#alex rider - everything machine

[mcskullmun]

Done so much research for this ar fic safari now thinks I’m in the armed fucking forces

[mcskullmun]

Ooooooh could mess around with Yassen’s realisation that MI6 is vastly just the same as Scorpia, and that if anything they care about him less than Scorpia did. In RR he often refers back to what his parents would think of him becoming a contract killer, and that they might be prouder of him working for a government agency instead? But really he has no way of knowing how they’d feel. Also at this point he’s still never killed anyone!! After all his training at malagosto his first kill will be under orders by Mi6!!

Also I do think John would behave vastly differently whilst speaking to other MI6 agents, during the bridge scene he’s very witty whilst he seems to be more serious during his time with Scorpia? But I think there’s still some remnants of that whilst he’s with Yassen. He can’t quite lose whatever defences he put in place when they met.

I do think John is very loyal to what he does, but not in a patriotic way. It’s less about Britain and more about protecting the people he loves (in this case Yassen). And of course Yassen has nothing left except John, so naturally that’s where his loyalties lay.

Anyways thanks for the ideas :D

If I was hypothetically writing an MI6 Yassen AU are there any themes/scenes you’d like us to include?

KJDFBFBBDBDSBFBFJHB UHM. UHM!!

honestly i dont know it's like 12am here rn but im thinking,,, like i mean i would love for them to be happy and fluffy but i think we all know thats not gonna happen. id love to see how john's attitude towards mi6 differs or doesnt from his attitude towards scorpia. blunt says he was patriotic but we know his pants are one fire. id love to see how YASSEN'S attitude differs or doesnt. idk like i said its 12 here so uhhhh jdhjhdh. maybe the whole "both sides lie so what is true and what isnt" thing yk, and the general powerlessness that comes from being just one person in a world of organizations. do you feel?

[taraljc]

I am vastly entertained by the technology/resources gap between the Department and SCORPIA. SCORPIA has money, influence, and gadget after gadget, but the Department has paper-pushing middle management, a minuscule budget, frequently condemned offices, and vastly superior HUMINT and SIGINT.

And this is one of the very few shows I can think of and I've mentioned this before where the things that both Kyra and Smithers can do on computers is actually within the realm of possibility. Instead of 'enlarge and enhance' we get 'blow up the saturation and see if we can get a hue and then stare at it until we recognise a billboard'! instead of I will use this laptop to decrypt this program we get I need to daisy-chain 40 machines working in parallel just to run pattern recognition on the code and then even when the encryption gets broken it turns out you have to be physically on site and connected to the server in order to read the nested code.

You have no idea how many times during Arrow or pretty much any MCU film that features a guy in a chair where I have beat my head against the wall, occasionally screaming about how 'hacking' is portrayed.

I particularly love that nobody at Point Blanc ever figured out that Kyra hacked the keypads and that the only visual cue you got that clone Kyra wasn't actual Kyra was the fact that she didn't put in the 0000 keypad code and by the time you register that, Alex has been conked in the head with a fire extinguisher. which granted should have crushed his skull and killed him but I am willing to cut them slack. Although at some point Alex is going to need some serious medical care for all of the traumatic brain injuries he has sustained.

also the timeline is a little wonky in Series 3 like I think it's supposed to be about 2 weeks in February 2023? because there is a time cut between two of the episodes where Alex's wounds from his beat down have had time to heal. but it couldn't have been longer than that because the delivery receipts on the pad thai that hid the plastic gun was dated 10 days after Pritchard transferred into the Department.

That said the data on screens and props is wildly wildly divergent and I have no idea how old Alex actually is supposed to be because if he was 6 months old when John was killed on 6 January 2006, then he is actually younger than he is supposed to be in the first series (although Alex Friend's passport has a completely different birth year then his Gemini file). But the date on the disc says it is from 21 May 2006 which means they may have meant that it was 1 June 2006 but that doesn't make any sense either because all of the dates across the entire series have been consistently written day-month-year.

(also I love the surveillance footage from the bridge where John Rider is supposedly killed that's conveniently goes from black and white to colour and swaps camera angles repeatedly.)

anyway I'm screen capping a metric fuck ton of on screen data to go through later. I've also noticed some small changes to the set apart from the brick patio that appears out of nowhere in series 3 which makes me think because it took 5 years to shoot 3 seasons during a global pandemic that they must have had to rebuild the 42 Collbridge Road kitchen set.

also I can't help but wonder if at one point they were going to try to mess with Mrs Jones backstory because all of her earrings are six-sided like the SCORPIA logo. and how much do I love that they actually have like a little animated logo with a musical sting and everything! I wonder if Damien Cray threw that in for free.

[bigmilk-13]

CSOC WEEK: DAY 3

Prompt: Relationships

@carmensandiego-ocweek

FAMILY:

Francessa Messina Denaro - daughter of an Italian mafia godfather (Sent to kill Orfeusz but killed his brother instead since he's an identical triplet). Was killed by her family after they found out she didn't finish the job, but that was ten years after Florence was born.

Orfeusz Meadowes - Died in a "terrorist attack" sent by Francessa's family. The youngest Admiral in Polish Marines history. Loved his daughter a lot even though he barely saw her because of work

Zeus Meadowes - Florence's uncle, Orfeusz's identical triplet. He was the one Francessa killed, since she fell in love with Orfeusz and she knew that her family would kill her if she didn't do her job. She ran away with Orfeusz to Poland afterwards.

Tadeusz Meadowes - Part-time member of the Polish Land Army since he has a muscle disease, only living relative of Florence (well, used to be), raised her till she was 16. Taught her everything she knew and died protecting her from a machine gun

WORK:

"We women have got to have each others back, Phantom."

Julia Rothman - Leader of Florence's former organisation, SCORPIA. Was quite attached to Florence when she first came, since she saw "The Incident™" happen first hand. Was the one that ordered to take Florence and invited her to join the international criminal organisation. Florence was by far the most skilled and the youngest, so she became her favourite.

She gave Florence the nickname Phantom, which then evolved into the codename "The Phantom Sniper" after she did nearly all her sniping missions successfully without getting caught.

Professor Yermalov - her mentor at SCORPIA, was in charge of the martial arts unit, helped her become even better at stealth than she already was. She was quite attached to him and he was like a father to her even though most people at SCORPIA considered him rude and frightening.

Countess Cleo- Basilisk's mentor. Forced them to do everything and also was the one that made her anorexia get worse. Basilisk looked up to her but Cleo just saw her as just some other extra

Tigress - Mortal enemies, always competing but Tigress knows that Basilisk is better than her. She liked the challenge though

Carmen Sandiego - all will be revealed in cs-oc week prompt 7

Alex Rider - To be honest, they were best friends at SCORPIA. When she came, she became the youngest but earlier he was- so they bonded over being the youngest at the criminal organisation. Alex always respected Phantom and vice versa. When SCORPIA fell after Basilisk's experiment, and she saw Alex's face in the news after some kind of escape- even though she was brainwashed she knew she remembered him. She just didn't know who he was.

[ratboycrutchie]

Hallo

Your Alex rider incorrect quotes are pretty neat :D love that shit

Okay bye

Haiiii

Very funny that I saw this just now, considering I just finished reading chapter 6 of Everything Machine :D

I think I'm in love with MDF

Okay byeeee :)

[ray935sworld]

VR's academy of supernatural riders (Part 9: Memories drained in blood)

TW: At the end is a slight mention of blood and an injury

Alex was still cuddle against his brother’s side. Luca didn’t thought he’d ever leave him. So he didn’t either. He was only leaving to get some necessities. He didn’t even dare leaving the hospital, he refused to let Alex be on his own with Marc for too long. The had both tried to get a little bit of sleep and had barely woken up when a knock on the door announced a visitor. It was unlikely medical staff since the nurses had already checked up on Marc. The visits were getting frequent.

The sound made Alex look up. He stared at the door, exchanging a glance with Luca. Both waiting for the other to allow whoever in. As far as Alex knew his boyfriend hadn’t reached his parents which only left another couple. They didn’t had time to answer when the door opened. A male figures that both of them knew pretty well entered. Then a second person hushed inside as well.

“You could have waited” he said and turned to his husband. Jorge Lorenzo shot him a sarcastic glance while taking off his sun-glasses to tuck them at his collar. “Thought we were undercover” he mumbled and a familiar warmth spread in Luca’s stomach. Seeing the two gave him a feeling of safety. They were still bickering. Not everything could be lost and he was no longer alone with this.

“Dani” Alex stared at the two. His voice was low but the retired riders had heard him. It made them turn to him, actually leave the short hallway and face them. The small grin that had seemed forced or had been at least an ambitious try was whipped off Jorge’s face. He had turned to face the younger Marquez who was sitting next to the bed. Not seeing the older one was impossible. And he saw the state he was currently in. He saw the bandages he was wrapped. The machines attached to him. The shock was written all over his face for a second. The only thing in his mind was that there was no way that that could be Marc.

Dani was better in hiding his real expression. “Hola Niño” he greeted him with a calm voice. There was no need for explanations. Alex had just jumped off the bed, his feet hitting the ground as he almost fell on his way to Dani. Dani smiled a quite smile before he was wrapped in a hug by the younger. He did the same. He hugged him tight enough to feel his rips through the fabric of the hoodie and make him feel like he never had to let go. He could feel how the boy was shacking. His head fell on his shoulder. The taller one buried his face in his shirt and Dani didn’t even thought about stopping him. He buried his finger in his neck to make sure he didn’t pull away until he was sure. He softly caressed his hair making sure he would get all the comfort the 3 time champion had to offer.

Jorge and Luca had watched the two at first. “Alex definitely has a favourite.” The Spaniard commented. He tried to light the mood. Luca smiled, relieved that the mood wasn’t as depressive as it was before. “You should be the best to understand that. He’s your favourite as well” “True. But it’s Dani” he chuckled before sharing a hug as well. Luca had been in need of one. He hadn’t notice it when they were alone. He had been too busy worrying about his lover to notice the empty feeling and worry in his chest. Now it was more present. Especially when no one less than Jorge Lorenzo – who had been cursed as the worst, most insensitive and most annoying asshole in the world by his brother when Luca was a teenager – let him rest his head against his own and told him that everything would be okay again. Only then he realized just how terrible the last 24 hours had been.

As the two parted Jorge had to see the reason they were there again. He looked at Marc trying to recognize the happy kid he had known since years. Luca watched him but wasn’t completely able to identify his face. All he said was “Fuck” and the Italian nodded in agreement while sitting down. Quietly he asked “How bad is it?” not wanting Alex to hear it. “Jules Bianchi” was all he needed as an answer. A racing driver that was in a coma and passed away. There was nothing more to explain. Marc was in a coma, most-like just waiting for death to take him.

Alex had untangled himself from Dani by then. The tears in his eyes were huge and ever present. He didn’t even care to wipe them away. New ones would follow regardless. Instead he took the seat next to Luca and let himself fall against him. Luca pulling him closer and starting to brush his curls with his fingers. He tried to get them in order, pretending to get at least some normality.

Dani had no idea what to say. Everything he could say or do seemed so useless. He looked at Jorge, whose eyes were fixed on Marc. His hand reached out to grab Dani who sat next to him. Their fingers interviewed.

Jorge looked at Marc and questioned what he would do if it was Dani. After all the job that they had, had a high possibility of killing them. And for the older one there had been some close calls. If Dani would be laying there – he’d gone berserk and if he didn’t, he’d cry his eyes out until he couldn’t even keep them open. He felt Dani’s hand in his own. He added a little pressure just to get it back and feel the reassurance that they were both okay. Breathing and alive. They were alright. Every nightmare was just a bad dream not reality. Not for them at least.

Dani looked at the younger couple. Alex’s head had fallen in Luca’s lap. Maybe he was sleeping? He hoped he was. Then he didn’t had to see his brother like that. He didn’t look good. He sighted and leaned closer to him. “Hey Marc” He hoped he could hear him. “You know… You can’t scare us like that… Okay, buddy?” “He means you better get fucking well again soon, asshole” Jorge added and Luca smiled. That was definitely the dynamic of the two. Opposite ways to execute the same intention. Maybe that was why they were so perfect for each other.

“When I said the small bastard should rest a bit more, that’s not what I meant” Lorenzo admitted and leaned back. His gaze was still fixed on his former colleague. “He has too much energy and was always running around somewhere back in 2013, remember?” “Yes” Dani agreed with a smile “And he had this book.” “Which book?” Luca asked confused.

The older two shared a look. They smiled. It was a good smile. “A rider’s book.” Dani explained. “He basically ask everyone of us to sign it. I saw it after a few weeks later again. He had added old articles and pictures to it. It was really cool.” “He was almost afraid to ask me” Jorge laughed. “We were in a bar I think and he had bought it with him. I admit, I was rather drunk but I think I left him a funny little text. But he was too drunk already to complain.”

“Oh yeah, his drunk moments are the best. But he is always way too energetic afterwards. No matter how bad the night before was, this guy was never hungover. Came in with a big smile on his face and talked non-stop” Dani said with a fake annoyed tone. Alex smiled. “We were on the same plane in 2013 back home… You were so hungover that I really thought you would punch him” “I was close. If it wasn’t for Julia pulling him away I definitely would have”

The atmosphere was weird. They smiled and laughed about the stories they shared. They were happy. But the reason they were there almost destroys them. It was sad. Devastating and just a glance away. They had to look at each other while talking or they would be reminded why it wasn’t really a happy conversation. They bubble would break and they’d be left with nothing.

Luca decided to get them coffee at some point. Jorge accompanied him leaving Dani and Alex alone. The shift was clear. Alex smile fell off his face the moment they left. He wouldn’t be able to look at Dani, the man he associated with Marc because he was his first teammate and pretend to stay positive. Marc had introduced Dani to him. Marc had made sure that Alex was comfortable with Dani. ‘Just in case’ he had said but never mentioned which case. Dani. Alex couldn’t look at him.

He looked so sad. His eyes fixed on Marc. Dani didn’t know what to do or say, so he simply started with “Alex?” before he was interrupted. “He called me a coward when I didn’t want to continue racing. He said… He said ‘everyone knows that you’re the smart one. You don’t need to be an engineer to prove that. You’re just scared I’ll be better at racing.’ I… I was so angry.” He gave a sad laugh. It seemed so long ago, far away and completely different. Like it was in another world at a different time. It was a world were the name Rossi was just a legend far away and he didn’t even know his Italian existed. It was a calmer time, less hurried and dangerous. “I was so angry I accepted the offer to join Moto3… And then a few year later in 2014 when we both weren’t sober at the end of the season I asked him if I had proven him wrong. That he now believed I could be as good as he. He looked at me confused and said… ‘I always knew you are that good, maybe better than me and I hope you are. But I couldn’t let you leave me to go to university. I need you here, by… by my side. You’re my brother and it’s us against the world’ He…”

His voice broke as tears started to form in his eyes. It felt like a part of his mind was looked away in the moment. “He knew I wouldn’t… He made me a MotoGP rider so he wasn’t lonely and… now he’s… “ He forced himself not to look at his brother. He wouldn’t be able to stand the sight. Instead he focused on the older Spaniard. “Dani, I-“ He was so happy that Dani was here. He loved Luca and trusted him blindly but having someone that he had trusted for over a decade helped a lot. Dani was older. He was more mature. He might knew what to do. He would be able to handle the thoughts in Alex mind, those he feared to speak as he didn’t want to make the situation worst by mentioning what everyone feared. “I’m not ready to live the bigger part of my life as an only child”

Tears were streaming down his face and Dani stood up, sat down next to him and hugged him. He hugged him, his head against his chest and slowly caressed his hair. It was a small trick that always calmed the younger one. It gave him a sense of being held and protected. “Everything will turn out fine. I promise you, at the end we’ll be fine. Even if you aren’t fine right now, one day everything will be okay. And you’ll be so proud that you survived.” “But I don’t want to live through this” Dani nodded. He understood. He didn’t want to live through it or have him live through it.

After a few minutes, he sat up again and tried to get ride of his tears. Jorge and Luca returned and his boyfriend handed him a paper cup filled with Cappuccino. “Not as good as yours” he said after talking a small sip and his Italian lover grinned. They talked a little bit, all trying to find reason not to think about the obvious. They just let time pass waiting for a change. They silently praised that he’d be better when in reality everyone of them knew it would only get worse, if anything changed at all.

While they were talking Jorge studied the face of the younger Spaniard. Alex had lost a lot of colour. His normally tainted skin looked pale. His eyes were darker. The shades under them were clear and ever present. HE had somehow gained some facial lines and Jorge wondered when the boy had grew up so much. He remembered the 17 year old, being dragged down the pitlane by his brother when they ran into him and he had eyed him clearly shocked and somehow apologetic for the interruption. He looked so young, his smile innocent and his eyes still filled with the natural curiosity of a child. Now he looked well above his 27 – or 28? – years of age. Maybe it was the exhausted kind of the situation but he now even looked sad when he was smiling about whatever they were trying to talk about. It worried him. He probably hadn’t eaten a lot either.

They really had to do something to solve this. Once the moment seemed appropriate he said. “Alex, why don’t we go to the cafeteria and eat something?” It was a bold request considering Alex had only left Marc twice since being allowed in his room to use the bathroom. His facial reaction told him everything he needed to know how the Marquez thought about his idea. His eyes were wide with shock. “No!” his voice didn’t left room for argument. “I can’t just leave Marc. He-“ “Yes you can. He won’t leave. He’ll be here when you’re back, once you’re fed and maybe got some fresh air in that head of yours. The only difference will be that you’ll be feeling at least a little bit less shitty-“ He immediately felt his husband eyes on him. He admitted, it wasn’t the nicest way to convince him. “I can’t fucking leave him alone. We promised to always help the other and-” Alex insisted and Jorge wish he didn’t had to say it but it might be the only way. “You promised you’d destroy yourself when you can’t safe him? That you put yourself in an as bad situation as-“ “Jorge, please” Dani tried to tame his temper. “Just give him-“ “It’s true, Dani. What Alex is doing is only hurting himself or do actually think he really eat something or slept since yesterday? Marc would want us to take care of Alex.” There was nothing to put against this. “He would want you to be alright, Alex. You have always been his priority. And I won’t let you be more hurt than you already are“

Alex hesitated. He turned around to look at Marc. He knew Jorge was right but that didn’t mean he would act accordingly. He was about to protest. He opened his mouth just to close it again. Instead he felt himself take a deep breath and then Luca cut through the silence. ”I can stay here” Once more he seemed to have read his mind.

Alex looked at him. His big clear blues eyes looked for an answer. An honest answer. He looked at him like he could just from the way the lines around his eyes move make out whether he would actually agree or just pretend to be fine with the idea. He probably could. He looked so sweet and innocent like that. He was trust worthy. Alex knew that. He trusted him with his life and more important, he trusted him with Marc’s life. It was him who had sat next to Marc in the dirt, doing CPR, holding his hand and making sure he wasn’t slipping away before the ambulance arrived.

“Then he wouldn’t be alone. If I stay with him, I mean.” he explained, clearly understanding what Alex worry was. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I stay with him. But if you’re not comfortable, I can bring you some lunch, if you prefer that” Alex stared at him. He spoke without any hint of what might be the right answer. He said it in a manner that made Alex believe both options were acceptable. It wouldn’t offend Luca if he didn’t agree. So it was his call. Was he comfortable to leave Marc alone? No. Was he comfortable to leave Marc in Luca’s care. Yes. No hesitation. He felt his head nodding. He agreed. “Okay, I…” He knew that Marc would want him to go out. Staring at your half dead brother definitely took a tool on him. “Let’s go”

They left before the younger one could change his mind. Alex didn’t know the way so he just followed the retired riders through the hospital. Long corridors stretched out before him. The only difference seemed to be the posters indicating different departments. He couldn’t remember studying the lunch cart. But he ended up with soup that Jorge had chosen. It was the only thing he’d be able to actually eat and the nutrition were better than nothing.

He sat opposite the two men pretending to listen to their conversation. He moved his spoon through his food, eating a little bit and then some more. But then his thoughts returned. Things he didn’t even considered at first returned and now there was no way of stopping them. There was no Luca that could shut his mind up and all he could do was questioning whether Marc would be okay. Maybe he had stopped breathing. The collar of his shirt felt unnatural tight. He felt like he was suffocating. Maybe Marc had gone into shock and was currently shacking or the machines had given in. Maybe they had stopped working for some reasons and no one knew what to do and Luca just stared helplessly at his brother. He could feel a cold shadow run over him. He was actually afraid.

He tried to brush it off, remembering that Luca was there. His Luca. His beautiful lover that had always been so careful with himself and his family. He had visited them in their house and was nothing but polite. He had talked to Marc and his parents assuring him that he didn’t support his brother’s action and explained his point of views. He had protected Alex before, had hidden him from Vale, even before their relationship. He could trust him. But it was Marc. He trusted Luca but this was about his brother. He wasn’t ready yet to not stand with him.

Before he could think he heard himself say that he needed to go the bathroom. To freshen up. He even suggested going outside a bit to reassure them that he wasn’t panicked. He wasn’t panicked. He wasn’t-

As soon as he left the cafeteria he ran. He ran as fast as he could through the same white halls he had passed previously. It was a miracle he remembered the way. He ran and ran until he reached the door. He rushed in before he could calm himself. “Sorry, Luca, I just needed to-“ he hurried to say. His voice was on edge. His mind was still running fast with fear but he had the decency to be embarrassed about his behaviour. He was embarrassed that he apparently didn’t seem to trust the love of his life to look after his comatose brother for 30 minutes. Even after everything he did for him – for them. Luca had spent hours hugging and kissing him, telling him it’d be okay and looked after him when he couldn’t do it himself. He felt guilty. Hadn’t Luca did everything to take care of Alex and make him comfortable in the worst moment of his life?

Alex froze when he saw the scene in front of him. Luca was standing there. His hands covered in blood. The sun hit his hand. There was something shining, reflecting the light back. It seemed sharp. It was covered in blood. The same blood that was currently dripping out of Marc’s wrist. Marc’s blood. Marc was bleeding out. From an injury he didn’t had when he left him in Luca’s care. Luca had slit Marc’s wrist.

[anitalianfrie]

Right so what's up with MotoGP omegaverse?

so, this should be the moment where i admit i don't even remember half of the guys competing because i started after the end of the season and i laser-focused on the marquez brothers and the italian guys. Anyway, I'm not going to give you a list of who i think is what, because we're here to talk about DYNAMICS. thoughts under the cut because i got a bit ranty.

So, motorsports are an hypermasculine enviroment, every single one of them. Think how bad it gets when you are riding death machines at 200kph that will try to kill you at every turn. You have to be strong you have to be aggresive you have to be a real man you have to fuck a lot (i'm not sure how this translates to being able to ride motorcycles but i also never claimed to be in the head of somebody really stupid) = you have to be an alpha. So of course for the longest time only alphas where considered strong enough to ride properly. Betas? too weak, not aggressive enough. Omegas? they can hold the umbrellas, maximum. They are too submissive, they will never overtake an alpha, they will lay down and show their neck to be mated right then and there when the alphas should do their real manly racingTM.

This of course doesn't take in account the fact that kids will start riding minibikes waaayyy before showing their second gender (in their puberty) so. Beta riders are most definitely there, and once stereotypes around omegas start to subside in the family sphere (thank you omega activists) and parents allow their omega kids to continue racing, omegas are there too.

Which doesn't mean that betas and omegas (in particular the latter) aren't treated horribly and always underestimated. A couple of omega champions (Jorge and Marc) change a bit the perspective, but the rosquez divorce sets everything back to 50 years. (No, i'm joking. Mostly. Just know that the rosquez divorce here is bad. really bad) Still, in the paddock there isn't much equality: alphas are almost always half of the grid, if not more, followed in numbers by betas and then omegas.

Are relationships between riders incentivized? OF COURSE NAWT, because those evil cunning omegas will try to make the big, strong alphas loose their focus from the championships with their evil ways. And betas are not even considered, because a true alpha rider will only fuck a traditional, stay-at-home omega that will raise their pups while he throws himself down the circuits at 200kph on the other side of the world. (you know, like true alphas do). And of course omegas are expected to not get pregnant because they're an investiment for the team and the least they can do is not getting a pup bred inside them and ruin the championship for everyone. As you might imagine, omegas get offered waayyy less contracts than alphas and betas.

I said before that i wasn't going to say who's what because i've put down like, maybe five riders, but i changed my mind, so.

Jorge is an omega, as per @whatwepostintheshadows amazing post, as is Marc. Vale is an alpha, more on those two here. Dani i'm not really sure, because I can see him both as an alpha and a beta, always criticized for not being alpha enough/not agressive/strong enough. Alex is probably a beta. Enea is probably an alpha (is this purely based on his nickname being "la bestia"? maybe. I'm open to discussions about him). And for the academy, I'm sure of pecco being a beta, but i'm not sure about anybody else.

Suggestions/ideas in the askbox and/or dms about this are highly appreciated please do come to talk to me about this :)))

[thirteen-cats-in-a-trenchcoat]

Hahaha it's alex rider oclock

(thank you for boarding the angst train, next stop pain city)

What if (for the mission it was SPECIFICALLY requested) John had to kill yassen before John left?

(everyone is ooc and I have no idea how to write and this is not proofread)

----------------------———

"Cossack"

A shiver ran down Yassen's spine while he tensed immediately, the unmistakable feeling of a gun being placed against his neck was not one he had wished to relive, and certainly at the hands of... John.

His mentor, the one he is doing everything for. The one person who he had left, the one who understood him. John, the man who'd take him under his wing. His friend

But while staring at those cold eyes, Yassen looked for, not mercy, but regret. He knew he was to be killed, but at least, at least give him the blessing of having John at least aknowledge yassen as his mentee. But yassen could search for hours, but to no avail, as John held a firm and almost cruel gaze.

It was not John whom yassen had met tonight, but Hunter.

"you are aware of the circumstances, I presume, Cossack" Hunter cooly spoke, barely above a whisper but his words struck Yassen with the force of a machine gun.

The use of Yassen's code name felt so... Wrong. It felt disconnected and distant, this wasn't the John yassen knew.

Yassen nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He... He couldnt die, not after everything he's been through and forced himself to go on for the sake of staying alive.

Not at the hands of his friend mentor.

God, not like this.

"then, I wi- oh, no, fuck, Yassen, I'm sorry" Hunter John's voice faltered, he cast his eyes downwards, but did not lower his gun.

"Wait," yassen thought to himself, "this shouldn't be happening, he's always meant to be put together and in control ... This isn't it. He's meant to be on my side, he's... Is he not better than SCORPIA? "

"prove it John... Put the gun down," Yassen's voice was calm, but was a scared lilt to his voice, his facade was slipping.

".... You know, I can't do that, I have to do this, executive order." John spoke softly and full of regret. He still held the gun against Yassen's neck, and despite standing behind him, Yassen could just make out his mentor's shoulders dropping slightly.

"I-i am sorry, Yassen, I truly am."

"But I thought you cared. John-John, I trusted you! You're meant to be better! You were meant to be better than SCORPIA"

John closed his eyes as a tear rolled down his cheek, and shifted his arm, weighing the gun in his hands, knowing the consequences of the action he was about to take, to his mentee brother, then

BANG

Thud

Yassen dropped to the floor, but was caught by John, who clutched him in his arms, watching the blood quickly pool around him. John could only watch in horror as Yassen's shirt became soaked in the red blood that should never have been spilt to begin with. The same blood that ran all over the ground and over John too as yassen lay on him, his eyes dilated, and becoming duller as he took every ragged breath.

"John..." coughs raked Yassen's body and specks of blood dotted his mouth "I guess it was given I was to be back stabbed and killed by the one I called a friend. No one really, as you know, live very long in our line of work, and I practically dug my own grave by letting you get close to me. But, I am still glad to have met you. No matter how much people hurt each other, caring for one another is never a waste... In a way, I am almost glad I am to meet my end with you, dying isn't too bad if it's by your hand. It hurts, it still does, but at least I die knowing the truth. And you care enough about me to let me die a relatively painless death....not many would give that mercy... Not to me"

"God, oh yassen, don't- this is wrong, so, so wrong" John could barely see, tears obstructing his vision, and he started to choke up. The gun felt awfully heavy in his hand, and the weight of being a traitor to a child who trusted him.... Saw him as a friend. And what did yassen do with that? Use it right against him? What made him better than any other Scorpia member indoctrinating a child to be their operative?

A child alone in this darkness.

"just, look at the stars, Kid, hold a little longer, I'm sorry" the words tumbled from John's mouth as the guilt clawed at his insides.

Yassen looked at John with some difficulty but continued to speak

"we both know... I don't have long left... It's not your fault, don't worry... Coming here was a death sentence, at least... I won't die alone, and I have a few happy memories to look back on... "

"if only I had more time, and if only we were not here, anywhere else, just not here, besides, is it really dying if you haven't lived since 14"

And with those words, Yassen's eyes flickered shut, and his breathing slowed to a stop, while John practically yelled his apologies, but it was too late.

Yassen was dead. Gone. Forever

He hadn't even had the chance to live and he was dead.

In that moment, John despised them all. Rothman, three, kurst, he abhors them and everything they stand for. But above all, he detested Blunt. Fucking Blunt, just thinking of him, and how calm he was when he ordered a kill on a child. A child. Practically John's child. Thinking of that smug bastard made a bubbling anger rise inside John.

John could only hold his aquaintance mentee friend brother in his arms as he felt the warmth slowly drain Yassen's body. The blood pooled on the floor and drenching both their clothes began to grow cold too, Yassen was really.... Gone.

Those now closed eyes should be open, but even when they were they were cold... And broken pits always lost in thought. Yassen deserved the chance to be happy, to be able to light up with joy but had never, will never have the chance. John knew he'd never seen yassen truly happy, and never will.

For the second time, john weighed the gun in his hand. He was unnaturally competent with it, as are all Scorpia operatives. If he took the gun and... No, he had to see the whole mission through, and keep up the cover. If not for himself, then for yassen.

John clenched his eyes shut and held yassen against him, until all his warmth, was gone, but till then, John would stay.... Just lingering a little more.

And hunter would leave at dawn.

[sharkpupsblog]

😭 Back Pains 😭

A Katja x GN! Soul Rider Reader Fanfic!

Wooo!!!! Another silly fluffy Katja fic!!!! Once again I’m not using the ‘Katja freezes everything she touches’ thing to make it extra fluffy :D had a lot of fun with this one but it feels a bit ooc and short :( …so sorry for that 😭💔 also I SUCK at commas and all that I’m so sorry for that :( hoping to improve on it soon🙏 huge Ty to @ mistfalldruid for the req I had so much fun writing this silly fluffy fic u saved Katja fans from my angst evils 🤭 also I realized this is my fifth katja fic wow . 😭❤️ anyways ty and enjoy !!! :D ❤️❤️❤️

Summary: You spend time with Katja after you get hurt and she worries for you.

Warnings: none.

You lay down on your stomach on Katja’s bed. You stretch and let out a quiet groan as your bones crackle and pop. Once you’re done stretching you let out a sigh going completely flat on the bed your body slowly relaxing. Today had been hard your team accidentally bumped with Katja’s during a mission to destroy a Dark Core machine in Hollow Woods and obviously Katja’s team wasn’t fine with letting you do that, so a fight broke out. While you gathered enough energy to destroy the machine your friends fought the dark riders. You thought you were safe from the fight and that you were clear to do your job but right as you were about to deliver the final blow Sabine and Khaan came out of nowhere and knocked you off your horse. You hit the ground hard. Hard enough to knock all the air out of your lungs and leave you with a horrible pain in your back. Your horse kept running for a bit before realizing you had been knocked off. When you recovered you got back up with the help of your horse who came running back to you when they realized you were not on their back anymore and together you both destroyed the machine. As you did you kept your guard up terrified to get hurt again. Once the fighting was over due to the fact that the machine was destroyed Jay and Sabine rode off. Katja looked for you and once she found you and you made eye contact with her, she looked to Valedale she was trying to tell you to meet her there. When you nodded, she rode off following her teammates. Your friends didn’t see Katja’s interaction with you since you were behind them, and they were celebrating their win. When their little celebration was done you told your friends you would stay behind and clean up. once you were done with cleaning you could see Katja, but Alex told you they would do it. Alex and the others saw your fall, and you went red clearly embarrassed, but they assured you that you were fine and since it looked like a hard hit it would be better if you went home to rest. You got on your horse you thanked your friends wishing them luck with the clean up and you rode to Valedale If they asked you any questions about it you would just say you took the Valedale trailer home. Once in Valedale you rode up the little mountain that held the entrance to the Valley of the Hidden Dinosaur. You rode into the entrance taking the elevators down into the valley and then you rode through it and to the ice witch lair. You rode slow because of the ice and because your back was killing you. when you made it to the lair the magic protecting the entrance slowly faded and the ice spikes that looked like fangs slowly went down to let you in. when it was clear to go in you led your horse inside to a little spot where Mortifa was eating hay. You had taken a while to get here so Katja got home first. Your horse neighed and Mortifa neighed back welcoming you both. You took your horse’s reins off and you put them away watching as your horse trotted over to Mortifa to join her in eating. You walked deeper into the lair, and you went straight to Katja’s room thinking she would be in there. She wasn’t but you were too tired and sore with no energy to go and look for her, so you laid down on her bed. And now here you were on her bed waiting for her. You sighed again this time the sigh was from boredom. You closed your eyes maybe you could catnap while you waited for her. You closed your eyes only a few seconds passing before you felt a blanket be draped on you. You opened your eyes seeing Katja and what was draped on you was not a blanket it was her poncho. You smiled at her, and she smiled back at you sitting next to you she put her hand on your back. She watched your face making sure you were not in too much pain before rubbing your back “how are you feeling?” She asked you and you hummed “like shit” you laughed softly “your friend hits hard.” Katja’s nose scrunched a bit in anger and her brows furrowed “I saw what she did and that brute is not my friend” she shook her head Katja didn’t want any harm to come to you she was angry really fucking angry.

Angry enough to cause her magic to react to her emotion making her hand cold, cold enough for you to feel through the poncho and your clothes. You shivered a bit, and you said her name causing her to tense as she realized how cold she had gotten she quickly removed her hand from your back apologizing. You reached for her hand, and once she made sure it was safe she allowed you to grab it. You kissed her palm and then the back of her hand making her relax she frowned “I should have kept an eye on you.” You shook your head “it’s my fault I should have been looking around” you let her hand go propping yourself up on your elbows letting out a quiet groan of pain as you did. You laughed and you covered your eyes with your hands confessing something to her “I’m so embarrassed!” You laughed more your cheeks turning red “I keep imagining how it happened and I feel it must have looked incredibly silly” you huffed and smiled at Katja she did not return the smile. “It looked horrible It didn’t look silly” when she said ‘silly’ it sounded angry. you sat up when she said that the poncho sliding off of you as you sat up. You frowned “Katja I’m fine” you picked the poncho up from behind you putting it on you loved her poncho it was really warm and soft, and it smelled like her perfume which you loved because it smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. “I’m fine I really am and if I don’t laugh about the pain in my back then I’ll cry about it” you rubbed your back it still hurt a lot. “Don’t be upset Katja I’m fine” you pouted a bit when the angry look on her face remained. She let out a huff looking away from you not wanting to see the sad look on your face and you scooted over to her nudging her. “Laugh with me?” You kissed her shoulder that got her attention she looked at you the angry look on her face gone replaced with a surprised one. Your smile returned and you kissed her shoulder again and even though she was still a bit angry she smiled back because she knew you hated seeing her upset and she loved the affection she got from you “I promise I’ll stick by you next time” you rest your head on her chest and she messed with your hair. Katja was about to say something to you, but you beat her in speaking “also I’m stealing your poncho” you were playing with her trying to lighten the mood and remove any negative emotions she had left. She let out an amused laugh “you wouldn’t be stupid enough to dare steal it from me.” You kissed her cheek before you slowly started to scoot off the bed and she narrowed her eyes at you “don’t you dare” She saw you look behind her and she followed your gaze seeing you look at the door. She was about to stand to block the door of her room, but you beat her, and you got off the bed laughing loudly as you ran out of the room. Katja laughed surprised by your little game, and she stood up running after you. The rest of your day was full of laughter, and you completely forgot about the pain in your back and Katja forgot her anger.

TY FOR READING! ❤️❤️❤️🐎🐎🐎

[too-many-rooks]

Tag people you want to get to know better

Thanks @strangesoulmates for tagging me!

Three ships (As I’m writing this out I’m realising they all have pretty similar themes, I guess I have somewhat consistent taste, this is all just reminders of humanity, enemies to lovers, trying to kill each other and excuses to cover my blorbos in blood.)

1.) Alex/Yassen

Can I be controversial and admit this one took a lot of convincing? Originally I was expecting the fandom to be more into ‘unlikely parental figure’ Yassen (which is a trope I’m an absolute sucker for.) but any way these two characters interact is interesting to me, and I’ve definitely come round to it from a perspective of this is only ‘healthy’ because it’s them and no one else can really understand them like the other can, and if it’s not ‘healthy’ it’s all dubious and quite fun. Big sucker for the (sort of one sided?) enemies to lovers, borderline obsession, as character foils of each other, with Yassen kind of representing Alex’s future and the dichotomy of like... sunshine puppy and murder kitty vibes. Then there’s the loyalty to each other before their ‘side’, different worlds and different morals but a unique understanding of each other.

(Also worth mentioning that I like Yassen with basically any Rider - I don’t see John/Yassen as anything but unhealthy hero worship/daddy issues/manipulation but that itself is still interesting, and I’m a huge sucker for Ian/Yassen, either as like an old married couple or people who have a few brief, but very intense encounters throughout their lives. I feel like there’s been a bit of a ‘Yiannaissance’ recently that I’m really enjoying. Do we have an official ship name? Yian? Iassen? Neither seem great.)

2.) Jonathon Reid/Geoffrey McCullum.

Peak different sides, enemies to lovers, vampire hunter and powerful newborn vampire in 1918 London in the grip of a pandemic, great gothic industrial vibe. I played this game obsessively during lockdown. (Can’t imagine why.) Themes of duty and purpose and humanity and horror, the game sort of rushes you into a forced romance with one of the female characters but the chemistry between these two is insane they are kind of obsessed with each other and the fight that happens when one of them tries to kill the other is just TEEMING with homoeroticism.

3.) Villanelle/Eve Polastri

First two seasons of Killing Eve are some of the best television ever created. The theatricality of the murders, and the comedy contrasted with some just devastating moments, the OUTFITS. That ending really took the wind out of my sails with this one and kind of spoiled it for me but what was there with the themes of mutual obsession, both trying to kill each other, Villanelle drawing out this dark side of Eve that has always been there, Eve drawing out this humanity that also been in Villanelle, just the whole vibe of being the only people in the world who could possibly understand the other properly and hating that so much you try and kill each other before realising they can’t be apart.

First Ship - I think the first one I really went insane for was Morrigan/Warden from DA:O. Morrigan helped me realise I was a lesbian I was so in love with her. Still am tbh.

Last song - ‘King’ by Florence + the Machine, I went to her concert this week and she ran right past me it was amazing.

Last Movie - finally got round to watching Everything Everywhere All at Once, so incredible!

Currently reading - chapter 3 of ‘The Viking Diaspora’ by Judith Jesch for my seminar tomorrow. (I really want to read more novels this year!)

Currently watching - His Dark Materials, interspersed with weird niche YouTube video essays, and mildly embarrassing amounts of Bluey.

Currently consuming: last thing I ate was some cinnamon raisin bread with one of the fancy jams I got in the jam advent calendar I bought myself. Now I need to figure out where I can find pineapple and yuzu jam bc I want to eat it forever.

Currently craving: supermarket bakery chocolate chip cookies, and some sweet and spicy fried chicken.

Tagging @countessrivers and whoever else fancies!

[sithwitch13]

Forbidden Door 6/30/24

Amanda and Negative One, I'm gonna cry

Ooh, Serpentico? I didn't know we were getting Serpentico!

Newly beltless Kyle Fletcher cheering himself up by destroying SNAKEMAN

Roddy, grabbing Gabe Kidd in an aggressive hug: "LOOK AT MY NEW FRIEND, ISN'T HE SO COOL, UNLIKE A CERTAIN BABY SEAL BOY"

KOR, chilling with the Conglomeration plus Ishii and Willow: "Sorry, did you say something? We were busy making friendship bracelets."

BARK-OFF

STAT TIME AND ALSO STOKELY AND MOMO WATANABE

WILLOW TIME AND ALSO TAM NAKANO

Forming a conspiracy board because Tam and Momo are wearing contrasting colors while Kris and Willow are wearing the same color.

Oh my god Toni's ringside outfit

YEAH MARIAH

And here's Mina to keep the love triangle going

LIJ, you are so adorable

Aww, Alex's face paint

Aaaaaa it's time

So is the crowdsurfing a reference to Cody, Punk, both, or neither? I'm good either way

Is it just me or does MJF not have his usual dogshit spray tan?

LOL Kenny's face blurred

Double LOL they called Okada the Best Bout Machine

Okay gremlins let's see how cunty you're feeling tonight

Reasonably, excellent

Oooh Okada is very shiny tonight

Dying at Nick and Okada doing Antics

God I love these horrible little scamps

Dragon vs Dragon time!

Ah, it's the time of the match where Danielson tries to give us all a heart attack

EVERYONE SHUT UP IT'S TIME FOR THE SAPPHIC LOVE TRIANGLE

Oh my god Toni lol

Mariah's beautiful face acting, she's so amazing and the absolute heart of this story

Mariah: "now kiss"

TEAM POLYCULE WINS

THE HORNINESS CONTINUES WITH OC VS ZSJ

Black Glasses Dark Jeans Orange

Thank you Tony Khan and Hiroshi Tanahashi for your gift of squirming men

Is my brain failing more than usual or was this supposed to be a Zero Hour match?

I have been informed it was always a main card match and now I am sad

Aww, yay for Hook

This is the most "whoever wins, I win" match of the night for me

Ladder matches always make me nervous since every time I try to use a ladder I injure myself

ELP nipple attack, congrats to us all!

OW FUCK JESUS

Don't mind me, I'm just sitting here screaming "PLEASE BE CAREFUL" every 30 seconds

:3

Stephanie's whole look is reminding me of Hela from Thor: Ragnarok and I'm here for it

I have no good occasion to do eye makeup like Mercedes' but I really really want to. Maybe just for sitting around and playing video games.

Holy shit Stephanie's dragon screw is brutal

BRITT

SHOW IN JAPAN I'M GOING TO DIE

Mox vs Naito time!

Oh good they didn't make Taz or Nigel leave when JR came in

Oh shit yes and the Death Rider theme

RED SHOES

Mox why are you not wearing the NJPW shorts

Please stop saying "tran-KWEE-low," it's pronounced "tran-KEE-loh"

Mox has two gears, Nigel: "violent" and "clumsy puppy"

Aww, grats Naito

MAIN EVENT, LET'S GO SWERVE

Garcia watching? HMMMM

I HAVE BEEN SHRIEKING THIS WHOLE TIME OH MY GOD

I may actually be dying

HEAD PATS AAAAA

SWERVE!!!!!!!!!

The forehead kiss

The tears

Fletcher comforting Ospreay

I love everything

[mcskullmun]

Behold: the worst fucking pun we’ve ever made!

[Image Description: a pen doodle of Yassen Gregorovich from the Alex Rider Series holding a file. The file is titled, “John Rider, Missing In Action” and Yassen is tearfully saying, “But he was my Rider-Die”. End description]

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"THIS IS DRAGPUNK, FUCKER!" -- ONLY ON MAN'S RUIN RECORDS.

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on the "Werewolves On Wheels" picture disc to the "Demons On Wheels" album by San Francisco garage rock band THE DEMONICS, the band's second full-length released under the late, great Man's Ruin Records in the fall of 2000.

ALBUM OVERVIEW: "Combine an infectious, hook-laden hard rock/punk blend with an obsession with '60s biker movies, and you have THE DEMONICS, whose "Demons on Wheels" is an invigorating exercise in rowdy, reckless fun. If this California band had been around in the '60s, this release would have been the perfect soundtrack for Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider." Everything on the CD is about the misadventures of bikers, and infectious gems like "Race Against Dawn," "Dustin' the Fuzz," "Dunebuggy Denise," and "Fuel-Injected Suicide Machine" give the impression that THE DEMONICS loved every minute of "Easy Rider ."" 

-- ALLMUSIC (Alex Henderson)

Definitely one of the coolest picture discs in my music CD collection to date, which is why I just had to display the disc twice in this post. Duh! It's so @$!*#&% awesome!! Halloween vibes galore!

Sources: www.cdandlp.com/en/the-demonics/demons-on-wheels/cd/r119044162, discogs, & my extensive music CD collection.

[tothemaxxx]

My Favorite Films and Performances of 2021

Another year of watching movies mostly at home! Would I have enjoyed certain titles more had I seen them on the big screen? Very likely! Did we buy a slightly larger TV? We sure did! Big screen or small, I found plenty to enjoy this last year... there may have even been a few instant classics. As per, I didn't get to see everything on my list. But I am excited to say that I've finally gotten back into Letterboxd after almost a decade's hiatus and it has injected some new excitement (and more organization) into my film-viewing habits. Here is my Top 20 as a list on Letterboxd, if you're into that sort of thing. Otherwise, keep scrolling! Thanks for your passing interest in my taste in film. Happy watching!

TOP 10

Ranking is VERY loose, and subject to change as the years pass and the details fade.

1. DRIVE MY CAR, Ryusuke Hamaguchi

2. LICORICE PIZZA, Paul Thomas Anderson

3. BERGMAN ISLAND, Mia Hansen-Løve

4. BENEDETTA, Paul Verhoeven

5. WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY, Ryusuke Hamaguchi

6. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, Todd Haynes

7. ANNETTE, Leos Carax

8. SPENCER, Pablo Larrain

9. THE POWER OF THE DOG, Jane Campion

10. THE LAST DUEL, Ridley Scott

Imagine my surprise upon drafting this list, that at some point in the last year Tumblr imposed a limit of 10 images per post! What's a guy with a top 20 to do other than be bummed out?!

Here's 10-20, sans photo, also loosely ranked:

TITANE, Julia Ducournau

WEST SIDE STORY, Steven Spielberg

RED ROCKET, Sean Baker

THE LOST DAUGHTER, Maggie Gyllenhaal

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, Joachim Trier

MALIGNANT, James Wan

CRYPTOZOO, Dash Shaw

DUNE, Denis Villeneuve

ZOLA, Janicza Bravo

THE SOUVENIR: PART II, Joanna Hogg

And a special commendation to is-it-a-film-or-a-series, Peter Jackson's THE BEATLES: GET BACK

I also enjoyed:

About Endlessness, Azor, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Beckett, The Big Trim, Boiling Point, Candyman, The Card Counter, Caveat, Censor, C'mon C'mon, Compartment No. 6, The Duke, El Planeta, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, The French Dispatch, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Good Boss, The Hand of God, A Hero, I'm Your Man, In the Earth, Jockey, Lapsis, Last Night in Soho, Limbo, Mad God, Mandibles, The Many Saints of Newark, MASS, The Matrix Resurrections, The Mitchells vs The Machines, The Night House, Nightmare Alley, No Sudden Move, No Time to Die, The Novice, Old, Old Henry, Only the Animals, Parallel Mothers, Paris 13th District, Passing, Pig, Prime Time, Quo Vadis Aida, Riders of Justice, Saint Maud, Seance, Shiva Baby, Stillwater, The Summit of the Gods, Swan Song (the one with Udo Kier that is), Test Pattern, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Undine, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Violation

And these documentaries:

Becoming Cousteau, Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, Julia, kid 90, Like A Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres, Listening to Kenny G, Procession, The Rescue, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, The Sparks Brothers, Tina, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage

And some memorable (and mostly underdicussed) performances worth shouting out:

Niamh Algar as Enid Baines in Censor

Moises Arias as Gabriel in Jockey

Javier Bardem as Julio Blanco in The Good Boss

Don Cheadle as Curt Goynes in No Sudden Move

Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in The Last Duel

Anders Danielsen Lie as Joseph in Bergman Island and as Aksel in The Worst Person in the World

Ana de Armas as Paloma in No Time to Die

Ariana DeBose as Anita in West Side Story

Benicio del Toro as Moses Rosenthaler in The French Dispatch

George DiCaprio as Mr. Jack in Licorice Pizza

Virginie Efira as Benedetta Carlini in Benedetta

Adèle Exarchopoulos as Agnès in Mandibles

Mike Faist as Riff in West Side Story

Brendan Fraser as Doug Jones in No Sudden Move

Isabelle Furman as Alex Dall in The Novice

Skyler Gisondo as Lance in Licorice Pizza

Seidi Haarla as Laura in Compartment No. 6

The Haim family as the Kane family in Licorice Pizza

Brittany S. Hall as Renesha Bell in Test Pattern

Rebecca Hall as Beth in The Night House

Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom in Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Harriet Sansom Harris as Mary Grady in Licorice Pizza

Sally Hawkins as Maggie in Spencer

Simon Helberg as The Accompanist in Annette

Kathryn Hunter as Witches in The Tragedy of Macbeth

Amir Jahidi as Rahim in A Hero

Riley Keough as Stefani in Zola

Udo Kier as Pat Pitsenbarger in Swan Song

Vicky Krieps as Chris in Bergman Island

Tōko Miura as Misaki Watari in Drive My Car

Katsuki Mori as Nao in Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

Tim Blake Nelson as Henry in Old Henry

Hidetoshi Nishijima as Yūsuke Kafuku in Drive My Car

Allessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti in The Many Saints of Newark

Woody Norman as Jesse in C'mon C'mon

Masaki Okada as Kōji Takatsuki in Drive My Car

Taylor Paige as Zola in Zola

Park Yu-rim as Lee Yoon-a in Drive My Car

Martha Plimpton as Gail in MASS

Renate Reinsve as Julie in The Worst Person in the World

Simon Rex as Mikey Saber in Red Rocket

Jonathan Richman as himself in The Velvet Underground

Agathe Russelle as Alexia/Adrien in Titane

Makita Samba as Camille Germain in Paris, 13th District

Rachel Sennott as Danielle in Shiva Baby

Reece Shearsmith as Zach in In The Earth

Kiyohiko Shibukawa as Segawa in Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

Milena Smit as Ana in Parallel Mothers

Kodi Smit-McPhee as Peter Gordon in The Power of the Dog

Suzanna Son as Strawberry in Red Rocket

Timothy Spall as Major Alistar Gregory in Spencer

Dan Stevens as Tom in I'm Your Man

Tilda Swinton as J.K.L. Berensen in The French Dispatch

Honor Switon Byrne as Julie in The Souvenir: Part II

Fusako Urabe as Moka in Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

Annabelle Wallis as Madison Mitchell/Emily May in Malignant

Jeffrey Wright as Roebuck Wright in The French Dispatch

[nemorialex]

First Ride

For Alex’s 22nd birthday, their brother got them a bike. It would be a quaint gesture if it wasn’t a full motorcycle, which came with it’s own charging garage, and already-paid-for lessons to boot. Never, for one second, think that Zack Miller does things half-assed when it came to spending money or spoiling his family (unless he finds it funny.)

Alex unlocks the garage and flips on the light. In the middle under the spotlight is a simple, small motorcycle with a black teardrop shaped body and silver trimming. Alex didn’t know what sort of brand or make or model it was, and for the most part didn’t much care either. It was a bike! And that was just cool.

For a moment Alex simply sits on the vehicle. Unplugged, helmet on, engine off, getting a feel for the shape underneath them, treating it carefully like it was a slumbering beast they were hesitant to wake up. They’ve studied manuals and rules of the road inside and out. Aside from actually getting a test and being awarded a license (something which, while the right thing to do, still seemed questionable to them somehow...) they had everything they needed.

To say the past few days have been weird would lead to an odd spiral that leads to “the past entirety of their life has been weird.” That being said, Alex felt a sort of jumpstart as of late. A refresh. Something had knocked some sense into them and it was too soon to tell if it was nonsense or just the sort of kick they needed. It jostled them from confident joy one day and crushing anxiety the next. Which brought them to here and now, carefully starting up the engine and feeling it roar to life underneath them. They close their eyes. More than the rumble shaking their ribcage, they can sense the ripples it leaked into the earth beneath. Even on tiptoes, through boots, if they really focused, they could feel the echoes of this beast make it’s presence known farther out than could be seen. 

Their eyes flutter back open. That’s not why they’re here. They aren’t going to tap into something supernatural or profound here, or try to reawaken or stretch any ill-used powers on their part. They are here for the basic, deafening urge  that has been calling to them for a long time now, that they haven’t given into thanks to obligations or illness. 

They need to RUN. 

And with that thought they rev the engine once and peel out of the garage, barely remembering to hit the button to close the door on their way out. It is so, so much faster than using feet alone, and despite the fact that they’re just sitting and barely moving, their heart races with the pace of it. The helmet muffles out most of the chittering, purring song of the electronic beast, but they hear it regardless and enjoy the white noise. It’s not Nothing, but it’s nothing that their brain can focus on either. It’s a basic pleasure. An indulgence. 

Alex is careful to only take backroads and long stretches of straight-aways. The busy city and the twisting mountain paths were no place for an novice rider. For now, anyway. Despite the adrenalin of the moment, they were only going about 30 mph. There was a voice in their head praising them for remembering to be safe and to figure out how to brag to Frenchie about their level-headedness later. In the meantime, Alex would drive as long as they could stand or the battery would last, whichever came first. Then they’d carefully portal back to the garage and lock this marvelous machine away until another day. 

Another day perhaps very, very soon.

[monoxidecahedron]

Hamlaf Coffee Shop AU

This is the fic I was talking about in my last post! It’s pure fluff, and I love it. Tell me what you think, reblog and comments are always appreciated! I think I missed the “Alex is a food rider” part, but oh well. Below is the inspiration, done by @shanshala​, who is absolutely amazing.

Lafayette smiled at the coffee shop counter. His hair was tied up in a big poofball bun, he was wearing the signature white shirt and purple apron of the shop that contrasted nicely with his dark skin, and a perfect customer-service smile. He was ready to start his shift.

And then in came human hurricane Alexander Hamilton, the bell tinkling as he shoved the door open, clearly in a rush, cheeks pink from the cold outside. Lafayette felt his customer-service smile drop, replaced by an absolutely lovesick expression.

“Bonjour again, Alexandre,” he said, grinning charmingly at Alexander, who huffed. “I need a black coffee with four expresso shots, nothing else,” he said, hopping from one foot to the other impatiently. Lafayette laughed, going to the coffee machine. “You seem to run on coffee,” he observed, and it was true. Every day without fail he came running in, ordered a black coffee with an insanely unhealthy amount of caffeine, and ran back out in a hurry.

Alexander nodded, not in the mood for small talk. “I do, which is why I need that coffee,” he said. Normally other baristas would be indignant, and in fact several other employees had quit the morning shift just to avoid Alexander. But Lafayette found this incredibly endearing, and he’d volunteered for it, begged for the shift, in fact. He was quite the romantic. But still, he wasn’t in too deep, he told himself; the manager paid him extra to work the shift. So it was practical as well.

Lafayette smiled, writing “Alexandre” in loopy cursive on the cup and handing it over. “Bonne journée, mon Alexandre,” he called after Alex’s retreating figure. Receiving no response, he sighed dramatically, returning to the coffee machine. He didn’t see Alexander admiring the fancy cursive Sharpie on his cup as he turned the corner.

This pattern continued as it always had; Alexander would rush in, Lafayette would flirt shamelessly with him, and then he’d leave, and Lafayette would pine. Then one day Alexander just…. stopped coming.

“What happened? Do you know where he went?” Lafayette asked Hercules the next day, trying desperately to be casual. He failed, judging by the huge grin on his friend’s face. “Why do you care?” he asked, knowing full well why. “No reason, curious only,” he said, flustered. “Well, I heard he went on vacation,” Hercules said. Lafayette nodded. “Ah.” And so he set about his day, resigned to wait until his Alexandre came back.

And he did. Two weeks later, he came back, hair in a messy bun that somehow seemed to endear him even more to Lafayette. He approached the counter and Lafayette immediately got to work on his order, knowing it by heart after months. “How was your vacation?” he asked flippantly, hoping for a response, even though the more rational part of his brain told him that he’d probably get a grumpy one-word answer in response.

To his surprise, Alexander started talking. “Oh my god, it was horrible! Well, the vacation itself was pretty fun, me and a buddy went down to LA, and yes, it’s way more sunny than the Seattle weather here, I swear I was almost blinded-” Lafayette giggled- “but once I got used to it, it was complete heaven, like, it was actually warm! Can you believe that?” Not stopping for an answer, he continued on. “And the beaches were amazing! But the horrible part was that all the hippies there made the coffee shops assume that I wanted, like, creamer or something,” he said, emphasizing creamer as if it was some instrument of the devil. “And the barista at the coffee shop near the place me and my buddy rented was horrible, just yes or no answers, not friendly at all! The customer service in LA sucks,” he finished. Noticing Lafayette staring at him, he blushed slightly. “Sorry, I know I haven’t been the best customer either,” he said sheepishly. Lafayette began to reassure him that it was no problem, really, but Alexander talked on. “But yeah, really, sorry for that, y’all must go through some shitty people,” he said, still talking at the rapid pace he had been for the past five minutes. “Oh my god, was I talking too much? Sometimes I get overexcited, shoot off at the mouth, I’ve been told it’s very annoying,” he said quietly.

Lafayette wasn’t a very violent person, but at that moment he wanted to punch whoever told him it was annoying. How could anyone possibly say that, with the way Alexander’s eyes shined as he talked and the passionate way he described everything? Lafayette felt like he’d melt any second, he was so smitten. “It is alright, Alexandre,” he said. “I quite enjoy it, actually.” He winked. Alexander flushed, but recovered quickly. “Oh yeah, I forgot- the worst thing about that coffee shop in LA was that the barista was nowhere near as attractive,” he said, grinning. Lafayette blushed. “Is that so? Perhaps time away from me has made you realize you’ve grown attached?”

Alexander grinned. “Exactly.” There was silence for a bit as Lafayette busied himself with adding something extra on his cup, handing it over as Alex’s phone pinged. He pulled it out of his pocket, grabbing the coffee with a hurried “thanks” and rushing out the door, same as always.

Except several hours later, when Alex got off the phone with his boss, he found a number written elegantly beneath his name, in which Lafayette had added a little heart.

And several hours later, Lafayette felt his phone buzz as he cleaned up in preparation to go home.

“Bonjour?” “Hey Laf! This is Alex.”

And several weeks later, the number labeled “❤️Alexandre❤️” texted him, telling him to meet at the park.

And several minutes later he was there, Alexander looking nervous as he sat across the park bench from him, fumbling with his words.

And several hours later, Lafayette left, lovesick smile on his face as he kissed his new boyfriend goodnight.

And years after that first time, he was kissing Alexander again, this time in celebration as a ring glinted on his finger.

Yes, the customer service is trashy eight times out of ten in LA (although there are some really nice people) and yes, it’s set in Seattle because I just thought it fit. And yes, I’ve been there, and yes, the weather is very grey, although I might be biased because I’m used to sunlight.

oh yeah, and the Space Needle is awesome.