#Insomniac king no wonder he plays a good Doctor

[crystalromana]

Paul McGann, Insomniac King

[rejectofsociety]

I just thought I would post my BlackCat!MJ x Peter Parker one shot here, it’s also on Ao3. It’s kinda long. 

And warning: Major Character Death

Hope you enjoy

Michelle often got the feeling that her boyfriend was hiding something from her. Maybe it was the so-called midnight walks he constantly took, or how he would run off and disappear without a trace whenever a siren went off. Did this concern her? Yes, constantly. Did she have any idea what he was hiding? Absolutely not. The only thing she did know was he wasn't cheating on her. How did she know this? She just did. Peter was loyal and they had been through hell and back together. There was no separating them. Even their jobs took place side-by-side within the Daily Bugle headquarters— Peter as a photographer and Michelle as a editor. Neither made a lot of money, as a result Michelle took on a night job which had provided them with enough money to buy their own home.

Michelle sat with her legs draped over Peter's lap and her arm around his neck as she littered his face with gentle kisses. He would connect their lips anytime hers wandered too close to his as his hand stroked her leg lovingly. They wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even themselves, but they truly needed each other. Every moment they had alone together, they would hold each other close until it was uncomfortable. Then, they'd adjust positions and hold each other a little longer.

"You know I could give you everything," Michelle said as she turned her head away from her boyfriend, "a bigger house, a nicer car, lots of money."

"MJ, you are my everything. I don't need a bigger house or whatever," Peter said as he rested his head on her chest.

"Hm, I just got the taste of cheddar in my mouth," Michelle replied.

"Oh shut up," Peter chuckled as she ran her hands through his hair.

Michelle smiled warmly at him and closed her eyes lightly. She felt him land a tender kiss on her collarbone, making her exhale a joyful sigh.

"Can you go back to kissing me?" Peter requested.

She barked a laugh, "ha! No, I don't think I will."

He looked up at her with pleading eyes, "please?"

"No," She replied and slid off his lap, "I'm hungry."

As she turned to leave, Peter stood up and rested his hand on her waist. He let a mischievous smirk spread across his lips as she lingered in his touch.

"I got something you could eat," Peter offered slyly.

"Ooo," Michelle purred, "I see how you wanna play."

"Only if you're up for it," he hummed.

"Tempting, but I haven't eaten all day."

Peter quickly let go of her and stepped back, "MJ! Please, eat!"

"What's in the fridge or..."

"What's in the fridge," Peter waved her off, earning a laugh in reply.

He shook his head at her then picked his camera off their coffee table. As she fished through the fridge, Peter sat on one of the barstools at the island positioned in the middle of the kitchen. He flipped open his laptop and popped the memory card out of his camera.

Michelle looked over her shoulder at him as he uploaded his photos onto the computer and smiled to herself. He was definitely the best thing that had ever happened to her, considering the fact that she never knew her father and her mother died when she was twelve. Even though she and Peter were hardly friends at the time, he still reached out to her and kept her company, making sure she was never alone unless she needed to be. That's when she realized she liked him. It may have taken a few years for him to return her affections but, when he finally did, it was everything she had hoped for and much more.

She wanted to marry him, she just needed a ring.

As she sat at the barstool next to his with a yogurt cup she had retrieved from the fridge, Michelle looked over Peter's shoulder and watched as he uploaded his photos onto the computer. He scrolled through countless photos of Spiderman, the Winder Soldier, Captain America (or the Falcon, at this point it hardly mattered), and more as he ignored several notifications for emails.

Spending time together never got old. Even when they argued, were too upset to speak, or one slapped the other across the face, they couldn't help but be happy to just be aground each other. Their arguments had grown less and less frequent over the years once they both started to realize a simple truth: they couldn't fight over every little thing that bothered them, their relationship couldn't survive like that. It may seem like an obvious solution, but Peter was pretty sloppy and had ADHD while Michelle had been very upright with OCD— not always the best combination when it came to living together. Especially when she'd spend an hour showing Peter how things had to be organized only to realized he had been staring and a bug on the ceiling the entire time. It took a while, but they managed through it and now it was just another day in the life.

"Don't you have an article to be editing?" Peter asked after a while, "or is staring over my shoulder a part of your job?"

"Oh yeah, it's the most important part," Michelle replied, hardly joking, "I even get paid."

"Oh really?"

"Mhm. Two kisses per hour."

"Hm, not good enough. Four an hour," Peter decided, craning his neck to look into her eyes, "I'll even pay upfront."

"Gimme," Michelle wrapped her arms around his neck eagerly.

Peter chuckled in response and sealed their lips in a sweet kiss.

———

Peter gazed at his girlfriend for a few beats as he stood in the doorway of their bedroom. Michelle looked like a goddess with the way she laid, her body draped gracefully across their bed. She needed a few hours of sleep before 11:30 struck and she was forced to drag her ass to her night job. Peter could be laying with her, but he had other matters to tend to.

Peter quietly paced across the room to her and leaned over, lightly brushing her cheek with his lips.

"I'm gonna go on a walk," Peter whispered by Michelle's ear.

"Do you ever sleep," Michelle murmured groggily in response.

"I'm an insomniac, you know that," Peter smiled softly as she lazily waved him off.

That much was true: insomnia was something he had struggled with since he lost his uncle. His lack of sleep was something that had only worsened as time dragged on. With the "Endgame" mixed with the death of Tony, Quentin and his illusions haunting Peter's dreams, and his aunt's passing just over a year later, rest was rare. Thankfully, was learning to live with it and could function almost as well as a normal person with eight hours of sleep.

Peter walked out of their house then retreated into the depths of the city. He turned a corner and ducked into an alleyway before reaching under a dumpster, flicking a small lever, and releasing his Spiderman suit from its compartment. Keeping his superhero life a secret from his girlfriend probably wasn't the healthiest thing for their relationship, but it was for her safety. If anything were to happen to Michelle, Peter couldn't live with himself. Fuck, he couldn't live. Loosing her would me the last straw, he was already on his last leg.

Now, one might wonder "what about Ned?" And Peter would reply with "Fuck Ned." Their friendship had come to an abrupt, harsh halt after a series of events and shouting matches neither cared to relive.

Then came the question "what about the Avengers?" Peter's answer: "what Avengers?" They weren't really a "thing" anymore. Bucky and Sam had remained close friends with Wanda playing the role of third-wheel/basically Bucky's unofficial daughter. Carol sometimes checked in but not very consistently, plus she was often occupied with her relationship with Valkyrie. And Valkyrie was occupied with being the king of New Asgard. Thor was who knows where and no one even knew if he was still alive. T'challa had no interest in  being in a team, much less funding one. His sister, Shuri was someone Peter had always wanted to meet, but the stars had yet to align. The Guardians of the Galaxy hadn't spoken the heroes of earth since the "Endgame" and no one blamed them. Doctor Strange wanted nothing to do with Peter— nothing more needed to be said there. As for Rhodes, he had officially retired a year ago. The physical and mental wear had gotten the better of him, and (despite his hesitation) he stepped out of the suit for good. He and Peter were fairly close, so that's one person who would miss the young man if he were to die without Michelle.

There was Pepper and Morgan (who was now fourteen years old), but much to Peter's regret, he hadn't spoken to them since Tony's death. He really didn't have a reason anymore, but at first he simply couldn't bring himself to look into the eyes of a mini Tony. The wound of his mentor's loss was too fresh. But he wasn't the only one avoiding the gaze of a mini Tony. Pepper had a hard time looking at Peter for the same reason he couldn't look at her daughter. Because of this, the almost-family had lost contact. And when they finally did consider speaking, it seemed like it had been too long, like they hardly knew each other anymore.

What about Happy? Well, when May fell ill and died, so did Peter's friendship with Happy. They hadn't spoken since.

So Peter's isolation had been his own fault, and something he constantly regretted. But he had no will crawl back into the arms of what could have been a loving family. He had everything he could ever need with Michelle and sometimes Rhodes.

Peter, now dressed as Spiderman, perched on top of a billboard as he scanned his surroundings, "Karen, what time is it?" he asked.

"10:30. And if your sources are correct, there's a major sale of illegal weapons taking place in half an hour," Karen replied.

"Yep," Peter hooked his legs over the edge of the board and leaned back until he was hanging upside down, "and I should be able to wrap that up in time to see Black Cat."

"You seem to be quite fond of Black Cat," Karen observed.

"She's my only friend outside of MJ," Peter replied, "I mean, we're not friends friends. We just get along well and-"

"You refuse to do your job right when she's in the picture."

"Hey! That's not- who programmed you to say that?" Peter couldn't help but be offended by that, even if it was the truth.

"It was Rhodes’s idea," Karen answered, "who else's could it be?"

Peter chuckled, "no one I guess."

"Do you like Black Cat?"

"She's cool to hang out with. But if you're suggesting that I like like her, then calling you Artificial Intelligence would be a massive overstatement."

"I wasn't suggesting that," Karen somehow managed a defensive tone.

"Good," he replied shortly as he sat up right and readjusted his stance, "now let's get in position for this weapons sale."

"Would you like me to activate instant-kill?"

"NO! I thought I disabled that!"

"Well you didn't."

"I- ugh. Just stop it with the instant-kill."

He huffed and stepped off the billboard. Shooting a web to what his Spider-Sense told him was a safe platform, Peter launched himself through the cool, night air. As he glided through the city, he allowed himself to get lost in thought. He knew these streets all too well, swinging through the sky was as easy as breathing or walking. It wasn't something he had to think to hard about.

———

Michelle awoke abruptly to the Brooklyn Nine-Nine theme song blasting in her ear. She yelped in surprise and jolted upright, her hands frantically searching for her phone. Finally, her fingers brushed the cold box and she was able to shut off the alarm.

"Damn you, Peter," she hissed to her absent boyfriend, "that is the last time I let you pick my alarm."

Sighing and stretching sleep out of her body, Michelle tossed her phone onto her pillow then stood up. She unlocked and opened her suitcase and withdrew a skintight, black, leather suit. It covered everything below her collarbone and fit her perfectly.

After stripping down and redressing in the suit, she headed to the master bathroom and took out several makeup products plus a flowing, silver wig. For her night job, she  went heavy on the makeup. She had to. She'd make her skin look a shade lighter (she hated doing that), her facial features would eventually appear narrower, then she'd tuck away her curls underneath her wavy wig. To top everything off, Michelle placed a sleek mask over her face. It didn't cover much, but it was mostly to distract anyone who might recognize her eyes. Sure she could use colored contacts, but those made her eyes itch and dry up. Besides, she liked her mask.

I'm going to propose to Peter, she thought to herself as she slipped out a window into the shadow of her neighbor's house. I just need a ring. That means jewelry-store-I-can't-remember-the-name-of— you are my first victim.

She carefully traveled in the shadows until she reached the depths of her city. She sprinted across roofs and leapt with the grace of a cat from one building to another. Normally I go easy on Mister Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman, but if he tries stopping me from getting this engagement ring I will beat his ass to the ground.

Usually, she would think of engagement rings as a waste of money, and marriage as a social standard. But this was Peter fucking Parker she was talking about. In her mind, he deserved the world and the world didn't deserve him. He deserved a proper proposal with the perfect wedding (and how ever he defined a perfect wedding was up to him). She felt kind of gross with how much she loved Peter, no one had ever made her feel this way before. Everyone else she had been with was no more than a fleeting infatuation or a brief fling. Peter was her first boyfriend she had cared to be with for longer than a few weeks. He was the first one she actually loved to the point that thinking about not being with him made her feel physically ill.

Here we are: best place to get an engagement ring.  She thought happily as she landed elegantly on top of the jewelry store she always forgot the name of. Thankfully, the store was closed so she didn't have to worry about running in to an employee. But, this store had one hell of a security system that wasn't easy to avoid. Unless you had a friend who worked their and you knew the store inside out. Like Michelle. She had stripped this store clean of jewels and diamonds several times; she knew exactly how to get in and out without getting caught.

It was really quite simple: there was one corner of the interior that the security cameras didn't glare down upon, from there she could duck behind a counter and slip into a utility closest where the electricity box was kept. Then, she would shut off the box, making her presence seem to be no more than an unfortunate power outage. An unfortunate power outage that would shut off their security system and result in jewelry stolen.

Michelle hummed to herself as she browsed the collecting of rings with her hands folded neatly behind her back. Despite the deep darkness, she could effortlessly make out each individual hoop and their little diamonds. Her eyes bore down into the gems as she paced back and forth, picking up a few random bracelets and necklaces to satisfy her twitchy, kleptomaniac urges. She decorated herself with emeralds and rubies, knowing she'd be selling each one later for much more than it was worth, as she waited for a ring to capture her attention.

"I figured I'd see you here," a voice spoke from behind her.

Michelle whirled around to see none other than Spiderman standing with his arms crossed, "not a good time, Spider," she hissed.

He shrugged nonchalantly, "never is. But either way, I can't let you steal all of that."

"But I look amazing in it," Michelle flipped her silver hair over her shoulder and jokingly posed like a model, "you can't tell me otherwise, and you know it."

"Mm, true," he unfolded his arms, "but you could at least pay for it."

Michelle swiftly snatched an elegant ring whose gleam had caught her eye and slipped it her finger through it, "let's get this over with."

She swiftly paced across the small store and roundhouse kicked the man in the side. Hardly budging from his sturdy stance, Spiderman snapped his hands around her ankle and rapidly slammed her onto the ground. Gasping in pain as all the air in her lungs was sucked out, Michelle found herself frozen and stunned.

"There, we got that over with," Spiderman stated smartly, "now, I should probably turn you in."

"Not today, Spider," she spat.

She hopped up and raked her claws against his rock hard abs then punched him in the stomach with full force. Spiderman groaned sharply as he keeled over, keeping one hand clasped tightly over the bleeding wound. Michelle smirked in satisfaction. She had cut a bit deeper than she had intended to, but she could live with that. Whether or not the spider could live with that was a different story.

Michelle smirked and knelt down to be eye level with the hero. Her smirking eyes bore into him as she rested on hand on his knee. She could practically feel his frustration radiating off him, and she could tell his pain forced his eyes to squeeze shut.

"See you later, Spider," she purred with her silky voice.

"Fuck you," he grunted.

"Thought you said you have a girlfriend," she smartly retorted then sank her claws into his leg, earning a cry of pain, "good luck getting home."

With that, she wiped his blood off her hand and onto his suit, then stood upright. Stalking past him, she silently begged him to get home safe and see his girlfriend so she could tend his wounds and they could hold each other tightly.

As Black Cat hurried into the darkness of the streets, Peter called after her one last comment, "I let you have this one!"

With a deep breath (as if breathing could wash away the pain), Peter stood up shakily and shot a web at his leg as it oozed crimson blood. The goop stung the open wound violently, but it was worth it to assist in closing the gash. He managed to spit another wad of webbing onto his stomach and hissed gingerly. I'll be fine in a few days, but I'm lucky she didn't cut any deeper.

Before he could sigh in disappointment at his failure, an alarm blared in the distance. Rushing out of the jewelry store with an evident limp, Peter hurried to rescue and capture the separate thief.

———

Michelle yawned and stretched as she sprawled out on a random roof, a satisfied smirk painting her lips. It was about one in the morning now, meaning she'd get to go home soon. For now, she just needed a little breather but in a few minutes, she'd be curled up in Peter's strong arms as he stroked her hair lovingly.

"Sold it all ready?" A hero spoke.  

She sat up to gaze upon Spiderman who had noticed her lack of jewelry, "obviously."

Michelle pat the ground next to her and Spiderman gladly sat down next to her, "that ring you took... was that an engagement ring."

"Yep, sold that too," she held out her hand, showing that the ring was gone. But she didn't sell the ring, it was now safely hidden in her pocket.

"Ah. I figured," he smiled under his mask, "it made me think of my girlfriend," Michelle beamed warmly and crossed her legs, giving him her full attention, "I think I'm going to propose to her."

"You think?"

"Well, no," he chuckled and Michelle couldn't help but admire how fondly he spoke of the lucky lady, "I know I'm proposing. She deserves the world, and the world doesn't deserve her," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I just hope she says yes. Marriage isn't normally her thing, y'know?"

"I do now," Michelle chuckled, making the spider chortle quietly in response.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, just listening to the sounds of the city. Cars quietly roaring across the road, the occasionally honk of a horn— even early in the morning, Queens, New York was a restless city.

Michelle looked over at her spider friend as curiosity struck her bones, "hey, Spider?"

"Hm?"

"I know basically everything about you."

"Well, yeah. We've known each other  for years."

"Yeah, but there's one more thing I wanna know."

"What's that?"

"What do you look like? Like... can you take your mask off for me?"

Spiderman hesitated then choked out an anxious laugh, "you really wanna see that ugly-ass mess?"

She tilted her head to the side and nodded, "yeah. I'm sure you're not that bad."

He groaned, "ugh, I am."

"Well at least I'm prepared now," she gave a lopsided smile, "c'mon, I don't judge."

He took a deep breath, calming his jittery nerves, "alright, although I feel like this isn't a good idea."

"Show me your ugly face and I'll show you mine," she offered then flipped her hair with enough sass for the spider to touch, "actually my face is pretty hot, but you know what I mean."

"Wish I had your confidence," Spiderman laughed then gripped the edge of his mask.

The two went dead silent and Michelle squirmed with anticipation. Her heart fluttered in excitement while his palpitated in anxiety. He carefully peeled the mask off his face, letting his matted hair spring free.

The moment her eyes absorbed his soft features, Michelle's heart stopped in its tracks. She swallowed thickly and felt her lungs constrict violently as she recognized the young man before her.

She opened her mouth to choke out "Peter?" yet no sound came out. Peter looked away in embarrassment and fidgeted with the mask in his hands. I've been dating Spiderman for ten fucking years.... Michelle tried desperately to understand her situation as dismay rest heavy in her chest. Betrayal and fury towards Peter keeping such a secret flared up inside her. She clenched her fists, and for a brief moment she had the undeniable urge to slit his throat and end his life.

"So," Peter sheepishly spoke, defusing Michelle's violent instinct, "can I-"

He was interrupted by yelling and a cry for help in the distance, "I need to take care of that."

She opened her mouth to speak yet no words came out. Slightly embarrassed by her silence, Peter put his mask back on and turned around. Michelle watched him swing away until he was out of sight. Then, she ran like hell.

———

After sloppily washing away her makeup, removing the wig, and throwing the suit on the ground, Michelle collapsed onto her bed with her heart racing and tears threatening to fall. She had no idea what emotions or thoughts were racing through her confused mind.

"What is happening, what is happening, what just happened!" She rambled to herself.

Her heart was racing in panic as she raked her hands through her disheveled hair. But before she could be thrown into a panic attack, a quiet ding announced a new text and she scooped her phone into her hands.

Silver Sable: hey kitty, just got a job and I think you can do it for me

Michelle: not a good time

Silver Sable: please? It'll be a piece of cake

Michelle: What is it?

Silver Sable: Kill Spiderman

Michelle clapped her hand over her mouth and choked back a strangled cry of despair. Silver Sable was not only her closest friend (save Peter), but an anti-hero/villain-assassin-fore-hire badass that Michelle admired in every way. Turning her down was never an easy task.

Michelle: No

Silver Sable: oh c'mon. Don't be like that! I know you guys are friends but this is for a shit load of money. You can keep half of it

Michelle: I can't

Silver Sable: fine. 75% of the bounty

Silver Sable: Just think about how many times he's fucked us up or fucked up our colleagues. How much better our lives are going to be without him!

Michelle: Horrible! He's my boyfriend!

Silver Sable: Perfect! That'll make killing him even easier

Michelle: No! I'm not killing him and neither are you

Silver Sable: are you seriously choosing the life of some long-term booty call you had a crush on in high school over the lives of your best friends, colleagues, and family when you had none,  PLUS your career  and everything you've worked for your entire life?

Silver Sable: I thought you were better than that

Michelle: ...

"Who're you texting," Peter asked as he walked into their room.

Michelle's entire body jolted and she dropped her phone into her lap, "Jake from State Farm."

"None of my business," Peter smiled tiredly as he sat next to her, "my bad."

She briefly flashed a wavering simper yet found herself unable to make eye contact with her boyfriend who she wanted to desperately to marry just that morning. Now, she was unsure.

As she lay in Peter's arms with her eyes closed lightly, she couldn't shake off Silver Sable's words. Eventually, Peter's protective touch and comforting warmth had Michelle drifting off into an unsettled sleep while his exhausted, insomniac eyes remained gazing down at her body. Just like everyday at two in the morning when Michelle was fast asleep while rest rejected Peter's body, the young man found himself thanking the universe for the perfectly imperfect woman laying in his arms. Thank you for her, he praised nobody in particular, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

———

The next day, it was about nine in the evening and Michelle had just finished making dinner for herself and Peter. She had hardly spoken all day and as much as Peter worried, he learned over the years that when she got like this, it was best to leave her alone. She was most likely upset about something and she would confide in him when they lay in bed together in a few hours. For now, he'd merely smile his heartwarming grin, and hold her tightly every chance he got.

What Peter didn't know (aside from his girlfriend being a thief) was Michelle had been feeling sick to her stomach all day. Whether it was a stomach bug or the guilt that had been weighing on her all day, she had no idea. Either way, her mind hadn't wandered from the night before. There was too much for her to absorb calmly: her boyfriend was Spiderman, they were enemies, and he wanted to propose. And she wanted to propose. And Silver wanted her to kill him.

Michelle finished plating their meals, set the dishes on a counter, then turned around to grab silverware from a drawer. Peter stood up from his seat at their tiny table then grabbed the plates from the counter and set them on the table nearby.

"The one on the left it yours," Michelle spoke, suddenly and shortly.

Peter knit his brow but nodded anyways, "as you wish."

Dinner was silent and tense. Michelle's mind was racing as she watched Peter with every bite he took. Peter pretended not to notice her stare, although it made him mildly uncomfortable. It was like she was preying on him, waiting for something to happen but he didn't know what. How could he know when she had said roughly four sentences all day?

Michelle forced her last bite of steak down her throat then set her plate off to the side. Peter looked into her foggy eyes and frowned worriedly.

"You look pale," Peter observed as he reached across the table and held her hands tenderly.

Michelle glanced at him and stood up, "I need some fresh air."

Peter mimicked her motions and nodded, "let's go for a walk then."

She nodded stiffly and slid her hand into Peter's as they walked out the door with their coats. The sky was already dark, seeing as the sun had set hours ago. The night air was brisk and refreshing against their tense skin. Peter held Michelle's paw tightly with one hand while the other fidgeted anxiously with the ring in his pocket. It was his aunt's ring and she had left it behind for when Peter found the "right one." And Michelle was, without a doubt, the "right one."

Little did he know, Michelle's free hand was fidgeting with a ring as well. The one he had tried to stop her from steeling the night before. However, she felt like she should wait to use it. Maybe save it for tomorrow. Maybe the day after. Maybe never.

Suddenly, Peter stopped in his tracks. He was pale as the moon that shone through the clouds that fogged its view of the earth below. Michelle paused and looked down at him; he was trembling like an aspen leaf in the wind.

This is it, Michelle thought as she took a deep breath.

His legs gave out and he keeled over on one knee, his eyes wide and glassy, "M-Michelle..."

It's finally happening.

His gasped and coughed violently, crimson blood spurting from his lips. Michelle could only stare down at him as his expression twisted into one of terror and agony.

No turning back.

Pain lit up inside Peter like fireworks light up the night sky as he grit his teeth and shut his eyes tightly. He collapsed on all fours and choked for breath, only to be stopped by the blood pooling in his throat and oozed out from his parted lips. Tears trickled down his cheeks as Michelle knelt down. She knew she couldn't help him, but she could at least stroke his cheek lovingly as he writhed in pain. She gnawed on her lower lip until it bled too stop herself from breaking in to uncontrolled sobs.

Seeing Peter groaning and crying in pain as he choked on his own blood was almost too much for her to bare. Her stomach twisted into tight knots and she vision blurred with salty tears. She gathered him in her arms and let him gasp her sleeves and jeans, his blood dripping from the corners of his mouth to stain her shirt.

"Peter Parker," she spoke, her voice trembling and cracking, "I love you. I love you so, so much I can't even explain it. I can just feel it. I can physically feel it. A-and I am so sorry."

She clutched his body tightly, begging for his pain to end as she buried her face in the side of his neck. She felt his panicked pulse against her cheek as he cried out on last time, letting out all of the air and life in his lungs. Peter's body froze for a moment, tense and seeming almost unsure of death, then he relaxed completely. Michelle held his corpse tightly as she sobbed, her entire body shaking. She kissed his neck over and over as its warmth disappeared like the ghost he now was.

"I didn't wanna do this," she cried, her voice tight with despair.

She wailed and screamed into the night, teardrops streaming down her cheeks like rivers.

———

"So," Silver Sable purred silkily, "did you do it?"

Michelle, her cheeks red and eyes puffy, sat down at the barstool next to her friend. For a few beats, she couldn't find her voice so she stared at the bar around her. There were only a handful of people there, plus the two bartenders.

Finally, she nodded slowly, "yes," her volume hardly matched that of a whisperer.

Silver beamed proudly and pat her back with her powerful hand, producing a hallow thump, thump, "well done, Kitty! I'll need to show my employer his body— where's it at?"

"It's at my house," she murmured hoarsely, "we can stop by later."

"I'm so proud of you!" Silver squealed, "I'm so glad he's gone! Aren't you?"

Michelle swallowed thickly and stared at the counter in front of her. Eventually, she managed to shake her head 'no.' She was still trying to process what she had just done. She was so unfathomably empty, it was like she had gotten her soul and happiness sucked out of her body. And in a way, she had.

"Don't be like that, Kitty," Silver nudged her playfully.

"But... I loved him," Michelle managed weakly.

"You'll get over it soon enough," the assassin rolled her eyes, "let's start with a round of drinks. Y'know, to celebrate."

"Ah yes," Michelle heaved a sigh, "let us celebrate the long-awaited death of... of my spider."

Silver suspired as she shook off her excitement to recognize her friend's despair, "come here, Kitty," she wrapped her arm around Michelle and pulled her close, "you're the toughest chick I've ever met. You'll get through this."

Michelle stayed quiet. Her words were far from adequate, but that was about as sincere as Silver got. The metallic scent of death mixed with Peter's coffee-and-bagel scent was still lingering on her clothing. It filled her nose and clouded her mind until all she saw was the whiskey glass that had just been placed in front of her. I just ruined my own life, huh?

"Trust me," Silver reached for her glass, "you did the right thing."

[theyearoftheking]

Book Thirty-Seven: Insomnia

“There is a gulf fixed between those who can sleep and those who cannot. It is one of the great divisions of the human race.” Iris Murdoch- Nuns and Soldiers

My father-in-law tends to review most Stephen King books the same way: “Good. But they could have cut out two hundred or so pages...” As someone who loves a good, chonky book, I usually disagree. But then, Insomnia happened. Had I not taken the Constant Reader pledge to leave no page unturned, I would have given up on this beast. It was so boring, and dragged on, and on, and on... And instead of giving me insomniac vibes, it usually put me to sleep. Guys, it was the worst. Well, not as bad as Christine or The Tommyknockers, but not a book I will ever pick up again. 

The one thing that saved Insomnia from being a total shit-show was the number of Constant Reader universe (especially Dark Tower) references. It was the ultimate Constant Reader Easter egg hunt. In no particular order, we’ve got:

The setting of the book is Derry, Maine

Mike Hanlon from It makes a cameo as the town librarian

The Crimson King from such works as The Dark Tower

A reference to the murder of Adrian Mellon (also It)

Juniper Hill... where all King baddies spend at least a few years of their lives

Ka... alllll the ka and ka-tet quotes

The town of Haven was casually mentioned (The Tommyknockers)

“To other worlds than these...” 

“On the Beam”

“...a woman who had been struck by a falling brick while walking down Main Street...” 

“The sneaker of a little boy named Gage Creed, run down by a speeding tanker- truck on Route 15 in Ludlow.”

“...a battered saxophone on a frayed strap with the word JAKE printed on it...”

Question... did Jake Chambers play the saxophone? None of the fan pages mention it... 

“...a tower of dark, soot-colored stone rose into a blue sky dotted with fat white clouds. Surrounding it was a field of roses so red they almost seemed to clamor aloud. Standing off to one side was a man dressed in faded bluejeans. A pair of gunbelts crossed his flat middle; a holster hung below each hip...” 

Patrick Danville (Dark Tower)

And maybe the best line of the whole book, “The ring rolled down the gutter and disappeared into a sewer grate, and there it remained for a long, long time. But not forever. In Derry, things that disappear into the sewer system have a way- an often unpleasant one- of turning up.” 

In addition to these strings to the Constant Reader universe, I feel like a few ideas were teased out here, and turned into future novels. 

There is mention of a battered women’s shelter, and I wonder if this germinated into Rose Madder. 

Lots of discussion about a tragic event happening at the civic center, and needing to prevent this event from happening. It reminded me of the Mister Mercedes trilogy. 

Y’all... that was exhausting to keep track of. Anddd now you should know exactly what Insomnia is all about, right? 

Right. 

Or not. 

Ready for the world’s quickest summary?

After the death of his wife, Ralph Roberts becomes an insomniac. Every night he loses a few minutes of sleep, until he’s barely sleeping at all. And then, he starts seeing auras around people. The color of their aura indicates how healthy the person is. 

One night when he can’t sleep, Ralph sees two “small doctors”- who by the way, I imagined as Oompa Loompas- break into his elderly neighbor’s house, and kill her. 

Ralph is tired, frustrated and scared; so he tells his lady friend Lois all about the auras and the little doctors. Surprise! She’s dealing with the same issue! What are the odds??

While Ralph and Lois compare notes, the town of Derry is dealing with a pro-choice civil war. Pro-choice advocate Susan Day (no relation) is coming to town to hold a rally. 

The town is divided on their right to life/pro choice beliefs, and it’s getting ugly. Caught in the middle is Helen Deepneau, and her daughter Natalie. A few months back, Helen’s husband, Ed, beat the shit out of her, and she and Natalie have been hiding out at a battered women’s shelter ever since. The women at the shelter are big Susan Day fans. Ralph feels some fatherly affection for both Helen and Natalie, because they spent a lot of time with his wife, Carolyn, before she died. Oh, and he beat the snot out of Ed, after he beat Helen. Following me so far? 

So, you’ve got the two little doctors, who seem menacing but are actually chill. They explain to Ralph and Lois that they just cut the aura balloon over the top of a dying person’s head when it’s their time to go. It doesn’t hurt, they’re not bad dudes, they’re just serving The Beam and ka. But there’s one bad little doctor out there, who steals items from people he wants to kill. And the bad little doctor is on Ralph’s shit list, because he stole some earrings from Lois. Dun-dun-dun!! 

So, Ralph and Lois (harmlessly) suck energy from some town’s people, and prevent Ed from flying a plane full of explosives into the civic center. The two good little doctors explain there’s a little boy inside the civic center who must live... Patrick Danville. He comes back later in the Dark Tower series. Stay tuned for more of his (mis)adventures. 

And they all live happily ever after. Well, until it comes time to pay the little doctors for their kindness; and Ralph jumps in front of a moving truck to save Natalie’s life. 

Sorry, this summary is garbage. Towards the end I was reading as fast as I could so I could retire this book, and move onto Rose Madder, which is hands down one of my most favorite Steve books of all time. It’s been years since I picked it up, and I’m more than ready for a re-read. 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 26

*Writers note. In my last post, I mentioned a Dahmer reference. I was mistaken, the Dahmer reference is in this book. 

Total Dark Tower References: 36

Book Grade: C-

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

The Talisman: A+

Needful Things: A+

Misery: A+

Different Seasons: A+

It: A+

Four Past Midnight: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

The Wastelands: A-

The Drawing of the Three: A-

Dolores Claiborne: A-

Nightmares in the Sky: B+

The Dark Half: B+

Skeleton Crew: B+

The Dead Zone: B+

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Running Man: C+

Thinner: C+

Dark Visions: C+

The Eyes of the Dragon: C+

The Long Walk: C+

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Rage: C

Insomnia: C-

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Gerald’s Game: D

Roadwork: D

Christine: D

The Tommyknockers: D-

[netunleashed-blog]

10 massive movie, film and game reveals from San Diego Comic-Con 2018

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=15352 10 massive movie, film and game reveals from San Diego Comic-Con 2018 - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=15352 San Diego Comic-Con is a wonderful place where dreams come true – unless you’re a fan of The Walking Dead and have had your heart smashed to a million pieces by the confirmed departure of Andrew Lincoln. But we digress! It can also be an exhausting place, whether you’re actually there covering some serious footfall, or at home, most likely glued to social media awaiting all the latest news. Well, never fear, your mates at NME have done you a solid and picked out a bite sized taster of the best new offerings. We didn’t make popcorn, mind. Don’t be greedy. The Walking Dead will rumble on without Rick Geekometer: 7/10 The new series of AMC’s long running zombie apocalypse show – we’re now on season nine, quite remarkably – arrives on October 7 carrying a weight of expectation. The general consensus is that season eight was poor, and, according to Nielsen Live+Same Day data, its midseason premiere drew a 3.6 rating in adults 18 to 49 and 8.3 million viewers. That’s the lowest-rated midseason premiere to date. Still, there remains a sizeable and avid fandom. The news Rick Grimes is leaving at some point during the season has hit the community hard, but if you’ve come this far, are you really going to bail out now? Godzilla: King Of The Monsters will have more of the big fella – and Eleven Geekometer: 9/10 Again, a franchise that really needs to deliver. 2014’s Gareth Edwards directed series reboot Godzilla was an uneven movie, with poor dialogue and nowhere near enough screentime for the big green fella. This time round, Michael Dougherty, writer/director of the fun horror comedy Krampus is the big cheese. And speaking of big, the sequel features kajui legends King Ghidorah, Morthra and Rodan, as well as the titular antihero. In this case, more is definitely more. Nightflyers is the new one from Thrones man George RR Martin Geekometer: 8/10 So apparently George R.R Martin has written other books, ones not about dragons! No, we knew this, and in fact, are fans of the 1987 film adaptation of GRRM’s 1980 novella. But we’re well up for this forthcoming Netflix adaptation, which looks like the kind of messed up space horror that will salivate us until someone remembers how to make a good Alien movie again. In space, no-one can hear you stream… DC’s Titans is gonna be dark AF Geeokometer: 10/10 If you’ve ever found yourself watching Teen Titans GO! on the Cartoon Network, you’ll know it’s a very funny, very cute, very kid-friendly take on the DC Comics series, which first debuted as far back as 1964. Well ignore everything you know about that, because DC’s forthcoming live-action series, simply titled Titans, is brutal. There’s broken bones, generous splashes of crimson, oh, and within about a minute of the trailer starting, Robin growls “Fuck Batman” and murders a load of wrong uns. If that kind of grit doesn’t distinguish this series from the cartoons that came prior (and it does), as well as Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy featuring, Dove turns up, and she’s only ever been in the comics. The new Doctor Who is going to be the most inclusive yet Geekometer: 7/10 Yeah, we got to see the new screwdriver, and somewhat excitingly, it appears Jodie Whittaker is planning to play her role as the Thirteenth Doctor as a sort of Time Lord take on the late Victoria Wood. But the big reveal is that it seems an episode of the new Who will be exploring the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. In the new trailer, you can just about make out the words ‘Montgomery Motor Trailer’ – Montgomery being the U.S. city where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger in 1955. Fitting subject matter for the most inclusive cast and crew Doctor Who has seen yet. M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass might actually be OK Geekometer:8/10 After 2015’s excellent low budget horror The Visit and 2016’s hugely successful Split, the words ‘From M. Night Shyamalan’ have stopped feeling like so much of a threat and more of a promise again, and so expectation is high for the 47-year-old twistmeisters new film, Glass. Shyamalan has raided his back catalogue to reunite James McAvoy’s The Beast from Split and Bruce Willis’ David Dunn and Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr. Glass from 2000’s Unbreakable. We’re getting strong Watchmen vibes. American Horror Story stalwart Sarah Paulson also stars. Star Wars: The Clone Wars will finally be resolved Geekometer: 9/10 A huge surprise this one. And so many unanswered questions! Not since 2013 have we heard anything from the brilliant Star Wars animated series, and, with season six ending with a vague-not-at-all-satisfactory-semi-cliff-hanger, we’re finally going to get some resolution when the series comes to Disney’s as-yet-untitled new streaming service in 2019. Oh, and this is cool, it appears Anakin Skywalkers’ apprentice Ahsoka Tano is back. That can only mean much cosmic badassery. The new Spider-Man game looks set to be pretty great Geekometer: 6/10 With the possible exception of Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last Of Us 2, and really, it depends whether you like web slinging, brain bursting or lasso, um, throwing, no videogame is as feverishly anticipated as Insomniac Games forthcoming Spider-Man title, due September 7. Comic-Con did reveal that the tweener character Silver Sable will appear, while the list of villains featured is starting to appear pretty exhaustive; Mister Negative, Kingpin, Shocker, Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, Taskmaster… and we swear we saw the briefest of cameos from Vulture in there too. Not long to wait now! Johnny Depp is going method for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald Geekometer: 7/10 Though this film’s Comic-Con panel saw a host of the forthcoming features stars – Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law and Ezra Miller – all eyes were on Jonny Depp, who plays the titular Gellert Grindelwald. Depp’s inclusion in the ongoing Harry Potter spin-off, has proved so controversial, owing to the actors alleged domestic violence, that J.K Rowling issued a statement last December, defending his involvement. Depp didn’t attend the panel discussion, and instead showed up at the end of the presentation dressed in character. He said; “The great gift of your applause is not for me but for yourselves,” he said, waving his wand. “Magic blooms only in rare souls. It is granted to those who live for higher purposes. What a world we would make for all of humanity. We, who live for freedom, for truth — the moment has come to rise up and take our rightful place in the world.” The lights went out and he exited. There’s a SHAZAM! film. You know, Shazam!. Shazam!? Geekometer: 8/10 Yeah it’s a DC Extended Universe production, but hold your speeding bullets. This, the seventh movie in the sometimes wretched series, actually looks pretty good. Shazam! is a pretty niche character within DC Comics lore – this will actually be the first appearance of the character – a teenage boy who can turn into an adult superhero via the utterance of the magic word in the title – on film, since the 1941 serial The Adventures Of Captain Marvel. Zachary Levi stars. We like him.     Source link