#i might tweak hanks design a bit

[amourcherie606]

[ 🐝Earth 515 - Sugar Honey Marvel 🐜 ; Ant-Man, Wasp, and Black Widow 🕷 ] me showing off my irl art? crazy ik. Hank and Janet are NOT married in reality 515, they closest they are is being in a QPR while Janet is dating Tony. They are largely inspired by their Earth's Mightest Heroes counterparts. Bug themed heroes have real bug features! Ant Man has antennas on his head as does Wasp, allowing them to communicate with their mutate species. Black Widow is here too! She has 4 eyes and is very similar to spider-man but she obtained more sneaky-predator qualities. And a poisonous bite. Sadly not as strong as Peter but she is stronger than the average human due to her mutate abilities + natural strength.

[irelise]

the yew tree 2.4-5/?

Erik has worked with Sebastian Shaw, mutant revolutionary, ever since Shaw rescued him from human experimentation when he was a boy. He is reluctantly enlisted to assist in Shaw’s newest scheme: seducing the wealthy and enigmatic Lord Xavier and claiming his vast fortune. With Shaw posing as Xavier’s doctor, Erik goes undercover as Xavier’s personal manservant to convince him to fall in love with Shaw.

But Xavier has secrets of his own, and it isn’t long before Erik starts having second thoughts about the whole thing…

(the handmaiden inspired au - no canon knowledge required

part one now on ao3!

and click here for the beginning of part 2!)

Warnings for this part: Major warning for suicide and suicide ideation, sexual exploitation of children, depression, referenced human experimentation Rating: M Word count: 4328 Notes: I’ve tweaked the timeline a bit so this part roughly covers Charles from age 7 or 8 up to 12/13. Previous parts will be edited once everything has been finalised! The next part will take us back to (almost) present day with Erik and Shaw. I would super appreciate hearing feedback on whether Part 2 has felt too slow so far since Shaw and Erik haven’t been present - if so I’ll see what parts I can axe and streamline before I post on AO3!

It’s another day. The leaves outside are wilting, brown and dead, and his room is cold. It must be close to winter. Late October? November? He’s lost track of the date again.

Charles burrows deeper into his blankets, resolutely not looking at the clock on the mantle place. He knows he’s expected at breakfast soon, and after that Uncle will take him to the reading hall. Perhaps they will finish the volume on the girl and her schoolmaster. Or perhaps Uncle will lead him to the back of the room, down the trapdoor and into the impenetrable steel walls of bunker. Range tests, he had overheard from Uncle’s mind yesterday, accompanied by a picture of needles and snarling wires.

Somewhere, a bell chimes. Charles closes his eyes.

He’ll get up later.

***

Everyone says he’s a clever boy – even Uncle. Charles wonders why that is. He feels slow and stupid most of the time, drifting hazily somewhere above his own body, unsure if he’s thinking his own thoughts or if it’s someone else’s thoughts pouring through his mind right now. It’s only during his tutoring sessions that Charles feels lucid, and even then he feels guilty for enjoying them, knowing it’s just another way Uncle plans to use him once he’s developed enough knowledge to be an asset.

“Very good, Charles,” Dr. Essex tells him after one lesson. “You’re reading well above your level. Soon you might even be able to help with our work! I can teach you how to design your own experiments, isn’t that exciting?”

“Yes,” Charles says obediently, although he doubts Uncle will ever give him that kind of control. Dr. Essex pats him encouragingly on the arm, and Charles tenses, waiting for Dr. Essex’s touch to go…other places.

He’s read the books. He knows how these things are supposed to happen.

Dr. Essex smiles. “Now, turn over to the next chapter and we’ll start discussing how our current understanding of environmental epigenetics might allow us to salvage something from Lamarck’s utter mess of use-disuse evolutionary theory …”

***

Uncle’s hand rests warm against his back as Charles flops bonelessly onto the ground. The floor of the bunker is icy cold against his cheek. His head swims.

Voices. Everywhere.

Fuck. What had Uncle put into that serum?

“Come back to me, Charles,” Uncle’s voice coaxes him from somewhere far, far away.

Charles hurls himself deeper into the whirlwind of thoughts and minds. Vaguely, he’s aware of a meaty palm slapping across his face. The crack of a belt. Then the coolness of an antiseptic swab against his upper arm, followed by the prick of a needle.

He awakes some time later in his own room. Someone had bathed him, changed his clothes for him, tucked him in. He wonders if they had done other things.

Charles closes his eyes again and tries to return to unconsciousness.

***

He’s replacing me with that boy.

Maybe it’s better this way.

***

The lab again. His bare chest is cold. Uncle is done with him for the day, but he doesn’t unstrap him from the examination table.

“I’m arranging your debut,” Uncle tells him.

No, Charles thinks. “Okay,” he says.

“What would you like to read?”

Behind the walls that shield his mind, Uncle’s amusement curls dark and poisonous, just as it had during all those times he had told Charles to go cut his own switch. Something in Charles flares.

“I really would rather not,” he says coolly, imperious.

“Oh, Charles,” Uncle sighs. “You agreed to cooperate, remember? You chose to be here.”

Charles turns his face away and refuses to answer.

Uncle turns away. His footsteps echo through the bunker, growing fainter and fainter.

The doors slam shut.

Alone in the dark, Charles rubs his wrists bloody against the restraints. Time is meaningless. He’s left there until his stomach gnaws clean through itself from hunger, until his heart starts racing uncontrollable in the claustrophobic darkness, until his bladder is so full that he can’t hold it in any longer and he has to lie there in his own piss, red-faced with shame, his eyes burning and prickling.

He won’t cry. He won’t.

***

“…You will remember at all times that you have lost all right to privacy or concealment…”

He studies. He goes down to the lab. He reads. He loses track of the date again.

The night of his debut comes. Uncle dresses him in a schoolboy’s uniform, a relic of the life he had led before the mansion. He follows Aunt into the reading room. It’s fuller than ever before, with almost a dozen men lounging about the seats, each smartly dressed in a suit and tie, smoking and talking among themselves, indistinguishable from each other. As he walks to the dais, their attention presses suffocatingly down on him. Nice legs – cute face – virgin? – has Marko fucked him yet – Charles breathes out slowly, trying to block out the images of himself straddling them, being pushed to his knees...

Aunt’s face is beautiful and serene, her painted lips curved into an enigmatic smile. Her mind is a flawless, polished mirror, letting nothing in, letting nothing out.

Charles copies her as well as he can.

“…In your presence I will never close my lips completely, or cross my legs, or press my knees together…”

He reads as Uncle had taught him – smoothly, like a ribbon, like a silken rope – with just a touch of virginal shyness. The men lean forward. Their lips are parted, their legs spread, their eyes hungry.

“…My one and only duty is to lend myself. My body is not my own…”

***

What will happen when he doesn’t have need of me anymore?

***

The trees are stark and bare when Uncle leaves on a business trip. Charles sees freedom stretch gloriously in front of him: no readings, no tests, no disciplinary measures. He can spend all day with his nose buried in a book and no one will care. Dr. Essex has been giving him more and more advanced material lately, and Charles thinks that if only he can show everyone what he’s reading, show them how science can explain even the strangest and scariest things, then people won’t be so afraid anymore. They won’t hate people like Raven and Hank and Angel. They won’t hurt people who are different.

Instead, Charles sleeps in. Ten, twelve hours. Fourteen. Time loses meaning.

He sleeps until he’s tired from too much sleep, until his back hurts and his eyes are gritty and sore. There’s a constant throbbing ache at the back of his eyeballs. His temples. The base of his skull.

Sometimes people try to wake him. But he learns quickly that if he just closes his eyes again and mumbles something about being sick, they’re quick to leave him alone.

He thinks something might be wrong, but it’s easier to just sleep.

***

It hurts. Charles curls up in his blankets, clutching his head. It feels like – like someone is driving a knife through the side of his head. Every single movement makes his head pound and he bites back a whimper, fingernails digging into his scalp like he can reach inside and rip the pain out.

Without warning, his bedroom door slams open. Uncle looms in the doorway, returned from his business trip. Charles is supposed to be at the lab with him right now. “You’re late,” Uncle growls, and Charles flinches away.

“I’m sick,” he whispers.

He shrinks deeper into the blankets as Uncle’s heavy footsteps come closer. Uncle presses one hand to his forehead, feeling for fever. Even that small motion sends another spike of pain flashing white behind Charles’ eyes. His head throbs in time with the rapid, nervous flutter of his pulse.

“Your temperature’s normal,” Uncle says dismissively. “Don’t lie, boy, I know you’ve been lazing around in bed for days. Get up.”

“I can’t!”

Uncle drags him up anyway, forcing Charles to stumble along, eyes squeezed shut. Everything is so bright and loud. “So much fuss over a headache,” Uncle mutters to himself as he shoves Charles through the reinforced doors of the bunker, “it’s a miracle anyone puts up with you. Go on. Strip. Get on the table.”

The harsh lights of the bunker are blinding. There’s a sour taste at the back of his throat, his stomach roils; without warning, he starts to retch, choking on watery fluid and acid.

When he’s done, Uncle backhands him across the face. Charles stumbles and falls. He could climb back to his feet, but what’s the point?

“Why?” He asks weakly. The pain stabs deeper than ever. “Why are you even doing all this?”

“Table. Now.”

Charles has enough of obeying. For the first time in his memory, he consciously wills the power inside him to reach out, to scoop out Uncle’s thoughts and feelings. Uncle always has walls around his mind but Charles batters at them now, reckless in his despair.

The walls shatter.

It’s like falling into an ocean storm. Uncle’s emotions crash over his head, waves black as tar and flecked with bloody foam. Hatred, disgust, fear…

Lust. Greed. Want.

Charles tries to detangle their minds, but it’s Uncle who holds onto him, forcing picture after picture into his head of all the things he wants to do to him.

“Stop it,” Charles gasps, still lying on the floor. He tries to scramble away, horrified. He can’t. He can’t.

Abruptly, the flow of images stops. Walls slam around Uncle’s mind again, and he looks down at Charles scornfully. “Found what you were looking for, boy?”

Charles hugs himself, shaking. His head feels like it’s about to explode. “I don’t understand,” he babbles, too worn-out to care about making sense. He floats somewhere above his own body. “You don’t make sense. You hate me so much, but you still– you still want me. And my powers. I felt it.”

Uncle’s hands scoop him up like he weighs nothing. He walks the short distance to the examination table, ignoring Charles’ weak thrashing as he dumps him onto the table and begins to methodically secure him in place with the straps. Moving around so much hurts. By the time Uncle starts attaching electrodes to his scalp, Charles had closed his eyes, trying to keep still. Even then, the bunker’s lights stab harsh and bright through his eyelids.

“Hmm,” Uncle says after a while. “No significant changes in brain activity that I can see. But I don’t think you’re faking your symptoms, are you?”

Obviously not. But talking to Uncle never helped before, and it won’t start helping now. As Uncle muses over the tests he should run next, Charles retreats deeper into his mind, returning to his memories of Raven and Hank and Angel. It’s only fair – right? That what happened to them is happening to him too? It’s all his fault. He should have done something sooner. Something more.

It’s fair.

***

He’s spending more and more time with the boy.

I’m being replaced.

***

The headache goes away. Then it comes back. Again and again, an endless cycle without rhyme or rhythm. For the first few months Charles preoccupies himself with keeping a journal in his child’s scrawl, tidy for his age, trying to narrow down the cause of the stabbing headaches. It’s almost like a puzzle. For the first time in months, he’s excited by something. It feels good to have a problem he can work on.

Time passes. Nothing changes. Why bother, he thinks once, setting down his pen and resting his head against the crook of his folded arms. He’s so tired.

Slowly, the entries dwindle, then stop.

His bedroom is dark, the curtains drawn. Uncle has learnt to leave him alone on these days, when the pain interferes too much with the tests and his reading comes out clumsy and lifeless. In a way, these are his most peaceful days. Charles drifts somewhere above his own body, disconnected from the small, pale boy on the bed. Thoughts hum all around him, quiet enough that their emotion is dulled, and they wash over him like waves on the shore of a pristine white beach, lapping harmlessly against his bare feet.

Sometimes, he wishes he could drown in those waters.

Sometimes, he wishes for a lot of things. It’s worst on those days when he guiltily sinks into the minds of the mansion’s inhabitants and the people of the nearby town, curling up wary and cat-like at the back of their skulls, seeing through their eyes and savouring a brief taste of their lives.

More than anything, he wants to find others like him. People who are…different. But they’re better off somewhere else, somewhere far from Uncle. In every mind he encounters, he implants the quietest of suggestions to stay away stay away stay away from the big mansion in Westchester…

(He never, ever tries to enter Uncle’s mind.)

***

Charles freezes the second he enters the lab, whirling around to face Uncle, shocked and afraid. “You promised,” he says accusingly.

“Oh?”

“You promised! You won’t run the tests on anyone else! I can feel him, you have a boy in the cells!”

Uncle gives him an approving look. “Your range is improving. Come with me. Shall we meet him?”

The boy is sitting docilely in the cell. He’s drugged; Charles can recognize the glazed look in his eyes and the strange floaty feeling of his mind. Even when Uncle unlocks the cell, the boy doesn’t so much as glance their way.

“Why is he here? What do you want with him?”

“You remember all those tests we ran on your brainwaves.” As Uncle talks, Charles can’t help rubbing at his scalp, remembering the clinging electrodes and the prick of needles. “I think I’ve identified specific patterns that manifest whenever you use your unnatural ability. Today, I’m going to induce those patterns in that boy. We’ll see if anything interesting happens.”

“You can’t– you promised–!”

Charles doesn’t like the way Uncle is smiling. Not one bit. “So I did. But I can’t let this boy go now, can I? He knows too much. Unless…”

There’s a trap closing around him, but better him than an innocent. Charles braces himself. “Unless?”

“Make him forget. I know you can do it.”

Charles looks at him, teeth clenched. “That’s what you wanted to do all along. You don’t really want to run tests on him at all.”

“Reading me again, boy?”

“No,” Charles snaps. “Just logic.” He’ll never read Uncle again. Ever.

“So? Are you going to do it?”

“I can’t, I don’t know how to. My power doesn’t…”

Uncle scoffs. “Don’t be silly. I know what you can do. You’ve been manipulating the staff, haven’t you? When you don’t want to be found, they don’t find you. When you want to be left alone, they leave you alone.”

What? “I haven’t! I wouldn’t!”

“Enough of your lies. Unless…” He crouches down. Charles makes himself meet his eyes, and Uncle smiles darkly. “Now this is interesting. You must be doing it unconsciously. You’re such a good boy, you wouldn’t be using people on purpose, would you?”

“I’m not like you,” Charles retorts, and immediately regrets his boldness. But Uncle only chuckles.

“Good boy. Now. Are you going to do it or shall I get the machines ready?” Uncle jerks his head at the boy inside the cell, then grips Charles by the shoulder and turns him around, forcing him to look at one of the machines, a hulking monstrosity bristling with wires and probes. Charles has been in it before. He knows it hurts.

“If I do it… You’ll really let him go?”

Uncle smiles the smile of someone who knows they’ve already won. “I will. You must know you’re the only one I’m really interested in, Charles. My good boy.”

Charles nods tightly. Uncle unlocks the cell door for him, unceremoniously shoving him inside. Charles feels a spike of panic, wondering if this is all a ploy to lock him away forever, but Uncle leaves the door open.

The boy inside the cell stirs. “No,” he mumbles, “don’t wanna.”

“Shh.” Charles rests a hand on the boy’s forehead. They’re about the same age, the same height – the boy even looks like him. Uncle must have spent ages picking him out.

Charles looks into the dull blue eyes and pushes, falling into the boy’s hazy thoughts. He’s from the town. An orphan. No one will miss him if he disappears. He’s been here since last night and all his memories are dark and muddled. He hasn’t seen Uncle’s face clearly.

It won’t be hard to take those memories. To wind them up like fragile old cobwebs and rip. Maybe it would even be a nice thing to do? The boy can’t be afraid of something he can’t remember.

But Charles can’t. Instead, he visualizes a white shroud draping over everything the boy remembers since yesterday evening. He bundles all those memories up carefully, very carefully, smoothing them into a peaceful white void. It’s the kindest thing he can think of doing.

Don’t be afraid, he tells the boy, mind-to-mind. Just sleep, okay? You don’t have to worry about anything when you’re asleep.

He pulls back gently, and when he opens his eyes again, the boy is sound asleep. Uncle watches him with a frown, and Charles meets his eyes evenly. He feels curiously calm. He’s done something which shouldn’t be possible. He’s done something he shouldn’t have done. He’s just changed someone’s mind, maybe forever. “What are you going to do with him?”

“I’ll have someone drop him off where we found him. He’ll be asked a few questions when he wakes up, we’ll see if he remembers anything.”

“Okay.” Charles takes a step forward. His eyes never leave Uncle’s. “But you broke your promise.”

Uncle doesn’t say a word.

“Don’t do it again.” His head is pounding. “If you do it, I’ll break my promise too.” He wills Uncle to listen. “Don’t do it again.”

“Fine.” Uncle’s voice is strangely hollow. “We’ll both keep our promises.”

***

Uncle comes to his bedroom the next night, when the grounds are dark and the moon the thinnest of slivers in the sky. Charles draws the blankets tightly around himself as he sits up, his heart thumping rabbit-fast. He crosses his legs and presses his knees tightly together. Uncle gives him an amused look, but then his mouth thins.

“That boy from yesterday… What did you do?”

“What do you mean, sir?”

Uncle’s eyes glitter; he looks – intrigued. “His mind is empty. He can’t stay awake. What did you do, Charles?”

Charles’ own mind whites out. From very far away, he hears himself say: “What do you mean, empty?”

“Empty. You scooped everything right out of him.”

No no no. This is all wrong.

“I didn’t, I can’t have…”

Uncle must be lying. He must be. Just like he – he lied about Raven and Hank, he must have, Charles has looked and looked and he hadn’t found anyone who knew them, much less killed them…

“I didn’t!” Charles insists, and Uncle shakes his head pityingly.

“Get some sleep. We’ll run more tests tomorrow. You can’t let this happen again.”

***

He just –

He wants to sleep.

He doesn’t want to wake up again. He wants it so fiercely that his chest hurts.

***

He doesn’t have a use for me anymore.

He won’t leave loose ends lying around.

***

Adults, Charles had long ago learnt, enjoy showing off their children. His mother had done it, presenting him at dinner parties where her friends could praise him on his good manners and his academics. (Of course, that was before she had him packed off to boarding school where he wouldn’t disturb her.) Now Uncle is doing it too. After another successful night of reading – where did Aunt go? She was there just a moment ago… – Uncle has wrapped a paternal arm around Charles’ shoulder and is now in the process of introducing him to all his associates.

“A lovely voice, truly remarkable,” one of them compliments him with a tip of his wineglass. “You’ll give us marvellous entertainment in a few years’ time.”

How dare he. Charles isn’t a – a thing, a songbird to perform on Uncle’s command. He won’t be here in a few years’ time. He’s about to snap–

But his power had already reached out of its own accord, slipping across the man’s mind and coming away tarred with his eagerness to humiliate, to dominate. Charles averts his eyes and gives him a bland smile. “Thank you, sir,” he says.

Polite. Demure. Charming, but with little personality. Someone of absolutely no interest.

“Meek little thing, isn’t he?” One of them says to Uncle. His mind is red and cruel, his eyes raking hotly over Charles’ body. Charles can’t help shrinking back, and Uncle draws him closer, possessive. The man continues: “That’s no proper way for a boy his age to behave. You should let me train him out of it.”

He doesn’t need shame in his position, the man is thinking. His mind is filled with sense-memories of Aunt’s white skin splitting open, the coppery spray of blood, the curves of her body spread out on display.

Charles musters his best smile, boyish and innocent. “Uncle gives me so much training, I can’t possibly take on more.” He leans against Uncle suggestively even as he tries not to shiver, his skin crawling.

The man chuckles and waves him away, sufficiently entertained.

And so it goes. For each new man he’s introduced to, Charles skims lightly over their mind and adjusts accordingly. He flows from mood to mood, from virginal innocence to polite, well-bred formality to lively charm to something…else, a being of coy smiles and alluring glances loaded with meaning, the sort of nymphet he’s read to all these men about. Asking for it, just look at him, one of the men thinks, his eyes fixed on Charles’ lips.

Charles holds onto the comforting thought that Uncle is too possessive to let any of these men touch him.

Eventually, the night ends with Aunt still missing. Uncle personally brings him back to his bedroom, his hand a constant heavy pressure against the small of Charles’ back. “Let me help you get ready for bed,” he says, and Charles can’t stop trembling. In the darkness of the room, Uncle has him stand by the bed as his fingers go to the first button of Charles’ collared shirt.

He stands deathly still as Uncle undoes the buttons one by one. As his shirt falls unceremoniously to the floor, Charles closes his eyes.

Is this going to be the rest of his life? Forever?

***

I can’t. I can’t do this anymore.

Charles huddles in his bed, arms thrown over his face, shaking uncontrollably.

I need to get out of here.

Just let me escape.

Please. Let me escape.

I’ll do anything.

His cheeks are wet and hot.

I don’t want to wake up again.

***

The next day, they find Aunt’s body. She hangs from a silken rope, her neck snapped, her feet dangling off the ground. Above her, the yew tree looms black against the boundary of the estate.

 5. “Did you kill her?”

“Did you?”

He and Uncle stare at each other in the harsh sunlight that slants through the windows of Uncle’s study. Charles is the first to look away.

“I can’t help you anymore,” he says. “I’m never using my telepathy again.”

“You think you did it? Influenced her?”

“I don’t know.”

He could look. Uncle’s mind is walled up tight as always, but he’s stronger now. He can break down those walls. Uncle has the means and – he knows from the stray wisps of thought he had stolen from Aunt’s mind – he has motive.

He could look, but he doesn’t.

He’s too afraid of what he’ll find.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Uncle is saying. “You’ve always had poor control, and we’ve recorded plenty of incidents where you subconsciously use your telepathy. A whole library’s worth of them, in fact.”

“I’m never using it again.”

“You can’t turn it off,” Uncle says frankly. “You’re using it even now, aren’t you?”

It’s true. It’d be like trying to turn off his hearing – utterly impossible. Even if he can’t read Uncle he still gets a faint sense of his presence, a prickling awareness at the back of his mind that he can’t sever.

“I’ll find a way.”

“Why? Your gift is a wonderful one. Imagine if everyone could communicate mind-to-mind like you do – no more misunderstandings, no more wasting hours on arguments…”

No more fear of the unknown. No more fear of those who are different.

It’s so hard to remember why those things are important, but Charles clings to them the best he can.

Uncle continues: “Really, your only problem is your control. You may never develop it to a sufficient level, so you see why it’s important for you to stay here. At home. You’ll have a hard time finding a place more isolated than this mansion. Can you imagine what’ll happen if you lose control in a city?”

Charles looks out of the window mutely. Uncle nods. “That’s right. And I do promise you, Charles, if I can’t find a way to control your telepathy, I’ll help you get rid of it. One way or the other. Do we have a deal?”

Outside, the yew tree is a dark stain on the grounds. Charles thinks about a fluttering rope of silk, a noose.

He has an escape if he’s brave enough to take it. He always had. Maybe it would even be the selfless thing to do. Nothing good can come from giving Uncle more and more chances to run experiments on him.

“Do we have a deal?” Uncle barks, impatient.

Charles has never been brave enough. “Yes,” he says quietly.

(next part)

[the-insomniac-cat]

ENDGAME BIG SPOILERS

Complete synopsis of the entire film below the cut.

If you want spoilers but not the whole shebang, scroll down to my other Spoiler post.

Why post this? Because some people want to know, either before they go, or instead of going, or to decide whether to or not.

Look, if you don’t want to know, then use the tag filter. In case you didn’t set it up, then I’ve put in the ‘keep reading’ cut. So you should be covered. So please, no more anon hate! (Haters are so brave when they go anon!)

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT MY SYNOPSIS. I HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM (and won’t) THIS IS FROM A REDDIT USER. BECAUSE LOTS OF SPOILERS OVER THERE ARE BEING TAKEN DOWN, I DECIDED TO CUT AND PASTE IT RATHER THAN JUST GIVE A LINK.

People who HAVE seen the film have been adding comments to this post on Reddit, saying it is ‘correct’, or ‘basically correct’.

CREDIT:  Reddit Posted byu/Wico90

12% credit to Brontcrab24 and others

First Scene is actually Hawkeye losing his family to the snap. He doesn’t actually see it happen as he is facing the other direction. We then get the Tony/Nebula sequence (paper football, etc). Tony records his message to Pepper. When he falls asleep, Nebula takes him to the front of the ship and sits him in the pilots seat. He wakes up and sees something glowing outside the window. Captain Marvel helps them return to Earth. Pepper, Rocket, Steve and Rhodey all come out to greet him. Tony is very shaken, particularly about losing Peter.

Movie starts with the Avengers trying to find Thanos. Steve wasn’t to know where Thanos is and asks Tony, but Tony says he doesn’t know, They argue. Nebula knows of Thanos’ garden he said he would once go to when he completed his goal. They found him because of the energy he released using the gauntlet. Thanos is alone, and tells them he used the gauntlet to destroy the gems. He is weak and Thor, angry, decapitates him.

Title Card and five years later.

Natasha is now basically in charge of what's left of the Avengers is talking to them via holograms. Basically the world is in ruins and they're trying to salvage it. Carol is there via hologram with a new haircut and uniform and tells them that she's covering thousands of planets and won't be able to come back to Earth for a "long time".

Steve and Nat talk about how the Avengers are family. Inside a storage shed is Luis’s van. A rat is crawling over the Quantum controls and activated the switch which brings Scott out. He’s now locked inside the cage but starts waving at the security cameras. A guard lets him out and he is walking the streets confused as to why everything is so overgrown and run down. He finds a memorial which lists the names of the ‘missing’ on large stones. He starts reading them panicking that Cassie might be listed on them. But she isn’t. He sees her at home, as an older version of herself. Scott drives to the Avengers facility and Nat and Steve let him in and he tells them about the Quantum realm and how they might be able to build a time machine to go back to the past before everything happened. They visit Tony, but he doesn’t want to help. He’s happy with the way that his life is, with Pepper and his daughter Morgan. They leave and to visit Bruce who is now Professor Hulk.

The plan becomes to start looking for the gems in the past. Initially Banner builds quantum time machine and sends Scott back to test but it is faulty, Tony refuses to help at this point, however, he returns Caps shield and they make up. He tweaks Banners Quantum Machine, The catch is that they need quantum particles for it to work.

Natasha goes to Japan to get Clint. He is mourning his family and is not certain of the plan. Rocket and Hulk go to get Thor who is drinking and playing video games with Korg and Meik. (Funny joke involving an online video game troll)

Finally the team then all suit up and discuss their plans to get the stones. They make it clear that they can not mess up because there is only enough Quantum particles for one trip for each of them.

Tony, Scott, Steve and Bruce go to the Battle of New York. Hulk meets the Ancient One at Dr Stranger's future home. Ancient One refuses to give the Time Stone to Bruce but relents when Bruce tells her that Dr Strange will give the stone to Thanos.

Cap, Iron Man and Scott tries to retrieve the Tessaract after Loki surrenders. SHIELD/Hydra agents Crossbones and that bald guy with glasses in Winter Soldier retrieve the brief case containing the Tessaract. Past Hulk funnily has to walk down lots of flights of stairs as he can't go on lift due to maximum capacity. Cap meets with Crossbones with the briefcase in elevator along with other Hydra agents. He convinces them to give him the briefcase containing the staff when he utters two words: Hail Hydra. Cap gets the briefcase. Tony in disguise as a SWAT soldier tells Scott to disable his past self's chest reactor to give him a minor seizure while his past self meets up with Alexander Pierce who demands the Mind Stone and Loki. Present Tony retrieves the briefcase but past Hulk accidentally knocks out Tony and Loki uses the confusion to teleport out with the Tessaract. Present Cap accidentally meets with his 2012 self, and 2012 self thinks he's Loki in disguise. They fought and 2012 has present self in chokehold when he tells his past self that Bucky is alive. He then taps his past self with staff to knock him out.

In Asgard, fat Thor and Rocket plans to retrieve the Aether out of Jane Foster's body. Thor's mother meets his 'son' and know he's from the future. Rocket retrieves the aether out of Jane by prodding her off screen and gets chased by guards. Before Thor leaves, he retrieves Mjolnir!

On Morag, War Machine and Nebula stays on Morag while Clint and Nat goes to Voromir via a ship that Rocket miniatures for Clint. Unknown to Nebula, her past self's nervous system and databanks are connected to each other and Thanos finds out where the stones are and how he meets his fate.

Cap and Tony transport back to 1970 at the SHIELD training site seen in Winter Soldier and goes underground to retrieve that era's Tessaract. Tony retrieves the Tesseract while meeting his dad. He calls himself Howard Potts. Cap makes a prank call to young Hank Pym and sneaks into his office to steal 4 vials of Pym Particles. Cap also sees Peggy. Cap and Tony teleport back to present.

WM and Nebula knocks out Quill during his dance in intro of GOTG. They got the stone and WM and Nebula was meant to teleport together but WM only succeeded. Present Nebula and past Nebula meets and fights and past Nebula takes her place to go back to present.

On Voromir, Clint and May meets the Red Skull as seen in Infinity War and is told how to retrieve the stone. Clint and Nat fought each other. Clint jumped off cliff but Nat catches him and held on by grappling rope. She falls off and dies like Gamora. Clint now has the Stone.

All members went back to present and everyone is devastated by Nat's death. Tony and Bruce constructs the Infinity Gauntlet and Thor wants to wield it but Hulk goes instead as he's the strongest one and the stones emit gamma radiation according to him. He wields it and snaps his fingers restoring all life lost. Clint's wife calls him on mobile. Hulk suffers extreme pain in his right arm due to IG. Past Nebula activates the Quantum teleporter and summons Thanos' warship and blasts the Avengers HQ to ruins with missiles.

Hulk lifting up rubble similar to Secret Wars cover where he lifts up a whole mountain except this is less in film lol.

Clint finds the gauntlet and is being chased by Outriders creatures in last film. He kills them and is met by past Nebula. Gamora and present Nebula meets up and Nebula kills her past self.

Cap, Tony and Thor teams up against Thanos. Thor is losing against Thanos even though he has Stormbreaker and Mjolnir. Thanos is about to kill Thor with SB when:

Cap lifts up Mjolnir and beats Thanos with hammer and shield.

Thanos uses his double blade weapon to break Cap's shield in half.

Thanos summons his whole army including the Black Order and some new creatures. Cap is all by himself against a whole army.

He hears Sam's voice and he turns around and see EVERYONE who has vanished PLUS huge armies of Wakandans, sorcerers and Asgardians (no signs of Warrior Three). Wong, Valkyrie, Wasp and Pepper Potts as Rescue turns up as well. Ant Man becomes Giant Man.

Clint plays American Football with IG and passes it to Black Panther then Spidey. Quill meets past Gamora and gets hit in the balls, not believing he is the one she loves lol. Scarlet Witch overpowers Thanos but Thanos orders missiles to hit everyone including his forces. Captain Marvel shows up to destroy Thanos' flagship and gets the IG and dashes towards the goal. There is a bit where Hope and Scott goes to the van with the Quantum teleporter in the middle of battlefield. Was lost in the moment so forgot why they doing that, sorry.

All female Marvel characters fight Thanos. Spidey's armoured suit goes autokill mode with the extra arms.

Thanos tries to take the gauntlet off Marvel by headbutting her but didn't phase her.

Thanos retrieves the gauntlet away from Stark and he snaps his fingers. Nothing happened. The stones went to Stark and before he snaps his fingers, he says 'I'm Iron Man'.

White flash of light.

All of Thanos' forces turn to dust including Thanos himself.

Tony dies from using the gauntlet. Everyone mourns.

The battle is won but at a cost.

Holographic Tony gives a message to everyone present including his daughter.

A wreath with Tony's chest reactor is laid to rest at the lake near Tony's hut.

Everyone is present including GOTG, Peter, Maria, Ross, Nick and Hank and Janet.

Thor, still fat designates Valkyrie as Queen of New Asgard in Tonnsberg. Thor is now travelling with GOTG to find Gamora and maybe more Asgardians. Quill and Thor are about to fight for leadership lol.

Scott, Cassie and Hope are together again. Wakanda is back with his King.

Cap goes on a mission to put back the stones and Mjolnir to their proper places. Hulk says to Sam and Buck that he should be back in 5 secs. He didn't. Sam sees a old man at a bench and it's Old Man Steve (who looks like Clint Eastwood now but less wrinkles and bit younger than he is lol). Steve has wedding ring and passes his shield to Sam. Sam is honoured.

Ending shows young Cap dancing with Peggy at their house. That's it.

Credits music is set to 1930s music then shows all cast members. The main cast is shown with their signatures on it.

There is NO post credit scenes which is a first for a MCU.

Stan Lee cameo is set in 1970s where he is shown in his 70s younger self driving a car with a woman, driving past a army base where Cap and Tony retrieves the Tesseract there.

[dyersupplier]

Dyeing Supplies

There are a lot of different tools you can use to dye yarn, and everyone has their own personal set of these tools that are molded to their specific preference, workflow, dyeing style, dye space, etc. I know I mentioned grabbing a stock pot in the first article I wrote here, and that’s exactly where I began back in 2012. Now, after years of trying different things and having to adapt to various dye spaces, I think I’ve tried a little bit of everything short of a full-blown professional studio setup like some of the ones I’ve seen online. So I’d like to share some different options with you that might be a good next step after the signature stock pot.

The one thing that may most dictate the tools you build with is the heat source you have available. If you’re working out of your kitchen and can use the stovetop, that’s a great place to start—that’s actually how I got started. If you’re wanting to keep the wet wool and vinegar smell out of the house and have opted to work in a garage, shed, carport, etc., then you’ll need some sturdy folding tables and a portable heat source. I’ve used both single burners and big ole turkey roasters successfully. The single burners held stock pots for small batches, and then the turkey roasters were reserved for larger batches like sweater quantities. I had a good flow, and I used that setup in a couple of the places I’ve lived—I dyed yarn in a detached garage and also on a covered porch!

With my current setup, I’ve started using hotel pans on the stovetop. It uses two of the stove's burners, so it heats up pretty quickly, and the shallow shape allows a bit more control over the dyes than I've been able to get in stock pots. That was the biggest reason I liked using the turkey roasters, but hotel pans are less expensive and a bit more adaptable. But depending on your setup, the roasters might be best for you. I would encourage you to look into all of these to get an idea of space needed, cost, usability, etc.

Another important factor is water source. In a kitchen, of course, you will probably be able to use the sink—unless it’s made of something that can be stained with dye. Or in a garage you can use a utility sink. I’ve also used a hose when dyeing outside! You can get a bit creative if needed.

The easiest way to work with the dyes is to mix the powders with water ahead of time. To do that, I use a funnel and plastic squeeze bottles from Dharma Trading Co. They’re awesome for reducing any ongoing contact with the dye powders themselves (which can be messy and hazardous if you inhale them), and they make mixing colors for your formulas consistently a breeze because you’re working with liquid colors that are very easy to measure. To keep things super simple, I decided to use 8oz bottles, and then I decided how concentrated I wanted the dye solution to be. I use the same powder-to-water ratio for all of my dyes. Each dyer has their own preference, of course, but setting a standard of consistency is key to creating reproducible results. 

Oh, and make sure you label the bottles with the powder color so you know what to grab when! That’s a lesson I learnt the hard way, as I only had a handful of colors at the time and thought I’d be able to tell what was what easily enough…but I was wrong. So now I label every bottle with the exact dye powder name from the manufacturer. Oh, and before I forget, if you don’t want the whole artist look with very colorfully-dyed hands, rubber gloves are a good idea—for mixing the dyes AND for when you’re measuring them out later!

Speaking of consistent results, make sure you have a notebook and waterproof pen nearby for writing down what you do. I’ll talk more about that stuff in more detail in another article, but in the mean time, start writing things down!

When I’m prepping the yarn for dyeing, I like to put a zip tie through each hank to keep the loop from getting tangled as I work with it. It makes life so much simpler when you’re trying to move the yarn! Before I dye, I always pre-soak my yarn in warm water with a little bit of vinegar in it, and that requires buckets or tubs of some sort. What I use depends on how much I’m dyeing, so I have an assortment of tubs and buckets I can use.

As far as the post-dyeing process, I’ve learned to have dedicated equipment for each phase. So I have a rack for yarn that’s cooling, and then I have a separate rack placed elsewhere for yarn that’s finished and drying. The reason I don’t just put it out to dry right out of the dye bath is because I like to post-soak my yarn once it’s cool. It helps get the vinegar smell out. I don’t like my customers to open their package and get hit in the face with that strong odor! But if I put it in the post-soak while it’s piping hot, the cool soak water will shock the wool and make it not-so-happy (another hard-learnt lesson). So I let it cool, then I soak it, then I squeeze it out and hang it to dry on a separate rack to help me remember what’s finished and what’s not. You’ll probably want a couple of racks handy, and you’ll want to have several bowls and buckets available to transport wet yarn and post-soak it if desired.

The rest of the main tools you'll need are common kitchen items, like hot pads, oven mitts, tongs, measuring spoons, things like that. I have a full set of tools that are only used for dyeing, just like my pots, as my professional acid dyes are not food-safe. If you’re working with food safe dyes like Kool Aid and food coloring, you can relax about this if you wish, but generally I would still recommend having a separate set for dyeing.

Now that I’ve run through everything in a rather long-winded manner (thank you for hanging in there if you’ve read all this!), I’ll include a simple shopping list for you that will zero in on the basics (other than the yarn, dye, and mordant) that will get you started. :)

Pots / pans

Measuring spoons

Tongs

Stir spoon

Paper towels

Zip ties

Oven mitts

Rubber gloves

Bowls / buckets / tubs

Racks

Plastic squeeze bottles

Note-taking supplies

From here, you can take this and tweak it to be what you need. Have fun experimenting and growing into your own personal style and workflow as a dyer! And always remember that your creativity is unique, and there will always be a place for your ideas to shine!

About Me

My name is Annie, and I’m a knitwear designer and yarn-dyer living south of Atlanta, GA. When I’m not doing yarn-related things, my other hobbies consist of reading, playing ultimate frisbee, photography, and video games.

[pmsocialmedia]

How Niantic evolved Pokémon GO for the year no one could go anywhere

Pokémon GO was created to encourage players to explore the world while coordinating impromptu large group gatherings — activities we’ve all been encouraged to avoid since the pandemic began.

And yet, analysts estimate that 2020 was Pokémon GO’s highest-earning year yet.

By twisting some knobs and tweaking variables, Pokémon GO became much easier to play without leaving the house.

Niantic’s approach to 2020 was full of carefully considered changes, and I’ve highlighted many of their key decisions below.

Consider this something of an addendum to the Niantic EC-1 I wrote last year, where I outlined things like the company’s beginnings as a side project within Google, how Pokémon Go began as an April Fools’ joke and the company’s aim to build the platform that powers the AR headsets of the future.

Hit the brakes

On a press call outlining an update Niantic shipped in November, the company put it on no uncertain terms: the roadmap they’d followed over the last ten-or-so months was not the one they started the year with. Their original roadmap included a handful of new features that have yet to see the light of day. They declined to say what those features were of course (presumably because they still hope to launch them once the world is less broken) — but they just didn’t make sense to release right now.

Instead, as any potential end date for the pandemic slipped further into the horizon, the team refocused in Q1 2020 on figuring out ways to adapt what already worked and adjust existing gameplay to let players do more while going out less.

Turning the dials

As its name indicates, GO was never meant to be played while sitting at home. John Hanke’s initial vision for Niantic was focused around finding ways to get people outside and playing together; from its very first prototype, Niantic had players running around a city to take over its virtual equivalent block by block. They’d spent nearly a decade building up a database of real-world locations that would act as in-game points meant to encourage exploration and wandering. Years of development effort went into turning Pokémon GO into more and more of a social game, requiring teamwork and sometimes even flash mob-like meetups for its biggest challenges.

Now it all needed to work from the player’s couch.

The earliest changes were those that were easiest for Niantic to make on-the-fly, but they had dramatic impacts on the way the game actually works.

Some of the changes:

Doubling the players “radius” for interacting with in-game gyms, landmarks that players can temporarily take over for their in-game team, earning occupants a bit of in-game currency based on how long they maintain control. This change let more gym battles happen from the couch.

Increasing spawn points, generally upping the number of Pokémon you could find at home dramatically.

Increasing “incense” effectiveness, which allowed players to use a premium item to encourage even more Pokémon to pop up at home. Niantic phased this change out in October, then quietly reintroduced it in late November. Incense would also last twice as long, making it cheaper for players to use.

Allowing steps taken indoors (read: on treadmills) to count toward in-game distance challenges.

Players would no longer need to walk long distances to earn entry into the online player-versus-player battle system.

Your “buddy” Pokémon (a specially designated Pokémon that you can level up Tamagotchi-style for bonus perks) would now bring you more gifts of items you’d need to play. Pre-pandemic, getting these items meant wandering to the nearby “Pokéstop” landmarks.

By twisting some knobs and tweaking variables, Pokémon GO became much easier to play without leaving the house — but, importantly, these changes avoided anything that might break the game while being just as easy to reverse once it became safe to do so.

GO Fest goes virtual

Like this, just … online. Image Credits: Greg Kumparak

Thrown by Niantic every year since 2017, GO Fest is meant to be an ultra-concentrated version of the Pokémon GO experience. Thousands of players cram into one park, coming together to tackle challenges and capture previously unreleased Pokémon.

via Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2WOR1FR

[furederiko]

September 1st!!! And it's the first (of hopefully more) Random-News-Digest of the month...

Quick update before I start! Nope, my situation hasn't really improved since last time. Things are still going haywire and uncertain on my part. Which means I'm still not too sure if I will be able to post more frequently this month as well. But this is a NEW month, and I always want to start anything with a fresh and optimistic mind. So at the very least, I'm going to TRY to post more. Here's hoping... Also, expect this R-N-D to be more... 'Digest' than usual. After all, I actually decided to do this on a whimsy when I woke up this morning. You can expect things to be more shorter and compact this time around. So without further ado, let's start!!!

DC Films

The news in this category has been quite a shocker lately. Martin Scorsese wants to make a stand-alone "Joker" origin story without Jared Leto? And then there's that Leto and Margot Robbie's "Joker and Harley Quinn" movie, that is being fast-tracked to come following "Suicide Squad 2"? It's a new title that was first rumored to replace David Ayer's "Gotham City Sirens", though recent report suggests that all-female movie is STILL in development as well. To complicate matters, "Suicide Squad 2" already lost a potential director, and with Will Smith's busy schedule, it won't start production until late next year. Ouch!

Oh yeah, eventhough the movie won't arrive until April 5th, 2019, director David F. Sandberg teased that the most lighthearted DC Film movie "Shazam" will start production very soon. Yet we don't even know who's going to play Billy Batson, nor his grown-up version. While Matt Reeves is going back and forth his version of "The Batman", saying it's not part of the DCEU, and then it IS. Please make up your mind! Jon Spaihts was rumored to be re-writing "Justice League Dark", though said rumor has been cleared out by The Wrap. The irony in that, is because he was among the writer of "Doctor Strange" for Marvel Studios!!! First Joss Whedon took over Zack Snyder for "Justice League", and has officially been given a writer credit (his involvement is 33% of the movie!!!). And don't forget how Patty Jenkins used to be attached to the first Thor sequel. So Spaihts's name being thrown into the rumor zone didn't feel as 'strange'. What I'm trying to say is, I won't be surprised if more people related to Marvel Studios will end up doing DC movies for Warner Bros in the future.

Clearly, this proves that WB STILL doesn't have a plan nor idea of what they are going to do with their DC Films. A concerning truth, but is definitely far from being a surprise nowadays. I guess since the current DCEU doesn't really have a clear future (despite the success of "Wonder Woman"), WB is already thinking about creating another Universe to complement it. Perhaps, if this one works better, then they can simply erase the one that Snyder started. That's the point of "Flashpoint", right? We'll see. Yes, we'll see...

X-Men Universe

Can't believe it took this long for some people to realize that... as long as Simon Kinberg is still in charge (in ANY capacity), fans probably won't be getting the 'true' X-Men movie they have always wanted. People seems to forget that he was the writer of the disappointing "X-Men: The Last Stand", and supervised the dreaded "Fant4stic Four". Now his upcoming directorial debut, "X-Men: Dark Phoenix", which he also wrote... is already put into a giant question mark, thanks to Kinberg's recent comment.

I admit, I've grown to DESPISE the term 'grounded' in recent years, because it is (ab)used as an excuse to make shitty underwhelming products. But seriously, what good will a "Dark Phoenix" storyline get by making it... grounded? That arc is meant to be a galactic interstellar adventure, involving alien entities and otherworldly stuffs. "X3" was already its grounded version, and it did NOT work. So why bother going the same route? Is this movie 'doomed to fail' then? It's unclear. But I certainly won't be surprised if that turns out to be the case. Just remember how that grounded take on "X-Men: Apocalypse" performed...

Marvel Studios

Marvel is celebrating the late Jack Kirby's 100th birthday this week. Studio's president Kevin Feige revealed on Twitter that the upcoming "Thor: Ragnarok" is produced as a love-letter to Kirby's work. Not unlike last year's "Doctor Strange", that served as a clear tribute to Steve Ditko. Actress Evangeline Lilly also celebrated the occassion, by sharing the first official image of her character Hope van Dyne, wearing the updated Wasp suit from "Ant-Man and the Wasp".

About that last one... I totally DIG her hair-style, because Lilly always looks much better with a long hairdo instead of the one she had in the first "Ant-Man". The suit on the other hand? I'm a bit mixed. I don't know why. Perhaps because I was expecting more... yellow/gold in the color scheme? Then again, Peyton Reed and Marvel Studios might be going with Wasp's red-black scheme once again, because it's the one designed by Kirby. Especially with Janet van Dyne being in the movie (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and the report that Michael Douglas' Hank Pym will be suiting up himself in the classic white-red costume.

The writers of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" are set to be back for the sequel! Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are also involved in "Ant-Man and the Wasp", so there's a possibility they might end up becoming the next Markus-McFeely of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Assuming all the stars are aligned, they will reunite with director Jon Watts (who was already in talks to return) to work on the first Marvel Studios after "Avengers 4" ends the current Phase 3. Here's hoping this team will keep deliver something better, without losing that irresistible youthful and innocent charm that the first movie exuded.

Marvel TV

When this post goes up, Marvel's "The Inhumans" should be arriving in IMAX theatres everywhere. Not sure if it will be available in my country, but it's surely a definite for the US region, because ABC will begin broadcasting the series on Friday, September 29th, 2017.

According to recent report, the response to its premiere was... much positive. In fact, it's a far cry to the supposed 'disaster' that occured at the Television Critics Association Panel. Is this surprising? Well... not quite. I mean, one man's trash can end up becoming another's treasure, right? So I predict that the overall review, when it officially hits, will be mixed at best. Remember, this is still Jeph Loeb's and Scott Buck's work. Each or both have ruined a show (or two, if we count that much-anticipated crossover that came out last month... or more if we put into account their past forays) before, so there's no assurance that they won't strike again. But I'm honestly glad to hear some people actually enjoying it. Hey, there's one for everyone, right?

As for me, as I said before, I personally won't be seeing this on the theatres. Based on the lackluster trailers and underwhelming clips released so far, I'll have to give it a hard pass. Beside, considering my current financial issue, wasting money for uncertain things can be considered 'suicide' anyway. I'll probably going to hold back on watching the series as well, until the reviews for all episodes are out. Thanks to my doozy experience with the recent Netflix 'crossover mini-series', I'm going to be extra cautious with Marvel TV now. Because really, spending 8 hours for a boring and/or disappointing show felt like a tremendous waste of time. Doing so isn't going to do me any good.

QUICK UPDATE: Embargo for the full reviews hasn't been lifted when I wrote and upped this essay into queue. Those reviews have been made available NOW on various sites, and well... turns out it's as BAD as many initially said. Since I'm too lazy to modify the entire category (although it's only 3 short paragraphs LOL), this note will do just fine as a follow up. My original writing sounded more 'positive' anyways. LOL.

Meanwhile, things are looking A LOT better for Marvel's "Runaways". It seems response for the first episodes was more than great. It is currently being praised as very faithful to the source material, despite its various 'tweaks' (for example, one character was a mutant in the comic, but the copyrights prevent that to exist in live action adaptation). Not that it should be a surprise anyway. When the writer of the comic is directly in charge as consultant, we know that at least things are going to be close to the comics. Might this be the Marvel show to wait for this year? Probably, but I digress. I'm still going to be approaching this one with extra caution. If recent Marvel TV shows are any indications, then we can't really expect it to be... evenly balanced. Some of them had okay to good run in the first half, only to falter into a massive dud in the later half. Yes, even "LEGION", and the 4th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". They started out strong, but ended rather... disappointingly. Considering the same people behind them are also supervising this, said similar treatment can also apply to "Runaways"...

Netflix

It's already September, and I haven't finished Marvel's "The Defenders" yet. How come? The mini-series surprisingly BORED the hell out of me! A full review for it was meant to go up as my first post of September (yes, this R-N-D is its last minute replacement). That's the initial plan anyway, because I still haven't seen the last two episodes. Seriously though, when you've already lost any single urge to do it, there's nothing else you can do right?

Thanks to that, the internet had already spoiled me about what's going to happen to Simone Missick's Misty Knight. I don't even need to READ the whole article to figure out what will become of her... right hand. Yes, the headline already gave it away, and my minor knowledge of the character in the comics was more than enough to lead me to said conclusion. And then the image spreading on social media solidified it. Mind you, I still don't know how or what caused her to lose that body part. My quick and easy guess? Likely by Bakuto, considering up to episode 6, Misty had only spoken with one particular supporting character from the other series: Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing. And it's also about her... KATANA, as if it's not obvious enough. Expect Misty to be armed with a prosthetic arm in the 3rd Season Marvel's "Luke Cage".

Yep, if you're like me, hoping for a "Heroes for Hire" show that includes the Daughters of Dragon... then we might as well swallow that wishful thinking. Why? It probably won't happen until the 2nd Season of Marvel's "Iron Fist" is out. Going by math alone, that means we have to wait another 26 episodes, and at least another two years. New season for "Luke Cage" will likely arrive in 2018, while the one for "Iron Fist" might probably land in 2019. Yeah, two years indeed. This is why you can't really expect much when it comes to Marvel TV... *sigh*

"Stranger Things" released a set of character posters for its 2nd Season. They cover the returning cast, as well as the new additions. What's interesting about these posters, is the strong nod to Steven Spielberg! And being a series set in the 80s, that folded-magazine style is also pretty neat. I hope this 2nd season will be as great as the 1st, and unlike most other Netflix shows.

One more thing! It's a rather old news, but worth bringing up. Netflix is currently collaborating with TOEI Animation, to remake the popular shounen-series "Saint Seiya". Titled "Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya", the new series will be created in full CG style. If you're curious on how that might look, think of it like several parts of TOEI's "Precure Dream Star!" movie that was done completely in CG, or their recent "Sekaisuru KADO" series. The latter in particular, already has a character design that's looking VERY Saint Seiya-ish (could it be intended as the warm-up to this one, then? probably). First season will be 12 episodes of 30 minutes, and will cover the "Galaxy War" to the "Silver Saint" Arcs. Yoshiharu Ashino is directing the new series, Eugene Son is the story editor and head writer, Terumi Nishii will be handling the character design, while Takashi Okazaki is doing the armors.

This news is intriguing, because it can end up heading towards into two different territory: actually good, or downright Bad. The latest "Sailor Moon" reboot that immediately divide old and new fans, is a great example of said situation. "Saint Seiya" is among the beloved titles to those growing up in the late 80s, so you can imagine their negative reactions if this remake doesn't suit their taste. The series doesn't have a fixed release date for now, but I believe we can expect it to arrive on Spring 2018. My only hope is that it retains Shingo Araki's anime style compared to Masami Kurumada's manga ones, because it has been pretty much the 'signature' of the series for the fans.

Disney XD Series

I saw the one-hour premiere of the "DuckTales" reboot not long after it aired, and great goodness... I'm LOVING it. I used to have a minor issue with the voices of the nephews before, but that concern quickly faded away when the story started rolling. It's just so engaging and fun to watch! My only complaint, is that it takes too long for the next episodes to start airing. But we're now in September, so September 23rd is just around 20 days away. Shall we start counting down for more Scrooge McDuck's adventure, then? I wonder if Disney XD will debut the first episode of "Big Hero 6 the Series" in advance too? Hmmm....

Pocket Monsters

"Pokemon GO" has been greeted by Legendary Birds Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, and Lugia last month. Starting yesterday, August 31st, 2017, Niantic has continued the streak with the Legendary Dogs Entei, Raikou, and Suicine. Unlike the Birds, these ones are going to show up as region-based for a particular duration. Entei will be in the Europe and Africa region, Raikou in the America, and Suicine in Asia-Pacific. They will then switch places on September 30th, 2017.

This is great news, right? NOT exactly. While I DID feel overjoyed when the Legendaries were first announced, what came next was nothing more than disappointments. The fact that Niantic is focusing too much on Raid Battles to debut these special Pokemon, had caused inconveniences to some (if not MANY) of its players. Sad to say, yours truly is included in this cluster.

Here's the deal. In order to capture ONE Legendary, it first needs to be defeated in a Raid Battle. Unlike normal Raids, it's a group effort that requires around 15-20 players to be on the spot at the same time, working together to take one down. So what happens when you're a player... living in an area, that does NOT have the privilege of having at least the minimum number of players? You can only bite your nails while grunting and sighing with disappointments, because there's really NOTHING you can do. I've lost count how many 'futile attempts' I've done, singlehandedly (seriously, because there's NOBODY around) trying to defeat one. I've now arrived to the point where I simply couldn't care less about any of them anymore. Which is sad, because I was sort of hoping "Pokemon GO" would be there to help me go through my current situation. I mean, when that role has been surprisingly taken over by a repetitive, kid-oriented game called "Magikarp, Jump!"... That's saying much, right?

Of course, this shouldn't be an issue if "Pokemon GO" is still enjoyable as a single-player experience. Players who can't capture a Legendary, could still focus on doing anything else. Problem is, there's NOTHING much to do beside that. Niantic is too focused on the multiplayer 'Team Gameplay' aspect of this game, that it neglects those who play individually (whether by choice, or who are simply forced by circumstances... like yours truly). The new 'Gym System' was nice, but lately I've noticed a concerning trend: the turnaround has gradually becoming very slow. Many Gyms in my area, have Pokemon with ZERO motivations. Worse, they are stranded there for days (I can personally attest to this, because mine are among them!). That means many players no longer visit the Gyms. To put it simply, this game is just not... FUN anymore for everyone. Only for the 'privileged'.

Niantic can actually fix this, by start releasing Generation III as soon as possible. Adding a horde of new Pokemon, even if not all of them (honestly, releasing 10 new species per month would be a fun options), will give these 'unfortunate players' a renewed 'purpose' to go out and play the game. Otherwise, it's really a dry boring-ish land. IMHO, Niantic could and should've tried another method with the Legendary Dogs by... I don't know... letting them in the wild, like what happened in the core "Pokemon Gold, Silver & Crystal" games. Then again, it's probably too much to ask for. I mean, Niantic doesn't even allow something as simple as having these Legendaries added as silhouettes to the Pokedex after encountering them. And that's the only thing I've been hoping for... *sigh*. For now, unless Niantic shakes things up big time, my days with the App is numbered. And I'm going to be just another entry to the long list of players who have already walked out due to disappointments...

One more thing for "Pokemon". A quick detour to the TV side! Kanto Gym Leaders and Satoshi's former travel companions Kasumi and Takeshi (or Misty and Brock in the US version)... are coming to Alola this month!!! Many fans are obviously pleased to hear this! After they have been unceremoniously snubbed in the 20th Anniversary movie "Eiga Pocket Monster, Kimi ni Kimeta!", they are set to show up in the series instead. Takeshi in particular, is the character I've been waiting for. After all, his VA Yuuji Ueda is still a crucial part in the series as the voice of Sonansu/Wobbuffet, so he could actually show up a lot more! This pair will be making their Alolan guest appearances on the September 14th and 21st episodes. Which got me thinking: How awesome will it be if Satoshi's other travel friends show up at the same time too, right?

Street Fighter

"Street Fighter V" has welcomed its 5th DLC character for Season 2. As speculated and rumored before, it's indeed Menat, the Eyes of the Future. She is also confirmed to be the apprentice of Rose, by the way. This makes her the first completely NEW character to the franchise, because Kolin, Ed, and Abigail have all showed up before in other games. Judging from her quick and... arguably pointless appearance in Ed's Story Mode, Menat has a fantastic Egyptian-themed design. The mummy queen alternate costume however? Yeeesh. You can check out her reveal trailer online, or you can just get her right away because she's already available since early this week.

Menat's arrival after Abigail, pretty much confirms the identity of the 6th and final DLC character: Guy's teacher, Zeku. His name was already leaked before by Event Hubs' Flowtron, and his report has been proven to be on point until now. So I guess all we need to wait is CAPCOM's official announcement, right? Seeing the release pattern (Ed on May 30th, Abigail on July 25th, Menat on August 29th), we can probably expect this last Season 2 character to arrive later this month, if not late October. So tell me, are you excited about Zeku?

[thesleepstudies]

Best flannel sheets – top 5 picks out of 42 – 2017 update

The top 5 picks you’re about to see our results of over 1,200 work-hours in the pursuit for the best flannel sheets for your money.

The initial pool of 42 sets was made about 18 month ago by our panel of three experts - all of them Material Technology Engineers.

But theory can only get you so far, so we then proceeded to analyze the statistics of each set. The goal here was to narrow down the search to 15 sets because that was within our budget to actually buy & test.

The ratings you’re about to see are a combination of the objective findings of the material experts, the subjective experience of our featured testers and ourselves and, just as importantly, statistical analysis of the user satisfaction. So without much ado, let’s get to the results.

Best flannel sheets - top 5 sets

[table id=50 /]

Pinzon Signature 190-Gram

There are flannel sheets out there that performed similar to this Pinzon set but they cost 500-600% more.

Yes, you read that right, the other flannel sheet sets that performed similarly in the quality categories cost 5-6 times more.

This Pinzon set is unparalleled in terms of the balance between durability, the soft finish and the quality of the napping (manufacturing process used to get that soft flannel finish).

Last but not least, it’s 100% cotton.

All quality ratings

Who will choose the Pinzon Signature?

The Pinzon will be the choice of the conservative buyers looking for a high-quality product that won’t to break the bank.

It might not be right for you if you’re looking for a thinner, stretchier flannel because it’s made of durable and heavy fabric with a velvet-like finish.

The quality aspects we looked at like pilling, release of lint, shape and softness retention over time were similar or superior to sets that much more.

Shavel Micro Flannel set

With the user satisfaction rating of 93, this Shavel is by far the highest-rated micro flannel set.

In rating this set, we had to tweak the formula a bit because the material is different.

Micro fleece is designed to be the sweet spot between the comfort of all-cotton flannel and the smooth finish of fleece. You can see all its quality ratings below.

Who will choose the Shavel?

If you laid down on these Shavel sheets and somebody asked you to guess the price, there’s no way you’d get it even remotely right.

The softness is unparalleled and, we dare to say, if you can find this set under $100 it’s a steal.

If you’re also the one who will be washing and caring for it, it’s worth mentioning that it’s far easier to maintain than any other set we looked at.

It’s because a well-made micro flannel does not shrink, peel or wrinkle and dries much faster.

The downside is that we’ve seen this set go out of stock in some colors and sizes, so finding the combo that’s just right for you might be tricky.

Malouf Deluxe Portuguese flannel sheets

This Malouf is one of the very few sets we considered in its price range, which is much higher than the two sets above.

The fabric comes from Portugal, which is known to produce the finest flannel in the world. That’s not just something we’re saying, it’s a consensus in the industry.

Compared to other sheets we looked at, the feel of the Malouf is somewhat different - the finish is finely brushed and feels like velvet.

What we initially expected to see with this kind of finish is substantial pilling and we were wrong about that. The surface is so finely brushed that we practically didn’t see any pilling at all.

Let’s look at the quality ratings.

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Who will choose the Malouf?

If price is not an issue and you prefer a thick, lofty material of the steel as soft as velvet, this Malouf might be right for you.

We don’t know how to plastic lid describe the difference in how it feels against the skin.

The closest we can get is saying that it feels like an extra thin velvet cover.

Discount or clearance of the week

Our tech guys should set up some tracking algorithms (that the rest of us don’t fully understand), so that we can hunt down the best deal on flannel sheets each week and report back here.

You can see the top deal of this week below:

Reference info on choosing the best flannel sheets

Before we set out to complete this guide, it was our goal to both make specific recommendations and provide general information on how to shop for flannel sheets.

To be honest, we didn’t expect this guide to turn into so much work because we thought what we know about the materials (mostly learned from our editor Bob, who was one of the Material Technology Engineers who made the initial picks) would be enough.

Little did we know about the intricacies of choosing right. We were especially surprised by all the industry lingo involved and the ways you could be misled, starting from thread count to the yarn.

So let us address that here, if some of the language we used in the analysis above was confusing, it will hopefully be clarified here.

Common misconceptions about flannel

It’s not a pattern

Let’s first debunk the most common myth…that flannel is a pattern. This myth probably stems from the fact that most shirts made of flannel will have a distinctive pattern.

So, to be clear, flannel is a fabric and can come in any solid or patterned color scheme.

Flannel is not just cotton

Today, most flannel sheets are cotton-based but if we’re going to be precise, the definition of flannel is not about the weave. The precise definition would be that flannel is a fabric made by twill or plain-weaving of yarn (typically, the yarn will be loosely spun).

The thread count

It turns out that are initially perception of judging the quality of a flannel sheet was relying too much on the simplified idea - the higher the thread count, the better the sheets.

It’s not as simple as that.

We’re not saying that count is not important; we’re just saying that it’s not as conclusive as we initially thought.

So, instead of being the messenger and trying to convey what we learned from our expert panels, we leave you in the competent hands of the material experts to explain the rest.

by Bob Ozment

How should you look at thread count?

Let’s put it like this - if everything else about a flannel sheet is the same (type of cotton, ply, weave) it’s safe to judge the quality based on the thread count.

Before we move on, let’s look at one of the common misconceptions that an average buyer might have.

Apart from the thread count, you’ll probably see the quality of the material described using terms like 80s, 100s, 200s etc. It’s common sense to think that these numbers describe the flannel in terms of threads per square inch.

In our research for this guide we found that eight out of 10 people thinks just that.

For example, a non-expert will jump to the conclusion that 100s simply means that there are 100 threads in 1 inch square and they would be wrong.

These numbers refer to the size of the yard used - for example 100s means that 1 pound of the flannel includes 100 hanks (one hank is approximately equal to 840 yards).

Let’s not complicate things any further - the takeaway should be that when you see a description like this with flannel sheets, just know that it doesn’t directly translate into a thread count.

It is still true that 200s flannel has a higher thread count than 100s and that’s probably all you need to know.

To summarize - we included the analysis above for the people who like to get into the nitty-gritty and truly understand what they’re paying for.

But if it boggles your brain to get into it, just know that we’ve covered all this in our analysis and the recommendations that we made above are based on it.

Ply is just as important as the thread count

Let’s try to keep the ply explanation simple.

Ply of flannel is used to describe the number of yarns in a single fabric thread.

Two-ply and three-ply flannel sheets

This one is important to understand because it’s easy to manipulate the terminology and mislead you, so let’s get it right.

Single-ply flannel sheets use fabrics with threads on their own.

Two-ply or double-ply means that two threads are twisted into a single piece.

Why is that important?

Because it ties into the thread count talk that we had above.

It’s simple math - thread count of 1000 could actually be 500 threads of two-ply or double-ply fabric. The same goes for three-ply. Let us explain what this means for the fabric

If this sounds complicated, it might be because of the fact that it is.

That’s why we’ll do our best to explain all the industry lingo by using examples - everything that we said about ply above comes down to how it all affects the durability/softness of the fabric.

An example

Let’s take the example of a 1000 thread flannel sheet.

If it’s single ply, it will be thinner and softer to the touch. It will also be more delicate to maintain and sensitive to machine-washing.

If it’s a double-ply, the same thread count will feel heavier, more rugged and durable. It will also be better at maintaining shape and less sensitive to machine washing.

Types of cotton used for flannel sheets

Another important factor - on the high-end, you’ll find Egyptian cotton that’s “famous” for being ultra absorbent and breathable.

Then you have your Pima that’s grown in some of the Southern States of the US (Texas, California, Arizona, Mississippi and Florida) and South America.

The question of Egyptian vs. Pima cotton is a sensitive one. You probably that I’m exaggerating here. That’s because you haven’t tried to bring it up on a cotton manufacturer’s convention.

Here’s my opinion

The debate will never and there will never be a decision made on “better cotton.”

To be completely honest, I don’t think that people in the industry are hoping for it either. I think it comes down to personal interests, or as I call it, “cotton politics.”

I coined the phrase after seeing brands flip-flopping from one site to the other depending on which cotton they use for their products.

The bottom line is - for you, as the buyer, it’s a non-issue.

Let me be blunt here

I believe that the fact that Egyptian cotton is still perceived as superior stems from the perception of Egyptian silk, which is a whole different story.

Egyptian silk is indeed superior and there is scientific data that allows one to make the claim. A while back, we completed the guide on best silk sheets, pillow cases and comforters which you can see here.

“Egyptian” simply sounds better, while Pima sounds more generic. To put that issue to rest, let’s take a second here to address the origin of the word Pima.

This type of cotton used to be called American-Egyptian and the name was changed to honor the Pima tribe of Indians who grew the cotton in Arizona, so there’s nothing generic about it.

It’s my opinion that you should pay more for Egyptian cotton just for the sake of the name - the focus should be on other quality aspect.

The differences are slight

Both Egyptian and Pima cotton used for flannel sheets belong to the group of the ELS cotton (Extra Long Staple), with the staples of the Egyptian type being slightly longer.

As I stressed above, the differences are small - so small in fact that you shouldn’t concern yourself with this.

Acala cotton

Acala (Gossypium hirsutum) is a variety of cotton with Mexican origins. The recorded history of this type of cotton dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Since then, Acala was introduced to some areas of the US (like the San Joaquin Valley in California) and parts of Israel.

It’s rare to see Acala used for sheets and you typically see it in apparel.

What does the staple length mean for the flannel sheets?

This one is simple - because a flannel sheet made of ELS cotton can fit more staples into a square inch.

This type of close weave makes for softer sheets.

Type of cotton weave used for the best flannel sheets

What you want to look for is closely woven percale.

You might see a twill weave, which is not really an option for flannel sheets because of the surface is lofty. This type of weave is typically used for covers and throws because of the “fluffy” result you get from it.

The second thing you want to look for is plain stitching (also known as jersey-knit) because it offers a bit of stretch to your sheets without making them feel flimsy.

Finally, you can opt for a satin (sateen) weave - this will look more luxurious because most of the threads are concentrated on the very surface.

The downside of satin weave is that it takes away a bit of that natural cotton feel and many people find that it resembles synthetics.

Normal and compact yarn

I feel that the difference between normal and compact yarns is something that deserves a mention, although it’s not commonly to see it in sheets.

The difference between the two is that compact yarn is superior and smoother than “normal”. This means that fabrics made of compact yarns will feel and look smoother than you would expect from the thread count.

You’ll rarely see compact yarn in flannel sheets, and if you do it will cost way more. If you ask me, the difference doesn’t justify the cost and you should stick with the basics.

Weft vs. Warp - no need to go down that rabbit hole

The two terms are used to describe which way the threads run. Warp threads are the vertical and Weft are horizontal.

This comes into play if different types of threads are used for Weft & Warp, which is not the case with the sets we looked at so there’s no need to go down that rabbit hole.

However, if you have questions about it, feel free to ask, either in the comment section at the end of this guide or by directly emailing us.

Don’t pay for brands or fall for industry lingo

The whole process of research for this guide included many brands that cost much more than the sets we ended up recommending.

We’ve been reviewing sleep-related products for over a decade now and we tweak the formula of our statistical model for each product type.

Most of the time it comes down to deciding on whether to include the value for money category or not.

When we started out the pursuit for the best flannel sheets, we didn’t expect to include the category of value for money in the guide.

We ended up doing so because the price gaps were too significant.

Our initial impression indicated that we might discover that these expensive sheets are be truly superior – enough so as to justify the difference in cost.

We didn’t feel like that’s the case.

The cost gap seems to come down to brands and perception, but we were looking for substance.

The value for money category eliminated many well-known brands

As we dug deeper and the pool of data grew, it became evident that we simply must adjust the ratings to reflect the prices.

That’s when we included the “value for money”, which knocked many well-known brands right out of the top 5.

The bottom line here is that the sets we listed as the best flannel sheets out there are also top value for your money.

Who are flannel sheets for?

The universal appeal of flannel is unparalleled. You’ll find people liking or disliking silk or microfiber sheets, but it’s going to be hard finding one who dislikes flannel.

Our explanation for this is two-fold

First of all, the way flannel feels against the skin is natural and the primary association is cotton (even when the sheets are poly-fiber). A person with a reason not to like flannel would also be the person that doesn’t like cotton. Take a moment here and try to remember someone in your life that fits the description.

Temperature range - some sheets are dedicated to warm/cold sleepers or winter and summer. Flannel doesn’t belong to either.

Because of its breathability it performs well in a wide range of temperatures. Just think about the advertising and labels you might’ve seen for flannel sheets- they range from cold cabins next to a fireplace to contemporary spaces with an open sea view that oozes heat.

There are still subtle differences that come down to the thickness, weight and weave.

Where are the best flannel sheets made?

Perhaps a better wording for this question would be where does the best flannel come from?

Before we offer our opinion on that, let’s make sure that we’re on the same page here.

We already talked about types of cotton used for flannel (like Egyptian or Pima) and that’s not what we talking about here.

We’re referring to the quality of the finished flannel fabric – whether it’s cotton or not.

In those terms, flannel coming from Portugal has a reputation of being superior.

Shape retention

One of the important quality aspects of flannel is how well it retains shape over time, especially when machine-washed.

Sub-par fabric tends to shrink, pill and lose shape & softness.

Flannel sheets superior in terms of maintenance

It’s common sense that the less you deviate from the instructions on the label, the longer your sheets will last.

When we say the “last” here, we’re referring to the retention of the feel and shape, because that’s why you get flannel sheets in the first place - for their lofty softness.

Most sets we looked at recommend either cold or warm cycles (if they do list machine washing as an option).

We are aware of the fact that not many people will hand wash their sheets and that’s why we included it as one of the factors will contributing to the fiber rating.

Finally, micro-flannel practically eliminates all those issues and I personally prefer it.

It’s one of the more common argument triggers in the Ozment home.

Drying

Practically any set out there will recommend a low tumble dry cycle.

If you invested in a more expensive and luxurious set of flannel sheets, we do recommend that you closely follow the drying instructions (in spite of the fact that we are aware that it can take a long time).

If you have the space, you can always air dry the sheets instead of using a higher heat setting on the machine.

Durability, longevity and the napping process

First let’s define what napping is - it refers to the process of finishing the fabric once it’s woven to make it softer and gentler to the skin.

Flannel can be napped either on both or one side.

Flannel versus flannelette

Highest-quality flannel will be the same on both sides (napped). Technically speaking, if only one side is napped, the more precise term for the fabric would be flannelette.

It’s all about the balance

High-end sheets will use smaller yarns. The smaller the yarn, the more sensitive it will be to the napping process.

On the other hand, it’s the napping that gives flannel that soft finish which means that finer flannel made of smaller yarn will have to be treated less aggressively not to damage it in the process.

That’s why most companies go with bigger yarn that can withstand the napping without any threads being pulled out.

The yarn thickness is not listed with the products we looked at, but it’s safe to assume that it’s not small because sheets with finer yarn cost much more.

Frequently asked questions

Available sizes of the best flannel sheets

Typically, flannel sheets are available in the following sizes: Twin, Twin XL (Xlong), full, full XL, Queen, King and California King.

The sets that we chose and the top five are not all available in the listed sizes, for example, our top choice is currently available only in Queen, King and California King.

Some of the sheets listed are also available in split king-size which is meant to be used for adjustable beds.

When it comes to sizing your focus should be on the depth of the pockets (if it’s a fitted sheet) rather than the dimensions because the listed products are true to size.

The bottom line here is to make sure to get deep-pocketed sheets that will be a good fit for the thickness of your mattress.

Colors

In the table at the beginning of the guide, we listed the number of colors available for each set, but most of them don’t come close in that category to the Shavel micro-flannel.

We have received dozens of questions about specific colors. People most commonly asked about the following colors of flannel sheets: white, red, black, blue (usually it’s aqua), purple, pink, camo and gray.

Most of our top picks are not available in all those colors and it’s only the Shavel that can meet your specific needs if you’re looking for particular color or pattern like camo.

If you’re choosing an “aggressive” color like red, purple, black or pink make sure that you wash the sheets for a few times on their own because these callers tend to bleed. That’s why most of the brands to choose to go with colorfast tones like whites in the grays.

It’s fun getting very specific questions and we keep the evidence of those. They can get very specific like, “what would you recommend for the winter”, to, “where do I get a 6 or 8 oz Portuguese flannel sheets?”

This type of questions is still in the realm of reasonable and we can often help, but it’s beyond our capabilities to recommend ultra specific products, like sheets with a moose or an owl print or Star-wars themed.

For sharing this for two reasons – to apologize to the people that we can’t help and to bring some fun into the guide.

Finally, it’s a preemptive way to tell our readers that we can’t really help with moose or owl-themed flannel sheets.

Where to buy the sheets?

Buying “cheap” flannel sheets, getting them online is a great option because you can read the user reviews see what other people have to say about the product you’re looking at.

On the other hand, if you’re investing that in the highest quality set with the price to match, it’s probably a good idea by in person so that you can feel how soft it feels, how heavy it is or whatever specific quality you’re looking for.

As we update this guide, we also fall and sales or clearances of flannel sheets and report back here so that you can get them on the cheap.

In the research for this guide, we looked at the ranges of products that stores, brands and chains carry, so let’s list a few of them but often have sales and clearances on flannel sheets: Walmart, Kohl’s, LL Bean, JCPenney, Sears, Bed Bath and Beyond, Costco, Macy’s, Kmart, Garnet Hill (German), Eddie Bauer, Company Store, QVC.

Best flannel sheet brands

Since we have the data collected for the statistical analysis, we don’t it might be a good idea to start the top brands of flannel sheets. You might see some overlap here because some of the stores also have their own products.

The list is based on the brand popularity with the consumers but in no particular order:

Martha Stewart, Cuddl Duds, Eddie Bauer, Kohl’s, Sunbeam, Pinzon, Garnet Hill (German flannel sheets), Tribeca Living, Orvis, Pottery Barn, Pendleton, Supima, Divatex, Cuddletown, Peacock Alley, Home Classic, Laura Ashley, Woolrich, Coyuchi, Tommy Hilfiger, Lodge, Cardinal…

Final thoughts and future updates

This guide is updated on either quarterly or 6-month basis to make sure that the information we present is fresh and relevant at all times.

Each update grows the pool data, making the ratings more reliable.

If we notice a significant drop in user satisfaction with a particular product, we might do an unscheduled update for that specific product to determine what might be going on – whether it’s a statistical fluke or a real issue like change manufacturing practices.

If you have your own experience to share or questions to ask, feel free to do so in the comment section below or through our contact page.

We respond to all correspondence within 24 hours.

The following post Best flannel sheets – top 5 picks out of 42 – 2017 update was first seen on thesleepstudies