#the matrix dream chronicles

[almostangrything]

Here’s the list without numbers and categories:

Star Wars Marvel Cinematic Universe Harry Potter Lord of the Rings DC Extended Universe The Matrix Jurassic Park Doctor Who Supernatural Game of Thrones Stranger Things The Walking Dead Breaking Bad The Mandalorian Percy Jackson & the Olympians The Hunger Games The Chronicles of Narnia Dune A Song of Ice and Fire The Wheel of Time Sherlock Holmes Keeper of the Lost Cities The Marauders Ever After High Throne of Glass Shadowhunters (The Mortal Instruments) Red Queen Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) His Dark Materials Artemis Fowl Divergent Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children The Maze Runner The Witcher Inheritance Games AGGGTM X-Men Batman Spider-Man The Sandman Wonder Woman Superman Deadpool

ummm

cant remember more rn

Cool! Ive got

Harry Potter, Wings of Fire, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, Serafina, LOTR/TH, Artemis Fowl, The Amazing World of Gumball, Tangled the Series, Big Hero Six the Series, Good Pizza Great Pizza, How To Train Your Dragon, Rise of The Guardians, Most Things DreamWorks, Epic 2013, Apple Knight, Hero Wars, PM Seymour's Cosmic Wonders series, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tinker Bell/Peter Pan ig, Ashur Gharavi, Unikitty, SCP, Creepypasta, Backrooms, Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, The Amazing Digital Circus, and WAY too many more that I'm forgetting.

[cocorevival]

˚₊‧The Sacred art of fasting‧₊˚

A portal. A pilgrimage. A soft unraveling of everything you are not, so that your soul can take center stage. Silence for the Body is space for the Soul.

How to romanticize hunger to fall in adoration of your soul.

Fasting is not just the absence of food — it is the presence of spirit. It is a sacred return to yourself, a soft initiation into your own essence. As your body quiets, your energy rises like incense curling toward the heavens. The mind slows. The soul speaks. In this silence, truth echoes.

When you fast, you are walking the same luminous path as mystics and seekers before you. This is not a wellness trend. It is a ritual of remembrance. It is purification by light. As digestion pauses, the inner alchemy begins: the pineal gland, your sacred inner eye, awakens. Dreams become portals. Intuition deepens. You hear the whisper of your higher self — maybe for the first time in lifetimes.

To fast is to burn away the false (and fat)  layers. Old identities, unhealed wounds, and 3D density melt in the sacred fire. You are left shimmering. Crystalline. Pure. Your lightbody hums, and your soul expands into realms unseen.

Rituals become anchors : rising with the sun, grounding barefoot on the Earth, pulling tarot cards in silence, placing amethyst at your crown. You sip herbal tea not just for your body, but for your spirit. You journal like a priestess chronicling a cosmic initiation. Every breath is prayer. Every emotion a message. Every fast a rebirth.

Break your fast not with food, but with gratitude. Greet yourself like an old friend newly met. Move gently. Integrate softly. You have traveled far, so far, within.

You are not depriving. You are remembering. Let it be sacred. Let it be light. Let it be you.

Fasting is not about discipline... it's about devotion. It’s not a punishment — it’s a portal.

Fasting is Spiritual Alchemy ✧

When you pause the act of eating, you awaken the act of becoming. The body grows silent. The soul speaks louder. This isn’t starvation. This is sacred stillness — a sacred conversation between you and the Divine.

As your physical appetite softens, the spiritual hunger rises. You begin to feel:

Visions in your dreams

Truths surface from your subconscious

Old energies ready to leave

A softness in the chaos... and a clarity in the quiet

The Sacred Fire Within You, Energetic Upgrade ✧

Every ancient path knew this : fasting is not emptiness — it is purification. A burning away of the ego, the noise, the illusion. You are not just detoxing your body — You are shedding timelines, burning off outdated beliefs, releasing past lives... You are preparing the soul to rise.

When you stop numbing your intuition with food, comfort, and habit... The veil thins.

You may feel closer to your guides, an activation of your psychic senses, as well as an unshakeable connection to Source

Pair this with sunrise gazing, breathwork & sacred stillness, crystal, meditation you can transform yourself throught your fast

You are not “just not eating.” You are collapsing density. You are stepping out of the 3D matrix — and into your quantum body.

With each hour of your fast, your aura recalibrates. You become lighter. Sharper. Wider. This is soul remembrance, shadow alchemy, higher self integration and feminine embodiment.

A Spiritual Ritual ✧

This is your sacred initiation — a fast, yes — but truly, a ceremony.

Before the Fast :

Cleanse your energy field (sage, palo santo, sound bowl)

Light a white candle and call in your Spirit

Journal your sacred intention (ex : “I release all that is no longer aligned with my highest timeline. I call back my power, my light, and my truth.”)

Sip herbal tea (mugwort, peppermint, rose)

Place a crystal over your heart and breathe

During the Fast :

Rise in silence. Let your first voice be your soul’s.

Pull an oracle card. Let it guide you.

Sit with your breath. Practice stillness.

Walk barefoot. Hug a tree. Be closer to nature

Journal every emotion, vision, and shadow that surfaces.

This is sacred shadow work disguised as hunger. Let it rise. Let it teach you. Let it go.

After the Fast :

Break your fast in reverence: thank your body, your spirit, your guides

Move slowly, sensually

Do a cleansing ritual: bath, dance, write, cry

Ask: What new truth am I now embodying?

Some Prompts :

What part of me did I release during this fast?

What spiritual gifts or memories reawakened?

What soul truth is now undeniable?

How will I honor this upgrade in my daily life?

Some Affirmations :

Repeat them. Breathe them. Become them.

“I am a vessel of light and divine intelligence.”

“As I empty, I become infinite.”

“My body is sacred. My spirit is sovereign.”

“Every cell within me glows with ancient knowing.”

“I am not fasting. I am remembering.”

All of this isn’t about control. This is about consecration.

You are not depriving yourself — You are devoting yourself. To your healing. To your remembering. To your ascension.

[danthatartman]

Movies I want to watch with my friends

I decided to create a masterpost for this list instead of keeping it to myself to hold myself accountable and recieve suggestions over time. These movies are ones that I think either fit my friends' tastes and they haven't seen, or that I simply want to see them react to.

A + means some of my friends have already seen those movies. (I might not know/remember for some of them though)

The Matrix Trilogy + (and Resurrections too)

Alien and Aliens +

The Shining and Doctor Sleep

Highlander

Edge of Tomorrow +

Kairo (Pulse) +

The John Wick series +

9

District 9

Robot Dreams

No One Will Save You

Monster

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

Perfect Days

The Northman

tick, tick… BOOM!

The Green Knight

The Taking of Deborah Logan

Spencer

A Ghost Story

Decision To Leave

The Devil's Backbone

Arrival +

Whiplash +

Chronicle

The Phantom of The Opera +

Les Miserables +

And specifically because Piro doesn't really enjoy/watch many superhero movies:

a) The Batman

b) Doctor Strange

c) Superman (The original one)

d) The Dark Knight (And maybe Batman Begins)

e) Iron Man

f) Unbreakable

g) X-Men

Those are the ones I had written up or thought of while writing this. If anyone can think of movies similar to these that you think I should add, mention them and I'll see if I'm familiar or if at least one of my buddies hasn't seen it.

[thenerdysimp]

Who I write for

Stuff might change around over time, characters might be added or removed, if you have any questions or wondering about a specific not on the list then ask!

The list is long, but there might just be something for everyone!

Formula 1

Current drivers

- Carlos Sainz

- Lando Norris

- Charles Leclerc

- Max Verstappen

- Pierre Gasly

- Lewis Hamilton

- George Russell

- Oscar Piastri

- Ollie Bearman

- (Kimi Antonelli)

Reserve drivers

- Franco Colapinto

Retired drivers

- Daniel Ricciardo

- Logan Sargeant

- Jenson Button

Celebrities

Singers

- Shawn Mendes

Actors (+ some of their characters)

- Lucas Till

(+ Tripp Cooley - Monster Trucks

Travis Brody - Hannah Montana: The movie

Cayden Richards - Wolves

Josh Harvest - Bravetown

Sam Alexander - The Collective

Scott Norris - Crush)

- Ben Barnes

(+ Prince Caspian - Narnia)

- Tom Holland

- Henry Cavill

- Tom Blyth

- Taron Egerton

(+ Gary “Eggsy” Unwin - Kingsmen)

- Hayden Christensen

(+ Leo - Little Italy

David Rice - Jumper)

- Timothée Chalamet

(+ Willy Wonka - Wonka)

Figure skaters

- Ilia Malinin

Love Island: The game

Summer nights

- Callum

Tempting fate

- Max

Winning hearts

- Hayden

MacGyver (2016 reboot)

- Angus MacGyver

My life with the Walter boys

- Cole Walter

To all the boys I’ve loved before

- Peter Kavinsky

Swedish Idol

2024

- Lukas Söderholm

- Leo Tekiel

Hazbin Hotel

- Lucifer Morningstar

- Alastor

- (Angel Dust)

Marvel

The Avengers

- Peter Parker

- Bucky Barnes

- Loki Laufeyson

X-men

- Alex Summers

Top Gun

- Pete “Maverick” Mitchell

- Jake “Hangman” Seresin

- Robert “Bob” Floyd

The Hunger Games

- Peeta Mellark

- Finnick Odair

- Coriolanus Snow (young)

Zorro the chronicles

- Diego de la Vega/Zorro

Shadow and Bone

- Kaz Brekker

- Aleksander Morozova

- Nikolai Lantsov

Stranger Things

- Steve Harrington

- Eddie Munson

Sam & Colby (YouTube)

- Colby Brock

- Nate Hardy

- Seth Borden

Star Wars

- Anakin Skywalker

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

- Din Djarin

Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus

- Percy Jackson

- Luke Castellan

Five nights at Freddy’s (the movie)

- Mike Schmidt

Star Stable Online

- Ydris

The Maze Runner

- Newt

- Thomas

Teen Wolf

- Stiles Stilinski

- Isaac Lahey

- Derek Hale

- Liam Dunbar

Fantastic Beasts and where to find them

- Newt Scamander

- Theseus Scamander

Pirates of the Caribbean

- Will Turner

- Henry Turner

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

- Legolas

- Aragorn

Mission: Impossible

- Ethan Hunt

Free Rein

- Peter “Pin” Hawthorne

Descendants

- Harry Hook

Other fandoms

Dream SMP (Mcyts)

Harry Potter

One Direction

How to train your dragon

Avatar

The dragon prince

Reign

Wednesday

The Matrix

Grease

Dirty Dancing

[yesthatssadirichardslove]

Jada Pinkett Smith says revealing separation from Will Smith is a 'weight off my shoulders'

NEW YORK

Jada Pinkett Smith is feeling free these days. She’s no longer hiding that she's been separated from megastar husband Will Smith for seven years.

“It’s a weight off my shoulders, honestly,” said Pinkett Smith whose new memoir, “Worthy,” is out now. “Ever since the Oscars, it’s so interesting how such an intense event can bring you closer together, and I would say that after that, we really dove in and dug in and got to this beautiful place we are now.”

The actor, who first revealed the bombshell news to NBC’s Hoda Kotb last week, details her much-gossiped about marriage throughout the biography. Through the years, the couple has faced rumors — of having an open marriage, a swinging lifestyle and questions about their sexual orientations — all while wearing smiles, seemingly portraying a picture-perfect life.

The daytime Emmy award winner briefly thought about scrapping the project; she started writing the 400-plus page book, co-written with Mim Eichler Rivas, at the top of 2022. But after Will infamously slapped Chris Rock in real time during the Oscars over a joke about her shaved head, Pinkett Smith wondered if writing a book was the right choice.

“The only time I reconsidered possibly was after the Oscars…because I was like I can’t write a book and not talk about this piece,” she told The Associated Press, admitting that she felt like the scapegoat for Will’s actions. “It took me a while to figure that out.”

While the Smiths’ marriage dynamic may still be confusing to some — they’re technically still married but have lived separate lives for years with divorce not an option — the “Collateral” actress says they’re working toward resolution.

“We love each other…we are figuring out right now as we speak, what that looks like for us. But there’s no being separated. There’s no, ‘we’re going to get divorced,’” she said. “I’m not giving up on that dude. And he’s not giving up on me… So, let’s just stop and let’s get to this deep healing and figure this out.”

With talent and serendipitous timing, the Baltimore native headed to Hollywood in the early ’90s during a peak period where the industry was welcoming in young, Black actors and creatives. She eventually landed a role on “A Different World,” the “The Cosby Show”-spinoff which inspired a generation of young African Americans to pursue college educations, particularly at historically Black colleges and universities. She went on to star in films like “Menace II Society,” “Jason’s Lyric,” “Set It Off,” “The Nutty Professor” and in “The Matrix” franchise.

Pinkett Smith says while her husband had aspirations to become a global, superstar actor, she didn’t share those same dreams which caused friction. While she considered how revealing intimate details to the world would further affect their family, it’s her story to tell — “before Jada Pinkett Smith, there was Jada Pinkett,” she notes.

“Will completely understood that this was my point of view and that I had a right to talk about my point of view,” Pinkett Smith said of her husband, who posted an Instagram video with the cheeky caption “notifications off” on Sunday in reaction to the media frenzy the book has stirred. “We’re even talking about writing a book called ‘Don’t Try This at Home”… just talking step-by-step of where were our pitfalls and how we got through everything we’ve gotten through.”

In the Dey Street-HarperCollins book, Pinkett Smith intimately chronicles everything from childhood lessons learned while in her grandmother’s garden, navigating being the child of drug addicts, along with tales of dealing drugs as a teen and the consequences that followed. In another revelation, she describes contemplating taking her own life while crushed by depression during a midlife crisis after turning 40.

But the book also sheds light on her path to Hollywood, creative endeavors and her journey through motherhood with her two children with Will, Jaden and Willow, and her “bonus” child Trey from Will’s first marriage. She details the unconventional freedoms she’s allowed the children to have that have drawn criticism at times. There are writing prompts in the memoir, encouraging readers to reflect on their own lives.

“It’s a bit of a ‘Red Table Talk’ guidance page,” she said with a huge laugh. “I just wanted to give little breadcrumbs along the way, a bit of oxygen along the way, of like, I’m not just going to tell you that I got from point A to point B. But I just want to give you just a little bit of the method in which what got me there.”

“Red Table Talk” was the popular talk show broadcast on Facebook Live co-hosted by her, her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris and Willow. On the show, they discussed intimate topics with guests and among themselves. In one of the most noted episodes, Jada and Will discussed what she called an “entanglement” after R&B singer August Alsina revealed the relationship, causing the public to believe she had had an affair. Pictures of Will’s tired eyes and scruffy beard from that episode are frequently memed.

In the autobiography, Pinkett Smith also discusses her friendship with rap icon, actor and activist Tupac Shakur. She says there was a deep love between the two but maintain they never had a romantic feelings toward each other. They met in high school at Baltimore School for the Arts, and they both would grow up to navigate Hollywood and the trappings of fame. Shakur was killed in 1996.

Last month, Las Vegas authorities arrested Duane “Keffe D” Davis, the last living suspect in the drive-by shooting. Davis has been charged with murder.

“I’m glad that the arrest was made (of) this person we always knew was in the car with the person who shot ’Pac. And I’m hoping we get more information,” said Pinkett Smith. “I want to know who called the hit.”

The 52-year-old says she doesn’t suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts anymore, and she credits the controversial, plant-based psychedelic ayahuasca for her healing. Pinkett Smith says she’s learned to keep a positive mindset, supported by a daily routine that includes mediation, prayer, scripture readings from various religions and yoga.

Pinkett Smith has launched a 13-city “Our Worthy Journey” book tour with stops that include London, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. While not everything in her life is perfect, she feels worthy these days.

“(I’m) feeling so comfortable in my skin. I know who I am. And I know who I am in regards to my relationship to Divine Source,” she said, pointing to the sky before holding her heart. “I know that I have everything that I need right here and that anything else that anybody else wants to offer me is a gift — is a gift! And I’m deeply grateful.”

[fenmere]

We can help kick this off!

Stories that we can remember that had explicit (if accidental) plural rep (i.e. situations where there are more than one person in a body):

The Man with Two Brains (1983)

CW's Flash (specifically Killer Frost/Caitlin Snow)

Star Trek DS9 and Discover (the Trill - Discovery also had Ash, but that rep was hugely problematic)

Sense8

Doom Patrol

Yi-gi-oh

Moon Knight

Harmless Free Radicals (a webcomic by me)

The Sunspot Chronicles (a novel series by my system)

Steven Universe

Any story that involves possession

Stories that had plural related themes or metaphors (accidental or purposeful):

CW's Legends of Tomorrow

Pacific Rim

Star Trek Picard

Any Star Trek episode with the Borg

The Matrix series (especially the end of Matrix Resurrection)

Nimona (the graphic novel)

any story in which a group of heroes enters the dream world of another person to help them work out personal issues or a crisis

Rings of the Master series by Jack L. Chalker

The Patternist series by Octavia Butler

There are a lot more, of course. This is just to get start thinking about it.

And we include our own work in that list, because we're going to talk about it next:

See, when we were working on Harmless Free Radicals, it was before we were out to ourselves as a system. It was before we even believed that plurality could be real. We were hard in denial and had totally bought the skeptical line that MPD/DID was fake. But we wanted it to be real.

More specifically, our highest fantasy was that "our fictional characters" could just take over our life for us, and we could rest. We thought we were one person who was just too exhausted from ADHD/Autistic masking and physical dysphoria and really needed a break and didn't like being alive. But all these fictional characters we'd come up with were such cool people, they deserved to be alive.

So, while we never quite got to writing a comic page where we revealed the underlying plot, the whole point of our webcomic was that the characters were trying to become "real", almost in a Velveteen Rabbit sort of way, and find a way out into the real world.

The final plot of the last book in the series, The Epic of Sally Robertson, had it scripted out that Sally would find a way into the real world. And two weeks after writing the script for the ending of that book, we came out as trans and had our first undeniably DID experience as a result of it.

So, that comic has a lot of plural themes worked into the relationships of the characters and the plots. Often in ways that we weren't fully aware of.

Like, we didn't initially set out to make it about plurality. But the first pages of it involved how the two lead characters, Ian and Brenna, had invented each other as their perfect partners, and so they also knew what the other was thinking at all times.

And whenever someone asked us if one of the characters was a self parody or self insert, we'd say, "Actually, they all are."

And that was long before we decided on the final plot and while we were still deeply pluralphobic and in denial.

In contrast, the Sunspot Chronicles has all been written since coming out as plural, and is absolutely utterly explicit about it.

So, anyway, whenever we look at other media that has plural themes and rep in them, even when it looks like those things are accidental, we can't help but see it as very possible that it could be evidence of a system trying to speak up about their experiences.

Especially when it's a piece of media that already has several writers and an editor.

There's no way of knowing until one of the writers actually comes out as plural. But if the themes and rep are good and thoughtful and come with really decent, un-stigmatized advice, we think it's more likely that a system was involved.

And the reason it looks accidental is that either the system doesn't know who and what they are, and they're subconsciously leading the rest of the writing team into those themes. Or they're deliberately being sneaky about it, to get it all past the editor.

In particular, for Reasons, we have high suspicions about the creators of Sense8, Steven Universe, Doom Patrol, and the better seasons of Flash.

It's not important to identify who was the system. In fact, it's important NOT to. Outing a system is like outing a trans person. Dangerous to them, socially.

But we do think it's OK to say, "This looks like it was deliberate and that there may even have been some good conversations in that writing room about doing it Right." Even when it might otherwise look accidental to a lot of other people.

Alright, let's try something-- You're tired of origins discourse, we're tired of origins discourse--fuck it, let's talk about something else. What's a system-related discussion do you wish we were all having instead? Reblog, reply, anything.

[matrixreimagined]

Neo opened his eyes after yet another training program ran through his head. In a matter of hours, he had completed advanced weapons training, learned how to use cleaning chemicals to build explosives, defensive driving, tactical driving, and how to hotwire three kinds of vehicles.

He glanced at the operator. "Everything okay?"

Tank inclined his head, with an almost disbelieving smile. "That was it. You've officially gone through all the mandated requirements to go into the Matrix. Usually takes red pills a week to do what you've done in days."

"Oh," said Neo. "What, um, what comes next?"

"Good question." Tank spun around in the chair, removing his headset and placing it on the console before jumping to his feet. "I mean, I can keep running very specific programs with you. Teach you to fly a plane or how to swim." Tank removed the plug from Neo's head. "But frankly, I'm not doing anything until I've talked to Trin."

Neo sat up, smirking. "What? Scared?"

"Of Trinity normally? Nah. But where you're concerned?" Tank made a face. "I'm not going to be the one to test her."

"Smart man." Neo stretched as he stood.

His body ached but he couldn't complain. It felt good to have his body ache; to know that everything around him was real with every stretch.

"You all right?"

"Just stiff." He rolled his neck and nodded his readiness.

Tank took him down a ladder towards the engine room. They passed Cypher and Mouse, working together to rewire something.

Cypher glanced up as they walked by, eyeing Neo carefully.

No, thought Neo, I really don't trust him.

They went on wordlessly, finding Trinity with Dozer. The latter was holding a piece of sheet metal against a wall while Trinity welded it in place.

They waited, quietly, as Trin fused the edges together enough that it could remain on its own.

Trin turned off the blowtorch and took off the welding mask, glancing behind her.

"Progress?" she asked in a no-nonsense tone.

Neo felt his lips twitch. He always enjoyed when she got straight to business.

"He completed the mandatory BS."

She raised a brow, almost in surprise before shaking her head. Neo surpassing expectations was becoming a habit.

"Do you want a break?" she asked Neo.

He shook his head. "No, I'm good."

Turning to Dozer, she asked, "Can you finish up here?"

"Of course." He took the welding mask and torch from Trinity.

She set her gloves to the side and rolled up her sleeves before nodding with her head towards the door. Tank started back towards the core while Neo waited, offering his hand. She took it, with a smile, slipping her hand into his. Their fingers entwined.

He leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

"Missed you," he confessed.

"I can tell," she teased. "Come on." With a tug of her hand, he followed back down the path.

They passed Cypher and Mouse again. Mouse gave a little wave to Trinity as she passed by. With her spare hand, she tugged his hat over his eyes playfully. Mouse made a groan of protest, but Neo was distracted, again, by Cypher.

Watching him, his eyes just short of a glare.

Neo didn't know what to make of that.

He only let go of Trinity's hand when they reached the ladder, letting her climb up first. He followed, still wary of Cypher, but feeling remarkably better as soon as they reached the main deck.

"What's up next?" Tank asked Trinity, heading back to his station.

"Void construct. Standard clothes and phone. No weapons, no extras."

"Both of you?"

She nodded.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am."

Trin smacked the back of his head before walking over to one of the chairs. She tugged down the monitor for Neo first, inputting his profile.

He stood behind her, watching. Remembering. Relearning.

So much to relearn, it felt almost impossible sometimes.

"Have a seat."

He sat down; head turned to watch her as she grabbed the plug.

Neo reached out and put a hand on hers. Softly, so Tank could not hear, he whispered, "I love you."

He was rewarded with a smile before she bent down to kiss him. A gentle brushing of her lips against his head made him nearly dizzy.

"I love you, too," she told him. "I'll see you in a moment."

She inserted the plug.

He opened his eyes in the construct. The white expanse of nothingness surrounded him on all sides.

He wasn't entirely sure what Trinity wanted from it. Typically, it was used as a loading program or a place to talk with new recruits as they learned about the Matrix. But she had requested it specifically from the operator.

As he contemplated her choice, he felt the code around him change. Adjusting and making room for a new string of code.

He turned to where she was materializing. Her casual Matrix-wear consisted of jeans, knee-high black boots, a white shirt, and a black jacket. Her hair had not been slicked back but softly framed her face.

Code had never looked so beautiful.

She blinked into the construct, checking her surroundings more out of habit than concern, before focusing her attention on Neo.

Wasting no time, she said, "I want you to play around. Test your abilities, practice with the code. If you need anything programmed in, we can call Tank."

Neo nodded. "I can do that. Any requests?"

She waved a hand. "Whatever you can do."

"I'm not sure where to begin."

"You could fly the last time you were in the construct. Do you think you can here?"

Neo blinked and watched the world change to scrolling code. With a thought, the code transformed around him, and he felt his pseudo-feet leave the ground. He hovered in the air, just a few feet high.

"Okay. Easy enough." Her tone said otherwise.

Neo focused on her.

She lurched forward as the ground gave way beneath her.

"Jesus Christ!" she swore as Neo lifted her and maneuvered her effortlessly forward until she was before him.

She reached out a hand to brace herself against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her as they floated in the void.

"Really?" she asked. Despite her raised brow, he could tell she was amused.

"What can I say? All this 'the One' business is just an elaborate scheme to get you in my arms."

She laughed, resting her head against his. "All right, Superman. Back on the ground, please."

Smiling, Neo dropped to the ground, landing on his feet before setting her alike.

"Any other requests?" he asked playfully.

"Well, I was going to have you practice moving things with your mind but considering you just tossed me around like a toy…" She paused, thoughtfully. "I suppose we could change directions. Maybe see to what extent you can manipulate the environment."

Neo nodded.

As it was, the construct seemed limitless. Of course, it still followed those basic laws of nature, like gravity and the laws of physics. But even those were manipulatable. Thus, changing the world around them was actually quite easy.

He started with the ground. They walked on white nothingness.

He blinked back to code and began to move it all around. Replacing glyphs that were no longer needed, editing and moving around others until the white began to rise into tiny blades. With another thought, he turned it green.

Of course, it wasn't real grass. But to the eyes, nose, and touch, it seemed as such.

Trinity knelt down and picked a blade to hold between her fingers.

But Neo didn't stop.

Around them, he envisioned trees. The grew from the ground up, trunks stretching to new heights before expanding outward. Branches broke through, reaching all around. Leaves sprouted as they did in the spring.

Neo looked beyond them, to the empty white sky. It occurred to him that he had never seen the true sky-- only what the Matrix had deemed an adequate replacement.

He glanced at Trinity, who was watching him carefully.

Another thought, a little bit of manipulation of the code, and the sky had turned the pale blue of her eyes.

The entire process only took a matter of minutes.

Trinity turned slowly, examining it all together.

"When I said to manipulate the environment, I was thinking along the lines of turning the construct grey." Trinity shook her head in silent awe. "This is beautiful."

It was just code, Neo mused. Edited and manipulated to look like grass and trees and sky. Trinity was beautiful.

Neo folded his right hand, grasping at the empty space. He filled it easily, knowing it was strange. He had never sat down to learn the coding for the Matrix but he could still bend it to his will with a thought almost intuitively.

He stole from the sky the pale blue of her eyes then the harsh pink of her lips, the ebony of her hair.

He stepped closer to her, opening his hand.

The pink and blue butterfly flapped its wings once on his palm. It flew towards her, circling her head twice before flying off into the expanse.

It had the desired effect, Neo noticed. Her eyes followed his creation as a smile formed onto her lips.

"Show off."

He wouldn't deny it. He'd do anything to make her smile, to make her proud.

After spending so long trapped between fiction and dreams, he finally felt like he had some sort of control over his life. He'd be damned if he didn't use every tool of said new control to make her happy.

Trinity looked around again, humming thoughtfully.

"I was hoping, by the end of the day, you'd be able to create something out of nothing. You've exceeded my expectations in a matter of minutes."

He tried not to smile too much at that.

With a shake of her head, she added, "I don't know what to do with you."

"I can think of a few things."

Trinity sent him a half-hearted glare. "I'm sure you can."

He really could.

He had a running list.

Trin took her phone out.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Going to have Tank load the Capital City landscape." She pressed a button to dial the operator, placing her phone to her ear. "Tank, can you bring up Capital Ci--"

She stopped mid-thought as the familiar rushing feeling flooded the construct. Like a brisk wind, Trinity was nearly staggered by the change. Grass disappeared, becoming solid pavement beneath her feet. The trees vanished. Skyscrapers fading in around them.

Trinity looked around, immediately noting their location. Downtown Capital City.

"Holy shit," Tank said in her ear.

She echoed the sentiment, turning to look at Neo. "How?"

It was one thing to create trees and simple figures, but this was the city.

Around them, cars drove by. Birds perched on power lines and people walked around them. And it looked right.

"I just called up the previously loaded programs." Neo shrugged, like it wasn't big deal. Like he hadn't bypassed the traditional necessity to call the operator and have someone load the program from outside.

Christ.

"Right." Trinity replied, looking away as Tank began rambling in her ear.

"Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit! Did he just do what I think he did?"

"Uh-huh."

"Jesus fucking Christ, Trin! Your boyfriend is out of control!"

"I know." She barely withheld a sigh. "I'll signal when we're ready to break."

She hung up and looked at Neo. He looked a bit bashful.

"Should I have asked before…?"

Trinity felt her lips twitch. "No, baby. You did fantastic. It just never occurred to me that you'd be able to access the history."

Neo smiled at her. He reached out a hand to caress her face, aware that his touch was code touching code. But it wouldn't be for long. Soon, he'd be able to touch and hold her again.

"Okay," she said. "New plan. I know the rules of the construct are very different from the Matrix, but I want you to practice here. Loading things without calling the Operator, changing the environment around you."

Neo nodded, thinking of reasons to call the Operator outside of an exit.

Guns. Extra ammo. Vehicles.

With a thought, he felt the heaviness of a gun press against his pants. He reached down and unholstered the revolver that hadn't been there a moment earlier.

He handed it to Trinity.

She checked it for ammo before firing a shot at the traffic lights. She hit the green light, letting it shatter. The people in the simulation didn't even react.

She handed it back to him, her face blank.

"Motorcycle."

Neo nodded, again, thinking of a bike similar to the one she had used the night in the club. The black Triumph appeared in a blink on the sidewalk.

Neo motioned with his head toward it and Trinity gave a quick nod, still maintaining the blank stare.

"A car."

The construct had thousands of makes and models. A thought and he had recalled an old Toyota similar to the one he had learned to drive on back in high school. It appeared parked on the street.

He knew she was right with her earlier remark. The construct was not the Matrix.

In the Matrix, he was certain it would be a much more difficult task. The parameters would be much greater. There would be more variables to consider. Aside from semi-conscious individuals, there would also be Agents to consider.

He looked to Trinity, sheepishly, wondering if he should have pretended to struggle a little bit more so she wouldn't be entirely at a loss of what to do.

Almost apologetically, he felt compelled to say, "The construct is very basic. Everything that's needed is already in the loading menu."

Trinity nodded, assuming as much. "You could call a helicopter with the same amount of effort it would take to add a gun."

"Yes."

She contemplated that for a moment. She shook her head to herself before looking over at him. "You're incredible, you know that?"

Neo felt like he was flying again.

He'd been told ever since he had woken up that he was special, extraordinary by nearly everyone on the crew. They all looked at him with awe and reverence and while he cared about what they thought, their opinions really didn't matter all that much to Neo.

All that mattered since he awoke, all that mattered before he awoke, was what Trinity thought.

Her consciousness, embedded in code before him, holding the perfect image of the woman he knew and loved completely.

No, he thought, it was better than flying.

Nothing compared to her.

He didn't deserve this.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't do every single damned thing in his power to keep it. To hold onto it.

"Can you bring up the Agents simulation?"

Neo blinked, adjusting the code in his mind, bringing back the options. "There are several. Which do you want?"

"Agents Training 1, maximum difficulty."

His lips twitched.

It wouldn't make a difference.

Immediately, the code around them changed its shape and colors until they were standing back in the dojo. A single Agent stood in the center of the dojo, perfectly still.

"This program has a single purpose." Trinity told him, stepping off the main mats and to the side. "To teach red pills that there is no defeating an Agent. They are programmed to be impossible to beat. It will activate once you approach."

He glanced over to where she stood on the side. "I take it I'm not allowed to just delete it from the construct?"

"No." She gave him a small smile. "I know it's stupid but humor me."

Always.

Still feeling particularly elated by her earlier praise, he asked, "Do I get a kiss for luck?"

Trinity raised an eyebrow. "Do you need a kiss for luck?"

"I always need a kiss for luck." He crossed over to where she stood. "Just so you know. Very likely to come up again."

Her lips twitched in amusement. In her heels, he wasn't much taller than her. She tilted her head up ever so slightly and Neo met her halfway.

His coded lips brushed against hers.

It wasn't real, he thought, just like his dreams hadn't been real. But it was close. Close enough he would choose touching her, kissing her over not.

She placed her hand on his chest and gave him a gentle shove backward.

He grinned, stepping back lazily towards the mats. "You want a chair?"

Trinity rolled her eyes and pointed back at the Agent. With a playful wink, he turned around.

True to Trinity's word, the Agent powered out of stasis the moment Neo approached.

He took a moment to regard the program.

Tall, white, nondescript. Dressed in a dark suit with sunglasses to hide the lifeless, unblinking eyes.

If Thomas Anderson had seen an Agent on the train, he would not have looked twice.

Built to fit in, to hide amongst ordinary.

But it was only code.

Neo blinked his vision back to the falling green storm.

He could see the Agent already assessing him, watching. Waiting for a movement.

Cause and effect.

Action and reaction.

Neo tested its ability, raising his arm as if he were to strike.

The Agent immediately swerved to avoid his fist, then stilled, just as Neo had. Curious. Learning. Adapting.

The Agent sprung forward, this time not stopping. A flurry of fists came toward him. He blocked it. And again. And again.

The Agent simulation appeared confused. The program wasn't built to be fought like this. It tried again to hit at Neo but Neo swatted it away with his forearm the same way he might have batted a fly.

Neo tilted his head to the side, resisting the temptation to just remove the nuisance from the dojo.

That was really all it was. A nuisance, throwing punches left and right, unable to land a single one. Curiously, Neo turned to the side, utilizing only his non-dominant arm to block the strikes.

It didn't make much of a difference. The Agent simulation wasn't able to land a single blow.

He wondered how long he should keep it up.

Casually, he glanced back to Trinity, his arm still blocking each incoming attack. Her perfect face was black, devoid of the many emotions he knew lurked beneath the surface.

"Do you, um… do you want me to keep going?" he asked.

She sighed, her shoulders settling as she shook her head. "No, you can end it."

Neo dodged a blow, appearing behind the Agent before it had even noted his movements. With a quick hand, he snapped its neck. It fell to the ground like it would in the Matrix, only it did not revert back to its original host.

The suited-figure laid in a limp pile.

With a thought, he vanished the simulation.

Trinity took out her phone. "Take us out, Tank."

Trinity vanished first. He watched her code dissolve into nothingness, followed by the strange sensation of fading away.

.…………………….

Trinity opened her eyes to find Apoc by her side.

He pulled the plug from her head and she sat up, seeing what she had feared. Morpheus, Mouse, and Cypher were all gathered around the monitor, along with Apoc and Tank. More than half the crew had been observing that particular event.

"For fuck's sake," she said, shaking her head.

"Trinity…" the captain said, looking between her and the monitors in awe.

"I know."

She had seen it all, much better than they had. She had witnessed, firsthand, Neo decimating each and every task she set for him.

Aside from the flying, the in depth editing of the construct, and his ability to access the inner mainframe with a thought, Neo had broken the neck of an Agent with his bare hands.

The simulation was as strong, as fast as any Agent.

Neo had lazily fought it with a single hand.

And it was incredible.

Magnificent.

She understood why the others were so fascinated.

But he didn't need the attention. He didn't want that kind of attention and reverence.

All he wanted was to feel like he belonged again.

Before she could bark at them all to leave, Neo opened his eyes. Apoc moved quickly to unplug him as Trinity rose to her feet.

"That was something else." Tank spun in his chair. "Y'all didn't even need me till you were ready to get out! Nearly shit myself when you loaded Cap City on your own."

Neo's cheeks tinged the slightest of pinks. He would underplay it, she was certain.

"I could access the data history. It wasn't that complex."

She found herself fighting a smile as she looked at him. He caught her eye and his lips twitched.

Fuck, she loved him.

How could she ever have doubted the Oracle's word? How could she have ever downplayed what she would feel for him with thoughts like it's really not a big deal and so what? It won't change anything.

Maybe it was naivety or fear but she had never been so grateful to be wrong.

"Thank fuck you need me to pull you in and out," Tank was saying. "Otherwise, I'd have to go to the Zion Unemployment Office."

Trin smirked, looking back towards Tank but the smile fell from her face as she looked at Cypher. Standing behind Morpheus, the bald man was rolling his eyes.

Neo's words from that morning came back to her. Haunting her. I don't trust him.

Trinity herself had always been wary of Cypher. Another one that Morpheus had unplugged a little past what Zion considered an appropriate and safe age, Cypher had been very attached to the Matrix. He had a little more trouble than most letting go. She supposed she couldn't blame him for that but there was still plenty that she could.

He had been in his mid-twenties when Morpheus had unplugged him. Trinity had only just joined the Neb's crew a few months earlier and was still seventeen at the time. While he was mistrustful of most of the crew, he had taken to her.

At first, she hadn't thought much of it. She was the youngest on the crew. She probably didn't seem as intimidating as everyone else but his interest had quickly gotten out of hand.

Before they reached Zion, he had tried to kiss her.

She quickly shut him down. Aside from already knowing what waited for her, she had no interest in the older man. For the rest of the trip, she had avoided him. And for a few years, things were fine.

Until Cypher requested to rejoin the Nebuchadnezzar. They never talked about it but sometimes she would catch him watching her. She tried her best to ignore it, labeling it as frustrating but harmless.

Harmless, she had thought.

Perhaps not, if Neo's gut was right.

And Trinity knew she wasn't exactly impartial when it came to Neo, but how could anybody not like Neo? There had to be something wrong with him.

She blinked back into the present, noting that Neo's face was slowly turning red as Morpheus, Mouse, and Tank took turns rambling about how incredible it had been to watch Neo manipulate the construct and annihilating the Agent simulation.

"Let's break for lunch," Trinity interrupted as Mouse started a visual demonstration of Neo's moves. "We can come back later."

Neo looked to her and she could read the silent thank you in his eyes as he stood up.

Apoc put a hand on her shoulder as he walked by, heading down the hall to the mess. Mouse, Tank, and Cypher followed, Mouse continuing to move one of his arms in quick strikes, trying to imitate what Neo had done to the Agent.

Neo closed the distance between them, wrapping an arm around Trinity, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face as she leaned into him.

Morpheus regarded them briefly, still in awe from Trinity's earlier revelations and Neo's skill within the construct.

To have found the One, after a lifetime of searching, was satisfying to say the least. Neo defied every expectation Morpheus had and then some. And while Morpheus was getting used to Neo doing such, he wasn't sure he would ever get used to the ease in which the One gravitated towards Trinity.

With a small shake of his head, Morpheus followed the rest of the crew towards the mess hall.

The moment the captain had disappeared, Neo bent down to kiss her head.

Once his lips left her head, Trinity looked up, standing on tiptoe to kiss him properly. She was reluctant to keep it short but she knew if they took too long, Tank or Mouse would come searching for them. That was the last thing they needed.

"I love you," she told him.

Neo raised a brow, giving her a playful smile as he asked, "Because of all that?"

"No." She brushed her thumb across his temple. "Because despite all that you're still you."

It would have been so easy to do, she thought. For Neo to have become swept away with being the One and all it entailed. To be caught up in his powers and abilities until he was unrecognizable from the man she had watched through a computer screen until liking turned to fixation and fixation turned to adoration.

But instead, he was just a man.

One she just happened to be madly in love with.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

so i’m a bit confused, did they jake marco tobias and ax all end up dying at the end? like ax i’m pretty sure is dead but idk really and same with the others

Eh, I think it's deliberately up to the reader. I know I'm the only person on the planet who feels this way, but I love the structure of that ending — it leaves a lot of room for fans to come up with reads where they're alive, reads where they're dead, reads somewhere in between.

Evidence they might be alive:

As a different fan pointed out (@derinthescarletpescatarian was it you?), the series's line "ram the Blade ship" is clearly meant to parallel the moment in Andalite Chronicles where Elfangor literally tries to ram the Blade ship — BUT that earlier moment is a bluff, and results in no fatalities. So if there's that foreshadowing in Andalite Chronciles, then maybe Jake is bluffing as well and the Rachel is fine.

There's also the foreshadowing in Ellimist Chronicles. The specific way that prologue is phrased seems to imply that an Animorph (as in, just one) is about to die young. Rachel dies a lot younger than her friends regardless of how you take it, but you could also take that prologue to mean that she's the only one who will die unusually young.

Evidence they might be dead:

There are several hints in the second half of #54 that Jake views this whole thing as a kamikaze mission, and has no exit plan for anyone. Marco especially both assumes Jake's looking for an elaborate way to die redeeming himself, and that Jake is asking him and Tobias to try and get Ax out or die trying.

Related, there's the motif of Jake taking on Rachel's role any time she's gone. It's there in #16, #21, MM2, and #42, but it's a major thread throughout #53 and #54; Marco repeatedly describes Jake having "Rachel's smile." If Jake is trying desperately to follow in Rachel's footsteps, then arguably he succeeds.

Cassie describes herself and Marco as "the only two real survivors of the war" (#54). Given the overall bleak tone of the book — Visser Seventeen dies but it costs too much, Visser Three goes to prison but it doesn't really matter, Jara never lives to see his people freed, Arbron dies winning freedom for his, the Animorphs get their dream lives postwar and all those dreams prove hollow — an ending where everyone but Cassie dies would fit thematically.

Other options I like:

A Valhalla-like scenario where the Animorphs end this lifetime but in the process transition to fighting cosmic battles against deities like Crayak and Father and The One, serving as avatars for Toomin.

A sario rip on impact that sends the Animorphs elsewhere and/or elsewhen — they can't ever go home to their own reality, but they have other adventures afterward.

Deus Ex Time Matrix, or Elfangor-from-20-years-ago interrupting the crash because (among other things) he doesn't feel like dying in the war and doesn't want his kid or his brother to do so either.

Cassie's temporally grounded, so she just, like, uh, resets the timeline somehow.

The One barfs out the Blade ship after getting body-slammed by the Rachel, and in the process somehow or other barfs out Rachel and everyone else who ever died on board.

See? This is all so much more rich and interesting and interactive than a simple wrapped-up ending.

[southernartcritic-blog]

At last, for your bread and circus pleasure, here is our complete list of on-screen recommendations made between 1979-2021.

American Movies made after 1979 that I found worth a second view:

Wise Blood (1979)

Being There (1979)

The Warriors (1979)

10 (1979)

The Shining (1980)

Somewhere in Time (1980)

Caddyshack (1980)

Scanners (1981)

Blade Runner (1982)

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983)

National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

Ghostbusters (1984)

Blood Simple (1984)

1984 (1984)

The NeverEnding Story (1984)

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

Commando (1985)

Brazil (1985)

Summer Rental (1985)

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)

Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)

Short Circuit (1986)

Crocodile Dundee (1986)

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

9½ Weeks (1986)

Children of a Lesser God (1986)

Labyrinth (1986)

Lucas (1986)

The Fly (1986)

Harry and the Hendersons (1987)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

The Princess Bride (1987)

Batteries Not Included (1987)

RoboCop (1987)

Near Dark (1987)

They Live (1988)

Dead Ringers (1988)

Bird (1988)

Willow (1988)

Bright Lights, Big City (1988)

Radio Bikini (1988)

Short Circuit 2 (1988)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Heathers (1989)

Christmas Vacation (1989)

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)

Dreams (1990)

Prancer (1989)

Harlem Nights (1989)

Dead Poet’s Society (1989)

Parenthood (1989)

Who’s Harry Crumb (1989)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Dreams (1990)

Home Alone (1990)

Young Guns ll (1990)

Quick Change (1990)

The Witches (1990)

Goodfellas (1990)

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

Naked Lunch (1991)

Regarding Henry (1991)

The Last Boy Scout (1991)

The Fisher King (1991)

What About Bob (1991)

Doc Hollywood (1991)

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991)

Bugsy (1991)

Nothing but Trouble (1991)

Switch (1991)

Ricochet (1991)

Flirting (1991)

People Under the Stairs (1991)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Baraka (1992)

Deep Cover (1992)

The Player (1992)

Juice (1992)

Boomerang (1992)

A League of Their Own (1992)

Hero (1992)

True Romance (1993)

Groundhog Day (1993)

Judgement Night (1993)

Untamed Heart (1993)

A Perfect World (1993)

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Kalifornia (1993)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

PCU (1994)

Natural Born Killers (1994)

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Silent Fall (1994)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Wolf (1994)

The Crow (1994)

Nobody’s Fool (1994)

Casino (1995)

Dead Man (1995)

To Die For (1995)

Kids (1995)

Seven (1995)

Matilda (1996)

Sleepers (1996)

Kingpin (1996)

Fargo (1996)

Blood and Wine (1996)

Flirting with Disaster (1996)

The Ice Storm (1997)

Lost Highway (1997)

The House of Yes (1997)

Lolita (1997)

Boogie Nights (1997)

Booty Call (1997)

The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

Gang Related (1997)

Gummo (1997)

Jackie Brown (1997)

The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

Breakdown (1997)

Enemy of the State (1998)

Wild Things (1998)

Batman (1989)

Psycho (1998)

Fallen (1998)

Sliding Doors (1998)

Patch Adams (1998)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

All the Little Animals (1998)

The Truman Show (1998)

Meet Joe Black (1998)

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

The Matrix (1999)

The Ninth Gate (1999)

Magnolia (1999)

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Eye of the Beholder (1999)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Instinct (1999)

Ravenous (1999)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Best in Show (2000)

American Psycho (2000)

Cast Away (2000)

Best in Show (2000)

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Monster’s Ball (2001)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Frailty (2001)

The Man from Elysian Fields (2001)

Hannibal (2001)

Storytelling (2001)

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

The Hours (2002)

Secretary (2002)

Beat the Devil (2002)

The Sweetest Thing (2002)

Lost in Translation (2003)

The Big Lebowski (2003)

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)

Spun (2003)

Monster (2003)

The Human Stain (2003)

Man on Fire (2004)

Closer (2004)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

No Country for Old Men (2005)

A History of Violence (2005)

Fierce People (2005)

Broken Flowers (2005)

The New World (2005)

V for Vendetta (2005)

Tideland (2005)

Factotum (2005)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The Proposition (2005)

A Scanner Darkly (2006)

The Fall (2006)

Idiocracy (2006)

Zodiac (2007)

There Will Be Blood  (2007)

Michael Clayton (2007)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

The Girl Next Door (2007)

Fracture (2007)

An American Crime (2007)

Into the Wild (2007)

Death Proof (2007)

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Appaloosa (2008)

Doubt (2008)

Burn After Reading (2008)

The Dark Knight (2008)

Gran Torino (2008)

The Wrestler (2008)

City of Ember (2008)

The Ramen Girl (2008)

Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009)

Crossing Over (2009)

Antichrist (2009)

Wall Street Money Never Sleeps (2010)

Black Swan (2010)

Melancholia (2011)

J. Edgar (2011)

Killer Elite (2011)

The Mechanic (2011)

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Drive (2011)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Water for Elephants (2011)

Chained (2012)

Cloud Atlas (2012)

The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

The Master (2012)

The Iceman (2012)

Life of Pi (2012)

Her (2013)

Blue Jasmine (2013)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Snowpiercer (2014)

Phil Spector (2013)

The Giver (2014)

Big Eyes (2014)

Kill the Messenger (2014)

Winter’s Tale (2014)

Foxcatcher (2014)

Ex Machina (2014)

Sea of Trees (2015)

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Experimenter (2015)

Sicario (2015)

Mascots (2016)

The Neon Demon (2016)

Rebel in the Rye (2017)

The Wizard of Lies (2017)

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Wonder Wheel (2017)

Phantom Thread (2017)

The Shape of Water (2017)

Lucky (2017)

The House that Jack Built (2018)

Under the Silver Lake (2018)

Mandy (2018)

The Devil We Know (2018)

Dark Waters (2019)

City of Lies (2019)

The Irishman (2019)

Elsewhere (2019)

The Beach Bum (2019)

Richard Jewell (2019)

Capone (2020)

Pig (2021)

Old (2021)

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Binge-worthy Shows of Recent Years:

Chuck

Breaking Bad

Better Call Saul

The Good Wife

Person of Interest

Animal Kingdom

Mind Hunter

Hannibal

Dexter

Six Feet Under

Tales from the Crypt

The Righteous Gemstones

The X-Files

Honorable Mentions:

Westworld

Game of Thrones

Sopranos

Deadwood

True Detective 

Yellowstone

Black Mirror

American Horror Story

Dope Sick

The Old Man

Yellowjackets

Billions

Patrick Melrose

Yellowstone

Boardwalk Empire

You

The Handmaid's Tale

Bonus 80’s Faves:

Night Court

Alf 

Twilight Zone

The Muppets

[magikalbookie]

Update

Well, well, well. It has been a while since I have posted here. Apologies for the hiatus. I will say that I finished that book, A Tale of 7 Elements, and I have purchased many books since then. I am mostly keeping track of my book reading on Goodreads but not always giving reviews or summaries of what I have read. In the past few days, I was inspired to start writing about the books I’m currently reading, so that is why I’m back. Honestly, I doubt that I will get a chance to finish all the books I’ve managed to collect since I mostly read when I feel inspired to.

Here is a list of books I’ve recently purchased in the past 24 months and I hope to read. They are listed in no particular order other than just by grabbing what’s nearest to me. 1. Andrija Puharich, The Sacred Mushroom: Key to the Door of Eternity 2. Matias Flury, Downloads from the Nine 3. R. Gordon Wasson, Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality 4. Willy Ley, Another Look at Atlantis 5. Katherine Routledge, The Mystery of Easter Island 6. David Blaine, Mysterious Strangers: A Book of Magic 7. Mark Wilson, Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic 8. Time-Life Books, The Spirit World 9. Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz, American Indian Myths and Legends 10. Reader’s Digest, Bizarre Phenomena: Quest for the Unknown 11. Time-Life Books, Utopian Visions 12. Time-Life Books, Mystic Places 13. Time-Life Books, The Mystical Year 14. Arthur Lyons and Marcello Truzzi, Ph.D., The Blue Sense: Psychic Detectives and Crime 15. Patricia Mercier, Crystal Skulls & The Enigma of Time: A Spiritual Adventure into the Mayan World of Prophecy and Discovery 16. Tracie Long, Shamanism 17. Jan Budkowski, Runes 18. Bernice Cockram, Sacred Geometry 19. Joylina Goodings, Auras 20. The Supernatural, Visitors From Outer Space 21. Rav Berg, The Power of Kabbalah: 13 Principles to Overcome Challenges and Achieve Fulfillment 22. Dr. Joe Dispenza, Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon 23. Preservation Press, Psychic Files of the CIA: Selections From the CIA’s Crest Declassification Document System 24. Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood’s End 25. Jonathan Margolis, The Secret Life of Uri Geller: CIA Masterspy? 26. Sylvia Browne, Book of Dreams 27. Sylvia Browne, End of Days: Predictions and Prophecies About the End of the World 28. Jack Sarfatti, Destiny Matrix 29.Stephen King, The Shining 30. Stephen King, Doctor Sleep: A Sequel to the Shining 31. Dean Radin, Ph.D., Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe 32. Dean Radin, Ph.D., Supernormal: Science, Yoga, and the Evidence for Extraordinary Psychic Abilities 33. Richard Lloyd Parry, Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone 34. Al Koran, Bring Out the Magic in Your Mind 35. Ingo Swann, Penetration: The Question of Extraterrestrial and Human Telepathy 36.  Byron Janis with Maria Cooper Janis, Chopin and Beyond: My Extraordinary Life in Music and the Paranormal 37. Bradley and Bradley, Psychic Phenomena: Revelations and Experiences 38. Colin Wilson, The Occult 39. Andrija Puharich, Beyond Telepathy 40. Three Initiates, The Kybalion 41. Harriet A. Washington, A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind 42. Final Fantasy XIV, Chronicles of Light 43. Kazushige Mojima, Traces of Two Pasts 44. Chocobo and the Airship: Final Fantasy Picture Book I’d be lucky to read half of these. There are more books that I’ve purchased but not listed, as well as books that I’ve purchased and finished reading (which are recorded on my Goodreads account.) I hope not to call this an obsession, but I am strongly interested in paranormal and magic topics due to personal experiences but also perhaps an innate or intuitive calling to learn. The thing is that if I’m reading and I’m not learning something profound or “aligned with intuition” then it is hard to continue reading because it is not as important to me at this time. But I accept that if I don’t finish, or if I take a break, it’s okay. I don’t have to tell myself that I lack discipline, it is just that other information is more important at this time. Anyway, wish me luck in finishing these books!

[jandjsalmon]

2022 Fanfiction Reading Challenge

February 2022 Stats

Just over 1 million words read this month.

For the first time since I started counting my fics back in April of 2020, Bughead was not the pairing that I’ve read the most. That’s a little trippy for me. Perhaps a reread of some of my favourite Buggie Authors’ collections are in order. 

Anyway - some fic recs to share:

Eight Nights by @happilyshanghaied​  (Nancy/Ace - E, 8 fics) - There are not enough Hanukkah fics out there and this is just a delight! I first read this series in January... and then again in February (my first re-read of the year, in fact). The funny thing is, because I don’t watch the show, I have no prior opinions of the characters and how they behave other than what I read in fics. My wonderful and talented friend wrote the first Nancy and Ace that I’d ever read and now I compare every other Nace fic I read to hers... hers are still the best. 😉

The Dream Chronicles by @trin303​​  (Neo/Trinity - E, 17/17) - What would it have been like if Neo had dreamt of the Neb and her crew before they broke him out of the Matrix? Read this fic to find out!

Bespoke by fettuccine_alfreylo  (Reylo - E, 12/12) - A fic with brooding actor!Ben and sassy stylist!Rey - enemies to lovers with some fun kinks... 

love is what you deserve by @brazilianchild​​ (Hallie - G, 5/5) - ALL THE TROPES! There was only one bed. Pretend Relationship. Antagonistic coworkers to friends to lovers. A Wedding Date (to ex’s wedding). Like the tag says, this has severe Rom Com Vibes and I LOVE it.

–

If you have any pairings/fics/fandoms that you are dying to share, please hit me up. I have read so many new fun fanfictions because of your recommendations. 

Random Question for this month. Let’s talk Tropes. What is your FAVOURITE trope? What is the first trope you search when reading in a new fandom?

And also - the world is in peril. If you can help - please do! 🇺🇦 🌻

[kwangyadetective]

NCT Universe: The Dream Lab 💭🧪

Here’s a little simple introduction of how the NCT Universe works and what you NEED to know before diving deeper into it!

Press “Keep Reading” to read more!

The NCT universe or concept is heavily inspired by movies like Inception and The Matrix. But I will only focus on Inception for this one.

In Inception, the idea is that you visit someone’s dreams and plant an idea into their head so that they can implement that idea in real life. This is similar to the concept of NCT but they do it in an experiment, in a lab called The Dream Lab!

Each members have a role in this experiment, but not everyone’s roles are specifically mentioned nor confirmed in NCT contents. The point of The Dream Lab is to analyse dreams, make visual representations using technology, and apply it in real life. With that, this lab is created to overcome limits of reality and to create a whole new world.

In the MV Without You, we can see snippets of how the lab looks like.

The Dream Lab was actually explained in the NCTmentary videos that were posted back in 2018. But I’m pretty sure it was difficult for people to understand😅 and there weren’t much people who were inerested in it. The videos also specifically mentioned that Johnny is one of the main experimenters or observers, and Haechan is a chronicler.

This experiment is divided into 5 stages:

Stage 1: Reality - Our conscious state before we are asleep

Stage 2: Dream - Our unconscious thoughts and desires when we are asleep.

Stage 3: Synchronization of Dreams - If you empathize with someone, if you share the same ideas and goals, you can synchronize with them and visit them in their dream. This is why they use words like “Resonance” and “Empathy” as album titles for their NCT U projects (you know when all NCT units gather :] ). So whenever they’re going to do that, you can expect them using words that are similar to empathy and resonance as their next album. This is also the stage where NCT MVs are made because what we see in their MVs are when their dreams are synchronized; when they meet each other. The members can synchronized because they have the same dream and goal; to sing and perform.

Stage 4: Dream in a Dream - In this stage, our dreams are starting to affect our reality. To be able to be in this stage, all members NEED to be synchronized. With this, (it may be difficult to understand but-) it creates a whole new world and alternate reality, away from the real world. This is because the idea that was planted in the head is starting to happen but in another reality.

Stage 5: Back to Reality - This is where our dreams do come true :)

There is also a scale to indicate the stage where the members are when they are experimenting,

Blue represents reality and Red represents dream (Dream in a Dream / deeper dream to be exact). Other stages are colors in between blue and red. Since NCT’s main color is green, so they’re in between Reality and Dream; specifically a normal dream. This is also related to the choice of lighting that is used in a MV. So next time when you watch an MV, pay attention to the color of the lighting. It indicates at what stage they are.

And if you read NCT’s lyrics, most of them talks about how the experiment goes. Like how they synchronize, meet in dreams, etc. You may even notice that ideas like “wake up” and “another world” are often can be heard in their songs. It’s a common concept since their main goal is to synchronize in dreams and make their goals come true.

At this point, I’m pretty sure you’re gonna ask:

“BUT WHY ARE THEY DOING IT IN A DREAM?”

because unlike reality that is limited, a dream is limitless just like NCT ;) (literally).

—

I think that’s all you need to know! With this, you will understand what I’m explaining in future investigation posts!

All information in here are from this tweet

[overheardatthecontinental]

Hey sorry for asking, I don't wanna pressure you are anything. Just curious if you were still planning on continuing Mine at some point. It's just so wonderfully intense and one of my favorite series on tumblr! xoxo

Got a couple questions about Mine and other fics lately. I do intend to finish this story (and others) however my laptop keyboard is broken so I'm kind of in stasis on all fics until I get a new one. I'm hoping to buy one in the next month.

For anyone following my Matrix fics, The Dream Chronicles will continue to be updated as most of the chapters are already written.

Thanks for your understanding ❤

[slowlyteenagestarlight]

Cellular Memories 11:11 AM Q9/29/2Q21 Namaste 🙏 The veiled fourth wall of ignorance and its cognitive dissonance to include activating DNA, never chronicled or experienced. At least to anyone’s memories. Not to dispel cellular memories or past lives which has psychological effects, on one’s symbiotic attachment/beliefs. As we transition from a third dimensional reality to a hyperdimensional existence we are experiencing a recalibration of our mind-body-soul being. A process that has accelerated in 2016 and now sees us in an intense period of recalibration through 2017, on into the next 7 years. This activation of cellular restructuring, a quantum make over, has been triggered by cosmic waves of light energy flowing through and around our planet for she, too, is recalibrating, raising her frequencies. This process has been triggered and is being monitored. We are being guided, as a planet and as individuals, protected and healed. The transition from third dimension existence to multi dimensional living is tricky and challenging. Highs of intense, creative energy surges followed by deep lows of blurry head, physical tiredness, poor short term memory and tearful moments. • We may feel internally conflicted, like we are being pulled in different directions. 
 • We may be more aware of the control dramas others are playing out around us. 
 • We may see through the lies and manipulations of people or society in a way we never did before. This can be disconcerting, confusing and leave us feeling under the weather, tired and restless. As our bodies recalibrate we need to rest, stay hydrated and eat well. We are moving from a linear existence in the third dimension to hyperdimensional reality where time is quantum. We will exist in past, present and future simultaneously. This is the fifth dimension. Full of love, abundance, flow and balance. As we transition we move between the third, fourth and fifth dimensions. During sleep our dreams allow our spirit to free itself from the dense vibrations of the body in the third dimension. We may experience timeline slippage or acceleration. This is a rare and incredible celestial event. A unique opportunity to release karma and evolve. Some signs you are experiencing a recalibration of your mind-body-soul system Your body is changing: 1 You are more sensitive to chemical based products - skin irritations, allergies. 2 You cannot tolerate synthetic food the way you used to. 3 You experience aches, pains, colds and flu's, stomach bugs, blurry vision, popping and buzzing in your ears and unusual headaches.
 Your mind is expanding: 4 You are actively filtering out "news" trying to disconnect from the fear and depression it generates. 5 You have woken up too much of the lies and deceit played out in global politics. 6 You are remembering childhood passions, creative outlets you enjoyed but forgot about. Your soul imprint is changing: 7 You are seeking quieter ways of being. 8 You are in the process or have shed friends/colleagues/family who bring your vibrations down. 9 You are drawn to meditation, yoga, healing therapies, being in nature in a way you never have before. 10 You are aware of fluctuations in your perception of time. As we disconnect from the matrix, the holographic third dimension, flowing with surges in cosmic waves, we feel this mind-body-soul recalibration, and it's not easy.

Many people are restricting their diet cutting out wheat, gluten, meat, dairy products. The move towards organic non GMO food speaks of this.

The fight to stop Monsanto also shows a movement of awakening to the poisons of the matrix. The food weapon agenda is increasingly recognized and fought against. Alternative holistic remedies to matrix made illnesses like cancer drive the battle for freedom and disconnection from the cabal’s hold and control of the third dimension. All of this adds up to a bumpy ride friends. We are to rise above the matrix, raise our vibrations in alignment with Gaia yet still exist in the matrix. To be grounded, mindful, living the third dimension life whilst simultaneously att

[greenstudies]

My ‘To watch’ movie list

I already shared my favourite movies. For those who look for more inspiration when it comes choosing a movie, here’s the list of movies I will hopefully watch in near future:

In case you are interested in films I’ve seen and rated here’s a list

🎦 Action/Adventure

The Expendables

Enola Holmes

The Life of Pi

The Matrix: Reloaded

The Bourne Identity

Those Who Wish Me Dead

Inglourious Basterds

Jane Got a Gun

The Usual Suspects

The Monuments Men

Self/less

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The Tourist

360

The Score

Haywire

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Red Notice

🎦 Animated

Frozen 2

LEGO Batman Movie

Luca

Chicken Run

Grave of Fireflies

Ocean Waves

Pom Poko

My Neighbours Yamadas

The Cat Returns

The Wind Rises

A Whisker Away

Encanto

🎦 Comedy

Girls Trip

The King of Comedy

Palm Springs

Hocus Pocus

Coming 2 America

Turner and Hooch

Bandits

Silver Linings

Last Vegas

The Whole Nine Yards

Twins

In Bruges

Late Night

But I'm a Cheerleader

The Big Lebowski

Free Guy

Cozy Dens

My Sweet Little Village

Secluded, Near Woods

Marecek, Pass Me the Pen! writing it in english truly feels like a crime

elf

Heathers

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything

Get Real

Unpregnant

🎦 Drama

Gladiator

Philadelphia

Taxi Driver

The Irrational Man

Parenthood

Mary Magdalene

Mona Lisa Smile

Breath

American Pastoral

The Life of David Gale

Dead Poets Society

Trainspotting

Trainspotting 2

The Impossible

The Terminal

Witness

Seberg

Happiest Season

Legend

Les Misérables

Fight Club

Black Swan

Frank

Shame

Moonlight

Miss Potter

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Detachment

The Kindergarten Teacher

Kolja

Locke

The Drop

Anna Karenina

Mr. Holmes

The Departed

The Birthday Cake

Eighth Grade

Focus

Only Lovers left Alive

Cassandra’s Dream

August: Osage County

A Beautiful Mind

American Beauty

Concussion

Closet Monster

A Single Man

Tomboy

Gods and Monsters 

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

Battle of the Sexes

The Power of the Dog

Everything, Everywhere All at Once

🎦 Documentary

Minimalism: Less is now

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

🎦 Horror

Sinister

Midsommar

The Craft

Ready or Not

The House That Jack Built

Things Heard & Seen

Pet Semetary

Fright Night

The Passion of Darkly Noon

🎦 Thriller

You were never really here

Us

The Ghost Writer

The Devil’s Own

Paranoia

The Gift

Memento

V for Vendetta

Enemy

Nightcrawler

The Double

Shutter Island

Secret Window

The Dressmaker

Gone Girl

Brick

Heaven

The Devil All the Time

Flashback

Identity

The Number 23

Deception

The Guilty

Nocturnal Animals

Ther Handmaiden

🎦 Fantasy

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Pan’s Labyrinth

Interview With the Vampire

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Donnie Darko

Dragon Prince

300

The Imaginarium of Doctor Paranssus

🎦 Sci-fi

Equals

The Day the Earth Stood Still

2001: Space Oddysey

The Darkest Minds

Equilibrium

Dune

Star Wars IV: A New Hope

The adam Project

🎦 Superhero

Shazam!

Justice League

Wonder Woman 1984

Black Widow

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The New Mutants

Shang-Chi

The Eternals

Morbius

🎦 Romance

Inventing the Abbotts

To All the Boys PS: I love you

Something New

Book of Love

Love from Ground Zero

Notting Hill

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

A Star Is Born

How to Be Single

Beginners

You’ve got Mail

Splash

Six Days, Seven Nights

Café Society

10 Things I Hate About You

Love, Simon

Siberia

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

We Bought a Zoo

Begin again

Colette

Laggies

Eat Pray Love

Focus

Lost and Delirious

In & Out

Maurice

Saving Face

Blue is the Warmest Color

Supernova

Love is Strange

The Kids Are Alright

Sorry for the long post! It turned out to be waaay longer than I thougt it would be. Have a great day!

[matrixreimagined]

After lunch, Neo had gone back to simulations. Much to his chagrin, it had not been with Trinity.

Apoc took him through several shooting simulations to practice his accuracy with different guns. It was more practical than his initial construct and, he had to admit, it was largely enjoyable.

Unlike most of their mornings, Apoc was less of a drill sergeant and more of a coach. He offered pointers and advice beyond the scope of the construct programs.

After two hours, Morpheus switched in.

He uploaded a new program that resembled the Matrix, even felt like the Matrix, but Neo knew it was the construct.

Morpheus led him up a street, easily weaving between people and Neo followed.

"The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy," Morpheus explained, dodging a man in a sailor suit. "When you're inside, you look around. What do you see? Business men, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save."

Neo narrowly avoided crashing into another but managed to slip by.

"But until we do, these people are still a part of that system, and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged."

Neo idly noted a splash of red in a sea of neutrals, sparing the wearer a glance before turning back to Morpheus.

"And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it. Were you listening to me Neo, or were you looking at the woman…"

Morpheus stopped as he noticed Neo's attention still on him.

Neo blinked in confusion.

Morpheus shook his head, the start of a smile on his lips. "Of course not."

"Sorry?" Neo asked, not understanding.

"Look back."

Neo turned, blinking into the green storm in time to see the woman in red turn into an Agent. A gun was brandished towards them although Neo did not flinch. Instead, he glanced back at Morpheus with raised eyebrows as Morpheus signaled for Tank to freeze it.

"Usually, that works better."

Neo hummed, inclining his head as he looked at the Agent. "The red amongst the dark was a nice touch. "

"Didn't distract you."

"Didn't register as a threat."

Morpheus cleared his throat. "Yes, well… the lesson remains the same, I suppose. If you're not one of us, you're one of them. Anyone can be an Agent. They are everyone and they are no one."

Neo regarded the Agent, trying to recall his dreams.

Smith.

An enemy, somehow more significant than the other Agents. Neo struggled to remember more than whispers. Taunts of Mister Anderson and promises of inevitability echoed around his mind.

Flashes of this Agent with others, giving chase and pursuing him and Trinity.

And then, for some reason, Smith was gone. Agents were replaced but they remained one of their most difficult opponents.

A vague memory opened up of Neo holding Trinity behind him while Agents fired at them, only to meet an invisible force that protected them. Another of telling Trinity and Morpheus to go, to get to an exit with a promise of I'll hold them off. An Agent pointing a gun at him before Trinity managed to sneak up and shoot it at point blank range before helping him to his feet.

A haunting voice that called screamed at him Why do you persist?

"They are the gatekeepers. They are guarding all the doors. They are holding all the keys, which means that sooner or later, someone is going to have to fight them."

"Someone," Neo repeated, looking back at Morpheus. He knew what the older man alluded to.

"I've seen an Agent punch through a concrete wall. Men have emptied entire clips at them and hit nothing but air. Yet their strength and their speed are still based in a world that is built on rules. Because of that, they will never be as strong or as fast as you can be."

Neo knew Morpheus was right, but it did little to help the anxiety bubbling inside him.

Another psuedo-memory wormed its way to the surface. A nightmare, of sorts, that had woken him from his sleep on more than one occasion.

A dark, gravelly voice ordering another to get the girl, before the Agents abandoned their attack on him, the anomaly, to search for the one weakness they could exploit.

Neo found himself swallowing. "They're going to target Trinity."

Morpheus looked up sharply. "What?"

"The Agents. When they realize they can't hurt me, when they realize… what she means to me, they're going to target her."

"Does she know?"

Neo shook his head. "Not yet." He was only just remembering himself.

A part of him wished he could just beg her to stay out of the Matrix, but it was as much her mission as it was his. She'd given so much of her life to destroying the Matrix, he couldn't even think to ask her. But it was going to be dangerous. And he could do his best to hide it, but another voice popped into his mind.

A program, this time female. And though he can't recall more than fragments, her voice filled him with discomfort and nausea.

 Love. It's written all over you both.

He might not be able to hide it.

He was unable to voice his concern as Morpheus' cell phone rang.

Neo could hear Tank on the other end of the line, saying, "We've got trouble."

Neo opened his eyes back in the real world in time to see Switch rushing over with a large box. They set it down on the console as Tank rushed to shut down each monitor one by one.

Trin ran by, heading for the cockpit.

Morpheus and Neo followed.

"Did Zion send word?" Morpheus asked as he reached the top of the ladder.

"No, another ship." Dozer was flying the ship through the tunnels quickly.

Trinity brought up a scan of the approaching sentinels before she spun out of the chair, quickly replaced by Morpheus.

Dozer grazed the ground, making the ship lurch. Trinity jolted forward. Neo barely managed to wrap an arm around her, pulling her to him before she could stumble.

She squeezed his arm in thanks, leaning into his embrace before turning to look back out the window.

"Shit. Squiddies are sweeping in quick."

Morpheus pointed ahead at a small cavern amidst the tunnels. "Set her down there."

Dozer dropped the ship down low, keeping close the walls of the old sewers. He tucked the ship into a crevice as it bottomed out with a loud crash. Neo held tight to an overhead beam with one hand, grasping Trinity with the other. They managed to stay upright.

Morpheus picked up a handheld radio and asked, "How are we doing Tank?"

"Power offline," came the response, a whisper over the speaker. "EMP armed and ready."

They stood in silence, watching out the window. Waiting.

He held Trinity tighter.

A sentinel swam by, veering into the distance. It was going directly past them. Neo wanted to sign with relief, thinking for a moment that the worst was over.

Suddenly another jumped into sight. It seemed to fixate on their spot. A small satellite appeared and scanned the area.

No one breathed. He could only hope the others were being silent in the core below. Even a whisper could kill them all and then it would be utterly meaningless to be the One.

At the thought, he heard another familiar voice echoing in his head. How can he be the One if he's dead?

Cypher.

He stiffened as he tried to remember more than that little detail but he couldn't. The more he pushed, the more he could feel the memory slipping away.

Was it a memory? A dream? Had he made it all up?

Trin turned back, eyes narrowing at him curiously. But she couldn't ask and he couldn't explain. Not yet.

She turned back to look out the window. After a moment, the sentinel turned, taking off down a different tunnel.

Trinity relaxed in his arms as the entire cabin breathed a collective sigh of relief.

It wasn't over, Neo knew.

"We'll remain in stasis." Morpheus's voice was barely a whisper. Pulling up the radio, he said, "They've passed, but we'll remain on lock-down. Bring the EMP up here."

"Roger that."

To Dozer, Morpheus said, "Set the proximity. I'll stay here regardless, but let's not take any chances."

Dozer powered on a single computer, noticeably detached from the others.

Morpheus glanced back to Neo as he set down the radio. "I suppose that concludes our trainings."

Neo nodded, guessing as much. Though his memories were fuzzy on such events, he knew it would be hours before they even risked turning the ship back on. Which meant it was going to get cold.

"How did he do?" Trin asked, leaning back into his chest.

"Very well."

"Very well?" Tank repeated, hopping up off the ladder. "Trin, your boyfriend was on fire."

"Quiet," Morpheus said, even as his lips twitched. "But yes, Neo did exceptionally. With both simulations."

She couldn't feign surprise, barely resisting the urge to say "no shit".

"He's completed his trainings with Tank, as well as those in the construct. I'm not sure what else to do with him," Morpheus continued and, while Trinity could think of a few things to do with Neo, she decided to keep that to herself as well.

"We don't need to worry about that until the power is back tomorrow," she said, brushing it aside softly. "Do you need anything before we go?"

"No. I expect it will be quiet on all fronts. Just make sure the others remain the same."

With a last look out the window, Trinity turned, leading them back down the ladder to the core.

The rest of the crew was silent, gathered around the blank monitors curiously.

"They're gone," Trinity told them. "But we're being cautious. You all know the drill."

She was met with a series of nods.

"How many?" Apoc asked quietly as Cypher turned back to the crew quarters with a roll of his eyes.

Neo watched him walk away without a backwards glance.

"Two."

"At this depth?" He shook his head. "Christ."

"I know."

"They're getting braver," Switch added.

"Not sure I'd say that." Neo flushed as soon as he said it, the others glancing at him. "Sorry. I just meant… They're not human. It isn't bravery. They're machines. It's a matter of weighing the risks versus the benefits. And they've determined it's worth the risk of being annihilated to come after us."

They were all silent to that explanation.

Trinity sighed, shaking her head as she gently rocked into Neo. "Thanks for that, sweetheart."

Neo couldn't help but grimace at his own words. Miraculously, he managed to stop himself from apologizing again. True as his words might have been, some things were better left unsaid.

Still, it helped that Switch lit up upon hearing Trinity's endearment for him, the moment passing without further regard.

"Go to bed," Trinity ordered. "Play cards, read, meditate. I don't care. Just be quiet and offline until further notice."

Without another word, she slipped her hand into Neo's. For once, the others didn't remark or tease her as she led him away. It was warped, in a way, but she was momentarily grateful for the presence of the sentinels keeping her crew silent.

They reached their room and Trinity turned the wheel as quietly as she could, the metal still grinding. She winced at the sound and pushed the door open, slipping into their room.

She toed off her boots before collapsing onto the bed. She rolled to her side, looking up at him over her long lashes.

Neo closed the door softly. It latched into place and he kicked his own boots off.

He was struck by her yet again. He wondered if he would ever get used to the sight in front of him. The little twitch of her lips into the smirk he adored, the way her eyes always seemed to pierce into him.

He loved her.

So fucking much.

And he swallowed, noting how easily the sentinels could have killed them all just minutes ago. How breakable she was.

The strongest person he knew, but still so utterly delicate.

Neo felt himself exhale as he remembered the conversation with Morpheus, before Tank had pulled them out.

And Trinity, with her piercing eyes, tilted her head. "What's wrong?" she asked.

His own lips twitched. She knew. She always knew. He loved that about her even as it filled him with anxiety that he couldn't even protect her from himself.

And when the Agents and other programs found out about him, it would only be a matter of time before they made the connection to her.

Then there was Cypher. He wasn't sure what to do about the bald man, especially considering he had no real memories of Cypher doing anything bad. Just flashes of phrases and a feeling in his gut. Neither were enough to convict him.

The Agents were a real threat. Probably the biggest one they had at the moment and it would only grow worse.

He longed to shake his head and tell her that it was nothing. But he couldn't lie and especially not to her. Never to her.

"Neo?" Her voice had softened.

"I love you." He took a seat on the edge of the bed. She was still reclined, leaning up on an arm. He set his hand on her hip.

"I love you, too." She waited, never taking her eyes from his.

He swallowed before admitting, "Things are going to get worse, much worse, before they get better."

"I know. None of this will be easy but--"

"You don't. I'm…" Neo hesitated, "I'm sorry, Trinity, but you don't know. And I'm sorry because I don't know how to do this and everything… everything is jumbled. Like I'm trying to put a puzzle together after looking at the picture once. And some things are making more sense and some of it, I just can't remember."

"Sweetheart, nobody expects you to know everything. You've only been awake a matter of days."

"But that's not really true, is it? Zion, the Council, hell, even the crew expects me to have this figured out. To know what I'm doing." Neo paused, shaking his head. "I just thought remembering more would make things easier. And it's just leaving me with more questions, more fears."

Trinity reached over, setting a hand on his thigh. "What are you afraid of?"

Losing this, he thought. Losing her touch, her smell. That little way she quirked her lips that made him go insane.

He barely withheld a shudder, steeling himself. "The programs in the Matrix are going to do their very best to destroy me."

"I won't let that--"

Neo shook his head, cutting her off again. "They won't. They'll try but they can't. Physically, they can't touch me but the programs, the Agents are adaptable. And when they realize I'm untouchable, they're going to look for other weaknesses."

She blinked and he could see the moment she understood, lifting her chin ever so slightly. "I'm not afraid."

Fearless. Another thing he loved but her even as it terrified him.

"Trinity…"

"I'm not."

She had to understand. Nothing was simple anymore.

"Trin, the Agents are going to target you."

"We can keep our distance in the Matrix."

Again, he can almost hear the words of the other program. Her accented voice, sounding both jealous and pitying as she stated love. It's written all over you both.

"It won't make a difference. They'll be able to see." Neo squeezed her hip as he tried to find the words to explain it. "It's… seeing the Matrix, seeing the code rather than the person behind it is so very different. Programs don't see a body walking around, they see little scripts of pseudo-muscles beginning to react. They see raining code telling them that you are preparing to run or a hand is reaching to strike, before you've even begun to move.

"And emotions, fuck... Fear, excitement, love… it's in our code. Swirling around us, etched into our every action and reaction. It can't be cloaked or hidden. It is our very essence and they'll know. And I don't know how to protect you from that."

Neo closed his eyes, snapshots of dreams swimming through his head. Guns being fired, explosions, the sight of Trinity with blood spattered across her face.

He had to figure it out.

Had to crack the code on how he could protect her.

Trinity sat up, reaching towards his face. Her hand skimmed his jaw, turning him to face her.

"It's going to be okay."

"You don't know--"

"I do." There was an edge to her voice that made him refocus, reorient on her.

"Trinity…" Her name was like a prayer in itself.

"I do," she repeated, softer this time, but no less fierce. "Because we spent fifteen fucking years waiting for each other. Neither one of us is ever letting go."

Trinity lifted her hand, tracing his cheek. He'd need to start shaving soon. A part of her regretted how quickly time passed in his presence and yet there was still so much they had to do.

Neo turned his head, kissing her palm.

With a small smile, Trinity added, "I keep you safe, you keep me safe. That's the deal. That's always been the deal."

Neo nodded. "You're right. I-I know you're right. I just…" he hesitated. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

And maybe, Trinity thought, that was on her.

All this expectation heaped upon his still new shoulders. She wanted to protect him, to save him from everything but she couldn't. Not from destiny.

It pained her to say it, even to think it, but she forced the words from her mouth all the same. "Maybe it's time to see the Oracle."