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munacy · 2 years

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ignorance

@wolfstarmicrofic “Guess what-mph-lads,” Peter starts conversationally, speaking around a mouthful of bacon.

The passion that boy holds for breakfast meats borders on lunatic, but far be it from James to say anything.

“Wormy, it’s not on to speak with your mouth full, you’ll offend my delicate sensibilities,” interjects Sirius. Bless him; Sirius has no delicate sensibilities of which to speak, so James knows the intervention is on his behalf.

“Sorry!” Peter yelps, swallowing before he’s quite ready and hacking in a way that makes James even more queasy.

“Sorry, sorry. But guess what.”

“If I had to guess…” James wonders aloud. “Your clever little rodent ears have picked up another bit of gossip? I don’t know how you manage it, Petey. Terribly well-informed, you are.”

Peter looks inordinately pleased.

“Quite right you are, James. I’ve just heard that Will Diggory—you know, that Seventh Year Ravenclaw?—well, he’s just come out, and he’s gone public with Devlin Abbott!”

“HA! Wormy, I’m quite sure you owe me a Galleon for that one!” James crows.

Peter scowls. “Not a chance. You only got the first part correct, which I had already agreed with you on, if you remember. Doesn’t count, and you thought he was secretly dating—”

“Now hold on just a damned second,” Sirius frowns, interrupting what is sure to be a feisty debate. “I feel like I’m missing a few things. Come out? Come out of what? Public with what?”

Peter looks bemused, so James takes over, explaining patiently: “Come out of the closet. He and Abbott, who is also gay—” Sirius’ eyes become huge— “have gone public with their relationship. Damn it, you’re right, Wormtail, I did think it was secretly Gregor Klein.”

Sirius twitches. “Huh. I never would have guessed,” he says mildly. “Diggory seems so…”

“So what, Padfoot,” James prompts calmly.

It was an inevitable but fortunately rare byproduct of being raised in an ancient family steeped in ignorance and hatred: sometimes Sirius needed some help opening his eyes to a new perspective. There were assumptions he took for granted because he didn’t know any better, but being a generally kind and open-minded person, the work was not overly hard.

“Well, like such a man’s man. No, no, don’t get me wrong,” he rushes out, seeing the looks James and Peter are giving him. “I’m super happy for him. I say live and let live. But you have to admit that it’s a bit weird.”

“Which par’,” Peter inquires curiously, speaking while chewing his blasted bacon again.

“The part about being attracted to another man. Like, sexually.”

James and Peter go stock-still and make sudden eye contact with one another, mirroring astonished expressions. They’re absolutely trying their hardest not to burst into laughter.

How can it be? He has no idea?

“Oh, I dunno, Padfoot,” Peter says slyly, giving Sirius a side-eyed look. “You can’t think of any bloke you’d hop into bed with?”

The restraint James is using right now is nothing short of torturous.

Sirius laughs. “No, you big jessie! If you want to sleep with blokes, have at it, Wormtail, but I tell you, that’s not for me. Oi, where’s Moony? He ought to be here for this.”

Oh, but he’s almost pathetic.

James can’t resist, so he joins in too: “Hmm….what about William Diggory?”

Sirius sputters. “I mean, sure, Diggory’s fit, for a bloke, but, as implied by ‘bloke’, he’s not got a pair of tits.”

“That’s a good point, Padfoot did break up with Lola Edgecomb last year cos ‘she was too flat-chested’,” Peter informs James in a sardonic aside, making liberal use of air quotes.

“No, no, Petey, maybe it’s just that Diggory’s not fit enough for our Pads,” James murmurs gravely.

Sirius giggles at their little show, then cries, “Cor! I wish Moony were here right now, and he’d tell you two how silly you are.”

Peter and James share a look again, but it’s lost on Sirius.

“Someone fitter, then, hmmm….” Peter taps a finger to his chin thoughtfully. “What about Professor Jero? All the girls thought he was gorgeous—do you reckon he’s hot enough to warm your bed?”

“Ha! As if! No, but keep going, though, these are funny. I bet Moony would come up with some hilarious ones.”

“Well Pete, maybe it’s not about physical beauty,” James muses theatrically.

“Oh no? The prompt was about sexual attraction, if you recall.”

“Yes, of course, and there’s no doubt that appearance plays a huge role in that, but…”

“But…?”

Sirius watches them volley back and forth, and James recognizes a growing exasperation in his expression. He’s always hated not being in on the joke.

“But maybe it needs to be a gentleman he knows well.”

“’Knows well’? Just how well should he know them?” Peter inquires with mock wonder, blue eyes big and round.

“Why, I think ‘extremely well’ would be ideal. In fact—” James turns to fully face Sirius— “I think he’d be most likely to fall for his best friend, no matter their gender.”

Sirius’ face goes blank with surprise, then he scowls and crosses his arms.

“Well I’m not about to bed either of you two idiots, sorry, but I have higher—MOONY!!”

And indeed, there appears Remus, tall and lanky, a gentle, eye-crinkling grin for Sirius that manifests as two dimples nestled in between the freckles scattered across his face.

“Moony, you’ll never guess what these two wankers—”

“Pads, I’d love to hear all about it later, really, sorry, love—ah, fuck, I’ve made a portmanteau of ‘Pads’ and ‘lads’—I think—wait, no, that doesn’t—never mind that, sorry, I can’t stay, I’m just cutting through the Great Hall on my way to a Prefect meeting!”

“Moony, wait!” Sirius wails, haphazardly grabbing a piece of jammy toast and chasing after Remus’ rapidly retreating figure. “You haven’t had any breakfast, you dolt!”

Sirius catches up to him and shoves the toast in his mouth. Remus pauses to smile hugely and stupidly at him. Then he blinks suddenly and turns about with a wave.

Peter smacks his forehead. James wonders vaguely if either of them took any notice of James and Peter sitting there throughout that whole interaction.

Sirius returns to his seat, cheeks pink and humming happily.

“Sorry lads, what were we talking about?”

Peter, slumped over in frustration, lets out a groan. “We were hypothesizing whether or not you could ever be sexually attracted to a man, and you kindly let us know that James and I are not up to snuff.”

“Ah. Too right.”

“Say…” James says wonderingly, as if this has just occurred to him. “You know Moony extremely well….Moony’s reasonably attractive, isn’t he?”

Peter sits up suddenly. “That’s right, he is! Tall. Nice curls. He’s alright.”

Sirius scoffs. “I’d say more than reasonably attractive or alright, wouldn’t you? I mean, he’s…he’s…he’s Moony…”

Sirius trails off and starts to blink rapidly, brow furrowed.

“Wow, Sirius,” James sighs unconvincingly, resisting an eye roll with all of his might. “Would you fuck Moony’s brains out, then? Suck his cock? Make him eat his breakfast every morning?”

Sirius has stopped blinking and his eyes appear to have glazed over. He’s gazing at a spot about 4 inches left of Peter’s left ear. James swears he can see on Sirius’ face the moment the realization dawns.

“Oh.”

Sirius swallows hard.

“Oh.”

Part 2: Duck

Part 3: Anticipation

Part 4: Thirst

#Sirius black #oblivious sirius #wolfstar microfic #remus lupin #sirius is so fucking oblivious #In fact everyone knows except him #and remus #hint of Demi sirius #humor #ignorance #devious James potter #devious Peter pettigrew #feelings realization #they’re both so gone for each other #pov James potter

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whatstruthgottodowithit · 1 year

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Here You Come Again [Part Five]

Fandom: Elvis Presley, RPF, American Actor

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Original Female Character

Characters: Elvis Presley, Addison Goodwin, Original Female Characters, Priscilla Presley, Colonel Tom Parker, Vernon Presley, Gladys Presley, Minnie Mae Presley, Marci Cunningham, Jerry Schilling, Red West, Sonny West, Marty Lacker, Joe Esposito, Charlie Hodge, Lamar Fike, Alan Fortas, George Klein, Memphis Mafia

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 6232

Summary: When Addison Goodwin was seventeen years old her life was turned inside out after a chance encounter with her past. Now, fifteen years later her life is the best it’s ever been. She has a home, a good job and a daughter she loves more than anything in the world but will all that remain when an old familiar face rolls into town.

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Graceland, Las Vegas, The International Hotel, Elvis In Vegas, 1970s, 1970s Elvis, Friends To Lovers, Rekindled Romance, Parenting, Time Line is Sketchy, Guilt, Betrayal, Teenage Pregnancy, Hawaii, Hidden Pregnancy, Jealousy, Sex, Absence of Parent, Single Motherhood, Trauma, Oral Sex, Tension

Notes: I promise the colonel will be dealth with in due course BUT that fucker aint the centre of this story so he’s not getting more than a chapter istg

LINK TO ALL PARTS // LINK TO AO3 // LINK TO PINTEREST

Addison was watching the clock nervously though she wasn’t sure whether she wanted it to speed up or slow down. Elvis would be due any minute and though Addison didn’t feel nervous about seeing him again she was anxious to how Jess would react. She’d been quiet on the way home, not wanting to speak about the night much so Addison hadn’t pushed figuring she’d tell her when she was ready. And she was right. At about one am she had awoken to Jess climbing into her bed, like she often did when she was worried about something. Jess had curled herself into her side and Addison had lay there waiting for whatever she was going to say to come. And it did. ‘Mom?’ Jess asked as her fingers played with Addison’s hair. ‘Mmm?’ Addison mumbled glancing down though she couldn’t see Jess’ face. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly. ‘Sorry? Jess what are you sorry for?’ Addison asked moving to sit up which forced Jess up into a sitting position too, her blue eyes filled with worry. ‘Everything went horrible and it’s my fault,’ she said. ‘It’s not your fault,’ Addison said, ‘and it didn’t go horrible.’ ‘It didn’t go great,’ Jess said dropping her gaze. ‘Oh Jessie,’ Addison sighed capturing her attention, ‘it wasn’t that bad.’ ‘Not for you,’ she grumbled, ‘you two got along just fine.’ ‘Because we know each other,’ Addison said putting her arm around her until she was nestled into her side, ‘you two just need to get to know one another a bit more and I promise it will get easier.’ ‘I just thought it’d be instant you know? I mean he’s my Dad,’ Jess said. ‘He’s still human,’ Addison said, ‘you’ve gotta give it time.’ ‘Yeah, maybe in five years he’ll talk about me like he talks about Lisa,’ Jess grumbled though her words were sarcastic they made Addison’s heart hurt all the same. She had thought it had bothered her, but she hadn’t pushed. ‘Just because it isn’t easy breezy just yet doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel the same way about you,’ Addison said, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her. I didn’t think.’ ‘It’s okay,’ Jess said, ‘I mean he’s been married before so I should’ve guessed. Just took me off guard that’s all.’ ‘Are you okay with it?’ Addison asked. ‘I guess,’ Jess said, ‘I mean it’s not like I can change it.’ ‘But would you want to meet her? Because if you don’t that’s up to you. Having a dad is a lot in itself,’ Addison said. ‘No I would. Just not yet,’ Jess said finally looking at her, ‘I don’t think I’m ready for much else yet.’ That was why Addison hadn’t told her he was coming. Whilst she knew seeing Elvis again would be a big thing for Jess she figured if she let it rest it would only give her chance to overthink it and work herself up. At least this way there were no stakes. Jess was laying on her stomach, her hand playing with the carpet idly as she watched TV unaware that her mother was watching her, well her and every flash of a headlight that passed by the house and the clock which ticked on minute by minute. As a set of headlights passed but then stopped outside the house Addison rose as if she was headed to the kitchen though she went the long way round, shutting the living room door behind her. Jess didn’t even look up as she left the room and Addison was barely in the kitchen when she heard a knock at the door. ‘I’ll get it,’ she called racing down the hallway to their front door so she could open it. He was standing on the front step looking back towards the car that was parked at the bottom of the driveway, the headlights cut, but he looked back towards her when he heard the door open. ‘Hey,’ he said with a smile. ‘Hey,’ she said moving out of the way so he could come inside quickly for fear her neighbour’s curtains would soon start twitching. He stepped inside and as she closed the door he looked around. The house was nice and contemporary but not in a way that made it feel stiff or show-homey. He could hear the TV murmuring in the room beside him signalling someone was in there. Addison however didn’t acknowledge it as she walked towards the kitchen beckoning him to follow, ‘want a drink?’ ‘Sure, waters fine,’ Elvis said following her into the kitchen. ‘So how did cancelling the show go down?’ she asked as they entered the kitchen. The back of the house was roomier, the kitchen flowing into the dining room with a door to what he assumed was the living room. ‘About as well as expected,’ Elvis smirked, ‘that’s why Jer’s posted outside my room tonight. Under strict instructions not to let anyone in because I’m too unwell to see anyone.’ ‘Well I don’t envy him,’ she chuckled. Addison moved to the cupboards pulling glasses out and placing them on the countertop in front of where he was standing. He could tell she was uneasy but as he watched her he realised it wasn’t like the nerves she had had the other day, the day she had told him about Jess. This was different. The pair of them had seemed to settle into a rhythm and it comforted him just how quickly she had done so. No, the nerves were not about him which could only mean they were about Jess. ‘Nah he doesn’t mind,’ Elvis said, ‘so, is she here?’ ‘Jess? Yeah, she’s in the living room,’ Addison said as she poured water from a jug into his glass before moving back to the fridge. Her tone was light but Elvis could read her too well. ‘She doesn’t know I’m coming does she?’ he asked making her pause and look at him, her tension evident on her face. ‘I figured it’d be better if I, if we didn’t make a big deal out of it,’ she said. ‘Throw her in at the deep end huh?’ Elvis said quirking an eyebrow but before Addison could answer the living room door swung open. ‘Mom who was at the, oh,’ she said stopping in her tracks as Elvis turned around, ‘hey.’ ‘Hey,’ he said. ‘What’s going on?’ Jess asked looking at her mother for answers. ‘Your dad,’ Addison said still unable to get her mouth acclimatised to the word, ‘he wanted to see you so I invited him over.’ ‘Don’t you have a show?’ she asked looking at Elvis. ‘It’s cancelled,’ he said. ‘Because of me?’ Jess asked panicked. ‘Technical difficulties, right?’ Addison said looking at Elvis for help. ‘Oh, uh, yeah,’ he said, ‘I mean I wanted to see you after last night and then we had some issues and I figured it was a sign.’ ‘Right,’ Jess said still unsure. ‘I thought we could hang out. Get a pizza or something?’ Addison said casually, moving towards the opposite side of the counter. ‘You eat pizza?’ Jess asked sceptically. ‘I’m an entertainer honey, not an alien,’ Elvis joked though it made Jess’ cheeks darken. ‘Pizza it is then,’ Addison said picking the two glasses up off the counter and handing them to Elvis, ‘why don’t you take a seat in the living room while me and Jess find a menu?’ ‘Sure,’ Elvis said feeling her push at him a little so that he got the hint to leave the pair alone. He nodded at Addison and then headed to the living room, throwing Jess a small smile as he moved passed her. She waited until he was definitely out of the room and pushed the door to, racing over to her mother who was trying to find a pizza place menu in one of the drawers. ‘Why didn’t you tell me he was coming!?’ she hissed. ‘Because I knew it would freak you out,’ Addison said. ‘I’m freaked out now!’ Jess said. ‘Well you don’t need to be,’ Addison said putting her hand on Jess’ shoulder, ‘honey he really wanted to see you. And at least here there are no expectations. For either of you. We can sit and eat pizza. You don’t even have to talk to one another if you don’t want to, okay?’ ‘Yeah, because that won’t be awkward at all,’ Jess said. ‘Well then I’ll dive in on every awkward moment and take the hit okay? For both of you,’ Addison chuckled though it lessened as she noted Jess was still chewing on her lip anxiously, ‘just humour me? And him?’ Jess seemed to deliberate on her mother’s request for a moment and then she nodded moving to the correct drawer and pulling out a take-out menu. She handed it to Addison who smiled at her. She seemed calm but there was something behind her eyes that Addison could sense. ‘Did he really have to cancel his shows tonight?’ she asked still chewing on her lip. Addison hesitated. ‘No,’ she paused, ‘but in a way yeah.’ ‘What?’ Jess said confused. She figured there was no point in lying to her daughter though she supposed in a way it wasn’t a lie. This was something Elvis had to do. ‘Jess he really wanted to see you again,’ Addison said hoping that would clarify any confusion. ‘Well I guess I can't tell him to go away now then,’ Jess said. ‘You can if you want,’ Addison said. ‘No it’s okay,’ Jess said, ‘I want to see him too.’ When they entered the living room he was standing with his back to them, looking at the various pictures on the mantle. There was an array of them, Jess and Addison on vacation, Jess’ school pictures, Addison and Joe back at their old house. It was nice for him to see, an eye-opener into the life he had missed out on which fortunately seemed like a happy one. He did however spot something that caught his eye. It was Addison perhaps a year or so after they’d lost contact which he could tell from the fact she was holding Jess who seemed to be still a baby though that wasn’t what had intrigued him. Beside her was Marci, standing next to her friend clear as day making faces at Jess who was smiling toothlessly at her. He didn’t know she knew but then again he hadn’t seen Marci when he’d gotten back from the army, Jerry had told him they’d split up when she went to college but it seemed that wasn’t the case. He made a mental note to ask Addison about it whenever the chance arose. ‘Do you want to take your jacket off? I can hang it up for you,’ Addison asked snapping him from his thoughts. He glanced down, realising he was still wearing the white leather jacket and scarf he had been sporting to keep the winter chill off. ‘Sure,’ Elvis said slipping it off and handing it to her. She took it from him, handing the menu she had been holding to Jess before she disappeared back into the kitchen leaving Jess and Elvis standing in the living room watching each other awkwardly. Elvis paused for a minute watching her. He didn’t know what to do or say and all of a sudden it was like he was back in those early days of Addison coming to live with him. Those days when he had walked on a tightrope fearing he’d say the wrong thing and she retreat back into herself well until he got brave enough to call her out. Addison he could meet toe to toe, but Jess was a new entity entirely. He wondered what he should say. Fortunately, Jess seemed to find her feet a little and spoke first. ‘Are you okay with pizza? We couldn’t find any other menus,’ she said dropping into a chair and offering the takeout menu up to him, almost like an invitation to join her. Elvis took it quickly and sat down on the couch next to her chair. ‘Pizzas fine,’ Elvis said, ‘I’m hungry enough I’d eat a horse right now so I’m good with whatever’s going.’ ‘Well this place is pretty good,’ Jess said. ‘Any recommendations?’ Elvis asked. ‘The Barbecue pizza is pretty good but most of it is. I think at this point I’ve had almost everything on the menu,’ Jess said. Her heart was beating a little slower now as she watched him peruse the menu. She didn’t know why but seeing him in her own home made him seem more like a person. Less like Elvis Presley. ‘Damn, how often are you guys ordering pizza?’ Elvis chuckled. ‘Well mom works a lot,’ Jess said, ‘and I can’t cook as well as her so I normally just order takeout. The delivery guy even gives us extra stuff here and there but that’s only when mom’s here so I think he has a crush on her.’ Elvis looked up as she spoke though she wasn’t really paying attention to him. Her words intrigued him. Not the idea of some spotty teenage boy being agog for Addison, that wasn’t hard for him to imagine, no it was the casualness Jess spoke of their situation. He knew Addison was a nurse. He knew she worked but for some reason he hadn’t pictured how that worked. Maybe it was because his working life had always been different to ‘regular’ people. Maybe it was because working hadn’t even been a thought that crossed his mind when Lisa came along. There was always going to be someone around to take care of her so he could work but as Jess spoke he realised just how different her life was from what he had thought. How similar the pair of them were to Addison and Joe. ‘Who has a crush on me?’ Addison asked as she came back into the room, handing Jess a soda before she shuffled past Elvis and into the seat beside him. ‘Tony from the pizza place,’ Jess said with a smile. ‘Oh god I know. I don’t know how it happened,’ Addison chuckled earning a look from Elvis. ‘You opened the door in your towel!’ Jess giggled making Elvis look at her amusedly. ‘Oh that’s new information,’ Elvis chuckled looking at Jess who grinned. ‘I was in a hurry,’ Addison protested, ‘and I didn’t think it’d be a big deal.’ ‘Oh yeah and I’m sure he hated every second of it,’ Elvis chuckled as Addison flushed. ‘He’s Jess’ age!’ Addison said as if that proved her point. ‘In that case I’m surprised he didn’t pass out,’ Elvis chuckled, ‘or assume you were coming onto him.’ ‘Either way we’ve gotten free stuff ever since,’ Jess smiled. ‘Maybe you could do a repeat performance,’ Elvis said, ‘see if we can everything for free.’ ‘You want to know something? I don’t think I like this lil alliance,’ Addison said taking the menu out of Elvis’ hands with a pout on her face. Jess and Elvis shared a smirk. Maybe it wasn’t going to be as awkward after all. ✵✵✵ 'Two Jacks,' Elvis said, placing the cards down on the pile in front of him, 'Jess?' 'You can't do that,' Addison said making him look at her with a smirk. 'Why not? Jacks skip a go,' he reasoned. 'Yeah, and you put down two,' Addison said. 'We said we can place doubles down Mom,' Jess said. 'Yeah but that would mean two skips,' Addison reasoned, 'so you can either take a card back or the go skips Jess as well.' 'Oh c'mon,' Elvis grumbled. 'Nuh-uh pal,' Addison said, 'no cheating.' 'It's hardly cheating,' Elvis grumbled tucking a card back into his hand so that Jess could have a go. 'No but I know what you're like and it's a slippery slope,' Addison smirked. 'I'm not that bad,' Elvis scoffed. 'He's the worst cheater ever,' she told Jess. 'And your mom's a sore loser,' Elvis said smirking at Jess. 'Oh don’t I know it,' Jess giggled, 'you should see her play Monopoly.' 'Let me guess, she pretends she doesn't care and then pouts all the way through it,' Elvis said. 'Or gets halfway through and then says she's not playing anymore when her debts start mounting up,' Jess chuckled. 'Okay when did it become pick on Addison day?' Addison grumbled though she couldn't help but smile at the fun the pair of them were having. She had been right about him coming to their home, in her own environment Jess seemed to be more at ease with him and he seemed to realise he didn't need to force anything to happen. So, if it meant being the butt of a few jokes she'd take it. Fortunately, there was a knock on the door which saved her. 'That'll be the pizza,' Addison said climbing up off the floor quickly. 'Yeah maybe your boyfriend can stop you from getting picked on,' Jess sniggered. 'Would you stop!' Addison said though she had a smile on her face, 'I'm not going to be able to look the kid in the eye!' 'I doubt he'll be looking at your face anyway,' Elvis joked with a smirk. Addison rolled her eyes though there was something about his teasing that felt different from Jess'. Something in his smirk made butterflies flutter inside her stomach. Something that only got worse as Elvis leaned up so he could pull his wallet out of his back pocket, producing two crisp bills and holding them out towards her. 'Here, let me get 'em,' he said. 'It's okay,' she said pushing his hand away though it only made that flutter inside of her worse. 'C'mon let me,' he said his blue eyes watching her closely. 'You get the next one,' she smiled, 'just don’t look at my cards, okay?' 'No promises,' Elvis said as she headed to the front door. He went to put the cash back in his wallet but then rethought and tucked the two bills under the coaster of his glass where they couldn't be seen. When he looked up Jess was watching him. 'She'll kill you you know,' Jess said. 'Oh I know, but I'll be out of the house before she finds 'em so,' he said with a casual shrug. He knew he shouldn't have even bothered offering to pay. It had been a struggle to ever let him pay for anything when they had been together, he supposed she wouldn't have been any different now. 'What if I tell her?' Jess asked raising an eyebrow. 'You realise if you don't say anything you could make a quick buck here, right?' Elvis chuckled which grew louder as realisation dawned on Jess, 'nah I know you wouldn't.' 'How come?' Jess said. 'You're a good kid,' Elvis said sincerely making a blush creep up Jess' neck at the compliment, 'your mom did good.' 'I'm just glad she's having a nice time. It's nice to see her laugh,' Jess said making Elvis' face fall into a look of concern, 'not that she's miserable or anything don't get me wrong.' 'But?' Elvis asked. 'I don't know this just seems like the first time she's had a night to enjoy herself since Aunt Mar left,' Jess shrugged. Elvis glanced at the door as he felt his curiosity rear its head again at the mention of Marci. He could hear Addison was still at the door and he hoped she'd stay there long enough for him to ask what he wanted. 'Mar? You mean Marci?' he asked. Jess nodded, 'she used to live in Vegas too?' 'Yeah, we used to live together,' Jess explained with a casualness Elvis couldn’t wrap his head around. 'No kidding,' he said hoping she'd keep talking and he wouldn't have to be too obvious with his prying. 'Yeah, I mean when I was really little we lived together properly but as I got older me and mom moved in here and Mar moved in with whatever boyfriend she had at the time,' Jess said, 'well until they split up and then she'd move back in with us.' 'Is that where she is now?' Elvis asked. 'Yeah but this one's 'the one',' Jess said rolling her eyes. 'You don't believe it?' Elvis asked. 'Aunt Mar’s had a lot of the ones,' Jess said in a matter-of-fact manner that made her sound just like her mother, 'but she's never moved out of state before. That's why Mom's been so down about it.' 'Ah,' Elvis said, 'where's she living now?' 'California. He's some big movie exec or something,' Jess said, 'that's why I couldn't believe it when Mom said her and Jerry used to date.' 'Whys that?' Elvis asked. 'He's not her type,' Jess shrugged. Elvis nodded and took a sip of his water as the new information digested but as it did more questions arose in his brain, one jumping to the forefront almost immediately though he had to take a second to figure out how to approach it. 'What about your Mom?' Elvis asked catching her attention, 'I mean she must have some other friends, a boyfriend or something.' 'Mom?' Jess said raising her eyebrows though as she realised he was serious she shrugged, 'I mean she has friends but she works a lot so she doesn't always get time to see them.' 'What about a boyfriend?' Elvis asked as casually as he could muster. 'Nah,' Jess said making his heart beat a touch quicker, 'I mean she has had them but not a lot and not for long.' 'Oh,' Elvis said. 'She was just always worried about me,' Jess said, 'and most guys don't exactly like a kid hanging around.' 'Right,' Elvis agreed though he couldn't help but notice the sadness he had felt from before creeping back in. Since his divorce he had dated here and there, hell after Addison he'd practically slept his way around Germany, but once more he was struck by how different their lives had been. He'd never once had to worry about finding a date with Lisa as part of his package though he could see how it might not have worked the same for Addison. He wondered if she minded. Had she wanted to date, to marry? That thought made jealousy bubble inside him though he knew it was irrational. After all, he had married. ‘But you didn’t know then,’ his mind whispered. Before he could dwell on the what-ifs Addison popped her head around the door and told them to come into the dining room which they did quickly. When they got into the adjoining room they found two pizza boxes open on the table, a couple of bottles of soda and various containers of food Elvis was sure hadn’t been part of the original order. Addison slipped into a seat and Jess sat down opposite her instinctively as if this was their usual spots. Elvis hovered for a moment before he took a seat at the head of the table, both girls on either side of him. ‘Looks good,’ he said as Addison passed him a plate. ‘Yeah, a lot more stuff than I thought though,’ Jess said with a wry smile that made Elvis smirk. ‘Yeah did you order chicken wings Jess?’ he said. ‘Me? No. Did you?’ Jess smirked. ‘Don’t think so,’ Elvis said as their gaze fell on Addison. ‘Well in that case neither of you can have any then,’ she said taking a couple and putting them on her plate. Jess and Elvis shared a look. ‘So come on,’ Elvis said putting a piece of pizza on his plate as Jess did the same. ‘Come on what?’ Addison said innocently. ‘How much drool is on your front step right now?’ Elvis teased. ‘Oh behave,’ Addison chastised. ‘Do we need a wet floor sign out front?’ Jess giggled. ‘You’re lucky I could even speak to him,’ Addison said, ‘I was holding back laughter the entire time because of you two.’ ‘Well I’m glad you did,’ Elvis said mid-mouthful, ‘this pizza is amazing.’ ‘As good as Lombardi’s?’ Addison asked taking him off guard and making his lump of food catch in his throat. ‘You remember Lombardi’s?’ he said looking at her. She was smiling coyly at him as she picked at the toppings on her slice of pizza evidently happy that she was able to at least give a little something back for all his teasing. ‘Of course I do,’ she said. ‘What’s Lombardi’s?’ Jess asked curiously. ‘An Italian restaurant in Memphis,’ Addison said, ‘it’s really good.’ ‘Best barbecue pizza I ever had,’ Elvis agreed. ‘Sounds nice,’ Jess said feeling a little left out. ‘I’ll have to take you some time,’ Elvis said. ‘To Memphis?’ Jess asked hopefully. Addison and Elvis shared a look but he knew her well enough to see she wasn’t stopping him. ‘Well yeah, I mean not right now but one day,’ Elvis said looking at his daughter who was watching him wide-eyed, ‘if you want to.’ ‘I’d like that,’ Jess nodded as her feeling of being out of the loop disappeared. Elvis looked at Addison who smiled at him reassuringly before she tucked into her pizza. Elvis couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Progress would be slow he knew that, but it was progress nonetheless. ✵✵✵ ‘Night sweetheart,’ Addison called as Jess disappeared from the top of the stairs into her room. She was sure she heard a mumble in response, but she wouldn’t have been surprised if Jess was sprawled on her bed and dead to the world already. She had tried to fight it. After they’d eaten they’d moved back into the living room, favouring watching a movie over card games though they’d ended up talking most of the way through it. Jess had fought to keep up with them but as the night rolled on she became quieter, her focus on the movie until about ten minutes before the end when Addison nudged Elvis’ knee and he looked over to her laying on the couch eyes closed. That was when Addison had decreed she had to go to bed. She’d been reluctant but had conceded once Elvis agreed it was probably for the best and that he’d see her soon. After all he knew better than to go against Addison’s word. What he hadn’t been prepared for though was the hug she had given him before she headed up to bed. Granted the one she had given her mother was a lot less awkward and a tad longer, but she had hugged him all the same. When Addison came back into the living room he was still sitting there somewhat stunned though he came to as she started collecting glasses off the coffee table. He followed her into the kitchen collecting the other glasses and plates they’d used earlier and bringing them to the sink where she was placing them down. ‘Thanks,’ she said as she started to run the faucet so she could wipe them down. Elvis placed himself next to her at the counter, his back resting against it so he could face her. She picked up a dish towel and handed it to him which he took though he looked confused. ‘What you forgot how to dry a plate these days?’ she chuckled as she fished in the water to place the stopper down. ‘Probably,’ he chuckled, ‘I’ll give it a go though. Since I wasn’t allowed to pay for anything.’ ‘You didn’t need to,’ Addison said, ‘we’re not a-' ‘Charity,’ Elvis finished making her roll her eyes. ‘I’m just saying,’ she said ignoring him, ‘tonight wasn’t about the money. I’m just glad you came.’ ‘Me too,’ Elvis said as she handed a plate to him. Addison nodded and the two of them fell silent for a beat, reflecting on the night, ‘you were right.’ ‘Always am,’ she said before adding, ‘about what?’ ‘She did seem better here,’ Elvis said, ‘more relaxed.’ ‘Like I said she’s a lot like you when we were kids I mean,’ Addison said. ‘What scared of her own shadow?’ ‘You weren’t scared of your own shadow,’ Addison said rolling her eyes, ‘but you were shy and she can be too. And I don’t know I guess having a mom like me doesn’t help.’ ‘And what’s a mom like you?’ Elvis said. ‘Loud,’ Addison said, ‘brash. Angry at the world for the most part.’ ‘Addie,’ Elvis said quietly. ‘Don’t get upset I’m just saying,’ Addison said making him nod, ‘I don’t know I just, I guess I was always focused on making sure nothing ever hurt her I made her kinda scared of the world in general.’ ‘I don’t think that’s true,’ Elvis said, ‘she’s not some nervous wreck Addie. In fact, she’s a great kid. Nice, funny just like you.’ ‘She’s a lot sweeter than I am,’ she countered, ‘that’s why I worry about her. I just don’t want this to make her lose that.’ ‘Well then we’ve gotta make sure it doesn’t,’ Elvis said. ‘Easier said than done,’ Addison countered. ‘True but if we’re both focused on her then we’ve got a good shot at it don’t you think?’ Elvis said. Addison pondered that for a moment, placing a couple of clean glasses on the draining board instead of passing them to him. She’d finished washing everything now and took the towel out of his hands to dry her own before making him scooch further up so she could stand beside him. ‘I think you forget,’ Elvis said making her glance at him, ‘the stuff that happened to you for the most part you had no one. Jess has you and nothing’s going to change that.’ ‘And you?’ Addison asked quietly. ‘As long as the pair of you will have me I’ll be here,’ Elvis said. ‘I’m glad,’ Addison said quietly her gaze falling on the tile floor as guilt coursed through her, ‘I wish it could’ve been different.’ ‘Me too,’ Elvis said earning himself a glance, ‘but we can’t change it now.’ ‘Guess not,’ she said. ‘Better late than never though, right?’ Elvis said. ‘Yeah,’ she said quietly. They were quiet for a moment, just looking at one another. His blue eyes were watching her making those butterflies from before run riot inside her but before he could say anything else though she pulled away going to the dining room to collect the empty pizza boxes. Elvis moved to help and soon enough the kitchen was back to normal and she was seeing him to the door. Red and Sonny were waiting at the bottom of the drive as planned but when he climbed inside he didn’t feel like answering their questions. The night had gone well but even so it had been a rollercoaster of emotions all around. Eventually they took note of his half-hearted responses and started to talk amongst themselves allowing him to look out the window unbothered. They took the service elevator up to their floor with the boys allowing him to step off first though their rooms were on a lower floor. He trudged towards his suite, suddenly feeling the tiredness hit him now he was near home, though as he opened the door to his bedroom suite he didn’t fail to notice it opened without issue and Jerry who he had expected to be standing guard was nowhere to be seen. Yet as he stepped over the threshold he was in front of him in a flash with his excuse at the ready. ‘I told him you weren’t able to see anyone,’ Jerry said as Elvis got into the room and clocked the Colonel standing by the window, looking out onto the city before he turned to look at the men. ‘It’s alright,’ Elvis said with a sympathetic smile to his friend. He knew he would’ve tried to keep him out and it wasn’t as though he didn’t expect the Colonel to want to see him. That however didn’t mean that he wanted to see the Colonel. ‘Do you need me to stay?’ Jerry asked quietly. Elvis shook his head gently, patting his friend on the shoulder. ‘No, thanks man,’ Elvis said. ‘Talk tomorrow yeah?’ Jerry said raising his eyebrows as Elvis got what he meant. ‘Yeah, night,’ Elvis said. ‘Night,’ Jerry said before he headed out of the door. The Colonel remained standing by the window, unbothered by the conversation the men were having even though it pertained to him. Elvis however didn’t jump in with any excuses, instead, he moved to the drinks cart and grabbed himself a bottle of water. The Colonel clocked him but stayed quiet as if trying to see if he would crack first. When he didn’t he turned fully. ‘They said you were sick,’ he said simply. It wasn’t a question nor a statement but the tone of it was enough to insinuate that Elvis was lying. ‘I was,’ Elvis said. ‘And now?’ the Colonel said. ‘Ship, shape and shiny,’ Elvis said watching him as he took a glug of water. ‘Funny, I asked Dr Nick and he said you hadn't called him,’ the Colonel said. ‘I didn’t,’ Elvis shrugged as he took off his jacket and dumped it on the piano stool before he started fiddling with his accessories. He wasn’t lying. He hadn't called Dr Nick because he knew the Colonel would’ve fished around for whatever information so he hadn’t done anything that would get him caught in a trap. He knew better than that. ‘So where were you?’ the Colonel asked. ‘Out,’ Elvis said. ‘My boy,’ the Colonel said warningly. ‘What Colonel?’ Elvis said tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at the man. The edge to his tone took the older gentleman off guard but he continued nevertheless. ‘You have a contract,’ the Colonel said, ‘Mr Kohn.’ ‘Would rather me duck out of one night than end up missing a string of them because I’m not well right?’ Elvis said. ‘Still a late cancellation, a cancellation at all is a breach of contract and-’ ‘And I’m sure you can smooth it out, right Colonel?’ Elvis said flatly. The Colonel hesitated. Over the span of his career Elvis hadn’t always done as expected but no matter what he had always been able to talk him around. Something in his tone worried him that might not happen though he didn’t know why. ‘Of course my boy,’ the Colonel said, ‘just wanted to make sure you were well before I speak to him. So I can reassure him for tomorrow's show.’ ‘You do that,’ Elvis said as he dropped his rings into a small dish beside his bed. The Colonel nodded and headed towards the door as if he expected Elvis to see him out when he didn’t he paused but then headed out all the same. Once he heard the door click Elvis sighed and took a seat on the edge of his bed. A rollercoaster of emotions today had been for sure and the tail end of it was no exception. It had been all he could do not to go off at the man. Since Addison had come back into his life he had thought about her and the Colonel non-stop. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do about him but it was hard to even look at him now, not when he was wondering just how much he had lied about in their entire time knowing one another. As he thought about the Colonel his mind wandered to Addison and then to Jess. To that photo on the mantlepiece. To the idea of Addison having to rely on a friend to help raise her daughter. To the idea of Jess frequenting a pizza place for dinner because her mom was busting her hump to keep a roof over their head. That shouldn’t have been their life. It shouldn’t have been one of hardship, one of loneliness. He should’ve been there; they should’ve been a family. Jess’ first steps should’ve been at Graceland instead of the first time she’d ever set foot in Memphis being at the age of fourteen. It was hard to weigh up of course. If he had had them he wouldn’t have had Lisa and he couldn’t think of trading her for anything. Still, his life would always be a what-if now. A lingering question at every interaction because of a choice his manager made without asking him. And as he thought he reckoned that Addison had every right to be wary of him. She had every right to want to keep Jess out of his way. Hell, he wanted to keep Jess out of his way. And the more he thought about it he wanted to stay out of his way too. That had been why he hadn’t told him the truth. Why he was going to keep this revelation to only those he trusted for the foreseeable. Elvis knew it wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret forever, but he had realised something. If he was going to keep his girls in his life he needed to be done with Colonel. He just needed time to prepare how he was going to let him go.

SERIES TAGS

@girlblogger2002 @sania562 @caitlin1996 @literally-just-elvis-fics @notstefaniepresley @artlesson8892 @18lkpeters @velvetelvis @jaqueline19997 @elvispresleyxoxo @amydarcimarie @presleyenterprise @everythingelvispresley @elvispresleywife @lillypink

#my writing #elvis #elvis presley #elvis x oc #elvis presley x oc #elvis presley x Addison goodwin #here you come again

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persephonyed · 10 months

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♡ — i'm finally chilled out and caught up after the big wedding weekend, and now i really want to get some new threads going with everyone, and also maybe meet some new writing partners! i've tossed some muses under the cut that i've been really wanting to write with since i've been back, so feel free to give this a like if you want a starter / want to plot with any of them. i'm down for all the dramatic, angsty, h*rror-y, crazy stuff you could throw at me, and also am including some canon/canon inspired/supernatural muses because the itch is there right now. pick your poison!

here are the ocs my muse is begging to write!

aylin ozdemir; 28, bisexual, she/her, bakery owner & witch. aslihan malbora fc.

blair bennett; 22, sometimes closeted bisexual, she/her, university student. katie douglas fc.

camille st. clair; 24, bisexual, she/her, aspiring actress. jessica alexander fc.

catalina "lina" velasco; 30, bisexual, she/her, flight attendent. melissa barrera fc.

eleanor "nell" tolly; 34, bisexual, she/her, children's book author. rebecca rittenhouse fc.

flora zhang; 26, bisexual, she/her, grad student & aspiring author. havana rose liu fc.

indigo edmunds; 26, bisexual, she/her, corporate recruiter. grace van dien fc.

ingrid edmunds; 36, straight, she/her, cardiothoracic surgeon. amanda seyfried fc.

imogen edmunds; 32, often very newly out bisexual, she/her, elementary school teacher. elizabeth olsen fc.

isabella "izzie" eriksen; 26, bisexual, she/her, paralegal or celebrity pr manager based on verse. alisha boe fc.

jude landry; 28, bisexual, she/her, law student. maddie phillips fc.

natasha voigt; 27, she/her, bisexual, actress. lili reinhart fc.

nora giuliani; 27, she/her, lesbian, paranormal & true crime podcaster. victoria predretti fc.

ruby brodsky; 25, bisexual, she/her, grad student. gideon adlon fc.

sawyer klein; 24, bisexual, she/her, professional figure skater. grace van patten fc.

sebastian hernandez; 31, straight, he/him, inspired by the musical repo man. sean teale fc.

and here are the canon & various characters i really want to write rn!

ginny weasley; harry potter 24, lesbian, she/her, professional quidditch player or student depending on the verse. abigail cowan fc.

jacqueline "jackie" knightley; historical 27, bisexual, she/her, writer & member of nobility. sophie skelton fc.

leila owens; leia organa coded 32, bisexual, she/her, princess. laura harrier fc.

lily evans; harry potter 26, bisexual, she/her, potions shop owner or student depending on the verse. kennedy mcmann fc.

nissa; very acotar compatible 28, queer, she/they, fae royalty. jessie mei li fc.

pansy parkinson; harry potter 30, bisexual, wizarding world fashion designer or possibly have taken over rita skeeter's column undecided yet. sofia carson fc.

rhiannon wynne; 26, bisexual, she/her, witch. ellie bamber fc.

harry potter canon fcs i often write as if hogwarts were university / if they went to a magical university instead, or write them post-hogwarts and just living their lives now. and over all, most verses for everyone are flexible and can be added to or bent whatever way within the realm of staying true to their characters. feel free to throw any kind of plot at them all fr!

ps i’m also suuuuuper open to making new canon characters for anyone i vibe with i’m such a ship chaser please come to me with your canon muses!

#indie rp #indie bi rp #indie horror rp #indie canon rp #indie smut rp #alisha boe has a new beautiful gif pack so now i gotta write izzie pls #and as per usual the edmunds sisters have taken over all my muse #ps very anti jk #i know this seems like a lot of muses but in the grand scheme of things i assure u it's not

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the-forest-library · 2 years

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February 2023 Reads

The Reunion - Kayla Olson

Behind the Scenes - Karelia Stetz-Waters

Sorry, Bro - Taleen Voskuni

Exes and O’s - Amy Lea

Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year - Rochelle Billow

Make a Wish - Helena Hunting

Knit One, Girl Two - Shira Glassman

You Should Smile More - Anastasia Ryan

A Rival Most Vial - R.K. Ashwick

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun - Elle Cosimano

Nine Liars - Maureen Johnson

Pretty Dead Queens - Alexa Donne

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute - Talia Hibbert

Margot Mertz for the Win - Carrie McCrossen

Winterkeep - Kristin Cashore

Tears Waiting to Be Diamonds - Sarah Rees Brennan

Charmed Life - Diana Wynne Jones

Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables - Kathleen Gros

Evergreen - Matthew Cordell

I’ll Show Myself Out - Jessi Klein

Remainders of the Day - Shaun Bythell

B.F.F. - Christie Tate

The Good Life - Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz

The Brain Fog Fix - Mike Dow

Stolen Focus - Johann Hari

The Chaos Machine - Max Fisher

Cook As You Are - Ruby Tandoh

Foodwise - Mia Rigden

Plant-Based on a Budget - Toni Okamoto

One: Simple One-Pan Wonders - Jamie Oliver

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts:

Another really good reading month. I hope there are 20 more Truly Devious books. Let Stevie solve all of the mysteries.

Goodreads Goal: 67/400

2022 Reads | 2023 Reads

#2023 reads #book reviews #book recommendations #books #booklr #bookish #reading #bibliophile

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rookie-critic · 2 years

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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022, dir. Dean Fleischer-Camp) - review by Rookie-Critic

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On blew me away. This unassuming little movie, about a little shell boy named Marcel (a career-best performance from Jenny Slate) and his grandmother Nana Connie (brilliantly voiced by Isabella Rossellini) doing their absolute best to survive in an Air B&B after losing their shell community to the breakup of the couple that lived there before, delivers on being one of the cutest, funniest, most wholesome, and oddly beautiful movies of the year so far. This is a film that finds joy in all of the little pleasures of life, and one that's not afraid to be kid friendly while still tackling themes like loss, fear of loss, and death head-on; with sequences that are more artfully crafted and emotionally resonant than most of the end-of-year, "Oscar bait-y" dramas. The mockumentary style helps you feel the relative bigness of Marcel's realistically tiny world, and helps the film accomplish its ultimate triumph in making Marcel incredibly relatable. You empathize with this little stop-motion shell in his every move, every decision, every next step that he takes on his journey. The absolute wonder at the possibilities of the world around him, and unabashed innocence and fearlessness that allows Marcel to overcome his seemingly mundane trappings and feel as big and real as director Dean Fleischer-Camp who, in very Spinal Tap fashion, inserts himself as a character in the movie.

I couldn't help but be swept away on this lovely little adventure with 3 characters that work better than they have any right to in a film that was way more emotionally potent than it needed to be. The scene between Nana Connie and that ladybug will live with me forever, and currently sits at the top of my list of the most beautiful movie moments of the year. Please watch Marcel the Shell. If you have kids, sit them down with you. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will be amazed by the things that Marcel has to show you.

Score: 10/10

Currently available to rent or purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K through A24.

#Marcel the Shell with Shoes On #Marcel the Shell #Dean Fleischer-Camp #Jenny Slate #Isabella Rossellini #Rosa Salazar #Thomas Mann #Lesley Stahl #Nathan Fielder #Andy Richter #Jessi Klein #Peter Bonerz #film review #movie review #2022 films

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trickster-shi · 5 months

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WIP Sneak Peek

His kid had almost died today, the day he turned seventeen when all he’d wanted was to spend time with John and look at magic books, because his son was apparently a wizard in the making.

Stiles looked up at him, his eyes squinted against the drugs and residual pain. He grasped John’s wrist.

“Still here, Dad.”

John fought against the lump in his throat. “Damn right you are.”

Klein and Jessi came back with an armful of snacks. They deposited them on John’s desk.

“Hey, champ, heard you went up against a dino today.”

“Allosaurus,” Stiles corrected. “And I exploded the son of a bitch. Because I’m magic.”

So. I hadn’t planned on writing anything else to go with the In The Age of Werewolves and Dinosaurs au because that was supposed to be a one shot. But I got some really lovely comments and messages about it recently and…well. I’ve got an outline and almost a thousand words right now. Gonna try and get it done and out quick, but wanted to give a first look.

#teen wolf #Jurassic park au #fic update #sneak peek

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n0v4-z3r0 · 5 months

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“Welcome, Miss Venture. I do hope you are looking forward to today’s test?”

Jessie Venture, heiress of VentureTech, grinned. “Eagerly. I’ve been following the development of this project closely. I look forward to finally seeing it in action.”

Escorted by security to the viewing area, she nodded to the lead scientist of the project. “Dr. Burns. I take it you’ve been quite busy?”

Shaking her hand, the scientist nodded. “Quite. But our efforts have borne fruit. We are officially ready to begin testing of Project Iconoclast. Please, make yourself comfortable, Miss Venture.”

Taking a seat, Jessie grinned, and looked up when the announcement was made. “Commencing the live fire test of Project Iconoclast. All personnel, please vacate the area until further notice.”

It was a large arena, and in the middle were a group of armed prisoners; people that VentureTech had captured and trained, people no one would look for. They looked nervous, yet the callous grin never left Jessie’s face.

A buzzer sounded, and large doors on the other end of the arena slid open. Exiting was a massive machine, a bipedal robot. The prisoners started firing, and combat began.

It had been a hopeless situation from the beginning. The machine easily outmaneuvered and outmatched the captives.

Jessie watched, transfixed. “It’s changing its strategy according to the situation…is this the Adaptive Combat Intelligence?”

“Yes, Miss Venture, precisely. Project Iconoclast utilizes an intelligence developed from the scanning of a human mind to build the base. It’s able to learn and adapt on the fly, making it ideal for nearly any situation. Of course, its sheer size makes it less than ideal for anything related to stealth, but as you can see, in terms of sheer destructive power, Iconoclast is unmatched.”

“Fascinating…”

“It would seem the first test was a success. Now for something a bit harder…”

The doors at the other end of the arena slid open, and a full tank rolled out, and fired, landing a direct hit on the robot. As the smoke cleared, a gaping hole could be seen in its chassis; yet it was closing rapidly.

Jessie was on the edge of her seat. “It’s self repairing??” she excitedly exclaimed, like a child at Christmas.

“Indeed, Miss Venture. It utilizes nanotechnology to make repairs on itself.”

“Marvelous…simply marvelous!”

~*~

Miles away, Irina Klein sat in front of her laptop, watching with an expression of abject horror.

“Oh no…they…they did it. They actually did it. Project Iconoclast…”

#drabble #my writing #open to mutuals #ic status

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eddieredmayneargentinablog · 2 years

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Eddie Redmayne: ‘Until there’s a levelling, there are certain parts I wouldn’t play’

New Interview.

The Oscar winner on learning from his mistakes, his latest role as a serial killer nurse – and why he’s not wearing a wedding ring.

By Ryan Gilbey, Fri 27 Jan 2023.

Drinking coffee in the restaurant of a central London hotel as jazz burbles away in the background, Eddie Redmayne is wearing faded blue jeans, a white sweatshirt and a scarf. No wedding band, though. Uh-oh. “‘Spotted without his ring!’” he says, mock-horrified. He misplaced it while shooting The Danish Girl eight years ago, which is only one of the reasons to lament that film. We’ll get to the others in good time.

He bought a replacement ring then lost that, too, so he gave up. On jewellery, that is, not marriage. “I am incredibly happily married so I’m afraid there’s no scoop there,” he says apologetically. The tone fits with his demeanour, which is that of a Saturday boy at John Lewis: posh, affable, sincerely regretful that he doesn’t have the item in your size. He just turned 41 but could pass for mid-20s. His tousled hair is rust-coloured, his skin frantic with freckles, his lips so plump they look like crimson jellies.

A scarf stays knotted around his neck throughout our morning together; he picked up a nasty cold on his recent trip to the Golden Globes in Los Angeles, where he was in the running for best supporting actor for playing the serial killer Charles Cullen in The Good Nurse. When the sneezes come today, he whips out a comically large red handkerchief peppered with white dots, like a magician preparing to make the crockery vanish.

In fact, his party trick is quite the opposite: he makes awards appear. He got the big three (Oscar, Bafta, Golden Globe) for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, and an Olivier last year for his lizardly, mercurial Emcee in Cabaret, which also starred Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles. A soundtrack recording, taped during live performances for added wildness, has just been released. Redmayne’s approach to the character, he says, “is that he would shape-shift and emerge as this Aryan conductor who could drop his baton in one of the champagne bottles at the end, and then walk off into the night. Whatever else is going on, he’s fucking fine.”

He took home his first Olivier (as well as a Tony) in 2010 for playing Mark Rothko’s assistant in Red. Each night, he and his co-star Alfred Molina splashed paint around on stage as they mocked up giant imitation Rothkos. What a job for an art history graduate, even if Redmayne’s dissertation at Cambridge was on Yves Klein’s blue. And don’t forget the Golden Raspberry award he won for worst supporting actor in the Wachowski sisters’ incomprehensible fantasy Jupiter Ascending, where he was a rasping, pursed-lipped princeling in outfits worthy of a fetish night: stiff gold collars, stippled rubber vests, bare chest underneath. “I didn’t know what I was doing,” he says. “I still don’t. I honestly haven’t watched the whole movie. But I loved making choices that were …” He wrinkles his nose. “Well, ‘bold’ is probably too kind a word.”

Prizes are why we are here today. It’s encouraging that enough of Redmayne’s peers noticed his creepy but admirably level-headed work in The Good Nurse to vote for him in next month’s Screen Actors Guild awards. I wish him luck. “Ah cheers. Never gonna happen but it’ll be fun to go.” A few days after we meet, he also gets a Bafta nomination to add to the tally.

He plays Charlie Cullen, a seemingly compassionate, diligent nurse who is now serving 18 consecutive life sentences for the murder of 29 patients in his care at various New Jersey hospitals over the course of nearly two decades; the actual death toll could be in the hundreds. He contaminated IV bags with insulin, and injected patients with lethal doses of heart medication. His friend and colleague Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain) was instrumental in bringing him to justice but The Good Nurse is less a story of heroes and villains than an indictment of the profit-centred healthcare system that enabled then concealed his actions.

“He’s basically giving his employers every opportunity to stop him,” says Redmayne. “It’s like: ‘Fucking do it. Go on.’ That’s what I found intriguing about the script. In some ways, yes, it’s a true crime story, but it felt more like a character study combined with a critique of the system.” With the NHS at its most imperilled, the film doubles as a warning to audiences in the UK. “Well, it’s more than a critique of US healthcare. It’s about systems in general in which the power of the individual is lost. That’s got to ring a gigantic alarm bell in relation to what we have here and what we take for granted. The NHS is going through an incredibly complex time.”

It’s admirable that the film resists trying to answer the question of why Cullen killed. But even the least prurient viewer might wonder whether he regarded those in his care as people or merely potential kills. “In those scenes with the patients, I was playing the truth of empathy and kindness, with the sense of the killer being a different person,” he says. “I believe he was, for all intents and purposes, an excellent nurse. But there were times when he was like an empty vessel that would become filled with arrogance and truculence. I spent time with the real Amy, and she described these moments when the Charlie she knew disappeared. That dissociative idea was a revelation for me. So that’s how I played him. It was about finding this vacuum, this different person.”

He illustrates the demarcation in a pair of chilling confrontation scenes: first in a diner, where Amy wears a wire as she tries to lure Cullen into making an incriminating statement; then after his arrest, when he is harangued by the interviewing officer. In both those moments, the actor turns away from the camera then swivels back round to face us, his features fixed in an impenetrable mask. Somewhere inside him, a switch has been flicked to “off”.

No one should be surprised that Redmayne is capable of that iciness. One of his first films was Savage Grace, another factually based psychological drama. He played a fraught, tormented heir involved in a semi-incestuous relationship with his socialite mother, played by Julianne Moore. Redmayne had fought hard to get the part. Coming in 2007, so close to the start of his screen career, it introduced him as a risk-taker, likeability be damned. He made good on that promise in little-seen oddball endeavours such as Hick, where he was a limping Texas paedophile pursuing a young Chloë Grace Moretz.

His path has been unorthodox, even if his background (he was in the same year as Prince William at Eton) is privilege incarnate. “I knew nothing about film or TV but I got into acting because I loved it at school,” he says. A former drama teacher suggested him for Mark Rylance’s all-male production of Twelfth Night at the Globe; Redmayne, 20 at the time, won the part of Viola. “I’d played so many women at school that it wasn’t a stretch,” he shrugs. Adela Quested from A Passage to India is one of his favourites. “‘I want to see the real India,’” he purrs, slipping briefly into character and gazing demurely across the restaurant.

His career goals were modest. “I thought if anything happened for me it would be Sunday night television, something English and Etonian. Maybe a bit part in Foyle’s War.” That wasn’t how it panned out. His breakthrough stage role, in 2004, was as a fragile young American whose father is in a sexual relationship with a farmyard animal, in Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? “US casting directors came to see it. Very quickly, rather than doing English characters, I was cast as Americans.”

As well as Savage Grace, there was Robert De Niro’s espionage thriller The Good Shepherd, where those full lips came in handy playing Angelina Jolie’s son. And that Sunday night prediction was realised in the end. “Eventually I found my way back to tweed,” he smiles. He was Angel Clare opposite Gemma Arterton as Tess of the D’Urbervilles, then the lead in Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong. “Plus that whole weird period where I was in anything related even tangentially to Queen Elizabeth.” He’s muddling the chronology slightly – a role in the series Elizabeth I crops up right at the start of his CV – but it’s true that if there was a doublet and hose hanging around, the young Redmayne was either wearing it or standing next to someone who was (see The Other Boleyn Girl; Elizabeth: The Golden Age). He gallops on through his IMDb page: “Then Theory, and The Danish Girl, which I suppose both is and isn’t an English period drama …”

Ah, The Danish Girl. Redmayne’s publicists had politely asked me not to press him on an issue about which he has nothing more to add: the public statement in 2020 in which he diverged from his Fantastic Beasts creator JK Rowling on the matter of transgender identity. “I disagree with Jo’s comments,” he said at the time. “Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid.” But it is Redmayne who brings up The Danish Girl, a film he has said he would not feel comfortable making now. He believes the role of the painter Lili Elbe, one of the first known people to undergo gender-confirming surgery, should have gone to a trans performer. “I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake,” he said in 2021.

I ask how that realisation has coloured his feelings toward the movie itself. Is it a failure? “Truth be told, I only see the flaws in the work I do anyway,” he says after a long pause. Then he stares into space for 10 seconds. “I worked really … I’m, um, I … I don’t know how to answer that question.” He turns to me, his eyes crinkled and sad. “I don’t know how to answer it. Sorry.” Can he not even say how he feels about the film? “The thing I find most complex is truth …” There follows an explanation of the genesis of the script before he finally reaches his conclusion: “The film feels like a fictionalised version. It doesn’t feel like Lili’s story.”

He won’t take parts now that should go to trans actors: that much is clear. But what can someone with his clout do to help his trans colleagues? “A few years ago, I did a workshop with trans actors at the Central School of Speech and Drama. A lot of them were quite rightly interrogating me about my choice to do The Danish Girl, and pointing out that many trans actors don’t go to drama school because they don’t see it as an opportunity. Unless there are parts that you think are possible for you to play, why would you?”

A sigh. “I believe everyone wants to be able to play everything. That’s what we dream of as actors, and should do. No one wants to be limited by their gender or sexuality but, historically, these communities haven’t had a seat at the table. Until there’s a levelling, there are certain parts I wouldn’t play.” Earlier on, reflecting on his lack of formal training, he had told me: “I can only learn from my mistakes.” At least no one can say he hasn’t put his money where his mouth is.

* The Good Nurse is on Netflix. Cabaret: London Cast Recording is released by Decca Records.

#eddie redmayne #eddieredmayne #redmayne #the good nurse #the theory of everything #the danish girl #the guardian #interview #january 2023

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