#so when he kills Abigail he’s urging Will to go back to that stream where they could all still be together

[levis-hazelnut]

Levi x Reader Nightmares

Screaming filled your room as your eyes shot open and your body jerked up. You had woken up gasping and a few tears rolled down your face, dropping onto your covers. Dragging a hand up your face and into your (H/C) tresses, you tried to calm yourself down so you could go back to sleep. You laid back down, wiping your tears away and staring up at the ceiling.

You are glad that you requested for your own room because you wouldn't want anyone to see you like this, or for them to wake up because of your screaming and crying.

For a moment, you closed your eyes as you sighed heavily and shook your head to rid of the memory.

"Please! Stop! She can't breathe! Aren't you Military Police meant to help us, not kill us?!"

You clenched your eyes shut as if the nightmare would end. Why does your past still haunt you? Why can't you just forget about it? You hated waking up in the middle of the night nearly every night. Every time, you would wake up panting, or bawling your eyes out, or you would just wake up silently.

You detest people, mostly the Military Police because they are the cause of the nightmares which wake you up every night. They are the reason you can never forget about your past. It's all their fault that you are broken and it will be hard for you to get yourself together again and to rid of those horrible memories.

Slowly drifting back to sleep, you tried your best to shake those flashbacks out of your head so you can continue your sleep without any disturbances from your wretched past from years ago. However, you don't let that bring your morale down. You try to stay as happy as you can so you aren't a burden on anyone else, so you smile your past off. Laughing with other people makes you forget about it.

Sometimes, you really dislike your life and wished you were never born in the first place. But other times, when you are with your comrades, you love living and you're glad you're still alive.

Titans make this a ruthless world. But your comrades cheer you up.

Titans eat and kill your friends. But the remaining ones comfort you.

It's a cycle.

The same thing happens over and over again but it's difficult to get used to it. No matter how many times it happened, you used to react the same as always. Now, you know not to grow too close with anyone because that friendship will disintegrate before your eyes. You don't mourn over them anymore because it always happens and you see no value in it - it won’t bring them back.

When sunlight fingered through your sheer curtains, you woke up after being able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night. But you were still quite sleep-deprived like you would be any other day. It's unhealthy that you hardly get any sleep, but you can't help it.

Sluggishly, you got ready for the day and walked to the mess hall for breakfast, sitting down on the table where your friends were.

"Hi, guys," you said.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Hello, (Y/N)."

You yawned as you were about to take a bite from your food, so you covered your mouth, having the urge to just rest your head on the table and sleep.

"How come you’re tired? You're lucky to be able to have your own room so no one wakes you up in the middle of the night."

I'm not lucky. I still wake up in the middle of the night and it isn't because of someone, you thought.

"I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah, because I kept you up," Jean smirked.

"Shut up."

"You aren't denying it."

"You weren't the one who caused my lack of sleep," you retorted.

"What was it then?" Connie asked.

"I... just wasn't able to fall asleep," you lied.

"I know something that will tire you out," Jean stated with that smug face, so you rammed your foot into his under the table.

You quickly finished your food and went outside so you could have some peace before the day full of training and chores starts. Strolling far from the castle-like building, you went to a tree and stood beneath it, leaning against the trunk as you stared into the distance with your arms crossed over your chest. There was a slight breeze which rippled through the air and made your hair flow with the rhythm of the wind.

"What are you doing out here, brat?"

"I wanted some peace," you replied.

"... Are you okay?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Because the only other room near mine, is yours and I heard someone screaming like they were getting murdered or something."

A shade of red dusted onto your cheeks. Of all people, Levi was the one who had to hear that.

"You were awake?"

"Yeah, I had work to finish off. And even if I was sleeping, I'd probably wake up. What happened?"

"Well, clearly, I wasn't getting murdered. I just had a... nightmare."

"A nightmare made you scream your head off?"

"It wasn't a normal one. It was more like a flashback from my past... I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay... It's kind of cold. Don't you want to be inside?"

"No, I'm fine."

With that, Levi left you alone, going towards the building.

Is there no cure to your nightmares? Is there not something that would allow you to sleep calmly? You have thought about something that will let you sleep in peace, but it's something that will make you sleep forever so you never tried. You didn't like that you actually had thoughts about that. Your life was messed up and it messed up your mind, making you think of unbelievable things.

You wished you could have a normal life. One without despicable people. One without vile titans. One without depression. All you wanted was a cheerful life.

After finished your cleaning duties, you wandered around HQ by yourself since there was nothing else to do.

Your head shot around when you heard someone talk in a cheery voice, thinking it was someone you knew ages ago but it wasn't. It was just some other Scout. They smiled at you and ended up laughing when they noticed that you zoned out, which had brought you back to reality. You gave a slight smile in return, but you immediately turned around and paced through the corridors, going somewhere where it was quiet and you could be alone. You found a dead end and leaned against the wall, sliding down it. Your knees were bent and you crossed your arms on your knees, resting your head in your arms as tears streamed down your face, some landing on your legs and some pattering onto the floor.

That Scout's voice and smile reminded you of Rose - a girl you grew up with. But her life ended before she could even get in trouble with her friends. Before she could run around and play within the walls. Before she could acknowledge what a terrible world it is.

She had ginger kind of hair which only went just above her shoulders. She had glistening, dark blue eyes. She was always happy and always had a smile on her face. Rose was younger than you, but only by two years, and she would call you Big Sis because she said that you reminded her of her sister. She didn't have a family since she had no idea where her parents were, so her sister was her only family, but she got killed by some thugs.

Similar to her, your parents were killed and you were an only child, so you didn’t have a family. You lived in the Underground, which is where you met Rose, along with Abigail. Abigail wasn't as sweet as Rose, but she was caring and didn't like showing it. She was the eldest out of the three of you and she always looked after you and Rose until she left both of you unexpectedly without saying goodbye.

That left you and Rose to live together, stealing together, running together and fighting together.

That all changed when you left Rose somewhere to hide as you went to steal some food. You successfully did and made your way back to her, but when you got to the place you told her to stay, she was nowhere to be seen. You abandoned the food and ran around, searching for her. Eventually, it turned dark and you had to rest, so you could start looking for her again the next day.

As you tried to get some sleep, you couldn't because you needed Rose with you to be able to sleep. She wasn't safe and you knew that. So you began looking for her again, and she was still nowhere to be seen.

Returning to your original spot and that's when you heard Rose's, normally delicate voice, screaming. You jogged to her screams which were then silenced before you heard gasping like she was struggling to breathe. You gasped as well when you saw Rose trying to get air into her lungs. A hand was wrapped around her neck and she was lifted off the floor, pushed against the cold, stone wall. You knew the uniform that the person was wearing - it was the uniform of Military Police.

"Please! Stop! She can't breathe! Aren't you MPs meant to help us not kill us?!"

You were about to rush towards her but a hand gripped your wrist, making you turn your head around. Another Military Police. You tried shaking his hand off but he wouldn't budge. He put a hand on your mouth and dragged you away before knocking you out.

When you woke up, you were kneeling down and your hands were tied behind your back. A rope was also tied around your ankles. You realised that you were positioned to look at Rose being harmed. When you saw her being slapped continuously on her cheeks, you widened your eyes and tried shouting. Her face was bright red and it looked like she was about to give out any second. There were bruises around her eyes and lip and a few cuts on her face.

What did they do while you were unconscious? Again, you tried shouting but you were gagged and anything you said was muffled. Tears ran down your face as you couldn't do anything, but watch.

The two Military Police stopped slapping her and started to kick her and knee her and punch her.

Why are they doing this?

After a while, you got so agitated that you looked for anything that would cut you out of the ropes. You noticed a dagger beside you so laid on your side and wiggled your fingers about to try and reach it. Once you got it in your hand, you started slicing at the rope which tied your wrists together. When that was done, you were able to easily cut through the ropes on your ankles.

However, when you were free, you realised that Rose wasn't moving and it didn't look like she was breathing. Her eyes were still open and blood leaked from her head.

The salty liquid left your eyes once again. You weren't going to run towards her, there was no chance in saving her, so you sprinted away in the other direction, as far as you could go.

A few years later, you joined the Scout Regiment and found out that that's where Abigail had come to. You were elated that you were reunited and you told her about Rose.

After a few months of being a Scout, Abigail had left you as well. On an expedition, she was grabbed by a Titan and she squirmed in its hand. The crack of her bones echoed in your ears and blood sputtered everywhere. Why were you always around death?

And that's what happened in your past. That's why you have nightmares nearly every night. That's why you can't sleep peacefully. That's why you are crying, right now.

As you quietly sobbed, you heard footsteps approach you but you didn't move. They sat down next to you as you continued crying. You glanced up when you felt a hand tap the top of your head in a caring way. The way Abigail would when you or Rose would be upset.

"W-What are you d-doing?" you stuttered, burying your face in your arms.

"Why are you crying?" Levi replied.

No words were able to leave your mouth; you had to calm down before you could speak to Levi or anyone.

Around twenty minutes passed and Levi was still by your side, he didn't say anything, nor did you. When you brushed your tears away and blew your nose into a tissue he handed to you, you told him about your life and why you have nightmares.

"My life is cursed. I'll lose all those who are close to me," you muttered once you told him everything.

"You aren't cursed, brat."

"Why can't I get rid of my memories? Why are they engraved into my brain so I never forget them?"

"You needed to let it all out and you needed to talk to someone about it. You might be able to sleep properly now."

"What if I still can't?" you asked quietly.

"You need someone by your side to comfort you. You can't deal with your problems by yourself."

"And who is that ‘someone’?"

"I don't know. Someone you trust or someone you have a liking to."

"I don't really trust anyone. And I don't think the person I like will want to help me with my problems."

"Why did you tell me about your past then? Do you trust me?"

"I, uhh... I don't know. I just let it all out like you said I needed to."

"Would you have done that if it was someone else?"

"I don't... think so."

"So do you trust me?"

"I guess."

"Then, I'll be there if you need me."

"Really?" You arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And why do you think that the person you like won't help you with your problems?"

"Well, I know they will now," you told him, kind of hinting that you were talking about him.

"What made you change your mind?"

"Um... because at first, they seem like someone who doesn't care about anyone, but once you get to know them better, they're really soft-hearted."

"Sounds like someone I know." He lifted an eyebrow.

"You know them very well."

"Should I guess who it is?"

"You have one guess."

"Is it me?"

"Yes..." you barely uttered.

"I like you, too," the raven whispered before softly moulding his lips with yours.

It was a short, sweet kiss that left a smile on your lips when you pulled away. Levi tucked a bunch of hair behind your ear and lightly caressed your face. A yawn left your mouth, so you laid your head on the male’s shoulder and fluttered your eyes closed.

"I want to sleep," you murmured.

"Have you finished your chores?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you sleep in a bed?"

"I'm not bothered."

"Tch. Lazy a*s."

"Shhh.”

Levi stayed silent as he allowed you to lay your head on his shoulder as your body was pressed up against his. With some reluctance, he rested his own head upon yours and put a hand on your lap, causing you to flinched, but then. you put your hand on top of his, and he softly stroked it with his thumb.

"Who's there?" a voice muttered to themselves. "Oh. It's just you guys,” Hanji said. She walked away, but her footsteps backed up to where you were. "What?!" she yelled, making you jump.

"What the hell, Hanji?" you snapped.

"When did this happen?!"

"Like five minutes ago."

"Aw! Okay, bye! Sorry for disturbing you!"

She squealed as she skipped away like a schoolgirl. You sighed before standing up and dusting your clothes.

"Where are you going?"

"To a bed."

"You can sleep in mine if you want."

"It's fine. I want my bed."

He nodded as he stood up and followed you, pecking your cheek before you entered your room and he went into his office.

You felt giddy as you laid in your bed, thinking about Levi and what happened, allowing you to fall asleep with a smile on your face.

A few months later...

Screaming filled your room as your eyes shot open and your body jerked up. You had woken up gasping and a few tears rolled down your face, dropping onto your covers. Dragging a hand up your face and into your (H/C) tresses, you tried to calm yourself down so you could go back to sleep. You leaned against the headboard of the bed, and felt fingers gingerly brush away your tears.

Turning your head to the side to look at the raven beside you, he sat up and kissed your cheek before embracing you into a hug. You flung your arms around him and cried into his shoulder as he comforted you, gently stroking your back.

"Shh. It's okay," Levi whispered. “I’m here. You’re okay.”

You slowly quietened down and rid of the tears that were still on your cheek. "Sorry," you spoke quietly.

"For what?"

"Waking you up."

"Don't be sorry."

"But don't you get annoyed that I wake you up by screaming?"

"No. I said I'll be here for you and I'll help you with your problems."

"Thank you, Levi,” you smiled softly, leaning your forehead against his.

He placed his lips on yours. "Anything for you."

Since you were now calm, you reclined onto your back and Levi did the same, looping his arms around your waist and pulling you close to him. Your head rested on his bare chest as he kissed the top of your head and closed his eyes.

You won't have to deal with your nightmares, which scarred you, by yourself anymore. You have Levi who will comfort you, help you and protect you. It's rare for you to have nightmares now, but they still happen and he is always by your side to keep you safe and to calm you down.

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 23

A/n: Hey Y’all! Here’s part 23 to my story! School has picked up quite a bit, so sorry for not being as active. There’s so many papers to be written! As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.      

Here’s Part 24!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Abby, I didn’t expect…”

“Please don’t call me that.” Abigail held her hands up, “And please don’t come near me.” She finished saying as Snape started to get up from the bed. It was like being in a room with a wild animal, except the animal was her brother.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Snape studied his sister from where he sat, scared that if he got any closer she would be scared off. Abigail decided to take a seat by the door, pulling her wand out of her cloak, just in case Severus tried anything. Anything at all. 

“So, how…” 

“What did Voldemort do to Draco?” Abigail didn’t let Severus finish his thought. She was here for one thing and one thing only. 

“Ah, Abbs. I see we're cutting right to the point.”

“Please, Severus. Don’t play games with me. If you’re not going to help me, then don’t say anything.”

And the silence that followed was deafening. Neither of the siblings moved. There was no clock in the room, but Abigail swore it felt like hours that they sat there. 

Finally, Severus cleared his throat.

“I was never included as to what happened in the Malfoy Manor.” 

“That’s a likely story. Did you not know you were serving Voldemort either? Or maybe, perhaps, you didn’t know you were about to kill Dumbledore either. Maybe you weren’t included in that meeting too.”

Severus shook her head. “I was locked in a vow, Abby! I would’ve died if I didn’t try. Even now I don’t know how I’m still alive.”

“But you have to have some clue as to what happened in that house.”

“All that I know is what Lucius and Narcisssa told me, which was very little.”

Abigail was so angry she was shaking, her fists clenched in her lap. Why had she wasted her time on him? What did she think would happen? 

“...I know you’re lying.” She chose her words carefully, straining against the urge to let loose at him. He shrugged his shoulder.  

“I don’t know what happened…”

“B.S., Severus, and you know it.” Abigail started to get up. “I knew coming here for information was useless. But still I came anyways, because there was a little part of me that just said, ‘This time, you can trust him. Just a little.’ And yet here we are: You lying about what happened in that household. I know you know what was happening. I know you do!” She paused, waiting to see if her brother would respond, but he said nothing. 

She shook her head, scoffing. “What a waste of my time. To think that my own brother would be keeping secrets from me when a child’s life is on the line.” 

“I’ve already told you, the only thing I know is that Voldemort did… things to Draco.” 

Abigail turned around. “What were the ‘things’ that he did to him?”

“Dangerous things. Old, old Dark Art practices. I’m not even sure I know what they are.”

“Please, try Severus.”

He furrowed his brow, deep in thought. “It was a curse, I know that for sure. A cousin of the cruciatus curse, but I can’t remember the name. It started with a c… con…”

“Contritum?” Abigail asked, her eyes going wide. A curse worse that the unforgivable three combined. Used too much, and the curse would leave a person as a shell of who they once were, ever haunted by the demons that hit them with it. 

She took a step back in shock, tripping over a step behind her and knocking her into the door. Severus got up from the cot slowly, hands out in front of him where Abigail could see, but she still held out her wand defiantly, warning him to stay where he was. 

“Abby, are you…”

“I’ll be fine. But Draco…” She took the hand not holding the wand to her head. “I don’t know any potions or countercurses to that… that monstrous curse. Severus, please tell me you have some sort of clue…”

Severus didn’t say anything; not for a long time. 

“Severus, you meddled with the dark arts, and you didn’t figure out anything for that curse?”

“Well, I never thought that I would ever see that curse, okay?”

Abigail shook her head, tears starting to form. “Why couldn’t you have been just a normal brother? One who did well in Hogwarts and then graduated and took a job at the ministry? Why a Death Eater? Look at you. Look at where you are.” She gestured to the dark, damp cell. In the distance, if they were quiet enough, they could hear rats fighting over lost crumbs; water leaking from Merlin knows where. The cot he sat on, if you could call bundled hay that, was sunken in the middle, giving way from where he slept. 

“You don’t understand, Abby. I had to do this.” 

“Like hell you had to, Severus.” 

This time, when she stood, Severus knew she was leaving. The fire that was normally in her eyes was gone, replaced with an unsettling emptiness. 

“I’m pregnant, Sev.” She whispered, her voice barely reaching him. 

The blood rushed out of his head as he shot up out of the cot, standing up just in front of it. “Abby, I…”

She turned towards him slightly, he could just see the small baby bump. He reached out his arms towards her, but she shook her head.

“If you think for even one moment that I would ever let you see my child, you’re wrong. You are so wrong.” She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“Goodbye, Severus.”

[boffeeceans]

Arthur Morgan and female reader one shot

Word Count: 2189

I could tell Arthur wasn't doing very well these past few weeks. He had just been coughing a bit at first, nothing too bad so i didn't think much of it, but it became worse and worse as the weeks went on. He always acted like nothing was wrong when I asked him if he was okay not knowing how much he worried me, to me he was like a big brother or a father figure even and I didn't want to lose him. I decided that I  was gonna talk to him and basically force him to tell what was going on as soon as he came back to camp.

---

Night came around and Arthur slowly rode into camp, I watched how he struggled to dismount his horse from my spot at the campfire. It hurt me to see him struggle like that. He used to be able to swing his leg over the horses like it was nothing. I watched him walk over to his tent not taking his eyes off the ground, he sat down on his cot with his head in his hands. I had never seen him this broken and it hurt more than anything else.

I took a deep breath, stood up and made my way towards Arthur. "Hey there big guy." Arthur looked up at the sound of my voice, his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, he gave me a weak smile as I sat down next to him. "How are you doing?"

Arthur looked back at the ground. "I'm fine." His voice was weak and breathy, he clearly wasn't fine.

"you're not, I can tell. hell I think everyone can tell." My voice was firm, my eyes never leaving him.

A sigh left him "Don't worry about it, okay?" He looked back at me and gave me another weak smile.

"How the hell could I not worry about it," I raised my voice. "when I can hear you coughing all night? or see you struggle to get on and off you horse?" My voice was brittle and my eyes started to fill with tears. Arthur gave me the softest look, worrying me was the last thing he wanted to do, but not telling me anything was only going to make it worse.

Arthur grabbed my hand and gave it a weak squeeze, he looked me in the eyes before he spoke, "I'm sick, (Y/N)" It felt like someone was squeezing my throat shut when he said that. I knew as much, but hearing it made it all the more real.

My breath was shaking and I was trying my best to hold my tears back. "What is it?" my voice was barely above a whisper.

My heart sank at the next word that came out of his mouth.

"Tuberculosis."

My entire body started shaking. This couldn't be happening, i was going to lose the person I cared most about, the person that could always cheer me up no matter what, my shoulder to cry on. My father figure. I couldn't hold back anymore, the tears started crashing down like waterfalls.

Arthur wrapped his arms around me and let me cry in to his chest. He ran his fingers through my (H/C) hair like he did all those other times when he tried to calm me down, but how could i calm down knowing he was going to die? "I don't want to lose you Arthur." My voice was muffled and broken.

"I know..." I could hear in his voice that it hurt, hurt to speak but also hurt to see me like this. He moved me so he could look me in the eye and wiped the tears from my cheeks. "You're going to be alright."

"How the hell am I going to be alright without you here?" I couldn't live without him, he was the only person left that truly cared about me.

Arthur grabbed my shoulders. "You're not that fragile 12 year old girl that wouldn't leave my side anymore, you're a grown woman and you can take care of yourself now."

I thought back to when I first met Arthur. I had barely touched his satchel when we he turned around and tightly grabbed my wrist. He looked at me like he was going to kill me then and there. I was scared for my life and immediately started crying, but his looked softened and he asked me if i had any family or somewhere to stay. the answer was no, so he took me to camp and has treated me like I was his own kid since then. 10 years has passed and I was gonna lose the only person that really cared about me.

I hugged him tightly, resting my face on his shoulder and once again staining his shirt with my tears. "i just-" I was struggling to talk between the sobs. "I just don't want you to die, I'm scared Arthur."

"I know kid, so am I." His response caught me off guard, he was the guy that would run straight into gunfire without a second thought. He ran his fingers through my hair as I listened to his breathing and slowly started to doze off.

---

A couple weeks have past, the gang was completely falling apart and Arthur's condition kept getting worse. We rode back to camp from the train robbery, John got shot and Dutch had said that they couldn't save him. I wouldn't be surprised if he just left him to die like he did with Arthur, Dutch always said that Arthur was like a son to him. No sane person would leave their son to die like that. my thoughts were cut short by Tilly, she told us that agent Milton and his men took Abigail to Van Horn. Dutch always told me that we never left anyone behind, but that was exactly what he did leaving Tilly, Mrs. Adler, Arthur, jack and me behind. 

Arthur gave Tilly his money. "Take Jack and (Y/N) and you wait at Copperhead Landing for Abigail and Mrs, Adler." 

"No, I'm coming with you guys." I could tell that Arthur didn't have much time left and i wasn't leaving him now.

"(Y/N)-"

I didn't let him finish. "I'm coming with you and there is nothing you can do to stop me." My voice was firm, I was dead set on my decision. 

"Fine then." Arthur turned his attention back to Tilly and Jack and said his goodbyes. He mounted his horse and looked back at Sadie and me. "Mrs. Adler, Ms. (L/N). Ride with me!"

 And so we did. We rode most of the way in silence the only sound being the hooves of the horses hitting the ground.

"I think you should cover us and we'll go in there and get her" Mrs. Adler told Arthur holding the rifle out to him. Arthur gave her a 'Are you kidding me' look. "'Cause you're the better shot I mean."

"That ain't what you mean. I can still fight!" I didn't believe her either but that doesn't mean that I didn't agree.

"I know, Arthur. But, just... do it my way honey. it's for the best" Arthur looked in my direction hoping I would take his side.

"Just listen to her Arthur. Get up in the lighthouse and cover us." 

Arthur thought it over for a second, but eventually grabbed the rifle from Mrs. Adler and took his position up in the lighthouse.

Mrs. Adler and I got in cover and waited for Arthur to make the first shot, bullets went flying by once he did.

We took down the pinkertons one by one until we got to Abigail, Mrs. Adler went in first and I followed shortly after. Two Pinkertons were tying Mrs. Adler up, I was ready to shoot them, but someone grabbed me from behind and put a gun to my head. "Wasn't expecting for you to be here Ms. (L/N)." I could tell it was agent Milton form his voice.

I kept my mouth shut and listened to the gunshots that came closer and closer, hoping that Arthur would arrive soon. Agent Milton also heard it and started moving backwards, out of sight from the door. I once again needed Arthur to save my life, proving that i couldn't live without him.

The gunfire died down. The door got kicked down, I heard two gunshots and bodies falling on the ground. "Okay ladies, let's get out of here." Arthur paused. "Where's (Y/N)?"

Agent Milton pushed me forward back into view, still holding me close to him with a gun against my head. "Right here." He said as he pulled down the hammer. Arthur turned around while coughing. "That's quite a cough."

Arthur's eyes met mine then agent Milton's. "Sure. Tuberculosis. I'll be dead soon... and you with me, Mr. Milton."

"You'll be dead, sure... but I'm gonna be just fine" 

I had to think quick, there had be something i could do.

My knife.

My hand brushed against the handle of my knife. Arthur continued coughing, he bend over and rested his hands on his knees.

"We offered you a deal, Mr. Morgan... you should've taken it"

Arthur saw what I was trying to do, he looked back up and gave me a small nod while saying: "I'm a fool, Mr. Milton."

Agent Milton told Arthur about Micah. Micah, I should've known, but I could worry about that later. I finally got a hold on my knife, I thought quick and stabbed Milton it the leg. He could barely hear his scream because of a bullet flying by my head, I fell to the ground, the ringing in my ear was unbearable. I held my hand to the side of my head and felt that the bullet scraped my ear. My heart started racing when I heard another gunshot, I turned around fearing the worst, but calmed down when I saw Abigail helping Arthur to stand up and a very much dead Agent Milton on the ground. Arthur held his hand out to me, but I got up myself fearing I might bring him down with me if i took his hand.

We left the building and got on our horses, shooting our way through the remaining pinktetons until we were in the clear.

"Hold up a moment." We came to a stop at Arthur's words. He dismounted and started talking to Abigail, He told her about John and she looked about ready to collapse. Abigail and I had our agreements, but it pained me to see her like this. He walked over to me and gestured me to dismounted. I stood in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes, he put his hands on my shoulders.

"You go with them and take good care of yourself, you hear?"

"I'm letting you go back there alone." 

"Not gonna happen."

"But-"

"But nothing, I'm gonna let you get killed out there just because you're stubborn." 

I pulled Arthur into a hug, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I love you, Arthur. I can't go on without you!"

Arthur pressed a kiss on top of my head.  "I love you too, kid, but like I said you can take care of yourself now." I didn't want to let him go, but I had to. Arthur urged all of us back on our horses. "You're good women... good people. The best. Go get that boy, there'll be time for sorrow later." Abigail gave him the key to the chest with all the money, she was a good thief i had to hand it to her. "Go on, get out of here" Arthur gave me one last weak smile and a nod before we rode off.

---

I had no idea how much time had passed. We made it to Copperhead Landing without any trouble, I had convinced the others to not take off immediately, but wait just in case. I was standing alone, my eyes fixated on the road, hoping that Arthur would ride up any second. My hopes were contently bought down though, multiple people rode by, but not one of them was Arthur.

I could hear a horse approaching from the distance, I was ready to be disappointed until the moonlight shone on their hat. That was Arthur's hat no doubt, I could recognize that hat anywhere. I smiled and was about to call out his name when their face came into view.

It was John.

I looked around, hoping that Arthur was riding behind him. He wasn't. Tears started to form in my eyes again. John came to a stop in front if me and dismounted. "Where's Arthur?" John didn't say anything, he just looked to the side. "Tell me john! Just tell me..."

"He didn't make it..."

My whole world came crashing down, I shook my head. "It's not true. tell me you're lying! please..." John wrapped his arm around me in an attempt to calm me down. grabbed his shirt and kept telling him to tell me that it wasn't true until my voice gave out. My knees buckled and collapsed to the ground taking john with me as I sobbed into his shirt, unaware of the others gathering around us.

From that moment on I decided that I was never getting close with anyone ever again.

[mischi3f-manag3d]

Lost and Found - Part 1

Lmao I lied, I’m posting it tonight cause I’m too excited. 

Arthur x Reader x Javier somewhat, but mainly Javier x Reader

Warnings; END GAME SPOILERS, some angst, some fluff, eventual smut (but not in this part)

You rode up beside Sadie as Arthur helped Abigail up onto Sadie's horse.

"Now I don't want no tears. Sadie, take Abigail up to Jack. I gotta go have a chat with Dutch." He said, sadness in his voice.

"You're a good man, Arthur." Sadie responded as she gave him a small smile. They rode off down the path, leaving just you and Arthur.

Your chest tightened realizing the severity of the situation. "Please Arthur."

"Don't. Please don't make this harder than it already is." He placed a hand on your thigh.

A sob escaped your mouth as you jumped down off your horse and engulfed him in a hug. His hands wrapped behind your back and held you close. This felt unreal. This had to be some sick nightmare.

Looking into his eyes, all you saw was sadness and betrayal. You knew he was hurt. After all these years, Dutch had finally betrayed him and the rest of the gang.

You kissed him lightly and gently caressed his cheek. He leaned into your touch knowing this would be the last time you see each other.

"I'll always love you, Arthur Morgan. Don't you forget that." A tear slipped down your cheek. It wouldn't get easier.

"Damn it all. I wanted a life for us away from this hell, y'know? I wanted to give you so much because you deserve it. But here I am, dying. I love you, and I always will. Find someone who takes care of you, please. I can't have you with someone who don't treat you right. Now.. I gotta go, I'm sorry." He said as he gave you one final kiss.

He helped you back up onto your horse and held a gaze with you. He loved you more than anything else in this world. He had wanted so badly to get away from it all and be with you. To start a family. But that all came crumbling down the minut he got his diagnosis. He gave your hand a squeeze and brought it to his lips before walking off to his own horse. He gave you a small smile before turning around towards the camp.

As you rode away you couldn't help the overwhelming sadness that tore away at you. You promised him, no tears, but you were so hurt. It was unbearable. Tears streamed down your face as you rode up to meet with Sadie and Abigail. You knew that that was the last time you'd see Arthur and it killed you inside. This was the ending to the best thing that ever happened to you. Yet, you didn't realize what the future had in store for you.

~7 years later~

Alone. That's all you've been for the past 7 years. Here and there you'd tag along with some people, but eventually you'd stray away on your own. Everyone in the gang had went their separate ways, hiding from the law.

7 years since Arthur's passing, and yet you still thought about him from time to time. After 2 years you had let yourself move on. You knew it's what Arthur would've wanted. Your heart ached the first few times you had spent the night with someone, but they helped you to forget your hell of a life. It was an escape.

You made your way through the small town of Rhodes, not expecting much. Your supplies were running low and you needed a place to rest. The town seemed less lively than when you were here last, yet it was better than nothing. Making your way inside the general store you were met with a familiar face.

"Pearson?" You asked, excitement lingering in your voice. He was instantly recognizable and you couldn't help the joy that filled you upon seeing one of your old gang members.

"Y/n? Is that really you? Wow is it good to see you." He chuckled.

"So this is what you've made for yourself? This is good, real good." You smiled making your way to the counter to look at the supplies.

"Its nice not running from the law for a change." He said, returning a smile.

This was exactly what you needed right now. Knowing that someone from the gang was alive and doing well for themselves lifted your spirits.

"Has- has anyone else passed through?" You questioned as you finished buying your supplies.

"John, Abigail and Jack pass through from time to time. They live over by Blackwater now, doin real well for themselves. Heard Tilly's married and expecting a child and Mary-beths got herself a writing career. Actually... you just missed Javier.. he just passed through about an hour ago.. probably hasn't gotten far. Said he was headin over to Saint Denis. His guitars pretty spent so he'd like to get himself a new one." Pearson finished as he handed your stuff to you.

You couldn't help the smile that plastered your face. Knowing that so many of the gang had made it. Made a life for themselves, and survived. And Javier... you had to go see him.

"Thank you Pearson. It was so good to see you, and I will make sure I come to visit you again." You smiled as you hugged him over the counter.

"Was nice seeing you too Y/n." He chuckled, returning the hug.

You made your way out of the shop and mounted your horse. Hopefully you'd be able to catch up to him, you thought. Javier was your best friend back when the gang was together. Arthur had found it hard to not get jealous at times from how often you two were together. He understood over time that you and Javier were just friends, but he couldn't help the heat that would course through him every so often.

Excitement filled you and you anticipated telling Javier everything that had happened to to this point. You couldn't wait to hear what he'd been up to and what life had brought him.

Eventually you made your way into Saint Denis. It was much different than you remember, considering they now have a music store that definitely wasn't there seven years ago. The store wasn't hard to find and you could make out Boaz from a mile away. You smiled, happy that his horse was still very much alive and healthy.

You hitched your horse and slowly made your way inside. Music filled your ears as you entered the shop. It was huge and very lively. People wandered through the shop, glancing at the various instruments on the walls. It was hard to make your way around the crowd of people, but eventually you saw the slender man, his back to you as he stared up at a beautiful guitar. It looked just like his old one, only cleaner and a little more detailed.

You were surprised to feel your heart race as you walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder lightly.

"Hey, do you know where I can find my friend? He's tall and Mexican.."

He turned around, ready to tell the person to quit bothering him before he realized it was you.

"Dios mio.. y/n? You're alive.." he didnt give you a chance to respond before he engulfed you in a hug, nuzzling his face in your neck.

"Te extrañé" he whispered, continue to hold you in his embrace.

You hugged him back, overwhelmed with comfort and happiness.

"I've missed you to, Javi. I missed having someone to talk to." You laughed as you pulled away slightly to see his face.

He smiled at you, almost lovingly, "We have a lot of catching up to do, hermosa. But, first, I need to get myself a new guitar. My love has taken quite a beating over the years and she's not sounding the same."

You laughed at his way of speaking about his guitar. But you knew that he cared about that guitar more than anything.

He told the clerk about the guitar he had been eyeing up, wondering the cost of beautiful instrument.

"$1200, but the lowest I'll go is $1000." He spoke, firm on his price.

Javier scoffed, digging through his pockets for his cash. Realizing he only had about 300 on him, he sighed before telling the clerk it would have to wait for another time. He made his way towards the entrance, looking back at you, his look telling you to follow.

"I have to go to the bathroom, I'll meet you out there in just a minute." You smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. He nodded and returned your smile before making his way outside.

Making sure he was out of sight, you made your way to the clerk.

"I'd like that guitar that my friend was looking at. I'll give you 500 and this." You offered, taking a gold necklace out of your satchel. It was a necklace you had received a very long time ago from Dutch for your 18th birthday. You knew it was worth a lot, and it did have some emotional value to you, but after everything that had happened, you knew it was time for it to go.

The clerk thought for a minute before agreeing, handing you the guitar as he took the money and the necklace.

"Thank you very much sir."

You made your way outside, looking over to where Javier was. He was sitting on his horse, looking down at his hands.

"Hey, I thought you might like something." You gave him a wide smile as you handed the guitar to him.

"Y/n... you didnt have to." He said, almost at a lack of words to say.

"I wanted to. It's okay. Now let's get out of here, I'd like to hear some music." Smiling as you made your way to your horse.

It felt so unreal to be with Javier again. He was the comfort you needed in your life. You couldn't help the butterflies that took flight in your stomach as you glanced over to him. Confusion quickly took its place. You couldn't possibly have feelings for him, could you? You shook your head trying to rid yourself of the thoughts as you continued to ride next to him.

"I know it might bring up bad memories, but, I know a place we can stay for a while.."

You gave him a look, urging him to continue.

"Shady Belle... look, I know it's not perfect. But it's a spacious area, a roof over our heads, and no one has been around that area for a long time. Lemoyne Raiders have basically gone extinct and there aren't many gangs sticking around here." He said, hoping to convince you of the location.

You sighed knowing he was right. It would be nice to have a place of your own for a while, rather than wandering all the time. Nodding, you pushed on towards the abandoned house.

It was just like how you remembered it. Run down, humid, and wet. But, it was better than nothing. You hitched your horse alongside his and followed him into the house.

After you had cleared the rooms for any stragglers, you started setting up your things. Javier had insisted you take the master room upstairs that had previously been Dutchs headquarters. You had tried to go against him, but that was no use. He chose the bedroom next to it that was still fairly spacious. You set your bed roll up and laid down, trying to get comfy. Your eyes fluttered shut and before you knew it, you were fast asleep.

It felt so good to have somewhere fairly safe to stay, and to have Javier here with you. Little did you know that now that you were back with him, he would protect you with his life. He wanted the best for you, he wanted to be with you. He cursed himself for the thoughts and feelings he harbored, yet he couldn't help it. You had always been so close, even now it felt like nothing had changed. Seven years had gone by and you still smiled at him the same way you did before. He knew he had feelings for you back when you were with Arthur, but now that he knew you were alive, he wanted to embrace them. But, the thought of ruining what he has with you kept his thoughts at bay. Maybe one day you'd share his feelings he thought as he got comfortable on his bed roll, ready for bed, even though deep down, you already did. You just didn't know it yet.

~the next morning~

"Buenas dias cariña." He spoke lightly from outside your room as he knocked, hoping to awake you from your slumber.

"You should come get something to eat. I made food, and surprisingly I didn't burn it." He chuckled to himself.

You stretched before sitting up, trying to rub the sleep out of your eyes. The thought of him making food for you brought a smile to your face.

You walked over to the door and opened it, not expecting him to be right there. You ran straight into him, falling forward. He caught you and helped you stand up as you both started laughing.

"Clumsy this morning are we?" He chuckled.

You couldn't help the heat that rose to your cheeks. Never had you felt this way being so close to him. It felt right, but you wanted to brush those thoughts away.

You looked up to him before laughing lightly. His eyes spoke to you, but you couldn't tell what. There was a glimmer that you hadn't noticed before. Yes you had moved on, but could you bring yourself to be with the one that Arthur used to despise you being around? Yet, wouldn't he want you to be happy?

A million thoughts raced through your mind as you stood there in silence, a longing gaze being shared between you two. His hand lightly grazed over your check, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your cheek. It felt as if the butterflies could explode out of you at any minute.

"You look so beautiful." He whispered, moving closer to you.

Your breathing had picked up and your heart was racing faster than you ever thought it could. You were so close that you could feel his breath your face.

"Tell me to stop and I'll stop." He said before leaning to close the gap between you two. Part of you wanted to fight this, feeling it was wrong of you. But, this felt right too. Maybe this was what you needed all along.

His lips lightly grazed over yours, giving you time to back out. But, you didn't. You wanted this, you needed this. You leaned forward, finalizing your decision to do this. His lips were surprisingly soft, and they felt so good against yours. He let out a light moan, surprised at your actions.

He couldn't help how turned on he was. You were so beautiful to him and he had wanted this for long. Sparks flew between the two of you as the kiss continued, a fire burning inside you both.

He slowly pushed you backwards until you were up against the wall. You couldn't help the moan that escaped you as your back hit the wall. This only got him going more. A hand grazed over your hip as his other hand held your neck, kissing you deeper. His hand slowly moved to lift your shirt up.

You broke away, needing to catch your breathe and stop this before it got too far. You wanted this as much as he did, but you couldn't go there. Not yet at least.

"We can't," you spoke out of breath, "at least not yet."

As sexually frustrated and turned on as he was, he understood. He nodded, "Okay. I can wait."

"Now let's go eat, I'm starving!" You giggled, placing a light kiss on his lips and running to the stairs.

He laughed, chasing after you down to the kitchen. His hand captured yours and spun you around to face him.

He held your face as he kissed you, wanting to feel your lips against his again. He couldnt get enough of it. "You're sure you want this?" Looking to you for any sign of uncomfort.

"Yes, Javier. More than anything. But, I want to take it slow with you okay? We're not running from the law anymore. We can get jobs, make lives for ourselves. We don't have to rush things like we wouldve had to before." You spoke, running a hand through his hair as he held you close.

"That's okay with me. As long as I have you in my life, I'm happy." He smiled, raising your hand to his lips.

"Now, what did you make for us?" You laughed, taking a seat at the table.

"Your favorite.. pancakes!" He laughed with you as he served you both a plate.

Life had given you a fair share of beatings. Love and loss. But, for once, everything felt like it wasn't going to end badly. You knew Javier would give you all the love he could and you felt happy again. The hole that had been in your heart for so long was finally being filled.

[weekendwarriorblog]

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND October 18, 2019  - MALEFICENT, MISTRESS OF EVIL, ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP, THE LIGHTHOUSE, JOJO RABBIT

We’ll see how far I get on this week’s column because I haven’t seen nearly as much as I want to, I don’t have nearly as much time as I’d like to, and I have a lot of stuff to write for my other gig at The Beat. I know… excuses, excuses.

Well, you can probably already guess that I haven’t seen Disney’s MALEFICENT, MISTRESS OF EVIL, starring Angelina Jolie, because I never saw the original movie, and I have only been invited to one Disney movie in three years. (I got into a few thanks to being in the Critics Choice Association and there being awards screenings, but I have zero interest in this, even less in Frozen 2, and I’ll probably just use my AMC A-List to see Star Wars.)

I did see Sony’s ZOMBIELAND DOUBLE TAP, and that I really liked a lot. You can read my full review of this over at The Beat.  I also interviewed director Ruben Fleischer and have an interview with writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick waiting in the wings. I’m pretty amazed that the three of them were able to get the whole gang back together, including Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin

Let’s just get to what I hope you’re reading this column for... 

LIMITED RELEASES

I’ll admit freely that I just didn’t have as much time to watch stuff the past week as I’d like to, so some of the movies below I just haven’t gotten around to watching but hopefully they’re as good as others have said.

There are a few “special event” screenings this week, including Kevin Smith’s JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT (Saban Films), which screened nationwide via Fathom Events last night and will get another screening on Thursday night. It’s actually not bad, at least compared to his last movie Yoga Hosers. This one is a direct sequel to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which I wasn’t a very big fan of despite liking a few of Smith’s other films like Chasing Amy and Dogma. Reboot harks back to some of Smith’s earlier work with nods to many of his previous films and cameos from almost every actor who has ever worked with him? I also interviewed Jason Mewes for The Beat, and I’ll have an interview with Harley Quinn Smith soon, too.

Also, on Saturday, Bruce Springsteen’s doc WESTERN STARS will get a nationwide screening via Fathom Events. I haven’t seen this one, and I’m not really that big a fan of the Boss, but hey, it’s happening if you’re interested.

The on Tuesday, October 22, you can see Neil Young’s latest movie Mountaintop in a one-night only event via Abramorama, the movie showing Young and his band Crazy Horse getting ready to record their first album in seven years. I haven’t watched it yet, but it’s interesting that Young is letting fans into the process, and I only recently saw Jim Jarmusch’s doc Year of the Dog, so I’m kind of in a Neil Young headspace. This one is directed by Young under his film direction pseudonym “Bernard Sharkey.”

Another movie worth seeking out this weekend is THE LIGHTHOUSE (A24), Robert Eggers’ follow-up to The Witch, this one starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as two men who are sent to care for a lighthouse during a particularly turbulent storm season. Dafoe is a crusty and cranky seadog who really puts Pattinson through his paces, but as the two men are holed up together (and eventually trapped on the location), they each begin their own slow descent into madness. I’ll have an interview with Eggers up at The Beat later today where we talk about the intriguing way he made this film, and it rose out of his frustration with trying to get The Witch financed.

My Interview with Robert Eggers

The movie I was most excited to see this weekend was Taika Waititi’s JOJO RABBIT (Fox Searchlight), since I’ve been a fan of his work going all the way back to when Eagle vs. Shark debuted the Sundance Film Festival. I was really hoping I’d like this enough to feature it at the top of this column, but since it’s not there, you can read my review at the link below to find out why not. Based on Christine Leunens’s novel, it stars newcomer Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo, a 10-year-old German boy in the Hitler Youth who just can’t get his shit together, although he does have an imaginary friend in Adolf Hitler (played by Waititi) who urges the boy on. Injured in an accident, Jojo is homebound when he learns that his mother (Scarlet Johansson) has been hiding a young Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomas McKenzie from Leave No Trace) in the house attic, so he has to figure out whether to report them, or use her to learn more about Jews. You can read my review below to see that I can’t really recommend the movie wholeheartedly, but it will open in New York and L.A. this weekend and you can decide for yourself.

MY REVIEW OF JOJO RABBIT

French auteur Francois Ozon returns with BY THE GRACE OF GOD (Music Box Films), a very serious drama about three grown men (Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet, Swann Arlaud) who team together to expose a priest who molested them as boys but is being protected by the Catholic Church. The story is based on the real French scandal surrounding Cardinal Philippe Barbarin who was convicted earlier this year for concealing the conduct of a preacher, Father Preynat. Ozon is coming off his excellent film Franz and the equally intriguing Double Lover, so he’s definitely upped his game from the sometimes-frivolous earlier fare for which he became known. This is a really tough movie to get through and maybe that made it harder for me to enjoy, but it’s another fine piece of filmmaking by Ozon. It opens at New York’s Film Forum and  the Landmark on 57 and probably in a theater in L.A. as well.

Opening at New York’s Angelika Film Center and the Landmark on 57 is Alexis Michalik’s Cyrano My Love (Roadside Attractions) set in Paris 1897 and dealing with the relationship between playwright Edmond Rostand and actor Constant Coquelin, for what becomes the play Cyrano de Bergerac. And I have absolutely zero interest in seeing this.

Another movie that I saw and absolutely loathed was Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe’s GREENER GRASS (IFC Midnight), a movie that I couldn’t begin to describe except that it takes place in a suburban neighborhood where a yoga teacher has been murdered by a seria killer and all sorts of other strange things are going on. The filmmakers play best friends and soccer moms Jill and Lisa, the latter who borrows the former’s baby, but honestly, the tone of this movie reminded me about the stuff on Adult Swim that I hate such as the Tim and Eric shows and such, where it just seems to be weird for weirdness-sake, and there’s absolutely nothing that kept me even remotely interested. It opens at the IFC Center this weekend.

I still haven’t found the time to watch all of THE CAVE (National Geographic Documentary Films), Feras Fayyad’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated film Last Man in Aleppo, but I hope to get to it fairly soon, since I was such a fan of that movie. I just need to be right in the headspace to watch this one, if it’s anything like that one.

Apple TV+’s first movie on the streaming channel will be Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone’s THE ELEPHANT QUEEN (A24), a documentary that follows the elephant matriarch Athena, who is forced to protect her family after they leave their watering hole. Although I understand the purpose of this movie to show how climate change is affecting these majestic animals, this one feels very much like something I’ve seen before from DisneyNature and others, so it didn’t really shed any new light on elephants, and it felt very much dummed down for kids. Voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor, it will get a limited theatrical release this weekend before debuting on the channel November 1.

There are a couple other docs out this weekend, including Barbara Miller’s #FEMALEPLEASURE (Abramorama), which follows five women fighting against their patriarchal societies; Serendipity: The Story of French Artist Prune Nourry (Cohen Media Group) directed by French artist Prune Nourry; opening at New York’s Film Forum on Wednesday is Erin Derham’s doc Stuffed (Music Box Films) about taxidermists, and then there’s Julie Simone and Vicki Vlasic’s doc Fiddlin’ (playing at the Cinema Village) covers the Fiddler’s Convention.

If you’re not quite ready for Halloween, there’s the horror filmTrick (RLJEFilms) from Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine, Drive Angry) about a Halloween party in 2015 where Patrick “Trick” Wever killed a bunch of his classmate and then escaped after being shot five times by a detective (Omar Epps) so everyone thinks he’s dead. But guess what? He’s not!!  It also stars Jamie Kennedy and Tom Atkins.

There are a couple other movies, but the main ones you should know about are above.

LOCAL FESTIVALS

The big one this week, at least in New York, is the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, which starts Thursday night with Jeffrey Brown’s The Beach House and continues through the weekend with Daniel Isn’t Real, Swallow, and the World Premiere Fessenden’s Depraved: Making Frankenstein a Brooklyn Loft, a making-of doc about Larry Fessenden’s latest.

Starting Friday at New York’s Cinema Village is the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, which I really don’t know very much about, although they seem to have an interesting selection of nature docs, both features and shorts, none of which I’ve seen.

In L.A., you can catch the Animation is Film Festival starting Friday with animated movies from across the group including I’m anticipating like Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering with You, and White Snake from China, which will be in competition with films like France’s I Lost My Body. There are special events for Disney’s Frozen 2, Netflix’s Klaus, a special screening of the Chinese hit Ne Zhan and Steven Universe the Movie before it hits Apple TV+ on November 1.

Also happenin’ in New York is the Nordic International Film Festival, which is taking place at the Roxy Hotel, in case you wonder why it’s missing from the repertory section below. That’s why.

STREAMING AND CABLE

Steven Soderbergh’s THE LAUNDROMAT will arrive on Netflix this weekend, and you can read what I thought of that in my previous column here.

Streaming on Netflix Friday is Ed Perkins’ documentary TELL ME WHO I AM about the relationship between two twin brothers, Marcus and Alex Lewis. When Alex wakes up after a motorcycle accident, he relies on Marcus to fill him on who everyone else is over the next 35 years, but Marcus may be keeping a dark family secret from his brother to protect him. (It also will open theatrically at the Quad Cinema on Friday.)

Sinister 2 director Ciaran Foy’s new film Eli will start streaming on Friday, about a boy who receiving treatment for an auto-immune disorder who finds out that his house isn’t as safe as thought. It stars Kelly Reilly, Lili Taylor, Max Martini and Charlie Shotwell in the title role.

There’s also the Spanish film Diecisiete (Seventeen) from Daniel Sánchez Arévalo about a 17-year-old named Héctor who forms a bond with a dog as part of a reintegration program at his juvenile detention center. When the dog is adopted, Héctor goes on a journey to rescue him.

One of the exciting debuts on cable this weekend is HBO’s WATCHMEN series, created by Damon Lindelof, and what I’ve heard about the show is that it’s pretty good, taking place in the modern day of the world created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons in the comics (which took place in the ‘80s.).

Also, while I haven’t seen it yet, Iranian filmmaker Babak (Under the Shadow) Anvari’s horror thriller WOUNDS will debut on Hulu this weekend, and since I have Hulu, I’ll be able to watch it! It stars Zazie Beetz, Dakota Johnson and Armie Hammer, the latter playing a bartender who has all sorts of weird things happen to him when he picks up a phone at a bar.

REPERTORY

There are a few really awesome repertory series starting this weekend as well as the return of one of New York’s primary midtown rep houses, which has been closed for renovations for most of the summer.

METROGRAPH (NYC):

Before I get to the Metrograph’s great new series starting this weekend, I want to draw special attention to Metrograph Pictures’ new 35mm print rerelease of Edo Bertoglio’s 1981 film Downtown ’81. This is a really amazing movie that stars late NYC artist Jean Michel Basquiat, and while it does show him doing his graffiti art, the movie isn’t so much worth seeing for its amazing writing or acting but for it being an amazing time capsule of New York in 1981 with performances by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, DNA, The Plastics and other No Wave bands in the year when punk was transforming into New Wave but New York bands were still experimental and arty, doing whatever it took to avoid getting into the mainstream. Metrograph releasing this reissued restored film makes sense as they were one of the first to herald Glenn O’Brien’s cable show TV Party, so if you get a chance, get down to the Metrograph where the movie will be shown exclusively probably for a week or two.

Another exciting series at my local theater as Julie Andrews will be there in person for “Blake Edwards: A Film Selection by Julie Andrews,” celebrating the life and career of her late husband. The series will include That’s Life (1986), Wild Rovers (1971), 10 (1979), the Inspector Clouseau film A Shot in the Dark (1964), 1981’s S.O.B., 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s and a Members Only screening of Victor/Victoria (1982) with a QnA with the actress.  Also, the Academy returns to the Metrograph for its monthly series, this one very Halloween-appropriate, as they’ll be showing Fulci’s Zombi 2 (aka Zombie) from 1979.

This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph is still David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. (2001) and also, because the Metrograph will make any excuse to show Brian De Palma’s 2002 dog Femme Fatale… they’re showing Femme Fatale again. what gives Metrograph? You now taking cues from the IFC Center by showing the same movies over and over? Tsk, tsk… This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matinees is Brad Bird’s animated classic The Iron Giant from 1999.  Welcome To Metrograph: Redux seems to be taking the weekend off, probably to make room for some of the above.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

The other series I’m really excited about is the three-week “Shitamachi: Tales of Downtown Tokyo” but I get to that, I want to mention that I had a chance to see Yoji Yamada’s Tora-San, Our Lovable Tramp (1969), which plays for two more days, and it’s quite wonderful so definitely try to get to it as this became a very popular series in Japan. Okay, back to the other Japanese series, this one runs for three weeks and it’s co-presented with the Japan Foundation. This weekend, you can see Akira Kurosawa’s Drunken Angel  (1948) and Stray Dog (1949) on Friday and Saturday as well as Ozu’s Record of a Tenement Gentleman from 1947. Sunday and Monday is Kurusawa’s Ikiru (1952) and a couple others. There’s just an abundance of riches including a couple rare prints that were imported from Japan for the series. Apparently, the Film Forum thinks Milos Forman’s Hair(1979) which I just saw at the Metrograph is okay for kids, which is why it’s programmed as this week’s “Film Forum Jr.”

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

The Wednesday matinee is the classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), while Weds. and Thurs. see double features of P.T. Anderson’s Inherent Vice (2014) with Jacques Demy’s Model Shop (1969). Friday’s matinee is Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), while the weekend “Kiddee Matinee” is the Disney movie Blackbeard’s Ghostfrom 1968. (I wonder if that will be on the Disney+ service.) Friday night’s midnight movie is Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Til Dawnand then Saturday night is an “All Night Horror Show” which is sold out, sadly. Monday’s matinee is The People Under the Stairs (1991), and Monday and Tuesday nights are double features of Tom Laughlin’s The Born Losers (1967) and Billy Jack (1971).

MOMA  (NYC):

It’s exciting news that MOMA reopens NEXT MONDAY, and their first two series are Modern Matinees: Iris Barry’s History of Filmand Vision Statement: Early Directorial Works. The first of these is an attempt to recreate some of the early film programs from the early days of the MOMA Film Library, including a screening of the 1914 film A Fool There Was on Monday, and I’ll write more about this next week. “Vision Statement” begins  with Andrzej Żuławski’s The Third Part of the Night (1971) and Satyajit Ray’s 1955 film Pather Panchali, and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s 2003 film The Return and Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993) both screen on Tuesday.

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)

I’ll be at tonight’s “Weird Wednesday” Born of Fire (1987), which is almost sold out but has a few seats left. Monday night’s “Fist City” selection is David Fincher’s 2002 movie Panic Room, starring Jodie Foster and a VERY young Kristen Stewart, while “Video Vortex” presents the horror classic A Night to Dismember: The Original Cut. Next week’s “Terror Tuesday” is 1983’s Devil Fetus, and what do you know? Julie Andrews will be there doing a QnA right after showing Blake Edwards’ 1982 movie Victor/Victoria – I wonder where they got that idea (or maybe Ms. Andrews is just doing a tour right now). Next week’s “Weird Wednesday” is the 1993 film Fire in the Sky and RottenTomatoes is hosting a party centered around The Craft (1996), which is already sold out.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Recent Spanish Cinema 2019 continues this weekend so no rep stuff but a couple movies worth checking out are the doc The Silence of Others and the animated film Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles.

AERO  (LA):

A couple “Facing Off with John Woo” double features with The Killer  (1989) and Hard Boiled (1992) on Friday, and then Face/Off (1997) and Hard Target (1993) on Saturday afternoon. Saturday night is a screening of Woo’s 1990 film Bullet in the Head. Sunday is a Lina Wertmüller double feature called “Swept Away Again by Lina Wertmüller” which isThe Seduction of Mimi (1972) with Love & Anarchy (1973). Tuesday’s “Tuesdays with Lorre” will a 35mm screening of Frank Capra’s Arsenic and Old Lace  (1944).

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Wednesday night’s “Movies with MZS” (aka Matt Zoller Seitz) is John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness (1987). It doesn’t look like the IFC Center has set its Fall repertory series yet but Friday and Saturday night at midnight you can see the very first official James Bond movieDr. No(1962) and a 4k restoration of Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead (1981).That said, “Weekend Classics: May All Your Christmases Be Noir” does begin this weekend with Nicolas Ray’s They Live by Night (1948).

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

“See It Big! Ghost Stories” continues this weekend with screenings of one of my all-time faves, Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist, on Friday, and the Japanese horror classic House (Hausu) on Saturday, as well as the 1965 Japanese horror film Kwaidan, plus James Wan’s Insidiouscloses the series on Sunday evening. The “No Joke: Absurd Comedy as Political Reality” continues with 1985’s The Coca-Cola Kid on Sunday afternoon as well as William Klein’s 1969 movie Mr. Freedom, neither of which I’m familiar with. Saturday afternoon is a special screening of Marlon Brando’s 1961 film One-Eyed Jacks with an introduction by William Mann, who wrote “The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando.”

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

Freshly recovered from the New York Film Festival, FilmLinc is screening a 25th Anniversary restoration of Béla Tarr’s 1994 film Sátántangó, which also played at the film festival.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

Oh, it looks like the Landmark has been showing Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club Encore all week so you can see it through Thursday. This Friday night’s midnight movie is A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors from 1987.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

Still showing Serge Gainsbourg’s Je T’aime Moi Non Plus (1976) through the weekend.

Next week, it’s an odds and ends weekend including Deon Taylor’s new police drama Black and Blue, the high-tech horror/thriller Countdownand the historical drama The Current War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland and Michael Shannon.