventually fall to sitcom cliches, etc, etc, but one of the few things this first season has is that it does hold a lot of realism about it.

Deleted Scenes and Extras

-There’s an alternate joke when Michael is introducing Pam where he states that every guy in the office has sprayed on Pam.

-There’s a whole bit where Michael comes up to Pam, who’s sitting and eating her lunch, and discusses the health of his balls. It’s gross on multiple levels.

-There are two commentaries on the DVDs for this episode - and both are enjoyable to listen to, I recommend checking them out!

-I’ll probably blug this once a season, but Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey started a podcast called The Office Ladies, which they discuss the episodes week after week. It is an utter delight, and if you’re at all a fan of the show, an interested in a bunch of fun BTS stuff, it’s totally worth it!

#pam beesly files #the office #pam beesly #pam halpert

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san-station · 5 years ago

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A Quiet Place AU / ATEEZ (Post-apocalyptic)

Chapter 2

↝Word count: 3824

Description: In a world full of silence and dangerous creatures seeking for blood, a group of friends have to survive for their own good and find the safe place they’ve heard about months ago.

Pairing: OC x San.

WARNING: The followed story contains descriptions of violence, explicit wounds, mention of blood, death, depression. If you are easily disturbed, please, stop reading for you own good.

Note: This story is entirely fictional. The written universe is an adaptation of John Krasinski’s movie A Quiet Place, some terms or actions may or may not be included in the film.

A/N: Heeey, here's the second chapter! I hope you like it~.

・・・・・・・・

Between the present and the past.

Two hours had passed when Seonghwa and I were walking towards the house, he was carrying two well filled backpacks on his shoulders while I had mine on my back and a bag full of seeds. I sipped a little of water from a bottle we collected after the incident, tossed it to the man next to me and left out a deep breath while thousands of thoughts travelled through my mind..., yeah, I was tired and hating the shitty situation, but we had to stay away from those feelings that could easily overpower us.

I remember closing my eyes so hard that I could see little white dots resembling stars, my eyelids felt heavy, my head was pounding so freaking much that I believed my dizziness would retained us for a while. Hopefully, I was stronger than I thought, yet I’d rather seen black than witness a bloody feast incapable of moving out of there. It created an obnoxious feeling in my soul and I knew things would get worse after Misuk’s death, I just could feel it.

My hands were still shaking inside my black coat, they were covered by dry blood and dirt; my eyes hurt, they were swollen due to my muted whimpers all the way home. The thing that made my inside ache the most was the fact that I couldn’t properly cry, if I whined, a sharp limb of those monsters will get through my body in a blink. I got a shiver down my spine for just thinking about it. The creatures were blind and unbelievably interminable, and after all, they almost exterminated human race.

The first attack happened on West Virginia, the meteor shower was supposed to be the most wonderful view in two hundred and fifty years, or so was said by NASA. But they guessed wrong, I supposed. I was on my last class in college, I used to study modern arts, specifically oriental painting, I loved how the finest lines gracefully connected with the watercolours could create the most wonderful pieces and honored the tradicional technics forgotten over the past years and the inventions of new methodologies. However, I had other subjects beside painting, like modern dance on Friday and sculpture on Monday and Wednesday, meanwhile, painting was my first and number one topic and I probably could bragged about it, but it's not the time, right?

It was a Friday night when they showed up. My dance group, four more girls and eleven boys, was leaving the room after a long practice for the Moon Festival presentation. A part of the group was talking about some hard moves they had to clean up before the big day, others were about to go to a pizza shop and get wasted, and I was talking with my best friend Haerin about her new job in the admission office. She applied for a scholarship, but first she needed to work for five months there to prepare curriculum. When I finished packing my towel and bottle of water, I was about to ask her if she wanted to grab a cup of coffee or something, although I found it strange when the phones around me started to beep in unison.

Kihwang, the oldest members of the group, a sunkissed and blonde guy with a perfect smiles looked from his phone to us, watching everybody's face in shock, he had the door full open for us to get out of there and close the practice room. After a few perplexed blinks, he spoke.

“I think we need to go to our families as soon as possible, guys…”, his voice sounded almost like a whisper.

“Why?”, Misuk asked with a frown next to her brother Jin, who had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. He was tall, absurdly handsome with his black hair and that grin on his face like if he owned the place. He knew most of the girls in the dance class had a crush on him, after all, he never dated anyone, he didn't have the time...

“Something's off… the news are odd. They’re talking about the meteor shower but…”, he got interrupted by running footsteps outside. People coming and going started to confuse us even more. I frowned and looked at my phone screen. “Mom” appeared on it, glowing while it vibrated in despair, I knew I had to pick up, but my hands were frozen and I was incapable of realizing what was going on. I just looked at Kihwang's perplexed face and sighed.

“C’mon man, people are probably talking about how beautiful it is and we’re wasting our time in here”, Lucas, a tall and tan guy said before grabbing his backpack and throw it on his wide shoulders. He was with the group of pizza and drinks, ready to lose control and have a great night.

And so, it happened. From the dance room’s window, the dark sky illuminated itself with a few falling stars in front of our eyes, they looked beautifully esoteric, a new and wonderful view that captivated us all. However, those were not stars or meteors; when they collided into the city’s ground, the dark sky illuminated itself now with some flares of red and orange like if the bright sun wanted to make act of presence once again with waves of explosive warmth. Screams resonated through the air and we knew what was the most important thing in that moment: get the fuck out of there.

Our families needed us, we needed to find out what the hell was going on but in a safety way. And so, fourteen of us rushed as fast as we could out of the college structure. Nonetheless, we were face to face with those strange and savage monsters that moved with the wind and attacked faster than a blink. The blind creatures, called by the loud noises as we figured out the eleventh day of the incident, managed to corner us in one of the city’s churches with hundreds of others trying to get to their houses or finding shelter. I never was a religious person, but I begged to anything that was outside of this world to not let us die, yet if we survived, we could all make it together and get to our relatives, at least without Kihwang, who died for us to give us a chance to escape, he ordered it. So, we stayed almost two days after the arrival, the church was pretty comfy and all that jazz, but the reality was that we needed food, water, clean clothes, and yet we needed to know anything about our love ones…

Twelve of us snickered each other’s houses in the fifth day, we didn’t want to split at any cost, besides the two girls that wanted to stay safe in the religious architecture, no one protested. When we reached my house on the twelfth day, a part of me had died along with my murdered family, I couldn’t cry either because I was too afraid of getting the monsters’ attention. I think I’ve never cried out loud since that day… the place walls were pictures of Picasso with my parents blood, my little sister's body rested aside of them with deep cuts and three holes in her chest, and I only could find my big brother's arm on the couch, nothing more.

I blame myself for not being there, it was stupid, perhaps I think it was a way to forget that I was all by myself now and I should’ve died with them because it seemed wrong, being the only one left behind on that catastrophe was wrong, I should've died with all the innocent people that suffered the consequences of a terrible causality, I should’ve died with my family, my friends, with Haerin…

“Thanks, Ji”, Seonghwa placed the bottle of water in my backpack's pocket and motioned me in gratitude. The gesture got me out of my disturbed thoughts, I shook my head clearing a little the blur that kept me isolated from the world and realized we were near the small building that was our house for the past months. The structure of the place was simple, old-fashioned, weak, deteriorated, the green color was already turning to a filthy gray and big part of it had been damaged over the years. However we liked it, it felt like a real home, it felt safe.

The metal front door had two long golden-ish padlocks that prevent any stranger of get in. I opened my coat feeling Seonghwa’s gaze burning in my back, inside the fabric were two hidden pockets on each side, one had the key to the building, the other one had my most precious belonging, a ring. I inserted the key in both padlocks meticulously and let us in. Seonghwa was the first one to enter, he placed down the three heavy backpacks full of the supplies we got, we were lucky that the creatures didn’t tear up Misuk’s bag; it was a selfish and cynic thought, but we needed everything we came across with to subsist. As soon as we were indoors, I closed the entry without a sound, carried one of the backpacks on the ground along with the seed bags and started to walk. Seonghwa’s steps followed my path all the way through the main floor until we got to a stairway that leaded us, for like it seemed fifteen minutes, to the basement door. We never talk about what happened to Misuk in our way there, I didn’t want to and he respected our space, although we both knew we couldn’t keep it to ourselves for much longer.

Fingertips touched my left shoulder a couple times when we arrived to the last step, I turned to face the man behind me.

“Everything’s gonna be okay, Jiyeong”, he muttered signing with his hands. Then, he hesitated for a second and grabbed my chin between his thumb and index caressing the skin. “Don't worry about them, they'll understand that it was an unfortunate situation and we couldn't do anything to save her…”, he whispered, our noses barely touching, and I flinched at the sudden sound of his soft and deep voice. The silence of the outside world always had a big contrast from the noisy building, we were in a bubble of meditation and, at the same time, frustration. On the other hand, the building was the alter ego or the whole world, a place full of life and comfort.

I swallowed hard, my throat was itching harshly for the scream repressed in my lungs. The walls were rough but I preferred to talk inside the soundproof room, so that scream would be unspoked for awhile now, joining the ones hiding from all those horrendous months of struggle.

My eyes scanned Seonghwa's faces, his blue eyes had concerned drawn in them with dark and deep eyebags, the corners of his lips were slightly up, giving me a sad and small smile. He kissed my forehead with his soft lips, it was a paternal gesture. He let me go and open carefully the door before him.

Four heads turned to our direction, a blonde mullet was the first thing on my sight when the door closed behind us, it was soundproofed by a material that Yunho had found together with Jongho a few months ago plus some mattresses on the walls, so when Wooyoung screamed a loud “HI”, we all knew that sound would be just for our ears. Sadly…

“You're full!”, Hongjoong said happily taking away my backpack, he walked to the spot that was our kitchen and left the bag on a big wooden table. We had the building's basement for the ten of us, the rooms were in the back separated by thin walls already built when we arrived, Jongho and Jin divided us in pairs before Jin's death. And because I was the only woman from the dance class that stood with the group, aside from Misuk, we had to share bedrooms. It wasn't amusing at the beginning but we got use to each other.

“What took you so long, Hwa?”, Wooyoung asked. He had blonde hair and he wasn't very tall, but he was fit and had this freaking laugh and a very sharp voice that made my ears bleed everytime he got excited in the practice room; his eyes were light brown, sometimes it changed to a deep green, you just had to look very closely to figure that. “I thought you'd be here at four, but it's almost seven pm…”, he frowned looking at my swollen eyes. Before he could say anything with his concerned eyes, Seonghwa gave him a bag.

“Help me, please. This is heavy.”

Hongjoong, the mullet guy, was now unpacking supplies on the kitchen. He was saying something about his new idea: paint a help sign in front of the building for people to see it and rescue us. Or we maybe can help others as well. He was the smallest of the guys in the room, however he was one of the smartest people I’d ever met. His bright smile made you feel warm inside, made you forget about the bad things around you and, of course, it made you smile. He was the one who made the right decisions in there, although he stopped thinking about it the day Jin died.

I walked across the living room were Yeosang was seated on the soft sofa writing on his diary as calm as always. He was usually quiet because he was shy, introverted and kinda small, but he spoke with the truth, no matter how cruel it was. Yet he was someone to talk too 'cause you knew he would listen to everything and would never judge you (well, he usually did) and would give you some advice. His body was covered by a long red fluffy blanket, he seemed so cozy… He looked up at me and gave me a little smile, I barely returned it and kept waking until I got to the kitchen's fridge. The guy next to Yeosang, San, kept his eyes on me the second we walked in, I ignored him proudly.

I opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of carrot juice that Seonghwa prepared that morning, it made me feel better and I needed it in hopes to make me feel less guilty for a second. Not only we've witnessed the brutal death of a friend, we stood there and had to focus on not being killed, I still could hear the wrecking of Misuk’s bones with every bite they had, the sound of their chewing with her flesh embedded in their sharp teeth that seemed to end in their throat. But I will never forget the smell of her lifeless and bloody body slowly decomposing with every second that passed...

Fuck. I swallowed hard and tried to calm my shaky hands.

Jongho, the youngest among us, whirled around the place when he appeared from the room he shared with Mingi, a boy with a deep voice and a huge heart who played goofy with Yunho, the tallest and cutest of the group, he was compared to puppies all the time due to his smiley face. Jongho was fit, really, he had wide shoulders, strong arms and legs; also, he was like a manly baby who liked to play around. The mentioned boy caressed my hair abruptly and said a little “hi, Ji” the second he passed me by, he then grabbed an apple from the kitchen table and scanned the room, his smile fading slowly. He frowned and I wasn't ready for his obvious question.

“Where's Misuk?”, I freeze. All eyes were now looking through the room, then at us with the question mark drawn on their face. The silence filled the walls and I wished they couldn't hear my heartbeat rushing that fast; even though I was used to it on the outside world, the quietness was still overwhelming when the basement was actually full of voices talking here and there.

San, the boy who kept silence all that time next to Yeosang got up and crossed his arms over his chest. His dark hair felt over his green eyes but I knew he was looking at my filthy clothes. Seonghwa and I shared a quick gaze before I teared apart.

“Are you hurt?”, his soft baritone voice didn't match his personality. He used to be a rough guy with a powerful and unique presence. The moment we were on stage when we had our presentations, he became madness, a glorious god moving so freely and beautifully that hurt my eyes, a demon possessing the boy’s body just to show the world who was the one and only Choi San. No to mention that he was fucking intimidating when he stared at you directly into your eyes.

I shook my head denying. Physical I was perfect, mentally I wanted to cry all night long. I walked through the room, passed San and sat beside Yeosang, who stared at me blankly and straighten up on his seat.

“Ji…”, he whispered softly, I could say that I was the only one who heard him.

“Misuk was always so careless”, San began with a snort. I lowered my head. Not right now, please...

“It doesn't surprise me, to be honest”, he continued, now staring at Seonghwa who had his back to him, Hongjoong was silently trying to figure out what to do with his hands, put the can on the table or throw it to San.

The two tallest boys of all walked to the place from their bedrooms with a sleepy faces. Mingi went to the fridge and grabbed some carrot juice. Yunho smiled when he knew we’ve returned, but happiness banished as soon as he heard San speaking.

“Who was the one who told you two not to go? Oh, yeah, me.” He pointed at the blonde boy next to Jongho, the first one looked awkwardly sad, the younger one just stared at San deadpan. “It was Wooyoung and Jongho’s turn to go for the supplies… But no, the little girls wanted to pick up on an adventure.” Hongjoong then faced the brown and curled haired boy and shook his head to him.

“Now here you are, Jiyeong. Is that the beasts blood or hers?”

I felt a lump in my throat, I had nauseous but I knew something for real: I wanted to punch him so hard that the creatures could hear him scream.

“It’s funny, you know?”, San let out a dry laugh. “I actually told Yunho something was going to happen, didn't I tell ya, bro?”, Yunho opened his mouth to speak, but Jongho interrupted.

“San, stop.”

“Why?”, San seemed to be offended. I raised my head to face him and he somehow tensed when our eyes met. Maybe because I was silently crying and he felt pity.

“You’re making her uncomfortable… all of us, actually”, Hongjoong said, his smile was gone by now. San huffed, he made his way far from us and walked to the room that was one of the two bathrooms we had.

“Better her than you”, Yeosang murmured after a few seconds of weird silence and all eyes were on him now with noticeable surprise.

“Don’t tell me you’re on his side…”, Seonghwa was dumbfound.

“I don’t do sides”, Yeosang closed his diary. “By all means, we all liked Misuk”, he stood up, tossed the blanket on the couch and walked towards the oldest guy in the room, Seonghwa, “but she was an annoying girl who preferred following her own rules. And, to be honest, she certainly put us in danger more times that I can count”, he glanced at Hongjoong for a bit then at me, “so, yeah… I’m sort of glad that it was her and not Jiyeong or Seonghwa hyung.”

Seonghwa blinked and approached me by the sofa, he let go a sight and stroked my hair.

“Well, it was gonna happen eventually, right?” now was Wooyoung the one surprising everyone else. “I guess yeah, poor girl, but I think it's for the best, she was loud as fuck…”

I barely could take it. The oozing in my ears got me out of reality and I was bringing back the images of the floor, the burgundy liquid splattered on my clothes. How could it be possible they were talking so freely about a traumatic event that just happened four hours ago. Misuk, I’m so sorry, you didn’t deserve dying like that… so brutally…

“You are loud as fuck too, man”, San showed up again carrying two wet brown towels. He tossed one to Seonghwa, who slightly catched it, he handed the other one to me. “Don’t be so damn quiet, Ji. It’s not your fault and we all are happy none of you were eaten up by the creatures. It’s a win for all and we still can go around and keep looking for the-”

“Can you please shut up?!”, I spatted, my anger made me my voice wreak a little bit, I was feeling the need to tear him apart and locked myself inside my room, Misuk’s room, where all her stuffs rested there waiting for her to come back. I stood up.

“You weren't there! You don't even know what happened..., so shut the fuck up, San!”, I took a couple of steps in front of him and point his chest with my index. “You are as annoying as her, you go by your own rules, dontcha? And both of you...”, I pointed Wooyoung and Yeosang, “should be ashamed for thinking about her like that. Fuck you all. You weren’t there when she decided to go for the seed birds by herself, you weren’t there when I, specifically, tell her to open the door of the bird house because she wanted to be more helpful”, my throat was now in so much pain due to my raspy crying voice that almost broke there in front of them. I hated it, I hated not being capable to maintain my voice stabilized, less… weaker.

“You weren’t there when she smiled at us while she was dying…”, I whispered. “She was smiling, guys, and we couldn’t make a move or else we… Ugh… we...”, I couldn’t keep going, my voice finally broke, the anger consumed me and my mind only projected, while talking, the horrendous scene we witnessed. Nobody talked for a minute, but for me it seemed an hour.

"Jeez…, really… fuck you”. I grabbed the bottle of carrot juice from Mingi's hands and stepped away from the boys. I opened the basement door and leave for an airing, meanwhile, the eight boys seemed to be taken by surprise.

“So… did Misuk die?”, Mingi broke the silence whilst rubbing his sleepy eyes.

(...)

Masterlist

#Ateez #San #Wooyoung #Hongjoong #Seonghwa #Mingi #Jongho #Yeosang #Yunho #ateez fluff #ateez angst #Adaptation #fanfic #ateez au #au #ateez serie #alternative universe #fantasy

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whatstruthgottodowithit · 5 years ago

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Boston Baby Blues [Part 1]

Fandom: Actor, RPF, American Actors

Pairing: John Krasinki x Original Female Character x Chris Evans

Characters: Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Original Female Character, Katie Butler, Jo Butler, Ron Krasinski, Mary Krasinksi, Original Female Characters,

Word Count: 1175 of 39,500

Rating: Mature

Summary: John, Chris and Kate have been friends since high school but their school reunion brings new drama they could never have imagined.

Tags/ Warnings: RPF, Actor Fic, Love, Relationships, New Relationships, Old Relationships, Old Flame, High School Reunion, High School Romance, Implied S*x, H*ndjobs, Or*l S*x, Babies, Pregnancy, Stress, Angst, Arguing, Fighting, Boston, Hometown, Long Distance Relationships, Betrayal, Cheating, Fluff, Best Friends to Lovers, Best Friends, Church, Morning Sickness, Long Fic, Kissing, Nursery, Surprises, Spa Retreats, Proposals, Weddings, Paternity, Dubious Paternity, Two Dads, C-Section

AO3 LINK

PINTREST BOARD LINK

LINK TO ALL PARTS

‘Pregnant?’ John said though it was barely audible. His face was a mix of emotions and I couldn’t tell which one was the strongest right now. My stomach knotted as he ran a hand down his face, thinking. I picked at the beading that ran around the edge of the old diner table, allowing him to gather his thoughts. ‘How did this happen? I mean, I thought. We were, I mean we-’ ‘-I know,’ I sighed, ‘but nothing is a hundred per cent I guess.’ ‘I know, I know,’ he said reaching out across the table and holding my hand, ‘I’m not, it’s just a lot to take in that’s all.’ ‘You think you’ve got it bad? I’ve been thinking about how I’m gonna get a baby out of there in a few months' time,’ I said with a wince making John chuckle. ‘Yeah,’ he said with that same goofy smile I had always loved. His thumb swirled across the back of my hand. I felt tears prick my eyes as he did.

Stupid pregnancy hormones.

As John went to speak the waitress appeared as if from nowhere at the side of our diner booth for two. She was young and far too chipper though I supposed with her current wage she was desperate for any tip she could wangle.

‘Hello,’ she said, tapping her pen off the notepad she was holding, ‘my name is Chloe and I’ll be your server today! What can I get you?’

‘Oh, um,’ John mumbled, pulling back and letting go of my hand as he reached for the menu and started to scan through it. Chloe kept her fake smile plastered on though I could tell she was irritated we hadn’t even picked up a menu yet. I watched John for a minute, scanning through the menu quickly, I already knew what he was going to order.

We had been coming here since we were teenagers. It was the most popular diner in our small home town on the outskirts of Boston. We’d started coming here as it was the only place that was open after we had school play rehearsals that didn’t cost too much with a tip. John always had the same thing. Club sandwich with a side of fries and a diet coke. Though I couldn’t deny I quite liked the way he bit his lip and scratched his beard as he flicked through the laminated pages that had been crammed into a large leather book to seem posh.

‘Could you give us a minute?’ I said looking up at Chloe who seemed like she was going to combust from smiling. ‘Sure,’ she said, ‘just shout me when you’re ready!’ With that, she scuttled off behind the diner counter. John looked up at me with a furrowed brow. 'Why did you do that?’ he asked. ‘Because you’re taking a long time tryna decide on the meal you’ve had every single time we’ve been here. Besides, I’ve been that girl and she looks like she’s gonna break down if you make her be fake nice any longer.’ ‘Yeah that’s because you hate being nice to anyone,’ he smirked. ‘Oi,’ I said with a chuckle.

‘Besides Mr Wilson doesn’t own this place anymore. I don’t know how good the club sandwich is gonna be here now.’ ‘Yeah because his daughter owns it now. It’s not gonna be much different,’ I sighed. ‘Well maybe that’s a risk I don’t wanna take Katie,’ he said with a wink as he gestured for Chloe to come back over. ‘Hey guys,’ she said, ‘ready to order?’ ‘Sure am,’ John said, matching her enthusiasm which I had to hold back laughter at, ‘Kate?’ ‘Um yeah, I’ll have the sliders and a diet coke please.’ ‘I’ll just have a club sandwich with a side of fries and a diet coke,’ John said, noticing that I mouthed his order word for word as he handed back our menus. Chloe jotted down our order and tucked the menus under her arm before she walked off back towards the kitchen. John looked at me and I looked at him and we smiled.

‘So…’ ‘So…’ I mimicked. ‘How long do you... I mean how far do you think you are along?’ he asked nervously, dropping his eyes for a moment. ‘I don’t know really,’ I admitted truthfully. John and I had known each other forever and our history was long and complicated. We had only recently rekindled our ‘friendship’ and in that small space of time we had had quite a few drunken ‘rekindlings’. John had been darting in and out of town due to work commitments so seeing each other had been few and far between though we’d spoken every day, ‘I just mean that I’m not exactly y’know regular so it took me a while to figure it out. I’ve done a test but it doesn’t really say how far along I am so I’ve gotta wait for the first scan y’know.’ ‘When is it?’ he asked. ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ I said, ‘I haven’t booked one yet. I was sorta focusing on telling you first before anything else.’ ‘Right, right,’ John said.

‘Look I know this is a lot to take in,’ I said, ‘and I know we have a long history and I know you’re not exactly in the same place that we used to be and everything’s different. I mean you’re some hotshot TV star now and everything’s complicated.-’ ‘Katie, you’re rambling,’ John said. ‘What I’m trying to say is… I’m not asking for anything. I just thought you ought to know that I was pregnant. I’m not asking you to be involved if you don’t want to. I’m not asking for cash or presents…I just thought you should know.’ ‘Oh,’ John said, ‘do you not want me involved? I mean I get it, things ended for a reason so if you don’t want me I understand it’s just I thought that we were getting into the groove of things again y’know-’ ‘I know,’ I said, ‘I was just saying if you don’t want this I understand.’ ‘I do.’ ‘You do?’ I said trying to hide the giddiness in my voice. Since finding out I was pregnant my mind hadn’t stopped. I was single, in my 30′s and had started to rekindle a romance with an ex. I had a job that worked crazy hours and a prospective boyfriend who lived thousands of miles away. A baby wasn’t exactly on the top of my list right now but when I found out I was happy. I was excited and I couldn’t wait to bring that little bundle of joy home from the hospital no matter how crazy the ride to get there had been. I had been nervous to tell John thinking that he wouldn’t feel the same but seeing that coy smile and the prick of tears in his eyes as we talked about the baby I knew he did. I was just not ready for how crazy it was gonna get.

#my writing #boston baby blues #chris evans x ofc #john krasinski x ofc #katie butler #John Krasinski #chris evans

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btsybrkr · 5 years ago

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What A Time To Be At Home!: The Best And Worst Coronacontent The Internet Has To Offer

Remember that joke that’s been around for ages, but was being told literally everywhere back in 2019? The one that went something like, “I hate it when people ask me where I’ll be in a year’s time - I don’t have 2020 vision!”?

Well, I bloody wish someone did.

In fact, in early January, I wrote out my own predictions for the decade ahead right here on my blog. They were obviously entirely hypothetical and - I thought - ridiculous. They were just a series of daft ideas that I thought I could take the piss out of, in the hope that people might read it and take a second out of their day to do an amused little nose exhale for me. But now, even the post-apocalyptic TV show ideas I pitched in that piece seem less ‘far-off dystopian chaos’, and more like they could be pleasant additions to the BBC Summer schedule.

The world is in the throes of a global pandemic, the likes of which haven’t been seen since… I don’t know, The Black Plague, maybe? As a result of that, the instructions have been clear: stay home, save lives.

At first, the thought of being given a period of Government-sanctioned laziness seemed like a dream to many. We could write our autobiographies! Learn Klingon! Build ourselves a whole new house! But six weeks in, it appears to have started messing with the collective consciousness of the human race. Brains are fried, your Weekly Screen Time is up 103%, stomachs are full to the brim with banana bread and dalgona coffee, and certain celebrities’ egos are in a fight to the death with their common sense. In a time when we’re all supposedly doing nothing, there’s still so much going on.

With that in mind, I thought we could recognise some of the things we’ve seen online that have kept us talking in lockdown, not just because of Coronavirus, but in spite of it.

Welcome to the first (but hopefully not annual) What A Time To Be At Home! awards. The WATTBAH!’s, if you like.

The ‘Why On Earth Did You Think This Was A Good Idea?’ Award

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a sizable handful of blunders by the rich and famous that have, at worst, knocked them down a fair few places in our estimations and, at best, have left us scratching our heads, wondering what response they were expecting in the first place.

With that in mind, it’s only right that this title goes to the original celebrity lockdown mistake: Gal Gadot’s ill-advised acapella cover of Imagine, featuring a variety of different Hollywood stars - not one of whom had the foresight to ask “are you sure this doesn’t make us look like complete arseholes?”, which, unfortunately, it absolutely does.

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Between the bizarre and insincere ‘I have a dream’-style speech at the beginning, the boldness of some of those featured to be quite clearly just taking the piss, and the fact everyone appears to be singing ever-so-slightly below the note without ever actually hitting it for the entirety of the song, this was tone-deaf in more ways than one. It’s even worse when you realise that this was posted less than one week into the lockdown, but then what would I know? Maybe madness sets in faster in multi-million dollar mansions. Probably because it echoes louder and bounces off the walls of your massive living room.

The ‘I Had To Suffer Through This, So You Do, Too’ Award

This award recognises content we’ve been witness to over the last few weeks that was so awful, so completely uncomfortable to watch, that after you’d gotten over the initial disbelief at what you’d just seen, you immediately had to send it to somebody you know, so that you can suffer through it together.

Despite how many celebrity lockdown moments have left me with my head in my hands over the last few weeks, this award could only go to a very recent contender - one which isn’t simply an embarrassing piece of celebrity lockdown content, but will likely haunt the inner corners of my brain long after this virus is simply a topic taught about in GCSE History lessons of the future.

I am, of course, talking about Olly Murs. I’m talking about Pringlegate. I’m talking about Olly Murs removing the bottom of a can of Sour Cream and Onion Pringles to trick his own girlfriend into touching his penis. On video, on TikTok.

Twitter: @buckyw1ng

There’s something inherently quite chilling about Pringlegate. It might be something to do with the 10,000 watt grin on Olly’s face as we watch him carefully maneuver a tin opener around the bottom of the can, or perhaps it’s just the question of how long he’d been sat there holding it around his naked penis as he and his girlfriend watched a film, patiently waiting for the moment to strike. Perhaps it’s the way the video freezes as she reaches over for a Pringle, allowing time for Olly Murs’ to add in an audio clip of himself, shouting “SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND”.

Maybe it’s the uncontrollable show of amusement he launches into as she snatches her hand back in shock, laughing away, heartily, as if to say “Ha! You thought it was a normal can of Pringles, but it was actually my PENIS covered in Pringles crumbs! You just got PUNKED!”, like it was all simply a clever ruse.

Above all else, I think the most uncomfortable thing about it is that I can’t help but feel like all bets are off in 2020, and that this is a fairly tame warm-up for things to come.

So, Olly Murs, you are inarguably the rightful winner of the ‘I Had To Suffer Through This, So You Do, Too’ award. Congratulations! Don’t do it again, yeah?

The ‘Are You Actually Aware Of These Words Coming Out Of Your Mouth?’ Award

I’ve said some stupid things since this lockdown started. Personally, I put it down to the lack of social interaction, which I think might be frying my brain a little bit, or at least that’s what the ornament of a turkey that sits on my kitchen windowsill told me the other day. However, I don’t think I or anybody I know has said anything even one fraction-of-an-iota as void of intelligent thought as Vanessa Hudgens’ terrible opinions on social distancing, shared in a now-infamous Instagram live last month.

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“It’s a virus,” she clarified, helpfully, before going on to explain, “I get it. I respect it.”

I’m sure your respect means the world to it, Vanessa, but do you ‘get’ it?

“But even if everybody gets it, like… yeah… people are gonna die,” she explains, in a tone so chirpy that the word ‘die’ might as well be replaced by the phrase ‘have such a bloody lovely old time’, “which is terrible, but, like… inevitable?”

In all fairness, death is inevitable, but I don’t know if suggesting speeding up that process for thousands of people because you were disappointed that Coachella was cancelled is an equally logical take.

After a brief - and probably quite profound - moment of self-reflection, she laughs “I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t be doing this right now”. Oh, you think? Which bit? Just holding these insane ideas, or actually broadcasting them to your 39.1 million Instagram followers?

She did post a video the day after, clarifying that - despite what she said - she is staying at home, and is urging others to do the same. I guess she does respect the virus after all. Now, if everyone could hurry up, catch it and die from it, so that she can go to Coachella 2021, Vanessa Hudgens might respect you, too.

I guess We’re All In This Together, after all.

The Show Of Support Award

I’ve already talked a lot about the rich and famous here, so maybe it’s time to take a break from that madness - although, I get it, I respect it - and have a look at how the rest of our lives look at the moment.

One weekly occurrence that seems to be set to stick around is the weekly round of applause for the NHS. Whilst it’s nothing short of blood-boilingly annoying seeing Boris Johnson absent-mindedly clapping in celebration of a service that he recently admitted he hadn’t even noticed the strain on until he, himself, nearly died of the virus, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the rest of us getting involved. If anything, it’s heart-warming to see the videos of NHS staff being applauded by neighbours as they leave for work, and to hear the cheers echoing through the streets at 8pm every Thursday. There’s a lot of people being quite cynical about it. We obviously know it’s not going to stop Coronavirus in its tracks, but sometimes it’s just nice to be nice, alright?

One thing I’ve noticed recently is how many people have adopted different noise-making strategies, possibly in an effort to effectively boost their support by a factor of 300%. Banging pots and pans together appears to be the most popular, but the winner of this award saw your pots and pans and said “how sweet”, before showing us how it’s really done.

I present to you, a genius. The ultimate hype-man.

Twitter: “a deeply disturbed national psyche” - @willuminare

There’s something so chaotic and angry about the energy in this video, just one man, a cricket bat, and a wheelie bin, banging away to show his gratitude. Just living in the moment. I wish the neighbour who’d captured it on camera had caught more of it, or at least just enough to edit the footage with Electric Youth’s soaring synth anthem ‘A Real Hero’ from the soundtrack of the movie Drive against it.

I’ve been trying to learn to play the keytar in lockdown, to near enough no avail. Maybe at 8pm next Thursday, I’ll just take it outside and smash it against the pavement. You know, for the NHS.

Honourable Mentions: The Very Best In Coronacontent

It’s not all been so questionable - there’s been a lot of uplifting, funny, positive and thoughtful things shared online over the past few weeks. John Krasinski’s YouTube series Some Good News has provided a much-appreciated contrast from the bleakness of traditional current affairs programmes. There’s five weeks worth of episodes on his YouTube channel at the moment, so I would definitely recommend checking it out, especially if you feel like you need a lift!

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Over on Twitter, there’s been a lot to laugh about, as ‘front camera comedians’ are well and truly in their element (my personal favourite recently has been Alistair Green), as well as plenty of other users who are utilising their free time to create some brilliant stuff - this six-part opera based on a 2007 Facebook argument by Archie Henderson is genuinely one of the funniest things I’ve seen in weeks.

Twitter: “I made a six-act opera out of a conversation between some 14 year olds on my Facebook from 2007″ - @jazzemu_

All in all, these are obviously bizarre times that we’re living in. We don’t know how many more weeks of lockdown we’re going to have, when we’ll get back to normal, or even if ‘normal’ will mean something completely different from now on.

What we do know is that the internet, and everyone on it - whoever they are or whatever they’re saying - will continue to surprise us, inform us, entertain us, provide a place for our quizzes and conversations, and keep us together in some sense, when we have no choice but to be apart.

Thanks to anyone who’s read this far. I hope that you and your friends and families are keeping well, and that you took even a slight shred of lockdown enjoyment from even one thing I’ve said over the past couple thousand words!

Finally, before I go, I thought we might share a little song. It goes like this:

Imagine there’s no heaven....

if you like, can follow me on twitter here or instagram here :-)

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bodega-daydream · 5 years ago

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November 22, 2019

It started out as kind of a nice dream. I was in a class and in the class there was an assignment to bake the best pie, and the old man teacher would rate them. I had a pie but for some reason didnt think its was worth having him rate it even though it looked pretty good. Finally at the end I was made the snap decision to have him rate my pie, but I had apparently blended it up into this really sugary red slushy drink. He tasted it anyway but couldnt really rate it because he couldnt see the crust. fine, whatever. I was then talking to people from school when Josh from BP came up and said that he, Tony, and two other BP workers were going to be on 8 out of 10 Cats and I was sooo excited to know someone who would be on the show for me to watch. Cut to later- I'm at the lake down the street from my house. I was looking through videos on my laptop and was showing Michael to see if he remembered them. Undetermined, but they involved me with shorter hair and a GIANT frog. I think this was based off my frog stuffed animal, but it was real in this video and I had taken him to the lake for a swim. I had had him for years and wondered how long he'd last and then the frog was like I haven't laid my egg yet so pretty much he couldnt die until he laid his one giant egg? whatever. Then I was cold and on the sand and I think we were heading back up to my house. It was dusk. We heard a scream from the neighboring property. There were already a few people over there that seemed to be looking for the source. It sounded like a little girl. I shouted to ask if anyone needed help. But they couldn't find anything. Toward to the top of the beach now, and at night, we saw a bunch of children in this fenced in area. IRL This woman is a swim coach, so it wouldn't be insane for her to have kids at her house, so in the dream, I didn't think anything of this. Yet. The longer you observed the kids, they were kind of running wild in this fenced in area. Then I noticed that one of the kids has smashed his head on a rock and his head was covered in blood. But I think it was suspicious circumstances because the cop lights were flashing in the background through the trees. Though no medical help was there yet. Starting that moment, I had been hanging out with Lewis who showed his EMT badge while walking over. I saw through all of the mess him trying to help out a different kid (for some reason no the kid with the giant hole in his head from the rock lol) but he didn't have any of his supplies with him (because we was just hangin out). At this, I ran over because I had a bunch of stuff that could help. Apparently I just keep a very make shift first aid kit on my person. Though when I got over there, this one kid we were helping looked absolutely fine but apparently had these invisible type of burning sensation on his cheeks. I looked into my bag but it was like kind of useless lol had a small bottle of tea tree oil and some other random stuff. I knew what kind of pain the kid was dealing with though. Lewis gave him something and I told him that I understood and that the best thing to do was to just take a cold hand (bc mine are always cold) and just hold it against it and feel the pain until it stops hurting, because it won't last that long. We then walked away and went back to the police station where I was apparently a detective there. This station was also the house across the street from the lake. Daytime now. One of my detective colleagues was this man who looked like John Krasinski meaning it actually was him, but not him. There were some kids outside (outside was now a city street) being lined up as witnesses or something. The other detective there, a woman, was taking statements from the kids. But then I overheard her make this plot to frame my John Krasinski coworker. I tried to warn him without giving away who was trying to frame him and he help trying to insist on telling his partner, this woman. I was like dude. no. and he wouldn't listen. The kids started walking through and that kid I had helped passed by and gave me this look. Then someone else came in and sort of yelled at me for encouraging his growing sexual love for buses lmao said I was too accepting and that I should have discouraged it from the beginning. My argument was so what, he loves to love buses. Anyway, I was trying to tell John Krasinski about the plot and then I was walking away and he grabbed my wrist. But then the other woman came over instead of letting go, we hid the fact that he was holding my wrist behind my back which also looked suspicious. Then there was another line up of kids outside. They had turned around and this one kid was looking up at us and was like I want to talk to her. I assumed he was pointing to the woman he had spoken to before, which was the 3rd detective. But when he came inside, he wanted to talk to me. I was surprised, but then it was the kid that kind of confessed to lying to the other cop about how the evidence she gave him (to frame John Krasinski) was a lie. But dude, the truth was like 20x worse. Instead of some tiny piece of metal sticking him from inside some box, he admitted that it was actually just part of this bracelet he was wearing. I asked to see the bracelet but it had no metal sticking out of it. Then he was like no, it's part of me. and then this series of spikes that had been implanted in his wrist stuck out through his skin like barbed wire. At this I was like nope! and took a step back. His father came rushing in but he had the same thing going on in his wrist. They could control when the spikes would come out. We learned that they were both extremely violent. The dad was bad, but the kid looked like he would be much worse because he was learning it all from his dad. I didn't want to be near this kid anymore because he seemed to fixate on my fear, as if he would come and find me one day to hurt me. I wouldn't look at him. The wife showed up and she was drunk because she was usually being abused by her husband. I think we let them all go because we couldn't do anything about the situation because she wouldn't accuse her husband of anything. Cut to me going to the live taping of 8 out of 10 cats starring my BP coworkers. Instead of sitting in the studio, there was a ton of outside seating that faced the studio that had large screens on it that was displaying what was being filmed. It opened with Kate McKinnan so this was apparently SNL instead lol but whatever. I was sitting out there in what seemed like stadium pews. The place was decorated in vines and leaves, kind of medieval. A lot of people were moving around the pews, but I had a large space open next to me. The drunk mom came and sat next to me. It made me so nervous because I didn't want to deal with an intoxicated person, but also her husband must be around. The show goes on and she gets up and walks to the doorway to enter the stadium. I somehow acquire this little girl that's sitting on my lap, maybe 7 years old. Turns out this is the daughter of the drunk woman. I'm very protective of this child for some reason. The mom and the husband are doing this weird princess knight act idk, I just know it's happening but I'm more focused on the crowd. Some tiny elderly people come and sit next to me and are asking about this girl (rightfully assume she's not mine bc this girl is blonde). Cut of after this performance, and I'm with/kind of am this woman. I'm on a bus and I'm heading to this beach area. I'm trying to get away from this crazy husband of mine. There was some floaties put out in the water and it was like yes, she's finally getting away. But then I'm like...no this is too easy, and I dive down underwater and I see this man with all of his evil friends waiting there to grab her. She manages to swim away. She's running and running trying to get away. They had this evil dog that was kind of also the husband and kept barking and biting her trying to alert him to where she was. Somehow we got the dog off and jumped onto one of those mini school buses (I'm with her now). There's only one seat and she takes it with her daughter on her lap and we tell the bus driver to gtfo of here. He knows the situation, and drives off. I'm sitting on the floor and looking out the window. Both me and her are in white spa robes, not significant, just random. There's this sense of relief as we're driving off. The dog had kind of handed me this piece of metal and I gave it to her. This apparently meant something as she looked at me and she was like "he really did love me." as in he let her go despite not being able to control his violent nature (even tho it was way worse than that). The mini bus pulls up to the back parking lots of the woodbury commons. We think we're safe until I see this man running a hot dog stand taking pictures of the bus we're in. The bus driver had pulled over and got out of the bus but then I yelled wait, we're not safe here and then her husband pops out from behind something and starts coming for us. The bus is moving and I think this dude some how offs the driver. The woman gets up and goes to the door of this still moving bus and shoots her husband in the head. I'm am #shook. I did not know she was going to do that with such ease or that she even had a gun. I took control of the bus because there was chaos now because she just shot someone and cars were appearing out of nowhere. I was like, flooring it and I was like OKAY I'm taking us straight to the police station. I was way more affected than this lady. Realizing now this was not a great decision and that we should have stayed put, we got pulled over at her parents house. We couldn't exit the bus without being processed by a cop (I was a normal person now, not a detective). I was instructed to head straight to the Montgomery police station to pay a $250 bail (I know, doesnt make sense) but I was compliant. I had to get there. I thought about calling Lewis to help me with the bail because I knew he would, but then realized I had that cash on my person and that I could just go over there and pay it myself. As I was walking toward the kitchen to get my stuff, I realized that I shouldn't be driving because I just went thru a trauma that hadn't hit me yet. I decided it was best to call Lewis after all and have him pick me up so I could freak out in the car and not be driving. But as I was going through my phone to find his contact, I noticed this woman's 3 sisters trying to slyly take pictures of me, just like the hot dog man and I started freaking out. And then my phone was going crazy, receiving every photo they took of me instantly. They didn't know what was happening and I was checking their phones and someone had set that to default and my phone was going crazy. I couldn't get to the call screen. I knew someone had bugged these phones so they could locate me or get my info. I decided to use someone elses phone to call Lewis. The mom was looking through the phonebook for his number when I was like Lewis can I just borrow your phone, you already have the number in it (only realized this flaw when I woke up lol) but I made the call and he answered. He had just said, "Hello?" when I heard the husbands voice in the background saying that he was a police officer to someone. And then I woke up, and I couldn't tell where I was for bit or if I was safe.

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 6 years ago

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We Photoshopped an alternate cast of Avengers who almost got the roles

Avengers stans know the end is near, which means it's time to go back to the beginning. The very beginning.

In honor of the highly anticipated film, Avengers: Endgame, Marvel fans are reminiscing over just how much our heroes have grown since their first appearances on-screen. But we want to take you back even further that that — to the casting decisions.

We've come to know and love characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so deeply that they feel almost irreplaceable. Chris Evans is Captain America, Chris Hemsworth perfectly embodies Thor, and Scarlett Johansson brings Black Widow to life. But the MCU group could have looked totally different today if casting directors had decided to go with some of the other talented actors who were up for the roles.

SEE ALSO: 'Avengers: Endgame' dazzles with epic and emotional world premiere

Here's a wild glimpse at what our Marvel Cinematic Universe could have looked like, had 12 crucial casting choices been different.

John Krasinski as Captain America / Steve Rogers

Blond, buff, and beardless Captain Krasinski.

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Since the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger, the adorably charming Chris Evans and his beard have truly mastered the role of Cap. But the patriotic, shield-wielding hero could have been played by my ultimate crush, John Krasinski.

In 2016, The Office star told Conan O'Brien he auditioned to play Steve Rogers back in the day. He even tried on the freaking suit, but ultimately took himself out of the running after seeing a jacked Chris Hemsworth walk by and losing confidence. Since 2011, Krasinski's bulked up for roles in 13 Hours and Jack Ryan. He also grew a great beard, so we have no doubt he could have played a buff, bearded, and perhaps funnier, MCU hero.

Other rumored names considered for Cap include Friday Night Lights star Scott Porter, Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford, Magic Mike's Channing Tatum, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Cassidy, and Wilson Bethel. Even Sebastian Stan, who was eventually cast as Bucky Barnes, tried out for the part.

Tom Hiddleston as Thor

"Hey can someone help me with this hammer?" - This Thor, probably

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Karwai Tang/WireImage

Chris Hemsworth has a build, a voice, and a gorgeous head of hair that all scream "Thor." And yet, some other people still had the audacity to try out for the role.

One of the most surprising was Tom Hiddleston, who I simply can't picture as our king of Asgard and God of Thunder. Hiddleston was instead cast as Thor's brother, Loki, which suits him marvelously. But let us take a moment to imagine what he would have looked like as the mighty hero.

Other actors almost worthy of holding Thor's hammer were Alexander Skarsgård, Charlie Hunnam, and Joel Kinnaman. Not to mention, Hemsworth's very own brother, Liam, auditioned to play Thor, which, I will admit would have been pretty interesting.

Emily Blunt as Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff

"No. Shan't!" — Black Widow to the bad guys

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Steve Granitz/WireImage

Scarlett Johansson plays the character Natasha Romanoff remarkably, but it turns out Emily Blunt was the original choice for the role of Black Widow in Iron Man 2.

Sadly, Blunt was under a contractual obligation with 20th Century Fox to star in the movie Gulliver’s Travels, so she couldn't sign on to the Marvel film at the time. And though Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Eliza Dushku also showed a serious interest in the part, Johansson ultimately stepped in.

A (super) power couple.

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Noam Galai/WireImage

Rather than starring alongside each other in Marvel films, Blunt and Krasinski went on to co-star in Krasinski's hit horror film, A Quiet Place, so everything worked out. Even so, our trusty Senior Illustrator, Bob, created this couple composite to emotionally torture me and also give you all a look at what could have been.

David Duchovny as Hulk / Bruce Banner

"The truth is out there."

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Fans may recall Edward Norton played Bruce Banner in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, but he wasn't Marvel's final pick for the Avengers films. A lot of drama surrounding Norton's relationship with Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier and his negotiations with Marvel were reported, but Mark Ruffalo was ultimately signed.

Since we already know what Norton looks like as The Hulk, we decided to Photoshop David Duchovny, who was also rumored for the role at one point in time.

Timothée Chalamet as Spider-Man / Peter Parker

Oh will wonders ever cease?

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images for Turner

Forget Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland is our Spider-Man now and we adore him. But Spider-Man also could have been played by Call Me By Your Name cutie Timothée Chalamet, who auditioned for the part along with others like Josh Hutcherson, Nat Wolff, Liam James, and Asa Butterfield.

My initial thought was that Chalamet wouldn't be dorky enough to play Spider-Man, but now WHO KNOWS, because he really pulls off the suit.

Zachary Levi as Star-Lord / Peter Quill

"Forget Fandral, I'm Star-Lord now." — Zachary Levi in a spaceship

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Victor Chavez/Getty Images

We know Chris Pratt completes the MCU Chris Trinity as Star-Lord, but Chuck and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Zachary Levi was interested in the role back in the day, and honestly? He might've been great.

Actors like Jim Sturgess, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lee Pace, Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, and even Eddie Redmayne were also associated with the role early on, but Pratt joined the Guardians of the Galaxy family, while Levi went on to star in Shazam! and play Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.

Olivia Wilde as Gamora

It ain't easy being green.

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

We all know Gamora as the brilliant Zoe Saldana, who memorably stood up to her adopted father, Thanos, in Avengers: Infinity War. However, the green Guardians of the Galaxy character was reportedly offered to House star Olivia Wilde.

Nicolas Cage as Iron Man / Tony Stark

Iron Man and Star-Lord plotting to steal the Declaration of Independence.

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Since Robert Downey Jr. played Tony Stark in the 2008 film Iron Man, we couldn't envision anyone else in the maroon and gold suit. Perhaps least of all, Nicolas Cage. And yet, he was one of the names rumored to be in the running.

Sam Rockwell and Tom Cruise were also on the list, but, I mean, we really had no choice but to Photoshop Cage.

Saoirse Ronan as Scarlet Witch / Wanda Maximoff

"Call me Scarlet Witch like you said you would" — Saoirse as Wanda Maximoff, channeling Lady Bird

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty

If Elizabeth Olsen hadn't been cast as Scarlet Witch we might have seen Lady Bird star Saoirse Ronan join the MCU family... maybe.

Rumor has it that Joss Whedon had Ronan in mind when scripting Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the young star appeared to show interest in a role, saying, "I love Joss and I love those films, and I love his handle on them and how he portrayed these kinds of superheroes. So yeah, I’d love to be in it."

Later, Ronan reportedly passed on the film, which is when Marvel decided to cast Olsen.

Morris Chestnut as Black Panther / T'Challa

Could've been king.

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Chadwick Boseman absolutely slayed as T'Challa in Marvel's hit film Black Panther, and we can imagine no one better suited to rule as king of Wakanda. But in the name of Photoshop, here is Black Panther reimagined as Morris Chestnut, since he was among the names associated with the role.

Josh Hartnett as Loki

Whatever.

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Charley Gallay/Getty Images

Tom Hiddleston, who thankfully was not cast as Thor, was cast as Loki. But if Hiddleston didn't snag the role, it seems Josh Hartnett could have stepped up and took the villain's greasy black wig for a spin. Hmm...

Joaquin Phoenix as Doctor Strange

Why so serious?

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Isiah Trickey/FilmMagic

Benedict Cumberbatch has nailed the art of portraying strange on-screen, so it's no surprise he shines as Marvel's Doctor Strange. But the casting list for Stephen Strange was ridiculously stacked.

Joaquin Phoenix was one of the top contenders for the part, but explained in an interview with Little White Lies that he felt he made the right move in turning it down, explaining, "I think everybody was really happy with how things turned out. All parties were satisfied."

In addition to Phoenix, Jared Leto, Ewan McGregor, Oscar Isaac, Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, and Jake Gyllenhaal were also reportedly considered.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Ant Man / Scott Lang

Honey, I shrunk the JGL.

Image: Mashable composite; Marvel Studios, Steve Granitz/WIreImage via Getty

Finally, there's Ant Man. We know the shrinking superhero as the ageless Paul Rudd, but word has it that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a front-runner for the part, too. If we're judging by our Photoshop, then JGL looks hilarious in the Ant Man suit. But who knows, maybe he could've been great.

It's fun to look back at this hilariously random group of superheroes who we could've been watching on the screen for the past decade, but really makes us appreciate the team of Avengers we ended up with.

WATCH: 'Avengers: Endgame' is smashing pre-sale box office records

#_uuid:4a5e337a-c05d-3a2a-ac6d-02bba236b868 #_category:yct:001000002 #_author:Nicole Gallucci #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_revsp:news.mashable

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avengerleague · 7 years ago

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‘Mimic’

Avengers x Female Reader

(Pairing: Steve x Reader)

Chapter 2: Three’s a Crowd but Four’s a Pajama Party

Summary: You and a few of the Avengers are quarantined after the events of chapter 1. You get to know Wanda and Peter a little better and after everyone goes to sleep, you talk to Steve into the early hours of the morning. Featuring Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Doctor Strange.

Word Count: 4346

a/n: Hello friends so sorry this took me approximately 3 decades to write but I’ve been super super busy with work before finals. It’s super long so I hope you like it, like I legit think its almost double as long chapter 1. I had a whole nother part that I thought was going to go at the end of this chapter but it was already so long so I decided to just make it its own chapter so that’ll come out next. Thanks for reading ily ily tell ya friends! (also in case you didn’t know, ‘six degrees of separation’ is a game where you have to connect one actor to another actor based on only movies people have acted together in. For example for John Krasinski to Chris Pine you could do John Krasinski to Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place, Emily Blunt to Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, and Meryl Streep to Chris Pine in Into the Woods.)

Chapter 1 Chapter 3

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“Hey kids, how was the drive up? Not too bad I hope. The flight was a breeze.” Tony walked into the lab room you were all in with a swagger that was unparalleled.

After you, Wanda, Peter and Steve had arrived at the facility, you were escorted through a back entrance by people in hazmat suits to enter the lab through airtight doors and sealed tunnels. They put you in four separate but adjacent, clear, cube shaped rooms. The rooms were all touching so each of you shared two walls with two other people. Wanda was on one side of you, Steve was on the other, and Peter was diagonal. The observation cells were roomy, but vacant. Pretty much all each one had was a bed, a nightstand, a chair, and a door where food could be dropped off; however, it didn’t really seem like a come and go as you please type of situation.

Steve walked up to the glass, “Let’s just say everything was much more convenient when we were still based in the city.”

“Hey Mr. Stark,” Peter said raising his hand “I have a question.”

“I thought I told you to stop it with the hand raising,”

He looked at his hand and dropped it to his side. “Oh yeah, sorry. But I was wondering how we’re supposed to go to the bathroom since we’re, you know, imprisoned in glass rooms.”

“Aw c’mon, you guys aren’t imprisoned, you’re just detained,” mocked Tony. Steve rolled his eyes. “And I think someone in a hazmat suit is supposed to come by every couple of hours to take you guys to a sterile bathroom or something. I don’t know, ask Banner. It’s his lab.”

“I’ll be honest, this situation is not ideal.” Wanda huffed. That was a nice way to put it.

“One more thing Mr. Stark,” Peter said, “I came here in my suit, it there anything else I could wear?”

Tony grinned, “You know what? I have just the thing.” He walked across the room and opened a cabinet. He pulled out an Iron Man t-shirt with matching pajama pants. “How great are these, am I right?”

“Yeah Mr. Stark, thank you…” That was obviously not Peter’s first choice of outfits.

“You know what? You’re all getting them. You can hold onto them too. They’re yours. Cap you’re gonna look great in this. What size are you, small?” he put a pile of the clothes on a table. “Just get Bruce or someone to bring these to you guys when he comes back in.” He gestured a pair of finger guns and started towards the door.

“Tony, wait!” Wanda called out and Tony spun around.

“Yes dear?”

She threw her hands up in exasperation, “Isn’t there a tv in here or something we could do to kill time?”

“This is a laboratory, Wanda, not a play room.”

“Oh come on, you’re Tony Stark!”

“Yes, thank you. Why don’t you get to know our guest, do some team bonding or something? Sing kumbaya. That’s a thing people do, right?” with a flash of a smile Tony strolled out the room, leaving no time for a response.

Your mind was completely blank. The past couple of hours had been such a whirlwind that you hardly felt like this was real life. You were locked in a room with three of the Avengers for who knows how long and nothing to do but sit in a chair and stare at the ceiling. Since for contamination reasons you guys had all been driven to the facility in separate cars, you hadn’t really gotten a chance to speak to anyone since Manhattan. You really wanted to get to know all of them but since you were the odd guy out, you were kind of hoping one of them would break the ice…

“So Y/n,” Steve caught your attention from behind you, pulling up his chair and straddling it so he was sitting on it backwards, using the back as an armrest. You obviously didn’t know the guy, but it felt out of character; like he was trying to be edgy or something. “How in the world did you end up in the middle of that fight?”

“You know, I was wondering the same thing.” You chuckled. You moseyed around the small area you were enclosed in and looked around. “I was just on my way back to my apartment when people started screaming so I went to check out what was going on and badda bing, badda boom, I’m in a glass cage next to Captain America in the Avengers facility.” You plopped down into your chair.

“Badda bing, badda boom?” Peter raised his eyebrows. “Please. I saw you help that kid. You went out of your way to save him. It was awesome!”

You shrugged it off, you were no hero, especially compared to them. “I was just trying to do the right thing; anyone would have done it.” You played with the hair tie around your wrist.

“Except not anyone would have done it, because there were hundreds, literally like hundreds, of people who ran by that kid and didn’t do anything.” You glanced up at him and back down at your hair tie. “Well what about you guys? How did you all get there so fast?” you asked the group.

“Steve and I were actually only there on business.” Wanda was sitting on the floor with her back against one of the glass walls. As she spoke, her eyes were trained on the chair – which she was levitating with her hands. That was going to take getting used to.

“Lucky we were.” Steve chimed in.

“And I was there because I live there.” You looked over to see that Peter was lying in a hammock made from his webbing. “Well in Queens at least, not Manhattan, but as you can see I have ways to get around. Speaking of, I gotta find a way to call my aunt and tell her I’m here, she’s gonna kill me.”

“I seriously can’t believe you’re the spider guy!” you said, shaking your head in disbelief.

“It’s Spiderman and what exactly is so unbelievable about it?” Peter put a hand on his chest in mock offence.

You laughed, “No, I just mean ‘cause it’s awesome. But also, like if I saw you on the street I wouldn’t be like ‘that guy is for sure Spiderman’.”

“Did you ever consider that maybe that’s the idea?”

You thought about it for a second, “No,” you shrugged, and Wanda laughed.

“But uh, Y/n,” Steve caught your attention. “Tell me about yourself.” He seemed genuinely interested. You had always heard that Captain America was such a nice guy and it really seemed like it was true. He was holding back a little smile and he had about the kindest eyes you had ever seen. And that isn’t even mentioning that he was completely beautiful and literally anatomically perfect.

You opened your mouth to respond but before you could do so, the door to the lab swung open and a man who you recognized from the Avengers as Bruce Banner walked in the room. He looked nice, but also like he’d never been relaxed a day in his life; not at all Hulk-like.

“Maybe later?” Steve said with a half-smile. You couldn’t wait until later.

“Hey guys, sorry I took so long. I had to track down Strange and –” he looked behind him and saw that no one was following him. “He was just,” he peered back into the hallway. “He’s probably coming.”

He made his way over to a cabinet. “We’ll have to start out by running a few tests and –” he opened the cabinet to reveal it was filled with t-shirts, posters, action figures, and mugs with Iron Man on them. He walked over to the wall and pressed a button, causing his voice to sound over the intercom: “Tony, would you please stop putting your merchandise in my labs?”. He walked away towards another set of cabinets when Tony’s voice came back over the speakers: “But Bruce, then I wouldn’t get to hear you complain about it.” Bruce rolled his eyes and began to rummage through a few other cabinets looking for something. He glanced up at you, “Sorry about Tony, he’s a bit of an… acquired taste.”

“That’s an understatement!” Wanda interjected with her hands cupped around her mouth.

“Anyway, I’m Bruce Banner.” He found what he was looking for and walked towards you.

“I’m Y/n, Y/n Y/L/n.”

“It’s nice to meet you Y/n. I’m sorry I can’t shake your hand but there’s the matter of the solid glass wall between us.”

Peter snorted, “Oh come on Bruce, you of all people could break through this if you wanted.”

“Steve too probably, since all he does is jump through plate glass windows.” Wanda teased.

Steve massaged the bridge of his nose, “You two are too powerful when you’re together.”

“Well actually this isn’t exactly normal glass.” Bruce continued, ignoring most of their commentary. It seemed like he had to be used to those kinds of interruptions by now. “This glass has been tested under hundreds of different circumstances that would cause most normal glass of the same thickness and size to break, and it held up. Including a trial with the other guy. So, you’re pretty secure.”

“Or we’re pretty trapped,” Steve countered.

Bruce shrugged, “Yeah.”

Out of nowhere, a large orange circle began to appear in the middle of the lab, as if it was being drawn with a sparkler. With eyes bulging you looked from Avenger to Avenger to see if they had any reaction to it. They didn’t. Apparently, this was normal too. The circle got bigger and a moment later a man in a full hazmat suit stepped out.

“I thought you were right behind me.” Said Bruce to the man.

“I was, until I wasn’t.”

Bruce scoffed it off and put what he was holding on a rolling tray table, walking it over to the man. “Y/n, this is Dr. Strange. He’s going to be running some basic tests on each of you and taking a blood sample.”

Peter’s head shot up from he hammock, “Wait a minute, aren’t you not a doctor anymore or something?”

Dr. Strange gave him a look that was Medusa level stone cold, “I’m taking your blood, not performing a craniotomy.”

“Is the suit really necessary?” Steve said, flipping his chair around so that he was sitting in it normally with his forearms resting on his knees.

“Sorry Cap, standard procedure.” Dr. Strange rolled the tray table towards the set of doors that led to your cubes.

“Oh wait! One more thing,” Peter exclaimed. “While you’re out there, can you grab one of those pairs of Iron Man pajamas for me?”

He looked over at the pajamas then back at Peter, “I suppose.”

You’d been in these clothes all day and if you’d have known you were going to be quarantined for an undetermined amount of time in the Avengers facility, you would have worn something a little more comfortable. There was a lot worse you could be wearing than Iron Man pjs; “Could you actually grab a pair for me too?”

“You know what? I could use some pajamas,” Wanda joined. “C’mon Steve, what about you? Three’s a crowd but four’s a pajama party”.

“Thank you for the offer, but that’s gonna be a hard pass. The last thing I need is Tony walking around with a picture of me in pajamas with his face on them as his phone’s lock screen for the rest of his life. Because I’m absolutely positive that’s what would happen.”

After grabbing the clothes, the doctor pushed through a couple of doors and a moment later he was clearing the airlock and entering your isolation chamber. He turned to move a few things around on his tray and before you knew what was happening, the legs of your bed grew a foot and a half like magic, so your legs were dangling off of it like a doctor’s office. Or maybe it was more like technology since you were dealing with a place Tony Stark built? But that guy did just walk into the room through a glowing circle that appeared out of nowhere…

“So that portal thing was pretty cool,” you tried to break the ice. “Dr. Strange, right?”

He pushed up your sleeve and wrapped the device around your arm to measure your blood pressure. “Yes.” He said not looking up from your arm. He was probably being short because he was busy doing your check up, but he seemed like a pretty to-the-point kind of guy anyway.

You decided to keep trying. “Do you have a first name? Or do you just go by ‘Doctor’? Is ‘Doctor’ your first name?”

He let out a small chuckle, no, less than a chuckle. It was more just exhaling a little bit more through his nose, but it was something. “It’s Stephen.”

“Stephen! Wow. Steven and Stephen: battle of the Steven’s,” you said glancing over your shoulder back at Steve, who seemed to be amused by your interaction. “So which one is the true Steven? Like the real Steven?” You looked back and forth between the two men. Dr. Strange unvelcroed the device and wordlessly tied a rubber tourniquet around your left arm, but Steve raised an eyebrow in thought. “Well, I was born first…”

The doctor rolled the tray to the bed and situated himself in front of you. Without looking at anyone he said, “Well I have a PhD.” Both were irrefutable facts but there was something about a PhD that was an argument ending power move.

“Yeah, also he can fly, and you’re just really fit.” Wanda pointed out to Steve.

Doctor Strange picked up the syringe and stuck you with the needle to take your blood sample. Getting blood taken wasn’t normally your favorite thing, but you still had so many questions about this guy that you hardly noticed. “Alright but what about ‘Strange’?” You said making an air quote with your one free hand. “That can’t be your real last name.”

Peter whipped his head around. “THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID!”

The doctor glared at Peter, “Aren’t you like, 12?”

Wanda burst out laughing.

He turned to her, “And you--”

She put her hands up in innocence, “Hey, I haven’t said one word about you today except to hype you up as the superior ‘Stephen’.”

He cocked his head, “Yet.”

“Yet.” She leveled with him.

He refaced you. “Anyway, yes it actually is my real last name. As a kid I was made fun of it constantly, so I do realize how… unusual it is.”

“YOU WERE ABOUT TO SAY ‘STRANGE’!” Peter exclaimed.

Wanda nodded her head, “He was totally about to say ‘strange’.”

You laughed at their dynamic and turned to Stephen. “I honestly do think ‘Strange’ is such a cool last name though. Especially combined with the ‘Doctor’. It makes you sound like…”

“Like a party magician.” Steve took the opportunity.

“You know what, I wasn’t going to say that out of respect for the PhD, but I’ll be honest, if I hadn’t met you yet Stephen and a magician had walked up to me and introduced himself as ‘Doctor Strange’, I wouldn’t have questioned the name choice for a minute.”

“Why can’t I walk into a room in this facility without being berated about something?” Stephen questioned removing the needle from your arm.

Wanda stepped in to answer, “We’re not targeting you Strange. Actually, the only person in this room who hasn’t been flamed tonight is Y/n, and that just because we haven’t known her long enough to find anything flame-wothy yet!”

“Flamable.” Peter offered.

“Anything flammable yet!” Wanda re-finished.

Bruce popped back into the conversation, “Yeah that’s why I’ve been staying out of this as much as possible.” He said motioning to the isolation chambers. “You can’t say anything; the young ones go for the jugular.”

Stephen put a cotton ball and a Band-Aid over where the blood was taken and put your set of tools on the bottom shelf in an airtight container. “Alright, I guess I’ll just have to start being mean,” he said pulling out what he needed to go to the next person’s room and tossing the pajamas onto your bed.

Wanda’s eyes widened, “Start?”

“Should you really be mocking the person who is about to come at you with a needle?” he warned, rolling the cart towards the door he had come into your cell through.

She made a heart with her index fingers and her thumbs, “Love you!”

---

After Bruce and Stephen left with the samples and scans (was it cool or creepy that they could take scans of you just from your being in the cube?), things had been pretty boring in the laboratory. Wanda had taken to levitating things around the lab, but there’s only so many times you can do that before the boredom overcomes you. Peter still had his webbing to play around with and he could walk on the ceiling and everything, but even that had gotten old pretty fast.

You and Wanda had played a few hand games for a bit like sticks and concentration, but you had to change the way the games were played since there was a glass wall between you. Steve and Peter talked for a while, though it was mostly just Steve answering Peter’s ridiculous questions about things he’s done over the years. You tried to get everybody to play six degrees of separation but it hadn’t really worked out since 1) Steve still wasn’t caught up on movie pop culture, 2) Wanda was from Sokovia and hadn’t seen a ton of American movies until she joined the Avengers, and 3) for a teenage who lived in one of the biggest cities in the world, Peter was about the least cultured person you had ever met (how had he never seen The Godfather?). You’d played 20 questions and the few games that Tony’s weird voice robot, FRIDAY, had in the system and after a while, the night had eventually wound down.

Peter and Wanda had gone to sleep a few hours ago so all that was left was you and Steve. You were still wired from the crazy day, and Steve said he sometimes had insomnia. As the lights dimmed to adjust to the other two going to bed, Steve had turned to you. “So, it’s definitely later, tell me about yourself. Take two.”

You had sat against the corners of your isolation chambers farthest from the other two but right next to each other, so you wouldn’t make too much noise. You were pretty sure FRIDAY made their cells turn soundproof when they went to sleep, but you still felt weird talking at full volume. For hours, you and Steve were sitting on the ground like little kids, with your backs against the glass, talking. You were really only less than a foot away from each other; if the glass wasn’t there, your shoulders would be touching.

You had been talking about everything. You’d started by telling him about the basics. How you’d ended up in the city, where you’d grown up, a little about your family, but quickly pushed the conversation to talk about him. There was nothing you could say that would be half as interesting as anything that had ever happened to him. You talked about recent events, what it was like being in the Avengers, and he told you about some of the members: their backstories, their personalities, and what they could do (“So Bucky has a cybernetic metal arm, that’s a long story. And Natasha was a Russian spy, that’s also a long story. Also Vision was created from this thing called the mind stone combining with the old version of FRIDAY called JARVIS, and he can fly and walk through walls and stuff. That one, I don’t even really know where to start”).

He’d told you he has a running list of everything that he needed to catch up on, so you’d started giving him movie recommendations (“You can’t only watch good movies, Steve. I wholeheartedly believe that bad movies are just as important to forming our culture”). Your favorite part, though, had been the little questions. Things like ‘what’s your favorite color?’ or ‘tell me about your mom?’ or even ‘if you could punch any one person in the world, who would you pick?’. You each must have asked dozens, if not hundreds. Talking to him came so easy that the hours were flying by. You we’re joking with each other and telling secrets and it was just so comfortable. He would yawn and stretch his arms and in the dim light his cheekbones looked razor sharp, you only wished the glass wasn’t preventing you from reaching out and touching him. Your eyelids were heavy but how on earth could you close your eye on this perfect person?

Steve’s eyes turned up and he whispered to the air “Hey FRIDAY, what time is it?”

“It is 2:13 a.m.” the voice responded.

“Wow, 2:13.” Steve said, shaking his head in disbelief. He turned back to you. “We’ve been talking for hours.”

“I know, it’s insane” you laughed softly. “You know what else is kind of insane? This—FRIDAY.” You motioned in the air.

“Yeah, I’d definitely say it takes some getting used to.” Steve sat up from the glass wall and scooted his body, so he was sitting crossed legged, facing you.

“You know what it reminds me of? Did you ever see—Never mind, there’s no way you could have seen it. But there was this Disney Channel Original Movie when I was growing up called Smart House and it was like exactly like FRIDAY. Well not exactly but you know.” You turned and mirrored the way Steve was sitting. “Anyway, long story short, in the movie the house basically tries to become the family’s mom and obviously chaos ensues. There’s this iconic party scene and I’m pretty sure there’s like a tornado or something in the house at one point, and its great, you have to watch it. Add it to your list.”

Steve chuckled, “Alright, well I’ll definitely add that to the top of the list.”

You pointed at him “You promise?”

He put his hands up faux-defensively, “I promise.” There was a moment of comfortable silence. He looked down into his lap, then off to the side. “Now, I don’t know how early Banner is going to be back in here, so I’d better let you get some sleep.” Steve stood up off the ground.

“Okay but don’t say ‘you’d better let me get some sleep’ like I haven’t also been talking to you non-stop for 4 hours,” You laughed, standing up.

Steve smiled and walked over to his bed, “Goodnight Y/n.”

You smiled back, “Goodnight Steve.”

You sat on your bed and tied your hair up with the hair tie on your wrist. You normally had no problem ending your nights by watching Netflix or reading a book, but ending your night talking to Steve Rogers for hours certainly wasn’t too bad either. You laid down, pulled the covers up to your neck, and turned onto your side.

“Hey Y/n,” Steve whispered, and your eyes fluttered open. It was now pitch black in the room and you couldn’t see him as you suspected that FRIDAY had adjusted the lights since everyone was in bed.

“Yeah?”

There was a pause. “Would… you want to watch it with me?”

You thanked god that it was so dark that he couldn’t see you blushing and grinning. ‘Watching Disney Channel Original Movies with Captain America’ sounded more like an answer on a dating game show than a real thing that could happen in your near future. And how insane was it that Steve would even want to hang out with you in the first place? You felt butterflies just thinking about it.

“I can never say no to a good movie,” you replied. You settled into your bed and snuggled into your pillow to, hopefully, dream about Steve Rogers.

---

You were awoken when the lights in the lab clicked on, sensing somebody walk into the room. In through the swinging double doors came Bruce, Tony, and Stephen. You sat up and sleepily rubbed your eyes. Considering this was just a bed in a cell in a laboratory, and you had gone to bed so late, you had gotten a pretty good night of sleep. Part of that could be due to the fact that you had been talking to dreamy dreamboat Steve Rogers for hours before you went to bed. You looked over at Steve who apparently (and god bless) slept shirtless. Was it possible that he looked even better after he’d been asleep for hours and had serious bed-head? You know what? Not only was is possible, you were sure he did. He looked back at you and sent you a soft smile as he ran his hand through his hair. You smiled back and quickly turned back to the men who’d just walked in. You really needed to get better at staring at people.

Wanda pushed herself up onto her elbows, “Three geniuses walk into a lab…”

Tony leaned on a counter. “Well I know I’m a genius Wanda, but these guys?” Stephen and Bruce both shot him glares, Stephen’s a little colder than Bruce’s. You didn’t think Bruce really had it in him to be all that cold to anyone.

“Let’s not play this game Mr. Stark,” Stephen said, still glaring at Tony.

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to push any buttons Doctor, what was it, Weird? Doctor Weird?”

“Anyway,” Bruce said, stepping between the two men. “We have some good news and some neutral news.” Now that caught your attention. “What do you want to hear first?”

---

Chapter 3

---

Tagged Blogs:

@avengerleague

@thewhinersoldier

@breeisnotamazingx

@writings-and-stuff

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justformyself2 · 5 years ago

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P.S I Love You (p3)

Hi guys, how are you doing? I hope the quarentine life is treating you well, let’s be brave, save lifes and read some fanfics while we at it, right? Welcome to part three. I hope you all enjoy ♥

The Rom-Com Writing Challenge is brought to you by my dear creative friend @lullabieswrappedinlies. As the title says, this is inspired by - the great at making me cry hard movie- ‘P.S. I Love You.’ if you haven’t seen it, go see it before you read this

BEFORE YOU JUMP IN BE ADVISED:

.This series contains spoilers from the movie P.S. I LOVE YOU.

. Pairing: Reader x John Krasinski.

. (Y/M/N) stands for ‘your mother’s name’

. Parts in italic means memories.

.It contains strong language.

.It contains angst and grieve.

. IF you want you can read this along with the amazing soundtrack from the movie CLICK HERE

NEW HERE? CLICK FOR PART TWO

.gif found by google search.

JOHN'S POV.

Gerry pats my back as if he just told me I had to work an extra shift, but he is not (Y/M/N), and I can't react casually.

"John?"

He calls, devoid of ceremonies as if we already had this routine, and makes an invitation move for me to join him on the varnished red table, and I do, for the main reason of making him rewind the words.

I walk the walk and take a chair in front of him.

"Can you please repeat what you said?"

I go back to the kitchen, leaving her with the TV for a while. She asked for water, and somehow I can't find cups and can't stop walking in circles around this suffocating kitchen, murmuring the phrase 'Gerry was wrong, he was wrong.' under my breath like a lunatic.

"Are you okay?"

I turn around, and she is leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, yes, yes."

I try to breathe between the repetitions, feeling like I've lost some of the control over myself, and I wasn't myself with her walking around this apartment, haunting me as Gerry did, what caused the expected concerned look on her face for a moment.

"Okay, triple confirmation."

I could feel the hotness in my hands, and with that, the unrequested wetness starting to form.

"I don't function very well in the heat."

She giggles and stupid weather talk saves me for now.

"I will get you the water. I just need to find the cups." I turn around spotting, the earlier invisible cups on the dish rack above the sink. "Right there."

I go to them, with the feeling of stupidity over my shoulders.

"John, can I ask you something?"

(Y/N) POV.

He turns the cups up, placing them on the counter slowly, and nods at you before opening the small beige fridge under the dark wooden cabinets. He inclines the torso and grabs a glass jar that seemed too recently filled and not cold enough.

"You and Gerry got pretty close when he was...You know." You breathe in and continue. "Do you know anything about these letters?"

John is pouring the water in the cups, and besides that, he doesn't move a muscle.

"No, I really don't."

Putting the water jar back into the fridge, he then takes a bag of ice out. It makes a cracking sound against the sink, he rips the bag with the help of a knife, looking impatient.

"It is okay if you do. It is not Mark, that's for sure."

You laugh, but he is still quiet while putting the ice cubes on both cups.

The most unusual feeling hits your core, hard, there was no way to miss it, and it is easily discernible.

John hands you the cup with a condescending smile. Your fingers touch slightly; the cold glass refreshes your palm.

"You know. I love Gerry. I'll always will. He was romantic, charming, but awful at poetry. I mean, he had this band back in Ireland, but his friend, Shawn, was to one who wrote all the songs. Writing about his feelings wasn't his thing, I have all the birthday and anniversaries cards to prove it."

You laugh to yourself and watch John start to gulp the water aggressively as you continue the thought.

"I know he told not to get stressed about how the letters were coming, but yesterday I was reading the letters before bed. I realized only some of them have PS: I love you on it, and only some of them have words I know Gerry wouldn't use, ever."

He finishes the liquid in less than a minute, using the back of his hand to wipe his lips while avoiding eye contact, which only made you annoyed.

"John." You called, his eyes shift for a second towards you, blinking twice.

"You can call me crazy, but did you wrote some of the letters?"

JOHN’S POV.

"Listen. I know this is full of good intentions, but someday the letters will stop coming, and when they do, what will she do?"

Gerry reclines on the seat, and for a moment, I let myself get fooled by the idea of putting his mind on the right track.

"I know, but I'm only doing this because I have a reason to take a leap of faith here."

I sigh. My hands were unquiet. I untangle my hair back, feeling an enormous amount of overwhelming frustration.

"And what is that reason?"

"You."

Complete quietness resides between us, although I wanted to say some words back at him, mimicking the same lack of ceremony with which he approaches everything.

"Tell me you're joking."

Gerry smiles, but not at me.

"Good afternoon, guys. What can I get you?"

A John C. Reilly look-alike appears with a notepad on my right.

"Two beers, please." Is Gerry's order.

"I'm not drinking in the middle of the day, dude." I protest, and his eyes roll back.

"I'll have them. If there is a God, he knows how much I need it."

"So, only two beers?" John C. Reilly asks. Gerry's eyes brighten up and squint towards him.

" You look like someone." The waiter heavy sighs and I breathe out, avoiding eye contact with both of them. It is when I noticed through the large windows heavy dark clouds spreading in the sky.

"I will get your order now."

He rushes out, and Gerry laughs, pointing his thumb at the poor man, who was probably disgracing both of us right now.

"I swear to god, can't get his name straight right now." He starts to snap his fingers towards me, like asking for a plus one on his guessing game, and for a moment, I envy how fast he could get adrift from things, that are just not only things but people, (y/n).

"Gerry, can we talk? Actually, talk about this, not get drunk, not get distracted. I know this is hard-."

"You don't, you really don't, unless you are on this seat; You just want to be nice about it, and that is okay. You are the good guy, and you do good things, but sorry if I need a couple of beers to get forward with it. This is not me taking out on the fact that I'm dying. I just need to drink."

He inclines over the table, spreading his hands under his chest. For some odd reason, my mind traces back to the day when (Y/N) appeared at the bar, hyperventilating, throwing the umbrella on the ground, with desperation written all over her face.

It was raining heavily that day, and the news couldn't stop reporting about the flood on the subways stations. I turned the TV off immediately when she burst through the door, falling into (Y/M/N) arms like a child and sobbed aggressively while we tried to figure out what to do. That was the day I knew about Gerry's fate.

"Look. I know what I'm doing sounds in a way, bad for her, but what I'm counting on you to be there because I know-.'' He stops, closing his eyes for a second, suddenly I feel heavy, and still can't anticipate what could be coming from him.

"I know you and her, had a thing before we meet-."

"Oh no, no, no, no-." I cut him straight, wanting to leave, even with the dark clouds threatening to get me on the way, above.

"Shut up, okay, be a grown-up about it and let me finish."

He breaths out.

"I need your help with the letters because you are good at writing and being a poet or whatever you did in college. (Y/N) loves this stuff, and I want the letters to be special, and I want you to be involved in the process, help her to recover. When I'm gone, she is going to need... good people around her, who... loves her."

"Gerry, please."

He ignores me.

"It is going to be her choice in the end, okay? but I only trust you because if you love her enough to see her every day with me and not interfere, then you love her enough to do this. I know I'm twisting the knife, I'm sorry, but she will need you. Of course, she has her mom, who I don't know if it is happy or sad that I'm going to die, and her friends, who will eventually move on, while she is going to feel left behind, she will need someone new, but also someone who knows her, who was always there."

My stomach tosses and turns, and I don't want to trust my senses.

"I thought a long time about this. I can't be selfish; I literally don't have the time. I want (Y/N) to be happy; just see this as a blessing because I rather be you than anyone else, and I have a motive, believe me. Just promise me you will take care of her. Come on! are you denying a dying man his last wish?"

#RomComWC #RCWC #john krasinski imagine #john krasinskixreader #John Krasinski #imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #movie #p.s. i love you #writing challenge

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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An up-to-date look at the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Expect a lot of sequels.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe closed out its “Infinity Saga” last summer with the releases of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, which ended a 23-film cycle of big, ambitious, and thrilling storytelling. Despite what felt like a logical beginning, middle and end to its first few phases of films, Disney and Marvel have no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Captain America, Iron Man, and some of the other key Avengers from the last decade-plus are now set aside for characters stepping forward into bigger roles — such as Black Panther and Captain Marvel — and characters we have not seen in this iteration of films yet. With Disney’s merger with Fox, characters like the X-Men and Fantastic Four are on the way with Marvel Studios now having the rights to the majority of the storied comic company’s intellectual property. This comes after decades of heroes’ film rights being divided among several studios.

Here is the full list of projects that are currently in development for the next phases of the MCU.

Theatrical Releases

Black Widow (November 6, 2020)

There had been rumors for years that Scarlett Johansson would get her own solo film and now it is set to lead Marvel’s “Phase Four” as the first-post Infinity Saga movie. However, this film is set to take place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Other cast members include David Harbour, Rachel Weisz and Florence Pugh, among others. Taskmaster will be the villain in this movie, who is known for his ability to copy the powers of the heroes he is facing.

The Eternals (February 12, 2021)

Marvel is never afraid to throw something new and weird at its audience, and did so with massive success with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The Eternals is set to tell the story of a race of human-god aliens created by beings called Celestials that have lived on Earth for 7,000 years among us. The cast includes Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Angeline Jolie, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, and Kit Harington, to name a few from the massive lineup. Chloé Zhao will helm the film.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (May 7, 2021)

The MCU has a way of existing as genre films inside of a superhero film packaging. To name a few examples, we have seen political thrillers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and heist films (Ant-Man), but now Marvel steps into its first kung fu-inspired take. Shang-Chi is a master of the martial arts and will be played by relative newcomer Simu Liu. We have actually heard of the Ten Rings before, as they were the terrorist organization introduced when Tony Stark was kidnapped in Iron Man. Then, we met its leader, The Mandarin, in Iron Man 3. Except we didn’t because that was a fake out. Tony Leung is set to play the “real” Mandarin and Awkwafina is also set for a role in the film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.

Untitled Spider-Man Sequel (November 5, 2021)

Things were dicey here for a bit with Disney and Sony, who owns Spider-Man’s film rights, having a contract dispute in the summer of 2019. However, both sides came to an agreement and Tom Holland’s Spidey is back on track with Zendaya also set to return and Jon Watts directing once again.

Thor: Love and Thunder (February 11, 2022)

Thor is one of the only original Avengers set to play a role in the next phase of films and both Chris Hemsworth and director Taika Waititi are set to return. Tessa Thompson will also return as Valkyrie and Natalie Portman is making her return to the role of Jane Foster in the film. Foster is set to become the female version of Thor in this next installment with Christian Bale making his MCU debut as the film’s villain, though we do not yet know who he is playing.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)

Doctor Strange’s solo outing was solid, but did not do a ton to movie the needle among MCU fans. That changed with the key role that he played in both Infinity War and Endgame and now he is back for another film centered around him. This time, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Strange will be joined by another Marvel hero in the form of Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen. Benedict Wong is set to return as Wong with Chiwetel Ejiofor also back to play Karl Mordo. The events of this film will be tied into the Scarlet Witch Disney+ series WandaVision (which we will discuss here a bit later). The film will be directed by Sam Raimi of the Evil Dead franchise and the 2000s Spider-Man films.

Black Panther II (May 6, 2022)

When Black Panther became the cultural phenomenon it was after coming out in February of 2018 — eventually earning a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars — it was only a matter of time before we got a sequel. Not much is known about the project other than Ryan Coogler returning to direct and the expectation is that the majority of the cast from the last film should return, as well. The rumor is that the sequel may feature Namor, who actually preceded Aquaman as the Atlantean/human hybrid character in pop culture.

Untitled Captain Marvel Sequel (July 8, 2022)

The only thing that is known about this film is that Brie Larson is set to reprise her role as the titular hero. Seeing as her solo film took place in the 90s and Endgame brought her into the present day, there is no shortage of possibilities for what her next outing might look like.

Unscheduled theatrical projects

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

After a brief brush with controversy over old tweets that saw James Gunn fired from the job of directing this movie, all sides came to an agreement and he was brought back. This is expected to close out the story thread of his iteration of the Guardians, but it is going to have to wait until he finishes work on DC’s The Suicide Squad, which he signed on to direct when he was originally fired by Marvel.

Untitled Ant-Man and The Wasp Sequel

A more recent addition to the upcoming slate of films with news of its development dropping in April 2020. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are expected to be back in their roles, and Peyton Reed will be back to direct after doing the last two films.

Blade

This was the surprise of all surprises when its development was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. Mahershala Ali will be playing the role after lobbying Marvel to bring back the character, and the Oscar winner reaching out was too good for the studio to pass up. That is all we know about this film for now, but it has fans of the vampire hunter excited to see what Ali and the studio can come up with.

Fantastic Four

It is only a matter of time before we get to see Marvel’s iconic foursome of heroes hit the screen again after the Disney-Fox merger went through. After a few “meh” outings in the mid-2000s and a putrid reboot attempt in 2015, the characters are back where they belong. All we know so far is that the studio is developing the project with no other details available at this time. Fans have been clamoring for the real-life couple of John Krasinski and Emily Blunt to play Reed Richards and Sue Storm, respectively. You can add my name to the list of people who would love to see that casting.

X-Men

We are probably far away from the X-Men making their debut in the MCU, which is not the worst thing in the world. Fox’s franchise ran for almost 20 years and it is going to take some time for people to cleanse their pallets of the Hugh Jackman/Patrick Stewart-era of characters. They are on the way, but it is going to take some time and they might be the last of these projects that we see on the screen.

Disney+ Shows

These will appear exclusively on the Disney+ streaming platform, but Marvel maintains they will have cinematic budgets and that everything will connect to the theatrical releases, so this is a brand new layer to the MCU.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (August 2020)

Now that Black Widow has been pushed to the fall, this is the next MCU property we are set to see. This series is set to follow Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) after the events of Endgame, where an old Captain America passed his shield and mantle on to Wilson. Daniel Brühl is set to return as Helmut Zemo of Civil War fame and Emily VanCamp returning as Sharon Carter. Wyatt Russell joins the cast as John Walker, the U.S. government created successor to Steve Rogers.

WandaVision (December 2020)

As we mentioned before, this series is set to lead into the events of the Doctor Strange sequel with Wanda Maximoff involved in a big way. Paul Bettany is also set to return as Vision, as it appears that Wanda has created an alternate reality where they can live together among the backdrop of sitcom-style settings from multiple decades (yeah, it’s going to get really dang weird). An adult version of Monica Rambeau, who was a child in Captain Marvel, is set to debut and be played by Teyonah Parris. Randall Park and Kat Dennings are going to return to the MCU in their roles of Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis, respectively.

Loki (Early 2021)

Loki stealing the Tesseract in an alternate timeline in Endgame screamed Disney+ series, and now Marvel is doing just that. The series will see Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as the God of Mischief as an alternate version of his 2012 self traveling back in time and altering history. Owen Wilson and Richard E. Grant are also set to join in some form or fashion.

What If...? (Mid-2021)

This is going to be an animated anthology series that explores how events of the MCU would have happened by changing different variables, a la if Peggy Carter was given the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. The original actors from MCU films will return to reprise their roles in a voice acting capacity for the series, which will star Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher. A second season has already been greenlit, as well.

Hawkeye (2022)

A limited series is set to come for the bow-and-arrow wielder with Jeremy Renner reprising his role as Clint Barton, which would see him pass on his mantle of Hawkeye to Kate Bishop (reportedly to be portrayed by Hailee Steinfeld).

Ms. Marvel (2022)

Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel has been a recent character in the comics with rapidly growing popularity among fans. Not a whole lot is out there on the series other than Bisha K. Ali being hired as the head writer. It is also possible Ms. Marvel is introduced in Captain Marvel’s sequel.

Moon Knight (2022)

Moon Knight is Marvel’s answer to Batman, except he has a dissociative identity disorder. So ... that’s an interesting concept. In addition to his Disney+ series, Moon Knight will be appearing in future MCU films, as well.

She-Hulk (2022)

She-Hulk is set to revolve around Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner/Hulk who gains powers after receiving a blood transfusion from him. Walters is a skilled lawyer and has often appeared as representation to heroes and other enhanced beings over the years. Another ... interesting concept. Marvel is reportedly looking for an “Alison Brie-type” to play this character. The lead writer on the series is set to be Jessica Gao of Rick and Morty fame.

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The Office: 10 Jokes That Have Already Aged Poorly | ScreenRant

The Office is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. The series ran for nine seasons on NBC and helped launch the career of beloved actors like Steve Carrell and John Krasinski. It had a pretty basic premise, simply based around the lives of a paper company and the day-to-day activities at the office.

Related: 10 Super Relatable Quotes From The Office

What made it unique was its mockumentary style of filming, it's sharp writing and the heavy satire. Michael Scott was the worst boss you could have and Carrell played him to perfection, often becoming the butt of every joke. However, there were some jokes that have aged pretty poorly.

10 The name tag game

Many people remember "Diversity Day" as it was one of the early standout episodes of the show. There are some great jokes in the episode and cunning commentary, but there are also some moments that have aged terribly. The concept of the episode is for everyone to learn how to be more "open to diversity." In order to do so, they get labels of different races and religions placed on their forehead.

The characters then have to try and figure out who they are based on clues given by others. Some of the more offensive moments in the episode involve heavy racist stereotyping.

9 Hot Girl

Did you know that Amy Adams once guest-starred in an episode of The Office? You could be forgiven for forgetting since the episode she was in was one of the worst in the entire series. Season one of The Office was poorly received, to begin with.

The entire concept of the episode is simple: Amy Adams's character is perceived as hot and so Michael and Dwight spend the episode acting extremely inappropriate towards her. In a time where workplace harassment is a hot topic, this episode would certainly not have been taken lightly if it aired today.

8 Michael's treatment of Toby

Speaking of workplace harassment, it's hard to think of Michael's treatment of Toby as funny nowadays. The joke already got somewhat old on the original series after a while. It got particularly bad when Michael wished Toby dead and also said he would rather shoot Toby twice than Hitler or Osama Bin Laden.

Related: 10 Quotes From The Office That Are Still Hilarious Today

Of course, the point of many of these jokes is to make Michael seem like the butt of the joke. The series is aware it's crossing a line twice. That said, the way Toby was treated doesn't quite sit well when rewatching the show back.

7 The outdated technology

Some jokes from The Office didn't age poorly because they were offensive but simply because they refer to things no longer in existence. In one Christmas episode, Michael buys Ryan a "video iPod." Try explaining that to someone from Generation Z. There are several jokes about iPods on the series actually because when The Office first came out, it was one of the hot items on the market.

iPods aren't even made anymore, especially not the Shuffle or the other versions. It's funny to look at some of the other equipment they used then too like the bulky televisions instead of projectors or the old cell phones.

6 Ping

The point of many jokes surrounding Michael Scott's character was to highlight his stupidity. You were supposed to laugh at him and not with him. However, when Michael created the "Ping" character, it went a step too far and has certainly aged extremely poorly. Ping was a racist caricature of an Asian delivery man.

Related: The Office: 5 Romantic Relationships Fans Approved (& 5 They Rejected)

It involved all the terrible things you often see associated with racist jokes and stereotyping. Such a depiction would probably not even make it to the air if it had been written the same way today. To make matters even worse, Michael also wore a pair of glasses that made him "appear more Asian." This can definitely be seen as racist.

5 Michael's Chris Rock impression

This was another cringe-inducing moment from the second episode, "Diversity Day." In it, Michael decides it would be a good idea to do an impression of comedian, Chris Rock. To make matters even worse, he actually repeats, verbatim, the original Chris Rock sketch from the 1990s in which he uses several racial slurs.

The words are bleeped out in the episode but it's clear what Michael is saying and everyone is shown to be adequately shocked by his behavior. It was unnecessary at the time and has certainly only gone on to age poorly since it was originally aired.

4 Kelly's false accusation

In one episode, Kelly makes a comment that she was raped as an excuse to get out of something. Michael claims that she can't just say that to make all her problems go away. Given how big the #MeToo movement is and how we live in a time where believing women is more important than ever, making such a crass joke about false accusations doesn't sit right watching it now.

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It has certainly aged poorly, as have many different aspects of Kelly's character given her tendencies to be overtly creepy towards Ryan. The same can be said for Michael's treatment of Ryan.

3 Dwight opens a gym

Dwight opening a gym wasn't a bad storyline but he does make a joke about how he will get it to become profitable that has certainly aged poorly. He says that the way to make a successful business is to get "all the black people to do it first" and then the white people will follow and then you get the black people to stop doing it.

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You can see how a joke of that nature would likely not sit well with people who watched the show in today's climate, nor was it appropriate then.

2 Nate dresses as a minstrel

This joke is very small and doesn't actually get played out in full as Dwight decides to cancel it but it's surprising the show thought it was a good idea at all. In Dwight's Christmas he comes in dressed as a Krampus-style figure and his assistant, Nate is dressed as a minstrel in full blackface.

Blackface is never a smart move, it's always offensive. Luckily, Dwight decides to cancel the event but we still see Nate dressed up as he answers his cell phone and then turns back to discard the outfit.

1 Michael outs Oscar

Michael outing Oscar was a pretty big deal on the show and Michael was rightfully portrayed as the bad guy. The joke of the entire thing feels far more cringeworthy when watching it back now. We know that many gay people are still beaten and killed for simply existing.

Outing someone against their will and without their consent is a pretty terrible thing to do. Even though Michael is meant to seem awful when he does it, it's still clearly a joke that hasn't aged well with time.

Next: The Mindy Project: 10 Cameos From The Office Cast

source https://screenrant.com/office-jokes-aged-poorly-tv-show/

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