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kryptznnn · 5 days ago

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♛/♡ -Tragedy

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

➸ INTERESTS; - aged up!neteyam x omatikayan f!reader

➸ BACKGROUND; - Love at first sight doesn’t exist, everyone knows that. There’s attraction, reaction, and understanding someone to call something love. Neteyam wasn’t sure what it was that he felt for you, but whatever it was, he didn’t want it to end.

➸ WARNINGS; - wc 5.6k, romantic tension, sexual tension, kissing, fluff, smut, yearning, build-up, stalking mentions, imaginative daydreaming, masturbation (m!undergoing), straddling, orgasm mentions, attraction, seductive mentions, sexual actions, slight dry-humping, arousal mention, etc.

➸a.i; - we are so back amen also not proof readddd + recommended songs below!!

(1st quarter)

(2nd quarter)

(3rd quarter)

(4th quarter)

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

It started with subtle glances, correction, it always started with subtle glances. Impressively it hadn’t gotten much farther than that, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want it too.

Out at a large celebratory festival thrown by the entire village as a sort of remembrance of the great war is when he saw you. Of course, he and his family were the center of attention, being deemed some branch of royalty, and yet you were in his view all night.

His attention span wasn’t as good as he thought it was, or as well as his father had trained it to be, especially when it came to something he liked. Well, he wasn’t sure if he liked you, he hadn’t known you, not a name, a voice, or a touch, just a face, hair, skin, and your body.

Whatever it was you had him looking at you constantly, it was something he could do all the time without getting bored. Unexpectedly that’s nearly what he did all night if it wasn’t for his siblings and parents driving him elsewhere.

He watched as you interacted with your friends, or maybe they were family, he wouldn’t know. He watched the way you smiled and nodded as you listened to the conversation of others, oddly enough your smile was enough to make him smile as well.

His favorite was watching the way your chest heaved, and throat rumbled a bit before you’d laugh, quickly placing a hand in front of your mouth as you did so. Thankfully for him he was watching from the side, so he could still see your mouth as you laughed.

Or maybe the way you moved so fluently from one table to another to acquire more food and drinks for the others. The way you’d move to the sounds of the music, or how he’d read your lips to know you were slightly singing along.

Neteyam is a man of many things, an observer at largest. It’s one of the skills his father taught him that he’s always favorited. “Always check your surroundings when you enter a new crowd”, and somehow after taking in his father’s advice he’d always attempt to look for you.

In gathering parties after hunting cycles, visitors who would come to his family’s kelku or even his own, even while he trained the younger warriors as their general. Even if you managed to be somewhere off afar, he would be quick to catch your eye, you’d always stand for a second before waving him a quick hello before moving along.

That was enough to change his routine as embarrassing as it sounds. Like taking a completely different route to get out in the morning or get to base camp and train warriors earlier than anticipated on certain days of the week because you’d be in the forest across from the gentlemen.

He knew better than to approach you so suddenly, well not suddenly, it’s been weeks since he had first seen you. He wasn’t sure how he could form a simple conversation without fucking himself over.

It isn’t easy to start a small conversation and ask for the name of someone who you’ve been infatuated with for a while now. He would always just brush it off and try to surround himself with working or training to occupy his time.

Until of course his parents were sure to sit him down and now seriously talk to him about his future and their future heirs. The fact you continuously rotted his mind as his parents spoke to the point where his breathing was ragged was enough to say. His parents understood well enough there was someone who their eldest had an eye on, they just didn’t know if their son was ready for it.

Oh, he was more than ready for it, ready for you. If it wasn’t embarrassing enough, he prayed to Ewya several times throughout the day just to get closer with you, maybe bump into one another or brush against one another. Just to hear you laugh again or see what style you’ve done differently with your hair, and thankfully it seems she answered.

As Neteyam stayed late tidying up after the warriors he was training you waved off your friends, a basket clung to your side filled with fruits. His eyes never left your figure, narrowing them as he watched your movements as you spun around and listening to your words as you mentioned something that had given him interest.

“I can do next week's batch myself! Thank you, guys.”

Oh? That seemed like the perfect opportunity for him, at least to get past a hand wave each week. He smiled to himself softly as he began to think of what he would plan for then until he heard your friends reply back to you. They all yelled their goodbyes and your name following after, ringing in his ears like the roar of a palulukan.

“Y/n” he whispered to himself softly before chewing on his bottom lip. He hadn’t wasted any time in collecting his other belongings and making his way back to his kelku.

He had officially made up his mind on what he wanted to do, and how he would work his way up to you. He just needed to wait until morning and get as much sleep as possible.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

Neteyam was too clever for his own good, nodding too himself at a job well done before shoving the items he had taken back into his families kelku. Surprisingly enough he waited the whole week to remove the fruits on the lower branches, and leaving those only he could reach.

This was a new low, even for him, he’d never done something like this before especially not for a woman. Like everyone loves to say, there’s a first time for everything of course.

So of course, he waited and waited for you to arrive, keeping his warriors in training as he tightened the bindings by his waist before making his way over to you.

“Do you need assistance?” He asked, his voice calm but firm, looking down at you. You perked your head to the side slightly your eyes not leaving the fruits hung up from above you. He watched your arm reach back up again before lowering it slowly and fixing your eyes on him.

He took in your figure for a moment, watching as your hair now laid on top of your shoulders and collarbones now as you fully faced him. He also took in your scent, it was sweet and so captivating, if he wasn’t any stronger, he would’ve lost his mind over it, over you.

“Yes please, if you aren’t too busy” you said softly, nodding slightly and thanking him, taking a step back to give him enough space. He could never be too busy for you, never, even if he wasn’t he would’ve left whatever it was if he could just see you, let alone help.

He wasted no time in reaching his arm over, plucking a handful of fruits from each branch in front of the two of you. His hands were large, you took that into account, palming nearly 6 of the fruits in just one hand with a steady grip so they wouldn’t fall. Yet again he was gentle with them to the point where they wouldn’t burst or ooze out.

As you held out your basket for him to place the fruits in with others that were already inside you could hear his breath falter slightly. Your attention was focused upon his face, scanning it for something, whatever it was he hadn’t liked it, it made him uncomfortable. His gaze quickly diverted from yours, looking back at his warriors in training now on a ‘water-break’ before clearing his throat and speaking up.

“It’s nice to finally meet you properly, my name is Neteyam.” He spoke softly, turning his gaze back to you and motioning the ‘I see you’ gesture, as you did the same to him. He was whipped, his pupils widening slightly as he watched you in awe. Honestly if he hadn’t known any better, he would’ve assumed his jaw was open as he listened to your voice.

The way you nodded and smiled at him, not hiding it. Or maybe the way you greeted him and thanked him for his help, introducing yourself lines after. He liked the way you said your name, pronounced it in your thick accent, or how your lips pursed together when you said it. How it sounded differently coming from yourself than your friends from last week. He loved how you said his name, especially so fluently, so full of curiosity and care, or how your lips touched at the last letter of his name.

Maybe he does like you, just a little, remember he still doesn’t know you, or at least not as well as he wanted too, no matter how bad he wanted to change that. All he could do was watch you walk away from him yet again, a full conversation not even brewing between the two of you and it was killing him. Watching you wave your goodbyes to him, watching the way the small woven basket clung to your side like a newborn child, or even how you made walking look easy, different almost, in your own way.

He could only stand and close his eyes, bawling his fists for mere seconds to bask in your scent again, envisioning you again, you smile, your lips, your eyes, your everything. A snarl was practically ready to rip out from his chest, he was so close and yet so far. Temptation is such an evil thing, almost like a parasite eating at its host, but with Neteyam it seemed as if he loved the thrill that would come from it. Being nervous around you, going out of his way just to see you, or help you in any way he can, he’s not being weird or anything, just friendly.

Right

Friendly

He’s being friendly because he’s a nice kindhearted man, doing his duty looking out for the people in his clan.

So why was it so different with you? What made you so different? Everything made you different, like how you bring a heat to his face or chest, this isn’t normal in the slightest. He thought to himself how he interacts with other friends his age or how they make him feel, and it was nothing like this, and honestly, he wasn’t appalled, just drawn in further.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

It’s nothing but curiosity, he had questions and what better way than to answer them himself. He knows he has issues, like not liking to ask others for help, but he didn’t need it, he already knew so much about you from just watching you closely over the next few weeks.

What flowers you liked and how you liked them sorted, your favorite fruit being the same one he helped you pick, how many members of your family there were, and surprising enough you are the middle child. He was proud of himself, practically swallowing down the shame and guilt he had for following you around, he used his skills for great use, and it was only for a short period of time.

Now things have gotten even better, as your father had gone directly towards the leader of your people, Neteyam’s father for help on your behavior. Something new to get your energy out of, the stress and pressure of personal things were getting to you, and he was sure archery would be of great help.

Either that or sparring, and it seemed safer to spar, as he couldn’t dream of the casualty if you were to strike someone with an arrow. Whether you liked it or not you had no other choice to comply, but when you found out that Neteyam would be fitting you into his tight schedule and be your personal trainer things seemed to be a little better.

You were a very picky woman, but honestly you couldn’t hate or push past him, he seemed sweet and gentle, plus very handsome. You’d be completely stupid to send away a man like him, that you knew, and you were anything other than dumb, so you’d stick by him.

Like as of right now, being your first day of sparring with Neteyam. The two of you circling each other slightly, a small bruise on your arm as there was a much larger one underneath Neteyam’s left eye. Apparently, his job was to fish out whatever emotions he could out of you, and honestly it was working.

Of course, it was working because the way you attacked him was uncalled for, you were a fighter unlike one he’d seen before. You don’t fight with grace or precision; you fight with everything you have. As if your life is at stake and you’re struggling to stay alive, fighting however you can and using your surroundings. You fought against him as if he was genuinely inflicting harm onto you, as if it was kill or be killed in a simple sparring.

The several times he caught up to your tactics he only pinned your arms behind your back momentarily. His broad and heavy chest pressed against your broad back, both of your breathing patterns seeming to align with one another, heavy and rough. His breath fanning your skin by your neck, making you jolt slightly and kick his leg with force, knocking him back.

Is fighting supposed to have this much tension in it? It didn’t make any sense; this hadn’t made any sense. This was much more difficult than you anticipated, and worst of all Neteyam enjoyed every second of it. The touching, glances, subtle smirks or victorious expressions you’d give off.

He was doing it on purpose, between the two of you he was and would always be the better fighter, he was just letting you win. In his eyes you deserved it, you deserve anything he can provide for you, and so that’s exactly what he’d do.

He laid on the sandy floors beneath the two of you, sighing to himself heavily before propping himself up on his elbows. You turned around swiftly to take in his state, then looking back at yourself before offering him a hand. He happily took it and bounced back to his feet, announcing this would be the last fight between the two of you for the evening as the sun began to fade and colors filled the sky.

Well, that was a few minutes ago, as of now you were sure how or when this happened. Or maybe you made a wrong move to fuck yourself over, but this wasn’t expected at all. You laid back flat against the sandy floors now, Neteyam atop you, his forearm pressed against your collarbone as he used his hand to press down on your shoulder.

He was firm yet gentle, like he always had been, always had been with you. It’s not that you couldn’t move, you could, you just refused too. You refused to go anywhere or ruin this moment; with the way he was looking into your eyes or the way his seemed blown out you couldn’t help but look at him in awe.

The colors of the sky were now fully in effect as the dim sunlight shined brighter than ever, the hues mixing into his blue skin and eyes. Your eyes seemed to be moving at speed beyond explanation as you wanted to take in such a sight.

It hadn’t seemed like he wanted to move either, but unfortunately, he was quick to move off of you, apologizing. This time he was the one to offer you a hand to help you up, which you took and stood up, dusting yourself off. You also took this time to dust off your face if there was any dirt there before looking up at him.

His eyes were already fixated on you, correction, they never left you. You made your way around him slightly before squinting, as the sunlight was now directly on you and your face. It was hard to see with the nearly blinding light, but you could still feel his eyes on you. You only turned around, you're back now facing him as you packed your belongings before thanking him before getting ready to leave, and to which he wasted no time in stopping you.

“Will I see you tomorrow morning? After we return from our morning hunt?” He asked, his voice laced with anxiety and eagerness. Eager for you to say yes, hungry almost, and to see you nodding in agreement only sent a large smile plastered onto his face. The two of you saying your goodbyes and leaving your spot before seeing your families again.

The way you clouded Neteyam’s mind was intoxicating and sickening. He would trip over his own feet and tail if he hadn’t had a strong heart and mind. He finally had you exactly where he wanted you after so long and he was nonetheless happier than ever. He was happy that you finally saw him, saw how he saw you. Or at least he was content that you were able to see yourself through his eyes without having to share a word.

Oh, how he wishes he could come home to you every night instead of just the thought of you, his short, fixated imagination of you sprawled against his bed. Maybe even you waltzing around his kelku with that sly little walk you do, the one that makes him keep his eyes on your hips and thighs.

He wishes most of all in this very moment for you to be with him now, at the very back of his kelku, out of sight and out of mind. In his large cut off of water from the main rivers supply just to his satisfaction to clean off, the two of your bodies entangled with one another like how they had been earlier.

That would be perfect to him, feeling your hand graze down against his chest to his torso again. Or listen to you say his name over and over, and even the way you’d adjust your loincloth and top after every other fight. The sounds you’d make whenever he’d pin your arms, or how you groaned when he had you pinned to the ground beneath the two of you.

This is dirty, and wrong, so wrong, and something so wrong shouldn’t feel so good. Sadly, it did, and he just couldn’t help it or stop himself from going on, it was too much pressure to let build up. Neteyam could practically envision you in front of him, he traced his hands around his body the same way you had, picturing you with your small smile and scent talking to him.

He couldn’t stop himself he truly couldn’t, nothing could rip away this blissful moment from him. A moment so lustful and sacred and yet so beautiful and gentle to him was meant to be cherished and shared with you, and yet he still didn’t fully have you, he couldn’t have you.

The flicks of you replaying over and over in his mind as he quickened his pace down his body, his tip now leaning pre-cum as he continued, faster now. His breathing was heavier, and he felt more focused and intense than before, his non dominant hand gripping at the sides of his bath beside him as he went on.

Unexpectedly sooner than later, his climax came, much more intense than any other he’d had prior with any other woman he’d been with. This was raw and passionate, let alone the fact he was much more vocal than ever, mumbling your name over and over. Even though he bit down on his bottom lip to the point where blood was drawn, he couldn’t help his loud sounds as he reached his peak.

He was breathing like a man who hadn’t breathed fresh air in years. His chest heaving as he threw his head back with a sigh of relief, the hand gripping his sides of his bath now running through his messy wet braids. Cursing softly under his breath as he cleaned himself off with a slight smile on his face.

Desire is so dangerous.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

Yearning is a strange feeling, at least towards Neteyam. He was so quick and easy to pick out what he liked and didn’t like. Like the other women in the village, he had ‘met’ with. It’s not that anything was wrong with them, but when it came to actually listening to their morals or finding out they’d only gotten close to him because of his title and physical attributes he was quicker to leave them then pleasure them.

To Neteyam the first thing that caught his attention from you was being able to hear your voice almost instantly in such a loud and unique crowd. It was fascinating to say the least, like how he had sat alongside the ocean back when his family seeked refuge from the metkayina clan. The oceans crashing waves being so loud and deafening yet so soothing like nothing he’d experienced before until hearing your voice, then seeing you.

This was supposed to be your second week of training with another, transitioning towards a third. The more the two of you would spar, with or without weapons, he was sure to go easy on you at times. He was sure to give you distance, as he felt it wasn’t right you weren’t given much of it the first time.

But whatever gap that lasted between the two of you was quickly sealed by you. You didn’t like the distance between you too, you didn’t like his quietness. You wanted to see him how you had prior; you wanted him close to you and you wanted his skin to brush against yours.

Maybe it was just between the heat of battle from the two of you, but it was enjoyable. You enjoyed spending so much time of your day alongside Neteyam, not worried if you were to be bruised or laid out on the floor time and time again.

It pushed you to arrive earlier than expected towards your training with one another, to which you clutched your woven bag in one hand. You laid it out on the rocks beside you as you watched Neteyam, his back facing you as you listened to a repetition of a scraping sound.

“You’re very early today y/n.” He spoke smoothly, not stopping his motion of sharpening one of the countless blades scattered in front of him. His ears picked up on your footsteps through the forest long before his nose picked up on your scent, bringing a wide smile to his face.

“I’m sorry, I had nothing to do with my extra time, I didn’t know you would be busy. Ohe tsun za’u ne’im mawkrr.” [I can come back later] You stated, only earning a disapproving head shake from Neteyam who stopped his movements and placed a blade off to the side. He raised that same hand to motion for you to take a seat next to him, and you did just that.

The distance between the two of you seemed so far apart, even aside the fact you were seated perfectly next to each other. Legs crossed and your knees brushing against one another with each action Neteyam made as he sharpened the next blade, you only watched him.

Whenever you saw him or was as close as you are now with him his eyes were always fixated on you. His entire body was fixated on your figure, following your every move. Now it felt different watching him put that energy into something else, it made you curious exactly what it was for.

His scent was stronger than usual, making you inhale the air around you stronger than you had before. He smelled like the strong trees of your people and the soft moss around your home, or how free the air smelled before a storm, it was soothing.

It was also soothing to watch how he worked; you could tell he was doing this for a while, the objects leaving harsh red indents on his hands and arms. Or how he was sweating and because of that his hair on his hairline was stuck to his forehead, with the rest of his braids tied back into a loose bun.

All except one strand, obviously blocking his vision, and it bothered you just as much as it must’ve been bothering him. So, you helped him, you simply reached out to his face slightly and brushed the braid behind his ear, watching as his ear twitched in response. His eyes darted over to yours for only a split second before he chewed on his bottom lip and diverted his gaze back to his work.

‘Just look at me like that one more time, please’ you thought to yourself. Whatever you could do to help quicken the process of whatever he was doing you’d do just that. You wanted this to be over with, for you to have his full attention, you missed it.

“Thank you.” Was all he said, now hunching over slightly and continuing his work at a quicker pace now. You only nodded and hummed in response, your own way of saying you’re welcome. Your attention now turned to the bowl of cut fruits to the side of the two of you and the blades as small flies began to fly around it.

They must’ve been attracted to its scent and appeal. Sweet and soft, as you were in Neteyam’s eyes. The fruits must’ve been his, he just hadn’t had time to eat them, and it seemed now the pests were ready to do the job for him.

“They’ll eat your fruits if you aren’t quick enough” you joked. Smiling as you continued to swat them away and bring the bowl to your lap as you earned a small chuckle from him. Your gaze fixated on his face before back to the pests that now found their retreat and flew away.

“My hands are too dirty to feed myself. If I were to eat them all of these blades would be dirty and sticky.” He said with a hum, his hands running over the blade he just sharpened before placing it to the side, grabbing one of the last few from the large basket to his side.

“I can feed it to you.” You replied almost immediately, desperately, your face buzzing with excitement as your tail began to swing from behind you against the sand. Neteyam now turned his head to you, eyes fixated on your face, then your figure and pausing when he saw the bowl in your lap.

A familiar heat crept up to his face and chest, making his fingers clamp down against the blade he was holding and look away for a moment. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the fact you seemed so eager to do this for him, or how you hadn’t even known how intimate something like that was.

Surprisingly enough you hadn’t even waited for his answer, already picking a large piece from the bowl into your fingers and bringing them to his face. He only turned his head back to his work, as if rejecting the offer and sniffling, working much faster now.

You hadn’t taken that as an answer however, now moving the blades that were in front of the two of you off to the side to sit directly in front of Neteyam. Placing the fruit up to his lips and watching them intently, a smile grew to yours as he took the fruit into his mouth.

He chewed softly as he continued, you only watched him, the way his jaw tightened with each bite he dug into the fruit. Now you were fixated on his throat, how he swallowed, or how his abs flexed when he hunched over again, tossing the sharpened blade behind you.

You continue to feed him, piece after piece, he was gentle. Careful to not let his lips touch your fingertips, but that’s not what you wanted, you wanted to be closer, to be intimate. Maybe if you moved your fingers closer, you’d feel his lips.

It made you curious as to certain things like how they felt, if they were as soft as they looked. Or how they tasted, if they were as sweet as the fruit he was eating now. You were flushed but it didn’t matter, it was too late to go back now you just couldn’t help yourself.

It seemed your body was moving without your mind controlling it because without a second thought of feeding him the last piece of fruit you licked your own fingertips. What was even worse was the fact you made sure to do it as he had his eyes fixated on you, you did it on purpose to this attention.

The same way you purposely took the tools from his hands and tossed them aside, now sitting up on your knees and straddling yourself into his lap. You hoisted yourself up and rested your arms on his shoulders, interlocking your fingers behind his back before kissing him.

And of course, with your quick actions Neteyam hadn’t wasted a single second kissing you back, practically eating you alive. He was eager, hot, starving, and so desperate for you, so desperate for more. This is more than a dream come true, it’s like a blessing from above for him, and he didn’t want this moment to stop.

He could see it in your eyes what you were planning to do since you were feeding him, how you caught onto his body language. He was observing you, eating along with him, brushing your fingertips against his lips, watching as he paused to fix his loincloth before he continued his work again.

He saw the look in your eyes, a familiar one, because it was a look he had constantly given you, a look of yearning, starvation, and curiosity. Now you were kissing him, straddling him, and he just couldn’t help but dive deeper into you, your tongues practically fighting one another. You folded quickly under the pressure, your knees sinking as you melted into him, now attempting to pull back to catch your breath.

You moaned into him, and he felt your hands now pushing against his chest, but that didn’t mean he wanted to stop. He only grabbed ahold of your hands and continued, not caring to stop for air. He’d rather die than end this moment between the two of you, this blessed moment. Your lips hadn’t separated from his, your lips practically stuck together, you tasted so sweet, sweeter than the fruits the two of you were eating together.

Your mouth was hot and wet, it was welcoming, practically telling him to come in and make himself welcome, and he did so. After a few seconds he pulled away from the kiss slightly, your faces not even centimeters apart as you began to breathe heavy.

He watched your chest heave, placing a hand over it and feeling your heartbeat. It was fast, and strong, he only closed his eyes and focused on it, pining his ears to the sides of his head. He smiled to himself softly when you did the same, your smaller hand resting against his chest. He looked up at you, losing his thought in your eyes that only pulled him in deeper.

The two of you sat in the position for a while, lips brushing against one another but never being able to kiss as before. All until you pulled away, hearing footsteps make their way towards the two of you, Neteyam kept his hand in yours even after you stood up to cause distance between the two of you. You were startled to see the person making their way towards you was his sister, you jolted and pulled your hand back from him before she came over to the two of you.

She greeted you, and as she did Neteyam had stood up now, adjusting his loincloth from his obvious issue of earlier, a small wet spot on the side of it from you, now turning around to see his sister. The two greeted each other as you grabbed your bag, running your hands through your hair and placing a hand over your mouth, getting the image of earlier out of your head.

“Mom and Dad want to talk to you it’s urgent.” She stated, bumping her brothers’ shoulder before looking up at him. She followed his trail of vision to you, who had been waving bye to the two of them with a small smile.

She waved back as she watched her brother wave back with a large smile on his face, immediately catching on to his reactions. She only shook her head and sighed before taking her brothers hand to follow her in the opposite direction.

“Good luck with that, hopefully you can tell her before you meet the woman mom and dad have waiting for you tomorrow morning.”

What?

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

-ˋˏ ༻Current Taglist༺ ˎˊ-

@bakugouswaif

✴🕷 please do not copy, plagiarize, edit, or translate any works submitted by me. all works are originated and all other pictures used within those works are online images. thank you!! @kryptznnn

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spaceorphan18 · 5 years ago

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Marvel Movie Night: X-Men The Last Stand

So - when this came out, I worked at a theater. We got to see an early screening of it. When we walked my mom turned to me and said -- that wasn’t good, right? I had to agree.

So. Here we are. I feel like I have a very complicated relationship with this film, because I know a crap ton about X-Men and knowing more means this film feels like even more of a mess than maybe a general audience would know. It’s hard to really comment on whether or not this is a good film. It’s definitely far more watchable than the Fantastic Four, or the other Marvel related films coming out at the time that weren’t Spider-Man. However, it doesn’t hold together too well overall.

The biggest issue this film has is that it’s trying to shove too many story lines with too many mutants into one film, and it kind of fails at everything that it’s trying to do.

But first - a comment on production. It was kind of a mess (though, I’m super fascinated that there was an original draft of this that Emma Frost played by Sigourney Weaver. Damn, I’m sad we didn’t get that). Directors switched, writers switched, actors were no longer under contract -- and I mean, most productions have things change, but all of this resulted in this film getting pulled in fifteen different directions, and I do thing that did have an effect on the final result.

So - let’s talk about what this film is trying to do.

The Dark Phoenix saga. One of the most iconic X-Men stories ever told, and it is for a reason. Having just reread it last month, it’s egregious to me how much this movie misses the point. Look - I’m fine, in general, when other media changes original stories for adaptations. Film is not comics, but I do think you need to understand the essence of the story in order to do it well in an adaptation. And The Last Stand just doesn’t understand the Phoenix story.

See - in the comics, it’s a lot about manipulation, control, and power - and how Jean Grey is being manipulated, but breaks out of it with her extreme power. (There’s also a ton about crazy space forces, but I understand why they didn’t go there, it’s... uber complicated.) But, the point is that this ends up being an internal story -- how Jean deals with the power once she’s broken free from the manipulation, how how her relationships with various X-Men help her cope with split identity. At the end -- with her friends behind her, she decides to end her own life, and her sacrifice is make sure she doesn’t destroy the universe. And it’s very beautifully told.

There are three things (major) things I have issue with in this film -- 1. With the exception of Cyclops, in a limited role, and slightly Xavier, Jean’s relationships with other people are just not explored enough to have an emotional impact; 2. At no point is Jean ever back in control of her own agency. Xavier manipulates her, then Magneto, then she just stands around for a long time until Wolverine finally kills her. It cheapens everything about Jean Grey and agency the original story has, and I hate it. 3. The story in the movie seems to service the goddamn Logan/Jean Grey love story that I hate in the comics, and I hate it more here - but I’ll spare you the diatribe.

The other thing, though... The animated series got this right -- but it could because it had time to. See, the comics drew this whole story out for years, and it’s emotional pay off works better over a long period of time, which a two hour movie just doesn’t have. And it’s especially hurt when it’s truncated due to a whole other plot in the film. Which leads me to...

The Cure - the second plot of the film. Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men at the time was a big hit, so they decided to use this story. It’s not a bad story -- it has to do with the big political element that the X-Men always are dealing with, and that’s fine. But, because it can’t be the full focus, it too feels overstuffed. (Really the film wants to be this plot, and should have never done Dark Phoenix in the first place.)

Unfortunately, because they need to shoehorn in Magneto, the brotherhood, the Morlocks, and every other mutant in the X-Universe (except Gambit for some reason) - this turns into a mess, where Magneto is his Silver Age, scenery chewing self, and a whole lot of people punch each other because that’s what these third acts usually devolve into. The Cure story line is and can be a much smaller story, too, and maybe works better as such, but this is a major blockbuster - which I’m sure studio mandates a certain amount of CGI nonsense. Ah well.

Other Thoughts (dear god, get ready for all the thoughts!):

The Danger Room scene at the beginning of the film is a goddamn delight -- that is how you use the X-Men working as a team, and that’s how you use Wolverine in a good capacity.

One thing I’ll credit this film - it does better with its action sequences, and specifically letting the X-Men actually work as a team.

I can’t help but feel, though, that I wish more of the classic X-Men teams had been together for their last stand. Something about Wolverine’s little pep talk felt hollow - maybe because these characters we’ve barely met and/or interacted with and the emotional resonance isn’t there.

FWIW - the special effects in this film are such an upgrade than all the crud had has come before it -- especially Fantastic Four, which was only a year or so earlier.

Hugh Jackman has finally really settled in his role as Wolverine, he’s great, yadda, yadda

Famke Janssen continues to be an excellent Jean Grey, and I’m sorry her story line stunk so badly. The scene with her and Wolverine, where she goes through the gamut of emotions, is really quite wonderful. It’s a shame she spends half the movie just standing (or sitting) there.

I understand that James Marsden kind of tapped out of the franchise to go do Superman, but I’m so sad that they really didn’t do Cyclops well in any of these films. He’s such a great character, and you wouldn’t know it at all by these films.

The Beast! Who’d have thought that Kelsey Grammer would have been a good choice for Beast -- but it works.

I think Halle Berry asked for more to do as Storm. Well -- she has more to do, but she still doesn’t feel like Storm. I want an X-Men film where she Ororo Monrue is given the proper chance to shine.

Oh - I should mention Storm vs Callisto is a thing here, as an easter egg to long time fans, but it’s not satisfying to me as a long time fan because, like, most everything in this film, they kind of fucked it up.

Meanwhile... oh Rogue, maybe we shouldn’t get me started on how my favorite X-Man is the utter worst in this film. Not only is she barely in this film but... this is such a complicated issue for this character -- to be given five minutes of screen time is just the utter worst. And no, Rogue would never do that. No, no, no.

Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde is amazing, and she should have had her own movie. I find it hilarious, though, that she and Iceman kinda flirt with each other here -- since Iceman is canonically gay, and Kitty is subtextually bi. It’s just... funny.

Iceman - in his ice form. Yes, more of this.

Angel is here! He literally does nothing, but he doesn’t do much in the comics either, so it kinda hilariously works. I like the actor, too, he’s a great match.

The dude playing Colossus is a delight - again, more screen time needed! I kinda love that he’s just carrying around a TV to show his strength.

Lord help me - the Juggernaut is the worst. I hated that meme. I hate that he looks like a literal dick head. I hate that he’s portrayed as a mutant when he’s not, etc, etc.

There’s so much more to comment on, but I’ll spare you the time -- I mean there’s Moira MacTaggart, and the Morlocks - who are also the Omega Gang?, and Leech, and Eric Dane playing Multiple Man, and really... they brought in Stacey X (you guys ask me about Stacey X...), and apparently Psylocke is supposed to be in here somewhere, and sentinel camoes, and Trask, and Mystique... But, this review is long enough.

I do need to point out - the President is played by Josef Somer, who played Ducksworth in The Mighty Ducks, and I can only think of ‘quacking’ whenever I look at him.

Final Thoughts: It’s probably more enjoyable for a non-fan than a hardcore X-Man fan. It’s not as bad as people make it out to seem, but it’s not good either. Overall, there’s a lot of potential that gets squandered and exploded. Ah well.

#marvel movie nights

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