#michael fic week

[lostloveletters]

“What happened to your first wife?” Her curiosity was slaughtered the moment she asked. Looking into his eyes suddenly felt like being dragged to the second circle of hell. (Bruised Fruit, Chapter 7)

Thank you so much @cheesy-cryptid for your incredible work on this! You captured the gothic horror vibes perfectly and really brought Michael and Gloria to life🖤

[robyn-i-guess]

“It’s your turn to make dinner.” with Gerry & Michael Distortion

"I am not cooking tonight."

Gerry huffs and collapses onto his couch.

"What a greeting," Michael responds, its voice annoyingly cheerful as it always seemed to be. The door that was not there before removes itself, leaving just Michael, Gerry, and the dizzying feeling Michael tends to emit.

"Seriously though," he responds, "I couldn't. I'll burn the place down."

"Oh, don't doubt your talent!" It smiles. "I bet you'll make it combust!"

Gerry sighs of exhaustion, grabbing the cheap slushy that he had gotten in his way back from the Institute.

"Why don't you get that – what do you call it? Where the little people bring you your dinner?" Michael sits on the other side of the couch from Gerry, causing a headache to form as its presence usually does.

"Doordash? No, nothings open. It's 1am, Michael."

"I'm open!"

Gerry chokes on his drink. "You're fucking what?"

"I can deliver you the food!" It smiled like it had no clue what it just said. Did it know? Gerry didn't have the energy to pinpoint that.

"From where? Everything is closed."

"The kitchen!" The smile twists in a weird way. Is it meant to be excitement? Does Michael feel excitement? Too many questions lay unanswered.

"Fine, whatever. It's your turn to cook then. Go ham." Gerry pulls a throw blanket over him, trying his hardest to push away the growing migraine was threatening tonight's sleep. The buzzing in his head (that he didn't realize was there) disappears, a sign of Michael leaving his side.

5 minutes later comes a smell from the small kitchen that can only be described as painfully sour candy.

The next minute it's warm both in scent and temperature. Gerry questions just for a moment in his sleep riddled mind of the house is on fire, before remembering fire alarms exist. Michael could turn them off, but it wouldn't. He thinks.

Then there's sizzling, maybe popping, maybe boiling. The sound is hard to pinpoint, but it's certainly a cooking sound.

Then 30 minutes of silence. Nothing. Gerry knows Michael isn't gone because he can feel it look at him. Was it even 30 minutes?Maybe that's all it was doing. Maybe the exhaustion was getting to him.

On his shoulder came a gentle tap with what felt like a knife. If not for the jacket be wore, it might've cut or punctured the skin. Gerry pulls the blanket off and in front of him is – as he expected – Michael, with its usual shit eating grin.

"Wakey wakey!" It squeaks, holding a plate that curved weirdly into a bowl that Gerry knew he didn't own, but he does now, he supposes.

In it is certainly... food. It is like if an artificial intelligence was told to create what it thought food was; sure, it resembles something edible, but what it was couldn't be pinpointed. Are those noodles? Is that sauce or the color of something cooked? What plant is that? The answer is none of the above, it is not anything, it's simply food.

It tasted like ramen.

Apparently, Michael just had fun with instant ramen.

Whatever keeps it entertained.

[spacebabesuki]

She looks just like a dream 🎃 — Hellcheer Week Day 13

Eddie Munson is a loser who only goes to the Halloween party to sell drugs to the rich, stupid kids. He’s never actually invited, but he shows up anyway, wearing his Michael Myers mask just to hide his face while he sells his stuff.

But then…he freezes, hands shaking, unable to explain it, his heart pounding as if he’d inhaled tons of cocaine. He never expected to see her at the party—the angel. Yes, she’s dressed as an angel.

She…she…she looks just like a dream. Glitter on her face, a halo, angel wings, that long strawberry-blonde hair, and a white dress that hits him like a bullet. And of course, her signature blue eyeshadow, matching the color of her eyes.

He can’t even blink, watching her dance inside the party…her…The girl he’s been in love with (read: obsessed with) for over five years: Chrissy Cunningham.

And tonight, well, tonight is going to change his life forever. Because it’s October, it’s Halloween, and everything happens for a reason.

“So, who are you dressed up as?” “Michael Myers.” “Oh, that Halloween scary guy,” she says, her sweet voice in his ear like a drug. “And you?” “I’m an angel!” “Yes, you are...you are..."

Oh fuck...

Eddie Munson | Chrissy Cunningham | Hellcheer Week 2024 | Halloween Party - Day 13 @hellcheerweek

[ashfae]

Eden

(No spoilers for season two in here, promise) One of the most interesting parts of getting to visit the Good Omens set was talking with set designer Michael Ralph. Mostly it was about the bookshop, but he also talked about back before season 1 was done and he was first envisioning and drawing the concept art for everything. His image of the Garden of Eden was that it would be behind walls, obviously, and that outside those walls would be a vast desert.

And that in that desert were the remains of the first attempts of building other Edens. Failed prototypes now left to turn to ruins.

I think about that a lot now. About what might have been in the other Edens, what was left when they were abandoned.

[bellaxgiornata]

Whatever You Want

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x Fem!Reader Word Count: 3.4k

Summary: You've been having a difficult year adjusting to your life in Dublin, struggling with a few things that you've kept hidden from Michael so as not to burden him further. Though when he comes home unexpectedly early from a family meeting, you realize he's been reading you better than you'd thought.

Warnings/Tags: light angst, emotional hurt/comfort, fluff, soft Michael

a/n: Just a short little comfort fic to wrap up my Comfort Fic Week! Always love me a soft Mikey. Feedback is always appreciated!

Grabbing one of Michael’s shirts from the laundry basket on the bed next to you, you proceeded to fold it, your eyes staring absently out of the bedroom window beside the bed. The sky was overcast today, gray clouds hanging low despite the fact that it wasn’t supposed to rain this morning. Somehow it seemed like the weather was reflecting your mood–or maybe amplifying it. 

Hands moving of their own accord, you neatly stacked the now folded shirt on top of the pile of Michael’s other shirts before reaching into the laundry basket and removing another one to fold. Your hands continued to move mechanically as you worked, folding clothing item after clothing item as you removed each one from the basket. 

Inevitably your mind began to wander.

Michael had already been gone by the time you'd awoken this morning. He had yet another family meeting to attend early today despite the fact that it was now Sunday. He'd been busy this entire past week taking care of a 'problem' with the family's supplier before spending the rest of the week cleaning up some issues on the business end of things. You’d barely seen him for days now, which wasn’t the usual between the two of you. And although he’d been excited to see you the handful of times you’d both run into each other at home this week, you had been distant. 

Admittedly you’d been struggling for this entire past year that you’d officially been living in Dublin. Struggling under the weight of your own family issues that you often kept from Michael–because he already had enough problems to deal with when it came to his family. You’d also been struggling under the pressures of things at work, forced into playing the mediator between the two owners of your company who fought with each other like actual children on a near daily basis. It had been wearing on you for months now, but you yet again never revealed any of this to Michael. He was busy enough as it was, and even though he was nothing but loving and attentive to you when he was home, you knew he had enough on his mind to worry about. So you always greeted him with a smile when you two were together, choosing to shove everything down, down, down until you couldn’t feel it for a bit.

But truthfully? You felt like you were drowning. You missed your family now that you were living abroad in Ireland so you could be with Michael; a feat accomplished with the help of his family–the one good thing they had managed to accomplish for you both when they had fast tracked your visa. But all the health complications back home had you missing your family even more. And you had quickly begun to hate your job with a passion ever since the owners had begun to bicker and fight, leaving you to solve the company's problems. And the office work you were doing wasn't even remotely your dream job, but you knew it wasn't realistic for you to quit just to pursue a dream.

The sound of the front door opening and closing downstairs met your ears, causing your hands to momentarily pause their movements, the shirt partially folded in between them. You could hear the sound of Michael downstairs, opening the closet door and putting away his jacket and shoes. Brows furrowing together, you wondered why he was home so soon.

“Where ya at, love?”

Michael’s voice rang out through the house, the sound of it drowning out the noise in your head–for now. Stacking another shirt of his onto the pile, you turned over your shoulder and called back to him.

“Upstairs, Mikey. Just doing the laundry.”

You grabbed another pair of jeans from the basket, hearing the heavy and tired footfalls of Michael as he made his way up the stairs. As you sorted the pair of pants in your hands with the others, leaning across the bed to reach the pile, you heard Michael making his way across the bedroom before you felt him come up behind you. His arms were soon wrapping around your waist, his nose brushing back and forth against the side of your neck as he let out a pleased hum. 

“Missed ya, pet,” he murmured.

Straightening back up, your hands landed on his forearms, giving them a gentle squeeze before you unwrapped them from around you. You felt the way Michael stiffened against the back of you, his face soon drawing away from your neck. Glancing over your shoulder at him, you sent him a brief, tense smile. He took a step back, his eyes narrowing as he studied you.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you back this morning,” you said, turning back towards the bed and reaching a hand into the basket, pulling out another piece of clothing to fold. “The meeting go alright?”

“Yeah, it was grand,” Michael answered distractedly. “Ya alright, love?”

“Mhmm,” you hummed out. “Just trying to catch up on laundry. Figured you’d be gone most of the day. Knew you were low on fresh clothes with how busy you’ve been this week. Thought I’d take care of it for you today.”

“Pet, ya know I could’ve done the laundry myself later today,” he told you.

You neatly stacked yet another one of his shirts onto the pile beside you, nodding as you reached your hand into the basket. You drew out the last piece of clothing, about to fold it, but Michael pulled the pair of pants from your hands. 

“Hey, stop,” he said softly, catching your eye. “Is somethin’ wrong? Ya haven’t been acting like yourself all week.”

You bit back the urge to point out that he hadn’t actually seen you much this past week. Instead, you sent him another tense smile.

“I’m fine, Mikey,” you said, gesturing to the pants in his hands. “Now can I finish the laundry? I’ve got other things to take care of today.”

Michael drew the pants out of your reach, his dark brows knitting together. His lips thinned along his face as concern washed over his features.

“What other things have ya got to take care of?” he asked.

You sighed in irritation, crossing your arms over your chest in annoyance with how he was slowing down your list of chores and errands for the day. Michael certainly helped out with many things around the house, but usually when the Kinsellas came to him to solve a plethora of problems for them, you were left to pick up the slack. Which is exactly what had happened this week on top of everything else you’d been silently dealing with.

“The house needs to be cleaned, Mikey,” you pointed out. “And the kitchen is an absolute disaster. I haven’t even managed to finish working my way through all of the dishes from the other night when Jimmy and Viking decided to eat every last damned thing in the house. Which also means I need to pick up groceries from the market still, and I haven’t even had a chance to sit down to make the list. Not to mention, I still have another two loads of laundry to take care of, so can you please just let me finish?”

A frown pulled the corners of Michael’s lips down, his hazel eyes softening as they held yours. A second later he expelled a rough breath, his shoulders dropping at the movement. When he tossed the unfolded pair of pants onto the bed, your eyes widened in shock. Your mouth opened, ready to chastise him for being so uncharacteristically callous, but he’d so tenderly grabbed your hands and drew you towards himself that the gesture quickly left you stunned and speechless. All you could do was stare in confusion at him as he drew you into himself.

“Forget ‘bout all o' that today,” he told you. “I’ll handle it tomorrow. All of it, I promise.”

“But don’t you have things you need to do?” you asked.

Michael wrapped his arms around your shoulders, one of his hands gently guiding your head to rest against his chest. Reluctantly you allowed it, though you were tense in his embrace, your body unable to relax. You really needed to get these things done because you didn’t feel like grabbing groceries at the market after work tomorrow. 

“I’ll take the day off,” he replied. “Handle everythin’ at home. Even have dinner ready for us when ya finish work. Yeah?”

“Mikey, don’t promise me something that you can’t follow through on,” you warned him. “I know how your family is. I know they’re going to–”

“Hey, shh,” he hushed you, one of his hands soothingly running up and down your back. “I’ll tell ‘em no. Not to bother me tomorrow. Doesn’t matter what they say. Ya deserve some help ‘round here. Been takin’ care of everythin’ this past week–everythin’ this past year, really. And I wanna show ya that I appreciate it, love.”

“It’s not a big deal, I can handle it,” you told him, the lie almost automatic.

You felt him shift above you, resting his cheek against the top of your head. His hand continued to soothingly run the length of your back over and over, the calming feel of it slowly easing the tension in your muscles. 

“I can tell ya have been stressed, pet,” Michael murmured. “Can see it on your face. Somethin’s been goin’ on with ya. It has me worried.”

Nervously your tongue slipped out, wetting your lips. You couldn’t believe he’d picked up on anything being off with you. You thought you’d been hiding everything from him so well. And you certainly didn’t need him worrying about you, too.

“I’m fine,” you whispered.

“Don’t lie to me,” Michael said, voice firm but not angry. “I know ya too well, love. I know ya aren’t alright.”

Turning your head, you buried your face into Michael’s chest, breathing in the scent of him. He smelled faintly like his leather jacket and gasoline, probably from riding his motorcycle this morning to the family meeting. Just beneath the scent of both of those you could smell the bit of his soap that always seemed to linger on his skin. It was something with sandalwood–you knew that because the nights he’d be out working a job and not coming home to you, you’d purposely shower with his soap. Just to feel like he was still there in bed with you. You couldn’t fall asleep otherwise. 

“Tell ya what,” Michael said, breaking the silence that had fallen. “How ‘bout I take ya for coffee this mornin’? Your favorite shop. Then we can visit that little bookstore ya love so much. The one just on the corner? I’ll buy ya whatever ya want.”

A small smile slipped onto your lips and you reluctantly withdrew your face from where it had been buried against Michael’s chest, his own head withdrawing itself from the top of yours. Looking up at him, he was smiling warmly down at you, his eyes full of affection and love.

“Yeah?” you asked him softly.

“Buy ya the whole damn store if ya want,” he said, tone light and teasing as he grinned back at you. “And ya know I would, love. ‘S’not like I don’t have the money.”

“Okay,” you answered slowly, your attention shifting back to the laundry on the bed. “As long as you really will have time to take care of everything tomorrow though. Because I have to–”

Michael’s hand gently cupping your cheek and turning your face back towards him quickly quieted you. That warm smile was back on his face, the brightness of it reaching his eyes.

“Go get ready,” he ordered. “I’ll finish the rest of this. And the other stuff I’ll do tomorrow. Promise. Forget ‘bout it already, yeah? Just go take a few minutes for yourself.” His smile briefly faltered as he nervously added, “Then maybe afterwards ya can tell me ‘bout what’s been goin’ on? Ya keep lockin’ me out, pet, and I really wish ya would let me in. I want to help.”

“You just–just always have so much going on, Mikey,” you told him softly. “You don’t need my shit, too.”

“Hey,” he said firmly, his eyes narrowing as he lowered his face towards yours. “It isn’t shit, ya hear me? Ya matter to me. More than ya know. Don’t brush yourself off when it comes to me, love, alright? Talk to me. I’m beggin’ ya.”

Chewing the inside of your cheek, you slowly nodded. “Okay,” you agreed. “Later, I will.”

“Good,” he replied, gesturing his head towards the bathroom as a smile curved his lips upwards. “Now get your adorable arse ready. ‘Cause I wanna spoil my girl today. I’ll take care of the rest o’ the laundry.”

Feeling giddy at the prospect of having a day to spend where it was just you and Michael, grabbing coffee and buying books, you spun on your heel without further encouragement, hurrying your way to the bathroom to get ready.

°•°•°•°•°•°

You hummed out a curious noise, skimming over the summary on the back of the book in your hands for the second time. Behind you, you heard Michael huff out an amused, light laugh. The sound caught your attention and you looked up from the back cover, eyeing Michael’s smiling face curiously from his place beside you. He held up the small stack of books in his hands, gesturing his head towards the one you were still holding.

“Add it to the pile, love,” he urged. “Ya know ya want to. I can see it on your face with the way you’re lookin’ at it.”

Rolling your eyes you held out the book, a grin on your lips as you added it onto the stack Michael was holding. He shot you a flirtatious wink that only had you grinning wider, but when your eyes landed on the clock on the wall behind him, the grin faded. Surprise washed over you instead, a pang of guilt hitting you instantly.

“Why didn’t you tell me we’d been here for over two hours already?” you exclaimed, wide eyes landing back on Michael. “I’m so sorry, Mikey. I didn’t mean to be here so long!”

Michael only laughed, shaking his head back at you. “Pet, I told ya this mornin’ like I told ya over coffee before we came here–take as much time here as ya want. Buy whatever ya want. I’ve seen how much ya have been workin’ your arse off at that office this year. I know ya haven’t been goin’ shoppin’ or out to dinners with your friends as much lately.” Something like guilt spread across his face as he continued. “And I–I know I haven’t been ‘round as much the past few months, what with everythin’ goin’ on with the family. But I wanna change that. Startin’ today. Besides,” he said, suddenly looking a little shy, “I could honestly spend my day watchin’ the way ya wander ‘round in a bookstore. The way your face lights up when ya find a book–" he paused, that shy smile still on his mouth directed at you, "–the only other time ya look like that is when you’re lookin’ at me," he finished softly. 

“Because you make me happy,” you told him, the grin returning to your lips.

“I know,” he replied with a nod.

“And coffee also makes me happy,” you added before gesturing a hand at the shelf beside you. “So do books. Best way to relieve stress is with a good book and some coffee.”

Michael chuckled, nodding his head even more as his own smile widened. "Exactly why I suggested gettin' coffee before buyin' books, love." 

The corner of his lips twitched before his expression changed to something serious, his lips thinning as he shifted his weight back and forth on his feet, looking like he wanted to say something else. You hadn’t missed the shift in his mood as you curiously eyed him in return, wondering what was now suddenly on his mind.

"How has work been?" he asked carefully. "Ya seem stressed more than usual lately. Been worried 'bout ya."

Expelling a sigh at the topic change, you turned and made your way out of the aisle of books you both were in, searching for another one in particular as you mulled over his question. Michael followed closely behind you, still carrying the stack of your books in his arms as he walked.

"It's been difficult this year," you admitted slowly, eyes scanning the aisles as you looked at the different genre signs hanging above them. "I can't stand it lately, if I'm being honest," you finally confessed. "My bosses literally bicker in every meeting I have with them and I'm always trapped playing their mediator, always left cleaning up the company problems they don’t even deal with." Hands curling into fists at your sides, you could feel your irritation returning at the thought of work tomorrow. "They don't even talk about work most of the time anymore, either. I swear, they're going to run their business into the ground if they keep it up."

"Then quit."

You abruptly stopped in front of the aisle you'd been looking for at his blunt suggestion.  Turning swiftly on your heel, you looked back at Michael in confusion and shock. 

" Quit ?" you asked him in disbelief. 

He shrugged easily. "Yeah," he answered. "Quit. You've always hated it there and now it's upsettin' ya. So quit. 'S'not like ya need the money. Ya know I'll take care of ya."

"Mikey," you said, pulling a face, "I'm not going to just sit at home and be some–" you waved a hand through the air, "–trophy wife. Or–or girlfriend or whatever," you awkwardly added when Michael’s smile grew at your word choice. "I like feeling productive."

"Your choice, love, but I happen to think ya would make a fine trophy wife," he playfully teased, shooting you another wink. "But ya know I've got ya. So quit. Find somethin' ya like. Because I know that's not what you're passionate 'bout."

With a huff you turned, focusing back on the aisle before you. You stepped into it, eyeing the books on the shelves as you looked for one in particular. 

"Say it like it's that easy," you muttered, eyes scanning the various titles.

"It is," Michael pressed. "Give 'em your notice tomorrow. Quit. Do what you're passionate about. Because I know you've been dying to do photography instead. And you're damn good at it, love. And I know ya been dyin' to work for yourself.”

Chewing your lip, you let his suggestion settle in your mind. He was right, you did want to do photography. You'd been talking about it since you'd first met him. And you had been dying to work for yourself, especially with how your bosses had been this past year. It would be nice to do something you were actually passionate about, and you did know that Michael would take care of you while you started up the business–he'd already told you he wanted to marry you. He certainly wasn’t planning to go anywhere.

You hummed out a noise, your hand reaching out and pulling the book you'd been looking for off of the shelf. "Alright," you told him, turning around and placing the book on the stack in his hands. "I'll quit tomorrow," you told him. "You're right, photography is my passion. And if you're going to push me–"

"I absolutely insist ya do, love," he cut you off.

"Alright," you repeated, nodding your head. "I'll do it."

Michael's smile grew even wider, the warmth of it reaching his eyes as they fondly gazed back at you. You couldn’t fight the smile on your own face knowing that you’d never get over how lucky you were to have met him–or how handsome he looked when he smiled at you like that. 

Eventually Michael's eyes curiously glanced down to the book you'd so quickly placed onto the pile he was carrying. A look of confusion crossed his face, brows drawing together as he looked back up at you.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude?" he asked.

"Yeah," you said, your smile turning cheeky as you made your way out of the aisle and over towards the register. "It's for you. About time you read something that wasn't a Steinbeck, babe."

[fight-nights-at-freddys]

do you think William also liked bad rom com shows, and that he used to watch them with Michael when they had a semi-better-not-really relationship? Michael used to criticize them saying that they are all cliche and boring, while William keeps insisting that he doesn’t know what fun is.

only for his father to die and all Michael does when coming home is watching those same rom coms, trying to get any trace of his normal life with his father again, despite the fact that the core piece is missing now

[pinkluver93]

Allie: (in Ovenist’s shop) Hi! Sorry to bother you again, but I need more bouquets please!

Ovenist: Sure no-

Dr. Keh:(barges in your shop with a picture of Godzilla destroying buildings and eating pizza) Ovenist, take a look. It appears that even Godzilla gets angry from your pizza!

Ovenist:(rolls eyes)

Allie:(to Keh) Papa Smurf! Can I get your autograph??

Keh:(sneers at Allie) Shouldn’t you be at school, you petulant little brat? Shoo!

Alicante(barges in Ovenist’s shop and faces Keh): What the heck did you say to my princess??!!

Ovenist:(hides in kitchen)

[bearbait-adventures]

RvB Pacific Rim AU: Day 3 @rvbrarepairweekdos

Where the AI are all Jaegars, and the Freelancers are all pilots.

Think about it. The inevitable closeness that comes from being inside someone else's head the compatibility testing. The potential for hurt of losing a partner.

Maybe Freelancer is experimenting with AI to remove the need for a second pilot, but it goes wrong. Maybe that's what happened to Washington. Epsilon ultimately failed and left the neural load all on Washington's brain, leaving him with brain damage and then removed from the program, demoted. Caboose is the only pilot on record for defeating a Kiaju while solo-piloting a Jaeger. At least, that's what the files said. Washington has read all of it. Most of it was redacted, however. It's probably a bunch of top secret nonsense anyway. Washington's convinced, though. If anyone can get him back in the cockpit again. It has to be Michael J. Caboose. Caboose at first glance, well he looks impressive. He's built like a tank, it got Washington's hopes up... And then Caboose spoke and any hopes Wash had in the man, died right there. At first anyway...

Washington is terrified, his training simulation has hit scarily close to home and his mind is spinning, spiraling, he can't make sense of it. He's chasing the rabbit in his own mind, what's left of Epsilon's memories leading him on a chase that never ends. he can vaguely make out someone talking to him people shouting orders around him, but it's like he's in a fishbowl. He can't make it out, it's just echoing sound. Nonsense. Something big, a body, a person moves everyone else away.

Initializing neural handshake. Handshake in 3... 2... 1. Washington hasn't drifted with another living person in a very long time. He usually chooses to train with "Sarah" the brain in a jar, she's less volatile no real or fresh emotions. So when the drift shifts to include this new person. There's a rush, like jumping out of a plane stomach swirling adrenaline as the two minds become one. And then it's calm. Suddenly. Everything is still. A wide ocean in front of him reflecting the moon and stars above. He can't explain it but he just 'knows' the ocean is deep and he 'knows' that it's covering something. Something that he should never uncover. A deep sorrow. Handshake Successful! 100% and holding. "Hello, Agent Washingtub." He feels the big man. He's covering him, he's protecting him. Relief floods his body like he's never felt before. like Caboose is holding the world up around him. "Hello, Caboose." Washington can feel the smile, He can feel how happy he just made Caboose with something as simple as a grateful hello. "You were... Chasing the bunny... You know... You shouldn't do that... You could scare it away." Caboose chides him in a way only he can. "I'm sorry, Caboose. I won't chase the rabbi- bunny again. And Caboose?" "Yes, Agent Washingtub?" "Thank you. Michael." "You are... Very welcome... David."

[babybirbb]

i need a young carmrichie fic where they get caught by mikey i need to know what y’all think he would do. i do think he would briefly beat the shit out of richie

[ingravinoveritas]

NOT SOMEONE COMMENTING THIS ON GEORGIA'S POST, I'M--

[bridgertonbabe]

Colin seeks out Penelope for some advice in how to go about pleasuring a woman in bed to the best of his ability, much to her eternal chagrin. Reluctantly she provides him with some rather eye-opening pointers, which inadvertently causes Colin to see her in a brand new dazzling light...

[monsterfuckermilligan]

the love that moves the sun

————

Summary: The hand cradling his face stays strong, keeping Adam in the memory, but not enough to get fully lost in it. Michael’s skin is warm.

He’s here. They’re both here.

—————

Written for the prompt ‘oath’ for Midam Appreciation Week 2024.

@midamappreciationweek

word count: 5k

tags: temporary character death, post-canon, post episode au: s15e19 inherit the earth, established relationship, angst with a happy ending, grace eating, fluff and smut, grief/mourning, alternate universe – canon divergence

type: one shot

pairing: michael/adam milligan

author: deandeluxeburger

[usercelestial]

thinking about colin going back to michaels house after they won the man city game and sweeping him up in the tightest hug and celebrating the win and his goal together thinking about colin being so so happy about how free he is cause his two lives have merged into one

[bellaxgiornata]

Yesterday I started off Bella's Comfort Fic Week with our first comfort fic for Matty: Stop, Just Breathe. I'm sharing with y'all again today the list of fics for this little theme week because I added a new one for Daryl Dixon that I'm currently working on and hoping to have done in time to add for this week. Plan still stands that tomorrow I should get Frank's fic up next!

[cosmo-watches-movies]

Bright Young Things (2003)

Triggerwarning: Drugs, Homophobia

Summary: In this context does it matter? You know why we’re here.

Spoilers beyond this!

FIrst off, this post is long. I have a lot to say about this film, maybe a bit too much, but hey, I had a good time writing it, maybe you'll have a good time reading it. So get comfy, grab your favourite hot beverage and dive with me, into the world of the Bright Young Things:

In this film Michael plays Miles Maitland, certified disaster gay. Saying I enjoyed the scenes he was in would be the understatement of the century. This movie follows a group of young people in the 1920's and their partygoing escapades. I refuse to write anything else about the plot, because it drops Miles like an unwanted dog at a gas station and I won't stand for that. But I will elaborate later.

About the movie:

Exept for the protagonist himself the young characters in this movie are in a very interesting situation. They are upperclass, living in London in the midst of the roaring 20’s and are way bejond giving a shit about anything. Consequences for one’s actions? Never heard of those. Apparently they don’t need to study or learn for some kind of job or anything, because their parents are rich. They don’t seem to have any other interests they would want to follow even if just for some fullfillment in life. They are just constantly bored. Bored and rich. So what do they do? Party. Hard. All the time.

Overall I really like this film. It’s entertaining to watch, has interesting, funny characters and it paints a very vivid picture of it’s world. They did a very good job at making you feel like you’re there. The sets, the costumes, the music, the whole aesthetic works very well together. We spend the first two acts watching the lot enjoy themselves, having parties, taking drugs, living in a fantasy world and when the third act hits everything goes downhill until most everyone is either in a really miserable situation or, worse dead. And listen, I enjoyed it a lot. But...why? What is this movie about? Like not the story. I got that. You know, the text is obvious. But what is the message? The point, the subtext? Is there even one, or do I want to read too much into this? For some reason it took me along time to understand what I was supposed to take from this all.

You don’t want to know how much bs I wrote before it dawned on me. I was asking myself. Why do the characters end up where they do? They are not inherently bad people. Bit ignorant maybe. But you don’t put characters in these situations and expose them this misery for no reason. Only after looking into the source material I understood what this movie was getting at. It’s just that, this ignorance! Society sucks big time and they do not care! It’s about extreme escapism!

You know: Don’t loose yourself only to the pleasures of life, the world is a difficult place and if you ignore that it will come around and bite you in the ass.

However, that would be the message of the book this film is based on. The movie tho, says: Don’t loose yourself only to the pleasures of life, the world is a difficult place and if you ignore that it will come around and bite you in the ass...unless you’re the main character :)

Sort of, let me explain:

In this film the only people in it who kind of evade this miserable fate are the protagonists Adam [Stephen Campbell Moore] and Nina [Emily Mortimer]. Adam is not as lucky as the other characters are, he has no fortune or rich parents. He has to fight himself through the world with hard work. Or rather lying and gambling. He makes a bet and techincally wins, but then spends the whole movie trying to actually get hold of the money he's owed. He ends up having to write for the chatterbox column in a local newspaper that usually gossips about his friends. He is loyal enough to not want to defame his friends, so he just makes up wild stories about imaginary people. With that he managed to make a choice that is somehow both morally right and wrong. Love that. He does get fired for that, but after some more, mainly monetary, hardships and after his service at war, he manages to get together with Nina in the end. They are broke, but they are alive and together.

The book however ends with Adam at war, no conclusion, no nothing it just ends. I get why they changed that, but it does soften the harsh message of the original story a lot. The thing is, Adam might not ignore the reality around him, but he uses very questionable methods to reach his goal.

Writing that, I think I just cracked the second meaning. I think somehow it's also about class. The ’’Bright Young Things” grow up privileged and throw their money away for nothing but pleasure while the poor young people have to use shady tactics to even just get by. But as Adam wants to build himself a proper life with his girl and find his place in the world his methods are at least a little excused. Not fully, he is broke again, but he can build his own familiy. Thats more than any of the others ever care for, even if they probably could have had this if they wanted to. Adam Fines says eat the rich.

Having put together all of that. There is something about this in relation to Miles that in my opinion doesn’t quite work how it might have been intended. But let’s put a pin in this I will come back to that later.

About Miles and his part in the story:

First of all tho: Whoever wrote Miles’ character for the movie knew exactly what they where doing and, judging by the end result, Michael Sheen sure as hell did aswell. Miles is, toghether with the other sidecharacters of the core group, only in a few scenes in this film, but every second he’s on screen is delightful. He’s very bubbly and openly flamboyant, as I said a pure joy to watch.

Thing is, they needed this character to read as gay to even the most average audience. There are several options to achieve that.

Option #1 You can show it

Option #2 You can say it.

And what option did they choose?

Exactly! Option No 3! They made him camp! And I’m so here for it.

Okay, there's no beating around the bush in this scene, but my point still stands!

The weird thing about this is, and that was true expecially back then, a character like this can easily be offensive. But he’s not. How is that?

Maybe the difference is, while he could be described as kinda stereotypically gay, y’know so everybody get’s the message, it’s not played for laughs. Not by the story and not by Michael either, obviously. Yes, he’s flamboyant and yes, that can be read as a stereotype, but you know, people like that do exist. And he’s written and played so sincerely, that it just works. He just is gay. Just like most of the other characters are just straight and it's so refreshing to see (especially for a film from 2003). He may be lucky enough to have a supportive friend group, but still, he is affected by the problems of his world. You know, like actual real humans in our actual real world. Crazy how easy that can be. The bar has been so low, wtf. (Bless Stephen Fry and his sense for realistic gay rep)

Continuing, Miles doesn’t get a bad ending because he is gay, but because the world he lives in sucks and wants to eliminate his kind from society. Is that punishment fair? Absolutely not obviously. But it is a consequence of ignoring the real dangers around you, right? Seen in the context of a queer character that sounds a bit weird now, doesn't it? But that would've been the general conclusion one might draw from my interpretation earlier. Does that hold up if we think this through, tho?

To draw a comparison here, Agatha [Fenella Woolgar] suffers a similar fate. She regularly takes a lot of drugs to escape reality and ends up in a mental hospital with (probably) drug induced psychosis. But her actions and consequences are way more direct and personal and don’t involve nearly as much malicious outward influence as Miles’ case does. So I’d hardly say these cases are equal.

Let me paint you a picture of what happens to Miles:

At first let me say a few things about Tiger. That fucking spineless maggot that is Tiger. If you think I disliked Bosie, oh boy, do I have a suprise for you.

So Tiger is, essentially, in the same situation as Miles is. Being gay (or bi we don't know for sure) in a world that has no place for you. But Tiger thinks he’s one of the smarts. He wants it both ways and he thinks he’s clever enough to get it all. So he has his super masculine car racing thing, his by society accepted ambition, but he also secretly sleeps with men (or at least one, the result is the same). We never really learn how serious the relationship between Miles and Tiger is, but it is made obvious that there is something between them. Anyway Tiger’s arrangement seems to work just fine for him, until those two worlds meet:

So there’s a big racing day for Tiger and his “friends”, or rather Miles and his social group, managed to worm their way into the racing team so they can watch it up close. But before the race starts Tiger pulls Miles aside telling him to “tone down the gay a bit or the boys will suspect there’s something up” (I’m parapharasing obviously).

Miles agrees, fully knowing he already failed several times just while walking up to the race track (he knows exactly what he’s doing).

With this short conversation we can see that Tiger is first and foremost afraid. He built this niche for himself in this shitty world where he can have both things and he doesn’t want to loose them, or worse go to prison if found out. Now that itself is understandable but he’s only scared for himself as we will see.

The race starts off well, Tiger is doing a good job probably, but oh no, Agatha raised a blue flag, which is a signal of their team to switch the driver in the next round. However, Tiger has to finish his current lap first so the friend group decides to quickly go to the racing tent to chill and have some coke (no I’m not kidding I wish I was, they don’t even try to hide it from the people around them lol) They return to the race track as Tiger finishes the lap and apparently their team doesn’t have a real spare driver, so Agatha (while totally high off her shoes) is put in the drivers seat. Adam tries to stop her but she goes anyway. I don’t even have words for how weird this part of the story is. You’d expext that she would kill herself now, but no, she just drives along. Well, very fast actually, she overtakes several competitors, but then is thrown off the race track by another driver. She’s fine just driving along and thru some fields, havin' the trip of her life.

The others, inlcuding Tiger, sit in the tent again and hear the announcement, that Tigers car has left the track. And this is where shit hits the fan. Tiger’s like: “Where the fuck’s my car?” Miles answers: ”It’s gonna be fine, darling.” The others are bored and want to leave. Tiger is already mildy offended that they could even think this is boring. Adam actually quite politely expresses that it’s getting late and they have to leave. And then this interaction happens:

Look at Miles’ face! I’m very sure he has never seen Tiger act like this before.

Now we could draw several conclusions from this. Either Tiger is just an asshole, who cares more about a car than a human being. Or Tiger is an asshole who cares more about his reputation than a human being he has a relationship with and this interaction scared him so much that he totally freaks out and decides to do a very inhumane thing to this specific person very soon, just to protect himself. I, personally, I think it’s both.

Because, as we learn soon, what he does after that is, he snitches letters to the police. Letters from Miles. So now there’s a warrant on our dear boy and he has to flee the country. What the fuck? Do you now see why I called Tiger a spineless maggot? How could he do such a thing? Miles himself even says:

“Tiger of all people.”

He would’ve never expected him to do such a cruel thing. That and the way Miles looked at him earlier tells me, that Tiger probably acted very different when they where alone than to how we saw him behave. Imo that just makes it worse. And the even worst part is, there are no consequences for Tiger! He got scared, threw his supposed friend/partner under the bus and got away unscathed. And Miles is the one who has to leave everything and everyone behind or go to jail! How fucked up is this? Getting wrecked not only by the system, but also by someone you trusted? This is like Wilde plus Underworld times 100. My heart is broken and my spirit needs a sweet tea, a warm blankie and a gentle hug.

So taking that pin out again, earlier I wrote that whole thing where I was like: Oh the point of the movie is to don’t just fuck around and party, even if you are privileged enough to do so. Don’t disregard reality or there will be consequences. And… I don’t know, maybe this applies to Adam and the other characters? But for Miles? For him this doesn’t work at all. What could his space in the world be? He knows how hostile society is towards people like him and I think he is aware of the situation he’s in. But he’s lucky enough to have a at least protective family and supportive friends. Why should he leave that safe space? What else is he supposed to do? Hide who he is and have a pretend normal life? He’s way too visibly queer to hide anything and at the point we see him for the first time we immediately know, even if that might have been an option once, to him it’s definetly not anymore. Other characters in the movie acknowledge this aswell:

Elaborating, now that we know what happend to Miles, can we actually say: His punishment is a consequence of ignoring the real dangers around him? I sure can’t. Can you? Everyone knows what his deal is. And in this community you either take part or keep shut. That's what keeps everyone save.

I 100% stand by Miles and wish he could just have a normal live and do what he wants. But unfortunately that is not the world he lives in. He lives in a world where homosexual acts are punishable by law and his actions are one pissed off boyfriend away from turning from rumors to provable allegations. That is fucking tragic but it’s his reality. This is the situation, you can do what you want, but if someone else doesn’t like that you could suffer for it. So either be aware of that, play it safe and hide yourself, or do what your heart tells you and disregard reality, but you could be punished for that. That’s a hell of a queer narrative if I’ve ever seen one. Unfortunately in this case Miles does not have an alternative. There is no choice that leads to a happy ending for him. Eventually he would suffer either way, so he chooses the “do what your heart tells you” - route and the narrative goes in the corresponding direction. In a different, more idealistic story he would’ve been rewarded for that choice, but this is not that kind of story. I don’t like that very much, but it’s the narrative the movie goes for.

To me it doesn’t seem like Miles is as ignorant of reality as the story wants him to be. This one line: “Tiger of all people.” demonstrates that he knows that he is consantly in danger of being prosecuted. He knows there can always be someone who can prove whatever allegations they might have and get him arrested. He just didn’t expect it to be Tiger. I’m sure at some point in his life he realised the situation he’s in and has decided to just not play the game. He’s gonna loose anyway. If just existing as who you are is actively discouraged or even punished by society wtf are you supposed to do? Again, why should he leave that safe space and suspect himself to danger? That wouldn't break ignorance, that would be stupid!

The lesson I thought I was supposed to take from this doesn’t work here. If he was just another straight, rich guy, taking drugs, constantly being at parties, escaping reality, this framing could work. But he’s not. So I don’t think it does.

So what do we take away from this? The world sucks, so bitch your way through it like anyone else? That’s what the main character does. He has a goal and the methods he uses to reach it aren’t exactly noble, but somehow he kinda made it. And as for Miles, he tried to bitch his own way through the world, but the stakes against him are just too high, so he fails. Sucks to be you, I guess. Fuckin depressing, thank you for that punch in the gut.

Conclusion of all...that:

Okay, I came to a conclusion. I know it’s unreasonable to expect every movie to just end happily for every character. It’s just a bit frustrating for me personally to watch it happen over and over again, but that’s not every individual movies fault. That’s my current watching habit.

However, and this is important, the film chose Miles’ arc to signify the shift to the third act. His arc is the first to reach it’s unfortunate end and it has a huge effect on the tone of the movie. And that makes it even more jarring than it already is.

[Warning Personal Opinion] I now sort of get what the movie is going for with it’s characters, but after thinking about it this still seems…just cruel. In the kind of inescapable situation Miles finds himself in, I can very much understand why he behaves the way he does. It’s almost the most reasonable choice. I don’t believe he’s just a flamboyant party gay, that is, at least to some extent, an act. Somewhere in there is probably a very scared, depressed young thing. And, admittedly through his priviledge, he has found a way to get some enjoyment out of this life that has put him in this horrible, horrible situation. Why would he not use this opportunity? He knows the world is shit and it’s very probable that someday he could be prosecuted or even worse. But he decided to not give in to this dispair. If partying and whatever the heck else they do makes him happy right then and there, that is the right choice if you ask me. Who would I be to judge? Am I thinking too much into this? Maybe. But if you’ve seen the movie, (especially if you're lgbt+ yourself) tell me you didn’t have similar thoughts.

I don’t really think the writers of this film really considered how the whole situation would be like if a character is not just rich and priviledged but also part of a discriminated minority. Because if they did, they must have noticed that this black and white moral doesn’t really apply for this character they wrote. It ceases to work if you see it more nuanched than escapism = horrible consequences. They messed up a bit on this one if you asked me.

Note: Don’t expect me to always justify any characters actions just because they are queer and/or happen to be played by Michael Sheen. If a character he plays is a bad person or behaves badly will call them out on that (happily in fact, I can’t wait to get there eventually). I just don’t think the consequences this film draws for Miles work the way they where intended.

Okay I did ramble maybe, but I wanted to express the full range of impressions I got from this film. I do actually have fun things to say about it tho. Because I want to talk about all the good stuff that’s here aswell.

Fun stuff about this movie:

Aside from my personal issues with the story I have to say this film is very well written. Especially the dialogues. I can’t say how much of the text they took from the book, but the script itself and what the actors do with it is truly amazing. Just look at this:

Every

Line

Is

Gold!

Putting the focus on Michael Sheen tho, he doesn’t have that much dialogue in this film, but he makes every sinlge line count. He steals every scene he’s in, I love it.

We all know Michael “she has the range” Sheen is famous for his ability to absolutely melt into his characters. But what I find abolutely brilliant is, he’s damn good at exhibiting this range in each character individually aswell. Every time I watch this movie and that scene comes up it leaves me shattered to a million pieces. The sheer contrast between Miles before he was betrayed to after? It breaks my heart time and time again.

First: Look at this bundle of pure joy! He’s so cheerful!

And then:

I don’t even have words for this. Just…how?

The gasps inbetween his words. He’s not just crying, he’s actually sobbing! Miles does his best to keep his composure so he doesn’t break down completely and somehow he manages to do that. But just…barely. Like there’s this thin, so very thin thread that he, through the heartbreak, sorrow and pure dread he’s facing right now, desperately holds on to. He does his best to keep up the usual act, maybe to cope or maybe to seem less vulnerable but anyway it’s just painfully heartbreaking to witness.

Everytime this scene ends I sit there, absolutely devastated and just wonder how Sheen did that. Iv’e seen many crying scenes before of course, but something about this one just feels…different. In a good way, for the emotional impact of this scene. In a bad way for my emotional wellbeing. What Michael does in this scene, how he does it, his breathing, his voice breaking, his godddamn eyes, look at his eyes! This doesn’t give me the feeling of watching a sad scene in a movie, this makes me feel like I’m watching a real person right in front of me have a breakdown. I’m not kidding, it feels almost too real. It feels so real, that I’m genuinely a bit worried as to how Michael got himself to that point. How do you get yourself in the headspace for that? No one can just cry like that on the spot, right? How do you achieve that? Can someone explain this to me?

I think they told him something like: "Okay Michael, this scene signifies the beginning of the end. This is where the sunshine and rainbows suddenly turn to darkness and misery. The audience has to overwhelmingly feel, that nothing will ever, ever be the same again. There will be only doom from here on. Oh and, turn up the gay angst. Don't hold back." And he went on and fucking delivered!

I know it's really sad, but please, if you like Michaels acting, don't skip this scene. You can see that he really put everything in it and I want everyone to appreciate that.

But moving on to the more cheerful parts of this character. Have you ever just stopped to appreciate the gorgeous hair, make up and especially costume in this movie? Incredible! Alltogether Miles just…nksdfs...he looks so damn good!

The characters in this movie have many themed parties and go to events that have a certain dress code and Miles doesn't only commit, he delivers. Every. Damn. Time.

The silver/black spotted waistcoat, that beautiful, shiny blue coat, the tie, that fucking adorable hat and to top it off the make up, earring and black nail. They went above and beyond with this one.

Have you ever seen a turtleneck look more comfy than this one? And that in combination with a houndstooth jacket, topped off with an adorable beret? Cutest shit I've ever seen.

Somehow they managed to make this one subtle and flamboyant at the same time, perfect for this scene. I do not understand the choice in bow tie but I'll let that fly, because look how cute he is in that hat.

Especially love how everytime they gave Miles a hat of some sort, they had to have his curls pop out on the front or side. Very cute touch. Insert "he's so gay he can't even wear his hats straight" joke here

We're not just blessed by Michael being an incredible actor, but by him constantly being given such great costumes/outfits aswell! And ugh...I'm truly living. I think many people aren't aware of how important clothes are to characterizing a role. Especially if the actor knows how to work with it. And in this film Michael proves (once again) that he very much does.

*chefs kiss* rent free

(I'm a bit of a costume-design nerd, so this topic will reappear in the future, believe me)

But wait there is more!

I was watching through all the scenes with Miles and a small thing in the background caught my eye. It took me several rewinds to understand what he is doing here:

He gave Tiger his jacket! He does kinda look like a hungover mom, who's done with absolutely everything while doing it, but that doesn't change the fact, that he obviously cares for Tiger.

This exchange cracks me up everytime:

No comment

We're almost done, hang in there! I can't write about Bright Young Things in context to Michael Sheen without mentioning one more very important thing.

If you don't know already, this movie has David Tennant in it aswell! His character is Ginger Littlejohn, who is Adams rival of some sort. Basically, he's there to keep Adam and Nina apart till the conclusion at the very end. He's not a very deep character, but he has his moments:

These two are A++ react meme material, feel free to use them.

So now you know, when you hear Michael or David talk about a movie they both starred in, but never shared a scene, it's this one.

Now one very, very last thing before I leave you into the night (because let's face it chances are very high, that it's almos 3 am as you're reading this). I watched the bts footage and they captured an absolute gem:

Just to be clear, this is Michael, not Miles. Thank you to the people who decided to put this interaction in the bts.

Now while, obviously, Michael flirting with the cameraman is by itself hilarious, I wanted to point out something else here. Now again, I know nothing about the process of acting and getting into character, but thing is: This guy just walked off camera and then, like a lightswitch, instant welsh boi. Sure, good actors can switch their accents and voices on and off as they please, but in this case he sounds so drastically different to Miles it caught me off guard. I often see people talk about how varied his looks are from role to role and how good his microexpressions are and I wholeheartedly agree. But we need to talk his ability to modify his voice aswell. It's often very unnoticable if your'e not listening for it, but when he suddenly starts talking in his normal voice it becomes very obvious. His accent and tone of voice are very memorable. And everytime I see him switch from a character voice to his normal voice I feel like I'm watching a small shift in reality, it's so weird. I'm sure I'll get back to that in the future aswell, I think it's really cool when someone can do stuff like this.

Goodie, I guess that's it actually. If you couldn't guess by... ^all that^ I actually kind of enjoyed this movie and I think you should watch it. Maybe take it a little less seriously than I did tho.

If you read all the way through this, holy shit, thank you so fucking much, you're incredible, I love you. Also go to bed please.