#Burglar wally | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

whoopsyeahokay · 29 days

Text

October Sun

summary: Xavier had been acting cagey for weeks, a fact you hadn't had the heart to address since Maddie's disappearance. but with his dubious return to school and how he loitered in the periphery of Nicole and Simon's orbit, you thought it was about time to get answers. too bad one pale, cow-eyed jock had other plans.

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence.

i had some serious technical issues with these parts, so my fingers are crossed that everything worked!

bon reading, frens

___________________________💀

OCTOBER SUN pt.5

You felt foolish, dressed like a Parisian cat burglar, but you hadn't exactly spent your night strategizing how to avoid Wally Clark come morning. Instead, you'd pored over several small, ratty books that outlined possible explanations for human-ghost attraction.

Not the kind of attraction that makes your heart beat love songs, but the kind that draws elements together. The scientific kind that had nothing to do with what the shape of Wally's mouth might feel like against various pulse points.

Thankfully, the universe seemed to be on your side. You'd managed to slip from one class to the next unnoticed, only seeing the shy boy with the glasses and the spacey girl who roosted atop the library return bins. No towering athlete with big hands and bedroom eyes.

Jesus, girl, get a grip, you chided yourself in a voice that eerily resembled Mathilda's.

Mathilda, who you'd managed to waylay that morning by dragging her into the girls' bathroom and holding her hostage until Xavier had texted you the OK. Mathilda who'd spent the time before and after History barking insults at people who'd thought it'd been a good idea to share their opinions of Xavier aloud.

What she lacked in height, she sure as hell made up for in loyalty and intimidation. Qualities you admired and wished you could emulate. If Mathilda had chaotic, ancestral ghost powers, she wouldn't let herself be pushed around by the idea of a ghost getting the better of her.

No. She'd probably browbeat the ghost into submission and get on with her day. No swarms or storms or ectoplasmic squalls; no mother eventually stepping in to fix her daughter's mistake, cursing I told you over and over again because, yeah, she had. Sadly, Mathilda didn't share your abilities and couldn't chase Wally away on your behalf.

Frustrated, you shoved the hood of your uncle's sweater over your head and yanked the drawstrings, encasing yourself in a void of soft fabric.

It sucked. You didn't want Wally chased away. You just wanted him never to figure out that you could see, hear, or wholly and completely interact with him...Which would result in him eventually giving up or losing interest and never seeking you out again, as he'd done in your sophomore year. And you wanted that even less.

When had 'don't tell anyone' become so complicated?

Naturally, you didn't want to get your mother involved. Were wholeheartedly determined to weather the storm alone. Had been doing a decent enough job of it until yesterday, despite some minor missteps here and there. But if Wally remained steadfast in his promise ("I'm not going anywhere until you admit it"), she'd find out—she always found out—and you'd never see him again. Poof. Gone. Disintegrated into the ether; his beautiful, summer-sun soul vanished from the earth as if he'd never existed.

You couldn't let that happen.

"How's the undercover operation?" Xavier's voice penetrated the dead air from somewhere above you.

You groaned in response, loosened your hood and pushed it off to stare up at him, likely making a pitiful picture with staticky hair and a pout.

He prompted you with a twitch of an eyebrow, you rolled your eyes; he grinned, you untucked your knees from your chest and opened yourself up to invite Xavier to sit with you on the library floor.

"Who are you hiding from, again?" He asked, making himself comfortable across from you between the shelves of autobiographies—the section furthest from the door.

You teased him with a delicate smile, "No questions, remember?"

"Normally, I'd respect the hell out of that, but I feel like I should be concerned." He regarded you carefully, eyes flitting between yours as if he could summon your secrets through them. "I don't have to kick the shit out of anyone, do I?"

"I love you, Zav, and, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the thought," You really did, "but, trust me, it's not that deep."

"Okay...and how many lunches do you plan to have in the back of the library?"

"As many as I need to." You replied vaguely. He bit his lip to stop a smile and nodded. "I'm good, Xavier, I swear. I just need some space right now." You weren't going to fabricate a lie for him. Anyone else, yeah, water off a duck's back, but Xavier? It toed a line you weren't comfortable crossing.

While not entirely placated by your statement, Xavier respected it, getting back to his feet and shouldering his backpack. As he was about to round the bookshelf and leave you to your business, he paused.

"You'd tell me, right?" He peered at you over his shoulder, "If things were bad...you'd tell me?"

Without hesitation, "Yes," you assured and meant it in your bones.

His expression relaxed, "Thanks."

Xavier didn't leave the library altogether, simply walked away to give you the space you'd said you needed.

For awhile, you occupied yourself with homework—notebook in your lap and Frankenstein open beside you—taking advantage of your free period to catch up on what you'd put aside last night. It would've been a good use of your time, except...your uncooperative brain kept ambling back to Wally. To his puppysoft brown eyes; his cocky, boyish grin. Then to how he'd glided his fingers up your spine and had made your blood surge.

Shit. God. No. Stop that!

Growling inwardly, you shifted to your knees, notebook sliding to the floor, and grabbed your backpack. Dragged it toward you so you could pack up and find another place to sequester yourself. A change of scenery might help prevent your brain from tap dancing into very bad no good territory.

The pen you'd been using had rolled away when you'd repositioned yourself, now sat at the end of the aisle. Standing, you went to get it when you heard someone who sounded a lot like Nicole mutter an apology. Peeking around the bookshelf, you caught sight of her as she hurried out of the library, phone in hand and boldness in her stride.

What's that about?

Before you could apprehend it, you saw movement in the corner of your eye. Xavier reshelved the book he'd been flipping through and made a hasty exit, clearly intending to follow Nicole.

Well. Now you had to know. You swooped over to your backpack, double-checked that you hadn't forgetting anything, and strolled as fast as you dared after them.

Completely unaware that, beyond the school walls, the specter you'd cosplayed Sid Vicious to avoid was gleefully running amok.

💀___________________________

PART FOUR - PART SIX

note: next part is all Wally being about as subtle as a neon sign 💀 he's too cute, i need to give the babe hugs and snugs and dry smacky kisses all over his lil' face 💕 but that's a PART SEVEN problem 😏

if you'd like to be kept up-to-date, please join the tag list!

#Milo Manheim #Wally Clark #Wally Clark x Reader #fem!reader #Wally Clark smut #Wally Clark fanfiction #Milo Manheim fanfiction #School Spirits

71 notes · View notes

gatorbites-imagines · 1 year

Text

Masterlist 2

Emoji Guide

Dark themes = 🖤

Smut = ❤️

Find Masterlist 1 here

Marvel

-Steve Rogers

Steve Rogers and his 200 year old partner who he calls daddy (mild ❤️ mentions)

-Moon knight

The moonboys with a male reader whos a stoic tall history teacher

The moonboys (mainly Steven) watching horror movies with alien male reader

The moonboys with a lover who has C-PTSD

The moonboys with omegaverse, with a beta reader.

Moonboys and Khonshu with a touch starved reader

-Namor/kukulkan

“Clipped wings” Part 1 Namor x mutant reader

-Eddie Brock(and venom)

Eddie and Venom with a ftm reader

-Andrew Garfield (tasm) Peter Parker

Peter Parker x deadpool male reader

Spiderverse

-Miguel O’Hara

Miguel O’Hara scent/sweat smut drabble❤️

-Peter B Parker

Peter B Parker with a narcoleptic boyfriend

-Hobie Brown

Hobie Brown with a boyfriend whos a juggalo and a fellow spiderman

Hobie Brown sfw alphabet

Hobie Brown nsfw alphabet ❤️

Hobie Brown x deadpool male reader

Hobie brown x lead guitarist male reader

Hobie Brown x Male reader whos spiderman and the son of Miguel from another dimension

Hobie Brown x insecure male reader

-Pavitr Prabhakar

Pavitr Prabhakar sfw alphabet

-Peter Benjamin Parker/Spidernoir

Spidernoir with a ftm reader

Spidernoir with a lover who keeps touching his web slit/spinnerette ❤️(a little bit)

-Ben Reilly

Ben Reilly is in spider heat and wants nothing more than for you to dominate him ❤️

-Multiple

Miles and Prowler Miles with a black cat reader whos in love with miles, and is dead in earth-42.

Relationship headcanons for Miles Morales, Miguel O'hara and Hobie Brown.

Platonic/parental headcanons for Peter B and Miguel with a spiderman male reader whos very protective

-Bruce Wayne

Bruce Wayne x male reader cuddling and edging, drabble ❤️

Bruce Wayne x male reader, meeting the family

-Dick Grayson

Dick Grayson x male reader whos a dancer and hero

Dick Grayson x powered male reader whos the son of oliver queen

Dick Grayson x clarks son reader, who are hopelessly in love.

Dick Grayson x Rogue doctor male reader

-Jason Todd

Jason having a depressive episode and the reader takes care of him, so he goes into subspace ❤️

Jason todd x older vigilante male reader, part two (little bit of ❤️)

Jason Todd x snobby rich male reader with brat taming ❤️

-Tim Drake

Tim Drake x ftm reader, ft cuddling and homemade coffee

Tim Drake x flirty son of Trigon male reader, whos a sorcerer vigilante

Tim Drake x autistic male reader, where they mirror eachother, ft the batfams reaction to that

Being Tim Drakes boyfriend and his family is protective of him

Tim Drake x male reader, pulling all nighters and falling asleep

Tim Drake x older male reader

-Damian Wayne

Platonic Damian with a Alien reader who pretty much adopts him

-Wally West

Wally West with an autistic male reader

FTM Wally West x Male reader with Wally being eaten out drabble❤️

-Barry Allen

Barry Allen x cat burglar male reader

Barry Allen x alien male reader whos culture roughhouses

-Eobard Thawne

Eobard Thawne with a male reader whos just a normal guy.

-Roy Harper

Roy Harper with a villain male reader

-Clark Kent/Kal-el

Clark Kent being flirted with by a rich male reader, instead of reader flirting with Lois

Clark Kent with a kryptonian partner, featuring scent kink and kryptonian words ❤️

-Conner Kent/Kon-El

Conner Kent with a male reader, featuring kryptonian headcanons ❤️(a little)

Conner Kent with a male reader whos culture is similar to kryptonians and who purrs

Conner Kent with a male reader whos stoic around everyone, but cocky and smug with him

Conner Kent with a male reader whos a clone of plastic man.

-Hal Jordan

Hal Jordan x Red Lantern Czarnian male reader (slight ❤️)

Hal Jordan x male reader, with a scent/musk kink ❤️

-Guy Gardner

Guy Gardner relationship headcanons

Guy Gardner nsfw alphabet ❤️

Guy Gardner trying to top fellow lantern reader, but being dominated ❤️

Guy Gardner being put in subspace by his star sapphire lover, with sounding ❤️

-John Constantine

Constantine nsfw alphabet ❤️

Constantine with a male reader whos like Dean Winchester from Supernatural

Constantine x tattoo artist male reader (mild ❤️)

-Harvey Dent/Two-Face

Harvey Dent with a male reader who distracts him during work

Harvey Dent/Two-Face cuddle fluff

-Minhkhoa Khan/Ghostmaker

Minhkhoa Khan relationship headcanons

-Multiple

Yandere Jason x speedster male reader x Yandere Dick

Yandere Jason x speedster male reader x Yandere Dick part 2 🖤

Batboys with a villain reader who constantly flirts with them

DC characters and my personal headcanons for them (ethnicity, gender, etc)

Martian Headcanons

Kryptonian Headcanons

Dick grayson x Wally West x male reader

Platonic batfam with a kid reader whos a clone of jason, raised by the Joker

Platonic Batfam with a sick vigilante male reader who wont rest

Star Wars

-Anakin Skywalker

Padawan Anakin Skywalker x dark side leaning male reader

Anakin Skywalker x mandalorian reader with cockwarming ❤️

Anakin Skywalker flirting with the reader and making out

-Paz Vizsla

Paz Vizsla x sith male reader, ft Darth Revan and lots of headcanons

Paz Vizsla x ftm reader headcanons

-Din Djarin

Din Djarin adopting a foundling pantoran reader and being a father figure.

FTM Din Djarin getting eaten out in his pilot seat with his armor on ❤️

-Boba Fett

Boba Fett x male reader with gunplay❤️

The Boys

-Billy Butcher

Billy Butcher x male reader whos Homelanders brother

-Homelander/John Gillman

Homelander x supe male reader whos much more powerful than him ❤️

Homelander dating a ftm reader

-The Deep/Kevin Moskowitz

The Deep x male reader where he gets off just having his gills played with ❤️

-Multiple

A-Train, MM, Frenchie and Hughie as boyfriends, headcanons

Slashers

-Jason Voorhees

Jason with a male reader whos childhood friends who meet again years later

Jason Voorhees nsfw alphabet ❤️

-Chad Martin-Meeks

Chad with a male reader who grew up together and fell in love.

-Billy Lenz

Billy Lenz with somnophilia ❤️(🖤 cuz theres no explicit consent)

-Poly Ghostface

Billy and Stu with a male reader who has anger issues whos tired of being angry

One Piece

-Donquixote Doflamingo

Doflamingo with a lover whos shorter than him

Yandere Doflamingo with a male reader who gets stockholm syndrome ❤️(🖤 a bit, cuz yandere)

Doflamingo x young adult male reader with back pains

-Sir Crocodile

Ftm Sir Crocodile being fucked into submission by the reader ❤️

-Dracule Mihawk

FTM dracule mihawk x service top male reader ❤️

-Red Haired Shanks

Shanks x martial artist male reader whos love language is physical affection and words of affirmation

-Trafalgar D Water Law

Law being Bratty and being punished by a bigger Zoan fruit male reader ❤️

-Vinsmoke/Black Leg Sanji

Sanji being tied up and desperate to touch the reader ❤️

Reader spanking Sanji to let off some steam ❤️

-Roronoa Zoro

Reader punishing/spanking Zoro, but it ends up with them arguing, but making up❤️

-Edward “Whitebeard” Newgate

Whitebeard with a tall male reader whos never been shorter than anyone before ❤️

-Smoker the white hunter

Smoker SFW alphabet

Teen Wolf

-Jackson Whittmore

overall Jackson Whittmore nsfw headcanons ❤️

-Scott McCall

Bottom Scott McCall x kanima-werewolf male reader, ft some tailplay ❤️

Rick and Morty

-Rick Sanchez

Yandere Rick Prime headcanons 🖤

Ovetime

-Josiah Nguyen

Yandere Josiah headcanons 🖤

Call of Duty

-Simon “Ghost” Riley

Ghost being secretly married to Soaps brother

Ftm Ghost x male reader smut drabble ❤️

-Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

Ftm Gaz x male reader, pussydrunk reader with overstim, drabble ❤️

-Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra

Dom rudy headcanons along with a few cute ones ❤️

-Phillip Graves

Graves with a male reader whos gone through a near death experience

Graves with a vampire boyfriend

-Multiple

141 with a male reader who wears a lot of dog tags

Poly Alerudy with a male reader whos childhood best friends and post lovers with Soap

Cod boys with a male reader who wears a mask and has a huge burn scar

Cod boys with a reader who repeats words or phrases they say

Poly alerudy with a short male reader

Alejandro and Graves with a reader who rubs their face against their stubble

Poly alerudy with a tall male reader who is basically a giant cat

Alejandro, Rudy, Graves and Soap with a reader whos create as copying noises

Ghost, Soap, Alejandro, Rudy, and König with a reader whos a famous volleyball player

Alejandro and Rudy with a mute s/o

141 with an autistic reader who makes noises, like meowing and hissing

Soap, Gaz, Ghost, Roach and Graves as pups with petplay❤️

Alejandro and Rudy taking care of their sick and hurt lover

Lookism

-Multiple

Lookism characters with a male reader who has a squishable chest and butt

Barbie (2023)

-Kenneth “Ken” Sean Carson

Ken x male reader drabble, where Ken gives the reader head and has a praise kink ❤️

Stereotypical Ken x Male reader x Pompadour Ken where they compete whos best ❤️

Baldurs Gate 3

-Astarion Ancunín

Astarion with a Bard Tiefling male reader, random headcanons

Fight Club

Jack/The Narrator

Jack x medical staff male reader (drabble, from jacks pov)

-multiple

Tyler Durden and Jack “The narrator” throuple relationship headcanons

Scott Pilgrim Takes off

-Todd Ingram

Helping Todd Ingram get over his crush on Wallace and it leads to make outs.

-Stephen Stills

Stephen Stills x male reader meeting in a club ❤️

My Hero Academia

-Enji Todoroki/Endeavor

Reformed Enji with a hero male reader whos very flirty when they are on patrol

468 notes · View notes

rose-of-many-colors · 1 year

Text

Incorrect Young Justice Quotes

Young Justice x reader

Wally: *screams*

Dick: *screams louder to establish dominance*

Kaldur: Should we do something?

Y/N: No I wanna see who wins

Artemis: Is it hot in here or is it just me?

Y/N: It's you, you're hot

Artemis: *blushing* W-What?

Y/N: What?

Artemis: So what's it like dating Wally?

Y/N: Imagine dating a civilized, calm, mature person

Artemis: Yes?

Y/N: Now throw all of that out the window

Wally on 17 different types of energy drinks at 3am: I am fire, I am embers, I am DEATH!

Y/N, trying to sleep: A fucking nightmare is what you are

Y/N: Remember when I said you were too friendly M'gann?

M'gann: *making a cup of tea* I am not

Burglar: Two sugars please

Y/N: This is what I meant

Y/N: You two are like drugs

Dick: You can't live without us?

Wally: We're addicting?

Y/N: You're both wildly expensive, I love you despite common sense, and the will to kick you both to the curb lessens the longer you're with me

Dick: Thanks....

Wally: Love you too babe

Dick, learning to drive: What would happen if I press the gas and break at the same time?

Y/N: *sarcastically* The car takes a screenshot

Wally in the backseat terrified: I would like to get out of the car now

#incorrect young justice quotes #young justice x reader

353 notes · View notes

saharavalleyofdeath · 7 months

Text

BatFam OCs Pt. 1

Charlotte Wayne

Oldest Wayne sibling

Age varies depending on when we are talking (38)

Bruce found her as a baby on his doorstep

He decided to keep her raise her as his own

There was a note left by her that said "I can't take care of my daughter right now. I know you can give her a better life than I can. Her name is Charlotte."

So Bruce raised Charlotte with Alfred's help

When Bruce started being Batman Charlotte was about eight and there weren't any real criminals like the Joker. Just burglars.

So Charlotte would go with him

Her sidekick design was similar to Robin's but her name was Cardinal.

Though it was short lived

She ended up getting shot in the abdomen

She is very close with Alfred. They cook all the time. Charlotte and Jason are the only two of Bruce's kids who are trusted in the kitchen.

When she was 13 Bruce took in Richard Grayson.

They were very close until Dick moved moved out after a huge fight with Bruce. She hated Bruce let him become Robin.

Then came along Jason Todd.

They instantly became very close. They were nearly inseparable.

When Jason died it was hard on Charlotte.

Like really hard

Then Tim came along.

Charlotte tried to be there for Tim and to be a good big sister. But it was too hard.

Charlotte attempted taking her life. Tim found her bleeding out in the bathroom.

She was there for about a week. Then she disappeared to central city.

She went to college to become a veterinarian and graduated a few years early.

She also became part of a secret spy agency called Organization for Wayward Ladies AKA O.W.L.

She became top agent relatively fast.

She even started dating Wally West.

After about Seven years Alfred calls her and asks her to come for Christmas because of a big surprise they had for her.

She agreed on one condition.

She was able to bring Wally. He accepted.

When she got to Wayne Manor she was confused about all the people being there.

Tim told her that Bruce went on a bit of an adoption spree.

After talking to everyone and getting to know the new members of her family she went over to Alfred and asked if that was the surprise.

Before Alfred could answer a voice came from the other room saying that it wasn't the only surprise in store

The person with said voice came around the corner

It was a man. A tall man with black hair and a white streak in his hair. He had gentle eyes and a kind face but you could tell he had been through some things.

He looked Charlotte in the eyes and said "Hey sis. Long time no see."

Charlotte stared at the man and after about a minute she said "...Jason?"

He nodded and she went over to him, cupping his face, tears welling in both their eyes and they hugged.

After the reunion, dinner, and presents were handed out, it was about 10:30 pm so Charlotte and Wally went home.

Charlotte decided to move back to Gotham and open up a vet clinic there.

She got to spend time with all her new siblings especially Damian.

They found a bird one day in the gardens. A little baby bird that hurt it's wing and they decided to care for it. Once a week Damian comes by to check on the bird. They end up calling him Soarin.

The bat siblings often crash at Charlotte's place.

Charlotte has a Great Pyrenees named Maverick

That's it for now! I hope you all enjoy it! Sorry it took so long for me to post it! Also if you want any of a certain character or something just ask!

#batfam headcanons #batfam oc #batfam #batman #robin #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #stephanie brown #duke thomas #cassandra cain #kate kane #charlotte wayne #alfred pennyworth

22 notes · View notes

ask-carmenpondiego · 2 months

Text

Chapter 4: The plot thickens! Dun dun duuunn!

Days went by and Carmen had been napping here and there to pass the time, occasionally practicing standing and squatting to keep her legs and body stretched. As she felt more healed, she went back to her normal morning and evening stretches and exercises. She barely saw M outside of him grumpily dropping off food on the dresser and stalking off to brood. On this particular day, she hadn’t seen him at all so she decided to get dressed in a loose calf length maxi dress, and adventure out to explore the safe house. It was very small, barely two rooms other than bathrooms. She found the kitchen and started to raid the pantry when she heard voices outside. She peeked outside the window to see M pacing the beach on his phone, arguing with someone. Finishing making her peanut butter sandwich, she bring it out in a napkin and nibbles it as she walks towards him. “No, I dont give a fuckin flyin rats ass what your damn investigators say, you find his body! I aint accepting ‘erh it git burnt up in da fire’ No. I know how to fuckin burn bodies! You want me to demonstrate that to ya?! There WILL be a body if he is fuckin dead and you better fuckin find it before I fuckin find you! Capish?” He roars in frustration and slams his phone against the rocks, smashing into pieces. Moments later the pieces disappear and the phone is back in his pocket.

She sits down behind him on the sand, munching her sandwich quietly. He paces a little bit then turns towards her. Visibly startled, he takes a few steps back, “Geeezus-What the fuck is wrong with you?! Gawd damn you are like a fuckin ghost, sneaking up on me.. fack.. give me fuckin heart attack. I thought you were a demon baby, I was gonna punt ya head right in!” She looks up at him, crossing her ankles and leaning back on one hand, not even bothered, still eating her sandwich. “Soooo, Who was that?” He runs his hand through his hair and starts pacing again. “That was the fuckin medical investigator, they can’t find Wal’s fuckin body.” She scowls, “Even after all this time?? The museum would have been doing renovations by now! How could they miss a body?” He shrugs and puts his hands on his hips, “No fuckin idea. Somethin dont seem right. And I know my accidents, I specialize in them. This was no random accident. No body, no realistic cause of fire, it was arson to cover up somethin and it aint like Wal to abandon shit like family. If he were in trouble, he called me. He didn’t call me and he didnt call you. He’s the dumb hero type, so he would have helped people get out. It just dont make fuckin sense. Everything is telling me he screwed outta there to save his hide but that aint like him. Not one bit. And everyone is sayin he didnt get out, no one saw the fucker leave, and the only way outta there after evacuation was in a body bag! He wasnt there either!”

Carmen let her head drop back as she looked at the clear sky, a few gulls glided past, tossing them the last bits of her sandwich crust. “We can’t trust the medical nor the police. I even tried to get them to help and they just arrested me for my past warrants.” She sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. He looked at her confused, “Why the fuck would they arrest you? Did you like assault the pig? What was yer name again? Caramel Cruz or some shit? Wally always called you his light. I’ll be honest, I tuned him out when he talked about you.” “My name is Carmen Cruz, not Caramel!” She frowned annoyed, ears back. He snapped his fingers, “Yes, that was it, Carmen, like that famous robber.” “Thief. I’m a thief.” She snarled. “No, you’re wrong. I think it was robber.. cat burglar? Ya know, you look a bit like her… wait.” He tossed her forward, her face in the sand and her tail in the air, he pulls up her dress and looks at the marking on her rump. “Well fuck my ass, the globe with the magnifier. You are her! Name change and everything! Holy shit! My brother really knew how to fuckin pick em!” She scrambled and covered her ass back up, her face bright crimson red in embarrassment. “You seen me naked almost this whole time and you never noticed it?!” He laughed, watching her panic to regain composure, “I wasn’t looking at yer ass. There were other important things I was paying attention to. Like not having you bleed out and die.” He held out a hand to help her to her feet, “At least that nugget of info explains why you are so nosey for details.” She dusts off her dress as she stands, “Yeah, well, I like having answers. And this whole thing with Wally’s body missing and me being redirected specifically to a place where they forget people? Someone wanted us out of the picture for good, and I need to know why.”

M kicked the sand a bit with his hoof, some grains sticking to his shaggy forlock fur. “Maybe they just wanted you gone, I mean, you do cause quite the fuckin ruckus when you steal something, like I dunno, an entire fuckin landmark!” Carmen rubs her forehead below her horn, “I quit doing that, the challenge of it was great and all but the practicality wasn’t there. I stopped thieving in general when I met him. Disbanded everything to settle down. Looks like thats one thing I can’t escape from, stealing.” She watches the waves a moment. “But I can change the targets of my stealing. If I cant escape the ship, form a mutiny and take control of the ship’s wheel!” She grinned, turned to him, “M, we’re going heisting!” And begins to jog back to the safe house. M just stood there, dropping his arms, shaking his head, yelling after her, “What the fuck are we even stealing? Hey! You can’t just say that and run off! I would like to know what bullshittery you’re dragging me into! Are you listening?! What are you even doing?! We’re not the cliffhanger end of a chapter in a mediocre self-insert fanfic on a Tumblr Ask-Blog, so don’t fuckin act like it!”

#mlp oc pony #carmen pondiego #ask blog #story update #chapter 4

4 notes · View notes

bunnybananasims · 2 months

Text

Wallis family, Roaring Heights - #2

Welcome back to the Wallis household! Before we go to the present, here's what previously happened at the household...

Riverside Terrace is a serene and vibrant neighborhood within Roaring Heights, which makes it one of the top choices for residents who are not much into the busy and bustling lifestyle. For many years, this has been the home of the Wallis family, one of the most known families in town - mostly because the matriarch, Francine, is the eldest daughter of musical stage legends Judy Rogers and Dominic Bernal. She had a son with unknown-turned-famous athlete Dennis Wallis named Frank.

After years of marriage and happy family life, Dennis passed away due to old age, which left her to take care of Frank alone. It's not a smooth and perfect experience, but she managed it. Frank grew up well. Now that he's a young adult, she thought of pursuing her other life goal - to adopt a horse and fully live out her equestrian dreams. They welcomed a beautiful female horse named Baby to the family.

After mourning and tending to household matters, Francine's fully back to the silver screen - good thing that her management at the studio's understanding of her situation.

And just when everything's getting back to normal, they almost got robbed. Riverside Terrace is a quiet and normal neighborhood, but it's still not safe from burglars and criminals.

Previous episode | All episodes

#The Sims 3 #The Sims #TS3 #Sims 3 #Roaring Heights #Wallis family #Francine Wallis #Frank Wallis #TS3 gameplay #TS3 stories #Sims 3 gameplay #Sims 3 stories #bunnybananasims

5 notes · View notes

coffeexafterxmidnight · 5 months

Text

Okay Welcome Home fans, hear me out: 80s cartoon reboot au

I'm still working out the details but imagine something with the aesthetic of the care bears movies from that era or G1 MLP. Something very cute, wholesome, innocent looking, just Wally and his friends having a great time in their neighborhood! And then you have the villains of the show, because every 80s cartoon needed a villain! Or five. Or ten. These villains range from comical burglars and bullies from outside the neighborhood to wizards who steal the color out of the world around them for no reason but they don't like colors and they especially don't like Home, for... some reason.

And you know what every plushie-filled, toy-driven cartoon needs? A human audience surrogate! You know who that is? Why, Y/N, of course!

What do you mean, where are you? What do you mean, how did you get here? What are you talking about? What old VHS tapes? A cartoon you never heard of? In a thrift store? Someone grabbed you? What? You weren't watching TV or shopping, silly! You just fell over when you missed catching the apple Barnaby tried to toss to you! Silly Y/N!

Silly, silly, silly.

GOD. I wish I could draw. It would be the most aggressively 80s thing ever. Legwarmers and big hair for everyone!

... I should write fanfic for this sometime. Could be fun! And I haven't written WH fic since earlier this year... I haven't kept up with the fandom actively so I'm sorry if someone already thought of this, but isn't it a fun idea?

Anyway if anyone somehow sees this lemme know what you think.

#welcome home #welcome home au #welcome home arg #welcome home alternate universe #tw unreality #juuuuust in case

5 notes · View notes

secondgenerationnerd · 1 year

Note

How about a short fic or headcannons on Damian being defeated by his friends, like being beat in an argument with Irey, roasted by Lian, lose in combat by Jon or whoever ... I like it when he's being taught a lesson for being bratty and arrogant 😂

…..I can do that 😂

Omega are also teenagers here (think 15-16)

————

Omega and their families had been planning this cook out for months. Having it at the Harper house was just an added bonus. Clark chats with Alberto and Bruce as they man the grill. Lois, Bianca, Selina, and Linda sit around the picnic table, discussing the latest big pharmaceutical company scandal.

Roy, Wally, and Dick have reverted back to their teenage selves, throwing various dangerous objects at each other to ‘test reflexes.’ Jai, Irey, and Lian Watch from the monkey bars, like they’re 8 years old again. Milagro holds Helena’s hand, letting the little girl show her the cool things she sees. Colin and Jon play cards with Jon’s older brothers.

The other Batfam members would get there later, each held up with other matters. Damian and Mar’i had to handle a break-in at a new art gallery. Normally the two younger members of the Batfamily are a force to be reckoned with…and they have the tempers to match.

The Supermen pause in their conversations, each tilting their head to listen. Clark whistles, shaking his head at Bruce, “Good luck, buddy.”

“They’re going’ at it.” Chris snorts to his younger brother.

“Best friends vs. Girlfriend.” Kon tuts, “Hard choice there.”

“Uh-huh. How’s Tim doin’ again, Konathan?”

They hear them before the pair come out. Still in uniform and oblivious to the others in the room, Mar’i and Damian bicker…only…that’s not English?

“Zax’sal keli-kar zempwah.” Mar’i snips, crossing her arms in front of her. Are those bullet holes in her uniform?

Behind the domino mask, Damian rolls his eyes, “'ah naema. alnadj aladhi kunt 'atawaqaeuh min 'amirat alsiyrik”

“Zambp’r x’tran, xa’krax par’tron—“

“Eami Damyan,” Damian changes his voice, mimicking Mar’i nearly identically, “daeuna naeud li'araa sadiqi—”

The two continue on, not caring about the others. Bianca leans over to the cat burglar, “Do they understand each other?”

Watching her son and granddaughter, Selina shrugs, “Y’know, we’ve never really been able to tell. I think they understand each other better than the languages.”

Reaching the end of her patience, Mar’i grabs her uncle’s cape as he tries to turn away. The boy wonder has no time to react as his niece marches over to the porch. Floating up, she ties his cape to a beam. Damian swears and twists around, the release on his cape getting tangled up.

“GRAYSON!” Damian’s face turns red, though from anger or embarrassment, no one’s sure.

“What? Thought you’d like to look me in the eye for once.”

“Let. Me. Down. Now!”

“When you’re ready to be nice, I’ll help you down.”

“I am going to murder you.”

“Gosh,” Mar’i deadpans, “Not like you didn’t try multiple times when we were kids. How many knives did you break again?”

The other parents take that information in slowly, then turn to Bruce. He doesn’t even blink, just shrugs again, “He was an awkward kid. Mar’i was more upset about the sweaters she lost— DAMIAN, GRENADE DOWN!”

“TELL GRAYSON’S SPAWN TO RELEASE ME!”

#mar'i grayson #damian wayne #dick grayson #omega squad #omega families #bruce wayne #selina kyle

7 notes · View notes

papermoonloveslucy · 1 year

Text

LUCY & THE CRIMINALS

Lucy’s Encounters with the Criminal Underworld ~ Part 3

Lucycoms introduced crime stories to keep plotlines exciting and contemporary. Here’s a look at the thieves, burglars, robbers, murderers, prowlers, second-story men, mobsters, forgers, counterfeitters, and con artists in the Lucyverse!

“Lucy’s Impossible Mission” (1968) ~ In this parody of “Mission: Impossible” (a Desilu / Paramount production), Lucy Carter fights international espionage in the persons of Mulhill Omar (Tim Herbert) and Ambassador Korlik of the Slobtoni Embassy (Joseph Ruskin).

“Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1968) ~ It’s Van Johnson! Or is it? Lucy loans the film star money to fix his car – but the man turns out to be a con-man posing as Johnson.

“Lucy and the Ex-Con” (1969) ~ The Unique Employment Agency sends Rocky (Wally Cox), a reformed safe cracker, on an assignment as a janitor. When the place is robbed, Rocky is the number one suspect. Disguised as old ladies, Lucy and Rocky go undercover to catch the real crook...

...Doc Morgan (Bruce Gordon). Morgan is nicknamed Doc because he uses a stethoscope when safe cracking. Bruce Gordon had played mobster Frank Nitti on Desilu’s “The Untouchables” (1959-63).

“Lucy and the Great Airport Chase” (1969) ~ Filmed on location at Los Angeles International Airport, Lucy and Harry elude dangerous spies Enemy Agent Yang (Larry Duran) and Enemy Agent Kurt (Sid Haig).

“A Date for Lucy” (1969) ~ Caesar Romero plays jewel thief Tony Rivera, Lucy’s date for a soiree at which he plans to steal the gems of a wealthy dowager. After Rivera is knocked out cold, Lady Warren (Barbara Morrison) discovers she’s been robbed. When Lucy tells her who it was, she can’t believe it.

“He’s so charming! He’s so handsome! He looks just like Cesar Romero!”

“Lucy Gets Her Man” (1969) ~ Harry’s old Army buddy is working in Counter-Intelligence and needs a stenographer to help get the goods on suspected spy Arthur Vermillion (Victor Buono). Naturally, Lucy gets the assignment. Isabel (Mary Wickes) calls Harry Jack the Ripper, comparing him to the famous London serial killer.

Lucille Ball and Victor Buono were both featured in “Like Hep!”, a Dinah Shore special that aired a few months after this episode. In it, Ball did a variety of sketches, including one set in a speakeasy with Buono as a mob boss. On television, Buono is probably best remembered for playing King Tut, one of the arch villains on “Batman” (1966-68).

“Lucy’s Burglar Alarm” (1969) ~ When Lucy and the kids are robbed and Harry refuses to fund a $500 burglar alarm, Craig comes up with an elaborate home alarm system. Guy Marks plays the well-dressed crook.

“Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana” (1970) ~ On a sightseeing trip to Mexico, Harry is convinced by shopkeeper / smuggler Pedro (Don Diamond) to transport a stuffed animal over the border, claiming it is for his 3 year-old niece living in Los Angeles. Stopped at the border, they discover it actually contains contraband.

“Lucy and Wally Cox” (1970) ~ Lucy and Wally are assigned to be security guards at a warehouse, where they encounter armed robbers Lefty Logan (X Brands) and Baby Face Johnson (Gil Perkins).

“Lucy and Ma Parker” (1970) ~ When a woman and two children mysteriously move in next door, Lucy discovers that they're a band of criminals led by Ma Parker (Carole Cook). Her cohorts are little people dressed as archetypal children: Herman Golub (Billy Curtis) is dressed as Buster Brown, and Milton / Mildred (Jerry Maren) is dressed as Shirley Temple.

Lucy is recruited to impersonate Ma Parker and help nab dangerous Chicago mobsters Muggsy (Boyd ‘Red’ Morgan) and Joe Grapefruit (Marc Lawrence).

The title character is a parody of Kate 'Ma' Barker (inset), the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang in the 1930s. She traveled with her sons during their criminal careers.

“Lucy and Harry’s Italian Bombshell” (1971) ~ When Lucy and Kim sleep at the office, they encounter a burglar (Herbie Faye). Instead of robbing them, the he actually gives Kim and Lucy five dollars!

��Lucy and Mannix are Held Hostage” (1971) ~ Mannix (Mike Connors) and Lucy are taken hostage by Vernon (John Doucette) and Ruby (Marc Lawrence).

“Lucy and the Candid Camera” (1971) ~ Allen Funt, host of TV’s “Candid Camera”, plays himself and his con-man doppelganger.

As the con-man, he convinces the Carters to rob a fur salon, then a bank - all under the impression they are pranks for the TV show.

“Lucy and the Little Old Lady” (1971) ~ When Mrs. Brady, a kindly widow from out of town (Helen Hayes), comes to the Unique Employment Agency looking for a part-time job, Kim becomes suspicious that she may be running a con game so they plan to hold a fake séance to expose her. The character Hayes plays here capitalizes on her Oscar-winning role of Ada Quonsett in Airport (1970), a sweet little old lady who cons the airlines and stows away to get free air travel. On “Here’s Lucy” the plot relies on the premise that Mrs. Brady could be a con artist.

“Lucy and the Reckless Wheelchair Driver” (1972) ~ Hickey, a show business agent (Jesse White), tries to sue Lucy for hitting his client with her wheelchair. Lucy and Harry think the young man is faking and that the agent is a con artist.

“Dirty Gertie” (1972) ~ In this story based on A Pocketful of Miracles, Lucy is mistaken for an apple peddler who just happens to be the good luck charm of Rocky (Bruce Gordon), a mob boss. The police recruit Lucy to help capture the mobster in his own nightclub. Johnny Silver plays Benny, one of Rocky’s mob.

Other mobsters include ‘Moose’ Murdock (John Harmon) and ‘Numbers’ Smith (Ed Hall).

“My Fair Buzzi” (1972) ~ Kim’s shy and awkward friend Annie Whipple (Ruth Buzzi) comes out of her shell in order to audition for a 1920s revue in which Harry plays a mobster named ‘Big Jake’.

“Lucy Goes To Prison” (1973) ~ Lucy goes undercover as a convict to get information out of bank robber Mumsie Westcott (Elsa Lanchester).

“Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers” (1973) ~ Lucy forms a neighborhood watch group and starts seeing criminals where there are none. After several false alarms to the local police, a real burglar (Gino Conforti) actually shows up!

“Lucy the Sheriff” (1974) ~ Lucy finds out that her grandmother was the first woman sheriff of a Montana town that is celebrating its centennial. She is asked to play her grandmother at the celebrations, which include the recreation of a bank robbery. Lucy is enjoying playing lawmaker until Jake (Cliff Osmond) and Rusty (John Craig), a couple of genuine robbers, interrupt the celebration and take her hostage!

2 notes · View notes

signalwatch · 1 year

Text

Noir Watch: The File on Thelma Jordan (1950)

Watched: 05/15/2023

Format: TCM

Viewing: First

Director: Robert Siodmak

What's not to like? A Hal B. Wallis production, directed by Robert Siodmak, shot by George Barnes and starring Stanwyck. No notes. Well done.

The movie was written by a pair of women, one on story (Marty Holland) and one on script (Ketti Frings), who understand the assignment and put together characters in trouble before the action even starts.

Wendell Corey plays an Assistant DA, an up-and-comer, whose wife has slotted him as caretaker and figurehead but who has made him a stranger in his own home by refusing to hear him on anything, but in the sweetest and dimmest way, all wrapped up with good intentions. Meanwhile, Stanwyck - at the end of her rope - has moved in with her elderly aunt as a companion. The two meet under boozy circumstances, and soon strike up an affair.

SPOILERS

In 1950 if two characters struck up an affair, there's a 90% chance they'll be dead or in jail or both by the end of the film. This is Breen Office-time, and by policy, sins in movies needed to be punished.

As a rule, I don't try to outguess movies anymore. I take them at face value and try to understand not what I think the movie is, but what I think the movie-makers are trying to do - and *then* I'll loop back to what I think on top of it, because, and I know the internet will hate this: what I think about a movie is secondary. Probably tertiary.

But. Knowing the movie was made when it was and under what rules, it does limit possible avenues for the narrative.

Corey discovers Stanwyck was married already, but the two are so in love, they plan to run off, seek divorces and marry. But the night in question, Stanwyck's aunt gets spooked by noises in the house and then is killed by a burglar - in what is an amazing sequence film students would do well to review. It's just wonderfully shot, leaving a trail of clues for the unpacking while aesthetically top notch.

Stanwyck calls Corey to come now, and - afraid her ex has stolen the jewels and she'll be implicated, makes a mess of the crime scene, and Corey just stands there, amazed at how she's basically set herself up to wind up in jail despite her innocence.

SPOILER SPOILERS

And here's the rub. This is fundamentally a good movie, but you also know immediately - because of the movie punishment gods - that Stanwyck did kill her aunt and this is all a cover up. If she's willing to cheat on her nowhere-in-sight abusive husband, she's also clearly capable of murder. Thanks, Hayes Code!

In the noiriest of noir moves, she gets Corey to prosecute her in court. Corey is never suspected of any involvement despite evidence *someone* was there.

It's Stanwyck, so it's all utterly buyable and believable - from her seemingly innocent ensnarement of Corey to the slow unravelling of the plan.

Look, I genuinely liked the movie. Everyone in it does a great job, including Corey's boss, the upright lawman. If you aren't clocking what *has* to happen to satisfy the needs of censorship, this could have gone a lot of ways. Stanwyck is appealing and terrific as ever, Corey shows why he was a thing until he wasn't, and Siodmak manages to put together a terrific film.

Once you get over that, the unveiling and dealing with the consequences is solid stuff and Stanwyck gets some scenes that make for quality melodrama. She's just a woman caught up in circumstances in some ways, but she also *did* shoot her aunt, so... a bit of a heel! It's a great role and one that let's a female character be (a) a sort of femme fatale and (b) very, very smart except when she isn't.

I admit that I also liked that they really did set up Corey to be a bit sympathetic in his dissatisfaction. A perfectly lovely, sweet wife who can't begin to empathize with her husband and dismisses his expressed feelings as irrelevant. Of course Corey is being a bit selfish, and of course he pays for his indiscretions, but you can also see how someone could start hating their homelife even when the one at home isn't a monster, just vapid. Excellent nuance there.

Anyway, all around, I liked it. I wish I'd watched it with Jamie instead of by myself. I think she would have liked it, but I'll just watch it again some time.

https://ift.tt/kVFAX7N

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/G32usxo

#film noir #noir #noir alley #tcm #film review

0 notes

woopwritessometimes · 3 years

Text

Gotham Natural History Museum, 1998

Note that I wrote this the night before at 4am and didn't edit it, so please excuse any format, spelling, and grammatical errors. No beta we die like Jason Todd and Wally West uwu

Find it on AO3 here: (X)

There’s a common misconception about Gotham City being loud at night. It makes sense, right? Gunshots, bus and car engines running, horns honking, bright headlights that seem to produce their own kind of volume when they hit your eyes. Well that notion is incorrect… kind of. Gotham City can actually be very lovely and quiet at night- at least in parts of the east end and fashion districts. There is another part of Gotham, though, that maintains some level of quiescence after dark- Little Italy.

Little Italy holds a special place in the heart of Timothy Drake. Timothy Drake- or as he is known to Gotham Gazette journalists and criminal underworld- Catlad, is one of many petty thieves scattered around Gotham. What other thieves lack, though, is training from burglar Selina Kyle- the Catwoman.

Selina saved Timothy from an untimely death at the hands of a mob boss after he caught the boy rummaging through the trash bins outside of a restaurant used as a front for mob business because he was at the wrong place during the wrong time and heard too much. It also didn’t help that Tim had been wearing the watch he lifted off the same man earlier that same day. Timothy, like the Dark Knight, enjoyed the company of his wealthy parents until their deaths in a plane crash while they were taking an impromptu business trip, which left him in an orphanage he escaped.

Ms. Kyle, impressed that he had stolen the man’s watch, took pity on the boy and took him in as her own. Since then, Timmy had been trained in the arts of hand-to-hand combat, deception, misdirection, and thievery- and he was good. Almost on par with Selina, in fact. The time had come for Catlad to complete his training with a final test. Tim Drake- the Catlad- was charged with stealing the legendary Bertinelli diamond from Gotham Natural History Museum without tripping the museum’s security.

GNHM was unlike other museums in Gotham because of the fact that it had phenomenal security- designed by the brilliant engineer Lucious Fox himself. Lucius, who paid special attention to guarding the Bertinelli diamond, which was the pride and joy of the GNHM. Luckily, Catlad was smart too. Not the one plus one equals two kind of smart- though he was able to solve the Josephus problem at the age of 9 without help- but the able to trick people into doing things for you kind of smart. Catlad’s intelligence was frankly almost unmatched in Gotham except for say Batman, the Joker, and the Riddler- and while it is unfair to compare apples to oranges, the intelligence of Catlad was not by any means rivaled by Bartholomew ‘Bart’ Allen or Conner ‘Kon’ Kent.

Bart and Kon were amateur thieves and partners in crime new to Gotham City that, like Catlad, just so happened to have their eyes set on the Bertinelli diamond. They had earned a name for themselves in Hub and Star City as “The Fervid Firebolts” and had a perfect record. That is- they’d never been caught. The two earned their name from what they left behind at places they stole from. Everything would be left in perfect condition except for the area near the items they stole, where they burned in an upside-down triangle with a lightning bolt running through it on the floor almost as if they had superman’s laser vision.

It was an ironically perfect name for the pair- Kon, a farm boy from rural Kansas was a football star in his hometown and a chemistry enthusiast who specialized in combustion. Bart, on the other hand, was an ex-track star from Alabama that enjoyed science too- only he focused more on elections and fulminology. The two had met at an NHS science convention and exchanged numbers after hitting it off.

They made their first heist a few months later after they came up with a revolutionary idea for creating an engine that would revolutionize the clean energy field. The only problem was that they couldn’t dig up enough money or obtain any grants to work on their product. Desperate to change the world, the two ran away from home, donned ski masks, and robbed an entire mall together before making their way to Hub City and purchasing a small, one-bedroom apartment. Eventually they started taking riskier jobs like banks and museums for higher profits. Frankly, if they played their cards right, the Bertinelli diamond would be the last heist they’d ever have to pull.

Finally, the Firebolts were ready- they had surveilled the museum for weeks making plans and drawing up diagrams of important security features and figuring out the best time to strike. Only they never anticipated coming face-to-face with Gotham City’s own Catlad.

Tim’s combat boots made a light clacking noise as they connected with the marble floors of the museum’s East wing when he dropped down from the rafters. He strut towards the West wing, careful to keep from setting off any sensors and staying out of view from the museum’s security cameras. Sure, Tim was trying to keep his ego in check because any one misstep could alert the police to his presence, but he was confident. What? He’d traced this route dozens of times both in-person and in his mind so he knew what he was doing- sue him.

Everything was going according to plan until he reached the Ancient Egyptian exhibit that separated him from the hall of jewels. It wasn’t that he made a wrong move, no- it was that the hushed voices around the corner let him know he wasn’t alone.

Quickly peeking to assess the situation, he spied two guys in domino masks. Yeah, that’s right- domino masks. I know money can be hard for thieves, but domino masks? Really? Tim thought to himself. At least try for something that covers more than half of your face.

The two were trying to open a display case with golden trinkets and probably posed no threat to him. Alerting them to his presence would do more harm than good, so Tim crawled up a column of scaffolding placed around an upright sarcophagi and latched onto the safety bar of a second-floor balcony overlooking the exhibit.

Catlad had almost made his way to the other side of the exhibit when one of the boys- a taller one with dark hair- pulled a small hammer out of a backpack as if he were going to shatter the display case. Shoot. Tim had seen this before and even made the mistake once himself. He knew that letting the other two know he was there was dangerous, but it couldn't be more dangerous than the police arriving after the sensor on that case was tripped. Thus, he interfered.

“Amateurs.”

Both boys whipped their heads up in unison towards the source of the voice.

“Don’t do it like that, you idiots. You’re gonna set off the alarms and the cops’ll be here within minutes,” Tim hissed.

The Firebolts were understandably stunned. Here they were in the middle of stealing from the Gotham Natural History Museum being hissed at by a dude dressed head-to-toe in black leather and wearing a cat mask. The shock of being snuck up and caught doing something illegal would have been enough to shut the boys up, but they couldn't ignore that fact that their company looked *good*.

It took a few seconds for one of them to speak up, which they both did at the same time- “Who are you?” and “Well how would you do it?” echoed through the hall.

Tim’s boots clacked a little softer this time when they connected with the carpeted floor of the exhibit stage. “Well first,” he paused as he kneeled down and pried off a panel from the base of the display to reveal a mess of wires. “I’m Catlad,” he continued as he sliced a wire in half with one of the sharp diamonds at the end of his gloves that acted as claws. “And second,” he added as he pressed one side of the case, making it open as he delicately removed a gold necklace. “Like that.”

Tim held up the necklace so the light of the moon that shone through the skylight hit and illuminated it. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? You gonna take this, or just keep staring?”

The shorter, auburn-haired boy stepped forward and took the necklace while thanking Catlad and slipping it in his bag. After a few moments of quiet, the boy, in a whispered voice, asked, “Catlad… so like, nya?” while putting his hand up to mimic a cat paw. That earned an elbow in the rib from the taller boy.

Catlad replied with a laugh as he put his arms around the two boys’ shoulders. They flinched at the sudden approach and contact but made no other move to stop him. “No. Like nya!” he grunted as he slammed their heads together and left them unconscious on the floor. He would have tied them up, but he doubted they would regain consciousness before he had left the museum and made off with his prize. That’s the reason… yes. Not because he could tell the boys were trying their best and took pity on them because being a criminal is hard work, you know. No- it was definitely because they didn’t pose a threat… Anywho- now for the matter at hand- the Bertinelli diamond. The job was originally meant to be an in-and-out heist that took no longer than thirty minutes, but Tim realized he’d need to do better if he wanted to avoid getting caught by the two boys after they had regained consciousness.

Catlad pranced towards the hall of gems in the next room. The entrance was blocked by shiny metal bars dropped from the ceiling during the night to keep the hall protected.

This was the easier part of the heist. While researching the museum, Tim discovered that instead of bypassing the security system so he could lift the bars- or even having to squeeze through them- he could take advantage of a design flaw and circumvent the gate altogether.

The design flaw aforementioned was actually kind of hysterical: there was an air vent that connected the Ancient Egyptian exhibit and the hall of jewels. Yikes. There weren’t even any motion sensors at either end of the vent- he could just crawl straight through. It was just… *so sad*.

Sliding the grate on the other side back into place, Tim looked up at the hall. Well, it wasn’t really a hall- it was a circular room, which was weird for any building, but especially a museum. Glass display cases lined the walls and featured everything from rubies and sapphires glittering like stars to glow-in-the-dark meteorites. In the middle of all of that was a large, multi-layered podium that doubled as benches and stairs leading up to the top. At the top, there was a tall circular display case that held one of the most beautiful stones Tim had ever seen. He had already seen it numerous times while he was staking out the museum and making note of security measures, but it seemed even prettier under the moonlight that shone through the skylight. Next to the case, of course, was a sign labeled ‘Bertinelli Diamond,’ which was a good thing because otherwise you’d totally never know it was a diamond. (Note sarcasm). It was quite peaceful, actually. Too bad Catlad was about to make his next steal.

Tim tugged at the right ear of his cowl, which contained a small transmitter device already programmed to knock out the security cameras in whatever room he was in. His black costume would make it harder to see him on camera, but he didn’t want to take any chances. Now, there's something people don't tell you about museums in Gotham and, frankly, most museums for that matter. They lack the laser grids portrayed in movies. Catlad didn’t have to worry about throwing flour to reveal a maze of lasers he would have to expertly maneuver through in order to avoid setting off alarms. What this mesum did have, though, were proximity sensors that sent signals directly to GCPD if someone got within three feet of any display case in the hall of gems. Those and glass shatter sensors, which meant Catlad couldn't just walk up to the display case and break it, but not doing that was like- normal thievery principles, so he would be fine. Luckily, Catlad had just the appliance to- he stopped thinking as he heard the vent grate behind him slide open. Whipping around, Catlad was again face-to-face with the Firebolts. This was a very unexpected development because Tim had just rendered them unconscious less than a minute ago. What were their heads made of, concrete?

They started running towards Catlad as if to tackle him, but he slid to the side before pouncing on the taller one and scratching him. That was it- he’d had enough of these two and definitely didn’t need them ruining his mission for Selina. He made his way to the shorter one, who tripped and fell on his back and sent the smaller metal hammer from before flying out of his backpack and across the floor. The boy got up to lunge at Tim, so he scratched that one too.

Oh- a fact only known by Catlad and Catwoman’s enemies is that they coat their claws in a fast-acting neurotoxin, meaning that whenever they draw blood, the scratch victims are rendered immobilized below the neck within seconds. As the boys attempted to attack him from each side, they got slower with each step they took toward Catlad until they were finally frozen in place.

Answering their questions for them, Tim explained, “Neurotoxin. You’re both frozen from the neck down for about thirty minutes or until I give you the antidote,” as he stepped towards both of the boys and took both of their masks off in one single motion. Yeah, they tried to wiggle their necks, but they were defenseless without their arms or legs.

Tim took a step back as he breathed out because, wow. The taller boy had a chiseled jawline that could probably cut through the Bertinelli diamond itself and the shorter one had dishy amber eyes that looked like they belonged on display with one of the citrine or topaz gem stones on display around them.

“Alright, so we’ve established that you’re a dick, you know what our faces look like, and were frozen for an amount of time,” Bart reviled. “What now?”

Tim, frankly taken aback by the directness of the smaller one because he had written him off as a softie without a spine, decided to boop his little freckled nose.

“Okay, fine,” Catlad replied. “I feel kind of bad for you two. So, whichever one of you answers my questions to my satisfaction, their mobility back they shall earn. Let’s start with you, shorty.”

“I’m taller than you,” was Bart’s response.

“Let’s see… quick, what is the capital of Madagascar?”

“Uh…”

“Incorrect, the answer is Antananariva.”

“YOU DIDN’T EVEN GIVE ME A CHANCE TO ANSWER THE QUES-”

Catlad cut him off. “You, slick, truth or dare?”

Kon, without missing a beat, said “Truth.”

“Okay, what’s your credit card number?”

“I mean dare.”

“Tell me your credit card number.”

Kon frowned. “I don’t like this game.”

Tim smirked. “You’re both handsome, but not especially bright,” he said as he bent over to pick up the small metal hammer that had fallen out of Bart’s backpack before walking up the steps towards the Bertinelli diamond. “A shame.” Locking eyes with the Firebolts, Catlad smashed the display case.

This earned a “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” and “ARE YOU CRAZY?” from Bart and Kon, respectively.

Catlad laughed as he picked up the Bertinelli diamond and put it into a pouch on his belt. “Relax, the sensors were already tripped when I walked within three feet of the case. The cops will be here within a few minutes- have fun in jail.” He walked back over to the boys, who were both in stunned silence over what was happening. “Sorry boys,” Tim leaned over to kiss Bart on the nose before continuing. “You’re both super cute, but,” he paused to kiss Kon on the cheek and pulled out a cat ear shaped grappling gun from his belt before shooting it up. “It’s just business.”

The Firebolts began to scream at him, curses and names filled the air and Bart looked as if he were about to cry, but Catlad didn’t listen. He just laughed and zipped up to a rafter and opened the one-way skylight on the ceiling and crawled up

Once Tim was up on the roof, he found Selina standing with her hands on her hips. Shit. Shitfuck, Tim, you’re so fucking bad. How could you fail this. Couldn’t you just do one thing correctly this one ti- his thoughts were cut off by Catwoman.

“So... you didn’t get out without tripping the alarms, so I should fail you,” Selina spoke. “But Kit-Kat, I’m giving you bonus points because that was so fun to watch- I mean damn that was purrfect. I should have brought popcorn,” she laughed.

Tim ducked his head and smiled.

“Well we haven't got all night kiddo,” she said as she patted Tim on the head. “Let’s go.”

Catlad nodded before leaping to the roof of a neighboring building with Catwoman on his tail. For all the trouble, it was an okay night.

@core-disaster-week-2021

55 notes · View notes

dunne-ias · 3 years

Text

The answer, according to my notes in my bujo, is to Lobby For.

My Bujo notes are always right.

Brenda stopped by. But seriosly, Virginia, it was three days ago. Let it go.

Wally was much more pleased with the new human than what the welcome addition of money could do, like finally get Virginia somewhere to sit. And a lamp. But again, then Brenda left, because Virginia is the worst romance sim ever.

And then this happened.

Luckily, the house is very far back on the lot, so she had time to call the cops.

Wally is not a guard dog, it would seem.

You don’t look like a cop.

And she was worthless too. I think something went screwy. The burglar ran off without a fight. Oh well. At least they didn’t steal anything.

#Appleyard legacy #Virginia Appleyard #Wallace Appleyard #Townie Brenda #Steffi the useless cop

10 notes · View notes

westallenfun · 3 years

Text

Home for Christmas - 2/3

WestAllen secret santa gift

From: @backtothestart02

For: @cheryls-blossomed

Merry Christmas, Mailina! I did my best to write up a short multi rom-com au for you. I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful holiday!!

Chapter 2 -

As the hours ticked by, the snow slowed to a stop until, when they reached Central City, and pulled up to a familiar house, not a single flake could be seen falling from the sky. In its place was a crisper, icier night sky, though it was only just around dinner time. The whipping wind had become a gentle breeze, but it was still cold nonetheless.

“What are you going to do if they don’t let you in?”

Barry frowned. He hadn’t considered that.

“You said you haven’t seen them for fifteen years, right?” Walt sought to clarify.

“Yeah…” Barry trailed off. “They’ll let me in though.” He turned to face his driver. “We’ve been in contact since I left.”

“With Iris?” Walt asked, somewhat surprised.

“Uh, no…with her dad.”

“I see.”

“He owns the house though, and Iris might not even still live here, so…”

“Well, I’ll wait for you just in case. I can always drive you to a local motel and pay for a one-night stay.”

Barry’s eyes widened.

“You don’t have to do that, Walt. You’ve done so much already. That’s…that’s too much.”

“A thank you would be nice.”

His jaw dropped.

“Go on now. You might not even need it. Let’s see if the man will let you in.”

Barry’s lips twitched.

“Right. Okay.” He opened the door and stepped out into the cold night. He missed the warmth of the car already. He turned around to say something, but Walt cut off whatever attempt he might have made.

“Go,” he said, and Barry nodded and closed the car door behind him.

Six inches of wet, heavy snow had fallen in Central City. The front walkway was clear of it though, so Barry presumed Joe had shoveled it. Salt had been sprinkled on the pavement too, so there was no fear of slipping and falling.

Taking a deep breath, Barry made his way up to the porch and knocked three times on the door, shaking a little in the cold and starting to lose his nerve.

He was just about to turn around and take Walt’s offer when the door opened.

There, in the flesh, was Joe West. He wasn’t as tall as he remembered, which made sense since he’d been 10 the last time he’d seen him. In fact, he was either just as tall as he was or an inch or so shorter. It was strange being at eye-level with the man, but the sight of him warmed him all the same.

“Hello,” Joe West said, his brows furrowing in confusion, and that was when Barry remembered. Over all those years, they’d never exchanged pictures. “Can I help you?” he asked.

Barry shook himself out of his memories.

“It’s Barry, Joe,” he said, a crooked smile adorning his features. “Barry Allen.”

Joe’s eyes widened, and the confusion in his eyes disappeared. He appeared to find Barry familiar all of a sudden – whether it was the way he stood or his eyes or how he talked, Barry didn’t know, he was just glad.

“Barry!” He clapped his back and urged him inside. “Come in, come in. Wow, what a surprise. And look at you, so tall!”

Barry chuckled a little nervously, then turned to look outside before the door closed, to say goodbye and thank you to Walt. But the car was gone, and his opportunity with it. Still, he hoped Walt knew how truly grateful he was, and hoped that perhaps one day he would meet him again.

“We’re just about to have dinner,” Joe said, pulling Barry back into the living room of the West house.

He blinked as he watched Joe set another plate, presumably for him.

“We?” Barry asked, unzipping his coat, then tossing and missing the coat stand near the door.

“Iris is upstairs,” Joe said, practically giddy.

Barry’s breath caught in his throat.

Iris was upstairs. She was just one floor away from him. Just up the steps and down the hall, and there she’d be. He felt faint just thinking of how he would cope with the sight of her. She must be stunning, more beautiful than anything he could imagine. Her voice would be like silk, her eyes deep enough to drown in, and those perfect lips would be impossible not to stare at, especially if they were painted with a gloss or lipstick of any kind. Maybe more so if they weren’t.

“Barry?”

“Huh?” His head snapped up, his eyes entirely focused on Joe’s.

Joe chuckled.

“Why don’t you go say hi? I’m sure she’s missed you.”

Barry’s hand wrapped around the back of his head, as he sheepishly said, “She probably doesn’t even remember me.”

“Don’t be silly,” Joe said. “You were her childhood best friend. You knew each other since you were five. You were inseparable.” He pursed his lips. “I’m sure if you just tell her your name…”

“Actually,” Barry said, “There’s something I wanted to talk about with you first, Joe.”

“What is it?” He frowned.

“I kind of…don’t have any place to stay while I’m here, and I don’t have money either. Is there any way I could-”

“Stay here?”

Barry looked at him hopefully.

“Of course. Wally is away at school and won’t be here till the Christmas party in five days. Iris just signed a lease for an apartment here in town, so she won’t be using her room either. You’d be better off sleeping in her room for when Wally comes home, but I suppose up until then you can use either.”

Barry smiled tremulously.

“Thanks, Joe.”

“In exchange though, I do want to know how you got here and why you’re penniless.” He paused for a moment, then leaned in. “Is everything okay with-”

“My relatives?”

Joe waited.

“Everything’s fine. I haven’t lived with them since before college. I just…have had a few things happen today that have prevented me from looking like I’ve got it all together.”

“Such as?” Joe pressed.

“My car was totaled, and my landlord kicked me out. Not before taking double my rent though.”

Joe’s eyes widened.

“Why’d he kick you out?”

“Well…there was sort of an…explosion.”

“A what?”

“I’m a forensic scientist!” Barry burst. “I couldn’t do all my testing at work, so I moved some of the chemicals into my spare bedroom, and-”

“Lord save us,” Joe muttered, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers to his forehead. Barry stopped talking. “Just…go say hi to Iris. We’ll talk more about this later.”

“Okay,” Barry said, accepting.

“I’m going to go finish dinner. When you’ve finished your reunion, come on down, the both of you.”

“Right.”

Barry turned then, kicked off his shoes on top of his jacket, and braced himself for the inevitable.

After 15 years, he was going to reunite with Iris West.

…

Barry’s damp socks stained the wood stairs as he took them two at a time. The stairs creaked as he put his weight on them, and it gave him pause, made him suck in a breath and cringe. How was he ever going to surprise Iris if he made such a racket going to the room she was in?

The hallway was worse. He’d forgotten the squeaky spots – the ones he’d avoided during sleepovers and his time staying at the house before he left. Still, Iris didn’t pop out of any of the rooms when the squeaks were made, and for that he was relieved.

He peeked into the first room on his left – Wally’s room, and found it empty. He dismissed Joe’s room entirely, because why would Iris be there? The bathroom door was wide open, and the interior appeared to be empty, so he didn’t attempt that either.

But from the room to the immediate right, Barry heard some mumbling and moving of things followed by the most beautiful laughter he’d ever heard in his life, and he knew he’d hit the jackpot.

He knocked lightly on the door before opening it and was enraptured by what he saw.

Iris was stunning, just as he’d imagined she would be. She was petite, hardly having grown to more than five feet. The height difference between them almost made a possessive growl escape his lips. He wanted to protect her like she had him. He wanted to hold her and love her and kiss her, and-

He shook his head, wondering how something as simple as her height had such an effect on him.

Maybe it was because it wasn’t just her height. It was her silky shoulder-length raven hair and the curves of her hips. It was the maroon sweater that sparkled in the light of the room, hugging her curves – and the jeans too that accentuated every inch of her lower half. She had fuzzy slippers on, which he found adorable. It made him imagine the two of them snuggling on the couch, her legs draped over his lap, and his fingers in her hair, and-

“I’ll be right there, Dad!” she called, and the sound of her voice while melodic and angelic, also brought him back to the present.

“It’s…not your dad.”

Iris dropped the book she was holding and froze. Slowly she turned around, as if prepared that he was a burglar of some sort.

“Who are you?” she asked, a threat in her eyes, and something inside of him broke.

Sure, he looked much different than he had at 10, but some part of him had hoped she would see past the height and the lanky figure and see her best friend.

“It’s me, Iris. It’s Barry.”

It looked like she still didn’t believe him a little, but he could see her working it out, looking into his eyes to see the truth of what he was saying. Finally, she caved, almost a whisper passing through her lips.

“Barry?”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she raced to him. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist, burying her face into his neck. The force of the impact sent him backpedaling into the hall and up against the wall where they came to a stop.

He chuckled and played with the ends of her hair, satisfying part of what he wanted to do, until she pulled back and lowered herself onto the floor.

“S-sorry.” She laughed nervously. “I just can’t believe it’s you. I never thought… Oh, God, you must hate me. Fifteen years it’s been, and I stopped writing when I was 13!”

He shook his head, eager to soothe her.

“It’s okay. Your dad picked up where you left off. We’ve stayed in touch over the years.”

She rolled her eyes. “Hardly the same thing.” She licked her lips, then met his searing gaze. “Are you staying for dinner?”

He grinned. “I’m staying for the week!”

Her jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

“Uh-huh. Your dad said I could stay in your room, since I’ve got nowhere else to go.” Her lips parted, and he started to worry. “I mean, as long as that’s okay with you.”

“What? Yeah, of course. I just hope you fit on my bed.”

He winced. He hadn’t thought of that.

“Right.”

“You’re so tall!” She laughed, and he blushed.

“I did have a growth spurt in high school,” he muttered.

“I’ll say. I used to be taller than you.”

“You grew too.”

“That’s putting it nicely. I’m a munchkin, and you can’t tell me different.”

He chuckled. “Munchkins are cute though,” he said without thinking, and that caught Iris off guard.

“Yes, well, should we go down for dinner? My dad said it would be done soon, and I’m sure he sent you up here to bring me downstairs.”

“And to say hi,” he added. “He said you’d missed me.”

“Oh, I did. I did miss you.” She smiled. “Even though I didn’t write.”

“Iris, forget about it. You’re here now, and I’m here all week. We’ll catch up. It’ll be like I never left.”

“I’d like that,” she said, then looped her arm through his. They made their way down the hall and down the stairs, where their looped arms dropped for hand-holding, completely stealing Barry’s breath.

When they reached the first floor, Iris dropped his hand, and Barry’s racing heart slowed to normal.

“There you two are,” Joe said. Looking between them, he smiled. “I see you’ve been re-introduced.”

Iris rolled her eyes and moved past Barry to help bring in food from the kitchen. Joe’s eyes stayed on Barry whose eyes stayed on Iris and reluctantly moved to the table when she disappeared from sight.

Barry felt Joe’s eyes on him and knew exactly what he was thinking. He’d probably confront him about it too after Iris had gone home.

This man, no longer a boy, had come home for one reason, and it wasn’t just nostalgia.

He was going to win his daughter’s heart.

Barry glanced up at Joe before sitting down and saw satisfaction in his eyes and a pleasant smile.

Did he approve? Did he even know?

“Dinner time!” Iris announced after bringing out the last of the dishes.

The two men focused back on her, but for entirely different reasons.

#westallen #westallen secret santa #submission

26 notes · View notes

ljones41 · 3 years

Text

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" (2012) Review

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" (2012) Review Seven years after it had begun, Christopher Nolan's three-movie saga about the D.C. Comics character, Batman, finally came to an end. The saga that began with 2005's "BATMAN BEGINS", ended with 2012's "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES".

The trilogy’s third film, set seven years after 2008's "THE DARK KNIGHT", began with the aerial kidnapping of a nuclear scientist by an escaped terrorist named Bane. The scene shifted to Gotham City, where a fund-raiser was being held at Wayne Manor. The only person missing was millionaire Bruce Wayne, who had given up his vigilante activities as Batman after claiming he had murdered former District Attorney Harvey Dent. During the fundraiser, Bruce caught a maid breaking into his private safe. She turned out to be a resourceful cat burglar named Selina Kyle. Aside from a necklace that once belonged to Bruce's late mother, Selina did not steal any other object from the safe. Curious over Selina's actions, Bruce resumed his Batman alter ego and tracked down Selina. He discovered that she had been hired by a rival corporate CEO named John Daggett to lift and steal his fingerprints. Bruce also learned that Daggett had hired the terrorist Bane to attack Gotham's stock exchange and bankrupt Wayne Enterprises. And along with Police Commissioner James Gordon and Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox, Bruce also discovered that Bane was a former member of the League of Shadows and planned to continue Henri Ducard's (aka Ra's al Ghul) goal of Gotham City's destruction. Bruce asked fellow millionaire Miranda Tate to take control of Wayne Enterprises to ensure that Daggett and Bane will not gain control of their clean energy project, a device designed to harness fusion power. Re-reading the above made me realize that Christopher and Jonathan Nolan had created a very complicated plot. For me, the plot became even more complicated two-thirds into the movie. "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" obviously exists under the shadow of its two predecessors - "BATMAN BEGINS" and "THE DARK KNIGHT". I would say that this especially seemed to be the case for the 2005 movie. Batman and James Gordon's decision to lie about the circumstances behind Harvey Dent's death in the second movie had a minor impact upon this third movie. But Bruce's relationship and later conflict with Ra's al Ghul seemed to be the driving force behind his conflict with Bane in this third film. I had heard rumors that Christopher Nolan was initially reluctant to make a third BATMAN movie. Personally, I found that rumor a bit hard to believe, considering how "THE DARK KNIGHT" ended with Batman accepting the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes and death. But there were certain aspects of the script he wrote with his brother Jonathan that made me wonder if he had truly been reluctant. There were certain aspects of "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" that I found troubling. It seemed a pity that the second movie ended with Batman and Jim Gordon's decision to lie about the circumstances behind Dent's death. I found their decision annoying back in 2008 and I still do. The impact behind their lie proved to be hollow. It merely kept Batman off Gotham City's streets and led Mayor Anthony Garcia and the city to pass a strong anti-criminal law that proved to be hollow following Bane's arrival in Gotham City. I also found Bane's mid-air kidnapping of a nuclear scientist and escape from a U.S. marshal (portrayed by Aidan Gillen) rather somewhat idiotic. I understood that Bane needed that scientist to weaponize the Wayne Enterprise device. But I never understood why that U.S. marshal failed to take the trouble to identify the hooded prisoner (Bane) before boarding the plane. In the end, the movie's opening sequence struck struck me as unnecessarily showy. Was this the Nolan brothers' way of conveying Bane's role as a badass to the audience? If so, I was too busy trying to comprehend the villain's dialogue to care. I understood why Batman had not been seen in Gotham for so long. But what was the reason behind Bruce Wayne's disappearance from the public eye? His physical state was not really that severe. Rachel Dawes' death? Rachel's death did not stop him from going after the Joker and Harvey Dent in the last movie's half hour. Was it an injured leg? How did he injured it? And why did Gotham's citizens failed to put two-and-two together, when both Bruce and Batman finally appeared in the public eye a day or two apart after many years? The only person who managed to discover Bruce's alter ego - namely Officer John Blake - did so through a contrived reason. For me, the movie's real misstep proved to be Bane's three-month control over Gotham City. As a former member of Henri Ducard's League of Shadows, he planned to achieve his former leader's goal of destroying Gotham City. And he planned to use Wayne Enterprise's energy device to achieve this. One - why not simply build or snatch his own nuclear device? Why go through so much trouble to get his hands on the energy device? Why did Wayne Enterprises create a device that not only saved energy, but could be used as a bomb, as well? And why did it take three months before the device could become an effective bomb? The Nolans' script could have frustrated Bane's attempts to acquire the bomb during that three-month period . . . or anything to spare the audiences of that second-rate version of the French Resistance. The latter scenario seemed so riddled with bad writing that it would take another article to discuss it. And what was the point of the presence of Juno Temple's character Jen? What was she there for, other than being Selina's useless and cloying girlfriend? And Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox was last seen declaring his intentions to leave the corporation for good, following Batman's misuse of cell phones in "THE DARK KNIGHT". In this movie, he is back, working for Wayne Enterprises. What made him change his mind? But not all was lost. I found Bruce's introduction to Selina Kyle very entertaining and sexy. Even better, the incident served as Batman's re-introduction to Gotham City and allowed him to discover Bane's plans regarding Wayne Enterprises and the energy device. One of the more interesting consequences of "THE DARK KNIGHT" proved to be Rachel Dawes' last letter to Bruce. Its revelation by Alfred Pennyworth after seven years led to an emotional quarrel between the millionaire and the manservant and their estrangement. At first, I had balked at the idea of Bane carrying out Ra's al Ghul's original goal to destroy Gotham. After all, why would he continue the plans of the very person who had him kicked out of the League of Shadows? But a surprising plot twist made Bane's plan plausible . . . even when I continue to have problems with his three-month occupation of Gotham. Many critics had lamented the lack of Heath Ledger's Joker in the movie. As much as I had appreciated and enjoyed Ledger's performance in the 2008 movie, I did not need or wanted him in "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES". Tom Hardy's performance as the terrorist Bane was good enough for me. Mind you, I found it difficult to understand some of his dialogue. And when I did, he sounded like the late Sean Connery. But I cannot deny that Bane made one scary villain, thanks to Hardy's performance and intimidating presence. Before I saw the movie, I never understood the need for Marion Cotillard's presence in the film. I thought her character, Miranda Tate, would merely be a bland love interest for Bruce. Not only did Cotillard ended up providing a subtle and intelligent performance from the actress, her Miranda Tate proved to be important to the story as the co-investor in the energy device and for the plot twist in the end. "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" provided some solid performances from other members of the cast. Matthew Modine shined as the ambitious and arrogant Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Foley, who proved to be capable of character development. Another solid performance came from Brett Cullen, who portrayed a lustful congressman that had the bad luck to cross paths with Selina Kyle. Both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman continued their excellent performances as Bruce Wayne's "heart" and "mind", manservant Alfred Pennyworth and Wayne Enterprises executive Lucius Fox. In the end, the movie was fortunate to benefit from four outstanding performances. One came from Gary Oldman's excellent portrayal of the now weary, yet determined police commissioner, James Gordon. His guilt over the Harvey Dent lie and discovery of Batman's true identity provided Oldman with some of his best moments in the trilogy. Another came from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was superb as Gotham City beat cop John Blake. The actor did a wonderful job of balancing Officer Blake's intelligence, passion for justice and disgust toward the bureaucracy. When I learned that Anne Hathaway would end up being the fifth actress to portray Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, I must admit that I had my doubts. Then I remembered that Hathaway was an Oscar nominee, who has also done action before. Watching her sexy, yet complicated performance as the complex cat burglar removed all of my doubts. She was superb and her sizzling screen chemistry with star Christian Bale made me wish Selina had been Bruce's love interest throughout the movie. Speaking of Bruce Wayne, Bale returned to portray the Caped Crusader for the third and final time. I must admit that I found his performance more subtle and complex than his performances in the previous two movies. Bale did an excellent job in re-creating a slightly aging Bruce Wayne/Batman, who found himself faced with a more formidable opponent. I was a little disappointed to see that "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" lacked the Chicago exteriors of the 2008 movie. In the end, Gotham City resembled a collection of American and British cities. But I cannot deny that I found Wally Pfister's photography very eye catching. And Hans Zimmer's entertaining score brought back memories of his earlier work in both the 2005 and 2008 movies. I have a good deal of complaints about "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES". It is probably my least favorite entry in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. For me, the movie's main problem centered around the script written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan. But despite its flaws, the movie still managed to be both entertaining and intriguing. It also has an excellent cast led by the always superb Christian Bale. It was not perfect, but "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" did entertain me.

7 notes · View notes

backtothestart02 · 3 years

Text

Risk and Reward - 2/? | Cruel Summer fanfiction

A/N: Chapter 2 is here! Enjoy!

...

Chapter 2 -

Kate entangled her arms and took a small step back after the relief of being rescued had started to subside. She looked up into the girl’s eyes who had opened the door to her freedom, and her jaw dropped.

“Jeanette?”

Jeanette paled before her.

“Y-Yeah. It’s me.”

“You actually came back.” She softened. “You came back for me.”

Jeanette swallowed, but her brows were furrowed in confusion.

“I…”

“You used your key, right? To break in?”

Jeanette started to panic. Kate knew too much. If she knew that she’d come here before, what else did she know? Was she aware of how many times she had come?

She had to come up with a lie, and fast. Something the police would believe.

“No,” she said, causing Kate’s brows to draw in confusion. “The door was open. I thought maybe there was…a burglar or something inside. I was just riding by on my bike, and I happened to see it.”

She was a good liar, Kate thought, and she might’ve bought it herself if she didn’t know better. She wanted to argue back that she knew she’d seen her months earlier and said nothing, hadn’t come back for her until now. But Martin could be back at any moment, and what would happen then? It would be two girls he locked up in his basement, not just one.

“We should get out of here,” Kate said. “Before Martin comes back.”

“Shouldn’t we call the cops first?”

Kate turned around slowly after having headed for the door. She pulled a necklace – a very familiar one – out of her pocket and shoved it at Jeanette.

“Get me home first, Jeanette. Before you find an excuse to get me back in that basement.”

“I-I would never-”

“Save it for the cops.”

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening alerted them.

“Oh, shit, it’s him.”

“Go!” Jeanette said.

“Where?” Kate asked desperately. “Back down in the basement?”

“No,” she said heatedly. “Out the back door. I’ll be there soon…give you time to escape.”

“Jeanette, no, you don’t know what he’s capable of.”

The door started to open.

“Go.”

Not wanting to be caught, and terrified of her captor, Kate quickly shut and locked the basement door before fleeing to the back of the house. Jeanette heard the back door close just as Martin Harris appeared before her.

“Jeanette,” he said, surprised. “What are you doing here? Did you…break in?”

His voice sounded calm, but his composure was faltering. Jeanette remembered what Kate had said.

You don’t know what he’s capable of.

She swallowed.

“No, of course not.”

He looked at her curiously.

“I um, was just riding my bike when I saw your door was open. I worried someone might’ve broken in and came to investigate.”

His demeanor shifted slightly.

“That was very dangerous for you to do, Jeanette. What if someone had been in here?” He stepped closer to her. “With a gun?”

She gulped.

“Well, it looks like the house is empty. I don’t see anything missing.”

He nodded slowly, eyeing her cautiously.

“How long have you been here?”

“Just a few minutes,” she assured, then quickly added, “I really should be going. My friends and Jamie are waiting for me at the roller rink. It’s my birthday.”

“Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks.”

She tried to squeeze past him, but he grabbed her arm before he could.

“Jeanette?”

“Yeah?” she asked, trying to remain as composed as possible, but her heart was racing.

“Don’t do this again.”

She nodded.

“I won’t.”

At last he released her, and she quickly made her way outside. Martin stood in the doorway, watching her leave, so she couldn’t wait for Kate or he’d suspect her. There was no need. Her bike was gone, and she had a pretty good idea who had taken it.

Kate.

“Something wrong?” Martin looked around the yard. “Didn’t you say you were riding by? On your bike?”

“Someone must’ve taken it.”

“Well, come inside. We’ll call the cops. Get this all sorted out.”

“No,” she said quickly – perhaps too quickly? “I’ll be fine. Thanks, Mr. Harris.”

He nodded reluctantly and waved.

“Goodbye, Jeanette.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Harris.”

He shut the door behind himself, and Jeanette started to run. Any second now he would realize Kate was gone. And she, Jeanette, was close enough for him to track down and kidnap if he decided he needed someone locked up.

He only hoped it really had been Kate who had stolen her bike, because if not, she was still in danger.

Just to be safe, she stopped at the end of the block and knocked on the door of the house there. A middle-aged man came to the door.

“Hello. Can I help you?”

“Hi! Can I use your bathroom?” She squeezed her legs together as if her bladder was about to explode. “I’m not close to home, and I really gotta go.”

He stepped back and let her inside.

“Please, go. It’s the last room on the right down the hall.”

“Thanks!”

Jeanette sped past him and went into the bathroom. Once inside, she started pacing, wondering what she would do. This man seemed safe, and when she stopped pacing, she could hear him talking to a woman…maybe his wife? She licked her lips, flushed the toilet and washed her hands for good measure, then dried her hands on the towel and exited the bathroom.

She went down to the kitchen where she heard the man and woman talking in low tones. They stopped as soon as they saw her.

“Feel better?”

“Yes. Much. Thank you.”

The man nodded, and the woman smiled.

“Actually, could I use your phone?”

“Of course, dear,” the woman said, then began to reach for it to give to her. “You need to call your folks?”

“Actually, it’s more serious than that.”

The two of them looked at her curiously.

“I have to call the cops.”

Their eyes widened.

“What for?” the woman asked.

“I found Kate Wallis. She’s alive.”

“Good gracious. The missing girl? Where did you find her?”

“At Martin Harris’s house,” she said, taking the phone from her and dialing 9-1-1.

“The assistant principal?” the man asked, in shock.

Jeanette didn’t respond. Instead, she spoke into the phone when the operator answered.

“Yes, my name is Jeanette Turner. I’d like to report a kidnapping.”

…

Kate rode as hard as she could on Jeanette’s bike. It would be faster than walking or running, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before Martin knew she was gone. For all she knew, he’d come after her in his car and force her back with him. She couldn’t risk that. Jeanette would have to find another way home. She deserved it for not trying to free her when she could’ve back on Christmas Eve.

Not that she’d been locked up then of course, but obviously Jeanette knew that. Still. She could’ve called the cops then. Her parents might’ve moved on without her, but she hoped they’d still be relieved to have her home again.

Just a few more blocks…

Her large house came into sight. She stopped the bike at the edge of the driveway and rushed to the front door, pounding on it, since one turn proved to her that it wasn’t open.

The door flung open, and she fell into her dad’s arms.

“Daddy!”

“Kate!”

He held her tightly.

“Oh, my God, Kate, is it really you?”

She shivered and cried in his arms.

“Joy! Joy! Kate’s back!”

“What?”

Joy’s feet came stampeding down the stairs.

“Oh, my God, Kate!”

In seconds the three of them were sharing a tight hug in their front door entryway.

“I missed you so much! I thought I would never get out.”

“Did someone kidnap you, darlin?” Her mother asked.

She nodded. “Martin Harris.”

Her parents shared a horrified look.

“Martin… That slimey bastard took our little girl?”

Joy clutched at her daughter tighter.

“It’s okay, you’re home now, baby. You’re safe.”

She sniffled. “He’s still out there. Jeanette and I-” She cut herself off.

“Jeanette? Jeanette Turner? She was with you?”

Kate licked her lips.

“She rescued me.”

“Oh, I take back everything bad I ever said about that awkward child. She brought my baby home.”

“Where is she now, honey?” her dad asked.

“I don’t know,” Kate admitted. “I…” She gulped. “I left her at Martin’s house.”

“Call her parents,” Joy instructed her husband. “And the cops. We have to make sure nothing happens to that poor girl.”

Rod reluctantly unentangled himself from his wife and daughter and moved into the house to find the phone. First, he called the cops and quickly learned that there was no need to call Jeanette’s parents. Jeanette was safe at a neighbor’s house, and Martin Harris was a wanted man. He’d vacated his house, and no one was inside. The police had searched it.

Martin Harris was on the run.

“Close the door, Joy,” Rod called to her.

“What- What do you- Why?” But she did as she was told.

“They can’t find Martin. He could be anywhere.”

Kate locked the door.

“He’s not gonna find me again.”

But on the street outside the Wallis house sat Martin Harris in his car, brooding with fury.

Kate Wallis had escaped, and he knew exactly who had helped her.

#cruel summer #cruel summer fanfiction #backtothestart02 fanfiction #risk and reward #chapter 2

4 notes · View notes