#MCU has always been hit or miss with these characters

[sarahsmi13s]

A Sibling's Promise

whumptober day 12: character death

pairing: peter parker x older sister!reader

characters: peter parker, sister!reader, happy hogan, mj, ned, the avengers, may, mysterio

warnings: 18+ MDNI, language, canon events in the mcu, blood, crying, parental death, sibling death, character death, very time jumpy, let me know if i missed any!

word count: ~3.3k

a/n: this is for whumptober! please please please proceed with caution and use discretion, protect your peace

also if you are on the whump taglist but are not familiar with a character, you can skip it will not hurt my feelings!

this is remastered from my wattpad, so i have permission. this is under the title "multiverse pt 1"

whumptober 2023 masterlist

summary: a sibling's promise is one that can stand the test of time. it's a promise that can be fulfilled at any moment, even in death

It was dark and it was hot. You had a hand clamped over your mouth to muffle your heavy breathing. "Come on! Where are you?" Your eyes widened, he was close. "I'm gonna find you." 

He was right there.

Suddenly light flooded your vision. "No! I've been caught by the mighty Iron Man!" You dramatically flopped out of the closet door onto the floor. Peter laughed and placed his feet on either side of your torso. 

You laughed, sitting up to catch the 8 year-old in your arms. "No, now I've been caught," he pulled off his plastic Iron Man mask. "Yes you have, and now I'm gonna use your weakness against you!" "Iron Man has no- AHHH!" You started to tickle him. He became deadweight in your arms, screaming and laughing. You began to laugh too.

He started to fall to the floor. You immediately stopped tickling him and managed to catch his head before it hit the floor. 

You both slowly ceased your laughter, panting a little. "Thanks for playing Iron Man with me, Y/N." Peter hugged you. "Of course, Petey." "Thanks for protecting my head too." You smiled, "I'll always protect you, Peter." You hugged him a little tighter before getting up off the floor.

You brushed off your pants and sighed. "Pete, why don't you go clean up? I'll meet you in the kitchen iiinnn 10 minutes?" "Make it 8." You shrugged, "8 it is." 

Peter rushed to put his toys away and wash his hands. You went to get ready for work.

8 minutes passed and you walked into the kitchen, Peter just finishing up washing his hands. 

He turned, frowning when he saw you in your uniform. "You have to work today?" You nodded, "Yeah, I'm sorry Peter. I got a call, they need me to fill in." "I thought we were gonna play video games and build Legos?" 

You ran your hand through his wavy hair, "How about when I get home, we have a sleepover?" "Can we play video games?" You nodded, "All the games you want." "Even the scary ones?" You winced, "I don-" He gave you the puppy eyes. "Pete- *sigh* I'll think about it." "I'll take it," he hugged you. You laughed and rubbed his back.

"I'm home!" 

"In the kitchen, May!" 

She rushed in, "Hey, you should probably get going, don't want you to be late." You nodded, squeezing Peter's shoulder before you let go. "Okay, I'll be back around 7." 

You walked by Aunt May and she handed you a jacket, "It's supposed to rain. Be careful, and the customer is not always right!" You laughed as you went out the door, shrugging the windbreaker onto your shoulders.

As you move to close the door you turn to Peter. He waved, smiling, "Hi, Y/N." You smile and wave to him, "Hi, Peter."

(SM:Homecoming)

You burst into Peter's room. 

"You're Spider-Man!?" 

Peter screamed and fell out of his chair, "Shhh! Keep your voice down!" He ran up to you, shushing you. 

"You're Spider-Man?!" You whisper yelled as you closed his door. "How did you find out?" "You're not the best at keeping secrets, Pete." He scoffed, offended, "What? I am great at keeping secrets." "Really? You sure? Cause I remember when I got my first boyfriend, and told you not to tell May." 

"And I didn't!" He defended. "You so did! The day after I told you May immediately gave me the safe-sex talk." Peter shrugged, "Everyone needs to hear that-" "I was 17!" "Well, in my defense, you shouldn't have told a 9 year-old to keep a secret." You rolled your eyes, "Whatever."

You sighed and put your hands on your hips, "How long?" 

"What?" 

"How long have you had powers?" 

"Since I was 14." "14!?" He flinched slightly at your volume. 

You sighed and ran a hand down your face, "Did you fight in the Avengers 'Civil War'?" He opened his mouth. "Don't lie to me." He sighed, "Yes, but I-" "Just be careful, please." 

He heard the desperation in your tone and he nodded, looking into your eyes, "Of course." "Because I couldn't live with myself if-" He grabbed your shoulders, "Hey-hey, I'm gonna be okay. I'll be careful, I promise." 

He ran his hand down the side of your head, attempting to comfort you, “I promise.” You nodded, grabbing his hand. "Just please, don't tell May. I don't want her to know just yet." You nodded again, "Of course. Secrets safe with me. What else are big sisters for?" He smiled and hugged you. "Thank you."

It was silent for a moment. "Now I wish I never turned down the internship after the Battle of New York."

(Avengers: Infinity War)

Peter looked at Tony, panic in his eyes. "Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good." 

"You're okay, you're okay." 

"I don't -- I don't know what's happening." Tony caught him as his legs dusted beneath him. "I don't wanna go Mr. Stark, please. I don't wanna go. I can't go. I can't leave her..." 

Tony laid him down, gripping his hand as he dusted away. "Tell her I'm sorry, please. I broke my promise..." "I'll tell her, kid." He looked at Tony, "I'm sorry..."

(between Infinity War and Endgame)

You bounced your leg as you waited for Peter to walk through your door, or Stephen to open a portal in your kitchen. Ned had immediately called you when Peter got off the bus and Wong called you about Stephen. You knew May was gone. You watched her dust in front of you.

Now you waited. Hope still filling your chest as you waited for a sign they both were okay.

When someone knocked at your door, you bolted to it. 

Only for you to open it and find Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff at your door. "Hey, can I help you?" Steve's frown was prominent and Nat's eyes were red. "Y/N Parker?" You nodded, crossing your arms as your nerves set in. "We need you to come with us, it's important." You didn't question it and left with them.

You ran into the Compound, Steve and Nat calling for you to wait. But you didn't hear them, your sole focus was running in there and finding Peter, alive.

"Peter?! Peter!" 

You ran into a room, seeing some Avengers you recognized and a few you didn't. "Uh, hi," you greeted. "Um, have you seen a 16/17 year-old boy? About this tall, brown hair, brown eyes, probably had a red and blue suit on." 

The group gave you a look of sympathy, but not an answer. "Please, I just need to know-" 

"Y/N?" 

You turned to see Tony on a hospital bed. "Tony!" You jogged up to him. "Where's Peter?"

Tony couldn't look you in the eyes. "Tony... Where's Peter?" "I'm so sorry, Y/N..."

You felt like throwing up. "No. No. Tony, this isn't funny. Don't lie to me." "I'm not lying Y/N." You shook your head, not bothering to hold your tears back. "He told me to tell you that he's sorry, for breaking his promise..." Your knees gave out, sending you straight to the floor.

You broke down, clutching your chest as you gasped for air. Nat was by your side, catching you when you tackled her, gripping at her clothes. She rubbed your back in comfort, "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." "I promised..."

She pulled you back to look at you, "Promised?" "I promised Mom and Dad that I would keep him safe. That I would protect him. I promised him that I would protect him. That's what big sisters do. They protect their little siblings."

Nat bit her lip and pulled you in again as you cried, sobbing for your little brother and praying this was just a sick dream.

(post Endgame)

Tony called you the moment he figured out time travel, saying that he's not sure if it will work but thought you deserved to know. You were equally grateful and terrified about it.

But now you were pacing your kitchen. Aunt May had called you from a random phone, so you knew it worked. May was on her way, you having moved since the Blip. Tony had a house built for you, feeling like he owed you in some way.

A knock broke your trance and you looked to the door. You hesitated, not being 100% sure it was Peter. Then you heard his voice, "Y/N, Ms. Potts said you would be here. It's-it's Peter."

You broke out into a tear-filled smile, rushing to the door.

You pulled the door open, revealing a very disheveled, but alive, Peter.

You smiled, embracing him. "Pete, oh God, you're back. You're back." He hugged you, crying into your shoulder, "Is-Is May-" You nodded, pulling back to hold his face, "She's on her way. She blipped too…"

Peter's face softened, "Oh, Y/N, I'm so sorry. You were alone, I'm-" You shook your head, "No, Pete, please don't apologize." You smiled, tears falling as you moved his dirty hair out of his face.

He rested his forehead on yours, "I broke my promise…" You shook your head, "It was a ridiculous promise…" He chuckled before falling to your shoulder in tears.

"Peter, what's wrong?"

"Tony's gone… He sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos." You gripped onto Peter, "Pete.. I'm so sorry."

You moved him to the couch, not caring if he was gonna get your couch dirty, he needed you.

(Far From Home)

Peter limped across the bridge, looking for a way to get up to Mysterio. 

"Peter?" He turned, the eyes on his mask widening in panic. 

"No, no, no. Y/N you have to leave, it's not safe." He did his best to hide his limp from you as you looked him over. "Peter," you looked around, taking in the damage. "Are you okay?" He nodded playing it off, despite knowing you can see right through it. 

"Please get out of here, I can't let him hurt you. Please go find Happy," he turned you and tried to push you away. You fought back, "No, Pete. I'm not leaving you." "Please you have to. I can't let you get hurt," he grabbed the sides of your head. "Please. I can't get you killed." You shook your head, "I'm not leaving." 

"Will you please stop being so damn stubborn!?" Peter threw his hands up. "I'm your big sister! I'm supposed to protect you! It's my job!" 

"Y/N... please, let me protect you this time. Let me be a good brother." You looked down, biting your lip with your hands on your hips, "You're the best brother." He hugged you. "Go get 'em, Pete." You couldn't see his smile but you knew it was there.

Mysterio had watched the whole interaction, smiling as he found another weakness for Peter. He smirked as you walked away and prepared for Peter's attack.

Once he had Peter preoccupied with fighting his drones, Mysterio managed to use his illusion tech to lure you back.

"Y/N! Y/N, help! Help me!" 

You wiped around to see Peter on the ground. You didn't hesitate to run back and help. 

"Peter!" You fell to your knees beside him, looking him over, "Where are you hurt?" "Everywhere, it hurts everywhere." 

Just then, you remembered what Peter told you over the phone, All of the attacks are fake. He uses some sort of illusion tech. And you remembered the look on his face, how he had to be sure it was you.

"Peter, did I date during the blip?" It furrows its brows, "Why would you ask me that right now?" "Please, just answer me." 

It sighed, "We've never talked about the blip." You gave him a tight smile, "You're right, I just had to be sure." You and Peter actually talked about the 5 years he had been gone quite often. Just to help him catch up on pop culture. 

This wasn't your Peter and you need to escape it.

Finally you decided to just run for it, "I think I hear medics, Peter. I'm gonna go get them. Just stay here, okay?" The illusion nodded, shifting while groaning in pain. You got up and sped walked towards the exit.

In your escape, you felt a shooting pain in your leg and you fell, "Shit!" "Too smart for your own good, Y/N," Beck sighed. You turned to see the drone. "You won't win," you spat through gritted teeth. "I already have," the drone shot you in the stomach before freeing some rubble above you, trapping you under broken concrete.

MJ ran onto the bridge, looking everywhere for Peter. 

She saw him coming towards her, mask off and limping. 

He looked up and saw her, "MJ." She dropped her mace, "Hey." 

They ran at each other and embraced, "Are you okay?" "I'm okay, are you okay?" Peter asked, hugging her tighter. "Yeah." 

"Everybody else okay?" "Everyone's okay." 

"What happened?" "The-the drones, they were following us. Th-then they just stopped," MJ didn't let go of Peter. "Was that you?" "Yeah." They pulled away from the hug. "Did you get him?" Peter looked down with a small nod, "Yeah."

MJ pointed at the mace, "Well, I-uh-brought that. In case you needed some help." They both chuckled dryly, "Thanks." 

"Anyway-uh- there's this sweaty guy, in the tower with us. I think he works with you, or something." Peter furrowed his brows, confused for a second before he realized she was talking about Happy. 

"He-he -um- gave me this," she held out the broken Black Dahlia necklace. Peter gasped, "No, no! Oh, MJ, oh I'm so sorry. I had this plan, this stupid plan, and I wrote it all down, and I was gonna buy you this, give it to you in Paris-" MJ kissed him, cutting off his rant.

He looked at her stunned and she gave him a small smile. "Aaand you kissed me. What?" "I don't have a lot of luck when it comes to getting close to people...um... so I lied. I wasn't just watching you because I thought you were Spider-Man." Peter chuckled, "That's great."

She looked down at the necklace, "Black Dahlia like-" "Like the murder," they said at the same time. "Yeah," Peter laughed a little before looking at the broken necklace, "I'm sorry it's broken." MJ looked down at it, playing with it, "I actually think I like it better broken." Peter smiled, nodding. 

When are you gonna tell her Pete? - Y/N have got a plan. - Plans are for nerds, Peter. Just tell her.

He smiled as he remembered your words, "I really like you." MJ smiled, "I really like you too." Peter smiled before they kissed, pulling away just to come back and kiss again.

When they pulled away again MJ left to go back to the class. "Hey, MJ?" She turned, "Yeah?" "When you see Y/N, tell her I'm okay, please." She nodded, "Of course." Peter nodded and turned to get out of his suit and meet up with the class.

MJ returned the mace to the tower before running to meet up with the class.

She slowed down when she saw the ambulances and the people getting looked over. 

"MJ, is Peter okay?" She looked at Ned and Happy, "Yeah. Yeah, he's okay. Have you seen Y/N?"

"MJ?" 

The girl turned at the call of her name, gasping when she saw you on the ground. "Y/N!" 

Ned and MJ ran to be at your side. "MJ, Ned, are you guys okay?" They both nodded, looking over your injuries. "Is Peter okay?" "Yeah, yeah he's fine. Are you okay?" You nodded, "Yeah, now that I know you guys are safe."

MJ and Ned looked at your wounds, tears filling their eyes. You had become a big sister to them. And they knew how strong your bond with Peter was. Him and Aunt May were all you had left.

Meanwhile Peter was looking for Happy, "Happy!" 

He ran up to him, "Hey, have you seen Y/N?" Happy gave him a sad smile, Peter being too tired to really see it. "Peter-" 

"Oh my God," Peter saw you over Happy's shoulder. He ran to you, MJ and Ned moving out of the way.

He fell to his knees, taking stock of your injuries. "No... no... no... this wa-wasn't supposed to happen. I-I told you to get off the bridge. Why didn't you leave?" You chuckled, wincing in pain after, "Beck..." Peter noticed your shallow breathing and your heartbeat pounded in his ears. 

"Beck, he-uh-he tricked me... When I noticed it was fake I tried to leave... Then," your back arched as your face scrunched up in pain. Peter shook his head, "Stop talking, help's on the way. Just focus on me, okay?"

He turned, "I need a medic over here, please!" His voice crack made Happy, MJ and Ned flinch.

He turned back to you and your eyes were struggling to stay open. "No, no, Y/N, keep your eyes open. Please, don't- Oh God, this is all my fault." His tears slipped past his eyes, falling onto your clothes. 

You shook your head, "No, Pete, this is not your fault. Please don't blame yourself." "If I would have just kept you in the dark, you wouldn't be here and you," he drew in a shaky breath. "And you would be okay." "I would have found out, you know that," you chuckled, coughing and wincing in pain. 

He nodded, his red and slightly swollen eyes filling with more tears. "What else are big sisters for?" MJ choked out a sob, covering her mouth. 

"That's why you can't leave. I need you. You're my sister, I can't do this without you," his voice went from strong and normal, to weak and a whisper. He cried onto your shoulder, "Please don't go..." 

Happy was looking around, "We need a damn medic! What the hell is taking so long?!" He stomped off, looking for someone to help you.

Your shaking hand came up to run through the short hair at the back of his neck. He sobbed onto your shoulder. "Pete," you brought in a shaky breath. "Pete, please look at me." He looked at you. "I need you to promise me something." He nodded, not trusting his voice. 

"Take care of Aunt May for me." He smiled, nodding, "Of course." "And please, don't stop helping people. They need a hero," you smiled and wiped his tears. "They need you Peter." 

He nodded, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on yours, "Okay." You closed your eyes as well, "And smile, Pete. I'll always be there, okay?" He nodded, "Thank you."

Ned and MJ were crying, both wanting to comfort Peter but knew he needed this. Happy walked up beside them. "Where's the medic?" He shook his head, "There weren't enough ambulances..." "No, she-she can't..." Ned and MJ hugged, crying.

Peter pulled back, frowning at your lack of response. Your eyes were closed, lips parted slightly. "No," he shook his head. "No... no... no... please, oh God, please no."

He shook your shoulders, "No, Y/N, no please..." One of his hands cradled your face, "Please..."

He hung his head, letting out a low, broken, "hello..." Hoping you would say it back, but knowing full well you wouldn't.

Happy sighed, grabbing his shoulder. "Peter, you need to get back with the class..." 

"I can't leave her here." 

"Peter," MJ squatted beside him. "Harrington is looking for us, we need to go..." 

"I can't leave her in a foreign place by herself." 

"I'll take her back. Fury and I will make sure she makes it home, I promise." Peter nodded, squeezing your hand before letting MJ and Ned help him up. 

"Happy?" "Yeah, kid?" "May can't know it was Mysterio... She can't know Y/N was here." Happy nodded, "Of course."

Peter let out a small sob and looked at you one last time, "I'm so sorry."

taglist: @bradleybeachbabe @mayhemmanaged @kmc1989 @lovinglyeternal @horseshoegirl @cassiemitchell @fanboyswhore9 @nightowlalltheway @86laura11 @els-marvelvsp @valmare @startrekfangirl2233

hi, if you're seeing this and are currently not on the taglist and would like to be please fill out the taglist form -> whumptober taglist

i can not stress this enough, but whumptober can have some very serious and heavy topics and i want to make sure i am doing my part as an author to prepare my readers for what they are about to experience and that includes not only warnings above but my taglists as well

so if you want to be added check out the masterlist and read that carefully and fill out the form -> whumptober 2023

[evelynhenare1]

It makes me so incredibly mad that Thor Love and Thunder being kinda bad has made the internet think Taika Waititi is a terrible director or refer to the various corny lines that plague thr mcu as "taika lines" when like, Taika is genuinely such a fucking amazing director snd you only have to see his other movies to know that.

Like yeah Jojo Rabbit was fantastic, it was nominated for best picture for a reason but i think his earlier, more kiwi stuff is really his peak.

What we do in the shadows (the og movie) is probably one of the funniest films ive ever seen, its really well done.

Hunt for the wilderpeople is a fsntastic mix of funny and sad.

But my favorite will forever and always be Boy (2010), a movie that will never fail to make me genuinely weep. It's probably my favorite movie of all time, such a painful ride but also such a joyus one. He also plays a main character in this and gives imo his best performance by far.

Like look, besides love and thunder, all of his other films have been hits, so dont act like hes a shit director just because he had one miss.

(Also dont act like yall didnt love ragnarok, yall fucking loved ragnarok because it was great)

[insanityclause]

Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson and Sophia Di Martino joined Deadline’s Contenders TV event Saturday to discuss set design, character motivations and the potential future of the Disney+ series beyond Season 2. 

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to churn out box office hits, it’s hard to believe that Hiddleston’s star-making turn as the celestial trickster brother to the hammer-wielding god Thor started well over a decade ago.

“I’ve absolutely loved playing Loki; it’s been 15 years, and it is the most magnificent and emotional roller coaster for the twists and turns,” Hiddleston said. “He has so much range and so much complexity, it never feels like [I’m playing] the same thing. But I know the reason I’m standing here in front of you today is that the audience has such curiosity and passion for and a connection to him.” 

In Season 2 of the Marvel Studios series, Loki finds himself in a battle for the ownership of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius (Wilson), Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) and a team of new and returning characters, Loki has to navigate an increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie (Di Martino), Judge Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) and He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). Loki makes the ultimate self-sacrifice as he learns that the true crux of his glorious purpose is to watch over the sacred timeline while looking over his newfound family and friends at a solitary distance. 

“Playing Loki has changed the course of my whole life, no question.” Hiddleston reflected. “And I feel so proud of where we’ve ended up in Season 2. It was very creatively fulfilling to bring something full circle. I always saw him from the very first film as a broken soul with a shattered heart who felt like he didn’t belong … all that grief hardens into grievance. That’s what binds him to Sylvie. And the grievance is what drives him to become a villain in the Avengers and the Thor movies, and this second chance that he’s given by Mobius to rediscover that glorious purpose that he feels he’s always been burdened with … it comes in a shape he would have never recognized and would never have anticipated. And it gave him a kind of catharsis that he wasn’t ready for.” 

Considering the popularity and longevity of the character, it seems only natural to ask if audiences will be seeing him again somewhere amongst the ever-expanding MCU. “I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea.” Hiddleston quipped. 

Check back Monday for the panel video. 

[clverblooms]

just got back from seeing gotg vol3 and i can genuinely say this is a top 5 mcu movie for me, and EASILY the best thing since endgame and infinity war. just absolutely perfect from start to finish and a very heartbreaking but also touching way to finish off their story. i want to share some thoughts but don’t worry i’ve kept it spoiler free :)

every character has their time to shine, but rocket and mantis really stole the show for me! this movie is 100% a guardians movie, of course, but this is more specifically a rocket movie. his story takes center stage and we really get to see how he is the glue that holds this found family together, at their best and their worst. mantis also gets to do more then she has ever done and she really shines as an important aspect of the team and story. the dynamics with every character are so much fun to watch and there’s never a dull moment between any of them.

as usual with these films the comedy is golden and the soundtrack is absolutely killer! the use of music and score is always great but this one hit me especially hard. john murphy knows how to pull at every one of your heart strings with his score and the soundtrack sets every scene perfectly.

the action and fight sequences are also so awesome to watch! they keep you on your toes, on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what’s going to happen next. there’s one sequence with the whole team (again, no spoilers) that is quite possibly one of the mcu’s best long form fight scenes ever. i want to relive it over and over again it was a great time.

i feel like marvel has been hit or miss these past few releases but i think this one will go down as one of their best. it’s one of the mcu’s most brutal and dark films, putting the characters and audience through every emotion you can imagine. but it also has so much heart that you can’t help but smile through your tears. i applaud james gunn, the entire cast, crew, and anyone who worked on this movie. phenomenal jobs all around and thank you for bringing us the perfect ending to the mcu’s best trilogy!!

i will miss this group of misfit characters, this family, very much. it’s been so fun <3

[spiderdreamer-blog]

2023 at the Movies: A Year in Review

2023 has been an odd year for American cinema in particular, between overall tepid box office outside of a few big hits and the combination of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes affecting release dates as well as promotional tactics. (Just so we're clear, this is a Union Solidarity Blog) But it was a fascinating year artistically nonetheless, especially on the blockbuster end. What this list aims to achieve is sort of a capsule review of the theatrical releases I saw (not counting streaming-only films even if I ended up seeing theatrical releases ON streaming) and how I felt about them in capsule review form. And even then, there's still stuff I need to catch up on like Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Oppenheimer, Elemental, or Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Anyhoo, on with my list, in chronological release order:

John Wick: Chapter 4: Much like its titular hero, there are perhaps some signs that this franchise could benefit from taking a bit of a rest. Some of the worldbuilding is going from knowingly absurd to just plain absurd, and a couple early action beats, while fun (NUNCHUCKS), are a little familiar in terms of director Chad Stahelski's neon-as-fuck aesthetics. Ultimately, it's not too much to derail things, as Keanu Reeves proves a capable grounding lead like always, and the Parisian third act is giddy, comically overblown violence in the grand John Wick tradition that reaches an unexpected poignancy. The supporting cast might also be one of the best in the series; while Asia Kate Dillion's unflappable Adjudicator is missed from the last installment, we do receive Bill Skarsgard doing an OUTRAAGEOUS French accent as a smarmy villain you really want to see dead by the end of this, Donnie Yen as a clever, funny spin on the blind swordsman trope, Rina Sawayama is both badass and touching, Shamier Anderson stands out by dialing down, and my beloved Clancy Brown has some of the best implicit "are you fucking kidding me" reactions I've seen in a while.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie: I was honestly dreading this for a while. Illumination Entertainment is a perfectly cromulent animation studio who makes films that, with a couple exceptions, represent pretty much everything I dislike about American family filmmaking: loud, hyperactive, deficient of nutritional value, and did I mention loud? But the trailers started impressing me in terms of how well they adapted the candy-colored toybox Nintendo aesthetic to a wider theatrical scope. And if nothing else, casting Jack Black as Bowser would probably be pretty awesome (spoiler alert: he was). Thankfully, it manages to be an immensely entertaining, zippy adventure film that minimizes potential annoyances at nearly every turn. This is primarily thanks to a ready-to-play, enthusiastic voice cast (outside of Black, I particularly like Pratt and Day's brotherly dynamic and Anya Taylor-Joy doing a Disney Princess-esque comedy action spin on Peach), a smartly simple story structure, and leaving a lot of potential open for the future like Seth Rogen's lovable ready-for-spinoff-movies Donkey Kong. It may not rock the boat, but it was better than it had any business being, and that counts for a lot in my book.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: The Marvel Cinematic Universe and I are admittedly on a bit of a break. Not because they're doing anything WRONG per se, just that a lot of their shows and movies haven't enticed me as much in the past year. I did get out to see this, though, which is both the best all around MCU film since Endgame and very possibly the best film of its own trilogy. James Gunn pulls out all the stops emotionally for his Marvel swan song (godspeed to you over at the still-in-progress trashfire that is Warner Bros. Discovery, good sir), crafting a beautiful, resonant journey for all the characters. The ensemble cast fires on all cylinders, for one. While Bradley Cooper is the obvious vocal standout as Rocket takes center stage, it's assuredly the role of Chris Pratt's career (other non-Mario/Marvel directors, take note! You can in fact have this guy be funny, credibly tough, AND sympathetic instead of missing out on the other two), Zoe Saldana navigates a difficult emotional dance, Pom Klementieff finds real heart in Mantis, Dave Bautista is still one of our most interesting wrestlers-turned-actors in the choices he makes, Karen Gillan has slowly become of the MCU's MVPs as Nebula, Will Poulter is endearingly dunderheaded as a comedic take on Adam Warlock, and Chukwudi Iwuji proves a truly vile villain who exemplifies the maxim of "if you really want an audience to just HATE a motherfucker, have him torture cute animals". And of course Gunn's musical tastes remain impeccable, such as a Beastie Boys needle drop that prompts a truly bitchin' fight scene (oddly the second time this specific song happened this year in a Pratt-led vehicle). It's funny, it made me ugly cry at SEVERAL points, and I got to see a psychic cosmonaut dog beat people's asses with her mind. What more could I want?

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse: Into the Spider-Verse was a revolution and a revelation for what the American animated film industry could accomplish artistically and technically. How could a sequel possibly live up to it? Across does, against all odds, proving to be the Empire Strikes Back to the original's Star Wars in terms of going darker/more complex on the emotions and to greater visual heights (albeit with the caveat that maybe next time, we can manage the production better and not crunch people so much). Co-directors Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers, and Joaquim Dos Santos (who I've stanned as one of our best animation action directors from Justice League Unlimited through Voltron Legendary Defender) craft a propulsive narrative that asks big questions about who and what Spider-Man is. And while those will have to wait to be fully answered in the third installment, what it sets up is no less compelling or thrilling. Shout-outs in particular go to Hailee Steinfeld, who has to anchor this film with Gwen as much as Shameik Moore's still-iconic Miles; Daniel Pemberton for an outstanding score; Oscar Isaac for giving rich complexity to Miguel O'Hara, who could have felt like a boorish bully in lesser hands; and Jason Schwartzman for not just proving he transitions REALLY well into voicework between this and projects like Klaus, but being by turns pathetically funny and terrifying in ways I've never heard him be as the Spot. Can't wait to see where that goes next time in particular.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: "Pleasant surprise" comes to mind. While I never hated Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as much as most, it was definitely a little underwhelming as a possibly final Indy adventure. (Not helping is that Steven Spielberg immediately turned around and made an infinitely better indy movie in the form of The Adventures of Tintin) So I was curious to see how going to the well for seemingly the real final adventure would work this time around. Thankfully, director James Mangold proves he has a good eye for creative action, even if nothing here quite reaches the heights of the original trilogy, and Harrison Ford does some of his best acting in ages as a weary, burnt-out Indy; one always got the sense that THIS was much closer to his heart than Han Solo. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a terrific foil to him, joyously amoral (or so she says), while Mads Mikkelsen finds a new spin on coldly cruel cinematic Nazis; he has a tense reintroduction scene that had me squirming in my seat. Add in a slam-bang ending and a touching epilogue, and I'm pretty happy with where things end up for our favorite archaeologist. A solid B+, which we could use more of nowadays.

Also they Poochie-d Shia LaBeouf, which is hilarious to me on several levels.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One: The Mission: Impossible franchise has undergone a curious metamorphosis from where it started as one of many oldies TV adaptations in 1996 to a purposefully old-school action franchise. Director Christopher McQuarrie has become a pro at these over the last three installments, and Dead Reckoning (now no longer a part one, as the back-in-production followup will be retitled) has lots to offer both large and small for action fans even outside of the continued spectacle of Tom Cruise Possibly Wants To Die On Camera. Obviously the big stunt sequences remain a draw, like a terrific car chase through Rome or the climactic journey onboard the Orient Express because trains are ALWAYS bitchin' locations in movies. But just as good are pleasures like a tense cat-and-mouse game in an airport where nobody's quite sure whose side Hayley Atwell's thief Grace is on, Henry Czerny coming back to the franchise after 27 years and looking as shiftily patriotic as ever, Pom Klementieff on this list for the second time looking really hot as she whoops ass, and Cary Elwes getting an unexpectedly choice exposition monologue. Plus the whole deal with the A.I. villain ended up being, uh, fairly relevant.

Barbie: A brilliant human comedy from an unexpected source. This could have gone wrong in so many different ways, I can easily imagine a version that's WAY more lugubrious and, crucially, much less funny. But director/co-writer Greta Gerwig has quickly become one of our best talents between this and the wildly-different-but-has-more-in-common-than-you'd-think Little Women (I also still need to see to heard-it's-excellent Lady Bird). With an infinitely clever script (I love in particular that the "real world" is just as ridiculous in its own way as Barbieland) and Sarah Greenwood's impeccable production design, Gerwig and her cast craft a feminist fable that remains light and funny even at its most strident and angry. Margot Robbie has never been better, hilarious and gut-punching by equal measure, America Ferrera ends up as the unexpected heart of the piece, and Ryan Gosling is absolutely hysterical as Ken while still making him intensely sympathetic. He and Robbie deserve Oscar noms in particular. No, I'm not kidding. Might expand this one to a full review at some point tbh.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: I missed this in theaters and regret it immensely, given that this is a hilarious, cheerfully irreverent take on characters who've really managed a surprising amount of relevance in the modern age. Actually having teen actors voice the Turtles makes them feel so authentic, and they're matched well by an equally game cast like Ayo Edebiri's thoroughly modern April O'Neill, Jackie Chan as a more bumbling-but-heartfelt version of Splinter than usual, and Paul Rudd going full surfer bro as Mondo Gecko. And of course the scribbled-notebook underground comics vibe of the animation is a neat bit of full circle aesthetics if you know these guys' origins.

Wish: All of you are wrong and being dumb about this movie. It's not that I can't grok some of the criticisms as being legitimate, to be fair; for example, the songs, while very good on their own IMO, don't always hit the iconic level of a Frozen or Encanto. But the vitriol with which they've been expressed, and this odd narrative that Disney is in the toilet artistically and needs to nebulously "fix" things, is something I can't at all agree with. It's gorgeously rendered, for one; yes, I would potentially like to see a return to full 2D animated films for the studio at some point too. But if they're gonna experiment even marginally with CGI, I applaud co-directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn making it look this painterly as a starting point. And as with a lot of modern Disney, there's real richness and inner life to these characters. Ariana DeBose is a winning heroine as Asha, who feels distinct from other "princesses" by essentially being working class and unionizing the kingdom. And Chris Pine as Magnifico is a Disney Villain for the ages, blending real complexity in his relationships with scenery-chewing madness. (Also am I the only one who got major "studio executive/CEO" vibes off him?) If this is "mid" or "bland" Disney, I really question what some of y'all are seeing that I seemingly can't.

Also I liked the 100th anniversary references, sue me. The last one in particular gets points for quiet charm rather than grandstanding.

The Boy and the Heron: Hayao Miyazaki, anime's favorite grumpy old man, comes back out of retirement for like the fifth time. Seriously, remember when Princess Mononoke was supposed to be his last film 25+ years ago? I'll believe his "last film" is truly his last when he's in the cold, cold ground. Regardless of the continuing saga of Old Man Won't Retire Because He Seemingly Can't Be Alone With His Own Thoughts, this is a brilliant, haunting spectacle of animation that might be a new favorite for me. Some have called it confusing, whereas I go for "dreamlike", possibly his most to date. Nearly every frame is suffused with longing and melancholy (though this also has some of Miyazaki's best comedy in a while), and, oddly like Wish, this feels like a true career reflection, if a bit more fraught and questioning what legacy truly means. Joe Hisaishi contributes possibly his moodiest, most dissonant score, with little of the bombast or whimsical charm that typifies his music, but it works unfathomably well. Credit also to the dub, with Robert Pattinson as funny and menacing as you've heard, but Luca Pandoval is also excellent as our stoic lead Mahito, Florence Pugh manages to be both a total badass and a funny old woman (it makes sense in context, I promise), Christian Bale puts forth a fascinating two-step with his boisterous father, Gemma Chan and Karen Fukuhara nail some complex emotional turns, Willem Dafoe nearly steals the whole thing in under two minutes, Dave Bautista makes a real meal out of a part not much bigger than that, and Mark Hamill finds resonance as a tired old man.

[celestialsister0918]

Fic Writing Review 2023

Thanks for tagging me, @gammacousin!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either. (Copied and pasted)

Words and Fics

Word Count:

142,081

Fic Count:

6 started. 5 completed

Most Productive Month: February by far, thanks to Kinkuary!

Top Five by Hits

The One He Needs Right Now: Jim Gordon's Kinkuary: 5941

What I'm Thinking About (Sirius x Ginny): 3600

A Window Not Missed (Bruce x Nat): 2107

A Window Closed (Bruce x Nat): 1101

In the Sepulcher by the Sea (Sirius x Severus): 684

Top Five by Kudos

A Window Not Missed (Bruce x Nat): 96

What I'm Thinking About (Sirius x Ginny): 61

A Window Closed (Bruce x Nat): 47

In the Sepulcher by the Sea (Sirius x Severus): 32

The One He Needs Right Now: Jim Gordon's Kinkuary: 24

Fandom events:

Two @trulymadlydeeplyfest fests! 1 in February and 1 in October. Both Harry Potter. I'm so bad at knowing where all the fests are so those are my only two.

Upcoming Plans:

To Complete:

Finish "A Window Closed" (Bruce x Nat)

Start "A Window Opened" (Bruce x Nat)

Start "A Special Election" (Jim Gordon x NEW OC) - I have one chapter written and some dialogue prompts for chapter 2. I'm soooo excited for this one.

Other Ideas:

Continue one-off Sirius and other Gary Oldman character one-shots on Tumblr.

Write a Jackson Lamb piece

Maybe write a Kate Bishop x Yelena Belova one-shot if the mood strikes

Write another Gary Oldman RPF (many dialogue prompts already written). Here's my first Gary RPF if interested... it was set during the Dracula filming. The new one will be set after his divorce from Alex but before Gisele.

Reflection

I took a couple long breaks from writing this year. After finishing "Submissioner Gordon" in December of 2022, I was at a pretty bad low from lack of interaction with that fic. My heart has NEVER been in something as much as it was that fic, so to have so many hits and so little interaction made me think everyone hated it. Yet I continued the story with the Kinkuary prompts, where I wrote a short fic every day for 28 days. Again, I feel like it bombed.

At the same time, I made what I thought would be my last hurrah in the Harry Potter fandom, and it didn't do so great either. I was in a BAD spot comparing myself to other writers, so I took a long hiatus.

During that break, I started watching the entire MCU with my son, start to finish. My brain grabbed onto Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff and would NOT let go. So in May, I began publishing the "Never Say Never" series, where I try to fix their story.

The feedback from the Marvel fandom and Brutasha readers/writers really warmed my heart and got me back in the groove. I am forever thankful to them, because it truly restored my confidence in writing.

I will always be thankful for my Wizarding World series and the Submissioner Gordon/Daddy Issues universe, and my brain loves to revisit those stories and characters. It's just bittersweet because it never really found its audience. However the feedback I got from my foray into the MCU fandom has built my confidence enough that I am able to write in HP and Dark Knight without really worrying what others think. I am just doing it for me and my love for the characters. I know my writing isn't bad--- it's just not a lot of people's cup of tea.

I also want to give a shoutout to the small but steadfast Gary Oldman fandom I have found on Tumblr and Instagram. They've become very dear to my heart, and I love that we can share random thirst posts together when so many others just don't get it.

If anyone is reading this, please share your 2023 stats and reflections as well! I love writers supporting writers. Happy 2024 to you all!

[barnesafterglow]

hello friends! i recently hit 2k and wanted to do something to celebrate! i've done a lot of sleepovers and such but only one writing challenge, and i wanted to try it out again.

being on here, despite any ups and downs i've, has been a loving and safe space for me. being able to make new friends and have a creative outlet has been amazing. i want to thank every single one of you that follows me, i never thought i would have one hundred followers, let alone two thousand of you. you all are the reason i'm still here, and the reason i decide to stay

thank you so much to @demxters for helping me out with this! i'm so grateful for you

you can find the masterlist for this challenge here!

rules:

- this challenge, as always, is 18+ only. minors please dni.

- please no dark fics or anything including waterspouts, scat, non/dubcon, incest/stepcest, underage relationships between characters, suicide or self harm, eating disorders, or anything involving sexual assault

- please tag me in your work as well as tagging the post #sweet as sugar challenge. if you have tagged me and i haven't reader within two days, please send me a message or link because i may have missed it!

- message me or send me any ask if you have any other questions!

- this challenge will last from friday november 4th to saturday december 31st. i understand some people write slower so if you need more time please don't hesitate to reach out! whenever you can! i don’t want to rush anyone and there’s plenty of time for everyone to write :)

- i will be posting a masterlist and updating it as i read finished fics

2 large eggs

choose 1-2 characters to write your fic about. this can be any combination of a poly/hinged relationship or character x character. however, i do not read for sambucky (as a couple) or buckynat (in any capacity). any other combination of characters should be fine, but if you have any questions feel free to message me

characters can include:

- any mcu characters

- any sebastian stan characters besides tommy lee, jeff gillooly, or steve kemp

- any chris evans characters besides curtis everett (i will also accept rpf for chris evans only)

- misc characters: steve harrington and matt murdock

3 cups of flour

choose one au to set your fic in or you can write in the mcu universe

aus to choose from:

- modern au

- college au

- decade specific au (70s, 80s, etc)

- coffee shop au

- abo au

- band/singer/celebrity au

- soulmate au

- athlete au

- royal au

- detective/fbi au

- summer camp au

- teacher/professor au

- bookstore au

1 cup of sugar

choose 1-2 tropes to include within your fic. at least one must be included.

tropes to choose from:

- the classic "only one bed"

- friends to lovers

- friends with benefits to lovers

- enemies to lovers

- exes (back) to lovers

- roommates

- grumpy x sunshine

- fake dating

- tutor x jock

- hero x villain

- neighbors

- sibling's best friend/best friend's sibling

- established relationship

- strangers to lovers

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

your fic can be any combination of smut, fluff, or angst, or only one if you prefer. once again, please no dark fics

toppings (optional)

this can be anything extra you want to your fic, such as moodboards, playlists, etc

tagging some mutuals but no pressure!!

@pellucid-constellations @itistimeforusalltodecidewhoweare @treatbuckywkisses @sweetascanbee @sweetdreamsbuck @bucky-barmes @thornsnvultures @inklore @irisofeden @smokeinherperfume @abovethesmokestacks @imaginearyparties @lilacletter @fandoms-writings @writing-for-marvel @foreverindreamlandd @jadedvibes @atlaese @nacho-bucky @sidepartskinnyjeans @navybrat817 @lavendercitizen @scrumptious-delusion @emerald-chaos @bubblebuckys

[cheylouwho]

Dude, ever since you mentioned Trey being the one that wrote the last special I can't stop thinking about it... How much say or influence do other writers or people have on eps? How true do you think that is now? Because when I think back on it, the special did have a certain vibe to it like that. It did feel like it hit those classic notes. o-o

Sorry to answer this late, but I consulted the other SPHS members to kinda wrap up the thoughts I had

Basically based on what we've seen in BTS footage (example being Six Days To Air), it's usually Matt, Trey, and a handful of people sitting in the writers room on day one coming up with topical things on their mind and jokes surrounding them. Always M+T but sometimes in there with them there's Kyle McCulloch, Bill Hader, Vernon Chatman, etc. From what it seems, they all help stir up some concepts/find the humor or the satire, and then Trey is the one who plugs them into a narrative. Anne Garefino isn't a writer but is quoted to be an influence on several occasions as to what does and doesn't go into an episode, so I think while the writers room holds importance, it's not the end-all be-all of the show. As far as I'm aware only Trey is the one who actually sits down and writes it all into an actual script on his own while the animation team/voice actors work in tandem and Matt encourages him/gives him feedback and ideas/keeps him on essentially suicide watch.

(Also, based on April Stewart's newest post, they don't let her seen anything beyond the lines she specifically needs to voice/scenes she's in, which is either a purposeful choice to MCU her, or because they only give her what they need because the plot is always evolving and it may not be as relevant for her to know since it will likely change.)

As pointed out by one of the SPHS members, on the commentary tracks (rip I miss you), Matt usually isn't the one to bring up the narrative points/characters/plot/setting when he's speaking. He usually is very drawn to talk about the topic of the episode and why they came about (usually they were pissed off about something), while Trey will be focused more on the narrative plot and details and the characters and how they feel. Since Matt isn't the one actively writing the scripts this makes sense; he seems to often be the one with a strong idea of what they're targeting for the episode. I often joke I can tell when an episode is "Matt-centric" and that he contributed a LOT in the writers room. But still, Trey is the one putting it together.

Ultimately, I think the core of SP has always been the quote "South Park is what makes us both laugh". I think the writers room is just a way for them to figure out what's funny and then Trey goes from there. There's less plot development coming out of them and moreso the making of each other laugh to create a jumping off point with a topic in hand. BASICALLY, TLDR, I have no idea if they did or did not have writers in the room for the recent special due to the strikes influence, but M+T are more than capable of filling that role alone since it's mostly just for the joke planning phase, and they already know how to make each other laugh

[ellestra]

Just the feelings

This is a non-spoiler reaction in general except the small part behind the cut at the end.

I just watched the last volume of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy and I wish days weren't this long here yet because I cried so hard at the end it was hard to hide. I managed to last till the end despite all the heartstrings pulling starting early but I didn't last.

There isn't as many laughs as in previous movies and it sometimes gets really heavy because Rocket's backstory shows what Nebula's mostly implied but it's also so beautiful. The movies were always about family both the new found one and the reconnecting with the ones you thought were lost to you and this one just hits you with with like a bullet train. It's tragic but it's also beautiful and all those years of their stories all come to logical conclusion.

Guardians of the Galaxy has always been my favourite part of MCU exactly because of that and because it always tracked the progression of those characters into better versions of themselves while never losing track of who they are and this one doesn't disappoint. I loved every minute of it. This MCU at it's best and I'm going to miss this version of them so much.

But to whoever needs to know who dies before seeing the movie because it's too stressful not knowing but doesn't want any other SPOILERS - click below

No one. At least not the ones we knew all these years. Some bad guys do die but that's expected and those bad guys do bad guy stuff (sometimes very graphic for PG-13 movie) but anyone who was in previous movies is safe. After all the speculations about end of their storyline and actors leaving you don't need to worry. All the major and minor characters we care about get their happy endings.

[scorchedhearth]

i've never engaged with mcu or marvel comics in depth but the excerpts hit so hard,,,, the sudden vulnerability that natasha feels now without a purpose. as a weapon she knew how to hold herself, but now in freedom she has to test her own boundaries to see where she ended and where the world starts.

is your wip a no powers au specifically bc you wanted to focus on clint and natasha without bringing in the avengers? i am curious abt how you see clint and natasha's alliance with the avengers, whether it stunts their arcs in your mind (to be continued to be used by larger forces as weapons or if it's a calling they enjoy and have resigned themselves to), and what the endgame for them is in your mind (would they leave the avengers? stay? try to become civilians? be free agents separate from any sides?)

it's not because of the avengers, although later on it played a part, it's because i wanted to take out the more out-there elements of comics (magic, etc) to focus on the purely human aspects, there's no magic or long life or unrealistic physics, just the reality of a life led by damaged people who made mistake and try to right them. but also becuase i wanted to focus on nat and i couldn't do that properly if it was a fic about a group rather than one individual (clint was attached later, early on in the project because i realized how important they are for each other's arcs but still, the first idea was nat only)

i dont think the avangers stunt their arc, i think it's a necessary part that they grow past with time. mind u it's been years since i've read marvel and i never focused on the group stories, more on nat and clint's individual stories and while i know the avengers are important to both of them (in a way, it's how they prove to the world that they can do good, nat explicitly defects and leaves the room and kgb for them, clint starts to call himself a hero when he joins their rank, it's a fundamental part of their growth as characters, important to them both and they value it, given how much work and effort they give to the group in various storylines), i think as individual they've been working for and within organizations a lot, if not solely, so i think it's interesting to pull them out of that type of environment and see how they act when left on their own, with no guidelines or authority to follow or push back against, left to their own judgment. i imagine their lives, but especially this au, as a series of steps, each one needed to get to the next, and i wouldn't be able to reach the conclusion i want to if they did not go through a period of working with another organization

for me, the end goal would be for them to realize themselves in an independent way. i focus a lot on this story about how they're used, always, no matter the group they swear alliance to, and the main struggle is finding a way to exist outside of influences while true to themselves (truth is another big topic, learning to be honest with themselves first and foremost but also each other, it's always a staple of spy stories). by the time the epilogue arrives, they're leading civilian lives but they haven't forgotten their first career path and regularly go out to work on op, never hired merc, not anymore, but to do what they judge, on their own, to be right, partly because of a moral impulsion but mostly because they miss the adrenaline too much, and that too is something i have them wrestle with, that despite all the pain and sorrow they got from this life, they still love it, and they have to accept that they both do and don't miss it

[co-mixed]

Let's Chat About those Guardians

It’s mind-boggling to think how long has it been since we first met the MCU guardians. It’s been 9 years and this third part is meant to be the conclusion. So let’s gush. No reviewing, no goods or bads, let’s just chat about the movie.

I was supposed to watch it on May 3 but a tragic event forced the theaters to postpone the premiere. So it took a week of dodging the spoilers. And you know what? That was incredibly easy this time, despite my following a bunch of comic book accounts and casually browsing Tumblr and Reddit. Nothing was spoiled but everyone warned me I’ll be crying. I didn’t, I sobbed but I didn’t cry.

Like many millennials (so it seems), I don’t take animal abuse lightly and gotg goes out of its way to show you how sweet and trusting they are. Which makes the story of Rocket and his friends so much more heartbreaking. It’s hard to watch and it’s impossible to look away. So before I go into detail about everything else I loved, I have to mention that this was tough. The flashbacks, while impeccably done and masterfully sprinkled all over the movie, kept hitting over and over. It really made me wanna hug my cats tight (which I of course did when I returned from the theater.)

Now to the rest of it. 

We got a new villain. He’s not a galactic threat, he does his own thing an would’ve been easily ignored had it not been for his personal ties to Rocket. But this is exactly what I keep saying I love about comics and what I miss dearly when heroes are facing off a huge mega villain. It works best when it’s personal and you can get away with that easily whenever you put in time to develop your characters. 

Characters

Guardians have no lack in development: if you look at them, each one has made a journey from a little-known and almost discarded 616 c-lister to a highly recognized hero. And from a misfit to a family member.

But despite this being very much a Rocket story, I see this found family narrative brought home mostly by Gamora. We don’t see her story, not this Gamora’s anyway. But we see her having found her place among the ravagers. And it’s so heartwarming. She’s not the same Gamora who died on Vormir and it’s being mentioned over and over again. She even gets falsely nostalgic over the possibility of being with the guardians but her home is not there. And I appreciate her being a little closer to her comics counterpart- the deadliest woman in the galaxy.

It’s beautiful that she keeps in touch with her sister. And it’s beautiful that Nebula, initially a side character, in the best traditions of writing, makes the longest and the most complex journey from a maniac at Thanos’s side to a caring family member and the leader of Knowhere. This reminds you that several appearances if done right, can build an arc. Sort of like Anne in the Buffyverse.

Quill works through his issues, and he has a lot of those. I honestly don’t know when and why he will return but it sure will be nice to watch him in a fresh new team-up. Previous movies always focused on him more, and it made sense at the time (comics tend to do the same) but him returning to Earth is definitely a twist. Not exactly unexpected, just interesting. He managed to avoid it and he seemed to have made peace with never going back there but I suppose to face his issues he had to return. This could’ve been overlooked but I love that it isn’t. 

Drax and Mantis- what a fun friendship they’ve built. I’m so glad we saw tons of it in the Christmas special and it built the way for the touching arc and finale here in gotg 3. I don’t see any good reason for them to part, really. So this is just sad. I hope they at least keep in touch. But honestly, Mantis definitely has room for more stories (so does Drax, I mean we gotta see Moondragon eventually, especially with Phyla showing up, and even with retcons in mind, she could still be his kid). 

But all in all, these are the two characters that pretty much carry the comedy with each interaction. And in vol.3 they literally never fail to deliver. And notice how comedy mostly comes from phrases and interactions amid tragic and serious events.

This movie has a lot going on and Adam Warlock could’ve easily been too much. But I like how they managed to make him a reasonable part of the story and he even got his own little arc. I mean, he is an amazing character in the comics and brings some quality stories to be told. 

The new Guardians lineup has potential and so far, that’s the only thing I can say because I’m not a fan of theorizing. And we don’t really know if they will return but they may. I mean anything is possible right? But even if they don’t, I like knowing they’re all out there somewhere. 

Is it too naive to still hope to see Nova/Gamora romance? I’m a sucker for a good ship and theirs was in my opinion the best one as far as Gamora’s concerned. So here’s still hoping. 

Story

Yeah, the story overall. Like I said, a lot is going on and somehow it all still works. Because every little story and side quest actually builds the whole bigger picture. Even though it was so easy to fall into the same trap TRoS did (I’ll never get over how bad that movie is.) 

But in this case, every story is given enough time to matter and not a single minute is wasted on an irrelevant cameo or fam service. In fact, there aren’t that many references to the bigger 199999 (oh yeah that’s never gonna be 616.) It feels like its own thing, even though it’s tied heavily to Infinity War and Endgame. Still, you experience it as part 3. With the logical conclusion to every character. It also doesn’t set up anything, so if you don’t like movies that serve as building blocks for the MCU, this one is right up your alley. It’s very much its own thing. Although you have to come from the house that is the Infinity Saga. 

It’s funny as hell, it makes you tear up, and it leaves you happy and excited. This is all you can possibly want from a movie. As long as you don’t forget that this isn’t a retelling of the comics, but really its own reality. 

[twh-news]

Loki Season 2 Episode 3 Review: A Major Problem

★★★☆☆

[Article contains spoilers]

There's a big TVA reunion afoot in the third episode of Loki season two.

A headache-inducing episode of Loki gets underway in the 1800s this week, as Ravonna Renslayer finally pops up on the Sacred Timeline with Miss Minutes in tow. He Who Remains’ promise in the season one finale – that if Sylvie killed him he’d just end up right back on top – seems to hinge on a plan to kickstart a kind of causal loop, where a past variant receives a copy of OB’s TVA guidebook and is inspired to create all manner of technological inventions, including a rough version of the temporal loom.

There are positives and negatives to this trip back in time. It’s great to have Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Tara Strong back as the ruthless Renslayer and Miss Minutes respectively. The pair are dynamite together here, and I’m still fully able to suspend my disbelief and buy into the talking animated clock on screen as a real presence. Miss Minutes’ old timey black and white look is an incredible visual flourish.

The Balder the Brave chatter between Loki and Mobius is also a really fun Easter egg for fans who have been charting the character’s failure to launch in the MCU since Kenneth Branagh’s first Thor movie, and it looks like Daniel Craig will never get to throw on Balder’s costume now. Loki’s “I don’t know her” attitude got a real good laugh out of me regardless.

The 1893 World’s Fair is a fascinating setting for the introduction of Victor Timely (Jonathan Majors). As Mobius alludes, so many key historical events were happening around this time, including many of the horrific crimes committed by serial killer H. H. Holmes. A lot of visual effects work has clearly been put in to recreate the vibes of the era, but depending on which shot we’re dealing with it’s hit and miss. The Ferris Wheel sequence is perhaps the most engaging of them all, as Sylvie and Loki call back to the season one finale, battling it out for Timely’s soul while he’s thrown around the passenger car.

Timely himself is the real problem. Setting aside his troubling legal problems for a moment, Majors’ performance as Victor is just awful, though I fear this is another “your mileage may vary” situation. I admittedly really enjoyed the acting choices Majors made as both He Who Remains and Kang the Conqueror, but his execution here took me right out. It’s just way too pantomime, making Oscar Isaac’s turn as Steven Grant in Moon Knight seem almost reserved in comparison. It actually reminds me of Kiefer Sutherland in Dark City a bit. I love that movie, but I can understand why people hated his performance in it. For what it’s worth, my colleagues at Den of Geek didn’t have a problem with Majors’ Doctor Who guest star-esque Timely at all. This one may just be divisive!

Much more entertaining is Miss Minutes’ continuing transition from helpful AI to unhinged cartoon bunny boiler. Miss Minutes’ romantic (and clearly erotic) obsession with her maker is sincerely touching and troubling; her love for He Who Remains/Victor teetering into pure rage at moments. Strong is able to fully flex her notable voice talents in these scenes. It’s a real rollercoaster to hear her despairing monologue descend into fury and panic. I applaud this arc for Miss Minutes, personally. Sci-fi writers will often create fictional AI that gets mad and kills us, but hardly any of them are brave enough to ask “what if it was also really horny?”

Along with Strong’s nightmarish performance, Di Martino gets more to do as Sylvie in episode three, and the character’s inner conflict over killing Timely is palpable. It’s interesting that she decides not to slay him again, and that the punishment she dishes out to her violent pruner Ravonna is non-lethal. Sylvie always seems destined to wrestle with whether or not to play God, which is clearly a work-in-progress when you’re a God!

As the episode comes to a close, we leave Victor joining our TVA good guys and Ravonna and Miss Minutes stranded at the end of time, with Miss Minutes about to drop one hell of a truth bomb on Ravonna. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how angry she gets about it next week.

[elshells]

Happy STS! Share your favorite piece of meta-lore for your WIPs/books/stories! (by meta-lore I mean, inspirations, how you arrived at your vision, what drove you to form it into what it is today, etc, things like that!)

This is such a cool question, thanks for asking! These are the kinds of things I like to think about ALL the time, and I'm always happy to talk about it!

It's kind of a long funny story. Cue the long-winded flashback!

The idea of Agent Ace actually started out life as a Supernatural fanfiction on Wattpad, though today it's pretty much unrecognizable from what it used to be (I don't even think there are any existing characters atm who are inspired by/reflections of SPN characters anymore). This was about four or five years ago, and although I eventually stopped writing fanfic and abandoned the work as a whole, I was still really drawn to the idea of an urban murder mystery with a twist.

It wasn't until about two years ago that I repurposed that plot for an event on Wattpad called the Open Novella Contest. Basically, if you've never heard of it, annually from February to June, writers are challenged to write a 20,000-40,000 novella and enter it in a series of rounds to be judged by Wattpad staff. I didn't get very far in the contest (I think I only made it three or four chapters in before I hit a wall and missed the monthly deadline), but ever since then this story has haunted me during all hours of the day for the last two years, refusing to pay rent until I complete it. Today, it's basically my heart and soul.

Someone I know once described Agent Ace as a 'spy thriller that dives into the dark side,' and I love that description so much. Though the story has evolved so much since I first began writing it. It's hard to believe, for example, that Sophia, one of the two POVs I follow that fills the conventional 'detective' role, was the original murder victim until I decided to develop her further. It's honestly for the best it's taken me so long to write it; it needs a LOTTTT of time in the oven before it's fully baked, which gives me plenty of time to study my outline (something I never appreciated until I started writing from a dual POV)!

I'm not sure at what point exactly it crossed into the realm of science fiction, but I'm also not surprised. I practically grew up on sci-fi, and it's one of my favorite genres to read and write. The worldbuilding is always so intricate and clever, and the characters are rich and diverse, navigating these unfamiliar worlds so seamlessly, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't influenced by certain sci-fi media. The MCU probably had the biggest impact on the story, and a lot of plot, world, and character elements were inspired by shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arcane (though I've never played League of Legends), and The Umbrella Academy.

I've also gotta give credit to Marissa Meyer, one of favorite sci-fi authors of all time. Her writing style is fantastic and has really helped guide me in developing my own style. The Lunar Chronicles were obviously influential, but I may or may not have definitely started reading her Renegades series for some pointers in writing about a city governed by superheroes.

I haven't completed writing this story yet, even after two years, but I'm more than halfway done and recently passed 50,000 words (which is generally considered the minimum word count for a novel). It's been such a special journey so far, and I'm really proud of the growth and progress I've made along the way.

TLDR; It was hard to pinpoint one thing specifically, but ultimately, what I thought would be just a gritty, standalone murder mystery novella has become the first novel in what I plan to be a four-book series. There's never a dull moment writing this book, and I can't wait to share it with the world one day.

[caatws]

This isn't strictly about vol 3 but what you said about how female and poc characters not always used to the fullest is incredibly important. I think a lot of people forget race and gender don't get left at the door when people approach writing characters and how their stories/arcs are plotted out. Even big name actors and actresses have talked about both gender and racial disparities in different aspects of the film industry. It wasn't a coincidence that it took until 2018 to get a film like Black Panther or 2017 to get Wonder Woman. Both of these strides forward are less than a decade old. Gamora was the first female lead played by a woc in the mcu and despite how things have been going now, she didn't start out an accessory to the male leads story. She was a leader of her own. She was the second most prominent character in IW and part way through the film it all came crashing down. Vol 3 finished it off by not dealing with anything that happened and made some things worse.

Taking all of this in it's easy to see that we often take steps backwards even as we stride forward. Who's in charge of writing, directing and other factors count towards the treatment of characters particularly the less they're like Steve Rogers and the more their like Natasha or Gamora.

Vol 3 left all the characters alive so yeah Gamora is around to come back and we know Zoe isn't entirely closed off from maybe returning. However that doesn't guarantee her return or that she would be treated well. I love her character and she has the most potential for further development but marvel can be hit or miss and like it or not Gunn kind of screwed her over. Unless someone as dedicated as the Gamora fans I currently see sticking up for her is put on the job I wouldn't be shocked to see her get turned into a caricature with only 1 personality trait.

yuuuuup i pretty much agree with all this anon. with the way gamora's story ended up going, i think it's realistic to expect that a middle aged white man wasn't exactly the most qualified to tell that kind of story, especially if he already has blinders on due to having a clear, self-admitted favorite character of the ensemble (rocket). like it or not, either gunn had no interest in doing gamora's story justice or he was simply not equipped to, and either way, gamora lost big time

[a3s1rxx]

Don’t Forgive, Never Forget

A Spot fanfic. Basic premise is that Johnathon Ohnn is in the MCU as the Spot. It’s a technical Spotsterio romance but whatever. Also my personal headcanon is The Spot is transfem and goes by Jonathyn so. She/Her is used.

Plot Synopsis: The Spot finds out Mysterio died (CW: Angst, Mention of character death?, Spotsterio content [If you don’t like it don’t read it], Self loathing, it’s just sad, drinking? I’m not sure if it’s alcoholism or not)

It had been years since the incident. Jonathyn sat in the bathroom of her small one bedroom apartment, looking at the spotted skin along her arms and body. She ran her fingers through the small fuzz of hair on her head that had begun to grow. The color was the same as her chalk white skin.

Even though a long time had passed, she still hated this new body she had. Her jet black hands ran along the skin of her thighs, dodging the dark matter that created the spotted pattern all over.

She stood up and looked in the mirror, hands tracing over her cheeks. Her face was a black void, the only trace of of it were two eyes, as white as her skin, staring back at her.

After a long time of silent staring, she walked out the bathroom and to her small bedroom, throwing on a hoodie and some sweatpants in case she decided to go out that day. She walked to the kitchen and poured herself some cereal. After rummaging through the fridge, she got a bottle of Corona and set it on the counter next to the cereal.

Eventually she found herself sitting on the couch and watching TV, while also eating cereal and drinking beer. As she mindlessly watched the news and ate, her mind began to wander to her life way before this. Before the Kingpin, before the incident, before all of this. Back to her MIT days where she roomed with none other than Quentin Beck.

They were great friends, hitting it off as soon as Jonathyn had moved into the dorm. Socially though, they were complete opposites. Quentin’s notoriously large ego, Jonathyn’s inability to socialize. Quentin’s want to pursue visual effects and VFX, Jonathyn’s want to pursue science and researching technology. After classes they’d drink together and just relax in each other’s company. Everyone on campus would call them inseparable. That was until graduation. Quentin went on to work for Tony Stark, another MIT grad. Jonathyn went on to work for Wilson Fisk, better known as the Kingpin. And then slowly they drifted, until they never talked again.

Jonathyn found herself thinking about Quentin and how much she missed him. Ever since MIT she had strong feelings toward him but never said a word at risk of their friendship.

She picked up her phone and began to go through it. She stopped at Quentin’s number, thinking long and hard about actually attempting to contact him. It had been years. They hadn’t really talked since her incident. She stared at the number on the screen. With a nervous exhale she pressed the number, calling the one and only, Quentin Beck.

The dial tone sounded through the phone. After about two minutes, she was about to hang up thinking it was a mistake, until the dial tone stopped.

“Hello?” A familiar voice spoke on the other end of the phone. She cleared her throat, a familiar but warm nervousness returning. A feeling from oh so long ago.

“Um, hey Quen!” She smiled (metaphorically) to herself, taking a sip of her beer.

“Hey Johnny.” Quentin chuckled and seemingly took a sip of some drink, as the sound of him swallowing came over the phone. “It’s been a while.”

“It really has, hasn’t it.” Jonathyn laughed a little and bit down on her thumb a little. “How’s working with Stark?”

Quentin groaned at the name Stark, the resentment still not leaving his body.

“I’ve moved on. I work for myself now.”

“Oh wow. I’m happy for you! I know you always wanted to have your own thing going.”

“Yeah yeah. What about you? How’s researching coming along?”

“It’s, uh, doing well yeah.” Jonathyn coughed awkwardly. After a small pause she spoke again. “I was wondering if you wanted to meet up to catch up sometime.”

“Mhm, that sounds great but I’m in Prague right now-“

“Oh that’s fine! I could make it there tomorrow.” Jonathyn said quickly, almost a little too eagerly.

“Here what about this, I’ll be in London tomorrow, meet me there okay? I have some stuff I want to show you. I’ll meet you on the Tower Bridge.” Quentin spoke, setting his drink on the table.

“Yeah that works, uh, what time?”

“6:00 PM”

“Okay. I’ll be there. Oh yeah! I look really different since we last saw each other.”

“It’s okay. No matter how you look, I’ll always be able to figure out it’s you.” Quentin hung up. Jonathyn set her phone down and hopped up and down.

After her own personal celebration, she grabbed her phone and headed out the door to get gifts for her dear friend. She spent the rest of the day traveling from store to store, buying little trinkets and a box of chocolates. After that she went home and put everything in a small gift bag.

***

The next day, Jonathyn spent every waking moment thinking about the Tower Bridge and meeting Quentin again. She wondered what he looked like since the last she saw him. She paced around endlessly wondering what to say and what he could have that he wanted to show her. Endless thoughts came and left her buzzing mind. Then 6:00 PM came along.

She opened up a spot portal and walked through it, ending up right on the London bridge. Instead of Quentin being there, Guterman was there. He stood with a somber look on his face and Quentin’s phone in his hand.

“Hi.” Jonathyn approached him, if her face had an expression it would be confusion.

“You must be Jonathyn.” Guterman bowed his head as a hello. “Quentin left this for you. He’d like you to read it.” He held out the phone.

Jonathyn took it with a thanks and unlocked it. The phone opened up to a message written in his notes.

“Johnny, I don’t think I’m going to make it to our meeting today. I am so so sorry. I sent a colleague to talk to you, his name is Guterman. He will explain everything, I promise. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.”

Jonathyn handed the phone back.

“Quentin died this afternoon on this bridge.” Guterman spoke. Jonathyn froze, she didn’t even dare breathe.

“If this is Quen’s form of a joke.. it’s not funny.” She could barely speak, her voice coming out almost as a whisper.

“It’s not a joke.” Guterman responded. Jonathyn shook her head. Guterman started to explain everything that led up to this. Starting from Tony firing Quentin, to the master plan, the elementals, the made up story, and then the fall of it all. All Jonathyn could do was listen. Her blood ran cold. Tears threatened to overflow from her eyes.

“Oh….” Is all she could muster, voice cracking.

“The funeral will happen a week from now, in his hometown. He asked for you to be there.”

“Y-yeah ill, uh.” She bit back tears. “I’ll be there yeah.” She nodded and turned to leave. Her legs and hands trembled, almost as if this emotional weight was a real one, slowly crushing her into the floor beneath her. Without another word, she opened a portal and stepped through it, back to her small one bedroom apartment.

As soon as she set food into her bedroom, she fell to the floor. Knees harshly slamming onto the wood, followed by the side of her body, then her head. She wailed and cried, head in her hands and nails digging into skin. If anyone heard it, they would swear someone was being murdered. There was a heavy sorrow contained in each tear that fell from her face. Every scream contained a pain that couldn’t be measured on any kind of scale.

She laid there and cried for days until her vocal cords ran weak and couldn’t produce any sound. Her eyes were sore and her head ached with fatigue.

The next few days she lived like a ghost. She barely ate. She didn’t leave the apartment. She just laid in bed, staring off at the walls. She’d texted Quentin’s number over and over, with a false hope that he’d respond. She’d call him, leaving voicemail after voicemail with some fantasy that he’d respond and say this was all a joke.

The morning of the funeral was the same morning that the fake news story about Quentin’s death was released. Jonathyn sat watching the news, a blank expression in her eyes.

The funeral was a private funeral. Only the team and Jonathyn was invited. It started open casket.

Jonathyn, once at the venue, walked over to the casket and looked in. The mortician that was hired had to be a good one. Quentin lay there, looking peacefully asleep. Jonathyn reached in and gently touched his face, as she was afraid she’d wake him. She leaned in and left a small kiss on his forehead.

“I wish we met under better circumstances.” She spoke, letting out a small somber chuckle. She stood back up and sighed before taking her seat with the other people.

The funeral went rather quickly. Jonathyn never spoke on the podium, to do so would cause all the pain to flood back. Soon Quentin’s casket was lowered into the ground. The team left one by one after leaving small flowers on his tombstone. Jonathyn stayed behind. She sat down on the grass, next to the stone.

“Hey Quen…” she spoke. Staring off into the distance while talking. “I’m gonna miss you a lot you know that?” She exhaled, tears threatening to spill once more. “There was so much I wanted to say to you… um….” She leaned her head up against the gravestone. “I have spots all over now. They’re like little portals. I can still eat and stuff though. Also I, uh, love you.” She began to fiddle with her hands. “And not in like a friendly way. I wanted to marry you one day but I guess I can’t do that now, huh. And I, uh, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you….” Her voice wavered. “I should’ve been there.” The tears began to fall again. Her hands wrapped around her arms and her nails dug into her skin, drawing blood from minor cuts. “But it’s okay… I’ll avenge you, alright.” She mumbled between sobs. “I’ll kill that stupid spider boy.” Deluded anger fuzzed her brain. She was irrational. Angry. Full of hate and sorrow. “I’ll kill him for you.”

I didn’t edit this at all.

[thebossestunicycle]

Final Flash Update: an actual review

The DCEU has always been very hit or miss for me, but it has a special place in my heart. When Man of Steel came out, my dad was OBSESSED with it (still is), and it became the first superhero movie I ever watched. Despite the mediocre scores internet-wide (and how the terraforming scared the shit out of me as a kid), I cannot help but love that film to death. It really sparked my interest with superheroes and just ‘nerdier’ stuff in general.

While the DCEU opened me up to the whole world of superheroes, it also became part of what made me so weary of comic book movies. While there were good movies like Wonder Woman (2017) and (hot take) Black Adam, and great ones like the Snydercut, there were also huge disappointments that left me feeling pissed off when the theater lights turned back on. It’s not like all of these movies are downright horrible in every way (exception being 2016’s Suicide Squad), but each seemed to have its own form of kryptonite. The Justice League (2017)’s being its lack of character development; Wonder Woman 1984’s forgettable plot; and of course, Batman v. Superman’s Martha scene.

With the DCEU’s track record, the over saturation of superhero media, and with Ezra Miller being… Ezra Miller, my hopes for this movie were extremely low. But I actually left the theater feeling pretty.. decent?

Here are my main takeaways. Spoilers ahead:

Plot + Characters

As of now, I haven’t noticed any critical plot holes, which is pretty great, especially considering it’s a multiverse movie and all. Everything that blew up in Barry’s face was tied up nicely. But I am sorta curious to see how moving the tomato can caused Ben Affleck to become George Clooney.

The time mechanics were also pretty neat, like how a new future creates a new past.

I kinda like Barry a lot. He’s wicked awkward but it’s funny to watch.

Younger Barry too! He was such an airhead in the beginning that I was shocked to find out he was the guy that our Barry kept seeing when he time travelled.

I found Keaton’s Batman entertaining too. But the whole time Keaton didn’t really seem like he was trying to act. He just looked happy to be Batman again, which I can’t blame him for. On that note, I wish Bale’s Batman made a cameo somehow.

I was underwhelmed with the Zod plot. I was ready to watch him totally kick Flash’s ass. I didn’t mind Kara, but again she was a bit underwhelming too.

I got excited when Zod mentioned discovering Clark in his pod somewhere in space. I was like “Oh shit, did they take him in and train him to fight for them?” Seeing an evil Superman would’ve been crazy, but nah, they just killed him instead. Lame-os.

Effects / CGI

Oh man, I did not enjoy some of the choices made here.

First of all, the deep fake cameos. And also, deepfaking people like Adam West and all, who are dead, is a little odd. However Nicholas Cage showing up was very funny.

Then there was the CGI in the Speedverse (?? correct me if that’s the wrong name). It was video-game level. I felt like I was watching a skyrim-inspired acid trip.

Even outside of speedverse, the quality was really spotty.

Action

Oh my god, it’s so refreshing when there’s even the tiniest ounce of creativity in fight scenes (Looking at you, MCU).

Diving deeper into Barry’s powers was cool and seeing him fight with (and then against) himself was neat!

Then there was also pretty standard Batman stuff that I’m a sucker for

NEEDED a better Kara v. Zod fight. I wanted lasers. I wanted them to go to space. ANYTHING

Overall Emotional Reaction

Both Barrys hit hard a few times. The desperation to fix everything. Having to let go of their mom and accept their fate(s?). The scene when he said goodbye to her for the last time was pretty sad.

The themes were simple: accept your past; pain makes us who we are; etc etc. But there’s nothing really wrong with that.

The jokes landed! I laughed with, not at, most things

…Okay, I did laugh out loud at some things, like the deepfakes and when the Barrys phased for the first time.

But yeah, it was really enjoyable to watch. The runtime wasn’t an issue at all. Dull moments were rare (though I didn’t give a single shit about Barry’s dating life at all)

Final Score:

Characters: 7/10

Plot: 7/10

CGI: 4/10

Action: 7/10

6.3 / 10

If I had to rank: above Black Adam, below Wonder Woman

but seriously can they just recast flash already. I wish ezra miller all the best on rehabbing themselves, and they really do a great job with the character, but it’s like they’re trying to get a jail sentence with everything they’ve done