#Also it was used in GotG 3 I guess.

[wanderingandfound]

How many Steve/Bucky fics do you think have been titled with some variation of "Leave all your love and your longing behind. You can't carry it with you if you want to survive."?

[companionjones]

Pirates

Fandoms: Marvel, MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy

Info: This probably takes place pretty soon after Gotg 1.

Warnings: Cursing

You were hanging out with baby Groot on the Milano when the ship landed on a small purple planet that was well known as a pirate trading post. You and the Guardians frequented this planetary establishment when you wanted to trade off something you had gotten on your less than righteous side-quests.

"Okay, everyone remember: We are not here to start anything," Quill told everyone. "We're here to trade-off the Maker Suckers, and we're doing nothing else. Got it?"

"Yeah," Rocket agreed, then went on, "So, we're not allowed to take a shit?"

"I am Groot," Groot piped up with a smile on his face.

Rocket pointed at him. "Exactly. We're not allowed to piss either, huh?"

"Come on, Rocket. You know he didn't mean that." You rolled your eyes, and tried your best to suppress a smirk.

Quill didn't catch your expression and offhandedly thanked you for sticking up for him.

You caught Rocket's eye right after, and the two of you chuckled because of the interaction.

It didn't take long to trade the Maker Suckers, but on the way out, Gamora caught sight of a flyer. "Hey, guys, look at this."

It read that there was an object a few planets over that could be exchanged for credits on this planet.

"What is an Oxigen?" Drax wondered.

"What it is is none of your business," a rough voice came from behind you all.

You all turned around. Standing in front of you was a man with what looked like a pig-shaped skull for a head. He was flanked by three men on either side of him.

He spoke more, "Me and my crew are going to fetch the Oxigen, and none of you twats are going to do anything regarding it. You hear that?"

"Actually, no," you spoke up, drawing your weapon. "All this 'twat' heard is a challenge to beat you fuckers to this planet Montoff to get this Oxigen." You took a step forward to challenge them.

In response, all of the pirates in front of you started drawing their weapons as well.

Everyone else in the vicinity drew their weapons. Rocket stepped in front of you as he did so which surprised you.

You were ready to fight them, but apparently, Quill wasn't.

"Okay, why don't we all just calm down, huh? We'll all race to Montoff to get the Oxigen, and may the best man win. How about that?"

The pig skull man got a very evil grin on his face, and he was looking directly at you as he responded to Quill, "Sounds like a plan to me. But you best be sure to keep your crew in line. It would be a shame if one of them were to turn up missing one of these days." He and his crew walked past you and the Guardians, a few of them bumping into your shoulder along the way.

Rocket took a step in their direction, and it looked like he was about to yell after them. Gamora saw that and was quick to react. She snatched him up and put a hand over his mouth. Rocket fought against Gamora's grasp for a moment before the pirates were gone and Gamora let him go.

"Did you just bite my hand?!" Gamora cursed as she cradled her wrist.

"How many times do I have to tell you people not to manhandle me?!" Rocket yelled in return.

Quill then cut in, "Alright, alright! Everyone back to the ship, before some other poster catches our attention."

Back on the Milano, Quill admonished you, "What were you thinking calling out those pirates like that?"

You rolled your eyes. "I was thinking that nobody gets to push us around."

Rocket defended you, "Yeah, and you were right to do so. Those guys were assholes."

Groot agreed, "I am Groot."

Quill sighed, "Well, I guess we gotta get the Oxigen now. Let's just hope we don't die doing it."

*******

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

[callmearcturus]

aw yeah lets do this

S-Tier, AKA the Legitimately Good Tier:

HAWKEYE: Maybe my favorite MCU thing I have ever watched.

+ If you let Jeremy Renner actually act and give him a script, he's fucking great. + Kate Bishop is a perfect mess and I love her, I love she's young and excitable but also takes things seriously, she feels like she's a work in progress, I love her. + MAYA. Holy shit the gravity well of this character, how her presence dictates any scene she is in. Truly stellar. + This entire miniseries is like an extended apology for Hawkeye in every other appearance. "Sorry we dropped the ball with this character so consistently, we will bring the A game here." + The importance of disability. I'm among the ppl who was upset that Hawkeye's disability was dropped, so the way it is centered over and over and over in this, how its practical, how it's funny, how it's sad, how it gives us the most devastatingly emotional scene in all of the MCU yes I am talking about the phone call scene, finally. Fucking finally. + Florence fucking Pugh and her entire charm offensive. + The car chase scene.

- The first episode is unfortunately REALLY slow. - Nah that's all I got. I love this one.

THOR: RAGNAROK

+ "Asgard isn't a place, it's a people" is maybe the most poignant message any MCU film has ever managed. + Literally the funniest movie, but also basically a repair job of character building for everyone in it. + The camerawork in this one makes me so happy. + Tom Hiddleston is given so much to do and he's there with heels on, spectacular. + The giant turret/pegging visual pun, god bless. + Cate Blanchett can kill me.

- uuuuuuuuh. It's not as good as Hawkeye. Yeah.

GOTG Vol 2

+ Sorry but I am a GOTG Truther, I really do think its the one storyline in the MCU that is allowed to get away with really fucking intense character drama because it's not considered "main line." There is a reason ppl rioted when they tried to remove Gunn, and I'm with them. + The only good thing Chris Pratt has done since Parks and Rec. + The way this storyline centers on death and grief is devastating. + Rocket Racoon is the best character in the MCU and we all know it.

- I think the initial treatment of Mantis is REALLY rough even though in the end I think it works, but that's a hell of a hump to get over.

A-TIER, AKA the Great for a MCU Flick Tier:

BLACK PANTHER

+ My biggest problem with the MCU is the creative desert of its set and costume design, the way it feels like nothing is given time to breathe in the creative process. BP is the antithesis of that. I would watch a four hour documentary just on the visual design of this movie, from the architecture to the costumes to the make-up, everything. I don't want to hear from the director or writers, I want to hear four hours of just the craftspeople talking about their work. It's monumental. + Best Villain in the MCU, bar none. + Only MCU film to move me to actual tears in the movie theatre.

- I loved this movie! For the life of me I could not tell you the plot. I understand the plot of every Mission Impossible film but I don't know the plot of this movie. - If this movie was allowed to cut, like, 20 minutes of action and replace it with more character drama, it'd be the best MCU film.

IRON MAN 3

+ The MCU Movie That Pulls Exactly Zero Punches About Being About Mental Health And PTSD Holy Shit + Rhodey and Pepper get so much to do and I like an ensemble piece so much + Shane Black is in love with RDJ and I'm so happy for him + Pepper gets to be a lil monsterfied and that's hot

- Doesn't have Sam Rockwell. - The plot is kinda fully secondary to the character work, which imo is fine, but yanno.

GOTG Vol 1

+ All the stuff I said about GOTG Vol 1

- It's not Vol 2, which benefits from having all the bedrock foundation built by this movie to spring from.

B-TIER, AKA It's Fine I Guess:

IRON MAN 1

It's good! It invented the wheel! Part of it are fucking agonizingly painful to watch in 2023 but it also has more heart than 80% of the franchise so.

IN A CAVE. WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS.

LOKI

Okay it feels shitty of me to judge this one on its technical faults bc apparently it was shot during the pandemic and that causes a lot of the issues with the camerawork, the awkward editing, and just how Weird everything was put together. But also it's REALLY stilted and awkward, which butts up against the good script and the better acting, so IDK man.

Owen Wilson is amazing. Even my mother thought the way they canonized Loki being bi was a cop-out. And the final twist pissed me off. I hope Season 2 is better.

THOR 1

I DUNNO WHAT TO TELL YOU, BUT KENNETH BRANAGH UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT.

DR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS

This movie is a mess but once i figured out it was trying to be The MCU Does Gothic Horror, I was a lot more on board. It has all the flaws of the original Dr Strange and is hard to visually follow like most MCU films, but also has America Chavez, who I adore.

IRON MAN 2

It has Sam Rockwell, I don't give a fuck.

C-TIER, AKA I wish I cared but I do not 8C

DR STRANGE

I dunno I like the actual character of Strange weirdly, I like what a complete fucking asshole he is, I like his god complex and how he reacts to his disability as a surgeon. On the other hand what the fuck is Tilda Swinton doing here, this is just awful. My biggest issue with this film is that it didn't have to be this terrible but every decision made about it feels so fucking thoughtless and myopic.

WANDAVISION

yanno. i cannot even explain why i fell off this so hard. Like, this one Had Me all the way up to and including the Agatha reveal, but like the final episodes after that reveal somehow left me completely cold and uncaring. it's genuinely weird.

D-TIER, AKA Oh my god no thank you

AVENGERS

I hate the writing. Like, I haaaaate the writing. I feel like the only likeable relationship in this is Tony and Bruce, and that does not carry this movie. The quip-driven writing, the way the need for a joke supercedes naturalistic voices and dialogue making sense, it pisses me off. I hate the writing. Heartless movie.

BLACK WIDOW

oh my god i'm actively angry at this movie okay because for the first 20 minutes, I was like "wait, is this going to be a real movie," because it felt smaller, the action felt more realistic, that fight between the Widow and Yelena in the beginning felt like it could have been out of MI: Fallout, and the other fight between Natasha and Yelena in the safehouse was also good, I really thought for a few moments that this could be Good

and then it just took a hard right into The MCU Tries And Fails To Make MI: Fallout (They Even Stole The Mask Gag, What The Fuck Was That) and not only was I disappointed, I was like retroactively pissed for the 20 minutes when I had hope in my heart. If not for David Harbour's character, I would have just left in the middle of this movie.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Its not at bad as Infinity War! Nebula and Rocket carried this movie on their fucking backs. But what do I know, I liked Renner's mohawk of sadness.

F-Tier, AKA Fuck This Movie

INFINITY WAR

Fuck this movie with a rusted steel dildo, fuck this entire fucking movie, I despise it. The writing is so actively fucking terrible I want to fistfight whoever is responsible. I fucking hate the attempts to humanize Thanos over how sad he is about the daughter he abused and then murdered, boo fucking hoo, I hate the joylessness of the superhero combinations, I hate the quip-driven writing, I hate this movie with a burning passion. This might be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Soulless and destitute.

[multifandom-nerds-blog]

Loki S2 ep6 (and some mention about SI and the Marvels inbetween which you can skip)

Can't believe how Loki, a show whichs first season was very.... something I guess, ended in such an amazing way.

And I'm not talking about how I freaking loved the music (I freaking loved it). I'm talking about how Loki spent centuries trying to solve the timeline problem. Over and over, trying to save his friends and failing, until he succeeds. But the only way to do so is to claim a throne, which he didn't want, and sit on it alone forever. The character development just👌.

Because let's be honest. Marvel is at a point where everything could crash now or then. Gotg 3 was amazing but Secret Invasion? Not so much. It was very weak. Alone from the stupid AI intro, I never skip openings, but I skipped this one every single time. But also how messy the writing was to the limit of one 6 episode season. I could not properly process what the f was going on with who in that show. (No not She-Hulk, cause she Hulk was exactly what it was promised to be, which is a comedy show about lawyers, so it didn't dissapoint me at all. The show worked for me, cause I actually watched it as a comedy which it is.) Also didn't watch The Marvels yet, but although I usually don't listen to the mob of a general opinion in the Marvel fandom without actually watching something (form your own opinions people) I'm not overly excited for it either. Mainly cause of Captain Marvel, who I don't like in any marvel universe really. But in the mcu just ughhh.

Back to Loki however. My eyes were absolutely glued to the screen for the whole episode. The way in which Loki walked the up to the throne with the timelines in his hands and as his cloak. How he accepted that oh so lonely throne. How that was the only acceptable way for him. How Mobius left to actually see what it was that they, what Loki, is protecting with all that. How it ended with Loki alone on his throne, but smiling from what Mobius said, who is standing all alone there watching his own life essentially.

Goddamn. This is not a good year of season finales for us queers. Why are we being mentally destroyed over and over again. This is horrible 😭

[rubaefool]

The blind leading the blind

Rant incoming, be warned!

One of my favorite Daredevil single issues is #7 from the first Mark Waid run.

We don't really get Matt/Daredevil interacting with kids a lot due to the nature of their jobs. Children aren't going to file lawsuits and they are not going to play on rooftops at midnight. Sure, they get rescued a lot, but that's because everyone likes kids, ergo, villains target them to make a point.

I think we forget that at the end of the day, people who idolize superheroes are still kids. Kids are the ones who imagine themselves haing the power of Superman and kids are the ones who imagine themselves being a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Which is why stories with children playing a major role (other than damsels in distress) is something that always makes me smile. I guess I just feel nostalgic about my childhood whenever I see stuff like that.

(It's why the scene where the children gain Thor's powers in L&T was something I loved, because which kid doesn't want to imagine themselves having the power of Thor? I totally would, it's awesome! And that scene of Drax being such a cute dad in GotG 3, beautiful.)

This isn't the first time children have played a major role in a DD story. In the Nocenti run, there was a small gang of skateboarding kids called the Fatboys, who hung around Daredevil from time to time. (They even helped him out on some of his adventures too!)

So, spoilers ahead. The story basically follows Matt taking a small group of blind kids on a weekend Christmas trip, which goes wrong because average Daredevil story because of a blizzard. The remaining part is about how Daredevil (or rather, the kids in this case) save Christmas.

We get to see Matt with kids in this one, and it's adorable. He's charming enough to get along with most of them, and isn't some awkward adult. (We're told that this is something he does every year, it makes sense that he's well acquainted.) However, his cool-lawyer-adult act doesn't hold up for very long, especially under stress, because he simply isn't used to having children in such situations. He's out of his depth. His senses are muddled because of the snow and he has to deal with eight terrified blind children. And he tries. He tries to cheer them up, he loses his temper at them and later apologizes, and he occasionally treats them like a group of adults. He somehow manages to go through all the pains of parenting in a single snowy day. And because he's a vey stubborn bastard, he keeps on trying until his body gives up.

And what do the children do?

They return the favor, of course! They rise to the occasion. When they realized that the only adult in charge was incapacitated, they didn't panic and became the unexpected heroes of the story. Somehow, they managed to not follow any of Matt's instructions when he was still directing them, but when he went out of the picture, they banded together and saved Christmas. And so the story ends on a high note and everyone's happy. There's also a fun bit of Santa imagery but hey, it's a holiday issue, I'm not complaining.

Something I love about these children is that they're not some chosen ones with otherworldly powers. They're not warriors trained from a young age. Hell, they're not even street-smart like the Fatboys were (which is pretty much the main reason why Matt took them out in the first place; he wanted to help them overcome their social anxieties.) These are literally a random bunch of terrified kids who when faced with a dangerous situation didn't shy away from it (as some would expect) but instead faced them head-on.

Now, the main story is interspersed with flashback scenes featuring some tidbits about what Matt's mental state is like. You've got an early instance of Foggy calling out Matt's bullshit (which only increases with each new issue) and Matt explaining (or rather refusing to explain) why he's turned to optimism as a coping mechanism. It's a pretty good summary of the Waid run, and also a perfect example of the fact that this run isn't actually as lighthearted as people think.

Also, there's more Matt/Kirsten. Which is always a good thing.

Also, I guess it has like the cheapest Daredevil cosplay idea ever? (An even cheaper one would be Matt in his tighty-whities from that Miller book, I suppose.)

Also, it has the best Daredevil cover and that is the Truth. I shall not hear anything otherwise.

Okay, that's it, I feel much better now. Thank you for attending my TedTalk.

[samwiseism]

What is the best gotg comic to start with/buy first to read?

i would say it largely depends on what you want! have a look through and see what tickles your fancy.

generally though, guardians of the galaxy (2008) by abnett and lanning is widely considered the best run and for good reason. it’s tightly paced and full of character and defined the guardians. basically everything since has been riffing off that run. if you start here, make sure to finish it off with the thanos imperative, which is the real ending! and if you want a massive epic that shows how the guardians got together, alongside nova shenanigans, it can provide that too. you can read the annihilation and annihilation conquest events (they’re basically unofficial guardians books, everyone shows up and it’s how they are formed), then guardians of the galaxy (2008) alongside nova (2007) because they both spin out of annihilation, then at the end of those read the thanos imperative in which the two storylines converge again. it’s good stuff and beyond a couple of early 2000s-isms (gamora spends half the time basically naked. i mean, power move, but still) it has aged pretty well.

al ewing’s run is by far my favourite alongside that, but I’m not sure how well it would work as a jumping on point as it relies on a lot of prior knowledge of relationships and traumas and has a really big cast, some of whom aren’t exactly developed to their fullest potential because the book was prematurely cancelled. the three books we did get were great and al ewing did an amazing job characterising peter, rich and gamora in particular (rich specifically. legitimate perfection).

if you want something closer to the mcu to dip your toes into, the 2017 run by gerry duggan was decent. people don’t really talk about it much i guess because while it starts off alright it unfortunately finishes with a bit of a whimper with the infinity wars event. but by all means it’s a not-very-intimidating place to start. it has the five from the first movie as leads. it’s not exactly top tier gotg, as i said, but it works well enough if the movie is the dynamic you’re used to and you want more of something familiar to get started.

in terms of solo books, once and done, groot had a fantastic solo book in 2015 (at least I think it was 2015? it’s by jeff loveness) which I would recommend to literally anyone, gotg fan or not. that’s also a shout. yeah, read groot. it’s not a massive commitment and it’s very wholesome.

the star-lord grounded solo book i never shut up about is a favourite of mine but, again, it relies a lot on prior knowledge of peter as a character because he’s coming to terms with a lot of stuff about himself. that’s not to say it can’t be enjoyed as a new fan, it can and i know people who started with it and enjoyed it. i just think it’s better appreciated when you know more about what makes him tick. it’s inherently not a good representation of gotg as it normally is (no space shenanigans, it’s set entirely on a few streets of NYC) but it does a great job as a little character study of pete. but if you see the summary and think it looks good well, why not! <3

[raccoonfallsharder]

guess what, it’s chip anon. IM IN SUCH A GOOD MOOD

i have an update on the last thing i sent to u — all is resolved ! like i said before , i’m on the aromantic spectrum so it’s very rare for me to get crushes - so when my friend heard i got a crush , she was just trying to be supportive , but also didn’t know what to do . ty for ur advice too , because i did use it ! <3

putting that aside , i have chips again !! i also found myself time to watch gotg today (finally) so today has been fulfilling . also like , i haven’t read ur fanfictions / fanfic in general in a hot MINUTE cuz i’ve been busy . but now i got free time and i’m going to spend my time reading ur fics and eating chips . pretty relaxing if u ask me

sorry for the long ass ramble again , it’s probably obvious but i have adhd and i also have a huge problem with ranting LOLL

have a good day tumblr user raccoonfallsharder u are what keeps my rocket hyperfixation standing

my crispy golden little chip!!! it makes me so happy to know that you are so happy right now! i am so glad things worked out with your friend. i feel like sometimes friendships can become even stronger after something like this -- like you know each other better, and you know you can safely talk through your feelings and understand each other. i'm so glad for you ♡ this seriously makes my heart so fuckin happy ♡♡

i am so grateful we live in a world and a time where you have been able to have chips, watch gotg, and catch up on some highly-questionable reading lol

your "rants" and "rambles" are never a problem for me so come back any time, lil chip nonnie ♡♡♡ and may the rest of your day be full of tasty chips & happiness & good reads in sunbeams

[starmora]

I think Gunn cared about all the characters but he cared about the finale he wanted even more. The difference in character building, paying attention to smaller details and giving more equal space to each individual dynamic in vol 1 & 2 compared to what we see in vol 3 is pretty noticeable. Even with its flaws IW balanced muiltple characters and smaller plot points better than vol 3. As others have said in vol 3 you'd think IW and EG never happened. You have barely any idea about what happened after EG either except Peter clearly fell apart and Gamora somehow ended up a ravager who was somehow keeping up Nebula for some undisclosed amount of time. That's not good storytelling. We don't even know if the characters think Gamora was ressurected with no memory or if they know she's from the past. I'm also confused because the film treats it as if Gamora herself wasn't in EG

Gamora finally got to connect with the guardians and at least feel something for Peter but that's it. She's back with the ravagers like she didn't just go through a pretty emotional experience that opened up a whole new view of herself and what had happened before. I get the ravagers are who she's been with but there's too much that's went on to act like things hadn't changed.

I don't know what happened behind closed doors and I'm sure there were more details to all of this than we will know. But I do think people had enough self awareness to realize Gamora shouldnt stay dead dead but not enough to realize just being alive and present wasn't enough. Add to that Gunn having zero flexibility to work with the complexities of a shared universe and sexism/biases and everything became disjointed. There's good stuff for Gamora in vol 3 but there needed to be more and I think whatever small details played a part in larger decision making need to be talked about by Gunn away from Twitter so there aren't vague answers running amuck or a dozen different types of responses to the same question that are similar enough to not be a complete contradiction but different enough wording to cause confusion.

You’re right, maybe it’s unfair to say he doesn’t care about Gamora but it just feels like he cared about Rocket and his story the most and Gamora is unfortunately the one who suffered the most for this, for some odd bizarre reason, when it really didn’t have to be that way.

It’s funny you mention that about not knowing anything after eg, because I went with my mom to see the movie again (this was her third time seeing it with me, and she has seen every other movie the guardians are in multiple times, so it’s not like gotg is new for her) and she turned to me and told me she was confused about pretty much everything that happened in the opening of the movie and asked me what happened for them to have gotten to the point where they all have this base on Knowhere and Gamora is a ravager and everyone doesn’t seem to really care what she’s been up to and she asked me to explain it to her and I just. Couldn’t, because there wasn’t an answer. Like you just have to use your imagination I guess and that’s fine but it also feels like he just kind of wanted to jump to the end and tell his rocket story and get out.

I truly believe he thought about it and considered what would be best for her but it’s just clear to me he didn’t give her the same level of attention he gave Rocket or Peter, and honestly probably didn’t even consult anyone or get any sort of second opinion on it because he just doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to do that with all his talk about having complete control lmao. And like in a perfect world where infinity war had never happened to her, I don’t think that would have mattered AS much but it did and she needed a little more love and attention from Gunn because of it that he seemingly just didn’t wanna give

[mcu-vanity-blog]

GOTG 3 Review (done by the characters I care about)

Disclaimer: I didn't watch the Christmas special

Peter: Has a complete alcoholism arc in the first ten minutes for some reason? It's implied he's been drinking a lot since Endgame and then, like 15 minutes in, he says out loud "This wouldn't've happened if I hadn't been drinking" and then that's just the end of it? My brother in Christ, this movie is 2 and a half hours long, maybe cut that bit aye?

He is very much just another character in this entry. Most of his lines could easily be given to Mantis or Nebula and nothing would really change. Chris Pratt looks visibly unenthused to be here most of the time.

(New) Gamora: Honestly, could've been left out of the MCU entirely since her death in Infinity War. Zoe Saldana is the best part of every MCU film she's been in.

In this film though, she starts off with the Ravagers >> maybe learns that she's a slightly better person than she thought >> goes back to the Ravagers.

She's basically just sort of "also there" for the whole film, and is often just acting as a foil for Peter's arc (which, btw, is realising that this woman who looks like his dead girlfriend isn't actually his dead girlfriend; a fact he already knows).

Idk man, it's weird. I think Zoe just contractually had to be in this one?

Rocket: Is very much the main character of this film, but spends a good two-thirds of it asleep. You mainly see him in flashbacks where he's being abused/experimented on by the film's villain.

It's a very classic James Gunn thing I think; take a small and helpless guy and make the audience empathise with him because of how small and helpless he is. I guess it's not super nuanced in that way, but it's not necessarily an unenjoyable story for him.

It was weird that they decided to give us his origin in what is apparently the final entry of this trilogy though?

Like, "you've loved this character for 9 years now and this might be the last chance you get to see him and his friends all together again! How about we have sleep the entire time and, instead, explain exactly how he became who he was when you met him 5 movies ago!". It's kind of just silly (Dan Harmon articulates this idea really well here at 0:35-0:51).

Nebula: Gets more screen-time and characterization in this film, still not the most interesting character tho :/.

I also don't think that Karen Gillian can act :(. Would much rather have OG Gamora over her

Drax: Still just relegated to unfunny comic relief. His thing in the first movie was that his culture didn't have metaphors and he was a little careless/happy-go-lucky; he wasn't an idiot.

Ever since then? He has exclusively been an idiot.

Don't care, but feel sorry that Dave Bautista still has to play this role, even though he does very well in it <3

Groot: Again, hasn't been interesting since the first movie. He used to be this sort of mysterious, ancient, gentle giant type of character, but he's basically been just a type of sci-fi set dressing in all the movies since then.

I know James Gunn has said he's a brand new Groot from the one we see in that movie, but it's like... why? Compare the scenes of OG Groot to literally any scene of Gunn-written Groot and tell me which one is the more interesting character.

Adam Warlock: Surprisingly good. Unfortunately, he's that same James Gunn character of grown-up person with the mind of a child (think Killer Sharl in Suicide Squad), but it kinda works in this? I like that they let Will Poulter keep his accent and I look forward to seeing him written by more competent writers.

[caatws]

I agree with you about Peter and Mantis. Their siblings reveal honestly felt superfluous. I don't hate it or anything, but it doesn't feel like a plot point with real investment or progression. I think I'm in the minority though where there are few things about vol 3 that feel like they're there just to be there while there are genuine leftover plots from Endgame and Infinity War that got ignored. Even buying Knowhere. I'm not against it and know it's connection to the comics but it doesn't feel like a fully explored addition to the story.

The whole 2018/14 Gamora situation is similar to me. I love Gamora and I'm definitely not unhappy about her being in the vol 3, but I can't help feel her poor character has just been needlessly jerked around. She had her life disrupted in childhood, adulthood and then adulthood again. They kinda dragged her to the future for nothing imo. She didn't get to explore her feelings about being permanently free from Thanos. She never got to form a relationship of her own with the guardians. She was thrown into the deep end when she got to the future and had to sink or swim before having to deal with the guardians in an intense situation where, like someone else said, it mostly seemed to be about Peter. I just feel like she could have been allowed to live out her life in the past and meet the guardians as intended. They could've had 2018 Nebula in the past get a sneak attack on Thanos and take him out and then head back to the future leaving the past happily continuing. I understand that's a little much but I guess mostly I feel like Gamora's entire abuse survivor journey became an easily dismissed casualty in this wider story. They didn't treat anyone else's life in quite this way and I still don't think it was necessary.

Also superficially I'm sad Gamora of all people never got to wear the official guardians uniform.

The way I agree with you on everything here!! Honestly I’d completely forgotten abt the gotg buying knowhere when I first watched vol 3 cuz I’d only watched the holiday special once—back when it came out in like November 😭—so I was like oops hope that wasn’t important to remember all the details of! I think part of why it’s kind of jarring is bc the gotg spent 4 years living on ships and seeming fine so it was kinda like…when did they decide they wanted to “settle down” in a sense and basically run their own society? Like I’m down for it but it would’ve been nice to see more of how/when the gotg realized that was something they wanted to do

Funnily, Peter and Mantis being biological siblings had actually become one of those things I sort of forgot wasn’t canon until it actually came up in canon to be made canon, bc it was suuuuch a popular headcanon since vol 2 😭😭😭 And I think that also makes the lack of development for Peter and Mantis’ sibling relationship almost more apparent, bc since it became so common in fanworks, a lot of us had ideas of what it could look like if it were canon, only for canon to just…not rly do anything with it at all. Not that I think canon needed to use our specific ideas or headcanons blah blah blah but just doing literally anything with them being siblings would’ve added more to their characters and their relationship!

You’re so 100% right on everything you said regarding Gamora too—also I am with you in the superficial camp bc I also have been VERY SAD we didn’t get Gamora in a guardians uniform 😭 like I think abt it every time I see that group pic of everyone 😭 like we even got the raccoon in the damn thing but we couldn’t get our literal founder in one???

[awakenedmaiden]

@ancientforged replied to your post “Went and saw the new Ant-Man movie. Personally, I...”:

MCU movies often work best in a vacuum, where they aren't too reliable on continuity or setting up stuff i think, i guess that is mostly my problem with things post-endgame, altho each to their own i say

​I don't quite agree but I can understand that point. For me I like the broad continuity stuff, it reminds me of being a little Lis reading comic collections of things like the Infinite Crisis or the original Civil War. So to me specifically the movie arcs feel kinda nice.

But I super get that to a lot of people it's a lot to deal with. Like you can't just watch, I dunno, Spider-man No Way Home, because not only did you have to watch the first two Spider-man movies but also you gotta know who Doctor Strange is from his movie. And you gotta understand what the "Blip" was from Endgame. Then you gotta know Sony's Spider-Man 1-3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2. Which, if you wanna just sit down and watch a movie, is way too much. Particularly since they're being more and more like this.

Or, like, with this Ant-Man movie. The plot references Ant-Man's actions in Endgame a lot. Also the television show Loki (which I never saw) did a fair bit of set up for this (that was also a problem with Doctor Strange 2 as I have never seen Wandavision and that was apparently quite important to the film). And this movie was used to set up the main villain of the later coming Avengers movie. So then you'll probably need to see it to understand things in 2 years.

So I totes get how that can be folks problems with the more recent stuff.

For me though, my problem is more a matter of tonality. I'm not saying that the old Marvel movies weren't funny, like there's totally jokes in Captain America, Thor, etc. BUT.

Guardians of the Galaxy came out. And it was good. GotG 2 is personally my favorite film in the MCU. The GotG were a specific kind of humor. Where they were constantly quipping. Serious moments were almost (and the almost is genuinely very important) undercut by some sort of gag. And it was basically funny all the time. Which worked fine with Guardians of the Galaxy. That is the tone of that particular set of films and it is a tone that fits those set of five characters.

But ever since it came out. It honestly feels, to me, like every single Marvel movie was wanted to be Guardians of the Galaxy. It took some time and was a bit slow but nowadays every time I watch a Marvel movie it just feels like GotG but without the Guardians. Every Marvel character has become, like, a wisecracking constantly joking sarcastic dude that's vaguely an asshole. Which just makes them all feel samey to me.

Like I still watch the Marvel movies but most of them, even though I enjoy them, I don't find myself with an interest in going back and watching again. I'm down to rewatch, say, Captain America: The First Avenger because it feels distinct. But I don't think I'll be rewatching most of the stuff that's come out since, oh, I'd say after Thor 3 because it feels the same as watching any other. TBH even Thor 3 does but Thor 3 manages to be really funny with it so I am down to rewatch it every couple of years.

[ghostiedreamsz]

Guardians of the Galaxy had such a coming of age ending and I am going to cry

⚠️Before I begin, spoilers for every Guardian of the Galaxy movie, especially Volume 3. I’m literally about to dump the entire plot on you and then cry about it. Go watch it if you haven’t it’s good

So I watched every single GOTG Volume in one day because I was bored and oh good golly gee I wish someone warned me about the messages because they absolutely DEVASTATED me every time.

I swear to god, the only message I obtained from GOTG1 is “who gives a shit if your family sucks? Come join our gang of misfits! We may hate each other, but we all have our own problems, and have learned to respect each other. Let’s commit some crime!” and it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard. Gamora’s dad is a dick who wants to murder half of the Galaxy? Found family! Drax’s family was brutally murdered by a Thanos wannabe and he’s seeking out cold revenge? Found family! Rocket was taken apart over and over and over until he could finally supply his creator with the power and knowledge to create a perfect society? What the fuOUND FAMILY! What was James Gunn on when he created this shit??? I need me some of that If my college found family doesn’t cure my gender dysphoria and crippling social anxiety I’m suing him

GOTG2 had the same message but like 1000 times more powerful because this is AFTER they created their little Guardians of the Galaxy family and determined that where they came from and how shitty their parents are doesn’t define them. I loved this movie so much. It does wondrous things for my heart that I’ll need a solid year to just put into words. Also Mantis is in it and I love her

But GOTG3. OH MAN GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3. Shit had me SOBBING. It’s implied that it takes place after the events of Endgame (I never watched Infinity War/Endgame so idk what happened other than Gamora’s death it was memed to oblivion please don’t murder me) and their dynamic is so obviously different as a result. Quill is in shambles, Gamora no longer remembers they were together, it’s obvious Nebula feels some kind of guilt over what happened (or unrequited love for Quill), Drax and Mantis are doing their best to help but they just can’t, and Rocket spends half of the movie dying and reliving his hell of a backstory. Groot is frankly the only thing normal about this dynamic, but he’s Groot so we’re moving on. It’s obvious the Galaxy Family is not at their best. So you know what happens? At the end of the movie, after they’ve saved the galaxy a third time, and helped all the children and animals and such, they all split up and go their own ways. Gamora joins the Ravagers, Drax realizes his experience as a father makes him really good at raising kids, Nebula goes out to save more people who might have been victims like her, Mantis goes alone on a journey to find herself after realizing she’s only ever taken orders from others, Star Lord goes to see his grandfather one last time (and had me bawling my eyes out), and ROCKET. ROCKET TAKES OVER AS THE LEADER OF THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY! HE MAKES HIS OWN GUARDIAN GROUP TO SAVE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS TO WHEN HE WAS A KID!! HE ALSO COMES TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT HE WAS A RACCOON!!! ISN’T THAT COOL?!

This is the greatest ending a trilogy could ever have, in my opinion. There’s no “We HAVE to stick together. We’re a team.” The group is aware that their dynamic is different, and that they aren’t what they used to be. And that’s fine! They all have their own problems to get over and passions to explore, so splitting up is the best solution! The found family is no more, but in its place is something so realistic and beautiful. It’s such a bittersweet, “so I guess this is the end” coming-of-age sitcom ending, but GOD I WOULDN’T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY. THANK YOU GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, and here’s to more silly little adventures!!

[fightingdragonswithwho]

I'm glad everything's going well, love!!! I'm alright, just kinda meh sometimes, y'know? ❤️

I'm currently watching a lot of shows kinda at the same thing and i must confess, that wasn't the best idea ever because i tend to get lost between shows lmao! guess i thought my Marvel addiction was over, guess it isn't! I started "Daisy Jones And The Six" and it's so so so good??? i don't wanna finish it yet because i feel some sort of emotional damage coming to my heart because it's such a good show, i don't want it to end y'know??? 😭😭😭

love you so much!!! 💕

hi love! yeah, i totally get that feeling ): i hope things get better soon, bb! <3 ohh but that's so fun!! i am taking a bit of a break from marvel for that same reason, but i also can't wait to finally watch the new GOTG so they keep pulling us back! and ahh DJATS my beloved!! i will say the finale absolutely destroys you so it's a mix of sadness from the content and emptiness because it's over 😭 but it's so good and the soundtrack was worth all the wait as a fan of the book!

wishing u the most amazing day bestie, love you!! 💕

[chacusha]

15 Questions for 15 Mutuals

Hi @cityoftheangelllls - thanks for the tag!

Are you named after anyone?

Not after a real person, but my name is a reference to a fairy tale, so I suppose I'm named after a fairy tale character but not one who has a proper name. My mom made it up and almost no one else has this name.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Okay so the last time I cried was yesterday, imagining an emotional moment in the fic I'm writing and crying at that. 😅 More generally, the answer to this question 9 times out of 10 is "at a movie I watched recently." I tend to cry at moments when film characters are sad and crying. Doesn't matter how silly or absurd the film is or what the stakes are. So before the time yesterday, probably the last time I cried was at GOTG 3. I guess these two answers are basically the same: I cry at fictional characters being sad.

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, and I don't plan to. I'm too scared to even raise a plant or a pet at the moment to be honest.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I don't think I'm a particularly sarcastic person.

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

I've never really been good at sports to be honest. I was on the swim team in a high school where anyone is allowed to join any sports team, and I still really enjoy swimming laps in a long pool although it's a hard resource to find (like, you need a university or other place with fancy sports facilities, and there are probably pretty narrow time windows in which the pool is open to the public), and it takes a lot of work before/after swimming (packing all the equipment, showering, changing, etc.). I also did aikido for a while, but it's been a while since I did it. Again, it's a bit hard to find an active group that isn't super inconvenient to make it to practice for (especially in cold weather!).

6. What's the first thing you notice about other people?

Accent, maybe? That's more of a thing now that I live in London, which is a very multilingual city in a country that has runaway micro-regional accent divergence.

7. What's your eye color?

Black (I mean, "dark brown," technically, but... they are basically black).

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Omg happy endings. I can't deal with scary movies.

9. Any special talents?

I play violin. Also, I'm decent enough at graphic design for that to come in handy at times. I'm sure my lackadaisical attitude toward consistency (e.g. in margins, spacing, font sizes, etc.) probably drives actual graphic designers up the wall.

10. Where were you born?

USA.

11. What are your hobbies?

Writing fic and essays, drawing, reading, making websites, playing video games.

12. Do you have any pets?

Not yet. I hope to in the future.

13. How tall are you?

5'0"

14. Favorite subject in school?

Chemistry, mainly just because it was interesting and also really easy for me. I liked the puzzle-solving nature to chemistry problems, which I guess foreshadowed the field I ended up going into (computer science).

15. Dream job?

I'm pretty happy where I am, but if I could do anything regardless of practicality or talent, I would want to make video games (assuming this would involve the creative control of only making games I thought were worth making and I had a good work environment).

I am tagging: @agentem @sweet-suzume @weaver0fwords @vanyalanthirielofmana @jazzypizzaz @corpsebrigadier @kashuan @onionjulius @qussymagnet @stephantom

15 questions for 15 mutuals!

Tagged by @liliaenbaggins

1. Are you named after anyone?

No, not really, though my name is a little similar to my mother's.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Right about now.

3. Do you have kids?  

No.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I don't think so.

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

None except in P.E. class, which I'm not sure counts.

6. What's the first thing you notice about other people?

I don't know, I never really thought about it.

7. What's your eye colour?  

Hazel.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?  

Happy endings.

9. Any special talents?

Not that I know of, though my sister thinks being able to bend the corners of my tongue is one, like Buttercup in that PPG episode where they discuss her special power, for those familiar with the show.

10. Where were you born?

Spain.

11. What are your hobbies?  

Listening to music, daydreaming, taking online quizzes, reading, Pinterest, making aesthetic moodboards occasionally.

12. Do you have any pets?  

No, I'm not really a fan of animals.

13. How tall are you?

5′6″ or around 167cm (borrowing your answer because I think I'm the same).

14. Favorite subject in school?

English, though I wouldn't say I really had a favorite.

15. Dream job?  

I don't really have one.

Tagging @chipmunkfanno1love @constanceblackwood-s @infjpaladin @selkiesstories @myfanfictiongarden @thatscarletflycatcher @ahobbitstale @danascullys @hafanforever @charitysplace @child-of-thekindlywest @frodoz @my-lady-galadriel @lady-stormbraver @belleoftheball91

[vulpesmyrca]

Gotg 3 theories! (kinda long post)

because thank you @enigma731 for making a post on the trailer as I didn't even know it was out already

Keep in mind that I have only read a few issues of the comics, and that this is just for fun so it's not like I did a bunch of research.

I have played the newer GOTG game and am in the process of playing the telltale game, and have also watched the animated series a bunch of times, (it's honestly really good.) So I do know of Guardians characters that are not in the MCU yet

BABY ROCKET IS SO CUTE

2. I'm going to guess that the movie will be focused on Rocket's backstory and possibly the other guardians' as well. Interesting as they definitely haven't been explored much in the MCU.

Peter somehow acquired a polaroid camera and used it to take a photo of the team? That would be so cute and he actually has a picture of them on his nightstand on the animated show! (S2:E8)

okay back to the actual trailer-

WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM PLEASE JUST TELL ME HE'S OK

2. Rocket's drinking a milkshake or smth so that gives me hope Peter just got knocked unconscious somehow-

3. I don't trust Marvel movies anymore. They "permanently" killed off three different characters I loved-

Where is that? It looks a bit like Ego's ship? I'm guessing either a celestial building of some kind or the Collecters place (if it has a name I forgot it) Is Peter going to get his celestial powers back? If so, heres hoping he can control them enough that he doesn't become immortal and have to watch the whole team die...

2. Those pink things look a bit like brains of some kind, possibly connected to my celestial ship idea. Maybe they run into another celestial who was related to Ego or something?

At first, I was thinking astronauts from Earth meet the Guardians or something, but that looks like Mantis? I'm curious why they have the big suits when they had smaller force fields of some kind in previous movies. Maybe a radioactive area of some kind?

LYLLA!!

Rocket's love interest from the comics, she made minor appearances/and there were references to her in the games and animated series.

Further making me think Vol.3 will be about Rocket's backstory and character. I'm just crossing my fingers that all of the guardians will get a happy ending...

Adam Warlock!

Another character from the comics, though he was in the games and animated series as well.

He doesn't really look anything like he usually does in my opinion. But then again the rest of the guardians had very drastic appearance changes in the movies also, SO oh well! Not too big of a deal.

What got me thinking is the fact that the golden gem in his head is the soul stone. (Of course, that could be different for the MCU but it's pretty much always the soul stone so it would make more sense)

I'm wondering if he can use his powers to somehow merge the version of Gamora who got killed for the stone and the current version of her from the past. Whether through somehow merging her soul or giving her the memories of her future self I don't really care, now I'm not entirely sure of the comics but in the animated series he got Gamora to let him use his powers to help her remember a memory of her parents (since she couldn't remember exactly what they looked like.) (S2:E21)

2. Were the stones not destroyed? How does he have Soul? Is it something else? But in that case what is it..?

Looking forward to look back on this once it's out and see what (if anything) I got right :)

[purgetrooper77]

GOTG Christmas Special Review

I just saw the Christmas Special of Guardians of the Galaxy and I have to say it was so hilarious it should have been the third movie of the GOTG MCU series. But sadly it is considered to be a special to Disney. 

A few things to note out:

1. The Kevin Bacon cameo. I love the every single moment of his on screen with Drax and Mantis. 

2. The flashback animated scenes. In my opinion they were kind of bad but the story behind these flashbacks were amazing. Of course they’re not trying the same art style of What If... but hey who am I to judge? I don’t work for Disney.

3. The fact that Mantis is Peter Quill’s half-sister. To be honest, it actually makes a lot of sense when I think about it because why on Earth would Ego abduct a random girl and keep her in his celestial planet body thing and not impregnate her then kill her? But when she told us (and Quill) about her being an offspring of Ego, I knew everything was adding up.

4. Cosmo’s voice activation thing (I forgot what’s it called): I don’t know if my ears are playing tricks on me or if that was the intent but I could swear Cosmo sounds like a female. I really don’t have a problem with it but I guess the people working on the set might have heard it differently then the audience of the Christmas special. I’ll have to rewatch it again but if y’all want a TLDR: Cosmo’s voice sounds weird and I felt like it didn’t belong to Cosmo at all.

I’ll rate the GOTG Christmas Special a 8.5/10 for amazing humor, basic storyline of sister wanting to give her older brother the best Christmas he’ll have in his life, and the music. I love it when people make new music in the movies and I want to say that I want the soundtrack now. My mother (who was watching the special with me) also wants the Christmas Special Soundtrack but I guess I have to give it to her as this year’s Christmas gift (if I’m able to)

I know November is not over yet and Thanksgiving could be celebrated late for some families but dang it when I finished watching the special I knew I needed to write a review about this. If you ask, yes I’m now writing reviews now for any content from Star Wars, MCU, other Sci-Fi stuff no matter if it’s new or old. Currently I am working on beating Pokemon: Legends Arceus and I’m at the point where I’m close to finishing it so be on the lookout for that one.