#i don’t give a damn about the details!! ✩ reeve.

[keanureevesisbae]

↳ ❝ [a love story - 5.] ¡!❞

Hank Voight x Kazuha Takahashi (asian ofc)

Summary: The Intelligence unit needs her help.

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 0.7k

Masterlist // One Chicago Masterlist // a love story masterlist

Today has been a quiet day in the cafe and it’s clear we’re overstaffed. I’m actually bored and if this continues, I will be tempted to drink another cup of coffee and I don’t think my system needs anymore caffeine.

While Trixie and Lea are in the back, Josie and I are behind the counter, chatting our time away. Just when Josie wants to give me her in-depth review about a movie she saw the other day (Keanu Reeves starred in it, so I bet she absolutely loved it, even if the storyline fell flat, because we are talking about Keanu Reeves), the phone of the cafe rings.

Josie and I frown as we stare at each other. This does not happen often. Who even calls this cafe directly?

I grab the phone and pick up. ‘Java Cup, this is Kazuha. How can I help you?’

‘Can you come to the district?’

If you have a voice like Hank, you don’t have to identify yourself over the phone. I think everyone in Chicago can recognize that voice. 

‘So much for a hello, Hank.’

Josie’s eyes widen. ‘Is that daddy Voight?’ she mouths.

I flash her the finger.

‘We need some help with logging into someone’s computer.’

I decide not to question it, but that is mostly because he felt the need to call the cafe directly. ‘Okay, I’ll be right up,’ I say, before I hang up. Josie ushers me to tell what’s the deal. ‘Intelligence needs my help.’

For once Josie doesn’t make a snarky comment, but maybe she realizes that when Hank Voight asks you to help him out, there isn’t time for jokes. ‘Okay, I understand. We’ll manage here.’ When I don’t instantly move, she adds: ‘Go!’

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

They should offer me a job here right away, because after only ten minutes, I had logged in, cracked every password the suspect had saved on his cloud and even managed to hack into his phone—legally of course—through this laptop and give them an exact location.

People are predictable and leave behind patterns, even online.

This was a piece of cake.

The entire team rolls out, however Hank stays behind. I’m still sitting on Hailey’s chair at her desk, while Hank stands behind me. I finally dare to turn around and to look up at him.

I’ve had dreams about a moment resembling this one. Him towering over me, me looking up at him.

I honestly should not allow my mind to wander there. 

‘You’re good.’

‘Thank you,’ I say with a smile. ‘I’m glad I could help.’ I push myself from the seat. ‘I should go.’

There isn’t a lot of space between us and I can feel his body heat radiating against me. His brown eyes are locked with mine and I swallow, before I run my fingers through my hair.

‘Yeah, yeah, of course,’ he says, his voice lower than usual.

This is too awkward for me. I have no idea what I should say or do. I clear my throat. ‘Later Hank,’ I say with a small and timid smile, before I make my way towards the staircase. My heart is pounding painfully in my chest. He was so damn close, he smelled so good and I finally got to take a good and long look at his brown eyes

‘Kazuha, wait.’

I stop mid step and turn around. ‘Yes?’

‘Let me take you out.’ Realizing that might sound a little too forward, I can see his lips pursing and a twitch of an eyebrow. ‘To thank you for your help.’

I think I’m borderline fainting. ‘Really?’

‘Really. Does tomorrow work?’

I nod with a smile, hoping I will not give away how much I would love this. ‘Tomorrow works.’

‘I’ll text you details.’

I don’t think I’ve ever ran this fast back to the Java Cup and it’s still as vacant as ever. Before Josie can ask me what’s up with me, I place my palms on the counter and lean over. ‘Hank Voight is taking me out tomorrow night.’

Josie gasps. ‘No freaking way!’

‘Yes freaking way!’

‘We need to think of an outfit. ASAP!’

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

Chicago PD taglist (I operate one chicago pd taglist, so one list for all one shots and multichaptered stories): @acdassenza // @wanniiieeee // @one-sweet-gubler // @sofiebstar // @diegos-butt //

#hank voight #hank voight fanfiction #chicago pd #chicago pd fanfiction #hank voight x kazuha takahashi #hank voight x ofc #hank voight x asian ofc #kazuha takahashi #asian ofc #a love story

[hermanngottlieb-geiszler]

Well *cracks knuckles* it’s my turn for showing the internet my take on the new Riddler design Paul Dano is playing.

I have seen people flooding the riddler tags with their takes and I personally am in shock. As a long time riddler fan, who’s read every issue and played all Arkham games and watched all media including him, I think Matt Reeves take is such a great one.

Now now, don’t flood my comments crying “boo hoo he’s not neon” or “but herrrrrmannn he’s not flamboyaaaaant”. Listen first.

The Edward in this scenario, is a serial killer using his killings to draw light to the corruptness of Gotham city and in turn the Waynes. Showing how the city relies heavily on mobs and the over abundance of corruption in the police force and soon to be the reliance on vigilantes. So he’s not trying to get attention on himself. He’s getting the light shown onto the dark and true parts of Gotham. This is paralleled with how I can assume Selina’s character is going to come in play with Bruce, how she will “show him the ropes of Gotham” with aiding in fighting styles like how she was shown sparring with him in the trailer.

Anyways, Ed isn’t wanting the attention. He wants to destroy Gotham in a more interesting and wit required way. Through slowly showing the public the truth of the gcpd and the nature of the mobs, through live broadcasts on hacked Jumbotrons (similar to Arkham-verse, Riddle Factory, and to an extent Zero Year) and through his game he discovers a new player which is the Batman who is working through the gcpd with Gordon. Thus, furthering the corruption as the police is working alongside a vigilante as well as the mob on some portions. This Riddler does want the attention, but he wants it for different purposes. And his outfit conveys that stunningly.

Okay onto his outfit design that people can’t seem to wrap their heads around. His outfit is based off a military grade extreme cold uniform. The mask was designed to conceal the wearers identity and keep them warm in frigid terrain. Riddler has added onto the concealment of his identity by putting plastic over his hair, allowing himself to be at crime scenes without leaving behind any dna evidence like hair follicles. Thus, allowing the duct tape scene to make more sense with how he was able to do it and not be caught. People don’t seem to realize that dna evidence is pretty damning for serial killers. So the fact that he has all these bases covered for one in this is AMAZING DETAIL. As much as it hurts all you idiots, Riddler in a real world scenario cannot be flaunting his face and showing the world his identity. Which is WHY he is covered. Which is WHY he’s finally back to being enigmatic. Not to mention, he’s going against some of the most dangerous groups in Gotham (at the time, since it is before the rise of the Rogues). The mob in Gotham is NOTHING to joke around about, especially since this is Pre-Rogue Gotham so they are the strongest force in Gotham at the time.

So this new Riddler is GREAT. He’s smart. He’s methodical. He’s sly. He KNOWS what he’s doing. He knows it’s dangerous but he loves the thrill of the game because he knows he can’t be caught. And since a new player entered, one that isn’t hive minded like the mob, he is LIVING for it. Because Batman is not legal either. He’s a vigilante which to an extreme sense Riddler is too. This is the start of Batman realizing that once he enters the ring as a vigilante, people are going to rise up and play against him. This movie is showing the downfall of the mobs grip, and showing the rise of the Rogues. Showing the rise of penguin alongside the rise of the Riddler.

It feels very Riddler-esc and I’m so glad that the dcu finally is giving him justice. He is enigmatic. He’s smart. He’s cunning. He KNOWS the game. He sees everyone as a chess piece and he sees himself as the game master.

Unfortunately, no one seems to understand that riddler is not just some “campy hee hee hoo hoo villain”. People don’t seem to understand that he isn’t just tights and spandex. He’s MORE than that. I know the only other live action versions of Riddler have been Frank Gorshin (who is one of my favorite iterations I will say), Jim Carrey (which was a great performance, just wasn’t 100% the riddler), and Corey Michael Smith (who did alright, I just don’t like how Gotham handled his character as the show progressed. He never grew and stayed pretty one note and wasn’t…a smart riddler which was alright in his arc for season two but as the show progressed, he didn’t). But riddler in the comics and even the Arkham-verse games, has NOT been campy.

I’ll probably make a part two, comparing past riddler iterations and showing how he isn’t just “an annoying gay twink” as some put it and that he is fully capable and has been shown as a serious villain. He has killed people. He has done serious heists and schemes and he isn’t what the majority seems to think he is.

Part two coming soon

#edward nygma #riddler #the riddler #dcu #the Batman #robert pattinson #battinson #oh no an actual dc fan made their take on it #Paul dano #edward nashton #i hate calling him that as it’s a dead name to him…

[shurisneakers]

shut in [5]

Summary: When your high profile mission goes terribly wrong, you’re forced to hide in a safehouse with a man you’ve never met before. With seemingly nowhere else to go, you’re forced to work together to figure out who is trying to have you assassinated before it’s too late. (Sam Wilson x Reader, Hitman AU)

Warnings: cursing, threats, implied ptsd, violence

Word count: 2.9k

A/N: sam wilson nation how are we feeling after that trailer. only about a month to go for my two dumbasses to get the recognition they deserve!!

i also appreciate feedback so if you would like to, please consider dropping me an ask or comment ly guys!! also if you want to be on the taglist, it’s mentioned at the bottom of the chapter.

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Shut In Masterlist

“Where are they?”

“We don’t know, boss.”

Their eyes glossed over with rising anger, masking its earlier aloofness.

“I’m going to need more than ‘I don’t know’.” Their voice was acidic, dripping with faux politeness. A bad sign.

“Police say they pulled off the highway at one point and then they lost track of them because there were no cameras.” The agent looked at his partner who only nodded in confirmation.

“They could have ditched the car before going on foot,” the partner suggested rather unhelpfully,  “We have no idea where they could be”

They were silent, mouth pressed in a hard line, leaving everyone in silence.

“Have I told you about the time my dad hired someone to fix the sink here?” they finally asked, looking away from the agents. “Some drunk fuck got in a fistfight and absolutely decimated the thing. Dad got someone to fix the hole in the wall and the fitting.”

They turned away, facing the wall.

“He did an alright job, that guy. Fixed up the place, installed a new sink. But there was a problem that he said he’d be able to fix only the next day, something about water dripping through an unsealed pipe.”

The agents just sat there on their chairs, feet cold. They knew where the story was going. It was a myth at their organisation, a cautionary tale to everyone who joined.

“My dad, he agreed. Said ‘Yeah sure, come back tomorrow’. Guy packed up his bag and was on his way out when my dad called him back. Asked him to hold out his hand for the money and then he just,” they paused, “cut one of his fingers clean off. Told him that he’d get his payment and his finger when the job was done.”

“I loved my father,” They skipped a beat before whipping their head around to look at the two agents. “But he was a coward. I would have shot him in the head.”

The agents looked paler than what they were a few seconds ago.

“If I tell you to do something, either do it perfectly or don’t do it all because the next time you’re here and those two are still alive,” they sneered, lunging forward to grab one of their collars, “I’ll blow your fucking brains out. Do we have an understanding?”

“Yes boss,” the partner was barely audible, speaking for the one who was breathing heavily, looking like he was on the verge of passing out.

“Go on then.” They smiled, letting go of the agent’s collar as he stayed frozen in his place. They dusted their hands off before straightening up. “Don’t return without good news.”

The frustration of not knowing something was not one you were used to.

You were used to knowing. The satisfaction of a puzzle. The ease of a predictable pattern.

So when this mystery wasn’t getting solved within twenty minutes, it was starting to affect you. You spent hours staring at the ceiling, replaying every detail for months leading up to the case. Every client you shook hands with. Every coworker you greeted with a nod. Every vile sicko you had killed.

And yet, no matter how much you thought and rethought and rethought again, it simply didn’t make sense. There was a piece missing. A hidden variable.

Sam helped wherever he could. He offered up arguments and rebuttals. If you had a theory, he’d find the flaw or the lack of proof. He was keeping it reasonable. Only snorted when you suggested that maybe the president was involved in a large scale extermination of underground mafias. A absurd theory that had no roots in reality.

“You could point out any official on the damn senate and they would have some connection to our gang that you can dig up with one Red Bull and twenty minutes on the internet,” he had said. “It’s too much of a liability if we get caught. They’ll just get exposed for all the nasty shit they’ve been hiding under the carpet.”

You knew this, of course, and it didn’t help to be reminded of it again because it also meant that one more theory was ruled out. And with each theory ruled out, the further away you were from your answer.

It was frustrating.

Sam was in front of the TV, lounging on the couch with the copy of Pride and Prejudice in his hands. You were working on plausible solutions, drawing up flow charts to see what could be connected.

If Pierce wasn’t the common link then it had to be something else. You couldn’t proceed with the other spies theory because no one else immediately sprung to mind. There was one... but you decided against writing it.

If Ransone was telling the truth, and there was no way of knowing he was, Sam and you were unrelated and his being there was coincidental. You just had to rely on the employee-employer relationship you shared, if you could even call it that.

“Fuck,” you cursed loudly, tearing up the piece of paper and crumpling it. You groaned, holding your head in your hands. Your eyes were burning from straining it for too long and your shoulders were in pain from slumping over the table all day. 

You took a deep breath, shaking your head before instinctively reaching for another sheet. Your hand came up short so you fumbled around the table blindly, trying to grab at a piece of paper without spending the extra effort of searching.

“You’re not getting another sheet,” Sam’s voice came from above you. “You’re going to watch some shitty movie, eat some soup and relax for today.”

“Give it back, Wilson,” you muttered, reaching out your hand.

“No. You can use your unhealthy coping mechanism when I’m not around to see it. Half of this is my mess too and I’m not going to watch you have a breakdown over it.”

He was going to be annoyingly persistent; somehow he had exhibited that magnificently over the last few days. You knew better than to argue with him over something that he had made his mind up about by now.

“I don’t want to watch a movie.” You let your head fall onto the table, wishing that the cool wood would do something for the headache you felt coming.

You heard him set the paper back down, not saying a word. Your head was throbbing and all you wanted was the frustration to ease. It was killing you.

“Come on. We’re going outside.” That piqued your interest. Sam had never invited you anywhere before.

“Where?”

“Y’know; the outside. I know you haven’t seen it in a while but see if these words jog your memory. Sun. Grass. Win-”

“I know what the outdoors is, Wilson.” You smiled against the table, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing it. “I’m asking where exactly we’re going.”

“You’ll see. Put some shoes on.”

By the time you looked up he was already walking away from the table, leaving you to follow.

You sighed. He sounded too determined and you didn’t have many other options.

Pushing your chair away from the table, you went to go put on your shoes. __

“If in care you were planning to, I’m just going to tell you right now that you can’t kill me.”

The both of you had been wandering along the path for a while. When you met him by the backdoor, he had a bag with him filled with who knows what.

He declined to tell you what was in it either, despite you asking thrice.

“Calm down, Keanu Reeves. That’s not what I was going to do.” Sam gave a short laugh.

“I’m serious. I know karate.”

“So do I.”

“Krav Maga.”

He hummed in agreement. 

“Kickboxing.”

“Now you’re just insulting me. That’s level one.”

The path was littered with tree roots that stuck out of the soil, stray branches and leaves that crunched satisfactorily under your feet. One second of distraction and you were sure you’d fall flat to the ground. 

You both continued for a few more minutes before he finally came to a stop.

It didn't look very different from the rest of the woods until something caught your eye. In front of you, one of the trees stood out. The bark had large concentric circles, resembling a large dart board. A few indentations were already made in it; clearly it was being used for practice regularly.

“Here you go,” he spoke from beside you, handing you a tomahawk. “Go ahead, throw it at it.”

You looked at the tiny axe in his hand.

“Think of it as adult darts,” he encouraged, “Here, I’ll throw the first one.”

He extended his arm in front of him, pulling his wrist back before effortlessly throwing it at his makeshift board. It was two circles away from the bullseye he had carved out. It must have taken a while to make.

“This doesn’t look very safe,” you commented as he picked up another one, launching it at the tree. You followed its trajectory, watching it embed itself into the bark closer to the centre than the previous turn.

“That’s what makes it fun.” This man had no regard for safety protocols. Given, these were things that came with the job but it didn’t mean you did it in your free time. “It helps, just try.”

“Why are you doing this?” you asked curiously, trying to assess his reaction. Pulling you out of the house for a bar game wasn’t exactly the type of thing people generally did for you.

“Because I wanted to.” He shrugged, not giving you any further explanation. “Try one.”

“Okay.” You followed his example, watching as it glided smoothly before landing close to his initial throw.

“Nice shot.”

A smile made its way to your face automatically as he handed you another one. You repeated your action, an unusual sense of pride establishing itself in you when it came closer to the middle.

“Now what?”

“Now we collect and do the whole thing again till you feel better,” Sam replied, making his way towards the tree and plucking the small axes out easily. His back muscles tightened against the material of his shirt in the process. It wasn’t a bad sight at all. “Endorphins and all that.

“Is this where you keep disappearing to?” you inquired, taking two of them from him when he returned.

“Sometimes.” He took aim before throwing it at the board. “There’s a few things you can do around here.”

“Your coping mechanism is extreme sports without proper guidelines.”

“You gotta do what you gotta do.” Sam took a step to the side, giving you space to take your turn.

“Have you always been this wise, or?” you teased, concentrating on the circles in front of you. Your shot came pretty close. 

When you didn’t receive a reply, you glanced at him through your peripheral vision. He wasn’t moving, a thousand yard stare in his eyes.

“Hit it.”

“I can’t.” His fists were bleeding through the bandages wound around them. He could feel the tear in his skin, the burn of flesh against sweat soaked clothes.

“I said, hit it,” Emil commanded once more. Sam could feel his chest rising and falling steadily from beside him, his putrid breath making him want to vomit.

“I can’t.” He could barely stand up. Exhaustion seeped through every muscle in his body.

“You’re weak,” his trainer spat. “Nothing but a fucking child.”

“He’ll die.” Sam looks down at the boy, bloody and mangled on the floor. He had passed out ages ago but that did nothing to stop them from forcing Sam to continue relentlessly.

“It doesn’t deserve mercy. You hear that Wilson?” He leered right into his ear. “Do you fucking hear that?”

Sam flinched, nodding his head. The saltiness of his sweat was fresh on his tongue, burning where it dripped onto his busted lip from his forehead.

“So fucking finish it.” He knew that if he didn’t listen this time, there would be consequences. He didn’t want to find out what it was because he had no doubt it would pain a hell of a lot more than bruised knuckles.

“No,” he whispered, eyes wandering over the body on the floor. “I won’t.”

“What’d you say?” Emil straightened up, taking a step towards him.

“I said no.” Sam turned around on his heel. He could barely stand straight but the spite running through his veins was driving him, giving him enough energy to not collapse right there on the spot.

“He said no,” his trainer repeated, leaning away from Sam. “He said no.”

He turned to look at Ransone. Sam had forgotten he was there in the darkness of the room, observing the fight for the past two hours.

“He said no.” He started chuckling. His chuckles soon gave way to hideous laughter. Stomach clutching, tear inducing laughter.

Before Sam could even realise the change in attitude, Emil’s entire demeanour shifted. He stepped forward, forcefully gripping Sam’s neck. He shoved him backward until his back was pressed against the wall, no doubt bruising his spine further than what it was.

“Say that again, you fucking idiot,” he growled. But Sam couldn’t say anything. He could barely breathe. He was terrified, but determined not to let it show on his face. “When I say something, you better fucking listen.”

His trainer observed his expression for a few more seconds. Sam didn’t open his mouth.

His trainer finally loosened his grip, letting go of his neck.

Sam’s knees nearly buckled but he kept his balance, coughs racking through his body. He felt lightheaded, swollen eyes watching Emil walk towards the body on the floor. The only friend he had.

“Maybe this oughta teach you a lesson.” Emil flashed a quick smirk at Sam before raising his fist above Riley’s face.

Within a split second a guttural cry escaped his throat as he launched himself at the much larger trainer, taking him by surprise. The pure rage he was feeling had him seeing only red, the adrenaline steering his body on autopilot.  

With their position suddenly switched, Sam found himself on top of Emil, bloody fists beating down on his face without a break. The pain didn’t even matter anymore.

“Fuck you,” he screamed, not giving him even a second to defend himself. “Fuck you, you fucking dickhead.”

When he could feel his trainer raising his arm to grab from behind, he took a pause from pummelling his face to grab his arm, twisting sharply it till he heard a crack. The roar escaping Emil’s throat didn’t dissuade him from finishing what he started, returning to landing a punch wherever he could.

He didn’t even know how long had passed before his body was being pulled away, kicking and cursing.

“You see how good it feels Wilson? You feel that relief?” Ransone held him tightly as he squirmed furiously trying to get back to beating the shit out of that asshole on the ground. “Next time you’re angry, remember that’s the only way to feel good. If you’re in pain, you cause pain.”

Sam’s flailing was reducing as the adrenaline wore off. The exhaustion was beginning to take hold of his body as he looked at the onslaught of blood splatter everywhere, two bodies side by side on the ground. He did this to both of them.

“Violence is your only friend. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Ransone let go of him. His feet gave out beneath him, chest rising and falling heavily. His shoulders ached as he dragged his body towards Riley, praying to every force in the universe that he wasn’t dead.

He was still breathing. Sam nearly cried out of relief, collapsing next to him. Ready to defend him if Emil woke up.

“Next time you want to let out some anger, come find me,” Ransone called out. “I’ll find you your next victim.”

“You okay?” You waved your hand in front of his face. “Earth to Wilson.”

It seemed to work as he snapped back, blinking rapidly.

“You zoned out a little there. Everything alright?” you asked. He looked at you blankly for a second before realising what you asked.

“Yeah.” He gave you a half smile. “Yeah, I’m good. You done with your turn?”

The light that was there behind his eyes a few minutes ago had dimmed considerably. He looked weary. You recognised what had happened, what he was probably thinking of. You didn’t bring it up, not risking the chance of him reliving it.

“Kinda.” You pointed towards the target where a tomahawk was sticking out of the centre.

“Damn,” he whistled, resting his hands on his waist. “Best of three?”

“Didn’t know it was a competition.” You went to collect it. It was harder to pull out than you thought. You wondered how many times Sam had practiced it to make it look so effortless.

“Only if you want it to be.”

“Nah.” You walked towards him, handing two of them back to him. “Maybe next time.”

“Next time, huh.” He tested his throw before letting go of the handle. Bullseye. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

You only smiled.

Next part

#sam x reader #sam wilson x reader #mcu fic #sam fic #sam wilson fic #sam wilson fluff #sam wilson angst #sam wilson series #falcon #falcon x reader #the falcon x reader #hitman!sam wilson #hitman!au #shut in fic #marvel fic #marvel #mcu #sam wilson #the falcon #sam wilson fanfiction #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #sam wilson imagine #sam imagine

[chainsawsangel]

THE BATMAN SPOILER REVIEW.

FAIR WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW. I REPEAT, THERE ARE SPOILERS. 

You’ve been warned. 

anyway, let’s get to it.

One thing I really enjoyed was the narration that was provided by Bruce Wayne himself. It wasn’t through the WHOLE movie of course but it definitely was included in certain areas.

And the opening, WOW. This is the main reason why the narration was sooo good, the way it was used as an opening for the movie was very interesting. You get a sense and feel of what gotham truly is and it’s executed very well.

Now, speaking of Bruce Wayne/The masked vigilante himself, let’s discuss Robert Pattinson’s big role in this. His take on this new batman is really interesting because we’re given a batman who’s still learning, still growing with the persona that we all know and have loved throughout the years. Given the fact that the caped crusader is based on year two batman, you can definitely see how that plays out throughout the movie. 

Also, just as partial mention: I gotta give credit to Andy Serkis because I really liked his take on Alfred Pennyworth. 

The character itself is kinda adored and loved too and when the riddler provided the bomb at The Wayne Manor, I really thought that they had just sliced off the famous butler himself but I was wrong and was quite relived when we got see him alive and well but still recovering from the incident at thew hospital. 

And WOW, I truly loved how Matt Reeves executed that one particular scene between Bruce and Alfred, the one that took place in the hospital. Definitely gives us a perspective as to what the relationship is like between the two. 

One BIG scene that got me smiling though is that of the whole car chase scene with Batman and Penguin. (Colin Ferrell did REALLYYY good with the role btw.)

Let me say, when Batman had the batmobile revving up, it was all over for me. As soon as I heard that theme start playing too, i was like “YES. GIMME MORE” and, I was pleased with what I got during that scene. When Batman and Jim got to penguin, it was kinda funny with how the penguin reacted afterwards. Particularly with the whole pronunciation of a spanish word. Very well done. 

Moving on, Zoe Kravitz. That should be it for her but, fine, I’ll go into a little more detail. I think her role as Catwoman was really good, and I genuinely mean that. I loved the action scenes she got, especially during the big fight scene she had with Carmine Falcone which…surprise! Turned out to be her father. Plus she executes the attitude and feel of Catwoman pretty well, also. 

Speaking of Catwoman too, as much as I LOVE (and I mean this) the dynamic that is Catwoman and Batman, I felt like the chemistry could’ve added a bit more. Don’t get me wrong, Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz did really well with their scenes together and I want to see more of them together in the future with the roles they were given with this movie but I wish the chemistry added just a bit more. Might be a controversial opinion but it’s one that I have and hopefully you understand what I mean. 

Now: I had to save one of the biggest roles (besides Batman of course) and the one I was most excited to see most. The Riddler (or Edward Nashton) himself! Provided by the oh so AMAZING Paul Dano. Trust me when I say: Imma be talking about this role for a bit. 

Which, by the way, let’s take a moment to appreciate how damn great of an actor Paul Dano is. Despite all the funny text posts I give out about him, I really am glad people are giving the recognition he deserves. I particularly enjoyed him in both “There Will Be Blood” as well as “Little Miss Sunshine” which is a movie I adore in general. The roles he’s given never miss even if they’re roles that are a part of not so perfect movies. Without a doubt, the same goes for the role he provides for the interesting villain that is The Riddler.  

The Riddler has always been an interesting Batman villain in general, especially when considering the fact that he fights off Batman with his brain and smarts instead of combat and punches. That’s why he’s a favorite Batman villain of mine just because of how interesting and intriguing he is. 

The Riddler in this role is no different and the scenes given are really well done. Yes, there are scenes where he’s a bit goofed up, more so with a few scenes with his whole livestream situation. But it’s the voice work that Paul Dano provides for the role that’s SO WELL DONE, you get a feel and sense with the character  when it comes to that. Plus the introduction to him when boom! He’s suddenly brought out of the shadows and standing behind the mayor before killing him off was a great way to kick off the riddler’s schemes. Definitely see the inspiration of the zodiac killer when it comes to the new riddler. 

I also wanna point out two other scenes with this performance. One is when Edward, or The Riddler, is brought into Arkham and you can see him looking out upon Gotham and seeing his plan being executed. Batman found out that, after putting him in jail, the riddler still had one final scheme that was waiting for the caped crusader and that was big explosions happening throughout Gotham. This is when we see the face of Edward getting amped up and mouthing the word “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” While a somber yet amped up track is played. It was done so well and Paul Dano was good with that. 

The other scene that definitely got me saying: “YES! Paul Dano’s riddler is something new we needed” was during the big interrogation scene he and The Batman had. Paul Dano and Robert Pattinson’s chemistry in this was AMAZING. I know I use that word a lot but it’s true! You can sense a feeling of fear in a way when Riddler tells Batman that his (riddler) plan hasn’t been finished yet and Batman gets worked up when saying “What did you do to them?!?!” That's when we also hear the name “Bruce Wayne” that Riddler gives out and it’s eerie when he says it because knows that Bruce is the last and biggest target left. While he doesn’t know he’s talking to his target, the chilling talk he has with Batman still gives the sense that “Oh no, something bad’s about to happen” and it does, with Alfred and the whole bomb scene. Which, again, brings me back to that scene between Alfred and Bruce. Again, that scene was pretty well. 

I honestly hope we see more of Dano’s Riddler in the future because he did such an amazing job with what he was given and you can really tell he did the research, especially in interviews. 

With one last thought on this particular performance, I gotta say: Paul Dano’s performance as the riddler is definitely up there with Heath Ledger’s AMAZING and ICONIC performance as the joker in The Dark Knight. I know, I know, definitely a big comparison with both roles and I will say that a performance like Heath Ledger’s could never and will never be replaced when it comes to that because that role was such a big reveal back then and people got to see it on the big screen, it became a pivotal part of, not only pop culture but movies itself too. But yeah, I do rest my case with the fact that Paul Dano’s performance is up there with Heath Ledger's. 

Plus, speaking of acting too, one last final applause for Robert Pattinson because, really, he does of acting abilities and that’s shown throughout many films that came after twilight. Yeah, when twilight came out, his role for that was always talked about and there definitely were people that criticized his acting for it BUT lemme tell you something: his twilight days are long gone and have come and gone as well. The acting he provides today is very well done and I appreciate him for that. 

One last thing I wanted to get out of the way before giving final thoughts on the movie as a whole is the one big tease that was provided around the end or at least almost towards the end. This is a BIG one so you’ve been warned.  Basically, we’re back at Arkham with the riddler giving off some stress because he’s been brought down by Batman himself. However, someone next to his cell has provided him with a riddle, one that gives the answer: a friend. This “friend” that’s teased seems to be the big role that Barry Keoghan (of Eternals) has been rumored to play. 

Given the fact that we see bits of a chemical-esque and dried up face as well as a slitted smile, It’s safe to assume that this role belongs to the big baddie himself, Joker. I know! Crazy but the laugh that happens just before the scene ends definitely seems to confirm it. It seems Matt Reeves has confirmed this too BUT also has said that, while this is a big tease, it only seems to be a set up as to what he wants this universe to build upon for the future. So, who knows! This could be the only time we see Joker in this universe but it would be fun to see him pop back up especially when he’s Batman’s biggest foe yet. 

As a whole,  The Batman itself is up there with The Dark Knight trilogy BUT isn’t replaceable as being #1. TDK Trilogy will always be #1 in terms of live action batman adaptations. (though, I do like Michael Keaton’s take on the role too). 

I would LOVE to see where Matt Reeves goes from here with this universe, especially with the potential. And with a few confirmed spin-offs, one being focused on Arkham as a whole, I can definitely see a future for this universe as a whole. 

All-in-all, I give this movie a solid 4 ½ out of 5. It was a fun and very intriguing movie that sets up this big take on Batman. I loved the characters that we were given, loved the feel and atmosphere of the movie as a whole, the whole “detective noir” type vibes too, all of it! For sure a solid batman movie in my book. 

Oh! And no end credit scene. Just a heads up. 

(yeah…this is long I know.)

#rhiannon rambles #the batman #the batman (2022) #the batman spoilers #spoilers

[loptrcoptr]

Yo, I don’t know if it’s because life is so monotonous and overwhelming at the moment, or if it’s because I’m losing my mind, but I’ve noticed a dramatic increase in deja vu experiences lately??? And like. Immensely specific ones. In fact, it kinda feels like I already wrote this post (genuinely I’m concerned. Did I write this already? Guys?)

Like months ago I had this dream or daydream or whatever, right, where I was in my bedroom mumbling about some specific shit to my cat. But then I looked down and it wasn’t my cat. And I was like “huh, wrong cat?” And I remember telling my mother about it, “I was having this whole conversation with fizzy and then I turned around and it wasn’t fizzy, it was some random white cat.” Well… then last month said scenario happened: I was in my room griping about Whatever It Was, and I looked down at Nugget… and she was the white cat. It was like I had gotten some kind of weirdass preview of life post-Fizzy, like I’d glimpsed Nugget before I knew she existed .

Meanwhile, a while back (and because deja vu is fucked anyway I can’t remember exactly when) I had some kind of dream or daydream about a guy finding a burnt up plant, and he takes the burnt up plant to a bunch of people who are all filthy and covered in ashes, and this other guy cuts into the plant and says it’s alive and gives this mini speech about how it’s the root of the family and asks the first guy to take care of it, and then guy one is like agreeing, and then handing it to a woman who he then makes out with. And I muttered something to the cat again, about “weirdass burnt melodrama”

… except I just saw it happen on tv. It’s from a Keanu reeves movie, every detail the same, and I have never seen the movie before until tonight. I just did a google for a sappy period drama and this thing came up (a walk in the clouds) and obviously it was all fun and sap until this damn root, and then it was weird. The whole thing about the root of the family. I’d seen it before, but I know I haven’t. And idk man, I’ve never been a very woo woo person, but it feels like my brain is so overstimulated and bored at the same time that it is fucking with my linear concept of time, maybe send aid

#personal #I’m used to having more typical deja vu like huh. funny feeling that I’ve done this before #I’m not used to having long specific deja vu patterns in this manner ESPECIALLY being aware that they definitely happened before #ehhhhh brain failing what do

[decennia]

OKAY OKAY BUT I NEED ALL THE HEADCANONS FOR THE CORPORALS WITH REESE PLS

DID I DEVELOP AN ENTIRE NEW PLOTLINE SIMPLY FOR MISS REESE MASRANI? YOU FUCKIN' BET, BABY! Also, I went way too hard with the giffing

TW: Kidnapping.

Reese and Malcolm

Malcolm is less than pleased when Simon Masrani changes their contract to ensure the safety of his daughter, Reese. A paragon of preparation and professionalism, he always has plans A through to Z accounted for. Being Reece Masrani's personal protection detail was not even close to anything The Captain was ready for, and although he was incredibly adaptable, didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

Has a one-on-one interview with her that she finds borders more on an interrogation. But really, when he and his crew takes on any new guard position, he has to know everything and anything about her.

For example, any trigger warnings, old injuries that may hinder physical activity, allergies, familial medical history, previous traumas, epilepsy or seizures (in the event a flash grenade is required), blood type, etc. They're a thorough protective unit.

That's how he learns of her kidnapping. He immediately adopts a much more gentle and soft demeanor, and easily comforts her. The sudden switch makes Reese a little wary around him, making her constantly wonder what is a manipulation and what is The Captain.

He insists she is given some basic training to defend herself, and gives her the codename "Ocelot."

Reese and Clementine

Clem is a never ending source of positive affirmation. She always checks in to see how Reese is doing, and if Reese is okay, and if Reese ever shows a single iota of doubt, she shuts it the fuck down.

She's the one Reese starts off learning self defense from, before she upgrades to George, and then later Hector.

Reese genuinely doesn't know that the Corpsemen are calling each other by their codenames, so she shortens "Calico" to "Cal."

Notices the visible distress on Reese's face when the Corporals harm the dinosaurs, even if they only do it in self defense. Feels the need to explain herself, even if Reese understands.

Attends Simon's funeral as moral support.

Reese and George

I don't know how many times I have to say it but George is by no means a good man and yet everybody falls for him. Reese is no exception.

There's a good ten year age gap which is not lost on her, but when he smiles at her? Oh, God, she really doesn't give a shit.

She really doesn't like the fact he smokes, and berates him for leaving cigarette butts all over the island. He just chuckles derisively, looking down at her with an amused arched brow. Which is annoying but still fucking hot, I-?

He's her second sparring partner, and the hard press of his well toned body against hers sets her skin alight and has her heart beating erratically from something other than physical exertion.

He pulls her aside after her father's death and takes her to an empty conference room. He slow dances with her as a distraction, and at some point, she starts crying. He just hugs her closer to his chest, fingers carding soothingly through her hair, the subtle scrape of his nails against her scalp grounding her.

Reese and Hector

Human teddy bear Hector Reeves' hug damn near swallows Reese in the wake of her father's death.

Googled the logistics of trying to adopt someone who was no longer a minor.

Pure fucking unbridled rage when he learned of her kidnapping. Through a jaw grit so tight she thought his teeth would splinter, he asked Reese about the kidnappers: what they looked like, were they ever caught, would she be able to recognize them in a line up—?

Unintentional karaoke buddy.

He doesn't get 87% of her slang, but is trying to.

Reese and Enzo

Enzo initially wrote Reese off as another typical spoiled rich girl.

But then he recognized her eyes. Of course he would, he saw the same ones in the mirror. They were the eyes of a survivor.

Enzo is naturally very quiet, but that just makes him a good listener. Reese finds that she will go to him if she needs to rant, and Hector if she needs advice.

Manages to get his hands on a bottle of whiskey (he stole it from the park bar) and gives it to Reese after her father's passing. She makes him stay after the silence got too awkward and he tried to leave. They drink together.

In the discarded blueprints of a Jurassic World reopening, a bar was dedicated to him. The entire idea was scrapped, especially with Isla Nublar being a volcano risk.

#the way that this should be a fic by itself #what a concept #welcome to the team ocelot #oc: reese masrani #oc: malcolm drake #oc: clementine roscoe #oc: george cassidy #oc: hector reeves #oc: enzo dizon #fic: innocent abominations #crossover #randomestfandoms #tw kidnapping

[jamieaiken919]

@maxolotl67

*rubs hands together conspiratorially*

SO. What got me into Cyberpunk 2077. That is an excellent question, because I’m not really sure myself, lol. I’d never even heard of the Cyberpunk franchise before this game started getting hype around it. And I never followed any of the development of the game, the only thing I had seen was Keanu Reeves at E3 yelling “YOURE BREATHTAKING” at the crowd, lmao. So I never really had any stakes in it one way or another at the outset. I did see the absolute shitshow that was the launch of the game, and I’ll admit, that actually got me more curious about it than anything else.

I do know that I never would have given the game a second glance had Vinny never streamed it. I started catching up on his streams a couple months after he started it, and almost immediately I was hooked. The fact that he went into the game, started exploring the world and showing the story, that’s what caught my attention. Watching him mess around with the glitches was funny, but beyond that, I found myself becoming attached to the characters more than anything. I mean you’ve all seen my attachment to Delamain and Goro Takemura, lmao. But honestly, with maybe one or two exceptions, I don’t think there’s a single character in this game that I don’t love. They’re all so incredibly well written and well acted, and it just immerses you that much further into the story. And the story itself is one that I find myself invested in, and going back and exploring in depth, in a way I hadn’t done since Call of Duty Zombies. After I watched Vinny’s first couple streams, I did a deep dive into the CP2077 wiki and just spend hours reading about every little detail I could. Spoilers be damned, I wanted to know everything lol.

The game does have its faults, there’s no denying that. There are still glitches and hangups I’ve seen during people’s gameplay. But honestly, even with the glitches, my main criticism is that I just want more. I want more interactions with my favorite characters. More romances. More story. More everything. And I hope CDPR stay committed to giving us that, because I don’t want it to just get shoved by the wayside. I just want more out of Night City dammit!

[spookyspaghettisundae]

Steele Resolve

Over 300 billion years into the future.

"Get out," Dallas told Darkwing.

He eyed her suspiciously, then she shoved him—captain of this ship—out of his very own cabin. Punching the control button by the door, the panel slid shut in between them in a flash, shutting out both him and the glaring light from the corridor.

She stifled a laugh as the hypersteel barrier muffled his yapping—something about being a living god, among other things, rattling on as he audibly turned and wandered away, babbling all the way to the Avian's cockpit.

Dallas waited till he was far enough away, then listened at the door even longer. Ensuring she heard no signs of the cat, the psychotic robot, that disgusting engineer, or—most importantly—the girl.

The ship's star-drive churned, causing all surfaces to subtly vibrate while it steadily propelled the combat vessel through space. It meshed with the rushing of blood in her ears. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light in the cabin, generated only by arrays of glowing buttons, some of them steady, others blinking.

Half a minute felt long enough.

She slid into the swiveling chair that was bolted down onto the floor in front of a quantum entanglement communicator terminal.

The assassin tilted her head back and forth and her neck cracked both times.

With the routine of a spy, she slung out her trusty old ballistic revolver, flicked a concealed switch with her thumb, and slapped the archaic weapon against an open palm.

Then—again. And a third time.

A scrambler chip clicked out of the gun's grip.

She slipped it out and quickly inserted it into one of the terminal's slots. Tapped the power buttons and fired up the device.

The soft blue glow of the screen in front of her illuminated the entire dark chamber she sat alone in. A sigh of impatience escaped her as she awaited the loading bars of the chip's overrides to reach completion on-screen and guarantee her the use of a secure channel.

Meanwhile, a window popped up, listing all recent encrypted text messages she had received from her contacts over the course of the past time units. One of the message subjects read, "DIE BITCH", sent by a certain "Dragon." Many others reflected the bridges she had recently burned and flattered her with other colorful threats and creative insults. Fueled by professional pride, and mixed with a newfound sense of liberty, she smiled to herself and dismissed the entire window with a languid swipe.

Clickety-clackety-clickety-clackety—

Her fingers hacked away at the keyboard with an uncanny speed and precision. Hit the key to transmit with excessive force, a sound of polymers and metal snapping together that cut through the quiet, stale air of the captain's cabin.

Her heart began to race as she awaited response. The ensuing seconds dragged on like molasses, even if they were only few.

A screen, cropped out within the screen, flicked open and displayed a sea of static. The silhouette of her handler turned visible, emerging from within the visual noise, but never fully surfacing in full definition. Masked behind a helmet that emitted an ominous cross-shaped red glow, cast in shadows by a hood.

An agent of the Holy Lahasan Empire.

"Steele? You now also owe me some explanations," said her handler on the other end of the connection, that shadowy silhouette speaking to her from far across the galaxy, distorted by the distance and dampened by the mask.

Dallas leaned back into the chair, unknowingly sinking into it like the many times that the captain had done before, sinking into a spell of deeper contemplation.

She clicked her tongue and finally replied, "Things did not go quite as planned. There were some—complications."

"According to my intel, Agent Reeve was disintegrated in a blast caused by archaic explosives."

Dallas' mien darkened, turning into a frown. "All due respect, but Rourke was an asshole, and—"

"With all due respect, your personal opinions need to leave, exiting through the nearest airlock right now. Not only are you living on borrowed time for your treason against the Empress, but you have a jarring track record of valuable agents dropping dead around you."

"That sounds like your problem, not mine."

The handler's voice dropped in volume, slowed down to a grim crawl. "You remember the cortex bomb I had implanted in your spine, right?"

She scowled at the screen, unable to find any eye contact, instead focusing on the red glow of the cross.

"Come on, I'm too valuable to you. You wanted the best tracker in the universe, which is why you pulled me out of cryo-prison."

"And I am constantly re-evaluating that decision."

Dallas held her tongue. Her chin jutted out and she fidgeted in her seat until her fingers encountered the calming cool of the stainless-steel surface of the old lighter, hidden in her pocket.

"Moving on. Report your progress on retrieving subject K70001-34966."

Dallas decided to play it cool.

She had to play her cards right.

"What a mouthful. We are talking about some girl. Don't you wanna abbreviate that name a bit?"

"No."

Hesitating to answer, she patted her jacket down until she retrieved a palm-sized silvered case from another pocket. She pressed a button on it, and it clicked—also analog and mechanical—triggering its finely-engraved lid to swing open.

Removing a thin cigar from the other three inside it, she lit it up, puffed a few times, and then blew a mouthful of smoke towards the QEC's monitor. The agent awaited her response, but she regained some confidence just in the thought that constantly tested his patience to the point of annoying him.

He had to put up with her.

Threats aside, she was, in fact, the best woman for the job.

"I've gotten pretty damn close. I think it's a matter of weeks, or even days now."

"Be more precise," growled the handler.

"Look, I found out how she's getting around, alright? By stowing away on other people's ships. I'm closely on her trail now. We almost had her too! Sadly, for Rourke, he got killed in that explosion by some idiot that had nothing to do with the job. There was a shootout at this place on—"

"Most of that was in the report. Share more pertinent details, or get to the point," he ordered.

"It's just a matter of time till I can bring her in."

Now he remained silent, processing her meager report. It must have been better than nothing.

"You had best not disappoint. You know we—"

"Yes, yes. Borrowed time."

He said nothing.

Dallas' nostrils flared, blowing smoke out of them.

She squinted and smirked, then asked, "I offed Youssell for you like you requested, right? That wasn't exactly on the books, was it?"

This time, the agent failed to respond.

"Right, and now you're having me track down and retrieve some kid that you lost in the first place."

Though the hood, and helmet, and eerie mask with its cross-shaped glow fully concealed his face, she could practically hear him gritting his teeth as he replied, "Because of your meddling, Steele."

"Well, you have to agree that it's a bit—uh, how to put this—a bit outside of my usual expertise to find people and get them back alive. So, you'll have to kindly stick a thumb up your ass while you wait and give me some time to improvise and succeed. I mean, you do want the kid alive, right?"

More silence followed. Dallas blew more smoke at the monitor, wishing she could be blowing it into his face.

"So, my word—you're getting her alive—or you'll find me as a corpse floating through open space. That is a promise. But if you want this to work out, you'll have to trust me." Saying that, her smirk widened as she feigned every ounce of confidence she could put on display.

With an abrupt flash, the screen within the screen winked out of existence, and the static noise from the scrambled transmission went dead. The handler had ended the communication without giving Dallas any further notice.

"Oh, my. Lovely. Fuck you too, Prince Charming."

She basked in the cold blue glow of the terminal's screen and puffed some more from her slender cigar. She tried to focus on thoughts about how to proceed—of where to go from here. But instead of finding clear ideas and reaching decisive plans of action—something she was usually adept at—pesky memories kept welling up instead.

Thoughts also regularly circled back to the cortex bomb implanted in her spine, but the older memories eventually overshadowed them.

   * * *

"I will not ask you again," said the inquisitor.

His hand crept towards a button on the wall outside the cell.

The girl trapped inside, identified on the monitor next to the white energy barrier as "Delinquent K70001-34966", drooled and writhed on the cold metal floor of that cell. She did not respond to the inquisitor's threat.

He pushed the button once more, causing the girl on the floor of the cell to convulse under waves upon waves of searing pain that washed over her, illuminated by bright yellow, crackling energy. Each surge of electrical discharges caused her to spasm until she threw up. Then she collapsed again, one cheek resting in the tiny pool of vomit. Covered in sweat, she lay there, curled up in a pathetic and helpless heap.

This was the umpteenth time that he had used the interrogation interface to torment the young woman trapped within.

The shock trooper standing guard by the inquisitor looked on in disbelief. Her gaze bounced back and forth in between the inquisitor standing outside the cell, coldly and callously operating this abominable torture device; and the helpless young woman who groaned pitifully as she twitched on the floor of her cell, not once having answered his questions, and not once having begged for mercy.

"I missed the memo on the M.O. of how you handle these things. But it's far from palatable," the guard said to the inquisitor.

The masked inquisitor turned to confront the assassin posing as a guard.

"Memo? Palatable? What the devil are you blathering on about?"

VLA-VLAM!

The barrel of the energy rifle in the hands of the false guard glowed.

She had shot the inquisitor twice in quick succession.

One to the chest to send him reeling, the other to the head to take him out.

To her chagrin, his masked helmet with the glowing red cross emblazoned on its front had absorbed some of the shock from the energy weapon, and he stumbled backwards, reeling—but still quite alive.

Damned energy weapons, Dallas Steele thought to herself, encased in the hijacked power armor of the guard. And this was why you can only count on ballistics, she thought next, even though time had slowed to a crawl.

He was too slow on the uptake though, too slow to raise his weapon and retaliate in time. She jacked up her weapon's cadence with a flick of her wrist, unloading a full salvo into his center mass.

VA-VA-VA-VA-VLAM!

The inquisitor collapsed into a lifeless body in the narrow corridor outside the holding cell, the metal of his armor clanked against the hard floor.

She approached him, poked him with the muzzle of her rifle, and confirmed on her helmet's HUD that his vital signs were bottoming out.

Next, she punched the cell barrier controls. The white force field between her and the girl flickered, then it dissipated entirely.

Hunching down over the young woman inside the cell and holding out an armored hand in offering to help her get back up on her feet, she simply commanded, "Get up."

K70001-34966 took her hand, trembling, feeble, and weakened. The false agent helped the young woman limp along through the narrow corridors, using the powered armor's strength enhancements to effortlessly brace the girl's entire weight as she stumbled alongside her.

A voice crackled, coming in over the false guard's armor-integrated headset, "Agent Heinlein, report in. We registered a weapons discharge in the holding area, and Inquisitor Valstrum is not responding. His vital signs are tanking. What the hell is going on back there?"

"Uh, it was some sort of, uhm, equipment malfunction," Not-Agent-Heinlein lied through her helm's intercom. "Investigating it right now."

"We registered seven discharges and you are moving from your post. What kind of—"

"Factory code zero-zero-zero," she quickly talked over the operator, cutting the communication off with a hard reset of her intercom, and shutting him out.

She dragged the girl along as she picked up the pace.

K70001-34966 was pretty out of it. Drooling, bare heels sliding with squeaks over sleek metal floors.

The dozen or more shocks must have rendered her groggy. No matter—she had nothing to do with the mission anyway. Dallas just had to take a moment to silence that pesky consciousness that was knocking on the mental door, begging to be let in from the prison inside the back of her head.

Once they had reached an emergency escape pod, Dallas shoved the girl inside, causing her to tumble forward and fall back down onto the floor, not unlike she had been in the holding cell. Leaving her no time to recover, the false guard shuttered the docking mechanism and ejected the pod. For a brief few seconds, she saw the girl looking back at her helmet-clad face, going wide-eyed with surprise. A jet of steam shot in between them, obscuring that glimpse.

The next moment, the angular pod jettisoned off at breakneck speed as its boosters activated and it shot off into space, hurtling towards a thriving terrestrial planet pockmarked with a brightly lit complex of clustered urban zones. And all around it, the Sea of Stars.

The intercom in the hallway crackled, whined, and then the operator shouted at her over it, "There will be a court martial—"

VA-VA-VA-VLAM!

Four shots had ripped through the corridor and caused the exposed intercom console to explode into a shower of sparks and fizzing.

The false guard ripped her helmet off in annoyance. Her face was covered in a sheen of sweat.

This job was a bust. She would have to cover her tracks. She would have to kill every single person left on this ship.

As two scout troopers rounded the corner, Dalla popped out of cover to greet them with bursts of hyper-charged plasma shots, cleanly removing the head of one of them in the first burst, and ripping the other apart, cleaving his upper body from the rest of him.

One of them had reflexively shot back with a salvo of his own. The powered armor could only absorb so much impact and energy.

Her leg and ribs throbbed, she coughed and grinned and mostly gritted her teeth to ignore the waves of pain, surging from those uncomfortably hot spots, wondering for a moment if it was worse than what the girl had gone through.

Dallas limped away through the claustrophobic corridors. Her breathing had turned raspy. A maniacal laugh emerged from her throat, ending in a hacking cough.

She had never fucked up a job this badly. She was a killer, sure—but she had some rules. Some principles.

No kids.

That was her only condition.

Why did they have to be torturing a kid aboard of this damned transporter? She wanted to kill the guy who had fixed her up with this "milk run".

Her vision blurred. Next, she coughed, blood splattered on the panel by the door. She punched the controls, it slid shut in a flash. She limped away, towards the droning and deafening noises emitted by the engine core.

Tried to make sense of the engineering console and all its blinking lights and inane strings of letters and numbers that said rather little to a woman of her trade.

The outlines of the blast door glowed brightly as someone tried to force the doorway open, using a fusion cutter, from the other side. Trying desperately to get inside to stop their murderous stowaway from sabotaging their star-drive.

Dallas gave up in her failed effort at trying to override the engine's security protocols.

She aimed the plasma rifle at a set of power couplings, closed her eyes and turned her head away. Pulled the trigger.

VA-VA-VA-VA-VA-VA-VA-VA-VA-VLAM!

Sparks and metal pieces flew all over the place, causing her to flinch.

The weapon not only glowed, but steam also rose from its barrel now.

"Critical system failure," a monotonous computer voice announced over the ship's intercom speakers. It continued to repeat the warning, over and over again. The bright white lights went out, replaced by red lights rhythmically rotating and casting everything in an eerie state of emergency.

A revolving alarm sound began to bleat, piercing Dallas' already throbbing skull. The edges of her eyesight blurred, closing in quickly.

They got inside, but the next moments turned into a haze.

A rush of unfiltered instinct—killer instinct. A perfect storm of honed reflexes, augmentations, and pure skill. A ballet of carnage.

Three more bodies hit the floor, clanking, and clattering, and groaning. One of them even yelled for his mother before she snuffed him out with a sudden stomp from her armored boot.

She remembered leaving bloody handprints whenever she pushed herself off the walls of the corridor, methodically making her way back to the escape pods, locking each and every blast door behind her as she progressed, shutting out the sounds of pursuers, of troopers in powered armor chasing her through the transporter's winding hallways.

Just before she lost consciousness, she remembered seeing the ship shrink. Smaller and smaller, as the escape pod she had jettisoned herself with flew farther and farther away from the imperial transporter.

Only moments after the vessel transformed into bright explosions and space debris within the blink of an eye, her eyelids weighed a million tons and she blacked out.

The next thing she remembered, she was on some forsaken planet's surface with a breathable atmosphere, staring down the barrels of high-powered pulse rifles of MilSec soldiers, surrounded by Imperial attachés.

They already had her wrists wreathed in the purple glow of energy shackles, lifting her up and dragging her off, taking her into custody.

"Hello, boys," she said, groaning, then cackling until it was clipped off by her pained coughing.

Unbeknownst to her then, her future handler stood there, amid the attachés. The ominous red cross glowed from the front of his masked helmet as he watched the grunts do the heavy lifting, peeling her out of the damaged suit of armor and confirming that the emergency gel would prevent her from dying.

At this point in time, she did not know him yet, but he recognized her. Had seen her mugshot as a wanted criminal more than once.

Looking back, she knew. In that moment, he already formulated plans for her.

But first, she had to go into cryo. After that, installing the bomb in her spine would follow.

—Submitted by Wratts

#spoospasu #spookyspaghettisundae #horror #short story #writing #my writing #literature #spooky #fiction #submission #science fiction #sci fi #scifi #science fantasy #space opera #double agent #spy #assassin #Dallas Steele #Steele Resolve #schlock #handler #Holy Lahasa Empire #powered armor #plasma rifle #torture #revenge #morality #space #isolation

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Put Me In a Movie

Keanu Reeves x Reader (A/n- Took me a sold five minutes to spell ‘ecstasy’ in the title)

Summary Prologue  1   2   3  4  5  6 7  8  9  10

Warnings- Angst

Chapter 11- Ecstasy To Aching 

The heavy ticking of the round faced, analog clock mounted over the bedroom door stirred the silence, drowning the steady beating of her heart and the loudness of Y/n’s murky thoughts. Even in the darkness, with heavy floral drapes blocking out the moonlight and all the lights in the house turned off, a consequence of it being past one in the morning, she could make out every detail of the bedroom. Her bedroom, even if the occasion of her occupying it had recently become scarce. Y/n had decorated the room herself, when she’d just moved in with her Aunt Bev. Her mother had hated that Y/n had chosen to leave, despised the court for giving Roger sole custody and abhorred the fact that in the end, because Y/n certainly couldn’t travel the globe with her father, she’d settled with her ex-sister in law. 

Rolling onto her side, facing the wall opposing the awning window to the left, Y/n couldn’t see it, but she knew for a fact that the lilac wall was peppered with band posters, sentimental pictures and those ridiculous plaques with inspirational quotes strewn in cursive. Sometimes Y/n couldn’t believe that she had been that kind of teenage girl. The kind that was so oblivious to the jaggedness of life that she thought hers could be remedied with some pretty words framed with flowers and hearts. Even then, she should have known better, she’d seen the marriage that she’d idealized fall apart, watch her mother spew venom at people she’d been taught to love and watched her father get in a cab, only to leave for months on end, more times than any little girl should have. But she had hope. Hope that things would be different when she was finally old enough to make it count. Hope that she hadn’t realized would dwindle before she could put it to use. 

Sighing quietly, Y/n shifted again, the rustling of her duvet no match for the persistent clock. It went without saying that sleep had been hard to come by since she’d gone to Santa Clara. She’d gotten in two days ago, and in those two days, a collective ten hours might have been a generous overstatement. It was like Y/n couldn’t turn her mind off, it was always going, usually replaying every moment spent with Keanu, desperately trying to figure it out, find where they were going wrong. But she couldn’t, for the life of her, Y/n just couldn’t. Well, at least, she couldn’t accept it. Accept part of the blame, accept that their way of doing things wasn’t the best, accept that maybe, they really had no place being together.

They hadn’t even spoken since she’d left, and while Y/n had, several times, considered calling him, she’d let the thought pass her by. Or rather, she’d forcefully pushed it away. What if he didn’t want to talk? What if she called and didn’t know what to say. 

She wished he wanted to talk. 

Keanu.

Blinking slowly, Y/n exhaled slowly. It was getting hard to pretend it didn’t hurt most times, but still, she cared for him. She cared too damn much. He was dangerously gorgeous, and his baritone was reminiscent of fine whiskey over rocks. His calloused touch, gliding over her hips, skimming her curves, was incomparable and Keanu’s brazen, quiet charm never failed to draw her in. There was so much about him besides that too, they way he made her heart beat a little faster by just whispering her name, they way his embrace could brighten the darkness and how it felt to kiss him. His taste; tobacco and mint, the way his tongue slid over Y/n’s when his lips fused with hers, it was……..perfect.

Y/n’s breath hiccuped at the realization that finally dawned upon her, and her eyes burned. Even after everything. After she’d realized that they were probably headed down a one way street to gut turning heartbreak; she’s fallen in love with him. 

She loved Keanu.

There, flat on her back, staring blankly at the clear ceiling, Y/n could barely register the quiet tears that escaped the corners of her wide eyes. Loved? When she wasn't even sure if he cared. And then, because she could never really get away from him, even if she was out of town, Y/n’s phone vibrated on the nightstand next to her, illuminating the darkened room.

The ringing seemed to go on forever and Keanu was beginning to think that Y/n had already turned in for the night. Still, he kept the faith, hoping that she’d pick up. He wanted to hear her.  He needed to hear her. It had been going on two days since they’d last spoken as time stretched forward, the gnawing feeling, the sheer insecurity, had only grown. Y/n was miles away, and every minute passed was a minute more of her putting him in the rear view. 

Even if they were a mess before, the moment Y/n had left, Keanu’s affections for her had been reignited with vigor. He couldn’t tell if it was plainly physical or not, but if his unsavory, juvenile actions had been anything to go by, he couldn’t discount the thought. Though, Keanu wouldn’t have gone as far as saying that he didn’t miss other things too; her laugh, the playful way she’d roll her eyes when he told a stupid joke and the warmth that would spread through him when Y/n laid her head on his shoulder. 

“Hello?” The line connected and her voice rang through breathy and soft. If Keanu closed his eyes, with just that one word, he could fuel his fantasy and ease his weary mind, and she was there. 

“Hey,” he whispered, husky and low, sitting up against the headboard, running corrective fingers through disheveled hair, “Did I wake you?”

Keanu could have sworn he caught her sniffing quietly, but Y/n spoke before he could think to ask about it, “No,” she dismissed, and could hear the faint sound of Y/n moving around between the sheets. Maybe he should have gone with her, that might have made things better, right? “I actually couldn’t sleep.”

Moistening his lips, Keanu wondered if it was because of him. If Y/n had been laying in bed, mind running rampant with thoughts of him they way his head with images of her. “Yeah, me too.” He sighed when she didn’t make a move to stir the new bout of silence, not really sure of what he should say next. The mood was confusing, he wasn’t even sure if she actually wanted to talk to him. If she wanted to talk, she might have called. And she hadn’t called, so maybe she didn’t want to talk. After his not so stellar behavior a few days ago though, he couldn’t blame her. And of course, that had just turned into something else they had neglected to address.

“I miss you,” he tested tentatively. It wasn’t a lie, he did miss her, yet still, Keanu was surprised that he’d chosen to admit it. He often thought that it was probably better to guard his feelings, to keep them close so there wasn’t the chance that they could be used against him. He didn’t want to be hurt like that, so instead, by default, he’d hurt her like that.

It took a while, and Keanu could feel the weight descending on his chest, she didn’t feel the same, she wasn’t missing him. Saying that was a mistake. The sirens were about to go off, he was about to shut down their brief conversation, when meekly, as always, she was able to still his quickened breaths, uttering in return, “I miss you too.” 

Clam. 

The sigh of relief that escaped his parted lips caught Keanu off guard and he was immensely relieved that the feeling was shared between them. “What have you been up to?” Y/n, seemingly sensing the impending awkwardness, probed gently.

“Not a lot,” an air of pseudo-nonchalance carried in his tone as Keanu toyed with the tightly stitched hem of his thick, warm, coverlet, the navy strips barely visible by the moonlight filtering in through the pulled curtains, “Just clearing up some things at Arch. I hung out with some friends earlier tonight. But that’s it. What about you, how’s your aunt and Santa Clara?”

“They’re good,” Y/n glazed over everything she’d done since she’d gotten there; how she’d caught up with her aunt over dinner, how they’d gone shopping and everything else. And after that, the ice between them seemed to start thawing and they fell into easier, more comfortable conversation. Two hours had passed, and it was only when the clock at his bedside indicated that it was nearly half three in the morning when Keanu heard Y/n yawn, a soft groan traveling through the line followed by and very sleepy, though absolutely adorable, “I’m tired.”

“I should let you get to sleep then,” Keanu chuckled. He was only just starting to feel the wear of the day past himself, and as it turned out, a lengthy chat with Y/n was just what he needed to loosen the tension in his shoulders.

“Mmm,” Y/n hummed, probably not even completely registering the words leaving her mouth, her mind in too much of a sleep deprived haze to keep up, “But I don’t want to,” she whined playfully. 

Truthfully, Keanu didn’t want her to either, but it was getting closer to four am and he didn’t want Y/n to spend too much of her time back home asleep, missing out on doing things with her aunt, and he was supposed to meet his sister the next morning too. “Well,” he worried on his lips for a moment, thinking some more, “Can we switch to Facetime?” 

Y/n hesitated for a minute, but eventually complied, “Sure,” she giggled, probably wondering where he was going with that. In just minutes, Keanu was looking at her, the image blurred from the darkness, though he could see that her hair was a little messy, less so than his, and she was wearing her pajamas, “What next?”

“Lay down,” he urged, easing on his own pillow and propping his phone on the bare spot next to him, watching intently as Y/n eventually followed suit, using a little stuffed animal and an extra pillow to keep her phone from falling. “Okay,” he sighed giddily when they were both set, “Now we can go to sleep together.” Keanu watched, smiling softly as Y/n dragged her lower lip through her teeth, before reaching over and fiddling with the sheets, “What are you doing?” He chortled, amused as he caught bits of the covers in the frame.

“Tucking you in,” she defended, adjusting the sheets again. Out of instinct, and definitely not by her request, Keanu started doing the same. By then, he didn’t need Y/n to mention something before he started mirroring her habits; chewing on his lip while he thought, circling the rim of his coffee mug with his finger, and now tucking his phone in. “Goodnight Keanu,” she managed between slow, sleepy blinks. 

“Goodnight Y/n,” he hummed, his own eyes heavy and slipping closed as Y/n finally succumbed to sleep, the call still on.

5 days later Coming in through the private terminal, Y/n knew that Keanu had adamant on picking her up, though she hadn’t expected to see him so soon, awaiting her just as she approached the escalator, struggling to carry her luggage. Squealing, she beamed as he pushed off the glass railing, approaching her quickly, only for Y/n to drop her bag and pull him into a tight hug. Through a deep inhale, she breathed his musky scent, reveling in the comfort of his arms. “I missed you,” she breathed into his neck as Keanu briefly lifted her off the floor. 

“I missed you too,” he grinned as he set her down, his hands still maintaining a firm hold on her waist. Just for a minute, Keanu started leaning down, about to kiss her, when he caught himself, realizing that they were already on the receiving end of some inquisitive stares, thinking better of it. Suddenly, the air between them felt clumsy and awkward, like it had before Y/n had left.

So nothing had changed.

Letting go of a nervous, silently pained breath, Y/n pulled away, a little upset when Keanu made no move to keep her to him. “Let me get this for you,” Keanu offered, grabbing the handle of her suitcase and easing her carry on off her shoulder.

“Thanks,” Y/n sighed, letting the space between them build naturally as they walked. The ride down turned out to be as uneventful as she’d expected, though the real drama came when she and Keanu were headed towards the exit. It had started slow and unwelcome, one pushy camera man at the first waiting area they passed, another two joining him as they walked. But eventually, somehow, they had multiplied,  and before long cameras were shuttering and being shoved in their faces, and while most of them just wanted her and Keanu to stop for pictures, some of the shoves came  with invasive questions. 

“Are you two dating?”

“How’s the movie coming along?”

“Are the rumors true?”

“Did you break-up with Luke for Keanu?”

They took it in stride, like two professionals who knew what they were doing, not for a minute entertaining the paparazzi as they bustled towards the automatic doors just up ahead. With everyone surrounding them though, the door seemed almost unreachable, and while Y/n had grown used to being bombarded by nosy paps who’d do anything in the name of the gig, she found it especially unbearable that day, especially since part of Y/n longed for the reassurance that she Keanu wasn’t going to give. If he wouldn’t take her hand on the beach, he certainly wasn’t going to do it when they were surrounded by cameras. 

Her breathing quickened and her heart thumped erratically against her ribs. She didn’t like that, not in the slightest. Even if Keanu was just a foot away, Y/n felt completely alone, as if she were the only receiver of those pushy, invasive questions, while Keanu, as always, looked perfectly unaffected, not uncomfortable in the slightest. Y/n wished that just for once, he could be as bothered as she was, care as much as she did. 

By the time they had left the building, two security guards had escorted them to his car, and it wasn’t until they were safely inside his Porsche, did Keanu lean over the consul in an attempt to kiss her. Y/n wasn’t willing to make it that easy though, he was fine when they were alone but avoided being with six inches of her in public, it couldn’t work like that, she wasn’t something that he could just play with when he was bored. So, instead of letting him near, Y/n pulled away, her head jerking back. “What’s wrong?” Keanu furrowed his brows with real concern. 

“You tell me,” Y/n’s lips pursed, and she stayed like that, huddled against the passenger door, "You're the one acting……"

"Acting like what?" Keanu stood his ground, shifting in his seat to face her properly. Y/n could tell he knew exactly what she was talking about, though wasn't as willing to admit it. 

"Like you don't want people to know about us," she folded her arms across her chest, imposing a physical barrier between them, unwilling to waver as much as Y/n knew Keanu wanted her to. 

"Come on Y/n," he chuckled humorlessly, his tongue quickly darting out to nervously moisten his lips, "You just got back, you really wanna do this now?" 

Y/n thought that Keanu almost sounded exasperated, still though, she pushed, "So I'm right?"

Shaking his head, his ran sticky fingers through his hair, disturbing its wind tousled neatness, "I never said that."

"You never say anything," emphasis lingered in the last word, "And you don't have to either, the way you act when we're out says enough."

When he reached out for her hand, Y/n pulled away, and if it were possible for her to recoil further into her seat, she might have, "Come on babe," Keanu sighed heavily, "You're blowing this out of proportion, you know how people will talk if they find out."

By then, stinging tears had gathered in her eyes, and Y/n knew that he was trying to downplay and dismiss her suspicions, and the worst part? It was working. She knew he was lying, the problem wasn't the press, the problem was him. It was them. But he was never going to want to talk about it. So instead, he'd sell her a lie, one she'd readily swallow if it meant she could keep him. "So you want us to just…….hide?"

"Just for a while," there he went with a another lie, "Maybe when you're older, or when we're in a better place," that time, when Keanu reached out, Y/n begrudgingly let him take her hand, relaxing ever so slightly when his thumb traced her knuckles, "I'm just trying to protect us. Protect you."

She didn't want to believe him, but she loved him. God, she loved him. Knowing full and well that he probably didn't love her back. And because of that she'd take whatever he sold as the truth, for as long as she could. Y/n would forgive the pain he'd cause and ignore the warnings. She'd do a lot, if only it meant that she could prolong the inevitable. 

"Okay," she breathed tearily, feeling the warmth slowly trickle down her cheeks. Reluctant at first, Y/n eventually let her resolve crumble as Keanu reeled her in.

"Come 'ere," he mumbled, Keanu's free hand tangling in her hair and his hold on her wrist loosening. "I missed you," he added quietly, laying his lips on his, in a salty, bittersweet welcome back. In unison, their mouths worked, and Y/n let her eyes slipped closed, tilting her head and cupping his neck. 

As they continued Y/n let the weight of Keanu's untruths sink in, hoping that like everything else, it would lighten as time wore on. 

*******

Tagging- @harrisongslimited​  @paanchu786​  @thesadvampire​  @fanficsrusz​  @fickensteinn​  @ladyreapermc​  @babygirltaina​  @septimaseverina​  @snatchedbylele​  @omg-imagine @21stcenturyyfoxx​  @magnificentclodpiebanana @allie1804-fan @keandrews  @greenmanalishi  @rdjloverxxx​  @danceoftwowolves​

#keanu reeves #keanu reeves x reader #keanu reeves x you #keanu reeves fanfic #john wick #john wick x you #john wick x reader #john wick fanfic #ff #fanfic #keanu reeves fanfiction #angst #lana del rey #put me in a movie #fanfiction

[ofgeneticperfection]

ABCs of your OCs

A list of oc questions in alphabetical categories - i made each category based on the first word I could think of in alphabetical order, so enjoy!

A: Aptitude 1. What are your oc’s natural abilities, things they’ve been doing since young? Well as far as natural goes, she’s always been good at digging up details and exploring things. She’s always had the ability to read people as well and has always been able to manipulate her way through situations.  2. What activities have they participated in? Does being a Science Experiment count as an activity? She’s certainly not had the chance to join clubs or extracurricular but she’s managed to find people who have taught her how to Hack and code on the side. Aside from that she’s assisted with other experiments.  3. What abilities do they have that they’ve worked for? By work she’s had to gain control over them but that would be her Telekinesis mostly. She’s also worked to learn how to fight with her fan-blades, combat is a skill no?

4. What things are they bad at? Showing emotions. She’s been taught that they make you weak or get in the way so for the most part she tends to really hide them, even from herself. I guess she’s bad at dealing with them too because of that. She usually just overrides the bad ones with distractions or sedatives. 5. What is their most impressive talent? Hmm...probably Telekinesis? Though arguably her skill with computers can be quite impressive, she does help discover how to upload consciousness after all. 

B: Basics 1. what is their hair color? Platinum or I like to say Moonwhite 2. what is their eye color? Electric blue, they have that glow behind them.  3. how tall are they? 5′4 4. how old are they? If she no longer ages, does it matter? 5. how much do they weigh? 125lbs

C: Comfort  1. how do they sit in a chair?  With legs curled up into it 2. in what position do they sleep? Curled on her stomach 3. what is their ideal comfort day? Remind me what a comfort day is? I don’t think she knows. 4. what is their major comfort food? why?  Cupcakes - They’re pretty and taste amazing 5. who is the best at comforting them when down? Reeve Tuesti animus-inspire

D: Decoration 1. how would they decorate a house if they had one under their name? Her color scheme would be black and royal blue and it would probably have a victorian-esque style to the furniture. 2. how would they decorate their child’s room? What child? x) 3. how do they decorate their own room? Much like above, black bed, blue carpet, vanity, antique looking mirrors, books strewn about etc..and then probably some high tech laptop xD 4. what type of clothes and accessories do they wear? She usually wears some type of dress or long sweater dress w/ leggings type of outfits. But she does get into her crazy sci-fi armor mode at times with metallic bands and alien-esque designs. Example HERE  Also, syringe belts, corset tops, vinyl...whatever she feels like but nothing ever baggy or denim.  5. do they like makeup/nail/beauty trends? I’m not sure that she’s into trends but if she’s browsing and finds a look that she likes she bound to try it out with her own twist to it. 

E: External Personality 1. does the way they do things portray their internal personality? Not exactly, she tends to a hide a lot by using the outside as a mask. Usually a cold exterior and the colder she is about something? Chances are the more that it actually bothers her inside. 2. do they do things that conform to the norm? I’m not sure she knows what normal is #lablife 3. do they follow trends or do their own thing? She tends to do her own thing  4. are they up-to-date on the internet fads? She doesn’t care 5. do they portray their personality intentionally or let people figure it out on their own? People are going to have to figure it out on their own, whatever she portrays is what she wants certain people to see. It’s all a controlled act unless you do break through to her. 

F: Fun 1. what do they do for fun? Tease people!, Works on her own projects, Talks to pet lab mice >> 2. what is their ideal party? A fancy club/bar with drinks and the atmosphere to not give a fuck about anything 3. who would they have the most fun with? Reeve Tuesti 4. can they have fun while conforming to rules? No, rules usually get broken whether intentional or not.  5. do they go out a lot? Not in her earlier years, and I wouldn’t say a lot but she does jump at any chance to get out when she can in later years or certain verses. 

G: Gorgeous 1. what is their most attractive external feature? Oof, I’d rather someone else answer but I would say her eyes? They’re very prominent .  2. what is the most attractive part of their personality? Sly, cunning, seductive. I know people like the tease and the mystery. 3. what benefits come with being their friend? Extreme favors and definitely protection. Need anything that science can create? She’s got your back. 4. what parts of them do they like and dislike? She likes her loyalty and strength but she dislikes her alien side and does what she can to hide it from others.  5. what parts of others do they envy? She doesn’t. In her mind she’s Perfect and has been conditioned that way. 

H: Heat 1. do they rather a hot or cold room? Cold so she can snuggle.  2. do they prefer summer or winter? Summer! 3. do they like the snow? It’s pretty...but it’s very cold so not really.  4. do they have a favorite summer activity? She loves the ocean and to hang at Costa del Sol. 5. do they have a favorite winter activity? She doesn’t experience much Winter in Midgar. 

I: In-the-closet 1. what is their sexuality? Most likely Bi.  2. have they ever questioned their sexuality? No. She likes what she likes. 3. have they ever questioned their gender? No....aside from the fact she’s part alien??? 4. would/was their family be okay with them being LGBT? What family? 5. how long would/did it take for them to come out?  She’s pretty much a take me how I am or leave it type. 

J: Joy 1. what makes them happy? Kisses, attention, affection 2. who makes them happy? Reeve! 3. are there any songs that bring them joy? Hip-hop de Chocobo :| 4. are they happy often? No - certain verses though....when Reeve’s around >> 5. what brings them the most joy in the world? Once again, Reeve x) and being called perfect by certain someones

K: Kill 1. have they ever thought about suicide? Self harm, yes. But never suicide. That would mean losing.  2. have they ever thought about homicide? Yeah most likely :| 3. if they could kill anyone without punishment, would they? who? Anyone who hurts whoever she protects or loves. Then again...she believes that’s the easy way out and she’d rather break them mentally or make them suffer over death.  4. who would miss them if they died? Her sissy Ari, Reeve, and I’d like to think Hojo.  5. who would be happy they died, anyone? I’M SURE! But I don’t know who. DO tell me if it’s you xD Certain sects of Avalanche perhaps?

L: Lemons 1. what is their favorite fruit? Pineapple, Kiwi, Raspberries, Loganberries 2. what is their least favorite fruit? Blueberries maybe? 3. are there any foods they hate? Pork products 4. do they have any food intolerance? Intolerant of shitty options  5. what is their favorite food? Sushi!

M: Maternal 1. would they want a daughter or a son? If with the right person, sure? She’d more lean towards a Son. 2. how many children do they want? It would all depend.  3. would they be a good parent? Probably 4. what would they name a son? what would they name a daughter? I don’t want to sit here forever just to figure this out xD It’ll come to her when the time comes. 5. would they adopt? If there was reason, sure. 

N: Never Have I Ever 1. what would they never do? Betray someone she loves. 2. what have they never done that they want to do? Gold Saucer please :V 3. is there anything they absolutely can’t believe people do? She certainly doesn’t understand camping. 4. what is the most embarrassing thing they’ve done? Oh um....thrown a cookie at the President? I’m sure she’s had lots of embarrassing moments.  5. have they done anything they thought they’d never do? Left the fucking labs! With Reeve of all people...never thought she’d see THAT coming. 

O: Optimism 1. are they optimistic or pessimistic? This tends to fluctuate 2. are they openly optimistic, throwing it on others? If she needs to cheer someone up.  3. are they good at giving advice? Yes! She’s very crafty and know’s how to work situations.     4. is there anyone in their life that throws optimism on them? Hmmm...Arialla! 5. were they always optimistic? Not really

P: Personality 1. what is their best personality trait? Strength and Loyalty 2. what is their worst personality trait? Vindictive, Stubborn, Volatile 3. what of their personality do others love? Bold, Persistent 4. what of their personality do others envy? Fearless or crazy 5. do they hate anything about their personality/about other’s personalities? She hate weakness in others like...extreme William type weakness :| She tends to hate her own emotions quite a lot. 

Q: Questions 1. do they ask for help? Yes if she needs it! She’s always willing to trade a favor.  2. do they ask questions in class? She’s not in school but she asks questions. It’s part of the scientific method. 3. do they answer questions that make them a little uncomfortable? Yes...unless its something she wants to keep hidden. 4. do they ask weird questions? All the damn time 5. are they curious? VERY!

R: Rules 1. do they follow rules? What are those again? 2. would they be a strict or laid-back parent? Both? 3. have they ever been consequences for breaking a rule? Yes, but she thinks its amusing/funny. 4. have they broken any rules they now regret breaking? Nope! No regrets! 5. do they find any rules they/others follow absolutely ridiculous? Most of them to be honest. Why limit yourself with the limitations of others?

S: Streets 1. are they street-smart? No, she tries :| 2. would they give money to someone on the streets? Yeah 3. have they ever gotten in a fight on the streets? If she hasn’t it’ll happen at some point. 4. has anything happened to them on the streets? Um... well, she may have slept with someone on a street but we’re not talking about that >> 5. are they cautious when out? Yes, she’s always cautious. 

T: Truth 1. are they honest? No, depends who she’s talking too though.  2. can they tell if someone is lying? Yeah, she’s good at reading others.  3. is it obvious when they’re lying? It’s not obvious but she does have her tells which mostly involve diversions.  4. have they lied about anything they regret lying about? If anything, it’s the lies that she tells herself that she regrets.  5. have they told truths that have been spread against their will? Yes

U: Underdog 1. have they been bullied? That would be a stupid thing to do. 2. have they bullied anyone? Aside from teasing or being manipulative for a reason? I don’t think so. 3. have they been physically attacked by a bully? Nope - again that would be stupid 4. have they ever been doubted? Probably - Definitely  5. have they surprised people with being good at something? Yes

V: Vomit 1. do they vomit often? Not too often but when those emotions slip out in extremes she tends to throw up, what she shoves down must come up eventually. When she can’t take something this usually happens. Or if something impacts her hard. 2. do they get lots of stomach aches? Occasionally, she gets more headaches than anything. 3. are they good at comforting someone ill? Yes 4. what do they like as far as comfort goes? Someone to cuddle with 5. do they burp, cough, or hiccup most when nauseous? when vomiting? Coughs

W: Water 1. do they drink enough water? Probably not, if she even remembers to drink at all 2. have they learned to swim? Yes 3. do they like to swim? Yes 4. can they dive? Never tried 5. can they swim without holding their nose? Yes

X: Xylophone 1. what is their favorite genre of music? Electronic 2. do they have a favorite song? Too many to list x.x 3. do they have a favorite band/artist/singer? Still, too many to list 4. can they sing well? Yes 5. can they rap? Never tried to. 

Y: You 1. how old were you when you created them? 11 or 12 *cries* 2. what inspired you to create them? Final Fantasy 7 3. were they different when they were first created? Oh heck yes - she wasn’t even an experiment at first xD 4. do you enjoy writing them more than other characters? YES YES, she’s like all I can write really 5. what’s your favorite thing about them? How dynamic she is

Z: Zebra 1. what’s their favorite animal? Black Lions 2. do they like animals? Yes 3. cats or dogs? Cats 4. what’s their dream pet?  I’m sure if she wanted it she’d have it

5. do they have any pets at the moment? oooh, just a certain puppy  Tagged by: @animus-inspire (for messaging me this mess) Tagging: ALL OC’S PLEASE

#Muse #animus-inspire #Quiz #Finally! #*pant pant pant* #TW: Vomit #(why the heck is this question even in here? xD) #26 letters never felt so long

[jamielea81]

Just a Simple Lie

Chapter 1

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Description: Having worked on small independent films for the better part of a decade, your friend tells you about an opening for a script supervisor with a large studio. Wanting to advance your career, you apply and get an interview. The only downside, they prefer to hire crew who are married. It’s just a simple lie, right?

A/N: This fic is simply for fun. I know nothing about the personal lives of the two actors in this series and mean no harm. I am also totally guessing regarding the studio talk. This particular chapter is Chris light as it’s mainly a getting to know the reader. Chapters going forward will be heavy on the Chris aspect. Comments, reblogs, and likes are always welcome. Tag list is open, please send me an ask.

“Do you have the ring?”

“Of course, I have the ring.” You let out a frustrated breath. “This is so silly.”

Joanna chuckles over the line. “Where did you manage to get a ring from anyway?”

“It’s my grandmother’s. I feel like I’m majorly disrespecting her by wearing it when I’m not even engaged. Not to mention I’ve been single for-ev-er.” You drawl out.

“Breathe babe. Just breathe.” She says softly.

You inhale deeply and exhale it slowly.

“Maybe don’t do that directly into the phone.” She laughs again.

“Joanna Elizabeth.” You growl. “Why am I doing this?” You ask catching a glimpse of your reflection in the review mirror. Running a hand through your hair, you see the diamond engagement ring on your left finger. It feels so foreign, even stranger seeing it.

“Because this is a great opportunity to advance your career. Stone Lite is a major studio, Y/N. You can’t keep working on those student films.”

“Hey! I worked on a couple of independent movies. One even showed at Sundance.” You defend.

“And that’s awesome. Really. But this could be your big in. You’ve been doing this, what, for ten years?”

She was right. Ten years and the majority of your income came from student funded films and slinging beers three nights a week.

“And by your silence, you know I am right.”

Smug bitch.

“Ahuh.” You sigh.

“Look, I know it’s not right, but if this increases your chances of getting hired, just wear the damn ring.” Joanna huffs out.

“Easy for you to say, oh, wise married one.”

Joanna previously worked for Stone Lite Studios before moving on to Sony. It was a well-known amongst the employees that if you wanted to get hired for any position that put you in direct contact with any of the actors, you needed to be married. The studio was concerned with fan girls and fan boys. As if adults couldn’t control their urges and not make unwanted advances. Not to mention, married or not, some people still have affairs. Now granted, not every person there was married, but you had a greater advantage to get the job if you were. Right or wrong.

You drew the line at saying you were actually married and settled on being engaged. Not wanting to worry about details like how you kept your last name and lying on the tax forms you’d have to fill out. Even though you’ve only worked on small projects, Hollywood was surprisingly small when it came to the industry. It would be a lot harder to explain a sudden husband versus a fiancé. With Joanna’s agreement, you took your grandmother’s engagement ring from your jewelry box and slipped it on your finger.

“I’m just saying, give it a shot and see where this goes.” She reasoned.

“You’re right. You’re right. I better go in anyway. There’s a golf cart that keeps circling around the lot. They’re probably getting suspicious as to why I’m still in my car.”

She let out a chuckle. “They’re going to give you a ride to the offices. Welcome to the big leagues baby.”

 “Ms. Y/L/N, may I call you Y/N? Barbara Floyd, the interviewer and also the production manager asked.

The two of you had already gone over your previous crew history where you held a variety of positions including editor, grip, writer, and even wardrobe. On a whim, you took a script supervisor position on an independent short and really enjoyed it. The next job you took was on full length film in the same position, that’s when you decided that’s where your passion lied. Despite the copious amount of responsibility and that often brought on your anxiety, you loved the challenge.

“Of course, Mrs. Floyd.”

Her eyes went directly to your left hand. “That’s a beautiful ring.” She says.

Here we go.

“Thank you.” You stick your hand out for added affect.

“When’s the wedding?” She asks.

“Next year. We have a lot of out of town family. We just want to make sure they have time to arrange travel.”

Look at me lie. Maybe I should have tried acting.

“I’m sure it will be lovely.” She replies with a wide smile. “I’d like to introduce you to a few people. Please come with me.”

You received a contract via e-mail later that evening. They were bringing you on for one film with the option of three additional films after production. Granted, that’s if you didn’t mess up. Joanna was right, this is the big leagues. If you could make it through the next three to four months, you’d have a long term contract with a major studio.

The next day you received the script. Winter’s Sin was the working title. Whether or not the title would stick was anyone’s guess. You had worked with a few well-known actors, but more of the B list variety. Wonderfully talented actors, but they just didn’t get the parts or the recognition they often deserved. This film had a couple of big names, Keanu Reeves and Chris Evans to be exact. Maggie Jessup was this year’s it girl and rumor had it, this movie was going to launch her into stardom. Generally, you didn’t get star struck, but this was Keanu Reeves! You first fell in love with him when you saw Speed. And again, when you watched The Lake House. Too bad you were technically “engaged”.

Pre-production was set to start next week. This week would be spent going over the script a few times and creating notes. Some wouldn’t consider it the fun part of the job, but you loved diving into a script before it was brought to life. It was also a bonus that you generally liked the script. It was sort of a weepy drama with a love story tied in. But the main plot was between two friends, Milo played by Keanu and William played by Chris. You stayed up half the night and made it almost all the way through. To say you were invested was an understatement.

You read through the script twice more over the next few days and felt ready. Next week you would meet with wardrobe and the writers. The cast would be fitted and you would take photos for your own personal files to make sure styles remain the same for the shoot. Of course, this could all change the day shooting begins which is why you needed to be on your A game and get all the drinking out of the way tonight. You’d have Sunday to recover before starting at the studio on Monday.

 Laurel Tavern wasn’t necessarily your favorite bar, but it had become the place to get a bite to eat and a few drinks. It was also the most centrally located place for you and your friends to meet. Joanna and her husband Ian picked you up on the way, knowing you wanted to drink to excess. The three of you along with Travis and Jemma were celebrating your new job tonight. The five of you often found reasons to celebrate whether it was finding a twenty dollar bill on the side of the road, not getting fired from a particular job you’ve been slacking at, for the record, that was Travis, or getting a full eight hours of sleep. Tonight, was really worth celebrating.

“What do you want girl?” Joanna asked, getting up from your usual booth. “First rounds on me. If you’re nice, I might even buy you a second.” She throws you a wink.

“Ummm. I’d like a margarita, hold the margarita.” You say in all seriousness.

“Tequila. Got it.”  She says before turning away and heading to the bar.

“Extra limes.” You shout.

She waves her hand behind her head, not bothering to spare your table a look.

Travis joins your booth, a couple of pints of beer in hand. “Here, I brought you one.” Setting a pint of golden goodness in front of you.

You lean over kissing his cheek. “I feel so special.” You coo.

Travis wormed his way into your life seven years ago. He was a senior in college at the time, tall and lanky with hair that stuck out from under his hat. He was filming his final project before graduation. The two of you had a mutual friend in common, Jemma, who was an ex-girlfriend of Travis, how they stayed friends, was beyond you. You helped with directing, a little bit of script management, and even filled in for makeup on a few days. Anything to help a friend of a friend. Travis became your pseudo little brother, well, a brother that you kissed once. You had just broken up with Chad, never date a guy name Chad. Anyway, you had just broken up with Chad and were feeling down in the dumps about yourself. He fed you some bullshit about never being there for him when he needed you. You got angry, he got angry, and then he told you that you weren’t hot enough for him. Yep, Chad was a douche. Travis invited you over, feed you pizza and a ton of beers, then you kissed. He wasn’t a bad kisser, but it felt weird. He was five years younger than you, but it wasn’t just that, he was too much like a brother. The two of you agreed that it was a mistake and never brought it up again. Not even Jemma knew.

The five of you munched on burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches. Jemma bought you a margarita, even after you told her you just wanted the tequila. Her motive was to mooch some of the beverage off of you.

“I don’t want all of the calories. I just want to try it.” She grins. Big rosy cheeks and wild blonde hair. Her British accent on full affect after already consuming a few shots herself. She had lived in the United States most of her life, but when she drank, the accent became heavier.

She grabs your drink, taking a hold of the straw and consumes half of it in one go. If you didn’t love her, you would have ditched her years ago.

Pushing Ian out of the booth, you get up on wobbly feet and make the long twenty foot journey to the bar. “I’ll get my tequila myself. Thank you very much.” You tell the table.

 It’s after midnight by the time you’re dropped off. Running a makeup remover cloth over your face and stripping down to a cami, you call it good enough and crawl into your cozy bed.

 After a pit stop at Starbucks, you make it to the studio an hour earlier than you need to be. After parking in Timbuctoo, you graciously accept the golf cart ride from security.

One of the admins directs you to a small office down a long hallway with similar offices. There’s a laptop computer, various pens and notepads on the desk. You unpack a small plant you picked up yesterday after you dragged your hungover self out of bed and to the grocery store for food. There was no window in your office which you figured; a little greenery would liven the place up, literally.

 An hour later, one of the producers, David, came by to introduce himself and walk you around the grounds and through the soundstage you’d be shooting on. Filming would take place on the soundstage for a little more than a month. Then everyone would move the whole operation to Vancouver. The movie was called Winter’s Sin after all and there wasn’t a whole lot of winter in Los Angeles.

Before stopping back in your office, David popped into the office across from yours. He knocked while walking in, apparently already comfortable with the occupant.

“Hey Monica. I want you to meet Y/N. She’s the assistant script supervisor I was telling you about.”

Assistant? What?

Monica got up from her chair to greet you. You plastered on a smile and stuck out your hand. She was around your age and seriously gorgeous. Beautiful thick brown hair with a touch of caramel highlights that hung just above her chest.  

“Hi, Y/N. I’m looking forward to working with you. Would love to hear some of your ideas.”

“Same.”

What could you say? You weren’t told that you were an assistant script supervisor, you thought you had the position. Apparently, it was a shared position.

“Y/N will be working primarily with Chris and Keanu.”

Whoa. Well, at least there’s that.

Monica scoffs. “Really?”

Your eyes automatically go to her left hand. No ring. Of course.

“Yes, really. You’ve got Maggie. I think she can really flourish under your direction. Not to mention you have Hector, Tim, Daisy and Joe.

After the awkward exchange, you traded cellphone numbers with her and made plans to meet after the first read through with the cast.

Walking across the way into the safety of your office, you figured you might as well ask.

“I wasn’t aware that I was being hired on as an assistant script supervisor.”

David ran a hand down his face. “Y/N, listen. This is your first big film; you need to walk before you can run. Alright? If this goes well, you’ll probably get hired on as the lead.”

“Okay.” You sighed out

“Alright, I’ll see you later. Meeting at three on the soundstage.”

“Got it.” You replied, plopping yourself down in the desk chair.

David peeks his head back into your office. “You’ve got some visitors.”

“Thanks.” You call out, standing back up and pulling your door open wider.

Your heart stopped. At least you were pretty sure it did. Keanu and Chris were both in front of you. Yes, you were there to film a movie, but this felt like a freaking movie. The two of them, side by side, grins on their faces. Keanu’s hand outstretched while Chris’ hands were snugly in the front pockets of his jeans.

“Y/N, pleasure to meet you. I’m Keanu.”

You accept his hand but your pretty much speechless. You may have muttered “hi” but you can’t be sure. Sensing your nervousness, he gives you a smile and releases your hand. He looks to Chris and they exchange a silent conversation. Chris steps forward offering you his hand and once again you can’t breathe.

Has he always been this attractive? Apparently, I haven’t watched enough Avengers movies.

His hair’s a bit longer than what you remember from the one or two movies you’ve seen. He’s also sporting a full beard. Definitely something he can pull off.

You mentally slap yourself and pull your hand from his after you realize you hadn’t said anything.

“Um. Sorry. Haven’t had enough caffeine today. It’s nice to meet you both. I look forward to working with you on this shoot.”

“Nice plant.” Keanu says, pointing at the fern taking up the front corner of your desk.

You giggle. Like actually let out a giggle and you’re pretty sure your cheeks are flushed.

You’re a professional. Get your shit together.

“Well, you know?” Shrugging your shoulders. “Need to green the space up a bit.’

Chris nods his head and offers a closed mouth smile.

“Well, we won’t take up all your time. Just wanted to say hello.”

“Hello.” You reply with a wave.

Why am I so awkward?!

They both chuckle and Chris waves back at you.

Tomorrow you wouldn’t be so starstruck. These are just two men that you work with. Who cares that they both seem nice and are dangerously attractive? You’re an “engaged” woman who is also a professional. You can do this.

Yeah. I can do this.

If you are crossed out, I can’t tag you.

Tag list: @southerngracela  @chrisevansforever  @chrisevansfanfic @zsuzstyina @peach-acid @tanelle83 @pinknerdpanda @allaboutthebooz @estillion14 @panicfob@patzammit @heartislubbingdubbing @collinsstanharbour @twittytelly @thefandomzoneisdangerous @linki-locks11 @jennmurawski13

#Chris Evans #chris evans fanfic #keanu reeves #actor fic #Chris Evans Fan Fiction #just a simple lie #Chris Evans x Reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n

[diyunho]

The Joker x Reader - “Queen Of The Damned”

In the whole eternity, The Queen of the Underworld only loved once: he was mortal and died shortly after she gave him a child. So when The Joker says he’s a Prince, he’s not actually lying or being a presumptuous lunatic: the green haired man is in fact royalty and sole heir to The Realm Below.

“Stop fidgeting!!!” the nurse admonishes. “This is a new experimental drug and it will help you, OK?” she tries to reason with the patient confined inside a straitjacket, heavy chains bounding him to the metal table.

“Let me go!” he hisses and tries to bite her as she checks his neck for pulse.

“I can’t let you go, Mister Joker. We’re trying to make you better, alright?” the caregiver dodges his teeth before J can sink them in her flesh.

“If you don’t untie me, my Mother will come!!! She doesn’t like it if I’m in danger!”

“Shut the hell up, you insane bastard!” the attending physician can’t hold in his bitterness while mixing the serum.

“Doctor Reeves!” the woman raises her voice. “That’s not the way we talk! I know you are new at Arkham Asylum, but I would really appreciate it if you treat our cases with respect!”

“I’m sorry,” the physician apologizes for his unprofessional remark. “He gets on my nerves!”

“Yes well… Please keep your personal opinions to yourself because they’re not doing any good! The patient is very agitated; would you like me to take over?” she offers and gets cut off.

“I don’t need your expertise, I’m a doctor for God’s sake!”

“I wasn’t implying otherwise,” the nurse sighs at his obvious crankiness; why does she have to be stuck during the night shift with Reeves?! Arkham’s South Wing is already harboring the worst criminals and a psychiatrist that took the job for the thrills can’t possibly render assistance to the troubled convicts incarcerated here.

“I’m done,” he taps the syringe and approaches The Joker when the lights suddenly flicker. “Another power outage?! The storm is not that bad!” the guy rants and doesn’t realize the prisoner is not struggling to escape anymore.  

“My Mother’s coming!” the most demented smile flourishes on The Joker’s lips. “I warned you!” he maniacally starts laughing with delight. “You should have listened!”

A low rumble shakes the immense building and the convoluted hallways fill up with mist: the Queen of The Realm Below steps in the world of the living again, surrounded by her loyal army of twisted warriors.

“Protect The Prince!” the invisible wraiths shriek, crawling on the walls in order to destroy the cameras. Some fly through brick and metal with the sole purpose of fulfilling their ruler’s command: no greater honor than aid her son trapped in the human kingdom.

He often gets in trouble and somehow miraculously vanishes or avoids hazardous situations; this is his first time at Arkham and the authorities will believe tonight’s events are an inside job or simply an elaborate breakout plotted by The Joker’s team.

Ironically enough The King of Gotham is not even crazy: his mind works on a totally different level due to the unearthly heritage. There is no cure for a person that’s not sick, no medicine or therapy allegedly mending something that’s not fractured.

“Why isn’t the generator kicking in?” Reeves stares at the ceiling and the nurse carefully listens, pointing out a disturbing detail:

“Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” the doctor crinkles his nose. “It’s silent.”

“Exactly,” she mutters. “Why is it so quiet?”

“I have no idea,” he prepares to poke The Joker’s arm when the halogen bulbs instantly go out. “Ana, can you…” the psychiatrist mumbles as the lights turn back on. “Finally!” he turns towards the woman and gasps at the frightening apparition standing next to him. Your sword whooshes in the stillness and the corpse falls to the ground, abruptly followed by the caregiver’s: both didn’t have the opportunity to process what they saw by pure coincidence. It was gone in a second along with their existence.

The Queen towers over the medical ward, slowly taking off her helmet; her hair intensely burns, eternally fueled by the fires of The Underworld.

“You came!” The Joker face brightens up with pure happiness noticing the creatures’ claws release him from his constraints: they grumble, coo and chirp seeing The Prince is safe and sound; he pets a few kneeling at his feet while rushing in your arms. “Mother!” J sniffles and you hold him tight until his body relaxes a little bit.

“Are you hurt?” you whisper and your son pouts, burying his cheeks in the cold silver of your plated armor.

“No,” the muffled word prompts a kiss on his forehead; The Joker lets go, unwilling to watch his mother depart: he’s aware she can’t linger for too long, yet the desire to stay close to her never fades. “When are you going to take me with you?” the piercing blue eyes inherited from his father glare into yours.

“Soon,” the elusive reply makes him frown.

“You promised and I’m always left behind!”

How can you explain why he’s still here?... J wouldn’t comprehend what coming with you to The Realm Below means: he would have to get rid of his mortal shell and you just don’t have the strength to witness him die.  

Despite the horrifying moniker, The Queen of The Damned is neither good nor evil; her actions are invariably guided by circumstances.

She takes care of lost, damaged spirits and although powerful and feared, Y/N is also the recipient of her legions’ constant devotion, for no other Monarch of The Underworld ever enjoyed being cherished by its subject as much as you are.

The abomination born from her love with a human didn’t diminish the horde’s allegiance: it actually made them adore The Queen more because affection is desperately craved in The Realm Below and they can’t wait to have a Prince willing to share his Mother’s duties!

But The Joker’s arrival keeps on getting postponed…  

“You know what I’ll do?” J mischievously snickers. “I’m gonna call my crew and tell them to pick me up. The mystery of how I’m able to walk out of this place without their intervention will drive them nuts! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” his sinister chuckle resonates in the room; he feels such gratification thinking about it one could presume he’s in a cheerful disposition. “Did you clear the path for me?” The Prince inquires and the entities snarl, excited he’s paying attention to their mighty deeds. “Perfect!” your son praises. “I’ll signal when to open the gates, ok?”

They growl at his approval and you have to interrupt the joyful mood:

“I have to go…”

“Is dad waiting for you?” J asks, already guessing the answer.

“Yes,” you nod and reassure: “Don’t worry, I’ll return when you need me!”

Before the sentence ends The Queen disappears, abandoning her descendant inside the Arkham Asylum. The Joker sulks, upset he can’t follow you and gets distracted by the commotion created on the other side of Block H: apparently some guards weren’t annihilated as expected.

“You said you cleared the path!” he scolds and picks up the phone, dialing Frost’s number. “No matter, I’ll get reinforcements and we’ll make this a party on our own, hm?” the silver grin widens at the concept of fighting his way out himself.

In the meantime, J’s mother materializes by the Endless Wall that separates The Realm Below from The Realm Above: its transparent, glass like composition is meant to keep you apart from the man you love. Why?

The response is easy: The King reigning over The Realm Above always craved your fondness and felt betrayed when you gave your attention to a mere human; deciding to give Kai a child was the epitome of mockery for the jealous emperor. He never accepted your choices had nothing to do with him. Thus he took the matters in his own hands and ensured Kai’s demise, making certain you won’t be able to save him: the mortal you loved was killed in a car crash and went to The Realm Above, which was the plan all along. Since The Joker’s father was at peace when he passed and not a lost, broken soul, he didn’t wind up in your kingdom; The Emperor sealed the borders as soon as Kai appeared on his domain, making sure you won’t touch or hear each other again.  

You tried to break the spell without success: only the one that casted such magic could reverse it and The King has no intention to do so. He likes torturing The Queen of The Damned and her beloved, that’s why he lingers in the shadows to glutton at their agony every time they meet.

Today is no exception and it sure brings The Emperor great comfort to view the aftermath of his revolting actions: it probably hurts because you’re unable to do more than gaze at the man you love. Such a fit punishment for a stuck-up Queen rejecting his proposal. You sure got what you deserved! All the powers you possess are useless against his impenetrable curse unleashed out of pure resentment.

Hmm… what’s going on?... You suddenly seem flustered and The King is trying to estimate on the motive; Kai keeps on calling your name, yet you can’t discern the sounds anyway. You swiftly fade in a hurry, neglecting to wave goodbye for a valid pretext: the sharp ache in your chest alerted that something awful happened to your son.

**************  

The Joker is lying on the floor, almost unconscious from the blood loss. The red stain under him is growing bigger and bigger, reaching the collapsed security officers that stood between J and his freedom. He was overly hyped and decided to create mayhem: being reckless provoked the dark side of his personality and he didn’t wait for his gang nor allowed the wraiths to intervene.

The Clown Prince of Crime definitely counts on his Mother’s aid, therefore he doesn’t have to worry about consequences to his endeavors. He trusts you won’t fail to show up and get him out of messy situations like this one.

“M-mother…”, The Joker wheezes as you hover over him. “Mother… h-help me…”, he begs and your hesitation puzzles your heir; his father distracted you and in exchange J got severely injured.

“… …. …. I won’t… I can’t have your father, but I’ll take you…” The Queen confesses, adamant to overcome her delay in fulfilling his wish for years. Maybe she won’t be determined like she is now if another chance will arise in the future.

“Really?...” the hope in his tone makes you sadder. “Mother…” he winces in pain, trying to touch you. “Please h-help me…It…it hurts…”

You grab his fingers and squeeze them in yours, pecking his tattooed knuckles.

“I know…I’m sorry…”

“W-why won’t you…” and he pauses, taking a last labored breath, “…help m-me?!...”

His eyelids are closing, the individual labeled as one of the worse criminals lastly fleeing the prison of his mortal half. The Joker is dead and The Prince of The Realm Below emerges from his remains, stunned to wake up next to you.

“Mother?...” he blinks and you cup his face, relieved you had the courage to do what  you deferred in the past.

“It’s ok,” you smile. “You’ll get used to the sensation, give it a few moments,” you pass your hand to his burning hair, amazed at the terrifying beauty he was blessed with thanks to his ancestry.

“Boss!!!”

“Mister Joker!!”

“Mister J, where are you?” the questions echo in the deserted Block H: his henchmen finally infiltrated the area, spooked at the unnerving feeling that something is shady. When they arrived, the Asylum’s gates were open; nobody around on the street, no guards, no medical personnel, nobody they could spot anywhere on their way to pick up The Joker as instructed.

“Over here!” Frost shouts and rushes to The Joker’s corpse, swiftly taking his pulse. “Shit!” he mumbles when he detects no heartbeat.

“What the fuck?!” Panda is the second to stumble on the scene, baffled to notice his employer covered in blood wearing just a pair of sweatpants.

“We need to get out this instant!” Frost commands as the others join the small group. “Help me carry him!”

“J?..” a woman’s voice emerges. “J?” the visibly pregnant Ava runs on the empty corridor. “Oh my God!” she panics when she sees them trying to lift him up. “J?” she gently caresses his face, panicked when there’s no movement. “Is he dead?” she presses on his wounds and starts crying since the guys are quiet. “Aren’t you going to do anything??!!” she screams, desperate to acknowledge not too much can be done.

“… Mother…” The Prince articulates and you already predict his request: “… Can I stay?”

Who else understands him better to begin with? He loves the mortal and you can relate to his anguish. Of course he wants to go with you also, yet there are things that are holding him back in the human world.

“I suppose I’m condemned to ages of loneliness…” you utter and give him a violent nudge before you change your mind.

The Prince falls back into his body; The Joker gasping for air makes Frost and Panda almost drop him on the marble floor.

“J!” Ava exclaims in disbelief. “Baby??!!” she brings her ear to his lips because he’s saying something.

“Mother… Mother…” J faintly repeats and the woman misinterprets. “Yes, I’m going to be a mom and you’re going to be a dad. You already know this, hm?” she caresses his face. “Be careful!” Ava reprimands as they wrap Richard’s jacket around The Joker and Panda drags a stretcher next to them.

“Jesus boss, we thought we lost you!” Jonny adds and barely deciphers his reply:

“You’re not that lucky…”

The Joker keeps staring at The Queen and the army hidden to the rest of them: she’s leaving and although weakened, he wants to apologize for generating more sorrow when she doesn’t deserve it.

“Forgive me…” J whispers and your last words only he can discern give him unexpected bliss:

“There’s nothing to forgive.”

**************

You come near the transparent wall, seeking to find consolation even if it’s impossible: Kay is on the other side, the palm of his right hand against the invisible barrier. You cover it with yours, wishing you could tell him so much but what’s the point?...  He can’t hear you.

“I couldn’t bring him with me,” The Queen whispers nevertheless. “He wanted to stay… and I couldn’t force him…”

Something is trickling down your face and you touch it, confused.

What is this?! Tears don’t exist in The Underworld; a few drip on the barrier and it starts sizzling to your legion’s dismay. They sniff the bubbly fumes, curiously scratching at the expanding chain reaction: the wall is melting.

You and Kay watch the gap becoming larger and larger until there’s enough space to fit. Is this real or an illusion?!

I guess you’ll have to find out so you take a few shaky steps towards him, not being able to suppress your astonishment when he yanks you in his arms.  

The Emperor is lurking in the shadows, furious his unbreakable magic is dissipating with each passing moment. Your warriors are granted free passage again and they spill inside The Kingdom Above, howling while awaiting orders.  

As she hugs the man she loves, The Mother of lost spirits sneers through her clenched teeth:

“Attack!”

Also read: MASTERLIST

You can also follow me on Ao3 and Wattpad under the same blog name: DiYunho.

#the joker x reader #the joker fanfiction #the joker imagine #the joker jared leto #the joker #the joker suicide squad #joker #joker fanfiction #joker jared leto #joker suicide squad #mister j #Mistah J #dc #dcu #joker imagine

[rainbowserenity]

I finished the FF7 Remake, and oh boy do I have THOUGHTS!!!! It’s been like an hour and a half and I’m still riding that high omg

if this was just the first part, I can only imagine how the rest of the game’s gonna go...

Anyway, rambly thoughts under this beautiful screenshot of Tifa I took:

- This game was seriously SO FUN???? I honestly can’t remember the last time I had so much FUN with a game...they really did so well with all the gameplay mechanics and having a good balance of everything, so A++++ for that!

- They weren’t kidding when they said this would basically be a ~full~ game on its own, despite only being the first episode....I got close to 50 hours of gameply (although a lot of it was just me farting around doing nothing lmao) and nothing felt like it was lacking :D

- I really liked (most) of the new VAs! I was kinda worried about Barrett in the trailers, but he came through for me lolol even the NPCs sounded awesome!

- We all know Don Corneo’s a pig, but I actually really enjoyed his scenes because his VA was clearly having so much fun with it ahaha~ And I LOVE that they kept in the “I’ll cut them off/smash them/rip them off” lines pffft. Too classic!

- I LOOOOVE all the stuff they elaborated on....it was nice to see more of Midgar and hang out with the AVALANCHE nerds. I remember not really giving much of a fuck when they died in the OG, but I was full on sobbing at Jessie’s death scene in this game a;lskjf;laiwjef

- I thought the battle with Rude was kinda clever, that he wouldn’t really hurt Aerith but just kept putting her to sleep when you switched over to her...so RUDE hahahaha B)

- I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE CAIT SITH???!!! It makes me wonder if they’re gonna have a different way of introducing him, or if he’s gonna have a different sort of role...maybe Reeve will finally tell us how he operates a robot cat with a Scottish accent

- I loved the little details in the animation, like how when you climbed all the stairs in the Shinra building (because of course I did that lmao), Cloud gradually got slower and slower...or how when you controlled Tifa, she was naturally faster. And how Barrett sort of ‘limped’ when he climbed the ladders cause he just has one hand......I love tiny details and effort like that ahhh it warms my cold black heart!!!

- speaking of which, if you watch Red XIII pull the levers....you can kind of see how he’ll be able to pull off the sailor suit later on lmao I love him

- WALL MARKET!!!!!!! Definitely my favorite chapter omg alskdjflaiwejf The dance sequences were PERFECT!!! When did Cloud learn to dance?! I can’t wait to go back and replay that chapter lmao

- AERITH SMACKING THE GRUNTS AROUND WITH A CHAIR ADDED TEN YEARS TO MY LIFE

- So much of the game gave me XIII trilogy vibes....a lot of it was the music, but the gameplay and some bosses made me feel it too :D

- Am I crazy.......or were practically all the scenes with Sephiroth amazingly gay??? like idk if it’s just Hoech doing that, but........damn

- I officially ship Cloud/Tifa/Aerith as an OT3, but Tifa/Aerith were so cute and gay ahhhhhhhh~ Even if you don’t have shipper goggles, they did amazing at really elaborating their friendship!

- Honestly, all of the relationships between everybody were SO well done without it seeming like they were trying too hard. It felt so natural and easy, even between the NPCs, A++++ to the writers

- Battle-wise, I liked playing as Tifa the best, mostly because I typically enjoy using speedy characters. I actually liked playing as Aerith the least, even though I also enjoy using mages...Barrett took some getting used to, but he grew on me. And of course Cloud was lovely~ It’ll be interesting playing as Red eventually, I think he’ll be really fun to control

- I wonder if Yuffie’s eventual appearance will be handled differently, because they really kept emphasizing the whole “AVALANCHE IS WORKING WITH WUTAI!!!!!!!!” angle....and I doubt Yuffie will be an optional party member, so there might be some more story stuff there. I bet with Vincent they’ll just make waking him up mandatory lmao

- Going back to Wall Market....am I crazy, or was Chocobo Sam the only possible straight one of the trio 8D Madam M was clearly pansexual, don’t @ me

- AERITH SAID SHIT

- tbh I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ending, so there may be rambly tags in gifsets eventually, but....

- ZACK???????????????????? EXCUSE ME I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE MY HUSBAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YA’LL SHOULD’VE HEARD THE NOISES I MADE A;SLKDJF;ALWIEJF;ALWIEJF;ALWIJEF;LAWIJEF

- AND THAT “I’LL GO GET KUNSEL” LINE????? EXCUSE ME???????????????????????????????????????? WHY WOULD THEY PLAY MY HEART LIKE THAT?????????????????????????

- ........................................................I don’t much care for Zack’s new VA :(

- Though I think I’m just biased because Rick Gomez was PERFECT and always how I pictured Zack’s voice....this new one just doesn’t quite do it for me and that makes me sad :( - BUT HE’S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZACK EXIST AND MARRY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- seriously, how was it possible for him to get MORE beautiful???!!!?? I’m gonna cry just thinking about it rip

- I was talking to a friend about the ending, and she had what I think is a good theory that the Whispers have seen things play out before and this is just a reoccurring timeline. It would explain why Cloud had visions of Aerith praying for Holy, why Tifa saw Meteor, how they saw Red running around in the future... (plus, this was sort of the plot of Type-0, so it wouldn’t be the first time it’s been done lol)

- tbh though, I’m not sure how the possibility of Zack not going to Hawaii will play into things. Cloud’s cocky personality is a result of his trauma from Zack’s trip to Hawaii....so if that happened differently....

- Maybe Asshole Hojo picked Zack up??? Because he did seem to know who Cloud was and was all interested in furthering his ~experiments~ so it’s entirely possibly he’s a dick and has Zack locked up somewhere again....

- OR maybe Zack’s just in hiding and that’s what the “I’LL GO GET KUNSEL” line was all about, since Kunsel knows all?? IDK MY HEAD HURTS

- That being said, I need to think about things more and as I mentioned, there may be rambles in my tags in the coming weeks ahaha~

OVERALL, this game was a BLAST!!!! I loved it so much, and like I said, I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun playing something. 10000000000/10, highly recommended to the world and I can’t wait for the next part!

#final fantasy vii #ffviir spoilers #i mean under the cut but yeah #I JUST........... #DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FEEL ANYMORE #EVERYTHING IS FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!! #AND SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! #my tears though #the sobbing #the stupid noises #a;lskdjf;aliwjef;lwije #SOMEONE HOLD ME #WE'LL GET HAZMAT SUITS AND HUG #AHHHHHHHHHHH

[selenityshiroi]

FFVII REMAKE SPOILERS

Okay, I’ve given it a few days since the official launch. I have to give my thoughts on this game. Don’t read if you are still playing through, as I WILL be talking about the ending and some things that diverged from the original game.

First off, this game was so good in so many ways.

I was worried about the gameplay, because I’m not really an Action RPG gamer. But the gameplay was smooth, fun and well planned. I played the game on easy, so I could focus on getting through the story, but I WANT to play the next difficulty because I feel like I will enjoy the challange.

Then there was the graphics. Oh. My. God. This game is SO BEAUTIFUL. The scenery (even though it’s not always supposed to be beautiful, it’s so intricate and detailed and has such a scale and world building to it), the characters, the battle animations, the attacks...even the grotesque monsters look so well done. We KNOW the FF series is always known for it’s stunning visuals, but they really outdid themselves. And, yeah, there are a few texture bugs that’ll probably be patched at some point, but even things like the lighting and the facial expressions and body language...it’s all SO GOOD. If this was a movie they would be fighting for art direction awards.

But the part they totally blew my expectations away on, everyone’s expectations, is the character and story development.

When they said they expanded Midgar they really, really did. But not by senselessly bloating it out. Everything they did led to making you more and more invested in the events. Spending more time with Team Avalanche meant that you cared about Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. Spending time talking to the NPCs in Sector 7 meant that you really, really wanted to stop that plate from coming down. And every time you spent time with one of the main characters, you felt like you knew and understood them better than you ever did.

By the time we got to the plate collapse I actually felt GUILTY for doing side quests and looking for treasure etc. Because it felt like I’d failed the people in the slums (even though, obviously, taking your time doesn’t change the story). And they’d done SUCH A GREAT JOB in making the slums feel real.

Now...before I go into characters and relationships, let me be clear and upfront. I always have and always will ship Cloti. But I don’t hate Aerith. I never actually played her much in the original game (I was spoiled for her death and was very pragmatic in not wanting to waste my EXP). This game is my first real taste of Aerith as a character and not a lost friend, so I’ve loved getting to know her.

Let me get the Cloti talk out of the way, first.

HOLY SHIT.

I’m sure there are fans of other pairings who won’t agree, but most people are in agreement. Cloud and Tifa got a LOT of ship fuel in this game.

From the start, Tifa is the one person Cloud isn’t standoffish around. He tries but within a few minutes of them teamed up in Sector 7 they are gently teasing each other in banter, and he is SOFT AS HELL towards her. Since this comes directly after the opening mission (where he and Barret are openly antagonistic to each other and he barely tolerates the rest of the team) it’s very obvious. As the chapter goes on he also listens to her and offers support and encouragement, which is completely different to the rest of his interactions thus far.

As the game goes on this difference continues, even when he starts to open up to others. Despite the fact that he has encouraging and impressed battle dialogue with Tifa and seems to respect her ability to take care of herself, the game has him constantly protective of her. They also touch each other A LOT (both initiated by Tifa and Cloud) and far more so than anyone else. There are some super charged moments between them, too (the train jump scene alone has enough sexual tension to start a baby boom) and there are several gratuituous scenes of them grabbing at each other in danger and showing extreme concern both physically and emotionally (and more of Cloud being SOFT AS HELL when it comes to Tifa). Plus their optional scene is super romantically suggestive (with the hug and his concern for her emotions and the hints at their shared history).

I could spend so much time going over all of their interactions and little moments because WOW. But I wanna go over the other relationships.

Cloud and Barret have such amazing development through the game. They start out as super antagonistic to each other. Barret doesn’t trust him and Cloud doesn’t care. But Barret is a softy at heart and he can’t help but soften up a little. By the time of the second reactor mission they start to tolerate and appreciate each other a little. But by the time they are fighting to save the plate? At that point Cloud is invested in the Team and Barret knows he’s a good fighter and maybe a good guy. The optional scene (I haven’t triggered it but was linked to a video) they have is such a good one where is shows how far they’ve come (Barret unloading his thoughts and emotions onto Cloud and feeling comforted by having spoken with him and Cloud willing to listen patiently and willing to be part of the Team).

Barret and Tifa have a rather familial relationship (Barret is super protective of his team and you can see this really early on) and their mutual respect and care for each other is wonderful. They know each other so well and are so emotionally open to each other.

Cloud and Aerith start out with him being pretty standoffish and barely tolerating her. But when she encourages him to save Tifa from Don Corneo they start to bond and their friendship starts to develop.

The slow build to Cloud finally sharing a high five (a few ‘how do you human’ moments with Avalanche, Tifa and Aerith and then misqueing one with Aerith before finally getting one right) was so damned adorable and is one of my fav moments!

I mean, I don’t ship them (and with the SHEER VOLUME of Cloti moments plus the increased hints towards Aerith’s relationship with Zack I don’t feel like I’m supposed to) but I am 100% behind their friendship. Also...Aerith knows how to flirt with Cloud and then back off when he’s uncomfortable...unlike Jessie who was well out of order several times. She is cool.

But talking about friendships I am 100% behind and very much grateful to Squeenix for giving us?

Hello Aerti!

DAMN these girls got a lot of moments together and plenty of chance to interact and develop a bond and I LOVED IT. Cloud was totally a third wheel to them, most of the time, and so he should be. Thank you for giving us girls being friends and not letting a man get between them. Tifa and Aerith protecting and defending each other felt so good after seeing so much toxicity spread around by the less stable parts of both ship fandoms.

Between letting Tifa and Aerith spend time together and having Barret help Aerith out of Shinra Tower it felt like Squeenix are trying to spend more time on developing Aerith’s relationships with the whole team. And I LOVE that because it’s needed before we get to THAT moment in future games. Nanaki doesn’t get much time with the others but it’s nice to see the starts of the bonds forming.

As much as I love shipping I love one thing just as much. FOUND FAMILY TROPES. And I want the next game to definitely go down this route for the entire Squad.

As for the characters individually...thank god we finally have the (not quite) real Cloud back. The emo fanon contruction is gone and we have our awkward, dorky, snarky boy back. I love him. He tries his best to be cool and all, but he’s a good boy at heart and it leaks out all over the place.

Same with Barret. Soft Team Dad hidden under a gruff guy who tries to come off as all tough and deadly. His moments regarding Marlene were super sweet and, like before, are such a contrast to his ‘big bad activist’ self that it’s great to see him in both stages and the inbetween.

Tifa was ~chef’s kiss~. A little playful but also a little shy. Full of compassion but not a pushover. Tough as nails, when needed, but also emotionally open.

Aerith was super playful and fun. But there is an undercurrent of sadness and insecurity around her and there is a lot of speculation that she may Know Things. Possibly even her future death.

We don’t get much of Nanaki or Reeve but I can’t wait for more from them (in Reeve’s case, through Cait Sith who got a small cameo during the plate collapse) in the next game. It looks like we might get Nanaki being a proper teenage wolf kitty which is gonna be great!

Team Avalanche were all pretty great, except for Jessie’s outrageous flirting going totally over the line...Cloud was very clear with his refusals but she still didn’t back off and was a step over the borderline of harrassment. That being said, other than the flirting, the team had some great moments. Jessie’s concern over how much of Reactor 1 was her fault and her GUILT was amazing. Biggs and Wedge, too, felt real and dimensional. Cloud building a small bond with the three of them (THEY GOT HIS FIRST TRUE AND BRIGHT SMILE) was so good and made the plate fall EVEN WORSE (despite the possibility of survival for them).

But now...the ending.

Oh boy.

There is a lot of talk and speculation about the ending and I’m sure it’ll be a hot topic until the next game comes out.

There are a few things it could mean on a scale of ‘barely anything will change but this means that Squeenix have given themselves some wiggle room with future events’ all the way up to ‘everything is gonna be totally different to the original game from here on out’.

Everyone is mad at the thought of the next game going in the latter direction and it’s the biggest drawback of the game to most. The one thing holding them back from thinking this game a perfect adaptation of the original game.

Personally, I think that the game is not going to change that much. I DON’T think Zack is still alive (the game was very clear to show us that Cloud still had the buster sword...so much so as to equip it on him during the cut scene after Zack’s appearance, even if it wasn’t his equiped weapon...Cloud probably wouldn’t have the sword if Zack was alive). I do think the Sephiroth we saw could be from the future. I do think the game will mostly keep to the same beats and events but that certain things will change in execution in order to keep some element of surprise and suspense. The biggest of things being that I think Aerith will still die, but not in the same set of events.

Overall, this game was utterly fantastic in almost every way. As a fan of the original I was so, so happy with what they did. The production team should be so very proud of the effort and detail they put into this game. The love they have for the original was obvious in the presentation.

10/10 would and will play again!

#final fantasy vii remake spoilers #ffviir spoilers #spoilers

[lucyreviewcy]

Dear John: A love letter to the John Wick Movies

Let me start by saying I am having a John Wick moment, and just an all-round Keanu moment. Occasionally, when I’m at a certain level of stress and/or boredom, my brain will default to thinking about one subject. At the moment that subject is the powerhouse which is Keanu Reeves.

I could go into detail about all the reasons, both psychologically and cinematically for this Keanu phenomenon(keanomenon), but instead I want to tell you about why I love the John Wick movies specifically.

Let’s start with the first movie, John Wick. I first saw this movie in the wrong state of mind. Recently, I watched Movies with Mikey’s review and decided I needed to re-watch John Wick in a better mood. What I hadn’t realised the first time round is just how perfect and self-contained this movie is. In total isolation from the sequels, John Wick tells a simple revenge story clearly and concisely. Just like the titular character, John Wick doesn’t fuck around. The exposition isn’t clunky; you’re told very clearly who everyone is and why they matter. There’s a quick “context montage” explaining Wick’s motivation, and for the emphasis of important lines, subtitles appear on screen to make sure you don’t miss anything. This is one of the things I love about John Wick movies: director Chad Stahelski is not afraid to tell the audience what is going on. A great example of this is the scene in mob nightclub The Red Circle – a scene that is visually busy and potentially confusing for viewers who are tired and just wanted some Keanu goodness to make their bad day better.  

This scene comes out of the screen with blue and red hands and holds your attention in a way that is unforgettably stylish. The red and blue in the early “Pool Party” segment of the scene give way to a chaotic mix of purple and green in the club, with flashes of harsh white light when we see Iosef (Wick’s ultimate target in this film, played by king of the fictional assholes Alfie Allen.) Even though the club scene is crowded, Reeves’ eyeline is used to tell us that Wick will not harm civilians, as his gaze searches for and locates the mobsters he’s targeting.

This is combined with top quality sound design. We’re all used to soundtrack dissonance after Guardians of the Galaxy rammed it firmly down the throat of all movies everywhere. It’s refreshing to see music used in a way that simply complements the action. Soft, electro-pop is combined with the stealthy, cat-like killings in the pool area, giving way to loud bass driven club music in (you guessed it) the club. Sound designer Alan Rankin doesn’t let the music mask the violence of the scene, we hear the pained grunts of dispatched henchmen, gunshots puncture the music with gay abandon – the sound design is unflinching, you can’t escape from the action.

These elements come together to create an audiovisual experience that is completely arresting. Reeves creates a character that, in spite of being incredibly violent, is somehow utterly likable. John Wick isn’t complicated; he is a straightforward character with a straightforward motivation. The simplicity of his character is so aggressively compelling you can’t help but root for him. He’s also not infallible. He falls over. He has to reload at awkward moments. When he gets hit, he bruises and when he gets cut he bleeds. Even though by the time you’re halfway through John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum you get the idea that this man has something akin to superhuman strength and magic steel bones, Wick is a far more human action hero than we are usually presented with. This combines with the fact that despite how graceful he looked in the Matrix, Keanu Reeves’ limbs are just a little too long for his body. This results in moments that are almost comically flail-esque, but which endear him to the audience all the more. Just like Wick’s motivation, the message of the movie is simple: look, he’s got a funny run and he’s sad about his dog – root for this guy.

I also can’t write about John Wick without mentioning the late Michael Nyqvist’s incredible performance as mob boss Viggo. As soon as Viggo hears what his son has done, and who he’s done it to – he knows John Wick is coming for him, and he knows he won’t survive, but he has to protect his family. Viggo goes through the motions of protecting Iosef, and as the movie goes on, becomes more physically crumpled. By the final act, he’s laughing as Wick arrives to dispatch him to the underworld. Viggo’s hopelessness is the perfect way to cement Wick’s character as an unstoppable force, the grim reaper of organized crime.

John Wick is a perfect film, and the sequels were never going to be able to compete. That doesn’t mean they’re bad, just different. What I love about Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 – Parabellum is that they almost feel like fan fiction about the character of John Wick. These films, while more chaotic and plot-heavy than the first installment, are clearly made with love by a team who want to work together. Reeves is having the best time playing an unstoppable assassin who just wants to get home to his damn dog, while Director and ex-stuntman Stahelski is putting together action sequences that are the stuff of dreams. The pencil scene in Chapter 2 or the library fight which opens Chapter 3: these films are packed with mad-cap ideas that verge on slapstick, but somehow work perfectly in the universe the films have created. No potential stunt set-up is left unresolved. As soon as you see a series of glass cases full of glass skulls in Chapter 3 you think “Sure would be a shame if someone threw Keanu Reeves through one of those glass cases full of glass skulls”, and the film does not disappoint. This is not Chekov’s gun; this is Chekov’s whole gosh-darned armoury.

These films have action, compelling characters, bizarre aesthetic choices that somehow totally work (I’m looking at you, random control room full of tattooed vintage-styled ladies), and a surprising amount of humour. The dialogue isn’t ground-breaking, but Stahelski has created fight scenes with genuine laughs in, and the odd excellent one-liner. What makes the sequels so enjoyable is that everyone involved seems to be having a great time, Ian McShane is in his element as top-cat Winston, while Halle Berry kicks more ass in her brief Wick appearance than she did in all of the X-Men movies put together.

Keanu Reeves said it best when discussing his horseback fight sequence in Chapter 3: “That’s why we want to go to the movies, to see the fantastical.”

#john wick #john wick chapter 3 #parabellum #keanu reeves #keanu moment #movies #film #love this movie #recommended #10/10 would recommend #chad stahelski #halle berry #i'm thinking i'm back

[a-40k-dad]

Stories about my fluff that I’d write if I had the drive :

I’d finish Evjen’s meeting with a shady figure aboard the pirate ship. The tall, slender, cloaked-faced, weird-accent person gives Evjen mysterious electronic components in exchange for a safe and discreet passage to the surface and a means of extraction if necessary. Evjen, Aerin and Shady-pants kill every pirate on board and blow the ship to smithereens. Once on board the Mally, Evjen hints that he knows who or rather what cloaky-two-meters-fifteen really is. Aerin doesn’t want to know. The obvious word is never uttered. Aerin escorts cloaky-pants down to the Underhive of City 7.

Before the war still : rangers on the frontier regions of Sarrokkæn territory find several key people of the nearby settlement murdered. They assume it was ganger raids but the high-profile of the victims warrants the arrival of an Investigator and his team coming from the Obsidian Keep’s Halls of Justice. The local reeve and local small-time Sarrokkæn nobles try to steer the investigator towards concluding the case and has he is served an explanation that fits, he decides to stick around and put his nose in the settlement’s dirty laundry, feudal-world Columbo style.

War started : Evjen has a discussion with someone and blames the person for being responsible for starting the conflict. At the end of the short, you understand that the “person” is an AI Evjen designed using the electronic “components” retrieved earlier.

War Year +1 : the commander of the guard forces who arrived earlier the previous year, has a hard time understanding how Azoria works. She gets a meeting with Evjen, then both go to Sarrokkæn territory. I skip the details, but the more the story unfolds, the more the Colonel understands that Azoria is not a very pious planet and is finding herself navigating through ideas that might be dangerous for her.

War Year + 1 : a very agressive lord inquisitor lands in Hive 7. Tries to find evidence as to what started the uprising. Can’t get much done, as Azoria is technically Adeptus Mechanicus territory, even though the political situation is pretty blurry : Skitarii don’t seem to give a damn about anything but their industrial zones, Planetary Government is independent and has a mix of sanctionned faiths but the ecclessiarchy has no militant presence and the Folk of the Free Territories of House Sarrokkæn are just basically a bunch of people living in the old ways : they show more devotion to their lords than to any type of faith, although they will publicly state they do revere the Emperor so authorities stay off their backs. The Inquisitor snifs a little too close to finding answers and he and his suite are assassinated by another agent of the inquisition native of Azoria. The act is motivated by the desire to protect the planet’s future and avoid solutions such as Exterminatus, course of action the Lord Inquisitor was (in)famous for.

#fluff