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the-widow-sisters · 2 years ago

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Ok one more since I’m on a role.

Speaking of which..

“My life is like toilet paper” for Kate and Carol, since they both take crap from a certain blonde menace in their lives 💀😂

A/N: Thank you so much for this request, girl!!! As you know probably way too well, these two combined make up my whole personality 😂💞 I literally have so many facets of my personality that are similar to them, so it's super fun to write a fic where the two sides of myself coincide, lol 😂

Plus, if y'all have seen the Marvels teaser trailer and if you're as excited as me, please do refer to the list and send some requests for Monica and Carol or Kamala and Carol 😂💞💞💞 I'm seriously so hyped 😍

Feel free to send more requests from this list here with a platonic pair listed 🥰

Word Count: 1.7k+

“Did she have to learn how to use a sniper rifle and learn enough tinkering knowledge to put some kind of a powder grenade mod on it?” Carol complained aloud, looking at herself as she took in all of the many different colors covering her body at the moment.

Kate sighed deeply, shaking her head. She was honestly not sure what to say but she completely agreed with the sentiment behind Carol’s declaration.

Yelena had just ambushed them with a sniper rifle that she had somehow managed to rig so that it shot out hard little powder grenades that exploded and got some manner of random colored powders all over their victims. Carol and Kate had been walking back inside from a run that they had gone on together, and Yelena had taken her opportunity, obviously having been waiting for them to get back.

They were her two favorite people to aggravate—or in Carol’s case, try to aggravate— so she must have been bored while they were gone since Natasha was having to spend so much time in meetings for the past several months with the discovery and the rising of new heroes.

They had headed back so that they were at the front door of the compound at this point, trying to wrap up the last bits of removing the powder from their clothes and skin.

“Like did they consider their responsibility to the world as our fellow human beings when they created that monster?” Carol desperately demanded as she dusted off her pretty white sweatpants and the loose white tank top, and Kate shook her head tiredly.

“Y’know what I always say in times like these?” Kate finally asked as she dusted off bright blue powder from her sweatpants. Carol was dusting a purple mess off of her own, too, and she looked at her curiously as she spoke.

“What’s that?” Carol asked, offering her a brief onceover as she reached out to Kate’s arm and softly brushed the powder from her bare shoulder. Kate smiled briefly, gratefulness in her eyes as she looked at the older woman.

“My life’s like toilet paper. I’m either on a roll or taking crap from somebody,” Kate declared, and Carol let out a sharp bark of laughter, grinning widely.

“Oh, wow, that’s good! Can I use that?” Carol questioned, a laugh in her voice, and Kate nodded, puffing up a little as she smiled back at her.

She was proud that she had managed to draw a laugh from Carol. Granted, it was not an overly difficult task to make Carol laugh, but something about how happy and full it sounded when she actually offered a true, deep laugh was extremely gratifying.

“Man… This better come out of my clothes or I’m taking Yelena Bavarian on a shopping trip with her paying,” Carol threatened, and Kate furrowed her brow, gazing at her uncertainly.

“Yelena Bavarian?”

“I don’t know, it’s a new one. Her hair’s kind of colored like Bavarian cream,” Carol pointed out with a shrug, seemingly deciding to finally straighten and leave her clothes be for a bit. Kate huffed, following her lead.

“That’s pretty good. I’ve always just called her Yelena Banana,” Kate pointed out, and Carol snorted, surprise but also glee written on her face.

“Oh my— that’s even better,” Carol complimented.

They headed inside the compound, heading to the main room. Once they were there, Carol headed over to the couch somewhat tiredly, flopping down on it, and Kate followed suit, sitting down in the armchair sideways as she looped her legs over one arm and leaned back against the other.

Carol let out a deep, exhausted sigh, and Kate looked at her, sensing she was about to speak up again.

“So. Since we’re on the topic of our favorite little—”

“Absolute delight of a human being?” Kate deadpanned a little, allowing the sarcasm to shine through, and Carol smirked, nodding to her as she continued her statement from where she left off.

“That, I figured I’d ask you something if you’re up for answering,” Carol started, and Kate nodded, shrugging easily as she curiously looked at the older woman.

“Yeah. I’m always up for a question,” Kate shrugged, shifting a little in her seat so only one leg was looped over the arm of the chair and her back was resting against the back of the chair at an angle.

“Why do you let her push you around without actually getting back at her? You’ve had lots of opportunities, but you hardly ever actually take them,” Carol asked, tilting her head a little as she gazed back at her.

Kate thought about it for a moment, considering what she would say next before finally speaking up with a slow nod.

“Well, for two reasons I guess,” Kate finally stated. Carol whistled.

“Two? Wow, I wasn’t really expecting one at all,” Carol confessed, surprise written in her features, and Kate huffed. Carol must have thought that it was one of those subconscious things that Kate had not put much time into thinking through.

“You know me… Raising expectations one thing at a time,” Kate shrugged, laughing it off as she imagined all of the ways she had actually lowered expectations as opposed to raising them.

As much as she loathed to admit it, she knew that there was probably a reason that Yelena thought of changing the phrase screwing up to Kate Bishop-ing. Yelena, of course, did not mean anything seriously bad by it, but it was the truth unfortunately. Kate was far too awkward for it not to be.

“First, if I retaliate too much, I risk war and as you can tell by the sniper powder grenade rifle thing, no one stands a chance against Yelena in war unless it’s you or Natasha. And in terms of tactical advantage, only Natasha,” Kate explained, and Carol halfheartedly narrowed her eyes.

“I take offense to that,” Carol told her, but her tone was too lazy for her to truly be serious. Kate just grinned at her, but allowed her face to fall back to something a bit more neutral as she prepared to state her next reason.

“And it’s how she relates to me, I think,” Kate expressed, going on a more serious note, and Carol sobered a little as she looked at Kate and listened to her words.

Carol slowly nodded, understanding in her eyes as she spoke up in reply.

“Yeah, I can see that. That’s how she relates to me, too, I think,” Carol agreed, and Kate shook her head with a slight laugh.

“And then she’s really sweet at the weirdest of times,” Kate pointed out, and Carol chuckled.

“Yeah, I know. She hugged me for the first time the other day,” Carol huffed, and Kate’s eyes widened in shock.

“Already?!” Kate cried. Carol looked at her with some confusion.

“Well, she kind of hurt my feelings a while ago and she felt bad, I guess. I just never expected her to do that,” Carol raised her eyebrows, and Kate groaned, unable to help the smallest bit of jealousy and slight aggravation. Yelena really was a fickle creature.

“Gosh, you know how long it took me to get a hug from her?!” Kate complained, and Carol raised an eyebrow.

“What? When you got kidnapped a while back?” Carol laughed, obviously not really realizing that was truthfully the first time it happened. Kate nodded to her, and Carol’s smile quickly fell.

“Seriously?!” Carol gaped at her, and Kate nodded emphatically.

“Yeah! I mean, I think she thought I was getting between her and Natasha for a long time and when she finally realized that wasn’t what I was trying to do, we had to kind of go back to square one and build it from the ground up. But even then, she got fond of you super quick. So basically, what I’m saying is that you should feel really lucky,” Kate pointed out, grinning, and Carol shrugged, surprise in her gaze as she took it all in.

“I kind of thought that she was always fond of you, too, though,” Carol acknowledged, and Kate furrowed her brow.

“Why?” Kate could not help but laugh a little. “She’s always been picking on me and won’t hardly ever touch me like she does with you.”

“I don’t know. Like you said, her picking on you is showing that she cares, and the not touching you thing is probably just the dynamic you guys have in her eyes. She touches meaningfully when it matters. The reason she touches Natasha so much is because she was raised with her and probably because she sees her as the older sister figure and wants that I guess approval from her,” Carol told her, amazingly insightful into this entire thing. Of course, as Kate remembered, Carol had been a little sister once.

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience on that one,” Kate ventured softly, not pushing too far since she knew that was a sore spot. Carol moved her head in agreeance, a sadness slightly shining in her eyes before she moved on, trying to hide it.

“And she probably doesn’t wrestle with you like she does with me because she knows she could hurt you, and she doesn’t want that,” Carol explained, and Kate slowly nodded as she offered Carol a onceover.

“You really have a good handle on Yelena,” Kate commented, and Carol shrugged.

“Well, yeah. I guess we just kind of think a lot alike,” Carol admitted, and Kate huffed, smiling gently. Carol grinned a little in response, and Kate opened her mouth to speak.

However, just as she did, she heard a loud yell that sounded like it came from Yelena. Carol and Kate paused, turning in their seats to look in the direction of the noise. Yelena came practically leaping down the staircase, skipping steps as she tried to escape quickly. And right behind her was Natasha, aiming the powder grenade gun that she had made as she tried to land a hit on her younger sister.

They ran past without a word, Yelena somewhere between laughing and panting as she attempted to get away and an evil look in Natasha’s eyes.

Kate and Carol were dead silent for a few moments until they happened to make eye contact, and that was when they both burst into laughter.

Yelena was certainly one of a kind. But they wouldn’t have it any other way.

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loststarsabove · 4 years ago

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My thoughts and opinions on the slew of recent trailers and announcements that no one asked for, but I needed to process all this information. These are just my opinions so don’t hate me.

Marvel:

WandaVision - Not very interested in this and it looks a little too trippy for my taste, but might watch it anyway to see Jimmy Woo and Monica Rambeau (and Billy and Tommy?)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Easily my most anticipated of Marvel’s offerings. I was disappointed that it was delayed but it looks like it will be worth the wait! The trailer was epic. It looks like an action movie. I love Sam and Bucky, and their relationship and banter. Also I can’t wait to see my girl Sharon!

Loki - Not sure what to expect from this one and the trailer did not make things any clearer, but I’m just thrilled that Loki is getting his time to shine away from the Thor franchise.

What If? - Now that I’ve seen the full trailer I am actually quite excited for this! Also the animation looks gorgeous.

Hawkeye - I am not a fan of Jeremy Renner or what they did to Clint’s character in the MCU - hopefully this series will correct some of that. However the dog is adorable, Hailee Steinfeld looks really good as Kate Bishop, and I’m interested to find out what Yelena’s role in the story will be.

Ms. Marvel - From the brief clips we have it looks like a cute, heartwarming, and inspiring story. It has jumped to the top of my list!

She-Hulk - I’ve hated Bruce Banner in everything after The Avengers so I hope his involvement in this show is minimal.

Moon Knight - Not interested at the moment.

Secret Invasion - I was never one of those fans who felt like this story had to be adapted for the MCU and I liked what they did with the Skrulls in Captain Marvel, but I’m 100% for it now that Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn are involved!

Armour Wars - Finally giving Rhodey a leading role after playing pivotal supporting roles in a gazillion movies is long overdue. Sounds like an interesting premise. Will definitely watch!

Ironheart - Not very familiar with the character so I don’t have much of an opinion at the moment. Will probably watch though.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special - For some reason I have the feeling this is just going to be a Star Wars Holiday Special parody/rip-off.

I Am Groot - Will probably be cute.

Black Widow - I’m over it at this point. Was never really into it. Should have come out years before Endgame. Will only be watching for Yelena Belova.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Admittedly was not familiar with the character prior to the announcement. I like Michelle Yeoh and Awkwafina though, and I’m interested to see what the movie does with The Mandarin (after the disaster that was Iron Man 3). No real opinion until I see the trailer.

Eternals - Would not be interested in this at all except for the fact that I like Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, and Kit Harrington. The cast is massive and star-studded to the point of feeling bloated.

Untitled Spider-Man 4 - Not sold at all on the multiverse/spiderverse, but the previous MCU Spider-Man films are among my favourites and I thought they both sounded like crap initially. Will definitely reserve judgement until I actually see the movie. As much as I adore Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, my wish for this movie is that we see a move towards more classic Spider-Man comic elements (The Daily Bugle and Peter’s photography, a mere mention of Uncle Ben, Harry and Norman Osborn, etc.)

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness - Not really interested right now.

Thor: Love and Thunder - Will likely not be watching. An unpopular opinion but Ragnarok was my least favourite MCU movie.

Black Panther II - Right now I am just eagerly awaiting any announcement regarding their plans for where they are taking this franchise.

Captain Marvel 2 - I loved the first movie, Brie Larson, and Carol Danvers. Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau appearing in this makes me so happy! Hopefully Goose will be back! The Ms. Marvel tv show seems to imply that Captain Marvel is famous enough as a superhero to have merchandise, so I hope this movie explains when and how that happened (presumably during the 5 years after the snap that we didn’t see in Endgame).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Very torn about this one. I really loved the first two movies, but my enthusiasm for the franchise has admittedly soured due to controversies involving certain members of the cast and crew. Will watch it, but not particularly bothered either way.

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania - I am truly upset by the decision to recast Cassie Lang, perhaps to the point of being irrational. Hopefully I get over it because I have been looking forward to this movie for so long. The plot sounds good and I am anticipating much family cuteness.

Blade - Never saw the original movies and only know the character from Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

Fantastic Four - We all knew this was inevitable. Just give me a comic accurate Susan Storm and a teenage/young adult Johnny Storm (because if we don’t get Spideytorch content then what’s the point?) and I will be happy.

Untitled Deadpool - Not the biggest Deadpool fan, but the second movie was amusing. Will probably watch out of curiosity.

Untitled X-Men/Mutant movie - Not sure how they are going to integrate Mutants into the already very established history of the MCU. If they do go ahead with this movie I hope that it focuses on different characters from the 20th Century Fox X-Men franchise. Personally I don’t want to see Erik and Charles played by anyone else after Ian McKellan, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, and James McAvoy.

Star Wars:

Obi Wan Kenobi - We have Hayden Christensen! This is not a drill! Honestly I am so happy! He was absolutely incredible in RotS and he truly deserves all the love he’s been getting over the years. As exciting as a reunion between his Vader and Ewan’s Obi Wan will be, a tiny part of me is frustrated because I thought Episode IV implied that their encounter on the Death Star was their first encounter since Mustafar? I’m sure they will find a way to make it work, however. Deborah Chow is an amazing director. I hope they cast a young Luke :3

Andor - Definitely my most anticipated Star Wars project after Obi Wan Kenobi. Really excited to see more of life in the Rebel Alliance, and loving the sound of the “nail-biting spy thriller” angle. Glad that Genevieve O’Reilly is back as Mon Mothma. Keeping my fingers crossed for Jimmy Smits.

The Bad Batch - The animation looks stunning. Always interested to see more of the early days of the Empire.

Ahsoka - I don’t want it

Rangers of the New Republic - Not a lot of information except that it’s “culminating in a climatic event” with other stories, which sounds ugh. Reserving judgement until we learn more and see a trailer.

Lando - Awaiting more info. No word yet on whether Donald Glover or Billy Dee Williams will be back, but we can’t go wrong if either one (or both) are involved.

The Acolyte - Sounds like it could be interesting. Glad to see other time periods in the Star Wars universe being explored.

Star Wars: Visions - Will probably watch for pretty anime animation.

A Droid Story - Sounds like it will be cute, and I love droids so will probably watch.

Rogue Squadron - Unless it’s an adaptation of the EU Rogue Squadron, I’m not particularly interested. If we’re getting Corran Horn, Mirax Terrik, Tycho Celchu, and Wes Janson, however, then I am 100% onboard!

Untitled Taika Waititi Star Wars - Not a fan of Ragnarok as has already been established, nor did I like aspects of his episode of The Mandalorian. Can’t imagine that I will be interested.

Other:

Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix) - This looks like a cheesy guilty pleasure at best and a dumpster fire at worst. I wish that Prince Sky’s hair was longer. W.I.T.C.H. would have translated better into live-action if they wanted to adapt a mid-2000s era cartoon.

Batwoman Season 2 (The CW) - This looks like a huge improvement from season 1. Judging from the trailer I think they made an excellent decision by bringing in Javicia Leslie. The character dynamics all look really interesting. My most anticipated CW show along with Superman and Lois.

#mcu #marvel #star wars #batwoman #fate: the winx saga #mcu criticism #star wars criticism #tagging to be safe #don’t hate me #long post

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cptspvrklefists · 4 years ago

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[ marvel. ana de armas. thirty-two/fifty-six. cis female. ] bright light fading away CAROL DANVERS has found themselves in a new unrecognized land. the last thing SHE remembers before they were taken was THE AFTERMATH OF THE SECOND SUPERHERO CIVIL WAR. they say back in those times they were known to be RESILIENT, however, also have their moments when they could be TEMPERAMENTAL and was always best recognized by FISTS THAT SPARKLE, SPACE ADVENTURES WITH A FLERKEN CAT THAT’S HER RIDE OR DIE, & A BAD COP GOOD COP ENERGY . [ sessho. 21+. cst. she/her. ]

alcoholism tw, death tw

disclaimer: this is set up as an interview, so while there may not be an interviewer, per se, to welcome the new arrivals, this is a “what if” scenario if there was.

INTERVIEWER: “ Welcome to Zerthea, your new home! How are you feeling? ”

“ confused. ” her eyes got wider, as she looks dazed. she’s never seen otherworldly tech like this before. this was way passed stark tech .

INTERVIEWER: “ Tell us a little bit about yourself. ”

“ i’m captain marvel . i’m an earthling and an avenger, you could call me an ambassador for earth. “ even if she really shouldn’t be speaking for earth. “ where is your leader? ” . [ carol danvers, aka captain marvel, aka car-ell, is a kree/human hybrid from earth. a former usa air force pilot and nasa officer, she’s best known as the superhero captain marvel, and is usually affiliated with a group of heroes called, the avengers. because of her diplomacy on other planets, carol has been called an ambassador for earth, though, personally, she would disagree . ]

INTERVIEWER: " Leader? What leader? HA! What would you say is your greatest weakness? “

“ something you wouldn’t understand. ” the words ghosting off her lips, her eyes lower in thought of a l c o h o l. “ but, i’ve been told my temper, but i don’t have a temper . “ [ carol is an alcoholic. after mar-vell’s, her friend and the first captain marvel, death and the temporary loss of her powers and memories by the x-men rogue, carol began heavily drinking to ease the pain. she’d been sober for years, before she picked up another drink by the end of the second superhero war. her temper, is something she’s always been known for. carol is temperamental, known to start fights and finish them. dangerous for the alien woman, but she refuses to go to counseling, or acknowledge it . ]

INTERVIEWER: “ Interesting. And in the case of an emergency, who would you call? ”

" no one. i can take care of myself. but if this the, ‘if you woke up on a stranded island’ question, i’d probably say, jess. but, she wouldn’t want to fly to space to save my ass. “ her eyes reach for the sky, and her mouth pouts, in thought. “ ms. marvel. she can fight her own battles now, and she’s inhuman. i trust her with my life. and spectrum. spectrum is a woman now. i feel like i watched her grow up, right before my eyes. but ms. marvel, spectrum, they’re like my sisters. i trust them both with my life . [ jessica drew, aka spider-woman, is carol’s best friend. kamala khan, aka ms. marvel, is an inhuman and was also a huge fan of carol danvers and other superheroes, before she became her own superhero. monica rambeau, aka spectrum, is the daughter of maria rambeau, one of carol’s old friends, and previously held the mantle of captain marvel. carol views kamala and monica as a sisterhood - because she’s shared the captain marvel/ms. marvel name, and/or powers with each woman. sisterhood or children, either depends on the situation she’s in, around the two. other than drew, they are her other two favorite ladies . ]

INTERVIEWER: “ Ms. Marvel, Spectrum, Captain Marvel. One happy family. And what was the last thing you remember? “

“ i remember i was...trying to rebuild. my life. the city. i was trying to regain their trust, cleaning up one wreckage at a time, when - i ended up here. ” [ before carol appeared on zerthea, she was dealing with the aftermath of the second superhero civil war. the war was between carol danvers and tony stark, and their argument to do with an inhuman who could foresee the future. carol wanted to use his foresight to stop potential threats to the planet. while tony thought it was a bad idea to blindly follow these unpredictable visions and believe them to be true. heroes chose sides, and a war was fought. many heroes lost their lives, including james rhodes, bruce banner, and jennifer walters. tony nearly lost his life and fell into a coma, because of carol. much of the damage was carol’s fault, and it wasn’t until after the war was over, did she realize the cost. the city had lost trust in her, her friends were either dead or lost trust in her. carol chose to seclude herself, briefly, to reflect on what she’d done. but she’d told herself, she’d do it again, if she had to. she was seen as the villain, but she believed she was doing the right thing. she was trying to gain the trust of the public back by helping the city, just before she appeared in zerthea. she still carries the pain of the war, having not fully grieved the events. and, in her universe, is not very well liked among some superheroes . ]

INTERVIEWER: “ Alright! Thank you Ms. Danvers! Again, welcome to Zerthea! This is the perfect place to start over, if that’s what you want. We hope you find everything here that you’re looking for!

tdlr; comic canon. avenger. raging bisexual. guilt-trippin’.

#zerthea.intro #𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐋 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒 - ( 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎. )#alcholism tw #death tw

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queercapwriting · 5 years ago

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How Do You Trust Me? (CarolxMaria)

Carol wonders how Maria can trust her, after all this time, when she came back with a new name, a new uniform, and fire coming out of her fists.

I wrote this listening to Shattered by Trading Yesterday, because I am utter trash.

"How do you trust me?" Carol whispered against Maria's skin. She was trembling, already, with restraint. Trembling, already, trying to make sure she didn't break the woman that she left with the new strength she had, the new -- and somehow, the same old -- fire in her skin.

She could -- and had -- destroyed entire battle fleets with her body.

She could -- and had -- done so many horrific things, with her body.

"Carol," Maria sighed, her voice holding only reverence, only longing.

Which Carol still couldn't comprehend, not really.

Because Maria had said she was the most powerful woman she'd ever known, before. Before.

But powerful then had meant something different than powerful meant, now.

Powerful now meant that entire fleets of intergalactic imperialists knew to cower when she -- armed with nothing but her own body, the same body that Maria now wanted on top of her, the same body that Maria now wanted all over her -- came flying their way.

And she remembered, now, after everything, both lives that had been crammed in her head.

Her stolen life -- her own life -- as Carol Danvers, her brothers and her father, her panic attacks and Maria's steady hands and flight school and Monica, little Monica, their baby, their world.

And the life that had erased that life, six years of being convinced that she had been wronged, being convinced that she was on the right side of genocide, being convinced that she was only one thing: dangerous.

And now she'd come home, home to Earth, home to Monica and home to this woman -- this miraculous woman -- and Maria somehow trusted her to strip her clothes off without getting burned, to push her back onto their bed without getting concussed, to...

It wasn't anything they hadn't done before.

But it still made Carol marvel, every single time.

Because every time she left, she came back with more blood on her hands.

"You saved my people. My family," Talos wanted to convince her, but it was Mar-vell, really, Maria's piloting, really. Monica's faith, really.

"You've rescued more than you've ever killed," Sam Wilson had tried to tell her, but his eyes were tired, and she knew there was blood in his ledger, too.

"You literally save planets. Every day," Peter Parker had told her, in awe, in the midst of one of his endearing rambles, meaning it as a compliment. But she saw the shadows forming behind his eyes, because he, too, was starting to understand the horrific power of this life.

"I wouldn't be me without you," Kamala Khan had told her, eyes wide and too young and too old at the same time.

"You'd be better," Carol had whispered, but she didn't think Kamala had heard her. She wasn't entirely sure she'd wanted her to.

"Hey. Where's your head at?" Maria tilted Carol's head back gently.

Maria's fingers were buried in Carol's hair, Carol on her knees, worshipping Maria from the waist up, where she had unbuttoned the entire front of that little denim dress from entire lifetimes ago.

Maria guiding Carol to look up at her, positioned like this, felt like praying.

It felt like the only praying she'd ever done, and the only praying she'd ever care to do.

"Like I said," Carol croaked. "I don't understand why you trust me."

Maria bit her lip absently, and Carol watched her chest rise and fall in a long, thoughtful sigh.

"Tell me, Carol Danvers, why I shouldn't."

As she spoke, Maria pulled Carol off her knees and sat them both down on their bed, shifting to hold both of Carol's hand in one of hers. She used her free hand to tuck an errant wave of hair behind Carol's ear. Her fingertips traced Carol's cheek as she waited for her to answer.

"I could lose control," Carol tried.

"Have you ever? Since that bastard stopped using 'self-control' as a way to keep you in check?"

Carol couldn't help but smirk. She might be disgusted with herself just enough to know that she wasn't, any longer, the woman Maria fell in love with.

But Maria certainly was still the woman Carol had fallen in love with. That, and so much more.

"No ma'am," she sighed, pursing her lips. Maria's eyebrow arched at the suggestion, but they both left it hanging in the air. For the moment.

"Maria, the things that I've done --"

"Carol, we both joined the United States Air Force. You know the things that the United States Air Force has done? That we would have done, if we'd been allowed to fly combat?"

Carol gulped and somehow both nodded and shook her head. "But that's never why you signed up. You wanted to fly. To save lives, not take them."

"Which is exactly why you signed up, Danvers. Don't you dare rewrite your history. Our history, because that was the two of us together."

Carol's hand tightened around Maria's, and she ran her other hand absently up and down Maria's bare thigh.

"I know. I know, I do, and I'm not trying to..."

"Then what are you trying to do?"

"Get you to understand." Carol almost stood, but Maria held her hands fast, with a pointed look on her face.

A look that reminded her that Carol wasn't the only powerful human in the room.

"To understand what, Carol?" Maria's voice was softer, now, more forgiving, at the apologetic look on Carol's face.

"That I've... every time I come home to you, Maria, there's more blood on my hands, and I... I don't want to..."

She tried to pull her hands away from Maria's body. Maria held them close, again.

"What? Infect me? You're not the only one in our bed that's taken lives, Carol, and Lord knows I can't ever begin to imagine the things you've seen. The things you've had to do. But killing isn't why you're out there, Carol. Protecting is. This planet has an entire team of superpowered egos running around protecting it, and even that's not enough sometimes. The entire rest of the galaxy has... you. Do you understand that?"

"I try to."

"So why the hell wouldn't I trust you?"

Carol screwed up her face in the picture of innocence. "Because... sometimes when I have bad breath in the morning, I don't get up and brush my teeth before I try to kiss you?"

Maria's smirk unfolded before she could hide it. "Mmm, that is a punishable offense."

Carol's eyes flashed and she cocked her head. "Is it?"

"Sure is," Maria leaned in, still smiling.

And this time, when they kissed, Carol let herself breathe.

Let herself be loved, and let herself think that maybe, she deserved it.

#carol x maria #carolmaria #carol x maria hurt/comfort #danbeau #danbeau fic

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demigodofhoolemere · 6 years ago

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Saw Captain Marvel!

Spoiler free version: Amazing. It’s so so good to see Carol in live action, and I’m so happy they did her personality and her power set justice. Brie did an awesome job at bringing her to life, and I loved her journey (and I appreciated the nonlinear storytelling). The story was fantastic, and after a few years in a row of coming out of quite a few movies with various disappointments (largely regarding characterization issues or humor going overboard), it’s such a good feeling to not have my expectations dashed. All of the characters made me so happy, I love how real and human each one of them was. No unnecessary drama between the protagonists (unlike some people *cough*Avengers*cough*), just people who are genuinely friends, including unlikely ones. It’s certainly different from the origin story I’m used to, but I really enjoyed what they did. I’m also glad that adding something so big like this to the backstory of the MCU doesn’t shake things up too much; there are a few changes, but it didn’t come off as a retcon, at least not in the annoying way of most retcons. All in all, wonderful movie that left me crying happily, and also now leaves me looking suspiciously at my cat.

Spoiler filled commentary below

~~~

- CAROL. Just Carol. I can’t overstate how much I loved seeing her. I love watching her fly around and use her powers and beat people up. That’s been my jam since 2012 and I’m still living for it. This has been a long time coming and it feels like newly meeting an old friend. She deserves every ounce of praise she’s been getting. I’m also always grateful when tough female characters have a well-developed personality, because if her entire character is only about being tough, then I have difficulty investing because there’s nothing to connect with - unfortunately that kind of character is a dime a dozen these days because in the effort to prove that women can stand up on the same playing field as men, they often just get injected with masculinity and it ends there, which can be frustrating. For all of Marvel’s other flaws with how it treats some of the female characters, they always manage to churn out a genuine human being who does not come from a cookie cutter. Carol gets to have wonderful human emotions, a balance between positives and flaws, and strength that does not come only from her powers. She is determined, full of spirit and life, she knows anger and empathy in equal measure. Getting to know her and love her as a person is why it’s so much fun watching her kick butt. It wouldn’t be the same if kicking butt was her only defining trait. Because I care so much about her I actually ended up crying just watching her do her thing, since it meant so much to see on the big screen. She is a protector of people, and she has fun doing it.

- I appreciate that they got the mohawk look in there without actually giving her a mohawk. Best of both worlds. Also loved seeing a couple of her other comic costumes when they were playing with the color schemes.

- Between the opening logo and the cameo, many tears were shed over Stan Lee. Thanks for everything, man.

- Thoroughly enjoyed the 90s music, aesthetic, and technology. The soundtrack was great, the outfits were great, and I especially loved that people had to just sit around and wait for something to load. Some 90s realism for you right there.

- Carol’s relationships with Maria and Monica are so so sweet, and so human. I’ll never get enough female friendships. Of course, I really adored them individually as well - Maria is wonderful and Monica is adorable. And the way Monica looks up to Carol is very nice foreshadowing for her future, if that’s the road they go down (I know there are plans for Kamala, so I guess we’ll see where Monica fits in).

- Goose! I’m still getting used to not calling him Chewie, but whatever. Precious alien cat by any other name is just as precious. I loved the special effects for the mouth.

- I liked seeing a younger, less hardened Nick Fury. He was very different, but not so different that you can’t believe it’s what he could have been like a couple of decades ago, and you do see familiar aspects in regard to him being a good spy and being useful in the action. Also, VERY RELATABLE cat enthusiast, which gains him a lot of points. Having Goose be the reason for his eye does detract a bit from the mystery and drama of it, but it’s not something I’m gonna get worked up about (I’ve spent far too much energy getting worked up over other movies, this is minor in comparison). What I AM gonna get worked up about is knowing that he’s going to get progressively more and more hardened by the world and I want to protect him.

- PHIL 💗💗💗 Ugh, it’s been too long since we’ve seen Coulson (in the MCU but also in general since AoS is taking five thousand years to come back). I loved seeing him pre-Iron Man, just the young rookie agent who hasn’t been through the wringer yet (I want to protect him, too). Just as sweet as ever and I love him ignoring orders to do what his gut knew was right - it shows why Fury has always trusted him so much, and it certainly foreshadows many instances in AoS. I’ve missed him.

- Very good call to have the Supreme Intelligence take on someone’s form rather than showcase the ugly giant green head. I also appreciated that they still managed to shoutout to the ugly giant green head with the tendrils wrapping around the person interfacing.

- Jude Law played a very interesting Yon-Rogg. Enjoyable without being particularly likable. All of the Kree were done well, I thought. Definitely nailed it as a warrior race who seem to have little care about the consequences of what they do, and yet simultaneously do look out for their own. Also interesting to see Korath and Ronan pre-GOTG. And it’s an unimportant detail, but I loved when you see soldiers with the sort of fin-like shape on the top of the helmet, since I’m very used to seeing that.

- Did NOT expect to ever in my life care about Skrulls. After EMH I’ve always been anxious about seeing them in live action, because who the heck can you trust? Well, uh, them, apparently. And while it’s a change, I’m definitely not going to complain, since this lowers the chances of having to go through a Secret Invasion arc at some future point (I mean, it could still happen, I’m sure there are still Skrulls who are genuinely awful, but it’s nice not to feel like I have to worry about having trust issues in the future). I’m so happy they didn’t kill Talos or his family. It’s very interesting to see an angle where the ones you view as the bad guys are just victims of a war that they don’t want to be part of, which happens all the time in real life, so why not have good eggs among the Skrulls?

- Okay, my ONE gripe is Mar-Vell. Turning him into a woman really wasn’t necessary. I’d seen a rumor about it, so I went into the movie lowering my expectations on that front, so I’m definitely not as disappointed as I would have been if it had come as a surprise to me, but still. I know why they did it, and it’s the same reason the comics recently retconned Carol’s history to make her mom a Kree so that her powers would be a natural part of her instead of something she gained from Mar-Vell’s DNA - a man isn’t allowed to be significant to a woman’s backstory now. There’s feminism and then there’s doing everything possible to erase men from an equation, and I find that to be over the top. But to Marvel’s credit, they pulled it off well enough that I’m not anywhere close to being as upset as I could be about it (they also pulled it off with the Ancient One and Ghost, but that’s different for me since I really didn’t have any strong knowledge of or connection to those characters beforehand which makes it easier to accept - I’ve known and cared about Mar-Vell for years, so it does sting a bit that now we’ll never get to see him as he was). Overall, kind of annoying and if I could change it I would, but I’m getting used to changes like this (and it’s still not as bad as other things I’ve gotten annoyed with them over), so I’ll accept it and deal.

- Not a gripe but a question - what’s the timeline with the Tesseract now? Howard Stark found it, and then it was in SHIELD custody ever since and right up to The Avengers, so... did Lawson steal it at some point? What’s our in-universe explanation for this one? If they gave one I didn’t catch it.

- THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. Way to get my waterworks going. It made me so emotional that I’m not really even upset that Jan still doesn’t get to be the one to give the name (at this point, after everything that’s been done to remove her from the narrative of the origins of the team, I really can’t expect anything else and I’ve made my peace). I don’t know if it’s just the nostalgia factor, or the fact that Endgame is coming up, but that part just made me lose it.

- The credits scene, ohhhhh boy. I immediately registered that it was Steve by his posture and I lost my mind even further. I’m gonna miss the crap out of that guy. And then Nat showed up, and Rhodey and Bruce, and I just... agdjshsjsh. I’m NOT prepared for that to be the next movie and I’m definitely not prepared to see it in only a month. Don’t get me started on the pager. CHILLS. And seeing Carol show up in the compound asking about Fury... I’m fragile. Someone please hold me.

#marvel #captain marvel #spoilers #marvel spoilers #captain marvel spoilers #review

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thebibliomancer · 7 years ago

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Essential Avengers: Avengers Annual #8: Spectrums of Deceit!

October, 1978

Is that an early cameo of Captain Monica Marvel? Can’t be, Mar-Vell doesn’t die until ‘82. Maybe this strange, enigmatic cover copy ‘sinister spectrums’ offers some clue as to the identity of this glowing individual.

(Its the All-New All-Different Dr. Spectrum)

Last annual, the Avengers failed to stop Thanos, having to crossover with Marvel Two-in-One to get the job done.

This time is less giant purple man tries to blow up every star and more ‘Hank Pym ruins everything.’

We start at ant-size as Yellowjacket welds a gem back together for Jan/Wasp’s birthday.

This is a very considerate gift. She loves jewelry and they say that adding a personal touch makes a gift even better.

Here is where it goes from ‘awwww’ to ‘ffs hank.’

Its not just any jewel. Its Doctor Spectrum’s Power Prism. Y’know, the one that talked and was evil? Hank insists that its harmless now.

He also swears his ants to secrecy. Because Jan is not patient when it comes to birthday gifts and odds are she was the kind of person that not only found all the Christmas gifts before Christmas but also opened them up to find out what they were and then re-wrapped them.

So Hank’s ‘wife detector’ goes off because of course he has one of those. So he hides the power prism.

As soon as she’s in the room she’s trying to wheedle hints from him but he’s adamant that she’ll get her gift at dinner.

Also: apparently Yellowjacket’s giant shoulders are just... removable. I mean, I guess it makes sense but you get so used to thinking of superhero costumes as this one piece outfit even though the gloves and boots and outside underwear indicate it being in multiple parts.

Also the texture drawn on the neckline makes me think... is the top part of the Yellowjacket costume just a really tight sweater?

Yellowjacket goes to change his clothes and as soon as he’s gone, Wasp starts sleuthing.

Hank was nervous when she came in and he shut that drawer awfully fast. Maybe he was hiding something. LIKE A PRESENT.

And sure, the drawer is locked but she has the power of small. So she uses her power of small to get small, crawl through the lock, and sneak a peep at the gift.

Wasp: “Darn it, Hank! If you didn’t arouse my curiosity, I wouldn’t have to satisfy it!”

That sure is an argument, Jan!

She’s thrilled to discover that either her present is a gigantic jewel and/or that Hank has a gigantic jewel for unrelated reasons. Either way, she just has to touch it.

And for some reason, Wasp touching the power prism is Bad while Hank was touching it a bunch earlier to no effect. Maybe because he was wearing gloves.

Either way, she feels a terrible sensation of someone siphoning her consciousness. Like when her soul was being transferred into Jocasta that one time in Avengers #162. But differenty.

Anyway, she’s being possessed by the power prism and for some reason this causes an explosion.

In a sitting room or perhaps parlor, study, den, reading room, or library, the sound of the explosion startles Quicksilver and Wonder Man.

Quicksilver runs off to see what’s what and immediately gets shot in the face by the All-New All-Different Doctor Spectrum.

Although, I’m pretty sure Janet wasn’t a doctor.

I don’t think the power prism cares though and its calling the shots and even loudly identifies itself to Wonder Man, who arrives just in time to see Quicksilver laid out on his ass.

Apparently, one of the powers of the power prism are hypnotic rings of light. Because Doctor Spectrum uses these hypnotic rings of light to hypnotize both Wonder Man and Quicksilver.

The prism briefly considers hopping ship but decides that although Quicksilver and Wonder Man are formidable, neither can equal the one it really wants to possess.

Pro-tip: Its Thor.

I wonder if that’s Janet bleeding through. Before she got married, one of her common characterizations was Aesthetic Appreciation of Every Guy and Thor came up more than once.

But the prism claims that Janet’s consciousness is completely dominated.

Power Prism: “My other host bodies were too strong-willed -- too driven by their own lusts for power to allow me pre-eminence. My last host subjugated my will to such a degree that I could not even voice my displeasure! Janet Pym has no power-lost, no obsessive desires -- and thus her will is dominatable.”

So its an interesting idea that actually not being a power-hungry jerk makes you more vulnerable to gem-based mind control but hey fuck you costume jewelry for implying that Janet Van Dyne is weak-willed.

Anyway, the power prism wants Thor. But before it seeks out that bod, it must take out the only one on Earth who knows Doctor Spectrum’s sole weakness.

I’m guessing Iron Man.

Meanwhile, at Iron Man, Iron Man holds up a large heavy thing (a solar collector, apparently) while some guys weld at it.

Doctor Spectrum arrives on scene and realizes that maybe dressing like a supervillain is less than inconspicuous so changes Jan back into her normal Wasp attire.

So Wasp/Spectrum walks through the crowd of leering workers and sucker punches Iron Man, knocking him out in one punch, man.

The crowd of workers immediately decides to try to beat her up because what if she tries to punch them next?

Luckily for them, the prism decides that rather than kick their shit its easier just to put them in a dome and fly off with Iron Man.

Wasp/Prism returns to the the Pym Mansion in Cresskill, New Jersey and puts Iron Man with Wonder Man and Quicksilver.

Apparently she was hiding the two in the pool. But maybe there’s a better place to hide them. So she flings the three off into space. Or maybe a secret hiding spot. Its ambiguous.

But little does Wasp/Prism suspect that Hank Pym has been peeking through the curtains and has realized that Janet has been taken over by the power prism’s sentient EEEEVIL personality. Plus, news about what happened at the plant has already reached him despite it happening just a page ago and all the witnesses being trapped in a dome.

He must have seen it on the news, where all superheroes get their informations.

Oh. Actually. When I said "little does Wasp/Prism suspect" I meant ‘she explodes the wall and starts attacking Hank.’ Because the prism is in Janet’s mind brain and can read her thoughts. And her thoughts revealed that Hank would have come all the way here to change clothes because keeping clothes at Avenger’s Mansion is silly.

But as Doctor Spectrum attacks, Hank shrinks down teeny small and summons a swarm of ants to attack Spectrum.

Hrm. Its always a bit uncomfortable seeing Hank sick ants on Jan.

But also, he can apparently command the loyalty of ants even without his helmet. So that’s neat.

Doctor Spectrum just creates a propeller though and disperses the ant swarm and assumes that the winds would have knocked out Hank or killed him. So whatever.

But then a bunch of superheroes burst through the wall hole that Doctor Spectrum kindly provided.

There’s Beast, Captain America, Black Panther, and Ms Marvel.

That’s a lot of blue and blue as black highlights. This is the Avengers’ Blue Team. Gold team would be led by Iron Man.

They were summoned by Hank who alluded to a mysterious precaution he had taken. But it was just a general alert so didn’t indicate that the threat was Doctor Spectrum or that Doctor Spectrum is Janet this time.

So without hesitation, the heroes attack. Although, Doctor Spectrum has a force field so even though Cap throws his mighty shield, Doctor Spectrum’s abdomen refuses to yield. Its like she doesn’t even know the song.

Ms Marvel flies up and punches Doctor Spectrum who says the cliche ‘I almost felt that’ before blasting her with a few thousand mega-watts.

I thought Ms Marvel (by the by, the Carol Danvers one, not Kamala) could absorb and redirect energy but I guess not always.

Seeing that Ms Marvel was just shocked with enough electricity to possibly kill someone, Black Panther does the only sensible thing and puts Doctor Spectrum in a headlock.

Oh, T’Challa... never change!

Cap tries to tell Black Panther to pry away the prism but its too late. Doctor Spectrum blasts the three heroes with a BRAM!

But by this point, Ms Marvel has gotten back up.

Ms Marvel: “I’ve got to hand it to you. That electro-shock hurt plenty!”

Doctor Spectrum: “‘Hurt’!? It... was meant to totally incapacitate!”

Ms Marvel: “Oh, it was, was it? In that case, I don’t feel so bad... about knocking you through the blasted wall!!”

And then Ms Marvel punches her through the blasted wall.

This gets Spectrum’s dander up. She was planning on adding Ms Marvel to her collection of hostages to lure Thor with. But now she’s just going to kill her.

Ms Marvel says the equivalent of ‘come on if you think you’re hard enough’ but then Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch show up and flank Spectrum.

Doctor Spectrum boasts that “Mine is the power of thought! Anything I can conceive I can pit against you!”

She hasn’t done much with it so far outside the propeller thing. Mainly just generic blasts, electricity, and force fields. But be afraid that at some point she might be actually creative with her powers, fools!

And then Vision flies out of the pool. For dramatic effect, I assume.

Vision: “You are not so invincible as you would have us believe. Anyone who has perused the proper files knows you possess a weakness -- a weakness that I, with my computer mind, could not fail to recall!”

And he activates the sun lamps he’s holding, blasting Doctor Spectrum with ultraviolet radiation as she protests that only Iron Man knows her weakness.

Vision then calls her a dumbass for assuming that the Avengers wouldn’t share knowledge about their enemies.

Makes sense to Ms Marvel though. To someone like Doctor Spectrum, allies are tools to be used. You wouldn’t just share potentially valuable information for free! Obviously!

Hank, Hank, and Captain America all come out from the house. And Hank (Pym) reveals that Doctor Spectrum is actually... JANET.

And with prism ultravioleted, the Spectrum costume fades, revealing her true identity.

BUT ALSO SHE’S IN A COMA <dramatic sting>

So the Avengers do what they always do whenever anything vaguely medical happens.

Call Mysterious Doctor Donald Blake. I.e., Thor. A.k.a., Donald Blake.

And while Dr Thor flies across the state, the Avengers keep a watch over Wasp. Although not a close enough watch to notice that her hands are glowing. One job. You had one job.

Truly the power prism is still active and is playing dead because it senses Thor coming.

Although the power prism is also baffled and dare I say even flabbergasted when it senses Thor vanish, as Dr Donald Blake shows up.

Actual doctor, Donald Blake, diagnoses Jan as physically fine but in some weird hypnotic trance. Like that alien prism that took her over still has a grip on her mind but is too weak to exert its will. Exactly like that scenario.

Removing the power prism isn’t even an option. It has fused into her nervous system. Removing it could kill her. (Also you could try chopping off her hand. It might just work.)

What they need is more information about this asshole space gem. Maybe Thor should go soak in a mystically significant pool, his abs intercepting potent oracular rays from the future. Or maybe they’ll just go ask Dr. Strange.

MEANWHILE, yeah. Iron Man, Quicksilver, and Wonder Man are still stuck in a capsule in a secret place. Its not space, to my dismay. Its actually the Atlantic Ocean which is at least a close second.

Luckily the Power Prism wasn’t completely zonked out because the capsule is still transmitting just enough oxygen to keep the three heroes alive but unconscious.

Also, Captain America very briefly switches into short-sleeves for summer, as if in some kind of coloring error, but switches back off-panel.

So the Avengers get in the Quinjet and go visit Dr. Strange.

He lives in the same city as they do. They’re lucky Tony pays for all this jet fuel.

Anyway, since the Defenders are the ones that beat Dr. Spectrum last time, Strange will be able to tell them what happened to the original host.

Wong tries to shoo the Avengers away because clearly Dr. Strange is far too busy to-

Dr. Strange interrupts to tell Wong to let them in.

Dr. Strange: “I sensed from the other room that this is a matter only I can deal with.”

Fun fact: hearing is a sense. In magician talk he may well be saying ‘I couldn’t help but overhear but this is a job for SORCERER SUPREME’

Although the extent of his help is to exposit some of what happened in Defenders apparently and then sending them on their way with an address.

As dubious as this sounds, apparently the Squadron Sinister broke no laws when they tried to sell the Earth to an alien and possibly other appearances since. So Dr. Strange just mind wiped them.

Difference between Marvel and DC. Marvel could never do a comic event about how mind wiping is bad because Dr. Strange has been gleefully doing it for decades with everyone mostly cool with it.

Anyway, he used Brand Ecch brain washing soap apparently because just one Squaddie seeing the Avengers may cause the whole sinister package to remember their evil ways and evil desires.

Are we sure that Dr. Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme and not just the Sorcerer Pretty Okay?

Oh and the reason why Dr. Strange is too busy to help? He has to watch Clea dance. BUT IN FAIRNESS, she’s dancing the Rituals of Valtorr and without proper supervision, why chaos could envelop the globe! And that’s why its very important that Dr. Strange watch very carefully.

I think some Titan Up The Defense is rubbing off on my perception of Dr. Strange. I can even hear the voice.

PART TWO: TO TAME A TORTURED TITAN

Guess what?

Split up gang, we’ll cover more ground that way!

Vision, Ms Marvel, and Black Panther go to the Arnold Columbo Health Spa in Queens. I don’t know that Vision can actually get swole and Black Panther is perfect the way he is. Have you seen how he’s drawn in the Christopher Priest run? He’s practically a dorito. A Bruce Timm character even.

Inside the health spa, Thundra is introduced to Mr. Kant. I guess a personal trainer.

Thundra immediately emasculates everyone present by lifting up a lat pulldown machine. A machine which weighs tons. But you’re doing it wrong. Its pulldown, not lift up. You’re working the wrong muscle group, Thundra.

But then Mr. Kant (I mean, obviously its Hyperion. He’s Not-Superman and Mr. Kant is a very Not-Superman name) sees the Avengers.

As Dr. Strange said, just seeing them brings back Hyperion’s memories and Hyperion’s memories are not good memories. I don’t know if anyone recalls this but Squadron Sinister Hyperion’s motives were that Earth accidentally destroyed his home planet because it was the size of an atom and Earth accidentally atom smashed it.

So instantly upon seeing the Avengers, its like a billion people died right in front of him all over again.

So he tells them to fuck off, understandably enough. And when Ms Marvel does not in fact fuck off, Thundra punches her through a wall.

She’s okay though. She even has time to quip as she flies through the women’s calisthenics class.

Vision tells Thundra that they came here to talk, not to fight. And then to show how disappointed he is with her aggressive actions, Vision shoots Thundra with his Heat Vision.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kant tries to put Black Panther in a headlock but Black Panther just flips him into some other bodybuilders.

I jumped the gun early because apparently Hyperion’s memory was gradually returning. Hatred of the Avengers and dead people first. And now he has remembered that he has super powers and he slams two barbells together hard enough to disintegrate them. The shockwaves scatter everyone in the room.

Except Vision.

He increased his mass to withstand the attack and now he calls Hyperion emotionally wrought and blows up the exercise equipment he was going to hit Vision with.

Meanwhile, another bodybuilder challenges Vision to fisticuffs. So Ms Marvel punches him.

A dazed Thundra gets in Ms Marvel’s way. So Ms Marvel punches her.

She’s really good at punching.

Meanwhile, Hyperion continues to be emotionally overwrought and angry that anyone would say that about him.

Hyperion: “You deride my actions, calling them emotional -- ! Tell me, Avenger, how would you feel if the planet which birthed you was destroyed -- all its people wiped out!?! Your world is going to pay for what it did to mine!”

In fairness, I think he’s earned his anger.

He did not earn a punch to Vision’s noggin and when he tries for one, Vision goes intangible and then does the inverse hand trick. Instead of sticking his hand in someone and slightly solidifying it, Vision slightly solidifies his head while Hyperion’s fist is through it.

Either way, it hurts like hell.

Meanwhile, Black Panther breaks up the fight between Ms Marvel and Thundra to gaze upon a miracle of sorts.

Vision and Hyperion are... talking? Like reasonable adults??

Vision: “I recommend you examine the forces that drive you -- both for the sake of the planet you threaten and for the sake of your own sanity.”

Hyperion: “Don’t try to imply my anger is unjustified. I warn you --”

Vision: “You have reason for sorrow. You have lost much! What I fault is your persistence in blaming an entire planet’s populace for the accidental deed of a handful of a well-meaning scientists. It was a tragedy, but an irreparable one. And you must allow yourself to recognize it as such.”

Hyperion: “But you can’t understand how helpless I feel! With all my strength, there is nothing I can do. I can’t restore a single life -- !”

Vision: “Frustration can be put toward constructive goals. Perhaps you should seek out the unknowing scientists who erred... keep them from making the same mistake again... from destroying another micro-world.”

Long moments pass, as Hyperion reflects on what has been said. Finally he slowly nods...

Great jimminy! Maybe Vision should become a therapist. The Marvel universe is lacking people who can talk to superheroes about their problems. Its mostly Doc Sampson and Moonstone. And Moonstone is evil.

Meanwhile, Thundra is confused. Who did a disagreement end without a determination of who is more powerful? Where, she might ask, was the arm wrestling contest?

AND NOW PART THREE: THE SPEEDSTER SINISTER!

Captain America, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye (a mere three-quarters of a kooky quartet) go to the warehouse HQ of Hudson Pharmaceuticals in West Caldwell, NJ to track down a speedster. But alas, not the one that will complete the set.

But as soon as perfectly ordinary and fastest pharmaceutical formulizer Harvey sees the Avengers, his memories immediately return and he remembers he’s the Whizzer!

Some memories you just don’t want back!

And hey, it took much less time than Hyperion did. Probably because of the superspeed.

The Whizzer immediately tries to kill the Avengers. I guess mind-wipes sometimes do have negative consequences!

He runs at the three and although they dodge, he was really aiming to rummage through a crate of drugs.

Because he’s a chemical genius. Instead of mongoose blood, this Whizzer made a pill that gave him superspeed. So its no trouble at all for him to whip up a smoke bomb out of random chemicals.

Although the cloud is green. It may be a stink smoke bomb.

Hawkeye shoots a ‘vaccuum up the gas’ arrow because why wouldn’t he have one of those? Do you not remember that he invented anti-gravity? Fitting a motor powerful enough and a container small enough for an arrow is child’s play to Hawkeye, arrow genius.

Even with the smoke gone, Whizzer is whizzering all around shoulder checking Hawkeye and boasting “How can you stop a foe who is elsewhere by the time you strike?”

The answer is obvious though.

When Captain America throws his mighty shield, all who oppose his shield must yield. FACTS.

And with a chang wang BONK! a ricocheted mighty shield bonks Whizzer in the back of the noggin.

Cap has practiced fighting superspeed foes in mock battle with Quicksilver. Plus, this is exactly how he beat the Supreme version of Whizzer when they fought on Other-Earth.

But there will be no talking this foe down. Apparently none possess Vision’s amazingly unexpected conciliatory prowess. Either that or maybe Whizzer had less sympathetic motives than Hyperion.

So they’re just going to sedate the hell out of him so he’s out of their hair through the current crisis.

Also, the foreman or whoever who called Harvey down to see the Avengers just disappeared between panels. In fairness, I’d do the same if a superhero fight broke out in my workplace.

PART FOUR: WHERE THERE’S A WILL...

Beast is flying solo on this one. For some reason. Surely one of the teams that had three members could have spared one.

Anyway.

The latest brainwashed member of the Squadron Sinister is... an evangelist named Billy Roberts?

And he is preaching to a huge crowd.

Even though the gist of the sermon is basically ‘how dare people accuse me of being in it for the money, why I tell you I’d do anyone a favor right now!’

Basically.

So Beast jumps out of the audience and goes ‘dibs.’

And after relaying the essential facts, Beast and Billy Roberts go off-stage to continue the conversation. Probably upsetting all these hundreds of people that came a long way to hear a man shout stuff about how pious he is.

And now that Billy Roberts has regained his memory he shares the SECRET ORIGIN OF DR SPECTRUM. Or a secret origin. Or something.

Bob Farmer, a sanitation worker in Detroit found a giant jewel in the trash. But Bob Farmer is an honest man who only believes in what he earns through his own labors so he gave it to Billy Roberts because Bob Farmer is also a very religious man.

Billy Roberts was going to sell it to fund his services but whoops, turns out it was a power prism and it possessed him.

Which is a very different story from the one the prism itself told but whatever. I’m sure nothing will come of this discrepancy.

But if Beast brings Billy Roberts to Jan and the power prism, he’s sure it can be brought under control again. Very sure.

So the Avengers return to the Pym pool with Billy Roberts in tow.

Hank thinks this is some joke, bringing a preacher to deal with alien jewel possession but he settles down when Billy Roberts explains his backstory again.

Billy Roberts: “This then, is the afflicted? I do not claim to have been granted healing powers by the Lord. But I do believe the scripture that says ‘All things come... to he who waits!’”

And the power prism leaves Jan and levitates towards Billy Roberts.

Too late, Black Panther realizes Billy’s perfidy and that he was only looking to regain the prism’s power.

Too late because the gem and host are reunited again with a BRAM! and Dr. Spectrum stands before the Avengers once again.

Dr Spectrum: “I was chosen by the Lord! Discovering the gem was a sign... a reward for my years of unyielding faith in him! His trust in me abounds! My will is his will!”

Hoo boy.

Billy Roberts Spectrum is also better at using the Power Prism’s green lantern-esque power better than Jan was. Which means he’s better at it than the prism itself.

He creates a giant energy fist and punches Beast, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye seneseless. And then creates giant electrodes that electrocute Captain America. All while yelling that he’s doing god’s will and they’re suffering god’s wrath for opposing him.

During the fight, Actual Doctor David Blake sneaks off. And then Thor appears! Huh, y’know have we ever seen those two in the same room at the same time?

But if you’ll recall from many words above, Thor appearing was exactly what the prism was aiming for. And having the focus for its singular objective appear in front of it allows the prism to wrest control away from Reverend Roberts and abscond his body.

To lodge in Mjolnir and take control of Thor.

Uh oh.

MEANWHILE, so hey. Apparently Roberts taking the prism from Jan caused the bubble that Dr Spectrum had trapped Iron Man, Wonder Man, and Quicksilver in UNDER THE SEA to burst.

If not for Iron Man’s quick action, Quicksilver would have drowned. As is, he swallowed a lot of water and will not be joining the big, exciting superhero fight. And Wonder Man will stay to watch him. So just Iron Man will be going to join the rest of the plot.

Meanwhile, Spectrum Thor (he doesn’t even get the costume. What a rip-off) blasts Ms Marvel out of the fight.

Scarlet Witch tries to Do A Thing but a near miss with lightning knocks her off her feet and out of the fight.

So Vision tries to... Guess.

a) Challenge Thor to a rap-off;

b) Fight the brainwashing with the power of love;

c) Do that thing he always do, like every single time, and jam his hand into a person

If you guessed c then you win nothing. But were correct.

Doesn’t work though because Spectrum Thor sticks his hammer in Vision’s chest, the mystic energies causing Vision too much pain for him to finish his hand thing.

So I guess all the Avengers are defeated for- oh hey Iron Man.

He makes quite an entrance. Shooting his repulsors while diving at Thor. And subsequently getting smacked away like a baseball. Homerun?

Iron Man recovers quickly and tries to blast Spectrum Thor with ultraviolet light but alarums and alack!

The Power Prism didn’t just want Thor’s body to be the biggest and buffest! Thor’s Asgardian bod renders the prism immune to ultraviolet light. For some reason.

Just go with it.

But suddenly and arbitrarily, the enchantment on Mjolnir picks now to remember that its a thing. A possessed Thor is not Worthy so Mjolnir becomes too heavy to hold.

And Iron Man wastes no time before he starts punching Thor in the face.

I’m wondering why Thor is even still mind-controlled if he’s not holding Mjolnir but whatever.

I won’t worry about it because something glorious happens.

THE RETURN OF THE IRON ROLLER SKATES!

Annnnnnd they are about as effective as always. Which is to say, not.

Iron Man tries to skates circles around Thor to confuse him and Thor just punches him in the face.

But look. The Iron Skates are not great because they’re good. They’re great because they’re bad. They try their best. Leave them alone.

Thor stands over the fallen Iron Man gloating... so Iron Man shoots him with his feet repulsors. But he realizes that everything he does is a temporary measure. He can’t beat Thor!

So its very lucky that a plot device is around to kick in right about now.

Guess how long its been since Thor dropped Mjolnir? Sixty seconds. And Thor is gone in sixty seconds, replaced by Actual Doctor Donald Blake.

And Mjolnir is replaced by a simple walking stick.

And here’s the thing. The power prism literally blinks out of existence because the enchantment on Mjolnir that governs its change of state didn’t make allowances for any stowaways.

The prism and the intelligence it contained have ceased to exist. Possibly forever. But probably not.

Blake even speculates that the ‘lose the power of Thor if don’t hold hammer for 60 seconds’ rule was even Odin’s safeguard against this very situation. To protect Earth from a thunder god gone berserk.

But there’s no time to really grapple with the multitude of questions raised by this annual. Because:

BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Happy birthday, Jan! Your husband is a terrible gift-giver! Make it a rule, no year is the Evil Extraterrestrial Intelligence Anniversary.

So the process of writing up this annual might have been agonizing but I liked the issue itself. We revisit the Squadron Supreme, get to see several Spectrums (oh I get the title now), Vision gets to talk Hyperion down, and it all ends on a party.

Plus, when the Squadron Supreme or Sinister attack as a group, they individually get taken out pretty fast. So it was interesting to see what a big threat Doctor Spectrum could be even to a whole gaggle of Avengers. That Green Lantern-esque power is potent.

Good times!

You should follow @essential-avengers because it will make an intelligent space gem angry. I can’t prove this nor do I have even the flimsiest basis for saying this but nonetheless its true possibly.

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theliberaltony · 6 years ago

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

More women are running for president than ever. But there’s no one way to do it. This is the second article in a series exploring the way that the female candidates in the 2020 race are navigating questions of identity, sexism and public critique.

As a child, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand recalls being mesmerized by the jiggly arms of middle-aged women stuffing envelopes with political mailers. This is part of her stump speech — a thing you start to notice about Gillibrand is that she seems quite alive to the physicality of being a woman in the world. She talks about the haircuts she got that law firm bosses praised instead of her work, and the indignity of being underestimated by her first political opponent as “just another pretty face” (perhaps not coincidentally, also a humblebrag). In her 2014 book, she mentions her weight — and other people mentioning her weight — well over a dozen times.

Gillibrand might have thought that 2018’s “year of the woman” fervor would sweep along her presidential campaign. Her most high-profile political battles have been about the injustices — large and small — facing women. If voters know her, it’s likely for her fight with the Pentagon on military sexual assault (her reform bill was defeated in 2014) or for when she became “the senator from the state of #MeToo” when she was the first — though not the last — Democratic senator to call for Al Franken to resign.

Behind the crusading work for women is a pragmatic political career. Since her start in politics as an upstate New York congresswoman, Gillibrand evolved her position on guns and immigration. On the trail, Gillibrand talks a lot about how electable she is given the fact that she won 18 Trump-voting counties in her 2018 Senate campaign. But being electable in your home state in 2018 doesn’t necessarily mean you’re electable in a 2020 presidential primary. Gillibrand is currently polling at a dismal 0.5 percent average in polls. Something hasn’t clicked. It might be that Gillibrand’s attempt to mix her activist instincts with a moderate’s pragmatism is too odd a pairing for today’s Democratic Party.

***

New Hampshire’s highway medians were carpeted with purple lupine and clots of daisies when I caught Gillibrand on a swing through the state in mid-June. Six months into her campaign, she was still playing small venues like The Franklin Studio coffee shop in Franklin, New Hampshire. (Down the street was Granite State Hedgehogs, a purveyor of actual, factual hedgehogs.)

Mike and Pat Kane, retirees from northern Massachusetts, sat in the back of a small room filled with tchotchkes, waiting for Gillibrand to arrive. They hadn’t picked a candidate yet but were intrigued enough by Gillibrand to have made the drive from out of state. Pat described the couple as “socially liberal and fiscally conservative. “We’re not interested in the warriors,” Mike said, meaning Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

While she’s tried hard to make a splash in the overly crowded field, Gillibrand is still introducing herself to voters (her name recognition is in the middle of the pack among 2020 contenders). Gillibrand’s stump speech is heavy on biography, with quick homages to her politicking grandmother and her turkey-shooting mother before a mention of how foolish her 2008 congressional opponent was to launch attack ads on the pregnant mother of a toddler. (Later, Gillibrand told me that her strategy is to overcome media storylines by burrowing into the hearts and minds of as many early state voters as possible: “I have a chance to win them over regardless of what’s going on in the national narrative, so I can break through.”)

There isn’t really a mention of the #MeToo movement in Gillibrand’s stump speech, though she does cite Hillary Clinton’s “women’s rights are human rights” speech as the inspiration for the start of her political career. It’s a fraught reference masquerading as a banal one. In 2017, Gillibrand said Bill Clinton should have resigned the presidency because of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. That, along with some of Gillibrand’s other outspoken statements during the height of the #MeToo movement, has in many ways backfired for her politically. Her Clinton comments raised the ire of both Clinton allies and party donors. One prominent Clinton adviser called Gillibrand a “hypocrite” for taking the “Clintons’ money, endorsements and seat,” a reference to the fact that Gillibrand was appointed to Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat in 2009 when she became secretary of state for President Obama.

Many traditional large-dollar donors in the party reacted adversely to Gillibrand’s Franken comments, and in an April campaign memo, her team acknowledged that her fundraising “was adversely impacted by certain establishment donors — and many online — who continue to punish Kirsten for standing up for her values and for women.” Gillibrand has continued to struggle with donations and only recently met the 65,000 individual donor threshold for the first debate. Inexperienced candidates Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson both met the metric before Gillibrand.

Gillibrand’s “Brave Wins” slogan seems to reference her trailblazing on issues and her ability to weather harsh criticism (and to take on Trump). But in a primary that has increasingly become about “big idea” reimaginings of American institutions — the health care system, the Electoral College, consumer finance protections, college tuition and debt — she has gotten somewhat lost in the 24-person shuffle. While Gillibrand introduced a paid family leave act this year, it’s not one of the marquee issues of the primary campaign. Her most high-profile work is centered on concerns perceived as affecting women most — sexual harassment, sexual assault — but it’s fellow Democratic contender Sen. Kamala Harris who has most recently grabbed headlines for a plan that would place the burden of equal pay on companies rather than on under-compensated individuals (typically women). In some ways, the progressive drift of the party on issues of identity and gender leaves Gillibrand as part of a progressive pack rather than a leader on gender equality issues. Where Democratic candidates make the most splash seems to be on issues of the economy, often on capitalism itself. Gillibrand has adopted many of the new progressive ideas, but she hasn’t trailblazed on them.

Perhaps that’s why she’s tacking back to a posture of moderation. The bills that Gillibrand mentioned in New Hampshire aren’t necessarily flashy ones, but they have a specific audience in mind. “In the last Congress, I passed 18 bills with a Republican House, Senate and President signing them into law. Those are common-sense bills, like rural broadband, money for made-in-America manufacturing, money for small businesses — things that can actually make a difference in places like Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania,” she said.

Gillibrand had just finished her second event of the day at a bar in Plymouth and we sat across from each other at a high-top table. Earlier she had called herself “the most electable candidate” in the field and I asked Gillibrand whether she worried if the political environment had changed such that a liberal woman from New York is seen as too culturally far afield from swing voters in the Midwest. “Not at all. I think I’m perfect for those voters, in fact, because I’ve been representing those rural places in this climate for the past 10 years.”

When she represented her upstate congressional district 10 years ago, Gillibrand had an “A” rating from the NRA and was against protections for sanctuary cities. She quickly changed those positions to jibe with her downstate constituents, a move that got her plenty of critique as disingenuous. That rapid evolution is part of what makes her 2020 campaign trail mix of progressivism and professed moderate appeal so interesting — it’s high-risk moderation, given that Gillibrand has already been labeled pliable to the whims of the electorate at any given moment.

“I honestly think that Sen. Gillibrand is closer to Kirsten Gillibrand the human being than the congresswoman was,” David Paterson, the former governor of New York who appointed Gillibrand to her Senate seat told me. Her mistake, Paterson said, had been that she didn’t manage the ideological transition well in public. “You supervise your own evolution,” he said of politicians.

I was in New Hampshire on one of the last days of motorcycle week. Fairly or not, Trump has become associated with the biker community, at times hinting that they might serve as enforcers of a kind (for what and because of what is never clear). Heading to Gillibrand’s Plymouth bar event, I passed a “Live Free and Dine” sign and a gaggle of bikers. The roads were lousy with Harleys, too, which made the appearance of a white Audi with a Pod Save America “Friend of the Pod” bumper sticker on the road from Franklin to Plymouth all the more striking. Gillibrand’s proposed coalition is, if you are to believe her, Trump sympathizers and Democratic establishment liberals. Given the cultural and political divisions of America in 2019, it’s hard to imagine the two groups crossing into Gillibrand’s lane, whatever that lane is. As the senator might say with a pepped-up grin, “It’s so early.” She’s still hoping for her moment.

From ABC News:

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Clare Malone

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