#mr zellweger

[neroushalvaus]

No wait let me talk some more about Bridget Jones and how despite all of it's faults I think it's a positive movie for women in general and fat women in particular

So yeah, Renée Zellweger is not fat. While I think we should not forget that she was still body-shamed in media for the slight weight she put on for the movies, she was never fat or even "chubby". It is obviously a problem that in the first two movies she is constantly treated as fat when she never was. But even thought I do not like it, that is how it is. And in the Bridget Jones cinematic universe, Bridget Jones is seen as fat. As someone who is not desirable, who is embarrassing to date and who should constantly feel ridiculous for daring to exist in the world.

And you know, when you grow up fat, you learn that you need to compensate for the crime of being too big. Especially when you are seen as a woman. You need to be smart as a whip, and funny and entertaining to be around, and talented in so many ways, and you may never be clumsy because when a fat girl falls down, the first reaction is not "are you okay", it's laughter. And you may not have standards. If a guy likes you, consider yourself lucky. You can't be too loud or annoying because you already take up too much space. When it comes to looks, you must excel at femininity. You must wear make-up and have a beautiful face and lovely eyes and you have to wear clothes that compliment your body, that draw the attention to your breasts and hips. You must always be ready to be sexualized because that is the closest thing you can get to having your body accepted.

And then there is Bridget Jones. She drinks too much, she smokes too much, she talks too much and I love her with every fiber of my being. Look at how they dress her in the first two movies. Look how they style her hair. The clothes are often ill-fitting, the hair is messy and flat. When she goes to parties, she tries so hard to look good but never looks like a typical romcom lead. She is reaching towards femininity and falling face first into mud. She is crass and has a weird sense of humour and she always says the wrong thing in every situation.

But she is sincere. She is loved by her friends, she is desired by several men (and one woman) and she is allowed to have standards. The first movie's plotline with Daniel Cleaver is so good in this regard. Daniel sends Bridget sexual texts, sleeps with her, never says he loves her and then he cheats on her. Do we laugh at how silly Bridget was to get her hopes up when she thought this guy played by Hugh Grant could like her when he never said he did and obviously only wanted sex? No. We focus on how hurt Bridget is. And I love the scene where Bridget is with her friends and Mark Darcy when Cleaver comes to apologize. He comes through her door and seems surprised she's not alone, waiting for him. It is her birthday. Of course she is with her friends. Who you would know exist if you cared about her life at all, Daniel. And you know, then he apologizes and doesn't wait for Bridget's response, he just assumes she takes him back. Because how could she possibly do better? And after Daniel and Mark have their legendary fight for Bridget's affections and Bridget tells Mark to piss off, Daniel just assumes this means Bridget has chosen him. Because a woman like Bridget needs to have someone to make her feel less like a waste of space, right? Which makes it delicious when Bridget counters Daniel's pathetic little love confession "If I can't make it with you then I can't make it with anyone" with "That's not a good enough offer for me". She is still looking for something more extraordinary than that.

And she gets it!! I can not stress this enough! She is seen as a fat woman who isn't brilliantly smart, isn't polite or suave, is clumsy and crass and socially awkward, and can't cook anything but blue soup and marmalade and is a hot mess express in general, and the archetypical romantic hero, literal Mr Darcy falls in love with her just as she is. Bridget never needs to become smarter or less awkward or less clumsy, she is loved and treasured just as she is. That is why I have loved her for twenty years.

[callmissrogers]

She Thinks I'm Handsome. Steve Rogers x Reader Short Story

Summary: Y/n is terribly tipsy. Having only had one margarita, Nat texted Steve to come take her home. Y/n's tipsiness makes her admit something to Steve. Something she didn't mean to say out loud.

Warnings: mentions alcohol, reader being tipsy, and lots of fluff. Wrote on my phone with little editing.

Word count: 1,034

Inspired by: pin and a scene in the movie New In Town with Rene Zellweger, but I couldn't find it on YouTube.

Y/n couldn't stop giggling at the dinner table. Everything was just hilarious.

"Y/n you only had one margarita.... Are you sure you're ok?" Nat asked, sitting back in her chair, eyes wide with concern.

"I'm mine. I mean time. I MEAN I'm fine." Y/n replied, giggling at her own inability to speak coherently.

"Yeah. Sure you are. I told you this was a terrible idea." Nat whispered to Wanda.

"She told me she wanted to come! Besides, how is it my fault that she's a lightweight?" Wanda argued as if Y/n wasn't sitting right there.

"I am not a lightweight! I'm good." Y/n protested like a child not getting the sweets it wanted.

"Of course you are. You definitely aren't talking like someone who's done 20 wisky shots." Nat answered sarcastically.

"What are we gonna do? My car only has two seats. Unless we tape you to the roof." Wanda asked in a whisper. "I've got an idea." Natasha said conspiratorially, taking her phone out. "Who are you texting?" Wanda asked, an eyebrow rasing. "You know who," Nat said in a sing-song way. "You can not text him!" "Why not? They need a push." "She's about to fall over. " "Good. Let him play knight in shiny armor." "You know this wasn't I meant when I said we should set them up." "Well, it's what we're doing. He already responded and said he's on his way. Way too much of a gentlemen to abandon a maid in distress." "You are having way too much fun with this." Wanda sighed, leaning on her hand.

A few minutes later, y/n was trying to explain something to the girls, grabbing random bits and pieces of information and giving it to them as of it should all make sense.

The door to the cozy little restaurant opened and he walked inside. Spotting them easily and coming over to collect Y/n. Her back was to him so she had no idea of his presence.

Nat and Wanda remained completely silent as he approached giving him knowing and teasing looks. Nat mouthed "get her out" to which he couldn't help but smile.

It wasn't till he placed a gentle hand on y/n's shoulder that she noticed him at all.

"Steve!" She gasped much too loudly and drawing the attention of some of the other guests. "I didn't think you'd be here!" She said wobbling to her feet and throwing her arms around his neck. She'd never done that before. They've never exchanged any sort of hug before. So he shot the other two a look of complet and utter shock as his face turned three shades of pink.

"How much did y'all let her drink?" He demanded. "Steve. She had one margarita." Wanda deadpanned. Steve looked at Y/N and back to them, his brows raised in amazement. "Just one?" He asked. "One. And it wasn't even that big." Nat replied, lips forming into a smirk. "Wanda only has two seats in her car, and I road with her. So I figured you'd be happy to get Y/n home safely." She continued.

Steve put an arm around Y/n's shoulder in an attempt to steady her, grabbing her coat off the back of the chair, he said "c'mon. Let's get you home." "But I don't wanna!" She complained. "Y/n, you should go with Steve. We're gonna head out too." Wanda assured her. "Fine." She whispered/mumbled letting him guide her out.

Once they were outside the resturant she looked around wildly. "Where's your car?" "It's down the block. I couldn't find a spot here." "Oh. Where's my coat?" "That's right here." He answered holding it up to help her get into it. "Watch your hands. Mr Handys Hands." She slurred. "I'm. I'm not doing anything." Steve said blushing again.

She took a few steps forward and then stumbled into the street some. "Wait, wait, wait. My car isn't over there, " He spoke, quickly pulling her back.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." She assured him, walking along again, taking wobbly but somewhat straight steps.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck nervously and followed after her.

"Ok," He said after they had walked just a little bit further. "My car is right there"

Then she dashed up to a car that somewhat resembled his and started rapidly pulling on the handle causing the car alarm to go off.

"That. That wasn't my car." Steve said sounding embarrassed.

He used his key for, unlocked his car, before softly grabbing her by the arm and getting her seated inside. Taking a deep breath before coming round to get himself. He was gonna get Natasha for this. She had been teasing him about his growing affection for Y/n for months. She was trying to push his hand.

The drive home wasn't as crazy as the walk to the car had been. Y/n sat starring out the window commenting on the pretty city lights, how she liked the outfits of some of the pedestrians they passed, and got very excited when they stopped next to a car which had a Scottish Terrier in it.

He couldn't help smiling he was actually enjoying the drive with her.

When they finally pulled up to her house, he got out and came around to help her out. Not trusting that she'd be able to get out of the car and onto the curb without tripping.

Arm around her shoulder, he helped her to the door. Where she struggled to get the key into the lock. "Here," He said trying to take the key from her. "I got it. I got it." She said trying again to get the key go in. "Let me help." He said gentily taking it from her.

She finally looked up at up him and whispered "Gosh. You're handsome," pausing, her lips forming an O shape. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

Steve smiled broadly, "Yes. Yes, you did."

So he helped her inside and made sure she was settled with a glass of water and aspirin for the morning and then went home himself.

Whispering to himself, "She thinks I'm handsome."

(I know I haven't posted the next part in That's My Girl. Got a bit of writers block as to how to finish the chapter. I'll try to have it done by Wednesday. )

[firthbetterorfirthworse]

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012)

I have just started this and I already love it so much [hearteyes] It's a youtube series vlog from Elizabeth's viewpoint.

Introducing her youngest sister Lydia: "We're all very proud she's now too old to be on any reality shows about having babies in high school. Seriously. She's like a puppy. A cute, adorable, humps the neighbor's leg, never know where she sleeps puppy. Yeah she chews your slippers and marks her territory all over town, but you still love her." I really appreciate the realities of this universe. -Jane Austen exists (Mrs Bennet and Mrs Lucas went into labor at the same book club meeting, reading Sense and Sensibility) -Colin Firth exists ("I like rain, classic novels, and any movie starring Colin Firth.") -Bridget Jones exists (Lydia: "I think [Darcy]'s a great name. Isn't that Colin Firth's name in that chubby Zellweger movie?") And yet, the events of Pride & Prejudice are unfolding in real time during this story. Brilliant. It's clever, it's fun, it's in short digestible clips, so far we've only had 4 characters who play out the rest of the characters with silly voices and of course Elizabeth's perspective. Every once in a while Charlotte or Lydia control the narrative. It's wonderful.

I just finished season 1 and the timeline seems a bit mixed up but somehow very natural? We already had what I thought amounted to the Netherfield ball, but they're about to go stay at Netherfield for a while. I don't care I'm having fun!

[kwebtv]

Murder in the Heartland - ABC - May 3-4, 1993

True Crime / Drama (2 episodes)

Running Time: 157 Minutes Total

Stars:

Tim Roth as Charles Starkweather

Fairuza Balk as Caril Ann Fugate

Randy Quaid as Elmer Scheele

Brian Dennehy as John McArthur

Roberts Blossom as August "Gus" Meyer (5th Victim)

Tom Bower as Marion Bartlett (2nd Victim)

Jennifer Griffin as Velda Bartlett (3rd Victim)

Rondi Reed as Jonette Fox

Bob Gunton as Governor Anderson

Ryan Cutrona as C. Lauer Ward (10th Victim)

Angie Bolling as Clara Ward (9th Victim)

Jake Carpenter as Robert Jensen (6th Victim)

Heather Kafka as Carol King (7th Victim)

Don Bloomfield as Bobby Colvert (1st Victim)

John Hussey as Mr. Jensen

James Hansen Prince as Deputy Sheriff Bill Romer

John S. Davies as Merle Karnopp

Mark Walters as Chief Robert Ainslie

Milo O'Shea as Clem Gaughan

Gerry Bamman as Judge Brooks

Jeff Perry as Earl Heflin

Connie Cooper as Hazel Heflin

Kate Reid as Pansy Street

Marco Perella as Bob Von Busch (uncredited)

Renée Zellweger as Barbara Von Busch (uncredited)

Gary Mitchell Carter as Rodney Starkweather (uncredited)

[vizthedatum]

I WANT THIS all the time from everyone and I believe it:

(I wanted to watch horror and Renee Zellweger but then didn’t like the movie I picked out and went with one of my favorite Pride and Prejudice retellings with Colin Firth nailing Mr. Darcy as he always does. Sigh, such mastery.)

[mamalaw1021]

Hey tumblr -

Next month, Kerry Taylor Auctions is running a charity event for The Bright Foundation featuring 69 lots of cinema costumes from Cosprop.

Lots include items like

Drew Barrymore's masquerade costume from Ever After.

Johnny Depp's costume for Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow.

Emma Woodhouse dresses from both Gwyneth Paltrow and Anya Taylor-Joy's Emma films.

Mr. Darcy's infamous wet shirt look from the A&E Pride & Prejudice.

One of Kate Winslet's costumes from Finding Neverland and one of Emma Thompson's gorgeous dresses from Howard's End.

As well as others worn by the likes of:

MADONNA • HEATH LEDGER • ELIZABETH TAYLOR • MERYL STREEP • KEIRA KNIGHTLEY •  MARGOT ROBBIE • UMA THURMAN • RENEE ZELLWEGER • HELENA BONHAM CARTER • JULIE ANDREWS  • JUDI DENCH • EDDIE REDMAYNE • DANIEL RADCLIFFE

Or costumes from TV dramas including: DOWNTON ABBEY • PEAKYBLINDERS • POLDARK • POIROT •

There's a lot of truly remarkable pieces here.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Please do give us all your underrated romcom recs!!

For sure! Here are some I remember right now.

Ibiza--a Netflix movie, half "female friendship celebration", half romcom, the source of my URL. About an overworked uptight marketing girl (lmao...... real) who goes on business trip to Barcelona; her two best friends tag along and convince her to go to a club, where she has a chance encounter with celebrity DJ Leo West (Richard Madden at his best), after which she becomes convinced to follow him to his next show in Ibiza so they can hook up before her business meeting back in Barcelona. Unhinged, sexy, hilarious, everything people say Bridesmaids is, I love everyone in this movie and somehow none of the women are ever in true peril which is fabulous. Will leave you wanting to fall in love in a club/do something insane with your friends. Encapsulates the feelings of life changing travel better than anything.

Laggies--coming of age romantic comedy with some REEEEAL hits for MILLENNIAL MALLAISE, imo. Keira Knightley dips after freaking out when her boyfriend proposes; she has no life direction and ends up crashing with this teenage girl she just met. Teen girl's lawyer single dad (Sam Rockwell, sooooo sexy for some reason) quickly susses out that Keira is not a fellow teen but lets her stay anyway because she's got good vibes, his daughter clearly is desperate for a maternal figure of some sort, and he wants to bang Keira. Has a GREEEEAT impetuous makeout where he grabs her and she has to be like "I don't think you should fingerbang me in the street".

Down with Love--an early 2000s romcom satire starring Ewan MacGregor and Renee Zellweger at the height of their powers (fact: this movie is the sexiest I've ever found Ewan, as he's generally hit or miss for me). Honestly one of the smartest movies I've ever seen? Satirizes the Doris Day/Rock Hudson sex comedies of the 60s in this hyper-vibrant, gorgeous 1960s New York (the costumes and set design are insane). Puts Catcher Block, the slutty man reporter, in this Battle of the Sexes deal with Barbara Novak, the author of a huge hit book that basically tells women say down with love and prioritize their own pleasures (including sex), during which Barbara trashes Catcher specifically. The plot is iNSANE, I can't even really get into it. But there's also a genuine love story? If you like watching a slutty man get completely Stockholm Syndromed into falling for a crazy woman, this is it. Also, Sarah Paulson and David Hyde Pierce, literal gay icons, play the best friends who also fall in love.

Mrs. Winterbourne. Another fucking bonkers movie that has a bit of drama but also sexy uptight lusting-after-his-brother's-widow-but-not-really Brendan Fraser. This girl, who we're supposed to think is 18 but it's Ricki Lake and she's not, gets abandoned by her boyfriend after she gets pregnant. She ends up on a train with this nice couple, including a woman who's just as pregnant as she is. She admires the woman's wedding ring and the lady is like omg try it on because she's nice and also weird, and then THE TRAIN CRASHES. Our heroine wakes up and she's had her baby and the baby is fine but the nice couple is DEAD and she was wearing the ring and was pregnant so everyone thinks SHEEEE is Mrs. Winterborne. The dead guy's rich family never met his wife, so they welcome her and her baby with open arms and she kinda has to go with it? Anyway, Brendan is the dead guy's IDENTICAL TWIN (which means he was also the dead guy) and he immediately is like "this bitch is lying" but he's also falling for her against his own will??? Truly this movie is reverse Gorilla Twins.

Blast from the Past--another Brendan Fraser movie you kinda have to see to believe. Basically, Sissy Spacek and Christopher Walken are a couple in the early 60s and Walken is a scientist who believes the earth is going to devolve into a nuclear armageddon, so he's built this bunker for him and his pregnant wife underground. He thinks nuclear war has begun, and rushes underground with said wife, and their son is born and raised into this perfectly preserved 1962 world. He's Brendan. Anyway, 30+ years later, he surfaces into the real world as 90s era Brendan Fraser, which means, hot, and is completely naive and gets led around by jaded girl Alicia Silverstone, who falls in love with him and wants to take his virginity REAL BAD.

My Fake Boyfriend. A truly wacky little gay romcom about Keiynan Londsale creating this ideal fake dating profile and his best friend living vicariously through it, which becomes complicated when Keiynan meets a guy he actually wants to be with.

Fire Island. I don't know how underrated this is? Maybe at large. Anyway, it's just a really fun modern queer Pride and Prejudice retelling with multiple super good couples and a greeeat Mr. Darcy.

Bros--I know that Billy Eichner is annoying and went all headass about this... but tbh, though it's not without issues, this is a very fun romcom with a sweet love story at the core that doesn't fuck around with adult issues like questions re: monogamy

Imagine Me and You--again, I don't know how underrated this is, I feel like it's Thee Lesbian Romcom in some circles, and it's imperfect, but I dooo love it. It's one of the few movies that sells love at first sight. It's dated but it's fun. Also. Lena Headey.

Always Be My Maybe--has everything I want; attractive people having sex, drama, childhood friends to "forget my number" to lovers, Keanu Reeves playing hIMSELF. I feel like this got decent recognition, but nowhere near what it deserved. If you haven't seen it, Ali Wong and Randall Park are childhood friends, his mom dies and he becomes super depressed when they're teens, right after they lose their virginities to each other (or she loses it to him? at least one is a virgin and neither knows shit about sex) and then feelings are hurt immediately after and they come back into each other's orbit years later when she's a celerity chef and he's like, her HVAC repairman lol. They rekindle the friendship but there's mooore.

Love, Rosie--I have my quibbles with this one, but I also have a soft spot for it because... childhood friend drama. Sam Claflin and Lily Collins are best friends since literal toddlerhood, he's clearly got feelings for her in high school but she fucks a random on graduation night and gets pregnant and doesn't tell Sam because she doesn't want him to stay behind and help her as he has a scholarship to Harvard med. Sloooow burn with lots of tension and angst and some charming found family vibes.

Palm Springs--again, debatable on how underrated it is because it's very much critically acclaimed, but this movie is never in the conversations Set It Up is waved into and it's actually excellent, so... Cristin Millioti (SHOULD be a romcom queen by RIGHT) is at her sister's wedding and goes off to hook up with random stranger Andy Samberg because she's a messy bitch. After a series of wacky events, she gets sucked into a time loop that Andy has been in for literal years, where they're reliving the same day over and over. A lot of crazy shit happens, hijinks are had, and they fall into (complicated) love. A chaotic favorite.

P.S. I Love You--I feel like this dog has had its day to an extent, but it was actually dragged when it came out, and I remember this because I remember going "why?? It's great". The only Gerard Butler movie worth seeing besides 300, probably, this stars Hilary Swank as a young widow whose husband (said Butler) recently died of a long term illness and left her a letter per month, telling her what to do in the first year after his death. The supporting cast is GREAT (Kathy Bates made me weep), it's both very funny and incredibly sad and uplifting and raw, Hilary fucks Lucky Charms Jeffrey Dean Morgan (the Irish accents in this are Bad but it's much better than Leap Year) and the ending subverts expectations in a great way.

Brown Sugar--This is obviously a very popular movie (MY DIVOOOOORCE) but I don't think it's upheld to the same status as The Best Man franchise and I always see Love & Basketball recommended over it and that seems wrong. Taye Diggs and and Sanaa Lathan play childhood friends who now work in hiphop adjacent industries and struggle with both authenticity and how badly they wanna bone each other. THEN HE GETS ENGAGED. This one is messy, with cheating and hurt feelings and real adult issues, but it also has one of the funniest scenes committed to celluloid so.

Music and Lyrics--a Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore CLASSIC that actually reads like a romance novel onscreen. Hugh Grant is a washed up 80s pop star who wants to land a gig writing a bop for a pop princess, but he can only do the music, not the lyrics. He finds out unexpectedly that the weird chick watering his plants (Drew) is a good little lyricist and they begin working together, which leads to... love. Has a genuinely great grovel, I gotta say.

Just Like Heaven--cheesy, but the spot I have for it is soft (weird). Mark Ruffalo is a sad widower who's moved into a new apartment, only to find out that it is haunted by the GHOOOOST of the woman who was in his apartment beforehand (Reese Witherspoon) (there is a happy ending). It's of AN ERA.

Moonstruck--should not be underrated because Cher won an actual Oscar for it, but many people don't seem to talk about it today? Probably because of the hero, but OVERLOOK THAT. Cher is a widow who's just gotten engaged to this one dude who's Just Fine, and she wants to make sure his brother, one-handed Nicolas Cage, goes to the wedding. Except oops, she ends up fucking him right after they meet because one-handed Nic Cage has the juice, I guess? He gives this big speech, she says he's a wolf, it's great and verrrrrry Eyetalian American.

Faraway--I just saw this and it is PURE. GOLD. A middle-aged wife and mother loses her own mother and finds out her husband is having an emotional affair at the same time. So she goes to this little house in Croatia that her mother secretly owned, without telling ANYONE. Except oops, there is a squatter in the house, and it's a MAAAAN. Funny, sexy, a great example of two attractive middle-aged people who look like attractive middle-aged people falling in love. A real "find yourself at any age", uplifting movie that made my heart so warm.

Austenland--not super underrated, but fun. Keri Russell is a Jane Austen lunatic who goes to an Austen-themed resort and ends up encountering her own Darcy type.... But is he just playing a part??? Jennifer Coolidge is also in this. Being excellent.

[howardhawkshollywoodannex]

Renee Zellweger as Ruby Thewes and Nicole Kidman as Ada Monroe in Cold Mountain (2003). Nicole's entry among my best 1,001 movies is Bombshell.

Cold Mountain was directed by Anthony Minghella. Tony was born on the Isle of Wight, and had 9 director credits from 1978 to a 2008 episode on the telly. His other notable credits include The English Patient (his Oscar winner) and The Talented Mr Ripley,

[tarzinnia]

I do appreciate the 'talking and bonding' chapters, so I'm glad to see it. They make for a smoother transition and also the character development grows ever stronger which supports the plot. If I'm being honest, I think that is where many films (and novels but those have different editing/space limitations) fall short. If the characters are not fleshed out enough, if viewers/readers cannot discern what makes them unique or relatable or conflicted or anguished, etc then the action is just a bunch of noise. I don't typically watch boxing as a sport but there are some films such as Cinderella Man (2005; Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti) or The Champ (take your pick: the black and white 1931 original with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper or the 1979 remake with Jon Voight and Ricky Schroeder) that reveal all of the motivation and back story one would ever need before the penultimate fight at the conclusion. Which is my point: while the fight IS the action, without the story, it's just two men hitting each other--and in my opinion, there aren't any real winners in that.

So, back to your story....under the clip below...

Very vivid dream sequence for Mr. Parker and the sudden shifts--very realistic. I hate when that happens in dreams but it does and you captured it. That helpless feeling that your legs are leaden and your arms useless and fear is in your throat and there is nothing, nothing, nothing you can do and the thing you fear the most is happening and then...you wake up. Yep. Yep. Yep. Poor Peter, we were right there with him, trying to catch Gwen. Every single damn time.

I see he is back to his giant wall of thoughts again. Well, I guess he can afford to repaint when it's over...

It's pretty easy to be sympathetic to Angel stuck in bed. Been there and ugh, yeah, not fun. The Movies With Miles time was gold. Cracked up with the School of Rock comment. Great movie btw and yeah, I feel old. The rest of the references too: I love Robin Williams, although my two faves are probably Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting. He was just unbelievable haunting in both of those. Not taking away from his comedy and Mrs. Doubtfire is right behind those two for me, but the scene on the bench with Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting where Williams' character says, "You don't know about real loss 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself" just makes my heart ache. So absolutely true and wrenching. It was a pleasure to bond along with Angel and Miles over movies.

Oh, and The Princess Bride! Just about fell out of my chair! Inconceivable that you would use that in this chapter, hehe!

That pesky phone reappears and yeah, Angel is far too nonchalant with it. I think her Dad missed something during her training cause she should be talking to Peter about it even if the two of them aren't always getting along. Although I see they do have some of the old sparky banter back that seems reminiscent of their youth. She has to either trust Peter or not, and based on her behavior, I think she knows he's not going to hurt her in that way, so ugh, Angel: show him the phone. Sure she can take care of herself, but Toombes doesn't fight fair and there's power in numbers. I'm guessing we'll see how well she and Peter are able to loosen up a little in that regard?

Finally, the medical team was interesting. No comment there as I'm going to reserve my thoughts on that for now.

Well done on Chapter 12! And look, another essay. But it was a good chapter and worth it.

*I didn't mention it above, but the chapter title is interesting because I have no idea if you are messing with us readers and I need to make a wall of thoughts like Peter or if the title is simply the title. To wit: The Good Nurse (2022) is the recent Eddie Redmayne/Jessica Chastain piece (on Netflix) covering the story of convicted serial killer, Charles Cullen, and the nurse who suspects him. Given my earlier comment about the medical team, you can see why I'm a little thoughtful. Also: the two stars are excellent in that film but the subject matter is a little tough to watch.

The Angel In The Garden of Evil | Chapter Twelve: The Good Nurse

Summary: Peter's having nightmares and Angel just wants to be in her own bed.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY!, Mentions of injuries, medical equipment, nightmares, the Gwen thing, angst, fluff, genre typical tropes and topics.

Word Count: 4.3k

A/N: Some might say that these two's relationship is just like a freaking yoyo. Also the women in the Daredevil universe keep sneaking into this story, hmmmm. I'm also trying to be reasonable with this recovery time so we got a lot of talking and bonding with different characters going on too.

TWELVE

Sirens blared, red and blue lights flashing as one cop car after another raced down the street. Peter stilled on the corner of the street as he watched them pass, that feeling in the back of his neck putting him on alert. He quickly turned down the closest alley, shedding his clothes and donning his suit as he began to climb up to the roof.

His feet pounded on the hard concrete rooftops as he jumped from one roof to the next before leaping diagonally off the last, free falling towards the ground. Thwip. He fired a web, the other end sticking to one of the nearby buildings and he swung himself forward. He carried on like that, chasing the sirens and flashing lights as they continued to move towards a large electrical surge at Oscorp tower.

As his feet finally hit the ground and he looked around he found he wasn’t at Oscorp. He was suddenly on the roof of a building in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen. He looked along the rooftop to find The Vulture, kitted out in some sort of flight gear and Angel. 

“Oh no Pete, looks like I’ve got your girl.” The Vulture taunted. 

Peter crouched into his fighting stance but the Vulture just laughed. But it wasn’t his laugh, it was much more chilling and familiar. The Goblin. Peter looked around frantically and when he turned back to Angel and the Vulture, neither of them were there. Instead he was at a clock tower. He looked above him to see The Goblin in a green suit and on a glider, in his grasp, flailing around in mid air. “GWEN!” he heard his voice shout. “GWEN!” But suddenly the image changed again. It wasn’t Gwen and it wasn’t the Goblin, it was Angel and the Vulture.

There was a scream as the Vulture let her go. “PEETTEEERRR!” she screamed.

He jumped off the building as her body passed him, his arms lying flat to his sides as he dove, his body piercing the air as it tried to catch up with her but no matter how fast he fell, she seemed to stay just out of his reach, her hands reaching for him. “I’m coming baby, I’m coming.” he said.

He reached out his arm, his fingers moving to release a web but nothing happened. He kept clicking the mechanism, but nothing happened. He could see the ground coming up fast behind her, he had to do something. ‘Come on!’ he groaned. He had one hand reaching out to her, his fingers inches away from hers, as he continued to tap his web shooter on his wrist with the other. Thwip! Smack! His body jolted to a stop just before he hit the ground but he was too late. He had just begun to process what had happened, red blood pooling out onto the side walk when-

Peter awoke with a start, his body jolting itself awake in the wooden high back armchair he had placed by the side of her bed. The steady sounds of beeping in the room quickly eased him, along with the steady sounds of her breathing beside him. He rubbed the sleep from his face as he shifted in the chair. He was still dressed in his shirt and trousers he’d worn all day for work and his skin felt pinched where some of the clothes had ridden up in his sleep. He let out a small moan and a sigh as he pulled his trouser legs back down slightly, sitting forward on the chair, his hand reaching out for hers.

She had been fast asleep when he had come back earlier. His moment with Hobie ended up being a bit longer than expected. Eddie had informed him of Angel and Felicia’s little spat while he’d been gone. He hoped Felicia would just walk it off and be back to work as normal in the morning like nothing had happened, but he wasn’t quite sure anymore. He wasn’t sure about anything. He hadn’t felt this unhinged since, well, Gwen; his dream only acting as a reminder for how everything could go so wrong. 

They had been lucky, again, but it was only a matter of time before that luck ran out. It was clear that Adrian Toombes meant business, everything he had been through with Fisk mere child's play compared to the stakes the Vulture was willing to go to. The man wasn’t from the city. He had no respect for the people.

Peter had gone round and round in circles trying to talk to George Stacy and explain things. 

“Come on Chief, you know this isn’t my game. Everything I’ve ever done in this city was to help it, not hurt it.”

“I don’t care Parker, you’ve brought a gang war to my streets, whatever happens now I can’t protect you. And if they can tie the bombing back to you they will and there’s nothing I can do to stop them from arresting you.”

“And what about you sir? Are you gonna arrest me? You know that without those hubs, crime goes up. You wanted me to hang up the suit and let the police do their jobs, I did that. You wanted me to find another way to help. I did that. I don’t want this fight here anymore than you do.”

“I’m sorry Peter, there’s nothing I can do.”

Peter lowered his forehead onto her hand, his eyes closing. He needed to think. He needed to work this out. He needed to keep her safe. No matter the cost he had to keep her safe. He kissed her hand before he got up and left the room.

He moved down the hall to his office that he had set up so he could be closer to her. He switched on a small table top lamp on his desk before he started rooting around in the boxes he’d had moved over. He then grabbed a roll of tape off of his desk and moved over to the far wall of the office. He wiggled the framed print that had been put up on the wall off of its hook, his fingers still wrapped tightly around the roll of tape and bits of paper. Once the wall was completely blank he started taping the bits of paper to it before rummaging around in the boxes once more for more pieces of paper. Scraps of newspaper articles, photos, hastily written notes, maps, all being added to the wall. When he ran out of things from the boxes he sat himself at his desk, opening up his laptop, searching and printing more things off until the entire wall was covered.

----

Angel woke up alone. She figured someone had to be at home but she had no idea who. She felt disgusting. She wanted to get up and just wash off all the sweat and grime from her body and give her teeth a good brush, but she couldn’t very well do that while she was plugged into these bloody machines, who’s beeping was starting to do her head in.

“PEETTE!”  she called out. “PETERR!” There was a delay before Eddie came into the room. “Where’s Peter?” she asked.

“He had to go out again?” 

“What time did he come back last night?” she pondered. She had tried to wait up for him but the drugs had made her so drowsy. 

“He got back just before midnight I think? I mean I went home at like, quarter past so yeah, I’d say just before midnight.” Eddie rambled.

“When is he gonna be back?”

“Not sure? Why is there something you need?

“Yeah, I want to be free of all this.” she said, raising her hand and showing off the cannula and tube attached to it, motioning to all the other bits and bobs she was attached to. “And I want to have a shower.”

“Okay, okay.” Eddie said, sensing her distress. “I’ll call Pete, get him to get someone out to check you over and see what they say. In the meantime, can I get you any breakfast?”

She thought for a moment before she said, “UUUhh I could murder one of those bagels from-”

“That shop on the boulevard?” Eddie finished for her, more than familiar with the place himself.

“Yesss.” she beamed.

“Cream cheese?” 

‘Yup.”

“Coming right up.” he said as he left the room.

“Morning?” Miles said as he hobbled in on his crutches.

“Heyy.” She greeted him with a smile.

Miles used his crutches to hop across the floor and grab the TV remote from where it had been left the night before. He hit the power button, letting it load, before he swung himself over to the chair at the side of her bed.

“How you doing?” she asked.

“Not bad. Docs got me on these painkillers.” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small tube of pills, tossing it on the bed in her direction. “Pretty good stuff.” he joked.

“How’s your leg?” she continued to ask as she looked over the label of the bottle before handing it back to him.

“Ehhh, I’ve had worse.” Angel raised her eyebrows at him, pressing him to continue. “Okay, maybe I haven't,” he said, doubling back on himself and making her smile. “What about you?”

“Sore.” she said, her hand moving to ghost across her ribs. 

“I bet… Hey, at least you didn’t have internal bleeding.” he joked.

“What?” she frowned.

He chuckled. “The paramedic rushed you out of there because she thought you might have internal bleeding. Hit the side of that car pretty hard. Not seen a dent like that since my cousin pinched my Uncle's car and jumped a red light.”

“Well that would explain why my body feels like it’s been hit by a truck.” she joked back. They both let out a small chuckle before she coughed and winced in pain.

“Heard you wanna be off that stuff. You sure it’s a good idea?” Miles asked.

“If I have to stay chained to this bed for one more day I’m gonna end up committing murder.” She jested. “Hey, maybe they’ll put me on some of those painkillers you’ve got, I mean, it seems like they’re doing a good job.”

“Nah, I’m just built like a house, man.” Miles continued to joke.

Miles flicked through the channels until they found a movie they both wanted to watch, settling down and watching Jumanji. Eddie returned about 30 minutes into the movie, dragging his own chair into the room and they all sat there watching the movie as they ate their bagels.

When the movie was done, Eddie left the room as Miles and Angel went back and forth about what to watch next.

“The Princess Bride.” Miles threw out. “I am Inigo Montoya, you killed my Father, prepare to die.” he said as he impersonated the famous line.

“Ehhh. What about Shrek?” Angel asked as they shuffled through the movies on Netflix.

“I watched it while you were out for the count the other day.” Miles interjected. “OOOH what about Hook?” 

“Nahh, I’ve already watched one Robin Williams film today, I can’t do another, it’ll just make me dwell on the fact that he’s dead and it’ll depress me again.”

“Big Robin Williams fan then.” Miles observed as he continued to flick through the movies.

“My Mom was.” Angel replied. 

“What was her favourite?” Miles asked.

“Mrs Doubtfire.” Angel smiled as a memory of her and her parents sitting down to watch the movie on a Saturday night when she was little, crossed her mind.

“Oh I love that film.” Miles said before breaking into yet another bad impression. “HELP IS ON THE WAY DEAR!” he called out before chuckling to himself.

“Oh what about this.” Angel said eagerly as Miles stopped on The School of Rock. “Uhh I loved this film growing up. It’s what made me learn how to play the bass guitar.”

“You know how to play the bass.”

“Knew. I knew how to play the bass. I haven’t played since I was maybe 14 when the reality of my Dad’s job finally hit home and I realised I was never gonna be in an actual band.”

“Why’s that?”

“When your Dad’s Wilson Fisk, you don’t tend to have many friends.” Angel said a little disheartened by her childhood memories.

“That sucks.”

“Yup.” she quietly agreed.

“You know I’ve never actually watched it.” Miles said as he started to load the film.

“You what!?” Angel’s head whipped around to him in shock.

“Yeah, it was a little after my time.”

“A little after your time!” Angel’s eyebrows raised. “Are you calling me old? I thought you said you weren’t a kid.” she continued to jest and poke at him.

“Oh shut up, you know what I mean.” he grumbled.

----

Angel fell asleep around half way through the movie. One second she was watching the kids pretending to be sick with ‘stickittothemanosis’, the next she was waking up 2 hours later. She was alone again, Miles no doubt having hobbled out on his crutches to leave her to sleep as soon as the film ended. ‘Uuuuhhgg.’ she groaned stiffly, as she tried to prop herself back up against the pillows again. She really hated how all these drugs were starting to make her feel.

She was about to call out for Eddie to chase him up about the doctors when her phone buzzed.

She frowned as her head turned to the bedside table where it sat. The only person who had ever really messaged her on it was her Dad and he was dead. ‘Maybe Peter had noticed it last night and put his number in it and it was him’ she thought. When she pulled it over and opened it up, it wasn’t Peter. She didn’t know who it was. It was an unknown number. There was a message, sent 6 minutes ago.

‘And there was me thinking Felicia Day was the Black Cat, but you seem to have 9 lives all of your own.’

The message wasn’t signed off.

‘Who is this? How did you get this number?’ she typed back.

Nothing. The message said it had been seen, but nothing. There was no response. ‘What the fuck?’ she frowned as she analysed the series of numbers attached to the message, trying to work out if they were familiar or not. They weren’t.

“Hey, Baby.” Peter said as he strode into the room. “What’s wrong?” he observed, his face suddenly becoming paranoid and serious as he observed her look of confusion towards her phone.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” she said shrugging off the message and closing her phone, placing it back on the bedside table.

“Okaaayyy.” Peter said slowly. “So I hear you’re not being a very good patient.” Peter pivoted the conversation. 

“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.” she said back.

“Oh really. Picking fights with Felicia, making demands left right and centre.”

“All I want is a shower Pete.” she tried to reason with a sickly sweet demeanour. “Look at me, I look disgusting. I feel disgusting. And I know you can smell me from over there Spider boy so don’t try and spin me some web about me smelling like roses because it aint happening. Get me off this shit, I want to have a shower.” she said as she gestured towards the machines and tubes around her. “Oh and by the way, I can get up and pee for myself just fine thank you without this fucking thing.” she said as she pointed out the catheter, the thing that irritated her the most.

“Okay, okay, sassy pants.” she frowned at the old nickname she hadn’t heard since she was probably 23. “Docs on his way up okay.”

“Thank you.” she sighed in relief at the news.

“Don’t know how well it’s gonna go though-”

“Pete, I swear to whichever God so happens to be listening right now, if you are about to make a comment and rub it in my face about your regenerative spider abilities-”

“-I’m not, I’m not.” he said, his hands being thrown up in front of him defensively. “I’m just saying no matter how much you don’t like it, you still have broken ribs and a-”

“-fractured wrist, I know!” she said back. “But unlike Miles, there is absolutely nothing wrong with my legs.” she began to snarl as her irritation began to rise again.

“Okay, okay!” Peter said again, his voice getting higher in pitch the more agitated she became.

They were gratefully interrupted by the Doctor who came in, a nurse in blue scrubs hot on his tail as he came into the room.

“Ahhh Miss Fisk,”

“Parker.” Both Angel and Peter corrected together.

“Sorry, Mrs Parker,” the older gentleman said, correcting himself. From his balding hair and crows feet, Angel assumed he must have been in his early 50s. “Right so I’m here to take a look at things, my name is Dr Healey,” he said, “this is Nurse Temple.”

“Just Claire’s fine.” the younger woman interjected, her hands slipping into her pockets as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, waiting to start her work after the Doctor’s assessment. Angel sent a small smile of apology her way for having to work with the good doctor.

“Okay…” Dr Healy said as he started up his regular spiel again. “I’m just gonna check over your vitals, take a look at the bandaging on those ribs, do a couple of physical tests to check your movements-”

“Just get me out of the bed Doc.” Angel snipped at him, eliciting Claire to look down at her feet to hide the smile across her face and the small snicker that escaped her lips.

“Yes, well… very well then.” Dr Healy said, suddenly on the back foot.

“Angel.” Peter chastised.

“What?!” she threw back defensively. “I just want to shower and be able to pee for myself. I’m not planning on going anywhere other than the bathroom- and maybe my own bed,” she quickly added, “I promise.” she said to him.

Peter sighed as he gave in. “Can we do that Doc?” Peter asked him.

“Yeah, of course we can.” Claire chimed in as she stepped forward, grabbing a pair of gloves out of her bag and slipping them on as she started to make her way around the side of the bed.

“Umm yes, yes.” The Doctor hesitantly agreed, still on the back foot. 

As Claire began to remove the cannula from the back of Angel’s hand, the Doctor checked over Angel’s abrasions and mobility. She was still very sore and achy but with slow careful movements the Doctor finally conceded, with a nod of his head before moving away to allow Claire to remove the catheter, as he wrote out a prescription for some painkillers.

“Okay, this is gonna feel uncomfortable.” Claire said to Angel as she started to brace her fingers around the small tube attached between Angel’s legs. “Okay I need you to take a deep breath for me alright, I’m gonna count you in okay?” she attempted to reassure. “1,2,3-” 

Angel let out a small wince as she was detached from the catheter. “There, you go, there you go.” Claire coached softly.

“Okay, you’re probably gonna want help taking that shower.” Claire informed as she moved back around the bed to where Angel was already trying to shift her legs over the side of the mattress. “Actually if I’m honest, I don’t really recommend a shower at all, just maybe a really shallow bath and a wipe off with a washcloth.” she continued to say as she took her gloves off before reaching her hands out to Angel’s to help steady her as she stood.

After being stuck in bed with little mobility for the last 3 days, it was no surprise Angel’s legs wobbled and gave out when she tried to stand. “It’s alright I got you.” Claire said as she took most of Angel’s weight against her own body, as Peter raced around the bed to help. “It’s okay, you’ve been lying down for a while now, this is normal, just give your legs a chance for the blood flow to get round them again, you’ll be okay.”

Angel felt slightly dizzy as her blood now raced around her body, finally reaching her toes properly for the first time in days. 

“It’s okay, I’ve got it.” Peter said as he swapped places with Claire.

“Yeah no problem.” Claire said as she allowed Peter to take over. “Umm I can go start getting the bathtub ready if you want?” she offered.

“Yeah, it’s just across the hall.” Peter informed her as she began to leave. “You okay?” he asked, checking in with his wife.

“Yup.” she said fighting through the mild pain in her back and ribs and the odd sensation in her legs.

“You ready to start moving?” She didn’t give a verbal response, just nodded. “You want me to carry you?” he asked, noting her obvious attempt to downplay her pain.

“Nope, I’ve got this.” she reassured him with heavy breaths as she began to start hobbling with his assistance towards the door.

“Uh Mr Parker.” Dr Healy interjected, “She’s gonna need this prescription filled out as soon as possible.” He said lifting up the bit of paper he had just ripped off of his notepad.

“Uh Yeah, okay. Can you pass it on to one of the guys down the hall?” Peter threw back over his shoulder. “Preferably not the one with crutches.” Peter tried to joke, using it as some way of apology and ease the tension created by his stubborn wife.

“Ummm yes, of course.” The Doctor stammered as he attempted to gather back up his things.

“There we go.” Claire said as she helped Peter eaze Angel into the bathtub. The water was shallow, only just covering her legs and hips as she sat herself upright in the tub, her arms resting on the sides of the bath to prop her up and make sure she wasn’t leaning back against her ribs in the hard tub.

Peter could sense Angel’s tension at having Claire watch over his shoulder as his hand reached into the water for the red washcloth she had found and placed into the tub.

“Make sure you ring it out well, she can’t get her bandages wet.” Claire informed.

“Okay, okay. I think I’ve got it.” Peter said, turning his head to look at her. “Ummm thank you, I think I can take care of things from here.” Peter said, kindly dismissing her.

“Okay.” Claire conceded with a nod. “I’m just gonna hang around out there for a moment just in case there is anything you need.”

“Thank you, but I don’t think that will be necessary.” Peter said, driving home her dismissal a little harder this time.

“Okay. It was nice to meet you.” Claire said over Peter’s shoulder to Angel with a wave.

“Thank you.” Angel said timidly from behind the cover of Peter’s body.

When Claire left the room, Peter began brushing the damp cloth across Angel’s bruised skin. “What?” she queried when he began to frown.

“It’s just,” his voice said quietly as his fingers traced across one of the bruises on the top of her chest. 

“I know, I know.” she said equally as softly as she too took in the bruising all over her body.

“It just… makes me feel so helpless.” Peter confessed.

“I know. But this isn’t your fault Pete and you know it.” she tried to reassure him.

There was a pause between them before he said, “I had a dream last night.” he confided. “She was in it.”

“Gwen?” Angel confirmed.

“Yeah.” 

Gwen had still been alive when Peter had first swung into her life, saving her from that explosion at her Dad’s warehouse. They hadn’t met again until after Gwen had died. They used to run into each other at the cemetery, her visiting her Mom, him visiting Gwen. They used to just sit with each other and talk, reminisce about their loved ones. 

“I’m not her Peter.”

“I know that.” he sighed. “I know that.” he said more confidently. “It’s just…” his voice trailed off and tears began to form in his eyes, “I can’t lose you too okay? Not again, not for good, okay?”

“Okay.” she repeated quietly, a silent promise just between the two of them.

“You can’t be doing shit like that again, you know?”

She looked confused, “What go help out at-”

“No, I mean, what happened downstairs. You can’t- I can’t” he corrected himself, “I don’t know how to keep you safe when you do shit like that okay.”

“But maybe you’re not meant to.” she said cautiously as he continued to wipe at her skin, “Maybe you can’t, maybe you’re not meant to. Maybe that’s…” her voice trailed off as she had a thought ‘Maybe that was what her Father was training her for all along.’ 

“Maybe that’s what?” he asked, growing tense at the idea of not being able to protect her, to keep his own wife safe.

“Peter, maybe that was the point of my Dad keeping me away from you. Not just to protect me, but to show me how to stand on my own two feet, how to protect myself.”

“But you shouldn’t have to-”

“And why not? Because you’re my husband and that’s your job? Bullshit. Who’s there to save you huh? When shit hits the fan, which it already has, mind you; who looks out for you?” She looked deeply into his eyes. “Who is there to save you?”

-----------------------------------------

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[bigpeepee]

⠀ pride and prejudice adaptations + letterboxd reviews ⠀⠀⠀(mix and match edition) ⠀

[serendipity-in-love]

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

[gorgeousgreymatter-x]

But also thinking about Steve growing up instead with Mrs. Harrington as a frail, depressed ex-actress a la Renee Zellweger and how it affected her relationship with Steve......

thinking about a White Oleander kinda storyline for Steve too where his parents get divorced when he's a little boy and when he's a teenager he seduces and sleeps with his new stepdad.

[lovefleabagandthepriest]

https://youtu.be/BkXfmB5miBc

Bridget Jones’ Diary ~ Deleted Scene (2001)

[halfagony-halfh0pe]

me, going through life:

[ogcosmicfragment]

"Wait a minute. Nice boys don't kiss like that"

"Oh, yes, they fucking do"