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generalluxun · 2 years ago

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Control (an ML Fanfic) Chapter 2

CW: Sentipeople, child abuse, bullying.

Full Text below the cut. AO3 link in my bio.

Marinette has run home with Chloé's amok. but... what does she do with it? She turns to Tikki for help, but in the end, the choice is hers. With much-needed support she stumbles towards an answer, but first she needs to know more...

"Marinette, what's going on?" Tikki's voice piped up from where she had finally freed herself from Marinette's purse.

Oh no, I never let her out. Marinette rolled to the edge of her bed, still a blanket burrito, and peeked down. "I'm sorry, Tikki."

The kwami flew up to perch beside her on the bed. "That doesn't answer my question."

Marinette stuck her hand out, presenting her be-ringed finger. "It's this…"

Tikki examined the golden band before looking up with worry lining her cherubic face. "It's very pretty?"

Marinette withdrew her hand and pulled her head back in the blanket too. "It's an amok."

"It is? Where is the sentimonster? Did Monarch attack? Did something happen and I don't remember?"

Her kwami's little panic moment was oddly reassuring. Marinette mumbled against her cotton shield. "No, no attack Tikki. I just found out. I know where it is. I came home to talk to you because I got scared. I got to thinking though, I'm sorry."

Tikki's small paws tried to worm their way into the blanket. She struggled to poke her head in, bringing the light pink glow with her. "Well, if you know where it is, there's no reason to be scared! Ladybug can take care of it. You've purified amoks plenty of times before."

Marinette cringed until she was a ball. "I didn't know!"

"Marinette?"

Marinette burst from her shell. "It's a person, Tikki! Not a lollipop, or a giant eye, or an icky floating leech! It's a person. She might be the worst person I've ever known, but she's a person. Are they all people? What have I been doing? What else could I do? What do you do when a giant monkey is throwing exploding bananas in downtown Paris?"

She pulled her hair until the physical pain matched the frustration and self doubt she couldn't vent. Battles flashed before her eyes; some hard, some trivial. Each feather that floated was now a 'what if?' 'what if?' 'what if?'

Tikki's slight weight settled on her shoulder and hugged her cheek, "Marinette, Marinette! Calm down, it's okay. Just tell me what happened, and we'll find a way through this."

The combination of pain and Tikki's voice both combined to lure Marinette out of her spiral. She slumped, exhausted. Her thumb continued to spin the ring. A corner of her mind whispered, I wonder what I would see if I looked now.

Marinette dug her nails into her palm until the whisper went away. She reached up to gently pet Tikki between the antennae; she needed the contact. Okay, where to begin. "Someone else found it, they didn't know what it was. I didn't know what it was. I found out accidently. But, now I know…"

Marinette shrugged helplessly. From her past, anger surged, and she threw her head back.

"Ugh! It's not fair! I'm not even allowed to hate the worst person ever." She held up the ring again. "What if she was made that way? What if this is what someone wants? She can't just get out of everything she's done by being a sentimonster!"

Tikki was hovering nervously. Marinette knew she probably sounded unhinged. She felt unhinged. This seemed like a fair excuse to be.

Tikki asked sensibly, "Who, Marinette?"

Marinette held out her hand in limp-wristed parody and singsonged, "Chlo-é, Bourgeois. The literal worst person in all of Paris, after Monarch. A stupid, spoiled, selfish little princess who made my life a living hell!"

She slipped the ring off her hand and held it up between two fingers.

"And, here she is. Right here, everything about her. Somebody made her."

Marinette was stuck somewhere between giggling and crying. She wanted to do both but neither felt right. Why couldn't it have been someone nice? Who makes something like Chloé?

That answer came quickly. Chloé was a mini-Audrey in every way. Did Audrey make her? Did someone else make her for Audrey? Is she working for the Monarch? Did André make her for Audrey? Is he working for the Monarch? Both made too much sense, but also didn’t. None of this made sense.

Marinette was inches away from pulling her hair again when Tikki spoke up, “What are you going to do, Marinette?”

Marinette did laugh at that, and if Tikki’s expression was anything to go by, it sounded every bit as bad as it felt. She stuffed the ring back on her finger. “That’s what I was going to ask you Tikki. What should I do?”

“What do you mean?” Tikki settled on Marinette’s knee and Marinette was reminded just how much the kwamis related to things differently than humans did at times.

Marinette held the ring to her chest, fingers still turning it. “It’s- She’s a person, Tikki.”

Sentibug flashed before her eyes again. It was different… right? It had been troubling, but Marinette had convinced herself: Sentibug wasn’t real. Marinette was the real Ladybug. Sentibug was just a good imitation. Sitting there now, with someone else’s amok in her hands, Marinette began to see the fragile shield of denial for what it had been.

Marinette whispered, mind still far off, “Should I use it? I have already, accidentally. I made her do things. I could make her do anything. I could make her stop doing anything.”

Tikki tilted her head. “That sounds like a way to get her to stop being a bully to everyone.”

Twist. Twist. Twist. The last several years flashed before Marinette’s eyes. “If I do that though, what’s left? It’s just a Chloé doll, and I’m pulling the strings. Does she even exist? Do I become responsible for everything she does and doesn’t do? It’s not-”

Marinette dropped her hands into her lap, toying with the ring.

“It’s not like I haven’t dreamed of it. I mean, can you imagine being a little kid? A magical ring that turns all the tables, that gives you the chance to make your bully the one who has to do what you say.”

Marinette held her hand up, turning it to catch light on the ring, “I could be the real Queen Bee myself. ‘Chloé do this. Chloé do that. Chloé, stand on your head.’ People would laugh.”

Marinette dropped her hand, then hugged herself as more memories made themselves known.

“I’ve heard them laugh.”

Tikki flew over to land on Marinette’s hand. “You’re not a bully, Marinette.”

Marinette smiled down at her little friend. “That part, I know Tikki. That’s why I can’t just use it for whatever. That’s why I’m sitting here wishing I’d never found this thing instead of sitting in class, rewriting her personality one command at a time.”

Tikki’s antennae drooped. She was quiet for a moment then perked. “You could give it to her?”

Marinette chewed on her lip. “Would she take me seriously? Should I try as Ladybug? She hates Ladybug now… well maybe not anymore. Should I undo that? Can she take care of it? Does she really understand what it means? How many people would, if you handed them something and said, ‘Here’s your life and your free will, keep it safe.’?”

Tikki looked down again. “So, what are you going to do?”

Marinette sighed. “I was hoping you could tell me. Master Fu didn’t tell me about anything like this, and I’m thinking now that I’ve been handling sentimonsters wrong from the start.”

Tikki floated up, such a darling look of concentration on her face that Marinette reached up to hug her, but Tikki floated out of her grasp. She finally snapped out of it and gave Marinette a very serious look as she spoke, “What I can tell you, that you might not already be telling yourself, is that you have time. If Chloé really is a sentimonster, she’s been around for years. That means it’s not some new plot. Whoever made her might have even lost her amok and not know it's still around. You can give yourself time to consider what you want to do, instead of stressing yourself out trying to solve it all right now.”

Marinette thought about that. She thought about what Zoé said. Covered in Dust. A tiny fraction of the tension eased. She smiled, “Thanks, Tikki. I needed to hear that.”

Her Kwami flew back in and hugged against Marinette’s shoulder. “Anytime, Guardian!”

Marinette patted her gently. “Is there anything else you know about Sentimonsters, Tikki? Is there like a… factory reset? Can I undo what I did to her? What about what someone else might have done? Can I just tell her to be her own person from now on?”

Tikki rubbed her little paws together uncertainly. “I’m not Duusu, but I don’t think it works that way.” She thought again before answering, “It’s like… you can’t unmake something. You can make something, and you can destroy it, but you can’t erase it having been made. Every change you make, even if it's trying to put things back where they were, will actually be creating something new.”

Marinette sighed and flopped onto her back. “I was afraid of that.”

She heard her father’s booming voice from below, calling to see if she felt well enough for food. Suddenly aware of her hunger, Marinette scooted out of bed and headed downstairs. Her thumb never stopped. Twist. Twist. Twist.

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

Later that evening, her homework still sat undone. It wasn't hard, but she couldn't focus. The ring was always there, always slightly warm. She'd tried taking it off but then it just sat there, leaden on her desk and in her head. She even closed it in a drawer. That lasted mere seconds. Out of sight, anything could happen.

Marinette laid on her divan, hand held up to the ceiling and mind full of questions. It's not even mine! Is this what it would feel like if it was? Would it be worse? What am I supposed to do? How did this even happen? I don't know enough.

As if in response to her musings the room around her began to grow fuzzy. She felt it happening, but for once in her life just let go and let it happen.

Quiet was the first thing she noticed. It was deathly quiet. She was a rider this time, less in control. She could feel Chloé there, separate this time, but knew should could just reach out and-

Chloé pulled one of her forelocks and winced. Annoyance and confusion rippled across the space her mind occupied within Marinette's. Marinette felt a little guilty for the pettiness, but a tiny bit of selfish relief too.

She began to feel things more solidly. It was still quiet. So totally alien, growing up downtown over a busy bakery. Chloé's room came into focus, cavernous. Marinette paused -was that her feeling or Chloé's?- could she really find out what the other girl thought, felt, how she worked?

Chloé was still scrolling on her phone, did she do anything else? Marinette tried something gentle, not too intrusive she hoped: do something else.

Her vision shifted. Chloé stood and looked around. There was the balcony, the TV, room service, closets full of clothing and cosmetics to dive in and explore. Chloé didn't move. Marinette felt her own curiosity being swallowed up by… anxiety?

The other girl's thoughts circled her. Which is the right thing to do? Her mother's face leered down at her, disembodied and critical. Ridiculous. She felt sick to her stomach. Ladybug! Ladybug would make it better. She would make it make sense. She loved Ladybug.

Marinette was awash, the feelings were blending. A pang of guilt over Chloé’s newly rekindled love for Ladybug wasn’t enough to dissuade her. She felt pulled but compelled to see this through. Chloé was moving. The view swireled by in a rush. She threw open a closet and dug through designer clothes, throwing them aside wholesale until she found a carefully wrapped package buried deep.

Marinette recognized the contents through the clear plastic just as a wave of relief slammed into her. Polkadots. It was her Ladybug outfit.

She tore open the packaging, no wait, Chloé did. Marinette was watching the actions but feeling what they sparked. She held up the costume -joy. She ran to her mirrors, shedding clothing as she went. She had one arm already in a sleeve when the face and voice returned. Marinette was sure Chloé was alone, but she heard the words clear as day. "Look at you. Really Calorie, polkadots? You're hideous, and fired too."

Marinette's anxiety spiked. She could feel her hearts thudding in her chest. She could see herself in the mirror, half dressed, and what she saw was… disappointing.

The weight pressed down. Marinette knew it well. It was crushing the air from her lungs. She sank to the floor. Relief, a way out! She dove for her phone.

Marinette fell off the divan. Her own thoughts echoed the shared impressions. She staggered toward her phone. No wait, she already had it. Manicured fingers stabbed the top contact.

"Daddy! I want you to get that stupid Ladyblog banned!"

"Honey? I can't just shut down a blog."

Her mind raced. "It's a menace! A hazard! It's utterly ridiculous! It gives away all of Ladybug's secrets. Shutting it down is for public safety! You have to do it daddy, and fast!"

"I'll see what I can do, sweetie. Daddy's in a meeting right now."

She stabbed hang up.

Marinette slumped to the floor, still clutching her phone, silent from a call she had never made, only heard. The anxiety that had engulfed her unwound itself. It was someone else's problem now. She was still sick to her stomach, expecting the voice to return, but she wasn't alone now. Someone else would have it worse.

She sniffled, pulling her arm back out of the Ladybug costume. She could keep liking Ladybug, she just had to be sure no one knew. A thought entered her mind, the most insane of things. She raised her hand to her mouth, and bit down.

Marinette yelped from the pain, but it worked. She was in her room. Her heart, just hers, was still pounding but the familiar began to overtake the unknown. Tikki floated over to her and Marinette heard her with ears she was sure were her own. "What happened, Marinette? Was it the amok?"

Marinette nodded while examining her hand. The anxiety was ebbing now too. This was her own emotion, risen in echo to what had come through the bond. "Yeah, I think so. I got stuck inside the connection."

You were using it?" Tikki's voice rose in shock.

Marinette winced, "I wasn't planning on doing anything. I just thought a look couldn't hurt. Apparently it can."

Tikki sighed. "People aren't simple, Marinette."

Marinette sulked. "I always figured Chloé kind of was."

Tikki gave her a courtesy giggle and flew up to brush her bangs. "Are you going to be okay?"

Marinette nodded, "yeah, Tikki. Thanks. I won't fiddle with it any more tonight. I promise."Her kwami nodded and floated off, leaving Marinette to her thoughts. She rab a finger along the bite mark on her hand and hissed in pain. Gouges, but no blood. One thing is for certain, I will have to be more careful next time.

#ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #sentimonsters are people #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #chloe bourgeois #ml tikki

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sunset-peril · 3 years ago

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Trial of the Zora Armor - Chapter Nine - Ambushed!

"Hiyah!" Link exclaimed as he sent yet another dummy flying, now clad in knights' armor.

"I got it!" Revali pulled back the Great Eagle Bow's strings to send three bomb arrows flying into the dummy.

Both young men exclaimed in satisfaction as the inanimate object exploded as a result of their combined efforts.

"Perfect!" Revali declared, spinning his bow and flipping his braids.

"Take that, Bokoblin!" Link added victoriously, brushing his hand through his hair as he put his sword back into its scabbard. "Should we reset it for another go?"

"Hah! Finally something we both agree on!" Revali landed next to Link after tossing the dummy's remains into a now-full basin. However, his head snapped up before he or Link could move any further. "Wait. Something's coming in, fast and furious."

"Hmm?" Link asked before the main doors swung open and crashed into the walls.

"Link!" A furious, familiar, feminine voice bellowed from the doors.

The two young men turned around to find the fuming, four-months-pregnant Princess Zelda standing in the doorway. "Uh-oh, there's your Divine Beast. Good luck." Revali flew off into the arena's airspace.

Zelda gripped Link's collar and pulled him close to her face. "Talk me down!"

Link stammered, confused and freaked out.

"Talk me down, Link, talk me down!" She repeated loudly.

Revali flapped above their heads. "Well, boy, aren't you gonna talk her down?"

"Okay, uh, what happened, honey?"

"My father had the audacity to summon me from having civil discussion with Khosha and the others for the sole purpose of once again berating me over my pregnancy and saying that everything is my fault and that it's my fault that you and Revali had to come down here to let out steam because we're married and told me that everything I brought before him was an excuse and it's all my fault!"

"Oh, lovely," Revali butted in. "The King just had to voice his opinion."

"Zelda, do you need to blow something up with us? I'm not sure how to talk you down."

"No!" Zelda sounded disgusted. "That would be horrible for the baby! I need you to talk me down!"

"Hey. Princess." Revali began as he landed next to the couple. "Your hubby here doesn't know how to talk you down. Let's find somebody else who can before you break something."

Link gripped her hands and nodded, kissing her forehead.

A troop of knights, dressed in formal attire, came through the main doors and unsheathed their weapons.

Zelda huffed and tried to approach them, but Link gripped her upper arm and pulled her back, placing his other arm upon her stomach.

"Both of you stand down." Link ordered his party. "Revali. Hold Zelda for me please." He passed his wife to Revali, who held her in place as he approached the guards.

"State your business."

The knights blinked at Link several times before remembering who he was. "Y-Your Highness... His Majesty ordered us down. Ordered us to find the Princess."

"My wife is right there. She's fine, but she is quite upset. Please allow me to soothe her." He took a deep breath, then did his best to issue an order that imitated his wife's authority. "Return to the pavilions. Report that to His Majesty, please."

The knights took several steps back as if they were unable to comprehend a royal's order from a knight.

"Uh... don't think you're quite dressed to give orders, Your Highness." Revali observed.

Zelda growled in Revali's arms, the Rito was surprised with how she was vibrating. "Listen to him!" She barked across the room, the guards instantly responded to her voice. "He is your prince, and he has spoken! Begone from this place!" She stared them all dead in the eye, and they turned tail almost instantly.

Link stared at all the entrances for a while, his sacred blade drawn, before sighing. "We should go. Let me change back."

~~~~

"Everyone has sure been gone for a while, I hope everything's going alright." Mipha observed, looking at the sun with Daruk.

Urbosa glanced at her nails. "The boys will probably lose track of time in that arena, I'm not too worried."

"I'm a little worried about the tiny princess, she was called off so suddenly and we haven't heard a peep from her."

Looking around while leaning against the railing, Urbosa sighed. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, if Rhoam gets her all worked up she'll go find Link. She's become quite the master at self-comfort over the past ten years. Only thing we really have to worry about is that she doesn't punch a poor guard in between."

"That's what I'm worryin' about. Didn't we already figure out the King's got a habit of hittin' her?"

She tilted to look straight at Daruk, her disgust about what was going through her mind present. "I gave him a very strong talking-to after the bridge incident. Now that he knows the other royals of Hyrule know, he's been much better. Plus, she's pregnant. If he hits her and she miscarries because of it, he'll get executed for killing a descendant of Hylia. I'll make sure of that. It's one thing to hurt someone with holy blood, it's another to kill them."

"Uhh, doesn't that rule also mean he'll get in trouble for beatin' Zelda?"

"Oh, he's already in trouble. But unfortunately, Dorephan is the only royal older than him, so as long as Rhoam stays within his territory, no one can do much more than just smack him on the wrist... well actually Mipha may be older than him, but she's not on the throne so she doesn't really count."

Their conversation, though pretty much over, was interrupted by the quick moment of several soldiers, the fleeting unit.

"Hey!" Urbosa called out to them. "What's going on?"

The unit stopped and turned. "Lady Urbosa... thank Hylia it's just you." Their leader responded.

"What do you flee?"

"...The Princess. She's in a tizzy of a temper. The Prince is trying to calm her down, sent us back to the pavilions to report her whereabouts to the King."

"Oh dear, well you should get to it. Knowing His Highness he'll be headed back here with her."

The knights nodded and made themselves scarce.

"I will prepare a place for the Princess to rest. She's been quite active this evening." Impa stated before leaving.

"I should probably head that way to give that poor boy some relief." Urbosa walked down the path the knights had come from. She didn't have to walk too far before hearing Zelda cry out, instinctively running towards the cry. "Little bird!"

"Urbosa? Is something the matter?" Zelda asked, walking hand in hand with Link. Although her white dress should have illuminated her, she seemed dull with fatigue.

"You're not hurt?"

"No."

"Oh... I thought I heard you cry out."

"Revali accidentally reflected the sun into her eyes," Link explained. "but don't worry, Zelda and Little Hyrule are fine."

Urbosa smiled in endearment. "Aww, when did you start calling the baby that? "

"That's what I wanted to know."

His and Her Highness looked at each other and smiled. "About two weeks ago, after my father insisted I start wearing white in public on account of me 'being openly with child.' Ugh... anyways, Link called our little one that when we were preparing for bed... and we've just called them that since then." She then sighed, rubbing her stomach. "Father doesn't believe it proper, to nickname an unborn like the commoners do."

Exasperated, Urbosa sighed. "Of course he doesn't. Regardless, I think it's adorable. Makes the baby seem even more like a member of the family."

"Has he forgotten Link is from Hateno, the land of cows, Cuccos and dye? You'd think he'd give you guys a little grace."

"I've learned it to be a false hope."

"Anyways, can we be off now?" Revali asked, only for Zelda to turn back to Link.

"You may go on ahead... I am actually feeling quite weary."

"Your temper has taken a toll on your energy, no doubt, but it would be wiser to go on back to the banquet than to stay here." Urbosa said, gently watching Zelda's strength drain away.

"I am not sure if I can walk that distance without rest... I have had little since I set out to train." She leaned up against Link, looking as if she was about to pass out.

"She's spent." Link affirmed, pulling his wife off her feet. "Just a few minutes of rest will give her the strength to get back, but we need to stop."

"Alright, we can give her a while." Urbosa looked around, pointing to a nearby guards' station. "Link. Can you carry her there?"

Link nodded and set off, laying Zelda down in his lap once there.

"Oh," Urbosa breathed. "You look even more gravid laying down, little bird."

Zelda sighed, too exhausted to respond, and closed her eyes.

Link took off his gloves, slipped off her heels and began to rub her feet, noticing that they were tender and swollen. "You're gonna need to stay off your feet for a while after tonight, Zelly..."

Revali took a gaze at the resting princess' stomach as well. "She does look a lot bigger from this angle... She's probably bigger now than Khosha will be when she lays... but I guess that makes sense. Khosha's only going to lay an egg, but Zelda's going to have a fully-developed Hylian in there."

Zelda raised her head to stare at them. "Stop staring at my stomach!" She insisted in a breathy manner, exhausted and offended. "You're making me self-conscious."

Link stopped rubbing Zelda's feet for a moment to kiss her head. "Sorry, Zelly, they'll stop."

She laid her head back down and snuggled up against her husband, satisfied with the outcome.

"Did I just get voluntold?"

"Yes, Revali, we were upsetting her and not realizing it. Show some remorse, please."

She sighed once more, still obviously taking large breaths. "Unnnh, I didn't realize how much my feet hurt until I stopped standing on them."

"Yeah, they're pretty swollen..." Link agreed.

After a while, the group came into contact with another set of knights. "Your Highnesses," they bowed to them. "the King is once again searching for you. Several guests at the banquet have noticed your absence."

"The Princess grew weary, she couldn't go further without rest."

The guards apparently didn't notice Zelda when they approached, because their eyes grew wide when they saw her sprawled out in Link's lap.

"Hey!" Urbosa warned. "Don't stare at your princess!"

They took a few steps back in contrition, turning their heads away. "Do we need to escort you both to your chamber?"

Link looked down at Zelda and shook her slightly to help her regain full consciousness. "Do you need to go back to our chamber?"

Zelda was unable to respond before a large crash was heard nearby. She gasped and Link helped her up to her feet, they both heard screams while doing so.

"Something smells... and I think the scent's called Yiga." Urbosa muttered.

Another set of knights quickly appeared, the captain of the knights who were already with Link and Zelda seemed uneasy. "Your Highness," He whispered to Link. "I suggest you take the Princess and yourself somewhere safe. I don't trust this brigade."

Link nodded, suddenly holding Zelda in a way that hid her stomach.

"Revali. You go for the other Champions, I'll help the royals escape." Urbosa discreetly whispered, before turning around to quickly yet quietly usher the royals out.

"Hey!" One of the new knights called out. "Where are you going with the princess?!"

"Ugh, these aren't knights. They're Yiga stupidly disguised as knights." Link growled, unsheathing his sword and darting in their direction without a thought.

"Link!" Zelda called out.

"He's buying us time, let's get you out of here." Urbosa grabbed Zelda's shoulder and they jogged off the best they could.

"Oooh, you've got a lot of nerve, buddy, dressing like one of the royals. Pretty sure your job doesn't give you that benefit."

It was then when Link realized that he wasn't a knight anymore, he was the Prince. He then let a gasp slip his lips; he was supposed to be with Zelda and the baby! However, he instinctively knew that Urbosa had taken her and fled, so he stood his ground.

"I would say the same to you, eh, Yiga?"

These knights smiled cruelly before red cards flew up around them, revealing them to be Yiga footsoldiers.

The true knights gathered behind Link, drawing their swords as well, taking out most of the enemy before the Champions arrived.

"Hah! That's what you get for crashing the party!" Daruk declared as the Boulder Breaker slammed into the crowd.

"Link!" Mipha exclaimed when their backs collided.

Link shushed her quickly to keep her from accidentally spilling anything to the Yiga. "Just focus on getting rid of them!"

Not long afterwards, all the Yiga had been defeated or chased from the site, everyone looked around to make sure they were gone.

"Those asinine cowards got the jump on all of us." Revali mumbled. "They even got at the banquet. That's what took us so long."

"Aren't you supposed to be with the Princess?" Daruk asked.

Link rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah... instinct kinda forgot that..."

"Wow... what a wonderful husband."

"Be nice, Revali!"

"Why are you so defensive of him, Mipha?"

"The Prince bought Lady Urbosa time to get away with the Princess. His distraction also lowered the chance of the Yiga noticing she is with child." The captain explained, breaking up the argument. "Whether it was accidental or not doesn't matter."

"Is the King alright?" Link asked.

"He had his own guards, but we will go to him, Your Highness, if the Champions will escort you to safety."

Link nodded. "Let's get going."

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one-boring-person · 5 years ago

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Hey I was wondering if you could maybe write something where David meets his just turned vampire mate, after she gets hurt, scared and chased by the Frogs or some other hunters? I'm really in the mood for some angsty stuff😂 💕💕💕

Gotta love some good old angst! Thank you for requesting, I hope this is satisfactory!💛❤

Goddamn Hunters.

David (The Lost Boys) x reader

Warnings: violence, blood imagery, vague mentions of death

Masterlist.

A sharp yelp escapes me as my knees connect with the pavement yet again, a familiar pain spiking up through the thoroughly abused muscles of my legs, a sensation which still surprises me, seeing as I should be able to heal in no time. Breathing harshly, I scramble back to my feet, ignoring the protest of my legs and lungs, focusing on the adrenaline racing through my system as I sprint along the deserted road, newly enhanced eyes searching for a place to hide, sensitive ears picking up the sound of my pursuers behind me, their taunting voices mingling with the other, more distracting noises of the night, music from the Boardwalk somehow audible to me, even though I'm a good twenty minutes away. All of this, combined with the vibrant scents and putrid stenches of the town around me disorients me, sending my head into yet another spin, my terror and panic not doing anything to help with this, only adding to the hysteria going on inside me.

I have no idea who the two older men who are chasing me are, but the two younger ones? Those two I know very well - Edgar and Alan Frog, my ex-friends. They'd found me roaming the Boardwalk, scratching at my ears and eyes, overwhelmed by the barrage of strong smells and loud sounds, as well as the overbearing need to feed, completely thrown off and unsuspecting when they lured me away from the crowd, back to their new friends, who promptly started trying to pin me up against a wall, stakes brandished under my chin. None of them expected me to fight, and honestly, neither did I, but my instincts kicked in and I was able to wriggle my way free, allowing me to run off, away from the danger. Their voices are harsh and gloating, aware that I'm not as old as they might've originally thought, this idea giving them an incentive to let the hunt last longer than it should, keeping their eyes on me as I continue to hurtle along the streets, trying to remember how I'd managed to make myself fly the night before.

I turn a corner, skidding on the tarmac as my shoes struggle to get a grip, nearly sending me flying into a cluster of bins a couple of metres away, my hands flinging out to catch myself before that can happen, grazes appearing on the soft skin there as I use them to push me upright again, only to stop suddenly when I realise that the road I've entered is a dead end, my heart dropping in my chest, panic and despair flooding me, their voices and footsteps coming ever closer. Clenching my fists, I turn back to the corner I turned round, breathing heavily through my parted lips, the cool air feeling odd against my sensitive gums, my fangs threatening to push through them again, it I try to repress this urge, remembering the pain that accompanied them last time, my eyes fixed on the road, blood starting to well up in my palms from where my nails are digging into my flesh. Terror courses through me, my breath hitching as I see my pursuers finally round the corner, wide grins forming on their faces as the spot me, their pace slowing into cocky strides.

"Well, well. Look what we have here." One of the older men, a scarred man with long, oily black hair and only one eye, comments, whistling lowly at my appearance.

"You get the wrong turn, leech?" The other, a broad, muscular guy with gelled dirty blonde hair, taunts me, raking his eyes up and down my body with no subtlety whatsoever.

I remain silent, my eyes wide as I try to figure out how to get out of this mess, only coming up with one idea. Taking a breath, I rush forwards, intending to leap over them, seeing as I have some sort of supernatural power now, only to be hit with a small, plastic device, which promptly explodes into a mist of stinging liquid, a shriek of agony erupting from my throat as i fall to the floor, clutching at the bloodied, burnt skin of my face and hands, tears threatening to spill as the pain continues to harass me, my body shaking violently. Smirking, the older hunters stroll over to me, muttering something about "holy water grenades", one of them toeing at my body, trying to roll me onto my back, only to cry out in surprise when I grab hold of it in a fit of rage, pulling the limb to my face where I bite into the tough flesh. Instantly, my face contorts into the horrifying features that have plagued me for days, bloodlust clouding my vision as I growl into the leg, only to yelp when the guy lands a solid kick straight to my face, breaking my nose as I reel back, screaming in pain.

"You two, pass me those stakes we made earlier." The black haired hunter commands the Frog brothers, holding out a hand for the two kids to fill with carved wooden spikes. Grinning cruelly at me, he kneels beside me and pushes me onto my back, straddling my chest with his knees pinning my arms down, the other hunter coming over to hold down my legs as I struggle and writhe beneath them.

"I think someone needs to be taught a lesson in etiquette." Black Hair hisses at me, taking my right hand and stretching it away from my body, splaying my fingers as much as he can, "Most people shake hands when they first meet, but you didn't, so that is something that needs to be corrected."

As he speaks, I can only watch in terror as he angles a stake over the centre of my palm, smirking before he drives it down, straight down into the soft skin that protects the bones of my hand, blood spilling from the wound even as screams of agony spill from my lips. Disabled, my hand lies there simply, the wooden weapon stuck through it, not quite holding it in place, but left there to continue making me feel pain, the hunter swiftly doing the same to my other hand. Gasps and whimpers of pain leave me, my fingers curling and clawing at the crude spikes, something about them making my blood feel as if it is made of acid.

"And now for the finale." The hunter informs me, holding yet another stake over my chest, panic giving me some energy as I scream for help, hoping someone will hear me, only to be stopped by a hand pressing tightly over my mouth. Slowly, ever so slowly, the weapon is forced into my skin, shrieks of agony being muffled by the guy's hand, tears coating my cheeks as I realise how hopeless the situation is.

A sudden gasp for air snaps the hunter's attention away from me, his head turning to look over his shoulder, a curse leaving him as he notices something: his partner is no longer there. To my left, the Frog brothers look equally as confused, though they also look absolutely terrified, a horrified scream tearing itself from them as a body suddenly drops from the sky, the alluring scent of blood making my fangs push out of my gums, my own blood spilling down my chin as their razor-sharp points slice into my lower lip.

Startled, the first hunter pushes himself up, glancing around himself quickly, eyes wide and expression uneasy, hand reaching for the gun at his belt, only to be violently pulled into the sky by some cloaked creature, a strangled scream following this a second later, the body joining the first after a minute or two. Shrieking in pure fear, the two Frogs take off, dropping their stakes and waterpistols on the floor with a clatter, leaving me incapacitated on the floor, two stakes shoved into my hands. From my position, I try to push myself upright again, only to squeal in agony as a wave of pain washes over me, my sharp eyesight only just picking out the sight of someone walking up the road towards me as my ears pick up a frustrated "goddamn hunters". As soon as I lay my eyes on them, something sparks to life inside me, an odd feeling I can't understand, though I do keep my eyes on the rapidly approaching figure, in hopes of recognising them and figuring out why this sensation has made itself known.

Stepping into view, my rescuer instantly stops in his tracks, icy blue eyes widening as he sees me. He is ridiculously good looking, platinum blonde hair styled into a mullet, long black coat hiding his muscular body from view, skin pale yet stained with blood in the dim light. For a few seconds, we just stare, until the fear kicks in again and I start trying to edge away from him, wincing in pain, my eyes widening in worry as he starts to near me, only to stop when I hear his voice.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you! I just want to help." His voice is like honey, rich and smooth, and very pleasant to listen to, a longing sensation welling up in me, as if my body is willing me to go to him.

He steps further forwards, kneeling beside me with a concerned look in his eyes, hands instantly going to the stake in my left palm.

"This is gonna hurt, but it will heal quickly enough." He warns me, before yanking the weapon out of my skin, grimacing at the sight of the blood that rushes out afterwards, his eyes flashing yellow momentarily as I scream in agony, pulling my hand into my chest. However, an odd feeling starts to encompass the burning circles of pain, the skin looking as if it is knitting itself together again, even though I've done nothing to aid it.

"Ok, one more. You're doing really well, kitten. Stay with me." The guy reassures me, briefly smoothing a hand over my cheek before he tears the other stake from my right hand, soothing me as I sob out loud. At his touch, I manage to register what feels like an electric spark, my body instinctively leaning into his in response.

"Wh-who are you?" I force out, breathing heavily once more.

"I'm David. What's your name?" The guy replies, scooping me up into my arms with ease, cradling me against his chest. Instinctually, I bury my head into the soft fabric of his shirt, breathing in the reassuring scents of cigarette smoke, motor oil, dust and a strange metallic smell, which I instantly recognise - blood.

"I'm (Y/n)." I inform him, before continuing a little quieter, "Thank you for saving me."

"Don't mention it." He smiles down at me, the sight of it making butterflies in stomach cause havoc, "You got anywhere to stay?'

"Err, no. Why?" I frown a bit, still enjoying the proximity.

"You wanna come stay with me? I have plenty of room at home, and I'm sure you'd fit in." He confirms, rubbing soothing circles into my back.

"Fit in?"

"Yeah, I live with three other people, but they're all good guys, so you don't have to worry about them. We can help you with the transition if you want?"

"The transition?"

"You're a newly tuned vampire, aren't you? You'll need help transitioning." The platinum blonde points out, speaking as if I know what he's talking about.

"Ok, sure. If it's not too difficult for you."

"It isn't. I'm glad you accepted." He smiles at me, walking off with me still clutched in his arms, easy to spend the rest of eternity with me.

Part Two

#the lost boys #joel schumacher #vampire #david(thelostboys)#kiefer sutherland #paul(the lost boys)#dwayne(the lost boys)#marko(the lost boys)#santa carla #star(the lost boys)#request #answer #ask

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illegiblewords · 5 years ago

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hm-- i'm going to be the obvious one and suggest lahabrea (or hades, whichever someone hasn't already sent!)

YOU’RE IN LUCK, NEITHER HAS BEEN SENT!

LAHABREA

First impression: Wow what a boring villain, very 2-D with shitty dialogue and bland motives wearing the all black spooky-like. And we are supposed to be very impressed and intimidated just like Hydaelyn. When is Heavensward?

Impression now: My friends I have 180′d and now love this poor sad loser to pieces. Emet-Selch revealing that no, Lahabrea really has been being a lameass this entire time and why the hell did we take him seriously when he had such horrendous decision-making throughout was the beginning. Seriously, I basically yelled laughing when the “crowning moment of idiocy” line happened. Because until that point the models for Ascian behavior were Mr. I-laugh-at-explosions-and-yell-about-Zodiark Lahabrea, Sir I-don’t-talk-much-but-when-I-do-it’s-about-Zodiark-and-balance Elidibus, a certain I-hate-all-these-people-because-Zodiark-likes-them-better-WAITAHOTCHICK Nabriales, Ms. I-fucked-up-and-will-never-live-it-down-so-no-longer-show-my-emotions Igeyorhm, and a couple of oneliners. None of whom have seemed overly self-aware. The second that line came out of Hades’ mouth, it became clear that YES we can judge them all and NO this is not some kind of standard Ascian behavior we should just accept. None of them have to act that way. They’re just weirdos.

Then Shadowbringers happened and there was a period of “wait how did Amaurot’s top orator turn into the Lahabrea we know” and learning that Lahabrea was weak because he kept body hopping despite knowing it was damaging him.

Aaaaand at Gamescom, bless Oda and Yoshida, they gave the single smoothest fix and I am eternally grateful. Workaholic Lahabrea is a gift. He probably doesn’t even know what he’s saying most of the time and is just trying to give the impression he knows what he’s about before dropping a monster and running off.

But then combining all the info and playing detective with past scenes he’s actually really sad. Still lame and stupid funny at times but also sad as hell when dots get connected. At this point I figure he’s motivated by guilt complexes, denial-flavored-tempering, and fear of both falling asleep because nightmares and how much blood will rest directly on him if he fails. Because I think I remember seeing that Zodiark was his idea. And literally everyone except for him, Hades, and Elidibus died in connection with that.

I think he’s a Stepford smiler in the sense that internally he is deeply, deeply fucked but he distracts himself in how ridiculous a lot of the FFXIV situations are and laughing at the resulting blow-ups. Space-dragon-ghost-explodes-out-of-the-moon-to-wreak-havoc is a hell of a thing for the history books. I also think he probably knows or assumes people don’t like him and that he deserves it. I also think that while the other two Unsundered get frustrated with him, he’s probably also been hiding the level of fucked up he still is from them in a lot of ways and they assume to varying degrees that he’s being irrational, hot-headed, arrogant, and stubborn with it. I think in actuality he’s somewhat aware but is semi-deliberately hurting himself and alternately doesn’t think he has a right to stop or is horrified by how much less capable he is after spending thousands of years essentially hurting himself through body hopping and overwork. Reprimanding him probably doesn’t work because he already has a lot of reason to detest himself. I also think he probably tries really hard not to think about himself on a personal level because once he falls into that pit he’s not getting out easily, so there’s a solid amount of repression going on too.

I could go on. He is a sad clown to me who tries to cover up how tired he is by vomiting five syllable words.

Favorite moment

See, there’s funniest moment and there’s most interesting moment. His intro at the Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak makes me giggle a lot now. Most interesting to me is possibly his exchange with Elidibus after Nabriales’ death or when he shows up late to a meeting and discreetly tries to explain why he should be allowed to work again.

Idea for a story

:[ I don’t know if I can do it because I am still very happily committed to my Hades/WoL sequel, but following the story Stalemate I did I could see a situation with that specific WoL checking the Eye post-Shinryu and freeing Lahabrea. Very scenario-specific and all but I have some ideas about that.

Unpopular opinion

Idk if unpopular so much as different?

I’ve seen a lot of Lahabrea variants that I think are really cool and interesting! Some are very serious and dignified. Some are intimidatingly hot-tempered. But for me, part of what I find intriguing are the ways he doesn’t quite add up with the persona he’s trying to portray. I also really like small, cute human elements in characters that let you fall in love with them a little. This goes even for characters I find reprehensible because IMO it’s important to take both the endearing and the appalling together when forming opinions. It’s still fiction and I don’t think it translates to “if you like a character who committed murder then you like murder” or anything. I do think though that if the audience steps back and has to say point blank whether they think the character is a good person, a bad person, or somewhere in-between (regardless of liking them) that kind of thing becomes important.

I can understand why people would write off the iffy early writing to just spin Lahabrea as a highly respectable, unflappable, untouchable dude. I definitely still enjoy stories where he’s written that way. It’s just not so much how I read him haha. I think he tries to be that but there’s a lot of comedy and tragedy going on with him internally that hits hard when embraced. And I think being assumed as immune to any kind of vulnerability or real connection would probably fuck with him a lot too. Before the Ascian we know, he was considered one of the most exemplary citizens of Amaurot. It would be weird imo if he was completely isolated even then, and seeing how he got from Point A to Point B has a ton of pathos potential.

I also like him a lot despite thinking Thancred is absolutely justified in hating his guts, but it doesn’t come up as much with me so I could see there being some ???

Favorite relationship

XD I just did a WoL/Lahabrea shipfic personal challenge so naturally that influences me a bit so far as shipping goes. That said I am a multishipper. I could see him with either of the Unsundered being interesting. I’ve seen some cute stuff with Igeyorhm too but have less strong of an opinion there currently. Non-shipping I think he’s probably closest to Elidibus, has a sort of testy relationship with Hades but they ultimately do care about each other, and possibly has some level of closeness with Igeyorhm too. I also think that Nabriales dislikes Lahabrea more than Lahabrea dislikes him and that can cause some interesting problems.

Probably in-general I’m just very here for dysfunctional Unsundered trio.

Favorite headcanon

The workaholic thing and the self-destructive thing are technically both canon. His being lame specifically because of being tired all the time I think is probably it because the rest just follows for me haha.

As a smaller, more mundane headcanon I think Lahabrea is a super ugly sleeper most of the time. Probably drools.

Will do a post for Hades too and tag it but need to do other stuff for a bit! BUT THANK YOU!

#lahabrea #ascians #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years ago

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The Weekend Warrior 9/10/21 - MALIGNANT, THE CARD COUNTER, TIFF 2021, LANGUAGE LESSONS, THE ALPINIST, EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, FAUCI, and More!

Before we get to this week’s releases-- and there are a lot of them, though not necessarily wide releases -- I probably should mention that the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is beginning this week up North across the board. I was unable to go in person, more due to the money than any worries about COVID. (Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on at the border right now between America and Canada, but I figured I better wait it out before attending TIFF in person… until I can actually afford it.)

This year’s TIFF offers a lot of premieres, most of them taking place in physical theaters in Toronto, such as Edgar Wright’s, Last Night in Soho, (which just premiered in Venice) and Universal’s musical, Dear Evan Hansen, as well as David Gordon Green’s horror sequel, Halloween Kills (which also just played in Venice oddly). Other movies playing TIFF include Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, both which star Benedict Cumberbatch. Mihael Peace's Encounter, starring Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer, and docs like Julia (as in "Child") and Attica. There’s even a doc about the Canadian rock band, Triumph! (I’m looking forward to that one.) Antoine Fuqua’s remake of the German film, The Guilty, starring TIFF regular Jake Gyllenhaal, will have its premiere, and many, many more. Too many to watch, let alone write about, but I’ll try to review a few of these over at Below the Line and maybe some here. (There are also lots of movies that premiered at Cannes in July that will play at TIFF, and some of those will also play at New York Film Festival later this month, which is where I’ll see them.)

A movie that I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time and is finally seeing the light of day is James Wan’s return to horror, MALIGNANT (Warner Bros.). Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll have a chance to see this before Friday, which is a bit of a bummer, but I’ll look forward to seeing it with the common people in a theater. Because I’m looking forward to this movie so much, I haven’t even watched the latest trailer, so I really don’t know too much about it, which may be for the better.

Of course, you know Wan’s name from some of the most successful horror franchises of the past two decades, starting with Saw in 2004. After a few movies that didn’t do quite so well, Wan reteamed with his Saw collaborator Leigh Whannell for Insidious in 2010, which also did very well and created a similarly successful franchise. (Whannell would go on to direct the third movie in the series, the respectable sci-fi thriller Upgrade, and then he directed 2020’s The Invisible Man for Universal, which was also a substantial hit.) Meanwhile Wan went on to direct The Conjuring in 2013 and its 2016 sequel, The Conjuring 2, based on the true case files of supernatural investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by regular Wan collaborator Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Both of those “Conjuring” movies opened with $40 million+, and you guessed it, they also led to hugely successful franchises for Warner Bros with spin-offs galore.

Although Wan has been making big studio mega-blockbusters like Furious 7 and Aquaman in recent years -- and he’s hard at work on a sequel to the latter -- Malignant is his return to horror after a whole five years, which certainly is exciting for horror fans and those who love Wan’s style of horror particularly.

One thing that’s become fairly obvious from writing about box office over the past couple decades is that horror movies are rarely sold on the names of their stars, although Wan has a fine lead in the form of Annabelle Wallis, who just so happened to have starred in the 2014 The Conjuring prequel called Annabelle, which did quite well. (No, she did not play the title doll Annabelle, if you haven't seen it.) And that’s about it. The fact that Wan can do whatever he wants these days, and he decides to return to the horror genre without stacking the deck with all sorts of name actor, is pretty impressive. Even Saw had bigger names actors like Carey Elwes and Danny Glover!

Although I don’t know much about Malignant, it’s definitely giving me vibes of Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell, the horror master’s return to horror after making three “Spider-Man” movies. Although it’s well-loved by horror fans, it ended up opening with just $15.8 million in the summer of 2009. That’s a little daunting when you figure that Malignant is opening in September and in the second weekend of a huge blockbuster like Marvel’s Shang-Chi.

But there’s something else that’s been bugging me, as excited as I am to see the movie. I’ve been doing this a long time, and Warner Bros. has become almost legendary for screening all their movies in advance… every single one. I can maybe think of two examples of movies that didn’t get advance critics screenings. Malignant is screening for critics but only on Thursday night with an embargo Thursday at 10pm. That is not the move of a studio confident in a movie they’re releasing. Maybe it’s to avoid spoilers or maybe it’s ‘cause Malignant returns Wan to the craziness of the Insidious movies rather than the more commercial and mainstream horror of The Conjuring movies. I don’t know, cause I haven’t seen it, but I'm still gonna go see it on Friday night, ‘cause I like James and want to fully support his movie.

But that adds another layer of foreboding to the horror movie that will also be on HBO Max Friday, and it’ll be so easy for the curious to just hit “play” on their remote to watch it that way, which is what I think most people will do. Because of this, I’m struggling to find a way that Malignant makes more than $13 million, taking quite a distant second place to Shang-Chi in its second weekend.

Opening in roughly 500 theaters Friday is Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER (Focus Features), which stars Oscar Isaac as former prison inmate and professional gambler, “William Tell,” who drives around the casino circuit making money by playing blackjack and poker. He meets two people on his journey that changes the course of his path, the first being Tye Sheridan’s Cirk (Yes, with a “C”), a young man whose father ended up killing himself after serving time in military prison for crimes at Abu Ghraib. Tiffany Haddish plays La Lina, a woman who sees Will’s talent playing cards and wants to put him in her stable of players. The relationship between these three characters is what keeps the movie interesting even when there are only a few minor dramatic fireworks.

If there’s any doubt that Schrader, a significant Hollywood player in the ‘70s and ‘80s, is firing on all cylinders then The Card Counter confirms that 2017’s First Reformed was no fluke, as Schrader remains valid and important well into his 70s. Like First Reformed, this film features an undeniably solid performance from Isaac, who plays such a subdued character, an enigma who every so often truly explodes.

Sheridan's sheepish Cirk seems like an odd choice in road companion, although Haddish proves to be quite a counter (pun intended) to Isaac, as she seems far more comfortable in Will's world. Trying to understand Will and what he sees in Cirk and why he joins the World Poker Tour circuit despite wanting to remain anonymous is what keeps The Card Counter so invigorating. (One odd thing is that despite the title and the opening which literally teaches the viewer how to count cards while playing Blackjack, in most of the movie he’s actually playing poker.)

Folks who enjoy poker movies and the intricacies of Vegas and the gambling community in general should really enjoy The Card Counter for that aspect alone, but then there's the past of the main character, which ties into Abu Ghraib and the horrors of the tortures committed there. Some might feel that two decades after 9/11 isn't the best time to bring those crimes back to the forefront, but Schrader ably explores what it must have been like for the military torturers after they were convicted.

Few screenwriters and filmmakers could pull off what Schrader does in terms of combining these elements, as the story weaves itself through these very different worlds. Frequent Schrader collaborator, Willem Dafoe, takes on a smaller but still significant role as “Gordo,” Will’s commanding officer who trained him to torture. Even so, one of my favorite moments is a scene in a diner where Will performs a card trick for Cirk that would make the late Ricky Jay proud just adds to one's enjoyment.

I will say that I wasn’t as thrilled by the movie’s last ten minutes, as it feels like Schrader ran out of steam in terms of how to resolve all the pieces of a puzzle, leaving a couple pieces out before completion. Regardless, The Card Counter is a constantly compelling film that keeps you invested in the different characters’ behavior as things happen to and around them.

As far as box office, The Card Counter isn't getting a very wide release but with so many movies in the top 10 quickly dropping away leaving movies like Shang-Chi at the top, it should leave room for Schrader's film to inch its way into the top 10 and maybe even the top 5!

A movie I’m unlikely to see and know very little… okay… nothing… about is the faith-based SHOW ME THE FATHER (Sony/AFFIRM Films), which will open in about 1,000 theaters on Friday. Okay, fine, you twisted my arm, and I looked it up. This is a new documentary about fatherhood from the Kendrick Brothers, the duo behind faith-based hits like War Room, Courageous, and Fireproof. I've seen none of those movies, though I know all of them exceeded expectations, but this is also a doc, and those rarely do as well at the box office. I wish I could give you a definitive number for this, but something makes me think it won’t make more than $2 million, even if the religious right seem less worried about COVID and vaccines and wearing masks in movie theaters than everyone else. Expect it to end up in the bottom of the Top 10 with lots of confused movie writers not knowing what it is.

Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (who have appeared both on The Good Place and in Veronica Mars together) co-star in the comedy QUEENPINS (STXfilms), which is being released straight to Cinemark Theaters on Friday and then it will be on Paramount+ on Sept. 30.

In the movie, based on a true story, Bell plays Connie Kominski, a suburban Phoenix housewife who thrills to saving money with coupons, hatches a scheme with her best friend JoJo (Howell-Baptiste) to sell coupons via mail, not realizing that what they’re doing is illegal as they rack up millions of dollars. Unfortunately, they have Paul Walter Hauser’s Loss Prevention Manager Ken Miller on their tail, and he teams with postal inspector Simon Kilmurry (Vince Vaughn) to try to catch them women trying to scam the supermarkets.

This movie, written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, actually is based on a true story, but it took me a little while to get into it, and it definitely had its ups and downs. The first thing one has to get past is the fact that this is essentially a heist film that involves illicit coupons, and at first, Connie writing letters of complaint to companies comes across a bit like a Greenberg for middle-aged women. (Note: that film's star, Ben Stiller is one of the movie's exec. producers.) On the other hand, Kristen Bell tends to be great in this kind of role and you can tell she's worked with Ms. Howell-Baptiste from their organic chemistry as best friends. Joel McHale has a tougher time fitting in as Connie's husband Rick, but that actually works in this case. (A little trivia fact: McHale, Howell-Baptiste and Natalie Morales, whose directorial debut is reviewed below, all appeared in BenDavid Grabinski's Happily, as did Stephen Root, who has a small role in Queenpins.)

Queenpins eventually falls into a steadier pace with the introduction of Hauser's character and then bringing Vaughn into the mix, although the two of them have very little interaction with the two female leads, as the film instead cuts between the two duos. Hauser essentially seems to be playing a jokier version of Richard Jewell here, constantly trying to get more involved in the case and wanting to be deputized by Vaughn. The two of them work well together, and there's only one unfortunate scene involving… it's too disgusting to mention, but it's where the film needlessly delves into gross-out humor, and that's also where it falters.

As much as the law in this movie act like buffoons, the two ladies don't seem very much smarter, doing idiotic things like buying Lamborghinis and guns in order to "clean” the illicit money from the coupon-selling scam. Because of that, Queenpins gets sillier and sillier and feels less like any sort of possible true story as it goes along. The movie basically comes across like a less skilled version of Butter, but in that case, it was a movie that shouldn't have worked but did. In this case, it's the exact opposite.

Cinemark Theaters only has about 331 theaters across America, including a lot in Texas, California, and Ohio, but honestly, I don't think awareness is high enough for Queenpins for it to make much of a mark, but even if it makes less than a million, it could theoretically break into the top 10 this weekend, but I think it will fall just short.

The movies above are the only ones that may be going even remotely wide, so because of that, this weekend’s box office will look something like this with Shang-Chi remaining #1 with relative ease, Malignant taking a distant second, and Candyman and Free Guy fighting it out for #3.

1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Marvel/Disney) - $33.5 million -56%

2. Malignant (Warner Bros.) - $13.6 million N/A

3. Candyman (Universal) - $4.8 million -53%

4. Free Guy (20th Century/Disney) - $4.5 million -42%

5. The Card Counter (Focus) - $2.2 million N/A

6. Jungle Cruise (Walt Disney Pictures) - $2.1 million -48%

7. Paw Patrol: The Movie (Paramount) - $2 million -50%

8. Show Me the Father (Sony/AFFIRM) - $2 million N/A

9. Don’t Breathe 2 (Sony/Screen Gems) - $2 million -30%

10. Respect (MGM) - $600,000 -57%

--- Queenpins (STXfilms) - $445,000 N/A

It was tough to pick a “Chosen One” this week, because there are a few decent films, but I had to go with Natalie Morales’ directorial debut, LANGUAGE LESSONS (Shout! Studios!), which she co-wrote and co-stars in with Mark Duplass. I saw it at SXSW back in March, and I loved it just as much a second time around, due to the simplicity of the premise and just how much Morales and her co-star do using similar Zoom technology we’ve all been using for the past 18 months. Duplass plays wealthy Californian Adam, whose husband buys him a series of Spanish lessons, given over Zoom by Morales’ character Cariño, who lives in Costa Rica.

You might think after over a year of mostly communicating with family and friends via Zoom, we’d be so sick of it that a movie that uses that as a conceit would be absolutely horrible, but maybe that’s why it’s easier to connect with what Morales and Duplass were attempting with this terrific piece of work. How these two people from different backgrounds interact begins slowly as might be the case while getting online language lessons from a new teacher. As they become more comfortable with each other, there’s more playfulness, as they begin to open up to each other. (Adam's Spanish teacher definitely has a dark side that comes out as things go along.)

I’m not sure if there was a lot of improvisation involved with the script as with some of the films Duplass did with the wonderful Lynn Shelton, but however they put this film together, it works in a similar way where it’s charming and funny, even during some of the more emotional moments. Because Duplass’ character is declared as gay fairly on, there's none of the attempts at making this some sort of meet-cute romance, as may have been the case with a studio movie. There's also never anything lascivious or creepy about their relationship, which makes some of the moments a little confounding, but ultimately, it all pays off.

Even though there’s a certain aspect of the movie that makes you want it to be kept organic and authentic-feeling, there is some gentle scoring by Gaby Moren that’s kept far behind the dialogue that does add something subliminal to the film.

Language Lessons is absolutely delightful -- definitely one of my favorite films of the year -- maybe because it thrives on its own simplicity by just having two actors doing what they do best.

Another great movie coming out in select theaters Friday is EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE (Amazon), starring Max Harwood as Jamie New, a fairly normal gay 16-year-old from Sheffield, England… other than the fact that he wants to be a drag queen. His mother Margaret (Sarah Lancashire) supports him, as does his best friend Pritti (Lauren Patel) but Jamie risks the ridicule and mocking and bullying of his entire Year 11 class as he proclaims his desire to attend prom in drag. This is the feature debut by Jonathan Butterell, a choreographer who directed the original stageplay.

I honestly wasn't really sure what to expect when I went to a theater to see this with a real audience. For one thing, I had no idea it was a musical. I had seen Max on some morning show talking about the movie and how it was based on the true story of Jamie Campbell, a British teen who wanted to be a drag queen, but I don’t remember him saying anything about singing or dancing. And the music and performances are all terrific, including all the young actors playing Jamie’s schoolmates, who have more than a few spectacular numbers to show off their own skills. (They’re kind of like the Greek chorus for the film.)

Harwood is exceedingly likeable, which is why he can carry this film, but it’s then an even bigger joy when Richard E. Grant shows up in a mentor role, as former drag queen “Loco Channel.” Grant has proven countless times he can do anything, and though his singing voice takes some adjusting to, it also leads to two absolutely amazing moments. Same with Lauren Patel and Sarah Lancashire, who each have numbers that would bring down the house on a Broadway stage but just gets the tears flowing as you’re watching on the screen. Sharon Horgan, who was just in the recent drama Together, plays more of the antagonist role as Jamie’s disapproving teacher, and her one number does not show that singing is one of her talents. (She does okay, and gets through it, at least.)

That aside, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a truly wonderful musical (and movie), one that took me quite by surprise, since I wasn't expecting something a bit more "Free to Be You and Me” (look it up). In fact, Harwood shines, and the cast around him does as well; the fact this musical was able to bring out so many emotions from me offers proof positive that it's a true winner.

Jamie is opening in select theaters this Friday, and then it will stream on Amazon Prime Video starting Sept. 17. I recommend going out and seeing it in a theater if it’s playing near you; it’s a real crowdpleaser, for sure.

Also launching on Amazon this Friday is the series, THE VOYEURS (Amazon), starring the terrific Sidney Sweeney (who many will know from Mike White’s The White Lotus on HBO Max) and Justice Smith as a young couple who move into a loft apartment in Downtown Montreal after which they become interested in the sex life of their neighbors across the street (played by Ben Hardy and Natash Liu Bordizzo).

I’ve really been looking forward to the action-thriller KATE (Netflix), starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who I love, so sue me. It also stars Woody Harrelson, who I’m also a fan of. Directed by Cedric Nicholas-Troyan (The Huntsman: Winter’s War), it has Winstead playing Kate, a kick-ass assassin who has 24 hours to get revenge on the man who tries to kill her, eventually teaming with the daughter of one of her targets. Harrelson plays her handler.

The fact that this movie, starring one of my favorite actresses playing an assassin and doing a bit more action than we've seen from Winstead in a while (Birds of Prey being an exception), comes so soon after The Protégé with Maggie Q may only be a coincidence, but whoever is making these movies clearly knows what I'm all about. This one also has a very tiny sci-fi angle as well, and much of it is set in Tokyo, so it has both those things going for it, too.

Is this Winstead's best role or movie? No, probably not, but it does show her versatility, the fact that she can do something like Scott Pilgrim and other types of genre, but also do serious drama, and this is much stronger a venture into a Japanese yakuza thriller by a Westerner than last week's Yakuza Princess. Much of that comes down to Winstead and Harrelson, who do a much better job selling even the weaker dialogue, because you can tell they're both taking it very seriously. Like Yakuza Princess (and Kill Bill, a model for both of them) Nicholas-Troyan leans heavily on his soundtrack and on some of the more stylish visuals, but at least this one offers other things beyond the constantly-circling camera in certain scenes.

Let's face it that watching Winstead taking part in some pretty impressive and violent fight and stunt sequences would probably be more than enough for me to enjoy this even, if there are moments that rip-off Kill Bill so obviously but again, better than other similar rip-offs. Eventually, Kate gets sidled with a young teen girl, Ani (Miku Martineau), the daughter of one of her victims, and that does take away from the "sole assassin” aspect but does give it more of the feel of The Professional. Maybe that would work better if Martineau didn’t seem much older than the teenager she was meant to be playing, which might be due to the fact that she swears more than Samuel L. Jackson. In some ways, Ani offers something more akin to Black Widow with a third act twist that few will see coming.

Ultimately, the movie works well as an action movie, if not slightly marred by its overuse of clichés. It probably will come as no surprise that I prefer seeing action movies like this on the biggest screen possible in a theater, and in fact, this did get a nominal theatrical run last week before streaming on Netflix Friday. Winstead's badassery does wonders at making sure that fans of her and the genre won't be disappointed by its few flaws.

Also hitting Netflix this week (today, in fact) is the doc BLOOD BROTHERS: MALCOLM X & MUHAMMAD ALI (Netflix), which has a fairly self-explanatory title. I haven't seen it yet.

A movie that people who liked the Oscar-winning Free Solo will also want to check out is Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen’s THE ALPINIST (Red Bull Media/Roadside Attractions/Universal), a documentary about the 23-year-old solo mountain climber Marc-André Leclerc, whose amazing climbs were counterbalanced by his elusive behavior that kept him mostly under the radar for so many years.

This is a very different movie from Free Solo, though. That was about Alex Honnold's determination to make one singular climb, while Leclerc was already making just as many impressive climbs at a younger age. It's pretty obvious that Leclerc was destined to climb even bigger rock faces as Mortimer (whose previous film, The Dawn Wall, was sadly overlooked with all the push behind Free Solo) and Rosen finally catch up with him.

I don't really want to say too much more about the film or Leclerc, since it's best to learn about him through the movie and the amazing interviews compiled by the filmmaking duo. There's a good reason why mountain climbing continues to be of interest to the casual non-climbers like myself. Great films like The Alpinist find ways to glorify these amazing climbers without glossing over how dangerous mountain climbing can be as a sport or hobby.

The Alpinist had a Fathom Event on Tuesday night, but it will also be getting a moderately wide release in theaters through Roadside this Friday as well. You can read my interviews with the filmmakers over at Below the Line, too. Also, I mentioned another Universal doc, Under the Volcano, a few weeks back, and I have an interview with those filmmakers over at Below the Line, as well.

Another doc of note out this week is FAUCI (NatGeo Documentary/Magnolia) from directors John Hoffman and Janet Tobias, which looks at the life and career of NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, but it doesn't deal with the last year and a half where Fauci's main focus was fighting COVID. No, this goes back to earlier in his career, to when he started at NIH, meeting, working with and eventually marrying his wife, Dr. Christine Grady. (Nope, I had no idea he was married either.)

More importantly, the movie follows Fauci's role in the discovery of HIV and AIDs and the conflicts between the government and protest groups like ACT UP who didn't think Fauci and the government did enough to help the gay community fight against AIDS and certainly not fast enough to make a difference.

Hoffman and Tobias’ doc has a fantastic interview with Fauci at its core that sometimes gets a little cutesy, but also allows him to talk candidly about his efforts in fighting disease, including the efforts to help fight Ebola in Africa where it was so debilitating for those who couldn't afford medicine that the USA had to step in.

But AIDS is really the crux of the film's exploration of Fauci's past achievements (and partial failures), and watching a younger Fauci talking to the AIDS activists in a rousing speech is one of the highlights, as is watching the present-day Fauci tearing up while talking about an AIDS patient who died.

I’ve always had a bit of a skewed perspective on epidemiologists and infectious disease doctors due to a few incidents when I was fighting cancer, and Fauci has annoyed me for the good part of the year by being so wishy-washy and negative towards movie theaters (which led to a full-year of closings in NYC with no major super-spreader cases since they reopened). But this documentary definitely helped change my mind about Fauci, maybe because the general public really never had a chance to meet or know him or his work before COVID hit.

Fauci is quite a fantastic doc in terms of shining the spotlight on a needlessly controversial figure who has been politicized despite having held his position through six administrations. I would definitely point someone to this doc if they still feel negatively towards the country’s top epidemiologist. It helps to humanize Fauci much like the RBG doc did for the late Supreme Court Justice.

Seriously, there are so many movies this week that there’s no way I’m gonna review everything, but you can read about a few of them below.

A music doc hitting New York on Friday and then opening in L.A. on Sept. 17 is Tom Surgals's FIRE MUSIC: The Story of Free Jazz (Submarine Deluxe), exec. produced by Nels Cline and Thurston Moore (who happens to be playing his first NYC show in a couple years this Sunday). It covers the free jazz movement of the '60s and '70s that produced the likes of Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, and John Coltrane. The movie features archival footage from the '60s jazz scene and interviews with key players, including critic Gary Giddins. I'm not going to review this, but it's pretty good, because I definitely had a phase when I was really into this type of jazz, basically all-improvisational with less structure than the jazz that uses charts and such. I know that a lot of people hate or misunderstand the musical style but it's quite stirring, as is Surgal's film. I do feel you'll already have to be a fan of the musical genre to enjoy the movie, though.

Hitting Apple TV+ on Friday is the filmed version of the Broadway musical, COME FROM AWAY (Apple TV+) -- similar to last year’s Hamilton and David Byrne’s American Utopia -- which is being released on the streamer to coincide with the 20th anniversary of 9/11, since the musical is loosely based on the events. It was filmed earlier this year, 14 months into the pandemic that shut down Broadway with a fully-masked audience watching Broadway’s first live performance since the shut-down. This is one of the MANY musicals on Broadway that I’ve never gotten around to seeing but it involves a town in Newfoundland, Canada where a plane lands on 9/11 as they’ve been diverted following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Claire Lewins’ doc THE WONDERFUL: STORIES FROM THE SPACE STATION (Dog Star Films/Universal Home Entertainment) features footage from the International Space Station and interviews with the astronauts who have been involved with the extraordinary space project. I hope to watch this over the weekend, but it sounds like my kind of movie.

Already on Apple TV+ (it debuted Tuesday!) is Bailie Walsh’s BEING JAMES BOND, a documentary about Daniel Craig’s run as 007 over the past decade plus, which you can rent for FREE on Apple, so go do that!

On Monday, FX and FX on Hulu will debut the first few episodes of Y THE LAST MAN, the new series based on the Vertigo comic series by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra that I absolutely loved. Set in a world where every single male human and animal has died, it stars Ben Schnetzer (Pride, Warcraft) as Yorick, who is -- you guessed it-- the last man on earth. He’s also an escape artist/magician, trying to survive with his pet capuchin monkey, Ampersand, as he goes across country trying to find his girlfriend Beth who left for Australia before the event. It also stars Diane Lane (as Yorick’s mother, who becomes the President), Olivia Thirlby (as his sister Hero), Ashley Romans (as Agent 355), Missi Pyle, and lots of other actresses (because all the men are dead). I’m slowly making my way through the series, and I like what I've seen so far, but the first three episodes will premiere on Monday.

A few other movies, a couple that I’ve seen, which I just don’t have time to review…

Nicholas Cage stars in Sion Sono's PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND (RLJEfilms), which opens at the IFC Center this Friday. He plays a bank robber who is sprung from jail by Bill Moseley's "Governor" whose adopted granddaughter (Sofia Boutella) has gone missing. Cage's character is allowed to go free to find her, but he's put in a suit that will self-destruct in three days if he doesn't return. So it's kind of like The Suicide Squad, and though it has an interesting cast (including Nick Cassavetes, who also appears in Queenpins this week), I don't remember liking this much at Sundance earlier this year. (I actually don't thnk I got through the movie.)

John Pollono adapts his own stageplay SMALL ENGINE REPAIR (Vertical) to the screen with John Bernthal and Shea Whigham playing life-long friends Terrance and Packie with Pollono’s Frank, who are overly protective of Terrance’s teen daughter, Crystal (Ciaro Bravo). A chance encounter turns into a night that spins out of control as the friends have to make a tough decision about how to resolve the situation. I was pretty mixed on this movie even though Bernthal and Whigham continue to be great in everything they do. (I just think Whigham's recent movie, The Gateway, was better.)

Hitting the horror-streaming network Shudder (I have a subscription, because I’m a fan) on Thursday is Ruth Platt’s MARTYR’S LANE, a ghost story about a 10-year-old girl named Leah (Kiera Thompson) who lives in an old house with her family but whose mother has grown distant. At night, she’s visited by a guest who challenges Leah in exchange for more information about the house and her family.

Saul Williams stars and writes the score for Charles Officer’s AKILLA’S ESCAPE (Vertical), a crime noir about an urban child soldier set in Toronto and New York with Williams playing Akilla, a 40-year-old with a covert cannabis operation that goes legit. As he’s ready to cash out, he’s robbed by a group of masked youths. Akilla captures one of them, a mute 15-year-old named Sheppard that is associated with the Jamaican crime syndicate founded by his grandfather.

Jonah Feingold’s DATING & NEW YORK (IFC Films), which premiered at the Tribeca Festival a few months back, stars Francesca Reale (Stranger Things) and Jaboukie Young-White (The Daily Show) as Wendy and Milo, two Millennials who are thrown together at the worst time in their lives for romance, as they meet on an app called Meet Cute, have a first date, and then ghost each other before being thrown back together into an unconventional romance. I’m usually a fan of the rom-com genre, and I often can even withstand one that takes place in New York City and uses my town in a completely unrealistic way to show how romance can flourish here. (*koff*BULLSHIT*koff*) But then you throw in the M-word (Millennials), and this grouchy old man could barely get through this movie, though I’m not even remotely surprised it premiered at Tribeca. It seems very much like a Tribeca movie, and yes, that was meant in a pejorative way as the former “Film” festival has lost its way over the years. I’m half-kidding, the movie is entertaining enough, and I’m sure younger people will enjoy it more than I did.

A few other films I didn't get to this week…

DOGS (Dekanalog) AZOR (MUBI) BAD CANDY (Dread)

That’s it for this week. Do we have any new movies next week? I think Clint Eastwood has Cry Macho

#Movies #reviews #The Weekend Warrior #box office #Malignant #Queenpins #Everyone's Talking about Jamie #Kate #Fauci #The Alpinist

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