#DONNIE YEN IS THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE

[vveissesfleisch]

JOHN!!!! FUCKIN!!!! WICK!!!! FUCKIN!!!! 4!!!!

I NEED 10-14 BUSINESS DAYS TO RECOVER

HAVE A SELECTION OF INCOHERENT/SEMI-SPOILERY THOUGHTS IN THE TAGS IN THE INTERIM

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

dark and dangerous, m | jjk

pairing(s): jungkook x reader

you were the love of my life the darkness, the light this is a portrait of a tortured you and I is this the end? – up in the air by thirty seconds to mars

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; blind reader; hitman!au (basically John Wick universe; I was inspired by Donnie Yen's character Caine); violence + body disfiguration from violence; reader being forced + blackmailed back to service; tbh, many feels; smut (fem reader, choking / erotic asphyxiation, ink appreciation, a lot of sensual touching, slight D/s due to the situation, mild restraint, cowgirl); non-idol!BTS - retired hitwoman!reader x current hitman!JK; sub!JK; JK’s POV

--

He hadn’t seen her in a long time.

Time was a bitch.

She had defied it in some ways, as he knew she would. Pristine, glossy waves of hair cascading down her left shoulder. Longer than he had ever seen it. Gleaming skin, with that little mole under the right side of her lower lip. A little prefect imperfection under a perpetual faint smile. Blouse with a ruffled collar. Clean black longline trench. That was all he could see from this angle, above the bobbing heads of the packed train car. They were both forced to stand, along with many others. No free seats available. Her shoulders were forward, as if her hands were resting in front of her body. Not holding on to any railing, her back only vaguely leaning against the steel pole.

She wore dark-tinted glasses now.

Cat-eye-shaped, with silver accents. Actually, probably palladium. She had expensive taste.

The train approached a tunnel.

There was chattering, but mostly it was the low buzz of the general public. A mass gathered but not interacting. Passengers politely in their own worlds with the collective backdrop of a thundering train speeding through carved darkness.

The gunshot tore through the murmur.

Everyone began screaming.

He was standing in the corner of the train car, towards the door. Looking very much like a businessman ready to punctually take his leave, and suddenly he was one of the many flattened against the metal walls, crushed past the doors and into the train map. The mass became one. Earsplitting panic ricocheting. The awareness of being contained, confined, trapped, heightening and getting louder. He paid attention to none of it, instead narrowing his eyes and focusing on the way the crowd parted, right at the center.

Right where the woman in dark-tinted glasses was standing.

Her body was ever-so-slightly turned.

It must have been less than a second.

It was so fast that he barely had a chance to see the crouching man with arm extended, and then there was another blast of sound. The fear pitched, piercingly sharp. Instant, whirling black as she closed the distance. Long, thin, rod-like, rising. He finally found out what she kept in her hands in front of her body.

Thwack!

The sound cracked through the air as startlingly as the gunshots. Even faster, perhaps, because there was no hesitation. The untrained eye would be unable to keep up, but he was no untrained eye – one strike, onto the hand, where the delicate bone of the thumb was immediately snapped. The gun flew out of his hand and into the crowd, causing more alarmed screeching as people stampeded away from it, throwing themselves against the sealed doors. The disarmed gunman had no time to shriek. Two strikes to the arm and he was crumpling. Two more. Shoulder, head bowing as the body involuntarily cowered to protect itself and the last, side of the head behind the ear.

The gunman hit the floor with a crunch, groaning wetly.

The hysteria was racing towards critical level, but the train slowed and the doors burst open despite the mechanical reminder to stand back. No one noticed. No one cared. Flinging themselves out, scrambling over each other, clawing to be the first ones to escape. Crying, tripping, running, and then.

Silence.

“The doors are closing. Please stand back.”

The whirr reinstated after the doors closed and the train began moving again. A metal shell was oblivious to human terror.

The woman in dark glasses remained.

There was a gleam of silver towards the top of her cane. Something wicked hiding within.

Her hand shifted and snapped it shut.

She flipped the cane in her hand, the bulbous handle pointing downward.

The man on the ground grunted, shifting.

Crack!

Completely still now.

The gun was still on the floor, all the way to the other side of the car.

The woman stood in the middle. The cane in her hand flipped back to its correct alignment, the tip rapping the floor. It moved forward, to the body, poking it several times. Gingerly. Her lips twisted into a pout of discomfort, muttering something under her breath that sounded like, just one, the disrespect, and she crouched down, sweeping her coat aside.

Ping. Ping.

A familiar sound.

She stuck her hand out and calmly patted down the fallen man. There was a distinct tapping motion rather than a grazing along the body. Manicured nails, and then those nimble fingers flitted under the collar of the jacket her assailant was wearing. An exhale and she pulled, hard, plucking something from the body. A small metal disc, no more than a couple centimeters, with an engraving on it. It looked like a stylized ’S’ with flowers made of blade-like petals.

Her thumb ran across the surface.

“Fuck,” she spat.

Then she tucked the pin into the inside of her coat.

The woman in dark glasses stood back up and tapped the floor with the black cane again. This process had taken about a minute. The train was still moving, onto the next stop. The cane struck the linoleum, repeatedly, against the seats and the metal poles, the tinkering echoing in the cabin.

Stopped.

Shit.

The woman tilted her head slowly, then faced his direction.

“And here I thought you were stupid,” she said, her voice loud and clear, directed to the corner he was standing in. “But actually you were just being courteous to the disabled, hm?”

The black cane turned, silent, the stance of the hand holding it altering from exploratory to predatory.

He had two choices.

Talk or get his ass kicked by an expert of ass-kicking.

He settled on saying, “Not a warning shot.”

She froze.

Still wary and on high alert, but no longer an arrow pulled to the brink against the string of the bow. He saw the twitch of one of her eyebrows.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she hissed in icy annoyance. Her shoulders lowered and her head ticked back. The body language equivalent of rolling one’s eyes. The dark glasses remained though. “Why the fuck are you here? I’m retired.”

He didn’t move from his corner. The tip of that cane was blunt but he just watched her take out a man in five hits. That thing wasn’t made out of plastic – and he was pretty sure it was sheathing a blade. No thanks. “And still getting shot at.”

“I said I was retired, not uninteresting,” she retorted, stance relaxing. He let out the breath he had been holding. “Answer my question.” She rapped the floor sharply and his body immediately snapped to attention.

He should have listened to his superiors.

“Why are you here, Jeon Jungkook?”

Leave the information to be found. Do not engage with the target.

The last time Jungkook saw her, she still had sight.

He let out a soft sigh.

“The Elders are giving you a name.”

The dark tint of those sunglasses did nothing to hide the vicious distaste behind them.

“Tell the Elders to shove the name up their collective assholes,” she growled, but he was already walking forward and the cane was pulling back, poised at an angle at her side.

“I didn’t want to come,” Jungkook said, and it came out quieter and more helpless than he thought it would.

The anger in her expression wiped clean.

The Elders, his superiors, were not to be trifled with.

She tucked her tongue in her cheek as he reached into his suit jacket. It was made an unpatented combination of fibers, the latest in cutting-edge bulletproof fabric. Couldn’t really patent shit made for the general public to not know. He suspected her coat and slacks were made of the same material, which explained the pinging noise earlier.

Old habits die hard.

“I’m blind. Not stupid,” she muttered.

She held her hand out, but her face wasn’t quite in his direction.

He placed the black card with a series of raised dots.

She swiftly pulled it back, not allowing his hand to linger. Mashed it against the top of the cane. He noticed the orb-shaped handle was an intricately carved piece of silver metal. Vines? No, more like stylized lines of water. Or fire. There was a creature within those lines, inset, making it look like it was huddled within.

A bunny.

Her fingertip pressed into the black cardstock. Stopped in between, only halfway. Then pressed on even though they both knew the name on there. He couldn’t read braille but he could read her pissed-off expression pretty well.

She let out a huff.

“Really.”

It wasn’t a question.

“He betrayed us.”

“Like I couldn’t have told you that sooner,” she breathed out in a vengeful exhale. “I warned them. I warned them against taking that American snake’s money. They didn’t listen to me. Took my eyes instead. And now they gave me a name? You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

He really did not want to see her angry but there was no other reaction she could have.

The train was calling, indicating the next stop was coming.

Jungkook opened his mouth, a single syllable of her name escaping his throat.

The cane shot up and jammed into his chin. Bruising pain. Shut him up and made him jerk back, but she pressed forward, lowering her head, still not quite looking at him, and that was the worst, her not being able to look at him even though she was doing the equivalent of that.

Just…

Differently.

“Young gun,” she sighed, and the hole in his chest tore open a little more upon hearing the nickname she had for him long ago. Back when they were not quite friends on the surface, because this life that they chose didn’t allow for that, but friends nonetheless in the moments that counted. “If they sent you, that means you should stay away from me.”

“They didn’t send me,” Jungkook admitted and he could smell her perfume.

Sweet.

Familiar.

In the past, it had clung to his skin sometimes.

Her head tilted.

The train was slowing, announcement crackling up above. They would have to get off. Can’t be near a body with brain damage and a gun. He spoke softly to the thin air between them.

"I picked up the task with the last messenger was… interrupted. I happened to be closest.”

Silence.

There was the faintest tick at the corner of her lips. She removed her cane from his chin.

“Happened to be closest,” she echoed.

Her voice like smoke curling in the darkness.

“Hm.”

The train stopped.

The doors slid open.

She backed up and turned away. The cane tapped from side to side. Side to side, a rhythm and routine of finding the opened doors. The mechanical announcement called above their heads. He watched her stride away confidently, a stricken feeling in his chest, remembering something she used to whisper to him in the dark, I love looking at you, curling smoke all around them as scarred fingertips slid up his naked forearm.

She stopped at the exit.

“Don’t follow me.”

Walked out.

Jungkook followed.

-

“How’s your father?”

“I told you not to follow me.”

They were standing at a crosswalk and he was behind her. Not that close but close enough. She stayed close to the pole where repeated beeps indicated it was not safe to cross yet. Cars zipped by. For some reason, Jungkook found them unnaturally loud and violent even though he had never thought that about cars before.

“He’s fine.”

He glanced at her face but there was no expression.

“Still has dementia, still gambles and milks every cent out of the old folks in the retirement complex. You would think he would ease up once he’s struggling to remember the people in his life but, nope, he’s completely content with only knowing how to kick your ass in poker.”

There was a resonance of bitterness in those words but, also, a feeling long gone.

She ticked her head. “They keep him alive to remind me he doesn’t remember I exist. Least he pays his own bills with his habits.”

It was safe to cross now.

He watched the cane sway and tap. She walked calmly and with ease. Maybe even a swagger. It relaxed him as he fell in step.

“You do what you know,” he commented, his eyes darting, taking in his surroundings.

“I really try not to, young gun.”

They walked briskly along the streets. She turned this way and that, stopping once at a fruit stand to buy some apples. The merchant accepted the bills handed to him. She asked if it was enough. Jungkook saw it was more than enough. The merchant replied it was the exact amount. She hummed and stepped away before Jungkook could say anything. He hurried after, and she immediately turned and walked right into a laundromat.

The repeated thump-thump-thump of whirring washing machines and dryers radiated all around them as people fought with their duvets and swore under their breath.

“You overpaid,” Jungkook hissed, stepping closer.

“Such is life,” was her reply. She chuckled, tap, tap tapping away, hitting the edges of the machines but not a single person seemed to notice or care, too busy hurling themselves into the large cavities to yank out their sopping garments. “I do it sometimes just to see if they’ll correct me. They don’t.”

He frowned and made a mental note of the man’s face.

Just in case.

She held delicately to the bag of apples and shouldered her way into the back double doors.

Kept walking, through the back of the laundromat, into the alleys, and now the faces here were different. Keen, sharp gazes that ignored her presence but immediately narrowed upon seeing Jungkook, looking him up and down. Men and women, in musty coats and worn-out gloves with holes in them, backpacks and carts. A complete turnaround from his sharp three-piece suit and neatly parted hair. She breezed past, the apples rustling in the plastic bag, skimming her cane along the concrete, not quite looking exactly forward. Her head was slightly tilted; one ear closer to him.

“I told you not to follow me,” she chuckled.

“I see that,” Jungkook let himself say, calmly and without emotion.

“I don’t,” she quipped back.

There was a lightness to her tone that indicated there was no danger as long as he kept his hands to himself. He continued to follow.

Someone on his right reached out and shoved him.

The cane whipped through the air, swatting Jungkook’s left arm and pinning it to his body. He grimaced, feeling the solid stripe of pain, noticing her movement had stopped his body from colliding with another in this narrow alley. The woman to his left glared at him, grinding her teeth. The shove hadn’t hurt.

It was just disrespectful as hell.

What had been previous tense silence erupted into malicious sniggers.

Droning all around.

Jungkook gritted his teeth and pushed his anger down.

Her head jerked like a hawk.

“You know the rules,” she warned to the air. “You upset me and I will take your offering from the shrine and then there will be nothing to protect you.”

The sniggering immediately died.

Now the silence wasn’t tense.

It was fear.

She removed her cane from Jungkook’s arm and swung it in an arc. Slowly.

Stopping.

Jungkook didn’t have to turn his head. He heard the sharp intake of breath. Hard not to in the terrified hush. He didn’t say anything. He let her handle it. If he reacted, there would be cracked skulls. He had a feeling that the woman in dark glasses would be a lot more pissed at him if that was the case. He did not want to make her angry. It seemed like a bad idea.

She whacked the tip of the cane against the brick wall.

Everyone flinched.

Even Jungkook felt a muscle in his shoulder twitch, reacting to the loud, piercing sound.

She turned back around and continued walking.

No one bothered them after that.

They finally turned and stopped at a makeshift shrine in the middle of the maze of alleys. It seemed to be a clearing point. An intersection of sorts, where a group of buildings were sequestered awkwardly due to poor planning. Someone had created a structure in the middle of this chaos with a shingled roof and a statue in the center surrounded by a sandy pit of burnt incense sticks. There was a wall behind it, with strips of paper tacked on, fronted by tables overflowing with fruit and cellophane-packaged boxes.

She placed the bag down and it tumbled against a stack of oranges, one red apple spilling out of the plastic and hitting some pears.

Jungkook stepped up and corrected it.

She faced the papers. They flapped about like ducks crowding a lake, not in the wind but in the hot air blasting out a vent from of one of the buildings. She made a noise that sounded like disapproval and irritation mixed together. Turned and walked purposefully away, running her cane along the cracks of the concrete.

Jungkook followed once more as she stepped out, following a walkway between two buildings.

Stopped.

There was a door to their right, inset within the walls. Or, not a door. He frowned. Instead of a handle, there was an odd dent in this part of the wall that seemed to cave inward. She paused, tapping the cane along the ground. There was a hollow sound, and Jungkook looked down to see some metal tiles littered against the door. She stepped forward, treading along the otherwise meaningless metal sealed into the concrete. She slid the cane up in her hand, gripping below the rounded handle.

The orb made of swirls around a bunny.

She raised it and with surprising accuracy, within two taps against the door, slid the orb into the dent.

There was a whirr and a click.

The door slid open, a strip of light appearing on the ground.

She stepped inside.

Jungkook followed.

“What if you lose your cane?” he wondered out loud.

The door slid closed after they entered.

“There’s another way to get in, obviously,” she tutted. “All I have to do is bleed on it.”

A hollow silence.

They were in darkness except for the thin line of light at the bottom of the door.

“I…”

“Don’t need to talk,” she interrupted. “I need to shower and then pack some things. Wait.”

She stepped out of her shoes and placed the cane against the wall beside them. Felt along shoulder height, pressing switches. Stripes of light gleamed from above and below the walls, along the edges and sides. He had to pause to take it in. Black ceilings with brocade-patterned obsidian wallpaper where the designs were glossy compared to the matte background. A squishy-looking coffee-colored leather couch, a huge sound system bolted to the wall above an electric fireplace, bobbly blankets stuffed in a basket. No television, no coffee table. A large, empty space behind this area with a large set of dark wood armories along the wall. To his right, a kitchen with dark granite countertops that had similar notable differences than what he was used to. When she walked, she followed the lines of light along the ground.

“I’m sorry,” he called after her.

She stopped.

“I should have…”

“Shut up, young gun.”

She didn’t sound angry or pissed off.

She just sounded tired and that was worse.

“You couldn’t have done anything. This is the life we have.”

“I should have tried to find you,” Jungkook pleaded to that back, to that longline black coat and graceful legs. Dancer’s legs, he used to think, so nimble and quick that he could never keep up. He had been a little envious of how lithe she was back then. Aroused at how she always struck with such poise, something he wasn’t good at. He preferred brute force. Learned outmaneuvering from watching her move, often. It was addicting, watching her move, and he had found himself wanting more.

He hadn’t expected this would be the result.

She reached up in one smooth motion and removed her sunglasses. Placed them on the kitchen island.

The palladium on the edges of the dark lenses glammed.

“You wouldn’t have found me.”

She turned.

Starburst eyelashes surrounding white, mottled irises framed by twisted scar tissue.

A faint, emotionless smile.

“Can’t find a shadow when they’re all around you, Jungkook.”

-

He breathed in.

The bed smelled just like her. Her perfume, mixed with fabric softener, and there was that indescribable scent that could only be described as his perception of her. The smell that didn’t change despite the perfume, the smell he breathed in now with his back flat on the mattress, the smell that only he knew because its effect on him was different from everyone else. It was an experience. It was memories. It was…

Jeon Jungkook breathed in, laying on her bed as she showered.

He hadn’t asked. Probably should have. His arms were spread out with the backs of his hands touching the duvet. His black jacket and vest were draped on the pale chestnut-colored velvet armchair next the bed. At least he had kept his dress shirt and necktie on. He had thought about removing them. Letting his bare skin touch the folded duvet, even slip under to be against the sheets, but even he had a limit to his insanity.

He had thought about it though.

Maybe would have done it if she meant a little less.

He had missed her smell. He inhaled again. The last time he memorized it, she still had sight. It had been so long. Time was a bitch. His hands turned. The duvet was made of a cool, creamy linen. He closed his eyes, fingertips grazing the soft fabric, something satisfying about the wrinkled texture, organic, imagining their body lines pressed against it.

He bunched the fabric in his fists.

Let go, sighing.

For not the first time, Jungkook wondered how it could have been different.

He hadn’t missed the details. All of the furniture in this home had rounded corners. Lines of light streamed throughout every room, clearly indicating all the corners and edges of the walls. There were little speakers positioned discreetly, waiting for her command. No mirrors anywhere. No windows. Hole in the wall that no one was supposed to know was here, although Jungkook was sure the Elders somehow knew. Or guessed. Sometimes one didn’t need to have full information to cause enough disruption. He gritted his teeth even though he understood why she hadn’t been in touch.

The rage within him, from witnessing how she now lived, was beyond violent.

Careful there, young gun.

This was Korea but Jungkook was eager to introduce the Elders to the language of Columbian neckties.

You’re so reckless. I like that about you.

He was of the belief that he could handle the details later. The reality was that he was just very lucky to meet certain people in this business of killing for hire. People who saw something in him, whatever it was. Youth. Energy. Power. He was coasting a little because of his looks.

That was part of playing the game, too.

He liked playing the game. It had been a necessity once, and now he liked it. Because of ego. Because he had a natural talent for it. Because there was a time where he believed there were no rules – but the rules were always there, a silken web underneath his feet. In this business, one didn’t get to decide to work for the Elders.

The Elders decided when you worked for them.

Crossing paths was inevitable.

He had almost hated it. And then he met her. Same business. Different approach when it came to dealing with the cards that had been dealt. A moment that meant everything. Pivotal. Fate. Guns crossed and he knew. He knew the moment he looked into her eyes.

Jungkook turned his head and inhaled again, drenching his lungs with her scent.

Opened his eyes.

She was gliding into the bedroom, a long, dark maroon silk robe flaring out against her legs. Her hand was following the wall, three fingertips grazing against the black wallpaper. Skin gleaming, hair pinned in large, soft curlers, head tilted to one side. The silk clung to her shoulders, her breasts, her hips, and then she turned, facing the dresser.

Her hands lifted, finding the glided edges of the dark wood, stroking the intricate profile of inlaid silver.

“If I didn’t know better, I would be creeped out right now,” she chuckled.

He sat up.

“Do you know better?”

He didn’t know how he wanted that to sound, but those words escaped with an edge of uncertainty.

On the dresser was a plate with a perfume and a collection of faceted crystals. Her hand was dancing upward, following the surface, finding the dark glass bottle. He didn’t understand the meaning of the various stones, but for some reason he didn’t think they were there for a spiritual reason.

Those thoughts were confirmed as her other hand drifted over them, following the edges.

“You’re simple, young gun.”

She doused herself with sprays of spicy gourmand.

Exhaled, satisfied.

He could smell it from here and it made him ravenous.

“And not that subtle,” she added, smooth and biting.

Silence.

Neither of them moved.

Jungkook found that despite the carnal instincts eating up in the cavity of his ribcage, he wasn’t sure if he wanted her to turn around. Knotted lines and white orbs. He grimaced and hoped it was silent. Still, he didn’t look away from her back, his skin burning all over with festering shame and guilt.

She shifted her weight, accenting the delicious curve of her hip.

Dark silk molded to those body lines.

Yeah, Jungkook was sure that he didn’t want to stop looking.

“Are you supposed to be accompanying me?” she asked.

He could lie. “I’ve been assigned to be your eyes.”

She snorted.

He would have followed anyway, orders or not. The orders were there to both torment and annoy him. Well, the level of pain depended on how he felt about the situation, he knew. And that depended on how he could navigate this moment, right now. Currently the status was, not well. Her back still facing him after all.

“Stupid motherfuckers.”

“Yeah.”

He smiled despite himself. It was funny and familiar, her swearing. He noticed the pin with the lotus and the stylized ‘S’ in her hand now. She ran her thumb over it. There was a tension in her shoulders. He didn’t recognize that symbol and that bothered him.

“I thought you were retired?”

She hummed, tapping the metal against the wood. “I am. I got bored. Gotta pick up hobbies, you know.”

“I could pick up your hobby,” he offered.

She chuckled again, placing the pin down and sliding it to between white crystals. “Sadly, I think that fun will have to wait. I’m being called to service and all that shit.”

Silence again.

It was hard to know how much time passed though. Time almost didn’t seem real in within these walls.

She broke it.

“Don’t you want to get out?”

He took a moment.

“The Elders would have called you back eventually.”

He let that statement hang in the air.

“Tracking was never your strong suit.”

Yeah, it wasn’t.

“Now it’s not mine either.”

Jungkook winced and hoped she couldn’t hear it. Her head ticked. Sigh.

“My fucked-up eyes bother you?”

“No.” Shit. He said that way too fast. “I don’t think you’re ugly.”

“That wasn’t what I asked, Jungkook.”

Her words cut through him, razor-sharp and accurate. He withered despite not being viewed.

“You know the Elders suspected you might intercept. They’re old, not dumb.” He did know. He still didn’t say anything. He struggled to say it out loud, but she had no trouble. “They are testing you. They will manipulate you no matter how you feel about it. The best way to avoid those puppet strings is to feel nothing at all. You are putting yourself in danger.”

It was unbearable, saying nothing.

“What about you?” he asked softly.

A pause.

He saw he index finger bounce silently on the edge of the dresser.

Her head turned a little more, the curlers holding her hair blocking the side of her face. She reached one and, one by one, removed them. Pulling out pins. Setting them on the dresser. Pulling out the soft curlers, setting the cylinders on the flat side so they didn’t roll away. Locks of hair cascading down, falling, falling, framing shoulders and back.

She ran a hand through her hair, sighing, separating the waves with her fingers.

Messy.

“I told you. I’m retired.”

His lips parted.

“Not uninteresting.”

The side of her mouth curved upward.

“You shouldn’t have intercepted the messenger.”

There was something about the way she said it. Teasing rather than chiding. And yet there was still that hesitation. He let his eyes roam over her partial side profile.

“I’ve been in danger from the day I met you,” Jungkook finally admitted and he didn’t mean his physical self.

From what he could see of her expression behind her hair was an amused one. “Shit. You’re gonna make me blush, young gun,” she snickered.

Her words had the opposite effect. He felt his neck heat and instantly reached back to rub it, trying not to let it show. Well, she couldn’t see anyway. After a split second of consideration, he let out the low noise of embarrassment. Her head lifted, hair shifting. He saw the side of her mouth soften to a faint smile.

“I wonder how you’ve changed,” she breathed out. “Can’t appreciate you like I used to.”

He still couldn’t quite see her eyes. They were covered by curls of hair shadowing her temples.

Jungkook let himself say her name the way he wanted to.

She didn’t move, still life wrapped in deep scarlet silk.

“I don’t believe you.”

He could see it now, the subtle change in her demeanor. Sharpened. He had said the words with a smile and she could tell. Tone or volume or both. If possible, more frightening now. More deadly. More of a weapon, which was why, he assumed, the mutilation was done rather than an execution.

“You’re blind. Not stupid,” he reminded her.

Her head and body turned.

The way her hair framed her face, only half done. The slim openings of the robe securely tied at the waist, exposing thin white scars and the raised marring of worse ones. Retired, sure, but not that long ago, and still honed in muscle and movement. She wasn’t that much older than him. She just called him young gun to get on his nerves a little. Had seniority over him in this business and all that. Pretty easy to have seniority when one was given to the Elders as a child.

Payment.

He wasn’t always a good gambler. We all start somewhere.

Jungkook stood up.

Those clouded orbs found the source of blocked light at the end of the bed. It was a different feeling, being the focal point knowing the other didn’t have sight. Unnerving was the wrong word. He was just very aware that he was the target of her senses. With sight, he realized, he had an inherent level of complacency. There were a lot of intricacies in a single glance. The concrete details mattered less than the contrast between what he expected versus what he didn’t expect.

Ah.

Her lips curved into a dangerous smirk.

He admired it.

She moved forward, silent.

“You do seem to have put on more muscle,” she hummed. “Heavy.”

“You always reminded me to remember to eat while on the job.” The direction of his voice. His breathing. “You’ve learned more skills. Scary.”

She grinned. “I’ve had some free time. Wait till you see me dual wield.”

She stopped in front of him.

Raised her head.

Jungkook found he saw a lot more when he looked into her scarred eyes than he ever expected.

“You have changed,” she murmured.

A faint smile.

“Y… Yeah,” he breathed back, the ache in his ribs rattling.

It was different.

She reached up and forward. Fingertips grazing his shirt, then finding the tie. Following it with two hands, carefully. Seeing. He tried to stay still. Focused on her face, the little smile when she found the tie clip, muttering under her breath, oh, you’ve become a little more of a man, huh, and her body language, relaxed. Comfortable. Details he would have ignored given different circumstances.

What else had he missed all this time?

He was still lacking in some areas, he realized.

She was unraveling his tie.

“I hope you have learned how to tie a tie by now.”

He hadn’t. “Nope.”

A laugh. “You hate them anyway.” She folded it in her hands and held it to the side. “Hold onto it for me. I might need it.”

His skin tingled, the sensation traveling up his back. Lifted his hand and let it linger, brushing past her callused knuckles, taking the necktie from her. A contrast from their past. This was a measured ferocity compared to a fast-paced chase. He ran his fingertips along her wrist, trailing off her forearm. She smiled and he felt it everywhere, in his blood and in his nerves, his world alight once more.

Skin-to-skin.

She raised her hands again and followed his shirt placket, starting from the top.

“I like this cologne.”

“You said it was your favorite.”

“You really can’t be subtle to save your life, can you, Jungkook?”

She teased him as easily as she teased the buttons from their restraints. He bit his lower lip, sucking in a breath.

“I’m really trying to be patient right now,” he gritted out.

She smiled again.

This was her smile she only showed him.

He was sure of it.

His shirt was halfway unbuttoned now. She leaned in, locks of hair curling over her shoulders, spreading the placket open with two fingers. Breathed out. The heated air washed over his chest, and he closed his eyes, shuddering, ignited desire shimmering in his raging blood. She did it again, but this time with his name.

“Jungkook…”

His head tipped back, lips parting, the low sound of clawing lust bubbling in his throat. His hands came up, tensely resting on her silken shoulders.

The rest of the buttons came undone as he himself unraveled.

Her hands slid in, fingers spreading over his flexed abdomen. Cool, careful, seeing him. He gasped, struggling to keep still. Exploring his scars, known and new. His shirt peeled back, tugging out of his slacks as she touched him. Along his sides, his chest. His nipples, and she flicked one, making him hiss and flinch. They hardened as she rubbed them.

“Still like that, hm.”

“S… Shut up.”

Her palms over his pectoral muscles, fingers fanning out.

“Been working out, haven’t you?”

His breathing was shallow. “Gotta pick up hobbies, you know.”

A soft laugh. She gently knocked back his arms, pushing the dress shirt off his shoulders. Confines, he concluded. Her fingertips paused on his right shoulder. He looked down, body on fire. Her lips were parted, pink tongue dancing on the edge of for lips.

“You have tattoos.”

Oh.

That was right. She hadn’t seen yet.

“Hobbies,” he snickered.

She turned her head, fingertips hesitating.

Jungkook reached up and pressed her hand to his arm.

“Please. Look.”

It was a strange, intoxicating sensation. Being touched like this, guiding her along. He murmured under his breath, describing them one by one. She could follow, especially the newer ones or the ones that were done over his scars. She lingered by the tiger lilies on the inside of his forearm. There was a patch of black there. Amusement flitting across her features. Continued down, following the outline another tattoo, tracing the eyelashes.

She cocked an eyebrow.

“I think I might change that one. In light of… events.”

Her cheek tightened in mirth. Just more confirmation that she was alarmingly acute in sensing tone and meaning beyond words.

“You’re unbelievable.”

He froze, feeling her other hand sliding up his back as the one he was holding slid down to his knuckles, caressing them as her lids lowered. Lines of scars, across starburst lashes and across his spine, closer, her fingers lacing with his, her chin lifting.

That small mole under the right side of her plush lower lip.

“You have goosebumps, Jungkook,” she purred, dragging her nails down his back.

He closed the distance.

Her scent all around him.

Her taste.

The fervor seeped into him when their lips connected, ravaging his senses and his thoughts, body to body. Nights and days, culminated memories bleeding into now, into the ferocity of their kiss, her fingers claiming his back and his in her hair, tangled in the mess, clasped hands below them, squeezing tight.

He thought he would never see her again.

Never hold, never touch, never breathe in her breath.

He was afraid too. Afraid it wouldn’t feel the same. Afraid their euphoria was broken by interference and ego. Afraid he was wrong, abut himself, about her, about them.

But he wasn’t.

Jungkook could tell.

She let go of his hand and wrapped it around his throat.

“I missed your taste,” she whispered into his moan, in between nicks of teeth and feathery kisses. “You know what makes someone dangerous?” Her grip tightened, pulling him down to her, red silk slipping off her shoulders. “When they have someone to die for.” Her lips traveling over his jaw, to his gasping mouth, his blood flow slowing as her fingers pressed into the sides of his neck. “When they have someone to live for.” Ravenous kiss, making his eyes roll back and his air disappear, lightheaded as he touched the exposed skin of her upper arm, knotted lines of scar tissue from a previous gunshot wound under his fingertips.

She murmured to his open mouth, husky voice a caress.

“When they have someone to kill for.”

He pressed his forehead to hers, his erection straining against his slacks, pressing it into her naked thigh.

“You…”

Jungkook stared into her white eyes and she reveled in the darkness, basking in his shadows, seeing all of him with all her other senses.

“You made me all three,” he gasped.

Her grip loosened and the blood rushed back, making his eyelids flutter and fire crawl up his scalp.

A resolved sigh.

“We are one and the same, you and I.”

His hands following the memorized lines across her back. The dark red silk pooling onto the floor. Her hand between them, stroking him through his clothes, choking him again. Pleasure seeping down his tense thighs, up his clenched abs. The pressure winding within his core, his lips trembling against her calm, so close to the perfect imperfection of that mole under a silver tongue.

“Guns just waiting to be aimed.”

-

She held down his wrists bound by his necktie.

Rammed her hips into his and he hissed, back arching, bouncing on the mattress. Torn condom wrapper on the floor by their discarded clothes. Saliva drying on the inside of his hard thighs still tingling from bites. Her other hand pressed down on his chest, pushing him back into place. Fuck, so tight. So wet, constricting around his cock, the swollen head throbbing against her pulsing walls.

Her face was directed to the side.

Seeing with her ears.

He groaned, feeling her hips rock, building the pace deliberately, squeezing every centimeter. Fuck. He pressed his head into the pillows, black strands invading his vision. His own hair a mess. Whimpers threatening to break free. She raked her fingernails over his chest, teasing his hardened nipples. Toying with him. Rolling her hips as he thrust up, a vain attempt to fight back.

Her fingers fanned over his wrists, palm pressing down on the knot.

“I’ve missed your sound,” she shuddered, her hand on his chest sliding to his collarbones.

Her nail scraped against his Adam’s apple, sparking electricity through his veins.

“Just… fuck… choke me, please.”

The side of her lips twisted into a smirk.

“I’ll wrap my hand around your neck.”

So tight, with love.

Her grip closed in, causing the fire to prickle over his skin, up his cheeks and down his spine. Limited oxygen, heightened awareness, pleasure flowing to every core, bound at the wrists but finally free, losing himself to the sound of connected bodies and swirling moans, to the shock of firm, wet slaps between hips, to the scent of sex weighing down the air, soaking it, to the taste of iron as he chewed on his lower lip, whines leaking out between his teeth, deeper, harder, faster.

His vision hazed, edges smoking with black.

Her chin tipped down.

Clouded white.

He was exposed, torn open and ripped apart by that gaze that was no more.

He could barely force the words out, the ache in his ribs pooling down, down.

“Take… me…”

She breathed in, seeing all of him.

“Fuck, you feel good.”

She let go of his wrists and layered both her hands over his throat, choking him harder and fucking him into the mattress. Air gone, his eyes rolling back, vision black, power radiating in every thrust, and he felt her body weight shift downward, fingertips digging into the sides of his neck, hopefully leaving bruises, his resolve cracking, slick walls around him throbbing in their shared pulse, there.

“F-Fuck!”

He rammed his hips up and the orgasm shot through him in shattering bolts, through his burning muscle and his empty lungs, his cock jerking, and then – release – his voice returning in a hoarse moan, another wave slamming into him, another level, creating a ripple effect throughout his nerves that electrified him, burning, gasping, his spine locked in an arc, hearing her exhale his name in a wanton hiss, clenching, spasms, sweet and sticky between their thighs.

His tongue extended, tasting the air, their passion palpable and pungent.

His body was trembling so much he was sure she could feel it even through her hands flat on the bed next to his head. She raised one, tracing his trembling jaw. Ran the pad of her fingertip over his quivering lips. Her name came out in a weak rasp, hot and shaking against her touch.

And yet he wanted her hands around his throat again.

How he missed that feeling.

“Jungkook…”

She saw with her hands. In scent and sound. In previous knowledge, and she knew his body so well, his heat and his hunger. Bondage was temporary. Trust was forever. She could mark him in bites and in scratches, but her scars were in the cavity of his ribs, in his heart that still yearned and in hers that she kept from him to protect them from becoming tools against the other.

Jungkook was afraid.

But he had someone to die for, to live for, to kill for.

And that made him dangerous.

So the Elders could try to rip them apart, but he was sure now that they would go down causing irreversible damage.

She ran her hands over his heaving chest.

“I’m not doing this stupid assignment until I’ve made up for lost time,” she panted, warning sharpness to her tone.

He smirked.

“I was hoping you would say that.”

--

masterpost

[kimhargreeves]

Love is War-Caine x Reader (John Wick Chapter 4)

Summary: You've remained a friend to John Wick throughout years, that hasn't changed since he's been excommunicado. Now finding you in Osaka and a few more allies he asks for your help again, which leads you to reunite with an old friend.

(Watched John Wick 4 a few days ago and I am surprised no one has written on this character! Donnie Yen is such a badass playing blind characters. So I wrote this myself. Sorry in advance since I suck at writing a fighting scene, and because this is short.)

The day Santino D'Antonio was shot was officially the day John Wick's life changed. The man had to rest, looking over his shoulders every second to be aware of anyone trying to kill him. The people who continued to remain by his side would be punished.

I was one of them when The High Table came over to my place. They punished me well but I embraced the pain and moved on with my life, and so I went to Japan.

Continuing with my work and wanting to be far from my previous life in the United States.

"Shimazu, my friend. This sushi is delicious as always!" I smiled looking at the tall man.

The man smiled a little and poured some sake for himself. "I believe you've had enough drinks for the night, (Y/N)."

I pouted at the man, he's asking like such a dad. I've known the man for years and met him way back along with his daughter, both of them welcomed me with open arms when I arrived. In exchange for their help I would offer my help and the yakuza.

I exchanged my guns for a katana.

"The night is still young. Besides, I want a bit of fun, the other night I almost got my ass beaten if it weren't for your men arriving."

"Still reckless as ever. I have someone you might want to see." I hummed looking at the man and I heard light footsteps.

I rose from my spot suddenly sobering myself up when I saw another man with us. It was none other than John Wick. "…J-John."

We saw John standing by a cherry blossom tree close to us.

I know it wasn't the time but I did the first thing that came to my mind, which was to hug him tight. I always considered John as an older brother, so seeing him back again was so refreshing. I felt his hand on my back patting me. I looked up at him and smiled.

Shimazu had a straight face when he looked at John Wick. I decided to stay silent but remained by John's side as I heard both men exchange words, Shimazu agreed on helping John, as soon as he did his daughter came by.

She warned us about a group about to Osaka's continental. We looked at John and told him to hide himself while we went out to fight. I grabbed my katana and followed Shimazu closely and started to walk further into the hotel. I watched more of his men grabbing their weapons and getting ready.

We see people hurriedly leaving the hotel after Akira told everyone to evacuate. I remain to Shimazu's side when we come face to face with a man I wasn't expecting to see. Caine.

I felt my body freeze when I saw him standing by the enemy.

Sharp as ever I see. He's wearing a suit and as usual with his cane guiding him. It's been a while since he gave his vision up, that's the consequences for working in this profession.

He is an old friend of John and I. So, he's leading a group of men then, the men working to the Marquis. I stay silent listening to both me exchange words. I glanced around when I saw men pointing their bow and arrows at the enemy.

"John Wick isn't here. So, as my master said give your weapons up." I declared glaring at the group in front of us.

I noticed Caine had tilted his head a bit. He wasn't expecting me to be here. It has been quite a while since we last saw each other.

Despite the warnings, a quick fight ensued when the enemy refused to give their weapons up, since they were determined to find John Wick in the hotel. I raised my katana and quickly slashed down one of the men, quickly I ran forward to attack another one and was able to penetrate the blade through two men in suits.

I harshly pulled the blade back and wiped the blood with my sleeve and I saw Shimazu give me a sign to follow a group of men who entered further into the hotel to look for John. I ran faster and began to avoid being shot and kicked the gun away from a man's hand when he was ready to shoot me.

I raised my leg up and kicked the man's head down and quickly turn around when I heard another one rushing towards me. I easily slashed the man's throat and watched him fall to the bloody floor.

"Have to hurry over to John and get him out of here." I ran faster through the empty halls and made it to the glass room where every antique is displayed.

As soon as I arrived I saw men on the floor and I huffed sliding down the floor and I froze my movements when I saw Caine was in the room. I have to be very quiet. I looked over my shoulder and saw John was hidden nearby.

Quietly I began to stand up and tried not to step on the shards of glass. "There's no use in hiding, (Y/N). Why are you helping a man like John Wick?" Caine spoke knowing I was in the room but not knowing where exactly.

"And why are you working against us?" I spoke seeing Caine standing still and looking at my direction.

"They'll harm my daughter if I don't do this. If it were between You and John and my daughter. I would choose my daughter. You won't be getting in my way."

"Wasn't planning on your trying to stop me. Last time I checked I bear your ass on a fight, you quite liked being under me." I tease standing up straight and raising my katana.

I saw John giving me an odd look but quietly began to crawl over to a gun. I gave him a nod while he continued.

Caine and I rushed over to one another and I huffed dodging his attacks and falling back when he almost hit me. I'll try my best not to slice him up, I'll only hit him with the side of my katana.

"Hmph!" The sound of my katana hit against his cane made a loud sound and I had to grab my weapon with both hands when I began to lose a bit of strength when my hands began to shake. I yelled and tried to kick him back but he was quicker and he hit my stomach hard and made me fall back to the floor.

I let out a cry when I felt glass enter my skin. "You always liked to talk a lot, but I was the one who did most of the action." I blushed when I saw a stupid smirk across his face.

I moved my legs and did my best to make him fall but he easily dodged my moves and hit my leg with his cane making me hiss and he stepped over to stand over my chest and pressed his shoe against me.

A loud movement was heard behind us and we heard John loading up his gun, Cane quickly took his out and both began to try and shoot each other. I struggled to breathe and before I had the chance to strike him again he grabbed me making stand up as he held me close.

"I would suggest you stop this, John. You would want me to harm her would you?"

I angrily looked back at Cain. "You bastard. How dare you use me as a human shield?!" I ask unimpressed with his work.

Caine only fell silent when I asked him and saw a annoyed expression on his face.

"And after everything we had?" I laugh bitterly which wasn't a good thing since he tossed me aside, I tripped over my own feet and ending up falling on one of the art glass in the room.

I groaned trying to stand up and tried to ignore the shards of glass on my palms. I continued to hear John and Caine trying to shoot each other and fight.

"I know our line of work is dangerous, but what kind of a sick bastard with threaten you with that?!" I shout at him.

I find it hard to imagine how he must have felt to have his little girl at risk. His daughter is so hard studying intelligent girl, I had the pleasure of knowing her many times before, I've known the girl ever since she was born, helped Caine in raising her in a way when his wife passed away.

It was her or her daughter. The bright and nice woman chose to give her daughter life. Caine was distraught and needed some peace, so that's when I took action and offered to help him raise his girl.

Both men continued to fight and John was the first one out. I watched him run out of the room so the people here in Osaka wouldn't be harmed because of him. I started to chase after him but I felt a hand hold onto arm tightly before I had the chance to leave.

I looked back and looked at Caine. I couldn't quite read his expression but behind those dark glasses he seemed worried. "They know what happened… They threatened my daughter, myself and you as well. If I don't kill them they will kill us..they are going to kill you too."

He wasn't harming me. His grip on me loosened up and I didn't do anything to provoke him. My expression turned to sadness, why must something always happen to us.

I huff trying to laugh, "I'm flattered to know that you still care about me.", He continued to frown. He was always a serious type, especially with work.

"What if we were to work together? We can stop this and kill the man-"

"That won't do, haven't I made myself clear?!" He said raising his voice.

Caine remained now silent until he let go of me and I saw a smirk across his face again. "I see you haven't changed.."

I fought back at laughing at him for saying that. "No matter what happens, I'll continue to worry about you. Hand me over John Wick and this will all be over."

"I'm sorry but I can't. I promised from the start that my loyalty to him would remain." I slowly started to back away now afraid if Caine would harm me because of my answer.

My loyalty to John Wick.

Too afraid to stick around I turned around and quickly began to follow to where I saw John run off. I was all bloodied up and hurt but I continued to run and made it at the train station. And got inside when I noticed John sitting by himself. I smiled when I saw the man also bloodied up and bruised.

I sat right by his side and we continued to not say anything on what happened back there. I felt extremely tired and so was John, I glanced over to him when I felt his stare on me.

"Did you seriously date him?" John asked after a moment of silence, out of everything that happened that's the first thing he asks??

I sighed leaning back on the seat and crossed my arms over my chest, "Was that such a big surprise for you? I thought it would be obvious, at the amount of times the three of us would reunite."

John must've not remembered of the time we invited him over for dinner but he decided to stay with Helen instead. I didn't blame him.

"Sorry. I just didn't expect the reveal." He muttered holding onto his injured shoulder. I glanced back at him and smiled.

I'll continue to fight by his side, but this'll all be a mess later on. We have to figure this one out and take revenge for those who have tried to kill John. I don't want any of this to happen, but I swear if someone were to harm him, Caine or his daughter, I'll be the person to kill the Marquis even if it means that I could die trying.

[hellostarrynightblr]

highlights of April & May

1. Favourite movies: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Mildred Pierce (1945) 2. Decent movies I liked / appreciated but not loved: Pat and Mike (1952), Emma. (2020), Suzume no Tojimari (2022), Bullets or Ballots (1936) 3. wtf movie/ending: Rebecca (2020). The movie is so lifeless that even gorgeous locations don't save it. It looks more like a tourist advertising. As far as the ending is concerned, leaving it vague makes the movie feel even more pointless and empty than it already was. 4. Best scenes: the ending / the police station argument in Pat and Mike (1952); 'If I loved you less...; from Emma. (2020); Katharine getting her comeuppance in Working Girl (1988); stealing a corpse from the hospital in Nine to Five (1980); the opening from Mildred Pierce (1945); the courtroom scene in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). 5. Favourite genres: drama, fantasy, comedy, romance. 6. Favourite directors: George Cukor (Pat and Mike, 1952); Makoto Shinkai  (Suzume no Tojimari, 2022); Michael Curtiz (Mildred Pierce, 1945); Robert Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). 7. Favourite actors: Deanna Durbin, Herbert Marshall (Mad About Music, 1938); Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn (Pat and Mike, 1952); Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn (Emma., 2020);  Melanie Griffith Harrison Ford Sigourney Weaver Joan Cusack (Working Girl, 1988);  Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton (Nine to Five, 1980);  Keanu Reeves Ian McShane (John Wick: Chapter 4, 2023); Roger Livesey (I Know Where I'm Going!, 1945); Joan Crawford Ann Blyth (Mildred Pierce, 1945); Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell (Bullets or Ballots, 1936); Gregory Peck Brock Peters Mary Badham (To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962); Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak (The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955); Bette Davis (A Stolen Life, 1946). 8. Least favourite performances: Armie Hammer in Rebecca (2020). Not only is it a terrible performance when compared to a master class that was Laurence Olivier, but even in its own right this performance is truly horrendous. It lacks all possible nuance that Maxim's character needs and is overall more a caricature than one of my favourite characters in movie history. 9. The most wasted cast: Lily and Kristin Scott Thomas in Rebecca (2020). I do believe they are capable of giving great performances, but not in this film. It's like a void sucking the talent of otherwise good actors. Also, I don't understant why make Cruella (2021) at all. The actors are fine and all but the entire film is just... wrong. This character is not Cruella, this is not her backstory, it's someone's fanfic. Nothing in the plot makes a lick of sense. Emma Stone, Emma, Joel Fry, Mark Strong. 10. The best wasted premise: Rebecca (2020). A gothic mystery romance. Sign me up... most of the time. You have to try to stuff it up. They managed. 11. Best premise: Suzume no Tojimari (2022). Crazy and brilliant. 12. Favourite cast: Pat and Mike (1952), I guess. I just really love seeing Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy together on screen again. They light up every scene they are in. 13. Favourite on-screen duos: Herbert Marshall x Deanna Durbin in Mad About Music (1938); Katharine Hepburn x Spencer Tracy in Pat and Mike (1952); Anya Taylor-Joy x Johnny Flynn in Emma. (2020); Melanie Griffith x Harrison Ford in Working Girl (1988); Jane Fonda x Lily Tomlin x Dolly Parton in Nine to Five (1980); Keanu Reeves x Donnie Yen in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023); Sadie Sink x Dylan O'Brien in All Too Well: The Short Film (2021); Joan Crawford x Ann Blyth in Mildred Pierce (1945); Edward G. Robinson x Joan Blondell and Edward G. Robinson x Humphrey Bogart in Bullets or Ballots (1936); Gregory Peck x Mary Badham and Phillip Alford in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962); Frank Sinatra x Kim Novak in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). 14. Favourite on-screen relationships: Pat Pemberton + Mike Conovan (Pat and Mike, 1952); Emma Woodhouse + George Knightley (Emma., 2020). 15. Favourite characters: for the first time since I've started writing these I know exactly who the best character is. Possibly the best character of the entire year. Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). I adore this man for his reserve, conviction, strength, love, patience, compassion. He is the most inspirational character I can think of. Gloria Harkinson, Richard Todd / "Mr. Harkinson" (Mad About Music, 1938); Pat Pemberton, Mike Conovan (Pat and Mike, 1952);  Emma Woodhouse, George Knightley (Emma., 2020); Suzume Iwato (Suzume no Tojimari, 2022); Bruce Wayne / Batman (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, 1993); Doralee Rhodes (Nine to Five, 1980); Caine (John Wick: Chapter 4, 2023); Roger Livesey (I Know Where I'm Going!, 1945); Mildred Pierce, Veda Pierce Forrester (Mildred Pierce, 1945); Detective Johnny Blake (Bullets or Ballots, 1936); Atticus Finch, Scout, Jem (To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962). 15. Favourite quote: You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. (To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962). 16. Favourite fact discovered in 2023: I have a couple. Gregory Peck and Mary Badham formed a life-long friendship on the set of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Harper Lee and Truman Capote's real-life friendship was also depicted in the film. 17. The most overrated film: like half of them? Rebecca (2020) is terrible; Working Girl (1988) is a bit cringe; Nine to Five (1980) is ALL cringe; John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) is okay but not a masterpiece; I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) has the most annoying protagonist; Highlander (1986) is a bit meh. I'll go with Cruella (2021) because it has no right to even exist. 18. The most disappointing film: Rebecca (2020). 19. The biggest surprise: Gregory Peck and the entire To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). An introspective character study. Truly deep and meeningful, masterfully written, diracted and acted. What do they say? They don't make them like they used to? Indeed they don't. 20. Best cinematography: The absolute best one is Ernest Haller for Mildred Pierce (1945). Cinematography in that film is breathtaking. It's one of the best-looking noirs I've ever seen and that is saying something as I've seen about a hundred of them. Honourable mentions go to Erwin Hillier (I Know Where I'm Going!, 1945); Russell Harlan (To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962). 21. Best set design: George James Hopkins (Mildred Pierce, 1945). 22. Best costume design: Mildred Pierce and Working Girl (1988). 23. Best music: Nine to Five (1980) just because the song is an absolute smash hit! I have had it on repeat for years. 24. Best prooduction choice: cinematography, costumes and casting in Mildred Pierce (1945). Joan Crawford is a knockout! Also, everything about To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). 25. Worst production choice: making Rebecca (2020). Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to remake a Hitchcock classic? Was 1998's Psycho not enough? But also, they made it in the brightest possible colours. It's supposed to be a dark mystery almost horror and it looks like a Taylor Swift music video. Moreover, the costumes are truly baffling. They don't look 1930s at all and paired with rainbow colours all the style of the story or the 1940's adaptation is gone. Just by looking at it, you'd confuse it for a modern melodrama. I can't leave it at one. The whole existance of Cruella (2021) annoys me. Such a pretentious and irritating film! The obnoxious costume design is one of those notoriously bad production choices. 26. Film of the month: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). There isn't a single doubt in my mind.Mildred Pierce (1945) is a close second, also quite a gem of a film.

[imalloutofgin]

Uni went back and my life fell apart again... (more mini reviews because I suck at this).

Lord of War (2005): I liked this a lot. It really had me hooked. The characters were interesting and I liked the surreal elements. Also, guns, haha. 4/5 stars.

One Night In Soho (2021): Fun film, but I felt like it kind of lost it's way at the end. Maybe it tried to go a bit too big with it? Things really escalated. But I loved the story and the way the two worlds wound together. The music and the fashion had me gripped. 3.5/5 stars.

BlacKkKlansman (2018): This movie was very clever, funny, and a really good time to watch. It was also hard hitting when it needed to be and had something to say. It loses one point for potentially being copaganda. 4/5 stars.

Sorry to Bother You (2018): The lighting though! And beyond that, an interesting story told well that really gripped me. Completely off the wall in parts. An enjoyable film to watch. 4.5/5 stars.

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991): How Not to Make a Film - The Movie. I really enjoyed this as someone who is trying to work in the industry. 4/5 stars.

Madoka Magica Movie 1 (2012): I am pretty sure this is the one I watched. I watched the series and then the film back to back and was a big fan. This anime has an art style like no other, and is an interesting critique of the magical girl genre - whether or not it was intended in that way I'll leave up to you to decide. 3.5/5 stars.

Perfect Blue (1997): People absolutely rave about this film and I did like it, but I think maybe it was over hyped. I love the surrealism and the animation style, and I love the visual elements and the darkness to it. A scathing view of idoldom that I feel is still relevant today. However, it ends in a way that kind of undoes some of that work and that was a bit of a let down. 3/5 stars.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014): Yeah, no, perhaps I've been spoiled for fight choreography recently but this didn't really do it for me. It was also very... conservative? The main guy is deffs a Torrie. Absolutely not for me. I did like the fight scene in a church though. 1.5/5 stars.

Tár (2022): I need to watch this film again to properly develop my thoughts so perhaps I'll write a long review about this later... I liked some of it, and felt like it was at least attempting to be a critique of people in positions of power... bur then it also kind of seemed to not do that. The music was really interesting and the main character unraveling was quite compelling. I'll watch it again and see what I think as we watched this at an outdoor cinema and I feel like we missed most of the movie. 3/5 stars.

You Were Never Really Here (2017): That was a lot. I loved how colourful this film was, I don't feel like you see enough of that in these kidnap/abduction movies. Brutal, visceral, intense. I cried a little bit. It's been a while since I saw it so I can't remember why I only gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars... but I do think it's not quite a 5 star film from memory, but very close. 4.5/5 stars.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023): This is my least favourite John Wick film. I feel like after the last one they were trying to go even bigger, but they couldn't really find a way to do that. Some things just felt a bit silly... there was too many bad guys waiting to take their turn fighting Mr. Wick instead of running in to kill him. The fight choreography of 3 outshone this one, in my opinion, and they re-used some old character types and just changed them slightly. Donnie Yen did a kick ass job though, and I loved some of the gags they used with this character - like the doorbells. Still, a fun film I enjoyed watching. 3/5 stars.

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | John Wick: Chapter 4 (Stahelski, 2023)

When so many blockbusters these days are so rigorously focus grouped and committee driven and calibrated for certain target audience quadrants, it's a little refreshing to be able to walk into the big IMAX screen in a multiplex and see something this unabashedly dorky and itself. Something that pathologically piles on some increasingly incongruous worldbulding (desert riders, hotels, family crests, switchboard operators, duels at sunrise) and commits to them with steadfast sincerity, no matter how insular and convoluted the rules of this specific world can be. You could argue that certain other franchises attempt the same thing, but what those fail to do but this does so readily (aside from the differing levels of craft involved) is that they completely disconnect setups and payoffs, to the extent that you're watching advertisements for future installments, while the entries in this series are nice enough to create narrative investment within each entry, even if the particulars are increasingly difficult to grasp.

This is the longest entry in the series yet, and there is a lot of stuff in its almost three hour runtime. Practically every few minutes there is another scene of intricately choreographed, staged and timed violence, usually captured in stylish neon lighting and muscular camera moves, often set to crunchy electronic beats but sometimes to cheeky needledrops in a touch borrowed from The Warriors. (Highlights include the hero shooting and punching out waves of henchmen in the face of oncoming traffic like an ultraviolent game of bumper cars, and a brief detour into top-down shooter territory.) All of this is consistently inspired and engaging, although given the runtime and the bottles of water I downed during my screening (to paraphrase Bob Mackenzie, I had to take a leak so bad I could taste it), I was maybe a little worn out. But this is a good problem for a movie to have and ultimately a minor qualm. When so many movies serve terrible food and in such small portions, one cannot complain too loudly when walking into a buffet that knocks every dish out of the park.

As someone who spends a bit too much time thinking about clothes, I appreciated the way the costuming gives each character their own distinct signature. The clean lines and monochrome tones of Keanu Reeves' suiting. Donnie Yen's sunglasses. Shamier Anderson's unpretentious workwear. Bill Skarsgard's finery. Whatever the hell Laurence Fishburne is wearing. Some of these outfits would be ridiculous to wear in real life, but they provide great shorthand for giving you a sense of who these characters are. The supporting roles are more flamboyant (and each actor gets their moments to shine), but these movies really wouldn't work without Keanu Reeves. When I was growing up, Reeves was a regular punching bag, someone who had a number of good movies but was usually understood to be a "bad actor". But he's also someone who's come across as likable (in large part because, by most accounts, he's a very nice man in real life), and with this franchise, Reeves has embraced his limitations and honed his strengths with almost samurai-like dedication. He is the perfect stoic centre, a finely honed weapon deployed at the perfect moments. (If you ever watch the behind the scenes footage from any of these movies, it becomes apparent that Reeves can do most of what his character does. It's a good thing he's a force for good, for if her ever turned to the dark side...watch out!) But most of all, he's sincere, and, to the extent someone with his horrifically large kill count can be, human. There's none of the piss-take sarcasm that plagues the modern blockbuster. If there is humour here, like in the scene where he repeatedly stumbles down a very long set of stairs, it's in acknowledging that, yes, despite the mass murder of henchmen he's perpetrated over the course of the movie, he can actually feel pain.

[rohitgurumith]

FOREFRONT 9 : JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4 (2023)

I've never been so pleased by the cinematography and the lighting more than this film and I've taken a lot of inspiration from this film which I definitely will be using for my future films when time permits. only in a film like this can a character be at any place in the world and it would still look relevant to the film and not take us out of the story whatsoever. This film has also made me do my research on background elements that might have a hidden meaning behind them so they can be used to foreshadow something that is about to happen, convey emotions and the mood of the scene, etc intention was to make this movie purely epic. The lower set shots, which they have used before, went to an entirely different level.

I was watching an interview given by Dan Laustsen to Collider Interviews regarding the action sequences of the film in general and there was a section where he spoke about how it took them a whole week just to set up the lighting for a scene. he then goes into depth explaining how every single element counts in contributing to a scene with great lighting and although it's different to set up lighting in real life than in 3D software, I will definitely remember some of his words about the positioning the light and keeping multiple lights in a certain angle to give a better result.

The production design by Kevin Kavanaugh was impeccable too. Seeing the blossoms come out of the tree with John standing there is just poetry in motion. You don't need John telling us he's still full of his pain and grief, but also full of anger towards the world that he used to be a part of. It's all played by these sorts of moments well. He looks to his friends to find a path, find some solace. They understand what sorta of man he is and why dying for/with him is a worthy death in honor. Because what happens in this epic-scaled story of the end of John, will be set in stone against the High Table.

REFERENCES :

Stahelski, C. (2023)John Wick : Chapter 4 . United States: Lionsgate Films.

Interviews, C. (2021) John Wick 4 cinematographer on Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, the action, and filming in Paris and Belin, YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/PmtQ4rHi9v4 (Accessed: 23 August 2023).

[chirrutimwe-rogueone-blog]

Donnie Yen emoji 

[vulpes-incendium]

I made this long time ago, but I thought it's a good time to share it here for @aphasiaweek!

I chose 《Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy》over 《Maji Kandou☆Hong Kong Night》because there are more stuff about HK in it. So let's see if the lyrics are accurate in a native's point of view!

Spoiler alert: it's very accurate

Hoi Sam = Happy (in Cantonese)

Guy = sounds like street in Cantonese (gaai1)

“Yooooo, so since there’s a song… while I’m at it I kinda put some effort into my costume… I think I’ve got like, serious swag Pardon? You can’t see me…for real? Woah!!!!”

FASHION: yes, HKers love to be trendy, always want to be on top trends! Trends come and go very very quickly, it's seriously really hard to follow trends in HK.

MIXING ENGLISH WITH CANTONESE: yup, we do that a lot, we almost couldn't finish a sentence without English, some words just sound "uncool" in Chinese lol (it’s always about being cool in HK lol), but we don't really say “pardon” unless we are speaking English

Sup-sup-sup-sup-sup-super mobile (snap snap) It’s my hobby to take pics and collect them (I guess) Not gonna lie, everyone’s got a mobile phone, penetration rate (highest in the world) Yeah! If you’re going sightseeing then Nathan Road! (Fuu~!)

TAKING PICS WITH SMARTPHONE: Aph HK loves taking (embarrassing) photos (of China lol), but in real life HKers do love taking pictures, or videos too (it's dangerous if you misbehave, people would film you and post on Youtube or Facebook)

MOBILE PHONE PENETRATION RATE: I couldn't find data for HK, but I think I heard on average, each HKer carries at least 2 cellphones! So this could be true!

NATHAN ROAD: It's the longest street in HK and there's so many things, good food, good shopping places and yup sightseeing! (A lot of our streets are named after the Governors during the colonial time, this street is named after Sir Matthew Nathan for example)

Welcome this makes me kinda happy (Check it out!) Learned this from England - tea in the afternoon (high tea) Welcome, this is kinda fun (Shake it up!) Yum cha, Hong Kong milk tea, cha-cha Nice culture (frivolous)!

AFTERNOON TEA: Yes, it's still a tradition for us to have tea time, we call it 3:15, workplaces would have tea breaks, restaurants do tea time menu during 2-5pm, it's really cool and cheap! We usually drink HK milk tea (evolved from British milk tea) during tea time and there are so many delicious snacks like French toast, pineapple bun and of course egg tart!

YUM CHA: It literally means “drink tea”, but Chinese tea this time. It's a tradition for us to go Yum Cha every Sunday with our family! Dim sum is part of Yum Cha! We just eat and catch up with each others for HOURS!

Oh. My. God. “LOHAS LOHAS” Oh. My. Mind. “Gonna take a pic~” Take away “Is this delivery service for real?” Like, seriously, even if it’s way out of the way, no problem man

LOHAS: I didn't know what this refers to for a long time, I finally found the answer. This refers to LOHAS park, an eco-friendly residential area newly built few years ago. But what's so special about it? Is it famous in Japan?!

DELIVERY SERVICE: Well delivery service in Asia are generally good anyway, but I guess we are good and fast?! (but I think Korea too!)

Super Feeling unlucky? If it’s getting to you, go villain hitting at Ngo Keng Kiu A medium will perform an exorcism, and hit a paper doll with a shoe For fortune telling, go draw fortune sticks, or get a divine answer by throwing moon blocks at the temples… at Wong Tai Sin, light the fire of your incense! If you’re feeling tired, maybe you can give Feng Shui a try or something? A spiritual site in Lantau Island The Wisdom Path…is super Awesome for meditation, but there aren’t any toilets, so watch out Gold fish, bring me luck! (In money!)

NGO KENG KIU: Generally HKers are not THAT superstitious, but the culture still lives within us. I have never known anyone who did the villain hitting, but it's still quite a thing (and a great tourist spot). It's mainly for people who backstab you (we call them "small people" siu yan), but I guess evil spirit too.

WONG TAI SIN: Again, it's more for older generation who are still a bit superstitious. People like to go to Wong Tai Sin Temple during Lunar New Year to wish for luck in the new year. It's still quite popular!

See I told you we have natural landscape (source)

WISDOM PATH: I've never been there lol. Apparently it's a "path lined with 38 wooden monuments inscribed with the Heart Sutra prayer". In general, HK has a lot of nice hiking trail, our landscape is actually amazing, it's just we focus too much on making money...

P-Pe-Pe-Pearl of the Orient is me! (I guess?) Got completely wasted? Ended up in a dress (totes sick) Not gonna lie, population density is highest in the world in Ap Lei Chau Yeah! If you’re going sightseeing then Hong Kong Island! (Yeah~!!)

PEARL OF THE ORIENT: It's the nickname of HK, the Philippines is Pearl of the Orient SEAS

(Ending up in a dress refers to this comic, thanks parallel France!)

POPULATION DENSITY: Yea, that's what we are famous for really, small place lots of people (HK is a very hilly city, surprise, surprise), we have the most expensive estate price in the world 🤦‍♀️, not sure if Ap Lei Chau is particularly population-densed, but the whole HK is like that!

Good luck in everything this makes me kinda happy (Check it out!) Learned this from England - how to be a gentleman (ladies first) I wish you good health, this is kinda fun (Shake it up!) Typhoon, Kung Fu, WA-TAHH Supplements, Chinese herbal medicine (healthy~!)

LUCK: The newer generations are less superstitious now, but luck is still kind of important for us? It's more like a tradition than a belief, we do them just in case (like Feng Shui).

TYPHOON: As a coastal city, we get typhoons a lot in summer, but they are not as strong in comparison to the Philippines or Indonesia.

KUNG FU: We are known for our Kung Fu films, as the actors are all trained martial artists! Bruce Lee (WA-TAH was his catchphrase), Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen are great examples! Because of the wars and Cultural Revolution, many people fled China to HK, resulting the influx of high quality martial artists (eg. Ip Man).

HERBAL MEDICINE: As western as we are, we still believe in Chinese Medicine, but more in a preventative way.

Oh. My. God. “Air conditioning in full blast!” Oh. My. Mind. “That’s not eco-friendly…” Oh well “The air will become cleaner, I think?” Seriously a Mistake, but, no problem man

STRONG AIR-CONDITIONING: This line had me laugh die (Imao in Cantonese)! It's so accurate! You can catch a cold from the airconditioning in HK! And that's why we always carry a jacket even in summer! It's not very eco-friendly and our government is trying resolve that.

AIR POLLUTION: Yes we have smog (smoke + fog), it is becoming quite the problem really. The root of the problem is that Shenzhen, the city next to HK, is developing rapidly and a lot of factories moved there, so the smoke is blown towards HK (we don't really have many factories left, it's too expensive here).

Awesome Riding on a roofless bus, cruising through the neon streets If you want to, like, go shopping… at Ladies Market There are stalls with cute stuff, souvenirs (lots and lots of them) Talk the price down! Haggling is what really counts For some more miscellaneous and deep junk, more for the adult and thrilling The street where mystery thickens… Temple Street Would you like to try some cheap eats at the street stalls? Absolutely delicious! Asian food is the best!

NEON LIGHTS: You've all seen the stereotypical HK streets full of neon lights, but it's actually decreasing, because there's no newcomers to the industry (the lights are handmade).

LADIES MARKET: You can find so many stuff there indeed, for a cheap price! Branded stuff, fake stuff (we don't make them but yea you can find a lot of them), food and goldfish. Yes, there's a goldfish street. Why? I dunno, for luck I guess?!

TEMPLE STREET: Similar to ladies market, it's also great for shopping. This street is also known for (illegal) prostitution and triad, but it's still safe to visit, never in my life have I encountered any of them.

“Yoooooo, Mister, so I kinda sang this song, but seriously, rapping is surprisingly, like, tough?” “It’s also a shame that no one can see what I’m wearing, I’ve got serious swag, y'know.” “Phew… I kinda want to go home already… I mean, the peach buns are gonna be sold out.” “…can we go now?” “…can’t we go yet?” “Haah…” “Okay fine, like, whatever.”

One, two, three!*

PEACH BUN: They are actually eaten on birthdays, for longevity (that's what peach represents in Chinese culture).

*this line was spoken in Mandarin in the song, which would be the only critism I'd give. Yes a lot of people may understand Mandarin, but Cantonese and English are preferred and they are our official languages. One, two, three in Cantonese would be "yaat, yi, sam".

Oh. My. God. “The rent is really expensive…” Oh. My. Mind. “It’s not easy…” Why oh why? “It’s like, the highest in the world” We have serious inflation, but, whatever

EXPENSIVE RENT: We are the most expensive in the world, thanks to the high population density (and foreign buyers 😶), it's really not easy to afford a flat in HK, that’s why most HKers live with their parents until they get married (it’s also a cultural thing).

INFLATION: Stuff are still relatively cheap, but they are getting more expensive really quickly, mainly because of the rent of the shops.

Super they’re so adorable it hurts, the perfect balance of black and white pandas that bring you happiness… we sell them, sort of So fluffy and cute, such big round eyes The kinda? Make you Happy! Uh-huh

PANDAS: We actually only have 2 pandas here like everyone else, in Ocean Park (it's like an amusement park and zoo). They finally successfully mated recently, probably because of Corona shutdown lol!

There are over 100 of them, Tin Hau Temple, so super Before I head there, I seriously wanna eat… mango pudding! So many gods, like, one in every street Pay homage at the temple, light the fire of your incense!

TEMPLES: We still have the temples built before the colonial time! Hopefully, we are able to keep them too...

MANGO PUDDING: It's so good yes! Our dessert culture is just the best seriously! We have so many restaurants just for desserts! They are great places to hang out with friends after work or school!

The air conditioning at its max, the fire burning strong A steaming hot pot made with a carefully chosen soup base If you want to detox, have a Chinese herbal hot pot Absolutely delicious! Asian food is the best! Riding on a roofless bus, cruising through the neon streets If you want to, like, go shopping… at Ladies Market There are stalls with cute stuff, souvenirs, lots and lots of them Talk the price down! Haggling is what really counts Absolutely delicious! Asian food is the best! Every minute Happy☆Nice Town (Guy)

HOT POT: We love it! We basically love when a lot of people sit together, talking, sharing food (like Yum Cha), it's the harmony and atmosphere that we like so much! And yes, there are a lot of different soup base you can choose from!

BARGAINING: Yes do it, especially if you're in places like Ladies' Market and you're a foreigner, they do price things up if you don't look like a local.

***

Shout out to Takagi Motoki, the voice actor of HK, his voice fits the character perfectly! (and please get a new va for the new season please funimation) And how can he speak so fast?!

[goodnightkisseu]

Tag Game~

I was tagged by @prettywordsyouleft on my main, ongsung, and by @this-song-thats-only-for-you on here, so I decided to just answer these here :3 Thank you both of you for tagging me <3 Love you both!

The rules are:

1. Tag the person who tagged you

2. Answer the questions.

3. Tag 10 people

Let’s get it started!

•How tall are you?

I’m ~157cm / 5ft 2in. I’m okay with my height, but tbh I look hella short next to all of my friends that are 165cm+ ;___; 

•What color and style is your hair?

I used to dye my hair a lighter burgundy (think Jaejoong during Mirotic) but it became hard to maintain that living in California. The sun is not kind to my hair ;__; So now I go a very dark purple-red. My hair just looks naturally black in most light... until I step into a place with natural sunlight and you can see the purple-red better :3 I’m pretty sure I have pics somewhere...

Style-wise... I’ve had it shoulder length before, and I liked that because it was manageable, but now I keep it long, about chest length with bangs :3

•What color are your eyes?

Brown

•Do you wear glasses?

Much like Chelle, I also have an astigmatism >_< I also didn’t used to like my glasses because I didn’t think I looked good in them ;; I’ve grown to like them tho, only wearing contacts every now and then. Which, honestly, is for the better, because I have such dry eyes that contacts do not help ;A;

•Do you wear braces?

I had braces as a kid. I wasn’t a fan of them, but I don’t have horror stories about them either. 

•What’s your fashion sense?

I... really don’t now how to describe my fashion sense lol. I work in a game studio so there’s really no need to dress up, but I guess I am on the dressier side? I like skirts or skinny jeans with a nice top, all of it under my over-sized work hoodie XD 

•Full name?

Ashley, though I’ve started answering to Ash too :) As a kid, letting kids refer to me as Ash was rough cuz of Pokemon >< And though I love the franchise, I did not really like the Ash Ketchum jokes >< Now that I’m older, Ash is fine. 

•When were you born?

I share a birthday with SuJu’s Eunhyuk :D I’m just 6 years younger than him, so April 4, 1992. 

•Where are you from and where do you live now?

I was originally from a smaller town in Washington State, then I lived on my own in Seattle for 6 years (school and work). Now I’m down in southern California in Irvine, for work :3

•What school do you go to?

I graduated 4 years ago (holy cow it’s been longer than I thought O_O)

•What kind of student are you?

Lolol I was that terrible perfectionist friend OTL Never missed classes, read the assigned reading (which most of the people didn’t in my classes ><), tried to get projects done early. But I also would procrastinate on things that I knew I didn’t need to spend a lot of time on? But I still wanted them to be done well? I was stressed as a college student. How I was a KPop stan and had a pretty good GPA coming out of college was a miracle x.x

•Do you like school?

I like learning. I like doing assignments to enhance my understanding. (Coding assignments were super, super useful! I love them even if the tests often kicked my butt) but I don’t like busy work ><

•Favorite subject?

I took a lot of programming courses cuz I majored in Computer Science. Those courses were a lot of fun, but I think weirdly my favorite class was one on Japanese Plays? That was pretty neat :0

•Favorite TV show?

Most of what I watch is anime or kdramas >< but I do love Doctor Who a lot :D

•Favorite Movie?

So I got asked this question recently and I had to think about it pretty hard. I think the film that takes the title of ‘favorite’ for me is Hero. It came out back in 2002, and it starred Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Chen Daoming and Zhang Ziyi. It was so beautiful and now I have to go re-watch it ><

•Favorite books?

I loved the Stravaganza series way back when. I only found out like 3 years ago that there were more than the original 3 so I may have to go back and re-read them :3

•Favorite pastime?

I love to write! Most of my freetime is dedicated to that and mobile games. >< I also love to draw, which I haven’t been able to do in a while >< Maybe soon...

•Do you have any regrets?

A handful. I will only go into depth if people want to know, lol. Nothing is serious. Just lots of little life things

•Dream job?

So, back when I was about 9 or 10, I picked up Final Fantasy X. I loved the game and the art so much that all I wanted to do was be a concept artist for games. Admittedly, I don’t have the talent of a concept artist, even though I do love to draw. I do work in the game industry now but in a slightly more technical sense. ^^ There was also a time I wanted to be a writer... but honestly... none of my stuff is publishing worthy lolol

•Would you ever like to be married?

I’d like to, but I haven’t met anyone yet. Plus, given how old everyone is at this game studio, I probably won’t find anyone here ><””

•Would you like to have kids?

Eventually?

•How many?

One or two. 

•Do you like shopping?

Yes and no. There are times when all I want to do is look for cute clothes. And then there are times when I just... don’t want to, lol.

•What countries have you visited?

Canada, Vietnam, Thailand, and the inside of an airport in Hong Kong and in Incheon when my family still traveled XD

•Scariest nightmare you have ever had?

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of like... assassin/fighting type of dreams and I’m not having it, yo. I’ve also experienced the teeth falling out dreams, mostly if I’m stressed... which just makes me more stressed OTL

•Any enemies?

Not that I know of ^^’’’’’

•Any significant other?

Maybe some day...

•Do you believe in miracles?

I’d like to :3

•How are you?

I’m alright today. I’m a little exhausted, but happy too! I got a lot of tasks done at work and I’m wrapping up my last fic request. I’m also thinking of drawing one of the girls from the new mobile game I started. So overall things are looking up! :D I could probably use with a bit more sleep tho ><

I’ll tag @romeongs, @jinyoungmoans, @xiaojuxiyou and anyone else that wants to do this. I feel like most already have, but you can say I tagged you if you want to give it a go! ^o^

[aion-rsa]

Mortifying Tales of Post-Screening Q&As Emerge Online

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The post-screening Q&A is a lovely tradition that often retrospectively seems like it was better in theory than in practice. If you’ve been to a handful of them, you may be aware that the Venn diagram of people more inclined to get up and actually ask a question about the film they’ve just watched, and people who love to hear themselves talk regardless of the relevance of the subject matter, regularly appears to be pretty close to a circle.

One moment that audience members tend to dread when they pop along to a movie screening attended by a cast and crew brave and willing enough to field questions from an audience occurs when the mic is finally passed to an eager beaver and “hi, yeah, this is more of a comment than a question…” is the first thing that spills from their mouth.

Feeling trapped in your seat, you know damn well you’re about to hear either the worst opinion of all time or, if you’re incredibly lucky, a lengthy story only vaguely related to the movie in question. The brain recoils and straps in for the inevitable: as a collective, you’re about to experience paint drying in real time – you can only hope that any of you were smart enough to bring snacks.

But it could be worse, as Twitter has proven fairly well this week. Movie fans and industry professionals have been sharing their tales of post-screening Q&A woe online for all to read, and some of it makes for truly cringeworthy reading at that.

From the woman who asked Benedict Cumberbatch if she could taste his “deliciousness” before being escorted off the premises, to a hungover Mickey Rourke just hanging in there for dear life during his efforts not to vomit, this is just a sample of some of the worst post-screening Q&A stories shared on Twitter so far…

TIFF for Imitation Game, woman gets to mic and starts sexually harassing Benedict Cumberbatch, asks “can I taste your deliciousness,” entire audience erupts in mortified groans, Keira Knightley open-mouth shock, Cumberbatch barely fazed tries to laugh it off. Woman escorted out. https://t.co/AH6S6yQH67

— Brian FH Clement (@brianfhclement) August 12, 2021

Well this is just rude…

Got free tickets to a screening of Ex Machina at a small theater in NYC. My wife and I were snorting and making sarcastic jokes after like 20 minutes. Guy behind us shushed us and I gave him the finger and kept talking. When the film ended he got up to talk. Sorry Alex Garland

— Danny Brody (@DannyBrodyBX) August 12, 2021

Really putting the Q in Q&A…

This was a Comic Con and not post screening but someone asked John de Lancie, serious actor who happens to voice a My Little Pony character, what he thought about all the erotic pics and fanfic on Tumblr. The cringe took years off my life. https://t.co/oa1btKPkrO

— Laura (@laurahotch) August 12, 2021

How dare…

1st screening of ROGER RABBIT. When the lights came up, there weren't enough people left in the theater to have a Q&A.

— Frank Marshall (@LeDoctor) August 11, 2021

This is disgusting. Who wears sunglasses indoors…?

Happy memories of the THE WRESTLER q&a with Aronofsky & Rourke, in which Mickey Rourke, drenched in sweat and wearing sunglasses, crouched down on the stage to steady himself due to his colossal hangover. He gestured to Aronofsky to keep talking while he focused on not vomiting. https://t.co/s5CDPm46n7

— Whitlock And Pope (@WhitlockAndPope) August 12, 2021

After a screening of the Suspiria remake the host, ex-MTV Steve Blame, asked Luca G. to tell each other something they haven‘t told to anyone else. G. politely declined but Blame told a deeply private 10 minute long story about the things his mother told him on her death bed

— DerSoze (@kaisasoze) August 12, 2021

Oofgood…

I was at a 70mm screening of Willow w/ Ron Howard where a guy got up, complimented the film, asked if there were plans for a sequel. Then pulled a script out of his pocket for “Willow 2” that he had written. When the groans of 2nd hand embarrassment started, he was MYSTIFIED. https://t.co/qtJuhX0CXT

— Tanner Johnson (@TannerTrue) August 12, 2021

Will The Last Jedi discourse ever end…

Knives Out screening at Arclight where half the audience questions were about why Rian Johnson ruined Star Wars.

— Sean Mercado (@SceneMersaydo) August 12, 2021

Super Monkeyball…

I went to a screening of Jeff Who Lives at Home with q&a featuring Jason Segel and Ed Helms and someone mentioned Jonah Hills performance in Moneyball which led to an audience member repeatedly screaming “MONKEYBALL!!” Over and over again. https://t.co/LCCF9weT1d

— Good Ol’ Mike P (Available for storyboard work!) (@PattenPending) August 12, 2021

Doing his evil bidding…

THE NEON DEMON. Refn up on stage held up the Q&A and told us all to wait because he was bidding on some movie memorabilia on eBay. Just ignored everyone and looked at his phone. The audience had paid extra for the special screening. It was awkward as hell.

— William D'Annucci (@CountBillStein) August 12, 2021

Man Who Fell To Woof. I’ll see myself out…

Nic Roeg after a screening of 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'. A woman in the audience asked a sadly very frail, ailing Roeg, who had struggled throughout the Q&A, if 'he'd ever considered making the film with animals instead, as animals have a different spirit to humans'. https://t.co/czAWjEfuRB

— Nia Childs (@nia_loves_films) August 12, 2021

Use your indoor kidnapping plot voice…

when i saw eighth grade at the music box & a girl asked bo burnham for his wrist and ankle measurements so she could chain him up in her basement……. 🥲⁉️ https://t.co/Qud9WebtG4

— megan (@heyitsmegn) August 12, 2021

I saw a screening of Escape From New York in like 2004. A Q&A with Carpenter followed it. Someone in the crowd asked if he felt responsible for 9/11. Crowd was pretty divided after that.

— David Snyder (@SnyderDavidE) August 12, 2021

Went to a Donnie Yen Q&A where the moderator spent 95% of the event asking questions about Bruce Lee… https://t.co/Zs6p7bUqzf

— Timon Singh (@TimonSingh) August 12, 2021

No. Just no…

My husband went to a screening of Kick-Ass at the Music Box where a grown man asked 13-year-old Chloe Moretz if she had a boyfriend https://t.co/HEcHrb1IJC

— Molly (@_uncoolniece) August 12, 2021

Was at a film festival and saw a little no name film. It was sold out. It became apparent the person had spent years making it, and had promised to pay everyone, but never did. Every question asked was when they were getting paid, and the audience applauding. Cringe max.

— R.J. Blake (@RJBlake_Prod) August 12, 2021

More like a nightmare…

Went to a WGA screening years ago where Matt Damon did the Q&A and some guy got up and nervously raced through the following in a rehearsed monotone voice: “In 1997 Hollywood made your dreams come true and so I’m wondering if you would like to in turn make my dreams come true”

— Christopher Cantwell (@ifyoucantwell) August 12, 2021

Common: What’s your favorite food? Lanthimos: I don’t know there’s so many to choose fro- Common: I like pizza. pic.twitter.com/ANVtWqkOf4

— Ke⚔️in (@justaddknives) August 11, 2021

Got any moments of excruciating cringe of your own to share from post-screening Q&As you’ve attended? Be sure to let us know in the comments so that we can all suffer together!

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The post Mortifying Tales of Post-Screening Q&As Emerge Online appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[light-of-my-life-sreaming-fr]

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Date de sortie: Sep 04, 2020 Dure: 115 minutes Genres: Action, Aventure, Drame, Fantastique Avec: Liu Yifei, Jet Li, Tzi Ma, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Rosalind Chao, Cheng Pei-Pei, Ron Yuan, Chen Tang Distributeur: Walt Disney Pictures, China Film Group Corporation, Good Fear, Jason T. Reed Productions

Distributeur: Centropolis Entertainment, Bona Film Group, Providence Entertainment, Lionsgate

Synopsis et détails

Après la débâcle de Pearl Harbor qui a laissé la flotte américaine dévastée, la marine impériale japonaise prépare une nouvelle attaque qui devrait éliminer définitivement les forces aéronavales restantes de son adversaire. La campagne du Pacifique va se jouer dans un petit atoll isolé du Pacifique nord : Light of my life.

L’amiral Nimitz, à la tête de la flotte américaine, voit cette bataille comme l’ultime chance de renverser la supériorité japonaise. Une course contre la montre s’engage alors pour Edwin Layton qui doit percer les codes secrets de la flotte japonaise et, grâce aux renseignements, permettre aux pilotes de l’aviation américaine de faire face à la plus grande offensive jamais menée pendant ce conflit

Stars: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard

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[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: MOVIE REVIEW: Mulan

(Image courtesy of Disney)

MULAN— 4 STARS

When one looks at the definitions for “trait” and “virtue” they will see similarities and differences. Traits are “distinguishing qualities,” mainly of someone’s personality. Virtues are specific qualities as well, only they ascend to a level of “effective power” and “moral excellence.” That very distinction is the genuine improvement of Disney’s Mulan as director Niki Caro brings the cultural ballad from a prior place of uneven song-and-dance lip service to a proper epic of empowering sweep where actions speak louder than words.

As with most catalog titles of the Disney Renaissance era enjoying new life on Disney+, the story is, by now (especially being put to film for the 11th time in a century, going back to 1927) familiar. Mulan is the oldest daughter of war veteran Hua Zhou (The Farewell’s Tza Ma). With an effervescent spirit of adventure and a skillful dexterity for combat, she grows to become a gamine teenager (the multi-talented Liu Yifei) more inclined for the daring over the domestic when it comes to being an ideal woman and desirable future spouse.

LESSON #1: BRING HONOR TO YOUR FAMILY— The cultural pillars are built early through the guidance of Tzi Ma’s patriarch. Proud as he may be of his daughter’s talents and longing for personal freedom, honor over dishonor is still paramount. Here, silence is a required part of a woman’s voice and decorum. They have places they must take and none of them include the hilt of a sword, the saddle of a horse, or the frontline of a battlefield. Meanwhile, for a man, there is no greater unified familial and national deed than answering the duty to fight and the honor to sacrifice.

Such a cause arrives away from their homestead as a ferocious Rouran warrior named Bori Khan (an emboldened Jason Scott Lee of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) carries a vendetta of revenge against the sitting Emperor of China (Jet Li, in a gem of a comeback role after conquering debilitating hyperthyroidism). Flanked by the powerful shape-shifting witch Xian Lang (Farewell My Concubine ingenue Gong Li), Bori Khan runs roughshod through every fortification and opposition with an invasion of the Kingdom. His approaching threat forces the stern Emperor to conscript an army built by a male member from every household in the land.

Despite being senior in age and nearly crippled as a younger soldier, the son-less Hua must answer that call, one that promises almost certain death. With utmost courage and love for her family, Mulan escapes in the middle of the night with her father’s heirloom sword and armor to pose as a man named Hua Jun to take his place. Under a disguise, she joins an Imperial Army unit trained by Commander Tung (ageless and whirling action star Donnie Yen).

LESSON #2: CONTROL YOUR ENERGY— “Control yourself” is the constant parental warning pleaded in Mulan’s direction. Culturally, yoking the energy of your chi is important. Socially, however, her chosen outlets of that chi are entirely misplaced as a woman. Mulan restricts her energy when the unbridled version of herself stands to be greater than her peers. With added significance on the side of the protagonists, Gong Li’s Xian Lang represents a fascinating dark foil for Mulan as a woman defying expectations and embracing her energy’s fullest potential. Knock the obvious comparisons to Kung Fu Panda or “The Force” of Star Wars all you want, the challenging dichotomy of their clash is a fantastic tipping point for the heroine and the film.

Before and after metal clangs and horses neigh, Hidden Figures cinematographer Mandy Walker absorbs every illustrious hue of the rugged Chinese and Kiwi shooting locations enhanced with light special effects from Sean Andrew Faden (Power Rangers). Her rolling, tilting, and craning lenses move effortlessly through the dynamic melee cooked up by stunt coordinators Ben Cooke (1917) and Scott Rogers (Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey) and fight coordinators Heidi Moneymaker (The Hunt), Shane Yan (MCU’s upcoming Shang-Chi), and Nuo Sun (Deadpool 2).

LESSON #3: LIVE A VIRTUOUS LIFE— The difference between using that chi for good or for evil circles back to virtues over mere traits. Etched into blades and equally into souls, the cardinal virtues of “loyal,” ‘brave,” and “true” are instilled by every influential and mythical figure in Mulan’s life. Her belief in them never shatters. It’s merely earning and capturing the crucial opportunities to prove her enormous heart belongs where her energy takes her. That’s where true honor is found and the contagious inspiration sparks. Bravo to Yifei Liu for embodying and carrying this movie’s weight.

Lyrics may be gone, but the musical marrow is still present and poignant. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams borrows heavily from the classic motifs of the late great Jerry Goldsmith. The words of “Reflection” don’t need to be heard to still properly stir as its melody swells throughout the dramatic tone of the movie. If you need that choral boost, the end credits will provide that sensation. Lead actress Yifei Liu performs a lovely Mandarin version of “Reflection” to follow the soprano maven Christina Aguilera returning to her career’s launching pad with an update of her hit and a new original track, “Loyal Brave True,” which will surely garner instant Oscar consideration.

Unlike so many of these “re-imaginings” from Disney, nearly every aspect of this live-action rendition is an enhancement from its predecessor. Wisdom and prudence came from the writers room with Planet of the Apes trilogy hitmakers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver and an assist from newcomer Elizabeth Martin. The trio expanded the mythology, amped up the battles, doubled the villainy, and, most importantly, dropped the pandering distractions and show-pony antics. Weaknesses are traded for strengths left and right. Once again, for those that ask how they could “make a man” out of this movie without the musical numbers, the answer is simply with action instead of words. Nothing about Mulan needs any kind of male-centered ego polish.

With those improvements, the next term that deserves the virtue-versus-trait upgrade is the phrase “a woman’s touch.” Sure, Oscar winner Ang Lee would have been fitting and amazing, but Whale Rider and The Zookeeper’s Wife director Niki Caro was no token hire. She did not bring frilly cinematic ribbons and bows for the sake of any low-grade suitability for princesses and merchandising. The effeminate value Caro brought was rooted in fortitude and bravery matching the legendary title character.

It all goes back to encapsulating deeper virtues over surface-thin traits. Women are beyond capable of such independence and profundity, if not more so, than their male counterparts. The women, young and old, who stand to be inspired by Mulan are the true “girls worth fighting for.” No song is required. Noble commitment accomplishes far more.

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[firespirited]

Blade 2 notes

(this would make the worst live blog)

First 15 minutes are corny af and all in service of a retcon OTL what a waste of good will.

Whistler is back, now the film can begin

okay youngster norman reedus Skud420 blaze errryday lol ok edgelord

Whistler takes one look, calls him a shitbird, right on.

Kris is Karrying-this-film-offerson

Donnie Yen's martial arts choreo is the real star of this thing, I’d recognize those little precision steps anywhere.

Oh yee-ikes the CGI stunt doubles came out CLAMP noodley

How very Vampire extraTM to have a DNA lock pierce your hands instead of doing a finger prick

What kind of character actors does Del Toro want and how many? well every-body’s hired and will die on screen in short order.

It’s Roooon Perlman! And his character starts with a racist joke, was it to rattle Blade or to establish him as a puppy kicking bad guy? or can a white vamp legit go through life not getting their ass kicked by black vamps for that human race nonsense? either way from here on out it’s all about the Blade/perlman banter, their flirtation is the only life in this braindead flick.

This movie has so much rap rock and most of it terrible

Y2K Vampires love black leather, it’s such blatant “we’re not like those Anne Rice vampires that dress like flamboyant pirates”. So they doubled down and dress like leather gays instead. Everybody’s weilding guns all the time, wily nily no trigger discipline, pointing wherever. This is such macho posturing it looks silly.

so one of the vamp mercenary squad’s signature weapon is a big ol battle hammer... with a knife on the end. That is a crap weapon, and the dude is called Lighthammer. This is such a comic book movie, that so halfassed. If that was my character I’d insist on a proper morgenstern or literally any other weapon. Believe it or not we have improved on the hammer since medieval times. Go to a hardware store mate, you’ll find something lightweight that’ll serve you better than your anvil on a stick with a knife in it. I have lost braincells over this stupid weapon.

Donnie Yen is called snowman and is mute, neither is ever explained. he’s like second or third to die too. This is blasphemy.

Czech building soundproofing is next level. we just moved from a nightclub to the next floor and not so much as an oon tiss oon tiss. I’m am very relieved they didn’t turn the czech republic and it’s people/vampires into a russia!lite stereotype. Eastern europe isn’t a a mthyical place that got absorbed either into “real europe” or russia just so ya know it’s a rather big place with lots of different cultures who will kick you if you get them mixed up.

This entire long drag of a sequence established that the crew are total idiots who do not listen to eachother. Towards the start someone yells “don’t waste bullets it’s useless”, ten minutes of bullets later, they have one down, one bitten and a dead reaper to autopsy. The autopsy is somehow cooler than the alive creatures. Only blade, whistler and the ladyboss vamp actually learn anything from this as everyone else will continue to try and kill the vamps with anything but UV rays for the entirety of the rest of this stupid film.

Did i mention that the science of humans vs vamps vs reapers has a less sound explanation than Stephanie Meyer’s vampirism. I am not rewatching the dialogue to point out the absurd use of real science words but all *wrong* as I’d prefer to not grind my teeth to dust.

The blue led light reaper death effects are so *off*. It’s such an inorganic choice to have your supervamps sizzle neon blue. This movie is full of stupid cgi choices btw. The gravity for bodies is way off, the uv light bombs are modelled on fire explosions instead of light. This is so dumb. Wuxia films from the late 90s had special effects lightyears ahead of this junk on smaller budgets so there’s no explanation other than hiring a naf studio.

So Ron Perlman drops the gun he’s been firing all film long to take on Blade... with a sword. Neuronal connections are dying for me to type this. Movie making people watched this scene multiple times and still greenlit it.

death by sunlight is very different for vampire ladyboss and udo kier’s blade 1 character. he explodes, she elegantly turns into dust. ah another unrealistic beauty standard for women. Elder vamp looked nothing like the other elder vamps from blade1 either. consistency is for nerds i guess. i am said angry nerd. This film took a dump on it’s established canon and that’s not counting 15 whole minutes on the unnecessary retcon which could have been fixed with two lines of dialogue.

Gotta say it ends on a high note, The final scene is magnificent, you know what’s coming from the moment the dude walks into a peepshow but it’s still *chefs kiss*.

is this movie worth watching to see Kris Kristoffersen call Ron Perlman a nipple head? only if youtube dies.

[nikineon]

Hi answer all the ones ending in a prime number :p

Damn... you are making me do math and shit... 

2, 3, 5, 7, 

2. My room is much cleaner than it used to be, but I usually have laundry on the floor and random junk on my dresser. 

3. My eyes are hazel!

5. I am openly dating and loving it!

7. Naturally, my hair is light brown. Right now it is murky, swampy blue/green/purple and I love it. 

12. I have a full size bed, and it was my first new one ever and I am proud of buying it lol. 

13. I have two full sisters and one half sister who is 6 and I help care for her!

15. my favorite snapchat filters are any of the temporary ones. I love them. 

17. I usually shower about 3 times a week fully. 

22. right now, I don’t have the time, but once my second job ends I would like to get into strength training and some cardio

23. My dream date involves laughter, shared smiles and shy glances, casual physical contact, delicious food and good conversation. 

25. I am currently bare foot!

27. I have two jobs! I work as an English teacher for 8-10th grade and as an after school and summer school teacher for K-5. I love it so thoroughly. I could not imagine being happy doing anything else. 

32. Elizabeth, Alexandria, Danielle. I love how versatile these names are, and I have important OCs with these names who have been with me for years. 

33. Uhhhhhh Donny Yen is great, love Viola Davis, Jaden Smith kills me, and I look forward to seeing more from Chadwick Boseman! 

35. I have more crushes than I have socks... 

37. I do! So much, in fact, that I cannot choose. I even get free books in exchange for reviews. Sometimes I even score ACRs, so that is pretty cool! Ummm my favorite recent read was Afterworlds. Death gods, lesbians, and both sad and happy endings. A book within a book detailing a young author’s journey to publication and the writing of a sequel. Loved it!

42. I do! I take a bunch of vitamins as a result of my surgery (B12, D3, Calcium Citrate), Prozac, allergy meds, and the occasional sleep aid. 

43. I have combination skin. Some parts are dry, some oily, some normal. Changes in weather also have an impact. 

45.  NONE! Nope, parenting is not for me. I would be more than happy to foster or adopt teenagers who needed a place to be safe, but that won’t be for a while. 

47. I live in a shitty apartment in a big city with the most fabulous roommates/lifemates I could ever hope for. Hufflehouse is a dream and I cannot wait until we have an actual house to call ours. I filed all my paperwork to get pre-approved for a mortgage this week and I couldn’t be more excited. 

52. My dream car is currently a honda cr-v, but in an idea world I want something with space, comfort, good speakers, great gas mileage (or electric!!), and one that is as reliable as humanely possible. I would love to go a year without any issues!

53. eh. Depends? I know it can be the only way for some to relieve stress or anxiety so like, I won’t judge smokers and I enjoy smooth smoke (like hookahs or some electric ones), and the smell of cigarettes reminds me of my parents. However, sometimes the smell can trigger bad memories and I CANNOT be in a place where people smoke indoors for long without facing consequences to my health. 

55. I am doing it? idk I guess to make it better I would love to do something with kids in a less formal setting? Like, as a guidance person or a camp guide or like, a cooking class or something where I am not in charge of hitting standards and test scores and stuff. 

57. YES OMG GIVE THEM TO ME SEND THEM TO ME I LOVE THAT SHIT

62. Yeah! If it is interesting, why not? 

63. BADABUHBADAH IM LOVING IT

65. As little as possible

67. Already answered

72. Starbs

73. Not really? Like, Harris and I might get married because it would be fun and make things easier, but like, I don’t want to spend my life with one person and I have some pretty bad connotations with marriage and weddings that I would need to overcome so like... not for me I guess. 

75. I am gonna change my last name because I don’t want any connection to my bio dad and my step dad has already given me permission to change my name once I have the money together!

77. I miss lots of people! I miss you, I miss @mxnotmrdarcy and @impromptuonedykedanceparty, I miss being close to my sisters, I miss my lil sister anytime I don’t get to see her, I sometimes even miss my bio dad before I remember what he put me through

82. SPUMONI

83. Golden! Or peanut butter oreos

85. A striped skater tank dress with pockets! 

87. Outgoing

92. ahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaahhaah

93. A mini donut

95. SUMMER god damn get winter as far away from me as possible

97. dark and/or milk depending on my mood

[chirrutimwe-rogueone-blog]

Just when you are too lazy to go to work and you hate to get up in the mornings - turn on this video! Your life will just get better!!!))) (с)