#danai gurira I adore you

[spill-to-t]

towl ep. 4 spoilers:....

OMFG I AM UNWEELLLLL

So first: I wanna thank Danai and the universe for this masterpiece. I also wanna thank the universe for my current existence and the opportunity to watch what I have just seen with my fucking eyes.

I don't know where to start. It was all I had ever expected of this show. It was almost like a richonne fanfiction, because it dived into so many side topics (I bet Danai got some inspiration, you can not tell me she did not know about our illusions). It was drama, pure love, even heartbreak and comedy all in one episode. It was the first time I was glad an ep. was over 'cause otherwise I would've hyperventilated. I usually don't like all of this romantic 'oh I love you' 'but noo uhhh' but this show and this couple especially makes me feel unwell. My personal favs of the ep. (Basically all of it)

The already mentioned fanfic vibe, the michonne getting undressed and Rick just watching and admiring (can't blame him, I do too), the mention of RJ, the conflict and trauma Rick feels, michonnes frustration with him, the scene (if you know what I mean) +rick needing to pause for a moment, the reference to their last scene together in bed, the fucking robot which Rick obviously does not know about since the apocalypse started in 2010s. The mention of Carl (still not over it), seeing Rick in a sweater and Michonne in that top is just fierce and of course the elevator and car scene are you fucking kidding me. And so much more...

You don't understand how stunned I am. I could start a 2 hours long monologue just about this one episode... I can't function tomorrow

[flaminpumpkin]

Some thoughts about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in absolutely no specific order:

-First of all, HOLY SHIT PEOPLE IT WAS SO GOOD WHAT THE FUCK

-These movies still hold best scenary/costumes design in my opinion like, both the first BP and this one are gorgeous to simply look at

-That opening scene wrecked me, Shuri's helplessness was so palpable

-The Dora Milaje whooping asses not even 10 minutes into the movie, absolute queens

-Namor/Tenoch Huerta not looking like he dehydrated himself for a week for every shirtless scenes (which is basically all of them but you get my point). Like, damn, did they finally realize a man could be hot without having rippling abs or visible veins all over his body????? Anyway, nice change, 10/10, very much thirsting for Namor.

-M'BAKU MY MAN I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART. The way he treats Shuri like she's his own sister.... I'm not crying, you're crying

-THAT Shuri scene. The raw anger. The hatred. The grief.

-On the topic of gutwrenching scenes, Angela Basset and Danai Gurira deserve all the praise and award for THAT scene

-The way Okoye calls Romonda "mama" both times she pleads with her

-NAKIA/LUPITA NYONGO BEING THE GODDESS SHE IS

-Riri Williams introduction to the MCU couldn’t have been more perfect. She's precious and adorable and I never related to a character more in my life, I love this girl so much

-Namor being up there with Killmonger as best MCU villains. No, I don't take criticism. Both BP movies have excellent villains.

-Just. Shuri's entire arc.

-AYO AND ANEKA. MY LESBIAN WARRIOR POWER COUPLE IS HERE, I LOVE THEM.

-The way I fucking bawled like 10 times during this movie, I swear to God people........

- "Can I get some of that too?" No, you can't, Riri, my girl. But don't worry, you get some cool ass armor to compensate

- Agent Ross. That's it. He's just there. And the way he's fucking clueless makes me cackle

[siancore]

Rating: M

Words: 1k+

Summary: Rick, Jesus, and Aaron are late coming back from a run and Michonne is worried. 

A/N: Happy Birthday Danai Gurira and Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovers. 

FF.net

AO3

The run had gone for longer than expected. The length of time was significant, and run crew were all seasoned in expeditions. Rick, Jesus, and Aaron were all experienced with being out there; being on the outside; surviving outside of their walls.

Usually, run crews only radioed back to the Safe-Zone if they knew they were going to be significantly late, or if they had encountered trouble. Rick, Jesus, and Aaron had not made contact; it had been radio silence for almost four hours.

Michonne was damn near losing her mind. Rick knew she was worried, that she wanted to go on the run with them, but due to her pregnant state, was told to stay behind.  He knew that her hormones were making her full of concern. She was almost frantic, pacing back and forth, her protruding belly slowing her down. Rick would not do this purposefully; he would not make her worry. Something had to have gone wrong. Something had to –

“Michonne,” Carl interrupted her thoughts. “Come on. You need to rest. Dad’ll be back before you know it. I know your feet are hurting. C’mon. Come sit down.”

She let out a sigh, but went to the sofa where Carl was seated while Judith played on the floor.

“Except for you, my Dad, Aaron, and Jesus are probably the best to go outside the walls,” said Carl, trying to ease Michonne’s fears.

“I should be out there with them.”

“No,” said Carl, earning another sigh from Michonne. “You’re right where you need to be. Any minute now, my dad will come through those gates and –”

Before Carl could finish what he was saying, the crackling static of the radio drew both his and Michonne’s attentions. He grabbed the radio from the coffee table and handed it to Michonne.

“Hello?” she said, nerves coursing through her weary body.

“Hello, Darlin’,” said Rick in his slow drawl.

“Where are you?” asked Michonne, trying to steady her breathing.

“We just got back. I –”

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” asked Michonne, as she tried to sit upright.

Rick could hear the worry in her voice.

“Michonne, I’m fine,” he said, reassuringly. “We’re all fine. Just about to take the supplies to the Pantry, and I’ll be home.”

“Okay.”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Michonne replied. “Just hurry home.”

The soft lamplight caressed their naked bodies as Rick and Michonne made love later that evening. Rick hooked Michonne’s leg over his as they both laid on their sides and he entered her from behind. It was a position that afforded Michonne comfort, even though all she wanted was Rick to be as deep and as close as possible.

He held her tightly and peppered kisses to her neck and shoulder; he whispered words of reverence in her ear. He told her how much he loved her; how much he had missed her while he was away.

“God, Michonne, you’re so sweet,” Rick whispered, as he thrust into her; the sounds of their slapping skin drowned out by her pleased moans. “So lovely.”

Michonne’s skin flushed even warmer. After all the time that they had been together, Rick was still able to make her feel flustered. Giddy. Wanted. She covered his hand and gave it a squeeze as her climax quickly approached. She moaned loudly when it washed over her.

Rick kissed her shoulder ardently, bitingly, as he found his release soon after. They laid together holding one another and fighting to catch their breaths. After a moment, Rick gently rolled Michonne over so that she was facing him. He ran his calloused hand over her soft face before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

“I’m sorry I had you worried,” he said, for the hundredth time that night. “I hope this made it up to you.”

Michonne kissed him back and ran her fingers through his beard before saying, “It’s a start.”

They shared a smile before kissing once more, slow and languid. Rick went to move, and Michonne pouted. He found her to be adorable when she was needy.

“I’m just getting a cloth to clean you up,” he said, smiling back at he as he walked towards the bathroom.

When Rick returned, he used the warm, damp washcloth to clean Michonne’s sensitive skin. He then helped her into her nightgown, removed the towel from their bed, and settled in for the night. Rick spooned Michonne before kissing the side of her face.

After a beat of silence, Michonne finally asked, “Rick?”

“Mmm?”

“What took you guys so long out there today?”

She felt his hot breath on her neck as he let out a sigh.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Rick, come on.”

He kissed her once more and then shifted. Michonne missed his warmth immediately as he got up and rummaged through his bag. She struggled to roll over, but Rick was soon crouching down near her side of the bed.

“I went out further, which took longer, so I could get you these,” he said as he held out a small bag.

“You went out further to get me candy?” she asked, incredulous, but enamored all the same. “We have candy in the Pantry.”

“Yeah, we do,” Rick replied. “But not like this. Go on, open it.”

Michonne leaned up on her elbow and opened the plastic packaging that had seen better days. She poured the contents into her palm before blessing Rick with a wide, bright smile. Small heart-shaped candies sat in her hand.

“According to that calendar that Eugene has,” Rick said in way of explanation. “It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow. I went out further to get you this Valentine’s candy. I hope you like them.”

Michonne sat up and smiled more widely at Rick.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she chastised, with no real heat behind her words. “Especially not for me.”

“I’d do anything for you,” said Rick, all intense and sincere. “If anyone deserves heart-shaped candy for Valentine’s Day, it’s you.”

Michonne was overcome with emotion (gosh darn pregnancy hormones) and felt tears prickle in her eyes. She reached her empty hand out and caressed Rick’s face.

“Thank you. I love you. But I’d rather have you than some candies.”

Rick turned his head and kissed Michonne’s palm before saying, “You can have it all. You deserve it all.”

Rick then got to his feet and kissed Michonne’s lips firmly.

“Oh,” he said, as if he had just remembered. “I also got you a crate of toothpaste. You’re gonna need to take care of your dental hygiene because I actually got you twenty more packets of those little heart candies.”

“Rick! What about the Pantry and everyone else in the community?”

“Well,” he said with a cheeky glint in his eyes and a crooked smile on his face. “I’m not in love with everyone else. I’m in love with you. Only you.”

[jsmuts]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Spoiler Free Review

This is a good movie. This is a fantastic movie! I was a bit nervous for this one, after the loss of Chadwick Boseman and I wasn't sure how likable Shuri would be as the main character, as the actress kind of ruined her for me a bit. But I was blown away. Shuri was still loveable, although in a much darker tone.

But the characters around her, are what made the movie so incredible, in my opinion. Angela Bassette ATE this role. As far as I'm concerned, she was the lead actress. I don't have much experience with her, but wow, she stole the movie. Every scene she was in was the best scene. 

Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, urrrrrgh my God. What a man. He could play the most vicious, monstrous criminal and I'd still be on my KNEES for him. Gorgeous man and the fact he was shirtless throughout the entirety of the movie with his bulge just THERE made it all the better. Thirsting aside, he portrayed Namor wonderfully and made an underwater beefcake with wings on his feet feel grounded and real.

Winston Duke as M'Baku felt somewhat underused. I really like his character and it felt as though he was mostly used for comic effect. I understand he was never a main character, but I want him to be. He's the leader of his tribe, I want to see him fleshed out more.

Okoye, yet again, is the character I'm always waiting for a scene with. Danai Gurira. Need I say more. She somehow plays stoic, a trait I can find boring, and makes it so much MORE than that. She's badass but not cold. I absolutely adore her character. Okoye deserves her own damn movie (although I think she's getting a show?)

Oh, and Nakia! I was worried she wasn't going to be in this movie, again I don't watch trailers. But I'm so glad she was because she is a fucking badass and I remember adoring her in the first Black Panther. I missed her. I also feel like she's an underrated character, but Lupita Nyong'o deserves better! Another character I would happily watch a movie or series about. A Wakandan spy show- are you kidding? That would be everything to me.

This might be spoilery if you haven't watched the trailer (like I didn't) so be warned!

Riri Williams has made her first onscreen appearance. And wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow WOW! Love her. Wasn't expecting to see her. I had heard she was in this movie, but I thought it was just going to be an end-credits scene. No, in fact, she is the PLOT DEVICE. Amazing. I love when characters are introduced in other things, it just makes the universe feel more interconnected and alive. Dominique Thorne, welcome to the MCU girl, you're gonna be amazing. Love her twist on the Iron Man suit, it really feels like her own creation. Although she offers comic relief, she's not a clown. She already has depth and layers that I cannot wait to get into in future projects.

A great movie that I would absolutely recommend and would rewatch in a heartbeat.

[samspenandsword]

OC Tag Game

If you're tagged, search your OC's Name + Aesthetic into pinterest and share the first 6 photos that pop up in a new post. Challenge however many people you like!

Thanks for the tag @sleepingsun501 🥰

When I looked up Danai I got either pics of Danai Gurira or some weird mix of Victorian/Cottage/Hobbitcore and though I’m not sure how accurate it is for Danai (except for right center pic, it’s very Danai), it’s an aesthetic I adore nonetheless!

NPT: @ariadnes-red-thread @starstofillmydream @thefact0rygirl @wild-karrde and anyone else who wants!! 💜💜

[aquariusfm]

anonymous asked ... Who would you say are you and your members' mw FCs? This rp is ABSOLUTELY adorable!!!!

ahh thank you so much for the kind words !! i hope this here list helps you a little bit ! ( bolded are names that were repeatedly mentioned )

mads mikkelsen, jeffrey dean morgan, idris elba, pedro pascal, oscar issac, jessie mei li, natasha liu bordizzo, adeline rudolph, tati gabrielle, john krasinski, hailee steinfeld, maia reficco, haley lu richardson, giorgia whigham, zion moreno, natalie alyn lind, karen gillan, drew barrymore, lucy liu, viola davis, danai gurira, lashanna lynch, brianne howey, kit harrington, alberto rosende, mena massoud, berk cankat, can yaman, kıvanç tatlıtuğ, alex fitzalan, gavin leatherwood, boyd holbrook, henry cavill, timothee chalamet, dev patel, lukas gage, brittany o'grady, camille hyde

[addtothebeauty]

[tiesthatbind-tf]

I have a question; when your either writing or drawing each character, what does their voices sound like?

Is it's just the normal voices that are used throughout the TF series?

Or do you have other people in mind for each character?

Because I'm over trying to be serious but each time I do, I can't help but laugh at how hilarious Starscream sounds when he is being either Serious or Emotional! (Not that I hate him, I ADORE THE HELL out of him)

I gotta know!

So!

Breaking the character asks to answer as the Mun here.

I don’t use voices from the TF series at all except for the humans (in which case Charlie Watson is still Charlie Watson and Memo Gutierrez is still Memo Gutierrez) mainly since: A. The human!versions have slightly differing characterizations in my mind. That I don’t see them as robots any longer for this universe also adds to that. B. The human!versions have diverse ethnicities and I usually try to voice-cast as close as possible to that (though there is some leeway ie. going Middle Eastern for Kurdish Optimus, going for Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii for Windblade, Tim Curry for Tarn which is a complete departure from their background)

Beyond their ethnicity, I look at their background as well ie. Megatron is British, but not in the way that TFA might sound (higher class, BBC pronunciation), more in the way that a Yorkshire miner might sound (going with his IDW incarnation) so someone like Sean Bean fits the bill.

The current full cast is as below.

Autobots

Optimus Prime: Jay Ali (as Rahul ‘Ray’ Nadeem in Daredevil) (young)/Oded Fehr (old)

Ultra Magnus: Amitabh Bachan

Ratchet: Pierce Brosnan (as Liam Hennessy in The Foreigner)

Jazz: Anthony Mackie

Prowl: Donnie Yen

Perceptor: Dev Patel

Hot Rod: Taron Egerton

WindBlade: Lucy Liu (as O-Ren Ishii from Kill Bill)

Chromia: Danai Gurira (as Okoye from Black Panther)

Kup: Aysha Selim (as Ana Amari from Overwatch)

Drift: Takeshi Kaneshiro

Blaster: Ludi Lin (as Zack Taylor from 2017′s Power Rangers reboot)

Hound: James MacAvoy

Bumblebee: Tom Holland

Mirage: Tom Hiddleston

Nautica: Ana De Armas

Nightbeat: Idris Elba

Decepticons

Megatron: Sean Bean (as Richard Sharpe) (young), Charles Dance (as Tywin Lannister from GOT) (old)

Shockwave: Ghassan Massoud

Starscream: Luca Marinelli

Ravage: Diego Luna

Laserbeak: Rebecca Ferguson

Barricade: William Zabka

Tarn: Tim Curry

Non-aligned

Senator Proteus: Antony Starr (as Homelander from The Boys)

Dai Atlas: Keith David

Rung: Brent Spiner (as Owen Burnet from Gargoyles)

Terminus: Morgan Freeman

Elita One: Brigitte Nielsen

(For whatever reason the first portion of this post isn’t showing up on dash mode so head to the blog for a full read)

[edourado]

Tagged by royalty, aka @ejunkiet. I love these, and was thinking about making one for myself, so, hoping that the author of these questions will excuse me, I'll add some of my own at the end.

Thank you, darling ♥

favorite color: Lavender, lilac, and a VERY pastel blue and green.

currently reading: Sense and Sensibility, for what seems like YEARS, because I only pick it up when sitting on a bench while my dog judges our neighbors;

last song: Vibing hard to miss Olivia Rodrigo's Sour. "favorite crime" and "happier" are my faves;

last movie: "I Confess!", by Alfred Hitchcock. Anne Baxter was fabulous, but Montgomery Clift was abismal. Sorry;

last series:  The Flight Attendant. Loved it, and I'm curious about the novel that inspired it;

sweet, savoury or spicy?: Yes;

craving: Decadent chocolate cake (I'll probably get up and make one after this);

tea or coffee: Daily, it's tea, but I'm the cringy/basic bitch with my lattes and PSLs whenever I can;

currently working on: Trying to not be so cruel to myself and, at the same time, hold myself accountable for the things happening in my own life. Also sitting in front of my computer not writing at all because my brain cannot find words. It just does not know how to stitch a sentence together anymore. Also reading more and being on the internet less.

And now, for my own:

unpopular movie/TV show opinion: I think the whole Snider Cut thing was over hyped. It was 4 hours of intense soundtrack for a mediocre problem;

a movie you liked and everyone else hated: Elizabeth Banks' "Charlie's Angels". I think it's awesome. Never seen Kristen Stewart so at ease. It motivates me to work out, and I hatehatehate working out;

a movie you hated and everyone else liked: La La Land. Fuck right off;

a movie you think deserved to be more famous: Before We Go, which is Chris Evan's directorial debut. It's so, so, so good;

a show you would sacrifice many others in order to save: Sense8. I don't care. I'd kill the whole of the world's streaming catalogues if it meant saving it;

a fun fact about youself that don't come up in conversations: I'm a pretty good singer, but due to anxiety, I only sing when I'm by myself;

celebrity crush: Chris Evans IS my husband. He just is. Jon is a given. Ben Barnes came back full force with Shadow and Bone. Danai Gurira, because duh. Rachel Brosnahan won my heart with her Mrs. Maisel. I'm forgetting people, which will kill me later;

something you love about where you live: I think Rio is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The nature here is breath taking. Also has the combo of beach and mountains, which I adore;

something you can't do but wish you could: Play piano and speak many, many languages. Also paint and draw;

One thing the pandemic made you miss, that wasn't even your thing before: partying. I spent years being perfectly content in staying in. Now I cannot wait to just jump and dance around with a bunch of strangers.

Tagging @ejunkiet again, because new questions, @abunnypirate (you changed your name and almost gave me a heart attack because I couldn't find you), @carry-the-sky, @ninzied, @lpdwillwrite4coffee, @myletternevercame, @kteague, @fortysevenswrites and literally - LITERALLY - anyone that feels inclined to answer, just please tag me because I'd love to read them ;)

[antlerqueer]

Hi Megan! First of all, I just adore your blog and hope that you're doing well! Second, I was wondering if you knew of any actresses who can play a Female Vampire Queen that could pass for 30s-50s; but, is actually much, much older? (Like over 100?) (I would love some Alt/Goth FCs and women of color recommendations as well. Basically, anyone who could pass for the Edwardian era onwards would be suitable.) Thank you and all the best! <3

Definitely!

Patti Harrison (1990)

Nathalie Kelley (1985)

Wakeema Hollis (1984)

Jamie Chung (1983)

Elodie Yung (1981)

Lesley Ann Brandt (1981)

Angelica Ross (1980)

Bianca Lawson (1979)

Freema Agyeman (1979)

Danai Gurira (1978)

Yasmine Al Massri (1978)

Tracee Ellis Ross (1972)

Carla Gugino (1971)

Sandra Oh (1971)

Gina Torres (1969)

Lucy Liu (1968)

Salma Hayek (1966)

Dominique Jackson (1965)

[jtargaryen18]

Fmk marvel ladies

Oh, wow. Now, this is an interesting one. Okay...

I’d fuck Natasha because... why wouldn’t you want to??? 😍😍😍

I’d marry Okoye...

I have a huge crush on Danai Gurira. I don’t care if she plays Michonne, Okoye, or who... But Okoye? She’s strong, a leader, dynamic, courageous, amazingly beautiful. My wife. 👆👆👆💕💖💕

Kill...

Yeah, I know.. I don’t want to because I adore Gamora. But she’s coming back in 2023. And I’ll make it up to her. HUGS 💕💖💕

Thank you so much! 🙏🙏🙏

[springmagpies]

My Top 10 Favorite Female Celebrities/Actresses

I was tagged by no one but feel free to tag whomever you wish! This is also known as my feminist icons.

1. Emma Watson

Why: I’ve been looking up to her since I was four years old. She’s brilliant and kind and never shies away from speaking her mind. She is so eloquent and thoughtful and good to her fans. She is my feminist hero and who I want to be when I grow up.



2. Emma Thompson

Why: She’s a queen among men. An actual icon. She is a gifted actress who dedicated herself to her roles and she’s a freaking badass. She is so well spoken and brilliant. She’s amazing.

3. Elizabeth Henstridge

Why: She’s so kind and thoughtful. She’s super dedicated to her fans as well as helping others. She’s involved with a ton of charity work and cares so much about helping out in any way she can. She’s also hilarious and brilliant and deserves so much more credit than she’s given.

4. Ming-Na Wen

Why: She’s a badass Disney Queen! She’s so freaking funny in every interview while also being so detailed in her character work and truly brilliant in her acting. She is so well rounded and giving and you can just tell she is an amazingly fun person to be around.

5. Maggie Smith

Why: She’s a queen. She is not only a brilliant actress but a brilliant woman. Her wit is unparalleled and she is such a strong woman. You can see in everything she does just how gifted and talented and kind she truly is.

6. Allison Janney

Why: Every role she takes she runs with it. Her characters are brilliant and complex and she acts them to perfection. Not only that but she is such an amazing woman. Her story is incredible and how she pushed through Hollywood and proved so many people wrong is just inspiring. I just adore her!

7. Danai Gurira

Why: I have loved her since she first was on The Walking Dead. She is so incredibly smart and well spoken. She is also a riot and her laugh is infectious. You watch her in anything and she just shines. I aspire to have her level of fortitude and skill.

8. Margot Robbie

Why: She’s such a talented actress and seems like a wonderful person. She’s very outspoken on the issues women face in Hollywood and I really appreciate the dedication she has for her craft. She literally practiced ice skating for months for a role, dedicates herself to getting an accent just right, and does months of research for each part she gets. Incredible!

9. Meryl Streep

Why: There’s a reason she’s one of the greatest of all time. She pours herself into every role and kills it every time. But she’s also humble, down to earth, funny, caring, and kind. You can see in interviews just as much in her roles why she’s a legend.

10. Carrie Fisher

Why: Words can not describe how much I miss Carie Fischer. She was such an incredible force of nature. Her feminist words of wisdom inspired generations of girls and told them you can be a princess and a badass because they are one in the same. She was a gift the world didn’t deserve!

[kaijuworldorder]

MI22 At the Movies:

Now that I’ve seen it twice and had some time to think about it more, I’m finally ready to share my spoilery thoughts. Short version: I really liked it, and will for sure have to reshuffle my Top 10 Favorite Godzillers now!

Anyway, SPOILER TIME…

WHAT I LIKED

More Neat Worldbuilding: I really enjoyed getting to see more of Monarch’s inner workings, and expanding on the Hollow Earth stuff discussed in Kong: Skull Island, and…the fucking lost civilization of Mu???? We also see some really cool ideas regarding Titan biology and the complex ecosystem they inhabit, like Godzilla lighting up his dorsal spines as a threat display, which is a genius idea that I’m surprised no other film in the series has ever done, and Mothra and Godzilla’s symbiotic relationship (more on these later). And finally there’s the ORCA, which is both a nice expansion on Joe Brody’s research into bioacoustics from the first film and…maybe a stealth reference to Project T?

The Story: much as I love the 2014 Godzilla, one weakness of that film I will admit to is that its story lacked focus, jumping back and forth between Monarch and the military’s attempts to track/contain the monsters and some other guy who wants nothing to do with it and only becomes involved by accident or narrative convenience. This film doesn’t have that problem, with the human narrative running pretty parallel to what’s going on with the monsters. The plot may be a little thin, but who cares? It does what it needs to do. That post-credits scene also some…interesting implications, and I really want to see the MonsterVerse continue after Godzilla vs. Kong so we can get some kind of follow-up on it.

The Characters, Mostly: the puny hew-mons feel more compelling to me this time around, though some of them don’t don’t get nearly enough to do. Mark is a believable broken sad dad, stiff and shouty though he may be at times, and his arc of going from “kill all the monsters” to “leave the good ones alone” is nice. Emma is a good layered antagonist who gets a few good redemptive moments late in the film, and Maddie is a way better kid character than this series has had in some time, instantly care-aboutable and never grating. Alan Jonah…or…Jonah Alan…whatever the fuck his name is…Charles Dance’s character is a pretty interesting villain, though I wish he and his S.C.A.L.E.-esque crew of ecoterrorists got a bit more focus. The Monarch crew are pretty fun and memorable as well, although I didn’t catch a lot of their names. Jokey McChucklefuck annoyed me at first, but grew on me before the end. Science Beardman is OK too. The Doctors Chen don’t have a ton to do, but are likable enough and a really inventive way to include the Little Beauties and still keep things somewhat grounded. Soldier Lady is also pretty cool, and you can tell they wanted Danai Gurira but couldn’t get her. In terms of the returning cast, Serizawa gets more to do this time around beyond his gig as a kaiju eiga Dr. Loomis, including a tear-jerking echo of his heroic sacrifice from the 1954 film, only this time it’s to save Godzilla instead of kill him; I grew to love his character in this film, and he’ll be sorely missed in future installments. Graham does not get much to do, and I’ll get into that in a little more detail later, but I appreciated her presence nonetheless. Admiral Bad-At-His-Job is…still bad at his job, but you get the sense that he’s just trying his best.

Big Fella: Godzilla himself being great, of course, goes without saying, but I’m gonna talk about him anyway because he deserves it. While I adore the 2014 Godzilla design, the little changes made for KotM are very nice. The classic “maple leaf” spines return, with big crackly veins of Cherenkov light (what can that mean?) when he’s getting ready to spit, and he even gets a bit more of a club tail like the old Showa era suits. He keeps his expressiveness from the previous film, naturally; you can feel how pissed he is when Ghidorah shows up. Like I mentioned before, Godzilla lighting up his spines as a threat display is a fantastic idea. The way his eyes glow when he’s charging his atomic breath is also a neat callback to Godzilla: The Series. By the end of the film, he even gets to trot out that edgy alternate mode that certain elements of the fandom just can’t fucking let go of, Burning Godzilla. While I can’t say I particularly like Burning or the film it originally comes from, it’s handled really well here; the way everything around him starts catching on fire and melting is a nice touch that the makers of Godzilla vs. Destroyah could probably have included if they’d actually given a shit. The big nuclear pulses he fires off during this are impressive and cool, though Spiral Fire is notable by its absence.

Mothra: the Queen of the Monsters isn’t in this film as much as I’d like, but when she does get her time to shine (literally and figuratively), she’s pretty goddamn great. The bioluminescence really makes this version of Mothra stand out compared to her previous incarnations, and her design has really grown on me now that I’ve seen it in motion. She kinda does a role reversal from GMK, powering up Godzilla after Ghidorah fries her, and finally gets to use her stinger. I really like the idea of her species and Godzilla’s species having a symbiotic relationship as mentioned earlier, though I wish that had been fleshed out a little more; as it is, it kinda gets paid off without really being set up. Still cool, though.

OH SHIT, IT’S A BIG BIRDIE: Rodan really stole the show for me. He’s got a great design and is so chock-full of personality, a cocky bully who’s a sniveling coward underneath, immediately switching sides once things go bad for Ghidorah, kind of like 1970s Gigan. His moves after he emerges from the volcano as he battles the jets are impressive, and that reference to The Giant Claw he does is also pretty great.

King Fucking Ghidorah: This just might be my favorite incarnation of King Ghidorah ever. His expressiveness, overt (almost cartoonish) malice, how he commands other monsters to do his bidding, that sick wing-lightning shit he does, keeping the outer space origin, the heads being so full of personality and briefly arguing with each other, super-fast healing, his music being a prayer to the number three…all-around fantastic depiction of ol’ KG.

NEW FRIENDS NEW FRIENDS: some people would call the new Titans “uninspired” or “generic”. I would call those people “fuckheads”. Woolly mammoth/sloth/munky hybrid Behemoth is great, a simple but well-executed concept, and I need a toy of him like two weeks ago. Scylla, a cross between Krabby and Omastar, is a pretty good creepy-crawly. Mountain boy Methuselah is scarcely seen, but seems like a nice Angilas stand-in, with echoes of the early G14 “Rokmutul” concept or the Earth Eater from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Finally, there’s a new MUTO with spiky armor, and if you know me, you know how much I love the MUTOs, so I was delighted to see her.

The Action: there’s way more kaiju rasslin’ this time around and it’s pretty great, with Godzilla and Ghidorah locking horns multiple times and taking part in a fantastic tornado-tag match at the end with Mothra and Rodan fighting in the sky. It’s flashy and exciting, while never losing the sense of scale and weight seen in Godzilla’s 2014 outing.

The Visuals: YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING, UNLIKE WB’S SHITTY G14 BLU-RAYS. I really like this film’s use of color; it may not be as saturated as, say, Pacific Rim, but it’s a nice contrast with G14′s more muted, subdued color palette; now that the whole world knows that monsters exist, we can bring everything out of the shadows. The cinematography is also excellent. Ghidorah perched on top of the volcano howling his alpha call with a cross in the foreground, Serizawa making his way up the pyramid steps, Rodan and the other Large Lads bowing to Godzilla at the end as he roars triumphantly…these shots feel just as iconic to me as the head rising over the hill on Oto Island.

The Music: Bear McCrary’s score is so fucking good. I do miss Alexandre Desplat’s cues for the 2014 film, but Bear is more than a worthy successor. Hearing the classic Godzilla March and Mothra’s Song mixed in nearly brought tears to my eyes, and that cover of Blue Öyster Cult’s “Godzilla” is a real banger. The original material is fantastic as well, most notably the new Rodan and Ghidorah themes. All that hype chanting of the monsters’ names along with the music gets the blood pumping. It’s just so FUCKING GOOD I LOVE THIS FUCKING SOUNDTRA

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH

Stuffing Vivienne Graham Into The Fridge: this bothered me. It wasn’t movie-destroying like The Assassination of Mako Mori by the Coward Steven S. DeKnight, but it’s still a big dumb misstep in my opinion. Admittedly Graham didn’t really do much in either this film or the previous one, but like…why not give her more to do, then? Instead, they just kill her off, Serizawa’s sad for like 5 minutes, and that’s it. This seems to be a disturbing trend in Legendary monster movies: female character from the first film who’s well-liked by the fandom gets killed in the sequel to briefly fuel a male character’s angst and then is never mentioned again. Plus wouldn’t “it’s been an honor” have meant more coming from her than from Jokey McChucklefuck? If they pull this same shit with Madison or the Chens in Godzilla vs. Kong, I’ll be big mad.

Critical Ass: the ticking-clock element of “oh man, Godzilla’s gonna explode due to the excess radiation Serizawa fed him” during the final battle felt really clumsy and tacked on. His massive intake of power could just as easily be explained as something Mothra did, since he didn’t change into Burning form until after she sprinkled her pixie dust on him. If Burning Godzilla happened because of the nuke, why do we see Mothra’s wing patterns and hear her call when Godzilla does the nuclear pulse? Is it like a little of column A, little of column B type of thing? And of course the meltdown never actually adds up to anything, Big G’s totally fine afterward. This is something that probably should have been rewritten, or even cut altogether.

FINAL ASSESSMENT: despite a couple of things that didn’t work for me, I kind of love Godzilla: King of the Monsters a lot. It’s a real love letter to the series, and deserves to do so much better than it’s doing. See it in theaters while you still can, if you haven’t already.

RATING: 4½ charred Red Sox hats out of 5

[itsclydebitches]

Hold the fuck on. Not made for you? Plenty of women love all these films. Plenty of men love media with woman protagonist and don't claim the media isn't made for them. Why do you think you're not the target audience? These films are making tons of money and it's not because they've only been marketing to men. Because that's just not true. Are the women who take no issue with them just bad women? Do they need to be reeducated to be upset over issues they just don't care about?

Because there’s a nine to twenty-three ratio in the main cast (not including Hope or Valkyrie, but also including those like Ayo and Maria who have maybe a handful of lines). 

(x)

Because, as previously explained as it specifically pertains to Endgame, women are consistently the side characters in the guys’ arcs. Because there are legitimate questions about why Danai Gurira’s name was originally left off of the Endgame poster. Because it took us twenty films to get one woman led movie. Because when we did a good chunk of the fanbase tried to tank it months before it even came out. 

For the exact reason you list: people look at the MCU and assume that such a male dominated franchise isn’t “gender specific” and is objectively “broadly appealing.” It’s not that women don’t love and enjoy stories about men, (we do!) it’s that those stories are considered the norm and there’s a persistent message that we should be grateful if we get anything beyond that. Like a 10 second girl power pose.  

You claim that you’re not mad at me, anon (despite beginning with “Hold the fuck on”), but why should anyone be mad? More importantly, why should I care if you’re mad? I made a personal post about my personal feelings regarding this film. No one needs to agree with me. Certainly no one needs to put words in my mouth, like how I supposedly think all these other women are “bad.” A staggering number of people adore Endgame and the MCU---myself included---but that doesn’t mean we can’t be critical of the things we enjoy. I may love the MCU, but I also watched 22 films where women were mostly sidelined, subjected to some pretty horrible tropes, and often ignored in favor of furthering the guys’ arcs. So much of the MCU---in terms of the films, merch, advertising, the fans themselves---still feels like that old school boy’s club and yeah, that didn’t always make me feel very welcome. 

Saying, “Hey, we can keep doing better” is not the same thing as saying “This is irredeemable trash and if you enjoyed it shame on you”---which is not at all what my original post said, but apparently what you want to read in it, anon. It says a lot that I can’t point out that a franchise hasn’t always treated its women well, that the treatment of women makes me feel like the franchise is prioritizing the stories and desires of white men, that my portion of the audience has never been catered to in a similar way, without getting a deluge of questions asking why I’m not entirely happy, not entirely satisfied, not like all those other women who don’t have any complaints. Simple statements shouldn’t cause so much supposed non-anger. 

[uhmmmwhut]

M.C.U. actors as Mean Girls

Anthony: Of course all The Chris’ are in the same movie studio.

Holland: Who are The Chris’

Anthony: They're Chris Royalty If Hottest man was a weekly magazine they would always be on the cover.

Sebastian: That one there, that's Chris Pratt he is one of the dumbest guys you will ever meet. Anthony sat next to him in last year for Avengers:IW...

Anthony: He asked me how to spell "orange".

Sebastian: And that big one? That's Chris Hemsworth.

Anthony: He's totally rich because his dad invented Crocodile Dundee.

Sebastian: Chris Hemsworth knows everybody's business.He knows everything about everyone.

Anthony: That's why his biceps are so big.They’re full of secrets.

Sebastian: And Hottness takes a human form in Chris Evans. Don't be fooled, because he may seem like your typical nice guy, help you out, adorable cinnamon roll. But in reality, he is so much more than that.

Anthony: He's the queen bee. The star. Those other two are just his little workers.

Sebastian: Chris Evans.How do I even begin to explain Chris Evans?

Mark Ruffalo: Chris Evans is flawless.

Danai Gurira: He has two Fendi purses and a Captain America themed car.

Pom Klementieff: I hear his smile is insured for $1,000,000.

Zoe Saldana: I hear he does car commercials. In Japan.

Chadwick Boseman: His favorite movie is Robin Hood.

Benedict Cumberbatch: One time, he met John Stamos on a plane. And he told him, he was gorgeous.

Robert Downy Jr: One time, he punched me in the face. It was awesome.

[ad1thi]

changes i would make to endgame

(major endgame spoilers under the cut, obviously)

the more i think about this film, the more i get mad about how certain characters were treated

so

here are my proposed changes:

(1) visa vie this very long post,  Carol is the one who makes the snap and Tony fucking survives

(2) Thor dies. 

Now okay before i get a lot of hate from Thor stans, the reason I think this is because - he’s one of the original 6 avengers; but in endgame he’s genuinely treated like crap. As much as I personally like his arc in his film, i would be absolutely lying if i didn’t recognise that I was being purposely blind to the fact that his size is a gag; and it’s extremely disheartening that he’s the only character who isn’t allowed to grieve given that he has arguably lost the most. Everyone else has lot friends and family, Thor has lost his entire fucking planet. Over the course of these films he’s lost his family and now he’s lost the one place he would call home for centuries. He has no girlfriend, no family, and just barely has a place to rest his head at night.

One of the major characters deserve a better character arc than that. While I understand the business decision behind it (thor ragnorak did amazingly well and thats because it showed a softer side of thor); that doesn’t mean that thor should be regaled to comic relief. He is not a cash machine, he is a character that fans have come to adore despite truly shitty writing; and i would’ve liked to see his vengeful side

the Thor that could wipe out entire armies, centering his rage around the titan who killed his family, his brother

personally i think, if written well, thor’s death could’ve had more shock value than tony’s

(3) loki has a bigger role

the line “brother i swear to you, the sun will shine on us again” is just an iconic line; and it hints at this resurrection and what i would’ve liked is for loki’s role to have not just been a set up for his tv show; but a completion of his arc

--

for example:

There’s a flourish of energy that surges around Thor; portals opening from various parts of the globe and not for the first time he misses his brother. He grips Mjolnir tighter, charging at Thanos with a fiery roar

“Thor!” he hears from the side, and Tony’s armour has opened up at the back as some sort of conduit, “Hit me!”

He channels all his rage and frustration, and strikes, allowing the force of his lightning to flow through Tony’s armour and make Thanos stagger back a few steps

Its a gruesome fight, and Thor finds himself on the floor more than he’s airborne, but its familiar in a way that nothing has been in 5 years and Thor revels in it

It’s one of these brief stints on the floor when he feels it; the surge of power rippling through the floor and hanging heavy in the air

Despite himself, Thor smiles; because this power is familiar

“I told you,” says a infuriatingly calm voice behind him, and Thor looks up just as Thanos is held in the air; writhing in agony, “You could never be a god”

Loki stands still in the middle of the battlefield, energy bleeding out of him and slaying thousands around him

The Avengers are frozen in abject in horror, and Thor can see out of the corner of his eye that Tony is re-assessing just how much of a threat Loki is

--

(4) Okoye had a bigger role

look, i know it’s about the og6 avengers yada yada yada, but this film seemed to do a great job of making us all think that Scott Lang was irreplaceable; so why not okoye? she deserved more than 30s of screen time; and having Danai Gurira do the entire press tour if that was her only role means that marvel baited fans for the sake of diversity. 

In my mind, she would’ve fit perfectly as a part of the Time Heist next to Rhodey and Nebula, and it would’ve allowed for a tear jerking reunion with her king 

(5) Wendy Bitchimoff stayed dead

(this is just my petty self, but couldn’t loki have played the role that wendy played? and then maybe we get clint&loki closure)

(like i said- full circle to his character arc)

(6) the “gay character” that marvel queer-baited us with was Steve, not a Russo self interest fic

idk i feel like i would suddenly be 1000 times happier if steve had just retired in real time instead of going back in time; staying in the present and handing off the shield to sam- and then we see him settle down with some OC guy

it doesn’t even have to be tony, just some OC guy

i would’ve been okay with that

speaking of

(7) Steve’s entire end arc

Steve Rogers is the guy who “can’t ignore a situation going south sometimes I wish I could”; 

and yet he goes back in time and settles down with peggy, completely ignoring HYDRA and the winter soldier?? fake news

(8) the film ends with Tony

whether this is him alive like i wanted, or his funeral like it actually happened; this cinematic universe started with tony stark- the final scene was his by right. i will always be mad that he didn’t have the penultimate scene

(9) more ironfamily content

just, morgan and rhodey rhodey and nebula nebula and tony peter and harley and morgan!! rhodey and harley TONY AND HARLEY just, more ironfamily man

--

anyway this film could’ve been much better written to give the og6 avengers the screentime they deserved while also catering to new characters and their roles and thats that