#will poulter characters

[uhhh-ghouls007]

This is how the movie ended. Right?

[scarlet-rhododendroms]

Me currently lurking the adam warlock x reader tag waiting for more stories because i’ve become irrevocable attached to this utterly naive baby man

[garlikstiks]

watched the new season today and i just hope these 2 had some gay sex

[bleulone]

TO BUILD AGAIN

a Chef Luca fanfiction | Fandom: The Bear. Rating: Mature/Explicit. Status: On going. Slow updates. Type: Multi-Chapters, Pre Canon. Tags: Chef Luca/Orginal Female Character, Disability, Angst and Feels, Character Study, Eventual Smut, Family and Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Mature Themes, Mentions of Depression, Romance, Romantic and Sexual Tension, Romantic drama with a happy ending, Slow-burn, Strangers to Reluctant chef partners to Friends to Lovers, Sharing Cultures, Self-Love, Traveling.

SOFIA “WARDA” FILALI, a culinary superstar, conquered the hearts of many as the darling of a renowned French cooking reality show. Blessed with her distinct approach to molecular cuisine, adorned with a razor-sharp wit and a smile that could bewitch hearts, she seemed destined for a life of triumph and acclaim. However, tragedy struck when, almost a year after opening her celebrated Parisian restaurant, Radiance, a stroke left her with a devastating loss: the use of her left arm. Despite the hope of rehabilitation, Warda faced a daunting reality.

IN THE MIDST OF HER STRUGGLES, Warda discovered solace in her long-forgotten passions of writing and drawing. Setting off on a globe-trotting adventure to craft her upcoming book and explore the depths of her personal creativity, her journey led her to the enchanting city of Copenhagen—a place of significant memories from her youth.

LITTLE DID WARDA ANTICIPATES the reunion with Luca, the effortlessly cool and tattooed pastry chef with whom she had shared countless trials and joys during their time together in Cannes and Casablanca. Unforeseen was the rekindling of a distant yet familiar warmth, awakening something deep within her and resurrecting a unique flavor of solace she never thought possible.

• Read HERE on ao3 • Listen to the playlist HERE •

[emjayewrites]

Flashin’ Lights In A Midst of Darlin’ Nights Masterlist

A fated encounter in The City of Lights changed the lives of an actor and singer forever. And with those darlin’ nights comes even more delights.....

SYNOPSIS: Will Poulter can count on his hands the amount of times he’s been rendered speechless, yet that was until he met singer-songwriter EmJaye. He soon finds himself speechless and dazzled every time he’s in her presence. For Mahalia-Joy, Will hooked her in with his quintessentially British banter. However, in this ruthless industry, a couple needs more to hold onto besides quick laughs and simple awe.

PAIRINGS: Will Poulter x EmJaye (Mahalia-Joy Washington)

WARNINGS: adult content, cursing, mentions of drugs/alcohol (Rated M)

Part I / Part II / Part III / Part IV / Part V /

[fairmerthefarmer]

Narnia is my go to world when I wanna just practise character design.

The silver chair is also great cause it doesn’t have a movie really so the design can be my own (except for the bbc version, but I didn’t really watch those growing up. Just read/listened to the books a million times and watched the Disney/Walden movies.)

Anyway this is mostly Jill, love her so much.

There’s more down here

I saw an aesthetic board one time and ran with it, and it’s also just practise on drawing hair with a tighter curl pattern, idk if it quite counts as Afro hair though. Also I like her being a redhead.

Puddleglum I’m still working on, clothes are hard!! I love fantasy character design in general but I find it difficult to imagine what clothing the characters would wear, it makes me feel like I wanna take a whole ass historical/fantasy clothing course or something.

Also I can’t make up my mind on how I wanna do his hair. I’m definitely taking influence from the illustrations in the book. Anyway love frogman and he must be tall and lanky and I’m just going from there.

I am happy with how the clothes look especially given my insecurities about clothing design for characters, I feel like she looks like a little hobbit! (I imagine her and eustace and puddleglum bundling up quite a bit for most of their travels.)

I also did an alt version of her hair cause I prefer the curls myself, but I don’t know what black hairstyles would have mostly been in London at the time? I feel like relaxed/1940s wavy style hair (whatever it’s called) would be more accurate but idk. I think both work for her character, I think they express different aspects of it.

The school outfit was very rushed, I mostly know if I were to develop it more I’d want it to look frumpy and awkward especially cause it would (in theory) contrast to the narnian outfits. I still have the travel outfits full though cause generally the journey in SC is kind of gloomy in vibes. Harfaang (harfang? Idk) is LOOSELY Nordic inspired except i really didn’t do that much research. Also those sketches are the earliest ones and they’re from long ago so I may revisit sometime and change things.

My headcanon/thing that I do with most narnian as in Cair Paravel clothing is that it’s embroidered with things like flowers, trees, leaves, natural things. As well as royal and foresty ish colours. So I tried to at least make harfaang clothes different from that, and some geometric detail in the dress. Also the dress was green in the book illustrations so therefore it’s green.

[arcadian-litterateur]

gally as galileo galilei

masterlist

summary: an analysis of james dashner’s choice to name gally after galileo galilei, and the similarities gally and galileo galilei have.

word count: 560

warnings: talk of trauma, triggers, death, and abuse/manipulation by religious groups

a/n: happy birthday will poulter! this is the first part of my wave of stuff for will's birthday. just a lil observation i made, and ofc, a lot of love for my sweet precious baby, gally.

𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥 in The Maze Runner is named after an important historical figure. Thomas is Thomas Edison, Newt is Isaac Newton, etc…

Everyone acts like these characters got their names randomly, but it's so obvious to me that their names directly correlate to their purpose in the story.

Thomas Edison was an inventor who created unique solutions to problems that had stumped other scientists for ages…Thomas was able to creatively solve the Maze after the Gladers struggled on it for three years. Isaac Newton was smart as hell, and he made discoveries that laid the foundation for many other scientific discoveries. Sound familiar? Newt laid the foundation for the Glade by holding a massive amount of info and ideas. Winston Churchill spent his life trying to gain world peace…much like how Winston tried to make both sides happy and bridge the gap when Gally took over.

With this information in mind, let's take a look at Gally and his namesake, Galileo Galilei. Often called the father of modern science, Galileo made over fifty revolutionary discoveries about science, influencing tons of scientists, namely Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, the phases of Venus, and the craters and mountains on the moon. He also proved the earlier theory of Nicolaus Copernicus that the Earth was revolving around the sun. He invented an early microscope. He developed the mathematical ideas on the motion of objects on an inclined plane, the acceleration of free-falling bodies, and the movement of a pendulum. Basically, he was a really cool dude.

Gally was one of the most knowledgeable and foundational people of the Glade, made clear by his position as a Keeper and his obvious love for stability. He wasn't afraid to share his opinion (much like Galileo) and consistently contributed important information and solutions to the Glade. Also, to be a Builder, you have to have at least a basic understanding of physics. Gally obviously understood basic physics concepts, because all of the buildings in the Glade are sturdy and standing. Similarly, math is very important to be a Builder, so as Keeper of the Builders, he obviously had an understanding of mathematics. Basically, Gally is smart. Like his namesake.

But the similarities don't end there. When Galileo tried to bring forth his evidence of the Copernician doctrine that the Earth revolves around the sun, he was labeled a heretic by the church and ex-communicated, and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. Yeah, for stating his opinions, he was forced out of what should have been a safe place, ostracized, and had to die alone. Similar to Gally, don't you think? Sure, he shouldn't have antagonized Thomas without explaining why, but the truth still remains that he had trauma and Thomas was a trigger. He thought he was helping by pointing out Thomas's role in his memories, and then instead of at least listening, his friends of the past three years immediately sided with the boy they'd known for three days, ostracizing him from the only safe place and family he'd ever known. He was also left to die alone by these friends, much like Galileo.

Yeah, as much as I hate to say it, James Dashner knew what he was doing here, and Gally and Galileo both need to find better friends.

[thencomethecherryblossoms]

Will Poulter in The Bear.

That’s it.

That’s all.

[captainshischier]

i want to shove him in my pocket.

[inklore]

ok ok question for my will poulter hoes: would you like luca or adam au’s more?? or both???

[scuddish]

ADAM G. SEVANI as MOOSE STEP UP 2: THE STREETS 2008 | dir. Jon M. Chu

[rebel-ezra]

all the girlies that decided will poulter is the white guy of the month after watching guardians of the galaxy vol 3 BACK OFF !! eight year old me saw him as eustace in narnia and went "ah yess look at this pathetic kid. superb actor. this is the one"

[cogentranting]

A fancasting video I was watching was talking about Will Poulter and his notable prior roles and it didn't mention that he was THE Eustace Clarence Scrubb. Bizarre and disorienting to think that there are people out there who not only don't see him primarily as Eustace, but who don't think of him that way at all.

[bleulone]

TO BUILD AGAIN : ii. — En garde.

a Chef Luca fanfiction | Fandom: The Bear. Rating: Mature/Explicit. Status: On going. Slow updates. Type: Multi-Chapters, Pre Canon. Tags: Chef Luca/Orginal Female Character, Disability, Angst and Feels, Character Study, Eventual Smut, Family and Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Mature Themes, Mentions of Depression, Romance, Romantic and Sexual Tension, Romantic drama with a happy ending, Slow-burn, Strangers to Reluctant chef partners to Friends to Lovers, Sharing Cultures, Self-Love, Traveling.

CHAPTER SUMMARY : Prior to her impending departure for Copenhagen, Warda elects to make a final visit to her restaurant.

THE ATMOSPHERE AT RADIANCE seemed frozen in time, unchanged since her last visit. However, a persistent thought tugged at Warda's mind, urging her to seriously consider revamping the shopfront. Something about it didn't quite align with her vision. She struggled to pinpoint the exact source of her unease. Was it the stark shade of white, too clinical and lacking warmth? Or perhaps it was the font used for the restaurant's name, its rigid letters devoid of the graceful curves that mirrored her culinary philosophy. These elements seemed to fail to capture the essence of the cuisine she passionately championed—experimental, refined, and a vibrant fusion of Moroccan flavors with a new Nordic twist. (…)

• Read the rest HERE on ao3 (or click HERE to read from the beginning) • Listen to the playlist HERE •

[emjayewrites]

Flashin’ Lights In A Midst of Darlin’ Nights (1/?)

A fated encounter in The City of Lights changed the lives of an actor and singer forever. And with those darlin’ nights comes even more delights.....

Synopsis: Will Poulter can count on his hands the amount of times he’s been rendered speechless, yet that was until he met singer-songwriter EmJaye. He soon finds himself speechless and dazzled every time he’s in her presence. For Mahalia-Joy, Will hooked her in with his quintessentially British banter. However, in this ruthless industry, a couple needs more to hold onto besides quick laughs and simple awe. 

Pairings: Will Poulter x EmJaye (Mahalia-Joy Washington)

Warnings: cursing, adult content, mentions of drugs/alcohol. (Rated 18+)

Taglist: @vargskelegore, @pocfansmatter, @afro-hispwriter, @user0292, @unfriendlyblkhotti3, @sarcasticmrfox , @blackpearlbutterfly, @melancholymelanin, @mochachocolatteyaya, @goldentriostan, @multi-culti-girl​ @chaneajoyyy​ 

A/N: I do not know Will or his family personally. This is solely fiction and any similarities are coincidental. EmJaye was previously mentioned in a Yahya fic, but her character arc is completely different/changed to fit this fic. I’m so excited to begin this! If interested/want to be tagged, please send me a DM. Enjoy the chapter. 

Paris, France  — Late June 2022

An upbeat French hip-hop song with a heavy bass echoed through the vast venue, simmering the cacophony of voices into a warm hum. With short, yet steady strides, EmJaye maneuvered through the horde of people until she found herself in the middle of the space.

Squinting, her eyes skimmed each placard and she immediately sat down once she found her seat. Sitting up straighter, she took a surreptitious glance at her phone before scanning the room.

Her doe-like eyes slowly swept their surroundings, stopping every so often for closer examination. Despite the sheer largeness of the space, to her, it had a lingering feeling of suffocation. The sun-filled room, with its show-stopping Baroque-styled windows and ornate furnishings, was filled to the brim with the who's who of the fashion and entertainment world.

Similar to EmJaye, the patrons were donned head-to-toe in various designs by Thom Browne. Although she’d coined herself as an extroverted introvert, the long-haul flight from New York to Paris placed her in the most dissatisfying jet lag. Her limbs were achy, her muscles tight, and her cheeks were swollen beyond relief from almost all of the common remedies.

She felt sluggish, annoyingly so, and regardless of her silent plea for a reprieve, she had to...

“Nice day, isn’t it?” an accented male voice pronounced, pulling EmJaye out of her inner thoughts unexpectedly and causing her to flinch. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

A Brit, huh?

The thought disappeared as soon as it arrived in her head once their eyes connected. His blue eyes were filled with concern and EmJaye quickly alleviated his worry with a kind half-smile and a duosyllabic utterance.

“S’okay”.

Returning the gesture, he gave her a lopsided grin of his own; an expression of gratitude.

A comforting silence fell between them, giving EmJaye the chance to study him closely. His dirty blonde hair was styled in a messy, yet attractive pompadour and a smattering of freckles covered the bridge of his nose.

Her invasive thoughts protruded her concentration, reminding her of his saccharine albeit dangerous grin, which caused her eyes to travel lower, tacitly appreciating how his toned body filled his khaki suit.

“Have you been to Paris before?” he spoke without warning, again reeling her back to reality, his expressive eyebrows drawing close together in intrigue.

“Uh...yes,” replied EmJaye with a slow nod and wide grin, eyes twinkling perhaps from a delightful memory or the sheer illuminance of the fluorescent lights overhead. “It’s one of my favorite cities.”

And Will couldn’t help but become transfixed by her gorgeous face and throaty voice.

Despite her outward bravado, upon closer inspection, she released a softness that enthralled him as much as her beauty. He deduced that she was akin to an onion — guarded on the outside, but when the layers are peeled, true vulnerability is revealed.

Her eyes were almost as round as her face, making her look younger than she probably was. Soft natural makeup complemented her blemish-free mahogany skin, delicate facial structure, and lush lips. She wore her raven hair in a curly updo with tendrils falling sensually into her face, which tempted him like no other to reach out a hand to tuck the lock of hair behind her ear.

To his surprise, Will managed to control himself from doing such sinful things by smoothing down his pants.

“Same. Paris has some great food spots. Really amazing bakeries too, if you’re into that sort of thing. I’m Will, by the way.”

Nerves got the best of him, which wasn’t that surprising, yet the awkwardness of his laugh accompanied by the seductive sound of hers instantly made him feel a lot better.

“EmJaye,” she shared.

A light bulb went off in Will’s head. “Oh! You’re a singer!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together in realization.

EmJaye’s forehead creased in confusion. His eagerness threw her off at first, yet she remained calm. “Yes. I tend to do that from time to time. And you?”

“Actor,” he said nonchalantly with a shrug.

EmJaye’s eyes squinted, her eyelids narrowing into thin slits as she tried to remember whether or not she saw his face on the big screen before. To be frank, if they weren’t on her list of favorite actors, which comprised mostly of Black and brown men and women then she probably never seen — rather paid attention to — him at all.

Until, suddenly, it hit her. “Hey, aren’t you that racist cop from Detroit?”

Will couldn’t help but let out a mirthless laugh at her statement as the color completely drained from his face.

“Uh...unfortunately yes. Kinda wish you remembered me from a different movie though.”

Mutual anguish clouded EmJaye’s features, and she placed a hand briefly on his knee, startling him. “Sorry,” she whispered, her apology undoubtedly spoken in double meaning.

“S’okay,” said Will, repeating her duosyllabic utterance from earlier, and pairing it with a pearly beam.

EmJaye let out a snort, much to her embarrassment, yet Will took it in stride.

“Is that the only movie you saw me in?” he wondered, his eyebrows furrowing in a combination of fear and worry. “Please don’t ruin my entire acting career by saying yes.”

EmJaye shook her head. “I mean, no...” Her answer sounded more like a question and Will inclined his head. “I don’t know, maybe?”

He covered his face with his hand, eyes gazing at her through the small spaces in between his fingers. “You’re killin’ me, girl,” groaned Will, flashing an attractive moue.

“For all intents and purposes, I am very picky about what I watch,” she countered. “And I’m sure you haven’t heard any of my songs.”

“Bullshit,” Will blatantly stated with a dramatic eye roll. “I know, for a fact,” he paused his tirade briefly to take out his iPhone from his suit jacket’s pocket, “that I have at least one of your songs on my Spotify playlist.”

“Oh, do you now?” she teased in an annoying high-pitched tone, earning a feigned shocked expression from Will. “Wanna make a bet?”

With eyes glimmering with mischief, Will’s wide, dopey smile could easily make the Cheshire Cat envious. “I’m intrigued. What’s your barter?”

“Dinner tonight,” she vocalized simply. “Loser pays for dinner tonight.”

Holy fuck, as if she couldn’t get any better. “At any place?” he questioned and EmJaye nodded, toying temptingly with a tendril of her hair. “Deal.”

His voice was gruff, practically a growl and it made her shiver in excitement.

Will extended a hand for her to shake and she took his hand, watching as her own disappeared into his much larger one. EmJaye felt an electric jolt at the contact, for which she quickly extricated her fingers to cut off the current.

She cleared her throat as she jerked her head in the direction of his phone. “Alright, let’s see.”

Will decided not to broach the subject, and he twiddled on his phone, leaning towards her to show her that he, in fact, had not one but two songs of hers on his Spotify playlist.

EmJaye let out a gasp. “You motherfucker.”

Throwing back his head, Will laughed as soon he heard her inhalation and shifted slightly to place his iPhone back in the safe constraints of his suit jacket's pocket.

"I told you," he added contemptuously once his laughter subsided.

EmJaye couldn't help but grimace at his boyishly handsome, yet annoying smug grin. Will was proud of himself, his wide chest puffed out as if he was a peacock.

She watched in a silent, borderline dissociative state for several beats as Will ran a hand through his hair, his mouth moving fast as he rambled absentmindedly about her music. EmJaye was so enraptured by Will's animated and attractive face that she was unable to pay attention to his rapid-fire questions.

"How do you learn to make beats and stuff? I always wondered how musicians do that," he queried, his eyebrows furrowing together in genuine pique interest.

And for what seems like the third time today, her bubble of random thoughts and distraction popped, eyes wide as she stared blankly at Will. "Huh?"

Will repeated his question, leaning forward to listen closely to her answer or perhaps to get closer to her. Whatever the reason may be, his long legs briefly brushed against hers, sending a tingle down her spine. He crossed his ankles in front of him and comfortably adjusted himself in his seat, his equally long arms now placed around the back of her chair.

For such a tall person, he was rather delicate; his movements were gentle and fluid, methodical in a way. EmJaye was pleased to discover that just as enraptured as she was in her thoughts, Will was just the same when speaking to someone — undoubtedly immersed with every fiber of his being.

"My father and uncles were in a band," revealed EmJaye as she fiddled with her necklace. Will's cerulean blue eyes glowed as if it was a quiet plea for her to continue. "My Uncle Jared mainly taught me about melodies and beats and all of that. He even sang background for some artists in the '80s and '90s."

At this, Will rested his chin on his palm. "Really? For whom?"

Shrugging, EmJaye let out a scoff. "You probably never heard of them. It was mainly R&B artists."

"I love R&B," he mused.

"Even '80s and '90s R&B?," EmJaye quipped, straightening in her seat. "Matter of fact, do you even have anything like that on your Spotify playlist?"

"I have a few." His pearly beam was back in full effect, eyes darkening again with mischief. Drawing nearer, he whispered: "I'm not that White."

That statement caught EmJaye off guard and she exploded in a fit of giggles. "Oh my goodness, Will!"

"What?" he says, holding up his palms in feigning innocence as he tried desperately to stifle his guffaws. Unsurprisingly, a couple of chuckles eventually escaped and they dissolved into a paroxysm of laughter, much to the chagrin of nearby patrons.

"You made it seem as if I had no idea what you're talking about," he finally added after their laughter faded. "So like TLC and Boyz II Men, right?"

"Yes!" piped Emjaye in relief. "New Edition? Jodeci?"

"Yup, yup," nodded Will.

"Yeah, that's my Uncle Jared. After that, he tried to settle into 'normal life'," she paused to dramatically add air quotes and an eye roll, "but the music industry was his life. He somehow found his way to working in A&R for a few record labels, touring around the country for the 'Next Big Thing'".

"And I'm guessing that he found you?" wondered Will.

"Yeah", she answered with a shaky breath. "Uncle Jared always knew that I could sing and enjoy music, but I wanted to become a writer. Music was something of a pipe dream, yet here I am."

Will noticed the subtle shift in her expression. Her face dulled, her shoulders sagging, her arms hugging herself protectively, and her foot began to tap the floor in a nervous fidget.

He knew those signs of anxiety all too well. Hell, in many instances, he mirrored EmJaye. In just a short amount of time of knowing her, he could easily deduce that they were cut from the same cloth.

Empathetically, sadness clouded his features and he placed a comforting hand on her knee. "Are you okay?"

Those simple three words echoed in EmJaye's mind. He was too polite and well-mannered; far from what she was accustomed to from the opposite sex. People rarely ask if she was doing okay anymore and yet this stranger had her on the verge of tears.

I'm such a wuss, she thought. I can barely keep it together.

She pursed her pouty lips. "I'm going to be. The price of fame just doesn't agree with me."

"I can relate," he told her sincerely, forehead creasing. "Pardon me for asking, but is this something that you truly wanted?"

"It is, but I hate what comes with it," EmJaye chuckled bitterly. "The stalking, the paparazzi, using aliases to order food or get hotel rooms because someone might leak it to TMZ. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the experience to perform with artists that I admire or collaborating with them and finally being recognized for all the blood, sweat, and tears I put into my work. I love my fans too, yet at times, I feel like I'm constantly on the go."

"I understand," said Will. "Do you have any breaks coming up? Maybe time to relax and decompress?"

Almost immediately, her face lit up, which made Will equally as happy. "I'm working on my second album, so I have about seven months of downtime. Well, it's not downtime, but I have more free reign. Not as many appearances either. It was kind of a blessing to win a Grammy this year; my team is too busy celebrating the success to worry about making sure I'm getting exposure."

"And congrats by the way," drawled Will, which earned him a perplexed stare from EmJaye. "The Grammy?"

Her daftness made her want to die right there on the spot. "Sorry about that," she said as she massaged her temples. "The jet lag is killing me. I literally got here about three hours ago. I'm a bit slow at the moment."

"No worries." Will shrugged it off effortlessly with a smirk. "I get like that too without my cup of coffee."

Unexpectedly, the lights dimmed and EmJaye jolted at the shock of it all. As if on cue, everyone became eerily silent, shifting their focus to the catwalk. An overhead spotlight turned on, centering on a lone model that stood at the beginning of the runway. A slow, rich rhythm began to play as the model made his way down the runway in succinct strides. Poker-faced with a clenched jaw, he stood still as the many cameramen flooded around the stage to take endless photos. The model remained stoic despite the camera flashes and EmJaye wondered how he could possibly stand there without blinking.

Surely, he must be blinded by the lights?

The fashion show carried on without a hitch. Throughout the show, she felt Will loom closer to her and he whispered every so often about which designs he liked best.

Her heart pounded like a drum each time his breath tickled the skin at the swell of her ear. The booming was incessant and furious, akin to a hummingbird's wings. His deep baritone triggered a primal reaction within her; she felt hot and as though she could combust at any moment.

EmJaye had no idea why she was feeling like this, but there was something about Will that made her feel like a lovestruck teenager.                                                         _______________________________________________

Paris Fashion Week always made EmJaye feel like she was herded cattle. Ushered from one show to the next, EmJaye could barely keep up with what was happening. Fortunately for her, today has been easy with just Thom Browne's show to attend, and once it was over, she made a haste exit, with Will in tow of course. As predicted, the evasive paparazzi waited outside, capturing picture after picture of herself and Will, ever the well-mannered gentleman, extended an arm and graciously escorted her down the flight of stairs. Without a doubt, the photos will be sold to the highest bidder, which was usually a salacious tabloid readying for their next click-bait rumor mill article.

"EmJaye! Will! Are you two dating or just friends?!" one shouted at them, making her suck her teeth.

"EmJaye, how does it feel to be dating Marvel's Golden Boy?" another heckled.

"Fucking vultures," she hissed under her breath as she hopped into her waiting black SUV. Will followed suit, thanking her chauffeur as he closed the door behind them.

The car sped off in the direction of her hotel and the ride was still at first, without a single utterance between them. That time allowed EmJaye to gather her bearings and literally let her hair down.

Will spotted her moving figure from his peripheral vision and his eyes darted over to her, watching as her hands raked through her naturally thick hair, her springy coils dancing against the soft skin of her clavicle. Mouth now slightly agape, he studied her with an unwavering focus; eyes glossing over in awe as the sun hit her brown skin in the most astounding, angelic manner known to man.

"Any ideas on where to go for dinner?"

He blinked slowly as he came out of his trance. "Um....yeah, I know this great Thai place near the Eiffel."

"Ooh," she moaned almost wantonly. "I love Thai. Is it Sawadee?"

"Yeah," chuckled Will, his eyes boring into her deeply as if he was looking directly at her soul. "Have you been there before?"

"A few times," admitted EmJaye. "The family that runs it are good people and the food is always top-notch."

Will, a self-professed foodie, nodded in agreement as she described her favorite restaurant meals. He noted that she was more at ease with both him and herself than at the fashion show. She was more secure, solvent, and knew what she wanted.

The car ventured closer to her hotel, and it was then that Will realized that he somehow found his way back to his hotel. Without warning, he averted his gaze to glance out the window to confirm his location.

"Huh, well that's convenient," he says as the car parked at the curb. Her pair of doe-like brown eyes fused with his tempting baby blues. "It seems as though I've found my way back to my hotel too."

EmJaye chuckled softly. "Bullshit. Don't tell me that we're staying in the same hotel?"

"Nah," Will responded as he shook his head. "I'm in the one across the street."

Utterly bewildered, EmJaye took the chance to stare out the window herself. Her eyes darted to her hotel first then across the street to take a look at Will's. "Interesting."

"I know," he said lowly. "I'll make a reservation at Sawadee and I'll meet you out here in about an hour and a half. Sounds good?"

"Yeah." Her lips parted in a warm smile. "It's a date."                                                               _______________________________________________

It's a date....it's a date....it's a date

Complemented by the rich timbre of her throaty voice, EmJaye's sensual smile could bring a man to his knees.

And my anxious, socially awkward arse is having a date with her? thought Will in complete disbelief.

Admittedly, he was at an unbelievable stage in his life. With landing a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and now being at the mercy of thirst tweets, suffice to say, Will was having some difficulty adjusting to the unwanted attention, especially since he was no longer being ridiculed for his looks. And now, here he was on the cusp of having a first date with one of the most sought-after R&B/Pop artists.

What the fuck was his life?

This will be the time when his close friend and fellow actor, Florence Pugh, would joke that he perhaps girl-bossed a bit too high, or whatever the male version may be. Or maybe he was just a lucky son of a bitch?

Will nodded at the latter option. He was wrapped up in his head, erratic thoughts plaguing his brain, so he started to pace the length of his hotel room. He could barely piece together the memory of entering his hotel, let alone leaving EmJaye's car, and he was surprised that he didn't knock anyone over in his haste. The last thing Will wanted was to act like a complete dipshit around her, and he silently gave himself a pat on the back for doing well thus far.

The question was, however: did he even want to be in a relationship?

Although none of his friends, especially the guys, would openly admit that they enjoy being single, Will had comfort in being left alone to his own devices. Of course, there was a lack of physical and emotional intimacy, yet as he slowly began to learn, there was nothing wrong with being alone. Now, as he approached being thirty years of age, his past relationships and countless sessions with his therapist had taught him to enjoy the little things in life, which has been a previously difficult thing to do. His mental struggles gnawed at him when he was younger, but he now feels refreshed and content in his being. Truth be told, some days are harder than others, which is expected, and Will continues to take it day by day.

Despite this, Will had a desire to get to know EmJaye better. She intrigued him and he found himself hanging onto her every word. Being in a relationship with her may still be out of range or maybe completely off the table, but there wasn't no harm in being just friends, right?

The shrill ringtone of his iPhone snapped him out of his reverie and therefore ceased his pacing. Taking it out, Will immediately accepted the call once he noticed that his best friend, Kola Bokinni, was ringing him.

"Wassup, mate? How's London?" Will greeted, yet Kola had other plans and ignored him.

"Yo, man, why you kept dating that EmJaye singer a secret?" queried Kola in jest.

"Kola, what the fuck are you talking about?" Will was clueless in regards to what his best friend was referring to. "I just met her today at the Thom Browne show."

"Oh," his friend exhaled in fascination. "How was that? Your fit looked sick, man."

Will couldn't help but chuckle at how easily Kola got distracted. "Thanks, mate, but what's all this about me dating EmJaye?"

Putting the call on speaker, Will sat on his hotel bed and tinkered with his phone, listening carefully as Kola vented about paparazzi and rumors.

"They're fuckin' loons, mate, I tell you," Kola complained, earning a mumble of agreement from Will, who was too focused on reserving a table for tonight's date instead of his friend. "Like bro, they out here talkin' about you smashin' her since last year, which is far from the truth."

Well, that got Will's attention. "Wait, what?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "I met her today, like for the first time."

"I know!" Kola exclaimed. "They said that you liked a post on her Instagram and now you've been smashin' her for almost a year. The Daily Mail is wildin'."

Will stared blankly as he searched in his memory to determine if he liked a post of hers on Instagram. The only logical reason was last year's World Mental Health Day and that was because he followed those types of organizations and social media tags. He could remember it clearly now; EmJaye is an ambassador for a nonprofit that focuses on mental health and she was in a campaign for them. Since he doesn't follow that many people on social media, that had to be the instance The Daily Mail was referring to. As ridiculous as this conversation was, it brought up yet another thing he and EmJaye had in common: activism. His attraction to her was enhanced by knowing she was equally passionate about mental health advocacy as he was.

Blowing out an exasperated breath, Will shoved his hair back away from his face and studied his surroundings. When he caught a glance at the clock on the wall, he muttered a curse.

"You alright there?" asked Kola, his voice full of concern and worry.

"Yeah," replied Will quickly. "Coincidently, I have a date with EmJaye and I have about fifteen minutes to get ready to meet her. I have to call you back, mate, sorry."

"You sneaky fucker," teased his best friend, causing Will to laugh. "You scored a fuckin' date after just meeting the girl? Damn, new year new Will, yeah? Alright bro, I'll let you go but you have to promise to ring me once it's over, okay?"

Will's face scrunched up, his nose crinkled in astonishment. "What, Kola, so we can cackle and gossip like schoolgirls?"

"Fuck, yeah," Kola countered with a laugh. "I know you don't usually kiss and tell, but you have to this time. That girl is too bad for you to be a chickenshit and not make a move."

"Kola, you're thinking with your dick," he drawled in a joking manner.

"And you are too."

His best friend's rejoinder made Will's jaw drop and before he could say anything back, the line went dead.

That sonofabitch. Kola was truly something else.

Will jumped off his bed to make a beeline for the adjoining bathroom, removing articles of clothing as quickly as he could to take a quick shower. He scrubbed the afternoon's dirt off his body, submerging himself in as many soap suds as was humanly possible. Afterward, he rinsed himself and repeated the process once more before exiting the shower with a towel haphazardly wrapped around his waist. He was grateful that his assistant unpacked most of his belongings earlier that morning and he found an outfit to wear, which consisted of a black T-shirt with matching ripped jeans and a pair of Nike x Travis Scott's Air Max.

Dousing himself with deodorant and Jo Malone cologne, Will took yet another glance at the clock and exhaled a held breath. With five minutes to spare, he grabbed his essentials — keycard, phone, and wallet — before heading downstairs to meet EmJaye.

Will became transfixed by the goddess that stood across the street. Her shoulder-length curly hair held tight corkscrews that framed her round face. With mahogany skin that shimmered beneath the hotel awning's lights, EmJaye wore a yellow mini-dress that boded quite well with her womanly assets. 

Her back was to him and when he called out to her, she turned to his direction with yet another one of those sensual smiles.

"Hi, Will," greeted EmJaye in that sexy throaty voice of hers.

He glanced at her with such profound fondness and awe. He was speechless in every aspect one could think of. His mouth fell open, causing her to bite her lower lip nervously.

"Holy shit, you look amazing," Will admired, completely stunned.

"Thanks." She shifted from one foot to the other, swinging her bag to and fro. It was another of her many nervous ticks and Will took notice, offering her a comforting arm.

"You ready to go?" he asks in a low baritone that made her entire being ache in anticipation and need.

She took his arm graciously, clinging on as if it was her lifeline. "Yes."

His mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. "Let's head to dinner then."

Draping the city in a casting white glow, the crescent moon illuminated the sky overhead, giving the couple the perfect backdrop as they meandered down the busy Parisian streets to the restaurant close by. 

As they walked, a few male onlookers slowed their pace to take furtive glances at EmJaye's long legs, and at that moment, a twinge of pride and protectiveness overtook Will.

Yes, he thought snidely as he glowered at them, she's all mine.

That revelation made him a tad bothered; just an hour ago he was very keen on being strictly platonic.

So much for only being friends. 

TO BE CONTINUED...

[arcadian-litterateur]

adam warlock: man? child? bug?

masterlist

summary: an analysis of the debate on adam warlock’s age and whether it’s appropriate to write smut about him.

word count: 1.4k

warnings: this is a rant that no one asked for nor needed to hear so read at your own risk

a/n: the second part of my will poulter content for today, since our boy is 31 today!!!!!!!!!!

𝗜 𝗦𝗔𝗪 a post the other day that said something along the lines of, “writing fanfiction about Adam Warlock may be tempting, but you shouldn’t, because he’s a child trapped in a man’s body. The body is nice; the mind is a child.” And while I understood the point that this person was trying to make and totally respect their decision to not write smut for Adam Warlock, it made me think more about this whole issue as a whole: the idea of Adam’s age and how, as fans, we should think of him.

See, there are two sides to this argument, from what I’ve seen. There’s the “he’s an adult physically but a child mentally” camp, and then there’s the “he’s a childish adult who’s inexperienced” camp. And I see the arguments for both, and they both have a point—which is why I’m not so sure it’s that simple. I don’t think there is a black and white answer when it comes to Adam’s age. There are several different ways we can interpret Adam’s character in terms of age, and I think that it should be up to each writer to decide how they personally interpret the character. I also think that no one should be shaming someone else for the interpretation they are set on, because it’s such a gray area.

This is why I wanted to explore this whole debate more. So I spent a lot of time analyzing it, and now I’m going to explain my stance on Adam Warlock’s age and how that affects how I will write about him. I am not saying this is the “correct” stance; like I said before, it’s simply my personal interpretation. The two paragraphs above are my plea for kindness in our fandom. The paragraphs below are my personal conclusions that you do not have to agree with at all.

First of all, if you ask me if Adam Warlock is a man or a child, I would tell you that it’s not that simple. In my mind, his age cannot be labeled by a simple black and white term because his situation is so complex. The best term, for now, would most likely be “man-child” because he has characteristics of both. The lore tells us that Adam Warlock is one of the Sovereign, a race created by the High Evolutionary to be perfect. Adam Warlock was supposed to be the ultimate “model” of this race; the perfect man, but the High Evolutionary took him out of his cocoon too early, so he was unable to finish growing. 

This idea that Adam was taken out of his cocoon too early and therefore is a child comes from this lore. I can understand where this assumption that early out of the cocoon=child comes from, but I don’t personally believe it and don’t think it’s true for several reasons. One, when we first see Adam, he is in the body of a fully grown man, which, if he is a child, either means that he was only taken out of his cocoon a tiny bit too early, or that he was fully grown in the cocoon but simply hadn’t hatched yet. Neither of these options make much sense, especially when we see that the High Evolutionary loves efficiency. What seems more likely to me is that Adam was indeed full grown but had not undergone all of his intellectual and common sense development yet—but only the development needed to make him smarter and trickier than humans. He’d already developed enough to act as a normal Sovereign citizen, but he was supposed to develop even better intelligence and did not get the chance. If we think back to the early appearances of the Sovereign, they all act very similar to Adam Warlock. They have enough smarts to function, but hold childish habits that include arrogance, pettiness, and the inability to see how their actions affect other people. So by this theory, it seems that Adam is a fully grown man with similar deficiencies to the rest of his people who hasn’t had much life experience yet. 

To add on to this point, let’s talk about the actual cocoon part. When we see insects or other creature form cocoons in nature, the cocoon does not serve the function of birthing the creature or holding it when it is a child. A caterpillar goes into a cocoon once it is full grown to transform into a butterfly—to emerge in its true, glorious form. Adam may have done more developing than just young adulthood in his cocoon, but the end result was still the same—he went in so that he could emerge as an adult in his true form. Only instead, he was taken out before he could fully transform into a butterfly—or in this case, super smart. It’s as if a full grown caterpillar went into a cocoon and then came out a few days later with a teeny-tiny, useless pair of wings, but still very much a fully grown caterpillar (not a butterfly). He’s fully grown, he just wasn’t given the opportunity to reach maximum potential. By this theory, it seems that Adam is a fully grown man who hasn’t been able to reach his full potential yet.

So if we’ve established that Adam being taken out of his cocoon early does not necessarily equal Adam being a child, then let’s move on to how he acts, because that’s another huge point of contention. I obviously already touched on my belief that he acts just like the rest of the Sovereign, so I’ll skip that. I understand the opinion that Adam acts like a child, but like I’ve stated above, I simply think he acts childish—which is different, yes. Sure, he thinks Rocket is a puppy—I might, too, if I can’t really see what the animal is as it’s crawling all over me and I have an overbearing mother who doesn’t let me leave the house. Sure, he doesn’t understand how his actions hurt other people—how is he supposed to know? He hasn’t been given the opportunity to learn, and he’s controlled by a sadist and an overbearing mother. Sure, he calls his mom “Mummy” and cries into her arms—I’m an adult woman, but I still call my mom “Mama” and cry into her arms. Just because he’s a guy doesn’t mean he can’t love his mom. All of these habits he has may be childish, but they don’t automatically make someone a child, just like the cocoon argument doesn’t automatically make me a child. 

Side note, but it almost seems as if he has a lot of similar traits and habits as female characters in Marvel as well, but he’s the only being called a child because he’s a soft male character who shows emotions and isn’t strong all the time. It’s like the internet hating on Peeta Mellark for being “weak” all over again, as if Peeta isn’t everything some of us want. Anyways. 

Moving on to the next piece of this, I have to start with a question: if Adam Warlock is a child’s mind inside a grown man’s body…when will he have a grown man’s mind? Will he ever? Will his “child’s mind” continue to grow until it “catches up” to his body? If not, is he stuck as “a child’s mind” forever? Who gets to decide when he will have a grown man’s mind? Is it fair to try and put limits on this fictional character’s ability to experience the world because you’ve decided that having childish habits makes you a child?

See, at the end of the day, this is what frustrates me the most with those who are trying to gatekeep Adam Warlock as a child. Because they call him a child trapped in a man’s body and then stop there. They don’t—or can’t—address the implications or complications of their claim. They don’t dig deeper, instead taking the issue at surface level, and then don’t address the fact that their argument doesn’t make sense unless they can answer the above questions. And it’s okay if they want to leave it at a simple level like that, but if they are going to shame people for writing for Adam Warlock and then claim that Adam is a child, then the burden of proof rests on them to prove it without using the same old claims and half-assed evidence. 

Thank you for listening to my TED Talk. Whatever you decide to write or not write for Adam Warlock, may you find the motivation and words needed to make it awesome. I believe in you!