#mention Jack Reacher

[h-a-unted]

Hubble and Reacher in S1E1: Welcome to Margrave

[ellelans]

Maria Sten as Frances Neagley,REACHER.

[nade2308]

He was too hot to handle when he drove the Chevelle like a bat out of hell.

@thethistlegirl @malewifebillcage

[love2write2626]

Can you write a jack reacher (tom cruise) x reader? Thank you!!

Working on one now!!!

[punishereditz]

The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia

Pairing: Jack Reacher x f!reader

Warnings: 18 Plus only! Minors DNI! DO NOT COPY! THIS STORY CONTAINS HEAVY SUBJECTS! Mentions of murder. Mentions of trafficking. (Not detailed.) Smut. Unprotected sex. P in V. Oral. (F receiving) Dirty talk. Size kink. Praise kink. Scratching. Creampie.

AN: Reba, you are my queen

Word count: 2.5k

Summary: Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer. 'Cause the judge in the town's got bloodstains on his hands

~

The station was silent expect for the small grunt you let out as you stretched. It was going on 11 pm, everyone had done left expect for you and Reacher. He was determined to keep working. This case was eating him alive. When a man he was stationed with years ago randomly shows up dead, he knew he had to look into it. The more he looked though, he learned just how complicated this whole thing was. The mayor. The judge. Lawyers. Officers. The preacher. All dead in a spam of a couple months. Why were all the men with high power in the town suddenly dying? He couldn't figure it out.

"Where's the files on the preacher?" Reacher asked as he stood with a soft sigh.

"Over at Scott's desk." You answered and looked back down to your papers. With a nod from Reacher, he walked across the room over to the chief's desk. Rustling through the papers before he found what he was looking for. He started to make his way back to your office, but as he walked down the hall, he came to a sudden stop. Taking a step back, he looked at the framed photo on the wall.

A picture of the mayor cutting a ribbon. Then his eyes drifted to the woman standing next to him. She looked familiar. Reacher couldn't figure out where he has seen her though. That's when his eyes moved to the background of the photo. A small child standing behind the mayor. It hit him like a ton of bricks. It was you. The child in the photo having the same scar as you that lines from your eyebrow to your hairline. You're the mayor's daughter? Reacher thought. It was all clicking in his mind. You were the one responsible for this. But... something still wasn't right. He was putting all the pieces together, but there was still a piece missing.

What was your motive? Why did you do it? Questions flooded Reacher's mind as he walked back into your office. Returning to his seat. His eyes lingering on you before he looked to the files. He didn't know what to do yet. He considered locking you in the cell right now, but he didn't have enough proof. And if you really are the one who did all this... will he be able to put you away? He's been in the town for almost a month now working with you and the station. He's grown partial to you. Captivated by you, even. There was something about you... your fierceness... your pretty eyes. It had Reacher longing. And he wasn't the only one feeling this way. You knew the second he walked into town he would be the death of you. That captivating smile and bluntness would get you into trouble. Once you got insight into how Reacher works, you knew he would figure you out. That he would know it was you.

And as you looked at him sitting across from you, you know that he knows now. It finally clicked for him. You're honestly shocked it took him this long. But now that he knows, you're not sure what to do. You thought about just telling him, but what would he do? How would he react? Would it hurt him? You couldn't stand the thought. The thought of him seeing you as a monster. You weren't sure why you cared so much about Reacher's opinion; you didn't care what anyone else thought of you. So why care about he thinks? You were hesitant and you hated it. As the night went on, neither of you said anything. But you both knew. You both thought about what to do.

Reacher tossed and turned in his hotel room. Completely restless. He was trying to find that missing piece, but he couldn't. Why? That was the question that played in his mind on repeat. He didn't know why. Why would you do it? It was starting to bother him too badly. With a sigh, he got out of bed, and he threw on his clothes. Walking out into the cold, rainy night. Walking to your house at 3 am. He didn't care how late it was or the fact that it was pouring down. He had to know. So, he marched up the steps and he banged on the door. The line between your eyebrows growing as you got out of bed and went to the door. When you opened it, the crease between your eyebrows deepened.

"Reacher? What are doing?" You slowly looked him up and down. His jeans a shade darker from the wetness, his shirt glued to him. His muscles showing through it. His hair dripping and his chin quivering. Fuck. He looked so good.

"Why did you do it?" He simply asked and you weren't the only one staring. Reacher's eyes glued to the oversized t-shirt, the outline of your nipples visible and the boxers that were barely visible. Fuck. You looked good.

"What?"

"Why did you do it?" He said more firmly.

"Did you walk here? You're going to end up sick." You moved to the side to let him in.

"Don't change the subject. Why did you do it?"

You sighed and stopped. Looking down. Not prepared for this conversation.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to figure it out." Now Reacher was confused.

"You knew I was going to find out?" You simply nodded and handed him a couple towels and a blanket.

"Yeah. Surprised you didn't realize sooner." You started to make a pot of coffee and Reacher hummed. Thinking.

"Why?" He asked again. You took a deep breath. Trying to prepare yourself.

"The mayor... he was my stepdad and when I was a kid... he used to do terrible things to my sister." You paused. "When I got older, I learned that half the men in town, especially my stepfather, were trafficking kids." Reacher's eyes widen as he realized.

"I tried to take it to court numerous times, but because the judge and lawyers were in on it, it didn't matter how much evidence and proof I had, they always dismissed it." Reacher nodded as he listened to you closely. It all made sense now.

"So..., that's why I did it, and I'll do it again." You broke the silence and you slide a cup of coffee over to him before you rested your hands on the counter and looked down.

Reacher took notice of it, and he stood up. Taking the quick step over to you. He gently placed his hand under your chin and tilted your head up so that you would look at him. "Is there anyone left?"

"Yeah... the chief. I think he's starting to suspect it's me." You spoke softly and held back a gasp as Reacher was suddenly so close and his cold hand was still holding your chin.

"Alright. We can take care of him tomorrow." He simply said and he let go of your chin. He still stood close though.

"What?" You grew confused and he simply repeated his words.

"We'll take care of him tomorrow."

You went to speak, but nothing came out. You went to argue with him and tell him that it's none of his business and he shouldn't get deeper into this than he already is, but you knew you couldn't fight him on this. He's too stubborn. He'll help rather you like it or not, so you don't push.

Instead, your eyes travel over his body. At his still soaking wet clothes that are stuck to him. Your eyes going to his muscles and lingering there. You realized you were staring and snapped yourself out of it. "I think I might have some clothes that will fit you. You can shower and get warmed up." You leaned off of the counter and started to walk down the hall. A smirk growing on his lips as he caught you staring. His eyes going to ass as you walked away. Then he quickly followed and watched as you searched for the clothes.

Now his turn to stare. His eyes stuck on your ass. His mind wondering off, but you quickly pulled him back to reality. "Here. These should work." You held them out to him, and he accepted them with a small smile and a soft thank you. He went into the bathroom and got into the shower. The scolding water hitting him. The tension in his muscles easing. His eyes fell closed and he let the water sooth him. When he opened his eyes, he looked down at his hard cock. With a groan of frustration, he let his head fall back. His mind continuing to wonder back to you. But not because of the case. Oh no. His mind kept going back to the image of you in those boxers. The outline of your breast in that shirt. You looked absolutely gorgeous to him. He wanted to jerk those clothes right off of you, but he knew he needed to hold back his thoughts. Although he wanted to bend you over the counter, he still felt the need to stay professional.

Even after solving everything, and being able to have you now, he still feels he should keep the relationship at a businesslike level. But you? You pace around your living room wondering if you should you just go join him in the shower or not. Over the past couple weeks, you've caught yourself staring and your thoughts wrapped up in a dirty fantasy about him. And after seeing him show up at your door in the rain and handle your confession so well, you can't stop the desire that is growing stronger. You let a frustrated groan out and you walked down the hall. You went to knock on the door, but before you could, the door was being opened and you were greeted by a shirtless Reacher. That's it.

You leaned up and captured him in a deep, heated kiss full of desperation. His body quickly relaxing and his strong arms wrapping around you. Lifting you up and carrying you back to your bedroom. His tongue gently brushing against your lips as he tried to deepen the kiss as he sat you down. Grabbing your shirt and pulling it over your head. His hands going to your breast. Gently massaging them. He laid you down on the bed. Kissing down your neck. His lips grazzing over your breast as he kissed your stomach. Kissing each and every scar, freckle and mark he could find until he stopped at your hips. Grabbing your boxers and pulling them down.

Greeted by your wet cunt. He hummed in amusement. "This wet already?" He teased and spoke in a confident tone. Then before you could say anything, he wrapped his lips around your clit. Gently sucking on it. A sharp gasp leaving your mouth as his tongue circled around it. Your slow breaths turning into heavy pants as his tongue kept working your clit. His movements slow and gentle. Making a chill run down your spine, your back arching and your legs shaking. His mouth on your sensitive clit felt so good. He was working you like no one else has before. Bringing you a pleasure you had no idea you could feel. It had you shaking. It had you wanting more. You needed more. Despite how good it felt and how you didn't want it to end, you grabbed his hair and pulled his face up. Moving your legs off of his shoulders and pulling him up so he stands in front of you. You raised up and started to kiss his abs. Your mouth traveling down to his v line. Gently kissing him.

You gripped his sweatpants and pulled them down. When his cock was free, you had to hold back a gasp. He chuckled at the shocked expression that you couldn't hide. "Will... it fit?" You said shyly and Reacher grabbed you by the chin. Pulling you up. "You can take it." He whispered in your ear, and he laid down on the bed. Pulling you down on top him. He gently kissed you. A kiss of reassurances. He carefully rubbed his cock through your folds. Putting the head at your entrance. Then he moved his hand away. Wanting you to take this at your own time. You slowly pushed down on his cock. Gasping as your walls stretched around him.

"There you go... that's it. Good girl." Reacher groaned as he watched as your cunt slowly took all of him. His hands holding your ass. You sat there for a moment to adjust to him, then you lifted your hips. Dropping back down. He bit his lip to hold his noise back. You noticed and pulled his lip out from his teeth, and he softly whimpered. "Don't start holding back from me now." He whimpered again when he heard your dirty words and felt your walls clenching around him. His eyes going down to your breast as they bounced with your bouncing hips on his cock. Your movements getting a steady pace that makes you and Reacher breathless. Yours and his moans growing louder and louder. He couldn't help himself when he let his hands move all over your body. Moving along your sides, your breast, your neck, your hair, over your back and down to your ass.

Gripping it. Helping guide you on his cock. As he admired you, he looked up at your closed eyes. Your head back in pleasure and your hands moving up your own body and squeezing your breast. He completely lost all bit of control he had left. He put an arm around you and with a swift move, he moved your body under him. Getting on top of you. He thrusted deep into you. The breath being pulled right out of your lungs. You dug your fingers into his shoulders and a loud moan slipped from your lips. Your eyes rolling into the back of your head as he thrusted deeply into you. It was passionate. It was sweet. It was slow. He made each thrust into you mean something. He made sure with each thrust that you knew how he cared for you. How long he wanted this. His groans getting louder and his thrust getting harder and faster. Your walls clenching around him and your nails dragging down his back as the new speed felt sensational.

You didn't even know he could make you feel even better, but he does. Your climax was on the edge. Struggling to hold it back. His climax creeping up on him as well. The volume in his groans increasing as he felt your climax release onto him. Driving him into his climax. Filling your cunt up with his seed. The results of yours and his pleasure dripping down onto the bed. The two of taking a moment to catch your breath. Once you did though, he gave you a grin and thrusted into you again. Round after round. He made you feel the best pleasure of your entire life all into the morning. The sun setting and lighting the room. His arms wrapped around your small body. Holding you close to him before you two have to finish what you started. The reason he came into this town. The reason he was brought to you.

[itsthestutterforme]

Convince Me Otherwise (Jack Reacher x reader)

Summary: You are the youngest cadet in the Special Investigators. So no one really took you seriously. No one except Reacher and Neagley.

Notes: GIF is not mine, all mistakes as my own, dark themes (mentions of murder, death by suffocation)

Prompt credit @creation tivepromptsforwriting : “I’m not the right person for you.”“You’re doing a great job at convincing me of that.”

Requested by: @screechingdreamercollectorsblog SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG OMG

**

“Wow, you’re really reaching for that promotion, aren’t you, kid?” O’Donnel taunts, purposely closing your laptop so you couldn’t ignore him anymore.

“No, I’m not.” You grumble, attempting to open the laptop but O’Donnel holds it closed.

“You never go out with us. You’re missing out on quality bonding time, you know.” He continues.

“Yeah, you’re missing David getting his ass bear in pool.” Neagley prods, lifting David’s hand from your laptop.

“And get your grubby hands off her laptop. Rude.”

“Here we go. Let the nerds unite.” David starts.

“These nerds can run circles around you, pretty boy.” Neagley taunts, sticking her leg out to trip him when he walked by.

“Awe, you think I’m pretty?”

You and Neagley made eye contact before rolling your eyes.

“That’s enough, O’Donnel. Let her work,” Reacher mediates when he walks into the room.

You smiled when Neagley threw you a wink before walking back to her desk. It was her subtle way of saying ‘awe, he’s defending you’.

She knows about your crush on Reacher for as long as the unit came together. You knew it was never going to happened en because of your age difference.

But there’s nothing wrong with a crush (tat would absolutely lead nowhere).

You had just turned 20 a couple months ago, and this year, you graduated from MIT at the top three in your class.

A part of you was pissed that you just barely missed being nominated as valedictorian for your class.

But that was just your perfectionism getting the best of you. You’re sure that your dad would have been proud that you are doing so well in your studies and graduated a whole year and a half early.

When your dad was enlisted, he would tell you about all the tips he’s made and beautiful sights he’s seen.

And before he died, he didn’t mention anything about the place he was stationed. He didn’t write a single letter talking about the climate, the trees, not even the animals.

Nothing.

And when you asked for pictures, he told you no and to drop it. That in itself peaked your interest but out of respect for him, you didn’t pry anymore.

The following week he was injured in combat and spent the night in the infirmary. You said you were going to see him.

You had the clearance for it anyway, but he begged you not to go. After a few minutes of arguing, he finally told you.

He was sent there to investigate a string of murdered. He found what he was looking for. The culprit.

And he was 99 percent sure that he wouldn’t make it through the night. They were watching him, waiting the catch him alone.

They orchestrated him getting hurt in the field just to get him alone in the infirmary.

You didn’t listen to him; you took the next flight to Iraq and he was gone before you could get to him. They gave you his uniform and folded flag on top of it.

You demanded a copy of his autopsy since they wouldn’t let you see his body. And they refused. You didn’t have any connections there so you had no choice but to accept what they said. For now.

Something wasn’t right with your father’s death. And you were going to figure out what happened. But as much as it hurt, you had to wait a while before you could start investigating.

Chances were you were being watched and you wouldn’t be much help finding your father’s murderer if you were dead.

When Reacher hand picked you to join his team, you told him about it. He was on board with you investigating, under one condition: get out if they ever pay you a visit. He didn’t want to see you dead.

He’s been to enough funerals for several life times. He sat on your desk and you gave him your undivided attention.

“Any luck?” He asks, his hazel green eyes trained on you as he waited for your response. Your cheeks burned under the intensity of his gaze.

“No, sir. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” you leaned back in your chair and linked your arms above your head. Just looking at your computer made your eye twitch.

“What have I told you about calling me sir?”

“I’m sorry, it’s out of habit.”

He remains silent for a moment, taking in your facial expression.

“I’m tapping you out for the day,”

“Reacher, no. I got this. Let me-“

“Tomorrow is another day, Y/N.”

You released a long breath when he stands from your desk, but he doesn’t quite leave your area yet.

“If I see you lift a finger to open the computer, I will take it for the night.” He states.

He made it all of one step before turning around and taking your computer into his hands.

“Hey!”

“It’s was too tempting for you not to open it anyway. Go home, Y/N.” He calls over his shoulder and he leaves you alone in the empty room.

Everyone left at least an hour ago, so it was just you. And without your computer, you were practically useless.

You stood from your chair with an emphasized groan and listened to what Reacher told you.

**

Dixon’s chuckles echoes throughout the office as she flirted with Reacher. Your heart clenches in your chest because you knew that Reacher always flirted back.

You and Neagley met eyes over your computer screens and rolled your eyes at the same time. You both had other things to be worrying about. Like our actual jobs and what exactly was Dixon doing?

Playing Regina George with Reacher. That’s what she was doing.

You clicked on the next file in the your folder that Reacher gained access for you. All he had to do was pay the man a visit.

He was giving you a hard time; withholding the files that your father gave him and told him to guard with his life.

Your father had told him to keep it away from seeing daylight ever again, but most importantly, to keep it away from you. He didn’t bank on you having a Jack Reacher as a part of your chain of command.

The file loaded and launched the media player on your computer. It was CCTV for the hallway camera perpendicular to the infirmary.

There was a man dressed in Class D uniform that walked over to your father’s bed rest, taking a pillow from a bed that he passed along the way.

Your eyes widened as you quickly realized that was about to happen.

Your father’s legs were kicking as the man covered his face with the pillow, aggressive suffocating him.

You clicked out of the file and slammed your computer closed, standing from your desk.

Reacher looked away from Dixon to you, much against Dixon’s choice. You walked over to Reacher’s desk and he stood when you approached, immediately noticing the difference in your energy.

“I need to talk to you,”

“He’s a little busy right now,” Dixon starts.

“I’ll come find you, Dixon.” Reacher interrupts, letting you lead the way to the conference room:

“I’m not sure it’s wise to speak freely here,” you said, your voice shook with every word. Hearing you like that made Reacher suddenly feel the impulse to protect you.

“Did someone visit you?” He asked and you shook your head no.

“Did you crack it?”

You hesitated a moment before nodding.

“You want me to take care of them?”

“No, no. I can handle it.” You said desperately, wiping your tears before they could touch your cheek.

Much to both of your surprise, he wiped a stray tear away with the pad of his thumb. An act so simple that told you one thing: I’ll protect you.

“Promise me you’ll be careful,” he pleads.

“I was going to tell you the same thing,” you said, sighing when he held the side of your face.

“This shouldn’t be happening. I’m not the right person for you,” Reacher says, not moving a muscle.

“You’re doing a great job at convincing me of that.”

[southernbluebellereader]

Jack Reacher - Headcanons

A/N: I'm almost done watching the Amazon Prime show, and Alan Ritchson was such a good pick to play Jack Reacher. And there's not enough Jack Reacher fics on here

Warnings: Cursing, Jack Reacher's dry ass humor, brief mentions of blood/minor injuries

Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) x Reader

Master List - Part 2

First and foremost, this man is HUGE. He's 6'5, 250 pound of THICK.

He's BIG. He's WIDE. He's TALL. He's THICK.

*Cue McDonald's "Painfully Thick" Milkshake Commercials*

Where am I going with this?

This man usually knows that he takes up some space, but sometimes he forgets. There are countless times where he accidentally knocks you over. Like you breaking your neck when you talk to him sometimes. He thinks it's funny.

Of course, he's a man of few words, and his favorite phrase is "Details matter." - and he truly means it

This man pays the attention. He's very attentive.

Even if y'all aren't dating, he picks up on the little things. Your favorite color, your favorite music genre, your favorite snack, your everything. And commits it to MEMORY - this man don't forget a thing.

This man loves food, and he can eat. Please give him a hot meal and a piece of pie.

I am a firm believer that you can bribe this TREE OF A MAN with a slice of peach pie.

Since he is a self-proclaimed hobo, your place of residence has become a safe base and as payment for letting him stay with you, starts fixing stuff in your house.

Your sink's broke? He gone fix it.

Your car's leaking? He gone fix it too.

He doesn't even ask you and you don't even have to tell him - he just start fixing things and like a week later he'll be like "Yeah your sink was making a noise to I fixed it." And you didn't even know it was broken in the first place.

[castle-of-ruin]

Reacher Comes to Visit 1

A/N: Well, here I am again. Dipping my feet into the waters of posting content on Tumblr again. This time, it's for my beloved Reacher. A character that I have grown ridiculously attached to thanks to Alan Ritchson 🤭. This story is based very loosely on the contents of the show but does not actually tie into the show. All things that happen in this story are strictly made up. Big shoutout to @quaritchscupquake and @cryingwriter, convincing me to post this.

Pairing: Jack Reacher x f!reader

Rating: 18+ MDNI

Warnings: Mutual pining? Size kink if you squint? Reacher being Reacher. This part is pretty tame. Mentions of food and injury. Character has a nickname, but not too many defining characteristics.

A/N 2: Please let me know if I miss any content warnings. I want to make sure it's properly tagged.

I do not condone the reposting of my story anywhere. DO NOT DO IT

Visual inspiration for anyone who cares. This is a very pretty gif. Thank you, @hunnam , for creating it!

The tv plays softly in the background as you float around your home cleaning up as you go. It was your favorite movie, one you have been watching since you were a little kid. The musical soundtrack was by far one of the best you have ever heard. Even now as an adult, you found so much joy and comfort in the movie and its music. Your night is rudely interrupted when a loud knock resounds off the walls of your house. Jumping, you grab your remote and pause the movie. Tilting your head, you make your way to the front door, you were not expecting any visitors.

Opening the door you freeze, heating finding its way into every part of your body. None other than Jack Reacher was standing opposite you beaten and bloody, however, this time he had friends. Two years ago Reacher saved your life: twice. Then the two of you spent one hell of a weekend together, and then he left, and you had not heard from him in two years. For him to be on your front porch unannounced after two years made you feel something you didn’t expect. You were mad at him, but part of you understood that is who Reacher was, a drifter moving place to place no one and nothing holding him down.

You stare up at the large man unable to form any words. Neagley, you remember her from before, steps forward and gives you a tight smile.

“Sorry to show up unannounced, Hawk,” She references the nickname she gave you. “We ran into some trouble and need a safe place to lay low for the night.” Neagley, as usual, is straight and to the point.

This was something you appreciate about her. Taking in the tired faces of the two other members of their group you let out a deep sigh and move to the side motioning them in.

You stand in the doorway leading to the living room and watch as three of them settle into your house comfortably. Reacher stands on the opposite side of the room and watches you.

“This is O’Donnell and Dixon, two of our old team mates.” Neagley speaks up, breaking the silence.

“Nice to meet you both.” You tell them with a small smile.

“Why does Neagley call you Hawk?” O’Donnell asks.

“She’s observant.” Reacher pipes in, folding his arms over his broad chest as he leans against the wall.

You avert your eyes from his stare, turning your head down towards the floor.

“I only have one extra bedroom. You can fight over who gets it. Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll go get some pillows and extra blankets,” You pause as you look over them. “I can also run to the store and grab some robes for you all to wear so I can wash your clothes. If that is something you are interested in.” You finish looking at each of them individually.

“That sounds amazing. Thank you.” Dixon speaks up first. O’Donnell nods his head softly and settles deeper into the couch.

“That would be great, Hawk, thank you.” Neagley states.

Nodding you make your way out of the living room and back towards the front door where you grab your purse and keys before heading out the door. Leaving strangers in your house probably wasn’t the best of ideas, but you knew Reacher and Neagley. You knew they were safe.

Your trip to the store was rather quick, you try not to draw attention to yourself, but it was hard when you were getting four bathrobes all in a different size. You just smile awkwardly at the cashier who checks you out. Speeding home you mentally prepare yourself for the night to come.

When you make your way back into the house all four of them turn to look at you.

“Okay, each of you can have a hot shower, then bring me your clothes and once I have them all I will throw them in the wash for all of you. Anyone hungry?” You ask.

“I am,” Reacher shrugs. You nod and look at the others who nod in unison. This wasn’t a talkative bunch which you were thankful for.

“Okay, decide the order for showers and I will get started on food. The robes are in this bag.” You instruct, dropping the bag on the vacant chair.

You head to the kitchen and prepare dinner for the four of them, you had eaten earlier that night and were not hungry. The room suddenly felt smaller and you knew who was there with you.

“You look good.” He tells you quietly coming up behind you.

You close your eyes as a shiver runs the length of your spine. Even after all this time he was still imprinted in your senses. Turning, you lean against the counter and look up at him. Taking in the wet patch on his left side, which you assumed was blood, and the bruise under his left eye.

“You look like hell.” Your words have a smile pulling at Reacher’s lips.

He doesn’t say anything else after that, just shakes his head and leaves the kitchen. After some time food is ready and three out of four of them have showered.

“Okay, food is ready, come eat.” You instruct, smiling as you watch all four of them eagerly make their way to the dining room to eat.

“Thank you!” Dixon yells.

“Yeah, thanks this is good food.” O’Donnell nods.

You smile at them and nod your head. “It’s my pleasure. I will be in my room if anyone needs me. Just knock.” You tell them, excusing yourself to your room.

Flopping on the bed you stare up at the ceiling. Memories from two years ago running freely in your head. A quiet knock pulls you out of your thoughts. Looking to the door you see Reacher standing there. Sitting up you tilt your head.

“Everything okay?” You ask.

“Yeah, you said if anyone needed you just knock. I knocked.” He shrugs, and you stifle a laugh.

“Well, you’re the reason I can not start the load of laundry. Get it together Reacher.” You tease.

“Right, I’ll be back.” He states and leaves.

You shake your head and let out a groan. He was going to be the death of you. There weren’t many people in this world who consumed your thoughts freely, but he did ever since he saved your life, and fucked you better than any man ever had. You shake your head, now probably wasn’t the best time to think about that.

Not long after Reacher had left another quiet knock could be heard. When he enters your room he takes up the doorway with his large frame. You take in the way the dark robe holds on for dear life, like it was on the verge of ripping as it stretched thin over his broad shoulders.

“Everything is in your laundry room and ready for you.” He states.

Getting up you nod. “Okay, thank you. That robe is holding on for dear life.” You can’t contain the giggle that bubbles up in your chest.

He looks down at the robe. “I think they left me the smallest one on purpose.” He grumbles. You giggle again and he gives you a dirty look.

“I’ll be right back. Gonna go start the load.” You tell him.

"Is it okay for me to stay here?” He asks.

You look at him for a moment. “Yes.”

Going out you make your way to the laundry room and throw all of the clothes into the wash and start it. You poke your head into the living room on the way back where the others are still sitting talking quietly amongst themselves.

“Hey, once the washer beeps, one of you can put the clothes in the dryer. I’ll be in my room if you need me. Goodnight.” You tell them.

Entering your room you smile upon seeing Reacher asleep on your bed. He made your queen size bed appear small and you chuckle to yourself at that. Going over to your dresser you pull pjs out of your drawer and go into the adjacent bathroom. Closing the door softly you strip and turn the water on. A quiet sigh passes your lips as the water bears down on your back. After your shower you get dressed and head back out into your bedroom. Reacher is awake now and watches as you exit a cloud of steam pouring out behind you.

You get into bed and lay on your side looking over at Reacher. He turns so he is facing you.

“Two years is a long time.” You whisper, reaching out and hovering your hand over his arm. You weren’t sure if you should touch him.

He answers your internal question by grabbing your right hand with his right and guiding it to his shoulder. The fabric is soft beneath your fingers, but part of you wished it was his skin you were touching.

“I know, I’m sorry we didn’t call first before just showing up. I knew you were safe and just brought them here.” He reaches out and grabs your hip, pulling you closer.

“Not tonight. You need to sleep. Something tells me your life is about to be in danger, again. See it as an incentive to come back alive.” You tell him, placing your hand on his somewhat exposed chest. Enjoying the warmth that fills your fingertips.

“Can I kiss you? Just once?” He asks, cupping your cheek softly in his large hand.

You nod and close your eyes. His lips are warm against yours, and just like you remembered, soft, yet rough. The kiss was short, sweet, and full of an unspoken promise. He pulls you into him and tucks you into his side beneath the covers. You find yourself snuggling into him and closing your eyes. The warmth from his body spreads through you.

“Goodnight, Reacher.”

“Goodnight, Hawk.” You smile at him using the nickname as well.

Tomorrow, things will surely be different. Tomorrow, the threat was to be dealt with. Tomorrow, the outcome was unknown.

Uh, I'm gonna tag some folks. Maybe you'll like to see it :)

@obiknights @a-reader-and-a-writer @chelseasdagger @gemstone-roses @cryingwriter @quaritchscupquake @supernaturaldawning @xxidontwikeitxx @spnshortcake

[justabigassnerd]

Unexpected

Pairing - Jack Reacher x child!reader

Word count - 2,322

Warnings - gun violence, death, blood mentions, child endangerment, angst, lil' pinch of fluff

Summary - on a mission wherein he saves a child, Jack Reacher finds himself forming an unlikely softness towards the young child

A/N - oooh this is new isn't it?? this was a request sent in by @fangirl23obession so I hope I did the idea justice. writing for Jack ended up being a lot harder than I anticipated so I hope this is an okay read for y'all. as per y'all please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

While travelling the states, Jack had caught wind of some suspicious activity within an Army regiment and so naturally went to investigate further. He didn’t care that he wasn’t technically part of the military anymore. When he got involved in something he was going to see his investigation through until the end.

The Army, knowing who he was and still respecting his rank despite him not being part of the Army anymore, let him weigh in on the ongoing investigation into how a soldier had gone completely AWOL with no evidence of foul play yet before he disappeared, he had been disappearing for hours at a time late at night and returning only in the early hours of the morning. At first, his comrades and superiors thought he was sneaking out to go to nearby bars and spend the night with people outside of the Army but when his superiors went to nearby bars to question the staff, they all denied seeing him at all.

As the investigation progressed, Jack found more and more evidence pointing towards a group of former military personnel who were trying to gain power to supposedly take back from their former places of work. Jack didn’t understand why such a group existed and quite frankly he didn’t care. He was there to do a job and that’s what he was going to do before moving on. He’s dealt with much worse in his lifetime. He wasn’t about to let one measly group of rogue soldiers do any damage.

What Jack could never have predicted was them scooping up a child off the streets and taking them hostage as a way to try and convince people to listen to their demands. With that newfound information, Jack was preparing to go off in search of the group to end them once and for all. The Army, of course, insisted he take some soldiers with him to assist in the whole ordeal and while Jack would rather go about everything himself, he knew he had very little say in the matter so allowed them to come with the one rule that they listen to everything he says. He is in charge of this operation and he’s not going to let anyone undermine him on this mission.

When Jack tracked down the base of the group, he took the soldiers assigned to his mission with him and headed to the old warehouse as he muttered to himself about the cliché of it all. When they arrived at the warehouse, of course, there was a group of ex-soldiers waiting for them, so Jack and his team immediately came under fire and were forced into cover. Jack commanded his team with ease, his military background having never left him and orders slipped from his mouth before his brain could even catch up. He managed to advance forward and make his way into the warehouse, taking down any men who refused to back down.

When he finally fought his way through the splinter cell of rogue soldiers, he reached what he could only assume was the main operations room where the leader had chosen to hide out, a young girl tight in his grip as he held his gun towards Jack.

“You better back up there, Reacher. You don’t want anything to happen to this kid now, do you?” The leader growls, moving his gun to be placed against your temple as more tears work their way down your cheeks as you squirm to try and get out of the man’s iron grip.

“The kid isn’t part of this. Let her go.” Jack says, his gun trained expertly on the man standing before him. He longed to pull the trigger, to end all this mess right here and now but he held his itchy trigger finger back. He knew he couldn’t fire his weapon now, not in front of a young child.

“If I let the kid go, you’ll just kill me. I’m not that stupid.” The leader snaps angrily, the barrel of the gun digging further into your temple with each word that leaves his mouth and Jack quickly begins to figure out a solution.

“Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to put my gun down and you’re going to let the kid go. I won’t try anything. In fact, I’ll let you go.” Jack bargains, beginning to lower his weapon, crouching down and placing his gun on the floor before holding his hands up in surrender.

“I heard your men out there, they’ll kill me.” The man then says, his anger never diminishing.

“They’re only out the front of the warehouse, I never thought to send anyone around the back, so you have a free escape if you go now. Just let the kid go.” Jack says, slowly straightening up and loosely gesturing to the door behind the leader. He remained silent for a moment, eyes flicking between the door and Jack, watching warily to see if he’d dive for his weapon. Keeping his gun trained on your temple, the leader begins to back away towards the door, moving the gun away from your temple momentarily to open the door before returning it to where it was against the side of your head, ignoring the slight whimper that left your lips as the gun digs into your temple again. The man glances between Jack and his doorway to freedom before harshly shoving you to the floor and exiting the warehouse, slamming the door behind him. Jack picked up his gun and made his way over to you, helping you get to your feet, and you immediately clung to his leg, taking him aback slightly. As you clung to his leg, Jack heard a singular gunshot ring out from outside. He knew it was a good idea to bring along a sniper.

“Are you hurt, kid?” Jack then asks, reminding himself of the task at hand as he carefully detaches you from his leg and crouches down to be at your height. You didn’t respond vocally to Jack’s question, just shaking your head as more tears rolled down your cheeks. Despite you shaking your head, Jack checked you over anyway, just to be sure. Once he was satisfied that you were indeed unharmed, he looked at you once more.

“What’s your name?” Jack asks, the gentlest tone to his voice that sounded foreign even to him.

“y/n.” Came your mumbled response, throat thick with tears as you wiped at your eyes harshly.

“Hi, y/n. I’m Jack.” Jack introduces himself to you, doing his best to maintain a gentle tone to not frighten you.

“Do you know where your parents live, y/n?” He then asks, receiving another head shake from you and fighting back a sigh as he glances up as if the ceiling held all the answers. He shouldn’t have expected a young child to know their parent’s address, but it would’ve made his life a lot easier.

“I don’t have any.” You mumble, making Jack look at you curiously.

“You don’t have parents?” He asks cautiously, hoping he somehow heard you wrong but when you nod in response, he lets out a soft sigh. You couldn’t be much older than five and he felt awful that you had no parents.

“I’m going to take you someplace safe, and we’ll talk with some people I know and look at finding you a nice place to live.” Jack says finally, straightening up and immediately you cling to his hand with your small one.

“Okay, kid. I’m going to need you to close your eyes while we leave the warehouse. I won’t let you trip or fall. Promise me you’ll keep your eyes closed.” Jack instructs, looking down at you as you nod, closing your eyes and clasping your free hand over your eyes for good measure. He didn’t want you to see the blood and dead bodies he knew were on the other side of the door. True to your promise, you kept your eyes closed the whole way through the warehouse, your nose wrinkling at the overwhelming stench of iron but you kept your eyes covered the whole time until Jack told you it was okay for you to open your eyes. When you uncover your eyes and blink them open, you discover that you’re standing in front of a car and Jack opens the door for you to climb in. A soldier offers you a hand to help you climb into the car, but you shy away, your grip tightening on Jack’s hand.

“Come on, in you get.” Jack says, letting you hold his hand to climb up into the car, curling up in one of the seats as soon as you’re in the car, eyeing the other soldiers standing by the car carefully. Sensing your discomfort, Jack climbed in the other backseat to offer a familiar presence and he hadn’t anticipated you clinging to his hand once more. If it had been any other situation, Jack was sure he would’ve taken his hand right out of your grip but there was something about the way you only trusted him that made his usually icy heart melt just a little.

The journey back to the military base was short and silent and when you all got out of the car, you were immediately clinging to Jack once more as he led you into one of the offices where Jack’s arrival was expected. The moment Jack entered the room and stood in the middle of the office, you hid behind his legs, aware of all the eyes that were on you as the Colonel stood from his desk.

“Ladies, would you two take young…” The Colonel begins, gesturing loosely in your direction as he realised, he didn’t know your name.

“y/n.” Jack fills in the blank for him.

“y/n. Thank you, Reacher. Take y/n here and get her washed and a change of clothes while we discuss the operation if you, please.” The Colonel finishes, and as the two approach you, you shy away further behind Jack’s legs.

“Hey kid, you go ahead and go with them, okay? They’re just going to get you cleaned up. I’ll be here when you’re done.” Jack says down to you as your head pokes out from behind his legs, looking up at him before tentatively stepping out from behind his legs and letting the two women usher you away so Jack and the Colonel can talk. Jack goes into detail regarding the mission and how it was successful before the subject moves on to returning you to your family.

“She told me she doesn’t have any parents. I don’t know what happened to them, but it seems she’s been alone for a while.” Jack explains as the Colonel nods along to Jack’s words, brow furrowing in thought.

“Okay, I’ll call up Child Protective Services and I’m sure they’ll find a safe and stable home for her.” The Colonel states, reaching for his office phone just as Jack speaks up.

“Actually, Sir. I’d like to take care of her.” The words left his mouth with no hesitation which took the Colonel by surprise. Jack Reacher was never a man who had shown much care for those around him, but you had come along and showed a side of him no one had seen before.

“Are you sure, Reacher? With your lifestyle, she wouldn’t have a very stable life.” The Colonel says, hand hovering over the phone as he watches Jack carefully.

“I’m very sure.” Jack nods, and the Colonel mirrors his action, his hand withdrawing from the phone. Just as the Colonel backs away from the phone you come rushing back into the office, sporting new clothes and damp hair, greeting Jack happily as he crouches down to be at your level.

“I got a choice for you. The Colonel here can call some people who will help find you a nice home, or you could come with me. It’s up to you.” Jack offers up the two choices and you fall silent, eyebrows bunched up as you think.

“I wanna stay with you.” You finally state, grinning at Jack who nods, straightening up and allowing you to grab hold of his hand as he turns to look over at the Colonel.

“Thank you for your assistance, Reacher. Maybe I’ll see you again.” The Colonel says, dismissing the two of you and you leave the base, skipping happily alongside Jack. Jack takes you to grab a quick meal while telling you that you’re both going to get on a bus after and head someplace new which you were excited about. When you got to the bus station, Jack paid for the two tickets, and you boarded the bus. You immediately claimed the window seat and Jack took the aisle seat. But Jack didn’t mind one bit, being on the aisle seat meant he could protect you much easier.

When the bus first departed, you were happily whispering to Jack about how excited you were about everything but soon they were replaced with stifled yawns.

“How about you take a nap, kid? I’ll wake you up when we get there.” Jack says softly, taking his jacket off and draping it over you like a blanket as you curl into the jacket, eyes soon closing. With you soon asleep, Jack figures he should get in some sleep of his own and rests his head against the chair and lets his eyes close.

When he feels a small weight rest against his arm his eyes slowly peel open again, glancing down to see you slumped against his arm. With the corners of his mouth twitching up into the smallest of smiles, he carefully winds his arm around you, tucking you into his side as you curl further into him a sleepy smile covering your own face.

Maybe being a parent wasn’t out of his comfort zone after all.

[worldofheroes]

Looking for a Thrill

tom cruise x fem!reader

summary: you spot a handsome stranger at the bar, and you wanna test your luck with him tonight.

warnings: 18+, language, age gap, unprotected sex, bathroom sex, brief mention of birth control

wc: 1.3k

a/n: loosely based on that Jack Reacher quote of “No one said whore. She inferred hooker, but I meant slut.” Thanks @helloitstsyu for the help 😉

You're enjoying your night at the bar when someone catches your eye as they enter the bar.

He looks around, and makes eye contact with you. He smiles before turning and heading towards the bar.

You get up from your seat and make your way to the bar, finding a seat next to the man.

“Hi,” you say as you sit down.

“Hi,” he smiles.

“I’m y/n,” you say.

“Nice to meet you, y/n,” the man nods.

“What’s your name?”

The man looks around for a moment before answering you.

“Tom.”

“Tom? I like that,” you say, getting closer.

“I think you might be a little young for me,” Tom says, taking a sip of his beer.

“I think you find it hot that I’m testing my luck,” you smile.

Tom sets his jaw.

“I can promise you I’m not a hooker… or a slut. I just found you attractive,” you say playfully.

Tom chuckles.

You move closer to him.

“I’ll be in the bathroom over there if you’re interested,” you whisper in his ear.

You give him a kiss on the cheek before standing up and walking away.

You don’t even have time to lock the door before there’s a knock.

“Hi, Tom,” you say, opening the door. “Change your mind?”

“It’s been a long day,” he whispers, walking in and closing the door, locking it.

“Yeah?” you ask, running your hands up his torso.

“You’re not trying to fuck me because I’m Tom Cruise, right?”

“I mean, maybe a little… but tell me you’ve fucked someone recently and I’ll stop.”

Tom looks away.

“Mm,” you hum, slightly pleased with the way this is going.

“You just know how to work someone, don’t you?” Tom asks.

“I know how to get what I want… and I want you.”

Tom gently places his hands on your waist, and presses his forehead against yours, closing his eyes.

“I haven’t done this in awhile,” Tom breathes.

“It’s just like riding a bike… you never forget,” you tell him.

“Is that so?”

“Mm hm.”

You start to place kisses on his jaw and neck.

“Oh,” he sighs.

“That’s it,” you encourage.

He suddenly moves his hand to your chin, gripping it. You gasp at the sudden movement.

“Is this what you want?” Tom asks you.

“Oh, yes,” you moan.

Tom leans in and kisses you.

You wrap your arms around his neck and try to pull him closer.

He walks you backwards until you hit the bathroom wall.

“Oh,” you sigh into his mouth.

His hands are all over your body as he desperately kisses you.

You moan as he touches you.

He presses his pelvis against you, where you feel his hardening cock.

“Yes,” you moan, hands wandering down his body to help him continue to get hard.

Tom slides his jacket off, then pulls his shirt off. You follow suit, taking your own shirt off.

He starts to kiss your chest as he continues to touch you.

“Mm, please, I want you in me,” you say.

“Here?” Tom asks.

“Why not?”

Tom stops touching and kissing you.

“What?” you ask.

“In a bathroom at a bar? I thought you told me you weren’t a slut,” Tom says in a low voice.

“Tom, come on,” you say, fingers tracing his muscles. “You can’t blame a girl for trying to get you.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

“I want you, I know that.”

“Maybe if I was younger I’d have no problem fucking you right here, right now,” Tom says in a low voice, towering over you.

You moan at his words. “Fuck.”

“But I think I’d much rather take care of you properly… in a bed… in the privacy of a house,” he continues.

“Is that so?” you ask him.

He nods. “I’m more of a gentle lover now,” he smiles.

“Mm,” you hum, thinking.

“What’s going through that pretty mind?” Tom asks you, brushing some hair out of your face.

“You were pretty desperate a minute ago,” you start.

“Mm hmm.”

“And now you’re stopping, wanting to take me to bed…”

“Mm.”

“I don’t know, Tom, I was hoping for a thrill tonight.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, and I thought you could handle it… but if you don’t fuck me right here, right now in this bathroom, I may just walk out.”

“I see.”

You cock your head, furrowing your brow.

Tom starts to unbuckle his belt. You bite your lip.

“I suppose I was giving you all the signals,” he says, dropping his pants.

“You were,” you confirm.

“I told you, I haven’t done this in awhile.” He starts to unbutton your shorts.

“Mm,” you sigh.

“I started overthinking…”

“Uh huh…”

“But you are one straightforward girl, knowing exactly what she wants.”

Your shorts fall to the floor and one of Tom’s hands cups you between your legs.

“Oh,” you gasp.

“Fucking you right here seems like a good idea now,” he whispers in your ear as a finger dives past your panties and into your folds.

“Tom!” you exclaim, throwing your head back against the wall.

Tom groans as he works at you.

“Oh,” you sigh. “I want your cock, now.”

He pulls his boxers down, releasing his hard cock. He walks to the toilet, pulling you with him. He sits down on the toilet.

You step out of your shorts and panties, and move to straddle him.

“Good girl,” Tom whispers as he gathers saliva on his fingers, coating the both of you.

“Please,” you beg.

Tom’s hands move to your hips, and you grab his cock, guiding it into you.

You can’t help the loud moan that escapes you as you start to sit on his cock.

Tom places a hand over your mouth.

“You’ll need to be a little quieter,” he scolds.

You nod as you continue to sink onto his cock.

“Shit,” he moans as you start to work on him.

“Oh,” you sigh as you bury his cock deep inside of you.

“Just like that,” he mutters as he starts to thrust up into you.

“Yes, please, oh,” you moan as he picks up the pace.

“Not a slut… are you sure?” he says in a low voice.

“I’ll be a slut if you want me to,” you moan.

“Fuck,” he mumbles.

He wraps his arms tighter around you.

“Oh,” he groans against your breasts.

“Please, I’m gonna come,” you whine.

“Oh, please do,” he says, closing his eyes.

Soon, you release, coming on his cock, hard. He thrusts into you a few more times before he releases.

“Oh my god,” you whisper, resting your head on his shoulder. “Shit.”

“Fuck,” he replies. “Please tell me you’re on the pill or something.”

“Shh, don’t ruin the moment,” you say, kissing him.

Tom buries his face in the crook of your neck and sucks on your skin there.

“Mm, gonna mark what’s yours?” you ask him playfully.

“Is that what you want?”

“Fuck yes.”

Tom bites your skin, making you yelp.

“Shit, that’s hot,” you sigh.

“I haven’t done this in so long,” Tom mutters.

“And it felt good, didn’t it?”

Tom nods as he closes his eyes.

You stand up from his cock, and cum spills out of you. You close your eyes and wipe some of it up with your fingers.

“Oh,” you sigh. Tom opens his eyes to look at you examining your fingers.

He chuckles. “You like that?”

“Mm,” you say, putting your fingers in your mouth and sucking on them.

Tom takes your hand from your mouth and places it between your legs.

“Get some more,” he growls.

You nod, gathering more cum that has leaked out of you.

He pulls your hand up to his mouth, and he sucks on your fingers, tongue circling them.

“Oh, Tom,” you sigh. “I’m gonna want a round two.”

“How about we do round two my way?” Tom asks you, taking your hand from his mouth.

“And how’s that?” you ask teasingly.

“I’ll take you home and show you how a gentleman should take care of a lady.”

You smile at Tom. “I’d like that.”

Tom smiles back at you. “Get dressed and we’ll go.”

You nod and give Tom a kiss before you start to put your clothes back on, excited to go another round with Tom.

[jemappellezay]

I'm on my Cobie Smulders hyperfixation and I really think my top 3 characters that she played could easily be seen as an alternate universe variant of each other.

Hear me out.

(tw: mentions of abuse and death)

While we don't know the full background of Major Susan Turner (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)), we know that both Maria Hill (Marvel Cinematic Universe (2012-2023)) and Dex Parios (Stumptown (2019)) were both born into dysfunctional families and those three ended up in the military one way or another. The roles we saw were the result of twists and turns that happened during that time.

We all know MCU sucks when it comes to backstory, but (comic) canonically, Maria Hill's mother died giving birth to her and she grew up in an abusive household with her father. She joined the Marine Corps later in life.

Maria Hill was the outcome if they were offered a "better" option—an out. She joined SHIELD and due to her determination and skill, she quickly climbed up the ranks to the point where she became the second in command (even director at some point in the comics).

Dex Parios, undoubtedly, was the most "unserious" character compared to the other two. Though, she was more like Maria than we realized. Her growing-up life was somewhat alright compared to Maria's, but she did have to see the love of her life betrothed to another. Just like Maria, she became a marine—a damn good one.

However, unlike Maria, Dex was never offered a "better option". She had to see the very same man that broke her heart killed in front of her and for years, she blamed herself for it. She never had a "better option" because her mother then left her little brother alone, making her the sole caretaker of him. Dex was never offered a "better option" so for years, she had to hop between one job to another, trying to stay afloat, and was left to cope with her trauma by herself. Only years later, she finally found what worked for her: helping people by becoming a private investigator.

Compared to the other two that I listed, we know a lot less about Major Susan Turner, but I think we can make some guesses from what we saw. Another difference was that she joined the Army rather than the Marines, and she never got out. She didn't really need to (at first, at least).

The life in the army was treating her well. She was a well-respected commanding officer. She was damn good at her job. That being said, she never let her job get in the way of her values and despite all the conspiracy and shits they tried to throw at her, she ended up back in her job due to her resilience. Major Susan Turner is what they would've been if they stayed in the military.

In conclusion, idk if my writings did justice to explain it, but they were more similar than we (I) realized. They were all resilient, determined, stubborn af and didn't know when to quit. They were good people (some is more morally gray than the other) who used their very similar skills to help other people in the way they knew. I love them all, and I love Cobie for bringing them to me and doing justice to their characters.

Thanks for reading my word vomit.

[alakeeffectgirl]

do we need a cruisequarries primer? yes

Welcome to the old men and their wife fandom, these are the old men (pictured here on the press tour for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One [a title I never want to type out fully again])

Yes, that's Tom Cruise. The guy in the John Hammond Jurassic Park cosplay is Chris McQuarrie, aka McQ, who directed MI:DR and also directed the previous two MI movies and Jack Reacher. You might also know Chris McQuarrie as the guy who won an Oscar for writing The Usual Suspects and got nominated for another two Oscars writing/producing Top Gun: Maverick.

McQ willed their friendship into being in 2006, when he was about to quit Hollywood because he was sick of it (McQ's grand dream has been to make a big bisexual Alexander the Great movie but Oliver Stone beat him to it, and after his first directorial endeavor was basically a flop, no one wanted to give him the money to make a huge epic - but you can't blame him for thinking it could work like that, because he watched Bryan Singer make The Usual Suspects and then get handed X-Men), but while out to lunch one day he overheard someone talking about how Tom's career was over because of all his recent shenanigans, and he thought, "I need to meet this guy, because he also sounds like Hollywood's shitting on him at the moment". So he got a couple meetings that got him through to Tom - and for their first meeting he drove over to Tom's house in his bachelor convertible. (No lie. Easily source-able.)

So they hit it off - in the way where they talked about movies for several hours and Tom invited him back again the next day to talk about movies some more. In this same timeline, McQ was shopping the Valkyrie script to United Artists, and when Tom expressed interest, the first thought was that Tom might produce. But then he was like, no, I actually want to play the lead. (Bryan Singer was attached to direct, and I know Bryan Singer sucks, but the backstory here is that McQ and Singer went to high school together, along with Ethan Hawke.) So everyone went to Germany to make the movie in the summer of 2007 - Tom and his family, and McQuarrie and his family.

This is Chris and Heather in 2000 at the premiere of The Way of the Gun, so before they met Tom. I include because they're adorable and also because the glow-up is fantastic. (The story of how they got together is like Jeopardy trivia and I would tell you to google Stephen Chbosky and McQ together to find it except what the fuck, it no longer comes up quickly: anyway, they did a Sundance Labs together and Chbosky gave McQ the Perks of Being a Wallflower manuscript and McQ got to the "we accept the love we think we deserve" line and thought about the woman he'd met a few times before [when they'd flirt at parties? apparently?] but thought was out of his league - Heather - and decided to go for it.)

I should mention that McQ was going to take the producing credit on Valkyrie just in name, for sort of bringing the project together, but then Paula Wagner was like, "I can't go to Germany with Tom, and he needs A Guy on scene, and I think you could be That Guy," so Chris said yes to being an actual producer - and ended up basically being the go-between guy between Tom and Singer on set.

Here's Tom & the McQs at the Valkyrie premiere in Rome:

After spending months together in Germany, the McQuarries end up becoming fast friends with the Cruises. Heather runs around NYC/LA with Katie a lot and works on Holmes & Yang, the fashion line. Here they are looking cute together:

(They're all good enough friends that the McQuarries go to Tom's surprise birthday bash in July of 2011.)

In the interests of saving just a SMALL amount of time here, I will speedrun: McQ gets brought in (by Tom) to help fix Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and learns a bunch of stuff about how he doesn't ever want to direct a MI movie. (Lies.) He turns in the Jack Reacher script, which originally wasn't intended for Tom to be in, but when Tom wants to be in your movie, you don't really say no. Reacher films in Pennsylvania in the fall/winter of 2011, and then Tom has to go to promo for MI:GP before he starts work on Oblivion. It's now summer of 2012, and the divorce happens. Tom basically moves to London - and the McQuarries move to London - to work on Edge of Tomorrow. Tom takes Chris with him to Croatia.

Lake, you might be thinking. Is McQ now just Tom's emotional support man? Yeah, probably. They get papped going out to dinner together a lot that fall. A gossip website refers to Tom and Heather walking out of a restaurant together as Tom's "cougar date", which will be funny forever.

Tom got Heather in the divorce, clearly. MOVING ON, McQ does splinter unit work on Edge of Tomorrow and then Tom's like, hey you should direct the next Mission movie, and McQ laughs like Tom is kidding but Tom is not. Tom has gone into the other room to call Brad Grey at Paramount and tell him McQ should be the director on Rogue. (This is how McQ ends up doing all this stuff - he's like, "haha, Tom, you kid" but Tom's not kidding and then suddenly people are strapped to the outsides of airplanes and shit.) In the midst of EoT filming, it's time for Reacher promo, so Tom and the McQuarrries fly all around the world together yet again. And holy shit, am I only up to 2013? Still ten years to cover. (I have about 500 more pictures than I am including here, in case anyone wondered.) More ffwd: They make Rogue Nation. Here's everyone - including Heather - in the Vienna subway:

And here's the three of them at an art gallery in London towards the end of the filming period:

The experience of making Rogue is such that McQ attempts to swear he won't do it again. LIES. Tom goes off to make American Made, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and The Mummy all in the space of about two years. McQ officially works on two of those, and from the way they talk about American Made, I wouldn't be surprised if he did some script work there, too.

In August of 2016, pre-production on Fallout pauses because Tom is in a pay dispute with the studio, and McQ decides maybe he doesn't want to do the movie and moves his family back to Los Angeles. SURPRISE, Tom calls him up a week or so later and asks him to come to London to talk about it. Guess what, he ends up doing the movie. (For that full story, which is great and includes Tom saying he loves Heather, please find Jeff Goldsmith's Q&A podcast for Fallout.)

Work on Fallout takes up basically the next two years. At the Tokyo premiere, Tom makes Heather cry when he says she takes care of McQ, and takes care of him, too. (Let me know if you want the video.)

Trying to speedrun this is NOT working, and I need to go stare at the ceiling for a while to process today's Sydney premiere kiss happenings. Part two coming eventually?!!? PART TWO PART THREE

[nade2308]

"I apologize. I have a low blood sugar."

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't eat this morning. I feel lightheaded. Could you get me something from the officer's mess? Sandwich, maybe?"

Apparently this is all versions of Jack.

@thethistlegirl @malewifebillcage

#Ijustfinditveryinterestingthatthisisobeoftheconsistenciesacrossallthreeversions

[lol-jackles]

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/amazon-alex-cross-series-aldis-hodge-renewed-season-2-series-premiere-1235987125/

If “Cross” proves to be popular, it would be the latest successful Amazon series based on a long-running novel character. The company found themselves with a massive hit on their hands courtesy of “Reacher” starring Alan Ritchson, based on the Jack Reacher novels written by Lee Child. Likewise, Amazon’s longest-running series to date was the cop drama “Bosch,” based on the Harry Bosch novels written by Michael Connelly. Titus Welliver starred as Bosch and now leads the spinoff series “Bosch: Legacy” at Amazon Freevee. A second spinoff starring Maggie Q as cold case detective Renée Ballard is also in the works at Prime Video. Prime Video also airs “The Terminal List” starring Chris Pratt, which is based on a series of novels by Jack Carr, with a prequel series on the way, while the John Krasinski-led Jack Ryan series concluded in 2023 after four seasons.

This is old news, but after hearing about Jensen's show Countdown, and reading the blurb about all the action/cop series currently or previously airing on Amazon, it seems that's the genre route they seem to be taking... but if that's the case, is there even room for another one? Especially one who's titular character is not based on a previously known entity?

Not to mention, that Amazon was impressed enough with Cross to renew an unaired series for a second season. It makes me curious to see if Amazon seems just as impressed with Countdown.

Link. Another SPN one-time guest star does good and leading his own show.  Aldis Hodge is also the executive/producer. The character of Alex Cross has been around since 1997 when Morgan Freeman first played him.  Then Tyler Perry took over the role in 2012.

Every studio is cutting cost and number of projects, even Netflix.  The Countdown not based on established IP with built-in audience is less of a sure thing, but at least it's going to be cheaper. So cost wise, there is enough room for The Countdown.  Helped that Jensen is not as high tier as Adis Hodge and John Krasinski and Chris Pratt, and therefore Jensen is much less expensive. Plus Jensen is not an executive/producer so Amazon studios doesn't have to cut him a second check.  I had quite a few very angry Anon demanding that I revise/recant my claim that Jensen is not one of the producers of The Countdown because that means in their eyes Jared is still "winning" because he was an executive/producer of Walker.

Side note, Alex Cross and Reacher are produced by Paramount/Skydance and licensed to Amazon for distribution.

[wuxiaphoenix]

On Writing: Avoiding Reader Motion Sickness

You can inflict massive events and crises on your characters’ lives, surprising them at every turn, leaving them so dizzy they have no idea what is good and what is evil, much less Which Way Is Up. But you can’t do that to your readers.

AKA at all costs, avoid the Wild Plot Swerve.

...Backing up a little. A Plot Swerve is when the story changes tone, or has a major shift in character priorities. This can still work; see the change from SAO to ALO, or from that to GGO, in the Sword Art Online series. (Granted, YMMV on each one.) Or any anime/manga with a Tournament Arc. Or - a really well done Plot Swerve - the second half of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, with the Biba/Hunters arc. We started with action horror, and now suddenly we have politics...? That one in particular works, in part, because they set up Mumei’s arrival as having something to do with politics from the very start.

But this has to be done carefully and with forethought. Because stories have momentum. They start, they build; slow or fast, depends on the story and genre, but that momentum gets faster over time. And then you hit the Climax Scene, like a going over the top in a rollercoaster, and your readers are gleefully screaming all the way down.

Note, rollercoasters are carefully built so that momentum never gets out of control. Too sharp a turn, too steep a drop, and the consequences range from people simply losing their lunch to potentially getting flung off the track entirely. Bad things.

In a book, too sharp a swerve will toss your readers right out of the story, dizzy from trying to keep track of too many plot threads all going different directions, or whiplashed by their meet-cute Romance suddenly exploding into a Jack Reacher spy thriller. (Or worse, both.) This is not conducive to building a readership! Much less an enjoyable story. You can have a great idea, interesting setting, and likeable characters - but if the reader can’t follow it all? It doesn’t work.

You can shift a story from, for example, high school drama or romance to Suddenly War. Real life does! But... fiction, unlike real life, has to make sense. So. How to swerve your plot without derailing it?

Take. It. Slow. Do not have the swerve come out of nowhere. Let your readers have enough of a heads-up to see the shift as it happens.

A few tips on how to do this. First, keep a firm hold on how many characters your reader has to follow. Everyone important should be introduced early in the story. This includes Nameless Big Bads; just make sure your readers know there is a Big Bad, and have some kind of character description or Despicable Act they can tag onto the guy to remember him from chapter to chapter.

Second, introduce the new problem early, and make sure it comes up afterward on a regular basis. If your story’s going to switch to War, mention tense politics, riots/explosions in far-off (but not far enough!) places, and a couple other Rising Tension notes before your characters are faced with a battle on their doorsteps.

Third, again, keep a firm hold on your characters. Yes, it can be tempting to have a plot explode into world-spanning events with a different set of characters in each new location. Keeping track of that many POVs will leave your readers with a headache. Not to mention an urge to strangle the writer because there’s one particular subset of characters/setting that appeals to them and how many chapters will it take to get back there?!?

(See the Wheel of Time. Or the later books of the Safehold series. The first three books have relatively few POVs compared to the later ones, and they were much easier to read.)

One thing I tried to be careful of in The Words of the Night was sticking to two specific POVs. And while the characters’ goals shift a bit over time, it turns out the dragon and pirates and curse are all part of the same problem. So... with luck the story has some thrilling swerves, but nothing that’d toss a reader out of it!

And figuring out it’s all part of the same problem is half the fun....