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gyllenhaalstories · 3 years

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HIGH HORSE — QUENTIN BECK

request: what about fighting with quentin beck for the first time, after he's been all smug and acting like he doesn't care about the reader and him realizing after they leave that he needs them in his life real bad - so he gets off his high horse for once and admits he cares about the reader?

warnings: canon divergent quentin (set in an alternate universe where quentin survived far from home), mentions of janice, guterman and a very out of character victoria, throwback scene (including violence, knives and manipulation), 18+, MINORS DON’T INTERACT.

word count: 1525

gif credit: winterswake

notes: i was listening to dark horse by katy perry, high horse by kacey musgraves, save your tears by the weeknd and the raya soundtrack? weird mix, but it takes what it takes to get the angst juices flowing. thanks for reading, remember to reblog!

“Next time you want to come up with a lame apology, I’d advise against asking Guterman to write it for you.” You finally broke the silence.

Quentin had just dismissed Janice for the next couple of hours, asking her nicely to change some part of his collar. You overheard her say something about knowing how to make the cape even more dramatic, and that was all the sweet talk Quentin needed to soften up and let her do her job without micromanaging.

You would never create a scene in front of Janice, she was sweet as pie. The fact he treated her with more kindness, patience and respect than he treated you made your blood boil. You blamed it on the piling up, the lies and the secrets. Your hands were deep under the water, in the sink. You toyed with your wedding ring, loosened up by the water.

“I don’t want to have this conservation again,” he scoffed.

“Again? You never let me finish it the first time.”

*~*~*

It was Victoria, another of his evil sidekicks, who had broken the news to you. He did not make it. His plan backfired, some kid had shot him.

You don’t remember much from this day, aside from Quentin insisting you did not follow them to London. Aside from Quentin renting a beautiful villa in Greece, where you were at that very moment. Aside from Quentin’s last promise to meet with you, after he shook the Queen’s hand of course.

You were so hopeful, you wanted nothing more than to see his pretty face. Instead, when you ran to open the door, it was Victoria who gave you one of her compassionate smiles. She was as great a liar as Quentin, as you. You could see right through her, although Quentin refused to believe that she was as twisted as him.

“They won.” She had told you, twisting the blade in the wound. It was just a game for her, for all of them. Except, for you, it was not. It was the life of your husband that was at risk (that part out of his origin story was true, it was the part both Hill and Fury fell for), the life of millions of innocent people who ignored just how far he would go to make his own dreams come true. “He fought like a King, it’s truly unfortunate he had to die a martyr.”

You squinted, taking in Victoria’s features. Her smile was turning into an evil smirk. She had one hand on your shoulder, the other one behind her back and before she could move any further, you shoved her against the wall. You saw a knife sliding on the tiles of the villa’s foyer, you rushed to grab it and point it towards her while you walked backwards, hoping the reach the balcony.

“You made him weak. He lost focus. We would be the masters of the world if you did not walk into his life and ruined everything for us. He was just a pawn for all of us, well, all except Janice.” She escaped her villainesque speech to roll her eyes, facepalming herself at the desperation of Janice to always check up on everybody and take care of everyone. Janice had loved you since the beginning, and it rubbed Victoria the wrong way.

Your back reached the railing of the balcony and you looked over your shoulder. You took a deep breath, your knuckles turning white from your grip on the knife. “I understand you, Vicky.”

The brunette frowned, snapped back to reality.

“He’s the charming type, isn’t he?” You noticed her repress a wave of laughter. “He sweeps you up, promises you to fly on a magic carpet and to show you a whole new world. You always wonder... Does he mean it this time? Is he being honest? Or is he smarter than we think?”

Her traits appeared softer.

"You say he’s a pawn, I say he’s the rook, except his ego gets in the way of the Queen. He’s quick and witty, though, can’t take that away from him. And next thing you know... He pulled out a checkmate behind your back.” You walked towards her, still the knife in hand. “I understand you can’t always get what you want, even if that’s all your heart desires.” You walked around her, so that she was now the one aiming towards the balcony.

“He doesn’t deserve you.” Victoria said. “I could have given you the whole world.”

Your jaw clenched. You stepped even closer, so you could feel her breath on her skin. “Too bad I want the whole universe.”

With one swift movement, you pushed her off the railings and watched her as she fell practically in slow motion. You shook your head, deciding to deal with this turn of event later and rushed out of the villa. You could take the car she drove to the house with, and see for yourself if Quentin was the idiot they all believed he was. Dead because of a kid who’s obsessed with spiders? What was next, he would have consented to let Tony name his technology BARF? You knew him better than that. You knew him better than he knew himself.

By the time you reached the door, you heard the splashing sound of Victoria falling in the infinity pool, down there in the courtyard and let out a sigh. The knife, you left it on the bench and let your adrenaline guide you to your final destination.

*~*~*

“I was terrified. I was sick. I was losing hope.”

He looked in your direction, swallowing thickly.

“I waited months to see you, Quentin. To find you.” You washed another dirty glass, paying attention to the noise of his heavy costume squeaking and dragging on the floor while he approached you. You shook your head, and he listened, taking a seat by the kitchen island. “You left without hesitation. You left me without any hesitation.”

“I didn’t leave you.”

You chuckled and turned around, soap dish foam flying around as you spinned on your heels. “Oh, really? Then how come you didn’t even text me where you were hiding? How come you ignored all of my calls? How come you made Janice lie to me? Why were you avoiding me?” You dried your hands with a towel and approached him. “Why were you not searching for me all these months?”

These months he wasted trying to hide from everything, to play dead so that his plan would work out. These months he wasted putting his mission before his emotions first. These months he wasted waiting for the phone to stop ringing while you called him. These months he wasted stepping on his own pride and searching for help, for shelter, which he found in some abandoned head quarters of Stark industries that Tony and him used to build BARF years ago. The months he wasted trying to fix the broken pieces so you could see him as a hero again.

“I know I promised to be there for you through thick and thin, but some promises are meant to be broken.” Your voice cracked and words got stuck in your throat. The sight of his costume disgusted you, but the pain in his eyes made your heart skip a beat.

“I love you.”

You forgot what these three words sounded like when he spoke them.

“I love you so much. More than this,” his arms gestured to show his costume, then moved around his head, meaning something bigger than the two of you. “All of this. It took me all this time to realize it.”

Checkmate.

“You deserve so much better. You deserve safety. You deserve comfort. You deserve to go out and not wonder if there’s a witch hunt trying to take you down.” He did not dry the single tear that was falling from his eye. “You deserve that stupid married life we always made fun of. The wine, the cardigans, the annoying kids running around. The only spider you should worry about is the one creeping on our ceiling.”

He was wrapping his arms around your waist, you helped him tighten his embrace.

“I’m sorry, for all the pain and danger I put you through.” You knew it came from his heart, and not from one of his rehearsed scenarios and speeches. “I’m sorry I failed you. You need a prince charming on a white horse and I’m just the royal buffoon.”

You chuckled, the sight alone lit up his whole face. “What I need is for you to get down your high horse. Go out, get some sun. Maybe you could shave, wear a cap and sunglasses. No one will recognize you, that’s how it works when you’re an undercover hero, right?”

“I don’t want to play the hero anymore.”

“Then, stop. Use those fish bowls you wear on your head to adopt gold fishes. Use the cape as a carpet. Kill Mysterio so that Quentin can live.”

He leaned against your hand, which was stroking his cheek.

“So that I can live with my Quentin again.”

#quentin beck imagine #quentin beck x reader #jake gyllenhaal imagine #jake gyllenhaal x reader #jake gyllenhaal angst #jake gyllenhaal #quentin beck

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mudhornchronicles · 3 years

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brick | din djarin

pairing: din djarin x f!reader

warnings: making out, season two spoilers, fluff, so much sweetness - willy wonka is jealous

a/n: this is part three of maroon. i’d like to thank @remmysbounty for the request and idea for part 3! i also got inspiration from this post!

also: a scene was inspired by this post

reds: maroon | sanguine | brick

masterlist

“Din Djarin - if you don’t give me that cape this instant, I promise you that this next stop will be your last.”

You stomped your foot and let out an exasperated huff. Your husband stands in front of you, clad in his armor minus the helmet, teasingly waving his tattered cape in front of you. You lunge for the shabby and discolored piece of fabric and nearly trip as he pulls back his precious cape.

“Cyar’ika, I don’t need a new cape. This one works perfectly well. See?” He wraps the material around his broad shoulders and tucks it into his chest plate - making sure it stays intact. “It does its job. All I need it to do is hide body heat from snipers.”

You let out a loud sigh with a dramatized eye roll. “Riduur, please. I didn’t say to get a new cape. I just asked to fix it. So Din, just let me sew the holes at the bottom of the kriffing cape!”

You walk over to him and place your hands on his chest. You trace the ridges of the beskar chest plate and look up at him through your lashes. “Besides… doesn’t the Mand’alor always have to look his best?” You smirk and raise your eyebrows up and down.

He shakes his head no and places his arms around your frame. “The only person I care about looking good for is you. I didn’t ask to be Mand’alor.”

You wrap your arms around his neck to give him a peck on the lips, but he wanted more. He held you tighter and deepened the kiss. Your hands unwrapped from around his neck and cupped his face - one hand on either cheek. His tongue peeked out and licked your bottom lip. A sign you knew meant his tongue asking for permission to join the party. You smiled and invited your tongue to meet his.

You loved kissing your husband. Not because he’s your forever partner, but because kissing him is a dance of sorts. His mouth moves perfectly with yours while your tongues waltz. His big hands on you - one against your lower back and the other bringing you closer to him by your hip. You can kiss him forever and you’d never get tired of it. His facial hair doesn’t get in the way of kissing him, but it can get long enough that it covers his upper lip and that bothers you. You love seeing his lips - especially in the morning as they’re swollen and full from sleep. He tends to groom himself whenever he notices you staring at his lower half of his face.

The pair of you are torn away from your trance when Din hears the navigation device beep indicating that the ship is approaching its destination. Din gives you one last kiss and runs up to the cockpit of the ship Greef Karga let him borrow. You walk up into the cockpit and look out the dashboard and see you are approaching an ocean planet - curious, you thought.

“What’s this planet called, riduur?”

“Ahch-To.”

“Do you have a bounty here? It’s beautiful.”

“No, something even better.”

You look over to him as he turns on a small commlink. When the light glows green, you watch your husband speak into it. “Am I landing across the island?”

You look back out the dashboard in confusion. Who could you husband be speaking to? You wait a few seconds and the commlink comes back alive - a young man’s voice comes through.

“Yes, Mandalorian. Land your craft on the east side of the island. I will send a landspeeder for you. He’d be very upset with me if I had you walk across an island.”

“Copy. Landing on the island’s east.” With that, your husband turns off the commlink and puts it back into his belt pouch.

He lands the ship on the east side of the island, as instructed, and leads you back into the hull. You walk to your shared sleeping quarters and grab his helmet. You walk back and place a chaste kiss on Din’s shaking lips before latching his helmet back into place. He grabs a bag from the floor near the ramp and places it around his shoulder. He grabs your hand into his gloved one and opens the ramp.

You walk off the ship and sure enough, a rusted landspeeder awaits you with an eager R2 unit set up in the back. You walk over to the beeping machine and pet his round top. “Why hello R2 unit, do you have a class number?” The white and blue beeps excitedly and starts to shake. You let out a giggle and continue to pet him. “It’s very nice to meet you, R2-D2. Will you be taking us to whoever my husband is here to see?”

R2-D2 beeps once more and you nod in satisfaction. “Very well, R2. Thank you for picking us up.” You hear a scoff to your left and you turn to see your husband shaking his head in disbelief - all while laughing and putting the final bag in the landspeeder. You put your hands on your hips and lean on one leg.

“Is there an issue, riduur?”

“No,” he puts his hands up in surrender. “Not at all. I just forgot how much you liked to talk to droids. How can you even understand them? They just... beep.” He helps you into the landspeeder and settles himself in. You tell R2-D2 that you are ready to go and the landspeeder begin to move with a beep from R2.

“Every beep is like morse code. Just like sign language has specific angles and motions, droids have specific tones and lengths. My dad had me spend a lot of time with our protocol droid back on Naboo who taught me quite a lot.” Your husband nods in an understanding manner and leans back into his seat. He places an arm around you and you think he may have slept throughout the ride.

When R2-D2 notifies you of your arrival, you and Din jump off the speeder. You collect your things and thank R2-D2 for the ride. He beeps back and asks you to wait as he rides away. You assume he went to park the landspeeder.

You walk into a cottage on the ledge of a cliff that R2 had led you to and are met with colors painting the walls. A child’s drawings plastered on every surface. You leave your things in the spare room R2 told you about and are led to a flat area atop a hill not far from the cottage. You see a young man in a black robe and a small green child sitting in front of each other and you saw… floating rocks? Is this what Din meant when he said you’d see “weird” things?

You were pulled out from your thoughts by a child’s shriek and blabbering. You focus on the scene in front of you as you see the blubbering mess of the green child running towards your husband. You watch in shock as your husband removes his helmet, tosses it to the side and falls to his knees. He catches the youngling in his arms and places a kiss to his wrinkled little head. Din stands and hugs the child tight.

“Hello ad’ika. I’ve missed you so much.”

You can’t help, but smile at the thought that Din brought you here to meet Grogu, his foundling.

“He’s very happy to see you, Mandalorian. When I informed him about your upcoming visit, Grogu couldn’t wipe that smile off his face.”

Din looks over at the young man and nods. He looks back at you and introduces you to the man you now know as Luke Skywalker.

“Grogu.” The child looks up at his father and holds his cheeks in his little claws. Din turns to you and has Grog look at you as he introduces you by name. “This is my riduur - my wife.”

Grogu hides in Din’s neck and shyly waves his claw at you. You thought it would be best to not overcrowd the child, so you wave back at him while keeping your distance.

“Hello, Grogu. It’s very nice to meet you. Your father could not stop talking about you. He loves you very much.”

Grogu coos at you and snuggles into his father’s neck once more. You smile at the baby and look at Din. He’s looking down at his son with the eyes you know to be filled with love.

“How about we go back to the cottage. We can have some food and I can update you on Grogu’s training.”

When you make it back to the cottage, Grogu immediately takes Din into his room in the cottage. You hear Din say phrases such as “good job, kid!” and “is that supposed to be my helmet?” and finally “that’s really good, buddy.” Your heart melts away as you imagine him saying things like that to your biological children. Instead of going into Grogu’s room and making him shy away again, you decide to help Luke prepare dinner as he tells you what Grogu’s training entails. Grogu drags Din to the table set up in the living room - well the middle of the cottage really - and sits him down and hands Din a crayon. He grabs a cookie from the jar on the table and breaks his cookie in half, handing a side to Din. You know Din’s heart is about to explode when you see Grogu clap at Din’s drawing of Grogu’s silver ball.

As you all sit and eat dinner, Luke tells Din about how advanced Grogu is in his training and the kind of power he predicts Grogu will have. Grogu was the first to finish and asked Luke to be excused from the table. When Luke gives him permission, Grogu runs to the table in the middle of the room and continues to draw - his favorite pastime you learn.

As you listen to Luke and Din talk about Grogu for what feels like ages, you feel a tug on your tunic. You look down to see Grogu lifting his arms to you with a paper in one hand and a red crayon in the other. You ask him if he’d like to be picked up by you and he nods. You place the baby on your lap as he places his paper and crayon on the table. You look down and you feel tears forming in your eyes.

His drawing consisted of three people.

One figure was drawn in an obsidian black crayon with a helmet adorning its head - Din.

Another figure was much smaller than the other two and was drawn in a forest green crayon - Grogu.

The third and final figure was drawn in ocean blue crayon. You looked down at your tunic and saw it was blue. He drew you.

He asks you for his red crayon that rolled too far from him to reach. You grab it and read the crayon’s color - brick.

He begins to scribble on the paper above the figures. You assumed he was writing his name or simply scribbling, but when he cooed at you to look, you couldn’t help but give him a gentle squeeze.

Above the figures in Grogu’s scratchy handwriting was the word ALIIT in blocked brick-red letters.

Din looks over to you when he hears you sniffling and is in awe when he spots the drawing. He gives Grogu a loving head rub. Grogu asks for his blue cookies that are placed near Luke. Luke obliges and tells Grogu he can have them. Grogu summons them and mentally drags them until they are in front of him. He grabs one and breaks it in half, offering you one half of his cookie as he eats the other half.

As you bond with your husband’s foundling, you overhear Luke tell Din that Grogu’s training is complete. Grogu had informed him that he did not want to walk the path of the Jedi - he just wanted Din.

“Mandalorian,” Luke warns, “If your Grogu refuses to train as a Jedi, I cannot stop him. His attachment to you is too strong to break. If he is forced to stay, his emotions will get the best of him and the pull towards the darkside will become stronger than ever.”

“Then he goes with us. If he doesn’t need anymore training to control his powers then he can go right?”

Luke simply nods. He then looks at Grogu and as if he told him the plan, Grogu springs in excitement and jumps in your lap. He babbles and looks up at you as if saying “do I really get to go with you guys?”

As yourself and Din pack up Grogu’s possessions before going back to the ship, Grogu makes it clear that he wants every drawing of his neatly packed as well.

With Grogu’s two bags and a box full of drawings, you make it back to the ship. Grogu gives Luke a big hug and places his forehead onto Luke’s. They stay like this for a while and Luke finally says, “no, thank you, Grogu. It’s your turn to take care of your family just as your father took care of you.”

You bid your thank you’s and goodbyes to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 and promise him that Grogu will come back to see him again. As the ship takes off, you and Grogu look out the dashboard and wave goodbye. You keep waving until Luke and R2D2 look like specks and your view is clouded by oceans.

“What’s next, riduur?”

Din looks over to you and removes his helmet. He looks down at his son and takes Grogu’s claw into his fingers.

“I think it’s time that we formally adopt Grogu.”

You smile and place a kiss on top of Grogu’s head. “Din, have you not vowed him as yours yet?”

Din shakes his head and laughs. “I never had the chance to. I was either getting shot at or he was getting kidnapped.”

You playfully shove him. “Then what are we waiting for? Does the Mand’alor want to start or should I?”

“I found him first so I get to start.”

You roll your eyes and gesture him to continue. You take Grogu’s other hand in yours.

“Ad’ika,” Din clears his throat and begins, “ni k-kyr'tayl gai sa'a. I know your name as my child, Grogu.” Din places a quick kiss on Grogu’s forehead and Grogu smiles brightly.

It’s your turn now. “Grogu, ni kyr'tayl gai sa'a. I know your name as my child, if you’ll have me.”

Grogu seemed to understand what this saying was. He stood onto your lap and hugged you, little claws on your jaw and then launched himself into Din’s arms.

You knew you wanted to start a family with Din ever since you first met the shy little foundling in maroon armor back on Mandalore. You also knew you wanted to have foundlings join your clan, but you didn’t know that the foundling would turn out to be a green baby with jedi powers. Though you don’t fully understand Grogu’s powers, you wouldn’t wish for a different little kid.

As you’re putting Grogu to bed, you hear Din come into the ship’s hull trying his hardest to be quiet. Din may be covered with beskar with head to toe, but he can sneak up behind you like nobody’s business. You put your hand out to motion him over behind you. He looks over you to see Grogu sleeping peacefully with Din’s cape wrapped around him with a corner of the fabric in his mouth.

“Cyar’ika, do you think - you think we can finally build a home and settle down? I just want Grogu to be able to be a kid.”

You lean back until his torso hits your back. “That sure sounds nice, Din.”

“How does Endor sound? Maybe even Naboo? I know you may not like Naboo because of your mother, but as your husband, I want to give you new memories. I think our kids would like the lakes there. Endor is also a beautiful planet and I’ve heard Ewoks are nice when you offer them food. They’re little teddy bears so our kids would enjoy befriending those little creatures. They’re small, but highly intelligent.”

“What about being the Mand’alor? You have to take back Mandalore for your people. Wouldn’t we have to be on the planet you want to take back?”

“I’ll take back Mandalore, no doubt about that. But that doesn’t mean I can’t start a life with you elsewhere first. I want to make up for the time we were forced apart. I still haven’t given you little warriors.”

“No, Djarin. You haven’t. I think it’s time for you to put in some work and give me a baby. Well, aside from our little green son.”

“I’d jump into a lava river if you’d ask me to.”

“Nah, I just want to raise our four or five babies with you by my side.”

“Four or five babies?”

“Yes. Two biological babies, Grogu, and other foundlings. There are so many children with no one to love them and we both have plenty of love to give. We just need stability.

“That can be arranged, my queen.”

mando’a translations:

cyar’ika = sweetheart

riduur = spouse

mand’alor = leader of Mandalore

ad’ika = little one

gai bal manda = adoption ceremony

Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad = I know your name as my child

taglist: @theocatkov @remmysbounty

#din djarin #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #mandalorian #mandalorian x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #star wars

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dumbkiri · 4 years

Text

Hypnotic You

Second Series for Jason Todd

Request: Mixing up requests I got in submissions.

Summary: [Name] has to come to terms that she really isn’t a fighter yet. Her mother, Diana Prince, left her in the care of Batman to help [Name] fight or at least learn how. Jason and [Name] have been partners for a long time and he is her mentor. But that all changes when he requests to go back to his team, The Outlaws. [Name] feels that she is left behind and comes across a new friend.

But this new friend of hers is another enemy of the Justice League and a sworn enemy of her mother’s. [Name]’s body is resistant to some magic, but when Hecate awakens her godly form, is she able to control her dormant powers?

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem! Reader

Genre: Mystery, Drama, Angst, Fluff

Word Count: 2.5k, 6 pgs

WARNING(S): NONE???

The sun shined brightly onto Gotham City providing light and warmth in the cold season of Winter. The snow that piled up from last night's storm was gradually melting under the bright star. And [Name] witnessed the frost on her living room windows going away.

She watched her neighbors do their daily routine of mowing their luscious green grass. Their kids had the job of taking out the trash and recycling. The mother would usually watch on holding their newborn baby or she was wiping her hands on a dish rag. [Name] turned away from the normal scene and glued her eyes on the TV.

"In Today's news, Batman and Robin had stopped another criminal last night. Despite the storm, the caped vigilantes stopped the Riddler from robbing one of Gotham's finest jewelry stores. The Riddler is now being sent to Gotham--"

[Name] turned the TV off knowing that the Riddler would just escape again from wherever he's being sent to. She stayed on her couch for a while and enjoyed snuggling with her warm blanket that she got out of the dryer. Her eyes closed in happiness and she began to wonder in her land of dreams. That was until there was a knock at her front door.

She grumbled in annoyance and got up from the couch. [Name]’s sock covered feet carried her to the door and she opened it with a kind smile. There standing on her porch was her best friend and partner, Jason Todd. He was wearing his signature red hoodie with black jeans and black adidas. He stuffed his hands into his hoodie and sighed, “Are you gonna invite me in?”

[Name] snapped out of her trance and opened the door more to let him in. She watched as he relaxed and walked into her house. He took his shoes off by her door where her own shoes were placed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked and walked in front of him to stop him from entering her kitchen.

“I’m hungry,” He responded and took his hands from his hoodie. He placed his cold fingers on her exposed waist and moved her aside. [Name] recoiled from his touch and giggled, “You should warm your hands up. Oh, I’ll make you hot chocolate!”

Jason stayed silent and watched [Name] run into her kitchen. He chuckled when he saw that she struggled to reach her mugs on the top shelf. But after a few seconds, she managed to get them. “I said I was hungry, not thirsty,” Jason grumbled and sat in the barstools at the kitchen island. [Name] stopped pouring the hot chocolate and looked at him, “Do you not want any?”

“Let’s go grab a bite.” Jason asked suddenly.

“Are you asking me out to eat breakfast with you?” [Name] looked at him questioningly.

Jason sighed and walked over to her. He grabbed the mug filled with hot chocolate topped with cool whipped cream. He took a sip and relished the hot drink entering his freezing body. “I am asking you to eat breakfast with me,” He replied after setting the cocoa down on the granite counter.

[Name] smiled and grabbed a napkin from the kitchen island. She wiped Jason’s mouth to get rid of the whipped cream. She made eye contact with the male and laughed, “Yes, I’ll go eat with you, Todd, so stop your glaring.” [Name] walked away and threw the napkin into the trash. “Gimme five minutes to get dressed.”

It took her longer than five minutes to get dressed, but Jason wasn’t going to ruin her perfect mood. He looked at her outfit and he took notice how she wore gloves and a scarf. “What?” [Name] interrupted his thoughts and placed her hands on her hips, “I’m not going out there freezing my butt off like you, okay?”

Jason raised his hands up and looked away, “I wasn’t going to say anything about your fashion choices. It’s a smart idea to bundle up, I don’t want anybody blaming me if you get sick.”

“You really do care for me,” [Name] softly said and Jason scoffed, turning to the front door. He opened it and walked out. He was going to ignore her comment about how he felt toward her. Jason wasn't’ sure himself. There were days he wanted to shoot her because of her rash decisions of saving a petty criminal. Yet there were days he had the strong urge to protect her from those petty criminals. “I’ll buy breakfast!” [Name] shouted as she locked her front door.

……

“The reason why I brought you here was because we need to talk,” Jason lit a cigarette and before he could inhale the deadly toxins, [Name] was quick enough to snatch it from him.

“Smoking isn’t allowed in here and I want to enjoy my breakfast before we get kicked out.” She smiled at him kindly.

Jason grumbled under his breath as he watched the female put out the cigarette in her empty glass half filled with ice. He crossed his arms over his chest and began speaking, “I requested that we change partners or back to our original teams. Now I don’t want you to interrupt me because I need you to listen to my reasons.” Jason’s blue eyes connected with her [e.color] eyes.

[Name] remained quiet waiting for his reasons. She stopped messing with the crayons she got from the host and paid Jason her undivided attention.

“I feel as though I need to work with my team, The Outlaws, more than Batman’s sidekick. Roy said he needs some help with the team and that they’re breaking without my leadership. I am also needed on higher stake missions and not burglars who steal money from an ATM.”

“He didn’t just steal money from an ATM. He was stealing from homeless people!” [Name] whispered-yelled. She was a bit frustrated about Jason’s choice.

“Hey, I told you to not interrupt me,” Jason scolded and continued his explanation. His stare softened and his body slowly relaxed into a vulnerable state. “I’m needed with my team, [Name]. I helped you with a lot of your training and I believe you already make a fine Batgirl. You don’t need me anymore.”

“Yes, I do,” [Name] spoke up, not caring that she didn’t let him finish, “You help me make those hard decisions. You sometimes influence me, but most importantly you make me decide what I want to do. I never really had that choice with Batman and Robin. You help me a lot in those times, in our missions.”

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, “Those aren’t missions, [Name]. I get it, you entered the fighting scene a little too late. But what Batman has us doing, what he has you doing is nothing compared to what I used to do with my team. We take down guys like Sionis. We take down actual criminals with dangerous agendas.”

[Name] felt small in her seat.

“And to be frank, I’m tired of dealing with those petty criminals. I want the real deal. I want to go back to my team,” Jason finished.

[Name] swallowed the lump in her throat, “Then be with your team, Jason. No one is going to stop you.”

Jason stared at her and was baffled by her response, “You-- Why are you not stopping me?” He was 100% positive that she was going to throw a royal fit. But here she was surprising him.

[Name] pushed her plate of food away from her kid’s menu. She grabbed a red crayon and began doodling. Her attention was divided now and it was because she needed a distraction. She could no longer stare in his gunmetal eyes anymore. “You said you needed your team and that they needed you. Why would I stop you if you want to leave?”

“I don’t know, I thought you would have put up a bigger fight. It’s what you would usually do.” Jason replied back and watched her aimlessly draw on her kids menu. He didn’t know what she was trying to draw and honestly he didn’t care. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he quickly looked at who was calling him. It was Roy Harper.

[Name] pretended she wasn’t looking, but she noticed how Jason didn’t hesitate to answer the call. She put her crayon down and raised her hand in the air to call the waitress. Their waitress came by with a pretty smile. “Can I have the check please?” [Name] warmly asked with her own smile. The waitress nodded her head and handed the check to which [Name] handed back cash. “Keep the change.”

Jason watched [Name]’s interactions with the waitress carefully. He noticed the front she was putting up. After all, he spent a long time with her to notice how she was doing. He focused back on the call and listened to Roy’s words. Apparently, Sionis was still in the game while in prison. It meant that the criminal had connections inside the prison to make deals outside. Jason wanted to shoot himself twenty times right about now.

[Name] waited patiently for Jason to end the call, so they can have a proper goodbye. It was rude to leave while he was on the call, but it was also rude to answer the phone when he was having a conversation with her. Yet [Name] didn’t have the confidence to communicate with him. It wouldn’t matter anyways because they were no longer going to work together. Maybe that is why [Name] felt so sad. She was growing attached to the male even if they did have their downs.

“I got it, Harper,” Jason said with the roll of his eyes, “We’ll talk about it more later and plan from there. Alright, see you guys later.” He ended the call and gave a curt nod to [Name]. “Roy called about--”

[Name] waved him off and laughed, “Spare me the details and go get the bad guy.”

Jason sighed and gestured to her with his hands, “You’re mad.”

“I’m upset,” [Name] truthfully said with a shrug of her shoulders. Her eyes were downcasted to examine her scramble of a drawing. “I thought of us as a team, you know? So being sent back to a dynamic duo like Batman and Robin kind of makes me feel-- I don’t know,” [Name] laughed and looked up at him. She waved her hands side to side, “I don’t know what I’m talking about now, my words are going to be scrambled soon if we keep talking.”

[Name] put her wallet back in her purse and flipped the straps on her shoulder. She was collecting her things. She scooted to the edge of the booth and stood up, “But thank you for teaching me the ropes and other important things. I’ll catch you on the flipside.” [Name] turned her back on Jason and hurried to exit the restaurant. She was really digging herself into a hole back there.

“Catch you on the flipside? God, what was I thinking?” [Name] scolded herself and lightly hit the side of her head with her palm. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” She helplessly muttered as she walked further away from the restaurant. [Name] walked past some people going about their business and easily dodged the shoulders of people not paying attention to their surroundings. She was surprised that she was able to notice the people around her when her mind was plagued with questions.

At this point, [Name] wanted to be home and enjoy her hot chocolate for real this time. If Jason really requested for her to go back with Batman then the caped crusader will call her if she soon. "I should go pick up Blue from the pet store. Ah, I forgot my poor baby had an appointment today,” [Name] hailed a taxi and got into the backseat while telling the driver where to go.

“Rough mornin’, miss?” The taxi driver asked looking into the rearview mirror.

[Name] gave him a small smile, “You can say that.”

The taxi driver whistled with his clapped lips. They seemed to bleed a little meaning that he was picking at the skin of his bottom lip recently. “The storm must have hit yer area hard or somethin’ if ya ain’t smilin’. The kids ‘round here are havin’ a field day! Throwin’ snowballs and jus’ havin’ some normal fun! Ya should join ‘em, put a pretty smile back on ya face, y’know?”

“I will when I pick up my dog from his appointment. Blue would love the snow and I’m sure the kids would love him,” [Name] replied looking out the window. She watched the buildings she recognized pass by with a blur. Then she averted her attention to the taxi driver. She noticed a purple ring surrounding his irises before it disappeared.

The taxi driver cleared his throat and clenched the steering wheel tighter, “He must've really hurt yer feelings.”

“Excuse me?” [Name] swallowed and stared at the man with a new sense of curiosity and suspicion. She scooted to the edge of her seat and asked again, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I said he must’ve hurt yer feelings. Especially if ya have that sad look in yer eyes like someone ran o’er yer dog. What’s his name?” The taxi driver tilted his head to the side and a large pop resonated in the taxi.

Uncomfortable, [Name] leaned her back into the cushion of her seat. Her lips parted in uncertainty, “He’s only a friend and there’s no reason for you to know his name. You’re a stranger.”

“I’m more than jus’ a stranger, darlin’,” The taxi driver answered quickly. The car came to a stop and [Name] opened the door. She almost forgot to pay the man, but he stopped her with a creepy smile on his face.

“No need to pay me, girl,” He said and leaned over the passenger seat, “I want ya to know somethin’.”

[Name] got out of the car and closed the door. She bent down to listen to him talk though. She didn’t know why she was staying any longer with this weirdo. Yet her curiosity wasn’t quenched, not now. “She’s always watchin’ ya. Said somethin’ about awakening yer true potential.”

“Thank you for the ride, sir,” [Name] dismissed his words and ran into the pet store where she felt somewhat safe. She picked her phone from her purse and dialed Jason’s number hoping he would pick up as quickly as he did for Roy. It rang twice then went straight to voicemail. Might as well tell him what happened to her.

“Hey, Jason, I called to tell you the strangest thing that happened to me. This taxi driver gave me the weirdest ride ever. I-- He knew that I talked to you? Actually, he doesn’t know you, but I don’t know. It was the oddest thing that’s ever happened. He knew what I was feeling. I mean he knew-- Whatever, just give me a call back?” She said with nervousness, “He said someone was watching me. I have to hear some advice from you.”

She ended the call there and perked up at her dog barking happily. She hoped that the taxi driver was only crazy and that what he said wasn’t true. [Name] has enough to worry about.

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itskateak · 5 years

Text

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! LADIES AND- LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

Madame Giry...?

Thank you.

I hope I got your attention. I’m going to tell stories from my Phantom production, where I played Madame Giry (check me out in the gif above). I have two main stories and two sub stories.

The Quick Change to End All (This is specifically between Poor Fool and The Rooftop Scene)

(I did help Carlotta change from her Notes/Prima Donna outfit into the Countess dress, but there were three or four extra hands making sure wigs were changed and everything was set.)

For the Il Muto scene, Carlotta is wearing the Countess dress, correct? Correct. I assume in most productions, they have two dresses. One for Carlotta, one for Christine. We had one. Just the singular. Anyone offstage and not helping move set pieces were meant to help.

This was...me. Just me, until others came offstage during the ballet. So, Carlotta (after the croaking) exits downstage right, where I am waiting already to undo the laces of the dress and slip it off. Carlotta is taller than me by at least half a foot. The dress was designed in a way that the bodice and skirt are connected in the front but needs to be hooked in the back to keep it on properly, along with the lacing. This means the dress has to go on over the actress’s head, and it has to come off that way. Carlotta removes her wig and I get that dress off.

Christine will come running off in thirty seconds. She has a petticoat to put on because she’s been in pants for this scene. It’s already laid out on the floor ready for her to just step in and pull up to hook. I set this all up, made the system. I have the dress piled on my arms so she can just slip it over and put her arms through. Christine comes running off. The free chorus members assist her getting her page boy outfit off, but they know to move out of my way to get that dress on. It goes over her head. She’s a foot shorter than Carlotta, and a lot thinner. I have to hook that skirt and get it all laced up and make sure her wig isn’t caught anywhere. We needed to have it all finished by the time the ballet dance started speeding up as Buquet was dying. This all happened in under three minutes, but the switch itself was more around a minute and a half. We never missed a cue.

Sub Story 1- The Incident of the Skirt and the Cape

Luckily, this was during a dress rehearsal. We hadn’t been able to do the quick change enough to figure our system out yet. I don’t get the skirt hooked on her. It’s hanging off her waist, revealing her under clothes from her back. She realizes her cloak and scarf for the rooftop scene are on the complete wrong side of the stage. We’re stage right. She enters there, finds Raoul, and they exit stage left, pause, then are immediately on again. I grab the cloak and scarf, promising her I’ll meet her on the other side to fix her skirt, too. I send her off. I yank open the door to the hallway behind the stage, hitch up my skirt and petticoat and sprint down the hall, yank open the other door and get to the two ballet girls waiting in the wings. I pass off the cloak. Christine comes running off. She’s handed the cloak and scarf. I hook the skirt. And she’s on again. It never happened again, luckily, but Christine hugged me in the dressing room later and thanked me for my quick thinking. (And feet. I was in three inch heeled boots!)

Sub Story 2- The Director Yelled At Me

I don’t think this counts as insubordination, since I bit my tongue and didn’t tell our director off mid-show in the wings. Anyway, I’m waiting in the wings. I’ve just finished making sure Christine’s petticoat is laid out for easy access and her cloak is most definitely on the other side. I go to move downstage right, where I said previously Carlotta exits and I take her dress off for the quick change. Our director is standing in the way. We aren’t allowed to talk backstage unless it’s a soft whisper and we know for sure our mic is off- usually 30+ seconds after we’ve been active either with lines or singing. Since the choral part of Il Muto has just finished, I know my mic is still live. I approach the director, tapped her shoulder, and mouthed my request for her to please move over. I include a gesture with this. No noise came out of my mouth. Hell, I probably even used ASL along with it for a few words, since I was in that class at the time. She gets this angry look on her face and whisper shouts at me about my mic being on and how I shouldn’t be talking. Internally, I wanted to say,”Yeah, well, you’re standing right in the way of the worst quick change in your directing history. Move, or you can do the damn thing yourself and I’ll go be in the dressing room for the rest of the act.” Instead, I smiled and pointed to Carlotta, and mimed unlacing her dress, and pointed to where I was standing. She ended up moving in the end once she realized what I was saying and everything went smoothly. But, seriously? Get off the stage. You’ve barely done your job. Let us do ours.

Corsets Are Hell and So Are Quick Changes (We have a theme here)

Masquerade opens the second act. We’re all changed- even me! I didn’t get a cape, I got a whole new outfit! - and having a great party. Then that meddling twit shows back up, the pyrotechnics actually work for once, and everyone but myself and Raoul runs offstage. I’m buying time with my story for other people to do their quick changes. You’re welcome. So, from the end of “I’ve said too much, Monsieur, too much. And there have been too many accidents.” to when I come on for the second Notes, I have just under two minutes for a complete costume change. From this (short skirt, corset, and new shirt):

To this (petticoat, long skirt, jacket):

I had help, luckily, but they were only there to gather my stuff. When I changed at intermission, I kept my petticoat in the skirt and made it so I could just step in. Here’s the run down. I sprint offstage, I’ve already taken off my mask onstage so I save that step. It gets chucked as I’m standing in the foyer outside the dressing rooms and just outside the door to the wings.

Where this was taken, roughly. Right where my friend is taking the video from. So the mask goes flying, lands under the water fountain most nights. The first thing to go is the corset. Because of my battery pack, some of the clasps has bent, and if I actually did them up, I couldn’t get them undone at all. So, I left them open. By the end of the show, I could get that thing off my body in under ten seconds. The shirt, only tied at the top and not buttoned at all, is the next to go. I don’t take off the thin skirt and just pull the petticoat and other skirt on. Bam. Tie the petticoat, my help zips the skirt and helps me into my jacket. I button it up, grab my cane, walk onto the wings. My cue is in ten seconds. I yoink a note, take a moment to breathe, and I’m onstage again. By far one of my worst quick changes (the other going from a postulate costume to a regular dress in half a scene in Sound of Music.) We did have issues with my mic wire and mic pack, but figure out how to get around that very quickly. The mic handler and I got very friendly when she shoved the wire up and down the back of my tank top.

I’ll definitely tell more stories from this show, complete with what pictures I can show, since some of what I have is limited.

#katetalks #personal #my face #phantom of the opera #sound of music #reference #long post #poto #madame giry #theater #christine daae #carlotta giudicelli #raoul de chagny

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