#because of the whole Living in mumbai thing i added | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shararsblog · 3 years

Text

BENGALURU - INDIA'S CRIME CAPITAL.

(28/07/2021)

Greetings for the day. Here I am beginning with my first blog or post whatever you can say. To begin with let's straight away come to the point. Many blogs have been written till date, with each blogger expressing his heart and mind on various issues. So I am too putting my heart and soul into a subject, which is present throughout the world, and each country has its own law policy when it comes to dealing with i.e. crime.

Here are my experiences of living in a city based in Karnataka in India for four months. Bangalore or Bengaluru as you can call it, is considered as the IT hub of India, a city from where United States of America sources the highest number of software professionals for working in projects in its own backyard. But apart from being the Information technology hub of India, Bengaluru is also the hub for highest number of crimes, along with New Delhi.

Though I have stayed in Pune too a city in neighbouring Maharashtra state another IT hub, and visited Mumbai which is close by, but never ever had this fear psychosis of happening to see gang wars, because the law and order machinery in Pune, Pimpri - Chinchwad and Mumbai was by far very much in control by police authorities there. So why Bengaluru has become lawless? during my four months of stay there, every morning I happen to open the newspapers and the Bengaluru section showed up at least one or two murders, the result being gang wars. The killers regular criminals and their victims also history sheeter's. These gangsters or rowdies carried on with their killings on the streets of Bengaluru with so much audacity, that they never possessed any fear of law. The recent killing of Joseph Babli who himself a rowdy inside a bank in Koramangala, highlights the brazenness of killers, that Joseph was chased inside the bank, and hacked to death in broad daylight in front of scores of customers and bank employees, goes on to show complete failure of law and order machinery in Bengaluru.

Not just this, another murder of a former corporator Rekha Kadiresh that too in broad daylight in cotton pet area of Bengaluru, was an added feather in hat for an inefficient Bengaluru police. Slaying rivals in daytime in full public view, indulging in rowdism, road rage, harrasing innocent people, chain snatching gangs over bikes on prowl in every area, So where is the Bengaluru police in picture, that is the question?

And why rowdies in Bengaluru have no fear of police?

Bengaluru police and Karnataka politicians are to be blamed for this. The answer here lies in police - criminal - politician nexus. Also you may be surprised to know that Karnataka state ranks top in corruption index in whole of India. Power hungry politicians, greed for money and coupled with it the biggest major factor which has led to rise in goondaism is land deals. Bengaluru city is considered as one of hot cakes for real estate market, land grabbing is rampant and where higher acre's of land is involved for deals corrupt politicians, mafias and police are hand in glove.

Though land is very less available in Bengaluru urban areas and even if available, the prices are skyrocket and rowdies ultimately with blessings of politicians get involved. This rowdies - karnataka politicians nexus have blossomed to such an extent, that middle class families, who despite can afford to own plots at higher prices never dare to get involved. The problem begins from the bottom of organizational hierarchy in police department. The rot is so deeper that for example, say five out of every ten constabulary rank officials within Bengaluru police force, are hand in glove with the rowdies, this relates to daily hafta collection or in simple language extort money through these rowdies from hawkers, bar restaurant owners, share in commission arising out of disputed land deals and many illegal activities done by these rowdies. The buck does not stop here, the Bengaluru traffic police have a set target of collection fixed by every DCPs in their respective zones, so regular office goers either in two wheelers, four wheelers, rickshaws, commercial vehicles face the brunt of hafta collection. What an irony! Never ever in the history of Policing across the world, has there been so much rampant corruption, as has been the case with Bangalore police.

Kamal Pant Bengaluru police chief : completely clueless.

But then whose responsibility is it to discipline the Police?

Karnataka is a state, which has seen two parties struggle for power, back in 2018 Congress - JDS (Janata Dal secular) combine wrestled power from BJP (Bharatiya Janata party) headed by BS Yeddyurappa. Kumaraswamy son of former prime minister Deve Gowda became the chief minister, the BJP despite being the single largest party could not garner the numbers required to form the government. But two years later the tide turned completely in BJP's favour, the biggest drama unfolded in Karnataka, with accusations of horse trading leveled by Congress - JDS combine against BJP. The Kumaraswamy govt was reduced to a minority, and it failed to retain power. The BS Yeddyurappa led BJP stormed to power in Karnataka. Power tussles are nothing new in Indian politics, but the sad part is the lust for power has taken a huge toll on law and order machinery in Bengaluru. The Karnataka politicians already neck deep in corruption, have left the city to rot at the mercy of rowdies. Another major factor for rise in hooliganism is the patronage provided by political parties to rowdies, take any party be it the Congress, the BJP or JDS have rowdies seated at their party offices, the favour these goons do for these political class may vary, it may be anything even getting a cup of tea for the party youth leaders or district incharge, distribution of pamplets during elections many other things and obviously the favour is returned, with blessings of these political parties rowdies have a say, in every tender issued by the Karnataka government, almost 99% of contracts sourced out by the local corporation body of Bengaluru i.e. the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has been handed over to rowdies, whether related to garbage collection, disposal, road repair contracts etc. When elections are round the corner, the hooliganism is at its peak, these very leaders are accompanied by these rowdies, threatening people who raise their voices, gangwars involving rowdies from rival political parties, if an in-depth analysis is done of the extent of criminals invasion into political parties, shocking as it may sound close to 80% of these so called party workers are rowdy elements. As it is said, the strong basis for students to pass with good marks in school and later to excel in life and become ideal citizens of the country, the onus lies on the principal and teachers and the education imparted in schools getting students to value good culture, respect for one another, and focus on studies. If one or two students fail in all these aspects, the blame can be put on students themselves, but just imagine if the whole class fails, then obviously the principal, the teachers are responsible. So the same applies to the police force of a state as well, the police department is a big school in itself, and the chief minister of the state is the principal and teachers his respective cabinet colleagues, so they are the torch bearers for these law enforcement agencies, and giving them guidance drafting policies is the sole responsibility of chief minister his cabinet colleagues. But here the entire Bengaluru police machinery has failed miserably and politicians governing the state are solely responsible.

BJP has been at the helm of Karnataka for almost two years now, even in these two years chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and his home minister colleague Basavraj Bommai miserably failed to bring crime rate down in Bengaluru. What can you expect from a police force, when the chief minister himself is embroiled in an illegal land deal. The bench of Karnataka high court led by justice Ravi malimath and Micheal Cunha even refused to give him any relief on the matter. Also infighting within the state BJP, and some leaders unhappy with Yeddyurappa's style of functioning has led to the CM busy trying to save his own govt, fighting his detractors, leave development of state at God's mercy and Bengaluru of course at rowdies mercy. And finally infighting within the BJP took its toll, Mr. BS Yeddyurappa resigned from the CMs post. And as usual came the drama with his resignation, an emotional Yeddyurappa in tears thanking Prime minister Modi, Amit Shah and JP Nadda for giving him an opportunity to serve the people of the state. Mr. Yeddyurappa we can understand your emotions but you should have stopped at that, your immature and misleading comment that, "Bengaluru is turning into a world class city" is the biggest Joke of the millennium. The reality is you and your predecessor Mr. Kumaraswamy have turned Bengaluru into a world class gangsters city.

Former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa : equally responsible for lawless Bengaluru.

Corruption in police department is not something new and is prevalent across India. Also let me make it clear, not all cops are corrupt, there are a few who put their heart out and perform their duties. Even in Bengaluru police department there are officers at constabulary rank, inspectors, senior inspectors, who have excellent track record in curbing crime and have acted tough against rowdies but there are also a few with questionable track record and it is this few dark sheep within the police that has led to rowdies wrecking havoc in the city. Also this time things really aren't good in Bengaluru at all. Though police chief Pant on his behalf is doing everything thing to bring crime rate down, Bengaluru CCB has siezed a large cache of drugs, several drug peddlers have been nabbed, several rowdies homes have been raided a large cache of weopans recovered, but still the rowdies menace has been increasing in Bengaluru rapidly.

Mr Kamal Pant now you also need to bring the hammer down harder on some of your own men, women within the force, who have links with these rowdies. Cleaning must also be done at home. There was a time when Mumbai city in Maharashtra state, also known as the financial capital of India was under the grip of the underworld gangs in 90s, things had totally spiralled out of control due to gangwars, prominent builders, film personalities, small time business men became victims for refusal to pay extortion and some for links with rival gangs.

It took the combined effort of the Mumbai police who formed hit squads later on called as encounter specialists to eliminate the gangsters. And the credit for completely wiping out the underworld from Mumbai, goes to then Mumbai police commissioner Mr. MN Singh. Bengaluru is facing the same problem today, that Mumbai faced in 90s. And Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant will have to take a leaf from what MN Singh did in Mumbai.

Also political interference in police working has been the biggest problem in India. That police work under political pressure is not a hidden secret. And this has been one of the reasons for rowdy explosion in Bengaluru. Rowdies enjoy political patronage, from all three the Congress, JDS and BJP. In Mumbai the police turned a deaf year to political influence, and took on underworld in a spirited way under guidance of MN Singh. Certainly Bengaluru police go weak in their knees when it comes to politicians, and none but Mr Kamal Pant will have to put his foot down on such interferences, when it comes to dealing with rowdies, even if it means confrontation with a ruling party and also take action against political leaders who are linked to these rowdies. Kamal Pant and Bengaluru police have a long long way to go if they want to rid Bengaluru from gangsters. And I have no doubt at all that things have come to a level where Bengaluru cops have to form a separate hit squad to eliminate the rowdies like Mumbai police did.

Also Bengaluru being an IT hub and one of the cities with higher number of foreign tourists visiting for trips as well as official company work, such lawlessness does not augur well for the city, the image of Bengaluru has already taken a severe beating at international level and it will have severe consequences. Foreign direct investment will be hit, if things don't improve, that day won't be far when other countries start issuing advisory or warning to its citizens to deter from visiting Bengaluru, as it has already happened in New Delhi's case, and if it happens in Bengaluru's case prime minister Narendra Modi's 'ache din' or 'good days' of his promise to citizens of India will be dented beyond repair.

#bengaluru #kamal pant #karnataka #bs yeddyurappa #karnataka bjp #bengaluru police #hd kumaraswamy #congress #bangalore #narendra modi

2 notes · View notes

insanityclause · 4 years

Link

Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 4 features numerous television series that fans are looking forward to. While WandaVision kicks off MCU Phase 4 this weekend, the phase also features shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, What If...?, Loki, She-Hulk, Hawkeye and Ms Marvel. While we've been hearing updates about the series over the past few weeks, our hearts sprung with joy when we learned an Indian actor was a part of one of these series. It was previously revealed that Bollywood actor Mohan Kapur will star in Ms Marvel.

The actor, who was seen in Sadak 2 last year, will play Kamala Khan aka Ms Marvel's father on the show. Soon after the announcement, Pinkvilla caught up with Mohan for a quick chat about the project and his experience of working with Marvel Studios. The B-town star recalled learning about the casting during the lockdown and he auditioned for the role with the help of his friend.

"I requested a friend because the audition part was between me and my daughter, I called a male friend of mine and said, 'yaar please come with your mask and all, and help me shoot this audition.' He was very kind and he came over we shot the audition. That was on August 12th and we sent it. The casting director at Marvel loved it so it just (worked). October I flew and we began filming in the first week of November," he recalled.

"I am playing the father, it is a really nice role and I can relate to it, not that I am a father (laughs) but I have played a lot of these kinds of roles in India too. But this one is special," he added. Before making his way to the sets, Mohan revealed he was sent the Ms Marvel comics and connected with Ms Marvel's co-creator Sana Amanat digitally. Once he landed in Atlanta, the actor met the team and carried out readings with them. However, Mohan added, the team couldn't socialise due to COVID-19.

"The whole cast sat together, we had readings for the episodes. There wasn't much we could socialise, we would have all loved to go out for dinners and things like that. But we were all under very strict quarantine, and we still are. Of course, it is basically up to us to be responsible and everyone in the cast and crew also, they are all being responsible," he said. Mohan added that Marvel is strict with the COVID measures on sets. While a COVID officer is always on sets, governing the shoot, the cast and crew also take a COVID-19 test thrice a week to ensure safety.

While Ms Marvel marks Mohan's first Hollywood acting project, he is also possibly the first Bollywood actor to star in a Marvel Studios project. Talking about the milestone, Mohan said he is blessed to be working in Hollywood and in a Marvel project is like godsent. "For me, of course, I am representing my country, but I am also representing my film industry on whose stepping stones over the years has led me to come and let me be a part of this. I am not a sportsman but I feel like a sportsman in the acting arena, it feels really proud that I am representing my country. So everything I do, it should be of calibre. It feels damn good," he said.

Although Mohan encountered numerous new people on the sets of Ms Marvel, the actor experienced a sense of familiarity courtesy his co-star Zenobia Shroff, who plays Kamala's mother on the show. "The lady playing my wife, Zenobia Shroff, is from Mumbai. She is Parsi from Mumbai. She has been tutored in theatre by Pearl Padamsee and I have done theatre with Pearl and her daughter Raell Padamsee. When we started comparing notes, we realised that we have so many friends in common," he said.

Ms Marvel is being shot at the Trilith Studios in Atlanta. The location has doubled up as a venue for several other Marvel Studios, including Loki. Asked if he crossed paths with any other MCU star at the studio, Mohan recalled an incident involving Tom Hiddleston. "We are shooting in the same studios, Pinewood Studios, it has got different floors. We are on stage 9. One day, this was when we were still doing readings, we were all just standing and waiting for our vans to come and head back home. Suddenly someone from the sets comes and asks, 'Hey, did you see them?' I asked, 'See who?' 'The guys who just went cycling by?' I said 'I saw two people, everyone's in masks.' (I was informed) it was Tom Hiddleston. I said, 'What? Tom Hiddleston, you mean Loki?' Arre yaar, yeh mask ne toh jeena haram kar rakha hai yaar, main bhaag ke uska autograph leta, I would have taken a selfie and all of that," he said.

He also added that Jason Bateman is living in the building the MCU actor resides at. But he hasn't met anyone due to the COVID bubble. "I haven't bumped into anybody due to this mask," he adds. Asked if we could see any of the MCU actors appearing in Ms Marvel, Mohan said he wasn't aware of such a development as of yet. "There are chances of cameos but we don't know," he said.

8 notes · View notes

tellywoodtrash · 4 years

Text

immj2 09.10.20 lb

lol, lemme preface this by telling you what i know about the show from my out-of-context insta-viewing:

kabir sends his gf riddhima in to spy on vansh RAISINGHANIA (naam ka wazan check karein ji. kaafi hi bhaari-bharkam, just like the fake baritone the actor playing the character is being forced to put on.) vansh is some kinda shady, but idk WHAT SPECIFIC KIND of shady..... like is he just your garden-variety-evil-capitalist-ala-ambani-bezos, or is he into shit like drug smuggling and human/organ trafficking???? no one knows. maybe a little bit of both. but kabir’s a COP, and we all know that those fuckers are the shadiest shits around (#ACAB) so yeah, true to type, kabir shadyyyyyyyy. he’s actually the secret illegitimate son of vansh’s stepmom and together they wanna ruin vansh and take all his monies. so anyway, kabir sends in riddhima, who’s just a whole special brand of dumbass, but also extraordinarily determined in the way only tellywood heroines are. so she’s basically sticking her nose everywhere that doesn’t belong and being a pain in the ass of literally everyone in the show, including her own (coz she seems to get injured in novel and entertaining ways in every second episode.) kabir ultimately manipulates her into marrying vansh, while vansh has apparently married her KNOWING that she’s a spy and is probably playing the long game to see who her puppet-master is. long story short, heterosexuality is too potent a force and the Stupid Spy Girl and Gangsta Guy are currently slowly giving in to the Feelz™, despite missing that one-little-teensy-weensy-who-even-needs-it-in-a-real-relationship thing. y’know, that little thing called, idk, i think it’s called “TRUST” or some such strange unheard-of concept.

oh, in between all this there’s also some bizarre plot about some ex of vansh’s called ragini, who’s dead??? missing? idk. kabir is real interested in that and wants to jail vansh for it, but we’ve long forgotten about ragini by this point #RIPSis anyway, there’s some kinda statue of her’s in the attic or some shit, coz vansh is some kinda modern day gender-reversed medusa who turns women who cross him into statues??? idk man, idk. so riddhima is pretty much in constant danger of being statue-d.

also vansh has a requisite irritating famiy in tow, that he’s burdened with being in charge of (coz no rest for the unfortunate eldest son who lives in this godforksaken mansion, be that an oberoi or a raisinghania) feat: a dadi who is well-meaning, but as annoying as the one in IB was, constantly spouting platitudes about how vansh and Spy Girl trooooooly lurrrrrrrrrrve each other *kissy noises*; some chachi/chacha who are all “HEY WHY DOES HE GET TO BE THE BOSS, WE WANT CONTROL OF THE CRORE-ON KA BIJNESS TOO”, some very fake kanji-eyed siblings/cousins who are supreme bitches, and ofc one (1) normal sibling who is sweet but really does nothing around here. oh and there’s his right hand man/bff too, who seems to be not 100% (maybe just 83%?) incompetent like everyone else. that poor sod just got suckered into marrying Kanji Aankhon Waali Bitch Sister, who is pregnant with some total rando’s baby, and is just an all-round asshole to Riddhima/Right Hand Man, because “ugh, yeh do kaudi ke middle class naukar log, cheeeeee.”

ok now that the sasta, not-at-all-useful recap has been done, LET’S GET INTO THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

———————————————————————

the chachi is screaming her goddamn headdddd off coz her room is on fire. ofc it is. when has anything good ever happened in this manhoos house of horrors.

lmao the kanji eyed cousin has like 3% concern that his mom will be fried like a taaza jalebi. he's literally sauntering luxuriously towards his mom's room jaise park mein tehel raha ho.

chachi's screaming is getting on my nerves. aunty you're wasting valuable oxygen this way.

riddhima is behind some secret box that aryan and chachi stashed in the room.

THESE PPL ARE SO CHILL ABOUT A WHOLE ROOM ON FIRE (note: it’s shivaay's room in IB) and they're just hanging out in the living room (which if you’ll remember, IS ATTACHED TO THE ROOM THAT WAS SHIVAAY’S) as if fire doesnt have a tendency to y'know.......... SPREAD RAPIDLY.

riddhima is fighting with the bloody fireman saying ki i need to save the box. #priorities

aaaaaaand the fireman is kabir, who has come to haath maarofy on Box of Secrets.

and we know this coz he did a DRAMAAAAAAAAATIC reveal by taking off his mask. in a room FULLY ON FIRE. idhar non-flaming rooms mein bhi ab mask nikaalna danger ho gaya hai, and this guy justtttttttttt dgaf. tum jaison ki wajaah se hi we can't bloody stop the spread.

my god this house has been decorated soooooooo fucking tackily. never thought the oberois would be the classy ones.

shady saasumaa and riddhima stinkeye-ing each other over a bowl of shehed. lol, what even. truly some "rasode mein kaun tha" lvl of politics.

oh ho, saasumaa and kabir lagaaofied the aag.

saasumaa gloating over the fact that riddhima will now never get her hands on Box of Secrets.

flashback time: hahahahaha KABIR LITERALLY LOBBED A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL INTO THE ROOM AND CHACHI DIDN'T EVEN FUCKING HEAR IT OR ANYTHING. lmao everyone in this show is a dumbass. how blissful life must be with just one (1) working brain cell.

riddhima runs into flaming room. ofc now we will have a prolonged sequence where kabir tries to keep his identity and riddhima being the dheent that she is, will give chase.

please note, that not even 48 hours ago, this woman walked barefoot on a bed of coals AND a hallway full of broken glass. AND NOW SHE'S RUNNING FULL SPEED BEHIND KABIR AS IF SHE’S PT USHA. SIS, TUMHARE PAIR HAIN KI KYA HAIN? YOU'RE LONG OVERDUE FOR AN INTENSE PEDICURE AFTER THIS WEEK.

and ofc, he got into a getaway car and made it away.

yeh lo, iss beech mein dadi behosh. ouff.

whooooooooops, dadi has some weird blue nishaan on her neck.

LMAO KABIR SHOT AT RIDDHIMA WITH A POISON BULLET OR SYRINGE OR SOME SHIT, WHICH HIT DADI INSTEAD. LMAO MAN THIS SHOW. IT'S SO FUCKING DUMB, I LOVE IT.

some more stinkeye politics between saas bahu.

bahu is passive-aggressively giving saasumaa roses to congratulate her on winning this round.

riddhima is dheent!max. she's like kuch bhi ho, i'll find the secret anyway and your victory will witherrrrrrr awayyyyyyyy like these flowerssssss and you will be left with the thorns that will prick youuuuuuuu!!!!!!!

LMAO SAAS IS FULLY ROLLING HER EYES AT RIDDHIMA'S DRAMATIC ASS #SAME

just looking at helly's ears is making my ears hurt like a bitch.

hey riddhima, have you ever thought that maybe this secret child of hers is NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS?????? like honestly, the entitlement desis have to know the workings of other ppl’s wombs.

lol dumbass mummyji crumpled the flowers in her hand and played right into riddhima's stupid kaante waala metaphor. #ramMilayiJodi

hero ko covid hai toh ainvayi ke phone calls se kaam chalaana pad raha hai.

the dude left his house for literally the first time in months and the place is on fire and dadi got shot in the neck with poison. and the wife doesn't think she should tell him so that he doesn't become "pareshaan". sure, this seems like a dude who'll take this kinda thing real light when he finds out later.

(hint: he’s not. he’s a crazed, overprotective weirdo about his family. sound familiar?????)

this guy's dialogue delivery is so dodgy. idk what it is, it just seems so affected.

that plus the ainvayi ka editing just showing him in some random car (clearly from the earlier eps) is just adding to the jankiness of the scene.

husband dude seems to know wifey's quirks quite well. kinda cute, kinda creepy.

lol kal tak toh yeh banda itna romantic nahi tha. like he had a smooth moment here and there, but he was mostly real awkward and robotic and unsure how to handle These Strange New Feelings™. now he’s spouting cheesyass lines about being able to see the one who is special to you with dil ki aankhein and idk what.

who are these people who like SHARING their room with another person? #unrealistic

but i also i get you, riddhima. he was pretty much the only thing worth looking at in this room, coz the rest of it is so damn fugggggg. this room should be the one set on fire.

dang, some steamy scenes between them in the flashbacks. ouff abhi jaake episodes dhundne padenge. coz #tharkiTTisTharki

riddhima doing dadi seva. boooooooooring.

ofc dadi ki sui is always atkofied on playing cupid for pota, taaki she can score some par-pota/potis.

riddhima ki best friend ka happy birthday hai.

riddhima is like a lottttt has happened in my life, can't really tell you over a call. yup, that’s for sure.

ok apparently sejal who said she’s in dubai now is NOT in dubai?? she's just up and flew to mumbai to "surprise" riddhima...... on HER OWN birthday? #doesNotCompute

lmao kabir's annoyance with mummy's useless glass of water. WHY DO MOMS THINK EVERYTHING CAN BE SOLVED WITH DRINKING MORE WATER?!?!?!!

now he's yelling at mom about how she's ruined everything. sure. blame the only one who's actually doing shit around here, while you sit on your ass in this room, glaring and growling like a hangry bear.

some menacing dialogue about how he needs to thikaane lagaaofy riddhima's hosh.

which has been overheard by bff sejal, who went and dropped a showpiece from shock. cool. so she gonna die. bye sejal, hardly got to know ya!

sejal being here doesn’t even make sense. she thought he was a PT teacher. then why did she show up here at his police waala office? also how did she connect the dots about the whole damn story with like 0.04% context that she got from what she overheard? kuchhhhhhh bhi.

#ishq mein marjawan 2 #immj2 #immj2 lbs #episode liveblogs

17 notes · View notes

chris-evans-indian-fanfic · 4 years

Text

Across Seven Seas

Chapter 1

Description: This fanfiction series is set in the year 2022, after the horrid COVID-19 has finally come to an end. In this fanfiction, Chris Evans holidays with his family in India and meets Meera Shankar. The story explores their rollercoaster journey and raises a question, whether two people, from two contrasting backgrounds and cultures, can build their future together?

This series is Chris Evans x OFC with Chris Evans' family and friends having recurring appearances. Please find below a lot of Original Characters-

Meera Shankar - The female lead

Meera's Mother

Poppy - Meera's maternal grandmother

Rohan - Meera's elder brother who is 6 years older than her.

This is a work of fiction. The names of the hotels and companies have been changed to avoid copyright issues. Meera Shankar and her family is based on the author and her kin. No offense is intended.

Chapter 2

FIND MORE CHAPTERS BY CLICKING ON MY BIO

I don’t consent to have any of my work published or featured on any third party app, website or translated. If you are seeing this fanfiction anywhere but tumblr, it has been reposted without my permission. In that case, please do share the link and let me know.

...

Chapter 1

5th September, 9pm - Boston, USA, Chris' childhood home:

Passport? Check.

Visa? Check.

Mobile charger? Check.

Airpods? Airbuds? What the fuck are they called? Pods? Buds? Whatever, check.

Dressed in a simple black Henley with blue denim, Chris checked the list for the upteenth time, making sure not to leave anything behind. It didn't help that his faithful canine was nuzzling at his knee, begging for attention. Somewhat satisfied with the list, Chris finally locked the suitcase, keeping it besides his carry-on duffle bag.

"Hey bud", he knelt down, gently petting the Mutt, "I will be back soon, you know that right? I have to leave... You know why... I'm sorry, you know I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to, right? I'm sorry, so sorry. I'm really sorr... Hahahaha get off me!!!!" Dodger had started licking his face, begging him to stay. Soon Chris was on the ground, with Dodger safely secured in his arms, dropping kisses on his furry head. Scott chose that moment to barge into Chris' room. "There you are! I have been calling you, whistling for you, yet no reply!! What do you have to say for yourself Dodger Evans?!" exclaimed Scott, hands on his hips, trying his best to mimick their strict mother. Dodger wriggled out of Chris' grip and put his front paws on Scott's hips. "Uh huh young man, your puppy eyes are not going to work on me this time. C'mon, Tara is here to take you."

With Chris closely following the pair, they headed towards the living room. "Do we really need to leave him here?", Chris asked again. "Chris we have been over this, it would not be advisable for Dodger to travel all the way to India. It can affect his health." "But why do we need to go to India in the first place? Can't we go somewhere closeby?" On hearing those words, Scott turned just enough to give Chris a knowing look. "We discussed this before, we need to go to India. YOU need to go to India." As they entered the living room, Chris muttered, defeated, "I really don't...."

6th September, 6am - Mumbai, India, Meera's House:

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Meera woke up with a jerk. Her eyes still adjusting to the darkness in her room. Fumbling for the phone, she set the alarm to snooze, hoping to get 10 more minutes of precious sleep. She could already hear activity in the house. Resting her head on the pillow, she almost fell back into a deep slumber when...

KNOCK KNOCK

"Meera! Get up! It is 6:30 already!" her mother shouted. Scowling at her door, Meera shouted back, "It is just around 6 Ma! No need to exaggerate! 5 more minutes!" KNOCK KNOCK "We will get late for the flight, hurry!" Sighing in resignation, Meera groggily woke up.

Heading downstairs for breakfast, she stumbled upon the luggage in the living room. Irritated, she scowled at her elder brother, "Rohan, I asked you to move the bags na? Why are they still in the way?" Looking up from his plate of buttery parathas (Indian bread), he flashed a wicked smile from the sofa, "Why should I move them? You move them if you want to." Rolling her eyes, Meera grabbed a small packet of cornflakes from the kitchen, shoving handfuls of the crunchy goodness in her mouth. Her mother looked at her with defeat, "Bala (meaning child in local language), at least use a bowl. I don't understand how can anyone eat raw cornflakes just like that." "I like them crunchy Ma. I cannot imagine eating cornflakes with milk or water. YUCK!" said Meera, shuddering. "Is that all you want to eat now? Won't you get acidity if you eat less?" her mother inquired. "No Ma, I am good. I hate waking up so early, and eating a heavy breakfast on top of that? Impossible. Not going to happen."

"Look at me, I already ate 3 stuffed parathas, Ma is making a fourth one now", her brother proudly exclaimed. "I don't think I have ever seen you not stuffing your face, fatty. Stop eating or you will not fit through the doors of the plane!" teased Meera. "I am not fat, I am plump 😄. Now pass me some green chutney." It was Meera's turn to wickedly smile now, "Why should I give it to you? If you want it, then get off that sofa and take it." "PLEEEEEEEEAASSEEE," begged Rohan. "Shut up! Absolutely not."

"Arey (often used as an exclamation in Hindi), give it to him, he needs it to eat with his parathas," softly chided Meera's grandmother as she entered the living room. "Only because Poppy asked me to," Meera said to her brother's smug face.

As family of four got comfortable on the sofa and the chairs to finish breakfast, Meera's mother suddenly exclaimed, "Meera! What are doing wasting your time?! Finish your breakfast and go and take a bath immediately! We will be late for the flight!" Trying to reason, Meera said, "Calm down Ma, our flight is at 12:30pm. It is 6:34am right now. It's alright. Even Rohan hasn't taken a bath yet." "I am not taking a bath," he said with his mouth full. The room was filled with disgusted "eww"s and "tsk"s at that announcement. "Bala you need to take a bath. How can you travel for such a long time without taking a bath?" said their Mother. "You are 35 years old! Do you still not know how to take a bath?" a disgusted Meera chimed in. "That is unhygienic," added Poppy. "I bathed 2 days ago, and we are going to Mussoorie, an icy cold hill station, so I am definitely not going to waste my time by taking a bath," proclaimed Rohan. Scrunching her nose, Meera said, "The whole plane will stink now." "You worry about your odor, I will wear my cologne. Now go take a bath or else we will get late," and with that, the smug smile was back on Rohan's face.

Same day, 9:45pm - Boston, USA, Chris' childhood home:

"Oh my God Chris if you repeat yourself one more time I swear to God I will throw something at your head!" shouted an irritated Tara, "I know how to take care of Dodger. This is not the first time you are leaving him with me. Just go on your vacation already!"

A myriad of emotions crossed Chris' face. Agitation, frustration, sadness, anger, helplessness to name a few. "It is not too late, we can still cancel the trip and go somewhere nearby. How about a shopping expedition to NYC? Or Disneyland? How about Disney World? We will even go to Harry Potter land if yo.." "First of all, it is called the Wizarding World and not Harry Potter land," Shanna interrupted Chris' protest, "Secondly," she continued from the couch, "Why are we still discussing this when there are only 7 hours left for our plane to leave?"

Chris' lips turned into a thin line. Shoulders slumped, hands in his jeans pockets, he tried his best to come up with an excuse. Anything at all to cancel this trip. He needed to stay here, at his home. He needed to think about what had happened. Where did it all go so wrong? How did he not see the signs? How could he have been so careless? As his mind started drowning into questions, his mother put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Remember when you went to India all those years ago? You were seeking peace and you found a way to deal with the chaos in your life. After A Starting Point...," she paused, "After everything that has happened in the last two years, maybe you need to find yourself again?" "But Ma I had gone to Rishikesh, a city well-known for yoga and meditation. We are going to Mussoorie! It is just a fancy hill station." "OH MY GOD! Not this again!!" shouted Carly from her room, "I told you the hotel has an amazing meditation and yoga course! You can do that for 3 weeks. Plus, the kids are excited about the indoor-pool and the gaming lounge AND we all love the view from the hotel! Do you know how many months it took me to arrange this entire vacation? DON'T. YOU. DARE. cancel this trip. Do you hear me?" Carly threatened Chris. Raising his hands in defeat, Chris set about arranging everyone's luggage near the door.

"Don't you pout now. I am sure this trip will change your life, FOREVAH!" said the ever-dramatic Tara. Smiling wistfully, Chris looked around his childhood home, already beginning to miss it. Chris knew that 3 weeks in a 5-star hotel in another part of the world would not change a single thing in his life.

If only he knew how wrong he was.

#chris evans #ChrisEvans #India #vacation #fanfiction #Chris Evans fanfiction #Boston #Chris Evans fanfic #Chris Evans x India #evansedit #Chris Evans vacation #chris evans family #chris evans x oc #chris evans x plus size reader #oc appreciation day 2020 #OCs Are People Too

37 notes · View notes

chickensarentcheap · 4 years

Text

Sanctuary -Chapter 42

Warnings: none

Tagging: @c-a-v-a-l-r-y, @alievans007, @thunderintheshadows, @innerpaperexpertcloud, @valkyrie-of-the-light

Despite the suffocating humidity and sweltering heat, it's a relief to get out of the hotel. She'd spent the last three days confined within the four walls of their room, trying desperately to keep her mind off of not only what happened at McMann's house, but the terrifying consequences that followed. Plagued by incessant worry about the safety and well being of the kids, waiting on pins and needless for the random and all to brief updates that Ovi would send throughout the day. And now the torturous minutes and hours before the IRA would get back to them with their decision. The fates of the McMann kids...and their own...in the hands of the very kind of people that Tyler went into battle against while on the job. It's a nauseating turn of events; having to put all of your faith and hope into individuals known world wide for the brutal acts. To trust them to save lives instead of ending them.

Tanis sticks tight to her side. It was the one and only stipulation that she'd had to agree to for a short couple hours of freedom; the other woman could not leave her side, and under no circumstances was she to wander off on her own. Not even if it was only a couple feet away. There was no telling who was a threat now; with McMann and the Buckmans working together, their reach is incredibly long and they have endless resources and people at their disposal. If she wanted to get outside and attempt to function as a 'normal' member of society, she had to have protection at all times. Tanis is pleasant enough; talkative, articulate, educated on a wide variety of subjects that helps keep conversation lively and fresh. Tall and athletically built; broad shoulders and fit, well toned muscles, her blond hair cropped short to her head in a stylish and modern pixie, dazzling green eyes that are constantly taking in the people and the action around them. She doesn't carry herself with an unabashed cockiness that most Marines do; her posture is loose instead of rigid, she smiles often, she doesn't puff out of her chest in an attempt to intimate anyone that so as much looks in their direction. To the untrained eyed, they'd appear as if they were just two friends out for a day on the town; chatting and laughing, bags of shopping on their arms. But Esme knew the truth. Which the woman is really there. And she knows that there's gun tucked into a holster on Tanis' right hip, hidden under the baggy white t-shirt she sports. This is a job. Nothing more, nothing less. Once it's over, they'll each go back to their separate lives. It's the way things have to be; you don't fraternize with the client. All ties cut the moment the job is finished and money has exchanged hands. It's easier that way. No bonds formed, no feelings hurt.

Ovi is an exception to the rule. He'd needed further protection; he wasn't safe in Mumbai, not with his father in prison, Saju dead, and Asif's associates looking for payback. And most importantly, he'd needed a chance at a real life. He'd needed to know what it was like to part of a family. To have people that respect and love him. For far too long he'd gone through life being treated like a thing instead of a person, and it had been a difficult adjustment for him. Going from having 'handlers' and paid help to having parent figures and siblings. It had been a struggle for him to adapt; their rules were incredibly lax compared to those that had been placed upon him in Mumbai, but they were still things that were expected of him. And he'd struggled to go from the rigidly strict to the rather relaxed and casual. It wasn't just a chance of scenery, but an entirely different change of pace and a way of life. No private schools, no chauffeurs taking him place to place. He had set curfew but was allowed to have friends; he could go to the mall, take in a movie, hang out a park. He no longer had people hovering over him and dictating his every move. And as much as he'd hated that life...his old life, it had still been hard to not be controlled in such fashion.

It had been good to talk to him that morning. He'd sounded tired, but he was happy. Secured in his ability to keep himself, Chloe and the kids safe. There was no evidence of fear or uncertainty in his voice. The trust that Tyler had placed him had been an enormous ego boost; he was confident, resolved, with no worries about who may be following them or may try to get to the kids. He would handle it. Those were his exact words. Whatever...whoever...came their way, he wasn't the least bit afraid. A stark change from the slightly immature and self conscious kid that they'd left behind almost two weeks ago. And it was the first time since Tyler had told her that he'd put Ovi in charge of their kids that she'd felt truly confident in his decision.

“Forgive me for asking this,” Tanis says, as they wander through the main shopping district; sipping smoothies and chatting like old friends. “And I hope I don't come off to personal or sounding rude.”

“I live with five males, I have been asked an obscene amount of personal questions and pretty much heard every possible rude comment under the sun in the past five and a half years,” Esme grins. “I have two four year old's that are obsessed with fart jokes and think the word 'ass' is the funniest thing they've ever heard. Do you know what that's like? That much 'boy' in one house? I mean, my husband has enough testosterone for half the planet, I swear. Never mind adding in his three mini me's and a teenage boy.”

Tanis laughs. “My parents had all girls. I'm the last of five. I thought that was hell to grow up in.”

“Oh don't get me wrong, I would take five girls over one boy any day. My girl has been a walk in the park compared to raising boys. I mean, she's full of attitude and piss and vinegar, but she's been so easy. She picked up everything so quick and she's been always so eager to learn new things. And she's obsessed with cleanliness and tidiness. But the boys? Oh my god. How do they get pee everywhere? Are they not paying attention? Are they waving it around like firehouse? How does it get on the floor, the baseboards and the wall but none in the actual toilet? Ughhh...” she shudders. “...that's why I won't clean the bathrooms anymore. That's a man's job. So gross.”

“Sounds like there's never a dull moment at your place,” Tanis grins.

“It's a zoo. I'm not even joking. It's mess and it's noise and it's utter chaos. But at the same time, it's awesome. It's our mess and our noise and our chaos. You get used to it. And you miss it when it's gone. This last week and a half has been hell. Not being under the same roof as them. Not being able to hug them and kiss them and tuck them in at night. I complain about the craziness, but I miss it. As weird as that sounds.”

“That doesn't sound weird to me. That sounds pretty normal, actually. This will all be over. This whole nightmare. And we'll get you back home. Where you belong.”

Esme gives a smile of appreciation. The words have a nice sentiment behind them, but there's still so much that has be done. So much risk involved. And she tries to push those thoughts out of her mind. Not wanting to think about what could go wrong, but what will go right. “What did you want to ask me?” she inquires, as she sips at the smoothie in her hand. It's about all she can stomach. If that. Nothing has been staying down despite the anti nausea (and baby safe) medication a local pharmacist had recommended her. It's always been bad; fatigue and all day sickness (never mind just the morning), but it's never been this bad.

“How the hell did you ever wind up with Mark? Because he's a bit of a...”

“Douche canoe?”

“Well I was going to say prick, but douche canoe works too. I mean, he's my boss and I have to respect while on the clock and in his presence, but what the fuck is his issue? He's a total ass wipe.”

“And this is him being friendly and diplomatic if you can believe that. This is his good and charming side. Wait until you get to meet the rest of him. It's a real treat. To say the least.”

“How did you ever end up with him? You seem so...I don't know...normal...”

Esme laughs. “Don't ever let Tyler hear you say. He can tell you that I am far from normal.”

“Mark is just so...Mark...and you're just so...you. You're just both so different from one another. He treats everyone like shit and you seem so welcoming and friendly with people. I find it hard to believe that someone like you would even get mixed up with such a complete and utter tool.”

“He talked a good game when I first met him. I hadn't been in the Corps for very long. I didn't have much life experience under my belt. And suddenly this older guy showing interest in me. He was mature, charming, he had a very authoritative way about him that was strangely appealing. He was my commanding officer, so there was that whole rush you get when you know you're going against the rules and there will be hell to pay if you get caught. I was young. Inexperienced. And stupid. So very, very stupid.”

“Is it true he let a stewardess give him a blow job in the plane bathroom on the way back from your honeymoon?”

“Sadly, yes. That's one hundred percent true. I should have just dumped his ass when that happened. Got the marriage annulled. But he swore he'd never do anything like that again and it was just a 'one off' and he got all that kind of behaviour out of his system. So I believed him. Stupid little naive girl that I was.”

“So it got worse instead of better?”

'Not right away. It got better. And it stayed that way for about eight months and then he just went off the deep end. He'd gotten back from Iraq and was having a hard time with some of the things he saw and heard over there. Which, don't get me wrong. I get. That shit fucks with your head. There's even things now that still bother me. Images and sounds and smells that come back out of nowhere. But he went right off the reservation. It's like something inside him snapped and he couldn't hold back his true self any longer. I should have left right away...the first time he ever hit me...but...” she shrugs.

“People think it's so easy. That it's as simple as just packing your things and walking out. That it's not. Nothing is ever that simple.”

“You've been through it too?”

Tanis nods. “My ex husband was the exact same. He was a narcissist. And a sociopath. A violent one. I stayed for three years. I lost everything because of him. My friends, my family. They didn't understand why I didn't just walk away. I tried explaining to them that it wasn't that easy, but they didn't get it.”

“People don't if they haven't lived through it themselves,” Esme reasons. “I used to be one of those people. Who used to judge the women for not leaving. Then I became one of those women. It woke me the hell up right quick, let me tell you. I put up with his shit for two and a half years. And in a way, I'm still putting up with that. That crap never leaves you. It stays in the back of your mind. All the horrible things they've said. All the times they've told you that weren't good enough or that no one could ever possibly love you because of how messed up you are, or that someone could never love you the way they do. You think you've gotten over it, but you haven't. It's always there.”

“And then when you do meet someone and are happy, all those come out and work against you. And you listen to them. And you believe them.”

“Exactly. It's a vicious circle. It's a horrible existence. And it takes someone really strong and really patient to help you deal with all of that.”

“You found that though,” Tanis smile. “Someone like that. You're one of the lucky ones.”

“I have put that man through hell. Or my brain has, I should say. I have snapped and said some horrible, horrible shit to him. I think about some of the things I've said to him and I want to crawl into a hole and die. Tyler has his issues, don't get me wrong. He is far from perfect. But he sure as hell doesn't deserve the things I've said to him. But he sticks around. Shockingly.”

“Because he knows that's not you saying the things you say. He knows it's what you've been through. And he loves you. Anyone can see that. It really burns Mark's ass you know,” Tanis chuckles. “Seeing the two of you together. The one the two of you look at one another. He can not handle it.”

“That's because he's such a miserable fuck, he expects everyone else to be too. Can you believe my own mother stayed friends with him? Knowing what he'd put me through? How messed up is that? She loves Mark but hates Tyler because he's the one took me away from my home and forced me stay in Australia and blah blah blah. That is her sole reasoning for not liking him. Yet Mark is a total sleaze ball who gets off on hitting women and she loves him. “

“She sounds just as messed up as Mark.”

“You think? She's a real piece of work. And now Nik is hooked with him? Of all people that I thought would be smarter than that, it's her. She is far from being a stupid woman. Or a weak one. Yet she chooses to be with him? Ughhh...” Esme shudders dramatically. “...if that isn't enough to make me puke, I don't know what is. And believe me, I don't need any extra reasons to puke. Do you have kids?”

“No. But I haven't completely ruled them out. I'm in a good place with my life right now. I've met a pretty good guy. We're taking things slow, but...”

“Zak, right?”

“How'd you...?”

“It's all in the way he looks at you. The way he watches you when you talk. That little smile he has when you walk into the room. It must be a guy thing. Maybe they're better at expressing it with their faces than they are with their words. Tyler gets so embarrassed if someone brings up 'the look'. And he tries denying its mere existence, but it's there. Whether he wants to admit it or not. He doesn't like to talk about those things. But let me just say this, he's not always a hard ass. He's got a soft side to him, and a huge heart. But whatever you do, do not tell him I told you that. He will deny, deny, deny and I'll never hear the end of it.”

“I know Mark's my boss and I should probably watch the things I say out of respect for him, but...”

“No. Speak your mind, girl. You probably don't have anything to say about him that I haven't said a million times myself.”

“...you really traded up the second time around. Like you went from here...” she holds her hand just below her waist “....to here...” she raises her hand way above her head. “...and I totally didn't mean that to represent the difference in size, but I guess it's appropriate. You went from like grade F beef to like Triple grade A.”

“The difference is night and day. In every respect. And that's what makes thing even more screwed up. Because your brain believed everything some asshole said, so you have no idea how to even let someone love you. You're so used to being treated like garbage that when a decent guy comes along, you don't know how to deal with him. You expect the worst, get the best ,and then you don't know what to do with it.”

“So you get scared and push it away,” Tanis concludes.

“Exactly. And believe me, I pushed long and hard for a while. And he refused to budge. He just tried even harder. And believe me, there were many times he could have told me to go fuck myself and taken off and he would have had every right to do it. But he never did. He's a stubborn shit, let me tell you. Which is probably why he didn't die that day on the bridge in Dhaka. Everything has be on Tyler's terms. It's your way or his way. There is no in between. He has to be in control. I guess he figured he hadn't lost all control yet so why give up?”

Tanis smiles. “Something tells me you had something to do with it to. I mean, you stuck around for a guy you barely knew.”

“Well the sex was amazing and I wasn't ready to let that go yet. I wasn't finished using him for his body yet.”

The other woman laughs at that.

“In all honesty, I did what I dd because I wanted to. Because it felt like the right thing to do. He was in that mess because of me. Well Ovi, too. But if he hadn't have kept us around, he wouldn't have gotten out of there and not ended up as fucked up as he was. Sometimes I wonder if he regrets it. That he did decide to keep us around. If he wishes he'd listened to Nik and just left us in the street. I mean, he wouldn't have all the issues that he has now if he had have ditched us.”

“I have a feeling that he never even considered the ditching you guys part.”

“He says he didn't. That it was never an option. But I couldn't really blame him if he thought about it at least once. It's all about survival right? Self preservation? Sometimes the only person you can worry and care about is yourself.”

“It must have been hard. The aftermath. Of Dhaka.”

“It was...” she fidgets with the straw in her drink, pulling it up, pushing it back down, trying to find the appropriate words to describe exactly what it had been like. Without completely losing her grip on her own emotions. She's normally a sensitive person to begin with, but now the hormones have decided to cause havoc within her body and even the smallest of dirty looks from someone have her ready to burst into tears. Just that morning she'd had a meltdown because the mint of the hotel toothpaste was 'too strong'.

“...hard...” she says. “It was hard. To see someone like that. All the tubes and all the wires and bandages and stitches and what not. He was a mess. He should not have survived that. Even the doctors told me when they took him to surgery when we first got there that they didn't think he'd even get off the table alive. And he almost didn't. He coded three times. They said if there had been fourth, they wouldn't even have bothered to bring him back. That the lack of oxygen would have led to a catastrophic brain injury.”

It's painful to relive it. Even more painful than those moments on the bridge when she'd fought to keep him alive. The agonizingly long wait in the OR family are; that bloody and torn tactical vest clutched tightly to her chest. The one that she'd nonsensically tried to scrub clean in one of the public bathrooms because he 'might need it again'. The doom and the gloom that had been in the surgeon's voice and in all the voices of the doctors and specialists that had come and gone through his room in the ICU. Not one of them believed he would make it. The blood loss was too severe. The damage too great. He'd never be the man he was before. Maybe not even a fraction of it. And the more they tried to prepare her to say goodbye, the tighter she held on.

“And I know that sounds weird because I'd just met him and there's no way I should have ever felt that strongly about him so soon...” she continues. “...but I can't explain it. I can't explain what I felt. I just know I felt it. And I wasn't ready to let him go. We had too much to look forward to. Plans we made. We were legitimately going to work at things and see where we really stood in each others lives. If there was more to it than those five days in Dhaka. But we never got the chance. It didn't go the way we wanted it to.”

“But things worked out,” Tanis reasons. “In the long run. It might have been what you had planned, but they still worked out. Look how far you guys have come. From that day until now.”

“Yeah, he's still trying to solve everyone else's problems and getting hurt doing it.”

“I don't mean in that way. As in the job. He made it out of that hospital. Even when all logic and even science said he shouldn't. He survived that and now look. You're married, you've got amazing kids, one on the way...” she gives a smile, and pats Esme on the tummy. “...it's a great life. Even if doesn't seem that way sometimes.”

“Yeah. It is actually,” she agrees, and then smiles as she lays her own hand on her stomach. It will be a while before her body starts to visibly change. She'd been nearly twenty weeks before even the slightest bit of a bump began to show with Millie. The twins had shown earlier, obviously. And Declan had just been enormous right from the start. He was easily going to be over six feet tall by the time he hit his teen years, and probably built like a linebacker.

“Last one?” Tanis asked, nodding down at Esme's stomach.

“Oh hell yeah. This is it. I thought we were done at three. At least we agreed to stop at three. After the twins, we were done. That was it. Declan was a complete and total shock. We were actually using birth control and that kid still made his appearance. So if anything was meant to be, it's him. And then we decided why not one more , and well, it happened a lot sooner than we thought it would, but it happened.”

“I like to think things like this happen for a reason,” Tanis says. “Everything says that your Declan shouldn't be here. In the same way that doctors and science and all rational logic say hat Tyler shouldn't be here. But they both are.”

“When you put it that way, maybe I should play the lottery. With those kinds of odds running in my house,” Esme muses. “I know how lucky I am. That Tyler even survived. I saw how bad he was; the amount of blood he lost. He honestly probably should have never made it off the bridge alive. And sometimes I think it take it for granted that he did. That I take him for granted. I'm just so used to him being around that I sometimes forget how close it came to him not being around.”

“I think we're all guilty of that. Taking the people in our lives with granted. Their presence for granted.”

“Makes me feel like a shitty human when I think about it. All the times where he's annoyed the shit out of me and wish he would go away and leave me alone. What if I wished those things and it happened? What if the last words I ever said to him were awful? If I actually let him walk out the door without telling him I love him. Imagine having to spend the rest of your life with that kind of guilt?”

“It's why we can't let a day go by without telling people how we feel about them,” Tanis says. “We have to live each day with someone as if it's the last we'll ever spend with them”

****

She's startled to see him when she arrives back at the hotel; there are still two hours before his meeting with McMann and he hadn't planned on returning until after it was over. So it's a nice surprise...and a huge relief...to see him there lounging in the middle of the middle. Leaning back against the headboard with those long legs stretched out in front of him, his hand clasped at the back of his neck, his eyes closed. He doesn't respond to the sound of the door opening and closing; not a single muscle twitching throughout his body or in his face. Chest slowly rising and falling with each steady breath he takes. And she ditches her shopping bags and purse in the closet by the door and kicks off her shoes, bare feet against the soft carpet as she wanders further into the room. The mattress dipping slightly as she climbs onto it, shuffling on her knees towards him and then climbing into his lap, a knee on either side of him, arms around his torso and head resting on his shoulder. She closes her own eyes; he's warm and soothing, his body hard and strong, his familiar scent still intoxicating after all these years.. And when she sighs against him he finally moves; turning his face towards hers and pressing a kiss to her forehead, both arms wrapping around her.

“Hi,” she says, voice muffled against the side of his neck.

'Hi.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I'm staying in this room too,” he playfully reminds her.

“You weren't supposed to be back until later.”

“Well I came back early.”

“Why?”

“Because I missed you and wanted to see you.”

He can feel her smile against his throat. “That's a very good reason,” she declares, a places a kiss to the scar that mars his neck; the one that will forever serve as a reminder to just how close he'd come to ceasing to exist.

“The best reason,” he says, his palm moving in slow, smooth circles in the middle of her back. “Did you eat something?” He can't help himself; his protective nature is coming out in full force. It's bad enough when it's just her he's worrying about and trying to keep safe, but now there's a baby inside of her and he has twice as much to lose.

“A little bit. What your spawn will let me keep me down.”

“When we get home and we get you into a doctor you can go on that medicine you were on the last time. It helped, yeah? You didn't puke that much with Declan.”

“It was a life saver,” she confirms. “You smell good.”

“You wouldn't have said that a half an hour ago, trust me.”

“Even on your worst days you don't smell that bad. I kind of like how you smell. Even on your stinky days.”

“You smell good too...” he turns his face towards her, nose against her temple. “...strawberries?”

“Your favourite.”

“Yeah...” he grins. “...they are.”

She relaxes against him; the curves of her body soft and supple against firm muscle. She keeps her eyes closed; unable to look at that scar for too long. Normally it doesn't bother her; it serves as a daily reminder that he is still alive and she is lucky to have him. But today it hurts; it cuts deep and vicious and she can't bear it.

“Where were you when you called?” she asks. “Your cell reception sucked.”

“That's why I hung up and sent you a text message instead.”

“Where were you?”

“Just had a team meeting. With Yaz, Mark, and his guys. In an industrial park about ten minutes from town. We didn't want to take the chance that the wrong people saw us all together.”

“Makes sense.”

“Did Mark call you?”

She hears the tension in his voice, feels the way his muscles tighten, how that vein in the side of his throat begins to pulsate. “No. Why? Should he have called?”

“I thought maybe he would. To rat on me. We sort of got into a thing.”

“Yeah?” she runs her fingernails along his hair line at the nape of his neck. “Did you finally beat his ass?”

“Not as much as I would have liked to, no. I think I broke his nose though.”

“Well considering you could have broken his neck, a broken nose is pretty tame. What did you get into it about?”

“What do you think?”

“Awww baby....” she pushes her hand through his hair; letting the longer strands on top slip between her fingers. “...were you defending my honour? My knight in slightly tarnished armour.”

“I said some things I probably shouldn't have said. But I fucking snapped and it all just came out. He's just so fucking ignorant and smug and everyone thinks he's this great guy. Which makes me hate him even more. So I lost it. Said some shit I shouldn't have said in front of other people. About you and him.”

“I'm sure whatever you said, he had it coming. So...”

“It wasn't my place to say those things. About you. I should have just kept my fucking mouth shut. But he just pissed me so bad and...”

“Tyler...” she pulls back to look at him, holding his face in her hands. “...I don't care what you said. It's things that should have been said a long time ago, I'm sure. It's probably things he needed to hear. And if you just so happened to punch him in the face while saying those things...”

“It was an elbow, actually.”

“I'm not going to be upset at you for sticking up for me. Everything I told you about him...about all the things he did...it was all true. So I don't mind those words being out in the open now. Maybe now that someone has finally brought them up and holding him accountable for his shit, he'll straighten himself out. You know he's seeing Nik right?”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“It doesn't bother you?”

“I think she can do a hell of a lot better.”

“You don't think it's weird that my ex is doing whatever with your ex?”

“She is not my ex.”

“Well maybe not an ex girlfriend, but she's an ex something.”

“Putting it that way means I have a lot of exes out there.”

“You dirty boy,” she winks at him. “No wonder you know how to do things you do. You have lot of practice under your belt. All those different women in all those different cities. Do you have a score sheet somewhere?”

“It's not that many. But hey, a man has needs, so...” he shrugs.

“I guess you don't like studying alone that much after all,” she teases, and he gives a scowl and then wraps one arm around waist, lifts her into his chest and then dumps her onto her back in the middle of the bed. “Is this where you punish me?” she inquires, as he kneels between her thighs and leans over her, a hand on either side of her head, outstretched arms bearing his weight. “Is there where I get in trouble for being a smart ass?”

Tyler shakes his head, then places a chaste kiss to her lips before sliding down the bed; fingertips gentle as he pulls up the bottom of her t-shirt, pushes down the waistband of her shorts and then presses his lips to her stomach. Where their baby...his baby...is safe and secure. And it's a moment that is so pure and so beautiful...a moment of vulnerability from such a big, strong, brave man...that it brings tears to her eyes.

“Baby...” she reaches down to push his hair out of his eyes. “...are you okay?”

He nods.

“You don't seem...I don't know...you.”

“I'm fine,” he assures her, giving her that that half frown, half smile that reveals that he is in fact, not fine at all. And his hands are on her hips as he rests his forehead against her stomach.

“Tyler...” she tugs at his hair, forcing him to look up at her. “...what's going on? And don't say nothing. Because I can tell there's something happening inside that brain of yours.”

He attempts another smile. This one a little brighter and reassuring. “You know how I get. Right before shit's about to go down.”

“No. This isn't that. You don't act like this. You're quiet and sullen and broody when you're going into a job. This is different. You're different.”

“I love you,” he says. “So much. I need you to know that.”

“Tyler...” she frowns. “...what is going on?”

“Say it,” he pleads. “I need to hear you say it.”

“I love you too. You know I do. Tell me what's wrong. I can tell something is wrong.”

“I just wanted you to know that. That I love you. You know, just in case.”

“Don't talk like that. Please. I don't want to hear you talk like that.”

“There's something I need to do. Something I can't tell you about. It's better that you don't know. I need you to trust me. That what I'm going to do, I'm doing for you. And the baby. For our kids. I don't want you to ask me about it. Because I can't tell you. It's for your own good. And for mine.”

“Tyler...what...?”

“Just trust me, okay? I need you to trust me. That this is the way things have to be done. I wouldn't do it unless it needed to be done. Just know that it's for you and my kids.”

“You're scaring me. What's going on?”

“I can't tell you. I'm sorry. I want to tell you. But I can't. I'm so sorry, Esme.”

She see the tears that well in his eyes, hears the emotion that causes his voice to crack. “You're going to be okay, right? At least tell me you're going to be okay.”

“I'll be okay,” he promises, pressing one last kiss to her stomach before moving up the bed, once more kneeling between her thighs as he takes her face her hands and kisses her. Long and soft. Heart breakingly sweet. “I'll be okay.”

#tyler rake #tyler rake fan fic #tyler rake fan fiction #chris hemsworth character #extraction #sanctuary

17 notes · View notes

stereogeekspodcast · 4 years

Text

[Transcript] Season 1, Episode 9. Detective Mode – Let's Talk Future Disney Properties

Disney Investor Day was a lot! We break down the biggest announcements from the event, focusing on our two favourite franchises, Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What are we most excited about from Disney's upcoming slate? What aren't we completely sold about? Which properties have us concerned? Find out more during this episode!

There will be spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2, so keep an ear out.

Listen to the episode on Anchor.

Read Mon's round-up of all the Star Wars news on Bam Smack Pow.

Read Ron's round-up of all the Marvel film and TV news on GIQUE Media.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Ron: Hello and welcome to the first Stereo Geeks Detective Mode of 2021.

I’m Ron, and today we'll be discussing Disney Investor Day.

There will be some spoilers here for The Mandalorian Season 2, so keep an ear out.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Mon: What did you think about the Disney Investor Day format?

Ron: Well, four hours is a long time for anybody to be invested in Disney Investor Day. But, for the most part, I think it worked. I liked how they divided the different studios; I didn't feel like anybody spoke for too long. It flowed quite well.

But it definitely felt like there were certain sections which were more interesting for certain audiences whereas others, not so much. It felt very DC FanDome to me, as well, because of the blue. I'm not sure why everything is blue.

But for the most part, it went off without a hitch, so that was good. I mean I guess it had to, because this wasn't really for us, it was actually for Disney investors.

It did feel a bit like an overload of information.

Mon: I also found it a little bit corporate, especially in the beginning when they were talking about all their mergers and their new initiatives and stuff. As a fan you sort of think that ‘oh, what exactly is Disney doing?’. They really feel like a giant, don’t they, when they're coming at you with ‘we've got this going on in this country, in that country, and basically they’re encompassing it all.

I was a bit frustrated by the fact that they'd be like, ‘here's this exclusive preview or a sizzle reel’, and then suddenly you're looking at two minutes of blank screen. They got clever after a while by trying to include quizzes, though we weren't really invested by that point. So, I found that a little bit frustrating because at the end of the day it’s the press, it’s the fans who are bringing you all the street cred. So, why leave us out?

Ron: Yeah, I found that very frustrating as well. In fact, I was actually wondering whether it was just us that was having a problem with that. And then I went on the internet and pretty much everybody realized that the general public weren't getting a lot of the exclusive sneak previews. I understand, in a way, maybe these aren't finished products. I mean, we know that things like Obi-Wan Kenobi are not even in production so whatever they had ready for that was not ready for public consumption. But it still felt a little bit frustrating to look at a timer or listen to a song, when you were actually expecting to see something.

I mean, for Cassian Andor they added some concept art because they don't really have any production footage to share with us. But with the big stuff you really felt like, oh my god, we’re missing out on stuff. Thankfully, there was a lot of information sent out soon after. I don't think we got the whole picture, but we got a good enough picture.

Ron: Actually, there was a lot of information going out and for the average person, keeping track of all that, it's a lot.

Mon: And if you're only invested in part of Disney, parsing through all that information is mind boggling.

Ron: Yeah, you and I had to write separate news pieces on particular Disney properties and just putting those together, it took a lot of time. But all in all, I thought it was an interesting event.

I'm actually fascinated by the fact that Disney is able to open up a corporate event like this to the general public. They must be in a really comfortable place to let the average person who would generally be buying a ticket or buying a subscription to Disney Plus, attend something like this.

Mon: Well, I'm glad because after the year that we've had where there's been so many production delays, so many shows and movies have had to be pushed back, it's good to have that kind of excitement among the press and among the fans.

They have so many projects in the pipeline, some of them which were rumored, some of them which we knew about, and others which really have blindsided us, in the best way possible.

Ron: I think, one thing that I would have liked was a little bit more interactivity. I think that's something that they can possibly bring in, in the future. This was obviously not planned. So, the way it worked, I think it went off quite well. But for future events, I see them bringing in more interactivity for the general public.

Mon: We have to remember this wasn't a convention. This was an investor meeting. So, the format is going to be different. But if they are planning to open up this event, then maybe don't have it as an Investor Day. Have that as a separate section on that particular day which you invite only the investors for, and they had that section at the end where there was an investor Q&A. Most of us had dropped off by then—we had news to cover.

But the beginning parts, for sure, they can have more interactivity, more fun.

Considering how much has gone digital, I think a lot of people may have realized how much is achievable by going online.

Ron: I would really love to know the viewership numbers for Disney Investor Day, because a lot of people tuned in.

Mon: Despite it not being that heavily promoted among the average person.

Ron: So anyway, it's good that we all got to participate in some way or the other. And I'm hoping that other corporations also take a leaf out of Disney's book because it's really good to find out what is happening behind the scenes, because just looking at the initial Disney announcements during that event. My gosh, Disney owns a lot. It's actually a little bit creepy how much of a monopoly they're becoming, but at least we know about it.

Mon: So, let's talk about the announcements, because at the end of the day, it was still really, really exciting time to be a fan.

Ron: If you're a fan of Disney live-action, Disney Animation, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, Hulu, ESPN, HotStar, Star, there's just so much stuff, and it's all connected to Disney. There was going to be some announcement or the other that got you excited.

For us it was definitely the Star Wars and Marvel news that was most interesting, but there are other things as well that piqued our interest.

There wasn't much live-action news from Disney. There were a few films as I mentioned—we already knew about some things like The Little Mermaid, Cruella. A bit disappointed at the lack of Aladdin 2, not sure why we've been holding out hope for that. We love the first Aladdin live-action film, and we would love to see them again. So sad, but let's wait for that.

Aside from that, there was some interesting Pixar news as well. Lightyear, which will be about Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story films but going to be voiced by Chris Evans.

Mon: Yes, that's because Chris Evans is playing the actor who the Buzz Lightyear toy is based on. Yes, it's confusing.

Ron: We were very confused. I had to check with a lot of people about it, and then that's how we finally figured out who Chris Evans was going to be actually voicing. So yeah, who knew Buzz Lightyear had that backstory? Definitely not me.

There were also interesting animation films and TV shows that were announced. I was actually quite excited by how many characters of color we’re going to be seeing. We’ve got, Raya, Tianna, Iwájú, Encanto, they all have characters of color in the lead. And that's really cool, because Disney’s slate has usually been quite white. Still no Indians. Mon: Someday! Ron: We need South Asian representation. I'm hoping, with Disney having bought up Star Plus, there was a lot of talk about locally-made Indian content. I'm hoping that some of that comes this side so that we can actually see that.

Mon: And that it's good and representative of more of India than just Bollywood.

Ron: Yeah, that's an important point, because there's a lot in India than just Bollywood or Mumbai. So, when they say local content, we need to see pan-Indian local content. And not just with high production values, with good stories and more representation from diverse communities in India. But nothing's been confirmed yet, so we're going to have to wait a long time.

On the live-action side, though, I don't feel like there were that many people of color on screen.

Mon: I was disappointed. I mean, you were pointing out a very important fact that it seems like the live-action does tend to veer towards safer casting and safer stories, whereas the animation is much more diverse, much more varied. I'm not sure why it can't be the reverse. Why can't we have live action Moana, for example—I'm not saying you need to have a live-action Moana, I'm just saying—or, you know, Encanto can't be live-action or Iwájú, but I guess one step at a time?

Ron: It's a start. We didn't have anything much before, so it's something to be excited about. But yeah, it does seem like they're still taking baby steps and seeing the lineup of people who were speaking at Disney Investor Day, that's actually not surprising.

Mon: Yeah, I am impressed by the fact that the animated series and films that have been announced, also have diverse creative teams behind the scenes. That can really lend itself well to the quality of storytelling that we see on the screen.

Ron: Yeah, definitely. So I guess we can move on to talking about Star Wars.

Mon: Yeah.

Ron: So Lucasfilm had a ton of announcements, and they started off by saying they had 10 Star Wars series in the pipeline for Disney Plus. Considering, till now, we've had just two seasons of The Mandalorian, that's a huge task.

So, quick rundown of what shows they've announced we've got Rangers of the New Republic, Ahsoka, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Visions, Lando, The Acolyte and A Droid Story. If you're counting properly, that's nine, because the 10th one was a surprise that we only found out after The Mandalorian Season 2 was done and dusted.

If you stayed for the after credits scene, you would have found out that the 10th series was The Book of Boba Fett. We got to say, we're excited.

Mon: Definitely.

Ron: So, thoughts on that extensive lineup?

Mon: I'm so excited. Ron: There’s so much Star Wars. Mon: I know, it such a great thing!

Ron: I'm excited, but I'm also full of trepidation. And I’m annoyed that I feel that.

Mon: Oh, why?

Ron: Well, as much as I enjoyed The Mandalorian Season 1, there were issues with it. The lack of female characters—Cara Dune was pretty much the only female character and she came in a few episodes into the first season. We don’t see as many people of color, not that we want to see that many people of color on a show that's really about bad guys. So that was kind of confusing as well—whose side are we on?

Season 2 was much better in terms of storytelling, we got to see people of color, we got to see some badass action scenes with ladies. Awesome.

But, it's the discourse. Let's face it, it's the Star Wars discourse. It just makes you want to not be a fan.

Mon: Maybe Disney's plan is that they will bombard fans with so much Star Wars, that people will not have time to discuss it.

Here's the thing, you’ll have some good shows, you’ll have some bad shows. There'll be some good episodes, there'll be some bad episodes. We can just hope that the end product is as good as they can make it, and that we enjoy it. That it’s relevant, it is topical. Star Wars has never only been about entertaining us, it's always had a message—doesn't have to be in your face, sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't—but each show should make us go away with some kind of feeling and some kind of change in perspective. In a good way.

Ron: When we think about The Mandalorian Season 2, it really felt very Star Wars. It felt like it went back to the original series; the aesthetics, the action scenes, the way we met characters, how we got to spend time with them, it felt very much like the originals, while still diving into all these other Star Wars properties. We got stuff from the books, the movies, the games, the animated shows, it was pretty exciting. And I realize that for casual fans, it was way too much and they did feel like they were just being bombarded with stuff that they had to research, but for fans who have watched and played all these things and read these books and comic books, this was great.

Mon: It really feels like it's part of a larger universe, and I appreciate the fact that they tried really hard to do that, they pulled it in.

And I think that nowadays it's easier to find out a bit of information about properties that you haven't been engaged with, so that makes sense.

Ron: So, I guess it makes sense that we're getting all these shows and that some of them are tied into The Mandalorian.

Mon: And perhaps even the Extended Universe.

Ron: It definitely feels like some of these are going to be Extended Universe stories, we just don't know how close.

The Rangers of the New Republic, I don't know what this is about.

Mon: Yeah, I agree. The assumption is that it's going to be about Cara Dune and the other Marshals, but they’re called marshals not rangers, so I'm a little bit confused. Ron: Yeah.

Mon: It does sound like a cop story or something, but at the same time what is it? I mean, it make sense, it is the New Republic, and they need somebody to…

Ron: Keep an eye on the Galaxy. We're gonna have to find out more about this when they make more announcements.

Ahsoka, I guess we have a pretty good idea of what her show is going to be about. When we met her in The Mandalorian she was very obviously looking for Grand Admiral Thrawn, presumably that's going to be her mission in her show. Will we see Sabine Wren, will we see Ezra Bridger? Will we see Hera Syndulla? I don't know, I would really love to see that.

Mon: Only if they cast them well.

Ron: Yes. Good point. Mon: I’m excited for that show. It's a limited series as far as I could tell, but you never know, a limited series could turn into several seasons if something is popular. But I'm excited for this, because we like this character—I'm still not sure about the live-action version—but I'm excited. Even more so if they can bring in the Rebels cast.

Ron: Yes.

With Andor,we got a sneak peek of the concept art, and it feels like the supporting costs seem to be very white, once again.

Mon: Yeah I'm not entirely sure about it. It sounded very exciting when they first mentioned it. Now I feel like maybe it's already feeling a little bit over-bloated with so many people thrown into the cast. Well, let's see. I mean Diego Luna is so excited to be back in the Star Wars universe and I'm hoping that his enthusiasm and excitement just screams off the screen, and pulls us all in.

Ron: Yeah, because Rogue One is probably my favorite Star Wars film. I love those characters; I would love to spend more time with those characters. I'm really hoping that they make Andor well, that it’s well received, that the fans really enjoy it, and that it gives them impetus to create a solo series for the other characters. I would love to spend more time with Jyn Erso, and Bodhi Rook and Chirrut and Baze.

Mon: I agree with you.

Ron: The Obi-Wan Kenobi series, we didn't get to see anything from that because…

Mon: We got to see the logo!

Ron: Yeah, we got to see the logo. Yay.

But they did make the surprising announcement that Hayden Christensen would be back as Darth Vader.

Mon: Yeah, I'm really confused about that because they specified Darth Vader, and not Anakin Skywalker.

It doesn't make sense to me, because Hayden Christensen is Anakin, Darth Vader is some guy in a suit voiced by James Earl Jones.

Ron: Yeah, that's definitely got me confused as well, because James Earl Jones's voice as Darth Vader, there is no other version. And putting him in the suit doesn't make much sense—he was in the suit in the final act of Revenge of the Sith, but what's the point then?

Mon: Yeah, not sure. I feel like they have a plan. They wouldn't be telling us that it's specifically Hayden, specifically playing Darth if there wasn't a reason for it. Ron: Yes.

There is some speculation that it might be part of Obi-Wan's quest to become one with the Force, and he sees Anakin. We don't know. From what we understand of the process, it's mostly Obi-Wan communing with Qui-Gonn Jinn and maybe Master Yoda, but Anakin isn’t really even mentioned in this part of the process. But he could be.

Mon: Kathleen Kennedy mentioned that it's going to be the rematch of the century, between Obi-Wan and Darth. So, let's see. I'm excited for the show. I think it might be one of the more pensive, cerebral shows in the Star Wars universe. Ron: Yeah I'm definitely excited for that.

The Bad Batch, what are your thoughts?

Mon: I was excited mainly by the confirmation that Fennec Shand will be showing up, and she’ll be voiced by Ming-Na Wen, that the actual Bad Batch themselves.

Ron: When we met with in The Clone Wars Season 7, like they’re interesting, but I didn't quite take to them enough for me to want to watch an entire series about them.

Mon: There was something about the trailer that really threw me off, which was that the Bad Batch appear to be working with the Empire and the Imperials. They're definitely in cahoots with Tarkin. So, are we watching the series about the bad guys? Ron: The Imperials are interesting in their own way because whenever we meet them they seem to be cowardly, they seem to be a bit stupid, so that's quite fascinating. But an entire series of superpowered clones helping them out? I'm not sure about that. The reason why The Clone Wars worked for me was that they made me really care about those clones. Like, 99, I mean, come on. We wept. We wept at that episode. It was so sad. But everybody else, like Rex and Fives and that entire contingent, you really cared about them.

And despite the fact that most of them looked alike, they had these little personality traits, they did things that were different so that they could stand out from each other. I think the Bad Batch is too far away from the clones that we're used to seeing. And the time that we got to spend with them, it wasn't very meaningful. And the other thing is that we watched The Clones Wars Season 7 after the announcement that The Bad Batch is going to get a spin-off. And I remember being like, ‘okay, we have to see what these guys are all about’. And they weren't very interesting. So yeah, I'm a bit unsure about this. Mon: My biggest worry is that they won't have a good enough foil for us to be invested in these characters. With The Clone Wars series, you had these armies of clone troopers, and you'd be like, ‘oh, they're all these guys’, but they had the foil of Ahsoka, of Padmé and the other Jedi, so you felt like yeah, there was some balance in there. I don't know if just Fennec Shand can do that. She's just one character.

Ron: Yeah. Mon: Look, you know, if they've got a supporting cast of diverse and varied characters, we could be in for a really fascinating show which shows us the darker side of the Star Wars universe, which we always like, but we don't get as much. Or, it could be the Bad Batch, if they don't have the same chip which makes them go Order 66 on people, maybe they’re double agents.

Rob: Oh, that’s interesting. Let's see.

Mon: I'm still excited because the production values on that animation, wow! There's no doubt about the kind of quality that we're going to get, it's the quality of storytelling that we’re worried about.

Ron: Yeah.

So, we also have the Lando series. There's so little information about this.

Mon: Is it live-action? Is it animated? Which Lando are we going to be following?

Ron: For some reason, when I heard the announcement my first thought was, ‘oh this is totally about Donald Glover's Lando’. But then when I was reading up about it later on, everybody was like is this about Billy Dee Williams, is this about Donald Glover? And I was like, oh okay so we're not sure about that.

We need a Lando series, in all honesty. He was the best part of Solo, that film was a disaster, and we need more Lando—that movie needed more Lando. So yeah, a series is a great idea, but I don't know what we're gonna get.

Mon: I hope that whatever they do, they make him fun and outlandish, but also a really complex character because we know that Billy Dee Williams’ Lando he's always been like that. He's so layered. So, let's hope that the series itself does justice to that character and his legacy.

Ron: Yeah. So, we also have a couple of other series that were mentioned. Star Wars: Visions, The Acolyte, A Droid’s Story, there's not much information about these and they don't seem to be tied in directly with the properties that we've already seen.

Mon: Yeah, so A Droid’s Story seems to be like a family-friendly animated show. It's gonna follow C-3Po and R2-D2, and they're going to be guiding a new hero in the Star Wars universe. Not sure what that means but I'm sure it'll be family-friendly fare.

Ron: It’s definitely going to be made to sell another new little droid toy. Mon: Oh, god not another D-O. [laughs]

Star Wars: Visions, that's a really interesting one. It’s going to be anime creators creating their own versions or visions of Star Wars characters and worlds. I'm really interested to see what they do this, Star Wars has always borrowed heavily from Asian cultures, Japanese culture especially, so this is a nice way to give back. I'd like to see their take on it.

Ron: Yeah, I don't quite understand the concept, but it seems like something that might be interesting to watch. So, let's see where that goes.

And The Acolyte is the only show that's really set outside of the time period that we're used to watching in the live-action and animated series and films. I don't mind getting to know a little bit more of the universe, before and after the periods that we’ve seen. The Mandalorian is set shortly after the Battle of Endor. so that shows you how well that concept can work. The Acolyte is going to be a little bit more about the Sith, which should be interesting.

I quite like the Sith, they’re quite fascinating. But I don't want to feel like I like the Sith, if you get what I mean.

The 10th series in the lineup, which was not mentioned was The Book of Boba Fett. Boba Fett appeared during the second season of The Mandalorian. Temuera Morrison is back as the character, and I think it's awesome. He's awesome in it. He looks like he's having a gala time playing the character. I can't wait to see more of him and Fennec Shand taking over the Hutt Empire.

Mon: I foresee them doing good in the galaxy far far away.

Ron: We also got a hint of some of the Star Wars movies that we can expect in the next few years. We know the Taika Waititi is going to be working on a Star Wars film, but there are no details available on that.

And the surprise announcement was Patty Jenkins is making a Rogue Squadron film. I love the video announcement that came out just after the Disney Investor Day. It's just Patty Jenkins talking about her father who was a fighter pilot and how she wanted to make a movie about pilots, and she also loves Star Wars. And now she gets to bring both her two loves together, and it was just great.

I'm really excited to watch a Rogue Squadron movie. I used to love the Rogue Squadron books in the Star Wars Alternate Universe. So yeah, a film would be great.

Mon: And I can imagine that she’ll bring all that unique depth and diversity that she's brought to Wonder Woman. Let's just hope that Star Wars and Disney really let her spread her wings. Ron: Yes, absolutely.

So that was a lot of the Star Wars announcements, but another studio that we're really excited about, of course, is Marvel. The Marvel announcement was massive.

Mon: We have to ask ourselves, at this point, what isn't happening in the Marvel Universe?

Ron: Oh my gosh, it's all happening, dude. It’s all happening. Now, Marvel was supposed to debut a few series this year on Disney Plus, but of course the pandemic came in the way, so that did not happen.

We're actually going to get our first Marvel Disney Plus series on January 15, 2021 with WandaVision. I am really excited about that. We got to see another brand new trailer for the show on Disney Investor Day. It looks very kooky, and kind of fun, but also seems to be a little bit dark. At least the latest trailer definitely shows that it's a bit darker than we thought. And you know what, it's been a long time since he saw Vision, I miss him.

Mon: Yeah, I'm intrigued by this series. It seems to be a combination of the multiverse and time travel. We've not seen a lot of that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Any chance to give Wanda some extra screen time and to really grow into her powers and her character is awesome.

Ron: Wanda is one of my favorite Marvel characters in the MCU. I think she is great. She is so powerful and she's… she's really cool. She's just really cool. She and Quicksilver are twins so, of course, you and I are going to like that. But, yeah, Wanda is amazing and I can't wait to see more of her.

Mon: Yeah, and that's tied into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Ron: Yeah, I'm totally excited about this. I know a lot of people didn't take to the Doctor Strange movie—I kind of liked it. I have seen it a couple of times after that, but I haven't seen it in a couple of years. But, I think Doctor Strange is really cool and his aesthetic is awesome.

Like, in Infinity War, every time Doctor Strange did anything, I was just like, ‘that is so cool’. And a friend told us that the golden things he makes in the air, they’re called Mandalas. So yeah, those are awesome. I totally want some more of that.

Mon: Yeah, I think it's nice that the Marvel Universe is really expanding on its own mythos. Like in Avengers: Endgame, they totally went into time travel. Now, we're gonna actually have some multiverse and not the fakey stuff that Mysterio talked about. So, let's see, I'm excited.

Ron: I think that's gonna be so fun. But I also think the MCU needs it. Avengers: Endgame kind of messed everything up. We've been tearing our hair out for two years now trying to figure out what state the Marvel Universe is actually in, because the Avengers made a mess of the 2012 timeline. We need these movies to fix them.

And if WandaVision ties into Doctor Strange 2, and fixes that, that's awesome. One of the interesting things is that WandaVision is also going to be tied into Spidey 3.

Mon: Considering Spidey 3 has basically turned into Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but live action and with Peter Parker, yeah sure, that makes sense.

Ron: I don't know how I feel about all these announcements. Spidey 3 really wasn't mentioned much during Disney Investor Day.

Mon: Yeah, that's because most of those are unconfirmed rumors. We don't actually know what is going to happen, who's gonna be in there. People are just conjecturing left, right and center. I don't want it to be over bloated. I don't want them to forget about Peter Parker, and the rest of the crew, because they want something big, but we do have to remember that Marvel is playing ball with Sony once again, so we may have a change in temperament and quality and storytelling.

Ron: But I also don't want a live action Into the Spider-Verse when we have an animated Into the Spider-Verse which is really good!

Mon: Which is awesome and hello, it won an Oscar.

Ron: Exactly. And it had Miles Morales as the protagonist. Peter Parker has already stolen like a lot of Miles’ comics stuff for the live-action series in the MCU. We don't need him to steal this. As much as I love the MCU Peter Parker, that still stands.

Mon: Yeah, he needs to be unique in his own way and I'm really worried that they're just jumping on the more popular bandwagon—which is really funny to say that. But anyway, so be it.

But it was interesting to note that there was no Spidey information or confirmation at Disney Investor Day. So we'll have to see.

Ron: Yeah.

Mon: So, moving away from those guys, we have The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Now this series is what half the universe is excited about because everybody loves Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

We got our first proper look at this show. It looks dark and grim. And lots of action. And then there’s some banter shoehorned in because they have to. Man, that trailer was not good.

Ron: I was hoping you would say that because I didn't feel like it did anything either. This trailer does not make me feel excited.

Mon: I'm really hoping that they just slapped something together because production was delayed, and they had a deadline to meet. So, you know, we all feel you Marvel trailer people. But yeah, I was not sure, I just didn't feel that kind of chemistry that we are so used to seeing from Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie from the MCU films. Ron: Yeah, the chemistry did not come across; the banter that we saw was very forced. It just looked like it was not well made. Mon: Yeah, the production values look amazing.

Ron: Always

Mon: like Falcon flying—looks so good! It takes you back to when you first saw Falcon flying.

Together: So good, so good.

Ron: The rest of it, not so much.

Together: Yeah.

Ron: Why’s Bucky so grumpy?

Mon: Yeah, what’s his problem? Like, smile a little bit! Well, his friend, kind of… it doesn't matter.

Ron: Steve was both of their friend. So, yeah.

Mon: I don't want them to be like Falcon’s got this huge weight on his shoulders—quite literally because the shield is probably heavy—and like that's why he can't smile anymore. Sam is funny, he is such a sweetheart…

Ron: Yes!

Mon: And Bucky, he has this really snarky sense of humor. And I didn't feel that.

Ron: It didn’t like it was them.

Mon: We’re gonna give them the benefit of the doubt, because I really do feel like they had to put in whatever footage they had to give some character and action, you know, they just follow the notes. I think that the show is going to be better than what the trailer showed us. Ron: It had better be. Mon: Also, what was up with that weird, long joke about Bucky’s positronic brain. Bucky’s human!

Ron: His brain doesn't have any machinery in it.

Mon: Yeah, I mean, unless in Wakanda he became an Android.

Ron: I don't know. Man, I hope this stuff gets explained.

Mon: This is like six episodes of a Marvel film—basically that's how they said it—but it better have the quality of the writing too, not just the look.

Mon: Yes. Okay, so, Loki. This is the other half of the universe who's excited for the show.

Ron: Yeah, people are losing their minds over this Loki trailer.

Mon: Were you underwhelmed?

Ron: I loved it.

Mon: No way! I was so not into it!

Ron: Okay, so when I first saw it, I was like, what is going on? Then I did some research and I found out more about the timey-wimey stuff. And then I was like, okay, you know, this is kind of exciting. But yes, I did need to do some research.

Mon: Okay, because like Kevin Feige introduced the Loki trailer by saying, if you're confused watching it, don't worry, Loki feels the same way. And I was like, I am more confused than Loki watching this. It didn't make any sense to me and I'm like, who are these people, what are they doing? And I'm like, I don't understand Loki either. Loki is an understandable kind of guy, but I didn't feel him. So, I don’t understand.

Ron: I was surprisingly excited to see Loki again. I thought I had said my goodbyes in Infinity War. And then when I saw him again in Avengers: Endgame, I was like, awww, Loki. And then I was like okay, now I’ve said my goodbyes again. When I saw this trailer. Oh, Loki, you’re back.

Mon: We have to, as fans, sort of change gears, about which Loki this is. This is because the Loki who was killed in Infinity War, he was the kind of guy, like we're bleeding hearts for him. But this one? This one's the meanie.

Ron: Yeah, this is a different version. So, I'm interested to see how that goes. It's got time travel in it and so I'm excited.

Mon: Look, time travel is your boo! So, they do it right, this could be something spectacular.

Ron: Yeah, and I really hope that this is also a kind of a way for Loki to be reintroduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I don't know, but that's my hope. It'll be good, you know, Thor and Loki together again. That'd be great. He misses his brother.

Mon: Yeah, Thor’s kind of had a bad time. He really deserves to have his brother back.

Ron: Now, a series that I am excited about is What If…?

Mon: Oh my god, I couldn't believe it. When they first announced it I was like, no way, they’re actually going to do this? And then we saw the trailer. This was a good trailer.

Ron: This was a good trailer. This got me excited. We got to see little bits. I feel that there's definitely more to this particular show than they're letting on. That's definitely exciting. Whatever we got to see, we are certainly looking forward to seeing more. So, what did we get to see in the trailer? We see a different Starlord. Not exactly Peter Quill. Now, it's T’Challa, and is voiced by Chadwick Boseman in one of his last roles. We also get to see Peggy Carter as Captain America. We get to see Bucky facing off against a kind of zombie Captain America. And we see Stephen Strange facing off against a dark version of himself. Looks exciting.

Mon: It does. Because the What If… stories in the comics really allowed the creators to investigate and examine alternative points of view, and alternate decisions by the different characters. We always used to love reading the What If… stories, and I'm glad that Marvel Studios is really using their resources to create as many stories as they can. I mean, they’re milking it, we understand, but we get a little more entertainment, we get to see different perspectives. Peggy as Captain America is such a novel concept and I love that idea.

Ron: I mean, it makes you wonder why Peggy wasn’t Captain America in the first place.

Mon: Exactly! And the animation was so different from the other Disney animations that we'd seen throughout the day, but it's beautiful.

Ron: Yeah, I like that style. It looks good.

Mon: It does. It looks like a comic book come to life and, of course, that's the point. But if they're able to execute it as brilliantly as they did in the trailer, we are in for a good show.

Ron: Yeah, I'm really excited about this one. I love alternate stories, as well, so this is definitely up my alley.

Mon: Yeah, and I hear that the late Chadwick Boseman actually contributed his voice for several episodes. I'm not sure how often T’Challa appears but he does voice T’Challa, so that’ll be great. I hope they’re nice stories.

Ron: We also got a glimpse of the Ms Marvel show. We got news about the casting of Iman Vellani just a few months ago, so they must be shooting during the pandemic. That's exciting. We also got to see some of the supporting cast. There's a lot of controversy around this. And it just makes my head hurt. I don't understand why a company as big as Marvel and DC can’t do a little bit of background research when they cast people. Regular people on the internet can find out information and Marvel and Disney didn't find it out?

Mon: Or did they choose to ignore it? But the thing is that in today's internet age, you really need to be careful about who you're choosing, who you’re giving opportunities to. Especially in a show like Ms Marvel, which you make such a big deal about because she is so important to demographics in the US and around the world. And yet you keep making misstep after misstep. You need to be careful.

I will say that they seemed to try very hard during the Investor Day announcement to veer away from the rest of the cast and talk only about Iman Vellani. It could be because this was all shot and prepared well before the controversies began and the rest of the cast were chosen. But at the same, time I do wonder if they're trying to rethink. I need to give them the benefit of the doubt because I'm hoping that they rethink and recast. It might be too late, and we’re stuck with what we've got.

Ron: Yeah, but sometimes it takes something as simple as just putting out a statement acknowledging what people are concerned about. Like, Rosario Dawson, she does know about what people are saying about the allegations against her, and she did mention it in that interview with Variety. It does make me feel a lot better. I know a lot of people still don't really take her word for it, and that's completely an understandable reaction, but at least she's saying something. The thing is, I wish she had said something earlier. But I understand that she couldn't have because, despite rumors circulating from what, the beginning of the year, that Rosario Dawson was going to be playing Ahsoka, the lead up to the actual episode was all hush-hush, and it was only when we got to ‘The Jedi’, that we met Ahsoka Tano. It did make me feel better though.

Mon: Okay. But there are other problems.

Ron: There are. There's Gina Carano and her wildly insensitive and dangerous tweets about the pandemic and mask wearing and what she put as her pronouns. The thing is that these aren't things that happen in a vacuum. People are very vocal about it, a whole bunch of us, because of Gina Carano’s nonsense, ended up putting our pronouns in our bios, because we were like, okay, this is definitive, this is what we feel. And maybe we’re not very comfortable with our pronouns at this moment, but that's the one we're going with for now.

Mon: I just think that if you're a celebrity in the 21st century, you know how influential you are. You also know how far and wide every tweet goes. You need to be more careful about who you're hiring. And for Marvel, Disney, and DC to be so blinkered about it is quite shocking. Now we don't know how far the controversy around Miss Marvel and the casting goes, we can only hope that by the time the show actually does reach our screens that it does right by the fans who are so eager to watch it.

Ron: If you want more information about the controversies around the Ms Marvel casting, you can check out the Twitter hashtag #FixMsMarvel.

Mon: All right, let's be a little bit more positive here. We've got a few more announcements for the other shows, for example, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Hawkeye has got Kate Bishop and yes, she's being played by Hailee Steinfeld. Everybody knew it. Somehow Disney did not think to surprise us. Or maybe people just have too many cameras nowadays, because we have the images and everything.

Ron: Yes.

Mon: Lots of people are excited. I am underwhelmed by this show. I don't know why. I like Hawkeye in the movies, but Jeremy Renner is a problem.

Ron: And the thing is, the Renner problems happened after he was in the MCU. Literally, in the last year, since Avengers: Endgame, these issues with him have come to light. How is he still here?

Mon: I know. You could have moved completely away from Hawkeye and just concentrated on Kate Bishop, but no, Hawkeye is still there.

Ron: Maybe he’ll die in this show.

Mon: He should have died in Endgame! Having talked about Hawkeye, Black Widow is still not coming to Disney Plus. We do not know if Disney is actually going to change their mind about this. I understand why. I understand that they want it to hit theaters. Because, let's be honest, in a couple of years when the gurus of film sit down and talk about how Wonder Woman and Black Widow and Mulan didn’t actually hit the theaters, they’ll come up with some hogwash about why these women-led films didn't make it to the theaters, ignoring the fact that we were in a pandemic.

Ron: I still think this is a terrible decision. You know why? Vaccine or no vaccine, how comfortable are we really going to be going to a theater to watch a movie, sitting next to a person, you don't know it they’ve washed their hands?

Mon: Can you imagine if somebody coughs?

Ron: Oh gosh, the entire theater will evacuate. This has been nine months of paranoia. This is a pandemic. It's unprecedented, the kind of situation that we're living in right now. It's scary. There are some people who willingly go out there thinking, for some reason, that they are immune to COVID-19. But most of us with brains know that we have to stay home. We're not gonna run into a theater. If you put it on Disney Plus, the chances of more people seeing it are huge. You're not going to make that much money if you put it in theaters. That's what I think.

Mon: Unless they’re going around actually sabotaging this film. Wow, I’m negative. I'm hoping for the best. I hope Disney sees the light if this situation continues. And listen, with the new regime taking over in the US, it's still going to take time. Because people need to be making a difference in their daily lives. Till a substantial amount of change happens globally and in the US, trying to insist on having a theater release seems premature.

Ron: And also, let's not forget, the Disney higher-ups may be getting the vaccine first, but people who actually go to theaters, it's going to be months before we get it. Yeah, I really don't understand. Maybe they're holding out hope, but I feel like they're going to have to change their decision eventually.

Mon: Yeah, I think a year of languishing in theater-hell will make them change their mind eventually.

Ron: Yeah

Mon: And also, maybe the anticipation is built up. It’s anyway been built up for a year. Then, once we get into the groove of the MCU once again with the TV shows, maybe they'll think, okay we've got enough eyes and subscribers, people will start coming and it’ll be worth putting it on the channel.

Ron: Well, hopefully, because I'm actually beginning to forget the Black Widow movie exists.

Mon: Yeah, they have to keep reminding us.

Ron: Seriously. They need to do something. Speaking of the movies, we’ve got confirmation that Captain Marvel 2 is going to be happening. And Nia DaCosta is going to be directing it, which is great. Also exciting, Ms Marvel from the TV show is going to be appearing in that, and so is a grown up Monica Rambeau, who we are going to be meeting in WandaVision. This pretty much tracks with the timeframe. Because Captain Marvel, the first one, took place in the 90s. Monica was still a young girl then. Presumably, Captain Marvel 2 is going to be set after Avengers: Endgame. So, Monica should be grown up by then.

Mon: Yeah, I'm excited to see what this film can be. We really liked the first film. It may have been a little bit safe storytelling-wise, it was a bit formulaic, but it's definitely different from the usual so we’re hardly going to complain. I feel like a brand new voice in Nia DaCosta? Can't wait to see what she can bring to the plate.

Ron: Yeah, absolutely.

Mon: And that's what I really liked about the announcements from Marvel. It's that we get to see diversity on the screen, but there's also diversity behind the scenes.

Ron: Absolutely. Like the Ms Marvel TV show is being directed, and the showrunners are all people of colour. So that's really exciting.

Mon: Yeah. And we even have Moon Knight, for example, has an Egyptian showrunner.

Ron: Yeah, no confirmation about who will be playing Moon Knight. There's a lot of talk about Oscar Isaac taking on the role but then Moon Knight is supposed to have Egyptian roots. Feige even mentioned that there's going to be a lot of Egyptian iconography in the show, so maybe they are holding out for an Egyptian actor. I really hope so, because there's no point having somebody who's not Egyptian in a TV show that is full of Egyptian aesthetics.

Mon: Let's be honest. Oscar Isaac does not make a good Egyptian, as we saw with X-Men: Apocalypse.

Ron: He tried, poor man.

Mon: That was such a terrible film! How do you take Oscar Isaac and apocalypse and make a disaster? But anyway, moving on. She-Hulk. Oh my god, what's happening with this show? First of all, we got confirmation that Tatiana Maslany was going to play She-Hulk. But then she rescinded? And now they’ve confirmed that she is She-Hulk.

Ron: There were so many rumours this year before Disney Investor Day, and they’ve all pretty much got confirmed at the event. Is Disney even trying to hide any of this stuff or what?

Mon: I'm just trying to figure out what is going on. Why are all these rumors reaching people, whereas Disney is still waiting to make the announcements?

Ron: I don't know. It was kind of weird. Like there are certain things which I was just like, huh, yeah this is not a surprise. That was probably the one aspect of Disney Investor Day that didn't work for me because we were already writing these pieces up.

Mon: Yeah, I mean, I think that when they were making these presentations, they probably didn't know that this was going to be the reaction because people had already seen the rumors, or they'd been confirmed. I don't know how long ago they actually put this stuff together.

Ron: But Disney needs to look into their sources! Who is leaking all this information?

Mon: So, She-Hulk is also going to have Tim Roth, returning as the Abomination.

Ron: What? Why?

Mon: No idea. Mark Ruffalo will be back as the Hulk. I really hope he's just Bruce Banner, not Hulk, or worse, Professor Hulk.

Ron: I didn't take to Professor Hulk either.

Mon: Yeah, I know some people really like the character and I appreciate that, but oh no, I don’t like him. So, I read recently that it's actually going to be a half hour, law comedy. I am so intrigued and I want to watch this show.

Ron: Oh really? That sounds fun.

Mon: Yeah. I mean, Tatiana Maslany’s so talented. She can do anything so I'm really intrigued to see what they can do with it.

Ron: Yeah, Feige did mention that, since it's going to be about lawyers, we should probably expect other Marvel characters to appear on the show. So of course, everybody's got excited thinking Daredevil is going to be coming back.

Mon: Oh, I was thinking Jessica Jones. She's not a lawyer, but she's a PI, and that’s kind of connected.

Ron: Listen, just bring my Defenders back somehow. I want my Defenders!

Mon: So, a really fun, and really good, exciting announcement was Ironheart! I’m so happy that this legacy character is getting her own show. And it’s going to be live-action, which is even better.

Ron: Yes.

Mon: Hopefully, it won't be all about, oh, I miss Tony, I miss Tony. Because, you know what, I love Spider-Man, and I love Peter Parker, but he is way too wrapped up in Tony. And I understand that when you're watching the movies, you're already very into it. But when you come away from it, then it's like, Peter needs his own characterization, which isn't attached to Tony.

Ron: He doesn't have a life outside of Tony. It's extremely frustrating.

Mon: Yeah.

Ron: So, what do you think about Armor Wars?

Mon: I am all for seeing Don Cheadle back as War Machine. That character is so cool. Don Cheadle is just so effortless as a superhero.

Ron: He's awesome.

Mon: This story is based on a comic run, and of course, that has more to do with Tony. Here, from the synopsis, it appears that this is one of Tony's worst nightmares, but War Machine has to deal with it. So, my assumption is that, obviously, somehow Tony’s tech, his armor, has got into the wrong hands. Who could it be, we don't know. I’m assuming Sam Rockwell is coming back.

Ron: Oh really?

Mon: That is my assumption. People really like that guy so he might come back.

Ron: Isn’t he in jail?

Mon: Endgame happened. Lots of things have changed!

Ron: Okay, that's a good point.

Mon: This is just me speculating. So, I just feel like it will be interesting because if it’s Tony’s nightmare and War Machine’s got to deal with it, then that changes the whole perspective altogether. So, I’m intrigued, I’m intrigued. Also, more War Machine is a good thing.

Ron: Yes.

Mon: Okay. What do you think about Secret Invasion.

Ron: Dude, I have no idea what to think about this.

Mon: Disney is really running with the chemistry between Talos and Fury. But you know, the premise is pretty interesting. Because if the Skrulls, who are shapeshifters, have taken over every layer of humanity, it's really fascinating to see the whole ‘who can you trust’ issue.

Ron: Yeah, that angle, definitely quite interesting. I'm actually quite surprised that Talos and Fury are getting their own run. I like Talos. I think he's cool. And Nick Fury, you know, we really haven't got to see as much of him as we would have expected. He was great in Captain Marvel.

Mon: Just so much fun to see him.

Ron: My only concern about Secret Invasion is I don't want them painting the Skrulls as bad guys.

Mon: Yeah, yeah, no, I agree with you. Because the whole point of Captain Marvel is that the film really turned on its head who we think the bad guys are. I'm really hoping that it's just a faction of Skrulls. Because you have bad guys in everything, right?

Ron: Yeah.

Mon: There's a faction of Skrulls who are sent on Earth and they just take it the wrong way.

Ron: Yeah, I'm hoping that it's something like that. Because the refugee storyline in Captain Marvel was really hard-hitting. I thought it was really lovely. I'm not sure how I feel about Secret Invasion. We have to see it.

Mon: Yeah, there's no other species, per se, in the main Marvel Universe that they can play with in this fashion. I hope that they’re still sensitive to the topic, that at the end of the day, the Skrulls who were saved by Mar-Vell are still refugees who require and deserve to get a peaceful life. But there's always some bad eggs. Fury and Talos are dealing with them.

Ron: Yeah, yeah. We also got some Guardians of the Galaxy news. There is going to be a Holiday Special before the third film comes out. I don't know how I feel about that.

Mon: Sometimes I feel like Marvel milks the wrong things.

Ron: Do we want more Guardians of the Galaxy?

Mon: I think that having a third part is bad enough. The second film was just underwhelming to me. I have not gone back and seen it.

Ron: You know what I would like to see? A movie about Gamora and Nebula. That's all I want to see. I don't care about the others, just those two. Oh, and throw Mantis in there! Yeah. Mantis, Gamora, and Nebula, all I want to see.

Mon: I hope Disney is listening.

Ron: We're also going to get an I Am Groot series.

Mon: This is definitely a reason to sell toys to kids and make a Seedling-Groot version which is cuter than baby Yoda, so we have more Christmas decorations.

Alright, so back to the films, because we forgot a few things, didn't we? So, Ant-Man and the Wasp is going to be called Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Ron: I think that sounds fun!

Mon: I love the name so much! Paul Rudd is back. Evangeline Lilly is back. She’s apologized for her pandemic snafu, so that's great.

Ron: Oh, thank goodness.

Mon: Yeah. Michael Douglas is back, and so is Michelle Pfeiffer. So excited. I love those four, they are so good in the films. Can’t wait to see them again. I am upset that they recast Cassie!

Ron: Why do we have now an older Cassie, than the older version that we already saw in Endgame?

Mon: I have no idea. The actress who played Cassie is also upset. She found out the same day that the Disney Investor Day announcement happened.

Ron: Oh, that's so mean.

Mon: That is mean! I don't like people who do that. At least let her know that she's not coming back and she's been replaced.

Ron: That's a bit disappointing.

Mon: They are going ahead with Black Panther 2. They've mentioned that they're not going to recast T’Challa, which people had anyway surmised. I'm very glad for that. Ryan Coogler is hard at work, we were told, rewriting the script. So, let's see what they can do. Eternals, there’s no new news about that, but we’re finally going to see it in theaters. “Theaters” in quotes.

Ron: Shang-Chi is also expected to be in theaters. Looks like Marvel is just going with that tactic. Let's see. These films, Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and Eternals, they are ready for release.

Mon: Yeah, Shang-Chi finished late in the Fall.

Ron: Yeah, so they're probably gonna finish off their production and everything and be ready to go.

Mon: They’ve got a really good cast over there. So, yeah, can't wait to see how the movie turns out.

Ron: Yes.

Mon: Thor 4: Love and Thunder, now has its villain. So Christian Bale is playing Gorr. Don't get excited. Gorr is a really weird-looking creature. I have no idea about this weird casting.

Ron: I just hope they let Christian Bale have fun and be funny. We need to see a funny Christian Bale. That's all I'm saying.

Mon: Is that something that exists?

Ron: It will when this movie comes out!

Mon: Amazing. All right. So, the big news which had fans actually going insane, is that Marvel is now going to make a Fantastic Four film.

Ron: Please just let them die.

Mon: Listen, Fantastic Four are the first family of Marvel. We’ve gotta hold out hope that this is going to be something spectacular. I don't know who they're gonna get to write this film, and who they’re going to get to direct this film. I'm really worried about the cast, but I want them to do something really, really good. Because the cartoon series was a lot of fun, but it was also a cartoon. The Chris Evans movies were campy fun, there were really very silly. It was supposed to be the comic book ethos and they captured that.

Less said about Fan4stic is better. How you can take such a spectacular cast of Michael B Jordan, Jamie Bell, Katie Mara, and Toby Kebbell, and make that film is still beyond me. I'm so glad that Michael B Jordan got a second chance as Erik Killmonger. I'm hoping the others also get a second chance.

But yeah, let's see what they can do. I think that Marvel is going to do something spectacular with Fantastic Four, which we've never seen before. I say this with the confidence of somebody who knows that that's not gonna happen but I can hope.

Ron: Man, I don't know. I think some properties are just cursed.

Mon: No! Don’t say that.

Ron: Fantastic Four seems like it is. It's a mess.

Mon: I feel like there is so much expectation that comes with Fantastic Four. I mean, just think about it. Just because you and I aren't that attached to Fantastic Four, doesn't mean that we don't understand how people who are feel about this. If Marvel had announced that they were making X-Men, I don't know how we would react. The weight of expectation and the amount of history that is attached to these characters, it's huge. How do you take all of that and filter it down into one film, or one franchise? And at least, Fantastic Four is only four characters and one villain, for the most part, Galactus is also there.

If they were the X-Men, oh my god, it’ll just blow your mind. They’re clever not to have announced X-Men. Let them get through this roster because it's an extensive roster, we've been talking about it for a while now. It's a huge roster! And they’re smart to leave something which could potentially be a huge golden goose for them. But yeah, Fantastic Four, I feel good about it. And I feel good about it because I'm not attached to them.

Ron: I'm totally on the fence about Fantastic Four. I do not know what to expect. The problem is not just what has come before with Fantastic Four in the live-action universe. It’s with the characters themselves. Reed Richards is a dick!

Mon: No, but that's true. But listen, can you make somebody who is like that be a teachable moment for the character, for people who are watching him?

Ron: So, where I'm coming from is that I am now at the point where I can't stand watching or reading something about a character who's unlikable. I think they get too much time in the sun.

Mon: Okay. No, that's a good point.

Ron: Like, I just watched Mank. And I was like, why are you asking me to spend two and a half hours with this man who sucks? I don't want to. And it's not fair that I'm being asked to do that. I want to hang out with people I like.

Mon: Yeah, that's true. Maybe they should turn the tables and make Invisible Woman the dick, and Reed is the poor brow-beaten spouse in the relationship.

Ron: He will find a way to make even that annoying!

Mon: Let's be positive here. I really have a good feeling about Fantastic Four coming from the MCU. I'm telling you.

Ron: I don't know where your positivity is coming from because I have none.

Mon: Well, Marvel has had an extra year of thinking about this. Because they didn't actually do like actual work during this year because of the pandemic. So, I'm thinking that's just brewing a lot of good ideas for them.

And on that positive note, we want to know which of these Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney Productions are you super excited about? Which ones do you really not want to be watching at all? What did you expect to actually be there which wasn't and you’re super-disappointed? Let us know. Send us a tweet, send us an email and happy watching!

Ron: You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email [email protected]. We hope you enjoyed this episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Transcription by Otter.ai, Mon, and Ron.

#marvel #disney #disney plus #lucasfilm #captain marvel #loki #falcon #winter soldier #what if #star wars #ahsoka tano #boba fett #fantastic four #obi-wan kenobi #bad batch #darth vader

2 notes · View notes

raywritesthings · 4 years

Text

Fade In, Fade Out: Coda

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Earth-2 Laurel Lance, Earth-2 Oliver Queen Pairing: Earth-2 Laurel Lance/Earth-2 Oliver Queen Summary: Now that Black Siren has brought back her doppelganger, there's not much left for her to do on Earth-1 or Earth-2. The multiverse provides an alternative. A follow-up to Fade In, Fade Out. *Can be read on my AO3, link is in bio*

She was kind of pissed off about it, actually.

Laurel had kept an eye and ear out for any Star City news, just in case Diaz had had men follow her or realized her deception in restoring her doppelganger to the world. But she’d barely gotten through more than five articles at a computer terminal in Mumbai before coming across a headline detailing the capture of Ricardo Diaz by federal agents after a building collapse.

A building collapse. She had just… walked right in there and done it? Ugh, other her was so perfect it was sickening.

A few tabloid-style publications had picked up the story that Felicity Smoak had moved out of the city as well, and that Oliver Queen seemed to be spending a lot more time with his old flame instead. Laurel decided to stop paying attention to the Star City news after that. The her from this Earth could go on and have her perfect life with her living dad and Oliver. It didn’t matter to her. They’d never been hers to begin with, no matter their lame and halting entreaties to the contrary.

But where did that leave her on this Earth?

She laid low for a while, on the move constantly. She stole only what she needed to survive, because anything bigger would get her noticed. By the authorities or by the next strongman to come into her life. She was so sick of being the bitch on a leash for one of them. Maybe she was just getting old, but she was so tired of it all. It wasn’t fun. It just sucked.

What if she could have been the good girl, the hero like her other self? It wouldn’t have worked here; she’d burned too many bridges, pissed off too many people. She kept expecting Dinah Drake to jump out of the shadows with some corny line about how she was putting her down for good. And she hadn’t even wanted to kill Vince.

Home would be no better. Assuming she could even explain where she had disappeared to for two years, people had seen her face while fighting for Zoom. She’d be rounded up and tossed in a cell, though at least that would hopefully mean regular meals. In either direction, she was facing a pretty meager existence.

It was these thoughts that had her sprawled across the crap mattress of a cheap motel one morning, too unmotivated to bother getting up, when the wall beside her bed suddenly rippled with bright light. Laurel rolled off the bed and stood in one fluid movement, reaching for the gun that she’d stored in the bedside table, but she stopped when a man stepped out of it.

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Yes, it is me,” said Oliver. He was dressed in jeans, a sweater and jacket and had boots on that would be suited for hiking. Must’ve been a day off from all the politicking.

“Okay, what are you doing here? I gave you your bird back, what more do you want?”

But he shook his head, a smile blooming on his face as he slowly walked around the bed. “No, Laurel, it’s me.” He reached out to cup her face. “It’s Ollie.”

His eyes were different, his voice, and it was calling back to her through the years.

She froze. “Ollie? That’s not — you’re dead.”

“I’m not. I should’ve been, but then…”

“Then what?” She stepped back, ripping out of his hold. “If this is some kind of trick, so help me—”

“It’s not, I’m just trying to find the right words,” he said, one hand raised in the air palm-up. “I was going to drown, but then I was saved by… well, basically some kind of god. His name’s Novu.”

“What?” Her face scrunched up. That wasn’t even a name.

“He’s also called the Monitor. And his job is to stop this thing called Crisis that’s coming for all the Earths. Since I was supposed to die, that made me the perfect candidate to be his agent of sorts. I’ve been traveling the multiverse, helping prepare the heroes on each one for Crisis.”

“So, you’ve been out there this whole time,” Laurel began, struggling to wrap her head around this. “And you never once thought it might be nice to tell me you weren’t dead?”

“I know.” He hung his head. “I haven’t been to Earth 2 in over ten years. I didn’t know what was happening back home. Believe me, I was not happy with Novu when he finally told me some of what you’d been through.”

“You mean what I’ve done.” She looked down, her eyes feeling hot and heavy with tears that threatened to spill. Laurel had always told herself that at least her Ollie had never had to find out what she’d become over the years, and now he was here, telling her he knew? How could he even look at her?

“A lot of what you have done is survive. You’ve been so alone, Laurel, and how were you going to decide to be some kind of hero if you had nothing to fight for?” He was approaching her more slowly this time, giving her plenty of opportunity to back away again. “Not everything I’ve done for Novu would be called heroic, either. But I know you, and I know you can turn over a new leaf if someone gives you the chance.”

“My doppelganger’s dad gave me one, and I ditched,” she pointed out.

“After bringing his daughter back to life. And really, Laurel, I think deep down that wasn’t just the selfish action you think it was.”

She wasn’t used to someone knowing her like this. It had been so long since she had seen him, and she had assumed that if she were to ever somehow meet her Ollie again that he wouldn’t recognize her. But he was here and telling her he did.

“Why are you here now? I mean, why wait so long?”

“It took me a long while to realize what I was doing for Novu was necessary, and not just to save my own life. But I’ve proven my worth and earned his trust. He felt I could do more with a partner. I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you,” he told her, grinning again in a boyish sort of way that took some of the years off him and made him look even more the way she remembered. “And now that you’ve brought back this Earth’s Dinah Laurel Lance and inadvertently restored some of their timeline, you don’t have to remain on any one Earth either.”

“So… I’d be traveling the multiverse for this god-guy?” If not for the fact that she was literally standing in a parallel universe, she would have never believed it.

“With me,” Ollie added helpfully.

“With you,” she repeated, her voice soft. This was still so unbelievable. Since when did she get this kind of lucky? “Well, in that case… how can I say no?”

What the hell? She didn’t have anything to lose. And if this wasn’t some bizarre dream and it really was her Ollie, she was never letting him go again.

Laurel launched herself forward. He caught her in his arms, but she stilled because something was weird with his left one. Laurel pulled back and took his hand, realizing it wasn’t actually flesh and blood, but some kind of prosthetic. “What happened?”

He let out a soft laugh. “Uh, yeah, it’s gotten complicated along the way sometimes. Long story.”

“You’re gonna have all the time in the multiverse to tell me. And this is just proof this Novu guy should’ve brought me on earlier.” She was never letting him get hurt like this again.

“Yes, it is, pretty bird,” he agreed readily. Then he leaned in, and Laurel closed her eyes as she felt his lips on hers for the first time in over a decade. This, she knew, couldn’t be faked.

When they parted, he took her hand in his regular right one and gestures towards the weird ripples in the wall. “Shall we?”

Laurel smiled. A real smile, not a fake one for undercover or a smirk or a sneer. “We shall.”

So maybe her doppelganger had gotten her hero’s happy ending after all. Laurel didn’t mind that so much anymore.

#lauriver #laurel x oliver #arrow #black siren #laurel lance #oliver queen #my writing

4 notes · View notes

talix18 · 5 years

Text

November 3

Today begins with the time change back to EST, a Fleetwood Mac concert two hours away in Philly, and a head cold. I went to bed at ?? o'clock, woke up at 5:something AM, ate some leftover Halloween sugar, and put myself back to sleep. It's now 10:30 and I've finally made my way out of bed. My intentions are to pace myself and nap so that I'm still awake for the drive home from Philly, but this day's start is not encouraging. I've eaten some pizza for breakfast, so I'm thinking of taking some Excedrin or cold medicine, which will add yet another variable to this consciousness management equation.

I'm saying it's a head cold, but really it's just congestion and a headache. I'll see what's in the medicine cabinet when the cat gets off my lap.

Yes, I've become that sad middle-aged lady in the office with no husband, no kids, and two cats. I know that there are pros and cons in all of these choices, and I know just about the same number of people who are happy with their families as people who are either struggling as single parents with young kids or in unhappy relationships and really, there are no guarantees anywhere. The goal, as Sinead O'Connor put it back in the 80s, is to not want what I haven't got. But that has never been my MO.

Almost every decision I've ever made (or failed to make) has been about giving myself the maximum possible outs. I've never been good at commitment – I've always wanted room to move and now that I have it, I have absolutely no idea what to do with it. I've got all the freedom and independence to make grand gestures and absolutely no idea what to do next.

There's this saying in my specific 12-Step program that says something like “working this thing will give you a life beyond your wildest dreams” and I have a lot of issues with that. (Of course, because I am a philosophizer and an addict, justifying and rationalizing all the livelong day.) My wildest dreams include being in a loving relationship and being Stevie Nicks, so clearly I'm falling short.

So I think, well, maybe that “life beyond your wildest dreams” stuff means living like a productive member of society instead of sleeping in abandominiums. Having a job and a bank account and paying bills. Maybe my bottom wasn't low enough to make the life I have now seem remarkable. I've seen how using addicts live – when every decision is literally about getting and using and finding ways and means to get more. I got clean at 27 and I had very little to lose because I didn't have anything of my own. I was just about to start making some incredibly bad decisions when I got a DWI and a year's suspended jail sentence and was scared straight. I was still living at Mom's and going to grad school.

Maybe my dreams are too outrageous. I have a friend who celebrated 25 years recently and realized that she is living her best life. She has a job that she worked hard for and cares about, is married to a man who adores her, has two rescued dogs, and has a good relationship with her grown daughter. Why are my dreams on such a different scale? I have no ability to want things in any correct proportion. I can't play a damn instrument and haven't sung with anyone in public since I got clean – maybe touring with Fleetwood Mac is aiming a little high. How about I start with taking guitar lessons that don't cause me sleep-disrupting pain? That seems like a reasonable place to start.

Then there are my world travel dreams, many of which I've been lucky enough to live out. I went to India, for gods' sake. Not that long ago. That was amazing and surreal. And one of those things that really is a gift from the Universe, like my job and my house. I got the job I have because my father took my resume in to work and back then, the government had an Outstanding Scholar Program. Because I had excellent grades (despite having graduated from college ten+ years earlier), I was hired at one grade and automatically promoted several more within my first three years, where I've leveled off and received modest within-grade step increases at regular intervals since. I make more money than I ever though I would working a nine-to-five job; enough to put some away for retirement and still have enough to have a life now (like seeing Fleetwood Mac twice in one year or international travel). That alone puts me at a higher standard of living than most of the damn world.

My house also sort of fell in my lap. I had just moved back to Mom's after moving out of a friend's house – she had recently gotten engaged and he had moved in. They got a new puppy, so I took the cat and moved back into the basement. One of my friends' mom's is a real estate agent and told her to see if I was thinking about buying. I wasn't, but I was in my 30s and my cat did not get along with my mom's cats, so it was time to consider a living situation. I had been gifted stock in a utility by my mother's second husband's parents when I was a kid; that money was more than enough for a down payment on this tiny house next to the state park. I was about to get one of those automatic grade increases at work and could afford the mortgage and utilities: voila! Home ownership. Only some of the factors that came together to make that happen were within my control. I've seen people stuck in relationships because they can't afford to support themselves. I've seen people move from spare room to spare room because they can't afford a place on their own. I always wanted a place to live where I'd have enough room for all my stuff and no one could kick me out. (Except the bank, obvs.) I have that and have had it for damn near 15 years.

Maybe my life has been so good for so long that I don't even notice it anymore. There are very few things I have to if I don't want to do them. Just that is a huge freedom.

India happened because I had recently gotten back in touch with a women I'd met when she did PT on my first bad shoulder. She was also a yoga teacher and I'd taken some classes with her, but our schedules stopped syncing and we hadn't seen each other in a while. I responded to one of her emails offering a new class and about a week later, she asked if I wanted to join her for an evening of kirtan. I said sure, and on our way to Annapolis, as we caught each other up on our lives, she mentioned that she might be going to India with the founder of the yoga tradition she practices. “I want to go to India!” I said before even realizing it was true, and she said “Come with us!”

Now I am not a person of spontaneity. I'm not a compulsive researcher, either, but finding out in October about a possible trip to India in January is not way out of my comfort zone. For one thing, I'm a terrible flier. I'm not sure if it's the stress of airport security or being trapped in a steel tube in the sky with strangers, but anytime air travel is involved, my anxiety levels start off near the top of the chart. And this meant flying halfway around the world to a completely foreign country, although with a group that would handle all of the hotel and travel arrangements. It was the best opportunity to go somewhere I'd probably never go on my own.

And to my surprise, my reaction wasn't “I can't do that!” It was “What would stop me from being able to do that?” I had just enough vacation saved, just enough money saved, and a mom willing to take care of my cats while I was gone. I applied for a visa and got the recommended vaccinations and found myself in Mumbai in January of '18. That was a dream I didn't even know I had until it happened.

And it was almost everything I wanted it to be. My own personal eat, meditate, and have sex for the first time in two years. All that was missing was meeting an elephant. (I'll make sure the pictures of me on a camel and of a monkey on me are included at some point.) It wasn't included on our tour (which took us from Vrindivan to Rishikesh), but we added a few days on to the end and went to the Taj Mahal. I still can't believe that happened and I have pictures to prove it did. I know there are many tourist attractions that don't live up to the hype, but trust me when I tell you that the Taj Mahal is worth going out of your way for. Our first views of it were from a distance and looked exactly life every picture you've ever seen, but as I walked toward it and the perspective changed as we got closer...it was overwhelming. The white marble of the building is inlaid with stone of every color and...the artistry is literally breath-taking. We went to a workshop where, according to our travel guide, the descendants of the craftspeople who built the mausoleum still worked creating marble pieces today, several of which made their way home with me. Those Indian people see us white folk coming and I was happy to leave several hundred of my American dollars behind with them.

And that is just sliding onto the edge of today's word count. I wonder how long it will be before I see this taking any kind of shape. I know the whole point of this exercise is just to get the words out, but I'm not sure how long I can do this without repeating myself. Would I be easier if I made something up? You'd think I could wring 10K words out of each decade I've been alive, but even I know that most of them just aren't that interesting.

#f**k fifty #nanowrimo

4 notes · View notes

femaconjibberred · 5 years

Text

One of the casualties was Amarildo de Souza

branding can open the door to new customers He said he recently had to take a leave of absence because he developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. Community is going to come together. One of the casualties was Amarildo de Souza, though not officially so. They're super light and they have a smaller heel to toe drop than most trainers, but they're stiff and you don't get much ground feel. Video is likewise improved on the iPhone but still records at 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second. Cuticle oil comes in a variety of formulas including but not limited to almond, tea tree, tangerine, jojoba, rice bran and plain vitamin E oil. As they walked together to the area of 43rd and Manitoba, suspect 2 and 3 exited from behind bushes and demanded money from the victim.. Rediff Shopping offers a wide range of trendy necklace sets in ethnic and contemporary patterns. Antetokounmpo is a finalist for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year; the Bucks Mike Budenholzer is a finalist for Coach of the Year and Siakam is a Most Improved Player finalist. The Super Bowl, Olympics, and World Cup all had a big year fake yeezys for kids on YouTube. You should also keep in mind that you'll need a credit score that's at least 640 and your debt to income ratio can't be higher than 45 percent. Then all details can be delivered to student by email or offering them by advertising the products using email marketing, which can make an impact to the consumers (students). I swear to our Heavenly Father.". I've logged more than 400 miles over the past six weeks with the GPS edition of Apple Watch, known as Apple Watch Series 2. Just last week, the full specifications of Vivo Z1x were leaked online. However, to make good and often effective content which resonates with the consumer can be quite costly, hiring out cameras and cameramen, developing a script on what you want the audience learn and Cheap Fake Yeezys bring this altogether with editing can be time consuming and expensive. 7,550Case: Corsair Carbide 100R Rs. Uber drivers must pay GST on every dollar.Property owners who rent out their spare room may also be unaware that they risk losing their capital gains tax exemption when they eventually sell up.The tax office varies the exemption on a pro rata basis, depending on the amount of floor space rented out and the length of bookings.Mr Drum said anyone planning to become an Airbnb host needed to factor this into their financial modelling, and work out whether the venture would be worth it in the long run.On the upside, he said, hosts could claim deductions for expenses incurred throughout the year if a property was listed on Airbnb the whole time even if they only got one or two bookings.hosts have said a bit of money on the side and I always tell them tax man is going to want to know about it. But local historian AR Venkatachalapathy believes that the DMK must win to project itself as the only cheap yeezy shoesalternative to a faction ridden AIADMK. There, you will be treated to fine wines, locally brewed beer, delicious appetizers, and live music from Cuban band Pellejo Seco in the museum's gorgeous atrium and on its deck.. The best thing about denim blazers is that they can be mix and matched with various textures and colours to go on experimenting with different looks.. She was born on the 31st of August in Mumbai." The new mom also shared a health update about herself and her baby daughter Isabella: "We are doing great! I can't stop drooling over her." Congratulations poured in on Instagram for the new parents.. Harmful counterfeit goods, meanwhile, increased from 11.5 per cent of cases documented by the RCMP in 2005 to 30.4 per cent last year.Consumer electronics and personal care items shampoo, makeup and the like are among those dangerous products, according to Kevin Fahey of the National RCMP Intellectual Property Rights Section.Counterfeit personal care products can cause allergic reactions or burns, while a fake smartphone charger could electrocute you.Fahey says the RCMP's focus on pursuing health and safety related counterfeits rather than an actual increase in their availability could explain the apparent spike in harmful items.What is certain is that counterfeit goods are "coming through legitimate transportation means, like regular shipping routes. She was one of several athletes to attend, including Cam Newton, Dwyane Wade with wife Gabrielle Union, and Tom Brady with Gisele Bundchen on his arm.. She's had a heart condition. You probably have heard of Sharp, but not as a cell phone manufacturer. Federal officials say they fear the trend toward legalization may make it more enticing for teenagers to try marijuana. Plan only works if Adidas actually gets the shoes back. The suffix Eagles was added in 1971 at the suggestion of their Welsh born manager Barry Hughes.. This was carried out alongside politicians from all parties, unions and MPs, and saw us lead 10,000 people on a protest march through the streets to demand Government intervention. Banton works in an office of about 20 people that is part of the public works department.. You know, I told my mother in law about this film, and that I really thought she should see it. Plan for a Middle East peace settlement "will leave Israel with sovereignty in certain areas" of the West Bank, which Israel captured along with other territories in the 1967 Middle East war, Freeman added. These meals generally are far tastier than the prepackaged versions. So there I was yesterday afternoon looking for a column idea (as anyone who follows me on Twitter knows), when out of the blue came this: Amazon buying Zappos for $850 million, give or take.

1 note · View note

salmankhanholics · 5 years

Text

★ Salman's brilliant performance is my takeaway, says 'Bharat' director Ali Abbas Zafar!

27, 2019,

The talented director spoke about his first film outside YRF, his working equation with Salman Khan and post 'Bharat' plans.

Mumbai: Salman Khan starrer highly anticipated 'Bharat' is gearing up for an Eid release. The film, which is the remake of the Korean blockbuster An Ode To My Father sees Salman reuniting with Katrina Kaif. The film has raised anticipation amongst audiences since the trailer is released. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, 'Bharat' marks the third film of the filmmaker with both Salman (Sultan, Tiger Zinda Hai) and Katrina (Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Tiger Zinda Hai).

'Bharat' is Ali Abbas Zafar's first film outside Yash Raj Films as all of his previous films were produced under the legendary banner. Speaking about the experience, Ali said, "When you get out of your comfort zone you tend to learn many new things. I think I learned a lot working on this film (Bharat). It was a really wonderful equation with Atul and Alvira Agnihotri, Krishan Kumar (producers) and of course, Salman sir. They have just supported my vision in the best possible way and I am very thankful to them for trusting me with this film."

The director promises that the film is a roller coaster ride with a man whose six-decade journey reflects that of the country. "Lot of research went into making this film. The film's span is 70 years - it begins from 1947 and goes till 2010. When we were writing the film, because it is an adaptation of Korean film 'An Ode To My Father', it was very important what part of history were we touching and bringing into our script," Ali mentioned.

"At heart, Bharat is a very emotional and simple story about a displaced family where a son makes a promise to his father. In that journey, you see him travel and live 70 years. And in those 70 years what is simultaneously happening in the country become a parallel plot that why the tagline is "journey of a man and a nation together". It was definitely very challenging in its writing as well as its execution because whatever time frame we were setting his life chapters has a definite beginning and an end. It is like six Salman Khan films packaged in one," he said.

Talking about all his movies with Salman Khan, Ali Abbas Zafar said, "My films with Salman are little larger than life, but when you put them in the real texture they become very accessible. With these films, people identify themselves with the hero. Bharat is also a "filmy film in real set-up", just like my previous films. My only quest is when audiences watch Salman Khan film they should be able to relate themselves to the drama"

"Every time I do film with Salman, I try to find a new dimension in him. I try to push him present his different version to the audience. In Bharat, I pushed him again. I think this is for first time people are going to see 70-year-old Salman Khan. I must say, Salman has given a brilliant performance in Bharat and that is my biggest takeaway of the film," Ali added.

Like every Salman Khan film, the music plays a crucial role in 'Bharat'. Songs like 'Slow Motion, 'Chashni', 'Zinda' have already become a rage among the audience. While 'Bharat' is a period film, its music feels contemporary and Ali revealed that it was actually a conscious decision. He mentioned, "We took that decision so that it is accessible to the youth. I always believed that the maximum consumption of film music happens through the youth of this country. I wanted to make them feel that it's retro and still very cool. When you come into the theatre you will understand why we have taken that leap of faith."

Talking about the expectations from the film, Ali said, "When the title of your film is 'Bharat' and you have huge stars like Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in it, there is an extra responsibility and that the film should live up to the name of the title. The whole film is about unity and diversity and that a country is like a family. It is a relevant film today."

Ali Abbas Zafar admitted that making 'Bharat' was a daunting task and that he would like to rest for a while to rejuvenate himself. "Well, I have not been able to get enough sleep! Post the release of Bharat, I just want to sleep for some time and spend little time with my mom and dad. I'll start working on my next project after that,' Ali signed off.

'Bharat' hits the theatres on June 5.

...

#salman khan #bharat #Ali Abbas Zafar #takeaway #performance #dc

2 notes · View notes

loup-malin · 6 years

Text

Rare is this Love, Keep it Covered aka California King

Fandom: Sense8

Genre: Fluff/Meta

Rating: All Ages

Summary: Canon-compliant (mostly); Post-Naples trust building and talking it all out. Rajan’s POV.

Read on AO3

Unbeta’ed - please forgive any errors!

Ship: Rajalagang - I know this controversial for some people; I tried to write what I would have liked to see to help develop this ship a little more before the wedding scene.

AN - I know that Jean-Pierre’s villa was in a town in the Ile de France region, but I like Provence, so I changed it. This little ditty was written for @abovethesmokestacks birthday, based on a conversation we had after the end of the Sense8 finale. Happy, happy birthday, darling! I wish I had had the time to write a four chapter version of this story (and maybe I will?), but I wanted to make sure you had this for your birthday weekend! I love love love you! (Hides because I haven’t written a fic in about a million years.)

They were alive. It defied reason, defied statistical probability, but somehow, they limped back to Jean-Pierre’s villa after Naples, battered and beaten, but still grateful, relieved, and whole. The cluster and their extended family spent two weeks in the Provençal countryside. Everyone, sensate and sapien alike, agreed unanimously that they all needed - deserved - time to heal and to begin to understand this new reality. Nomi and Amanita worked around the clock on their wedding plans, only surfacing in the evenings for dinner, looking increasingly harried and blissful as their nuptials approached.

It was disorienting to try to understand how Kala and her cluster related to one another, to wrap his mind around the idea of this new family that he had joined. Rajan was happy to have the time to process it all, especially when it came to Wolfgang. Everything he had ever learned told him that he should be be angry, outraged. If anyone back in Mumbai knew the shifts that had taken place in his life, in his marriage, in these last few weeks, they wouldn’t bat an eye if he were to smash a few of the beautiful, expensive glasses in the beautiful, expensive cupboards. Would think it totally normal if he decided to slam doors and scream himself hoarse.

But his heart didn’t want that. Kala, his Kala, glorious, headstrong woman that she was… was in love. It was the most breathtaking thing he had ever seen. Her smile, beaming to the sky and back as Wolfgang’s arm draped across her shoulder, intoxicated him. He couldn’t find anger in the cocktail of emotions that stirred in his heart - there was no room for it when his wife still lived and breathed. No one else had watched the life drain from her face, they hadn’t felt the panic rise from his gut at the thought of her being stolen from the world. No one except Wolfgang knew how close they had come.

He watched them from as many angles as he could find excuses for, jealousy a small flame in his stomach. It would be ridiculous to deny that he was jealous. But he would not tend that flame, would not feed it with the vitriol everyone seemed to expect from him. He knew what they thought an Indian husband would do. But even these well-intentioned new friends didn’t really know him, didn’t know how little regard he had for useless traditions and taboos. He could not see a version of reality in which raging and screaming would help anything. How would that make Kala happy? How could a spectacle like that demonstrate how much he loved her?

No.

He would meet love with love.

Still. He had so many questions. Was it the sense of danger that seemed to hang in the air around Wolfgang? As though anything could happen at any moment? Was it his wardrobe, Rajan wondered, considering wryly whether he should trade out his tailored shirts and slacks for something more… torn? But the more he observed, the easier it was to noticed that it was the quieter moments in Wolfgang’s company in which Kala really shone. The moments in which he murmured to her, asking for her thoughts on various elements of the sprawling country estate in which they were guests, listening intently as she turned her scientist’s focus to the topic at hand, were the ones that held their own special beauty. They seemed to delight in the physical proximity to one another, flowers turning their faces to the sunlight.

He needed to spend time with Wolfgang, wanted to get to know the man that Kala loved so much (more than she loved him, a small voice hissed in the back of Rajan’s mind, but he corrected the voice patiently each time, as he would correct a petulant child: not more, just differently).

Rajan asked Wolfgang to go for a walk one morning, before most of the other guests were awake. Sun was next to the pool, practicing. She could be trusted to be silent, Rajan suspected. She nodded at them, never stopping the flow of her movements, though her sharp gaze lingered on them until they rounded the corner, following the dewy garden path. They ambled through the small vineyard next to the house, and then into the lavender field beyond. Neither man spoke until all they could see and smell were the fragrant purple plants stretching toward the sky, line after line.

“If you’ve brought me out here to kill me,” Wolfgang threatened, though his face was serene, chin lifted in defiance. “I hope you have backup.”

Rajan shook his head, needing to replay the other man’s words before barking out a laugh.

“Kill you?” He chuckled, the nervous knot in his gut easing a bit. “What kind of idiot would I be to try to kill you, Wolfgang? If I were to kill you, to even try… I would be ruining my own life.” Wolfgang was silent, blinking slowly at him once in reply as the sun slid out from behind a passing cloud. “I asked you to take a walk with me… well, to be honest, I wasn’t sure why exactly at first. But I would like to talk about the thing that none of us seem to want to discuss.”

A muscle in Wolfgang’s jaw twitched, and he kicked at an imaginary clump of dirt, digging his toe in before looking back at Rajan. “Go on then. Say it.”

“No, no, no. You misunderstand me, please.” Rajan gestured for them to keep walking. After a beat, the German joined him, hands shoved into his pockets. “Kala loves you, you love Kala. And I love Kala. I know this is not…” he hesitated. Not normal? Nothing about his life since leaving Mumbai had been normal, so that frame of reference was already useless. Not what was expected of him? That was an understatement, at best. “I know that what I’m about to say might be surprising, but I am not asking you to end your relationship with my wife.” There, he had said it. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

“So what do you want, then?”

“I need to ask you for something selfish. A favour. Kala would be angry with me if she knew I was asking you this. Will be angry with me,” he corrected himself, realising that there was little likelihood of Wolfgang not sharing this conversation with their shared love. He took the other man’s silence as an invitation to continue, so he did. “Please, Wolfgang. Please don’t ever hurt her.”

“I would never.” The reply was immediate and sure, though Wolfgang’s added “I promise” was softer.

“All is want is for Kala to be happy.”

“That’s what I want, too.”

Rajan cleared his throat, nodding. “Good. Thank you.”

Wolfgang regarded him with an impish grin. “Is that all you wanted to ask me?” The question lingered, suspended in air that was heavier now than it had been a second ago. His expression was unreadable to Rajan. Something was changing, in him, in Wolfgang, probably in Kala, too. He could feel it happening, the shift from salt water to sweet, and decided to see where the tide took him.

“Yes, that’s really it.” He nodded again, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his suddenly-damp brow.

Wolfgang frowned, shrugging as he turned his gaze back toward the villa. “She wants to know if we’re done fighting.”

“She’s here?” Rajan knew it was useless to try to see her. He squinted anyway. “Kala, it’s not like that.”

The German didn’t reply, but turned and walked back down the line of grapevines. “I’m starving!”

*******

That night, Kala had barely closed the door to their bedroom before she rounded on Rajan.

“So, you had a man-to-man talk with Wolfgang.” She raised her gaze to meet her husband’s, a tiny line appearing between her brows; he looked forward to seeing that line deepen over the years. If Rajan hadn’t suspected that she was as nervous about the content of their conversation as she was annoyed by it, he would have laughed and pulled her close at this thought.

“It was just a talk, Kala. I’d like to get to know him better.” Rajan ran his hand down her arm.

“Why didn’t you talk to me first? I’m your wife!” Her voice was sharp but her teeth worried at her lower lip as she crossed her arms.

He had thought about this, who to speak with first and why. “I’m sorry, my love. I didn’t intend for you to feel left out. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I feel as though sometimes you have been afraid to tell me things. I thought that talking to him first would be better; I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Worry about what?” She shook her head and sat at the edge of the bed.

“Kala, are you going to leave me for Wolfgang?”

“No!” Whatever insecurities still lingered in the dark corners of his mind were banished by the shocked honesty of her reply. Kala jumped up, pacing. “No, Rajan, I don’t want to leave you. I promise. I love you, and I made vows to you and our families and Ganesha to spend my life with you. You have accepted everything that has happened to you in the last two years with such… such grace. But,” she stopped, dropping her hands to her sides.

“But it’s complicated. I know.” Rajan drew his wife to him, wrapping his arms around her. “I understand, Kala. And whatever I don’t understand, I’m trying to.” She sighed against him, hiding her face in his nightshirt. “I know that you love Wolfgang. It’s okay.”

“What?” She pulled back and stared at him, mouth agape.

“When we went walking this morning, I wasn’t asking him to end your relationship. I just wanted to clear the air.”

Kala blinked once, and then again. “So… you’re okay with me cheating on you?” She narrowed her eyes, leaning back to study his face.

“It’s only cheating if it’s a secret, if you two are sneaking around and hiding things from me. If I’m aware of your relationship and comfortable with it, then it’s just our life, isn’t it?”

She shook her head and sat again on the bed. “I don’t know what to say, Rajan. I…” she trailed off. “Thank you.” She kissed him, her lips soft and sweet against his.

“Kala, I keep trying to tell you: I love you. I want you to be happy, forever. I’d prefer to be part of that happiness. If that means that you love two men, I can live with that.”

She was silent for a moment, and Rajan decided that he didn’t need to know if she was speaking to Wolfgang, though he assumed that she was. Without warning, Kala launched herself into his arms. “I married a good, good man!” She laughed, peppering his face with kisses.

He could absolutely live with this.

*******

As strange as it might have seemed to anyone watching from the outside, life with the sensates invited him to re-imagine things. The more time they spent in France, the more Rajan realised that he was most comfortable in the company of his wife’s lover. The two men fell into a rhythm of swimming laps together in the afternoons while Kala napped in the sun or read nearby, often joined by Daniela, Lito, and Amanita. It was equal parts companionship and good-natured competition, an easy way to spend time together without too much talking. All of the other sensates, and the their entourage, as he liked to call himself and the rest of the group, were friendly and welcoming, but it was Wolfgang to whom he found himself drawn, always aware of the other man’s presence as the wended in and out of one another's company through each day.

It wasn’t making lemonade out of lemons; Rajan genuinely liked Wolfgang. The other man was smart and funny, and seemed to know a little bit about everything, no matter what topic they discussed. Time with the cluster seemed to bring about a change in Wolfgang. Each day, he was more relaxed, more at ease, more affectionate with all of the villa’s temporary residents. It was fascinating to talk to the German, especially when the other man seemed to delight in using his and Kala’s native Hindi. And there was plenty of wine and food to keep conversations flowing until the wee hours each night. Once or twice, Kala yawned pointedly before giving up and going to bed alone, leaving both men to wonder whose room she would be found in that night.

Waking up next to a sleep-rumpled Kala each morning was one of the greatest pleasures in life. He mentioned this to Wolfgang one night as he opened another bottle of Côtes du Rhone. They would leave the next day to return to Paris, back to the squat that would now become wedding central in the absence of life-threatening danger. The other man nodded enthusiastically, holding his glass out toward Rajan’s outstretched arm.

“And when she’s not quite awake yet, and her hair is everywhere…” Wolfgang mused, eyes softening.

“Exactly,” Rajan agreed, drinking deeply from his glass. “It’s the only thing that makes me truly jealous, when she spends the night with you,” he admitted. “What?” Wolfgang had been silent for a few moments, staring at Rajan.

“Nothing.” He shook his head, staring into his glass and following Rajan’s example. “This is good wine.”

“It is,” Rajan agreed. “Jean-Pierre is a generous host. I’m grateful to him for letting us all stay here.”

They were quiet for a few more moments, both lost in thought.

“I’m sorry that Felix had to go back to Berlin so quickly,” Rajan observed. “It must be difficult to be so far from him.”

“Yeah. I do miss him. It’s probably for the best though. I think all of this might be a little too much for him to take in all at once,” Wolfgang replied, waving his free hand to describe the entire sensate experience. “I can explain it more to him when I go home.” He frowned a little at this, seeming to share Rajan’s reluctance to talk about the moment at which they would all inevitably part ways.

“You can come to Mumbai whenever you want,” he offered. “And Kala will go to Berlin, too. We’ll make this work for everyone.”

Wolfgang only nodded, staring at the shelves of books that lined the library. “So much has changed in the last two years,” he muttered. “It’s hard to believe that this is who I’ve become.”

“People have always reinvented themselves as they live their lives. It’s what we do as humans,” Rajan replied. “I don't think you could share the thoughts and experiences of seven other people and come out of it unchanged.”

They were quiet again, the only sounds in the house the chiming of the hour. Two o’clock.

“Shit.” Wolfgang drained his glass in reply, standing on unsteady feet. “I’m going to go find out where Kala decided to sleep.” Rajan mirrored the other man’s action, stretching his back in a series of pops and cracks. He should have gone to bed when Kala left, he thought, chiding himself in advance of the hangover that would do a better job of it by double the next morning as they packed. Without warning, Wolfgang pulled him into a one armed embrace, clapping his hand around Rajan’s neck and kissing his face, lingering. The effect was immediate, the room suddenly close, a moment suspended between the two of them that stretched, unending, until the other man stepped away, yawning.

“You know, we could just both wake up next to her every morning,” Wolfgang mentioned, turning to lean against the doorframe. “Americans make gigantic beds.”

#abovethesmokestacks #my fic #i write things sometimes #sense8 #sense8 fic #rajalagang #ot3 #rare is this love #my writing #happy birthday!!!!#i hope it’s not crap!#sense8 spoilers #kala dandekar #rajan rasal #wolfgang bogdanow #amor vincit omnia #kala x wolfgang x rajan

96 notes · View notes

cmvarma · 2 years

Text

Dental Doctors In Hyderabad

An average day for renowned dentist, entrepreneur and photographer Dr. Namrata Rupali consists of several appointments, discussions and decisions. Despite the many commitments, she calls her job fun and explains that relaxation and rest are the dental doctors in hyderabad biggest reasons for her productivity.

Becoming a doctor isn't a piece of cake, especially when it comes to cosmetics - but renowned dentist Dr. Namrata Rupali, founder and CEO of Capture Life Dental Care Banjara Hills knows how to thrive! She has been at the forefront of the industry for 17 years, and she believes in taking conscious breaks and showing how it is done.

The doctor continues to be passionate and spread the word about the importance of dental hygiene while juggling many other interests - photography being one of them. “In 2003, I took a break from dentistry due to some health conditions. During this time, I picked up my camera and explored the art of photography. With my camera, I explored Hyderabad and saw it in a whole new light. The city has some beautiful monuments and a lot of character, more than most cities I've lived in. I'd get up early to see the sunrise, the birds, or the old buildings, and I never looked back," she said when her When the eyes flicker.

It takes a lot of planning and a lot of will to put on all these hats. When asked how she finds motivation to bring out the best in her passion and career every day, she said: "Capture life, the company I started a few years ago, is in three verticals: dentistry, photography and fine art printing. Convergence. The original motivation was because I was ambitious and I wanted to build something, and at the same time, I wanted to provide a platform for all three verticals to grow. However, I'm not quite sure when things will turn around, in the past few years , Capture Life has given me so much - I feel lucky and humbled in terms of learning, relationships, growth and rewards. It motivates me to go to work and give it my all - best dental clinics in hyderabad.”

Taking a closer look at her other interests and hobbies, she shares: "I love music - it's always been such an integral part of my life that I can even listen to it at a certain point in time Music to describe my life journey. Time! Other than that, I'm a trained kathak dancer - this has taught me to keep my feet on the ground. I have two pets who have proven to be my biggest Stress buster. Playing with them after a tough day brings me great joy.” Plus, she enjoys reading books—often biographies and business books, even historical novels.

Dr. Namrata considers herself lucky to call her workplace "fun": "My job is exciting and fun, but it's also tough, and that's okay. It's a dynamic career - I'll never get bored. "The dentist likes to be meaningfully involved in tasks throughout the day and says her job allows me to do that. She shares a fun passion: "For me, a break is either a bush trip with a camera or a hike in the mountains. A lot of the time, my breaks are impromptu and unplanned."

Her "relaxation sessions" meant her own time. "It's important because that's what I need and take the time to recalibrate and recharge myself. Beyond that, time with my family is sacred to me," she added. Dr Namrata will expand her dental practice by setting up several branches in different locations in Hyderabad city. She is also working on growing her photography and fine art printing business pan-India, as part of which she recently established a small dental implants in hyderabad print shop in Mumbai. At the same time, she has also partnered with a Mumbai-based company to establish a branding and design practice. “My main focus here is to develop a strong brand and design narrative while ensuring customer satisfaction. We are currently taking our brand and design to new heights and are excited about what’s coming next,” she said.

#dental doctors in hyderabad #best dental clinics in hyderabad #dental implants in hyderabad #intentional root canal treatment #cheap and best dental hospital in Hyderabad #dental charitable trust near me

0 notes

karishmashahnutrition · 3 years

Text

A Nutritionist's Grocery Shopping Advice during the Pandemic

A Nutritionist to your rescue

We are living through a pandemic that continues to impact our day to day lives. Grocery shopping is one of those basic things many of us must leave our house for. As this pandemic continues to spread, people all over the world are stocking up on grocery items and food in expectation of staying at home for the long time. But people face so many difficulties on what to add in their healthy food shopping list and what to avoid when stocking up on Groceries for Quarantine.Questions arise in their minds like, Can I get COVID-19 from eating fresh food? What are foods to avoid during the COVID-19 pandemic? Can people in quarantine eat fried foods? Is it safe to go to grocery stores and other food markets during COVID-19?First of all, try to avoid panic-buying. Do not to rush and stockpile. The main aim is to be prepared and purchase gradually. It’s crucial to consider all of the food groups and components that you need to build balanced meals. Here is your nutritionist shopping list next time you need to stock up.

• You can and should buy fresh fruits and vegetables with a longer shelf life. Fruits and vegetables that increase immunity are specially rich in anti-oxidants like all types of berries, specially amla, citrus fruits, veggies like carrots, beets, sweet potato, spinach leaves etc. Other important thing is anti-angiogenic foods like organic vegetables, fresh and seasonal fruits, turmeric etc contribute to regeneration of cells in our body and provide the needed immunity for overall strength.

• Immune boosters are present in our kitchen. Please include more of fresh spices like garlic, cumin, onion, cardamom, coriander , clove, black salt, garam masala powder, Honey, lemon etc in your grocery list. Let the traditional spices be part of the intake.• For dairy, Curd has good bacteria to maintain the gut microbes and gut health. Yogurts, non-refrigerated milk, plant-based beverages can last a couple of weeks, too.

• There are so many great pantry items to keep our immune system strong. So, make sure that you eat the recommended portions of different varieties of whole grams, nuts, seeds, whole grain cereals.• No-sugar added oatmeal is also a great idea for breakfast or snacks. Whole-grains and low-sugar cereals make breakfast and snacks easy and can be a nutritious option too.• If you are a coffee drinker, there is a good chance you will want an energy boost. But if you are not then gravitating towards tea, make sure you add ginger and turmeric as they are immune-supportive.• No matter what tea you choose adding honey is also a great idea.

• Frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh because they are picked and frozen at the peak of freshness and will last months.• Grab sprouted grains that packs in more protein, fiber, and potentially better-absorbed nutrients.Just check the ingredient lists to ensure you are getting whole grains, some vegetables & fruits, and no artificial additives. Hope this guide helps to improve eating style, nutritional status and thus a good immune system, ready to keep any disease at bay.

And avoid these foods

Avoid canned items, sugar, processed or packaged foods, artificial cold drinks and energy drinks as there are claims that they boost immune health, but that is too good to be true. Also say no to street food, oily and junk food, raw egg, and non-vegetarian items like red meat.

Now Tips for Safe Grocery Shopping

Maintaining good hygiene, sanitation, wearing a mask and following the physical distancing when you go out are the preventive aspects to be remembered as part of self protection against COVID 19. In addition, here is your guide to find out how to shop safely to protect yourself.CONSIDER GROCERY DELIVERY OR PICKUPGrocery delivery or pickup services are beneficial for high-risk people, especially elderly and those with chronic health diseases. You can also avoid contact with delivery person by making him leave your groceries at your doorsteps.TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SANITIZING STATIONSAlmost all the food stores have enhanced their cleaning and disinfecting practices for frequently touched surfaces such as refrigerator doors, grocery carts and basket handles, and they also have free disinfectant wipes for people to use when entering and leaving. Make sure to sanitize your hands and basket handle before and after shopping. Many stores have also started outlying spots to stand in the checkout lines too for social distancing.SHOP DURING LOW-TRAFFIC HOURSGo in the last hour, as there are likely to be fewer people around then, particularly if it is dark. You can best protect yourself and others by shopping as seldom as possible - plan and make a list to minimize your time in the store. It would also be a good idea calling your local grocery store and asking them when the good time is to come.WEAR A CLEAN MASKPut it on well before you reach the store, so you do not break the protection by making adjustments in the shared space while touching other items.PAY WITH A CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDIt is worth taking the extra precaution to pay with a card over cash. Eliminating the need to exchange currency notes allows you to keep the distance and limit the spread of virus.DISINFECT SURFACESMake sure you disinfect frequently touched areas in your house. After you come home from the store and put your groceries away it is a good idea to disinfect your fridge handle and wash your hands.Do your best to maintain social distancing as you shop (at least 3 feet from others) and stay home if you are feeling sick.

Hi, I’m Karishma and I’m an Integrative Health Nutritionist and Holistic Wellness Coach from Mumbai. I’m also a Weight Loss Expert & Certified Plant-Based Chef. I began my health journey in my early teenage years, struggling with chronic digestive problems and sensitivities, I was searching for the answers to my own healing.

#health & fitness #nutritionist #dietitian #health blogs #grocery shopping

1 note · View note

chickensarentcheap · 4 years

Text

Best Part of Me - Chapter 21

Warnings: none

Tagging: @c-a-v-a-l-r-y, @alievans007, @innerpaperexpertcloud

“Hi mommy!” Millie cheerfully greets, as Esme journeys towards where her daughter sits on the shoreline, clad in one of her many bathing suits, head and most of her face covered by an oversized floppy sunhat. She’s the happiest when by –or right in- the water; calm and relaxed, that edge she always seems to carry softened and almost nonexistent.

The ocean is a powerful antidote for all that ails you. Even Esme finds that the mere sound of the waves and the smell of the salt that hangs in the air helps in easing the burden of the stress and worries that she often carries. And as beautiful as they are and how majestic the view from her back deck had been, that��s a feat even the mountains had never been able to accomplish.

“What are you doing?” she inquires, as she crouches down beside Millie, the little girl turning her face up for a kiss.

“Just stuff,” Millie replies, and turns a bucket of wet sand upside, adding it to the ‘castle’ that she’s already constructed. “Daddy said to stay here and not to go in the water without him.”

“And you actually listened? I’m impressed.”

“Well I don’t want a shark to eat me,” Millie explains, using the back of her sand covered hand to push wayward strands of hair out of her face. “Daddy said that sharks like little girls with blue eyes and light brown hair the best. ‘Cause we taste like watermelon and that’s their favorite.”

Her mother smirks. “And you actually believed him?”

“Oh course! Daddy wouldn’t lie. And I’m not taking any chances. I do not want to get eaten by a shark.”

Esme glances over her shoulder, to where her husband is flat on his back, sprawled out in the middle of blanket; arms loose and relaxed at his sides, sunglasses on. “Is he dead?”

“God, I hope not,” Mille moans. “’Cause he’s the good cook and I’m getting hungry.” She wipes the sand from her palms onto her thighs, then cautiously lifts the edge of the receiving blanket that protects her baby sister –laying along her mother’s arm- from the brilliant sunshine. “Hi Addie,” she presses a kiss to one tiny foot, followed by the other, then fixes the blanket. “She’s awake. I think she smiled at me.”

“Well she likes you. You’re her big sister. You’re the one that used to talk to her and read her stories all the time when she was still in my belly. She probably recognizes your voice.”

“I hope so. And I hope she knows I’m not annoying like the other ones.”

“Your brothers are not THAT bad.”

“Oh, yes they are, mommy. I mean, I’d miss them if they weren’t here anymore. But they’re little assholes.”

“Amelia...”

“I know,” she sighs dramatically. “Bad language. I’m trying. I really am. It’s so hard though!”

“Especially when you’re around your dad as much as you are and he has absolutely zero filter left.”

“He is totally a bad influence,” Millie agrees. “We had fun today. We went shopping and had ice cream and daddy made me buy him two blue Gatorades at the dollar store ‘cause we ended up being in there forty minutes instead of twenty. But I had to get glitter and paper so...” she shrugs. “He’s going to help me make birthday invitations.”

“He actually agreed to that?”

“Yup,” she sounds so much like her father, even with that one simple word. “He’ll do anything I want. Anything.”

“Except wear the tiara.”

“Oh, it’ll happen. He will wear the tiara. And I’m going to take a picture when he does and you’re going to put it on your Instagram.”

“I don’t think he’ll like that.”

“Oh well. He put the video of you up when you were sleeping and he gave you the wet willy.”

“That’s right. He did.”

“It’s only fair, mommy. He did you dirty. Now you have to do the same to him. I think you deserve revenge.”

“You know what I think?” Esme reaches under the hat to tuck hair behind Millie’s ears. “I think you’re an evil genius.”

“I don’t know if I’m evil, but I’m definitely a genius. You know,” she appears pensive for a moment. “Now that I think about it, I must be adopted.”

Esme laughs. “You’re a little savage.”

“I learn from the best,” Millie declares, then frowns as she notices her mother’s choice in foot apparel. “Mommy, what the hell? Why are you wearing socks on the beach?”

“I don’t like the sand between my toes. You know that.”

“That is just weird.”

“I swear, if you start sounding or acting any more like your father...”

“I’m sorry. His DNA was stronger. It’s not my fault. It’s why I’m so awesome.”

“You definitely need to stop listening to him so much,” she lifts the brim of the hat and presses a kiss to her daughter’s cheek before standing up and wandering over to where her husband lies. “Are you alive?” she asks, digging her toes into his side, right between two of his ribs. “You better be because I haven’t gotten the chance to renew your life insurance policy yet.”

“What you would you get?” he responds. “Twenty bucks?”

“Twenty bucks?” she scoffs and settles down on the blanket besides him; placing Addie on his chest and stretching her legs out in front of her. “That’s generous. That’s ten more than what they offered.”

Tyler smirks. “Well one thing’s for sure. I can at least die knowing you didn’t marry me for money.”

“We had like what? A few hundred bucks between the both of us when you got out of the hospital? It’s safe to say neither of us were in it for financial gain.”

It had been incredibly easy to blow through nearly every cent either of them had in the bank, including whatever had been sitting in savings. The first two weeks after Dhaka had been spent in a hospital in Mumbai, and Nik had refused to cough up the money to even cover a small part of the bill, citing that she couldn’t access private funds within the company, and there simply wasn’t anything left from the first and only payment they’d received from Mahajan Senior. In the end, neither Tyler nor Esme had received a penny from the Dhaka job, adding insult to grievous injury. Even transport to Australia had to be paid for out of pocket, and it had wiped out both of their checking accounts.

Their start to their new life had been rough; a new apartment with barely any furniture in it, two months of inpatient therapy with only weekend visits home allowed, a baby on the way. All while still trying to get to know each other outside of those five days in the dirty hotel room in Dhaka. But they’d gotten through it; every fight brought on by frustration, disappointment, and pain. Every harsh word spoken out of guilt and regret. Every time they didn’t know how they’d be able to put food on the table or properly take care of a baby once she arrived. But things slowly started getting better. Her old boss had contacted her saying she was owed a large chunk of money for previous work she’d done for him, even though she’d known full well it was just generous gift on his behalf. Then a check had come in the mail from Saju’s wife. Enough to cover six months' worth of rent and still have some left over. They’d never found out how she even knew who they were, let alone how she tracked them down.

To this day, they’ve never actually spoken or met face to face. But once every three months an email arrives from Neysa, complete with pictures of her now teenage boy and an update on how they’re doing. No mentions of whereabouts; even behind bars, Mahajan Senior has a lot of pull in not just Mumbai, but all of India. His influences stretch far and wide, and almost seven years later, Saju’s inability to get Ovi away from Tyler and his eventual death is still viewed as a catastrophic failure. It didn’t matter that his son had been rescued from Asif or brought home safely. Or that lives had been lost and others altered forever. Even Tyler, despite stepping up and giving Ovi a relatively normal life and the family that he both wanted and deserved, is regarded as an enemy. He was the one that stood in Saju’s way, after all, and more than once through the years Mahajan Senior has commented: “you don’t know how to die, do you”.

****

“I think if we got through that first year intact, we can get through anything,” Esme comments.

“That was a pretty shitty twelve months,” Tyler agrees, as he lays his palm on Addie’s back and wraps an arm around his wife’s waist, hand coming to rest on her hip. “There was some good stuff too. I mean, we got married and had Millie. But for the most part...”

“It was pure crap,” she finishes for him, and he nods. “But now look!” she cheerfully exclaims. “If anyone had have told you back then that this is where we’d be now, would you have believed them? That we would have gotten this far? Everyone was against us. Everyone. Nik, most of my family. And we’re the ones getting the last laugh. We’re the ones that are still together while their lives are shit. Is it wrong how happy that actually makes me? That we get to sit back and watch their lives fall apart?”

“Maybe a little bit wrong,” he says with a grin. “But I get it. There’s someone I wish was still here so I could rub it in their face.”

“Gaspar?”

He nods.

“He did not like me for some reason. Kept calling me ‘that girl’ or ‘the girl’ even when I was in the room. What was up with that? I mean, other than the fact he was a complete sociopath.”

Tyler shrugs. “He was just protective I guess.”

He doesn’t want to talk about it; Gaspar, the ten million dollars offer to give up her and Ovi. It still haunts him; how calm and callous the other man had been about the whole thing. As if it wasn’t two human beings that he was willing to sacrifice for the almighty dollar. And he knows he’ll never tell her. The whole truth behind what had happened that night. What good would it do? Telling her that she’d come dangerously close to being thrown at Asif’s feet. The outcome would have been horrific; rape, torture, unbelievable abuse and cruelty. It’s bad enough that those thoughts still plague him. She doesn’t need them weighing her down. And he’s thankful when she changes the subject.

“She wore you out, didn’t she,” Esme comments, a hand over her eyes; sheltering them from the sun as she watches Millie happily playing in the surf.

“She’s like having ten kids rolled into one. I’m starting to understand why her teacher is so tired at the end of the day. Millie plus twenty others?”

“Twenty? There’s thirty kids in her class.”

“What the fuck? Thirty?”

“Look, things have changed since you used to travel by horse and buggy to your one room schoolhouse.”

“You know what...” he slides his hand up to her side, then pinches the sensitive spot below her ribs.

“Ow! You shit head!” Esme cries, and then shrieks when his fingers did in just above the hip. Aggressively tickling her until she’s flat on her back; kicking and squirming and squealing for mercy. Laughing until she succumbs to loud, painful hiccups. “You’re a dick!” she dramatically pouts and directs an elbow into his side; still allowing him to draw her tightly against him, a hand coming to rest on the back of her head as he presses a kiss to her temple. “You almost made me pee myself,” she complains, as she rests her head on his shoulder and places her hand over his as its sits on Addie’s back.

“That’s what you get for making an old man joke.”

“I hear that getting extremely sensitive about aging is the first sign of senility,” she teases, and places a kiss just below ear, then to the scar on the side of his neck. And she pulls back to look at it, tracing a finger over the surface.

It’s almost seven years old now but has just begun to appear not as dark or swollen. It will always be there; no matter much if softens. A lasting reminder of how close to death he’d actually come. Even now there are days where she can barely stand to look at it; filled with either immense sorrow or rage. And others where she feels nothing at all. Where it’s nothing more than one of the various battle wounds that take up residence on his body. She knows every single one and the stories behind them; able to find them with and trace them with her eyes closed.

“It’s really starting to change,” she comments, and then lays her hand on the side of his face and turns his head towards her, kissing him softly.

“It doesn’t both you are much anymore.” It’s more a statement than a question.

“It never bothered me because of what it looks like. It’s never been about that. It bothered me because of what it represents.”

“You and I do not like at the same way. It reminds you of the end. Or what was almost the end. It reminds me of the beginning.”

She smiles at that and leans in to nuzzle the tip of his nose against his ear. Closing her eyes as she rests her forehead against his cheek, his hand moving from the small of her back to the nape of her neck and then higher; kissing her as he combs his fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face and off her shoulders.

“You guys aren’t making babies, are you?!” Millie calls, her voice dripping with disgust. “I do not want another brother!”

Tyler chuckles. “This is not how babies are made,” he assures her. “Sometimes it starts out like this and then leads to babies being made.”

His wife scowls. “Don’t touch her things. What’s wrong with you? Amelia, we talked about this. It is not possible to have any more babies. Your dad got neutered.”

“What the fuck?” Tyler mutters. “Don’t tell her that.”

“What do you want me to tell her? You got the snip and had to lie on the couch for two days with a bag of frozen peas on your crotch?”

“You know how you always threaten me with sleeping on the couch? You keep pushing your luck, you’re going to end up there.”

“A full eight hours without you snoring or talking in your sleep? Sign me up. Awww...baby...” she gives a dramatic pout and places a series of kisses along his jaw. “...did I hurt your feelings? Did I upset your delicate sensibilities? I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“I can think of one way that I’ll accept.”

“We only do that once a year. It’s not our anniversary yet. So no, not going to happen. Anything other than THAT.”

A slow grin spreads across his face. “Anything?”

“I don’t like that look you get when you ask that.”

“You trust me?” he asks.

“I’m not sure right about now.”

“Just trust me. I’ll go easy on you. I promise.”

She frowns. “You’re not even going to tell me what it is?”

“Nope. You’ll find out. Once the kids go to bed. It’s not that bad, I swear. I wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you or freak you out. It’s tame. For me, anyway.”

“Even at your tamest you’re dirty. With a capital D, so...”

“Trust me,” Tyler implores, then gives her a long, slow kiss before sitting up; one hand on the back of Addie’s head, the other on her bum. Grimacing at the pain that settles in his shoulder and the stiffness in his back. Some days it’s bearable; he can get by without popping any pain meds and time in the water or even standing under a hot shower is all the help her needs. Other days he can barely get out of bed and there isn’t enough medication in the world to even take the edge of. The lasting and crippling souvenir of a hard, punishing life.

“You need to go and get that checked,” Esme scolds, as she kneels behind him, a palm pressed between his shoulders as she digs the fingers of the other hand into the most troublesome spot: to the right of the spine, on the edge of the shoulder blade. She doesn’t even need to ask anymore. She just knows. Every spot that aches, every trigger point that send pain and numbness shooting his entire arm and settling into his fingers.

“I probably should have gotten it checked when we first moved here.”

“You think, Tyler? You really think? You know what I think? I think we’ve far surpassed it just being a separated shoulder.”

“A fucked up shoulder is more like it,” he says through gritted teeth, then stretches his legs out in front of him and places Addie on his thighs.

“You were supposed to take it easy after the replacement surgery. Not go back to what caused all of the damage in the first place.”

“I don’t need to hear this.”

“Well, you’re going to hear it.” She wraps her arm around his neck, resting it along his collarbone as she digs her thumb into the most sensitive and painful area of the muscle. Causing a litany of profanities to spill from his mouth; loud enough for Millie to stop what she’s doing and glance over her shoulder, a concerned frown on her face. “Why did you wait so long?” Esme sighs. “I told you when you got back from New Zealand to go and have it looked at.”

“I just thought it was separated,” he speaks through clenched teeth, his eyes closed. “Then I thought maybe it was just the arthritis flaring up. Now...”

“Something is totally fucked in there. I can feel something moving around. And there’s a lot of clicking and popping going on. You’re probably going to need surgery. Again.”

“Okay Miss Negativity. I don’t need to hear this.”

“You’re going to hear it, you stubborn shit head. What are you going to do if it gives out while you’re training Ovi? Or worse. When you go and rescue his sorry ass. Then what?”

“First, I’m going to dope myself up and hope for the best. Second, there’s no guarantee that I’m going to have go and bail him out of trouble. Let’s just get past the first part, yeah?”

“You’re going to pass the first part because you didn’t go and get your shoulder looked at when you should have. You need to stop worrying about everyone else and take care of yourself for a change.”

“That’s rich. You of all people saying that. Okay....stop...stop...fuck...” he drops his head to his chest; sweat beats across his forehead and trickles down his temples.

“Are you okay?” She leans in and pecks his cheek. “You look like you’re going to puke.”

“I feel like I’m going to puke.”

“Seriously, Tyler, you need to go and get looked at. I’m not fucking around. Enough is enough. Stop being so...I don’t know...so YOU.” Heaving a sigh, she sits down beside him one again, one hand rubbing his back comfortingly, the other softly stroking his thigh. “Go and get it check,” she begs. “Please.”

“Nothing can be done about it right now anyway. It would have to wait until the shit with Ovi is done. Then I’ll go. As soon as it’s finished.”

“You better. Because I’m not above being the kind of wife that makes your doctor's appointments for you. You’re worse than the kids sometimes, I swear. They actually listen better than you do.”

“I know. I’m a pain in the ass.”

“Huge. A huge pain in the ass,” she concedes, then tousles his hair. “Did you know Kyle didn’t come home last night?”

He removes the receiving blanket from Addie’s face, smiling down at her as he leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead. “I didn’t know he lived here now.”

“He walked Salena home and never came back. Not until you and Millie left to go into town. You know what that means?”

“He got more action than I did last night?”

“It means that there’s trouble in paradise. Or hell. However you want to look at him and Nik.”

“I don’t look at them at all, so...”

“What is the hold she has on you guys? We’ve established she’s not good in bed. She doesn’t give head so it’s not that either. She doesn’t even have big boobs or a nice ass.”

“First, she doesn’t have a hold on me. She never has. She was there if I wanted it. That’s it. No strings attached. I’d fuck her, she’d leave. That’s as far as it went. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Were your standards that low?”

“I was taking Oxy with booze. What do you think?”

“I think I came along at the right time.”

Tyler nods in agreement.

“You have to admit, Kyle is way too good for her.”

“Don’t drag me into this. I don’t care what either of them do. He wants to marry Nik, let him marry Nik. Who gives a shit? Don’t take it so personally. Do I think it’s fucked he’d hook up with someone that cause shit between us? Of course, I do. But if he's that stupid, he deserves to be miserable.”

“We’d be related to her,” Esme points out.

“And? We’d never have to see her. You think they’d come here all the time or something? Nik would never settle down here. Ever. Trust me.”

“Kyle wants to. Settle down here.”

“He’d never win against her. Stop worrying so much her so much. Yeah, she caused a lot of shit. Or tried to. But it didn’t work and us being together and being happy and having a family? That’s the best revenge against her. Your brother’s a big boy. Let him do what he wants. You can’t stop him from fucking up his life.

“He’s my brother.”

“And? Your brother knowingly got with someone who tried to ruin your life. If you ask me, he deserves whatever shit show he gets with Nik.”

“But...” she runs her fingertips along the top of his hand, then along the smooth metal of his wedding band. “...if we could get him hooked up with Salena....”

“I’m not getting him hooked up with anyone. Leave me out of this. You shouldn’t even be involved in this. We’re adults for fuck sake. Can we concentrate on our own relationship and our kids? Because those two things are all that matters to me.”

“I didn’t realize we were having problems to concentrate on.”

“Did I say there were problems? Other than I think you should mind your own business? Stop...” he drapes his arm across her shoulder and pulls her into him, kissing her temple. “...let’s just worry about what us and what goes on in our own house. Who cares what your brother is doing or who he’s doing it with. He can handle his own shit. He does not need you getting involved.”

“I just think...”

“Esme...”

“...that he...”

“Stop,” he gently orders, then tangles his fingers in her hair and draws her into a kiss. Longer time and more intense; closed mouth upon closed mouth. And the tip of his tongue just brushes against her top lip before he pulls away.

“Okay...” she sighs, and grins when she feels him kiss the tip of her nose. “...that was...nice...”

“Nice? Just nice?”

“Well I can’t show you just HOW nice because there’s little people here. But trust me. It was better than nice.”

“Just let it go. This thing with Nik and your brother. If he fucks up, he fucks up. He’ll learn his lesson. Let’s just concentrate on us.”

“I hate to break it too you, honey, but if we haven’t been able to concentrate on just us in almost six years. Five kids, remember? Do we even exist outside of being parents anymore? Because I don’t remember the last time it was ‘just us’. And I’m not talking about sex, for the record. So let’s not get into that conversation again. When is the last time we actually went somewhere without out kids?”

“Well it was just you and I in the bathroom this morning while I took a leak and you brushed your teeth.”

“That was a really nice three minutes of connecting with you, I must say. I’ll see you again in another what? Five, six years?”

“You wanted a big family. I was fine with three.”

“Pardon me? You’re the one who wanted a fourth and a fifth. You’re the one who talked me into it, remember? You wanted a half dozen kids and a stay at home wife and I was more than willing to give you what you wanted. So don’t start with that.”

“That means there’s one more to go if we agreed to half a dozen.”

“Oh no!” she laughs. “Don’t you even dare. I am done. I am babied out. You want another one, you go find yourself a second wife to give you more kids. Because this wife is done.”

“One more wouldn’t hurt.”

“It would hurt my vagina, okay. It’s seen five kids already. It’s a hot mess down there.”

“A SEXY hot mess,” he grins, and nudges her playfully with his elbow.

“You are like the most biased husband on the planet and I love you so fucking much for it,” she wraps her arm around his neck and presses a noisy kiss to his cheek. “No wonder I keep you. You do wonders for my ego.”

“So one more?” He hopefully attempts.

“You’re insane. Why would you go and get the operation done and then decide three months later you made a mistake? Why didn’t you just hold off until after Addie and then we had this discussion?”

“I thought we were done. That was it. Five.”

“Because we agreed we were done. And now you’re changing your mind. Just like you did when Declan was supposed to be the last one. What is wrong with you? What is this overwhelming obsession to breed?”

“It’s not an obsession. I just...I don’t know...” he shrugs, fingers fidgeting with the hem on Addie’s sundress. “...I just want to leave something good behind when I go, I guess.”

“And you’ve made five very good things. Five very beautiful and healthy and incredible things. So why...?”

“I don’t know,” he repeats. “I just wouldn’t mind one more. Even it out.”

“She’s only three weeks old,” Esme reminds him.

“I didn’t say I want one right now. I mean eventually. A year from now. Two years from now.”

“That is not what you’re thinking, and I can tell. That is not what’s going on in your head, Tyler. This started as soon as all this Ovi crap came about. As soon as you agreed to get back into things, you started thinking about this, didn’t you.”

“Maybe...”

“What’s going on in that mind of yours?” She combs her fingers through his hair, presses a kiss to his cheek. “That beautiful, troubled mind.”

“I don’t know,” Tyler admits.“I just thinking about if things go wrong...if I have to help Ovi and things just get even worse...what have I left behind? Did I do enough? Did my life mean anything?”

“Your life means so much more than you think. To me. To your kids. Don’t ever doubt that, please. You will have left so much behind. You helped make five amazing little human beings. Who adore you and worship you and think you’re the most amazing man in the entire world. And you know what?” She curls both arms around one of his “I think you are most amazing, beautiful man in the world, too. You don’t realize it, but you saved me just as much as I saved you. Don’t ever doubt how important you are to me. Or your kids. Okay?”

He nods and places a kiss to her brow before resting his forehead against hers. Sometimes even the biggest and the strongest need to feel appreciated and validated. Even if they’d never admit it out loud.

“And as far as this sixth kid thing goes, can you give me at least a few months? Because right now I’m worn out and sometimes I don’t even know if I can handle the five I already have.”

“Well for what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty fucking amazing.”

“You really are the most biased husband on the planet,” she grins.

“It doesn’t make it less true. And speaking of five kids, where’s The Ginger?”

“He didn’t want to come home from Salena’s and I was not dealing with the tantrum that would have ensued if I’d have forced him. You might be able to carry him all the way from there to here, but he’s damn heavy and I’m not even attempting it. I told her that you’d come and get him after dinner.”

Tyler groans. “You’re going to send me over there? Do you know what I had to deal with yesterday when she came by here? Twice? Do you know she was checking out my dick?”

“She told me. She’s hardly shy in case you haven’t noticed. She wanted to know how I haven’t been split in two yet.”

“Jesus Christ...”

“What? Sometimes I wonder myself. Are you blushing? Holy shit. Is Tyler Rake blushing? I’ve seen it all now. You’re not usually like this. You usually don’t mind when a woman checks you out.”

“They’re usually not checking out my dick and my wife isn’t usually talking to them about my dick, so...”

“Baby, just so you know, I brag about every part of you. Not just your dick. Did Kyle call?”

“That was a weird transition. Why does he talk about my dick too?”

“I��d be very worried and disturbed if he did. I was wondering where our other children are. If he’s actually surviving out there somewhere with them or if you turned off your cell so he wouldn't call for help...”

“He left a voicemail. Said he’d have them home before bedtime. I said to keep them for a few days but...” he shrugs. “...he didn’t agree to that. Sorry. I tried.”

“You know what means? For the first time since Declan was born, testosterone is not in charge of the house. Now it’s estrogen. Oh my God, you poor man.”

“You’re not PMS’ing, so I’m okay. I’ve survived almost seven years of that shit every month. I can survive one night.”

“We’ll see about that,” she gives him a wink, then places her hands on his shoulders to help push herself up onto her feet. “I’m getting too old for this shit. You’re going to be picking me up and carrying me to the house one of these days. I think I’m falling apart too. Millie!” she calls to her daughter. “Let’s go and cleaned up. Daddy’s taking us out on a date.”

Tyler grins. “He is, is he?”

“When you do ever get to go to dinner with two and a quarter beautiful women?”

“There was this one time in Thailand...”

“No one wants to hear about your conquests, Tyler. And by no one, I mean me.”

“Daddy...” Mille stomps over. “...did you see this shit?” she wildly gestures towards her mother’s feet with the plastic shovel in her hand.

“Millie, just don’t ask. Let your mom be as weird as she wants. I’m used to it.”

“Socks on the beach!” Millie huffs. “What the hell, mom.”

Tyler smirks, and clutches Addie to his chest with one hand, offers the other to Millie and lets her think she’s pulling him to his feet. “I bet you’re extra glad my DNA was stronger the day you were made, aren’t you?”

“So glad,” Millie agrees, and then shrieks when he scoops her effortlessly with one hand, giggling hysterically and her legs kicking as he tucks her under his arm, carrying her ‘football style’.

“You know...” Esme muses, as she curls an arm around his waist. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe things will go okay. With Ovi.”

“They will,” he promises. And hopes that those words sound more convincing to her ears than they do to his own.

#tyler rake #tyler rake fan fic #tyler rake fan fiction #best part of me #extraction #chris hemsworth character

9 notes · View notes