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elisysd · 6 months ago

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13. But I'll believe in you, still your number one fan

Summary : Kyle Dawson would never be more than a childhood crush to Romy Schumacher and she had made her peace with that fact a long time ago. But when a drunken night leads her waking up next to him, new and old feelings come back to the surface and what started as a mistake quickly becomes an habit. Even if she swore to herself that she would never fall again for the world champion, her heart has other plans. After all, the heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing.

Masterlist - Previously - Next

Chapter soundtrack: The Last One - Maisie Peters

He didn't have the energy to follow her outside. He screwed up twice in two days. First, with his best friend and now with the girl he was hopelessly in love with. Regrets filled him. He didn't even get the chance to tell her he loved her, and now she was gone. His cheek was hurting, but he didn't care. No amount of physical pain would compare to the one he felt in his heart.

He heard people cheering and celebrating. He should be there, he should support his team and his friend, but all he wanted to do was leave this goddamn place. On his way out, he crossed paths with Ethan, who was looking frustrated; the race hadn't gone well for him either. But when he saw his best friend looking distraught, he didn't hesitate to come to him. Kyle explained everything from his fight with Romy to his illness and saw the confusion before the fear in Ethan's eyes and a hint of sadness in him. He was hurting everyone around him and was hating himself for it. He saw Ethan reluctantly leaving him. He had his own girlfriend, not really a girlfriend, to search for. Kyle couldn't blame him. They would have time to talk about this later. For now, he had to find Romy and try to make amends. He wandered the paddock alleyways, starting with Audi's hospitality and garage, but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was faced with an equally worried Seb.

"Dawson? Have you seen my number one driver? She hasn't gone to the weighing nor to the media pen. She was fined, and I don't mind paying it, but I'm just worried."

"It's my fault…" Kyle admitted, eyes glued to the ground.

"How bad have you messed up?"

"A hell of a lot. Wait… you know about…" he dared not say anything further. And say what anyway? There had never been a them when it came to him and Romy and with his confession it was even less likely to happen.

"She told me a few things; let me tell you, Kyle, she cares. More than you think. She has been through a lot; don't give up on her. She won't give up on you."

"I think today, she might. I… I lied to her. I didn't want to, and I feel bad enough."

"You have your heart in the right place, kiddo; there is nothing that a good conversation can't fix. It will work out."

He didn't know what went through his mind, but Seb always had a kind aura surrounding him, and Kyle felt at ease to talk about his illness.

"I'm sorry, Kyle. I can't even begin to comprehend what you must feel. I'm here for you if needed. If you want a second opinion about a treatment, I know a good doctor. Whatever you need. F1 can't lose you just yet."

"Thank you, Seb. For everything."

"Now go, find your girl," the team principal smiled gently at him.

He nodded before going back to his quest. It didn't take long before his phone vibrated in his pocket, and Ethan's name appeared on his screen.

Romy is with Julia behind the Skoda's hospitality.

Kyle had never run this fast in his life. And indeed, she was there, crying in Julia's arms. He screamed her name like a madman, making her look up. When he earned no reaction from her side, he rushed to her and crouched down as Julia disappeared to give them some space and privacy. He took her in his arms, forcing her against his chest.

"I'm so mad at you! You should have told me everything as soon as you started to feel your eyesight declining! Now I understand better why you complained about the headaches and why you were always hitting yourself with the furniture,"she sobbed in his shirt while punching his chest at the same time.

"I'm sorry… I didn't want you to think about me when you were on track. I don't want to be a burden for you, sunshine. You don't need that. Not when you are fighting for a podium. I don't want you to think about me," he mumbled in her hair.

She sighed, annoyed, and glared at him.

"Oh my God, Kyle Evan Dawson, when will you finally understand that whenever I'm in this car, I'm fighting for my granddad, dad, and you! You are one of the reasons why I want to be up there on this podium! I always have you in mind when I'm racing! Always! I want you to be proud of me! Because I love you! So much!" she punctuated her speech with a few punches on his chest, right where his heart was beating faster than ever.

He had imagined and dreamed of hearing those words from her, but nothing could ever top up the reality. He took her head between his hands and glued his forehead to hers, his breath falling on her lips.

"Romy Lisa Schumacher, I'm in love with you too; you have no idea how much. Be mine. Officially. Please, be mine today and forever. I don't want to let you go, not today, not ever."

"I'm yours, idiot. I've always been. Even when I was too stupid to admit it," she smiled as he finally let his lips meet hers. From afar, he heard Ludwig cheering, but he didn't care. He and Ethan could talk and whistle all they wanted. He had his happiness between his arms, and he had the firm intention to keep it that way.

They finally left the track, hand in hand, not caring if anyone was seeing them. They briefly separated to go to each other's cars and met again at the hotel a few minutes later. Without a word, Kyle followed her to her room. She asked him for a minute, just for her to change into more comfortable clothes. She sprayed her face with water and looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were rosy and were hurting from smiling, her eyes glossy from happiness. She looked younger, too. Was it what people were talking about when they were saying that you had a special glow when you were in love? She shook her head, laughing silently at herself.

"I'm in love," she whispered in front of her reflection. I'm in love with Kyle Dawson. And he loves me too." She bit her lip, refraining from jumping around. She felt silly, but most of all, she didn't care.

"Romy?" his voice came from behind the door, startling her a little. "Are you okay in there? It's been more than fifteen minutes…"

"I'm good! Perfect, even," she replied, opening the door. "Hi," she smiled.

"Hey, you."

She felt a little awkward. It was all too new for her; she didn't know how she was supposed to act. Did they have to talk about their relationship from now on?

"I see the wheels turning inside your mind," he told her, resting his hands on her hips. His breath was hot against her ear, making her blush.

"It's new to me."

"I know, don't worry."

"There are many things I want to say… I just don't know how," she sighed, frustrated.

"Let it out."

"I… I feel stupid, first and foremost. Because I know I have had these feelings for you for so long, and I wanted to deny them because I was scared, even though you've never given me a reason to be. At least recently. And it hurt me to do so. I was self-sabotaging because I was stubborn. I hurt you, and I hurt myself. I'm sorry. I feel guilty. And a part of me regrets acting like that because I can't help but think I missed many beautiful things with you. And it's time we won't get back."

He took her head between his hands, making her look at him.

"What is done is done, Romy. What matters is now. I just want to know one thing. Are you, right now, all in?"

"I am. I promise you, I am."

"Then we forget about the past; from now on, it is you and me," he said, pressing his forehead against hers.

She nodded and smiled, throwing her arms around his neck and her lips on his, kissing him until she was out of breath. One thing led to another, and soon, her clothes were off, and soft pantings filled the room. She had never felt safer and more loved in his arms at night.

When she woke up the next day, she didn't want to leave; she wanted to stay. Kyle was still sleeping soundly next to her. She didn't dare move, not wanting to wake him up.

"It's rude to stare," he mumbled.

"Good morning. Boyfriend."

He stirred and opened his eyes before pulling her against him to snuggle.

"Boyfriend?" he mumbled against her hair.

"You don't like it?"

"I only like it if I can call you girlfriend."

"I think it is doable."

She reached for a phone on the bedside table and found many messages from her PR officer.

"Shit hit the fan," she sighed, showing them to Kyle.

"Can you read them for me? It's always a bit hard for me to be fully aware of my surroundings in the morning."

"Sorry… Sonia, my PR officer, is saying that photographers took pictures of us yesterday while we were heading out. We weren't careful, for sure. And now, people are talking. She is asking about our relationship to better prepare for her damage-control session. I don't understand why she calls that damage control… I mean, I imagine perfectly well what is being said."

"What are you going to say?"

"The truth. That we are dating and that I don't give a flying fuck about what they all say. You're one of the very few sources of happiness in my life, I'm not giving that up."

"I'm glad to hear it. It wasn't what you were saying a few weeks ago."

"It's just… I want to be brave. You make me want to be brave for you. You are inspiring, Kyle. Not only because of how much of a champion you are but also, what you're going through…"

"I don't want your pity," he cut her.

"It's not pity… far from it. I'm in awe of you. You're so strong and brave. I just wish I could be more like you for you. That's all I'm saying," she touched his cheek. "You said that you had a list of reasons why we would be perfect together…"

"I do, indeed."

"Can you tell them now?" she shyly asked.

"What do you think they are?"

"Well, from an aesthetic point of view, we look good together," he laughed as if it rarely happened.

"It was not the first thing on my list, but you're right. Honestly, that list is not that long. I think I can shorten it to one sentence. We are so different that it is what makes us alike."

"Okay, Shakespeare."

"I mean… you complete me, Romy. Every piece that I found was missing in my life; you brought it to me. All that makes you who you are and that I'm not makes me want to be better for you. We are one and the same despite what makes us so different. And I like to think I do the same thing to you."

"You do. That's what scared me and attracted me at the same time. You're grounding me. I just have to look at you to know everything will be okay. You make me feel at peace with myself. And you're hot. That helps," he pinched her side, making her yelp. "No, but for real. Somehow, you're my first love. I've had boyfriends before, but none compare to what you made me feel when I was a preteen and what you make me feel now. I still feel like ten years ago when you're near."

"And I hope to make you still feel that way in ten years," he kissed the side of her head before moving to her lips.

Author's note: Yay, they confessed. Have I ever said I loved them? 🥹

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. Besides the fact that I absolutely love to read you, it helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

Taglist: @smoooothoperator-admin

#f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 story #f1 x oc #mick schumacher #formula 1 fanfic #formula 1 x female driver #formula 1 x oc #formula 1 fandom #formula 1 fic #formula 1 story #f1 x female driver #writing #fiction #mick schumacher fic #f1 fiction

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wrestlingisfake · 2 years ago

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AEW Fake Rankings, 9/4/2023

Men's singles division - babyfaces

Bryan Danielson

Kenny Omega

Orange Cassidy

Eddie Kingston (NJPW STRONG champion)

Chris Jericho

Adam Page

Katsuyori Shibata* (ROH pure champion)

Miro

HOOK (FTW champion)

Keith Lee

Men's singles division - heels

Jon Moxley (AEW international champion)

Konosuke Takeshita

Samoa Joe (ROH television champion)

Ricky Starks

Claudio Castagnoli (ROH men's world champion)

Jay White

Luchasaurus (AEW TNT champion)

Christian Cage

Powerhouse Hobbs

Juice Robinson

Unranked: AR Fox, Big Bill, Brock Anderson, Dalton Castle, Daniel Garcia, El Hijo del Vikingo (AAA mega champion), Ethan Page, Gravity, Isiah Kassidy, Jake Hager, Komander, Lee Johnson, Metalik*, Nick Wayne, Scorpio Sky, Serpentico, Shawn Spears, Shane Taylor, Swerve Strickland, Tony Nese, Wheeler Yuta

* Not listed on AEW's official roster

Feels like a lot of shakeup here, for a variety of reasons: The departure of CM Punk and the suspension of Jack Perry, MJF and Adam Cole becoming a hot babyface team, the dissolution of Chris Jericho's stable, and multiple guys returning to prominence on Collision.

It might seem weird to rank Danielson as the top babyface when he's clearly part of a heel faction. All I know is everybody loved him at Forbidden Door, and he was clearly playing babyface against Starks this weekend. Does that mean a turn or a breakup in the Blackpool Combat Club's future? I doubt it. Either way, I'm sure Danielson will be back to kicking puppies or whatever soon enough.

It's striking to me how Cassidy and Kingston have risen up through the ranks, but I also think it's worth callint out how pivotal Samoa Joe has become. He's become a fixture on Collision and ROH, and now he's mixing it up with MJF. It's strange to me that he's running around with ROH's midcard title when he's being pushed ahead of Castagnoli. Maybe those two need to face off one of these days.

Men's tag team division - babyfaces

Better Than You Bay Bay - MJF (AEW men's world champion) & Adam Cole (ROH tag team champions)

FTR - Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler (AEW tag team champions)

The Young Bucks - Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson

The Hardys - Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy

Darby Allin & Sting

Best Friends - Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta

Lucha Bros. - Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix

Action Andretti & Darius Martin

The Outrunners - Truth Magnum* & Turbo Floyd*

Men's tag team division - heels

The Gunns - Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn

Aussie Open - Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher

John Silver & Alex Reynolds

Mike Santana & Angel Ortiz

Matt Menard & Angelo Parker

Vincent* & Dutch*

The Wingmen - Peter Avalon & Ryan Nemeth*

* Not listed on AEW's official roster

I'm actually not sure if the Outrunners are supposed to be faces or heels, but I like 'em, so there. I'm also not sure how long Rey Fenix is supposed to be out selling the injury angle from two weeks ago.

Conspicuous by their absence on this list is the Kigndom, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, who are obviously being set up for a big match with Cole and MJF. At this point I don't see anyone else taking the ROH tag title from the champs, but very little about the Cole/MJF story has gone the way I expected. Maybe they could headline Final Battle in December?

As for the AEW tag title, I assume FTR vs. Gunns is the next step, but there's probably another FTR-Bucks showdown coming sooner or later. If Santana and Ortiz are really sticking together, they need to get back in the title hunt. I suspect Silver and Reynolds are out of the running after losing last night--they'll probably get back to trios matches with Evil Uno.

Men's trios division - babyfaces

Max Caster & Anthony Bowens & Billy Gunn (AEW trios champions)

Bronson* & Boulder* & Jacked Jameson*

Men's trios division - heels

Malakai Black & Brody King & Buddy Matthews

Brian Cage & Bishop Kaun* & Toa Liona* (ROH trios champions)

Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh

QT Marshall (AAA Latin American champion) & Johnny TV & Aaron Solo

Kip Sabian & The Butcher & The Blade

* Not listed on AEW's official roster

It's still hard to tell which trios are sticking together long term, and which ones are just thrown together for a couple of matches before going their separate ways again. As it stands, though, we've got a few heel teams for Billy and the Acclaimed to fight for a while. Cage's team has mostly defended their ROH title in glorified squash matches; if they're building them up to be unseated by a serious team, I have no idea when that will happen.

Women's singles division - babyfaces

Britt Baker

Kris Statlander (AEW TBS champion)

Hikaru Shida

Willow Nightingale

Skye Blue

Women's singles division - heels

Saraya (AEW women's world champion)

Athena (ROH women's world champion)

Toni Storm

Ruby Soho

Nyla Rose

Anna Jay

Taya Valkyrie

Mercedes Martinez

Diamante

Marina Shafir

Unranked: Emi Sakura, The Bunny

The heel side looks very strong until you recall that many of them have only had one televised AEW match all month. Nevertheless, it feels like it's time for some women to turn face, and I suppose the breakup of Storm, Saraya, and Soho will help in that regard. Thing is, the women's roster has more than enough talent to get 10 faces and 10 heels on TV regularly; they just don't for some reason. Maybe if Mercedes Mone comes in that will change, but experience has taught me that it'll take more than that.

Only wrestled in ROH matches in past 30 days: Angelico, Brandon Cutler, Christopher Daniels, Evil Uno, Griff Garrison, Josh Woods, Kiera Hogan, Lee Moriarty, Leila Grey, Leyla Hirsch, Luther, Madison Rayne, Matt Sydal, Shawn Dean

Most of the names here are not what you'd call key players on the weekly ROH shows. In other words, the real backbone of the ROH roster is mostly people wrestlers who aren't exclusive to either brand, like Athena, Willow, Joe, Dalton, etc. That's working out as far as the quality of both brands, but I'm not sure it's a good strategy for establishing a unique brand identity for ROH.

No televised AEW or ROH matches in over 30 days: Abadon, Andrade El Idolo, Anthony Ogogo, Ari Daivari, Colt Cabana, Dustin Rhodes, Harley Cameron, Julia Hart, Lance Archer, Matt Taven, Michael Nakazawa, Mike Bennett, Nick Comoroto, Parker Bordreaux, Penelope Ford, Preston Vance, Red Velvet, Riho, Rush, Sammy Guevara, Serena Deeb, Stu Grayson, Wardlow, Yuka Sakazaki, Zack Clayton

Part-time/semi-retired: Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay*, Paige Vanzant, Paul Wight, Rebel, Rob Van Dam*, Sonjay Dutt, Stokely Hathaway

* Not listed on AEW's official roster

Inactive

Bandido (left arm - broken wrist)

Danhausen (right shoulder - pectoralis tear)

Dante Martin (left leg - unspecified injury)

Jack Perry (indefinite suspension)

Jade Cargill (personal leave)

Jamie Hayter (right shoulder - unspecified injury)

Kyle O'Reilly (neck - herniated spinal disc)

Mark Briscoe (knee - unspecified injury)

Marq Quen (undisclosed injury)

PAC (undisclosed injury)

Roderick Strong (storyline - neck inury)

Tay Melo (pregnancy)

Thunder Rosa (back - unspecified injury)

#aew #fake rankings

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gryffindormarveltwilight · 3 years ago

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Hogwarts Champion Part 3 - Sirius Black x Reader

A/N: This part is a little bit angsty and a bit shorter as well! Next part should be up soon! As always any request, suggestions or feedback please let me know x

Masterlist

Part 2

Pairings: Sirius Black x Reader

Warnings: Violence, Fighting, Angst, Mentions of death

Time seem to fly but we finally figured our a few different ways I may be able to win this challenge, and now the day had finally arrived. I was standing in the tent with the other champions all of us as nervous as the next. Dumbledore and the Minster walked in holding a small bag and we were told to pick out which dragon we would be going up against. As the champion from the home school I selected first. I put my hand in the bag and flinched slightly as i got hit with a little bit of fire. I grabbed hold of one of the tiny dragons and lifted it out opening my hand.

The Hungarian Horntail.

I panic slightly not even noticing what the other champions got. Because i picked first the other champions when before me. I stood in the tent nervously waiting my turn. I watch as the other champions came in battered and bruised but holding the golden egg nonetheless.

“And now up against the Hungarian Horntail the Hogwarts Champion Y/N Potter!”

I take a deep breath gripping my wand tightly before stepping into the arena. I spot the golden egg sitting in the middle of the arena but cannot see the dragon anywhere. I take a step forward and pause as the dragon crashes down in front of me roaring in the process, i hear the crowd go silent as i stare at the beast maintaining eye contact. I couldnt believe it was working, we had read in the book staring at the beast and not coming across as aggressive was one way to calm a dragon down. Suddenly there was a crash in the distance one of the other dragons roared in the distance, the horntail whipped its head toward the sound then back to me.

“oh no.” I mumbled to myself.

SIRIUS POV

“Sirius!” I heard Remus call behind me.

“Moony what do you want?”

“Why are you ignoring Y/N? She already stressed about the bloody dragons and you having ignored her for so long is stressing her even more.”

“I can’t. I can’t be around her knowing she is going to get hurt.” I whisper. “And she lied to me, hid from me that she was going to enter.”

“Thats what this is about, Sirius she didn’t tell anyone.”

“She told you.”

“No i could tell by the look on her face she was going to enter and tried to stop her, you think any of us want to see her hurt!” Remus started raising his voice.

“She could have told me!”

“You would have tried to stop her!”

“She shouldn’t be doing this! Its too dangerous!”

“She needs to do this, for her.”

“For eternal glory and more money.”

“No Sirius , so she can finally feel worthy of being a Potter and a Marauder.”

“What! She is worthy whatever that means! She is the most important and valued person in the group.”

“But thats not how she feels. Her whole life she has been compared to James and his achievements! And even within our group she thinks she doesnt belong despite me always telling her she does.” I looked at Remus in shock after hearing him describe how Y/N was feeling. Our Y/N, my Y/N, the one who suggested become animagus’ to help Remus, the one who prioritises making sure we are okay before even considering if she is okay, the one who sat up with peter to prepare for exam, who stayed up with me whenever i had a nightmare or couldn’t sleep. Our Y/N who without our group would fall apart.

“I think deep down as well even if she doesn’t know it she is trying to prove that she is more than just one of the guys, she likes you Sirius I think this is her way of showing you she is more than just James’ sister. Please come tomorrow to support our best friend.” With that Remus walked away leaving Sirius with his thoughts.

Now here I am sitting in the arena, watching the girl i love stare down one of the most dangerous creatures in our world. I glanced at James and Remus who looked just as shocked at me.

“Its working,” Remus whispered and I turn back. Suddenly we hear a bang and a roar in the distance, we watch and Y/N and the dragon turn their heads toward the noise, the crowd does as well except me i keep my eyes focused on Y/N, the dragon slowly turns its head back toward her, i see her lips move but I can’t make out the words. The dragon lifts its head getting ready to breathe fire. Y/N quickly drives out of the way of the flames however the dragon whips its tailing around slamming into her body as she flys back slamming into a rock. We saw her wand land a few feet away, it looks like she is trying to catch her when the dragon turns back toward her. I scream her name as the dragon breathes another lot of fire in her direction I see her lift her hand in front of her head as she is engulfed in flames, everyone goes silent. I look at James who looks like he is about to pass out, i take a seat and put my head in my hands and James does the same thing. Remus putting his hand on our shoulders.

“LOOK!” We hear someone yell behind us. As we look up expecting to see our friend in ashes we see the fire curling around in an unnatural direction Y/N slowly pulling her self of the ground toward her wand holding her hand out infront of her a shield forming around her. She quickly grabs her wand holding her other hand out she pulls her hands back and then pushes them forward like she was pushing and invisible force and the dragon stumbled back, as the dragon tried regaining its composure so did Y/N who was stumbling in the arena making her way toward the egg, she flicked her wand though we couldnt make out what spell she used. She stumbled behind a rock shielding herself as the dragon spat fire at her again. Suddenly Y/Ns broomstick comes into sight. She times it perfectly and manages to jump on it and lift herself up out of the dragons reach, everyone in the crowd was cheering minus me remus james and peter. She swooped past the egg narrowly missing the dragons tail and the fire from its mouth which hit the end of the broom, before she flew over the top of the tent she had started in. Our eyes followed her as we watched her fall off her broom landing outside the arena.

We were quick to jump to our feet james and i running as fast as we could. When we got to the champions tent we saw madam pompfrey and minnie hovering over her.

“Is she alive?” James said holding back tears.

“We don’t know.” Minnie said as tears started streaming down my face.

#sirius black series #sirius black x y/n #sirius black imagine #sirius black x fem!reader #sirius black x reader #sirius orion black #sirius black #sirius x reader #harry potter universe #harry potter #marauders #marauders x reader

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traincat · 3 years ago

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Yuletide Reveals 2021

Happy Yuletide reveals and happy new year! This was my first year back on the Yuletide horse after sitting it out for a few years, and I wrote three things and got three things so it was a pretty great Yuletide!

My fic:

A Lingering Soul, Fantastic Four (Comicsverse), Johnny Storm & Valeria Richards, 7k, rated G.

“What about you?” Val asked Franklin suspiciously. “Don’t you want Uncle Johnny to teach you how to drive, too?”

If Franklin wanted Uncle Johnny to teach him how to drive, then Valeria could bow out gracefully, citing Franklin’s right to go first as the older sibling.

“I’ve met my older self,” Franklin said. “He’s a terrible driver and he told me that that’s the best it’s ever going to get, so I figure there’s no point.”

Valeria, Johnny, a homecoming, and the worst car in the world. Canon divergent after the beginning of Slott's run.

Fire in the Cold, Fantastic Four/Spider-Man (Comicsverse), Peter Parker/Johnny Storm, 8k, rated T.

“I’m Jewish,” Peter pointed out.

For some reason he couldn’t fathom, he hadn’t kicked Johnny to the curb after lunch, and now they were strolling through Central Park, elbows occasionally bumping, drawing looks from people who recognized Johnny as the world famous superhero and celebrity Human Torch and Peter, if he was lucky, as “that guy who used to date that supermodel.”

“Exactly!” Johnny said. “So it’s not like you have other plans.”

“Oy,” Peter said. “That’s offensive, you know that? You’re offending me right now. I don’t know why I bother even talking to you, it just goes in one ear and out the other.”

“So you’ll do it?” Johnny asked, proving Peter’s point entirely.

“I really get the distinct impression you’re not listening to me,” Peter said. “Look, just – break it down slowly for me, okay? Don’t pretend I’m privy to whatever goes on up there on Planet Storm. Why do you want me, specifically me, to pretend to be your boyfriend for your holiday trip?”

Johnny asks Peter to pretend to be his boyfriend for Christmas. Peter has a lot of feelings about it.

A Champion Ring, Spider-Man (Comicsverse), Kaine Parker/Flash Thompson, 13k, rated T.

“So why are you and your husband here then, Mr. Thompson?” Angelique, the resort’s founder who’d introduced herself to the group as a commitment counselor and, to Kaine's total mortification, sexologist, asked. “What areas of your life are you hoping will be enriched by your stay with us? You’re both young, and yet you’ve taken on so much responsibility, fostering two teenage girls. Let’s talk a little bit about the pressure there.”

If Kaine had to listen to her talk about responsibility for another thirty seconds, he was going to lose it. Flash had told him to sell it, so what the hell.

“He’s in love with my brother,” Kaine said bluntly.

Agent Venom asks for Kaine's help on a mission, Kaine overthinks everything, and there is Only One Bed.

I also got three amazing gifts!

Long Way to Happy by pariahsdream, Kaine Parker/Flash Thompson, 9.6k, rated T. Kaine and Flash keep in contact after the events of Minimum Carnage, somewhat grudgingly on Kaine's part. This is a really perfect exploration of Kaine through the events of Scarlet Spider and New Warriors, and his developing relationship with Flash is handled with so much care and detail. Also, Kaine and Aracely get a very ugly cat. It's perfect and I love it.

And Hearts Will Be Glowing by sometimesalways (cherryvanilla), Peter Parker/Johnny Storm, 2.7k, rated T. Johnny, Peter, and the first Christmas at the Usual Place after they get together. This is so lovely and sweet but there's a point in it where I started laughing and then didn't stop until the end. It's so good.

Be There When I’m Gone by sometimesalways (cherryvanilla), Peter Parker/Johnny Storm, 2k, rated M. I'm always really fascinated by the idea of alternate takes on Johnny and Peter's shared history if they had gotten together at any point during it, and how that shapes and changes the coming events of their respective canon, and this delivers on that beautifully. An alternate take on Fraction's run where Johnny asked Peter to take his spot on the team instead of Darla. Incredibly thoughtful with the canon, sweet and wonderful!

#spideytorch #flashkaine #myfic #fic recs #yuletide 2021 #yuletide

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blooming-violets · 3 years ago

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Who are some of your favorite tv/book/movie characters? And what is it about them that you love?

Oh jesus there are so many and I'm brain farting on all of them. I need to have a think...

Let's start with the obvious because he's who this tumblr is about.

My sweet baby boy Peter Parker (tasm version but all Peter Parker's are precious to me):

Why? He's angsty, he loves to self flagellate, he blames the world's problems on himself, he's an introvert (now that I think about most of my fav characters are probably angsty introverts) he turns into a giddy nervous idiot around the girl he loves, he's sassy and cocky and stubborn and a bit of an ass at times, he's also a mushy little lover boy who simps hard for his ladies, he's a mommas boy (well...aunties boy), he mourns his losses hard and doesn't know how to get over them, he destroys personal relationships in misguided attempts to protect his loved ones, he's a perfect baby and can do no wrong and I love to turn him into a serial killing monster in my fics.

My second favorite sweet baby boy Spencer Reid:

Why? He's another sad angsty introverted baby. I have a type. A gentle personality with an intense drive to protect his loved ones. Is self sacrificing. Would give up his life and safety in a second to save a stranger. He's a literal genius with an eidetic memory. Much like Peter Parker he would be an absolute simp for his ladies. He just wants someone to love him for himself and not have to watch his love get shot in the head in front of his eyes and traumatize him forever. Is that too much to ask for this poor angel?? Omg him and Peter really are a lot alike. So much trauma.

My favorite vampire hunter Guillermo de la Cruz:

Why? I love that he started off being a timid pushover who's only dream was to become a vampire. Then he transforms in the most badass, gay, plus sized serial killer/vampire hunter. I'm pretty sure he's a sociopath. He's an evil bitch who looks like a sweet cherub in a grandpa cardigan. He has killed and will kill again to get what he wants. He will manipulate anyone and take control of his own life. I love him. I love that even though his morals are reprehensible, you still can't help but be on his side and root for his success in whatever nefarious scheme he has going on.

I should put this shit under a read more. I'm getting carried away and now I can't stop.

My heart and soul April Ludgate:

Why? I would die for Aubrey Plaza. April is my favorite weirdo. She's a mean, harsh, scary, sarcastic bitch on the outside but a nervous, self doubting, awkward, loyal baby on the inside. She is a queen and deserves the world. And she adopted a three legged pitbull named Champion. She gave birth in full zombie make up. She's a Halloween loving freak. Her friends become her family. She's a ride or die kind of girl. She is perfection.

Yes I fell hard on the Munson train, sue me:

Why? Why not? Look at him! He's lovely! He's an 80's outcast nerdy metal head who sells pot to his peers out of his lil lunch box. What a hero! People love to discuss his sexuality. To throw my hat into the mix, personally, I think he's pansexual. I think he would straight up fall in love with anyone who gives him an ounce of kindness and attention. He's a little dumb scaredy cat with a heart of gold and probably chain smokes himself to sleep every night. 10/10 would ride him deep into the night. He might of died young (in the dumbest way ever like the dumbass that he is) but he will always live on in the fics I create in my headspace as I go to bed each night.

okay last one

Michonne from the Walking Dead:

Why? I would let her behead me with her katana without a second thought. She's the most bad ass bitch on that show (granted I haven't actually watched the show in forever, I stopped after Carl died, but I still adore those first handful of seasons). Like most of my other idiots on this list, Michonne is a quiet introvert who is fiercely loyal to people she considers family. She doesn't say much but when she does, it's important and you should fucking listen. She's intelligent, crafty, knows how to survive, and is stronger than any man on that show. What's not to love?

#asks

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route22ny · 4 years ago

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BY MICHAEL J. MOONEY | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE SHAFER

Staring at the front of the Royal Theater, I feel as though I’m looking backward through time. Taking in the cerulean marquee, the painted red fringe around the box office, the vertical ROYAL sign jutting into the afternoon sky—it’s easy to imagine why the denizens of Archer County flocked here for decades. The theater was a dark, cool respite from the blazing sun, a still escape from the whipping winds of the North Central Plains, a glimpse of entertainment from the outside world.

The theater—or what’s left of it anyway—peers out from the northeast corner of the town square. Without the storied theater, this could be any small town in Texas. Weathered barns and rusted oil pumps dot the landscape. Anchoring the town is the imposing three-story Romanesque Revival county courthouse, with stone archways and provincial peaks. There’s also a small café (Murn’s), a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it police station, a few antiques stores, and a single four-way stoplight swaying in the breeze like an apparition.

The Royal Theater as it is now and as it was then.

This isn’t just any small town in Texas, though. Archer City is the Texas small town. It’s the setting of both the novel and film versions of The Last Picture Show, a coming-of-age story rendered in black and white that earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Best Directing, and Best Picture. In Larry McMurtry’s book, published in 1966, the town is called Thalia. In the movie, directed by Peter Bogdanovich and released in 1971, it’s called Anarene—a name taken from an abandoned town 8 miles away. But rest assured, both places are Archer City: the looming courthouse, the blinking stoplight, and the Royal Theater, where so many of the most dramatic moments of The Last Picture Show take place.

The novel, which McMurtry called a “spiteful” book intended to “lance some of the poisons of small-town life,” received critical acclaim when it was published. But it was Bogdanovich’s film that truly introduced the entire world, in utterly unromanticized fashion, to the intense, sweeping sagas of everyday life in Archer City. The Last Picture Show turned this particular and peculiar town into art.

Both the novel and movie contain language that was considered lewd at the time. McMurtry’s own mother, Hazel, once said that after reading the first 100 pages she hid the book in the closet and called her son that night. “Larry, honey,” she said to him, he revealed in his 2002 travel memoir Paradise, “is this what we’re sending you to Rice for? Those awful words!”

The film, with its nudity and frank depiction of teenage sexuality—including Cybill Shepherd’s first and only topless scene—absolutely scandalized upright, moral Americans all over the country. Nowhere more so than in Archer City, where it was regarded at the time as a “dirty” movie.

Now, 50 years after the film’s release, the town’s past dalliances with Hollywood are somehow simultaneously scuttled and omnipresent. There’s no billboard at the city limit announcing the place’s cultural significance, no notation on the water tower. But there are echoes of the art formed here, about this place, along every street, around every corner. Some might even feel the spirit of McMurtry, who passed away in Archer City earlier this year.

Over the last five decades, Peter Bogdanovich, a New Yorker who operated in Los Angeles, has told the story of the movie’s origin many times. He’d seen the novel in a store, liked the title, saw what it was about, and immediately put the book back down. Then actor Sal Mineo, who’d starred alongside James Dean and Natalie Wood in Rebel Without a Cause, gave Bogdanovich a copy of the novel, saying he thought it would make a good film. Bogdanovich still didn’t read it, but gave it to his wife, production designer Polly Platt, and asked her to read it. When she inspired him to finally read it himself, he was intrigued by the challenge of conveying small-town life in Texas and eventually co-wrote the screenplay with McMurtry. Bogdanovich, Platt, and McMurtry took a long road trip scouting locations in Texas, but ultimately the director realized he wanted to shoot the movie in McMurtry’s hometown.

Set in the early 1950s, the story follows three teenagers—the co-captains of the football team and the so-called prettiest girl in school—through their senior year of high school, as they each struggle to make sense of adult concepts like love and sex and the fragility of human life. Sonny Crawford is the sensitive, thoughtful boy from a broken home. Duane Jackson is Sonny’s lovelorn best friend who escapes first into the oil fields and then the Korean War. Jacy Farrow is the coquettish rich girl who yearns wholeheartedly for something beyond the confines of her surroundings. The Last Picture Show also famously includes an ensemble of carefully rendered adults trying to cope with their own expired dreams and broken lives.

McMurtry repeated over the years that the characters he created weren’t based on any real-life individuals, but the people of Archer City always suspected otherwise. A man named Bobby Stubbs, who was photographed with McMurtry in their high school yearbook, believed he was the inspiration for Sonny. Stubbs had a troubled home life and worked nights like Sonny, and he drove the same kind of pickup truck. He was also once hit in the eye by the boyfriend of a girl he liked. “It kinda pretty closely followed me,” Stubbs used to say.

A woman named Ceil Cleveland Footlick was often asked if she was the inspiration for Jacy. She was “very good friends” (her words) with Stubbs and had been voted “Most Beautiful Girl” in her class. For years she brushed off the question, but in 1997 she published a memoir with the title Whatever Happened to Jacy Farrow?

Because of the book’s reputation, getting actors to audition was a challenge. Randy Quaid was cast as Lester, an awkward, sleazy suitor of Jacy’s. He’d only read the parts of the script that involved his character, which mostly centered on Lester taking Jacy to a naked swimming party. “I just thought it was going to be like this B-movie, teenage, soft-porn movie,” Quaid would later say. “Something you’d see at the drive-in.”

None of the young stars had much experience in film. Timothy Bottoms, who’d only been in one movie before, was cast to play Sonny. Jeff Bridges, cast as Duane, had been a professional actor nearly all his life, but at 21 years old, this would be his first major film role. And Bogdanovich cast Shepherd as Jacy after seeing her face on the cover of Glamour magazine.

Most of the adults in the movie were played by established Hollywood actors, including Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, and Eileen Brennan. For the role of Sam the Lion, the wisdom-dispensing owner of the town’s pool hall, Bogdanovich cast Ben Johnson, the champion-rodeo-cowboy-turned-stuntman-turned-Western-movie-icon. At first Johnson turned down the part on account of the foul language, but Bogdanovich called in a favor from his director friend John Ford, who convinced Johnson to do it.

Almost as soon as filming started, real life began imitating the art being created. While making a movie about illicit sex and barely veiled scandal, the set was awash in illicit sex and barely veiled scandal. The actors spent a lot of time drinking and smoking together in their hotel rooms 30 minutes north in Wichita Falls, and that led to drama. Bottoms fell in love with Shepherd. Bogdanovich started an affair with Shepherd, dissolving his own marriage while his wife, Platt, continued to work on the movie. (Most mornings Platt styled Shepherd’s hair.) “It was quite a soap opera,” Burstyn said in the documentary Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas.

This was everything the locals had feared: all the immoral luridness of Hollywood, right here in a part of Texas not so comfortable with unwholesomeness that didn’t stay behind closed doors.

Outside of Archer City, it was a different story. The movie received great reviews from coast to coast. Johnson won the Oscar for Actor in a Supporting Role and Leachman won for Actress in a Supporting Role. The film is still beloved today and maintains a spot in the coveted National Film Registry.

But at the time of its release, most of the locals disapproved. Strongly. The Los Angeles Times ran a story about it with the headline “Movie Riles Town It Depicts.” McMurtry, who was involved in Bogdanovich’s vision, eventually got so annoyed by the vicious gossip in town that he sent a letter to the editor of the Archer City newspaper, challenging anyone in town to a public debate.

His offer went unrequited.

Archer City’s population is 1,848, only a couple hundred larger than it was when McMurtry grew up there in the ’30s and ’40s. The town is the seat of Archer County, created in 1858 by the Texas State Legislature and named after Branch Tanner Archer, former secretary of war of the Republic of Texas. Ranching and oil have long been the predominant industries—by late 1926, there were more than 400 oil wells within 13 miles of Archer City—but many people are increasingly attracted to the town for its proximity to prime hunting.

Many of the locations where The Last Picture Show was filmed are gone now. Where Sam’s dusty pool hall once stood, with its door flapping in the wind, there’s nothing but an empty dirt lot. The Rig-Wam Drive Inn, the burger joint where Jacy dangled french fries over Duane’s head as if he was a trained seal, is just a plot of asphalt and patchy grass. The West-Tex Theater in the neighboring town of Olney, used for the interior movie theater scenes, was torn down in the mid-’80s. Today it’s a small, quiet park with a gazebo.

Some places are still here, but different. The restaurant where Brennan’s character worked turned into Booked Up No. 4, one of four bookstores McMurtry set up around the town square before shuttering all but one in 2012. The high school has some of the same old features, though it’s been updated and decorated with a handful of granite statues marking state titles the school has won through the years.

Much of the town looks and acts remarkably like it did when The Last Picture Show was made. Boys about the age of Duane and Sonny still speed through town in pickup trucks. Men the age of Sam the Lion still stop them to talk about football. The dance hall at the American Legion, where Jacy and Duane twirled around the room and Sonny ran into his estranged father, looks like it could host the same event today. On a recent evening, four or five locals were perched on barstools, sipping cold beers, listening to songs on the jukebox. They got rid of the old Wurlitzer years ago, but the updated digital version there now still plays all the Hank Williams Sr. songs from the movie.

In time, feelings in Archer City softened a bit. Mostly, the people here don’t talk much about the movie, or about McMurtry, the town’s most famous son. You can spend all morning at Murn’s Café and all night at the American Legion, the only bar in town, and never hear The Last Picture Show mentioned once. It’s not the source of tension it once was.

The public change of heart was most apparent in 1989, nearly 20 years after The Last Picture Show was filmed, when Bogdanovich returned to Archer City to shoot the sequel, Texasville, based on a book of the same name by McMurtry. This time the townspeople lined up to participate as extras. People came from miles away to sell concessions or to take photos or just get a glimpse of the nearly $20 million production.

“The bad taste that the movie left for some folks, that’s gone now,” then-high school principal Nat Lunn told the Austin American-Statesman at the time. “Especially with money being short in town, they’re ready for another dose of Hollywood.”

By the late 1980s, the three leads in the first film—Bottoms, Bridges, and Shepherd—had all become stars. While the entire budget for the first movie was around $1.3 million, Shepherd alone was paid $1.5 million to reprise her role. Bridges was reportedly paid $1.75 million. Bottoms, who’d complained publicly about Bogdanovich and said he didn’t like any of his co-stars, would only agree to return if he was given an additional $100,000 to fund the Picture This documentary.

In the two decades since the first movie, Bogdanovich’s career had soared and crashed. He and Shepherd had broken up; he went on to have multiple relationships, and she had two divorces. Bottoms was also divorced and remarried, but on the set he confessed the crush he’d had on Shepherd. Platt returned, too, and brought the 21-year-old daughter she and Bogdanovich shared. It became a grand, twisted Hollywood reunion, right there on the streets of Archer City.

Drawn by the potential spectacle of what was by then some sort of love-octagon, media outlets from across the country sent reporters to town. There were long feature stories in both Entertainment Weekly and the Los Angeles Times. By all accounts, though, the entire production served as a therapeutic experience, healing the wounds of the past. At one press conference, the often-sullen Bottoms hugged Bogdanovich. Behind-the-scenes footage caught Shepherd hugging Bottoms. Residents of Archer County took photos of themselves on the set.

But when the movie was released, it tanked. It received middling reviews, earned back only a fraction of its budget, and even today it’s not easy to find on any of the major streaming services.

A lot of people associated with The Last Picture Show are dead now. Stubbs, who claimed to be the basis for Sonny, died in 1992. Johnson in 1996. Sam Bottoms, the real-life younger brother of Timothy Bottoms who played the mute boy Billy, died in 2008. Platt, the producer and production designer who somehow never pulled Shepherd’s hair, died in 2011. Then Brennan in 2013.

In January of this year, Footlick, the woman who wrote about being the real Jacy Farrow, died in North Carolina. Leachman died almost two weeks later. And on March 25, McMurtry, the writer who created all this beautiful trouble, died at the age of 84.

A few days after his death, nobody answered the doorbell at his house in Archer City, a majestic, three-story mansion just down the road from the high school. Looking through the front window, everything seemed to me to be just the way he left it, from the table made from a giant dinosaur fossil to the towering shelves of books in every room. McMurtry bought this place, the biggest home in town, after he won the Pulitzer Prize for Lonesome Dove. He’d wake up early in the morning, type for an hour and a half or so at his long oak table, then go to the bookstore to price antiquarian volumes. Most of the locals would leave him alone.

On the house’s front porch, a single rocking chair was situated to look out over the front yard into the surrounding neighborhood. Someone sitting there could see the comings and goings of a lot of people. As the early-evening wind moved through, the chair began to rock ever so gently.

These days, I sense the people of Archer City think differently of The Last Picture Show. It’s a part of the town’s story, just like the cattle industry and state titles. The movie is even mentioned on the town’s website, though it’s certainly not prominent.

There’s also a tiny park just off the square with a fiberglass horse covered in brands from local ranches and a display that chronicles a bit of the town’s history. The welded metal wall has separate panels for the town’s founding, the first successful oil well drilled here, and the giant fire that swept through in 1925. There’s also a panel explaining how the town was the filming location for The Last Picture Show and Texasville. Bogdanovich’s last name is misspelled.

A couple hundred feet away is the Royal Theater. Most of the building is a burned-out hull, popular for weddings, photo shoots, and occasional performances. The front of the building has been restored, though. It looks just like it did in the movie, the image that begins and ends the film. It’s haunting and beautiful, weathered and damaged—but still here, still standing, still looking at that single blinking light swaying in the wind.

***

The Last Picture Show wasn’t the first movie based on a novel by Larry McMurtry, and it certainly wasn’t the last. You might besurprised by just how many films and TV shows have been made from his novels. Here are a few:

Hud, 1963 (based on Horseman, Pass By) The Last Picture Show, 1971 Lovin’ Molly, 1974 (based on Leaving Cheyenne) Terms of Endearment, 1983 Lonesome Dove, 1989 Texasville, 1990 The Evening Star, 1996

https://texashighways.com/culture/how-the-last-picture-show-changed-the-worlds-view-of-small-town-texas/

#archer city texas #larry mcmurtry #peter bogdanovich #the last picture show

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365days365movies · 4 years ago

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March 16, 2021: Legend (1985) (Part One)

Hi, Tim Curry. How are you doing today?

Yeah, that tracks. Been a while, always good to see you. Man, actually, when is the last time I saw you? Clone Wars? I think so, although I don’t know if that really counts. I think, in person, it was...oof, Criminal Minds in 2012?

Yeah, dude, you were FUCKING TERRIFYING, HOLY SHIT. I feel like people don’t talk about that performance as much, but you were goddamn amazing, buddy. Sorry I didn’t open with this, but...you were my childhood, Ti. Like, from Clue to The Wild Thornberrys to Muppet Treasure Goddamn Island GOD I LOVE YOU IN THAT MOVIE TOO

Amazing. And let’s not forget Ferngully, of course. Look...I love you, OK? You’re beautiful. And I know that recently, you’ve been through a lot of health struggles, and I wish you the absolute best, I sincerely do. You’re the best, man. Hang in there.

Actually, while I have you...settle a bet for me, I’ve got it with myself. Have I...have I already seen this movie? Because I feel like I might have, but I don’t think so. It’s like the Mandela effect, y’know? I mean, if I’d seen it before...would I not remember you in this get-up?

I mean...come ON, RIGHT? I know FOR A FACT that I’ve attempted to watch this movie with friends before, and that didn’t happen. Then, I tried to watch it on my own, and that didn’t pan out because I’m pretty sure I fell asleep after 15 minutes. It had been a long day, I’m sorry. But...I don’t get it, Tim Curry? What the hell happened?

Well...whatever. I guess we’re going to take care of this ONCE AND FOR ALL. Now, who directed this movie?

Oh shit, REALLY? RIDLEY SCOTT! Kick-ass, he did Alien, and this -

And then this -

OOH, and this!

Oh, and we can’t forget this!

And also this!

And...and this...

...And this...

Oh. Fuck, and this.

...

OH GOD STOP I FORGOT ABOUT 1492

...OK, this could either be a very good movie, or a very VERY bad one. I mean...it’s got Tim Curry in it, so it can’t be that bad? And hey, Scott was on a hotstreak at the time, right? What could go wrong? Let’s do this!

SPOILERS AHEADOH FUCK IS THAT TOM CRUISE

Recap (1/2)

...Ahem. Um. OK. Maybe I imagined that image, or it’s from a different movie. Cool. Let’s keep going, nothing to see here.

The opening text scroll tells us that once, long ago, before time was even a concept, the world was shrouded in darkness. But Darkness hid from the light, which brought to the world laughter, love, and...unicorns. Yeah, really. Unicorns harbor the Light in their souls, as the most mytsical of all creatures. They’re safe from Darkness, and can only be found by a pure-hearted mortal, like Jack, a denizen of the forest. He is loved by Lily, and both believe only in goodness. But not for long, as a struggle for the balance between Darkness and Light is about to commence, and in that struggle will be born...Legend (1985), dir. Ridley Scott.

As the opening credits roll and confirm that Tom Cruise is in fact in this movie, I take a brief moment to vomit lightly.

At night, walking through the forest, there is a creature with some...bad-ass makeup and costume design GODDAMN. Like, yeah, that category’s already looking good. Anyway, the creature goes through the forest, and finds a den of fire and torture, all lorded over by a horned man, who speaks Mother Night, asking for her protection.

This is Darkness (Tim Curry), and...fuck me, holy shit, I GET it. Like, this dude began an entire movement and aethestic, and it makes a fuckton of sense. THis dude must have given birth to, like 10,000 goth children, goddamn. Anyway, he commands his goblin henchman Blix (Alice Playten) to find a unicorn and kill it, and to bring its horn back to him. Blix, the rhyming cretin, asks how to find them. And Darkness answers with the perfect lure: innocence.

That innocence is symbolized by Princess Lily (Mia Sara), a maiden cavorting happily about the wood, without a care in the goddamn world. She visits her friend Nell (Tina Martin), and briefly has a vision of winter in the cottage. Nell notes that it’s time for her to grow up a bit, but Lily’s only concerned with finding her sweetheart, Jack.

And Jack is...well, Jack o’ the Green (Tom Cruise) is a young man who lives in the forest, with his animal friends. An innocent himself, he’s basically Peter Pan, with Lily playing his Wendy. Except, well, they’re not THAT innocent, because they, like, IMMEDIATELY make out on the forest floor. Which has to be uncomfortable, real goddamn talk.

Jack teaches Lily to speak with the birds, then takes her to see something wonderful and rare. All the while, they’re being followed by Blix, who believes that their innocence will attract the mystical unicorns. And, uh, yeah, Blix is entirely correct about that, because here they come! And they’re making whale noises?

Apparently, as long as unicorns roam the Earth, evil can never harm the pure of heart. They express only love and laughter, and dark thoughts are unknown to them. Which Lily takes as an opportunity to go hang out with them, despite Jack’s urgings.

But the unicorns seem receptive to her, to Jack’s...frustration? He just kinda leaves her behind for some reason. And Blix takes the opportunity to hit one of the unicorns with a poison dart, causing them to be startled and storm off. Lily flees into the forest, and is immediately scolded by Jack, saying that what she did is forbidden by magic forest law. OK. She’s as confused about that as I am, but she still apologizes to him.

The two kiss, and Lily makes a promise to him and the universe, I guess, and says that whomever finds her ring will have the right to marry her. She throws it, and Jack IMMEDIATELY JUMPS OFF A CLIFF AFTER IT GODDAMN MY MAN! Lily screams hysterically after him for...some reason?

However, this isn’t great timing, because Blix and the goblins have caught up to the poisoned unicorn, and they cut off its horn, immediately plunging the forest into a fierce winter, similar to what Lily saw in her vision. Jack, in the river looking for the ring, is trapped underwater, beneath ice. By the time he breaks out, Lily’s already run away, to Nell’s place. Nell is frozen solid for some reason, and the goblins are also coming off after Lily for...some reason.

Lily hides, as Blix and his two companions Pox (Peter O’Farrell) and Blunder (Kiran Shah) exposit the whole thing so that Lily’s caught up on her fault in all of this, and once they leave, she promises to make it right. No idea how she’s gonna do that, but sure.

Jack, meanwhile has collapsed in the woods and snow. He’s woken up by a spirit of the forest named Honeythorn Gump (David Bennent), who is...interesting. He asks Jack what in the FUCK happened, and Jack admits that Lily, a mortal, touched a unicorn, which is apparently the ultimate no-no. Gump’s pissed, but the ACTUAL SECOND that Jack says that it was for love, Gump’s just...totally cool with it? They have a drink with Brown Tom (Cork Hubbert), and agree to help him find Lily...like, immediately.

They quickly find the dead unicorn, and yeah, the unicorn is FUCKING DEAD after losing its horn, and its mate shows up to mourn. Jack and Gump mourn with the magical creature, which looks REALLY BIG for a horse, Jesus. She stays with her fallen mate, and Jack goes back to the group, delivering the news that they’re cursed? No idea where that came from.

To lift the curse and get the horn back, they must find a champion bold in heart and spirit. Gump IMMEDIATELY nominates Jack, and takes him to some cave where he can find weapons and armor. He’s guided by Oona (Annabelle Lanyon), a fairy who is LITERALLY NAVI FROM ZELDA, I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH

Oona reveals her true form to him secretly, then notes that she could be anything he wants her to be, even his heart’s desire. COMIN’ ON A LITTLE STRONG THERE OONA. Anyway, in the vault of golden weapons and armor and...gold, Jack grabs a sword.

Meanwhile, Lily follows Blix and his group, where Blix uses the magic of the Unicorn Horn (or the Alicorn) to demonstrate his newly found prowess. But as he’s claiming to take over Darkness’ kingdom. Just then, Darkness shows up and claims the Horn for himself, and kills Blunder when he talks back. Darkness asks whether or not the Unicorns are both dead, and reveals that his power will not be complete until the female Unicorn is also dead.

Lily runs off and makes her way back to the Unicorn and Brown Tom, and warns them of the Goblin’s approach to kill the Mare. Brown Tom, who I think is either a leprechaun or a brownie, fends the Goblins off, while Lily and the Mare...DON’T RUN? FUCKING RUN YOU ASSHOLES!

Tom gets shot by an arrow...in the hat. He immediately falls dead, despite being totally fine, the dick. And Lily and the mare are captured, BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T FUCKING RUN WHEN THEY SHOULD’VE. Jack, Gump, and the leprechaun/gnome/brownie/halfling Screwball (Billy Barty) come to “rescue” him. He tells them that Lily’s alive, and Gump takes Jack to the Great Tree for the next step, accompanied by Screwball and Tom. There, they find...

WOW. THAT SHIT IS COOL. This is Meg Mucklebone *Robert Picardo), and this thing is absolutely my favorite thing in the movie so far...AND THEN JACK KILLS HER IMMEDIATELY. JAAAAAAACK, WHAT THE HELL, she was really cool. Goddamn it.

The group gets to the great tree, then falls into an underground prison, where Blunder is also held. The group is NOT where they want to be, right in Darkness’ lair. Nice job, Gump. In the prison, the guys, now joined by fellow brownie/dwarf/gnome thing Blunder, hide from one of Darkness’ men, as he takes Blunder away to the torture table.

Stuck in the cell, Jack suggests that Oona go and get the keys. However, her ability to transform into a humanoid form was a secret between her and Jack, and she’s upset by him revealing it. Gump’s also upset by the secret in and of itself, but she defends that her secrets are hers to keep. You tell him, Oona!

She then says that she’ll only do what Jack wants if he kisses her, GODDAMN IT OONA. NOW IS NOT THE TIE TO GO ALL TINKERBELL IN HOOK! He gives her a little peck, but she transforms into Lily to make him give her a real kiss, dear lord that is CREEPY, OONA! Jack almost kisses her, but refuses at the last second. He notes that human hearts can’t be won over that way, which greatly upsets Oona. Still, she ends up getting the keys for them regardless, and sets them free.

And at this point, we are halfway through, so FUCK IT. PART TWO! See you there.

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spine-buster · 5 years ago

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The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 11

A/N: I know this chapter doesn’t have a lot of William/Aberdeen interaction, but we learn a lot about Aberdeen here. Plus, the next chapters definitely make up for it. Enjoy!

November 29th, 2019

Aberdeen Bloom was ready to go home and watch the game.

They were facing Buffalo tonight, the first game in a back to back that would see the boys finally come home tomorrow after their long road trip. Like most nights, all she wanted to do was go home, snuggle with Minerva, and finish the bag of Doritos. Maybe she’d even be able to cook a well-balanced dinner before eating those Doritos she craved.

Except Peter had other plans for her.

“You need to wait tonight for the mock-ups,” he told her before she could even pack up her bag and put on her jacket.

“The…the mock-ups,” she nodded her head, pretending to know what he was talking about.

“The mock-ups, Aberdeen. Of the St. Pat’s jersey the team is going to wear,” Peter said. “You have to deliver it to Brendan’s house tonight when the designer is finally done with it.”

“I thought he got those last week.”

“He did, but every night since then he’s returned it with his notes,” Peter explained. “I’m supposed to do it, because Brendan is very private and doesn’t like strangers in his house, but I’m at an alumni event with Kyle tonight. So…you get the lovely task of waiting around for the mock-ups.”

“That’s fine,” Aberdeen said. She figured she wasn’t a stranger anymore to him, anyway – she’d been working for the team for about three months now. Plus, it wasn’t like she could refuse to do it. It was, in its own way, part of her job – sit around and do nothing but wait for something she needed to deliver.

“Now, it’s very important that you do exactly what I’m about to tell you,” Peter said, his tone suddenly getting very serious. “Write this down.” Aberdeen scrambled to get a pad of paper and a pen. “The mock-ups will be delivered to you in a black portfolio and you must wait around for it until then. You’re going to have to deliver Brendan’s dry cleaning with the mock-ups.”

“Okay…” she scribbled everything down so quickly she could barely read her own writing.

“Lou will take you straight to Brendan’s house, as he does every morning. Lou will have a spare key. You let yourself in. Now, Aberdeen…” Peter loomed over her sitting at her desk at this point. He was looking her straight in the eye, staring into her soul. “You do not talk to anyone. Do not look at anyone. This is of the utmost importance. You must be invisible. Do you understand?”

“Y—Yes.”

“You open the door and walk across the foyer. You hang the dry cleaning in the closet across from the staircase that leads to the basement. And you leave the mock-ups on the table with the flowers. You then leave like you weren’t even there – like the mock-ups were delivered by a stork or something.”

“O—Okay,” he had officially made her nervous. “W—What if—”

“Invisible, Aberdeen.”

She nodded her head.

***

“Here’s his key,” Lou said as they sat in the car for a few moments after he parked on the street. “Peter told you what to do, yes?”

“Mhm,” Aberdeen nodded, gulping nervously. She grabbed the key from Lou’s hand and clutched it in her hands. “Wish me luck, Lou.”

She exited the car and walked up the driveway slowly, clutching the portfolio in one hand and his dry cleaning in the other, swung over her shoulder. Shoving the key into the door, she opened it as quietly as she could, walking into his foyer. Fuck, he had a beautiful house. So this was the benefit of being the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, huh? And a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. And one of the top 100 hockey players of all time…

Okay. The dry cleaning.

She looked at the stairs that led to the basement and noticed the closet right across from it, so she opened the door as quietly as she could and hung the three suits. She closed it and looked around for a table with flowers.

There was one right beside the closet.

There was one right at the entrance.

There was one further down the hall, with bigger flowers.

Aberdeen panicked. “Shit!” she squealed to herself. She stood in the hallway awkwardly, not knowing what to do. The distant sound of a TV on somewhere in the house could be heard. Somebody was walking upstairs. Brendan was obviously somewhere in the house, but she had to be invisible. Invisible. But which table was it?! What if she left the portfolio on the wrong one and he didn’t see it? What if – what if – it had to be the table with the big flowers on it, right? It was the biggest table. The portfolio would at least fit on it and wouldn’t fall off. The other tables were smaller. Okay, big table with big flowers it was.

So she began walking into his house. As quiet as a mouse.

But then she heard voices. A long “Daaaaad!” and Brendan’s voice mumbling something. Aberdeen froze in fear.

“Sweetpea, I was on a conference call with the NHL offices in New York City,” she heard Brendan loud and clear now as he followed his youngest daughter, Cate, right into Aberdeen’s view.

Cate whipped around and stopped right in the doorframe Aberdeen was looking into. “But dad, I rushed out of class to try and call you, and I was trying to get a hold of you for almost an hour—”

“I was busy, sweetpea. My cell phone line was all tied up and the notifications were silenced for the meeting—”

“You were the only dad who didn’t know within the hour. Everyone else’s dad called to congratulate them on being selected for the team. And I knew what all my friends were thinking – there’s Cate, waiting for her dad again.” Cate stopped, noticing Aberdeen in the hallway. Aberdeen couldn’t move as Cate saw her – she was too terrified. When Brendan noticed his daughter looking away, he looked as well, seeing Aberdeen.

If one look could murder someone, Brendan had it on his face.

Cate walked away from her dad, leaving him staring at Aberdeen, who was practically trembling from fear. Her body felt like it was full of cement as she stood in place, not knowing what to do. She couldn’t just hand in him the portfolio; she could just outright leave his house with the portfolio still in her hands. As he continued to stare at her, she felt her body getting hotter under the pressure to do something. Without thinking, she turned to her side, put the portfolio on the third or fourth step of the stairs beside her, and rushed out of the house, not looking back.

***

November 30th, 2019

The next morning, Lou informed her that Brendan had gone into the office early, so they didn’t need to drive out to Etobicoke. Aberdeen thought that weird, but didn’t put too much thought into it. When she walked into the office alone, she barely had the opportunity to put her coffee or bag down before Peter swooped in. “Nooooo no no no, you get over here,” Peter grabbed her arm.

“Okay okay okay okay—” she knew exactly what this was about.

“What in the world happened last night, Aberdeen?” he asked.

“It really wasn’t that big a deal. I promise. There were multiple tables with flowers, so I went into the hallway, you know near the stairs where the big table is—”

“You went into the hallway? Oh my God, why didn’t you just climb into bed with him and Catherine and ask for a bedtime story?!” Peter was indignant.

“Okay, I made a mistake. I know—”

“Aberdeen, you don’t understand. I was the one supposed to teach you the ins and outs of this. I can get in shit too, and if that happens, I will search every bank in the city of Toronto you’ll be telling in until I track you down.”

Aberdeen’s eyes widened at what Peter was implying. “He’s gonna fire me?!”

Peter shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. But he’s not happy.”

“Aberdeen?” her name was called from deep within Brendan’s office.

Both she and Peter looked towards the office. Aberdeen could swear her heart was beating out of her chest. She put her bag down on her desk and took off her jacket before she walked in, standing a few feet away from his desk. “Mr. Shanahan…about last night—”

“I need you to get a jersey signed by Nick,” he said, furiously scribbling something down on his notepad, not looking at her.

She exhaled quietly. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t as mad as Peter made him out to be. Maybe he took it in stride and realized she was still learning and all he wanted her to do right now was get a jersey signed by Nik Antropov. “Okay. Okay. I’ll go down to player development right now.”

“Did you fall down and smack your head on the pavement?”

She froze. He finally looked up at her through his glasses, waiting for an answer. Okay, maybe he was angry. “Not that I can recall.”

“We need a Tre Kronor jersey from 2006 signed by Nicklas Lidstrom for a veteran who will be in attendance at the game tonight against Buffalo,” he said before focusing back on whatever he was scribbling down. “We’re surprising him off-camera since Nick is his favourite defensemen.”

Aberdeen’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. “You want a signed jersey I can only find in Sweden?”

“We know everybody in hockey. It shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” he asked, peering at her though he was still scribbling. “And you can do anything, right?”

She smiled meekly at him before exiting his office. She scurried behind her desk and noticed that Peter was still there, waiting for her to get out. “He doesn’t get it,” she mumbled frantically to herself, scrambling and picking up things she didn’t even need, only to put them back on her desk. “I could call fucking Nicklas Lidstrom himself. I’m not gonna get that jersey.”

“What?” Peter furrowed his brows.

“Colonel Richard Brant will be backstage with us before the game. 6:30 is when I hope to give him the jersey so it better be here no later than six,” Brendan said as he walked out of the office, looking down at his watch for extra effect.

“Of course!” Aberdeen exaggerated her smile.

“And I’d like a hot coffee here in fifteen minutes when I get back,” he walked off.

“No problem!” she called out, starting to pant. “Okay. I have nine hours to get the impossible jersey. Starbucks is just downstairs. How am I going to do this?”

“Aberdeen, what are you talking about? What impossible jersey?”

Aberdeen ignored Peter’s question, closing up her iPad and shoving it into her purse. She sprung up from her desk chair. “Okay. I will be back in ten minutes. Wish me luck!”

“Aberdeen!” Peter called after her as she ran down the hallway. “ABERDEEN!”

***

Aberdeen’s heart had never beat so hard as it did as she was waiting for Brendan’s coffee. She tried to think of ways she could get this impossible jersey. Nicklas Lidstrom lived all the way in fucking Sweden. Sweden. A ten hour flight away – probably more. And it’s not like the Leafs had his personal number or anything. She had no way of contacting him and no way of even knowing anybody who would be remotely close to—

“We know everybody in hockey,” Brendan’s words echoed in her ear.

Her eyes went wide. She took out her phone and began furiously typing ‘Nicklas Lindstrom agent’ – three different agencies popped up with three different phone numbers – one for hockey, one for professional appearances, and another one for signings. This was her start.

“Coffee for Brendan!” the barista called out, and Aberdeen reached to grab it before the barista could even put it down. She rushed back up to the office, scurrying through the hallways and into his office to place it on his desk.

She watched as he walked in, looking at his watch. “What’s that?” he asked, grabbing some files from his desk. “I don’t want that. I’m having lunch with Larry. I’ll be back at three.”

Brendan left just as quickly as he arrived. Aberdeen stood awkwardly in his office, trying not to cry as she picked up the Starbucks cup and practically whipped it into the garbage can. She made herself calm down so her voice wouldn’t crack as she grabbed her iPad and her phone and began calling the numbers available for Nick. When the two first ones didn’t even answer the phone, she prayed to God the last number worked in her favour.

She was put on hold for over ten minutes. She wanted to scream. Just as she was about to hang up and try the other numbers again, or at least call back because maybe she got stuck in an alternate “on hold” universe where she had been floating in the abyss for the last ten minutes, the stupid elevator music that was playing stopped. “Alright, who’s Aberdeen Bloom and what do you need?” a man’s loud voice suddenly filled the line.

“Yes yes yes yes. I’ve been on hold. It’s for Brendan Shanahan – my name is Aberdeen Bloom and I’m his personal assistant. It’s very important. I need access to Nicklas Lidstrom and a Tre Kronor jersey—”

“Impossible,” the man barked.

“Well, I was wondering if you could make the impossible possible…if that’s at all possible,” she was practically begging. She knew she sounded completely desperate but at this point, she didn’t care. Her job was on the line, and she would do anything to save it.

“Impossible,” he barked again. “What do you think this is, some sort of convention?”

“Have I mentioned it’s for Brendan Shanahan? President of the Toronto Maple Leafs? Cause I think that makes a difference,” Aberdeen pressed.

“I know you’re desperate but it can’t be done,” he continued. “You’ll just have to come up with a plan B.”

“This is Brendan Shanahan we’re talking about,” Aberdeen wanted to scream into the phone. “There is no plan B – there is only plan A.”

“Listen. Nick’s in Toronto but he’s booked solid. He’s not taking any new meetings or engagements.”

Aberdeen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She wished this fucking dude could have led their abysmal conversation with that tidbit of information instead of giving her the go-around. “He’s – He’s in Toronto?!”

“Yes, he’s been staying at the Four Seasons for the past two weeks because of the alumni game he had with Mats Sundin and other engagements. But he’s leaving for Sweden tomorrow. Today is his last and possibly his busiest day. He just can’t get it done.”

The Four Seasons was up in Yorkville. She could get there in maybe ten minutes if she flagged down a taxi. “Have a good day,” she said as she hung up her phone, grabbing her bag and iPad before rushing out of the office

If Nick’s agent wasn’t going to help her, she was going to have to get to Nicklas her damn self.

***

Aberdeen tried to walk calmly into the Four Seasons – not at all looking like she was in a rush because her job was on the line and she was going to be fired at six that night – but the attempt proved futile. One of the women behind the check-in desk was looking right at her the entire time she made her way towards them.

“Hi,” Aberdeen said, slightly out of breath. “My name is Aberdeen Bloom,” she said, grabbing her credentials and flashing them at the woman.

“Can I help check you in?” the woman smiled.

“No no. I’m Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant.” The woman looked confused. “Brendan Shanahan, the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” she said, pushing the credentials forward so the woman could look at them herself. “I need you to call Nicklas Lidstrom’s room for me so I can speak to him.”

The woman looked between Aberdeen and her credentials and furrowed her brows. “Miss, I’m sorry, but a Mr. Nicklas Lidstrom is not staying at this hotel.”

Aberdeen’s body felt like it was on fire. She knew this woman was lying, and Aberdeen didn’t have time for it at all. There was no time for anything to go wrong right now. “Listen, I know this is all very weird, but I know he’s staying here. His agent just told me he’s been here for the last two weeks. I need you to get a hold of him for me.”

“Miss – a Mr. Lidstrom is not staying at this hotel,” the woman repeated, moving towards the computer. “I can even type his name in for you – no-one by that name is staying here.”

“Please, please, I’m begging you,” Aberdeen shook her head. This couldn’t be happening to her right now. “I know he must be under an alias or something because he’s a hockey player and this is Toronto. I get it. But I really need you to—”

“Miss, I’m sorry but it can’t be done,” the woman pushed Aberdeen’s credentials back towards her so she could take them. “Nobody by that name is staying here. And that’s that.”

“But his agent told me—”

“Miss, if you’re going to keep pressing this, I’m going to have to call my manager.”

That’s the last thing Aberdeen needed. Aberdeen grabbed her credentials before giving one last dirty look to the woman as a ‘thanks for nothing’ – it was probably immature, but Aberdeen really didn’t like her right now.

Now what was she going to do? If the hotel wouldn’t even let her have access to him, despite her showing them her credentials, how in the hell was she going to get to talk to him? Would she have to sneak into the elevator and knock on every door until she found him? Would she have to call back his agent and demand the access to him? Would she have to learn Swedish and scream his name into the streets of Toronto and hope he’d hear? Would she – Swedish – Swedish –

Swedish.

No.

She couldn’t.

She shouldn’t.

She had to.

She whipped out her phone and called a number she knew off by heart. “Real Sports Bar and Grill, how may I help you?” a perky voice answered on the other end.

“This is Aberdeen Bloom, Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant,” she began as she usually did when she called them. “I need you to get me the contact information for Michael Nylander immediately.”

“A-ber-deeeeeen Bloooom?” the girl on the other end asked. Clearly she was new. All the other hostesses already knew her name and had done the super-elongated pronunciation of her name before. “I just can’t give that information away—”

“I am Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant,” she repeated, her tone harsher this time. “Check the employee directory if you need to.”

“I don’t have access to that—”

“Then call your manager!” she screamed, her patience wearing thin. “I need his telephone number now.”

***

“Hello Mr. Nylander, this is Aberdeen Bloom calling. You, uh, you probably don’t remember me – we met very briefly after a game in Toronto when you came to say hi to William and I opened the door for you. I’m Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant. Um, anyways, listen – I have a massive favour to ask you because I’m desperate. Like, desperate. I noticed that you played on the same World Championship team as Nicklas Lidstrom, and I was wondering if you can please give me his personal phone number. Like, a number he’d use when he’s in North America. I need to contact him about something urgent, very urgent. So, um, please, if you could give me a call back, that would be amazing. Thank you, Mr. Nylander. Have um, a good night? I know it’s like almost night time there. Okay bye.”

***

Every jersey on eBay was a fake or already had a name on it. Aberdeen was getting desperate. She’d been to Real Sports Apparel – no Tre Kronor jerseys. She’d called every SportsChek, Sportling Life, Champs Sports, and just about every independent sports store in Toronto – no Tre Kronor jerseys. Even the last store that she’d visited – gone by foot, even – didn’t have anything Swedish.

She was going to cry. She’d be fired. This is where it all ended. She’d end up a bank teller for the rest of her life. She’d never be able to write. She’d never be able to do what she loved. All because she couldn’t find a stupid jersey and was denied any access to one of the best defencemen in the history of the league —

Then her phone began to ring, snapping her away from her thoughts. It was an unknown number. Against her better judgement, she answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Aberdeen Bloom?” a calm voice asked on the other end. She noticed because she was anything calm right now.

“Speaking.”

“Miss Bloom, this is Nicklas Lidstrom.”

Aberdeen stopped dead in her tracks, making various people almost crash into her on the sidewalk. One of them gave her the finger. “Mr. Lidstrom! Hello!”

“My good friend Michael Nylander called me and gave me your number and told me to get in touch with you,” he said. Her eyes went wide; she was going to have to erect a gold statue in Michael’s honour. “Apparently you’re Brendan Shanahan’s personal assistant and there is an urgent matter?”

“Yes Mr. Lidstrom, yes,” she said, spinning around because she didn’t know what to do. “Sir, I understand you’re in Toronto right now.”

“I am.”

“Staying at the Four Seasons?”

“Yes…”

“We have a veteran coming to the game tonight – Colonal Richard Brant – and you are his favourite defenseman,” she explained. “I was wondering if you could sign a Tre Kronor jersey from 2006, when you won the gold medal.”

Nicklas laughed into the phone. “A Tre Kronor jersey? Miss Bloom, I will sign what you need me to sign, but I don’t have a Tre Kronor jersey with me. Not least from 2006.”

“If I find one, will you sign it?”

“Well, I don’t know where you’re going to find an almost fifteen year old mint-condition Swedish jersey in Toronto, but sure. Unless you have it shipped in from Sweden. You’ll have to come to the Four Seasons after 5:30 – that’s when my last commitment ends,” he said.

“I’ll be there at 5:30,” she said definitively. “I’ll call you back on this number.”

Aberdeen’s heart was racing as she hung up the phone. She had exhausted all her sports store leads for Swedish jerseys. What else could she do? Who else could she call? Who in Toronto would have a mint condition Tre Kronor jersey from 2006? Swedish people, obviously, but…

Her eyes went wide. She swiped through her phone to find another phone number.

“Aberdeen?” Robert Nordmark, one of the Swedish scouts for the Leafs, answered on the other end. “Why’re you calling me?

“Robert, where can I find a 2006 Tre Kronor Olympic jersey in Toronto?”

***

It was 5:55pm as Aberdeen made her way throughout the offices, her flats clacking against the floor as she made her way into Brendan Shanahan’s office. He was facing away from her, so he couldn’t see her come in and place the jersey on his desk in one fell swoop. It was the breeze from the jersey that finally made him turn around, immediately eyeing her and looking down at the jersey on his desk.

“One jersey, not signed?” he asked, staring down at the Tre Kronor jersey. “What is the colonel going to do with that? He probably already has five.”

“Oh no, here’s the signature,” she said, flipping the jersey over to reveal the perfect inscription and signature. “I had Mr. Lidstrom customize it and sign it, right here on his number,” she said, watching Brendan’s eyebrows raise higher and higher until he took off his glasses. “And one more thing.”

Brendan’s eyes whipped up to meet hers. “What’s that?”

On cue, Nicklas walked into Brendan’s office. “Hey Shanny – or do I have to call you Mr. Shanahan now?”

“Nicklas,” he smiled, though he was still looking at Aberdeen. His body was perfectly still despite one of his old friends walking into the room. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Aberdeen smiled.

He eyed her one more time. He was clearly in shock that she was able to get it done. “That’s all.”

***

Aberdeen’s body was aching with fatigue as she gathered the last of her belongings from her desk after the game. The Leafs had won in overtime, Colonel Richard Brant got his jersey and got to meet Nicklas, which made him cry, and everything was alright in the world. She’d finally be able to go home after the shit-show of the day she had. Cuddle with Minerva. Eat Doritos. Eat in general, since she hadn’t all day, too busy going on wild goose chases all over Toronto for Nicklas Lidstrom and a Tre Kronor jersey from random Swedish people living in The Beaches who just happened to have five Nicklas Lidstrom jerseys from 2006 in their house because that’s how much they loved him.

As she escaped down the stairs, taking the route that would lead her right out the door to the street, she heard another person’s shoes clacking up the concrete steps. When she looked up, she saw William rushing up the stairs.

Of course. Because the day couldn’t just end.

“Aberdeen,” he said, approaching her and grasping onto her elbow gently, sending shockwaves throughout her body. It didn’t even matter that she had her wool coat on. He pulled her over to the side on one of the landings, a worried look on his face. “Why’d you call my dad today?”

She shook her head. She should have known Michael would also call William about it. “It’s a long story.”

“Well, tell me now,” he said. “I’ve been worried fucking sick since he called me to tell me and I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“I just…I had to get a hold of Nicklas Lidstrom, and your dad helped,” she explained briefly, not really wanting to get into it. She didn’t want William knowing how much of a fucking idiot she was and the reason why she had to do this seemingly impossible task in the first place. “It’s all – it’s all fine.”

“So you’re okay?” William pressed.

“Yeah. Fucking tired though. Niklas is one busy guy,” she tried to make a joke. William didn’t laugh. She sighed. “Can I just go home?”

“Why’d you have to get hold of Nick?” he asked, not able to let it go.

She sighed, bringing her hand up to rub her forehead. “I made Brendan angry, okay? I fucked up and I like, went into his house when I wasn’t supposed to and overheard a fight he was having with his daughter and then he saw me and—”

“Holy shit, Aberdeen.”

“Yeah, I know. Believe me,” she said. “I had to live through how much he didn’t like that today, alright? You don’t have to tell me too.”

William could tell by the tone of her voice she didn’t want to talk about it. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again, wanting, needing to make sure. He even went so far as to reach out to grab her hand, though she pulled away before he could really get a good grip and lace his fingers with hers.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m just tired, Will. Can you please just let me go home?”

“Can I walk you home?”

With whatever backbone she had left in her after the day she’d just had, she shook her head. “No, Will. You should be going home to sleep.”

“But Aberdeen—”

“Goodnight, Will,” she said as she sidestepped away from him. “Nice goal tonight, by the way,” she said as she looked back at him, descending down the stairs.

***

December 4th, 2019

Lou and Aberdeen had been waiting in Brendan’s driveway for almost ten minutes. He had never taken this long in the mornings ever since she began her job, and she was starting to get worried. Was he already in the office and forgot to tell them? Did he sleep in? Brendan wasn’t one to sleep in.

“This ever happen before?” Aberdeen asked Lou.

“He’s probably looking for a sock or tie pin,” he joked.

Her phone began to ring, and she saw his name flash across her screen. “Good morning Mr. Shana—”

“Can you come in here quickly please? Aaaargh!” he gruntled into the phone. He sounded like he was moving something.

“Um…I’ll be right in,” she said, taking off her seatbelt and getting out of the car. This had to be some sort of joke. Just a few days ago he murdered her with his eyes for being in his house – now he wanted her inside? She didn’t get it.

When she shut the front door behind her, he must have heard her. “Can you come downstairs, please?” he called out from the basement.

“Is this some sort of sick joke?!” she called back, standing nervously in his foyer.

“No – no, but I get why you’d ask that. I can be an asshole, I know,” he kept calling out. At least he admitted it out loud. “I just need your help finding something!”

Against her better judgement, Aberdeen took off her winter boots and made her way into Brendan’s house, going down the stairs into the basement. She saw Brendan kneeling on the floor in his suit, a bunch of boxes surrounding him. “I need your help finding some of my old yearbooks.”

“Yearbooks?”

“Yes. Can you check these boxes while I work on these?” he said, rummaging through the one in front of him.

Aberdeen did as she was told, looking around the boxes for the apparent yearbooks he was so desperate to see this morning. On her third box, she hit the jackpot. “These?” she asked, lifting one up.

“Yes!” Brendan exclaimed excitedly. She handed it to him. “God, this is from St. Leo.”

Aberdeen perked up at that name. “You went to St. Leo?”

“Yeah, why?”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Of all the schools in Etobicoke – of all the Catholic schools in Etobicoke. “My mom teaches grade one at St. Leo,” she revealed.

“What!” he exclaimed excitedly, his eyes lighting up at the information. “Oh man…I guess I never really did ask you about your family, huh?”

“You haven’t,” Aberdeen shook her head. “But that’s okay. I don’t…I like to keep them separate. I don’t like bringing my work home. Family stays family and work stays work. That’s the way I like it. No overlapping, because then things get complicated.”

“I get it,” Brendan nodded. “That’s why I got so upset when I saw you in the house…I mean, I—"

“You don’t need to – I was being an idiot,” Aberdeen shook her head, trying to wave it off.

“No no – you deserve an explanation,” he said. “This job is all encompassing. Sometimes I forget that I should be on the beck and call of my children rather than the NHL head office,” he explained. “Catherine did a lot of the parenting while I was playing, as you can imagine. But when I retired, I made a promise to myself that I’d always be there for my kids. That they would always know they were the priority instead of hockey. Sometimes I break that promise. And it breaks my heart when I do, because I don’t want my kids thinking that they’re not my first priority. So that night, when Cate told me she had made the rowing team, and that she was trying to call me to tell me the good news, and I didn’t answer the phone – she got upset. I got upset. It was a horrible thing for me to do. And then I saw you and you reminded me of work in that moment fighting with my daughter and it just – it all spiralled out of control. Work didn’t become separate from family in that moment. But I want to apologize, Aberdeen.”

“You don’t have to do that—”

“Yes, I do, Aberdeen. I was being an asshole. And I shouldn’t have punished you when all you were doing was your job. So really – I’m sorry.”

Aberdeen didn’t know what to say. It was so clear to her that Brendan loved his family and children more than anything, but she could understand how being president of the Toronto Maple Leafs could be all-encompassing. She could understand how it took a lot out of a person – and how that person would want some quality time with family when they got home. “Thank you,” she began awkwardly. “But I must say, that wasn’t the first time I’ve done something stupid since moving downtown and getting this job. And as my boss you know better than anyone – besides my mother – that it won’t be my last time.”

Brendan chuckled slightly at her words. “I promise I’ll be nicer next time,” he quipped. “So your mom wasn’t nervous or scared about you moving out and living downtown?” he asked.

Aberdeen snorted. The notion to her was completely ridiculous. “My mom grew up in Belfast and Derry during The Troubles – she’s not scared of shit.”

Brendan laughed out loud. “A Belfast lass? She’s like my mom, then.”

“Seriously?”

“Mhm,” Brendan nodded his head. “Rosaleen. Dad’s from Dunmanus in the Republic.”

“My mom’s family is originally from Aberdeen in Scotland. Hence my name. But my grandparents moved to Belfast before my mom was born because my grandpa got a job there. Then to Derry,” she explained.

“So does your mom have an accent?”

“Oooooooh yeah,” Aberdeen nodded. “She’s straight out of that show Derry Girls. She moved to Canada when she was eighteen so the accent never left her. There’s no way she could lose it. I mean, she lived in Bogside in Derry. Staunch Catholic. Still goes to church every Sunday.”

“Do you?”

Aberdeen shook her head. “My sister and I used to. She’d drag us along, but we stopped in high school after our confirmation. Still have the guilt though,” she joked.

“Ahhh, that good old Catholic guilt. And your dad?”

“Dad’s Persian.”

Brendan looked at her skeptically. Everybody always did when she told them her dad was Persian. “Bloom isn’t a very Persian name.”

Aberdeen nodded. “Yeah…it’s a long story,” she said. Brendan’s look urged her to go on. “My dad fled Tehran during the revolution. His parents were university professors and after the political revolution came the cultural revolution. They taught English literature and promoted a lot of Western texts so they knew they would be targeted. They made him leave because they were scared the new government would target him, too. He was only fourteen.”

“Fourteen?”

“Yeah.”

“H—How did he get out?”

Aberdeen shrugged. “He walked. Took buses and stuff. His parents gave him money to pay traffickers to get him across borders. They made him change his last name so he wouldn’t get caught. Forged documents and everything. He chose Bloom because of Leopold Bloom from Ulysses.”

“James Joyce.”

“Exactly,” she said. “So he left and went Aleppo first. All his documents were processed there – claimed refugee status, all that. Then Canada finally accepted him, and he came over at eighteen as well. Didn’t look back.”

Brendan was silent as he took in all the information. “What happened to your grandparents?”

Aberdeen paused. “When he first left, he would write them every week. The letters back and forth would be sent through intricate channels and to friends of friends so it could get to each other and not be traced, because they were still scared. It lasted for maybe a year, but then they stopped responding. And he knew.”

Brendan stayed silent. The information she’d just revealed to him was clearly hitting him hard. And he knew nothing about it until now. He realized there was a lot more to Aberdeen than he thought; a lot more to her than he led himself to believe. He should have known better. Everyone had a story, a family history within them that defined who they were and how they saw the world. This was Aberdeen’s story; this was her family history that defined so many things about her. “Your parents have been through a lot – the Troubles and a revolution. That’s incredible.”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head. “I think it’s part of what bonded them together. They had similar experiences in that regard. Like, my mom voluntarily left and went to university here because she was sick of all the violence at home. She felt like it would never end, and she never went back to Northern Ireland until it did. And my dad – well, he left kind of involuntarily, but he knew deep with him he had to leave Iran. And when he finally got to Canada, he loved it. He’s always told me and my siblings he never considered returning, and that he thanks his lucky stars every day that Canada accepted him.”

“Siblings?”

“Siena’s older – she’s in law school in Ottawa. Then there’s the baby Camden. He’s eleven. Right now he wants to be an engineer.”

Brendan nodded his head. “So then tell me something, Aberdeen,” he began. “Who is it you want to be like?”

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “I just want to be the best version of me, really.”

“But there needs to be a person you look up to, career-wise,” Brendan pressed.

Aberdeen shrugged sheepishly. She was almost embarrassed to say. “Anna Wintour.”

“Pardon?”

“Anna Wintour,” she said more loudly this time.

“Anna Wintour?” he asked, clearly shocked by her answer. “Why Anna Wintour?”

“Well, for one, she’s incredibly stylish – that’s a given,” Aberdeen shrugged again. “But it’s important. Because regardless of how much people peddle that inner beauty is what counts, your first impression of someone isn’t of their inner beauty. I’m not saying that’s a good thing, I’m just saying that’s the way it is. So she’s stylish, and she presents herself well, but also…she got shit done. She was an editor at magazines. She’s changed the way we see fashion and how fashion influences us our everyday lives. I know not a lot of people like her and I know she has her faults, but we all do. She’s incredibly driven – even now when she’s perhaps one of the most iconic magazine editors in recent memory. She’s never complacent. She always strives for more. She seeks out new designers to support. She finds the best and promotes the best. She never stops.”

“You mean she strives, she seeks, she finds, and doesn’t yield?” he chuckled slightly, referring to her tattoo.

“Exactly.”

“And you enjoy fashion?”

Aberdeen smiled. “I enjoy it as much as an almost-broke-just-graduated-from-university person can,” she joked. “It’s not really about the fashion. I think I’m fashionable and can be fashionable given the opportunity but it’s not about that. It’s about creativity.”

Brendan smiled knowingly. “Creativity,” he repeated before pausing. “You know Aberdeen, I wasn’t sure if you were going to be able to pull off the Nicklas Lidstrom thing,” he admitted.

“I know you didn’t.”

“You know, out of all the personal assistants I’ve had, you’re the only one that was able to pull something like that off,” he revealed. “And not only that – you got Nick to come to the arena.”

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t know what he wanted her to say. “I was just doing my job, Mr. Shanahan. I was just doing what you told me to do.”

“Nah,” he shook his head, dismissing her words. “You were creative in your approach. You thought outside the box and you got it done. You made the virtually impossible, possible. Which, again, is more than I can say for all my other previous assistants.” He paused again. “You’ve got it in you, Aberdeen – the creativity. You’ll be able to show it one day.”

“I hope so, Mr. Shanahan.”

“Brendan,” he corrected her.

After everything that was revealed between them, she finally felt like they were on the same page. She let loose. “I hope so, Brendan.”

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jeonstellate · 3 years ago

Text

spider-man: no way home thoughts

◈彡 i don’t normally do this kind of thing, but i got a lot of feelings about this particular movie and i need to let some of them out.

◈彡 includes additional thoughts since i’ve watched it twice now. also spoilers!

it may be a little weird to get “fixated” on this little detail, but i’m a little unclear why MIT denied peter, mj, and ned admission??

i know for sure it can’t be because they’re lacking in academics, extracurriculars (they’re part of a champion academic decathlon team — that’s something), standardized test scores, or even community service hours (i mean— helping to save the world should given them way more than enough, right?)

i know it was mentioned that it was “due to recent controversies” or something of similar effect, but like— i have this little theory that goes a little beyond admission higher ups not wanting for the school to be associated with peter parker/spider-man

like— yes, some portion of the world see spider-man as a villain especially after the events of far from home, and i get that the uni most likely did not want to associate itself with him and possibly face backlash

but, at the same time, they literally have the tony stark as an alum — and as much as i love him, we all know he doesn’t have the cleanest background

not that i’m blaming tony — i just find the rejection reason hella sus and he just happened to be an alumnus there, i’m sorry

well, perhaps it had something to do with tony graduating first before having a “questionable” reputation and peter is in an exact opposite situation

so maybe that? the uni doesn’t want anyone with a “tarnished” reputation

to add on to that, i was also thinking: everyone in the world knows stark industries tech is the main instrument in the whole far from home fiasco

and i’m guessing MIT is . . . taking(?) part of the blame for that or whatever since they taught tony part of what helped him design and build those tech

so, essentially, they went “nope nope nope” on the trio just to avoid dragging their prestigious name further

instead of recognizing the three for every good thing they’ve done during their high school years

which sucks imo

especially since it holds the notion that it only takes one “bad” thing for one’s public image to be tainted forever

and that there are really forces out of one’s control that impact their lives so much (excluding the fact that each uni have limited space available)

speaking of college still, i’m utterly devastated with the fact that everyone who knows peter forgot about him right before he started college

from experience, starting college gets challenging and lonely — it really helps a lot if you have someone or something familiar to turn to

but peter doesn’t get to have that. i mean— sure, he still has his friendly neighborhood spider-man gig, but that’s all he has left

it’s just . . . tears

to be fair, i did cry multiple times while watching the movie (and a couple more times when i rewatched it) — which is honestly customary to me now ever since infinity war lmao

after rewatching it, i can confirm that i cried for aunt may twice. even though i already knew what was gonna happen the second time around. (ig i’m just really sensitive when it comes to losing parental figures, is all)

and also when peter did his handshake with ned towards the end of the movie. simply bc i knew it would be the last one and i don’t know when they’ll get to do it again

(ig another reason why i still cried for that scene is bc ned and mj are the only ones peter has left to lose when it comes to personal attachments and that sht hurts no matter how i think abt it)

but one of the instances that resonated with me without making me burst into tears

was the scene inside ned’s house

not only did i see the spider-man i grew up with reprise his role, but i also got to see the original spider-man again. it was great

apart from that, i internally screamed when ned’s grandmother started speaking in tagalog

i don’t remember where i heard the fact that jacob batalon’s filipino, but i surely didn’t expect mcu to confirm ned’s ethnicity

i’m pretty sure my brain malfunctioned during that scene because— tagalog?? being spoken?? in a spider-man movie?? that sounds unreal

i had tears-stained cheeks still when that scene came, but i was full on laughing whenever ned’s grandma talked and ned had to translate

not only did it feel really great to have my culture getting representation in a blockbuster movie, but i also sympathized with ned’s struggle to translate lmao

bro didn’t translate word-for-word, but rather just shared the essence of what his grandmother said — which is honestly how i’ll translate too (especially in that kind of situation)

he literally just saved mj, peter 2, and peter 3 from an earful of sermon lmao

when peter/andrew said “sorry lola”?? oml i thought that was so cute!! i think i fell in love a lil ngl

not to mention when mj said “ned’s lola” so casually — like?? does that mean mj and peter both picked up some tagalog words over the years since they occasionally hang out at ned’s house??

i need answers

and then cue the sudden realization that the bread that mj was throwing at peter/andrew was actually pandesal lol

the movie isn’t out in the ph yet, but i’m pretty sure chaos will ensue in all platforms that i can think of once it does — especially since filos tend to have a lot of pride in any form of filo representation overseas

not to mention this movie is also an international blockbuster, so i’m highly certain ph in general will be loud abt this in some form or another lmao

upon rewatching, i actually got sadder in the last scene with ned and mj bc i got a sense that peter was actually planning on making them remember him as he promised, but then decided against it on the last second

i don’t mean reading his flashcard script thing and then diverging from it in panic, i mean starting to tell mj smth after he brought up MIT and then abruptly stopping

bc i felt like he thought it would be better if they don’t remember him?? at least, for the time being?? idk

i mean— he did blame himself for their MIT rejection at the beginning, so he probably didn’t want to jeopardize anything else for them going forward?? especially now that he technically has more of a choice now?? idk

overall, no way home just proved again why tom holland’s spider-man is the one i relate to the most — and why it would take me months to get over this movie

and also why i shouldn’t watch movies more than one time in theaters (so i don’t cry in public more times than necessary ha ha ha)

#third nebula #spider-man: no way home #spider-man: no way home spoilers #sm: nwh spoilers #spider-man spoilers #no way home spoilers #marvel #mcu

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marvel-lous-things · 6 years ago

Text

(Tungly.hell isn't letting me answer this in ask form so here)

Long ass post time

Okay spidey's rumoured to be coming back but this concept's fucking hilarious anyway so I'm going with it

Aight. So. The Avengers still exist.

ExcEPT

They're called the Vengeance Boyz

And they are a super secret boyband (more like rly fuckin obscure and unheard of but let's not be mean)

Their lead guitarist is a skinny blond twink named Roger Stevens. He insists that everyone call him Champion USA

Their drummer is a huge buff dude. Played by Chris Hemsworth. In sunglasses. And a he-man wig.

His name is Thorn

Nobody asks why a grown ass man in a dollar store wig and ray ban sunglasses is playing a 17 year old

Which is

Pretty on brand for Hollywood tbh

Oh also

He collects hammers. There's a hammer in the background of every scene he's in. Nobody questions that either. Nobody even notices the hammers. Why are there so many hammers.

Also, Thorn's full name is Throckmorton

Yes like your cousin Throckmorton

(look it up)

Peter did want to join them and he did get an opportunity but he turned it down because becoming lead singer was too much responsibility. He'd rather stick to neighborhood wide karaoke for now.

Then there's nick fury. except there is no nick Fury

It's actually Peter's school principal, Nicki Funaj

She wears an eyepatch on her right eye. It's not damaged or anything she just thinks it looks cool (she's right)

Oh and Happy Hogan is now a woman named Joy Gohan. She's the forehead of security at Peter's school

Also she still has a thing for Aunt May because we can't throw the entire MCU away, now, can we?

(no)

(no we can't)

AND NOW FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT

Tony Stark whomst? We only stan Antoni Starr in this house

CEO of Starr Incorporated, leading manufacturers of high tech prosthetics, also really into research of self sustaining energy for some reason

Y'know, like bic makes condoms and lighters

Or crayons and lighters

Or all three

Or something

whatever

(diversification babey!!!)

Anyway Peter got an internship with Starr Incorporated by accident after he walked into the wrong interview room

Oh and by the way Antoni Starr is played by that one stunt double who Tom Holland mistook for RDJ himself

War Machine is now called Battle Contraption

and it's the pet robot of world renowned robotics pioneer Jiminy Road

He calls it BaCon

Pepper Potts still exists because I love her and I said so

She runs SI's self sustaining energy department and anyone who says otherwise will be jailed

I guess she's renamed to Chilli Potter or some shit idk man

Chilli and Antoni have a son named Marcus Starr who is played by Lexi Rabe with her hair bunched up in a baseball cap

Marcus is always seen wearing absurdly """masculine""" clothing to the point where it's the funniest fucking thing about the franchise

I'm talking a seven year old in cargo pants and a collared camo-patterned shirt with the word MAN written on it in big red text

(yes this is a thinly veiled attempt to keep the ironfam alive)

(shut up)

Peter did build his own suit but only after conveniently finding all the parts to one when he went dumpster diving one day in SI's dumpsters

Nobody knows who threw away a fully functional Spiderman suit in the trash. Along with the accompanying AI.

On a pen drive.

Peter modifies the AI on his windinosaur 98 computer and names it CARMEN

Endgame did happen, but like. In another universe. So. Half the people disappeared and then reappeared again five years later.

There is no explanation

Do not ask for one

(they call it the Bloop)

Thanos is actually a grape juice mascot who gives Peter the creeps

Like the kool aid man

If the kool aid man caused Armageddon in another universe (which, let's be real, he probably did)

The grape juice is called Snappos

Snap-pos

(Heh)

And therein ends my frankly stellar attempt at fixing Sony's plot holes

BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE.

The best goddamn part: Tom Holland is told Absolutely Nothing About Anything. He's just released onto set like a horse in a hospital and expected to deal.

Because he'll spoil Everything the second he hears about it smh the fool

But also because. it's just really fucking funny to mess with him.

His script contains two lines:

(which is an improvement on his MCU scripts let's be real)

"Peter Parker: [improvises] and also says "oHmYgoDitsroBERtdoWnEYjR" every time the decidedly-not-rdj stunt double shows up on screen"

And

"Peter Parker: [takes off shirt at least 18 times. No explanation provided.]"

Tom Holland is completely Jon Snow Kin (i.e knows nothing) and we get to watch his real reaction as the reality of change hits him like a sack of potatoes to the knees

examples include StuntDouble!RDJ shaking his hand and congratulating him on being promoted to paid intern (to what?)

and Miles Morales's dad (played by Terry Crews and Terry Crews only no I will not negotiate) accuses him of identity theft

Oh and finally

Peter Parker is bisexual now

#marvel #mcu #peter parker #spiderman #tony stark #iron man #pepper potts #morgan stark #james rhodes #happy hogan #endgame #avengers endgame #avengers #marvel headcanons #far from home #spiderman far from home #tom Holland #robert downey jr

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anotherkindofmindpod · 5 years ago

Note

I’d love for you guys to have Mark Lewisohn on your show just to grill him. As someone who’s experienced workplace bullying and sexual assault, that he would go so far as to paint Klein as “heroic” when he said things like “reluctant virgin” is just so devastating to me. It makes me feel ill. I do NOT want this man to have a say in Beatles history. I love the Beatles. I don’t want that tainted by people who will paint over abuse just to feed their own self importance.

We vehemently agree, Listener! Thank you for writing in.

Our list of grievances with Mark Lewisohn is long, but in a nutshell we believe his intent is to publicly “redeem” John Lennon and we have seen copious evidence that he will go to whatever lengths he has to in order to do this.

That includes, but is not limited to:

Claiming that readers of his Tune In Series may consider Klein the “hero” of the Beatles break-up

Deliberately spreading the demonstrably false lie that John (and Yoko) did not have a significant heroin problem in the late 60s and early 70s (Lewisohn suggests Cold Turkey is just John playing make believe)

Displaying unapologetic favoritism by using glowing terms to portray John and Yoko as the world’s most perfect romance, as opposed to Paul and Linda, whose 29-year marriage he dismisses as “conventional” and motivated by appearances (namely Linda’s pregnancy, even though it was planned) and Green Card needs

Stating that he could tell from watching the infamous “it’s a drag” clip that Paul was kind of sad, but primarily annoyed at how much positive attention John was getting on the day of his murder

Apparently suggesting to an audience of his Power Point Show that Paul maybe stole a leg off Yoko’s bed (the bed she had delivered and built in the Beatles’ recording studio, mind you), a personal “theory” which is based on the fact that Paul later wrote a song called “Three Legs” (you know that song: “My dog, he got three legs, like the bed you inappropriately brought into Abbey Road 2 years ago which I secretly vandalized behind your back because I have nothing better to do, am certainly not busy writing the Beatles Swan Song and don’t have a fucking 7 year old at home or anything”)

This isn’t even to mention Tune In, which could be a whole separate post and episode. Suffice it to say, this book often reads less like a Beatles biography and more like John Lennon Fanfiction to us.

Lewisohn managed to distinguish himself by doing (some) research and unearthing some original documents. That he had some skill in research is not surprising given that he started his career in Beatledom as a researcher for Norman, on his book Shout — which Lewisohn still contends is a good book. Norman, on the other hand has evolved his opinion of his own work and thinks Shout was flawed, so has written a whole biography on Paul to make up for what he sees as the failure of Shout, which is his underestimation of Paul. Unfortunately, Lewisohn does not seem to have made this same journey. He pays lip service to John and Paul being equal, and then spends all of his time and energy trying to prove otherwise. Norman says that he has created a monster in Lewisohn. We take his point.

One of our biggest issues with Lewisohn is that he vigorously promotes himself as an unbiased truth teller, and his calm manner seems to telegraph this. But it is not true. The research that Lewisohn does and the spin that he applies to his findings are all heavily biased. As we mentioned in one of our episodes, he travelled to Gibraltar simply to experience where John and Yoko got married. Yet when Paul calls the May 9th meeting over management the metaphorical cracking of the Liberty Bell, Lewisohn doesn’t even bother to Google it so he can understand the metaphor.

What he chooses to research is also a form of bias. For example, we at AKOM are very interested in Paul’s relationship with Robert Fraser during the Beatle years — since Paul has commented that Fraser was one of the most important, influential people in his life. Paul McCartney was the concept artist behind Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Magical Mystery Tour film, the iconic Apple logo, and he co-designed the covers of the White Album and Abbey Road. All of these are pretty defining moments in the Beatles’ career. As Beatles fans, we’d like to know more about Paul’s art education and influences. But we would be shocked if Lewisohn dug into Fraser at all beyond his relationship as John and Yoko’s gallerist/curator (and heroin dealer, but since that isn’t a thing in Lewisohn’s world then maybe he will be ignored).

We think Lewisohn benefits massively from the fact that Beatles authorship was like the Wild West since its inception, when everyone with a connection to the Beatles (plus or minus a personal axe to grind) wrote a book about their experience. It was absolute chaos, with no rules, no checks and balances, uncredited sources, etc. Just an absolute shit show. What Lewisohn did was bring some order to the chaos with some proper documentation. But again, what he chooses to dig into often reflects bias. And this certainly does not mean that he is intellectually or emotionally equipped to interpret his findings. Doing this takes social intelligence and insight, which is a very different skill. As a creator of myths, he is no better (and no more insightful or original) than many of the others who came before him; he worships John Lennon and freely admits it. He is not even close to being unbiased. But in this dumpster fire of a fandom he has at least checked some boxes and done some digging. The fact is, the bar has been so low for so long that Beatles fans don’t even know how to expect or want better. But WE certainly expect better. We expect some breakthrough, fresh thinking. Not just Shout with Receipts.

We think it’s significant that Lewisohn was deeply disliked by George Harrison, who lobbied to get him kicked him off the Anthology project. He was fired from Paul’s fan club magazine, and yet no one seems to think he might hold a grudge about that, too? Lewisohn so distorted John and Paul’s relationship in Tune In that he believes he is the target of the lyrics in Paul’s song “Early Days.“ And he either thinks that’s flattering or funny, because Lewisohn seems to truly believe he knows John Lennon better than Paul McCartney does. We find it almost tragic that Paul is so bothered by the way his experience and relationship is being portrayed by authors (perhaps Lewisohn) that he wrote a song about it. In it, he conveys his frustration and heartache about how everything is misconstrued and we find it absolutely outrageous that Lewisohn would not take this to heart. Perhaps Lewisohn thinks Paul should listen to him for a change? And if he doesn’t like it, then tough, because Lewisohn knows better? We think Lewisohn should do some serious soul-searching about “Early Days” because if one of his main subjects is saying, “you are getting it wrong and it is breaking my heart”….maybe, just maybe, he should listen and rethink things. Maybe apply a little creativity, out-of-the-box thinking and empathy. This is what his heroes did.

Meanwhile, Jean Jackets are SO BUSY complaining that Paul McCartney doesn’t like Lewisohn because he “tells the truth!” that they fail to notice that Lewisohn has become a mouthpiece for Yoko Ono. He has already started white-washing John Lennon’s history, promoting John and Yoko as the true and only geniuses versus Paul as the craven, small-minded Lennon disciple who (through no virtue of his own) was born with the ability to write some nice tunes. Lewisohn’s version of John, on the other hand, is ALWAYS a sexy, visionary genius on the right side of every issue. He even went out of his way to recently trash Paul’s early 70’s albums, which -in addition to being obnoxious and we believe wrong (since we love them)- is totally outside his purview.

Lastly, to address your original point, Lewisohn’s claim that Klein may be viewed as the “hero” of his Beatles History reveals that he hasn’t shown sufficient empathy or interest in Paul’s experience. This claim at best ignores and at worst condones the fact that Klein was an abusive monster to one of the two founding members of the Beatles. As we discussed in Episode 4, Klein was a criminal who bullied Paul in his creative workspace, disrespected Paul in his own office in front of his own employees and actively pitted Lennon against McCartney for years. It’s hard to imagine ANYONE who inflicted more damage on the Beatles and Lennon/McCartney than Allen Klein. In addition to the wildly inappropriate “reluctant virgin” nickname, he verbally threatened to “own Paul’s ass” (to which Paul responded “he never got anywhere near my ass”). Klein was so disrespectful to Paul and Linda’s marriage he pitched the idea of procuring “a blonde with big tits” to parade in front of Paul to lure him away from Linda and destroy their relationship. Let’s also never forget that Klein contributed lyrics to the song “How Do You Sleep.” Allen Klein literally gave Paul nightmares. Anyone who so much as pretends to care about Paul’s break-up era depression (including his alcohol abuse, his inability to get out of bed and his terrifying sleep paralysis) would not champion Allen Klein.

Yes, Klein is a human being and therefore has his own POV, same as anyone else. But a Beatles biographer is beholden to four points of view only: John, Paul, George and Ringo. And when an outsider is openly hostile to one of the Beatles and damaging long-term to all of the Beatles, it is beyond inappropriate to portray him as a hero. This type of comment, made publicly to an audience of Beatles fans, invalidates and seeks to erase the real trauma inflicted on Paul McCartney by Allen Klein, and we think Lewisohn should apologize for his comments.

Instead, Lewisohn’s current buddy is Peter Brown, whose book, The Love You Make so offended and angered Paul and Linda that they literally burned their copy (and photographed it burning for good measure). This information doesn’t appear to bother Lewisohn in the least. Why not?

George referred to Norman’s Shout as “Shit.” But Lewisohn thinks it’s a great book. Why?

How any Beatles or Paul or even George fans tolerate Lewisohn is baffling to us; we don’t recognize a real human being in his version of Paul, and his version of John is a superhero rather than a man. We suspect that fans have come to accept the traditional story and at least appreciate some properly-documented facts.

But as we are constantly trying to demonstrate on our show, just because the story has always been told one way, doesn’t mean it’s right. Because in the end, Mark Lewisohn has no special insight. He wasn’t there. He is a guy who bought into a narrative during the Shout era, and is cherry picking his findings to support it.You can find a discussion of Lewisohn here

#MarkLewisohn #anotherkindofmind podcast #Beatles #Lewisohn is a joke

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chaolskingdom · 5 years ago

Text

Game of Thrones Playlist + Spotify Links

I’m finally back with a new playlist and I absolutely loved making this. I watched the show and read the books so I felt like GoT really has a lot of Playlist potetial and well here we are.

I will udate this playlist regulary, like my other playlists too. The “Other Characters” section will likely still be improved.

If you have any more song suggestions I should add then just comment :)

Click on the headers to get to the Spotiy Playlists

Game of Thrones

Game of Survival - Ruelle

Dead of Night – Ruelle

Secrets and Lies – Ruelle

Hero – Ruelle

Monsters – Ruelle

Timbers and Wind – Peter Hollens (S3 E9)

Glory and Gore – Lorde

When the Sun Goes Down – Tommee Profitt

Risk it All – Mono Inc.

No One’s Here To Sleep – Bastille

Team – Lorde (S8 E1 – E3)

A Storm is Comin – Tommee Profitt

Monsters – Tommee Profitt

Claim Your Weapons – Christian Reindl

New Kings – Sleeping Wolf

Fear Not This Night – Freya Catherine (S8 E2)

Sound Of War – Tommee Profitt

Undone – Tommee Profitt

Noble Blood – Tommee Profitt

Here We Stand – Hidden Citizens

Kings and Queens and Vagabonds – Ellem

Up in Flames – Ruelle

Robb Stark

Glitter and Gold – Barns Courtney

The Driver – Bastille

Soldier – Fleurie

Wildfire – Seafret (to Talisa)

Beautiful Mess – Kristian Kostov (to Talisa)

Pieces – Red (to Talisa)

Remembrance – Tommee Profitt (to Talisa)

Hold My Girl – George Ezra (to Talisa)

North – Sleeping At Last (Winterfell)

Summer Skeletons – Radical Face (Winterfell)

When the Wolves Cry Out – Miracle Of Sound

Sansa Stark

After the Storm – Mumford and Sons (S8)

Rival – Ruelle

Whatever It Takes – Imagine Dragons

Yellow Flicker Beat – Lorde

A Little Wicked – Valerie Broussard

Battle Cry – Beth Crowley

Will I Make It out Alive – Tommee Profitt

My Domain – SVRCINA

These Roots – Grey

I’m Not Afraid – Tommee Profitt

Ember – Katherine McNamara

You should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish

Deep End – Ruelle

No One’s Here To Sleep – Bastille (to Petyr Baelish S7)

I Know Your Secrets – Tommee Profitt (to Petyr Baelish S7)

Running With The Wolves – AURORA (S7)

Believer – Imagine Dragons

Something Wild – Lindsey Sterling

Unbreakable – Nick Howard

Zero Tolerance – Tommee Profitt

New Kings – Sleeping Wolf

The One to Survive – Hidden Citizens

Fear Not This Night – Freya Catherine

North – Sleeping At Last (Winterfell)

Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine

Summer Skeletons – Radical Face (Winterfell)

Home – AURORA (S6 E4)

When the Wolves Cry Out – Miracle Of Sound

Me and Mine – The Brothers Bright

Arya Stark

After the Storm – Mumford and Sons (S8)

Far From Home – Sam Tinnesz

Battle Cry – Imagine Dragons (S8 E3)

Whatever It Takes – Imagine Dragons

Yellow Flicker Beat – Lorde

Battle Cry – Beth Crowley

Will I Make It out Alive – Tommee Profitt

My Domain – SVRCINA

I’m Not Afraid – Tommee Profitt

Natural – Imagine Dragons

New Blood – Zayde Wolf

Believer – Imagine Dragons

Watch Me – The Phantoms

Something Wild – Lindsey Stirling

The Devil Within – Digital Daggers

Monsters – Tommee Profitt

New Kings – Sleeping Wolf

The One to Survive – Hidden Citizens

Fear Not This Night – Freya Catherine

North – Sleeping At Last (Winterfell)

Summer Skeletons – Radical Face (Winterfell)

Home – AURORA (S7 E4)

When the Wolves Cry Out – Miracle Of Sound

Me and Mine – The Brothers Bright

Bran Stark

The Raven – Karliene

Runaway – AURORA

North – Sleeping At Last (Winterfell)

Running With The Wolves – AURORA

Midnight – Radical Face

Summer Skeletons – Radical Face (Winterfell)

Home – AURORA (S7 E4)

When the Wolves Cry Out – Miracle Of Sound

Jon Snow

Winter Winds – Mumford and Sons (Jon/Daenerys)

Dust Bowl Dance – Mumford and Sons

Thistle and Weeds – Mumford and Sons (to Daenerys)

I Gave You All – Mumford and Sons (S8 E6)

After the Storm – Mumford and Sons (S8)

These Roots – Grey

Natural – Imagine Dragons

I Apologize – Five Finger Death Punch

Bad Dream – Ruelle

Deep End – Ruelle

The Driver – Bastille

Empty crown – YAS

Iron - Woodkid

We Must Be Killers – Mikky Ekko (S8 E5)

You’re Somebody Else – flora cash (to Daenerys S8)

Who Are You, Really? – Mikky Ekko (to Daenerys)

With You Til The End – Tommee Profitt (to Daenerys)

Meet Me on the Battlefield – SVRCINA

Warriors – Imagine Dragons

Believer – Imagine Dragons

Soldier – Fleurie

Wildfire – Seafret (to Ygritte)

Even If It Hurts – Sam Tinnesz (to Daenerys)

Walk Through The Fire – Zayde Wolf

Let Her Go – Passenger (to Ygritte/Daenerys)

Hymn For The Missing – Red (to Ygritte)

Still Here – Digital Daggers (to Ygritte)

Dark On Me – Starset (to Ygritte)

Hurts Like Hell – Fleurie (to Ygritte)

There’s a Hero in You – Tommee Profitt

Fear Not This Night – Freya Catherine (S8 E2)

North – Sleeping At Last (Winterfell)

Summer Skeletons – Radical Face (Winterfell)

Home – AURORA (S7 E4)

When the Wolves Cry Out – Miracle Of Sound

Daenerys Targaryen

Onward and Upward – Tommee Profitt

Welcome to Hell – Mono Inc. (to Cercei)

Rival – Ruelle

Deep End - Ruelle

Monster – Beth Crowley (S7/8)

Battle Cry – Imagine Dragons (S8)

Whatever It Takes – Imagine Dragons

Yellow Flicker Beat – Lorde

The Hate Inside – Sam Tinnesz

Play With Fire – Sam Tinnesz

A Little Wicked – Valerie Broussard

Will I Make It out Alive – Tommee Profitt

My Domain – SVRCINA

No More Heroes – Aviators

Castle – Halsey

Invincible – Ruelle (S8)

Until We Go Down – Ruelle

This Is My World – Esterly

Ember – Katherine McNamara

You should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish

Survivor – 2WEI

Here I am – Tommee Profitt (S7 E4)

Iron – Woodkid

Gloria Regali – Tomee Profitt

Let There Be Fire – Aviators

Monster – Beth Crowley

Two Evils – Bastille (S8)

Ready Set Let’s Go – Sam Tinnesz

Witching Hour – Tommee Profitt (S8 E5)

Believer – Imagine Dragons

Soldier – Fleurie

Casualty – Hidden Citizens (S8)

Lover. Fighter. – SVRCINA

Warrior – Beth Crowley (to Jon)

Midnight Oil – Tommee Profitt (to Jon)

War of Hearts – Ruelle (to Jon)

Hymn For The Missing – Red (to Drogo)

Still Here – Digital Daggers (to Drogo)

Dark On Me – Starset (to Drogo)

Crown [Extended Version] - Camila Cabello & Grey

In My Blood – Tommee Profitt

Here I Am – Tommee Profitt

Champion – Tommee Profitt

Control – Halsey

New Kings – Sleeping Wolf

Fear Not This Night – Freya Catherine (S8 E2)

Me and Mine – The Brothers Bright

Jamie Lannister

Babel – Mumford and Sons (Season 8)

Natural – Imagine Dragons

I Apologize – Five Finger Death Punch

Deep End – Ruelle

I’ll Be Good – Jaymes Young

Wrong Side Of Heaven – Five Finger Death Punch

Iron – Woodkid (S8)

Same Mistake – James Blunt (S8)

Whose Side Are You On – Ruelle

Battle Cry – Beth Crowley

Go To War – Nothing More

Casualty – Hidden Citizens (S8)

Find You – Ruelle (To Cercei S8 E5)

With You Til The End – Tommee Profitt (to Cercei)

Lioness – Sivert Hoyem (To Cercei S7,8)

Remembering Myself – Stephen (to Brienne)

Another Love – Tom Odell (to Brienne)

There’s a Hero in You – Tommee Profitt

Monster – Imagine Dragons

Tyrion Lannister

Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons

Thistle and Weeds – Mumford and Sons (to Daenerys)

When the Raven Dies Tonight – Mono Inc.

Natural – Imagine Dragons

I Apologize – Five Finger Death Punch

Bad Dream – Ruelle

Hollow – Cloudeater

We Must Be Killers – Mikky Ekko (S8)

Cercei Lannister

My Way – Chase Holfelder

Whatever It Takes – Imagine Dragons

My Domain – SVRCINA

The Devil Within – Digital Daggers

Champion – Tommee Profitt

Me and Mine – The Brothers Bright

Sandor Clegane

Battle Cry – Beth Crowley

Natural – Imagine Dragons

New Blood – Zayde Wolf

I Apologize – Five Finger Death Punch

Monster – Starset

Man or a Monster – Sam Tinnesz

Bad Man – Esterly

I’ll Be Good – Jaymes Young

Iron – Woodkid

What I’ve Done – Linkin Park

I’m A Wanted Man – Royal Deluxe

There’s a Hero in You – Tommee Profitt

Beekeeper – Keaton Henson

Fear Not This Night – Freya Catherine (S8 E2)

Monster – Imagine Dragons

Theon Greyjoy

Dust Bowl Dance – Mumford and Sons

Risk it All – Mono Inc.

Crossfire – Stephen

Natural – Imagine Dragons

I Apologize – Five Finger Death Punch

Bad Dream – Ruelle

Control – Halsey

Bad Man – Esterly

Run Boy Run – Woodkid

Empty Crown – YAS

I’ll Be Good – Jaymes Young

Iron – Woodkid

All The Kings Horses – Karmina

Same Mistake – James Blunt

Battle Cry – Beth Crowley

Casualty – Hidden Citizens (S8)

Find You – Ruelle (to Yara S8 E1)

Remembrance – Tommee Profitt ( S7/8 to Sansa)

There’s a Hero in You – Tommee Profitt

Fear Not This Night – Freya Catherine (S8 E2)

Monster – Imagine Dragons

Welcome Home, Son – Radical Face (Sansa Theon Reunion S8 E2)

Everything Costs – Radical Face

Blood on My Name – The Brothers Bright

Brienne of Tarth

Nothing Left – Beth Crowley (to Jamie S8)

You’re Somebody Else – flora cash (to Jamie S8)

Bring Me Back to Life – Ht Bristol (S8 E2 to Jamie)

Warrior – Beth Crowley (to Jamie)

Wicked Game – Ursine Vulpine (to Jamie)

Weight – Crywolf (to Jamie)

Meet Me on the Battlefield – SVRCINA

Soldier – Fleurie

Something Wild – Lindsey Stirling

Lover. Fighter. – SVRCINA

Fear Not This Night – Freya Catherine (S8 E2)

Petyr Baelish

Who Are You, Really? – Mikky Ekko

Whose Side Are You On – Ruelle

Natural – Imagine Dragons

Blame – Bastille

The Devil Within – Digital Daggers

Other Characters

Onward and Upward – Tommee Profitt (Tommen Baratheon)

White Blank Page – Mumford and Sons (Jorah Mormont)

Soldier – Fleurie (Jorah Mormont)

~ Last Updated 05.02.2020

~ Chaolskingdom

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