#loved the family showing how Eddie is just gay for Venom

[zerohirrotries]

Warning: spoilers below for Venom the Last Dance!!

The movie was good. I had a blast watching the gay romance movie about the two dorks. Loved all the jokes about Eddie being a good dad and them staring at newly bride and groom in the city. They pretty much made it canon that they want to spend the rest of their lives together. Venom says he wants to when they are traveling with the family!!

I know they both died at one point, but in the first movie that happened as well. Also happy with the ending, glad to see the open ending being happy with both still alive!!

Also fair warning to all: WAIT TILL THE ENTIRE CREDITS IS DONE!! My theater tried to kick me out as the logos played and the lights were back on. But they hide another end credit sequence after the logos after the credits. This is a VERY IMPORTANT info about how Venom is still alive (really, not denial!! He is in fact still out there!!)

Now they better have venom as his cockroach form travel from area 51 to New York. I need to see Venom's reunion with Eddie!!

[herefortheships]

My thoughts on Venom 3.

It's been a long time coming! I'm pausing my Beetlejuicy blogging tonight to talk a little bit about Venom. If you didn't know, back when Venom 2 was released, and a little bit before then, I was absolutely obsessed with Venom. More specifically, I was totally obsessed with Symbrock. (Although my love for the character of Venom has been with me since I was around 13 or 14 years old, back in the early 2000s.) So for a while, I think between 2021 and 2022, this blog was almost entirely dedicated to Symbrock (and Destiel, that one is always here). That's the reason why my blog title was originally "My Fandom and Random Blog": I hyper-fixate on whatever piece of media blows my mind. And for a good chunk of time, that was Symbrock, so I'm writing this little intro to this post because my blog is currently, predominantly, a Beetlejuice (Beetlebabes) blog. And it will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

But tonight, we go back to my previous hyper-fixation.

I have a lot of feelings about Venom 3. This post will focus on the Eddie x Venom relationship, as that's what I am most invested in. Warning: There are spoilers here.

My fresh-out-of-the-movie feeling is that I loved it, but a few things made me go "hmm..." Starting with the marketing for this movie.

I would not have expected much in the Veddie shipping department if it wasn't for the marketing. It's a superhero action movie and I know what kind of world we currently live in (plus this world isn't reading for a monsterfucker leading character like our beloved monsterfucker king Eddie Brock lol). But I noticed that a good effort was put into highlighting their relationship, not just as a friendship, but as a romance, in the marketing for this movie. There were TikTok edits and Instagram posts showing them as a romance, and the phrase "We ship Eddie and Venom" was also used (here's the Instagram post, if you don't believe me lol). What I'm getting at is that the ship was used to hype the movie. So, what was I supposed to expect? Look, there was a lot of lovely subtext between Eddie and Venom, which I loved, but it wasn't any more obvious than what we got in LTBC (in fact, maybe it was even less evident? I'll get to that in a second). So it doesn't really justify all this effort to hype up their relationship.

So, when they amped up the shipping as they marketed a movie with the slogan "'Til death do they part" (which I should mention had scenes in Vegas, notorious place for odd weddings, hello), a lot of fans (myself included) thought that something was going to happen in Vegas, if you know what I mean. Or that at least the subtext would be even more obvious. Some fans even expected another Veddie kiss scene (my expectations were more reserved, but after all that marketing I would not have been surprised to see a kiss, tbh).

I never expected to get anything overt in Venom with Symbrock, but this being the final film in the trilogy, the previous movie ending with the two of them on the run, the release of that deleted scene in which Venom is teasing Eddie about Eddie being in love with him, plus all this gay marketing? I started to expect we'd get something a little more evident, and only that is what made me feel disappointed we didn't get more. I'm sure I'd be more excited and happy with all the subtext we got in this one if it wasn't for the expectations created by the marketing, ngl.

I did cry in the scene where they were with the hippie family and Venom was talking to Eddie at night about how they'd been happier with a different kind of life. But I think I only cried because I had been spoiled about the ending. Knowing they would be separated in the end, that Venom would die, made that scene a lot more emotional and tragic, because Eddie and Venom will not have a chance at that happy and peaceful life.

And now that I brought up Venom's death, I have to say this: I really wish we could have had a couple more minutes with Eddie on that bed reflecting about his loss at the end. In the comics, whenever they are separated, usually Eddie is losing his mind, either desperate to reconnect with the symbiote, almost like an addict who's been cut off cold from his addiction (like in my favorite "The Hunger", 1996), or out of his mind in grief, feeling the symbiote still there like a phantom limb (...pretty sure this was in Donny Cates' 2018 run, but correct me if I'm wrong). What I'm getting at is that separating from the symbiote has never been easy on Eddie Brock. But, due to the constraints of movie play time I guess, he got over it seemingly very easily. Also, just an observation, the trailer featured a different take for that scene, in which Eddie says "but I need him", instead of "but I need him back". Both takes were very emotional and Tom's acting was superb, but the scene is too short. I feel like we needed a couple more minutes of mourning. Or if not minutes, then a couple of seconds of Eddie sobbing on that bed, or, I don't know, trying to get up and finding his way back to where he last saw Venom... Something more dramatic like that, is what I mean.

Eddie appeared to be more fond of Venom by the end of LTBC. Especially with comments he made earlier in this film about Venom stealing his life and being (understandably) cranky, I would have expected more grief and even regret from Eddie after losing Venom presumably forever.

About the after credit scene... I'm not sure what I'm supposed to make of it. I mean the cockroach one. One could think one of the symbiotes survived and took over the roach (hopefully Venom), but there was no indication of it; one could only assume the cockroach has a symbiote because, why even show it? Right? Now, about the Knull ending scene, was he breaking the 4th wall and telling us, the audience, that he would make us watch? Or did he say that to someone else? If there was another Venom movie or appearance after this, then I could come to the conclusion that Venom was successfully captured and taken to Klyntar, but being separated from Eddie he cannot operate as the codex anymore. <- That last bit is my own interpretation, though, and should be taken with a grain of salt.

I'm going to leave this post here. I'll write more if I feel like I have more to say (which, maybe I do, because I always do lol), but this is it for now. It was a good movie and I did like it. I do have my criticisms, but overall, they did a pretty good job and I will miss this Eddie and Venom symbiote very much. I hope we can see them again.

One note I want to leave this post with is that I'm pretty sure both Eddie Brock and the symbiote have died more than once in the comics (the most recent Eddie death was this year, btw. I'm not buying that it's permanent because in the comicverse characters die and come back all the time), but one thing will always be consistent with these two, and that is, they will always find a way back to each other. Always 🖤. So don't be sad; Venom is only gone for now.

[chunkypossum]

CHUNKY! Hi.

Something silly for today: a game of “who's who?” but for Eris and Azriel.

Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist.

Wolverine and Deadpool.

Sam and Frodo.

Frog and Toad.

Chuck Noland and Wilson.

Eddie Brock and Venom.

Paul Atreides and Feyd Rautha. (Despite having read the book, I was really hoping for a surprise kiss during their duel in Dune II)

Hopefully you’ve seen these movies, I tried to keep it mainstream. Speaking of, what are two of your favorite movies?

-🎅❤️

ok I HAVE THOUGHTS. but I will admit I did have to look one of these up. Not telling you which one though. Although it's probably obvious from my answers.

Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist.

Ennis has an Eris soul to me. In the end, it's clear he loved Jack. He just could never be as open about his feelings which to me feels like how I think Eris would have to be, falling in love under his father's rule. Where Azriel, though his family hates Eris, lives in a place that allows the free use of emotions (even if he doesn't take full advantage lol)

Wolverine and Deadpool.

Deadpool's sass? Theys, gays, and ladies, I give you, Eris Vanserra. Azriel just has grumpy old man syndrome. Him and wolverine could be twins

Sam and Frodo.

Azriel is loyal to a fault so I gotta place him as Sam. Eris' grit and determination could match either Sam or Frodo but I think his willingness to take it all on, regardless of the consequences to himself is how I like to see Eris. Plus the idea of hearing Eris say "My Azriel." Is giving me heart palpitations.

Frog and Toad.

Something about Eris' wit just translates easier into Frog's cheerfulness. Azriel's grumpy old man allegations are back to haunt him as Toad. lol.

Chuck Noland and Wilson.

Wilson, the strong silent type that can easily fly through the air? I think we know that's Azriel all over. I now think I need to see our resourceful Autumn heir slowly going insane on an island.

Eddie Brock and Venom.

Symbiote to shadow daddy tansition is TOO EASY. SO.... Venom's confident, wild and beautiful abiltiy to destroy Eddie mentally (and in other ways hehe) makes ERIS our Venom. (Az I love you I swear but you're just so quiet and cautious. It's giving Eddie babes.)

Paul Atreides and Feyd Rautha. (Despite having read the book, I was really hoping for a surprise kiss during their duel in Dune II)

Idk something about Paul and his empire is giving Night Court. (ok I lied I'll tell you. I have not read or seen dune lol)

My two favorite movies are LOTR 1, 2, and 3 .. extended editions ... lol. I'm not really a movie person. For some reason I can sit and watch 30 hours of a tv show but find it difficult to sit for a 3 hour movie.

[bringbackmaes14]

I think about my best friend of 9 years and how they don't leave their house for medical reasons and how excited they are when I come to visit them every summer because I'm the only non-family member they have who does that.

I think about one of my friends from my second high school, and how they weren't allowed to watch TV/movies as a kid, and how there's so many pieces of media I still want to show to them.

I think about my dog Chunk, and how he gets so excited to see me every time I come home, whether I was away on a week-long trip or he literally just stood at the window and watched me walk to the mailbox and come right back.

I think about how I cause my mom near daily mental breakdowns because I have so many mental and physical disabilities that she has to help me with, but she loves me so much that she helps me with all of them and she tells me how thankful and proud she is of me that I decide to get out of bed every day.

I think about that gen ed writing professor I had in my freshman year of college who told me she desperately wanted me to come visit her again in my junior year so she could fix me up with a writing internship (I'm only in my sophomore year rn).

I think about my gen ed history professor who I love so much, and his wife who's gonna be my mentor in graduate school, and how he told me that the two of them would figure out a way to be up on the stage when I graduate so they can hand me adoption papers alongside my diploma, and I wanna see if he'll actually do it.

I think about every bad thing my dad told me was true about myself, and I tell myself that my life goal is proving him wrong. That everything is not my fault and I am not a bad person or a mistake. That I have a purpose.

I think about how my older sister just found out she's pregnant, and I really don't like kids, and I'm terrified of ever being put in a situation where I have to take care of a little one, but I literally cannot wait to meet this little human being. I want to be a good uncle.

I think about all my WIP fics and how I definitely want to finish them and share them with my friends.

I think about how funny it's gonna be to be in my late sixties and embarrassing my nieces and nephews cracking jokes on April 20th, 2069.

I think about how I've always wanted to learn how to play the Ouran High School Host Club theme song Sakura Kiss on the piano.

I think about how, even though I don't even have a crush right now, someday I want to get married, and instead of throwing an actual wedding, I want to throw a costume party and surprise my friends and family and have a good time.

I think about how if time stops right now, I won't get to see Eddie and Venom be gay married some more in Venom: The Last Dance. I won't get to see Rockstar Lestat. I won't get to see King Laios. I won't get to see the inevitable amazing ship art of Doc Ock and Kaecilius once the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man animated series comes out and Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy will have officially brought the Hannibal Extended Universe to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I think there's a difference between things you can't do because they take strength you don't have, and things you can't do because they take time, and when things get really hard, I try to focus on the latter. I focus on things I'm looking forward to that maybe I can't have right now but I can be excited about them, and then I can love them when they arrive, like the venom movie or my sister's baby or that summer trip to see my best friend each year.

I'm very sorry to ask something like this, I've really been struggling with this question, and I wanted to ask the combined wisdom of the people on this site

I would like to know why you keep going, and what drives you to keep living. I know there are a lot of reasons to stay alive and enjoy life, I can think of a few that personally resonate with me, but I really want to know what your reasons are

You do not have to comment on this if that's too big of an ask, and I'm very sorry for asking something like this, I really need someone's help, I feel like I don't have much purpose

Also if I may ask, please don't post any suicidal ideation in the comments of this post, I really can't handle something like that right now

[dat-carovieh]

OK so I finally watched it in the movies.

Beware Venom: let there be carnage spoilers ahead.

First of all I don't think I ever left the theater with such a big smile, it was amazing. I watched it before in English and in bad quality so seeing it on the big screen was AMAZING. The German dub was pretty good, in my attention, Eddie's and Venom's voices where fitting and most stuff sounded well translated.

Watching it the second time I did notice more stuff about their relationship and mainly how Eddie is the most problematic part of their relationship and needs to grow the most. He blamed Venom for shit that happened before they even met, like the breakup with Anne and losing his job which happene8d MONTHS before. So that was a pretty shitty move.

Sure Venom is certainly not the perfect partner, but they are on an alien planet the only one of their species, can't really I teract with anyone but Eddie. They are literally so isolated. So yeah they totally have more reason to lash out.

But I do think, Eddie grew over the movie. And he clearly was concerned for Venom he just didn't show it in the way he should have. In the end, he wanted to stay with Venom, despite knowing that it would probably get him into more trouble.

It was really funny to me that in talking to Cletus, Eddie used the formal you and Cletus used the informal you. I don't know why they decided to do this. But I assume it has something to do with respect.

And for the beach scene: I was really concerned about the translation of the confession because I thought they would maybe translate it into the platonic "I love you..." but the didn't. Venom said: "Wenn man jemanden liebt..." which you would probably say to a partner, to your children or other family members and maybe, MAYBE very close friends. But usually it would have a romatinc connotation.

Eddie replied "Hast Du gerade gesagt, dass Du mich liebst?" which can hardly be argued as not romantic.

In conclusion: it was the tentacle porn fest I was hoping for and the gays keep winning.

Since I have a Flatrate for the movie theater I will try to watch it as often as I can for as long as it's being screened and I will also try to grab one or two English screenings but there are usually not a lot of them.

[polyamorouspunk]

1-100

1. Favorite TV show from the 80s?

N/A

2. Favorite TV show from the early 2000s?

Criminal Minds

3. Favorite TV show from the 2010s +?

Prodigal Son

4. Favorite female TV show character?

Angela Montenegro

5. Favorite male TV show character?

Malcolm Bright

6. Favorite TV show of all time?

Bones

7. If you could watch one TV show for the rest of your life what would it be?

Bones

8. Favorite TV show soundtrack?

Supernatural

9. Favorite guest-star appearance on a TV show?

RL Stein on Halloween Baking Championship OR Steven Amell on WWE

10. Least favorite character on favorite TV show?

Agent Perata

11. Favorite character on your favorite TV show?

Hodgins

12. Best cliff-hanger

Prodigal Son because it never gets resolved 😂

13. Saddest death scene?

They didn’t show it but in Bones they put down a dog she wanted to adopt

14. What TV show would you like to be a regular on?

Bones or Criminal Minds

15. What TV show would you like to guest star on?

Masked Singer

16. A show you hate to love?

Masked Singer

17. A show you love to hate?

Keeping up with the Kardashians

18. Name an episode from a show you will always remember

Hero in the Hold- Bones

19. Name an episode from a show you wish didn’t happen

The Lady of the Lake- Merlin

20. Spin-offs: yes or no?

Used to be VERY into spin-offs, mainly The Flash spin-off of Arrow, but now it just feels like a cash-grab.

21. A show you started watching but then stopped? What was the reason?

I started watching The Walking Dead right before season 10 came out but I stopped because I needed a break from all the dark vibes and switched to like a baking show or something. I meant to go back to it after that break but I didn’t, so at this point I would probably just rewatch the 8 seasons I did watch.

22. Name a show that means something to you and why

Queer Eye for obviously highlighting 4 wonderful gay men and one queen, and also because I’ve used their advice in my day-to-day life to help me feel better about myself and in my body and with my gender.

23. A show that you fine relatable to your life

Maybe Glow Up because I relate to wanting to create content and wanting to post it online and wanting to get attention for it like how a lot of them post their makeup on Instagram/TikTok

24. A show that makes you cringe

Any family show like John and Kate + 8

25. Favorite TV villain?

Martin Whitley

26. A show you will continue to rewatch over and over again?

Bones.

27. Name a show that had the worst series finale, in your opinion

Can’t think of one right now

28. Favorite 80s movie?

Lost Boys

29. Favorite 90s movie?

Silence of the Lambs

30. Favorite early 2000s movie?

Treasure Planet

31. Favorite 2010s + movie?

Venom

32. Favorite movie villain?

Magneto from the new X-men series

33. Favorite male movie character?

Eddie Brock

34. Favorite female movie character?

Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas

35. Favorite movie of all time?

Stand By Me

36. Favorite director?

Peter Jackson

37. Favorite series/saga/trilogy/etc.

X-men (both old and new)

38. Favorite universe?

Do slashers all count in the same universe?

39. Favorite comic-book movie?

Venom

40. Favorite Disney Movie?

Treasure Planet/Brother Bear

41. Favorite Pixar movie?

Brave

42. Favorite animated movie?

Anastasia/Robin Hood

43. Best voice-casting?

Casting YouTubers for things

44. A movie you can watch over and over again without getting tired?

Stand By Me

45. A movie that made you cry uncontrollably

I can’t think of any but Lord Of The Rings makes me cry usually. I’m sure there’s a war movie that’s made me cry a lot though.

46. A movie that had you laughing thoroughout

Deadpool

47. A movie or trailer that made you think “I HAVE to see that”?

Guardians of the Galaxy

48. Rom-coms or dramas?

Dramas

49. Thrillers or comedies?

Thrillers

50. Horror or psychological?

Both.

51. Favorite book-turned-movie

Back in the day I think I would have happily said Harry Potter.

52. Favorite Actor?

Tom Hardy

53. Favorite Actress?

Bex Taylor-Klaus

54. In your opinion, a well-deserved Oscar win?

Dunkirk

55. Favorite Oscar speech?

56. Most memorable movie ending?

Rouge One

57. A movie death that shocked you?

Also Rouge One

58. A movie you thought was going to be good, but wasn’t?

Don’t shoot me. But Spirited Away.

59. Biggest Oscar upset?

I literally don’t give a shit about the Oscars

60. A movie you hated but everyone else loved?

I guess Spirited Away

61. Do you cry during movies?

Not if I can help it

62. Do you prefer classic movies or newer movies?

I really think it’s a case by case basis.

63. Best character casting?

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

64. Think of a movie you really love, how many times have you seen it?

I’ve seen Stand By Me over 10 times for sure.

65. Do you like to rewatch movies?

Yes.

66. Have you ever been to a midnight screening?

Yes, Deadpool

67. Ever attended a movie premier?

No

68. An actor you love that nails it in both television and film?

Tom Hardy

69. Actress you love that nails it in both television and film?

I don’t know if I’ve seen any of Bex’s movies tbh but I know they are in at least one horror film on Netflix

70. Why is your favorite movie your favorite movie?

Honestly I couldn’t tell you other than it has Corey Feldman in it.

71. Movies based on real life/facts or made-up stories?

Going to say movies based on real life, specially war movies.

72. Favorite movie genera?

Viral outbreak movies

73. A movie that made you feel proud?

Venom?

74. A movie that scared you/made you paranoid

Monster’s Inc.

75. Indoor movie theater or outside drive in?

Indoor movie theater because I’m near-sighted and it’s a lot easier for me to see the screen

76. Are you a snacker/drinker during movies?

Yes, only because my mom offers to buy me candy for movies and I’m not going to turn down free candy. If I’m going by myself no.

77. Where in a theater do you prefer to sit?

Middle.

78. If you could have a role in any movie ever made, what role would it be?

I think playing Jean Grey in the new movies would be fun

79. An underrated movie

October Sky

80. Overrated movie

Avengers Endgame

81. Movie you felt attached to after watching it

Probably Venom again

82. A movie that was relatable to you and your life

I don’t really watch relatable movies?

83. Name a movie that made you go “wow” after it

Venom

84. Action-packed or lots of dialogue

Action-packed to a certain degree

85. Fantasy movies or normal life movies?

Possible in extreme scenarios movies

86. Have you ever walked out of a movie theater mid movie?

No

87. Worst movie experience?

So my library used to hold movie nights and every movies she picked for us was on par, it was mostly Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, things like that. But one night she put on some movie and it was SO BAD we came and got her and begged her to turn it off. It got sexual REAL quick and we were middle/high schoolers and HIGHLY uncomfortable.

88. Have you ever spoiled a movie for someone by accident?

I left a discord server because mods told me I had to spoiler talking about Avengers Infinity War 2 years after it came out. 2 years. Because some people hadn’t watched it and didn’t want spoilers. If you haven’t seen it 2 years later that’s on you. Deal.

89. Ever spoiled a movie for someone on purpose?

Probably but not one they were going to see

90. A movie that made you feel all the feels?

Maybe the original Avengers when it came out.

91. Pick a movie, any movie. Now tell your favorite scene.

X-Files movie Mulder/Scully kiss

92. Perfect movie length?

1 hour and 45 minutes

93. Do you get bored easily during movies?

Yes.

94. Worst acting you’ve ever seen in a movie?

Jupiter Ascending, but to be fair the whole movie was bad the acting was just part of poor writing partially I think

95. Can you think of a movie where one scene ruined the whole thing?

It doesn’t ruin the movie but because I’m somewhat sex-repulsed I’m not a huge fan of the sex scenes in American Psycho and I would watch it more if not for that.

96. Are you a “Tommy-texter” during movies or a “shhhing Susan”?

What the fuck does this even mean. If I’m at home with my mom sure I’ll text and so will she but if I’m at the movies I won’t but I’m also not going to shush people I have anxiety. If I’m watching movies with friends we’ll talk during it.

97. Think of a positive movie experience you will never forget

Watching movies with my friends at the library

98. A movie or performance you thought deserved an Oscar?

Tom Hardy in Venom.

99. Best movie soundtrack?

Stand By Me

100. A block-buster movie that deserved all the hype and more?

The original Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Venom, and Deadpool

[emoryinaboat]

!! !! !!

TYSM Does this mean introduce 3 ocs??? Idk it does now, just for u bestie <33

(Also important info, all my OCs are magic like it started as a Harry Potter thing but then we obviously transferred them to our own thing and here we are, gay idiots at magic schools)

Cassidy💫

(Bby ur my -inhale- aNGELLL)

Name: Cassidy

Age: 17

Pronouns: She/her (cis)

Sexuality: Omnisexual

General description: The sunshine in the biggest sunshine x stormcloud relationship we have

TRIVIA:

- She has spastic diaplegic cerebral palsy, she can walk independently but not for long so she uses crutches most of the time, wheelchair on low energy days

- All her mobility aids are covered in sanrio stickers or is otherwize bedazzled somehow

- She actually always has beads in her braids, picrew is just a bitch and never has her hairstyle :')

- Has an angsty autistic Kaz Brekker core boyfriend named Booker (my S/O made him) and they are disgustingly in love it's very cute

- She's really good at making origami and she's constantly making little lotuses and dinosaurs for Booker and little frog hoppers for his little sister Bessie

- Talks to her stuffies, she has s o many of them.

- Has been keeping diaries since she was 6, never doesn't have it on her. She's painted a bunch of little white rabbits on the cover because they're her lucky animal

- When she was 9-12 she put those bicycle beads that go click-click-click when you turn the wheel on her chair

- Adores puzzles, riddles and brain teasers. Her rubix cube record is 31 seconds, she's very proud of it

- Idk man she's just really pretty in an aesthetic way, like she always has cute patterns painted on her nails, she has hearts in her edges and eyeliner, she wears cute pajamas to bed, she's just very cute-

- Feels love pains in her arms, needs to squish something

- Love languages are physical touch, gift giving and quality time

Milan⚡

(Bastard./affectionate)

Name: Milan

Age: 18

Pronouns: He/him (cis)

Sexuality: Bisexual

General description: Leading man but he's a little fucked up actually/lh

TRIVIA

- Lead singer and frontman of a famous pop-punk-kindof boyband, at first me and wifey dearest(/lh) couldn't think of a name for the band so we started just calling them Guys Being Dudes but that's what they're called now.

- Is dating his other bandmates, Ruben (mine), AJ and Zach (both my S/O's). Won't shut tf up about them in interviews

- Early diagnosed with bipolar disorder after very nearly decimating their careers.

- Had a really traumatic fanmail incident when they were really starting to break it big. Has some issues with their fans now but he's working on that-

- Has a therapy rat named Eddie (after Venom, not Stranger Things). The band also has one of those crusty white woman dogs/lh named MJ

- He will tell you his favourite movie is Back to the Future. This is a lie, his favourite is How to Train Your Dragon

- Best friends with an Olympic gymnast named Evangeline, she's had to hear his pining for his bandmates for years now

- Was really emo when the band was just starting out. Like bottle blond smeared eyeshadow Set It Off Band-T over striped shirt emo

- He gave Ruben his first haircut and thus saved Ruben from the "Awful First Trans Haircut" narrative because he's been cutting his own hair since he was 11

- Kind of emotionally distant Catholic family. Didn't outright say they don't like his lifestyle but by god they made it known. He only sees them around holidays and he only attends church loosely or for special occasions

- Really loves interacting with fan content, his twitter is a constant spam of fanart and fanfic, he follows back content creators, he reads and hypes up fanfic, all the time

- When he's scared (like harmless horror movie viewing kind) he doesn't scream or jump or anything, he just tenses up and starts crying-

- Colours his nails in with sharpie

Caio 🏁

(I promise you he is not as threatening as the picrew shows he's just got a ~persona~)

Name: Caio

Age: 18

Pronouns: He/him (Cis)

Sexuality: Bisexual with a bigg male preference

General description: We're genius for this ship trope.

TRIVIA

- Drag racer, his cars are his fucking babies

- Yes that's cars plural, his adoptive parents are RICH rich and are away for work a lot so they give him and his sister Genesis more allowance than they know what to do with. So what's an ND adrenaline-seeking teenage boy gonna do? Drag racing of course.

- Autism and ADHD and enough people-pleasing trauma to power a small nation. Most of his past relationships were his partners not communicating their relationship expectations and him wanting more than casual hookups and kinda being used :/ and now he doesn't really know how to value his own needs he's working on it-

- But he has a boyfriend now and they are also disgustingly in love and they're gonna make it everyones problem. His name is Keanu (S/O's) and he's a drag queen and I told you we were geniuses for that

- HoH and always forgets to wear his hearing aids, he mostly relies on lip reading. He has a walkie-talkie-radio-thing in his car that flashes when Genesis needs to contact him mid-race (cos like. Cops)

- When he has meltdowns it creates these magic power surges, he's been known to blow out lightbulbs. Once broke down so hard that he cut off the whole house's power

- He used to be on the cheer team and he can still do the flips and stuff, still super flexible

- Has like. No actual friends-

- He acts big at races and stuff but he is just the embodiment of the autism creature. He is just an excitable affection puppy who intensely autism stares when he's hyped

- Is an awful gossip, he needs to know everything about everyone at all times

- He makes rly good coffee-

- Him and Genesis are both fluent in ASL but his parents never bothered to learn. Genesis goes nonverbal sometimes though so Caio acts as translator when that happens

- Love languages are quality time, physical touch, verbal affection and late night drives

[none-gender-left-man]

Let's talk LGBTQ+ erasure in the Marvel Fandom

Mischaracterization in fandom is a big problem, and it's something we see from every fanbase. A character gets boiled down into a few condensed traits and their nuance is washed out and forgotten. Fanonization isn't always inherently bad, and can lead to fandom solidarity and representation through headcanon, and this can sometimes eventually have influence on canon, which can be seen in the Homestuck fandom, where eventually slash pairings that received enough attention became endgame romantic pairings (Dave and Karkat, Rose and Kanaya, etc.). Of course I'm not here to discuss Homestuck today, I'm here to discuss the Marvel fandom and its toxic dudebro fans, as well as related topics that intersect with this issue. 

There's a common mischaracterization problem in the Marvel fandom, particularly in relation to queer relationships and characters. 

First example is Deadpool. Wade Wilson is described by his canon writers and creators to be omnisexual or pansexual, or of an otherwise fluctuating and open sexuality. The Deadpool video game wildly mischaracterized Wade and even made him behave in some homophobic ways, acting grossed out by men and homoerotic implications. This was jarring for me as someone who has read his comics and knows for a fact that Wade has multiple emphasized crushes on or at least attraction to other male characters, such as Spider-Man, Thor, Cable, and others. The game was very popular despite this mischaracterization and created a condensed fanonized Deadpool that is made into nothing more than an ultraviolent oversexualized joke, despite his character being the epitome of coping humor and having a very tender and compassionate side to him. It's known in the comics that Wade uses his humor to cope with his severe trauma, this doesn't mean he is just comic relief. This has gotten consistently worse since the Deadpool films. (I'm looking at you, shitty Wal-Mart DP t shirt that shows Wade holding a sign that says "oh I'm sorry did I offend you?" Which is really OOC imho)

Many of the more hypermasculine fans of Deadpool seem to have this false image of him being the epitome of "offensive humor" when in reality his trademark is Metahumor, not going out of his way to be a dick to people. These fans also often either ignore or aren't aware of Deadpool not being straight, portraying him as thirsting after buxom ladies but forgetting his openly admitted male attracted orientation which is just as obvious if you're not actively ignoring it. This is a grave mistake that takes so much from his character, especially in the case of the Deadpool/Spider-Man team up comics. 

In that span of issues Wade went through an entire moral transformation, molding himself and his moral compass to earn the respect of Spider-Man, while unable to go more than a few pages without flirting with him. The things Wade goes through in order to Do the Right Thing by Spider-Man in any other story would be considered romantic. If a man did this much for a woman in a narrative of course no one would question the romantic subtext, but because it's two men, half of the fanbase has a kneejerk reaction to this concept and swear that Deadpool flirting is a joke. (Or that it's just "Bromance")

Yes, because apparently a man being attracted to a man has to be a joke. /Sarc

Wade and Peter are even canonically shown to be "heartmates" and this still isn't enough for the erasure to end, and ultimately I think this is because the fans guilty of this either didn't read the Deadpool comics and only know the movie or game, or they chose to read the comics through a straight washed lense, assuming all "gayness" is a joke.

It's made prominently clear in Deadpool/Spider-Man that Wade is probably in love with Spidey based on his actions, and truly every single interaction with him leaves more evidence to support this idea, especially when you look at his relationship with Shiklah and how not-good it was in comparison to his much healthier dynamic with Peter. Even with the knowledge of the ridiculous Peter Parker Policy (that states Peter Parker must always be portrayed as a straight white man in canon despite him being the embodiment of the underdog), one cannot deny Wade is attracted to Peter canonically. The only thing in the way of them being a pair is that they're both men and Marvel is too cowardly to make one of their most famous and family oriented characters queer, and that fans who aren't queer actively ignore the obvious subtext and narrative value of the Wade/Peter dynamic in the comics. Marvel has doubled down on this with the MCU by making Peter Parker WAYYYYY younger than Wade than he actually is in the comics (don't ship MCU spideypool folks, that's gross. Comics only. MCU Spider-Man is far too young even at 18), making it now impossible for us to see this dynamic on screen, because they're only capable of giving queer representation when it comes with an R rating, apparently (and they really didn't do that w Deadpool either tbh they stated that he's pansexual in some trailers but never showed much queerness in the films at all, even with Ryan Reynolds wanting to focus on Wade having a boyfriend at some point, it hasn't come to fruition bc Marvel is too scared to lose their rabid straight fans).

The same erasure can be seen in Venom, in relation to Eddie Brock and his undeniably queer relationship with the genderless, masculine presenting alien living in his body. 

Eddie and Venom are portrayed and referred to as if they're married, Venom himself states that their bond is equivalent to a marriage, and Eddie calls Venom "love". Yet again, this is ignored by edgier straight fans who refuse to see the blatant truth about the characters. 

Venom drops everything to be with Eddie, his purpose in life itself. He chooses Eddie over his biological purpose and has repeatedly been shown to do ANYTHING to stay with him, never wanting to be apart from Eddie. 

After the release of Venom 2018 this relationship is receiving spotlight again, but not without pushback. Many fans seem to have the impression that this relationship is fan generated and accuse shippers of "hamfisting gay shit into everything" when in reality they're the ones hamfisting straightness where there is none, and erasing the canon in order to fit their personal interpretation, the very thing they accuse queer fans of doing. The same thing happens with Spideypool, with Stucky, with Symbrock, with Loki and Venom's nonbinary genders, with every LGBTQ+ hero or character in Marvel this can be seen as a pervasive problem. The elitist nerds who go out of their way to delegitimize other fans are often the least fluent in the source material they claim to defend.

This is both a result of toxic fandom, and of badly managed representation on the part of Marvel as a company. I'm by no means an authority on all things Marvel, but as a queer fan of Marvel properties, I feel this needs to be said.

[variousqueerthings]

Tom Hardy Movies rated least to most queer

I made a list of some Tom Hardy movies and I rated them based on my own, non-specific criteria about what makes a movie queer. Results below the cut.

(Some films not included, because I haven’t watched them yet, because Mr Hardy’s only in them for a few minutes, because the subject matter doesn’t lend itself to this list, or because I just don’t want’em here. TV series also not included. The list is organised into both groups and ratings, because I’m doing The Most.)

Movies are divided into four groups and rated from 0 – 10 on the Queer-Scale, scroll down to the bottom if you want the ratings without the commentary.

Disclaimer: This list is subjective. Don’t come at me because I didn’t rate Inception higher, Nolan himself is as queer as cargo shorts. 

1. This movie would make more sense if it were queer

If this movie were queer it… might not become a perfect film all of a sudden, but it’d make a hell of a lot more sense than what’s actually going on. With an occasional dose of “are the cis-straights okay?”

This Means War (2012): So Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are ostensibly both in love with Reese Witherspoon, but say “I love you” to each other pretty much constantly throughout the movie and their friendship is often presented as a domestic partnership. Cool, cool, cooool.

Queer Rating: 2 out of 10. This movie hate-crimed me by having Tom Hardy literally spell out his relationship with Chris Pine, only for the script to then have him say… “can you imagine all that… but with a woman…” Later on the movie explicitly denies polyamory is possible. Fuck this film.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012): Batman movies should always be queer. Mr. Hardy’s the only one who acceptably camps it up, despite Nolan’s best attempts to make him “acceptably gruff.” No matter what you do, Bane is a massive daddy in a mask and thanks to Mr Hardy’s honestly iconic fucking speech pattern in this film, it goes from pretty atrociously straight to just queer enough to imagine a future where Robert Pattinson plays batman and maybe adopts a bunch of kids.

(the only truly decent mask in this franchise tbh)

Queer Rating: 3 out of 10. Mr Hardy’s back is the one that’s actually broken carrying any semblance of fun in this overly long movie all on his own.

Lawless (2012): Wow, this really was the year of the not-queer-enough, wasn’t it? Look, it’s “based on a real story,” but it’s also a movie and movies don’t need to stick to the truth, and this one certainly doesn’t. Was the guy queer in real life? I don’t know. But that doesn’t matter, what matters is that it’s just kind of an eh movie and maybe being queer would add something to it. One of those “but why make someone queer? because it’s always more interesting to do so,” movies.

Queer Rating: 3 out of 10. It’s just not queer. But Tom Hardy wears cardigans and described his character as a “mother figure,” which adds an interesting dynamic to him.

2. Actually Queer but in a homophobic way

Tom Hardy plays a canonically queer character, yaaay. The whole movie contains a strange sense of the director being too not-queer to actually engage with that and everything around him is almost aggressively straight, noooo.

RocknRolla (2008): Honestly this movie has the funniest coming out scene ever + that familiar undertone of “all these manly men secretly want to fuck each other” is only heightened by one of them actually being gay and in love with his best friend. It’s such a fucking… it’s such a movie. Personally I find Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Thandie Newton, and, of course, Tom Hardy to be really hot in it, so that’s a plus. There’s a scene in which Strong’s character teaches another gangster how to do a proper backhand. It’s really gay of him. Also slow-dancing at a gay club. Butler’s character needs to get himself together, you really don’t think 2008 Tom Hardy is hot? Mate.

(left to right: functional queer, disaster queer, distinguished queer)

Queer Rating: 6 out of 10, for having an actual gay character who is played by Tom Hardy doing a sexy phonecall voice to another guy, but then there’s that feeling you can’t shake that the whole movie is vaguely uncomfortable about it, like a family member awkwardly patting you on the shoulder after they found out you were queer second-hand, but they’ve still got 50 years of bias to unlearn. Also Thandie Newton is killed, fuck that noise. 

Legend (2015): If I had a nickle for the amount of times Tom Hardy’s played a gay gangster, I’d have two nickles. Which isn’t a lot, but weird that it happened twice (looks at Peaky Blinders and thinks it ought to be three times). I’ve watched Legend three times and every time it just… loses me. And because this is a biased list, I’ll only specifically mention that it fails to make Ron’s queerness anything but a way for him to shock others. Gangsters could be gay? Gasp! On the upside Tom Hardy has so much sexual tension with everyone in this movie, including himself (why would you do that? Asks Ron, bemused. Because I can’t kill you, no matter how much I fucking want to, hisses a blood-soaked Reggie right into his ear. It’s hot).

Queer rating: 5 out of 10 because the film is just not very queer for a movie with several queer men in it.

3. Straight as a forced family dinner

It’s straight.

Locke (2013): He’s a married man who had an affair and trying to deal with the fallout of it. This isn’t a spoiler for most of the movie, it’s a pretty neat movie where we look at Tom Hardy having a bit of a mental breakdown and taking lots of phonecalls (my personal hell). Is it queer? Not in the slightest.

Queer Rating: 2 out of 10 for Hardy’s face being in almost every shot.

The Revenant (2015): Yeah, yeah, DeCaprio’s and Hardy’s characters are obsessed with each other, yeah it’s a man’s world where the only women are dead wife, kidnapped sexually assaulted native princess, or background whore, yeah, they fight each other and there’s a ton of grunting, but also… I just fucking don’t like this movie. The thin line where a storyline like this one becomes queer might be crossed for others, but not for me. Fuck these guys and their stupid  bear fights.

Queer rating: 3 out of 10 for it being about dirty men in the middle of nowhere (but you could just watch Brokeback Mountain or The Lighthouse or God’s Own Country or any Mad Max, or, or, or…)

4. Queer? Queer. Queer? … Queer…

The plots, aesthetics and/or characters played by Tom Hardy lend themselves to a queer reading, even if there is no overt intention towards queerness. Often this is because of a deliberate lack of heterosexual and/or cisgender writing, which in this day and age is still pretty uncommon not to include within a plot.

Inception (2010): Okay, I don’t even need to write about the added “darling,” or the “go to sleep Mr Eames.” I don’t need to go on about the absolutely bonkers amount of fanfiction written for Eames and Arthur, based on a few minutes of film and a boatload of chemistry. It’s queer.

Queer Rating: 7 out of 10, because the actual plot of the film isn’t very queer, but between the Arthur/Eames dynamic and Elliot Page, Nolan was really given a gift he didn’t deserve.

Warrior (2011): Okay, so first off, this might be my favourite Tom Hardy film, at least some part of my brain is fixated on it at almost all times and I’m considering watching it for the third time in two weeks. I don’t only consider it queer based on Mr. Hardy’s character, although he has no romantic or sexual interest and could be read as aroace, but because of the themes, especially those surrounding said character, who is coded as a caregiver to women and through close emotional connections to men. It’s got possibly unintentional deconstructions of masculinity and two men (brothers) who need to forgive each other and can only do so through the catharsis of violence. It speaks to me as a transmasc with several cis brothers, struggling with my own masculinity. It’s not at all written for me, but I find myself all over it. I could talk about this movie forever.

Queer Rating: 8 out of 10. I’m not allowed to say any more or I’ll never stop writing about it. I love you Tommy…

The Drop (2014): Bob’s lack of sexual and/or romantic interest in Naomi is so strange to her that she doesn’t know what he would want from her otherwise. Bob really just wants to raise a dog with her (and also forgiveness for past sins). Bob is such a rare ace and possibly aro coded character, it really throws me every time I watch this film how obvious it is. Bonus points for also being autistic-coded and not in the stereotypical ways.

(Tom Hardy’s most challenging role: pretending he doesn’t know dogs)

Queer Rating: 9 out of 10 because it’s so fucking rare to see ace and aro coded characters that aren’t, you know…. serial killers. Also Tom Hardy adopts a puppy and has a very cute, kinda lispy voice. How often does Tom Hardy play softer men like this?

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Very deliberately no sexual or romantic writing included in Max’s and Furiosa’s relationship. Sure, there’s not a lot of time for that in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, but it was also done with a purpose! “It was always going to be two warriors on par, starting off with very little respect for each other and ending up with a massive respect for each other.” - Charlize Theron. “So of course they meet, of course there’s a relationship, an unspoken understanding. A recognition.” - Tom Hardy.

Queer Rating: 9 out of 10. It’s not just the characters, but the world and it’s apocalyptic BDSM leather scene, the questions it asks about sustainability and about people as tools, and the found family. It’s about overcoming violence through multiple kinds of love. And it’s about watching a guy playing flame-thrower guitar. What could be queerer?

Venom (2018): Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same… No, but Eddie is queer. The only question is whether the sequel will acknowledge that aspect or not, but even if not. Even if it manages to straightly bypass the reality of a symbiotic relationship with a genderless? genderfluid? being from another world that is linked to you down to your very cells and understands you more intimately than any other person possibly could… even if all that: Eddie is queer. Venom and Eddie are in a relationship. Any relationship Eddie ever enters into will automatically become a thrupple. He makes out with Venom in the movie! Eddie is queer.

(aw yeah that tongue is going down his throat)

Queer Rating: 9.5 out of 10, because it’s still coded by the creators in the language of bromance (hey, bro, is it gay if we’re physically and emotionally closer than any other people on earth?), but the movie is so, so camp and Mr Hardy’s acting choices are beautiful – the screaming? The lispy soft voice and lack of taking up space? The lobster tank? The only people who don’t know how queer this is are the people making it apparently. Fingers crossed for that sequel!

Hon. mentions:

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002): Star Trek – even at it’s worst (especially at its worst?) – is camp af + Hardy is a straight-up baby in this film.

Bronson (2008): It’s about a real person who’s still alive, so I won’t comment on the actual man. However the film seems to code the character Bronson along an ace line and also has genderqueering Vaudeville. Someone let Tom Hardy do more of whatever was going on in those stage-bits.

(this right here: this the good shit)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Another ensemble piece not massively about Hardy’s character, but it’s a movie that centers around queerness in a strange, depressing way. Tom Hardy’s character isn’t queer. Colin Firth and Mark Strong are though. The book makes me cry.

Peaky Blinders (2013-): Because it’s a TV series I left it out. There’s a lot of straight nonsense going on there, but Alfie Solomens is gay. There’s nothing in the series that disputes that and plenty that lends itself to the reading.

Dunkirk (2017): Tom Hardy plays an RAF pilot in a deep emotional connection with the other main RAF pilot. That’s immediately gay. However he’s not in the movie much because of the way it’s constructed, so I left it off.

Queer Ratings (least to most)

No queer to be found here traveller:

This Means War: 2 out of 10 - illegal movie, Tom Hardy swore he wouldn’t do another rom-com after

Locke: 2 out of 10 - straight Welshman and his straight problems. He pretty though

Lawless: 3 out of 10 - cardigan-Hardy being a mother-hen, but very straight for all that

The Dark Knight Rises: 3 out of 10 - a superhero movie that doesn’t deserve Mr Hardy’s camp talents (unlike Venom)

The Revenant: 3 out of 10 - doesn’t give me what I want out of a movie full of dirty, bearded men

Queer but we deserve more:

Legend: 5 out of 10 - timid homosexuality, considering the source material. 

RocknRolla: 6 out of 10 - hey bro, is it gay if we kill the only female lead in our massive ensemble cast

The queerest of Hardy’s:

Inception: 7 out of 10 - Elliot Page and JGL kissing was an all-around terrible choice that made no sense, we know the truth, Nolan

Warrior: 8 out of 10 - I’m still crying, Edgerton’s crying, Hardy’s crying, we’re all crying, and I think that’s really emotionally healthy and queer of us

Mad Max: Fury Road: 9 out of 10 - non-romantic love in the time of BDSM post-apocalyptic wastelands is something that can actually be so personal

The Drop: 9 out of 10 - “Fucking punk. Go out to dinner dressed like you're still in you living room! You wear those big hippity-hoppity clown shoes! You speak to women terribly! You treat them despicably! You hurt harmless dogs that can't defend themselves! I'm tired of you man. I'm tired of you. You embarrass me!”

Venom: 9.5 out of 10 - Sometimes a relationship is an anxious reporter, the sentient goo inhabiting his body, his kinda-ex-girlfriend and her new doctor boyfriend, and I think that’s beautiful

[backpackgrayson]

Reddie ship! Eddie's mom finds out about Richie having a crush on Eddie (maybe Richie left a note with his and Eddie's name with a heart around it) and tells/shows eddie. That's how eddie finds out about it.

I have had a lloooooott more gin and lost the plot halfway through so it’s probably shit but I love this idea so much and am definitely going to explore it more tomorrow when I’m not piss drunk!!

It’s six pm on a tuesday when the world as he knew it ends. As with most of the memorably horrible experiences in his life, the Colossal Collapse of Eddie’s Life begins with Eddie’s mother yelling.

“Eddie!” His mom shouts from his bedroom. He immediately puts down the remote, shutting off Seinfield. The one thought in his mind is please don’t let this be the great Mom Found Lube fiasco of last year all over again. (Spoiler alert, it’s much worse). “Eddiekins, come see your Mommy.”

Shit, Eddie hasn’t heard that mix of sugar sweet and snappy since-, well, since yesterday when he forgot to take his chronic allergy medication. Either way, Sonia Kaspbrak has mastered the tone that puts the fear of God into Eddie.

“Coming, Ma!”

He walks in to his room to find papers strewn everywhere, the mattress moved out of the bed frame, his closet door ripped open. In the center of it all is his mother, gripping a five-star notebook which is definitely Richie’s judging by the “PROPERTY OF THE KING RICHIE “TRASHMOUTH” TOZIER” written in neon pink sharpie across the front of it. It’s open, and Eddie winces when he sees ripped out pages of math notes splain across his bedroom floor. Richie’s going to kill him, he has a test coming up.

“You’ve been hiding something from me,” he freezes at her voice. He's heard a lot of unpleasant shit come out of his mom’s mouth but never has he heard his mom speak with this violent calm. The sound of it makes him bite his complaints about the state of his room back.

“Ma, I wouldn’t. You're my mother, why would I hide anything from you,” he says, trying to appease her.

“Sure, sure. Then explain this,” she says, thrusting the notebook in her son's direction, heaving out a broken sob when he takes it. “Gods, you’re not my little boy anymore. If you were my boy you wouldn’t lie to your mother, you would be a good son, not a little queer.”

She bites out the last word and Eddie almost faints from how quickly the blood flees from his face. Shit shit shit shit shit.

He tries to focus on the words written on the page despite his shaking hands and gasps at what he sees.

R+E written inside a heart.

Richie Kaspbrak and Eddie Tozier in black pen amongst trigonometry notes.

Oh Eddie Spaghetti, come to prom, and let me lick your balls, it will be the bomb, and if it isnt, i'll still lick your balls is possibly the best and worst poem Eddie has ever read, stuffed in a slanted font in the margins.

It’s the worst because he rhymed balls with balls.

And yet it’s the best because it was written by Richie. It was all written by Richie.

Holy fuck, Richie motherfucking Tozier had a schoolgirl crush on Eddie motherfucking Kaspbrak.

What. The. Fuck.

He quickly tamps down the soft smile that he knows must be forming on his lips when he hears a snort from his mother who oh yeah is standing in the middle of his room with her hands on her hips while Eddie reads explicit poetry about his nads.

“Mom! I’m not queer,” lie, “It’s just Richie being Richie,” lie. This hasn't happened once in their thirteen year friendship, “y’know, it’s, uh, one of his jokes,” lie, Why the fuck would Richie make a joke in his trig notebook about this. It doesn’t make any sense, no one would ever see it, unless, shit, unless this really wasn't a joke. Holy fuck holy fuck holy fu-.

“Well, I’m glad. I didn’t raise you to be like that,” she says the last word with venom, eyes flicking pointedly to the notebook. Well, too late, he thinks bitterly, I’ve been thinking of Richie’s hands a lot lately, holding mine. I’ve been thinking of his chest and his smile and his brown eyes and how you raised me hasn't “cured” me at all. “I don’t want you seeing that kid anymore. I don’t want you catching that gay cancer. I always knew there was something off about that boy, the whole family, really.”

As his mother starts on another one of her The Tozier Family is Corrupting You, Eddie rants Eddie starts reading back through the page again.

Holy fuck, Richie Tozier has a crush on him. Him! Eddie’s been best friends with him for thirteen years and loved him for six of those. And Richie fucking Tozier likes him back. He likes him back! 

“Eddie, sweets, are you even listening to me? You need to listen to me, I’m your only mother,” Sonia spits out, walking out of his bedroom. “Come, now. You’re going to miss tonight’s Jeopardy!, it’s the kids version, your favorite.”

As soon as his mother’s out of listening distance he hugs the book close to his chest, rolls on to his now unkempt bed, buries his head into one of the pillows and screams into it.

Richie Tozier likes him back Richie Tozier likes him back Richie Tozier likes him back!

[thepaperpanda]

The Interview || Venom x Reader + Avengers

V+A

Summary: After defeating Thanos, Venom has few days off. It's until Captain America and Iron Man themselves appear at Eddie's office for promised interview.

Warnings: None

Words: 1875

Requests: @thewildgardensstuff

Author: Cass & Rouge

Steve Rogers was sitting in a waiting room, reading some newspaper that he found on a coffee table. He drank two coffees already while waiting for Eddie Brock to show up.

They were set on an interview but reporter was getting late and Steve started to thinking that Brock probably forgot about appointment. "Would you be so kind to call him once again?," Steve asked a receptionist.

She smiled hesitantly. "I did few times with no response. I'm sorry. Please, be patient, I believe he's on his way."

Tony rolled his eyes. "I can't believe this! We waste our time here, right now I would be sitting in my lab creating some amazing tech and you would…," he look at Steve, "be sighing sadly to Peggy's photo or whatever you super soldier do, but no! You dragged me here," Tony growled.

Captain cocked his brow angrily. "Petience, Stark. It's one of these virtues that you lack," he said, sipping black liquid from his mug. "Brock and his alien friend have saved the world after all, we owe him this interview at least."

"Says the guy that drinks coffee like crazy. I own him nothin', simple 'okay thanks!' would be enough, but our golden hearted soldier had to be like 'sure! Interview is cool'. We're on first pages all around New York. Like it's not enough. I am going home," Tony got up from his seat.

Just in that minute Eddie bursted right through the door. "Shit! Sorry! So sorry, I am late! But I am here now! Come on, I mean. Good Morning Mr. Rogers and Mr. Stark. Let's go to my office and well... Let's start," Eddie was in such a rush that he even didn't notice he still was wearing his riding helmet.

"Take this shit off your dumb head, you turd," Venom growled in man's mind. "Like you wouldn't look ridiculous enough without this shit on your huge head."

Steve smiled and walked to Brock, he shook man's hand. "Hello. It's not a problem, at all, right, Tony?"

Eddie blinked and quickly removed the helmet.

Tony smiled sarcastically. "Oh no! No, no, no, not a problem. At all. It's not like we have world to protect. F.R.I.D.A.Y says we have a day off today," Tony said sarcastically.

"I am still so sorry I forced such a guests to wait," Eddie said and led them to his office.

When Brock went ahead, Steve approached Tony and snorted into his ear. "Only for this one time try to restrain your awful personality, Stark."

They both entered the office with a beautiful view on the San Francisco. "You have a nice place here, Eddie," Steve smiled at man as he took a seat in an armchair.

"Nah, you never stop you child-like wonder and boyish charm, Cap. No, thanks." Tony muttered and followed Eddie inside his office. He sat down next to Steve and shrugged.

"Thank you, it's nothing really. I bet it's not like your famous Avengers Tower," Eddie said.

"No, it's not. You are right here, Mr. Alien friend," Tony said with smile.

Captain rolled his eyes and let out a loud sigh. "I'm sorry for my friend, he likes to be a dick sometimes," he explained. "So, what are your questions, Eddie?"

Venom formed himself and out his chin on Eddie's shoulder. "Hi, tasty guys."

"What? He said it himself. I just agreed with him. Agreeing with someone is beeing a dick?," Tony blinked and looked a Venom. "AH! Thanos eater, himself… Or…  Itself?"

Eddie let out a little laugh. "So, uhm. How is it to be an avenger? I mean, you do a lot of things. Isn't it a bit too much sometimes?"

"It's overwhelming actually," Steve said. "But as long as we do a good job with eliminating all possible threats, I enjoy it."

Venom's eyes glistened from sun rays that were falling into the room through a window. "Mr Rogers sounds so reasonable. And looks yummy."

"Venom, stop that. Please," Eddie said and looked at Tony. "Mr. Stark?"

Tony looked up. "I agree with Cap. I mean, it's hard but we are heroes, right? I enjoy it because ladies love the hero type," he smiled explaining openly.

Eddie blinked and nodded slowly. "Any... Not so nice stories you can shear with us?"

"Jesus, Tony," Steve facepalmed. "Well. We have few," he said, glaring at Stark. "Sokovia… for example."

Tony knew that look. He knew that Cap blamed him for Ultron outburst, just like everyone else. Tony sighed, glaring at Steve. "Winter Soldier and so called 'Civil war'."

Eddie blinked and let out an akward laugh, feeling the tension growing between two Avengers. "S-Somwthing else? I mean, even we heard about those events... I was asking about some small stuff. Maybe funny even?"

"Being the Avenger doesn't mean a lot of funny things to happen, at least that's my opinion," Rogers said. "But I always like when we all are reunited. That's it. Our team is a family to me," Steve giggled, not looking at Tony.

Venom yawned. "Eddie. We're hungry."

"It is a lot of fun! Imagine this big guy," Stark pointed at Cap, "talking to a printer, saying stuff like 'come on, magic box, copy this documets for me'. But overall Rogers is right. Reunions are nice. One big family."

Eddie nodded and looked at Venom. "V, you see I am busy," he then turned back to Cap and Tony. "Bigest fears? Biggest dreams? I know this are kinda silly questions, but you know," Eddie winked at them.

Steve didn't want to admit it but Tony's comment about Steve's problems with technologies of any kind cheered him up. "That's truth. I might be out of ice since few years now yet all this things are still so incomprehensible to me," said he. "I still try to accommodate."

Venom poked Eddie's cheek. "Man, please, we're starving in here!"

Steve smiled and let of a soft laughter. "I think I have Twinkies in my bag." After these words Captain opened his leather bag and pulled out a pack of Twinkies.

Venom has opened his eyes wide and licked his long fangs. "Share, share?," symbiote asked politely, smiling.

"You can have even entire pack," Steve got up and walked to Eddie's desk, he out cookies on the counter.

Venom looked at Eddie. He remembered what Eddie has told them recently. If they want to eat something when there are other people in the same room, they should behave according to something that Eddie called savoir vivre. It meant they couldn't eat loudly and fiercely, they couldn't make noises.

Venom though about it for awhile and licked his fangs, he was shivering all over his body. And even though he knew they weren't alone with Eddie, and that Eddie asked him to behave before that meeting, Venom opened his jaw widely, letting saliva drip onto the counter of desk and he ate entire pack, including a cardboard.

"Hrr, yummy! Thank you, Cap Bootylicious!"

Eddie let out a loud sigh and shook his head. "I am so sorry for him... This creature isn't from here and well," Eddie shrugged with soft smile.

"I have something too. I had to eat it later but... There ya go," Tonny said pulling out a chocolate bar from pocket of his jacket. "Originally it had to be for Peter... But he fell down with his grades," Tony shrugged, putting bar on the table.

Venom instantly ate the bar, humming loudly as he did. "Yass, that was precious, we're feeling so so good now," Venom stated and snuggled with Eddie. "We love you, guys. Even you, Ed."

Captain laughed loudly and shook his head. "It's not that we haven't seen things similar to this before," he said. "You're welcome, Venom."

"Wow. Thanks, Venom," Eddie rolled his eyes. "Okay guys, two last questions and.... You didn't answer on last ones," Edie reminded softly. He started to pet Venom gently. "So, biggest fears and dreams that were the previous question. Do you love what you two and others are doing? And any interesing words to our readers?"

"I'm afraid of failure and losing people that I love," Steve said and smiled as he noticed how Venom nuzzled to Eddie's neck. "I like what we're doing. It's important that Earth has protectors," he added.

Tony storked his hair. "I am afraid of being alone and just like Steve. I am afraid of losing people I love and care about," he nodded. "I love what we do. It helps me repay my faults and fix past mistakes. Once I was taking lives. Now I am saving them. Mostly. And words to your readers. Do not be afraid, Avengers are here to save the day," Tony added quickly and shrugged, looking at Steve. "And golden thoughts, Cap? Maybe something like you have recorded for Peter's school?," he joked.

Steve rolled his eyes and looked at Venom. "If he's gonna be so annoying, I'll let you eat him alive."

Venom blinked and stiffened. "Gladly, with pleasure!," he licked his fangs. "Even though he's more like sardines can, we will eat him."

Steve rubbed back of his head. "All I can say is spread love, not hate."

Tony blinked. "HEY! I am not a sardines can! And you cannot eat good people? Right?!"

Eddie nodded. "That's true, V you can't eat Tony Stark. He is a good guy." Then Eddie checked if everything was recoded and clapped his hands happily. "I guess we are done. You two were just... Simply amazing! Thank you so much!"

"Pleasure is on our side," Steve said and shook Eddie's hand. He also petted Venom's head.

Symbiote opened his eyes widely, humming. "What a shame you ain't gay, Ed. Captain's so precious."

"Yea. Exactly what he said," Tony agreed with Cap.

Eddie blinked and blished. "VENOM?! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!"

"You call it truth. We say the truth. Look. Captain. Glorious, gorgeous hero. America's ass. Bootylicious. Handsome and tall. Good man. And you. Not tall, chubby, kinda handsome, with strange ambitions, socially awkward and unsuccessful with women," Venom summed up.

Captain blinked and laughed hardly, almost choking himself with a water he was sipping.

"I have a girlfriend, you idiot!" Eddie growled at Venon. "I am not all of this! You are."

Tony simply laughed at the whole show, shaking his head slightly.

Steve smiled. "That's so nice Venom but well, Eddie wouldn't have a chance. No offense, of course, but I am taken," he shrugged.

"What?!" Tony and Eddie said in union.

"By who?," Venom was seemingly interested in topic.

"It's a secret," Steve winked at Venom and Eddie. "Maybe one day you'll figure out."

Tony rubbed his chin, thinking. "That's weird, Cap," he said and looked at his watch. "I think our time runs out."

Eddie looked at clock, too. "I think so, I don't want to hold you any longer. World to save and all."

Captain and Stark greeted Eddie and left.

Venom let out a sigh. "And we have almost provided you new friends."

"They are way ower me. Sadly we could never be real friends, V. Let's go get something to eat and then sit to writing, Y/N will come to check on us later."

Pandies🐼: @imidarogerson @grossograsso @thewildgardensstuff @leven-and-ashley @la-verdura @bearded-steve-rogers @sebbystan-plantlover @atuckyismylife @krispyjellyfishzombie @personality-within @haseki-huricihan @choppedgardenwhispers @vroobelek @lattimelka @chris-beamz @hidden-secrets69 @purepearls @volcanoxxx @kastrup-sofie @mikkal-akasaki @withoutashadowofhope @radbluebirdeagle @marvel-fan-site @smutloversblog @buquete @super-psycho-love69 @tanglesss @peter-sommer @baysidewest @vegemania @philip-stan @chodiusmmm @subwaystunnel @tykorclint @dagger-dragger @kurant @nothing-can-least-forever @oxfordkipem @deliciousbouquet90 @tuptuptup @hellenna80 @karina-marina9 @latimeriaaa @bratko @wurld89 @scott-evans @kiss-me-rouge @ovonel-espaniol @dancing-tacco @ratugadhi @white-tiger-shangrila @axn69 @eternal-life-awaits @mrs-laura-harmon @artsy-inside @gleeeeees  @darkllaama @jatut @agawux @fuzzy-tigrrr @jrjohnsson2 @maaargoshaaa @dontgetmewrongman @einexx @nwmtagsb @anini71 @secretlygrantaire @kyloren-supreme-ben @infinity-stones-seeker @thehappyspider @wings4life @huxyluxy @dontbeafraidchild @misafiryanki @electronicpatrolcollective @thisismysecrethappyplace @aulika @hidden-secrets69 @a-happy-wolf @creative-seahorse @biologyforliving

[deadlifts-and-derrida]

Learning to Grow

There's a scene in the 90's animated Spider-Man where Eddie Brock, the human host of the Venom symbiote, is lifting weights in his run-down New York apartment. He's shirtless, bench pressing what looks like an impressive weight. The camera runs over his arms and torso as he recites, between grunts, a litany of wrongs, imagined and real, that Spider-Man has visited upon him. There are brief flashbacks with each item on the list, played out semi-opaque in front of his sweaty muscular torso. As each one fades and we see him clear, his muscles appear to pulse and swell. He's getting bigger and bigger as the scene goes on, muscles engorging with each repetition, each up and down of the loaded bar he's bench-pressing.

This scene captivated me as a child. Any time this episode came up in re-runs I'd be glued to the TV, would find some excuse to go into another room and sneakily turn on a separate television, away from my family, even if it meant watching it on a smaller, less modern set.

I knew I loved muscle before I saw this scene. I even doubt this was the first time I saw a depiction of where muscles came from. This first aired in 1994. I would have been 11. Surely I knew muscles came from working out before I saw this. But it felt like some previously unconnected parts of my brain were suddenly wired together.

If you want to have muscles you have to lift weights!

*

My mom had two blue dumbbells at home. I think she bought them to use at the Step Aerobics class she went to every Thursday night in the gymnasium of the local elementary school, the same school I attended. They were 5 lbs each. I'm sure they would look small to me now. They looked big to me then.

They came with a folded up paper diagram of exercises you could do with the dumbbells. It featured a line drawing of an absurdly muscular man (these are FIVE POUND DUMBBELLS and he looks like a professional bodybuilder!), shirtless, wearing a pair of short shorts. Of course I was attracted to this line drawing. But I remember taking these little blue dumbbells and trying to use them to get bigger and stronger. I tried to use the piano bench to do chest flies. I did lots of bicep curls. I don't think I ever did anything for my back and my legs - classic clueless young man, only exercising the muscles he can see, the ones that look good in a t-shirt.

I didn't go about this in any regimented fashion. They were sporadic attempts. I didn't yet realize how frequently you had to work out to see results. I didn't realize how to organize a weightlifting session at the gym, how to program it to achieve hypertrophy (or, in lay terms, bigger muscles). I thought of it like it was a role-playing game, like if you lifted weights you'd add a little EXP to your STR bar, and eventually it'd level up even if you weren't systematic about it.

So of course I don't think mom's two blue 5 lbs dumbbells did much for me.

*

There was no commercial or public gym in my hometown, nor one within a 100 km drive. There were some private gyms, in people's basements and such. My little hometown, which had about 5,000 people living in it when I was in my early teens, somehow produced four provincial bodybuilding champions to my knowledge, including Newfoundland's only internationally successful professional bodybuilder to date. Fewer than 1% of the province's population. We certainly over-performed in this aspect.

And then there was me. Absolutely nothing to look at. But burning with a desire that I felt ashamed of, felt like I should keep it hidden. Bodybuilding was all around me and I didn't say anything, didn't give any indication that it interested me. Two of those four provincial champions were my next-door neighbours, one of them a year older than me, one of them a year younger than me. It never occured to me to even try to train with them.

I was an awkward nerd. I knew I was gay. I hadn't told anyone. But bullies called me every word you can call a gay kid, because, well, they were bullies.

So I didn't connect with the budding bodybuilders around me. I never lifted in one of the basements where so many successful bodybuilding careers began.

I did pushups sporadically in my bedroom and hoped it would be enough.

Of course it wasn't. Forcing the body to build more metabolically expensive muscle tissue than it absolutely needs is one of the most difficult things to do. A few pushups in your bedroom and a protein-poor diet (I was vegetarian but I wasn't one of the "good kind" who research proper diet) won't cut it.

*

In my second term at University, the Field House opened. This was a new athletic facility. There was some controversy in student circles that we were all being levied a $40/semester fee to pay for the Field House - but in return, we all had access to the facility. We just had to show our student card.

Stress, bad eating, and a post-exam bout of mononucleosis had left me about 145 lbs at this point. I'm 6' tall. There was no muscle on me to speak of - though skinny, I had no abs, no definition in my arms and legs. My arms measured 10" around.

So, although all my leftist friends were angry about the Field House levy, I was secretly happy about it. Finally, I had access to a gym.

I didn't research what to do. I didn't ask for help in making a plan.

For weeks, I went in and ran on the treadmill.

I remember an article by another gay writer about body image, muscles, and exercise. He describes running on the treadmill while dreaming of himself as finally having that muscular body he's long wanted to have.

Now, I want to give the guy a shake and ask him what the hell he's doing on a treadmill if he wants muscles. That's like practicing piano and hoping it'll make you a better cook. But back then - I was that guy.

*

There was a little alcove in the Field House next to the cardio room that had some air-powered resistance machines. I started to use those. I doubt I used them well. No one taught me form. I didn't look it up. This was 2002 - YouTube, a great resource for this kind of thing, was years away.

But it was better than nothing. My diet, still appalling and low in protein, did get a little better as my palate expanded and I learned, on a semester in England in 2003, that I liked and could prepare chicken and fish.

My arms were 12" around. This is still small. It's nowhere near Eddie Brock. But it's better than 10".

*

I was like a timid deer slowly being tamed. Toward the end of my undergraduate degree, I began going to the Strength and Conditioning Centre, in the basement of the old Phys Ed building, where the actual lifters and bodybuilders on campus went.

But I was not yet either of those things.

I was still ashamed of my desires, couldn't bring myself to ask anyone for help, to acquire the practical knowledge I needed if I was ever going to achieve the kind of progress I wanted.

So even though there was a freeweight section full of huge burly men lifting impressive weights, I kept to the machines and the dumbbells. Lateral raises (probably done badly), cable flies (probably done badly), tricep pushdowns (probably done badly), dips and pullups (almost certainly done badly), lat pulldowns (I only ever felt these in my forearms). I never did a bench press. I never did a squat. I don't think I even knew what a deadlift was.

I ate like I was lifting big weights and having gruelling workouts, though. So, in other words, I got chubby and my muscles more or less stayed the same, after those newbie gains earned in the alcove of the Field House with the air-powered machines. I did not look like I lifted weights. I certainly didn't look like a bodybuilder.

*

My mid and late 20s were full of periods where I had no gym access. I ran during those times, every second day. I got fitter, my body firmed up, I felt better. I was also physically suited to middle distance running. But I was smaller, during those times, and I wanted to be bigger.

When I did have gym access I continued to lift poorly, without doing any compound movements (bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press, etc). And I ate to grow, but it was a lot of low quality food. So, during those times, my body got softer. I told myself I was bulking, but my muscles didn't get bigger. My arms were still about 12" or 13", depending on which of these two modes I was existing in.

I still lived in dread of someone discovering how much I wanted to be a huge muscular freak. How I fed my imagination on a steady diet of enormous bodybuilders, folders with thousands of jpgs saved from the internet, treasured memories of the rare times I'd seen a truly huge muscular man out in the wild, in person. Walking in the mall, lying on a blanket in the park, in the checkout line at the supermarket.

I would sometimes fantasize about finding some almost empty bottle of steroids in the locker room. Maybe just one or two pills left. At the time I erroneously thought all steroids were pills - I didn't know anything about steroids at all, at this point. I just knew they made guys big. In this fantasy, I would take the one or two pills I found, and it would make me slightly more muscular than I was. Perhaps 5% more. And that would be enough to make me happy without anyone realizing anything. Of course, it doesn't work that way.

*

I wasn't entirely clueless. In 2009, I started a PhD at the University of Toronto, and had access to its excellent gym facilities. By then I knew I had to do compound movements like bench press and squat. I started to learn how. I didn't seek out help, though, and I definitely should have. Also, a PhD is very demanding on your time. I was following a "split" (how you organize your workouts through the week) appropriate for someone lifting 4-5 times a week, but I was lucky if I got in 2 or 3 times (which, frankly, isn't enough to see much progress regardless of your "split"). 10 or 12 days would go by between chest workouts, between back workouts, between leg workouts.

I suppose I made some progress. Not much. I may have deluded myself into thinking it was more than it was, because I had been going to the gym, in some capacity, for 7 years, and I wanted to have something to show for it.

In early 2012, me and my then-boyfriend drove to his father's in South Carolina. I had just turned 29. I was planning on using the fact we were traveling to buy steroids online. I was paranoid that my IP address could be tracked if I did it at home and it would be safer to do it from some hotel room in Pennsylvania.

I realized, when in a hotel room in Pennsylvania trying to buy steroids online, that I didn't know enough about any of that to actually go through with it. I hadn't done my research. Looking back, my naivete is laughable. Now, if I encountered someone like the person I used to be trying to buy steroids, I would try my best to discourage them for a large number of reasons. One, you, past Michael, clearly don't know how to train and eat to grow; that being the case, all steroids will do is upset your endocrine system's natural balance and increase some health risks without actually giving you the benefits you want. Secondly, you don't know a thing about them. What kind are you going to buy? The answer better be testosterone enanthate or testosterone cypionate; test only for a beginner's cycle. Do you know proper injection technique? Don't even think about an oral-only cycle! Do you know what an AI is? It's an aromatase inhibitor, a drug that prevents most of the negative side effects people associate with steroid use, which ironically come from elevated estrogen, a side effect of elevated tesoterone - you did know that, didn't you? Do you know what PCT is? It's Post Cycle Therapy, drugs people take once they have finished their cycle of steroids to help restart their body's natural hormone production, which is disrupted by steroids. You knew steroids would shut down your natural testosterone production, right?

Luckily, I realized I wasn't ready, and didn't go through with my plan. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, did I think I could just type "buy steroids" into google? OK, yes, you can actually do that, but it's not a good idea. There are plenty of people out there willing to make a quick buck selling snake oil to idiots like me, and even if they sold me legitimate gear, I wasn't ready for it and had no idea how to use it safely and responsibly, as outlined above.

*

In January of 2013, my parents, always solidly middle class, suddenly became very wealthy, and they passed some of this on to me. I had never made more than $25,000 in a year, and suddenly twice that was sitting in my bank account, with more to come.

One of the things I splurged on was a DEXA scan. It cost $125. You lay still on the bed of a device, and a mechanical arm slowly passes over your whole body twice. It takes about ten minutes. it is the most accurate body composition scan currently available.

I wanted to know how well my efforts in the gym had paid off.

Not at all, it turned out.

I was 184 lbs. This was in the "normal" BMI range for someone 6' tall. But I was 25.1% bodyfat. For a man, obesity is considered anything over 25%. I was the opposite of a bodybuilder. Bodybuilders have obese BMI but very low bodyfat percentages. I had normal BMI but an obese bodyfat percentage.

My lean body mass was only 138 lbs. If I was lean like a bodybuilder, I wouldn't even weigh 150 lbs. I had been going to the gym for 11 years and I had almost nothing to show for it - maybe 10 or 15 lbs of muscle gained from the underfed just-over-a-bout-of-mono 19 year old who first stepped into a gym in 2002.

This was a kick in the pants. Luckily it motivated me. I reformed my diet. No more pizza and burritos except as very occasional treats. Cut way way way back on the booze. Running in the morning every second day, lifting weights every day I didn't run.

I got married in June. I weighed 170 lbs and my bodyfat was down to 19%. I was losing fat without losing muscle, possibly because there was very little muscle to lose.

We went on an extended summer wedding tour, had wedding parties on both coasts. I relaxed a little but didn't give up fully.

And that September, enabled by having some money, emboldened by finally achieving a little success, spurred on by turning 30 and realizing that if I didn't start to do this right then my dream of being a bodybuilder would never come to pass, I hired a trainer.

And on our first meeting, I told him: I want to get as big as I possibly can.

And he said let's get to work.

[flyingcookierambles]

bluh

watching stranger things s3 and the half of it with my family was so eeghhhh.

not that the show/movie themselves are bad or anything, i love them. i also loved the himbo-lesbian friendship/solidarity. 

however my family, very cishet, unwoke, generally just a bunch of normies who have never heard of social justice ever, kept complaining about how robin/ellie (lesbian) should’ve gotten together with steve/paul (himbo). aaaaaaaaarrrgh i was so annoyed and i wanted to basically rip my hair out and scream to the sky. i told them during stranger things s3, “no they’re just friends,” and for the half of it, i said “they have himbo-lesbian solidarity.” of course, my sister, who thinks she’s woke or something (????) turns to me and is like “only lesbians know that” and “when did you know?” (during the part where paul is looking up “how to know if i’m gay” to better understand ellie). and it’s so annoying that because i’m p sure that my family thinks I'm a lesbian because i keep just saying “no” whenever they ask if i’m dating someone/when ill find a boyfriend/whatever. when actually I'm ace/aro and also I'm just trying to be a good ally and stuff. uuuuuuhghghghghghhghg. also the himbo-lesbian solidarity/friendship thing is just an internet joke???? i feel like it really kicked off after thor Ragnarok with thor and valkyrie’s friendship?? you don't have to be a lesbian and/or queer to to know about the trope, it’s just an internet joke???? wtf??

(fun fact i tried to tell my mom that i’m ace/aro, aka i was just like “i’m asexual, so I'm not interested in dating people.” and then a few months later or smth she and i were doing dishes and she started talking about how she wished i were with someone so i wouldn’t be alone for the rest of my life bc it’s “lonely.” nice that she literally said “someone” or “person” or something that was gender neutral, but then she was like “i wish you would grow out of being that asexual or whatever it is” and i was like internally screaming oof big cringe no. also i plan to have friends and cat/other pets. its really between having rodents (rabbits/rats/ferrets) and cats right now and i cant decide which to get when i move out into a hopefully pet friendly apartment.)

basically, my family is too cishet to understand platonic love/friendship, heteronormativity is a thing, nuance and stuff except glee and/or for love simon for some reason????????? aaaaaaa. bluh ill just not pick any queer movie to watch during family movie night. not that i really get to pick any movie for family movie nights that have started since we’re all home again due to college kicking us out of dorms/school shutdowns and/or summer vacation, since my movies are “too foreign”/aka my family is like illiterate and refused to watch non-english/us movies, “too artsy or hard to understand” (the half of it), “anime.” bluh

hopefully. maybe. ill consider showing them promare when my blu-ray/dvd preorder comes later thing month (may 2020), but i know that they’ll probably complain/question galolio and be like “galo should’ve kissed aina” uuuuuughughguhgugh

edit 5/12/2020: oof just remembered the time we watched venom and my mom mentioned at the end that she that Eddie and ann should’ve gotten back together and it took 500% of my self control to not out myself as a monsterfucker uh i mean symbrock supporter bc dear god I'm so tired. I'm so tired of my family and their inability to see how people care about each other and how much venom cares about Eddie and how being a man and woman does not automatically mean that romantic feelings will appear god.

[buttonpanels]

So far, I’ve looked at the biggest shake-ups in comics status quos in the 2010s. Of course, I think those were important. They’re paradigm shifts that allow for different stories. But sometimes, you need to go smaller, and that’s what this is. This time, I’m going to be highlighting specific moments in comics that I feel were the best in the 2010s.

These can range from a single scene to a single panel, but they’re what I consider the best the 2010s have to offer. They might stand on their own or be the payoff for years of storytelling, but these are the ones that had the biggest impact on me as a reader. As a rule: it can’t be an entire issue. I’m also trying to avoid placing similar scenes on this list. So yes, it’s a loose criterion, but it’s mine. Anyway, let’s see what we have for arbitrarily ranked my personal best comic book moments of the 2010s…

15. “He was an Adventure”, Die #2

Die is a comic that embodies the best of Kieron Gillen. His knack for clever dialogue, interesting ideas, strong characterisation and self-aware contemplative narration are felt in every issue, bolstered by Stephanie Hans’ beautiful art. The concept of a role-playing game that sucks its players in is a bit derivative, but Gillen leans into the RPG side of things and really shows what an RPG made and played by a bunch of pretentious, conflicted teenagers would be like, and the world that would result. Nowhere is that better shown than when Dominic (or rather, Ash) reunites with Sir Lane.

After the cast return to their game as adults after having escaped it as teenagers, they run into immediate trouble. After dealing with it, the party discusses whether to take a horrible route to their destination or the one they used years prior, where everyone knows them. Before they can decide, Ash runs into an old flame of sorts — Sir Lane, a typical knight in shining armour who she was in a relationship with and said she would come back to. She teasingly cursed him so that he couldn’t rest until he saw her again, and now she’s come back… after over a decade and he’s a zombie. They’re forced to kill him, and decide to avoid taking the same path, lest they run into more from their past.

Die is a great series that captures the spirit and fun of RPGs while giving things just enough edge to feel interesting but not like the creative team is going out of their way to be edgy. This here is a great instance of that, bringing a dark edge to a fantasy cliché and taking full advantage of the setting and characters. The first issue of Die didn’t fully land with me, but this issue definitely did, with this dark and morbid scene and the poetic narration. Just a wonderfully executed moment.

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14. “You can’t help yourself… you are Apocalypse”, Uncanny X-Force (2010) #4

Here’s a moment that is heavily carried by the art. Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force is great, but this moment, which is otherwise not that spectacular, is elevated by an understated use of layouts and not only established that this would be a very different X-Force run, but the threat to come.

After the new, black ops and secretive X-Force team has hunted down the rejuvenated form of Apocalypse, they are at a crossroads when Psylocke refuses to allow them to kill the now child despot. The team debates before falling to infighting, before Angel finally gets the upper hand after wrestling with his inner demon, Archangel. When Apocalypse says he won’t become who they think he’ll become, Angel says he won’t be able to stop himself and goes in for the kill… only to hesitate… then Fantomex kills Apocalypse anyway. The team leaves with no fanfare or celebration.

The art is what really sells this scene. The fight between the X-Force members is well done and easy to follow, and the narration from Warren is executed very well with some great lettering, but that moment when Angel says that Apocalypse will always be a monster, and the art slows things down with wide panels and extreme close-ups and a peak into Warren’s soul, that is what sells this moment. It is a powerful pause in time that and scene that is emblematic of what the run would entail — wrestling with morality, nature vs. nurture and struggling with one’s inner demons.

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13. “I think about it every day”, Grayson #12

Grayson is a series I will never shut up about, because it just works so much better than it should. Taking Dick Grayson out of the world of superheroes and putting him in the more morally ambiguous and backstab-prone spy world allowed Tom King and Tim Seeley to get to the root of his character, and make it all the more satisfying when he returned to the world of capes and tights. Case in point: Grayson #12, where Dick reunites with the Batfamily. While every reunion is great, the one that was the bet executed in my mind is Dick’s reunion with Barbara Gordon.

Dick is reuniting with his family after his boss at Spyral forces him to come back to the organisation. She lets him get in his goodbyes, however. Having already spoken to an amnesiac Bruce Wayne, he went on to talk to Jason Todd and Tim Drake and gave them a gift of two batarangs, and is now talking to Barbara. Dick had previously run into her in his secret Spyral identity, but she didn’t really know it was him. He tries to explain why he did what he did, but she’s not having it and leaves. Dick jumps after her… off a bridge, and gives her the trapeze pole from when they swung together after she was crippled in The Killing Joke, and confesses all his unspoken feelings for her.

There’s really nothing more to this moment than that, it’s just Dick and Babs reuniting and Dick telling her what she means to him. It’s heart-warming and cute, and the whole “Cluemaster’s Code” that Dick is using — the first letter of every sentence will spell out the real message — is used really well this issue, but I like that Dick repeats himself when he says he’ll come back to her. It’s as if he’s willing to muddle the message and Barbara understanding it just to reiterate how important she is to him. This moment wouldn’t properly go anywhere, since Tim Seeley set Dick up with a new love interest in a terribly executed romantic subplot in his Nightwing run, but for a moment, one of the best relationships in comics got a moment in the sun.

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12. “You’re poison”, The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1

Hellblazer is at its best when it acknowledges what a toxic influence John Constantine is on his friends and family. Very few people come out of their interactions with him unscathed, and his addiction to magic only guarantees that those around him will have a rough time of it. Nowhere is that better demonstrated than with how his long-time friendship with Chas Chandler ends, which ushered in a return to form for Constantine.

After coming back from a terrible future and promising his future self to live his best life, Constantine goes to visit his friend Chas. He learns that, since his absence, Chas has contracted cancer and is now in the cancer ward of a hospital. Upon his visit, he finds demons possessing Chas and goes to free his friend, using the bodies of other cancer patients, only for Chas himself to call John out on his years of being a prick, his abandonment and the fact that John gave him cancer. Constantine’s constant smoking in Chas’ cab is what it’s attributed to and he tells John to leave him alone and fuck off. John respects his friend’s wishes just before Chas dies and John is left truly alone.

Despite how their friendship ended, this issue also did a great job giving it something of a heart-warming ending… sort of, as in the future, John tricks Chas into essentially performing a magic suicide bombing, but Chas, ignorant of this, tells John that sometimes you need to step up and be a hero. Both scenes work together to show the nature of this friendship — Chas is a good person at heart and one whom Constantine values and trusts… but he’s still someone Constantine will manipulate, and who will call John out on his bullshit. It’s a fitting end to the character and a great way to kick off this new era of Hellblazer.

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11. “I thought you loved me”, Venom (2018) #11

The relationship between Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote has always been some level of abusive, but whether or not it’s a romantic relationship has generally not been touched on where it can be avoided. Maybe it’s the idea that Venom fans wouldn’t want a gay relationship, maybe it’s fear of the repercussions of a negatively portrayed gay relationship — the symbiote is identified as male a few times, after all — or maybe it’s just weird that Eddie is in a romantic relationship with alien ooze. But in the end, it’s usually more allegory and not so much a literal romantic relationship… until now, and it is glorious.

After a handful of issues of the Venom symbiote lacking its voice and Eddie’s cancer resurfacing, the Maker is able to “fix” Eddie while he goes through his memories and learns that certain parts were fake — his sister and initial cancer diagnosis being the primary ones he focuses on. He confronts the Venom symbiote, which can speak again, about why it changed his memories and it says Eddie needed to need it. They argue and Eddie wakes up to protect Dylan Brock, who he has just learned is his son.

Eddie’s relationship with the symbiote has always been destructive and unhealthy, and Cates fully leans into that here. The symbiote has manipulated Eddie into staying with it, forced him to become Venom and lied to him about his son. It has fully become an abusive lover and the sheer superhero-ness of this scene lends it a sense of self-awareness in what could otherwise have devolved into melodrama. However, Donny Cates is still able to end the scene with such conviction that it carries all the weight it was supposed to.

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10. “Smoke the meat”, Animosity #7

The biggest strength of Animosity is Marguerite Bennett’s keen eye for worldbuilding. The basic premise of “what if animals suddenly became fully aware” is explored for all it’s worth, with small bits of worldbuilding that truly make the world of Animosity feel alive yet relatable. The way Bennett uses these little pieces of worldbuilding to craft a nuanced and morally grey story is what really sells this series, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Animosity #7.

The scene in question deals with the aftermath of a fight the main characters get into, where they run into some carnivores. While everyone else tends to their wounds and gets some rest, main dog Sandor and the cat Pallas go to deal with the aftermath. They find their dead friends and we learn what they’re actually doing, and that it’s not uncommon — they eat the corpses of the dead. This time, they bury their friends, but the other animals that were killed are eaten all the same, and this isn’t the first time Sandor and Pal have done this, nor is it expected to be the last, and Sandor reminds Pal that, when Sandor himself dies, to feed him to his owner Jesse.

The scene is a wonderfully dark revelation, in a story where we learned more and more about what Sandor will do to protect his owner. It plays really well off the previous issues and does a great job escalating the moral ambiguity of the story. It not only adds more moral complexity to the wider world of Animosity, but furthers the story and characters. Every part of Animosity feels well thought out, and this moment not only advances the world but the story, in an unexpected and dark way.

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9. “He has you and me”, Doomsday Clock #12

DC Rebirth was a relaunch that truly returned some of what the DC universe had lost that made it so great. It lamented the loss of love, legacy and optimism, all of which were indeed sorely lacking, and told a story of how corrupting outside forces altered the DCU’s history and characters to better reflect a cynical outlook. Well, Doomsday Clock finally ended last week, and for all its faults and the discussions that can be had concerning creator rights and Watchmen, I think it delivered on its promise — the return of love, legacy and optimism, the latter of which was best exemplified in the return of the JSA and, as a result, of the Legion of Super-Heroes and Ma and Pa Kent.

After Flashpoint, it was established that Clark Kent had lost his parents at a young age, after they were hit by a drunk driver. Even after the Superman Reborn crossover patched up Superman’s history to essentially be the post-Crisis one — with some New 52 stuff sprinkled in here and there — he still had dead parents. Doomsday Clock revealed that Doctor Manhattan had caused the Kents’ accident, in order to transform Superman into a more cynical figure that he could relate to. However, after Superman inspires him, Manhattan believes in the ideals of love, legacy and optimism and undoes his changes to the timeline — or at least most of them, since DC’s plans clearly changed as this story was being published — and the restoration of the Justice Society of America is what kicks things into gear. Not only are the JSA my favourite superhero team, but their existence now changes Jonathan Kent’s outlook — instead of a cynical, protective outlook that causes him to discourage Clark using his abilities, the JSA’s existence causes Jonathan to encourage Clark instead, and he saves his parents as Superboy. The emergence of Superboy in turn causes the Legion of Super-Heroes to exist again. And they save the day, and all ends well, and Clark goes to reunite with his parents.

This moment is the perfect pay off to the entire Rebirth saga. There’s some wonkiness here as a result of rewrites, clearly. The Legion of Super-Heroes, as written now, are not inspired by Clark as Superboy but by Jonathan Samuel Kent as Superboy helping to found the United Planets, but the dialogue pretends like this is the Retroboot Legion from a few years back. Ignoring that, however, this moment just works. After the darkest parts of the story, with Imra fading away and Johnny Thunder broken and defeated, Superman’s inspiration is what undoes the changes and brings those people back. The legacy of the JSA that creates a new world of optimism, one that extends into the far future, and the return of the Kents is just makes it that much more satisfying that optimism and hope won out. This is a perfect ending to the story that Geoff Johns began in 2016, one that embraces what the DCU is about, even through its various reboots.

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8. “I’ll still hold your hand”, Doom Patrol (2016) #1

Gerard Way’s Doom Patrol run is a bit uneven, at least if you read it as it was ongoing like I did (you know, when every issue after the second was released late). But the first issue is a great introduction to the Doom Patrol, and the opening scene does a wonderful job setting the tone for Way’s run and introducing a character who is probably one of the best audience surrogate characters in comics.

The scene is pretty short and simple, giving a quick intro to Casey Brinke as she drives an ambulance during her day job. The narration is what sells it, as it carries this sense of poetry and angst that feels like it has enough conviction to be done well. Casey’s narration doesn’t feel ironic, self-defeating or cliché, but oddly reassuring — fitting, given she talks about what her job means to her. There’s some fun, of course, helped by the cartoony visuals and the neon colours, but otherwise it is just a relatively quiet intro to a character.

This introduction to Casey really does set the tone for the rest of Way’s Doom Patrol run, the more modern, straightforward and character-focused run. While there are stranger elements, such as when Casey and Terry None (a woman) have a biological son together and the cult that wants to transport itself inside Crazy Jane, at its core Way’s run was about the characters moving forward with their lives and Casey finding a place on the team. This introduction is great for setting that up, especially since some of the poetic narration is actually literally true, which was a very unexpected twist.

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7. “Batman punches people in the face”, Batman (2016) #53

Tom King’s Batman run is a thoroughly mixed bag, but it has moments of brilliance. One such moment is during the “Cold Days” arc, where Mr. Freeze is on trial after being captured by Batman, and a jury discusses his potential conviction. All are in favour of a guilty verdict but one — Bruce Wayne, who laments Gotham’s worship of Batman. This moment is probably the best culmination of Tom King’s Batman run up until this point, and gave real hope that his run would recover after the controversial wedding issue.

With Mr. Freeze arrested and on trial, Gotham’s jury is quick to label him as guilty despite the lack of evidence. Bruce attributes this to Gotham’s hero worship of Batman that he compares to worship of a god, because of the jurors’ perception of Batman is all-knowing, with his will having power over life and death. When asked what Batman means to him, Bruce tells the jurors that after his parents’ deaths, Batman was something he could believe in to keep him going, something he could rely on to always be there and save him. Not anymore; now that being Batman has taken Catwoman away from him, Bruce has become disillusioned with Batman.

This moment, as understated as it is, does a wonderful job paying off what had come in King’s Batman run. Bruce’s suicidal nature, his reliance on Batman as a means of achieving peace, his own obsession to keep fighting as Batman and the recent dissolution of his engagement with Catwoman resulting from his need to be miserable in order to be Batman, it’s all wonderfully played off by this moment that gives the readers a peak into how his breakup has shaken his foundation and made him doubt Batman. King’s run has a lot of flaws, but every now and then it delivered a powerhouse moment.

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6. “A man shouldn’t…”, Redneck #16

Redneck‘s core concept is relatively simple: vampires in the South of America. Donny Cates milks this for all its worth, with engaging characters and interesting lore. But what makes Redneck great is the characters, and how Cates is able to imbue them with a real sense of life. After a long string of tragedies, Cates gives his characters a few issues to breathe, and the result is one of the best scenes of the 2010s that deftly defies expectations.

The central family of the Bowmans is given a chance to breathe after their home is destroyed, they are betrayed from within and their generosity almost gets them killed. One character who is given a bit of a spotlight is Greg, who we learn is gay and who has a cute fling with minor character Winny. They talk about it becoming more when the patriarch of the Bowmans, his father JV, walks in on the two. What follows Greg trying to calm his father down, who walks away in shock, and Greg assumes his dad isn’t okay with his sexuality and ends up verbalising it for the first time ever… and it turns out his dad was more shocked because, well, he just saw his son after said son had just fucked someone. The two bond for a bit and JV says Greg should do whatever makes him happy.

The scene is just a really heart-warming moment and well-done, in addition to playing with expectations. The southern dad having a problem with his son’s homosexuality is pretty played out, but this series has its roots in the south, from its characters to its dialogue, so it wouldn’t be out of place for that trope to be played straight — especially given that JV is very old. But Cates defies expectations — and rather than think that is what makes a good story, actually does something with it, delivering what one of my favourite gay scenes of the 2010s. Cates gets a lot of praise for his narratives, but I don’t think his dialogue and character work gets as much praise as it deserves.

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5. “Everything lives”, Secret Wars (2015) #9

Jonathan Hickman’s multi-series Marvel saga is a sight to behold. A grand story told across multiple series, spanning the entire Marvel Multiverse, the sheer scale of it is unprecedented and expertly executed. Secret Wars (2015) was the culmination of his Marvel work, but rather than a gigantic event that stood on its own, it — for better or worse — served as the grand finale to his saga and specifically an ending to his Fantastic Four run. Taken like that, it hits it out of the park.

Secret Wars (2015) follows the birth and destruction of Battleworld, a patchwork world created from the remnants of the multiverse by Doctor Doom. Doom saved what he could, but has taken to ruling over everything with an iron fist, and a surviving Reed Richards ends up fighting him for the right to fix the world — at great risk, possibly destroying what remains. The fight ends when Doom admits that Reed would have done a better job, and the Molecule Man ends the fight and gives Reed the power. There’s an epilogue where Valeria Richards explains what happened, but the last scene is of a smiling Victor von Doom, mask removed and face restored by his friend Reed.

This ending is a perfect ending to the themes of Hickman’s Fantastic Four run. The idea of believing in the future and not being fearful of saving what’s left, but instead building what comes next is the given a literalisation in the final battle between Reed and Victor. Reed and Franklin rebuild the multiverse together as one last act of father-son bonding, after the theme of fatherhood was so central to Hickman’s run. And, finally, Reed proves himself the better man, that his morality is what makes him who he is, as he gives Victor one last gift and a new lease on life, setting up stories for the future. This ending is so emblematic of all things good about Hickman that it was the perfect note for him to leave the universe on… but then he came back and reinvigorated the X-Men, and that’s also a great thing.

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4. “How could I ever forget you?”, DC Universe: Rebirth #1

It wasn’t too long ago that DC Universe: Rebirth #1 released and heralded the return of much of what made the pre-Flashpoint DCU so great. A return of love, legacy and optimism, Rebirth truly revitalised DC’s comics and moved things forward, while not neglecting the past. And it all took the form of the Flash fan from Blue Valley, Nebraska coming home.

After years of questionable output from DC, Rebirth was the much-promoted revitalisation of the line. It was leaked that Wally would be returning, but given that it’s literally the premise of the issue, it doesn’t really affect the comic — in fact, it probably got more people excited for the relaunch than anything (especially since they teased his return beforehand but excluded him from the Rebirth panel). And when Wally finally returned, it was glorious. Wally traverses the New 52 and laments the loss of what fans loved, while simultaneously embracing the new. And after Linda fails to remember him in this issue, Wally goes to say goodbye to Barry in a heartfelt monologue, and it’s possible this really was going to be the end for Wally, but then he’s saved from the Speed Force.

Wally is the perfect character to usher in the Rebirth era. He is a character defined by his connection to the Flash legacy, whose love for his wife Linda has saved him on countless occasions and he’s a character who has never been defined by the tragedy in his life. Wally is the character that was all about moving forward, embracing the new — he represents what was so great about the DCU. As a long-time Flash and DC fan, this was everything I wanted — essentially an apology for how these two things were treated for most of the 2010s. Johns’ dialogue is sentimental and earnest, and it really resonates as a result. There are a lot of meta moments like this in the 2010s, but this one landed with me the most.

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3. “Did we do a good job, son?”, FF (2011) #23

While Jonathan Hickman is known for his epic scope, I think what doesn’t get enough attention is his keen eye for human emotion. His aforementioned Fantastic Four run spans the multiverse, but at its core is about family. The larger than life scale of his run lends a grandeur to the sentiment, but in the end, the stories are about family — and it all ends with Reed and Sue talking to their son in his bedroom, before he’s gone forever.

There’s comic book science involved, obviously, but an adult Franklin Richards spends the day with his younger self before telling his past parents that he needs to return to his own time. What follows is a heartfelt, earnest scene that anyone who even has a passing interest in parenthood can relate to — Reed and Sue tell Franklin about their worries, their concerns if they did things right, and ask Franklin if they were good parents, and Franklin tells them yes.

Hickman’s Fantastic Four run was about the family, but a running element was Reed and Franklin’s relationship, and how they just aren’t similar. Sue expresses the concerns that a mother would express, but Reed getting to the root of it is a beautiful way for Hickman’s run to end. After he neglected Franklin and they’ve bonded, after he gained a broader view of his children, he’s finally able to reconcile his parenting with every other part of him.

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2. “You’re the fastest man alive!”, The Flash (2016) #50

Yes, another Wally West moment. After Wally returned in DC Universe: Rebirth #1, it was assumed by many that he would be given a greater role in the DC Universe. Instead, he appeared in a mediocre-to-bad Titans series where nobody seemed to know what to do with him. After several badly received stories, Wally was returned to the Flash book, where he was given a lot of prominence and importance, and Joshua Williamson showed a strong love and affinity for the character. Then came “Flash War”, a story that I dreaded for its tagline of “there can only be one fastest man alive”, and anyone familiar with DC’s heavily contrasting treatments of Wally West and Barry Allen can tell you why.

However… “Flash War” was great. It mined Flash lore for interesting ideas, tackled the plot point of Wally’s forgotten children when it seemed like writers forgot about them, and delivered a triumphant moment of Wally. As Barry and Wally start losing sight of a Speed Force-empowered Hunter Zolomon, Barry speaks the words that we all knew to be true — that Wally is the fastest man alive. Wally catches up to Hunter and, in a way that gets to the core of the character and what the Flash legacy means to him and to readers, defeats Hunter.

The epilogue issue that followed was also great, with some great meta-commentary, but I’m keeping it to one issue per series. So, make it an honourable mention. And sure, what followed “Flash War” for Wally was terrible and speaks of how badly creators can screw up characters, but for a brief time, Wally West was where he belonged — with his family, as the fastest man alive. Instead of Titans encouraging him to let go of his memories, The Flash has him embrace them and his past, because that’s what makes him who he is.

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1. “Dawn”, Silver Surfer (2016) #14

Dan Slott’s Silver Surfer run is a joyful ride through the strangeness of space and is a soaring tribute to the Silver Age. However, at its core, Silver Surfer is about the relationship between Norrin Radd, the Sentinel of the Spaceways, and Dawn Greenwood, an average girl from Earth. This moment typifies that in the best way possible.

After Norrin and Dawn travel to before the Big Bang, they are stranded and decide to live their lives there. They get married and Dawn eventually passes away from old age, and Norrin doesn’t. As the old universe dies, Norrin travels through the event and ends up in the current universe once again, throwing Dawn’s essence into the Big Bang, creating the signature red and black dots of the power cosmic from her ladybug motif. Later, we see that every species has the same word for the sun rising: “Dawn”.

This moment is a perfect ending to a perfect run. It is goofy and weird, but also epic and heart-warming, paying tribute to Jack Kirby’s art and honing in on what made this run so great. If Dan Slott’s Silver Surfer was a tribute to the Silver Age, this moment is a testament that, for all the high concepts and strangeness, the Silver Age was about joy and wonderment.

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There you have it, my personal best comic book moments of the 2010s. Probably nobody is going to agree with me on these, but these are the ones I liked the most. There were others, but I had to be a bit strict, so this is what is left. Hopefully the 2020s will have just as many good moments, and of just as high a quality. But I don’t know, I don’t have 2020 vision.

(Sorry).

As the decade comes to a close, I've decided to look at the best moments in comic books from the 2010s, a decade which delivered some of my favourite moments in comics. So far, I've looked at the biggest shake-ups in comics status quos in the 2010s. Of course, I think those were important.

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Fall Movie Preview: 50 Movies You Need to Know About

Not only does Fall bring chillier temperatures, pumpkin spice lattes, and cozy sweaters but also plenty of reasons to go to the movie theater (or stay on the comfort of your own couch with new Netflix originals, if you’re into that sort of thing). The season kicks off with everything from a heartbreaking family drama from the creator of This Is Us to the long-awaited Halloween rebootthat will surely give us nightmares long after Fall transitions into Winter. This is also the season when Oscar hopefuls emerge and holiday blockbusters start coming out by the dozen, so there’s seriously something for everyone. If you need an idea of what to see from the end of August all the way to Christmas, then take a look at the list ahead.

1 Operation Finale

Image Source: MGM

The scoop: With a large crew to back him up, Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) goes on a covert mission to Argentina in 1960 to find the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust. Mélanie Laurent, Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Kingsley, and Nick Kroll costar.

Release date: Aug. 29

2 Sierra Burgess Is a Loser

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: The story focuses on Sierra (Stranger Things star Shannon Purser), a smart high school student who unintentionally begins catfishing her crush because of a case of mistaken identity. She teams up with Veronica, the school’s typical popular mean girl (Kristine Froseth), in hopes of winning over her crush, played by The Fosters‘ Noah Centineo.

Release date: Sept. 7

3 The Nun

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Even the poster for this follow-up to the Conjuring franchise is enough to send chills down our spines, so we can only imagine how terrifying the actual movie is going to be. This time around, we travel to 1950s Romania, where a nun and a Catholic priest are sent by the Vatican to investigate the mysterious suicide of another nun at a monastery. What they don’t realize is that an intensely powerful demonic force is already there, waiting to claim them.

Release date: Sept. 7

4 Mandy

Image Source: RLJE Films

The scoop: Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough star in this thriller set in 1983. The pair play Red Miller and Mandy Bloom, who lead a remote, peaceful existence in the Pacific Northwest until a sadistic cult destroys everything they hold dear. The invasion sparks a tale of bloody vengeance that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Release date: Sept. 14

5 The Predator

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: Alfie Allen, Olivia Munn, and more star in this sequel, which will see soldiers teaming up to battle the vicious extraterrestrial we all know and love (to have nightmares of).

Release date: Sept. 14

6 White Boy Rick

Image Source: Columbia Pictures

The scoop: This based-on-a-true-story crime drama follows young teen Richard Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt), who goes on to become an undercover FBI informant in the 1980s, although his life tragically ends in disgrace and life in prison. Matthew McConaughey plays his father, Richard Wershe Sr.

Release date: Sept. 14

7 A Simple Favor

Image Source: Lionsgate

The scoop: A Simple Favor, a Paul Feig-directed thriller, stars Anna Kendrickas Stephanie, who seems like she just wants to track down her missing BFF Emily (Blake Lively) . . . but what if she actually had something to do with her disappearance? Although Emily has always seemed like an elegant, aspirational, and all-around put-together human being, she’s also been hiding a dark side from both Stephanie and her own husband, Sean (Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding), which creates an even more complex mystery.

Release date: Sept. 14

8 The Land of Steady Habits

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: Ted Thompson’s novel The Land of Steady Habits is coming to Netflix this Fall and stars Ben Mendelsohn as Anders Hill, a family man in his mid-50s living in an affluent part of Connecticut who finds himself in a rut. With his son’s college tuition paid off, Anders leaves his wife (Edie Falco) and goes on a clumsy search for freedom.

Release date: Sept. 14

9 The Sisters Brothers

Image Source: Annapurna Pictures

The scoop: This Western drama picks up in 1850s Oregon, where a gold prospector finds himself on the run from an infamous duo of assassins, the Sisters brothers. If that isn’t enough to convince you to watch it, hopefully the star-studded cast is: Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, and Riz Ahmed star.

Release date: Sept. 19

10 The House With a Clock in Its Walls

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: A young boy goes to stay with his uncle in a creaky old house and soon realizes that there’s much more to the home than meets the eye — get ready for thrills, chills, witches, and warlocks.

Release date: Sept. 21

11 Quincy

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: Rashida Jones teamed up with Alan Hicks to direct this Netflix documentary about her father, Quincy Jones, aptly titled Quincy. The film is an intimate look into the life of the music industry icon, exploring his impact, the way he’s transcended racial and cultural boundaries, and the ups and downs of his career over the last 70 years.

Release date: Sept. 21

12 Nappily Ever After

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: In this Netflix romantic dramedy, Violet Jones (Sanaa Lathan) appears to have it all together — a great job, a doctor boyfriend, and a gorgeous head of hair — until a devastating, life-altering event shatters her illusion of perfection. With her carefully maintained world crumbling around her (and her boyfriend taking up with another woman), Violet decides to figure out just what, exactly, she actually wants out of life.

Release date: Sept. 21

13 Life Itself

Image Source: Amazon Studios

The scoop: This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman just can’t help himself when it comes to making people cry. Not only are we emotionally broken by his hit TV show each week, but the man is also gifting us with a new drama, Life Itself, that’s sure to be a tearjerker. The film hinges on a ridiculously beautiful couple (Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde) whose life together — from their first meeting to having a baby and raising their child — spawns “a multi-generational love story” that stretches from New York City to the Spanish countryside. Of course, in true Fogelman fashion, one tragic event is what connects it all. It also stars Mandy Patinkin, Olivia Cooke, Laia Costa, Annette Bening, and Antonio Banderas.

Release date: Sept. 21

14 Colette

Image Source: Bleecker Street

The scoop: Keira Knightley has returned to the world of period films, and we couldn’t be happier. The actress stars as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, an author who is coerced into ghostwriting a novel for her husband, Willy (Dominic West), after moving to Paris. After the story becomes wildly successful, she’s inspired to fight for creative ownership and against the traditional gender norms of the early 20th century.

Release date: Sept. 21

15 Night School

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: Night School stars comedian Kevin Hart as a wildly successful salesman who eventually runs into trouble when an explosion at work leaves him out of a job. Unfortunately, his prospects look slim since he dropped out of high school, so he decides to take night classes at the local high school — taught by Tiffany Haddish’s tough-as-nails instructor Kerry — along with a few other troublemakers in order to get his GED and a better career.

Release date: Sept. 28

16 Boy Erased

Image Source: Focus Features

The scoop: Garrard Conley’s heartbreaking 2016 memoir is coming to the big screen, starring Lucas Hedges as Jared, the teenage son of a baptist preacher (Russell Crowe) who is forced to endure a church-supported gay conversion program. The film also stars Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton, Xavier Dolan, and Joe Alwyn.

Release date: Sept. 28

17 Private Life

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: This Netflix film tracks a stressed-out couple — an author (Kathryn Hahn) and her husband (Paul Giamatti) — as they endure multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant. The drama also stars Molly Shannon and Emily Robinson.

Release date: Oct. 5

18 Venom

Image Source: Sony Pictures

The scoop: Tom Hardy’s upcoming Spider-Man spinoff, Venom, sees the villain in all his terrifying, gory glory. The trailer promises that we’ll see Eddie Brock’s (Hardy) transition and struggle going from investigative journalist to symbiote host, finally referring to himself as “we.” (Shiver!) His ex-girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) and Riz Ahmed’s evil Dr. Carlton Drake (who will later become the film’s main antagonist, a fellow symbiote called Riot) also appear.

Release date: Oct. 5

19 A Star Is Born

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s romance, which is the fourth iteration of this story, follows a has-been rock icon (Cooper) who discovers a ridiculously talented young singer (Gaga). Not only do they embark on an epic love story, but they’re also forced to navigate some thrilling triumphs and devastating pitfalls as they tackle the music industry.

Release date: Oct. 5

20 Bad Times at the El Royale

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: Did God herself cast Bad Times at the El Royale? Because this thriller is seriously stacked with talent. Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Nick Offerman play a group of strangers who find themselves clashing at the titular creepy hotel, owned by Jon Hamm. According to the film’s description, “Over the course of one fateful night, secrets are unearthed, and everyone will have a last shot at redemption before everything goes to hell.” Apparently “hell” is code for “Chris Hemsworth shirtless.”

Release date: Oct. 12

21 First Man

Image Source: Focus Features

The scoop: Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong in this biopic, which reunites him with La La Land director Damien Chazelle. Based on the book by James R. Hansen, the drama looks equal parts heartfelt and intense and also stars The Crown‘s Claire Foy and Bloodline‘s Kyle Chandler.

Release date: Oct. 12

22 Apostle

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: Occult horror-thriller Apostle stars Beauty and the Beast‘s Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson, who returns home to London in 1905 only to discover that his sister has been captured by a cult led by the dangerously charismatic Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen) and is being held for ransom. Thomas sets out to rescue his sister, infiltrating the cult’s island community and eventually uncovering an evil secret.

Release date: Oct. 12

23 Beautiful Boy

Image Source: Amazon Studios

The scoop: Get your tissues ready, because Timothée Chalamet will break your heart in this Amazon Studios adaptation of Tweak and David Sheff’s gut-wrenching memoir, Beautiful Boy. Chalamet’s character goes from a lighthearted, suburban big brother who enjoys family time to a young adult battling a devastating methamphetamine addiction. Steve Carell plays his father, and their relationship will shake you to your core.

Release date: Oct. 12

24 Serenity

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey have reunited years after Christopher Nolan’s existential Interstellar for another stressful cinematic experience: enter Serenity. In it, a very blond Hathaway asks McConaughey to murder her abusive husband (Chappaquiddick‘s Jason Clarke) by dropping him smack dab in the ocean, much to the delight of any nearby sharks. Despite the grim premise, the trailer still makes the movie look pretty damn sexy, for what it’s worth.

Release date: Oct. 19

25 Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: Melissa McCarthy flexes her dramatic acting chops in Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Lee Israel, a real-life magazine writer whose life took a turn when she started forging and selling letters supposedly written by late, legendary writers. She later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property in 1993 and eventually wrote a memoir about her life, upon which the biopic is based.

Release date: Oct. 19

26 Halloween

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: A David Gordon Green-directed reboot of the terrifying franchise sees Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode from the 1978 original. Now older (but perhaps not altogether wiser), Laurie has spent years praying that her attempted murderer, Michael Myers, would escape from his psychiatric ward so that she can get revenge for the trauma he put her through by killing him herself. Well, thanks to a bus crash, she gets her wish, and the unstoppable homicidal maniac is let loose on the world once again.

Release date: Oct. 19

27 Wildlife

Image Source: IFC Films

The scoop: Do you hear that? It’s the sound of Oscar buzz for Wildlife, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan as a couple who move their son to Montana in 1960, only for their marriage to fall apart.

Release date: Oct. 19

28 Galveston

Image Source: RLJE Films

The scoop: After mob hit man Roy (Ben Foster) discovers his boss has hired assassins to take him out, he goes on the run with a young, troubled woman named Rocky (Elle Fanning). As they make their way to Galveston, they desperately try to outrun not only the mob but also the demons from both of their pasts.

Release date: Oct. 19

29 An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: In this quirky comedy, Lulu Danger (Aubrey Plaza) is already deeply unsatisfied in her marriage to Shane (Emile Hirsch), but things only degrade further when a mysterious man from her past (Jemaine Clement) arrives in town to perform an event called “An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; For One Magical Night Only.”

Release date: Oct. 19

30 Suspiria

Image Source: Amazon Studios

The scoop: As a follow-up to award season darling Call Me by Your Name, director Luca Guadagnino has dramatically changed courses by remaking one of the scariest horror movies from the 1970s: Suspiria. It follows Dakota Johnson’s ambitious young dancer, Susie, arriving at a world-renowned dance company led by a mysterious artistic director (Tilda Swinton), who will send Susie on a journey filled with darkness (translation: satanic rituals, witches, curses, murder, etc.). Mia Goth, Lutz Ebersdorf, Jessica Harper, and Chloë Grace Moretz also star.

Release date: Oct. 26

31 Bohemian Rhapsody

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: The long-awaited Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, stars Rami Malek as the group’s legendary frontman Freddie Mercury and also dives into the musician’s relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and the creative process behind some of Queen’s biggest hits.

Release date: Nov. 2

32 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Image Source: Disney

The scoop: Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a beautiful look at the magical world young Clara (Twilight’s Mackenzie Foy) stumbles upon one Winter night. Her new surroundings include a dashing soldier (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice, the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley), and a tyrannical Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren). Will Clara be able to locate the strange and mysterious key that can restore harmony in this parallel world? Considering real ballet superstar Misty Copeland has a starring role, we have high hopes for this.

Release date: Nov. 2

33 The Girl in the Spider’s Web

Image Source: Columbia Pictures

The scoop: In the first book since David Lagercrantz took over the Millennium trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson, Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy, taking over for Rooney Mara) investigates an organization called the Spider Society. In the first trailer for the highly anticipated follow-up to 2011’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Foy looks unrecognizable as she terrorizes men who have harmed other women and confronts her dark, mysterious past.

Release date: Nov. 9

34 Outlaw King

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: Chris Pine is leaving the 1980s behind for the 1300s, as he plays real-life Scottish king and rebel hero Robert the Bruce in Outlaw King. The Netflix historical drama hails from Hell or High Water director David Mackenzie and tells the true story of the reluctant medieval king who finds himself drawn into a vicious battle with King Edward I (Stephen Dillane) and his vengeful, violent son, the Prince of Wales (Billy Howle).

Release date: Nov. 9

35 The Oath

Image Source: Roadside Attractions

The scoop: Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish’s dark comedy sees a husband and wife attempting to survive “life and Thanksgiving in the age of political tribalism.” In other words, they sit down for dinner with their extended family and find themselves viciously sparring with their Republican relatives over a new government policy that will require citizens to sign a loyalty oath to the president. When two government agents (John Cho and Billy Magnussen) enter the mix, the holiday dinner fully goes off the rails.

Release date: Oct. 12

36 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Not only does the Fantastic Beasts sequel take us to Hogwarts back in the day, but it also introduces young Dumbledore (Jude Law) and young Newt Scamander in a few nostalgic flashbacks. Of course, the film also moves to years later, when Dumbledore has to team up with adult Newt (Eddie Redmayne) on his journey to Paris, where he’ll no doubt run into the evil Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).

Release date: Nov. 16

37 Widows

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: Another all-women heist flick is arriving this year. Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen has teamed up with Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn for Widows, a thriller about four women who are forced to step in to repay the debt their husbands — a gang of thieves who die during a heist gone wrong — couldn’t. The women in question? Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, and Cynthia Erivo, who look more than capable of sticking it to the men in their town who don’t think they “have the balls to pull this off,” according to Davis’s Veronica.

Release date: Nov. 16

38 Creed II

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Michael B. Jordan’s boxer is back! This time around, The Land director Steven Caple Jr. is at the helm while Ryan Coogler serves as an executive producer, but Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad are all reprising their roles. The film picks up after Adonis’s defeat by “Pretty” Ricky Conlan in Creed, as he struggles to balance his boxing career with his relationship with Bianca (Thompson), as well as training for a fight against Viktor Drago, the son of former prize champion boxer Ivan Drago (who killed his father, Apollo, during an exhibition match).

Release date: Nov. 21

39 Second Act

Image Source: STX Entertainment

The scoop: Real-life BFFs Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini join forces for Second Act, which follows Lopez’s Maya as she struggles to climb the corporate ladder at the big-box store where she works because of her lack of an Ivy League degree. When her close friend and coworker (Remini) gets her son to “Cinderella” Maya’s résumé and internet presence — think: photos of her with the Obamas, climbing Kilimanjaro, a degree from Wharton — she suddenly finds herself with a fancy new job on Madison Avenue. Milo Ventimiglia and Vanessa Hudgens also star!

Release date: Nov. 21

40 Green Book

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: Peter Farrelly’s Green Book is based on a true story about two men in the 1960s who form an unlikely friendship. Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali stars as Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class black pianist, who hires Tony Lip (Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen), a Bronx-born bouncer, to drive him on a concert tour that extends from Manhattan to the Deep South. Using the “Green Book,” which serves as a guide to the establishments that were safe at the time for African-Americans, the pair navigate the ups and downs of their lengthy road trip together.

Release date: Nov. 21

41 Robin Hood

Image Source: Summit Entertainment

The scoop: Do you like roguish vigilantes? Or scenes that feature 50 arrows being shot at once in slow motion? How about dramatic dialogue like, “Who is he? He’s all of us.” If any of those things appeal to you, then good news: you’re going to love Robin Hood. The gritty adaptation of the classic “steal from the rich, give to the poor” tale stars Kingsman‘s Taron Egerton as the masked hero, as well as Bridge of Spies‘ Eve Hewson as Maid Marian and Jamie Foxx as Robin Hood’s mentor, Little John.

Release date: Nov. 21

42 Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2

Image Source: Disney

The scoop: Ralph and Vanellope have big adventures ahead of them! The adorable duo from Wreck-It Ralph are back for the colorful sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2. Six years after the events of the first film, Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) stumble upon a WiFi router in their arcade, which sends them on a high-flying journey around the World Wide Web. Luckily, the internet access means they’ll bump into a few Disney princesses — Merida, Moana, Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel, and more! — as well as other iconic internet figures.

Release date: Nov. 21

43 Mary Queen of Scots

Image Source: Focus Features

The scoop: Following the life of young Queen Mary after she is widowed at age 18, the biopic focuses on her relationship with rival Queen Elizabeth. Saoirse Ronan is starring as Mary Stuart opposite Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I. Joe Alwyn and Guy Pearce also costar in the heated historical drama about an age-old story of family ties and dueling women in power.

Release date: Dec. 7

44 Aquaman

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Prepare yourself for a more in-depth look at the world of Aquaman and his family. We’ll finally get to see Aquaman’s parents — his mother, Atlanna, played by Nicole Kidman, and his father, Tom Curry, played by Moana actor Temuera Morrison — as well as future wife Mera, played by Amber Heard. And no superhero film is complete without a proper villain, which we’ll get twofold thanks to Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta and Patrick Wilson’s Orm.

Release date: Dec. 21

45 Mortal Engines

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: In a postapocalyptic world, London has now become a giant machine that has to eat other cities to survive. Hugo Weaving, Jihae, and Robert Sheehan star in Peter Jackson’s adaptation.

Release date: Dec. 14

46 Bird Box

Image Source: Getty / Anthony Harvey

The scoop: Josh Malerman’s horrifying novel is coming to Netflix with a whole lot of star power. Sandra Bullock is set to play a mother struggling to keep her two children alive in the midst of an apocalypse that turns people into violent monsters and finds herself faced with navigating them down a dangerous river while blindfolded in search of salvation. Academy Award winner Susanne Bier is in the director’s chair, and the film also stars Trevante Rhodes, Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich.

Release date: Dec. 21

47 Welcome to Marwen

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: Welcome to Marwen is directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on Jeff Malmberg’s award-winning 2010 documentary Marwencol and sees Steve Carell playing the real-life Mark Hogancamp, who was beaten into a coma by five men and spent 40 days in the hospital. After the attack left him with brain damage and PTSD, Hogancamp immersed himself in an intricate world of World War II-era miniatures as a form of art therapy. Carell is joined by Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Merritt Wever, Janelle Monáe, Eiza González, and Gwendolyn Christie.

Release date: Dec. 21

48 Mary Poppins Returns

Image Source: Disney

The scoop: Mary Poppins Returns will have your inner child freaking out. The sequel takes us back to Cherry Tree Lane, where we get to see Emily Blunt as the lovable nanny and Lin-Manuel Miranda as her dancing companion.

Release date: Dec. 19

49 Bumblebee

Image Source: Paramount Pictures

The scoop:Oh, you thought you’d seen the last of the Transformers franchise? Think again. After 2017’s fifth addition (called Transformers: The Last Knight), a prequel titled Bumblebee posits that “Every adventure has a beginning.” The action film will center on the origin story of the beloved Transformer and introduce the series to a few new stars (Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena).

Release date: Dec. 21

50 On the Basis of Sex

Image Source: Focus Features

The scoop: This biopic stars Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she fights for gender equality on the road to becoming a Supreme Court associate justice. The film also has a stellar supporting cast, including Kathy Bates, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, and Sam Waterston.

Release date: Dec. 25

(C)

[thatwitchrevan]

I did see No Way Home last night, and.... It was way better than I expected, and I enjoyed it, but it was also the most surreal movie experience I've ever had because it was trying to be like. So many things at once, all while having this fanservice fest and being an mcu film.

And it worked?? Kinda? But also kinda not? Idk I love each actor's Spider-Man and each of the rogues gallery characters they brought in (particularly Alfred Molina's Doc Ock 💚), but seeing them in the MCU was so jarring. Each franchise has a different visual and tonal style and they don't blend together easily, and Disney is not especially adept at crossovers no matter how much they like doing them.

I did enjoy how it felt like a heartfelt longfic about multiple Spideys coming together but I also feel like the weirdness of it detracted from it being able to be A Serious Spider Man Film About Tom Holland. His storyline was pretty good, but everything got a little muddled there sometimes. And I felt like the villains deserved more screentime and development.

I did love seeing Tobey and Andrew come back to their roles and show off the differences and similarities in their portrayals and Tom's. I really enjoyed the rogue's gallery hanging out and working with Tom!Peter, especially Norman imprinting on him - that line where he says 'remarkable - the technology and you' absolutely killed me. I felt for Norman so much in those brief scenes. And Otto... I love him sm,, and he was so soft with Norman at the apartment, it was adorable. They are gay. Also when Tobey!Peter sees Otto and gets emotional, and Otto asks how he's been and talks about how he's grown up??? I did have emotions about it.

MJ is everything. I love Zendaya as MJ so much, she could redeem the MCU Spider Man franchise on her own. She's the funniest character but also in many ways the most emotionally mature. I love how supportive she was of Peter and Ned and eventually the other Peters, and I loved getting hints of more of her backstory and her own life. I think her not going by Watson implies she's not in contact with her birth father and that the dad her and Peter reference is a step dad, because MJ's birth father is abusive in other continuities - and if she does have a better family life than usual I love that for her. I do think it's very weird that she and May hadn't met yet because weren't Peter and Michelle friends for a little while between the first and second movie? I know they just started dating when Peter's identity was revealed but there must have been some time in there either before or after they got together when he could've introduced them. Also in most continuities May knows Mary Jane before Peter does, so to show May meeting this MJ in the middle of the chaos was just weird. And I wish they'd had more of a relationship in this one because MJ and May's relationship is incredibly important.

Matt Murdock's iconic cameo was beautiful ♥️ I love him. Ditto to Eddie and Venom, my confused bi disaster boys.

Anyway this is not at all an organized ramble but yeah this was a weird and weirdly fun movie but also my brain is confused and I have many questions and critiques. It's neither a seamless crossover or a crossover with deliberate, funky seams... It's kinda just a bunch of stuff thrown together and lampshaded a million times, mcu style.

I could see them soft-rebooting Tom's Spidey as the movie went on and I don't entirely appreciate it. Pressing undo and having Peter joke about being broke when that's never been evident in the MCU doesn't magically give him back what he was supposed to start with. If he ends up working at the Bugle in the next movie I will be zero percent surprised.