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kj-1130 · 3 years ago

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Nothing For Me

Part 7

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Part 6|Part 8

You and MJ’s relationship continued to grow as time went on.

As she started her first year of high school, you worked on yourself, wanting to be good for her.

Overtime, you learned how to process and deal with things better. You focused on yourself and your developing relationship with MJ and needless to say, things started to look up.

The ‘present but not really present father’ thing didn’t affect you as much as it did, but it was still there. It was one of the only things you hadn’t fully processed and to be honest, you didn’t think you ever could.

Your father is there, and has been aware of presence for almost a decade. And not once has he given you any type of consolation or love like a father should. You would think after Pepper was getting more involved in his life and forcing him to clean up (most of) his act, he would open his eyes and realize that a whole human being was living with him, waiting for him to realize that they were supposed to be relying on him; not an AI built in the comfort of their room.

But nope. Absolutely nothing changed. If anything, things got worse.

He was away more often, focusing on the Avengers. Or he was with Pepper, the new love of his life.

You tried not to linger on the situation often, knowing it would only lead to pain in your chest. So you just stuffed it in the back of your mind, hoping one day that the pain would just lessen all together.

About two months ago, you and MJ had decided to make things official after going on your first date. At first you talked about how fast the two of you were going, but Michelle simply said ‘we’ll be u-haul lesbians then.’ That was the end of the conversation.

Currently, you and your girlfriend were facetiming. You would’ve made the trek to her house but she was about to study and you both knew that you’d distract her. Plus the two of you were due for some time away from each other considering the fact that you’re at her place almost everyday.

“Okay, so I found this recipe the other day and I’m just now remembering it.”

MJ looks at you confused, “Okay?”

You roll your eyes playfully.

“I wanted to try it with you. After my ban from your place has been lifted.”

“It’s not a ban,” she chuckled.

“Well, it sure as hell feels like one ba-” “Mr. Stark has arrived with a guest,” M.I.A cut you off.

“Who is this guest?”

“Secretary of State, Thaddues Ross,” the AI replied, pulling up pictures of the man.

“Hey M, I’m gonna call you back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she nods, looking a little concerned. “Take all the time you need. Let me know if everything’s okay.”

The two of you give your goodbyes and you ask M.I.A to pull up the live footage from the conference room.

“Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an un-payable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives… but while a great a=many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word “vigilantes”, is what you first hear when you start watching.

Immediately your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha asks.

“How about ‘dangerous’?” he replies. “What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

The secretary activates a screen behind him which begins to play the previous battles the Avengers and SHIELD have fought in.

“New York.”

He clicks a button, footage of chitauri, shooting guns, and Hulk smashing plays.

“Washington D.C”

A new video appears, showing the insight helicarriers firing at each other with chaos following.

“Sokovia.”

The frame changes, showcasing the terrified citizens that were on the flying piece of land.

“Lagos.”

“That’s enough,” Steve interrupts.

Ross nods in response and begins his speech again.

“For the past four years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.”

He places a thick document on the table and slides it across to Wanda. As the team slides the book to each other Ross starts talking.

“The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries… it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”

“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place,” the Captain begins. “I feel we’ve done that.”

“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” There was a momentary pause as the two men’s eyes met. “If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes… you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is middle ground.”

At this point, you’re walking out of your room after transfering the feed to your tablet and making your way to the elevator.

“So, these are contingencies,” Rhodey states.

“Three days from now,” Secretary Ross begins. “The UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.”

Natasha speaks up, “And if we don’t come to a decision you don’t like?”

“Then you retire.”

The elevator stops and you look up seeing the Secretary walk in with someone behind him. You give him a subtle disgusted look before turning your attention back to the security footage.

As the deathtrap descends, you can feel his eyes lingering on you.

“Can I help you?”

“You’re a little young to be an intern.”

“You’re a little old to be looking at me like that,” you shrug, swiping away from the video on your tablet as you feel him looking over your shoulder.

Ross gives an awkward chuckle and furrows his eyebrows. When you reach the bottom floor, he gets ready to step out and places a hand on your shoulder.

You look at him like he’s lost his mind.

“You seem like a good kid. Be sure to make good choices.”

Raising an eyebrow, you refrain from saying what you want to say. You lift your hand and gently take his off of you.

“Don’t touch me,”

Once he exits, you hear the chatting start back up.

“Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor,” Rhodes told Sam. “Which is one more than you have.

“So let’s say we agree to this thing,” Wilson starts. “How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?”

“117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you’re just like, ‘No that’s cool. We got it.”

“I have an equation,” Vision announces as you get back on the elevator.

“Oh this will clear it up,” Sam mutters.

“In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.“

“Toaster oven’s got a point there,” you mumble, stepping back on the metal deathtrap.

Steve asks,“Are you saying it’s our fault?”

“I’m saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe. Oversight… oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

“Boom,” Rhodey says.

You see Tony lying on the couch, quite relaxed, contradicting the tense atmosphere.

“Tony,” Nat starts. “You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal.”

“It’s because he’s already made up his mind,” Steve explained.

“Boy, you know me so well,” Stark starts, getting up and rubbing the back of his head. “Actually I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache,” he pauses to grab a mug of coffee. “That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain. It’s discomfort. Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?”

Tony puts his phone in a basket and taps the screen. An image is projected of a smiling young man.

“Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way. He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia.”

He pauses for a second as the team soaks in the information.

“He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.

“There’s no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary-less, we’re no better than the bad guys.”

“Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up,” Steve rebuttals.

“Who said we’re giving up?”

“We are if we’re not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame.”

“I’m sorry. Steve,” Rhodey blurted. “That-that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not SHIELD, it’s not HYDRA.”

“No, but it’s run by people with agendas, and agendas change.”

“That’s good,” Tony starts. “That’s why I’m here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing.

“Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don’t let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

“If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later. That’s a fact. That won’t be pretty.”

Wanda finally speaks up, “You’re saying they’ll come for me.”

“We would protect you,” Vision promised.

“Maybe Tony’s right,” the redhead speaks. “If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off--”

“Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam interrupts.

“I’m just… I’m reading the terrain. We have made… some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.

“Focus up,” Tony says. “I’m sorry, did I just mishear or did you agree with me?”

“Oh, I want to take it back now.”

“No, no, no. You can’t retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case-closed--I win.”

From what you see, Steve stands to leave abruptly.

You then walk out of the elevator, tablet still in hand with the footage up. The captain walks past you just as you turn the corner and spot the team.

“Someone’s upset,” you hum.

You walk past everyone towards the fridge and grab a water bottle.

“Anyway, that was very childish. And kinda stupid.”

Inquisitive looks are thrown your way and you hold up the tablet awkwardly as you plop down on a chair.

“I was watching you. I kinda do that a lot. It’s not as creepy as it sounds.”

You open the bottle and take a sip.

“What are you doing down here kid--”

“Ahhh,” you interrupt. “Don’t call me a kid. I haven’t been a child for years.”

“Just answer the question,” Tony snaps.

“I like to stay informed. No one tells me anything and while you think that these private meetings only affect you, it doesn’t. It affects me too. You may not remember I’m your child but several people do. And that puts me in danger. So yes, I listen to your conversations to make sure it’s nothing I need to worry about.”

An awkward silence washes over as you gulp down more water.

“Anyway, I was just riding up and down the elevator waiting for you guys to finish. That Ross dude is kinda creepy by the way. But you’re really considering signing that thing?”

“Not you too,” your father mutters.

You let out a laugh and everyone looks at you strangely.

“Is this funny to you?” Rhodey asks.

“Yes,” you stop laughing abruptly. “I find it hilarious that this is the same government that was ready to drop a nuke on the city during the Battle of New York not giving a damn about a single civilian that was still in the area. I find it hilarious that this is the same government that lets thousands of children and women of color go missing and not do a thing about it. It’s funny that this is the same government that let HYDRA, Red Room, AIM; all that shit grow right under their nose. It’s funny because this government is the same one that uses taxpayer money for dumb ass projects and unnecessary military funding instead of using it to fund shit that helps the civilians they claim they care so much about. I mean how can you not find this situation amusing?”

“Look,” Tony attempts.

“I’m not finished,” you challenge, looking him dead in the eyes. “This government don’t give a damn about y’all, especially not the three of us,” you say, gesturing to yourself, Sam, and Rhodey. “We’d be booted out of this country before you could even blink if they ever got the chance and you know that.

“I don’t know why y’all are so adamant on gaining the government’s trust when they don’t give a flying fuck about you or these goddamn civilians. All they care about is power. They don’t care how many civilians come up missing or die in some tragic accident. It doesn’t matter what happens. When they see someone becoming richer or smarter or more powerful than they are, they will do anything to shut that shit down.

“I don’t understand how you can’t see that. And maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s just me and my experience,” you pause, catching the gaze of every person in the room with hard eyes. You take a deep breath and try to calm down. “Sign it if you want to. Think about how many lives you’ll lose then.”

You stand from your spot and walk into the open elevator, ready to get to the comfort of your bed.

It had been two days since the initial meeting and you were currently sitting on Michelle’s bed watching her read.

“You’re really pretty,” you muttered out of the blue.

You saw your girlfriend’s cheeks develop a subtle red tint as she mumbled back a ‘thank you, and continued reading. You groan and gently pull the book out of her hands.

“Hey,” she quietly protests.

“Please,” you pout, holding your arms out as an invitation.

MJ fondly rolls her eyes before lowering herself onto you. You hummed contently and squeezed her before planting a kiss on her cheek.

She surprised you by turning her head and giving you a lingering kiss. That one kiss soon turned into something more.

Michelle gently pushed you onto your back and straddled your hips. Bending down she kissed you once again, her lips gliding with yours.

This continued for a few minutes, taking small breaks in between to breathe. You don’t think you could ever get enough of her and hoped that she was feeling similarly.

You kissed until your jaws hurt. The euphoric feeling still lingered as MJ rested her forehead against yours, trying to catch her breath.

“We should do that again sometime,” you mumbled.

Your girlfriend nodded in response, giving one more chaste kiss to your lips before dropping to your side.

“Tomorrow,” she said after glancing at the clock that read 10:47.

“Guess I’m spending the night then.”

“I have no problem with that.”

The next day, you were awoken by beeping from your phone. Once you were fully aware of your surroundings you picked up the device and read the notifications that M.I.A sent through. Scanning through them, you sat up with urgency and played the video.

“A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna. More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda’s King T’Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Bares, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations.”

Carefully removing Michelle’s arm from around your waist, you stand up and move to the corner of the room. You press the contact and hold the phone up to your ear.

“Nat what the fuck is going on?”

You hear the woman sigh on the other side of the phone. “Look, just… stay wherever you are.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever. I want answers, Nat.”

“(Y/n),” she says firmly. “Calm down and go back to whatever you were doing. Right now, this does not concern you and I would like it to stay that way. Do you understand me?”

There was some silence, before you let out a forced chuckle.

“Okay, whatever. Bye.”

“(Y/n) c’mo--”

You disconnected the call and gently tossed the phone onto MJ’s desk. “You sound stressed.”

Turning around to face the bed, you see Michelle sat up and leaning against the headboard. You nod slowly and crawl your way up towards her.

“I am.”

You feel her hand take hold of your clenched ones and she rubs them, causing you to relax slightly.

“There was a um, bombing at the--the um… signing thing. And no one wants to tell me what’s going on, so,” you end the sentence, shrugging.

MJ’s head drops onto your shoulder and you let her cuddle close.

“They told me to stay where I was. So hopefully we can get something good out of that.”

There was no response and you thought she had fallen back asleep, but you were proven wrong when your girlfriend started getting up.

“C’mon,” she instructed, holding her hand out when she saw the look of confusion on your face.

Taking her hand, the two of you made your way to the kitchen.

She turned around and grabbed your shoulders.

“We are going to make some breakfast… or lunch whatever. And then we are going to binge watch until we can binge watch no longer. Alright?”

You nod your head, chuckling and then got to work.

It had been days since you last heard from anyone. No updates from Natasha. M.I.A even told you there hasn’t even been a great deal of movement in the compound. Today you decided you would head back.

When you arrived it was quiet. As you walked down the halls you heard distant chatter and followed it.

Turning the corner, you were surprised at what you saw.

“What the hell happened?”

The two men turned to look your way, but you were given no answers.

Tony had bruises on his face and he looked more tense than usual. Rhodey had some sort of tech on his legs.

“You fought them. You fought them all, didn’t you?”

Both men looked away and avoided your gaze.

“You didn’t even listen to what I said. This is what the government does. I tried to tell you, but you didn’t even fucking listen,” you ranted, your voice slightly raising.

“Us breaking apart wasn’t the government. Most of this is on some guy th--”

“Well the government allowed it to happen so I’d say it is their fault!”

You turned to your father with pleading eyes.

“Where are they, Tony?”

“Kid, they’re criminals now, I don’t--”

“Stop calling me that! I’m--I’m not some kid. I’m not your kid,” you let out a frustrated breath. “You--you couldn’t talk it out? Like mature adults? You just had to go assert your dominance somewhere--in what? An--an airport? Some vacant lot? You just had to fight. Do you not know how to communicate?”

You looked at the two men, shook your head, and brushed past them.

Just when things were alright.

“(Y/n)?”

“What M.I.A?”

You were currently laying in your bed trying to control the tears that were begging to fall from your eyes due to the amount of overwhelming shit you had been hit with. You talked with MJ for a little while and while it helped a bit, you honestly were still feeling like… well shit.

“There’s a package for you.”

Furrowing your eyebrows, you head down to where the mail is usually placed, get the package with your name on it, and head back to your room.

Grabbing a pair of scissors, you cut the tape and open the box. Inside was a letter and a phone.

Hey sweetheart.

It was Natasha’s handwriting.

I’m sorry. I really am. We all are. I wish things wouldn’t have ended this way, but they did and we can’t really do anything about it now.

I listened to what you said. I listened and I tried my best to understand. I don’t think I ever wanted to sign the accords in the first place. The only reason I did so was so that we could stay together. So that I could stay with you. This team is the only family I’ve had in a long time. The fact that that stack of papers could end that scared me.

I just kept trying to convince myself that signing the Accords was the right thing to do; anything to keep this team together. Anything to keep everything from falling apart.

But the more I thought about it, I realized. You were right. Everything you said. This government doesn’t care. And if the government doesn’t care like they’re supposed to then we need to. People need the government, but they don’t have it. They do have us though. And they always will.

I love you. I didn’t say it enough and I don’t know when or if I’ll ever get to tell you that again. You are so precious to me and I’m sorry I couldn’t stay. If you ever need anything, you can always give me a call.

You wiped your eyes and gently picked up the phone. You held it in your hands for a moment before setting it down. You folded the letter back up neatly and placed both items in the top drawer of your nightstand.

You laid back down on your bed with less tears on your face.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

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#avengers #avengers imagine #avengers x reader #avengers x teen!reader #avengers x black!reader #tony stark #tony stark x daughter!reader #michelle jones x reader #michelle jones x fem!reader #nothing for me miniseries

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gunterfan1992 · 4 years ago

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“Exploring the Land of Ooo” out NOW

Surprise!

To all the average Joes and Josephines who follow this blog: I am pleased to announce that my book, Exploring the Land of Ooo, is officially available for download!

Get a PDF copy FOR FREE through the University of Kansas’s ScholarWorks portal!!

If you were curious, here’s the cover:

And here’s what the blurb on the back reads:

Exploring the Land of Ooo is a detailed consideration of Adventure Time, the colorful and exuberant animated television series that initially aired from 2010–18 on Cartoon Network. Created by visionary artist Pendleton Ward, the series was groundbreaking and is credited by many with heralding in a new golden age of animation. In this manuscript, author Paul Thomas presents a thorough overview of the series, explicating the nuances of its characters, its production history, its storytelling methods, and its vibrant fandom. Based in part on interviews with dozens of the creative individuals who made the show possible, this book aims to ensure that, when it comes to Adventure Time, the fun truly will never end.

There are a ton of folks who deserve mad thanks, chief among them being the crew members whom I interviewed (see below), the many fans who chatted with me about their experiences with the fandom, my ol’ Land of Ooo forum mates (who gave me suggestions and inspired me to keep writing), @j4gm (who read over a previous draft and offered me his never-ending wisdom about the lore of Ooo), and everyone who follows this blog (y’all kept me motivated and made me want to produce something I’m proud of).

I hope that you all enjoy it!

And now for a number of questions/comments that I anticipate I will receive:

“Who all did you talk to?”

This is an exciting question, because the answer is quite long! Over the year and a half I wrote this book, I talked to (in alphabetical order): Sam Alden, Alex Campos, Casey James Basichis, Ako Castuera, Ashley Eriksson, Evil, Graham Falk, Ghostshrimp, Polly Guo, Tom Herpich, Derek Hunter, Ke Jiang, Tim Kiefer, Derek Kirk Kim, Laura Knetzger, Sandra Lee, Kirsten Lepore, Patrick McHale, Jesse Moynihan, Justin Moynihan, Kris Mukai, Hanna K. Nyström, Kent Osborne, Jack Pendarvis, Gary Portnoy, Andy Ristaino, Lindsay Small-Butera, Rebecca Sugar, Soichi Terada, Rich Vreeland, Thomas Wellmann, Steve Wolfhard, Michelle Xin, and Niki Yang. That’s a lot of people!

“Why did you release this for free?”

This is a long story. You see, I was initially planning to release this through McFarland and Co. (they’re an indie book publisher that I’ve worked with in the past), but then something happened...

Our story begins around the beginning of this year. Around this time, I got in contact with Rebecca Sugar and Adam Muto, both of whom were willing to chat with me about their experiences on the show. However, CN’s PR department got involved too, and, after initially working with me, they suddenly sent me what was effectively a “gentle cease-and-desist” letter. At first, I assumed it was because of copyright—and that’s how they were framing their objections—so I told the network that I’d release the work for free and eschew royalties. This, for whatever reason, did not sway their judgement. At this point, I was confused, since my work had effectively become something like an open-source dissertation or a free Wikipedia article.

Why did CN snub me? I’m not sure—and I have to emphasize that this next bit is just speculation—but I think it’s because I was asking questions about Bubbline. You see, it was only after I received answers from Rebecca (who specifically addressed the origin of Bubbline) that CN said I couldn’t use any of her or Adam’s quotes, as they were “unauthorized.” What exactly did Rebecca tell me that was explosive? tldr, Bubbline was her idea, she pitched it to Adam when they first started to work on WWM, Pen et al. were supportive of the idea, and while the crew succeeded in getting the relationship confirmed (eventually), the homophobic culture of society/Hollywood made the journey very difficult. Rebecca told me that she also saw Marceline and Bubblegum as queer characters, and wrote them that way pretty much from the get-go. Anyway, I don’t think CN wanted me to delve into this, since it doesn’t exactly paint the company in the best light.

It was then that Dean Kevin Smith of the University of Kansas Libraries stepped in and allowed me to publish the book through the library and upload a PDF to the library’s “ScholarWorks” portal. This means that anyone the world over can download the book for free! At the end of the day, I think it’ll reach more people this way!

“Can I get a physical copy of this book?”

Message me for details, yo!

“I FOUND A TYPO!”

Excellent! Please let me know. I still have access to the proofs and can upload a fresh copy of the manuscript to ScholarWorks when it is necessary. I’d love for you all to take a look and see if you can find any typos or wonky sentences. With that being said, I already know that I love to put prepositional phrases at the start of sentences; I also heavily use (and likely abuse) semicolons and parentheses. (See what I did there?) I hope you’ll forgive me.

“Will you be expanding the book once all the Distant Lands specials are out?”

Right now, this is my goal. I waited to publish this until after “BMO” was released, as I worried that the episode might contradict some of my more speculative sections, but I do no think this came to pass. As such, the version that you’re getting is only slightly tweaked. Once more and more production info comes out about the specials, however, I would love to go back and expand pertinent sections. Keep your eyes peeled for updates! (And if I do release a new edition, it will be free, too.)

“I have a suggestion...”

Let me hear it! I’d love to take your input and work it into the manuscript. Like I have said above, I plan to release an updated version if/when that becomes necessary, so I’m always going to keep my ears open to any critiques or suggestions that will improve the work!

Happy adventuring, y’all!

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popculturebuffet · 3 years ago

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Green Eggs and Ham: “Train” Review or A Little Better Now (Patreon Review for Emma Fici)

Hello you happy people and all aboard! We’re back on the Green Eggs and Ham Train for a Train themed episode. Train. As you can tell I like trains... admitely I don’t see enough episodes et on them and I don’t buy books or obess on them but I like the idea of a train, the comfort, the use of a mode of travel that was once common but is now simply used on occasion with the dawn of air travel, and it confining our heroes to a smaller space with limited room to move. it’s good stuff. I even tolerae the band train... I mean yes their music is okay at best, but the lyrics.. are wonderfully delightfully insane. Who else would use a garbage bag as a genuine romantic metaphor?

When last we left off things ere a bit ehhhhhhhhhhh: Sam went from delightfully quirky with some issues ot adress to annoying, and Michelle went from kin dof a bitch ot ENTIRELY THAT BITCH. Outside of Guy’s mental breakdown/heatstroke episode involving hallucinations of green eggs and ham, yes that did in fact happen, it wasn’t much to write home about and I worried the series simply had a good PILOT but the series itself wasn’t going to be fun sit through.

If I was right or I was rilla.. will have to wait till after the cut. But first as always i’d like to thank the person who payed for this episode Emma Fici. Emma is one of my closest friends and one of two patreon patreons. If you’d like a reivew of your choice eveyr month guarnateed, then please hop over to patreon.com/popculturebuffet and back me at the 5 dollar level. You also get access to my exclusive discord where I ocasoinally post about work in progress stuff and tlak to my falns, to pick a short any time I do one and EXCLUSIVE review, as well as helping me hit my stretch goals. So line up, sign up then join me under the cut.

So we pick up where we left off with Guy hurtling into a lake. Eh I dunno i’ve heard being naked ina lake is pretty neat.

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All you’d have to do is take off the hat and your there. But Sam saves him wiht the weird train of hats he put at the end of the car for some reason, and our heroes are saved.. but down a vehicle. Oh and Sam’s vehiclular neglgence costs a bunch of fish their home.

And our heroes are without a car and Guys at the end of his rope with Sam.. I mean granted he’s been there since he met the guy but it’s down to like the tiniest thred, not helped by Sam casually stealing his wallet to pay for train tickets depsite Guy , UNDERSTANDABLY, not wanting to hang out with the guy who has stolen with him, gotten him implicate din animal trafficing and dosen’t really respect personal space. Also it’s taken me embarassingly long to remember Micheal Douglas played my boy Hank Pym in the Ant Man and the Wasp films. Seroiusly I don’t know HOW I forgot that, him being aged up and thus unable to do ANY of the things he is constnatly denied credit for in canon (Founding the avengers, being the first ant man.. and the first goliath and the first yellow jacket and the first giant man.. and the only doctor pym...).. but instead the film kept his troubled nature and ego, but removed the domestic abuse (which is something I will not go into but needless to say the comics version went above and beyond to try and make up for that and redeem himself soley because it was the right hting to do) and by making im older still gav ehim a roll as Scott’s mentor. What i’m getting at is I freaking love Hank Pym and I could’ve been making hank pym jokes for several episdoes now. That’s a mistake I itned to recitfy.. right away as Guy looses his suitcase as a result of it and whie he lcaims not to be bothered his voice says otherwise. Eh i’m sure the world can wait for ultron Guy.

So anyway, Guy reluctantly agrees to the train travel idea and being parked across from Sam on the grounds he has no real other options. Meanwhile the BAD GUYZ.. and i’ve also decided to drop spoilers as the series is two years old, most people reading this have probably seen the series, and it makes analysis rough when I have to dance around spoilers. So yeah the BAD GUYZ aren’t villians.. kind of a dickhead on the blue guys part, but not EVIL. They figure out their going by train it’s a whole thing.

ON the train we run into michelle again...

Yeahhh for the first half she’s as inusfferable as she was the last two episodes and it lead me to believie the rest of the series was going to be constant suffering as she’d be in every episode, likely because they DID get Diane Keaton for this and you don’t waste Diane Keaton. You just don’t. But while they got their money’s worth in having her on screne wise they just..w asted her for the first 2 and a half episodes: Michelle is a judgemental, unpleasnt suffocating bitch and it’s going to take a lot , even if this episode helped, to make me truly like her as a person.

Case in point her first two scenes this episode are just.. dragging her daughter past a play place uncarring about her feelings because while I DO get she cares about her child’s saftey and is terrified afte rloosing her husband.. it dosen’t EXCUSE her actions. It dosen’t forgive her locking her daughter up constanlty, not talking to her like a human being and oh yeah PUTTING A FUCKING LOCK ON HER SHE CAN CONTROL. I mean my god I don’t think they INTENDED for her to come off as abusive as she does, and i’ve seen far worse inteitonally and untietionally, but it’s still not remotely plesant. There is a larger issue baked into that the episode brings about, but we’ll get to that.

And naturally at breakfast.. she procedes to top herself. ONCE AGAIN she treats guy like trash as guy UNDERSTANDABLY didn’t want to talk to her after her previous layers of bullshit which, just as a refresher, involved insulting his invention constnatly (even if it turned out ot be dangerous she did not know that till the last second) then refusing to help a man BAKING in the desert and mocking him to his face.

So yeah unsuprisingly instead of you know, APOLOGIZING for that episode or anything else she mocks him again and calls him sad. I just.. I get they were trying to have her come off as a jerk and then slowly develop.. but you can’t overdue the jerk part. It has to be juts the right amount and if it is this much there has to be a commpuance. There is none as far as I can tell because god is a spiteful two faced prick.

So naturally Sam forces the two parties together, and orders green eggs and ham for everyone, except guy who refuses. We do get a really great bit though as EB turns down the idea and we get a tremendous rant from Micheal Douglas as he talks about how a girl in his clash, veyr likely just him, got a rash from tring new things and you shouldn’t and to watch out for the scarlet beetle he’ll steel your ants and try to conquer your planet and is not a guy in a costume but in fact an actual beetle. EB naturally tries it.

We get a brief interlude with Snerz that’s funny enough: he outright calls his visotrs flunkies, they enter to the song money, and his minon throws dollar bills at their feet. I imagine this is what visitng Mar a Largo is like. They turn up his noses until he mentions getting a chickarffe for his animal crutelty wall. And i’m torn about Snerz. On one hand he can be generally entertaining in his dickery.. but ont he other I do question why he’s in EVERY episode. We don’t NEED him in eveyr one and I feel he’s only in them because Eddie Izzard was expensive so they had to get him as a regular to justify the cost. We really DONT’ need this scene funny as it is and it adds nothing so far. Maybe i’m wrong and these guys end up being important. I don’t know.

So yeah so far this episode was miserable getting through and I expected it to be another long sit... I was wrong. The second half.. is really damn good and reminded me why I liked this series so much. No really. We get two stories,both really good following one half of each pair teaming up. As for why their split Guy is annoyed with Sam, as well as dosen’t want him letting the chickaraffe out because you know lots of people dosen’t want ot go to jail and leaves to find a quiet place to work on watching paint dry while Michelle tucks a sleeping EB in, her first really truly humanizing moment, which should NOT have taken three episodes but hey, i’ll take it, and goes to find the same.

So starting with Sam and EB, naturally Sam takes all of a minute to let his buddy out and it gets loose on top of the train. EB hears the familiar sound and gives chase and the two meet properly. After Sam covers for his buddy and realizes the creature is asleep in his car safe now, he properly talks to EB and we get a truly magical sequnece: The two talk with Sam whoelheartdly supporting her free spirit and finally giving the girl what she badly needed: someone who treated her not as something to be tied down but you know.. a child who just wants some expression and as she literally lets her hair down, It’s truly adorable and it just has a magical quanitity as they enjoy the beautiful view from the train top.

Granted this takes at urn later when EB brings up her mom, and Sam.. supports her mom, pointing out she’s just looking out for her.. which she is but in a deeply unehalthy way and I don’t like the show just.. brushing over Michelle’s terrible actions because “she’s her mom”. But it’s also hard to tell if they are: Sam’s mom left him as we’ll find out, so he likely colors his memories of her rosey and simply envys EB still HAVING hers. It’s not BAD stuff but I don’t like a work saying “You should love your family just beacause your related”. Instead of because they lovea nd support you and if they dont’ love you or treat you remotely well or don’t give an ass about you fuck them. Thankfully I DO love my family and have no issues with them, my immediate family at least, but i’ve had friens with downright abusive or neglectful parents. It’s not that black and white. Ducktales also hammered in the family theme but was transparent in how it can me messy, harm each other and that it took true love and consideratoin for it to work at it’s core.

It’s still not a terrible scene and what comes next is neat as earlier it was shown the train has loops, because Seussworld, and now that’s a problem because their on top of it. Michelle’s jail braclet thing ends up coming in handy the first loop, as while she can’t unstick it means she and sam can suririvie it. They do get it loose, turns out the password was indeed password, because of course, and they end up narrowly suriving a roller coaster bit of track, with the help of MR. Jenkins who I can finally name because EB names her in the next scene. Understanding her need for a pet, Sam deputizes her, and gets her back in bed in time for the next plot.

Speaking of which winding back a bit as these two go back and forth, Guy goes through two rather hilarious cars: First a bath car that has a bubsby berkely style water number and then a model train car.. with the train on the track showing guy watching guy watchin gthe train etc.

It’s great. Guy ends up finding the quiet car.. and Michelle. And in her first scene of acting like a human being and not if julie powers was a soccer mom, Michelle, while standosfish as usual, not only unites with guy to shush a loud guy in the car, but is genuinely apricative when Guy helps her get her place back, she was doing some literal bean counting.

The two genuinely hit it off, first with some adorable silent bits and then by talking, with Michelle appreciating his now safer job and warming up to him. Keaton and Douglas have GENUINE chemestry and it annoys me itt took the series this long to use that instead of wasting Diane Keaton on being

It’s really great stuff and i’m actually rooting for the two.. once she gets her shit together obviously. Guy does make the mistake of lying abotu knowing about the chikcaraffe.

This ends up being bad as he finds out EB knows the next day and after she leaves the car RIGHTFULLY tears the fuck into same for getting him accused of crime, stealing from him and now puttin ghim in a precarious situation. While Guy DID lie, he idd so well meaningly and trying to impress someone whose ineherntly judgmeental. Douglas also does REALY well in the scene, calling sam out but it dosen’t feel cruel.. it’s justified. While guy is miserable and does need to work on himself.. Sam also needs to work on himself and is putting guy in serious danger just by forcing him into his animal smuggling scheme.

So Guy leaves.. and naturally given the unvierse hate shim runs into the BAD GUYZ, who aren’t much better. No really they refuse to belieive guy might be innocent, use excessive force on everyone. They have better GOALS than sam but I woudln’t really call them good people. Smash to black and we’re out.

Final Thoughts: This one was better. As I said the first half or rather third drags slightly but once we get to the two seperate plotlines it’s REALLY damn good stuff and reminded me what the series was capable of in character in creativity. Hopefully it keeps this up

Next Time on the Blog: We return to mewni for the penultimate chapter of season 3 as Moon and Eclipsa have some fundemtnal disgareemnts on how to handle Meteora that wind up costing both dearly.

See you at the next rainbow

#green eggs and ham #guy am I #sam I am #dr seuss #netflix #animation #patreon

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all-of-the-imagines-for-eve · 6 years ago

Text

Awkward ~ Embry Call

A/n: I love this one, it makes imprinting feel so natural aw :’) Unfortunately because there's so much information already given to this character I decided to just make her an OC. Too much I had to apply to her to make this an x reader :/

Additionally: Should I make a part two? If it's not requested I won't do it but I could if y'all really wanted me to. Okay peace out ✌🏼

Word Count: 4215

Warnings: Angst. A lot of angst. Some fluff too :) You know the regular stuff.

Faceclaim: Michelle Rodriguez

MASTERLIST

As long as Embry Call and Quil Ateara had been friends, Quil's sister Nina and Embry had been an interesting pair. Quil thought his sister endlessly annoying and often attempted to exclude her from anything and everything they did together. The problem was, she was stubborn and often liked to do things just to because she was told not to- especially if it meant annoying her brother. They were twins, similar in looks and family but also in personality. The Ateara twins were both loud mouthed and goofy and playfully aggressive- they'd been rough housing and arm wrestling and shoving and tripping each other so often for so long that even before they were wolves everyone used to joke they were like playful pups rolling around in the dirt. Embry got along with both of them and Quil hated it.

People always joked that Nina and Embry would grow up and get married but neither had even considered it in a serious way. Not even dating or kissing or even crushing on each other. The two just clicked, friendly and familiar right off the bat. When Quil was absent at school, in a bad mood, sick, or otherwise busy, Embry spent the time with Nina. The one time they'd both been unavailable had been such a sucky, boring day that Embry was glad he had Nina as a back up for Quil's off days.

There were little moments, though. Tiny things that threw them off of the casual friendship they both secretly held so dear.

One example was when they were thirteen. Nina had been asked to a dance so she'd gotten all dolled up and waited outside her house for the boy's mom to pick him up. Except he never came. Quil finally came outside and told her to come in. It was Embry who had been able to convince her though. The boys paused their hang out that night to cheer her up, Em and Nina cuddling on the couch as Quil was unavailable while he made snacks and picked the perfect movie. When it was time for bed Nina had fallen asleep so Embry decided ti just sleep with her since she was on top of him and Quil shrugged and walked away.

Another example, when they were ten, was when Embry was riding his bike and hit a rock, scraping the crap out his knees and hands. Quil complained loudly while Nina jumped into action immediately, smoothing Embry's hair out if his face to make sure he was okay, kissing him on the cheek like her mom did to her when she needed comfort. Embry found jumself blushing at the contact, not sure if the reaction was from her kiss or the adrenaline rushing through his system. She then proceeded to patch him up with the home made first aid kid she had packed in her backpack when they had headed off. She let him grab her arm as she cleaned out the scraped, shooting him apologetic, soft expressions every time he hissed when it stung a little too much. She had been so gentle and caring and attentive that even at such a young age, he watched her for a few seconds after she finished. She was so familiar and comforting... That held up years after.

When they were fourteen, Embry's girlfriend broke up with him because she was moving and they didn't want to date over s long distance. Embry had been distraught and only Nina had been able to calm him down and bring him comfort. She was with him every step of the way as he came to terms with losing her and moving on. It was easier than he had expected it to be with Nina around. With Nina's smile, that reminded him of sunlight, and Nina's laugh that sounded like home.

When they turned sixteen Embry had pretended to be Nina's boyfriend to make an annoying boy with a huge crush on Nina go away. It had almost been too easy but when the boy left, deterred, and Quil had spent the rest of the day groaning and whining about how weird and gross it was and how they'd ruined his birthday (he'd mostly been joking- he just thought the idea of his best friend and his sister dating was majorly weird), they'd brushed off the sparks and tingles and the thread that seemed to pull them towards each other again and again.

Later that year though, Embry would get sick. Nina would be by his side, mothering him just like she always was. His mom didn't need the help but she let Nina in every day after school anyway because despite what the two kids believed, there were some things moms knew that kids didn't and this was one of those things. Nina and Ms. Call would make him soup and the trio would watch movies, often joined by Quil as well. Quil came less and less though, slowly coming ti terms with the same realization that Embry's mom had had. Nina would bring Embry his homework and they did it together. Nine would play with his hair to make his headaches go away and take his temperature and far too often have to change the wet rags she gave him to put on his skin to try and cool down his ridiculous temperature. He always refused to go to the hospital and Nina and his mom didn't force it because any doctor would he as boggled by the numbers as they were. Despite the heaviness of feeling so helpless, Nina was there every step of the way...

Until she wasn't anymore.

Embry played no games. First it was his mom telling her she couldn't come in. Sam Uley had come over the night before and now he had come back and Embry and him had been out all day. He was better but Sam had been very strict about him having no visitors until they were sure. After a few days of Embry going completely AWOL even with Quil and Jake - no calls or visits or letters or texts; NOTHING - Quil went over. He came back saying that Embry didn't want to hang out with them anymore.

"He looked me right in the eyes and said he didn't want to be friends anymore." He looked at Jake and Nina. "With any of us." After extensive questioning from the other two he finally admitted, "He was different. He'd cut his hair off, super short, and he was taller. Like way taller. I don't know it looked like'd he'd been working out- and- and he had some sort of tattoo..."

The trio was silent for a second but they all knew what had happened. It had happened before. "Sam," Jake seethed. That was the only clarification anyone needed.

And so there was three.

Working together they managed to eradicate Embry from their memories, banding together to close their wounds with force and put on smiles and keep going with the same ease their ex friend seemed to be using. They were doing very well, even when things got more serious between Jake and Bella. They became a quad again, Bella slipping into Embry's place even if she didn't even begin to fill it the same way.

Then Jake got sick.

He seemed the same kind of sick Embry had been but they all brushed it off and Nina showed up to take care of him, Quil accompanying him this time. Jake swore again and again that it wasn't like what it had been with Embry. He wasn't going anywhere near Sam Uley and his gang. Ever. Just as they were assured, Sam paid Jake a visit. First no visits, then no calls. Then dodging and lying and avoiding until Nina pulled Quil to her one day, needing his comfort. Suddenly Bella was gone too and it went from four to three to four again, straight down to two. The twins were distraught for weeks, but they always took comfort in each other.

And then Quil got sick.

Nina was silent as death as she took care of him. They exchanged no words about it ever, not trying to make jokes as the very real fear sat forever present in the house. It was the exact same sickness Jake and Embry had both had. The fever was unmistakable.

When Sam Uley came to visit, Nina refused to let him in. "Nina you need to let me in."

"NO!"

A sigh. "Nina please, there are things you don't unders-"

The door flew open and Sam stepped back, startled by the fire and ice swirling in her eyes as she experienced wrath and agony at the same time. "You've taken EVERYONE FROM ME!" Her face was so twisted that Sam didn't even try to stop her, knowing she needed to get it out. "You took E-" She still couldn't say his name. She whimpered, blinking and then skipping the rest of te letters. Sam's face softened, only sorrow manifesting. "You took Jake, and Bella. You can't take Quil from me! HE'S ALL I HAVE! I WON'T LET YOU!" He stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. She blinked and her tears began falling. "Please," she croaked, her voice hoarse and weak and cracking with emotion. "Please don't take him away too."

Sam was truly regretful. "I'm sorry Nina. It's not something I can control." And then he brushed past her into the house and while she waited outside, frozen and terrified as there was conversation inside that she could not hear. Her mother was at work so she was alone when Sam returned outside after a long time to see her in the exact place and position he had left her. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'm sure you will," Nina seethed. Sam sighed before leaving.

Nine was gone when he came the next day and she avoided Quil for a while, eyes still hopeful even though she was terrified to see him and know for sure. When she ran into him as she was headed in and he was headed out, she froze. They locked eyes and she took in his sheered hair and exposed torso. He was taller and leaner, more muscular. He had a tattoo ok his shoulder and her eyes watered. "Nina-" he began. She pushed passed him into the house, desperate to avoid whatever he had to say to her in excuse or reason or apology.

And so she was alone.

She stayed alone for a long time. She watched her brother and friends get along just fine without her, bonding with Jared Cameron and Paul Uley, forever under Sam's rule. She saw them at school and at parties and at the beach. It was too painful so she started to avoid them. If she wasn't hidden in the confines of her house she was hiking or sitting on the beach. She had taken drawing up as a hobby and though she wasn't great at it at first she picked it up pretty well. She became quiet, wearing grey and black hoodies to blend into the background. Quiet and invisible. The boys wouldn't admit it but they could always see her and every time their gazes landed on her, they each grew silent and somber.

Nina was quiet and lonely and a cliche edgy art kid now, but her grades kept up. It kept her busy while she drifted through an otherwise empty schedule. She couldn't go to parties and she didn't have friends so she turned to homework to eat up her time. For a long time it was like that.

Then Victoria made the newborns.

Nina missed a day of school due to a fever. And then another. She got suspended after getting in a fight with a kid in the hallway who had pushed her a little too far and the entire week she was gone she spent attached to her bed. She wasn't sick really. She was angry and incredibly hot- like her blood had turned to fire. Her mom was worried about it and when Quil asked what was going on and she told him, he recognized the symptoms and went to Sam immediately, filled with hope. Just like he always did, Sam went to the Ateara house one night to visit Nina. This visit didn't go anything like his other ones had, though.

He came to her house to see her outside, in a tank too and shorts, her hair tied in a bun as she closed her eyes, feeling the cool night on her skin as she tried to cool down. Sam sighed, approaching her. He didn't get a single word in before she sneered, "Leave."

Sam rose an eyebrow. "Nina-"

Her eyes flew open. "No." Her voice was so hard and cold that the Alpha felt threatened. He could see the aggression and the heat in her and he wanted to help. But she had known she was coming and she blatantly refused. "NO." She moved from her post on the balcony to right in front of him and he solidified his stance to seem bigger, stronger. But she had grown taller too, stronger. And she wasn't backing down. "You-" she began. Her breath came harsher, faster, and she blinked as her vision flickered oddly, the coloring different than she had ever seen the world before. "You have taken everyone," she began again, softer as she trued to compose herself. "You don't het me. You don't get to steal from me and shut me out and hurt me and then add me to your ranks." She blinked as her chest constricted and Sam reached out for her. The second his hand brushed against her skin she growled. Growled. But she was suddenly far too angry to care about that. "NO! You! YOU! You and Quil and Jacob and- and-" Her face hardened. "And Embry. You are not my family anymore! You don't get the right to worry or care about me! ANY OF YOU!" she screamed, the words garbling into something that sounded like snarls and growls more than actual human speech.

Suddenly there were people running to Sam's aid from the woods as Nina shoved him, wanting to start a fight Sam refused to engage in. Nina hunched over, eyeing the new threats. She was beginning to become more a caged animal than anything. Sam held up a hand. "Everyone back and calm down!"

That almost worked. "GOD!" Nina barked. "You follow his every word don't you? You little puppy dogs."

Paul stepped forward. "You don't know anything about us."

Nina's face twisted even more. "YOU don't know anything about ME." Her voice was low and dangerous.

Her eyes leveled on Sam and she took a step forward only to immediately be intercepted by someone. Quil. He pushed her back and began, "Nina no!" But then push set her off and she was suddenly coiling and twisting, her anger exploding as her skin itself seemed to lose purchase and slip and slide and stretch, her bones morphing into a new form. She hunched forward, her hands hitting the ground as- as paws.

Her confusion and hurt and anger changed from her new form to Sam again. She was blinded by hate and pain and all she could think was that she wanted nothing more than to tear Sam Uley to shreds. The boys turned and Nina growled as she faced down the five wolves. She would take all of them, looking them straight in the eye to communicate her vehement hatred without using the words that escaped her outside of her human form. Then her eyes met a familiar pair.

Somehow she knew it was Embry.

The world, already discolored and different, shifted and they both froze, eyes widening. There was suddenly a chord between them that tied them together, thick and undeniable. Impossible to ignore and hard to resist as it shortened, demanding them to be pulled closer.

Hearing Embry's thoughts and seeing Nina's shift, the other wolves backing off to give the two some room. Embry stumbled forward as if he was pushed but Nina collapsed in the spot she was in, her different eyes closing tightly as she hung her head. He was immediately by her side, nudging her and whining to make sure sue was okay.

Nina? Nina what's going on in that brain of yours. Please let me hear you Nina.

Hearing his voice after so long was terrible and wonderful at such intense levels that she recoiled from him. On top of that, hearing it in her head? Hearing it like she was peeking into his thoughts?

She couldn't handle it. She stood up on all fours and stumbled away from him. Her eyes were wide and her thoughts were scrambled and loud and chaotic, becoming even worse as they realized she could hear them now that she was initiated into the pack when she'd imprinted on Embry, even if she had resisted it at first. It was too much for her though and she howled, the others cringing away from her as her thoughts became hysterical bloody murder screams. She turned and ran.

After they got over the stunned shock they ran after her, causing her to run faster.

Nina stop!

Slow down!

Wait!

LEAVE ME ALONE!

They pulled back and left her alone as she asked. The further she got from them, the more it hurt her and Embry both.

She ran all night, only showing up back at the house in the morning, still in wolf form. Quil came our of their house with a folded up outfit in his hands. He offered them to her awkwardly, unsure where to go from there. She looked between him and the pile before he sighed, jogging towards the woods. She followed him, not looking over as she padded along his side. He lead her a ways in before setting the pile on the ground and then turning around and jogging back to the house. They didn't need to speak for her to know the plan he had in mind. She shifted back to human - something she'd had to work on for quite a while the previous night - and then got dressed, joining Quil back at the house. She still didn't look at him, going to pass him. He caught her arm and she went stiff. "Let. Go of me."

Quil did as she asked, deflating. "Nina-"

"No," she snapped.

Her brother watched her continue, attempting to go inside. "Sam's holding a meeting tonight. You're part of the pack. We have answers and I'm sure you have questions. Please, come?" She paused at the door. "We can be together again. You, me, Jake. Embry." She flinched at the last name as if Quil had burned her. He frowned, seeing his sister so upset. He had always been able to help her when she was upset. But she had never been this messed up and she had never shut him out so aggressively. "Please," Quil begged, his voice only a whisper.

Nina didn't look at him. "The length of my hair. Is that why you guys keep it short?" After a second, Quil hummed in confirmation. She went inside without another word and Quil sat in the steps, closing his eyes and lacing his fingers into his hair in frustration. She came out again a few minutes later but she only brushed past him, ignoring him despite him shooting to his feet and reaching out to her.

Hurt and worried and completely unsure of what to do next, Quil just headed to Sam's.

Night came and hours passed with no sign of Nina. Just as they were about to call it a loss, they all tensed as a familiar smell hit their noses. Quil and Embry were scrambling to the front door before Nina even got close enough to knock. They were surprised by the state she was in.

She seemed firmer, her eyes dark and hard and her hair cut short like Leah's, maybe a little shorter- where Leah had first cut it, maybe. She had worn it very long since the beginning of time, whining and complaining every second of even the monthly trim her mom took her to. She HATED to have her hair cut. She hated having it shorter than to her waist, loving to brush it and do it in all kinds of fun hairdo's. Now it was too short to do anything with.

She brushed past the two boys without acknowledging them except when she paused a split second when Embry's fingers brushed her arm. It was obvious she wanted to cave in and have him touch her again but she swallowed it, forcing herself to keep walking and hardening her expression. Embry and Quil followed after her. She stopped in the middle of the room, across from Sam. The two boys continued past her to Sam's side, Embry taking another chance to touch her arm as if it had been on accident. They both knew it wasn't. Sam faced her. "Quil said you had answers."

Sam nodded. "What do you know?"

"The legends are true," she stated simply. "We're shape shifters. Werewolves. Skin walkers- whatever. The Cold Ones...?"

"Vampires," Sam supplied.

Nina nodded, her face not changing. She was unreadable and even Jacob was struggling with how different she was than how he knew her to be. "Vampires and werewolves," she mused quietly. Sam nodded. "Why did I... change?"

"When more of them come, more of us awaken to combat them." When she didn't speak again, he continued. "Bella Swan. The Cullens are vampires." Nina nodded. "Newborns, new vampires, are hunting Bella down. We're not sure why yet. Bella has a thing with Edward Cullen so we're working with them to protect her." Nina rose an eyebrow but she didn't have to voice her confusion for Sam to add, "The Cullens don't eat people. As long as they feed off if animals as they promised, we don't come for them. We have a treaty."

Nina nodded again, pausing. "Am I still mortal?"

Sam softened a little as her voice became less cold. "Yes. We're still susceptible to injury and death, though we do heal VERY quickly. We can't undo what's been done and as long as you continuously shift, you don't age. If you stop shifting then you can become normal, aging and everything."

That seemed to make Nina relax a little. "And it's a choice to change? No full moon chaos?" Sam nodded. Nina's eyes shifted to Embry and her stony expression gave way to fear. "What happened?"

She hadn't meant to say it out loud but now that she had, she looked back at Sam, vulnerable. He didn't have to ask what she meant. "You imprinted on each other," he told her. She seemed confused. "It's when we find our.... other half. Soulmate is the best word we've found so far. You find someone that completes you in some way and you strive to give them anything and everything they need. A brother, a friend, a protector-"

"A lover?" Nina asked. It had slipped again and Quil coughed. She blushed.

Despite himself, Sam smiled. "A lover," he confirmed.

There was a pause as Nina looked away. She nodded once more and then turned toward the door to leave. "WAIT!" Embry called. She stopped. "Stay? Please?" She didn't respond. "I know... I know we have a lot to work out. But- please? I can't lose you again. Please."

She turned to face him, her eyes sad. "You left."

"I didn't have a choice," Embry agonized. "You can ask anyone, I've been miserable. I was so excited when we found out- maybe even more so than Quil, who was torn because he didn't want you to be like us. But I knew, I knew you'd be the most badass wolf and I've been dying to see you again." He took a step closer to her, his hands reaching for hers. She watched his fingers, now facing him even if she didn't move past that. "I wanted it to be you," he whispered. "And it is. It was always you. Please stay." Their eyes met and Nina actually managed a smile.

A sudden loud, obnoxious groan came from someone. Everyone looked over to see Quil pretending to gag. "GREAT!" he complained. "They imprinted on each other. Now I'll have to deal with the sappy thoughts while we're wolfed out. And the kissing." He rolled his eyes, his nose scrunching up.

The mood shifted instantly, Jake shoving Quil joking. "You're just jealous."

"Am not!" Quil argued. "I'm disgusted- big difference."

Nina moved to Embry's side, taking his hand shyly. They both smiled, finally standing in peace as they were finally reunited. Everyone knew where life would lead for the two, even if they didn't know the little details. Even fate knew that they were destined to fall in love. It felt so right that for a second, the time alone faded away and nothing mattered- not pain or regret or vampires or fear or danger or the chaos and danger facing. Not even Quil's loud, annoying complaints and jabs and fake gags.

Even if it would make things a little awkward...

FTL: @chipster-21 @bitchyseawitch @alexa-playafricabytoto @wolfgirlxslytherin @justanotherdaydreamersoul

#embry call #quil ateara #twilight #new moon #eclipse #kiowa gordan #breaking dawn #wolf pack #embry call imagine #twilight imagine #wolf pack imagine #embry call x OC #wolf pacl x OC #kiowa gordon imagine #kiowa gordon x OC

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queen-of-deans-booty · 5 years ago

Text

International Love

Characters: Flight Attendant!Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 1,490

Warnings: none

Summary: Every flight you take is because of him. It’s why you draw him so often.

Squared Filled: Artist AU // Flight Attendant!Dean

Author’s Note: I know some of you have requested fics, and I promise I will get to them. I just need to finish these bingos before the deadline in June/July of this year. I am also trying to post daily again so bear with me. This is for @spnfluffbingo2019 and @spnaubingo and this is unbeta’d and any and all mistakes are all on me.

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

As you got settled into your seat, you craned your neck to see if you could spot the flight attendant you had a crush on. Every time you had to fly (which was a lot due to work), you always made sure to take the same airline in hopes of being with the very handsome flight attendant, Dean Winchester. It was never guaranteed that you would get his flight, but you hoped for it.

He always made your trips better because of his attitude. He made sure to keep you comfortable, was always there if you needed something, and gave you a little extra more since he thought you were cute. You two exchanged more than a fair share of words. He knew your name, you knew his. Each flight he had, he looked out for you since your smile could brighten his days.

He met you back when you were first starting out in your job. You had been nervous as hell to fly internationally to meet with some business partners, and he stayed by your side to help you through it. He got you through the flight just by talking to you, distracting you. When the flight ended, you sadly didn’t get his number. You thought that was the last time you’d ever see him. It was a big airline, he must travel all over the world. No way you would see him again.

Luck was on your side because every flight after that, he was there. It was like he knew when you were going to fly and purposely put himself on that flight to be with you. Business had been booming since you last saw him.

You were an artist and was selling your work all over the world. That first time, you were meeting with potential buyers. Now, you owned galleries all over the world. There was never a time where you weren't drawing. Being on an airplane doesn’t stop you either. Your portfolio included a lot of things--landscapes, still life, abstract, and a whole lot of others--but the one thing you always had trouble on was painting faces. Whenever you did, you would purposely leave out the details of the face to leave the reader with questions and interpretations of their own view when in truth, you suck at drawing faces.

To help, you have been drawing the faces around you. Best place to do that was on planes. The same person would stay in the same place for hours, giving you the perfect amount of time to draw them. However, the only person you seemed hell-bent on drawing was Dean. He had such a perfect bone structure, you needed to capture it on paper.

Without him knowing, you had drawn him as he worked or read, paying close attention to detail. The first time you did it was terrible, but you got better with time. Once they were appropriate enough for people to view them, you started leaving the drawings on seats for him to find. Each drawing had your initials and nothing more. He’d find these pictures and went crazy trying to figure out who was drawing him.

He had a whole folder full of them. They were of him doing all different kinds of things--passing out snacks or drinks, reading, talking with his coworkers or the other passengers on the flight, drinking coffee or eating--they were all of him and signed by the same person.

It was fun leaving him these drawings. It was the thrill knowing he may never know who is doing this but very well might figure it out. Your name was plastered all over the world with these initials, you were shocked he hadn’t figured it out yet. A part of you liked that it was still a secret. You could draw him in peace, take your time, and really get to know him. On the other hand, you want him to find out so that your relationship can go to the next level if there was one to begin with.

“Hey, Y/N,” Dean said. The first-class section was pretty empty this flight which you didn't mind. You liked having a whole section by yourself, it gave you a sense of privacy.

“Dean, hi,” you grinned. He took the seat next to you while the other passengers got on board. This was the only time he could really sit down and talk to you since he didn’t have to do his job just yet. It was in these 20 minutes that he learned more about you than in the 10 hours you were on this flight.

“When might I see one of your paintings? I hear such good things about them. I haven’t had a chance to see them myself.”

“They’re nothing special,” you blushed.

“Nothing special? You have galleries all over the world. That screams pretty damn special to me.”

“What about you? Do you draw? I’ve never thought to ask that of you.”

“I can draw stick figures,” he laughed. “No, I am not an artist. I’ll leave that up to you.”

“And I’ll leave being a flight attendant to you,” you flirted back.

“Good choice. I’ll be back later on. You must have a painting or a drawing on you somewhere,” he grinned as he got up to do his job. Little did he know that you had a notebook full of unfinished drawings of him in your bag.

“You have no idea,” you spoke once he was out of hearing range.

As soon as the flight started, you got out your notebook to draw him. Since starting this little project, you have gotten better at portraits than you could ever hope for. Practice makes perfect after all.

Dean had been busy with his duties, so he hasn't had a chance to stop by and question whether or not you had any drawings on you. To pass the time, you had been drawing him in his prime, smiling when he smiled. Those made the best drawings since you got to capture his essence on the paper.

About 1/5th into the flight, you got up to use the restroom, and without thinking, you left your notebook opened for anyone to see if they walked by. Dean noticed you drawing the whole time but didn’t want to bug you about it. Now that you were in the bathroom, he might get a glimpse at what you’ve been drawing.

As soon as the doors closed, he made his way down the hallway to check on the few first-class passengers when he spotted your notebook. On the paper was himself, smiling as he talked with his coworker. All those pictures of him left behind were from you. It made sense since he only got the drawings when you were on board. The way you focused on detail amazed him, and he really wanted to talk with you about the pictures you sent him. Not here, but in private. He’d have to wait until he could get you alone.

Once the flight ended, you had a 2-hour layover in New York which you didn’t mind. It was nice to stop in the cities in which you could explore. It gave you the chance to learn about the different kinds of cultures available to you. Luckily for Dean, he was on his break at the same time you were on your layover.

He walked out of the restroom and was about to go to grab something to eat when he saw you drawing by yourself. He figured the fewer people around, the more focused you would be. Here is his chance, it’s now or never.

“Hey, Y/N,” he smiled as he approached you.

“Dean, wow. Seeing you not on a plane. It’s refreshing,” you chuckled as he took a seat next to you. Before he could see what was on your notebook, you closed it. It was the picture you didn't have time to finish.

“I wanted to talk to you about something. I didn’t want to do it on the plane.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Did you draw these?” he pulled out the multiple drawings of him that you left. Your heart skipped a beat at him figuring it out.

“How did you know?” you blushed.

“I saw your notebook when you went to the bathroom. I know, I shouldn’t have been so nosy, but I’m glad I know. I’ve been going crazy trying to figure it out.”

“You meant his one?” you opened your notebook to show the nearly finished drawing of him.

“These are amazing. Absolutely stunning.”

“You know, I used to suck at faces. Like really bad.”

“Well, you don’t anymore. Why didn’t you just let me know you drew these?”

“I liked the secrecy of it. I don’t know. But I’m glad you know now.”

“Yeah,” he nodded as he grabbed your hand in a bold move. “Me too.”

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living-dead-parker · 6 years ago

Text

Immortal - P.P

Summary: Part 2 to ‘60s! Request - Hey could you do a sequel to “60’s” were Peter finds out the reader is immortal. And both of them is really surprised and confused because lost time they saw each other it was back the the 60’s

Can I add that I’m so glad I ended part one the way I did, bc then I would have been able to do this. I had two different endings originally planned, but I opted against them for the final part.

Warnings: some cussing, mentions of drug use,

Word Count: 2.2k

"I just don't think that it was super scary," Michelle says as she continues looking forward as the three friends -Peter, Ned, and Michelle- all walk alongside each other towards the Avenger's facility. Peter leads the way when suddenly, he sees a woman. Michelle and Ned don't notice how Peter has completely come to a halt upon noticing the woman. It takes a few seconds after for them to see Peter isn't next to them.

Peter looks over at the woman across the street, one that's already looking at him. She has h/c hair, and she looks much like the woman he saw back in the sixties. Except, her hair is a bit shorter than it was then. She still looks the same, despite the haircut. She also dons a black pantsuit and she holds an umbrella in her left hand. She holds a phone in her right hand, earbuds placed into her ears. Peter remains frozen as he watches the woman cross the busy New York street without a care in the world.

"-Peter...Peter?" Ned calls. When Peter does snap out of his trance, he notices Ned and Michelle up ahead and already looking over at him. Peter turns back and sees the woman approaching him. Suddenly, his heart begins to skip a beat and he begins to feel very nervous. His mind couldn't forget the woman he saw only a month ago. Something he never told his friends.

"Peter, what are you doing?" Michelle asks. Peter ignores his friends and walks closer to the woman until the two are face to face.

The two stand in complete silence as they look at each other. Ned and Michelle are left dumbfounded as they see Peter and this random woman standing in front of each other. Neither of them says a thing, but soon Peter is taking a step closer as he examines the woman in front of him.

"I've seen you before!" the woman says, ignoring the two people walking up behind Peter. Peter nods, ignoring them as well. He takes in the sight of the woman, truly taking it in. Her e/c eyes are soft and filled with wonder as she takes a step closer, but not too close as to scare the young man away.

"Y-you have?" Peter asks, his suspicions were proved right by her words.

"I knew I wasn't tripping on some shit, I knew you were really there. But how?" she asks. Peter looks back briefly to notice his friend's shocked stares. Dumbfounded would be an understatement.

"Would you mind following me? I have some people you need to meet," Peter says. The woman looks at him hesitantly before she smiles at the young man. All she does is nod, feeling more words aren't necessary.

The entire walk to the facility was spent with silence and even quieter questions from Ned and Michelle. Especially Michelle, as Ned figured it had to do with Spider-Man and Michelle still has no clue. However, at one point, the woman began to open up, introducing herself, explaining that some 'bad shit' happened to her and now she's stuck 'here' forever.

When they do reach the facility, Peter mentions having an unauthorized guest, causing Pepper to have to come down to get the four people. When Pepper looks over at the strange woman, that she's never seen before, standing next to Peter she gives him a weird look. Almost asking him what the hell did he do today.

"Who's this, Pete?" Pepper asks.

"Pepper, I really need to get all the Avengers into the conference room. Maybe even Ms. Danvers and Doctor Strange. It's important!" Peter says. Pepper looks over at the group but ultimately nods, calling for FRIDAY to gather the team into the conference room for a meeting. Peter, mentally, cheers.

The group is quick to take the elevator up to the penultimate floor, where the conference room is. Upon reaching the door, Peter notices almost everyone is there, so he sends in Ned and Michelle to sit in, making sure to tell everyone that Peter told them to sit in the meeting as well. Peter decides to hide the woman behind another corner where she won't be seen as Carol and Stephen approach. With that, everyone is in the room and ready for the very sudden meeting.

"Okay, just wait outside the door and when I wave at you, you come in, okay?" Peter instructs. The woman is quick to nod before leaning against the wall, right across from the door. Peter walks in and he notices everyone give him some sort of deadpan look.

"What's this about, kid?" Tony asks first, earning some type of response from everyone. Mostly in agreement.

"So, you guys remember that mission a month ago, right? The one where we went back to the sixties and we had to retrieve the weird ancient book, make a copy and bring it back?" Peter asks.

"Oh, the one where you fell in love with some hippie druggie?" Sam asks, earning a chuckle from everyone. Peter's eyes go wide as he flails his arms, cheeks turning red in embarrassment. He turns briefly to look over at you, noticing the playful smirk on your lips. He rolls his eyes as he turns back to look at everyone and sighs dramatically.

"Yes, that one. You know how she saw us, right? How she was asking the guy if he saw us, but he told her she was on drugs?" Peter continues asking. Nat gives him a look, one that begs him to speed up his explanation. Everyone else just nods, waiting for him to get on with his point. All but Michelle, she's so confused.

"Well, what about it?" Stephen asks. His arms are crossed and he seems annoyed. He should be back at the sanctum, watching over the literal Earth.

"I have something I need to show you guys," Peter starts. He turns to look at the woman outside of the room, and he signals her to come over. Taking that as her cue, she moves from her spot and walks into the room, noticing everybody's eyes move to her figure and follow her every move as she walks over to Peter and stands next to him.

"No way," Sam says quietly but loud enough for everybody to hear. She smiles and waves at everyone before looking down at her hands.

"This is Y/N L/N, she's the woman we saw at the music festival from where we grabbed the book."

The room stays silent for a while. It's so quiet, you could probably hear a pin drop. Stephen opens and closes his mouth several times, trying to come up with words, but failing every time. Tony sits up, leaning forward only to go back to his deflated sitting position as his mind rakes over every possible explanation. There's plenty of ideas, and one is bound to be correct, but he wants to know the truth more than anything. Finally, Michelle is the first to get something out.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"I'll explain everything later. Right now, Y/N has something to tell the rest of you."

The woman takes the stand and looks over at everyone, feeling like she hasn't seen them in forever. Which she hasn't. She last saw them 52 years ago during one of her hardest trips. They only saw her last month, completely sober, so the memory really did stick. For all of them. She composes herself before speaking.

"Hi, I'm Y/N L/N. I know it may seem impossible I'm here. I should be some 70-year-old hag or something, but I'm stuck in my 20-year-old body. I swore for the past 50 years that you guys weren't just a figment of my bad drug trip, I swore it was a real experience, that I really did see you guys. I've tried talking to anyone who would listen, that time travel is real, but nobody believed me. I knew you guys weren't from my time, had to be from the future, but no one believed me."

Your voice is soft yet filled with excitement. Tony stands up and walks over to you, examining you closely. You're the same height as the woman from the mission, same hair color, same figure, same everything. Sure there were slight differences in small trivial things, but completely the same in every single aspect. Steve watches like a hawk, unsure of how to take everything in. Both him and Bucky. Admittedly, the two war vets weren't too fond of the woman, having lived what they couldn't.

"How are you still alive?" Steve asks.

"I could ask the same about you, Stever Rogers. Same goes for you, Sargeant James Buchanan Barnes," the woman scolds. She wasn't too fond of the two men.

"How do you know who we are?" Bucky asks.

"My father fought in the war with you two, claimed it was his proudest moment. He was never fond of me, his runaway hippie daughter. He was super racist and hated that I was dating a black man. Oh, but how he missed his old pals, Steven and James. People who probably don't remember him. He idolized you even more after you became Captain America, Rogers. He was fond of the 'oh so great' Howard Stark and all he wanted was to meet the man, but he never did. Which I'm more than grateful for because that man was such an asshole. That's beside the point."

Y/N didn't notice Tony cringing at the mention of his father. If she didn't like Howard, then what would the verdict on Tony be? At least they have not liking him in common.

"But that doesn't answer, how are you still alive?" Tony asks.

"The book, it was full of ancient spells. A grimoire of sorts, but it was all based around the use of dark magic. Donnie wanted to start his own band, influence the world, but he had no real connections. So, he turned to the book," Y/N says. She moves from her spot at the podium and walks around absentmindedly. "He did a ritual that asked for a sacrifice. Nothing too bad, just someone's mortality. Whether his or someone else's, for his fame. He sold my soul, my mortality so he could become famous. It was all in vain too, as he was never famous," she continues explaining her story. Peter watches as she continues to absentmindedly speak up. He feels bad for falling for the girl at the worst time possible. "So, now I'm stuck here. Immortal, in my sacrifice vessel. I don't die, I'll never die unless someone were to reverse the spell, but in order to do so, someone else would have to be sacrificed, and that's not a price I would wish on my worst enemy. That and Donnie burned the book when shit started to come after him, saying he had to get rid of the source."

The room is stunned into a silence. Stephen, suddenly creates a portal, and everyone can see it's to the sanctum. He reaches an arm through and pulls out a book. The very book he copied from that day. He reads over the book and notices one of the pages had a corner creased over, almost like a place marker. He reads over the spell and sees that it's the one she was talking about.

"I'm sure I can reverse the spell. Some way I can do it-"

"No, it's irreversible any other way. It has to be done in a specific way otherwise, you wind up sacrificing yourself. I'm stuck, but I've spent my time being as productive as can be."

"That's no way to live," Wanda says softly.

"It's not living, it's being. I just exist at this point. I've stopped creating real connections with people that really mattered because I was outliving everyone I cared for. I exist carefree and for me, and that's how it'll be until the end of time."

Tony was quick to call the meeting to an end so he could get to figuring out what to do with the woman. Is she younger than him? Is she older? How does it even work? Peter goes over to Michelle and explains everything that happened and Peter could now proudly say, he's seen her dumbfounded for the first time in his life. Ned is quick to ask Y/N questions and everyone else joins in on asking her questions.

After Peter finishes explaining the situation to Michelle, he goes over to Y/N and saves her from the group of people crowding her. She feels Peter's soft hand wrap around her arm and gently pulls her away from the crowd while muttering something about giving you space. Once out of the crowd, Peter takes her over to where he had her hiding at before Stephen and Carol had arrived.

"So," she begins once Peter lets go. "You fell in love with me?" she asks, chuckling at the end of it. Peter blushes as he waves a dismissive hand.

"N-no, I j-ust th-"

"Hey, I think it's cute. We should probably get some lunch or some dinner sometime, get to know each other better," she says softly. Her eyes cast upon Peter's timid form and she feels her heart rate pick up. Peter nods eagerly, excitement bubbling in the depths of his stomach.

"I think you're cute!" Peter suddenly blurts out when Y/N turns to go back into the conference room. She stops in her steps and turns to look at Peter. She walks over to the young man and presses kiss to his cheek.

"I think you're cute too."

Please leave feedback or send in requests! Also, please send in asks or come talk to me about anything!!

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film-in-my-soul · 6 years ago

Text

A Couple of Wayward Kids Part 1 | Jack Kline FanFic

Part 1: The Runaways | Part 2 (Coming Soon)

Relationship: Jack Kline/Female OC

Rating: T

Summary: Sometimes. Just sometimes. Fate dips it’s hand into the world and sets two kids, running away from their homes, their family, their mistakes, barreling right into one another. Jack can’t handle the fact he’s caused the people he loves pain again, and Riley... well, she’s got her own demons to leave behind.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence in later chapters, dysfunctional family themes, abused disguised as parenting in later chapters

A/N: This series will completely ignore canon after the first half of S13 E23. Though it’ll get into it in later chapters - Dean never says yes. Jack still loses his grace. Lucifer still dies and Michele is in the wind.

Disclaimer. This fic will not exceed it’s T rating. While warnings will change due to a difference in violence and potential triggers there will be no sexually explicit content.

It hurts.

Everything hurts.

His father. That monster had betrayed them. Him.

And he'd let him. He'd ignored what everyone was saying and now they were suffering for it.

Yes. Lucifer was dead.

But at what cost?

Sam hurt. Dean hurt. Castiel hurt.

Michael is gone. No trail to track. No place to start.

And it all falls on to him. Jack. Now with no power left to even try and fix his mistakes.

The others don't say anything to him outright while he's nursing his wounds and walking around, weak and still thoroughly shocked about the events not even twenty-four hours fresh. The shock is still a heavy blanket he can’t shrug off. Jack can see it in their eyes, the blame, read it in the way they skirt around him like he might lash out. As if he could lash out.

And whose fault was that?

It eats at him.

A few days pass.

They're no closer to finding Michael and he's no closer to feeling strong. Whole. Useful.

Sam tries to talk to him. Tell him it isn't his fault, that no one blames him, he couldn't have known. But Jack feels the emptiness in those words. If he'd only opened his eyes a bit more, listened to what Sam and Castiel and Dean had been trying to show him. Instead, he'd allowed his blind curiosity and the idea of becoming his own man to overshadow anything else and for that, they were here.

Jack knows he shouldn't be creeping around the halls at night, not with four extra hunters from Apocalypse world around.

They're all a bit too trigger happy with the destroyer of their world on the loose, no matter how weak Jack might have made him.

He does it anyway, the sneaking. He's still light on his feet and always a bit slow coming around corners. It’s not something he does with full intention. Midnight is closing in around him and without his grace, he feels exhaustion dragging him down with each minute ticking by.

"...just saying we should keep him on the bench for a while."

Jack's hearing is still perfectly intact and the bunker echoes in certain places more than others. He picks up Sam's tone and instantly freezes in place, back against the brick wall off the side of the kitchen door. It's not polite to eavesdrop, he knows, and just doing it makes his stomach twist all kinds of wrong. But he understands that Sam is talking about him, it's in the way his voice is sad, Jack's heard it before.

"Kid can barely shuffle out of bed most mornings..." That's Dean's agreeing tone, and though it's not nearly as malicious as it had been in the first few days Jack had spent in the bunker, the words themselves are strong enough to sting. They’re true no matter how much Jack doesn't actually need to hear them. He feels weary down to his bones, his grace recharging at less than a snail's pace. Castiel had suggested it was due to his human half and Jack was lucky in the first place it could recharge at all.

Jack's lucky, period, to have any left after Lucifer had drained him near to empty.

He’s still not sure if it’s a mercy or a curse. So far from strong but the light of power still in sight.

"It might be for the best."

Jack feels his chest constrict. It's Castiel now, throwing in his own appeal to keep him on the sidelines. He knows why they're doing it. Logically it makes sense, the more he rests the more grace he can recharge, but the fact that none of them think he could be helpful, aren't even suggesting it? That cuts deeply into already festering wounds.

He's hurt people. He's the cause of this mess. Jack knows he doesn't deserve to help. Not when he keeps taking the wrong path time and time again. Stumbling around like a child desperately grasping for a hand to hold.

It’s the feeling that guides his next thought. His next choice.

He slips back to his room through the eerie silence of the bunker.

When Sam wakes the next morning and knocks on Jack's door there's no response.

Something in him goes cold. Years of being a hunter has instilled him with gut instincts better than most. He only waits a few seconds before pushing his way into the room.

It's empty.

The bed is made, the dresser drawers slightly askew and the backpack normally on Jack's desk chair, gone.

His cellphone is on the bed next to his laptop.

There's no note but Sam doesn't need one in order to understand what he's seeing.

If he were to look into Jack’s drawers he’s sure they’d be empty.

Jack is gone.

...

That same night, at the exact time a Nephilim fills his backpack with clothing and the secret stash of chocolate bars Mary had given him, a girl paces back and forth in her bedroom. Her ratty sneakers catch the edge of a threadbare carpet again and again as she chews her thumbnail. Her curled fist stings, knuckles still scrapped raw and jagged. She hears a bottle clink loudly in the living room and her stomach gives another heaving lurch.

If she had anything left to throw up at this point she might.

Instead, she focuses on trying to breathe, counting down from five and exhaling slow around her clenched teeth. Her eyes dart from the door to the duffle bag she's got on her bed, shoved full of everything she could think of fitting plus some more.

It's been ready to go for what feels like months.

Tonight had been the last straw though.

She can still feel the crack of bone under her fist and shudders hard, staggering to a jolted stop. She's lost count of her breathing and it's a whirlwind panic in her chest that makes her squeeze her eyes shut hard and try again. Time slips away from her dragging past like then rushing forward.

The bottle thunks this time, she can hear the floorboards creak past her door and knows he's moved from the living room to his own space. By the heavy shuffle in his step, it's clear to her that most of the cheap whiskey is gone and he'll be out within the next ten minutes.

She stands, immobile for twenty. Until she's sure. Until she's positive he won't come out until dawn is already long gone and Saturday is half over.

She takes the bag off her bed and shoulders it. The weight is enough to make her rethink trying to take everything in one trip. Her hand is trembling already though. It’s on her doorknob and any more back and forth might make her change her mind. She needs to streamline out of the house and not go back in.

It'll be too easy to stay. Too safe in the life she’s so used to living. There’s a sickening comfort in routine. No matter how bad that routine is.

She's halfway through the living room, moving at the slowest pace she can, hardly letting a sound slip through her lips out of fear alone. She can't explain herself if she's caught now. The bag and the way she’s sneaking around are too clear of signs to make into anything else.

Her eyes slide to the drawer next to her dads reclining chair. The one that never stays locked even though it really should.

Her fingers, still shaking from the moment she'd pushed her door open with stilted breath, reach now for the latch, and careful to avoid its tell-tale squeak, eases it open. To anyone else, it would look forgettable save for the little bible and papers shoved to the very front of it. She knows better.

Cautiously she slides her hands all the way to the back until the tips of her fingers meet cold metal. Her arm jerks back a little on instinct and there's a dull thump, likely only loud enough for her to hear. Still, she pauses and counts to ten before continuing. She grabs the thing by the muzzle and eases it out from behind the random litter in the drawer. It's a small caliber revolver, surprisingly clean for how long it's sat collecting dust. She only hesitates for a second before checking that the safety is on and shoves it in her jacket pocket. She goes back to the drawer and comes away with a half-full box of bullets. They make too much noise for her liking but she puts them in her pocket as well.

A gun is useless to her if all she can do is brandish it.

Once the drawer is put back in order and slipped shut she makes her way to the front door.

Her hands are on her car keys. It's the last step before stepping outside. It's also the hardest.

She does it anyway, slow as she's been since she left her bedroom, and when she met with cooling summer air she exhales low and long for the first time in an hour. It feels like escaping. Like freedom, the way the breeze drifts over her as soft as a whisper. Beckoning her away.

Once shes inside her car, a beater really but the most trusted companion she's had in years, she doesn't care about the noise of the driver door slamming or the engine turning over. She has no destination in mind and even if her father woke he'd never catch her.

She hits the gas and makes the vow to drive forward until the house, the town, the state is long past her rearview and she can't keep her eyes open any longer.

At the same time the following morning, when Sam Winchester swings his way into Jack's room Riley crosses state lines into Kansas, back roads stretching empty for miles.

She's still buzzing with the excitement and fear even after hours have passed. It’s ten in the morning and the only sleeps she’s gotten since she tore out of her parking space is a two-hour cat nap at the last rest area she’d passed that didn’t scream “you will be serial murdered if you stop here.”

Then she sees in the distance a person on the side of the road, staggering slowly, one step after another, head bent, backpack swinging dangerously low on one shoulder as they kick up dust. Worry worms it's way into Riley's throat and she can't help but slow down to asses the situation better.

It's a guy... That's all she can really make out from the back of his head and his silhouette as she gets closer. She slows further. Given by the uneven shuffle of his steps and the way he sways with each one, Riley guesses he's been walking for a while, the bottom of his jeans caked with dirt from the ditch he’s clearly been stumbling through.

It's a bad idea. A terribly stupid one really.

But there's something about the set defeat in the stranger's shoulders that has her driving forward and then cutting ten feet ahead of his current path. She takes a breath and looks at the glove compartment where she's stored the revolver.

If he ends up causing her trouble she can always defend herself... she wouldn't even need the gun to do it. It could scare him off without the need for getting violent though.

Already she's thinking about peeling away, slamming the gas and just forgetting the twist of concern in her stomach.

It's too late though, she can hear his steps crunching in the gravel and dried mud as he gets closer. He's walking slower too, likely curious as to what she's doing. Riley wets her lips when the sound of approaching footsteps stop right next to the passenger window which is lowered like her own. She turns to look.

Blue eyes, wide, curious and obviously tired meet her gaze. Her hands clench the steering wheel. She doesn't know why she's so caught off guard, perhaps it’s because of his clear youth or the way he doesn’t shy away from the eye contact, but the longer they both stay where they are, still as statues and staring at one another, the more unnerved she gets.

Riley clears her throat awkwardly and looks anywhere that isn’t the boys face.

"Do you... need a ride?" Her words are hesitant to even her own ears, like she's unsure if she's even really offering. Why the hell is she offering? Riley knows the answer without even voicing the question out loud to herself. She’s always been too kind, too concerned for others, to soft.

The boy doesn't answer for a long while and Riley turns back to look at his face again because the silence is actually killing her. His expression is pinched together like he's having to think very hard about the question.

"I... don't know."

It's not at all what Riley is expecting and her brow raises by itself, skepticism shrouding her nerves like a protective covering.

"You don't know?" It was a yes or no question. At least she'd thought it was. The boy's eyes meet hers again and it's just as strangely intense as before. There's something sad though, something deeper than his surface exhaustion and confusion.

"I don't..." he blinks, eyes sliding again, searching for words, "I don't have a destination so I do not know if I need a ride."

Riley doesn't know how to respond to that. Logically it makes sense but it's not something someone normal would respond with. There's something off about the stranger.

It sets Riley's teeth on edge. But then blue meets brown again and there's a vulnerability there that she's unused to seeing. She's going to regret this... she knows she will. She's trading in a bucket of problems for one more. She breaths and sends out a quick prayer to a god she doesn't know if she actually believes in that this guy isn't a really convincing killer.

"Then, would you like a ride? I'll take you as far as this tank of gas gets me." She indicates to the needle though she’s sure he can’t see that it’s closing in on three-fourths of the way full. Not from his vantage point at least.

A smile slips its way onto the boy's lips, changing his expression from worry into something almost blindingly bright, like curtains blocking the sun have been pulled away. It would be more disarming if the distant sadness wasn't still so plain in his eyes. It’s closer to regret. He’s wearing it like a beacon, too noticable for Riley to ignore.

"That would be wonderful."

It's so genuine almost tinged with a strange naivety that again, Riley feels wrong-footed by it all.

She's offered though, and standing on principles she's been ingrained with she can't take it back now. Not without good enough reason, and a smile isn’t reason enough.

"Right, okay." She unlocks the door and watches with hesitance as the boy slips his bag from his shoulder and slides into the passenger seat after she tosses her jacket into the back. He tucks his backpack between his legs and is careful with the door as he closes it, treating Riley's junker like it isn't twenty years old and falling apart. He clicks his seat belt on and smooths his hands down his thighs, assessing the near disintegrating interior of the vehicle with that same easy smile.

When his eyes finally land on Riley he holds out a hand, the motion done in steps instead of fluidly.

"I'm Jack."

Riley manages to force a hand away from her wheel and shakes the offered one quickly in return before letting go.

"Riley."

With a quick look between Jack and the road, then again to make sure he's done nothing suspicious in the last half a second her eyes had left him, she takes her foot off the break and eases her way back on to the road.

#jack kline #jack kline fanfic #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fanfiction #jack kline fanfiction #oc #jack kline x oc #jack kline series #supernatural #spn #spn fic #canon divergence

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the-canary · 6 years ago

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Pastel Colors - B.B (9/15)

Summary: If only the cute teacher would stop pestering you for a pen.(Library/Teacher AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: you’re always asking me for a pencil because for some damn reason you don’t know that there is a whole store for stationary—happy birthday here’s a gift card to that store. wait, you work there? what the hell?

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @bithors writing challenge. another out of season chapter, enjoy!

Feedback is always appreciated.

If there is one ugly part of James Buchanan Barnes’ personality is that he cuts off anything that might hurt him and tries to best strategize how to move forward with the hurt on his own. After everything had failed with Dot, he knew he couldn’t go on with everything that he had built up in Florida, even if it had been his childhood dream, thus he cut all ties and ran back to New York. Now, he was doing the same with you, it wasn’t like you liked him that way, you were much happier with that whatever his name was. So, Bucky tried his hardest to move on by trying to ignore anything that he connected to you -- he stopped visiting, he cancelled those weekend meetings, he hardly went out. James holed himself in his apartment and worked, barely talked to anyone besides Steve.

He prepared himself the whole week to see you again for the VR installation, only to be greeted with a somber Steve.

“Steve, why are you here? Where’s …” Bucky freezes, unsure of how to feel if you had decided to cut him off as well. It would make sense, but it didn’t stop the painful feelings from drilling themselves into his chest all of a sudden.

“Buck, didn’t you hear?” the blond man questions, as he hands Bucky all the files you have been working on, “She collapsed on the last week of school, been out of it since. Wanda’s been giving all of updates.”

“What? Why?” Bucky’s voice gets a little higher, as he pushes his hand through his hair in sudden frustration and disbelief.

“I don’t know, Buck.” is the only way Steve can answer, as the physics teacher gets up ready to leave and rush to your side, though he doesn’t know where you are at the moment, “Hey, where are you going?”

“I have to see her. I’ve been such a fucking idiot,” Bucky declares in annoyance with himself, as Steve just shakes his head, having dealt with this side of his best friend more than once in their shared lifetime.

“Don’t you think she would want you to watch them install this first? You guys have been working so hard towards this for months,” Steve calmly explains, as Bucky begins to cool down a bit, though he’s still pacing back and forth.

“I..Yeah,” he grumbles, remembering how much time and effort you had put into this -- into one upping him and always having some new type of research that blew him away. You were dedicated in your research and wanting to move this project forward, Bucky would be doing you disservice if he walked away from it all -- you deserved that much.

“Watch this happen and then tell her all about it,” Steve gouges him on the idea and Bucky nods. The two friends later on watch as the cable and proper equipment are installed all around the library, it certainly updates the look and feel but the books and everything is left untouched due to the majority of said devices being portable. There were still extra computers to be added here and there, but James knew that you would be proud and excited of everything was being setup.

The whole installation process takes about three and half hours and Bucky makes sure to take pictures, so that he can show you when he can. He asks questions and makes sure to know what the next steps are going to be, so that he could tell you in person. After all the movers left, Steve was going to ask Bucky if he wanted to grab a late lunch, but the dark-haired man only asks for your address and is out the door before Steve can asks his intended question. Steve grins,though he knows he owes Sam a beer now.

“And the Oscar goes to…” Steve whistles as he leaves the school grounds and heads back home.

Now, Steve wasn’t completely lying when he said that you were ill, though it was just some stressed induced exhaustion and catching Michelle’s cold at the wrong time that had you fainting on the last day of school before winter break. Wanda had freaked out and so had Pietro, but some good medicine and sleep brought you back up quickly with just a minor cough. The danger had past but you were now alone since Carol had deadlines to met, Vision and Wanda had made of love nest in his apartment for the holidays, and Pietro was spending it with some friends from his graduate course. It was lonely, but you were used to that and you used the time to prepare for your upcoming course, though that didn’t stop you from thinking about James every once and awhile -- you hadn’t seen him in a long while.

“Steve, is James all right?” you ask during one of your quick lunches with the man that had become part of your life since getting to know him better after the bar incident, but it didn’t replace the ones you used to have with James and the Library Club, “I haven’t seen him in awhile.”

“He’s writing some papers for a science journal,” he explains with an exasperated smile, “He’ll come around after the holidays. Don’t worry, he’s just like that.”

You could only hope that he was doing all right, especially since you didn’t know how he spent his holidays? Was he going to spend with the woman he was supposedly in love with? Were they together already? Without much to do, your head often ran around with these thoughts. However, this time around it is broken due to the loud banging at the door as you turn to look at it from your place in the living room, piles of papers and books around you in regards to curriculum with a romcom playing as background noise. You grab your shawl as the banging continues. You open the door to see James holding two large bags with a very concerned look on his face.

“Bucky, what are you doing here?” you let out a small cough, as he frowns while making his way into the small apartment. You shake your head as he looks around, his scold deepens at the sight of you being all alone and even working in your current state. He puts the bags down and turn to look at you.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” He asks in exasperation, as you raise an eyebrow, pulling your shawl closer to your body.

“What boyfriend?” you ask, as a dumbfounded but cute (did you really just think that?) look lights up his face.

“That Pie guy,” he further explains, and you have to wonder how he knew about Pietro since you hadn’t seen him the night all of Steve’s friends and yours meet.

“Pietro isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my Steve,” you laugh at your own description, before stopping since it still hurts your throat, as he gives you a flabbergasted look.

“W-What?” is all he can say.

“He’s been with me since high school. We’re like the three musketeers at this point,” you shrug, mildly annoyed that you have to explain this to James, couldn't Steve had just done this. However, your thought process seems to stop once he lets out a relieved chuckle and pushes a hand through his hair, you’re still confused.

“Oh, thank god,” he whispers to himself before getting to work. You watch him setup all the chicken and vegetables in the small kitchen countertop. He asks where your pots and pans are before turning on the stove and setting to work. You sit across from him and watch him move around the kitchen, like he owns the place and while it is a bothersome thought, it still makes you smile.

“James, not to be mean or anything. But why are you here exactly?” you question as he chops up the carrots and rinses them before placing them in the boiling pot. He leans on the counter, his upper body closer to you and blue eyes completely glued to yours.

“Just making up for lost time,” he explains cryptically and with a soft smile. He leans in a bit more and you’re stuck there, frozen and watching his next move more but before anything happens, the time starts beeping that the chicken is ready.

After a meal of homemade chicken soup and some cold medicine, James makes you sit down on the couch while pushing away all the material you had cluttered (promising that he would help work on it with you later) on the table to make way for some healthy snacks, medicine, ( he’s such a dad , you thought to yourself) and an array of movies, but halfway through watching Home Alone , a question pops into your head.

“Bucky, how do you normally spend Christmas time?” you turn to look up at him from his side of the couch, only to notice that you had gotten closer as the hours moved forward. He had even gotten underneath your blanket at some point.

“It’s a little disjointed this year, but we all usually meet at my parents’ house,” he explains as you listening intently, “Big tree, even bigger dinner ‘cause of my sisters and their loved ones and kids. We used to carol and wait until morning to open presents.”

“That sounds lovely,” you sigh out as James laughs, thinking about what he missed since he was working through the holidays and due to all of his family being in Florida for the time, a place that he didn’t want to be in at the moment, maybe not for a long while.

“What about you?” he asks trying to move away from the heavy feeling in his heart and Bucky swears that his heart stops at moment you smile softly, reminiscing of your own past.

“I’ve spent it more with the twins recently,” you explains as James wants to groan for a moment at his stupidity, but your voice stops him, “But when I was younger, my ma would always take me to the library Christmas read-along than we go walk around the neighborhood to see all the lights. I always got some type of stationery for Christmas,” you laugh awkwardly towards the end since James can’t seem to stop looking at you.

“Oh that reminds me!” you shot up from the couch and run towards the back of the apartment. James gets up slightly from his position on the couch, as he hears you rummaging through something. You quickly run back in with a small package and jump on the couch to hand it to the confused man.

“Merry Christmas!” you smile brightly as he tries his hardest not to blush at the sight of you : bedhead, flushed and smiling, with a present just for him. God, Steve was right, he had it bad.

“Thanks, doll,” he smiles as he takes the package and quickly opens it only to see a package of 100 cheap ballpoint pens, and in the moment he realizes that you know what he has been doing. You laugh loudly as he shakes his head, embarrassed at being found out but relieved that even if you disliked it you hadn’t pushed him away like he initial thought it would.

“Ya got me,” he chuckles as you keep laughing before the coughing fit gets a hold of you. James soothes your back and after a few moments, you find yourself leaning more into his warmth than moving back to your side of the couch. The paused movie now entirely forgotten as you can’t stop staring at him.

“James, thank you for everything,” you mumble sleepy, the drugs and food starting to kick in, as you rub his stubble softly with your right hand, “You’re a good friend.”

“Only the best for you,” James whispers as he places his hand over yours. He feels a little confident for a moment and decides to pull you in closer underneath the blanket once more. Your head is placed directly underneath his chin as his humming and warmth dips you further into the land of sleep. Too deep that you don’t feel the light kiss on your forehead and the anguish in his voice.

“God, I love you so much.”

Part 10

#kumis5kchallenge #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes teacher au #bucky barnes library au #series: pastel colors #fabiola trying to write

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shakespearesglobeblog · 6 years ago

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Soul Searching: Katie Hims.

We ask five of the playwrights undertaking a feminine Faustian interpretation for the Globe’s Dark Night of the Soul a series of questions about the project and their approaches.

Katie Hims is a writer and has written for both theatre and radio. She has spent time on attachment to the National Theatre Studio and has recently written Variations for National Theatre Connections 2019. She is currently working on The Stranger on the Bridge for Postcard Productions at The Tobacco Factory, Bristol. Her previous stage work includes Billy the Girl for Clean Break at Soho Theatre. Her radio work has won several awards.

Three Minutes after Midnight by Katie Hims A writer and her niece are waiting. While in the room next door a nurse attends to the writer’s sister. The sister is dying and the writer finds she cannot resist scribbling down a scene about her sister’s death. A scene which reveals the secret of her sister’s life. And then the writer’s niece finds the scene in a notebook and accuses the writer of selling her soul.

What made you say yes to Dark Night of the Soul? I was completely delighted to be asked to write for Shakespeare’s Globe. I’m afraid I would have said yes to anything that Michelle Terry asked me to write! But the fact that there’s a gang of us and that to a certain degree we’re developing the material together made it very appealing. Also, I think the brief is actually very open, so we should all be able to find our own quite different stories that we’re keen to tell.

What interests you about the Faustus myth or Marlowe’s Faustus? And what are you hoping to explore with your piece? I’m still getting my head around what the Faustian bargain might mean for a female character. Faustus is about ambition and what he will sacrifice to achieve. Traditionally men have been expected and encouraged to be ambitious and women haven’t. I’ve always felt embarrassed by the idea of my own ambition like I want to disown it. I’ve often felt like I should be pursuing something more worthwhile and less selfish. I don’t know how many male writers are plagued by this feeling. I’m sure they are out there – and of course, I might be entirely wrong – but I imagine they are greatly outnumbered by women.

And yet I really do want to write. It’s the only ambition I have. So where does that leave me when it comes to writing about the Faustian bargain? I don’t know yet... Voltaire said: “One must be possessed of the Devil to succeed in any of the arts.” There are plenty of clichés around success coming only with sacrifice and what could be a greater sacrifice than your soul?

But what is a soul anyway? It means different things to different people. We talk of writers selling their souls and it usually means writing something terrible for a lot of money. But what’s so wrong with that? Maybe nothing. Maybe it depends on the nature of what was written. But I can imagine a story in which a woman sacrifices her soul for a lot less than absolute power and all the world’s riches. Which is potentially a story about equal pay...

How do you start to write something? It depends what I’m writing and who I’m writing for. I’m happiest when starting with a character or an incident or some other small detail, and then following the trail of where that detail leads. One of my favourite ways to begin is to overhear something someone says in the street or on the bus. When starting with a broad theme I struggle more to find my story. The canvas is so big and you don’t want the theme to be writ large across the work. Whereas if you begin small you discover your theme and you don’t need to go hunting for a story to fit.

What made you want to be a writer? I loved writing stories as a child but it never occurred to me that a writer was something I could actually be. Then in the final year of my drama degree, we did a playwriting course and I immediately lost interest in every other element of degree because I just wanted to be writing plays all day.

How important is storytelling? I think it’s incredibly important. I think we’re telling each other stories all the time. They’re part of our everyday lives. There is a need to tell them and a need to hear them. I’ve got the writer’s guilt about not doing something more useful with my life, but my husband says to me imagine the world without any books and plays would you want to live in that world? And of course, I wouldn’t.

Would you say that there are any themes you are particularly interested in across your work? Lost children who somehow make it home again seem to recur again and again even when I’m actively trying not to repeat myself. I’m a fan of a happy ending if I can get away with it.

Do you like to be involved in the rehearsal process? My absolute favourite rewrites are the ones that get done in the rehearsal room. Hearing the actors say the lines tells you everything about what’s wrong and what needs to change and what ought to be said instead. It’s urgent work and removes all the doubt and umming and aahing. But I think you can drive the actors mad if you keep changing material too far into the rehearsal process. I think I need to stay away after a certain point because I would just keep rewriting.

What’s it like seeing your work being performed? That depends! There’s something very nerve-wracking about it. At its worst, it can be cringe-worthy; like listening to your own voice on tape. But when you are sitting among an audience who are watching a play you’ve written and they are really really laughing or crying – that’s pretty amazing, it’s probably the best bit of the whole strange business.

What’s it like to be working on a production in chorus with other writers? We’ve spent one workshop day together and I absolutely loved it. There’s a contradiction that writing is very often an isolated process and yet storytelling demands an audience. Stories grow and get better in the telling. So during the workshop we kind of functioned as an audience for one another.

Dark Night of the Soul: The Feminine Response to the Faustian Myth opens in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse on 5 January 2019.

On four evenings we will perform a selection of the pieces together as Anthology Performances. Check the website to see when Katie's response, Three Minutes after Midnight will be performed.

This interview first appeared in Globe Magazine, available to buy in the Globe Shop. Become a Member of Shakespeare's Globe to receive the magazine three times a year.

#dark night of the soul #female writers #doctor faustus

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years ago

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The Weekend Warrior September 25, 2020 – New York Film Festival, THE WAY I SEE IT, KAJILLIONAIRE, STUNTWOMEN, MISBEHAVIOUR and Lots More!

A mite bit late this week, but it’s another busy week of movies though considerably less than usual in terms of ones I have any interest in watching. Oh, wait, did I say that out loud? Yup, we’re getting to that point after six months, even though I did go out to Jersey City to see The New Mutants on Saturday. It was fine. I didn’t hate it. Josh Boone didn’t rape my childhood.

Before we get to the new releases, we’ll start with the New York Film Festival (NYFF), since that just kicked off on Thursday night with Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock, which is one of five relatively shorter movies he’s made as part of his “Small Axe” anthology that will eventually air on Amazon Prime. Maybe they’ll get some kind of theatrical release then but who knows? I’ve always kind of been up and down on McQueen’s work, loving his early movie Hunger, but then being mixed on his next few films (including the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave) but then loving Widows from a couple years back. There is no question that McQueen is a true auteur in terms of filmmaking, although sometimes he loses track of the storytelling in order to get artsy, and that’s the case with Lovers Rock. It essentially takes place in and around a “Blues Night,” basically a rowdy house party fully of music and dancing and singing, but as much about the meeting of Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn’s Martha and Micheal (Blue Story) Ward’s Franklyn at this party. It’s a fairly short “film” of just over an hour that beautifully captures the music and dance of the time, although it also gets a little too “arty” as tends to be McQueen’s wont. I don’t want to spoil too much about what happens, but I think mileage will vary on this one.

There are two more chapters to be shown at NYFF, spaced out by a week each-- Mangrove and Red, White and Blue – and I’m interested enough in what McQueen has to say about this West Indies heritage and some of the stories he’s telling within the series.

Other movies that have screened for critics already including Sam Pollard’s doc MLK/FBI, which as one can probably can figure out is about the FBI’s attempt to discredit King and take him down as leader of the protesting that led to the eventual passing of the Civil Rights Act. I feel like I knew a lot of what was in this movie from other films, and I didn’t really find that this added much towards my appreciation of King than what already existed. Honestly, I liked Pollard’s other film, Mr. Soul!, which he co-directed with that subject’s daughter.There just feels to be something more personal there compared to the rather clinical MLK/FBI.

At least that has a much stronger narrative than Song Fang’s The Calming, starring Xi Qi, which is the type of movie I almost definitely would have walked out of a press screening annoyed that I was dragged up to Lincoln Center, because it’s very much like some of Hong Sang-Soo’s worst work or some of the work of Zhangke Jia, both who regularly play the New York Film Festival. Sure enough, Zhangke produced this film, so that explains that.

I decided not to even bother with Cristi Puiu’s three-plus hour period piece Malmkrog. I was a fan of his earlier films The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and Aurora, but there just isn’t enough time in the day to see if this one goes anywhere. It’s the kind of thing that I could oddly justify sit in a movie theater and watch, but sitting at my laptop? No, thank you.

I also ended up watching Pedro Almodovar’s English language debut, the short film The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton as a woman who buys an axe at a hardware store and walks around a colorful and elaborate set with a dog, and then she gets into a long dramatic conversation (mostly yelling) over the phone with her lover or ex-lover. So yeah, basically a great showcase for Swinton, who we already know as a fabulous actor, and for the movie’s production design and cinematography. I guess I’m a little mixed on this. At least it’s only 30 minutes long?

There are a number of other festivals going on, including IFP Week in New York, which used to be one of my go-tos in terms of screening more obscure stuff between TIFF and NYFF – it’s where I saw Barry Jenkins’ Medicine for Melancholy one year and a few other cool movies since. But over the past few years, it seems to have less and less of interest, and I’ve barely paid attention to what’s in the cards with its shift to virtual. Either way, it’s going on now and through Friday.

Texas has two film festivals starting up this week, the more prominent one probably being Celebration of Fantastic Fest, which as can be expected is a virtual version of the annual Fantastic Fest, which I’ve heard is one of the best genre festivals in the country, showing some of the best of previous fests’ midnight tracks as well as many premieres. It will kick off on Thursday with Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor, which Neon will release a week from Friday, and then there’s a combination of new and vintage genre and horror films. You can see the full schedule here, as it runs for one full week and then through October 8, closing with Jim Cummings’ The Wolf of Snow Hollow. The opening and closing night films are at the Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane, but all the other movies being offered free to anyone in the country, and then there are a few events like the annual Fantastic Feud, which is available to watch worldwide. Some of the film’s to try to catch include Chad Faust’s Girl, starring Bella Thorne; French filmmakers Ludovic Boukherma & Zoran Boukherma’s Teddy, and Amelia Moses’ Bloodthirsty.

Not too far away in Waco, Texas, the Deep in the Heart Film Festival runs for the next couple weekends. Nothing really jumped out from this year’s line-up, but only because I haven’t seen any of the movies being streamed. What’s great about regional film festivals like this one is that they’re “discovery fests” where you can go and watch a lot of smaller indies by filmmakers who you may not hear about since they don’t have “ins” at the big festivals where they’re guaranteed placement.

Before we get to this week’s new movies, I wanted to draw special attention to a movie from last week, I didn’t get a chance to watch before posting the column, and that’s Dawn Porter’s THE WAY I SEE IT (Focus Features), an amazing doc about former White House chief photographer Pete Souza, whose amazing career working in the White House under Presidents Reagan and Obama led him to becoming a conscionable objector to the current Trump regime by using social media to throw shade. In fact, Souza’s most recent photo book is called Shade, and it collects his social media posts and tweets of some of his amazing photos of Obama during his 8 years in the White House. This is just an amazing film from the director of John Lewis: Good Trouble, which came out earlier this year, and this one does just as much to show Obama’s humanity (and actually, the fact that Reagan had a lighter side we rarely saw in public) but also to contrast those two Presidents with the monster we have in the White House now. I immediately bought Souza’s book after seeing it, and I’m hoping more people will learn about him through this film. This might already be gone from its limited theatrical release by the time you read it, but it will air on MSNBC on October 9 at 10PM.

Because I like to start or continue with the good, I will follow up one great doc with another one, and that’s April Wright’s STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY (Shout Studios), which is fairly self-explanatory. It builds on the ideas in Mollie Gregory’s 2015 book and has interviews and anecdotes from some of the youngest and newest in the stunt field to some of the legends, like Jeannie Epper from the Wonder Woman and Bionic Woman TV shows, and Donna Keegan, who has been almost all of the coolest ‘80s and ‘90s action movies including Robocop, True Lies and others. Narrated by Michelle Rodriguez, the movie mixes the actual stuntwomen like Amy Johnston, Jennifer Caputo, Debbie and Donna Evans and Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez with a few directors like Paul Feig and Anne Fletcher. (Before you ask, Zoe Bell is mentioned but doesn’t actually talk about herself or her career on camera.) I just really enjoyed hearing these stories and learning more about a profession I really don’t know much about. I definitely recommend this doc to anyone who wants to know more about film history and the behind-the-scenes stuff. (I also wrote a feature on this movie with interviews with three of the stuntwomen from the movie over on Below the Line.)

Focus Features is also releasing Miranda July’s new movie KAJILLIONAIRE, presumably at one point on PVOD but now theatrically as well after picking it up at Sundance where there were rave reviews for it. It stars Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger (yes, that one) and Evan Rachel Wood as a family of thieves who are always planning their next grift to get the $1,500 for their overdue rent. It’s then that they meet Gina Rodriguez’s Melanie, and bring her into their plans, much to the chagrin of Wood’s “Old Dolio,” (Yes, that’s the name of her character – don’t ask!), who already has issues with her parents not showing her the love a child usually expects.

You know, I absolutely loved July’s earlier Sundance film You and Me and Everybody We Know, so hearing that she was making a heist movie and one with such an interesting cast definitely made me curious about Kajillionaire, which got absolute raves out of this year’s Sundance. It just sounded like it could be very cool, and I genuinely have been a fan of both Evans and Jenkins for a long time. I wasn’t nearly as familiar with Rodriguez’s work on Jane the Virgin, but I definitely became a bigger fan of her after this movie.

If you’re familiar with July’s other work, you know that she’s first and foremost an artist and maybe can be considered a bit of a performance artist with film being just one of her mediums. Being familiar with some of her past work might prepare you for how strange Kajillionaire is, especially in the set-up when we meet the Dyne family – Robert, Theresa and “Old Dolio” (ugh) – and we learn about their suitably quirky lifestyle of trying to con people out of money in order to pay their aggravated landlord Stovik (Mark Ivanir). When we meet them, they’re three months past due, and Stovik has had enough, so they have to come up with a quick scheme. “Old Dolio” has an idea to scam an airline, and during this plan, they meet Rodriguez’s bubbly Melanie, who is keen on joining this strange family, for one reason. Robert seems more interested in Melanie for sexual reasons.

Going into Kajillionaire realizing how strange July tends to go with her material – whether it’s the Dyne’s living space or their general behavior – I still had trouble getting past not only the name of Evans’ character but her entire dour, emotionless and ultimately monotone performance. (Imagine Evans auditioning for the role of Bill or Ted in a female remake, and that’s her character.) Evans is such a vibrant performer and maybe she wanted to play down her looks that are played up on HBO’s Westworld, but this character goes so far into the world of July’s headspace that I’m not sure who could possibly relate to her. As with much of July’s work, there are elements that people can relate to, possibly the way Evans’ character doesn’t feel the love from her parents that they immediately give to Melanie, as well as the sapphic bond that develops between the two younger women, but it’s all wrapped up in the most cockamamie attempt at a weird remake of The Grifters possible. Except that the Dynes are really bad scam artists, and the movie as a whole never really goes anywhere.

On the other hand, Rodriguez is almost the polar opposite of Evans, being vibrant and with a big personality and so many more layers, and she almost saves the movie at times. Otherwise, I had high hopes for Kajillionaire and was extremely disappointed, because July has yet to deliver on that earlier film I loved so much, and this is no different.

Honestly, I have no idea why Brad Pitt’s Plan B, let alone Focus Features, shelled out money for this movie thinking it might make them money, as there’s just nothing sellable about it… not the cast, not the premise and certainly not the overall tone. I guess this will be one I will never figure out. (Even so, if you like Jenkins, at least there’s another movie with him out this week, but that one isn’t much better unfortunately.)

On the other hand, one of the nice surprises of the week was Philippa Lowthorpe’s MISBEHAVIOUR (Shout! Factory), starring Keira Knightley as Sally Alexander, a young woman going to university who falls in with the Women’s Liberation Movement of London and their plots to disrupt the 1970 Miss World competition due to the way it depicts women. The movie also stars Jessie Buckley as one of the pluckier young women trying to take down the “patriarchy,” Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Miss Grenada, Rhys Ifans as Eric Morley, who runs Miss World with his wife Julia (Keeley Hawes) and… here’s where it gets weird… Greg Kinnear as Bob Hope.

As far as the latter goes, the movie opens with Kinnear’s Hope performing for the troops in Vietnam for the USO, and I honestly had no idea it was Kinnear, nor did I realize it until about Hope’s third appearance and I finally looked it up and realized it w as him.

But Hope is a very small part of the movie that focuses on three specific women, all real people, as played by Knightley, Buckley and Mbatha-Raw. Alexander is a divorced young woman with a daughter who is trying to get through life with some help from her disapproving mother, but she’s also adamant about being able to break through the glass wall and meeting Buckley’s Jo Robinson and her group of rebellious young women gives Alexander the motivation to do something.

On the one hand, Misbehaviour is a quaint British period piece, much like a lot of Knightley’s previous films, but it’s also another important story from the struggle of women to get equal rights that seems appropriately-timed to current times. It’s as pretty amazing story what the Womens Lib movement got up to in terms of trying to hijack the Miss World competition – watch the videos, this really did happen, though slightly modified – where young women were literally treated like eye candy or meat. What I particularly enjoyed was that the movie didn’t just focus on Alexander or Robinson, but actually oscillated from the various characters in the story as they would come together on the fateful night.

I was already a fan of the three female leads, so seeing them in a movie together was quite grand, and while Kinnear may have been oddly-cast as Hope, the movie isn’t really about him. I actually liked seeing Ifans playing a very different character, more boisterous and with a different accent, as he adds to what ended up being a fairly entertaining movie that deals with a lot of different things, including the controversy over having a white and black contestant from South Africa decades before Apartheid was abolished.

Philippa Lowthorpe, best known for The Other Boleyn Girl, does an amazing job pulling all of these pictures together but never losing sight of the real women who are being portrayed and the amazing story they had to tell. Misbehaviour is a great example of how a message movie can be done in a thoroughly entertaining way without putting off potential male viewers.

On Wednesday, Netflix begins streaming ENOLA HOLMES, an adaptation of Nancy Springer’s Y.A. book series about Sherlock Holmes’ sister, played by Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things. Her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft are played by Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin, their mother is played by Helena Bonham Carter, and it’s directed by Harry Bradbeer, director of Fleabag and other British series. Methinks that Netflix is hoping this will be another franchise for the streaming giant. The film takes place in 1884 England with Enola waking on the morning of her 16th birthday to find her mother having vanished. Her brothers choose to send Enola to a finishing school but instead, she goes looking for her mother in London and falls in with a young runaway named Lord Tewksbury (Louis Partridge) to unravel a great conspiracy.

I never really became a fan of Stranger Things – more due to the lack of time than interest – so I haven’t really been generate much of an opinion for Millie Bobby Brown except for her role in Godzilla: King of Monsters. That said, I DO have an opinion on Sherlock Holmes, as I’m a huge fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, and that’s partially what drove my interest in this adaptation of Nancy Springer’s Y.A. twist.

Enola Holmes begins with a rather strange whimsical tone, as Enola constantly breaks the fourth wall and talks to the viewer, but it eventually falls into a steadier rhythm that’s much more palatable. If you’re into the mystery aspects of the Holmes lore, you may be a little disappointed by some of the simple word games concocted for this Holmes’ investigation, but it more than makes up for it with some fun fight and action sequences that made me think this would have been great as a theatrical release. (Just by being on Netflix, I’m sure it won’t have a problem finding an audience.)

All in all, I generally liked Brown in this role; she reminds me a little bit of a young Saoirse Ronan, so she clearly has a lot of potential. I wasn’t as crazy about some of the other casting, including Cavill as Enola’s older brother, nor the cutesy romance stuff with Partridge, but I know I’m also not the primary target audience for the film either. Still, coming so soon after Armando Ianucci’s David Copperfield adaptation, this generally pales in comparison. Probably the biggest bummer is that Helena Bonham Carter barely appears in the movie at all, which seems like such a waste of talent, although her scenes with Brown are some of the best in the movie.

Enola Holmes will find its fanbase for sure, and while it might not be the best or strongest iteration of Holmes, as much as a fun girl-friendlier spin on it, there’s no doubt that it’s perpetually entertaining.

Lena Olin and Bruce Dern star in Tom Dolby’s THE ARTIST’S WIFE (Strand Releasing) in which Dern plays crotchety artist Richard Smythson, whose poor beleaguered wife Claire (Olin) is now living in the shadow of her celebrated artist husband, giving up her own art career, but now having to deal with his memory losses and deteriorating behavior.

Claire (Lena Olin) lives a quiet domestic life in the Hamptons as the wife of celebrated artist Richard Smythson (Bruce Dern). Once a promising painter herself, Claire now lives in the shadow of her husband’s illustrious career. While preparing work for his final show, Richard’s moods become increasingly erratic, and he is diagnosed with dementia. As his memory and behavior deteriorate, she shields his condition from the art community while trying to reconnect him with his estranged daughter and grandson from a previous marriage. Challenged by the loss of her world as she knew it, Claire must now decide whether to stand with Richard on the sidelines or step into the spotlight herself.

Watching this, it’s almost impossible to not be reminded of the excellent The Wife, starring Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce, but this is a different film from The Wife despite having similar themes of a woman who has allowed her own life and career to come second to that of her husband.

This is first and foremost a showcase for Olin, who at 65 years old, still looks amazing but also gives a fantastic performance, one unlike any we’ve seen from her in quite some time. A lot of the film deals with her character reuniting with her husband’s estranged lesbian daughter (her stepdaughter) Angela (Juliet Rylance) and her son Diego, who is being taken care of by a hunky manny named Danny (Avan Jogia). They all get together for Christmas, and Richard’s behavior just gets worse and worse as Claire vacillates between worrying about him and being infuriated by him.

Sure, it’s a little predicable at times but still a decent little film from Dolby that includes a number of incredibly touching and even some weepy moments. I ended up liking this film way more than I thought I would from the premise and my own preconceived notions of what this movie would be.

The Artist’s Wife is a really nice movie – and honestly, another one I’m shocked isn’t being distributed by Sony Pictures Classics! It’s far better than The Leisure Seekers, for instance, not only in dealing with early-stage dementia but also in the way women often have to put aside their own aspirations to help their elderly spouses through it.

Richard Jenkins also stars in Andrew Cohn’s THE LAST SHIFT (Stage 6 Films) playing Stanley, who has worked at the fast food restaurant Oscar’s Chicken and Fish in Albion, Michigan for over 35 years, but he’s planning to leave to go take care of his mother in Florida. Hired to replace him is a younger lad named Jevon (Shane Paul McGhie), who has just been let out of jail and needs the job to fulfill his probation.

I’m not really sure who this movie is intended since Jenkins plays such a sad sack slacker that I’m not quite sure who might be drawn to his character, and other than his relationship with Jevon, which definitely falls into the Finding Forrester school of movie cliches, I’m not sure that the film offers much else. Ed O’Neill does appear in the film as Stanley’s best friend, but he seemed to be playing down his role as to not steal any of Jenkins’ spotlight.

Much of the movie deals with the odd characters and situations Stanley and Juvan experience on the job, but it feels like such a hodge-podge of ideas thrown together without a suitable and conclusive arc for either character. Also, Stan is kind of a jerk, and there were only so many jokes about his mother’s bad memory – probably due to dementia -- I was willing to put up with. It’s just hard to fathom what Jenkins saw in this role or movie other than to allow the lesser-known McGhie shine a bit.

The Last Shift is a movie that tries to be a comedy without ever being particularly funny, and it just comes across like a flat and rather mundane attempt that never really goes anywhere. (Note: Days after this review was posted, I was informed that the screener link I watched did not have the final music cues and mix that the filmmaker intended. With that in mind, I will make an effort to rewatch the film when I have the film’s final version.)

A few docs of interest this week (other than the ones mentioned above) include Laura Gabbert’s doc OTTOLENGHI AND THE CAKES OF VERSAILLES (IFC Films), which follows Yoam Ottolenghi as he puts together a huge gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the opening of an exhibit about Versailles. Ottolenghi decides to bring together a number of pastry chefs from all over the world, including Dominique Ansel (inventor of the Cronut), Dinara Kasko and more to recreate the look and feel of Versailles through a series of pastries and desserts. Honestly, I really don’t have that much to say about the movie, which is only about an hour 15 minutes and still feels long. It basically just documents the preparation for the event and the event itself, and the whole thing just seems rather pretentious and high-falutin’, and more like the movie that might play at Lincoln Center than anywhere else. It will be playing in theaters (but probably not Lincoln Center) as well as on digital and cable VOD. (I told you I didn’t have much to say about it.)

Premiering on HBO (and presumably HBO Max) on Wednesday (today!) is the first part of Alex Gibney’s AGENTS OF CHAOS, a two-part documentary by the Oscar-winning documentarian about the Russian interference in the 2016 election. Another example of a movie that just wasn’t something I cared to watch right at this minute, despite being a big fan of Gibney’s excellent investigational skills in terms of getting to the bottom of a subject. The first part airs tonight (9/23) and the second part airs tomorrow night (9/24).

There’s also Ric Burns’ doc OLIVER SACKS: HIS OWN LIFE (Zeitgeist Films), which will premiere exclusively as part of Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema on Wednesday (today!). I really tried to get to this, but there’s only so much time in the day especially with NYFF, and everything else going on in my life right now. I do hope to get to it, and maybe it will be like The Way I See It or Mr. Soul! and I can talk more about it in a future column. Burns’ doc essentially covers the work of a neurologist and storyteller called “the poet laurate of medicine,” who talks about his struggles with drug addiction, homophobia and a medical establishment that only began to appreciate him decades after some of his work. Sacks is also known for writing the book on which the Robin Williams movie Awakenings is based, but otherwise, I never had really heard of him before or any of the people interviewed. Again, I’ll try to get to this soon, because he sounds like an interesting man for sure.

If the title of Mike Gunther’s ROGUE WARFARE: DEATH OF A NATION (Saban Films) makes it sound like it would be as a video game, then you probably aren’t aware that this is actually an action trilogy with Stephen Lang playing “The President,” who I guess is the villain of the piece. Will Yun Lee plays one of a team of elite soldiers who must put a stop to detonate a deadly bomb in 36 hours. No review screeners for this one, which will be in theaters, on demand and digital this Friday.

Oddly, advance screeners were also not available for Tate Taylor’s action-thriller AVA (Vertical Entertainment), starring Jessica Chastain, which is a movie I was curious about since I’ve generally liked most of Taylor’s previous films – The Help and Get On Up more than Ma or The Girl on the Train. This is the spy thriller he’d been talking about making for a while, and it costars John Malkovich, Common, Geena Davis, and Colin Farrell. What it doesn’t have is screeners for review. It must be fantastic!

Again, lots of movies this week, but I just don’t have the time or mind to spend nearly as much time watching some of them before writing this. There’s many more docs, including Jay Sebring…Cutting to the Truth (Shout! Studios), the Netflix doc Kiss the Ground, yet another doc called Red, White and Wasted (Dark Sky Films), We Are Many (Area 23 Films), Myth of a Colorblind France (First Run Features) and Public Trust (Patagonia Films). There’s also even more non-docs in I’ll Be Around (Indie Rights), LX2048, Foster Boy and Shortcut (both also from Gravitas Ventures), The Swerve and Dead (1091). See what I mean? A ridiculous amount of movies this week and even more next week. Who can possibly watch, let alone review them all?

If there’s one thing I truly miss in this pandemic is being able to go over to my local movie theater, the Metrograph to catch whatever they’re showing, but they’ve still been killing it with their Live Screenings digital series. Tonight, the Metrograph is screening Shona Lynch’s debut political doc, Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed, which follows Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy rep Shirley Chisholm, who became the first person of color and first woman to seek a major American’s political party’s nomination for President, as she fought ridicule and racism. On Monday, Metrograph will present “Matador Records - Revisionist History,” which is a celebration of the artist on the indie label that kicked off in 1989 and released records by the likes of Liz Phair, Yo La Tengo, Pavement and Sonic Youth. Monday’s premiere will include introductions by Matador’s Gerard Cosloy and Chris Lombardi and Yo La Tengo and will be made up of a series of short films and videos. Friday, the Metrograph starts a Robert Kramer retrospective with his 1969 film Ice, and honestly, I don’t really know much about Kramer so not sure what else to say.

Next week has so many frickin’ movies that if I start watching them all without sleeping for the next week, I probably won’t get to all of them. Either way, there’s no Wonder Woman 1984, so you can blame Governor Cuomo and the assholes railing against movie theaters reopening for that one.

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

#Movies #reviews #NewYorkFilmFestival #Stuntwomen #Digital #VOD #Streaming #EnolaHolmes #misbehaviour #TheWayISeeIt

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imaginesofeverykind · 7 years ago

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Quiet || Peter Parker x Reader ||

Characters: Peter Parker x Fem!Avenger!Reader

Fandom: MCU/Spiderman

Request: Hella yeah bless MY FIRST PETER ONE BuT @rafeadderall ur a gem I lov u [can i request a peter parker x reader where the reader is like super shy and reserved in his class or whatever and then he sees her again but on team cap lol? if u can? love u xoxoxoxox] (Requests are always open guys! Send Em through!)

Prompt: You typically keep to yourself at school, however, you have a secret that no one knows about you. You’re different, Just like Peter Parker was different. You both discover each other’s identity during the epic showdown between Team Ironman and Team Captain America.

Tags: @rafeadderall (if you want to be tagged to get a notification when I post message me!)

Word Count: 2,902

Spoilers: Na, unless you haven’t seen Civil War then

A/N: Yes so my first Peter Parker Imagine, god bless Spider-Man: Homecoming it was such a great movie!!! This however is based off of Civil War so no spoilers unless you haven’t seen Civil War!

PART 2

Y/N sat quietly in her seat in the incredibly silent classroom. The only sounds were the ever so subtle scratching sounds of pen on paper as the other kids in the classroom attempted to nail their Spanish quiz. Of course, Y/N and one other student had already finished the quiz in record timing. That other student being Peter Parker. Both the two were in the top five percent of students who excelled well in any given task.

They were also the only two students of the entire school to have secrets. Y/N since she was born was incredibly gifted, gifted with enhanced superhuman abilities and given that she was born with that she was able to hide it, hide it a lot better than Peter could despite him doing a well enough job keeping his Spiderman life a secret. Numerous occasions he was almost caught being Spiderman not just by Y/N but others too, like his friend Ned and Aunt May but somehow he still kept his identity well hidden.

Peter liked Y/N not necessarily in a romantic way, but he appreciated her wits and intellect. He was nice to her but he wouldn’t go as far to say he had a crush on her, sure she was cute and all but it may have been because she was so quiet and to herself that tarnished that idea from Peters mind. Y/N felt mutually the same toward him, appreciating his dedication and smarts.

The two locked eyes while waiting for everyone else to finish, offering each other a smile before averting their attention elsewhere. It wasn’t long until the others finished and the room was no longer silent and the students were off to their next class. Chemistry. Today’s Chemistry class was a lot different from the others, this time Mrs Cobwell had assigned projects to the class in pairs.

As luck would have it, both Peter and Y/N were paired and were just as awkward as they were when waving to the other down the hall. Now seated next to each other one would have to initiate conversation eventually seeing as both weren’t extroverted enough for that. Peter gulped and opened his mouth to speak.

“S-so… uh… we could – we could do this… formula…” Peter pointed at his text book, her eyes gazed down to where he was pointing and nodded. “Sure.” The word slipped from her mouth, she was never a really nervous person, awkward for sure but not nervous. Unlike Peter, she didn’t tend to stammer over her words, but she often found it cute when he did.

Suprised she uttered a word, Peter was left with his mouth agape and couldn’t form a coherent sentence. His eyes were racing around the room to find his friend Ned for some form of assistance, however, Ned had his back facing him as he worked with his partner Michelle. “Uh-um O-okay cool.”

She smiled and wrote down the formula and how they were to break it down individually before experimenting with the actual chemicals involved. The remainder of the class was spent silently working together, only occasionally exchanging words. Despite her silent demeanour, Y/N was one of the few people that actually understood where Peter’s tangents went, what he was thinking and how he was going to calculate things.

It was a surprising day for sure, while their little interactions would be more frequent, Peter was glad to have been partnered with Y/N. She too had a unique way of thinking and he could most definitely understand how she thought. It was a little step into a friendship that was sure to blossom after the weekend.

When school finally finished it was always a rush to get home for not just Y/N but for Peter too. For different reasons of course. Y/N lived in the outskirts of Brooklyn and often was quite the trek to get home within a reasonable time due to traffic and the occasional train delay. However today, her rush to get home was postponed by a call from a familiar old friend.

Steve Rogers. "Hey - Steve? It's good to hear from you, how is everything?..... you know... you're basically a war criminal now..." she whispered the last bit, she was concerned, to say the least. After hearing of the Sokovia accords and Steve going AWOL. He chuckled over the other side of the line, "yeah - well actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Steve Rogers and Y/N had a rich history, he had met her in the aftermath of the Chitauri attempted an invasion.

Discovering her abilities and offering assistance to her as she grew older. Y/N developed a strong bond with him given that he was able to relate to what she was going through. Steve, however, kept her well hidden from the other Avengers as she was only just a teenager barely sixteen yet. Despite this, he was fully aware that she was capable of much more than an average girl her age.

She could take fierce punches and also give them, she was built like Natasha, himself and Bucky.

“Oh... you’re not in trouble are you?” She frowned, pushing past people on the streets as she made her way back to her home. “well... depends on what you mean by trouble... I need your help.” Steve was calm and collected for someone with a bounty on his head by half of the Avengers. Her eyes widened and she stopped in the bustling street of outer Brooklyn. “My Help? What for?”

“I don’t like asking you to do this, but Tony isn’t going to stop until I'm arrested until Bucky is arrested. I’ve asked as many people as I can to help us, we have to stop this Zemo guy or else a lot of people could die.” Steve felt guilty for asking a fifteen-year-old girl for assistance, but she was more than capable of helping.

“What do you need me to do?” She questioned, picking her feet up in a much brisker walk as her heart pounded in her chest. “I need you to be able to help stop Tony and whoever he’s got with him, we need to do this. I understand it’s a lot to ask-.” She cut him off and smiled, although he couldn’t see it, “Steve, it’s fine I owe you anyway, after everything you’ve done for me.”

Steve was relieved, yet remained guilty, he now had to be extra careful knowing that two of his forming two were young teenage girls. They both could handle it, but if anything bad happened it would be on him. “Just give me the instructions and I’ll be there.” She added, finally reaching her apartment building.

“Pack your things, Clint and Wanda are on their way to you now.” Steve instructed to which she obliged and raised her eyebrow, “Clint? Clint’s back?” She had never met Clint Barton, but she had heard stories of him, much like the stories she heard of the other Avengers. Last she heard of Clint he settled down with Kids. “Just this once.” Steve assured, “I’ll see you in Germany. Thank you again.”

“Anything for you Steve.” She hung up and raced to her apartment, trying to explain to her parents a feasible excuse to why she was going away for the weekend.

The van was crammed with Clint, Wanda, Scott and Y/N as it parked in the sixth bay of a parking garage. It was surreal for Y/N to be meeting some of the Avengers. Clint noticed that she appeared to be nervous, chewing on her lip and looking at things to keep her mind at bay. “Hey, Steve’s told me great things about you, kid. You’ve got this.” He assured her, which made her smile.

“Speaking of, here they come now.” Wanda pointed out as a busted up old car park’s beside them. Scott Lang, laid uncomfortably in the back as he tried to catch some sleep before the anticipated showdown. Hopefully, they wouldn’t need to fight anyone but Helmut Zemo. Clint was the first to get out of the car, curtly nodding to his old friend, “Cap.”

Both Wanda and Y/N were next to exit the van, greeting Steve, Bucky and Sam. “You know I wouldn’t have called if I had any other choice.” Steve was grateful that so many of his friends came to his aid yet remained guilty. “Hey man, you’re doing me a favour, besides I owe a debt.”

“Thanks for having my back.” Steve looks to the three kindly. “It was time I get off my ass,” Wanda assured, happy to be free from the confining walls of the Avengers HQ. “You’ve done a lot for me, I’m always going to be here to back you.” Y/N smiled, both Bucky and Sam were surprised to see someone so young, they weren’t sure how they felt about Steve putting so much trust into someone so young. “Where did you find her?” Sam queried looking to Steve.

“Long story - how’s our other recruit?” He asked, referring to the drowsy Scott Lang in the back of the van. “He’s rarin’ to go. Had to put a little coffee in him, but... he should be good.” Clint opened the door to the van, jolting awake Scott. Groggily he picks himself out of the van, “what time zone is this?”

Eventually, he exchanges a handshake with Steve, now being definitely alert after meeting his hero. “Captain America.” A look of amazement washes over him, it was strange to see the interaction between him and Steve for Y/N. So many people were amazed by him and yet she only knew him as the man who’s been a close friend of hers for quite some time.

With all welcomes aside, an announcement rung their attention. Being in German Bucky was able to translate it for everyone who, “They’re evacuating the airport.” Everyone exchanged a worried glance, Sam eyed Steve, “Stark.” he was positive that they would have to face off in a reluctant battle. “Stark?” Scott questioned, seemingly out of the loop than everyone else.

“Suit up.”

“Oh I see you’re recruiting little girls now, huh?” Tony taunted, seeing Y/N stand confidently beside him. She was clad in black, a mask covering part of her face courtesy of Steve who didn’t want her Identity known by Tony, knowing he would use that against her. “Wow I pegged you for an asshole but I didn’t know you were a sexist asshole.” The words left her lips, the mask covering her face giving her more confidence.

“Whatever it takes for you to back off.” Steve warned, Tony was surprised by the mouth on her but he was growing tired of the chit chat. “Anyways. Ross gave me thirty-six hours to bring you in. That was twenty-four hours ago. Can you help a brother out?” Steve shook his head, standing ground. “You’re after the wrong guy.”

“Your Judgement is askew. Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday.” Tony argued, his point was rather valid but nonetheless the wrong point. “And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't.”

Y/N nodded, she always believed in sacrificing a few to save the many, and without The Avengers the world would no longer exist. “Steve... you know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one? And drag a kid into this?” Natasha was selective with her words, of course, she was being a little hypocritical given Tony had a kid up his sleeve.

“All right, I've run out of patience. Underoos!” Tony Shouted, out of nowhere Peter Parker in a new and improved web slinging outfit flips over Steve and Y/N, successfully taking his shield and tying his hands together. “Nice job, kid.” Tony complimented.

“Thanks. Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit... Well, it's nothing, Mr Stark. It's-It's perfect. Thank you.” Peter rambled on, he was trying his hardest to impress Tony Stark given that he gave Peter this opportunity and a new suit. “Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation.” Tony made clear.

Steve looked down at Y/N as if he was mentally telling her that she should focus on the kid on Tony’s side. More talking between the two sides ensued, both Tony and Steve reluctant to throw the first punch, but eventually it had to be done eventually. He held his hands up as Clint shoots through the webs and he looks to Peter, “Alright Lang.”

Now the action and chaos began. “The kids all yours, keep away from Tony. Good luck.” Steve smiled at Y/N before dashing off, she took a deep breath and launched herself quite a long distance, landing in front of Peter. Neither of them recognises each other. “Oh - hey, I don’t want to hurt you! It’s just not cool to hit a girl.” He put his hands up in defence trying to be friendly.

“Seriously what’s with you assholes? Fine-.” she gritted winding a hand back and sucker punching him in the face with enough force to drive him back several feet and stumble into a car, leaving a dent. “Wow-okay your strong... really strong...” He muttered to himself in a daze, still pressed up against the car.

She stalked over to him, winding up another punch only he dodge it in time making her punch through the car’s metal exterior. He outstretched his hands and webbed her arm to the car so she couldn’t break free. “Could you do me a favour and just... stay there... I’d appreciate that.” Peter held up his hands and started to slowly back away toward the action elsewhere.

Y/N shook her head and grimaced, using the adhesive of the webs to help her lift up the heavy car and lobbing it across the tarmac at Peter. “Oh God.” His eyes widened at the incoming vehicle, he just managed to catch it before it could crush him. “That's a -- that’s a nice throw you got there, you play baseball?” He gritted, still holding the car above his head before throwing it off to the side.

“Need a hand, kid?” Tony’s voice startled both of them, he pointed his hand toward Y/N ready to fire off a shot but she pounced off the ground beneath her and hooked herself onto the back of his suit. Peter’s eyes widened, “Mr Stark!” seeing her trying to pull plates of metal from the armour. “I see you don’t like to play fair.” Tony grimaced and elbowed her in the face, she grunted and loosened her grip on him before falling well over thirty feet.

Her body hit the ground leaving a sizable little crater around her. She hadn’t realised that the mask she once wore on her face was now gone as she laid in rubble collecting her thoughts. Peter was standing quite a distance away, unsure whether to check to see if she was alright or not, Tony picked up on his hesitation.

“I suggest you do something before she starts kicking your ass again,” Tony instructed before whizzing over to Rhodey and Vision. Peter slowly picked up his pace making his way over to her, when he was close enough he was sure surprised. “Holy -- Y/N?” He was confused, to say the least. Kneeling down beside her as he examined the blood oozing from her nose.

She peered up at Peter, still not knowing it was him. She drew back a hand and let her knuckles jam into his face, knocking him back with the force of the punch. “How do you know my name? Huh?” Quickly scrambling to her feet to regain composure. Her eyes were hard on the red and blue figure as he shook his head, trying to get out of the daze he was in.

Winding up another punch, he stuck his hands up and shook his head, “w-w-wait wait - wait! Don’t punch, it’s me -- it’s me -,” he desperately tore the mask off his head, not wanting to get punched yet again by her, “- it’s Peter.” She stared at him for a moment, letting the situation sink in and she drew back her fist. “Peter? Parker? Oh my god.” She ran her hands through her hair, “you’re Spiderman?”

Peter was taken back by this, he had never heard her talk so much ever since he knew her. It was almost surreal to see that the girl who was so often reserved and quiet was talking normally and she just kicked his ass. “Y-yeah and you’re... well... not like everyone else...” he pointed out making her laugh in relief and smile.

In that moment the two no longer had to deal with their abilities on their own. Peter had met someone almost exactly like him and it was the very girl who he’d partnered with in a chemistry project. Y/N also now had someone to trust and confide in when things went awry. Neither of them suspected it, they couldn’t really, but now that they knew each other's secret it was the beginnings of an everlasting friendship.

#peter parker #Spiderman #spider man: homecoming #Peter Parker x Reader #Imagines #one shots #Request #tom holland

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dfnews · 7 years ago

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Episode Recap of "Let Them Eat Cake"

Season 5, Episode 2 - September 18, 2017

From TV Guide: "Wedding planning continues as Joy shops for bridesmaids dresses and tastes cakes with Austin; Joe and Kendra enjoy an in-line skating date; the Vuolos take a cooking class together in Laredo; renovations begin on Joy and Austin's house." I'm already asleep.

1. The episode begins with Joy and Austin bringing chaperone Jed to see the house they recently purchased. The house is a complete disaster and probably should be torn down but they need something for Jed to do because he doesn't work or go to college. They have three weeks to make the kitchen and bedroom livable before the wedding. I predict they will be camping in the yard as newlyweds. Joy brags that she will be the first sister to own a home. Since Joy made that boastful statement, Benessa finally bought the Porter Rd home they have been living in for years. Grandma gave it to them in June for $1. JinJer also moved out of their apartment and into their own home. DerJill have never owned home. They mooch off the kindness of others.

2. James and Jackson are chaperoning Joe and Kendra on a skating date. Giggly Kendra kind of reminds me of Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory but without the brains. I hope Joe is prepared for a lifetime of hearing that high pitched giggly voice. I guess Michelle's baby voice might have prepared him somewhat. Kendra says her modesty standards in dress are the same as the Duggars. Their courtship rules are absolutely ridiculous. Two short sidehugs a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. They won't hold hands because that might drive them to sex, so poor Kendra, who can't skate a bit, gets no freakin help from the three doofuses skating around her! This pisses me off as someone who fractured my arm skating. Courtship rules shouldn't put people in danger. Kendra did ask her daddy if she could grab Joe's arm if she started to fall and got the okay for that. These people are insane! I get the feeling TLC set up this scene as a way to make the Duggars and their courtship rules look ridiculous. If that was the case it worked. Jackson in his silly motorcycle helmet was hilarious though.

3. Joy and Austin have the better date of hitting up a bakery looking for a wedding cake. For some reason Michelle and Josie come along. Maybe Josie was their chaperone and she needed Michelle to chaperone her. In this scene, Joy and Austin, who are engaged, are constantly holding hands. Holding hands while rollerblading for the first time is a no-no but for cake shopping it's a must. Joy and Austin seem overwhelmed when it comes to deciding on a cake. I don't know how they can remodel homes together if they can't even pick out a pastry together. As they taste cake, talking heads have Ben and Jessa and Derick and Jill reminisce about their wedding cakes. Derick, who seems to have some issues with his memory, can barely remember his cake. He rambles on with some nonsense about icing and that's about all he recalls. Wasn't it last season when they asked him a question about his wedding and he couldn't recall it at all? Maybe he was hungover at his wedding since he can't remember a damn thing. Jessa says she decided to not have cake but to have melting ice cream instead and as she says this Ben rolls his eyes. I'm guessing he kind of lost that discussion during wedding planning. Joy says weddings are overrated and Austin corrects her and says wedding planning is overrated. I agree. I hope the next Duggar elopes to Vegas. Anyway, I love Austin's duct taped jacket hiding a brand symbol. Did TLC run out of money to use the blur effect?

4. Jinger and Jeremy are diving their car in Laredo when Jeremy takes a sip of his "lava" coffee. He tells Jinger to take the top off of the cup as it sits in the cup holder. Jinger does as she's told but she's worried about it spilling on her. Doofus says, it won't. Jeremy swears it won't spill as he turns a corner and of course it does spill on Jinger. Jinger jumps over in her seat away from the coffee as Jeremy laughs his ass off. I'm not sure if she was burned because she kind of laughs too and just says she needs to clean her skirt off but she could have been badly burned. Most guys would have acted concerned for their wife in that situation but Jeremy is Jeremy. His lack of empathy is concerning. Remember him scaring the life out of Jinger when he was driving unsafely in Australia. He's a jerk! Their date is to take a cooking. Jinger already cooks so I guess this was set up just as a lack of anything else to do. Jeremy cracks bad jokes the whole time, mugs for the camera and totally exhausts me. I don't know how Jinger can listen to that man's non-stop talking.

5. Most of the Duggar sisters have convened at Jessa's house for a date night of on-line shopping for bridal gowns for Joy's wedding. Joy is still having a hard time making decisions and Jessa offers to take over. Typical. Austin brings some friends to his and Joy's new mess of a house to start demolition. Joy shows up to help. Later, Austin gives Joy a swatch of his mother's wedding dress to attach to the wedding dress she chooses. Michelle is also giving Joy a swatch from her dress. Michelle has done this for each daughter. By the time the last Duggar daughter is married they will only have some of Michelle's black hose left to use. Back at Jessa's house, Spud has hidden all his "yuck" green beans in his pocket. Smart kid. Ben changes him into his pajamas and then encourages a wrestling match with the toddler. Jessa tries to calm them both down by suggesting they read a book but the wrestling continues. Predictably Spud wins after he toots on Ben which totally knocks him out for the count.

6. Date night for the Dillards means playing doctor but not in the fun way. Jill has pulled out her cheap doppler and has midhusband Derick use it on her to hear baby Sam. They also listen to Izzy's heartbeat which they say they listened to when he was inside Jill. Derick says, "It's the same heart." How did Derick ever graduate from college? He's an idiot! Jill is giving herself her own prenatal care. I can't wait for baby Samuel's birth episode! C'mon TLC, you would usually have done a very special birth episode by now. What's holding you up?

7. Back at the Duggar compound, most of Joy's bridesmaids are there to try on mail ordered dresses. Jackson jokes about which dress he should try. Maybe he wasn't joking. The dresses are all okay except they are navy and in dull light they might look black and funeral-like. But that would perfectly represent a Duggar girl's marriage. That transition of authority day in fundiedom is not all lollipops and unicorns.

Coming Up Soon On Counting On:

Season 5, Episode 3 - September 25, 2017 "Finding Joy's Dress"Joy goes to Kentucky in search of her perfect wedding dress, but faces some big decisions when there are so many options. Meanwhile, Austin and Joe spend some bonding time with their future fathers-in-law; and Israel celebrates his second birthday.

Season 5, Episode 4 - October 2, 2017 "Joy and Austin's Camping Trip"Joy and Austin go camping as part of their bachelor and bachelorette weekends. Meanwhile, Joy and Kendra visit a salon to get some hairstyle ideas for Joy's wedding; and Jinger and Jeremy shop for Joy and Austin's rehearsal dinner.

Season 5, Episode 5 - October 9, 2017 "Tomboy Joy"Joy and Austin's wedding day is coming up fast, so her siblings prepare some special gifts for the happy couple while taking a trip down memory lane remembering Joy through the years.

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tripstations · 5 years ago

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The best travel documentaries on Netflix

By James Jayasundera on Jul 12, 2019 in Asia, Food and Drink, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Photography, Regions, Travel Equipment, Travel Miscellany, Videos

Escape into the real world with some of our favourite travel documentaries showing on Netflix. Our globe has more adventure and magic than any fictional show. We have delved into the world of wanderlust to discover astonishing sights waiting to be explored. From the islands of Japan to treasure hunting in South India’s Golconda diamonds mines, ignite your imagination and let the tales below be a catalyst for planning an adventure of a lifetime.

Children of the Snow Lands

Telling the moving story of children in the High Himalayas of Nepal, this documentary follows the footsteps of young students returning to their mountain homes after over a decade spent away at schools in Kathmandu. Filmmakers Zara Balfour and Marcus Stephenson tread lightly alongside this emotional pilgrimage home, never moving from sensitivity and a deep bond forged with the subjects.

We meet one girl who was carried on her aunt’s back to Kathmandu aged four and her emotional reunion, now aged 16, with her mother, alongside 17-year old Nima whose journey home is fraught with danger, travelling through high avalanche-risk valleys to his village in the highest inhabited region on Earth. This is an unforgettable story, called “incredibly inspiring” by Bear Grylls, of hope, endurance, family and sacrifice played out against the starkly breathtaking scenery of the Land of the Gods.

Parts Unknown: Myanmar

The late, great Anthony Bourdain set off on a journey with CNN to sample some of the best dishes to be found in lesser-known regions of the world. His unique style, infused with wit and a deep passion for food, takes us on a magic carpet ride of ingredients and personalities.

Travelling through the still relatively undiscovered landscape of Myanmar, Bourdain has a series of breakfast and lunch dates with an intriguing cast of characters as a backdrop to the highlighted dishes. From a breakfast of mohinga (fish-based soup with rice noodles) with a veteran Burmese journalist, to savouring chicken necks and cold beer with New York restauranter Philippe Lajaunie, and tea leaf salad in Yangon with renowned astrologer and ex-prisoner San Zarni Bo, this smorgasboard of stories brings Myanmar alive in a most memorable way.

Chef’s Table: Asma Khan

Asma Khan is nothing if not a one woman phenomenon. From first ventures into the world of food, hosting successful supper clubs at her Kensington home to opening a string of critically acclaimed Indian fusion restaurants across London, the lawyer-turned-entrepreneur is passionate about both sharing her culinary heritage and empowering women. Her kitchens are all-female and Khan travels the globe supporting and sharing the cause of women’s rights.

As the first British chef to be featured on Netflix’s famed series Chef’s Table, Khan takes us to her native city of Lucknow, India. We sit in the arching drawing room of her family palace and travel through time to worlds of purdah, dignity, family pride and a deep-rooted sense of belonging. “When you share food, it builds a bridge between you and the other person, who may be from a different cultural background from you,” says Khan. We delve deep into the nuanced layers of Muslim Indian society led hand in hand by the gracious and warm chef who brings an effortless magnetism to the screen.

David Attenborough’s Our Planet

Opening with a line from one of the most famous voices on earth, David Attenborough, “For the first time in our history, the stability of nature can no longer be taken for granted. All across our planet, crucial connections are being disrupted, the stability that we and all life relies upon is being lost. What we do in the next 20 years will determine the future for all life on Earth”.

Newly released and a heart cry for the urgency of conservation, David Attenborough’s Our Planet is an 8-episode explosion of some of the most awesome photography ever seen. At its core is a message we all need to hear – every species on earth, including humans, are interconnected and the destruction of any poses a grave risk for all. Weaving the issues of today’s planet, including global warming and environmental degradation is deeply impacting and a bold move away from the familiar cosy Attenborough narrative into darker territory. Lines such as “we have destroyed half the forests on earth” cannot fail to shock. This series has a clear purpose to shake all of us out of passivity and engage with the struggle to help our planet rebalance itself for future generations. A must-see!

Wild Japan – BBC Earth

Michelle Dockery, of Downton Abbey fame, takes the viewer on a memorable trek through some of approximately 6,800 islands of the sometimes mysterious Japan. Beginning at the largest island Honshu, home to Tokyo, where 100 million people live in an area one-sixth the size of France, we discover the central Japanese Alps, balmy summers and sub-zero winters alongside Black Bears and unique species.

Further afield lie a jewel box of scattered islands, each with a unique quality and identity, Kyushu has an active volcano, Yakushima sports millenia-old cedar tree forests, utterly magical and given UNESCO world heritage status while Okinawa has the world’s smallest wild boars, green turtles and hauntingly beautiful Iriomote mangrove forests. Hokkaido, once part of Siberia, is another intriguing subject explored, formerly ruled by the indigenous Ainu tribes until 19th century Japanese settlers created an agricultural paradise. These far eastern islands are a scenic and dramatic destination with many stories uncovered.

Street Food – Netflix Original

There is surely no better way to get under the skin of another land and people than through the scents, tastes and zing of street food. Called “a chaotic paradise of food”, this fast-paced and emotive Netflix Original series, from the creators of Chef’s Table, traverses the lanes and alleyways of Hanoi, Mumbai, Manila, Bangkok and other pulsating cities.

Real stories are shared through the lick of flames, the cracking of beer bottles and the joyful smiles of nocturnal street diners. This is humanity stripped of pretense and barriers, coming together to share the olfactory and taste pleasures of some of the most authentic and best food on the planet. Voices and eyes narrate tales of hardship, perseverance and success against all odds. This is inspiration and the purest form of travel – that of sharing a plate with a stranger and joining in his journey. A star!

Tales By Light

“Behind every powerful image is a powerful story”. This is the premise behind this extraordinary documentary by Sydney cinematographer Abraham Joffe who spent 12 months travelling the world with five prominent photographers as they journeyed in search of the perfect image.

From Buddhist monks and fire ceremonies in Bhutan to tribal life on Papua New Guinea’s remote Sepik River, Humpback Whales in Tonga and lions in the African deserts, this is an enthralling and sometimes heartstopping reveal into what it takes to be a travel photographer. Following the likes of National Geographic’s Art Wolfe, Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography author Richard I’Anson, Tales By Light is a true showing of masters in action.

The Lost Treasure Hunters: Golconda

Imagine embarking on an Indiana Jones-style escapade in search of diamonds at the world’s former greatest mine. This is exactly what Sam Speerstra does in the Discovery Channel show “Lost Treasure Hunters” as he ventures into the heart of India to the famed Golconda Mines, a place of legend, curses and untold wealth.

Along with Rob Towner, an expert gold miner and diamond hunter, Speerstra takes on deadly vipers, cobras, local superstition and an impending monsoon to search for the precious stones at a source that has produced more diamonds than anywhere on earth. From vacuuming diamonds off the bottom of the Krishna River, one of the longest rivers in India, to dredging waters with an elephant barge, translating Sanskrit maps and overseeing an animal sacrifice to appease river gods, this is an action-packed, compelling and occasionally close to the bone glimpse into the world of extreme prospecting and India’s real life lost jewels.

Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father

Comedian Jack Whitehall kidnaps his conservative father, theatrical agent Michael Whitehall, for a true “odd couple” escape across the glorious landscape of Southeast Asia in this six-part travelogue. A joyful, madcap whirlwind where Whitehall senior packs his Garrick Club tie “in case I meet an ambassador” and confesses that his idea of an odyssey is crossing Putney Bridge.

The episodes reveal as much about the father and son dynamic, revelling in their contrasting characters and shared sense of the ridiculous, as the pair navigate the landscapes. From elephant polo to ladyboy entertainers, the Orient Express and the mystical Angkor Wat, Jack and Michael are game for anything and the cultural differences are made even more hilarious by the soundtrack of dry British humour.

James Jayasundera is Founder and Managing Director of Ampersand Travel. Ampersand Travel create bespoke and luxurious travel experiences to Asia, the British Isles and Southern Africa.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

The post The best travel documentaries on Netflix appeared first on Tripstations.

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chadnevett · 7 years ago

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Random Thoughts! (August 20, 2017)

On vacation. Michelle and Ryan left on Friday night after supper. My activities since then have been enjoyable and relaxing. I read outside on our patio (Friday night and, then, this morning before the sun got high enough to bother me -- I really do love getting up before the sun rises enough to bother me and read the paper). Listened to a couple of podcasts. Read a bunch of comics. Watched a bunch of wrestling (with more tonight!). And watched most of the bonus features on the Twin Peaks boxset (DVD edition). And drank a ton of coffee. I am currently struggling with writing about The Ultimates 2 and listening to some 2017 albums -- just finished Times Infinity Vol. 2 by the Dears (who I will have the pleasure of seeing live in November when they come to Windsor -- one of the last bands on my bucket list of musical acts to see live) and currently have Humanz by Gorillaz on (who I could see live in Detroit, I guess, but I don't really want to). But, here's some Random Thoughts for you...

* I'm not necessarily a big concert guy. I enjoy them well enough, but I'm also older and lazier and I enjoy sitting my ass down for a concert. I'm mature enough to know that sitting doesn't mean a lack of engagement or excitement. It just means I don't want to stand all fucking night when there's a perfectly good chair. Standing does not make the music better. I figure the Dears show will be a standing affair being in a bar -- but, I've also had some good sitting in a bar shows. But, there are a small list of musical acts that I'll go out of my way to see live. The ones I've seen that fall under this category: Sam Roberts Band (five times), the White Stripes (twice -- haven't seen Jack White in any other band or solo yet -- I'd go out of my way to see him solo), the Tragically Hip (twice), Hawksley Workman (twice) the Hives, Ryan Adams, Matthew Good, k-os, Danko Jones and Neil Young (twice). I've seen other bands live, but I think that covers the list of acts that are on my "buy their stuff when it comes out automatically" list. The Dears will soon join that list. The acts that I haven't yet seen that I would like to: Metallica (I could have on their latest tour, but various factors made it seem less ideal -- which was good, because I had a terrible cold that week and it would have been a miserable experience), Queens of the Stone Age (a possibility for their next tour, but money is always an issue -- and, honestly, one of the factors I mentioned is that I prefer not to go to Detroit concerts on weeknights... too much time/effort -- because I am old and lazy), Steven Page and/or Barenaked Ladies (I'd choose the former over the latter if forced to choose), Joel Plaskett, the Black Keys, Arkells, Bob Dylan (his latest trip through Detroit was part of some festival, so no), and... that's about it, I guess. I'd love to see almost any of the bands I've seen already again -- especially Hawksley Workman, the Hives, and Danko Jones. The musicans I've missed out on because of death is a third list that reminds me that maybe I should stop being so picky about conditions for seeing people: Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, and Motorhead (the last two were ones that I remember playing in Detroit when I've lived in Windsor).

* The comics I read yesterday were mostly some things I'd put aside and let accumulate, like the most recent Sex Criminals arc (which reads so much better in a bigger chunk like that) and the last half-year of Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses. That last one... man, someone said it on Twitter a few weeks ago, but why is no one talking about Stray Bullets? Ever since it ended way back when, people kept bitching and moaning for it to come back and, then, it does, and it's FUCKING AMAZING. It's the best monthly comic I read (therefore: the best monthly comic out right now, because I clearly read only the best monthly comics). It's crazy and unpredictable and rooted in these flawed, fucked up characters... The current story fills in the gaps between the first arc and the second and it just keeps going (issue 27 is out in a week-and-a-half) and you'd think you'd just go "Enough already!" but it keeps getting better. It just keeps adding on and adding on and adding on and digging into this detail here and adding onto that and... it seems like it could go forever.

* Been doing a lot of work at home lately. Every night practically. Even if it's just 30-60 minutes, it just takes up so much mental space. It's nice to not worry about that right now. I've been struggling a bit the past two days with pushing that from my mind. It's working... slowly. I care about my job. Maybe too much. But, it is what it is. Over the past year, I've been really working on trying to leave work at work, at least mentally. Doing the overtime at home is okay, but I wish it didn't mean that work occupied my mind between when I leave and when I begin doing that extra work. That's the last space that I need to work on. Right now, it's hard to push away because of a couple of things that I'm waiting to hear about, so I've got some anxiety (good and bad). But, it's fading... Might come back tomorrow a bit more because then it's a possibility that I'll get called about either thing since they're both big enough to warrant calling me while I'm off (theoretically -- maybe my bosses don't see it that way). So... there we are. But, one thing I've learned is that putting it down in writing helps. Either like this or by making a list of some kind. Put it down in writing and it leaves your head. It's there in writing instead.

* Teen Titans Go! is my favourite superhero TV show/movie. Bar none. It's not even close at this point. That show is everything that I want from superhero fiction at this point. It does everything. It's wacky and meta and funny and serious... except not really. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It's about flawed people who are superheroes. As others have pointed out, it's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for kids. On the whole, it is beyond anything I currently see in superhero comics. (It's also my counterargument to everyone who shits on DC in favour of Marvel in the TV/movie realm -- Marvel wishes any of its shit was half this good).

* Tonight is SummerSlam. For the second year in a row, my vacation lines up with SummerSlam weekend -- and Michelle and Ryan being gone to do something with her family. That means I will be ordering Pizza Hut tonight. It's what I order when I get to watch a WWE PPV alone. I don't know why. I just like ordering Pizza Hut for these things. I'm looking forward to the show. I have no idea if it will be good or not. WWE is so fucking unpredictable these days with quality. Shows that look great on paper flop; shows that look dull as shit turn out to be engaging and lively. I just hope I don't begin to nod off near the end. That's my big downfall these days: any time after 7:30, I may hit a half-hour period where my body decides it's time for bed and I have to fight against the urge. Once I fight through, I'm good -- but, man, that fight is a tough one some nights. Last night, I didn't really fight it when it hit during the main event of the NXT show, because I knew how good Roode/McIntyre would be and didn't consider it worth the effort (NXT shows are continually quite good, bar the NXT title matches for the past year or so... holy fuck do they need to get that sorted). There's nothing specific that I'm looking forward to -- or dreading. Just looking forward to taking the show in. And eating Pizza Hut. (Still not decided on what I'm getting. I love their Canadian, but it's tough, because I want to maximise what I get for the cheapest amount of money. They have a daily $10 medium/large pizza and Sunday is Triple Crown (pepperoni, green peppers and mushrooms), so I sometimes get a large one of those. They also have a $15 deal that I'll get: a two-topping Panlicious pizza (a square pizza with eight slices), eight boneless chicken bites, and breadsticks. I like that, because it's a nice bit of variety (and I dig the breadsticks). I might get that, because they have some new smokehouse pepperoni that I'm curious about... This is what I spend far too much time thinking about.)

* My Keurig coffee of choice is the Van Houtte Mexico blend. I've tried just about every dark roast you can get in k-cups and it's the best. My co-workers will sometimes hit me up for a k-cup here and there, and, if I have the Mexico stuff at the office, their eyes light up. It's the good shit.

* On the August Civic Holiday, Ryan's daycare was open, so Michelle and I had a day to ourselves. We watched Fire Walk with Me, had lunch together, and saw Dunkirk. After dropping Ryan off, though, we stopped at Starbucks, and I tried one of their clover coffees -- I got the most expensive one -- $6 for a venti. It was okay. Not worth six bucks, though. Maybe $3.50.

* We watched Twin Peaks a month or so back. We both liked it a lot. Not nearly as weird as I thought it would be based on what people said. But, I also like how I knew a few big details (the basic premise, the identity of the killer, the final scene of the first season, and the final scene of the second season -- maybe a couple of other bits and pieces there, but nothing major) and it didn't impact my enjoyment at all. I didn't feel spoiled, because it's very much a show about experiencing what's happening, not where it winds up. That leaves me fairly good about not seeing the current one and not worrying about learning plot details. Who cares? It doesn't really tell me a lot about what watching the show is like. The only way to know that is to see it. And, man, am I looking forward to when we can watch The Return. (Okay, if I really wanted, I could shell out the money for The Movie Network -- as that's where it airs in Canada -- or find a way to pirate it online, but, nah... We'll just wait for the DVD, because we're old and prefer to spend money on things that are more permanent, theoretically.)

* We both had the same complaint about Fire Walk with Me -- we wanted more of the FBI stuff. The Laura stuff was good, but it fell into the same problem that a lot of prequel stuff does: you know the overall plot and the experience isn't quite good enough to make it worthwhile again.

* Currently rereading Raymond Chandler's work. I began with the two short story collections I have (Trouble is My Business and The Simple Art of Murder) and am currently up to The Long Goodbye in the novels. After I finish the novels, I'm going back to my copy of his complete short stories and will read all of the ones that weren't in the two collections (I got the two collections before I got the complete hardcover). You can really see him progress as a writer in the novels. The Big Sleep is definitely the worst-written one thus far. With each book, the prose gets better -- and there's an increasing focus on the non-plot details. It becomes more and more about how Marlowe suffers and deals with the worst fucking people and his increasing impatience with these pieces of shit. Every novel, I go "This is his best novel!" I love how his first post-Hollywood novel The Little Sister is just so fucking bitter. He took all of his feelings about that period of his life and put them on the page. One of the things I plan to do this week is watch The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. (If I can find the time -- or more accurately, choose to spend my time doing it, I'm also planning to watch all of Christopher Nolan's movies in a row...) James Ellroy has often said how little he likes Chandler's writing, but Ellroy writes such complementary work to Chandler's novels. More explicit, sure, and from the other side (the cops), but they work in concert quite well, exploring the same location in a similar period. And they don't contradict one another much (at least from what I remember).

* Okay, for superhero comics, what I'm digging these days: obviously The Mighty Thor. After that, what I think I'm enjoying most is The Infamous Iron Man by Bendis and Maleev. They did a scene with Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm a couple of issues ago that was fantastic. It's a very atmospheric book. Very relaxed. I have to remind myself to slow down with it. Wicked and Divine is good; as is Uber (the most recent issue was a technical bit of genius). Joe Casey is back doing a couple of books for Lion Forge's Catalyst Prime line -- Accell has had three issues and veers wildly between the best and worst of Casey's superhero work (with art that is not at all my taste) and The Incidentals starts this week. I dig Bendis's other work and... I mean, Ellis is doing The Wild Storm, which is good. I'm not sure I'm reading anything else superhero-related at this point. Oh, I really liked the first issue of Mister Miracle. More than I expected. It's the second thing by Tom King I'm reading. I got the trade of Omega Men when it came out and it was Fine. Not at all as good as everyone made it seem, but... Maybe it was built up too much. Maybe I should revisit it again. I'm waiting for Vision to be released in one chunk. And Batman... maybe someday, but... Finch... But, I figured I'd jump on board Mister Miracle as it looked like it would be my kind of thing. So far, it is.

* I had backed a Kickstarter for the Nexus Compendium and that fell through, kind of, for a variety of personal reasons for the Rudes. But, to make good, they offered a few options, one of which was the equivalent of my pledge at their store online with a discount code. So I got the two Nexus trades there (Space Opera and the ones collecting the Dark Horse Presents stuff). Then I looked online and realised that, if I got volumes seven and eight of the Nexus Omnibus, I'd have the complete series, basically. So I got them for this vacation. Looking forward to reading through those comics. The other book I'd gotten and saved for vacation was the seventh Powers deluxe hardcover, which covers "The Bureau Saga." It was good. Read it yesterday afternoon. It had been so long since the sixth volume that I honestly forgot what I had happened aside from they'd be working for the FBI now. Duh. That will be a fun series to reread some day.

* Preacher season two is really good. I've made peace with how much it deviates from the comic, I think. The two are pretty much unrelated at this point aside from some of the broad details. Which is fine. I'd rather see something that draws upon the comic but does it's own thing. I struggled with some of their choices at first (mostly the stuff with Jesse and his dad, because that was a dramatic change that seemed to fundamentally change the character in ways that I wasn't sure I liked). I do like not knowing where it's going. At this point, anything that matches the comic is the big surprise rather than points of depature. The stuff in hell is really great, in particular.

* The latest issue of Heavy Metal has no Grant Morrison comics. Only four more issues left. What a fucking waste this subscription has been. Two issues never received. My one attempt to get one of them resulted in them sending me an issue I already had -- TWICE (they sent it, I complained that they sent the wrong one and they sent it again -- three fucking copies of this one issue, man). I had high hopes for his tenure on the magazine, but it's been a bust. Okay, that's harsh. I've enjoyed some stuff in it. Even a Morrison strip ("Mythopia" is worth writing about). The "Zentropa" stuff by John Mahoney always makes me stop and look. The odd thing here and there, but... The most recent issue is full of strips inspired by songs by metal acts that I don't enjoy. FUN.

* I'm boring. Enjoy your Sunday.

#random thoughts #comics #music #books #tv #raymond chandler #the dears #teen titans go #david lapham #Brian Michael Bendis #wrestling #i am boring

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