#her first appearance in costume was in all-star comics 5 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nobodysuspectsthebutterfly · 5 months ago

Text

The Hedge Knight graphic novel - could it work as a roadmap for HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

So, per reports, HBO's Dunk & Egg show is going to be 6 episodes. I've seen several people saying that's too long, it should be 4 episodes at most, a 2 hour movie at most, there will be too much filler, blah blah blah. Well let me tell you, that's not true!

In 2003, The Hedge Knight was adapted as a 6 issue comic book (later collected as a graphic novel), and I think its script, each issue ending in a cliffhanger or dun-dun-dunnn moment, would work perfectly for the show, and is very probably how they'll do it.

Potential spoilers under the cut, but first - is this not perfect casting and costuming? It so is.

Like I said, I think each issue could be the plot of each episode. So I'm just going to summarize these issues, I hope you've read the GN or the novella. (If not, go read it, go read all of Dunk & Egg, it's so good.)

#1 - Dunk buries Ser Arlan, decides to go to Ashford for the tourney, meets Egg and a weird drunk guy at an inn on the way, gets to Ashford, sets up camp in the forest (bathes naked in a stream), goes to the tourney field and sees Tanselle performing her puppet show, gets measured for armor he can't quite afford, gets back to his camp to find the weird little bald kid making dinner.

#2 - Dunk agrees Egg can be his squire, that night he sees the falling star, next morning goes to Ashford castle and gets told he needs to prove he's a knight to enter the tourney (or that Arlan was, since he says Arlan knighted him), meets Aerion (badly) but also the Kingsguard, sells his horse for armor money, talks to Tanselle and meets the Fossoways, then meets up with the young Dondarrion lord whose dad Arlan worked for and relates the House Dondarrion origin story (imagine them telling that via puppet imagery, ooh), gets told "yeah knowing that is no proof you're a knight, sucks to be you".

#3 - Dunk goes back to the castle, stumbles into Baelor and Maekar arguing about M's missing kids, Baelor remembers his epic joust with Arlan so yay Dunk can be in the tourney, Dunk and Egg talk to Tanselle about painting him a shield, they watch the opening of the tourney (lots of jousting and pageantry including Lyonel "the Laughing Storm" Baratheon), and the first day ends after Aerion deliberately kills that horse.

#4 - Dunk argues with Egg over how much of a douche Aerion is, more flirting with Tanselle, gossip with Raymun Fossoway about the Targaryens, Egg runs in to say Aerion's hurting Tanselle, Dunk beats up Aerion and almost gets murdered by Aerion's goons, Egg reveals himself to save Dunk, Dunk in prison, talks to Egg and Baelor, Baelor tells him he can be mutilated for striking a prince or ask for trial by combat, so "how good a knight are you, truly?"

#5 - Aerion says sure, trial by combat, but only a trial of seven, Dunk has to find 6 guys, talks to Raymun and Steffon Fossoway, Daeron apologizes and tells Dunk his dragon dream, shield reveal, next morning the smallfolk are all "a knight who remembered his vows", various guys show up to help Dunk and Raymun gets knighted, but Steffon Fossoway goes to Aerion's side so they're still missing a guy, "are there no true knights among you?", wait is that Valarr??? no it's Baelor in Valarr's armor omg

#6 - The trial of seven. You know how this ends. 😭 Then talking to Maekar, and Dunk and Egg ride off into the sunset together.

I hope that's convincing enough for the doubters! I can see a few points where something might be shifted from the end of one to the beginning of the other -- but on the whole I think the comic is an excellent roadmap for the show, and I hope this is the way they lay it out. Also ftr, the Sworn Sword graphic novel was also originally 6 issues so possibly season 2 ditto (unless they add an episode for the in between THK-TSS Dorne and Oldtown adventures that didn't actually appear in the novellas, idk). But the Mystery Knight was only released as one book, so who knows, they might go for more episodes when they get to that season.

Also, re taking inspiration from the comic, I really hope they adapt the Kingsguards' gold codpieces. Just because.

103 notes · View notes

vee-nyx · 4 months ago

Text

SDCC 2024 highlights for the MCU:

CA:BNW (releasing 2/14/2025)

part of the plot will deal with the discovery of adamantium in Tiamut’s stone form

Thaddeus Ross’s identity as Red Hulk is not a secret to the American populace

Giancarlo is playing Sidewinder, king of the Serpent Society

Sabra is supposedly implied to be an adversary of Sam’s in the extended trailer (yay? still want her gone tho)

Thunderbolts* (releasing 5/2/2025)

the cast seemingly entered in reverse order of importance, as Florence and Seb were last

David has a new Red Guardian costume, so other characters will probably have new suits

when Seb was asked what made the movie special he pointed at Flo, and David later said she delivers his favorite performance in the movie

Wyatt is fully aware of how much everyone hates Walker (good)

Flo does most of her own stunts and thanks stunt coordinator

Seb on playing Bucky: “it’s like having 9 lives…how many are left?” (my heart fell to my ass)

“There are bad guys, and there are BAD guys”

viewer said the trailer gave Suicide Squad vibes

rumored scenes of Valentina in Avengers Tower and Yelena fighting U.S. Agent (get his ass) as well as Ghost

The Fantastic Four (releasing 7/25/2025)

official subtitle is “First Steps”

they start filming in the UK on July 30

powers are rooted in physics and anatomy

Feige claims the movie stays true to the comics

very 1960s futuristic setting and heavy emphasis on the theme of family

the Fantasti-Car flew onto the stage (lmao)

regarding Avengers 5 & Avengers: Secret Wars

the Russo brothers will direct both

the Fastastic Four and the Thunderbolts will appear in both!!

A5 is still planned for May 2026 & officially titled Avengers: Doomsday and will star ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AS DOCTOR DOOM (i have no clue how they kept this a secret)

RDJ says “New mask, same task” and “I like playing complicated characters”

Secret Wars is still planned for May 2027

all in all, i feel insane and am definitely not prepared for D23 in two weeks!

51 notes · View notes

styleofdiamandis · 11 months ago

Text

NEON NATURE TOUR: FASHION CREDITS

Step into the neon-lit enchantment of Marina's "Neon Nature" Tour, which debuted on October 12, 2015, in Houston. Celebrating her third studio album, "Froot," Marina graced the cyber garden-inspired stage in collaboration with stylist Soki Mak and a handful emerging designers. Join us on a brief, yet dazzling, exploration of the tour's wardrobe—a kaleidoscope of avant-garde fashion and futuristic flair that left audiences spellbound.

The first set of looks were designed by Paula Knorr, who created two of Marina’s fuchsia, lavender & red lamé looks which were inspired by body movement and the interaction between the material and the female shape.

The Piers Atkinson reign just won't let up! M debuted several custom-made headpieces on stage, including a purple version of his Mega Diamond Ears headband.

With the first look, Marina wore the Emmanuelle wine-red leather pointed-toe pumps with eye-catching pink mink tail from Malone Souliers’ Fall/Winter 2015 collection.

The second look naturally met a more bolder choice. These stunners are Kat Maconie's Paulina metallic red leather platform pumps.

Another designer that hopped on is LA-based Michael Costello, who appeared on the eighth season of Project Runway and the first season of Project Runway All Stars!

"Designing for Marina and the Neon Nature Tour was a great experience. My team met with Marina for an initial fitting and we discussed sketches and fabric options. We wanted something colourful and full of sequins so it could shine on stage. We knew we wanted a cape to go along with the jumpsuit to give Marina that extra flair that she is known for when she performs." Michael said.

Of course, Piers Atkinson also created a custom blue sparkly version of his Hyper Cherries headpiece for the tour.

Bristol-based fashion label Burnt Soul custom-made around 7 different catsuits for our girl to wear!

Designer Robyn Lythe said: "To start with, we put the Froot album to catch the right feel for the designs. We wanted to incorporate the expression of her lyrics with the glitzy electro pop side of Froot. One of Marina‘s fashion icons is Elizabeth Taylor and so we used her as inspiration to create figure flattering hour glass shapes in our cut. More than anything we wanted to capture Marina‘s personality. We added floating georgette fabric sleeves and glittering neon colourful bodies to give her the comic book sass and electric look she‘s famous for. The most "Marina" part of our designs were probably the sleeves. We never work with anything but lycra but we wanted to add something a little softer that would add movement on stage. Marina is so feminine with so much strength and attitude and we thought the combination of the two fabrics were perfectly her."

These looks were crowned with the custom Piers Atkinson “Froot” laser-cut plexi headband (similar design pictured above).

For her Lollapalooza performance in Chile, she combined her pink catsuit with these Delalle Demilune oversized studded round cat-eye sunglasses!

A pair of BEBO chunky silver glittery platform sandals completed the look.

Costume designer Austin Louis Perry was in charge for the "Electra Heart" act costumes!

"Working with Marina and her team was such an excleine experience. To start off with I met with Soki Mak to brainstorm the key features of the show. As a fan of Marina’s music I immediately wanted to design for the "Electra Heart" section of the show. Soki and Marina gave me 5 words as a brief; „Sassy, 70’s, pink glitter rock star“. I then used key reference points trom pop acts like Cher, ABBA and Boney M. The next stage involved meeting Marina and presenting my ideas (which she was so excited about) and from there on we discussed colour options and fabric choices. Seeing how excited Marina was when trying on my designs at the first fitting was just incredible. She loved the capes and the fabrics looked amazing together. Personalty my favorite outfit was the pink glitter catsuit with the heart cut-outs. Seeing fans reactions to the Neon Nature wardrobe on social media and the personal comments and E-mails I‘ve received have been overwhelming. It has been such an incredible journey."

The final two custom looks come from Greek couture house Celia Kritharioti! First one is a gold sequined co-ord set featuring plunging V-neck with nude mesh overlay, while the second set comprises a lavender sequin bustier and matching flared trousers.

And for the final ending of this post, here's the deets to the eyelashes our girl's been wearing throughout the show! Make up artist Colby Smith used the Love Addict mink lashes by Artémes!

He also used products by Make Up For Ever, M·A·C Cosmetics, Armani Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, Madina Milano and Anastasia Beverly Hills.

#Delalle #Paula Knorr #Austin Louis Perry #Burnt Soul #Michael Costello #Celia Kritharioti #Piers Atkinson #Kat Maconie #Malone Souliers #BEBO #Artemes #Make Up For Ever #Armani Beauty #Charlotte Tilbury #Madina Milano #Anastasia Beverly Hills #Makeup

4 notes · View notes

ecofinisher · 1 year ago

Text

All the Sims that appear in "Ecofinisher's Sims 4 Base Game file" - Part 5/6

I forgot, what was the reason I wanted to do this bio, but here it is.

This post focuses on the Sims, that live in Newcrest. Both self-made and gallery-taken Sims.

ASTRUC-VOLKA (Leonid Volka, Daniela and Danielle Astruc)

Summary: Danielle and Daniela share everything together. Their house, their meals, their car and their boyfriend. All the three seem pretty cool with it. Both women are planning to get pregnant as well by their boyfriend and have in the future a baby. Is this really going to be a good thing in the future to when the kids grow up and start going out with the others?

Note: The trio have two newborn babies in the household.

LAURENT (Memphis and Beau Laurent. Mika Laurent and Depressed Clown)

Summary: Four young Sims met at a support group of bullying and befriended each other quickly due to their unnatural looks.Together all have won confidence and self-respect. The group promised each other to live together and help each other in the new start of life and are having the best days of their lives. Now that the group has learned the lesson about loving themselves for who they are, we will only need to know now, if they will find someone someday, that will love them for who they are as well.

Note: They're not blood-related. They are just tagged as family members.

ZATTAH (Stephanie and Karpos Zattah)

Summary: Stephanie and Karpos have an age gap of 40 years. A former barista falling in love with a five-star-chef isn’t something you see everyday. Obviously to many people’s eyes, behind this marriage there’s one thing, that people will think about at first glance – gold digging. Stephanie is waiting for the day, Karpos bites the dust due to his rusty age. She really has been waiting for a couple of years. He should have passed the 100th already and he still looks the same! How does it come, that a man, that worked in a five-star restaurant for years dealing with lots of food not expedite his way out to the afterlife?

ZACZKOWSKY (Stanislaw, Przemyslaw and Jowita)

Summary: Matislaw used to be the leader of a crime gang, until one time he was ratted out by a Spaniard, who kept the whole team’s score while they were jailed in. Matislaw did have his brother and niece out of town and knew well, that when he was out they would work with him to track down the traitor and avenge the deed. As Matislaw came out, he figured out both his family members were following another path leaving the revenge plans for himself. What is he going to do from now on?

Notes: The Sims' last names use Slavic suffixes.

COSPLAY CHICKS (Lila Rossi, Lilly Petru and Lara Nussbaumer)

Summary: Lily, Lara and Lila are into Sims and Anime. They own as well a cool cosplay costume to visit the Comic Con next year! Lily and Lara already have a boyfriend out of town, only Lila seems to be enjoying her freedom or actually, she’s just spending the rest of the day after work in front of her laptop…...She’s probably Simming or watching Animes as usual, but after all that she always left with an amusing grin plastered on her face. Kinda suspicious?

Notes: I forgot to give them basic clothing xD My bad.

SHEPPARD-MORALES (Jewel and Marie Sheppard. Tucker and Alessia Morales)

Summary: This is actually crazy. Road-agent Tucker has a huge attraction on the masked thief Jewel. She also has a crush on her roommate Tucker. She knows very well, he’s in love with her, but she also knows she can’t tell him, who she really is. Both their siblings are aware of that issue and are confused about how both haven’t realized that issue yet.

END NOTE

Presumed and marked with ???? Sims I wasn't able to find their owner again and on my gallery they were tagged as "mine", when I actually had saved them and changed their clothes to "base game".

All Sims are split into 6 blog posts due to the limitation of images.

'm looking forward to sharing each household separately into my gallery in the next 48h for anyone who's interested in specific ones only.

#the sims #the sims 4 #ecofinisher #the sims 4 base game #the sims 4 game file #information

0 notes

fantastic-nonsense · 2 years ago

Note

This is my first Halloween in a wheelchair so obviously my only costume options are Oracle or Professor X, and as I was looking up Oracle costume references I discovered that Cass and Steph are Batgirl again? In their original costumes??? and Babs is Oracle again??? Am I hallucinating? Is this worth driving to the comic store to read? I haven't touched DC since n52 lol

Well they're certainly not your only options but they are absolutely SUPERIOR options for someone who has the opportunity to take it! And...yes, okay, let me explain the convoluted mess that's behind the current state of events that is "we have three Batgirls operating simultaneously."

In August of 2020, DC had that massive upper management firing event that took out Dan Didio, Bob Harras, and most of the company's upper level editorial, marketing, and publishing staff; further job cuts happened later that year as well. This massively changed the creative direction of the company, leading to a situation where Future State (which itself was a restructuring of Didio's infamous '5G initiative') ended up as a two month "alternate future" event that led to the Infinite Frontier era (starting in March 2021) instead of a dramatic re-shifting of the DCU in the aftermath of the Dark Knights: Death Metal event.

At the time, the Infinite Frontier era was explicitly billed as "everything is canon" due to Death Metal's restructuring of the multiverse as an unlimited "omniverse." As part of this initiative, several things shifted slightly to the left re: the Batfamily. In particular, Cass and Steph were once again allowed to wear bat symbols and have their histories as Batgirl at least semi-acknowledged again (something that had been denied to them for 5 years via editorial mandate).

Thus, as of March 2021 Cass and Steph are both Batgirl again and operating as such. They gave Cass her pre-reboot!Batgirl suit again and Steph a restructured look that looks like a mashup of her Rebirth-era Spoiler suit and her 2009 Batgirl look. Effectively, Babs, Cass, and Steph are all operating as Batgirl simultaneously right now (the same is also happening with the Robin and Wonder Girl mantles: Tim and Damian are sharing Robin and Cassie and Yara are sharing Wonder Girl). DC also announced a Batgirls team-up book (which debuted last December) that supposedly starred Steph and Cass, with Babs acting as their mentor. Unfortunately, it's largely been....not good. The bar was six feet underground and failed to be cleared, unfortunately. Cass's and Steph's best appearances over the past year have been as cameos or supporting roles in other books.

Meanwhile, Babs, having ripped the chip allowing her to walk again out of her spine during the Joker War event earlier that year, got a replacement but was told by Luke Fox that doing anything super strenuous might cause it to degrade and break down (permanently, this time):

"No joke, there is no next time with the implant. Your nerves won't take to it. And we both know what it means if that happens." "I know. And I don't need it to work forever--just for now. I'm fine without the implant." "I know you are." -Batgirl (2016) #48

Theoretically, this was supposed to lead to an era of Barbara technically having the capacity to walk but largely retiring the Batgirl suit to be Oracle again. At least, that's what readers were told at the start of the IF era:

"How do you feel about being back behind the computer?"

"Honestly Huntress, it feels good. There's a big part of me that felt like I could never be in all the places I wanted to be in the costume. Now I can be everywhere again. I haven't hung the costume up for good, but I'll be a little more judicious about when I use it. Go a little easier on my spinal implant. And until then...it's not like this city is going to go wanting for a Batgirl with Steph and Cass on the job." -Infinite Frontier #0 (2021)

Early Nightwing issues seemed to bear that out. Tom Taylor's ableist writing non-withstanding, Babs largely operated as Oracle in both Nightwing and Tynion's Batman run. Then Fear State came around later that year and we started getting dialogue like this:

"That's it. I can't do any more from here. I can't find who's doing this or where they're doing it from. And I can't shut them down, not remotely. I think they're plugged directly into my system. I need to find exactly where they gained entry out there. -Nightwing (2016) #84

DC initially played it off as a one-time thing, a "Batgirl!Babs going out with a bang" story…and then 5 issues later, she was suited up again. And it's been happening more and more often the further away we get from the immediate aftermath of Joker War:

She's semi-regularly using mobility aids in Batgirls, but it's the ONLY book showing that and they're STILL having her suit up regularly. She's effectively a half-time Batgirl, half-time Oracle, and the only writers who have actually utilized her well as Oracle have been Tynion (to an extent) and Mariko Tamaki.

It's an extremely frustrating state of events tbh. On the upside, Cass and Steph are Batgirl again and everyone's pre-reboot history is at least mostly back; on the other, Babs is still the victim of some pretty heinously ableist writing and the restoration of everyone's pre-reboot history has been done so sloppily that in many respects it's difficult to figure out what's canon anymore and what's not.

In terms of going to the comic store/starting to read newer comics again, I think that depends on your perspective. There's absolutely some great stories starring the Batgirls that have been written over the past few years; if you want to pick up Mariko Tamaki's Shadows of the Bat: The Tower event from earlier this year (which as a bonus, is also a big Helena Bertinelli story and finally re-canonized No Man's Land) or her Batman: One Bad Day: Two-Face issue, those are two stories from the past year that are good. If you haven't been keeping up with comics since the New 52 period, I might point you to my Cass and Steph entries on my comics recs list, which feature a few solid recs that have been written since their re-introductions (I have yet to update the Babs entry, largely because I've been so dissatisfied with most of Barbara's comics written in the post-Flashpoint era).

....imo, before you drive to the comics shop, I'd pick out a few comic arcs that look interesting to you and read them on RCO first. There's definitely some gems to read, but we're still in a massive YMMV era for the Batgirls, unfortunately.

#long post #asks #batgirls #barbara gordon #cassandra cain #stephanie brown #dc comics #my batgirls

48 notes · View notes

lokiondisneyplus · 3 years ago

Text

Richard E. Grant has been in so many notable franchises that it's easy to forget him making multi-episode appearances on Doctor Who and Game of Thrones. But it's highly unlikely anyone will forget the Oscar-nominated actor's turn as Classic Loki in Disney+'s Loki, from his exquisite costume meant to emulate the Silver Age of the comics to his big heroic moment in Episode 5, "Journey Into Mystery."

As a variant of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Classic Loki is meant to be similar but different from the "mischievous scamp" in key ways, and in a one-on-one interview with Collider, Grant explained how that fact, as well as a key bit of the script, affected his performance. He also revealed how he and Hiddleston had talked about potentially working together in the past (in, admittedly, a very different capacity), and his pitch for a Loki spin-off that I think we can all agree is an instant greenlight.

Collider: To start things off, what does it mean to join the MCU in this capacity? Is this something you've been looking forward to?

RICHARD E. GRANT: Oh yeah. I'd had experience because I was in Logan about five years ago, so I'd had a taste of what this is, but Tom Hiddleston has said to me, he said, "You know, I think that when people see Classic Loki there's going to be a big response." I thought that he was just blowing smoke up my fundament on the first day to make me feel better about coming into work for one episode, Episode 5, after they'd be doing it for practically a year before. Then I saw my Instagram and Twitter feed and the reviews that came out last Wednesday and I realized that he saw into the crystal ball in a way that I didn't. So Tom was right and I stand gleefully corrected.

Did they tell you anything about the costume before you signed up?

GRANT: Yeah. They sent me the costume design with my face on it. It was the classic Loki of the Jack Kirby illustrations of the '60s and it was a fantastic muscle suit. As you can see, I'm born without any. When I got to Atlanta and I said, "So where's the muscle suit that I get into before I get into the green tights?" They said, "What muscle suit?" And I said, "Well, like the drawings." They said, "No. We don't have one for you." And I said, "Well, I don't have any muscles to fill this out." And they said, "Ah, don't worry about that." And I said, "I do worry about that." And I'm still worrying about that and I'm still grouching about it because I wanted those muscles.

I think you look lovely.

GRANT: Thank you.

But I love the fact that they sent you the costume design. Recently, I talked to Kate Herron and she said that you were their first choice for the role.

GRANT: Wow. I didn't know that.

Does that surprise you, at this point in your career — that you would be the first choice on somebody's list?

GRANT: It always surprises me, but what didn't surprise me is that I had... Because I've known Tom Hiddleston socially and from his career and I'd seen him backstage at the theater and things over the decades, we'd always joked about playing father and son, because of our vague similarity in the way that we look. So, when I saw that I thought, "Oh, I've been cast because I have a similar physique or look to Tom." So that's what I thought, but I had no idea. Kate didn't tell me that I was her first choice. People never tell you this stuff. Maybe they think you're going to get too above yourself, but I don't know. I wish people would tell you. I'd love to hear, so thank you for telling me that.

You're welcome. I mean, she called you their north star.

GRANT: Aw. Thank you. She was a delight to work with.

Was there anything specifically Loki-ish that you were trying to incorporate into the performance?

GRANT: I knew that rather than Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief, [Classic Loki] has this line explaining his past that he is the God of Outcasts, and has been so lonely and isolated on this planet, and is willing to be arrested by the TVA in order to get back in contact with his brother, and to sacrifice himself ultimately to Asgard, I thought that was a way into the character that was not trying to imitate, because I couldn't hope to, what Tom does so brilliantly and has done for over a decade now. So I thought that was the way into doing it.

Looking over your career, you've gotten to be a part of a lot of really exciting franchises, including Doctor Who and Star Wars. Is there anything else on your bucket list? Are there other franchises, and/or other fantasy costumes you want to wear?

GRANT: Classic old Loki with muscles and Alligator-dot-com, the subseries of the sub-sub-sub series. That's what I want.

Given the audience reaction to Alligator Loki, I think that there would be a fan base for that.

GRANT: Yeah and classic Loki is the only one that can talk to him and understand him. It's a given. It's a scriptwriter's dream. Get it done.

The season finale of Loki premieres Wednesdays on Disney+.

#Richard E. Grant #Classic Loki #Alligator Loki #Tom Hiddleston #interview #Would love that series tbh

224 notes · View notes

kentochronicles · 4 years ago

Text

***SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5 OF WANDAVISION***

HOLY SHITE MY MIND IS BLOWN

TOMMY AND BILLY CRYING

“Do you want me to take that again?” “Take it from the top?”

Agnes knows ! Tiger - Ralph

“Dark liquor” Vision being concerned

Billy and Tommy aged up?!

I DO NOT TRUST HAYWARD

SCARLET WITCH - TALKING ABOUT HOW WANDA DOESN’T HAVE A CODENAME

SIS STRAIGHT UP TOOK VISIONS CORPSE

HEX — HER POWERS GET REFERRED TO AS HEX POWERS SOMETIMES IN THE COMICS

CAPTAIN MARVEL REFERENCE

NORM SAYING NONE OF IT IS REAL

SPARKY THE DOG - VISION HAD A STAND ALONE AND STOLE A DOG

HER ACCENT

LAGOS

SHE DOESNT KNOW HOW ANY OF THIS STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE

EVAN PETERS AS QUICKSILVER

DARCY GOING “SHE RECAST PIETRO?” MOOOD

X-MEN, START TO THE MULTIVERSE?!

WANDA CAN’T BE THE ONLY ONE CONTROLLING IT

IS MONICA MAD AT CAROL???

MONICA X DARCY?! WHAT A POWER COUPLE THAT WOULD BE

SIS REALLY ENDGAME - ENDGAME ENDED WITH TONY’S FUNERAL AND WANDA PROBS WENT STRAIGHT FROM THERE AND STOLE HER DEAD BF’S CORPSE (can’t really blame her, it looked like they were trying to experiment on Vis and could it be Hayward behind it?)

WHO WAS THAT ENGINEER THAT MONICA WAS GOING TO CONTACT?

BABY VISION

AND AGNES DEFINITELY KNOWS SOMETHING

DARCY FINALLY GOT HER COFFEE

SO VIS SAID THAT WANDA COULD’VE MADE EVERYTHING SUBCONSCIOUSLY AND THAT OVER TIME SHE BECAME AWARE OF IT, AND SIS DEFO HAS SOME CONTROL BUT IT’S NOT ALL HER. I THINK AGNES IS AGATHA HARKNESS AND EITHER MEPHISTO IS BEHIND IT OR IT’S NIGHTMARE AND THEY’VE MAYBE POWERED UP NIGHTMARE

***FURTHER UPDATES AND EASTER EGGS***

Auntie Agnes and Agnes saying she has a few tricks up her sleeve - we should definitely take note of that seeing as Agnes definitely has something to do with the whole situation

Wanda and Vision’s house changed again, being inspired by Family Ties, possibly Full House and Growing Pains

“Do you want me to take it from the top?” It seems as though when someone, this time Vision, steers away from the script, things either reset themselves or people become aware to some capacity, although Agnes probably already knows

Speaking of Growing Pains - It had a spin off called “Just the 10 of Us” in which the director for Wandavision, Matt Shakman, was apart of the cast - and seemingly also inspired the theme song for this week

We should definitely keep an eye on Monica and her potential for powers. With Maria last episode revealed to have gone by the name ‘Photon’ (which is a name that Monica uses as one of her aliases in the comics) and could inspire Monica’s name as she develops her powers - those scans didn’t look 100% normal. Monica has also used the Captain Marvel monicker in the comics

Wanda’s energy field and such being referred to as “Hex” short for Hexagon, could be a little nod to the comics where Wanda’s powers are sometimes called Hex powers

She’s never been referred to as the Scarlet Witch on the big screen - and it seems as though she soon may earn that code name

So we now know that Wanda stole Vision’s corpse from S.W.O.R.D, but did she actually re animate him fully? He’s still got the gem in the centre of his forehead, but the last time he had it was in Infinity War where it promptly got ripped out by Thanos - so has Wanda found her own way of reanimating him and he’s alive or is he dead and just a trick of the mind - though from other trailers/previews, Vis is seen trying to and looks successful at leaving Wanda’s barrier

They had a little call back to Captain America: Civil War with the Sokovia Accords, which were targeting the Avengers in general but were created when Wanda lost control of her powers and killed civilians

A little joke towards Vis as playing “Father Knows Best” in their little suburbia - Which was a sitcom that ran for 200 episodes in the 50’s

Sparky ! A little nod to the little green dog from the Walta and King comics run for Vision and unfortunately soon meets the same fate 💔

A little nod to Endgame when we hear from Monica that Wanda definitely could’ve taken down Thanos by herself had Thanos not rained fire - and Jimmy arguing that Captain Marvel could’ve just as easily done it - which leaves Monica with an angry look on her face

Good ol’ dial up internet

Can Vis “save” the residents of Westview? He can still seemingly interact with people’s minds, with or without the mind stone - Norm soon comes out of his trance as Vis snaps him out of it and asks to call his sister and that he has to save them all from “her” - now this “her” could be Wanda...but it could also be Agnes and then Vis shuts him down soon enough again and Norm goes back to his sit com self

Billy and Tommy are fully aware, or at least suspect Wanda’s abilities - after asking her to bring back Sparky from the dead and speaking of Billy and Tommy - could they be semi permanent fixtures in the MCU, it would help to introduce the Young Avengers eventually. They'll do Young Avengers at some point since Kang is supposed to be a thing in the third Ant-Man.

Teddy, unfortunately, I don't think will be here for a bit (I really hope he is though!). I think the guy they hired that everyone is rumoring to be Teddy might just be an episode about Billy coming to terms with his sexuality and Wanda and Vis learning to accept it in the way that era of tv they're in would go about with that kind of episode and the dude is just a dude - but again, I really hope it’s Teddy 😭

Wanda leaves the hex after a mini missile/plane tries to shoot at her - and she’s in her Scarlet Witch costume and is seemingly mostly back to her “normal self”, which includes her accent !

Lagos brand paper towels - “For when you make a mess you didn’t mean to” - a nod to Civil War again in which Wanda accidentally blew up a building in Lagos and caused the Sokovian accords to come to fruition

The mail man again - I also think he was in the commercial but anywho - “Your mom won’t let him go far” similar to “Much like she won’t let anyone leave” a potential nod to Wanda or Agnes not letting anyone leave?

“We can’t reverse death” and yet she brought Vision back - keeping in mind that he’s an android but still a little foreshadow to what happened at the end of the ep? Better yet, could Pietro coming back be a distraction for Wanda? Agnes or whoever introducing someone that Wanda lives in hopes that she won’t go full on breakdown superpowers or just to give her an attachment to Westview even more and make her not want to leave at all

“She recasted Pietro” EVAN ! I’m so pumped for this - it seems this could turn into the X-Men making their debut earlier than expected possibly? In any case, it’s a nice little Easter Egg to the previous Fox franchise of X-Men movies where Evan played Peter Maximoff “Quicksilver” alongside James McAvoy as Prof X, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and so many others - and with Deadpool being confirmed as Disney’s first R rated film, it seems Mutants are definitely on their way to the MCU

Agnes is definitely Agatha or a gender bent Nightmare

The way Billy shed himself and Tommy up was scary - definitely a little nod to his powers coming in

Multiple different perspectives of Wanda saying that Monica left

Red Hex dialled up to around light sources (computer, window, etc.)

Vision mentions reading Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man - which could refer to Mutants entering the MCU, Mutants being superior to humans

Agnes calls herself Auntie Agnes - in episode 2 during the title sequence in the grocery store there’s a product called ‘Auntie A’s Kitty Litter’

Agnes refers to herself as a Tiger and in the episode, there’s a Tiger on the dining table in the kitchen - could that be a listening device, her eyes and ears?

There are no other children in Westview - Billy and Tommy are immune because they have no prior trauma

Elizabeth Olsen’s photos are real and slightly altered with Sokovian flags in the background

In the birthday shot of Billy and Tommy, they have ‘1,2,3,4,5’ candles all on one cake

In the holiday photos, Vision goes from Turkey to Easter Bunny, to Santa and progressively gets more unhappy - realising he no longer wants to play along in Wanda’s Hex

During Monica’s callbacks to seeing Wanda’s pain inside her head, we see a new shot of Wanda crying - it looks like it’s around the time she stole Vision’s corpse, as the outfit she’s wearing is very similar, if not the same - could this be an after shot of when she’s trying to bring Vision back?

During the scene where we see the footage of Wanda stealing Vision’s corpse, the S.W.O.R.D logo that appears on the table has 8 stars around the rim of the logo but then has a 9th one in the middle - could this be a little Easter Egg to the nine realms of the Cosmos? And there’s also a map showing Cape Canaveral, could that be where S.W.O.R.D’s headquarters are?

Wanda and Pietro were born in 1989 to Irina and Oleg Maximoff - who were killed in an air raid when the twins were 10. In the comics, Wanda and Pietro were raised by Django and Maria Maximoff, before their true parentage was revealed as being the children of Magneto, however, in the comics this has been retconned so that Wanda and Pietro are no longer Mutants and the High Evolutionary had just disguised them as Mutants (something I think they should undo tbh - MARVEL, PLEASE MAKE WANDA AND PIETRO MUTANTS AGAIN!!!)

Speaking of the air raid, that was also referenced in Age of Ultron by Pietro and Wanda - “We were 10 years old, having dinner the four of us. And the first shell hits 2 floors below, makes a hole in the floor” - was the beeping Stark toaster be what that was referring to?

WHIH reappears for a brief cameo as the news service in the MCU - and Hayward cuts off Jimmy as he was trying to defend Wanda’s reputation, in which Jimmy then turns to Darcy and says “I try not to speak ill of people” Darcy then follows up with “Then allow me, Hayward’s a-“ and then she’s cut off by a shot back to Hayward saying the word “Terrorist” which would make sense as it seems with Vision’s corpse, he may have been trying to make sentient weapons and by subverting Vision’s will and blaming Wanda of doing the same. In the footage shown of Wanda stealing Vision’s remains, we see Vision broken up into parts and S.W.O.R.D seems to be experimenting on him and this seems to be the robotics/nanotech project that Hayward was referring to. Monica asks Hayward about the footage saying “When was this?” to which Hayward replies saying “9 days ago. Maximoff stormed our facility, stole Vision’s body and resurrected him” - this would mean that Wanda took Vision 2 weeks after the events of Endgame, about a week before Monica returned to S.W.O.R.D and Hayward didn’t tell her any of this and when he sent her in there, he knew exactly what he was doing - with her reputation after Civil War, this makes it easier for Hayward to paint her as the villain.

Back in Westview, Tommy wears red and Billy wears green - which are the colours that Wiccan and Speed wear in the comics, respectively. And it’s also the colours that Wanda and Vision are known for and appears quite a lot in their wardrobes

More in regards to Sparky, he was the synthezoid dog in Tom King’s run of Vision - the story being that he was originally a dog named Zeke who unfortunately passed away after digging up the Grim Reaper’s corpse and getting zapped. The Grim Reaper’s helmet appears during the title sequence of Episode 2 in the floorboards. Could Sparky have been trying to dig up a similar thing when he was caught by Agnes and consequently killed?

Monica mentions that she knows this aerospace engineer, they’re never shown but she is seen texting them. Could it be Reed Richards a.k.a Mr Fantastic? Hayward did mention that some astronauts used to work for S.W.O.R.D before a mission went haywire - though it seems a bit lacklustre to introduce such highly anticipated characters this way. Could it instead be the Skrull daughter of Talos that Monica befriended at the end of Captain Marvel? She mentioned that they had extraterrestrial allies in episode 4 working with her and Fury as apart of S.W.O.R.D - in the Spanish subtitles they use the feminine articles for this engineer - so I think it’s more likely to be Talos’s daughter

The board that we saw in Episode 4 now includes the mailman, drivers license and all - could he be Jimmy’s missing witness?

The tension in the room after Jimmy references Carol is similarly seen when in Spider-Man: Far From Home, where Peter asks Skrull Fury/Talos “How about Captain Marvel?” To which Talos replies “Don’t involve her name”. Fury, Monica and Talos were all on the side of the Skrulls by then end of Captain Marvel and the space station that Fury was on maybe apart of S.W.O.R.D. So did Carol betray them?

A slight reference to Captain America: The First Avenger is made when Monica pulls a Peggy Carter and shoots at something to see if it’s bulletproof, in Peggy’s case it was the iconic Captain America shield and in the case of Monica, it was her clothes that she was wearing after Wanda threw her out of the Hex

Abilash (Norm) never states that Wanda is the one that Vision has to save them from, it’s just “her” - could this instead be Agnes?

When Billy is training Sparky to sit, he puts the treat by his ear up to his temple - a future reference that Billy will one day share the same powers as his mum?

During the scene in which Wanda leaves the Hex briefly, she turns the guns onto Hayward but none are trained on Monica - she may still trust Monica slightly, whereas with Hayward, she slightly more pissed off because of what he was doing to Vision’s remains. And turning a bunch of guns on the people you don’t trust? Like father, like daughter as Magneto pulls a similar move in one of the X-Men films - Hopefully, the big cameo they keep teasing will be Ian McKellan as Magneto or the Magnus of this House of M adaptation

During when Agnes “found” Sparky, she says he died from eating too many leaves from her plants - in the Tom King Vision run, one of Vision’s kids ends up killing Sparky and sees inside his stomach that there’s a plant that Agatha Harkness grows in her garden

All the names that appear during the credits that Wanda tries to run to end the show and to stop Vision from talking are names of people who work on the actual Wandavision show itself

When Evan Peter’s version of Quicksilver shows up, he says “Does a long lost bro get to squeeze his sister to death or what?” I DO NOT TRUST THIS PIETRO - Similar to Wandavision, the Fox X-Men movies moved up decade by decade - First Class was in the 1960s, Days of Future Past was in the 1970s, Apocalypse was in the 1980s and Dark Phoenix was in the 1990’s - which would make even more sense as MCU! Pietro wasn’t born until 1989, whereas Peter was active during the 1980s. I reckon that this Pietro is Jimmy’s missing witness, Agnes’s husband Ralph and is disguising itself as a comforting presence to Wanda as Vision no longer brings comfort and is trying to bring Wanda back to reality - and when he shows up, the mirror in the background behind Wanda is slightly distorted but his hand looks red and in the shot as well, there seems to be a grey arm reaching towards Pietro - in the shot itself behind and in front of Wanda, there’s nothing there but in the mirror, there is! Either way, I do not trust this Pietro and it’s just an entity trying to give Wanda the last thing that could make her happy - but it won’t last, as everything is already breaking down around her.

I seriously seriously love this show so much 💙

186 notes · View notes

docgold13 · 3 years ago

Photo

365 DC Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

July 11th - Red Bee

There have been two heroes who have operated under the moniker of The Red Bee, The first Red Bee was Rick Raleigh, an assistant district attorney in Superior City, Oregon. Raleigh was an accomplished bee keeper and discovered a means of training bees to perform all manner of feats. He decided to use this skill to become a costumed mystery man so to fight off nazi saboteurs who were infiltrating the West Coast as America was preparing to enter into the Second World War. Donning a yellow and red costume Raleigh became The Red Bee, armed with his stinger gun and a swarm of specially trained bees. The hero was later recruited into the All-Star Squadron during the war and also acted as a member of Uncle Sam’s Freedom Fighters. Raleigh perished in action, sacrificing himself to save Hour Man from the nazi villain known as Baron Blitzkrieg. Many years later, Raleigh’s grand-niece, Jenna, took up his mantle to become the second Red Bee. Jenna utilized a mechanized battle suit of her own design that enables flight, enhanced strength and durability. She additionally employs a pair of robotic bees that can fire electricity. As the new Red Bee, Jenna assists the contemporary version of Uncle Sam’s Freedom fighters in battling the forces of S.H.A.D.E. The original Red Bee first appeared in the pages of Hit Comics #1 (1940); whereas the second first appeared in Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighters #5 (2007).

#365 DC Comics Heroes #DC Comics #Red Bee #Freedom Fighters #All-Star Squadron #cut-out #paper art

36 notes · View notes

uhlikzsuzsanna · 3 years ago

Link

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Loki Season 1, Episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery.”]

Collider: To start things off, what does it mean to join the MCU in this capacity? Is this something you've been looking forward to?

Did they tell you anything about the costume before you signed up?

I think you look lovely.

GRANT: Thank you.

But I love the fact that they sent you the costume design. Recently, I talked to Kate Herron and she said that you were their first choice for the role.

GRANT: Wow. I didn't know that.

Does that surprise you, at this point in your career — that you would be the first choice on somebody's list?

You're welcome. I mean, she called you their north star.

GRANT: Aw. Thank you. She was a delight to work with.

Was there anything specifically Loki-ish that you were trying to incorporate into the performance?

GRANT: Classic old Loki with muscles and Alligator-dot-com, the subseries of the sub-sub-sub series. That's what I want.

Given the audience reaction to Alligator Loki, I think that there would be a fan base for that.

GRANT: Yeah and classic Loki is the only one that can talk to him and understand him. It's a given. It's a scriptwriter's dream. Get it done.

#Loki #Loki series #Richard E. Grant #interview #collider #Tom Hiddleston #spoilers #episode 5 spoilers #2021.07.12.

22 notes · View notes

glitchbirds · 2 years ago

Note

🌻

(new ask game send me a 🌻 and ill just tell you whatever the fuck i want)

hmmmmmm

i think ive said before that my favorite batman character growing up was probably alfred or batman/bruce wayne himself, and honestly i dont think thats changed all that much even though i do care significantly more about the rogues now as an adult; this is esp the case as ive still been rewatching 60s batman, which is just. Peak Alfred to me. god i love alfred. any episode where alfred is a focal point i am cheering and clapping like a lunatic. the joy of watching a prim british man foil criminal schemes and save his beloved cringefail millionaire friend/boss/orphan he raised from childhood from certain doom with that said, the other major thing this 60s batman rewatch has hammered home for me- it really makes me sad that aunt harriet is basically confined to just 60s batman, from what i can tell her comic appearances fizzled out in the 70s and she's never really come up all that often (if at all?) since. i think she's lovely, id easily put her in my top 5 characters in 60s batman. i get that her presence is probably considered unnecessary and raises questions about why dick is even in bruce's custody in the first place (and ofc batman comics have like, idk, six or so different robins at this point? more? so her presence in bruce's life probably isnt needed at ALL in modern comics..) and ofc most modern batman media tends to err more on the side of serious/dark in tone and while alfred can easily slot into that, dick's naive sweet old aunt harriet who has no earthly idea that her beloved nephew and his guardian are secretly the crime fighters protecting gotham city- really does NOT fit a more serious tone

but i dont care. i like her. i think she's cute and i think we need more sweet old ladies doting on superheroes in their off hours. w/ 60s batman, it grounds the show- maybe not in REALITY, but it prevents bruce+dick from always being on the verge of returning to batman and robin mode, it keeps them on their toes and allows some small amount of tension and suspense in their day to day lives (even if we as the audience know aunt harriet will never find out the truth), and in particular it allows us to see dick act like a normal teenager (albeit a stereotypical squeaky-clean television teen in the 60s) and bruce as a kind and patient parental figure in his life; both of which still come out and are apparent when theyre both in costume, but its unfiltered when theyre in the presence of harriet cooper. which, idk, i just find way more entertaining.

plus i love those moments where aunt harriet gets to help batman and robin, its almost as great as when alfred becomes integral to the plot. this weekend we watched the episodes liberace guest starred in, where he courts aunt harriet in an effort to secretly steal the wayne fortune, and the scene where harriet confronts him and Pulls A Fucking Gun On Liberace is just. highlight of my week. of my month. of my year. i love television.

#monstermuppet #asks #sorry i took forever to get to this i got stuck debating between like 3 different tangents to go on

1 note · View note

justthehiddleswrites · 4 years ago

Text

Sweet as Sugar | Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Summary: The reader is the TV host of a new comedy panel show. She has been asked to appear on an episode of British Bake Off for Comic Relief. She didn't know she would be on the same episode as the dashing Tom Hiddleston. She could be wrong but is he flirting with her? And how is she going to manage to screw this up?

Warnings: none

“All right, Bakers, time is up! Please place your bakes at the end. Paul and Mary will come by.”

You finished up icing your last biscuit right as those words came from Mel’s mouth. That was the fastest three hours ever in your life. You almost regretted agreeing to appear on Comic Relief Bake Off but then reminded yourself it was all in good fun and for charity. As an up-and-coming host of a comedy panel show, this was a wonderful opportunity. Plus, you loved to bake.

You glanced around the tent to see how the other celebrities fared. Dawn French’s apron was smeared with light strokes of blue and green from her icing. She looked as though she just ran a marathon but her globe cookies looked amazing. Benedict Cumberbatch behind did not seem to have fared so well. Half of his dragon cookies were not even iced, and some looked burnt around the edges.

“Did you set a blowtorch on them, Ben?” you hear the celebrity behind you quip.

You turned to see Tom Hiddleston mocking his friend across the aisle. Damn, He looks even more handsome up close and personal. And taller, definitely, taller, you thought as you turn around.

“You are one to talk.” You gestured at his bake at the end of the counter. The edges look more brown than golden. A heavy layer of icing applied to the top as camouflage.

Tom smiles.

“I don’t know what you mean. Those are perfect.”

“That icing is not fooling anyone. And if you are you using it to hide your gray hairs, it’s not working. You look like Santa Claus.”

Tom shot you a confused look, and you gestured to his beard and hair. Powdered sugar coated his trimmed facial hair and icing has licked a few of his curls which has dropped off to the side of his face. It gave him a wizened look. Tom reached up and felt the crunch in his hair. He attempted to clean himself up before the judges came by.

“Ehehehe. No, but does it suit me? Do I have a career as a holiday Santa?”

You giggled and gave him a thumbs up, just as Mary and Paul come by to your table.

“So, what have you baked for us?” Paul asked.

“I made a walnut biscuit with a mocha icing.”

“Have you ever made this before?” Mary inquired.

“Yes, I have. It’s my mum’s favorite biscuit for tea time, so I make this biscuit a few times a month.”

You hear a low whistle behind you along with the words “show off.” You turned and shot Tom a withering look as he turned to look at Ben with an innocent look. You scowled before turning back to Paul, Mary, Mel, and Sue.

“Looks like someone might be a bit jealous,” Sue quipped, “Or perhaps a bit of an admirer?”

Mel joined in.

“You could do worse, darling.”

Grateful to turn your back to Tom so he can’t see your embarrassment, and you prayed this doesn’t end up in the aired special.

“Anyway, the bake looks good. The icing is glossy. Let’s see how it tastes.”

Paul and Mary each take a bite.

“That is scrumptious,” Mary responds and your face lights up.

“That is delicious,” Paul added. “You can taste the walnut. The biscuit is crisp and the mocha icing enhances the walnut. Well done.”

Paul extended his hand.

“Really?!” you squealed as you shook his hand with trembling fingers.

Paul and Mary smiled as the walk off as Mel grabbed three of you biscuits off the tray.

“So, Tom, what do we have here?” you heard Mary ask behind you.

You turned to watch Tom’s critique.

“The flavor is nice, but the biscuit is a bit burned. What happened there?” Mary asked Tom.

Tom rubbed the back of his neck out of nerves.

“Ehehe. I was distracted and left them in the oven too long.”

Benedict started to laugh.

“Sure, Tom. Sure.” Benedict threw him an “okay” sign for added effect.

The Signature Round was over and you were riding high. Paul only gave you a handshake, but your closest competition was Tom and Dawn. They led the four of you out of the tent for them to clean up for the Technical Challenge.

Benedict and Tom were in a corner, deep in conversation. You could see wild gestures and excited tones. You turned to Dawn and began talking about family and work. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Benedict pushing Tom out of the corner, urging him to join your group. Tom shuffled along. He seemed shy to interrupt the two of you.

“Hmhum.” Tom cleared his throat.

You turned and smiled up at him. Damn those eyes are so blue. His face softened as he returned your smile, crinkles forming around his eyes. Positively charming.

“Can I help, Mr. Hiddleston?”

“Please, it’s Tom.” Tom corrected, fiddling with his fingers. “You seemed to be quite the baker.”

“Yes. I used to help my mother bake as a girl. Now I use it as stress relief. You can always tell when things are bad when the apartment is covered in cupcakes.”

Tom laughed.

“I would love to see that sometime.”

You swallowed. Was he flirting? With you?

“Sure. Next time I have a big show, I will invite you over.”

“I’m holding you to that.”

“I’m counting on it.”

An assistant announcing interrupted the conversation telling them they were ready for the next challenge. Tom returned to Benedict, and you watched him walking away. His languid stroll exciting something inside you. Dawn pulled you from your daydream with a sharp hit to your ribs.

“He fancies you.”

You feel the blood rush your face.

“Nonsense. He is a famous movie star and I am well…. me.”

Dawn rolled her eyes at you.

“Oh please. I know smitten when I see it and he is. And so are you. Don’t think you’re hiding it. missy.”

You prepared to snap back but the assistant insisted you leave to go back into the tent. Within a few minutes, they situated the four of you behind your respective workspaces. A gingham towel covered the ingredients for your next challenge.

“All right bakers, for your technical challenge you will be baking a Mary Berry recipe. You will need to make a Battenberg cake.” Mel announced.

You smiled. You made a Battenberg before. You glanced around to see how everyone else is reacting. Dawn looked confident. Benedict threw two thumbs up signs, while Tom is ashen.

“You will 2 and a half hours. Let’s send Paul and Mary away.” Sue added.

“On your mark, get set, BAKE!”

You whipped the towel away to reveal flour, caster sugar, almonds, eggs and the rest of the ingredients.

“What’s wrong?” you asked Tom as you hear grumbling behind you.

“I’m not good at maths.”

You giggled. Something this perfect man struggles with, how refreshing.

“Well, when you get to the numbers part, I will help.”

“Oh no, you two. It says, NO CONFERRING at the top.” Benedict popped off from the other side of the tent.

“We’re not conferring, Benedict.”

The two of you exchanged a wink before turning to mixing up your batter. The mixing goes along just fine. As does the bake. When it came time to the slicing of the cake, Tom beckoned you over.

“Okay, how can I get this into even pieces?”

You do some quick calculations and marked it out for Tom. Just as you were finishing up, Mel comes by.

“Back to your own stations, you two lovebirds. No flirting in the tent.”

Tom’s neck reddened at the comment.

“I don’t what you are talking about,” he deflected.

“Yeah, I can’t stand to look at his ugly mug.”

“Keeping an eye on you two,” Mel commented with narrowed eyes as she walked away.

You missed Benedict giving Tom the thumbs up sign. The rest of the time was a blur, and before you knew it, Mel and Sue were counting down.

“5..4..3..2..1! Hands up. Place your bakes on the gingham altar behind your photo.”

Mary and Paul came back in as the four of you perched upon stools. You noticed Dawn’s cake was leaning a bit while Benedict’s was a bit smaller than others. Paul and Mary came to your cake.

“It has a nice appearance. The crumb is nice.”

Mary started to pick at the layers.

“It appears this person has forgotten the apricot jam.”

“Yeah. It’s a shame. Lovely bake,” Paul commented before moving on.

They finished their tasting and critiques and started announcing the placings.

“And in second, this one.” Mary gestured to your cake and you raise your hand.

“Nearly perfect, but you just forgot the jam,” she continued.

You nodded.

“And in first place,” Paul commented as Tom raised his hand, beaming the entire time.

Once the day of filming wrapped, you went to pack your things up and head to the bed-and-breakfast the production put the celebrities up on for the two days of filming. You felt a strong hand grabbed your shoulder. You whipped around to see who it was.

“You know I will never hear the end of him of winning,” Benedict commented as he helped you lift your bag.

“Nonsense, Ben. I will only mention it every third day I see you.”

Tom was beaming from ear to ear, those crinkles once again in place. His once crisp blue shirt covered in a thin layer of flour, sleeves rolled up.

“Don’t think for a second, Tom, your win is legitimate. If it wasn’t for Y/N helping you cheat…”

“… advising me,” Tom interrupted.

“… cheat. You never would have won.”

You just stood there smiling as the two bantered back and forth. The two men got more and more heated and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“You know this is for charity, right? It’s all in good fun.”

Tom laughed too.

“True, but there is nothing wrong with a little competition. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Agreed, but having fun is my main priority.”

“Well, what if make this a little more interesting?” Benedict piped in.

“What do you suggest?” you asked, curious what he had in mind.

“Star Baker gets to make the other two do whatever him or he wants for 24 hours.”

“Personal slave,” Tom’s eyebrows raised, “this could tempt me. Benedict cleaning my house in a French Maid costume.”

“You are truly disturbed, Tom. You know that right?” Benedict countered, scowling at his friend, “Are you in?”

You looked between gentlemen staring you down for an answer.

“Fine, I’m in! What about you, Tom?”

“I’m in. Oh, this will make things so much fun tomorrow!”

“As the instigator of this horrible idea, I insist we seal the deal with dinner and pints. There is a place in town with a vegan menu.”

Tom and you grimaced at Benedict.

“Please tell me there is a non-vegetarian menu.” you asked.

“Of course. Thomas here loves his steak.”

“I’m in, if she is.”

“Sounds like a date. Meet in the lobby at 6?”

“Deal.”

At a quarter to six, you headed downstairs to the lobby of the quaint little bed-and-breakfast you were staying at in Somerset. You changed out of your dirty clothes and put onclean ones Surprisingly, Tom was early too. Gone was the button down and slacks and in its place was a well-worn jeans, a sweater, and boots, Handsome as ever.

You hated to admit it but you carried a bit of a torch for him. While Loki may have been the gateway by now, you watched almost all of Tom’s filmography. Your friends mocked you. You could hear the mocking in your right now once they heard he was filming with you. And you were about to go out to dinner with him and Benedict Cumberbatch. As a once stand-up comedian turned TV host, you never imagined this in a million years.

“Hello?” Tom waved a hand in front of your face, shaking you from your thoughts.

“Sorry.”

You looked down, avoiding his piercing blue eyes.

“Where were you?”

“Oh, just thinking about what my friends and family will say when they see me lose to Loki on national television.”

Tom let a belly laugh go.

“Ehehehe. I’m sure you will come up with a witty response to whatever they say. I have seen your show. Hilarious.”

You leaned back to look at him.

“You have seen my show?”

“Of course. You know, they call you the next Jimmy Carr. But I would say you are better, particularly with your laugh.”

His comment prompted a belly laugh on your part.

“Fair enough.”

Tom held out elbow for you.

“Ready to go?”

“I thought Benedict was joining us?”

“He had a family thing come up. Something with one of the kids. He begged off. Just the two of us.”

“Oh,” you tried not to sound disappointed.

You weren’t. It was just with Benedict coming along it seemed less date-like. The corners of Tom’s eyes fall and you try to cover.

“It was just I wanted to see if he could give me any secrets about the new season of Sherlock. Guess I will have to settle with just Loki instead.”

You crinkled your nose at him.

“Fair enough. I saw a pub around the corner. I don’t know about you but all the baking today gave me an appetite and a craving for a pint or two.”

You nodded and the two of you took the short walk to the nearby pub. The place was filled with only locals. They took no notice of you and little of Tom before returning to the plates and glasses.

“I guess they aren’t easily impressed.” you comment as the two of you plopped down in a booth in the back.

“Lucky for us.”

A waitress stopped by with menus and took your drink orders. Tom ordered a pint for the two of you. Once the drinks arrived, the both of you ordered. Tom lifted his glass.

“To Comic Relief.”

You follow suit.

“To Comic Relief…. and new friends.”

You clinked glasses and take a drink. The rest of the evening was a blur of drinking, laughter, good food, and even better stories. Tom was perfect company and before long, you glanced around and the pub was deserted.

“I think we should head back.”

Tom looked at his watch and his eyes widened.

“Yes, we should. That early call time will hurt.”

You settled up the bill and stepped out in the air. The night grew chilly and even through your coat; you shivered.

“Chilled?” Tom asked as he rubbed your shoulders.

You warmed up but in the shoulders.

“Thanks,” you responded, hurrying along to get back to the B&B.

A few minutes later, the two of you arrived and stood in the lobby.

“Thank you for a lovely night,” Tom started, fiddling with his key. “Where’s your room?”

“That way,” you gestured down the ground floor hallway. “You?”

“Second floor. Guess it is goodnight then.”

“But not goodbye. I am fully prepared to kick your ass tomorrow and win that bet.”

“Not a chance. Good night.”

“Good night, Tom.”

You leaned in for a handshake while Tom went for a hug and you ended up punching him in the stomach with your outstretched hand. In absolute shock and embarrassment, you run down the hall without another word.

The next morning, you woke up and the events of last night came rushing back.

“Oh, God…” you groaned to yourself as you pulled the covers over your face.

You blew any shot at a relationship with the impeccable Tom Hiddleston to hell by your fiasco of a goodbye last night. You sat in bed and contemplated just calling in sick so you wouldn’t have to face the embarrassment of seeing him face to face. But then you remember Comic Relief and refused to let them down.

By the time you entered the dining room, everyone else was already eating. Dawn claimed the small table by the window while Benedict and Tom were talking in hushed tones at the table right by the food and coffee.

“Shit!” you whispered under your breath.

There was no way you could avoid them. You started at the end furthest from them and ending up by the coffee machine by the end. Their backs turned to you, so they had not noticed you standing there. although they spoke in hushed tones, you catch bits and pieces of their conversation.

“Come man, just do it,” Benedict urged.

“I will when I am damn good and ready, Ben.”

At that point, you jostled your coffee cup and Tom turned around. “How long have you been standing there?” he inquired.

“Not long. Just need my…” you hold up your cup, “coffee, so I can hand your ass to you today in the Showstopper.”

Tom smirked.

“We shall see. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“I doubt that with the way you roll them up. Nothing can hide up there.”

Tom laughed as did Benedict. Maybe you hadn’t botched the whole thing. Tom offered you a seat, which you took. Once everyone finished eating, the production team led them off to the tent for the last challenge. Mary, Paul, Sue, and Mel were already in place.

“All right bakers,” Mel started. “for your Showstopper, Paul and Mary, request you make a three tier cake. It can be any flavor you like. But you must decorate the top with a personal interest.”

“Be it golf, drawing, or lawn darts. It must reflect you,” Sue added.

“On your marks, get set… BAKE!”

You get started right away; the timing of your cake was tight. You began mixing the batter for your sponge. Time passed by quickly and before you know it, you have 20 minutes to assemble your cake.

“Need some help?” Tom inquired from behind you.

You turned to see him putting the finishing decorations on a flawless tennis cake. How the hell did he do that so fast.

“And risk you sabotaging me, not a chance!”

You get the first two tiers together just fine but when you go to place the third tier; it slipped from your hand and smooshed against the cake stand, breaking into pieces.

“No!” you yelled as you watched victory slip away.

Tom and Mel rushed to help.

“It’s okay, love,” Mel reassured you. “Just needs some icing, and Paul and Mary will never know.”

“That’s right. Go whip up some frosting and I will get it placed up there for you,” Tom added.

You hustled to put the powdered sugar and liquid in the mixer, not paying attention in your rush. When you turned it on, it spit a fine layer of powdered sugar over your face and clothes.

“Shit!”

You regained your composure and in the final minutes you get your cake put together. It is not your original vision but at least you have something to present.

You were nervous when it was time to present the cake. The cake seemed to teeter back and forth as you walked to the table.

Paul and Mary were kind, but you could tell the cake disappointed them.

“The flavor is amazing. I just think the presentation is lacking,” Paul commented.

“Nice crumb but you could have tidied it up a bit,” said Mary.

You knew you lost when you heard the praise heaped upon Tom.

“Perfection. Flavors spot-on.”

The announcing of the winner seemed like a formality at this point.

“Now for Star Baker, this baker wowed us some chocolate delights both days. It is Tom Hiddleston!”

Tom stood up to claim his apron and did a little celebratory dance. Everyone gathered around to congratulate him and say thanks to everyone. When Tom came up to you, you stuttered step.

“You aren’t going to punch me again?” he commented, a huge grin on his face.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Not a problem. Hardly left a mark.”

You both laughed, and he pulled you into a hug. His arms pulled you deep into his chest and you smelled him in. A mixture of cologne and sugar. As he released, he gave you a quick peck on the cheek.

“Just as suspected, sweet as sugar.”

You blushed.

Before too long, everyone was on their way back home. You smiled at the memories of the past two days. You remembered the bet and realized you didn’t have Tom’s number. You fumbled into your pocket for your phone, hoping you that during the embarrassment of last night you got his number. a small piece of paper fell out. It was from one of the recipe pages.

I fully intend on collecting on my bet. Meet me at this address at 6 p.m. tonight. xx Tom

You rushed home and got yourself cleaned up and headed out the door, late. You finally arrived at the pub at 6:15 p.m. The eating area was crowded and you could not spot Tom. You headed further into the pub when you felt a hand grab your wrist and pull you into a booth. You stumbled and landed on Tom’s lap.

“Thought you stood me up.”

“I am not one to squelch on a debt. So, Mr. Hiddleston, what is your task for me?”

Tom feigned contemplation, rubbing his chin, drawing attention to his whiskers.

“Well, if it is okay with you and only if it is okay with you, you can start off by kissing me.”

Your eyes widen and you swallowed hard.

“Excuse me.”

Tom flustered, attempting to cover the perceived faux pas.

“Well, that is, I mean, if it is okay with you…. I would never… I mean I never…”

You stopped his babbling with your lips on his. He softened into you and returned to the kiss in earnest. When you two parted, you felt light-headed.

“Just as I suspected.”

“What?” you asked, eyebrows raised.

“Sweet as sugar.”

The two of you laughed.

“Well, what is your next task for me, Mr. Hiddleston?”

“Oh, I am just getting started. It might take longer than 24 hours.”

“I’m in for the long haul, if you are.”

“I am all in.”

#tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston fluff #tom hiddleston imagine

71 notes · View notes

northoftheroad · 4 years ago

Text

Recommeded reading for Dick Grayson / Robin and Nightwing

This is an updated repeat of a couple of lists with reading recommendations with Dick as Robin and Nightwing (Pre-Flashpoint) that I've made earlier. But since I wrote them as answers to asks, the posts don't have a headline, and I find that they can be easy to miss (for me, when I want to look something up...) So I thought I might as well make a new, single post of them.

The stories are in what I imagine would be an in-universe chronology. They are from all periods, ignoring that the Golden age stories and Silver/Bronze/modern age stories have at times been considered two different universes. Most of them are stories that, at the time of their publishing, were canon and in continuity. None is explicitly Elseworld, so you can certainly imagine that they have happened ;-)

To be honest, not all of these comics are examples of great storytelling. Older superhero comics, for instance, are definitely something else compared to modern comics, for better and for worse. I've picked some because they are "the first time" or significant in some way (e.g. the first time Dick was almost killed, when Bruce has to fight to keep custody, an infamous fight between Dick and Bruce, the most well-known different origin stories, panels that are often quoted); others because they have a cute or fun moment. I have also included some books that I don't like myself but are well-known.

Storytelling has changed a lot since Dick was Robin. Back in the Golden and Silver age, with very few exceptions, comics were stand-alone short stories. In later decades, it's usually arcs that span at least a couple of issues and some stories have consequences for years.

Dick has been an active team member since the 1960s, and he has arguably been at his best in some team titles, but I still don't have a lot of team books here. I find it difficult to, off the top of my head, recall any "special Dick issues".

Obviously, these are very personal preferences, and the list is based on what I've read and remembered best.

Robin the Boy Wonder. Detective Comics # 38 (The original origin story. There has been maaany more since then – I've made a list just with origin stories....) (1940).

Batman: Year Three. Batman # 436-439. (An origin story where Dick spent some time at a nice orphanage before he came to Bruce.) (1989)

Robin Annual vol 2 # 4. (Another origin story, where the Gotham authorities remove Dick him from the circus, and he is put in the Gotham City's Youth Center. Not my preferred but it's well known.) (1995)

The Gauntlet. The Batman Chronicles #1. (The test before Batman let Dick start out as Robin.) (1997)

Grimm. Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #149-153. (A story set when Dick is new as Robin and still uncertain about his place. For a while, he wants to leave Batman and stay in a children's underground paradise.) (2002)

Robin: Year One. (Traumatic events during Dick's first year as Robin. He was nearly beat to death by Two-Face. When Bruce said he was not permitted to continue as Robin, Dick ran away because he didn't think there was a place for him at the Manor any more.) (2001)

The case of the honest crook. Batman #5. (1941)

The Batman plays a lone hand. Batman #13. (The first time Bruce ended the Batman and Robin partnership and left Dick to take care of himself.) (1942)

Robin studies his lessons. Batman #18. (1943)

Bruce Wayne loses the guardianship of Dick Grayson. Batman #20. (1944)

Clay. Batman Black and White #6. (2014)

Don't know where, don't know when. Batman Black and White #1. (2013)

Dick Grayson, author. Batman #35. (1946)

The Clocks of Doom. Star Spangled Comics #70.

The man Batman refused to help! Star Spangled Comics #88.

A birthday for Batman. Star Spangled Comics #91.

Robin, the Boy Failure. DC #145. (Dick gets amnesia, and Bruce tries to get him to remember that he’s Robin, without telling him outright.) (1949).

The killer-dog of Gotham city. Star Spangled Comics #100. (1950)

The trial of Bruce Wayne. Batman #57. (1950)

Race of the century. DC #157. (1950)

Dick Grayson, detective. Star Spangled Comics #111. (1950)

The strange costumes of Batman. DC #165. (Dick’s first time as Batman.) (1950)

The robberies in the Batcave. DC #177. (1951)

Partner for Batman. Batman #65. (1951)

Batman II and Robin, junior. Batman #66. (1951)

The plainclothes Robin. Star Spangled Comics #112. (Batman forbids Dick from going out at as Robin; he finds creative ways to use it in other ways.) (1951)

Operation Escape. Star Spangled Comics #124. (1952)

The new team of Superman and Robin. World's Finest Comics #75. (With Batman out of commission, Robin teams up with Superman. Batman is a bit apprehensive about Dick’s joy.) (1955)

Batman, jr. DC #231. (1956)

The grown-up Boy Wonder. Batman #107. (1957)

The last days of Batman. Batman #125. (1959)

Robin's new boss. Batman #137. (Dick wants to leave Bruce and get into a new partnership. Bruce is very distraught indeed.) (1961)

Robin Dies at Dawn. Batman #156. (Batman gets PTSD after participating in an experiment and he has to hang up the cowl becuase he is endangering Robin. Doctor Simon Hurt, who became a main villain when Grant Morrison wrote Batman, is the nameless doctor in charge of the experiment.) (1963)

The Olsen-Robin team versus the Superman-Batman team. World's Finest Comics #141. (1964)

The thousand-and-one dooms of Mr Twister. The Brave and the Bold #54. (The first team-up of Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad – the first step towards the formation of the Teen Titans.) (1964)

Teen Titans: Year One. (A retelling of the origin of the Teen Titans. The original version was told in Teen Titans vol 1 #53 from 1978, the last issue of the Silver/Bronze age comic book.) (2008)

Midnight raid of the Robin gang. DC #342. (1965)

The Round-Robin death threats. DC #366-367. (1967)

Batgirl breaks up the dynamic duo. DC #369. (1967)

The Nemesis from Batman's boyhood. DC #370. (1967)

Batman! Drop dead… twice. DC #378-379. (1968)

Geometry. Superman #700. (Dick goes out as Robin on his own, against Bruce's order. Superman has to fish him up out the harbour...) (2010)

Menace of the Motorcycle Marauders. Batman #202. (1968)

Operation blindfold. Batman #204-205. (1968)

Angel… or devil. Batman #216. (1969)

Prisoners of the Immortal world. World’s Finest Comics #200. (Dick had moved to Hudson University by now. Together with Superman and a pair of brothers, he's transported to a different world.) (1971)

Daughter of the Demon. Batman #232. (First appearance of Ra's al Ghul, who kidnaps Robin from Hudson as a test to see if Batman is worthy of Talia.) (1971)

Vengeance for a cop. Batman #234-236. (1971)

Night of the Reaper. Batman #237. (1971)

Earth - the monster maker. Justice League of America #91-92. (A story with characters from both Earth-One and Earth-Two, including the adult Robin from Earth-Two who is a member of the Justice Society of America.) (1971)

How many times can a Robin die? Batman #246. (A criminal sets out to revenge himself on Batman by setting up murders of lifelike Robin dummies; since he has kidnapped the real Robin, Batman can't know if the killings are the real thing.) (1972)

The return of the Flying Grayson. Batman #250. (1973)

Color me deadly. Batman #316. (1979)

The Iron solution. DC #487. (1980)

The Man in Black wears Green. DC #493. (1980)

The Lazarus Affair (plus). Batman #331-335. (Another story with Talia and Ra's al Ghul, but also about generation gaps and slum buildings. Robin is angrily opposed to Bruce being with Talia because he doesn't trust her; he seeks out Catwoman to help.) (1981)

Yesterday's heroes. Batman #339. (1981)

To kill a legend. Detective Comics #500. (The Phantom Stranger transports Batman and Robin to a parallel Earth where they have the chance to stop that world's Joe Chill from murdering the Waynes.) (1981)

Who is Donna Troy? New Teen Titans #38. (Dick helps Donna Troy, Wonder girl, to find out where she came from. A great detective story.) (1984)

The Judas contract (when Dick becomes Nightwing). The New Teen Titans # 39-40, Tales of the Teen Titans #41-44, Annual #3. (1984)

Nightwing Year One. Nightwing vol 2 # 101-106. (I honestly don't care much for this story, but it's good to know that it's one of several retellings of how Dick became Nightwing.) (2005)

A Little Nudge, in the Robin 80th Anniversary Special. (An alternate take on Dick leaving Robin to become Nightwing, where Bruce and Dick don’t split on hostile terms – Dick is just a bit annoyed. It is very unclear in what timeline, if any, this is supposed to fit, but I like it a lot better than the Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint versions.) (2020)

Trivial Pursuits. New Teen Titans vol 2 # 32. (A nice breather, when the Titans try just to relax together. It goes as well as can be expected.) (1987)

Wrath Child. (A story from when Dick was fairly new as Nightwing.) Batman Confidential # 13-16. (2008)

Batman # 416. (First post-Crisis meeting with Jason Todd) (1988)

The Cheshire Contract. Action Comics Weekly # 613-618 (Dick helps Roy find his daughter.) (1988)

The New Titans # 55. (Dick learns about Jason's death when the Titans return to Earth after a long period in space. He goes to Bruce to talk and what follows is the infamous scene when Bruce hits Dick, says he should never have had a partner and tells Dick to leave and leave the keys with Alfred.) (1989)

Batman: Year Three. Batman # 436–439. (Flashbacks with a retelling of Dick's origin, during Bruce's third year as Batman. In the "now", Dick tries to reach out to Bruce and Dick's parents' murderer is about to be set free.) (1989)

A Lonely Place of Dying. Batman # 440-442, New Titans # 60-61. (1990)

The New Titans # 65. (Tim turns up at Dick's place to learn what it is to be Batman's partner.) (1990)

Total Chaos. (In issues of Deathstroke the Terminator, New Titans and Team Titans.) (Mirage, a woman from an alternate future and who has illusion casting powers, takes the form of Starfire and sleeps with Dick, who is shamed by his team members for being unfaithful to Kory, even though this is rape. So, an important fact to know but not something I would recommend to read.) (1992)

Knightfall Prodigal (Dick's first longer stint as Batman. And he takes care of Tim and the Manor on his own!) In Batman #512-514 and three other titles. (1994-1995)

Nightwing Alfred's Return (Kind of fun, when Dick seeks out Alfred, who left Bruce's service because Bruce wasn't taking care of himself, in London.) (1995)

Nightwing vol 1 # 1-4. (I don't love this, but it is a milestone in that it's the first Nightwing solo series, Dick momentarily decides to leave the hero business, and gets his by now classic fingerstripe suit.) (1995)

Like Riding a Bike. (Donna checks up on Dick.) The Batman Chronicles # 7. (1996)

(Nightwing vol 2 began in 1996.)

Nightwing vol 2 # 6. (Tim and Dick talk and fight crooks.) (1997)

Nightwing vol 2 # 12-16. (Batman pays a visit and Dick makes his custom made car.) (1997)

The Flash plus Nightwing. (Dick and Wally on vacation.) (1997)

Then & Now. Teen Titans vol 2 #12-15. (The original four Titan boys find themselves fighting their past selves.) (1997)

Nightwing vol 2 # 25. (Tim and Dick talk and ride on train roofs. Dick has decided to become a cop.) (1998)

Detective Comics # 725 (A heart-to-heart between Bruce and Dick.) (1998)

The Technis Imperative. JLA/Titans #1-3. (1998-1999)

The Titans (1999) # 2. (The start of a new Titans team, Dick tells Superman to give them some room.) (1999)

Nightwing vol 2 # 32–34. (Dick at the Police Academy.) (1999)

Nightwing vol 2 # 35–39. (On a mission from Batman: To take control of Blackgate Prison. Afterwards, he recuperates at Barbara's when her place is attacked.) (1999-2000)

The Titans (1999) #15–16. (The original five Titans try to work out some difficulties.) 2000.

Transference. Batman: Gotham Knights #8-11. (2000)

Nightwing vol 2 # 45-46. (The Hunt for Oracle.) (2000)

Action Comics # 771. (Nightwing and Superman hang out and work together – what's not to like!) 2000

Gods of Gotham. Wonder Woman # 164-167. (2001)

Nightwing vol 2 # 52. (Yet another example of sexual assault when Catwoman kisses Nightwing, in an effort to make Batman jealous.) (2001)

Nightwing vol 2 # 54-58. (Blockbuster, Nightwing's main adversary in Blüdhaven, hires an old enemy of Dick's to deal with the vigilante: Shrike. A character from Robin Year One.) (2001)

Matatoa. Batman: Gotham Knights # 16-17. (Bruce adopts Dick.) (2001)

Who Is Troia? The Titans (1999) # 23-25. (A visit from the Titan's children from the Kingdom Come universe.). (2001)

Retribution. Batman: Gotham Knights # 20-21. (2001)

Nightwing vol 2 # 64. (Nightwing as Santa's elf.) (2001)

Bruce Wayne: Murderer and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive (in several titles). (Dick refuses to believe that Bruce can be a murderer and it causes friction with for instance Tim. Also, a big fight between Dick and Bruce when the latter says he is going to abandon his Bruce identity.) (2002)

Nightwing vol 2 # 75. (Flashback's to Dick's early years with Bruce. Plus the first appearance of Tarantula (Catalina Flores; a controversial figure in Dick's history, she straddled the line between vigilante and villain.)) (2002)

Hush. Batman # 608–619. (# 615 for Dick, but it might be confusing only to read one issue.) (2002-2003)

The Obsidian Age. JLA vol 1 # 68-75. (The Justice League members disappear, Dick leads a new team for a few issues. In # 73, Bruce is quoted: "The only time I ever feel pride is when I look at Nightwing. Sometimes I think he's the only thing I ever did right."). (2002-2003)

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day # 1-3 (Donna is killed. Dick is devastated and declares that the Titans are finished.) (2003)

Nightwing vol 2 # 80-83. (Deathstroke is in Blüdhaven to kill someone close to Dick. Bruce asks when he will quit the force, Dick wants to stay as a cop, but when he saves Amy Rohrbach, she recognizes that Dick is Nightwing and fires him.) (2003)

Nightwing vol 2 # 86. (Dick, forced to rest after being injured, solves crimes on America's Most Wanted and drives Barbara up the wall.) (2003)

The Outsiders vol 3 # 1 (Roy talks Dick, who dissolved the Titans after Donna's death, into leading a new team, promising they will not be a family.) (2003)

Nightwing vol 2 # 87-100. (Definitely one of the darkest periods points in Dick's life pre-Flashpoint. Tarantula breaks up him and Barbara. Blockbuster destroys his circus, his home and kills people just for talking to Dick. Tarantula kills Blockbuster and Nightwing is too exhausted to prevent it, and afterwards, he has a panic attack and she rapes him (# 93). Not necessarily something I would recommend to read, but fans discuss it a lot.) (2003-2004)

The Outsiders vol 3 # 11 (Roy is angsting about going back to the hero business after narrowly surviving being shot to death, sparring and heart-to-heart with Dick follows.) (2004)

Under the Hood. Batman # 635-641, 645-650, Annual # 25. (2004-2006)

Supergirl (2005) # 3 (Supergirl has a huuuge crush on Nightwing... ) (2005)

Silent partner. The Outsiders vol 3 # 21-23. (Dick goes ballistic when he realizes Batman has been funding the Outsiders, Roy admits Batman has been feeding him information. Only it wasn't Batman – it was Deathstroke in disguise.) (2005)

DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy # 1-4. (2005)

Nightwing vol 2 # 107–117. (Dick leaves Nightwing, starts working for the mob and trains Deathstroke's daughter. I think the author has some kind of resolution to the crisis Dick had gone through the last years in mind, but Infinite Crisis got in the way. Blüdhaven is destroyed in a nuclear explosion.) (2005-2006)

Infinite Crisis. (DC had planned to let Dick die, he is central to the story even if he's not very visible.) (2005-2006)

Targets. Nightwing vol 2 # 125-128. (Dick hunts for a day job in New York and gets buried alive, which leads to some retrospection on his behalf. There's also fights with a guy with a weaponized armour.) (2007)

The Brave and the Bold # 15. Nightwing and Hawkman. (Deadman, inside Hawkman, says that Dick Grayson is the one guy that every crimefighter trusts.) (2007)

Outsiders: Five of a Kind – Nightwing/Boomerang. (It ends with Batman telling Dick: "Go back to the good fight, Dick. Leave the bad fight to us.") (2007)

Freefall. Nightwing vol 2 # 140–146. (Dick starts freefalling as a new hobby; Bruce is not pleased. And he gets a new daytime job, as a museum curator. Oh, and there's Talia al Ghul, too.) (2008)

Robin # 175. (Some fun panels with flashbacks with Dick and Tim.) (2008)

Superman/Batman # 55. (Batman has got Superman’s powers while Superman loses his. When Batman starts to get out of control, Nightwing tries to stop him.) (2009)

The Great Leap. Nightwing vol 2 # 147–151. (Two-Face wants Nightwing to save a life.) (2008-2009)

Titans (2008) # 10. (Dick leaves the Titans because he needs to go back to Gotham and "take care of my other family." (2009)

Nightwing vol 2 # 152-153. (That time when Ra's al Ghul called Dick detective. And Dick packed up and left New York to move back to Gotham.) (2009)

Batman # 682. (Just for the line about how Dick made colour come into their monochrome lives ;-) ) (2009)

Detective Comics # 85, Batman # 684 (Dick mourning Bruce) (2009)

The Secret Six # 9. (Some of the members of the Secret Six feel they should be the new Batman.) (2009)

Battle for the Cowl # 1-3. (2009)

If you don't mind reading comics that are not in the main comic universe, there are also a lot of fun reading in comic books that are tie-ins to Batman The Animated Series, and in Batman '66 which builds on the tv show from 1966. There is also Dark Victory from 1999–2000 – and tiny Dick is adorable in Batman/Scarecrow: Year One from 2005. Dick has about two panels in Darwyn Cooke’s DC: The New Frontier from 2004, but I think it’s kind of worth reading just for those.

#Dick Grayson #Robin #Nightwing #Batman #Richard Grayson

519 notes · View notes

multiverseforger · 4 years ago

Text

Edit

In November 2013, Marvel Comics announced that Kamala Khan, a teenage American Muslim from Jersey City, New Jersey, would take over the comic book series Ms. Marvel beginning in February 2014. The series, written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Adrian Alphona, marked the first time a Muslim character headlined a book at Marvel Comics.[2] However, Noelene Clark of the Los Angeles Times noted that Khan is not the first Muslim character in comic books, which include Simon Baz, Dust and M.[3] The conception of Kamala Khan came about during a conversation between Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker. Amanat said, "I was telling him [Wacker] some crazy anecdote about my childhood, growing up as a Muslim American. He found it hilarious." The pair then told Wilson about the concept and Wilson became eager to jump aboard the project.[4] Amanat said that the series came from a "desire to explore the Muslim-American diaspora from an authentic perspective."[5]

Artist Jamie McKelvie based Khan's design on his redesign of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel and on Dave Cockrum's design of the original Ms. Marvel.[6] Amanat requested that the design "reflected the Captain Marvel legacy, and also her story and her background."[7] Amanat stated that Khan's costume was influenced by the shalwar kameez. They wanted the costume to represent her cultural identity, but did not want her to wear a hijab,[8] because the majority of teenage Pakistani-American girls do not wear one.[9] Amanat also stated that they wanted the character to look "less like a sex siren" to appeal to a more vocal female readership.[8]

Marvel knew that they wanted a young Muslim girl, but stated that she could be from any place of origin and have any background. Wilson initially considered making her an Arab girl from Dearborn, Michigan but ultimately chose to create a Desi girl from Jersey City.[10] Jersey City, which sits across the Hudson River from Manhattan, has been referred to as New York City's "Sixth borough".[11][12][13] It therefore forms an important part of Khan's identity and the narrative journey of her character since most of Marvel Comics' stories are set in Manhattan. Wilson explains, "A huge aspect of Ms. Marvel is being a 'second string hero' in the 'second string city' and having to struggle out of the pathos and emotion that can give a person."[14]

The series not only explores Khan's conflicts with supervillains but also explores conflicts with Khan's home and religious duties. Wilson, a convert to Islam, said "This is not evangelism. It was really important for me to portray Kamala as someone who is struggling with her faith." Wilson continued, "Her brother is extremely conservative, her mom is paranoid that she's going to touch a boy and get pregnant, and her father wants her to concentrate on her studies and become a doctor."[4] Amanat added,

As much as Islam is a part of Kamala's identity, this book isn't preaching about religion or the Islamic faith in particular. It's about what happens when you struggle with the labels imposed on you, and how that forms your sense of self. It's a struggle we've all faced in one form or another, and isn't just particular to Kamala because she's Muslim. Her religion is just one aspect of the many ways she defines herself.[2]

First appearance of Kamala Khan from Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Scott Hepburn

In the series, Khan takes the name Ms. Marvel from Carol Danvers, who now goes by the alias Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel writer Kelly Sue DeConnick revealed that Khan actually made a brief appearance in Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) saying, "Kamala is in the background of a scene in Captain Marvel 14 ... She is very deliberately placed in a position where she sees Carol protecting civilians from Yon-Rogg."[15] According to Wilson, Khan idolizes Carol so when Khan acquires superhuman abilities, she emulates Danvers.[14] "Captain Marvel represents an ideal that Kamala pines for. She's strong, beautiful and doesn't have any of the baggage of being Pakistani and 'different,'"[4] Wilson explained. "Khan is a big comic book fan and after she discovers her superhuman power – being a polymorph and able to lengthen her arms and legs and change her shape – she takes on the name of Ms. Marvel," Amanat elaborated.[16] Khan is one of several characters who discover that they have Inhuman heritage following the "Inhumanity" storyline, in which the Terrigen Mists are released throughout the world and activate dormant Inhuman cells.[17]

In the series' first story arc, Khan faces off against Mr. Edison / the Inventor, an amalgam of man and bird. Wilson created the Inventor to be Khan's first arch rival in order to mirror Khan's own complexity. Wilson characterizes the Inventor, and the overall visual look of the opening story arc as "kooky and almost Miyazaki-esque at times", owing to the art style of illustrator Adrian Alphona, which balances the drama of the threats which Khan faces with the humor of Alphona's "tongue in cheek sight gags." During the storyline, Khan also teams-up with the X-Man Wolverine against the Inventor. Because Wolverine is dealing with the loss of his healing factor during this time, Khan is placed in the position of having to shoulder much of the responsibilities, as Wilson felt this was a role reversal that would subvert reader expectations that Wolverine would take the lead in such a team-up.[18]

At the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International, writer Dan Slott announced that Khan would team-up with Spider-Man beginning in The Amazing Spider-Man #7 (October 2014) during the "Spider-Verse" storyline. Slott characterized Khan "the closest character to classic Peter Parker,"[19] explaining, "She's a teenage superhero, juggling her life, making mistakes, trying to do everything right."[20]

Beginning in June 2015, Ms. Marvel tied into the "Secret Wars" crossover event with the "Last Days" storyline, which details Khan's account of the end of the Marvel Universe. Wilson explained, "In the 'Last Days' story arc, Kamala has to grapple with the end of everything she knows, and discover what it means to be a hero when your whole world is on the line."[21] In the storyline, Khan rushes to deal with the threat in Manhattan. However, Wilson revealed, "She will face a very personal enemy as the chaos in Manhattan spills over into Jersey City, and she will be forced to make some very difficult choices. There will also be a very special guest appearance by a superhero Kamala—and the fans—have been waiting to meet for a long time."[22]

In March 2015, Marvel announced that Khan will join the Avengers in All-New All-Different Avengers FCBD (May 2015) by writer Mark Waid and artists Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar, which takes place in the aftermath of "Secret Wars".[23] A second volume of Ms. Marvel starring Khan by Wilson, Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa is also debuted following "Secret Wars" as part of Marvel's All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative.[24] Amanat said,

By the time this new launch comes around, it will have been almost two years since the premiere of Ms. Marvel—and boy, has Kamala Khan been through a lot since then. She's been slowly coming into her own, dealing with the challenges of navigating adulthood and being a super hero. But her training is over now and it's time for the big leagues; the question is can she handle it? ... As much as Kamala has a right to be there—it's still a bit of a culture shock. Dreaming of being an Avenger and then suddenly being one is a lot to take on for someone of her age. So, she'll be a little awestruck, a little overly ambitious.[25]

In March 2016, Marvel announced that Ms. Marvel would tie into the "Civil War II" storyline by releasing a promotional image illustrating a rift between Khan and Danvers.[26] "While "Civil War II" may have initiated this rift, we've known for some time that Kamala would eventually need to separate herself from her idols. Her journey centers around self-discovery and identity, and a part of that exploration includes separating yourself from those you put on pedestals. The rift between Carol and Kamala doesn't really have to do with right and wrong. It has to do with growing up and realizing that you perceive the world differently from even the ones you love," Amanat elaborated.[27]

In July, Marvel announced that Khan will join the Champions, a team of teenage superheroes who split off from the Avengers following the conclusion of "Civil War II". The team, featured in a series by writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos, consists of Khan, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Nova (Sam Alexander), Hulk (Amadeus Cho), Viv Vision, and a teenage version of Cyclops. Waid said, "The first three are the kids who quit the Avengers proper. That was an easy get. Those three, in and of themselves, form a nice little subteam. Their dynamic is great. They all show up in each other's books, and even though they have their arguments and stress points, clearly they're good together."[28]

In August, Khan made an appearance in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #10 by writers Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare. In the issue, Khan acts as a mentor to Moon Girl (Lunella Lafayette) who is also a young Inhuman that suddenly came into her powers. Amanat stated that Khan sees much of herself in Lafayette and by teaching her, Khan learns much about herself.[27]

In November, Marvel announced that Khan will join a new incarnation of the Secret Warriors in a series by writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Javier Garron that debuted in May 2017. The team, formed in the wake of the "Inhumans vs X-Men" storyline, also includes Quake, Karnak, Moon Girl, and Devil Dinosaur. Rosenberg stated that there is some conflict and friction amongst the team members explaining, "Ms. Marvel and Quake are really fighting for the soul of the team in a lot of ways, while Moon Girl will continue to really do her own thing. They will all be tested and challenged, they are superheroes after all, but they are going to do things their way."[29]

In March 2017, Marvel announced that Khan would team-up with Danvers in a one-shot issue of the limited anthology series, Generations by Wilson and Paolo Villanelle. Wilson stated that the issue would explore Danvers' and Khan's mentor–student relationship, but "at its heart, [it] is about growing up, and a big part of growing up is discovering that your idols have feet of clay – and forgiving them for their flaws as you gain an adult understanding of your own."[30]

In December, Ms. Marvel began the "Teenage Wasteland" story arc, as part of the Marvel Legacy relaunch. Wilson said, "Since the events of 'Civil War II', there's been friction between Kamala and her mentor, Captain Marvel. In this arc, we're exploring how complicated legacies can be when they're passed from generation to generation ... She's questioning a lot about herself and her mission. Her friends end up stepping into some very important—and unexpected—roles. So in a sense, the arc is really about a bunch of chronically under-estimated teenagers who pull together to fight evil."[31]

Ms. Marvel #31, the 50th issue of Ms. Marvel featuring Khan was released in June 2018. To mark the occasion, Marvel brought in additional collaborators for the issue including writers: G. Willow Wilson, Saladin Ahmed, Rainbow Rowell, and Hasan Minhaj; and artists: Nico Leon, Bob Quinn, Gustavo Duarte, and Elmo Bondoc.[32]

Beginning in March 2019, Khan headlined a new series titled, The Magnificent Ms. Marvel, written by Ahmed and illustrated by Minkyu Jung. Wilson stated that she had been planning her departure from the series for over a year, stating that she originally anticipated that the series would only last for ten issues and was excited by the fact that she had written 60 issues. Ahmed said the new series will have much wider scope, "while still maintaining that intimate tone that people have loved about it."[33]

In July 2020, Marvel announced that Khan would star in an original graphic novel, published in conjunction with Scholastic and aimed at younger readers. The book will be written by author Nadia Shammas. An illustrator has not yet been named.[34

29 notes · View notes

twh-news · 3 years ago

Text

'Loki' Actor Richard E. Grant Is Ready for a Classic Loki and Alligator Loki Spinoff

Collider: To start things off, what does it mean to join the MCU in this capacity? Is this something you've been looking forward to?

Did they tell you anything about the costume before you signed up?

I think you look lovely.

GRANT: Thank you.

But I love the fact that they sent you the costume design. Recently, I talked to Kate Herron and she said that you were their first choice for the role.

GRANT: Wow. I didn't know that.

Does that surprise you, at this point in your career — that you would be the first choice on somebody's list?

You're welcome. I mean, she called you their north star.

GRANT: Aw. Thank you. She was a delight to work with.

Was there anything specifically Loki-ish that you were trying to incorporate into the performance?

GRANT: Classic old Loki with muscles and Alligator-dot-com, the subseries of the sub-sub-sub series. That's what I want.

Given the audience reaction to Alligator Loki, I think that there would be a fan base for that.

GRANT: Yeah and classic Loki is the only one that can talk to him and understand him. It's a given. It's a scriptwriter's dream. Get it done.

#loki #loki series #richard e grant #interview #article #collider

12 notes · View notes

papermoonloveslucy · 3 years ago

Text

REMINISCING

August 14, 1977

By Frank Swertlow, Chicago Daily News

BEVERLY HILLS - During the first years of television, Ed Wynn, the radio and stage comic, was trying to break into television with a half-hour comedy on CBS. (1)

One night, he invited a couple of second echelon performers to make an appearance: a comedienne, known as "Technicolor Tessie" for her blazing red hair, and a song-and-dance man, best remembered for hollering "babalu."

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the couple, and they, like Wynn, were sampling the waters of the new medium. CBS had asked Miss Ball and her conga-drum pounding husband to develop a comedy show for television. Later, after months of thought and testing their ideas on the vaudeville circuit, the couple came up with "I Love Lucy," the misadventures of Lucy and Ricky Riccardo. (2)

It made its debut on CBS in October 1951. More than a quarter of a century afterwards, "I Love Lucy" easily can vie for the honor of television's most successful show. It was the archtype [sp] domestic comedy, the bumbling husband and his daffy wife. It gave birth to two other Lucy shows, a host of specials and a giant production company, Desilu.

"We spent months thinking about what we should do," Miss Ball recalled. "We didn't want to be the average Hollywood couple. Nobody would think you had any problems if you had a car and swimming pool and a nice house.

"Ultimately, we wanted a show in which people could identify with us. Everybody could understand what it was like to struggle for a buck. I was an ordinary, everyday, middle class housewife. I wore the same dress often. My husband worked and tolerated my mistakes. It was something that everyone could identify with."

With the debut of the TV series, Lucille Ball, the former Goldwyn girl who started her film career in the 1930s, had a new career.

"I never expected the show to go more than a year," said Miss Ball. "I wanted to do the show on film so I could use them as home movies. Who knew about television then? It was a no-no to do TV work. The movie studios were against it."

To Miss Ball, who was not a new face to the public, the impact of her show was incredible. "We went to New York on a trip once and we were unprepared for what happened. People rushed up and wanted to touch you. They knew you, and called you by your first name. I had been in pictures for years, and most of the time I was never identified."

If the movers and shakers of the film industry who gave Miss Ball her start during the 1930s were alive, they would have been shocked. To them, simply and kindly, Lucille Ball was a B-movie queen, one of the many second-line actresses who never attained star billing, but who was an important ingredient to the motion picture industry.

Unlike many performers who labored under the cruel studio system, Miss Ball fondly remembered her early years in Hollywood. "It was nice to be under the umbrella of a studio. You always had a poppa. I loved it. I loved being part of the business. I would have swept floors just to be in it."

Miss Ball, however, did not forget the tactics of the brutal and disgusting lords of movieland. Harry "King" Cohn, the ruler of Columbia Pictures, stood out. "He made the biggest dent in everybody. He was ruthless. He always had to take a devious route." (3)

Miss Ball, who is not exactly a pushover, laughingly recalled the time she outwitted the sly Cohn.

Miss Ball had received an offer to work in a Cecil B. DeMille film, but Cohn refused to loan her to the producer. He was being mean. Then, Cohn decided to drop her contract. To do it, he sent the actress a horrible script something that the trade called a lease breaker. "Oh, everybody was dying to play opposite John Agar and Raymond Burr," she recalled jokingly. "I was going to be a harum [sp] girl." Naturally, Cohn expected her to refuse and it would be the end of her contract. (4)

The savvy Miss Ball decided to do the film and collect her check. When she made this announcement there was an uproar. She coyly told her bosses: "Oh, I want to do the film. It's a wonderful film."

Meanwhile, Miss Ball, who had been trying to get pregnant for years, found out she was going to have a baby. Now, she was in trouble. If Cohn found out, he would break her contract. "I only told my mother and my husband I was pregnant."

Keeping her lips sealed, she went ahead with Cohn's film. "The wardrobe girl kept looking at me in my harum [sp] girl costume and saying, 'What's wrong with you, you are getting so big.' "So, I told her, 'Don't worry, I ate a big meal last night. Just put a little more taffeta on my dress.' Well, I finished the film and I collected my $85,000."

"Then I had to go to Mr. DeMille and tell him I couldn't do his film. I was pregnant. 'What,' he said. And I replied. 'I'm going to have a baby. 'Get rid of it,' he said. And he was serious.' She declined. (5)

While Miss Ball's career as a TV star is secure (she still has a contract with CBS) (6) she is not so certain about the state of the industry. Today, unlike when she started on the air, shows are yanked off the screen within a couple of weeks. This, she said, destroys performers.

"If a show is canceled, the actor takes the blame. He or she suffers for it. They suffer inside. The rejection - they failed. (7)

"I would fail. You can't protect yourself. It's out of your hands. It's always Lucy failed or Rhoda failed or Farrah Sauset Fawcett Sauset, whatever her name is, failed. It's rough." (8)

Even so, Lucille Ball, the red-haired girl from Jamestown, N.Y., would still be on top.

# # #

FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

(1) Ed Wynn (1886-1966) was a vaudevillian who hosted “The Ed Wynn Show” on television from 1949 to 1950. Lucy and Desi guest-starred on the show.

(2) ‘Riccardo’ is probably a misspelling of ‘Ricardo’, but it was also the way their surname was spelled on “I Love Lucy” in early episodes!

(3) Harry Cohn (1891-1958) was a much-despised executive at Columbia Studios. Lucille Ball once facetiously told Louella Parsons that she liked Harry Cohn too much to ever sign a contract with him. What Lucille meant is that Cohn had a reputation for being difficult. Despite that fact, a casting draught forced her to sign with Columbia in 1949.

(4) Lucille Ball had often complained to Cohn about the quality of the pictures she had been doing at Columbia. At the time The Magic Carpet was made, Ball was only obligated to Columbia for one more film, and Cohn had producer Sam Katzman, who turned out most of Columbia's low-budget "B" pictures, concoct a cheap Arabian Nights fantasy as a punishment to Ball for her constantly challenging him. More salacious writers insist that Cohn’s frustration with Ball was due to the fact that she would not submit to him sexually.

(5) The DeMille film in question was The Greatest Show on Earth, a movie set at the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus. Lucille was set to play the elephant trainer, a role that went to Gloria Graham. It was a film Lucille really wanted to do - but she wanted a baby more. Later in life, Desilu created a TV version of the film. Lucille also guest-starred as the ringmaster on “Circus of the Stars II” in which Lucie Arnaz was featured as.... the elephant trainer!

(6) Lucille Ball had started working at CBS on radio and was considered their premiere star. In 1980, after her television shows had ended, she signed with NBC, a partnership that yielded very little except that Ball was obliged to appear on Bob Hope’s many specials, something she frequently did anyway. Both CBS and NBC declined her final series “Life With Lucy” which producer Aaron Spelling finally convinced ABC to air.

(7) Although this article was written ten years before “Life With Lucy”, Lucille could very well be describing her own devastation when the series was cancelled even before all the initial episodes aired. She was widely criticized and the series often turned up on “worst show” lists.

(8) Rhoda refers to a character on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” that was played by Valerie Harper, a performer that appeared on Broadway with Lucille. In 1974, the character was spun off into its own eponymous sitcom which aired for four seasons.

Farrah Fawcett-Majors was a beautiful blonde actress and poster girl that burst onto the TV scene in the mid-1970s. A year after this interview, she was in the hit series “Charlie’s Angels” entering American iconography for her feathered hair and curvaceous figure the same way Betty Grable had in the 1940s.

#Lucille Ball #Valerie Harper #Harry Cohn #Farrah Fawcett #The Greatest Show on Earth #Life With Lucy #Cecil B. DeMille #The Magic Carpet #Lucie Arnaz #Gloria Graham #Desi Arnaz #Ed Wynn #1977 #Frank Swertlow

7 notes · View notes