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kevinsreviewcatalogue · 1 year ago

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Review: The Mummy (1932)

The Mummy (1932)

Approved by the Production Code Administration of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America

Score: 4 out of 5

The second classic Universal monster movie I was able to check out at Cinema Salem this October, The Mummy is one of the few such films where the classic 1930s version isn't the definitive example these days. In 1999, Universal remade it as an Indiana Jones-style action/adventure flick starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, and if I'm being perfectly honest, having now seen both movies I kinda prefer the '90s version. The original still has a lot going for it even more than ninety years later, but the remake's pulpy, two-fisted throwback style is just nostalgic for me in ways that hit my sweet spot. That said, I will argue that this was a better and more self-assured film than The Invisible Man, having a monster and effects just as memorable but also remembering to keep a consistent tone and, more importantly, have a compelling non-villainous character for me to root for in the form of its female lead. It is, shall we say, of its time in its depiction of Egypt and its people, but there's a reason why Boris Karloff is a horror legend, and here, he made Imhotep into a multilayered villain and a compelling presence on screen -- rather appropriately given how he's presented here as ominously seductive. At the very least, both it and the Fraser version are a damn sight better than the 2017 Tom Cruise version.

The film starts in 1921 with a tale as old as the first exhibit at the British Museum of ancient Egyptian artifacts, as an archaeological expedition in Egypt led by Sir Joseph Whemple discovers the tomb of a man named Imhotep. Studying his remains and his final resting place, they find that a) he was buried alive, and b) a separate casket was buried with him with a curse inscribed on it threatening doom to whoever opened it. Sure enough, Joseph's assistant opens that casket, reads from the scroll inside, and proceeds to go mad at the sight of Imhotep's mummified body getting up and walking out of the tomb. Fast-forward to the present day of 1932, and Joseph's son Frank is now following in his father's footsteps. A mysterious Egyptian historian named Ardeth Bey offers to assist Frank and his team in locating another tomb, that of the princess Ankh-es-en-amun. It doesn't take much for either the viewer or the characters to figure out who "Ardeth Bey" really is, especially once he starts taking an interest in Helen Grosvenor, a half-Egyptian woman and Frank's lover who bears a striking resemblance to the ancient drawings of Ankh-es-en-amun.

Let's get one thing out of the way right now. Lots of modern retellings of classic monster stories, from Interview with the Vampire to this film's own 2017 remake, often throw in the twist of making their monsters handsome, even sexy, as a way to lend them a dark edge of sorts. In the case of the Mummy, however, doing so is fairly redundant, because Karloff's Imhotep is already the "sexy mummy", if not in appearance than certainly in personality. He is threatening and creepy-looking, yes, but he is also alluring and erudite, his hypnosis of Helen presented as seduction and Frank becoming one of his targets because he sees him as competition. He may be under heavy makeup in the opening scene to look like a mummified corpse, but afterwards, Karloff plays him as an intimidating yet attractive older gentleman, the famous shot of him staring into the camera with darkened eyes looking equal parts like him peering into your soul and him undressing you with his eyes. And if it wasn't obvious when it was just him on screen, his relationship with Helen feels like that of a predatory playboy, especially in the third act when she's clad in a skimpy outfit that would likely have never flown just a couple of years later once they started enforcing the Hays Code. He's a proto-Hugh Hefner as a Universal monster. I couldn't help but wonder if Karloff was trying to do his own take on Bela Lugosi's Dracula here, perhaps as a way to make this character stand out from Frankenstein's monster; if he was, then he certainly pulled it off.

Zita Johann's Helen, too, made for a surprisingly interesting female lead. As she's increasingly possessed by the spirit of Ankh-es-en-amun over the course of the film, she's the one who directly challenges Imhotep on what he's doing to her, pointing out that, even by the standards of his own ancient Egyptian morality, his attempt to resurrect his lost love is evil and in violation of the laws of his gods, reminding him why he was entombed alive in the first place. It's she who ultimately saves herself, the male heroes only arriving after everything is all said and done, which was well and good in my book given that I wasn't particularly fond of them. Not only was the romanticization of British imperialism in their characters kind of weird watching this now (the fact that they can't take the artifacts they collected to the British Museum and have to settle for the Cairo Museum is presented as lamentable), but they didn't really have much character to them beyond being your typical 1930s movie protagonists. Frank is the young boyfriend, Joseph and Muller are the older scholars, the Nubian servant is... a whole 'nuther can of worms, and there's not much to them beyond stock archetypes. This was one area where the Fraser movie excelled, and the biggest reason why I prefer that film to this one.

Beyond the characters, the direction by Karl Freund was suitably creepy and atmospheric. I was able to tell that I wasn't looking at Egypt so much as I was looking at southern California playing such, but the film made good use of its settings, and had quite a few creative tricks up its sleeve as we see Imhotep both assaulting the main characters and observing them from afar. The direction and makeup did as much as Karloff's performance to make me afraid of Imhotep; while this wasn't a film with big jump scare moments, it did excel at creeping dread and making the most of what it had. The reaction of the poor assistant who watched Imhotep get up and walk away from his tomb struck the perfect note early on, letting you know that you're about to witness seemingly ludicrous things but at the same time making you believe in them despite your better judgment. This very much felt like the kind of classiness that we now associate with the original Universal monster movies, a slow burn even with its short runtime as "Ardeth Bey" spends his time doing his dirty work in the background, either skulking around or manipulating people from his home through sorcery.

The Bottom Line

The original 1932 version of The Mummy still stands as one of the finest classic horror movies. Not all of it has aged gracefully, but Boris Karloff's mummy is still a terrifying and compelling villain, and the rest of the film too has enough going for it to hold up.

#the mummy #1932 #1932 movies #universal monsters #monster movie #horror #horror movies #supernatural horror #boris karloff #zita johann #karl freund

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tabloidtoc · 5 years ago

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Globe, April 20

Cover: Kenny Rogers’ body is still on ice -- why his widow won’t bury him

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Sloppy Tyra Banks, Gary Busey grocery shopping in Beverly Hills, Brian Austin Green grabs meals to go

Page 3: Lisa Marie Presley is living large, puffy-faced Goldie Hawn hikes to her California home, Chris Pratt spring cleaning

Page 4: Bindi Irwin has another surprise in store after pulling off her secret Australia Zoo wedding to Chandler Powell -- she’s pregnant

Page 5: A bank has asked the LA Sheriff’s Office to force Tori Spelling to pay a $89,000 credit card debt and her money-bags mom Candy Spelling has once again refused to help, Patrick Stewart secretly married his third wife singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell in a Mexican restaurant in California with Ian McKellen officiating

Page 6: Catherine Zeta-Jones admits she’s a bitch and being polite to fans pushes her over the edge

Page 7: Spoiler Alert for Grey’s Anatomy -- Ellen Pompeo who has starred as Dr. Meredith Grey for 15 seasons will be killed off next season in a blockbuster story line

Page 8: Now that he’s moving to California rogue royal Prince Harry plans to turn his years as a stoner into a king’s ransom by launching a huge marijuana business empire -- Harry and wife Meghan Markle are slapping down $9 million for a 286- acre pot farm near Clear Lake in north central California to fuel their flashy new Hollywood lifestyle

Page 10: Jon Voight tells his daughter Angelina Jolie to back off of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston

Page 11: Law & Order vet Elisabeth Rohm has called off her year-long engagement to California judge Jonathan Colby on good terms but the two have different priorities at this time, the handwritten lyrics to Hey Jude by Paul McCartney are set to sell for nearly $200,000 at a massive online Beatles auction

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Conan O’Brien rides a bike through Brentwood, Ellen DeGeneres has been recently blasted as one of the meanest people alive, Amy Poehler is co-founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade in Hollywood and NYC and the comedy clubs and improv schools laid off most staff without notice or severance or health coverage and only after embarrassing press and online comments trashed the millionaire she finally will provide funds for a one-month extension to healthcare for the full-time benefit eligible staff, Little Big Town singer Kimberly Schlapman says she’s 100% sure her 12-year-old daughter Daisy was a heaven-sent miracle thanks to her deceased first husband Steven Roads, Woody Allen outcreeps himself by spilling in his memoir the details of bedding both sisters of his former muse and live-in girlfriend Diane Keaton, Ramona Singer of RHONYC did away with the housecleaners due to coronavirus and posted a picture of herself mopping in a sexy nightie

Page 13: Frumpy Kate Hudson, Sean Penn’s silver roots start to show, Maud Adams walks her dog, Kristen Stewart relies on the company of ghosts

Page 14: Seth Rogen has a new pastime: watching flick flops like Cats while flying high, Demi Lovato’s got something to sing about -- a brand new ripped boyfriend named Max Ehrich who loves showing off his astonishing pecs, Fashion Verdict -- Emily Blunt 5/10, Noomi Rapace 3/10, Christina Aguilera 2/10, Cardi B 4/10

Page 16: Rihanna vows to have up to four children in ten years with or without a man, Superman never carried an ounce of flab but his alter ego Dean Cain has piled on an unhealthy 50 pounds and is gobbling supersize portions of pizza and fast food to find comfort because of his nose-diving career

Page 17: Inked-up train wreck Aaron Carter declared himself single in a nude photo after his girlfriend Melanie Martin whose name was just tattooed on his face was collared for felony domestic violence

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Scarlett Johansson, Luann de Lesseps confesses she’s still tippling even after her shameful drunken bust, stuck in lockdown Courteney Cox is binge-watching her sitcom Friends and was shocked to realize she can’t remember most of the series that made her rich and famous

Page 20: True Crime

Page 23: Former boxing champ Mike Tyson is dropping shocking confessions including having sex with fans, drug binges, psychedelic trips and being pen pals with England’s most vicious gangster

Page 24: Cover Story -- a furious family feud is exploding over late country great Kenny Rogers whose body is being kept on ice because his widow Wanda Rogers wants to hold a massive send-off that’s now banned by the coronavirus lockdown

Page 26: Health Report

Page 29: Eminem gushes that being able to raise kids is one of his greatest accomplishments, former steroids user and New York Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca is raging over how fellow cheater Alex Rodriguez has revived his image as an A-list celeb and is slamming the retired New York Yankees slugger as one of the fakest people out there, Alicia Keys felt manipulated and objectified by a sleazy photographer who made her open her shirt and yank down the top of her jeans when she was only 19

Page 30: Former teen sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre who claims she was pimped out to Britain’s Prince Andrew by pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is now charging the kinky billionaire and his mistress Ghislaine Maxwell pressured her to carry his child through surrogacy

Page 31: Steve Carell shockingly quit his hit show The Office at the peak of its popularity because he wasn’t feeling the love from showrunners

Page 32: Single mom-of-three Kourtney Kardashian is so lonely and desperate for love she’s stopped being set up by Hollywood pals and is casting her fishing net for a man online, a London collector of James Bond guns was robbed of five pistols used in 007 flicks worth a staggering $125,000, a sweaty towel that late NBA star Kobe Bryant tossed over his shoulders as he bid goodbye to basketball has shockingly sold for more than $33,000

Page 38: Real Life

Page 40: Daniel Craig is worth about $180 million thanks to playing James Bond but he’s got bad news for his kids -- he’s cutting them off without a cent because he finds inheritance distasteful -- he has a 28-year-old daughter from his first marriage to Fiona Loudon and a two-year-old daughter with current wife Rachel Weisz, busted in the college admissions cheating scandal Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli are accusing the prosecution of strong-arming its key witness to lie that they knew their payments were bribes and not donations to the university

Page 44: Straight Talk -- newly leaked video is yet more proof that desperate loser Kanye West is a filthy parasite who’s been trying to save his fizzling career by leeching onto superstar songbird Taylor Swift

Page 45: George Clooney is in hot water now that Nespresso the coffee giant he shills for on TV has admitted buying beans from farms that pay kids pennies for laboring in the fields, dumpy Drew Barrymore is hitting rock bottom again with her weight and is tired of blubbering in her closet over clothes that don’t fit and has vowed to give the extra weight the heave-ho before her new daytime talk show gets going

Page 47: Hollywood Flashback -- Psycho, Bizarre But True

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omninocte · 5 years ago

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Tom Hiddleston was posing for a portrait, and the face he showed the camera wasn’t entirely his own.

“I’m protective about my internal world now in probably a different way,” says the actor Tom Hiddleston, making his Broadway debut in “Betrayal.” Credit: Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

That had been his idea, to slip for a few moments into the character he’s playing on Broadway, in Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal”: Robert, the cheated-on husband and backstabbed best friend whose coolly proper facade is the carapace containing a crumbling man. And when Mr. Hiddleston became him, the change was instantaneous: the guarded stillness of his body, the chill reserve in his gray-blue eyes.

“It’s interesting,” Mr. Hiddleston said after a while, analyzing Robert’s expression from the inside. “It gives less away.” A pause, and then his own smile flickered back, its pleasure undisguised. “O.K.,” Mr. Hiddleston announced, himself again, “it’s not Robert anymore.”

It was late on a muggy August morning, one day before the show’s first preview at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater, and Mr. Hiddleston — the classically trained British actor best known for playing the winsomely chaotic villain Loki, god of mischief and brother of Thor, in the Marvel film franchise — had been in New York for less than a week.

Mr. Hiddleston as Loki in “Thor: Ragnarok.” Credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

He’ll be here all autumn for the limited run of the production, a hit in London earlier this year, but he wasn’t going to pretend that he’d settled in. “I literally have never sat in this room before,” he’d said at the top of the photo shoot, in his cramped auxiliary dressing room, next door to the similarly tiny one he had been occupying.

He’d had nothing to do with the space’s camera-ready décor. So there was no use making a metaphor of the handsome clock with its hands stopped at 12 (“Betrayal” is famous for its reverse chronology; far more apt if the clock had run backward), or of the compact stack of pristine books that looked like journals, with pretty covers and presumably empty pages: a bit off-brand for Mr. Hiddleston, who at 38 has a model-perfect exterior with quite a lot inscribed inside.

Take the matter-of-fact way he said, in explaining that he’d first encountered Pinter’s work when he studied for his A-levels in English literature, theater, Latin and Greek: “It was a real tossup between French and Spanish or Latin and Greek. I thought, I can always speak French and Spanish, I can’t always read Latin and Greek, so I’ll study that and I’ll speak the other two.”

From a one-night reading to Broadway

Mr. Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton portray a married couple in Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal” Credit: Marc Brenner

In this country, Mr. Hiddleston is mainly a screen star, known also for playing Jonathan Pine in the John le Carré series “The Night Manager” on AMC. There are plans, too, for him to bring Loki to Disney’s streaming service in a stand-alone series.

But at home in London, he has amassed some impressive Shakespearean credits, including the title roles in Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” and Josie Rourke’s “Coriolanus,” and a turn as Cassio in Michael Grandage’s “Othello” — a production that Pinter, saw some months before he died in 2008. That was the year Mr. Hiddleston won a best newcomer Olivier Award for Cheek by Jowl’s “Cymbeline.”

Jamie Lloyd’s “Betrayal,” which has a staging to match the spareness of Pinter’s language and a roiling well of squelched emotion to feed its comedy, is Mr. Hiddleston’s Broadway debut. Likewise for his co-stars, Zawe Ashton (of Netflix’s “Velvet Buzzsaw”), who plays Emma, Robert’s wife; and Charlie Cox (of Netflix’s “Daredevil”), who plays Emma’s lover, Jerry, Robert’s oldest friend.

Beginning at what appears to be the end of Robert and Emma’s marriage, after her yearslong affair with Jerry has sputtered to a stop, it’s a drama of cascading double-crosses. First staged by Peter Hall in London in 1978 — and in 1980 on Broadway, where it starred Roy Scheider, Blythe Danner and Raul Julia — it rewinds through time to the sozzled evening when Emma and Jerry overstep the line.

The most recent Broadway revival was just six years ago, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Daniel Craig as Robert, Rachel Weisz as Emma and Rafe Spall as Jerry. It might seem too soon for another, let alone one with sexiness to spare — except that Mr. Lloyd’s production is also marked by a palpable hauntedness and a profound sense of loss.

Reviewing the London staging in The New York Times, Matt Wolf called it “a benchmark achievement for everyone involved,” showing the play “in a revealing, even radical, new light.” Michael Billington, in The Guardian, called Mr. Hiddleston’s performance “superb.”

What’s curious is that Mr. Hiddleston, so good at bad boys, isn’t playing Jerry, the more glamorous role: the cad, the pursuer, the best man who goes after the bride. But Mr. Lloyd said that casting him that way was never part of their discussions.

Last fall, when Mr. Lloyd persuaded Mr. Hiddleston to read a scene with Ms. Ashton for a one-night gala celebration of Pinter in London, part of the season-long Pinter at the Pinter series, there was no grand plan. Having asked Mr. Hiddleston about a possible collaboration for years, since “just before he became ridiculously famous,” Mr. Lloyd said, this was the first time he got a yes.

“I just really admired his craft of acting, the precision of his acting, as well as his real emotional depth and his real wit,” Mr. Lloyd said. “And he’s turned into what I think is the epitome of a great Pinter actor. Because if you’re in a Pinter play, you have to dig really deep and connect to terrible loss or excruciating pain, often massive volcanic emotion, and then you have to bottle it all up. You have to suppress it all.”

This, he added, is what Mr. Hiddleston does in “Betrayal,” where characters’ meaning is found between and behind the words, not inside them.

“Some of the pain that he’s created in Robert, it’s just unbearable, and yet he always keeps a lid on it,” Mr. Lloyd said.

The scene Mr. Hiddleston and Ms. Ashton read at the gala appears at the midpoint of “Betrayal”: Robert and Emma on vacation in Venice, at a moment that leaves their marriage with permanent damage. Within days, Mr. Hiddleston told Mr. Lloyd that he was on board for a full production.

Mr. Hiddleston at the Jacobs Theater, where “Betrayal” opens on Sept 5. Credit: Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

‘What remains private’

Photos taken, back in the faintly more lived-in of his Broadway dressing rooms, Mr. Hiddleston opened the window to let in some Midtown air — and when you’re as tall as he is, 6 feet 2 inches, opening it from the top of the window frame is easy enough to do. Then, making himself an espresso with his countertop machine, he sat down to talk at length.

“I’m always curious about the presentation of a character’s external persona versus the interior,“ he said. “What remains private, hidden, concealed, protected, and what does the character allow to be seen? We all have a very complex internal world, and not all of that is on display in our external reality.”

He can tick off the ways that various characters of his conceal what’s inside: Loki, with all that rage and vulnerability “tucked away”; the ultra-proper spy Jonathan Pine, in “The Night Manager,” “hiding behind his politeness”; Robert, a lonely man wearing “a mask of control” that renders him “confident, powerful, polished,” at least as far as any onlookers can tell.

In “Betrayal,” each of the three principals has an enormous amount to hide from the people who are meant to be their closest intimates. It’s a play about power and manipulation, duplicity and misplaced trust, and what’s so threatening about it is the very ordinariness of its privileged milieu. This snug little world that once seemed so safe and ideal — the happiest of families, the oldest of friends — has long since fallen apart.

But to Mr. Hiddleston, Pinter’s drama contains two themes just as significant as betrayal: isolation and loneliness.

“The sadness in the play — it’s not only sadness; because it’s Pinter, there’s wit and levity as well — but if there is sadness in the play,” he said, “I think it comes from the fact that these betrayals render Robert, Emma and Jerry more alone than they were before.”

Trust and self-protection

One-on-one, Mr. Hiddleston was more cautious than he’d been during the photo shoot, surrounded then by a gaggle of people affiliated with the show. Still, when I asked him about betrayal, lowercase, he went straight to the condition it violates.

“To trust is a profound commitment, and to trust is to make oneself vulnerable,” he said, fidgeting with a red rubber band and choosing his words with care. “It’s such an optimistic act, because you’re putting your faith in the hands of someone or something which you expect to remain constant, even if the circumstances change.”

“I’m disappearing down a rabbit hole here,” he said, “but I think about it a lot. I think about certainty and uncertainty. Trust is a way of managing uncertainty. It’s a way of finding security in saying, ‘Perhaps all of this is uncertain, but I trust you.’ Or, ‘I trust this.’ And there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world at the moment, so it becomes harder to trust, I suppose.”

An interview itself is an act of trust, albeit often a wary one. And there was one stipulated no-go zone in this encounter, a condition mentioned by a publicist only after I’d arrived: No talk of Taylor Swift, with whom Mr. Hiddleston had a brief, intense, headline-generating romance that, post-breakup, she evidently spun into song lyrics.

That was three years ago, and I hadn’t been planning to bring her up; given the context of the play, though, make of that prohibition what you will. Mr. Hiddleston, who once had a tendency to pour his heart out to reporters, knows that he can’t stop you.

“It’s not possible, and nor should it be possible, to control what anyone thinks about you,” he said. “Especially if it’s not based in any, um —” he gave a soft, joyless laugh — “if it’s not based in any reality.”

The actor’s Shakspearean roles include“Hamlet” and “Coriolanus.” Credit: Devin Yalkin for The New York Times

That’s something he’s learned about navigating fame — about being put on a pedestal that’s then kicked out from under him. He knows now “to let go of the energy that comes toward me, be it good or bad,” he said. “Because naturally in the early days I took responsibility for it.”

“And yes, I’m protective about my internal world now in probably a different way,” he added, his tone as restrained as his words. He took a beat, and so much went unsaid in what he said next: “That’s because I didn’t realize it needed protecting before.”

Even so, he doesn’t give the impression of having closed himself off. When something genuinely made him laugh, he smiled a smile that cracked his face wide open.

And the way he treated the people around him at work — with a fundamental respect, regardless of rank, and no whiff of flattery — made him seem sincere about what he called “staying true to the part of myself that’s quite simple, that’s quite ordinary.”

That investment in his ordinariness, as he put it, is a hedge against the destabilizing trappings of fame, but it doubles as a way of protecting his craft.

It’s also of a piece with his insistence that vulnerability is a necessary risk to take, at least sometimes.

“If you go through life without connecting to people,” he asked, “how much could you call that a life?”

#betrayal (play)#broadway #tom hiddleston

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spideyxchelle · 6 years ago

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she wears yellow in Vienna. and he notices. because she is in a serious relationship with the color black. any kind of brightness really throws him for a loop. it throws their entire decathlon travel party for a loop. flash audibly gasps. “settle down, flash gordon. its just a dress,” she rolls her eyes. ned smiles, “you look nice, mj. you always look nice. but, you know, yellow is a pretty color on you.” cindy lifts her chin proudly, “thank you.” Peter raises his eyebrow in confusion, so mj clarifies, “cindy bought it for me. for the, uh, dinner tonight.”

the midtown team was having dinner with the british league. a huge part of the world decathlon championship was about building bridges between the future leaders of tomorrow. to make friends. and so mj, as captain, had decided they would try and have dinner with as many teams as they could manage before the competition in three days.

which still doesn’t explain the yellow dress.

he is still staring. it is really hard not to. it exposes her shoulders. and her collarbone. which is a sexy bone. peter parker had never consider the collarbone sexy before. it is. and the fact that he is constituting a bone as sexy sends him into an immediate shame spiral. especially because he knows he should not be looking at mj. not the way that he is. which is borderline carnivorous.

their eyes connect. he wants to fire off a flare to send for help. he is in danger. looking at her is dangerous. there is a ripple of something that passes between them and he wants to run. he just isn’t sure if he wants to run away. or run toward her. it is a staggering kind of revelation. the kind that burns cities to the ground.

peter forces himself to tear his eyes away. he is not sure how he knows but mj looks away, too. and he feels the prickle of people watching him. watching them. there weird surge of energy that sent an electric shock rippling through the space.

“nice dress,” he mumbles, to break the tension. “thanks,” she nods awkwardly.

conversation smothers the silence. the others talk. bitch. groan. sally and cindy take pictures every ten feet. the world and time keep moving forward, unkindly ignoring peter’s discomfort.

as they walk to dinner, peter cannot help but steal glances at her. the yellow is a soft compliment to the setting sun. the pinks and purples, a backdrop.

they arrive at the little café where they are meeting the british league. and peter never makes it in the door. mj grabs the bend of his elbow and tugs him away. “hey, woah,” he fumbles. he immediately notices that michelle’s face is unreadable. and very, very close to his own. she seems to detect it, too. because she takes a pointed step back. she smooths down the yellow fabric of her dress and says with a forced casualness, “stop looking at me, parker. its distracting.” he feels his face grow a violent and vicious red. “i-I’m not. you? you’re…that’s….i’m not,” he practically flails. she rolls her eyes, “fine. you’re not. but if you were…stop. okay?” he looks down at his shoes and nods, “copy that.” “good,” she says and parades into the restaurant.

peter is not quick to follow her. he lags behind and leans back against the wall, taking in deep breaths. it is just a dress. it shouldn’t affect him so much. perhaps, he reasons, he is just surprised. michelle isn’t much one for dresses. it is just a culture shock to his system. nothing more.

he feels his face, his stupid blush, start to fall under control. he wrangles his weird feelings. and dampens them down until they are ground into something manageable. he is being ridiculous. michelle is his friend. first and foremost. end of story.

peter walks into the café five minutes later and spots the table of his peers all laughing with some kids he doesn’t recognize. the british league. and then, above all the laughter, he hears another laugh. it is a twinkling and an unfamiliar sound.

it belongs to michelle.

he stops dead in his tracks. she is laughing and leaning into a really, frankly unfairly attractive british guy. but michelle isn’t the only one that seems tickled fucking pink by this new guy. “peter!’ ned calls him over. peter forces his feet to move. he slides into the seat beside some girl he doesn’t know. she smiles warmly at him. he exchanges an effortful grin back. “I’m Gwen,” the girl introduces herself. her accent is sweet and lilting. he is almost charmed by it. “Peter,” he replies, offering his hand to shake.

the same twinkling laugh dances again. he snaps his eyes to mj and the british man that is apparently some kind of stand-up comedian. gwen supplies the answer to his unspoken question, “that’s harry. he’s our captain.” peter nods and tears his eyes away from the appalling sight. he promised he would stop staring. and, besides, michelle is his friend. it is the yellow dress. the yellow dress is to blame.

he looks at gwen who he decides is very pretty. she is more subdued than her captain. but she is quietly fierce. he can tell. “are you enjoying Vienna?” he asks. she tucks her long, dark hair behind her ear, “yeah, I am. after…” she trails off. “after…you know…I promised myself I would travel more.” he silently finishes her thought. he knows after the snap, after people were brought back into existence the entire universe had to find a way to cope, to shut out the memories of the vast nothingness. talking about the snap is a universal horror. and so, people rarely talk about it. at least, not directly.

peter understands better than most. he carries the snap. and the guilt of thanos. he had almost had the gauntlet free, god damn it. he had been so close. he had almost saved the neighborhood. almost.

gwen touches his knee with her hand. and he is pulled from his thoughts. “sorry,” he mumbles. she shakes her head, “no, don’t apologize. everybody carries it their own way.” “did you…?” he clamps his mouth shut. there is no gentle way to ask if someone had been dusted. and he doesn’t know this girl. in the gaping hole from gwen’s silence, peter hears mj laugh again. it weirdly stings.

gwen nods stiffly, “yeah.” peter rubs his eyes with the pads of his hands, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” “no,” she assures him, “no, really. it’s fine. we have to figure out a way to talk about it, you know?” and he isn’t sure he believes that. he doesn’t know how to talk about it. he doesn’t know how to even begin. no one does.

gwen feels like the kind of sympathetic soul that would welcome talking about the snap. but he doesn’t know her. they’ve just met. and it isn’t polite to talk about the snap. its not civilized conversation.

“anyway,” he lies with his smile, “has your league ever been to the world championship before?” if gwen senses his dishonesty, she has the good grace not to comment on it. she rolls her shoulders back and reaches for some of the shared plates on the table. she rips off of a bite of bread. “mhmm,” she says. “twice. Harry is determined to win this year. france beat us last year and switzerland the year before that.” the mention of harry has his eyes flitting across the table. he spots harry with his arm hanging loosely around michelle. peter isn’t sure he has ever seen anyone touch mj like that. he doesn’t mean to imagine its him.

the yellow dress is fucking him up. but there is something so familiar in that imagining. like, he has held her like that in another life. and he nearly chucks bread at harry’s head. because he can’t waltz into their group and hold her like he knows her. he doesn’t.

he doesn’t know the good days and the bad days. he doesn’t know the kinds of tea she drinks. or the way she laughs behind books to hide her smiles because he knows she’s self conscious of her one tooth which is downright adorable. he knows her. and he likes her. just the way she is.

which is another one of those revelations that freak him out. peter snaps his eyes back to gwen. pretty and sweet gwen. his aunt had told him before he left, when she had kissed his brow a little more desperately than she ever had before the snap, to enjoy Europe. kiss a pretty girl. make memories.

maybe gwen could be a memory.

he scratches the back of his head, “tell me if this is too forward but, uh, do you wanna go for a walk.” gwen’s eyes go wide with shock. peter shakes his head, embarrassed, “no. right. of course you don’t. sorry. That was weird. I didn’t mean to make it weird. I’m this random American you don’t even know.” “what? no. I would love to. just surprised.” “really?” his voice cracks, “I mean…really?” she gnaws on her lip to hide a smile, “really.”

without another word, he stands up and offers his hand. she takes it. her hand is small and delicate. the table doesn’t stop talking, doesn’t even notice them leave. all except one.

peter likes gwen, he decides on their walk. she is smart and funny and her accent is killer. he shouldn’t have watched the mummy movies as a kid. his crush on Rachel Weisz’s librarian character is really doing him in with gwen. its disarming.

together, they walk through Vienna and happen upon a market. she spots a blue pendant and peter feels compelled to buy it for her. he has more money than he knows what to do with now. courtesy of tony. he figures he can buy a pretty girl a necklace.

the man behind the counter for the necklace looks at him strangely. as if he is waiting for something. peter realizes it is his money. he drops the brightly colored bills into a fishbowl, the market equivalent for a cash register, and peter smiles. the seller still stares.

peter only breaks the weird stare-off when gwen asks him to put on the necklace and he complies.

which earns him a kiss. his first kiss, he realizes as he cradles the back of her head with his hand. spider-man didn’t leave much room for girlfriends or crushes. liz was one date that he ran out on. and then, after that, he’d been busy. on patrol. saving his small corner of the world. girls were not even a thought.

or, maybe they were. because as he kisses gwen, all he can think is that its wrong. she should be taller than him. and the kiss should have more bite to it. but he doesn’t want to fall deep into water he can’t tread, by thinking about this. so he decides to wade in shallow water. he kisses gwen back lightly. he enjoys it.

she giggles when they pull apart. and he smiles. “sorry,” he says immediately. she shakes her head, “no. uh. it was good. you’re a good kisser.” “cool,” he flushes. “its getting late,” she bounces a little, “I should be getting back. can’t let you beat us tomorrow.” peter laughs, “no. wouldn’t want that.”

she kisses him once more and before she can get away, he kisses her more deeply. he chases her mouth. her laughter tickles his breath. gwen rests her hands on his chest and repeats, “I have to go.”

he lets her go. and he pretends to care about watching her walk away.

when he gets back to their hotel, ned is pacing in their hotel room and mj is sitting bored on his bed. “thank GOD,” ned practically shouts, when peter walks in. peter startles. ned puts his hands on his hips, “where have you been?” “I told you he was fine,” mj quips. peter nods, “I was fine…wait…why are you here?” mj rolls her eyes, “ned was about to have a heart attack. you disappeared.” “did not,” he replies, “I was out with gwen.” “gwen?” ned asks. “the pretty girl in blue at the end of the table,” peter clarifies. ned grins stupidly, “you went off with a girl…” peter blushes which must give something away because mj slams her book shut. “well, he’s fine. I’m going to bed now, losers.”

“mj—” peter tries, but she slams the door on her way out. peter turns to look at ned, “what was that about? why was she even here?” “what?” ned blinks, “she’s our friend. she was worried.” peter grumps, “bullshit.” “she does,” ned insists, “and you went off on some adventure in a city we don’t know. she was worried. I was worried, too.”

peter looks after the closed door, “she changed out of the yellow dress.” and its like he almost expects the spell to be broken. the spell the yellow dress had cast over him. but, if possible, he was even more startled by the sight of her in her pajamas with messy hair in his bed. she looked like she belonged there. and he wanted hide away on some remote island until he could banish these feelings forever. they were making an idiot out of him.

he groans. ned gently probes, “what’s going on?” peter shrugs, “I think I like mj.” and saying it makes it real. and weird. and he hates that stupid yellow dress. he was happy being in denial.

ned gasps, “dude.” “I know,” peter replies. “but dude.” “I know.” and then, ned says something that peter never expects, “you gotta go tell her.” “what?” peter gapes. “no,” ned is radiating buoyant energy, “look, we’re in Europe. why not? why not now? make memories, May said. kiss pretty girls. michelle is a pretty girl.”

and it makes so much sense it freaks peter out. existential questions should not have simple, practical answers.

“what?” ned prompts him. “why not now? why not her?” “I kissed gwen,” peter replies. and its an excuse and an answer all at once. he isn’t sure he’s supposed to kiss one girl and then go tell another girl he likes her. it feels gross and dishonest. and by the way ned is looking at him, he seems to agree. “dude.” “I know.” “dude.” “I know.”

“well,” ned tries to dig them out of the hole he dug, “did you like kissing her?” “what? no. I mean, well, it was fine. but….I” peter flinches and sheepishly adds, “thought about mj the whole time.”

ned closes his eyes and groans, “dude.” “I know.” “dude.” “I know.” “idiot,” ned shakes his head. peter tries to defend himself, “she was all over that guy. harry or something.” the or something is a lie. he knows his name. it burned into his brain. ned thumbs peter’s arm, which doesn’t hurt anything except his pride. “dude.” “you idiot, harry and mj know each other. how do you think the dinner got set up? she’s the decathlon captain. he’s the decathlon president of his team. they’re pen pals. friends.” peter grumbles, “looked more than friendly to me.” “stop,” ned warns, “stop that right now. you’re the only person stopping you from making this a thing, peter. you.”

peter brushes some floppy hair out of his eyes and lets hope in, “you really think so?” a smile creeps up on ned’s features. and his best friend grandly gestures toward the door, “go forth.” “really?” peter knows he shouldn’t. but damn, he wants to so badly. “yeah,” ned nods, “absolutely.”

it is ned’s misplaced confidence that has peter bounding out of their hotel room and down the hall to michelle’s single. sally and cindy were doubled up. and as the third girl, she wasn’t allowed to be in a hotel room by herself. they never filled liz’s empty spot.

he knocks on his door and mj immediately opens the door. she looks confused and a little pissed to see him. “what?” she demands. and in front of her now, he doesn’t know what to say. he should have planned it. should have done better than realize he liked her because of some silly yellow dress. but, damn, what a dress. it was like distilled sunshine.

and he knows he should have known better earlier. because michelle was like finding for peace after years of war. he has been at war. for longer than a boy should have been.

he doesn’t say any of that poetic crap. instead, he puts his foot spectacularly in his mouth, “I kissed gwen.” the limited amount of openness that was dancing in mj’s eyes shuts down immediately. “okay,” she crosses her arms over her chest, “why are you telling me this, parker?” “uh,” and he doesn’t know. but he feels like he has to start there. “I just wanted you to know,” he says. “well, I know,” she reaches for her door and tries to close it in his face, “goodnight.” he blocks the door with his hand and does not let her close it. she does not seem surprised by his display of strength. in fact, it annoys her. “don’t use that shit against me, parker.” “what shit?” he asks. “your superhero shit. its cheating.” he gawks and she snorts, “what? you think you’re so slick? please.”

peter pushes his way into her room and she stumbles backward, effortfully keeping distance between them. “you know?” he says, astonished. he faintly registers the door clicking closed behind him. she looks away from him and shrugs one shoulder, “yeah, so?” “yeah. so.” he repeats dully, “this isn’t a yeah so kind of thing, mj.” “well,” she squints at him, “I didn’t lie. you did. so. yeah.” “didn’t lie,” he defends himself, “its more complicated than that. I was being discreet. keeping the people I care about safe.”

she snorts, “you’re so full of shit. ned knows. and I bet your aunt does, too. you kept it from the people that don’t matter.” “that’s not true. you matter.” “please, since when?” “I—” he closes his mouth. she smiles mirthlessly, “see? full of shit.”

he rubs his eyes, tiredly, “me not telling you about being a superhero isn’t me being full of shit. its not.” “did you really think having an internship with Tony Stark was as inconspicuous as you thought?” the mention of tony shuts him down. he sees the flash. Thanos. and then his mentor crumbling. dying on some nameless planet galaxies away from his home. his life.

he sits on the edge of her bed. crippled by the memory. he barely hears her curse under her breath. but he feels the bed dip when she sits beside him. “peter?” she tries. he doesn’t respond. she tries, again, “peter, please. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” “people who know die,” he replies, “and I didn’t tell ned or my aunt. they found out. and if I could have kept it from them, I would have.” he stands up, impassioned, “and we’re friends but its not like we’re close. I didn’t owe you that secret.”

“if we aren’t close,” she snaps, “then why are you here?” his eyes flick down to her lips, and he notices they are parted just so. and her chest is heaving. he knows his own breath is ragged. she notices. and breathlessly says, “this is because of that stupid yellow dress, isn’t it?” he steps toward her, invades her space, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she is slightly taller than him. he has to tilt his chin up slightly. its disarming. or maybe she is. he can’t tell.

she whispers, “yes you do.” he confirms, “you don’t believe that. it wasn’t the dress.” “you…” she struggles for words, “you never would have ended up here if not for the dress.” “em,” he says, and the foreign nickname feels right, “you don’t believe that either.” he knows the way she is looking at him, the way he knows he is looking at her, that they would have ended up here eventually.

once you stop pretending, its hard not to act.

and he realizes with a start that he has been acting for ages. when he sits beside her on the bus. when he buys her tea before school. when he blows off patrol to be at decathlon practice with her. action. for her. hell, he knows he’s only on this stupid trip because she asked.

if she asked him to march across a desert to get to her, he’d run.

there is the hum of a piano, playing a gentle line, in the back of his mind. he wonders if he makes up the tune. or if she does.

and he’s kissing her. once. twice. the slightest press. a simple question. she does not answer. so he asks again. and then, she is writing poetry against his mouth. winded, insistent poetry.

he has all of one other kiss to compare her kisses to and, still, he knows this kiss now blows all of the other kisses he would or could ever have out of the water. she is burning up the pages that any other girl could scribble to claim to his heart. until there is only her. only michelle.

“em,” he sighs. he has never wanted anyone like this before. he suddenly understands why people describe kissing like disarming. because he does not have any defenses. not against her. he surrenders completely.

and then, they are tipping backward on her bed. she is beneath him. and she is so maddeningly soft. her curves are a revelation. just like the yellow dress. she has peaks and valleys. and he explores every one with his hot, pressing hands. some places make her whimper, other make her arch, others make her tremble.

he pulled her into his arm. both arms. and they fight. or maybe they make peace.

michelle impatiently pulls at the fabric of his shirt. and he absolutely agrees. it is the stupidest article of clothing he has ever owned. he pulls it over his head and tosses it across the room. she sits up a little to press hot kisses up the center of his chest. he fists his hand in her curls.

he slants his mouth over hers again and they sit up together in an awkward configuration to kiss each other. he learns how to communicate through kisses. he learns how to kiss someone and have them kiss you back and come away smarter, worldlier, better.

she tries to pull her own shirt off, but he does not want to let her go. kissing her is so much better than whatever could be beneath her shirt. she forces him away and he is not stable so he falls on his back. and is proved so fantastically wrong.

she frees herself from her shirt and, holy hell, she is fantastic. she has so much skin. he wants to touch her. god, he wants to be allowed to touch her.

she nods, as if understanding him. and he doesn’t sit up. he pulls her down on top of him and kisses whatever skin he can get his hands on. wherever he is not, his mouth is. it is an absolutely foolproof solution.

he licks her nipple into his mouth and she shutters. it is like winning decathlon. it is like capturing a bad guy. it is so, so much better than all of that.

he flips her under his solid chest and goes to work on her chest. she yanks on his curls. and he doesn’t even mind. it is the best.

they are children in the dark learning everything. eager for one another. peter nips at her skin. she keens and pulls his hair hard.

its wonderful.

and then, she reaches for the zipper on his jeans. and cold water falls over the moment. dousing him and bringing his clouded mind into sunshine. the sun is bright and unwelcome. he liked the darkness better. he likes fumbling in the dark and finding magic.

“em,” he grabs her wrist and she shakes her head, kissing him hard. she tries to pull him back under ecstasy with her. it almost works. he wants it to work. “we shouldn’t,” the stupid, responsible part of his brain says. he doesn’t say that he never has done this before. it feels too vulnerable. and he doesn’t want to disappoint her.

but more than that, he doesn’t want to know. he doesn’t want to know who has had her before. he wants to scratch out those names and burn only his into her mind.

half-naked under him, she kisses under his jaw. and it drives him insane. “michelle,” he swallows. “that’s sexy,” she bites his jaw, “say it again.”

“no,” he shakes his head free of cobwebs, “michelle, seriously.” “seriously,” she smirks, “say it again.” and damn him, he does. he learns she has a weak, breathy moan.

“parker,” she finally says when all of the blood finishes rushing to his dick, “if I didn’t want this…you would not get this…superhero or not.” he takes a deep breath, “this is happening so fast.” she kisses him fiercely, “we don’t know how much time we have.” her voice is exposed.

that hits him hard. the snap took so much. so much goodness. he doesn’t know. hell, he’s never asked. he doesn’t know if when the world fell away, if she stayed or if she went. and he can’t ask. because he doesn’t want to know. the idea of her crumbling into nothing is too much for him. because he had failed so many people when he didn’t get the gauntlet off of thanos. but he might have failed her, too.

and that. he can’t.

he can’t lose her.

she understands. without saying a word, he knows she understands. maybe not the specifics. he isn’t ready to talk about thanos. but with her, well, maybe one day he could.

he tucks a curl behind her hair and kisses her gently. her eyelashes flutter against his face. the storm passes. they weather their demons together with this kiss.

and they decide to save each other. quietly. in the dips of their kiss.

their clothes fall away like water. they drip onto the floor. and are forgotten. he kisses every inch of her skin that he can see. and she teaches him how to touch her. with quiet whispers. and guiding hands. their fingers overlap.

she starts to tremble. he dips an eager finger inside of her and then two. and she bites her bottom lip. he coaxes it open with his tongue. he doesn’t want her biting her lip. he wants to do that. he does.

she whimpers and he feels her fall apart. she cresses up against his chest and they are deliciously pressing against each other for several glorious seconds. and when she falls loosely back on her bed, her eyes are glassy and her lips are bitten from his kisses. he isn’t practiced enough to handle the way she looks. it takes absolutely everything in him not to join her over the edge of bliss. everything.

“don’t you dare, parker,” she warns. “I’m not done with you yet.” and he knows he is completely, utterly at her mercy.

she knows, too. and he hopes it is enough to convince her that he does care. he cares so much. he’s cared for so long. denial is a funny thing. it kept him away from her so long. they lost so much time. all of high school.

“I wanna be with you,” she admits. he nods dumbly. and keeps nodding until it hits him. she wants to be with him. like, be with him properly. he doesn’t even know, can’t even process. “oh,” is his eloquent response. she rolls her eyes but there is no malice behind it. she kisses him perfunctory. and he stupidly adds, “I’ve never…” “I figured,” she cuts him off. “I don’t have…” “I’m on the pill. and I know you’re clean. because duh.” he flushes. and he wants to ask about why she’s on the pill. but its rude. and none of his business. but damn, he wants to know.

if she senses his unspoken question, she doesn’t give it oxygen. she lets it die. she snuffs it out with a kiss.

she rolls him over on his back and her curls become a curtain around his face. it hides them from the rest of the world. and he is alone in looking up at her beautiful face. all of this is a gift he is not sure he has earned. he feels upside-down and, if he is, he never wants to be right-side up again.

she kisses him. it is chasing breath. it is concentrated gold. it is treasure. he kisses her back. and they fall together like unpracticed lovers do. it is not masterful. but it is meaningful.

she takes the lead. she grabs a hold of him and slowly lowers herself down on him.

and time and space slows down. he shivers. he can’t think or breathe. and it feels better than he ever imagined. she takes care of him. which is good. he feels like he is on the edge of death. knocking on the door to the other side.

until she starts to move. then, it all zeroes in on her. and he ascends to another plan of existence. his hands find her hips, the soft dips of her skin and he holds her there.

she lets her curls fall over one of her shoulders. and she tilts her chin down to look at him as she sets a sickly sweet pace. the rhythm is smooth.

he flexes his hands on her hips. he can’t last. this perfection can’t last. it will end.

she takes mercy on his pathetic body. she leans down so their chests are pressed. and hastens her rhythm. he is utterly dazzled. there are diamonds in his eyes.

she tears her nails down his chest. he hisses. and she kisses him hard. this part he can do. he kisses her wildly. and that does not stay concentrated to their mouths. he begins to buck up into her sloppily and hard. over and over again. and what he lacks in experience, he makes up for in energy. enthusiasm.

and with one more hard fuck. he sees white. the world becomes a wash. and he falls apart.

he skips rocks in the cosmos.

and when he comes back to his body, she is still on top of him, fucking the last bits of what she can out of him. he whimpers. it is too much. he can’t.

she takes the hint and rolls off of him.

he gulps down air.

“wow,” he says dumbly. she turns to look at him and there is something heartbreakingly soft about her like this. he knocks his nose against hers and kisses her sweetly. she folds into it.

then, her bottom lip wobbles. and he feels the wet tears on his face before he sees them. he pulls away and cups her face. “em?” she shakes her head and tries to settle her breathing, “I’m fine.” “michelle, you’re crying,” he points out. so she says, “why’d you have to put on that stupid suit and get yourself shot up into space? why didn’t you just stay on the bus?”

his heart cracks. it fractures. it aches. “michelle.” she shakes her head, “you only just caught up, parker. I’ve been here for ages. waiting for you to look back.” “I’m looking now,” he says weakly. but he knows it isn’t enough. she wipes hastily at her face, “why? why now? after all this time?” “I—” “why?”

he pulls her into his arms. because he wants to hold her. because he never wants to let go.

suddenly he remembers something gwen said to him. she promised herself after the snap she would travel more. and he supposes everyone after the snap made their own promises. made their peace with the things that felt too hard, too much, or too risky. there was more to life than getting from day to day. life was about living.

“after the dusting,” he starts, “after I came back…I didn’t want to do anything. I wanted to lay in bed and let life stop happening. but you didn’t let me. you made me come to school, to practice, to this stupid trip. and I came because I would do anything you asked me to. absolutely anything. em, I’m so sorry it too me so long to get here. but I’m here now. and, if you’ll have me, I want you. yellow dress. no yellow dress. hair a mess. lips bitten red from my kisses. I want you.”

and it is dumb. he knows its dumb. but he doesn’t know how else to say how he feels. he hopes she knows. he hopes she understands. she felt like she understood. when they were together. when she kissed him. and led him on a wild trip through the stars.

she searches his face for answers he is not sure he has. she doesn’t speak. she curls up beside him. and it is not an answer. but it is enough. for now, this is everything.

he leaves a few hours before the sun rises. and she kisses him again. when he gets back to his room, ned is mercifully sleeping. he does not know what he would say to him.

and he goes to sleep with a smile on his face.

when he wakes, ned doesn’t say a thing about michelle. there is some kind of unspoken rule between them. a cone of silence that they will not talk about the mj-all-night-disappearance. and he feels good.

until the worry sets in. the reality. the sunrise after the stars.

he realizes after…they did not speak. she kissed him and held him. but now he wonders if he should have spoken up, asked what it meant. if their night was one night. but it felt too late to ask those questions. dawn was his mistress now. tearing him away from her forever.

when she sits beside him at breakfast, he torturously waits. waits for the other shoe to drop. she does not talk to him directly. she addresses the team and starts to drill them for the decathlon match. the world cup. it is like any day at midtown. nothing has changed, like he feared. flash and abe get into a debate over one of her questions. peter is paralyzed the entire breakfast.

and then, under the table, she closes her hand around his fingers. his heart thuds loudly. he is sure everyone hears the erratic pattering. no one stops arguing. the impromptu breakfast practice continues.

and he holds her hand. and doesn’t let go. she doesn’t either.

everything, for that moment, is better. so much better than it has been in a long time. since thanos. since tony. since he lost the world.

then, his phone buzzes. he manages to pull it out of his pocket with one hand. there is an Avengers alert. something he has never seen before. something the team must have installed after the snap. he glances up at ned who looks more worried than confused. peter’s face must betray his concern. he does not think michelle manages to read his phone, but she squeezes his hand impossibly tight. and he thinks she might have managed anyway.

he reluctantly lets go of her hand. the whole table looks at him. he is doing it again. he is ditching before a major competition. he is running off. and disappointing his teammates. he lamely says, “I gotta go. to the bathroom. don’t, uh, feel well.” flash rolls his eyes, “you’re doing this again, parker?” michelle sticks up for him but her voice sounds hollow, “if he says he’s not feeling well, he’s not feeling well, flash.” “you’re just gonna let him get away with this shit?” ned jumps in, “he wasn’t feeling well last night. must have been something he ate.” abe snickers, “or someone he kissed.”

michelle goes rigid. she heard about gwen. he told her. but it feels sickly and gross coming out of abe’s mouth. “dude,” ned nudges abe. he looks helplessly at michelle who takes a deep breath and blows forward, “if he doesn’t feel well, he doesn’t feel well. I’ll get him situated then meet you all at the competition hall.” “but—” “no buts,” she cuts flash off.

peter makes a show of looking hopelessly ill as she marches him back to his room. and when they are free of questioning eyes, when he is safe in his room. she grabs his face and kisses his furiously. he dips into the space she occupies in his brain that knows only her. knows only this. “what’s going on?” she finally pulls away. and he is sufficiently dazed. “I don’t know,” he replies. he pulls out his phone and reads something about visions and magic and hypnosis or some shit. it hardly makes sense. “I don’t know,” he says again, “but I gotta go. I’m so sorry.” she looks conflicted, kisses him once more (which he decides he could get used to), and nods confidently, “go get ‘em, tiger.” and he can’t not kiss her again for that. he launches himself out of his window in the suit and karin springs to life. guiding him right into the jaws of the fight.

there are people, scores of them, standing as if stunned still in the middle of a square not far from his hotel. and he wonders if somehow he attracts danger. as if wherever he goes, the lunatics follow. the man standing in the middle of the still as statues crowd has his back to peter.

and he is wearing a fishbowl on his head. or maybe its some kind of astronaut gear. but it feels unhinged. it feels more threatening than funny. still, he quips, “you lost, sandy cheeks?” “ah,” the disfigured voice echoes from the bowl, “you came. I thought you might after that distress signal.” “how…” peter trails off and then it clicks, “you sent that? how did you send that?” “how indeed, mister parker, how indeed.” the fishbowl man turns around and peter recognizes him. he is the man from the market. the man that he bought gwen’s necklace from. “you,” he whispers. the market man smiles, “me.” the man shoots his hand out.

and peter falls into darkness.

#ficlet #ffh headcanons #trash can

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esytes69 · 3 years ago

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From Black Widow to Haseen Dillruba, What to Watch This July

Black Widow is the plain spotlight of recent motion pictures and TV exhibits in July. The Scarlett Johansson-starrer is coming to theatres and streaming, however so not releasing in India on July 9, due to COVID-19 and Disney+ Hotstar's incapability to adapt, though that is most likely not going to cease enterprising Marvel followers. From India, July brings the Taapsee Pannu-led thriller Haseen Dillruba out July 2 on Netflix, Farhan Akhtar punching dudes in Toofaan out there from July 16 on Prime Video, the younger love Netflix anthology Feels Like Ishq on July 23, and the Jimmy Sheirgill-led thriller Collar Bomb exploding July 9 on Disney+ Hotstar. The second season of Netflix's By no means Have I Ever is due a day prior on July 15. In the meantime, Chris Pratt is headed to the long run in The Tomorrow Warfare, debuting July 2 on Prime Video. July can also be a giant month for sequels, follow-ups, and sophomore runs. Everybody's favorite Ted Lasso is again for some feel-good enjoyable; Ted Lasso season 2 begins July 23 on Apple TV+. Netflix is taking us again into the worlds of Resident Evil (video games) and He-Man (the ‘80s superhero) in July. Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness cuts in July 8, whereas Masters of the Universe: Revelation is due July 23. LeBron James goes to play some cartoon basketball in Area Jam: A New Legacy, premiering July 16 on HBO Max (once more, not in India). Guillermo del Toro's Tales of Arcadia wraps up with Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans, streaming July 21 on Netflix. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are off on an Amazonian journey in Disney's Jungle Cruise, releasing July 30. However, like Black Widow, Jungle Cruise is not coming to Disney+ Hotstar in July. Shailene Woodley and Felicity Jones lead the dual-timeline romantic drama story, The Final Letter from Your Lover, floating in July 23 on Netflix. And lastly, Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Robust will probably be seen in a parody of musicals referred to as Schmigadoon!, beginning July 16 on Apple TV+. With that, this is our July 2021 information to Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Disney+. Haseen Dillruba When: July 2 The place: Netflix A newly-wed girl (Taapsee Pannu) who loves novels about small-town murders finds herself caught within the investigation into the homicide of her husband (Vikrant Massey). It would not assist that she has a sophisticated previous that entails a former lover (Harshvardhan Rane) and that her husband might need had suicidal tendencies. Or not less than, that is what the trailer suggests. Directed by Hasee Toh Phasee's Vinil Mathew, Haseen Dillruba additionally stars Aditya Srivastav and Hansika Motwani. Netflix India Unveils 13 Films for 2021, Together with 5 New Movies feat. Haseen Dillruba The Tomorrow Warfare When: July 2 The place: Amazon Prime Video Thirty years sooner or later, humanity is combating a dropping battle in opposition to aliens. In a final gasp, scientists work out a approach to draft troopers from the previous, together with Chris Pratt's warfare veteran. That is the premise for this sci-fi motion film that Amazon paid a reported $200 million (roughly Rs. 1,486 crores) to Paramount for. Yvonne Strahovski performs a soldier sooner or later, Betty Gilpin is Pratt's spouse, J.Ok. Simmons is his dad, and Sam Richardson is a fellow soldier. Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Film) directs. The Tomorrow Warfare Trailer Pulls Chris Pratt Into the Future to Battle Aliens

Chris Pratt in The Tomorrow Warfare Photograph Credit score: Frank Masi/Amazon Monsters at Work When: July 7 The place: Disney+ Hotstar Following the feature-length prequel Monsters College, Pixar — or somewhat, Disney Tv Animation — is taking us again to the world of Monsters, Included with this sequel that begins within the aftermath of Sulley (John Goodman) and Mike's (Billy Crystal) monumental shift: no extra harvesting screams, solely laughter. That is unlucky for keen younger Tylor Tuskmon (Ben Feldman) who graduated high of his class as a scarer. Now caught within the Monsters, Inc. Amenities Workforce (MIFT), Tylor should work out the way to change into humorous. Goodman, Crystal, John Ratzenberger, Jennifer Tilly, and Bob Peterson reprise their roles from the Pixar movies. Along with Feldman, they are going to be joined by Mindy Kaling, Henry Winkler, Lucas Neff, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Stanton, Aisha Tyler, Bonnie Hunt, and Curtis Armstrong. New episodes each Wednesday, consistent with Disney+'s new coverage for unique collection. Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness When: July 8 The place: Netflix Netflix is seemingly in love with Resident Evil. Whereas a live-action adaptation is at the moment within the works with Supernatural co-showrunner Andrew Dabb and anticipated in 2022, Netflix has additionally picked up an anime collection that follows Resident Evil 2 (the sport) protagonists Leon S. Kennedy (Toshiyuki Morikawa/ Nick Apostolides) and Claire Redfield (Yūko Kaida/ Stephanie Panisello), in the course of the hole between the video games Resident Evil four and Resident Evil 5. Eiichirō Hasumi directs. All Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness episodes will probably be out there collectively directly. Black Widow When: July 9 The place: Disney+ Simply over two years since Spider-Man: Far From House, the Marvel Cinematic Universe returns to the large display — arriving after a delay of over a 12 months — though not completely to theatres, and never in India simply but. Scarlett Johansson's first (and solely) standalone run as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow may also be out there on Disney+ with Premier Entry in choose markets, for an extra price of $30 or equal on high of your month-to-month Disney+ subscription. A launch date has not been set for Indian cinemas as a result of COVID-19, but it surely's anticipated October Eight on Disney+ Hotstar. As for the film itself, Black Widow is ready following the occasions of Captain America: Civil Warfare, with Natasha taking a visit again house to see her household of types: Florence Pugh as sister-figure Yelena Belova, David Harbour as father-figure Alexei Shostakov, and Rachel Weisz as mother-figure Melina Vostokoff. Like Natasha, Yelena and Melina have been additionally skilled on the KGB Purple Room within the artwork of Black Widow. Pugh will even take over from Johansson within the MCU, what with Natasha having died in Avengers: Endgame. O-T Fagbenle (The Handmaid's Story), William Damage (Civil Warfare), and Ray Winstone (The Departed) even have roles. Robert Downey Jr. and Julia Louis-Dreyfus will cameo as Iron Man and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, respectively. Cate Shortland (Somersault) directs. Black Widow Trailer Guarantees to Deliver Scarlett Johansson House

Florence Pugh, Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow Photograph Credit score: Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios Collar Bomb When: July 9 The place: Disney+ Hotstar A police officer (Jimmy Sheirgill) is out to cease a terrorist from blowing up a faculty on this motion thriller from director Dnyanesh Zoting (Raakshas) and author Nikhil Nair (Critical Males). Asha Negi, Rajshri Deshpande, Sparsh Shrivastava, Ajay Purkar, Naman Jain, Ajit Singh Palawat, Shashi Bhushan, Ambarish Deshpande, Vidushi Mehra, and Suman Singh co-star. The White Lotus When: July 12 The place: Disney+ Hotstar Enlightened co-creator Mike White is off to Hawaii with this social satire miniseries that skewers wealthy white people at an unique resort, alongside the idyllic locale and the lodge's cheerful workers that develop into “far much less excellent than first appearances would counsel.” Murray Barlett, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Fred Hechinger, Jake Lacy, Brittany O'Grady, Natasha Rothwell, Sydney Sweeney, and Steve Zahn kind the ensemble solid. One new episode will air each week. By no means Have I Ever When: July 15 The place: Netflix Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) decides to juggle two boyfriends — Ben (Jaren Lewison) for her brainy aspect, and Paxton (Darren Barnet) for her sexy aspect — within the second season of this coming-of-age comedy, which is able to proceed to see her take care of the pressures of house and a brand new problem: a prettier, cooler Indian lady Aneesa (Megan Suri) at college. Tyler Alvarez, Utkarsh Ambudkar, P. J. Byrne, and Widespread are additionally new to By no means Have I Ever season 2 solid. Created by Mindy Kaling (additionally govt producer) and Lang Fisher (additionally EP, showrunner and author). All By no means Have I Ever season 2 episodes will launch directly. Schmigadoon! When: July 16 The place: Apple TV+ A pair (Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Robust) on a backpacking journey uncover a magical city the place everybody believes they're dwelling inside a 1940s studio musical. They then realise they can not go away stated city till they discover “real love”. Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen, Kristin Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit, Dove Cameron, Ariana DeBose, Jaime Camil, Jane Krakowski, and Ann Harada co-star. Martin Brief visitor stars. The six-episode musical parody comes from Despicable Me writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, with Paul additionally offering the music and lyrics. Barry Sonnenfeld (Males in Black) directs. Saturday Night time Reside's Lorne Michaels, Paul, and Sonnenfeld are govt producers, whereas Robust is among the many producers. Two episodes on premiere, with one new episode weekly thereafter.

Cecily Robust, Keegan-Michael Key in Schmigadoon Photograph Credit score: Apple Area Jam: A New Legacy When: July 16 The place: HBO Max LeBron James takes over from Michael Jordan on this new tackle the identical formulation: sucked into the Looney Tunes world, the basketball star should group up with Bugs Bunny and the lot to defeat some supercharged opponents. There is a digital spin on the entire thing, with Don Cheadle (Marvel's Warfare Machine) enjoying a rogue AI who traps LeBron. That (conveniently) permits Warner Bros. to showcase its different properties, together with Surprise Girl, King Kong, The Matrix, Mad Max, and even Casablanca. Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced will star as LeBron's spouse. Zendaya voices Lola Bunny, whereas most of the unique voice actors return to voice the Looney Tunes characters. NBA and WNBA stars Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Diana Taurasi, and Nneka Ogwumike lend their likeness to LeBron's opponents, the Goon Squad. Malcolm D. Lee (Women Journey) directs, Ryan Coogler and LeBron are amongst producers. Obtainable on HBO Max and in cinemas on the identical time, for a month. No phrase on an India launch date for Area Jam: A New Legacy, courtesy COVID-19. Toofaan When: July 16 The place: Amazon Prime Video Delayed a few months in respect of the debilitating second COVID-19 wave, Rang De Basanti director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's boxing drama follows an novice boxer and a petty felony (Farhan Akhtar) who should select between the life he has (working for Vijay Raaz's native Mumbai gangster) and the life he desires (coaching beneath Paresh Rawal's boxing coach). Akhtar and Mehra reunite eight years since Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Mrunal Thakur performs Akhtar's love curiosity. Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans When: July 21 The place: Netflix It has all led to this. Following the six-season-long occasions of Trollhunters, 3Below, and Wizards, the Guillermo del Toro-created fantasy collection culminates in a film. Because the supernatural worlds converge, the heroes of Arcadia from all earlier collection should come collectively getting ready to an apocalyptic battle for the management of magic, up in opposition to historical titans summoned by the evil Arcane Order. Turner & Hooch When: July 21 The place: Disney+ Hotstar There was no means Disney may get Tom Hanks to return for this collection follow-up to his so-so wonderful 1989 film, which is why his character has been killed off. That loss of life performs into the plot because it follows his US Marshall son Scott Turner Jr. (Josh Peck) who additionally finally ends up inheriting an unruly canine — identical to his father (some coincidence!) — that turns into his associate. Lyndsy Fonseca, Carra Patterson, Vanessa Lengies, Anthony Ruivivar, Brandon Jay McLaren, and Jeremy Maguire co-star. Burn Discover creator Matt Nix is on the helm of the brand new Turner & Hooch. The 12-episode first season will air new episodes weekly on Wednesdays. Feels Like Ishq When: July 23 The place: Netflix Following final month's middling Ray, Netflix India returns with one other (younger love) anthology collection. This time, it is a collection of six meet-cutes that includes Radhika Madan, Tanya Maniktala, Zayn Marie Khan, Neeraj Madhav, Amol Parashar, Mihir Ahuja, and Rohit Saraf amongst others. Ruchir Arun, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, Anand Tiwari, Danish Aslam, Jaydeep Sarkar, Sachin Kundalkar and Devrath Sagar function administrators. Netflix India Unveils 15 Collection for 2021, Together with 5 New TV Exhibits feat. Feels Like Ishq

Tanya Maniktala, Skand Thakur in Feels Like Ishq Photograph Credit score: Vaspaan Shroff/Netflix The Final Letter from Your Lover When: July 23 The place: Netflix After coming throughout a trove of secret love letters from 1965 in current day, an formidable reporter (Felicity Jones) units out to unravel the thriller of the forbidden affair — involving a socialite and a rich industrialist's spouse (Shailene Woodley/ Diana Kent) and a monetary journalist (Callum Turner/ Ben Cross) — as a love story of her personal unfolds with an earnest and endearing archivist (Nabhaan Rizwan). Augustine Frizzell (By no means Goin' Again) directs what's an adaptation of Jojo Moyes' 2012 romance novel. Masters of the Universe: Revelation When: July 23 The place: Netflix By the Energy of Grayskull! Over thirty years since He-Artificial his TV debut, the character and his universe are being resurrected for a direct sequel that picks up the place we left off. As such, it is geared toward its unique now-adult viewers, although visually, it is nonetheless the identical. After all, the voice solid is all new. It contains Chris Wooden, Mark Hamill, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liam Cunningham, Lena Headey, Diedrich Bader, Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Root, Griffin Newman, and Susan Eisenberg. Kevin Smith (Jay and Silent Bob) is the showrunner on Masters of the Universe: Revelation. It can air in two halves, with 5 episodes out there now alongside an after-show, Revelations: The Masters of the Universe Revelation Aftershow. Ted Lasso When: July 23 The place: Apple TV+ Apple's largest hit returns for its second season that finds the titular soccer coach (Jason Sudeikis) and his membership AFC Richmond now within the decrease leagues, following a relegation from Premier League on the finish of the primary season. The Ted Lasso season 2 trailer suggests a visit to FA Cup, and a go to by the coach's harmful aspect “Led Tasso”. Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, and Juno Temple will all return — as do Ted's well-known biscuits. They are going to be joined by Sarah Niles as a sports activities psychologist. Two episodes on launch date, with one new Ted Lasso season 2 episode following every week. Jungle Cruise When: July 30 The place: Disney+ Not happy with one multi-billion-dollar franchise based mostly on a curler coaster journey — that is Pirates of the Caribbean — Disney is now at it once more. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt set off to discover a magical therapeutic object within the dense Amazon jungles, the place they must combat off wild animals and a few Nazis. Wait, so that is Disney's Indiana Jones? That is even funnier if you realise Disney owns Indiana Jones as effectively, due to its buy of Star Wars studio Lucasfilm in 2012. Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti additionally star. Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Cease) directs. As with Black Widow, Jungle Cruise is out there on Disney+ with Premier Entry for an extra price of $30 or equal, on high of your month-to-month Disney+ subscription. Jungle Cruise Trailer: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt Are Off on Amazon Journey

Jack Whitehall, Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson in Jungle Cruise Photograph Credit score: Frank Masi/Disney Read the full article

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